Back in Moscow
Hi fools, I’m back in Moscow for a week or so! Cruise was fun, albeit slightly stressful for several reasons. My internet connection’s having an identity crisis tonight so I can’t post this on DA, so I figure I’ll put it up for today’s post for whenever I get these up.
First drawing in a long time. Loooong time.
Thesis hangover.
Hats off
You’d think someone like me would be totally into infographics, right?
Well, I have a few issues with them.
I had this huge long blog written too on the misleading nature of infographics when they’re done wrong, but Vaio’s graphics card decided to have a meltdown and caused Vaio to do a hard restart in the middle of a sentence. And of course I hadn’t saved, ‘cause that would have just made sense.
So in lieu of the frustrations of retyping everything I’d just ranted about, I present to you several links to blogs that basically say the same thing that I was going to say.
An exceedingly interesting blog (both this post specifically and in general)
Haha, I had internet access in Victoria tonight, can you tell?
Also, room service = awesome.
Hob-Nobbing with the Elites of the Ship
Wow.
So apparently on every cruise, Princess picks out the 40 people who have logged the greatest amount of cruising days, gathers them in a room for a super deluxe fancy luncheon, and thus creates a super concentrated cluster of snobbery at sea.
This time around, my dad was invited (he’s gone on 13 Princess cruises, somewhere around 130 days or so) and took me as his guest.
These are people who have traveled the world via cruises, and they were exchanging all these stories about the African Cape, South Asian adventures, language mix-ups and faux pas in Europe, and airport disasters.
At one point, one of the ladies at our table turns to me, looks at my obviously inferior gold card*, and goes “and where have you cruised, young lady?”
I was like, “uh…Alaska.”
Lady: “where else?”
Me: “…Alaska.”
Lady: “Oh. Well, that’s nice.”
She’d been cruising for like 200 days total or something.
Anyway, it was this super swanky thing at which I totally didn’t belong, but it’s interesting to see how people with the means to spend
that much time cruising actually interact with one another. Some were total snobs about it, others seemed like perfectly reasonable and nice people.
Ooh, and I also went to see a cooking demonstration put on by the head chef and head Maitre d’. Picture!
They were funny.
Tomorrow: Victoria, BC!
*You get a blue card if this is your first Princess cruise, You get a silver card if you’ve cruised twice, a gold card if you’ve cruised more than twice but less than 15 (I think) times, and a black card for 15+ cruises. There were like three gold card people there.
An Ode to the Mode
Lack of internet = fun with pre-existing data time. I don’t know why I haven’t done this yet, but tonight I decided to check out my downloading patterns for last year’s songs. That is, I decided to break the day down by hour and see when my musical acquisition activities were most active.
Let’s check it out!
Haha, late at night. Big surprise. And nothing in the early morning. There’s not much to say about this…once I have this year’s data we can do all sorts of fun comparison tests (MEAN DIFFERENCES OMFG) and then the fun will never cease.
Time for M&Ms!
I AM FROZEN
Tracy Arm and Juneau = COLD and WINDY and RAINY and I am FREEZING.
There’s very limited internet access here, but I was able to load the next set of 100 questions from the 5,000 Question Survey. Won’t you be glad when I’m done with this?
1701. How will tomorrow be like today?
I’ll still be on a ship!
1702. How would you react if a stranger pinched your bottom?
I’d simultaneously be flattered, confused, and violated.
1703. When was the last time you went on a date?
OH GOD. Years ago…October 2008? Noodle times with Aaron, hell yes.
1704. Have you ever ridden a horse?
Yes, but horses are terrifying.
1706. What is almost over?
July, which blows heavy metal chucks, ‘cause I want more time in Moscow to see my friends.
1707. What should you be doing that you are putting off?
Sending the final code for my thesis to my supervisor.
1708. How much would you have to change physically before you would no longer be yourself anymore?
Haha, it’d take a lot of plastic surgery for me to not be the ugly little freak I am today.
1709. How much would you have to change mentally before you would no longer be yourself anymore?
I ask myself that pretty much every day.
1710. Would you rather be famous or notorious?
Famous.
1711. Would you rather have a necklace that’s dripping with diamonds or a blueberry farm?
Blueberries, yo. I could help feed people instead of own a piece of jewelry I’d probably be afraid to wear.
1712. Could you take first place in a beauty contest?
Only if the judges were blind.
1713. Who is the biggest hypocrite you know and why?
Probably me. I try to be good and try to extol the virtues of goodness daily, but I’m probably one of the crappiest people out there sometimes.
1714. Would you consider yourself to be more opinionated or bitchy?
Opinionated.
1715. How long is it until your next day off?
No worky right now!
1716. What sound is annoying you right now?
Nothing. My computer’s cooling pad fan is a bit obnoxious, but I’d rather hear it humming away than Vaio II going the way of Vaio I via its internal fan revving up to shoot into the stratosphere.
