It's a quarter past midnight and I just finished working on my geology report - don't be too proud, it's not finished. I haven't done the discussion, conclusion or the abstract yet, and I still need to tweak what I have written, add some well-chosen photographs, and finish my stratigraphic column, which is currently the bane of my existence.
Got up at 8:30 this morning - I kept on waking up all through the night so I needed that extra half-hour - and showered and enjoyed an hour's worth of playing on the internet. Went to class and participated in the discussion, then came home, ate lunch and started working on geography.
Ate dinner at 6, then left for Theory at 6:30. Theory lasted from 7 pm - 9:40 pm and I only got home at 10 pm, and immediately started working on geology again.
Now it is the witching hour and I'm exhausted and A Celtic Soltice's "Home" just came on and it's making me cry like it always does.
Definitely bedtime.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Weekend? What weekend?
Hi all, sorry it took me so long to post. I'm afraid there won't be any pictures in this episode of As California Turns, but maybe sometime this week.
Wednesday was spent writing essays. I kid you not, with the exception of an hour of grocery shopping, an hour of cooking, and another 45 minutes of running back to the grocery store at 10 pm because I'd forgotten to buy onions, the rest of my day was essays...except for the hour I fell asleep in my armchair and woke up upside-down with the most awful crick in my neck. But I got four written, so that was really good.
Thursday, as per my resolution, I didn't do a scrap of work and it felt lovely! I got up around 9, turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (which is broadcast at 9 am PST for those of us who don't get up at 6 am on a holiday) and put my bread in the oven.
I was pretty annoyed, come Wednesday afternoon, to find that the only (and I mean ONLY) French bread that wasn't whole-grain or had some nasty seedy inclusions in it was these floppy ones that you have to bake for 15 minutes at home. I liked the kind we got at Fresh Market - already baked, perfectly crisp on the outside and just the right texture for cheese-spreading on the inside. I baked this stuff, but even though I made sure it was extra crispy on the outside the damn stuff didn't like cutting - I don't have a legitimate bread knife and that might be part of the problem - so I finally sat down with hacked off hunks and spread them with goat cheese that crumbled and fell everywhere. However, it was still very yummy, which I suppose atones for much.
I was cooking when I heard my phone go off, so I had to stop, rinse my hands, and get it - turns out 10 am my time was when everyone back home was sitting round the table, so I got my new laptop, attached it to my extension cord, and cleverly placed it on top of my microwave so I could cook, everyone back home could see me, and I couldn't accidentally splash it with anything.
Wednesday night I'd written up a time plan of when things had to be cooked or start cooking like I'd seen Mom do a million times, but it gave me SUCH a thrill to put my stuffing in the oven (in a pyrex dish, with turkey thighs on top), look at the clock and see that it was 12:13 pm, exactly two minutes BEFORE I was supposed to put it in!
Of course, I immediately had to start working on my potatoes, but it was still a thrill. I got 10 pounds of russet potatoes for $1 (I'm not kidding, it was a Thanksgiving special), and after an hour of peeling and chopping I decided I would only make 8 pounds of mashed potatoes. It worked out really well, because my big glass bowls (oh, how I love them!) each fit about 4 pounds really comfortably, and they sit nicely in several places in my fridge. I did have to take out some of the beer, but that didn't hurt it, and the fridge was full for a change, which was fun.
I mashed the potatoes nicely right before the turkey came out of the oven, and then all I had to do while the turkey cooled was microwave some of the broccoli, and before you know it I had a perfect Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and Harvard beets.
Harvard beets are one of my favorite vegetables, and I was appalled to find out that they don't sell them ANYWHERE here in California, so I went online, chose a recipe called "Grandma's 1930s Harvard Beets" - I have great faith in surviving grandmothers' recipes - and tried to follow it exactly. I've never made beets before and didn't bake them long enough at first, but thanks to the internet, I knew how to test them (you use a sharp - very sharp - knife, and if it slips in without resistance, you're good to go) and baked them for an additional half-hour which left them perfect. Slipping the beets was LOTS of fun, but I was very glad I'd listened to Mom and worn surgical gloves, because dude, beet juice STAINS bigtime. The beets tasted excellent, but the sauce was too thin - I guess it takes practice to get it perfect. But practice I will, because I LOVE Harvard beets and I hate doing without them.
I spent about 3 hours on Skype with the family, which was fantastic, because I really miss everyone, and being out here all alone for Thanksgiving really sucked. I don't even have a kittycat to boss me around and commandeer my lap for cuddles. Being a graduate student kind of sucks. Maybe when I'm a postdoc I can get a cat.
After the family signed off I took a nap - cooking a Thanksgiving meal is tiring, even if it's just for one person plus oodles of leftovers. Then I spent the afternoon watching movies and eating goat cheese, bread, chips, ice cream, and leftovers.
That evening I made a ponche and it was MUCH better than the first one. I couldn't drink all of it, so some of it went into the fridge and I drank it last night. Ponche is better when shared, I think.
Friday I tried to work but a sick headache put me to bed, and I spent a lot of the day lying down trying to feel better.
I did go out to Jo-Ann's before the headache, looking for curtain fabric, but there was nothing I wanted in the fabric department, although I did spend $15 on beads. That made me very happy. I also spent an hour making Christmas earrings to put myself in the Christmas mood and it sort of worked. They're cute anyway.
Saturday I felt better and got most of my presentation for Monday done, and worked a little on my other stuff, but not nearly enough. I felt sick that afternoon too, and decided it was the bloody cold weather, and bundled up and read a storybook to make myself feel better.
