Just a quick note to say that I added some fun crosswords for you all to do if you have some time and you're bored. Well, I found them fun to make, at any rate, so hopefully you'll enjoy doing them. :) You can find them in the right column, in a new box labelled "Diversions", above the Links. Hmm. I think I might have been channeling my French vocabulary in there, somewhere.

[edit, 8:10pm]
Okay, well I filled in the blog survey thing that Susan and Tiffany told me to do. Here it is.

Instructions:
1. Copy this whole list into your journal.
2. Bold the things that you have in common with me.
3. Whatever you don't bold, replace with things about you.

01. I try to keep my desk as clear of stuff as possible... but it rarely works! It's gotten to a point where trying is pretty much useless...
02. I usually wear size 7 shoes.
03. I don't like drinking water because it is so bland!
04. My favorite TV show of all time is still Buffy.
05. I think Johnny Depp manages to be hot, without actually trying all that much. I think Colin Farrell is really annoying when he's not in a movie, but in his movies, he doesn't bother me at all.
06. I'm obsessed with grammar and spelling. Mine might not be perfect, but it's pretty damned good.
07. I hate when people type in all caps online.
08. I clash sometimes with my parents, but hey, what are you gonna do? They're family, and they'll always be there for you when they can.
09. The semicolon is my favorite punctuation; it's just so classy.
10. I could never cut my own hair. And I don't let my mom cut it anymore; not since I was younger and she would say "Oops!" every once in a while.
11. Accents (English and Irish) make celebrities cute.
12. I wish I could just open a door in my brain, and really GET math and physics. And I wouldn't mind getting Economics, Accounting, and English, either.
13. I took French for ages, but it doesn't show.
14. For fresh breath, mints (especially Tic-Tacs) beat gum hands down any day.
15. I would like to be ambidextrous.
16. Going to Chapters, even if you're planning to buy nothing, is a perfectly acceptable outing.
17. I hate facial hair on guys. Just... ew. *stubble is okay*
18. I secretly harbor a desire to be some kind of writer.
19. I have not yet found the perfect perfume for me. And I don't really plan on actively searching.
20. Miscommunication is the worst. If I had it my way, no one would ever misinterpret the meaning of what someone else says.
21. I wear makeup pretty much daily.
22. I still long for my high-school English classes.
23. I can imagine no point lower in the life of a celebrity than participating in projects just for the sake of it, rather than for artistic merit.
24. Sugar should be banned from my diet, but that would be catastrophic.
25. My favorite season would be Spring, but I used to have bad hay fever, so my affinity is with Fall. I like the in-between seasons, I think.
26. I used to be somewhat shy as a child.
27. I'm the youngest child, and that's the way I like it.
28. I try to appear put together and normal to the general public...but I don't know why I try, I don't think it really works...
29. I have multiple e-mail accounts and actually check them all.
30. I love to go home after being downtown.
31. I think it's fun to cook, but that might be because I haven't tried making anything very complex.
30. I have one basic color of lipgloss that I use every day.
33. I procrastinate. A LOT. Like now.
34. I used to bite my nails, but not anymore.
35. I'm not big on planning social events. Once in awhile it's fun, but most of the time I prefer spur-of-the-moment things. Low-key is usually better than some big to-do, in my books.
36. I love my friends.
37. I hate it when young people smoke. They should know better.
38. I am a city girl and proud!
39. I like artists who write/compose their own music and can actually sing well LIVE (*cough*actual talent*cough*)
40. Walking is my favorite form of exercise...and I get to that every day at school.
41. I really enjoy thoughtful gifts, even if they cost nothing. Still, I'll like almost anything just because the person took the time to pick it out.
42. The British have such fabulous vocabulary: bloke, snog, wanker, nob ...etc.
43. I'm a bad, bad person who downloads music rather than buying CDs. Not all the time, though. I still usually have some reservations about burning entire albums.
44. I think love at first sight depends on who you're looking at.
45. I enjoy just being by myself sometimes. Well, a lot of the time.
46. I don't think I use my time nearly as well as I could.
47. I miss the playground.
48. Clowns frighten me.
49. I love those moving platform things at the airport.
