My Life in the Real World

New Year...New Job...Different Goals

2010-01-06T11:11:00.003-05:00

It's another year, and while I could say that one resolution is to blog more often, it's not. Since writing has never been an aspiration but rather an outlet for frustration, I've never been one to write when things are going well. It seems too much like bragging. However, since it is a new year, and it has started out with some big changes, I figured it was worth an entry.

At the end of December, I left my first post-doc; at the beginning of January, I started a new post-doc. So far, three days in, I'm enjoying the new job fairly well. While the camaraderie isn't really there yet, I've met a lot of nice people so far all more than willing to help. The project is interesting, and I definitely have a bunch to learn. I'm currently working on reading a bunch of papers to get up to speed in the field. I'm hoping to learn a lot from this experience and I'm very optimistic about this job.

Decisions and Changes

2009-07-27T10:32:00.003-04:00

This past weekend, I made up my mind about somethings that are potentially big and life altering. Jeremy and I discussed it, and we both liked the ideas. The timeline's not set in stone, but we didn't find any glaring holes or issues with feasibility. I'm not going to elaborate any more on it because we're not sure any of it will work out the way we plan. A lot of it is contingent on something I'm working on now and which path we take. Needless to say, I'm actually more excited than scared because of how dramatically life will change. I'm going to embrace change instead of fretting about it and trust in God about the direction we're choosing.

Amazing

2009-05-08T10:50:00.002-04:00

My husband amazes me. I have been with him through some very hard times where there was nothing I could do but sit on the sidelines and offer words of encouragement. I've also been there with him when things aren't just going great, they are going splendidly. Through it all, I'm wowed by his poise and his determination.

He decided several days ago that he was seriously considering graduate school. He told me his decision on Monday morning. In my mind, he'd decided this, and we were going to start looking into options and processes. In actuality, he'd found the programs and had started on the applications. As I sit here on Friday, he's filled out all the applications, looked into getting official transcripts and started thinking about the GRE. His goals for this weekend is to finish the essays, get the recommendations needed for each program, and take at least one practice GRE.

Normally, this frenetic pace of activity would be my mo. He's usually more laid back with a slower pace for life. Instead, he's taken it upon himself to do all this and remain motivated. He explained his reasoning to me last night, and I am totally behind him in his pursuits. I just never thought that he would want to go back to school after what it took to get him through school in the first place.

Traveling

2009-04-24T11:57:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since Jeremy and I have been on vacation, and I'd forgotten how nice it is to get away. We promised ourselves that once we were married, we'd travel and vacation more. That hasn't really been the case. Sure, we go out of town, but it hasn't really been vacations as much as going out of town.

While there are plenty of places I'd like to see in the US, I think I'm going to plan a mega trip to Europe. I can't decide if I want to take many 1 week trips or maybe devote say 3 weeks to the venture and see everything at once. Then there's the issue of going to cities that I've been to already but want to share with Jeremy. I'd like to go to Paris with Jeremy, but France is low on the list for him. Also, while I'd like to see historical sites, museums aren't high on my list.

So far, the destinations I'd like to go to include the UK (mainly London), France (Paris/Nice), Germany, Italy, and maybe some Eastern European countries. If this is all in one trip, it'll be a very exhausting, on the go trip, but I don't think we'd regret it. I know that if I'm staying in a city for a week, I tend to not go out and sightsee with the same urgency. I don't think I want to do a guided tour thing but rather hope on the train and see the sights. I wonder if I could get a bunch of people to travel with us or if it would be better to do this on our own.

Good Friday

2009-04-10T15:44:00.002-04:00

I had the opportunity to have lunch with Jeremy today. He had the day off and we got to spend 30 minutes enjoying each other's company in the middle of the day. While we spend a lot of time together, it was a nice out of routine event.

Life's been good. Experiments have been working well, so it's been extra busy at work (which I really like). It does get very tiring though.

Peace

2009-04-01T11:36:00.002-04:00

After the last few days of limbo, I have found a semblance of peace over this basketball situation. I don't mind that the coach left for another school. I am happy for the good times we had the last several seasons. Had he simply just left though I would have remembered him for the great times and as a good coach. However, it seems like he strung the boosters and the school along in order to contact his recruits before he officially took the new job and barred from contacting them and used these same players as leverage to convince us to let him pick his replacement. Now instead of being thought of as the savior of the program, he's shown himself to be someone who cares very little of how he's thought of in the city. It remains to be seen as to where we go from here. I have certain coaches I'd like to see hired, and there are coaches that I would loathe to see fill the position. We'll also see how the players situation plays out. I don't want to see this program fade into mediocrity, but it is time for the administration to step up in a big way if they want the continued support of the avid fans. For now, I'm going to keep up with the news, but what's done is done.

College Basketball

2009-03-31T10:41:00.003-04:00

This post is going to be more of a rant about the state of Tigers basketball and Tigers sports in general, so feel free to skip it if it doesn't interest you.

The shitstorm that has been stirred up in the last few days has been epic. It started with the coach publicly stating that there is no way he's leaving the university for a more prominent program. Then, over the weekend, rumors started that he had in fact flown to said school to discuss terms with the officials there. Our AD came out and said the rumors were untrue and he never gave the other school permission to speak to our coach. On Monday, our AD states on record that he's given permission for the other school to speak to our coach.

I understand that this is the way of college athletics. If you are a good coach, you will be courted by every school under the sun. I also fully understand that $6 million is a lot of money and even though you are already a millionaire, it's a huge raise. That being said, there is a classy way to go about contract negotiations. The basketball program has once again reached the level of national recognition, and the coach had a lot to do with it. Do I think he's going to stay forever? Well, no, I'm not that naive. Had I found out yesterday that he was leaving, I would've wished him the best of luck, even though I was sick to my stomach over it.

However, in the wake of the negotiations with the other school, it came out that he was likely going to take not only the incoming recruits, but he was also working on getting releases for current players so they could all follow him to the new school. If you want to leave our program for a new one because it is better for you and your family, that's fine. It is however very classless to gut our program in the process. I understand that with any coaching change that some players decide to leave and go elsewhere. That's fine. If they don't want to play here, again, I wish them well. However, if you are using the current players as a threat to get your way, then that's lower than low. I don't care if it's done elsewhere. The behavior is wrong, and it shouldn't be something that's condoned, and if our AD even considers releasing the players to leave with the coach, he needs to get his head examined. We may as well just dismantle the entire program right now.

The negotiations are still ongoing. The big boosters have gotten together to negotiate the deal. While I applaud their efforts, this brings me to another issue I have. Last spring and fall, there was a huge fan initiative to get the university to build a football stadium on campus. Many donors were willing to give to see this happen. We were all told that there was no way $10 million could be raised over the course of a few years to fund this. Last night, 3 big donors got together and raised that amount to try to keep the coach. Now, I understand that our football program is not anywhere close to where it needs to be, but I'm sorry, football will more likely get us into a BCS league before basketball.

That all being said, Jeremy and I have come to a hard decision. We want to support Tigers athletics, but in these tough economic times, we really have to examine closely where our money goes. While I love the players and I do believe they go out and try their hardest, I have never been a huge basketball fan. These latest events surrounding the program have left a bad taste in my mouth and while I want the university to succeed and athletics to do well, we have to decide how best to use our money. I would like to keep our season tickets to basketball, and with a coaching change, that may not be too hard. However, we're thinking about minimizing our scholarship fund donations. Because he's just graduated, the university will match, so there's no reason to donate as much. Instead, the money we would've been donating to the general scholarship fund, we'll turn around and donate directly to the football program. I would like nothing more than to mail in a check each month designating the money specifically to football with a note saying that I am no longer supporting any other programs until the administration gets its but in gear.

It's Over

2009-03-30T12:56:00.002-04:00

The title very neatly describes the events in my life recently that has culminated in a sigh of relief and a splitting headache.

My brother's visit ended Saturday, and to say I'm a little sad to see him go is understating it a bit. While I'm sure he felt the week was slightly underwhelming in the form of entertainment, it was more activity that either me or Jeremy are used to on school nights. Yes, we are old and boring, but hopefully we managed to not totally ruin his vacation. As Jeremy put it, his visit gave us another person to stare at. After we took him to the airport Saturday morning, Jeremy and I came home and absolutely crashed. I spent the better part of 2 days napping on the couch, trying fitfully to sleep through a migraine.

Another activity I am happy to say is at an end is unpacking. Yes, we are officially finished with the chaos that was box killing. Now, cleaning and laundry are unending tasks in my life, but at least, I no longer have to spend hours trying to find new places for things that seem to have homes in our old apartment. Which brings me to question that I've been pondering. Our apartment in Memphis was a 2BR apartment. Our current apartment is a 2BR. Somehow, we seem to have less room here even though the square footage here is larger. We had even gotten rid of a lot of furniture before we moved. I fully believe that there was a worm hole in one of our former closets that allowed for the storage and retrieval of little used items.

College basketball also ended this weekend, much to our dismay. We had hoped to travel to Detroit to watch the Final Four, but alas that was not meant to be. This leaves us fans also in limbo as to whether our coach will return next year. I hope that this current hoopla is his way of negotiating a better contract, but I am not holding out too much hope. Very disappointing.