1717. Imagine you’re taking a vacation with 4 people. Who are they?
My old roomies!
1718. The five of you travel by plane. Suddenly your plane crashes down over snowy mountains. The pilot and the air crew and all the other passengers die. The only way for you to survive is for one of you to get eaten by the others. Who will it be?
I’ll sacrifice!
1719. Anorexia and obesity are two life threatening eating related disorders. Why is it that when it is discovered that someone is an anorexic they are rushed to the hospital, but when someone is obese they are not rushed to the hospital?
Because society is DUMB, and that’s all I’m going to say about that right now, because this issue pisses me off extremely and I don’t want to go there tonight. Maybe in a later blog.
1720. Who is your favorite smurf?
You know, I’ve never actually seen that show.
1721. Why do you do things that you know are bad for you?
Because I have no willpower.
1722. How important is testing to education?
It has its place, but I don’t think it’s necessarily an integral part of cementing knowledge into children’s heads. Also, TESTING SYSTEM FLAWED.
1723. What food group do you eat the most of (bread and pasta, meats and eggs and fish, fruits and vegetables, milk and cheese, sugar and butter)?
Veggies, yo. I could subsist off of broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower. I kind of actually do.
1724. Who is the most adorable person you know?
I don’t know if I’d call anyone I know “adorable.”
1725. If you had to spend a half hour locked in a dark closet with someone from school or work that you don’t normally hang out with who would you want it to be?
Kate was pretty badass, I’d hang with her in a closet.
1726. How often do you masturbate in a week?
Haha, never.
1727. In the USA people work a full third of the year for the government, due to taxes. How do you feel about this?
Haha, this question actually made me realize that I’ve reached my 23rd year as a US citizen and have yet to file US taxes.
1728. Should people be allowed to use cell phones in their cars?
Only if they’re hands-free (the phones, not the people).
1729. Have you ever been in the room while a human baby was born?
Nope.
1730. Have you ever been in the room while an animal baby was born?
I don’t think so.
1731. Did you see the video The Miracle of Life in school?
Haha, we watched it in Developmental Psych.
1732. How do you feel about having a baby?
Babies are terrifying.
1733. Have you ever had a tooth pulled?
Just my wisdom teeth.
1734. Who are you waiting for an email/call/note/visit from?
I’m waiting to hear more from Western.
1735. What are you counting the days until?
Western!
1736. What is the greatest temptation for you?
Something that’s pretty bad for my health.
1737. How do you resist it?
I have trouble doing so. I may need some help.
1738. Who is your knight in shining armor?
Don’t have one, don’t need one. Unless it’s Leibniz, in which case HELPLESS PRINCESS MODE ACTIVATE!
1739. If you were walking and someone behind you yelled “HEY YOU!” would you turn around?
Yeah.
1740. Do loud noises make you tense?
Everything makes me tense.
1741. Has anyone ever told you that your epidermis was showing?
Hahaha, excellent random Simpsons reference, survey writer.
1742. Would you rather work or stay home with the baby?
When the hell did I have a baby?!
1743. Would you rather have people agree with you all the time or tell you the honest truth?
Truth.
1744. Will you/have you gone to your high school reunion?
I might go, who knows.
1745. What do you think of your yearbook picture?
I look like a freak. So it’s a pretty good representation of me.
1746. Are you more of a hunter or a gatherer?
Hahaha. Gatherer.
1747. If you ever were to visit Hershey Park, the theme park based on the chocolate candy, would you enjoy going to the spa where you can be treated to a whipped cocoa bath, a milk and honey bath, or simply a chocolate fondue skin wrap?
Only if someone got to lick it off of me afterwards.
1748. If someone asks you to read a poem they wrote, will you really take your time to try and understand what they wrote and tell them what you think or just read it quickly and tell them that its really good?
Depends on the person.
1749. Do you feel that if a coincidence occurs it means something?
Everything means something.
1750. Were you beautiful as a child?
PFFT. Everyone thought I was a boy.
1751. Do you think that it is okay for a homosexual or a woman to become a priest?
Why not?
1752. Which would you rather give up forever, religion or sex?
Hahahahaha, let’s do both just for the hell of it.
1753. What comes to mind when you think of these places:
Canada?
Grad school.
UK?
That Bush/Blair protest block I saw when I went to London back in 2003.
USA?
Home!
Australia?
Kangaroos!
Germany?
My dad.
Italy?
A boot.
1754. What does your favorite bumper sticker say?
Nothing. It’s the “Darwin” fish.
1755. Have you ever taken a shower with another person?
No, unfortunately.
1756. What bath toys do you have, if any?
I still have a toy from when I was younger. It’s a plastic pumpkin that can suck up water and spit it when you squeeze it.
