Emuzines

Tonight was the faculty-student recruitment dinner for incoming recruits to my program.  I am not too into the social things, the small talk…but my friends would be there and I decided to go with David.  We had a pretty good time, a little awkward, and I was way overdressed…but I’m still glad I went.  Tomorrow is the student only recruitment “dinner” (aka party)…but I have to work very far away, pretty late…so I may not make it.  Fridays always wipe me out, and the past week has wiped me out too…so I can’t imagine I’ll be energetic enough to come home and get ready to go out. 

I am almost done with all of my school stuff.  My two presentations this week went well, and I’m nearly done with my papers.  Nik and my mom keep telling me breaks are ok, so I am currently in my pjs, cuddling with Jo on the couch with my heart blanket (thanks Memere), and watching TV.  And earlier today I took a nap–unheard of!  I still feel guilty taking breaks and relaxing…how annoying. 

So looking forward to Vegas in a couple of weeks.  I get to see my Mom, Memere, Pepere, Aunt Debbie…eat a lot, go to a show, the spa, relax (nonguiltily), eat some more…

I have finished my monster of a paper, and prepared for both of my presentations.  So this morning is a short breather before I go off to class and Presentation #1.  I’ve got one more, much shorter, paper to write.  And then…not technically done…but pretty much!

Jo and I just went out in the pouring rain.  We jogged and she did it all tip-toey. 

Better go get ready.  Oh, good residence news may be coming soon…

Today I finished a major portion of  my chapter (and got a big fat A on my genetics midterm), so I felt like a celebration was in order.  That, and Nik said “dog park” in front of JoJo, so we took her to the dog park.  It’s been raining here for days, so it was muddy and very fun.

Jo had a wonderful time.  She likes to run alongside the dogs who chase balls, but she will not touch their toys.  Once in awhile she’ll get there first, but she just sniffs it and steps aside.  She made a few friends.  She made the meanest dog in the park love her by inviting him to play in the largest mud puddle with her.  He layed down and rolled, but she looked at him like he was crazy and she dug holes and splashed around.  We all had a great time and laughed really hard.  She was a DIRTY PUPPY.

Oh yeah!  Happy birthday to JoJo, who turned 2 yesterday.  She enjoyed new toys, a gigantic new bone, an entire cake, and party hats and favors, thanks to her mommy’s mommy.  Here are excerpts from our celebration (are we weird?):

I was a tad depressed and nervous today for school and work to start up again–I told my officemate Carolyn that I felt like a 2nd grader on her first day of school.  I had a meeting scheduled with Sally today to discuss the work I did for our chapter over break, and to talk about how we’re going to use part of it in our next grant proposal.  She was THRILLED with the work I got done, saying over and over how much it was and how good it was!  I found out, also that she wrote me into the Autism Speaks grant she is applying for.  I, along with one of her postdocs, are going to be the main people on this…and I am so excited!  I hope we get the grant.  It’s a really exciting new project!

I headed over to class after my wonderful meeting with wonderful Sally.  Of course, I was two hours early, and got a parking spot right away.  It was great to see Kyle, David, Abby, and Natalie again.  The class seemed great and the professor is a young, smart- and laid-back-seeming type of guy.  It’s behavioral genetics.  I’m actually pretty excited to start some of this reading.

After class I chatted with my friends, and then we went home, not sure what to do because we’re used to getting out of class late at night!  It is now the most perfect type of drizzly, cup of tea day, and I’m sitting at my brand new laptop, sipping on Coffee Bean Winter Dream tea, watching Jo watch the dryer steam fog outside the window.

Today is my first official day of winter break!  Ok…maybe yesterday was my first OFFICIAL day, but I worked all day…so today is really it!

We sure celebrated on Thursday after our last day of classes.  Here we are at Bistro 33.

We had a pretty good, but uneventful, last two classes (April and I gave a great puberty-related presentation, and David was a champion wrapping up Piaget in an exact hour)…and then headed out to Bistro 33.  We had some mojito pitchers and sweet potato fries, and had an exciting White Elephant gift exchange.  It went so fast and we were all so polite about (not) stealing gifts that we invented a new, Forced-Trade Gift Game after we were done, to up the competition and laughter.  It was a great time, and we moved inside (thank you, my Southern California, flip-flopped in 39 degrees toes said) for shots…yes, shots…  It was tough to get up for work yesterday, but it was completely worth it.

