Didn't Count, Huh?

Well, boo hiss to you, sister. Just kidding. Okay, I guess that a one or two paragraph blog post is a bit bare but there is just isn't that much to say on my end.

I'd like to know... how is it that other faculty at this school NEVER get students in their offices during office hours and I didn't have ONE SINGLE OFFICE HOUR FREE this past week? AND, two students made special appointments outside of office hours. Also, what's up with students coming to MY office hours for speech class and calculus help (two different students)? I teach CHEMISTRY!!! Aaaargh!

I was suppose to go to the driving range this past week with a coworker. Wouldn't you know it - it downpoured about two hours before we were set to golf. The driving range is old school were it is actually grass! That's awesome normally but not after a deluge of rain. We've rescheduled for this next week. Currently the weather looks clear. Fingers crossed.

Everyone around here was excited because they put a repeater cell station on campus which meant that everyone gets cell signal. Oh, yeah, except for me! Dammit. I guess I just need to wait for that window-having cubical that the 'senior' chemistry faculty member currently resides in. I am so taking her office if she retires and I am still here. God help me if that comes to pass. That will mean I totally stayed in this shitty little hamlet for waaaaaay toooooo long.

I'm suppose to be grading right now. What a fun way to spend a Saturday night. Normally I would grade during my office hours. I'll let you refer back to that second paragraph concerning my office hour free time, or lack thereof. What I really need to do is stop being such a demanding instructor. If I didn't make the students do this work, I wouldn't have to grade it. Hmmmm, something to think on.

I think it is pretty funny that I got a sunburn today. It's almost October. I'm still not used to being this far south. Or, painting for eight hours straight. On the upside, after another six hours or so of painting tomorrow, I will have another section of the house done. Woohoo. And yes, I will post pictures. Of course, I will have to wait until Tuesday to take pictures. It will be almost dark when I finish tomorrow and Monday is my hell day when I go in at sun-up and get out around sun-down. Is 'sun-up' or 'sun-down' really one word, two words, or hyphenated?

Alright, I believe that this is now long enough to "count". Stay tuned for pictures - coming later this week.

News

Mmmm, I am in a good place. I just found out that the guy that I am interested in at work just agreed to join the pool league I am going to also join in January. It seems a long way off but I am excited that it seems there will be an opening for discourse (finally)! We never have occasion to see each other on campus so this is an exciting new development in my world. I know, I know. Not much in the way of news. But I'm geeked.

Hey Sis - do short posts count as much as long ones??? ;)

Dancing With The Stars

Oooh, I'm looking forward to this season. Really, I just like dancing shows. I would watch "So you think you can dance" if it weren't for that chick judge in the middle who SCREAMS EVERY F**KING TIME when someone does a really good dance. And she butts in on other commentators so you can even be assured you've completely muted her. Ugh.

I'm particularly interested to see Jennie Garth (I watched 90210 the first three seasons), Marie Osmond, and Jane Seymour. Also, Wayne Newton! That should be a hoot. I don't really know any of the other guys.

My sister was snarky about my last post. I hope this one is better.

Oh, and just FYI, the rainy season is starting here and so work on the house is on hold until Thursday at the earliest owing to rain. Booo. At least I got the primer coat on the part that was scraped and sanded. I am just amazed at how slow the painting process is. It is the first time I've painted areas that needed so much prep work and extension ladder use. Boy, both of those things slow the timeline waaaaay down. On the upside, after the rain the temperature is suppose to be down to 80 degrees F. It's been up around 90 lately. That is hot enough to make me sweat the entire time I am working but not so hot that I get uber dehydrated and dizzy (like the 100 degree days we had for most of August). But still, cooler is better as far as I am concerned.

