What is this? I have a blog? (draft from December)

Oh yeah! I have a blog! I completely forgot! So, if you pay attention to time stamps, you will notice that it is three in the morning. I'm on "break" and I can't sleep. What up with that?

Well, with that rhetorical question out of the way, lets move on. What have I done since early september? Probably exactly the same things: homework, projects, homework, complain about how Henry loads the dishwasher, homework. I have however traded homework for gradschool applications. I'm applying to about a million schools because I have little confidence and Henry and I are attempting the impossible -- finding a school that fits both of us. Even if we don't get accepted to the same school, I'm really happy to follow him and kind of felt like that would be the plan from the get go. Part of being married I suppose, you get to follow your best friend around the country and be a substitute teacher/work retail? ... well, thats a little specific I suppose.

I have been e-mailing potential advisors, and have gotten a few hopeful responses. I got one today from a highly respected man in the field who said I would be a great fit for his lab! The problem: He is moving his lab to Auckland New Zealand next summer. He wants me to apply. Ha. Auckland. Sounds gross, but is pretty nice. It's also ranked 54th (I'm nearly positive this is the right number) in the WORLD for computer engineering. When you look at it on a map, you can only see Australia and Antarctica. Oh, and summer starts in January. This probably won't happen, but its neat to think about. Ha. Auckland.

Lastly, I would like to make a confession. I like Jennette McCurdy. So talented. No lie. Here is a link to prove it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg-G0PVC7Fw&feature=channel

So Sleepy

Well, a billion things have happened since my last post.
1) The dryer set the fire alarm off
2) The washer leaked all over the carpet
3) Henry fixed above problems
4) We got a dog! Her name is Kit-Kat. She is great and super low maintinance (behavior wise... physically speaking, she sheds like no dog I have ever seen) and cute and snuggly. Everything you could want in a 20lb package.
5) I got a part time job in the plant pathology lab sifting nematodes! They needed help and I had the time. Probably the most random two week job I have ever and will ever participate in.
6-999,999,999) Eat, breathe, heart beat, sleep, etc.
1,000,000,000) The doctor doubled up my beta blockers yesterday so I'm super sleepy. It took me two weeks to get used to the last dose so I anticipate an equally long period of adjustment. Yay for fewer headaches though. I'll take a nap over a migraine any day. (Being so sleepy does complicate things though... like productivity.)

Fantastic

So many great things are about to happen!

1) I get a house-mate this weekend! Maybe now the living room will look like real people live in it! (Obviously there are more great things to come from this co-dwelling-- like someone else to live in the living room with!)

2) Summer projects are getting the momentum they need to get over the mid-summer slump and start possibly-maybe-kind-of wrapping up!

3) Next Friday I get to eat at my favorite place in the whole wide world with my Grandaddy!

4) Next Friday I am also getting a camera! Its just a little point and shoot, but I'm super excited.

5) Last, but not least by any means -- drum roll-- dramatic pause ----- I might be picking up our new dog Next Saturday!!

This is too funny not to share

Please go read Hyperbole and a Half's latest blog entry about dogs. It will brighten your day- maybe even your week.

The Move

WE ARE FINALLY IN THE NEW APARTMENT!

The move was epic. First, we found a great deal on new desks. (The mega-desk sharing was not going well... Henry took over the whole office most of the year.) We found them on Craig's list. At first, they looked really sketch. They resembled dorm desks, so we hypothesized that someone had pinched them from the University and were trying to make a profit. We called the lister to see what the story was. Lucky for us, they were not black market dorm desks but rather old sorority desks from the tri-delta house! They are solid wood (no particle board here) and super sturdy. What a great find! As if gaining that story wasn't enough, we can now tell future generations that we once moved all our possessions in walmart bags (plastic and fabric) and three rubbermaid tubs and a few laundry baskets. It took multiple multiple trips, but it felt good to stick it to over-priced cardboard moving boxes. The smaller bags also meant we were less likely to hurt ourselves carrying overstuffed boxes. All in all, I'd say it was pretty convenient. (Disclaimer: we had a u-haul for our furniture. The couch was not going in the car.)