50. I wish I was a bigger fan of homework and assignments.
51. I wouldn't be able to survive without something to write stuff down in.
52. I used to have a pretty decent memory. Now it's crap.
53. I cry in movies a lot, but it depends who I'm watching with.
54. I often suddenly feel, with 100% certainty, that I have no idea what I'm doing.
55. I'm really easy to get along with. Usually. I hope.
56. I secretly like Kelly Clarkson's and most of Christina Aguilera's music.
57. I can drive, but I still haven't driven on the highway alone.
58. I like how silver looks on me better than gold.
59. I like getting e-mails from my friends; it makes me feel special.
60. I'm pretty indifferent towards my first name, which is weird.
61. I sort of enjoyed wearing a school uniform.
62. I've had a G driving license for about a year now.
63. I can't stand the word "adult".
64. I don't have a "photo smile". I usually end up with some kind of grimace, but it's slowly getting better... :)
65. I've committed my own share of pollution crimes, but I try my hardest to remember not to do things that are harmful to the environment and all of us who live here.
66. I get distracted VERY easily. Ooo, shiny.
67. I'm glad I have contacts, even though I hardly ever wear them.
68. If it wasn't for cavities, I'd live off chocolate.
69. Arachnophobia scared me. So did The Village of the Damned, Dracula, and some old Chinese movies about vampires.
70. I'm a big fan of The Simpsons.
71. I'm not big on holding grudges; or at least, I try my best not to.
72. Most of the time, I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin, physically, emotionally and mentally.
73. As far as artistic ability goes, I like to fancy that I can draw or sketch with some degree of skill. Who knows? Maybe I would've been great if I could actually finish some of the things I started...
74. Reading is my favorite way to de-stress.
75. I'm physically incapable of just talking on the phone. I HAVE to be tracing some sort of pattern with my fingers, picking at pieces or lint, or doodling.
76. Shopping stresses me out.
77. I love reading other people's blogs/live journals/websites.
78. My computer is my baby. And I have actually referred to it as such.
79. I am liable to worry about anything that could possible be worried about.
80. If I don't stop putting things off to do later when I could do them now, I will live to regret it.
81. I love my city more than I love my country.
82. My favorite TV show as a child was Today's Special.
83. I have a very broad musical taste.
84. I slouch too much.
85. Holiday pictures should include a good balance of scenery and people pictures. But my dad doesn't like when there aren't any people in the photos.
86. I could never do a cartwheel.
87. Someday I WILL travel the world. And the seven seas, too, if I can help it.
88. Someday I WILL go on a road trip with my friends.
89. The first music video I ever saw was for "Strong Enough" by Sheryl Crow.
90. If I have enemies, I don't know about them.
91. I can't stand the sound of fingernails scraping a chalkboard
92. I don't like coffee.
93. I am pretty indecisive. I think.
94. Entertainment magazines, like Entertainment Weekly or Premiere, and fanfiction are guilty pleasures.
95. I like reading in the bathroom...the lighting is good, and no one's gonna come in and interrupt.
96. I'm a lazy ass. I really am.
97. I like to think that I'm a very crafty and creative person...but really, I don't have the attention span.
98. I like hugs better than kisses.
99. I have something else I should be doing right now.
100. Mystique from X-Men has a cool superpower, but I doubt that's the superpower I would choose if I could have one.

[/edit]

Just wanted to post something before I go to bed.

I was watching Super Millionaire with my mom earlier (I gave myself a little bit of a break today after the tests I've written this week). And I know it's different to actually be on the show and trying to think of the right answers, but sitting at home, I couldn't understand why people would need to use lifelines for certain questions. For instance, I was gesturing confusedly at the TV screen when the question was, "In a standard poker game, which of these hands is the best: full house, four of a kind, straight flush, or two pairs?" Now, even if I hadn't taken Finite or a few Stats courses here and there, I would know the answer to that. :) Anyway, the guy polled the audience on that one (and a certain percentage actually said "two pairs" was the answer...)... And the next one that I got excited about was, "In the line 'Wherefore art thou Romeo?', what does 'wherefore' mean?" Hehe.