Today I worked my tailfeathers off, finishing my presentation, writing up the fact sheet that we're handing out to the class, reading extra stuff for that class, writing a 5 page paper for theory, and writing 9 pages of my geology report. I really need to do more of my geology report, but I'm so bloody tired I don't want to. I really have to start my stratigraphy column, which I've been trying to do, but I've been plagued by computer errors and finally deleted the "cracked" version of Adobe Illustrator one of my classmates gave me and installed the trial version. If I ever need Adobe Illustrator again I'll have to buy it, which sucks because it's $160, but no one ever said a student's life is easy - and if they did, they have no idea what they're talking about.
Okay, it's 8:30 so it's definitely time for dinner. Mashed potatoes...yum!
Wednesday was spent writing essays. I kid you not, with the exception of an hour of grocery shopping, an hour of cooking, and another 45 minutes of running back to the grocery store at 10 pm because I'd forgotten to buy onions, the rest of my day was essays...except for the hour I fell asleep in my armchair and woke up upside-down with the most awful crick in my neck. But I got four written, so that was really good.
Thursday, as per my resolution, I didn't do a scrap of work and it felt lovely! I got up around 9, turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (which is broadcast at 9 am PST for those of us who don't get up at 6 am on a holiday) and put my bread in the oven.
I was pretty annoyed, come Wednesday afternoon, to find that the only (and I mean ONLY) French bread that wasn't whole-grain or had some nasty seedy inclusions in it was these floppy ones that you have to bake for 15 minutes at home. I liked the kind we got at Fresh Market - already baked, perfectly crisp on the outside and just the right texture for cheese-spreading on the inside. I baked this stuff, but even though I made sure it was extra crispy on the outside the damn stuff didn't like cutting - I don't have a legitimate bread knife and that might be part of the problem - so I finally sat down with hacked off hunks and spread them with goat cheese that crumbled and fell everywhere. However, it was still very yummy, which I suppose atones for much.
I was cooking when I heard my phone go off, so I had to stop, rinse my hands, and get it - turns out 10 am my time was when everyone back home was sitting round the table, so I got my new laptop, attached it to my extension cord, and cleverly placed it on top of my microwave so I could cook, everyone back home could see me, and I couldn't accidentally splash it with anything.
Wednesday night I'd written up a time plan of when things had to be cooked or start cooking like I'd seen Mom do a million times, but it gave me SUCH a thrill to put my stuffing in the oven (in a pyrex dish, with turkey thighs on top), look at the clock and see that it was 12:13 pm, exactly two minutes BEFORE I was supposed to put it in!
Of course, I immediately had to start working on my potatoes, but it was still a thrill. I got 10 pounds of russet potatoes for $1 (I'm not kidding, it was a Thanksgiving special), and after an hour of peeling and chopping I decided I would only make 8 pounds of mashed potatoes. It worked out really well, because my big glass bowls (oh, how I love them!) each fit about 4 pounds really comfortably, and they sit nicely in several places in my fridge. I did have to take out some of the beer, but that didn't hurt it, and the fridge was full for a change, which was fun.
I mashed the potatoes nicely right before the turkey came out of the oven, and then all I had to do while the turkey cooled was microwave some of the broccoli, and before you know it I had a perfect Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, broccoli, and Harvard beets.
Harvard beets are one of my favorite vegetables, and I was appalled to find out that they don't sell them ANYWHERE here in California, so I went online, chose a recipe called "Grandma's 1930s Harvard Beets" - I have great faith in surviving grandmothers' recipes - and tried to follow it exactly. I've never made beets before and didn't bake them long enough at first, but thanks to the internet, I knew how to test them (you use a sharp - very sharp - knife, and if it slips in without resistance, you're good to go) and baked them for an additional half-hour which left them perfect. Slipping the beets was LOTS of fun, but I was very glad I'd listened to Mom and worn surgical gloves, because dude, beet juice STAINS bigtime. The beets tasted excellent, but the sauce was too thin - I guess it takes practice to get it perfect. But practice I will, because I LOVE Harvard beets and I hate doing without them.
I spent about 3 hours on Skype with the family, which was fantastic, because I really miss everyone, and being out here all alone for Thanksgiving really sucked. I don't even have a kittycat to boss me around and commandeer my lap for cuddles. Being a graduate student kind of sucks. Maybe when I'm a postdoc I can get a cat.
After the family signed off I took a nap - cooking a Thanksgiving meal is tiring, even if it's just for one person plus oodles of leftovers. Then I spent the afternoon watching movies and eating goat cheese, bread, chips, ice cream, and leftovers.
That evening I made a ponche and it was MUCH better than the first one. I couldn't drink all of it, so some of it went into the fridge and I drank it last night. Ponche is better when shared, I think.
Friday I tried to work but a sick headache put me to bed, and I spent a lot of the day lying down trying to feel better.
I did go out to Jo-Ann's before the headache, looking for curtain fabric, but there was nothing I wanted in the fabric department, although I did spend $15 on beads. That made me very happy. I also spent an hour making Christmas earrings to put myself in the Christmas mood and it sort of worked. They're cute anyway.
Saturday I felt better and got most of my presentation for Monday done, and worked a little on my other stuff, but not nearly enough. I felt sick that afternoon too, and decided it was the bloody cold weather, and bundled up and read a storybook to make myself feel better.
Today I worked my tailfeathers off, finishing my presentation, writing up the fact sheet that we're handing out to the class, reading extra stuff for that class, writing a 5 page paper for theory, and writing 9 pages of my geology report. I really need to do more of my geology report, but I'm so bloody tired I don't want to. I really have to start my stratigraphy column, which I've been trying to do, but I've been plagued by computer errors and finally deleted the "cracked" version of Adobe Illustrator one of my classmates gave me and installed the trial version. If I ever need Adobe Illustrator again I'll have to buy it, which sucks because it's $160, but no one ever said a student's life is easy - and if they did, they have no idea what they're talking about.
