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.