I had an amazing nap. Seriously, all I've done today is eat, sleep and take a shower. Not one ounce of real work, but I am going to tidy my room later so that counts as almost-real work, right?
I got lovely lovely presents yesterday: an awesome leopard-print scarf (I can't decide if it's a scarf or a shawl...it's cuddly either way) from Uncle Luis and Auntie Vera, a hand-made bracelet from Lidia, Amazon gift certificates from Nicky and Steven, adorable little kitty earrings from Mom and Dad, and I used all of Mom and Dad's and Dina's Christmas money for this gorgeous Givenchy necklace that's all coppery-bronze chain and these amazing smokey jewels. It was expensive, but so so so worth it! Now I just need to increase the amount of off-the-shoulder clothing in my wardrobe, because it's the kind of necklace that you have to wear practically off your neck so that it sits right. Pictures will come later.
The crackers Lidia and I found were awesome: there were mini ones imported from England that each had two jokes and a trivia question, plus a tiny silver charm. I got a fish, it was so cute! The big ones we got had toys in them: a teeny die within a bigger, transparent die (so you only have to roll once), a noisemaker, a keychain, a top, a paperclip, a whistle, a fortune-telling fish, and I've forgotten the rest.
The food was great: sugar snap peas, yellow squash, goose, spicy pork, potatoes, red cabbage, veggie lasagna (so yummy!), rice, gravy and for dessert there was chocolate espresso cake and coffee.
Today for lunch we had Pin's eggs and poloni and it was just like I remembered (after I added salt). Mom is thinking about making oxtail stew tomorrow night, so I'm so excited, I haven't had that since last Christmas and it's delicious!
I think today is leftovers and I'm going to load up on goose since I mostly ate pork yesterday and the goose is SO yummy...and I saved the gravy. Actually, I'm hungry. I think I'm going to go snag some now.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
I Came Home For Christmas
I'm sitting at Gate 3 in the Long Beach Airport, which is teeny and strangely homelike. I know I've traveled a great deal, but the time I've spent in airports is dwarfed ten times over by the time I've spent in airplanes. Why then, do the airports feel so much more like home than an airplane does? Maybe it's the comfort thing.
Anyway, I'm typing this up in word and will eventually upload it to my blog.
I went to bed at 1 am, and got up at 5 am, took out the trash, ate breakfast and shoved last-minute odds and ends into my suitcases and backpacks. I was convinced my suitcases were just on the 50 pound limit so I shoved a ton of stuff into my backpack, which I regret now because it's ridiculously stuffed.
I got a text from the taxi company at 5:48 and hurried downstairs with my bags (which was a bloody pain in the ass) and the taxi arrived just as I was approaching the courtyard's gate. The taxi driver was very nice and interested in archaeology and seemed pleased that I intended to get my PhD. I got to the airport in about ten minutes - $16 cabfare (I really chose a fantastic apartment) – and the taxi driver kindly took my bags out of the back for me and set them on the sidewalk.
I found the JetBlue counter right away and was only in line before a few minutes before they got to me. Both my suitcases were 43 pounds, and I was so psyched it didn't occur to me to open one up and throw those last-minute items back in there so my backpack wouldn't be cram-jammed. Dumb, dumb, dumb! Oh well, I've flown dozens of times with an overfull backpack, I'll survive. P.S. Shoutout to JetBlue for transferring my bags for me!! I love not having to claim and check my bags a million times per journey!...as long as they get there intact and unharmed :)
Security was just as easy except I forgot to take off my shoes – I was too busy wondering if the metal studs on my shirt would set off the sensor – but they didn't. Gate 3 was easy to find and here I am!
It was crowded when I first walked in, but a flight for Seattle and another for Sacramento have left so it's mostly empty now, although other travelers are trickling in. It's on the small side, but with plenty of seats, and a row of comfortable squishy ones along the back wall, which is where I am sitting. I always go to the back wall to scout for outlets. This seat was full earlier, but as soon as the lady sitting in it left I grabbed my stuff and claimed it, so my mini netbook is now plugged in and since my flight is about six hours, it should last the whole flight since it has to be off for takeoff and landing. Muahaha there is a method to my madness! And I'm SO glad I got the six-cell battery even though it was more expensive.
I hear some of the newer, more expensive planes come with outlets for laptops now – just when they've started developing 12 and 15 hour batteries! Oh, the irony.
I love Long Beach Airport, it's so teeny and cute and altogether delightful – although it rained in the night and everything is ridiculously slippery. There are a lot of outdoor walks and you have to walk on the tarmac up to the planes, so I'll have to watch my step, both my knee braces are in my checked luggage. There's even a teeny bar here, with a big black cage full of bottles of wine, and a velvet ropes with a sign saying No Alcohol Beyond This Point. It is a little chilly in here though – I'm wearing my black H&M trench and I haven't taken it off yet.
That's all for now, I'm going to get back to my manuscript. More later!
It is 5:08 pm and I am waiting at Gate B70 because that's where my flight is tentatively scheduled to be, according to the big screens everywhere. We're only scheduled to leave at 8:50 pm so it might still be moved, especially since the flight that's currently at the gate is delayed. WHY I don't know because the plane is sitting RIGHT THERE on the tarmac. Apparently the weather – it's very dark and cloudy but it isn't snowing anymore and we landed just fine on snowy tarmac an hour ago so I can't see why pilots, who fly at night anyway, can't take off in it just fine. And there is a serious heat leak somewhere, it's frigid outside and the cold is seeping in even through the huge, triple-plated windows.
The flight out here was ok. I dozed on and off, watched a little tv (they were broadcasting four different ESPNs, two VH1s, MTV, TNT, A&E, and a dozen more free channels) and also stared out the window. It was only about four hours total of flight, much easier to endure than the 17 to England or 18 to Ethiopia, or 27 to South Africa. Is it 27? It's twenty-something anyway.
From where I've cleverly positioned myself I can see not only the boarding gate screens (when they're not blocked by what seems to be a high school basketball team) but also the big ranks of Arrival and Departure screen. I'm seeing big blocks of yellow on each board – yellow means delayed flight. I'm really starting to wish Lidia could've routed me through Texas, I'm sure it's not snowing THERE.
Flying over all the snowy landscape was fun though. I tried to figure out what was unplowed field and what was lake and why the pine trees on the mountains looked so bare when they're supposed to be evergreen. I even saw PEOPLE as we were taking off and landing which was awesome because I always look for people looking like little colorful ants and I practically never catch sight of any.
