Hi everyone... sorry that I left so many of you in suspense after my blog on cheaters!! So what happened... as expected, the idiot guy turned in a sheet filled with answers. And as if that wasn't bad enough... first, his original writing (while he was awake) was done in pencil, yet the answers at the end were done in pen... that's a tip-off right there. But then his gf even wrote a couple of the answers for him!!! So once I saw their labs I made copies for my records and also copied the syllabus and highlighted the rules on cheating. I then pulled them away from the rest of the lab and asked the guy how he was able to answer these questions when he was fast asleep through the movie! He had no answer. I then explained that he obviously cheated to get the answers and, therefore, would be receiving an F. I then turned to the girl and told her that she shouldn't have let him copy off of her because now she was also going to be getting an F for enabling the situation to happen! I told them that they could just leave and that there was no need to come back the next day for the final. So that was that. I then got an e-mail from the guy later that night apologizing for cheating... saying he "had" to cheat because he works 12 hour days, blah, blah. I told him that if the class was too much for him, he should have dropped... NOT cheated. He then asked me not to punish the girl because it wasn't her fault and she didn't know he was cheating. I wrote back and was like... while I appreciate you trying to bail her out, she very obviously DID know what you were doing since not only did she give you her answers to copy, but she wrote some of them herself!!! He never had any comments after that. So yeah... that was the end of that. I talked to my dean and he's going to completely back me up on the situation... so I'm all good there. Hopefully they won't even attempt to fight it... hopefully.
What else?? So I'm a bit intrigued with my political views according to that quiz. I would agree with most... although the defense/crime thing kinda threw me. I'm wondering exactly how I ended up more conservative than liberal... but whatever. Apparently saying that I'm okay with the death penalty put me over the edge. I laughed when my ethics were almost completely liberal. I'll have to go look at the quiz again... cause I don't remember the ethical questions at all!! So I'm intrigued... :) But I would certainly agree that while I'm more socially liberal, I am becoming more fiscally conservative. So that was right. Anyway... it was interesting. Those quizzes crack me up... I love them.
After lab today I went out doing some pre-furniture shopping. I wanted to go check out some stores while it wasn't that crazy busy and look around so that I'd know which stores to go to and which to avoid tomorrow when Mark was there. So we'll see what happens. The whole house thing is starting to feel real now... especially with the whole purchase of furniture. I have been mentioning the cost of things to Mark so that he can prepare himself for what he is going to see. He is not a fan of large expenditures... so I wanted to make sure he was ready for the price tags he'd be encountering. :) I think it will go well. Fortunately so far, we have agreed on the types of furniture we do and don't like... so that has been VERY helpful.
Otherwise, not too much to report. So I should be going. I'm sure there's something interesting on HGTV or TLC to watch... since I'm addicted to those channels!!!
Have a great holiday weekend kids!!! :)
Friday, June 30, 2006
How liberal or conservative are you?
HAHA... I just have to laugh... I am such a woman of extremes!! :)
How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?
| Your Political Profile: |
| Overall: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal |
| Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
| Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal |
| Fiscal Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal |
| Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
| Defense and Crime: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal |
How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Cheaters...
Hi everyone... sorry it's been a while, but I've been busy with school stuff. And since Kelly hasn't had any good teaching stories, I thought I'd give you one. So here we go...
It appears as though I'm going to be failing two students for cheating tonight. We'll see what happens once I get to lab. I've never actually had to fail someone for cheating before... but there's a first time for everything! So the rule in all of my classes and labs is that if I catch you cheating the first time, you get a zero. The next time it happens, you fail the class... no exceptions. And I've had to give people a zero before... but that usually scares them enough to never do it again. Well, not these two!! So I've got a couple in my night lab (bf/gf) who I was worried about from the start. And while people are allowed to work together on their labs, in the end, they should have at least slightly different answers. After all, no two people write exactly the same. So some of their labs were a bit too similar for my tastes, but I couldn't really prove anything. Well, then we had a lab about epidemics and community health and the students had to choose a disease that they thought was important in the community or world and then write what the causes, symptoms, treatments, etc. were for the disease. Nothing too big. A quick internet search could give them all of the info they would need. Well, these two idiots both turned in a typed sheet that had the exact same info!!! They just wrote the name of the disease and then made a list of the information I wanted and printed 2 copies!! Do they think I'm THAT stupid?!?! So of course they got a zero on both labs and I wrote "who did this work?" and "DO NOT CHEAT!" So I thought that would be the end of it. Well, yesterday they handed in labs where they answered one question with the EXACT same diagram. No one else in class even used a diagram... so it was fishy, to say the least. But it looks like a diagram that was copied out of a book... so officially, it wasn't enough to catch them on. I did write on their labs that it was too similar to the other person's (aka, I'm watching... so don't screw up). And then I went and made copies of this lab just for my own records (I stupidly didn't make a copy of the first lab with the obvious cheating... but it's okay... I still have yesterday's and today's to catch them on. And if it comes down to their word or mine, mine will be the one that gets believed) I also am pretty sure that the girl has just written some of his labs for him because the writing looks WAY too similar... but trying to catch them on handwriting would be near impossible... so I just have to deal with it. So then we get to yesterday's lab. The first part of the lab was spent watching a movie... and the idiot guy completely fell asleep through the movie!! I just watched him sleeping, not writing the answers to any questions. The girl, of course, was awake and alert taking notes. So how much do you want to bet that they both come in to lab tonight and his paper will have all of the same answers?!?! And if it does, then I've got them both... and they will fail the class. Now, the girl saw me looking over... so she KNOWS that I saw him sleeping. So if she lets that idiot copy her notes (or if she writes them FOR him!!) then she fails also. So we'll see. Maybe they'll show some shred of intelligence and actually NOT cheat. But considering that they haven't seemed to take me seriously or learn yet, I doubt it. So yeah... good times. So needless to say, I'll know tonight when I get their labs. And if they cheat, then I'm going to have a chat with my dean tomorrow morning after I finish teaching my class just so that he knows what's going on, etc. I want to make sure that they will actually get the F in the class and it will be on their record. And also I want him to know their names so that if they enroll in another Biology class, the prof can keep an eye on them. I know that he'll completely support me on this since he is REALLY big of being tough on the students and not letting them get away with stuff, etc. But yeah... it's just amazing to me. The funny part is that tomorrow night they take their final. So if they do cheat, I'm going to tell them before they take their final that they're failing the course... and they can take the final or not... but it won't matter. They're going to fail anyway. So they will have come to lab every night, participated, sort of done the work, etc. and they're going to fail the class on the last day because they were stupid. Seriously... you'd think that if people were going to cheat they'd be better at it!! Oh well... I really think that they don't think I have the guts to fail them... I guess they'll find out tomorrow!! So yeah... interesting stuff.
And that is my story for the day... I hope you enjoyed!! Have a great one!
It appears as though I'm going to be failing two students for cheating tonight. We'll see what happens once I get to lab. I've never actually had to fail someone for cheating before... but there's a first time for everything! So the rule in all of my classes and labs is that if I catch you cheating the first time, you get a zero. The next time it happens, you fail the class... no exceptions. And I've had to give people a zero before... but that usually scares them enough to never do it again. Well, not these two!! So I've got a couple in my night lab (bf/gf) who I was worried about from the start. And while people are allowed to work together on their labs, in the end, they should have at least slightly different answers. After all, no two people write exactly the same. So some of their labs were a bit too similar for my tastes, but I couldn't really prove anything. Well, then we had a lab about epidemics and community health and the students had to choose a disease that they thought was important in the community or world and then write what the causes, symptoms, treatments, etc. were for the disease. Nothing too big. A quick internet search could give them all of the info they would need. Well, these two idiots both turned in a typed sheet that had the exact same info!!! They just wrote the name of the disease and then made a list of the information I wanted and printed 2 copies!! Do they think I'm THAT stupid?!?! So of course they got a zero on both labs and I wrote "who did this work?" and "DO NOT CHEAT!" So I thought that would be the end of it. Well, yesterday they handed in labs where they answered one question with the EXACT same diagram. No one else in class even used a diagram... so it was fishy, to say the least. But it looks like a diagram that was copied out of a book... so officially, it wasn't enough to catch them on. I did write on their labs that it was too similar to the other person's (aka, I'm watching... so don't screw up). And then I went and made copies of this lab just for my own records (I stupidly didn't make a copy of the first lab with the obvious cheating... but it's okay... I still have yesterday's and today's to catch them on. And if it comes down to their word or mine, mine will be the one that gets believed) I also am pretty sure that the girl has just written some of his labs for him because the writing looks WAY too similar... but trying to catch them on handwriting would be near impossible... so I just have to deal with it. So then we get to yesterday's lab. The first part of the lab was spent watching a movie... and the idiot guy completely fell asleep through the movie!! I just watched him sleeping, not writing the answers to any questions. The girl, of course, was awake and alert taking notes. So how much do you want to bet that they both come in to lab tonight and his paper will have all of the same answers?!?! And if it does, then I've got them both... and they will fail the class. Now, the girl saw me looking over... so she KNOWS that I saw him sleeping. So if she lets that idiot copy her notes (or if she writes them FOR him!!) then she fails also. So we'll see. Maybe they'll show some shred of intelligence and actually NOT cheat. But considering that they haven't seemed to take me seriously or learn yet, I doubt it. So yeah... good times. So needless to say, I'll know tonight when I get their labs. And if they cheat, then I'm going to have a chat with my dean tomorrow morning after I finish teaching my class just so that he knows what's going on, etc. I want to make sure that they will actually get the F in the class and it will be on their record. And also I want him to know their names so that if they enroll in another Biology class, the prof can keep an eye on them. I know that he'll completely support me on this since he is REALLY big of being tough on the students and not letting them get away with stuff, etc. But yeah... it's just amazing to me. The funny part is that tomorrow night they take their final. So if they do cheat, I'm going to tell them before they take their final that they're failing the course... and they can take the final or not... but it won't matter. They're going to fail anyway. So they will have come to lab every night, participated, sort of done the work, etc. and they're going to fail the class on the last day because they were stupid. Seriously... you'd think that if people were going to cheat they'd be better at it!! Oh well... I really think that they don't think I have the guts to fail them... I guess they'll find out tomorrow!! So yeah... interesting stuff.
And that is my story for the day... I hope you enjoyed!! Have a great one!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Sunday thoughts...
Hi everyone! So it's a rainy day in the Chicagoland area... so I figured it was perfect for blogging. I've had so many thoughts running through my head lately but always at times when I can't write them down. Sometimes I think I should just carry a notepad or something so that I can write all of my thoughts. Anyway... here we go.
So at some point on Friday afternoon I got a bit bored of watching tv and I walked out onto my balcony and just stood there and looked out. It was a beautiful day... a bit warm... but there was a really nice breeze. And my balcony was shaded... so it was great. And I just sat there and was watching life go by and I realized that I really don't take enough time for myself. I let life fly by around me and I think that I miss it a lot. I think that most of us miss it a lot. I realize that I am truly blessed this summer because I have the opportunity to really enjoy those little things. I have a lot of time to myself where I'm not going to be busy... so I need to take advantage of that. It seems like such a stupid little thing... just standing on the balcony, letting the breeze hit me, and just having a moment of quiet to myself. No TV, no radio, no nothing... just nature (and the cars driving down the street) :) One of my favorite prints that I have is of two white chairs sitting on a deck overlooking the beach.
