The Triumvirate takes on New Years

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(image from http://www.timessquarenyc.org)

I suppose I should have posted this before it was January 1st in more than half the world, but I didn't think about it. Have a safe night and best of luck in the new year.

Liza takes on long distance relationships...of sorts.

Long time, no blog, my loves. Sorry about that. Graduate school and the holidays have been eating my life. Luckily Ms. Waters hasn't let this go completely to crap. :)

First of all I should explain that by "of sorts" I am referring to the fact that the long distance of this relationship is temporary. Winter break has forced one of us (me) back across the big Atlantic Ocean for a month.

Secondly I haven't had a chance to introduce a "new" character in the Liza Meadows story. He's not new, per se, being that we have been friends since my first week in the UK, but he has recently been upgraded in status. We started "seeing" each other a little less than 3 weeks before I left for home. Le Boy, as he shall be referred to-- he's French-- is now somewhat officially my boyfriend, as he has decided to use this term and I haven't felt the need to run away from it. 

I didn't think it would be so hard to be away from someone I had only been seeing for about 2.5 weeks. Then I realised that, for at least the last 1.5 months, we have seen each other every single day. It was weird for me not to see him, and skype didn't wholly solve this issue. However, my real problem is the way it's affecting him. He's a lot more upset by our separation. I absolutely miss him, and all the time, but he is legitimately saddened by the situation. I'm not sure how to handle this because I've never had a guy actually act like he was so into me. I feel bad when my response to his emotions (not that he's being crazy emotional or overly-sentimental-- don't think that's he's crying on skype or something) is a smile or something stupid. I've apparently not been overly-receptive to him a few times on skype. He said I seem annoyed that he wants to talk so much, but I don't mean to because I am more certainly not annoyed by him.

He's also missing certain activities involving the two of us-- if you get my drift-- and I don't feel comfortable remedying this via the internet. I've never been able to be sexy on the internet. I'm not entirely sure I can be sexy in person, but he seems to think so. I'm just not good at it online. I could just say "Listen, that's not going to happen. Stop trying." but I don't want to shut him down when we have almost 3 weeks until we see each other. Then again I'm not sure I'll be able to teach myself how to be good at this before those 3 weeks are up. It's a lose-lose situation. 

I just don't know how people do the long distance thing for real. It's been 2 weeks and if this was for more than a month, I would have already called it quits. It's just too hard.

Robyn Takes On Christmas

So obviously we missed Hanukkah this year, and I apologize. Is it just me or was it crazy early this year? Although it is several weeks late, I still would like to venture to say Happy Hanukkah. I would also love to share some Christmas cheer and humor with you. I'm a bit of a jokester so when my Dad sent me and email full of hilarious Christmas cartoons, I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you.

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. Not because of gifts, that is the last on the list if it even makes it on the list at all (although I love when I get the perfect gift for someone I love!). Christmas Eve is my favorite part of the holiday because my family and I have the tradition of attending a Moravian Lovefeast. Most people probably have no idea what a Lovefeast is, let alone have even heard of the Moravian Church. The Moravian Church originated from Germany and many settled all around America but the largest concentration near me is in Winston-Salem, NC. Every year, on Christmas Eve, they celebrate a Lovefeast where we sing our favorite carols and share a feast together of a bun and coffee served to us by the Dieners in the church. After the feast, once the cups have been taken up, is one of my favorite traditions. The lights in the sanctuary are turned down low and the doors to the hall open up where Dieners, holding hundreds of blazing candles, carry them out into the congregation and pass candles to everyone there. A few weeks prior to the Lovefeast, the church makes the candles from beeswax and the wick is different from most candles. It has been created so that it makes a loop from the base of the candle and so there are two wicks at the tip top of the candle. The significance is that the candle light burns, creating a bond between the two wicks as a never ending loop-and such is Jesus's love for us. As the Moravian lyrics from the song "Morning Star"--"In me shine, Jesus mine." Morning Star is my favorite song because a child from the church sings and the congregation responds. It is such a beautiful song and it is a perfect ending to a beautiful service.

Candlelight Service at a Moravian Church

I love spending time with the family as well...although the extended family is sometimes entirely more than I can handle. But everyone has their family problems and issues, and Christmas is just another time of the year where it is a bit more prevalent than most. Christmas may not be celebrated by all but it is a holiday in the United States whether you like it or not. Plus, sometimes it is nice to have a few days to huddle under some warm blankets and hibernate when the weather is cold outside!

Now, on to the humorous cartoons! I love something funny to laugh at, as I'm sure everyone else does. These were my favorites from the Christmas email. Enjoy and have a very wonderful and Merry Christmas!!

Robyn Takes On Celebrities...

Okay, I am not literally taking on celebrities but I am taking on fame in general. Any time a person gets any teensy bit of fame, they go bonkers and think that the sun rises and sets on them. Obviously not everyone goes over-the-top crazy, but then again how can they help it. They have people following them around all the time taking photographs and are stopped for their autographs or gawked while they walk down the street. And then there are the celebrities who every move, every breath, every moment is captured and watched with scrutinizing detail. It's like the creepy Police song about the stalker watching every breath you take. Honestly I don't give two craps about what some celebrity ate for breakfast or where they hung out last night. Yes, I like looking at the photos of all the pretty people made up at the red carpet events because I wish I constantly had reasons to dress up and look gorgeous like they do. But that's where I draw the line-let private life remain private. Which is why, when I saw this on yahoo's rotation of news stories, I laughed: Digital Death Campaign. The campaign is for a good cause-to raise money for AIDS in Africa-but it is humorous. The premise is, if enough money does not get raised, the celebrities that are participating in the campaign will die a "digital death", so they will no longer tweet, facebook, etc. So...honestly, I wouldn't give money to this particular AIDS campaign for the simple fact that I don't see what is wrong with them not ever posting their private lives again. I mean some celebrities update their statuses hourly, as if someone out there is constantly watching and cares what they do every moment. Especially considering the fact that they complain how the paparazzi constantly dogs them-if you put it out there you are essentially giving the public exactly what you claim you do not want them to know.
I, of course, have a humorous story to follow this up with. I work at a small restaurant in the town I go to college at. I work a couple times a week and we're small enough that there's usually only two or three servers working at a time. Well today an actress from a television show walked in and ate lunch there. I seated her but my coworker served her. I knew who she was, or at least I vaguely remembered her from the show. I mentioned that she was an actress to my coworker after she left and he was like..."No she wasn't...was she?" He had NO IDEA-he had never seen the show before, let alone a commercial for it. Then he followed it up with..."No wonder she acted the way she did." He left her table alone for the most part because he felt she was stuck up and didn't want anyone to bother her. Then he flirted with the older women at the nearby tables and was super friendly to everyone else. He said she must have realized a while in that he had no clue who she was so she pulled a stunner-she pulled her script out. Wow, so you weren't getting enough attention you had to go out of your way so that you make sure that he knows it. He didn't even realize it was a script until she left and I told him who she was but we had a nice laugh about it. If you wanted attention, the restaurant we work at was definitely not the place to come to. Of my coworkers, I was the only one who recognized her and the restaurant usually draws in an older crowd so none of the guests gave her a second look. But who am I to judge? Maybe she really did choose our place because she knew she would probably not be bothered. I'm just glad I wasn't her waitress-I'm too stressed right now with upcoming exams and other stuff to worry about uppity celebrities.

Robyn Takes On Thanksgiving

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving! Although Thanksgiving Day is officially tomorrow in the United States, students across the States have a five-day holiday. Besides, tomorrow is almost here! Liza, Delilah, and I were discussing this particular holiday and agreed that it is the most celebrated holiday in the United States. The other would obviously be the 4th of July but the 4th generally does not constitute a four- or five-day holiday along with a multitude of ceremonious celebrations attached. This discussion stemmed from Liza having to try to explain Thanksgiving to people while she studies abroad and having a hard time getting them to wrap their head around the fact that it is such a huge holiday. Delilah, of course, also had this issue when she studied abroad last spring in Germany. People just don't get how big Thanksgiving Day is for us Americans.
Firstly, Thanksgiving would not be complete without the food: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, casseroles, pies, and the list goes on. It is also a holiday that you spend with others. Usually Christmas or Hanukkah typically involve just close family or even extended family, and is a much more intimate celebration. Thanksgiving meals are spent with family but also family friends as everyone comes together and those that do not have a place to go otherwise are warmly welcomed around the table. And, most importantly, it is the holiday to be thankful for all of the blessings that you have in your life. Be thankful that you have family, albeit a crazy and hectic one, and be thankful that you have friends, even if you don't always see eye-to-eye. A saying my Mom used to tell me comes to the forefront of my mind on this holiday: "I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet." Thanksgiving is just that-being thankful for what we have and being mindful that, even if we think we have it bad, someone always has it worse...

