OMG!!!

I actually forgot to pay my local telephone bill last month. Oops. I knew that would happen sooner or later. Maybe it's because I keep saying how much I hate sprint so I keep subconsciously (or consciously) losing my Sprint bills. I lost my cellular bill too, and even though it's a Nextel phone, it has the sprint logo on it. Coincidence? I think not.

I had a great study session for Physics with one of my classmates yesterday. We met at Barnes and Noble (a very dangerous store for those on a budget). I only walked out with 3 books. "Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson which was recommended to me by my astronomy teacher as well as several other sci-fi people I associate with. "TI-89 for Dummies." Yes, they actually made a "Dummies" book for this new calculator I just bought. It's like a damn computer. I can't remember the exact name of the third book and I'm just too lazy to go downstairs and look it up, but it's like a dummies guide for multivariable calculus (which I'm taking in the summer.)

I'm also starting up my stamping club again this Friday. Visit http://www.stampinup.com for details. YAY!!! :D :D :D

Surprise in the Mail

Andy sent me a birthday present! It's these handmade (by him) frames made up of pictures of old sci-fi cartoons! Thanks ANDY!!!! You ROCK!!! It totally made my day! I will find a place for them as soon as we get our sorry-ass excuse for an apartment cleaned up.

Pink Elephant Part duex

Ok, so I'm a little sensitive about my weight. That's what happens when you have too much time to think about a situation and you take something personally when there was no intention by the people involved for you to take it that way. I need to get over myself... :D

Pink Elephant?

I just came home from a friend's house where they were talking about going "Whale Hunting" and "looking for fat chicks." So I just laugh along, and inside there is a plethora of feelings going on like, "Jeez, I hate being fat because that's really how people think of you" to "Fuck them, they can kiss your fat ass" to "yup, my husband's laughing right along." Now, maybe I'm being over sensitive here (really trying to be one of the guys and at the same time trying not to be a party pooper) and I know that one of the people that was there tonight reads my rantings and I don't want him to get all bend out of shape, but if they're wondering or caring what goes on in a "fat chicks" head when they hear these things, then you now have some insight. There is no "lighter note" to this one, sorry.

I just "Rocked" my Rock Exam

YAY!!! I got 92% identifying minerals, igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.

I just found out my cousin Danielle is coming to visit!

I also just found out that my friend Tara MIGHT be coming to visit! (I'll kick her ass if she decides to go to Toronto instead.)

I haven't heard anything from the NASA Undergraduate Research Program.... yet.

I'm quitting my job at the scrapbooking store tomorrow.

Brandon has his truck driving championship on April 1st. FOOL!

I just found out about the Big Damned Flanvention II Click here for more info. It's a Firefly/Serenity fans wet dream. This convention kicks ALL OF THE ASSES of creation entertainment. Creation has been sticking it to the fans for all these years... However, it's $229 for a weekend pass, plus I'd have to get a photo op with Nathan Fillion which is yet another $60 plus they have a banquet on Friday night $109 and Saturday night $139 but you really get to HANG OUT WITH THESE PEOPLE for reals. (My auntie would cringe at that last word.) So what's my running total so far? $537. And that's just for ME. Brandon would be the same, minus the Fillion photo op. It sucks to still be in school without a degree to make the big bucks. KIDS, Stay in school RIGHT AFTER HIGH SCHOOL! I saw some of the photo ops from the Flanvention in December and people are HUGGING each other! Now, creation sits you in a seat and says "Don't touch the stars..... NEXT." Fuck that.

So speaking of creation sticking it to the fans, they actually DIDN'T for the Firefly/Serenity Breakfast. It was AWESOME!!!! Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau and Moreana Baccairn (Spelling is BAD - don't have time to look up names, must get to class) took about 10 minutes at each table and the empty seat at our table was right beside me! So I got to sit next to all of them and talk for a while. It was cool. I would do that again. We got pictures, but we weren't allowed to take pictures while they were at our table (creation Nazis) so there are pictures of them at other people's tables and there is a really good shot of them when they first came into the room.

Random Acts of Kindness

I have had a couple of these happen to me today. The first one happened this morning. I didn't take my water bottle with me because it had gone "bad" (Heather, Brandon and James know what I'm talking about) and I didn't have time to get another one on the way to school. So I was REALLY thirsty when I got to school and I had a dollar in my pocket. When I went to the water machine the water was $1.25. One of my classmates approached me and I asked if he had a quarter I could borrow. He found one and then I realized that I could not put a dollar bill in the freaking machine, it only took coins. Now, in UNLV BEH (Frank and Estella Beam Hall) there is a snack kiosk that is right across from the vending machines. I pick up the same size water and take it to the counter and ask the lady "How much is the water?" She says, "$1.50." I lost all hope at that point that I was going to get water. So I said "Ok" and put the water back. As I was walking away she asked me "How much are you short?" and I said "$.25" so she said "Don't worry about it, I can take it out of here" (pointing to her tip jar). I said "Oh no you don't have to do that!" And she said "Don't worry about it." So, I got my freaking water.

