Saturday, November 05, 2005

Some tips for cooking.....


One of these days I am going to learn how to cook. Near mishap today, when I almost burned down our would be little kitchen at CMRS....I was hungry...A little bored...So I got the bright idea to make some Mac and cheese..Now somewhere in my head I had forgotten that Susan can not cook. The history of my cooking abilities dates back to pre-historical ages of putting plastic bowls in microwaves...Leaving plastic spoons in a batch of brownies and then putting it in the oven..Not putting the top on the blender, somehow getting melted marshmallow on the the ceiling of my freshman dorm's lounge....Oh lets us not forget the meatloaf episode where I decided to improvise.....But for some odd reason I forgot entirely about all those incidents and took it upon myself to make lunch....I turned on the stove added salt and butter put the noodles in the pot, put the pot on the stove and covered it....But neglected to put the water in the pot to boil...Yes indeed I left the pot on the stove for five minutes...Baking the noodles to its surface...Just FYI when you do this you actually have to get rid of the pot....Luckily nobody was in the kitchen at the time to witness my little mishap...I just have to make sure to maintain a sense of composure when people start asking where that damn pot went........

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Reflections of a Gemini

Today my stained glass teacher, Mrs. Fenely said that the stars were not in the correct alinement to do stained glass. See this woman is an artist who used to be a librarian who used to be an astrologer who used to be a chemist, as well as being a bit daft at times, she makes the most bizzare comments, which are always fun to interpret. I am going to be starting the fenely quote of the day on my blog because they are so brilliant. For example a great fenely quote would be "I absolutely love jesuits (as in the priest), I used to collect them but I haven't for quite awhile" or the classic "I said to Dr. Fenely (her husbend)..'Dr Fenely why couldn't we just build a giant freezer and freeze the polar ice caps, that would stop them from melting, and then Dr. Fenely said 'But dear what do you think refridgerators run on' " I tell you the two of them make quite a pair. But I digress.....So back to astrology...we tend to get alot of comments such as "oh jason (the one and only guy in the class) you're a libra ...you won't cut (the glass) well" ..I was curious today what exactly went on in my sign since there is everything from natural element to colors attached with signs....my sign is gemini...so ....here are the results....



My ruling planet is Mercury.


The color of choice for Mercury in Gemini is GREEN


Positive Traits: adaptable, versatile, intellectual, communicative, spontaneous, eloquent, youthful, lively, talkative, amusing, witty and logical.


Negative Traits: changeable, restless, inquisitive, inconsistent, superficial, cunning, nervous, tense

LIKES
Talking
Novelty and the unusual
Variety in life
Multiple projects all going at once
Reading

DISLIKES
feeling tied down
Institutionalized learning
Being in a rut
mental inaction


Spiritual Goal: To learn how to cooperate
Spiritual Correspondence: The Thrones
Apostle: James the Younger
Prophet: Zecharia
Anatomy: Rules the arms, shoulders, lungs and nervous system
Corresponding Tarot Card: The Lovers. The Lovers is indicative of a choice between vice and virtue...good and evil. It is also associated with temptation and the beginning of romance.
Associated Countries: United States of America, Switzerland and Wales
Associated Cities: London, Melbourne and San Francisco
Watchword: Versatility
Keynote: Variety
Physical Manifestation: Expansion or Contraction Mental Manifestation: Joy or Sorrow
Motto: My Thoughts Are Winged
Quote: I Think

Also known as the Sign of the Artist or Inventor, Gemini is Positive in polarity (as are Aries, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius). The general characteristics of Positive Signs broadly match those for the extrovert personality and such individuals are naturally more impulsive, buoyant, communicative and sociable than are the Zodiac Signs of Negative polarity (Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces). However, Positive Signs rarely display the same levels of sensitivity or the same depth of understanding of emotional subtleties as do their Negative counterparts. Positive Signs tend to crave excitement and thus, are inclined to direct their energies outward into the world around them. Gemini is the Third Sign of the Zodiac, associated with storytellers, communicators and youth. This Sign is symbolized by Twins who are, in and of themselves, their own representatives since no particular animal appears to be associated to this Sign of the Zodiac, with the possible exception of the wolf and its connection to the nurturing of Romulus and Remus, mythologic founders of Rome. In Egypt, Gemini was once known as the "Two Stars," named for Castor and Pollux which are the two brightest celestial bodies within the constellation. These stars have also been formerly referred to as "Hercules and Apollo," and "Triptolemus and Iasion." The Egyptians were inclined to illustrate Gemini by using the images of two baby goats as opposed to the human figures which are commonly used in modern times. Dominated by the planet Mercury, the planet of speed, Gemini individuals have a joy of expression, a quick mind and a certain sparkle which will always help them toward their goals in life. Gemini subjects are the Zodiac's lovers of language...the poets, the bards and the wordsmiths and verbal magicians. Those born under the Sign of Here, the inherent intellectual gifts often bring great success with no true effort, but Gemini natives are usually hard put to sustain it. Thus, these individuals should strive to learn perseverence and cultivate depth. They need to aspire to substance as well as style, attempting to take themselves...and their words...more seriously.

