Friday, November 30, 2007

Eff.

Made it this whole way, had the most hellish day yesterday and never posted. I'm blaming Aous because he came over last night and stayed until 11 (is that right? something like that). I'm really bummed.

Good things: A friend who moved away last summer is here (which is why Aous was here). It's Friday.

Bad things: I missed yesterday (and want to cry). I am completely out of time. Even my weekend is booked (and with work) and I need to figure out how to get a massive group project, a 10 page paper and another 6 page paper done in the remaining weekend time.

I'm realizing I complain a lot about how busy I am on here, but I just want to cry sometimes and need a place to vent. It will be a lot better next semester when I actually have hours in the day to get all the work I need to do done.

TGIF!!!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Almost

I almost forgot to post today. You see, I've had a rather longer day than expected. It started at 7:30, when Peter was going out the door ("late" start today, I really can't wait until I have to wake up at 5 AM too). I finished a paper due today, then was at the clinic by 9:45, observing a little guy for a project. It was pretty awesome; he's a really cool little dude and I feel like we really bonded. Finished by 12 PM, had lunch and talked about project stuff until one (when I really should have been transcribing that hour, oh well, a girl has to eat). Class from 1-4, observed a stuttering session 4-5, class from 5-8, then transcribed 8-9. Peter picked me up, we made a frozen pizza, during which, he informed me that we were volunteered to make dessert for the coach's dinner tomorrow night. Awesome. So we made a pineapple upside down cake (after he discovered we have way too many canned pineapples and happened to have pineapple cake mix).

The last straw came at 10:30, when I was ready to assemble the cake. And I could not find any brown sugar. I swear to God I used it not a few weeks ago and there was still at least some left, but it was nowhere to be found. We never need to buy powdered sugar or chocolate chips ever again, but no brown sugar. So off I went into the cold night to stupid Safeway. Which was also out of milk. The cake is now in the oven and I'm so tired I could cry. Thank goodness I wrote the paper I have to turn in tomorrow during class today. Thank goodness for laptops and pointless lectures.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The end is near!

Of NaBloPoMo, at least. I will try to keep posting more regularly when all this is said and done, but frankly, days sort of blend together and without this pressure, I'll probably still only post once a week or less and think I'm posting every day.

We just finished The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Aside from realizing I am a huge Wes Anderson fan (not that I didn't already have my suspicions), the movie made me realize that a movie can be pretty much about anything (or nothing) as long as it's beautiful, has great cinematography, pretty colors, a good soundtrack and some quirky humor thrown in there. Seriously. That's pretty much all it takes fore me. That's why I tend to love certain movies, and why Little Miss Sunshine is probably my favorite movie of all time. It has all those qualities in spades.

A good color scheme helps. I loved The Life Aquatic's aqua and red combo, and Little Miss Sunshine had the gorgeous yellow thing going on. It really doesn't take much. So for Christmas, you can buy me any of the following DVDs:

Little Miss Sunshine (we bought this for my parents last year, and as a result, Peter keeps thinking we already own it)
Anything by Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic seriously was the cutest physical DVD I've ever seen)
Lost in Translation
Other fun movies I would love but can't think of now.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Confusion in the football stadium

You know that song that plays at every sports game ever? CU (like other schools, probably) has its own words that we put in at various points of the song. After the chorus-thingy (where we say "hey" a bunch), we have a school-specific cheer. Problem is, there are about 18 billion versions of this. The official version they put on the jumbotron thing is "Buffaloes, buffaloes, go CU!" But everyone knows that chanting "buffaloes" is lame, even when we have a real live one who is awesome. So there are variations on the theme.