The second random act of kindness that happened to me today:
I had started my Physics homework and realized that I needed the solutions that the teacher had put on hold at the library. When you take these reserves out you are not allowed to leave the library with them, they have copy machines that you can use in the library. I have NO cash on me. I go into the bookstore and ask the teller "can I get cash back if I buy something?" He says "no, we don't do that. The closest ATM is down the street." I said "Isn't there an ATM here on campus?" He says, "There WAS, but they took it out." I had a look on my face I'm sure. So I said "See, I need to make copies..." and he said "you can make copies here and we can take your debit card." I said, Well, the material that I have to copy is in the library and they won't let you take it out of the library." So he goes into his wallet and gives me two dollars and says "here, just take this. I know you'll pay me back someday." So I was totally floored, and didn't want to accept it but we went back and forth and I swore up and down that I was going to pay him back with interest. I go up to the library to make copies of the reserves and the librarian tells me that the copy machines are broken and that "We normally don't let students take reserve materials out of the library but this is the one exception." So, I took the materials downstairs to the bookstore again, gave that really nice man back his $2 and he made me copies. Long explanation, but it was so.... karmic.

Also karmic... I'm working on increasing my prosperity right now, and my "check engine" light just came on in my car this morning when I was driving to school. Go figure. :D

I am so excited about California! I will take lots of pictures which I will never post on my cheap-ass website. :p

OY!

-I have a new job at a scrapbooking store, but I think I'm going to quit because it's across town and it's taking away from my "doing dishes" time and my "homework" time.
-My classes are going much better than last semester. :D
-I'm going to Grand Slam Pasadena this weekend to Geek out with the Firefly gang! YAY!
-I will miss seeing my friend Dielle because she will be coming into town from Seattle just as I'm leaving for CA. :(
-Brandon caught a drumstick from his Dream Theater concert and had it signed by the drummer. (HOLY SHIT).
-I found out today that my Uncle Fred, Uncle Steve and Uncle Pat are coming on May 5th to celebrate their 60th birthday's! I'm so excited! Hopefully my cousin Lee will come too, I haven't had a chance to spend any time with him in a long time. :(
-Dr. Phil is my hero. :D
-I applied for the Nasa Undergraduate Research Program. :D
-I'm going to apply for the Nevada Department of Transportation Internship as well.
-I got a random $750 grant from the government for school. :D
-I got a refund on my taxes! :D
-I get to go to the beach on Friday! :D
-Politics? OY! It gets funnier and funnier every day! I can't believe these people are running the country! :D

So there's a quick recap. Sorry for the break, but if you read this or check it at all you know how frequent these posts are.

Smell ya later!

Love dee

School,Christmas, New Years and all that Jazz...

School is over! YAY! I got 4 A's and a -B. That last grade was from the class where my teacher died and we had a really hard teacher come in and take over the class for the last 3 weeks. I'm amazed it's not a C. :D

Christmas was great. My family decided to have The Big Dinner(tm) on Christmas Eve because it was easier on everyone's schedule. My friends Shahnon and Rick came over and fun was had by all. Lots of food. Tried to get Brandon to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" but there was just too much going on. Side note: I had just seen that movie for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I LOVE IT! We opened presents at midnight and we all got lots of stuff. By the end of the night we were rubbing socks on our face un-enthusiastically. Long story. ;) I got a Sudoku game from my Uncle Danny that I'm now addicted to. I have put limits on myself, however. I cannot play that game before bed. I did one night and I was playing it in my sleep, but not just with numbers but with people, colors, situations and anything else that was in my subconscious. YIKES. I also got some cookbooks, some kitchen gadgets, The Star Wars Christmas Special on DVD, a scrapbooky vaccuum, a quesidilla maker and a whole bunch of other stuff that escapes me at 3am.

New Years!

Brandon and I just got back from spending time in Seattle with our friends. I'll have to break it down day by day:

December 29
Picked up Rick and Shahnon and went to the airport (which was a new record in getting to their house - 18 minutes!) Checked in, got on the plane, had some awful turbulance to the point where they announced that there would be no inflight drink service because "America West values safety above all else." Shahnon actually thought at one point that we were in a car because the bump felt like we had hit something. OY. I was shaking. Not good. Rick had to help me to not look at my watch because I was looking at my watch every 2 minutes or so and that certainly does not help the time fly (pun intended.)

Got off the plane, waited about 45 minutes to get the baggage. Went to the rental car place, the lady talked to me and tried to sell me something bigger because, apparently, the Town and Country "won't be able to hold a snowboard." After 15 minutes of bartering I talked her out of it. Had to take another shuttle to go get the car off-site. (Note to self: Do not rent from Advantage Rent-A-Car again.) When we got there, I found out that a Town and Country was a fucking mini-van. That bitch tried to tell me that this huge-ass mini-van would not hold a snowboard. Loser. Anyhoo. Loaded things in the van, and drove to Heather and James' house in Shoreline. Rick figured out on the way there that the van had Sirius Sattelite radio in it and that it also had a DVD player with a screen (again - thanks Advantage, for telling me about the features in my car so that I know they exist.) I think Rick accidentally found the Sirius.

