I'm Back and It's Sunny!

It's taken me a few days to get back to blogging. I usually do it during free time at work (since Ian's often on the computer at home, and when he's not, I'd rather spend time with him than stare at the computer). But on Friday morning they took my work computer away. It's been to the doctor, had a check up, was found to have a virus, and had to spend a few days in the hospital. It was released yesterday, but I found that when it came back it didn't remember me! I've been reprogramming all of my settings for the last day, and it's almost to where I left it. I can't believe how much we depend on computers to remember things for us! But the important thing here is that it's back and healthy...

Today is the first completely sunny day in a couple of weeks. It's supposed to hit 67 degrees, so I can't wait to get outside! I've already seen the daffodils nodding their heads and the green-tipped trees have been beckoning to me, asking me to sit under them and read a good book. If I won the lottery, I think I'd buy a house with two big trees in the backyard. Then I'd hitch up my hammock (we bought one in Costa Rica in hopes that some day we'd be able to hang it) and read all day long.

Of course, I'd have to live somewhere where the sun actually came out more than once a week...

Happy Birthday to Me...

Well, my birthday is finally here--only one more year till the big 3-0! It's been a fun day, even though I had to work. Ian has been stringing out my presents. So far he's given me Labyrinth (you know, that old David Bowie/Jennifer Connelly movie).** And then he and my coworkers tricked me at lunch. I thought I was having lunch with Ian and a couple of friends at Freddie's, and all the way to lunch I complained that no one in my office had wished me a happy birthday. A couple of minutes after we got there, my office showed up to "take me out to lunch." Then my mom and my brother, Kyle, called. And I've gotten a couple of birthday e-mails from friends. Soon we'll be going out to dinner with some other friends (one of which shares my birthday--so strange!).

I haven't received my Le Creuset pot yet, but I don't really expect to since it costs almost as much as my beloved iPod Mini did. I'll just save up my birthday money for it... :-)

I love birthdays!

**How can you not love Labyrinth??? One of my favorite lines in a song is in this movie--"Slap that baby, make him pee!"

David Hasselhoff

I found this link in The Chronicle of Higher Education while reading it at work, and I just couldn't help myself. I had been thinking that I'd try to put less pictures on my blog, but this one is just too irresistible!



I mean, why did we ever cancel Knight Rider???!!! David Hasselhoff is just so sexy! If you'd like to see another of my favorites, go here. And for all the information you can handle about this sexy, sexy man, go to



You can thank me later.

Monday Morning Blahs

Well, it's Monday morning, and I'm already bored with the week. Everyone is on spring break around here (except for staff), and the office is deadly silent. Why are we even here??? I got most of the work I need to do for the week done in the first hour I was here this morning. Oh well, it just leaves more time for blogging! Maybe I'll whip me up a new banner...

This weekend treated Carolina well. We're looking like the team we can be, not like how we played in the ACC tournament. The only disappointment is that UK and Louisville take up all the air time here in Kentucky, and we barely get to see UNC play. I thought that once we got to the Sweet 16, they'd play each game in its entirety, but it looks like we'll be playing at almost the same time as UK on Friday...I wonder which game they'll show???

Anyways, I'm happy to see that NC State has made it this far (contrary to popular belief, we Carolina fans can cheer on the Wolfpack as long as they aren't playing us). I was really hoping that Mississippi State was going to pull off an upset and beat the Dookies, though. Maybe Michigan State can do it...we can always hope!

Enough basketball talk for now...

Happy Hour...

My toast to Friday evenings...it looks like I've turned into a true Kentuckian!

Bourbon

Congratulations! You're 127 proof, with specific scores in beer (40) , wine (133), and liquor (95).

Screw all that namby-pamby chick stuff, you're going straight for the bottle and a shot glass! It'll take more than a few shots of Wild Turkey or 99 Bananas before you start seeing pink elephants. You know how to handle your alcohol, and yourself at parties.



My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 56% on proof

You scored higher than 84% on beer index

You scored higher than 97% on wine index

You scored higher than 95% on liquor index

Link: The Alcohol Knowledge Test written by hoppersplit on Ok Cupid

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

I like St. Patrick's Day for a couple of reasons. First, I get a lot of attention because I'm fair-skinned and have red hair. But I'm not Irish. And since I'm just plain ornery (as my grandma used to say), I like to be able to argue with people about it.** You'd be amazed at how many people don't believe me when I tell them I'm not Irish. The Irish do not have a corner on the world's population of redheads--in fact, a lot of Irish are dark haired. Anyways, I'm part German, and we have our own drinking day!

I also like St. Patrick's Day because I look good in green. That's all there is to it. It's probably my best color because of my hair and skin, so I always think I look really good at least one day a year.

Finally, I like the day because it reminds me of my trip to Ireland. Heather and I spent some time there, and in a small town near the Cliffs of Mohr (I think it was Doolin, but I can't remember), Paddy the Farmer proposed to me. It was so romantic. We had met him the day before (with his friend, Paddy), and we all went to one of the two pubs in town. We listened to an older local we had also met play the spoons over some Guinness. Paddy the Farmer started telling us about his farm and how he needed a wife to take care of him and bear his children. Then he suggested that I might be a good fit. Ahhhh...love! Whenever I think about this story, I laugh first, then appreciate that Ian's not a farmer!

