completely inappropriate geeky squee

How cool is this?  I am now helping to edit the South Asian Graduate Research Journal (which somehow becomes the acronym SAGAR)!  And if you're wondering how I could actually even manage to read a South Asian studies paper and know what the heck is going on  - I can't!  I mean, I can tell if they supported their argument, but I can't tell if their contentions are way off base.  But what I can do is edit!  The kind of editing that makes sure all the commas are in place and all the periods are single and everything else.  Not only that, but they're sending this book to the publisher after formatting it in WORD of all things.  So I'm probably going to be helping with that too.  Yep.  And who knows?  I might even get mentioned as part of the editorial staff someday!  How's that for padding the CV?

more on the joys of student life - one of the guys on the SAGAR (prounounced Sagr for those who are interested) and I ended up in a convo outside of the asian studies building and even though he's doing his research on Tamul literature (yes, Tamul!) he'd read Mishima and so we chatted about books and historical movements and Japanese writing and GAH.  Did I mention that he's pretty with a lovely croation accent?  Why is it that i get the silly 10 year old girl crushes on the guys with accents?  And that he's smart to boot?  (Neil, don't worry, you're still the cutest, but I get to have girl crushes, right?)   Besides, the fun part was that we talked intellectual trash talk and not only could i keep up, i KNEW stuff.  I am becoming slightly knowledgeable in my field!!  I can not only hold up a conversation, but start one!  With smart people!  I am in a world where there are people who read Tamul for their Ph.D. thesis.  I love this so much.  LOVE THIS. 

On top of all that it was a fabulously goofy (and curiously productive) weekend.  Neil made cookies (see!  production!), and we bought a new battery for my car (also quite productive!), and Neil installed it while I held the flashlight (so, productive for one of us!).  We went to Bat Fest 2006 on the Congress Avenue bridge, watched the bats fly out from underneath us, saw a seriously old school heavy metal band (with seriously old school fans too - the crowd was as bizzare as it was amusing to watch), rocked out, goofed around, and watered the back yard.

So, of course, it's raining today.  Just when we were getting our watering act together.  Mabye that's what the Austin has been waiting for - for us to actually start watering, so it could rain and spoil our plans.  Hee.

( oh, and here, my notes from the Senior Seminar this morning )

just a little homesick

I skimmed through old pictures last night and despite the academic joy of earlier today I'm feeling a bit lonely - I miss *friends*.  The kind of people that call and that I can call, and that make me smile the big ass joy smiles.  Having people physically in the same town that do things with us and are interested in things (and pass that interest on), or shit, who bring over movies and drinks and actually want to spend the night goofing around.  I looked through pictures of parties we used to have - they reminded me of people I love and that I'm kind of out of contact with - the LA people that I felt were kin and family and *there* for so long.  But lately I've been playing endless phone tag with some, feeling a little like I shouldn't call others because last time I did I kind of got slapped down, and just ... feeling removed and dislocated and disheartened. 

Email, and checking journals, and all this typing computer interface crap just doesn't cut it tonight.  I lived as part of a big rumbly insanely crazy clan for such a long time, and now there's me, and there's Neil, and there's the kitty, and ... crap, I miss having friends that actually call me up to do things.  We still don't have that here, after how long? 

There's one sparkly darling woman from LA who still calls us and who we still call and who I know I can actually make emotional contact with - but she's not answering her phone tonight.

If any of you are reading this, my crazy big family of choice, I just miss you all, all you wonderful people out there, so much that it aches.