Archive for September, 2006

one week and counting

one week to go. here are more things to check off my list

1. reception centerpieces.

I had to make another Michael’s run, but they’re done!

a table of centerpieces

a closeup of one

centerpieces

you can’t really see, but nestled in the middle is a glass votive candle holder.

2. necklace for wedding.

Nanner said she’d make me a wedding necklace a while back. I have been SO EXCITED TO SEE IT!

AND…she dropped it off IN PERSON! I’d like to think I’m the reason she drove all the way down here, but it was really to see her new fav band. But anyway, I got to see Nanner again, she got to meet Kev and Sadie, and she enjoyed some good Mexican food. Then she stressed out completely about getting her BSC necklace ready for the concert. STRESS!

But anyway..here’s the necklace:

the nanner necklace

want a closer look?

TOUGH! Wait until the wedding. There will be many pictures, I assure you. But it is GORGEOUS and so incredibly detailed. THANK YOU NANNER!!!!

3. wedding programs.  Done and DONE!  Printed out on the departmental color printer.  Here is the pic I put on the back:

picture for program

I love you, photoshop!

4. cleaned! well, the living room and dining room are clean. So far, the guest bedroom is still a disaster. That is Kev’s domain, and he’d better get cracking, or my maid of honor will have to sleep on the couch thursday night.

But all the furniture is back in place, the rugs are back, and while it’s not “mom” clean, it is CLEANED ENOUGH!

so many mental hugs

…sent to Jen. I’m glad your mom is finally at peace. I am so very very sorry for your loss.

mission accomplished

One robotic dog for the future nephew.

One 2GB iPod Nano for my father.

An 8×10 frame, a mother-of-pearl butterfly ring*, and a sopranos DVD* for the future MiL

An 8×10 frame, a small Coach purse wristlet, and a “coin pearl” necklace with matching earrings for my mother.

*previously purchased

Bridesmaids are already taken care of.  We have small stuff for the groomsmen, Kev needs to decide what else. But now…I’M DONE.

my dogs are BARKING, and I’m hungry. I’m going to go boil some tortellini.

soap!

Dude…Serra has SO MUCH SOAP AVAILABLE!  WHY HAVE YOU NOT BOUGHT ANY YET!

Get on it, beeyotch!

wedding updates and such

One of the nightmares I’ve been having lately is that it’s our wedding day, and we’ve forgotten EVERYTHING. The candles aren’t lit. My dress is wrinkled. No one knows where they’re supposed to be. And WORST of all, we forgot to get a marriage license!!! NO WEDDING WITHOUT THE LICENSE!!!

This morning, I dragged Kev to the courthouse. Obligatory picture for anyone who lives in Dekalb county and is getting married:

a good combination

Oh yeah, you know you’re in Georgia now, buddy!

There are many scary rules in the Marriage and Pistol License probate court office. First off, they point you to a pile of clipboards with forms to fill out. The top sheet on the clipboard says “DO NOT APPROACH THE CLERK WITHOUT FILLING OUT PAPERWORK!”

“Do not approach the clerk?” Sounds like a good band name.

Under that order/thinly veiled threat (or what? what happens? I approached the clerk first…am I on a list now? WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME????) is a sheet of instructions on how to fill out the booklet. Those instructions stop at line 15 of the booklet, with two more pages yet to fill out. OH MY GOD, I NEED TO APPROACH THE CLERK! Yes, we have to fill those out. I pull out the whole booklet and finish filling it out (my handwriting is neater, therefore, I get to fill out all paperwork in this relationship. And Kev kills bugs. We should formalize these duties in our vows).

Paperwork done, we approach the clerk. Then, another panicky moment…at the top of the clipboard, a sticker: “DO NOT REMOVE ANY PAPERS FROM THIS CLIPBOARD”

Holy shit! We’re screwed!

I frantically stuffed the booklet into it’s spot in the clipboard before the clerk got to us. Whew! that was close!

Those people are STRICT!

We had to swear an oath (right hands raised and everythihng) that all the info we had given was factual and complete, blah blah blah. Paid an OUTRAGEOUS fee, and that was it. We were handed the certificate and an envelope of more papers. Hmmmm…

marriage license...