After we landed I had lunch at Chipotle and now I'm waiting at the gate. I hope that whatever is stopping this Ft. Lauderdale flight from flying goes away. I want THEM to go away so I can nab one of the seats near the electrical outlet so I can charge up my laptop and use it on the flight. I didn't use it on the last flight because my backpack wouldn't fit under the seat so I had to put it in an overhead and even though I did take my backpack down to get my headphones (otherwise I would've had to pay $2 for an airplane pair!) I didn't feel like fussing around with my laptop. Or I might sleep on the flight again, I sure feel tired enough to do it. I miss having the internet but I'm NOT paying to use it. Absolutely NOT. Are airlines really hurting so badly they have to take away free wifi in the airports? If so, they definitely need to trim some fat!!
My neck is seriously stiff. Too bad I don't fly often enough to invest in one of those neck pillow things. It's completely pitch black outside now, and the chill is worse than ever.
Oh. So the airplane that's chilling here is the OTHER gate that's attached to this one – they're stuck because their pilots are coming from Orlando and they got delayed by storms too. Which is an oops, I hope that storm blows itself out before I have to fly down there. I don't much fancy being delayed with no internet for hours and hours. The flight at this gate should be here in 40 minutes so hopefully these people will all move by 6:50 which is plenty of time for me to plug in.
Ugh, I'm sleepy. I think it's time to power down and stare into space. Or something.
It is now 7:33 pm, and the two delayed flights have left. However, when I went to the counter to check in, it turned out that despite what the boards say, my flight IS delayed – instead of leaving at 8:50 pm it is now probably leaving at 9:41 pm. Ugh, the idea of only getting to Orlando at midnight then home at 1 am is pretty gross. I'm just praying they transfer my luggage okay, I would hate to be without it for even a few days.
Luckily, I, in my infinite wisdom, have an e-book copy of In the High Valley on this laptop and will now settle down to read it. I must remember to download some other free e-books on here for other flights and emergencies.
A girl can't work all the time you know.
New departure time: 10:06. I'm FREEZING!!!
-----
Well I got home safe and sound! JetBlue has this cool thing where they broadcast live tv on their in-flight system so I got to watch ESPN and Friends and fell asleep to a documentary on National Geographic.
Mom met me at the airport and we got home at 1:30 am. Mom fixed me up some dinner and Lidia showed me her portfolio and Echo demanded attention, and then I unpacked. When I opened the suitcase with all the presents out fell a "Notice of Baggage Inspection" - I can't believe they managed to open it without breaking the lock, but I'm glad they didn't break the lock or anything else. I guess they're really serious about liquids now - although you'd think a couple bottles of wine would be pretty innocuous!!
Okay I'm reaaaally sleepy now and I have to get up early tomorrow to clean and cook and stuff so it's bedtime. Goodnight!
Anyway, I'm typing this up in word and will eventually upload it to my blog.
I went to bed at 1 am, and got up at 5 am, took out the trash, ate breakfast and shoved last-minute odds and ends into my suitcases and backpacks. I was convinced my suitcases were just on the 50 pound limit so I shoved a ton of stuff into my backpack, which I regret now because it's ridiculously stuffed.
I got a text from the taxi company at 5:48 and hurried downstairs with my bags (which was a bloody pain in the ass) and the taxi arrived just as I was approaching the courtyard's gate. The taxi driver was very nice and interested in archaeology and seemed pleased that I intended to get my PhD. I got to the airport in about ten minutes - $16 cabfare (I really chose a fantastic apartment) – and the taxi driver kindly took my bags out of the back for me and set them on the sidewalk.
I found the JetBlue counter right away and was only in line before a few minutes before they got to me. Both my suitcases were 43 pounds, and I was so psyched it didn't occur to me to open one up and throw those last-minute items back in there so my backpack wouldn't be cram-jammed. Dumb, dumb, dumb! Oh well, I've flown dozens of times with an overfull backpack, I'll survive. P.S. Shoutout to JetBlue for transferring my bags for me!! I love not having to claim and check my bags a million times per journey!...as long as they get there intact and unharmed :)
Security was just as easy except I forgot to take off my shoes – I was too busy wondering if the metal studs on my shirt would set off the sensor – but they didn't. Gate 3 was easy to find and here I am!
It was crowded when I first walked in, but a flight for Seattle and another for Sacramento have left so it's mostly empty now, although other travelers are trickling in. It's on the small side, but with plenty of seats, and a row of comfortable squishy ones along the back wall, which is where I am sitting. I always go to the back wall to scout for outlets. This seat was full earlier, but as soon as the lady sitting in it left I grabbed my stuff and claimed it, so my mini netbook is now plugged in and since my flight is about six hours, it should last the whole flight since it has to be off for takeoff and landing. Muahaha there is a method to my madness! And I'm SO glad I got the six-cell battery even though it was more expensive.
I hear some of the newer, more expensive planes come with outlets for laptops now – just when they've started developing 12 and 15 hour batteries! Oh, the irony.
I love Long Beach Airport, it's so teeny and cute and altogether delightful – although it rained in the night and everything is ridiculously slippery. There are a lot of outdoor walks and you have to walk on the tarmac up to the planes, so I'll have to watch my step, both my knee braces are in my checked luggage. There's even a teeny bar here, with a big black cage full of bottles of wine, and a velvet ropes with a sign saying No Alcohol Beyond This Point. It is a little chilly in here though – I'm wearing my black H&M trench and I haven't taken it off yet.
That's all for now, I'm going to get back to my manuscript. More later!
It is 5:08 pm and I am waiting at Gate B70 because that's where my flight is tentatively scheduled to be, according to the big screens everywhere. We're only scheduled to leave at 8:50 pm so it might still be moved, especially since the flight that's currently at the gate is delayed. WHY I don't know because the plane is sitting RIGHT THERE on the tarmac. Apparently the weather – it's very dark and cloudy but it isn't snowing anymore and we landed just fine on snowy tarmac an hour ago so I can't see why pilots, who fly at night anyway, can't take off in it just fine. And there is a serious heat leak somewhere, it's frigid outside and the cold is seeping in even through the huge, triple-plated windows.
The flight out here was ok. I dozed on and off, watched a little tv (they were broadcasting four different ESPNs, two VH1s, MTV, TNT, A&E, and a dozen more free channels) and also stared out the window. It was only about four hours total of flight, much easier to endure than the 17 to England or 18 to Ethiopia, or 27 to South Africa. Is it 27? It's twenty-something anyway.