Busy

2009-03-24T11:32:00.002-04:00

My brother arrived safely, and we've been on the go since. After an exciting weekend of basketball, we have a full schedule of eating out and watching movies. It's nice to have someone visit, and it's unbelievably nice to have a clean apartment. We've actually done a really nice job keeping things organized on a day by day basis.

Ten Years

2009-03-20T09:48:00.002-04:00

Last year, Jeremy and I decided that we were going to start celebrating only our wedding anniversary. We figured that it would be the more important date instead of the day we originally started dating. That being said, we realized a few weeks ago that in fact this dating anniversary was a big one. We have officially been together as a couple for ten years. Happy Anniversary, baby. I can't even imagine that length of time. It boggles the mind because I don't consciously feel that old.

We were talking the other day about college sports and we were remarking that we weren't old enough to actively be involved in booster clubs that get to host players and such because they are our peers. Only after we said that did we come to realize that we are now a decade older than most college students. Sure, I physically feel old sometimes especially when it's been a long day, but I didn't mentally feel like I was that old. It was a weird realization.

Life is Good

2009-03-19T11:31:00.003-04:00

Our friends in Memphis just welcomed their new baby girl into the world today. Congrats to them! We can't wait to meet her, but she'll be almost a year old by the time we see her.

Last night, Jeremy and I officially finished cleaning our apartment. It was actually easier than I had imagined even though it seemed a daunting task. I guess the marathon cleaning that we'd embarked on all month paid off. A little vacuuming tonight will finish everything off. We can't wait until my brother gets here tomorrow. This will be the first visitor we've had since we officially moved in.

The weather here is beautiful, and Spring seems to be officially here even though it's going to be a little chilly this weekend. I really needed the sun to come out. It has been very uplifting.

Tigers play their first NCAA game today. I can't listen to it today because of a meeting, but I hope they play well. Go Tigers!

Spring

2009-03-18T12:19:00.001-04:00

Today will be an unseasonably warm spring day, and I wish I were out to enjoy it. On days like these, I really miss being in college. It is one of the only time when you can skip a day of school and not really worry about the repercussions and enjoy a beautiful day.

Cajun Meatloaf

2009-03-17T16:30:00.002-04:00

I made a Cajun style meatloaf last night, and it was very yummy. It will definitely be made again, but with a few changes. I couldn't find regular ground pork so I ended up using sausage, and it although it was good, it didn't mesh with the beef. I would also probably halve the recipe. I now have this huge slab of meat in my fridge. We will be eating meatloaf for awhile. Unfortunately, because of the sausage and not enough breadcrumbs, the meatloaf doesn't hold together well enough for meatloaf sandwiches, but it is very good nonetheless.

It's Been Awhile

2009-03-16T10:05:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted anything for awhile because I'd been in a funk physically, emotionally, and professionally. It wasn't anything earth-shattering, but had I posted, it would have been one whiny post after another and nobody needs that. Not to say that nothing good had happened in the last few weeks because that's not entirely true. The bad would have overshadowed everything.

That being said, I'm ready to begin writing about my life again. My brother is visiting next week, so it's lit a fire under our butts to actually finish the little things that we've been putting off. After spending a chunk of money getting the last things for the apartment, we are just about done. It is a nice feeling to look around and see everything the way I want it. The down side of the manic cleaning this weekend is the muscle pain that comes with climbing up and down the stairs a million times. My legs haven't hurt like this in a long time.

Getting in the Groove

2009-02-27T10:38:00.003-05:00

I haven't been very good at blogging lately because honestly, nothing significant has happened. I will say though that there is nothing nicer than payday.

When I first started grad school, it was the first real significant paycheck. I had worked previously, but the money didn't really amount to much since I wasn't working full time. Having a steady income with very few expenses was nice. When Jeremy and I got married, we felt like our income doubled. We were only paying one set of utilities and one rent, so it was like we got a raise while really making the same amount of money.

While we were anticipating the move, we started saving money like crazy in anticipation of having only one income. For awhile, it seemed like we were only living on one income even though we were both working.

Now, we both have jobs that actually pay money, and I look at our bank account and think, wow! It's actually kind of nice to have money in savings while not having to scrimp on every day things. While we're not just blowing the extra money on luxury items, we haven't had to worry as much about finances. We are also in a place where we can finally save for the future. Maybe we'll buy a house in the next few years. Maybe we'll go on an extensive vacation. Maybe Jeremy will go back to school. Regardless, it's nice to be able to put away money and still live comfortably.

Elevators

2009-02-24T13:43:00.002-05:00

I've had several bad encounters with elevators, but none were as harrowing as yesterday. I got to work around 8:30 and got in an elevator to go up 4 floors. As the elevator started going up, it just stopped suddenly and quit moving. I tried calling for help with the call button, but nobody picked up and I was unsure that it even worked. Thank goodness that my cell phone had signal and a coworker was in the lab. She went and found the security guard and the both of them got me out of the elevator. It wasn't a fun way to start the day to be sure.

Paella

2009-02-20T08:44:00.002-05:00

For some reason, I've been craving rice. At first, I thought I was craving Chinese food because I would need to get a certain dish at my now favorite Chinese restaurant. Now though, I think it's just the rice. Yesterday, for some unknown reason, I really wanted to find a restaurant with paella. No reason. Nothing reminded me of it. It just all of a sudden hit me that paella would be good. Tomorrow, Jeremy and I are off to find us some good Spanish food.

Current Events

2009-02-18T10:24:00.003-05:00

I've been reading several newspapers a day lately, and the general theme I see is outrage. Outrage about the economy, outrage about politics, and outrage about sports figures. Regardless of what issue du jour, the outrage always boils down to what "our children's generation." The economy must be fixed for our children, we need change because our children deserve better, our kids need better role models. Our kids need more and better from the government.

The school districts here are pushing for more sex education. On the news the other day, a mom driving her 19 year old daughter to college brought up how much sex ed her daughter received in high school, and her daughter told her they were only taught abstinence. The mother was shocked and outraged that her daughter wasn't taught safe sex. While I agree that kids should learn about alternatives to abstinence in school, it's about time parents take some responsibility as well. If you don't talk about sex with your child until they are 19, the problem lies as much with you as the school. While I agree abstinence should be emphasized, let's be honest. Teenagers will have sex. It happens and while I don't personally condone it, I'd want my child to be as knowledgeable and protected as possible. That responsibility falls to me as a parent. Yes, it's embarrassing for both parties, but that's why you're the parent.

Another article I read spoke on the outrage parents are feeling about the Michael Phelps/pot and A-Rod/steroids issue. It made a point that the parents that are all outraged about this should take a long look at their kids. No child is so insulated that they are unaware of drugs, and the kids that the parents seek to protect no longer exist in this society. My problem with the outrage is that parents are looking to public figures to be the role model for their kids. When I was growing up, I didn't hope to emulate a sports star or an actress. I wanted to grow up and be successful like my parents. They were my role models. I think the fact that public figures are fallible makes a great conversation starter. It allows parents to show their kids that a) people make mistakes and b) drugs aren't the answer. Instead, these athletes are criticized for being human and not perfect.

I am not implying in any way that raising children is an easy task. I know it's daunting to have to teach and mold a child into an adult. However, asking others to raise your kids and not taking responsibility seems like a cop-out.

One Step Forward

2009-02-17T10:50:00.002-05:00

Last night we officially finished putting together the office. Now, our apartment isn't totally put back together, but I can say that I no longer have to stress about it. Overall though, we've accomplished a lot. We have to hang a few more things on the walls and there are a few more knick knacks to find a place for, but overall, it's more maintenance now than unpacking. It's a relief. I know that we've been here for almost six months now, but we were in a catch-22 of sorts for the first four months. We couldn't unpack until we bought some furniture that we decided to leave in Memphis. We couldn't buy furniture until Jeremy found a job, but once he found a job, he wasn't at home with plenty of time to help unpack.

The apartment is finally starting to feel somewhat like home though. We're not the neatest people in the world, so it still seems kinda cluttered, but we're slowly getting to a point where we don't need to come home and worry about chores. I am looking forward to the day when we can come home, eat dinner and relax on the couch.

Sloth

2009-02-16T09:59:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I have so much stuff to do at home that nothing ever gets done. That was kind of this weekend in terms of chores. Jeremy and I fully enjoyed our Valentines Day festivities. We didn't end up going ice skating because we spent 2 hours at dinner. It was very yummy and it wasn't as expensive as I was expecting. We didn't drink though, so that probably cut down on the cost quite a bit.

Sunday though, I spent being lazy on the couch. I caught up on all of the shows we'd recorded in the past week, but the bed in the office wasn't put together. I just didn't have the motivation to do it. Jeremy said that he'd help me with it this week though, so maybe we'll get it done before the weekend. It should be very straight forward.

While I was being lazy, Jeremy had a very productive weekend. He cleaned up the living room and even vacuumed. I really appreciated that since it was entirely his own idea and I had nothing to do with it.

Great Day

2009-02-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day! Today was a great day.

Future

2009-02-13T10:30:00.003-05:00

This weekend is going to be a busy one, with lots of fun and lots of work. Tomorrow, we have an action packed day. I've been looking forward to every minute of it all week. We're headed off to Ikea again to finally purchase the bed for the office/guest room. We've finally gotten the room cleared out enough to actually get the last piece of furniture. There are still little bits and pieces of things that I haven't figured out where to put, but overall, the room is done.

