Fresh, Hot Wastes of Time

I’ve been waiting for my older daughter to ask where babies come from, but although she asks questions about everything else in the world, questions about the birds and the bees have been totally absent. Finally, the other day, I took the opportunity to give a rudimentary explanation while we were at the ranch, tying it into why deer calls work.

She gave me a wide-eyed look and asked, “Will *I* have to do that??”

(Well, of course I told her she didn’t have to do anything she didn’t want to do, and besides, it’s only after she gets married anyway.)

Normally I don’t let much get to me in terms of the subtle kind of crap that us chicks get in day to day life. Guys generally laugh it off and say we’re just tho thenthitive and it’s typical for a chick to read too much into stuff. But sometimes it’s alternately annoying and amusing, the stuff that guys come up with.

I was at Academy today, at the gun counter. I wanted to buy a pair of binoculars to replace my beat-up pair that I use for hunting. After I waited in line for a while, the fella behind the counter asked if he could help me.

“Yes,” I said, “I’m looking for a pair of binoculars.”

“Oh, okay. Are they for your husband or your brother?”

I mean, honestly. “Er, no, they’re for me to use when I go hunting, and I need something small enough for my little girls to scan for deer with when they’re hunting with me.” That shut him up.

For some reason, my desire to buy binoculars was quelled. I ended up going to Walmart for them.

Likely I’ve missed a few, but here’s what I’ve come up with for a list of commercial ARGs:

1994 – Publius Enigma – Pink Floyd
1999 – Blair Witch Project – Blair Witch Project
2001 – Majestic – Pay for play
2001 – The Beast – A.I.
2002 – Push – Push, Nevada
2004 – I Love Bees – Halo 2
2004 – ReGenesis – ReGenesis
2004 – Sable & Shuck – Stella Artoris
2004 – Legends of the Sacred Urns – Sharp
2005 – The Art of the Heist – Audi
2005 – Perplex City – Pay for play
2005 – Jamie Kane – BBC
2005 – Last Call Poker – Gun
2006 – Who is Benjamin Stove? – GM
2006 – Edoc Laundry – Pay for play
2006 – Studio Cypher – Pay for play
2006 – The Lost Experience – Lost
2006 – Fallen – Fallen
2006 – Kyle XY – Kyle XY
2006 – Cathy’s Book – Pay for play

This is sweet and sad, but especially sad. Don’t watch if you’re already depressed.

Got my Ethical Analysis grade today:

(ignore the Points Possible column – I think it got horked up long ago.)

So, spring registration opened tonight for seniors. At 9:00 PM on the dot, I was hitting “Refresh” like a madwoman to get into the system and into the classes I want to take. I had awful flashbacks of trying to register via phone for UT.

“Welcome to TEX, the telephone enrollment exchange for the University of Texas at Austin. TEX is currently scheduling classes for the…………

SPRING………

semester, nineteen……….

ninety-two.”

TEX would always tell me that the section I wanted was full. “This class was not added. The section you requested was full.” I hated TEX. TEX always ended his calls with, “Good-bye, and good luck.” Too bad he didn’t wish me luck before I tried to register.

So anyway, I was freaking out, sweating bullets, sure that I wouldn’t be able to make it into the classes that I want and need. Got in! Clicked madly! Entered course numbers and section numbers! Hit “Add”! Got into everything I wanted!

90 minutes later, I checked on those classes. They’re still, at most, 1/3 full. I think I might have been just a wee bit obsessive about the whole thing.

Also, on a plus note, I heard back from the head of my department, and one of my transfer credits will count for what looked to me to be a most odious course:

This course introduces students to the designs, uses, and limitation of communication research. Traditional statistical methods (e.g., correlations, t-tests, ANOVA) are covered as well as more recent, qualitative approaches (e.g., narrative, self-reflexive, auto/biography,) in order to provide students with a well-rounded insight into the various methodological perspectives that currently govern research in the field of communication. Students will collect and analyze data for a final research project.

Dodged a bullet on that one! The course description is so dry that just reading it makes me thirsty.

Cross fingers – after spring, if I get portfolio credit for what I’m aiming for, I’ll only have 15 hours to go.

Also, I’m sick and exceedingly grumpy. I’m sure my husband is hoping it turns into laryngitis so he doesn’t have to listen to me grouse anymore.