Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Mood: Mellow
Music: Maroon5 - Sunday Morning

I'm back from Toronto! I even got a U of T t-shirt....something is ironic about the fact that I get a t-shirt from the OTHER U of T while I own none from my own beloved UT-Austin. *shrug*

Anywho, just a few things that I've learned from my trip to Canada:

• Since I'm actually of legal drinking age in Canada, I took advantage of this fact and tried various drinks. Classic martinis are freakin' GROSS. It was like drinking rubbing alcohol with an olive dropped in it. James Bond, what the HELL is wrong with your taste in drinks?
• Something is funny about how Canadians call a BMW Z3 a "BMW Zed-3"
• FOOD!! Toronto is a GREAT place for food. Texas has amazing food too, but that's because the stuff we've got down here in the south is HEAVY. Everything's made with plenty of butter, whipped cream, and all sorts of stuff that makes food taste great but makes your body turn to jello. I did CRAPLOADS of eating with Cindy, and believe me, I savored every second of it.
• Funny Canadian moment: I was at the CNE with Ben, and we saw this fancy glass box with titanium frames around it....and it had some really old wooden stick in it. As we're walking closer to it, I point at it and I asked "What's that?" Ben shrugs and says "I dunno...probably the world's oldest hockey stick". I thought he was joking. Then I saw the plaque that had "The World's Oldest Hockey Stick" engraved on it. I died laughing. Ben looked at me like it was the most obvious thing in the world that it was the world's oldest hockey stick. I laughed even harder. *grin*
• The weather is absolutely gorgeous in the summertime. So when I came back to TX, the heat knocked me over like a sledgehammer....eesh.

To all of my dear Canucks...I miss you guys terribly. If I ever get an opportunity to visit again, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Until then, keep in touch! :)

Cindy blabbed at 06:11 p.m. |

Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Mood: Bouncy
Music: the hum of the computer

W00t! I'm on vacation and I'm out of the country! Well, sort of. Does Canada count as a foreign country?

Nah. *grin*

Haha, just kidding. Anyway, I'm here in Toronto to visit friends and have fun. I'll have updates later. :)

Cindy blabbed at 11:25 p.m. |

Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Mood: Chipper
Music: Rooney - Blueside

"You left your thumbprint inside me now for months it seems
but mine only brushes your soft surface" <- amazing lyrics. :)

Cool points to anyone who can tell me what song that's from! :)

Cindy blabbed at 09:08 p.m. |

Friday, August 6, 2004
Mood: Blah
Music: John Mayer - Man on the Side

Ah crap. So freeipods.com no longer has the ebay offer up. But no worries! You guys can still get a free ipod by signing up for the AOL trial offer, and then just cancel it before the 30 days are up. You'll have to give out a credit card number, but they're not going to charge you as long as you cancel that trial account. And from what I understand, the quickest way to cancel is to do it by phone (there should be a 1-800 number to dial for that). Anywho, if any of you guys are still interested in getting a free ipod, go for it! The little music machine awaits you. :)

P.S. Normal posts will be back soon....I'm just promoting this ipod thingie because I'm working on getting a free ipod myself. If anyone would like to help out a poor girl, feel free to sign up. :)

Cindy blabbed at 11:19 p.m. |

Tuesday, August 3, 2004
Mood: Awake
Music: Jason Mraz - Curbside Prophet

I've caved in.
Soooo....anyone want a free ipod? I was skeptical about this offer at first, but then success stories started popping up around the internet, and then eventually I ended up knowing some people who had actually gotten a free ipod. And since I really REALLy wanted a nice green ipod mini, well...here I am promoting this sucker. So anywho, yes, you really CAN get a free ipod out of this, but it'll take a bit of work and patience. But it's better than plunking down anywhere from $250-$300 for an ipod mini or a 20GB ipod, right? *grin* Anywho, here's an outline of what you can do to work your away around giving out credit card info (and money) for this offer that tempts me like a cute guy with a British accent. :P

The basic scheme: You sign up on freeipods.com, and then you complete one of the offers on the website (do ebay...it doesn't require a credit card number, doesn't require any commitments, and it doesn't require any cancellations). Then you get 5 other people (family, friends, whoever...just make sure they don't have the same mailing address as you) to sign up and do the same, and you've got a free ipod on its way! Anywho, here's a more detailed step-by-step version of how to do this. (abridged from the "John's free Ipod mini" site)
Sign up for a yoggin e-mail account

• Doing this will prevent your real e-mail addressed from being spammed
• Using yoggin will also allow you to complete the ebay offer on the website

Got that? Ok, moving on.