“Congratulations on getting married. Let us tell you about AIDS!”
That was weird. I guess this is lieu of a bloodtest now?

To celebrate our halfway legalness, we ate breakfast at Chik fil A. Because nothing says We Are Ready To Make A Lifetime Committment To Each Other like chicken biscuits and sweet tea.

Last week on the phone, my mom asked me if I was still going to do the reception centerpieces.

Whoops.

So today, I took the afternoon off and went to Michaels, Office Depot, Target, and CVS. I bought small baskets, votive candles with glass holders, floral foam, and assorted silk flowers and leaves. I was disappointed with the fake goard assortment, so I’ll have to see if grocery stores start carrying real tiny decorative goards soon. Very soon.

I bought paper for the wedding programs. I bought waterproof mascera, individual fake eyelashes, and long lasting lipstick, as per my stylist’s instructions.

I bought a gift for my brother, and a small gift for my future mother in law. Kev already bought her the latest Sopranos DVD as a gift, but I thought that might not scream “thanks for all the money for our wedding.” So I bought her a mother of pearl ring with a butterfly on it.

I still don’t know what I should get my parents. Maybe…TiVo? Any suggestions?

OK, way too much wedding stuff. Here is a fun picture of Sadie for those of you who made it all the way through!

get out of there!

Ikea

Ikea: selling furniture for college kids and divorced men.

click on “download the mp3″ to hear it.  totally worth it.

sciencey rant

AAAAARGH!  PvuI?  who the fuck uses PvuI?  NO ONE, THAT’S WHO!  STUPID NEB FREEZER!  Normal people need PvuII.  DO YOU HEAR THAT, NEB?  YOU ARE OUT OF YOUR MINDS!  FUCKING PVUI???? NO!  BAD STOCK FREEZER!  BAD!
I hate you.

sunday sunday SUNDAY!

two words I have never heard put together until today:

“ukulele virtuoso”

****************

the kindness of strangers

at home depot:

ESC: excuse me, what amp err…level is this wiring?

HomeDepotGuy: 15

ESC: KEV! 15!

Kev: see if they have 20

ESC: do you have 20?

HomeDepotGuy: probably…give me a minute

Kev: I THINK I HAVE IT IN STORAGE, LET’S JUST GO THERE

ESC: I am NOT digging through storage for wiring! we only need a few feet!! how much could it be?

RandomGuy: how much do you need?

ESC: KEV! HOW MUCH DO WE NEED?

Kev: UHH…5 FOOT?

RandomGuy: Hell, I think I have that much in scrap in my truck, if you want to wait a few minutes..

ESC: really???

RandomGuy: yeah, sure. I’m an electrician. I have scraps of that stuff all the time.

ESC: you are awesome.

*

at Lane Bryant

ESC: excuse me, do you have any skirts here that are brown? I’m looking for something that would match this top.

Saleslady: Hmmm…no….wait. We JUST got something in…it’s a leather skirt.

ESC: OK, this is for my rehearsal and rehearsal dinner…

Saleslady: oh, no, it’s gorgeous! it’s long and very classy looking. we just got it out of the boxes today, it’s in the back, let me show you.

waiting…

Saleslady: see? isn’t it beautiful?

ESC: is IS beautiful…it won’t match the top…but I bet that I can find something to match the skirt…wait…how much is it?

Saleslady: uhh…$149

ESC: crap. I’m trying to keep the whole outfit less than that.

Saleslady: do you have the 40% off coupon?

ESC: OH SHIT! yes! no! I think I threw it away! oh no! I am an idiot!

Saleslady: I have one I can give you, not a problem

Long slimming, bronze leather skirt + simple black cami+ soft black wrap* to wear over it all = $131 with coupon.

awesome.

*OK, yes, in a PERFECT WORLD, I could have knit this. But DO YOU THINK I HAVE TIME FOR THAT? DO YOU??? For $40 (less 40%), I’LL TAKE IT THANK YOU!

a mighty wind

Kev gets himself a bowl of cereal to snack on and walks into the living room and goes to sit on the couch next to me

ESC: goddammit.

Kev: what?

ESC: just…nothing…godDAMIT!

