Office Politics

Feeling extremely blah today.  I had to miss not one but TWO awesome lectures in the department due to work, and I'm missing the reception held for the guest lecturer right now because of the presentation and essay I have due this week.

Spent most of the day on campus, going to class and working.  Getting pretty cheesed off at my prof too, because he missed class again today, and the instructions for the final project are flat out WRONG in some places (and it's a HUGE project and all has to be done on campus, which is going to make my life ten times harder than usual - and it's due November 17th!!!), AND we have to be on campus for our second exam and do GIS during the exam.  I am so unimpressed I can't even think of a good non-swear word to describe just how cheesed off I am right now.

Work was fine.  I'm pretty stressed, so it was hard to sit through a meeting like that where we only spent an hour talking about "urgent" stuff and the other hour was spent going around the circle and talking about our individual responsibilities.  I tried to relax and enjoy it, but it was hard.

Came home, went straight to the gym.  Gym was pretty good except for a bunch of jerks making life difficult by cutting in on circuits, yakking away like there was no one listening, and staring at me until I wanted to scream.  I got an hour and ten minutes in, although that was only because I stopped looking at my watch and forgot what the time was.  I only meant to spend 50-60 minutes there.  Oh well.

Came home, showered, ate leftover paella from last night.  Should definitely have enough for the week, I think.  Re-running the dishwasher because there's cruddy particles from the last washing.  I think the little cap that holds in the soap tablets is broken too.  Grr.  Hopefully it still cleans alright...

Now I'm trying to bust ass on the presentation because that's for Wednesday.  I'm sore and miserable and just want to go to bed.  I'll go at midnight though.  Being THIS stressed, not getting sleep will kill me/get me sick faster than just about anything else.

Working it out

Today was one hell of a day!

I hit my snooze button way too many times, to start with, and then I somehow made it to class on time.  Class was fine, although I kept getting distracted from the lecture by the fact my professor wears his clothes at LEAST one size too large for him and I was mentally kitting him out in much more size-appropriate clothing in colors that didn't make him look washed-out.  Maybe working retail IS my thing?  Heh.

Had lunch, and then I went to the library and got even more books for another presentation that's due in a few weeks but I wanted to get started on early.  Went to my second class, which was pretty fun today, but I was hungry and mad for some reason by the time it ended so I hit up the campus convenience store for a bag of chips which was a BAD idea.  Turns out it was a 500 calorie bag of chips!!!

Walked across campus to wait for my meeting and spent a nice half hour spacing out with my tablet on my lap.  People give me filthy looks if I'm lounging waiting for meetings without a book or a tablet because they seem to find it offensive that I can entertain myself by "thinking".  So, I engage my tablet as a defense/deflection mechanism. 

Took the bus home, but was diverted and had to walk an extra block and a bit because they've closed off the bus stop corner.  REALLY?  This had better not continue tomorrow.  Although I think I'm driving tomorrow because of work.

Got home, changed, and went straight to the gym.  Spent 35 minutes doing cardio and 20 doing weights, then had to stop and come home because of Remote Job.  Stupid work, interfering with my gym-love!!  I forgot how much I LOVE working out though, so glad I can afford this membership again.  When I updated my Garmin Vivofit and MyFitnessPal it turned out I've walked 13,707 steps today, and between that and the exercise I have burned enough calories to compensate for EVERYTHING I've eaten today (even those chips), and have 53 left over before I hit the limit I set in order to lose a pound a week.  And I didn't even record the 20 minutes I spent doing weights!

Although, I might not be able to afford it if it continues to be THIS hard to do work every day.  Only did 1.5 hours today although I keep meaning to aim for 2.5 and do 2 as a "minimum".  I'm going to spend a few minutes writing novels before bed in the hope that one day I'll have enough published novels to bring in an income and I'll only have to work ONE job at a time.