My personal favorite is "Fuck 'em up, fuck 'em up, go CU!" simply because it gives you the chance to let out all that pent up anger and hostility we have in modern society without calling the other team bad names (it does wish them harm, true, but it's in a song! How mean could we be?). Other people, hearing the crowd chanting both of these simultaneously, have come away thinking people were saying "Buck 'em off, buck 'em off" (since we ARE buffaloes, it makes some kind of sense). I just saw a comment on a story in our local paper that used "Rough 'em up, rough 'em up," which seems like a quaint, innocent version of today's student favorite.

Whatever you say, say it loud, because we're going to a bowl game, baby!

Schedules

Got my schedule for next semester. Even though I'm getting 4 new clinic assignments (up to 6), without my fourth job, I have a lot more time. Plus, I'm only taking 11 credits instead of 15 (yay!).

My schedule this week:


Next semester:
Yeah, I know that those spaces will fill up and that this week has real life in there, while next semester is still just a lovely dream of unfilled time that can actually be used to do homework and work. Maybe even dishes and laundry and other fun things. Sleep, even?

PS Now that I have discovered how to take screenshots in Leopard, I fear you will be faced with ever more of these. Speaking of which:

Please note the score. We had a blue moon last night and this feat shall not be repeated.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Pass it on

I've had the link to this site starred and marked "unread" for quite some time in my Google Reader, fully intending t send it along to my linguist friends. And I keep forgetting to send it. So I'm posting it here, for them and for anyone else who likes to laugh. A lot. One of the funniest things I've read in quite some time:

So You Want to Learn Japanese

Free Rice Domination


Back to Reality

Vacation's over; no more pretending that we can while away days without having appointments or schedules or deadlines or work. It was really nice while it lasted. I cannot wait until Christmas break. I don't think I've ever looked forward to a vacation more than this. I'm burnt out with school and work and am so very excited for an actual break.

Before we left, Peter and I worked like mad to clean the apartment, wash all the dishes, do all the laundry and generally tidy up. Though some things didn't get done (our table still has mini-avalanches any time you touch anything on it), it was incredible to come home to a clean apartment. It didn't stink, the floors were sparkling (I finally figured out how to use the omop properly and it's amazing), there was only a teeny pile of laundry, and you could actually see the floor. Awesome. I should really clean more often. But how would it ever stay clean if we didn't leave for a week?

Saturday, November 24, 2007

In Nevada Airports

Children under 18 are not allowed in gaming areas of casinos, for very good reasons. Those reasons are being graphically illustrated to me as I sit in the airport, where it is much harder to keep children from the slot machines and other "toys." Three children under the age of seven are watching their father play a blinking, signing slot machine from across the walkway, far enough from him to really be illegally close, but still within earshot. They are enchanted. They track his wins and losses excitedly, calling out "You almost had it!" and "Ooh!" They are thrilled. He his their hero playing the fascinating money machine. They look like a very nice family, but the gleam in the oldest's eye makes me worry. He is too excited, too invested in the game. I can easily imagine him growing up and seeking that thrill he remembers from when he was a boy, forever chasing the glamor that only appears in the eyes of children waiting in a tiny airport, watching their hero playing the magical money machine.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Posting panic

OMG, so my laptop is still on Colorado time (an hour behind), so when I checked the date, it said it was the 24th, and Blogger said my last post was the 22nd, meaning I thought I had missed a day. I was super sad thinking that I had made it this far, only to be outwitted by a turkey-OD, but when Blogger posted, I saw that I actually *didn't* miss a day! My laptop is just on warp speed. Phew!

Posting for posting's sake

Just made it back from a fun party, ready for bed. We go home tomorrow. Thanksgiving was great, I'll never be hungry again. My cousin had to put her beloved dog of 14 years down today, and since we sort of knew it was coming, I got some great ones of him and her together this morning. I'll try to post them later when I get them uploaded. I also got to see my friend Alicia (yay!), so that was wonderful. We went shopping for funfetti cake stuff. It rocked. Hope everyone had a great turkey day!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thanks to give

Since I'm not sure if the place we are going to eat (and see family) has la Internet, I'll post now. I was going to post about the pretty new coat I found yesterday for an unbelievable price, but I realized that I should probably be a little more respectful of the day and all the good things it represents (aside from parades, football, gluttony, and triptophan-induced naps).

