Where to begin?

First, I ate a TON of food at lunch today. I feel like I swallowed a balloon and then blew it up.

You know that feeling you get on Thanksgiving, where there's so much food packed into your gut that it hurts to breathe?

Then you burp, and think "I've got room for another slice of pumpkin pie!"

I once had an entire pie that way, but not today.

I have been planning to take leave and visit my friend Traci when she has her baby next month. She just moved to the state this fall, and I'm pretty much the nearest person she knows. Now she just found out her hubby might not be home for the birth, that she might be all alone. Can't have that, so I'm going to talk to my boss about extending my leave.

On another note, I'm looking at requesting an educational hardship waiver or something. I can have my date of separation moved up to 90 days sooner, up to 10 days before the start of a college term. The summer term starts 6 July, and I'm going to request a new separation date of 1 July. I'm excited. I've felt like my life is on hold for the last year, and its time to get busy livin' or get busy dyein' Oh I'm such a dork.

Unfortunately, this means I will have to put in paperwork with the college to become a degree-seeking student, and to declare a major before I ever take a class in physics or chemistry (my two choices). I know I can change it if I decide I'm no good at physics(read: math), but I really don't want to do that.

Michael and I narrowed down our list of apartments to apply for. I sent emails to all 4 management companies, and I got a reply from only one. It is the one Michael likes best, and the rent for the 2 bed/1 bath units is reasonable for how nice the complex is.

Unfortunately that unit doesn't have washer/dryer hookups. I'm not selling my washer and dryer, and I am NOT going back to communal laundry. Ever. Never. Ever. The 2 bed/1+ bath unit has connections, but its not very much cheaper than our rent is now. The whole point of moving is to reduce our rent. Also the rent doesn't include any utilities.

So, we would be moving from a 3 bed/2 bath/2 car garage house (too big for us), to a 2 bed/1+ bath/single carport apartment, with very little change in our rent. Not happening.
I guess I will have to call the other places, since the emails didn't go through. Suck. I hate phones, and talking on them, to people.

My house is a mess, I'm gonna go pretend to clean it. Laters.

i just don't think that's right...

I was just now reviewing my lab quizzes for the final tomorrow. Labs were Co-taught/graded by our lecture professor, and another professor. This other guy is so nit-picky about things, he grades very harshly. Whatever, we got used to it. Then I just noticed that he went through and dotted my i's on one of my quizzes. It is a basic training control-thing, where they made us write without "punctuation" to include dotting the letters i and j. Stupid, yes. However I still do it out of habit, an odd little habit I retain from that time. It makes taking notes in class a little quicker.

Anyway, it just threw me that he'd be so picky as to dot my i's on a chemistry quiz. He didn't count off points though. I guess it could be worse...

In other news:
Its storming a bit here. Just started raining.
There is a bee/wasp/hornet thing in the house. (from before I opened the windows, tyvm)
My library books are now 1 month overdue. This is why I don't go to the library unless I can walk there from my house. Oh the good ol' days...
The kitchen is a mess.
We're out of anything to drink and I don't feel like cleaning something to make tea.
I'm going to keep adding things to this list until I remember the actual thing I was going to put here.
That helped.
The new Firefox is pretty nice, IMHO. Less-bubbly icons, X's on the individual tabs, spell-check as I type anywhere. I also appreciate the little things that set it apart, like not messing up my Home and making it yahoo and adding the yahoo search bar every time it updates. Frakkin IE.!

Thanks to pizza, the heartburn is coming back again. Blah.

Wasted Time

Hubby and I grabbed a coffee at the HQ building between going to Finance and the Clinic to sort our dependent paperwork. Its been a month now, its about time we got around to it. I'm not even going into how some people are making life difficult for me. Then lunch (eventually) at Arby's, and I was off to the grocery store. The commissary was closed because it is Monday, and WTF with that anyway? So, I went to the grocery store for some much needed supplies. Meals were getting mighty creative, though last night's experiment turned out well.

Yeah, and that part where I study all afternoon and don't even turn on the computer? Well, you see how well that worked.

Instead, I caught an episode of TNG. I checked to see if The 4400 was online anywhere, but no. We're thinking about getting rid of the cable and just buying shows we like, just like when we lived in Okinawa. Maybe not, I like 4400. Oh damn, and Hubby is home, and I didn't even pick up a book...Enterprise is on tonight...

