We had our last class meeting of the semester tonight. And there was much rejoicing.
There are a few tiny things to fix based on her input after our presentation tonight, a small paper to put together – she originally had it as two things but now wants it as one, but that’s ok because I already have both things written – and then the 10 page paper. No sweat.
Tomorrow starts the 25 Songs in 25 Days Challenge. Don’t be alarmed when you see that I’ve posted my entry at 6am. I won’t really be awake yet, well, probably not out of bed anyway, but this new age techie thingy jigger is allegedly going to post it for me. At 6am. What an ungodly hour. But I don’t want anyone to miss it. Good stuff, doncha know.
Why did no one tell me I could schedule posts to show up later? For fucks sake people, I thrive on the efficiency! Drop these little nuggets of awesome on me next, alright?
Sorry, it’s chaotic and crazy and some other unpleasant words that start with C but I can’t be bothered to think of right now.
The presentation is DONE. I ran it by K, who had minor suggestions, and has since put her seal of approval on it. I’m just waiting to find out how the distribution of handouts is being handled. Oh, and I need to load everything to my personal site and finish spiffing that before the symposium, considering I’m publishing the site address on my handouts.
I got the last bits of “group garbage” for class done this morning, now I just need to do the individual bits. Which is how I should have been spending the last hour or so, but it was way more fun getting ready for Twindaddy’s 25 Songs challenge. I’ve got the first 11 written and queued up. YAY ME! I figure I really need to stay totally ahead of this given that the presentation is May 15, I teach two classes on May 16, and my summer class starts on May 19.
For being so highly educated, I am one dumb fucker.
Ok, I lied – I’m sitting. And that’s the view of my desk in front of me. There are squirrels as the wallpaper on the laptop, a small glass of milk, a bowl of chocolate chip cookie dough (spooned out of a tub that had “don’t eat raw cookie dough” stamped on the lid), a stack of CDs I’m ripping to my laptop, a glass of Snapple tea, and my insulated glass of cherry limeade. Three simultaneous beverages is not uncommon for me. In an average day I drink close to 6 quarts of stuph.
My partner for the school project emailed me at 3:30 to tell me he’d been called in to work. He thoughtfully attached the bits I was missing. I didn’t get the email until I got home because the head tech guy came to get the last pieces they needed off my dying hard drive. My new computer finally arrived and I’ll get it tomorrow. And while he was in the process of doing his whatever, the computer locked up and had to be rebooted.
So anyway, it’s almost time to drug myself unconscious for the night, but I wanted to say HI. Y’all maybe don’t get how much I love being able to vent here and get feedback. I asked Josh to look at the full FB post and make sure I wasn’t taking it way too personal before I went “killer gorilla” on that punk’s ass. His opinion was that it wasn’t as bad as I was taking it, but that the guy is definitely a dumb young punk who doesn’t really understand how to appropriately talk to people.
And THAT is why I put people in time out – so I don’t end up making an ass of myself and stooping to their level.
I try to be tolerant and understanding, I really do. Our differences are what helps to keep life interesting. I may not always fully get why someone believes a particular way, but I try to abide by the “live and let live” philosophy.
And I’ve been around the block a few times, so when someone appears to be asking for help, I try to offer what I can. Most times this works out just fine. But sometimes…
This morning I saw a post on FB from a young man who works here. He was bitching about how he got nothing done this weekend and how guilty that made him feel. I offered some advice about time management and lists and got blasted. Yes, I’m going so far as to refer to the return comment as “blasting.” Me, who has 2 degrees under my belt and is working on a 3rd, evidently doesn’t understand that he was whining about being lazy. Cuz really, how could I possibly be so fucking stupid?
Oh, pardon me, I thought you were soliciting advice, not using FB as a platform to whine about how you can’t get off your own ass long enough to do homework. What the fuck was I thinking?
I can tell you what I’m thinking now…
Dude, GROW THE FUCK UP.
Anyway, he’s in time out. And he’ll likely stay there for a good long while. Because the conversation went on, without me.
He and some girl he’s friends with, who is apparently a grad student, were commiserating about being afraid of flunking out of school and *gasp* having to get jobs as Burger King managers.