So we get to Heather and James's house and we see the weenies (dogs) and we say our hi's and then we all pile in our "small" mini-van to go to the taco bus. Yes, we ate some pre-dinner (Rick, Shahnon and I) were starving, after not eating anything all day. Well, Shahnon had had coffee, a bag of pretzles and had swallowed to 2 peices of gum. I had just coffee. So getting back to the bus. It had seats inside it, bar style, bolted down. We ate inside the bus. It was really tasty. Maybe I'll post some pictures or something. Then we went to the grocery store, then back home.

Heather, James and Dielle had planned an evening with dinner, friends and stuff so Heather made her famous Garlic Mashed Potatoes(tm), James made some pork, and Dielle made some cooked carrots with butter. MMMMmmm. Heather was also making drinks like a feind, so we ended up having 4.5 cosmopolitans each. Why the 4.5? Well, after 4, we decided that having a whole other one would be tooooo much, so why not split it? YAY, binge drinking!

The party was great. Everyone was pretty drunk. I got to see Lisa for a couple of minutes, Jared, Doug and Heather and I ended the night with one of our famous talks that I've missed so much. It was great.

December 30
Friday morning breakfast at the "Gluten-Free Restaurant" that Heather and Dielle discovered. See, they are alergic to wheat and wheat products so their choices of food are very limited. Not at this place. What was really funny was the service. We walk in and Heather says to the person working there (or so we think...) "there will be six of us." The "waitress" looks up at us and says, "So...." and I say, "Shall we move some tables together?" ANd the "waitress" says, "Yeah, you could do that." It was funnnnnyyyyyy! The food was good, and our waiter was good for the most part.

After breakfast it was time for Grocery Shopping. Yay. Nobody likes grocery shopping, including me. Well, except for my mother, she likes it, but she wasn't there so that doesn't count. So we go through that, with a few crisis averted and then we head back to the house and Shahnon, Rick, Dielle, Doug and Jesse head up to the cabin.

Heather goes to the gym and James and I watch a movie, of which I cannot remember the name now, but it was really good. Then Heather brings home some food and we eat and wait for Brandon to call us to let us know what flight he ended up taking. He calls around 9pm and we head off to the airport. The traffic is INSANE and poor James has to deal with it while Heather and I head off into the airport. We find Brandon and then head off to the cabin while watching Family Guy! We get there pretty late and everyone pretty much heads to bed.

December 31
Everyone else heads to the slopes except Heather, Rick, Shahnon and I. We just sat around playing Tekken and eating Dill Potato chips. We went to the store (hence the potato chips) and then came home and made dinner for the crowd. Shahnon and I made our lovely Polenta with an assload of cheese. Mmmmmm... Then we started the new years festivities by a game of checkers, but these checkers had shot glasses as the pieces. So after two games of that and several other drinks New Years was upon us! We gave kisses and hugs (including Rick's "I'm going to kiss a man" - type new years which was funny as hell). Then I got really drunk and remember dancing on the dance floor with heather while Doug started to dance on his hands and then heather fell and it was crazy. Then I had a piece of tin foil on my head, then I was falling asleep on the couch. Zzzzzz....

UPDATE March 3rd 2006

So see? I went and didn't finish the report on the trip and now, I can't remember it as well. Oh well, it was a great weekend and I had A LOT of fun!

Update

Well, the semester is almost over. I have my last final tomorrow morning at 8am (yuck) and then I totally done for the semester! This semester has been kind of jacked up. One of my Physics teachers died. He was at the gym working out. He felt sick and had called a friend to come get him. By the time the friend got there he was much worse so they called an ambulance. Ms. Wu (my other physics teacher) told us that he died on the way to the hospital. He had a massive heart attack. Yikes. So that situation was kind of weird. I've never had a teacher die before. I had one of my seventh grade teachers have a heart attack, a mild one. Another teacher had skin cancer (she used a tanning booth a lot and drank at least a six pack of diet pepsi a day, go figure). It just seems strange to me to have someone you sort of know just all of a sudden not be there.

My English final was interesting. I was exempt from it because I had gotten A's in all of the work assigned (take that high school English teachers who thought I sucked at writing, well, I do suck at spelling but that's a whole other story). I thought that the day of the final he was going to be doing some other stuff so I went. Well, everyone was taking the final and then going home. So, I took the final anyway. Our awesome teacher (Mr. Cummings, CCSN) instucted us that we could collectively help each other in any way, shape or form. Yes, he gave us permission to cheat. It was great! All 50 of us huddled in a corner and read the answers out loud, it was what I'm sure we've all wanted to do at some point in our school career. He figures that we know the material, we've written about it, we've discussed it and he doesn't care if we can memorize it. If we can figure it out in a group setting (which is closer to real life) than we'll be well-rounded adults who are ready to face the "there is no 'I' in team" world. Cool.