I'm thankful that we got to see our families and spend some wonderful time with them.

I'm thankful that my brother and I get along so much better than we did ten years ago (or even 5). He's a really awesome person now and I'm thankful I get to hang out with him and laugh my ass off. (Great thing is, I know he reads this, so I don't actually have to say this in person. Ahh, technology).

I'm thankful that my parents have dealt with their empty nest quite well and are now having a wonderful time with their world travels and I hope they can continue them in the future.

I'm very thankful for my wonderful husband and everything he does. I'm also incredibly thankful that he's found a career that he loves and has a great future ahead of him.

I'm thankful for all the great people in my life, wherever they are, and for the impact each one has had on my life.

I'm also thankful that I don't have to eat again for another 5 hours. I'm still full from yesterday.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Have a safe and restful time, and try not to put yourself into a total food coma.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Stuffed

It's the day before Thanksgiving and I'm so full I can hardly think about eating turkey dinner tomorrow. We had all-you can eat sushi for lunch at about 3 PM (a Reno-only treat), then an incredible filet mignon dinner at Charlie Morton Steakhouse, complete with chocolate-peanut butter bar dessert, only 3 hours later. My stomach hurts so bad, but what a delicious and completely Reno experience.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

When Movies Go Bad

I'm pretty picky about my Netflix queue, rarely picking movies below 4 stars. As a result, I usually don't watch many movies I don't like. However, my in-laws are DVD collectors, so they have tons of movies that I wouldn't necessarily put on my queue, but might want to see anyway. Sometimes, the results just make me glad I didn't waste Netflix time on them (why it's different, I don't know. But it is). Anyway, we watched the new version of King Arthur last night and are watching Spider-Man 3 now. Here are my reviews:

King Arthur: "Gritty realism"="dirty." Lots of fighting. Kiera Knightly looks suprisingly god painted blue.

Spider-Man 3- Emo-Spidey is (unintentionally) hilarious. Too man bad guys. Lame-o. And the movie's not even done yet. EDITED TO ADD: Oh yeah, and I hate Kirsten Dunst even more. It has now passed from mild irritation to outright hostility. Blech.

What I did on my Thanksgiving Break, or, why I'l never work in Las Vegas schools

Speech language pathologists in Las Vegas schools (according to my mother-in-law, who has been teaching here for some 20-odd years):

Have caseloads of upwards of 85 children (I think 50 is the max recommended by our governing bod, ASHA).

Only see speech kids, not language kids.

Don't see kids who lisp until they are 8, when it might affect their schooling.

Have to live in Las Vegas.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Speech Acts in the News

For those non-linguists out there, speech acts (or more specifically, illocutionary acts) are when the mere act of a pronouncement causes something to happen. The classic example is when a minister says "I pronounce you husband and wife" and this causes it to be so. The deal with these things is that there are rules. The right person has to say the right thing in the right way at the right time in order for the "act" to be done. I can't say "I now pronounce you husband and wife" to two friends at the mall and have it mean anything because I'm not a qualified person, it wouldn't be an appropriate time and place and my two friends may not want to ever be such a thing as husband and wife.

The problems with understanding these niceties of illocutionary acts became glaringly obvious in an article today in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Jane Ann Morrison wrote in a commentary column that Nevada Supreme Court Justice (I think) Nancy Saitta said "because her students called her 'professor,' she believed she was an associate professor at UNLV, a job that is a tenured position and usually takes six or seven years to obtain." Sweet! If your students call you "professor," or "doctor," or "el presidente," you can just skip all that nonsense of extra schooling, the tedious application process.