(FYI... this isn't the exact picture... but I couldn't find the print I have online... so this is close)
I always think of it as something I'd love to have at retirement... I always envision an older couple occupying those chairs and just sitting back and enjoying life around them... with the waves crashing in the distance. Sitting out on the balcony made me feel like I was getting that moment to myself. It was definitely a nice change... and something that I need to take more advantage of this summer.
In other news... so I was just chatting with Katie today and found out that two girls that I was friends with in Iowa (who were in the same program as I was) have either had babies or are pregnant now. I'm telling you... Iowa is just a breeding ground!!! And everyone in Iowa has boys... we have no clue how this happens. But every single female who has worked in a lab in Iowa (doesn't matter what department it is) and gets pregnant ends up having a boy. I know in my head that one shouldn't have anything to do with the other... but those odds are just crazy if you ask me!!! So yeah... everyone is wondering what effect being in Iowa may have on me... especially since I did half of my time there and half in Chicago. :) I told them that they will just have to keep on waiting since that isn't in the plans anytime in the near future!!! But it was weird to hear about all of my friends being pregnant and having babies. Those are the times that I feel like I'm somehow "behind." And I will admit that it isn't as bad now that I'm dating Mark... I feel like I'm "catching up" in some way. But it's still strange.
I got my Augie magazine this week... I love getting that magazine... I don't know why. But I love reading what people in my class are doing... always looking to see what names I recognize, etc. Maybe it brings me back... I don't know. I do love it though. But it is strange to watch the phases that my classes went through. When we first graduated, there were TONS of wedding announcements... all the people who met at Augie and got married. Then a couple years went by and there would be more wedding announcements, but also people graduating with their masters. Now the big announcement is babies. All those people who got married are having babies. I'm guessing the next big group will be the people who finished med school and perhaps some PhD's. (We'll see how long it takes Augie to put my update in there). And of course there will be more babies... some are already on their 2nd!! It's just crazy to read that sometimes. I love to see where life takes different people... but yeah. Crazy.
What else? This weekend was graduation party weekend. Mark's sister, Mary, had her party... so I was at Mark's house meeting tons of family (and I only remember some of their names). It was fun. His grandparents were there and they are so cute. They call me little Stacey, of course... LOL Granted, his grandma isn't THAT much taller than me!!! I guess they asked Mark when I had left if our relationship was "serious" and he said yes... his grandma was happy... because "she likes me." LOL So that was good. Then I was at another graduation party for a friend at church. His parents (especially his mom) are kind of my "church parents." When I went on a missions trip to Mexico several years ago, Wendy was the one who stayed with me when I was sick and fed me Gatorade and other food to help me get better. Of course, she's a mom to almost everyone in the church!! LOL Anyway... her son finished high school and all of the church group was over for the party... so it was a good time. Fun to see everyone (until the t-storm hit... and then that was the end of the party... especially the pool part of it all!!) Then I drove back to Mark's just to spend some time with him. We watched a movie and ended up both falling asleep (yes, we are old farts... this is the excitement of our lives... what can I say?) I really have to say that getting to spend 6 hours a week with my boyfriend is really NOT cutting it. I'm sure it doesn't help that we got spoiled two weeks in a row when we went to Utah for Amanda's wedding and then I was out in Arizona for Memorial Day weekend... and we had lots of time to spend together. And now we get a matter of hours when he's home. It sucks. So yeah... I can't wait unti July 12th when he's home for good. I am very obviously NOT a long distance person. And I'm realizing that I don't think I'd be happy if my significant other had to travel a lot... so at least I'm learning that now. I know in the end that this is probably good for me and Mark... that somehow it is strengthening our relationship and such. I think it's just hard because when we do get to see each other, we're so busy on those weekends with different activities with family and friends that we aren't getting time together. And that is hard. But I know it will be over sooner than I think... so that will be good. And hopefully I won't have to do this again for a LONG time (never would be nice... but I'm not that delusional).
What else?? So Amanda text messaged me last night to tell me that her nieces were going to be on the front page of the Chicago Sun Times... and sure enough... they were!!
So at some point on Friday afternoon I got a bit bored of watching tv and I walked out onto my balcony and just stood there and looked out. It was a beautiful day... a bit warm... but there was a really nice breeze. And my balcony was shaded... so it was great. And I just sat there and was watching life go by and I realized that I really don't take enough time for myself. I let life fly by around me and I think that I miss it a lot. I think that most of us miss it a lot. I realize that I am truly blessed this summer because I have the opportunity to really enjoy those little things. I have a lot of time to myself where I'm not going to be busy... so I need to take advantage of that. It seems like such a stupid little thing... just standing on the balcony, letting the breeze hit me, and just having a moment of quiet to myself. No TV, no radio, no nothing... just nature (and the cars driving down the street) :) One of my favorite prints that I have is of two white chairs sitting on a deck overlooking the beach.
(FYI... this isn't the exact picture... but I couldn't find the print I have online... so this is close)
I always think of it as something I'd love to have at retirement... I always envision an older couple occupying those chairs and just sitting back and enjoying life around them... with the waves crashing in the distance. Sitting out on the balcony made me feel like I was getting that moment to myself. It was definitely a nice change... and something that I need to take more advantage of this summer.
In other news... so I was just chatting with Katie today and found out that two girls that I was friends with in Iowa (who were in the same program as I was) have either had babies or are pregnant now. I'm telling you... Iowa is just a breeding ground!!! And everyone in Iowa has boys... we have no clue how this happens. But every single female who has worked in a lab in Iowa (doesn't matter what department it is) and gets pregnant ends up having a boy. I know in my head that one shouldn't have anything to do with the other... but those odds are just crazy if you ask me!!! So yeah... everyone is wondering what effect being in Iowa may have on me... especially since I did half of my time there and half in Chicago. :) I told them that they will just have to keep on waiting since that isn't in the plans anytime in the near future!!! But it was weird to hear about all of my friends being pregnant and having babies. Those are the times that I feel like I'm somehow "behind." And I will admit that it isn't as bad now that I'm dating Mark... I feel like I'm "catching up" in some way. But it's still strange.
I got my Augie magazine this week... I love getting that magazine... I don't know why. But I love reading what people in my class are doing... always looking to see what names I recognize, etc. Maybe it brings me back... I don't know. I do love it though. But it is strange to watch the phases that my classes went through. When we first graduated, there were TONS of wedding announcements... all the people who met at Augie and got married. Then a couple years went by and there would be more wedding announcements, but also people graduating with their masters. Now the big announcement is babies. All those people who got married are having babies. I'm guessing the next big group will be the people who finished med school and perhaps some PhD's. (We'll see how long it takes Augie to put my update in there). And of course there will be more babies... some are already on their 2nd!! It's just crazy to read that sometimes. I love to see where life takes different people... but yeah. Crazy.
What else? This weekend was graduation party weekend. Mark's sister, Mary, had her party... so I was at Mark's house meeting tons of family (and I only remember some of their names). It was fun. His grandparents were there and they are so cute. They call me little Stacey, of course... LOL Granted, his grandma isn't THAT much taller than me!!! I guess they asked Mark when I had left if our relationship was "serious" and he said yes... his grandma was happy... because "she likes me." LOL So that was good. Then I was at another graduation party for a friend at church. His parents (especially his mom) are kind of my "church parents." When I went on a missions trip to Mexico several years ago, Wendy was the one who stayed with me when I was sick and fed me Gatorade and other food to help me get better. Of course, she's a mom to almost everyone in the church!! LOL Anyway... her son finished high school and all of the church group was over for the party... so it was a good time. Fun to see everyone (until the t-storm hit... and then that was the end of the party... especially the pool part of it all!!) Then I drove back to Mark's just to spend some time with him. We watched a movie and ended up both falling asleep (yes, we are old farts... this is the excitement of our lives... what can I say?) I really have to say that getting to spend 6 hours a week with my boyfriend is really NOT cutting it. I'm sure it doesn't help that we got spoiled two weeks in a row when we went to Utah for Amanda's wedding and then I was out in Arizona for Memorial Day weekend... and we had lots of time to spend together. And now we get a matter of hours when he's home. It sucks. So yeah... I can't wait unti July 12th when he's home for good. I am very obviously NOT a long distance person. And I'm realizing that I don't think I'd be happy if my significant other had to travel a lot... so at least I'm learning that now. I know in the end that this is probably good for me and Mark... that somehow it is strengthening our relationship and such. I think it's just hard because when we do get to see each other, we're so busy on those weekends with different activities with family and friends that we aren't getting time together. And that is hard. But I know it will be over sooner than I think... so that will be good. And hopefully I won't have to do this again for a LONG time (never would be nice... but I'm not that delusional).
What else?? So Amanda text messaged me last night to tell me that her nieces were going to be on the front page of the Chicago Sun Times... and sure enough... they were!!
Now granted, they got in the paper for a not so good thing... some stupid person stole their lemonade stand!!!! Seriously... who steals a lemonade stand?!?!? But it was cute to see the girls on the front page of the paper. Marcelite has some great quotes in there (you'd never know she was 5!!). And I'd like you all to know that she is my "best wedding friend." She and Lucinda were flower girls in Amanda and Rich's wedding... and Marcelite always would stand next to me since she would follow me down the aisle. So that is how I earned such an honor. :) By the way... all I have to say is that only in Wheaton or Naperville would kids earn $51 at a lemonade stand. People seriously have TOO much money!!! But I'm glad it helped the girls out... :)
What else? I don't know... I think that's about all of the news right now. We talked about spiritual gifts in church today. I love talks on that... I wish more people would take advantage of their gifts and really put them to good use. I think I'm going to take one of the online tests that I think is pretty good today just to see where my gifts are. I know which ones I'm usually high in (encouragement, teaching, and leadership) but I like to check to see if they change at all as time goes on. It is good to see that my chosen field of teaching is something that I am theoretically gifted at. But it also reminds me how much I enjoyed being a Bible study leader. I really want to do that again... and I think I'm going to talk to Chris (our pastor) about starting something up again. I really miss my weekly meetings with my girls... just having a chance to talk about life and really dig into the Bible, etc. So we'll see if maybe something can get started again. I heard today at Panera that the numbers for the second service (the traditional service that typically has more of the older members of our congregation) are starting to dwindle. But the numbers in the first service are rising dramatically... I can't say I'm surprised... especially with our new pastor. And while I do think it's sad to lose some of our older crowd... at the same point... a growing church requires younger congregation members. So I think that is going to change things in our church and get some new directions... which I am excited to see. We are going through the book of Numbers this summer at church... and you'd think that it would be really dry and boring... but it is really interesting. Chris is pulling some great stuff out of there and showing us how it relates to our own lives. And I just love that. It has been a long time since I've had a pastor take Biblical passages and relate it to my life. So yeah... it's really good. Now I just need to get my spiritual life at home back on track...
