What Goes Around... Always Finds Me

Apparently, this is the time of year that my body just decides, "Hey! You know what you need? A cold! I'll get on that for you!"

This year's late winter cold was a gift from Hubby (as my mom said, he such a good sharer!). I tried to take care of him and myself while he was sick, but with school and work both being a bit nuts, I failed to protect myself from getting this bug. 

On Thursday morning I had a sore throat and was starting to cough. That night Hubby made me grilled cheese and tomato soup, something my dad always did for me as a kid when I didn't feel well. By Friday I had a mild fever, my nose wouldn't stop running, and my throat still hurt. Hubby got me some more Nyquil and some orange juice, all the good stuff that would (hopefully) make me feel better. I took Thursday and Friday evenings off from homework, thinking that pushing myself would only make it worse. I guess I'll never know for sure, but it didn't seem to work that way at all.

Saturday was definitely the worst. By mid-afternoon I had already gone through almost 2 boxes of tissues and was so hot that I wanted to turn on the a/c (but settled for Hubby bringing me an ice pack to cool my neck/back). No matter how I felt, I still had to get homework done and study for an exam on Sunday, so I did my best to push forward. It was stressful to say the least, and that night I got to a max temp of 101.3 (not terrible, thank goodness, but enough). I tried to sleep, but it took me over an hour to finally crash (even with Nyquil). Even then, I was waking myself up with coughing fits every few hours, and during one of the fits, I ended up changing my pajamas because I had sweat through them. Lovely.

I felt better when I woke up Sunday, but I still felt pretty crappy. Somehow I managed to get a 97% on my exam, even feeling like shit, and that kicked off my spring break week. It was a lazy afternoon (complete with 3-hour nap), which was beautiful. I've been slowly feeling better since then (even though my voice hasn't gotten the memo), but have still been waking up with coughing fits. When I was little, waking up coughing meant that Mom would take me into the living room, give me a hard candy to suck on and put me in her lap while she sang to me. These days it means trying not to wake Hubby up (which, really, I shouldn't be too concerned about; he sleeps through anything), and trying to get the coughing spell over with as quickly as possible to maximize sleep time before the alarm goes off and work becomes a reality. When a fit woke me up at about 6 this morning, I almost didn't bother getting out of bed. I hoped maybe it would resolve itself, but it didn't. And now I'm paying for it, groggily sliding through the day, hoping that I can make enough sense out of things to get by until I can sleep again.

Here's hoping that you and yours are all feeling better than we have the past two weeks... Well, except Maxine. She's doing just fine. :)

It's Alive!

Yep, I'm still alive and kickin'. Why has it been so long? Suffice it to say that I'm a bit busy these days.

This semester I'm taking a 4-credit research methods course for Psych, which is really interesting and I'm learning a lot, but it is time-consuming to boot. Thank goodness that it's what I want to do with my life and that I really do want to learn the material, or else it would be reaaaaaaaaally boring.

In addition to that, I'm taking a history of rock and roll class, which I thought would be a less intensive class to pair with psych. I was wrong. <rant> This class is tedious and annoying. The grading is not only entirely subjective (on papers, anyway), but we are graded against one another. Seriously. Here's an excerpt from an email our instructor sent:

"[Your papers] are read and graded subjectively based on the stated expectations listed in the Syllabus. INART instructors are not obligated to furnish graded papers, which would be nearly impossible given the time constraints. 

Additionally, your writing is graded on its own quality along with how it stacks up compared to others in this section. You may write a perfectly acceptable paper on Chuck Berry. Many other students might write one on that same subject. The better versions will get the higher grades. There are not a lot of A+ papers. They have to be REALLY GOOD and I know them when I read them. The median grade is usually B-/B+ for acceptable, but not especially memorable papers. Those papers make their case but may not offer especially interesting or thought provoking support. I usually hear from students that tell me they put effort into the writing, answered the question, and followed my instructions. That may be true, but it does not necessarily guarantee the highest grades. Someone may have said the same thing better."