We are entirely out of Aiken Village and mostly settled in the new apartment. I have already used the dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, and ice maker. Oh how I took these things for granted.

Picky Pickle Picker

This blog actually has something to do with married life! Problem one: I never have the guts to tell someone I don't like their food. At least not right away. I took peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to school for years in elementary school. I didn't tell my mom I didn't like peanut butter until I was 19 or 20. Some of you may be scratching your head right now and saying "But Sarah, you eat a PB&J every day!" This is true, but I use a very small amount of a very specific peanut butter-- and it mostly serves as an adhesive for flax seeds. Anywho, this tendency of mine brings me to problem number two: My Mother in law likes to cook... and my Step-Mother in law too... strange things. Everyone loves their cooking. Henry's mom makes an epic meatloaf that everyone raves about... Henry's step-mom went to culinary school and loves using her knowledge... I can't handle regular peanut butter. This brings us to problem number three: pickles. I love Valasic bread and butter pickles. I could eat a whole jar of those particular pickles. And gherkin pickles. My mother in law jars her own pickles from her garden. She sent us home with several jars. Oh no. It's meat loaf all over again. It took me 4+ years to tell her I don't like her meatloaf. Any one want any pickles?

Mrs. Dale, if you read this... I'm sorry I am a picky pickle picker and a meatloaf hater. I promise I am in the minority and probably have broken taste buds.

Father's Day

My family does not do weekends like the rest of the world. This particular weekend spanned Sunday through Tuesday. It was fantastic. We went to Hardy with the ambitious plan to both canoe and tube, but ended up opting for a four mile tube run and no canoe. Best. Decision. Ever. Floating for four miles in a cool river on a Monday was super relaxing. We were the only ones on the river all day. P.S., the chaco's performed amazingly well. The rest of the family were in flip flops which were no match for the slippery riverbed (My step mom's broke two steps in). Chaco's for the win.

The trip down the river was amazing (cool but not cold AND a rope swing-- couldn't have been better) but the sleeping arrangements were the opposite. The cabin was a little awkward; only one room with a full sized bed, a twin day bed, and a pull out couch. I convinced myself that it would be neat for the whole family to sleep together-- for two nights anyway. The awkwardness was replaced with discomfort by bed time. The pull out couch Henry and I were going to sleep on was worthless. It was so painful we decided to sleep on the floor. To our benefit, there is an "oldest get the mattress" rule in our family. We kicked my little sister off the twin bed and moved her to the floor. After a few hours of Henry and I in a twin bed, I also moved the the floor. My little sisters may not have known it, but they had the best sleeping spot in the cabin.

After lunch/dinner, we went to visit the spring that feeds Spring River. When I was little little, my family camped a lot (from what I gather from pictures anyway) and Hardy was a place we frequented. Mammoth spring does not look all that impressive-- it's a lake with some eddies-- but that joker pumps out 9 million gallons of water an hour at a cool 58 degrees year round. I put my feet in it-- my toes went numb in two seconds. The water is also amazingly clear. This observation prompted me to ask my dad if it was drinkable. His response was yes, while my step mom's was no. Well, I weighed my options and decided that I would regret not taking the opportunity to have a sip of water straight from a cold mountain spring. Thus, I decided to have a sip. Two seconds later we found a plaque that informed us that although the water looks clear and clean, it isn't. Don't drink it. I still have no regrets.

The trip home was also fun. We visited Henry's mom, step dad, and grandmother and had lunch at Olive Garden. Yummm. After lunch, Henry took the car to have an oil change and left me at the mall. : ))))))) I love bargain hunting. Before we left town, Henry's mom sent us with food from the garden, a cake, and the top of our wedding cake. I can't believe it has almost been a year!