Anyway... that is the scoop over here. I'm going to go work on my lesson plans for this week. I feel like my class was kind of boring on Wednesday and Thursday... so I want to try to liven things up... get my students more involved. Make things a bit more real. Something. It's Biology... I've got to try something!! So that's the plan... and I should probably clean up my place and get some things organized because it's a pit right now. 4 classes of paperwork with no office to store it in at school is making my own office and living room at home become a pile of papers. NOT good. I think it's time to go through my file cabinets of papers from grad school and start dumping... I'll have to tell the Johnsons that if they need some kindling for their fire... I've got LOTS of paper to donate!! :)
And on that note... I'm off for now... I hope you all had lovely weekends... and hopefully Monday won't seem so bad... :)
Friday, June 16, 2006
Thank God I don't take the train anymore!!!
So I have never been so grateful that I don't commute to the city on the train anymore...
Friday, June 16, 2006
BNSF TO OUR METRA/BNSF RAILWAY CUSTOMERS:
At approximately 4:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon, service on the BNSF was halted after bags of stearic acid were discovered along the tracks. The bags of the white, powdery chemical normally used in candle and soap production had fallen from a freight train earlier in the day. It was not until we received a call from the Downers Grove Fire Department that anyone knew of the problem.
Although stearic acid is an extremely stable chemical, when released into the air, it can cause eye, skin or respiratory irritation. For that reason, the local fire departments and hazardous material teams felt that it was best that we not operate through the areas until the product was removed from the railbed.
We attempted to secure busses to carry customers around the initial site at Downers Grove, but there were only a limited number available. We knew that it would be a long and tedious process to transfer customers from train to bus to a train waiting beyond Downers Grove, but we felt that it was the only option. While we continued our attempts to secure additional busses, we were notified that the product had been found at various points between Cicero and Aurora. At that point, we had no choice but to wait for the entire line to be cleared. Unfortunately, this took several hours to accomplish. Train service finally resumed just after 8:15 p.m.
The problems continued this morning because the crews, who must observe federally mandated rest periods, were unable to return to work to operate their normal inbound trains. BNSF managers worked through the night to modify the schedule this morning in an attempt to provide as much service as possible.
Metra and BNSF personnel have remarked on the patience and understanding shown by all of you. We know that each of you probably had some plans last evening which were ultimately delayed or cancelled because of the service disruption. While our goal is to get everyone home on time, all the time, our most important responsibility is to get you there safely. Thank you for your calm and reasonable demeanor during what was, in all likelihood, your longest and most trying commute home.
Metra 6/16/06
Yeah... needless to say... I would have been stuck in that mess... and I'm sure that my morning commute would have been screwed up since my conductors worked evening trains. Shnikes. The real question is... how the heck did that stuff get out there to begin with?!?! SOMEBODY is in trouble!!
And with that note... I'm off to grab a bite to eat and be a bit of a bum... I hope you all have wonderful weekends!!
Friday, June 16, 2006
BNSF TO OUR METRA/BNSF RAILWAY CUSTOMERS:
At approximately 4:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon, service on the BNSF was halted after bags of stearic acid were discovered along the tracks. The bags of the white, powdery chemical normally used in candle and soap production had fallen from a freight train earlier in the day. It was not until we received a call from the Downers Grove Fire Department that anyone knew of the problem.
Although stearic acid is an extremely stable chemical, when released into the air, it can cause eye, skin or respiratory irritation. For that reason, the local fire departments and hazardous material teams felt that it was best that we not operate through the areas until the product was removed from the railbed.
We attempted to secure busses to carry customers around the initial site at Downers Grove, but there were only a limited number available. We knew that it would be a long and tedious process to transfer customers from train to bus to a train waiting beyond Downers Grove, but we felt that it was the only option. While we continued our attempts to secure additional busses, we were notified that the product had been found at various points between Cicero and Aurora. At that point, we had no choice but to wait for the entire line to be cleared. Unfortunately, this took several hours to accomplish. Train service finally resumed just after 8:15 p.m.
The problems continued this morning because the crews, who must observe federally mandated rest periods, were unable to return to work to operate their normal inbound trains. BNSF managers worked through the night to modify the schedule this morning in an attempt to provide as much service as possible.
Metra and BNSF personnel have remarked on the patience and understanding shown by all of you. We know that each of you probably had some plans last evening which were ultimately delayed or cancelled because of the service disruption. While our goal is to get everyone home on time, all the time, our most important responsibility is to get you there safely. Thank you for your calm and reasonable demeanor during what was, in all likelihood, your longest and most trying commute home.
Metra 6/16/06
Yeah... needless to say... I would have been stuck in that mess... and I'm sure that my morning commute would have been screwed up since my conductors worked evening trains. Shnikes. The real question is... how the heck did that stuff get out there to begin with?!?! SOMEBODY is in trouble!!
And with that note... I'm off to grab a bite to eat and be a bit of a bum... I hope you all have wonderful weekends!!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Taking back my life... sort of
Hi everyone... sorry that it's been a while. I really have no excuse. My schedule is certainly lighter than it ever was before... and I always think of great stuff to talk about when I'm driving to and from school... but then I get home and I sit down on the couch and that's the end of that. So anyway... here we go.
It still hasn't really sunk in that teaching is my career. I think it mostly feels like I'm taking a "vacation" from work and doing this as a summer job and then will go back to lab or something. I don't know. A couple times this week while I was lecturing in the morning, I had that brief thought of... this is my new life. But it doesn't seem to stick around. Weird...
My classes are going well... although I will be SO glad when my fast-track lab is done. It's a night class. So I teach first thing in the morning, and then I go back for another 3 hours at night. That part kinda sucks... so yeah... I'll be glad when it's done in 2 weeks. But my students appear to be a good group... so that makes me happy. We'll see how things go. I have a couple students that are working hard to get under my skin... we'll see what happens. :)
Anyway... other than that, I haven't really been doing much. I have been a good person and went to the gym on Monday and today after class. It has been AGES since I was in the gym... and I paid the price on Monday. I learned that maybe I shouldn't go to the gym and then go wear heels again when my knees are already weakened to go teach 3 hours of lab. Let me tell you, by the end of that lab... my body was in so much pain. I was slightly worried I wasn't going to make it back out to my car. So needless to say... I took a couple days off to let my body recover. But I went today, figuring that since I didn't have lab at night, if I really injured myself, I could just sit on the couch and be a bum. And I ended up feeling fine. So I think I just needed to get that initial visit out of the way. I really do like going to the gym in the middle of the day though... so much calmer... every machine is always available... so you don't have to stalk people to get to use the equipment. Haven't seen any creepy guys yet... which is always good. So that is nice. And I feel good about myself when I'm done... which is ALWAYS a positive. :)
Today I decided to really enjoy my time off and I went to the pool after I got back from the gym. Was able to work on my tan and got some good sun and read a book that I got from a lady who also worked at Children's (although I didn't actually talk to her until my last week of work... ironic!!) So that was fun... until the pool became inundated with screaming children. Now seriously... you all know me and know how much I love children. But what is it with so many parents these days who apparently feel that disciplining a child is a bad thing?? Kids were just running around and screaming in the pool... annoying everyone else who was there. The parents just watch as the kids dive into the pool that is only 4 feet deep (SAFE!!) and don't seem to care... for them, the pool is just a good baby-sitter... something to tire the kids out. Half the time the parents were too busy worrying about getting their perfect tans so they didn't actually watch their kids. I'm sorry... things like that just really annoy me. It doesn't have to be that way. And if you aren't going to be a parent and discipline your kids then why they heck do you have children to begin with?? Things like this really bother me. Argh.
Okay... moving off of my soap box. The rest of my week has been spent watching World Cup soccer. I won't discuss the US game... it wasn't even a game. It was a slaughter. Our team deserved that beating and deserves all of the bad press it's getting... we just proved exactly what everyone else always thought of us. I have decided that England is my team to cheer for this year. I have no idea why... but I like the English. And since America isn't going to make it out of group play, I'm going to cheer for the English. :) They won today... so that makes me happy. Wouldn't you know that I missed their goals... I was watching the game while I was at the gym and they apparently scored those goals as I was changing and coming home!!! What timing! Oh well...
I finally got my bank accounts back in order and paid all of my bills. I never miss paying any of my bills... but sometimes I start to slack off about recording everything... especially when I was working in the city because I'd pay the bill when I got the e-mail notification and I'd do that in lab. So then I'd write a post-it note with the info to record it in my checkbook, etc. And I'd keep the post-it... I just wouldn't record it. And that's just bad. So yeah... I caught up again... I feel like I'm back in control of my life (at least, somewhat!!)
What else?? This weekend is graduation party weekend... next weekend Mark and I have a wedding to go to. Let the craziness begin!!
But until then... I am off to watch a very cheesy movie... why? Because that's me. Chasing Liberty... with Mandy Moore. I've never seen it but I caught the end of it a few days ago and now I want to see the whole thing. I know... I should be ashamed for even admitting I'm going to watch this movie... but whatever. It's me!! So I'm off for now kids... have a great one!!!
It still hasn't really sunk in that teaching is my career. I think it mostly feels like I'm taking a "vacation" from work and doing this as a summer job and then will go back to lab or something. I don't know. A couple times this week while I was lecturing in the morning, I had that brief thought of... this is my new life. But it doesn't seem to stick around. Weird...
My classes are going well... although I will be SO glad when my fast-track lab is done. It's a night class. So I teach first thing in the morning, and then I go back for another 3 hours at night. That part kinda sucks... so yeah... I'll be glad when it's done in 2 weeks. But my students appear to be a good group... so that makes me happy. We'll see how things go. I have a couple students that are working hard to get under my skin... we'll see what happens. :)
Anyway... other than that, I haven't really been doing much. I have been a good person and went to the gym on Monday and today after class. It has been AGES since I was in the gym... and I paid the price on Monday. I learned that maybe I shouldn't go to the gym and then go wear heels again when my knees are already weakened to go teach 3 hours of lab. Let me tell you, by the end of that lab... my body was in so much pain. I was slightly worried I wasn't going to make it back out to my car. So needless to say... I took a couple days off to let my body recover. But I went today, figuring that since I didn't have lab at night, if I really injured myself, I could just sit on the couch and be a bum. And I ended up feeling fine. So I think I just needed to get that initial visit out of the way. I really do like going to the gym in the middle of the day though... so much calmer... every machine is always available... so you don't have to stalk people to get to use the equipment. Haven't seen any creepy guys yet... which is always good. So that is nice. And I feel good about myself when I'm done... which is ALWAYS a positive. :)
Today I decided to really enjoy my time off and I went to the pool after I got back from the gym. Was able to work on my tan and got some good sun and read a book that I got from a lady who also worked at Children's (although I didn't actually talk to her until my last week of work... ironic!!) So that was fun... until the pool became inundated with screaming children. Now seriously... you all know me and know how much I love children. But what is it with so many parents these days who apparently feel that disciplining a child is a bad thing?? Kids were just running around and screaming in the pool... annoying everyone else who was there. The parents just watch as the kids dive into the pool that is only 4 feet deep (SAFE!!) and don't seem to care... for them, the pool is just a good baby-sitter... something to tire the kids out. Half the time the parents were too busy worrying about getting their perfect tans so they didn't actually watch their kids. I'm sorry... things like that just really annoy me. It doesn't have to be that way. And if you aren't going to be a parent and discipline your kids then why they heck do you have children to begin with?? Things like this really bother me. Argh.
