Monday, November 26, 2012

black friday

one thing i miss the most about living in england is the gluttony that comes with thanksgiving and the madness that comes with black friday (note: black friday is my fave holiday ever).  this year, while most americans gorged themselves on turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and PIE, i went to lab just like any other day, got lunch (bread with melted cheese and tomato), and cracked open a diet coke.  while i was and still am disappointed that i missed all of the in-store black friday action, at the very least most stores offer some sort of online deals.  for example - spend $65 at victoria's secret and get a free tote filled with lotions and crap plus free shipping over $50.  (the number of VS totes i have is, by the way, ridiculous.)

so far this holiday season, i have purchased 2 items for other people and 22 things for myself.  my niece is getting a coach wristlet and my bf is getting... a gift that i don't want to mention here in case he happens to read this.  what can i say, there were great "me" deals!  VS of course; old navy had kickass athletic clothes sales; a new pair of "wide calf" riding boots for my obese calves; a new coach keychain (shameless); new jewelry from lia sophia.  fml i am so poor.  thank jesus for student loans!

updates on life in general:

- flatmates suck and have left the hob on again with nothing on it twice this week.
- cheerleading is kickass except i hurt my back last friday and uh, yeah it's actually really bad and i should probably rest for like 2 weeks but am going to exercise anyways.
- course is good, started growing some mammalian cells woot!  i'm a real scientist!

i really want to move furniture around in my room, which of course i decided while my back is at its worst and i cannot physically move said furniture.  le sigh.

brb.

Friday, November 16, 2012

summarizing the last few weeks...

i am SO bad at this updating thing GAH!!!  okay, let me summarize the last few weeks:


- my flatmates still suck.  either my flat didn't get delivered toilet paper by the university staff or one of them stole all of it (most likely as they also feel the need to take out a roll and use it as kitchen towels, which obviously are not used very well as the kitchen is a nasty mess).  i have finally spied male flatmate #2 several times; i have said hi each time and all i get is a head nod and silence.  last night, i finally saw female flatmate #3.  i have decided i hate her the most.  i have only just seen her, though she appears to be bffs with my other chinese roommates, and when i held the front door open for her bf who was leaving (he said thank you), she literally ignored me, turned around, and started talking to another flatmate in chinese.  [insert an infinite number os swear words here.]

- my master's project is finally settled!  i've handed in the paperwork and begun mapping out a method with my supervisor and a few other random helpful people.  i mean sure, it could get rejected, but i doubt it as it will be awesome.

- one class ("module") is over, paper submitted and awaiting grading.  started the newest one yesterday.

- i'm getting TB vaccinated!  i love vaccination.  if you are anti-vaccination, please get the hell off my blog.  it's your fault people are dying of preventable and curable diseases.  jerk.

- i lovelovelove cheerleading!  it is definitely what has been missing in my life.  if has helped me lose 15 lbs since moving to england, and i'm sure many more, and i can see the tone coming back in my arms.  LOVE.  not to mention my team is really fun and is filled with great people!!!  current goal: make jumps suck less.

- i went to america!  for a wedding!  i was going to post a "brb, going to america" post but last week was a hectic nightmare trying to get all my coursework and project finished before i left.  i went to boston, got to see my amazing bf, then we went down to maryland for one of my bestest friend's weddings (which i was a bridesmaid in!), then visited a friend in baltimore, then back up to boston where i stocked up on cheap american goods from CVS.  i did this all within 4.5 days.  traveling champion!


ok, so that's pretty much it.  i want to try to get some pics up here for all of my avid readers (although the only one i am aware of i am also fb friends with so she sees them anyways, haha), but also just because i think blogs are boring with just words.  it's 2012, i should be able to spice this crap up.

on an unrelated but MIND-BLOWING note: did you know that The Giver has 3 effing sequels?!  i'm getting on reading those stat - they're already loaded on my kindle!!!

brb.