From where I've cleverly positioned myself I can see not only the boarding gate screens (when they're not blocked by what seems to be a high school basketball team) but also the big ranks of Arrival and Departure screen. I'm seeing big blocks of yellow on each board – yellow means delayed flight. I'm really starting to wish Lidia could've routed me through Texas, I'm sure it's not snowing THERE.
Flying over all the snowy landscape was fun though. I tried to figure out what was unplowed field and what was lake and why the pine trees on the mountains looked so bare when they're supposed to be evergreen. I even saw PEOPLE as we were taking off and landing which was awesome because I always look for people looking like little colorful ants and I practically never catch sight of any.
After we landed I had lunch at Chipotle and now I'm waiting at the gate. I hope that whatever is stopping this Ft. Lauderdale flight from flying goes away. I want THEM to go away so I can nab one of the seats near the electrical outlet so I can charge up my laptop and use it on the flight. I didn't use it on the last flight because my backpack wouldn't fit under the seat so I had to put it in an overhead and even though I did take my backpack down to get my headphones (otherwise I would've had to pay $2 for an airplane pair!) I didn't feel like fussing around with my laptop. Or I might sleep on the flight again, I sure feel tired enough to do it. I miss having the internet but I'm NOT paying to use it. Absolutely NOT. Are airlines really hurting so badly they have to take away free wifi in the airports? If so, they definitely need to trim some fat!!
My neck is seriously stiff. Too bad I don't fly often enough to invest in one of those neck pillow things. It's completely pitch black outside now, and the chill is worse than ever.
Oh. So the airplane that's chilling here is the OTHER gate that's attached to this one – they're stuck because their pilots are coming from Orlando and they got delayed by storms too. Which is an oops, I hope that storm blows itself out before I have to fly down there. I don't much fancy being delayed with no internet for hours and hours. The flight at this gate should be here in 40 minutes so hopefully these people will all move by 6:50 which is plenty of time for me to plug in.
Ugh, I'm sleepy. I think it's time to power down and stare into space. Or something.
It is now 7:33 pm, and the two delayed flights have left. However, when I went to the counter to check in, it turned out that despite what the boards say, my flight IS delayed – instead of leaving at 8:50 pm it is now probably leaving at 9:41 pm. Ugh, the idea of only getting to Orlando at midnight then home at 1 am is pretty gross. I'm just praying they transfer my luggage okay, I would hate to be without it for even a few days.
Luckily, I, in my infinite wisdom, have an e-book copy of In the High Valley on this laptop and will now settle down to read it. I must remember to download some other free e-books on here for other flights and emergencies.
A girl can't work all the time you know.
New departure time: 10:06. I'm FREEZING!!!
-----
Well I got home safe and sound! JetBlue has this cool thing where they broadcast live tv on their in-flight system so I got to watch ESPN and Friends and fell asleep to a documentary on National Geographic.
Mom met me at the airport and we got home at 1:30 am. Mom fixed me up some dinner and Lidia showed me her portfolio and Echo demanded attention, and then I unpacked. When I opened the suitcase with all the presents out fell a "Notice of Baggage Inspection" - I can't believe they managed to open it without breaking the lock, but I'm glad they didn't break the lock or anything else. I guess they're really serious about liquids now - although you'd think a couple bottles of wine would be pretty innocuous!!
Okay I'm reaaaally sleepy now and I have to get up early tomorrow to clean and cook and stuff so it's bedtime. Goodnight!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Getting ready for Christmas has been something of a hassle. Oh, Lidia took care of the tickets and Mom and Dad paid for them so that was easy, but the rest of it!
Yesterday I drove 96 miles doing my Christmas shopping and I drove another 5 today finishing it up. Still, it's December 15th and I have all the birthday and Christmas presents of the season so hooray for that! I spent $200 on all of it, but what is a salary for if not for Christmas and birthday presents?
My first stop yesterday was The African Hut in Laguna Niguel and GUESS WHAT? They FINALLY had Peppermint Crisps!!!!!!
They cost $2.48 each but I got six. My salary is earned by sweat and misery and Peppermint Crisps - which I haven't had since last Christmas, and I only had them then thanks to Nicky who sent us some from Canada - are totally worth every penny I paid for them.
I got Mom's wors and Mark's lychee juice (I hope he likes Ceres) as well as a few presents, and the total was a whopping $73!!!!!!!! Luckily, Mom is paying for her own wors so I only spent $46 of my money. And I was very good, I didn't buy any of the lovely Christmas candy, nor a single candy bar that wasn't peppermint crisp. I did buy myself a box of choc-kits but they were on sale for $2 a box so I was quite happy with that. (Think about that for a second, a box of choc-kits is cheaper than a single bar of peppermint crisp!)
They had the loveliest Christmas crackers that seemed to have really nice toys in them but they were horribly expensive so I didn't get them. The cute ones we get from Tuesday Morning pop just as well as those do.
The African Hut was as busy as I've ever seen it, full of Britons and South Africans and I felt like home listening to the accents eddy and swirl around me. What killed me though was that they'd got their new refrigerated section up and running and they had CHICKEN SAMOOSAS!!! They'd better have some when I get back...and those bangers and meat pies that were also tempting me.
They also had a huge quantity of mince pies and traditionally Christmasy things and I stood and drooled for a long time in the wine section.
I drove home and had lunch before setting off again, this time to Stein-Mart where I found some excellent presents and managed to resist a beautiful ring and an even more beautiful necklace that were totally reasonably priced. I almost bought Mom a Kindle cover, but I knew she'd gotten herself a cover already and she probably wouldn't appreciate a gold giraffe-print one anyway.
There was a store in the same plaza named Farmer's Harvest (or something like that) and I, being unable to resist that kind of store, snuck in to see if they had any annonas. They didn't, but oh my gosh! I'm SO going back. They had the yummiest-looking fresh sushi ever, and it was $4 for a STAR ROLL! Those usually start at $12 in restaurants, if not $20. They also had tons of candy - watermelon taffy that had green outsides and pink insides with black spots, lumps of dutch chocolate, black licorice in strings and sticks, toffees, basically every kind of candy kids used to grow up dreaming about. They also had an amazing selection of healthy snacks - okra chips, wasabi-coated sunflower seeds, low-sugar dried papaya cubes, as well as the more usual pineapple and mango and apple. No citron though, unless I missed it.
There was also a section with an enormous juicer standing next to a rack full of empty bottles and a bin full of oranges. Make-your-own fresh orange juice, can you believe it?!