Oooh! Also, there was another question: "If someone is a megalomaniac, what kind of problem does this person have?" And before the answers showed up, I said "Delusions of grandeur", and sure enough, that exact answer came up. Hehe. I'm sooo smart. (Delusions of grandeur, anyone?) And the last question that I really liked was, "The 2003 movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean' is subtitled with 'The Curse of the' what?" Now that's my kind of question, lol. Thankfully, no one needed to use a lifeline for that one...

In other news, the SAG Awards were on Sunday, and I was rooting for specific winners in two categories: Best Ensemble Movie Cast (LOTR) and Best Actor (Johnny Depp). My people won in both categories! Whoo! And apparently the Best Actor result was the only surprise of the ceremony...good on ya, Johnny! (Right, addressing the guy as if he'd actually be reading this....though, that'd be pretty scary if he did. Hmm.)

Here's what Joss Whedon had to say about the end of Angel after he found out about it:

---

joss says:
(Sat Feb 14 22:31:16 2004)

Some of you may have heard the hilarious news. I thought this would be a good time to weigh in. to answer some obvious questions: No, we had no idea this was coming. Yes, we will finish out the season. No, I don't think the WB is doing the right thing. Yes, I'm grateful they did it early enough for my people to find other jobs.

Yes, my heart is breaking.

When Buffy ended, I was tapped out and ready to send it off. When Firefly got the axe, I went into a state of denial so huge it may very well cause a movie. But Angel... we really were starting to feel like we were on top, hitting our stride -- and then we strode right into the Pit of Snakes 'n' Lava. I'm so into these characters, these actors, the situations we're building... you wanna know how I feel? Watch the first act of "The Body."

As far as TV movies or whatever, I'm not thinking that far ahead. I actually hope my actors and writers are all too busy. We always planned this season finale to be a great capper to the season and the show in general. (And a great platform for a new season, of course.) We'll proceed ahead as planned.

I've never made mainstream TV very well. I like surprises, and TV isn't about surprises, unless the surprise is who gets voted off of something. I've been lucky to sneak this strange, strange show over the airwaves for as long as I have. I don't FEEL lucky, but I understand that I am.

Thanks all for your support, your community, and your perfectly sane devotion. It's meant a lot. I regret nothing (except the string of grisley murders in the 80's -- what was THAT all about?) Remember the words of the poet:

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the road less traveled by and they CANCELLED MY FRIKKIN' SHOW. I totally shoulda took the road that had all those people on it. Damn."

See you soon.

-j.

---

That is a funny man. I've had my complaints and issues about the guy over the years, but how could you not love him? ;)

According to SpoilerSlayer.com, I shouldn't count out possible future spin-offs or Buffy-related projects. So maybe it isn't the end of the Buffyverse after all?

Nooooooooooo!!!! Oh my God! Angel's been cancelled! This is the last season! It was just announced today! Auuughg!

I mean, I've had some doubts as to the quality of this fifth season and the previous one, but...Angel is all I had left! Through the good and bad...I'm really sad about this. The rational thoughts on the matter will come later. This isn't only the last of my four favorite shows to even still be on air, but it's also the last of the Buffyverse that's still around. Oh God. Oh God. The show still has so much potential...you know, if the show's staff wasn't on some kind of poor-quality crack. But I can see a lot of directions it could take from here (and hell, probably a lot of directions it could have taken before, and then we wouldn't be having this one-way discussion in the first place, would we?) and none of that will ever happen now. The only hope now is that it (and that's a big "it"...it's the veritable end of the entire Buffyverse here. Yee gads.) all ends with some sense of closure, or at least some sense of satisfaction and a picture of what all the characters will be doing in the future. Ohhh man. Oh man. Ohh.