Friday, October 26, 2012

procrastinating because "i'm sick"

i've had quite the unpleasant positive sense single stranded RNA rhinovirus the past two and a half days and i am using it to its full procrastination potential.  every time i even think of working on school work, my reasoning tells me: "it's ok, you're sick, wait 'til tomorrow."  i did manage to get a little note taking done yesterday and today, but of course am slacking on the important project proposal and research paper.  in fact, i'm even using this blog as a pawn in my game.

despite being sick, i still managed to get to competition cheerleading practice on wednesday (the team i had to try-out for and made, like a boss) and game squad cheerleading last night (the one open to everyone).  sadly practice was cancelled for tonight but considering my ailments, i probably shouldn't be too upset.  also, regarding games squad, i am proud to say that i am also loud as hell - just like my days cheering in high school.  win.

we are having a rugby-cheer social for halloween next friday, which i should be well enough for by then, and it's harry potter themed.  going out of the box a little, i've got a great plan to be a [skanky] umbridge - pink dress, pink shoes, heinous cat brooch, a stick for a wand.  hopefully i can find everything - might have to craft the brooch though!  student loans at work here, people.  at least clothes for her are wearable again - how many times does the average person have to chance to wear a wizard's robe?

brb.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

the real deal

apparently, i really suck at keeping up with this.  settling in has been going a bit better now that i have accepted the fact that i hate my flatmates and one or more of them are total inconsiderate slobs.  don't get me wrong, i still curse at the behind closed doors when i hear them slamming their own or when i walk into the kitchen to see half their dinner on the counter, stovetop, sink, table, and floor, but i've accepted this fate and am living with it (until the point when there is potential fining in which case everyone is getting thrown under the bus).

classes have been fine, nothing really to report.  occasional studying, occasional work on my paper, etc. etc.  classmates are awesome.  lecturers are interesting.  project is... coming along slowly.  finally getting in the lab next week, though, so that should speed some things along.

the big announcement:  i made the competition cheerleading squad!  try-outs were last week, over 40 people tried out and i was one of the 32 picked for the team.  everyone else has the option to be on the games squad as well as all those who chose not to try out (because they wanted games squad).  i am VERY excited about this - i haven't cheered in 8 years and it is going to be awesome to get back into.  i know what you're thinking:  not a sport.  bite your tongue, please.  we lift and toss people >6' in the air, depending on the stunt, we tumble just like gymnasts, and we dance - all in a tiny area with lots of moving parts and to be completed in a quick amount of time.  a bit of reading:

a 2008 report that 65.1% of all catastrophic high school sport injuries came from cheerleading:
http://www.livescience.com/2775-girls-dangerous-sport-cheerleading.html

from time magazine, "doctors say cheerleading needs more safety regulations" :
http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/23/doctors-say-cheerleading-needs-more-safety-rules/

the american academy of pediatrics' report:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/10/15/peds.2012-2480.abstract

ok, so maybe you weren't skeptical, but i still find it quite interesting.  cheerleading isn't just girls in short skirts yelling and kicking their legs on the sidelines anymore - the 1950s were a long time ago.  this is the real deal and i am SO excited to be representing my university!

brb.

Saturday, October 13, 2012

passive aggressive.

i didn't realise how long it had been since i last posted until vanessa pointed it out a few days ago.  and then i still didn't post anything until now.  the last week has been both awesome and involved a minor breakdown, compliments of my inconsiderate flatmates.

cheerleading has been going awesome.  competition team try-outs are next friday (eek!) and my jumps blow, but at least i can do gymnastics-y things and main base like a boss.  also my knee is not doing so well.  let's just say i'm pretty sure i'm going to need surgery on it at some point, but i refuse to do anything about it now and screw up my chance to do cheer again.  probably not the best idea on my part, but... YOLO!