Brandon's car got broken into on Monday night. Leif was borrowing it because his Dad and his Wife were in town and he has a toyota spyder which seats two so Brandon and him usually trade when Leif has people come into town. Well, someone broke in and tried to steal the stereo. Brandon and I never take the face plates off our stereos. Now, we will. It's kind of funny because they never actually got the stereo out. Brandon had this steel bar that was WAAAAy back in the belly of the dashboard that was supporting the stereo at the correct angle (so that the stereo doesn't freak out like mine does and refuse to play CD's). So whomever it was really tried, but failed. They took the face plate, although I don't know what the point of that was considering they can't use it on another stereo, it's got a chip in it that is specific to that stereo's serial number. Oh well, good thing Brandon bought me a new stereo for my birthday last year that we haven't installed yet. :l

I need coffee.

Only 14 days until we go to seattle and see everyone! I'm really excited.

Only 12 days till christmas!? Jeez, I haven't started any of my Christmas projects. I suck.

Changed Major

Yes, I am no longer a physics student. I talked to an engineering counselor at UNLV and it seems as if this is the better path. She actually told me that it's very hard to get a mentor teacher in phyiscs if you are a woman (she's done a study on it, she's a doctoral candidate for college education) especially in nevada where our physics program is not all that great. I told her in a very hushed tone that I wanted to be an astronaut and she was totally psyched! She said that they're going to need astronauts that are engineers when we go to the moon in 2018 (check NASA's website) to build water facilities, roads, housing and all of that happy horseshit. So, I'm actually excited to be in civil engineering. This also brings up something else that I'm happy about...

Graduation

I will be graduating from the Community College of Southern Nevada with an associates in Science this fall! I didn't think I'd actually get to graduate from CCSN for another year (because of their fucked up way of laying out courses, which is a VERY long story and It's late) so now I at least get a piece of paper that says I was doing something for the last 6 years. WHEW. Now, It's only three more for the batchelor's. Jesus, I thought School was only supposed to take 4 years. Even if I'd started at UNLV it's still a 5 year program for civil engineering and most students take 6-7 years. That's what you get here in NV, where school is usually a part-time gig most of the time.

Gamma Pi Delta Omega Your Momma

So, this girl from my women's studies class insisted that I check out her sorority. Now, for the people who know me, I'm definately NOT the stereotypical frat girl but, this girl that invited me is pretty cool and I enjoy talking with her in class. I had lunch with Shahnon and then decided that I wasn't going to go. Then, as I was driving home, I decided that I was going to go. I went. They were supposed to meet in front of the student union building at 4:30pm. I was there at 4:20pm. I sat there until 5:05pm. This whole time I'm being entertained because it's homecomming at UNLV and there is a barbeque and music and like 10 people taking part. :D I'm waiting and I see a girl with the correct greek letters on her bag finally take a seat just outside the student union. She doesn't look like she's looking for anyone, and she's talking on her cell phone. She sits FAR away from me. I take the initiave and approach her (which is not all that hard to do, with one girl) and I ask her "Are you with Alpha Delta Pi?" and she says "Yes, my name is (blank - cannot remember her name)." I introduce myself and tell her that I was in contact with whomever checks the emails and I told her who recommended that I check it out (the girl from my women's studies class). Just then, these other two girls approach and she introduces me to them (still no names remembered). They then decide to get a seat to watch the parade that is about to happen. Ok, so she tells me to follow her. After the parade gets started, some more girls arrive. There are about 10 now, and this one girl starts to actually talk to me. Can't remember her name either. Now, these girls are so freakin stereotypically pretty and preppy that I feel like I'm a DOG in "Not another Teen Movie." Eventually, that girl who was talking to me sees other people and goes to say hi. Now there's about 20 in this group, and I'm standing there by myself. When that other girl was talking to me, she was sort of telling me about the whole gig, philanthropy and parties and all that. Some PI guys then joined the group. Count? 40-50, including some people that were in the parade being driven around in cars with sashes on them. Number of people talking to me? Zero. So, on that note, I leave. The two girls that I was talking to and the chapter president were not there when I left, and I think they really could have cared less if I was there or not. I felt like I was right back in junior high school again. Man, it was awful. Not as awful as junior high, because I'm not so eager to please complete strangers, but still, strange and awful. I don't know what I'm going to say to that girl that recommended I go to this thing, she was so excited about it. It was supposed to be an information meeting. So much for that. Man, what a crock of shit. Not that I'm bitter. ;)

Sacramento

I'm goint to the capital of "calEEfornia" (arnold's accent) or a suburb thereof for thanksgiving again this year. It will be fun. Brandon's mom is holding thanksgiving there with the food and the family and the flaven! OY!!! /prof. frink. I have to get on an airplane again. At least the flight is only an hour and 45 minutes or so.

