The downside to CA...

Well, to be honest, there is more than one downside but today it involves the fact that being this far away means that I can't be proximal to my mother when there's trouble in the family. My mom's cousin and step-sister by marriage is dying of cancer and while they weren't terribly close, it's still a sad time. My mom's family has been through a lot of late and I wish I could be with her during these times. But now that I'm out here, I can't just hop in the car and drive East. Boo.

On top of that, we've started looking for an apartment and the cost of living here is enough to induce an anxiety attack. We've discovered that anything that costs less than $1600/month is almost always a crap hole. And, frankly, the older I get, the less likely I am to lower my standards on things like this and I am not living in a crap hole just to save a couple hundred bucks a month. I told my financial planner as much last night. I also told him I'd rather postpone retirement (why yes, we do have a retirement plan and I highly recommend that you get one) by a few more years than live in squalor. Not that we'd ever live in squalor but you know what I mean. So...it looks like something in the $1800 to $2000 range for us. That is a lot of money. A lot. And, yes, I knew it would be like this and the cost of living in most large cities is about the same but still. The sticker shock. It kills me. Boo. I say boo.

My first week...

Well, it's been a bit more relaxing, to say the least. I spend a decent amount of time surfing the 'nets in an effort to take care of business re: the house or trying to find out where the nearest farmers market/CSA/bookstore/T@rget/etc. are located. Now that we've liberated our bike pump and found the helmets, I can ride my bike to all these wonderful places. I'm also looking out for discounts and deals of events and attractions and I am all about using my triple A card and entertainment book for coupons.

In the afternoon I read, walk the dog, cook dinner, write postcards, watch a little f00d network, unpack a box, you know, the usual stuff. Not too strenuous. Until yesterday.

Yesterday I went a little "weekend warrior" on a Tuesday but I didn't do it on purpose. I've been trying to get back into a regular exercise routine now that I no longer have to paint or pack and move heavy boxes around so yesterday I did some circuit training (why didn't I think this one through?) and then walked 4 miles to meet Michael for lunch. We had lunch at this really yummy vegetarian restaurant (sesame eggplant with brown garlic sauce and rice mmmmmm....) and then I picked up my bike from the storage unit and rode it the 4.5 miles home. Then I carried my bike up 2 flights of stairs. Yeah...I'm a smidge sore this morning. And clearly out of shape. Durr.

So, what have we done that's fun and exciting? Well, we went to the alumni event in the city last Thurs and that was fun. I met 2 people who are not just alumni but are from our beloved Lanky-town. One of them had Grg's dad in school. It was nice to chat with people who are from the same little town as you. We took the train in, which was nice, but the trip home took longer since the train stopped at every station. I, of course, fell asleep on the ride home. Can't do that while you're behind the wheel.

Friday, our trailer arrived and I spent the afternoon supervising the movers as they unloaded our stuff into our storage unit. Unfortunately many of our boxes are smooshed and caving in and the stand to our large oval mirror was broken. Until we unpack everything I won't know how much damage has occured but let's hope it isn't too extensive.

Saturday, we did some digging in our storage unit. I found the boxes with our mail, dry goods, clothes and cleaning supplies. We went back on Monday to unearth the tupperware, dish drainer and bike pump and helmets. My socks and underwear? Still MIA. I have one pair of socks that I wash, like, every other day because I refuse to buy more. They're in that damn storage unit somewhere! Along with my sports bras and tennis clothes. Need to find those, too.

Sunday, we didn't make it to Sonoma because there was N@SCAR race and I wasn't about to go anywhere near that. Instead we went into the city and met up with friends. We went to a museum that, alas, we did not enjoy b/c it housed mostly modern art. I don't like modern art. And let me just say that from now on Costa's girlfriends are NOT allowed to pick the museum anymore. Ever. Had I known we were going to be subjected to modern art, I would not have wasted the money on admission. Then we headed down to the Embarcadero and had coffee before heading home to the pooch.

Haven't decided what our plans are for this weekend but now that we have our bikes we'll probably do some exploring around here. We don't have locks yet (they're on order) so we can't really take them into the city yet unless we're not planning to get off of them to do anything fun. I want to check out the farmer's market, maybe visit the fruit stand and go to the library.

I leave you with this photo of a jackaranda tree from the park next to the "compound." They remind me of a purple version of japanese cherry trees and are absolutely gorgeous when they are at their peak of season. In fact, this picture doesn't do it justice. Maybe that's because it isn't a picture of the whole tree. Or because I took it instead of a real photographer.

Finally in Cali...

And it's about darned time! So, my dear husband met me at the airport with a potted hydrangea (while a bouquet of flowers might have been more romantic all of our vases are currently on the moving truck) in one hand and D0ritos in the other...sigh...he's so sweet. Anyway, we headed home to the dog and then took a picnic lunch to the park adjacent to our apartment. Michael made me dinner and kept refilling my champagne glass until I feel asleep, exhausted, at 7:30 before the Simpsons came on tv.

The rest of the week has been pretty relaxing thus far. We got library cards Tuesday night and I brought home 2 books; I'm starting with the book on Queen Elizabeth. Last night we went to an information session at the nursing school I'm applying to. I found out that the deadline for Jan. 1 admission is July 1st and there is not even enough time to submit the app, ask for and receive 2 letters of reference, have transcripts sent or take the standardized test that has become the bane of my existence. Why, oh, why does it have to be this fcking difficult to finish a second undergraduate degree? Why? So, now I will be on track to apply in November for a June 2009 start date. In the meantime, I'm waiting to hear back from someone, anyone for that matter, in the admissions dept so we can sit down and go over my transcripts to ensure that all previous classes and pre-reqs will transfer. Blarg.

Tonight, we are doing something I hope will be more fun. FandM is having an alumni event in downtown San Fran at 5:30 so I'm about to go put on my face and then go meet Michael so we can take the train in. We might be going up to Sonoma this Sunday for wine tasting but we haven't nailed down the details yet. I'm anticipating many fun adventures will ensue and I'll be sure to share them here. In the meantime, here are some photos of my immediate surroundings:

The Str@ight-Turner Compound. There are gates everywhere. Plus this lovely
parking garage thing-y is nice, too.

A fountain next to the S@feway where we shop--pretty, no?

The dog spends much of her day sleeping under the bed. This bed is not "Tall Man Friendly" and therefore is much lower to the ground than the one we own. You should see her trying to crawl in and out from under it. Silly dog.

It's all about the penis...

So, today's lab exam? All about the penis. Mind you, one of the chapters we're covering on our lab and lecture exams is the reproductive system but, seriously, there were way too many penis questions on the lab exam. Penis, penis, penis. Sure, there was an ovary here and a fallopian tube there and a few kidneys but mostly penis. At least that's what it felt like to me.

Okay, back to studying. I'm hanging out at a little, out-of-the-way cafe whose name rhymes with Banera so I can swipe some free WiFi. I'm eating one of those super yummy shortbread cookies and drinking a big cup of coffee and now it is time to end my penis rant and get back to work. On the penis. Okay, to be fair, there's an acid-base system chapter and lymphatics to review as well, but come on...it's all about the penis today.

Comedy of Errors....

Part one million. Seriously. This will be a v. brief recap as I am sitting in my car in the O. District so I can use some of downtown Dayton's free WiFi (which doesn't go as far as our house, WTF is that about?). Let's just put it this way: I thought we would get more than 2 movers to come load the truck and since I only got 2, it took longer than I thought to get everything on the trailer plus the HaulU rental I needed to get stuff over to my in-laws and a local charity. One of the movers cut his head open (he's okay), it takes forever to get everything loaded up, the phone rings off the hook, I can't remember why I went into the garage/basement/upstairs so I keep wandering around the house and finally around 4 in the afternoon I have to call Michael to bail me out.