1757. Would you rather propose to someone you love or would you rather be proposed to by someone you love?
I’d rather be proposed to.
1758. How can you reject someone nicely?
Don’t be an asshole?
1759. What kinds of diary names make you interested enough to check out the diary?
I’ll read anyone’s. It’s a hobby.
1760. What do you think are three common passwords people use to secure their diaries?
“password”, some variation of their name, some variation of their birthdate.
1761. Pick an object in the room.
The lamp.
Give that object a name.
Octavius Luminous III.
1762. What is the quickest way to make you blush?
Ask me if I’ve ever made out with Octavius Luminous III.
1763. Do you usually feel that you deserve it when other people compliment you?
Hell no.
1764. If you were to start your own business what kind of business do you think it might be?
It would probably be pretty crappy, ‘cause I have no business sense whatsoever. Maybe a restaurant of some sort?
1765. What is one of your pet peeves?
People who can’t go without making snide comments about others. Really, guys? If you’re going to badmouth someone, please don’t project it in my direction. I have no desire to hear it.
1766. What question do you get asked too frequently?
“Are you old enough to do [insert activity here]? Seriously, since I’ve left on this trip I’ve been asked FIVE TIMES if I was over 18.
1767. You notice a ring is priced $40.00, but the cashier only charges you $10.00. Do you mention this to the cashier?
Yes.
1768. Could a kiss on the ___ be considered cheating?
Cheek? Not usually.
Lips? Usually.
Nose? Haha, that’s cute.
Hand? Nah.
Ear? Nope.
Neck? Depends. Neck kisses can be…awkward.
1769. Would it bother you if your lover occasionally flirted with others?
It would probably bother me more than I’d like to admit, yes.
1770. How long has it been since you last played truth or dare?
Too long. Next basement party activity, anyone?
1771. Should people who are living now be obligated to do things that will make the world better for people who will live 100 years from now?
They shouldn’t necessarily be obligated, but they should take future generations into account when acting.
1772. Imagine you have a dream in which someone you care for acts mean to you. Is it possible you will still be angry with this person when you wake up?
Doubtful.
1773. Have you ever left someone a note with a picture in it?
No.
1774. What do you fear more, death or pain?
Pain.
1775. Are the questions still interesting this far into the survey?
I’m lovin’ this.
1776. Do you like the cartoon Inspector Gadget?
Excellent. Now I have the song stuck in my head.
1777. You know how Gadget wears the same outfit all the time, and his closet is full of outfits that are exactly identical to the one he wears? If your closet was full of just one outfit that you had to wear everyday what would it be like?
Something ridiculously colorful. And comfortable. And able to be worn comfortably in both hot and cold weather, but mainly cold, ‘cause I’m always freezing.
1778. Would you rather time travel to the future or the past?
Past.
1779. Would you rather know how the world began or how it will end?
How it began.
1780. Would you rather meet your ancient ancestors or your great great great great great great grandchildren?
The great great great great great great grandchildren. Just to see how screwy they’d be.
1781. Out of these 4 which is most important (1=most, 2=second most, 3 = 3rd most, 4 = least)?
Curing diseases such as aids, cancer: 3
Preserving wildlife areas: 1
Ending terrorism: 2
Building colonies in space: 4
1782. In your opinion should every child be entitled to a good education?
Of course.
1783. What news item are you tired of hearing about?
The US debt. Yes, I know it’s important, but every time I see it on the news I remember how much politics suck.
1784. Speaking of 9/11 the anniversary is coming up. What will you be doing?
When were we speaking of 9/11? I’ll probably be going about my usual routine, but I’ll obviously stop and think about it a bit more than on other 9/11s.
1785. If this were a recipe for you, how would it go?
2 cups: obsessive tendencies
1 cup: persistence
1/2 cup: color
A pinch of: stupid puns
A dash of: craziness
Mix well and bake until: the smell of weirdness permeates the room
Add: data
Serve: only on occasion, as frequent exposure could cause illness.
1786. Which of the following would YOU be more likely to survive: A fall from a 3 story building OR driving a car into the water
Probably driving a car into the water, ‘cause I know how to get out.
1788. Who is your exact opposite?
A plain chick who loves Newton and hates statistics. She also detests broccoli and walks like an unaware idiot down the sidewalk.
1789. Would you rather have serenity or insanity?
Insanity.
1791. What is the longest distance you have ever walked?
The longest distance in the shortest time was 17 miles (Vancouver to Coquitlam), but that’s not the furthest I’ve walked in one instance.
1792. The ancient Greek philosopher Plato believes that beauty truth and justice all basically mean the same thing. What are your
feelings about this?
I think I wrote a blog on this awhile back, actually. Can’t remember what I said, though.
