vroooooooom!

Summer Post

2010-06-05T08:59:00.003-05:00

Since it seems I never post anymore, I might as well go ahead and name this one Summer Post, because it might be all you get for the summer. I was cleaning off my dining room table and found a postcard from Wednesday's opening at Baton Rouge Gallery, showing works from 3 new artist members, Dawn Black, Mary McBride, and Sarah Wiseman. I wanted to go, because I went to middle school with Dawn back in the old days, but usually when I meet Amy J. at openings I finish looking at everything and then stand around feeling really dumb while Amy mingles with the art crowd, so I was going to skip it and go another time. But I wound up going, and seeing Dawn for the first time in a while and her awesome work. All of the work was really good, and each artist showed pieces that intrigued me artistically and aesthetically. Sarah Wiseman incorporates stitching in her work, which was truly interesting. Dawn's work was pretty amazing. Small portraits that seemed almost impossibly real and at the same time painted. They really struck me. Mary McBride showed some really nice pieces that I really loved. I'll try to snag one off BR Gallery's page and post it with this post. Not sure how to describe them-- sculptures, but not really sculptures? Mixed-media work? I don't know. Anyone? I'm posting pictures of all 3 artists work, courtesy of Baton Rouge Gallery

Oh well, maybe I'll post more now that I'M FINISHED WITH SCHOOL!

Tootin' My Horn

2010-01-19T19:48:00.003-06:00

Just checking in real quick to announce that I passed my comprehensive exam! Woohoo! Now I just have to endure 4 months of class and I'm ready to work. Amen! No picture for this post, though searching images for pass and toot reveals interesting results.

Hellooooooooooooooooooo!

2009-11-10T19:42:00.003-06:00

If I could, I would make the title of this post be all wavy-like as though it were a ghost saying "booooooooooooooooooo!" Came very close to giving up the vroooooooom.com domain this year when it came time to renew, but then figured I should go ahead and keep it for the measly 20.00 it requires. Life is interesting here at the homestead. Camelia went into heat just prior to her scheduled heart worm treatment, which has that on hold until she is spayed. Annie gets into trouble on a daily basis, eating pumpkins, chips, and underwear. Weekly dinners with Amy J. have been reinstated (yea!), and I haven't been heading to New Orleans much at all. It's been a very busy semester, and I'm looking forward to May, when I will be able to focus my attention in one general direction rather than 50 different directions each day. Tomorrow is Carey's birthday, and also Dana's. Happy Birthday ladies! Otherwise, there is a new season of The Real Housewives of OC, and I'm going to focus on that for now. Amen!

Getting Settled

2009-09-01T21:00:00.003-05:00

So this was the 2nd week of classes, and I'm trying to figure out how my days will go. I had a moment of brilliance last week and decided that I should try to run during one of my breaks. We often get a 20 minute break in the middle of class at least once a day. I figured I could squeeze in a quick run one of those breaks. So today I brought all of my extra crap with me. I decided to not rush myself on one of the 20 minute breaks and instead wait for lunch. I ran for the first 20 minutes of lunch, and had 40 whole minutes to eat lunch and relax. And you know what? It was really nice! There are like 300 different routes I can take each day, I didn't loaf around all through lunch, and when I left for the day, I had already exercised. I will have to see if it works at the internship too. I hope so.

So since I got that out of the way early, I was able to run a few errands after school. I went and picked up the comprehensive exam study guide to begin reviewing for comps in early spring. Yowza! That's one huge stack of papers! Then I went and picked up the most essential part of the dictation machine that I completely left behind Sunday evening when I went to pick it up. Then I did doggie duty, completed dictation, and then showered, fixed lunch, ate dinner, and watched Greek. I am pooped. Now I'm watching a few minutes of Flipping Out before I go to bed. I am also hoping that I'll have a chance to keep blogging on a more regular basis. The end.

Urban Dictionary

2009-08-28T20:35:00.001-05:00

1. VROOOOOOOOM 5 up, 1 down

The sound a car often makes when going a speed faster then 2 mph
Vroooooooom *silence of clutch* Vroooooooom *clutch again* Vroooooooom.

by Car enthusiast Oct 2, 2006

Year 2, Day 1

2009-08-24T20:39:00.002-05:00

Well, today was the first day of my last year of this program in school (I was recently told by a friend to NEVER, NEVER say it's your last year of school.) It's going to be a year of changes. For my internship this year, I will be working with animals and learning about pet-assisted therapy and the human-animal bond. I think it's a great opportunity to learn about an area that isn't really the first thing that comes to mind when you say Social Work. I'm looking forward to it. On a disappointing note, long distance and a lack of time has led Mystery Guest and myself to the dreaded discussion and ultimate decision that perhaps our situation is not the best situation for either of us right now. It was all very mature and adult. Which makes it smart even more! (By the way, I picked up "smart" from Archie comics) I still have the utmost respect and adoration for Mystery Guest, and am of course sad to go in separate directions. So. That's enough for now. That was hard enough for me to unleash.

Weekend Edition

2009-07-12T19:12:00.002-05:00

This past weekend has been a pretty good weekend as far as weekends go. Friday night the Osbornes and I cooked up some swordfish and veggies (okay, the Osbornes cooked up some swordfish and veggies... I managed to coerce Mr. O. to do the cooking by telling him that I had found a great recipe online... a microwave oriental swordfish recipe involving ketchup. Mr. O. was thoroughly disturbed and took over. Mission accomplished!) So we had dinner and wine and just good company with old friends makes for a really nice evening. Saturday I went to NOLA for a visit with the Mr. Federline and other assorted friends. First we went to a party for the people he works with. A lot of it was boring for me, but everyone was genuinely kind and welcoming. And besides, I bored him later on. After that we went to Dick and Jenny's and I had the Salmon “Osso Bucco” with Haricots Vert, Garlic mashed potatos & Tarragon Butter. What it actually is, is salmon surrounding a scallop, so that the scallop takes on the character of the bone in osso bucco. Interesting, and quite tasty! After that we went to the Rendezvous to meet up with some other old friends and close the evening. Good times!

Today when I got home, I picked the dogs up at my house and went over to my parents' house because my sister is in town (dearest sister stayed here with my dogs last night-- thanks!). We swam until the thunder and lightening sent us running for our towels. Eventually, the rain got so heavy that it was coming up onto the porch and the dogs were scratching at the door to get in, so I rounded them up to go home. When we got in and I turned on the windshield wipers, Camelia went nuts! First time seeing windshield wipers-- it made me laugh really hard! So that was my weekend. I leave for vacation in just a few days, and I'm very excited about it! Yeaaaaaa!

Doing Good So Far

2009-07-06T19:36:00.004-05:00

So I've stuck to the no-coke (aside from the once weekly treat) and exercise thing. It's been good, and I feel good. Saturday I went to several July 4th events at various places. I spent most of my time at my parents house with my sister and nieces. There was a really good part of the day where me, Kristin, Hannah, and Lucy were all in the pool making our hair into George Washington's, (have kids done that since George Washington existed???) under-water butt bumps, and other fun water games from childhood. I find it amazing that Hannah and Lucy knew exactly what the George Washington thing was. Hannah's was really good.

Camelia is doing really well, her last little bit of a wound is healing nicely, and she is snoring away on the couch next to me right now. In other news, I am 10 days away from vacation!!! Once again I'll be headed north to PA/NJ to attend Duszapalooza. I need to start working on my outfit! I'm hoping to make it to NO this weekend, so perhaps Buffalo Exchange will have some good merchandise available. We will see.

3 Days and Counting...

2009-07-01T17:44:00.005-05:00

You all know how I struggle with not drinking coke. Well, lately I've been sucking down the high-fructose corn syrup nectar of the gods at an alarming pace. I've taken to keeping some in my fridge at all times, and buying at least one each day in the $0.50! coke machine at Cancer Services. Well, my increasing levels of inactivity coupled with my extra empty calorie refreshments have left me feeling not so good about myself. So I haven't had a coke since Sunday. That's right! I'm wondering how long this will last. I've also made an effort to be more physically active.

Tonight there's an opening at Baton Rouge Gallery,and Amy J. and Leanne C. will both be showing some work. Needless to say, I will be attending. I'm about to hop in the shower because I'm a sweaty, gross mess. Then I'll eat a quick dinner and head out to the gallery. Have a good evening!

image is stolen from the BR Gallery site... it's one of Amy's pieces, perhaps included in tonight's show. I know I've never seen it!

What's New?

2009-06-30T20:09:00.003-05:00

What's new with me, you ask... Well... I've found a dog! She's a beautiful brindle coat boxer I spied trotting down the street almost 3 weeks ago. She had some visible wounds on her low-back area, and I thought perhaps she had been used as fight bait. I stopped and threw her in the car, and we headed off to the vet. Once we got there, we waited quietly in an exam room for a vet to arrive for the day. When the vet came in, she began the exam, and we discovered that poor baby hadn't been used as fight bait, (as far as we can tell) but was badly burned. So for the past almost 3 weeks, Annie and I have been learning to live in a 2 dog house. So far, so good.

Otherwise, I've been volunteering at Cancer Services a couple of times a week and working for my dad on the other days. Mystery Guest is still around, and he just started an exciting new job for the remainder of the summer yesterday. Ooooooh! Exciting. In other news, I haven't blogged in eons, but I'm going to try to get back into it because it's therapeutic. Amen!

Vote for Cancer Services' Resource Center

2009-06-01T13:32:00.001-05:00

Go check out the video for Cancer Services' library and leave a comment (on youtube, not vroooom!) view video here!

Happy 50th Cancer Services

2009-05-14T21:03:00.001-05:00

Today was the 50th birthday party for Cancer Services. And I am absolutely EXHAUSTED. Good night.

Year 1, Done.