class has been good, too.  i have a good group of classmates - i even went to a pub quiz last monday with my friend matt!  and i finally chose my research project!  i wish i saw my new friends more though.  will have to work on that

now that i've shared the good, let me share the awful.  thursday night i went into our kitchen to make dinner (read: i went to go microwave something).  first of all, it looks like someone smeared their food all over every surface, including leaving lettuce bits out to rot on the counter.  i am by no means a clean freak, but this was - and still is - disgusting.  we have cleaners come once a month but if it's too gross (like right now) we can actually get fined.

wait wait - it gets better.  both the hob (stove top) AND oven were on.  with nothing cooking.  and the lights off.  no one around.  for REAL?!  i live with idiots.  i actually started crying in the kitchen because i can't believe their stupidity and lack of respect for me and the other non-messy flatmates (if there are any others).  then i went to make my food only to discover someone took it upon themselves to move all of my stuff around.  i promptly went to my room, passive aggressively slammed the door, got a sharpie, left, passive aggressively slammed the door, and labeled all of my stuff in the fridge.  it's not even that i think they were using it - but i couldn't even find it.  also there was absolutely NO reason for it to have been moved in the first place.

one of the mysterious flatmates that never shows face actually appeared!  a guy.  i was too upset to introduce myself - i thought i would either burst out crying again or start screaming.  did he bother to introduce himself?  of course not.  i doubt he had as elaborate as a reason as me either.

that being said, i may contact our mentor (aka RA) about the inconsiderate jerk(s) i live with and have him mediate.  i can't handle situations like this - nor have i ever had to.  i don't like being the j-hole here, but if it comes down to it, i will turn all of them into accommodations regarding their "extra appliances" in the kitchen.  i don't want to be that jerk and honestly, i don't care - get whatever accommodations-illegal appliances you want - but disrespect me and my stuff and you can bet i'll do worse to you.

wow, now that that rant is over, i'll finish this entry off with one final happy thought:

ALEX IS COMING ON MONDAY!!!

i'm gonna marry him someday.

brb.

Friday, October 5, 2012

finally!

i should probably update you since my last post as it has been a few days and a LOT has happened - good stuff, it's getting better!  yay!

still nothing positive to say about the flatmates, other than they are at least quiet.

let's start with school.  wednesday we had our first round of class.  i learned that i know absolutely nothing about viruses and will probably need to study my ass off for module 1.  on the bright side, had lunch again with two classmates matt and raphaella (both part time) and went for coffee after with them as well and with another part-timer myriam and a second year dominique.  hooray for new friends!  met with a couple more potential supervisors, trying to sort if all out.

i bet what you're really wondering is how cheerleading is going.  well, it's going freaking awesome!  i miss this SO much!  my body, on the other hand, hates me.  we had practice wednesday night and tonight and i don't know if i'll be able to walk tomorrow.  me a lot of great people there as well.

so the friends bit.  working on it, working on it!  dominique had me over for dinner last night - SO nice of her!  got to meet her flatmates, too.  very nice :)  i also went out on wednesday with the cheerleaders after practice!  i think maybe i'm a little too old to be partying like i did at the students' union and dancing on stage, but whatever.  it was awesome!

and - wait for it....................

I FINALLY GOT A PHONE!  sweet baby jesus that took long enough!  now i can call... dominique lol.  she is currently my only UK contact (no way in herll i'm paying the fees to call all you folks back in the US).  need to download "WhatsApp" - an app so i can text everyone!  for free!  lol.  oh, and everyone else needs to download it, too.

well, i think that pretty much sums up the last few days.

brb.

Monday, October 1, 2012

pumpkin spice latte connoisseur

yes, that's right - i am a starbucks pumpkin spice latte connoisseur.  if i could name my favourite food or beverage product i've ever had ever, it would be the starbucks pumpkin spice latte.  i can't explain it - that delicious fake pumpkin flavour mixed with espresso and steamed milk?  yum yum YUM!

ok, i know that makes me sound ridiculous, but i suppose if you have never met me then you don't know that, in fact, i am quite ridiculous.

