Coronavirus Madness
Take a look at these two different graphs of daily cases of COVID-19.
Which one is the US? Which one is Canada? I’ll give you one guess.
Even with the population difference, Canada is seeing much smaller rates than the US. And we’re flattening a lot more. Will we spike again? Probably. But I don’t think we’ll spike to the extent the US currently is.
Hell, that isn’t even the second wave in the US. It’s still the first wave. It just picked up a lot of momentum.
That’s terrifying. Are you all terrified down there?
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SONG?
AND WHAT THE HELL IS THIS MUSIC VIDEO??
And why have I been physically incapable of listening to any other song all afternoon after hearing this?
Old Piccys
My mom sent me some old pictures she found while cleaning/organizing her stuff. And since my blog is nothing but random nonsense that no one else cares about but me, here are said pictures.
My grandpa in the military. He never seemed like the military type when I knew him, but there ya go.
Case and point: here’s my grandpa (and my mom) with books on their heads ‘cause I had a book on mine.
Apparently we had an actual factual pony when I was a kid. I have zero memories of this pony. This is, obviously, my mom and me.
My mom and a kitten!
Me with our cat Wooder sleeping on me.
“We ride at dawn!”
The end.
It’d be funny if there weren’t PEOPLE DYING
Edit from December: *sobbing noises*
It’s the rye chip, you palateless sheep
So in a super scientific Twitter thread, people are debating the best Chex Mix piece and it’s getting heated about that rye chip.
- Rye chip, followed closely by circle pretzel. Throw the mini breadsticks in the trash
- if you said rye chip block me
- Anyone who doesn’t say Rye Chip is a cop.
- rye chip got weird ass flavor but in a good way
- Idk about the best but the worst is definitely that hard ass rye chip
- I can deal with them all, except that rye chip aka the red headed stepchild……
- The rye chip was like that person who you didn’t like but you had him in the to not be mean to him
- Rye chip can jump off a cliff
- Rye chip is the skin of the gods. Children weep at the site of it, men bow down to it.
- CORN CHEX IS THE OG THEY DON’T CALL THAT SH*T RYE CHIP MIXXXX WTF IS WRONG WITH YALLLLL
- literally anyone who says anything other than rye chip deserves to step on a mfriggin LEGO BRICK
In case anyone’s curious, for me it’s:
- Rye chip
- Mini breadstick
- Corn Chex
- Square pretzel
- Wheat Chex
- Circle pretzel
Come at me.
PANTS PANTS PANTS
SO.
I think I mentioned this website on here a while ago and said that I was hesitant to try a pair of these pants (despite all the color options and how soft they looked) because I knew they would be too long for me.
However, since that time, it looks like they’ve added more size options. Specifically, they’ve added “petite” and “short petite” lengths, which make these pants something that I figured I’d like to try.
So I did. And they’re great!
They’re super soft and comfortable and the “petite” is a good length for me. I got few in the boot cut style, ‘cause that’s as close to a bell bottom shape as I can get and I love that shape.
So if you want some comfy colorful pants, give these a try!
Slow Cats
Here is Jazzy murdering a toy mouse in slow motion. She loves when we throw them at her like that and she can pounce like a big wild cat.
skeebee
This survey is from TUMBLR and I have NO IDEA if those little icons are going to actually show up or not and I also have NO IDEA why I’m so freaking hyper right now but THAT’S THE BEST TIME TO FILL OUT A SURVEY, don’t you think?
YES.
🐰- do you believe in soul mates?
Well, I married mine, so yes.
💌- diary or journal?
Can I pick blog? I pick blog.
✨- which fictional character (book, show, or movie) do you relate to most?
Who do I relate to the most? I’m not sure, actually. I can tell you who I like the most, but I’d have to think a while on who I relate to the most.
💕- are you crushing on someone?
Nope, in love.
💋- kissing in the dark or kissing in the rain?
Dark.
🍼- what is your favorite memory?
July 25, 2009. For reasons.
🌸- what is your favorite flower?
Sunflowers are pretty cool.
💖- have you ever been in love?
Yup.
🍰- strawberry or vanilla?
Vanilla
🍯- describe your favorite smell
LOL YOU’D LIKE THAT WOULDN’T YOU
🍪- cookie dough or cookies?
Cookies.
☕- coffee or tea?
Neither.
🍂- what’s your middle name?
Marie.
