Bearshorty's musings

Happy Birthday, Yeva!

Friday is not my longest workday but it feels like it since I need to get up at 6:10 to carpool to University. I got an egg on a bagel sandwich and tea at Au Bon Pain and read the National Geographic for breakfast time and then took the bus to my teaching campus and set up there. I had a nice quiet hour and a bit before my morning office hours and I just sat in a café and worked on my RS Games fic.

Today is a rough draft day so I just basically handed out my worksheets and I then could work on grading their homework and looking over the first rough drafts. I need to comment on draft by Tuesday. And I had a student actually come to my afternoon office hours to work out logistics of her missing a week of class because she is going to India for a wedding. Oh, and it occurred to me today that I can actually fix the problem of students having that stupid space between paragraphs but turning on my laptop which I carry with me and showing it to students who still didn’t figure it out on rough drafts. I think I needed to explain it to one student three times since it is obviously so hard to remember which very logical buttons to press. Now I will have to do this in my other class too.

I capped my work day by heading to the main library and reading my Roman law textbook for an hour and a half. Roman family law and marriage law is my favorite part, I think. Very interesting.

After dinner, I got to go rollerblading. I had to stick to the parking lot since the beach road is still too sandy but I was just happy not to be sitting down.

This article made me all emotional today. How an astronaut saw 9/11 from space .

( Torchwood S4E10 )

Yep, this week is weird in natural disaster stuff. I think it is my first hurricane too.

Well, we have to evacuate. It is official. Yeva is awesome and offered her place since her apartment in Zone B is empty right now as she is living with her boyfriend. So we will go there tomorrow morning.

All the public transportation is shutting down at noon tomorrow. And the play got cancelled too, which is good since we really don’t have time for it with the evacuation. I mean, we are not going that far – just 30 minutes, but the bridge might close earlier. And I should pack for a couple of days. We did move lots of books from downstairs and put tape on the window in an X pattern which my parents said people used to do in the war to protect window from bombs.

( Torchwood S4E8 )

I watched “Mildred Pierce” Episodes 1 and 2 today. I know nothing of the story so it was not always going in the way I was expecting. Kate Winslet is amazing as always. It is a good miniseries. I like the portrayal of women’s choices in the 30s.

( Burn Notice S5E8 )

After Elton Torchwood in 10 minutes Episode 6

The beach fair was this weekend and we did all go in the evening especially since we had a guest. The weather was quiet cool, actually. I didn’t buy anything this time, though. I already have four ankle bracelets and I didn’t see anything else I was interested in.

I turned off my computer early and just read in the evening. In was nice. Maybe because we had an overnight guest since Mama’s friend Irina stayed over but I went to sleep at normal time so as not to disturb anybody.

Since Mark Watches started “Battlestar Galactica” and since it is on Netflix instant play – I have been rewatching episodes along with him. There are several shows I watched twice: “Buffy” “Farscape,” “Firefly” (usually with Papa while I introduced those shows to him) so it has been interesting to start this show at the beginning with full knowledge of what to come.

( Torchwood S4E5 )

After Elton's Torchwood Episode 5 in ten minutes

'Leverage' managed another decent episode last week. Maybe this season can be salvaged.

The US credit rating just got downgraded . It is not a good thing obviously but part of me thinks Congress and its stupid ‘negotiations’ of the last few weeks deserve that for putting the interest of their own re-election ahead of actually thinking about people. The whole political shenanigans right now just make me want to shake my head.

( Leverage S4E5 )

( Torchwood S4E4 )

For the last few weeks my upper right teeth have been bugging me. Not enough to cause too much pain to see a dentist right away but enough to be annoying. If this continues by Monday, I’d have to see a dentist which is not a favorite thing.

“Ghost Story” has arrived! Yay. I already skimmed it for main plot details. I really like the ending and where the story will go in the next book. Now I can settle in and slowly savor the book.

Norway massacre is just horrible.

Deathly Hollows Part II reactions from someone who never read the books.

We had a few power outages today because of the heat - at 3:30 for a bit. . Then at 3:53 and from 5:50 to 6:19pm. But Internet takes longer to reset. I really hope everything will be restored by 10, since really don’t want to miss Torchwood today.

Dylan Thomas “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” I liked listening to it more than reading it since I don’t have patience for reading it – but it was a little abridged which is silly for a short story.

Finally, I got some tentative class schedule for the writing program. It is on a campus that is further away though, I’m hoping they would change it, but they probably won’t and I can’t really be too picky.

( Leverage S4E4 )

( Torchwood S4E3 )

Netflix Starz only starts working at exactly 10 for me which is fine but it makes for nerve wrecking wait time to see if the show starts. But at least I could watch it. I also have it on for the repeat just to see some scenes again.

( Torchwood S4E2 )

Today was the last of my court dates and it took me three month to actually write this entry down (September 27). The day is just so vivid in my mind that it feels wrong to try to describe it. We started with closing arguments where both parties did a great job making the case and then the judge read us instructions in law for about an hour. We went into deliberation right before lunch and lunch was actually ordered for us.

We deliberated for about three hours, maybe a little less. And the process actually made me really believe in the jury system and the logic of deliberation. All of us wanted to consider the evidence and discuss it so as one juror put it, we can sleep at night. One juror, the chemistry professor, Martin, liked order and careful consideration. We often had to wait for him to agree with the rest of us which made us go carefully through the evidence.

We decided that Mr. Shah did know Sonny Bince and did lie to investigators about it because the woman who testified to that had no logical reason to lie. We did not think the prosecution proved that they had phone contact since it was a business phone. We all thought the defendant most likely did bribe Bince but that guy’s word alone was not enough to prove it. So we voted non-guilty on bribery and guilty on two counts of lying in federal investigation. All of us were happy with that.