Okay, it's 8:30 so it's definitely time for dinner. Mashed potatoes...yum!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
I Haz A Warm
When I woke up this morning for a second I wondered if exhaling would produce a cloud of water vapor, it was THAT cold. I wrapped myself in my throw and rushed over to my laptop to check the weather channel website, praying it would warm up during the day. It turned out it was FORTY-SIX DEGREES FARENHEIT! That's 8 Celcius so you don't have to convert it. So inside my apartment I'm willing to bed it was about 48-49, if I was lucky.
I was so cold that I practically started crying over the stupidest things this morning, so after a long, miserable geology class I came home, called Dad and begged for permission to buy a space heater. It's one thing if I thought my gas heater was going to be fixed anytime soon, but I have the strangest feeling it won't.
Dad gave me permission to get the heater and I rushed to Target and got a $30 one that has an energy star rating, so I'm praying it won't absolutely blow my electricity bill through the roof. I won't use it while I'm sleeping or during the day though, just times like now when it's 55 degrees or fewer outside and I'm freeeeeezing and can't stand it. I'm usually cold in houses kept at 68 degrees, so being frozen solid in a 55 degree house should come as no surprise.
I took a long nap and then called Mom and Dad again to talk. Mom was talking about having curry for dinner which made me want curry, which resulted in curried shrimp for dinner.
Curried prawns, basmati rice, chardonnay and BBC World News? It was so perfect.
I've worked a little on my job, but I have a TON of work to get done this weekend, so I'm not really looking forward to it. It's pretty miserable, but if I get it all done then the rest of my semester should be a LOT easier.
Tomorrow is basically going to be work, but I get to go grocery shopping at least, for last-minute Thanksgiving stuff. I'm halfway decided that I won't work on Thanksgiving, but I might work a little during the evening...just to make the rest of the weekend easier.
At least I'm warm now, and it totally makes everything easier.
I was so cold that I practically started crying over the stupidest things this morning, so after a long, miserable geology class I came home, called Dad and begged for permission to buy a space heater. It's one thing if I thought my gas heater was going to be fixed anytime soon, but I have the strangest feeling it won't.
Dad gave me permission to get the heater and I rushed to Target and got a $30 one that has an energy star rating, so I'm praying it won't absolutely blow my electricity bill through the roof. I won't use it while I'm sleeping or during the day though, just times like now when it's 55 degrees or fewer outside and I'm freeeeeezing and can't stand it. I'm usually cold in houses kept at 68 degrees, so being frozen solid in a 55 degree house should come as no surprise.
I took a long nap and then called Mom and Dad again to talk. Mom was talking about having curry for dinner which made me want curry, which resulted in curried shrimp for dinner.
Curried prawns, basmati rice, chardonnay and BBC World News? It was so perfect.
I've worked a little on my job, but I have a TON of work to get done this weekend, so I'm not really looking forward to it. It's pretty miserable, but if I get it all done then the rest of my semester should be a LOT easier.
Tomorrow is basically going to be work, but I get to go grocery shopping at least, for last-minute Thanksgiving stuff. I'm halfway decided that I won't work on Thanksgiving, but I might work a little during the evening...just to make the rest of the weekend easier.
At least I'm warm now, and it totally makes everything easier.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Rainy Saturday
To be completely honest, it was only last night and this morning it was raining - it finally stopped around 2 pm.
Priscilla and I planned to go back to the canyon where we'd done our stratigraphic survey so we could see if we'd missed anything the first time, but when I texted her on Friday to doublecheck the timing she said there was a forecast for a SNOWSTORM there today! So we agreed to check the weather the next day before deciding - turns out there wasn't snow, but it was driving rain and freezing bloody cold, so we agreed to not go. I don't know about you, but scrambling around on a rock formation in the driving rain on the side of a freezing cold mountain that has gale-force winds around it is NOT my idea of a good Saturday.
So I got up at 8:40 (not by choice, I just couldn't stand lying in bed anymore. Why is it that I'm always exhausted and desperate to sleep in on weekdays, but on weekends I can't stay in bed?!) and did all my laundry, including my dressing gown, dish towels, towels, sheets and comforter which turned out to be 4 HUGE loads. And the dryer is NOT as good as Mom's my jeans and towels were still damp which really annoyed me. My jeans are now hanging over my dining table chair to dry out some. In fact, the only things that got REALLY dry were my super-duper quick-dry specialty hiking pants. Good to know those still work.
Then...I did nothing. I just sort of sat around. No energy to do anything, not even think. Finally I called Mom and Dad just to talk, and I mentioned there's this slow-cooker on sale at Wal-Mart for $15 and Mom said to definitely buy it unless there was a Rival one, because those are better. So I decided to rouse myself from my lethargy and go, even though it was dark already and the Wal-Mart here is decidedly sketchy.
My trip was beautifully uneventful, and when I got to Wal-Mart I found the Rivals there for $18 and they're a whole 1.5 quarts larger! So I am now the proud owner of a black Rival 7 quart slow cooker with THREE heat settings. I understand low and high, but what is warm for? Is that when I use the slow cooker as a heated serving dish? Isn't 7 quarts rather large for a heated serving dish?
But I'm very glad I have it because now I can make Vova's spicy pork and potatoes! It's one of my favorite dishes and it's a pain to make in the oven, but a slow cooker is perfect for it. I'm particularly pleased with my slow cooker because the ceramic dish bit lifts out for easy cleaning - and it's the heaviest part of the whole cooker! So I think I got a really good bargain.