Kev: *getting upset now* what? what did I do?

ESC: it’s just…

Kev: ???

ESC: OK, you are in that other bedroom for FUCKING HOURS playing that game, and I’m in here by myself, and then just when I think it’s safe to fart because I’m alone, and let out a big one, THAT’S when you decide you want to come in here and snuggle EVERY DAMN TIME, and then you’re all “goddammit did you FART?” and get mad at me and it’s NOT MY FAULT because YOU WERE IN THE OTHER ROOM, DAMMIT!

Kev: *laughing so hard he needs to lean against the wall to support himself*

ESC: EVERY DAMN TIME! SHUT UP!!!

Kev: Oh my god, that’s too funny.

ESC: uh huh.

Kev: *sits down on the couch next to me* sniff sniff Hey, did you just FART in here?

ESC: shut up

asshattery

Via BoingBoing, I found this post, which pissed me off to no end. It’s weird, though, considering how “red” my state is, I had no trouble getting PlanB, which I’m assuming is the same thing as EC.

Then from the comments in that post, I found this post about a safe herbal method to induce menstration after missing a period. Huh! So I got pissed off and learned something useful all at the same time!

Mean, clean, dancing queen

Mental note: the people in the hallway cannot hear the ABBA on my iPod, and therefore will greet my groovin’ and boppin’ to “Take a chance on me” with raised eyebrows and strange looks.

**************

Yesterday, I got GOODIES in the mail! SOAP! From our own Scented Serra! Four bars of Peachy Green Tea goodness for me, and two bars of manly Sweetgrass Cedarwood Sage for Kev. They all smell yummy. I’m happy to report that I used my peachy green tea soap last night, and NOT ONLY was the result a very squeaky clean ESC, but a very sweet smelling and soft-skinned ESC as well.

I recommend…no…no…what’s the word…demand! I DEMAND you all go to her site and request lots of soap. Her prices are reasonable, and she discounts if you buy 3 at a time.

So a big SHOUT OUT THANK YOU to Serra for the soap - it was a long time coming but the wait was totally worth it!

**************

OHMYGODI’MGETTINGMARRIEDINTWOWEEKSHOLYSHITI’MNOTREADY

ANDMYCONDOISAMESSANDMYPARENTSAREGOINGTOYELLATMEEEE!!

no mention of cabinets! wait…dammit!

In honor of “talk like a pirate day”

****now updated with picture goodness..err…ARRRR!****
arrrrrs and ahoys

arrrrr…the Steelers lost, cursed be the land of the swamp gators

arrrr…I broke one of me fancy nails on a can opener last night. hurt like fuck

arrrrr…me cells weren’t ready to spin down this morning, I could have slept in

arrrr…the sandwich shop was out of pickles, SCURVY KNAVES!

arrrrr…I am now afeared of diet coke

****

ahoy! me cabinets (oops! sorry!) are almost done!

ahoy! me hair color be looking FABULOUS!

ahoy! I spent the morning doing wedding tasks and such

ahoy! we now have limo service for the wedding…uhh…arrrr!!!

ahoy! I drank sweet tea instead, the sweetness tis makin’ me drunk

ahoy! I’m going to make a pirate hat for halloween, help me decide which colors

AHOY! I got my nails filled in, and a little length cut off - now I can type somewhat normally! Here is a pic. With gratuitous gemstone view. It’s hard to see, but the nail tips are silvery.

pretty nails

While I was there, I decided to go for the eyebrow wax. I didn’t have furry man-brows, or anything, but I wanted to clean up the edges, and I’ve never had them waxed before.

YEEOUCH! The little vietnamese woman kept laughing at me. Sadistic bitch.

Arrrr…me eyebrows are on FIRE!

freshly waxed

Don’t mind me, I’m just STARING DIRECTLY INTO YOUR SOUL!!!

OH MY GOD MORE CABINET STUFF!

ESC: Kev! if the steelers lose, I’m afraid you’re not going to get anything tonight.

Kev: Oh REEEALLY? Maybe I’ll take back all those cabinets, then.