So, I don't get any feedback on my paper (I can ask for a "quick recap" of why he graded the way he did), and I'm graded against everyone else. So if there happens to be another paper that chose a similar argument to make (these are primarily position papers) and our instructor likes that paper better, I get a lower score, even though I followed all instructions and met all criteria. Grand.

Oh, and how could I possibly forget that some of the quiz questions are subjective, too? I got a True/False question wrong on my first quiz. The question read something along the lines of "Rock and roll is clearly the combination of blah, blah..." I marked it True, because our book said that several music historians and experts believed that it was a combo of whatever. It was supposed to be False, apparently, because it wasn't "clear" enough. Really? Pretty sure that's subjective, and if a bunch of experts in the field believe it to be true, that's "clear" enough for me. But hey, that's cool. Feel free to completely brush me off when I write an email about this and asking whether or not future questions would also be subjective.

OK, OK. I know I'm being a whiny bitch. But I was really looking forward to this class. Don't get me wrong... I do enjoy the music we get to listen to and I love learning the history behind certain songs or musicians, but I don't feel like the quizzes (2/3 of my final grade, BTW) really measure what I've learned, or that the papers (the other 1/3 of my grade) are graded to reflect my understanding of the topic and material. This isn't a writing class; the syllabus specifically says that. And yet... Ugh. </rant>

Anywhoozles, any "free" time I have that doesn't involve work or school has pretty much been taken up with Uncharted 3 (a game on the PS3), reading (I'm on the third book of the Game of Thrones series aka "A Song of Ice and Fire" series) or sleeping. I've gotten out to do a few fun things. Like last weekend we went to the Pet Expo and I got to meet Wallace the Pitbull. And later this week we're going to a hockey game. And before the semester started, Hubby, Maxine and I went up to Door County for a long weekend (you can see/vote for some of my pictures from that trip at Capture Door County).

Spring break is in 3 weeks, and while we're not doing anything so exciting as last year's Disney trip, it will be so nice to have a whole week without homework. Hubby and I are even taking a day off of work together. Partly because we're getting a new fridge delivered (YAY!), but mostly because my weekends are pretty full of homework, so we need a day together to just relax. Can. Not. Wait.

Well, I suppose I should get back to my busy life. 

Weeeee.

Here we go!

Nov. 10 - On Saturday, I was thankful for...

Caffeine.

When I have a day full of homework ahead of me, it's nice to have the power of caffeine to back me up. I don't do coffee. I know, I know. But I don't like it. I would love to like it! Just hasn't happened yet. Mt Dew (also known to me as the sweet, sweet elixir of life and the nectar of the gods) is my caffeine of choice, and whether it's the actual effect of the caffeine or a placebo effect, it helps keep me going. I'm definitely thankful for that.

And, of course, I am thankful for its other use in my life: relieving headaches. I get a lot of headaches (it runs in the family), and sometimes there's no relief to be found. But, for some headaches, a healthy dose of caffeine can be just the thing to save me from ramming my head into the nearest wall or trying to bash my own skull in with a hammer in hopes of easing the pain.

Nov. 11 - On Sunday, I was thankful for...

Veterans. 

It's the obvious choice for Veterans Day, I know, but it's also an important thing to be grateful for. I'm not one to frequently swell with pride in my country, but I try to remember that freedom is not actually free. It comes at a cost; sometimes a high one. 

I'm thankful for the men and women who have fought for my freedom, who have paid the price for that freedom without even knowing me. I'm thankful for the families that support them and the strength they have to share their loved ones with us all. Truly, I am.

Nov. 12 - Today I am thankful for...

DVR.

Hubby and I love to settle in and watch TV together, but it's not always easy to catch shows as they air. And by not always easy, I mean damn near impossible. We're busy people who like to get out and enjoy life, so the option to sit at home to wait for the newest episode of [insert popular TV show here] is not usually the one we take. 

