In which I realize that typing is about a gazillion times faster than typing.

Note: I actually wrote this on...oh geez. Thursday. I didn't want it to be out of order, though, so I had to wait until I got the journal from Wednesday in. Take note!


So I realize that my written posts have been getting more and more dull; if not for reading, at least for writing! I'm going to take a new tack: during the week I'll type, and on the weekends I'll try to write. Unless, of course, I realize during the week that hey! I want to write! in which case I'll do so! And so on and so forth.

My internet is ridiculously slow here in the dorm, because there are so many students who want to use internet in the evenings. A contacted Oliver, so hopefully we'll get improved internet soon (K and I have realized that Oliver particularly likes A, so we make him do the calling! :p ). And then maybe I'll have Skype capabilities again...

I'm currently listening to Peter Bradley Adams and baking cookies. It's a really good combo, especially when there are about a thousand other things I really need to be doing. Such as, you know getting internship things worked out for the summer. And figuring out a final class schedule. And putting away clean laundry. This is more emotionally satisfying, though!

Recipe I started with:

EASY OATMEAL COOKIES

1 c. sugar
1 c. butter
1 c. flour
2 c. Quick Oats
1 tsp. soda (sifted with flour)
Mix with hands -- form small balls and flatten on ungreased pan. Bake 350 degrees.

Every other recipe out there calls for brown sugar, which I don't have. Other things I don't have: measuring cups. Oven mitts. An oven that goes above 250 degrees. Things I do have: small plastic scoop that came in the oatmeal. Reckless abandon. Set of measuring spoons nicked by my forward-thinking roomies from one of the earlier apartments we were in.Smarties.

Recipe I ended with:
HANNAH'S "Oh expletive I don't have measuring cups" OATMEAL COOKIES
5 scoops sugar
5 sc. flour
10 sc. oats (more ground-up than I'd like but they didn't have normal oats)
Half of a largish thing of butter with unhelpful mass measurement
1 tsp. baking soda (sifting? sifting? sifting is for the weak!)
1 egg
3/4 tube of Smarties
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Couple of spoonfuls of milk so that it would actually hold together

They're actually pretty decent! Fairly far to the left on the "brick v sponge" scale, but worse things have happened. (Alison: shall you make a graph of this on GraphJam or shall I? :p ) They're actually more like softish biscotti in cookie shape. Oh well. If you make them, make sure to flatten the balls down quite a bit, as they don't spread at all in the oven. Also, take them off the pan as soon as you dare or they'll harden to it. (Worth making again, though....)

Of note: when Smarties are cooked, the color rather disappears. Also, the shell coating splits at the edge. Cool but weird.

Today was another frustrating-because-of-classes day. I'm convinced that the physics department here doesn't *actually* exist. Sure, they have a couple of halls, and lots of name placards on doors, but any time you want one of them.... I went to lectures for two more physics options today, and both were busts. The first was a little less of a bust (the lecturer was merely dull) but the second was taught by the absolutely dreadful lecturer from Tuesday. At least he stood during this particular talk, but.... Also, they don't get the concept of PowerPoint being a tool rather than the entire point of sitting there. Pre-typed (badly formatted) proofs that all pop up at one time are not helpful in the least. Sigh. I spent the rest of the afternoon attempting to track down someone (anyone!) from the department who could tell me how I'd actually get credit in the class, as the boy next to me (Diarmid, which my ear apparently ear hear as anything but "Jared"...he said "Dermot works too" and then I felt stupid) pointed out that 30% of the grade comes from lab sessions they've been attending all year. And the concept of problem set (regardless as to whether it actually counts for class credit or not) is nonexistent. I don't get it. (Other thing said by Diarmid/Dermot/Jared, in reference to the girl on my other side who transferred from Colorado to NUIG at the beginning of the year: "It's great! With you two here, the number of girls in the physics department has doubled!" Sigh.)

What else. I signed up for Irish classes, which start next week. I went to a hilariously brilliant lecture for my Celtic Mythology class...first lecture here that I actually enjoyed rather than merely tolerating. (I'll have her for one lecture a week, and the House-like professor for the other lecture.) I got into "Understanding Strangers" and "Medical Sociology," which both start next week.

K and I went to a couple of meetings about volunteering. This school really has it's act together in terms of coordinating volunteers; so far I'm really impressed. Also, I really like the coordinator. If it works with my schedule I would especially like to do the homework sessions with children living at the center for asylum-seekers. (Some other time I'll explain the asylum v refugee deal here; it's pretty interesting.)

Time for bed? Time for bed.