So I'm reading this journal article on religion and politics for a paper that I have to write about the influence of religion in American politics. As most journal articles it's quite dry discussing the data and methods--I was starting to space out when I came across this passage that made me laugh:

We obtained an average of 31 usable questionnaires per church. Given the constraints imposed by the problem of access and the purposive nature of sample selection, we do not claim that our congregant sample is necessarily reflective of either the congregation from which it was obtained or of all churchgoers. This will not stop us from making extravagant claims, of course, but it should temper the reader's willingness to accept them without qualification!

I'm just imagining how a professor would react were I to write something like this into my papers. "Given the crappy and outdated selection of books in the Dublin City University library, I was unable to gather enough sources for an analysis of the importance of religion in American electoral politics, especially as it relates the the 2008 elections. However, based upon the large selection of books from the 1980s, this paper will make extravagant claims regarding the role of religion in the 2008 Presidential election. You be the judge as to whether these sources are still valid, kthxbye!" Somehow I think the chuckle it might garner would be tempered by a rather bad mark on the paper. 

I miss the songs that we used to sing.

Of all the music that brings back memories, none can so easily conjure images as readily to my mind as The Format's Internentions and Lullabies. I don't think I'll ever out grow it.

So it's been ages since I updated this. Thought I would give an update. As you know, I've been living in Dublin for over a month or so now. It's very nice albeit very cold and windy and raining and occasionally snowy. Besides those factors, I'm getting on very nicely. I have a great roommates and have made some really good friends so that is good. I've done some pretty exciting things--from vacationing in London on the weekend, watching rugby games with Welsh superheros, wandering Dublin, seeing exciting 5000 year old cave diggings and of course taking loads and loads of pictures. (Which brings me to my next random pimp out: if you don't already know this I now have a second journal apennythought in which I attempt to update daily--mostly with pictures, especially from Ireland, since you know, I'm in Ireland--so if that sounds like your cup o'tea, check it out). To continue the fun, I'm going to be going to Prague and Krakow the last days of April/first days of May. Can't wait. :) I wish I could travel elsewhere but the falling price of the dollar is hurting me pretty badly. Boo to the US economy, it makes me life sad here. Can't go out and drink all the whiskey I'd like to. :)

Wee, so this Saturday Ally is going to be arriving and I'm super excited! I get to see my wifey-poo and it's going to be hawt. Bet all of you wish you were going to be in Dublin to see the amazingness that is us. :)

Well, that is my update, hope you enjoyed it. Miss you all. Love and kisses (not really but still),
Michelle

For anyone interested, I just posted some photos from Dublin City Centre on my facebook here: http://asu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2277210&l=ba0ac&id=10031130

Finally got an apartment in Dublin! Yay! It's the one I wanted too!

Now I'm going to be late for work. Oh well, so worth it.

I'd like to begin by wishing everyone a happy 2008. May it bring you all the things you wish for and a few surprises as well.

Most everyone begins the new year by making resolutions of some sort or another. I've never been one of those people. To me, resolutions are rather silly--if you really want to do something, you aren't going to put it off until the beginning of a year--you'll start working toward that goal right away. Nonetheless, they're not a bad idea--self evaluation and improvement are usually rather good things. I guess that's why I'm starting this new project.

I've had a lj for the past how many years but I've been ever so unfaithful in updating it, much to my own regret. However, when I think about the amount of time I waste online not writing or doing anything of importance, the excuse of "I just don't have the time to" seems to fall thin. So I've started a second project journal which I'm going to attempt to update daily. If I don't update daily, then I will have to go back in time to update it again to make an entry for that date. Or so is the plan. We'll see. Here is the user name if you're interested in reading:apennythought
The name comes from the phrase "A penny for your thoughts". It's not going to be a personal journal like this one, but rather just here are some thoughts about ___ sort of deal. It will probably be a jumbled mix of anything from politics, to memories, to photographs, to rants, to whatever. I'm not really sure what I'll do with it, however I do have some political analysis mentally planned out for the new week. Yeah, so if that sounds interesting, check it out sometime. Today's entry is just a boring picture post. I'll still be on this journal, reading all of your lovely entries, but probably won't post as much on here. We'll see--it's not like I post on here much as it is.

So yeah, this was going to be a brilliant entry before I was interrupted this morning while writing before work. Then work happened and I'm so exhausted that everyone will have to simply settle for this.

Once again, happy New Year's everyone. I hope 2008 is better than 2007.