In fact, we've been so busy lately that we were WAY backlogged on our recorded shows! And when we had some issues with our cable and found out we might lose everything on our DVR, I about flipped my shit. Thankfully that didn't happen, so last night we burned through several hours worth of shows from the last few weeks. 

I'm sure people think it's a silly thing to be thankful for, but I really love having that time to spend with my husband and my dog. It's relaxing and entertaining, and it always feels amazing to veg out on the couch with my family after a long day of work or homework. And that, to me, is worth being thankful for.

Sooooooooo ready...

I had this whole idea for today's post, but homework (for which I am not so thankful) has kept me far too busy to go into detail. Alas, I shall save it for another day.

Instead... 11/3 - I am thankful for...

Long weekends. 

I cannot freakin' WAIT for Thanksgiving weekend! I have no school assignments that week, which means I can spend the whole 4-day weekend relaxing. Even if I did have some homework, it would still be 4 days without work, which makes getting homework done WAY easier.

4-day weekends are a magical, wonderful things. Seriously. Does anyone out there NOT like having four days in a row off?? (I'm picturing someone somewhere saying they don't like it, but I still don't believe them. It's 4 days without work. Even if you love your job, it's still awesome to have 4 "me" days!).

Anywhoozles, that's all I have time to post for now. Gotta get studied up for an exam in Psych and get some homework done for Logic. Wooooooo...

Blah.

So, let's pretend that I don't have a full-time job and I don't attend school part-time.  We'll just pretend I'm some slacker who has nothing better to do than sit around all day.  What would I do?  

I think my days would start around 9-ish.  I'd eat breakfast and chill with the dog.  There'd be reading.  Lots of reading.  And TV/movie time.  And video games (even though I'm terrible at them).  And time on the computer, of course.  I'd have more time to cook and bake.  And with all that free time, I might actually exercise now and then.  And, if I could motivate myself to go anywhere alone, I could go take pictures whenever I wanted.  Nothing would be rushed, and things would get done when I was ready to do them.

Now, back to reality.  My day starts at 7:30 when I let the dog out and get my computer all ready to go.  Breakfast normally occurs sometime between 8 and 9, and is eaten while I work.  I usually have some kind of frozen food or leftovers for lunch around noon and then take my official lunch break at one (during which I typically play video games or do chores).  I work until just after four and then I usually take a post-work nap to revive myself.  After that, it's a combination of finding/fixing/eating dinner, watching TV with Hubby, doing homework, keeping up with FB or Skype, and a few video games here and there.  By 11, I'm usually brushing my teeth (if not already in bed), and then (if I'm awake enough) I have time to read a bit before I go to sleep.

Weekends are only slightly different.  Instead of work, I do homework all day (alternating with naps, puppy cuddles, and computer time).  But the same general stuff applies.  

I'm not really complaining.  I like working from home (even if I'm not crazy about my job), and 7:30 isn't nearly as early as most people probably get up for work.  I do get time to do some fun stuff in between, but weekends are mostly blown because on weeknights, all I want to do after work is relax, so homework gets piled up for Sat and Sun.  It's not bad, but I do look forward to the day when it's only work and not work + school to worry about.  Too bad it'll be another 4 years...

This blog post really didn't turn out the way I thought it would.  Not going to bother posting on FB.  Whoever reads it, reads it.  No one will be lost or missing out if they skip it.     

Soooooo close...

As Hubby informed me this morning, "Riki... It's Wednesday."  In my world, this is both good and bad.

Good, obviously, because we leave for vacation on Friday night.  That means a whole week without work.  A week without homework.  A week with my hubby and bestie.  A week in the magical world of Disney.  And, among other things, it means a road trip with my hubs and a (brief) visit with a good friend in Atlanta!  There is lots of good coming my way!