Robyn Takes On Clingy-ness

Clingy-ness, a horrific ailment that certain people catch that is terribly unattractive. I'd say it can very quickly become the reason any relationship hits its breaking point. Maybe its just that some people are on a spectrum of how much togetherness that they can handle from their potential significant other as they are getting to know each other and you really mesh the best with someone that is on the same level in the spectrum as you are. Like a rainbow, ROYGBIV, and I'm more of a V while he is more leaning towards R, if that makes an sense at all. As all of my rants, this one has a specific story behind it. I have enjoyed my time with Drake, but all of a sudden after only a few dates he wanted to be officially in a relationship already. It started right after our ice skating and movie dates. Although I can see how he might read things into this situation, I did not mean any overtures by our next outing. My brother, whom I have a semi-rocky relationship with, happened to come to town recently with a girl he has been dating. She is from this area and invited him home with her to her parents home. I barely ever see my brother let alone hear from him so I was shocked to receive a phone call from him right after my movie date with Drake. He told me he was coming to town that weekend and wanted to see me which, of course, I agreed to immediately. Later that week Drake wanted to go out again on Friday. This just happened to be the same evening that my brother wanted to go out to eat. Is it obvious what I did? Yes, I combined the two into one and so we went out on a double date.
It went well and we all had a great time, but I can understand how this was mixing signals with Drake who must have thought "Oh, she wanted to meet a family member already." On my side of thinking, my brother isn't exactly an accurate representation of my family as he tries his hardest to pretend he isn't part of it so I didn't think of it like that. When we got dropped back off at my apartment late that Friday evening, I figured Drake would head back to his place. Not the case. Instead he said he wanted to come up for a bit to "Sober up" (Yeah, okay, sober up. Side note but what guy would use that as an excuse? I had the same amount to drink and I was fine enough to drive even if I was slightly buzzed)...? And this is where we start to have issues. Not only have I spent three lovely days with you this week, which is enough for any couple who has been going out for a couple months, let alone two people that have only been dating for two weeks. But fact is, I just spent three days with you this week...hence I need some space and I've seen enough of you already this week. But he didn't pick up on the hints of, "Are you planning on heading out soon?", so he stuck around for awhile longer and over-stayed his welcome in my humble opinion. Then, when he finally decided to hit the road, he asked me the relationship question. I, in my buzzed and incredibly tired condition, was a bit startled by the question and didn't exactly know how to answer...and eventually just said "Yeah sure, I guess".
Bad idea. Next morning I checked my email and had an email from facebook awaiting me, asking me to confirm my relationship. Okay-seriously? Yet another side note but I'm not much into the facebook relationship statuses and announcing them to the world firstly, but secondly I feel like once you get to a certain age you get over the facebook relationship statuses in general. Or that it would be something you would eventually do after you've been official for awhile but by then it's no big deal. But maybe that's just me...but he is three years older than me so it flabbergasted me. And so I may have slightly hyperventilated because this is just too much. We've only gone out for a short bit and this is extreme. Not to mention that I got a text message shortly after this discovery asking if I wanted to hang out that evening...when I had already hung out with him three times that week. No, thanks.

I rescheduled for the next day and told him I wasn't ready to be that serious just yet and left things at that. I had already promised to go to a big event with him later that week and begin to slightly dread it just because the clingy-ness was starting to stress me out. I ended up having a great time at the event but it was because I didn't spend the whole time with Drake. Not that he isn't a great guy-he's super sweet-it's just that this whole situation just sucks. Perhaps it's because he's in the military and they all seem to take their relationships full force and super fast, but I'm not that kind of person. I like to take my time...take two steps forward and three steps back, test the water a bit. And for me, because of how slowly I like to edge into things, it is only natural that clingy-ness from a guy I'm dating is unappealing and utterly unattractive.

I did, of course, discuss the situation with my Mom (which if you haven't grappled this fact yet, I'm fairly close with her), and she made the point that I would want to be with someone I really really liked that much. It wouldn't seem like they were clingy if I was really into them. And she's right. Maybe I'm trying to make something work here and force something that just isn't right. If it's a chore to see someone then it's not worth it anymore...I should want to spend every waking moment with the person if I was really super interested. And is that so wrong to want that with someone. How nice would it be to want to spend that much time with someone? Some people have that but I've seen so many relationships where I feel like two people do try to force something that just isn't working. But I can't help everyone and in this situation I can help myself...so hopefully everything will work out but I don't think Drake and I will be a match made in heaven by any means.

Delilah Takes on College Readiness

As I've mentioned previously, I work as a tour guide for my college's admissions department.  It's not a horrible job (I've had worse), but if I could, I would drop it like a hot potato.

Today I gave a tour of my college to about 15 8th graders, who were accompanied by a chaperone.  These kids were in middle school.  Middle school!!!  They came in a larger group, with a whole busload.  It felt really strange seeing a yellow school bus idling on one of the streets going through my campus.  That never happens.  Until today.  It was basically a useless tour, because these kids aren't thinking about college.  They aren't even in high school yet.  It was a freebie day for them.  It just felt super ridiculous, especially because the kids went to a school that was about 2 hours away, and they have a college closer to them that they could have visited.

I have a repertoire of things I talk about on my tours.  Most of the time the tours are only with one family, so I tailor it a little to their interests, but the basics stay the same.  I had to completely scratch that for this tour.  Middle-schoolers aren't interested in gen ed requirements, or the shuttle my school has during the weekends.  The details don't matter to them like they would a high school junior or senior.  Instead, I gave them a PG version of a "this is what college is like" tour.  I just felt silly the entire time.

As a side note, my school brings in a big name each year for a lecture.  They are usually in the arena of public policy.  We've had Benazir Bhutto, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter, etc.  Last year we had Sandra Day O'Connor speak.  When I touched on this, I asked the kids if they knew who O'Connor was.  I thought that I would probably sound patronizing.  None of them knew who she is, or why she is a significant figure.  I had to give a super short explanation of who she is, and why she is important.  I was and still am aghast.  They should know this.  I went to school middle school in Virginia (where my college is located), and kids take civics in seventh or eighth grade.  These kids were in the so-called "gifted" program.  They were a select, special group, which is even more damning.  These kids are America's future.  God I feel old and curmudgeony.

Back to the subject:  I think that touring colleges in middle school is unconstructive, because it isn't even on their radar.  I gave a tour to a group of high school sophomores, and even that felt useless.  College is still two years off for them, and they didn't care.  Kids should be allowed to be kids.  Stop pushing them onto the "educational treadmill" so young!  They don't need to have the mentality that they have to succeed in middle school, so that they can do well in high school, and get into a good college where they will continue to succeed so that they can hypothetically succeed in life.  Let them worry about that a bit later, like sophomore year of high school.  These kids are going to get burnt out.  I'm burnt out on education, and I didn't start as early as they have.  I think these kids' school should focus on teaching them some basics, like who Sandra Day O'Connor is, instead of pulling them out of school to goof around on a college campus.

When was the first time people started talking about college with you?  Do you feel it was too early, too late, or was it "just right"?

Robyn Takes On the Weather

Ok, so I'm not really taking on the weather (although how cool would that be?!) but I am in a weather class this semester. It has been incredibly interesting, even if I wasn't and still am not thrilled at the amount of liberal arts general education classes I am required to take at my university. Still, there have been some interesting things I've learned this semester and with only a little over a week left in school I will be slightly sad to be done with the class (even if gen. ed.'s usually bring my GPA down-thanks a lot). A good portion of the class is just common knowledge because of what we are used to in our weather patterns but I did learn something new here and there that I thought was awesome. One in particular was lake effects (and yes, this may be common knowledge to those of you that live around the Great Lakes but it isn't to me). When the cooler air moves over water (which is warmer) it picks up moisture. In the Great Lakes this colder front comes from the Northwest and, after picking up the moisture, it dumps loads of snow on the South and Southwest shores of the lake. The neatest part is that you can actually see the cloud rolling towards you as it covers the city you are in with a blanket of snow as you can see in the video I attached Lake Effect in Buffalo, NY.
We also went over thunderstorms and tornadoes recently. And, through this, we discussed those crazy people out there known as storm chasers. They're very similar to the characters played by Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton from Twister who, instead of like normal people who try to avoid bad storms, actually run towards them Storm Chasers. I had always thought this would be a fun thing to do but maybe that's just my love of adventure rearing its head. Then again, I've been one of those people who had a slight panic attack when I was in an airport in the Midwest. I was in middle school on a family trip and went to the restrooms where there were signs everywhere warning of tornadoes and reminding people to use the restrooms as shelters if need be. Oh yeah, that really cooked my goose. Perhaps storm chasing is not in my future but I can always live vicariously through others.