I'm planning to get up at 8 tomorrow, go to the gym, come home, do my daily Remote Job, go to class, go to work, and then go see Crimson Peak with one of the girls in my department.  Let's hope I get that all done! 

Being Responsible

I was leaving a party Saturday night (more on that later) and checked Facebook on my phone.  Saw a bunch of posts about a major crash at 436/434 (some big roads near where my parents live) and got concerned, so I called home with my bluetooth hands free thing as I drove home.  They were fine, thank goodness.  They asked where I was calling from - I guess I sounded funny hands-free? - and I told them I was leaving a party to go home and work.

I complained, "How LAME does that make me, leaving a party early to go do work?"

Mom said, (approvingly) "I think it sounds very responsible and grown-up!"

Me: "I don't WANNA grow up!"

Mom: "You're 27!"

Me: "...still don't wanna..."

I still hate growing up.  But I got my homework done and turned in this morning, went to class (got two homeworks turned back and I got a 93 on one and a 98 on the other!!!), got a bunch of books for this presentation next week, went to my scholarship meeting, was VERY BAD INDEED and got Chinese food on the way home, came home and ate, had my glorious hour of Agents of SHIELD, and then did an hour of work.  I wish I'd done two, but there's just no way I could have mentally or physically handled it.  As soon as I finish this I'm going straight to bed.  I'm bringing a book, but I honestly don't think I'm going to read anything.  I overslept by two hours this morning and STILL I'm exhausted and can't work one second longer.

This is me being responsible and taking care of my body.  Because, any way you cut it, my body and my health are way more important to me than grad school.

Monday Funday my ***

I'm exhausted.  I always say this, don't I?

Well today, it's deserved.  Slept through my first alarm, only woke up with my second alarm at 6:30 so I was late for the bus and caught the later bus and JUST walked into my classroom as the minute hand clicked to 8:00 am on the dot.

Really difficult lab today, but I managed to finish it in 75 minutes and leave while all my classmates were still struggling with an early step.  Once again, thankful for the fact I've taken two years of GIS before this.  Class was less interesting, but I was SUPER relieved to learn that the prof had a personal emergency on Wednesday and didn't make class so I didn't miss anything while I was out sick! Huzzah!

Then I went home, ran to Wal Mart for some craft and Thanksgiving supplies, stopped by HEB for some rolls, went home again, had tuna on a roll for lunch (heaven!) before prepping dinner and putting it in the fridge. Did some tidying and then went to my training meeting at my new job, which I am going to call The Retail Job from here on out.  (I decided this while reading their social media policy.)  I'm going to call my uni job The Remote Job since I do almost all of it remotely.  So that'll be amusing.  After I was finished with training for the day, I went to Planet Fitness, just like I vowed I would as soon as I got a second job, and signed up for a membership.  I don't think I'll have time tomorrow (homework all morning, class in the afternoon, then a scholarship meeting, and then my blissful weekly engagement with Agents of SHIELD at 8 pm), but I'm planning on making time Wednesday.  This will also give my ankle a little extra time to stop hurting so damn badly. 

I came home, popped dinner in the oven (two turkey thighs and two potatoes cut in half - I only ate half, the rest is now in the fridge awaiting another busy night) to bake and settled down to two hours of my Remote Job.  I have resolved to do at least two hours every day if humanly possible, preferably 2.5 so that I get as close to the maximum of 20 hours/week as possible so I can earn enough to pay all my damn bills. The turkey was done in an hour and a half so the last half hour of work was considerably more pleasant, as I sat there, eating, going through the article line by line trying to decide if any more of the data could possibly be coded.

Then I took a short break and got started on my stats homework.  Actually, I've just looked at the clock and it's nearly 10:00 pm and I finished work at 8:30.  Have I spent that much time on my homework?  Maybe I fainted on the couch and didn't realize it...

Which brings me full circle.  I'm bloody exhausted.  I'm going to finish this stats problem and then stop for the night so I have a hope in hell of my brain shutting down at midnight when I go to bed.  And I'm only getting up at 8 am tomorrow!!!