Oh, I got an 83 percent on my last exam. That's pretty good considering the class average was 54 and I seriously thought I bombed the whole thing. Wow.

RSVP

Not to be all self-centered, but I haven't been home in over 2 years. So I really want to spend time with my friends and family. Traci and I are driving up on the 15th or 16th of May, and starting our return to dreaded Texas on the 28th.

If you want to hang out, but your work schedule will be tight, let me know what days you're free. Manders has offered me her spare bed to crash, so I'll be in St. Joe mostly after all that exhausting shopping and partying. *Big Thanks!*

I'm trying to plan a get-together with all the Upward Bound buddies sometime. Let me know if you're interested.

Another Day In The Life

So, I've spent a pleasant day lounging in the sun, enjoying the flower smell. Watching the hummingbirds, finishing a book, watching Outer Limits. *Sigh.

I had to be at the clinic at 7:30 this morning though. They acted like it was supposed to be an actual physical, but no, just a records review. Waste of time. Not that I minded not having to strip and all, because they kept asking me what this or that meant on my records. Ummm aren't you supposed to know that?? Idiots.

Currently reading : Cosmic Cocktails By Denise Little Release date: By 05 December, 2006

Failure

Things are not going as well as I want to pretend. I quit a secure paying job, albeit in a field I was tired of, to go to school and learn something more interesting. To immerse myself in a scientific education, to live a very long-stifled dream. To one day get a job that might make me happy. To be painfully honest, to do something I will never be any damn good at. Period. Right now, I'm trying very very hard to keep myself from screaming and throwing nice things through glass windows. It hurts my throat to not scream.

Random

Confessions of a Failed Mathlete
The first time I ever saw a math question about two trains approaching each other at different speeds, I drew a complete blank. In a white flash of panic I saw my brilliant academic future begin to slip away.
Do I ever know how that feels, we started Related Rates yesterday. Not going so well. Oh well, its not like its going worse than the rest of the term. Damn.

Quarantine
Yes, the government can still enforce quarantine & isolation.
Having a horrible and deadly disease will not get you enough pity for the rest of us to be okay with you giving it to everyone. Sorry.

Scientists have revealed details of the world's only known case of "semi-identical" twins.
They are the result of two sperm cells fertilising a single egg, which then divided to form two embryos - and each sperm contributed genes to each child.
Dude.

Morpho Towers--Two Standing Spirals
The body of the tower was made by a new technique called "ferrofluid sculpture" that enables artists to create dynamic sculptures with fluid materials. This technique uses one electromagnet, and its iron core is extended and sculpted.
You might remember the last ferrofluid image I posted about, a spikey black fluid. This is way way cooler, looks like a black spiral tree and it moves to music. There is video.

I was going to post more, but now I have to pee, and then go back to working on my bungled math work. I probably should've started my homework yesterday. I had a bad day, with a failed attempt at a seperations physical, getting my taxes done, and finding that the bird I've wanted to get has a hurt foot. So instead, I started reading Brother Odd at 4-ish. 8 hours later I was finished, and tired, and slightly happier.

I havn't been to the gym all week. I'm a bad bad girl. Ugh.

Sarah: I owe you an ice cream cake...please come over and eat the rest, before I do. Please.

Oh I Am A Geek...

Oh wow, I think I win in regards to talking about BSG too much, at least at work. I just had a going away party thrown form me at the local IHOP. My coworkers gave me an awesome plaque, which I'll post a picture of if I can find the right camera cable.

Anyway, its glass and the inscription reads:

"Don't let the frakin'
door hit you in the rear
as you venture out toward
your unknown destiny!
You will always be
part of our family.

So Say We All!"

The top has the BSG phoenix symbol, and the bottom has the usual name and date stuff. I'm a happy geek, and only slightly embarrassed that they read it aloud in the IHOP.

Anyway, who is up for a season finale party this weekend? Me!

Some Heck of a Day

My friend Sarah's kittycat Othello has been sick for awhile. Today we went to the vet to be there with him while he was put to sleep. I've never been there for anything like that. All my family's pets died when I wasn't around, most with no advance warning. It was much more unpleasant that I even thought. Everyone give Sarah big hugs, she is very sad.


