This isn't spam. You can get free flipflops if you go to http://www.seventeen.com/sweepstakes/7035.

The code word is flipflops. I'm telling you because I haven't been able to wear flippy floppies since I got CIDP and my toes stopped working.

BANGARANG!

This is Jesse. I've kidnapped Susan. You will never see her again.


P.S. I've missed you, LiveJournal.

Sometimes you just break down.

( :'( )

Baracky, I couldn't love you more.

Do not bow your head. Do not close your eyes.


Let us look deeply within one another.


TODAY, I give thanks for the light that exists within each one of you.


TODAY, I acknowledge that your quest for light beyond shadow, your desire to defeat your own cynicism, your work at believing the impossible possible, your faith in change and the ability of humankind to transcend past transgressions and overcome the shortsightedness of ignorance and fear, and our collective effort at stretching the boundaries of reality, has enabled us to achieve the dream that is TODAY.


TODAY, I acknowledge that even my own success is a simple spoke in the wheel of our collective success, and that our collective success is in response to all of the individual effort that we have put forward in our individual lives, in private moments, in private struggles against our lesser selves.


Some of us worked on being more honest.

Some of us worked on being more kind.

Some of us worked on not hiding our emotions.

Some of us worked on becoming less angry.

Some of us worked on becoming better listeners.

Some of us worked on facing our fears.

Some of us worked on remembering to say thank you.

Some of us worked on trusting our loved ones.

Some of us worked on having more faith.

Some of us worked on detoxifying our environment.

Some of us worked on detoxifying our minds.

Some of us worked on monitoring our diets.

Some of us worked on strengthening our discipline.

Some of us worked on broadening our skills.

Some of us worked on learning new languages.

Some of us worked on becoming better parents.

Some of us worked on becoming better friends.

Some of us worked on remembering our dreams.

Some of us worked on forgiving the past.

Some of us worked on strengthening our bodies.

Some of us worked on sharing and giving back.

Some of us worked on taking on greater responsibility.

Some of us worked on our art.


As a result of all of the work that has been done quietly in our individual lives, we have collectively contributed to the blossoming understanding and simplest expression of what God is. God is our good, and even the good we do for our self counts. Each fully blossomed flower on the hillside of our destiny adds to the broadened spectrum of our being. And together, we create more than beauty, more than fate; we evolve the depth and scope of the All-Seeing.


We may never see it reported through the media, but there is more good happening in this world than evil. There are more children smiling in this moment than any single one of us could fathom… and someone just fell in love, and someone just helped a stranger, and someone just scored a goal, and someone got their hearing back, and someone’s joking with their co-worker, and someone’s sitting in the kitchen, while the rest of the household sleeps, writing a poem.


Today, I give thanks for all of the good that has gone unrewarded, for every kind word, action, or deed. Today, I gave thanks for the God that is within each and every one of you, that is us, when we claim who we are.

I did it and you should too.

Even if it's just to make a present for me. I made a scrapbook of England.

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/7

FREEEEE!

It's not spam. You pay for S&H but otherwise it's completely free.

I SCREAMED.
I CRIED.
I SANG.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE FUTURE.

Officer Flossie is disbanding.

Of all the many (too many, really) Florida bands I have experienced, Officer Flossie was the best. Better even than Send Out Scuds. I'm so sad. They gave me and haircut and drew a caricature of Mel and I.

Sigh.

So, does anyone want to go to their final show with me?
( poster! )
In other news, kicked Amber's ass AGAIN at Wii tonight. I miss Jesse a lot.

I'm starting to book time with people to hang out before I leave. Make sure to book early or else I won't see you and then I won't photograph you and then I'll forget you. So far I have coffee with Karli, Polish Deli Day with my mom, Cape Canaveral with Amber, and photography day with Lyndsey. And I also have a bunch of days booked for myself to freak out and about going and buy stuff like converters and film. I'm not sure there's going to be a going away party.

Also, found my Polaroid iZone camera with FILM IN IT. This is awesome.

Now, I need to sleep (= going to read Good Omens) because I am going shopping with Ambikins tomorrow... er, today.

HAPPY 08-08-08!

Mmmm, I feel gooooooooooooood.

Things have been pretty good since getting out of the hospital yesterday. I HAVE BEEN ON A ROLL. Seriously. Amber came over for the most fepic Wii tourney EVER (it was fepic because I won EVERY single game of everything we played). No, really. Mario Kart? Check. Wii play? Check times fourteen. Wii sports? Check, check, check. Super Smash Brothers Brawl? Checkity check check.