ESC: UH HUH! YOU COULD TRY!

a dry run of the countertop fitting.

dry fit

it’s actually a dark grey faux granite - it just looks black in the picture.
we’re going on without moving the chairrail. For the reason I said in the comments below, because it’s easier, and because the pre-cut holes in the cabinets match up perfectly with the chairrail and we can drill RIGHT into it!

So NOW the problem is…there is a bulge in the wall, preventing the countertop from fitting in square.

I wish I had the bastard who built this condo so that I could WRING HIS CROOKED UN-PLUMBED NECK!!!

bonus boring bit - I dyed my hair tonight!  it was the most productive thing I did all day, aside from snap the two hinges in one door in the pic above.  Fingers crossed I won’t look like an oranged haired freak for my wedding!

oh just shut the fuck up

OK, yeah, it wasn’t the smartest thing the pope has ever said.  But why the total freak outs and “we hate you even mores” now?  WHY DOES EVERYONE HAVE TO WALK ON EGGSHELLS AROUND THE MOST OBNOXIOUSLY VOCAL OF THE MUSLIM WORLD?  NO CARTOONS OF WHATISNAME!  NO QUOTES THAT PUT THEM IN A BAD LIGHT!!  BOO HOO!  DO YOU WANT YOUR ASS WIPED WITH A GOLDEN CLOTH, TOO???

SHUT UP AND LEARN TO PUT THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE!  You know, 9/11 did a HELL of a lot more than hurt our feelings, and where’s the moral outrage from the muslim world?

God I’m so fucking sick of this shit!

cabinet sanchez

So after 3 hours at IKEEEEA where we had to wait for them to get our order together, then tell us that a set of doors we bought were out of stock, and THEN giving us the wrong size countertop (which thankfully was obvious when Kev loaded into his truck)…

Progress on the cabinets.

First, why we need cabinets in the dining room:

what we're replacing

yeah, really. what the hell? There is no storage in my tiny crap kitchen.

here are the cabinet frames assembled:

all lined up

see how the chair rail peeks above the cabinets? that’s going to interfere with the countertop. we have two options. Remove the chair rail where it overlaps with the cabinets. Or…

shelves added

now with shelf goodness. The legs under the cabinets are adjustable. So we raised them up until the cabinets were ABOVE the chair rail. Kev does’t like this method, though, because:

is that chair rail an issue?
It leaves gaps around the edges.

He wants to remove the chair rail, patch, and paint. But all I can say is DO EET QUICKLY then, because I want my cabinets! Plus the countertop is taking up alot of room.

the countertop awaits

I also have to put the doors on. We’re missing the doors to the middle cabinet, and the far left cabinet will eventually have a drawer. Both were out of stock, but should come in in a couple of weeks.

And then…I will be able to PUT THINGS AWAY! BLISS!!!

After we’re done with the cabinets, I also want to put a shelf above them for even more storage. Then redo the kitchen counters to match the countertop in the dining room.

OH! additional funny Ikea story. We’re checking out, and we have the sheets with all the cabinet info and prices we got from the cabinet design guy, and then some stuff for Sadie. I set the papers and the two plastic doggy bowls (for traveling!) on the checkout counter, and proceed to chat with Kev while the nice lady rings up our purchases ($350 in cabinets, $1.50 in dog bowls) and we’re about to leave to go pick up our cabinets…when..what’s this thing I’ve been carrying under my arm?

A stuffed dog toy. Oops.

I apologize to the checkout lady (who I don’t think even noticed), had her ring it up quickly and just payed for it in cash. But OH MY GOD, just my luck to be kicked out of Ikea for shoplifting a $2 STUFFED DOG TOY after spending $350 ON CABINETS!!!

dammit, my brain is fried lately.

cabinet madness

GAH! A praying mantis in the living room!

KEV! THERE IS A PRAYING MANTIS IN HERE! I DON’T THINK I WANT TO KILL IT! AHHHHH!!!

Kev: it’s just a praying mantis, don’t worry about it.

praying mantis: I shall fly around all huge like and freak you out some more. And then land on the couch and stare at you.

ESC: ok ok finding something…finding something…TUPPERWARE!

PM is carefully captured and released, free to find a girlfriend and get his head eaten off, thus completing the beautiful circle of life.

