“You get used to it. Or you suffer a psychotic episode.” This. Actually, that sums up just about exactly where I am. Except maybe - just maybe, I'm a little closer to the psychotic episode than I would care to admit.
I'm joking. A little.
So this week. This week has been hard. Chad's working nights, flight-following for his crew, I've been sick, plus I'm still exhausted from being pregnant (um. Consider this a blog announcement, I guess. I'm too tired to do it up right. we're due August 17th.), plus Brianna's going through her second (third?) section of separation anxiety... and yeah. Crazy stuff abounds. I send a fiery email to my MMO group about having no life and them wanting every second of what I have. True story. I felt a little bad afterward.
But... we are surviving. And. We are making progress.
So. I'm going to play "Not Me! Monday." Here goes:
I did not let Brianna sleep in the swing in my room pretty much all night several nights in a row because it was easier than fighting with her to stay asleep in her room by herself. Also, on Saturday night when I decided she needed to stay in her room to sleep - all night, it was not because the swing batteries were dead, and I couldn't find a screwdriver. I did not sleep in her room on the floor for over an hour, to make sure she was really asleep. And last night, I most certainly did not give in and take cold medicine, which I knew would cause me to be too drugged up to find my way out of the bed when she woke up, and I did not let her cry it out in the middle of the night because of the aforementioned lack of direction out of the bed.
In unrelated news, I had an awesome Valentine's yesterday, in spite of the fact that we had no babysitter, and Chad had to work all night (and the night before). If you have (a ton) of money to spend on dinner at some point, I highly recommend Killen's in Pearland. Don't be fooled by the outside - it's a really nice steakhouse, not a honky tonk, lol. And it was good. And Brianna behaved, so all was well.
And laid out like cash your take on my list of shortcomings This. Again, I wish I had the words to say it this well.
"I wake up each morning telling myself that today I’ll make it a better day, today I’ll do better. And then the sun rises in the sky."
I am the queen of (short-lived, sidetracked by 9am) good intentions. Every day, I decide that:
Today I will get up on time, so I have time to get everything done and eat breakfast without getting stressed or mad or being late to work.
Today I'll eat a healthy breakfast, not whatever I grab going out the door.
Today I'll pack my lunch and not spend extra money buying a most likely unhealthy lunch from the cafe.
Today I'll be a better wife/mother/friend/person in general.
Today I'll resist the urge to eat junk food.
Today I'll remember how much my husband helps me, and I won't yell at him when I'm frustrated because I have too much to do.
Today I'll call/email/facebook that person I haven't talked to in forever.
Today I'll be organized and on top of things.
And pretty much every day, I've blown most of these before I get out the door in the morning... and probably all of them before I go to bed. I whine about not having a system, and worry that I'm failing at life somehow. I often spend so much time concentrating on how I've failed... that I don't concentrate on how to get better... how to pick myself up and start over fresh (day after day, if needed).
"Daily, my good intentions fail, but His compassions for me don’t. And therein lies my hope."
Today I'll try to do better at doing better. And at not concentrating on the failures, but on the successes. And I'll keep moving forward - His compassions never fail. They are new every morning. [Lam. 3:22-23]
Rolled in late about an hour / No cup of coffee, no shower
Brianna is now 4 months old. This is amazing to me... Where did the time go? She's happy and healthy (except a cold that we've been fighting), and learning new things every day. She's teething (yay!) and eating solid food (baby oatmeal and Gerber 1st foods veggies and fruits). Her favorite food, to date, is probably Sweet Potatoes. And just today, she moved from just using vowel noises, to using the "b" sound... so now she sounds like "bub-bub-bub-bub" - which is funny. She even does it with her paci in her mouth, which is even funnier.
Moms don't get sick days. I don't think I fully groked that concept until this past week. But we survived :-) With lots of help from Chad.
I am badly in need of a routine. And a few extra hours in the day. But if anyone has any great advice for morning or evening routines to make sure that baby and I are both fed, bathed, and get to sleep/work/daycare on time, that would be awesome. If the house could be kept clean in the process, that would be better. Maybe I'll try to FlyLady system again...
