The Lazy blogger

Because I am feeling lazy and yet neglectful, I am filling out this form my friend Tabatha posted on facebook about getting to know people. I realized my blog is school heavy, so I thought this would be a nice little get to know Allie sheet.
1. What time did you get up this morning? 12ish
2. How do you like your steak? Medium; I hunger for the blood of innocent animals.
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1.
4. What is your favorite TV show? Futurama, Bleach, Kekkaishi, The Conan O'Brien Show.
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Somewhere full of trees.
6. What did you have for breakfast? I've ate breakfast all day today...technically, an avocado and Mexican cheese omelette.
7. What is your favorite cuisine? Mexican
8. What foods do you dislike? Pickles. They are pure evil.
9. Favorite Place to Eat? Eh, it changes, but right now it is the little Mexican restaurant that opened next to the bar in Kelseyville. Carnitas = <3
10. Favorite dressing? Ranch or poppyseed.
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? 07 civic ex. How I love it.
12. What are your favorite clothes? As I got dressed for a Mormon wedding today, I realized all of my shirts show off my boobs or are in some way inappropriate. This made it difficult to get dressed. Anyway, I like clothes that are a little off beat--either punky or hippie ish. And boob centric, apparently. No wonder I had so many guy friends in high school.
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? France, Greece, Spain, Tokyo--everywhere.
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Depends on how cynical I feel that day.
15. Where would you want to retire? Somewhere with lots of cats.
16. Favorite time of day? Sunset and when the stars come out.
17. Where were you born? Ukiah, California.
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Curling, because it is not a sport.
19. Who do you think will not tag you back? I'm not on facebook!
20. Person you expect to tag you back first? I'm still not on facebook.
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Not on facebook.
22. Bird watcher? I watch my cat kill birds. Because I hate them.
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night.
24. Pets? Cat and some fish (they live at separate houses).
25. Any new and exciting news that you'd like to share? I got straight A's. I have new fish friends. Good times, good times.
26. What did you want to be when you were little? A cat doctor (NOT a veterinarian), a princess, a volcanologist. Practical things.
27. What is your best childhood memory? Meeting my best friend in the lunch line and bottle feeding my kitten.
28. Are you a cat or dog person? Cat, if it wasn't obvious.
29. Are you married? No.
30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes, because my car screams at me if I don't.
31. Been in a car accident? I haven't.
32. Any pet peeves? When people don't press the clear button when they are done using the microwave. People who say ASAP as "A sap."
33. Favorite pizza topping? Pineapple.
34. Favorite Flower? Orchids.
35. Favorite ice cream? Cookies n cream
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Tacobell
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Once...I don't like to talk about it.
38. From whom did you get your last email? Gosh, who e-mails anymore with facebook?
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Chanel, Manolo Blahnik, Christian Louboutin.
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? I randomly ran into my friends at a gas station. I don't think this counts as spontaneous, but whatever.
41. Like your job? Being a student sucks mostly.
42. Broccoli? YES.
43. What was your favorite vacation? Mmm, the one I took with my mom to Monterey after she had her surgery.
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Mom.
45. What are you listening to right now? Final Fantasy 14 battle music.
46. What is your favorite color? Pink
47. How many tattoos do you have? 2
48. Coffee drinker? When I drive somewhere in the morning.
49. How many children do you have? 0. Thank. God.
50. What are your plans for today? Went to friend's wedding, watched a movie, now sleepy time.

GFAJ-1 and Capella

This is Mono Lake. It lies in the middle of a barren expanse of desert near the California-Nevada border. It has a salinity that shifts back and forth between two and three times higher than the average salinity of the ocean. The primary life that exists in this extreme environment is brine shrimp and alkali flies; migratory birds also frequent the lake, providing a vital resting stop on their trip down south.

This lake has become one of the most important bodies of water in the world because of something that is nanometers in size that breaks one of the key rules of life on Earth. Until now, as we understood it, life was thought to center around six key elements: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorous. A bacteria discovered in oxygen absent mud, named GFAJ-1, was found to use arsenic, which is chemically similar to phosphorus, in the backbone of it's DNA rather than phosphorous. Arsenic is poisonous to life because of its ability to mimic phosphorous leads to disruption of metabolic pathways.