ESC: PRAYING MANTIS HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF! No thanks TO YOU! WHAT GOOD ARE YOU???

Kev: geez, it’s just a praying mantis!

ESC: flying around the living room! all big! and landing in places!

Kev: oh…they fly?

ESC: YES THEY FLY! Well, um, at least the males do, apparently.

Kev: sorry, I didn’t know they flew.

Large apparently flying insects notwithstanding, today I felt that the best thing to do before finishing the 3 or 4 home improvement projects left in various states of doneness around here is to start a NEW one. CABINETS! IN THE DINING ROOM! Because seriously, there is no storage here. Large pots, mixing bowls, the microwave - all on a metal rack. Also stacked on the dining room table. And taking up space on my limited counter space. And…on the floor. which, while it does add nicely to that industrial look, does NOT scream BUY ME to potential condo buyers.
We need cabinets. Now. Or cabinet-like furniture pieces. And where do completely broke people go to buy cabinets?

IKEEEEEAAAAA!!!!

So what it boils down to is…we can use some non-cabinet cabinet like things - actually in the office furniture section - which when we add all the pieces up will cost a little over $600. But ready to go. just slap together and put in the room. Or we can buy actual cabinets that will require some assembly and a counter top addition and some chair rail removal but will cost under $400.

So yeah. we’re going with the “more work, less money” option. We don’t actually posses the cabinets yet, maybe sunday. I am nervous about the chair rail removal - MORE WORK! that will involve joint compound and painting, which we haven’t even finished in other rooms.

On the other hand…storage…beautiful storage…

also we saw some plastic dog bowls for 75 cents that would be good for traveling with Sadie.

dude, I love Ikea. Here is some Ikea-related fun for your enjoyment.
In other news, I’m going to be updating my links page soon. If you feel that somehow you have been cheated out of a link, let me know, and I will assess your link-worthiness. Bribery and flattery helps. Also, if you are unhappy with your assigned link-icon and have a better idea for one, let me know.

haven’t done one of these for a while…

who is finding my blog?  google et al will tell me!
science experiments gone wrong - yours too? that sucks. let’s get drunk together

what taking deep breaths will help - telling your parents you’re gay, preparing to swim lap, enjoying fresh mountain air…

poking the scalp - ow! hey!

getting some skank on the hank - I wondered why my hank smelled funny

making yogurt with breast milk - uhhh…I know you probably have some excess…but really, I think you can just dump it. no reason to go all creepy martha stewart on us.

i want my ringlets back - NO!

personal photos of couples engaged in intercourse - OK, I think the word you’re looking for here is “porn.” try searching for that. and get your credit card ready.

they gave me a suppository - hint - it goes in your butt

i was doing the pee pee dance - most unpopular native american dance ever

how dumb are the guys on dateline - like SO TOTALLY!

feeling that you have not finished peeing - you have a bladder infection. buy cranberry juice and go see a doctor

print your own steeler wedding invitations - sir, I would definately check this out with your fiance before you go doing that. why don’t you stick to things like “limo rental” and “check writing”

boobs in bras - that’s where they go

someday it will be alright - *sob* I hope so

korean chicken butt - YOU are!

i hate the salvation army - fucking bell ringers

boobs today - sorry, I let my subscription expire

how to dress like a modern day hippie - step 1: soak your dress in patchouli

14-15 year old chat rooms - please die in a fire

elf condom - size -3

injuries that can happen from not wearing a helmet on a motocycle - dain bramage

if you want to destroy weezer - OH NO WEEZER LOOK OUT!

referrals

I’m getting alot, I mean ALOT of hits from the Stumble Upon referral page.  I used to use stumble upon way back, but never really got into it.  So I have NO idea why I’m all of a sudden getting so many hits from referrals.

If you got here from stumble upon, was it really a referral from them?  Or am I linked somewhere on their site that I am not aware of?

Aside amusement: only one person has reviewed my site - I got a thumbs up.  And apparently, the “top tag” for my site is “nipples.”

awesome.

ohfridaythankgod

Wednesday I gathered my strength, make some last minute tweaks, took a deep breath, and sent the 2nd draft of my paper off to my advisor.