Chad and I are doing a Biggest Loser challenge. We started June 1st, and we're runnign until Oct. 1st - hopefully I'll drop this baby weight. So expect some updates here, as maybe it will keep me motivated (we put a large amount of money on the line, so you would think THAT would keep me motivated, but I can probably use all the help I can get). Hopefully, but October, I'll fit in a clothes size that only has one number. Or at least one that I can buy at Ann Taylor without ordering online.
As part of the losing weight thing, I've started working out at the Y. They have free childcare, and lots of workout classes, so it's seeming to work out ok (except it takes even more time out of my day). I've gone to two Yoga classes so far... and OOWW. I mean. I *knew* that when Brianna was born, they cut my abs apart and stapled them back together... but I didn't really think about it until I started trying to do these yoga moves, and i went to use my ab muscles... and they weren't there! I mean, they were gone! So I have a lot of work to do to get back to my pre-pregnancy hotness (pre-pre-pregnancy, I guess). Or something. Meanwhile, I'm just sore. But there's a Zumba class tomorrow, so maybe that will help (lol).
I joined Twitter. Sadly, I joined only because I found a cool app for it on my phone and I wanted to use it. But now I'm addicted. Although my tweeting waxes and wanes as I have time/interest (like my blogging!).
Chad and I are trying to convince some people to move out here. What else is new? But this time, it might work? Really, though, with our luck, everyone will come at once, and we'll be stacking friends on top of each other when they stay with us while looking for a place of their own :-) Actually... thinking about it, that would be awesome. So. Yeah. Please move here? We need more people from back home. :-)
In lieu of real content... A meme. I have real content, in my head, but it hasn't made it into blogger yet. Blame the plague or something (Brianna and I have both been sick off and on for like, two weeks).
I am... really tired. All the time now, it seems.
I want... to magically lose all this baby weight. :-)
I have... a beautiful daughter.
I wish... that I could spend more time recording these moments with her... they're going by fast.
I know... this too shall pass.
I hate... feeling inadequate.
I fear... being a "bad" mommy (whatever that means).
I hear... Nothing. Stupid ears are plugged up, I've probably been shouting at people all day.
I crave... Starbucks.
I search... for more time in my day!
I always... worry about stupid little things.
I usually... miss the forest for the trees.
I am not... patient.
I miss... time with friends.
I love... my husband. :-)
I never... say never?
I rarely... get everything done.
I cry... way too much, it seems.
I lose... at most games :-)
I should... work on being more healthy.
I worry... about everything.
I dream... of sleep, lol.
I was... reading blogs when I found this :-) Go check out One Thing.
I'm not a princess / This ain't a fairy tale This.
Seriously. I mope a lot sometimes ("a lot sometimes"... does that even make sense?) that I don't have time / space / energy to maintain the kind of fierce oh-it's-3am-and-you-need-to-talk?-No-problem! friendships that I had in college. I mean, sure, I have friends now. A few even live in the same town, imagine that. But between the job, the commute, the baby, and the husband (who has his own job and commute) - I feel sometimes like I don't see everyone. Or anyone. Or have time to actually have any kind of meaningful relationship. Even my bible study group (which I love!) has been a little more distant this year, in part due to the fact that we're meeting on Wednesdays and have limited time, and in part due to the fact that I missed like, 2 months or something while I was still getting my feet under me after Brianna was born. So sometimes I feel a little... detached.
So yeah. nice to know I'm not the only one. And to be reminded that (while people and outside relationships are important)... I can still be "attached" to Someone, even when I don't feel it. And maybe that detached feeling... is actually a sign that I should explore exactly where my comfort and security are coming from, and make sure my priorities are in line with what they should be.
It's a long wait for the turning clock Another seven quick takes (I'm totally not original ATM. sorry?). And also, (for those of you who don't like that sort of thing) sorry for the fact that it's mostly baby news - seriously, it's the all consuming thing in my life right now, so if it weren't for that I wouldn't have any blog fodder.
I am ready for Christmas. I have all my shopping done, all the gifts to my family mailed, and the last of the non-family gifts get mailed today (they will be a little late... sorry). I have everything wrapped, and expect for a couple of small stocking things, I'm not waiting on any more packages. Yay!
My boss organized a surprise baby shower for me this week, which was awesome. Now I have more baby stuff, including some stuff to decorate the nursery. Yay!
