Where did the time go?

I thought that I had enough time! I remember planning it all out, down to the minute. So....why isn't all that time here?

Work has been absolutely crazy. I've been sharing the TGA with another research group who's TGA had boards fail that, according to tech support, were infallible. I have the experiments finished for the kinetic study on calcium carbonate...now all I need is the time to crunch the numbers. Now that I've heard from tech support, I can get on the decomposition studies for HMX. I believe that I have enough time to finish them. And just in case this wasn't enough going on, another group is taking custody of the TGA-MS soon. I've been working with them to ease that transition.

I believe that we have finally got everything planned for the wedding, a week from Friday. All should come. It's going to be a blast. The only way that Nick and I could stand to have a reception was to make it as non-traditional as possible. No line....no wedding cake (I don't think anyone will miss it. It's usually hard enough to stop a charging hippopotamus)....minimal flowers....BBQ....and most important, I get to wear jeans. Don't worry, I'll post pics for those poor souls who can't make it.

Now if we could only get the people who we've left apartment applications with to make a choice! Some have been trying to make up their mind for three weeks now. I think that we're good people...we're not partiers...we don't drink, smoke, or do drugs (as long as Allegra and Flonase don't count)...we don't have pets, not even fish...everyone says that we make a cute couple, whatever that means. I don't get it! What's not to love?

Ok. That's enough pity party time. I've got to get moving.

Wedding bells are ringing.

This is mostly for our facebook friends, whom we don't have addresses for. If you would like a 'paper' copy give either Nick or myself a shout, call, e-mail...whatever works, and we'll be happy to send one to your doorstep. We are planning on sending them out in a couple of weeks.

Life's been good to me

I am truly blessed. I find that I need to keep reminding myself of this a lot lately. The standard January depression is taking a bit longer to lift this year, any one of half a dozen reasons could be to blame.

I have a really awesome, sweet, funny, good looking...well, I could go on forever...man who is head-over-heals in love with me; and I with him. We are going to be married at the end of March, which has provided much more joy than stress. (Hopefully I haven't just jinxed that) I have many friends and family who provide love, support, encouragement, along with the occasional reality check. When I asked my advisor if it would be possible to extend my time at the University he replied "Of course." The sun peaked out of the clouds yesterday. And to top it off, I received some of the best news of my life today. My good friend Jennie, after two surgeries, has been declared cancer free! She is healing quickly, and absolutely disgusted with her level of energy. She may hate me for it, but I love the fact that she is disgusted! It shows she is well enough to care.

Well, I just wanted to take a moment to agree with Joe Walsh. Life has, indeed, been good to me.

12 Steps--Step 6

Step 6: Commitment to total change.

So...last week I was visiting the blogs that I frequent. There were a few new postings, but not as many as I had hopped for. It had been quite a while since my last visits. In an effort to cheer myself up, I visited my blog. I was surprised to find myself a little miffed that there wasn't a new post here to!

What a wonderful beginning to show my commitment to total change. I was elated when the illogical feelings of 'mifftiness' fluttered across my heart! I will take this illogical start another step forward. I pledge to do at least one thing that is absolutely devoid of logic every day.

The other day I made a chocolate run, and picked up the fixin's for bean dip. Today, I kept hitting the snooze bar until I was almost late. I can count on one hand the number of times that I've done that! Maybe I'll play an evil character in Baldur's Gate. That should provide ample opportunity for illogical decisions! (The game rewards non-violent/good solutions more than violent/evil ones) I've never had the heart to do this, since I always felt bad that the plot line makes me a 8asterd. I've never had the constitution to be an evil 8asterd.

I can't wait to see the new adventures I'll have in this new, illogical world I've stepped into!

We're DINKS...as soon as we find jobs

I got engaged yesterday! Since I know everyone will ask....here's the whole story.

It all started on New Year's Eve. Nick told me that he would like to go to the mall to 'look' at rings again. I almost balked. My ring was already picked out, and he wasn't much help with his ring. What was there to look at? It was a complete surprise when he bought it. We sent it off to get it sized. When we got home I asked him who I could tell that we bought my ring, and he said..."Nobody. Not until I put it on your finger." I thought that was very mean, and said so. He laughed. I reminded him that he put it on my finger at the store, and he said it didn't count unless it came with "the" question. These last few weeks have been pure torture!

Wensday night Nick asked if I wanted to go to the Olive Garden for lunch Thursday. Then he asked if I even had to go in at all. I've been training another research group on our TGA, so the last few days has been spent helping them with their research. They weren't coming in today, so I was excited about having the instrument all to my self. When I told him this, his face fell through the floor. I swear I heard it crash. Then it hit me....ring....lunch....Olive Garden....OH! I told him that we should have lunch.

Before I left, Nick got my phone and started flipping through the numbers. I debated on if I should let him find it on his own, or if I should help him. I decided to be helpful...he looked really lost flipping through the Js. I told him to try P. He asked why P, and I told him "for parents." He said "Oh," and jotted the number down. Needless to say, neither one of us slept well that night.

I went to work that morning, and let me tell you it was really, REALLY hard to concentrate on the calibration I was doing. Unbeknown to me (sort of), Nick was calling my dad. He later told me that the conversation went something like this:

"Hi Bill, this is Nick. I'm in love with your daughter, and would like to marry her."
"Who is this?"

Poor Nick! No wonder he was so nervous over lunch. After lunch, the conversation went something like this:

"Do you have to go back to work?"
"I probably should, but I don't want to. What do you want to do?"
"Let's go for a walk. Where do you want to walk?"
"Where is a good place to walk? You do more walking than I do."
"That's the problem. I've walked around the places here so often that I'm tired of them."
"Ok, where haven't you walked in a while?"
"The frisbee park." (Our first date)
"Ok, let's go there."

We get there and start to walk around. He tries to throw a snowball at me, but I make him be nice. We make it to the back side of the park, and he stops. Pulls the ring out of his pocket, and says that he has something to ask me. He gets down on one knee (in the snow no less!) and starts to pull off my right glove. It's cold, so I tell him that he has the wrong hand. We laugh, and then get engaged! One snowball fight later, and we're back to his place to call family/friends. Then comes the celebratory root beer floats. Yum!

So, now you all know the story. We're engaged!

It's so funny, I cried.

I got my diploma in the mail last week. While looking at it, I thought, "what an expensive piece of paper." Is that normal? Any way, it caused me to reflect on some of the lessons that higher education taught me. I will share a few that made me laugh.

The last ten years have taught me.....

1. BOHICA!


2. If there are two instruments in the lab, they will never be working at the same time. But, if there is three or more, this can be accomplished.


3. Student health care is worth exactly what you pay for it, if you're lucky.


4. Despite the fact that you have no data or error analysis, a failed lab experiment is exponentially harder to write up than a successful one.


5. Sororities are not all that they are cracked up to be.


6. Somebody really should have shot Murphy. Preferably in the gut.


7. If an experiment worked the first time, something went wrong.


8. I really want a tee-shirt with Maxwell's equations on it.


9. If you want to get an instrument fixed, stop talking with the techs at tech support. The fastest way to accomplish this is to call the sales rep.


10. No matter how many times you tried it, it will work for your advisor/boss....on the first try....perfectly.
11. The techs at tech support do not have a sense of humor; any joke you crack will be taken seriously.
12. Looking for a job makes you feel like a mouse wearing a sign that says "Need money. Willing to endure scientific research."

Just one of those days

Have you ever been in an argument that gives you the feeling that you just can't win? I bet that it felt something like this.



Thanks go to Jen, who forwarded this e-mail to me. She must have known that it belonged on my blog!