It's getting to be that time again! That time where I procrastinate by thinking of all the pretty things that would make my life more beautiful.

• Daniel Merriam Art of Dreams 2009 Wall Calendar - I need a Wall Calendar to function and I love this one! ($13.99) I also love Divine Nature 2009 Wall Calendar ($13.99)

• Feminine Divine Notecards - I know I have plenty of stationery, but you can always add more! And, if you include some stamps, I can guarantee you'll get letters! Yay correspondence! ($14.95)

• The Secret of Roan Inish - ($9.99) I loved this movie. I want to watch it many times. Also, I want to own it so that one day my hypothetical children can watch it. The same goes for O Brother, Where Art Thou? ($6.99) and Spirited Away ($23.99)
  

• There are plenty of books I want, but from the grown-up book list, my top choice isControlling Desires: Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome ($49.95) by Kirk Ormand.

• Of course, I'm always thrilled to get children's books, too, and this year my top choices for children's books I'd like to own are: The Room of Wonders ($12.80), Baba Yaga and Vasilia the Brave ($11.48), and In The Night Kitchen ($7.98) The latter two books are available at betterworld.com, an online bookstore that is a social venture supporting world literacy programs! Always a plus!

• A really huge gift for both Guille and me would be to go on ebay or craigslist and buy us a stationary bike. I'm envisioning biking away as I read Foucault until my eyeballs fall out. That's way better than having my eyeballs fall out while I'm sitting on the couch. Just don't ask where we'd put it in the house! Guille said he saw a good one for about $200. I have no idea.

• More practically, you could give me an Amazon.com gift certificate so that I could afford to buy all of next semester's books at the beginning of the semester instead of having to space it out. Or, even more practically, you could offer to give me a homemade coupon for one or two of those books, and I'd hit you up for them once I know what they are.

If you're one of those people who actually wants to buy me a gift, then you ought to check back here cuz I might update things.

 01. Answer each of the questions below the cut using the [Flickr] search engine.
02. Choose a photo from the first three pages.
03. Copy the URL of your favorite photos [here].
04. Then share with the world.


01. First Name: Samantha. First choice was a bald eagle, but I thought the mommy fit me better. In my imagination, anyway.

02. Favorite Food: Spinach. At least tonight.

03. Hometown: Silver Spring, MD

04. Favorite Color: Purple

05. Celebrity Crush: Angelina Jolie. We've come a long way from bra-less wifebeaters, cigarettes, and whiskey.

06. Favorite Drink: Incredible Hulk - that's Hennessey and Hypnotic

07. Dream Holiday: Casa del Suizo in Misahualli, on the Rio Napo on the edge of the Amazon in Ecuador.

08. Favorite Dessert: Neapolitan Dynamite is sadly discontinued.

09. What I Want To Be When I Grow Up: An anthro professor.

10. What I Love Most In The World: listening? 

11. One Word That Describes Me: hyper?

12. My LiveJournal Name: ailiathena but they didn't have any images for that, so I just went with athena

Wow. That mosaic is actually a pretty damn accurate depiction of my weirdo self. Cool!

Now back to castigating myself for not having accomplished enough work tonight. Omg, I'm going to hyperventilate.

1. Where is your mobile phone? bedside
2. Your significant other? computer
3. Your hair? unkempt
4. Your mother? videotaping
5. Your father? baseballing
6. Your favorite thing? Nikos
7. Your dream last night? parallel
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? tenurekids
10. The room you're in? bedroom
11. Your ex? none
12. Your fear? ingratitude
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? teaching
14. Where were you last night? dreaming
15. What you're not? patient
16. Muffins? blueberry
17. One of your wish list items? art
18. Where you grew up? maryland
19. The last thing you did? ice cream
20. What are you wearing? pajamas
21. Your TV? nonexistant
22. Your pets? nestling
23. Your computer? smudged
24. Your life? continues
25. Your mood? focused
26. Missing someone? never
27. Your car? smudged
28. Something you're not wearing? mink
29. Favorite Store? fetchbook.info
30. Your summer? soon
31. Like someone? yes
32. Your favorite color? bleu
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? Monday

I want to know, what are YOU reading? Post in your own place or leave me a comment!