[edit] I also just remembered that, at the end of this television season, I will officially have a website about nothing. Don't know what to do with that. There wouldn't be anything to update about, and yet I'm loath to just close the site down or something, after so long....*big sigh* [/edit]

---

On the plus side, and completely unrelated to the panicked paragraph above, Andrea bought me the 3-CD pack of the soundtrack for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Whoooo! :) I'm so excited. It comes with 18 "trading cards", too, which turns out to refer to all the different album cover pictures from each soundtrack. Yay! It's nice to actually own the albums. And listen to the music legally for a change. :) If you're reading this, Andrea, thanks again!

---

Alllright. Now that I've got all that out of my system (for now), back to studying. Oh fun fun fun. Later, y'all.

Long Live Buffy

Just a quick note to say that I added a link (on the left) to my playlist of mp3s, for anyone who's actually interested to know what plays while I'm on my computer trying/pretending to do work. :) Every mp3 I have is in that list -- everything except the dialogue mp3s, that is. My collection's sometimes predictable, sometimes silly, sometimes full of soundtrack music, sometimes completely random, and hopefully a little surprising here and there, so that it's not the most boring list ever? Heh.

Question:
What are Hückel's rules for aromaticity and antiaromaticity, and how do they apply to the stabilization of the cyclopropene cation?
Well. I would answer this, except I'm not sure who Hückel is or why he has rules for the cities Aromati and Antiaromati. Where are these places, and do they have a lot of unstable cyclopropene cations?

p.s., Oh, we're apparently going to Niagara Falls today, to do God knows what. *shrugs* It'd be fine, but I think I might have more to study in this week than I think I do... Scratch that, we didn't go.

*sighs* I knew that whole "Say! Angel's actually kind of good right now" thing wouldn't last. Next week's episode just sounds...utterly ridiculous. Oh my God. Maybe it won't be as stupid as it sounds? Here's hoping. I mean, seriously.

Gotta try to go to sleep early (like, you know, before 1:00 am sometime) 'cause I have to get up around 6-ish to get to my 8am test early/on time. Bugger. Speaking of which, I'm gonna go back to studying now...

p.s. - I thought I saw Santa Claus on the subway today. He doesn't seem nearly as cheery now that he's on his time off. Hmm. Anyway, if you were curious, Santa got out at Dundas West station. Hehe. :)

The 100th episode of Angel was on yesterday, and -- dare I say it? -- I think the episode was...good. Gasp. The episodes so far this season have ranged from decent to mildly amusing, at least, but I think this one might actually be called good, and entertaining, and closure-giving (sorta) on some things. And, at any rate, anything this season has been better than anything from last season. I've pretty much blocked last season out of my head and denied that it happened at all...

Cordelia was back in this episode, for this last time and never again. And she was actually Cordelia again -- not possessed, highly annoying, very blonde, or otherwise uggh. Didn't do anything cringe-worthy or "Oh God, can I please go blind before having to see that again"-y. Yay!

It still seems to me though...that a hell of a lot more happened on Buffy in 100 episodes than it has on Angel. Or maybe the stuff on Buffy was just cooler. Or bigger. Or just seemed to matter more. Or maybe I just liked Buffy more. Also -- Buffy's 100th episode coincided with being a season finale, so the ep. was extra big and wonderful. :) Hmm. I miss Buffy.

Aaaanyhoo, I'm gonna go do some work now.

...After I answer this question, that is.

really stupid question, I know, but how did you make those avatars/logos on your desktop?
Do you mean the icons? Well anyway, I didn't make them, I downloaded them. There are programs you can use to make icons, but I just let other, more talented people do that. :) I'm sure if you go to Google and search for icons, you'll find what you're looking for...oh, actually, I downloaded them as parts of desktop themes (i.e., sets that come with desktop wallpapers, screensavers, icons, cursors, etc. etc....), so you should probably look for that. (And you'll also need to download Desktop Architect, which is really useful.)