The HaulU truck needs to be returned by 7 but the stuff hasn't been delivered and I can't leave the house. FIL extraordinaire shows up to take care of that part but in the meantime, the movers can't figure out how to install the bulkhead and then one of them improperly locks the truck (he locked the lock but didn't lock the doors, fck) and I have to call the trailer co. to come fix it. Ultimately, I have to cancel dinner plans with my neighbors, all so I can stay home to take care of getting rental trucks returned and making sure that no one makes off with our stuff until the trailer guy comes over. And I'm dirty and tired and haven't done a bit of studying for my exams tomorrow.

And then, the badness. I was horribly mean to my husband. I was an asshole (sing it with me...A-S-S-H-O-L-E....I'm an asshole....). I have since apologized (of course) but dang, this is hard.

So, now I'm clean and have done some studying. Going to go back home and study some more and maybe get some shut eye for a few hours. I'm going to sleep on the floor in the house b/c I can't bring myself to pay for a hotel room in which I won't really get any sleep and I can't deal with being around people right now...not even my in-laws. I just have to keep my eyes on the prize. In 23 hours I will be done with my last exam and Thurs am I can start driving to Lankytown. Can't wait. Almost there. Almost....there....

For fcking better or worse...

This move...sigh...I know, more whining about moving. I'm even tired of it but, alas, it's my party and I'll whine if I want to.

So, you stand before your officiant and take your marriage vows alongside your beloved and you say them...and you really do mean them. And sometimes life hands you shit sandwiches and down the hatch they go and here you are reflecting on your wedding vows because those vows are the only thing keeping you from reaching your arm out 2500 miles and ripping your husband's head off. And I know that this rough patch is probably not the worst we'll see during what I hope will be decades of marriage but this fcking sucks. SO MUCH.

And I am very, very tired of this situation. I am tired of being the only one in charge. I am tired of being the one who makes the phone calls and arrangements for sub-contractors, movers, glass crating companies, realtors, more sub-contractors and various cleaning companies. And I know that these are things that only I can do b/c I am the one who is here to let people in, take measurements, write checks, etc. and goodness knows that Michael is helping as much as he can. But. These are the things that make me long for my single days in a one-bedroom apt with my dog. I just want to crawl in a hole and never come out. Instead, however, I'm going to drag my ass to the post office, the UH@ul store, the hardware store, G00dwill and the Upscale Resale store to drop off donations and go to the bank. And then come home and pack my ass off. Blarg. Hate everything.

More cuteness...

This about cheering me up as much as it is subjecting you to more pictures of my dog. She is so. Freaking. Cute. Totally.



My husband is also really freaking cute. I mean, he's very studly and hot. Yeah, studly and hot.

So much to do and not enough time...

So....I leave the state I've called home for the last 5+ years in 10 days. 10 days. 10 DAYS! I am so not ready. Physically ready, that is. I've put off the remainder of the packing in part b/c we had an open house yesterday and we wanted it to still be "staged" but now the furious packing must begin. I'm struggling with this b/c I know that I have 2 smallish suitcases out of which I will live until the 15th and I just don't know what I'm going to need and I can't make myself think that far ahead.

In the meantime, I'm trying to say my goodbyes and that's hard to do. We know we won't be coming back to OH any time soon so unless our friends and family come to see us in Cali we won't be seeing anyone for a long time.

And yet I feel a bit anxious to get the heck out of dodge. I just want to be with my husband and my dog and I no longer care much about anything else. I want to get back to some semblance of "normal" and the only way to do that is to be with my beloved and our mutt. But it's only 10 more days. 10 days. That's going to go by quickly.

Bittersweet...

I've spent the last 8 weeks cursing this house as we've readied it for sale with help from our parents...and now, all I want to do is cry.

A message from my dog...

Where is the Short One who feeds me and walks me and rubs my ears just the way I like? It's Tall Man, Tall Man, Tall Man all the time here...where the hell are we, anyway? Can you believe these people stuck me in a car for 4 days while they drove us past some dirt and rocks and shit?!? Unbelievable. And the Short One was always turning around in her seat to take pictures of me while I tried to sleep. Bitch. Oh, and she's always coming after me with a kleenex in her hand and wiping my eyes. I hate that. And now the Tall Man does it. I'm hungry. I think I'll go bark at a cat that's outside some 3 blocks away. Yeah, and then I'll go sleep under the bed. I wonder what happened to the Short One...? Rub my belly.

A recap of the trip to Cali....

It's been a week since my return to Ohio and I finally got the pics off the digital camera so that I might post them for your enjoyment. I will let Michael give you the down and dirty details of our crazy adventures with a mechanic in Utah that we will call "Cletus."

The trip started with breakfast at our favorite place. I had the pancakes and Michael had eggs and the french (that's right, french toast, not fcking "freedom" toast) toast. And, of course, there was lots of coffee.

And then we went home, loaded up the car and the dog and headed west. We talked and sang along to CDs and took turns petting the dog. We stopped in St. Louis to see the Arch. That's Michael and Esme down there. They are so tiny.



Esme had to use the facilities at the Arch:



We stopped that night in Kansas City, MO b/c I just couldn't drive another hour. I was so pooped out that as soon as we checked in to our hotel I was asleep in bed. And my wonderful husband took our mutt outside for last pee pee so that I could remain passed out in bed.

The next morning we crossed the state line into Kansas about 20 minutes into our drive. This is a wind farm in Kansas (plus some glare from the window--Angie and Joel I am not):


After...how shall I say....an unbelievably horrifying drive thru the Rockies at night (my husband is lucky there wasn't a divorce lawyer handy b/c I thought we were going to die), we woke up to this magnificence:There was more to this post but I seem to have lost it....where have you gone, post? Damn. Okay, will post the sequel to our trip to Cali in another post. But first, is this not beautiful?

Too tired...

To write about our...exciting, nay, death-defying trip to Cali-for-nee-ya. Seriously. There's nothing like being trapped in the desert in Utah on a Saturday afternoon and being told that your alternator is bad. Fck. Alas, everything is fine and I am back in Ohio laying in my bed. Details will be forthcoming soon as well as some photos taken on the road. All is well except that I miss my husband and my dog and that the house we've called "home" for the last 4+ years no longer feels like "home" without them. Sigh...

The Different Fummer takes a road trip...

We're on our way to Cali and will try to post from the road if we aren't too tired. Stay tuned!

Sticker shock...

And we haven't even moved to CA yet. Michael and I are suffering from a little sticker shock for some things we need to do to get our house ready for the market. We had some anticipated expenses like the purchase of more paint, powerwashing our house, tiling our floor in the kitchen, refinishing the stairs and landing on the second floor... but then we've accumulated additional expenses like some electrical work that needs to be done to the tune of $1100. And our realtor suggested new counter tops in the kitchen (yeah, we're going with new laminate instead). Naturally all the stuff that needs to be done by a professional seems to cost something with 4 figures in it. Blarg.

We're fortunate that Michael's new employer has offered such a generous relocation package but it seems we're going to use an awful lot of that money just to get our house ready to be sold. We haven't even finished running the figures for moving and storing all of our belongings. Sigh...

A spot of cuteness...

