The definition of ironic is...

cramming for a test on memory and brain functioning while learning that short term memory tends to get dumped at an exponential rate within 2 hours if not kept in working memory via repetition and constant reinforcement and that REM sleep helps to consolidate memory. Operating on 2 hours sleep, 2 Vivarins, 1 cup of iced Strawberry Sencha, and 1 cup of coffee certainly doesn't help matters..

In the spirit of procrastination (before I forget) Yesterday's VW Selections

CD 1 - Janet Jackson, Design of a Decade
CD 2 - Gorillaz, Gorillaz
CD 3 - Jamiroquai, Canned Heat
CD 4 - Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, No Quarter
CD 5 - Depeche Mode, The Singles, 1984-199?, CD 1
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The Janet Jackson CD was worth the derision of my fellow students for the reaction of the other employees. The chef dude (ugh, memory gone) wondered aloud why The White Stripes or Justin Timberlake wasn't playing. The utterance of those two names in the same sentence (even if, funny enough, their CD's are side by side in my case) had me dying from laughter. Man, I can't believe I only have one more week in that place.

What to make of this?

Is it a good or bad sign that receiving an IM from an old acquaintance made me feel extremely extremely weary? Irregardless of the fact that it is 3 in the morning and I've no sleep in my tank, WTF am I suddenly exhausted? Like *bam*? Coincidence? or is that my brain telling me it's trying to think too much? It's been established that thinking is generally not a bad thing, yes, but in my case...not a good sign, eh?

I know I'll come back to this tomorrow and be forced to either elaborate on it or chalk it up as "crazy obtuse Daniella talk".

The (Imaginary) Future's So Bright...

According to Play Mash Online

You will live in House.
You will drive a White Jeep.
You will marry Christian Bale and have 4 kids.
You will be a Massage Therapist in Los Angeles.

I actually cried out when the program eliminated Hal Sparks as an option for my future mate. A sign of obsession? or that I'm plumb out of my gourd? Everything else seems peachy-keen.

Stupid but True Test Questions

For the following, fill in either "normal" or "impaired".
-"If you're not ________ , you're ________."

Can't believe Heindel actually sat in front of a computer and typed that one up. I would have been laughing my ass off a)if I wasn't exhausted, and b)if I wasn't royally f'in' up the exam as it was. At least I know I got 2 points.

One of my worst nightmares

And no, it's not that I'd be flying on an outdated Ukrainian plane.
(pilfered from Excite News )
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129 Feared Dead As Door Opens Mid-Flight
May 9, 1:16 PM (ET)
By EDDY ISANGO

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - The rear door of a Russian-built cargo plane burst open as the aircraft carried police officials and their relatives across Congo, and 129 passengers were sucked out, airport officials said Friday.

Kikaya Bin Karubi, a Congolese government spokesman, said seven people had been confirmed dead after being "ejected from the plane" at an altitude of 33,000 feet near the southern city of Mbuji-Mayi. Officials were investigating the possibility of other casualties, he said.

Two officials at the international airport in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, independently told The Associated Press that 129 people were feared dead. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.

The accident happened some 45 minutes into the flight. The pilots managed to turn back and land the plane in Kinshasa, Defense Minister Irung Awan said. The plane, with its rear door missing, could be seen on the airport tarmac.

Nine survivors were being treated for minor injuries and psychological trauma at Kinshasa General Hospital, said Kabamba Mbwebwe, chief doctor at the hospital's emergency ward.

"They were traumatized and spoke of their baggage flying everywhere," Mbwebwe told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The plane, a privately owned Ilyushin 76, apparently had been chartered to transport Congolese police and their families from Kinshasa to the southeastern city of Lubumbashi, a diamond center.

It was not immediately known why the door came open. Weather conditions during the flight were believed to have been normal.

People in Africa often travel on modified cargo planes that have few seats, leaving most passengers to cram in among their belongings in the rear of the aircraft.

The plane's owner was not immediately known but the decal on the fuselage says "Ukrainian Cargo Airlines."

The Ilyushin76 is a medium- to long-range transport. The model was first flown in 1971. It is widely used around the world, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as a civilian freighter.

The plane has had a checkered safety record, including at least 45 accidents that resulted in some 393 deaths, according to the Aviation Safety Network Web site, an air safety data base.