I think this will be good news for many of my friends who are TAs and/or instructors themselves! Heck, even Peter's high school students have called him "Dr." on occasion. Thank goodness we now won't have to pay for 4 years of higher education for him!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

When Las Vegas IS home

Sitting in the airport, waiting for our flight to Vegas, Peter leans over and says, "I forget. We're just going home, but everyone else is going to Vegas." We're anticipating family, friends and food; our co-passengers are anticipating jackpots, shows and food. Very different perceptions, different experiences and different expectations of the same city. I'm happy for these people with their excitement for the experience, but I've flown on enough flights in and out of Vegas to know that the flights going in are always better.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Home vs. "home"

Vacation. Wow, this is great. Last night, I was actually *bored*. We had watched all our Netflix movies (Freaks and Geeks), I had tootled around on the Internet to a sufficient degree, and I didn't have any really pressing homework. So I did dishes.

We are going home to both our families tomorrow, and we couldn't be more excited. It's been way too long since we've seen our family and I miss everybody.

I was thinking about one thing that is easy as pie here that if we want to do it either in Vegas or in Reno, will be much more of a hassle: shopping. There are a bunch of sales going on right now, and I'm in the market for a new coat, but I don't have time to make it to the stores before we leave. However, if I want to go shopping here, I can either literally walk two blocks to a mall, or take an easy ten minute drive up to an incredibly nice mall with every store you could ever want (with plenty of parking).

In Nevada, shopping is concentrated in certain areas, which are near to no one. Every one of the city's half-million plus residents (more in Vegas) has to go to one of these areas in order to do any decent shopping at all, and so you must battle traffic, horrid parking lots and a bajillion people just to get something. It makes me very appreciative of our shopping situation here.

Another contrast between Reno (and probably Vegas too ) and Colorado. A giant new store just opened in Reno (Cabela's) and because this store was so hotly anticipated, some VIPs got to shop early. The VIPs included not only the governor, but also city council members. If Boulder city council members ever got treated so well, I'm sure there would be an instantaneous outcry form the populace and there would probably be some recall-age. In fact, I don't think city council members would even accept such an invitation because of the implications of cronyism and all that rot that they know would immediately come up. Not that the same actions in Reno don't spur the same feelings in citizens (since we all do know that pretty much all the politicians will do *anything* for the beloved business community), but people in Reno are too busy working and raising families and paying bills to do anything about their feelings. So the cronyism continues.

Not saying one is better or worse, but living in a different place can sure give you better perspective on home.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Quote of the Night

From Freaks and Geeks:

"Everybody's a Democrat until they get a little money. Then they come to their senses."

Hi-larious. Thankfully, we have no money.

Midnight visitors

"Hey, come look!"

Peering out the window into the play ground, clotheslines and lawn below. Mostly dark, a few pools of light under the streetlights.

Our resident family of deer came for a visit. Daddy has a nice big rack, and he usually has three females, though tonight there were only two. At one point, there was a grown baby, but maybe she's off on her own now.

And then we went to sleep.

The end.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Am I on vacation yet?

I totally feel like I am. In fact, I feel like this is the end of the semester and we're getting ready for Christmas break, not Thanksgiving break. Too bad it's not true. I had my last stuttering quiz on Tuesday, I had a test in audiology today, no class tomorrow (though I have clients), are we done yet? I know the answer is no, but man, am I ever ready for the semester to be over.

In other news, I officially told one of my jobs that I won't be able to come back next semester. It's sad, but I already feel more relieved.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Best game ever

Learn big words. End world hunger. What's better? Freerice.com gives you the chance to do both. And it's FUN! Go there and learn big words and fill your bowl with rice. And tell your friends!

Teachers have souls too

My teacher who assigned a quiz, a paper and a project to be due the day we get back from Thanksgiving just earned a place in my heart forever. She canceled the quiz, lessened the degree of work needed for the project, and the paper stayed fairly easy. Now I can actually have a Thanksgiving! Woohoo!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Last Quiz Today!

