Welcome to Gaia! ::

@JK: Haha, well I think the plot killed a lot of characters. XD I do notice that, the multiple guys into a girl being uninteresting, but multiple girls being into a guy often working. Maybe it's just our natural aversion to Mary-Sues, and a girl with multiple male love interests just seems to Mary-Sueish in that regard. XD Though there are some of those scenarios I like, like different guys being into the main character in Card Captor Sakura. They all seemed to still have characterizations in that series, and each character didn't always revolve around Sakura.

Dawww.

Dude, I'm so jealous with how late you started the school semester, yet you get out the same time I do! Does England have shorter semesters than the US? XP Or is it just graduate school?

That sucks. And I wanna stay in AZ, but I might have to move if I can't find a job here...

@Morgey: Ahahahaha, I backed my assessment up? I sooo don't remember doing that. XD;;;

...come to think of it, Anzu is probably one of the very few characters who's dad hugged her enough. I mean... just look at Yuugi. And Kaiba. And Jounouchi. And Malik. Daddy issues all around!!

I think the reason Anzu gets so much hate is probably because shes not terrible. She's too good, and if you haven't noticed, the Yuugiou fandom tends to love its villains and anti-heroes.

I can see it now, you and JK meeting for the first time, running up to each other, "Moooorgey, nice to meet you!! I'm not used to this weather!"

@Morgey - When is your dissertation due?

Haha, well AngSoc seems scary. I only officially joined UMS because you had to for Wind Band and I think I'll eventually officially join Metal Soc. I'll probably just keep gate crashing Rock Soc though, most of their events get combined in with Rock Soc anyhow, and most of the people I'm getting close to are more along the lines of being allied with Metal than Rock. I'm friends with two people on the committee for Metal. I'd have crashed Anime Soc with my friend Lou but it's at the same time as Wind Band rehearsal, in fact rehearsal is smack in the middle so it'd be really inconvenient. However Wind Band ends for the term after next Monday (we have conductor auditions left and that's it until January) so I might go to a day or two of that depending on how busy I am getting ready for assessments in December. I am going to Kita Con in April though, which reminds me I really should pay for that soon, I think my 45 days of being allowed pending status are about to run out.

I am still trekking about. Being from California most of my stuff is not winter. My heavy coat I only own because it was useful for a Dib costume. Thank you Dib! Haha, I've worn it more in the past 2 and a half months I've been here then probably in the entire 3 years I've owned it.

Yay working!

You did answer me quite adequately, haha. Ok let me survive this weekend and I'll get back to you after class/band Monday night. I have to dash off to my concert soon and I saved the ENTIRETY of my homework for the weekend (which is quite a lot at the MA level, though luckily this is the least amount I've had all term) for tomorrow, and whatever I can do around the concert and rehearsals today. All my classes are Monday if I never stated. However last week one was rescheduled for Wed and that completely threw me off track. I took extra time therefore with last weeks prep and it killed this week. The fact that I'm not interested in anything I'm reading for next week in relation to assessment or dissertation isn't helping either.

Anyhow long ramble aside I'll message you when I'm less FREAKING OUT and then you can meet calm, rational not insane Gail. She's a rarity I must admit, but she makes a better first impression. xd

@Kits - Oh plot, you evil b*****d you, haha. And yea, I think the Mary Sueism is definitely why that happens. I mean OHC I at least think she doesn't become a Mary Sue (Fruba definitely does in many ways), but the majority of the guys become monopolized around her and since they obviously can't all have her it's a lot of sad angst, and not the type I like. It definitely helps if characterizations still exist outside of the girl, or if there are even more girls around. I mean the Anzu triangle while not something I'm into doesn't bother me, and probably because there are still other things, people, and women going on around them. I even kind of like OtogixShizukaxHonda (even though I really only like one of those characters) because you kind of actually get a lot more characterization about of Otogi and Honda for it.

No term time is definitely shorter here. Plus it's usually 3 years not 4 for BA (4 is if they go abroad, or they do an additional sort of one year taught MA on top of it). They have a much more extensive finals period in the spring rather than each term. So that can be good and bad, depends on how long your memory is and how deep of a study session you like to get into.