At least the apartment is almost perfectly clean.  I still need to scrub both sinks.  Maybe tomorrow.  Or never.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it before, but I am in LOVE with this series.  (Although, major nonny-boo-boo to the people in charge for changing the intro music for season three.  Shame on you!)

I have just found out today that they're developing a MOVIE!!!

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries-to-be-a-movie-filmed-in-the-uk/story-e6frfmyi-1227336789720

This must happen.  It must, it must, it must!!!

People In Charge, if you're listening, here is one ardent fan: I will buy a ticket to this movie.  I might even buy two and go twice!  Or thrice!  (Is four times quice?)

I love this show, I love Essie Davis, and Ashleigh Cummings, and Hugo Johnstone-Burt, and especially Nathan Page!  Heck, I can't not mention Richard Bligh and Travis McMahon and Anthony Sharpe!  I would wish this show to go on forever but I know it must end someday.  Hopefully, not for the next five or ten or fifteen or seventy years though.

Stages of recovery

Well, I made it to class today.  That's something!!  I didn't really understand much (or anything) going on, but a few of the formulae I tried in R worked, so I suppose that's good.

I slept in til about 10 and then decided a warm shower would be good for me.  Spent the rest of the morning on the couch, doing some paperwork.  Went to class, somehow made it home in one piece, and now I've been going through my hotmail inbox, message by message.  Deleting all the junk, reading all the good ones, and wincing at all the credit card statements.

My shoulder has started hurting again and my ankle was pretty bad at a couple points today.  I desperately need exercise, but how can I with my whole body ganging up on me?  Perhaps I'll go for a walk around the building in a little bit and see if my ankle doesn't hate me afterwards.

Ugh, started sneezing again.  I'm trying to drink one cup of green tea a day to see if it helps me lose weight and stay healthy.  Why couldn't hibiscus tea be the good guy??  I love hibiscus tea!!!

Sick Day

I'm sick today.  I'm also getting in a progressively foul-er mood as the day goes on which is making the lying still and doing nothing even more intolerable than usual. Not that I dislike relaxing; but when I have classes and meetings and work and Stuff To Do, being sick doesn't make me exactly happy, especially with a phlegmy frog in each lung.

Had a bunch of people tell me that I shouldn't date til I'm done with grad school because I clearly don't have time for it unless I plan for casual sex or an illicit relationship with a married man.  Frankly, I call bullshit.  If grad students are supposed to be working as hard as I do (or harder), why the hell ISN'T there a nice, sensible, responsible guy with a decent sense of humor out there, one who can only afford a few hours a week here and there to hang out together (meals, walks, watching tv - basically decompressing from the hell that is grad school) and eventually really bloody care for each other, the same way that's all I might potentially have time for?!  Why do you have to have three or four dates a week to be SERIOUS DATING PERSON?  Why is it somehow my fault that I'm too "limited" in not being available on school nights for socializing?  I'm so mad right now.  It's not bad enough I'm one of about four people in a 50 person department who isn't married/engaged/in a long term relationship, but somehow I'm suddenly a bad person for A) wanting a relationship and B) not being willing to give up my grad school degree to find one?!

I am so sick and tired of being judged, and even more so, being judged and found wanting. 

Fishcakes

Hell of a day.  Early morning classes, always grump me out.  Got home, ran out to take care of some spontaneously-inspired-by-misfortune errands, got back, started cooking and doing homework.  Got the pasteis de bacalhau finished (they're basically fried cod cakes) although I didn't use enough egg (stupid small vs large egg issues) and a lot of them lost substantial parts of their mass.

Went to the dinner meeting and had a pretty darn good time.  Everyone seemed to like the pasteis de bacalhau, especially my prof who spent some time in the Azores and specifically asked for them when I said I was going to make bacalhau for the dinner.  (Not that I wasn't happy to do it, even though my apartment now reeks of fish!)

