What Is It?

This post is for family and friends. I found about this google earth site and program recently. How many pics does it take for you to recognize what I "googled"? I'm not going to tell (on the premise that I am trying to remain a wee bit anonymous although I feel like this blog just screams my name). If you don't know (and really want to know) then email me and I will tell you. In any case, this program is a little spooky.

This is the closest shot.

Now a few more meters away...

Do you know yet?

Now you can see the expressway...

You must know now, no?

The town limits are outlined in a very light yellow. You have to look closely. This is your last chance to figure it out.

Does anyone else think this google earth thing is spooky? I was going to google my work address but this was a much more pleasant place to look at. Green stuff rather than urban "landscape".

Big Sigh

Wow. Lots to blog about today. I'll just write completely unrelated paragraphs to tell it all.

I just spent the weekend with a "real" family. A married couple with two kids. It was so nice to sleep in a bed with a door I could close! I babysat for them and, thankfully, the kids are pretty good kids. Also, they invited me to eat with them for meals! I don't think they know just how nice it was to sit down for meals on a table in a kitchen and eat with people. It was really nice and I can only hope that my babysitting in some way was repayment for a little of their generosity.

I am on my way home today. After sending the bossman an electronic copy of my thesis, I got the canned automated response, "I am out of town until after Labor Day. Please contact my secretary if you need further information." Greeeeaaaat. So, I am on my way home to relax and try to finish solving a crystal structure that should be in my appendix. Joy.

Another reason for my immediate return to home is that my best friend is getting MARRIED! Yes, another person I know getting married. Everyone I know seems to be getting married or pregnant. It's kind of weird. Maybe I am just getting old. Anyway, she just got engaged about two months ago. Originally, I think she was planning a "regular" wedding. However, she is planning to move way south with her soon-to-be hubby in a month. Apparently, this will all go much smoother if they are married. I understand that logic. But that means she has to get married, basically, right now. They are going to the local courthouse and I am going to be a witness. This has all been rather last minute (I found out the plan on Thursday). I'm excited for her. This will be the second time I have been a witness at a courthouse ceremony.

I really, really, want to go to the salon. I need a hair cut, I would like a manicure or pedicure and seeing a waxing specialist would be a nice treat too. I had promised myself that I would wait until I was finished with the Ph.D.- kind of a treat for finishing - but it looks like I won't be finished for another three weeks (minimum!). Grrrr. And that is assuming the bossman bothers to make time for me. sigh.

And the Lance Armstong thing... that has got to die. It was sketchy handling of samples from 1999. I mean, come on, just let it go. Even if he did dope - what does this whole crap get us? Nothing. Neither side can prove their position. It was 6 years ago! A not totally unrelated aside, I can't wait for the TdF next summer! Lance's retirement is going to open the field wide open and I think it will make for a more interesting tour.

Preseason football games... maybe they should be removed from the schedule? Just how many players get hurt during these "meaningless" games?

I miss my (our) cat. I miss my bf more. It's been nearly two months since I've seen them. This makes me sad.

Guess that is all I have for now.

Advisor Avoidance

Well, I turned it in. Sent a copy of the thesis via email attachment and dropped of a hard copy in his mailbox. I know chapters 5 and 6 need work but I am confident about the other 7 chapters. 6 of the 7 "good" chapters are based on publications. I think he is going to want to publish chapter 5 (which is why it will need work even though good enough for a dissertation). And chapter 6 is just hooey. Ventured into a topic arena which is quite outside of my normal venue.

As most of my readers know, I haven't communicated with my advisor for some time. In fact, for the last four weeks I haven't even tried to contact him. I was feeling quite guilty about this, like I was doing something "bad". I guess I thought that you shouldn't be avoiding your advisor if you are so close to being done. I'm suppose to have interactions with this guy! Well, over the last three days, this has been on my mind. Probably because I planned to turn everything in today and open that line of communication again...

Over the weekend I was surfing some blogs and came across a particularly relevant blog. And, in addition, a particularly relevant entry. I suggest everyone read his "Dissertation Advisor Avoidance" blog entry. I think it highlights some of the very reasons that it was secretly a very good thing for me not to talk to my advisor for the last three months. Yes, the thesis writing has been very disheartening and frustrating but imagine how guilty and worthless I would have felt if I had missed my deadline AND he had been expecting the material!