That same day, I got a huge box of baby stuff from William and Kim. Because they are awesome. Now I'm goign to spend Christmas week trying to organize this stuff, so I can find it all when I need it.
Went to the baby doctor yesterday, and it looks like the baby is already starting to drop. Which doesn't mean that it will come early, but means that things are moving in the right direction at least. We go in for an ultrasound on Christmas Eve, to get an idea of the baby's size and position. Yay! If the baby is big, we have to figure out the best course of action (induce early? c-section? tough it out?), and if the baby isn't big, I have to figure out why I've gained 50 pounds, and what I'm going to do with the extra weight when I'm no longer pregnant, lol.
I started this pregnancy with the greatest ideals... no induction unless there's a serious medical reason, no c-section except for the same, and I absolutely would not have them induce me early unless it was a life-or-death thing. Somewhere along the way, though... I got tired. And now I'm like... "OMG, big baby? Sure, induce. Tomorrow would be awesome. Unless you can do it today. Do you think cutting the kid out of me would be better?" Not that I think it will come to that... but I'm just tired. I'm tired of being tired all the time, and of not being able to tie my own shoes, or walk up a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing, or get up from a chair without doing some weird back bend thing to rearrange my center of gravity. And I want to eat a rare steak. And some sushi. But it'll be like, a seriously long time before I can do either - maybe for Christmas next year or something. Blah.
I go to Babies R Us this weekend to get the last big piece of baby furniture (I have good coupons, yay!) - this one's a dresser / changing table. And I'll put off buying everything else until after my shower at church on the 4th :-)
My family, and possibly Chad's family, will be in in early February, which will be nice (but also interesting, as they may be here at the same time, and there could be interesting family dynamics there). And yeah, I'm a little nervous about my mother's parenting style clashing with mine, and the same for my mother-in-law. Hopefully, I'll make it through the visit without being told that I'm doing it wrong (in my head, this is said lolcat style: UR DOIN IT WRONG!). We shall see.
Head over to Conversion Diary if you want to read more seven bullet updates from random people, lol.
7 Quick Takes Friday Conversion Diary is hosting a thingy called 7 quick takes on Fridays, and I'm thinking it might help me post more news (which you are all dying to hear). And it's only one more than my typical 6 point posts, so how bad can it be, right? :-)
I'm still pregnant, and I'm currently about the size of a barn. The kind you keep horses, hay, and tractors in. Seriously. But. I can still drive my car without squishing my belly (yay for having all my height in my legs!). And even though I whine a lot and complain about my back hurting and how huge I am and how annoying it is to not be able to see/reach my feet... being pregnant is awesome. It's probably the single most positive religious experience I've ever had. I have been in awe of the entire process since I found out I was pregnant. I honestly don't know how people can feel a child moving and growing inside them, and not believe in God. And I wish I wrote a little more eloquently, so that I could truly explain it... but I can't.
I have finished Christmas shopping for my family, with a few tiny exceptions, and have actually gotten a good number of things wrapped. Crazy, eh? Christmas shopping for Chad's family has, however, barely started. But it'll have to be done soon, since we have to ship everything home. Fun stuff.
I purchased and read The Tales of Beedle the Bard yesterday. It was good, and made me laugh out loud a couple of times. I learned a few interesting trivia things about Dumbledore and Hogwarts in general, but not as much as I had hoped. But still, it was enjoyable - now when will she release another?
I love reading Mommy blogs. I have a whole list of them in my reader, and I find it really interesting to see how different families operate and deal with everyday stresses and drama. And sometimes, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one.
Because people come here for baby news: my belly is measuring a week ahead this week, which either means the baby will be big, or means nothing, lol. I'll know more in two weeks, and they'll do an ultrasound after Christmas to get a better idea of size and stuff. But for now, it looks like we're still looking at the baby arriving the last week in January.
Which is good, as we really don't have much done yet in the way of nursery preparations. With only 7ish weeks to go (or 6 or 5 or 8, depending) - I'm guessing we should probably get on that. *sigh*. Honestly, I get a little stressed about it every now and then, but for the most part it hasn't hit me yet that it's happening so soon. On the other hand, I'm starting to really get uncomfortably huge, so soon is sounding better and better. :-) Worst case, Chad'll be painting over Christmas week.