In other news, we move next Thursday!!! I. Can't. Wait.

In other other news, Henry's mom also sent us home with a dog kennel... I'm getting excited. Henry wants to wait until our school things are sorted out, but I'm being pretty impatient. : )

This is a blog written out of rage. Lots of rage.

A facebook friend of mine posted this video today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3_23PFnTZ8 For those of you who don't have time to listen, it is a sound clip of Richard C. Hoagland on Coast to Coast warning cities near the gulf of the sure doom and destruction to be brought forth by the bursting of a 22 mile wide gas bubble under the ocean. Thats serious news, or as some would say, breaking news. Since this was the first we had heard of said potential catastrophe, Henry asked me to pull up the wiki page on Mr. Hoagland. As it turns out, Mr. Hoagland has many many ideas on many many things. For instance, he believes that the Obama administration will soon release information pertaining to the discovery of life on Mars. He also posits that we are in the middle of an interplanetary war occurring in Earth's orbit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_C._Hoagland Plug that link into your browser for more of his outrageous assertions (like semi-transparent structures all over the moon which we have never heard reported because all of the astronauts have been hypnotized to forget). Henry and I had a good laugh and then decided to ease this persons mind by sharing our research. This is what we decided to say: "I dont think this is anything to worry about. I was nervous, but then I looked him up. He believes the Obama administration will soon release information about life on mars. He also believes we are in the middle of an interplanetary war within Earth's orbit. No other news agency seems to be reporting this bubble." We also included a link to his wiki. It seemed tactful and friendly -- we were commenting to ease her mind and the minds of others who visit her facebook. No breaking news. The gulf is full of oil, but not about to violently erupt and take out the whole coast. Good news right? Wrong. This is the response we got: You can't invalidate something because Fox News and CNN don't run it. Um.... What????? This wasn't a political argument. The right wing didn't report it, sure, but neither did the left! ALIENS! INTERPLANETARY WARS! HE THINKS HUMANS ARE THE DESCENDANTS OF BEINGS HAVING LIVED ON MARS! HE HAS ZERO, ZILTCH, NO SCIENTIFIC CREDIBILITY. This was not a political argument. I am getting pretty frustrated that every issue must be argued as if political affiliation changes fact. I probably should not get started on global warming, but I think I will touch on it a bit. The data on climate change does not care if you are a Democrat or a Republican. Holding allegiance to one party or the other is not going to rebuild the ozone layer. Let the Geologists be your source of information- you know, the people with the degree and credentials.

Aug, I was really put off by this "friend" for being so defensive. Henry and I both tried very hard to write a comment that was not politically charged or pride wounding. I hope she takes the time to research his claims.

I chose to blog instead of comment back. It would have been ugly. I did type it though, for my own benefit. This is kind of how it went: WHAT??? DID YOU MISS THE ALIENS??? THE INTERPLANETARY WAR??? THIS COMMENT WAS NOT MOTIVATED BY POLITICAL AFFILIATION!!! DID YOU EVEN CHECK THAT LINK??? REALLY??????

Anyway. If you see someone freaking out about a gas bubble exploding, maybe you can find the right words to not get your head bitten off. Maybe this quote from a comment on the video will help: "He is nuttier than a fruitcake!"

I think I might de-friend this person. Clearly she does not know me.

Klondike Bars

I have a serious weakness: Klondike bars. I wake up thinking about how I get to have one after dinner. After this box, I don't think I'm going to buy anymore for a while. A chocolate covered square of ice cream should not consume my waking thoughts.

In other news, lab work is going pretty well. A few weeks ago I admitted that even if I failed the experience would be worth it... I still feel that way. My paper contribution needed some serious trimming, but I learned so much about the difference between a thesis, an abstract, a manuscript, and a journal/conference paper. I've also learned a billion things about excel and SPSS which is pretty exciting. Most of those programs are still magic to me. I'm stoked about my senior year.