i had my first english PSL today.  it was pretty delicious, though perhaps had less pumpkin syrup than i've found US starbuckses like to pump into theirs.  that being said, i have had less syrupy ones in the US, it really does depend on the barista.  thank god my tutor paid for it (tutor=personal advisor) as it was about $4.70 for a tall... lolz its about the same price at many US places, such as the JFK airport.  i guess i just justified buying more myself.  damnit!

i met with my tutor today to go over sciencey things, such as my research project and the various labs i could work in (which we discussed over our starbucks).  very helpful!  and she was very nice, also a super huge plus!  i got a lab tour, as well - and i am excited to say that they have a tech who cleans and autoclaves ALL of the jars!  hooray!  i am going to set up appointments with others to discuss their labs.  can't wait til wednesday when i get to meet more of my classmates as i am the only entering full time MSc student (last year they had 10!) so i've really got quite the pick of projects.  winning?  we shall see.

i also bought a university sweatshirt - going to any university anywhere is not complete without appropriate obnoxious attire.  mine is a bright blue.

yeah, that's pretty much my exciting day.  at the very least, way more exciting than yesterday.

brb.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

lots of things

lots/not a lot going on this weekend that i shall enlighten you with.

yesterday was our active freshers' fayre - basically, (nearly) all of the sports clubs held session at the sports park so that everyone could come have a go at ones that they might be interested in joining.  it was a little less of a mob scene than friday, but still quite hectic.  there was a horde of people waiting to get gym memberships but i got to jump the queue and join at the front desk because i pulled the "i have an american credit card, will it work?" line.  heh.

i also got a free t-shirt.  winning.

at active freshers', i tried out trampolining (lots of fun!) and - wait for it - cheerleading.

as this is a recent blog many of my avid readers (lol) might now know my life story, but to give you a little snapshot, i was a cheerleader for all four years in high school including a brief year on a competitive squad.  i also have done gymnastics (mainly tumbling) on and off all my life.  although trampoline was a lot of fun to try, i really want to have a go at cheerleading again.  there are tryouts for the competition team at the end of the month - so fingers crossed i make it!

today i did a lot of sitting around in epic soreness from yesterday.  netflix and i are bffs, nbd.  then i made enchiladas which was a great success!  yum yum.  mixed beans were tasty but i still miss my black beans.

i should really get to assessing what project i would like to work on.

brb.

Friday, September 28, 2012

freshers

ahhh, the english term for freshmen (also termed "frosh" in the US).  today was they freshers' fayre, or as i like to call it, the activities expo.  i went out and slapped my email on a few lists, despite being a freshman, and wandered through my own personal hell.

so.  many.  people.  get.  out.  of.  my.  WAY!

mob scene is the only way to describe freshers' fayre.  all of the clubs and societies shoved under a giant tent with people pushing this way and that.  some going one direction, some going another, some completely stopped for now apparent reason in the middle of the walkway.  how am i supposed to find the clubs i'm interested in if i can't even see their group names?!

i managed to find cheerleading (yes, judge away!), trampolining (might be fun with my gymnastics experience), and snow sports - although i'm not quite sure where english people go skiing or snowboarding around here.  oh well, my board's back in the US anyways.  i wanted to find the biology club but somehow missed it.  after seeing facebook pics, i now know exactly why.  there were two signs in back of their booth that looked like they might be for some sort of ballroom dance club (really, they were to highlight the club's gala later on in the year).  in front of the booth was, i suppose, their actual signage but trying to get through that crowd was near impossible to find anything.

so, maybe i will join one of these clubs.  maybe.  and maybe i will make some friends finally.  hopefully.

brb.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

i love you, black beans

by some magical fairy, i was able to find all of the tasty ingredients i like to use to make enchiladas (shout out to vanessa for teaching me how to make them like her mom:) ).  the only ingredient i had to be "creative" with was black beans.

i walked down the canned veggie aisle to see shelves upon shelves of every type f bean you could imagine - except my fave, black beans.  this i do not understand.  there were about 20 varieties and brands of baked beans, then a bunch of red kidney beans, and even some black spotted beans, but no delicious black beans.  i ended up settling for a can of "mixed beans in spicy sauce," whatever that means.  the spicy part sounds yums.