Okay... moving off of my soap box. The rest of my week has been spent watching World Cup soccer. I won't discuss the US game... it wasn't even a game. It was a slaughter. Our team deserved that beating and deserves all of the bad press it's getting... we just proved exactly what everyone else always thought of us. I have decided that England is my team to cheer for this year. I have no idea why... but I like the English. And since America isn't going to make it out of group play, I'm going to cheer for the English. :) They won today... so that makes me happy. Wouldn't you know that I missed their goals... I was watching the game while I was at the gym and they apparently scored those goals as I was changing and coming home!!! What timing! Oh well...
I finally got my bank accounts back in order and paid all of my bills. I never miss paying any of my bills... but sometimes I start to slack off about recording everything... especially when I was working in the city because I'd pay the bill when I got the e-mail notification and I'd do that in lab. So then I'd write a post-it note with the info to record it in my checkbook, etc. And I'd keep the post-it... I just wouldn't record it. And that's just bad. So yeah... I caught up again... I feel like I'm back in control of my life (at least, somewhat!!)
What else?? This weekend is graduation party weekend... next weekend Mark and I have a wedding to go to. Let the craziness begin!!
But until then... I am off to watch a very cheesy movie... why? Because that's me. Chasing Liberty... with Mandy Moore. I've never seen it but I caught the end of it a few days ago and now I want to see the whole thing. I know... I should be ashamed for even admitting I'm going to watch this movie... but whatever. It's me!! So I'm off for now kids... have a great one!!!
Sunday, June 11, 2006
All sorts of stuff
Hi everyone... so I figured I should post on the day before I start the "sort of" next phase in my life. :) So last Friday was my last day in lab... YAY!!! As I said before... while I'll miss some of the people I worked with, I won't miss the lab experience. It has been a weight off of my shoulders to be gone from there. I am wondering if I'll accidentally drive to the train station tomorrow morning. I will have to consciously tell myself to turn rather than go straight. :) Anyway... the most interesting thing to report of my last day in lab was that Mary out right cried when I went in to say goodbye to her. She said some very nice things to me... basically that she was proud of me... that I had done a lot of work and I did it all on my own... and because of that she knew that I would "make it." And then she started crying... I was NOT prepared for that. I told Ange and Lynne the next day and they were both shocked and amazed that Mary showed so much emotion since none of us have ever seen it. The thing is... when she started crying, while it moved me a bit... I never did cry. I think part of me just didn't have anything left to give for that lab. I've cried my tears time and time again... many of you have been there to see it and have been the shoulders that I have cried on. I wasn't going to cry anymore... I was out. There was a part of me that just thought that it was too little too late. If she really felt that way, then why didn't she say something in the 4 years I was there? Why didn't she make one slight effort to do something for me in that entire time? But oh well... that is the way it happened. And it has helped to guide my life path and really show me the type of person I am and what I need in my life to be happy. So yeah... that was interesting.
So Saturday was my actual day of activity this weekend... so Mark came over in the morning and we went to see the house. He really likes it and was able to take pictures of it and show them to his p's (who hadn't seen anything yet). So that was good. And we were able to start planning out where we want furniture to go, etc. So yeah... that was very good. It's especially nice that now Mark is able to understand what I'm talking about and it seems a bit more real... if that makes sense. So I was happy.
After that, we went our separate ways for a bit so that he could hang out with the boys and I stamped with the girls. I had a ton of fun and made a bunch of cards that I'll be able to use for all sorts of occasions... so that was really good. And I just love hanging out with that group. Ange made a comment about how she didn't know when she'd see me again and I told her we'd have to do lunch or dinner sometime. And it was just such a foreign concept for anyone in the lab to actually do something outside of the lab just for the heck of it... it's really sad that it is like that too. But I'm going to work on changing that. :)
Anyway, after I finished stamping, Mark and I went to see X-Men 3... and let me tell you... it was good. I won't say much since many of my readers haven't seen it yet... but it was good. Just make sure that you stay for the final scene after the credits!! It's important!!
Anyway... other than that, not too much to report. I've pretty much been a bum all day long today. I went to church and then out to Panera with a much smaller group than normal. But it was fun. And then I ran a few errands and have been home for the rest of the day. I was supposed to get myself really organized and such... and yeah, that never happened. :P Oh well... what can you do? That's what the afternoons are for, right?? Now that I have free time...
My plan for the night is to get all of my stuff ready for class tomorrow. Just have my bag all packed and ready to go. And then I'll have my evening chat with Mark once he gets back to Arizona. Speaking of which... I am definitely learning that I hate long distance relationships. Not that I ever thought I'd be a fan of them... but yeah, I really hate them. I keep thinking that it should be getting easier to get used to this since it's now been 4 weeks... but it's not. Every weekend it is harder to say goodbye. And I tell myself that normally we wouldn't see each other much more than this... but yeah, it sucks. I just remind myself that it's 3 more weekends to go and then he'll be home again. And I hope that he doesn't have to do another trip like this for a LONG time... never again would be ideal. I think Mark has also realized that maybe his boring monotonous client in Arlington Heights wasn't as bad as he thought... at least compared to flying to Arizona all the time!
Anyway, I am off for now... I hope you all had lovely weekends and are ready to go back to work on Monday (although is anyone ever REALLY ready to go back to work on Mondays??). Stay out of trouble, kids... :)
So Saturday was my actual day of activity this weekend... so Mark came over in the morning and we went to see the house. He really likes it and was able to take pictures of it and show them to his p's (who hadn't seen anything yet). So that was good. And we were able to start planning out where we want furniture to go, etc. So yeah... that was very good. It's especially nice that now Mark is able to understand what I'm talking about and it seems a bit more real... if that makes sense. So I was happy.
After that, we went our separate ways for a bit so that he could hang out with the boys and I stamped with the girls. I had a ton of fun and made a bunch of cards that I'll be able to use for all sorts of occasions... so that was really good. And I just love hanging out with that group. Ange made a comment about how she didn't know when she'd see me again and I told her we'd have to do lunch or dinner sometime. And it was just such a foreign concept for anyone in the lab to actually do something outside of the lab just for the heck of it... it's really sad that it is like that too. But I'm going to work on changing that. :)
Anyway, after I finished stamping, Mark and I went to see X-Men 3... and let me tell you... it was good. I won't say much since many of my readers haven't seen it yet... but it was good. Just make sure that you stay for the final scene after the credits!! It's important!!
Anyway... other than that, not too much to report. I've pretty much been a bum all day long today. I went to church and then out to Panera with a much smaller group than normal. But it was fun. And then I ran a few errands and have been home for the rest of the day. I was supposed to get myself really organized and such... and yeah, that never happened. :P Oh well... what can you do? That's what the afternoons are for, right?? Now that I have free time...
My plan for the night is to get all of my stuff ready for class tomorrow. Just have my bag all packed and ready to go. And then I'll have my evening chat with Mark once he gets back to Arizona. Speaking of which... I am definitely learning that I hate long distance relationships. Not that I ever thought I'd be a fan of them... but yeah, I really hate them. I keep thinking that it should be getting easier to get used to this since it's now been 4 weeks... but it's not. Every weekend it is harder to say goodbye. And I tell myself that normally we wouldn't see each other much more than this... but yeah, it sucks. I just remind myself that it's 3 more weekends to go and then he'll be home again. And I hope that he doesn't have to do another trip like this for a LONG time... never again would be ideal. I think Mark has also realized that maybe his boring monotonous client in Arlington Heights wasn't as bad as he thought... at least compared to flying to Arizona all the time!
Anyway, I am off for now... I hope you all had lovely weekends and are ready to go back to work on Monday (although is anyone ever REALLY ready to go back to work on Mondays??). Stay out of trouble, kids... :)
Friday, June 09, 2006
The Red Hat Society and other ramblings...
So the Red Hat Society is having their international convention in St. Louis this weekend (and no, I did NOT know that information personally... I looked it up on the web). I was tipped off to this event by the large number of women in red hats and purple dresses who were filling Union Station (and the Amtrak lines) this week.
The Red Hat Society always intrigues me... first off, most of these women are die-hards in that they even have purple luggage!!! I kind of laughed at that. It also brings back memories of choir at Augustana where we sang a song about a woman who decided she didn't care what people thought and was going to wear purple all the time (it was after singing that song that I learned about the RHS). Anyway... I always wonder about the women who join this society... what were they like when they were my age? Did they play it by the book? Or were they always doing their own thing? I was chatting with Ange about it and she said that she's joining the RHS the day she turns 50. Her grandmother and aunt and cousin are already members... although because her cousin is under 50, she only gets to wear a pink hat. Ange isn't going to half-ass it with the pink hat... she's waiting until she can go straight to red. :) So I guess that just sort of answered my question... at least in the case of Ange. She certainly plays by the rules right now. I wonder if I would ever join the Red Hat Society... I don't know. I think it might be a stretch for me. Will my mom ever join? Once again... not sure. But it's a fun thing to think about on a Friday morning. :)
So today is my last day in the lab... everyone keeps asking me how I feel and honestly, it doesn't feel that different... other than that I know that I don't have anything to do today and that's okay. I think this whole job ending thing seems less real just because I'm not moving anywhere. Every time I've had a job end, I have moved. Now I'm staying in the same place. And I already have plans for activities with different people in the lab in the coming couple months... so I know that I'll be seeing most of them (at least the ones I care about!) in that time. So it's not like I'll never see them again, etc. So yeah... just weird. Ange and I just made a trip to Starbucks... she was going to treat me since it was our final Starbucks run. When we got there and were chatting with the baristas (who we all know since we go there so often) they found out it was my last day and the manager ended up paying for my coffee himself. So that was way nice. It really is the little things in life. People like that make me forget about how much I'm spending on coffee (at least temporarily!). There is another barista at that Starbucks who works in the afternoon who is just a ton of fun also. And if we ever had to wait too long for a drink, he'd give us certificates for free drinks. And you know what... that always brings us back in for more. Good customer service will always do that. :)
So what else? I don't know... there isn't really a lot to report right now. It is freaking cold here today... I don't know what's up with that... but it is NOT pleasant!! I'm just like... you've got to be kidding me!! I'm hoping that maybe the sun will make an appearance sometime today... but that may be too much to ask. We'll see. And it's going to be a weekend of crappy weather, apparently... which sucks. But at least Mark and I have indoor activities planned. I don't know what I'm most excited about... Mark is going to finally get to see the house tomorrow. I am really happy about that just because he hasn't been able to see it except in pictures and I know that it's hard for him to visualize without seeing it in person. It would be the same for me. So we will get to spend a little time in there looking around and I can start explaining where I'm thinking of seeing furniture go, etc. So that will be good. And then I'm going to be stamping, which is ALWAYS fun. I love stamping... but I'm sure you all know that by now... :) And then we are going to see X-3... so it will be a busy day!! But I think it should be fun...
