December

So, skimming over my birthday (Nov 4), election day (Nov 4), thanksgiving (Nov 21), and any other exciting November holidays, it brings us to that awkward "Happy Holiday Season, if you choose to celebrate anything at this time of year" time of year.

Me and my cat find ourselves at my parent's house. My car is dead and the roads are a sheet of ice. No way out even if I needed one. Hopefully, and ideally, I will have a vehicle of some sort by the end of this week/beginning of next week to head home with.

I have been biding my time doing a few useful things, but mostly just leveling on WoW. If I would only play one character, it would be a lot simpler. But for me, it is more of a social thing, I guess. Sure, I enjoy playing, but I log on/off several different servers to see if anyone I know is online. When I find someone, I play whatever I have on that server. Thus I don't have one high level, but eh... it works for me.

I should find something constructive to do to fill the next few days of my time, but I don't feel like it... This whole semester has been that way: Blah. No thanks. I'll do something else. That could explain my grades...

That whole situation is not good right now. I am waiting to find out my GPA to see how it going to affect the rest of my college career. I am trying to plan for working and classes and trying to get out in less than 5 years. We shall see if I can do it.

Don't Speak

Oh dear... the things that cannot be blogged...

oh rly?

DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

bah!

Cotton and Vinegar Kind of Girl

My parents were in town tonight, saw my place, helped me with a few things and the like. While they were here, my mom and I were kind of 'comparing notes' on house cleaning things. She likes the 'new,' 'high-tech' stuff - windex and microfiber cleaning clothes. I tend to prefer the more 'old fashioned' cotton knit sort of wash things and clean most of my apartment with things like vinegar and baking soda.
She called me "a cotton and vinegar kind of girl" - she didn't really mean it as a compliment or as an insult, but I found it very amusing.

The Naming

To those who have asked, those who should know, and anyone who is interested, humor me for a few moments:
The cat has been named. (Yes, it is very Hebrew-esque.)

Name: Tsala

pronounced: TsAleUh
Ts (bets, nets, middle of pizza)
long a - ale (as in Ale 8 :) ).
uh as in... "uh"
Tsala.

Meaning(s):
Tsale (the same Ts +Ale) is Hebrew for shadow (/shade).
Tsalaw - side, ribe, supporting beam; the word used in the Adam & Eve story. she is my companion, it works.
and there are some other similar words that kind of tie in as well...

note: My philosophy for naming pets greatly differs from naming children. I hate it when people name their children things that no one else can pronounce/spell and will provide great frustration for the child for the rest of their life. My cat on the other hand, will not be bothered by what you call her and I will have the satisfaction of knowing I came up with something appropriately obscure from within my second language of choice. ;)

The story, for those who have not heard.

Saturday I got a cat from the Humane Society. She is a "brown tabby," is about a year old, has already had a littler of kittens (she was brought to the HS with them), and is very small.
There they had named her Adora. It really didn't fit her at all and I felt the need to give her a more personal (from me) name.
She is settling into my apartment nicely and is glad to have more than a small cube in which to live.

Tsala

more pictures of my beloved fur ball can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sarahehowell/Tsala

Strangest Facebook Error

I was attempting to add a photo to one of my facebook albums this morning and it gave the the strangest error. See what you think.

Apartment II

The past four days have been spent in a fog of cleaning and paint fumes. I didn't go to work Friday or Monday. Instead, myself, my mom, my sister, (and my 1 year old nephew) attempted to make my apartment livable.
We have scrubbed, scraped, and peeled in an attempt to get to the bottom layer of all the surfaces. In the case where the bottom layer was no longer in existence or impossible to find, we simply added our own layer. In the words of my sister, "Paint covers a multitude of sins."

Apartment

I officially got the key to my apartment this afternoon.
So excited...

Creation Rant

This was part of an email discussion that I was sending and decided it expressed my thoughts well (albeit, perhaps a bit angry sounding). I thought I would post it somewhere, so here it lands...
(any thoughts, rebuttals, etc are welcome)


I definitely have trouble with everything came from nothing, but I also have an issue with everything happening in 7, 24-hr periods of time.
I don't see this as a non-faith issue (as many would), I fully believe that there is absolutely no reason that my faith and the most up-to-date science should conflict in any way. My God created what they are studying and thus I think it should align perfectly. When it doesn't, there is confusion somewhere. I don't attempt to point my finger and say science is wrong or the Bible is wrong, but just that someone, somewhere have their facts a little crooked.
To me, a Christian who can't stand the thought of 'believing what science finds' [through studying the nature that their God created] is discrediting Him. To those who don't believe in God because of what science says, I believe are confused about who and what He is, and largely are not open-minded enough (despite what they say) to actually allow themselves to consider that everything could be created by a Greater Being (because if they allowed themselves to really discover for themselves and not just rely on what others say Christianity is, they would have to realign their entire world view, and it is much easier to just deny it all).

note: some of this (largely what is directed at other people, as everyone has their own reasoning) I would reconsider/reword before I stated it again, but upon first rushing of thoughts, I said what I said and I am not going to edit that out of my original statement.

