After 4 years, we still belong together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxZInIyOBXk

Embunny loves throwbacks, Walnut Creek, and a good dose of Pat Benetar.

rattlesnake master

EDIT: Oops, posted to the wrong blog. I suppose I might as well link to it now--I have a photography blog that I periodically update here...

Useless Information? I'll be the judge of that!

Just because it's winter break, doesn't mean the learning has stopped. According to our mothers and Ms. Austen, accomplished women must continue to better themselves all year round. In an extra step of charity, we OSGers are passing along some of this knowledge to our faithful readers.

Let's start with a warm up topic, shall we? Ponder at will: Whoever named the orange obviously didn't take note of the carrot. Can you say epistemological defamiliarization?

Speaking of the color orange, did you know that in 1784 it was illegal to wear that particular shade in Holland?

This is an interesting fact for all the ladies: women are naturally attracted to men with different immune system genes (by scent). Medication like the pill can shift this attraction, sometimes causing a shift in preference when you go off of it! Ahhh!

Play dough - a personal childhood favorite - used to be wallpaper cleaner.

Siberians used to pay taxes with garlic. Bleh.

"Contranyms" are words that mean opposites in a different context...

EX: To trim can mean to cut off OR to add by decoration

EX: Clip can mean to cut OR to attach

EX: Sanction can mean to punish OR to approve

Crazy, right?

A big shout out to my big bro for giving me The Essential Book of Useless Information for Christmas. I have learned so much, clearly.

4th Year So Far... by OSG and Friends

Here are some highlights (with enlightening commentary):

First off...some things NEVER change =)

After 4 years of close study and constant practice in anticipation for the Fall season, Embunny has finally perfected her apple-picking skills. Olympic Sport? Yess.

We would have updated the blog more this semester, but we are in denial. In fact, Grass (being an overachieving U.Va student) started a club called Hoos in Denial. It's exactly like it sounds, in case you are wondering. We get together in a room for an hour a week and do not talk about our futures. This has been both good and bad, as you can imagine. Club activities include cookie dunking, snuggie snuggling, thesis ranting, and burning things.

Fall came and went, leaving a the typical two week period of vivid colors on the trees. This dark red one was my favorite and, being in front of the library, distracted me.

Observe: Sammy is making James laugh. They are probably talking about Glee over cocktails. We have no shame. Judge us, please.

For an asian, Oolong looks freakishly like Audrey Hepburn, don't you think? Amazing!

SNOW*SNOW*SNOW*SNOW*SNOW

...and a room with a view=)

Halloween = cuteness!!!

On the Lawn, strawberries were learning to walk and babies dressed like purple monsters. I never want to leave this place. Oolong stuffed one in her purse.

More snow!!!!

Behold: U.Va's new diversity picture. You're welcome. Slap that sucker on some brochures and you're set. Now the University can stop using the same picture of the Korean couple eating on the Lawn.

When we can, we sleep. These are rare occasions. In the image below we see Embunny catching a nap on Grass' bed and Oolong jumping in on the picture. Yes, that's the snuggie again. Later in the year we will draw straws to see who get to wear it under their graduation robes.

Oolong turned 21!*

...and Batman took his fourth and final journey out the cave. Of all the traditions to maintain without fail, I am glad OSG stuck to this one.

Well, that's all for now. Aren't you proud of us for actually updating this blog? Hooray for visuals!

Things we have learned so far this year:

1) Simba had the frat boy helmet of the animal kingdom

That's all I can think of right now. I'll get back to you. Til then...

love, OSG

*not really

'Tis the season... for Embunny to make an annual appearance.

Where has Embunny been this semester? She feels that it is a sadly frequent question these days.... Rather than working on her thesis like she should be doing right now, she will now contemplate this question and give several possible answers:

1. Alumni Hall. Haven't you heard Embunny sold her soul to them after second year?

2. The Craft Room. Embunny retreats here after long weeks to sew rocking-chair cushions and hot glue bits of ribbon to things.

3. In the Internets. Watch out, December 15th - Embunny's big fat vacation status will be blocking unwelcome (so essentially, every) email that comes her way.

4. Dean Laushway's office. Did you know he has a coffee table handcrafted to look like his pet dog?

5. Scott Stadium... oh wait, NOT. As tempting as it is to watch our peers pick fights with opposing fans while the Good Old Song is never being sung... no thanks. Grass' eggrolls proved a much better alternative this season.

6. Alderman. Apparently 4th year still requires reading. Embunny's library borrowing and renewals have gotten so out of hand that she now owes $13 in late fees.

