And now for something uplifting: (via Idle Type)

The Dante’s Inferno Test has banished you to the Eigth Level of Hell – the Malebolge!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Take the Dante’s Inferno Hell Test

See Becky take a break from writing her paper.

I’ve got Spring Fever, bad. I can’t seem to make myself stay in my office for longer than 45 minutes at a time, writing. Ah well, I’ll just be glad when it’s finally all over.

Here’s some fun distractions:

Political Quiz Show: How Liberal/Conservative are you?

Respondents with the most points (40) are 100 percent

conservative; those with the least (0) are 100 percent liberal.

Your Score: 11

That should make some people happy!

Sandals and Socks forever. Pretty scary pictures of fat men wearing socks and sandals. I couldn’t find my uncle on there, he’s infamous for black socks and brown sandals.

The Bush Dictionary — Be sure to look up such terms as:

Arctic Wildlife Refuge — former name of the 50,000,000 acre BP Industrial Park.

Eye-rack — a country over there somewhere in the Middle East that has a bad habit of threatening global stability just before national elections.

misunderestimate (verb) — to not overmisjudge.

nucular (adjective) — Pertaining to a type of weapon that allows the world to sleep at night when we have them, but opens it up to all kinds of trouble when they get into places like North Korea.

Parisites – residents of Paris

And finally: Google Fight

Canada beats America and United States — but not USA

Luke Skywalker loses to Darth Vader

But writing beats procrastinating. I better get back to work.

Heh, so I guess I can now add South Africa to the list of coutries that have tried to proposition me! (you know, those “contact-us-and-we’ll-put-$15,000-in-your-account” type emails)

Here’s that site I meant to put up last night: Instant Religion Creator

Warning: This site is intended to produce light-hearted satire. No harm is intended! For your own safety and the safety of others, please do not operate Religion Creator if you have recently:

1. Used the words “heretic”, “blasphemy”, “Work of Satan”, or any derivation thereof with any degree of seriousness.

2. Felt hate towards someone for not letting the love and mercy of your deity into their heart.

3. Received a bulk discount on a firearms purchase.

4. Built a bunker and/or bomb shelter with the intention of surviving an upcoming religious and/or race war.

5. Used a tinfoil hat to stop the mind control rays.

6. Nervously eyed your family pet in the suspicion of demonic possession.

Remember Mad Libs as a kid? I loved ‘em. This site lets you create your own religion by adding adjectives, nouns, verbs and names. Too much fun, I should be writing my paper insteada doing this!

In the beginning God created the whale and the moon rock. The moon rock was without pages and splendid. Then God said let there be oreo and there was oreo. And God saw the oreo, that it was funky. On the 6th day God created the first man, Mojo Jo Jo. And God saw Mojo Jo Jo, that he was delicious. God then took one of Mojo Jo Jo’s metacarpals and made the first woman, Carl Marx. And God said you shall not eat of the daffodil of port-o-potty for if you do you shall surely demonstrate. But unfortunately a wily three toed sloth tricked Carl Marx into eating of the daffodil of port-o-potty while God wasn’t looking. He eventually found out and kicked them out of the garden. Mojo Jo Jo and Carl Marx then had two sons, Cane and Able. Cane was a kicker of doughnuts, while Able was a herder of sea lions. Cane then gave God an offering of supercilious burritos and Able gave Him an offering of swatch watches. But God really preferred the swatch watches so Cane mightily decaffinated Able in the fields. For that God cursed Cane to kick doughnuts forever.

Yay!

Good, good day today. I met with Dr. Jennifer MacLennan, my soon-to-be-research advisor for my MA thesis. She’s not only very excited about me entering the program, but she’s also very ready to get things moving so I can start sooner, not later. It looks like I’ll definitely be transferring out of English and into Interdisciplinary Studies, in order to study Rhetoric and Communication. This is the first time that I’m really excited about the research and classes that await me. The English department here just was NOT a good fit — and not only that, I’m definitely a rhetorician at heart.