Hmmm.. Blogsphere Thoughts

As you may know from reading my entries, my life has pretty much consisted of writing a thesis while trying to eat on the cheap. I have been avoiding all social engagements to 1) save time and 2) save money. But, being someone who probably wouldn't make a great hermit, I do find other ways to "interact" (using that term loosely here).

Since the start of my blog, I have taken to reading a few others. More recently, however, I have been checking out blogs that are blogrolled on the four I was regularly reading. Plus, through other sources, have found two others I enjoy.

I have resisted blogrolling because I find too many people have so many blogs listed that it is almost funny. They can't possibly have the time to check on hundreds of blogs regularly! I understand lists that are 10-20. Or, some people have opted to separate the blogs by interest (ie: academic, personal, political, etc) which would make 10-20 per list still reasonable. It just seems in quite a few cases that it becomes a competition for people. I don't want to get caught up in that "competition". On the flip side, I don't want to slight a possible reader because I don't immediately add them to my (still hypothetical) blogroll.

So, I got to thinking... I've found these other great blogs through blogrolling done by others. Maybe I should begin one of my own. Since this blog is nearly the sum total of all social interactions outside of long distance phone calls, maybe I should share the blogs I enjoy? (don't cry for me - it's not as bad as it sounds, I make lots of phone calls, and I'm almost done) The reader foundation of this blog is family and friends... they are likely to enjoy the same blogs I do to some extent.

The blogrolling course of action then brings all sorts of "blogger etiquette" into question. Must I blogroll someone if they have blogrolled me? To date, I would do that anyway as I enjoy the blogs that have me on their blogroll. I don't see it as completely impossible in the future that someone could decide to blogroll me and I not want to do the same. When is it okay to remove someone from your blogroll? I have a blogging friend who updates every 2 months or so. At least I know she will eventually update because she is a friend outside of the blogsphere. But what about those people I only know through blogging? I have no idea what happened to them if they aren't updating. Do you need to ask people permission to blogroll them? I would say it's been 50/50 in my experience. I can't imagine anyone having a problem with being blogrolled if they are in a public domain (which, clearly, I and those I read are). And then, the ultimately superficial (but important to some) question, where do I put my blogroll? Right under my profile? Under the 'political' images? Under the archives? Would bloggers feel slighted if they were listed under my "laughs and distractions" section?

And so, for the interim, I wallow in indecision.

I guess there is one other option... chuck the blogger template, learn a bunch of html, create an entirely new website where I can dedicate an entire subsection to blogs and link to every one I've ever visited with the disclaimer at the bottom that I have no idea if any of the links are good as I only regularly check 11 of them, and I'm not telling you which 11...

Sorry

I mentioned in the comments section of one blog entry that I update on M, W, and F. Well, today, not so much. Just got back a rather scathing review of Chap. 6 from one of my more reliable readers. Too much work to do today to write a reasonable blog entry. So you get this crap-tacular post instead. So sorry.

I Love It

I love catching up with old friends. Ya know that marathon phone call that encompasses you current life (social, professional, personal, etc.), his or her current life, current politics (in some broad sense), current family lives, and just about everything? The key to this being an outstanding phone call is that you care what the other person is saying.

I find that as I get older (okay - that statement makes me sound about 80 - I'm not) I don't like to listen to people. It used to be interesting to hear about other people's lives. I use to be a butterfly at parties flitting from one person to the next and listening to them talk about their lives while also sharing about my own. Now I couldn't care less. If you aren't in my small circle of close friends, I don't give a damn. And I don't even want to try to seem interested. Maybe my tolerance for bullshit is lower? Or, maybe I just don't have the energy? Dunno. But I swear at some point in my life I actually enjoyed that sort of thing.

What brought this post on is last evening I had one of those great conversations with a very dear friend (a prof in MA). I was even left with a glimmer of hope that we may now keep up with one another on a more regular basis as he has promised (threatened?) to start a blog of his own. I generally think that blogs are completely self-serving items but on the other hand I want all of my friends to write one! I just hope this new blog development doesn't end our occasional (every ~6 mo) stellar phone calls.

