KTHX.

Right.

Ironically, this is a pretty good summation of what I’ve been up to (except for FDR and the jungle gym, I dunno what is up with that!).  So here are some things that have recently happened in my life, of no particularly significance or order:

1. So I never thought I was OCD, but I think I might be.  Command and Conquer has this thing where it tracks the number of wins and losses for all the games that you play, and I had a perfect winning record before a couple of nights ago.  Well, as some of you may know, my computer has gotten into the nasty habit of overheating and shutting off without prior warning, and it did just this in the middle of a mission. WELL, C&C3 registered this as me chickening out and recorded it as a loss… and now my record is no longer perfect.  QQ WOE IS ME WTF I H8 LYFE. I am seriously am considering just erased my record as a whole but then I’d lose my 18 wins.

2. My iTunes won’t open for whatever dumb reason.  Think I might restart my computer after this post.

3. While we’re on the topic of my computer, it seems to like to protest everytime I run anything vaguely graphics-intensive.  This includes any and all games that I thought I could get my fix of this summer.  BALLS.  I am hoping it is the altitude affecting it, and it’ll be right as rain when I get back to Boston.  :(

4. Since my laptop has been mostly out of commission, I’ve spent a lot of time reading webcomics and playing on my DS.  I beat The World Ends With You the other day and finished reading Questionable Content this morning.  TWEWY was all right; the curveball at the end was, well, BALLER, but I wasn’t terribly fond of the gameplay.  I’ve since moved onto FFXII: Revenant Wings which I am really liking right now, because it just might hint a teensy tiny bit at an RTS-style gameplay.  PLUS the graphics are awesome!

5. You should all read Questionable Content.  Why?  It’s hilarious.  The characters are adorable.  Also there is a kickass character named Dora and she’s really hot and has a cute Indie boyfriend and I may or may not be living vicariously through her.

6. Speaking of webcomics, have you seen this recent xkcd?  Because, sadly, I think that might describe me.  This blogpost is kind of hard evidential proof.

7. I don’t usually drink more than a bottle or two of beer, because I apparently say really, really stupid, inane things after more.  Not embarassing things, but stuff like “Wow, that telescope is really big!”  Except, I think I remember more high school French while drunk.

8. I’ve been getting into Blaqk Audio, which is the electronica side project of two members of AFI.  I don’t really like AFI, but I do like Blaqk Audio’s sound, and Davey Havoc (seriously, is that actually his name??) sings better in this than he does in AFI, I think.  His voice isn’t really made for punk, at least, to me.  My favorite song is “Semiotic Love” which y’all should listen to!  I’m kind of obsessed with it.  Dunno what the deal is with the video though.  Didn’t even watch it, so no guarantees.

9. Still sort of getting over fictional character crush on good ol’ Remus Lupin.  Think I might reread Prisoner of Azkaban again when I get home.  That, and I hear that Deathly Hallows is better the second time around.  I might actually just skip all of Harry’s piss-whining in his tent.  And the part where Remus and Tonks… aw shucks, no, I can’t do it.  Never reading Deathly Hallows again.  It’s over, J.K. Rowling!  We’re done.  I’m not over it, and I never will be.

10. To those of you who have been texting me, I apologize for not responding.  Usually I am sleeping when it gets to me, and by the time I wake up and am coherent enough to text a response back, it’s like, 3am where you are.  I love you and we should hang out when I get back!

11. I will post Arizona pictures when I get home.  I was hoping to embed them into this blog (I’ve been trying but then I gave up, as you can tell) but it’s a bitch of a job and takes forever to load and stuff.  I think I might make a Flickr account or something and post it up there instead.  They’re also all on Facebook, and I should be friends with all of you reading this blog.  Er, at least I hope I am.  Unless you’re Jamie Bamber – in which case, read on! (And friend me on Facebook!)

12. Craving sushi.  Minado’s run when I get home, y/y?

Well, that’s sort of it for now.  Now that the REU folks have left, there isn’t much to do except y’know, work (god forbid!).  The good news is that I made a good sum of money this summer.  The bad news is that I also spent a good sum as well.  Balls.