There was one point where Amber thought she might beat me at table tennis and she got cocky and said, "This is where heroes are made." and then I won. BUT THEN WE LAUGHED AT IT BECAUSE I WAS LIKE, "HEROS? OR GYROS? SANDWICHES?" AND SHE WAS LIKE, "YEAH, THE PITAS. WITH THE LAMB IN IT. WITH THE LAMINATE!" It was all very funny and if I own a sandwich shop, our tagline will be, "Where gyros are made."

She went home and I was like, "It's almost 10 o'clock in California! Time to try to buy one of the remaining 175 SGA packs." So, I went into crazy refresh mode and got one! Yay for donating $50 to the CBLDF and also getting a perfume that NEIL HIMSELF described smelling as, "green apples and like sex and vampires, all at the same time. (Actually, it smells like sexy vampire apples.)" So, yay! Lots of yay! It was sold out by the time I woke up today, so that's good.

Right now I am baking! And experimenting! I'm basically a mad scientist in the kitchen. I'm making some beer bread and I don't know how it's going to turn out. After that I'm going to make my dad some brownies because everyone keeps asking for them and setting stuff out in the hopes that I'll make them. So, I will.

Tomorrow Mel and I are probably going to the Breaking Dawn release party not because either of us are overly or overtly excited about the release of the book but rather because of the possibility of free stuff. And we've read all the other books so we might as well read the conclusion, right? I am kind of over Stephenie Meyer. The Host was okay but it didn't even get interesting until 33 chapters in and the Twilight series has just been going on and on and on and on and Bella is still super annoying and ugh. So, yeah. FREE STUFF!

I kind of want to go to Rocky Horror this weekend. Would anyone be up for that? Maybe? I'll drive.

Other than that, things have been boring. I'm all moved out of Gainesville and getting ready for the leap across the ocean (still). I need to book my hotel in London and decide what I am taking and in what I am taking it. I have a place to live finally. I'm staying in Runnymede and I'll have my own room and bathroom but I'm sharing a kitchen with 6-8 flatmates. EXCITING! I'll probably be the only American since most exchange students have to stay either off campus or in the Founder's Hall (Jillian is staying off campus). So, it's exciting. I'm still waiting for a schedule of classes or something. At least a list of books I need to buy, you know?

Right.

So, now more baking and dancing.

So, I watched Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog tonight.

I just think it has to be said that Joss Whedon really shouldn't be allowed to do anything other than musicals. Once More With Feeling will always be the episode of Buffy that I love more than all the others and Dr. Horrible is pretty damned awesome, too.

Unfortunately, if you didn't get a chance to see it, you won't... Unless you buy it because it stopped being free at midnight. Sorry!

In the mean time, you can listen to this snippet from All Things Considered that made me cry and wish for a time machine. Again.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92528052

Btw, anyone else hate the new last.fm?

Signs: Mel Gibson's best movie ever, y/y?



Did you know that some of the best crop circle hoaxes have occurred in the UK? Another great thing about moving there.

Satan the Pony
( +6 )
x-posted on both of my journals; sorry if you see this twice.

So, I was all about the falling asleep thing but then I couldn't.

When the clock hit 6a.m., I was like, "Fuck it. I'll just stay awake and get shit done."

And I am. For example, I am drinking coffee and reading One Flew Over. And making coffee for my mom. And watching the news. I don't feel tired at all.

I really hope I don't crash later, though :(

I usually cry at least once each day not because I am sad, but because the world is so beautiful and life is so short.

And sometimes because I'm sad.

But today I was hit by a falling star. I'm not even kidding.

Bright spot in life:

I'm sitting in the back of the library where it's quite quiet and there comes this sound. A repeated sentence, over and over and over. "This is why I'm hot (hot), this is why I'm hot (hot), this is why I'm hot (hot)..."

It gradually gets louder. I look up and see the students around me are also looking up. In unison, we look at the boy next to me. He is wearing headphones and is completely oblivious to the racket his cellular phone is making. We stare.

Eventually he looks up at the girl next to him, who is making many hand gestures which somewhat resemble a phone call, mutes his headphones and says, "My bad."

We all laugh and return to our work.

The world is just awesome.

Also, got walked home again by crush-kid. small bit of eeee!

Congratulations, Susan Phelan.

The University of Florida International Center has accepted your application to Royal Holloway University of London for the Fall, 2008, term. Please click continue to complete the post-decision procedures outlined on the page that follows this one. This may include the signing of some required documents and a statement of committal.

You are always able to return to your post-decision area to review expectations, important dates, requirements and this letter. Just log in and select this application.