A work acquaintance has a deck party on Saturday night. They are planning to open a winery in a few years and so put on this enormous deck. It's really quite nice. There were about 20 people there and everyone brought a dish to pass. It is fortunate that I enjoy the company of most of the people that are in my department (I know this isn't the case for everyone out there). The food was pretty good, the wine was free-flowing, and the game catch-phrase was brought out. I really like playing games with people who are smart. It makes them so much more enjoyable to me. The only down side was that I got a ride with some friends (since the place is nearly an hour outside of town) and they didn't feel ready to go until after midnight. Man, I was hurting by 10 pm. Between getting up at 7 am, the errand running, and hours of work on the house, my body was cashed by then. I just wanted to get horizontal and unconcious. Anyway, on a whole, it was a really fun time.

I went to bingo yesterday. (Have I ever mentioned that I live in a small little hamlet with nothing much to do? I thought so.) I didn't win anything but my friend won $70. At least one of us got to "bingo".

Well, that exhausts the exciting news in my life. I like weekends when I get enough work done to feel productive, enjoy a reasonable social life, and still get a little quiet time in for a movie or book. Quite a nice weekend. Hope my readers had one of those as well.

I'm desperate for posting content. Nothing new is happening in life... other than the auto mechanic who has been really flirty and a man on campus that is coming on waaaaaay to strong (because I am not, I repeat, not interested).

Hence the idiotic quiz personality thingy post:

Your Personality Is

Guardian (SJ) You are sensible, down to earth, and goal oriented. Bottom line, you are good at playing by the rules. You tend to be dominant - and you are a natural leader. You are interested in rules and order. Morals are important to you. A hard worker, you give your all at whatever you do. You're very serious, and people often tell you to lighten up. In love, you tend to take things carefully and slowly. At work, you are suited to almost any career - but you excel in leadership positions. With others, you tend to be polite and formal. As far as looks go, you are traditionally attractive. You take good care of yourself. On weekends, you tend to like to do organized activities. In fact, you often organize them!

The Three Question Personality Test

Me, aka, Sickie

Let's just start with this: I never go to the doctors. I don't think very highly of many of the medical professionals I've met. I know that they are just covering their asses but all the dumbed-down chitchat is just annoying. And let's not even get into tests that are unnecessary.

Well, I don't know exactly what I had this week but it knocked me straight on my ass. I mean, holy hell, thought I was possibly dying, had trouble getting to the bathroom (a mere 10ft from my bed) kind of sick. I haven't felt this ill since high school when they thought I might have mono. I didn't eat dinner Tuesday because, well, I would have had to stand up for more than three minutes and that was just beyond me.

I sucked it up and went to the dr.'s Friday. I was finally able to walk and my brain was functioning enough for me to feel safe driving. I got an antibiotic 'script. Now, I don't know if it is the drugs or the fact that I, quite literally, slept for almost four days straight but I am feeling much better. And, it turns out, my co-workers were right. The Dr. they recommended was efficient, didn't talk to me like a 3-yr old, and gave me two separate prescriptions. One for the antibiotics and one for coughs. She told me what they were and agreed that I didn't really need to fill the cough 'script unless I needed it (when I asked). A refreshing change from the, "Fill these prescriptions and follow the directions" line that is so prevalent. Woohoo.

I'm happy to be back on my feet. I am happy about finding a dr. that doesn't suck. But I am not happy that by all accounts I have just slept through the four most beautiful days we've experienced ALL YEAR. Figures. The house is never going to be painted...

Hope everyone is staying healthy and enjoyed the weekend!

PS to my sister: Okay, you are one up but I expect a lull eventually and will overtake you.... mwhahahaa.

The Hiker

Yeah, so my sister blogs. That's great. She has been a notoriously bad blogger but has turned over a new leaf. She is averaging about one a week for the past month. The only thing is... I feel like I should be able to keep up. She is a first-year teacher, planning a wedding, and just relocated on the other half of the country. I, on the other hand, am becoming "old hat" at this teaching gig, am not planning a wedding, and moved over a year ago. Seems like I should have the free time necessary to go blog entry for blog entry with her.