now i just need a baking dish.  guess i'll be off to TKMaxx this weekend.

nothing else eventful to report.  my pseudo-classmates and i (pseudo because they group my programme with another programme for the basic training sessions and whatnot) got stood up by out lecturer.  it was annoying, but NBD.

i want to buy a hoodie from the students' unions but i wish i knew if they took credit cards without walking my lazy ass over there.

brb.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

programme

so i found out today that my programme (let's start using english people english, shall we?  yeah, i'm a tool, but i do honestly need to get used to it not that i'm here for the next two years) only has 6 or 7 people.  i say "or" because the programme directors were a little confused as to whether or not one individual was actually taking the course.  to add to that, only 4 of us actually showed up today.

and i was the only full time student.

let me describe my programme a little.  it's a 2 year MSc where i only take classes on wednesday - so even though i'm full time and the students i just met are part time, we still have all the same classes together.  they just work at their lab jobs the other four days while i work in a lab at the university on my research project.

i do like the three other classmates, so hopefully i'll eventually feel uncreepy enough to facebook friend them.  we all grabbed lunch and then sat through a 2 hour lecture on statistics so i think that qualifies us as bonded just a little.

school should be good - i'm glad i actually got to do something school-y today.  now i just need to pick out a research topic.

brb.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

give me a cell phone, please.

just to warn you - there's going to be lots of wah wah wahing in this post.  moving to england is, apparently, quite difficult - or at least it has been for me.  i doubt it's like this for most people, but the last few days have been more stressful than one would like.

let me start with the easy one: lack of cell phone.  first world problem, this his proved to be impossible.  i want to get a monthly plan with, for me personally, better phone options, prices, and data packages.  to do this, i need a uk bank account - ok, 4 days later due to the weekend and that's finally set up...but i can't actually get the phone because i need my debit card which won't arrive for at least another 7 days.  obnoxious.  having a phone might have helped in situation number two -

EPIC BATHROOM LEAK!  okay, maybe not quite so epic, but nonetheless, a leak.  i suppose my upstairs neighbor ma have just moved in sunday, but the last two nights have been  2L water flood out of the side of my shower.  after two complaints, many waste container fillings and pourings down the drain, the maintenance men finally (hopefully) fixed the problem at 4:30pm today.  it's lucky i didn't write about this sooner, my post probably would have involved lots f rage and swearing.

and situation number 3.  apparently, i need to pay to go to school.  imagine that.  well, lucky for me, i got the cash flowing compliments of the US department of education way before i left.  unlucky for me, they don't disburse my cash money until october.  wouldn't you know, my first bill is due on 27 september?  right, ok, sorted that out but it took lots of tears and a few emails (thanks for nothing, FAFSA website contact us form!).  another situation i hope is resolved but still am rather wary on.

wouldn't it have been nice to have a phone last night at 11:30pm when water was flooding my bathroom?  or perhaps today when a financial counselor didn't know anything about US loans and suggested i ring them up?  right.  moving on.

i get my classes time table tomorrow.  i'm hopeful to be able to squeeze in a free language course in german, trouble is, they're all on wednesday and if my regular schedule doesn't fit, then no language class for me.  can't wait to meet my classmates since my flatmates are less than social.

brb.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

let's rant, shall we?

my favourite part of my trip to the uk has to be the 2 hours i waited in line at immigration.  "first time students" have to have extra identification and such, which means it takes longer - so they put us all in one line (from perhaps 8 flights that had just landed) with only 3 people working.  based on my own experience, i doubt i was the only one who did not have all of the appropriate documentation which only added to the wait.  were there other officers open and doing nothing?  why yes, yes there were.

a girl two behind me was given a time card when she got on line.  even one of the woman who worked for the border couldn't believe it took us 2 hours. "that's bad, that's really really bad." - quoted from the worker.  i think she even went and told her supervisor in disgust.