New Years

So, we're still going to Seattle for new years! Shahnon and I are trying to come up with ways to come up with the money so that we can fly instead of drive. That will save us the headache of having to drive 20 hours each way, and then Rick having to go work after driving for 20 hours. Yuck. So, I'm going to see if I can sell some stuff on ebay. My wedding dress is there right now, but my mom and auntie paid for that so if it does sell, I'm goint to give them the money for that. I'm going to try to sell some of my star Trek and Star Wars stuff and if I could get like 10 bucks for a 12 inch doll and 3 bucks for a small action figure I can raise about $200. That would almost buy my plane ticket. But this is not just for me, I really want Shahnon and Rick to be able to fly up there as well. Jeez, me and Shahnon on a plane together. We've come to the conclusion that we could land it if the occasion arises. I figure I could call my cousin Lee on his cell phone and he could take me through the process of landing a plane. Shit, if my little cousin Aidan can do it (he's 8 and he just flew a plane a couple of days ago) then I should be able to do it. :D Speaking of family...

Medical Update

My Uncle Steve is doing better. He's home now, and has a nurse that comes once a day to take care of stuff. She better be giving him a spongebath! ;) Anyhoo, from what my mom told me, they think he might have an abcess in his leg which is making it harder for him to heal, so he's getting an MRI again to check that. I know he'll be ok. DUBBINS!

That's it

There, I'm done talking now. Whew. It's now 12:15am PDT. I'm one tired little bitch. Brandon has to get up at 4am tomorrow, and has to work at 5am doing some convention freight. PUKE. Goodnight!

Dreams

Last night I had the strangest dream, I sailed away to China...

Oh, sorry. But really, I had a really strange dream. I just remeber the last part of it. We were flying near the capital and had this bomb that was following us and we were being escorted by F-15's. We were all talking about politics on the plane (it was a plane full of democrats) and then all of a sudden the bomb turns toward the plane. I say, "Well I know where I'm going!" I'm woken up at that moment by the power going off. (Which makes my fan go off and that wakes me up.) It was just off for a few seconds then it came back on, then off again then on. Weird. Livin in the ghetto. Oh hell ya.

Free the West Memphis Three!

Ok, everyone (all three of you) who read this need to go to WM3.org and invest some money at blockbuster and rent the HBO documentary "Paradise Lost."

I was actually pro capital punishment before I had to research this case for an English assignment. I am now totally against it because the legal system cannot be trusted AT ALL!

It's crazy! GO! GO GET IT! AND THEN WHEN YOU'RE DONE WATCHING THAT MOVIE, RENT THE SEQUEL: "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations."

OY.

This weekend

Was insane. I was sick. Today was the first day in the last four that I wasn't running to the bathroom every 15mins. I didn't even go to school today.

Uncle Steve

Then, my mother writes me an email on Friday morning which I don't get until Friday night that my uncle Steve has been in the hospital since Wednesday with a leg infection. My auntie Kathy who has just recently had her galbladder out and eye surgery is on the warpath. She is a nurse and is disgusted with the way they are treating him. see my cousin Danielle's page if you want live updates.

I know he'll get better. He's a strong man, both mentally and physically. I love you Uncle Steve and I am sending good mojo your way.

Weather

It's stormy here in Las Vegas. Temp is 67 degrees. Humidity is 71%. 1-2 inches of rain expected within the next day or so. It's awesome. Nice change from all the freaking sunshine. And the kids are not screaming outside my window right now either.
I should probably get off the computer during a storm, seeing as I did almost get struck by lightening once and I'm in the upstairs part of the house. And the computer might attract an electrical charge.

Alaskan Family/Friends Cruise!

So, I've been talking with Auntie Die Die who happens to work for Expedia cruise lines in their group cruise department and I think we should get anyone who wants to go on a cruise to...well...go on a cruise! TO ALASKA! It's so beautiful! It will change your life, or at least take your breath away. I'm not talking like this summer but maybe summer 2007? Feedback anyone? If anyone reads this? I'll send an email to all peeps involved soon enough. As soon as I get some more tangible info from Auntie. It would be like a family reunion but on a cruise ship, with friends and a casino and alcohol and food and shows and hot tubs and balconies. Mmmmmmm. Ok, everyone go to

www.princess.com

and check out their ships. I was thinking the Diamond Princess but you can look at all of their ships. Tara, I know we talked about a group vacation, so this is the chance! I'm serious ya'll. Not like the last post. But for real. mmmmmmmm....

They also have a cruise to Hawaii that I would LOVE! It's a way to get to Hawaii and back without having to get on a plane! WHEEEEEEE! I'm all for that.

And now for something completely different...

We here in NV are getting refund checks from the DMV if you registered a car here in 2004. The Clark County School District is asking you to donate your refund check so that the kids can have TEXTBOOKS! WHAT KIND OF FUCKING SHIT IS THAT! Hello! We already pay taxes and the school budget is HUGE. They can't buy textbooks? Give me a fucking break. Too many chiefs, not enough indians? That was one of my centers of rage today.