And, therefore, I find myself posting this morning with nothing much to say. She posted most recently about an unexpected hiking experience. It was funny. I was glad I wasn't with her. The thing is that I have no interesting story about my weekend. The question then becomes, "How do I keep up with her posting record when nothing much ever happens here?". Grrrr.

That brings me to my weekend recapitulation. I'll start with Thursday because, well, as any ex-college student knows, the weekend officially starts Thursday night. A BW's opened in my little hamlet over the summer. I cannot tell you how excited I was about this. Unfortunately, they do not serve Woodchuck on tap. They do, however, have the NTN Trivia! Woohoo! My 'weekend' started with an evening of wings, beer, and trivia with a friend from work. Good times.

I followed that up with an exciting Friday night out at the gym. Yeah. The gym. I enjoy the show Psych (even if it is kind of terrible, I'm amused) and don't have a TV at home. But the gym has cable! I go there every Friday night at 9 pm to watch my hour-long show while walking on the treadmill. Let the stalking begin... hehe. I skipped the weights because I was not in the mood and I was wearing a sleeveless shirt and really need to wax. 'Nuff said.

Saturday was a fun day of studying Geography. I'm taking a geography class and our first test is tomorrow. I can't very well show up unprepared. How mortifying! I can just see it... the instructor talking to another one and saying, "Are you sure about that PhD thing? I know how she did on the first test in my 100 level class." Eeeek! I took the class because I was horrified when I was up in Canada to find out there was a new province since I last took a geography class. It's interesting but not as good as the art class I took last spring. Plus, I don't get to blog pretty pictures. Actually, we have this coloring assignment... maybe I will take pictures of that and post them. Teehehee. I am desperate for blog entries now. After studying, I hit the gym. Another hour of walking. I run some of it but not the majority so I just call it walking. I skipped the weights again. I am such a slacker. Then, off to the movies. Saw the Bourne Ultimatum AGAIN! I LOVE that trilogy. And Matt Damon is a hottie. The only drawback is I am not much for the camera work. Jeeez. Steady cams are available - look into it Mr. Director.

Sunday was a major slump day. I was going to work on the exterior of the house but it was still really wet from the rain the past week. Instead, I read a book (a whole one, over 300 pgs), and watched a couple of movies while I latchhooked. Yeah, latchhook. Do you remember that? Well, I bought this kit for a christmas rug in 2003 (the receipt was still in the box) and never got around to it... until this weekend. Yes, another project that will go unfinished for years. SWEET!

Somewhere in there I also managed to wash some dishes, pick up my clothes from all over the bedroom floor, vacuum, and cook. In retrospect, although there was no hiking involved, I think it was a pretty good weekend. I'm looking forward to the next one. The weather is suppose to be lovely (sunny and not blistering hot). Seems I might still be able to make a little progress on the house before 2008.

Hope all you readers (all two) had a terrific weekend yourselves!

Blogsphere Map

Aaaagh, my sister is out-blogging me... must post. Sorry it isn't more "personal" and "current".

I caught this over at the disgruntled chemist... a map of where you've been. I have a couple different maps. A world map which includes places I at least ate a meal. A US map where the states that were my destination are highlighted. And finally, a US map with every state I've at least driven through. This may or may not include a night over but most of them at least required liquid refreshment or a bathroom stop.

Now, if they would just create a map for Canada... since I have had the good fortune to have been to a few of the provinces. And plan to go to a few more.

World Map: only 6% visited

Kind of sad really. I look forward to putting a lot more red on this particular map!


US Destination Map: 56% visited

US Travel Map: 86% visited

create your own visited states map

Really, just for my own sake, here are the trips/reasons I've managed to make my way across over 50% of the US. In alphabetical order:

California: I've been a number of times. Mostly to the coastal areas. San Fransisco is as far north as I've been and Mexico is as far south.

Colorado: Went for a conference. Love Fort Collins. Want to move there. Loved it, loved it, loved it.

