I'm just killing time until I leave for San Antonio. Not really, I'm actually getting lots done. I've packed and watched a health lecture (well, sort of watched/listened/had on in the background while I did other things). Yesterday was good - class/lunch/lab on campus, then home to goof off. I semi-cooked for Emily (ravioli in Alfredo sauce and peas), we watched Fantasia, and I watched a health lecture. Yesterday was also Dad's 55th birthday (since I didn't post yesterday, it isn't too late for me to write: Happy Birthday, Dad!).
Today I slept in and it was glorious. I need to go to the bank before I leave town - I have bill reimbursement checks from the roommates and I need some cash for the weekend. I'll probably leave the duplex around 2. :)
Friday, July 30, 2004
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
20K
My car got its 20,000 mile tune-up today. It passed with flying colors. And this is a good thing, because I'm driving it to San Antonio on Friday to visit Elliot for the weekend! The trip to see Elliot has been three years in the making. I've always wanted to go visit him at college, ever since he picked Trinity over A&M. Freshman year it couldn't happen because I didn't have a car. And the next two years, well, there isn't a real reason - it just didn't happen. But this summer, Elliot finally moved off campus, and it seemed that the stars were properly aligned. And the weeks passed...and all my weekends were full of activity, Dallas trips, and visitors from Dallas. And then I only had two weekends left in my undergraduate career. So I decided that this weekend is the weekend. Wahoo! We're going to have fun.
Other than a trip to the dealership, my day was not exciting. I went to the early physiology class (once again only about 5 people were there...sad) so that I could take my car in after class but still early in the day. Then I was productive at home. And before work, Emily took me to the dealership to pick up my little CR-V (thanks, Em!). Then it was off to work (next Wednesday is my last day!), then home where dinner, homework, and The World's Biggest and Baddest Bugs awaited me. Tomorrow is class and my second-to-last physiology lab. Yay!
Other than a trip to the dealership, my day was not exciting. I went to the early physiology class (once again only about 5 people were there...sad) so that I could take my car in after class but still early in the day. Then I was productive at home. And before work, Emily took me to the dealership to pick up my little CR-V (thanks, Em!). Then it was off to work (next Wednesday is my last day!), then home where dinner, homework, and The World's Biggest and Baddest Bugs awaited me. Tomorrow is class and my second-to-last physiology lab. Yay!
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Combination hookah and coffee maker, also makes Julienne fries
Aladdin comes out on DVD in October. I am excited.
I just got back about 30 minutes ago from dinner with Amanda and Charity at Cheddar's. It was quite fun. We had no specific agenda - just dinner with friends. I'd say we should do it more often, but I'm leaving in two weeks and it looks like Charity might be moving to Minnesota sometime this fall, so I don't know that we'll get much of a chance later on. :(
Today was fine. It was really uneventful, actually, so much so that I can't even remember much of it. I enjoyed skipping SI after work. That was good. Two weeks from now I'll be done with school. Goodness.
I just got back about 30 minutes ago from dinner with Amanda and Charity at Cheddar's. It was quite fun. We had no specific agenda - just dinner with friends. I'd say we should do it more often, but I'm leaving in two weeks and it looks like Charity might be moving to Minnesota sometime this fall, so I don't know that we'll get much of a chance later on. :(
Today was fine. It was really uneventful, actually, so much so that I can't even remember much of it. I enjoyed skipping SI after work. That was good. Two weeks from now I'll be done with school. Goodness.
Monday, July 26, 2004
And we'll all float on OK
I couldn't update my blog much earlier than now, but I had a good reason - I was in Dallas! Dallas, you say? Yes...Emily was going back for a Judo tournament, and I begged a ride. Matt was in New Jersey all last week doing national KPMG training, and he wasn't scheduled to get back until 11:04 on Friday night. So Emily and I went swimming at my house and had dinner at Peggy Sue with Jeff. Then we watched Mystery Men, which I hadn't seen since it was in theatres. Afterwards, I let the loving couple have some alone time and went into Matt's room to watch a health lecture. Fun, I know. I also washed Matt's sheets and towel so he'd have some clean ones to come home to after a week in a hotel and time on an airplane. As it got late, Jeff left and Em went to bed so she could be rested for Judo. I sat in Matt's room and kept busy...and waited...we'd found out earlier in the night that his flight was an hour and a half late leaving New Jersey. He didn't get in until 1:30! When I heard come in, I crept downstairs and surprised him with my presence. He was happy. :) So I was able to tuck him in, and I went to the nest I'd made on the couch in the game room. It's a great couch - just my length and the center cushion crease is positioned just right.
I was up around 9 on Saturday to see off Em, and then I watched the Discovery Health Channel until Matt emerged (at 11:20!). After lunch, we headed to Grapevine to cheer on Emily. We also got to see Arjun throw lots of butt (you don't kick in Judo...so you have to "throw butt", not "kick butt"). Emily only had two matches, so we didn't actually spend more than an hour at the tournament. It was way impressive that Emily got second place and the silver medal - she was fighting against girls with higher belt levels than her! And it was awesome to watch her throw one girl to the ground in the ultimate way that means an instant victory. In the afternoon, we watched Matt and Jeff play NCAA Football 2005 (Matt (A&M) beat Jeff (Michigan) in round one but Jeff (Michigan) won round two against Matt (Penn State - their quarterback was horrible! Freaking lefties!). In the evening, Matt and I went to the West Village - we ate at Tom Tom Noodle House, saw Napoleon Dynamite, and drove to Wild About Harry's for custard. Then we had a serious discussion about cities that have both vet schools and KPMG offices and narrowed the list of options to three: Raleigh, NC (NC State); Minneapolis, MN (U of Minnesota); Sacramento, CA (UC Davis). The options that require Matt to quit his job with KPMG are Ft. Collins, CO (CSU) and A&M. Now we don't have to address that topic again for a long time, when we'll know more of what we want to do.
Sunday, was just time for me and Emily to soak up some boy time before heading back to CS. We left Dallas around 3:15, drove uneventfully using the 287 detour around Richland, and then drove through some freakishly heavy rain north of Madisonville. We got home in time for dinner, homework, watching The Big Chill, and bed. Today was a normal Monday with the exception of lunch - it was Chinese food with the physiology professors and Omar, the other 97.5% - and work - Emily stopped by and I showed her around. Tonight I was productive! Yay! I have 7.7 hours more of health to watch before the final on August 9. It is really boring. Today's lecture topic: "Service-based Cultural Competency: Issues of Access to, Utilization of, and Support for Care" and yesterday's: "African-American Culture & Behavior Modification." The first half of this class was definitely more interesting to me. All this Multifactorial basis of health disparities business is yucky. Boo!