I know--this is very sciencey. But this bacteria has just changed our definition of life. Take a moment to appreciate this by thinking about everything you know about math, such as two plus two equals four, and try to convince yourself that there will ever be a time when it doesn't.

I know, right? Kinda mind boggling. This little bacteria is breaking all the rules...those rules may never have existed in the first place. GFAJ-1 has taught us that life outside our planet may be different from us in ways we can't even conceive of yet. This microbe just opened the door to the very real possibility of life on another world.

In honor of GFAJ-1 and all the knowledge its discovery has bestowed upon us, I have written a brief story. I'll probably do more with it in the future, but right now I'm too busy panicking about finals to focus on too much.

Capella

The lights of the planet faded into the distance as the rocket climb higher and higher into the deep. The haze of the atmosphere began to dissolve and it too faded to blackness. Before Capella's eyes lay the boundless elegance of the universe. Stars twinkled like smiles thousands of light years away, as though they were welcoming back home.

She pressed her face closer to the viewing window of their craft, hoping that if she got close enough to the wonders of the outside she would understand them, be able to shape them with her hands. "We are passing your constellation, Capella," Einath called to her from the pilot's chair.

She cocked her head to see past him. In the distance she could see the golden glow Auriga the Charioteer. "I believe you are the northern most one?" he said, gesturing to the most brilliant in the system. "Yes," she said, smiling. "And you are the southern."

Many minutes passed as they both gazed at the stars they had been named for; how appropriate it seemed now as they rushed past them at speeds only light ever exceeded that they were picked for this voyage. Eventually, the glow of their stars was consumed by the darkness and new ones took their place in front of their eyes: Taurus, Orion, Monoceros, Hydra and finally came Libra, the scales--the place they had been sent to.

In the distance loomed a massive glowing red orb named Gliese 581. The red dwarf was only two thirds the mass of her home star and was significantly dimmer, but it was a marvel to her. Little flair jumped off its surface and twirled in the air like dancers before drifting back to the surface. "We are here," Einath said as the craft slung shot past the star and head toward a large, blue planet. "Gliese 581g."

"They are so similar, aren't they?" Capella pondered. "More so than we had even hoped. What do you think it is like down there?" She had to restrain herself from pressing her nose to the glass.

"The same as the pictures," Einath said dryly.

"Of course," she answered, perhaps a little sharper than she had intended. "But what do you think it's like? Do you think it will feel like home?"

"No."

"That's it? Just plain 'No'? I swear sometimes you can be so dull."

Einath considered this for a moment, "I wasn't aware I was expected to elaborate on my answer."

She sighed. "That is how conversation works. I talk then you talk and then I comment on what you said and so on."

She was met with silence.

"You are hopeless."

He sighed. "I do hate to interrupt your philosophical ponderings about the planet we're about to land on, but I would appreciate a few minutes of silence as I try to land this multi-billion dollar space craft without killing all of us."

This literally ends where I started falling asleep last night, I hope you enjoyed it and, like I said before, I'll probably work more on it in the coming weeks.

Holly Jolly Insanity

It's that lovely time of year again. Inside your house, your family is gathered around the TV for Rudolph and his bioluminescent nose. The radio insists on playing a hideously outdated or, even worse, a horrible "updated" christmas song about sleighs and bells and baby animals until you have to turn it off for fear of vomitting due to cuteness or before you develop diabetes. Stores have "the hottest gifts" for that "special someone" at "super low prices." Your credit card company has to hire extra goons for those post season collection calls--remember, every time you exceed your limit and then are forced to take out another credit card, that band dressed like pirates from TV writes a song about your credit score (I like to imagine they do anyway. The song I play in my head drowns out the sound of my finanaces' death rattle).

Thanksgiving passed just like any other one before it at my house--lots of small children running like mad things, crying (thankfully from an actual baby this time rather than a metaphoric one), too much eating, and my eventual energy crash as soon as all the sharks--I mean, the rest of my family--went home as soon as they had deavoured every last morsel of flesh that clung to the carcass in our kitchen that was at one point in time called "turkey." The only holiday I actually wanted to celebrate was Black Friday; not because I care about buying people presents, but because I wanted to buy ME a present. But, unfortunately, poor people are not allowed to shop (death rattle). Besides, who actually wants to get Lion Kinged at Wall-Mart just to get some toys which will likely give your children lead poisioning?

Hauntingly similar, no?