1793. How did you first begin to assert yourself as independent from your parents?
Haha, it took me awhile. Probably not until the middle of undergrad.
1794. If you had a magic bracelet, would you use it to gain luck, money, health, creativity or love?
I’m lucky enough, I have enough money to get by, I’m pretty physically healthy, I’d love a bit more creativity, and I’ve pretty much given up hope that I’ll ever have another boyfriend/girlfriend/whatever, so I’ll choose creativity.
1795. What would you do if every time you used your magic bracelet something bad would happen to someone else?
Then I probably wouldn’t use it.
1796. This is a story about a girl. While at the funeral of her own mother, she met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing, so much her dream guy she believed him to be that she fell in love with him then and there, although she didn’t even see him after the funeral ended. A few days later, the girl killed her own sister. What is her motive for killing her sister?
Isn’t this the psychopath question?
1797. Have you ever intentionally hurt someone’s feelings?I’m sure we all have at one point.
1798. What do you think of Franz Ferdinand?
Meh.
1799. What do you think of the band Modest Mouse?
They’re pretty awesome.
1800. What do you think of Morrissey?
Never heard of them.
Addiction: It’s What I Do
I used to avoid crossword puzzles in every puzzle book I ever bought.
Now all of a sudden I love them like none other and must acquire as many crossword puzzle books as possible.
Obsession, thy name is Claudia.
Monday 25
So because I suck at life, I totally forgot to take a video today before it got dark. But I did bike (stationary, of course) 10 miles and ran 5 miles early this morning. I would have run for a longer stretch of time, but the little recreation center on the ship was getting super crowded and I figured I should give up my treadmill to someone else.
And today they had CANTALOUPE out, which made me super happy ‘cause I had trouble finding fresh cantaloupe in Vancouver and I freaking love it.
Tonight was formal night. Here is a pic of my pretty dress that I bought for $7 at Goodwill. Goodwill rules.
THAT IS ALL! Ketchikan tomorrow.
When it reins it poors
Disembarkation day!
I actually had a dream last night that while on the ship, there was this outbreak of a new strain of disease that had never been seen before. It was acting quickly, killing passengers within 5 hours of contraction, and no port would let us dock because we would spread the new strain. We were forced to float around aimlessly while we all died off from this disease.
Quite Camus-esque.
Possible NaNo.
HEY
California to Seattle today. I’m sitting in the Red Lion hotel near the Seattle airport, screwing around and waiting for tomorrow when we take a limo to the ship. Because I have internet for what is possibly the last time in a week or so, I shall use it to give you some facts about the cruise ship we’ll be taking as well as some facts about Princess itself:
– The Princess line was made famous in the show The Love Boat.
– Princess has 16 operating ships. Their next ship to be put to work, the Royal Princess, is scheduled to sail in May 2013.
– Princess offers cruises that involve crossing the Atlantic as well as cruises lasting over 150 days that go all around the world.
– The Sapphire Princess was built in 2004 and holds up to 2,670 passengers (plus 1,100 crew).
– It has 18 decks, is 951 feet long, and cost $400 million.
– Its sister ship is the Diamond Princess.
Check out the Princess website to search their cruises. It’s fun!
Blogging: The Last True Frontier
Another new header! I actually kind of like this one.
Plus a header I made for my upcoming stats/phil blog (the more “professional” blog, if that word can even be remotely applied to me):
It’s simple, but simple is good sometimes.
Sorry these are short; I don’t have internet and have instead a crazy family to deal with. I also won’t have internet for another week or so, ‘cause ALASKA!
Party time!
YAY, my thesis has been submitted and approved for publication. It shall now be available to the public within 4 or 5 days (edit: here it is!)
Rockin’.
In other news:
– My family is extremely strange.
– My internet addiction is not as bad as I thought it was.
– My father, on the other hand, is severely addicted to Facebook. It doesn’t help that he’s also Captain Hunt n’ Peck when it comes to typing and therefore takes an hour and a half to write a single wall post.
– Eggplant hummus from Trader Joe’s is phenomenal.
– Broccoli may be the best food ever.
– Eggplant hummus from Trader Joe’s + broccoli = OMG TASTE BUDS ASPLODE
– I suck at swimming.
– I finally found The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow, a book that has been perpetually checked out at every library I’ve ever been to.
– I will perhaps make a video log of the cruise, I’m not sure yet.
– It is SO SUNNY HERE. My body doesn’t know what to do with all this vitamin D.
– The end!
I find your lack of internet disturbing
Therefore, survey!
1601. What’s on your key chain besides keys?
Nothing.
1602. How do you feel about endangered species?
If humans caused the endangerment, we should do what we can to reinstate the species to its former numbers.
1603. What was the last CD you bought?
Haha, oh man…Muse’s Absolution, I think.
1604. Do you like feather pillows?
Sure, why not?
