Back

I am back from GB. I didn't get as much done there as I'd wanted. I had wanted to work on my thesis and have it in finished form when I returned. Not so much. I ended up only looking at it briefly. My papa had surgery, it went well, but I was acting nurse so I didn't have time to work on it....or the time I had was distracted. I did manage to clean out the stuff in my closet in my old room. I also managed to go have fun. I went to X3 with Jenni and Chad and to coldstone after. I went out by Shona and her horses two days. One day to just feed and pet and see the new setup (new place she's boarding), and the second day to work one, ride one, and give baths to two. (there are three that she owns, and a fourth she works) I had a great ride though I'm excessively sore today (second day after). I rode her 26 year old mare who still has the energy of a 5 yr old, but has the 'old nag' gaits. She really tries, and if you get her to collect she's still pretty smooth...but her pace feels...old. I don't know how else to describe it. She used to be smooth as water and she isn't anymore. Horseriders will know what I mean.

I also went and earned my motorcycle temps. Thus is born Team Fall Down Motorcycle Club. Myself and Karin as founding members and presidents for life. We have one honorary member other than us. I have to sign up to take the course tomorrow, and go shopping for a spiff helmet, jacket, and chaps (yes chaps...I want some). Then I went riding with Joe and my cousin Mark on seperate days. I think I like being the driver better than the rider, but riding is a good way to watch hawks.

Hm, other things happened too, but I want to drink my mohito (drink roommate made) and watch Buffy. ta.

Gone

I'm heading to GB now for a week. I've accomplished two job interviews, packing, etc today, so I'll be wiped when I get there. I'll be in uncertain contact during the week, best way to reach me is my phone, if you have the number. You could also try email. I'll be checking it every few days at the least.

Wish me luck with finishing my draft of my thesis. I'm going to need it. Talk to people more after Memorial Day weekend.

Where am I going?

I'm heading to my parent's place for a week or so. I'll leave tomorrow after my interviews (I have two, wish me luck.) and return after Memorial Day unless something crazy happens (like another interview).

I'm suddenly depressed. I can think of many root causes, and I'll not extrapolate here, but it's depressing. I dislike being depressed. I was great earlier today too. I woke up, watched Buffy and ate chocolate for breakfast, then turned on the loud music and began cleaning my room. Suddenly I started the downwards. It may have begun when I checked my grades. I got an A- in one of my classes, thus ruining my GPA of a 4.0. The LAST bloody class I had to make it through too. I've emailed the prof. to find out just how close I was to an A...but I don't expect him to change it. I know I was borderline. Also, my downstairs neighbor is either smoking in the house again, or is smoking in a place directly below my window. I can smell it, taste it, and it's interfering with my breathing. That just happened though, it's helping to turn the depression into anger as I type this. I'm not sure anger is better than depressed...but as I hate being in a funk - especially when I can't figure out the root cause and fix it, I'll take the anger.

Maybe I need a medicinal shower. Or more chocolate. Right now all I feel like is a nap with Eeyore to cuddle with. I can close my eyes and pretend he's hugging me back. As I slept until 11 today, I think a nap is unadvisable. I have too much to do, and want some time w/ the girls before I go away for the week. I'll have plenty of 'alone' me time when I'm in GB. I think I'm going to go take the test for my Motorcycle temps when I'm home. That will cheer me up. Not that I own a motorcycle...but one thing at a time.

Shower now, maybe a run first. I'll see.

Where'd I go?

I've been to Chicago for a conference. I presented the poster-of-many-a-bitching-blog. It went well. I met fun people, learned a bunch, and gave blood. You may wonder why this rates so high on the list of things I did.

Until just Wednesday, when said blood was donated, I did not know if I could. Every time, in the past, that I tried I would pass out. I decided after giving it a go three times, that my body only makes enough blood for itself and had not learned to share. Now, a few years later, my body has learned that age-old kindergarden lesson, and I gave a pint of the ole b-positive to the Red Cross.

After which I decided that I'd earned a pint...or 5. (oops...I believe the nice Red Cross volunteers gave me a sheet in which I was supposed to avoid alcohol and drink water for a while after. I think I ignored it. Really I think it was the nice people buying me alcohol in the first place that ignored it. I just played along. Yup.)

But anyway, back to the conference. The poster went over well, and I have many people interested in my poster and potential manuscript. I have to email them tomorrow. I went to some entertaining and informative sessions, and ignored the ones I felt wouldn't be. Actually, I didn't get to go to all the ones I wanted, but I tried. I missed a good portion of a committee meeting because I had a dinner meeting, but caught the end of it, and then went out after (said 5 pints, mentioned above) with the people from the meeting.