Anyway... I wish I had more to say, but I really don't... so I guess I should be going. Lab meeting today is going to be my going away party... we're ordering Chinese/Sushi and then apparently there is some big dessert thing. So we'll see. We're all about the desserts here. I just like the free food. :) LOL Anyway... I should be going... I will talk to all of you soon!! Have a great weekend!
The Red Hat Society always intrigues me... first off, most of these women are die-hards in that they even have purple luggage!!! I kind of laughed at that. It also brings back memories of choir at Augustana where we sang a song about a woman who decided she didn't care what people thought and was going to wear purple all the time (it was after singing that song that I learned about the RHS). Anyway... I always wonder about the women who join this society... what were they like when they were my age? Did they play it by the book? Or were they always doing their own thing? I was chatting with Ange about it and she said that she's joining the RHS the day she turns 50. Her grandmother and aunt and cousin are already members... although because her cousin is under 50, she only gets to wear a pink hat. Ange isn't going to half-ass it with the pink hat... she's waiting until she can go straight to red. :) So I guess that just sort of answered my question... at least in the case of Ange. She certainly plays by the rules right now. I wonder if I would ever join the Red Hat Society... I don't know. I think it might be a stretch for me. Will my mom ever join? Once again... not sure. But it's a fun thing to think about on a Friday morning. :)So today is my last day in the lab... everyone keeps asking me how I feel and honestly, it doesn't feel that different... other than that I know that I don't have anything to do today and that's okay. I think this whole job ending thing seems less real just because I'm not moving anywhere. Every time I've had a job end, I have moved. Now I'm staying in the same place. And I already have plans for activities with different people in the lab in the coming couple months... so I know that I'll be seeing most of them (at least the ones I care about!) in that time. So it's not like I'll never see them again, etc. So yeah... just weird. Ange and I just made a trip to Starbucks... she was going to treat me since it was our final Starbucks run. When we got there and were chatting with the baristas (who we all know since we go there so often) they found out it was my last day and the manager ended up paying for my coffee himself. So that was way nice. It really is the little things in life. People like that make me forget about how much I'm spending on coffee (at least temporarily!). There is another barista at that Starbucks who works in the afternoon who is just a ton of fun also. And if we ever had to wait too long for a drink, he'd give us certificates for free drinks. And you know what... that always brings us back in for more. Good customer service will always do that. :)
So what else? I don't know... there isn't really a lot to report right now. It is freaking cold here today... I don't know what's up with that... but it is NOT pleasant!! I'm just like... you've got to be kidding me!! I'm hoping that maybe the sun will make an appearance sometime today... but that may be too much to ask. We'll see. And it's going to be a weekend of crappy weather, apparently... which sucks. But at least Mark and I have indoor activities planned. I don't know what I'm most excited about... Mark is going to finally get to see the house tomorrow. I am really happy about that just because he hasn't been able to see it except in pictures and I know that it's hard for him to visualize without seeing it in person. It would be the same for me. So we will get to spend a little time in there looking around and I can start explaining where I'm thinking of seeing furniture go, etc. So that will be good. And then I'm going to be stamping, which is ALWAYS fun. I love stamping... but I'm sure you all know that by now... :) And then we are going to see X-3... so it will be a busy day!! But I think it should be fun...
Anyway... I wish I had more to say, but I really don't... so I guess I should be going. Lab meeting today is going to be my going away party... we're ordering Chinese/Sushi and then apparently there is some big dessert thing. So we'll see. We're all about the desserts here. I just like the free food. :) LOL Anyway... I should be going... I will talk to all of you soon!! Have a great weekend!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Pet peeves...
Hi kids! So this may be my last lab ranting post ever... so I hope it's a good one!! So yesterday I did my final experiment for the lab. And while I wasn't expecting great things to come from it, I still expected to get something. So everything was going along fine, the experiment was going well. And I get to the last step of staining my cells that I have been collecting and testing all day and I get to the final stain and I notice that there is some sort of oil layer or something floating in the final stain!!! I was just like... you've got to be kidding. Of course, when you're doing this, you can't stop and clean it out and keep going... you have to deal with what you've got. So I finish the experiment and of course that final stain (which is the most important one) is all screwed up. I ended up having all of this crap all over my cells... they didn't get stained properly... it was a mess. So two days worth of work down the drain. I just sat there going... did I do something wrong? Liz (the self-proclaimed queen of this experiment) had already stained cells earlier today and I never heard that anything went wrong, etc. So I go talk to her this morning and ask if she had problems... oh yes, she did. Same problem that I had... but she never felt the need to tell me!! Then I realize that apparently this problem has been going on for a while because she had already started making new solutions and testing different methods to see if that would fix the problem!! So apparently she has known for a while... yet once again, said NOTHING!!! Then I talk to Mitch and he says that he's had the same problem... but figured it was something he was doing wrong since he's new to the experiment. So yeah... an entire day's worth of work down the drain because no one tells anyone when there's a problem!! So annoying. So that's the first pet peeve. The next one is this... so I'm pretty sure I know what the problem is... I think it's the final stain that got contaminated with something and that's creating the mess that I see. So I'm just like... okay, fine... I'll just clean out the jar of stain and put fresh stain in and we should be fine. So thank God I had the foresight to check to make sure there was fresh stain before I dumped the crappy stuff (4 years in this lab has taught me to NEVER assume that there is a supply of anything). Yeah, I open the box and there's the bottle that holds the stain... and oh look... it's empty!!! Someone put a freaking empty bottle back into the box!! HELPFUL!!! And of course, no one told Liz that we were out. So we have nothing to replace it with. Seriously... why are people so stupid??? So now Liz is ordering a new kit and I'm going to attempt to filter the crappy stain that we have to clean it up a bit. But yeah... stupid people. So those are my lab pet peeves.
And on that note... I'm off to clean this stupid thing up... because if I don't do it, no one will. My last lab assignment... :) Oky doky pokies... I'm off... I'm sure I'll be back to ramble on about something else later today!!
And on that note... I'm off to clean this stupid thing up... because if I don't do it, no one will. My last lab assignment... :) Oky doky pokies... I'm off... I'm sure I'll be back to ramble on about something else later today!!
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
British accents and other train stories...
So what is it about British accents that intrigue Americans so much??
My theory is that those of us who do realize that there is a world outside of the US also realize that we have basically butchered the language and that the Brits are speaking correctly. If you think about it, they can say the exact same thing as us, but it just sounds better with the accent!! Isn't it amazing how that happens?? Or maybe I'm just a nut who loves a British accent. I know I'm not alone in this... :) Mark and Kelly both have commented on cool British accents. And I know that Vicki loves the accent (speaking of which... that bum is going to be in Germany relatively soon... I'm envious). So yeah... it's just intriguing. You're probably wondering why I decided to start my blog with a discussion on British accents... it's because the British conductor is now on my afternoon train... and it just makes me smile every day when I see him. Apparently they had a massive conductor switch at the beginning of the month... so now the annoying one (who was kinda freaky) is no longer on my train... YAY!! For those of you who don't know the story, the previous conductor on my train always kind of freaked me out because I think he got the impression that because I would usually smile at him when I showed him my train pass that I was interested in more than just showing him my pass. Let me tell you... I wasn't. And that stopped me from smiling at people on the train!!! Seriously... apparently that's what you get for being nice! So I then had to start pretending that I was asleep, or REALLY concentrating on my book, or whatever, when he'd come by to check passes. It was just sad. But now he's gone and we have the British guy. He's always so nice... actually says "please" and "thank you." It's a nice change from the norm. Too bad that he is now on my train in my last week!! Figures... :P Oh well.
So my other train story of the day... I have really nice train buddies. Joe (the IT guy) says that I'm the social butterfly of the train. LOL The funny thing is that now that I think about it, I sort of am!! I have buddies on every train that I ride!! And I'm trying to make sure that I say goodbye to all of them this week... I wouldn't want to leave anyone out!! So anyway, today was my last day on the "early" train and I have two train "dads" (as I like to think of them, even though I'm too old to really be their daughter... but that's beside the point!!). Anyway, when we got to the city, one of them called over to me and ended up giving me his contact info so that we could keep in touch after this! He wants to know about my teaching and also "if that boyfriend of mine ever pops the question." LOL I just laughed... but it was really nice. It's times like that when I realize how many friends I have made on the train... and that I will miss seeing them (although I won't miss the commuting part!!). So yeah... that was good. Ange and I were chatting about how we could have written an entire thesis on riding the train... and the different types of people that you see there. It totally is a study in human interactions... somebody should do that.
Anyway... moving on... so Kevin text messaged me yesterday telling me he'd chat with me when he got back... he is now in Germany for the World Cup. Seriously... what is it with all of my friends going to Europe in these next few weeks without me!! RUDE!! Okay... not like I have the time or money to go right now... but that doesn't mean I don't want to go! It might be worth it to stow away in baggage. :) So anyway... Lord knows how much trouble Kevin and his boys will get into while they're in Germany... but I'm sure that they'll have a great time.
So I really don't have too much to report today... last night I made a Rachael Ray 30-minute meal that turned out really well. I was happy. Although can someone tell me where you can actually get fresh herbs?? She uses herbs all the time and I bought the dried version, and while it did season the meal well, I certainly didn't want to eat the dried herbs!! So that was a problem... I ended up having to scrape the herbs off to avoid the bad crunching. So yeah... if you can let me know where you get fresh herbs, that would be great!! I thought they'd be in the produce section, if they were anywhere. And I saw cilantro... but that was it. Is that all I can get from Jewel? Cilantro? Do I need to go to a Whole Foods or something to get any other herb? Can someone help me with this?! :) Anyway... otherwise, it was a good meal... I was proud of myself. And then I watched X-Men. Mark gave his X-Men and X-2 DVD's to watch this week in preparation of seeing X-3 this weekend.
I had seen X-Men years ago when I was in Iowa. And I was shocked to find out that I actually enjoyed the movie. But I never saw X-2. And apparently you have to see that before you see X-3. So I'm catching up... being the good girlfriend. The payback will be that Mark is going to have to go see The Breakup or some other chick flick with me. :) This is how we do movies... he chooses a movie and then I choose a movie. So it will be my turn next. :)
Speaking of Mark... he informed me yesterday that July 11th may be his last day in Phoenix!! Now, the date isn't set in stone... but that's what it's shaping up to be... and that makes me happy. Especially coming the day after he told me that his boss at the client he's working at mentioned to him how the project is way behind schedule and hinted that maybe he could stay for another 10 weeks. I was just like... oh my gosh, no!! 8 weeks was one thing... 18 weeks, quite another. Fortunately, the head of the Phoenix office for Mark's company told him that his contract is just for the 8 weeks... if he wanted to stay longer, he could... but he is NOT required to stay. So that was good to hear. And that's the update as of now.