1605. How about water beds?
Dude, so much fun.
1606. Who or what do you feel the deepest responsibility towards?
My parents? I feel like I have a responsibility to NOT be a total screw up, though I’ve pretty much bombed that little assignment.
1607. How long is forever?
A freaking long time.
1608. Who is your favorite family member?
Mommy!
1609. Who would you be afraid to have angry at you?
My father is terrifying when he’s angry.
1610. Does this survey feel like it will never end?
I’m a survey freak. I hope it doesn’t!
1611. Have you ever eaten any kind of food off of someone else’s body?
Yes? I’ve had people eat off of me, which is highly enjoyable.
1612. Do you like the direction your life is going in?
I’m not sure, actually.
1613. Are you a traditional person?
About certain things, yes. But they’re things that I probably shouldn’t be traditional about, so we won’t speak of them here.
1614. Have you ever felt like the victim of societal injustice?
Not really, no.
1615. What feelings or thoughts do you repress?
We don’t want to get into that.
1616. What makes you feel ecstatic?
Statistics! Not kidding.
1617. What was your biggest mistake in the past three months?
Hahaha, the past three months have been themselves a big mistake.
1618. York Peppermint Patti or Reese’s Peanut butter Cups?
Reese’s, dude. 100%.
1619. What are your feelings, if any, about Hugh Hefner?
I have none.
1620. What is your specialty?
Being weird. Obsessing.
1621. Have you ever had a stalker?
HAHAHAHAHA yes.
1622. Have you ever been a stalker?
In the eyes of some, yes.
1623. Ideally, how far would you like to live from your nearest neighbor??
Far enough away that I can blast my techno and they wouldn’t be disturbed by it.
1624. What would you do if a teacher accused you of cheating when you really weren’t? Or if that doesn’t apply to you…what would you do if a manager accused you of stealing when you really weren’t?
This happened once in 10th grade biology. I had a four-color pen and we were going over a self-graded quiz. I changed the color of the pen so I could write my name in black on the front page and the teacher thought I was changing the color so I could re-write an answer.
1625. What store would you most like a $10,000 (about 5900 British pounds) gift certificate to?
Goodwill! Or H&M.
1626. What would you most like to reincarnate as?
A dude.
1627. What’s in your undie drawer…besides undies?
I have no such thing!
1628. How many languages can you say HELLO in?
Four? Five? Does Canadian count?
1629. If your whole country had to listen to you talk for ten minutes what would you talk about?
I would talk about the issues with Big Food and how the government is basically ruining our nutrition and our ability to, if we so desire, acquire good, nutritional foods. It’s a big, scary issue in my opinion.
1630. Do you have a guardian angel?
Doubtful.
1631. Do you smoke?
Nope.
1632. Who is more successful, Bill gates or Mother Theresa?
They’re both successful in their own ways.
1633. What band T-shirts do you own?
None!
1634. What is your favorite thing that is red?
Haha, it was my red umbrella up in Van. I don’t know what it is now…
1635. Have you ever worn mismatched socks on purpose?
Probably.
1636. Do you check nutrition labels?
I’m a bit obsessive.
1637. Most Mcdonalds value meals are about 1,500 calories (the amount of calories an average person needs in one whole day) and over 1,000 of those calories are from fat. What do you think about this?
I just get French fries, yo.
1638. If you could delete someone’s diary would you if:
They didn’t agree with you? Nope.
They were rude/obnoxious to you? Probably not.
They wrote rude entries? Nope.
1639. Have you ever worn:
A dress or a skirt if you are a guy? A tie if you are a girl?
Yes.
1640. Do you trust people at restraunts who handle your food that they aren’t doing anything gross to it while you can’t see them?
Haha, I try not to think about it.
1641. How do you wear your hair each day?
Uh, I comb it, let it sit there. It seems to know what to do.
1642. Have you ever worn: A gas mask? A blindfold?
Yes and yes.
1643. Would you be willing to go hang gliding?
Hell yeah!
1644. What is the difference between a man’s button down shirt and a woman’s button down shirt?
Aren’t the buttons on the opposite side? I’m not sure.
1645. Have you ever taken a lock of someone else’s hair?
Haha, nope.
1646. Have you ever given anyone a lock of your hair?
Nope.
1647. If you had a locket what would you put inside?
Sexy things.
1648. Is blood a turn on for you?
Not particularly, no.
1649. Have you ever written anything in your own blood?
Yes.
1650. Have you ever drank, slurped or licked someone else’s blood?
Ew.
QUESTIONS MISSING OMFGWTFBBQ
1669. What is your opinion of the current political climate in your country?
I think we’re all pretty screwed.
1670. In some high schools attendance of pep rallies is mandatory. How would you feel in this situation?
I’d start stabbing people. Actually, this was the case in my high school, come to think of it…
1671. Could you possibly fall in love with a prostitute?
Why not?