We've been working really hard on finishing the room because we're hoping to have various guests come over in the coming months. My brother who was going to visit in February will likely come visit us for a week in March. That is provided he doesn't get the job he wants. Either way, he'll probably be applying for grad school at CMU, so he may be spending some time with us before it's all said and done.

Jeremy's mom and stepdad may also come and visit us in the spring, so it'll be nice not to have to rush and clean for them. After this weekend, if they were to just drop by, I won't have a heart attack/panic attack.

After Ikea, we'll come home and watch the Tigers basketball game. They're in Hattiesburg this weekend, and the game should be fun and loud. It'll be a good Valentines Day activity. After the game, we'll go eat dinner and then go ice skating. I'm looking forward to the entire event.

Sunday should be a nice, relaxing day with nothing much to do. Regular chores like laundry and finishing the office are all that's on the list. It'll be a nice change of pace.

Vaccines

2009-02-12T15:43:00.003-05:00

In the last few days, the subject of the MMR vaccine and autism have come up repeatedly. It started with the articles about how the original paper linking MMR vaccines to autism was fabricated, or at best greatly exaggerated. Then I read about the courts denying a claim that the MMR vaccines were responsible for autism.

Personally, I think autism needs to be studied, but I don't think the increases in autism are due to vaccinations. I agree with public schools requiring vaccinations. I don't disagree that parents have the right to choose whether or not they want to vaccinate. If however I have a baby and you chose not to vaccinate, my child will not be exposed to either you or your child until my child has been vaccinated.

Comedy Club

2009-02-11T15:41:00.001-05:00

We're going to go see John Heffron tomorrow night. We love living so close to a comedy club that actually gets good headliners. It's going to be a lot of fun.

Muscle Pain

2009-02-10T11:05:00.001-05:00

I went to bed last night with a sore back and woke up this morning with a sore neck. Maybe by tomorrow I will be pain free again. Cleaning sucks.

Drained

2009-02-09T13:26:00.002-05:00

The apartment is almost put back together. I hate that when you clean and organize you have to pull everything out just so everything can be put in their place. Hopefully we'll be able to organize the rest after work, but if not, we'll definitely be able to finish everything by the end of the weekend. I cannot wait to get everything done.

Exhausted

2009-02-08T22:50:00.000-05:00

Finished killing boxes today but it looks like the boxes got their revenge. They threw up their contents before they died. Hopefully next weekend will see the apartment totally clean.

Cleaning

2009-02-07T22:03:00.002-05:00

My goal today was to finish organizing and cleaning the office. While I made good progress, I noticed something that makes no sense. Why is it that when you clean, you always make a bigger mess than when you started? Since I'm watching a basketball game now, I probably won't get a bunch more done tonight. Hopefully though, I will manage to get everything done by the end of the weekend. I cannot wait until everything is where it should be and I don't have to worry about cleaning after work.

Valentines Day

2009-02-06T10:08:00.002-05:00

I've noticed a new trend watching commercials and observing people in stores. Valentines Day as a child was filling out cards for the entire class, getting chalky heart candies, and decorating boxes to hold the cards you get from you classmates. I don't remember parents getting their kids anything. In my entire elementary school, I don't think one person ever got a special card from parents much less a present.

Hallmark has a commercial for a Hannah Montana recordable Valentine's Day card. In it, the mom had given the card to her young daughter. Really? At the supermarket yesterday, I noticed several parents buying Valentines Day cards that were definitely for kids along with $50 gift cards to Toys 'R Us. Again, really? Since when did this holiday become one where it's another gift grab by kids? Do toy manufacturers need another holiday to commercialize? Is Christmas, Easter, and Halloween no longer enough?

Nerves

2009-02-05T10:58:00.002-05:00

I've been doing presentations for various classes all my life, and only since grad school have I started to get this nervous about presentations. I'm totally prepared for this, and I know the material better than anyone, but I my hands won't quit shaking and I am so incredibly nervous. What is up with this?!

Time in a Day

2009-02-04T10:57:00.003-05:00

There doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day. By the time I get home, I probably have a good two hours of actual productivity before I'm completely wiped out. I never get a chance to get everything I want done finished. I did manage to make dinner last night for both yesterday and today, so at least that's one less thing I have to worry about tonight. Now, I just have to put away a mountain of clean laundry. I really miss having someone come and clean the apartment. I know Jeremy and I have discussed hiring a cleaning service again, but we have to get the place somewhat organized before then. This weekend, Jeremy has an event he wants to attend that I am completely uninterested in, so he'll be out of the house for several hours. Plus, my presentation for work is this week, so I no longer have to worry about working on that. I think I'll take the weekend off from work and finally finish the projects around the house. Well, at least that will be the goal.

Saving for the Future

2009-02-03T10:24:00.003-05:00

Recently, I have been keeping up with journals and blogs of several families who have either lost children to cancer or are in the middle of battling cancer. Many of these kids won't stand a chance. They go through the pains of treatment (chemo, radiation, bone marrow transplants) only to go into remission and then relapse.

While there is no way to prevent childhood cancer, I have been wondering how I would respond in a situation like this. I'm not going to be the neurotic mother who thinks that her child has every disease known to man. I wouldn't go to the doctor obsessively to get tested for the possibility of cancer. I do think though that I am going to be somewhat proactive.

One particular blog started me thinking about cord blood banking. This little girl was diagnosed with AML, and because she was adopted, her immediate family did not provide an adequate match for her to receive a bone marrow transplant. Because she was adopted from China and her parents were of minority decent, the chances of finding her a match was even slimmer. Even though they did manage to track down her birth parents, it was became impossible to continue the process because she relapsed before they could type her siblings. I know the issue of stem cells are a hot button issue, but in our case it would make a lot of sense. Jeremy and I would have an inter-racial child. If anything were to happen, we would have to rely solely on the generosity of other donors in order to find a match. Even then, the probability would be slim. We discussed the possibility of banking cord blood, and even though it is expensive, it would be something that I'm willing to save up for now. Since we're not planning children anytime soon, we'll have plenty of time to save up money to do this even though payment plans are available. Even if it were never used, we would at least be working in every way to give our kids every advantage we could.

Patience

2009-02-02T09:57:00.002-05:00

I suppose this post, rather than about being patient, is more about my growing impatience. I've noticed recently that the littlest things tend to set me off. Things that usually wouldn't faze me because I don't care will now send me into a tizzy that lasts several hours if not several days.

Case in point, I was told about a basketball coach being fired after his team beat out the opponent 100-0. When I first heard about the story, I was under the impression that the other team had girls who were disabled in some way. I was more upset that the game was scheduled if that had been the case. However, as it turns out with some more careful researching, these girls went to a special school because they have learning disabilities. Now, I know there are plenty of pro-athletes with ADHD or dyslexia making their academic lives more difficult. However, just because you have a learning disability does not mean you are incapable of playing sports. I understand the outrage was due to sportmanship, but the girls on the losing team took it in stride and didn't whine about it. Instead the administrators on the winning team now feel like this somehow reflects badly on them.

This is only one of several instances where I've climbed up on my soapbox and ranted and raved, and I'm getting hit from all sides. It's not only news stories that are getting me riled up. I told Jeremy that I was praying for patience and he told me that in doing so, God would really test me and my resolve. So far, I've failed that miserably. I understand that the world doesn't revolve around me and I don't create the rules. I try to take a deep breath when I hear something that I know will irritate me, but so far, the measures I am taking are not working.

I suppose part of the problem is I care about the issues that get me worked up. My sister said these were the things I'm passionate about, but it goes deeper than that. I look around and this isn't the society that I would want my kids to grow up in. More than that, this isn't the place I want any kids to grow up in, but since I don't make the rules up and I can't expect everyone else to change, I can only work on myself. I will have to keep striving to be more patient and have faith that it will eventually happen.

The Big Game

2009-02-01T18:55:00.001-05:00

This is the first year we're not watching this game with a bunch of friends, but we're still having a blast. Not as much food, but we have chips and dip and other yumminess. It'll be a great game.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emporer

2009-01-31T21:51:00.002-05:00

Jeremy got me the box set of all The Mummy DVDs for Christmas. Even though I had seen the first two movies, we didn't watch the third one until just now. My suggestion is that if you've never seen the movie, do not bother. I love Jet Li, Michelle Yeoh, and Brendan Fraser, but the movie was unbelievably horrible. This will not be a movie I rewatch.

Women and Mothers

2009-01-30T13:15:00.001-05:00

It seems to me lately that the subject of womanhood in society and what is expected of the modern woman has come up more and more. While I haven’t felt any pressure on either being a SAHM or a working mom, many people I know have felt this. Jeremy and I have discussed and agreed on how we are going to approach raising kids, but the subject has gotten me thinking.

Growing up, it would have seemed odd for me to encounter a stay at home mom. I’m not saying that none of my friends had parents that stayed home, but I really can’t name any. It just didn’t seem that common at least in my group of friends. Both my parents worked, and sometimes, they worked long hours and on weekends. I don’t ever remember feeling like I didn’t get to spend enough time with them or wishing that one parent didn’t work so they could stay home with us. In fact, we relished the times they were at work because it allowed us to veg out on the couch and watch TV rather than having to do homework or study. The time we did spend together as a family was good quality time doing things together. We went on plenty of vacations and really travelled the world.