Another was the story of that woman in Oregon that was kicked off the plane for wearing a shirt that said, "Meet the Fuckers" and it had pictures of Bush and Rice and some other ass-hats on it. I'm not sure if they kicked her off because she was anti-bush, or because it said "FUCK." Either way, that is retarded. Free speech. Freedom. As much as I would hate to see someone wear a t-shirt that said "All democrats are whiny ass little bitches who like to fuck homosexuals" it is their right as an American to think that and to proudly proclaim it on a t-shirt if they feel the need. And don't tell me kids these days don't know the word FUCK by the time they are 4. Yes, they do. I knew that word when I was 5. Not that I would say it in front of my family or even friends but I knew what it was.

Ok, rant done.

Good night. I'm going to be going out tomorrow to try to look for new jeans. Wish me luck, i'm going to need it. I hate looking for jeans. But I'll get the chance to spend some quality time with Shahnon so it's all good.

The story of how I was forced to eat Spicier Nacho Doritos

I had spent all morning at UNLV going to classes and getting some administrative things taken care of. I passes at B of A ATM and thought about taking some money out. "Nah," I thought, "I brought lunch today and besides, there are ATM's everywhere if I really get desperate." Oy, I should really learn to listen to my gut, besides when it's grumbling. So, I decide to go to CCSN Cheyenne campus (up WAYYYYYY north from where I live) so that I can get some productive studying done before my 6pm exam. I get there around 1pm. I had eaten a banana and an orange while walking all over UNLV (and don't even get me started on how hard it is to walk and eat an orange) and I was hungry for the main event. I had brought a can of dolmas with me, with a cute little plastic fork and a napkin all sealed in a zip-lock baggie. I sat down with all my books out and decided to break out this bad-ass can of yummy mediteranian goodness. I go to pull the "handy tab" off the top of this delectible thing and it breaks off....

Pulling off the top of the lid was THE ONLY way to get to the tasty food inside. Unless you're at home and you have a can opener. I bring a lot of things with me, but a can opener isn't one of them. I was so sad. So I just looked at it, and slowly put it back in my bag so I could weigh my options (literally). I knew that a can of dolmas was about 10 points on the Weight Watchers meal plan. Ok, so what else is 10 points that I can find. 10 points is about (and I'm just guessing here) 500 calories, 4 or more grams of fiber and about 10 grams of fat.

Add to this that I'm at the Cheyenne campus and don't really know where anything is seeing as this is the first time I've ever had a class here.

So, where to eat? I look at the clock. It's now 1:30pm. I decide that I'll do all of the problems from Chapter 16 and then I'll go looking for something to replace my unreachable "handy" meal.

I leave at around 2:30pm on my search for some food. I'm starting to get shakey from all of that coffee that I had this morning. Organic French Roast from Trader Joes. I wander downstairs and I'm right in front of the cafeteria. Well, that wasn't so bad! It's a hogi-yogi with a hamburger stand and a teriyaki place. Ok, 3 options. I look to see if they take debit cards. YES! The VISA and MC signs are beaming at me from the cash register. My tummy is now in a state of euphoria! Yes! I can smell the next meal! Like I've EVER let my tummy down in that regard. Anyhoo, the woman in front of me seems to be taking a little longer than I expected. I figure I'm probably just being impatient, my tummy is subjectivly speeding up the clock. Then, much to my shock and horror, I hear the woman behind the counter say, "Our debit machine isn't working, our phone lines are down."

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

I scream in my head. Of course, there is no B of A ATM here. Just at UNLV. So I saunter away, with my head down, wondering if I really want to pay $5 to get $20 out. Then, I make a compromise. I'll get $40 and make it worth it. Yes! I will have cash and I can get that Tasty Turkey Sandwich that I've had my eye on for the last 10 minutes.

I walk with purpose to the bookstore, yes, THEY will be able to tell me where an ATM is. I ask the woman in the store, "Do you know where the closest ATM is?" She says, "No, not really. But you can try down the hall by the admissions office." Alright, so that's what I'll do. I walk no more than 50 feet and there it is. It's a Silver State Schools ATM. It's a beautiful silver-ish color. I approach this life-saving machine only to find that it's out of service. ARE YOU KIDDING ME! I ask someone else is there is another ATM on the campus. "No" she says, "that's the only one."

I couldn't believe it. Now, I am forced to buy lunch in the bookstore, where they don't have any REAL food, just snacks and shit. So I examine the backs of all of the crap that they sell for the calories, fiber and grams of fat. With a small tinge of guilt, I choose the spicer Nacho Doritos and an unsweetened Lipton Iced tea.

I'm spent! And I have to take my physics exam in an hour!

At school

Well today is my long day. I started at UNLV at 8:30am, then I had lunch with my mom, then I talked to Shahnon on the phone, then I played around on the freeway for an hour and now I'm at the CCSN Cheyenne Campus. It's about 5:36pm and I have my Physics 182 class at 6pm. Then I have my Physics 182 Lab from 7:30pm - 10:30pm. LONG FUCKING DAY.