Consumerism is frightening during December and the end of Novemeber. Everyone loses their minds when they see those big "SALE" signs. Something about getting bargains brings out the base instincts of people. Suddenly, we are all starving and that sale is a big, juicy steak at a "reasonable" price.

I think it is best to remember in these crazy times that the best gifts you get during the holidays are free or home made.

Everyone already knows what to get you anyway (Well, your guy friends do anyway). I have heard it's appropriate for every single holiday.

Allie Gonzales and the Part 1 Finale

If you didn't know, I love Harry Potter.

I first read Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone when I was nine years old. My mom took me to the Lake County Library for the first time (at least the first time I remember having ever gone to that smelly place). I discovered they had a room full of books for kids--a whole room! I walked around in there for a long time (probably about half an hour) until I stumbled upon a brightly colored book with an odd pastel drawn cover. It had big golden shiny letters reading "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" emblazoned over the picture of a boy riding on a flying broomstick trying to catch a little yellow ball with wings. In the back ground there was a forest, a unicorn, a castle and a three headed dog. If you're still having a hard time picturing the cover here it is:

What child would have the ability to resist this kind of fantasy? I can't remember a time I didn't (and still don't) long for magic to be real. Needless to say, I took an instant liking to the book. It was the story of an orphaned child who lived in a closet under the stairs, suffering the cruel whims of his elephantine cousin Dudley. When he turned eleven, he got a letter (delivered by owl, of course) that informed him he was in fact a wizard and had been admitted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A dear friend of mine once admitted that when she turned eleven, she stayed up at night waiting for her letter from Hogwarts; when it didn't come, she wasn't sad because she thought that it all might still be real--she was just a muggle.

I read every Harry Potter book from the time they came out. Eventually, the books were released in such a way that the age Harry was in the book I was in real life. I know, it sounds silly, but it made me feel that much more connected to that world. It was impossible for me to not imagine my friends playing the role of Harry's and the people I didn't like as the psuedo-villains and real villains in the stories. My friends and I read the books together; we'd call each other up and discuss for long hours what was going to happen next. We'd share our outrage together when a character we loved got killed (Why, Sirius? WHY FRED!!?).

I grew up with Harry Potter and he grew up with me. I think I will always love the story and the characters. I actually look forward to my children reading them and being able to pass down my love of literature and Harry Potterness with them.

SO, yes, I was one of those weird people outside the theater at midnight Thursday, dressed all in Death Eater black and trying to stave off frostbite in my nose and toes, with my mom. When I looked up at the poster:

It reminded me of being in the library all those years ago and how much I've changed in all that time. I used to be a happy, carefree little kids. Now, I am a sleep deprived college student who spends the majority of my free time doing derivatives and writing papers--no more time for fantasy and magic. When I read The Deathly Hallows, I cried when it was over because it was like putting a period on the end of my childhood (also Hedwig died. That was a low blow). I graduated that year. I moved away that year. I fell in love (and got my heart broken). I "grew up."

When I watched The Deathly Hallows Part 1, it was like being a kid again. I didn't feel silly for shedding a tear for a dead owl I didn't know--it's Hedwig, after all. It was like stepping back in time to that magical state of childhood where all this could be real--I'm just a muggle.

You may call me nerdy and over sentimental. Well, I do not care. I will always love Harry Potter because, to me, it represents the most magical kingdom of them all--childhood.

Lazy

If you haven't noticed, I've been a bit of a slacker the last few weeks. Life just seems to get more chaotic as the end of the semester approaches. I used to have time to be creative and relax, but lately all I have time to do is calculus homework (and I'm barely keeping up with that). This is an account of a field trip I took in my Biology class in October.

I was required to meander into Montgomery Woods Tuesday to "observe nature" as part of my Bio class. An acorn nearly murdered me as I climbed up the gentle incline of the one hill in the park. It went a little something like this:

1. I get out of the car and am immediately sorry as the temperature is around negative 63 and I have (foolishly) only worn a hoodie and neglected to bring my Nike's (Coach sneakers are cool for hiking, right?)
2. Learned some terribly interesting things about redwoods (well, I would have, if I hadn't been focusing on sending blood to my toes to keep from developing frostbite.)
   
3. Coach sneakers are not cool for hiking. Especially not canvas sneakers that absorb all the free moisture from the forest the day after a rain storm (we got eight whole inches) and which is currently enshrouded in fog, which apparently is like a rain storm in the redwoods. Lovely.
   