Jeremy’s mom stayed home with him while he was growing up. She did all of the things that a mom does on TV. She did the carpool thing, she did the PTA thing, and she probably did the whole milk and cookies thing after school. In Jeremy’s thinking that was the norm, and he wanted that for his kids.

When we started discussing marriage long before we were ready to get married, we came upon the topic of kids. Even though I never really wanted kids, I figured that if we got married, we would eventually have kids. He really wanted one parent to stay at home be it me or him, but he thought that was important to the child’s development. He was fairly adamant about it until he got to know how good outside childcare could be. A friend and former coworker had her child in childcare while both her and her husband worked. He realized that these caretakers were actually teachers that taught and interacted with the children rather than plopping them in from of a TV all day. It was at this point he started coming around.

I know that if we were to have kids, I would in no way ever be able to stay home 24/7 and care for the kids. Being a SAHM is incredibly challenging, and I would say one of the hardest jobs out there and I salute the women who are able to accomplish this. It is not me. For one, I know I don’t have the patience to deal with a child for that long. Yes, the casual observer would think that I am great with kids and I seem to have an endless supply of patience, but usually I am around a child for no more than several hours after which I can return the child to their parents. I never have to deal with naptimes, or bedtimes or any other cranky times that afflict young children. So yes, I can roughhouse and play and be silly with the best of them because I don’t have to deal with the issues that come from having a child incredibly wound up. Secondly, I really did not obtain this much school just to stay at home with my kids. The fact is I continued my education because I wanted to have the rewarding career. In fact, I really like what I do, and I would definitely want to continue with it.

I suppose what really got me thinking was the logistics of the SAHM. I look at the life I had as a child, and I want to give my children the same opportunities that my parents afforded me. These opportunities require more than the time we spent together. There is a certain level of security I want to provide my kids as they grow. My parents always made it known that they would pay for our college education. They felt that a college degree was an absolute requirement so they were prepared to help us financially. Now, this wasn’t to say that we wouldn’t be working or getting scholarships, but money would never be an issue. To that end, we also took a lot of classes outside of school. We took summer school classes as a means to get ahead and skip classes during the school year allowing us to take more advanced classes as they came along. We also took SAT/ACT prep classes starting fro the time we were in middle school. The importance being that doing well in school does a lot to ensure your future. As kids, we were also very well travelled. We went to Asia and Europe and all over the US on family vacations. If the vacations were short and relatively inexpensive, we’d have two vacations that year. If it was a long, exotic trip, we’d only have one vacation that year, but we’d spend more time wherever we were.

These are the things that I want to provide my kids. Yes, they’re ambitious goals, but I want to provide the basic that my parents gave me that allowed me to be the person I am today. I want my kids to have the best education available. I’ve long maintained that if we were living in a place with a bad public school system, I would send my kids to private school regardless of cost. I wouldn’t be able to do that without working. Sure there is the argument of homeschooling, but I again would be unable to do that. The purpose of education is to teach your children a broad spectrum of knowledge to prepare for their future as adults. In doing so, you’re not creating little clones but rather thoughtful people who can formulate their own views and ideals. I would be unable to teach things that I personally don’t believe in and that would be a huge disservice to my kids. I want them to go to college and I want them to be able to interact in a world where people have all sorts of different views, none of which are truly similar to mine. I want to be able to pay for college because I don’t want them to feel the financial pressure which is a leading reason for dropping out. I want to travel as a family and see the world. Not only would this be quality time spent making memories, but it is also fun and exciting to go places and see new things.

I suppose while I see the benefits of staying home to raise kids because you are the best person to do it, I don’t see how I personally would be able to. My priorities are my priorities because that was the environment in which I was raised. I commend my parents for doing such a good job and making the sacrifices they did to provide those opportunities for us. Do I wish that one parent had stayed home with us growing up? Not at all. I actually appreciate my parents more because I can see why they both worked to provide for us. I think had my mom stayed home, I wouldn’t have had as fond of memories of the family times we did spend together.

Primetime TV

2009-01-29T22:39:00.001-05:00

Lately, there have been so many shows on TV that I am loving. The problem is, I'm totally running out of time to watch them all. I am so glad that we have a Tivo.

Snow Days

2009-01-28T12:54:00.002-05:00

It snowed and sleeted last night. When we checked the radar, there was a big swathe of weather starting from North Texas, over the Mid-South, all the way up to Pittsburgh. It was interesting because I had never considered that the same weather front that affected us in the South would travel to where we are now. I always assumed the path wouldn't head right over us. This is interesting because Memphis weather could always be determined by a phone call to my parents in Dallas. Whatever weather they had experienced in the past day would inevitably hit Memphis. Weathermen should take note of this phenomenon. It would increase the accuracy of your predictions. Now, apparently this may hold true here as well. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in the spring and summer.

Of more note is the fact that the weather and temperature is actually colder in both Dallas and Memphis than it is here. I thought it was supposed to be colder here. I suppose the duration is longer, but I'm not say bone-chillingly cold by any means.

Okay But Not

2009-01-27T10:24:00.002-05:00

Life's been good lately, only it's been not. It's hard to explain, but I feel a sort of lethargy that I haven't felt in a long time. It's not a physical thing, it's more mental, like I know what I need to do but I don't want to do it. I look around the apartment, and there are tons to do. Instead, I sit on my computer and play games or watch TV. I plan to do things over the weekend, and then I spend all weekend in bed with a migraine or throwing up or whatever other illness strikes. I'm beginning to think it's psychosomatic. I remember feeling like this in college. I remember the getting out of bed only to perform necessary functions and then crawling back into bed. Maybe it's the winter here and the lack of sunlight. While it's bright during the day here, it's been overcast for awhile. Maybe it is a vitamin D issue. I really need to snap out of it because I'm not me.

New Year, Part II

2009-01-26T10:21:00.003-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year everyone. I hope the year of the ox brings peace and prosperity. I have some deeper thoughts that I'll reserve for another day as today should be all about new beginnings and happiness.

Breakfast for Dinner

2009-01-25T22:18:00.000-05:00

That's what we did tonight for our Chinese New Year's Eve celebration. Bacon is slowly but surely growing on me. I wonder why it took so long?

That Sucked

2009-01-24T23:04:00.002-05:00

Last night Jeremy and I went to a comedy to see Brad Williams. He was hilarious, and it was definitely worth it. On the other hand, the price I'm paying for having 2 cosmos is not. Seriously, I've had more to drink than that before with no ill effects. I've also had cosmos before, so it wasn't like this was the first ever. I on the other hand spent pretty much all day with a headache and that was after throwing up this morning. We're thinking that the drink had a special recipe with a different liquor than normal, and that's what disagreed with me.

Economy

2009-01-23T11:00:00.002-05:00

Everywhere you look these days, someone is saying something about the economic slowdown. The media is panicking about it and spreading fear. I think this contributes to people who have disposable income not spending. The last few months were stressful for us because Jeremy was without a job. Technically, this job is a temporary contract, but we feel pretty good that he'll get hired permanently. Thus far, this economy really hasn't affected us to any great extent. We are spending less and watching our money really carefully. We don't eat out but once a week, and we try to conserve where we can.

Yesterday, the economic issues hit home. My brother who's still in college got laid off from his internship. The company he was working for, although probably not as affected by the economy, is trying to save for the future, thus cutting jobs and laying off all their interns. This turn of events affects not only him, but my parents as well. He was using the money he was making to not only apply for residency, but he was also using it to pay for school. Now, he's going to have to scramble to find another job because apparently it isn't enough that you live there, you have to show income. It really sucks for a 20 year old whose trying to graduate. This affects my parents because now they'll have to help him out. Yes, he could get a loan, but not for this semester. He'll have to wait until next semester to get the actual money. Is the economy going to get better soon? I have no idea. I hope so, but I'm cautiously optimistic at best. I have a feeling we'll be feeling the effects of this downturn for years.

Velveeta

2009-01-22T10:05:00.002-05:00

I need to learn to use Velveeta in soups instead of shredded Cheddar. Although I would rather use real cheese, real cheddar doesn't melt well in soups. Lesson learned. I made the cheddar broccoli soup last night, and while it tastes okay, the cheese has made the entire endeavor clumpy and the soup looks less than appetizing. The immersion blender works well though, and I would recommend it to anyone. It is a blender of sorts though, so it can get a little messy if one tries to blend soup too close to the surface. Dinner tonight will be hot soup and sandwiches.

Cooking Week 3

2009-01-21T17:15:00.002-05:00

So being a bit under the weather this weekend, we didn't do the cooking that we had weeks prior. However, we had so many leftovers from the previous week that we managed to eat all weekend and Monday as well. This is largely thanks to Jeremy though who threw together a broccoli chicken casserole at the last minute from some chicken that we had froze. It was very good.

We did manage to go grocery shopping on Monday night, and I did cook some this week. Last night, I made spaghetti with a twist. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef, and instead of making my sauce from scratch, I bought the jar sauces. However, I added about half a jar of alfredo to the meat sauce so it would be cheesier. It was very good. A friend and former coworker of mine would get her spaghetti like this from the cafeteria at work, and it is actually really good. It's like a 6 cheese marinara without all the work.

I think I'm going to make some cheddar broccoli soup tonight to eat the rest of the week. I've never tried to make it before, but I have this nifty immersion blender that I got as a wedding present that I've never gotten a chance to use. What better opportunity than this? If it turns out well, I'll post the recipe here.