The drinks looked lovely too - especially their homestyle lemonade. They had a beer section that was so expansive and alluring I didn't dare let myself look properly, and I noticed they'll special-order kegs from local brewers...SO going back!
Then I headed over to Bristol Farms and bought Mom's peppercorns for her, and drooled over their deli section for awhile. That place is SO fantastic I swear as soon as I'm rich I'm buying lunch there daily. You know how most stores have cheap stuff at the register for impulse buys, like $1 Twix and Milky Way bars? Bristol Farms has boxes of 8 truffles that costs $11!!!!! I can only imagine how rich their average customer is.
After Bristol Farms I went to Big Lots to look for a cheap padlock for my garage storage unit and couldn't find any (and looking at the line I was glad) so I hopped over to Trader Joe's to get some presents. Unfortunately I couldn't find those chocolate-covered orange sweets that Dad likes, which sucks, but I did get some nice stuff. They had some really crazy stuff like eggnog cookies and huge wine-sized bottles of "Trader Joe's Holiday Ale" (no, I didn't get any) and it made me wish for a superfluous income. They had "brandy beans" made with real brandy but I decided to not get any since they might be nasty like other American liquor chocolates. The one thing I DID want were the chocolate-covered cream-filled figs! They sounded AMAZING, but I am on a budget, so maybe some other time.
I made a quick stop at Target where I finally got my padlock and then decided to skip my last stop and just go home because even though it was only 5pm it was pitch black outside and I was tired.
I spent the rest of the evening making lists and trying to organize myself...and eating choc-kits...
Today I got up and attended to urgent business in the form of printing my boarding pass and things, checking into my flight online, and ordering my taxi (do you know you can do that online??) and calling Toyota about my car. I have to leave it where it is, but I'm going to take the battery out so no one will steal it, and I wanted to call Toyota to make sure my car wouldn't be damaged by being without a battery for a month. After being transferred a few times I finally got a technician who assured me my car would be just fine, so tonight after I'm sure I don't have to drive anywhere I'll empty it of everything, put the lock thingy on the steering wheel and take out the battery.
Then I went to BevMo (a wine and liquor store) and Petco for my last presents and I'm so glad I'm finished with Christmas shopping this year.
Now I just have to clean, pack and organize everything. I feel slightly overwhelmed but a new list will go far to help me get everything ready. I think I'm going to clean my bathroom and kitchen first just to get them done and off my list.
I'm so excited! But first, it's time for lunch.
Yesterday I drove 96 miles doing my Christmas shopping and I drove another 5 today finishing it up. Still, it's December 15th and I have all the birthday and Christmas presents of the season so hooray for that! I spent $200 on all of it, but what is a salary for if not for Christmas and birthday presents?
My first stop yesterday was The African Hut in Laguna Niguel and GUESS WHAT? They FINALLY had Peppermint Crisps!!!!!!
They cost $2.48 each but I got six. My salary is earned by sweat and misery and Peppermint Crisps - which I haven't had since last Christmas, and I only had them then thanks to Nicky who sent us some from Canada - are totally worth every penny I paid for them.
I got Mom's wors and Mark's lychee juice (I hope he likes Ceres) as well as a few presents, and the total was a whopping $73!!!!!!!! Luckily, Mom is paying for her own wors so I only spent $46 of my money. And I was very good, I didn't buy any of the lovely Christmas candy, nor a single candy bar that wasn't peppermint crisp. I did buy myself a box of choc-kits but they were on sale for $2 a box so I was quite happy with that. (Think about that for a second, a box of choc-kits is cheaper than a single bar of peppermint crisp!)
They had the loveliest Christmas crackers that seemed to have really nice toys in them but they were horribly expensive so I didn't get them. The cute ones we get from Tuesday Morning pop just as well as those do.
The African Hut was as busy as I've ever seen it, full of Britons and South Africans and I felt like home listening to the accents eddy and swirl around me. What killed me though was that they'd got their new refrigerated section up and running and they had CHICKEN SAMOOSAS!!! They'd better have some when I get back...and those bangers and meat pies that were also tempting me.
They also had a huge quantity of mince pies and traditionally Christmasy things and I stood and drooled for a long time in the wine section.
I drove home and had lunch before setting off again, this time to Stein-Mart where I found some excellent presents and managed to resist a beautiful ring and an even more beautiful necklace that were totally reasonably priced. I almost bought Mom a Kindle cover, but I knew she'd gotten herself a cover already and she probably wouldn't appreciate a gold giraffe-print one anyway.
There was a store in the same plaza named Farmer's Harvest (or something like that) and I, being unable to resist that kind of store, snuck in to see if they had any annonas. They didn't, but oh my gosh! I'm SO going back. They had the yummiest-looking fresh sushi ever, and it was $4 for a STAR ROLL! Those usually start at $12 in restaurants, if not $20. They also had tons of candy - watermelon taffy that had green outsides and pink insides with black spots, lumps of dutch chocolate, black licorice in strings and sticks, toffees, basically every kind of candy kids used to grow up dreaming about. They also had an amazing selection of healthy snacks - okra chips, wasabi-coated sunflower seeds, low-sugar dried papaya cubes, as well as the more usual pineapple and mango and apple. No citron though, unless I missed it.
There was also a section with an enormous juicer standing next to a rack full of empty bottles and a bin full of oranges. Make-your-own fresh orange juice, can you believe it?!
The drinks looked lovely too - especially their homestyle lemonade. They had a beer section that was so expansive and alluring I didn't dare let myself look properly, and I noticed they'll special-order kegs from local brewers...SO going back!
Then I headed over to Bristol Farms and bought Mom's peppercorns for her, and drooled over their deli section for awhile. That place is SO fantastic I swear as soon as I'm rich I'm buying lunch there daily. You know how most stores have cheap stuff at the register for impulse buys, like $1 Twix and Milky Way bars? Bristol Farms has boxes of 8 truffles that costs $11!!!!! I can only imagine how rich their average customer is.
After Bristol Farms I went to Big Lots to look for a cheap padlock for my garage storage unit and couldn't find any (and looking at the line I was glad) so I hopped over to Trader Joe's to get some presents. Unfortunately I couldn't find those chocolate-covered orange sweets that Dad likes, which sucks, but I did get some nice stuff. They had some really crazy stuff like eggnog cookies and huge wine-sized bottles of "Trader Joe's Holiday Ale" (no, I didn't get any) and it made me wish for a superfluous income. They had "brandy beans" made with real brandy but I decided to not get any since they might be nasty like other American liquor chocolates. The one thing I DID want were the chocolate-covered cream-filled figs! They sounded AMAZING, but I am on a budget, so maybe some other time.