My home life is pretty exciting right now too! Henry and I did some serious (serious seems to be a theme) un-cluttering today. We scaled back our DVD, book, and game ownership which was pretty liberating. I think we want to simplify our possessions a lot in this move. Speaking of moving, 14 more days!! Today I got excited for an ice maker. (It took both of us to beat enough ice out of that dumb tray to cool down a glass of water.)

The Fairmont Returns

Today was really really uneventful for the most part, but then it got interesting. I went to the doc, came back and took a nap, cleaned up from camp, and then went swimming. Situation normal. The day continued with Henry and I going to the Wesley. He started feeling sick so we decided to go home. This is where things get interesting/scary/funny. On the way to the apartment, the steering wheel started smoking! We pulled over and walked the rest of the way home. Henry took a nap for a bit to feel better, but now he is working on it. Our neighbor was kind enough to tow it the rest of the way to the apartment. He has most of the steering column disassembled and is fetching his multimeter to test some stuff. Hopefully it it just the blinker (which has had a short for a long while now) and we can get a new set of controls at the dealership. We are lucky to have a good neighbor and friends willing to help us run errands.

Camp, Cars, and Headaches

Let me start this off by saying OMG I'm glad to be home. What was meant to be a four night, five day camp stint became a 6 night, 7 day couch-surfing-palooza. Here's the story:

Camp was so so great. I drove a car down with one of my fav youth riding shot gun. We planned his retirement. After he is an optometrist, he is going to buy a hummer (chill, by then they will be electric/hybrid cars and not gas guzzlers... this is my daydream, don't poke holes in it) and call it the "Think Tank". It will be a transport service, but instead of the driver ignoring the passengers and vice versa, it will be a forum to posit new ideas and foster intelligent discussion. I'm pumped. Eli needs to hurry up and get old.

Once at camp, the youth's eyes were really opened to what it means to walk the Christian walk without putting up a fake front for the world. The theme was avoiding going through the motions and being yourself, but it kind of morphed into a time of learning what it meant to be honest with yourself and how to walk in the "newness of life" without a care for what the world thinks. This honesty really seemed to push the kids closer to truer worship and friendship. It was touching.

The spiritual/growth part of camp was fantastic. The physical aspect was not. The doc told me exercise would help a headache, so instead of reaching for some pills that would likely make me useless for the day, I went hiking with the kids. Bad idea. I lasted about 15 min and then turned around and came back to camp feeling much much worse than before. I was pretty sure I was going to pass out before I made it back. The pain sucked, but that wasn't the worst part. I felt completely irresponsible in that moment. I had two other girls depending on me to lead them back to camp and I wasn't sure I was going to make it myself. It sounds dramatic, and maybe it is, but I felt really disappointed and like an irresponsible adult. I went the pill route as soon as I got back.

As the days progressed, I realized it was a mistake to think I could be the counselor the kids deserved. I couldn't plan small group studies because of this absurd headache and ended up sitting in on Henry's. Luckily, this worked out super well. We made a great team and our group seemed to really benefit from what we talked about.

The most depressing part of camp with a headache was my inability to worship with the group. The more the youth were empowered and inspired, the louder they sang and clapped. Thats my favorite part of camp, singing. I had to listen in from another room. Like small groups though, God seemed to take this apparent handicap and turn it into an opportunity for me to talk to some friends who were seeking advice and conversation. I think we all grew in that little room (It became called "office number two").

I'm hoping it was the lack of sleep/heat/irregular diet that made camp so painful. If things don't ease up by the end of this month, I will be seeking alternative medication for sure. Speaking of, I found relief the last day of camp in a pretty unlikely way: a stretchy head band! I found one at the bottom of the pool not too long ago and decided to give it a try. It felt so great I bought a pack at target when we got back to town (my head is small, so I got the ones for little girls). Its hit or miss if it helps though. Today it just made it worse. Not a bad trick to have up my sleeve though.