So far, our eating at home experiment has worked out rather well. Even after a long day at work, neither one of us opts for fast food because we have food ready in the fridge. It's also working well because we allow ourselves to go out to eat once a week. Generally, we'll have leftovers so it's like 2 meals that we eat that aren't home cooked, and that gets us over the cravings.

Taxes

2009-01-21T13:37:00.002-05:00

As tax season slowly approaches, I am eagerly awaiting the thought of a large refund. 2008 returns hold potential because I was still a student, so I get the credit for that as well as Jeremy continuing to pay into UM as if he were full time even though he's just a consultant now. I mean really, is there a reason to take so much taxes that he only get $30 deposited every two weeks? Anyways, that being said, it's going to be a pain to file. Jeremy has his full time job and then consulting work after he quit. I have two jobs in Memphis and then my current job here in Pittsburgh. We're going to have to figure out how to do this since PA has a state income tax I think. I've never worked in a state with a state income tax, so that'll take some figuring out. First things first though, I need to find out if UT will be sending my forms here, and if not, who do I talk to in order to facilitate that.

Not Quite What I Imagined

2009-01-20T19:56:00.002-05:00

I bought a ring from an online store the other day. It was on sale, and I'm glad it was. The original cost of the ring was $62. It is sterling silver, so I figured it was worth the cost. I received it in the mail today, and while it's cute and I like it, I'm glad I didn't pay $62 for it. It's tiny and looks like it could've come from one of those toy vending machines. At least it fits and I like it. I suppose that all one can ask for.

Weekend Blogging

2009-01-19T09:42:00.002-05:00

No posts this weekend due to circumstances beyond my control. Okay, not really entirely out of my control, but I had a busy then not so busy weekend. I worked most of Saturday, and then I spent Sunday asleep on the couch with a migraine. I am tired of the malaise I feel on weekends lately. It usually starts with a lingering headache, and it turns into something I can't get over. It's all rather annoying, and I'm glad Jeremy is so understanding when it comes to headaches.

Needless to say, all the things I was planning on doing didn't get done over the weekend. Jeremy managed to do some stuff while I was at work. That means today, we'll have to go grocery shopping and I have a ton of laundry to do. Unfortunately, today is not a holiday here, so it's work as usual.

Life Lived Normal

2009-01-16T09:07:00.002-05:00

In the past few days, I've examined the life I live and realized just how good it is right now. The economic issues plaguing the world right now scares me a little, but the more I think about it, the luckier I feel.

Jeremy and I made some decisions awhile back that we've tried to live up to, and those decisions, while difficult, are turning out to be very beneficial for our lives. When I moved to Memphis 7 years ago to go to school and seriously work on our relationship, we made the decision that once I finished school, we would move wherever my career would take me. That agreement led to the urgency of Jeremy completely at least his bachelor's degree. When we got engaged, both our families counseled us to buy a house and settle down. We decided that we weren't ready to buy because we weren't going to stay in Memphis after we graduated. We didn't want to buy until we found a place where we would stay for at least 5 years. We decided then that if we were to ever have kids, we wouldn't consider that until we were ready to buy a house. We agreed not to take on a car note until we were both done with school and making significant money. Upon graduation, we decided to move regardless of Jeremy's job situation.

All these decisions take us to where we are today. While our decisions certainly weren't met with a lot of enthusiasm, by sticking by what we decided as a couple, we have built a life that is fairly stable and enjoyable. By finishing school, Jeremy has the ability to pick and choose what he wants to do and where he wants to work. By not buying a house in Memphis, we had the opportunity to move wherever opportunities presented itself. We didn't have to worry about selling a house in this market. We are still choosing not to buy because there's no telling how long we're here, and there's not guarantee that the market will be on an upswing when we're ready to sell. We have a car note now, but we're also lucky to be able to afford to keep the car. We're still not ready for kids, but we also have the pleasure of staying in bed on weekends when it's cold outside.

Life is good right now, and I'm thankful for everything we have. I'm also glad that no matter what, we made these decisions together, and neither one of us has any regrets about the life we're building.

Anniversaries

2009-01-15T10:00:00.002-05:00

My parents' 30th wedding anniversary is next Tuesday. While it is not unusual for people to be married that long, in today's society where more people are getting divorced than staying together, it is quite an accomplishment. While I've never thought much about my parents' anniversary other than a phone call, we've decided to actually give them a present this year.

Thirty years seems like a long time to me, although this just means that I actually turn 30 next year which is a scary thought. I cannot believe that my 20's flew by so quickly. Next year will be a funny time for me. Not only will I turn 30, Jeremy and I will have officially been together for 10 years. Granted, we'd only be celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary, but it's hard to believe that we've been together so long. I joke that we should just celebrate how long we've been together because it's a more impressive number, but if you think about it, I would have known Jeremy for a third of my life. I really can't even wrap my brain around that.

In a Groove

2009-01-14T09:42:00.002-05:00

As we are nearing the completion of a second week of gainful employment for both Jeremy and me, we're settling into a routine. We've had a few bumps on the way, but it's been good. Jeremy drops me off in the morning, and I take the bus home in the evenings. The last few days haven't been bad. There haven't been as many people on the bus that I take, and I think that can be attributed to the beginning of school and to the fact that it's early in the week. We'll see if it's packed on Friday afternoon.

The weather is also getting a lot colder. I don't think it's unbearably cold though, even standing outside for 30 minutes waiting for the bus. We'll see how I feel when I wait for the bus in -3 degree weather at the end of the week.

We've also gotten more in the habit of cooking at home. Although it is a little tiring doing a lot of cooking on the weekends, we are actually eating the food and not going out. I think it has to do with the fact that while we have restaurants conveniently around where we live, it's not the inexpensive fast food restaurants that we had before. It is unnerving how much we are spending on groceries although we are eating healthier now.

I think if we can keep up the progress we've been making in our lives, we may actually get the office unpacked and organized before too much longer.

Dinner

2009-01-13T09:29:00.003-05:00

During the winter months, I start craving soups and roasts, warm comfort foods that can be eaten while snuggling under a throw on the couch. That being the case, we have a beef stew simmering away in a crock pot at home. I am trying to be less neurotic about leaving the crock pot on while I'm away, seeing as how it's designed to do that. Plus, ours has an automatic warming feature that shuts off once it's done cooking. It helps alleviate the worries.

I've never made beef stew before like this, so we'll see how it works. I just dumped in some stew meat, onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, celery, and carrots. I'll add potatoes when I get home, and I'll probably thicken the sauce by taking some of the juices and mixing it with some flour to make a gravy. Then, while the potatoes are cooking, I'll add the flour/beef broth mix into the pot and let the whole thing simmer and thicken.

I meant to get the rice all ready this morning, but we overslept and were running about 10 minutes behind. Our little rice cooker works well though so it shouldn't take but about 30 minutes to get the rice done.

Health

2009-01-12T09:01:00.002-05:00

Lately I've been following several blogs that chronicle the ups and downs of kids diagnosed with cancer. These kids are usually under the age of 5, and many of them have since lost their fight with a disease that showed them no mercy. While I didn't know any of these families personally, each loss has left me more than a little sad.

Although I really enjoy science and research, I've never been interested in cancer research. I don't really understand why as cancer has played a huge role in my life. Maybe I've just wanted to avoid a disease that I seem to be incredibly predisposed to.

What really affects me is the fact that lately, so very many people I know or know about are not only getting diagnosed with cancer, many of them are not surviving. I think out of everyone I know, only my mom and Jeremy's stepmom have actually overcome their diagnoses. I don't know the extent of his stepmom's disease, but I know that my mom was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. The fact that she is cancer free and has been for the last 10 years is beyond amazing. This means that her risks for relapse have decreased back to that of a person whose never been diagnosed.

Other than cancer though, I now have several family members who are in not so good health, and that scares me. With all the loss we've experienced in the last year, I don't know that I'm equipped to deal with any more. It's selfish of me because I want the people I know to stay healthy so I can spend more time with them, but it's how I feel.

I suppose that this is just a part of growing up and getting older, but it suck.

Cooking Week 2

2009-01-11T12:14:00.002-05:00

Our first week of cooking and eating at home was a success. We actually made 4 dishes that lasted all week, and we managed to finish everything as well.

Today, we're going to endeavor to do the same again. I've figured out what I'm going to make, and I'll post successes as they come. What seems to work though is making a large pot of soup that we can eat if we get too busy. It makes an easy dinner possibility and if we work late, we can just have a bowl of soup with a sandwich or a salad.

1 of 2

2009-01-10T23:10:00.000-05:00

The Tigers' basketball team beat UCF in an ugly game. An undefeated CUSA run is still possible. They came out and played really sluggishly though, and they really need to focus and get it together.

The Carolina Panthers on the other hand choked against the Arizona Cardinals. It was so bad that I couldn't even stand to watch anymore.

New Day New Issues

2009-01-09T09:38:00.003-05:00

I seem to be fighting off one health issue after another this week, and I'm not amused. I think the congestion/allergy problem is slowly going away, but my right eye is now apparently really red and looking very irritated. It's strange though because it's my left eye that itches, and it looks completely normal. I didn't realize how bad my right eye looked until I showed Jeremy and he made me put some eye drops in it. It doesn't itch or burn, and I don't think it feels different, but the redness continues. Maybe it's tiredness or eyestrain, and resting this weekend may help clear it up. I am tired of feeling under the weather, and I am ready to feel 100% again.