In other news.

Yesterday was a pretty good birthday. If only I didn't have to sit around waiting rooms being ignored so I could outprocess. But once I got home things got better. I hung out with Sarah because Michael was waiting for my gift to be delivered, then we all went to Bonsai Garden for some pretty decent food. I had some sake and they brought out a slice of cheesecake for me. Weir got me a strange gift, an iPet. It dances to my music and purrs when you pet it. We then headed over to the bar for some drinks. Pretty good time.

This morning I had to get up early to ride with Michael, so I could pick up my car. I spent about 3 hours off and on waiting for stuff to be sorted out. I'm finally ready for tomorrow's final-out appointment. Geesh. I did get some reading done, but it turns out I've already read this book. To finish or not to finish???? Eh.

After class I ran to the grocery store and picked up lotsa good food. I just made pizzas on tomato-basil tortilla wraps, very tastygood.

I also got a haircut this afternoon. Not the best, but I figure Becky can help me out with a really great cut when I come home in May, so I'm not worried about it.

I Burn Things

Wee Planets slideshow.
If you don't at think at least one of these images are JUST WOW! then I don't really want to know you anymore. Okay kidding. Half-kidding anyway. Maybe less than half. Check out the pictures.

I'm hungry. I tried making pancakes this morning, some Jiffy cornbread pancakes. I just cant keep them from burning with these new pans. I hate these new pans.

Why did I buy the new pans several months ago? Because I wanted to buy a bird, and teflon non-stick coatins are a big no-no for birdies. I still have no bird, because I still haven't filed my state taxes. The little pacific parrotlet we saw at Petco last week apparently died a few days after it arrived there. Sad, he was so spunky. I really like the little slate and blue lineolated parakeet, but they're $500 each and come in pairs, and if I'm going to spend that much on a bird I want the Dusky Pionus. Just one Dusky is cheaper than two linnies. In any case, I still can't cook without burning something most of the time, and I don't want to kill some pretty and expensive bird. Sad.

But then happy, because this should be my last week of work. Final-Out is Friday. Yay!

Kharma

How to Assemble a Shadowbox:

1. Wait until last minute.
2. Collect all ribbons, insignia, hot-glue gun, ruler, superglue.
3. Spend 15 minutes putting ribbons on rack, proceed to devices.
4. Superglue middle and ring finger together. (enter Kharma)
5. Spend 20 minutes unglueing fingers.
6. Abandon entire idea of devices.
7. Spend 1 hour attempting to align rank insignia. Pins will bend.
8. Spend 15 minutes attempting to align command crests.
9. Give up and watch Iron Chef America (Battle Breakfast, WTF?!), then Battlestar Galactica.

Everything is connected now, except the devices and a few missing ribbons which I can get help with tomorrow morning. The final thing I have to do tonight is hot-glue on the mini-medals. After the superglue incident, I'm hesitant to start that. I'm just sure that stringy crap will end up ruining something I can't easily replace. I also still need to fix that report before I go to sleep tonight.

Damnitall.

New Old Friend!!!

This is what I love about myspace. I've lost touch with quite a few great friends from HS. I'm bad about writing (and mailing) actual letters, and I hate how I sound on the phone (like an idiot). So I am really happy just now because my friend Becky found me!

NEW OLD FRIEND, YAY!

In any case, it is way past my bedtime. I have to be in a pass & review tomorrow morning and I'm not looking forward to it. I have the wrong hat, because who keeps a flight cap when you have a busdriver hat that doesn't fall off? I have the 'wrong' shirt, because who bothers tucking when you have princess cut, and who the heck cares what's under the jacket anyways? I spent a bunch of cash on 2 whole new ribbon racks today, and cut my finger on a ribbon. What a waste. Who would've thought I needed any of those items anymore? Tomorrow was supposed to be my last work day, but paperwork is holding me back. Yesterday was not a good day, when I found that out.