I have three major exams next week, in all of my difficult classes. I will NEVER take 17 credits again EVER! Oh well, at least I'm not dead from a hurricane, right? Things could always be worse.

Vacations

When my mom and I were having lunch she suggested that we as a family (as in my mom, aunts kathy/die die, uncles danny/steve, cousins/lee/danielle and their respective families) should all go on a family cruise to Alaska. That would be so much fun! People could do whatever they wanted to. I would want to do the long cruise, not the round trip so that we could visit more than 3 ports in AK. Then I would want to stay in one of Princesses chalet's in the mountains outside of Anchorage. Mmmmm... Alaska. I'll have to keep it in the front of people's minds.

I talked to Tara the other night for a long time. She mentioned that she would want to do a group vacation as well, in a couple of years. Well, she's just like family, if she could survive my wedding then she can survive one of our family get togethers. That might be just the thing she is looking for.

Another interesing thing... Brandon, Me, Shahnon and Rick are meeting with Heather, James, Dielle, Jesse, Doug and some other people (of which I think one of their names is Skort - at least that's what his name is in the email Dielle just sent me) up in Seattle for New Years Weekend! We're renting this cute cabin CABIN
and we're going Skiing! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Can't wait. I'm going to need a MAJOR vacation after this insane school schedule!

K, gotta get to class.

Thinking can be bad for you....

I started thinking today about just what the hell I was doing. School is WAY harder than I thought it was going to be. That also might be because I've somehow been sucked into working 16 hours a week. Taking 17 credits at two different schools and three different campuses plus trying to get in time to work out, see my husband and get my house unpacked has made me a little edgy. I've been a huge bitch. But I just can't help it. I watched most of "Iron Jawed Angels" today in English class. It's an HBO movie that is based on the life of Alice Paul and the sufferage movement. Now THOSE women had a lot to deal with. Sometimes, all you need is a little perspective, right? I still feel overwhelmed, but all those feelings of dropping out and never going back have receded.

I figured out why I don't understand the current chapter that we're doing in math. It's based on a previous chapter that we didn't cover over at CCSN. I was so freaked out. Math doesn't usually freak me out like that. I actually cried about it, I was so frustrated and I was doubting myself so much that I almost talked myself out of staying in school. I then decided to review the chapter that I had missed in my previous math class. Duh. It's a little extra work, but that is expected when going from one school to another. They try to teach the same things, but they don't sit down in planning meetings with each other. CCSN omits stuff that they don't think most people will have to learn. I even remember my Calc II teacher telling me that they don't even teach that chapter in Calc III. Well, I'm taking Calc III at a university that DID teach that chapter. It's all screwed up. I'm going to study that damn chapter now.

...He look-a like-a man...

My physics lab instructor is Mrs. Swan. We were doing an experiment in electrostatics where we had to rub a rubber rod on some animal fur and then some plastic and determine the charge on this electroscope that we had. She had told us that "the animal fur gave a negative charge and the plastic gave a positive charge." Well, I started to do the experiment and realized that the lab book said the exact opposite. So I asked her which one was right and she said, "Just like I said, the animal fur gives a positive charge and the plastic gives a negative charge," and she might have well added, "Yeah, yeah, he look-a like-a man." Not only does she look exactly like her but she acts exactly like her as well. It's funny in a not so funny kind of way because she's going to be no help whatsoever in the lab itself.

I was going to enter this math competition and when I went to the practice I realized that it was not for me. Proofs are not my thing. No thank you. I do need to join something though. I was thinking of a women's group or a young democrats group or a choir or something. Anything.

Brandon and I got a new sofa from my parents for our wedding present. I didn't want a wedding present, they paid for the wedding and I thought that a wedding present would be sort of retarded seeing that we went over budget on the wedding. (Sorry mom and auntie, love you!) :l It's from Lazy-boy and it's a chaise love seat recliner in a custom fabric that feels like chanile and velvet. Very comfortable. We won't have it for another couple of weeks so maybe I'll post a picture when we get it. Yeah, that will happen. ;)

No really, one of my goals is to post here more often. It feels good. It feels really good when I had 2 cups of coffee 2 hours ago and it's 12:30am and I'm not tired at all. I was supposed to be doing homework (and I did finish one of my math problem sets) but I'm all jacked up from talking to Heather on the phone and then I got sucked into the computer and the rest is history.

I just talked to Heather on the phone for an hour and a half. It's so funny, when we were living together we did talk and there were certainly times where we talked more than others but we were always pretty good at keeping each other up to speed on our current events. It's weird to cram a couple of packed weeks into an hour and a half conversation. I mean, we hadn't even talked about Katrina. EVERYBODY HAS TALKED ABOUT KATRINA! It just reinforces that fact that she really was a huge part of my life and that truly, my life is really not the same without her around. It's not bad, just different. It's sad and it leans toward being more difficult because she's not there when I get home to chat with or vent frustrations with, but I've been through this before. When I moved to Las Vegas I felt the same thing with Christa, Tara, Andy and everyone else that I used to talk to/see on a regular basis. I still get nostalgic when I think of the close relationships I used to have with my Edmonton friends and how our relationships change over the course of time. My Edmonton friends, if you're reading this, I'm not saying that I'm not friends with you or anything (as you see my friend paranoia kick in) it's just that things change over time. It's hard to be super close with people who live thousands of miles away. Shit, just living more than 4 hours away is hard. It just makes you realize how important it is to be in the moment and never take for granted the time you have with people because life really does change, nothing ever stays the same.