2009-05-13T20:03:00.005-05:00

Yeppers, I'm halfway finished with grad school! And look, I apparently learned how to spell skool! It just slipped out, I guess it's been such a long time since I blogged that I forgot. Anyway, it was a successful first year. And I'm FINISHED. I am proud to say, I made a 4.0 this semester! So what will this summer bring? I will probably still hang around my internship organization, lurking around like a ghost of interns past. But I missed a lot in the days that I wasn't there, and would like to attend some of the groups that are held on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so I'll probably check those out and be there at least 1 day a week. Otherwise, I'll work for my dad some, and hopefully get to spend some time painting.

I've been keeping up with the exercise blog, or at least I had, until those last 2 weeks of school. I went to the rec center today and swam for a while, which was nice. A good change of pace. For a while, the group exercise classes are out, so I don't have any ballet or pilates or anything to direct me, so I'll probably fit in some bike rides, runs, and swim sessions until they kick off again. For now, I'll just be enjoying some relaxing time, watching tv, reading what I want to read, etc. Oh! I bought my ticket to PA for DP V coming up in July yesterday. Super-duper excited about that... I don't think Spazz the Clown will be there again this year, but it's pretty much guaranteed to be a good time. So that's that. Oh yeah, and Mystery Guest is still around, enjoying his summer before he has to get back to law related things. blech!

this photo of Mystery Guest and me was taken a long time ago by JK at some little hole in the wall across the river. there was some SPECIAL hair at this place!

REJECTION!

2009-03-26T19:25:00.001-05:00

Dear Natalie,

On behalf of Baton Rouge Gallery, I regret to inform you that your application was NOT selected to be part of Venus Envy 2009 Exhibition. This decision was based on the following criteria: conceptual and aesthetic diversity, feasibility of proposal, overall artistic merit and relevance to the Venus Envy mission statement. Thank you for your time and we encourage you to reapply next year.

AS IF!!!!

Guest Updater: Mystery Guest

2009-03-22T11:04:00.003-05:00

Hello interwebs. Natalie is busy painting her kitchen, but wanted me to take a break from priming to update the blog!

Here is the latest news: Natalie went to ballet class again this week, and reports that it was awesome, and that she was in a great mood afterwards. Most of you will certainly be asking, as I did, "Did you wear a tutu?" The answer to that question is, unfortunately, no. Although otherwise it was a great experience. Perhaps there will be more tutu-wearing in the future, we'll just have to wait and see...

In Social Work news, Natalie is trying to decide what to do for her internship next year. She absolutely loves BR Cancer Services, but has decided it would be beneficial to get some different work to give her the most well-rounded experience possible. As she does a lot of work in group settings with Cancer Services, she would like a chance to have more one-on-one interaction. Ultimately she would like to do more care giving as well. As she would like to open her own cancer services or hospice type operation one day, I am encouraging her to do something where she can also learn grant writing. If any of you on the interwebs have suggestions or ideas as to where she should do her internship for Fall 2009, you can do so by leaving a comment.

This weekend, Natalie and I celebrated the one year anniversary of the day we met. How did we celebrate? Lavish dinner, followed by fancy ballroom dancing? Well, yes! We shared a basket of chicken fingers, and then we watched our LSU Tigers fall to the hated North Carolina Tarheels in the NCAA basketball tournament. And then we went home and watched part of "Superbad." And now we're blogging/painting the kitchen. So overall, it's been a good weekend, except for the Tigers losing, that part was sad. Hopefully when we celebrate year 2, we can also celebrate a victory by the Tigers...

That's all for now. The kitchen is coming along well, so Natalie hopes to be able to post pictures of the new, much brighter kitchen.

I Heart Thursdays

2009-03-12T20:33:00.003-05:00

Would you like to know why I heart Thursdays? Because skool is over for the week, and the weekend is just a few hours away. I go to my internship for a half-day tomorrow, and then get to start doing things I need to get done without feeling any guilt. Target! I need groceries. I need groceries pretty badly.

Hopefully, the kitchen will be done with sanding tomorrow afternoon, so I might get to start painting next weekend. I actually am a pretty swift painter, so I should be able to get started and finish next weekend if I have the whole weekend to get it done. Then I can move everything back to where it belongs and have a kitchen once again. Then the groceries will get eaten!

Little H got in town yesterday or today, I'm not certain which. I'll head to New Orleans either Saturday or Sunday to try and carve out an hour or two with her. I'm sure she's going to be super busy trying to visit with everyone, see her city, and squeeze in a super-long shift at the Rendezvous while she's there... I was thinking I would skip St. Patty's Parades altogether this year, I guess we'll see. If I go down there on Sat., it would be a waste to not go, right?

Word

2009-03-10T20:18:00.003-05:00

Helloooooooooooooooo. This week has been pretty mild so far. I had my field evaluation today, which means that my field liaison came to my field placement agency and checked to be sure that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing and that they were giving me the opportunity to learn what I needed to learn. Last semester I had no idea what this would entail, and the whole thing went over pretty poorly. I am not good on-the-spot. This time my liaison was nice enough to let me know what to expect, and she was very pleased with my ability to rattle on and on about what I do every day.

This afternoon I went to the rec center and attended my first ballet class in many years. I'm not good at ballet when I go on a regular basis, so it was interesting, but I felt great when I left. Just happy. smiley. I like doin' the ballet, even if I did kind of feel like an ass because my balance has gotten to be so bad. So I'm going to try and keep it up. I might check out what other classes the rec center has to offer!

Race for the Cure 2009

2009-03-07T12:15:00.003-06:00

It's that time of year again! I started the morning off by riding my bike to the race. I figured that if I rode my bike there, I wouldn't have to actually RUN the race. Then I decided to run the fun run. Then I started off walking the 5K with Khaki and Co., but Caroline wanted to run. So we ran, then walked, then waited for Khaki and Co., then quit waiting and ran, then stopped to use the bathroom, then ran, then ran to the top of the Indian mounds ("Do you think they're really made of Indians?") stood up there, cheered, ran down, ran back up, cheered, ran back down, ran some more, walked some, stopped and sat on the swing at the KA house, ran some more, petted every dog we saw, looked at the lake from the Alumni center deck, practiced spelling various words, learned about all of the rides at Disney World, stopped and sat by the other lake, ran a little more, walked, and ran through the finish line. Then I rode my bike home, and now I'm home and after a shower off to another fun event. Poof!

National Health Survey

2009-03-04T20:00:00.002-06:00

Somehow I was suckered into participating in the National Health Survey. It actually wasn't bad. A nice lady came to my house and sat on my front steps with me as I told her all about my health insurance coverage and the frequency I go to the doctor. It took about an hour, and because the lady was nice, it wasn't bad at all.

I had my first mid-term of the semester today, and I feel fine about it. There were a few multiple choice questions I was unsure about, but overall, I think I did fine. Tomorrow I have my only other mid-term, and then the week is about over. I have a quick day at my internship on Friday and then it's weekend time!

Race for the Cure is Saturday morning, and while I'll be running it with people from my internship, I am sure I'll be taking the time to go back inside my head and spend a little bit of time talking to Em. Speaking of which, Baby Emily will be turning 1 this month! Now I'm going to watch the Top Chef reunion before I go to bed. The End!

Missed the Boat

2009-03-03T20:26:00.002-06:00

I was going to go to a ballet class this afternoon, and jumped up, got dressed and was headed out the door and remembered I needed my school ID to get into the class. Well let me tell you something... not last week, but the week before, I decided to get a new ID. They changed IDs at the beginning of the year and I had still been using my original ID that I got when I started school. It had started coming unpeeled, so I decided it was time for a new one. Instead of telling me I was awesome for being able to hold onto an ID for so many years, they charged me 15$ because I didn't update it quickly enough. Bastards! So anyway, I went to get my ID and I couldn't find it anywhere. So I held on to that crappy old one for like 5 years, and within 2 weeks of replacing it lost it.

I spent about an hour cleaning my purse and coffee table, and found it about 15 minutes into the ballet class. Oh well. There's always next Tuesday, right?

this image is from a book called Kiki Dances, which I believe belonged to one of my aunts.

Inside My Head

2009-03-02T19:57:00.002-06:00

I've kind of been inside my head for the past few months. I think that after a hurricane I tend to go inside and lock up in there for a while with my thoughts rattling around. Not that this hurricane was nearly as devastating as Katrina, but it brought back all of those feelings of disorganization at the beginning of a semester, housing issues, etc. Then I think that the cold darkness of winter maybe pulled me in a bit further. I don't want to say that I was depressed, but I was definitely not enjoying life to the fullest.

The days are getting longer and warmer, and I can feel myself coming out of this funk, and it is extraordinarily exciting! I wake up ready to get out of bed, I feel like taking Annie on extra walks because it's not so cold, and I'm much more willing to make myself change clothes and do something in the realm of exercise when I get home in the afternoons. It is a welcome change, and I look forward to its progression. And I'm really going to try to be better about writing more often.

This image is an illustration by Camilla Engman, whom I am very fond of. Here is a link to her website! That old bear is my winter attitude grumbling around in the cold forest. brrrrrr!

Marching into Spring

2009-03-01T13:07:00.003-06:00

Dammit if it didn't get COLD last night. I refuse to accept it, and titled my post Marching into Spring. Because it is March, and it WILL GET WARM AGAIN. SOON.

I had the pleasure of spending yesterday with Amanda, which is always a very entertaining, relaxing, and usually a productive experience. She's got a show in New York coming up, so she was busy working on some pieces that needed to get to the framers by 5:00, and I was busy working on the robot. He's coming along, but let me tell you, he is VERY time consuming. I have gotten the bulk of the collage part finished, and could possibly finish him up in 1-2 more day-long Amanda visits. Mucho thanks to Mandie for letting me hang out with her all day and use her space!

So last night I got to meet the Mystery Guests, which was a totally benign experience. They were really nice and there was really no small talk, which I am NOT good at at all. We went to dinner at Dante's Kitchen, which I don't know if I mentioned that Lesley and I had gone there for her birthday last month, but we did, and I liked her dinner way more than my dinner, so last night I got to order what she had had, which was the chicken. It was yum! After dinner, we parted ways and Mystery Guest and I went to see some of his friends who were playing at a coffee house. Ew! Coffee! But it was nice, and good to see those guys again. After that we followed them to Cooter Browns to hang out for a bit, and I ran into Brant, who I haven't seen in a loooooooooooooong time. In 6 weeks or so, he will be a father of TWINS! He already has at least one child and one step-child, so I guess they will have a full house. It was good to see him, and strange how I avoid places I don't frequent, and then when I finally agree to go there is a familiar face.