Anyway... I think that's it! I really don't have anything else to report! I'm boring like that... sorry kids!! So I guess I should be going for now. I hope that you are all having a great day... :)
My theory is that those of us who do realize that there is a world outside of the US also realize that we have basically butchered the language and that the Brits are speaking correctly. If you think about it, they can say the exact same thing as us, but it just sounds better with the accent!! Isn't it amazing how that happens?? Or maybe I'm just a nut who loves a British accent. I know I'm not alone in this... :) Mark and Kelly both have commented on cool British accents. And I know that Vicki loves the accent (speaking of which... that bum is going to be in Germany relatively soon... I'm envious). So yeah... it's just intriguing. You're probably wondering why I decided to start my blog with a discussion on British accents... it's because the British conductor is now on my afternoon train... and it just makes me smile every day when I see him. Apparently they had a massive conductor switch at the beginning of the month... so now the annoying one (who was kinda freaky) is no longer on my train... YAY!! For those of you who don't know the story, the previous conductor on my train always kind of freaked me out because I think he got the impression that because I would usually smile at him when I showed him my train pass that I was interested in more than just showing him my pass. Let me tell you... I wasn't. And that stopped me from smiling at people on the train!!! Seriously... apparently that's what you get for being nice! So I then had to start pretending that I was asleep, or REALLY concentrating on my book, or whatever, when he'd come by to check passes. It was just sad. But now he's gone and we have the British guy. He's always so nice... actually says "please" and "thank you." It's a nice change from the norm. Too bad that he is now on my train in my last week!! Figures... :P Oh well.So my other train story of the day... I have really nice train buddies. Joe (the IT guy) says that I'm the social butterfly of the train. LOL The funny thing is that now that I think about it, I sort of am!! I have buddies on every train that I ride!! And I'm trying to make sure that I say goodbye to all of them this week... I wouldn't want to leave anyone out!! So anyway, today was my last day on the "early" train and I have two train "dads" (as I like to think of them, even though I'm too old to really be their daughter... but that's beside the point!!). Anyway, when we got to the city, one of them called over to me and ended up giving me his contact info so that we could keep in touch after this! He wants to know about my teaching and also "if that boyfriend of mine ever pops the question." LOL I just laughed... but it was really nice. It's times like that when I realize how many friends I have made on the train... and that I will miss seeing them (although I won't miss the commuting part!!). So yeah... that was good. Ange and I were chatting about how we could have written an entire thesis on riding the train... and the different types of people that you see there. It totally is a study in human interactions... somebody should do that.
Anyway... moving on... so Kevin text messaged me yesterday telling me he'd chat with me when he got back... he is now in Germany for the World Cup. Seriously... what is it with all of my friends going to Europe in these next few weeks without me!! RUDE!! Okay... not like I have the time or money to go right now... but that doesn't mean I don't want to go! It might be worth it to stow away in baggage. :) So anyway... Lord knows how much trouble Kevin and his boys will get into while they're in Germany... but I'm sure that they'll have a great time.
So I really don't have too much to report today... last night I made a Rachael Ray 30-minute meal that turned out really well. I was happy. Although can someone tell me where you can actually get fresh herbs?? She uses herbs all the time and I bought the dried version, and while it did season the meal well, I certainly didn't want to eat the dried herbs!! So that was a problem... I ended up having to scrape the herbs off to avoid the bad crunching. So yeah... if you can let me know where you get fresh herbs, that would be great!! I thought they'd be in the produce section, if they were anywhere. And I saw cilantro... but that was it. Is that all I can get from Jewel? Cilantro? Do I need to go to a Whole Foods or something to get any other herb? Can someone help me with this?! :) Anyway... otherwise, it was a good meal... I was proud of myself. And then I watched X-Men. Mark gave his X-Men and X-2 DVD's to watch this week in preparation of seeing X-3 this weekend.
I had seen X-Men years ago when I was in Iowa. And I was shocked to find out that I actually enjoyed the movie. But I never saw X-2. And apparently you have to see that before you see X-3. So I'm catching up... being the good girlfriend. The payback will be that Mark is going to have to go see The Breakup or some other chick flick with me. :) This is how we do movies... he chooses a movie and then I choose a movie. So it will be my turn next. :)Speaking of Mark... he informed me yesterday that July 11th may be his last day in Phoenix!! Now, the date isn't set in stone... but that's what it's shaping up to be... and that makes me happy. Especially coming the day after he told me that his boss at the client he's working at mentioned to him how the project is way behind schedule and hinted that maybe he could stay for another 10 weeks. I was just like... oh my gosh, no!! 8 weeks was one thing... 18 weeks, quite another. Fortunately, the head of the Phoenix office for Mark's company told him that his contract is just for the 8 weeks... if he wanted to stay longer, he could... but he is NOT required to stay. So that was good to hear. And that's the update as of now.
Anyway... I think that's it! I really don't have anything else to report! I'm boring like that... sorry kids!! So I guess I should be going for now. I hope that you are all having a great day... :)
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
One more week...
Hello everyone... sorry about the delay in blogging. I guess I slacked off a bit! So first off, I think that I need to have more pictures in here. I realized that I write a LOT... and it gets a little boring to look at my page with all of this writing and no pictures! I'll see if I can work on that. :)
Just as well... had I seen him pitch on Sunday I would have watched him get quite a beating.
What else? Oh... it was SOOO nice to be back at church this weekend. I definitely had missed it. And it was great to see all of my friends there too. So I finally got caught up on all of the news, which was good. I got to chat with Rachelle, the pastor's wife, a bit more about Iowa (she did her undergrad there and was actively involved in 24/7 so we know a lot of the same people)... so it was all good. We then had our typical Panera outing and then I was at the softball game. (Got a decent tan on my back... now I just need to work on the front!!) LOL The game itself wasn't pretty... but it happens. We were way short-handed, so I guess we shouldn't complain. And that's the non-competitive league anyway... the REAL games are on Monday and Wednesday nights. That's when the boys get REALLY mad if things don't go their way!! But yeah... it was good times.
I think I basically just bummed around for the rest of the weekend. I have to say that it was SOO nice to not go anywhere this weekend. After flying for the last two weekends (and being seriously delayed on almost every single flight) it was really nice to just stay home.
I went to the softball game last night to watch the boys play. And to have social hour with all of the girlfriends/wives. I got to meet Patty, the new girl in Tim's life. I can see why they are dating and she's cute and short (she's shorter than me!!!) So we had a little short chick convention there! LOL The boys won both games by slaughter rule, so they were all in a good mood... which is always good (and it makes the games go faster!!). I got to talk to Alissa (sp?), Peter's gf. I love her... she's so cute. And we only really see each other at softball games, so it's basically been a year since I last saw her! LOL I'm always impressed with the Wright boys (and the Wright family in general!!). Alissa congratulated me on getting my PhD and I was just like... wow, word certainly travels!! And she had told me that Peter had told her about it. I just thought that was sweet... since Lord knows that I don't think I should rank THAT high in their normal conversations! They're just cute. :)
What else?? I have to do an experiment in lab tomorrow... blah. Kind of annoyed by that, but whatever. Just after I backed up everything on my computer and handed all of my notebooks over to Dawn, she gave me an experiment to do! Basically, she doesn't want to learn how to do this experiment, so she's going to have me do it at the last minute. Of course, because she doesn't do this experiment, she apparently doesn't realize that it will have to be repeated multiple times. So why she's in this big rush to have me do it tomorrow when I won't be able to repeat it is beyond me. But whatever. They are basically grasping at straws to try and see some mechanism/function for two proteins that we study in the lab. Honestly, I don't think that they actually interact in any way and that what we have seen so far is completely correlative and nothing more. But hey... my opinion doesn't matter at this point. And both of the PI's on this project NEED a grant in a bad way... so they're grasping. Oh well... what can you do?
In other news... I have basically cleaned off my desk. I have one more load to bring home today that didn't fit in my bag yesterday. And then my desk will be officially cleared off of my stuff. I also have to get rid of the hundreds of papers that I have filed away. I think Dawn wants to have them, which is fine. I had toyed with the idea of keeping some of them and moving them to my filing cabinet in my future office. But then I realized that I only read a select few of these papers in my entire 4 years of graduate school and got my 4 papers anyway. So seriously... if I didn't read them in grad school, what makes me think I'm going to read them when I'm teaching?? So yeah... that was the deciding factor. The papers stay with Dawn. I must say that it's quite cathartic to clean off my desk... it looks weird... it's no longer my desk. But it's definitely a bit of closure.
So in case I don't write later this week... I'm stamping this weekend!! I'm excited because it's going to be me, Lynne, and Lara at Ange's house. This is basically my most favorite stamping group... so it's going to be good times! I think that Mark will be hanging out with the boys during this time... getting a good hit of testosterone and such. :) I won't subject him to the estrogen fest known as stamping! LOL But yeah... I'm way excited. Those of you who know my crafty habits understand this. (By the way... can I just mention that I am DREADING having to pack all of my craft stuff. UGH!! NOT fun!!! I'll need to start early on that one!! Blah!!)
Finally... I know that Mark wrote about this in his blog... but I must put a note in here. NIU will be playing Iowa this year at Iowa City... and while that is exciting... what is even MORE exciting is that they will be playing next year on Labor Day weekend at Soldier Field!!!!!
The next major news is that this is my last week in lab! YAY!!! That makes me VERY happy. :)
But more on that in a bit... So a recap of the weekend (although those of you who also read Mark's blog have already heard about most of these things!). Mark and I went to a Sox game on Saturday as part of a company-sponsored event for him. It was fun and it was great to see a couple of his co-workers in particular (okay, I really was happy to get to chat with the co-workers' girlfriends!!) We had some good Iowa representation there, which always makes me happy.
Just as well... had I seen him pitch on Sunday I would have watched him get quite a beating.What else? Oh... it was SOOO nice to be back at church this weekend. I definitely had missed it. And it was great to see all of my friends there too. So I finally got caught up on all of the news, which was good. I got to chat with Rachelle, the pastor's wife, a bit more about Iowa (she did her undergrad there and was actively involved in 24/7 so we know a lot of the same people)... so it was all good. We then had our typical Panera outing and then I was at the softball game. (Got a decent tan on my back... now I just need to work on the front!!) LOL The game itself wasn't pretty... but it happens. We were way short-handed, so I guess we shouldn't complain. And that's the non-competitive league anyway... the REAL games are on Monday and Wednesday nights. That's when the boys get REALLY mad if things don't go their way!! But yeah... it was good times.
I think I basically just bummed around for the rest of the weekend. I have to say that it was SOO nice to not go anywhere this weekend. After flying for the last two weekends (and being seriously delayed on almost every single flight) it was really nice to just stay home.
I went to the softball game last night to watch the boys play. And to have social hour with all of the girlfriends/wives. I got to meet Patty, the new girl in Tim's life. I can see why they are dating and she's cute and short (she's shorter than me!!!) So we had a little short chick convention there! LOL The boys won both games by slaughter rule, so they were all in a good mood... which is always good (and it makes the games go faster!!). I got to talk to Alissa (sp?), Peter's gf. I love her... she's so cute. And we only really see each other at softball games, so it's basically been a year since I last saw her! LOL I'm always impressed with the Wright boys (and the Wright family in general!!). Alissa congratulated me on getting my PhD and I was just like... wow, word certainly travels!! And she had told me that Peter had told her about it. I just thought that was sweet... since Lord knows that I don't think I should rank THAT high in their normal conversations! They're just cute. :)
What else?? I have to do an experiment in lab tomorrow... blah. Kind of annoyed by that, but whatever. Just after I backed up everything on my computer and handed all of my notebooks over to Dawn, she gave me an experiment to do! Basically, she doesn't want to learn how to do this experiment, so she's going to have me do it at the last minute. Of course, because she doesn't do this experiment, she apparently doesn't realize that it will have to be repeated multiple times. So why she's in this big rush to have me do it tomorrow when I won't be able to repeat it is beyond me. But whatever. They are basically grasping at straws to try and see some mechanism/function for two proteins that we study in the lab. Honestly, I don't think that they actually interact in any way and that what we have seen so far is completely correlative and nothing more. But hey... my opinion doesn't matter at this point. And both of the PI's on this project NEED a grant in a bad way... so they're grasping. Oh well... what can you do?