On the train home, I got to chat with Martin who led an interesting life – being from Argentina, living in Ireland etc and other jurors. Overall, the jury was a good experience.

Torchwood Radio play 2 “Gwen, you can’t set him up like that” Jack, stop chatting up Ianto’s ex. I like Carli quickly accessing him and shooting him down. “Mentioned the Doctor 57 times” Hee. Admiral Harkness. Ianto broke out ‘sir’ when worried. Jack’s “I promise” was sweet. “Oh well he’s got another one” – when Gwen breaks the hand and then she broke his other hand. Jack saying there is nothing in the afterlife and saying “I’m the face you see when you die” was very sad and compelling. A little too much pointing to “Miracle Day”

Netflix is raising its price extra $5. Now it will be $20 a month for 2 DVDs plus unlimited. I might change it to 1 DVD at a time.

Finally finished “Lavinia” It was a good book but it took me a while to get through it. I’m glad I read it but I probably won’t reread it. Le Guin did do a good job using the text of Aeneid to write.

Atlantis shuttle launch was today. I had the launch window open on my computer all morning but I had to leave to drop off lab work. I figured I would be back for actual launch but I had to wait almost 40 minutes just to drop off the lab work. I didn’t need to do anything at the office- just drop it off but I still had to wait, which pissed me off. I watched the replay as soon as I got home but it is not exactly the same. Still gorgeous to watch but not the same. It just this is the last shuttle flight. Which is a little sad.

Really good article on fanfiction in Time magazine.
I think my favorite part was how people who don’t always understand fanfiction might not have a problem understanding why someone might want to play someone else’s music and build on it.

A NY Times Magazine article about marriage and monogamy and Dan Savage’s world view. Lots of points are presented. I don't really agree with him - people can control their impulses and make rational choices based on our cultural values without blaming evolutionary impulses - but I agree with idea of honesty in relationships.

( Torchwood S4E1 )

Hee. Recap of Torchwood: Miracle Day first episode in 10 minutes.
.
Voyager (and other Star Trek) is now on Netflix Instant Queue. I will probably start watching some episodes again – I loved that show – not for the writing or continuity which was often crappy but for the characters. I had such a Chakotay crush as a teenager and shipped Janeway and Chakotay even before I heard of shipping. And I still want to make a more consistent way through the original series.

I had a good birthday today. I like being 31 already.

I woke up in a really good mood today because presents! My parents told me where they put them before they left on vacation.

And I got a Kindle! Usually Papa gives me a book or two – this time 61 on Kindle! (Except I accidentally lost them when I re-registered my Kindle to my name, but then once I creates new categories I saw that they were still in memory, just not organized like Papa wanted). He got me a Kindle! I briefly suspected this a week ago in the conversation with Mama because she used the phrase “Dad’s Kindle” but then I dismissed the idea because why would Papa get me one, I never really expressed the interest or used his before the last two weeks – but he did get me one! With a pink cover with a night light. (I’m not really a pink person but it will match my laptop). And I can use it to read things like Burton’s travel accounts and his Arabian nights translation (which I already downloaded for free) and other free old books that are out of print. So I am happy to get one although I still prefer regular books.

My parents, who are awesome, also got me $25 iTunes gift certificate (Lady Gaga and SYTYCD music here I come), Mozart’s “Magic Flute” CD and “Torchwood: Children of Earth” DVD. And I got a Ralph Lauren orange t-shirt and green cargo pants.

In the afternoon, I went to the store to take a walk and also to get the Chinese menu in case I wanted Chinese tonight. And I wanted to get ice-cream too or some sort of desert. On the way I saw an ice-cream truck and I figured it was a perfect place to get ice-cream. Very summery. So I asked for a mixed cone with chocolate sprinkles. The guy asked me how I was doing as he made the cone and I was in a very good mood and I told him it was my birthday. He didn’t initially really believe me but I had my driver’s license with me so I showed it to him. He asked if I was doing anything special for it and I said not really. So he told me to put my wallet away and then he tossed the cone he was making and took the Big Gigantic Waffle Cone and not only filled it with gigantic amount of ice-cream and put sprinkles on it but also put the whipped cream on top! It was sugar overload! I don’t think I will have sugar for a while! And it just contributed to my happy mood. Thank you, Robert, the ice-cream guy for making my birthday great.

I decided on pizza in the evening and I invited my neighbor Laura and the kids over for it. Alexis came over earlier around 6 since she wanted my help with her school project. She is in the 3rd grade and was doing a project on Israel. Each kid in her class had to pick a country in Asia and research it. She already found many things. I showed her an Atlas and how to use it. Laura gave me very tasty tea and tea cups as a present. I got half cheese, half mushroom pizza, garlic knots and buffalo wings.

Then we watched SYTYCD and the Spelling Bee. Those kids always amaze me. It is insane what they can spell. It makes me love language and words even more.

And, of course, my favorite thing about today is that I get to speak to all my loved ones – family and friends who call to wish me happy birthday. Like my friend Sveta who called from across the world and my aunt.

Weird things customers say in bookstores . Really funny.

So apparently the Governor of NJ went insane and passed a law that only residents of NJ should be considered for public positions in the state. This includes Trenton employees, Rutgers University and other people who work for the public sector. Many people who work in NJ don’t live there because New York and Pennsylvania are so close. I know Rutgers negotiated with the state government to come up with some exceptions to this highly ridiculous law because, hey lots of professors want to live in New York City, but this law will affect many people. Not everyone can just move. The Governor calls this law “New Jersey First Act” and it even sounds stupid. I realize he is trying to reduce unemployment in the state but is it really feasible?