This morning I had breakfast at Slim Goodies with the Bernicks, which as always was nice. Now I'm home, listening to Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me. I might take a nap, I might read a magazine, I might do a number of things. Then I'm going to visit the Osbornes and then STUDY for mid-terms. I might make an attempt to blog more often, because I really do miss it. It's just a matter of taking the time to do it. So. That's it. The End.

PS: Here's a link to an article about Jen's studio... check it out! Today's image is one of Jen's paintings. Of course, Jen and Mandie are linked on the sidebar with artists.

Meet the Mystery Guests

2009-02-27T15:11:00.001-06:00

I meet Mystery Guest's parents tomorrow.

YO

2009-02-25T11:18:00.003-06:00

What is going on, you might ask. Well. I am spending my Mardi Gras holiday a) being sick, and now that I am recovered b) sanding my kitchen walls. The big kitchen renovation has also resulted in my misplacing my camera charger, so I can't even take photos of the progress. I decided the other day that it would be a good idea to start sanding the walls. It progressed very slowly, and I began to feel sore and unenthusiastic. Then I realized I was sick. This morning I woke up refreshed and started early. I've been sanding away for about 3 hours, and while there is still a lot to go, I have tackled quite a bit of the walls. I'm hoping that once I get to the big wall the fact that the paint is chipping will help me along. Otherwise, it might be a while before I'm back in business in the kitchen. But it will look SO, SO nice when it is finished. I'm on my lunch break now, and decided to blog a bit. Lucky you! Now I need to go find some lunch and chow down before I get back in there, sander in hand.

I think I may need this light switch plate.

I'm Still Here

2009-02-19T19:08:00.002-06:00

I am still here, I just haven't been making the time to keep up with mah blawg. Sometimes I really miss mah blawg, and others I just forget about it. School is going well this semester, things are a LOT less stressful than last semester. Last semester we had to do SOMUCH writing that I think I was sick of it. I swear I had at least one paper due each week. This semester not so much. The teacher I wasn't sure about? Still not 100% sure, but am leaning towards liking him. The lecturer actually turned out to be a movie lover and likes to let us watch movies.

And now it's 7:12 and I haven't had dinner and I'm hungry and need to go figure out which frozen entree I'll be cooking up tonight. Miss my kitchen!

Bizzy Bizzy

2009-02-08T20:32:00.003-06:00

It's been bizzy. I had a great time in Philadelphia, and am looking forward for Carey and Boob to come down this way next weekend. Yea! School isn't as demanding as it was last semester, I don't have as many papers or assignments so far, which makes things a little less hectic. I still love my internship, and have been regularly exercising for 5 weeks now! I wish I were more regularly blogging, but I just don't seem to find the time to squeeze it in. The kitchen being a construction zone doesn't help tremendously, since I have to try to figure out what I can eat and how I can fix it. Hopefully that will not take too much longer to remedy. I can't really do pictures, because my camera charger is hidden somewhere amidst the dishes and food that is stored in the dining room and guest room. I know its here somewhere, just can't find it now. So for now I will leave you with a photo of myself and Eric of Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job! Taken by Carey in Philly.

Cornification

2009-02-06T15:51:00.001-06:00

25 Things

2009-01-28T17:33:00.005-06:00

Since this seems to be the trend, here are my 25 things...
1. I have a metal rod in my leg and screws and pins in various other parts of my body
2. My first cat was named Casey, but I liked to call her Maggie because I thought she was magical
3. I once found a photograph of Katherine Elliott Creech dressed up like a devil in the woods behind my house
4. I am probably the only person to ever be in the freshman facebook at Tulane for 2 consecutive years with the same picture and different hobbies
5. I have a blanket named Howard, who was the host of the PBS show NOVA, and also owned the chain of Howard's discount stores
6. Howard was married to a smaller yellow blanket named Harold. Harold was a woman.
7. At one point in my life, my friends and I assigned animal likenesses to all of our friends and still refer to them as hippos, squirrels, bunnies, lambs, etc.
8. I have a stuffed animal that I still sleep with, and for Christmas this year the only thing I asked my dad for was for him to perform some corrective surgery for years of disfiguring dog attacks
9. My dad performed the surgery, and puppy now has new eyes and a nose!
10. I count when I run
11. I actually count when I walk too
12. Today is my oldest nieces birthday, she is TWELVE! (this list was actually written on the 27th)
13. I am still good friends with most people that I have lived in the same house with (probably not very good grammar there)
14. I am kind of weird about spelling peoples' names correctly
15. My dog's feet smell like fritos
16. My dog's ears remind me of cinnamon crispers from Taco Bell
17. I am going to Philadelphia in two days!!!
18. I've never felt like I was doing the right thing as much as I do now (life direction-wise)
19. I still read Anastasia Krupnik books, as well as Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume
20. One of my toes reminds me of a turtle. It's my favorite toe.
21. I love cooking and organizing things
22. I love washing dishes by hand, and sweeping with a broom and dustpan
23. I love my dog, my family, and my friends very very very much!
24. I have never been to Europe
25. Yes I'd like to visit the moon, but I don't think I'd like to live there... (you'll get it if you know it)

It's Been A While...

2009-01-28T17:33:00.004-06:00

I haven't been updating, but I have been exercising, which is good. I have also been trying to keep up with my reading and school work. Tomorrow I am leaving for Philadelphia to have some fun adventures with some old friends... I am excited! I am not excited about the fact that it's going to be very COLD up there, but I am super excited to have fun adventures and see my friends. It got cold here today, but nothing compared to what the weekend in Philly will be like. But at least if I'm going to be cold, I'll know that I would be cold here anyway. So yeah, I had better get to packing my things!!!! Will post pictures!

Progress....

2009-01-15T20:28:00.002-06:00

I should probably be taking notes and photos of the progression of my kitchen, but I'm not. Maybe I'll start tomorrow. I got home today, and it looked like a train had barreled through there, but by the time I had gotten some work finished in the guest room, they had it all cleaned out- I mean there's still dust and crap all over, and I don't have a kitchen ceiling at all now, but all of the crap that came down magically disappeared. I kind of think it wound up in the garbage can, because I went to put it out this evening and I could barely roll the dang thing to the curb. So I'll get on the ball tomorrow and get some photos for everyone to see. Later!

No Longer First Day of School Eve...

2009-01-14T19:54:00.004-06:00

So today was the first day of skool! I bought my books and two new highlighters. Ahhhh, the joy of new books and highlighters! It was good to see everyone's faces again after our long and luxurious break, but I had 2 new teachers today and I don't know how much I'm going to like or dislike them. I think I will like them, but they appear to be the lecture-only type teacher, which is reaaalllly hard for me to do. I have a hard time sitting in front of the television for an hour without doing something else... so listening to someone talk will probably result in me losing my patience on a regular basis. I have another new teacher tomorrow, and then a repeat from last semester... not my favorite class from last semester, hopefully that is due to the class content rather than the instructor. I suppose that time will tell.

I ran when I got home, which was a great start to the semester. I just need to make it a habit THAT I DON'T BREAK this year. Also, the old ceiling is down and now we're trying to figure out what to replace it with in the kitchen... tomorrow they will move my attic access from the kitchen into the laundry room, which will result in my being able to move the refrigerator to a better position. With the kitchen being a wreck, I eagerly accepted an invitation to dinner with JK & Green Bean. Dan met us and we had a delightful dinner that was made even more delightful when Dan treated us all. Totally unexpected, and really nice. Thanks Dan! So that's it for the first day of school, I'm going to go peruse my new books!

Skool!

First Day of School Eve

2009-01-13T19:27:00.003-06:00

I really like Eves. Since I was a kid, I thought that every day worth celebrating had a similarly exciting eve. Probably because I was born on Christmas Eve, which turned out to be an exciting day for me since it was my birthday and all. So I used to also celebrate Birthday Eve on the 23rd, and I still feel a twinge of disappointment if my sister doesn't wish me a happy B.E. So tonight is First Day of School Eve... Tomorrow marks the first day of my second semester of grad skool. I continued to go to my internship throughout the break on account of I like it so much, but reality smacked me in the face yesterday when I was called upon to lead a group and reminded of some work to get done. I must admit I had settled in quite nicely just drifting around doing stuff that didn't require much to challenge me in the areas that need the most challenging. I'm fortunate to have the B.S.E. (best supervisor EVER) who encourages me and is always there to help me if I falter, but I can't help getting super anxious before hand. Thank goodness for Zoloft!

There is also a new intern at my internship, which also causes me mild anxiety. Part of me thinks that is ridiculous, but another part of me feels like it's normal to feel a little bit anxious about a new person coming in, especially since she will be there more often than I will. But I get them for a whole year, so I feel super fortunate to have had the last semester. I guess I'm a people hog. I get a little bit possessive. I haven't had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with the new intern (as today was only her second day), but she seems to be quite competent, especially in areas where I feel incompetent. I'm sure I can learn a thing or two from her, perhaps I'll have to suggest a joint assignment for us.

So. Stay tuned to hear how the semester looks after day 1!

Happy Birthday Baby Connor!

2009-01-08T20:59:00.002-06:00

Today Baby Connor turned 3! 3 years ago today, I went over to help Amy B. clean out her closet. Mid-way through she retreated from the closet and returned several minutes later. We continued a bit more, she retreated again, returned again. At this time Jason came in and noticed a strange look on Amy's face. "You okay?" he asked. "Yeah. I think my water broke though." So we panic running around the room trying to figure out what we should do. Eventually we hopped into the Millenia and rushed off to the hospital, and shortly afterward Baby Connor entered the world.