PhotoShop Elements is t3h awesome. My new favorite photo editing tool. Seriously. I played with it a lot over the weekend Chad was in Seattle, and I'm looking forward to having more pictures to edit and more projects to work on, with baby stuff - but, at the same time, I realize I'll have less time to work on stuff like that. Sad, no?
For more quick takes, head over to Conversion Diary. Actually, even if you don't want to read more quick takes, you should head over there anyway. :-) Although I'm not Catholic, I find her writing to be inspiring - and it makes me look at how I relate to God and to my family.
Things that I would never think of in a million years I would never, ever, be walking along on day and suddenly realize that it might be possible to use a human head as a bong. Who thinks of this stuff? Regardless of who thinks it up in the first place, exactly what kind of person would think that it was such a good idea that they would then go to a cemetery and dig up a casket to procure the aforementioned head? I mean, really.
This is officially the oddest thing I've read in a while. And I read some pretty weird stuff.
Actually, having been told horror stories about Texas by my mother for most of my life (which really isn't fair, as I don't think she's ever been to Texas?), I was prepared to move right into the depths of hell when I moved here.
I hate to break it to you, Mom, but it's not nearly as horrible as you think. Granted, I've only seen this little corner of it, but still.
Although, I think we're giving hell a run for it's money, temperature wise. I'm just sayin'.
Alarm clocks screaming / monsters calling my name Umm.... so this sounds like the worst idea ever. Who would sign up for this? If someone ever said to me, hey, let me take the worst most terrifying moments of your life and recreate them in virtual reality so you can relive them... I would run, far far away. I have no idea of the therapeutic value of such things... but yeah, it seems like a really bad idea.
We're going to pretend that last week didn't happen, because I totally sucked at life and got nothing accomplished habit-wise. I might have even slipped back a bit, on the journaling. So no new habits this week... just work on keeping up with what I have.
Habits I have already started working on:
Try to journal (in a paper journal) for at least five minutes every night. If nothing else, record how well I followed my habits that day.
Planning meals for the week, every Friday/Saturday.
Getting the dishes done every night, not leaving anything until morning.
Keep up with the laundry.
Taking time to take care of me... This includes:
Actually using the Clinique face wash system I've been claiming to use for like, 3 years, but haven't actually used as I was worried about having to buy more when I ran out.
Flossing my teeth.
Taking time to read/do something else just for me.
New Habits for the week:
Take my vitamins. Every day. At least twice a day.
Pancakes piled up til they reach the sky... IHOP bought Applebee's?... I'm not sure if this means good things for IHOP, bad for Applebee's, or both. Although, I would like to see Applebee's start serving pancakes. (I say this, but I actually can't remember when the last time I was at an Applebee's was...)
Related to Saturday's SMS post... Another (somewhat overlapping) online group devoted to meal planning every week, hosted by Org Junkie.
Monday: Chicken Alfredo with French bread. Tuesday: Cheddar Macaroni Beef Casserole Wednesday: Sweet & Sour Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes and Peas. Thursday: Spaghetti with French Bread Friday: Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
So I'm attempting to start good habits, right? It turns out, there's a whole little community of bloggers, doing more or less the same thing. The Smart Habit Saturday idea is hosted by The Lazy Organizer, so I figure I'll give it a try.
So. Habits I have already started working on:
Planning meals for the week, every Friday/Saturday. This one is actually going pretty well, as I was in this habit before school and everything got the better of me. It's been pretty easy to pick back up
Getting the dishes done every night, not leaving anything until morning. 6/7, with the off day being Friday night. Weekends = hard to keep routines.
Keep up with the laundry. I only have like, one load of clothes in the hamper. I think this is a first since living in Texas.
Taking time to take care of me... which I've been truly really bad at. This includes:
Actually using the Clinique face wash system I've been claiming to use for like, 3 years, but haven't actually used as I was worried about having to buy more when I ran out. I think I'm on about three weeks with this one, and it's going ok. It definitely helps to have an evening routine... gets me ready to go to sleep.
Flossing my teeth. I suck at this one. Probably 4/7 this week.