In fact, the only kitchen stuff I really need (lack?) now is an electric mixer, and maybe some more of those fabulous little sharp knives. Mine is a DREAM, cutting up bacon for orange chicken has never been easier! Totally worth $10...actually it's probably worth $20 with the use I'm going to get out of it, if not more.
When I got home I realized I hadn't defrosted anything and since I ate so much tongue last night (and Trader Joe's mashed potatoes...I really was a pig about it) I didn't want tongue for dinner today. So I'm busy defrosting some shrimp and the rice is out of the microwave cooling and I'm going to make buttery shrimp.
I got the Trader Joe's mashed potatoes to see if they were good enough to use for Thanksgiving, but even though they were certainly better than your run of the mill pre-made mashed potatoes they aren't half as good as mine. Plus Ralph's is selling a 10 lb bag of russet potatoes for $1 this week, so I'll just make 10 lbs of mashed potatoes. I may even invest in a can of salmon and make salmon cakes...sooo yummy!
Grocery shopping tomorrow should be fun. Ralph's is finally stocking turkey legs/thighs so I'll get some and use those for Thanksgiving. I'm really relieved because there is NO WAY I could eat a whole turkey and I don't like white meat as much as dark so I didn't want to buy a breast.
I think the shrimp should be defrosted now, so happy Saturday night everyone!
Priscilla and I planned to go back to the canyon where we'd done our stratigraphic survey so we could see if we'd missed anything the first time, but when I texted her on Friday to doublecheck the timing she said there was a forecast for a SNOWSTORM there today! So we agreed to check the weather the next day before deciding - turns out there wasn't snow, but it was driving rain and freezing bloody cold, so we agreed to not go. I don't know about you, but scrambling around on a rock formation in the driving rain on the side of a freezing cold mountain that has gale-force winds around it is NOT my idea of a good Saturday.
So I got up at 8:40 (not by choice, I just couldn't stand lying in bed anymore. Why is it that I'm always exhausted and desperate to sleep in on weekdays, but on weekends I can't stay in bed?!) and did all my laundry, including my dressing gown, dish towels, towels, sheets and comforter which turned out to be 4 HUGE loads. And the dryer is NOT as good as Mom's my jeans and towels were still damp which really annoyed me. My jeans are now hanging over my dining table chair to dry out some. In fact, the only things that got REALLY dry were my super-duper quick-dry specialty hiking pants. Good to know those still work.
Then...I did nothing. I just sort of sat around. No energy to do anything, not even think. Finally I called Mom and Dad just to talk, and I mentioned there's this slow-cooker on sale at Wal-Mart for $15 and Mom said to definitely buy it unless there was a Rival one, because those are better. So I decided to rouse myself from my lethargy and go, even though it was dark already and the Wal-Mart here is decidedly sketchy.
My trip was beautifully uneventful, and when I got to Wal-Mart I found the Rivals there for $18 and they're a whole 1.5 quarts larger! So I am now the proud owner of a black Rival 7 quart slow cooker with THREE heat settings. I understand low and high, but what is warm for? Is that when I use the slow cooker as a heated serving dish? Isn't 7 quarts rather large for a heated serving dish?
But I'm very glad I have it because now I can make Vova's spicy pork and potatoes! It's one of my favorite dishes and it's a pain to make in the oven, but a slow cooker is perfect for it. I'm particularly pleased with my slow cooker because the ceramic dish bit lifts out for easy cleaning - and it's the heaviest part of the whole cooker! So I think I got a really good bargain.
In fact, the only kitchen stuff I really need (lack?) now is an electric mixer, and maybe some more of those fabulous little sharp knives. Mine is a DREAM, cutting up bacon for orange chicken has never been easier! Totally worth $10...actually it's probably worth $20 with the use I'm going to get out of it, if not more.
When I got home I realized I hadn't defrosted anything and since I ate so much tongue last night (and Trader Joe's mashed potatoes...I really was a pig about it) I didn't want tongue for dinner today. So I'm busy defrosting some shrimp and the rice is out of the microwave cooling and I'm going to make buttery shrimp.
I got the Trader Joe's mashed potatoes to see if they were good enough to use for Thanksgiving, but even though they were certainly better than your run of the mill pre-made mashed potatoes they aren't half as good as mine. Plus Ralph's is selling a 10 lb bag of russet potatoes for $1 this week, so I'll just make 10 lbs of mashed potatoes. I may even invest in a can of salmon and make salmon cakes...sooo yummy!
Grocery shopping tomorrow should be fun. Ralph's is finally stocking turkey legs/thighs so I'll get some and use those for Thanksgiving. I'm really relieved because there is NO WAY I could eat a whole turkey and I don't like white meat as much as dark so I didn't want to buy a breast.
I think the shrimp should be defrosted now, so happy Saturday night everyone!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
ZzzzZZzzzZZZZzzzzz
It's been a loooong day. Early class, lots of work and all sorts of nonsense. I had a "mandatory" town hall meeting today for CLASC but when I got there I asked how long it would take - since I have a midterm due tomorrow, and another one on Thursday, and something like 8 papers due in the next month - the girl was shocked and told me to go home and work (which I gladly did).
In the bad news category I don't think I'm allowed to leave before the 17th which means I'm catching an afternoon or redeye out of here so I can be home in time for the Christmas Party. I AM NOT MISSING THAT PARTY FOR ANYTHING SHORT OF ACTS OF GOD!!!
Which is why I am busy taking a break from my NAGPRA work. I'm putting in overtime to make sure I get this done early. Maybe if I get it done before Thanksgiving I can go home in time for Mom's birthday. But if not, then I get to sit around here with nothing to do for a week so I can go gift shopping. I don't have ONE gift yet. How have I been that busy?!