For both Heather and I, we've chosen to have some pretty huge life changes all at the same time, without either of us having the advantage of having each other around to help us cope with it. She moved to a new city, new house, new job, her husband got a job in several other cities for 2 months so she is alone in this new house, new city and new job. We do have friends up there, thank god for Dielle, Jared, Lisa and Doug and all the other people that Heather knows. For me, I've quit working full-time (for the first time since I was 18), I got married, I'm dependent on my husband, I'm doing weird things like cooking dinner and doing laundry and doing 40 hours of homework each week, I'm living in a different place, my best friend is not here, my other best friend lives across the city and it's hard to get to see her, our house is not unpacked, I haven't sent out the thank-you's for the wedding (they're done, I just need to find where I packed them), my last job talked me into coming in to help them for 16 hours a week and I'm still part of that stamp club once a month. Man. Her changes are really huge, and the biggest change for me is not having her here. So there you have it. Not all that interesting, but if you've made it this far you really are a true friend. Pass this on to 10 people and a special friendship message will appear on your screen, trust me, it's worth it! ;)

New Beginnings

It seems that the world is now in total chaos, and in my little microcosm it seems that way as well.

The situation in New Orleans is really awful. I know you didn't need me to tell you that. It sort of puts everything into perspective.

My best friend moved to Seattle yesterday. Sad. But happy for her. She's going to establish residency and then she's going to become an acupuncture and I get free treatments for life! We decided to get together for what seems to be the last "mid-week weekend" yesterday. "Mid-week weekend" is Wednesday and we would get together somewhere, preferably with a pool and we'd grill stuff and swim and act like it was the weekend. Shahnon made Thai Burgers. Mmmmmmmmm. SOooooooo gooooooooooooood. :D It was still slightly sad because Heather and James weren't there. :( But we're planning a trip for New Years where we are going to rent a ski chalet on Mt. Baker and have a grand old time.

I just started school yesterday. UNLV's classes for me this semester are Math 283 (calculus III) and Women's studies 113. Then on Tuesday, I start at CCSN (for my final semester there) taking Physics 181 & 182 (plus a 3 hour lab for each) and an English Lit class (232). Parking at UNLV is retarded. They have a whole bunch of construction going on and it's screwing up the parking for now. It's so funny, it feels like January 1st at the gym. You go to the gym January 1st and it's totally packed! There is a wait at all the machines and you just want to scream, "OK! Everyone who is really going to work out for more than the week of January the 1st please stay, the rest of you LEAVE!" And half the gym would empty. It's the same with school. Everyone goes the first couple of weeks and then by the end of the semester there's 1/4 of the students left. It's sad, really.

Brandon and I are finally living together. After being married for 3 months, we've decided to take another big step in our relationship and move in together. I know, it's a big step, but sometimes you just have to trust in fate! ;)

Wedding in 1 WEEK!

Yes, Brandon and I are getting married in one week!!! Family starts coming in on Sunday. I'm excited and a little buterfly-ee in my tummy. I've also reverted to talking like a moron. :D

I have yet another job at yet another limo company, Fox Limousine / Executive Star / Executive Coach. Yes, all one company sort of but not really. They're going to be going their seperate ways in August, kind of like me. ;)

HOLY SHIT I ALMOST FORGOT!!! I MET LENNY KRAVITZ ON SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We went to his concert and we were right in front and some of his VIP's were placed right in the front with us and they gave us their VIP passes so Shahnon and this girl we met from Canada got to go hang by the tourbusses at the back of the Hard Rock Hotel. He came out and we stole a minute of his time. It was cool. I wish I had the picture here at work so I could post it. Best. Concert. Ever.

At the Official Las Vegas Star Trek Convention being held at the Hilton this year we're going to meet Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton and Avery Brooks! Those are the people that I never thought that I would get on my SevTrek poster! I think they're the only ones I need besides Jimmy Doohan and DeForest Kelly. (And I won't ever have those, poor guys.)

So, more about the wedding already? You'd think that's all I'd be writing about, but to tell you the truth I'm so overwhelmed by the whole situation that I don't even know where to start. I pick up the altered dress, the rings (engraved and cleaned) and am having dinner on Wednesday with Brandon's Grandfather, his step-grandmother his dad, his dad's girlfriend, my auntie and my mom. That should be interesting. YIKES. It's the first time they've ever met. 3 days before the wedding. Oy vey.

Ok, I'm actually at work so I can't really write anymore. I can't promise that I'll be able to write before the wedding again, so don't get angry!