does this happen the same time every year?  yes.  did they know this volume of students would be entering?  yes.  did they do anything about it?  god, i felt like i was at the DMV back in the US!

ok, rant aside, my room is pretty legit.  private bathroom and bigger than i expected based on pics.  i have 5 flatmates (only met one of them, although i have a feeling two haven't moved in yet) and we share a kitchen.  i walked into town yesterday, where i've been once before when i came to look at the school last year, and threw down mad dough on life's essentials - a hair dryer and a flat iron.  i really need to go to the supermarket but i think i'm going to nap.  even though i slept a record number of hours for myself last night, i still feel jet lagged (out of 30 hours, i slept for about 4 of them).

i also need to rant about not having an iPhone 5...but we'll save that for tomorrow.  or later today.  whatever i decide.

brb.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

i made it!

celebratory i moved to england post!

ok, that's enough of that.  i'm don't even know how i'm still awake i am sooooo exhausted.  ugh.

brb.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

moving to england, brb.

ok, so i'm finally in the airport and thank jesus they have free wifi otherwise i'd be real bored.  i'm very sad to be leaving the bf but i'm very excited to be moving to england (finally!).  the grand total:

1 checked bag = 22kg, or 48.5lbs
1 checked bag = 22.6kg, or 49.8lbs
1 carry-on bag = two laptops, an external hard drive, a disc drive, a bajillion cords, make-up bag, yoga pants
1 carry-on personal item = giantass purse, BU leather interview folder, passport, liquids bag stuffed with liquids, pants, umbrella
2 jackets i carried on

i feel like the packing champion, although i am definitely missing some stuff.  i hope nothing breaks.  my mom needs to mail me some stuff but it's going to cost $45 for a tiny box!  dumb.  the bf is bringing my winter jacket to a wedding we are attending in november.  i have too much stuff.  ugh.  UGH.

well, it's about that time to start gathering my things.  and buy a magazine.  and a bev.  and take my anti-sick plane drugs.  i suppose i can finally say this, as well:

moving to england, brb.

Friday, September 14, 2012

first world problems.

i hope i'm not forgetting anything.  i am approximately 99% packed - tomorrow i will be in boston until tuesday when i finally leave for england.  i have an unbelievable (or, knowing me, quite believable) amount of crap.  clothes clothes clothes clothes clothes - and i'm barely bringing half of what i own!  ugh.  i'm still depressed about having to pull out those shoes.

on an angrier note, i wanted to preorder me the iPhone 5 today as that was going on - but guess what?  i can't.  FML.  apparently my credit card needs to be registered at the address that i would be charging the account to but vodafone wouldn't let me enter an international address online and my credit card company wouldn't let me change my address to an international one!  this is unfair.  i need to get my hands on the iPhone!

#firstworldproblems

moving on.  last week i began instructions for my mother on how to use such devices as the television and our netflix account.  i predict disaster.  even with my carefully prepared 2 pages of info, she still had to take notes and add things - like the fact that i didn't explicitly write "turn TV on."

wow, i'm pretty whiny today for the fwp's.

brb.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

blanky!

ok, one thing i cannot sleep without - or rather, i can sleep, it's just not as enjoyable - is a vellux blanket.  i have been through probably 5 or 6 in my lifetime and can happily say that i have just added my newest blanket to my collection.  i am breaking it in tonight.  the new navy twin size blanky will, of course, be accompanying me to england!  yay!  and thank jesus for space bags.

I WANT ALL THE COLOURS!!!


last minute items, a visit to my grandma's, and dinner at my sister's.  today was much more productive that usual.

we have hit the 5-days-to-go mark.  still no clue who i will be living with.  eager.  anxious.  nervous.  some other emotions.

i really need to read up of my potential professors...

brb.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

bye bye, shoes

sweet baby jesus, this packing thing is awful.  i already had to sacrifice packing two pairs of shoes taking my total from 14 down to 12 (not including the pair i will be wearing), two long sleeve sleep shirts AND a sweater cardigan form the first suitcase to ensure that it is under 50 lbs.  the second one is going to prove harder... the thing is approx. 10% larger.  ugh.

