We've wined, we've waited, now it's time to celebrate 2016

[pterosaur]

Aldi is German! So it's a place you can actually get good chocolate in the US! (My high school German teacher, who's from Germany, still does all her shopping at Aldi.)

I'm currently obsessing over the best way to get bedding upon my arrival back in the states so I don't have to sleep on a bare mattress on my first night. I was going to order it and have it waiting for me, but it turns out the mail room isn't open on weekends, which is when I arrive. I think I have to get my friend (who is an amazing human being and agreed to pick me and all my crap up from the airport) to make a stop at Target on the way to my new place.

[Need Coffee in an IV]

@Neist Ah ok thanks for the explanation! Sounds interesting to visit. I might not be their target audience though. If I already made the commitment to put on pants I want my groceries to be at the store. @pterosaur Never had german chocolate, but i've heard its good. My old norwegian friend had me try their chocolate and it was good/fruity tasting. Thats awesome your friend is willing to go to target for you! Good friends are hard to find sometimes.

[Danger_Zone]

Well I'm about to spend my first night in my new apartment. Was a rough 3 hour drive then had to deal with ordering furniture. One of the salesmen tried to give us a "discount" but ended up charging us more and acted like he was confused about how his computer worked. But we ended up going to another place and finding much better furniture for the same price. It won't come until Friday so I guess it's air mattress time until then.

 

Hope everyone's adventures are going well!

Edited August 11, 2016 by Danger_Zone

[Danger_Zone]

10 hours ago, pterosaur said:

Aldi is German! So it's a place you can actually get good chocolate in the US! (My high school German teacher, who's from Germany, still does all her shopping at Aldi.)

I'm currently obsessing over the best way to get bedding upon my arrival back in the states so I don't have to sleep on a bare mattress on my first night. I was going to order it and have it waiting for me, but it turns out the mail room isn't open on weekends, which is when I arrive. I think I have to get my friend (who is an amazing human being and agreed to pick me and all my crap up from the airport) to make a stop at Target on the way to my new place.

You could try to see if any place around you does same day delivery. If not sleeping on a bare mattress might not be the worst thing for a few days. 

[Effloresce]

9 hours ago, Danger_Zone said:

Well I'm about to spend my first night in my new apartment. Was a rough 3 hour drive then had to deal with ordering furniture. One of the salesmen tried to give us a "discount" but ended up charging us more and acted like he was confused about how his computer worked. But we ended up going to another place and finding much better furniture for the same price. It won't come until Friday so I guess it's air mattress time until then.

 

Hope everyone's adventures are going well!

yay, furniture! glad it worked out in the end.

my room is kinda nearly done? still missing my nighstand and desk which should be delivered tomorrow. for now the things that should be in them are strewn on the floor, though.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

10 minutes ago, Effloresce said:

yay, furniture! glad it worked out in the end.

my room is kinda nearly done? still missing my nighstand and desk which should be delivered tomorrow. for now the things that should be in them are strewn on the floor, though.

Ha, that's the best. Moving in, looking around and thinking "maybe i'll just never put things away and live off the floor for the next few years".

[hippyscientist]

You guys over the past two days I've bought a mattress, a sofa, a chest of drawers, a TV, an iron, a vacuum, an entire kitchen accessories (plates, silverware, cooking utensils etc), bedding, and now a car. I don't think I've ever spent so much money at one time in my life! 

I love my car though I move into my apartment not this coming saturday but the following week so all my stuff is going to be lying around the basement of my airbnb. Oops! It's also my birthday the day after I move into my apartment so I have no idea how that celebration is going to go ahaha. 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

@hippyscientist Don't forget to treat yourself on your birthday! Even if it's just getting some ice cream in the middle of moving or something

 

[Neist]

Completely random, but...

I just stumbled across Bruno Latour's CV. It's 83 pages! That's a small book!

Crazy.

Edited August 12, 2016 by Neist

[rhombusbombus]

8 hours ago, hippyscientist said:

You guys over the past two days I've bought a mattress, a sofa, a chest of drawers, a TV, an iron, a vacuum, an entire kitchen accessories (plates, silverware, cooking utensils etc), bedding, and now a car. I don't think I've ever spent so much money at one time in my life! 

I love my car though I move into my apartment not this coming saturday but the following week so all my stuff is going to be lying around the basement of my airbnb. Oops! It's also my birthday the day after I move into my apartment so I have no idea how that celebration is going to go ahaha. 

 

you already have more stuff than me and i've been here 2 months!

[Effloresce]

this is my first time living with cats and i love it!!! one of my roommate's cats loves looking out of my window, so i adjusted my blinds to cat height just for him.

i also think i'm going to dye my hair before orientation starts, wish me luck!

[pterosaur]

8 hours ago, Neist said:

Completely random, but...

I just stumbled across Bruno Latour's CV. It's 83 pages! That's a small book!

Crazy.

Well the entire thing appears to be bilingual, so that's some serious double-length resume padding right there.  

[hippyscientist]

7 hours ago, rhombusbombus said:

you already have more stuff than me and i've been here 2 months!

haha yep I run around doing things. I can't stand not being productive so this PhD could be interesting! I didn't plan on buying a car but I found the perfect one so put the deposit down. Now I'm figuring out how to get money over from the UK without my American bank account being open yet... ugh red tape! 