Thursday I relaxed, went to the Art Institute of Chicago to see the impressionist paintings, and did some shopping. Chocolate and smelly body stuff, very girly I know. Then I flew back to the TCs. Now I'm in the process of cleaning my room and deciding what clothes to put on to go dancing. I should really go dry my hairs before they end up in the 'poof' style.

Festivites?

Last week was the Festival of Nations. I ate great food from all over the world (too much of it), watched great dancing from all over the world, went shopping all over the world, and learned about world bazaars. Then we discovered the cutouts, you know, the boards where you stick your head in and become someone else. We had the damnedest time taking the picture below. Mary and I had NO idea what face the other one was making...honest. Barbara was laughing so hard at us, that we couldn't hold the faces we were making, so this picture took a while to take. We'd step out, giggle, pinch ourselves, get ourselves back into 'photo mode' and pose again. Barbara would get the camera lined up, and start giggling again. If she could have held it, we could have... Finally, on take about...15, (ok, it was probably 5, but it felt like forever), she got the picture in just before the giggling began again. Mary and I calmed down, went to look at it, and all three of us cracked up again. It was a great time. There are other pictures. Perhaps I'll post them later.

Lilacs

I woke up today when I was supposed to, but I had left the window open to the breeze last night and a lovely cool breeze scented with lilacs was floating into my room. I thought to myself, I'll just relax a bit longer, and I floated away into lilac scented dreams. This morning I could have related them to you, but now they are just a distant memory.

I went to MDH to get my equipment to do some field work tomorrow, and then came back home. As I stepped out of my car to go back into my home, I again scented lilacs. I wanted to cut some and bring them into the house to fill the inside with the wonderful smell of spring. Lilacs are my favorite flower, but they last so very short a time once cut from the bush. They are all in perfect bloom here, we're almost done with the season, but back home I bet it's just beginning. So at least when I go to GB for a week I'll get to smell the lilacs again. I wonder if there is a lilac-type bush out there that blooms longer, or multiple times? I'd buy it. When I own my own house, I'm going to create a property line of lilac bushes (and keep them trimmed so I can always reach the flowers to smell them).

Right now, my house smells like lunch, and looking around it I can smell the hint of cleaning fluids. Not that I've used them yet, but I have to. I think my senses are reminding me of the work I really should be getting done. First the lunch, then the work. At least I'll get to play outside this afternoon!

Finally, Finally!

Finally! Did I say that enough? I don't know. Maybe. Ok, one more time - FINALLY!

I finished my poster, sent it off to the printer, and he's made some tweaks. I'm waiting for his file to OK and then it will be done, printed, poof!

I took care of a whole bunch of other misc. graduation stuff today too. I now have a bit of free time (should be cleaning but don't wanna) until my supper is cooked (red potatoes w/ red peppers, onions, and green peppers - yum) and then it's off to my softball game. I may have to pitch tonight, but hopefully not...I've only thrown the ball a few times this year! And hitting, bah. I have no idea how that will go :P Still, if they need me to pitch, I will. It's like riding a bike, right? Once you learn you don't have to relearn? (Shhh, I know I have to practice, I am just pretending I won't suck so much.)

Wish us luck!

A better picture

I like this picture better.

New Hair

Ok, it's my old hair, but it has a new trick. It is many colored. I tried to capture the colors on camera, but I think I didn't do the greatest job. It's close, but...:)
Oh, and I had it straightened too!

Adventures in Poster Making

I have to make a poster for our national conference this year about my research. You know the type of poster I'm talking about, the 44 inches by 72 inches professionally printed looks cool kind? Yeah. That's what I've been working on for the last week. Last night, or this morning rather, at 1AM I sent off the verbage to my prof. to be edited and went to bed. My plan was to send all my graphics, tables, etc, my poster template (colors and style, etc), and my verbage to a professsional and have him put it together.

This morning I awoke with different plans. Last night in my sleep I drempt industrious dreams. In one I knitted an entire sweater (sans arms because I didn't know how to attach them), and in another I climbed a really hard climb with no rope because I had to get something from the top - don't remember what now. I awoke feeling tired, but motivated. I checked email, and found a few emails on said poster from a classmate who happens to be presenting a poster at the same conference. She had sent along some info she had gotten from the conference people on the poster, and what she had done so far. I thought, hey...maybe I can do that too! So I sat down and in the last few hours, pounded out a poster. it's not perfect, but the gentleman who is printing my poster will do 'make pretty' edits for free, and I'm waiting on content edits from my prof.

