Graveyard of the Mind

10:45pm: Obligatory Welcome Message
So you found my LJ. Welcome, and nice to see you. Just for the record (and so you don't have to slog through my profile to find out the house rules), here are my policies for interacting with me on my journal. Note that as I feel the need to, I might tweak these rules slightly, but for the most part, they'll remain constant.

Enough rambling outta me, here are my LJ House Rules:

1) Don't be an asshole/drama llama/whatever. If you can't comment nicely to me, keep it to yourself. I deal with this sort of shit enough with my parents IRL, I don't need it from anyone on here. (It's also part of why I no longer allow anonymous comments to my journal entries; I've found it allows cowards to make whatever smart-ass remarks they wish while remaining anonymous.)

2) If you must disagree, do so nicely. I don't mind discussing and debating my opinions. Hell, I'm fine with agreeing to disagree, so long as I don't get flamed for holding a contrasting opinion from yours. You want to flame? Again, keep it yourself.

3) Remember that I'm human. I have my moments. I laugh, I cry, I get really f^$%&ng steamed. Remember all that, don't take me 115% seriously, and just give me a hug if it seems I need one. I also make some human (and sometimes very idiotic) mistakes, try not to hold 'em against me, please?

4) Yes, I'm actually a pretty private person. LJ aside, I am rather private about myself at times. Blame the shit my folks heap on me on a semi-regular basis for that one. I won't always share every itty-bitty detail of my life on here; I'm just not fascinating enough for that.

5) Feel free to smack me with my own "rules stick" if I break any of my own rules. 'Nuff said.

6) No 133t5p34k. It's one thing if you use it as a joke, but if that's your regular way of communicating online, then all bets are off.

I may make changes to this list (adding, clarifying, etc) as I see it needs it. I probably won't make my LJ Friends Only, mainly because I do know folks without a LJ who like to read mine.

In closing, don't be a jerk on here, and I'll be a happy girl. Till laters, y'all!

~miz

10:27pm: George Carlin dies at age 71

R.I.P. George Carlin.

I wasn't really a huge fan, but he did have routines that I found funny.

Damn, that ain't cool. I'm sure he had a lot more comedy to do.

7:20pm: Reasons today was a good today, in spite of the heat
I had one of my CCE meetings today. Here's why the day was so good:

1) Found out the newest department will be the Operating Room at Palomar Medical Center. Seeing as how I've sat in on a (relatively minor) surgery, I think it would be fascinating to do a rotation working in the O.R. The only requirements are it being your first choice in department selection (which it was for me) and 150 minimum hours in the program thus far. Which segues into my next good thing.

2) You need 240 hours minimum after a year to graduate the program. I have 290 hours as of the end of May, with the current rotation and one more to go before it's a year for me. Whether or not this is indicative of my lacking a life, I have no idea.

3) Furthermore, I had 118+ hours in my last rotation. I had the second-highest number of hours after someone from Pomerado's Med/Surg department who had 190+ hours.

4) Adding on to that, because I was the CCE present at the meeting who had the highest number of hours, I earned a nice little prize. A $50 Target giftcard. A happy girl am I. :D

Tomorrow's a full day for this girl. I have a meeting with the Parker Foundation (who awarded the grant to allow the program to be established in the first place), followed by playing tour guide to a bunch of middle and high-school students who will be touring Palomar Medical Center. What fun, what fun.

11:15am: The Gamer chick gets on her soapbox...
Yes, I was looking forward to upgrading my computer and buying ME.

WAS.

Why am I not anymore? Easy. The SecuROM DRM that's included with the game. Along with limiting your installs to 3 total (WTF? What are we, paying $50+ to rent games now?), SecuROM has the sinister ability to really trash your computer. I've seen stories of people whose CD/DVD drives no longer work, whose antivirus programs and firewalls are taken down, whose entire systems become unstable...the list goes on and on.