I made a quick stop at Target where I finally got my padlock and then decided to skip my last stop and just go home because even though it was only 5pm it was pitch black outside and I was tired.
I spent the rest of the evening making lists and trying to organize myself...and eating choc-kits...
Today I got up and attended to urgent business in the form of printing my boarding pass and things, checking into my flight online, and ordering my taxi (do you know you can do that online??) and calling Toyota about my car. I have to leave it where it is, but I'm going to take the battery out so no one will steal it, and I wanted to call Toyota to make sure my car wouldn't be damaged by being without a battery for a month. After being transferred a few times I finally got a technician who assured me my car would be just fine, so tonight after I'm sure I don't have to drive anywhere I'll empty it of everything, put the lock thingy on the steering wheel and take out the battery.
Then I went to BevMo (a wine and liquor store) and Petco for my last presents and I'm so glad I'm finished with Christmas shopping this year.
Now I just have to clean, pack and organize everything. I feel slightly overwhelmed but a new list will go far to help me get everything ready. I think I'm going to clean my bathroom and kitchen first just to get them done and off my list.
I'm so excited! But first, it's time for lunch.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Finally!
I'm finished with my first semester of graduate school! Hip hip hooray! Of course, I haven't got my grades yet, but I'm hoping I worked hard enough to get the grades I need/want.
Tomorrow is my rush-around-the-shops day, and then Wednesday is packing-and-cleaning day. Honestly, I'll probably clean a lot tomorrow too, this apartment is kind of a mess, especially my bathroom. I've never had a bathtub be so messy before! I can't figure out where on earth all the dust and lint is coming from - could it possibly be because there's a window in this bathroom and there weren't windows in my other bathrooms?
I'm SO glad I have that dustbuster now - it's even got a hose and head attachment for easier vacuuming.
Okay, it's definitely time to relax - I won't have any time to do so until the Christmas party this Saturday after tonight. I'm so excited!!
Tomorrow is my rush-around-the-shops day, and then Wednesday is packing-and-cleaning day. Honestly, I'll probably clean a lot tomorrow too, this apartment is kind of a mess, especially my bathroom. I've never had a bathtub be so messy before! I can't figure out where on earth all the dust and lint is coming from - could it possibly be because there's a window in this bathroom and there weren't windows in my other bathrooms?
I'm SO glad I have that dustbuster now - it's even got a hose and head attachment for easier vacuuming.
Okay, it's definitely time to relax - I won't have any time to do so until the Christmas party this Saturday after tonight. I'm so excited!!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Rugrats
I would just like to say that I LOVE Rugrats. Lipo still hasn't emailed me more instructions so I'm watching Rugrats and trying to relax. It's the episode called Radio Daze and the babies are listening to this old-timey radio show called the Masked Detective and they're trying to keep Angelica from eating all of the malted milkballs, which are hidden a stuffed woodchuck. Best line ever: "So this is the Malties Woodchuck."
Of course, I had no idea what that meant when I was kid, but I realize now they do this to take pity on the grown ups who have to watch this stuff over and over.
I'm not a grown up yet...nor do I want to be. I DO want it to be the holidays already though.
Of course, I had no idea what that meant when I was kid, but I realize now they do this to take pity on the grown ups who have to watch this stuff over and over.
I'm not a grown up yet...nor do I want to be. I DO want it to be the holidays already though.
All-Nighter
I got an email from my boss at 11:30 pm with a list of 40 collections I needed to make new summary sheets for. I worked through the night and emailed him everything along with questions about the next step at 5:45 am. It's now 2:45 pm and he still hasn't returned my email, so now that I've eaten and showered I'm going to work on my CRM essay and hope I get it into good shape.
I hope there isn't a lot left to be done for my job, I just can't do two all-nighters in a row. I just can't!!
I hope there isn't a lot left to be done for my job, I just can't do two all-nighters in a row. I just can't!!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Whew?
So this has been a crazy week. Wednesday I had my little presentation thinger, which turned out to be pretty chill, nothing to worry about. Then I went home and studied all night for my geology test.
Thursday I had my test early in the morning, then I went and got some lunch and read a paper during lunch for the theory meeting. Then it was the theory meeting, and it was Judy, Jake and me but it was a really in-depth one and I was mentally exhausted anyway so it was a little hard for me to follow.
Then I went to the post office and got a pamphlet about how to get your mail forwarded with the USPS website instead of waiting in line for hours - you would not have BELIEVED the length of that line!
The rest of Thursday was spent working on the NAGPRA stuff so I could get it to my boss early on Friday for him to check. I went to bed at about 3 am and got up at 10 am and finished my work at 1:30 when I emailed it all off to my boss.
Half an hour later I got an email back saying that I had a lot of collections in there that needed to be taken out - ones from other countries that don't fall under NAGPRA - and I needed to change the charts around from the way I had them. Then after a lot of editing and back and forthing, he finally said that everything was "too confusing" and that I shouldn't have used everything from the master list because we didn't have all that stuff anymore and I should've just used the collections we have.
Annoyingly, early in the semester I'd made a list of all the collections in the lab and emailed it to my boss and he told me not to bother with that, but to use his master list instead.
So I spent my Friday afternoon and evening in the lab making up a new list and pulling those non-NAGPRA boxes to move to the PH1 lab sometimes next week. Luckily, there are only 9 of them and they're not too heavy, because there's no elevator in that building and the lab is on the second floor, so I'll have to carry those boxes up all the stairs.
I was so upset and discombobulated at this point that being in the lab really really started to upset me - I've never been bothered by skeletons before. Even in my forensics classes when we were shown people whose heads were blown open by gunfire, and bodies riddled with syphilis, I wasn't freaked out at all. But pulling down a box to check its tab and finding a skull inside of it staring at me just weirded me out bigtime. Plus there was one box that has no lid and was just FULL of fragmented skulls and it made me think of Polyphemus' cave or something.
I finally went home late that night - I don't remember when, and called Mom and Dad on the way home. Then I made myself a really nice dinner - curried prawns - and watched tv while I ate. Then I went back to work and typed up my notes from the lab and emailed them off to my professor so he could use them in the lab today. I also wrote a 10 page paper for my theory final in 4 hours.
Today I got up late again, edited my theory essay, and started working on my cultural resource management essay. It's only about 8 and a bit pages right now, plus a bibliography, so I need to work on it some more, but I have SOMETHING to hand in if my brain explodes/implodes tomorrow.