Five

So yeah, I feel like crap, its a beautiful day outside, and i got out of work an hour and a half early. We were released early because of the early morning run, which Sarah points out is a bit less than 3 miles....more like 2.2. *sigh* Good thing it was my last one, I'm getting sick of it. The 'safety' folks drive around in little golf-cart buggy things, which are not electric but gas-powered. So at around the 2 mile mark (I guess) one of the damn things started pacing me and I had to run the rest while breathing exhaust. This sort of thing happens most times I run. If you're a slow runner, then you just aren't trying hard enough and therefore you are unworthy of any common consideration. This is quite clearly the opinion of those people who were born without an ounce of fat on their bodies, and never had to put effort in basic fitness a day in their enchanted lives.

So yeah... 5 days....

News Brief

I didn't do well on my Calc test. 78%

In the middle of notes on Tuesday I ran out of lead. *click click click* The lead was static-clinging to the inside of the pencil. I had to finish my notes in neon-pink ink.

I've been waking up at 5am to go to the gym with Carol.

MY SEPERATIONS PAPERWORK HAS BEEN SIGNED, MY NEW DOS IS 1 JUNE!

I fell asleep after work today and woke up at 10pm because I had to do my homework. I'm going back to bed in a few minutes now.

I have bad heartburn. I have bad gas too, because of the antibiotics I'm taking for my sinus infection. Don't lie, you wanted and needed to know. I'm trying to eat more yogurt to help with that. I will be done with the medication tomorrow. I hope to breathe again soon.

Inquiring Minds wanted to know....

I forgot to say, I finally got to see a doctor yesterday. Good thing, because the pressure behind my right eye is making it water randomly and uncontrollably, usually while trying to drive or trying to have a professional-type conversation. They keep thinking I'm upset. Yeah, guys, upset in just the right side of my face, because its a neat trick I learned once.

I had a lot of fluid behind my ear, and I guess my lungs didn't sound too good. I got some antibiotics, Mucinex, Sudafed, and saline spray. I've started a dry hard cough in the last few hours, so I guess I shouldn't have taken that last Sudafed. It tends to dry things up a bit too much. I also don't think I've had all the fluids I should today. I will try harder, promise.

I'm not going to go into the hassle it eventually became before I got an appointment. Suffice to say I just now got a call from a patient satisfaction survey person, and she got the whole story.

I'm going to go to cozy up in bed now, and try not to hack up a lung.

You want to know more about my Nose? Ok.

Okay, so I never got the sinus problem looked at by a doctor. I didn't want to be put on quarters, which I always saw as a waste of time. I didn't want a perscription for Vitamin M. I didn't think they would/could do anything about it. I didn't want to look like a winer.

Those are all pretty dumb reasons to suffer a month long sickness.

Enter: Research

The Basics of Sinusitis

When to See a Doctor

Nasal Irrigation Could you do this? Everything I read says it is comfortable, safe, and effective. If it works, I'm snubbing the Clinic again. Oh well.

Sniffles, and Ranting

Current mood: AngryPissedBitchySickandTired

I have the sneezy beginnings of a sinus infection or something, which I get occasionally. I've never had it looked at by a doctor, and it usually comes and goes over the course of one miserable month. First its sneezing, then sniffles. It becomes sinus congestion, which moves into my ear and throat. Next is coughing and chest congestion, pressure headaches. Then it moves into the dry sinus phase, where breathing through my nose is like snorting sand, in conjunction with raw throat phase, where breathing through my mouth is like swallowing needles. Every morning I wake up feeling like my irritated swollen sinuses have descended partway into my throat.

All I want to drink is hot tea and hot apple juice. It got so bad once that all food tasted like spoiled rotting meat for 2 weeks. I don't eat. I feel feverish and sleepy even though the thermometer says I have no fever. I feel better one day, and worse again for a week. Back and forth, for a month. OTC medicines never do more than help me get through an hour of class without interrupting with the coughing and nose-blowing. In short, please just let me curl up and die.

I'm kinda not in the mood to go through all that again. I would like some medicine that works. Is it maybe a bacterial infection, so can i have some antibiotics? Please for the love of Bob say yes.

I called the appointment line, and they gave me a time, and I arrived at that time. The reception kid then tells me my appointment was cancelled, and the note says it was cancelled by me. Me, the patient, who has been in briefings all morning, who has not picked up the phone all morning, cancelled my appointment. Yeah. After 15 minutes of discussion, it comes out that they cancelled it for me (gee thanks), because all sick call appointments are now Referred.