Immigration

Okay, as of about a week ago, Canada and I are not on good terms. Yes, the whole fucking country! I have recently found out that in order for me to immigrate (or otherwise get some sort of extended stay pass) that I basically need a job offer. Of course, if I brush up on my french and magically come up with $10,000CAD, that works too. Um, yeah, right after I pay off the thousands of dollars in loans, credit card debt, and car payments.

Here is where the problem lies... I can't get a job in Canada because I am not a permanent resident (p.r.) or citizen. Yeah, makes your head spin, doesn't it. Can't become a p.r. or citizen without a job but can't get one UNLESS you are ALREADY a p.r. or citizen. Huh?

The rule is, if the hiring committee can find an acceptable applicant who is a p.r. or citizen, they must hire him or her. Only if no one acceptable applies can they consider international candidiates. Basically, I am not looking for a job with my specific skill set (just slice my wrists right now if I am going to be made to do hardcore crystallography for any significant amount of time ever again). I want to teach. And teaching gen chem or Ichem just isn't that "special" in the arena of academia. Grrrr.

So, I am planning to fly up to Canada, then back down, then back up, then back down, then back up, and so forth and so on until I can establish a common-law marriage with the bf. Then he can sponsor me. But that means, minimum, another year of unemployment because I can't work while I am establishing what I like to call "alien residency". This is all very annoying. I actually want to work. Who would have thought it?

Some of the things I really like about Canada (ie: the internal support of Canadian citizens) is exactly what is biting me in the ass. Dammit.

All About Me

As if this blog wasn't all about me all the time anyway...

Stole this idea from someone else - a short little something-something about different aspects of me...

What is your favorite color?
Green - real green, not olive or some other version that is vaguely green

What is your favorite scent?
Christmas! Yeah, okay, it's not really a scent but I love the smell of fresh pine trees, cookies baking, and cinnamon buns (that my mom only makes for Xmas).

Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Wherever I can do something new. I don't like going to the same place over and over. Mountains, oceans, deserts, rain forests - whatever! As long as I get to do something new.

Do you collect anything?
I collect cheesy key chains from where ever I visit as a souvenir.

Are you crafty? If so, how?
I guess. I think some of my friends would scoff at that statement. "You are totally crafty", they would say. However, I am not sure being able to follow a pattern or directions makes you "crafty". I can make just about anything I put my mind to and have directions for, however, it is never an original idea or design.

What kind of movies, music, and books do you like?
Just about any as long as it isn't gorey/violent. That applies to all three. For movies, I tend to gravitate towards indie films, thrillers, and cheesy romantic comedies. For music, I listen to a lot of top 40 and what may qualify as "folk" music. And books are similar to movies - depends if I want to think or just veg.

Do you have a favorite magazine?
I like mags that explore areas that are too out of reach for me for some reason: geographically, financially, or time limitations. I like travel, cooking, and fitness mags, although the occasional Maxim is excellent for a giggle.

What kind of work do you do?
Thesis writing, thesis writing, thesis writing. On the side, I recently had the excellent opportunity to teach as an adjunct. I'd like to teach full time when this whole "school" thing is done.

What do you do for fun?
Sadly, nothing. Well, at least right now. I like to do a ton of stuff - really too much to list here. I guess a short list would be:

• read
• sports
• movies
• crafts

Most of you probably already knew this stuff about me. Too bad. I couldn't think of a better thing to blog about. :P


Side Note: Thanks goes out to Cheeky Prof for the comments and the cool counter on her site that I just added to mine.

DAMN!

Okay, I'm going to just say it - I just WASTED over four hours. Doing what, you ask? Yeah, take a look at the blog. Making a new picture, linking comments so they show on the page with the entries, and adding an updating link for "on this date" in my entries. Someone help me. I think this could border on a problem.

New Pic

I just thought I would give credit to the bloggers who alerted me to the fun little site where I made "angry war-paint girl". Thanks to Profgrrrrl via Adjunct Kait . You can make your own at the I Am Bored website. It's called Avatar Maker. Yeay for other people who have too much time on their hands and make it easy for me to procrastinate writing. Oh wait... maybe that shouldn't make me so happy... hmmm.