Anywho, the trip lasted long after camp ended. On the way back, the car developed a violent vibration. Henry drove it back while I drove the van (yes, a 15 passenger through Memphis) and thought we could make it home. We decided to stay an extra day to debrief so we headed out Saturday night instead of Friday. As soon as we hit interstate, it became apparent that the car had other plans. Nothing was open Sunday so it had to wait until today. I'd like to give a public shout out to Mysee and Morgan and their families for letting Henry and I couch surf for so long.

Being home is great, but I might have to flush fish. He can't make it to the top of the tank and has turned a funny color. I'm kind of bummed.

Congratulations if you made it to the end. There are so many more stories I wish I had time to tell!

Entertaining

Today was such a great day. I found the elusive ball and managed to get on it long enough to churn out a good bit of work. After that triumph, I of course went swimming. That was a lot harder today than it usually is. I'm not sure what was up with that. Anywho, the best part of the day came next. Henry and I got to cook dinner for our friends! Turns out, we love entertaining. Having company over was so great; I hope this happens more often. It was so nice to have a full table and use "the big plates" (As it turns out, they are so big they don't fit on our drying rack. Ha. Maybe we wont use those next time).

I have no segue for this, but orchids are not easy plants. I have had two for a week now and have been super concerned about them. They are so finicky! Too close to the sun, they burn (as in for-real-turn-black burn), too far away and they wilt. Too much water, the roots rot, not enough and they wither. Turn them in a new orientation, they 'stress' (I'm not sure what that looks like, but I'll let you know when it happens). You also aren't supposed to get the leaves wet (again, no clue what happens if you do). I'm lucky to have found a friend to nurse them while I am at camp next week. One of them is supposed to bloom soon so I really hope I'm doing things right.

There is also no segue for the following topic: weekday vegetarians.

http://blog.ted.com/2010/05/why_im_a_weekda.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TEDBlog+%28TEDBlog&utm_content=Google+Reade This guy will explain. Henry and I have been discussing trying this. I was a vegetarian for 40 days and kind of liked it. I felt pretty good and our grocery bill was definitely cheaper. I think I will try this after camp.

Thanks for making it to the end of a really random blog. : )

Super Unproductive

This weekend was super busy, but pretty awesome. We made it to Christian's graduation in time to grab some of the last shade (We may not have seen her graduate, but we heard her!... we are pretty sure we saw her head though... maybe) Tomorrow we get to enjoy another graduation! Ha. It is graduation season for sure. We woke up at 6:30 this morning to come home and, even though I slept nearly the whole way AND had a two hour nap once we got home, I have still gotten nothing done. Not good.

Busy

This week has been busy! I have been writing/doing so much for work which is so great, I love the responsibility and the opportunity (even if I do fail and everything has to be completely revised, I have already learned so much it's worth the fail.). I have also gone swimming nearly everyday! I think swimming helps my mojo. Whatever that is. I just feel better, active. It does not do much for my back though, Henry's hands are probably going to fall off if I ask him to rub it one more time. The Sanderson needs a hot tub/steam room.

This weekend is also full of plans:

* Dinner with Henry's boss (I'm doing the wife thing and making a pie)

* Trip to see Christian graduate with her Masters degree! (With a 4.0!)

* Trip to see Henry's dad, stepmom, and sisters!

I think next week is going to be just as busy. I'll be finishing the same stuff at work, we are going to another graduation, and we leave for camp that weekend! I am so pumped about the trip (even if I do sleep through most of it).

Fate

If I didn't already believe in a divine power, tonight would have sealed the deal/rocked my world. Seeing as I already believe in God and His amazing and amazingly hilarious ways, I just had to laugh. Henry, Kaci, and I signed a lease not too long ago for next semester for the apartment complex Henry lived in last year. If that wasn't representative of how small the world is, just wait. We got our apt. assignment this weekend. It is for the EXACT same apartment. We drove by to make certain. That particular apartment has a rich, long history and I couldn't be more excited to move back in. Now it seems so silly to have round up all the keys and turned them in to only get them back again.