What makes it worse is the appalling attitude the game companies have in regards to it. Legitimate discussions of SecuROM in the games is shunted to the OT forums of the game sites, and any statements made by the companies are condescending non-explanations.

But I won't continue silently fuming any more.

Not only am I permanently swearing off purchasing any games made by companies that use SecuROM, I have also complained about Electronic Arts to my state's AG (might be spitting in the wind, but who knows?), and I've created an anti-SecuROM community.

Please welcome saynotosecurom

It's currently a small community, but as more people get involved, learn what's going on, and join, I hope to really see it grow. I also hope to work with Simmers Against Securom to make sure there's adequate info in the community.

Phew. Soapbox rant over.

8:32pm: I figure it's about time...
I s'pose I should say how the trip went.

Overall, it was a lot of fun! A few snafus aside, of course...

The Bad (to get it out of the way):

~The Indiana Jones ride was down. All day. And likely into today. Whoever messed up that ride did so quite handily for a while.

~Pirates of the Caribbean broke down at about 9:40 or so in the morning. With the four of us on it. We sat on the ride for about 45 minutes before they were finally able to evacuate us out. Still, we did get two express passes good on any rides in the park. Good show, Disneyland people. Good show.

~Keith got upset because his outfit looked too much like the Indiana Jones character the park now has, and he was asked by a security person to alter it somewhat. The rest of us thought he was being silly as he tried arguing; eventually it crossed handily into "Beating a Dead Horse" territory as he kept bringing it up to tell us. Sheesh.

~The Matterhorn went down for about 20 minutes, then had hellish lines once it came back up. Oy.

~I knew it even beforehand, but theme park food is way too expensive. Seriously, $9+ for a pizza and soda? WTF?

~Too many high school kids. Nothing like having some stupid high school girls screaming at every little thing in the Haunted Mansion to make you wish you had duct tape.

~The Jungle Cruise moved too fast for my camera to take many great pictures. Seriously, would it hurt to slow down a bit, guys?

The Good:

~I got to ride the redesigned Space Mountain finally. To say it rocks would be the understatement of the year. I love that ride! We used one of our express passes to bypass the line, shrinking a 40 minute wait into about 7-10 minutes. (We had to wait for the "special" car, as one of my friends is 6'10" and can't comfortably fit the normal cars.)

~I saw the Jedi Training Academy show! Got some awesome pics, too.

~I saw the Indiana Jones show. Got neat pics. Even got a good picture of Indy himself as he was preparing for the next part of the show.

~Actually, I just got great pictures, period. You can find them here.

~The entry plaza is so pretty! I took a picture of California Adventure's entrance gate, and it turned out awesome.

Now, don't let all the bad I listed make you think it was anything less than awesome. Sure, there were some snafus we wish we didn't have to deal with, but it was still an awesome trip. We kicked around possibly going again at the end of Summer, so we'll see. :)

10:51pm: So I'm back from my Disneyland adventure with my friends.

I have stories and pics to share, but right now, my need to sleep overrides any storytelling desires. Full report (with pics!) in the morning. Promise. :)

10:23pm: I may have salvaged my Disneyland trip
I remember I had asked another friend of mine at the end of this last semester if he would be interested in a Disneyland trip, and he had said he was. I checked with him again a week or so ago, and he was still interested, provided it worked with his schedule.

I just checked with him tonight. He still wants to go, and my original date of this Wednesday works great for him. He'll even see if a friend of his wants to come as well. In light of this, I'll see if the friend who backed out now wants to go, seeing as how this isn't strictly him and me, but a small group.

I'm staying cautiously optimistic here, 'cause I know things can still change between now and Wednesday. Still, this is a great sign, and I might go by myself anyway if plans fall through. I even asked if we should splurge the extra $15 or so and get the 1 day Parkhopper passes so we can check out California Adventure. I've never been to DCA, and I've wanted to ever since it first opened.

This is going to be great!

9:35pm: ...Well, shit. I'm depressed
Yup, I feel like garbage right now. Again.