This morning I did a delivery for hospice, went to the office to get a little work done, then went to a birthday lunch with some friends. Afterward I went shopping and bought a ridiculous amount of new clothes. But I really needed them, especially considering the splitting of the pants yesterday. So I now have clothes to wear besides jeans and t-shirts. woohoo!

When I got home, I took Annie for a walk and ran into my friend's aunt. Turns out my friend's mom took a spill earlier this week AND BROKE HER BACK. This friend is a friend that I grew up with, I was at her house EVERY weekend. So I feel very helpless in that I am not close with this friend anymore, but I want very badly to do whatever I can to help make this time easier for them. She flies in from out of the country this evening, and I left my phone numbers with her aunt to pass on. Hopefully she'll allow me to do something to help them. God, I have got to keep this in mind the next time I feel invincible when moving furniture, climbing on unstable things, lifting stuff, etc.

After the walk, I went over and watched Baby Connor open his presents and had some ice cream cake. It's been a very rollercoastery day. The highs of shopping, lunching, birthday celebrating interspersed with lots of hope for my friend's family.

My photo will be of a dress I purchased today, which you can find here. Well, it kind of looks like this, but the dress is cheaper on the website than in the store, which leads me to believe it's a little different. Oh well, it's cute!

Winzday

2009-01-07T20:42:00.003-06:00

Today I didn't do too much. I visited my mom at her store, raked my yard, ripped my pants, attended a staff meeting, (where I'm not technically staff, but they still fed me birthday cake and sang to me...) ran a bit, made and ate some turkey jambalaya, thought about painting, brought my painting stuff in from the car, thought about painting some more, then decided to do some crossword puzzles instead. I've got some exciting travel plans set up for the end of the month, and as you may have read in yesterday's post, I made a quick trip to Dallas toward the end of December. That's a lot of traveling for a low-to-no-income gal, and I feel really lucky! School starts exactly one week from today, which is mildly exciting. I have strong hopes that I will keep up with my work this semester and not feel rushed about everything, but I kind of think that this is the way it's going to be until next May when I'm done. I will have to start researching other locations to do my internship next year, which sets me off in a mild panic every time I think about it.

Last weekend JK and I headed down to NO for the weekend. Jen spent the weekend with her sister, me with Mystery Guest. Friday night we met Jen and KK out in Metry for a few drinks before retiring post-Sugar Bowl and after meeting up with Les, Kate, Rebecca, and Charles at Parasols and a quick visit to some other folks. Saturday night we went out to dinner at Dick and Jenny's to celebrate my birthday. I had the duck. Mystery Guest had the Awesome Red Meat with the Fat on Top of it. I normally love duck, but the Awesome Red Meat with the Fat on Top of it was better. Afterward we strolled down to 45 Tchoup and watched the end of the Chargers/Colts game and then to the Rendezvous to see some more folks. Sunday we had breakfast at Slims and then sat with Kate for a bit before I headed home. JK rode home with her sister, but we did see her and KK at Parasols while we were visiting with Kate. So that's that. Maybe tomorrow I'll tell you about New Years or my visit to Dallas. For tonight, I'll leave you a clue about where I'm going come Jan 29th and what I'll be doing. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Harder Better Faster Stronger

2009-01-06T20:55:00.004-06:00

Maybe 2009 will be a year for -er. Do bett-er in school, work hard-er to reach goals, run and exercise more to become strong-er and fast-er. Or maybe it will just be a year in which I title my posts based on remakes of songs. So I've been missing for a while, but I'm back now. Harder, better, faster, stronger. Later.

The image is taken from my trip to Dallas to visit Walker. We are at the Galleria. I bought some postcards, Walker bought some jeans. I don't think that John bought anything.

Fuck!

2008-12-30T19:09:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I could just wring her frickin' neck!

Stolen from Finicky

2008-12-19T08:08:00.003-06:00

Tag
1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer
2) Select the 4th picture in the folder
3) Explain the picture
4) Tag 4 people to do the sameNO CHEATING! (cropping, editing, etc!)

Okay, so just last week I moved all of my photos and music from an external drive to my laptop, so you're in for a treat! This lovely image was taken at some point during my first freshman year in college. Doggles was my roommate, and as you can see, we were VERY organized and neat. Slobs.

Worn Out!

2008-12-18T18:56:00.003-06:00

I'm feeling really worn out! I didn't even really do anything exhausting today, but I'm trading in my night on the town with the girls to stay at home and go to bed early. I figure that I'd just be tired and cranky, and always a step behind in the conversation, which would be frustrating. Also, I've sneezed a bundle this afternoon and I want to ward off any looming sickness.

I have plans to visit my buddy in Dallas Monday through Wednesday of next week, so I want to lay low until the time comes. Would suck to cancel the trip considering he lives in San Francisco, and who knows when he'll be this close again? Man! I'm really pooped! I wonder if I'll be able to stay awake long enough for Gray's Anatomy? I guess we will see. Already got my jammies on and it's only 7:00 pm.

After reading about a nicely illustrated game of Memory available at Old Navy today, I trecked all the way out there in mid-day holiday traffic only to find that my local Old Navy is seriously lacking. I used to love the game Memory. So JK, sorry I didn't make it for the big plans this evening, but I gots to look after myself, right?

I could order the game here, but am unsure of what the quality would be. I like to touch things before I fork over any cash, y'know?

F for Fery Fery Busy.

2008-12-17T10:43:00.004-06:00

In response to Finicky's comment, I make a big fat EFF on the Blog 365 challenge. But I've been really busy and haven't had too much interesting to say. I love my internship, I like my classes. I made 2 b's and 2 a's and a P for my internship. I'm pretty okay with those grades, though of course I think I should have done better in the 2 b classes. But oh well.

I also made a big fat EFF for trying to stay healthy. I manage to eat okay for the most part, but I tell you, fitting in a run after a long day is hard to do. Herpreet challenged me, and I've been better but there is still room for improvement. Right now, there are people up on my roof (and I'm pretty sure it's not santa) fixing the hole from Gustav. Yes, it rained in my kitchen all last week. Delightful! But that is getting fixed and it could have been super worse. I took the opportunity to treat myself to dinner, which was nice because it was also exam/paper week and to not have to think about cooking was a treat.

I hope to maybe blog some more over my break, but as for now I'm trying to figure out how to move my kitchen around so that it works better. Sadly, I think the real solution is to get a smaller refrigerator. sigh.

I will leave you with a photo of myself and mystery guest, who is still around. Thanks to JK for the photo!

Christmas Wishes...

2008-12-09T20:10:00.001-06:00

thanks AntKnee!

And the Winner is.......

2008-12-07T11:08:00.001-06:00

MYSTERY GUEST sent me my 12345th email in my gmail account. That counts for something, right?

12345

2008-12-06T19:07:00.002-06:00

The next person to send me an email will have the honor of being the 12345th email in my gmail inbox. LUCKY! Who will it be?!?!?!

image

Ikea

2008-12-06T13:06:00.001-06:00

What's with this Ikea ad where the ghostly woman talks about shipping and then finding a nice man or woman?

I Challenge You!

2008-12-05T16:45:00.003-06:00

Herpreet kinda unofficially challenged me the other day on her blog, so I accepted, and now we are starting a new blog that will chronicle our plight to become physically fit. Join us if you want! It's a long distance challenge and we can encourage each other by leaving comments and by knowing that other people in the world will notice if we stop exercising. I need stuff like this to keep me going. So. Check it out!

MOTHERFUCKERS!

2008-11-30T15:45:00.003-06:00

I have an overwhelming amount of papers/final projects due in the next two weeks. Two of these papers/projects are group projects. One is okay, I'm not pissed about it. One of our group members has experienced a family tragedy and I don't expect her to be able to fully participate, just as I walked out on one of our group papers earlier in the semester when my grandmother died. Sometimes you have no control over your ability to participate. But motherfuckers who have no reason to STEAL SHIT OFF THE INTERNET and NOT CONTRIBUTE THEIR SHARE can basically go to hell in my book. I of course am the person who is the final editor on this incomplete mess that is due on Wednesday. In my attempt to find the sources of some info found on a slide for our presentation, a google search yielded a powerpoint presentation with the same information, verbatim, as a good number of the slides "we" put together. I swear to god, I'm going to spit venom on this motherfucker when I encounter them.

image and some good tips on writing papers STOLEN FROM HERE ON THE INTERNET!

I feel a lot better after a brisk walk and this rant. Thankyouverymuch.

Holidays

2008-11-24T19:45:00.002-06:00

I'm really excited because I don't have any classes this week. I'm taking tomorrow off from my internship so that I can attend Special Friend's Day at Newman in New Orleans with Lucy. I like it when I get elected to be a special friend to one of my nieces. It's a special feeling. I have buttloads of stuff to get done before the semester ends, but altogether, I'm feeling really relieved to be on the brink of a nice long holiday. What am I going to do with all of this free time? I hope to visit Walker and John in Dallas briefly when they're visiting Walker's family, I plan to spend some hours at my internship even though it won't count for anything other than the fact that I love it and like being around the people I work with. I also plan to laze around, watch tv, read leisure reading, work a little bit, and anything else that I can think up.

I dyed my hair for the first time in almost a year today, this time I took matters into my own hands considering I'm very very po'. It turned out a nice shade of chocolate brown, and I'm pleased with the results. Otherwise there's not too too much to report. I made some red beans yesterday, which are good but need more salt. Mystery Guest will be getting in on Wednesday probably, and then there will be all sorts of Thanksgivingy things going on. Hopefully holiday stress and prolonged visits won't drive anyone over the edge. I guess if we made it through Gustav Thanksgiving won't be too hard, esp. with all of the extracurricular activities going on. So, that is that. Amen.

gobble gobble!

OMG!

2008-11-20T22:27:00.001-06:00

Just found out Scrubs is coming back! January! Yea!