One more VERY exciting note from the weekend: Matt passed the CPA exam! Only about 10% of people manage to pass all four sections their first time, and Matt passed them all with room to spare. Now he never has to think about that again and can burn all his CPA prep materials. I'm so happy for him, although I wasn't totally surprised - he worked so hard and studied so much this spring...he deserved it completely. What a smart guy. I should marry him.
I was up around 9 on Saturday to see off Em, and then I watched the Discovery Health Channel until Matt emerged (at 11:20!). After lunch, we headed to Grapevine to cheer on Emily. We also got to see Arjun throw lots of butt (you don't kick in Judo...so you have to "throw butt", not "kick butt"). Emily only had two matches, so we didn't actually spend more than an hour at the tournament. It was way impressive that Emily got second place and the silver medal - she was fighting against girls with higher belt levels than her! And it was awesome to watch her throw one girl to the ground in the ultimate way that means an instant victory. In the afternoon, we watched Matt and Jeff play NCAA Football 2005 (Matt (A&M) beat Jeff (Michigan) in round one but Jeff (Michigan) won round two against Matt (Penn State - their quarterback was horrible! Freaking lefties!). In the evening, Matt and I went to the West Village - we ate at Tom Tom Noodle House, saw Napoleon Dynamite, and drove to Wild About Harry's for custard. Then we had a serious discussion about cities that have both vet schools and KPMG offices and narrowed the list of options to three: Raleigh, NC (NC State); Minneapolis, MN (U of Minnesota); Sacramento, CA (UC Davis). The options that require Matt to quit his job with KPMG are Ft. Collins, CO (CSU) and A&M. Now we don't have to address that topic again for a long time, when we'll know more of what we want to do.
Sunday, was just time for me and Emily to soak up some boy time before heading back to CS. We left Dallas around 3:15, drove uneventfully using the 287 detour around Richland, and then drove through some freakishly heavy rain north of Madisonville. We got home in time for dinner, homework, watching The Big Chill, and bed. Today was a normal Monday with the exception of lunch - it was Chinese food with the physiology professors and Omar, the other 97.5% - and work - Emily stopped by and I showed her around. Tonight I was productive! Yay! I have 7.7 hours more of health to watch before the final on August 9. It is really boring. Today's lecture topic: "Service-based Cultural Competency: Issues of Access to, Utilization of, and Support for Care" and yesterday's: "African-American Culture & Behavior Modification." The first half of this class was definitely more interesting to me. All this Multifactorial basis of health disparities business is yucky. Boo!
One more VERY exciting note from the weekend: Matt passed the CPA exam! Only about 10% of people manage to pass all four sections their first time, and Matt passed them all with room to spare. Now he never has to think about that again and can burn all his CPA prep materials. I'm so happy for him, although I wasn't totally surprised - he worked so hard and studied so much this spring...he deserved it completely. What a smart guy. I should marry him.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Chinese FOOOD
We're going to have Chinese food at the physiology lunch on Monday. I went to the 8 am lecture today (I like doing that on Thursdays) and after class, the other lunch-eligible person went up to talk to Dr. Herman. I heard Dr. Herman say "actually, she's here" and look at me, so I went down. And we decided to have Chinese food. He had even remembered that I liked simple things, but I assured him that I like Chinese food too. So that's what we're having. I was a little upset at being outed as the person with the A in the class, but it was only to two people and neither of them are in my section of the class, so I guess it is okay.
I cooked for Emily tonight. She has a test tomorrow and a Judo tournament on Saturday, so I wanted to have her eat a real meal. I made Mom's famous (to me and Les) Parmesan and bread-crumb encrusted chicken breast, with broccoli, biscuits, and a fruit salad. Emily approved. It was my first time making that meal (I hate working with meat, especially chicken) but now that it is under my belt, I may make it more. It was yummy. :)
It feels so good being done for the week. Sigh of relief...ahhhhhhhhh....
I cooked for Emily tonight. She has a test tomorrow and a Judo tournament on Saturday, so I wanted to have her eat a real meal. I made Mom's famous (to me and Les) Parmesan and bread-crumb encrusted chicken breast, with broccoli, biscuits, and a fruit salad. Emily approved. It was my first time making that meal (I hate working with meat, especially chicken) but now that it is under my belt, I may make it more. It was yummy. :)
It feels so good being done for the week. Sigh of relief...ahhhhhhhhh....
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
3 weeks
Three weeks from now I will be done with my undergraduate career and moved out of the duplex. That's just weird. And a little scary.
wedding dreams, cats, and physiology grades
So last night I had the first of what I'm sure will be many dreams about the wedding. I'll preface the story with a physiology tidbit - we learned a few chapters about the regions of the brain that are active and inactive during dreaming (in REM, or "Paradoxical" sleep). All of your sensory areas and emotional centers are extremely active, but the region of your brain that handles logic and reason is completely inactive. So you see all this stuff going on, and your emotions run high, and your brain just runs with it, because it can't stop to say "pink and purple spotted elephants don't usually put bombs in people's cars" or something like that. Anyway, the dream: it was snowing. My quantitative analysis professor from spring of '03 was driving a monorail around. Everyone was there for the ceremony. And Matt was wearing some sort of fur-lined cape (he looked very dashing, actually). The wedding actually seemed to be taking place in Germany or something. So yeah, hopefully the next wedding dream I have will get more right than just: a) me being happy, and b) me marrying the right person.