ETA: So the eye is hurting now, but the pain goes away slightly when I press hard on my sinuses. However, that exacerbates the congestion. I'm leaving early today.

Nyquil - Blessing/Curse

2009-01-08T17:30:00.002-05:00

Has anyone noticed that after you take Nyquil, you wake up the next day really hungry? I've been hungry all day. Maybe it means I'm on the mend and it's not just a freak side effect.

For the Birds

2009-01-07T09:57:00.003-05:00

Jeremy and I are trying to carpool in the mornings and we're still trying to work out the evenings. All I can say is, 5:30 am is still dark, not very pretty and for the birds (although Jeremy says that birds aren't even up that early). I feel like we are two very old people in that we have to go to bed fairly early now in order to wake up in time. I'm getting to work between 7:30 and 8:00 am so Jeremy can get to his work by 9. It's not a bad arrangement if not for the fact that we are now getting up at an hour when really, no normal human being gets up. This puts us in a position where we feel like we need to start our getting ready for bed routine at like 9:00 just so we're in bed by 10:30.

He gets off work at around 5:30 while I can really leave whenever. I usually stay until 5:00, so unless I want to stay an extra hour, I take the bus home. I realized that public transportation is really not for me. While I don't really want to drive to work everyday and pay for parking, I like the whole driving straight home from work. It's not too bad as there's a bus that runs directly from work to across from where we live, but it's still not something I'm used to.

Drops

2009-01-06T13:46:00.002-05:00

So I'm afraid that my computer is acting funny. We'll see how often it happens or if it's just a dirt issue, but my keyboard started going on the fritz a little while ago. I would be typing in a text box/chat window, and all of a sudden, it would be like I hit my mouse and navigated away so I couldn't type. I've restarted the computer, and that seemed to help as it's no longer doing that.

I've accidentally dropped my laptop several times, but they weren't bad drops and I hadn't noticed any issues until now, and it's been awhile since the drops, so I'm confused. Hopefully some compressed air will clear up any further issues.

First Day

2009-01-05T10:39:00.002-05:00

Jeremy's first day of work is today, and I think I might be more nervous than he was. I'm not nervous about the job or his ability to perform whatever it is that he needs to do, but I am nervous about how he's liking it. I really hope this is something he'll enjoy.

Taco Soup

2009-01-04T13:33:00.004-05:00

While this isn't going to turn into a food blog, I am going to use it to catalog recipes that Jeremy and I enjoy. We're trying to cook more and eat out less, so any recipes that are easy and good will go into our monthly rotation.

Jeremy's mom made this soup while we were in Memphis, and it was very yummy. It is a good compromise between Jeremy and my beliefs on chili. He's always had chili with beans in it while I believe that a real chili does not include beans. This soup is hearty like chili but because it is not actually chili, Jeremy can have it with beans.

The recipe can be anything you have on hand, and you can add more or less of things as you have in your pantry. Also, it could be much spicier with the addition of green chilies or jalapenos, but Jeremy does not like super spicy foods, so our soup was on the mild side.

1-2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion finely diced
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 medium can stewed tomatoes, chopped
3 medium cans beans (kidney, pinto, chili)
1 medium can corn, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch dressing

I sauteed the onions and the meat together and drained the meat. I left some of the fat because I used a very lean beef. Dump in seasoning packets and mix well. Add in tomatoes and beans. I drained the beans but not the tomatoes. Draining the chili beans also cut down on the spiciness. Add drained corn and simmer. I added about 2 cups of water as well because the soup was thick like chili and not so much like soup. Simmer until heated through and flavors well blended. Garnish with sour cream and shredded cheese.

Note: This makes a lot of soup. Our soup pot is a 5 quart pot, and it was completely full before we added the water.

Hello World

2009-01-03T17:26:00.002-05:00

It is a brand spanking new year, and I apologize for not posting the last two weeks. We had a busy holiday vacation in Memphis. We got to hang out with old friends, and we got to spend some quality time with his family.

We are back in Pittsburgh now, so I am going to continue to try to blog every day. While there's probably nothing really interesting going on in my life, I am liking the act of journaling.

Countdown

2008-12-23T11:20:00.002-05:00

It's T minus 60 minutes now before we head out of town! I am exhausted from trying to get everything in the apartment straightened up before we leave. I cannot stand coming home to a messy apartment. However, we decided to stop in Louisville tonight to break up the drive a little. I can't wait to hit the road!

We'll be excited to see friends. Hopefully we'll get to see everybody before we have to leave. We've also made a list of places we want to eat at. Sakura is the highest priority for me. Mmmm....deep fried sushi.

Two Days

2008-12-22T10:49:00.002-05:00

In two days, we will be on the road back to Memphis. While we haven't been here very long and I like Pittsburgh a lot, I am starting to miss the familiarity and routine of Memphis. It'll be a nice change of pace, and I'm ready for a few days off.

Blue Collar Comedy

2008-12-21T23:28:00.002-05:00

I remember several years ago not being able to stand the comedy of Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and the like. It wasn't that I didn't like crass, but for some reason, they just grated on my nerves. Lately though, I have been finding them absolutely hilarious. Last night, Comedy Central was showing a Blue Collar Comedy tour show, and it was absolutely hilarious.

Tonight, Jeremy and I went to a local comedy club that was featuring Jon Reep. We had seen him on Last Comic Standing and liked him, but neither of us had any actual recollection of his routine. He was absolutely hilarious. We were in stitches the whole set. What was even better was that we didn't have to pay for tickets. The club has certain shows where you can get tickets to certain shows for only a service fee. Granted, there was a two item minimum per person, but it was definitely worth it, and we'll definitely do it again

Unbelievable

2008-12-20T20:42:00.001-05:00

Today, Memphis played football on ESPN2 and basketball on ESPN. We played two Big East teams. While we figured we would lose to USF in football, we also lost to Syracuse in basketball. I'm at a loss for words right now.

Headaches

2008-12-19T15:32:00.001-05:00

I have been dealing with a headache on and off for the better part of 3 days. I don't know whether it is weather related or not, but it is no fun. It doesn't help that it's 90 degrees in the lab today. *sigh*

Password

2008-12-18T22:08:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I caught the first few minutes of that game show Password, and William Shatner is horribly bad, and Regis makes him so funny. One of the answers was bowl, and the clues were soup and container. Shatner answered barrel. Another set of clues was amphibian and Muppet, and he answered Hermit. Once his segment was over, we quit watching, but the part we watched we rewound several times.

Woohoo!!!

2008-12-17T20:45:00.002-05:00

Jeremy found out today that he got the job he was waiting for a response on. His start date is January 5th. He is going in tomorrow to fill out paperwork, but a huge prayer of ours has been answered. It definitely is a huge weight lifted. We're still going to take it slow on buying more stuff for the apartment, I am looking forward to having two paychecks again and rebuilding our savings.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

2008-12-17T13:07:00.002-05:00

As of today, Jeremy and I are 99.9% going to Memphis for the holidays! Woohoo! It would have been really hard not spending Christmas with family. It was hard enough not going home for Thanksgiving. We are beyond excited at this point, but there is a lot of planning and a lot of things to do around the apartment before we leave. Now that we know for sure, we also have to start e-mailing friends to let them know we'll be there. =) I haven't stopped smiling since this morning.

Christmas Mailings

2008-12-16T22:17:00.002-05:00

Jeremy is my Christmas elf this year. Today he mailed all the Christmas presents, so if you're expecting a present from us, it'll be there in 2-3 days. Tomorrow, he will mail off the rest of the Christmas cards, so again, it should get there before Christmas. I feel really great this year because everything is done. =)

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

2008-12-15T20:26:00.002-05:00

How ironic is it that Jeremy and I move up north where everyone says it'll snow only to have freak snow and ice storms wreak havoc on the southern state where I used to reside? There's snow in Houston, cold weather in Dallas, and ice and snow conditions in Memphis. Here? There's not even freezing rain. Oh sure, we had a couple of days where there was a light dusting of snow on the ground, but it hasn't been anything that required thick winter clothing or snow boots of any kind. I'm a little disenchanted at this moment.

DC Day 3

2008-12-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

Our last day in DC included just wandering around places and getting food to eat. We hit Union Station because we didn't think we could see a Smithsonian museum and do it any justice in the 2 hours that we had allotted. We saw that Union Station had a train exhibit, but it wasn't quite what we had expected. It was cute, but it wasn't anything to write home about. While we were there though, I did get a bowl of clam chowder which I crave every time we go to DC.

After Union Station, we walked around Chinatown for a bit and took some pictures. It wasn't as crowded or exciting as the last few times we went, but it was fun. Afterwards, we decided to just head home.

The drive back was a lot faster than the drive there because there wasn't inclement weather of any kind. I slept most of the drive home while suffering through some very vivid but weird dreams.

All in all, we had a blast with his dad and stepmom, and the trip was well worth it. We aren't planning on going back anytime soon, but it is definitely within driving distance for weekend trips.

DC Day 1 & 2

2008-12-13T21:21:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I left Pittsburgh early and got into DC around dinner time. We got to have dinner with his dad and stepmom, and it was great. We had a good time catching up, and they treated us to very good food. After we ate, we came back and exchanged Christmas presents early. We got this beautiful blue and white fleece throw that had a tiger head and our names embroidered on it. It will be great to snuggle under during the winter as we watch the Tigers on TV.