**The only time I didn't argue about my heritage was when I used to get free drinks at the Irish pub we used to go to in San Diego (What was the name of that place???!!!). The bartender was Irish and since he thought I was too, he gave me free drinks sometimes. I can't argue with a free pint of cider!


I like this guy because he looks like a German leprechaun!

My Birthday...

Just in case you've forgotten, my birthday is next week. If you really want to buy me something, you can get me this (I know it's strange, but I'm addicted to the cooking channel!):



If you can't afford that, then a simple "Happy Birthday" will do. :-)

Niagara Falls

Here's an impressive picture of Niagara Falls from space, and yes, those are tiny cars on a highway along side of it! I've never been there, but seeing this picture makes me wonder why anyone would ever want to try to go over these falls in a barrel (in their right mind or not--even crazy people have their limits!)

Cool Site

One of Ian's students suggested this site for indie music the other night. It has reviews, information, and free downloads of new indie music. Check it out:

www.pitchforkmedia.com

And let me know if you find any cool music worth checking out!

Old Navy Is Normal Again!

This weekend I did a little pre-spring shopping. I'm getting tired of wearing dark colors during the winter, and since it's still just hitting 40 degrees each day (if we're lucky), I needed a little spring pick-me-up. I got some great stuff at Ann Taylor Loft, but that's always a given. Their stuff always fits me well. But Ian talked me into going by Old Navy, which I've come to abhor because they ditched styles and sizes for the normal woman a couple of years back. Someone in charge there thought that women don't have breasts or hips, that women are just larger replicas of the 6-year-old body. Unfortunately for them, they lost my business when they did that because I most definitely have curves. And I like them (most of the time). So I stopped shopping at places that forgot that the normal body is just that...normal. Not super thin and not straight. Old Navy and The Gap are two places that I've stopped shopping because by trying on their clothes I started feeling bad about a body that I had liked for so long.

And then I was forced into Old Navy this weekend...and lo and behold, they've changed their styles back to what they used to be: fun, cheap, and normally sized! I actually bought some things there, including a pair of jeans (I had definitely given up on their jeans sizing)! So, if you're like me and gave up on Old Navy...try them again. It looks like they're starting to appreciate a real body again!

Crazy Cat Lady

Okay, so now that I'm going to post a picture of my cat, I've become the crazy cat lady, I guess! But there is a really funny story behind this. Jasper (our orange and white kitty) is very cute and cuddly, and when he wants attention, he makes it clear. In the mornings when we wake up, he'll come up to our faces and reach out a little paw to our lips to say good morning. Well, Ian has taken this a step beyond cute...he wants to make our cat "cool." He is teaching Jasper to give him five! He's been working on it for about a week, and I think Jasper's getting it.

Now the funniest part about this is that Jasper is very likely the stupidest cat in the world (or at least in Danville). He's very scared of people he doesn't know and often runs into large objects while running away from them. He also likes to lick things, like the floor or a piece of plastic or our bedpost or a table or anything that's smooth. (He especially likes to lick photos, so if we have any laying around we have to lay them upside down so he doesn't lick the chemicals off.) So, of all the cats in the world, you'd think this one would be the one you could never train to give you five. Go figure!

Maybe some day I'll get a picture of this amazing cat feat, but in the meantime, here's a picture of him lounging around.

These are a few of my favorite things...

You know, from the Sound of Music! I've been tired and crabby and a little depressed all day, so I'm taking Maria Von Trapp's advice (or at least Julie Andrews'). When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad. So, since I think you can learn everything about life from this single movie, I'll try to apply it to myself today.

Here are some good things about this week:
1) Ian sent his last chapter to his advisor today.
2) Carolina beat the Dookies.
3) In beating the Dookies, Carolina clinched the ACC title.
4) Although we clinched the title, no Carolina player had earned ACC Player of the Week...Sean May did that this week.
5) I'll be getting a fat travel reimbursement check next week from the school.
6) I found out some friends of mine from the good ol' TIP days had a baby. (He's been in the hospital for a week, but should be going home in the next couple of days.)
7) There are daffodils in my neighbors backyard (at least there were until it snowed today).
8) I was in the mall today, and there are some very cute shoes on sale...maybe I'll make a trip back there this weekend and buy a few. ;-)

Well, as the TV show said it...I think that eight is enough. As my evening wears on, I'll keep running this list through my head like a mantra. Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow, tomorrow...

A Loooong Week

This has been one of the longest weeks in history for me. I had my first evaluation at work (for the entire last year's work), and I was very disappointed with the outcome. I know myself, and for any of you who know me, I am not just an average employee. But that's what my eval says, and I can't change it (although I did add a 3 1/2 page summary, typed and single-spaced, to it describing all of the wonderful things I've done in the past year since my eval didn't reflect any of this.) So the week ended on a higher note because I was able to have a conversation about many things that have been frustrating me about my job, but it's still a little disappointing that my hard work has not been recognized. I think that, unfortunately, the American workplace has become one of expected mediocrity, and that I'll just have to perform to those standards if that's what they want. What use is it to put extra time and effort into making things better if no one cares if it gets better? I hate the fact that I've come to this point, to such a defeatist attitude, but really, they don't pay me enough to put up with this crap.