Taking time to read/do something else just for me. Not too bad... I certainly have enough on my reading list. ;-)
New Habit for the week:
Try to journal (in a paper journal) for at least five minutes every night. If nothing else, record how well I followed my habits that day.
del.icio.us In case you're interested, I've started using del.icio.us for bookmarking things I might want to access later... storing everything as e-mails to myself or starred items in my reader wasn't working out to be the best. Mostly, you'll find usability info I want to refer back to, etc, but there's a few games and other funny things posted there.
Quote of the Day: From this article: The whole thing is the visual equivalent of a moronic clip-art jumble sale poster designed in the dark by a myopic divorcee experiencing a freak biorhythmic high. ~ Charlie Brooker on poor interface design
You're usually feeling the love for the world around you - you want to hug everyone. And while you're usually content to sit back and view the world with wonder... Sometimes you're world becomes very overwhelming and a little scary.
Mark your calendars! The Texas RenFest website is up and running for the year... if any of y'all end up in Houston any of those weekends, let me know. I'll totally be looking for an excuse to go as often as possible. :-)
Tiny tiny kitties :-) So Chad and I spent some time looking at tiny tiny kitties online yesterday... I am thinking about aquiring another one. Chad's mom, interestingly enough, is thinking about sending me one (or 5) of hers... but none of them are tiny tiny.
However, I pointed Chad to this (nsfw!) comic, and he said now he won't buy me a kitty for my birthday. ;-) (interesting side note, that strip is actually one of my favorite interactions between those two characters... I miss Queen of Wands).
Today is going to rock. I have decreed it. Plus, I just finished my homework, so as soon as I'm done giving make-up tests and goign to class and stuff... I'm done for the day. Chad will be home early, to help me confront the exterminators that are failing at exterminating... and then we can like, go to dinner or something fun. Also, I got to look at my new pretty daisies that I planted in the front yard this morning, and they made me happy. I like daisies.
I decided the birthday crown thing wouldn't work so well here at rice... *sigh* So I'm wearing my Jessica Rabbit shirt instead. I'll probably dress up to go out tonight (just because I can, and because I fit into a bunch of cute dresses and stuff I couldn't wear last year)... we shall see.
anyway. I suppose I'm going to find something to so for the next however long I'm giving make-up exams (hour, maybe?)... meanwhile... place this quote: Daisies are the friendliest flowers.
You're a total perfectionist. So go ahead and congratulate yourself on a "perfect" score. The truth is, everyone is sick of living up to your standards. And you're probably even sick of them yourself.
Punch an' Pie New webcomic, from the same writer who brought you Queen of Wands... Different artist, though, whic kills me. Aerie should have kept up the drawing. Anyway, this is a spin-off about Angela, who in some strange way I think I liked better than Kestral anyway.
"I like hats... no wait, that wasn't it." I so need this hat. Seriously. With a hat like that, and a pinstripe suit... I would be a fox. (or a pimp, if I got some platform shoes and a cane and stuck a feather in the hat). Ha.
PostSecret PostSecret (nsfw!) is a constant (and sometimes very much needed) reminder that I'm not the only one, and that there are a great number of people in the world who are more screwed up than I am, and have bigger problems than I do.
Last post of the night, I promise. Classic Foamy always puts me in a better mood... "But it's ok, cause I have the pills, to cure the death." Ha.
Chad has grown to hate me watching Foamy... not because he doesn't like Foamy, but because I walk around the house for *weeks* saying crazy things like "medicated baby-heads!" at random intervals. However, I just think that my randomly intervaled Foamy quotes are revenge for his equally random multiplicity quotes ;-)
The sky pours out biblical rain / Then days so still the beauty gives you pain [whining] My back still hurts. [/whining] Nothing new there.
It's really freakin' cold here. Just in case you wondered. We're too far south to have gotten a lot of the ice and stuff, but cold cold rain... yeah, not much fun. They closed Rice this morning (when I didn't have class), but are open all afternoon (when I have class).
But this (nsfw!) made me laugh today... Because I am sick and wrong. But then, I suppose, that's why I read PennyArcade.
Also, for like, the first time ever, I'm totally ahead on homework. Not only am I ahead... I've been ahead for two days. Yeah, really. I finished everything yesterday that was due this week... got assigned a new homework yesterday afternoon, and finished it just a few minutes ago. So yeah. I might get to enjoy my weekend (well.... I know I'm going to get assigned a pile of journal articles to read over the weekend. But it was a nice thought).