Delilah Takes on the Thanksgiving Movie Releases! Continued

So on my last post I wrote about Disney's Thanksgiving release, Tangled.  This post I'll be focusing on Screen Gems' Burlesque!

In my last post, I wrote about a couple of reservations I have about Tangled.  With Burlesque, I have absolutely no reservations.  I'm massively excited for this movie to come out on November 24th!  I may even go see it over Thanksgiving weekend, which I never do.

Here's the main reason why I want to see this movie: one word.  Cher.  I'm getting all shivery just thinking about it.  Seriously, I LOVE Cher.  She looks crazy good in the trailer.  She's 64!  And obviously I know she's had work done, but I don't care.  Haters stop hating.  I'm also interested to see how Christina Aguilera fares in her first movie.  Plus it's got Stanley Tucci!  Enough said.  Look how crazy exciting the trailer is:



You could argue that it looks like a mix-up of a lot of other movies like Chicago, Cabaret, practically any dance movie, with a touch of The Devil Wears Prada, and Coyote Ugly.  I still think that this movie is worth it.  Who doesn't like an underdog-succeeds-at-being-a-star-while-wearing-practically-nothing movie?  Plus Cher!!!  Not a whole lot of people, let me tell you.  If the trailer hasn't sold you, check out this clip:



How catchy is this song?  And I'm really not the biggest Christina fan, but she does a really good job on this song.  Plus you know Cher will have at least one number in it, if not more.  Also, from what I can see in the trailer, we get a guyliner-wearing (at least while at work) romantic lead in one of the bartenders, and maybe a bit of a love triangle/competition in Grey's Anatomy's Eric Dane (aka McSteamy)  I love guyliner.

Are you guys as big of a gushy fangirl of Cher as I am?  Are you excited for Burlesque, and if so, what element of the movie is drawing you in?

Delilah Takes on the Thanksgiving Movie Releases!

I've never actually gone to the cinema on Thanksgiving weekend, but I'm probably going to break that habit this year, because I'm beyond excited for two of the releases.  Both Tangled and Burlesque come out this year on November 24th!

I guess first I'll talk about Disney's Tangled, and then do another post on Burlesque.  If you've been living under a rock and need a quick synopsis, here's what I've gleaned from the advertisements:  A lovable, wanted thief named Flynn pairs up with Rapunzel and they madcap around on a search to solve Rapunzel's existential mystery all while fighting/avoiding the law and some unsavory types who are dogging Flynn.  It's computer animated, and will be available in Disney Digital 3D, depending on location.  Zachary Levi and Mandy Moore voice Flynn and Rapunzel, respectively.

 I'm feeling trepidatious about Tangled.  *Side note: My spell check keeps telling me that "trepidatious" isn't a word, or that it's spelled incorrectly.  Sometimes I want to punch spell check in the mouth*  When I learned a year or two ago that Disney was planning on doing a retelling of Rapunzel, I was pretty psyched.  Especially when I learned that amazing Disney animator Glen Keane would be involved.  Keane was a main animator at Disney during the "New Golden Age" in the 90s, and he was the lead designer on Ariel, Aladdin, the Beast, Pocahontas, and Tarzan.  He's one of my absolute favorite animators.

But I'm a little disappointed that the movie is computer animated and not the traditional 2D cel animation.  Keane has talked about how he wants to find a way to translate the personality of traditional animation (like in the Pocahontas wind scenes, where he smudged charcoal to achieve the blurred effect) into the more sterile computer animation.  I think Tangled will be interesting to see if he was able to move closer to this goal.  I feel that this story would have been a great traditional animation movie, and that it could have been interestingly adapted for a musical-esque great movie hearkening back to movies like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, etc.  Disney had a great "formula" back then, and those movies are classics.  It looks like they've kinda "Shrek-ified" the story though.

I'm probably over-analyzing this, but I LOVE Disney.  This is me keeping my Disney-craziness to an absolute minimum, like a dog on a waaay too short leash, with a squirrel right in front of it.  I can talk about Disney until the cows come home, and then a bit more.

Here's a great blog on the Art of Glen Keane.  It has a lot of the rough animation of his different characters, and it is a great compendium of all the different resources across the web.  Give it a look!

I'm reserving my judgment and have high hopes for Tangled.  I just wish Disney would make movies like they used to-- movies I can fall in love with.  Do you agree with me on bringing back old Disney, or am I being a stick in the mud?  Are you excited for Tangled, and if so will you see it on Thanksgiving weekend?

Liza takes on British students.

I need to start this out with a little disclaimer of sorts. I am not trying to simply put down the concerns of British students, but am just venting some frustration. Also, much of my information on the UK is based on conversations with British students. If it's wrong, please correct me.

As anyone who pays attention to the news will know, the UK's budget cuts will most probably lead to an increase in student fees. The increase will bumped the fees up from about £3,000 to a maximum of about £7,000. This is a big increase and UK students have every right to be upset. What I feel they have no right to do is A) complain to US students and B) argue with these US students. Why you ask?

1) US students already know all about high tuition costs. The US higher education system bankrupts it's students.  It is becoming more and more necessary for people to earn a high education degree in the US and generally the world, but the US system gives little help to students. Scholarships are available, yes. Financial aid is there, yes. However, neither of these is likely to cover all your costs unless you go to a public, in-state school and have a sizeable financial need. There is absolutely nothing wrong with public, in-state schools, but not everyone lives in a state with a university/college that will meet their academic needs. Not every state has a decent college--see Rhode Island. I'm also not trying to put down financial aid. I greatly benefited from government financial aid as an undergraduate and I would never have allowed myself to go to graduate school if I had not received aid as an undergraduate. My debt would have been twice as outrageous as they already are.

1a) £7,000 a year is still a lot less than many of our universities. Many universities cost well over $25,000 a year (including housing fees, but that still brings tuition to over $15,000 or so).

2) The British student loan system is nothing like the US's system. Even if a UK student is forced to take out student loans, they do no start paying it back until they earn a certain amount of money (£21,000 a year is the figure I was told). This is most certainly not true in the US. Student loans go into repayment 6 months after you leave school regardless of your employment status, let alone your salary. You can apply for hardship deferment, but this requires miles of red tape and they have every "right" to deny you this deferment.

I'm not saying that British students should just shut up and take this. If I could change the US system, I would. By all means, please fight for your future and the future of those that come after you. However, don't try to ram your problems down my throat. You shall not be getting any sympathy from this disgruntled American.

Delilah Takes on Her BAMF Nails!!!

Okay, I have a confession to make.  I'm sorta addicted to nail polish.  Seriously.  It's sick.  I read nail polish blogs.  There, I've said it.  In my defense, I polish my nails for a couple of vital reasons:
1.  It's a procrastination mechanism.  When I've got work to do, and I don't want to do it, I polish my fingers or piggies.
2.  It keeps me awake when I'm up late at night getting work done.  My thinking is "I can't go to bed yet, my nails will get smudged.  Oh well, might as well read Chaucer for tomorrow's class".
3.  When my nails are polished, it gives me something to look at when I get bored in class.  And that happens about 8 bajillion times in a class period.  I sit in my English seminar class for two periods of three hours a week, where we discuss works written by authors like Chaucer.  Not to knock Chaucer, because he's awesome, but a girl's mind wanders.  To my gorgeous nails.

So here's my current distraction, which I'm rather proud of:

So my nail shape looks weird here, but that's because my fingers are crazy weird

See? Nail shape doesn't look as strange here.  Look how sparkly it is!