This is the last of the horrible memorize-y kind! Woohoo! Now I just need an awesome mnemonic to remember the 12 steps of things some researcher once said would be good ideas for things to do to help deal with relapse in adults who stutter. So far, I have:

Transfer identification of relapse maintains tolerant mistakes. Cold turkey follows up practicing visual reminders, continuing support groups sets realistic goals.

Catchy, no?

Monday, November 12, 2007

Winter food

Mmm.. soup. I love making soup because, frankly, it's generally pretty easy and hands-off, plus you can use up a lot of veggies and other foods that might not be as easy to make into a cohesive meal. Only problem is, Peter's not a huge soup-eating fan. Our soups usually end up more like chunky veggie/rice/pasta mixes that are more wet than a rice or pasta dish would be.

I haven't talked much yet about this amazing new cookbook we recently received as a gift, but I want to rectify that now. It's called Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I don't know how we would be getting through these boxes of fruits and veggies we've been getting without it. Not only does it have a billion recipes for many, many veggies, it also has great information about vegetables and fruits, how to prepare things, which spices, oils and other veggies are good partners, and much more. Last night, I found it had a great section on how to make a vegetable soup in ten steps. The steps were generic, so I could put in whatever veggies I had on hand (celery, tomatoes, carrots) and make it taste good (we also usually add some orzo to our soup to make it less soup-like for Peter). And it turned out great!

The book is definitely not just for vegetarians. We are happy omnivores, though we are eating less meat now with the weekly box of fruit and vegetables to get through. I love it because it goes beyond the basic veggie sides in our "everything" cookbooks, but there's still a ot of flexibility. Go check it out!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Halfway there? Not quite...

I refer of course to NaBloPoMo, but this could easily apply to my MA program as well. These past couple weeks have been really tough. I don't know if it's just the gradual wearing down of spirit, the incremental increase in workload pushing us over the breaking point, or just the realization that we still have THREE STRAIGHT MORE SEMESTERS of this (we work harder in the summer than normal school time, apparently), but I've found I'm not alone in my breakdowns. I've cried more in the past two weeks than in a long time (maybe a favorite relative dying? a pet dying? It's hard to say). I know I can get through it and it's probably not as bad as I'm making it seem, but it's bad.

One of the friends we went to Winter Park with was originally Peter's teacher in the teacher credentialing program, and when I told her I had regular quizzes, and not just quizzes, but READING quizzes, she couldn't believe it. This is graduate school, and that kind of pedagogy is apparently bad even in high school (so they said. All I know is I hate them). So yes, I have a paper, a reading quiz, and a test this week, and honestly, this is a pretty good week. Week after Thanksgiving, I have another reading quiz, a paper and a project due ALL FOR THE SAME CLASS. Um, couldn't you spread it out a little? Seriously, the day we get back from Thanksgiving? I know you want us to have no life other than the program, but this is ridiculous.

I really wouldn't feel badly about the amount of work we have to do if it weren't so unhelpful. I would MUCH prefer an in-depth research paper or presentation or even an exam where we had to analyze whatever to weekly "quizzes" where we have to memorize the answers to 8 or so questions that each could be the topic of a book with no original thought or analysis. We are counted DOWN for and original thoughts on these quizzes, despite the fact that this entire field still lacks so many concrete answers to anything. I spend so much brainpower with brute memorization of facts that instantly leave my brain after quizzes that I feel lucky if I can remember the main points of the chapter. Which points I'm pretty sure are supposed to be the reason for these stupid little quizzes in the first place.

Note to any teachers/professors out there:

Want to make sure your students read? Discuss the readings in class. Especially at a graduate level in a competitive program where you brag about how smart and motivated your students are, it will only take one class period of embarrassed silence and disappointed comments from the teacher before you get a whole class full of readers. Be consistent about discussing the readings each week. And don't assign more than any human can possibly finish, when you know our workload. We will NOT read 6 articles and 3 chapters a week when we have 5 other classes. But one chapter a week might be doable.