Sign up with freeipods.com

• Click here and sign up with your Yoggin e-mail address.
• On the next page, enter your name (put in a fake one if you want)
• Enter your address, or choose your ipod type from the "Complete Offer" page if you don't want to give out your address yet.
• Check your e-mail and verify your freeipods.com account.

Complete your offer - do ebay.

• Click on the ebay offer on the "complete offer" page (it should be down near the bottom)
• Create a new ebay account
• Use your yoggin e-mail account - it'll spare you from giving out your credit card info.
• Confirm your ebay account with your yoggin e-mail account. If ebay fails to send you your confirmation e-mail, attempt to sign into ebay with your new username and password. It'll take you to a screen that tells you that you haven't confirmed your account yet. From there you can click on a link that will resend the confirmation e-mail.
• Bid on an item. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WIN. You DO have to be the highest bidder when you make your bid, though. Bid on something that you'll be outbid on, like bidding $10 on a Ferrari or something. Try bidding on Justdeals.com if you can't think of anything to bid on....they sell electronics starting at $0.99. I made my bid here. A good rule of thumb is that those bluetooth keyboards and mouse will almost definitely be outbidded if you bid under $25.
• Have patience...it'll take 1-3 days for freeipods.com to credit your offer. (mine came overnight! :)

Get 5 referrals

• Get your referral link from the "Refer Friends" page of freeipods.com.
• Guidelines for referrals:
  Your referrals cannot be members of freeipods.com already, but they CAN always make up a persona and sign up again.
  Your referrals MUST follow your referral link to freeipods.com in order for you to get credit.
  Your referrals must complete an offer like you did. They can all do ebay if they want, doesn't matter.
• After you get your referrals, freeipods.com will spend 2-3 days inspecting you and your referrals for cheaters who have more than one account.

ORDER YOUR IPOD!! :)

• When placing your order, you can change your ipod choice, your name (if you used a fake one...doesn't matter), and your shipping address.
• Wait for your ipod to come! :)

Sooooo, sign up, folks. You've got nothin' to lose, and a free ipod to gain if all goes well. I'll admit it's a bit of work, but I think it'd be worth the $250-$300 you'd be saving on an ipod or ipod mini.

Cindy blabbed at 11:51 a.m. |

Saturday, July 31, 2004
Mood: Chipper
Music: Coldplay - Everything's Not Lost

Blargh. Can't think of anything to blog about. So I figured I'd blog about my musical tastes, since a lot of people seem to ask about the music I listen to. Soooo....now presenting:

Music that Cindy would shrivel up and die without:
In the rock/alternative category:

• Weezer - I listened to these guys moderately in middle school, and then I had a major Weezer "revival" in high school. They've been a regular staple in my music diet ever since. :)
• Coldplay - So leading man Chris Martin knocked up Gwyneth Paltrow and named their kid Apple. Who cares?!? He still leads one of the greatest bands around, and in this case, it's the music that counts. :)
• Radiohead - These guys are friggin' awesome. Very versatile group, from their mellow and acoustic "High and Dry" to their electronically-driven "Idioteque", these guys are freakin' chameleons when it comes to music, and they do it well.
• Ben Folds - Boy do I love this guy. Funny lyrics, and he puts a good twist on rock by ditching the guitar and sitting at a piano. :)
• John Mayer - I'll admit I didn't like his recent album "Heavier Things" much, but I thought the stuff on "Room for Squares" and "Inside Wants Out" was friggin' amazing. Good stuff if you like acoustic-type stuff. He's got charming and unpretentious lyrics that people can relate to (listen to "My Stupid Mouth" and "Comfortable"). I've seen him live, and yes, he's just as good live as he is on his records. :)
• Jason Mraz - Listen to his live album if you can!! He's got witty lyrics, a smooth voice, and he can improvise like crazy. Love him to bits. :) I've seen him live as well, and he's absolutely amazing when it comes to musicianship, showmanship, and working with the audience while performing.
• Sigur Ros - Icelandic band. I'll admit that these guys aren't for everyone, but if anything spells out ambience, it's these guys.
• Phantom Planet - Particularly their "The Guest" album. There are very few albums out there where I can say that I really like EVERY single track on it. This is one of them. :) Their concert in Austin was the first concert I'd ever been to, and they put on a f*ckin' AWESOME show.
• The Beatles - Classic. 'nuff said.

In the jazz category:

• Frank Sinatra - My first taste of jazz. Can't beat out "the voice". :)
• Ella Fitzgerald - Many say that Billie Holiday is the first lady of jazz. In my opinion, Billie's got NOTHIN' on Ella. Ella's got a voice like smooth satin. She can do vocal acrobatics that leave a listener gawking in awe. She can scat and improvise like no other. I've got plenty of other reasons why Ella could kick Billie's ass, but I'll refrain from offending Billie fans. This woman was musical perfection. :)
• Louis Armstrong - All I can say is that this guy puts in more charm into music than anyone else. Aside from being a talented trumpet player, he has a benevolence that is simply unseen in most other virtuosotic players. And his duets with Ella Fitzgerald? Classic, absolutely classic. :)
• Bill Evans - Master of the piano. I'd almost put him above the top classical piano players simply because I don't believe that many (if any) classically trained piano players can improvise and snap to harmonies like he can. One particular favorite of mine is his version of "Someday My Prince Will Come."

Recent discoveries:
Who doesn't love newfound music? :)

• Rooney - Imagine a mix between Weezer and Phantom Planet, and that's the closest you'll get to describing these guys. Great band from Cali, and they put on a good live show. :)
• Ryuichi Sakamoto w/ Jaques and Paula Morelenbaum - I've already mentioned this trio in a previous entry, but their stuff is just too good to leave out! Good jazzy stuff.
• Jet - I didn't really like bands like The Strokes or The White Stripes when they attempted to go for a retro sound, but I thought these guys pulled it off really well. I still love listening to "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" when I'm driving down the highway. :)
• The Vines - They're kinda like Jet, but with a bit more of an edge. And they sound a LOT like the Beatles when they perform their more mellow songs like "Autumn Shade II". It's almost eerie. I heard it and my head snapped up as I thought "John? George? Paul? Ringo?!?!"

So there you have it...that's the stuff that I listen to. I'd make another list of bands/artists that are on my "retired list of music that I'd shrivel and die without", but I'll spare you guys from making this entry any longer than it is already. If anyone wants to listen to any of the above mentioned bands/artists, just ask me and I'd be more than happy to share! :)

Cindy blabbed at 01:03 p.m. |

Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Mood: Determined
Music: The Vines - Animal Machine

Hmm...I guess I haven't blogged about my progress with pharmacy school lately, have I? Well, for the record, I applied to two pharmacy schools, and I was rejected by both. But no hard feelings, because honestly, I kinda expected it. I'm just glad that my grades and my PCAT score were good enough to earn me an interview to both schools. At any rate, I'm sure anyone who's talked to me personally about my career path knows that I was pretty um....apathetic towards being a pharmacist. I trudged through my classes, striving to do well, but not really caring about where the results took me. And since I didn't make it into either pharmacy school this year, this has been by far the slowest summer I've ever had. I had no summer classes left to take, I couldn't find a job, and all of my friends were up in Austin taking summer classes. So I literally had NOTHING going for me this summer. However, I later found a volunteering position at a compounding pharmacy. That completely changed everything for me. 4 times a week, I walk into the pharmacy with a smile and I come out feeling even better. I love the laid-back atmosphere of the pharmacy, and making my own medicines is actually (dare I say it?) fun. I'm thoroughly impressed when the pharmacist can spout out information about medications and suggest to patients exactly what's the best way to approach their problems, and I've realized that having a knowledge about medications could prove to be EXTREMELY valuable in the future, inside or outside of the pharmacy. Now I've got fire in my blood for this profession. I'm ready to walk into my classes in August and push myself through hell and high water. Although this has been the slowest summer I've ever had, it's definitely one of the most successful ones in that I've finally got a spark of interest in my future career. I'm more determined than ever to get into pharmacy school this time around, and I'm ready to rock this next semester like nobody's business. Bring it on, fall 2004.