I am taking a momentary rest from painting and/or packing to bring you this little bright spot in my day...

Reality sets in...

It's been 6 days since we found out we are moving and now reality has set in. Michael and I are feeling positively overwhelmed by everything. And, yes, we know, "do one thing at a time" and all that but there are moments when that doesn't help. Thank goodness I have off from work and school this week b/c I would have been a disaster for sure. My mind is just constantly thinking things that need to be fixed, packed, sold, moved, given away, cleaned, etc. that it's hard to keep them all straight sometimes. To combat this issue, Michael and I are using google docs to help keep everything in order. Thank goodness for the internets.

The hardest part so far has been watching how sad this move makes my husband. I know he's excited about this really freakin' awesome job he got but he's a family guy and I know it pains him to move so far away from them. The second hardest part has been contemplating my return to this house with neither husband nor dog in tow. It reminds me so much of when my mom and brother moved to the Chicago-area after graduation but I returned to Lanky-town for 6 weeks to finish my scholarship obligation. Plus I was living by myself in a house with no furniture and only a few dishes and it was just weird. This time Grandma won't be packing every last dish until it's time to put everything on the moving truck:> It's a bittersweet time to be sure.

So, enough moping. Must get dressed and start painting. And do some more laundry. And meet with our realtor. And keep my sanity.

The big news!

At last! Michael accepted a job at a lovely robotics company (musn't say the name lest we be dooced) in Sunnyvale, CA near San Jose. We're moving him and the dog at the end of April and I will be returning to finish the spring quarter at school and get our house packed and ready for sale. More news to come soon! A job! Finally! California! Moving! Aack!

5 years later...

Okay, I meant to post this last month but what can I say? I'm a procrastinator and busy as hell.

5 years ago I moved to Ohio from Lanky-town and a whole crazy lot has happened. Let's review:

• I moved into my first "big girl" apartment where I lived (blessedly) alone with my 4-legged companion
• I was adopted by my awesome friend Marg, who introduced me to the city and to internet dating and has made my life in OH way more entertaining than it otherwise might have been
• I tried internet dating. All in all, a fairly good experience as far as dating goes and that's how I met my wonderful and amazing husband
• I met Michael in Jan '04 and here we are happily married for over 2 years. We have a very nice life (albeit a tad stressful at the mo'), a beautiful home and each other.
  
• We also have a mortgage and HELOC debt, we've put 2 dogs to sleep and adopted a third, deal regularly with crazy family member issues and struggle to keep our sanity while Michael looks for a job
• I realized along the way that non-profit organizations are every bit as soul sucking as for-profit companies but without the salary and benefits package, bonuses and extra PTO that for-profits often provide. We're expected to pay our bills with warm fuzzies instead.
• Oh, yes. My parents got divorced somewhere in there. I almost forgot that one.
• I quit my "real" job and took a waitressing gig while going to nursing school.
  
• Realized the life plan I had when I came out here 5 years ago is nothing like real life as it has unfolded.

So, it's been a busy 5 years and it's turned out very differently than expected. Not in a bad way, mind you, just different. I never thought I would have stayed in OH for longer than 3 years and I had no hope of meeting the man who would become my husband. And I definitely never thought I'd have to put by baby girl to sleep anytime soon. But here I am and here we are.
We're facing a lot of uncertainty until Michael gets a new job and then we'll be off on some new adventure. Stay tuned....

Memoir in six words....

Work in progress..much to do.

Be sure to go to Salon.com to see what others had to say.

Aack (and why we should support universal health care)...

In an effort to make good on one of my new year's resolutions, I dragged my husband upstairs for some quality time and in return I got a UTI. And I come to the realization that, yes, it is a UTI at about 2:30 on a Saturday in the middle of a continuous lunch rush at work and after my doctor has closed up shop for the day. And because I had to work a double shift and it was one of those days where the customers never stop coming in, I had to wait until 9:30 at night to get myself to urgent care before they closed at 10. Of course the Cipro I have to take gives me a yeast infection so between the fee to go to urgent care and the 3 meds I'm now taking, I racked up $100 in fees in a very short period of time. Plus there's always the possibility of having to go see my GP after all because I'm developing a rash on my arm that wasn't there prior to taking the antibiotic. Blarg. Did I mention that the Cipro caused a yeast infection? Yeah.

Despite my annoyance at all of this I recognize how lucky I am to have health insurance (even tho I'm really pissed at my provider at the moment) and to have a manager who was kind enough to let me go to urgent care even tho I hadn't finished my side work. Despite the fact that the company I work for provides insurance coverage, almost none of the employees participate--mostly b/c they can't afford the premiums. Many of them have been sick with colds, flu and various infections during the past 6 weeks and b/c they lack insurance coverage and don't have the money to go to urgent care they get so sick that they end up in the ER. Or they continue to come to work and cough and hack all over the place (hello people--we serve food here--stop coughing on everything). So, for all those people out there who don't think we need universal health care coverage just remember: when you go out to eat, your server is probably too poor to afford a doctor's office visit plus the cost of a prescription and he/she is the last person to touch your food before you eat it. There are many reasons to support universal health care and I'm just offering up one more. Seriously, the time is now.

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?

Quit my job and just be a student for 4 whole months (thanks to my husband).

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

No and No. I continued to use my cell phone while driving and I did not have more sexy time with my husband. Boo. Although I did return to flossing regularly after my braces were removed.

This year's resolutions are to have more sexy time with my husband, limit cell phone use while driving and contact my elected officials at least once a month.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes, see previous post.

5. What countries did you visit?

Sadly, none, but Michael promised me a trip to Ireland as a graduation present (which is still about 2 years away).

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

More self-discipline. Oh, and to know where my husband is going to be gainfully employed for the forseeable future and whether or not that job requires an out-of-state move. That's all I'm asking for...please?

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Dec. 27th--see previous post.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I spent the year as a student, employee (except for those 4 wonderful months) and spouse and managed to get good grades, bring home the bacos and hold my shit together (for the most part). Of course, all of this is thanks to my husband for making it possible.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Allowing myself to be bullied by my former boss and not quitting my job sooner. What was I thinking?

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nope, thankfully.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

A new dog. Esme is a wonderful companion.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My husband's. And my in-laws'.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Too many to name.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Into various retirement accounts, utility bills, our mortgage, textbooks. Blarg. Not enough went to a nice vacation abroad.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Harry Potter!

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

Too many damn Top 40 songs played at the restaurant where I work.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

a) happier or sadder? Both but mostly happier.
b) thinner or fatter? the same.
c) richer or poorer? poorer for sure.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Having sexy time with my husband. See my friends more often. Read more books that weren't text books.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Freaking out about work and my grades.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

We spent X-mas at our house with my mom and grandmother. It was a little too much togetherness time but we had fun.

23. What was your favorite TV program?

House, of course. And the Simpson's and Family Guy.

25. What was the best book you read?

The Kite Runner.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I didn't have one. Sad.

27. What did you want and get?

Accepted to nursing school (although technically I didn't find that out until 2008).

28. What did you want and not get?

A cool job for my husband located in a cool city.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?

The Simpson's Movie.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

30, and I didn't do much. I wasn't up to celebrating at the time but maybe I'll do something more exciting for 31.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

A cool job for my husband in a cool city and spending more time with my girlfriends.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Jeans and ________. As a student I don't have to dress up.

33. What kept you sane?

You know who you are.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Daniel Craig after seeing "Casino Royale." Rrrowwwrrrrrr.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.

