So, I had really wanted to come home and just chill today, maybe play some DDS, catch up on tv shows, that sort of thing. And then I thought about my schedule, and realized that ahaha, not happening. It's not actually as bad as it was pre-con (mostly because there's no sewing to be done), but it's still a bit crazy. For everyone else's amusement, my next two weeks:

Tuesday: Work, 8-11:30pm
Wednesday: Classes 10-3, Shadowrun 6-9ish
Thursday: Classes 10-12, Mood Management group 1-3, Work 8-11:30pm
Before Thursday: Cover letter for BC Ferries job app, apply at Choices, 5 page paper on role of women in Cymbeline, The Spanish Tragedy, and Paradise Lost
Friday-Sunday: Study, study, more studying, panic, study, run around like a chicken with it's head cut off, study. Do last Mastering Physics problem set
Monday: Chem final 8:30-11am
Tuesday: English final 3:30-6pm
Wednesday: Physics final 12-2:30
Thursday: Biology final 12-2:30
Friday: Acquire hard liquor and a friend to share it with (probably Yana). Drink and watch ridiculous yaoi anime.

I'm starting today with doing up an outline and intro paragraph for my paper, and printing out some reaction equilibria problem sets, because Chem is by far the final I'm most worried about - had a 60% on the second midterm, which because of my prof's system won't actually destroy my grade, but it's definitely a warning that I need to get my ass in gear.

Oh, and con report won't be written and up for a while, but I do have photos for your enjoyment! They're all up here (and yes, I'm aware of how totally ghetto my Isamu outfit is. It'll get fixed for next con).

So, I am about to leave for the Physics Lab from Hell, and then, it is off to catch the bus to go to Sakuracon. As such - to everyone going Anizona and ToA this weekend, have a fabulous time and take lots of photos, and I will be doing the same, and to everybody else - will see you Sunday night. Cosplay order by day is going to go something like Ada - Leon - Isamu, although Isamu may get worn other days too if the other two get too uncomfortable.

And many thanks to the people who offered resume advice last night - I unfortunately don't have time to reply to all the comments right this second.

Julie and I are both big Project Runway fans, so there has been a lot of Tim Gunn-quoting over the last few days. We're almost done with the costuming, though, which is good - I need to spend about ten minutes to touch up some of the hems on Rinoa, and Chiaki's belt is only about a third done, mostly because it's very time consuming. After that...packing, and some provisioning via the meal plan, and then running around like a maniac tomorrow to get to the bus by three.

And, because I'm horribly indecisive - which should be my comfy back-up costume, Hatori, or mafia!Leon? They're both about equally done and easy to pack - Hatori might be a little more recognizable, but it's minimal.

Another hell-week draws to a close, although I still have a Chem midterm to pass.

On the cosplay front, the main bits of Rinoa's duster are cut and sewn, although I still need trim to finish the edges, and we need to paint the wings on. Chiaki is nearing done - have a few seams on the bustline left to sew, and then the collar - bustline should be done tonight, I think. Going to have to hit up Dressew tomorrow after my work lunch (free all-you-can-eat Japanese? I can't say no) - the hours are terrible, which means most weekdays are right out.

On the lab front - not so good. My one big 'possibly' said she doesn't have anything at all this summer, and confirmed two of my big fears - funding is really thin at the moment, which means that nobody has any money to pay undergrads, and the microbi department at least prefers upperclassmen with more experience. Microbiolgy and Immunology here is a very lab-intensive program, which is in some senses totally awesome, but it also brings a few negatives - this, and the fact that program admission is limited by the number of seats in the lab classes. I got another possibly from someone else - he said to e-mail him again this past Monday to arrange a meeting time, I did, and he never e-mailed me back. Which means I have to write another one today sometime. If this doesn't work out...it may be time to call it quits for the moment, if only because I need to put time and energy into finding a job that will actually pay me.

Almost summer break. So close...

My grandfather passed away early this morning, in the nursing home. He's been there the last few years, and his dementia had gotten so bad that when I visted him at Christmas, I'm not sure he was even entirely aware there were other people there - there was a certain implicit understanding at the time that it might be the last time I'd see him.

We were never that close, particularly the last few years, so I'm not really deeply devastaed...more of a deep emotional weariness than anything else. I'm a little concerned about my dad and my grandmother, though.