Hopefully you can find a job, if not you could check CA, I would recommend it, haha. It's not as warm as you are used to but it's better than say New York and many of the other locations that might better utilize your degree talents - if that's specifically where you decide to stay in. I prefer NorCal and I think mentality wise you would too, however SoCal might have the same amount of opportunities and would be a lot warmer/dryer. MidCal is a barren wasteland of Fresno and the like that neither the northern (Santa Cruz/Monteray to the Bay Area and upwards) or southern (Santa Barbara and downwards) areas particularly want to claim. The hottest CA ever gets is there, however you would not want to live there, nor would you find a better job market anyhow.

Butting in on the comment to Morgey, Yuugiou kind of thrives and exists purely surrounding it's villains and anti-heroes so you can't really blame the fandom.

@Morgey - I like the YGO daddy meeting idea. Maybe Little Kuriboh should hop on that one.

@Both - I envision it more like this:

*me standing around, no idea what Morgey looks like, don't exactly know where I am in this meeting place we selected*
*Morgey standing somewhere else, because JK COMPLETELY went to the wrong area*
*an hour later*
JK + Morgey, *once finally figuring it all out*: WHERE WERE YOU? UGH THIS IS TOO MUCH WORK!
*both of us too lazy to like storm off annoyed, sit down and talk about the weather for like two hours*

Yikes, good luck. How long does it have to be? Mine isn't due until the beginning of October but we won't really get into topics for them until spring and it has to be 12,000 words. By far the longest critical paper I've ever had to write. I've only ever written fiction and letters that long up until now.

Hahaha, well now you do! Very inconvenient for me but if you are ever bored it's Mondays 6pm - 11pm (something like that) and it's held somewhere in the guild. I could find out if you want to know, it's above Joe's somewhere. Mainly they just watch animes. I think last week they hooked up with Film Soc instead of their normal meet because they were showing Spirited Away. I only know because my friend Lou is in it, same reason I know about Kita Con.

Kita Con: http://www.kitacon.org/home

Is an anime convention here in Birmingham. I think this is the 3rd year? I'm not sure, but my friend Lou is going so I decided I'd go, even if I'll be wandering around alone a lot probably, because she's going to do lots of cosplay things and I just don't have time for that and don't already have any cosplays assembled the way she does.

*huggles Dib*

I only have two classes that meet and they are both on Monday (there is also a skills class that is primarily online with two in face workshops and 4 optional office hours). The MA is pretty autonomous but that's rather stressful I think. Deciding so much of what to read and prepare are your own and then making time to do it when it feels like you have so much "free time." Today was killer because I had an informal group presentation in my 2pm class that we put together at 1 after my 11-1pm class. 5 hours straight, BRAIN EXPLODE! At least band (last rehearsal of term) ended about 40 minutes early today. Almost nobody came but that was ok, I get my vote in on conductor for next term at least.

Haha, actually what do I know? I warn boring Lindsey that if she can't think of things today Gail might not shut up. You see how she rambles in type? She can do that in speak too. You can just hit me or something if I get annoying.

Haha, I think there is an evil council video up that I've yet to see, maybe I'll get to it tomorrow.

Haha, actually you were in the wrong place in my scenario too it's just damnit you didn't care you assumed you were right and I was too busy being confused American to question it. ^_~

I don't know if I've asked this, are you from Brum or do you just come here for school? And if it's just school where do you hail from and will you be heading back their for the Christmas time?

Ahh it's Midnight! Ok must shower quickly and then pass out so I can be UBER productive tomorrow, UBER! Before my crazy American friends get here. They leave for Scotland at 9pm and won't be back here until Sunday but still, must get SO much stuff done, and all my profs have office hours on Tuesday and ahh *brain explodes*. Mkay, more rambles and planning and whatever later. When it's not midnight.

Doing the research is DEFINITELY the hard part. I miss my analytical BS (versus critical analysis - i.e. research heavy) so much. xd

I have no idea what I get to do with the dissertation. We are working on "research skills" this term and next term we take a course on dissertation, so I guess I'll find out all guidelines and expectations then. Right now trying to survive this term.

It definitely takes a lot of effort, and I haven't watched any since I've been here. It's also hard when there are series I just don't like in English. I need to be able to multitask and needing to follow subtitles just doesn't allow that. I don't think any of the series they are watching now are particularly things I'd want to see, I don't think I would dislike them they just are nothing I'm chasing.

I hope it's fun...still need to pay...the con isn't full yet (it's only at around 450 or something last time I checked, of an 800 cap), so I feel that if I let my days run out I can just submit again on a new place. Although I'm pretty committed to going so I might as well pay.