Cheerio, over and out.  Next post will be from Boston! <3

*DUDE.  Not that I’d EVER want to separate Remus from his dear Tonks, but wouldn’t he and Cameron be kind of adorable?  (Question: who WOULDN’T Cameron be adorable with?  Answer: Gaius Baltar.) I mean, he’s like, the ultimate sad, hurt, broken puppy (get it, pun!  ’Cause he’s a werewolf!).  Also, Lupin + Remus = Lupus, clearly.  Match made in heaven.

**How hard would it be to get all of you to start calling me Tonks?  HMMM…

Now that we have that over with, onto the good stuff.

Why should Dora go to England? Well, the reason is simple.  To improve the future casting of British movies.

This revelation came to me shortly after 5:00 am Arizona time, July 17, 2009.  This was preceeded by the baking of snickerdoodle cookies, and the watching of Twilight.  I do not regret either of those actions, except I might have eaten one too many snickerdoodles.  Clearly, I do not possess the same level of honorable self-restraint when it comes to my food as Edward Cullen does.  Then again, I also have never made out with a T-bone steak.  You decide who the better person is.

Anyway, during the 54 minute wait that MegaVideo made me sit through (yes, I watched it on MegaVideo, because I refuse to pay good money to legally obtain this movie), I decided to revisit some good times and watch Harry Potter 4.  After the mandatory giggling at David Tennant being creepy and playing Barty Crouch Jr., I decided to watch all the Cedric scenes.  I then proceeded to tell Becky that I loved Robert Pattinson before Twilight, and that Cedric was a thousand times better than Edward, and tried to avoid the fact that Edward probably would have owned everyone’s sorry magical butt in the Triwizard Tournament.  Unimportant.

The point is, I started thinking about how Cedric might have been my favorite character had he not DIED AN UNTIMELY DEATH, but since he did, one Remus Lupin (who also DIED AN UNTIMELY DEATH – NO, I’M STILL NOT OVER IT) stepped up to claim the title.  And then I thought to myself, “My GOD was the casting of Lupin atrocious.”  And then I proceeded to think, “My GOD so was the casting of Sirius!”

And then it came to me.  It should have been Hugh Grant as Sirius, and Colin Firth as Lupin.  Here’s why.

Let’s save the best for last and start with Sirius.  According to the reputable source of Harry Potter Wiki, Sirius Black is described to be ”handsome and full of laughter.”  I think that describes Hugh Grant perfectly.  Additionally Sirius is a playa and a pympmasta.  Also Hugh Grant.  He’s the carefree one, who never marries.  Hugh Grant often plays such roles.  And last, but certainly not least, he dies via curtain, and honestly, if there was anyway for Hugh Grant to go, it would be a curtain.

Sirius Black, as cast. No offense, but I don't think he was ever handsome and full of laughter.

Add some crazy hair, and you could most definitely pass him off as having spent some quality time with dementors.

Moving on to Lupin.  Again, let’s turn to Harry Potter Wiki.  Lupin is described as “intelligent, calm, tolerant, gentle, and good-natured.”  I know from personal experience that Colin Firth embodies all of these things.  He is also the “mature one in the group, because unlike his friends he never partook in bullying and even became a Prefect in his fifth year.” How about that!  Colin Firth played a lawyer in Bridget Jones’ Diary, which, like, honestly guys, is basically the same thing as a Prefect, okay?  Colin Firth is also great at being sullen and broody, and if you were a werewolf, wouldn’t you be, too?  Finally, I think we all agree it would do Mr. Firth some good to play a character whose last name wasn’t Darcy.

Remus Lupin, as cast. Why would take this...

...when you can have this? Okay, so he's smiling a bit too much in this picture. Whatever. Clearly it wouldn't have been Lupin's time of month.