1672. What do you think of these names:
Elton: Blah.
Billy: Too common.
Dwayne: I like Wayne, but I don’t like Dwayne.
Betsy: Betsy’s cool.
Liz: Liz is okay.
Linda: My art teacher!
1673. What is one situation you want to avoid ever happening to you?
I wouldn’t want to choose whether someone lived or died. But there are a lot of other situations, too.
1674. Low fat or fat free?
Pfft. Making things low or fat free usually involves adding a bunch of chems/sugar/salt to make it taste the same. Regular for me.
1675. Are you cowardly?
No, I wouldn’t say so.
1676. Do you ever feel less than fresh?
Hahaha.
1677. Whose number is 867-5309?
Jenny! I hope she doesn’t change it. I need to make her mine.
1678. Have you ever written something on a bathroom wall?
Nope.
1679. When was the last time you fell down in public?
I don’t remember.
1680. Are you more aggressive or mellow?
Neither. Timid, maybe.
1681. What have you done with yourself to keep your life worth living?
Excellent question.
1682. What is the most incredible thing you can do?
I can screw up 99.9% of the things I attempt, that’s pretty incredible.
1683. Do you bury your pets, flush them, or throw them away?
The mental image of someone trying to flush a Great Dane down the toilet has got me laughing harder than it should.
1684. Do you get embarrassed when someone shows off baby pictures of you?
Meh. No one ever does.
1685. Who has made the biggest sacrifice for you?
My mother. She’s sacrificed so much it’s not even funny.
1686. What’s your favorite thing that is yellow?
THE SUN!
1687. Do you take any vitamins or drugs?
I take vitamins, yes.
1688. What’s the coolest HTML code you know?
Haha, I know no HTML. Sad, eh?
1689. If you had to change your diary name what would you change it to?
I’d probably go to “proc blog; run;” just because I’ve had it in mind for awhile.
1690. Do you want to grow old with someone?
Like that’s ever going to happen, but yes.
1691. Do you ever read entries titled ‘leave notes’?
Nah.
1692. Do you ever read entries titled ‘please read’?
Sure.
1693. Have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons?
Nope.
1694. Have you ever played Magic the Gathering?
I played Pokemon instead.
1695. Have you ever played Vampire the Masquerade?
Nope.
1696. Have you ever played Risk?
Nope.
1697. Of the above mentioned four games which one is most appealing to you?
Risk has always sounded fun.
1698. What have you complained for so long about having to do that you could’ve accomplished it by the time you were finished complaining?
Hahaha, I could have had my thesis done in like February if I had stopped bitching about it and had just done it.
1699. When was the last time you went out of your way to be cheerful and friendly, even when you felt like punching everyone around you?
Probably today. It was a shitty day.
1700. Do you treat others better or worse than yourself and why?
I try to treat others better than I treat myself, ‘cause I know I treat myself like a piece of crap.
TRAVEL
WOO, off to California for the first stretch of my journey up and down the west coast of the United States! My dad and I got bumped to 1st class, which was awesome. I’ve never flown first class before, and there was enough leg room or me to stretch my legs out all the way and barely reach the seat in front of me. Seriously (though I admit I’m pretty freaking short).
Also, my grandma (who is 84 now) hasn’t changed in appearance in like the past 30 years. If I age like my father’s side at all, I’m going to look exactly the same throughout the latter half of my life.
Are the bulbs of mercury at the bottom of thermometers collectively known as H.G. Wells?
Last night I dreamt about Hungry Hungry Hippos.
“But Claudia, you’ve never played Hungry Hungry Hippos!”
That’s what makes it so scary. Especially since I was named Liz in the dream, which is the name of the game’s pink hippo (thank you, Wikipedia). Or it was, until the newest version of the game renamed the hippos Sweetie Potamus, Bottomless Potamus, Picky Potamus, and Veggie Potamus.
If I ever have a kid, I am so naming him Bottomless Potamus. Bottomless Potamus Mahler sounds like a name begging to be on the list of Nobel Prize winners (or the list of “Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest winners”…either way).
The fact that Wiki has a category on “Fictional Hippopotamuses” is freaking hilarious. As is the ease of getting from the Hungry Hungry Hippos Wiki page to the Pornography page (Hungry Hungry Hippos to YouTube to Pornography).
TWSB: Pokes and Tweets and Tech, Oh My!
I’m using the thin veil of “technology involves science” to disguise today’s blog as This Week’s Science Blog. This is mainly because I’ve had trouble finding any super-exciting science articles as of late. Apologies.
Anyway.