Cindy blabbed at 09:19 p.m. |

Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Mood: Lazy
Music: Ben Folds - Army

And we have yet another "Cindy's Sports-Dunce Moment": I just found out that Lance Armstrong is from Texas. Who knew? :P

Man do I wish I were in Boston right now. I'm not exactly the most political person in the world, but I think it'd definitely be a fun and interesting experience to be at the Democratic Convention and see all the crazy hardcore Democrats (and possibly some hardcore Republicans) express their opinions with the complete freedom that's been granted to us as Americans. :) I'm not the proudest or most patriotic American in the world, but I can definitely appreciate freedom of speech when it's manifested in the form of huge throngs of people cheering on or opposing the views of others with no restrictions whatsoever. :) Anywho, since I can't think of anything on my own to write, I'll just post a couple of links.

• I stole this from Steph's AIM profile....and I thought it was awesome. :D I think I've watched it 4 or 5 times already...nyahaha.
• This has got to be one of the most random headlines I've ever seen. Honestly, I'm not sure what to think of the article. Poor baby? Pffft. It's kinda funny that they make Saddam sound like a pet, though. :P

Anywho, I'm off to the pharmacy, folks. Have fun. :P

Cindy blabbed at 01:25 p.m. |

Friday, July 23, 2004
Mood: Chipper
Music: Ryuichi Sakamoto and the Morelenbaums - Casa album

Oh yeah, and I finally switched out the song at the top! It's a bit different, but I've been obsessed with this stuff lately....this Japanese dude teams up with a Brazilian couple to make a great jazzy/bossa nova type of album dedicated to composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Oh, and if you're wondering what language the song is in, it's Portuguese. :)

Cindy blabbed at 05:35 p.m. |

Friday, July 23, 2004
Mood: Mellow
Music: Black Eyed Peas - Hands Up

Bleh...sorry for the lack of bloggage. My brain went dead and I couldn't think of anything to write. Anywho, I'm back for a while...I think. :P

Natural high: Driving through the rain while listening to a good jazz mix.
Natural low: Having a rock hurtle towards your windshield, thus leaving a small and irreparable pock mark in the glass. Blargh.

Bleh. So anywho....I guess I could blog about my crappy realtor, hmm? Well, I'm not gonna use his name, but I'll just call him "Bob". So anywho, for those of you who have never gone apartment hunting, a good realtor should be organized, and he/she should have the keys to all of the properties that they're going to show you. It's kinda pointless to have them take you to an apartment complex, but not be able to actually show you a unit, right? Oh, and he/she should already have filtered out most of the properties based on whatever needs that you've given him/her. So anywho, I told "Bob" about a week beforehand that whatever apartments we looked at MUST have a washer and dryer in the units, and they must have 2 parking spots. He told me that he'd have that taken care of. So far, so good.