💫- what is your sun, moon, and rising sign?
Aquarius, Leo, Capricorn.
🌧️- favorite thing to do on rainy days?
Nothing. I hate rain. It messes up my walks.
🍭- how tall are you?
5’2.5”. That extra half-inch is important when you’re this freaking short.
🎄- what is your favorite holiday?
Christmas is pretty coolio.
🍦- what scented candle is your favorite?
NO
🎶- favorite song right now?
The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.”
💘- 3 ways to win your heart?
1) Don’t be a jerk to people; 2) have at least one thing you’re insanely passionate about; 3) be yourself (unless you’re a jerk, haha).
🍩- current mood?
Sad. As always. It’s my aesthetic, yo.
❄️- what is your favorite season?
Summer.
💍- your current relationship status?
Married!
💅🏻- do you like being spoiled?
Meh.
🕊 – 3 habits you have?
1) walking obsessively…is that a habit? 2) panicking 3) escaping into one of my many fantasy scenarios while I listen to music
🦄- how do you perceive yourself?
As garbage. ‘Cause I’m garbage.
🦋- how do you think others perceive you?
See above.
🍓- one secret about yourself
If I tell you it won’t be a secret, now will it?
🍒- how do you act when you have a crush?
I get…obsessive. It’s bad.
💔- the reason behind your last breakup?
Man, that was a while ago (2009). It was a mutual breakup, which I know people say sometimes when it’s actually not mutual, but in this case it was. I was moving to Vancouver to go to grad school; he was staying in Moscow to finish his undergrad. We decided to break up at the start of that summer.
💬- what your last text message says?
“Hahahaha.”
⛅- what is your morning routine?
Feed Jazzy, do bathroom stuff, get ready for my walk/run, walk/run.
💗- who do you miss?
My mom. My dad. Sean.
🥀- last time you cried?
A few hours ago.
🎁- when is your birthday?
Groundhog Day.
🔪- scariest/creepiest experience?
That insanity with Rob at Idler’s Rest. I was 100% convinced we were going to die.
💤- date someone younger, older, or same age as you?
Doesn’t matter.
Do you nerds want some INTERNET RECIPES?!?!?!?!?
Probably not, but you’re going to get them anyway.
Roasted rosemary garlic potatoes
Pappardelle with mashed peas and pecorino
Creamy tortellini with spinach and mushrooms
K bye.
Petition:
Make Quentin Tarantino temporarily change his name to Pent-In Quarantino during the COVID quarantine and have him make pandemic-related movies. Who’s with me?
Claudia’s Dental Saga: Episode 4
More cavities filled today, because man I really destroyed my teeth, huh?
I’m glad for the pain. I deserve the pain for being so stupid.
Also, the cavity fillings hurt more than the root canal. What the hell, pain receptors.
Hail Mary!
So a huge storm system moved through here a few days ago. All we got where we live was a little bit of wind and hail, but holy hell, look what other parts of the city (mainly the northwest quadrant) had to deal with:
Holy crapples. I’m glad I didn’t get stuck walking in that.
Edit: Apparently this is now the 4th most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history, beating out the 2013 Calgary floods. Wild.
An Exercise in Fucking Around
What up, NERDS?!?!?!?
So today, let’s do something that – for whatever reason – I’ve never done before: let’s make a semester class schedule for U of C rather than UI!
And just for funsies, I’m going to do one for last semester (Winter 2020) rather than the upcoming fall semester, since COVID botched up everything and the vast majority of classes will be online in the fall. I want to make a fake schedule where I have to actually plan out the course meeting times as well.
Because that’s how I roll with these things.
GO!
M/W/F
CPSC 491: Techniques for Numerical Computation (9:00 – 9:50)
STAT 533: Survival Methods (10:00 – 10:50)
HIST 361: The United States Since 1877 (14:00 – 14:50)
W/F
CPSC 491: Techniques for Numerical Computation Tutorial (13:00 – 13:50)
M
GEOG 310: Landforms and Soils Lab (13:00 – 13:50)
W
ENGL 594: Studies in Creative Writing: Prose Fiction (18:00 – 20:45)
F
STAT 533: Survival Methods Tutorial (16:00 – 16:50)
T/H
GEOG 310: Landforms and Soils (9:30 – 10:45)
ART 341: Drawing the Figure (11:15 – 12:30)
ART 341: Drawing the Figure Lab (12:30 – 13:45)
DRAM 413: Directing I (15:30 – 17:20)
Woo!
