So, my little netbook has been nice, and I've had fun with the novelty of being able to have a computer in my purse all the time, but there is something I'm realizing: I really like having a laptop, and I've gotten to the point that I use it as my primary computer. Which makes no goddamn sense, because it was never meant to do that. It's slow & has no hard drive space and was only meant for being able to spend time writing & internetting in places other than my room. Also, it feels weirdly pointless to have a big fancy fast desktop computer upstairs that I only use a few times a month, and then mostly only to sync & charge my ipod.

Im thinking of consolidating gadgetry by selling as many computer things & other superfluous possessions as I can find & getting one of the new 13-inch MacBook Pros, as soon as the new OSX Snow Leopard starts coming preinstalled on them in a few months. Because seriously, I am so tired of Windows.

first on the chopping block: fancy-ass tripod I never use.

Other things that you should feel free to express interest in:
-A self-built desktop computer with an intel core2quad processor, 4 gigs of ram, and a lot of other good stuff
-An HP Mini, but not until I can lay my hands on another computer. I have to be able to write papers on something.
-possibly my Canon Digital Rebel SLR. I never use it these days (I just use my little digital compact).
-I am debating the fate of my Uber-fancy (and pretty new) 24" flat panel. I want to keep it, but selling it would also bring me very very close to MacBook-ness very quickly.

Wow, I didn't realize how tired I was. I slept for 11 hours last night. Usually I get about 7.

I think I'm going to do a lot of puttering around the house/chores/homework/farmer grrl stuff this weekend, because I'm the only person I know who isn't out camping somewhere. Maybe I'll find someone to get into trouble with at some point.

Acetominophen might be banned by the FDA. Will it have a black market value after that, and should I stockpile? Maybe not.

Hey universe,

I might need an algebra tutor. I tested into a class (math 111, college algebra) and have no fucking clue how to do anything (how did I get so high on the placement test???), but I have to take this class to get into statistics later. I'd rather try and make it through this class than slog through math 60, 95, or whatever else because every extra term I'm taking is money out of my pocket that I don't have.

Sooo...if any of my friends think algebra is fun (more importantly, like to explain algebra to non-algebraically-minded people), I would love it if we could find a way to work out some kind of non-monetary trade. I mostly need to be brought back to speed on some basic stuff (factoring polynomials, the quadratic formula, I CAN'T DO LONG DIVISION, etc.)

<3.

I've been really reclusive this week. I'm glad school is starting so that I can have some more interaction with new people. I was really hoping to hang out with a few new folks during my break, but it just didn't end up happening. I wish I'd gone out & had fun a little more actively instead of just spacing out for a handful of days. I DID do the world naked bike ride, which was awesometastic (and no, I wasn't naked, but moreso than I've been in public since starting transition). But I still wish that I'd been able to get out of the city for a couple days. I need to find friends that go camping.

Tomorrow is work, dropping off a resume & cover letter, and math class. I looked at the people registered, and I am one of 3 Rachels.

I think I might mostly take a break from the internet for the next week and focus on doing the 8 million things I want to do with my 1.5-week summer break, and also because compulsively checking my email doesn't count as rest or self-care and I need time for that too.

I'm finding myself being a lot more content lately with the fact that I haven't been "going out" a lot & being social in the way that a lot of the queer community does it. Getting drunk & grinding on people you don't know in a dark room that's too loud to talk to them just hasn't been my thing lately. I almost never actually have fun, but I know that's not always true, but I'm pretty much completely blowing off pride stuff because I know everything will be too packed to even try to dance. The random hott makeout factor isn't really appealing to me right now. I'm already getting what I need. I know that sometime in the next year I'd like to find some kind of low-key partnership/good friendship with benefits thing with a woman, but I'm not in any hurry and I like the idea of being a lot more conscious of who I'm adding to my life these days.

Anyway. I started writing because I was going to make a post about the future that I keep thinking of making. I've made a handful of pretty big changes to my long-term plans. I'm still going to apply, but I'm hopefully not going into the pcc nursing program. I'm getting over thinking that I'll never be accepted and I'm aiming myself at the OHSU accelerated bachelor's program. I'm still doing prereqs for another year+. But I've also decided that since I've consoled myself over the idea of taking out $40k in loans for OHSU, another $15k can't really hurt while I'm at it. I'm gonna get SRS. A year from this december.

There are other large & even more long-term plans bouncing around, but that's all a ways off. For now I'm just going to work on school and converting our little backyard into a teensy farm. My livejournal is probably going to mostly be pictures of projects, and this will probably (hopefully?) be my last long post for a while. If I want to have conversations with people, I've gotten a lot more attached to talking in person instead of spouting off to the anonymous internet.

I have to go outside now.

There is a mouse living with us. Non-consentually. I just saw it come out from under the couch to explore, and it's SOOOOO cute! How do we evict it?

