re:becca

Ugh, what is wrong with me? :)

I just can't seem to get back into the posting routine.  My husband, over at Round Earth Society, posts more frequently than me!  (BTW, he would really love to get some comments, people.)  It's not that I'm leading some glamourous, busy life, it just seems that work, school, and other distractions are, well, distracting me.  And I'm getting ready to get distracted some more when we leave for Mardi Gras on Saturday.

I've been feeling better than I have in a long time.  I was afraid to even acknowledge that, because when you say something like that out loud, I truly believe it jinxes you.  (Like if you say "shutout" during a hockey game, your team's goalie is guaranteed to blow it and let one slip through when you least expect it.)  But I broke my own rule at the dentist yesterday morning when my hygenist asked how everything was going with the MS.  I actually said, "Great, I haven't had any problems since last summer!"  D'oh!  And then I found out that I have developed my first two cavities at the ripe ol' age of 31.  See what I mean?  The moral of the story is, if you're feeling good, keep it to yourself!  Lucky for me, my dentist stays on top of all the new technology and she was able to fix my cavities with a laser, no drill or novacaine needed!  It was a truly a painless procedure, with no drooling, screaming, or drugs.  And you can't even see where the fillings are!  Thank God for that, because I'm freaked out enough by my fall from dental grace as it is.  No more Coca-Cola for me, no sir!

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius

Yesterday, I passed from thirty to thirty-something, which didn't really bother me at all until just now when I saw it in print for the first time.  :)  It's OK, I'll forget about it again in a few minutes, and then Friday is Mike's birthday, and I can start teasing him instead.  He's moving from half-past thirty to half-past-thirty-plus-one, but he is blissfully undisturbed by that fact.  Part of being an Aquarius, I guess.

I got some pretty cool gifts this year.  Mike got me an iHome clock radio, which is way cool and lets me listen to my iPod from my nightstand, and the remote control lets me take laziness to new levels.  My mom got me so many cool knitting things that I don't know where to begin, but I think that the glass Namaste knitting needles might be my favorite.  They are so unusual and beautiful.  My dad got me a Target gift card, which is always the right choice for me.  Plus Mike & I spent the weekend at Middleton Inn, a perennial favorite, leaving me relaxed and ready to face the work week.  Kind of.  :)  The highlight of the day will be lunch, since Amy is taking me out for a birthday lunch at Basil, the best Thai restaurant in Charleston.  I can't wait!  Plus I'm starving.  :)

My to-do list grows shorter every day

I put up an album of our diving photos from Jamaica.  Granted, the pictures of Mike & I are probably pretty boring (diving is one of those "you-had-to-there" experiences), but there is a pretty nifty picture of a sea turtle and a few of a fish called a Flying Grunard, as well as some unidentified fish with aqua polka dots.  I''m not making this up, go look for yourself.

Samedi, Dimanche, Lundi, et Mardi Gras

A few weeks ago, Mike and I decided to go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Since we just spent the vast majority of our travel budget for the year on Jamaica, this wasn't part of our original plan, especially since we did such a big Mardi Gras trip last year. But we did want to show our support for the city we love so much, and we were able to use Mike's last few frequent flyer miles to get tickets (amazingly). Of course, one of us will be flying USAirways and one of us will be flying Delta, but our flights leave and arrive at just about the same time, so we can hang out together in the airport. The other problem is that I just burned off a week's vacation time, leaving me with only three precious vacation days at my disposal. So, we leave Saturday morning and fly back Tuesday afternoon (Mardi Gras day). We thought about flying back on Wednesday, but since this is our fourth Mardi Gras trip, we feel pretty comfortable about missing part of Mardi Gras day, which we have always found rather anti-climactic. Lundi Gras is much better--Monday night is by far my favorite parade night. :)

Wow, has it been that long?

Yikes!  I've got a lot of catching up to do.  In a sentence, knitting, flying, diving, drinking, eating, flying, knitting, knitting, knitting, watching hockey, watching football, knitting, proofreading.  I think that just about sums it up.  :)

To elaborate, from the beginning: Amy and I have become knitting fiends.  This started around Thanksgiving, and it hasn't let up since.  There is something very relaxing and stress-relieving about knitting, especially in a group.  We've made a little Monday night Stitch 'n Bitch group of five or six women (nearly all librarians! ha!), and we take turns hosting.  Contrary to the name, there's not much bitching (honest!), but there is a lot of stitching.  I've cranked out several scarves, and I'm working on a funky one for Mardi Gras right now.  Then I'm going to try a blanket, which I figure is really just an extra-wide scarf, right?  ;)