In other, completely unrelated news, I downloaded the Methodist Church app for the itouch. I'm anxious to see if it is awesome/informative or a bust.

Broken

Everything I touched today broke. That might be an exaggeration, let me rephrase: Everything I bought broke. Yesterday, I mentioned purchasing swimming accoutrements. I spent $11 today on goggles, a swim cap, and a nose plug. The goggles broke while trying to extract them from the package. The swim cap ripped while trying to put it over my head at the pool. The nose plug hurt so bad it might as well have been broken. I still went swimming though, of course.

The good stuff

So here is the good stuff that I promised:

1) Kaci and I went swimming again today! We like it so much we are going to buy proper accoutrements soon. (Like swim caps and goggles)

2) We had angel hair and alfredo sauce for dinner, that was good.

3) We made brownies! Warm brownies and ice cream are the best.

4) "90% of women's pheromones come out of their head! Thats why women are so short! So men will fall in love when they hug a woman!"(Phoebe) We are watching Friends

Lunch!!!

I don't want to whine. Lie. I do want to whine. It's my blog and I will do what I want.

I am tired of having the shakes and a headache. It was so bad today I thought I would rip my toenails off for a distraction. My friend in lab suggested I go get some lunch. Lunch? What's lunch? I've been waking up at noon and eating breakfast so I just called it breakfast/lunch and then would eat dinner a million hours later. Duh! I'm hungry! I ate chick-fil-a and drank an absurd amount of water and then felt better! Not perfect, but not like I was going to pull my own toenails out. The shakes, however, did not go away. Frustrating. Anyway, I'm glad for the relief.

I feel like today is a two blogger day. I'll blog upbeat stuff later.

Bass fish and bumble bees

I skipped lab today because I felt terrible. I thought breakfast would help my head, so I had a big bowl of fruity pebbles. With milk. I'm lactose sensitive. I've been easing into milk for a few weeks now and have felt fine. Today, however, my stomach was not pleased. I guess the jump to the big bowl was too much. I think I've learned a valuable lesson though: Fiber matters. Time to take that seriously and pull back on the milk.

I also posit that my headache held over from last night because I didn't get a good nights sleep. What I did get was a crazy crazy dream. I let someone tattoo a giant, bright blue bass fish all the way up my leg surrounded by bumblebees. Then, at some point, I cut my foot and Dr. Kenum (the President of the University) stitched it up for me. So strange. As a result, I could really go for a nap. I'm trying to power through the day though so I have a chance at real sleep tonight.

I have a R,P,S related update:

Tired of the same old rock, paper, scissors? Then do I have the game for you! Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock.

Same rules you know and love with two new twists. Rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitate lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock Crushes scissors.

I can't take credit for this, it came from an episode of 'The Big Bang Theory'. This variation was developed to decrease the amount of possible 'draw' games. Even with two new options, Henry and I still threw the same thing yesterday in the grocery store while we were choosing a BBQ sauce.

I know I already blogged once today, but I have a snippet to add. I'll try not to make this a habit.

Cats are following me. Not one cat, every cat.

I walked out of Magruder yesterday, and there was a cat in front of me as soon as I opened the door. Then, after Henry and I went walking, a cat was waiting for us on the way back to the apartment. Today, a cat was waiting for me outside of piggly wiggly!

I don't like cats.

Surely this is not how cat ladies become cat ladies.

I don't like cats.

The little toaster that couldn't

Henry and I have been married for nine months now. We are now on our third toaster. My parents were married for over thirteen years before they needed a new toaster. We make a lot of waffles, but I dont think that is toaster abuse- I don't know why these things keep breaking but it is getting frustrating.