[sjoh197]

Living in a sea of unpacked boxes sucks. lol

[Effloresce]

46 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:

Living in a sea of unpacked boxes sucks. lol

i feel you. my room is the only place i can get some escape from the sea of unpacked boxes.

i really want to unpack them, but they're my roommate's and I don't wanna touch her stuff.

[Neist]

Almost a week until classes begin here. 

I'm not sure how well I'm going to fit into my contingent (because, well, quite frankly I'm really odd ), but I'm not sure that especially bothers me. I just hope I don't make others uncomfortable with my oddness.

Time will tell. I'm developing a growing impression that most everyone who attends graduate school is a little odd.

[rhombusbombus]

@Neist I think you'll be fine! You gotta have a little crazy in you to even consider grad school!

@hippyscientist where did you get your mattress from? I'm still on an air mattress and might get a real one in the next few months. I'm actually not sure if I should just wait until I move by myself next year to get one. Also, powerlifting team starts soon i think! I'm really excited! I think I'll be a super baby beginner, though!

Edited August 13, 2016 by rhombusbombus

[Neist]

@rhombusbombus Thanks!  I think I need to filter myself, though. I'm a very frank, honest person while at the same time very agreeable and cordial, and I think that I blindside people occasionally with not-generally-expected interactions. I have absolutely no shame, but I don't really like to make others uncomfortable.

I recall that you said a while back that your project would be out of preliminary stages close to the beginning of the semester. Still progressing well?

Edit: Oh, also, if you're not going to buy a mattress in the immediate "soon", you might consider a heavier, bigger backpacking/camping mattress. Some of the heavier Thermarest ones are quite comfortable, and they have lifetime warranties on them, just in case they ever pop.

Edited August 13, 2016 by Neist

[jlt646]

1 hour ago, rhombusbombus said:

@Neist I think you'll be fine! You gotta have a little crazy in you to even consider grad school!

@hippyscientist where did you get your mattress from? I'm still on an air mattress and might get a real one in the next few months. I'm actually not sure if I should just wait until I move by myself next year to get one. Also, powerlifting team starts soon i think! I'm really excited! I think I'll be a super baby beginner, though!

Powerlifting team at PSU? I'm so interested in taking advantage of athletics here, but I feel unsure about joining things with undergrads. How did you find the info?

[rhombusbombus]

5 minutes ago, jlt646 said:

Powerlifting team at PSU? I'm so interested in taking advantage of athletics here, but I feel unsure about joining things with undergrads. How did you find the info?

 

@hippyscientist told me about it! I've been lifting weights off and on and think joining a team would make me more consistent. I thought About the grad student/ undergrad dynamic too, but I don't think it'd be too much of an issue since we'd have the powerlifting stuff in common. 

I'm also eyeing the belly dancing club but i'd have to make sure my schedule would gel with it.

 

@Neist my project is going well! we're in the beginning stages. giving materials out and whatnot. i'm actually in one of the labs right off campus waiting on a couple of participants now to give them some stuff.

[hippyscientist]

@rhombusbombus & @jlt646 I emailed the powerlifters there's an info session in the coming weeks. They seem really really friendly and open to us oldies joining them! My dad's just left me and I'm in my airbnb and it feels a little bit weird now. Definitely having a mini wobble about being so far from home. Definitely need to do something tomorrow to not be quite so emotional. 

 

rhombus - the mattress I got from Stovers Furniture which is in the mall. It's a really quirky place but the owner, Jake, was really helpful and they're delivering my mattress and frame and box spring the day I move in and will set it up and all for free. They have a really good sale at the minute too, I think I paid about $650 for all that. 

[rhombusbombus]

@hippyscientist Ooh, thats giid for all of the mattress stuff. Most people ive met here are really nice and quirky. I think it's a state college thing!

[hippyscientist]

39 minutes ago, rhombusbombus said:

@hippyscientist Ooh, thats giid for all of the mattress stuff. Most people ive met here are really nice and quirky. I think it's a state college thing!

uhuh tell me about it! Everyone is so friendly. At the minute I'm twiddling my thumbs for things to do tomorrow. If any State College peeps want to meet up for a coffee or something PM me and let's make it happen.

[Effloresce]

it's so cool that there's so many PSU students here.

orientation starts on tuesday for me, and i'm kind of freaking out! just what kind of impression i'll make, if i'll fit in with my cohort, etc etc.

also my roommate hasn't made any progress in unpacking since i've been here..and i've been here since Monday. I'm getting kind of anxious at the state of unrest in our place, and I can't really do anything about it..

[jlt646]

3 hours ago, hippyscientist said:

uhuh tell me about it! Everyone is so friendly. At the minute I'm twiddling my thumbs for things to do tomorrow. If any State College peeps want to meet up for a coffee or something PM me and let's make it happen.

My partner and I had an absurd date night last night- the local theatre is putting on a stage production of High School Musical, and it was exactly what we expected. Lots of earnest small town actors putting their all into a Disney movie.

Perseid is happening, and while it has slowed down now, there should still be meteors around and SC is so dark that it makes for great viewing.

Also, we hiked Mt. Nittany today between thunderstorms! Highly recommend, it was really pretty and not a hard hike.