HA! I just wrote on my friends wall how every time I'm not working - like now - I worry that I'll regret it later. There are things I like about never having a "done" and not having a great deal of specific requirements, it's just majorly stressful.

I KNOW! Actually I was way behind for awhile, I think right now there is only one episode I haven't seen. And it's an evil council not an episode so I don't feel tooooooo bad. Just been sooo busy. Really should read one more essay before Rock Soc tonight...guess I'll do that as soon as I get off here.

Yea I'm used to CA where every thing is just really spread out, it's just there almost everyone drives so while the fact that we have fail mass transit sucks, convenience of travel isn't too hard. I usually walk to city centre. However I'm cheap and consider anything I can get to in less than two hours walking distance. Lack of free time though does curb the amount of time I spend in the centre if I don't have time to walk though. Usually I only take the train when I'm going with someone else, because I won't make them walk. I've never taken the train alone.

Hope you had a good Tuesday as well!

@Kits - Well I did already have a portion of the costume because I already had the t-shirt, and I had jeans that would work. So really I was kind of the same way it's just the opposite accessory needed.

I'm behind on OHC, part of why I stopped reading, in addition to busy, is it was kind of depressing. I mean she did come between Hikaru and Kaoru for awhile, not intentionally, which made me so sad, and it left a rift that was never quite the same after which made me even sadder. So not all the guys are into her but a lot of the guys revolve around her, because she's not a Mary Sue and because other stuff does go on I don't hate it as much. I just don't really like a lot of aspects of the guys that are into her because it creates all these divides in their friendship, and damn I'm going to sound like Anzu but their friendships were super special awesome and it's hard to watch them falter. However again I only got to like volume 14? I dunno, I read it by chapters so I'm not sure where it's cut up, could be further, but where I stopped (because of time, not because I would have otherwise, it's just now stopped it's hard to get back in, particularly as I'm not entirely sure where I left off) it's still a lot more angsty than I perhaps wanted out of the series. I think that's why I still like the anime better, I got into it because it was light and fluffy and the anime stayed light and fluffy and didn't get too heart wrenching on me. I like heart wrenching sometimes, most times, I just didn't want it this time. It's much better than most series that do it though, again because of the lack of Mary Sue and even when they are all torn up they do still have other stuff going on. They do realize that they can go on with their lives, broken heart and all. :'(

Their degrees are much more focused entirely on what they want to do, and there are some bits I don't quite understand. However general ed doesn't seem to encompass as much if anything, and I don't know of anyone with a minor concentration. Plus they have to write dissertations. So what they lack in class time they make up for in much more intensive individualized work. You think you'd kill yourself writing a 12,000 word essay for your undergrad? Then perhaps you should enjoy the system you have, haha. At least for me I'd have to deal with that kind of workload at the MA level here or in the states, it's just in the states it would be spread out over two years. I'd have more free time and a much slower less OMG GUNNA DIE pace, but it'd also cost more and I want to get into my doctorate asap - but I also want time off after my MA because this is intense, haha. Plus I want to put a solid research proposal together and not just whip anything up.

Yea and apparently in CA AND in Arizona you can marry your first cousin but not a same sex partner:

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/graphic-states-that-allow-same-sex-marriage-vs-states-that-allow-marriage-between-first-cousins/news/2009/12/26/6464

My friend put that up on FB yesterday, tis interesting. To be fair, most places that allow gay marriage ALSO allow you to marry your first cousin. So maybe first it's the cousin, then they can think about same sex partners. *is shot* Fail America.

Gotta love awkward first meetings.

I think 2000 words is the most I've ever had to write so these 4000 word ones will be a feat, but if i get through three of them I think I'll be ok with the dissertation. I mean it just means pulling in more sources than I'm used to using. Research is what is daunting me, not writing.

Yay accomplishment!

Haha, yea, that would be a funny thing to have posted to my actual walls. Plus I'm in a hall so I'd have to be like nooooo, the room that isn't mine! Although 11 Pritchatts is going under construction in July so maybe it doesn't matter.

I am much better at not getting lost on foot, I'm a terrible navigator in a vehicle, it's moving too fast and I can't get my bearings.

At the moment I'd rather write one 12,000 word than three 4,000. Doing THREE separate batches of research is going to be murder. MURDER!!!