To backtrack a bit...yesterday was good. I went to class and then came home to study intermittently until it was time for my test. Dr. Hildreth had given me to okay to miss work, and that worked out excellently. I was able to go through all the material again and get one last look. There was more going on than just studying, though. First off, I made Emily play some Tekken Tag Tournament with me during a study break. I'd been wanting to play it for a while now, and since you can play as a team rather than against each other, I thought Em might be game. Besides, I thought it would be good research for her upcoming Judo tournament. So that was fun. Then, around 3:30 there was a knock on the door, and Emily's aunt was standing in the doorway. She was with her daughter Jenny, having come from a visit to her mom in San Antonio, and they were stopping here to take a campus tour for Jenny. They stopped at the duplex (they knew how to get here because other daughter Rachel lived here a few years ago) to get directions to campus and also to ask us to cat-sit. Yes, in their van were two slightly frightened (read: shedding like mad) cats. So we gathered them up and put them in the bathroom (we were afraid of cat pee). They were extremely sweet. Both had the very soft, thick short fur of a Russian Blue, and one was all gray (blue) and one was gray and tan speckled. I think they were littermates, because they got along tremendously. Em and I wanted to adopt them on the spot. But they went back to Dallas after the campus tour.
I had to leave the cats at 4:35 to take my physiology test. I was really concerned, because I thought the material was hard (it covered the three muscle types: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac, and the heart) and it was so similar it was easy to become confused. And the heart is just a complicated subject. Also, I hadn't started really studying until Sunday because of wedding excitement and activity over the weekend. Finally, I've been somewhat distracted throughout this whole unit because of wedding stuff. My hopes weren't high, but I had still been keeping up with the material and everything, so I didn't expect to fail either. Coming out of the test, I thought I'd done okay (B range) - I'd had to guess more than the other two tests. I knew I'd just have to wait and see. So I went home and relaxed. I thought about watching a health lecture but instead I played some Tekken and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. I also talked on the phone with Matt for a while, and then Mom and Dad. They'd been to Brittany's trumpet recital and wanted to tell me all about it. They said Brittany sounded amazing and was very professional. I really wish I could've been there! :( But I was glad to get such a good report from Mom and Dad. They also got several "congratulations" regarding the engagement. They were a little surprised at who knew about it, but according to Mr. Cruz, "Everybody knows." :)
Today I had class, SI, picked up my graduation announcements, and worked (my feet hurt). Amanda came by work and gave me an engagement present - it is this awesome silver frame with the picture of Matt proposing on one knee in it, and the frame is engraved with "Matt & Cameron Engaged 6-30-04." It is an amazing and thoughtful gift! It made my day. I'm very lucky to have Amanda as a friend (and bridesmaid!).
I published this post and realized I'd forgotten to tell how I did on my test. I made a 97.5%, which means I only missed one question, which means I get lunch from my profs! (Not to mention the fact that I did way better than I thought I would and I am thrilled!)
To backtrack a bit...yesterday was good. I went to class and then came home to study intermittently until it was time for my test. Dr. Hildreth had given me to okay to miss work, and that worked out excellently. I was able to go through all the material again and get one last look. There was more going on than just studying, though. First off, I made Emily play some Tekken Tag Tournament with me during a study break. I'd been wanting to play it for a while now, and since you can play as a team rather than against each other, I thought Em might be game. Besides, I thought it would be good research for her upcoming Judo tournament. So that was fun. Then, around 3:30 there was a knock on the door, and Emily's aunt was standing in the doorway. She was with her daughter Jenny, having come from a visit to her mom in San Antonio, and they were stopping here to take a campus tour for Jenny. They stopped at the duplex (they knew how to get here because other daughter Rachel lived here a few years ago) to get directions to campus and also to ask us to cat-sit. Yes, in their van were two slightly frightened (read: shedding like mad) cats. So we gathered them up and put them in the bathroom (we were afraid of cat pee). They were extremely sweet. Both had the very soft, thick short fur of a Russian Blue, and one was all gray (blue) and one was gray and tan speckled. I think they were littermates, because they got along tremendously. Em and I wanted to adopt them on the spot. But they went back to Dallas after the campus tour.
I had to leave the cats at 4:35 to take my physiology test. I was really concerned, because I thought the material was hard (it covered the three muscle types: skeletal, smooth, and cardiac, and the heart) and it was so similar it was easy to become confused. And the heart is just a complicated subject. Also, I hadn't started really studying until Sunday because of wedding excitement and activity over the weekend. Finally, I've been somewhat distracted throughout this whole unit because of wedding stuff. My hopes weren't high, but I had still been keeping up with the material and everything, so I didn't expect to fail either. Coming out of the test, I thought I'd done okay (B range) - I'd had to guess more than the other two tests. I knew I'd just have to wait and see. So I went home and relaxed. I thought about watching a health lecture but instead I played some Tekken and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. I also talked on the phone with Matt for a while, and then Mom and Dad. They'd been to Brittany's trumpet recital and wanted to tell me all about it. They said Brittany sounded amazing and was very professional. I really wish I could've been there! :( But I was glad to get such a good report from Mom and Dad. They also got several "congratulations" regarding the engagement. They were a little surprised at who knew about it, but according to Mr. Cruz, "Everybody knows." :)
Today I had class, SI, picked up my graduation announcements, and worked (my feet hurt). Amanda came by work and gave me an engagement present - it is this awesome silver frame with the picture of Matt proposing on one knee in it, and the frame is engraved with "Matt & Cameron Engaged 6-30-04." It is an amazing and thoughtful gift! It made my day. I'm very lucky to have Amanda as a friend (and bridesmaid!).
I published this post and realized I'd forgotten to tell how I did on my test. I made a 97.5%, which means I only missed one question, which means I get lunch from my profs! (Not to mention the fact that I did way better than I thought I would and I am thrilled!)
Monday, July 19, 2004
Yes, We've Picked a Date
Friday, June 17 2005
Place: The Dallas Arboretum
Maid of Honor: Leslie
Bridesmaids:
Amanda
Brittany
Emily
Matt hasn't announced (talked to) his groomsmen/best man yet, in case anyone is wondering. But now that I've talked to all my people and the date became semi-official (in that we reserved the place we wanted), I got excited and had to share. :)
Place: The Dallas Arboretum
Maid of Honor: Leslie
Bridesmaids:
Amanda
Brittany
Emily
Matt hasn't announced (talked to) his groomsmen/best man yet, in case anyone is wondering. But now that I've talked to all my people and the date became semi-official (in that we reserved the place we wanted), I got excited and had to share. :)
A Fun Weekend
I had a great weekend. Thursday's lab only took 90 minutes, so I got to Dallas in time to see Matt's family before they left for vacation in Aspen. Then Matt and I ordered a pizza and hung out - I was tired from a week of school and Matt still had work the next day, so I went home early.