This is something I’ve always been pretty interested in: how different generations view and interact with technology. This article, written by Susan Weinschenk, reviews the similarities and differences regarding how three generations, Baby Boomers (born between 1943 and 1961), Generation X-ers (born between 1961 and 1981), and Millenials (or Generation Y, born between 1982 and 2002), interact with technology. The article is super interesting and I recommend reading it, but here are a few highlights with CLAUDIA COMMENTS!
Dualism vs. Ubiquitous: Boomers view technology as something separate, e.g., they “make a call on their cell phone,” while Millenials “make a call” and assume that said call is occurring on a cell phone as implicit information.
I don’t know if this one is inherent to generational differences or just availability differences. It seems like for Millenials (particularly the youngest ones), cell phones have existed forever and pretty much rule the world of telephone communication. To them, a landline phone is a pretty weird thing. Therefore, they make a call and assume that everyone knows the call is occurring via a cell phone because cell phones are the main available tool for making calls. For Boomers, on the other hand, they’ve had to deal with the transition from landline phones as being the main medium of voice communication to cell phones. Therefore, they still feel the need to qualify the means by which they are making a call.
Twitter and Facebook: Millenials prefer Facebook, Generation X-ers prefer Twitter, and Baby Boomers are kind of in the middle with the two.
I thought this one was pretty interesting. I would think the Millenials would be all over Twitter (‘cause, well, they are), but maybe the Generation X-ers like it because it’s not as complicated (read: mutable) as Facebook and therefore is consistently easy to use.
Is Technology Trapping Us? Baby Boomers grew up without the recent technology and are most able of the three generations discussed here to “let it go” and live without it. Generation X-ers are simultaneously most enamored with and feel most trapped by technology. Millenials incorporate technology in their lives pretty much 24/7, but are the most likely to eschew it in favor of more personal communication, such as speaking face-to-face.
It’s interesting that the “middle” generation of X-ers feel the most trapped by technology, but it also make sense. For Boomers, they can leave it ‘cause they remember life without it. Millenials seek to free themselves from it because it’s so engrained in their lives that it can become a hassle. It seems like X-ers have had to make the most effort to incorporate new technology in their lives and therefore have the worst time trying to break free of it again.
Once we’ve all aged another 20-30 years, it’ll be interesting to compare these data with those from Generation Z.
By the way, I found this article via a list entitled “47 Mind-Blowing Psychology-Proven Facts You Should Know About Yourself.” Usually I stay away from lists like these on the internet because they all seem to rehash the same things that everyone already knows over and over again, but this one is wonderfully written and actually involves interesting stuff.
Get a job!
Long, long ago (2005) in a galaxy far, far away (Seattle) I went and got professional aptitude testing done. It was super cool and involved a lot of different tests. One of these tests was the simple Holland Code or the Holland Occupational Theme. By answering a bunch of questions, the test gives you three of six letters, each corresponding to a personality type in the context of a working environment. The letters are A (artistic), I (investigative), R (realistic), C (conventional), and E (enterprising).
For whatever reason I was reminded of this test this afternoon. I don’t remember what my old results were, but I found an online version and took it again. Apparently my strengths lie in I, C, and A, in that order. With this code, my “recommended careers” include: archivist, statistician, anthropologist, desktop publisher, technical writer, or mathematician.
Here’s the link to the test I took. What’s your three-letter code and corresponding occupations?
SKUNK ENCOUNTER!
So I went to the rec center late this evening, walked to WinCo for broccoli and lettuce, and got home finally around 11:30 or so (I take forever in the grocery store, I have issues). I go around back ‘cause my dad’s gone and the front door is always locked. Not expecting any creatures in the backyard, I turn the corner and surprise! Five skunks just chilling on the concrete. I must have startled them, ‘cause they all turned sharply and stuck their tails in the air like they were ready to spray. Not wanting to deal with the hilarity that would be me getting sprayed by skunks, I very slowly backed away until I was back around the corner from them. Since I couldn’t get in the front door, I picked up a chunk of bark and tossed it in their general direction, hoping to scare them away from the back door long enough for me to get inside.
It worked. And now all is well.
I honestly don’t know what I’d do if I got sprayed by a skunk. The scent does nothing to me, even in such close contact (our idiot dog got sprayed a few years back and I had to clean her), so I’d have to find a neighbor or some kind soul willing to odor test me to make sure I could get all the stink off.
Very glad that didn’t happen, haha.
Artz n’ Letterz
So this is something I noticed a long time ago, but going through my playlists in iTunes this afternoon made the observation come to the forefront of my mind: when I sort my “Top Favorites” playlist by artist, I notice that a large amount of the songs (68%) are by artists whose names begin with a letter from the first half of the alphabet (A – M). When I sort my entire music library in this manner, I find the same proportion (okay, 67%…it’s pretty damn close). And you know what’s more interesting? If I sort by the TITLE of the song, I get the same proportion again! OOH, OOH, and sorting my freaking book list gives the same 67% as the music.