4. Walking in moist air uphill makes me breath as loud as an angry walrus. Everyone asks me if I am okay. I would have answered them, but my tertiary bronchioles were busy trying not to explode.
   
5. I need to look at the ground when I walk because, get this, oak trees like to grow around redwoods. Oak trees drop slippery leaves. And acorns. Acorns are round; round things roll. Round things roll better when they are on a moist incline. I am clumsy at the best of times.
6. I am heaving along, my socks now completely saturated and making a delightful "squish" sound with every step I take, when I am distracted by one of my darling classmates talking. I take my eyes off the ground for a moment to respond so I don't look like I dislike eye contact. As I step forward, I feel my right foot slipping.
   
7. I am in some sort of half-split position, trying to sort out why this is happening. Several people are laughing at me. Awesome.
   
8. I fall over to escape going into a deeper split and realize I am on a hill, so I roll about ten feet down the it before being stopped by a large rock in the road. More people are laughing.
   
9. Properly humiliated, I pop to feet and squish my way back up the hill, my face aglow with the redness of retardedness.
   

What did I learn from this experience? Chiefly, Coach shoes are not meant for hiking. Secondly, Mother Nature is a crazy bitch who wants to kill me with acorns.

Saturday Disk Purging

I was going through some old files I had on a flash drive from forever ago (something I hate doing because most of my files are mediocre at best) and I happened upon this short story thingy I never finished. I'm posting all I wrote on here. Let me know what you think of it (I plan to keep writing it now that I found it).

Untitled

It was a sunny day; nothing more remarkable could be said of that Wednesday for is was average and dull in every other way. There was no particular zest to it—after all, it was a Wednesday. There was no wind to speak of or clouds to streak the sky; there was just the unbearable pounding of the sun upon the already parched earth.

It was on this day that Haven ventured out of her house for the first time in nearly two years. She hesitated at the threshold of the door to her single wide trailer. She placed one ashen white foot on the sandy ground. A shriek stuck in her throat with a profound “Uheau!” It had been so long since she felt the unsettling sensation of sand between her toes that she didn’t know if she could continue forward.

She drew in a deep breath; all of the muscles in her body tensed up as she planted her second foot firmly on the shale. It took all of her power to keep from jumping back inside, but she was determined to conquer her long standing fear. With an olympian sigh, she propelled her whole body forward; for the first time in nearly twenty-four months she was exposed to the sun.

Her body seemed alien to her in this light; indoors she saw herself as healthy, with rosy skin and vibrant blue eyes. Now she saw herself as others did—drained, almost cyanotic, with brittle skin; her eyes were watery and washed out, no longer even a shade of blue; they were instead a disconcerting and stark grey. All that remained the same was her hair; even in this harsh light it was the same unmistakable raven tone.

As she stood in the sun, she wondered how she had let things get so far out of her control.

She was twenty-five when she had moved into darkness (the day after the incident). She had forgotten how bright the sun could truly shine, how her body could glisten like it was faceted with a thousand precious gems. The only dark spots on her were the sickly purple scars on the palms of her hands.

It was the day of the winter solstice; the air was still and heavy with the scent of fresh rain on city pavement. Haven sat in her usual table at El Teatro, her favorite bistro. For her table she could see all the people passing on the sidewalk huddle together, hoping to escape the biting chill of the atmosphere. She cast a tentative glance at her wrist watch and realized that she was running late.

She gathered up her equipment--her purse, her laptop, and a tattered brown leather brief case--and dashed out to hail a taxi. Everything had come down to this one day, this final testing. Could the cure really be so close? She shook her head in disbelief as she slid into the damp and putrid smelling back seat of the cab.

"J and S Pharmaceuticals," she commanded.

As they pulled away from the curb, it began raining again. She watched, with a high degree of amusement, as people scurried and squealed as they became saturated with big drops of water. The ride seemed to take less time than usual today, which she found odd for time always seemed to snail buy on Wednesdays.

She ran into the large entrance hall of her company. She flashed her security pass to the receptionist and, practically sliding on the marble floor, hit the stairs. She couldn't stand the cramped feeling of the elevator. The stairs were much better decorated anyway; she delighted in the carved sickle moons on the steps. They seemed so odd to be found in a drug company.