That being said, why would Hugh Grant and Colin Firth collectively be fantastic casting choices?  Well firstly, they’re always in the same movies together, playing similarly contrasting roles as Sirius and Lupin.  Secondly, Alan Rickman is Snape, and the three could have been fantastic working off of each other.  And last but not least, at the end of book three, Lupin and Sirius have a fight in which Lupin kicks Sirus’ ass, and come on, we all know that a Colin Firth – Hugh Grant fight is essential and necessary in every movie they are in together.

So, Harry Potter casting crew, what exactly do you have to say for yourselves?  Nothing.  The answer is nothing.  There is no excuse.  But I will forgive you.  Because no matter what you say, when I go home and reread all the books before school starts up, I will forever have in my mind the right image of Lupin and Sirius.

(Also, like seriously, haven’t you always wanted to see Colin Firth turn into a werewolf?  I mean, COME ON!)

Moral of the story? Wear a shirt over my bikini.  It might be slightly uncomfortable when wet, but I won’t have to spend the night rubbing Aloe Vera into my stomach.

THIS JUST IN: I just killed the weirdest looking alien bug, with the one flipflop I had remaining.

I’ve been busy, so I will try to update what I’ve been up to recently.  Firstly, it is officially monsoon season here in Flagstaff, so I’ve been getting considerably less observing done.  This means I’m getting paid less, which is sad, but such is life.  Becky and I were recently indoctrinated in the tricky art of declination changes for the Astrograph.  Basically, the telescope is pretty handy dandy in moving on its own for a field, since the field doesn’t move too much throughout the course of the night.  The declination arm, which is automatic, has a reach of about four degrees up and down.  However, when we are moving to a new field, we sometimes have to move the arm manually, and then allow it to run its four degrees over the course of the night.  To do this, we get to use the telrad, and then we get to manually push the telescope up or down!  Telrads are so cool, even though I have blinded myself with them by accident multiple timesl!  We’ve mainly been using Scorpio to guide us – usually Beta Sco.  One night we had to use Delta Sco and it was hell.  Another night we had to use Alpha And and when I finally found it, it started lightning-ing, and we had to close up.  And which sucked.

(By the way, when there is lightning, does one say “it’s lightning-ing?”  I must know the answer by the end of the summer.)

Let’s see, in other news, ie, my social life, I’ve been hanging out with the REU kids a lot since we’ve been having cloudy nights.  We were going to see Transformers midnight on opening night, but then we couldn’t get tickets, so we got it for the next day.  We then had to wait in line for about … an hour just to get into the theatre, even though we already got tickets.  The movie?  I can’t decide if it was awesome, or sufferably terrible.  I will say this: the CG was absolutely fantastical.  I am also somewhat intrigued by the sixth Harry Potter movie, even though I only somewhat like the books and like the movies something less than I like the books.  I have a feeling it’s going to a hit amongst the people here, so let’s pray for another possibly cloudy night for its opening!

In terms of hiking, Eddie, Annie, Becky and I went on a weekend trip to Tucson and Phoenix.  It was really fun, and as I mentioned before, I definitely got more sun than I probably do in an average semester at MIT.  Also, I apologize to anyone I laughed at about Boston weather – after experiencing 100+ degrees down there, I’ll take crappy rainy weather anyday (I think).  I’m back in Flagstaff right now though, and it’s absolutely gorgeous as usual.  Neener neener.

Our weekend excursion began around 4:30 am Friday, when we set off for Tucson.  Annie and Eddie both had appointments at the University of Arizona, so that’s where we stopped by first.  I took a walk around, and checked out the “Physics – Atmospheric Sciences” building.  While I am slightly offended that they lumped physics with atmospheric science, they seemed to focus on astrophysical research a lot, which obviously made me very happy.  I might consider going there for grad school, since I sort of am in love with Arizona, though I’m not sure I could stand for winters without snow.

While we were over there we stopped by Bookman’s, which for people who don’t know, is a really sweet used-items exchange for books, video games, dvds, etc.  I got two books: When the Wind Blows by James Patterson and Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson.  Yes, I’ve sold my soul to Neal Stephenson.  I started When the Wind Blows, and while I find the concept of a genetically engineered angel absolutely intriguing (and maybe the fantastical romantic in me has always wanted to have big wings and to soar high up in the sky), the writing leaves much to be desired.  I look forward to starting the Stephenson book, though.