On Friday, Mom, Dad, and I went to the Arboretum to check it out as a potential wedding site. They had already been there and had been shown all the locations for ceremonies and receptions, so Dad served as my tour guide. We also went to the Meadows museum (reception possibility) and Northpark - Dad for Rotary and Mom and me for lunch and whatnot. We went to Cranes and looked at wedding invitations. After Rotary was over, we all went upstairs to look at Maggiano's, a good rehearsal dinner location. Friday afternoon I had to study (and accidentally napped). When Matt got back from work, we went to his uncle Charlie and aunt Meredith's house for dinner and fun. We had a great time - we ate dinner and then played Dance Dance Revolution until past ten. Johnny (the oldest at 15) is really good. I had never done it before...I was not good. But it was fun. Matt and I are thinking about getting the game and dance pads for our anniversary present to each other. :)
Saturday started out very similarly for me. We went to the Arboretum and Dad gave the tour again, this time to Matt. I stayed very quiet so Matt could form his own opinions. We had lunch in the little cafe, which is actually part of one of the reception sites. After our meal, the caterer that Mom and Dad had already met came to talk with us. She was very friendly and knew all about catering weddings at the Arboretum. After lunch, we went to SMU and looked at Perkins Chapel and the Meadows museum. When we got home, Mom and Dad packed up for the miniranch and left, while Matt and I contemplated wedding stuff. Then we went to visit Carolyn (we hadn't seen her since before the engagement), and later I watched a health lecture while Matt did laundry. In the evening, we went to Amore for dinner and then saw Anchorman. Afterwards, Matt had to pack up for his trip to New Jersey (national KPMG training for a week), so I just kept him company. I took Matt to the airport in the morning, and then headed to College Station straight from DFW. The drive was really easy - I didn't even have to detour in Richland, which was great. Then I just studied away for my physiology test on Tuesday.
Today was uneventful. Tonight I'm just studying for my test. I asked Dr. Hildreth if I could miss work tomorrow to study and prepare for the test, and he said yes. That's a relief, because I've established a test-day routine that seems to be working for me. It also means I can eat lunch at home and not stay on campus all day. That makes me happy. What a nice boss I have!
On Friday, Mom, Dad, and I went to the Arboretum to check it out as a potential wedding site. They had already been there and had been shown all the locations for ceremonies and receptions, so Dad served as my tour guide. We also went to the Meadows museum (reception possibility) and Northpark - Dad for Rotary and Mom and me for lunch and whatnot. We went to Cranes and looked at wedding invitations. After Rotary was over, we all went upstairs to look at Maggiano's, a good rehearsal dinner location. Friday afternoon I had to study (and accidentally napped). When Matt got back from work, we went to his uncle Charlie and aunt Meredith's house for dinner and fun. We had a great time - we ate dinner and then played Dance Dance Revolution until past ten. Johnny (the oldest at 15) is really good. I had never done it before...I was not good. But it was fun. Matt and I are thinking about getting the game and dance pads for our anniversary present to each other. :)
Saturday started out very similarly for me. We went to the Arboretum and Dad gave the tour again, this time to Matt. I stayed very quiet so Matt could form his own opinions. We had lunch in the little cafe, which is actually part of one of the reception sites. After our meal, the caterer that Mom and Dad had already met came to talk with us. She was very friendly and knew all about catering weddings at the Arboretum. After lunch, we went to SMU and looked at Perkins Chapel and the Meadows museum. When we got home, Mom and Dad packed up for the miniranch and left, while Matt and I contemplated wedding stuff. Then we went to visit Carolyn (we hadn't seen her since before the engagement), and later I watched a health lecture while Matt did laundry. In the evening, we went to Amore for dinner and then saw Anchorman. Afterwards, Matt had to pack up for his trip to New Jersey (national KPMG training for a week), so I just kept him company. I took Matt to the airport in the morning, and then headed to College Station straight from DFW. The drive was really easy - I didn't even have to detour in Richland, which was great. Then I just studied away for my physiology test on Tuesday.
Today was uneventful. Tonight I'm just studying for my test. I asked Dr. Hildreth if I could miss work tomorrow to study and prepare for the test, and he said yes. That's a relief, because I've established a test-day routine that seems to be working for me. It also means I can eat lunch at home and not stay on campus all day. That makes me happy. What a nice boss I have!
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Tired...but happy!
I'm tired. My plans to go to bed early sort of worked out, in that I turned the light out at 11:30 instead of my usual midnight; unfortunately, I didn't sleep well at all. I got up at 7:00 this morning to go to the early physiology class at 8. I did this so that I could have the four hours between class and lab to get lots of stuff done, mostly related to my trip back to Dallas for the weekend. I'm planning on leaving town straight from lab, so I have to get my car all loaded up and whatnot. Also, Ashley (Emily's good friend and former dormmate) is coming down this weekend for her birthday (happy birthday, Ashley!) and I want to get my room suitable for her. I'm really looking forward to Dallas this weekend. I get to see Matt and give him NCAA Football 2005 (for Xbox), we're doing lots of wedding stuff, including touring the Arboretum, and we're going to hang out (i.e. show off the ring) with his aunt Meredith and and uncle Charlie.
Last night was very fun. I picked up Amanda after I got off work around 6 and we went to Luby's for dinner. Then, we went back to her apartment and talked at her place until 8:45...mostly about wedding stuff. Yay!
Today in lab we're supposed to look at a turtle heart. Apparently if you put it in the right kind of solution, it will keep beating for weeks after extraction. Oh, and if anyone is curious, I got my health midterm grade back: 92! There was either a huge curve or I'm an awesome guesser (both?), but I have no idea how I managed to get an A. I'm not complaining though - when I came out of that test, I thought I'd be lucky to pass the class, and now I might actually be able to get an A!!! :)
Last night was very fun. I picked up Amanda after I got off work around 6 and we went to Luby's for dinner. Then, we went back to her apartment and talked at her place until 8:45...mostly about wedding stuff. Yay!