Don't waste time on things like anger and worrying. Take action when and if you can and if you can't, find something more useful upon which to focus.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Beans, beans
They're good for your heart....

For better or for worse...

And in this case it was for worse. But before I get to that I really must acknowledge my husband for the wonderful human being that he is, for being my pillar of strength, for letting me cry all over him and for comforting not just me, but my mom and grandma.

A week ago today we found out that my Aunt Mauna was killed in a car accident in Champaign, IL where she lives. We didn't find out until Friday that the guy who caused the accident was driving drunk and that he had 2 previous DUIs and that he was driving on a revoked license. And that he fled on foot and hid in a drainage ditch and the police had to send a dog in to drag him out. And now that man is in jail and the charges against him come with a 35-year prison sentence.

The funeral service was so nice...so personal...so happy and sad at the same time. We recounted funny memories and we got to see the sides of my aunt's life we didn't know much about as evidenced by the very long line of friends, co-workers, neighbors (and a couple ex-husbands) who arrived at the funeral home to pay their respects. And I got a fit of the inappropriate giggles when my cousin sang a song that was a little out of her range and it reminded me of when my Aunt June sang so horribly at my Aunt Susie's wedding.

Anyway, the whole last week has been spent in shock and in mourning. I slept all day on Tuesday and am just now starting to feel somewhat normal. But it's hard to carry on with normal activities when the loss of a loved one is always in the back of your mind. But I need to, we all need to, because we're still here on this earth. And for better or for worse (hopefully more for the better) we will keep on going...all the while missing our loved ones and every fond memory a celebration of our crazy lives.

Ding, dong the witch is dead...

I mean fired. Neener, neener, neener.

This just goes to show you that sometimes there is justice in this world.

So surreal...

Do you ever have one of those moments where you think to yourself "Did that really just happen?" Michael and I had one of those moments on Friday and I'm still thinking about it.

So, last Friday Michael and I met our dear friend Burt for lunch at this little hole in the wall bar near our house. Some of you might remember Burt from our wedding. He was the short elderly gentleman who kept talking about his "sperm-in-law." Of course, that's a story for another time. Anyway, Burt is an interesting person. He's so nice and so outgoing and just loves talking to people.

Well, we're eating lunch, and Burt's friend David walks in and joins us. He's a doctor with a rehab medicine practice and had recently returned from a trip to Ethiopia (we're not at the surreal part yet). And then Burt asks David if the couple at the table next to us looked familiar. David says that he doesn't recognize them but by then Burt has gone over to them to invite them to join our table.

The couple, Wes and Monica, agree to join us and they pull up some stools from the bar. We're chatting with them for a bit and then Burt asks them how they met. Wes looks at Monica and Monica looks at Wes and they're saying to each other "You tell them." "No, you." "Okay, I'll tell them." Monica tells us that they met in a bar. But Burt decides that their story lacks a little pizazz and that's when Monica says "Actually, I'm a stripper and I always swore I wouldn't do this but I did. I ended up dating a customer." And we all laugh and think "Ha ha--she's so funny!" Except...she wasn't kidding. Um, she really is a stripper. Oh, dear god, she really is a stripper. Hee!

Of course, then we had to talk all about strippers and it was a fascinating conversation. She told us that girls of all shapes and sizes work at the club with her and that she really likes the work. I had to ask about the whole pole dancing thing and she told us that 2 of the poles are stationary but the others are mounted on ball bearings so when you see the girls fling themselves around the poles, they aren't spinning on the pole, the pole is spinning them. Monica, however, eschews the pole because she's afraid she'll hurt herself on it. We had a short discussion on the stripping business (unfortunately no time for feminist discourse) but then it was time for Michael to go back to work and I had to run errands.

But before we go, Burt invites our new...acquaintances?...to our party that we had on Saturday. What the hell? It turns out that Monica and Wes live in our neighborhood so that's cool b/c we love meeting people from our neighborhood but Burt didn't even ask, he just invited these people. So, we left wondering if they would show and, of course, I told half the people at our party about this couple and they never came. But David and his wife Sarah joined us and they were lovely. Everyone at our party was wondering if Sarah was the stripper but, alas, she was not. Anyway, Monica and Wes didn't come to our party but we have an open invitation to come see her here. Apparently they have male strippers on Saturday night.

Our little family...

For those of you who haven't seen our newest 4-legged addition, here she is...

Esme is approximately 3 years old and just a sweet, sweet girl. She can be the devil in disguise so don't let the cuteness fool you. Esme was found abandoned in an empty apartment with 7 one week old puppies and she was brought in to SICSA with pups in tow. The staff helped Esme (then named Nina) with raising her pups and after they were old enough they were all adopted. Only Esme hadn't yet found a family to adopt her but if you ask me, I think it was a little bit of fate on our side that brought us together.

She doesn't like having her picture taken so we don't very many good ones to post yet but I promise we'll put up more soon.

Low Impact Fummer

Long I have admired No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, and have been following his year-long "no impact experiment" since March. And thrown in there is my growing interest in eating local and /or organic food inspired by Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Actually, my interest in being a more conscious consumer and eater dates back to my first attempt at giving up meat but in the last year I've really stepped it up. Admittedly, it's hard sometimes. And while Michael is incredibly supportive of the changes we've made (he better be since I'm the one who goes to the grocery and cooks for us), I know it's harder on him than me but he's a good sport about it anyway.

There are many reasons for not wanting to eat meat, but not one of them has to do with not eating animals. I think it's okay to eat meat, because, hey, it tastes good. But I try not to because I don't agree with factory farming because it's bad for the animals and bad for the environment. Sometimes I fall of the wagon (like today) and eat a little meat. But when I do, I try to make sure it came from a local farmer who treats her/his animals humanely. Besides that, as a society, we eat more meat than we should and a diet rich in veg, grains and legumes is a much healthier option.

And when I buy groceries, I try to buy locally grown items, environmentally-friendly cleaning products, tissues and t.p. and I try to limit the amount of convenience foods I buy. And I severely restrict the amount of produce that I buy out of season that must be transported from California or even another country. That means no more bananas, no asparagus, no fresh tomatoes (although, who wants to eat them in winter anyway? They are so tasteless and grainy), and absolutely no strawberries in January. Or grapes.

What this means is that I have to think about about what I cook, what I buy, do I have the time to walk to the drugstore or do I need to drive, etc. all the time. But I think it's important. And there are things we could all be doing to be more conscious of reducing our energy needs, being kinder to the environment and feeding our bodies the best food we can. And in case you don't hear enough about this in the news already, here are some of the things that Michael and I do:

• join a CSA farm or shop at a farmer's market
• buy organic meat, dairy and produce when you can
• use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins at meal times
• don't buy bottled water
• recycle (yes, it's true that recycling uses fossil fuels but it beats putting all the trash in a landfill)
• walk, bike or take public transportation when you can (public transportation is sub-optimal in Dayton so we walk when we can and drive when we can't)
• turn off lights when you leave a room and don't take long showers (I can tell you that's a hard one to give up)
• wash your laundry on cold and try to do a number of loads at a time to maximize the energy your dryer uses or hang your clothes on a line
• keep your thermostat at 68 degrees (at our house it's never above 64) when you're home and drop in the low 60's or upper 50's at night or when you are away from home
  
• exchange incandescent light bulbs for energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs

Every little bit helps.

The right to be smoke free...

I don't usually make a habit of airing dirty family laundry on here but this is something that's been bothering me for a long time. A. Very. Long. Time.