Thank you.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Winter Park

OK, we're in Winter Park (or a town nearby), internet access is sketchy, I'm hoping this will make it under the wire, but I'm not sure! More tomorrow when we get home...

Friday, November 09, 2007

Things that inexplicable give me joy

Seeing that the feed from my local news has more items than my feed from CNN Entertainment.

Getting a Netflix movie in the mail, even though it's not mine. In fact, it's the Fantastic Four movie.

Typing on a nice, clicky keyboard.

Stepping on crunchy leaves (perfect time of year for this).

Cleaning the bathtub (but not the toilet!).

The act of writing (typing or handwriting), regardless of what I'm writing.

Working my way down lists, my Netflix queue, my RSS reader, or anything other list.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

...Oh What a Beautiful Day!

It's like 73 degrees out and it's incredible. The sun is just barely setting, there's a slight breeze and the screen door is open. I can almost make myself think that winter will never come and snow is years and years away. I left campus early today, just to be able to walk home in the glorious sunshine and not spend this incredible weather in the lab. It was definitely worth it.


We'll be going up to the mountains for the weekend. I really hope there's internet access there, but I'm pretty sure Peter won't accept NaBloPoMo as an excuse not to go. If there's no internet, whatever shall I do? Although, I'm pretty sure there's a Starbucks at least, since there's a Starbucks everywhere. PS Firefox apparently doesn't like the spelling of Starbucks. Way to fight the Man.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

The Daily Grind

Man, this posting every day thing is harder than it seems! I'm all jazzed about finishing my post, and then there's just another one to do tomorrow. Or I'm relaxing after a long day at school, eating some ice cream, when I remember that I haven't posted for the day yet. Damn. C'est la vie. At least I have a nice clicky new keyboard to type on!

In one of my classes today, we talked about the things we do to regulate ourselves. This might be something like drinking coffee to keep yourself more alert, twirling a pencil to stay awake during a meeting, or having a cup of tea to relax yourself. There was a list we could use to check off our own "sensory diet" on, but I thought of several things I do that weren't on there (maybe because I'm bizarre?).

So here's my (probably incomplete) sensory diet:

I chew on the inside of my cheek or my lips, sometimes tip of my tongue, because it really feels good on my gums (just between certain teeth). This probably both calms me and boosts my awareness.

I pop my knuckles, my hips joints and my lower back to stay awake and comfortable in class.

I stretch out in class if it's been a while. Sitting still for too long is rough.

I totally talk or sing to myself if I'm getting really stressed, or if I'm thinking about something stressful. This is probably my most socially inappropriate behavior, but I try to keep it to a minimum when possible. It's only really bad if I'm really stressed out and I start talking to myself before I even realize it. Then I try to play it off if there are people around, but they probably think I'm crazy. That's ok! There are probably tons of crazy geniuses wandering around campus talking to themselves. Right? Right? Oh, well...

There are more, but I'm tired and want to go to bed. Yawning is another self-regulating thing I do. Or I just do it because I'm tired. But I can't not do it, even if I'm in class and the professor is looking right at me. Then I just try to make it a little less obvious.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

I'm vicariously internet famous!

OMG. So, go to Cute Overload, and look at the very first picture (or scroll down a little if it's tomorrow now). See the adorable kitty and the adorable girl holding the "Absolutely YES!" sign? That's my friend Jess from high school! She and her now-fiance (yay!) came out to Boulder this summer (he's actually from here) so we got to have a drink with them and Colin's very cool family at the Dushanbe teahouse. I will try and see if I have a pic of us together (I'm pretty sure I do) just to prove it! I'm internet-famous by proxy!

I was so stinking excited when I saw this (I was following the saga before I even know who this "Jess" was, as Colin actually proposed on Cute Overload) that I made Peter pause Transformers. He seriously thought I was CRAZY for being so excited (before he knew what it was all about). Boy does not like his Transformers interrupted, I guess. But I think he understood once I told him! I'm so excited for them! They are a great couple, and wonderful people and I think they will be very happy together for a long time. Congrats, you two!

