Floating Down the Liffey

Looking Back

mig3x5 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:44:27 +0000

Nearly a year ago, I wrote and posted a list of New Year’s resolutions for 2009. Since the year is nearing its end, I decided to review and see if I actually fulfilled any of them. Of the 23 items listed there, I succeeded in completing a grand total of five (and maybe a half). And here they are:

1. Prepare for the future.

It only took me three years of college to realize that I actually need to apply and make a name for myself if I want to be successful in the future. Thus, I’ve been trying to keep on top of deadlines and do things that need to be done instead of postponing them until it’s already too late. Plus, I’m doing research now!

2. Watch more movies.

Whenever my friends used to make a reference to or asked if I had seen a famous movie, the answer was usually no. So much so that they just started assuming that I hadn’t seen the movie in question and they stopped asking. Therefore, I made it my mission to be able to discuss movie-related things. So I started procuring movies (don’t ask how) and viewing them. Most of them have been modern movies so far, but I’ll get to the classics eventually.

3. Get a pet, preferably something furry.

Back in February, I got a little tiny three-week old hamster. I named her Monty. Why Monty, you ask? I’m not sure. I just liked it. She’s got a bald spot on her butt and I don’t know why but she’s totally awesome. As of today, she is 10 months old. I didn’t even realize it was her birthday today until just now. Happy birthday, Monty!

4. Come up with an ingenious way to make money.

Ok, so poker isn’t exactly genius, but I have made money off of it. And I will continue to do so.

5. Learn to cook more things.

I’ve been trying new recipes from David’s cookbook lately. They’ve ranged from pretty good to not very good. Cooking for yourself can get old pretty quickly but trying new things helps.

1/2. Get back into shape.

I’ve been to the gym twice this quarter. That is twice more than the previous two years. Therefore, I am in better shape.

So, there you have it. That is a rundown of my successfully completed New Year’s resolutions for most of 2009. Exciting, I know.

Wherever This Is, I’d Like to be There

mig3x5 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:10:04 +0000

Hello Again

mig3x5 — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:09:39 +0000

So I’ve been away for awhile. I’m not sure why but I hope that I can keep this thing going a little more consistently than I have been for the last couple months. So for those of you who care, here are a few things that I have been up to over the summer.

I started volunteering at the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center down by the beach. Any sick or injured animals of the less domestic variety that are found usually come to us. Now, we do focus on animals that live in the wetlands, so we primarily deal with aquatic birds, but we also work to rehabilitate raccoons, opossums, and squirrels. On my first day there, I cleaned the raccoon cage. That is by far the smelliest job you can do there (as well as the most prone to cause illness due to all the bugs raccoons transmit). However, I think it’s pretty worth it when you look up from cleaning their “leavings” to see ten of these guys staring at you. Plus, you get the chance to release successfully rehabilitated animals back into the wild. I’ve gone to release four pelicans down in Corona del Mar so far and watching them waddle out of the cage and fly back into the world is really cool. Hopefully, I can continue helping out there while I’m in school this year because I’ve learned quite a bit about native wildlife and had rewarding experiences while doing it.

Another one of my goals was to get into a research lab at school. Luckily, I was accepted into the first one that responded with an opening and it was also my first choice. I haven’t done anything beyond going to a few meetings so far but it sounds really interesting. It’s a neurobiology lab that focuses on the acquisition of memory as well as how memory is sustained in the long term in mice. I’m actually really looking forward to getting started with whatever I’m going to be doing for them. I think it’ll be a really good opportunity for me to gain some experience (something I’m sorely lacking) in a very probable future career field. Plus, my professor, who is pretty damn cool, said that if I work hard and put in enough time, I may be able to get my name on a published paper by the time I graduate in the Spring. I think it’s something that grad schools would be very excited to see and I would be beyond happy if that actually happened so I’m going to try my hardest to make it happen. I’m sure I’ll be blogging more about this in the future so stay tuned.

I also started playing online poker after my friend, Eric, agreed to stake me and offer me his expertise. I’ve been playing for a couple months now and I’ve made almost $100 so far. It’s nothing spectacularly large but I’m pretty happy with it considering I’m definitely still honing my skills. Plus, since I currently don’t have a job, it’s a fun way to earn a little extra dough. As long as I have time, I’ll keep playing and earning what little money I can.

A few months ago, as school was winding down, I had been feeling rather unhealthy. I’m sure most people who know me wouldn’t believe it considering I’m quite thin and always have been. But I figured my body was trying to tell me something so I started shooting hoops and going to the gym again. It had been about two years since the last time I had really exercised and I definitely noticed a difference. Regardless, it felt good to be a little more active and I’m certainly going to take advantage of the ARC (finally) when I go back to school.

Anyway, it’s been a pretty productive summer, despite the lackadaisical blog posting. I can only hope that will change too.

Sadness

mig3x5 — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:44:07 +0000

Do Want

mig3x5 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Amid finals mania, this definitely does not alleviate my craving for Rock Band.

It Is What It Is

mig3x5 — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 23:26:03 +0000

Full Disclosure

mig3x5 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:36:12 +0000

The following link leads to the entry about my asexuality that I had previously intended to post here. I know some of you wanted to read it so I figured I’d put it up for you. For the most part, it is complete but there may be some loose ends that I never got around to addressing. Anyway, you can download it and read it at your leisure.

Asexuality

Taking Pictures and What Not

mig3x5 — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:21:37 +0000

Photography has been an interest of mine for quite some time. I wouldn’t call it a hobby, per se, seeing as how I don’t do very much of it, so I’ll settle for calling it an interest. However, I’ve been wanting to pursue it for some time now and I hope that my recent obtainment of a Canon Rebel XS DSLR will force me to do so. I haven’t had very many chances to go out and use it yet, but I hope more opportunities present themselves soon. So far, I’ve only been getting acquainted with it, tinkering with the different modes and figuring out what everything does, but it does take some pretty nice pictures. Anyway, here are a few photos I’ve taken with my new toy thus far.

Monty likes to clean her whiskers.

Goby and Feesh have an in-depth conversation.

Crystal Cove State Park

A flower in the backyard

Some more plant life.

Stubby-legged Monty.

This is Exactly Why I Love the Internet

mig3x5 — Thu, 28 May 2009 03:08:54 +0000

Behold, the best video I’ve seen in awhile.

The subtleties are what make this great. I wouldn’t be able to do it any better myself. Probably because I don’t have a cat but that’s neither here nor there.

The Hangover

mig3x5 — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:56:36 +0000

I’m growing unreasonably excited for this. You should be too.

Zack Galifianakis wearing a BabyBjörn, Ed Helms, Mike Tyson singing Phil Collins, a growling tiger, and a dismissive wanking motion? Everything appears to be in order here.