I tried the gradation manicure from All Lacquered Up, and it worked!  I had a bottle of butter LONDON's Jelly Stroppy, and I layered it over China Glaze's Watermelon Rind.  Voila!  Magnifique, n'est-ce pas?





I'm just really proud of this because it took me awhile, and I'd never done something like this before.  I'm not super perfect with the polish, so it doesn't look super pro like others often have it.

I'm starting to get tired of my nail color choices, and I absolutely cannot let myself buy another bottle for a while.  So I'm trying new things to shake up my usual options.

It really is sick the amount of thinking I devote to my nails.  I could probably write the next great American novel in the oodles of time I think about my nails.  But I can't resist with nails like these!

At least I know I'm in good company.  One of my friends at my school has about the same level of obsession as I do.  We actually talk about nails.  The madness never ends...  And Robyn shares my love of colorful polish.  I always feel better when I see her because I always miss the rest of the triumvirate, and the girl is always rocking awesome nails.  Even traveling doesn't keep her from being polished.  She seriously bought a bottle of black nail polish in Oxford because she was polish-less.  I should have done that, because now she has an awesome little memento of our time there, because the chemist had their address on the price sticker. 

Delilah Takes on A Revelation

Okay, so this revelation isn't life-changing.  It's more an affirmation of a way I've been feeling for a very long time.

I work as a tour guide for my college, and one of my male coworkers commented that he'd had a couple of really bad days, and that his horoscope kept predicting them.  I was really surprised, because he's a straight college guy.  I don't think horoscopes are usually their main interest... I would say it's more like getting wasted on Natty Lite and trying to score with a chick.  I think that horoscopes are fun, and can sometimes give you some really good insights, but they aren't a given.  On paper, I'm a Virgo.  But in reality, I'm a Virgo/Leo born on the Cusp of Exposure.  I know I'm looking more and more woo-woo as I keep writing this, but stay with me.  Basically I was born close to the tail-end of Leo influence, so I'm a Virgo with Leo tendencies.  So a straight-cut horoscope for Virgo never quite gets it, and daily horoscopes are pretty useless for me.

I do think that the Chinese zodiac is actually pretty accurate, though.  I'm a snake. Sssss.  The same day this guy was talking about his horoscope, I checked my Chinese yearly outlook for a snake.  And I had a moment of revelation/confirmation.

My yearly reading was really depressing.  It read that "If you are a typical Snake, you can be quite at home with tending your own wounds and being your own best friend. That ability could be very useful during a year containing 10 unfavorable months. Neither the pace nor style of 2010 is likely to be conducive to your peace of mind."  At went on to say that my career was stalling and in a transition time, and that my nerves could get frayed by the stress I was undergoing.  With relationships, it said that friendships could be a great comfort to me, and that any initiative I would take would be worth it.

I read this and it really hit home.  I've been having a super difficult year.  I studied abroad in Wittenberg, Germany last semester, and it wasn't anything remotely close to what I'd hoped.  I knew that it was better to go into the situation without expectations, so I tried to keep it to a minimum.  I just really hoped that I would have a fun time learning and interacting with another culture.  Instead I got an inept professor, stressful class/internship situations, and lots and lots and lots of drama with the other students who also went abroad.  It was really difficult.  I cried all the time because I was so stressed out, and literally stuck with no real escape option.

When I got home for the summer, I had a ridiculous minimum wage job with horrible managers and a passive-aggressive coworker who tried to put basically her entire job on me.  My mother and I were having a lot of problems, and she said (and I probably did the same) a couple of deeply hurtful things to me.  Liza and I lost a very dear friend to bacterial meningitis, and her death spiraled me into mixed feelings of anger, sadness, and depression.  I think of her nearly everyday, and I feel her absence on campus.
 
It struck me that it talked about me being my own best friend.  A lot of my friends graduated  last semester when I was in Germany, and a big core of my friends are now gone.  The rest are scattered to the wind, and mainly live off-campus, while I still live on-campus.  It makes seeing them much more difficult.  Between busy schedules and a lack of response/caring I don't see a lot of my friends on a regular basis.  I didn't want to come to school this year.  This was on the tail-end of my friend's death, so it made the absence of all my other friends more poignant.  Liza graduated, and I was so used to seeing her almost everyday when at school.  I'm really a social person, and I love to surround myself with my friends.  I don't have much of a family, so my friends help fill in that place in my heart.  I still have the unfailing support of Liza and Robyn, but I miss seeing them both in person.

Right now I feel that most of my friends are kinda flaking out on me.  I'm tired of always having to take the initiative in the relationship.  It is really starting to make me question the nature of some of my friendships.  I've really had to be more of my own friend this year, and it is starting to wear and dispirit me.

I don't know if some of this is just due to the fact that my graduating college is looming closer, but I have a feeling it really isn't.  Yeah, I'm anxious about that, but I've honestly been avoiding the inevitable.  It's more the present that is really bothering me and getting me down.  Looking back on this past year, I've felt that most of the time I haven't been able to cut a break, and that horoscope really brought that home for me.

Robyn Takes On...Life? Relationships?

Sooo there's a lot to catch up on but most importantly of all, I miss Delilah and Liza. Thankfully I will see their beautiful faces tomorrow via Skype but it has been entirely too long.
On other fronts, life is pretty good. The GRE has been taken...and I'd rather not dwell on it too long. I'm just relieved it is over with. But I have to admit, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. Not saying that I didn't stare blankly at most of the analogies (which I was expecting to do so it wasn't much of a surprise), but it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. I'm not sure if I'm going to take it again, but if I do at least next time will definitely be better because I will know what to expect.
And on the relationship/dating front, things are going well. Drake and I have gone out several times. We went ice skating earlier this week and last night I made him dinner. I might have had a slight panic attack earlier this week (which was a combination of my fear of dating, taking the GRE, and my classes all deciding to have a test/paper at the same time). So after I took a few deep breaths, had my Mom talk some sense into me, took a chill pill, and then I recovered a bit. It's all about the baby steps and I'm keeping that in mind as I venture into uncharted territory. Yes I may be scared shitless, but wasn't there that quote about nothing worth doing is ever easy.

Robyn Takes On First Date Jitters and the Evil GRE...

Okay, so maybe I have a fear of dating...just throwing that out there. I literally get so nervous that I want to vom, but luckily that didn't end up happening on this particular first date. I finally met up with the guy I had met on OkCupid, hereafter to be referred to as Drake (don't laugh at my imaginative nickname). Drake and I met at a pub-esque restaurant where we ate dinner-or I tried to eat but my stomach decided that it was too nervous to even think about eating. But we had a ton to talk about and by the end of the dinner I felt like we were old friends because we had shared so much and we never had a lull in conversation. I decided to take him with me to hang out with friends because I liked him so much and we ended up going to go see a concert together. At the end of the night he was a gentleman and walked me to my car. We're planning on seeing each other again next weekend so I'm looking forward to it and am excited. I'll keep everyone updated on that end of things.

On a different note, I am taking the GRE this coming Saturday. I think it might be easier just to go ahead and blow my brains out because I'm so not looking forward to sitting in front of a computer for four hours straight trying not to rip my hair out by the roots! I love how my GRE book-"Cracking the GRE"-even mentioned not trying new things or starting anything right before you take the test (um, like relationships? or exercising?). I fail. And I've been really wanting to go to the gym but I guess I have to wait until after I take the GRE-excuses, excuses, excuses. Some of the questions on this test are just utterly ridiculous though. I mean, how are these questions supposed to qualify that I'm ready for Graduate School? But I guess I have to jump on that bandwagon...yay! But I thought I'd use a little of my humor for this particular stepping stone in my life because I enjoy and appreciate sarcastic jabs at one of the stupidest tests I will ever take so I'm attaching a comic below.

Robyn Takes On Excitement...