PostSecret

2008-11-20T22:04:00.002-06:00

Many, many moons ago I was in 6th grade. During a break between classes, I was in the classroom where my next class would be held (taught by a school favorite). There was a student visiting, who had had her as a teacher 2 years before. I watched in awe as this extraordinarily confident girl visited with the teacher. Somehow it came up that she was very talented in the realm of handshaking. Her father had taught her how to shake hands "like a man" so that people would take her seriously. I eagerly asked her to teach me how to shake hands so that I could go home and shake my dad's hand and have him take me seriously.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when via facebook I recognized this girl's name and wrote her a message about the whole scenario. She responded that it sounded like her and we became facebook friends. So yesterday I noticed that her status announced that she no longer had any tickets to the PostSecret event being held at LSU tonight. I asked if they were still available anywhere and she said no. Damn! I slept through the ticket-acquiring process. I mentioned that I'd love to go if she heard of a spare ticket somewhere. She wrote back that she had one. Ohhhhhhh, sweetbabyjesus. I would get to go hear the whole PostSecret spiel. I left the house with plenty of time to get there, was caught in traffic and then buoyed from parking lot to parking lot reserved for basketball until I finally found a spot. When I saw the confident girl all grown up, we shook hands, and it was obvious from the handshake that she was the one who had taught me so many years before. It was cool! Weird cool coincidences and stuff!

It was so cool to hear the creator, Frank Warren, speak to a packed auditorium. PACKED auditorium. And he saved the last hour to allow people to ask questions and reveal secrets. It was an awesome experience, and I totally suggest that you attend if you have the chance. Don't rely on chance connections from 6th grade contacts. Don't sleep through the ticket-purchasing process. Get your ticket and go.

Oh, and that secret... not mine.

Once Upon A Time...

2008-11-15T12:35:00.002-06:00

I accompanied Monkey and Beans to Red Star last night, and we launched a full-on Super Password/$25,000 pyramid marathon. When that fun died down, Lisa started a story and we passed it around building on each other's writings until it made it all the way around the table. Here is the story:

Warning to mom: This may be a bit of a crude story.

Once Upon A Time...
A good looking woman walked into the woods
and when she opened her wallet, she found $300.00
and had no idea where it came from. She thought maybe from a late night at Crazy Horse, stripping.
The only problem was she had never made so little money stripping. Was she losing her edge? What should she do?
She looks down between her legs and remembers she is yet to be post-op. The 6" cock dangling could be the reason for her shitty tip night
Saddened by her spoils, she got into bed, grabbed her
remote control and tuned into an old episode of the Golden Girls. She felt relieved. She remembered the struggles that Bea Arthur had gone through to hide her penis for the role as Dorothy. If she could do it, so could I!

Glucosamine/Chondroitin

2008-11-12T18:25:00.003-06:00

Ummmmmm, Annie and I went to the vet on Friday, and I mentioned her creaky joints when she got up. So we started her on some Glucosamine on Saturday. This morning on our walk, she playfully leaped toward another dog, and since I've been home she's been bouncing all over the place. Me thinks she likes it!

Awesome!

2008-11-12T14:34:00.001-06:00

Muppet Whatnots... make yours today!

Weekend Update

2008-11-09T19:15:00.003-06:00

It was a rather exciting weekend in the Red Stick, what with the Alabama game and all. Friday afternoon Mystery Guest rolled into town and I quickly put him to work switching the guest room/master bedroom beds out. Now I have the big bed that is really pretty and the guest room now has the smaller bed. The guest room looks a lot bigger now, and much less cluttered. Soon it will be the most inviting guest room ever. After the great bed switcheroo, we headed to BR Gallery for their annual silent auction. After lingering around Amy J. for a sufficient amount of time, we met JK at Red Star before retiring for the evening.

Saturday was game day, which made for some exciting television viewing. I went to Target just before the game started, and was baking throughout the game when I got back, so I didn't get to see much of it, but I was listening for most of it. Except for the end. They went into overtime and I figured I had some time to do the dishes. Nope. The game was over before I knew it. A few folks stopped by afterward and we fired up the old grill for some burgers and veggie-bobs. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. burger. I heart burgers!

I was supposed to do a lot of work today, but I didn't. It's now 7:21 pm and I haven't really done a lick of the work I needed to do. Okay, I did a tiny, tiny bit of the work I needed to do, but I foresee lots of work after my internship Monday and Tuesday this week. And even some more work Wednesday after class. Sigh. If I weren't so damn lazy, I'd take a picture of my room and the guest room so you could see the transformation, but I'm lazy! Plus I need to rehang some art work before I'm really done. So. happy weekend!

NOT the cupcakes I baked...

Speaking of which...

2008-11-06T20:24:00.000-06:00

Here's Archibald, acting a fool...

Oh Goodness Me!

2008-11-06T20:20:00.003-06:00

I saw this and immediately had to steal it from Archibald. Sooooo good.

Tired

2008-11-04T21:28:00.004-06:00

I'm tired. I just had to write a paper that I didn't really want to write. It wasn't that difficult, I just had a headache and waited for the last minute. I almost always wait until the last minute. Not brilliant. But it's done! It's a pretty big day here in the U.S. of A. I hate to say that I'll be unable to stay up and find out who the new president is, I"m just too dang tired. I guess if I go to sleep with my radio on I might hear something, but then again, do I really want to fall asleep listening to political analysts? Not so much.
The plumber came and fixed things this morning so I was able to spend the night at home tonight, which it wasn't such a bad deal sleeping over at KK & DD's house last night. I got a free dinner and was much closer to my voting station than if I had stayed at home. Plus Annie got to play with Buddy all day. And since I feel like I have been playing with Buddy all day, I'm going to turn off the tv and the lights and settle into my clean bed with my purely recreational reading and probably fall asleep before I even finish a single page.
Amen.

Laundry Room Explosion!

2008-11-02T18:16:00.003-06:00

I spent the weekend in New Orleans pretending to celebrate Halloween with Mystery Guest and hanging out with my nieces while my sister took off for New York for the marathon. I returned this afternoon early enough to shower and wash my clothes, do dishes, etc. I took my shower, and started in on the laundry. As I indulged in a little word twist, I heard a loud crash in the laundry room. This happens a lot, because the washer has a pretty powerful spin cycle. So I finished up my round of word twist and moseyed back to the laundry room. I heard water. I peeked behind the machine and saw water spraying up from the floor. The pipe had broken clear off somehow, and I had to run around trying to find the water cut-off. It was actually pretty easy to find, the first place I actually looked. Now I'm unsure of what kind of outfit I'll be able to fashion for tomorrow, and will have to use bottled water to brush my teef. Hopefully it can be remedied tomorrow... hopefully.

Is This Love?

2008-10-31T09:06:00.001-05:00

Activities for the Mentally Stable

2008-10-29T19:28:00.005-05:00

I made this list sometime in the spring of 1994 to amuse myself and probably the person #3 was jabbing at. I happened across it this afternoon and decided it needed to be published on the internets. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

Activities for the Mentally Stable
1. Make a stippling representation of a praying mantis mowing a mole's front lawn
2. List all of the funniest words you can think of. Prime examples of good words are broccoli, acromegaly, and matzoh
3. Throw pennies on the floor and see who in the crowd is Jewish (this was a jab at a good friend, not a narrow-minded statement)
4. Draw that rat-tailed terrier sitting on your head. Make sure you include the picolo dangling from his nose (thanks to AST for that one)
5. Try to make sock puppets that represent each member of your immediate family
6. If you have a female teacher who wears eye shadow, try to make her so mad that her face turns the color of her eye shadow. Then throw a raw steak at her (and this one goes out to ACS)
7. Send my roommate some pickled okra and watch me die of suffocation
8. Recite the Pledge of Allegiance backwards
9. Run your phone bill up so high you can't afford to even do your laundry (I think I had mastered this one)
10. Watch Brea and laugh
11. Write a paper about Grizzly Adams
12. Write a paper arguing whether Brea has gone insane from being in the computer lab too long, or if she's just always been like that (I think she had always been like that)
13. Count how many boogers you can pick from 1 nostril in 2 minutes
14. Count how many times Kelly does exercise number 13 (Kelly is roommate of pickled okra fame)
15. Count how many times Kelly farts in one night before you pass out from the smell
16. Smell my dirty socks. No, not those, the crusty ones. Oh well, if you were really mentally stable, you would know not to have done that one, if you aren't mentally stable, you are most likely dead now, but it's not my fault, you shouldn't have been reading a list of activities for the mentally stable (run-on city!)
17. Draw grapes on a blackboard. Then ask everyone why the grapes aren't purple
18. Just smile and nod

Okay, how creepy is that image?

Hahaha

2008-10-29T13:32:00.000-05:00

Thanks Amy, for passing this along...

Long Time No Post...

2008-10-27T19:47:00.004-05:00

Notice that I like to title my post this way when I take some time off? I've been putting off blogging because I've wanted to write something really thoughtful that could express who my grandmother was to me. I woke up Wednesday morning early so that I could get in some last-minute studying before my Human Behavior mid term, only to check my email and find out that my grandmother had died the night before. What can I say about her? She was 93 years old, the mother of 6 adult children and grandmother and great-grandmother to many more. Ever since I can remember, when I've visited her house, I've gravitated to a pillow on her couch. It is a square pillow that has 9 smaller squares each needle-pointed with a different picture inside. It has been there since I was a baby, as long as my mother has known my grandmother, for as long as my dad can remember. It moved from the big house that all of the kids grew up in to the smaller place when it was time to downsize. It stuck around when she got a new couch, and I found myself hugging it the last time I visited her. So when I mentioned to my mother how much that pillow reminded me of her, and she mentioned it to my father, who mentioned it to his sister, the pillow became mine. It is on my couch now, and maybe someday my nieces or children will love it as much as I do. I can't say what drew me to the pillow, perhaps it reminded me of the game Memory, because the squares are not unlike the square memory cards that have bright images on them to be matched with their pairs. Maybe it simply reminded me of my grandmother. Whatever it is that makes it so special to me, I feel really really special to have it. My camera must be on a weird setting, because the color is all funny in this picture, but don't you love my grandmother's pillow?

Worldle

2008-10-27T19:21:00.002-05:00

Thanks JK!
Wordle won't let me post the image, so here's a link to my wordle. wheee!