In other news, the yearly youth camping trip is coming up! I was really excited about it until I woke up this morning/afternoon and realized I am still sleeping twelve hours a day. That is going to have to change (at least temporarily) for camp. Im not competely sold that I will always sleep 12 hours... camp is still three weeks away and I've only been on this dose for a few days, maybe things will even out. Let's hope so.

A friend of mine came up with a new verb today and I like it. She told me I should take a break since I've been "Nancy-Drew-ing it for a while". Ha. I approve.

This one is boring

Today was my first day back in Magruder. The building did not miss me as much as I missed it. Red (a computer) crashed as soon as I sat down at it and the copy machine jammed four times when I tried to use it. Home sweet home.

In other news, I spent the last of my book-buy-back funds on a kavu bag. I like it. A lot. Its polka dotted. Ha, I'm well on my way to be a cool kid from a year or so ago: I've got the shoes, the bag, and the eno! I'm always a little late on the fashion train, I like it that way.

A wagon full of bands

The bandwagon went by at 12:22 AM, and I jumped on it. I'm now a gleek. Thanks Hulu. It took me a long time to type those two sentences. There is still rice stuck under my 'k' button. P.S., if you ever find yourself with a soggy laptop, stick it in a bag of rice for 72 hours. I offer no guarantees, but I'm typing this from a mac that I spilled a whole glass full of water on a few weeks ago. It's not like it was pre water; I have rice stuck in the keys still, and I fried my charging circuitry so I have to be tethered to the wall until we come up with a solution. Even if it is unfixable, I still have a working computer. The trick also seems to work for cell phones and ipods.

Boxes of Soap

I WAS RIGHT! (This is the part where I rant about a married couple argument... Married life is sort of like the sitcoms on T.V. in this respect. Sometimes I'm pretty sure our apartment is bugged for "Everybody Loves Raymond" episodes.) I have been telling Henry for months now that our DVD player is broken. Every single DVD we have tried to watch, be it from movie gallery, block buster, Christian, or brand new from target, skip! A lot! Henry argued that every single one of those DVDs must be damaged. That makes no sense, the common denominator is the DVD player. I'm not sure why he fights so hard for that thing to be without fault, it was free for crying out loud! Its not like we dropped a whole lot of money on some amazing player.... his professor gave it to him after he (the professor) broke the remote. Anyway, I was trying to watch H.P (this being day six of the series) and I was getting overwhelmingly frustrated with the dumb skipping so I switched the DVD to the PS2. And what happened? Presto! No problemo! Every-DVD-Must-Be-Broken my butt! Ha! Vindicated.

I have one more soapbox to stand on today:
Lets talk about facebook security. My cousin sent out a mass message the other day to almost everyone he knows asking for addresses to send graduation invitations to. Everyone has been replying by hitting the "reply all" button so now I have an inbox full of strangers addresses (not to mention an annoying notification every time someone replies). Its the notifications that really bother me this time. I don't expect his family and friends will use these addresses maliciously (although I feel tempted to anonymously send them all free samples of products they don't need). Anyway, the solution is simple. If you look next to the name of the person who sent the mass message, there is a small, blue "reply" button. If you press that button instead, you will be able to send a private message to the sender therefore enhancing your security and preventing annoying notifications from/for everyone else. I've written several friendly messages to this thread, but I can't make myself send them. I'm already the black sheep so I'm afraid that any "helpful" hints will be seen as patronizing. Sticky situation. Thank goodness for blogs.

Oatmeal and R,P,S

So I titled my blog "Married life and other giongs on" because I really wanted a themed blog. If Henry had let me buy that cupcake book at Books-A-Million, you would be seeing a picture of an amazing duck cupcake... or one that looks like fried rice. With that said, I picked married life as a theme but clearly am not sticking to that. No change today, still no words of wisdom or lessons learned from married life. (Other than the realization that cleaning to the kitchen means staking the dishes in the sink in some sort of tetris inspired masterpiece so the counters look clean. In his defense, I don't let him actually do the dishes... he misses stuff. Lots of stuff. But I still love him.) I also learned that oatmeal really will turn into cement if you leave it. Oops.