The Gemini female is the symbol of a modern intelligent woman who questions every convention and tradition. She is fun to know, although sometimes difficult to pin down. This woman's view of life is rather original. Her mental qualities are first class, but she possesses a "light touch" and is never boring. She will tend to flit from one topic to another during the course of a conversation, which most people find entertaining and amusing. Indeed, it is in such a manner that the women of this Sign find the greatest delight during social occasions. However, this female will never impose her views upon others, no matter how forthright those opinions might be. The Gemini woman is friendly and easy to approach, but not necessarily interested in a long-term romantic relationship. The passionate and receptive side to females governed by Gemini can turn abruptly distant at times

Now the real question becomes does any of this stuff apply to me ..There was alot more on the site i checked...If anyone else is now interested about their sign and the meaning behind it ...go to http://www.novareinna.com/constellation/index.html

Academics vs. Teachers


I have decided that I will never ever want to live or study in England again. While studying here has been a great experiences ...Sort of ...Well not really. I was really excited to come to Oxford, and I have had several positive experience such as meeting one of the greatest teachers ever...Mrs. Fenely...Thus inspiring me to change my entire career goals, meeting some great new friends..But overall I find the most of the professors here seem to be academics first and teachers as a secondary thought. Like its some necessary evil they can't get around. If one doesn't want to teach one shouldn't because it makes life hell for everyone around them...Particularly the students who are shelling out money for to learn. Outside of Stained glass, I could be learning the same amount by myself ...Hell I am learning it by myself. Oh of course there is that one hour where I pop into my prof's office for a nod of the head...But that's about it...Not much learning there. In that respect Some of my illusions about Oxford have been broken..Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I know for sure I would never want to pursue grad school here for example. I have started to look into what I should be doing to pursue a career in stained glass. I think that apprenticeship is the way to go...But I really have no idea. ..It should be interesting none the less.

Monday, October 31, 2005

The thermodynamics of Hell

I just love forwards ...no really i do ..In fact i could be sent all the forwards in the world and die a happy woman....DEAR LORD...I mean really people. Whoever was the inventor of the chainletter should shot drawn quatered and then slowly eaten by rabid chickens. However once in a blue moon I recieve a notable forward..Today I looked in my box and recieved this one...I actually thought it was quite amusing....from a nerdish standpoint of course......


The Thermodynamics of Hell: The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is (of course) why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well. Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following: "First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time, so we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This yields two possibilities: 1) If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will continue to increase until all Hell breaks loose. 2) If the volume of Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of the volume of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa Bayman during my Freshman year, that "... it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you" and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in having an affair with her, then #2 above cannot be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze over."

Emotional distress over Relationship problems



I actually made it to breakfast this morning, which only lasts for one hour by the way 8-9 brutal...even worse was the coffee was lighter in color than the tea. One, to get up in the morning was hard enough but to not have a decent cup of coffee is a tragedy to all mankind. I NEED coffee in the morning. So what is my only option .....STARBUCKs....starbucks and I have had a long drawn out hate love relationship...we went steady for awhile but then it began cheating on me with other types of non-caffeinated drinks like strawberry and creme non-coffee frappicinos and *shudder* high protein vegetable drinks...i was forced to break off the relationship. I went into a filtered decafe depression...drinking any available coffee i could find....foldgers....maxwell house....even...*chokes out with great emotional shame * ...the walmart brand coffee that instantly desolves in water...I became nothing but a cheap coffee slut prostituting myself to any cup with the scent of java attached to it, I didn't care about quality only quantity...I nearly forgot the rich flavorful aroma of a well made cup of french pressed espresso.....It took me a long time to recover...I began to casually see independent coffee houses and soon I could say that I was completely reformed ..well with all this emotional turmoil to be forced go back to starbucks...a corporate bastard with some of the strongest coffee around....I have hit my low....I may just go back into the vicious cycle that I was caught in for so long.....the worse part is, it isn't just one starbucks...oh no ...it is two...there are two starbuck on one block....and as some would say this is the end of the universe.....I am going to try to stay strong ...who knows maybe it will work out this time...Maybe i won't be so disappointed....afterall ...TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY...I WILLL NEVER DRINK CHEAP FACTORY MADE FILTERED COFFE AGAIN!