So I am--obviously--not posting here very much these days.

But I am posting on Twitter, which ships to Facebook. I have a G+ account which I mostly use to bitch about nymwars. And I've been co-writing this blog called Lab Coats & Lingerie. Oh, and I guess technically I have a Tumblr, although so far it's just for following and replying to reposts of my LC&L content. And I'm on FetLife.

Those are all better ways to keep track of me than this one. :) But this account isn't going anywhere any time soon. I've had it for ten years (!!!) after all, and it *is* perma-paid.

I'm posting this mostly for the benefit of a couple people I just added after coming across them unexpectedly. This is Fizz, we've (at least) met. :)

So I'm still kicking myself for not catching Scissor Sisters in concert last year and I've decided to stop kicking myself and fix it.

Does anyone want to go to see them opening for Lady Gaga at the Oracle Arena this Tuesday (the 22nd), if I can get tickets on Craigslist? Would be about $60.

If I can't, what about April 15th, which is a Friday, at the Warfield? That one's $35, plus Ticketmaster's "suck it you have no choice" fee of $12.


ETA: Got a reply about tickets for Tuesday on CL, arranging to pick 'em up tomorrow. Give me a shout if you want the second one. Seller was able to use them. So currently I'm planning on going to the Warfield show.

Well, if there's one way to get over a cold quickly, it's to stay pretty well distracted while you have it.

I took an old-fashioned sick day yesterday, grudgingly agreeing with myself to do the extra work of catching up with classes in order to get some real rest. Watched a movie, got sleepy, started getting bad cramps, took a bunch of ibuprofen and went to sleep. A couple hours later I got a phone call: "I just wanted to check if you'd heard anything else about Dan's accident."

That woke me up pretty well.

zigdon crashed on his way in to work yesterday morning. We're not 100% certain of the details--he doesn't remember it happening--but from the witness accounts, it doesn't seem like there was any other vehicle involved. He just lost control, riding fast down a steep hill, and went over the handlebars. Obviously he was wearing a helmet, and given the size of the chip missing from the front of it I kind of love that piece of plastic and foam right now. He's got a broken arm, some nice road rash on his face, a bunch of broken teeth and a bright green button he's a pretty big fan of because it brings the painkillers. He'll be fine. I spent most of today down there with greatmanly, and will be back tomorrow. We're putting updates here; that thing also has contact and transit information for people who'd like to get hold of him.

So I've skipped the worst part of my cold just not having had time to think about it. (I wear a procedural mask any time I'm in the hospital and not eating/drinking, and wash or sanitize my hands regularly. Supposedly between the mask and the hawk I look like Dr. Zed from Borderlands.)

At this point I'm just typing updates out of habit, between the blog, IMs with people, an email just now to his sister, and so on. Go follow that link if you'd like more details. And let me know if you'd like to give him a call (which he's encouraging), or have me pass on any messages.

Splinter is out. Yes, it took two days. I gave it that long with drawing salve and then decided I was sick of not being able to walk without a ridiculous overdramatic limp. This morning I took to it with ice, rubbing alcohol, a pen knife, and tweezers. Which was not nearly as scary or painful as I expected, and now every time I step on it I feel the tiny bit of discomfort of having a cut there followed by a big wave of relief about NOT HAVING A PIECE OF WOOD IN MY FOOT. Which is good for helping me remember not to walk through that room without shoes again. (This is not the first time that's happened, only the first time it's been that bad.)

Anyone have a carpet cutting tool? I want to make that less hazardous. And I have some spare carpet.

I'm fine and there's nothing wrong. However, this is ( cut for body/medical details )

As for more concrete productivity, I'm currently working on copying an off-the-rack shirt using fabric I found by the side of the road (in the form of a bedsheet). I am going to be awfully damn smug if this works. The shirt is an off-shoulder peasant top with a ribbon and elastic gathering the top and shirring (that's this)--which I've never done before--on the bodice and at the elbows. It's theoretically almost done, but because of all the gathering it's basically impossible to check the fit before putting the finishing touches in. Pictures will come if it works. Wish me luck!

While I'm here and rambling, got my leggings from We Love Colors today. Scarlet red and kelly green, both gorgeous and bright and ready to be layered with stuff ... just as it finally gets warm enough that I don't need to. Oh well, no complaints! I second-guessed their size chart, basically betting my order on the hip measurement being off by more than a foot ... and I was right. I officially do not trust size charts. Or at least not those that include my alleged size.