My boss hasn't emailed me with more work so I'm hoping (praying?) that everything is okay now. I THOUGHT I was following his directions correctly - and he certainly never said anything was wrong when I emailed him my work periodically through the semester.
So I don't know. I guess all I can do is wait and see?
I've spent the past few hours watching Netflix. Man, this was SUCH a good investment. All I need is some junk food, but I'm trying to be good considering that Christmas is coming and I gained a lot of weight this semester anyway. So I didn't buy any when I got "groceries" today - really just an onion, a cucumber, paper towels and dish soap. Luckily, paper towels and dish soap don't spoil so I could stock up without having to freak out about leaving them while I'm at home.
Home! It sounds so lovely, even though as soon as I get home I have to start getting ready for the Christmas party. I have no idea what I'm going to wear...maybe I can find some time on Tuesday to go shopping for a dress, because Wednesday is going to be entirely packing and cleaning. This apartment is going to be SPOTLESS when I leave...and probably really dusty when I come back. Oh well, such is life.
I'm tired now, I think it's time for more Netflix. They should send me Season 2 of Scooby Doo soon and I'm excited because I think that's the one with my favorite episode - the one where they're in an ice cream factory.
I miss being a kid!!
Thursday I had my test early in the morning, then I went and got some lunch and read a paper during lunch for the theory meeting. Then it was the theory meeting, and it was Judy, Jake and me but it was a really in-depth one and I was mentally exhausted anyway so it was a little hard for me to follow.
Then I went to the post office and got a pamphlet about how to get your mail forwarded with the USPS website instead of waiting in line for hours - you would not have BELIEVED the length of that line!
The rest of Thursday was spent working on the NAGPRA stuff so I could get it to my boss early on Friday for him to check. I went to bed at about 3 am and got up at 10 am and finished my work at 1:30 when I emailed it all off to my boss.
Half an hour later I got an email back saying that I had a lot of collections in there that needed to be taken out - ones from other countries that don't fall under NAGPRA - and I needed to change the charts around from the way I had them. Then after a lot of editing and back and forthing, he finally said that everything was "too confusing" and that I shouldn't have used everything from the master list because we didn't have all that stuff anymore and I should've just used the collections we have.
Annoyingly, early in the semester I'd made a list of all the collections in the lab and emailed it to my boss and he told me not to bother with that, but to use his master list instead.
So I spent my Friday afternoon and evening in the lab making up a new list and pulling those non-NAGPRA boxes to move to the PH1 lab sometimes next week. Luckily, there are only 9 of them and they're not too heavy, because there's no elevator in that building and the lab is on the second floor, so I'll have to carry those boxes up all the stairs.
I was so upset and discombobulated at this point that being in the lab really really started to upset me - I've never been bothered by skeletons before. Even in my forensics classes when we were shown people whose heads were blown open by gunfire, and bodies riddled with syphilis, I wasn't freaked out at all. But pulling down a box to check its tab and finding a skull inside of it staring at me just weirded me out bigtime. Plus there was one box that has no lid and was just FULL of fragmented skulls and it made me think of Polyphemus' cave or something.
I finally went home late that night - I don't remember when, and called Mom and Dad on the way home. Then I made myself a really nice dinner - curried prawns - and watched tv while I ate. Then I went back to work and typed up my notes from the lab and emailed them off to my professor so he could use them in the lab today. I also wrote a 10 page paper for my theory final in 4 hours.
Today I got up late again, edited my theory essay, and started working on my cultural resource management essay. It's only about 8 and a bit pages right now, plus a bibliography, so I need to work on it some more, but I have SOMETHING to hand in if my brain explodes/implodes tomorrow.
My boss hasn't emailed me with more work so I'm hoping (praying?) that everything is okay now. I THOUGHT I was following his directions correctly - and he certainly never said anything was wrong when I emailed him my work periodically through the semester.
So I don't know. I guess all I can do is wait and see?
I've spent the past few hours watching Netflix. Man, this was SUCH a good investment. All I need is some junk food, but I'm trying to be good considering that Christmas is coming and I gained a lot of weight this semester anyway. So I didn't buy any when I got "groceries" today - really just an onion, a cucumber, paper towels and dish soap. Luckily, paper towels and dish soap don't spoil so I could stock up without having to freak out about leaving them while I'm at home.
Home! It sounds so lovely, even though as soon as I get home I have to start getting ready for the Christmas party. I have no idea what I'm going to wear...maybe I can find some time on Tuesday to go shopping for a dress, because Wednesday is going to be entirely packing and cleaning. This apartment is going to be SPOTLESS when I leave...and probably really dusty when I come back. Oh well, such is life.
I'm tired now, I think it's time for more Netflix. They should send me Season 2 of Scooby Doo soon and I'm excited because I think that's the one with my favorite episode - the one where they're in an ice cream factory.
I miss being a kid!!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Really, English Government?
They voted to remove the tuition cap and now tuition at English universities will be as much as 9,000 pounds a year. Now I DEFINITELY can't move to England for my PhD. That's so upsetting, I was really looking forward to getting out of the US for a few years.
Oh, and are you SERIOUSLY expecting to have ANY students now that you've done this? Your universities are going to hemorrhage students, so they'll fire professors and staff and then you'll have thousands more people competing for jobs that you don't have!
I mean, I know I'm no good at economics, but I DO know college students, and there are very few of us willing to pay nearly $10,000 a year for school, and probably even fewer who can afford it!!
Isn't there ANYWHERE else you could have attacked the budget? Raised taxes on rich people? Cut some tax cuts? Or if you HAD to raise the tuition cap, how about by 1,000 pounds at most? Because raising it by over 5,000 pounds is DISGUSTING!!
WE STUDENTS ARE POOR!!
P.S. California, this goes for you too. Quit raising tuition costs, I haven't got more money to give you, I'm thousands of dollars in debt already.
Oh, and are you SERIOUSLY expecting to have ANY students now that you've done this? Your universities are going to hemorrhage students, so they'll fire professors and staff and then you'll have thousands more people competing for jobs that you don't have!
I mean, I know I'm no good at economics, but I DO know college students, and there are very few of us willing to pay nearly $10,000 a year for school, and probably even fewer who can afford it!!
Isn't there ANYWHERE else you could have attacked the budget? Raised taxes on rich people? Cut some tax cuts? Or if you HAD to raise the tuition cap, how about by 1,000 pounds at most? Because raising it by over 5,000 pounds is DISGUSTING!!
WE STUDENTS ARE POOR!!