In the bad news category I don't think I'm allowed to leave before the 17th which means I'm catching an afternoon or redeye out of here so I can be home in time for the Christmas Party. I AM NOT MISSING THAT PARTY FOR ANYTHING SHORT OF ACTS OF GOD!!!
Which is why I am busy taking a break from my NAGPRA work. I'm putting in overtime to make sure I get this done early. Maybe if I get it done before Thanksgiving I can go home in time for Mom's birthday. But if not, then I get to sit around here with nothing to do for a week so I can go gift shopping. I don't have ONE gift yet. How have I been that busy?!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
My brain is hiding
Well, I managed to get my midterm finished tonight even though it's only due Wednesday. So yay? However, I haven't finished any of the papers I was trying to finish...but I still have a few hours tomorrow to try and finish at least one of them before my late class tomorrow night.
I'm tired, it's cold, and I think it's bedtime. I'll try to update tomorrow.
I'm tired, it's cold, and I think it's bedtime. I'll try to update tomorrow.
Friday, November 12, 2010
How To Get Your Drivers' License In California
Quick background story: I took my California drivers' license test on August 23rd and passed. I was informed at the DMV that I didn't need to do anything else, that my card would arrive in the mail in 3-6 weeks. I was appalled that it would take so long, but left, relieved that I didn't have to do anything else.
After 6 weeks my card hadn't arrived so I called and asked. The lady on the line said that the INS hadn't processed my file yet, and it usually took a few months for immigrants to get processed.
The first week in November I got very nervous and called again. This lady said I could try calling a certain phone number - 916-657-7445 - to see if they had any advice. I did, repeatedly, but got a busy signal that caused my phone to hang up after four seconds - and I can't disable that function on my phone.
Today I woke up, angry, and decided to call again. I got through to the DMV (finally) and THIS lady said that I'd have to contact the DMV Legal Presence Unit and have them check on me to make sure nothing was wrong with my file. Guess what? Same number!
So I called. And called. And called again! I FINALLY got through! A very nice man named Brian told me that I'd have to fax them a front and back copy of my greencard to his office, along with my drivers' license number, my daytime phone number, and address the fax to Attn Brian.
I thanked him and immediately set out to Kinko's, which, conveniently, is right down the street from me.
I got the fax sent off (who knew it costs $2.60 to send a fax?!) and got the confirmation message.
Now I guess I just wait. Maybe I should call the DMV and see if I have to get a new temporary license because my current one is going to run out soon.
After 6 weeks my card hadn't arrived so I called and asked. The lady on the line said that the INS hadn't processed my file yet, and it usually took a few months for immigrants to get processed.
The first week in November I got very nervous and called again. This lady said I could try calling a certain phone number - 916-657-7445 - to see if they had any advice. I did, repeatedly, but got a busy signal that caused my phone to hang up after four seconds - and I can't disable that function on my phone.
Today I woke up, angry, and decided to call again. I got through to the DMV (finally) and THIS lady said that I'd have to contact the DMV Legal Presence Unit and have them check on me to make sure nothing was wrong with my file. Guess what? Same number!
So I called. And called. And called again! I FINALLY got through! A very nice man named Brian told me that I'd have to fax them a front and back copy of my greencard to his office, along with my drivers' license number, my daytime phone number, and address the fax to Attn Brian.
I thanked him and immediately set out to Kinko's, which, conveniently, is right down the street from me.
I got the fax sent off (who knew it costs $2.60 to send a fax?!) and got the confirmation message.
Now I guess I just wait. Maybe I should call the DMV and see if I have to get a new temporary license because my current one is going to run out soon.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Heater 2.0
Here's the update on my heating situation: the repair guy was supposed to come between 6 and 6:30 pm today, but only turned up at 7:45 pm. He fiddled with the pieces for a few minutes, then said, "Well I don't have the pieces but I can get them tomorrow, what time should I come by?"
I swear, holding my temper in check was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I replied that 2 o clock would suit me (I figured that would give me enough time to get to my meeting at 6 pm) and he said, "Great, then I can pick up the pieces in the morning."
He left and I had a bowl of ice cream to soothe my ruffled feathers. He couldn't have noticed the pieces were missing YESTERDAY?! Now I have to disrupt my schedule AGAIN! I'M TIRED OF STRANGE MEN IN MY APARTMENT!! I WANT PEACE AND QUIET AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT STRANGERS HANGING AROUND!!
So. Being warm had better be worth it.
I swear, holding my temper in check was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I replied that 2 o clock would suit me (I figured that would give me enough time to get to my meeting at 6 pm) and he said, "Great, then I can pick up the pieces in the morning."
He left and I had a bowl of ice cream to soothe my ruffled feathers. He couldn't have noticed the pieces were missing YESTERDAY?! Now I have to disrupt my schedule AGAIN! I'M TIRED OF STRANGE MEN IN MY APARTMENT!! I WANT PEACE AND QUIET AND NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT STRANGERS HANGING AROUND!!
So. Being warm had better be worth it.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Heater
So the specialist guy turned up today - I got annoyed because when he called to say he was there I asked if I should go down and let him in he said no, he'd be right up. Five minutes later he calls again so I say I'll go let him in, go get my shoes, and as I'm opening my door I see him walking in. Turns out he was trying to buzz himself in with the speaker system that's set up at the front gate and doesn't work since there's no connection to any of the apartments.
So he finally gets up here and it took him about five minutes to dust off his hands and say, "This heater is completely broken and out of date, you should have it replaced."
I thanked him and he said he'd contact my manager and he left.