I honestly don't think I would have done so well making my poster had it not been for the email from a classmate with some directions, the 'how to' sent from the man who is printing my poster, and some good luck thrown in. I know the second I go to change ANYTHING - be it font size, or figure order...EVERYTHING will unformat, so I think I'll leave those changes up to the professional.

Hm, I think I'll eat some lunch, and do some cleaning...or maybe just reward myself with a good book.

Locked Up

Today, sometime between the 10:48 when I arrived at work and the 12:09 when I left, someone implemented a new policy regarding the visitor badges (which I wear) limiting the are in which they will open doors. Great idea, not giving visitors access to all parts of the building. Note to whomever did such a thing in the middle of the bloody day: "next time please turn off access when there aren't visitors in the building in areas where they can be locked in."

Yup, I got locked in the Scientific Corridor (area of building where the labs are). I had already been able to access the area, like I've done for the last three months, and was working just fine when I realized I'd forgotton something upstairs. When one leaves the bottom floor to go to the top floor (or vice versa) one must rescan one's keycard to get either back into the corridor or out into the office space. This is so delivery people can't go walking amuck in the labs or offices. This also serves to lock poor, unsuspecting student workers such as myself into the scientific elevator area when the badges were switched. I had to wait to be rescued. I thought perhaps the badge had been turned off (it's happened before), so I went to retrieve a new badge. I tested that one first. No dice.

Now I have to somehow find a way to do my research with either 1. a shadow employee who has a working badge, or 2. a different type of badge that will let me into my areas.

If it isn't one thing it's another. Poo. (On the upside, I'm finished with classes now until I decide to either take a refesher course or go for my PhD.)

Foot-candles

Yes. Foot-candles. It's my new favorite unit of measurement.

I've finished my interview, and I've finished one class worth of papers and presentations. I feel ready for my presentation tomorrow night. I'm excited to be done! Whee. I feel I can think straigh forwards again. Tomorrow I will work on my poster. I have emailed a person who puts these things together and hope he can help me. I have no idea how one does these things. I have to find the letter they sent me with the details (first order of business) and then I'll know what formats I need to use.

Hm, I wonder how many foot-candles are in my room right now? I think I'll ponder that while sipping my wine and finding the letter, and then I'll find myself a nice book to read.

A day off?

Everyone needs a day off now and again. Was today mine? I'm not certain. How do I not know? Well, I know it shouldn't have been. I should have been working on my poster, or practicing my presentation for tomorrow. Instead, I watched movies. I should be sticking to my new practice of eating right. Instead I had some ice cream and some potato chips. I should be prepping for my interview tomorrow. Instead I'm dinking around online.

Still, it doesn't feel like a day off. I'm slightly crabby, I have a slight headache, and I feel like going to bed. Hm. Why dont' I? Why dont' I go to bed 'early'? There's no good reason not too. I have some things to do but there is no reason I can't do them tomorrow. It's like I feel guily if I don't stay up until at least 11 or 11:30 working on 'stuff'. If I'm not productive at least 10-15 hours a day I dont' feel like I've accomplished enough or something. Or is that just the burn-out talking? I have no idea. Right now I can't even thing sideways, let alone straight. I think a low pressure system settled in my eardrums...or that could just be the allergies.

You know, screw this. I'm going to bed. I'm almost done with my tea, I'll clear off my bed - the right way - by putting things away rather than storing them on the floor, put on my pjs, brush my teeth and go bed. Maybe I'll feel better in the morning. ( I was going to write about the weekend but that will have to wait until tomorrow I think.)

DONE!

Done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, DONE!
(at least with the paper that is due tomorrow, I still have two presentations to do and some edits to a final fact sheet, but I can't do the presentations until their scheduled days, Monday and Tuesday, and the fact sheet isn't due for a whole nother WEEK.)

OK, sorry, I just had to, somewhere, post that. Screaming it would be more helpful, but it's 11:10PM, my roommate is sleeping, and I think maybe some of my neighbors as well. So screaming my DONE state to the entirety of the hearing area would be a BAD THING right now. Instead, I scream at you blog readers. I scream in a happy, excited, jumping, turning circles, happy dance sort of way. The arms thrown up and head thrown back at doneness kind of scream.

Ok, yeah, I'm loopy. I've been working on this paper since 10Am this morning...with time off for lunch, and mentoring, and supper, and chatting with my roommate, and chatting online. But still, I bet I put 6 or so hours in on it today. So whee. I actually think it may have turned out to be what was required too, instead of the 'not required it was earlier'. Hmm, upon reread, that sentence doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, even. I'll leave it there though, as a testiment to my crazy-mind-euphoria-doneness-state. Or it could be the tea.