Today in lab we're supposed to look at a turtle heart. Apparently if you put it in the right kind of solution, it will keep beating for weeks after extraction. Oh, and if anyone is curious, I got my health midterm grade back: 92! There was either a huge curve or I'm an awesome guesser (both?), but I have no idea how I managed to get an A. I'm not complaining though - when I came out of that test, I thought I'd be lucky to pass the class, and now I might actually be able to get an A!!! :)
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
mook
Yesterday was the first day of my first week with a set work schedule. It was moderately horrible, in that it was long and involved a three hour chunk of physiology. I went to class and listened to the lecture. In the 40 minute period between class and SI, I read my physiology book over the material we'd just covered. Then I had an hour and a half SI over that same material (it was a double SI to catch us up from the July 4th weekend - luckily it also counted as two SI's). Then I had a hurried lunch and rode my bike through the hotness to work. Work was good and bad. Good: I work with Larissa on Mondays and Wednesdays (we worked a lot together last fall and had genetics together last spring - she's very nice and fun to work with); the two newbies that work with us are cool and enthusiastic and quick to learn; I made money. Bad: I broke my Oakleys when they fell backwards off my head and landed on the hard tile floor (I tried to superglue them back together but it didn't work...I may try again today and use more glue); we have a new system where two experienced people are assigned to each lab (organic I lab, II lab, or cowboy organic lab) and are responsible for making sure the chemicals and bins are ready - this wouldn't be bad (the concept is a good one) but it is already leading to statements like "that's not my responsibility" which isn't the way the job is supposed to work, and also, sometimes one of the two people can slack and the other one has to do it all (...Hypothetically, of course...).
I got home from work, ate dinner, watched a Seinfeld, did some studying, and then Emily and I watched I Love the 90's: 1990. It was interesting, because some of the stuff they mentioned, I definitely remembered from my own experience (e.g. snap bracelets) but other things I'd never heard of (The Lambada?). Then we watched Road Rules and I talked to Matt. His first day of work was Monday - it went well. Then I read my insect book and went to bed. I'm home right now, taking my lunch break in between class and work. Since I have to eat on campus Monday and Wednesday (and usually Thursday), coming home on Tuesdays is definitely worth it. And I actually got something done with my time: I watched a health lecture on John Henryism (which my prof insisted on pronouncing "John Henry-in-ism," much to my annoyance).
Oh, goodness, it's time to pack up for work and SI... :)
I got home from work, ate dinner, watched a Seinfeld, did some studying, and then Emily and I watched I Love the 90's: 1990. It was interesting, because some of the stuff they mentioned, I definitely remembered from my own experience (e.g. snap bracelets) but other things I'd never heard of (The Lambada?). Then we watched Road Rules and I talked to Matt. His first day of work was Monday - it went well. Then I read my insect book and went to bed. I'm home right now, taking my lunch break in between class and work. Since I have to eat on campus Monday and Wednesday (and usually Thursday), coming home on Tuesdays is definitely worth it. And I actually got something done with my time: I watched a health lecture on John Henryism (which my prof insisted on pronouncing "John Henry-in-ism," much to my annoyance).
Oh, goodness, it's time to pack up for work and SI... :)
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Yawn Mania Fest 5,000
Well, I'm a bad person. Not at all, really, but I feel guilty about the fact that I'm not going to SI tonight. But I'm really too tired to get much from it and I'd rather not have to drive anywhere, so...no SI. I'll go tomorrow and Tuesday and Wednesday (because my work schedule is built around it), and then I'll have accumulated 15 of the 20 SI points I need for the summer.
The reason I'm tired is a happy one: Taylor, Brittany, and Jeff came down to College Station this weekend to hang out. They got in late on Friday night, and we just sat around the living room and talked until it was (past) time for bed. Yesterday we watched the Veggie Tales Ultimate Silly Song Countdown and then the four of us watched Outbreak on TNT while Brittany practiced. We went and saw Spiderman 2 in the afternoon - I really enjoyed it, which both surprised and relieved me, since I didn't really like the first one. We all went to Swensen's for dinner and ginormous ice cream concoctions (I got coffee ice cream with fudge and butterscotch toppings, almonds, whipped cream, and a cherry). Emily and I were both suffering from our lack of sleep, which I counteracted with Tylenol and she with sleep. During Em's nap, Jeff, Taylor, and I taught Brittany how to play Halo. She's not the best at video games, having never played them growing up, but she was a real sport for playing with us and she grasped some of the harder Halo concepts (like using the two joysticks) quicker than most. Taylor and I had profiles, so our characters had names ('CLH' and 'Taylor'), but Brittany and Jeff just had randomly assigned names. I must say, I got a kick out of them - Jeff as 'Hollywood' and Brittany as 'Wilshire'. Poor Wilshire got the snot shot out of him, I'm afraid. It was hard to tell it was Brittany standing there from afar...usually only distinguished after the shotgun had been fired or the grenade tossed...rocket launched...sniper rifle triggered...gun butt connected with back of head...Brittany had a really awesome attitude about playing with us though, and having four people definitely made it more fun. After Em woke up, we really got to work, playing about 4 fun-filled hours of Mario Kart. Brittany was sleeping in my room this weekend, and that didn't help me get any more sleep. We hadn't gotten a chance to really talk (other than once on the phone 10 days ago when this whole trip got mapped out) since Christmas. So we stayed up until 1:45 Friday night and 2:45 last night talking. It was good. This morning, we all awoke somewhat late. We headed to The Kettle for brunch, came back for them to gather their stuff, and they all set out in the early afternoon. It was a great visit, one that had been in the works for years. I was glad it finally happened, especially since I'll only be here for another 5 weeks or so!
This afternoon, I was very sleepy and very lazy. I had to move my gaming systems back into my room, which led to playing Zelda (Majora's Mask) for a couple hours. Now my plan is to watch a health lecture before I get any sleepier, shower, watch Trading Spaces: Inside Out that I taped with Em, and go to bed! The whole sleepiness thing could be worse - I could be in Matt's position, who starts the first day of the rest of his life tomorrow (aka work). Yuck! I think he'll enjoy it, though. It's just me who is not quite ready for the real world.