Fun Fact: The Clinic here no longer takes Sick Call appointments.

SWWAaahhh?
Okay, um, how do I get a referral? Don't I have to be seen here first?

Oh. Um. Not sure how that works, isn't it automatic?

In what universe is a Referral going to be AUTOMATIC???!?!?!?

Okay, I'm not sure, let me call Soandso.
Okay, they're going to call you back this afternoon and tell you what to do.

So I called at 4:15, after my final briefing. The clinic closes at 4???!!! Can I leave a message with the After-hours care call person, for Soandso to call me back like they were supposed to? No, no that's not possible, you have to call back at exactly 7am tomorrow TO MAKE A SICK CALL APPOINTMENT. You don't have a life, right? You aren't sick or anything, right? Not Important.

"Future" "Housewife" calling.

Michael made the mistake recently of saying I would be a Housewife when I get out next month. Ahem. Nothankyew. I will be a full time student. I will work just as hard, or harder, on a daily basis than you do at work, so that I can have a future in a paying job. Besides, to be a housewife you need to have kids. No matter how much babysitting you need, you are not m'kid. So stuff it. And then I thought about it.

Well really I always get pissed about this, but lets pretend I just thought about it. We have had the exact same job since the day we met, and I've been in longer so I've been paid more than him from day one. Yet who does all the housework? Cook, clean, organize, budget, worry, clean? I'm sorry, I'm being unfair. He does manage to take out the trash or do some other thing, if I've nagged him about it a half dozen times, and if he's reached a good save-point, if there exists such a thing it that game.

So, no, I will not be your Housewife. I will just continue to do everything I already do, so as I will not have to live in a pigsty watching my brand new big screen TV with nothing to eat but Pot-pies, Ramen, and ice cream.


Women Still Chief Household Organizers: U.K. Study

on 12/13/2006

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Three-quarters of British women still do most of the household food shopping and cooking, making them prime targets for better health-promotion policies, researchers say.

Reporting in the British Food Journal, researchers at Newcastle University's Human Nutrition Center surveyed 198 British women and men in their early 30s. Of the women who were married or cohabitating, 79 percent had the chief responsibility for household food shopping, and 72 percent did most of the food preparation and cooking.

About 25 percent of the women said they did the food shopping and cooking because they were more skilled than their husbands/partners in meal planning, budgeting, and preparation and were more in tune with their family's food preferences.
(Nooooo....you're kiddingg.....duhhhh.....)

Other said they did the shopping because they could do it faster than their husband/partner, who was often tempted by "unnecessary treats," the study said.
(You have no idea.)

"Women have made great progress in terms of equal opportunities over the last few decades, so it surprised us to find that many women, even in this relatively young age group, assumed the traditional female role of chief cook and food shopper," lead author and registered dietitian Dr. Amelia Lake said in a prepared statement.

"This work shows how important it is to consider the role of women when developing health intervention policies. Health professionals should also consider this when giving advice on healthy lifestyles and eating," Lake said.

"For instance, there's no point solely advising a diabetic male on how to structure his diet when he isn't doing the food shopping or cooking -- you need to see his wife, too!" Lake said.

Lazy, with random thoughts

I have 3 bookshelves in my car that I need to bring up and put together tonight. Well, put together at least one tonight. But all I really want to do is consume warm/hot food items. I also need to pee and take some Advil for my sore arm. Damn pushups. Damn it all.

Hey, see my countdown up there? See how low it is? See that wonderful number??!!?? Yeah, its that good.

So, to make my tummy happy, I ate a microwave Panini. Then an apple heated in the toaster oven with brown sugar. Then some hot cocoa.

The Forgotten just came on FX. Is that the movie with the stuff ripping up into the air? I think so.

I don't wanna!

Eddie Izzard will be in a show called The Riches on FX. Sorry, just saw the first commercial and thought you should know.

Back to our regularly scheduled programming:

I think I have worked 3 days in the last 18. So lately, I've started my wonderful days somewhere between 10am and 1pm. Tomorrow, nobody (NOBODY!) better say Good Morning. It will not (NOT!) be a Good Morning.