Book Review: A Separate Peace (Knowles)
Hey, let’s do that thing where I review a thing and stuff.
Have I read this before: No! I’ve been wanting to read it for a long time, but I’ve never been able to find a copy in a library. But we went to Fair’s Fair’s big book warehouse thingy a while back and I finally found a copy. And now I finally had time to read it!
Review: Oh my god this book is glorious. The writing is simple but impactful. The characters are very believable and the relationship between Gene and Phineas is so genuine and natural and…ugh. I love it. This is how I’ve always wanted to write close friendships in my stories.
And the “climax” (if you want to call it that) was very unexpected and thus very heart-punching. It’s a short little book but so very memorable. Love it.
Favorite part: There are a lot of little quotes and moments that I adore in this, but here are a few:
He (Phineas) was disgusted with that summer’s athletic program – a little tennis, some swimming, clumsy softball games, badminton. “Badminton!” he exploded the day it entered the schedule. He said nothing else, but the shocked, outraged, despairing note of anguish in the word said all the rest. “Badminton!”
Bombs in Central Europe were completely unreal to us here, not because we couldn’t imagine it…but because our place here was too fair for us to accept something like that. We spent that summer in complete selfishness, I’m happy to say. The people in the world who could be selfish in the summer of 1942 were a small band, and we took advantage of it.
One day he (Phineas) broke the school swimming record.
…
“A. Hopkins Parker?” Finny squinted up at the name. “I don’t remember any A. Hopkins Parker.”
“He graduated before we got here.”
“You mean that record has been up there the whole time we’ve been at Devon and nobody’s busted it yet?”
…
He said blurringly, “I have a feeling I can swim faster than A. Hopkins Parker.”
Rating: 8/10
What Song Did COVID Ruin for You?
For me it’s The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights.
Do I still love it? Absolutely. It’s a five-star (and the first five-star since my Decade of Music project ended).
But I discovered it right at the end of March of this year, which was when COVID was starting to really hit Canada. The U of C had moved to online classes and I spent a lot of my free time watching the news (bad idea, I know) and seeing the daily cases climb, not knowing how bad it would get.
And now whenever I hear this song (especially the first few bars, for some reason), I get that little twinge of anxiety that I associate with the start of the pandemic in Canada.
So that’s great.
Did COVID ruin a song (or songs) for you?
Have I mentioned lately that I love Gottfried Leibniz?
I love Gottfried Leibniz.
Childhood Reads
Do you ever have the sudden urge to re-read books that you loved as a kid but haven’t read since then? I don’t know if it’s because COVID has me in a super nostalgic mood or what, but I really want to revisit some of the books I enjoyed as a kid. Some of the ones I can think of off the top of my head include:
ALL of The Baby-Sitters Club books (Ann M. Martin) – I had almost every single one of these books when I was a kid/early teen. I always liked that there was a character named Claudia and that she was super artsy.
Skinnybones (Barbara Park) – I remember this book being absolutely hilarious to me as a kid. I loved the writing style.
Sixth Grade Secrets (Louis Sachar – yes, the guy who wrote Holes) – Another book where I remember liking the writing style. I also liked the story.
Nothing’s Fair in Fifth Grade (Barthe DeClements) – I have vague memories of this book, so I’d like to read it again to see what I’m actually remembering.
The Fudge books (Judy Blume) – I had most of these as a kid, I think.
Crooked (Laura McNeal) – This was a book I read when I was a little bit older…7th grade, I think? I remember this was one of the first books I read that had a plot with a more “serious” tone. I remember liking it a lot.
Anyway. There were a lot of other books I read as a kid (obviously); I wish I had the memory to recall the names of all of them in case there were others I wanted to revisit.
Are there any books that you remember you liked as a kid that you would like to read again now that you’re an adult?
Book Review: On the Beach (Shute)
Holy crapples, I read a book! It’s been so long, right? I just checked and my last book review of a book from my “200 Books” list was in 2016.
Ouch.
But finally, thanks to having my first semester off since 2017, I had a chance to read a book!
(This was also a book I checked out from the U of C library back in like December last year and I still have it because the library’s been closed since March due to COVID, so…)
LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Have I read this before: Yes! I read this during my first year at UI, I think. I remember reading it on a band bus as we drove somewhere. Utah? Maybe.