P.S. California, this goes for you too. Quit raising tuition costs, I haven't got more money to give you, I'm thousands of dollars in debt already.
Finally
FINISHED with geology! That class kicked my butt. I hope I do well on this test. Completely blanked on phosphorus though.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Notes from finals week
It is 6:07 pm and I'm sitting in the meeting room, and it turns out there's no meeting today so I'm sitting here with some of the cultural anthropologist girls and they're all studying and I don't have any of my work here (teehee) so I'm updating here.
Right now we're discussing the merits of a thesis on where transgender ends and hermaphrodite begins. Yes, this is what happens in anthropology groupings in our "spare time".
Today was pretty good, even though I didn't sleep well until about 4 am and consequently stayed in bed until 9 am before I forced myself into the shower and made breakfast and got ready for class. It turns out that I've gained back all the weight I lost earlier this year. All the other grad girls assured me it was grad school - one of them says she's gained 20 pounds this year alone. I MUST start going to the gym!
Maybe I'll get a month-long membership at that gym Lidia goes to and make her take me daily so we can push each other.
Cultural resource management was good, we talked about our papers a little, and it turns out we're doing mini-presentations on Wednesday which kind of freaks me out since I have an exam on Thursday and I didn't want to have to think about anything but the test (even though I'm working on both my final essays and my NAGPRA stuff this week too) until Thursday afternoon. But I'll be fine.
One of the girls just said, "I'm only a lesbian when I'm with women." I love California.
Then I went home, ate lunch, had my obligatory end-of-the-semester-exhausts-me nap, then finished my last five page paper for theory and started organizing my final paper for CRM before I headed out to the meeting that isn't. I might spend an hour or so tonight on my CRM paper, it depends on how soon we get out of Theory, because I absolutely HAVE to be awake for geology tomorrow - we get new material (that will be on the test) AND a test review. So, I need to be fully functional.
California is still strange to me, and there are still days when I feel like a greenhorn, in my Eastern European clothes, standing on the docks of the Hudson river, watching the crowds bustle around me on the threshold of the Promised Land.
Other days, I feel fine here. This Saturday I went out with Judy (geoarchaeology) and Connie (geology) and some of Judy's friends for a Girls' Night Out/Judy's Birthday Celebration, and it was so much fun! We started out at this Japanese steakhouse - I think it was called Bari Bari - and I got the calamari and it was SUPER yummy.
Then we went to this bar called The Olde Ship (it was SO cute - a little British pub full of ship paraphernalia), and when I heard the name I immediately exclaimed, "Oh, we should have rum like the pirates!"
So we were all sitting down, I had my draft Spaten, Judy and one of her friends had Long Island Iced Teas, Connie had a hard cider, and Judy's other two friends had whiskey sours (I felt like such a tomboy), and Judy says, "Let's get the rum!" So we each ordered a single, but we somehow ended up with doubles (only $5, I'm not complaining) and everyone was appalled at how big they were.
We agreed to take half the shot and they all took half a sip or so and I downed the whole shot, which made Judy say, "Damn Carla!"
Turns out I'm still 100% Gator where it counts. Definitely felt dizzy afterward though, so I stuck with sipping my lager slowly.
The rest of the night was spent sobering up - I'd left my car at Judy's and I still felt a little dizzy when we got back to her place, so I stayed there for half an hour (her brothers were throwing a party) until I was 100% sure I was good to drive.
I was really glad too, because my GPS directed me right into a blocked road so I had to use my wits, exit on the detour, then choose a nearby location already programmed into it (I chose Jo-anns) and then went home on a different highway from there. Thank goodness for that GPS! I'm so glad Dad got it for me! Otherwise I would've been in a lot of trouble, driving in circles all night.
I got home, heated up leftovers, ate and then passed out. I spent Sunday feeling grumpy and running errands. And then Monday rolled around!
It's now 6:50 and I'm tired of writing, but now you're all updated on my life and know why posts are probably going to be patchy until Tuesday, unless I decide to procrastinate. Bon soir!
Right now we're discussing the merits of a thesis on where transgender ends and hermaphrodite begins. Yes, this is what happens in anthropology groupings in our "spare time".
Today was pretty good, even though I didn't sleep well until about 4 am and consequently stayed in bed until 9 am before I forced myself into the shower and made breakfast and got ready for class. It turns out that I've gained back all the weight I lost earlier this year. All the other grad girls assured me it was grad school - one of them says she's gained 20 pounds this year alone. I MUST start going to the gym!
Maybe I'll get a month-long membership at that gym Lidia goes to and make her take me daily so we can push each other.
Cultural resource management was good, we talked about our papers a little, and it turns out we're doing mini-presentations on Wednesday which kind of freaks me out since I have an exam on Thursday and I didn't want to have to think about anything but the test (even though I'm working on both my final essays and my NAGPRA stuff this week too) until Thursday afternoon. But I'll be fine.
One of the girls just said, "I'm only a lesbian when I'm with women." I love California.
Then I went home, ate lunch, had my obligatory end-of-the-semester-exhausts-me nap, then finished my last five page paper for theory and started organizing my final paper for CRM before I headed out to the meeting that isn't. I might spend an hour or so tonight on my CRM paper, it depends on how soon we get out of Theory, because I absolutely HAVE to be awake for geology tomorrow - we get new material (that will be on the test) AND a test review. So, I need to be fully functional.
California is still strange to me, and there are still days when I feel like a greenhorn, in my Eastern European clothes, standing on the docks of the Hudson river, watching the crowds bustle around me on the threshold of the Promised Land.
Other days, I feel fine here. This Saturday I went out with Judy (geoarchaeology) and Connie (geology) and some of Judy's friends for a Girls' Night Out/Judy's Birthday Celebration, and it was so much fun! We started out at this Japanese steakhouse - I think it was called Bari Bari - and I got the calamari and it was SUPER yummy.
Then we went to this bar called The Olde Ship (it was SO cute - a little British pub full of ship paraphernalia), and when I heard the name I immediately exclaimed, "Oh, we should have rum like the pirates!"
So we were all sitting down, I had my draft Spaten, Judy and one of her friends had Long Island Iced Teas, Connie had a hard cider, and Judy's other two friends had whiskey sours (I felt like such a tomboy), and Judy says, "Let's get the rum!" So we each ordered a single, but we somehow ended up with doubles (only $5, I'm not complaining) and everyone was appalled at how big they were.
We agreed to take half the shot and they all took half a sip or so and I downed the whole shot, which made Judy say, "Damn Carla!"