We just ate this:


-(free!) bread
-eggpant fried in olive oil
-hummus
-garden fresh basil
-garden fresh lettuce and spinach
-roasted asparagus

and PEAS from our garden.

mmmmmmm.

Also, quote of the day from Oliver:
"This sandwich is totally topping me"
(after I informed him that he was making sex noises while eating)

oh no.
I have an inconvenient pre-crush. Meaning that without swift action to suppress it or lots of distance, it will be a full-blown crush, the fulfillment of which would be maybe really awkward.

RUN AWAY! I actually think this a non-issue because I heard he was leaving town.

lol.

Peas! Peas from our garden are amazing! They never make it into any of our meals, though. Oliver comes in with half of the peas in a hand that's stuffing them in his mouth, and half of them in a hand that's outstretched to me. Our lettuce beds are going to reach a point of critical salad in the very close future. And there is a baby baby little green tomato on one of our tomato plants.

We are a lot further with the garden than we thought we'd be this year, considering how it started. And we keep adding project ideas...this place is gradually but very certainly heading in the direction of small urban homestead. I'm going to make our chicken situation happen as soon as my finals are over, and we're starting to think about the idea of having rabbits someday. I've mused before that to really ethically eat meat, it should be meat that you killed yourself, and that might be a reality soon. At least, pending my finding out whether I really have the stomach to slaughter a cute fuzzy creature. But if I can't, what business to I ever have buying meat in the store?

Also, next year: Bees!

Anyway. I'm trying to memorize the entire muscular system in 3 days. Wish me luck.

It's so sunny and I have to study anatomy all weekend to avoid failing the final. There are two finals in that class and one is next week. After that, I'd like to say that life is smooth sailing, but it's just going to get hectic in different ways. But some of those ways are fun projects. At least it will be another 3 months before A&P starts to eat my life again.

In other news, I can't really decide which is worse: chasing around people that aren't available, or just not running into anyone that you're interested in pursuing. Being in the second category is frustrating when it's summer and all your friends are finding people to get squishy over.

Also: Would it be stupid to take a Wilderness First Responder course in southwest Oregon in December? It sounds cold. I have a two-week space it could happen in September, which would be PERFECT, but I can't find any courses that are in that time slot (other than WMI courses in Kenya & Alaska). I'd prefer to keep my hitchhiking for such a thing to under 1500 miles.

Why is "hot" salsa from the store always mild? And why is there any differentiation between "mild" and "medium"??

I once met a (boring) girl that thought pesto (pesto? really?) was "too spicy." Why is the united states salsa industry based on her tastes?

When our pepper, tomato, onion, & garlic plants are going really good, there is going to be some fucking serious business salsa around here.

We just built a third raised bed out of windowframes, so it's kind of like a mini-greenhouse.



Oliver says I should be making inappropriate comments about the fact that I can see his underwear in this photo, but I'm not coming up with much because his underwear are BORING. They should have sharks on them. Maybe I will buy him ridiculous underwear just so that I can giggle at them.

( two more )

We just had a chocolate fight in the kitchen.

I have a passport, and it says I'm an F. I win.

I woke up and found myself in my late twenties. Mondays are always kind of weird.

I biked around a lot today and it felt really good. I'm not sick anymore. Oliver called an emergency plant mobilization in which we both ran a few blocks to a church that had just put up a a craigslist ad saying they had free plant starts. We got a lot of squash and other things.

I'm not writing much because I want to get off the computer, but here are pictures!

( nom nom nom )

I have swine flu.

Here is an announcement for the training that I'm gonna be helping teach:

Tell your friends! Tell your affinity group! Make it a date!

We are excited to announce we're having another 20 hour street medic training on May 22-24th!
Come learn about:
- the why’s, what’s, & how’s of street medicking
- basic first aid skills
- starting your herbal first aid
- chemical weapons + police violence
- preparedness + aftercare
- 20 hours of instruction, scenarios, & fun!

*Training times will be 5-9pm on the 22nd and 9am-6pm the 23rd and 24th. Location TBA.

* We request a small deposit ($10) + a sliding scale donation ($0-1,000, suggested $10) to ensure attendance & cover costs. We aim to make our trainings accessible to all so just check in with us about trades or other options.

*If you are already trained & want to refresh your skills for free or VOLUNTEER as a scenario patient please get in touch! We always enjoy having already trained street medics around as part of the learning process and to build a medic community!


Please keep an eye on our WEBSITE (!) www.rosehipmedics.org for further announcements about trainings, potlucks, community practice scenario and news about our group.

It's strange to feel like one of the smartest people in the room in all my classes. They're all memorization-intensive, and I'm good at that, plus I pick up language fast.

On the other hand, if I'm in a humanities-type class (such as women's studies) I always feel like a clueless dingbat who's several years behind on her reading.