In order to even apply to the Interdisciplinary program, you have to have your project, bibliography, and research committee already lined up. One of those is already filled, as of today! Jen called up some of her associates, so now I have a drama person, a civil engineer, and an English person on my committee (in addition to herself). As far as I can tell right now, my project is going to deal with rhetoric and film — particularly focusing on how written texts are translated onto the visual medium of film. I’m not exactly sure which texts I’ll focus on, but I’ve got most of the summer to figure that out.

It’s just so nice (and may I add, rare) that I’ve found a prof here on campus that is 1. as excited about my research as I am, and 2. willing to go to extra lengths to help me get my degree. While I do love the academic world, many of its inhabitants are self-centered and damn mean — and couldn’t care less about helping a struggling graduate student. At least I’m in better shape now.

Speaking of shape, wow am I still sore from martial arts yesterday. I went to my gym this afternoon, did more weights, and was ready to go to another kickboxing class — when it was cancelled. I was given an “E.D.O.” (earned day off) — of which, I eagerly accepted. I do love being able to get back and forth to work out and having that fun I’m-so-sore-but-it’s-from-working-out feeling.

I’m at school right now, hammering out my last paper for my rhetoric class. 2 pages down, only 13 or so to go. This paper is such a breeze compared to the last one. Since the weather is so beautiful outside — and it’s supposed to be even warmer tomorrow — I’m probably going to do most of my writing at night. It’s just too hard to stay inside and type when it’s warm and sunny out.

My laptop monitor is fried, it’s gonna cost between $600-1000 bucks to repair. Note to self: spend the extra money and get the extended warranty next time!

I’ve got a great website to share, but I’ll leave it for later tonight. Must escape to cell and type more paper!

I must be reflecting overtime tonight.

Maybe it was the martial arts, I don’t know. I went to a session of Sun-Pa, a Filipino strand of martial arts. What a workout! I really liked it, though I must have looked awful trying to get my kicks and blocks right. I may join the Dojo after I get back in August, if only so I can learn how to (literally) kick ass.

Just got off the phone with my momma. After getting filled in on all the happenings back home, we somehow got started on religion, then politics — both touchy subjects. I started describing my new disdain for my president and his actions (or should I say his justifications for his actions), and we must have talked for over an hour. I tried to describe for her how my move up here has given me new eyes for my country. Being 2000+ miles away from home has given me a distance not only measured in miles but in understanding of what my country stands for.

At times it’s given me moments of pride, other times — not.

Ultimately I think it’s made me a better citizen. While I’m not willing to buy into everything my country (or President) says — I am still proud of my roots. Which reminds me, when I go home this summer, I’m gonna buy an American flag patch and sew it on my bookbag. If Canadians can be proud of their country, so can I.

So it wasn’t my talk about politics that started me thinking. Yeah, so we see two different perspectives on certain issues, that’s okay. But my mom basically started talking about how much I’ve changed since moving up here.

“Changed” — lots of implications in that word.

She sees me as more cynical and not as much fun as I was before. Now I’m not mad at her mused observation, but parts of me wonder how much of it really is true? Am I cynical or just more aware? I know that I’m definitely a different person now than I was, say 2 years ago. My life situation has completely changed — moving from a settled, fundamental, secure life in my hometown to a life that’s 2000 miles away from all comfort zones.

Not only that, but I no longer live under the labels I once had — in some instances I’ve moved 180 degrees away from some of them.

I’m in uncharted territory — which is both scary and yet addictingly exciting. I don’t think it’s a bad thing that I’ve “changed” — it’s worse to be the same for too long, I think. I’m just in this weird place in my life, where I feel like I’m being pulled in so many directions at once. Part of me misses the days where my choices and their implications only ranged as far as what to wear to school and what to pack in my lunch. Today many of my choices aren’t so simple, and overwhelm me the more I think about their repercussions.