The bad?  It's Wednesday.  Before we leave Friday evening around 5, I have to finish taking notes from a recent lecture and take a quiz for Forensic Science.  AND I have to take a psych mid-term.  Usually I do these things over the weekend, but clearly, that's not an option, so I'm a little stressed out.  And it's not like I have all the time in the world.  I do work full time.  And I have to pack.  And I have to find some time to relax and/or sleep so I don't become Rikzilla.  

It also means that Miss Maxine will be boarded for over a week.  :-(  I so badly wish we could bring her with us.  Anytime we leave her behind, I just know that she thinks we've abandoned her, and I cannot STAND that thought.  Fortunately, she'll be boarded somewhere familiar (our vet offers boarding) and she'll have her bed and Rocky (her favorite toy).  I just wish I could do more to make her understand that we DO love her and we WILL be coming back.  The whole language barrier between species makes that pretty difficult, though.  

The silver lining of boarding her, though, is that it's one of the few times she'll voluntarily interact with other dogs.  Maxine is a little too territorial and protective of us, so normally when she encounters another dog, she barks like crazy (with some whining thrown in for good measure).  When she's boarded, we're not around to protect and she's on neutral turf.  We actually have photo evidence that she can get along with other canines in that situation!  In fact, she seems to make friends!  Who knew, huh?

So, maybe instead of thinking of it as a week of boarding, I should think of it as a week of socialization and play dates.  It's like camp for dogs!  And she'll just be that much happier to see us when we come pick her up after vacay.  Yep.  That's my story and I'm sticking with it. 

For now...

Disney References, Molestaches & Mexican Wrestlers

As you can probably (not) tell from the title of this post, it was a most excellent/interesting weekend.  Allow me to explain.

Disney References: Friday night and much of Saturday was spent studying for my Meteo final, which I took Saturday night.  Now, as I may (or may not) have mentioned, I am not a fan of the professor/instructor for this class.  Within the first few weeks, he put me off by seeming unfriendly and unwilling to accept criticism.  He also didn't give great answers to questions when they were asked (he was one of those, "Well, what do YOU think the answer is?" kind of teachers), nor did he do much in the way of feedback.  Boo.  

Anywhoozles, I started the exam on Saturday night after TONS of studying, and I actually had to give the prof some credit.  For one, the exam wasn't nearly as brutal as it could have been (it was cumulative for the whole semester, which made me think it would be the death of me).  Many of the questions were very straightforward (whereas questions on weekly quizzes had often been hard to follow or tricky), which was much appreciated.  But what really got me was one of the first questions.  I forget what the actual question was, but it was related to water, and it essentially asked, "The concept of blahblahblah relates to the idea that ____________."  Since all questions were multiple choice, I had 4 answers to pick from.  Fortunately, I knew the right answer, so when one of the possible choices was, "All drains lead to the ocean," I actually giggled.  All I could think of was Finding Nemo, and that helped me relax for the rest of the exam.  I got an A.  :-)

Molestaches: Sunday was a lazy day, since it was my first day being done with the semester.  I did almost nothing all day.  But last night was an event I had been looking forward to for a loooooong time.  Yes, my dears, I went to see Bowling For Soup!  They.  Were.  AWESOME!  Fortunately for us, Shank Hall is a smaller venue in the Milwaukee area, so it was a relatively small concert.  As such, a girl in the audience (near the stage) raised her hand.  "Um, we normally don't do Q&A, but what the hell!  What's your question?"  The girl then asked why the bassist had decided to grow a molestache (aka a mustache that makes one look like a molester).

Now, the poor guy wasn't feeling well.  He had almost no voice, but he didn't let it stop him from not only playing, but completely rocking out.  Instead of taking the blow of a potentially harsh insult, he actually retorted with, "Maybe you'll find out later."  I about pissed myself.  LOVED it.  