Ok I think I'm going to go and try to catch up TAS now, as soon as I finish Act II of The Devil's Disciple. This play is actually wonderful, I love the immoral protagonist so! *glomps*

Haha, yes, I adore the anime and in that the Haruhi-centric world is fine because she's not a Mary Sue and the guys do have other things going on and don't get very heavily invested. The manga does get much heavier, you see much more serious bids (or serious heartbreaks) in terms of the guys who want Haruhi and it definitely strains some of my favorite relationships. Either in case of a jealousy of the other, or in one character kind of going insane and wandering wayward. I do like it, it just got heavy, and that wasn't what I wanted. I'll get back to it eventually but not now. I still think that's going to be the one series where I will probably always like the anime better. That and YGO. Though for different reasons.

I'm sure Art has some sort of thesis project, I couldn't tell you how much writing it involved. Morgey could probably give you a better overlay of the differences in undergrad programs better than I can.

I love writing, but research, it's not so much the research that I hate as the annoyance with being unable to find what I want or need.

I have to multitask, I would never get all the things I want to get done completed if I didn't.

The Bay Area isn't much of a grid but Davis and Woodland were. I think larger cities still aren't very grid like, SF is a nightmare. However I just learn my way around and it's fine. Actually one of the things that's easier here is I can walk along the train and follow that to where I'm going.

I have a friend who is an AMAZING navigator, she blows my mind. I am just an amazing wanderer, even in a car I can figure it out eventually it's just in that case I'm concerned about wasting the gas and further contributing to global warming because I'm lost. ^_~

Exactly, I'm hoping the manga will eventually shift back and conclude like the anime. Not in terms of events of course, because they've long since passed that mark (and took it in a completely different direction). Just in terms of the feel of the anime. I think that was a good feel for the end of that series, and I'd really enjoy it if the manga did the same.

What if the giant project required you to also write a fair sized paper on the relevant research and etc etc that went into your project? Heh, actually I was curious so I tried to look up undergraduate art but UB only has History of Art (as far as I can tell) so I'd have to start scoping out another university if I wanted some insight there. I don't think you could study in the UK without getting out of writing some sort of dissertation.

Haha, it wasn't an accusation, it was a statement of fact for myself. I didn't say I could multitask everything. I'm fully aware my brain has to be engaged in what it's doing. But first your brain is made up of different parts and tapped upon in different ways. So while I can't sing an opera and read a book at the same time, I can eat a sandwich and read. To what I know to be true about myself, I can't talk and read at the same time, I can however listen and read. I particularly can listen and study something I've already studied. My friend would be so annoyed (yet it was useful to her so she didn't complain - much) when it came time to study for our history final in a class I spent a good portion of my time reviewing my Greek. Yet I had the information that she had taken as notes for us down, and then some, almost verbatim. Now the article makes a note about long term memory, and that's probably true. Anything I feel I need to really drink in and retain I'll read more than once, and I'll focus my energies entirely upon that. However there is a plethora of information thrown at you in school, nobody expects you to retain it long term. Multitasking these assignments to know the information for the brief period of time in which you need it can be advantageous. I mean my goal was to get As, and I got As, so obviously it was working out for me. Sometimes I'll just have two things up at once, I'll have a book and some sort of internet activity. During loading time or if the internet activity clearly won't need my attention for awhile I can focus on the book, when I hear something relevant in say an online presentation I can put the book down and focus in. I mean the article can't tell me it's impossible, I've done it, and I refuse to believe I'm special, so I'm sure I'm not the only one.

So multitasking isn't about it being less productive, it's about knowing how YOU as an individual can multitask, what our your talents, and what do you need to get done in what quantities. Some people just can't do it, and it would be unproductive for them. Others can definitely get multitasking to work to a purpose for them. I think one reason multitasking works so well for me is because I have a propensity to daydream, and that distracts me from everything. However the more activities I'm engaged in, the more focused I keep my brain on "reality," the less likely I am to wander off and the more I retain of everything around me. Could I do better if I could focus 100% on one thing for long periods of time? Possibly. However there is no way I could do that, and I don't have the necessary free time for short periods of time. So I have to multitask, because it's the only way to keep my fantasy life from trumping my academic life. xd

I can go either way, a grid isn't as interesting to walk around. And with driving if something is less predictable than a grid, once I've learned it I'll memorize it faster. Landmarks and what not that aren't individualized in a grid. So grids have their use, but I can't say I have an particular affection for them, just because I don't need them. They aren't how I think.