The Dream

Okay, I know that I don't have so many readers and those of you I do have most don't comment but I am going to reach out for help from you anyway...

To make this a doubly icky post - it is touchy-feely. Some of you may choose to just skip reading this post entirely.

So here's the story. I don't often remember my dreams. Once and a while, I will remember something vividly. I also don't normally nap. Well, I did both yesterday. And I had a dream that was unsettling. Nothing bad happened, per se, but it was uncomfortable. Let me set the scene...

I have a reoccurring dream (started less than a year ago) where I am at a dirty lake, there is a shack for sale on the top of the cliff edge next to the lake. If you look above the house, there are new condos higher up on the hill behind it. There are two lakes, mine (which is the one at higher elevation) and a second one that has an old truck (circa 1950's) sitting in the middle, rusting. The lakes seem like they might have been one big lake at one time but I'm not sure about that. There is also a place nearby that I go to after the lake. It reminds me of a house who's owner's kids I use to babysit (~20 yrs ago). I don't know how close the house is to the lake. I recognize the parents but never see the kids. Normally, in the reoccuring dream, nothing happens. I don't see anything happen, I don't talk to anybody, I don't even walk from the lake to the house (just kind of teleport). But yesterday...

I was at the lake. Considering the benefits of buying the shack. Wondering if there was any development rules to keep someone from just knocking it down and building a new house on the same spot. It has a great cliff coastline to the dirty lake with trees around it - seems a very nice place to live except that it's a shack. Then, suddenly, the lake is flooded and I am swimming beneath the surface. I'm not drowning - just kind of checking it out. There is a wooden slat thing kind of like a retangular pallet the size of a door floating around. Then, there is a fish swimming around. At first it seems agressive and I try to get it to leave by using the pallet to herd it. That doesn't work. Then I realize that it is kind of pretty - it's sort of like a really big angel fish with very wispy fins and tail (I dunno breeds of fish). When I looked behind me, there was another (completely different) fish. This one looked like a stuffed kiddy dragon but was clearly alive and "swimming". It didn't really move, just sat there, but a was left with the impression that it was definitely alive. I wasn't afraid of it at all. Then...

I noticed my laptop was floating around in the lake (when I am submerged the lake seems much cleaner and so visibility is better). I panicked because it was "on" but the screen was black. I had forgotten I was using it when it started to flood. However, I remembered using it at the beginning of the flood when I saw it (like I would ever forget something like that - must be dream world!) I grab the laptop and walk out of the lake. Yeah, just walked right out. I go to the house (not the shack) to dry it out. I have to get in the backyard to do this - don't know why. I remember having issues with the door because the hose spout is right next to it and sometimes you accidentally turn on the water when you are trying to open the door (although in real life this was never the case). After I get in the yard, I try to turn the laptop off (still "on" - don't know how that's possible). It won't shut down/hibernate/standby. I have walked into the interior of the house while trying to turn off. I sit down on a bench right by the front door (no bench there in the real house as I remember). Then the mother's mother comes out from the other room and is surprised by me. I am not surprised by her. AND, I never met the mother of the mother I babysat for - so I don't know who this woman is but I can describe her. I apologize for surprising her and promptly leave the house. It is at this point that I wake up. I don't actually remember anything about leaving (ie: outside) just that I left.

So, anybody know what any of that symbolizes?? It was very strange.

Pizza, or not...

I know I sound like a broken record but here is it anyway... I was in search of dinner two nights ago that was on the cheap. I hadn't had time to go to the grocery store and I didn't want to purchase an overpriced sandwich (owing to my lack of funds).

Last week I was in the student union on campus and noticed a sign for a summer special. The pizza place was offering an 18" pizza w/ one topping and two fountain drinks for $7. Well, that will feed me a big dinner AND I will have left overs. I wanted to get on board with that deal. The sign said that it was available mon-wed. nights. Cool.