Thank You Baby Jesus!

2008-10-13T20:43:00.002-05:00

Thank you Baby Jesus, for bringing back The Pick-Up Artist and Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew. I needed it.

Amen

In other news, I have the day off tomorrow, which is VERY exciting! But I'll just be doing school work. Oh well, better tomorrow than never!

Woof!

2008-10-12T21:24:00.004-05:00

Another weekend of fun! This weekend we hosted Awesome Autumn, which is a carnival-type deal for the kiddos at my internship organization. I was apprehensive at best, considering staffing was low (though we had a great bunch of volunteers- GREAT BUNCH) and we weren't exactly certain how everything was going to work, it all went off without a hitch. The kids all had a fantastic time, and I am very much pooped! Afterwards I stopped off and visited with Amy B. for a bit before coming home and trying out another recipe from the ACS cookbook. It turned out well! I summoned Annie (neighbor, not dog) down to join me and we had a good time catching up and feasting on some pork loin. Now I'm getting ready to collapse and fall into a deep slumber. More soon!

Our Cake Walk treats weren't THIS fancy!

Snuggle It Out

2008-10-12T11:06:00.001-05:00

That's Factorial!

2008-10-11T15:33:00.001-05:00

Gettin It Done

2008-10-09T16:29:00.005-05:00

I took my first midterm today, and hopefully it went well. It was open book/notebook, and those always throw me a bit because I'm too busy trying to check and make sure my answers are right. I guess I'll find out when I get it back! So I got home today and busted out the saw and paints. I was making a game for a fall party for kids at my internship. I think he's very cute and am very impressed with my sawing abilities, especially considering I haven't used a saw in quite some time. He's kind of red with gold mixed in because the only yellow acrylic paint I had was all dried out and plastic-y. Oh well.

Then I moved some plants out of pots and into the ground and neatened up my back yard. So. Here are some pictures! I'm hoping that my level of satisfaction with my pumpkin will lead me to work on some of the other, more artistic, endeavors I have been putting off for months.

Amen!

So Awesome....

2008-10-09T11:57:00.003-05:00

Many thanks to Carey for this nugget of info....

i heard on the radio this morning that john oats from hall & oats wrote a foreward to a book about moustaches and also there is a cartoon in which his moustache stars as a super hero

Gmail 'Mail Goggles' stymie drunk e-mailing

2008-10-08T16:41:00.002-05:00

Thanks Andrea!

It's not an April Fool's joke. It's very practical. Are you going to sign up?
Gmail Goggles
Beer Goggles

A-Ha!

2008-10-07T21:30:00.001-05:00

Thanks Anthony...

Do You Know What I'm NOT Doing?

2008-10-05T20:00:00.003-05:00

Not studying. Nope. Not at all. I went down to NO yesterday to attend Art for Art's Sake, which was a lot of fun. Amanda had an opening, and then I went and checked out Gogo's new space. I helped out with a field trip for my internship organization during the day, so I headed over to visit Kate as soon as I finished up there. Went over to my sister's only to get a text from Rebecca telling me that she was at Parasol's. So I quick changed my clothes and headed back to Parasol's. Mystery Guest met up with us and we eventually went over to Amanda's. I got back in town this afternoon, maybe around 2:00, and started cleaning up the mess that was my house. It's much more orderly now, though I really need to tackle the guest room, it is in an embarrassing state of disarray. In other news, I think I decided that I'm going to be a hot dog for halloween. That is all.

Another Recipe

2008-10-01T20:36:00.003-05:00

Yesterday when I got home from work, I tried out a recipe from the American Cancer Society Cookbook. It was good, I will post it here. It's even better on day 2! In other news I realized that I think that babies are really cute when they can stand up and they wear their little footie jammies. I wish I had some footie jammies.

PS: Annie's snoring

Tri-Color Bean Soup
2 large onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 cups water
2 potatoes, cubed
3 carrots, cut in ¼ inch slices
1 19 oz can pinto beans (drained)
1 19 oz can of kidney beans (drained)
1 19 oz can of garbanzo beans (drained)
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons basil
salt & freshly ground pepper

Combine onions, garlic, water, potatoes
and carrots and bring to a boil. Cover and
simmer 20 minutes. (Until veggies are tender) Add beans, oregano, basil, (salt & pepper to taste) Simmer 5-10 minutes (or longer) to blend flavors.

Makes 12 1-cup servings
Calories per serving………………….120
Grams fat per serving…………….….1.6

Image from google image search "the musical fruit"

Better, But Not Great...

2008-09-29T20:53:00.003-05:00

So I'm more on top of things this week than I was last week, I have one assignment for Thursday completed and submitted. I have all of the reading done for the assignment that is due Wednesday, and then I have another writing assignment to take care of for Thursday, but it is more about me and less about what I know.

I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I kind of feel like I have to. I participated in one of the most lonely and sorry events ever tonight. I barbecued for one. I just can't justify cooking a hamburger on the stove when I can use the grill. So yeah, it was just me out there on the patio cooking my lonely burger. But it was GOOD! Now I'm having a frozen Apple Juice juice box, which I forgot what an awesome treat that is! Yum! So there you go. That's what's new with me right now...

Too Long

2008-09-25T19:50:00.005-05:00

It's been too long since I last posted. I don't like not having the time to post, because it's kind of like therapy for me. It gives me the chance to review what's going on with me (boring or not) and actually think about what's going on. And reflect a little bit. So I've been really busy, between my internship (which I LOVE!), classes, homework, traveling to New Orleans, and doing regular daily activities, I hardly have time to walk Annie or make dinner. But I've decided that I'm going to start scheduling 2 hours per week day for school work, 3 hours per day on weekends, and hopefully that will keep me up with my classwork, and make making time a little bit easier. And then next week I can add in running, and then from there move on.

I have to take a moment and address the fact that I got some sad news today. Months ago I read about Jason on To Whom it May Concern. Most of you know that I have a special interest in cancer, and I read Jason's story and began to follow his blog. I've been on the front row for the ups and downs of his most recent battle with medulloblastoma, and learned today that he passed away earlier this week. I never met him, but was saddened by the loss of a strong, courageous, and determined young man. His story is truly amazing, and his strength should be an example to us all. I hope that he meets Em and that they continue to bring silliness and laughter to everyone they encounter.

The photo is of a yard on the next street over from me the day after Gustav. Holy Shit!

Good Neighbors

2008-09-17T17:31:00.005-05:00

I've been relying on C&A's internets for the past week or so, and it has been frustrating to say the least. Yesterday I thought my head might explode because I had a paper due today and was unable to do research from my computer and had been unable to use the library this weekend because it was closed. When I got home yesterday afternoon, I saw my neighbor, Coach B. raking my leaves and branches that the clean-up crews had left scattered all over the street in front of and along side of my house. It was something that I was going to get to, but hadn't had the time to do yet. Thank you, Coach B., for raking my leaves and branches. Makes me think he read JK's Pay It Forward post earlier this week and decided to show some love in my direction. This evening I saw my other neighbor out on his front porch, and I asked him about his wireless. He connected me to his wireless and I am back in action. FROM MY VERY OWN COUCH! Oh my goodness, I don't know if he is able to realize how much this has soothed my nerves. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. There are definitely some cookies and brownies in these neighbors near future. So. Here's a picture from the storm...that's the tree that fell on my roof. I will post some more at a later date.

Uber Hectic

2008-09-16T18:07:00.002-05:00

Still feeling lost without internet. Might have to start a support group or something about this.

Hectic

2008-09-15T18:33:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling very hectic of late. School got all thrown off, and now I feel like I'm behind. I have a short paper due on Wednesday, which I went to the library to do some research and to meet with a group for some other research last night, and the ding-dang library was CLOSED! What?!?!?! So today on my way home from my internship I stopped at the public library and checked out a book. Nevermind that the computers you use to look things up at the public library are impossible to figure out. I may as well have used a card catalog, but those aren't used anymore. I think it definitely would have been way easier.

So yeah, I should be working on those other things, but figured I'd go ahead and say yo, what's up out there? I still don't have internet, cable, or telephone.... which may be a good thing because I can't waste time, but it makes internet researching rather difficult. Sigh.

Mr. Anxious Considers a Pint

What's Shakin'

2008-09-13T20:42:00.003-05:00

Today was a pretty unproductive day. Aside from completing the Motley Crue book, I did a little bit of reading for school, and am now watching the LSU game down the block at C&A's. And yes, soaking up their internets and cable. I'm finding the reading for one of my classes very interesting, which is a good thing. This chapter is all about biological development and stuff, which is something I'm always interested in and never tired of reading about. Hopefully the rest of the semester will be just as riveting.

Tomorrow I'm going to do some more school reading and then meet up with my group for my research class in the evening. Kinda hate having to go to school on a Sunday, but what can you do? Perhaps my internets will be working when I get back. That would be nice, but not very likely. Alright, that's about it. Later.

Motley Crue

Ike

2008-09-12T17:30:00.003-05:00

Life has progressed on its usual schedule over the past few days, I've been in class all day Wednesday and Thursday and returned to my internship this morning. There was still no power, and the morale was kind of low so they sent everyone except the management home. I was more than happy to stay, but headed home to do stuff. My laundry room looks SO GOOD! It is officially clean, clean, clean! Ike has been stirring things up since sometime in the middle of last night... I woke up due to the wind, and it's been windy all day, but nothing major. I'm at Red Star now, soaking up the internets and a beer or two before I head home to continue reading the Motley Crue biography before I settle into bed. I miss being able to use the internets whenever I want, but it's been a lesson in patience and cleaning. More later.

Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-09T18:13:00.001-05:00

Oh my goodness, I got home from day 2 of internship today to find the dining room lights on! I’ve got the power! Power to the people! Yes, things are back to semi-normal now. My internets are still down, so I’ll head down the block to C & A’s to post this in a bit, but for now I’m just soaking up the sound of the TV and the coolness of the AC. School starts back tomorrow morning, and I’m excited to be able to set my alarm clock and get on with things. It’s been a challenge, but not near the challenge of some of the families in my neighborhood who wound up with trees down the center of their homes. This is so exciting! Yea!