Today at 7:50 pm there was a knock on my door and when I opened it an old man with enough bushy hair for a lion's mane was standing there. I immediately wondered if he were some sort of Latter Day Saint trying to convert me, but it turns out the management asked him to check my heater. After one glance he assured me he could recondition it - he's done it before - and would 6:30 pm tomorrow be convenient for him to come and fix it? Apparently it will take 2 hours...I hate the idea of having someone come work in the hours I usually eat and nap in, but I want to be warm, so I said that would be great.
I know I should be grateful that this man is willing to work so late and on such short notice, but I've been grumpy and miserable lately. Maybe being warm will help with that.
So he finally gets up here and it took him about five minutes to dust off his hands and say, "This heater is completely broken and out of date, you should have it replaced."
I thanked him and he said he'd contact my manager and he left.
Today at 7:50 pm there was a knock on my door and when I opened it an old man with enough bushy hair for a lion's mane was standing there. I immediately wondered if he were some sort of Latter Day Saint trying to convert me, but it turns out the management asked him to check my heater. After one glance he assured me he could recondition it - he's done it before - and would 6:30 pm tomorrow be convenient for him to come and fix it? Apparently it will take 2 hours...I hate the idea of having someone come work in the hours I usually eat and nap in, but I want to be warm, so I said that would be great.
I know I should be grateful that this man is willing to work so late and on such short notice, but I've been grumpy and miserable lately. Maybe being warm will help with that.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Rant
The weather has cooled off considerably lately, and anticipating this I called the gas company last week to have them start up my heater and teach me how to turn it on and off. The gas man turned up in plenty of time, tinkered for a few minutes and then explained that my heater was broken, and would need replacement parts before it could work.
So I emailed my landlord and he had maintenance come out that Friday to take a look at the heater. I showed the maintenance man the slip of paper the gas man left, he tinkered around for a few minutes and said he'd have to come back with the right parts, and agreed to come back on Monday at 2pm.
Monday I had class, then went to geology lab to try and study for my test, but it turned out that there was a class in the lab, and when Priscilla and I finally got a chance to go inside, it turned out another class was coming in and we would've only had 15 minutes in there AND all the rocks we had to study for the lab practical were strangely missing!
We were both annoyed and went home, agreeing to call each other if we found any good study tools.
My maintenance guy turned up at 10 minutes to 2, which normally would have been nice, except I was asleep and had set my alarm clock for 5 to 2, which would've been sufficient for any other maintenance man in the world. I guess I shouldn't complain, but it was just another annoying incident. I sat and studied while he tried to get the new part to work, and finally after nearly 40 minutes of fiddling with the heater he admitted defeat and said he'd have to call in a specialist to try and fix it. Turns out my heater is over 40 years old with outdated parts, and I should really have a new one installed, but, according to my maintenance man, the management is too cheap to do anything like that.
He asked what time would be good for the specialist to come and I said, "Two o clock."
This morning I had to get up early and take a terrible geology test - 56 questions! They were a bunch of slides on the internet and at the bottom of each slide there was a question, and we had to write answers on a sheet of paper and turn it in. Some of the questions were easy, but some were awful, made worse by me not being sure if what I was seeing were features in the pictures of rocks, or shadows on my screen.
I was walking home when I realized that I had a voicemail - I tried to listen to it on the road, but I couldn't hear a single word, so I had to get up to my apartment first. Then I was pleased to discover a rambling message in Martian, which after some dedicated replaying turned out to be a voicemail from the specialist - who seems to have an exceptionally weak command on the English language - asking when he could stop by to fix my heater. I tried to call back, found that his phone was off, and left a polite, clear and concise message saying to please stop by between the hours of 2 and 4 pm.
I stayed at home all afternoon, freezing my butt off - my apartment is mostly glass (as you can tell from the pictures) and in the shadow of a taller building so it's cold all the time, and being that it's 60 degrees outside (and will be 50 tonight) it's 60 degrees in here (or feels like it, I don't have any sort of themometer) which is just TOO COLD for a house!
Finally at 6:30pm I gave up and went to Target and got a pair of slippers and a box of cocoa. I was going to get a second throw but they were THIRTY DOLLARS minimum!! The really nice ones? They were SIXTY-FOUR DOLLARS! Considering I spent ten on my nice fuzzy microfiber throw from Big Lots, I absolutely refused to pay that. Absolutely NOT!
I might go back to Big Lots and see if they have more throws...I'm so chilly.
The worst part is that while I was at Target I got a phone call from Moe, the specialist. He was confused that I wasn't at my apartment. I replied as nicely as I knew how that I'd asked him to be there between the hours of 2 and 4 and that he was welcome to come after 2 pm tomorrow. He said that he'd call.
Dinnertime. Hopefully my night improves from here on out.
So I emailed my landlord and he had maintenance come out that Friday to take a look at the heater. I showed the maintenance man the slip of paper the gas man left, he tinkered around for a few minutes and said he'd have to come back with the right parts, and agreed to come back on Monday at 2pm.
Monday I had class, then went to geology lab to try and study for my test, but it turned out that there was a class in the lab, and when Priscilla and I finally got a chance to go inside, it turned out another class was coming in and we would've only had 15 minutes in there AND all the rocks we had to study for the lab practical were strangely missing!
We were both annoyed and went home, agreeing to call each other if we found any good study tools.
My maintenance guy turned up at 10 minutes to 2, which normally would have been nice, except I was asleep and had set my alarm clock for 5 to 2, which would've been sufficient for any other maintenance man in the world. I guess I shouldn't complain, but it was just another annoying incident. I sat and studied while he tried to get the new part to work, and finally after nearly 40 minutes of fiddling with the heater he admitted defeat and said he'd have to call in a specialist to try and fix it. Turns out my heater is over 40 years old with outdated parts, and I should really have a new one installed, but, according to my maintenance man, the management is too cheap to do anything like that.