Then I exhaled. I figured I now had a few days to get some WORK DONE! Thursday I got results from two experiments (one interesting, one failed…AGAIN). I decided that I would spend friday mostly at home, setting up my references in Endnote, reading some relavent papers that come out recently, and most importantly get some WEDDING THINGS DONE! But first get a new battery for my cell phone, because it is dead as a doornail and I am a lost puppy without my cellphone.

Then I got an email at the end of the day thursday. From the advisor. She had read the draft and made her comments IN ONE DAY, was fedexing it to me so I would get it friday morning, take a few hours to look things over, and then call her on the phone at 3 to discuss what changes need to be made.

Fuck.

So there went my friday. I am still without cell phone. And without a limo for the wedding. Both of which I will remedy Satuday, I hope.

At least the conversation with advisor went relatively well. She feels the paper is coming together well and that it should be ready to go very soon. Of course, there are plenty of adjustments to make, collaborator data to include, REFERENCES TO ADD.

I had PLANNED ON DOING THAT TODAY!!!

grrrr.

Mexican food for dinner, though. Mmmmm…

so what have YOU done with your life?

the newly elected mayor of the city of my birth is 3 (ok, almost 4) years younger than I am.

oh yeah. that makes me feel good right now. still in school much, ESC?

psalms of love

I met with the pastor (MJ) at my church today, the one who will be performing the wedding ceremony. Kev and I have selected the kind of service we want - the one that’s a little more contemporary than the traditional one from the Presbyterian Book of Order, but we added back in some stuff involving the families, plus the lighting of some memorial candles.

There is a part of the service that involves a reading from the Bible. I’ve already asked Kev’s sister to do the reading: she’s agreed…nervously.

MJ emailed me a list of possible traditional verses that would be appropriate for a wedding. And I have to choose. Most of them are…ehhh…well, there’s alot of verses about loving God…or giving glory to god…or weirdly, the Wedding in Cana, where Jesus yells at his mom, then turns the water into wine, which OK, it takes PLACE at a wedding, but it’s not really romantic wedding material. I want something about loving each other.

I’ve picked a couple of finalists. I would SAY I’m putting this up for a vote, but I (that is..”we”) will make the decision ourselves anyway. But I’d like to hear some opinions. Or suggestions: is there another obvious one that we’re missing that would be great?

1 John 4:7-12

Song of Solomon. 8:6-7

and the ever popular: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

and yes, I’m sure that there are plenty of NON-Biblical poems, quotes, passages, whatever. I’m not really considering those…and actually, I’m not sure we’d be allowed to use them. But if you have something REALLY REALLY just ABSOLUTELY PERFECT and NOT from a guns and roses song, I’d like to hear it.

But I will feel free to ridicule you if it’s silly. ;)

dirty geek talk

There’s only two of us left in the lab. IS is a post-doc, she’s in the lab part time, and she’s also teaching a “biology of women” class at a local girls only college.

IS: …and we were discussing sex determination and how female is the “default” sex, that a baby will develop into a female without male hormonal stimulation

ESC: I’ve heard that

IS: but I don’t believe it! our bodies are WAY too complicated for that, there must be something else going on, there can’t just be ONE THING that makes the difference between a male and a female.

ESC: well…I don’t know…if you think about it, all the pathways for being female are there in a male fetus, they’re just turned off once you get expression of….SRY? I think? And also, for every female part, there’s an equivalent male part, in males all those pieces just become something else one the female default is shut off.

IS: Not EVERY part. Males don’t have the equivalent of a uterus.

ESC: hmmm…yeah…good point. OK, well all the FUN bits are equivalent.

IS: hehehehehehehe

a subtle whoring…

anyone looking to buy some last minute wedding gifts out there…we certainly woudn’t turn down a set of these.

You know…just a suggestion…

oh goddammit

OK, I hate 99% of all reality tv. Aside from a few on cable (Design Star, Dr. 90210), I avoid them like the PLAGUE.

ESPECIALLY the grandaddy of them all, Survivor. Ugh. Words cannot express how much I dislike the show, the concept, and all things related to Survivor.

Today I learned that I’m going to have to watch this season.

Why?