In other news... I have basically cleaned off my desk. I have one more load to bring home today that didn't fit in my bag yesterday. And then my desk will be officially cleared off of my stuff. I also have to get rid of the hundreds of papers that I have filed away. I think Dawn wants to have them, which is fine. I had toyed with the idea of keeping some of them and moving them to my filing cabinet in my future office. But then I realized that I only read a select few of these papers in my entire 4 years of graduate school and got my 4 papers anyway. So seriously... if I didn't read them in grad school, what makes me think I'm going to read them when I'm teaching?? So yeah... that was the deciding factor. The papers stay with Dawn. I must say that it's quite cathartic to clean off my desk... it looks weird... it's no longer my desk. But it's definitely a bit of closure.
So in case I don't write later this week... I'm stamping this weekend!! I'm excited because it's going to be me, Lynne, and Lara at Ange's house. This is basically my most favorite stamping group... so it's going to be good times! I think that Mark will be hanging out with the boys during this time... getting a good hit of testosterone and such. :) I won't subject him to the estrogen fest known as stamping! LOL But yeah... I'm way excited. Those of you who know my crafty habits understand this. (By the way... can I just mention that I am DREADING having to pack all of my craft stuff. UGH!! NOT fun!!! I'll need to start early on that one!! Blah!!)
Finally... I know that Mark wrote about this in his blog... but I must put a note in here. NIU will be playing Iowa this year at Iowa City... and while that is exciting... what is even MORE exciting is that they will be playing next year on Labor Day weekend at Soldier Field!!!!!
I really hope that we can get tickets in Iowa City so that Mark can go to a Big 10 game at Kinnick stadium...
especially now that it will be new and improved...
but I have a feeling they will sell out before they go on sale to the general public. :( But let me tell you... we WILL get tickets to see Iowa in Soldier Field!! And Mark thinks that I might not be AS excited and crazy as I was for the Iowa/Florida game. Obviously he doesn't understand my passion for Iowa football... he will learn. :) The only reason I won't get overly excited is if the game becomes a blowout (assuming that Iowa is the team blowing out NIU!). Otherwise, I will be screaming. It was pretty typical for me to not have much of a voice after an Iowa football game. I don't expect that to change. LOL
Anyway, I think that is the excitement of my life right now... I know you guys can barely control yourselves!! I hope that you enjoyed the pictures and that it made my blog more colorful and enjoyable!! I guess I should get back to work now... have a great day!! I hope that all is well with you... have a great week!!!
Saturday, June 03, 2006
It's Saturday!!
Hi everyone!!! So we made it to the weekend... and it's actually a beautiful weekend! How nice is that?!?!
So don't ask me why I'm up so early... I didn't go to bed until midnight, basically (and I'm ticked that I fell asleep before the "unveiling" of the new and improved What Not to Wear Worst-Dressed Family!!!) . But there I was... wide awake at 6:30am. I was just like... you've got to be kidding. I refused to get up and laid in bed until about 7:30 when I finally just gave up the dream and got going. I'm now in the midst of doing loads of laundry (always an exciting Saturday morning activity for me) and then I'm going to pay bills and make sure that all of my accounts are up-to-date, etc. I have a LOT of cleaning to do also... and while I may not get to the offiical cleaning part, I at least need to tidy up and get stuff put away, etc. I also think that I will definitely be making a trip to Target today... which is slightly unfortunate since I hate going there on weekends. Thank God I live so close... it makes it slightly better. And I will just go not long after they open. So yeah... good times. I don't even know when I was last at Target. We're talking months here. I avoid the store like the plague... partially because I love it and can get into so much trouble buying random stuff. But also because I just hate the crowds that are associated with it. Oh well. What can you do, right??
So last night I went over to the Johnson's to go sit by the firepit. They are a family from church and they have this way cute house with a great backyard and they have a firepit there. Mark calls it his act of civil disobedience since apparently you aren't allowed to burn things in your yard. Granted, the law was made to stop people from burning leaves, etc. But theoretically, what he does is breaking the law. But it's always a ton of fun. We just sit by the fire and chat. They always have a wide assortment of drinks to choose from. I'm always a fan of Smirnoff Ice. They are just the most hospitable people in my church, in my opinion. So it was fun. And since I haven't seen any of them for so long now (it feels like ages since I missed the last 2 weeks of church!!) it was really nice to have that chance to catch up with a smaller group, etc. And boy did I hear some good gossip while I was there!!! Here's a public service announcement for all of you... if you're going to be living with someone and you bought a house together, make sure you decide who gets what room BEFORE you sign the contract!!! Two girls in the church just recently bought a townhouse and assumed that the other one would want the downstairs master bedroom. Well, neither of them wants it (for their own individual reasons) and now apparently you can cut the tension between them with a knife!!! So we'll see how that works out. Shnikes. And then one of these girls (ironically, the one who makes the least money) doesn't want to have used "crappy" furniture in there... she wants everything to come from Pottery Barn!!! I was just sitting there thinking... where the hell do you have the money to buy a house full of furniture from Pottery Barn?!?! So we just discussed the fact that even if you did have enough money to buy that much stuff it doesn't mean you should!!! Hell, I could theoretically go on a spending spree there... and Mark and I did walk into one in Phoenix (just so that he could see what Pottery Barn actually had... he had never been in one before). But we laughed when we saw the prices. I go to Pottery Barn to see different styles of things and then I go and buy them somewhere cheaper!! As it is, we don't plan on buying any big furniture right away (except what we need because we don't have it). The plan is that we're using what we have or what people give us for free and then as things break/die/etc. we will replace them with hopefully better stuff since we're grown ups now and can have something slightly better than what we've had in college. But yeah... I was just amused with the whole thing. Eddie and Tim are finally starting to make some progress on the house (spurred on by Eddie, of course). They are supposed to meet with Eddie's cousin who is a mortgage broker. Well, that's fine and all but he told me the rate she was going to give him (6.5% on a 5-year ARM... it goes up to 6.75% on a 30-year fixed) I was just like... dude... you REALLY need to talk to my mortgage guy. I think they just are comfortable with a family member... but I'm like... this is a LOT of money that you're talking about. You need to be more than comfortable... you need to be getting more for your money. Sheesh... a 5-year ARM should still be down in the low 6's. So they're basically getting screwed. I'll have to talk to them about it on Sunday. Maybe I'll bring one of Jeff's cards. We'll see. I think Eddie was shocked when he realized that I had the 30 year, not the 5 year loan. He just assumed that since the rates were the same, I must have gotten an ARM. I was just like... hell no!!! And I'm sure a mortgage person is telling them that since they're living together it's possible that they will want to sell in 5 years, etc. But I'm just like... and what if you don't? What if one of you moves out and the other one stays there?? Then you have to hope that you can get a decent rate when you re-finance. So yeah... we'll see what happens.
What else?? Not too much to report. The next task for the day is to pay bills, so I think I'll get busy doing that. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will talk to you later!!! :)
So don't ask me why I'm up so early... I didn't go to bed until midnight, basically (and I'm ticked that I fell asleep before the "unveiling" of the new and improved What Not to Wear Worst-Dressed Family!!!) . But there I was... wide awake at 6:30am. I was just like... you've got to be kidding. I refused to get up and laid in bed until about 7:30 when I finally just gave up the dream and got going. I'm now in the midst of doing loads of laundry (always an exciting Saturday morning activity for me) and then I'm going to pay bills and make sure that all of my accounts are up-to-date, etc. I have a LOT of cleaning to do also... and while I may not get to the offiical cleaning part, I at least need to tidy up and get stuff put away, etc. I also think that I will definitely be making a trip to Target today... which is slightly unfortunate since I hate going there on weekends. Thank God I live so close... it makes it slightly better. And I will just go not long after they open. So yeah... good times. I don't even know when I was last at Target. We're talking months here. I avoid the store like the plague... partially because I love it and can get into so much trouble buying random stuff. But also because I just hate the crowds that are associated with it. Oh well. What can you do, right??
So last night I went over to the Johnson's to go sit by the firepit. They are a family from church and they have this way cute house with a great backyard and they have a firepit there. Mark calls it his act of civil disobedience since apparently you aren't allowed to burn things in your yard. Granted, the law was made to stop people from burning leaves, etc. But theoretically, what he does is breaking the law. But it's always a ton of fun. We just sit by the fire and chat. They always have a wide assortment of drinks to choose from. I'm always a fan of Smirnoff Ice. They are just the most hospitable people in my church, in my opinion. So it was fun. And since I haven't seen any of them for so long now (it feels like ages since I missed the last 2 weeks of church!!) it was really nice to have that chance to catch up with a smaller group, etc. And boy did I hear some good gossip while I was there!!! Here's a public service announcement for all of you... if you're going to be living with someone and you bought a house together, make sure you decide who gets what room BEFORE you sign the contract!!! Two girls in the church just recently bought a townhouse and assumed that the other one would want the downstairs master bedroom. Well, neither of them wants it (for their own individual reasons) and now apparently you can cut the tension between them with a knife!!! So we'll see how that works out. Shnikes. And then one of these girls (ironically, the one who makes the least money) doesn't want to have used "crappy" furniture in there... she wants everything to come from Pottery Barn!!! I was just sitting there thinking... where the hell do you have the money to buy a house full of furniture from Pottery Barn?!?! So we just discussed the fact that even if you did have enough money to buy that much stuff it doesn't mean you should!!! Hell, I could theoretically go on a spending spree there... and Mark and I did walk into one in Phoenix (just so that he could see what Pottery Barn actually had... he had never been in one before). But we laughed when we saw the prices. I go to Pottery Barn to see different styles of things and then I go and buy them somewhere cheaper!! As it is, we don't plan on buying any big furniture right away (except what we need because we don't have it). The plan is that we're using what we have or what people give us for free and then as things break/die/etc. we will replace them with hopefully better stuff since we're grown ups now and can have something slightly better than what we've had in college. But yeah... I was just amused with the whole thing. Eddie and Tim are finally starting to make some progress on the house (spurred on by Eddie, of course). They are supposed to meet with Eddie's cousin who is a mortgage broker. Well, that's fine and all but he told me the rate she was going to give him (6.5% on a 5-year ARM... it goes up to 6.75% on a 30-year fixed) I was just like... dude... you REALLY need to talk to my mortgage guy. I think they just are comfortable with a family member... but I'm like... this is a LOT of money that you're talking about. You need to be more than comfortable... you need to be getting more for your money. Sheesh... a 5-year ARM should still be down in the low 6's. So they're basically getting screwed. I'll have to talk to them about it on Sunday. Maybe I'll bring one of Jeff's cards. We'll see. I think Eddie was shocked when he realized that I had the 30 year, not the 5 year loan. He just assumed that since the rates were the same, I must have gotten an ARM. I was just like... hell no!!! And I'm sure a mortgage person is telling them that since they're living together it's possible that they will want to sell in 5 years, etc. But I'm just like... and what if you don't? What if one of you moves out and the other one stays there?? Then you have to hope that you can get a decent rate when you re-finance. So yeah... we'll see what happens.