It has become painfully clear to me that my mother, despite her many health issues, is not going to quit smoking. I am not the only person to struggle with this issue, but it is especially painful for me since I've tried very hard to be supportive during said health problems. My brother, on the other hand, is supportive in a different way (read: not my way which obviously means he's doing it wrong). After a recent conversation with him, however, it became all too clear that our mom is not going to quit smoking. Ever.

And the smoking is probably the biggest reason that she and I argue. Hell, we discussed it in therapy A LOT, it was that big. So, since I can't make my mom quit smoking and my efforts to get her to quit aren't working, then something has to change. I can't change her but I can change the way I choose to deal with this situation. So, I told her that we would love for her to visit and we would love for her to stay with us at X-mas but she can't smoke while she's here. And I don't just mean not smoking in the house which has never been allowed anyway, but no smoking at all. No smoking on the porch, in the car, at the gas station up the street. No smoking at all while she's here. Second hand smoke is nasty. It smells bad and it lingers on the smoker and anything she touches for days. And it is gross and disgusting. And when a smoker has to go outside and smoke then that person is leaving what you're doing at that time or if you have to wait for that person to finish a cigarette before getting back in the car to go somewhere then it holds you up and it makes your car smell bad. Besides that, second hand smoke smell is every bit as bad for my allergies as being right next to a burning cigarette.

So, that's my decision and I'm sticking to it. If my mom can't honor that request then I guess she won't be coming to visit. And that would make me really sad. I know that cigarettes are terribly addictive and my mom has been smoking longer than she hasn't but it is a disease and cancer-causing addiction. And I'm not going to compromise on this issue any longer.

Bringing home the bacos...

Michael is the one who brings home the bacon and I bring home the bacos. I don't work enough shifts to bring home bacon. Anyway, my new job is working out well so far. The people are nice and the tips are decent. But, as it is a restaurant job, time spent at work means thrusting myself into a vortex of drama because restaurant people hang out together and sleep together and create more drama. And of course they are totally incapable of checking said drama at the door and instead bring it to work for the rest of us. Maybe they think they're being kind by sharing. Or maybe they think that the rest of us must lead some pretty boring lives and they're doing us a favor by allowing us to live vicariously thru them. I don't know. All I do know is that I show up, do my work, make my money, eat a salad and go home. Oh, and take my bacos to the bank.

And with all new jobs, you have to spend some time learning who the various characters are...there's the know-it-all, the guy who sells vitamin supplements on the side and wants you to join his business venture, the guy who plays the restaurant version of House, MD, the crack head, the little skinny chicks who are chock full o' drama, the gay Republican (I know, right?) and a couple of college students like myself. So far they seem pretty normal and maybe that's just because they don't work there enough to take on some of the drama. There are probably some people I missed but you get the point. Drama aside, it's still better than staying on at my last job no matter how good the pay and flexibility were. Neener, neener.

Blarg...

That's pretty much I feel at the moment but I've made my decision and I'm sticking to it. I'm sort of in nursing school application hell at the moment--trying to figure out what I can do to ensure that my GPA is the highest it can be so I can ensure a slot in the program this spring. So....I dropped Physiology. Blarg. But I was getting a C and no matter what I couldn't bring it up above a C so as it stands now, I'll end up with a GPA of 3.4. If I can boost my Micro grade to an A from a B then I'll have a 3.6 and hopefully (fingers crossed) my app. will be near the top of the pile when it comes time to make admission decisions.

It only puts me back one class slot in one semester so it isn't a huge deal as long as I get into the program for the spring. And since they are only looking at GPA (and in my case, only my GPA post-bachelor's) and reserve the right to accept WSU students with 30 credits hours or more from WSU (even if they have a lower GPA) ahead of transer students like me, I have got to have a high GPA. I was rather disappointed to find out that they won't be taking age, maturity, previous job and/or life experience into consideration when making these decisions but that's how they do it. Anyway, I'll be submitting my application before Thanksgiving so keep your fingers crossed for me. I should know if I'm accepted or not by January 30.

So, this is one of the many things that have been keeping me so busy I don't know if I'm coming or going these days. Last week was terrible for many reasons but now that I dropped Phys. things won't be nearly as bad. Maybe. Well, let's hope not. Because my house has been a mess and there's a mountain of laundry in the basement that needs to be washed and I hardly get to talk to my friends on the phone and I never have time to check email and I hardly see my husband and I am pooped. POOPED, I say. And I was so worn out by school, work and life that the birthday fun-ness I had been anticipating last month was the last thing in the world that I wanted to deal with. Which is a shame b/c I've always thought of 30 as the magic age and the month before my birthday sucked and the day of was pretty good but frankly I did not even have time to celebrate. But 30 is here to stay for a while so let's hope the next 300+ days of it are the magical days I've always hoped for.

In exam hell...

and I promise to post something as soon as it's over.

Feelin' like I need something to love on...

Alas, the need to love on something 4-legged and furry has set in. But. This time Michael and I really, really are not going to get a dog for a while (you'll remember that we said this the last time--we made it 6 weeks). We just can't do it right now for a variety of reason, not the least of which is that we aren't emotionally ready, but I feel like I need to love on something. Besides my husband.

So, we talked about bunnies or even a guinea pig or something but Michael doesn't get the warm fuzzies for those kinds of critters. I think that I could be pretty excited about a bunny. You can litter-train them and they are very warm and fuzzy. And they have 4 legs so that pretty much meets my list of requirements. Even if we decide to go this route it won't be for a while. So, people of the internets, I ask you: can you love a bunny as much as a dog?

When it rains, it pours....

I swear I would have posted sooner if it weren't for the fact that the last month has been total ass. Seriously. First my dear, sweet baby had to be put to sleep. And then, the next day? I had to have my car towed to the mechanic b/c the spring on the strut broke and Michael and I had to shell out over $600 to have new struts put on. Have I mentioned lately that we are just hemorrhaging money? No? Well, we are.

Flash forward one week (we'll skip the part about how I was too sad to concentrate on studying) and I get a phone call from my aunt to let me know that my mom had been admitted to the hospital for a bowel obstruction. Blarg. So, Michael and I hop in the car and drive the 2.5 hours to Indy to go see her. The good news is that she's better and is back home. The bad news is that I have an exam tomorrow and I don't feel even close to prepared for it because, you see, it's hard to study when you have to drive 2.5 hours to Indy and then try to study at a hospital. Also, there's no sleeping at the hospital either.

But it isn't all bad. I have wonderfully supportive friends who surprise me with a gift card to my favorite upscale grocery store and an amazing husband who played the part of June Cleaver so that I could study. Oh, and I finally got a job. I figured it would just be easier to go back to waiting tables than to convince people at doctors' offfices that I really, really do want to be a receptionist for a piddly $10/hr. Now I'll make more money and no one asks me about why I left my last job or any of that other crap. And (this is the best part) I got my braces off. I'll post a picture soon...after I get thru these exams this week. I promise.

So, things are looking up. I'm still really sad a lot of the time but there are a lot of good people and good things going on in my life. Yep, things are looking up.

So hard to say goodbye...

Asia didn't make it. Around midnight this morning she had developed another case of bloat and her condition was so poor that we had to put her to sleep. She was such a great dog and we loved her so much. She was funny and sweet and a really, really good girl. And I just can't believe that Michael and I are here again so soon after Shana. We really thought Asia was out of the woods but I guess she wasn't. It's the nature of bloat and there isn't anything to be done for it. But that doesn't make it any easier.