Skip to Monday night. I'm hungry, tired of being in the library, and eager to take advantage of cheap pizza. I head over to the Union. I should mention two things. One, I left the library early because the Union closes at an absurdly early hour because of summer and, two, the humidity was so high the air was actually visible. Ya know, like fog, only at 6:30 pm in the middle of an area that never has fog. Yuck.

I get to the pizza place (annoyed that I am sweaty from basically walking across the road in the "fog"). I ask for the special. And, ho ho ho, I get told "no"! WTF! Oooooh, I can't even tell you what kind of flames were shooting out of my head! No?? So, being the analytical person I am, I follow up with the question, "Well, are you not running the special anymore and still need to take the sign down?". And folks, here is the response from the _PIZZA PLACE_: "No, we still have special (sic) but no dough." Kill me, just kill me. I wanted to hurt little rabbits and that isn't my style. PO'ed. No dough. So I went to the local eatery and got an overpriced sandwich. I just couldn't go back to the library after that.

Things I Would Rather Be Doing:

I had a lazy day yesterday (watched a movie, went grocery shopping AND gabbed on the phone for HOURS) and it got me thinking about what I would rather be doing other than writing yet another chapter of my thesis. Here's a few of the things I came up with:

• riding my bike (prefer road but mountain would be cool too)
• finishing my crochet blanket
• swimming (or even better - playing polo)
• one of hundreds of cross stitch projects either started or waiting to be started
• putting together my photo albums
• getting a pedicure
• frankly, just about anything when you really get down to it.

A note about my new background - the shining suns seemed to be mocking me so I decided to decorate with something more indicative of my mood lately. Between the pressure of trying to finish the thesis, being in near financial ruin, jobless, and (it seems) regularly having spats with the bf, I have been in a foul mood. Here's a drink to hoping it gets better. Hmmm, drinking at 9:15 in the morning... problem? Oh wait, just diet coke (need the caffeine). Sigh.

How's The Weather?

How is the weather in your neck of the woods? I wouldn't bother to blog specifically about "the weather" but it is F**KING HOT. The average temp. for July and August around my home is normally 83 F (28 C for the canadian readers). That isn't too bad. This week, however, it has been hovering around a high of >90 (33ish). The part that sucks is that it isn't dry like a desert E but wet like a tropical forest or an island J and I am sweaty. Eeeew. It makes sleeping at night very uncomfortable as it doesn't get below 70 (21). I am such a weenie. I know. But I wanted to rant about it anyway. I can't wait to get back to a place where I can hide in AC comfort all day and all night long!

O Canada... Day Parade!

While I was up in the arctic north, my trip happened to coincide with Canada Day (yeah, I know it was a month ago - I had other things to blog about). However, while I was there for C-Day, I actually watched a parade. And had my handy dandy digital camera. Soooo... I took some pictures and then a friend/reader mentioned they "read" the blog for the pictures (!) so it seemed a good idea for a laid back blog full of pictures. Here they are!





Nice Hats! I wanted one but didn't get a chance to make the purchase.





Where do you get yourself one of these little items? (and I mean the car)





WTF? Were they going for "hideously ugly"?





OMG. 'nough said.





There is a breed of horse called "Canadian"??







Not good enough for the horses?





Yee Haw!





This a shoutout for the bf... Air Cadets.

My Love Affair With Ringtones

When I first got my cell phone (a wee two years ago - I bucked the trend for some time) my sister pointed out that I could give a person or group of people a specific ringing sound if they were calling my cell. At first I thought it was useless feature that I would never use. Then she showed me how to program in people for this feature. Okay, I was still not intrigued.

Then... I heard her phone ring and it was a top ten hip hop song in digital tones. Well. That changes everything! You can order new, current ring tones instead of using the crap-o-licious ones that come with the phone. Oh, and I just went hog-wild! Now my sisters, mom, dad, two best friends, and bf all have their own ring. The bossman has one too - funeral march.

Recently (okay, not that recently but I don't want to admit how "behind the times" I am), my carrier added ringtones that aren't digital remakes but clips from the original songs and voices. Needless to say, I eventually succumbed to the newer (and more expensive) versions. I downloaded the Incredible's Edna saying "How can it be someone important? We are both here, darling." ringtone for general use as my default ringer. I love it.