She reached the fifth basement floor--the main laboratory--before anyone else had arrived. Carefully and methodically, she set up the experiment; first, she picked out three infected mice and put them inside a new cage. They scampered around blindly, bumping into each other and sometimes the cage itself. One had resigned itself to the lying in its food tray. She withdrew on of seven sterile large bore needles and began to hang the IV bag she had stashed in the cooler the night before. There was no indicative markings on the bag other than a single word--"White."

13:30 to Mars

So, I like the band 30 Seconds to Mars.

And, no it's not just because Jared Leto is gorgeous (it doesn't hurt though).

As I was trying to reinvigorate my ancient iPod (the first one ever made with color, btw, that weighs like 20 times as much as my iTouch), I found all my super old downloads from their original album ("30 Seconds to Mars"). It has a lot of good songs, but my favorite will always be "Buddha for Mary." If you haven't heard this song, I'm putting up a video of it below. Don't be weirded out by the first little bit; it changes a lot around 1:05.

I know, it's a little creepy, but I love the way it sounds. I can still remember the first time I listened to it in high school.

As I was scanning youtube for 30 Seconds to Mars musics videoes, I stumbled upon the video for "From Yesterday." I remember thinking, "Hm, this is...interesting," when I watched it a loooooong time ago. Then I noticed that they had "the full length" version of the video, which is a staggering 13 minutes and 30 seconds long (oh, how clever).

If you have the spare time and mental fortitude to watch this video, it's below. Following it will be everything that popped into my head at the corresponding time of the video. Compare notes with me (and try not to pee your pants).

So here's what I thought of this "short film."

1. :10--Wow, that is a seriously irritating flute sound
2. :23--OMG, that is a scarrrry dragon (or do I mean sound effect?)
3. :43--what the hell is wrong with that guy's voice? Srsly, calm down.
4. 1:03-1:10--I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE SAYINGGGG.
   
5. 1:12--For real, is the understandable portion of this video going to have Chinese subtitles?
   
6. 1:25--Oh, I see, they are in a mental institution for stylish bands.
   
7. 3:30--I didn't know time travel changed what clothes you were wearing.
   
8. 3:50--Oh, hey the actual song is starting.
   
9. 4:16--Oh man! Somebody forgot to tell Jared that his guyliner isn't waterproof.
10. 4:49--You're being way too cavalier about seeing death.
    
11. 5:16--Ugh, really, more Chinese? I hope bizarro voice isn't in it.
    
12. 5:45--He is.
    
13. 6:00--How does that little kid from like 600BC know 30 Seconds to Mars? Does Jared Leto really have that much money that little kids just wanna be his friend? Also, why are grown men friends with a little kid?
14. 6:38--Two subtitle types in one scene? Say whhhhhat.
15. 7:11--Oh, yeah. This is a music video. I almost forgot.
    
16. 7:34--I do love a good spin.
    
17. 7:39--Don't feel bad; sleeves are hard. You'll get it next time.
    
18. 7:46--This video suddenly is more interesting to me.
    
19. 7:50--Now it is not.
    
20. 8:26--I can't describe how hard I am lol'ing right now.
    
21. 9:08--Does money make you a ninja?
22. 9:19--Laughing so hard, my stomach hurts.
    
23. 9:24--Oh, stop, please! I can't breath.
    
24. 9:29--Is 30 Seconds to Mars killing people? Is that legal?
25. 9:35--God, this song really gets in the way, man.
    
26. 9:41--Oh, look. It's "Eyes Wide Shut."
27. 9:56--Now my stomach hurts for a different reason.
    
28. 10:09--The green goblin has been hard up for work after Spider Man.
    
29. 10:58--"You guys wanna go get milkshakes now we're done battling to the death?"
30. 11:14--WTF? That's where it ends?
31. 11:15--13:30--Credits. :(

End take on this "film"--This is a good song, but seriously--how much money did you spend on this video? China. Costumes. Make-up. Extras. Stunt people. Camera people. Sound people. I mean, okay, yeah, it is a kinda a cool concept and I guess they get points for creativity, and I can respect that. I also like most of the costumes and sets and all the visual symbolism. But it comes off a little jokey in some places, rather than like cool and mysterious. I still like 30 Seconds to Mars a lot (even if they're sound has changed a bit over time), but I think that this video tries way too hard. The shorter version is much better.