#firstworldproblems

ok, enough for the whining.  i had the "i'm freaking out' phase last sunday and now i'm really ramping up the "OMG SUPER EXCITED!" phase.  just a few last minute things to pick up tomorrow and the second bag can be officially packed.

i bet you're wondering how i'm weighing these bags.  i was hoping my dad had a large scale used to weigh deer (no, that is not a typo) but we had to settle for a fish scale... which we then proceeded to break after my dad climbed on a chair and the bag snapped the scale.  whoops.  we then busted out the bathroom scale for some real scientific measurements: my dad got on, weight read, then we added the bag, scale read, and found the difference.  #scienceFTW

i really need to not hashtag my blog.

brb.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

one week.

well it has come down to the one-week-tip-moving mark and i have sucked at keeping this blog updated.  i suppose i should do better once i actually move there.  packing has become ridiculous.  i was going to bring two large bags, then decided one large and one small, but after attempting the small one i realized i was an idiot.  i have too much stuff.

must bring large bags.  sigh.

i do not know any of my housemates yet nor can i find them on facebook so this college move is super old fashioned - at least when i did undergrad the school gave us their names!

i really need to get back to packing.  maybe i'll take a pic when i'm "done" so that i can share with you my pains.  le sigh.

brb.

Friday, August 17, 2012

my bad.

well, i definitely started this with the intention of actually keeping up with it.  my bad.  let me try to start this again as in one month from tomorrow i will for realz be moving to england.  what have you missed?  let me tell you.

- i moved back in with my parents at the end of july.  i watch a lot of roseanne.
- i applied for my student visa.
- i got my new macbook pro with retina display!
- i found out my macbook pro with retina display does not have a disc drive and i need to go buy one
- i never eat candy, unlike at work where i ate minimum 5 pieces a day
- i spent wayyyy more money than i should have considering i am unemployed

ok, so that's a pretty fair update.  i'm going to boston tomorrow for a week to see my alex and of course friends as well.  beach, lazying around while alex works, restaurant week x2, trivia, dinner parties, hot damn i'm popular!  how convenient that i remembered to update this just before i leave on vacation for two weeks.  maybe i'll write some crap there.

maybe.

brb.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

wahhhh

how am i sick in july?  oh, it probably has something to do with the fact that it is like being in a furnace at the bottom of hell when you go outside but step inside 95% of the buildings and you start looking for santa and presents because all air conditioners everywhere are set at "north pole."

not sure if i introduced this before, but i have been doing masters gymnastics which i will sadly have to leave when i move to england as no masters classes are anywhere near my new school.  last night, thanks to the my gym falling in that 5% category of having no a/c, everyone was literally dripping sweat, even when we weren't doing anything but standing around.  nasty.

the dehydration, the outdoors heat, and the a/c in my bedroom have, as i have convinced myself, caused my current illness.

i wish i had called out sick at work.

brb.

Monday, July 16, 2012

2 weeks notice

these kids have known for months that i'm peacing out, but today marks the beginning of the end.  today is the first day of my last two weeks.  thank GOD.  i will miss a lot of my friends at work, but to cut a saga way short, there's a lot i won't miss and that's the part i'm cherishing about leaving.  the stock of good people is diminishing as we speak - one person left two weeks ago because her husband got a new job in seattle and another will be leaving the end of this week.  one of my bffs left early june and another is leaving a week or two after me.

le sigh.

i still haven't packed for shit.

brb.