My roomie Tiff and I arrive in Austin a week later, and we walk into the realty office. We meet Bob...and he's got not one, but TWO cell phones hooked up to his belt. He's got a huge stack of folders sprawled on his desk, and each folder has a bunch of crazy illegible sharpie marks and stickers on them. He was on the phone when we walked in, so he quickly turned to us, shook our hands, and went back to talking on the phone. No biggie, I'm sure he's a busy guy. After he gets off the phone, he shakes hands with me again, says hi to Tiff, and we take off. When he stepped in the car, he took that crazy stack of folders with him...and shoved it onto his dashboard. My eyes widened as he stuffed more folders onto his dash, to the point where I was starting to wonder if he could even see where he was going with that crazy stack piling up against the windshield. Anywho, we arrived at property number 1....which was an absolute shithole. I seriously feared that the staircase was going to break under me while I was going up. I asked if there were two parking spots for that particular property. Bob's response? "Uhh...well, you can count the units, multiply, and then count the parkin' spaces and see if it all adds up." Tiff and I exchanged skeptical looks. Then he took us to property number 2, which was just okay. He takes us to property number 3, but whooops....Bob doesn't have the key. So what do we do? We sat in his car for what seemed like an eternity in the Texan heat for him to get the freakin' key. We arrived at property 3, and I noticed that it didn't have a washer/dryer unit. Then I asked him if the property had two parking spots:

Me: "Hey Bob, does this unit have 2 parking spots?"
Bob: "Yeah, we can do that..."
Me: "Huh?"
Bob: "Yeah, I'll see you later"

Well well, looks like Bob was on one of his two cell phones again. When Tiff and I asked him again, he says "I dunno...but I can call and find out later". Yeah...this is already looking bad. He takes us to property number 4....and guess what? Property number 4 was RIGHT NEXT DOOR to property number 2....you'd figure that we coulda seen it right after seeing property number 2. Oh, and it turns out that Bob didn't seem to have a key for property number 4 either. So we sat around waiting for him to find out where to get a key...then he says that the property should already be unlocked. So we head back to property number 4....and the door's locked. The door's locked, and we have no key. I look back, and Bob is yakking on his cell phones again. How about paying attention to your client for just ONE friggin' second, buddy? Just because I'm a college student doesn't mean I don't deserve your attention and services.

So anywho...after showing us only 4 miserable properties in a span of 3 HOURS (our other realtor showed us 3 in under an hour), Bob actually has the nerve to shove two applications into our faces and ask us to fill them out and sign up ASAP. I don't freakin' think so. We thanked him, left, and found ourselves a much better realtor.

What REALLY made Bob a bad realtor however, was a phone call that I got from him 5 days later. He called to ask if I'd signed for one of the properties yet. I decided to cut the crap with being polite and told him yes I did, but not the one that he showed us. Oh, and did I mention that he had a Southern accent? And I don't mean the cute "aw shucks" type of Southern drawl...I mean the "duh...wha?" type of Southern accent. (sorry, I know it's childish of me to make that cheap stab at him. :P) Anywho, we had a conversation kind of like this:

Bob: Well, did you put my name on the lease? I man, I don't get any credit unless you mention me.
Me: Umm...not really
Bob: You didn't?? I mean, I don't make a single penny unless you mention my name! We don't make any money just by showing y'all the properties, you know. If that were the case, it'd just be a free service.
Me: *shrug*....sorry? (NOTE: I never got a chance to tell him that we signed into the unit with a different company...he assumed that we just signed the lease behind his back and started ranting)
Bob: I mean, I'm a regular guy and all, I've got bills to pay, insurance, mortgages and stuff...you can't just go behind people's backs like that!
Me: *is this guy seriously trying to GUILT me??* I don't know what to tell you, Bob...I'm already back in Houston
Bob: See, this is why I don't like dealing with college students...I show y'all around and then y'all just go behind my back like that. Maybe when you're older and you've got a job of your own you'll remember people like me when they take advantage of you. I'm not dealing with college kids anymore. *click*

Yep, he hung up on me. A good realtor is our realtor Taylor (yes, that's his real name...I don't mind plugging him), who showed us 3 GOOD properties in under an hour, kept in mind all of the requirements that we gave him, and on our second appointment, showed us a gorgeous unit that was decently priced. Tiff and I walked in, took one look, and told him "Give us the papers...we're ready to sign in." We'll be moving in in August. :)

Cindy blabbed at 04:28 p.m. |