The memorial service is two weeks from Friday - I'm not going because it's the weekend right inbetween the end of classes and the beginning of finals, and while I might be able to get some stuff moved, it still wouldn't be worth it, really. He donated his body to Harvard Medical School, so there's going to be an interment sometime later.

Comments are off because I don't really feel like talking about this (which means no *hugs* or anything, please. Love you all, I just want to move on from this).

So, the con is in just under two weeks. And we just realized that Julie has no costumes. She'd really like to do Rinoa, which is unfortunately dependent on finding decent fabric for her duster. If we can do that, though, that should be the work of an afternoon or two.

We've also got kind of a spontaneous last-minute Nocturne group going - Justin kind of spawned this one by deciding to cosplay the demifiend 'cause he liked that tattoos. I, of course, went 'Okay, this means I have to do something Nocturne' and ended up settling on everybody's favorite emo kid, Isamu. I've got most of the stuff I need for him, save for some bling and his hat (Liz/Amber - I vaguely recall one of you two owning a black newsboy-style hat - would it be possible for me to borrow it for the con? I'm going to look here, but this is my under-$20 costume >.>). I strongly suspect I may have to steer Justin in the right direction - luckily this mostly entails shorts, body paint, and a haircut. We've also decided, in keeping with this, that if possible, Julie should be Chiaki. This is the hardest of the bunch, although if we can find a large denim dress somewhere, me and my l33t sewing skillz can pull it into shape. The advantage of sewing for someone who isn't me: I can toss stuff on them inside out, pin away, and it actually works out.

Can we pull this off? Only time will tell XD;

Mostly Nocturne-related, because I keep thinking it's probably possible to do an entire SMT:N FST using only VNV Nation music, and it's been on my mind lately (in my sleep-deprived state this morning, I kept reading 'Sin' as 'Shin' on the overheads in English) - but music is music, and there aren't really any spoilers in the descriptions.

( They are a bit long, though )

1) This is mostly for the Americans, although anyone can jump in if they feel free (although I know the Canadians' answer) - what would you call this style of hat?

2a) How many people here go to universities/colleges who decide registration times based on your previous averages?

2b) Have any of you had to defer required courses because they were full before your registration time came up/know someone who had to defer?

(The first came up in a discussion among the Wargamers, and the second, in a conversation I'm having right now with Yana, which sprung out of my worry about not getting the summer classes I wanted, 'cause I can't register until Monday)

Wow... took me so long to read this thread... let's make this thread the longest ever
then!
So... i'm a first year rookie trying to survive in this hell built by people who are thirst
for knowledge. And... of course my initial goal here was also medical school. But after
seeing the massive number of people trying to get into that "holy place", i was greatly
discouraged. But i'm still thinkin' about med school tho. I mean i think seeing a patient
recovering under your care is a really rewarding thing. But i'm not THAT passionate
about medicine, which is why i should also be thinkin' about other programs like
pharmacology or physiology maybe?
Now i'm really confused about what i should do with my life... kinda sad eh? I don't
have much volunteer experience, but an average around 90 in MOST courses (just
found out i'll probably end up with below 80 in Bio 121). What program do you experienced
UBC veterans suggest for me? I mean... what are ya'll doing, and do you like what you
are doing? What's it like to do graduate studies, and does it bring income?

Have I mentioned how much I dislike pre-med grade-whores? This same guy was whining about getting a mark in the high seventies in Bio 121 (the same class I pulled a 60% in first term, with a class average of 70%). Seriously, dude, you're the reason Chem 233 has 55% class averages. Go into pharmacology so you can make the big bucks, 'cause if I get into Microbi and find you, I'll hit you myself.

And I am totally making a t-shirt that says 'Yes, I'm in Bio. No, I am _not_ pre-med'

I have to give the drunks outside some credit - their loud singing is 1) less hideously off-key than karaoke night at the Gallery and 2) holiday-appropriate. Earlier someone was singing Floggin Molly's 'Seven Deadly Sins', and now it's gone to 'Bonnie, Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond'.

I did not get drunk today. I didn't even wear green. And yeah, I'm Irish. I am seized by a deep desire to listen to Celtic ballads now, though.