It's 4:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. How can I sleep now that our baby is gone?

Since you asked...

Here are a couple of photos of Asia. Sorry, Manda, I wasn't able to get one of her wearing the e-collar (that was a disaster).

This is day 2 post op.







This is from Tuesday. She's wearing a UW t-shirt (and getting pus on it - bwah ha ha ha).












This is from yesterday. Just look at that sweet, sweet face.












And this is the get well card that our nephews made for Asia. The little stick man is a self portrait of Lucas. Max's contributions are on the inside of the card. The two of them came up with the idea all by themselves. It was very sweet.















And this is Michael showing the get well card to Asia. I think she was thinking "Go make my food, bitch. I'm starving." That's how I know she's on the mend. That dog has such a potty mouth.

Day 8

Well, folks, here we are at day 8 post-op. Asia is doing really well except for the open hole in the side of her belly where the catheter used to be. Oh, and the weird pouch of fluid that has collected back near her pee pee (that's my technical term for it) that makes it look like some weirdly stretched out testicle.

In all seriousness, she is doing great. We've had many a sleepless night and we've had to fuss at her because she won't leave the bandage alone and every night at midnight I wake up and she's done something to that damned bandage. Like Saturday night. She chewed, nee, destroyed the bandage and it was hanging around her middle by a piece of medical tape. And then there was the whimpering. So we went to the emergency vet to make sure she didn't cause any permanent damage (there wasn't) and an hour and $83 later walked out with a newly bandaged dog and some pain pills for the inflammation. Did I mention that the inflammation was caused by her chewing off the bandage? Stinker.

Actually, on Saturday we went to the vet twice. As soon as she got home from her first appointment Michael took her outside for a walk and she had a BM causing her bandages to bunch up entirely around her little doggy hips. So....we went right back to have her re-bandaged. And Sunday went well, too except that the lovely folks at the emergency vet used some sort of super duper sticky tape that NASA probably uses to hold bits of the space shuttle together to keep her bandages on and forced me to cut it out of her fur. Now she is sporting a really bad haircut.

Then on Monday she developed a pocket of fluid around the catheter so we called our vet at home and, bless his heart, he had us bring her to his office on Labor Day for a check up. He took out the catheter and cleaned her up and sent us home with a happier dog. Wouldn't you be happy if someone removed a nasty looking catheter from your body? Unfortunately the hole left by the catheter was abscessed so we have to leave it open to drain. We've been managing the seepage (and the licking....you know, dogs really are grody little creatures) by making her wear Michael's t-shirts with a little D@isy Duke tie in the back. I'll post pictures as soon as I can find the cable.

And we went back on Tuesday for another scheduled check up. She's been doing really well....she's eating and she's able to go for a longer walk during the day. And, this is the best part, last night she slept all night without messing with her hole or her weird pocket of fluid. There was much rejoicing. Except for the fact that we were up at 3:30 because Michael had a plane to catch. That lucky bastard gets to go to Vegas for 3 days for a conference and I have to stay at home and hold down the fort. (Love you, honey!) We had a minor setback of retching this morning but luckily she's holding down her food and antibiotics and seems okay. Thankfully my MIL was kind enough to stay with her today while I went to class. What I need now is a vacation. Except that this particular medical emergency cost a few thousand dollars so the only vacations we'll be taking are trips to Lankytown where we can stay with my dad and eat PB&J on the trip out and back.

But she's worth every penny of it. And no doubt the vet can continue to make payments on his snazzy Lexus SUV for many months to come.

Feelin' stressed...

My poor sweet girl is trying to sleep and I'm at home sans Michael and just feelin' stressed. Blarg. I have an interview tomorrow at 9 (receptionist at an eye surgical center) and I don't feel particularly stressed about the interview but more so about starting a new job and school starts next week and Asia has to have that catheter in until Tuesday and Michael leaves for a conference next Wednesday and god I wish he didn't have to go. And I no longer have any closed toe pumps with a slight heel so now I have to go buy some. All my nice pants that I used to wear to work are a little too big now and don't fit quite right so I bought a new pair but they're too long unless I wear heels but you aren't supposed to wear open toe shoes on an interview. And because I've been home all day watching Asia like a hawk with no one to keep me company I think I'm going a little nutty. But did I mention that I'm getting my braces off next week? Catheter out and braces off--there are my silver linings.

Not out of the woods yet...

Well, we've had a pretty eventful couple of days around here. At the moment Asia is resting (passed out is more like it) in the living room and I'm trying to quietly keep myself busy while keeping an eye on her at all times.

Last night we took her to the emergency vet clinic to spend the night just because Michael and I are so ill-equipped to care for her at home so early in the recovery process. Yesterday she had to be rushed to the vet for some IV fluids and to have her catheter drained. What makes this so tough is that gas builds up inside the stomach as the stomach slowly gets back to normal and we periodically have to open the cath to get the gas out. Well, we weren't getting any gas and she was growing steadily more uncomfortable and becoming distressed. And then we went home but once we got there a thunderstorm was brewing and it was too difficult to know if she was pacing and panting because of the storm (her usual behavior besides trying to tear our house apart) or because she couldn't breath because of gas build up. So our vet called the emergency vet to fill her in on what was going on and Asia got professional treatment all night long.

And here I am sitting at home with her watching her to make sure she's doing okay and dreading having to wake her up in 30 minutes to expel some gas. It took her so long to go back to sleep the last time I did it that I hate to wake her. See, this is why we can't have kids. I would be a totally and insanely neurotic parent. All I have thought about for the last 48 hours is this dog and her well-being. She's as close to a kid as we're planning to get and it kills me that she's in pain and uncomfortable and there's little but time that can help her. Blarg. The vets said that the first 3 days are the hardest and tomorrow is day 3 so hopefully we can get through that and by then Michael will be home with me for 3 days to help play nurse. Thanks to all of you for keeping us in your thoughts:>

Always trust your instincts...

If I hadn't Asia might have died. Fck. Yesterday Asia very suddenly developed bloat. For those of you who have read "Marley & Me" this is what Marley has near the end of the book. But thankfully I was at home when it happened and the vets were able to see us right away and they saved our baby girl. The scary thing about bloat is that it happens suddenly and needs to be treated immediately or the animal dies. And sometimes the animal dies anyway.

But thanks to Dr. Fournier and Dr. Shaffer Asia is now at home and trying to rest. She's not out of the woods yet but she's doing a lot better and thankfully I can be home during her recovery.

I just feel so bad for her--she can't seem to catch a break. Between the allergy problems, heart worms, tooth extractions, general weirdness and now this...she just can't get ahead. But like Shana, we love this dog like a kid and we would go to the ends of the earth for her. She has been so brave through all of this and I just hope she will have an uneventful recovery.

A trip down memory lane...

As most of you know, Michael is still looking for a new job and that has been the dark cloud of gloom that has been hanging over us since last September. No, he doesn't have any job leads at this time but we're doing the best we can to keep moving in a forward direction. Part of that means we've decided to consult with one of our neighbors who is a realtor and who specializes in historic districts (especially ours) and she is going to come out and help us figure out what we could be doing NOW to get our house ready to go on the market should Michael get a job offer out of the area. I'm sure that the big list of things to do will make us feel a little nutty and overwhelmed but ultimately it gives us something to do that's productive and will make the whole moving thing a little easier.