Holy Shit!

2008-09-08T18:38:00.002-05:00

It's Monday! I still don't have power! Annie just called to say that they got power, which YEA! that means it's getting closer and closer, it just needs to go a wee bit closer. Like really, it's right across the way, but not at home yet. So I'm back at the Red Star, having myself a cold beer after my first day at my internship. There's no power at the office there either, so it was an interesting day. It may have been a good thing, because since there wasn't electricity, most everyone had free time to show me stuff and how things worked. I made some phone calls and didn't freak out about it, so that is good. I'm just hoping hoping hoping that when I get home in a little bit the dining room light will be on.

It's been an interesting run to say the least. I've probably had more to drink in the past week than I would have in the span of a normal month. There's not much to do except relax with a cold beer when you don't have power and will probably go to bed at 8:00. All I can say is at least it's been cool. My parents got their electricity back yesterday and I went over there to do some laundry, and when I got home it was UNBEARABLE. Amazing how a few hours of AC can spoil you so badly! It rained this afternoon, so it's cooled down a bit. Last night was the first night I actually had a hard time getting to sleep, even with the aid of the Motley Crue biography to lure me into a peaceful slumber. But that may have also had something to do with first day jitters about today. All went well, and I look forward to things getting back to normal. Like Yesterday.

Update

2008-09-06T18:23:00.002-05:00

Still no power or internets, but I cleaned up the kitchen today. The weather was nice and cool and all is as well as can be. Annie is behaving herself, and so is Annie the person, who was kind enough to drive me to Red Star to borrow internets and such... WE out!

Dang!

2008-09-05T12:52:00.003-05:00

If that rude house guest didn't blow into town and throw a limb on my roof, creating a nice sized hole and a steady leak that resulted in the ceiling falling in. He also ripped down my power lines and has left me without access to electricity for the past few days. As I type I'm poaching internets and electricity from a local watering hole, where they have been kind enough to let me set up shop. Lots to blog about, but not a lot of access to blogging. So I'm going to just give you this little update and hopefully soon I will be able to update from the comfort of my very own home. Pictures and stuff to follow in the near future.

PS:

2008-09-01T10:37:00.001-05:00

For those of you who have asked, MY SISTER has started blogging again. Thanks Gustav!

Long Time No Post...

2008-09-01T10:18:00.004-05:00

Yeah, so I guess I've been a little bit preoccupied with school starting and a friend coming in from Cuba. Yes, my friend Gustav has decided to visit Louisiana! I'll go ahead and say that school completely wore me out last week. It is definitely going to take some getting used to to have 2 3-hour classes in a row, twice a week. I have a hard time sitting through a television program, much less a lecture... but I'm sure that I will adjust. I also have decided that if it isn't raining, I MUST ride my bike to school. It's not too far, it's just that I have to carry my backpack with me, and in the morning that includes at least 2 liters of water and lunch weighing things down. And my backpack is black. And it's over 80 degrees even at 7:50 AM. So yeah, that's that. Classes seem like they should be interesting, and there's a lot of collaboration, and through skills labs and orientations, I've gotten to know quite a few peoples' names and faces, which makes things less anxiety inducing.

On to Gustav. I began preparing on Friday, collecting an ice chest and household items for people who may take shelter at my house. Guess what? It's just me and Mystery Guest. I know I'm being selfish and my concern may really be that I would feel better if they were here because I would know where they were, but I'm REALLY WORRIED about my friends who have decided to stay in New Orleans. I'm not doubting their ability to ride out a storm, but I am doubting that if anything happens there will be anyone other than themselves to help them. No emergency services. No 911. No emergency shelters. You get arrested if you're caught off of your own property and get shipped to Angola. On one hand I can imagine that it must be hard to convince yourself to evacuate again so soon after Katrina, but on the other hand, I worry. I worry about the mayor's evacuation orders and the fact that he has basically said that if you stay you're on your own. No businesses are open, what if it floods and water and food start to dwindle? I've got to stop thinking about it.

So I'm listening to CNN, watching the trees bend and hearing them blow in the wind. I worry that a tree might fall on Joan, but I really feel quite safe over here. We lost power for about a minute earlier today, but it's back on and so far so good. It's early still though, so I'm gonna hunker down with my dog and my mystery guest and watch me some weather. Image from CNN

Gettin' Ready

2008-08-26T20:15:00.003-05:00

So tomorrow is the first day of school! I opted to run errands today, which were kind of mandatory anyway. I could have gone to work I suppose, but at this point, I kind of feel like I'm not going to be able to work anymore, so why go today? I have classes 2 days, and then my internship for 2 other days, and I'll still need to work a couple of hours on a third day for my internship. So work does not look promising. Nor does a paycheck. So I went to Target, Whole Foods, my hospice patient's house, the office, and several banks. I ran briefly, and man is it hot outside! But I'm glad I got out there and did it. As the week progresses, I feel like the chances of me hitting New Orleans are diminishing rapidly. I haven't been here on a weekend in it feels like forever, and the gas bill is getting kind of pricey. Not to mention the eating and drinking that occurs in my favorite city!

So for now, I'm watching the season premiere of GREEK, which ABC Family has kindly placed GREEK right after The Secret Life of the American Teenager on Tuesday nights, giving me a nice 2 hour shot of relaxing bad television before classes. Nice! I fixed myself some salmon for dinner, and it was delish. Otherwise, not much else to report. I'll be updating tomorrow to let everyone know how school goes...

Awesome Weekend, Great Job!

2008-08-25T19:36:00.002-05:00

So Rowan's visit was a complete success. She got in Thursday evening, we visited for a while and went to bed. I had to go to the second day of skills lab bright and early on Friday, so I gave her directions to some places she might be interested in visiting and headed to skool. It was a long day, even though we got out earlier than expected; mainly because we had to participate in role plays in front of our classmates. When I got back, we discussed our options, and decided to head to New Orleans for the weekend. We arrived and stopped at 45 Tchoup to visit with Debbie before heading to the Bulldog to have drinks with everyone's favorite ostrich. We saw Poopsi and Mickey, which was a treat, and they accompanied us down there. We scarfed down some chicken fingers, saw Talleywhacker, and met up with Mystery Guest there before deciding to embark on some pretty exciting adventures which included a trip to Le Bon Temps, a Tulane Law school party, and finally a trip to the Rendezvous where we devoured a large pizza from the Balcony Bar in about 5 minutes. Almost immediately after we finished the pizza we caught a cab back to my sister's house and had some rest time.

We woke up pretty early on Saturday so we could hitch a ride back to Joan Jetta with my sister on her way to work, but when we got around the block I realized my keys were at my sister's so we walked back over there, got the keys and then took the streetcar to the appropriate neighborhood. Then we ate at Slims, showered and went shopping. After a long day of shopping Rowan napped while I attended a fundraiser at the Kingpin and checked out my sister's new house. I picked Rowan up around 7:30 and we headed to Dick & Jenny's for a romantic dinner for 2 which included the viewing of a woman scratching her naked armpit very publicly. But I digress. I had the filet, she had the pork, we shared the oysters and the potstickers, and for dessert (!) I had the coconut lemon grass creme brulee, and Rowan had the key lime pie. Yum-E! We scooted on over to the Rendezvous to meet up with the usual suspects, and though we didn't drink too heavily while we were there, we stayed out REALLY LATE. We cabbed home and pretty much repeated breakfast, this time with Lesley, Kate, Mystery Guest, and Stephan and Hannah and Lucy at an adjacent table. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I heart slims. After that Rowan and I returned to my sister's and laid around for a while until we decided it was time to head home. In the pouring rain. But we made it home safely after a detour. And we sat on the couch and watched tv until it was time for me to go to bed, and then I really really hoped that when I got home from the last day of orientation Rowan would have been here and decided to stay one more night because of rain and fatigue, but she was gone. boo hoo. Rowan might send some pictures, but I forgot my dang camera so I've got nothing.

Why Rowan and I Are Friends

2008-08-22T15:31:00.001-05:00

When Rowan arrived yesterday evening, I gave her a tour of the house, including the back yard. We came back inside and settled on the couch. I smelled something. I checked the bottom of my shoe. There was poop. There was also poop on the couch cushion. I removed the shoes and turned the couch cushion over. Rowan states that she may have been disappointed if I had actually gone to clean up the poop. Too much good stuff going on! I'll wash the damn cushion when she returns to North Carolina!

P.S.

2008-08-21T07:39:00.001-05:00

Annie totally did the clean bed dance sometime in the middle of the night last night. It's a good thing Rowan loves Annie!

poof!

2008-08-20T20:21:00.003-05:00

I'm worn out! I ran for the first time since that brief jaunt in Stone Harbor this afternoon, and I could fall asleep right now I think. Maybe I should! Tomorrow is a big day, my first day of skills lab and then Rowan arrives sometime tomorrow evening. I've got the bed in the guest room all clean and made up, I can only hope that Annie won't jump all over it and un-make it before she gets here. (chances are Annie will do just that...she thinks the guest room is HER room.) Gosh, I really am so tired I might just go to bed right now. More tomorrow!

Welcome Back!

2008-08-20T07:48:00.002-05:00

Welcome back to Archibald, who has rejoined the world of blogging. We missed you!

It's Really Going to Happen

2008-08-19T19:34:00.003-05:00

Yup. Skool will be starting next week. I met my advisor and field placement liason, which is basically a fancy name for an advisor for internship issues. We went over our part time/full time status, reviewed plagiarism stuff, heard from the faculty and staff, and all of that good stuff. We also learned that tomorrow's orientation activities are not required. Which is exciting! So I'll head back to work tomorrow and then back to school on Thursday and Friday for skills labs. Oooooh, skills. Perhaps I'll get to practice my active listening skills, and possibly catch up with the likes of Mystery Guest.

Speaking of, Mystery Guest has his first law school social event this evening, hopefully that will go well. Though I'm not worried about him, he doesn't seem to suffer from much social anxiety.