( HEY WHAT A COINCIDENCE ME TOO )

Unlike the last time, this is for a specific occasion; I'll be rocking the fuck out on stage at Umloud at the DNA lounge tonight. Specifically, I'll be playing bass and singing backup with Zombie Kitten, covering the Dixie Chicks' Sin Wagon. (Yes, there is harmony in that song. It's only on two lines, but it's there.) If you're in the SF area, like wacky fake rock shows, and feel like chipping in ten bucks towards buying toys for kids in hospitals, come on by! It'll also be streamed on the website; we're scheduled to go on a couple minutes before nine, but given we're talking about a live show with two dozen different acts, take that with a grain of salt.

If you're about to comment all impressed at my musical prowess that I'm performing with this band at a serious venue, click on the event link first and read what it is. ;)

Monday/Wednesday: ASL 9-12, Choir 3-5
Tuesday/Thursday: Trig 10-12, US Gov/Politics 2-4
Friday: Spanish 1-4

Whee! Bring it on. I like how I'm continuing to break my own rule of not taking more than one language at a time. In retrospect, it's not like I need the Spanish class, either--but I like to keep it fresh, y'know?

Panhandler: Spare any change for a total douchebag?
Me: Especially not for a total douchebag.
Panhandler's Friend: Haha, nice.
(I start walking away.)
Panhandler (calling after me): What about for a half-assed douchebag ... ?

So I started poking around in the catalogue, comparing with the course option list for my program, and ... I accidentally planned out all the courses I'm going to take in it, at least down to a choice of two for each req. The criteria were which classes I want to take, which requirements I can fold together to make room for more classes, and which classes I can fit into my spring schedule. Here's the list I came up with:

Area 1: English
- Composition: ENGL 1A (composition and reading, no choice here)
- Critical Thinking: ENGL 5 (critical reading/writing) or HIST 47 (critical thinking in history), whichever turns out to be easier to schedule
- Oral Communication (CSU req): COMM 4 (group communication, sounds more fun than interpersonal)
Area 2: Math
- MATH 2 (precalc with analytical geometry) (I'll take more later, but this is where I left off in high school)
Area 3: Arts and Humanities
- Arts: MUSIC 15B (done)
- Humanities: SPAN 10A (done)
- SPAN 38 (spanish lit, because it's awesome)
Area 4: Social Sciences
- ANTHR 18 (linguistics, 'nough said)
- POLISCI 1 (US government, doubles up a req)
- HIST 40 (history of US culture, ditto and sounded more fun than alternatives)
Area 5: Physical/Biological Sciences
- Physical: GEOL 10 (intro to rocks; if my anthro lab counts for the lab req) or PHYS 2A (if not)
- Biological: ANTHR 1 (done)
Language Other Than English (UC req)
- Bypassed by Spanish AP score of 4 (thanks, Señora Williams)
American Institutions (CSU req)
- POLISCI 1 and HIST 40 (see Area 4)

Note to self: If I'm not applying to any CSU, I can drop COMM 4 and check out other Area 4 options. However, that would mean banking on getting into a UC, and I'm not currently that ballsy. Check back in a year and a hafl.

As for next semester. Spanish is in. Math, I think, is in; it's at Laney, which I'm not a huge fan of (I will probably at least sometimes BART there). Polisci is in and online, which I don't like, but it beats trying to ride to the College of Alameda. (C of A is right near Laney, and one of the sections would line up perfectly with the math class ... except the thing in between the two is the Webster tube.) If my anthro lab counts for the lab req, I'll add geology. If not, I get to go find some unit filler. (I could take ASL! Machining! Fire science! Yes, we actually have a fire science program!)

Oh, and I did my math/English assessment tests today. The math test was kinda fun, if frustrating--it just got increasingly harder until I stopped knowing how to solve the problems. I had scratch paper, and a lot of time, so I figured out how to do some of them anyway, but I did not actually feel like reinventing trigonometry from scratch (I've never studied it), so I just did the best I could for as long as I cared to and then moved on. It cleared me for calculus, but I would really prefer to ease back in and fill in some of the gaps in my math education first; hence my choice above.

Just when I'm getting the hang of keeping on top of my homework and regular schedule and stuff, I find that if I want to actually hang out with my friends I have to, like, call them, and plan things!

... oh wait, that's right. I love people, and the people in question particularly. Okay, I can deal with that. :)