He asked what time would be good for the specialist to come and I said, "Two o clock."
This morning I had to get up early and take a terrible geology test - 56 questions! They were a bunch of slides on the internet and at the bottom of each slide there was a question, and we had to write answers on a sheet of paper and turn it in. Some of the questions were easy, but some were awful, made worse by me not being sure if what I was seeing were features in the pictures of rocks, or shadows on my screen.
I was walking home when I realized that I had a voicemail - I tried to listen to it on the road, but I couldn't hear a single word, so I had to get up to my apartment first. Then I was pleased to discover a rambling message in Martian, which after some dedicated replaying turned out to be a voicemail from the specialist - who seems to have an exceptionally weak command on the English language - asking when he could stop by to fix my heater. I tried to call back, found that his phone was off, and left a polite, clear and concise message saying to please stop by between the hours of 2 and 4 pm.
I stayed at home all afternoon, freezing my butt off - my apartment is mostly glass (as you can tell from the pictures) and in the shadow of a taller building so it's cold all the time, and being that it's 60 degrees outside (and will be 50 tonight) it's 60 degrees in here (or feels like it, I don't have any sort of themometer) which is just TOO COLD for a house!
Finally at 6:30pm I gave up and went to Target and got a pair of slippers and a box of cocoa. I was going to get a second throw but they were THIRTY DOLLARS minimum!! The really nice ones? They were SIXTY-FOUR DOLLARS! Considering I spent ten on my nice fuzzy microfiber throw from Big Lots, I absolutely refused to pay that. Absolutely NOT!
I might go back to Big Lots and see if they have more throws...I'm so chilly.
The worst part is that while I was at Target I got a phone call from Moe, the specialist. He was confused that I wasn't at my apartment. I replied as nicely as I knew how that I'd asked him to be there between the hours of 2 and 4 and that he was welcome to come after 2 pm tomorrow. He said that he'd call.
Dinnertime. Hopefully my night improves from here on out.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Burning the midnight oil
I am SO tired. I got up at 6 today because I woke up and looked at my clock and saw that it was 6:03 and thought, "Oh no! My alarm didn't go off!" So I went to the bathroom and washed my face. As I was walking towards the kitchen to make my morning waffle I suddenly stopped and realized - I get up at 6:40 am, not 6:00 am. I went back to bed for half an hour but couldn't really sleep. When I got up properly at 6:40 I was grumpy and started for class tired out and it required putting The Goo Goo Dolls on my MP3 player to soothe me enough to go into class in a halfway reasonable mood.
Class was ok, kinda boring, and we have ANOTHER lab set as homework. I went home and took a nap before getting up at 2 and starting to work. While working on my job I called the California DMV (since my license still hasn't arrived) and put my phone on speakerphone while I typed - I was on hold for half an hour and this was after they dropped my first call after holding goodness knows how long. Turns out that my birth certificate "isn't valid" (since it's not American) and it might take as much as 12 months before I get my California license, and I was given a number to call where I get a busy signal for 4 seconds before it hangs up on me. I'm going to wake up at 8 am tomorrow and call and see what happens.
I spent all evening working - from 2pm til 12 am, with a half-hour break for dinner. That's 9 1/2 hours of straight work. I'm really glad I did it though - I've gotten 41 summary sheets done and I've done my allotted 20 hours for the week without having to work on Friday!
And yes, I have backed them all up already. I'm starting to wonder if I should back them up on two drives...but that's just paranoid, right?
My original intention for doing this was to take the weekend off, but that's totally not happening. I won't have to do any NAGPRA work (which is great, because my brain is aching practically worse than the back of my neck right now) but I have a lab that's due next week, a midterm next Tuesday, 8 chapters of reading to do, 4 articles to read, a midterm that's due on the 15th, I have to start a final project for one class and I have 6 essays to write for another class by the end of the semester. And I'm supposed to be reading 7 other books for Dr. Lipo, and I haven't even STARTED work on the project I'm doing for the SAAs yet.
I don't care how much work I have though, I'm watching my Britcoms tomorrow night, with a beer and some droewors. Also, I'm going to try out my new harvard beet recipe on Sunday.
Okay, my neck and back are killing me. I think it's time to lie down. Goodnight!
Class was ok, kinda boring, and we have ANOTHER lab set as homework. I went home and took a nap before getting up at 2 and starting to work. While working on my job I called the California DMV (since my license still hasn't arrived) and put my phone on speakerphone while I typed - I was on hold for half an hour and this was after they dropped my first call after holding goodness knows how long. Turns out that my birth certificate "isn't valid" (since it's not American) and it might take as much as 12 months before I get my California license, and I was given a number to call where I get a busy signal for 4 seconds before it hangs up on me. I'm going to wake up at 8 am tomorrow and call and see what happens.
I spent all evening working - from 2pm til 12 am, with a half-hour break for dinner. That's 9 1/2 hours of straight work. I'm really glad I did it though - I've gotten 41 summary sheets done and I've done my allotted 20 hours for the week without having to work on Friday!
And yes, I have backed them all up already. I'm starting to wonder if I should back them up on two drives...but that's just paranoid, right?
My original intention for doing this was to take the weekend off, but that's totally not happening. I won't have to do any NAGPRA work (which is great, because my brain is aching practically worse than the back of my neck right now) but I have a lab that's due next week, a midterm next Tuesday, 8 chapters of reading to do, 4 articles to read, a midterm that's due on the 15th, I have to start a final project for one class and I have 6 essays to write for another class by the end of the semester. And I'm supposed to be reading 7 other books for Dr. Lipo, and I haven't even STARTED work on the project I'm doing for the SAAs yet.