Yes! I'm excited! So I've been continuing with my OkCupid account despite moments here and there when I've really thought about seriously giving up. Sometimes when OkCupid would send me emails I was just getting exhausted. It was pretty intense too when, after going a week or so without any communication from anyone, all of a sudden five or six guys started messaging me at the same time. I was flustered and spent an hour at one time trying to answer all of them. Some of them have gradually been weeded out, like the one who made up at least five words in one sentence when he messaged me and I started wondering if we were even speaking the same language.
But onto the good news, there is one guy that I enjoyed messaging and we seemed to have a lot in common. Finally we friended each other on Facebook earlier this week and he just asked me if I wanted to hang out with him in person this weekend! Sooo I'm crossing my fingers, knocking on wood, and trying to steal some fairy dust, so that this will go well. It's about time that I have some romance/love/whatever you want to call it, in my life! And he seems so sweet so I hope we have a lot to talk about when we go out and crossing my fingers that it's not overly awkward. But we shall see and I will keep you updated. I am excited though which, even if it turns out that we are nothing more than friends, it is still a positive thing.
It was kind of funny though. I shared this little amusing story with Delilah and Liza earlier today through skype, but something interesting and almost serendipitous happened earlier this week. One of my friends and I went to get Chinese food a few days ago. I opened the fortune cookie and the fortune inside made me think it was meant to be. I will start by calling your attention to one of my favorite quotes before I tell you what the fortune inside was.

So, now that you know what the quote was, I'll share the fortune with you. Inside it said: "One that would have the fruit must climb the tree". So I'm taking that as a sign...whether it's this guy or another one in my future.

I also want to share a video because I think it's hilarious. Since I was talking about online dating I will post up a link of a clip from the movie "He's Just Not That Into You". It's awesome and it's Drew Barrymore's character talking about getting rejected through 7 different types of technology. As me and this guy have only moved from one to a different one, then I think we're okay...for now :)!

He's Just Not That Into Clip

Liza takes on loneliness.

Sorry I can't be fun or motivational today.
I'm feeling a bit blah.
There is something about being alone here that is desperate and filled with loneliness. There is a definite difference between being alone and being lonely. When I was an undergrad in Virginia, spending the day all alone in my room might be something I did on purpose. It occasionally made me a little stir crazy, but it was usually relaxing and enjoyable. Not here.

I have more friends here than I did at my undergrad college and I definitely hang out with them more. Why can't I handle a day of sitting in my room, doing work. It's not even as if I am just sitting here with nothing to do. However, it makes me feel awful. I'm virtually on the brink of tears at the moment, which is ridiculous. Plus, it's times like this that make me desperate to go home. It's completely ridiculous. This shouldn't be any different than being in America, hundreds of miles from my family. I talk to my mom less than I did there, but I still talk to her AT LEAST once a week. I talk to people from home often. It just doesn't make any sense.

I haven't gotten nearly enough work done today because I keep focusing on the fact that I'm craving human contact (but I hate bringing all my things to the library....and working in the library in general). I think I'm going to have to make someone come over for tea or something so I don't pack my bags and go home.

Robyn Takes On a Complete Dumbnard...

Um, that's right, DUMBNARD! And yes, I created that word so use it wisely! It can cover all manner of horrifying behavior that idiots, especially guys, carry out. Maybe I should have prefaced this with a story but I thought perhaps dumbnard would give you an idea of where this particular story was heading. So, you know how I might have mentioned this guy friend who wouldn't take "no" for an answer? Yes, well, he is the reason for my current debacle and outrage. Last night I was so exhausted from a busy week at school and my part-time job that I decided to go to bed early (although early is relative because I tucked myself in around 11:30-ish). But that is rather early for a Friday evening for a college student. And, of course, for the first time ever I forget to turn off my ringer. Low and behold, my phone goes off RIGHT as I am falling asleep. I glance at the phone and smash the button to make it go to voicemail. Seeing that it was from said Guy, I decide to listen to the voicemail that followed shortly afterward. Confused by the message, I sent him a text because, since it was midnight, I was worried that maybe it was an emergency, thinking perhaps he might have gotten into an accident and was calling his friends that were in the area to come pick him up. What a load of crap!
The response I got was "would you come hang out with me if it was an emergency?"-Umm, well, sure buddy. I'll run right over there in my pajamas and clock you upside your face for waking me up in the middle of the night! My response to this was dignified and I tried to refrain from using curse words: "What's that supposed to mean? There is or there isn't an emergency and if there isn't I'm going back to sleep"!! In my mind I used a lot more expletives because personally I REALLY don't like getting woken up in the middle of the night, especially when I haven't had a good night's rest in awhile! I threw the phone back down on my bedside table and rolled over, trying to fall back to sleep (which took another hour to do so because now I was pissed off!). When I woke up this morning there were several more text messages from the guy, one telling me I shouldn't go to sleep but instead hang out with him, and the other telling me that he was sorry but he's drunk (as if being drunk excuses everything like his personality flaws and his tendency to be a jerk). Yes, well if being drunk excuses those things, perhaps I should start using that as an excuse for everything...oh wait, some people already do ("Oh sorry officer that I was swerving, I'm drunk" or "Oh man, sorry Professor, I was drunk and wasn't able to get that paper done on time"). At this point, I'm ready to get some scissors out and literally cut this guy from my life. I mean, all that really needs to happen is for me to get a sincere apology but I doubt that he even thinks he did anything wrong so if he's such a dumbnard then maybe it's best we just leave things where they are. I know it's a tad extreme, but things have been piling up for awhile and I feel like this is sort of the last straw. It'd be one thing if I was the type of girl that didn't mind random hook-ups and what not, but I'm NOT! And for a friend, a guy that knows me, to even assume something like that about me is offensive. So yes, maybe I'm a little extreme, but seriously-What's wrong with being a little old fashioned, especially about dating? No guy, in his right mind, would call a girl that he's interested in dating at midnight to come hang out. At that point there are other things implied by the hang out and he's no longer interested in dating the girl. So, can you understand why I'm a little more than just peeved right now?

Liza takes on her dead, gay husband (...well, one of them, anyway).

I am ashamed to say that until I went to the Google UK homepage, I had not realised that today was my beloved Oscar Wilde's birthday.

I guess I should start with a brief explanation of my title. I have a penchant for historical figures who are known/thought to have been gay. I have 2 great historical loves who fit this category-- Oscar Wilde and James VI and I. Their sexuality (or in James's case, rumoured sexuality) have no bearing on my love, it's just a coincidence.

Oscar and I have had an ongoing affair for about 12 years now--at least. This love affair has led to me permanently branding myself with his beautiful words. How can you not love someone whose mind comes up with phrases like "Only the shallow know themselves"? His plays are brilliant, his prose is moving, and how many people can honestly say they didn't enjoy "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?

Plus...if he's good enough to be Stephen Fry's idol, then you should all fall at his feet. ;)

Happy birthday, Oscar!

Delilah Takes on Her Love of Russell Brand

So, I have something to share.  I fucking love Russell Brand.  I discovered him a couple of years ago through the glory of podcasts, where I would listen to his show on BBC Radio 2.  He is absolutely hysterical!  When he presented at the MTV VMAs two years ago, I forced a couple of my friends to watch it with me when most Americans had no idea who the scruffy guyliner-wearing Brit was.  I mean, isn't he just adorable?



And when I say adorable, I actually mean that he is gorgeous, cute, massively funny, and I want him to get into my pants.  Just sayin'.

I also really like Katy Perry.  Her whole persona is basically the way I would put myself together if I didn't have to actually function in the real world and could just hang out in Hollywood.  I love both of them, but I have mixed feelings about them getting married.  I want happiness for them, and they seem like a great couple.  But it is with a bit of sadness that I learn that the plans for their wedding are finalized and it's going to actually happen.  This means (theoretically) that Russell will never have the opportunity to get in my pants. Sigh.

But how realistic and yet beautiful is that comment he made about how loving someone is both spectacular and the most ordinary thing?!!! Double Sigh.  

Liza takes on American "Top Gear"

The 3 of us each have a love of the British show "Top Gear". I'm not sure about Delilah and Robyn, but I've been watching the show for a few years (not religiously) via BBC America. We all watched the show together during our time studying abroad last summer.

Now, for the important part. America has decided that they need to take yet another fantastic British show and ruin it. This may sound a little harsh or unfair as the show has not yet aired. I assure you that time will tell how right I am. The New York Times published a blog "Judging an American "Top Gear" by Its Trailer" about this attitude. Watch the trailer and you will see the lacklustre and idiotic nature of the show. When reading the challenge, the host can't even muster enough enthusiasm to get me to pay attention to what he's saying. The British version's popularity lay mainly with the dynamism of its hosts--specifically, in my opinion, Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson's snide attitude and often inappropriate comments bring people back for more and increase the show's publicity. Richard Hammond and James May are equally as funny, just less controversial. As for American "Top Gear", if you cannot even interest me in a challenge--one of the major events of the show--why am I going to listen to you go on about specifications of a car? Who is Adam Ferrara anyway? The NYT blog seems to think we should all know who this "comedian" is. I surely do not.