Here’s where we pause for me to tell y’all that my dearest mommy was a manager of several Burger King restaurants while I was growing up. She was an awesome manager, one of the very best in this whole damn area. And let me tell you, neither of those spoiled little fucks has what it would take to pull off being a fast food restaurant manager. Quite frankly, I’m sort of surprised either of them can manage dressing themselves.
But I digress.
This week is what used to be referred to as Dead Week, meaning that no tests could be given and students were supposed to be preparing for finals. Someone decided that sounded too gruesome so now it’s called Prep Week. Whatever it’s called, it means chaos for me. The faculty are frantically getting ready for finals and for the summer semester. My calendar didn’t look bad when I got here this morning. Now it looks like a toddler started a game of Tetris and gave up. It’s ugly.
But last night I managed to get the presentation done and the handout for it done. So YAY for that. I’ve sent it to a few folks here for a final proof reading, but I’m basically at the point of washing my hands of it. My partner for the group thing is supposed to be stopping by this afternoon at 3 to finish what we need to do. All that’s really left for school is a few minor bits and then a 10 page paper. No sweat.
Sorry y’all, I couldn’t resist. How incredibly cute is this? Not 5 minutes after I managed to get this pic she started twitching her whiskers and toes, quite possibly involved in a dream about chasing something. She’s still doing it actually, though now her paws aren’t crossed up by her face. Too damn cute.
I’ve managed to get a ridiculous amount of stuff done this weekend, today in particular. I’m going to spend a few more minutes looking at the presentation and then I’m calling it a night. Catch y’all on the flipside.
Ah yes, a calm little thunderstorm to start the morning… Nothing quite like it.
Well, nothing except an onslaught of pictures to amuse you.
I spent some time with Josh yesterday showing him how to do a few things in Photoshop. This was a joint effort we did that we’re calling “Eviezilla.” She’s my new cover pic in Facebook. It’s a composite of 4 different pieces that I then fucked with the tones. I’m quite pleased.
This is the back corner of our yard and is the tiny flower bed where Mom and my little niece planted tulips. They’re in full bloom right now and look lovely. The bushes behind them are lilacs that mark the back of our property and help to separate us from the street. The lilacs haven’t bloomed yet, but you can rest assured that when they do you’ll be getting pics.
This was what they looked like a few years ago.
I’m recovering from the blood draw incident on Friday. I’m really glad I don’t have to deal with this more often. I know all the tricks, and do them, and some days Briana still has a hard time. I ended up getting stuck twice in my right arm, once in my left arm, the backs of both hands, and then she finally got the last out of my left middle finger. My left arm bruised terribly and still hurts. Yuck.
Alright, so maybe it’s not “terrible” but it sure as fuck hurts.
(reference mole not shown to scale)
But all of the chores are done, we’ve already dropped the bulk of the supplies at my office, and I did get some work done on the presentation yesterday. I’m hoping to get more work on something – presentation or school stuff, haven’t decided which – accomplished. I’m craving more of that sense of “doneness.”
Really, “ducking?”
The storm is getting a little more intense and Evie isn’t liking it one bit. She’s camped out on the bed next to Josh right now, which is funny considering I had to move her “throne” next to the desk. She seems very put out that there’s noise happening.
I’ve been turned into a pincushion. It took 5 sticks total to fill all of the necessary vials, done over the course of 45 minutes. I will shortly be one big bruise from the inner elbows down.
But I really do love my phlebotomist. She’s awesome.
I’m off to run errands, seeing as I can’t hardly type…
I made an executive decision yesterday – I have entirely too much shit to get done right now, and since Josh’s daughter will be here this weekend, I need an extra day to do it. I arranged things with my boss and that’s why it’s 8am and I’m sitting at home in my jammies. Yay for small victories. Only it won’t be a victory if I don’t get started. So, first things first…
a visit to the lab for a blood draw
This is really no big deal, shrinky-poo orders them about twice a year. And needles honestly don’t bother me at this point. (13 tattoos will cure you of that shit right quick) The issue is that my veins don’t cooperate. At all. The situation is so ridiculously humorously tragic that I call the lab ahead of time to make sure that the ONE phlebotomist that can usually get blood out of me is going to be on duty when I need to go. And I drink enough water to float something, like maybe the Titanic.