My Cave (aka Apartment)

I finally found a place to live! and as the title might give away, it is quite 'cave like' (some say it suites me well...).
The price is good and the location couldn't be better. I will have a less then 5 minute walk to all my classes and to work (and to ags :) ). What could be better? (I'm even closer than anywhere that I could possibly live if I stayed on campus!)
If you know me well, I'm sure you will see the place - at some point after it has had much cleaning. Otherwise, just suffice to know that I will be happily abiding in my cave (hopefully along with a cat :] ).

Speaking again of Big Brother

The death of democracy is nearing.
The axe has struck in Sweden.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/.../Sweden-to-allow-emails-snooping.html

Exceptionally Weird

Only moments after posting my most recent post (Big Brother - like 10 min ago), my blog started getting wayyy more hits than normal - and from all over the country.

Strange.

Apparently Big Brother is watching me too...

Big Brother

So, these were posted all over BG this morning (all over = at lest the street I am living on).
I am not sure if this one is big enough to be really readable, but it is rather amusing.

And do not forget...

Big Brother is Watching You!



(click to see full)

Union County, where it's all relative

So....
my ex-boyfriend's
ex-girlfriend
is engaged
to one of my
prom dates.

...amusing, eh?

Good Buys

So today, in the process of helping AGS move and going from one house to the new, we passed this yard sale like 3 times, each time with me eying an amazing black leather chair "thing" (more on that in a moment). Finally I had the chance to go check the sale out and at this point it's like 5pm. Maybe crazy people, maybe smart, for not putting things away by 12 (or so), they had the stuff all over their front yard and were just hanging out there all day.

Anyway, so I go to check out this chair, which had been there all day so I was afraid it was going to be outrageous expensive or bad condition or something. None of the above. Apparently just no one else was interested. And I should mention it wasn't really a chair, it was the curve of a sectional couch... awesome none the less. AND because the guys were moving today they had a trailer to haul the thing back to my (current and very temporary) place.

And the girls having the yard sale were conveniently my size (which meant lots of shoes and clothes to look through :]).

I shall leave out other fun details and let it suffice to say I left there with one awesome leather chair "thing," 4 pair of shoes, 5 shirts, 1 dress, and 1 framed picture all for -- $30.
A good buy indeed.



(on the porch, as it won't fit in the front door!!)

The Awakening II

The concert was amazing
(was last weekend).
Definitely going to see them again if they are ever in the area again.

Some choice pictures can be found here.

The Awakening (show in TN)

The Awakening, an awesome band from South Africa is touring the States and will be in the area this weekend. I am hoping to go to their show in Nashville on Sunday (22nd). I am currently looking for a concert buddy, if there are interested/ing individuals.

A little about The Awakening:
° front man: Ashton Nyte (honestly, I like his solo work better)
° describe themselves as: Paranormal Dark-Future-Gothic-Rock
° been around since: 1995

"The Awakening is and has always been the brainchild and creative expression of Ashton Nyte. It is Ashton who (but for a few exceptions) composes the music, writes the lyrics and performs a range of instruments on every album. Being the perfectionist-control-freak he is, Ashton also engineers, mixes and produces all the recorded work he has released as The Awakening"

° listen to their music: http://www.myspace.com/theawakeningband
° read more about them: http://www.awakening.co.za

Oh yes...
It's only 18+
(show on Monday night is all ages)
$15 cover
playing at a place called Salvation
("Nashville's Gothic / Industrial Night: Every Sunday")

My Apologies

...to anyone who has recently tried to get here from my facebook and found themselves elsewhere.
Much thanks to blargmanus.

...Oops...
:]

Science Q&A

From my ThinkGeek newsletter, the greatest bit of science Q&A I think I have ever read:

Dear Timmy,

When I drink grape juice, and then I go pee, where does all the purple go?

Brandon
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, The blue and green planet


Dear Brandon,

I'm surprised no one has ever talked to you about this before ... what ever are they teaching you in high school biology these days? Basically, the process is very simple. The "purple", as you call it (the technical term would be "tannins"), is processed by your kidneys and broken down into its constituent reds and blues. The reds are injected into your arteries, which is what makes your blood red, and the blues are injected into your veins, which is why your veins appear blue under your skin. What's left over is basically white grape juice, which as we all know is pretty much the right color already.

As a side note, have you ever wondered why the blood in your veins will appear red once its outside your body, even though it was blue when it was under your skin? Well, the answer comes from a branch of physics called optics, which studies things like colors. Red, as it turns out, is water soluble, so the blood absorbs it. Blue, however, floats on top of the blood and ends up coating the inner walls of the veins. When you cut into a vein, only the red actually escapes.