Most importantly-- Where does The Stig fit into all of this?
I know the British show is on it's second Stig, but America surely cannot get their own.
Edit: Oh, well. I was clearly wrong about The Stig. America will have their own and people are already trying to figure out who it is. Rumor: Top Gear USA Stig is Rubens Barrichello

Delilah Takes on the Bullshit That is One of My Classes

I'm in this class right now called Senior Symposium.  It is a general education class that is required for graduation and varies a lot based on who teaches it and what the theme of the class is.  The theme of my class is "The Crisis of Belief in the Modern Age" and it is taught by a religion professor.  I'm an English major with a minor in European history.  Keep this in mind, it will matter later.  My professor has decided (unwisely) to teach us through literature.

Right now we are in the middle of reading Night by Elie Wiesel.  If you haven't heard of it, you have probably been living under a rock.

A Little Necessary Background Information: Last semester, I studied in Wittenberg, Germany with a professor who is a Holocaust scholar.  I took a Holocaust class and took an intensive learning class on the process of memorializing the Holocaust and the inherent difficulties with doing this all while living in Germany.  I'm not super amazing, but I know my stuff.  I visited the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and spent a total of about 19 hours in both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II- Birkenau.  It was an experience that I'm glad I underwent, even though it was difficult.  As callous as this will sound, I don't want to think about the Holocaust for a good amount of time.  I'm done with it, and if I continued to focus on it I'd probably let it overtake my sanity.  I would be a mess.

Fast Forward to the Present: I went into class, and we began discussing Night.  We only had to read halfway through it.  My professor addressed it in a way that I thought was idiotic.  Different majors are all in this class, so we all don't have the same background.  As we are discussing the novel, one girl revealed that she didn't know that there are Holocaust deniers.  Which I don't understand how you don't know that and are supposedly an educated person in college.  A friend of mine stated that the Allies didn't know about the camps.  I practically jumped down his throat because he was flat out wrong.

We eventually moved on to the denial that Wiesel talks about in his novel.  Many of the Jews thought that they would be fine, and didn't believe the things that they were hearing about the camps.  My professor then asked if we could think of instances now where people have this kind of self-denial.  And he then proceeded to say that perhaps the way people deny that global warming is happening is comparable.  People then started to chime in with things like "We choose to not think about the fact that we might die tomorrow and think that it  is far off in the future".  I'm not even joking.  This stuff isn't even comparable.  One instance is of a reality of life--people die everyday.  The other is that a government systematically rounded up people that didn't fit into the right ethnic profile like the Jews and the Roma and Sinti or homosexuals, and killed them through asphyxiation, starvation, beatings, and more.  It was so offensive.

I added to the discussion in that I corrected a few misconceptions and added some necessary background information, but after a while it was disheartening.  I was feeling slightly ill during the whole class, because reading Night made me remember walking by the bombed out gas chambers in Birkenau and wading through mud that when it dried left flecks of white human ashes on my shoes and jeans.  I didn't put up a big stink about the bullshit that was taking place, and now I feel horrible.  I should have put up a stink, because like the picture says, these people will continue to believe this bullshit and spread it around.

We have class tomorrow and will conclude our discussion of Night, and I won't let myself lapse into silence again.  I'll let you know how it goes.   

Delilah Takes on the Future and AMI

So, today I took that first big step and hauled my procrastinating ass over to Career Services at my school.  I know (I think) that I want to work somewhere overseas.  That's about as far as my concept of the future goes.  I'm basically screwed when I graduate in May.  I was hoping that the career counselor would hear me say "I want to work overseas" and then hand me a bunch of brochures about different programs, recommend a few more, and I would happily be on my way.  Simple.  Unfortunately, I'm going to actually have to really research this myself.  They weren't a heaping bunch of help, but I'm reserving judgment.  I think that it was because I didn't really have a whole lot for them to go off of.

If anyone has any ideas about any good programs, put it in the comments please!

But my search may be over.  Ever heard of the American Mustache Institute? It's basically the most amazing website and organization EVER.  Go look through their site.  It's freaking hilarious.  Robert Goulet? Love. Dave Navarro? Hate.  AMAZING.  I'm fully in support of mustaches.  After all, my hero (and practical god) is Freddie Mercury.  That man could really rock a stache.  I wish that I was closer to St. Louis, so that I could attend Stache Bash.  I don't know if they are doing it this year, because this was for last year.  Hmm. But it looked like a rockin party! I mean, c'mon, JOHN OATES was there!  Stop lying to yourself and admit that you love Hall and Oates. It may not be abroad, but Missouri might as well be, for all I know about it.

Seriously, go check out this site.  It will make your day.

Delilah Takes on Love Actually

So, I know it's been a really long time. I'm sorry *remorseful hoping face*.  I'll try to be better, I promise!

As Robyn has already told you, I spent a lovely weekend with her at her parents' house this weekend.  It was super great actually getting to see her for real, and not just on a computer screen.  We had an awesome time at the Avett Brothers concert and I learned that football isn't impossible to understand!

Saturday night, Robyn, her mom, and I got our chick flicks on and watched The Proposal and Love Actually.  I have somehow managed to never watch Love Actually even though about 8 bajillion people have told me I need to see it.  This is even more unbelievable because Liza absolutely adores Alan Rickman.  I seriously don't know how I'd never seen it before.

It's a fantastic movie. I will now become one of those eight bajillion people to tell you to go watch it if you haven't already.  There are a lot of interwoven stories, and they are all touching.  **Warning: Here Be Spoilers**  Probably one of my favorites would be the story line of Billy Mack, the aged rocker who tries to stage a comeback with a dubious Christmas remake of the song "Love is All Around".  He succeeds in having the #1 Christmas single (which is a big deal in the UK, where the story is set) and gets invited to Elton John's party.  He goes off to this party, but then goes to his fat and alone manager's flat.  His manager is shocked that he isn't at Elton's.  Billy then tells his manager that they've been together through everything, are good friends, and that the manager is the love of his life.  He doesn't want his best friend spending Christmas alone, Billy wants to spend it with him.  I wanted to cry.  I wish I had a video of the moment, but Youtube doesn't have it.

This part really made me think.  I feel truly blessed that I have such good friends like Liza and Robyn.  I believe that a person's friends reflect on that person, and I am not ashamed to look in the mirror.  We are really close, and are similar in all the ways that matter and different enough to make life fun.  They are the loves of my life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  

Robyn Takes On the "No" word, and other "fun" tales

So there's this guy (typical starting point) and he won't take no for an answer when it comes to dating. I met him last fall through a mutual friend and our group of friends have all gone out many times together over the past year. Come spring he asked me out to dinner, which I said sure, thinking it was a group thing like usual. But this time it was just me and him and he ends up footing the bill (which, by the way, I hate that little dialogue when one bill comes out and, if its with a guy and you haven't established your boundaries yet, there's  a fight over the bill and complete awkwardness). I had a good time but he was just a friend and I didn't really think anything more. Despite this, he becomes a super textaholic and starts texting me all the time. A day or so later, we are all at a dinner party at his apartment with several of our close friends and he gets more and more touchy-feely. I leave with a bad taste in my mouth, not to mention freaked by the tons of text messages I get from him that week, most after an hour which I would consider unacceptable for two people not in a serious relationship. On a side note, I feel like if you start text messaging a girl after a certain hour, they are more of "booty-texts" than anything else. Which is totally fine, if that is what you want from her and she doesn't have a problem with hook-ups either, but in this situation I'm not okay with any of it.
I was confused; how we could go from a casual dinner to dating and a relationship over night, especially without even discussing it with me? What I really loved is that the friend that introduced me to him said he had started telling people he was in a relationship with me-whaaat?! Isn't there supposed to be some sort of communication between yourself and the girl, in which you discuss whether or not you would like to be in a relationship, and maybe even a small casual dating period before you become super hitched? So it's safe to say I was literally freaked out and running half-way to the other side of the state by now. I texted back when I thought reasonable but usually left the texts where they lay and the next time we all hung out as a group I acted like normal but not overly friendly towards him. I feel as if he eventually got the hint but it took him more than a few weeks to figure it out.
But, every time our group starts hanging out more (we go through phases since everyone is so busy all the time), if I even act a little friendly towards him he starts up again. This has happened several times since the original "dating" incident, and it is hard to want to hang out with him because it happens all the time. I'm not saying he isn't a great guy! He's a good friend and I love when all of us hang out as a group. But there have been times when our personalities have clashed. He is also a serial dater and has a tendency to gravitate towards any girl that shows interest in him, even if she is not romantically interested in him. Even if our personalities clashing wasn't an issue to me (because I feel like even if we decided to date, this would be our breaking point eventually), I don't want to be just another girl to the guy I date. I want to be special and a girl doesn't feel special if the guy is not very selective in the girls he will date. I actually found an article on guys not taking "No" for an answer that I thought was very interesting. It had a lot of good points and it makes you think about not taking "No" for an answer in terms of the psychological and social reasons.
When He Won't Take No For An Answer