What else?? Not too much to report. The next task for the day is to pay bills, so I think I'll get busy doing that. I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will talk to you later!!! :)
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Public address announcements and other fun things...
"A train hitting a car is like a car hitting a can of pop." Yes folks... those words come officially from the good ol' folks at Metra. It's apparently the summer saying on the train. EVERYONE just chuckled when we heard it (since its official "unveiling" came this afternoon on the train home). They must be trying out a new saying since it is June 1st. I was just like... oh my gosh. I understand the point they are trying to make... don't sit your car on the train tracks at intersections, etc. Honestly, I don't even know why they should have to waste time making that announcement. I know this is really mean... but sometimes I think that people who do stupid things like stop on train tracks deserve to get hit. Survival of the fittest, right? People who were stupid enough to do that don't deserve to survive. That's biology... :) That's the circle of life or something like that. :) But I am obviously in the minority on this one... Anyway, moving on... :)
So I'm a huge nerd and will admit that I've gotten sucked into watching the National Spelling Bee. I know I shouldn't admit these things... maybe it's because I was a spelling nerd back in the days of elementary school, etc. I would be up on the stage spouting off letters... and I wasn't half bad, if I do say so myself. I even had a little plastic trophy (I think for 3rd place?? Mom might know). LOL But yeah, I can't even say that I'm cheering for the kid from Illinois... because honestly, I'm not. Why do so many of these boys look like they have sticks shoved up their butts?? I mean, seriously!!! They are so herky jerky when they move! What's up with that?? Is that puberty?? I don't get it. I'm kinda cheering for this Canadian girl cause she's cute... and I just love those Canadians!! And I also like this other girl who was accidentally disqualified and has been kicking major ass since she was put back in the competition. (Watch, I'll say that and both girls will be out in the next round... oh well, what can you do?) I like to think about how I would spell the word... I know, I'm truly a nerd now. Sometimes I'm actually pretty close (although I certainly haven't gotten one right yet!) But it makes me happy when I'm closer than the kid who's supposed to be spelling it. :) I think what amuses me most is that this is prime time TV. As much as it's kind of funny... it's certainly a nice change of pace that something educational made it on to primetime. Lord knows that I enjoy mindless entertainment with the rest of the world... but it is kinda nice. :)
So what else? The drape saga continues at my house... I think that theoretically, no matter what, the saga must end tomorrow... but I could be wrong. I just need it to be over with... whether or not I get the drapes (although I think I should get them since it was their screw up in the first place and they signed the contract) just because I want to know that the house is mine. I don't like this thought looming over me that if the issue doesn't get resolved that the contract becomes null and void and I lose the house. It just bothers me. I feel like I can't really make any plans until I know that I'm getting the house, no questions asked. And by the way... wouldn't you know that the day that I finally get into my 60 day until closing period is the day that freaking interest rates rise?? So my rate was locked at 6.625 and that's where it's staying right now. Damn economy!!! I need the rates to go down... for just one day!! SOMETHING!!! It just pisses me off... last week, I would have gotten my 6.5%. But these idiots just HAD to have the later closing... so I got screwed. Ugh. Oh well... I'll stop griping about the house right now... since it's all I seem to think about and complain about. This part of home ownership sucks, let me tell you.
What else?? Oh!!! So I have the best sister ever... she got me my first housewarming gift! (Which, I'll admit, is slightly bittersweet with the damn drape saga continuing... but the gift is excellent for my apartment too). Anyway, it's a set of candle holders that she bought different pieces/parts to put together that make it look really cool. Then she got this little pillar (I guess??) in the shape of a cross that has Joshua 24:15 on it... "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." It's by far one of my most favorite passages... I plan on eventually doing a needlepoint/cross-stitch with that saying on it to hang on the wall in my house (when I eventually get free time... HA!). So that was awesome. And then she got me the Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats cookbook!! I was WAY excited about this. I love Rachael Ray... I basically live on the Food Network, HGTV, and TLC (when they have their home shows on or What Not to Wear... which cracks me up)... I AM becoming my mother. :) But yeah... I'm excited to have so many 30 minute meals at my hands!! I already talked to Mark about it and we decided that on the weekend we could randomly choose 5 meals (I think the"close your eyes and open the book to a random page and point to a recipe" method will work well here) and then get the ingredients at the store and just be ready to cook our meals throughout the week. Then we can cross off meals as we do them and eventually figure out which ones we really like and which ones we don't. I know that there will be a couple recipes in there that I won't necessarily like (meatballs comes to mind immediately) and I'm sure there will be some that Mark may not like (his cheese-phobia could be a problem... but we will have to deal with that). But I figure if we each force ourselves to at least try it once... the worst that happens is we don't make it again later on. So anyway... that was that. I was excited. I like packages. :)
Oh!! I also got a graduation gift from Angie at work today!! :) She took one of the pictures of me at graduation after I got hooded and put it in a shadow box and made all of these cute cut out letters that said congrats in black and gold (Iowa colors) with a small blue outline in honor of the PhD part. It was SOO cute!! And of course she stamped a way cute card. That girl seriously have so much creativity!!! So I was excited about that... I'll have to make sure to bring it home so everyone can see it. Of course, it HAS to come home soon since I have to start bringing all of my crap home from lab!! I'll be making a few trips, needless to say.
So that was my excitement for the day.
The only other "news" was that I had a girls night out with Jody yesterday. It was a ton of fun. I really miss having girl time... I used to get it all the time in Iowa and I really don't get it at all here. So it is nice finally having another female to do stuff with. We just went and got dinner and chatted for about 2 1/2 hours... nothing big... but tons of fun. We are going to go out again next week and do something, so I'm anxiously awaiting that. :)
Anyway, I think that's the scoop for now... I hope you are all ready for the weekend. Tomorrow is Friday! YAY!!! :) Have a great one!!
So I'm a huge nerd and will admit that I've gotten sucked into watching the National Spelling Bee. I know I shouldn't admit these things... maybe it's because I was a spelling nerd back in the days of elementary school, etc. I would be up on the stage spouting off letters... and I wasn't half bad, if I do say so myself. I even had a little plastic trophy (I think for 3rd place?? Mom might know). LOL But yeah, I can't even say that I'm cheering for the kid from Illinois... because honestly, I'm not. Why do so many of these boys look like they have sticks shoved up their butts?? I mean, seriously!!! They are so herky jerky when they move! What's up with that?? Is that puberty?? I don't get it. I'm kinda cheering for this Canadian girl cause she's cute... and I just love those Canadians!! And I also like this other girl who was accidentally disqualified and has been kicking major ass since she was put back in the competition. (Watch, I'll say that and both girls will be out in the next round... oh well, what can you do?) I like to think about how I would spell the word... I know, I'm truly a nerd now. Sometimes I'm actually pretty close (although I certainly haven't gotten one right yet!) But it makes me happy when I'm closer than the kid who's supposed to be spelling it. :) I think what amuses me most is that this is prime time TV. As much as it's kind of funny... it's certainly a nice change of pace that something educational made it on to primetime. Lord knows that I enjoy mindless entertainment with the rest of the world... but it is kinda nice. :)
So what else? The drape saga continues at my house... I think that theoretically, no matter what, the saga must end tomorrow... but I could be wrong. I just need it to be over with... whether or not I get the drapes (although I think I should get them since it was their screw up in the first place and they signed the contract) just because I want to know that the house is mine. I don't like this thought looming over me that if the issue doesn't get resolved that the contract becomes null and void and I lose the house. It just bothers me. I feel like I can't really make any plans until I know that I'm getting the house, no questions asked. And by the way... wouldn't you know that the day that I finally get into my 60 day until closing period is the day that freaking interest rates rise?? So my rate was locked at 6.625 and that's where it's staying right now. Damn economy!!! I need the rates to go down... for just one day!! SOMETHING!!! It just pisses me off... last week, I would have gotten my 6.5%. But these idiots just HAD to have the later closing... so I got screwed. Ugh. Oh well... I'll stop griping about the house right now... since it's all I seem to think about and complain about. This part of home ownership sucks, let me tell you.
What else?? Oh!!! So I have the best sister ever... she got me my first housewarming gift! (Which, I'll admit, is slightly bittersweet with the damn drape saga continuing... but the gift is excellent for my apartment too). Anyway, it's a set of candle holders that she bought different pieces/parts to put together that make it look really cool. Then she got this little pillar (I guess??) in the shape of a cross that has Joshua 24:15 on it... "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." It's by far one of my most favorite passages... I plan on eventually doing a needlepoint/cross-stitch with that saying on it to hang on the wall in my house (when I eventually get free time... HA!). So that was awesome. And then she got me the Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats cookbook!! I was WAY excited about this. I love Rachael Ray... I basically live on the Food Network, HGTV, and TLC (when they have their home shows on or What Not to Wear... which cracks me up)... I AM becoming my mother. :) But yeah... I'm excited to have so many 30 minute meals at my hands!! I already talked to Mark about it and we decided that on the weekend we could randomly choose 5 meals (I think the"close your eyes and open the book to a random page and point to a recipe" method will work well here) and then get the ingredients at the store and just be ready to cook our meals throughout the week. Then we can cross off meals as we do them and eventually figure out which ones we really like and which ones we don't. I know that there will be a couple recipes in there that I won't necessarily like (meatballs comes to mind immediately) and I'm sure there will be some that Mark may not like (his cheese-phobia could be a problem... but we will have to deal with that). But I figure if we each force ourselves to at least try it once... the worst that happens is we don't make it again later on. So anyway... that was that. I was excited. I like packages. :)
Oh!! I also got a graduation gift from Angie at work today!! :) She took one of the pictures of me at graduation after I got hooded and put it in a shadow box and made all of these cute cut out letters that said congrats in black and gold (Iowa colors) with a small blue outline in honor of the PhD part. It was SOO cute!! And of course she stamped a way cute card. That girl seriously have so much creativity!!! So I was excited about that... I'll have to make sure to bring it home so everyone can see it. Of course, it HAS to come home soon since I have to start bringing all of my crap home from lab!! I'll be making a few trips, needless to say.
So that was my excitement for the day.
The only other "news" was that I had a girls night out with Jody yesterday. It was a ton of fun. I really miss having girl time... I used to get it all the time in Iowa and I really don't get it at all here. So it is nice finally having another female to do stuff with. We just went and got dinner and chatted for about 2 1/2 hours... nothing big... but tons of fun. We are going to go out again next week and do something, so I'm anxiously awaiting that. :)
Anyway, I think that's the scoop for now... I hope you are all ready for the weekend. Tomorrow is Friday! YAY!!! :) Have a great one!!
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