Isn't science wonderful (and sarcastic)?

-- Timmy

Useless Waste of Time

...but I like it anyway.


(click to see the animation :])

More Prettys :]

1970 Nova SS recreation







1973 Datsun 240Z








1974 Ford Maverick





If only I had money!
[...I could pay for college and not a car]

Browsing Cars

I was browsing some cars (not like I have money to buy one) and came across this quiz.
I don't know about the description on this, but I like the way the car looks.
I have said that if I had enough money to buy a new car, I'd buy an old car. Perhaps this is what I need.

What kind of Muscle Car are You? 1973 Ford Gran Torino You are a 1973 Ford Gran Torino. You love Fords and hate Chevys....but you love seeing the look on their face when you smoke them on the road. Starsky and Hutch is your favorite show!

Good Music

I have tried numerous times to "realign" my musical tastes or find "substitutes" but the same thing always happens and I go back to what I enjoy (...makes sense right?)
Doom, death, black, melodic, atmospheric, gothic -- Metal.
Why is it that my favorite genres are comprised of things I feel I should not listen to??
The bands that describe themselves as "devilish" or "often cites Luciferian Saga as an important influence to the band." Names like Pagan Angel, Tiamat, Within Temptation . . .

My mom has a tendency to think the 'darker sound' itself is evil. I disagree.
However, I don't understand it. What attracts me so much? Why do the majority of these styles seem to be seeped in ancient religious lore?
I don't like attempting to make myself choose between a sound I like and themes that rot my brain.

This is just my rant for the day. However, I am curious of other's thoughts, feelings, and your take on good music.


[First posted on MySpace on Feb 25, 2008]

Chalk Art

Some intelligent individuals have been roaming campus with chalk (and eggs) in hand.
A few of their "creations":






"We're bleeding for nothing"











"Every time you vote republican... God kills a kitten. Think."

(I really wish this one was easier to read. It amuses me.)








"Mom"

:]










"Your mom goes to college!"







Such artistic talent. [insert sarcastic scoff here]

changes

Thinking about changing the title (Ramblings of a/n ... ??)
and perhaps also the url.
Maybe.
Haven't thought of anything perfectly fitting yet.

Dreamweaver Training

This morning I went to a Dreamweaver Training class. It was more of a short intro, running over some basics. I already knew quite a bit about web publications and had messed with DW some, but it's always the nifty/basic tricks that I miss when I learn things on my own. Now I know a bit more and got paid to be out of the office for several hours :] - who could miss a deal like that?!

Chuck Palahniuk

“Your heart is my piñata.”

“The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die. But things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on."

“The lower you fall, the higher you'll fly.”

“We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”

“You have a choice. Live or die. Every breath is a choice. Every minute is a choice. To be or not to be.”

“If you don’t know what you want, you end up with a lot you don’t.”

“Game shows are designed to make us feel better about the random, useless facts that are all we have left of our education.”

Next

Right... So, I did some work. Finished that.
THEN (excitement), I redid my blog template and updated all sorts of things.
Now, I think I shall go do the same to somberlife so that I can get my label list to show.

Thoughts on Work

"The college / university world seems to be somewhat like the government. Way too many people, being paid way too much, doing way too little. Like the proverbial "road crew". 3 leaning on shovels, 3 supervising and 1 doing the work.

Enough for now. I need to go lean on my shovel. : - \"

- J Howell (email 09:00 06.04.08)

back again

Wow. It has been a while since I remembered that this blog existed...
But what a better time to start writing again than now! [Now being a summer full of long, uneventful hours at work with little to occupy my time.]
Great! So, where to begin...

Well, I am exceptionally tired. I usually go home, take a nap for 2-3 hrs, do random things (which usually consists of/includes playing World of Warcraft for an hour or few), and typically still get to bed before midnight; only to wake up exhausted at 7. I don't understand it. Perhaps I am just not getting restful sleep. Humm... perhaps I will try a night on the futon, as it makes a wonderful nap place. :]

I've spent my hours at work (when not working) emailing, chatting, generally surfing, making a database of all the phone numbers I have (need to work on that some more...). I think the next thing on my list of non-work work tasks is to bring in my notebook and update somberlife.

My slyness amuses me, and yet I have to wonder just how obvious I am sometimes. I keep open Dreamweaver on one monitor and the Photo Gallery on the other monitor (yes, I have two monitors - it's great :P), or other "important" looking work tasks. And then on top of that (and/or) somewhere in the background I keep all sorts of other things that I am actually doing. Point in case, on top of Dreamweaver, I currently have a very small WordPad doc open into which I am typing this, and then every paragraph or so, I c&p into [Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Tab] my Blogger window.
[Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Tab, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+S]

Heh... much ♥ to keyboard shortcuts.

I think I am going to try and find something 'real' to work on for a while...

~S

[Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Tab, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+S, Publish Post]