Now I'm doing work for my first job (bleeeh I'm having a hard time with it) and feeling rough about all the crazy I have to do tomorrow.  I simply can't face most of it tonight because I'm exhausted.  My ankle has been bugging me again too, which is infuriating.  11,297 steps is a hell of a lot, so it's not surprising my ankle really sore right now.

Also pretty bummed that Will Grier got himself suspended for taking some stupid OTC supplement and Steve Spurrier announced his retirement.  Oh well.  Back to work.  Blah on grad school.

Being silly

I should've gone up to bed at 11 like a good girl.  Instead, at 10:50 pm I put on an hour and ten minute episode of Rosemary & Thyme and I'm about to dig into some ice cream just because I can.

I'm so tired.  I had a long day, one of those days where if you know me you know that I'm in a tizzy.  I cleaned the stove (top, not the inside.  I have not yet been off enough to clean the inside of my stove), the inside of the microwave, the sides of the fridge, the sink, the bathroom, my toilet, my bedroom and most of the living room.

I got a little work done too, not enough, and some writing, although again, not enough.  Tomorrow should be a reasonable day in work done...I hope.

And now, having jinxed myself with that last statement, I'm off.  Nighty night all.

oof

I've had a hell of a week.  So much so that I can barely remember what's happened.  I know I went to class, my meetings, did homework, cooked, cleaned, studied, slept a little, and drank a heck of a lot of water.

Yesterday I had a job interview.  On the one hand, I really need it and really hope I get it.  On the other hand, if I do, I won't be able to use the store's customer coupons as long as I'm an employee, which is going to cost me a TON of money when I have to buy my clothes and presents elsewhere.  Yesterday I went shopping there before my interview (a sort of "last dance" thing in case I do get hired and can't use coupons anymore) and got $70 worth of clothes for $17 - and if I'd bought it elsewhere it would've cost me $411!!!  That sort of savings is HUGE for me and I won't be able to do it if I get hired.  Oh well.  There are worse things.

Today might have been the worst start to a Saturday ever. I got up at 7 am so I could leave at 8 and see the opening performance at Ren Fest. Leave on time, but my Garmin took me to middle of nowhere. I tried the alternate location I'd programmed in it only to realize (three minutes away) that I left my ticket in my apartment. So I had to drive all the way back and then drive BACK to Ren Fest.  Over two hours of driving for something that should've taken 40 minutes tops.  Grrr.

I had a very nice time at Ren Fest though.  Didn't buy anything except beer and food (I got a sausage on a stick and it was quite tasty - much spicier than I expected!), because I'm going twice more and I want to just look around until I'm perfectly sure I REALLY want something and am willing to shell out my increasingly precious dosh for it.

There was a flask I agonized over, but it was $130.  I mean really.  Do you know how much beer that is??  There's just no way I could justify buying that.

I left around 3:30 because I was feeling quite ill.  I should've worn my shady hat, even though it wouldn't have exactly "gone" with my dirndl, or spent more time in the shade.  I came home, had a burger, and went up to bed.  Two hours later I still had a headache, despite my nap, so I took a pill and put an ice pack on my head.  I'm feeling MUCH better now, thankfully, because I wanted to enjoy my Saturday night.  I didn't last week because I got sick, and I hate it when that happens!

Anyway, Gators are playing, and doing reasonably well, although they're making me nervous because of some stupid things, like not wrapping up a tackle and letting the guy get five more yards and a first down after contact.  So I'm going to end this, watch them, and maybe get more ice for my head.

Sunday Funday

Had a pretty great day today!

Slept in for a start, it was great.  I went to the shops - the dollar store (Halloween decoration), Stein Mart (two shirts and a pair of earrings for $9!!), filled up my car ($1.86/gallon!), Jo-Ann's (findings and thread to make a necklace), and the bigger HEB so I got BOAR'S HEAD HEADCHEESE which just made me so damn happy.