For pleasure:
1) Maid of the North, a collection of "feminist" fairy tales
2) Tatterhood, more of the same
3) Songmaster, by Orson Scott Card - Guille and I are reading this out loud to each other before bed.
4) Virgin: An Untouched History, a great b-day present from tatterpunk
5) Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, a young adult/kids adventure novel I read during my breaks at Borders which is delightful but not superb
6) Afro-Cuban Tales by Lydia Cabrera, a bday present from Elio.

For work/school/serious life preparation:
1) Telling To Live: Latina Feminist Testimonios (recommended by RB)
2) Alias Olympia: A Woman's Search for Manet's Notorious Model and Her Own Desire (recommended by RB)
3) Women Writing Culture, by RB
4) The Vulnerable Observer, by RB
5) (not sure if this counts as a book, but ...) Rosetta Stone's Greek in preparation for my trip

I recently enjoyed:
1) Raven's Shadow, by Patricia Briggs - standard fantasy, but I love the family!
2) Voices, by Ursula K. LeGuin - doesn't measure up to The Telling, but still very good YA
3) Ella Enchanted, omg it's really good! Should I not be so shocked?


Soon I want to start reading:
1) The Subject of Anthropology by Henrietta Moore, a well-chosen bday present from my stepdad
2) Constructing Panic: The Discourse of Agoraphocia by Capps and Ochs and recommended by NM-D
3) Raven's Strike by Patricia Briggs, probably during my breaks at Borders

I have been meaning to do this. Come Christmas time, I always mean to have kept a list somewhere of all the things I would like. Of course, since I am forgetful, I usually make like 8 lists and lose all of them. So this will be the list to end all lists!!! (As long as I remember I made it.)

( SAM'S WISHLIST: Do not enter (unless feeling generous) )

01. Reply with your name and I will write something about you.
02. I will then tell what reminds me of you.
03. If I were to apply an o'clock to you, it would be...
04. I will try to name a single word that best describes you.
05. I'll tell you the most memorable moment I've had with you.
06. I'll then tell you something that I've always wondered about you.
07. Put this in your journal.

"Baaaah" says Samantha.

So it's time to head home again. I'm really only writing to make a list of things I need to get together before I go.

To Do:

• get condoms from SIC
  
• pick up some food from DeCafe
  
• pack school stuff (Econ textbooks, Roman Religion textbooks, Odyssey, Homerou Odusseias, Homeric Dictionary, Conversion to Christianity, syllabi, 2 notebooks, Introducing Thealogy, sweater patter, journal)
  
• pack clothes (dirty underwear to be washed, etc.)
  
• pick up room
  
• clean the shit off Nyx's ball
  
• pack knitting
  
• get books for final paper from Mudd (?)
  
• stop procrastinating by writing lists on LJ
  

Once I'm Home

• Make eye appointment/get new contacts
  
• get bra from Frederick's of Hollywood
  
• buy more socks, and hell, more underwear, too
  
• study for Greek exam
  
• write papers
  
• write prospectus
  
• Finally write that book review I've been meaning to write for months ...
  

Upon My Return

• make doctor's appointment/GET ON BIRTH CONTROL
  
• get credit signed off by Jack Glazier and Ana Cara
  
• Hang Out With Claire

Below is a survey. Before I start, let me just say that I'm exhausted, and I have a huge amount of work to do, and I'm looking forward to Jiu Jitzu tonight. But hopefully can convince Guille to drive me.

...things which scare me.
1. being out of control
2. being unloved
3. thinking I am together when other people do not

...things which i don't understand.
1. why people assume that commiting acts of emotional violence is better than committing acts of physical violence. The two seem to me to be inextricably linked.
2. Why stupid people are always convinced they are correct. (I don't want to hear any arguments with this statement!)
3. why anyone would choose to live in Ohio. Or Kansas.