In any case, it's now time for some serious sleeping. Tomorrow I have The Raptor Center in the AM, and then a meeting for one of the above mentioned presentations and the fact sheet, and then letting the pups out because I'm house sitting again, and then some confection eating with the roommate, and also Casanova. Then Jenni is coming for the weekend and I'm very excited! So, sleep now is required for there will be long days this weekend.

Countdown

Tomorrow is Friday. That means today is busy, otherwise known as Thursday. I have a 5-8 page single spaced (yes, single spacing is stupid to require because it's impossible to correct and no, I have no idea why it's required) paper due tomorrow that I started about an hour and 20 minutes ago. I technically already have 5 pages, though I'm almost certain the title page and reference page don't count. I have 2.25 pages of actual finished type, and another .25 pages of things I'll probably say, headings, etc. I'm thinking I won't have a problem reaching the 5 pages, but I'm not sure it will be what the assigment required. I have so far 2 pages of explaination, not critique. I figure I'll write it all and then go back and add some critique? Hm.

Yesterday I should have been working on said paper, but instead I cleaned up a bunch of loose ends, and then went rollerblading around the lake with Lee and Karin. What was going to be a "quick introduction back to outside skating" turned into 15 miles. After all that excecise and the loose bits out of the way I feel I can concentrate on the paper, and when it's done, finish up a few one other project. Tomorrow I will turn in said paper and go over a paper/presentation due Monday with a classmate. Then Tuesday I have to present another project and then POOF. Done. Whee!

I still have yet to start my Poster...eep. Oh, and Monday I have a job interview too. Can't forget that. I need lunch. Break time for me. Then it's back to the lovely computer in the corner of my room.

The home stretch

Or is it the seventh inning stretch? I don't' know. I can't, not yet. I have only two weeks left to finish all classwork and my poster for the conference. So in that way it is indeed the home stretch. I have a limited amount of time to finish things, things are coming down to the wire, etc. Still, I have to write my thesis before the end of the summer (sooner is preferable) and give my oral defense before I am awarded my degree. I also have to find a job. So in that way it is the seventh inning stretch. I'm close, oh so close to done, but the last two innings of my graduate school career may very well take 3 months. (Sounds more like a quiddich game than a baseball game.) I have only to climb small mountains, leap buildings in a single bound, fly around the world on the back of a flying pig in 80 days or less, and not catch any form of plague and I just might make it. Burn out, anyone? I'm close to the point that you could cook marshmallows off of my burnout.

Still, some small part of me is elated to be at this point. Soon I'll have finished all my schooling for the foreseeable future. Soon I'll be in the real world. Soon I'll have a job that is the direct result of my hard work and determination. Soon. But not yet. Right now I have to find the kind of discipline my school-workings have never had before. I have to not procrastinate. I have to find my thesisical muse (I do believe there is no muse for scholarly works, Clio coming closest to what I desire, but perhaps there needs to be a 10th muse? 10 is such a nice round number.) and not have writer's block. Yes, writer's block can happen to those writing scientific type papers. Especially when one is stressed. Even if one has all of ones methods, results, and discussion figured out.

In other news, tomorrow I'm going to go visit a Nutritionist. I am grumpy about the weight I've put on in the last year. I have decided to do something about it. I have been trying to "eat right" or "eat better" and "excercise more" but those vague concepts are not going to get me anywhere. I've started this week out so well, and I want to to continue. I skated the half marathon on saturday, yesterday I did some cleaning and took the day off, and today I went running. I want to lose weight in an approved fashion. I know about counting calories and the food pyramid, but I need some help. I'm not motivated enough to count calories I don't think. My hope is that there will be some things the nutritionist can suggest to help me. I want to be comforatble in a swimsuit by the middle of june. I want to feel good while running my 5K in July. I want to do a few more marathons on my skates. I want to be healthy. So, the nutritionist it is. Plus with my current insurance, trips to visit her are free. Preventative medicine is a good thing.

Today's Amusement:

They're taking the hobbits to Isengard!

I felt the need to share.

Around the Dome Quickly

Today's the day of the Rollerdome Inline Marathon. As Karin and I decided we didn't want to go cheerfully insane going in circles, we are only going to do the half marathon. That should only provide us with moderate loopiness. Our goal is to do it in 4 minute miles or less, putting us under 52 minutes. I have to finish getting ready for said race, then head to the library to pick up another book I had on reserve. (I know I don't have time for it this weekend...but I don't care :P )

Our start time is somewhere after 3:30 but before 3:35. If you want to cheer us on, parking is free and there will be a spectator area. Just remember to cheer for "Team Fall Down" as we go flying past. Our colors are black and blue.