Mexican Wrestlers:  On our way home from the show, we went through part of downtown Milwaukee.  During this drive, my husband randomly said, "There's a Mexican wrestler over there."  I looked out my window and there was a group of 3 people walking, one of which had a Mexican wrestling mask on (along with the standard T-shirt and jeans attire of springtime in Wisconsin).  "Huh...  So there is!"  

Clearly, it was a fantastic weekend.  Well, aside from a whole day of studying on Saturday.  But still!  At least I got an A out of all that studying.  Booya!

Also, for those interested, Bowling For Soup was a great show to see.  If you get the chance, I encourage you to go!  Not only are their songs fun and full of energy, the band members themselves seem to have a great time on stage, which makes it even more fun for everyone involved.

Oh!  And before I forget, I am now one of a handful of people who can say that they learned of Bin Laden's death from Bowling For Soup.  Random, but awesome!    

End of Semester Freak Out

Yep.  Here it comes.  I am approximately one week from the end of the semester and was HOPING to get through it without a freak out.  But here I am, freaking out.

I have a paper to write for my psych course that I cannot for the life of me figure out.  In a nutshell, I have to pick a myth or superstition and explain how I can use 2 of the following methods to evaluate it: observations of behavior, self-report (surveys, testimonials, etc), psychological tests (tests meant to evaluate limits or abilities directly related to the superstition), physiological measures (measuring based on heart rate, blood pressure, etc) and/or task performance (for example, measuring verbal abilities via crossword puzzles).

One little caveat: We can't chose a superstition that has to do with food or drink, OR that could possibly bring harm or death to participants (even if it seems impossible).  

I am beyond stumped.  Every time I think I have one, I can come up with ONE way to test it, but can't figure out how to test it a second way.  Oh, did I mention I actually have to execute one of the tests, too?  Yeah.  This paper's due on FRIDAY.  I haven't been able to pick a damn superstition yet, let alone come up with a way to test it, so clearly I don't have any willing participants signed up either.  

I'm about at the end of my rope, kids.  I mean, I could take a break and do some other studying, but it's pretty clear to me that I need to get the ball rolling if I'm going to finish on time, so I feel stuck. :-(  

Thanks for letting me vent, dear readers.  Enjoy the weekend and happy Easter!

A Simpler Time

So, things have gotten a bit stressful these past few weeks, with no intention of letting up until next month.  Oof.  Between a mandatory work meeting, an upcoming trip to visit my 80-year old grandpa in Mississippi and tons of work for my classes (including a paper, an exam, and several chapters of reading), I'm ready to go back to being a kid for awhile.  

You know what I'm talking about, right?  The hardest decision of the day would be shoes with laces or velcro.  Dinner would be on the table, already made and tasty to boot.  Homework would take 15 minutes (tops) and going outside was the fun part of the day.  I'm badly wishing I could do a reverse Big.

Since that's not an option (there's not a Zoltar machine in view), the only thing I can do is listen to music that takes me back to a simpler time.  Without further ado, here are 5 songs from my iTunes library that always make me feel like a kid again:

1) 4 Non Blondes - "What's Up?" I can clearly remember this song being played at every single middle school dance that I attended.  Whenever I hear it, I just find myself swaying back and forth and singing as loud as I can, "And I say heeeeeey-yaaaaay-yaaaaay-yaa-haaaay, heeeeeeey-yaaaaaay-yaaaaay.  I say hey, what's going on?"  (As a side note, this song also reminds me of my one night at Karaoke Kid...  someone did this song and the whole bar burst into song at the chorus; it was magical.)

2) Carole King - "You Make Me Feel (Like A Natural Woman)" As my dad once told a boyfriend of mine (after a few drinks), "Picture this: 3-year-old Erika.  Flat-chested as a boy.  Belting out 'You Make Me Feel (Like A Natural Woman)' in her carseat!"  Embarrassing as that moment was for me, it's all true.  Anytime I hear this song, I almost feel like I'm back in the car with my mom on the way home from one of dad's softball games trying not to fall asleep before we pull into the garage. 