Knitting came in handy on the flights to & from Jamaica, apparently the TSA has stopped worrying about grannies attacking pilots with their needles and two-inch scissors.  Made the time fly, and next thing I knew, it was 84 degrees and sunny in Montego Bay.  The week was fabulous and I have photos, but I'll put those up later when I have more time (ha ha ha).  Mike & I actually had a productive week; we decided on the spur of the moment to get our Advanced Open Water SCUBA certification, so we did a bunch of cool dives, including a night dive, something I'd never done before.  That's a whole 'nother story, but it was all good and we had a fantastic time.

What's next...hockey and football...Carolina is simultaneously thrilling me (hockey) and breaking my heart (football).  The Hurricanes are kicking ass and taking names, but my Panthers...my oh my, that was a painful game yesterday.  Couldn't even watch the fourth quarter, I had to switch to "Secrets of the DaVinci Code" or something like that on the History Channel, which I've watched about five times already.  It was still preferable to that slaughter of a game.

Proofreading...I've picked up a little side job doing proofreading for the History Press at home on the weekends, which is something I actually enjoy.  I'm one who always spots typos, so I might as well get paid to do it.  Plus I get to read books before they're published.  ;)  I have earmarked my profits to go to the yarn fund...who knew wool was so damn expensive?

So that's what I've been up to, in a nutshell.  Oh yeah, can't forget school, one class this semester, one in the summer, and I'm graduating in August, baby!  So close I can taste it.

Puppy dog tales

My boss and I spent the day in Columbia at a conference (I do that a lot lately, it seems), but we had a bit of fun by bailing early this afternoon and playing with puppies.  She has been looking for an AKC registered Yorkshire Terrier to give her son as a combo Christmas/Chanukah present, and apparently there is only one certified breeder of such dogs in the STATE, and she happens to be in Columbia.  Luckily, she had one six-week-old female left, which is exactly what we were looking for!  So, I spent the hour and a half drive home cooing over and playing with the beautiful puppy to the left.  I never saw such a small dog before!  Of course, I'm not really a dog person, so that's no surprise, but this little puppy really charmed me.  And she will probably only get to be 5 or 6 pounds as an adult.  That's crazy!  My cat's bigger!

Good researchers bear Krispy Kreme

As if I hadn't had enough to eat over the last week or so, I had a researcher come in this morning with a box of Krispy Kremes to sweeten the deal.  Although it's true that I prefer Dunkin' Donuts, any port in a storm, baby.  THAT'S a good way to ensure a successful and fruitful research exposition.  ;)

Thanksgiving was great, we made a truckload of food and spent the day with family, just as it should be.  The weekend activities including shopping on Black Friday (yikes!), going to a hockey game (fights!), and putting up our Christmas tree (lights!).  We have a new tree this year, one of the pre-lit ones.  It's just about the most fantastic idea ever.  No muss, no fuss, had the tree assembled, lit, decorated, and covered with Mardi Gras beads in just a few hours.  This will probably be the extent of our Christmas decorating this year, since we're not going to be around for the actual holiday.  I am enjoying the more laid-back approach.

Ever have one of those days?

Lesson 19

Grad School: Some People Never Learn

But I am making straight A's this semester!  (How is that possible?!)

Veep

I guess all of that "professional networking" I've been doing for the last few months is paying off.  I got a call this week from the nominations committee of one of the organizations I belong to and they wanted to know if I would accept a nomination to be vice-president next year.  That's a surprise, I was never really the leadership-type in school.  I accepted, only because I know the nominees always run unopposed (yeah, it's not much of an election, ha ha) and that it won't be very much work.  Basically, if the president can't make the monthly meeting for some reason, I have to step in and run the meeting.  The hardest part will be trying to remember Robert's Rules of Order.  That's what books are for, I suppose.

I am getting used to the Effexor, and I even think it has calmed me down a little.  The first few days I felt a little wired/spacey, but I believe I am starting to feel more relaxed now.  Ironically, however, it has increased my insomnia, which the doc says should only be temporary.  So he prescribed me an even stronger sleeping pill than the Lunesta, which works way too well, if you know what I mean.  Getting eight hours of uninterrupted sleep is spoiling me, and I only have a very limited supply of the "good stuff," with no refills.  :(  Guess the doc doesn't want me turning into an addict, but I mean really, is it possible to get too much good sleep?  :)