Monday, November 05, 2007

Im in UR atik, creepin U out

Dudes! I'm taking a shower, conditioner on the hair, in the middle of shaving my second leg, when I hear this intense banging. Like it sounds like someone is in our apartment slamming our front door or something. I thought maybe our neighbors were just having a midday party, so I turn off the shower to be sure, because I've never heard neighbor sounds this loud in the shower! I turn off the water, still fully conditioned and soaped, when I realize I can now hear a man's voice. Clearly. Above my head. The ceiling is practically bending with the force of the manly strides and all I can think about is the vent directly above the shower leading right into the attic and I have no idea if they can see me (but I feel like they probably can). 

They've been doing attic work (remember when I had to leave at 8 AM?), but we were supposed to be done. I call the Housing office, she says "No, they should be in [other buildings] today, you shouldn't have to leave." And I'm like, "um, but they are HERE! Whoever they are, they are above my (still conditioner-laden) head." She reassures me that they shouldn't be able to see me, but it's not a definite "No, they could never be peeping Toms and you have nothing to worry about," so I use our beloved take-off-the-wall, attached-with-a-hose-kind of shower head and rinse my hair salon-style. And I rinse my half-shaven leg too. 

They are still pounding around up there and I really wonder who they are if they aren't the guys who are supposed to be crawling around our attics. I mean, they do have the full-on cherry picker, so they must be some kind of official, but seriously! Gross.

Sunday, November 04, 2007

So In Love

You had me at "glowing keyboard." Le sigh. I think there will be many odes to this computer composed here soon. I can't wait to actually be productive during class. Yippee!

New Family Member

Well, we did it. We took the plunge and brought home our new baby, my very own MacBook Pro. I should have taken unboxing pictures, but that seemed a littl ridiculous. At least, it did until I opened the box and saw what a marvel it was (of course. Apple seriously has the best packaging). It's updating right now, but I can't wait to play with it!

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Autumn Day

I took a short walk today. Granted, I walk everyday, but this was in a different area, I had no time constraints and it was daylight. It was great. A little chill in the air, crunchy leaves underfoot and squirrels busying squirreling things away for the winter. I don't know why, but the image that struck me the most was a big blue ball stuck high in the branches of a tree already barren of leaves. It was lovely.

The Buffs lost. Bad. I left in the third quarter and felt guilty. But not as much when I saw the final score. Buffs, I love you, but you gotta play at least a *little* better! I'll support you in the wins and the losses, but blowouts are really tough to take.

Phew! Day 3 done!

Friday, November 02, 2007

Snuggling Babies

Last night I was babysitting, and the little baby was sick, so she did not want to go to sleep. She didn't even want her pacifier; all she wanted was to be held. So I snuggled with her for a little while, and she eventually calmed down with her head on my chest under my chin. I would have loved to stay like that, rocking in the rocking chair with a warm baby on my chest, but soon I heard her three-year-old brother clanking his silverware downstairs as he ate dinner by himself. The I heard him call something about spilling his milk. Great. So Baby went back in the crib (not happily at all), I went downstairs and found he had just finished his milk, which was much better anyway. Sadly, at the time I didn't know the baby was sick, or I might have given her a little more sympathy (and snuggling). Now I'll just have to imagine her snuggliness until I sit again.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Aaaaaaaannnnnddd.... GO!!!!!


NaBloPoMo begins! How shall I start this momentous occasion? How about by actually blogging on the first day, that would be a good start. God, is it really November? I'd prefer not to believe it. I have far, far too much to do and I'd really rather not do it. I just want to see family for the holidays and NOT DO ANYTHING for a while. But that's not gonna happen. Ce'est la vie (or something) and happy NaBloPoMo!