Review: as a very brief summary of what this book is about, it is set in a period after there has been major nuclear war in the northern hemisphere of the world. Everyone in the north is dead (or slowly dying) and the book is from the perspective of several people living in Australia as they wait for the nuclear fallout to reach the southern hemisphere and kill them, too. It’s a very haunting book and does a really good job of showing how these people are still trying to live “normally” despite the fact that they all know they’re going to die very soon. I remember being very impacted by this book when I first read it; it’s stuck with me ever since and was just as good as I remember it being.
Favorite part: There are a few times where the characters talk about what’s eventually going to happen to them (death from radiation) but say that they can’t stop acting like things are “normal.”
“I went to Wilson’s today and bought a hundred daffodils,” she (Mary) said. … “I’m going to put them in that corner by the wall, where Peter took out the tree. It’s sheltered there. But I suppose if we’re all going to die that’s silly.”
…
(This is her friend, Moira) “Well, of course it’s sensible to put them in. You’ll see them anyway, and you’ll sort of feel you’ve done something.”
Mary looked at her gratefully. “Well, that’s what I think. I mean, I couldn’t bear to—to just stop doing things and do nothing. You might as well die now and get it over.”
Moira nodded. “If what they say is right, we’re none of us going to have time to do all that we planned to do. But we can keep on doing it as long as we can.”
And there’s a scene where they’re talking about going fishing but the season hasn’t opened yet, but even though they know they’ll be dead in a few weeks, they want to obey the law and not fish until the season has technically started.
It’s so very…human, I think.
Rating: 7/10
Holey Shirt!
I am notoriously hard on my walking clothes. As an example, here is my walking shirt that I’ve had for a few years:
Yes, those are holes. Yes, they go completely through the fabric. My hand is there for scale. The holes are at/near my lower back due to my backpack rubbing there for 15+ miles almost every day.
My summer walking pants are also really falling apart at the moment. This might be their last season if they can make it through. Then I’ll have to get new ones.
Super exciting, huh?
Claudia’s Dental Saga: Episode 3
So today was my third visit to the dentist and the goal was to just get a basic teeth cleaning, but my teeth are SO DAMN SENSITIVE AND DAMAGED that we could barely get through the lower teeth (with a hell of a lot of bleeding).
Once they started working on the top teeth, I couldn’t handle the sensitivity, so the dentist said that she might have to deal with the cavities in those upper teeth before I could get the cleaning finished.
So that’s fun.
On the good side, though, my lower teeth are SUPER CLEAN. They haven’t been this clean in like a decade. Wild.
Alright, Internet, I’m Good.
Holy gods. This is horrifying but adorable at the same time.
Goodnight, all.
Well this was a waste of time but SO IS MY LIFE
1. Think of the last person who said I love you, do you think they meant it?
Hopefully!
2. Would you date an 18-year-old at the age you are now?
God no.
3. When’s the last time you were aggravated and happy at the same time?
I’m always aggravated, so…whenever the last time it was I was happy.
4. Would you ever smile at a stranger?
Sure.
5. Is there someone mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are?
Hahaha, hopefully not.
6. Have you heard a song that reminds you of someone today?
Not today, no.
7. What exactly are you wearing right now?
Clothes.
8. How often do you listen to music?
At least once a day for a few hours.
9. Do you wear jeans or sweats more?
Sweats.
10. Do you think your life will change dramatically before 2014?
OLD SURVEY IS OLD
11. Are you a social or an antisocial person?
People suck and might have viruses.
12. Have you ever kissed someone whose name begins with the letter ‘A’?
Nnnnnnno OH SHIT RIGHT, AARON! Hahaha, embarrassing.
13. What about ‘R’?
*shudders*
14. Can you drive a stick shift?
Haha, no. I probably can’t drive at all anymore, period.
15. Do you care if people talk badly about you?
I think everyone cares about that, whether they want to admit it or not.
16. Are you going out of town soon?
Nope.
17. When was the last time you cried?
A few hours ago.
18. Have you ever told someone you loved them?
Duh?
19. If you could change your eye color, would you?
Blue is pretty. Or green.
20. Is there a boy who you would do absolutely everything for?
Sure.
21. Name something you dislike about the day you’re having.
The fact that I’m me and almost everything I do is a mistake.
22. Is it cute when guys kiss you on your forehead?
Eh.
23. Are you dating the last person you talked to?
Nope, haha.
