Today’s bits of randomness

Right now I’m listening to the music of 1942 – A Love Story. Once again, I can’t remember how I got there. I remember reading something about Kavita Krishnamurthy and suddenly decided I needed to listen to the music from this movie. Lovely songs.

I finally did my taxes today. I had all the forms and crap ready, just was too lazy to fill the damn things out and mail them. Well, now that’s done. So I should get my return soon. I really need it, it’s around 500 bucks!! 🙂 It’s not fair that I’m not allowed to file online. It is so easy to do it online!

Speaking of which, my life is rapidly transforming into a complete online existance. I spend my time on my computer recording bee dances, writing software for the lab, reading papers, and I even do my notes on it. For the classes I teach, I make my presentations, find videos, visuals, resources all online. My bank and credit cards don’t send me statements in the mail. All online. When I do get bills from the university, I get them online. My electricity, cable, phone, all online. Wheeeee! And not to mention all the time I spend chatting on flickr!

I got mad today. Maybe also a bit sad. I’m wondering if I’m too pushy online. Maybe I’m trying to be friends with people who would rather keep their distance from me. I posted a couple of comment on someone’s blog and soon after those comments were posted, that blog was made “friends only” and hence locked me out. It wasn’t the first time I’ve commented there, but I guess I rubbed that person the wrong way this time. I wouldn’t be so mad, if at least I was told that I was not wanted. I hate the indirectness of the whole thing. There’s also an element of hypocrisy involved, but lets not go into that here. For all I know that person is reading this now. Well, see, I don’t care. This is what I feel, and I don’t need to hide it from the world.

Well, it’s also possible I’m being paranoid and overreacting (I tend to do the latter a lot) but somehow I don’t think that’s the case this time.

Anyway, this incident kind of made me think a bit about my online presence. I do tend to insinuate myself into conversations, posts, etc. I never really thought that if I was unwelcome I wouldn’t be told so. What if I’m the online equivalent of that guy no one really wants to talk to but don’t know how to say so? Oh man, now I’m horrified. Have I just been bugging a lot of people all these months? So I’ve decided then to tone down all the chatting, posting, silly jokes, stupid crap that I’m always spouting. Maybe even be more insular too. Ok, that’s done.

Just had to mention here, Shambly Hermit met hey leto on flickr and pointed me at her blog. This is really good reading! I so wish I could write like her! Oddly, I have not met her on flickr yet, but I think when I do, I might just gush all about how much I like her blog. hehe…

I’m on LiveJournal

I created a LiveJournal account today. Not because I’m moving my blog there, but just so I can comment on my friends’ journals there. The only post on my LJ is a link back here. So in order to be complete, and totally self-referential, here’s a link to my LJ.

My user id is oooky, feel free to add me in as a friend! 🙂

A new friend?

The other reason I feel better today, is that I’ve had a fun coversation with someone through their livejournal comments. I stumbled upon Roopa’s LJ [link removed] by following a link from someone in orkut, to their journal, to a comment posted by her, and to her journal.

You can follow that thread here [link removed].

So Roopa, if you’re reading this, thanks! You helped cheer me up today, despite the fact that you were “pissed OFF! [link removed]” Oh and my name is A*****. Pleased to meet you! 🙂

updated: 05-15-2004, Roopa knows my name now, so I’ve removed it from this post! And the link to her LJ too. 🙂

A little better

I’m feeling a little better than my cranky self at 4am yesterday. Not much, but a little. I never did go to sleep, I just went straight to school and kept working through the day, and I managed to catch up on a bit of work and that made me feel a lot better.

It also helped that I have a fairly sweet bunch of students and they noticed right off that I was frazzled and talked, laughed and joked with me through class to cheer me up. And this is despite the fact they had an exam today and were understandably frazzled themselves!

I napped for a really short while in the evening, but all that coffee from the morning seems to have lasted me through the day. Or maybe it’s some mysterious rays from my computer that keep me awake!! hehehe…

Not Happy…

… is what I am now.

My life sucks… FUBAR doesn’t even begin to describe it. And yet I put on this happy, everything is fine face. It’s stupid, stupid, stupid!

I shouldn’t even be writing this here, but hell, it’s 4am, I’m depressed and I need the release!

I’m falling behind with my work out of sheer laziness. I recognise the signs and symptoms, but inertia prevents me from doing anything. I need a good swift kick on my butt, but in the US, everyone is too damn PC to do that. I need my mom to twist my ears and give me a good talking to. I’m too embarrassed to call her up and tell her that!

Where is this going? Where am I going? I honestly don’t know. I’ve been happy-go-lucky, follow-the-default-path for too long now. Maybe I can still change, but it’s not happening now.

Why can’t someone pay me for doing the things I like to do? Fat chance of that happening, because the things I like to do are reading, watching movies and surfing the internet. And of course, writing inane blog entries.

Look at my reading list on the right. It hasn’t changed in over a month. Wanna know why? I keep finding more books to read and never finishing the ones I’ve started!! And I’m too lazy to change the list on AllConsuming.net.

It’s Thursday and I’ve already been waiting for the weekend for over a day now, when I can be lazy and not feel guilty. Am I self-destructive? I think so!

Oh, damn, it’s 4:20am… I’m due to teach a class at 11:30am. I end this here.

late night chats

Wow… August 11th!! Even I didn’t think it was such a long time since I first made an entry here….

Well, it just dropped into my head that I had a blog… actually was looking at my AFS at school and saw the blog folder, so decided to make an entry.

Late night chats… hmmm… it seems to be what I occupy myself with these days, either on the phone or on MSN. On MSN mostly chatting with niki as she’s the only other insomniac on at that time.

Reminds me of the days in Baroda when we’d all sit at Webnet plonking away at keyboards, I’d usually be on IRC hunting for books at #bookwarez while Saurabh would be determined to find some videos to watch… After that, we’d end up at the bus station at 3 or 4am drinking chai and eating bhajias… ah… those were the days!! 🙂

Hey… now ushma’s online too and we’re having a conference… These two are generally pulling my leg… what to do…

hmmm… a title

Ah… finally I put up the blog I’ve been meaning to for donkey’s years. Any one who reads the works of Terry Pratchett will have noticed that I’ve shamelessly borrowed my nickname and the title for my blog from him. Well… consider it homage paid to the “greatest author alive!”

It’s the middle of the night as I sit and type this out for a friend whose nickname is nite!! (Ok, ok so sue me for terrible prose, but like I said… it’s the middle of the night!)

To be honest I don’t really know how often I can or will update this, but I’m determined to at least try to make an entry once a week. So, ready or not world… here comes oook’s blog!

I’m falling behind on work terribly… I have to write an article for a friend, write a million letters to people, write a paper for school, and write god knows what else… and now I’m adding this blog to it. Am I masochistic or what?

Ok, as you might have noticed my style of writing tends to be rambling, is it any wonder I title my blog the random wanderings of an orang utan?

And for those who don’t know what the hell I’m talking about… go read the books of Terry Pratchett… more info at the LSpace Website

As for me… I end today’s entry here! oook!