DC: My grandparents took me when I was much younger. I'd like to make a trip back there. I have a good friend living there now so I definitely have a reason to put it on the short list.

Florida: Ah, good ol' high school spring break. Burnt my butt. Had a good time. Went down a second time for a family trip to Disney. Both visits were great but I would hate to have to live there.

Hawaii: Been twice. Once with a girl scout summer program (really enjoyed it - yes I am a dork) and once with the marching band for a college bowl game. I enjoyed that trip even more (because I am that big a dork).

Idaho: A friend did a summer internship with HP there and I made the trip to visit. Actually, it was a lot nicer than I expected and the hot springs were fun. It really isn't all potatoes.

Illinois: Lived there almost 6 years and had visited family regularly for years prior to that.

Indiana: Went to a couple of waterpolo tournaments at Indiana and Purdue. I really can't recommend the state that highly. What I saw of it was pitiful, particularly the Purdue area. Ugh.

Iowa: Anther waterpolo trip. It really wasn't memorable... at all.

Kansas: Went to visit one of the ex's parents. Also had a job interview there. It's not on the "gotta get back over to that state soon" list.

Louisiana: Bowl game in Shreveport. If I never have to return to this state that is fine by me.

Maine: A summer trip with a high school friend. We did some whale watching, lobster eating, mountain biking, and camping. She drove me nuts but it made for some great stories.

Maryland: A high school friend went to the US Naval Academy and I made the drive down to visit when I was in Jersey for the summer.

Massachusetts: Boston for three days with the grad student I was working with during my summer study program at RPI. The guy was weird but the city was cool. One of my best friends moved there five years ago and I still haven't made it out to visit. This one is also on my short list for a return visit.

Michigan: Lived there most of my life.

Minnesota: Been a few times. Mostly for waterpolo. Minneapolis is a cool city.

Missouri: Live here now. A shame, really.

Nevada: Las Vegas. Not much else to say. I've been two times. Not in a big rush to go again.

New Jersey: Started life here and returned often.

New Mexico: Did a triathlon here with a grad school friend that had relocated. The race almost killed me but the rest of the visit was great. I would recommend doing the hike up to the top of the Sandia Mountains and then taking the tram back down.

New York: I've been a number of times but one of the most memorable was New Year's Eve 1999 -> 2000 in Times Square. Geez did my feet and bladder hurt after nearly 24 hours on the street!

North Carolina: Went to a grad student friend wedding near Duke U. Lovely gardens at the U. They really are something to see if you are in the area.

Ohio: More waterpolo tournies. I've driven through the state a number of times as well. Most times, I see no reason to stop.

Pennsylvania: Family did a cabin retreat one year in this state. It's beautiful (the west side). Also went to a football game or two at Penn. St. The amish country is very pretty too. I think this state ranks high in the list of places to see/visit/live.

Tennessee: A friend from RPI had an internship at Oak Ridge and invited me for a visit. It was a fairly pleasant place but I have no reason to ever go back. Take that to mean what you will.

Texas: Yuck. Ick. I'll take a pass. El Paso (another bowl game with the marching band) was a hole and Dallas (conference) smelled like petroleum, particularly in the morning. Now one of my best friends is in Lake Jackson (Houston area). I am so not looking forward to being in this particular state again although it seems inevitable. Boo.

Utah: Ah, the mormon friend. Moved out to Provo/SLC and then became a bar fly complete with booze and smokes. Oh, and wrote me a bad check to cover half the car rental. At least she didn't have a skanky bf hanging around. Another place I'm not jonesing to go back to.

West Virginia: Water rafting, twice. Awesome place for sport. It looks to be an absolutely terrible place to live though.

Wisconsin: More waterpolo tournies. Also visited for a tour of the UofW grad school program. Great cycling in the dells too. It is absolutely the closest place I have been that gets snow and can still be called a paradise.