Other news: Rock, Paper, Scissors is so a biblical way to make tough decisions. Its how Matthias replaced Judas as the twelfth disciple. Ok, so Acts chapter 1 really says "cast lots", but thats close to flipping a coin which is one step away from rock, paper, scissors. Its not really that far of a stretch.

Awww, walk down memory lane: Before Henry and I started dating, he played R,P,S with the other band mates to see if he should date me. Who knew that game would change our life : ) Interesting tid bit, he lost the first time and demanded they play two out of three.... clearly he wanted to date me. : )

Doctors Orders

I have a medical excuse for the whole not waking up until 1:00 pm thing! Turns out that "drowsy" label is an understatement. Anywho, that medication is no longer effective so he upped the dosage... which will make me sleep even more. Good thing it's summer. He also offered some new insight into the possible causation of said headaches. Evidently I am a type A person. (I was going to post a link to the wiki page, but their description of type A is kind of a downer.) This is causing high pulse, tremors, and headaches (and can cause early heart disease). If this is still the case in a month, I'll try some beta blockers which should take care of all of that. In the meantime, I am on a higher dose of what worked before and have been told to chill out for a while. Oh, and exercise more. How those two go together, I don't know. I'm guessing yoga is in my future. While I was there, he popped my neck in a few places. THEN he told me my neck would be sore and my headache would be worse for the next 24 hrs, but then feel better. Im not sure how I feel about this... other than sore. I guess if that part is true, then maybe the rest is too. His other advice was getting head massages. Now thats something I can get behind. We'll see how it goes : )

Green Beans, H.P., Hanson, and Chocos

I can't sleep. Probably because I woke up a little after 1:00 this afternoon and then did absolutely nothing all day but watch Seventh Heaven. I don't even like Seventh Heaven all that much. Luckily this ended when a friend called around six and Henry and I went out to eat with him. The evening was finished with the third installment of a six night series in which Henry and I watch all of the Harry Potter movies. Haha, I guess that cat is out of the bag. I'm sort of a Harry Potter fan. I blame the green beans from my dad's church for that one. I had only a slight interest in Harry Potter movies prior to those particular green beans. You see, I got a nasty stomach bug after eating a laaaaarge amount leftover pot luck green beans (I realize now that that's sketch) and my family refused to let me out of my room and would only shove Harry Potter DVDs under the door. I watched the ones that were out at the time and then was overwhelmed with this urge to know what happens in the end of the series. My husband refused to tell me the end, but let me borrow all of his books after the bug passed. I read them all pretty quickly after that. The last one is amazing, and the books are more detailed than the movies. Nonetheless, I still can't wait for the last book to come out in theaters.

Speaking of media (thats a terrible segue, I know), I am super pumped about seeing Hanson in the fall! I realize the chances of someone reading this and taking me seriously are slim, but if you will humor me and check out their new album on myspace, you might be amazed. Puberty did those three well (as did switching genres).

I have no segue for this, but I would like to talk about my new shoes for a moment. I finally broke down and bought some Choco's for my birthday. I have wanted these shoes for a few years now, but never tried any on. I had some free time last week and went to Reed's to try some on, just for fun. I couldn't take them off! It's like I had never worn real shoes before. I was so excited, that I refused to take them off and walked out of the store with them on! (I paid for them first, of course!) Once I got home, I realized that I had probably bought a size too small. After texting a friend, that conclusion was confirmed. They were so great, I didn't even notice I had french fries and biscuits! (French fries: toes hang off the front, Biscuits: Heel hangs off the back... terminology from a friend in NOLA) Embarrassingly, I went back for a size nine. Best. Shoes. Ever.