If you have not already done so, please apply for a passport immediately. Then, check on visa and other entry requirements for the country, you will be studying in and begin that application process as soon as possible; keep in mind that many consulates will require you to apply in person for a visa. For the most recent information on how to obtain a visa, please contact the relevant consulate. Please note that it will be the student's final responsibility to obtain a visa.

Remember that program fees are typically due no later than 30 days prior to departure (for students not using financial aid): it is your responsibility to check with your host institution as well as UF Financial Services to ensure that all outstanding tuition and fees have been paid. It is recommended that you take care of these things before you go abroad so that you will not have problems with loan disbursements. etc., once you are out of the country. Again, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

We are looking forward to your participation in this program and hope that you look forward to an exciting as well as rewarding cultural and intellectual adventure. We know that your semester spent studying abroad will be one of the most enriching experiences of your college career. If there is anything that we can do to help make this a smoother process, please stop by our office or call to make an appointment with a program advisor. Again, congratulations on your acceptance and good luck with your preparations for the exciting journey ahead.



Best Wishes,

The University of Florida International Center

AHHAHHHHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

So, I think I got in?

The SAS website says my application is still pending but Hernando Zambrano emailed me twice about mandatory pre-departure seminars I must attend.

The emails were addressed to Future University of Florida Study Abroad Student.

I'm going to go ahead and say I got in.

I'M MOVING TO ENGLAND!

It's overwhelming.

In other news, I start field work tomorrow so right now I am learning as much as I can about Thai. I think maybe I'll go get some Thai food because it is so delicious.

Oh, linguistics.

-nicer. It's nice. I think. Nikki likes it. And Kaaren. So, I've been nicer to girls. I can't be nice to boys or they might try to kiss me which, as we all know, never ends well.

and

-more creative. It's... okay. For example:





And the puppies have reached Official Cute stage. Which is to say they aren't biting yet but are still little polar bears of love.



I find out if I got into RHUL on Tuesday. I am a wreck of nervousness and my dreams are getting weirder. I dreamt I was in a super market as the world was ending. There were other things which I'm not going to mention here.

I will mention that it is Chip's 22nd birthday and Luke bleached his eyebrows. I have one awesome brother and one little brother who is starting to remind me of all of the guys with whom I went to high school and I hate it.

Oh, and I have to wear my magic sandal for another month because my foot is still fractured. I really like looking at x-rays. My bones are awesome.

I am no longer the tooth nazi.
I met someone last night with less than perfect teeth and I think I could love him.

Eeee!

It's Pi Day.

It's also my three year anniversary of being a vegetarian.

Today is also the day my mom's friend's daughter died.

What else?

Today I went to the podiatrist and had 3 x-rays. He thinks it's a fracture and he gave me a special shoe to wear for two weeks and then told me to come back for more x-rays in 2 weeks.

Then I threw up on the pavement at my mom's work. It was probably because of a combination of dehydration from smoking salvia, dancing all night at The Castle, only drinking two shirley temples, and IVIG. Anyway, my blood pressure was textbook perfect and I felt a lot better afterward. I went home and slept for 6 hours.

I woke up, ate Cap'n Crunch, did the dishes and then crashed for another 4 hours. Now I am up again and ready to go back to bed but I need to clean my room, plan my costume for the ren fest tomorrow, solidify plans with my best friend, and write my statement of purpose for the my study abroad stuff.

Note to self: stop watching terrifying movies late at night, alone.

Ahhh!

It's raining.

Huge, slapping, snapping, blobs of water.

Plus, I had a car pass me rather quickly and I was soaked by the wake of it.

But! But! But!

I am almost done with my study abroad stuffs. My schedule has been finalized. I switched to just the Fall term.

So, classes:

Ecology: Animal Behaviour to Environmental Conservation
Modern Interwar European Cinema
German IA
Introduction to International Relations(hips) lololololol

I am really excited. Plus when I get back, I'll graduate!

Woop woop! 19 with a bachelors! Woo!

Okay, I am starting to get pruney. Walking home now.

Chris Coit is stalking me again.

Not really. He just came up to me in the library.
It was sufficiently weird mostly because I was like (in my head), "Don't cuss. Don't cuss. Don't cuss."

Which is weird because I am not a big cusser anyway.
AND I don't really give a shit what Chris Coit thinks.

That is all.

Love,
Susan McJaneJane

So, I'm in Atlanta now.
I just woke up.

( photos and whatnot. )

We have a hotel room.
We have plans which involve museums and nautical-themed bars.
We have a car to get there.
We have friends in the city.
We have enough cash and more than enough credit cards.
We have cameras and computers.
We have a map.
We are leaving Friday morning.
But Thursday night we are watching Gone with the Wind.

