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.

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.

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.

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!

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?

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!

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.

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...

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.

...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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!