But water is crucial. If I’m too dry, no veins. They shrivel and dry up like worms left on the sidewalk after it rains.
But man, do I HATE water.
Water is for skiing on, and swimming in, and maybe a little chunky dunking. It is most certainly NOT for drinking straight. You make tea or cool aid with it, and ice for the chilling of the adult beverages. It’s ICKY.
And yet, here I’ve been sitting, drinking the vile stuff because I know if I don’t drink enough, poor Briana won’t be able to make me bleed.
The rest of the day (when I finally make it to the rest of the day) I plan to spend working on the Presentation That Will Not Die, wrapping up the last bits for school, some chores and errands, and I may well treat myself to the best breakfast EVAH.
(did I mention this is a fasting blood test? so in addition to the horror that is having to drink plain water, I am not allowed to eat or drink anything until after this is over)
The best breakfast EVAH is a pizza bagel at the one and only Kosher deli in this weird ass city. It is devine AND they carry a delightful selection of Snapple, which is the only suitable beverage to accompany a pizza breakfast which has been done on purpose, and not out of necessity.
I’m kind of sort of functional today, at least for now I am. It’s another day full of meetings. So, rather than talk about anything meaningful, I’m going to bitch about music.
Most of the bands that I listen to regularly have turned to utter SUCK, with a few minor exceptions. So I listen to the old stuff, pine for the “good old days,” and tell anyone who stands still long enough about how great the used to be. For example…
Blue October
They did some great stuff. GREAT STUFF. Until the “Any Man in America” album. They came here while on tour promoting that monstrosity and Josh and I went. The openers were pretty good, but we only stayed for like the first 20 minutes of their set. I got to hear “Breakfast After 10” and then we were out.
I love that Justin is so open about his mental health Dx and how he advocates for fathers’ rights, but for fuck sake man, QUITE WHINING ABOUT IT ON YOUR GODDAMN ALBUMS!!!
This morning I listened to two songs from their latest album, “Sway.” The songs weren’t bad, more in line with “the good old days,” but the video for the song “Sway” is odd. I suggest a listen, but not a look. And I find it utterly hilarious that the ads that ran before both of the videos I watched were for emergency contraception and feminine napkins. Not sure why, but it was funny as fuck.
Barenaked Ladies
I’ve seen the Ladies in concert twice, and both shows were phenomenal. They had great energy, their set lists were huge and pulled from their entire catalog, and the whole experience was awesome. Whenever I’m having a bad day their albums are at the top of my list. But I haven’t bought a new album since Steven Page left.
As I understand it, it was an amicable parting. And the original keyboardist had left ages before that. But to me, it ain’t BNL without Steven. If you’re not familiar with their work, this is one of my very favorites (partially because Steven’s voice reminds me of Warren Zevon, another fav).
And then there’s…
Counting Crows
I’ve also seen these guys twice and they also put on one helluva show. I loved every single album, every single song – right up to “Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings.” SUCK. And now they’re too country for my taste. Such a shame, “Hanginaround” was just a fucking classic.
So yeah, I have kind of interesting taste in music, and I’m picky as hell. And when I find an artist/album I really like, I will listen to that shit constantly. For example…
Seriously, you just can’t go wrong with Weird Al. The man is a GENIUS. And honestly, everything is better with a little accordion action. I’ve also seen him in concert and let me tell you, THAT is an experience. His shows are really just that – shows. Equal parts freak show and stunning musicianship. Don’t pass up the opportunity to see him if you have it.
And y’all know by now that my favorite right now is the inked up fellas from Denton, TX.
Bowling for Soup
Honestly, what’s not to love? The sing about all kinds of great stuff, they don’t take themselves seriously, and you can actually understand the majority of what they’re singing – it’s perfect! Here’s one I don’t think I’ve shared with y’all before.
Well, there ya go kids – Mama did a music brain dump. There are plenty more goodies I could share with you, but that’s all I can dredge up for now. Now that you maybe have a better idea of what I tend to go for, does anyone have suggestions for other artists I should investigate?
There are a few tiny things to fix based on her input after our presentation tonight, a small paper to put together – she originally had it as two things but now wants it as one, but that’s ok because I already have both things written – and then the 10 page paper. No sweat.
Mental in the Midwest 
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