Today, we got up early and checked out the International Spy Museum. We had been before, but some of the exhibits had changed a little, and we really enjoyed it. Afterwards, we headed over to watch Memphis play Georgetown. It was a very disappointing loss because it wasn't so much that we got beat, but we gave the game away. As much as I hate to say it, it really seems that Evans is a bit overrated and not a good college player.

Although the game was disappointing, we got to enjoy DC in the evening. We went to the National Mall and saw some monuments in lights. We got several really good pictures. We were going to go on a carriage ride, but the carriage person was more than 30 minutes late, and we hadn't eaten (his dad and stepmom hadn't eaten since breakfast). Although we couldn't do that, we did eat at a great burger place. Now, with our tummies full and our legs tired, we're in our room watching Batman vs. Dracula on Cartoon Network.

Washington DC

2008-12-12T11:48:00.003-05:00

Jeremy and I are headed to DC to watch Memphis play Georgetown. We're really excited because this might be the only game we get to see the Tigers play in person. Jeremy's dad and stepmom arrived safely yesterday, and we're hoping to meet them for dinner tonight. Of course, if they have other plans, I'm okay in us going out to eat by ourselves.

We're not going to have a lot of time there to explore and sightsee, but it should be a fun trip. It doesn't look like they'll be a lot of snowy weather, so we've really lucked out. It's a little icy here, but it should clear up by the time we get ready to leave.

This roadtrip will be an easy 4 hour drive. We haven't had one of these short trips in awhile. If we do go home for the holidays, it'll be a 12 hour drive home. We'll see what happens though as Jeremy waits to hear back about a job interview.

Finished

2008-12-11T11:21:00.003-05:00

Jeremy and I finished baking and decorating all of the goodies that will be Christmas presents in the coming weeks. I would post pictures of the process and the product, but I do want it to be a surprise. As long as the goodies survive shipping, we should be golden.

We are sending some of the stuff back to Memphis with Jeremy's Dad and stepmom, so there will be some packing of goodies required tonight. Otherwise, we'll do that when we get back from DC this weekend.

It's a huge load off because not only do we have all the presents accounted for, there's no wrapping involved. That makes my life easier as a whole.

Homemade

2008-12-10T10:17:00.003-05:00

Every year I tell myself that I want to make my own Christmas gifts. This year, it looks like I will actually accomplish this goal. You know what, totally not as good an idea as others would make you believe. Sure, you could theoretically save a lot of money, but the amount of time devoted to it just doesn't seem worth it. It really isn't like I could have started this endeavor months ago, because food doesn't stay good that long. So every evening, I rush home, grab a quick bite to eat, and spend the next five hours working on presents. I will not do this again but by God, I will finish it this year.

Hallucinations

2008-12-09T10:24:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I decided we were going to make the majority of Christmas presents this year. We're not going exclusively homemade, but we are baking like crazy. Last night, we finished a huge batch of goodies, and after we cleaned up, we sat down to watch the end of Monday Night Football. Jeremy was going to take out the trash after the game. When the game was over, I could have sworn Jeremy got up, took the car out of the garage and took out the trash. I remember all of this because I thought about going upstairs to bed but I thought it would be nicer to wait for him to get back. I waited, he came back, and we watched SportsCenter for a bit. At this point, things get a little fuzzy, and I ask him if he's ready for bed. He replies that he still has to take out the trash, which floors me because I could have sworn he already did. It was so real that I questioned him several times about whether he was sure or not that he didn't already go to the dumpster. Jeremy's conclusion was that I had been baking so long that I had officially lost my mind.

We are Blessed

2008-12-08T16:45:00.002-05:00

Before bed last night, I was telling Jeremy everything I have to be thankful for, and it was quite the list. While we are in a state of flux until Jeremy finds a job, we are by no means strapped for cash in these tough economic times. Plus, it's not like Jeremy isn't being considered for jobs. He's got several interviews this week, and potentially several more in the weeks to come.

I am also extremely thankful for our family who have been unbelievably supportive of our move. I know so many people who would never have quit two perfectly good jobs to move cross country because one person had a job offer.

During these holidays, Jeremy and I may not get to go home or spend any quality time with our friends and family. While this saddens us, we're focusing on the good. Things could be so much worse.

Cake Balls

2008-12-07T23:31:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I have the technique down. We finished all of the chocolate dipped chocolate cake balls. We shaped the German chocolate ones. Jeremy will be finishing the red velvet and the vanilla ones tomorrow. There may not be enough for everyone, but we've gotten the technique down, so it won't be too hard.

Getting in the Spirit

2008-12-06T17:56:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I bought our adult Christmas tree today. We used to have a small 4 foot tree in Memphis that didn't make the move with us. Today, we invested in a 7.5 foot tree. Since Jeremy cannot have a real tree due to allergies, we bought a nice looking prelit tree. Jeremy is putting it up right now while I'm baking cookies and other goodies for presents. We had a small fingers crossed moment when we didn't think the tree would fit where we wanted it, but we've got plenty of clearance. It'll look nice when it's all put together.

Bizzare

2008-12-05T09:47:00.001-05:00

I just took the elevator up to work this morning with a guy in a University of Tennessee sweatshirt. I guess if you think about it, that school graduates thousands of people a year, so it shouldn't be that surprising that the alumni base is just as big. It still makes me do a double take though when I see the power T around here.

Christmas Spirit

2008-12-04T14:40:00.001-05:00

Being really busy this year, I am here to announce that I have officially figured out what I am getting for everyone. With a little luck, I should be done Christmas shopping by the end of the weekend. Woohoo! Amazon is wonderful!

Decisions

2008-12-04T09:53:00.003-05:00

Jeremy still hasn't found a job he wants yet. He's turned down one offer, and he's been turned down by another, and while he's got several other possibilities and interviews, it's becoming unlikely that he'll be employed before the end of the year. This puts us at a crossroads for Christmas. We stayed here for Thanksgiving because frankly, 4 days in Dallas couldn't justify the $800 a ticket price tag. Christmas would be different though because I'd try to get the time between Christmas and New Years off as well. Without a job, he wouldn't have to worry about time off. It makes it harder to justify the cost of traveling though with only one income. We have a bunch of money saved up just for this occasion, but I wonder if it's more prudent to be frugal now in case he doesn't find a job for an extended period of time.

Fans

2008-12-02T16:04:00.003-05:00

Lately, I've been really irritated with not only the coaches of both Tiger football and Tiger basketball, but I've also been pissed at the fan base. While I don't believe that my teams will go through the season undefeated, I do feel like the last games that were lost were due to the stubbornness of the coaches rather then the superior gamesmanship of the other team. Relying on a QB that hasn't thrown a pass in a month due to injury isn't fair to him or the rest of the team. Playing a freshman shooting guard, even a highly touted one, the majority of the game when he can't hit a shot while pulling out players who are making shots because they make one defensive mistake is maddening to everyone. However, they are honestly good coaches and genuinely care about their players, so I'm not ready to jump on them to be fired.

The fans on the other hand I'm completely unwilling to cut any slack on. While I was disappointed in both losses, I realize that the world doesn't end. We are bowl eligible because we won 6 games. We qualify, and it doesn't matter that we only won half our games on a shitty schedule. It's money for the school. If we get invited to a bowl whose payout is $750,000, why would we not go? If the fanbase thinks it's too embarrassing to go to a bowl game, then they need to come up with the money to offset the loss. Forcing the football team to pick a lesser paying bowl bid because it doesn't conflict with a basketball game is unfair to the football players and the program. Come on. Who cares?! It's $750k!

I just hope tonight's game will play out better than last weeks. /rant

Ugh

2008-12-01T10:44:00.002-05:00

So I didn't post yesterday, because it would've been more of the same. Wonderful hubby taking care of an under the weather me. I'm still not 100% but I'm at work trying to tough it out.

Thanksgiving 2008 pretty much went down as the worst Thanksgiving ever, but I am glad that we decided not to go home. It was bad being sick here, it would've been infinitely worse being sick on a plane.

Exploring

2008-11-29T19:57:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I ventured downtown today for lunch. It was nice to get out, and I did manage to actually keep down a meal for the first time in 3 days. It also completely worn me out though since I came home and slept for almost 3 hours.

I did miss the first 3 quarters of the Memphis vs. Tulane football game. Apparently it was a very good game. They won the game very decisively, and I'm happy that we're bowl eligible again.

Gross

2008-11-28T13:45:00.002-05:00

There has been a stomach bug going around the lab perpetrated by a 5 month old baby, and apparently it was my turn this holiday weekend. Let me tell you, Thanksgiving dinner does not taste good the second time around.

The experience though made me even more thankful for Jeremy. He has been so wonderful. Last night would not have been so pleasant had he not been around.

Hopefully though, I'm on the mend. I've been able to keep food down today, and the nausea has subsided. Hopefully, I'll be able to enjoy the leftovers soon.

Thankful

2008-11-27T17:07:00.002-05:00

Today has truly been a great day. The weather is nice, and although we were unable to go home to celebrate with our families, we did have a wonderful day just Jeremy and me. We made the pies last night, and we slept in this morning. Once we got up and going, we managed to get everything finished and on the table by 2:30pm. We had recorded the Macy's Day parade, and we watched it from the Thanksgiving turkey till Santa. Now, we're watching the Cowboys play the Seahawks and continuing to gorge on yummy food.