I don't care how much work I have though, I'm watching my Britcoms tomorrow night, with a beer and some droewors. Also, I'm going to try out my new harvard beet recipe on Sunday.
Okay, my neck and back are killing me. I think it's time to lie down. Goodnight!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
RIP Big Blue
So my big laptop seems to be dead. There's some fatal error on the hard drive - it just keeps starting over and over and has an error message about booting. I've given up. I should get paid tomorrow, and if I do, I'll go online and order a new laptop. I planned on getting a new one for myself at Christmas, but I really can't do all my work on my mini netbook for the next two months so I'll just have to suck it up and spend the money now.
The bit that really upsets me is that I lost some of my schoolwork and all of my Halloween pictures from this weekend. And I was so proud of my makeup/costume :(
I didn't get a lot done today, which is really annoying, but I do have a detailed list of everything I have to do in the next two weeks, so at least I can feel adequately informed about what I DO have to do. The biggest reason I didn't get a lot done today is that I had to rush home from class and wait for the gas company guy to show up (which he did halfway through the allotted window) and after he got here and fiddled around with my heater for ten minutes he informed me that parts were missing and my maintenance man would have to fix it before it could be used. After he left I tried to turn on my computer to email my landlord and that was when I discovered the error.
I turned on my mini netbook and sent off my emails, but I was pretty upset and then when I tried to finish reading a required article for tomorrow I found that there was some sort of error - I guess something is wrong with adobe on this computer? - so I sent off another email to my professor explaining my computer problems, and tried to settle down to reading a different article, but my concentration was shot.
I've tried to have the tv off, the tv on, music off, music on, chewing gum, nibbling on crackers, sipping water, sitting at my desk, sitting in my armchair with my feet propped up...concentration was just not happening today.
I think I'll just go to bed now, get up early tomorrow and try and get some extra work done then. On Monday I woke up at 8 am and couldn't go back to sleep (I only leave for class around 10:20 am) so I scrubbed my stove almost clean. It still needs some scrubbing and I need to lift the top bit and clean under the gas pipes, but I can do that this weekend when I've knocked most of my work out of the way.
Rest in peace, big laptop.
The bit that really upsets me is that I lost some of my schoolwork and all of my Halloween pictures from this weekend. And I was so proud of my makeup/costume :(
I didn't get a lot done today, which is really annoying, but I do have a detailed list of everything I have to do in the next two weeks, so at least I can feel adequately informed about what I DO have to do. The biggest reason I didn't get a lot done today is that I had to rush home from class and wait for the gas company guy to show up (which he did halfway through the allotted window) and after he got here and fiddled around with my heater for ten minutes he informed me that parts were missing and my maintenance man would have to fix it before it could be used. After he left I tried to turn on my computer to email my landlord and that was when I discovered the error.
I turned on my mini netbook and sent off my emails, but I was pretty upset and then when I tried to finish reading a required article for tomorrow I found that there was some sort of error - I guess something is wrong with adobe on this computer? - so I sent off another email to my professor explaining my computer problems, and tried to settle down to reading a different article, but my concentration was shot.
I've tried to have the tv off, the tv on, music off, music on, chewing gum, nibbling on crackers, sipping water, sitting at my desk, sitting in my armchair with my feet propped up...concentration was just not happening today.
I think I'll just go to bed now, get up early tomorrow and try and get some extra work done then. On Monday I woke up at 8 am and couldn't go back to sleep (I only leave for class around 10:20 am) so I scrubbed my stove almost clean. It still needs some scrubbing and I need to lift the top bit and clean under the gas pipes, but I can do that this weekend when I've knocked most of my work out of the way.
Rest in peace, big laptop.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Mommy of the Year Award
goes to MY mom! I got home from class and saw a package outside my door. I knew Mom was sending me a knife I bought off Amazon, but the package was way too big for one little paring knife.
The first thing I saw when I opened the box was CANDY! I didn't have to trick or treat and I still got loot!! It's the good stuff too, gobstoppers, twixes, m&ms and twizzlers...yum!
Mom also sent along not only my knife, but my new Elle, several of my Sports Illustrated magazines, three new murder mysteries (yes!!), a purse I'd stupidly left behind, a can of water chestnuts AND (drumroll please) a bottle of Patak's Biryani Paste! You can get it here but only for $6 a jar (considering Mom pays like $2.50 I wasn't going to spend that) so I'm very very excited and happy about that. I love biryani. I remember the first time I had it in South Africa - at 13 - after years and years of not eating it in America. It was just the regular old canned kind, nothing to get excited about if you're a normal South African who has constant access to it, but to me it tasted like manna from heaven, it was SO good!
So I have the best mom in the whole world. Yay!
The first thing I saw when I opened the box was CANDY! I didn't have to trick or treat and I still got loot!! It's the good stuff too, gobstoppers, twixes, m&ms and twizzlers...yum!
Mom also sent along not only my knife, but my new Elle, several of my Sports Illustrated magazines, three new murder mysteries (yes!!), a purse I'd stupidly left behind, a can of water chestnuts AND (drumroll please) a bottle of Patak's Biryani Paste! You can get it here but only for $6 a jar (considering Mom pays like $2.50 I wasn't going to spend that) so I'm very very excited and happy about that. I love biryani. I remember the first time I had it in South Africa - at 13 - after years and years of not eating it in America. It was just the regular old canned kind, nothing to get excited about if you're a normal South African who has constant access to it, but to me it tasted like manna from heaven, it was SO good!
So I have the best mom in the whole world. Yay!
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