PS--I leave in 27 days! OhEmGee, that is so very soon.

So yeah, a week or two ago, I found out that I won't be getting university housing at DCU. That really sucks as now I have to find an apartment near the college. This has not been fun. Why is it that apartment complexes post contact information and say they'll get back to you, when they never do? Augh. I have only managed to get a hold of one place that seemed slightly promising (i.e. they had space available right now and would likely have space in January as well). The one place I want to stay at has not answered any email queries or even answered their phone when I've called. I totally stayed up until 2 last night so that I could call at 9 AM their time. Yeah. No answer still. Wee. It is very hard to find apartments in that area for students too. The college has only recommended two places (one is full, the other is the one I can't get a hold of). I've managed to find four other student apartments but have only heard back from the one. Yeah. So this is frustrating. Most frustrating I think was the suggestion that I just wait until I arrive and then look at the student notice boards. Yeah. Cause that's comforting.

Nicole, you've maybe had experience finding an off campus apartment in your travels? Any advice before I pull my newly cut hair out? (I don't want to cause it was an expensive hair cut and all).

So much for a relaxing Christmas break. Oh well, I guess on the bright side, I won't have to share my bedroom as I would have in the dorms. And I guess their dorm policy for overnight guests sucks from what I've read online. Just keep looking at the bright side...

I leave in forty days. I don't think I've posted this before, but my flight is on January 29th at 1050AM if you'd like to say goodbye.

PS--Anyone want to buy me a paid lj account with the special going on right now for extra user pics? Just a thought...

So yesterday, my religion in America professor didn't show up for the final until an hour late. By then, pretty much everyone had left, myself included. I guess he recorded the wrong time for the final in his personal planner. Since he screwed up, he decided to just cancel the final and take it out of the grade book. That was pretty awesome.

Now if only my political theory professor could have forgotten our final...

As of late I've been buried alive in school work. I'd love to write a real update, but alas, I should probably get back to my papers. Instead, inspired by the lovely Nicole, I've decided to procrastinate by writing my own fantasy to do list for after finals.

To Do After (or if) I Survive Finals:

• Read books I want to read! In particular, A Sweet Far Thing and the new series Ally sent me for my birthday.
• Visit and cheer up the lovely Amy in Tucson. Also, see Shannon off. Oh yeah, and see David.
  
• Have a fun mini vacation to Las Vegas with Ally (Yay for turning 21, let's gamble like old ladies)
• Random day trips of doom if possible. Too bad my usual partner for those kind of sucks at the moment so these probably won't happen.
• Tea Party for ASFT
• Trader Joe's night with Thomas and Rebecca.
• Celebrate seeing miss Megan when she comes back to visit!
• Photo shoot with Sarah
• Hang out with mis hermanitos. Gauntlet legends anyone? (Sean, while you're not my little brother, you're still invited)
• Hang out with some dear old friends.
• Read up on Dublin and actually figure out what classes to take.
• Relax, relax, and quite possibly more relaxing.
• Figure out a means to avoid coming back from Ireland. Ever.
• Transfer my files from my desktop to my sweet new laptop.
• Paint/draw/be creative again. I really miss painting a lot. So relaxing.
  
• Survive the holidays without killing anyone.
• Survive Christmas music at my work without going crazy. (This will be difficult with the amount of times they play jingle bells per day)
  
• Make some decent money (Hah! We all know that one will never come true, I told you this is a fantasy list).

So yeah, let's see if we can't make these things come true. What does everyone else want to do once finals are over? Anything exciting? Anything you think I ought to add?

So Cristi thinks that Reese's Pieces have chocolate in them--that the candy coating is really chocolate. Whatever Cristi, you need to learn your candy bits. They're basically m&ms but with peanut butter instead of chocolate inside. And if m&ms had a chocolate coating, wouldn't their slogan be, "Melt in your mouth, as well as your hand?".

Yeah, well, it's not--the end, I win Cristi. Clearly, they're coated in the same type of candy coating that prevents meltage as m&ms. And just to prove my point, I'm bringing you some when I pick you up. And you better stop being a hater and eat them. (Or else, I'll pout a lot--I'll bring you a Kit Kat just in case (for the record--they're coated in chocolate) to be nice.)

Everyone else, I'm sorry you just had to witness this.

Where the hell are all my stamps?! I want to send Ally and Megan letters and I can't find them! Ah! And what's more is I can't find the small present for Ally's that I bought yesterday. WTF?