Sinfest omg... Sinfest hit the nail on the head. Again. (Although "hangover" might not be the most appropriate title, as my grogginess is caused by muscle relaxants (we assume) these days).
While we pray to the god of the lesser things... I talked to my mom last night... which is always interesting. Apparently, Chad and I have caused a stir with the relatives (that is to say, my dad's relatives) by not planning to be in Huntsville on December 25th. So now, the whole world (which is to say, the Glasscocks, the Jacksons, and the Cambpells) is in an uproar, and Christmas is in the process of being moved. To some unknown time. I have an equation for this...
(5 Glasscocks + 5 Jacksons + 2 Campbells + 2 Hammons) = (10 fulltime jobs + 4 part time jobs + 3 full time students + 1 business owner + 5 sets of in-laws) = impossible to find a time when we can all be together.
My mother seesm to think I really have my life in order, too, which is funny... I guess she just sees her little girl, grown-up, married, owning a house and going to school somewhere that no normal person can afford (hell, I can barely afford it, and I'm not paying tution). And I see... I don't know. Someone who's still wondering how she got a license to be a "grown-up" in the first place... I mean, who really thought that was a good idea? Someday, someone will figure out that I'm really a little kid running around pretending to be a grown-up... and they will revoke my grown-up card. And then where will I be?
I guess talking to my mother makes me introspective or something... who knows.
So I finished my final paper for I/O at like, 11:30 or so last night. Yay for meeting deadlines (by the skin of my teeth, but still). And now I have to go turn it in... this is the last week of class. Yay! (or something).
Um.... yeah. interesting image from PostSecret, sums up my thought on lots of things.
And the lyrics (or portions of them) from the song I took my title from.... one my mind since the wind has been blowing like crazy (cold wind, too.... brrrr).
It looks a lot like givin' up Peace we bring is a bitter cup Set our bodies down like offerings While we pray to the god of lesser things
If the wind should shake this house apart The cradle hits the ground with a broken heart Will we say we never knew a thing? While we pray to the god of the lesser things
Ash to ash and dust to dust Steel on steel or rain to rust What mortal breath blood money brings Forth from the altar of the lesser things ~ Jars of Clay
[I]t unfolded about the way I expected: two teams roughly evenly matched in their incompetence; one winning in the end only because at some point the game had to end and one of them had to win.
To be honest, I had planned on tracking the game through the intarweb (since watching wasn't going to be possible)... but long story short, I didn't. Between Christmas shopping, Chad coming home from roleplaying, and my knowledge that both teams were going to suck... yeah. It didn't happen. Which means, sadly enough, I didn't watch a single State game all year. Which is actually kinda depressing, but not as depressing as the fact that we haven't won more than 3 games in a season in the last 6 years.
Don't get me wrong, I still bleed maroon and white. And given the chance to go to a live game, I'll go no matter how bad I know we'll suck. :-) But it would be nice, at some point, to have a tiny bit of the crazyness (and winningness!) that we had my freshman year... Maybe next year?
ps... yeah, I know the pic is broken, I have no idea why. I'll fix it, as soon as I figure it out.
AI continues to amaze me... ...in fact, even though I have studied AI and know (more or less) the concepts behind it, it's really still kind of magic. Take for instance, this article, stolen from David. Amazing.
Another type of (less human) AI, Pandora, a customizable radio station program based on the music genome project, is also amazing. Probably the best ever "learning" radio station I have ever used. Way better than Launchcast. Check out my girly music station.
Interfaces, Internships, and... Houses? If HCI had an equivalent to X-Games, this project would be part of it. Ultimate HCI... move the computer into the brain!
So my intership is going amazingly well, considering the fact that I don't think I've really accomplished much. Everyone else thinks I have accomplished a lot, and I suppose that's what counts. I'm giving a presentation to upper level management the first week in August on my work with Common Components, and I have the potential to keep this job in some form or another during the school year. Which would be cool, but might actually require me to, I don't know, move to a planet with 30 hour days.