In other news, I am waking up in 5 hours and in love with Evan Rachel Wood.

In a week I will be in Atlanta.

Yesssssss.

Tuck your head below my breast
I will not love you any less
Give your bravest face a rest
And grate your grief out on my dress
Lower you down next to me lover
I'll wrap you in my cotton skirt
Kiss close one eye then the other
Remove your pants, your shoes, your shirt
Cold curls you into a ball
I'll wrap the covers 'round you
Watch your breathing rise and fall
Till you wake just as I found you...


Sorry I missed you. Come back soon.

Sick sick sick.

And it's my fault.
I should go home but I'll just go to the language lab and do Smalleys because my life sucks and I want to drop out.

Blah blah blah, more teenage ramblings.

Today was good.
I slept a lot.

Then Jesse came and picked me up and we shopped for stuff and shoes and love.
We ate delicious food and gossiped like two gossips.

Then we were intellectual would-be shoplifters and snowflake spotters who love that green grip stuff.



Anyway, I meant what I said about never coming back so if you want to see me, tomorrow is your last chance. I want to leave early, too.

Today was good. Very good. I got to see almost everyone who means a lot to me.

There's just something about accordion solos in parking lots, dancing, Cloverfield, music searching, freezing, New Port Richey, pointing out people from the internet, free drinks, mixed drinks, over enthusiastic waiters ("Feast your lips on this!"), free underwear, song writing at dinner, silly wigs, sillier hats, dirty hair, gossiping, too-long bangs, waving at people I only met once in a parking lot in the middle of the night, The Brazilian Bazillion/Moby Moby Dick Tones, seeing waaay too many of the fuzz, speeding, driving slow, side walk sweepers, awkwardness with Joel P, "Are you leaving?" "Yes." "Oh, I just wanted to say goodbye and drive safe.", laughs and dances and cigarettes with Joel S, recipe-searching, advice from elders, cake-making, and general tomfoolery that makes things seem a lot less ridiculous and a lot more bearable.

So, if you took part in any of that, thanks and I love you more than you know.

I am never coming back to Hudson.

I will start getting IVIG at Shands again.

In August I will move to England and I'll never come back.

All is well.

But tonight I'll go to the cinema with friends and bake a cake.

It's feeling like summer already to me.

I don't mean the weather, either.

So, I started looking toward my summer plans which brought me to Clarion's website. I was reading up on the workshop when I found out that only 18 people get accepted. 18. Eighteen. One fucking eight. ONLY EIGHTEEN! So, then I was like, "Fuck, I shall never make it. I mean, people who have had their stuff published apply for this." It was surprising and saddening. Everyone other workshop I've been to have has at least 300 people (travel agent stuff, Double Reed camp, etc). I'm sure it's very nice. I mean, 18 students and 6 professors? It's basically guaranteed I'd have an audience with Neil. So, I decided not to apply since I suck.

Then my mom called and I was explaining to her and she said I should apply anyway because there's still a chance I might make it and then I'd be soooo happy. I didn't think I'd make it into UF and I did (which is good as I didn't apply anywhere else). If I don't make it in, she has given me permission to live in a tipi which is my plan B. She also said I should visit Rusty Stevens in BC, Canada (Rusty was the husband of my mom's friend Bunny, the one who made her the quilt I stole. You know, the pink one on my bed? She's also the lady who had a room dedicated solely to Bob Dylan and what's more is that Rusty used to make wooden spoons for a living.) When my mom lived in a tipi, it was Rusty's. She also was like, "You know there are wild bears there and stuff, right?" but I own the Worst Case Scenario handbooks. I'm not worried.

My last possible plan for the summer is another roadtrip. Amber wants to go to New Orleans which would be an experience (then I'd have been to both the French Quarter and The Latin Quarter) but I'm not really interested in Nawlins. Chip went for a psychology thing a while back and he hated it which means I'd probably like it but still. I'd prefer to go west.

I'd really like to have a kick-ass summer in North America before I go to England.

Look little-you in the eye each time you encounter a child.

( What I've been up to... )

I've started the application process for going to England.

I'm all nervous and excited and ready.

1. Be a better vegetarian by eating more vegetation.

2. Live fully and completely by The Green-Green Manifesto



3. Work harder in school and make it to England any way possible.

4. Try to decrease worldsuck everyday by not forgetting to be awesome.

5. Get a job I like.

Neil Gaiman quote,

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."

Like this:

My eyes have been ultra dry for, like, a week.