I find this quite fascinating. Has anyone else ever noticed this type of pattern in any of their things? It’s interesting to me that this 2:1 ratio keeps coming up. This requires exploration.
Hypothesis: this 2:1 ratio occurs because the first half of the alphabet contain more letters that appear more often as the first letters in English words.
Method: utilizing letterfrequency.org, I found the list of the frequencies of the most common letters appearing as the 1st letter in English words*. I used this list as a ranking and, using a point-biserial correlation, correlated this ranking with a dichotomized list of the letters, in which letters in the first half of the alphabet were assigned a value of “0” and those in the second half of the alphabet were assigned a value of “1.”
Results: here are the two values being correlated alongside their respective letters:
Where the “X” column is ranking by the frequency of appearance as the first letter of a word and the “Y” column is a dichotomized ranking by alphabetical order. Point-biserial correlation necessary because one of the variables is dichotomous. So what were the results of the correlation? rpb = .20, p = .163.
Conclusion: well, the correlation isn’t statistically significant (p < .05) by a long shot, but I’ll interpret it anyway. A positive correlation in this case means that letters with the larger dichotomy value (in this case, those coded “1”) tend to also be those same letters with a “worse” (or higher-value) coding when ranked by frequency as the first letter in English words. So in plain English: there is a positive correlation between letters appearing in the second half of the alphabet and their infrequency as their appearance as the first letter in English words. In other words, letters appearing in the first half of the alphabet are more likely to appear as the first letter in English words. Not statistically more likely, but more likely.
Meh. Would have been cooler if the correlation were significant, but what are you going to do? Data are data.
*Q, V, X, and Z were not listed in the ranking, but given the letters, I assume that they were so infrequent as first letters that they were all at the “bottom.” Therefore, that is where I put them.
I feel like DEATH
It’s rare for me to feel sick. It’s even rarer for me to actually BE sick.
Right now I feel like I got hit by a semi and am alternately getting blasted by waves of burning hot wind and arctic cold tornadoes. Temperature = 102.3, which is ridiculously high for me.
So it’s an “I feel like miserable crap pity party” time here. Hopefully this will go away by tomorrow, ‘cause I need to clean/pack/play Fallout.
Yes, I can’t even concentrate long enough to play Fallout—I DO feel crappy.
Laters!
Edit: holy freaking crap, President Obama is turning 50 this year? He looks really young.
TWSB: Neptune’s Birthday
So apparently tomorrow will mark the first time Neptune will have made a complete revolution around the sun since it was discovered back in 1846.
New stuff
Yet another new header! I don’t like this one either (DIFFICULT TO SATISFY), but it’ll do for now.
Also, you know that new stats blog I mentioned I would start about half a month ago? Well, I kind of changed my mind and have decided to make it a combined statistics/philosophy blog, kind of a more professional version of this blog focusing on my two favorite things (apart from Leibniz).
It’ll be like my ramblings on the philosophy of statistics. It’ll be good for my upcoming graduate work. I’m thinking something along the lines of “Laplace and Leibniz” for the name of the blog. I could do “Pearson and Plato” because they’re two of the more “obvious” or recognized individuals in statistics and philosophy respectively, but I like both Laplace and Leibniz better. I also had “proc blog; run;” in mind, too. My mom likes that one.
We’ll see.
YAY!
OKAY PLAN CHANGES
OKAY PEOPLE, it looks like my plans for the second half of July have drastically changed. As you may know if you keep up with my blogging, my dad’s father (my grandpa down in California) died in January. Due to the suddenness and unexpected nature of his death, we were unable to procure me a ticket to go down and be present for the funeral. Because of this, my dad and I promised my grandma that we would find a time this summer to go down and be with her for a few days. Therefore, my dad informed me today that from the 19th to the 22nd, we will be heading down to Brea to spend some time with Grandma Mahler.
THEN he informs me that he was able to snatch up two last-minute tickets on the Sapphire Princess for a week-long cruise to Alaska. He wants to get his Princess black card (you get super perks if you’ve cruised for a certain number of days) and I freaking love cruising, so that was a nice and unexpected surprise. We’ll be flying to Seattle straight from Brea on the 22nd, spend the night in the Emerald City, and then board the Sapphire Princess and be cruisin’ from the 23rd to the 31st.
Awesome? Hell yes. Though I am a bit upset that such a large chunk of my time in Moscow is being cut, who the hell can complain about getting to travel? I also want to see my grandma; it’s been a long time.
Teeny Tiny Blog
Good lord, Fallout 3 is the epitome of awesome. Those of you with an Xbox (or a Steam account or a PC copy of the game) need to play this game. Seriously.
Uh…there was something else I was planning on saying today, but who knows what it was.
Eigenblogger 