The reason I'm tired is a happy one: Taylor, Brittany, and Jeff came down to College Station this weekend to hang out. They got in late on Friday night, and we just sat around the living room and talked until it was (past) time for bed. Yesterday we watched the Veggie Tales Ultimate Silly Song Countdown and then the four of us watched Outbreak on TNT while Brittany practiced. We went and saw Spiderman 2 in the afternoon - I really enjoyed it, which both surprised and relieved me, since I didn't really like the first one. We all went to Swensen's for dinner and ginormous ice cream concoctions (I got coffee ice cream with fudge and butterscotch toppings, almonds, whipped cream, and a cherry). Emily and I were both suffering from our lack of sleep, which I counteracted with Tylenol and she with sleep. During Em's nap, Jeff, Taylor, and I taught Brittany how to play Halo. She's not the best at video games, having never played them growing up, but she was a real sport for playing with us and she grasped some of the harder Halo concepts (like using the two joysticks) quicker than most. Taylor and I had profiles, so our characters had names ('CLH' and 'Taylor'), but Brittany and Jeff just had randomly assigned names. I must say, I got a kick out of them - Jeff as 'Hollywood' and Brittany as 'Wilshire'. Poor Wilshire got the snot shot out of him, I'm afraid. It was hard to tell it was Brittany standing there from afar...usually only distinguished after the shotgun had been fired or the grenade tossed...rocket launched...sniper rifle triggered...gun butt connected with back of head...Brittany had a really awesome attitude about playing with us though, and having four people definitely made it more fun. After Em woke up, we really got to work, playing about 4 fun-filled hours of Mario Kart. Brittany was sleeping in my room this weekend, and that didn't help me get any more sleep. We hadn't gotten a chance to really talk (other than once on the phone 10 days ago when this whole trip got mapped out) since Christmas. So we stayed up until 1:45 Friday night and 2:45 last night talking. It was good. This morning, we all awoke somewhat late. We headed to The Kettle for brunch, came back for them to gather their stuff, and they all set out in the early afternoon. It was a great visit, one that had been in the works for years. I was glad it finally happened, especially since I'll only be here for another 5 weeks or so!
This afternoon, I was very sleepy and very lazy. I had to move my gaming systems back into my room, which led to playing Zelda (Majora's Mask) for a couple hours. Now my plan is to watch a health lecture before I get any sleepier, shower, watch Trading Spaces: Inside Out that I taped with Em, and go to bed! The whole sleepiness thing could be worse - I could be in Matt's position, who starts the first day of the rest of his life tomorrow (aka work). Yuck! I think he'll enjoy it, though. It's just me who is not quite ready for the real world.
Friday, July 09, 2004
Sigh of relief
Last night was great - I just goofed off, talked with Em, read my book, talked with Matt, watched Interview with a Vampire, and stayed up late. :) The last three Thursdays I was either driving or packing up for a weekend away. This weekend, Dallas is coming to me, in the form of Brittany, Taylor, and Jeff. They won't get here for quite a while, though, because all three of them are working people. Today I'm enjoying doing some basic maintenance of things I've ignored, like cleaning and paying bills. But I also thought I'd take advantage of my ability to post pictures on my blog and put some random pics up from this spring. Enjoy! (you can click on them for a larger version in a new window)
This is the anatomy lab. The table behind the blue towel receptacle was my lab table (table 2). All those bins along the right wall are full of bones, and I believe that's a horse skeleton, too.
This is a shot essentially taken 180 degrees from the last pic, in the small lab. That's the door to the hallway in front. The bones you see are (from left to right): an elephant back leg, a dog, an elephant front leg, I think a goat, and a horse.
This is my anatomy lab group: Kyle, Rachel, me, and David. Oh, and yes we intentionally put the dog skeleton there!
Dr. Harding's 2002-2003 organic chemistry workshop leaders: me, Jon, Midhat, Jenny, and Amanda. Jon, Midhat, and I had a Wednesday night Double Daves tradition going, and in February we managed to persuade Amanda and Jenny to come too. I'm really glad we've all kept in touch, and it is going to be awesome having Jon and Midhat in Dallas (UT Southwestern) for years to come!
Taken at the ACS chemistry banquet in May, this is my with my advisor Dr. Hogg. I like my shoes.
Laura, Amanda, Jenny, and Cameron. We are definitely the coolest, smartest, and most attractive female chemistry majors in our class (heehee). Laura and Jenny graduated in May, and they're both going to California for grad school: Laura to UC Irvine and Jenny to Berkeley (go Cal!).
I took this picture right after I got my Xbox. I'd just cleaned up the entertainment center to accommodate the new addition and everything was arranged so neatly I wanted to take a picture. Those are all the video game systems I own: PS2, Xbox, GCN, N64, SNES, and GBA. :)
Okay, that's it. I should maybe get dressed now and do some homework before our house is invaded by HP kiddos!
EDIT: One quick addition - it is the beginning of Round 3 - we have an egg in the nest again! I don't know if it is from the same parents or their children, but it is the same family of birds as before ("round 1" and "round 2"). When I checked at noon, there was only one egg in the nest, but I will investigate later to see if more have been added. I'm so glad Lori got that hanging plant and then neglected it, because otherwise we'd never have had so much fun bird watching!
This is the anatomy lab. The table behind the blue towel receptacle was my lab table (table 2). All those bins along the right wall are full of bones, and I believe that's a horse skeleton, too.
This is a shot essentially taken 180 degrees from the last pic, in the small lab. That's the door to the hallway in front. The bones you see are (from left to right): an elephant back leg, a dog, an elephant front leg, I think a goat, and a horse.
This is my anatomy lab group: Kyle, Rachel, me, and David. Oh, and yes we intentionally put the dog skeleton there!
Dr. Harding's 2002-2003 organic chemistry workshop leaders: me, Jon, Midhat, Jenny, and Amanda. Jon, Midhat, and I had a Wednesday night Double Daves tradition going, and in February we managed to persuade Amanda and Jenny to come too. I'm really glad we've all kept in touch, and it is going to be awesome having Jon and Midhat in Dallas (UT Southwestern) for years to come!
Taken at the ACS chemistry banquet in May, this is my with my advisor Dr. Hogg. I like my shoes.
Laura, Amanda, Jenny, and Cameron. We are definitely the coolest, smartest, and most attractive female chemistry majors in our class (heehee). Laura and Jenny graduated in May, and they're both going to California for grad school: Laura to UC Irvine and Jenny to Berkeley (go Cal!).
I took this picture right after I got my Xbox. I'd just cleaned up the entertainment center to accommodate the new addition and everything was arranged so neatly I wanted to take a picture. Those are all the video game systems I own: PS2, Xbox, GCN, N64, SNES, and GBA. :)
Okay, that's it. I should maybe get dressed now and do some homework before our house is invaded by HP kiddos!