**Update: Karin and I finished in about 53:46 sec and :48 seconds. You can click here to see the full results if you are interested. We thought there was this mixup with the lapcounter (IE we felt we did an extra lap or two) but I think it was us going moderately loopy. It's all right now. We finished 4th and 5th of the women in the half marathon. Too bad we couldn't make the top three. Oh well, next race. It was fun, and today (Sunday) my bottom is the muscles sore. I'll have to see if I can fit in a run or a walk later today to help with the soreness.

Ba ba ba baaa BAAAA bababa BAAAA baaa...

You know, without the music, you may not recognize that as the beginning of the theme to Star Wars, but take my word for it, that's how it would be written. Last night Katie, Karin, Lee, Barbara, and I went to see the One Man Star Wars Trilogy. I haven't laughed so hard in a LONG time! One man does all three episodes of the ORIGINAL Star Wars Trilogy in one hour, all the charecters. He uses no props or costumes, just hand gestures, body language, and voices. He's good too! He gets Luke's whining, Han's overconfidence, and Leia's smugness across to the audience so nicely. There is comedy thrown in; sometimes very subtle, sometimes very obvious. It was a good thing all of us knew Star Wars as well as we did, though. He jumped back and fourth from one role to another so fast that if one didn't know the plot of the movies, one would be really confused. Afterwards, since the show only did last one hour, we went to O'Donnovans pub for pints and chips.

Tonight I am going to see Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab for Cutie at Northrup on campus. I'm quite excited. Before I get to go though, I have to finish up my research (last day of sampling for my Thesis if all goes well...please, all go well!) Then I have to go home and clean up my place a bit, go mentoring, and do a few other things. The week is slightly less hectic today. Tomorrow I go to the Raptor Center in the morning and then I'm going go back to work to finish up my analytical stuff for today's samples. Over the weekend I have to write a 5-10 page paper...actually make that two, make a power point presentation, and edit some pictures for another power point presentation. Oh, and do all the reseach that goes with writing said papers. I haven't even begun the work involved yet. Bleah. Saturday I'm racing 13 miles in circles around the metrodome with Karin. Sunday I think I plan on sleeping in.

Today my key got stuck in the lock of the apartment door. I went to turn the key, and it would only turn a bit, then stuck. I tried to turn it back, and it worked a bit, then stuck some more. Then nothing. No turning to the right or left. I couldn't get the damned thing back out either. Since leaving my key in the door with the door unlocked seemed a bit too much like handing an open invitation to someone to come in and steal, I walked over to the landlord's business and asked for some silcone spray (becaue wd40 has water in it and can rust one's locks) and some help. A few minutes later I had successfully removed the key and lubricated my lock, and was finally ready to head to work. On the way to work, I blew threw the damned meters (why were they running at 10:00 AM anyway??!? ) with some city official type person watching me do it. Hopefully he can't call my license into the cops. My excuse, 1. the damned things are never on at that time of day. 2. his truck was parked not completely off the on ramp, so I was attempting to avoid that. And 3. it has ALMOST turned green. Plus, I felt very much like the white rabbit; I was late. So, just as I'm contemplating my bad self (And the car behind me whom I'm sure had not nearly the number of good excuses as I did for blowing through the meters in the same fashion as me), a large semi throws a boulder at my car. Maybe not a boulder, but a Very Large Rock. So large I could see it coming. So large I knew it would be bad. I heard the CRACK! as it hit my windshield, and i now have a quarter sized chuck/spiderweb/thing right in the middle of my two wiper blades when they are at rest. It's too big to be patched. I'm going to have to replace the whole damned windshield. Not just yet though. Right now it's just spiderwebbed, not cracked. I'm going to wait til it cracks to replace it. Ugh. Badish day. But it will get better tonight I hope.

Day 1 of Crazy Week

It's Monday at 3:15. I've been up since 6, had breakfast with some old family friends, driven 4.5ish hours from home 1 to home 2, finished an assignment for class that is due tonight (yeah, I procrastinated but my parents have little computer functionality), applied for 2 jobs, had lunch, packed my backpack, made a packed supper, put my rollerblading gear in order, and am now typing this. I have yet to: go to class, eat supper, go rollerblading at least 13 miles or until the dome closes (note to self, bring cash), come home, work on other class major presentation for tomorrow (just a draft thank goodness), finish other classes major paper, have a small snack or glass of wine, go to bed exhausted.

Tomorrow is more of the same. Gotta love the end of the semester. The weather isn't helping either, it's too damned nice to be stuck inside. It's days like this when I wish I had a laptop.