And even tho we might not actually have to move, the job market here for people like Michael isn't ideal so we will, in all likelihood, have to move. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. So, yesterday we spent a couple of hours cleaning out our junk room, I mean guest room, and made our pile of books to sell and the pile of stuff for G00dwill and the pile of trash, etc. And we cleaned out a lot of stuff and it felt good to go through it. Not only will it make the future possibility of packing easier but I also feel like we did a good job of dejunkifying the room. And while we were in there I found all of our wedding stuff: extra invitations (can you say homemade x-mas cards--by god I am NOT going to throw them away), cards, receipts, my slip. And then I found the video of my high school graduation. And the day planner from my senior year of college. And the dog resumes Ang made for Shana. And tons and tons of cards and notes from all of my fabulous friends. It was fun to see all those funny little notes and all the different addresses where I've lived over the last 6 years. There were pictures and ticket stubs and the program from V@gina Weekend. And then I found the folder of stuff the Hum@ne League of Lankytown gave me on the day I adopted Shana. That part was really sad but overall it was a happy little trip down memory lane and it reminded me of how lucky I am to have such funny, amazing, super-smart and fabulous women (and dogs) in my life. That reminder is exactly what I needed.

Living the single life...

As most of you know, Michael has been on a sailing trip for the last 7 days and will be returning home tomorrow night. So, all week long I have been living like a single person and doing things that I don't normally do. Like, say, watching a lot of t.v. By my standards, it's a lot of t.v. And eating junk instead of cooking real meals for dinner. You know, eating D0ritos for lunch. D0ritos aren't lunch. You might eat them with a sandwich at lunch but no. I ate just that for lunch. What is wrong with me?

I did study. I did. And I did some laundry and bought groceries. I was somewhat productive. And after my final on Wed. night I just did nothing. I laid around, read books, and ate D0ritos. And today I took Asia to the vet to have her teeth cleaned (and have 6 teeth pulled--I swear that dog has got to be the one to get a PT job) and then ran errands. And I wasn't a total bum--I have gotten up by 7:30 every day which is sleeping in at my house.

And now the lazy party is over. Michael returns tomorrow and starting Monday the search for a PT job begins. And finishing the kitchen. Stupid kitchen. I can't believe I let myself be this lazy. I never do this. Maybe that's the problem. I don't let myself be lazy often enough and I just went hog wild. Oh, hell.

All kinds of wrong...

This is me not studying for my final because 1.) I'm a procrastinator and 2.) this is still really bothering me.

On Monday, I'm sitting in chem lab and there are 2 groups of 4 students at each table. A girl, we'll call her Insensitive Asshole or IA for short, sitting in a group at the far end of the lab bench is talking about her work study job on campus. She was talking about how she has to index some papers that apparently list all of the HIV positive students on campus and she was lamenting the fact that the students' names were blacked out with marker. She said "Believe me, if I could see through that marker, I would go look up all of them on F@cebook so I can see what they look like. I want to know who they are." And then she went on to talk about how the stack of papers was about 2" thick of names of students with HIV.

And I was so...surprised...and disgusted by her comments but I didn't what to say. So often I'm sitting in class and hear the other students talk about things that, um, highlight their immaturity. And I just ignore them because they are young and immature and, hey, they aren't having a conversation with me. But this crossed the line and I just sat there totally stunned by her insensitivity and asshole-ness. So, dear people of the internets, what would you have done?

Veg!

As many of you know, Michael and I joined a CSA farm this year and are finally reaping the benefits of our fee and bi-weekly toil on the farm itself. Behold! Chard (apparently we're going to get a ton of this), green beans, tomatoes, banana peppers, corn, lettuce, jalapeno peppers and the very beginning of the carrot crop. This week's distribution is far more....plentiful...from our first distribution which consisted of 5 pea pods, a fistful of lettuce and 1 tiny radish. But then we didn't have rain for ages in the early spring so our veg was a bit stunted.

Anyway, I've already made fresh salsa and tonight I'm making a potato and chard gratin. We had some corn last night but until these braces come off I still have to cut the corn off the cob before I can eat it. Did you ever see the C@lvin & H0bbes strip where Calvin says "It's not summer unless you have corn smooshed in your teeth and butter dripping down your chin?" I'd say he's right on the money.

One time at band camp...

So, WSU has a bunch of kiddies here for sleep away band camp and while that's not how we did band camp, it brings back the memories nonetheless. It's kind of fun to walk from building to building and hear the drum line or see the color guard and it reminds me of those few short summers where we (you know who you are) spent tons of time together laughing and carrying on all the live long day.

And this isn't the first time I've been thinking back to those days. When Michael and I were in Lankytown 2 weekends ago we went to HHS to play some tennis and the new courts are located on top of the old stadium parking lot where we learned our coordinates. It was kind of weird to be there, but not in a bad way, and "Yesterday" has been running through my head ever since. I think I've pretty much blocked most of the crummy memories from that time so all that remains are the funny, amazing, loud and crazy times we had. Sometimes, when I'm feeling homesick, that's what I'm homesick for. Band camp. Go figure.

Been a while....

Well, the last 3 weeks of freedom between summer sessions are now behind me and I'm back at school (a new school this time) for more punishment, I mean, chemistry. It was a very busy 3 weeks where I spackled, sanded, spackled and sanded our kitchen and it still isn't ready to be painted. Not ready. Durr. There's some hand sanding left and then the cleaning bit before I can put up a coat of primer. Not to mention the spackle dust that got inside all of my cabinets and drawers and all over my dishes and utensils.

I did some fun stuff in there, too, but talking about it makes me homesick for my friends so I'll just leave it at that.

And now I'm back in Ohio and back to the grind. Can't complain tho (that's not entirely true: my computer screen died so I had to send the whole thing to HP to be repaired and I officially hate all airports and TSA with such a passion that I'm going to put myself on some FBI watch list because I'm going to send them all hate email) b/c Michael and I are going to have a date night on Thursday and are going to see HP5. And? HP 7 is out on Friday night at midnight so you can find me at the local B&N waiting in line for my copy. Can't wait!

Hoping to Ogg...

That I do well on my chem final (and isn't that Terry Pratchett just so witty?) 16 hours from now. Rarely have I felt as incompetent and stupid as I have while taking this class and the fact that a summer session of organic chem awaits in July makes me cringe. I've just got to keep telling myself that it'll be okay. It will. Right?

It's a crazy day in the neighborhood...

A crazy day in the neighborhood...
Won't you be my,
Please, won't you be my,
Won't you be my (probably) crack-addled homeless neighbor who's shilling for drug and/or booze money....?

First, I'd like to point out that Michael and I really like our neighborhood despite the occasional petty theft and weird homeless people scamming for money. But Tuesday night really takes the cake re: neighborhood issues.

Around 9 pm the doorbell rings and I assume it's my next door neighbor. Instead I find this skanky-looking lady standing on my porch with one of those weird grape vine angels. This picture doesn't quite do it justice but this lady was holding one that was 5 feet tall and strung with little white lights (puke). Anyway, she launches into some really long story about how she got this from her sister to sell so she can make ends meet while she tries to get on disability, blah blah blah. She tells me it's only $20 and it's real pretty.

My response? I tell her that I just quit my job and we don't have the money to buy it from her as lovely as it may be. I can't believe I offer these people explanations when I tell them no. How stupid is that?

Anyway, she wanders down the steps and back to the sidewalk and asks if there's anyone else she could ask aaaaannnd I told her I didn't know anyone for her to ask. Then I go outside to go water my crispy-looking bushes (we need some rain here big time. It looks like it does in the middle of August) and I see her drag this stupid angel over to my neighbor's house on the right. Poor Nick, I felt so bad that she went over to his house.

