Something Tells Me I'm Into Something Good

I'm very excited for Friday, for one reason in particular. Friday is the Nationwide Equality Prom, a first-time event in which people are encouraged to wear promwear and go about their daily activities. I want to be a part of this [and I encourage you to be, as well], so I went to a local thrift store to buy a prom dress, as my old ones won't fit; I seem to have put on the Freshman 15. In order to "test drive" my dress, Spock and I wandered around town a bit on the way to the post office. I didn't enjoy the stares, but I ran into a friend and explained what the dress was all about, so I felt better about it in the end. Friday is going to be so much fun!
Today is my sister's 9^th birthday. She absolutely loves the Beatles, and Sir Paul M^cCartney in particular, so in her honor I give you...
Nine Pictures of Sir Paul M^cCartney Making Various Faces










Happy birthday, Ladybug!
~Sushi

Dually U-Turns, Free Internet, and Machelor's Degrees: My First College Visit

Maybe you hadn't noticed by the content of my posts, but my parents, as well as myself, are extraordinarily antisocial. Particularly Severe, my dad. So, when I asked the both of them to come with me to You Are EIU Day, which is the open house at my college of choice, I was shocked when both of them agreed. Honestly, I even think Severe had a better time than my mom. Freak, who is one of my oldest and closest friends, goes to EIU as a music major, and we've decided to dorm together. Severe has always gotten along with her, possibly because she's one of the few friends I have that isn't a troublemaker. So, after I went to a workshop with the other psych majors, who were all younger than me, the few of them that they are, we hung out with Freak. My parents went to a panel to learn how to be empty nesters, even thought they have two other children, and Freak and I wandered the campus, especially the very shiny fine arts building, Doudna. Here is a picture of some of its shininess:

We also went to the library, where I drooled an awful lot, and contemplated attempting work study. I'm still salivating just thinking of all those books...

We found my parents and had lunch, which was complimentary for us, as well as Freak, because Severe, a renowned kleptomaniac, swiped another meal ticket. I can't really feel too bad, because a lot of people didn't show up in the first place. Freak told us about the campus, and answered the half a million questions Mama Bear bombarded her with, and then she showed us McKinney Hall, which is where I will be dorming. Here's a picture [it's not as impressive as Doudna]:

After that, we showed my parents around Doudna until they got tired, and remembered that I still had homework to do. So, Mama Bear took a bazillion [her word, not mine] pictures of Freak and I in front of the campus, and in trees, and being dorks, and then we went home.
Once at home, I finished my homework and sent it in [ah, the wonders of modern technology]. Mama Bear ordered pizza, and I invited Spock to come over and watch Saw II, the only movie out of the series he hadn't seen, and my favorite one of the bunch. That needle pit is wicked. Here, have nightmares with me:

And now, since it's been a long time, it's time for a list!
I'm going to be doing an alphabet image meme, with a slight twist. Instead of the standard alphabet, I will be using the NATO phonetic alphabet; you know, the one used by police and the military! I'm betting the results will be quite different!
A: Alpha

B: Bravo

C: Charlie

D: Delta

E: Echo

F: Foxtrot

G: Golf

H: Hotel

I: India

J: Juliet

K: Kilo

L: Lima

M: Mike

N: November

O: Oscar

P: Papa

Q: Quebec

R: Romeo

S: Sierra

T: Tango

U: Uniform

V: Victor

W: Whiskey

X: X-Ray

Y: Yankee

Z: Zulu

I feel so patriotic...
~Sierra-Uniform-Sierra-Hotel-India

We Started this Op'ra Shit

Early this morning, Spock, myself, and two of our friends went to yet another Repo! shadowcast. This one was special, though. In addition to the standard shenanigans of a midnight show-- yelling, swearing, singing, jumping up and down waving glowsticks-- we were also treated to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As you may know, the movie Repo Men came out yesterday; it's a movie so nauseating and unapologetic in its similarity to Repo! that RtGO fans chose to boycott it. The movie also caught the attention of Terrance Zdunich; he was really pissed. As faithful portrayers of Repo!, each shadowcasting troupe was sent a special DVD to show at the end of the movie. It was about seven minutes long, and showed the evolution of Repo, as well as cut scenes that were not available on the DVD. I felt special just for being there.
Despite mine and Spock's prediction that the footage would leak online, people seem to have heeded the DVD's menu and credits specifically asking not to distribute or duplicate its contents. I haven't found any of the footage yet. Could it be that some people still harbor common decency?
~Sushi

Mixed Nuts

WARNING: EXTREME SARCASM THROUGHOUT ENTIRE POST. THOSE WITH WEAK CONSTITUTIONS CLICK HERE. THAT IS ALL.
Yesterday, I returned to the local mental health facility, this time for a fun-filled social psychology field trip. I didn't walk a mile this time, but I did climb seven flights of stairs, along with the rest of the class, in order to see the room at the top of the clock tower at the center of the campus. According to our thrilling tour guide, this may or may not be the highest point in the county, or town. He wasn't too sure. In fact, he was unsure about most things, and I don't know why he was our tour guide. For one thing, he actually believe that the mentally insane were never tortured at the facility, when the video that we were shown, about that very same facility, explained the brutal methods that were once used there, and the advancements that had come about in more recent times. He did know a few things, though.
1. There are about 600 residents at the facility.
2. There are 10 living units, which each house 50-75 people.
3. The oldest resident is 94, the youngest is 18 [that's the youngest that they will accept], and most residents are in their 30s and 40s.
4. The Department of Health Services [DHS] is divided into two sections: Developmental Disabilities [DD] and Mental Illnesses [MI].
5. Before electricity, surgeries were performed in the room in the clock tower, because it was the best source of light.
Other than that, we were mostly on our own. So, here are some fun psychological terms for you and I to learn about. Many of them are methods used to restrain mental patients. Whee!
1. Utica crib: a person at a former incarnation of this facility was kept in an Utica crib for 14 years!


2. Restraining chair

3. Calming chair: a restraining chair with a nice box for your head

4. Kissing chair: this has nothing to do with psychology, but there was one up in the clock tower, and I thought it was spiffy.

5. Dorothea Lynde Dix

6. Hydrotherapy

7. Electroconvulsive therapy [ECT]

8. Wet sheet packs

9. Psychosurgery: more commonly known as lobotomizing

10. Idiot, imbecile, & moron: legitimate terms for levels of mental retardation in the 18th century.

^{Without the blessed intervention of the 3 Stooges, psychologists might still be using these outdated terms}
Let's end on a positive note...
KIRBY DANCE! <(*.*<) ^(*.*)^ (>*.*)> ^(*.*)^ <(*.*)>   KIRBY DANCE!
~Sushi