EDIT: One quick addition - it is the beginning of Round 3 - we have an egg in the nest again! I don't know if it is from the same parents or their children, but it is the same family of birds as before ("round 1" and "round 2"). When I checked at noon, there was only one egg in the nest, but I will investigate later to see if more have been added. I'm so glad Lori got that hanging plant and then neglected it, because otherwise we'd never have had so much fun bird watching!
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Forgot one thing...
I forgot - I wanted to answer the most frequent question I've gotten since the engagement: Matt and I have not set a date. We've narrowed it down to next summer sometime (between May-August) (that isn't very narrow, I know). We're still looking into where we might want to have the wedding (any suggestions?) and our date decision will be based on availability of the place we choose. Many thanks for Mom for researching these things while I'm stuck in College Station.
All things considered
I finally have a chance to take a deep breath and compose a proper post on my blog. A great deal has happened since my last real post over a week ago. We will take it from the top...
It was really hard to go to class on Thursday like nothing had happened. But it was definitely fun to show the ring to people. I walked into the room and sat next to Elise, my physiology friend, and said "well, you know how my boyfriend was coming into town last night..." and she said yes, and then I just held out my left hand and sat back for her to ooo and ahhh. Dr. Hunter was sitting right by us, so he got to hear all about it too. He was quite interested, actually - I think he's a romantic at heart. When he began class, he asked if anyone had questions before we started, as usual. When no one had any, he then asked, "so, anyone get engaged last night?" I got to raise my hand. Now that I think about it, I should've raised my left hand so that everyone could have appreciated the ring. Oh well. And later, when lecturing about the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for "fight or flight"), he gave the example that it causes dry mouth - he said you might experience such effects when you are doing something like speaking in public...taking a test...asking someone to marry you... :) What a goofball. After Thursday's class, Matt picked me up and we ate lunch at NY Sub. Then we went to the mall to ask about ring resizing and to get my left ring finger sized. Matt had used my ring size from the Aggie Ring office to decide what ring size to get, but your dominate hand is always bigger, it turns out. My left ring finger is 0.75 sizes smaller than my right. But we're going to wait to get the ring resized, so we just got some plastic spacers that go around the band. This way I don't get paranoid about the ring falling off every second of the day - a good thing. I had to go back to campus for lab, but it was a quick one - only about an hour! Thursday night I got to have the pizza rolls I thought I was getting on Wednesday.
On Friday, we left for the miniranch. We spend the weekend, we playing in the lake a lot, floating and riding the Pous awesome Sea-Dos, hanging out with all the people there, playing ping pong, feeding the cows, watching all the munchkins run around (there were 4 kids there under the age of 3), setting off fireworks and watching fireworks on Saturday and Sunday night. On Saturday night, everyone was at our place for a big pot-luck dinner and Dad got everyone's attention so that Matt could announce our engagement. No one was shocked, but they were all very happy (which made us happy). You can look at a few pictures at Mom and Dad's place on overt. My favorite pic is the black widow - Matt put his hand in its web retrieving the ping pong ball...and we just learned a few days ago in physiology how its toxin works. :) The fireworks were really awesome. Everyone at Cedar Creek was setting them off - you always could look out and see them somewhere - and some of them were of professional quality. Plus, it was fun to set them off, since Matt and I haven't had many opportunities to do so before. One of the best parts of the weekend was getting to spend time with Robin & Karen and Lathram & Carmen Pou. Lathram and Carmen just got married about 2 months ago, and all four of them were great to observe and talk to about the whole marriage (and wedding) thing. It isn't surprising that the sons and daughters-in-law of people as generous and loving as Robert and Cindy are just as great, and I think Matt and I can learn a lot about having a strong relationship/marriage from those two couples.
The only downside from the Fourth of July weekend was that I had to study A LOT. My health midterm was on Monday and my physiology test was yesterday, and both classes had suffered a bit immediately after the proposal. So at night or random times during the days, I was reading health notes, making physiology flash cards, highlighting my book, etc. On Monday, Matt and I headed out from the miniranch in the morning because I had to go to work (and study and take my midterm at 5) and Matt had to drive from College Station to Dallas (he bowled in between his two drives, though, with his new bowling ball and shoes!). So Matt left :( and I went to work because labs started the next day (Tuesday). My schedule is fine - 10 hours a week spread over M-T-W - but it is just rough going from no work, where I was spending my free time studying physiology and watching health lectures, to having afternoons consumed by work. Now I'll essentially be occupied 9:30-6:00 Mondays-Wednesdays (hey, it's summer! that's significant!) with my full Thursday of physiology. *sigh* At least I'll having money going into my bank account again!
Anyway, I took my health final at 6 pm on Monday and it was horrible! Of the 77 questions, roughly 20 were recalling statistics (and considering that about half of all lectures were numbers, remembering specifics like that was a little tough). I knew all the trends, but the test didn't ask that...instead it ask questions like "how many people in the US are uninsured: 15, 20, 33, 39, or 44 million?" or "how much money the US government give the survivors of the Tuskegee syphilis study: 5, 8, 10, 12, or 14 million dollars?" or "how many people die from smoking each year: 125,000, 218,000, 324,000, 456,000, 512,000?") I was SO irritated. The test didn't even ask questions from some material, like the lectures on breast cancer or AIDS, and then rather than testing our knowledge of health disparities, it was testing whether we remembered every number we'd been presented with! And this test was half my grade! Grrrr! And then I got to go home and study physiology.
I went to class and worked on Tuesday. I also did my best to study for my next test. I was let off work on Wednesday, so I just went to class, and then came home to study. My phys test was at 5 yesterday. I was pretty convinced that the excitement of the previous week coupled with a busy weekend, a health midterm, and the difficulty of the material would cause me to do pretty horribly. However, when I got the test, I went through methodically and didn't find any question that left me stumped. When I got my grade back today, it turns out I made a 95%, which is awesome, all things considered! It wasn't enough for a lunch invite, but it was the highest grade in the class and one of only three A's! In fact, I'm the only one who has an A in the class right now!!! :) :) It feels really good to have my hard work pay off, and I am happy to be at the top of a class again. That hasn't happened too frequently since I graduated high school. So, yeah, I was thrilled. Yay! And more happiness: Jeff, Taylor, and Brittany are supposed to come down to visit Em and me this weekend. And so, I think I'll wrap up this never-ending blog entry on that happy note.