Some folks may know I was planning a Disneyland trip for this week. Well, I'm not so sure it'll be on now. See, I'd asked a friend of mine if he'd like to go with me, as such things are more fun with more people than just this girl. And initially, the guy said he really wanted to.

So what makes me feel so awful? I just talked to him a while ago, and he's done a total 180. He now says that going to Disneyland with me feels too much like a date, and it's too expensive to go there just to hang out together. Um, sorry, but I don't see it as a date. Frankly, I'm really getting sick and tired of hearing that a guy and girl who are friends can't do stuff together without it being seen as a "date". Doubly so if it's something fun like Disneyland.

So yeah. I'm more than a bit ticked. I'm not sure if I still want to go now, since I'd more likely than not be going by myself. What irks me even more is the guy kept saying he was hoping he didn't sound too much like an asshole; never mind that I'm generally too polite to say such.

So disappointed really doesn't define the feeling right now. Shit, why do I bother even hoping for anything good anymore?

2:33pm: Old country favorite
Enjoy!

( video back here )

9:41am: So I don't forget...
Happy birthday zk273!

6:08pm: AMV contest submission
So I entered my first AMV contest with my Tekkaman Blade AMV. I submitted it to Otakon's AMV contest, and just received confirmation that all systems are go with it. I was told that those of us who entered will know who the finalists are after the 18th of July, and even if my little vid doesn't make it into the finals, there's a good chance it'll be used in the overflow footage they play at the con.

So if anyone on my friends list is going to Otakon, be sure to keep an eye out for my AMV! :D

3:40pm: I guess I can share these with y'all.
Here are the latest two AMVs that I've made. Sorry I didn't mention them in here sooner, too much on my mind.

( Cut for size )

Enjoy!

11:37am: Any of my California friends interested in a Disneyland trip?
So I just finished my semester, effective today. I'm starting to garner interest in my friends in a possible trip to Disneyland in the next couple weeks. Interested? Let me know so I can know if planning a get-together with folks would be worth it. :)

10:46pm: A journal change for fanfic...
With my Mega Man X fanfic, I'm seriously considering either exclusively posting chapters to huntress_trysta or crosspoting them between the two journals. I'm wondering if this journal isn't too cluttered and personal to keep sticking fics into, so shunting the MMX chapters off into that journal would alleviate some of the clutter. Plus, with the amount of time between chapter updates, it gets really hard to find all my chapters in here. I figure tagging them and adding them to the other journal's Memories by Arc name would make it much easier to find them.

I think for now I'll stick with crossposting between this journal and that one. If it starts getting too unwieldy, I'll switch to exclusively posting my MMX fare there.

8:10am: So, it's my 26th birthday today.

I think I'll go see Iron Man.

Happy Birthday to me. :)

6:20pm: I made my first AMV!
So I've been kicking around the idea of making a Sailor Moon AMV for some time now. And I finally did it! It took the better part of forever to get the clips I needed and edit them as I wanted, but the actual movie creation process was a snap!

It's set to Amy Grant's song How Can We See That Far, which is woefully underrepresented for how great of a song it is. Even though there are a couple little glitches (for reasons unknown to me), I hope everyone enjoys!

( Embedded YT vid back here )

10:20pm: I've seen 25 of these 168 movies
Put "I've seen ____ of these 168 movies" in the subject line and repost. If you've seen over 85 movies, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 168 movies on this list.