On Feb. 19, an Ilyushin 76 crashed in bad weather in Iran, killing 275, including more that 200 elite Iranian soldiers. A month earlier, another of the jets crashed while landing in thick fog in East Timor, killing all six people on board.

Congo, in central Africa, is in the fifth year of a civil war. Despite a series of peace deals, fighting persists in the northeast.

Notes on the day

I'm finally finally in my room and am able to say I have no desire or need to leave again for the night. I think I've passed the state of exhaustion for the moment and have entered a temporary "zone" of energy. Let's see how long this keeps up (and, oh yes, Boston's getting their asses handed to them on a platter with Jason Kidd's name on it...hahahaha...okay, moving on).

As made evident by the numerous idiotic entries I made last night, the day's been rather long. I had Brain Damage's last exam this morning and I was not prepared in the slightest, as in I hadn't cracked open the books for that class within the last week and a half (at least) and I hadn't glanced back over my notes since I wrote them *and* I managed to snooze my way through the last two lectures. Oh yeah, big time screwed. I needed to pass that exam to have a chance at passing the course for the year, since I'm rocking the B/C borderline. Heh.

While in the VW yesterday I was griping about the exam but I didn't really mean all that I said. I was worried about failing a little bit, sure (who likes failure?) but I felt different that afternoon, mainly because I'd gotten a chance to talk things over with someone in Psych Services. And partially because the night before I'd completed the annoying as all hell final project for CS. I felt like some of my burden had been lifted (if I was attempting to be melodramatic I'd say "the burden upon my soul was lessen") but instead of feeling renewed energy I just felt a better type of exhaustion. Almost a good exhaustion; the way you'd feel after you've completed a set of reps on the weights, but know that you have 2 more sets to go.

So I came home after work and I didn't really study. I looked over the notes that I could find, and I glanced at the few slides on the web, and I flipped through the texts but I didn't consciously sit down and study. Spent time cruising the web and getting IMed by an old acquaintance at 3AM. That last thing was weird. Here's someone who just stopped IMing me and then, out of the blue, a random question and no hello. It made me feel real special that after 6 months? of no contact he decides to send me an IM because he can't sleep. The concern about my welfare was touching [/sarcasm]. If I get started on this person this entry will mutate into another abnormally long rambling thing and I'm trying to avoid that.

So yes. I "studied" until 6AM, when Au Bon Pain opened up. I decided to grab some breakfast and coffee and sit in the alcove in front of Johh Hay? I forget. The research library on the Main Green. I figured it's usually a beautiful spot and it was outside, so the cool air should keep me awake. That lasted for all of an hour. I was sitting on cold concrete trying to read but being unable to concentrate. At 7 I went to The Blue Room, got a refill of coffee and headed back to my room, again to "study". That lasted for 30 minutes. At that point, with the final starting in an hour and a half, I decided to just say "screw it" and sleep until 9.

Woke up feeling like crap. I very nearly didn't make it to the exam, because I was so tired that I was weaving around the room like I was drunk. In the haste to wash up I got toothpaste all over my clothing (not realizing this until after I left the exam room). But, yes, I made it to the exam on time.

And I remembered next to nothing. It was hilarious, in a "you're going to fail this class" sort of way. The guy sitting next to me reeked of cigarette smoke and I'm fairly certain that he was attempting to cheat off of me. Jokes on him: I didn't know *anything*. That's why I like multiple-choice exams: if they're easily written you can make your way through them no problem with only a half-assed study effort. I BSed until time was up, handed in my exam, took a deep breath, and promptly put it all out of my mind.

Came back to my room and cleaned up for the first time in possibly weeks. There was so much paper scattered all over my floor I'm sure it was a serious fire hazard. I cleaned everywhere - scrubbed the shower and shower curtain, sink, toilet, floor, vacuumed, organized papers. It felt cathartic. Like I was cleaning my brain. Or soul (to be melodramatic again). Then I headed out to the beautician to finally get something done about my head. They did a gnarly job. I'd probably appreciate it more if I hadn't been falling asleep on myself in the parlor.

Heh. I notice that my paragraphs are becoming more and more disjointed and more and more distant as I write. That's because the little energy I had when I clicked on the LJ Client is gone. I think I had something profound to say, but I needed to wade back through my day to get to. Oh well. If it's that important I'll come to me tomorrow. Now it's time to get at least 12 hours sleep.