It was really hard to go to class on Thursday like nothing had happened. But it was definitely fun to show the ring to people. I walked into the room and sat next to Elise, my physiology friend, and said "well, you know how my boyfriend was coming into town last night..." and she said yes, and then I just held out my left hand and sat back for her to ooo and ahhh. Dr. Hunter was sitting right by us, so he got to hear all about it too. He was quite interested, actually - I think he's a romantic at heart. When he began class, he asked if anyone had questions before we started, as usual. When no one had any, he then asked, "so, anyone get engaged last night?" I got to raise my hand. Now that I think about it, I should've raised my left hand so that everyone could have appreciated the ring. Oh well. And later, when lecturing about the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for "fight or flight"), he gave the example that it causes dry mouth - he said you might experience such effects when you are doing something like speaking in public...taking a test...asking someone to marry you... :) What a goofball. After Thursday's class, Matt picked me up and we ate lunch at NY Sub. Then we went to the mall to ask about ring resizing and to get my left ring finger sized. Matt had used my ring size from the Aggie Ring office to decide what ring size to get, but your dominate hand is always bigger, it turns out. My left ring finger is 0.75 sizes smaller than my right. But we're going to wait to get the ring resized, so we just got some plastic spacers that go around the band. This way I don't get paranoid about the ring falling off every second of the day - a good thing. I had to go back to campus for lab, but it was a quick one - only about an hour! Thursday night I got to have the pizza rolls I thought I was getting on Wednesday.
On Friday, we left for the miniranch. We spend the weekend, we playing in the lake a lot, floating and riding the Pous awesome Sea-Dos, hanging out with all the people there, playing ping pong, feeding the cows, watching all the munchkins run around (there were 4 kids there under the age of 3), setting off fireworks and watching fireworks on Saturday and Sunday night. On Saturday night, everyone was at our place for a big pot-luck dinner and Dad got everyone's attention so that Matt could announce our engagement. No one was shocked, but they were all very happy (which made us happy). You can look at a few pictures at Mom and Dad's place on overt. My favorite pic is the black widow - Matt put his hand in its web retrieving the ping pong ball...and we just learned a few days ago in physiology how its toxin works. :) The fireworks were really awesome. Everyone at Cedar Creek was setting them off - you always could look out and see them somewhere - and some of them were of professional quality. Plus, it was fun to set them off, since Matt and I haven't had many opportunities to do so before. One of the best parts of the weekend was getting to spend time with Robin & Karen and Lathram & Carmen Pou. Lathram and Carmen just got married about 2 months ago, and all four of them were great to observe and talk to about the whole marriage (and wedding) thing. It isn't surprising that the sons and daughters-in-law of people as generous and loving as Robert and Cindy are just as great, and I think Matt and I can learn a lot about having a strong relationship/marriage from those two couples.
The only downside from the Fourth of July weekend was that I had to study A LOT. My health midterm was on Monday and my physiology test was yesterday, and both classes had suffered a bit immediately after the proposal. So at night or random times during the days, I was reading health notes, making physiology flash cards, highlighting my book, etc. On Monday, Matt and I headed out from the miniranch in the morning because I had to go to work (and study and take my midterm at 5) and Matt had to drive from College Station to Dallas (he bowled in between his two drives, though, with his new bowling ball and shoes!). So Matt left :( and I went to work because labs started the next day (Tuesday). My schedule is fine - 10 hours a week spread over M-T-W - but it is just rough going from no work, where I was spending my free time studying physiology and watching health lectures, to having afternoons consumed by work. Now I'll essentially be occupied 9:30-6:00 Mondays-Wednesdays (hey, it's summer! that's significant!) with my full Thursday of physiology. *sigh* At least I'll having money going into my bank account again!
Anyway, I took my health final at 6 pm on Monday and it was horrible! Of the 77 questions, roughly 20 were recalling statistics (and considering that about half of all lectures were numbers, remembering specifics like that was a little tough). I knew all the trends, but the test didn't ask that...instead it ask questions like "how many people in the US are uninsured: 15, 20, 33, 39, or 44 million?" or "how much money the US government give the survivors of the Tuskegee syphilis study: 5, 8, 10, 12, or 14 million dollars?" or "how many people die from smoking each year: 125,000, 218,000, 324,000, 456,000, 512,000?") I was SO irritated. The test didn't even ask questions from some material, like the lectures on breast cancer or AIDS, and then rather than testing our knowledge of health disparities, it was testing whether we remembered every number we'd been presented with! And this test was half my grade! Grrrr! And then I got to go home and study physiology.
I went to class and worked on Tuesday. I also did my best to study for my next test. I was let off work on Wednesday, so I just went to class, and then came home to study. My phys test was at 5 yesterday. I was pretty convinced that the excitement of the previous week coupled with a busy weekend, a health midterm, and the difficulty of the material would cause me to do pretty horribly. However, when I got the test, I went through methodically and didn't find any question that left me stumped. When I got my grade back today, it turns out I made a 95%, which is awesome, all things considered! It wasn't enough for a lunch invite, but it was the highest grade in the class and one of only three A's! In fact, I'm the only one who has an A in the class right now!!! :) :) It feels really good to have my hard work pay off, and I am happy to be at the top of a class again. That hasn't happened too frequently since I graduated high school. So, yeah, I was thrilled. Yay! And more happiness: Jeff, Taylor, and Brittany are supposed to come down to visit Em and me this weekend. And so, I think I'll wrap up this never-ending blog entry on that happy note.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
~One week ago...~
One week ago I was getting back from a wonderful dinner with my new fiance. This week that wonderful fiance is almost 200 miles away in Dallas and suffering from a head cold (which we are hoping I do not develop myself). I did have a test tonight, though, just like last Wednesday...but no mysterious blindfolded adventure awaited me when I got home tonight...just Fernando watching a Mexican soccer match on our TV. Anyway, I have plenty to say about last weekend (mucho fun) and this week (not so fun) and all that good stuff, but everyone is just going to have to wait a bit longer to read about it. I did do something for my avid fans, though - now each engagement picture is clickable and brings up a(much) larger version of the picture in a new window upon said click. Enjoy (moms)!
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