Friday, July 13, 2012

july 26th

ok, it's friday.  thank JESUS.  checked out does not even begin to describe my behavior at work.  besides doing minimal work and playing simcity social on facebook all day, i have also been blatantly wearing flip flops around the office like nbd.  while we don't have an official dress code saying this is a no-no, it's kind of one of those unwritten/unspoken/unwhatever rules.  today they happen to be cute gladiator sandals, but the rest of the week?  eff it.  flops from j.crew that have been worn to the beach for the past 2 summers all-the-way.

in the manner of checking out, i'm also finally in a epic fashion getting knighted at the BU pub.  what the hell am i talking about?  why let me explain!  briefly, 21+ BU students are able to go to the BU pub in the castle, drink a whole crap of beers (at this current time it is 50 - much lower from when i was a junior/senior but that's a story for another day) then your friends pick a terrible name for you and you get knighted at the pub with said name which then gets slapped onto a mug and voila - knighted.  like a bauss.

it has some how taken me 5 years to get this shite done with.  typically they do no knight during the summer, but my buddy the bartender said i could get knighted if i could guarantee 20 people.  so guess what i'm doing?  guaranteeing 20 people.  gangstaaaaaa!

july 26th.  be ready for it.

brb.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Viel Scheiße ist auf meinem Schreibtisch.

i finally put a few things into my bag to take home tonight as well as gave two of my coworkers some stuff.  what items might i possibly want to take home, you ask?  oh that's easy - stuffed giant microbes.  i nerd out to these things way too much.  as a microbiologist, they are the cutest little things i have ever seen!  i gifted a MRSA and kept a MRSA (why i had two i can't even begin to explain), gifted a mini Staph aureus and a large Staph aureus, and kept a mini one for myself.  i also plopped an E. coli in my bag.

now that i have sufficiently embarrassed myself, what do i do next?  i'll assess the rest of this crap tomorrow. or next week.  or the following week.  i think i might leave my singing justin beiber tooth brush (unused!) in one of my desk drawers for the next tenant.


i have been so sure of this decision since for forever.  moving to england is probably the biggest check mark on my life goals list.  it's all his fault i want to come back when i'm done with school - thanks alex.  jerk.


brb.


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

free slurpee day?

here i am, counting down the days as i have been since i first sent in my applications to grad schools in england and realizing i have packed nothing.  my desk at work looks like the holiday isle at CVS vomited all its leftovers, my apartment looks like i plan on spending the rest of my life there, and as for the bf, if i could i would shove him in a box as well (with air holes and snacks, duh).

let's think about happier things: one thing i can't wait to do is travel.  i have been to a few places, but living in europe is going to be pretty sweet.  easy travel options, not too far, etc.  places i want to see in no particular order except that i want to see germany more than any of them:

1) germany
2) spain
3) sweden/finland/norway
4) switzerland
5) iceland?!
6) italy
7) hungary (my other grandmother is from there!)
8) ukraine
9) croatia
10) ireland
11) scotland
12) wales
13) worcester, england and liverpool, england (family ties, bitches)
14) russia!
15) pretty much every country so i'm not sure why i don't just list them all

i also want to see asia, africa, and oceania, but let's take this one step at a time people.  any suggestions out there to add to the list or maybe specific locations within these options?  i have been to paris before and the best theme park in the world (duh): disney land paris!  woot.

btw, it's free slurpee day at 7-11.  i hope they have flavored sugar slush in england.

brb.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

omg introductory post!!!

hi there.  i'm heather (see side bar).

i figured, as many do, that upon my epic move across the atlantic, i should probably start a blog to document all the awesomeness. [generiiicccccc.]  i have just 13 days left at work (thank GOD), but it's definitely going to be sad to pick up and leave boston.  tears will definitely be involved.

i have lived in boston for the past 8 years;  i went to school here - twice!;  i met some of my best friends (and frenemies) here;  i did crazy and stupid things to tell the grandkids about here;  and while boston isn't my hometown, it certainly has grown to be another home.  if the stars align properly, i may be back to settle down here.  if not, i'm sure i will be back.  this place is a mecca for science (which, as you will gather in the future, owns my soul).

come end of july i will be wasting time, money, and space in upstate ny with my parents (with several trips to visit the bf in boston, family on long island, and to panera bread or starbucks where i can mooch free wifi) until mid september when i move to england.

brb.