...things i'd like to learn.
1. how to speak the Quechua. Or any indigenous language.
2. Spanish, Arabic and Chinese (and I'd like to KNOW Latin, but I don't want to learn it)
3. unbelievably good Jiu Jitzu

...things i am wearing right now.
1. three day old socks (as in, I've been wearing them for three days)
2. purple flannel pajamas underneath my jeans.
3. the silver cross that my church gave me at confirmation

...things on my desk.
1. Queen Helene Cocoa Butter
2. assorted free postcards
3. Dove antiperspirant for after I shave my vagina, and Mitchum deoderant for my armpits.

...things i want to do before i die.
1. have a child and raise her well
2. be settled down
3. write a book

...illegal things i have done.
1. stolen
2. lied about my age when agreeing that I was old enough to be visiting those particular websites
3. bought alcohol before I was 21

...famous people i used to hate but now like.
1. Cristina Aguilera, who, it turns out, has a great voice, and is the kind of sexual, feminist, and socially aware person I love.
2. the Fab Five
3. Jenna Jameson

...parts of my heritage.
1. I have a little bit of Spanish prince in me (here's where Guille always nods and points to himself, but no, seriously ... on my maternal grandmother's side)
2. All Dutch from my Dad
3. Georgia dirt farmers

...things most people don't know about me
1. I am deeply religious.
2. I am deathly embarrassed by farting (specifically mine).
3. I am quite good at math.

...things I say the most.
1. Your MOM ... (I know, I know, it's RETRO, ok?)
2. Poop on you.
3. mete moi meli, mete melissa.

...places I want to go.
1. Mexico
2. El Salvador
3. Greece

...names that I go by.
1. Sam
2. Sammy
3. Sama (or Samantita) - both by people more than 4 inches shorter than me.

...questions that i usually think are dumb in surveys.
1. What's your favorite color?
2. What is approximate velocity of an African swallow carrying a coconut?
3. why did you waste time on this quiz?

Dear World,
I just wanted you to know that I have finished my essay that was due a week and a half ago. AND I've completed an outline for one of the two papers due last week. AND I've done some work on my Spanish workbook. All this after staying up until 1:00 am doing nothing. PLUS I'm not sick anymore after a very fruitful and spiritual weekend retreat with my mother and other blue-haired women. I realize I've got a long way to go, but I'm getting back on track, and because I'm not very good at staying on track by myself, I thought I would follow my friend April's trend and make a list.

Tomorrow (well, today, actually, but it counts as tomorrow because I haven't gone to bed yet):
8:00 - Wake up and take a shower.
9:00 - Assuming I didn't wake up at 8:00, wake up NOW and take a shower.
10:00 - head off to DeCafe for a blueberry bagel lightly toasted with cream cheese and a cup of tea.
11:00 - Spanish class is poopy, but one must press on.
12:00 - give Guille my OCID so he can get lunch and save his meal for dinner with me in AH House. Find a corner and give April some love.
1:30 - Off to Rafael's class. OH! I did the reading for tomorrow, too! And now I can turn in his paper. :)
3:00 - Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome rocks. Can I please borrow someone's book on Roman Sexuality, tho? It went out of stock before I could buy it, and now I don't have the money ... Please? Come on, Max - I know you've got one.
4:30 - back to the ol' grindstone. Well, actually, I should really clean my room. So maybe I can get everything in order to be washed at Guille's house.
To Be Done in the Evening:
- Finish Greek paper for which I now have an outline, tentatively titled: Shrively Balls: Old People in Old Comedy
- write outline for Sexuality paper due last week
- correct and rewrite Spanish composition - this is a priority!
- prepare Greek for Greek class; I sucked extra specially badly today, so I need to make it up.
- and in my spare time, prepare for Spanish, and finish my backwork.

Alright, that's all for now, World. Thanks for your love and support. I'm trying to stay centered and grounded, and I'll keep on keepin' on as long as you do.

~Samantha