Exhausted. That is the word of the day.

I'm so exhausted. I couldn't sleep last night--it was a pretty bad night. I was up until 430AM, not by choice mind you, but because when I start stressing and fretting about so many things, I can't calm my mind enough for sleep. I woke up around 730 and had to go into work at 10. Let's just say at work, I was more than a little out of it. At one point, I got a splitter in my finger and went to ask for tweezers from Terry. My exact words were, "Hey Terry, do we have a set of splitters? I have a tweezer in my finger". Yeah. She looked at me like I was crazy.

It also didn't help that for some reason they decided it would be a good idea to put like six huge boxes of cinnamon scented pine cones in the hallway by the bathrooms (as well as the break room and more importantly, the new frame shop). At first thought, it was a smart idea, as the bathrooms tend to be quick noxious and cinnamon masked it quite well. However, the super smell then spread from the hallway into the frame shop. Due to our wonderful lack of ventilation in the new shop, it quickly concentrated into headache inducing fumes which Therese and I choked on for the majority of the day. Between the cinnamon fumes and the lack of sleep, it really doesn't surprise me that I thought I had tweezers in my finger.

Anyways, now I'm off and I'm not sure what to focus on. I just scanned 15 images of Abraham Lincoln for a paper I'm writing and I don't know if I should start writing it, or start studying for my Religion in America midterm. This week is basically going to be hell, as will next week. Tomorrow I have two midterms tests, followed by two papers on Tuesday, a 15 page research paper on Monday and another paper on Wednesday. I also have to meet with the lady who I am going to be a co-leader for (I don't think I mentioned that before, but I'm going to co-lead a Junior level Girl Scout troop) on Tuesday as well as a parent meeting on Friday night (aren't I just the social butterfly?). I think I might call out Friday, but that'd be sort of bad, cause I have the weekend of the 26-28 (yay Tucson!) as well as Wednesday the 24th off for study abroad orientation (OMG, why isn't it February yet?). To top all of that of, I also have to prep for a debate that Thursday.

Typing all that out just made it seem worse. Did I mention that I don't know what I'm writing any of my papers on really?

Fuck.

I'm exhausted. Fucking exhausted.

Question time!

Does anyone else wish for impossible things? I want to assume that everyone does, but as my lovely coworker Don always says, to assume is to make an ass out of me and you.

If so, what do you wish for despite knowing it won't come true? I really hope everyone will answer this, but I realize that it's a pretty personal question. If you're not comfortable under you name, an anonymous comment works as well.

Heard back from ASU. I got accepted for the exchange. I'm going to be going to Dublin City University next semester. w00t!

Turned in my application for Ireland exchange today. I'll know by Friday if I got it. The adviser seemed very positive about it, so that's good.

Cross you fingers for me.

Random: Every time I hear Dashboard Confessional's "Hands Down" on the line, My heart is yours to fill or burst for some reason, I change it in my head to My heart is yours to filibuster.

Poli Sci major much?

Yeah, so I totally do not want to go to work today.

And what a beautiful day it was.


Happy Autumn everyone!

I haven't updated this journal since May. Strange. I think that must be the longest time I've ever gone without an entry. I don't know where the time went. It seems strange that today is the last day of the summer. Last time I wrote here, I was doing finals. School starts again tomorrow. I'm not ready for school to begin again. This summer went by far too quickly. One day I'll write more about it, as there are subjects I would like to touch upon, but I wouldn't hold my breath too long for that to occur.

Instead, I'll leave you with a rather amusing dream I had last night. As a warning, it is very strange future and really made me laugh. I cannot imagine any of you with children in real life, nor the stories behind them. However, I thought it was too amusing not to record. Please do not be offended. ( Babies galore! )

Just spent 5 hours constructing the intelligence umbrella for my stupid terrorism class. Quite possibly the worst five hours of my life. My eyes, neck and shoulders are killing me from a combination of hunching over, squinting, allergies and the ever technical medical analysis of "sleeping funny". All this should mean that I'm in a terrible mood but strangely, after eating a delicious homemade pasta dinner by Jon (yes, I know, it's after 11 and I'll have nightmares, whatever, I haven't eaten since 12) I'm in a content mood. So content that I think I'll end this with a haiku about it.

No contentment like
Mushrooms and spinach pasta.
Best noodles ever.

Oh Happy Easter!
Ending Lenten starvation
Yum orange chicken