And we're thinking of buying a house. Torn, actually, between buying something sensible and, you know, cheap... and buying the house we really want. We're looking at about a $50k difference between the two, which is, interestingly enough, the price of a 2007 Shelby Mustang GT500. (not that we could get both... I'm just saying is all). We should figure something out, pretty shortly, I hope. The possibility of continueing my internship has changed the situation some... So yeah. Decisions are more complicated when you are a grown-up, I guess.
Good news and bad news... Bad news... DDO is broken. The system is down, yo. Stupid Java coders out there, relased a new module and broke the whole damn thing. and tech support is no help, since the whole thing is broken and not just you know, one or two people. (see Foamy on Tech Support (nsfw)).
Good news... I got a job! And i didn't have to turn it down! I was offered an internship at Landmark Graphics (part of Halliburton). I'll be doing icons and documentation and stuff, and I should start on Monday.
Willer... Don't fret. You'll weather through it. My archives were "broken" for like, 6 months on time after my mom found my blog. So I know what you're going through. I saw a shirt at Hot Topic today that said "I blogged your mom" and almost got it as a belated birthday present, but wasn;t sure if it would be appropriate. :-)
TomTom I so wanted a TomTom system before I read this. Now I really want one. With John Cleese's voice. Because that is funny. And would make me feel like James Bond or something (assuming I drove somehting more hip than a Ford Tempo, I guess).
More Serenity Here's a take on Serenity by Tycho, of PennyArcade fame. Really it doesn't say much new, but reinforces the fact that, yes, I must watch the series. And that at some point during the watching of the series, I'll be like, "Oh... Suddenly it all makes so much sense." :-)
Make a Bong? This is a google cached page from a site on bongs... mostly how to make them. Come up when I was ego surfing on google. Thought it was funny...
Finally finished my take home test. Or at least, the part I've been given so far. Should get the rest tomorrow... will probably finish it about midnight Wednesday night, because it's spring and I am extremely unmotivated. I also found out that the paper that I thought was due like, the beginning of May is actually due like, two weeks from today. And I have to make a presentation on it. *rolls eyes and flops face first into pillow* Why am I staying in school? I don't know!
I now officially hate triangles. And eHarmony commercials are annoying. Just thought I'd let you know.
Anyway. I need to find something cold to drink. And figure out when Chad will be home. And go to bed.
Was sick yesterday... all day. Feeling kinda blah today, but no fever. Big Mike and Jenna came over last night, which was cool because I hadn't seen them in forever. When they left, I was extremely tired, and didn't really want to deal with people... so Chad ran to Wesley to talk to people, and I stayed home. Which apparently caused some sort of weird strife between people, and when Chad said he was coming home to cook dinner for me, someone called him fat :-/ I wasn't trying to be anti-social, people... I was just sick, and didn't want to see anyone. I was very social to people who were talking to me online.
Various April Fool's pranks in the works I hear... some more dangerous than others. If I can get ahold of a digital camera, I'll try to get a pic of my April Fool's exploit... only true geeks will appreciate. ;-)
Thunderstorming here... big time thunderstorm, too. The thunder is shaking the building... and I can't see any of it, because I'm inside... in class. Sinfest on rain...
In other news, yay for open source software that does exactly what you need it to do, and has an awesome graphical interface (specifically Cluster 3.0, which is currently doing my machine learning homework for me).
Hey... David and Lain are now publishing a new comic strip based on the Hippie and the Black Guy strips they did back in the day :-) The new strip is (coinsidentally enough) called "Hatbag". I updated my little button thingy for it over in the sidebar. You should check it out, because it's pretty funny. Yay for webcomics with real humor!
And another link blatently stolen from David... (which I was posting here for my sister's enjoyment, but upon reflection I realized that she doesn't read my blog... which is weird. She is online, like, 24 hours a day. And she has the url. Huh. Anyway, I IM'ed it to her. But left it here for you to enjoy).
I have several ranty type things to say, but I'll leave it at that for now (so as not to detract too much attention from the new comic) :)
Yay for Valentines day... Chad and exchanged gifts, cards and chocolate yesterday, but we're doing the whole dinner / possibly mushy movie / general romanticish type stuff tonight (so if I don't answer my phone, I'll call you tomorrow...). But yeah. Chad liked his gifts, and I really liked mine, so it was all fun and awesome. Yay for fun gifts.