Rocky Horror Picture Show
Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
Boondock Saints
Fight Club
Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
Blazing Saddles
Airplane
Braveheart

Total: 2

The Princess Bride
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Napoleon Dynamite
Labyrinth
Saw
Saw II
White Noise
White Oleander
Anger Management
50 First Dates
The Princess Diaries
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Total: 0

Scream
Scream 2
Scream 3
Scary Movie
Scary Movie 2
Scary Movie 3
Scary Movie 4
American Pie
American Pie 2
American Wedding
American Pie Band Camp

Total: 0

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
Harry Potter 4
Resident Evil
Resident Evil 2
The Wedding Singer
Little Black Book
(x) The Village
Lilo & Stitch
Finding Nemo
Finding Neverland
Signs
The Grinch
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
White Chicks
Butterfly Effect
13 Going on 30
I, Robot
(x) Robots

Total: 4

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Universal Soldier
Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
Along Came Polly
Deep Impact
KingPin
Never Been Kissed
Meet The Parents
Meet the Fockers
Eight Crazy Nights
Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG

Total: 1

A Cinderella Story
(x)The Terminal
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Passport to Paris
Dumb & Dumber
Dumber & Dumberer
Final Destination
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 3
Halloween
The Ring
The Ring 2
Surviving X-MAS
(x) Flubber

Total: 2

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x)Practical Magic
Chicago
Ghost Ship
From Hell
Hellboy
Secret Window
I Am Sam
The Whole Nine Yards

Total: 1

The Day After Tomorrow
Child's Play
Seed of Chucky
Bride of Chucky
(x)Ten Things I Hate About You
Just Married
Gothika
Nightmare on Elm Street
Sixteen Candles
Remember the Titans
Coach Carter
The Grudge
(x) The Mask
Son Of The Mask

Total: 2

(x)Bad Boys 2
Joy Ride
Lucky Number Slevin
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Twelve
Identity
Lone Star
Bedazzled
Predator
Predator II
The Fog
Ice Age
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Curious George

Total: 1

(x) Independence Day
Cujo
A Bronx Tale
Darkness Falls
Christine
(x) ET
Children of the Corn
My Boss's Daughter
(x)Maid in Manhattan
Frailty
War of the Worlds
Rush Hour
Rush Hour 2

Total: 3

My Best Friend's Wedding
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
She's All That
Calendar Girls
Sideways
Mars Attacks
Event Horizon
Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
Big Trouble in Little China
The Terminator
The Terminator 2
The Terminator 3

Total: 2

(x) X-Men
(x) X2
X-Men 3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
Sky High
Jeepers Creepers
Jeepers Creepers 2
Catch Me If You Can
The Others
Freaky Friday
Reign of Fire
The Skulls
Cruel Intentions
Cruel Intentions 2
The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2

Total: 6

Swimfan
(x)Miracle
Old School
The Notebook
K-Pax
Krippendorf's Tribe
A Walk to Remember
Ice Castles
Boogeyman
The 40-year-old-virgin

Total: 1

Grand Total: 25


I know I need to see more movies. A few of the ones on this list are on my "to eventually see" list.

(snagged from gieseppi to kill time as I convert .avs files to .avi ones.)

6:28pm: Help me help the babies!!!!11oneone
I signed up for the March of Dimes' March for Babies that will be taking place in April here in San Diego. As part of my joining the team, I really would appreciate people sponsoring me, as I am raising money to help the MoD in their research to prevent premature births and birth defects.

If you're interested in donating, here's the link to my personal page on the site:

http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?w=11002498&u=angelicsabyne

I'll also be adding a badge to my LJ profile, just to help spread the word further. If you're so inclined, would my little crusade warrant a mention on your own personal LJs? Pwease?? I'd be such a happy girl if you did.

EDIT: I went ahead and future dated this entry until a couple days before the walk. That way, as I update my LJ, it doesn't get buried under all my other posts between now and then.

2:04pm: Yesterday was fun, but good grief! Can I go back to bed for a few days? I'm so frikkin' tired I'm amazed I can remember my own name.

Anyway, yesterday was much better than Saturday was. (And a few friends confirmed that Saturday was a "meh" Faire day for them too.) The only huge downer was my friend Matt being sick from drinking the night before. So any time I saw him and could spare some water, I'd offer him some.

So the highlights for me were:

1) Having a rumor I started during Director's Notes be referred to during the course of the day. (I might even restart this rumor with a twist or two for Saturday.)