I went to high school with one of the contestants. She was a year behind me, but she was an over achiever, so she was in a lot of my math classes. We also took piano lessons from the same teacher for a long time.

And she’s a lawyer, too. Fat lot of good those math classes did her!

Dammit. When is this show even on, anyway?

infectoriffic!

Why oh why do I feel compelled to pick scabs off? Millions of years of evolutionary refinement to provide me with a sterile protective covering for the knee scrape from last weekend’s canoeing…canoing…canoe-ing? adventure. To protect me from infection and allow quick and efficient healing.

But BAH! I say. Off with the scab! Bring on the staph infection! and the flesh eating bacteria!

Or, more likely, the bright red scar that will still be there by the wedding.

crap

head above water

Sorry for the silence. Things at work are…not so good.

Ironically, the LAB WORK and WRITING are going well…it’s just a sea of other bullshit that I’m wading through. Wait…not wading…what’s the word…?

Drowning.

I’m drowning in grad school. And there is a stingray headed right for me. Hopefully this will all blow over soon. All I can say is THANK GOD for my meds, because otherwise? Otherwise I’d be typing this from a small padded room with no sharp edges and calming music.

Normal posting shall resume when and if I ever make it back to shore.

wikiality

Holy shit.

Go here. Click on the last link under “external links.”

I am so almost famous.

At least they didn’t find out about the yogurt in “places…”

a true fan

A Steelers fan who will be spending many many nights sleeping alone on the couch.

he’s a little bit country

I’m a little bit gheettoooo…

I will post about our fun weekend in alabama later. Right now I MUST POST about my shiney new things! My nails!

I had a meeting with the florist today at 3, but he was stuck at their other new location in buckhead and would be delayed. I could hang around the florist for a half hour…OR I could use my 10% off coupon for the new nail salon two blocks away and get some acrylic nails!

hmmm…

I want pretty nails for the wedding, and my nails are uuuugly. Short and peely and gross. But I also wanted some time to adjust to the nails. I didn’t want long funky nails for my wedding day and just end up poking myself or Kev in the eye.

the place was a “traditional vietnamese salon,” and the woman working it was very friendly. She kept calling me Honey. Have a seat, Honey. Pick your color, honey! She also might have had a mild case of short term memory loss, as she asked me if I lived close by around 3 times. However, she was very helpful for the indecisive like me.

What KIND of fakey nails do I want?

Oh, get GEL nail. They very shiney and pretty. You will like better. Yes, gel nails for you.

Of course they are a little more expensive, but my bride brain only heard “shiney” and “pretty.”

I picked a silvery irridescent color for the tips, which I started hedging on once the sanding down of my real nails had begun.

Oh no, this REAL pretty color! It will look good! Very unusual! I make decision for you, OK? OK. This good color.

Hehehehe…that was funny. And my nails are indeed pretty. The silvery color is awesome. And they’re a wee bit longer than I’m used to. I keep tapping them on hard surfaces just for the sensation. Ooo…weird!

And I know I’m total ghetto fab now, because as I was waiting to cross at a light on my way back to the florist (I just walked), a couple of rednecks in a beat up truck beeped at me. OH YEAH!!!

Things that are better with my new nails:

Scritching Sadie. She’s loving my nails.

Scraping goo out of the corner of my eye. With the added thrill of danger!

Ummm…pointing at things?

Things that will be difficult with my new nails:

pulling my credit card out of my wallet. took 4 tries.

tpying on by llaoptop

popping zits. you’d THINK it would be easier. but no. and now maybe I need a tetnus shot.

masterbation. hmmm…should have asked her to leave the right middle short…

my 2cents in

everyone is posting about Steve Irwin. I guess I will, too.
Yes, his death is a tragedy. An expected one, true, but still sad. However, a bit anger for the family he left behind…

it is all well and good to be a reckless male in your youth. Running around jumping on wild animals, or doing death-defying stunts on motorcycles, or what have you.

But when you get married, and ESPECIALLY when you breed and produce offspring (hehehe), your priority is now your family. If there is a way for you to earn money that does not involve taunting death every moment of the day, then it is your responsibility to do that instead.