In other news... there really isn't much other news. I'm mostly caught up on homework... mostly caught up on sleep... Chad and I only have like, 7 DVDs left before we finish CSI, which will be very sad, and we'll have to find a new show to watch obsessively. I'm still trying to figure out what I'm going to do in December when I finish my Masters... I managed to add several possibilities to the list of options, though, which I guess is something. Chad keeps reminding me that, if nothing else, I can take up watching soap operas and eating BonBons. *rolls eyes*.
I have, however, taken up watching the evening news. It turns out (according to CBS), people who watch CSI make better jurors. So... By watching CSI, I'm doing my civic duty and preparing myself for jury duty. I love America.
Michael Jackson has the flu. Or something. And went to the emergency room. On the way to court. I think that he's pushing things... delaying jury selections, delaying the trial. But maybe he's not that smart... He is calling Kobe Bryant as a character witness. Yeah.
And omg... civilian inspectors aren't allowed into Top Secret government areas... I mean, I bet they don't even let most people who have tope secret security clearance waltz through there... it's like that part of the laboratory is on a need-to-know, need-to-access basis. Amazing. What is the world coming to?
And in unrelated news, it is now legal to drink and or posses hard alcohol on campus... but beer is still illegal on most of campus. Go figure. The dean said they changed the policy to "reflect the action on campus." Heh. If a bunch of people go around killing students at random, will they make that legal, too? I mean, since we're changing the standards to fit the lowest common denominator. We might as well.
Hell, why do we have rules anyway? People are just going to break them. If enough people break them, we'll have to change the rule, and that's just way to much trouble. We should abolish rules. And rulers. And protractors, dadgum it. I hate protractors.
You are Prowl. Quiet, loyal, logical and you have the patience of Job. Good for you. You are a brilliant problem solver as long as it's not an illogical situation. If so, you are lost. You don't have much of an imagination. You are friendly, but not too sociable. You listen more than you talk. Rock on with your thinkin' self.
The internet pisses me off. I mean. I can deal with the over abundance of porn, spam, hate, misinformation, and general crap. But a paragraph like this:
Duhz.. Hope i figure out wat all these blogging stuffs r all abt.. Kinda chim leh. Well, i'm definitely BOREd. Or else i wun be here figuring out this blogging stuff. Kinda fun in a way. Kills time. But hmph... Isnt it weird letting ppl invade ur personal daily stuffs? Anyway just a plain jane. Wat else can others know
more abt me?!
[Excerpt from XiNYi's Daily] Now. really. I don't proof my entries. I don't have time. And I use some odd contractions (prolly comes to mind). And I use the word "like" like, way too much. And I'm addicted to elipses... but. Come on people. At least try and post something readable? Even if you are a Junior High / high school. The entire world is reading this, after all (potentially, the entire internet world, anyway).
So I started playing Dark Cloud last night.... Oh yeah. Big mistake. So addicting. I crawled through like, 6 or 8 levels of the dungeon before I finally stopped and went to bed. I have to say though.... after playing kinddom hearts, the graphics and cut scenes and stuff are somewhat lacking. I am so owned by SquareSoft. Maybe at Christmas break I'll be adventerous enough to start on the the Final Fantasy games.
Yeah... today's not gong to be a good day. I woke up feeling like crap (kinda like all of yesterday), and gave up the chance at a close parking space so as to be able to sleep for 15 more minutes... didn't really sleep for about 14 of those minutes, and fell back asleep literally one minnute before my alarm went off again (sleeping in... not a good idea). And, when I got to Butler hall.... no Mello Yello. Only Coke. *sigh*
However... unlike Monique, I will not blame God for my whiney problems. Today, anyway.
Dude... I so need one of these. Perky goth, indeed. :-)
In an interesting side note, whilst on my trip to Raleigh, someone called me a Gothlette. As in a baby goth. (not one of the people at the conference, needless to say). Don't know whether to be offended. Goth wasn't exactly the style I was going for... but oh well.
So... I'm in that weird transition in my life, where half my friends are single, and half of the other friends are married and having kids. And I'm more or less in between... Which has it's good and bad moments. *sigh*
This is my brain..... in part, at least.