2) "Foretelling my future" by looking into the eyes of a skull-shaped codpiece on a pirate. (Long story...)

3) Finally being able to formally meet and pay regards to Lord McFionn during Faire. I always see him at a distance, so I'm never able to pay due respect. Now I have.

OK, this update's done. I gotta get back to Physiology. And maybe sleep.

9:24pm: Faire today was meh. It was fun, but nothing exciting. Still, I got to see a bunch of my friends that I don't get to see as much as I used to. Also, it was neat seeing a few new vendors (one of whom sells chocolate!). I even got to meet Lady McFionn, of the Irish guild. I've always wanted to meet either her or Lord McFionn, so that was a nice surprise for me, and I asked that she send my best to her husband (this was all in character, hence why I refer to them by their Guild names rather than their real ones, as they're actors same as us).

I hope tomorrow's more exciting. Not a bad day today, but still...

9:10am: I've got a full day
I'm helping Mom in at the office for a spell, then I'll be off to the park to help my Guild set up for Faire this weekend.

I'll be back on a bit later this afternoon. Till then! :)

4:20pm: These guys definitely still have The Right Stuff!
New Kids on the Block to Reunite

I was a huge fan of theirs way back when I was 9 and 10 years old. I still have some of their music on my iPod. I'll be waiting anxiously for their new material (and hoping they have a concert tour stop in San Diego!).

9:48pm: Rickroll!!!
So I went all of yesterday without clicking the April 1st news post.

Today, I went, "Oh, what the hell? I'll do it so I can say I looked."

I have to say, I find Rickrolling rather humorous. Even when it hits you on April 2nd. I suppose it helps that I have the song on my iPod, so I can Rickroll any time I want. :)

Seriously, people whining in the comments on the news post? Couldn't it have waited until today to start up?

11:06am: Faire Season!
The first weekend of the Spring Escondido Renaissance Faire is this weekend. I've been looking forward to this since January, when I remembered it would be coming up soon. I'll be helping with my Guild's setup on Friday, then Faire on the weekend. I really can't wait. :)

It'll be nice to see everyone and everything, not to mention it's a good change from the usual mundane crap I go through from day-to-day. It's a good breather from school, from my internship (enjoyable as it is), and just from life's drudgery. It's a little escapist fare, as it were.

8:41pm: OMG! This was almost Hospital Epic Fail!
So I had a shift today in IMCU. Story of my life recently, asides from school stuff. I was asked by one of the RNs to help him clean up a patient. I waited for a couple minutes while he administered the patient his meds, remarking that, if I had the knowledge, I would do it for him, but since I didn't, I'd leave it to him. He started asking me questions about what he was giving the patient, which I had fleeting ideas, but nothing solid. (Turned out to be a vasodilator -to help bring down blood pressure- mixed with Children's Tylenol, to treat a fever due to an infection of unknown origin. I haven't seen Children's Tylenol in ages, so I had no idea.)

So we clean up the patient, and he asks me to follow him as he goes to wash his hands. I explain that I'd seen different medications in similar packaging, and he said that that's why you go to school before you're permitted to dispense meds in a hospital setting. Then he told me the hospital I intern for,in order to try and cut costs, had looked into allowing interns and Aides (in other words, people with NO pharmacological experience/training) to pull and administer medications. It was only the Nurses' Union stepping in that put a stop to that idea. I literally went, "You've GOT to be kidding me!" And he said he wasn't.

And that seriously boggles me. I mean, yes, I'm a fairly intelligent girl who has a good grasp on medicine and medical matters. But good Gods! I don't have that kind of drug knowledge! What would happen if I screwed up a dosage and killed a patient? It's one thing if a Nurse prepares a dosage, hands me a pill cup with pills in it and says, "make sure the patient in room suchandsuch take these", it's a whole different animal to make ME responsible for all the steps, especially if I have no knowledge or training in how to do it. o.O

Seriously. Hospital Administrators can be such Epic Fail at times. Yikes.