Yes yes, I’m sure the Irwin estate will not collapse. I’m sure there is enough money in the bank for the wife and kid to live a comfortable if not luxurious existance for the rest of their lives.

But she goes to bed alone tonight.
His daughter’s memory of him will slowly fade, until she only remember bits and pieces. A word, a fun moment, a wiped away tear.

And was that worth it? You may say he was a great conservationalist, but so are many people. You don’t see Jane Goodall wrestling with chimps, do you? Steve could have left the croc wrangling to someone else.

Of course, it wasn’t a croc. It was a sting ray. Really? I pet a few of those at the GA aquarium. I didn’t know they could back up and run you through.

I suppose you could say “he died doing what he loved to do,” but is that better? Would you rather die young doing your favorite thing (I don’t know…a freak knitting needle accident?) or die old and frail, in your bed, surrounded by your family, who you’ve had many happy years with? Is there more honor in one than in the other?

Steve Irwin tempted fate every day. Statistically, his untimely death was almost a certainty. It does not make it less sad, but it does make it depressingly senseless.

And for what it’s worth, I had “bitten in the jugular by an angry koala” in the pool.

food magic

There is nothing more satisfying and wonderful (ok, there probably is) than staring bleakly into the fridge, wondering what I can throw together for lunch…and then suddenly remembering..HEY! I HAVE LEFTOVER THAI NOODLES!!!

My memory lapses are awesome.

too funny not to post

Emailing with Julie and Aimee keeps me sane during the week.

We’re discussing the upcoming wedding reception in Pittsburgh.

Julie: Hey, what’s the dress code for this shindig? I need to start looking for a new dress. Perhaps this weekend in the monsoon.

ESC: I will be wearing my wedding dress, thus, I demand everyone wear their fancy clothes.

FANCY CLOTHES ARE REQUIRED!

Maybe we’ll keep some extra ugly sportsjackets and ties around in case a guy shows up in innappropriate attire.

Julie: See, here’s the deal - the only fancy dresses I have are black and suitable for theater galas. Up here, no one would think twice about wearing a little black dress to a wedding, but is it cool for home?

Rick wants to know do you want him to wear a tux? He also has gala-appropriate clothes.

ESC: OK, no tuxes. a nice suit is fine.

I see no problem with wearing a little black dress. If any of my relatives slide over and ask me “who is that girl and why is she wearing that dress???” I will just say “That is Julie and she is from New York City.” and they will nod knowingly and say no more of it.I will do the same if Aimee shows up in hippie clothes. “She’s from California.” “ohhh..yeah, that makes sense.”heehee!

Aimee: Oh thank god, because my dress has been soaked in patchouli oil.

ESC: HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

labor intensive

Tonight we leave for Alabama. Kev realized we haven’t spent a whole weekend with his family since…

february? can that be right?

So a nice weekend away…our last weekend of relaxation before the huge rush before the wedding…except that I’ll be writing my second draft of my paper at the same time. CAN IT BE DONE???

Probably not. Which is going to piss off my advisor. I should be trying to get most of it done right now…but after the week I’ve had, I can do little more than lay half-comatose on the couch.

At least my talk went very well yesterday. Whew!

Oh, also yesterday I learned that getting your hair done for your weekend is fucking expensive. The salon I get my hair cut at charges $150 - $200 for the practice plus the wedding day..for what is described as an “up-do.”

I tried to reason with their scheduler.

“my hair is now REALLY short. there is no “do” to “up!”

“well, is there just a little bit that they can put up?”

“listen, in the back? my hair is maybe an inch and a half long - it is not going up! I just need my headband and veil put in, and everything sprayed solid by a professional.”

she set me up with a “pre-consultation” so I could meet with the bridal stylist BEFORE we do my practice run. So that she can see how my hair is not doing up, and maybe charge me less.

Also, I’m getting my make up done there. I told her I’ll need industrial strength waterproof spackle, because I will cry.

“oh, I KNOW! I always cry at weddings.”

“I’m not even going to make it down the aisle. As soon as I see my father, I’m going to start crying. My daddy is going to be giving me away! Oh my god…I’m tearing up now!!!”

*she laughs at me*

Ok, so we’ll see how this all works out.



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