My other "fun" tale is from this past weekend. Delilah came to visit me (Yay!!) and we went to a concert and a football game-we were quite busy! She got to meet my crazy family as well. My other "fun" tale is about my family, but also dating. We had to meet up with some of my extended family at the football game. Obviously since Delilah was in town we weren't going to go to their tail-gate or anything, but just meet up with them, since I had company. Well my aunt keeps calling me and bugging me to come to the tail-gate. The first thing that comes to my mind is that she's got something up her sleeve. Well...when she finally finds us, she starts talking about this cute guy at their tale-gate that is single and loves dogs-Bingo! As if my aunt doesn't have her own family to worry about, now she's trying to set me up with random guys at football tail-gates-AWESOME! As I told Delilah, I should have just lied and told them I'm lesbian. It would have solved a lot of future familial issues-maybe they would be less likely to ask ANY questions about my life then because they just wouldn't want to know.

Robyn Takes On Hatshepsut...

Yes, it has been forever and yes, this is completely random BUT I have always had a total fascination with Egyptology. So tonight I was watching this special on the Queen of Egypt named Hatshepsut, who was actually a king or pharoah of Egypt taking power in 1479 BCE for over twenty years! The discovery channel special was on the "Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen", and they spent two hours using forensic evidence to correctly identify one of four mummies as the body of the missing queen. They were finally able to discover, through a CT scan of the canopic box, that a tooth within the box belonged to one of the mummies and proved it was the queen. The canopic box was unable to be opened because the resin used to seal it 3000 years ago had glued it completely shut and they were not able to open it without destroying it. It is so fascinating that they were able to use modern technology to discover the identity of a mummy that is over 3000 years old. It is also neat that they were still able to find DNA on the mummies even after all those years too. There is hope that future mysteries will be solved like this one through advancements!
So that is my rant and random tidbit of the day. I was so enthralled I had to share it!

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/quest/lost-queen/program/program.html

Liza takes on studying abroad.

The reason (or reasons) that studying abroad is an amazing experience from a slightly intoxicated young woman who has only been at her new UK university for about 3 days.

1) A different teaching style.
This doesn't apply to everyone, I guess. I only have experience with the American and UK versions of higher education, so I can't really be sure. Plus, I have yet to start my course at this particular university. However, going to another country for a term or more can possibly broaden your horizon in teaching styles alone. The US and UK are very similar in many ways, but our college/university systems are much different. The US has adopted a style of structured education that sharply contrasts the UK's personal learning model. In the UK, students are largely responsible for teaching themselves and then proving that they have mastered a topic. Whereas in America, students essentially have their hands held throughout the process (not that I am dissing the American educational system...it has served me pretty well for many years).

2) Experiencing another culture or cultures.
I am currently studying at a university with a large international population. Therefore, I have been granted the opportunity to experience not only British culture, but to absorb the cultures of many different cultures. I have met people from France, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, Amsterdam, etc. Each person I meet enhances my experience a little further (or is it farther...?). For instance, I was just invited to share in an French food night and some of us Americans will be reciprocating with a Thanksgiving dinner in November. Seems simple enough, but it really does bridge the gap between cultures.

3) Learning new languages.
Speaking of bridging gaps-- language is essential to a culture. Studying in a country where you don't know the language will force you to learn. Likewise, meeting other international students might inspire you to learn a new language. Meeting international students provides you with people to increase your language skills, whether you need to brush up or invest in a course.

There are tonnes more reasons to study abroad, but I'm far too...let's call it tired to think of anymore.

Robyn Takes On "Hook-Ups"

What is a hook-up? I was in a psychology course over the summer about Intimate Relationships and this was one of the hardest questions we had to answer during discussions (the hardest one of all was to define love). A lot of people in the late-teens and early 20’s could very well be referred to as the ‘hook-up generation’. People go out to parties or clubs, hook-up with random strangers, and then either move on to the next hook-up or start actually dating the person they hooked-up with. How strange is that-to actually DATE the person that you hooked-up with? But, of course, we must define hook-up first and who knows what that actually is. I guess it always depends on the context it is used in the discussion. At a previous college I attended, these discussions were always held at brunch the next morning after people partook in a long night of debauchery. Most times (or nearly all the time) I didn’t really want to hear about it but some people just don’t take no for an answer…or they ignore the disgruntled look on your face. To be honest, though, how horrifying is it that you could be talking about “hooking-up” with some guy last night and your girlfriends think you actually slept with him when you only smooched? Maybe this is only in terms of girls though; I’m sure most college-aged guys would love it if their friends misinterpreted a make-out session for actual sex. It’s a blanket term that gets used so many times it has lost it’s meaning yet, at the same time, has taken on so many meanings nobody knows what or who to believe anymore. And I go back to my former question about how odd it is that people sometimes end up dating the person they hooked-up with. How backwards is that? And those of us that don’t fit this mold have given up, in some respect, on the dating scene because it is practically nonexistent nowadays. Sometimes a girl just wants to go back to the early 1960’s, with Gidget and Moondoggie, and have some good, old-fashioned fun. No fuss, no frills, and perhaps a bit less apprehension due to fewer expectations from both parties.
But there are no time machines so we’re stuck with what we’ve got. Hence the fact that I’m single…and through with the so-called “dating” of the “hook-up generation”. It’s sheer ridiculousness and women, and yes, even men, deserve better. I know this is sexist but women hold power in the scheme of things during dating. The sooner women give up sex, their power within the relationship diminishes. No, this doesn’t apply to everyone, but honestly how many men will respect a woman who has sex with them after they just met? Or, how many men will respect a woman who they know has hook-up with many other men within a short period of time? It’s not about not ever having sex with your significant other, it’s all about timing…and about avoiding this notorious label of “hook-up”. I feel it can cause serious dampers on strengthening a long-term relationship, and also on the potential for growth (such as eventual marriage). But perhaps people in my generation are no longer concerned with such things and maybe I shouldn’t spend so much time worrying about it either. However, I can’t help but wonder what long term effects said behavior will have…

Robyn Takes On A Funeral

Okay so not the most cheery thing to think about on a Saturday but I will anyways. I just got back from a funeral a few hours ago so it is kind of the forefront of my mind. A few days ago I was on facebook (yes the notorious facebook), and I found out that the younger brother of a high school friend passed away. I didn’t know him but my friend and I had shared many years of laughter and good times together and, even if I hadn’t seen her in forever, I wanted to go to the funeral and show my support. To be honest, though, I was kind of dreading it. If there’s one thing that I’ve been to far too many times in my short life, it is funerals. And my heart especially hurt since he was so young and it took me back to high school when a friend of mine died in a car wreck. I was definitely not looking forward to it but when I got there I surprisingly enjoyed myself. Although I’m not overly religious the church that the service was at had a vivacious Christian spirit that cannot be recreated. There was the “Amen” corner and more than a few “Hallelujah’s” by the end of the service…two and a half hours later. But it made me appreciate life all that more. The spirit that all of the people at the service lent to it gave power to the message that even though this boy has left this world in such a sudden way he is in good hands. I appreciated the communion of souls at this sermon that is not often found elsewhere. You don’t have to be Christian or even religious to be grateful for such a service because the point of this story is that it gave peace and comfort to the family and to my friend. When it comes down to it, what else matters but that?

Liza takes on being Peter Pan

Ok, so I'm not Peter Pan, per se. I don't wear tights and hang out with children with weird names like Nibs. I don't think that to die would be an awfully big adventure. I do, however, think that growing up is overrated.