Came home, had a nap, (after a headcheese sandwich, of course), then studied/took my GIS test (only got a 19/20, I'm pretty pissed, I want to know what question I missed!!!), and made bacon-wrapped jalapenos for dinner.

I'm now chilling with a beer and CSI:Cyber (giving it a second chance since I no longer have BBC America and have nothing better to watch on Sunday nights) and being torn between doing actual work or writing a novel.  It's Sunday...that's my free time, right???

Anyway, here's the Halloween decoration I got:

Isn't he the cutest?!  I might keep him out all the time instead of just at Halloween.  I mean, loosely speaking, he counts as "nautical" decor, right??

That's enough for now.  I have two hours to do whatever I want, and that means it's prime reading time...for at least an hour, anyway!

When you win some -

It's as well to remember that you lose some too.

Today has been quite a good day.  The Springboks won, the Gators won (and are undefeated), the Aggies won (and are undefeated) and Orlando City won too!  Tomorrow the Minnesota Vikings and Benfica play so I'm hoping my (their? our?) luck holds.

I went to Michael's (because I had a coupon) and got a bracelet rack (black velvet), three strings of beads, two tubes of artist quality acrylic paint, a tiny canvas, and a six pack of oversized autumnal "tealights" all for $33.14 - but I had a gift card from Christmas so I only paid $8.14!  How is that for a steal?!  I got a coupon too, so I'll use it to buy some more paint.

I painted a little today, and cleaned (although I still need to do the bathroom and vacuum.  I HATE cleaning bathrooms and vacuuming!), and ate leftover mini cupcakes and did the dishes and watched football and grilled some chicken and even got some work done.  Not enough, but when does a grad student ever get enough work done?

My tummy is not happy with me today and has been aching all over the place.  I wonder if it's the cupcakes?  I just don't want to be getting sick again!  I've had about three beers throughout the day so surely it can't be that. 

Anyway I feel pretty awful so I think I'll go off to bed.  At least it's gorgeously cool today and I've had the windows open most of the day and aired out my apartment properly.  I hate being sick!  It's Saturday! I should be watching one last movie with a nice brandy or a beer, or painting some more, or reading or writing.  And instead I'm going to bed with a couple of pills and praying I wake up feeling better in the morning.

You really do lose some even when you win some.

And we all fall down!

I'm EXHAUSTED!

Well, the week is almost over.  In good news, I passed my training "with flying colors" and am now a coder for the rest of my time at TAMU!  Huzzah!

But I still need a second job.

Somehow I got my proposal fixed (I realized on Monday that the paper I'd been planning on was TWO THOUSAND years too early for the period we're focusing on in the class) and turned in on Wednesday, and finished my presentation and gave it on Wednesday too.  It was pretty well received, and I'm really glad I did so much reading because everyone had a bunch of questions which I was mostly able to answer even though it wasn't 100% within the scope of the presentation.  Of course, now I want to research Jewish sailors (there seem to have been terribly few), and I must battle the impulse with every fibre of my being.  I just don't have time!

Then I spent all last night and all this morning desperately working on stats and thanks to some help from one of my classmates I managed to get every part of every question completed.  I hope to goodness I get a better grade on this one!!  I don't want to get a B average in this class!! 

Tomorrow there's a department lunch, so I'm going to bring store-bought cookies, schmooze, and then hightail it back here to study for my GIS exam and then take said exam online.  Then Saturday I can begin back to work on my presentation for next week (thank GOODNESS I've done a lot of work on the VOC before so I have resources already) and squishing in whatever thesis research I can.

I had a two hour nap today and I'm still insanely tired.  Which is why I have all this stuff up on my screen and it's not progressing.  I think I'll just reserve a few books for tomorrow at the library and then kick back and let my body relax for a couple hours before bed.  Gotta take care of my body or my work will NEVER get finished!