7. Hoos in Denial. Embunny thanks her lucky stars that she has Grass and an hour of sanity each Wednesday night at 9pm. She basks in the glow of friendship, paper dolls of school-days past, and a clementine or two.

8. Antarctica. Here is a souvenir photo with her new friend.

Goals for next semester:

1. More frequenting of the Corner.

2. Less meetings.

3. Corrupt a first year.

4. World Peace.

The Internet is a Series of Tubes...Controlled by Many Old White Dudes in Suits

all hallows' eve

I can't think of anything more fun than being in costume. Oh, except biochemistry...

Far too much fun was had this weekend, so I'm making up for it tonight in Clark with my favorite subject! Wish Sammy and me luck on our test tomorrow!

Love,
Oolong

what I did this summer

A Composition by Oolong

This summer, I played on a farm with ecologists--Blandy Experimental Farm, to be exact, home of Virginia's State Arboretum.


The "Slave Quarters" of Blandy, where the students lived. These did use to be slave quarters, since the farm was a plantation back in the day.

Things you could find at Blandy:
trees
cows (on the neighboring farm, which may actually have been a meth lab)
ticks (by the thousand)


It was against Blandy law to release a tick back into the wild, so instead we collected them in little vials full of alcohol.

Things we did at Blandy:
hung out at the Farmhouse (adjacent to the Barn, which had real barn owls)
picked flowers...well, at least I did
made wedding cakes



Oh, and did some research...


Counting flowers (yellow monkeyflower, or Mimulus guttatus).

Highlights of the summer included: being nerdy with all my fellow bio nerds, slumming around in men's underwear all summer (wifebeaters and boxer shorts. don't judge), and communing with nature.

More pictures:


Us in our hot waders, off to sample some pond life.


Transplanting some monkeyflower seedlings. I did 1392 of these bad boys. Took the better part of 5 days--I listened to a lot of NPR in the greenhouse.


My sweet rope burn from rope-swinging over the Shenandoah River. The rope had a thinner cord handle at the end, and when I swung out, the cord wrapped around my knee and made me flip in the air after I let go of the rope.


Us in our DinosaurLand finery. DinosaurLand: a magical collection of fiberglass dinosaurs, designed to teach the Winchesterians about prehistoric creatures.


At the Smithsonian's Division of Birds, where they keep a huge collection of specimens (lots of extinct species, stuffed birds and skeletons, and other bits like nests, eggs, and this harpy eagle claw).


Bumblebee in one of my fake flowers (made to test bee responses to pollen odors).


Oh Blandy. Definitely one of the best summers of my life.

This year the adventures will be even MORE amazing...

Oolong, Sammy, and I are back for more adventures this year. On top of the everyday scrapes and silliness, we shall be feeling through the misty haze of our futures and making some big decisions...

Will Oolong become a people doctor or a tree doctor? Will she ever follow up on her promise to start a knitting podcast for the blind?

Will Sammy become a scientist or a therapist (or both)?

Will I (Grass) get a job? Will I go to law school after? Will U.Va actually allow me to start fires on a regular basis?

All good questions, all unanswered for now. Perhaps certainty will come with time, but at present we are prefectly content with floating along like happy ducks upon a pond of fun, friends, and knowledge.

Expect great things from us, World! So begins another year in the amazing adventures of OSG!

No Contest: The Funniest Musical EVER

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JnQuMyzPfE&feature=related

Seriously, don't judge me. This made me laugh harder than I have in a very, very long time. If you don't agree with me after part 3, then I'll give you your money back.

Kiwi

Embunny's world has been crushed. She discovered an adorable YouTube video with her little sister over Spring break, entitled "Kiwi." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUUx5FdySs) Upon returning to school, she discussed the touching story of the kiwi bird that dreamed of flying with Oolong, Sammy, and Grass. Embunny heartstrings were pulled when she watched him, and she had visions of her and Kiwi one day being great friends.

Then Oolong told Embunny that Kiwi died.

Embunny's spirit is now crushed. She sobs uncontrollably whenever a certain fuzzy green fruit is mentioned, or flightless birds, or cliffs, or flying, or failing at life. Oolong turned up the volume on the video at the end, and made Embunny face the harsh reality of the last 5 seconds: a faint splatting sound.

Kiwi died believing in himself, and Embunny only hopes to be as noble and brave and cute as this precious bird.

Attention: Shocking News of the Moment!

I love Dora the Explorer as much as your average, well educated twenty year old half Filipino. This is why I was shocked and appalled at the bomb dropped on me in my Media Studies class earlier this week. Behold: my innocent Dora! Look what they've done to her!


<-------- Before










...and post puberty!!!!!!!!!