We then moved on to driving around and taking pictures with cacti.  We made a cactus friend named Flubbs, and took many pictures with it, which I will post… sometime later (posting pictures is always a bit of a drag around here…).  We also explored around a bit, before crashing at the motel.

Today (well, officially yesterday) comprised of visiting a zombie town (except it was so abandoned I guess even the zombies upped and left) and tubing down Salt River.  We all know what happened there.   I have a Brass Rat tan!

Oh, for those of you who may or may not care, we drove past a building labeled “Cylon.”  Hehe.

Becky has started watching an episode of Chuck.  We’re nearing the end of Season 2 (nooooo!), but I’m going to go join her.  After applying more Aloe Vera.  Psyyyych.

Fellow compatriots, it is 12:32 am 2008 June 12, and it is officially cloudy for the (N > 3) day.  I’m saying (N > 3) because I’ve lost track.  I am sitting in the Slipher building all by myself and I am singing Livin’ on a Prayer to myself.  Alone.

It’s not my fault it came on last.fm.

Fortunately, no one is in this building.  Except for that cricket in the women’s bathroom.  Like it can talk about being obnoxious.

Doodlee doo.

So, what have been up to these days?  Not much, actually.  It’s been a quiet couple of days.  I am officially nocturnal.  Becky and I have finished the first season of Chuck.  The first half of the second season (including Chuck vs. the Delorean – nooooo!) is not on Hulu, so we will have to use more… sly means of obtaining those episodes.

I got Sims 3.  I haven’t actually played it in live mode yet.  I’ve been making lots and lots of characters.  I think I am going to make a whole household of dead physicist Sims.  Yeah.  You heard me.  And then I will put them in a neighborhood with Regina George, Karen Smith, and Gretchen Weiners.

(Note: the physicists aren’t actually dead in the game.  So it’s not like a mausoleum or anything.)

I am really bored.

Some new people came to the Chalet today!  They’re from BJU in South Carolina.  They’re pretty nice.  We had a sweet talk about the woes of being a college student.  They also showed me this comic, which is probably one of the most hilarious (and true!) comics I’ve ever seen.

Hm, looks like clouds are clearing up for a little bit!  Yay!

The environmental science REU kids were going hiking today, so the astronomy REU kids (and us!) tagged along.  We went to the Red Mountains and down a Lava Tube (which was totally tubular – ha. ha. ha.)  I’ll let the pictures do the talking, mainly because I am too tired to do it myself:

Red Mountains, from the distance.  It’s the remains of a cindercone, I think:

Snow!  In Arizona!  This mountain was soooo pretty off in the distance.

There were some pretty cool rock formations.  This was one of them.  It was some sort of volcanic rock, that was black-ish.  (By the way, just so you all know, I was stellar at Earth Science.  In 9th grade.  I really was…)

Desert trees? (I was also really good at biology.  Lies.)

According to the resident geologist, the holes were created by gas bubbles.

We’re really tough, can’t you tell?

Look, it’s a tree growing sideways!  Oh biology, you try so hard to be cool, but you just won’t be as cool as physics ever…

This was one of the highlights of my day.  We built a man.  Out of rocks.  Look, he even has arms (that are not coming out of his neck!)  These are all the astronomy peeps that went on the hike.  We”re so much cooler than the environmental science students.  They were jealous.  They didn’t have a rock man.  They were totally jealous.

The Lava Tube was a giant tube of lava.  Descriptive, no?  It was actually pretty intense.  It’s really rocky, and pretty deep in the ground.  I don’t know if it counts as real spelunking, but it involved a good amount of watching your step in completely darkness (thank god for astronomers and their flashlights)!  It must have been at least ten degrees cooler, but it was a pretty good walk overall.

This is proof that I was in the cave.  In case the previously mentioned proof of hardcore-ness was not enough for you.