Don't get me wrong-- my childhood was not all sunshine and daisies.  My father left when I was 8 (on my sister's 5th birthday, mind you) and my mom had to work 3 jobs to take care of us. I started working at 14 to buy my own clothes and things. It was a hard time, but other people have harder childhoods. My hatred of growing up doesn't stem from my wanting to stay a child, but my unwillingness to let go of my relationship with my mother. Growing up means moving out and moving on. Moving on from what though? Why should I have to move on from spending hours playing cards with my mom on some random Wednesday night because we feel like it?

I here you all saying, "You can still be close even though you don't live together anymore!" That's somewhat true, but you never have the same relationship with your parents once you've moved away. For some people this is a positive thing, but for others is means the weakening of a relationship they have spent their whole lives cultivating. Also, it's always acceptable for a parent to keep the "oh, that's my baby" attitude, but children are meant to grow out of the "I just want my mom" "phase". Why this double standard?

All this probably makes me seem like an overly-sensitive mamas girl. Maybe I am. Maybe I'm just dreading moving to a foreign country without the woman who made me who I am today. Maybe I have a point. I suspect it's probably a combination of all 3 (or at least the first 2).

Delilah Takes on Liza! But Not the Beloved Triumvirate Liza...

While I massively love Liza Meadows, and could write a whole post singing her praises, alas no, this post is dedicated to...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

LIZA MINNELLI!!!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I, Delilah, will be seeing Liza (that's with a "Z" by the way) this Friday!!! I'm super massively excited. Like, unbelievably. Liza is a goddess to me. I love her for her talents, her amazing resiliency, and her self-deprecating humor. I don't care about her appearances in the tabloids, in fact, I love her more. Don't talk trash about Liza in front of me (and that goes for Meadows too). I will defend her honor. You will get a thorough tongue lashing and perhaps a slap in the face.

If you haven't seen Cabaret, you need to ASAP. She's great in it, and the story is fantastic.

Here's a fantastic example of Liza at her best. The ending is great.

Enjoy!
~Delilah Skye

Robyn Waters Takes On The Infamous "Friend-Zone"...

What I want to know is how the dating world has become so serious? Okay, okay there’s Hollywood to explain a lot of it. But do you really think that we will be in a relationship after one or two dates. Heck, you barely know one enough to become friends let alone jump into a relationship. I should probably have premised this with a story. After a nice dinner last week with a guy I met on OkCupid, he wanted to meet up again shortly afterwards. I wanted to keep it casual since personally I don’t think you know someone well enough, even after spending a long dinner outing with them, to jump into anything yet. I’m not sure he and I are exactly on the same page though because his suggestion was for me to come over to his apartment to watch a movie. Um, no. How about, in my book, that’s synonymous with hooking up (good luck even defining a “hook up” by the way) and let’s just say that’s not kosher with me.

So I had to take this second meeting into my own hands and steer it towards more neutral grounds. What I really wanted to do, that I figured might be simplest, would be to take our dogs on a walk. I always love doing outdoorsy things, especially with my dog. We finally decided on a time and place and met up at a local park. I had a good time, not overly much, but at the same time we still don’t know each other very well. I hugged him goodbye and left him, and also left any afterthoughts of the date/walk, at the park. But I guess something I said triggered a reaction because the next thing I know I’m hanging out at a friends place looking at a text message he wrote me asking if I was trying to “friend-zone” him. I'm confused...why do we need to rush into anything? So of course I had a semi-nervous breakdown and called the one person who knows everything-my Mom-to explain the situation. She just repeats the same thing-why do you need to rush into anything and why do you need to already label whatever is going on here. And she told me to not bother with texting, just man up and call him tomorrow to explain my feelings.

That’s what I ended up doing though. I called him to basically lay everything out and tell him that we don’t even know each other well enough to charge headlong into a relationship. I mean surely I’m not the only girl that is a bit of a commitment and intimacy phobe. Plus, what’s wrong with being friends with someone before you decide that you’re really interested. Honestly, I’ll bring up my original argument of Hollywood doing a number on a lot of people’s views of dating. Yes I’m sure there are a couple people here and there that happen to have a strong relationship within a short amount of time, but they are few and far between. Most people don’t fall in love over a couple days and if they think they’re in love it’s probably just the hormones and infatuation talking. To cultivate a strong relationship it takes a lot more time to build trust and commonalities. And heck, if you just want to get laid then don’t try dating the girl. So I continue to trudge forward, slightly less optimistic and even more wary than before. But also I continue with a new outlook. The more I try something I’m not very good at (like dating) the more confidence I gain with each new experience. Wish me luck!!

Liza takes on Skype.

Skype-- Greatest invention or destroyer of lives?

That seems like a pretty dramatic question, n'est-ce pas? Skype is actually a little of both. Let's examine the pros and cons of Skype, and video chatting in general.

Pro- You can chat with friends and family internationally for free.
Con- These friends and family will likely have to see you in your jammies without makeup on because of stupid, awful time differences.

Pro- Keeping up with people is much easier.
Con- People keeping up with you is much easier.

Pro- When moving away (or just spending time away) from loved ones, you can see the faces you miss so much, thus curing homesickness.
Con- Watching mom cook lunch and play with the cat may also increase homesickness.

Pro- When fate tears you away from someone you love (or tear 3 friends apart *wink wink*) you can still see their face (or faces and talk as a group) without having to run up phone bills.
Con- You may then become so addicted to talking to this person/these people that trying to get through a day without skyping them makes you seriously consider checking into Promises or some other equally as trendy addiction centre.

(Just fyi, this was much longer and wittier before I began an intense battle with UPS over my package and the driver's inability to properly knock on a door.)

Delilah Skye Takes on the Panic-Inducing Process of Putting Herself on the Internet

So as you've probably figured out (unless you're really thick), the Triumvirate has decided to enter into the arena of online dating. I was the last of the Triumvirate to cave and get a profile, because I was feeling hesitant about the whole thing. Everything I've ever learned about online sites comes from my mother's rocky (to put it mildly) journey on various dating sites. The outcomes are never super great, and always lead my mother to pronouncing that men are stupid/assuming/dickish in the middle of our cluttered kitchen. To which I would always sagely nod while eating a piece of cheese, because she was usually right.

When I finally got the profile a world of scariness opened up to me. Within an hour of signing up, I had two messages from a guy saying nothing more illuminating than "Dang you sexy". Aw, thanks. Except no thanks. That's almost as bad as being honked and leered at as you're walking somewhere.

When I finally managed to strike up a conversation with one guy, I had to try and stop hyperventilating with my hands. Which really doesn't work as well as a paper bag, let me tell you. The Triumvirate had to try and calm me down via Skype.

On the site, Okcupid, you can see who has visited your page. Which really sucks. Because it means that I can't be a stalker and not have to worry about the repercussions. Suddenly I'm constantly thinking that I'm being watched. It's like Chuck Woolery-style Big Brother. He's always watching, looking to make a Love Connection. And if you think I'm being paranoid, I'm not. I got a message from a guy saying we should talk. After visiting his profile and determining that I'm not interested in someone who spells "takeing", can't capitalize, and describes himself as "country and proud of it", I didn't respond back. To which I got a second message saying that he saw I checked out his profile and we should talk. Now whenever I look at anyone, I'm nervous about the fact that they can see me looking at them. Awkward.

It's so bad that Liza Meadows refuses to look at the profiles of any of the guys that I'll talk about with the Triumvirate, for fear of being seen back. I seriously can't deal. When I told a friend that I couldn't sleep until 4 am because I was kirking out about this stuff, she told me I was a mess. Which I usually am, but for her to say I'm more of a mess than my usual messiness is really bad. Ask Robyn and Liza, I can sleep through anything. Including drunk Australian ninjas.

One thing I'm really not getting about this whole deal is profile pictures. Most guys do a pretty decent job choosing one, but others fail completely. Guy with a cat in his arms? K. Dude who includes a picture of himself with his back turned to the camera? What are you thinking?! It wasn't even a good picture of his tight butt, it was just him in a suit. Myspace photo dudes? Prove to me that you have friends that will take a picture of you. And last, but not certainly not least, shirtless arrogant guys. Thank you for leaving some mystery. Douche. In a subcategory of this humongous group, I've seen 2 guys with head shots that show just enough to prove that they are shirtless. Why? Put on a shirt for godsakes. I don't take pictures of myself just randomly sitting around in a bra. So don't do the same.

Despite my constant panic attacks and hyper-messiness, I'm trudging forth with this. Wish me luck!
~Delilah