3) The Jackson 5 - "I'll Be There"  When I was younger, there were only two movies in my life: Now & Then and Clueless (and yes, I have the soundtracks for both).  My best friend and I used to sing along to virtually every song in Now & Then, but we always had a thing for this song in particular.  "Just call my naaaaame-buh, and I'll be there."  No, I'm not sure why we added a 'B' sound to the end of name.  That's just how we rolled.

4) The Beatles - "Michelle"  This probably sounds like a strange one, but it makes sense to me.  Remember those Saturday morning classes that some of your parents probably made you take?  Well, when I was 8, my parents wanted me to sign up, so I picked French.  We really didn't learn much except the very basics, but it was fun.  One day I was listening to my dad's Beatles tapes and "Michelle" came on.  I recognized the phrase, "très bien" since this was something our teacher said to us when we got something right (it means "very good").  So I asked my mom (who had taken French in high school) what the rest of the line was.  Once I learned a whole sentence in French, I was on top of the world.  I still feel pretty cool when I sing along today.

5) Big Bird & Waylon Jennings - "Ain't No Road Too Long"  This one is classic.  I grew up on Follow That Bird (this has been brought up in the past, and will no doubt appear in later posts).  My sisters* (including my best friend) all baby sat for me at one point or another, and all were subjected to this movie multiple times.  I hear this song, and I can picture being in the basement at my parents' house, piling pillows and blankets on the floor to bounce on while singing along with Big Bird.  If that's not bliss, I'm not sure what is.

So what songs remind you of being a kid?

Hope everyone has a happy Friday and a wonderful weekend!  :-)    

*Technically, I'm an only child.  But if you ask me, I have 3 awesome big sisters (who are all actually sisters) that I grew up with.  We might not be blood-related, but we're definitely family. 

The Sky Is NOT Blue

Well, it is.  But it isn't.  Really.  Apparently it's only blue because our brain associates the visible radiation with what we've been taught to call "blue" or "sky blue."  So our brain (not our eyes) sees it as blue.  Weird.

(Forgive me if you already know this and are thinking, "Wow, Erika...  Just catching on, are you?"  It was part of my meteorology reading last night and I thought it was cool.  So nah!)

Anywhoozles, sorry to disappoint, but we ended up not making ANY recipe on Friday night.  Instead, hubby made himself a steak and I got an asparagus and cheese stuffed chicken breast from the meat counter at Pick n Save that I heated up in the toaster oven.  We also grabbed a couple of rolls and had some drinks (mmmm... amaretto stone sour).  Nothing fancy, but still delicious.  :-)

Hubs made dinner last night, so tonight's my turn, I suppose.  I've got a couple chicken boobs thawing, so hopefully I can make something tasty out of them.  We'll see.

Oh, and if you feel like taking a break from the blah-ness of Tuesday, here's a fun quiz to take: Troy McClure Film or Actual Terrible Movie?  This quiz is probably more fun (or at least a bit easier) if you're a Simpsons fan, but even if you aren't, some of the actual terrible movies are still pretty... terrible.  

Enjoy!

It's Frickin' Freezin', Mr. Bigglesworth...

Seriously.  Right now it's -5 degrees F outside, with a windchill of -24.  Today's high is 9.  I really hate when the high is a single digit like that.  Makes me frowny.  :-(

On the up side, it is finally Friday.  Huzzah!  This Friday I'm all anxious because I have lots (and I mean LOTS) of reading to do this weekend for my psych class.  I tried to make it through the first chapter of reading last night...  Of the 22 pages, I made it through 13 of them.  And it took me 2 hours.  I normally LOVE this stuff, but it's still intro reading and, as such, boring as hell.  Boo.