Although this year has brought a lot of changes and upheavals, I am very thankful for the support I've received from my family and friends. I am most thankful though for Jeremy because even though this move was hardest for him, he never once considered not moving with me.

Ready

2008-11-26T15:38:00.004-05:00

I'm ready to go home and start baking pies. My goal tonight is to make the pecan pie and the pumpkin pie. If I get those done and still feel motivated, I'll bake the apple pie as well. Tomorrow, the cooking officially begins, but everything should be really easy. There is not one dish that I'm making that will take more than 5 minutes of prep.

Of course, that being said, I need to have my wits about me at all times. The little brain farts I've been experiencing aren't helping in the least. Just now, I panicked a little because I thought I forgot the lettuce that goes in the Asian slaw only to realize that it's slaw and not salad and thus, no lettuce. *sigh*

BBQ

2008-11-25T13:13:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I decided that since it was just going to be the two of us, we wouldn't get a whole turkey. While this lessens the amount of left overs we have, we are planning on having a very food filled day. I wanted to order a turduchen breast and Jeremy wanted BBQ from Memphis. I ordered a small turduchen, and it looks very yummy. Jeremy isn't sure he'll like the duck, so he can easily pick that out and eat only the turkey and chicken. Since it's only the breasts, there won't be a lot of leftovers, but there will be plenty for turduchen sandwiches next week.

Jeremy's BBQ did not quite make it to us intact the first go around. However, we cannot rave enough about the customer service of Central BBQ. We've ordered from them for several parties we've thrown, and they've always been super great about everything. The last time we were there, we had ordered a sausage cheese plate. They had it all prepared, but they didn't have it set with the rest of the order, so we left without it. Jeremy had to drive back to pick it up, and although it was as much our fault as it was theirs, they threw in an order of ribs for our trouble. This time, they forgot to include our apartment number in with the shipping information even though Jeremy had included it in the order. That meant we didn't receive it right away, and it actually sat, unfrozen for 3 days. Because it was their mistake, they shipped us our order plus some extras at their expense yesterday and we received it today. Since it was their mistake, I would have expected them to either refund our money or resend the food, but I wasn't expecting them to throw in extras. That was unexpected and very generous. There really is nothing like a hometown business.

Slow Start

2008-11-24T12:03:00.002-05:00

For no reason whatsoever, I could fall asleep last night, which resulted in my oversleeping this morning. I heard the alarm this morning, and I asked Jeremy to hit snooze. After that, I was completely out and didn't wake up until 2 hours later. Since then, it's been hard for me to hit my stride today. I feel lethargic and unfocused. It could be that I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, but I was hoping for a productive week this week.

Disappointment

2008-11-23T18:25:00.003-05:00

The football game yesterday was very disappointing. I've followed the Tigers through the great DeAngelo seasons and through the horrible 2-10 seasons. However, if we had pulled out this game, we had the opportunity to win our division. A lot of people are blaming the coach for not preparing for the game, and I have a lot of the same issues. For the last month, we've been hoping to get back our starting quarterback. However, even without him, we've managed to put together good games and win. Granted, the opponents weren't exactly top notch, but we ran creative plays that were definitely not obvious to the casual observer. Now that we have our quarterback healthy, we are running the old plays that are so slow in developing that I can tell exactly what plays are called. It's frustrating also that our fourth string quarterback can get the plays called faster than our first string quarterback. While our backup quarterback was playing, even when he hadn't taken any snaps at practice, the coaches did not have to call a single time out because he didn't know what play to run. Yesterday, we took a time out and had a delay of game because our quarterback couldn't get the play called to the line. I can understand being rusty throwing and running the ball because of a month of no practices. However, in that time, at least you can study the plays and figure out what the coaches are calling from the sideline. Our offense doesn't really consist of all that many different looks.

I am so much more of a football fan than I am a basketball fan, but I am not enjoying watching Tigers football this year. I love the players and the coach, but it's getting ridiculous. We have the talent, and we have the schedule in our favor, but this year, I've found myself waiting for basketball instead of enjoying football.

Update: So to add to the disappointment, the basketball team lost to Xavier tonight. *sigh*

Public Transportation

2008-11-22T23:14:00.002-05:00

Jeremy and I took the bus today to work, and it was surprisingly easy. While there is a direct bus from home to work, it doesn't run early enough for my commute. We took the one that required a transfer, but while the stops are not at the same place, it's not a bad walk. All in all, I think I will take the bus in the future if it snows too badly and we're not comfortable driving.

Bright

2008-11-21T14:40:00.002-05:00

I am surprised as to how bright and sunny it is here. In Missouri when it snowed, it would be overcast and dreary. Here however, despite the snow, it hasn't been overcast at all. If this lasts all winter, it would go a long way in preventing the blues.

The Tigers play Seton Hall tonight in the semi-finals. Unbelievably, USC lost last night. People are saying because USC played Tuesday and then took a commercial flight down to Puerto Rico while we played Monday/Tuesday and then took a charter flight. While I wanted to see us play USC to see how we measure up, we haven't been playing spectacularly, and I'd rather not lose. I cannot wait for Camp Cal and all the big games about to come up.

Forays into Python I

2008-11-20T16:05:00.003-05:00

I've been messing around with Python (a programming language) lately, and all I can say is, I'm really rusty when it comes to programming. Don't get me wrong, I love the whole process of debugging a program, but I have just spent an entire day trying to debug a program that should work, but doesn't. It compiled fine, but the output wasn't what it was supposed to be. It turns out, the indents in Python are critical rather than just for formatting or aesthetics. I simply had my return function tabbed to the wrong place. That took me a day and a half and a dozen different iterations to figure out. Lesson #1 learned.

Cold

2008-11-20T11:26:00.002-05:00

The weather here has gotten deliciously chilly in the last week, and I'm enjoying it immensely. I did notice though that where I sit in lab was more drafty, and I couldn't figure out why. While I wasn't cold, my hands would be freezing, and it was just me. Nobody else experienced this. Well, I investigated this phenomenon more thoroughly this morning and noticed that even though the crank to the window showed that it was closed, the seal around the pane had caught on the frame just enough to be letting in the slightest hint of a breeze. Once this was corrected, I am no longer considering wearing mittens at my desk. It is so much easier to type and stuff with warm hands.

Holiday Season

2008-11-19T11:24:00.002-05:00

The holiday season is almost upon us, and I feel like there is still so much to do before I'm ready. There are still things that need unpacking at home, and I feel like I'm running low on storage space. We still need to finish unpacking the office, but until Jeremy gets a job, there are a lot of things that we cannot unpack. There are other things that I would ideally take to work with me, but since our lab is just temporary, I don't want to bring them here and then move it all again.

The dining room is especially problematic. There isn't as much storage in the kitchen as we had before, so we have a bunch of things that ideally would go in the kitchen, but don't fit. The cabinets in the kitchen are also unusually skinny, so nothing fits in the cabinets except glasses and mugs. Until we get a buffet or something, we really have no place for our dishes because the one large cabinet we have is for pots and pans. So, we've still got things packed up in boxes scattered around the dining room.

We want to get a Christmas tree, but the current disarray of our dining room makes that prohibitive. I suppose I could dedicate this weekend to cleaning the apartment, but I don't really feel up to that right now. The mood could strike suddenly though as it did a few weeks ago when I finished unpacking and cleaning our bedroom/closet/bathroom.

Picking Up

2008-11-18T14:35:00.002-05:00

Things are picking up here at work. I'm no longer working on trying to get one thing to work. I have my original project, but I've also started doing more computational stuff on my own (with permission of course). I've also been handed something else that is very intriguing that I've always wanted to try but never got around to. Additionally, I've been learning all sorts of new techniques that aren't new by any means but are new to me. Thank goodness for all of the nice, patient people I work with. Otherwise, I'd still be trying to figure out the little things like how to make media.

Excited

2008-11-17T14:13:00.004-05:00

I am absolutely dying here at work today, and I can't imagine how I would be like if I were in Memphis. Today starts ESPN's 24 hours of college basketball, and Memphis plays UMass tonight at midnight. I really want to stay up and watch the game. On the other hand, that would mean staying up until 3 am, and it's usually not possible for me to stay up until even midnight. I am going to give it a try.

On top of all this, it is now less than a month until the Georgetown game, and we finished booking our hotel and bought the tickets. We're going to drive since it's a 4 hour drive but an 8 hour train ride. Hopefully, we can leave right after work Friday and get there not too late.

It started snowing today. Nothing is sticking yet, but that in itself is contributing to the general excitement of the day. This needs to wear off soon as it's likely to snow a lot this winter, and I cannot get this jacked up at every snowfall. Also, it's likely that I'll be so sick of the cold before the winter is over, but I'm not anticipating that.

Thanksgiving is also about a week away. While I had hoped that Jeremy find a job before the holidays, it will likely be December before he formally starts a job. That's fine. We're staying here for Thanksgiving, and we've decided on eating ourselves silly the entire day. I want to have the food done and out shortly after noon so we can start eating and watching football. I don't plan on moving much other than between the couch and the dining room table.

I hadn't meant for this post to ramble on, but I am apparently looking forward to a lot of stuff.