I think it's because it's almost Christmas so all of the holiday commercials are full of cry-worthy things and I'll cry over any commercial. Especially credit-card or cellular phone commercials. Sometimes jewelry commercials.

Anyway, I'm out of the hospital. I'm thinking of getting port just because all of my veins are basically gone. I had five sticks this time. Two in my left side (one forearm, one hand) and three on my right (twice in my hand and one in my elbow). My mom doesn't want me to get one because she says that the complications aren't worth it but, really, she's not the one who looks like a junkie and she doesn't have to deal with the needles.

So, I think it's kind of unfair. I can't decide. It would sure suck to have the surgery and then have something go wrong like a bacterial infection or punctured vein but GOD DOES IT SUCK TO BE STUCK MORE THAN ONCE.

So, my veins hurt, my eyes hurt, and I am anticipating side effects because we went at a faster rate to save time today.

Also, I am watching Notting Hill which is not helping with the sappy crying thing. And my laptop is being sent out because it, too, is having internal problems but the firedog bloke is named Keith and I really fancy him in the computer techie way.

So much stuff.

Firstly, Mel and I went to Gainesville for Monday-Today.

Monday was the official nerdfighter takeover of youtube.

I was in Neil Gaiman's blog (best moment of my life EVER).

At one point I had 14 honors and at last check I am down to 7 and only like 150 views lower than my nudefighters video. It's weird. They are right next to each other in my most viewed but nudefighters is two months old and the project is two days old...

I'd say the project was a personal sucess just becausse Neil Gaiman said three words to me (not the three I wanted perhaps but you take what you can get).

My email inbox has been crazy full of "New Comment on your video..." and I have over three hundred comments I need to reply to.

I'll be in the hospital tomorrow and Friday so I'll have plenty of time to do it.

I'm very tired and I need to start drinking so my veins get really big for tomorrow.

Btw, I finished my first semester of college with a 3.0 which means I can keep my bright futures. And I didn't flunk my 5 credit Arabic class.

I love Jesse Savage a whole bunch.

Thank you, grl.

or have really great ideas.

Like perfume inspired by characters in a book.

Or time machines.

Or giving birth to Neil Diamond/Paul Simon/Neil Gaiman/Sean Connery/MHM.

Plus it's always nice when people whom you don't really know at all approach you and tell you that you are funny in a funny way and definitely funnier than other people.

And I like to read happy journal entries.

Other things: I am getting a perm in like, an hour. I want this and this.

I'm camera shopping.
I was reminded twice this weekend how cute Peter is
but I may've forgot again.

My little brother hates me.

I got to go shopping with 2 gay guys and see Jesse Savageomg and she was cute and she liked her Christmakkah present.

Back to shopping.

Oh! And I got to play with a kitten for a few hours. Maybe like 2.

:D

ETA: I also went to see The Mist with Mel. It was scary. We also made latkes and laughed and pretended to be from New York A LOT. I love Mel.

I woke up at 4:20 and drove to Hudson.
I had a large coffee and now I shan't sleep for days.

The roads were covered in terrifying fog and listening to the story of an Iraqi man on NPR who lost his arms made me cry as I was driving.

I know I said Halloween is my favorite holiday (and it is; I like to dress up more than anything) but I love Hanukkah SO much. I came home and when I went into my room I found four presents on my bed from my dad and Launa. NPR has also been having great programs each night like music and Jewish comedy.

Plus, I have The Bouncing Dreidle (for Hanukkah dogs ages 3 and up.) which offers hours of giggling and singing the dreidle song alone in my apartment...

Anyway, my mom made Challah all by herself! I'm so proud. I made brownies.

Delicious ham for Hanukkah.

I know this is Arabic but I cannot remember any of the Hebrew I learned over the summer.


L'chaim!

So, last night I went to the Rocky Horror Picture Show at Beach Theatre in St. Pete with Amber, Kym, and some other people (Shelly? Zach? Other buy with the hair? Other girl? I can't remember their names).

It was pretty awesome. Except, omg, boobs. It's so disturbing to be flashed by a 40 year old woman. And Kym took off her clothes! Which was a little awkward.

But the show was good. The girl/guy who played Columbia had the saddest face. When she wasn't actively smiling, his face would just look dead.

But! I lovelovelove this guy:


And now back to my paper... 9 pages to go.

ARA1131: Beginning Arabic II
EUS3100: Modern Czech Cinema
LIN3201: Sounds of Human Language
EUS2003: European Experience: Social Science Perspective
LIN4930: Linguistics and Sci-Fi

But I might drop EUS2003.

Having fun.
Editing a video.
Going clubbing.
Playing games.
Watching films.


Be home tomorrow.