Anywhoozles, today I think I need some more mellow songs to keep me from jumping right out of my skin.  You know, something to sway to, something to sing to...  Things like that.  Nothing too bouncy, but not too sad either.  Here are my choices (links included):

1) Bruno Mars - "The Lazy Song"  I said last week that if you needed a more mellow song, this one would be my suggestion.  I just effing love Bruno Mars, and this song is the perfect chill out song.

2) Incubus - "Are You In?"  Actually, most Incubus songs would fit for a mellow day.  I picked this one because it's mellow-ish while staying fun.

3) Melody Gardot - "Baby I'm A Fool"  OK, so this one's maybe a touch sad, but still nice.  Melody has a great voice and her smooth, jazzy style is just right for today.

4) Plain White T's - "Rhythm of Love"  To counter the previous song, this one is a bit bouncier, but still calms my nerves.

5) UB40 - "Red Red Wine"  If you grew up in the 90's, you should have a soft spot for this one.  Yes, I know it's a remake, but this reggae version is more fun and more chill than the original, if you ask me.

Got any chill songs to share with me?  Leave a comment!

TGIF to you all! <3

Do You Mind?

That was the title of last night's psych lesson about the mind-body debate.  Here's how I know I'm in the right field - I was geeking out right and left about some of the stuff being discussed.  No lie.  I am a nerd and a half, kids!  Love it.

Anywhoozles, there was some pretty crazy stuff that came out of the lesson and I figured some of it was interesting enough to share.  Here goes.

• People used to think that "madness" (what we would typically now call mental illness) was caused by, well, the devil.  They thought people were being possessed or that there were demons in the brain.  All sorts of crazy shit, right?  Even crazier was that in the Stone Age, they thought drilling holes into people's heads to let the demons out was a reasonable (and helpful) form of treatment.  Ouch.
• Approx 90% of Americans believe in some form of Heaven, and another 72% believe in Angels.  People tend to believe that the mind and body (brain) are separate entities and that one's mind - spirit - lives on after death.  In fact, some people actually think that within the next decade or so, we'll be able to upload our spirits to a computer once our bodies have expired so that we can later be downloaded to a new vessel.  And that, my friends, creeps me the hell out.
• Hippocrates (you know, the guy we named the Hippocratic Oath after) was kind of out there.  He thought mental illness was caused by an imbalance of what he called "humors" (biological fluids).  So, essentially, if one of our fluids was out of balance (too much, too little, etc), that's when mental illness strikes.  Even weirder is the fact that he related some of these fluids to different elements and personality traits.  For example, Fire = Blood.  This fluid is responsible for traits like confidence and optimism.  Whereas Earth = Black Bile, which causes depression and frustration.  I guess I have a little too much Earth and not enough Fire, then, eh?

These are just a few of the random things I learned last night.  I'm not going to lie...  I'm excited for the rest of this class now!  If we're going to be learning crazy things like this, I am SO in!  :-D

S A T-U-R D-A-Y Night!

Ok, not quite there yet, but I'm SO excited for the game tonight!

Even if the Packers lose (which I'm not saying is going to happen, but IF it happens), I think it'll be a great game to watch and I'm just pleased that we're this far into the playoffs.  :-)

I spent this afternoon struggling through the reading for my Psych course (intro readings are always the worst), so now I'm looking forward to a bit of a break.  

Hubby's out on a bar crawl (15 on 15 on the 15th - 15 bars on the 15th of the month along bus route 15, I think), so it should be interesting to see him later (it started at noon).  However, it does make the afternoon less exciting.  I can't help but feel so bored when I have the house to myself.  Even with Miss Maxine here!

Maxine, of course, is napping.  Shocking, I know.  Last night after a quick trip to the grocery store, we came home to find she had torn up a few cardboard boxes laying around.  This wouldn't have been SO bad except that one of the boxes was a Kleenex box that still had tissues in it.  Oh, and the fact that she has a bajillion toys laying around that she could have played with, but no.  Had to destroy boxes.  FCOL.

On that note, I'm off to find something fun to do.  Or clean.  But probably something fun to do.