Reactions from my class upon seeing the image:

Girl 1: "No f****** way!"

Class nerd 1: "Just another way the corporate media interests are sexing up all content. Nothing is immune."

Disheartened Student 1: "My little sister is going to be so confused..."

Girl 2: "How do you say skank in Spanish?"

Boy in Corner: "She's hot!!!!"

While Nerd 1 has a valid point, I think there are other more important questions to consider. How, for instance, does tween Dora expect to use her magic backpack if it no longer goes with her outfit? What will she do? Will she get a magic talking handbag? Will it be the same? Can it hold her map the same way backpack can? HOW DO YOU SAY HANDBAG IN SPANISH? Will tween Dora teach me??? She is no longer properly dressed for her interactive, multilingual and educational adventures!

So ends the shocking moment of the week. Take it as you will.

Summer Lovin'

This summer, we three shall be tragically split apart by miles. Though we shall be pursuing our own dreams and finding self-actualization away from one another, a fine pair of magical pants shall keep us together in spirit.

OK - there are no pants, but at least Chris Seale does have a pretty sweet scarf.



During the summer months, our own Sammy shall be channeling Marie Curie. She will master the lab like a piano forte and corrosion shall be the beautiful art she creates.

Oh happy rust! May you bring Sammy her prosperous results and uplift her scientific spirit. A day without corrosion is no day at all! - It would be the false promise of shinny surfaces rather than the oh so beautiful reality of this blessed, comforting cycle of nature:

Grass shall be skipping around our nation's capital. Tasks include fetching coffee, ordering take-out, teaching old white men what "cookies" are, traslating FCC jibberish, hanging out with Big Bird, and cleaning the 'internets.'

Grass learned everything about the 'internets' from Oolong's lover, Ted Stevens. As an intern, Grass will most likely be stuck with the grunt work of cleaning the internets to make it run faster. In case you don't know what this looks like, see the picture below as a visual. Grass hopes to clean out as much as she can, but some of those tubes are long! Still, it must and shall be done.


Embunny will stay in lovely Charlottesville breathing in the pollen, holding old people's jackets, comforting overly attached parents, and secretly teaching the new first years how to chug. By the time fourth year comes around she will be an expert at get-to-know-you games, the COD, hiding car keys, streaking, and explaining what the hell ice milk is. All these skills are invaluable.



Last but not least, Oolong shall be playing alllllll summer on a farm.


By the end of the season, she will finally be able to identify all the animals by name. Then, perhaps, we can finish our musical lesson on "Old McDonald."

That's right, folks! No beaches for us! No vacations! No sun bathing! Just animals, internets, and rust please. This is how we like it.

Jealous much, punk?

Real Embunny: Adventures in Blog Authenticity

Embunny has officially declared African-American Studies as her second major. As such, she is undergoing a rigorous study complimented by graduate level reading, disguised in the misleading class of 102. Embunny anticipated one-hundred levels to take her back to the glorious days of first year - napping, frequent trips to rent movies from Clemons rather than study in Clemons, contemplating life, easy A's and high hopes for her GPA.

False.

Embunny now sits here, surrounded by aromatic candles to soothe her frazzled nerves, attempting to write a paper on what it means to really be black. Reference book of the week? This gem: Real Black: Adventures in Racial Sincerity.

Unfortunately, Embunny only knows what it is like to be real(ly) white. This book has provided her immeasurable knowledge however, informing her of the differences between racial authenticity and racial sincerity (oh yes, there is a large and sweeping divide). She also read an entire chapter dedicated to Mos Def and music. This was perhaps her favorite, inspiring Embunny to catch up on a lifetime's absence of quality rap music.

In response to this book, Embunny felt led to send her TA www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com. She hopes to receive extra credit, especially considering the legitimate bonding she experienced with said TA over #97 and #16.

In other news.... think about asking Sammy about this new mystery man in her life. When she isn't busy relaying for her life, Oolong rejoices at the sparse flowers emerging around Grounds, and is knitting them capes to fend off the nasty non-spring weather that arrived after the first day of spring. Grass has conquered the school at last - we knew you would : ) Chris Seal has ventured quite successfully into the sweater business.... more to come...

Keep it real (authentic) (sincere).

pork chops

{{{Oolong shares a story told to her by her Hormones professor...}}}

In a zoo in California, a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately, due to complications in the pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size, died shortly after birth.

The mother tiger, after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health, although physically, she was fine. The veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression. The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve.

After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to the mourning mother. The veterinarians decided to try something that had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care of a different species. The only 'orphans' that could be found quickly, were a litter of weanling pigs. The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger. Would they become cubs...or pork chops?