24. What are you sitting on right now?
A chair?
25. Does anyone regularly (other than family) tell you they love you?
Does my husband count as family?
26. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have?
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh, high school.
27. Who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed last night?
My husband.
28. Do you get a lot of colds?
Nope! I have a very good immune system.
29. Where is the shirt you are wearing from?
Walmart.
30. Does anyone hate you?
Probably.
31. Do you have any empty alcohol bottles hidden somewhere in your room?
Nope.
32. Do you like watching scary movies?
Eh.
33. Do you want your tongue pierced?
No.
34. If you had to delete one year of your life completely, which would it be?
All. All the years.
35. Did you have a dream last night?
Probably, but not one I remember.
36. When was the last time you told someone you loved them?
Today.
37. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years?
Hopefully!
38. Do you think someone has feelings for you?
Hopefully!
39. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?
Doubt it.
40. Did you have a good day yesterday?
Well, I had a root canal, SO.
41. Think back 2 months ago; were you in a relationship?
Yup.
42. In the next 48 hours, will you hang out with a girl?
Nope.
43. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you?
Maybe.
44. What’s the best part about school?
Everything. I like school.
45. Do you have any pictures on your Facebook?
Yeah.
46. Do you ever pass notes to your friends in school?
I never did, no.
47. Do you replay things that have happened in your head?
Always.
48. Were you single over the last summer?
Nope.
49. Is your life anything like it was two years ago?
In many ways, yes.
50. What are you supposed to be doing right now?
Being productive.
51. Do you hate the last guy you had a conversation with?
Nope.
52. Are you nice to everyone?
I try to be, but no.
53. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to?
Eh.
54. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat?
Done!
55. Are you good at hiding your feelings?
Hahahaha, no.
56. Do you think you like someone?
Duh.
57. Have you kissed someone whose name starts with a ‘J’?
No.
58. Do you prefer to be friends with girls or boys?
Dudes.
59. Has anyone of your friends ever seen you cry?
I think everyone in the world has seen me cry by this point.
60. Do you hate anyone?
No.
61. How’s your heart?
Fine.
62. Is there something that happened in your past that you hate talking about?
I’ll talk about anything, I don’t care anymore.
63. Have you ever cried over a guy?
Yes.
64. Who is probably talking a load of crap about you right now?
No idea.
65. Are your toenails painted pink?
Nope.
66. Will your next kiss be a mistake?
Nope.
67. Girls love it when boyfriends cry; correct?
Uh…depends on what they’re crying about. Are they crying ‘cause they’re sad? I wouldn’t love that because I wouldn’t love my significant other to be sad. Are they crying because they saw an impossibly awesome cat? Yes, I would love that!
68. Have your pants ever fallen down in public?
Nope.
69. Who was the last person you were on the phone with?
My mom.
70. How do you look right now?
Horrible, like always.
71. Do you have someone you can be your complete self around?“
Sorta.
72. Can you commit to one person?
Done.
73. Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to?
Sorta.
74. Have you ever felt replaced?
Haha, yeah.
75. Did you wake up cranky?
I don’t think so.
76. Are you a jealous person?
Very.
77. Are relationships ever worth it?
Yes.
78. Anyone you’re giving up on?
No.
79. Currently wanting to see anyone?
I miss my mom.
80. Name something you have to do tomorrow?
Walk.
81. Last person you cried in front of?
Husband.
82. Is there someone you will never forget?
Yes.
83. Do you think the person you have feelings for is protective of you?
Yes.
84. If the person you wish to be with were with you, what would you be doing right now?
We’re in the same room right now.
85. Are you over your past?
Sure.
86. Have you ever liked one of your best friends of the opposite sex?
Haha. Yeah.
87. Is there anyone you can tell EVERYTHING to?
No.
88. If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept?
Why would they be apologizing?
89. So, the last person you kissed just happens to arrive at your door at 3AM; do you let them in?
Well, it’s their house, so…
90. Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated?
Welcome to the Rob saga, ladies and gentlemen.
91. Will you be in a relationship in 2 months?
What is with all the relationship questions?
92. Is there anyone you know with the name Michael?
Yes.
99. Have you ever kissed someone older than you?
Yes.
100. Who’s in your profile picture with you?
Husband.
102. Has anybody ever given you butterflies?
Like…physical butterflies? No. Butterfly feelies? Yes.
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