All in all, it was a good day.  Arizona is such a beautiful place!  It’s kind of more fun than Massachusetts.  Sorry guys!  Though I am craving seafood.  Mmm…

In other news, there’s a store here in Arizona called Bookman’s, that sells used books and software and DVD’s.  I got season one of Chuck, and now Becky is totally hooked.  Then again, I’m not quite sure why you wouldn’t be hooked by that show.  It’s so cute!  In an attempt to keep ourselves nightshifted, I think we might watch some later, though if I actually settle down to watch something there’s a pretty good chance I would fall asleep, and then our entire plan to actually get used to being awake at night would fail.  I also saw Land of the Lost.  It was kind of silly.  And Will Ferrell is an idiot.  But, that being said, it was a good dumb movie just to laugh at.

In case you were wondering, yes, I am also working.  It is the full moon though, so I get the day off.  I’ll post some pictures of the telescope and Lowell next time.

Honestly, I was a little skeptical when I first touched down in sunny (oh God, it’s so sunny) Phoenix.  Why?  Because it was approximately 100 degrees outside.  You know how it’s really hot and muggy sometimes in Boston, because it’s so humid the dehumidfier has actually given up trying to dehumdify and instead is spewing the moisture back out?  It felt exactly like that, except I don’t think Phoenix is as humid as Boston, which tells you something about how gross and hot it is.

Coming down over Phoenix was also somewhat interesting, mainly because it reminded me a lot of Sims 2, which is ironic, since apparently Sims 3 came out today?  Or yesterday.  Anyway.  You know how they have that desert simulation where you start off with one highway and a teeny tiny neighborhood with like, one house with that one couple you totally didn’t model after yourself and Lee Adama (because it was actually yourself and Jack Shephard)?  And then you build your neighborhood, except you expand in squares because you’re not really original enough to come up with anything better, plus it seemed to be the most efficient way to go about things ever since you learned about tesselations in seventh grade?  And then everyone gets really rich because your friend is leet haxx0rs at the game so they all buy huge pools?  And meanwhile it’s still that one little highway connecting this huge square grid of identical houses each with a spot of teal-blue in its backyard to a complete and utter desert wasteland beyond the last house?  It was sort of like that.

No offense to people who live in Phoenix.  I think the pools are a necessity to life when you are brave enough to live in such extreme conditions.  Also, I’m sure your houses aren’t all the same.  They just all have roofs which look similar from like, 5,000 ft up.

(For the record, the only reason it was Jack over Lee was I hadn’t watched Battlestar Galactica at that point yet.)

All I am going to say about the ride up from Phoenix to Flagstaff was that it was bumpy.  And unnecessary.  I don’t see why an extremely turbulent airplane ride is at all necessary when a perfectly good bus can suffice.  Especially if the students working for you are not aerospace engineers who enjoy calculating airflow around the aircraft while it jerks around at 20,000 ft in the air. ????

Flagstaff, however, is beautiful. To give you an idea…

View just outside airport, hence the cars.

The airport itself was actually very small.  Here is Becky and my luggage next to the one and only baggage claim there was:

And here is another picture of the view:

This is outside my bedroom window.  I know you are all wildly jealous of me.  I am wildly jealous of myself.

And… Flagstaff!

Flagstaff again!

(You can see Becky’s and my shadows taking pictures.  How artsy!)

Mountain!  San Francisco peak, I believe?

And here is the place I am staying.  Not bad, no?

(Yeah, we just got in, and the first thing we did was take pictures.  We’re cool.)

Here is the kitchen:

And the living area!  The TV doesn’t really work.  Looks like we’ll be watching a lot of things on the computers…

The only problem is that many of the outlets are double-pronged, which means that Macs can’t charge.  Another reason why PCs are better than Macs!

All right.  Pictures done.  It’s probably time for me to get to bed, because at this point it’s about 4 am in Boston and it’s 1 am here and technically I need to be able to stay up all night tomorrow night.  I’m not quite sure what time zone I am in at this point.  I’ll probably just sleep a lot tomorrow.  And I think we’ll meet the other REU’s and students on Thursday, so it’s going to be a pretty busy week!