So for now I'm watching the Secret Life of the American Teenager, realizing that it is a lot like that crappy Nickelodeon show fifteen from when I was a teenager. It's horrible acting and implausible plot lines. These kids are dorks!

Hahahahaha! Check out the scholarly hedgehog!

Holy Guacamole!

2008-08-18T20:39:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow is the first day of orientation! I better hightail it to my bed and review my NASW code of ethics! Dang!

Here's a picture of what I would look like in 1960, thanks to yearbookyourself.com

Petite Feet

2008-08-18T13:10:00.000-05:00

Weekend Jaunt

2008-08-17T20:03:00.004-05:00

So Friday night I met up with JK for a few drinks, which turned into a few million drinks. Seriously, should have called it a night early, but as I don't get much JK time lately, I guess I felt the need to keep it up. I woke up really early Saturday morning and got myself prepared to head to New Orleans after Joan's oil change. Got the oil changed and was on my way! I picked up Mystery Guest and we then picked up Hannah and Lucy and headed to Slim Goodies for some lunch. I guess everyone else had breakfast, but I had lunch. I love me some Slim Goodies. I make it a point to go 9/10 times that I go to New Orleans. yum! After lunch, we visited my sister at her place of employment, and then headed back to the ranch for nap time. I wasn't able to actually nap, but I did manage to lie really still and watch Shear Genius reruns. At about 5:30 or so we headed downtown to pick up some friends of Mystery Guest before heading to the game. It was a lot of fun! I also got to see my friend Michelle, whose email address I forgot and had no way of reaching. So now I have her email address and look forward to being in touch with. After the game, we returned uptown and had some pizza at the Balcony Bar before heading to the Rendezvous. Holy Good Timing! Got to see the Ponytail, who was a little inebriated, which since I wasn't at all inebriated made it really fun. The Ponytail doesn't get crazy drunk or anything, he just gets a little bit silly and really smiley and gets a mischievous glint in his eye. Slept in late this morning, or this afternoon to be more accurate, and then just kind of loafed around until it was time to head home. Mystery Guest was extraordinarily kind and went to Whole Foods and got us some sandwiches and I was allowed to just sit on the couch and watch tv and play on the internets! It was a really simple thing that I thought was super cool and nice. I stopped by my sister's before heading out and visited with she and Hannah, and now here I am, back at home. Awesome Weekend, Great Job!

Since I forgot the battery for my camera in Baton Rouge, you can enjoy this picture of Kate, Smiley Steve and I when Kate was here. It is obviously from the yacht rock party night. Kate doesn't normally have such special bangs.

Haulin' Junk

2008-08-15T20:55:00.003-05:00

Today I took some old monitors and computers to the local computer recyclery. It's good to get rid of old crap! Plus it's better for the environment and stuff.

Yesterday was my last afternoon at the inpatient unit for a while, at least until I can get my schedule sorted out and figure out when I can go.

When I said I was trash sifting the other day, I wasn't getting rid of the good stuff, like the cards... Just other stuff, like 8 year old bank statements and GARBAGE.

I'm going to New Orleans tomorrow to attend the saints game with Mystery Guest. I am very thankful that he is allowing me to accompany him. I'm excited to see the saints play!

Whoops!

2008-08-13T20:28:00.003-05:00

I was getting all quietly nervous over the fact that I had an orientation-type thing next Tuesday. Then I got an email that said there was another orientation-type thing on Wednesday. So I pulled out my little schedule and realized that I have orientation-type things Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Holy Shit!

I scheduled Joan for her very first oil change Saturday morning. It was either Saturday morning (boooooooo!) or Wednesday morning, which would interfere with orientation-type things. Oh well, I'm getting it done and that is all that matters, right?

So for now I'm watching some Project Runway before I head off to bed to do some reading. I bought some new books last weekend, and I need to read them because I enjoy reading new books. I've been trying to incorporate some garbage shifting in with my evening tv viewing, and it's been interesting sifting through all of the crap that used to reside in the desk at my parents house. I found a Christmas card that Em sent me way back in January of 2005. I also found a card that a friend's older brother sent me when I was injured in a car accident in 1993. I hold on to stuff for WAY TOO LONG, no? But then I have the joy of reviewing it all when I run across it again. I also found some blank postcards from the Grand Hotel that Em and I stole from the maid's cart when her mother took us there in 9th grade. I wrote one to Em's mom and it is waiting for the postman to pick up and deliver it to her. She loves to talk about how terribly bad we were on that trip. Stealing from the maid's cart and mocking the lounge singer in his ruffled turqouise tuxedo. What do you expect? We were in 9th grade!

Oh well, enough of that. Yesterday evening someone knocked on my door, and when I asked who it was they didn't answer. I gathered my dog and cracked the door. It was the Domino's man. He had a flat tire and was waiting for some help, but really needed to use the bathroom. "Just number 1, I swear" he pleaded. As it was just me and Annie, I apologized and told him that boys lived next door. Then I felt bad, but I'd feel a lot worse if Annie and I were tied up and abused. If it was just #1, why didn't he just go behind a tree somewhere? jeesh!

the end.

there's a photo of the grand hotel, one day when I get my printer hooked up to a compatible computer, I'll scan in one of those postcards.

ABC Family

2008-08-12T20:21:00.004-05:00

Lately I have picked up a new bad habit. That bad habit is the ABC Family show GREEK. Who ever would have thought it would be so great? As I have explained in the past, work gets spread pretty thin towards the end of any kind of school break, so after a semester of only one class and a complete summer off, I've been digging through old charts again. With the digging comes a lot of internet television viewing. I officially completed going through all of the charts today. That's right, A-Z, no more extra charts milling around these parts. But back to GREEK. The dean is played by Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and in one of the episodes, they show a ZBZ trying to distract him by discussing the movie. It was a brief flash of humor, and you had to know Ferris and Cameron to get it. Today, I was watching an episode where all of the Sororities and Fraternities are fighting for their right to court-side basketball tickets. They're outside chanting, all of them yelling different things, when all of the sudden one of the Kappas yells out "Donna Martin Graduates!" repeatedly until all of the picketers stop and stare at him. Really, it was quite funny!

I have also started watching The Secret Life of the American Teenager. It's okay. There's some really bad acting, and some really implausible ideas rolling around, but I keep on watching. Seriously, what pregnant 15 year old would entertain marrying her new boyfriend (not the father of her child)? What father of what new boyfriend that would propose to his pregnant-by-another-dude girlfriend would support him in this endeavor. I don't know, it doesn't seem very realistic, but are any new shows realistic? It takes a while for any cast to get used to each other and their characters. I'm reminded of this whenever I catch a really old episode of Roseanne. Really bad! REALLY REALLY BAD! But eventually they all evolved into a fluid group that I truly believed were a family.

And for dinner I made that yummy pasta dish that is on the cover of August's Real Simple. I substituted spinach for the arugula, mainly because I don't like arugula. Otherwise things were the same. It was really good! I suggest you try it!

Departure Sadness Peppered with the Joy of a Visitor

2008-08-11T20:50:00.003-05:00

So in addition to the excitement over the return of Mystery Guest, there was the sadness of the departure of Heather and Hounge. I never fully grasped the concept that H&H were really moving. I thought they were just going to go to Montana so that Heather could finish school and then they'd be back. I thought they were going to come for extended visits and summers. Then I showed up at her house on Saturday to help load the truck. It was an enormous truck, and it contained all of their belongings. Their bedroom, their kitchen, their office, their giant tv. Which leaves no place for them to sleep, eat, or do work when they come in for these extended visits that I anticipated. (Of course they always have a place to stay with someone, I just thought they'd have their place to stay) I feel fortunate, because I had the chance to dine with them one last time, and then spend some time discussing books as Heather and I packed up the library. I know they're on to bigger and better things, and I can't really be upset because I moved away a long time ago, but I can't help but miss them already. It won't be the same without them and Sophie. Heather's newly shiny bug and Hounge's post-Katrina retired bus. I'm excited for them, but also a little bit hopeful that they'll be back to stay someday, even though my return to New Orleans seems to move farther and farther away in the future as time passes as well. Best of luck to you, H&H! We miss you!

So with the sadness of the moving on of old friends, I received a phone call today from an old friend who moved on years ago. Rowan, who is the worlds WORST long-distance communicator, called to inform me that she's coming for a visit! Yea! I can't wait! One of my most favorite things about Rowan is that no matter where I live, she always loves my house as much as I do. She is the only person I know of who loved the house on Antonine as much as I did. She was more than happy to sit in the red chair as I sat on the red couch and watch Gilmore Girls reruns all day long. She's very crafty and noisy and likes doing weird things with me, like dressing like a bunny rabbit and handing out Easter eggs filled with condoms on the night before Easter. I can't wait to see her! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HER! And this is not just to make her feel good about visiting, because as I said, she is the world's WORST long-distance communicator, and if she ever remembered that I had a blog and checked it, I would die of shock and our visit would not happen. I REALLY. CAN'T. WAIT. TO SEE HER!

and the photo is of Heather at one of her many bachelorette festivities, drinknig from a special coozie Lesley made for her. It looks like she's got a big fluffy pink beard! yea for beards!

In Support of Archibald

2008-08-10T20:11:00.003-05:00

Just posting to show some support for the internets's favorite ostrich, Archibald, whose friend the Research Scientist passed away this weekend. While I never had the chance to meet her, I know that she held a special place in Archibald's heart, and I know that he will be needing the love and support of his friends to get by. We love our favorite ostrich, and look forward to continue following his adventures whenever he feels up to sharing them again. Don't be shy about visiting his blog and reminding him that we're here for him.

Fair Enough

2008-08-10T20:03:00.004-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how I hate the phrase "Fair enough"? I find it to be really insincere. It's pretty much like saying, "I totally disagree with you, but you've made a few valid points and I'm just going to say this so that you shut the hell up." I don't know. It just bugs me. Like you're too lazy to argue your point or something. Poo! Meanwhile, look what a google image search of Fair Enough finds....