Turns out I'm still 100% Gator where it counts. Definitely felt dizzy afterward though, so I stuck with sipping my lager slowly.
The rest of the night was spent sobering up - I'd left my car at Judy's and I still felt a little dizzy when we got back to her place, so I stayed there for half an hour (her brothers were throwing a party) until I was 100% sure I was good to drive.
I was really glad too, because my GPS directed me right into a blocked road so I had to use my wits, exit on the detour, then choose a nearby location already programmed into it (I chose Jo-anns) and then went home on a different highway from there. Thank goodness for that GPS! I'm so glad Dad got it for me! Otherwise I would've been in a lot of trouble, driving in circles all night.
I got home, heated up leftovers, ate and then passed out. I spent Sunday feeling grumpy and running errands. And then Monday rolled around!
It's now 6:50 and I'm tired of writing, but now you're all updated on my life and know why posts are probably going to be patchy until Tuesday, unless I decide to procrastinate. Bon soir!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Friday Night Frights
Wednesday was a stressful day - the one class and then I went home and worked all night on my geology report. I got it all done except for the illustration bit and when I tried to use Adobe Illustrator to do it, it just wouldn't do what I wanted until finally I got frustrated and gave up and did it by hand. I kind of regret it, because I think even a shoddy computer illustration would've looked better than the one it took me hours to do by hand. I finished around midnight, went to Jack in the Box for junk food, came home, had a beer in bed, and went to sleep.
Thursday was geology class in the morning, where I turned in my report and then listened to a three hour lecture on continental margins. During class the guy responsible for installing my heater called three times, and left a voicemail. After class I called him back and he wanted to know if I was home so that he could install the heater - I had told him VERY clearly on Wednesday that I would only be available after 3 pm. Do people not listen anymore?!
After that I was so depressed and mentally exhausted I went to the Nugget for a beer and a cheeseburger while reading for the theory meeting we had at 12:30 pm.
The meeting turned out to be just Dr. Lipo, Jake and myself, so that was an interesting change. It was a shorter meeting than usual, and I got home around 2:20, cleaned up a bit, and then called the heater guy who said he'd come by to install it within 20 minutes.
He turned up at 4 pm and fiddled around for an hour then left, promising to return the next day to finish installing it.
I really should have spent the evening working, but I was so tired and miserable I watched tv instead, and went to bed late after finishing a book.
Today I got up late, ate breakfast, and started working on my NAGPRA stuff. I called the heater guy and someone who didn't speak English picked up, but he finally understood what I was asking about and said the guy would call me back. He did a few hours later and I said I was home and he could come by to finish the heater anytime - he promised to come back at three.
At four-thirty he finally turned up with his partner, and they stayed for two and a half hours installing the damn thing, so I missed BBC World News which kind of pissed me off - and I was hungry, not having eaten since 11 am. I also had to leave my door and windows open for the first hour after the heater was started up to get all the toxic fumes out. Apparently you can't have your fire alarm too close to your heater because it'll set it off constantly - my ears are still ringing!
So the heater guy kindly unscrewed my fire alarm from where it was and moved it to one of the beams in my ceiling so it would work for a real fire, but not randomly go off because of the heater. Of course, now I have to get on a chair to get at it, but hopefully it won't set off too frequently...I just have to remember to have the door open when I'm frying latkes!
After they left I ate dinner, and then started watching Scooby Doo Season 1 on DVD - thank you Netflix - and it's awesome! I completely forgot about some of these episodes. Of course, I only have one dvd at a time and there are two per season, but I have the first two seasons on my queue, and I think I can get through all of them before I leave for Orlando...Netflix will be a bit trickier then, even though I'm getting my mail forwarded.
Tomorrow I'm going to write that 5 page paper - that's my goal anyway - and Sunday I'll work on my two final papers that are due on the 13th. The 13th is a big day - Mom's birthday, my two final papers are due, and all my NAGPRA work for the semester is due so it can be handed over to the National Park Service.
Enough writing, it's Scooby Doo time!
Thursday was geology class in the morning, where I turned in my report and then listened to a three hour lecture on continental margins. During class the guy responsible for installing my heater called three times, and left a voicemail. After class I called him back and he wanted to know if I was home so that he could install the heater - I had told him VERY clearly on Wednesday that I would only be available after 3 pm. Do people not listen anymore?!
After that I was so depressed and mentally exhausted I went to the Nugget for a beer and a cheeseburger while reading for the theory meeting we had at 12:30 pm.
The meeting turned out to be just Dr. Lipo, Jake and myself, so that was an interesting change. It was a shorter meeting than usual, and I got home around 2:20, cleaned up a bit, and then called the heater guy who said he'd come by to install it within 20 minutes.
He turned up at 4 pm and fiddled around for an hour then left, promising to return the next day to finish installing it.
I really should have spent the evening working, but I was so tired and miserable I watched tv instead, and went to bed late after finishing a book.
Today I got up late, ate breakfast, and started working on my NAGPRA stuff. I called the heater guy and someone who didn't speak English picked up, but he finally understood what I was asking about and said the guy would call me back. He did a few hours later and I said I was home and he could come by to finish the heater anytime - he promised to come back at three.
At four-thirty he finally turned up with his partner, and they stayed for two and a half hours installing the damn thing, so I missed BBC World News which kind of pissed me off - and I was hungry, not having eaten since 11 am. I also had to leave my door and windows open for the first hour after the heater was started up to get all the toxic fumes out. Apparently you can't have your fire alarm too close to your heater because it'll set it off constantly - my ears are still ringing!
So the heater guy kindly unscrewed my fire alarm from where it was and moved it to one of the beams in my ceiling so it would work for a real fire, but not randomly go off because of the heater. Of course, now I have to get on a chair to get at it, but hopefully it won't set off too frequently...I just have to remember to have the door open when I'm frying latkes!
After they left I ate dinner, and then started watching Scooby Doo Season 1 on DVD - thank you Netflix - and it's awesome! I completely forgot about some of these episodes. Of course, I only have one dvd at a time and there are two per season, but I have the first two seasons on my queue, and I think I can get through all of them before I leave for Orlando...Netflix will be a bit trickier then, even though I'm getting my mail forwarded.
Tomorrow I'm going to write that 5 page paper - that's my goal anyway - and Sunday I'll work on my two final papers that are due on the 13th. The 13th is a big day - Mom's birthday, my two final papers are due, and all my NAGPRA work for the semester is due so it can be handed over to the National Park Service.
Enough writing, it's Scooby Doo time!
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