So, before she can come back and ask me again to buy the stupid angel, I go back in the house and figure I'll just water the bushes another time. Unbeknownst to me, Michael goes outside to water the bushes and also encounters the lady with the angel and she tells him a different story as to why she's selling it (can you say crack addict?) which, btw, is different than the story she gave my next door neighbor about needing to buy diapers. Anyway, Michael tells her no and she wanders off down the street. Then he sees her in the yard of the house 4 houses down and she's holding birdfeeders in her hand. She didn't have birdfeeders in the beginning of this ridiculous scenario because she STOLE THEM from the lady whose yard she was in. So, Michael confronts her and asks if those are her birdfeeders and she tells him that they belong to her. So, he tells her that he knows they belong to our neighbor and to put them back and then comes back to our house and calls the cops.

Michael: I think someone is stealing something from my neighbor's yard.
Police dispatcher: What is the woman taking?
Michael: Birdfeeders.
Police dispatcher: Can you describe the woman?
Michael: She's about 5' tall, brown hair and carrying a 5' grape vine angel

You know, my friend Carrie used to be a dispatcher and she said they got calls like this all the time. Anyway, the cops show up, 2 cruisers in fact, and they put the woman in the back of one cruiser and the big stupid angel thing in the trunk of the other cruiser only it's so tall and wide that they can't shut the trunk and half the angel is hanging out the back of the cruiser.

Shortly after the crazy lady is taken away by the cops we take the dog out for her last peepee for the night and we see the police cruiser driving thru the neighborhood with that angel hanging out the back. He sees us and pulls over to ask us if we know anything about it. Michael tells him that he's the one who called to report her and the cop tells us that she stole it from someone and he was trying to find the owner. We told him that neither one of us have ever seen that thing before but someone else in the neighborhood told him it belongs to someone on our block....seriously, if I had seen that on anyone's porch I would have been making fun of it every time I passed by.

Anyway, the next morning we take the dog out for her walk and we see one of our neighbor's birdfeeders didn't make it back and was lying in the grass next to someone else's house. I've been hoping to run into the lady that owns them to tell her that she might want to put them in her backyard but I haven't seen her yet.

But, wait! There's more. The thing about this neighborhood is that if your stuff isn't nailed down someone WILL steal it. We've had flower pots stolen a few times, theft of power tools from our garage (during broad daylight when Michael was home) and our rain barrel has been emptied not once but twice. And about 6 weeks ago someone stole the bungee cord we use on our trashcan to keep the raccoons out of it. So, Tuesday night is trash night and it was also a recycling week so we put out our recycling bin. Around lunch time on Wednesday afternoon I came home from school and my trashcan and recycling bin were out front but I decided to I'd get them later. Well, I go outside to walk the dog later in the afternoon and my fucking recycling bin is gone. WHO THE HELL STEALS A RECYCLING BIN?

I'm pissed so I call the cops and report that it's been stolen (seems petty but it's my only recourse). And later I find out that one of our neighbors saw some homeless guy who not only stole our recycling bin but had stolen other things like aluminum siding. Yes, folks, I said aluminum siding and it presumably was stolen off of someone's house. (Not the first time that's happened in this neighborhood). So, she called the cops and they arrested the guy and took all of the stolen goods....somewhere.

My bin is gone for good but the county department in charge of the recycling program here in Dayton is having a new one delivered on Thursday. We don't know if anyone claimed their stolen angel yet but I'll be sure to keep the internets posted.

Oh, the bureacracy!

I smell a rant coming on...

I want to preface this by saying that I'm very grateful for the tuition remission benefit Michael gets at the university. But. The process of registering for and the taking of classes at said university has been nothing short of a pain in the arse. WTF?!?

First of all, signing up in the first place for classes was a big mess b/c Michael had to do the work of having me enrolled. He went to HR, who sent him to the bursar, who sent him back to HR, etc. until finally, he got me enrolled. This is only the first of many hoops thru which my beloved had to jump, although for the sake of brevity, I will only list the highlights below.

Then there was the fun and exciting part of acting as my academic advisor and getting me registered for classes. The first one, stats, had to be a class that was offered at night since I was still working full time. There was a class offered at 5:50 pm and it was full. So, because Michael knows the dept. chair, he contacts him to get me into the class and is successful (yay!). And, as you all know, I got a B in that class and all was right with the world.

So, then there's the registration bit for the winter semester. Because I am low woman on the student totem pole (I have the status of an undeclared freshman, apparently) I got wait-listed for a few classes and then there was this big pain in the butt over the classes that were offered that I needed to take all being taught at the same times on the same days of the week so what is a student to do!?!? Ultimately, I got into Abnormal Psych and Anatomy and Micro and Physiology, but then I had to drop Micro and Phys for reasons I won't bore you with here. But here's where the story takes an interesting turn:

Somehow, when I was dropping Micro and Phys, I got dropped from Anatomy (this occurred after the first week of class during the add/drop window of opportunity) and I DID NOT KNOW THIS HAD HAPPENED!

So, on May 10th, when grades are posted online, all I see is my Psych grade (got an A, btw) but no Anatomy grade. So, I call the registrar's office and am told that that means my prof never turned in the grades so I would have to contact her directly. Okay....so I email her and never get a response. So, finally, after 2 weeks of waiting, I call the department secretary who tells me that the roster shows that I dropped the class back in January!!!!! What the hell!!!!! I tell her that I dropped Phys 307 not Anatomy 305 so, she refers me back to the registrar. The registrar explains that somehow Michael dropped me from Anatomy via the online advisor webpage thingy (which he did NOT do, incidentally--the university uses this lame ass web crap for it's registration stuff. What ever happened to doing your schedule on paper, having your advisor sign it and walking it over to the registrar's office?) but notes that this problem can be corrected. (big sigh of relief here)

Alas, the dept. secretary comes to my aid and fills out the forms to have me retroactively added back to the class and submits my grade. I want to give a shout out to Laura who saved the day and is my new favorite person. As for my grade...I got an A.

In case I forgot to mention this...

Asia's final heartworm test came back negative. Our baby is all better now!

And now it's only a matter of time before we have to drop another couple hundred bucks at the vet's office. It always seems to work out that way...but you know what? She's totally worth it.

Just look at that face!

Day 1 of Freedom (Unemployment)...

• Got up at 6 am to walk the dog and get ready for class
• called my dad before going into class
• 8 am chemistry class...woo...can hardly contain the excitement
• 9:15 go to library to do homework
• go to Michael's office to scrounge up change for a snack (this is the last time I leave the house without any money or snack in hand)
• have lunch in the dining hall
• go to the post office
• go to the grocery store
• put on a load of laundry
• walk the dog
• take a cat nap on the couch
• do more homework
• cook dinner
• do more homework
• rotate laundry
• do more homework
• blog

Sounds pretty exciting, huh?

The Universe Speaketh, part II

Universe: Well...?

Me: I quit. My last day is Saturday.

Universe: It's about time.

Me: Yep.

The Universe Speaketh...

Universe: Seriously? You need to quit. NOW.

Me: But what about my replacement? I haven't told her enough about the job...

Universe: She'll be fine. You need to quit.

Me: But what about the volunteers?

Universe: ...sigh... They'll be fine. They'll help train the new person just like they trained you.

Me: But what about...?

Universe: GET ON WITH IT! (to be spoken a la Monty Python and the Holy Grail)

Me: ...sigh...