I made it through yesterday without a zombie-day, which I’ve had 2 or 3 times since starting school, and even just 1 caffeine.  Sally and I worked for a solid few hours on our chapter, which was great.  After work, I lounged around, watched a movie and lots of TV–totally lazy. 

I slept in very, very late today.  So did Nik and JoJo.  None of us had any idea it had already hit the PM.  Nik and I did some Christmas shopping, went out to lunch, and grocery shopping.  It’s so nice not to have to read all weekend, not having enough time to lift my head for a drink of water.  I do have some work on my chapter to do this weekend, or Monday, but I enjoy it and am super-excited about it, so it doesn’t count.

Anyway, yay to winter break!  I’m relaxed already.

I tend to refrain from updating until I have huge stretches of time in which to do a post justice…and that doesn’t happen.  So here is a list of recent happenings.  Time may soon permit me to expand on some of these…

1.  Nik and I had a wonderful, relaxing, food-consuming, amazing, beautiful, great-company time in Amesbury.  Nik is working on a post about it, but Happening #3 got in the way.

2.  It took us 3 days to fly home.  Our plane almost crashed.  It was traumatizing.  We also had broken planes, delayed flights, cancelled flights, bad weather, poorly rated pilots, etc.  We were stranded, after our trauma which made me sick to my stomach (fear, not bounciness), in Phoenix for a night, then we were stranded in Las Vegas for a night.  We thought we deserved a treat, so we stayed in a penthouse suite on the strip.  The shower, to say the least, was incredible.

3.  Nik is sick.  He’s been in bed for 2 days.  He gets to win the “No JoJo on the bed game” (or rather, “Yes JoJo on the bed game”), so they are both quite pleased.  She’s exhausted from Happening #4, so it’s suiting her well.

4.  JoJo had a great time at Wag Hotel.  She has a reputation there, and when we called during the trip, they said, “Oh, JOJO…” and when we picked her up, the workers all emerged from their offices to talk about her.  She’s in the “High Energy Group.”

5.  I am off to my last day of class for the quarter!  After class, my friends and I are going out to have a gift exchange and celebrate our survival!  YAY!

Hi All!

I have been trying to write a Mandi’s Visit post for quite awhile, but for some reason the picture uploading on the site is messed up, and we haven’t been able to fix it yet.  So, instead of posting pictures directly with a story for them all, like I wanted, I’ll post a link to my Facebook album, where you can see the pictures from Mandi’s visit: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008978&l=2ec38&id=1262058331  We had a great time.  On Friday, which was Halloween, we baked pumpkin nut cups and dressed JoJo up in her spider costume (using lots of bribes), then went to eat in downtown Sacramento when Nik came home from work.  On Saturday, we explored San Francisco in the rain.  It was a fun and adventurous day, ending in a dark, rainy, and deserted forest, locked out of the car.  On Sunday, we went to Napa…went to an incredible lunch, a couple of wineries, the state park, and ended the day shopping at the outlets.  It was great having her here–we all had fun!  We’re already planning our next adventures which will include Alcatraz and the Redwood Forest!

So everything is going really well.  Schoolwork, while still busy, is getting easier to get through more quickly.  I think most of us feel that, as we’ve commented that we can finally stick our heads up for air.  In fact, our cohort had some fun at the world’s largest corn maze this weekend: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2009269&l=8c83c&id=1262058331  Out in about 45 minutes, muddy and laughing!

I am getting extremely excited for Thanksgiving.  It’ll be Nik’s first time in Amesbury.  Today we went November-in-Amesbury shopping, and were pretty successful…except for shirts, since wool makes us both itch…and all warm clothes are at least part wool!  Nevertheless, we both came away with too much to carry, which is a good sign.

Speaking of Nik, he’s got a job…has been working for maybe a month or so now.  I wish he would post more (!), but I think he’s pretty tired from working and spends his free time relaxing in other ways.  But…just to let anyone curious know, he has found a job.

Ok, time for me to get to relaxing…

Internet is finally up and running for us  Comcast wasnt much help other than being sure to charge us $75 for a monkey to screw is a few cables, plug things in, and turn it on.  I could have done that myself for free.  Ive got lots of cable orgazization to do.  Im always picky about them being bundled and neat.  The neighbors were lucky enough in my laziness to recieve free wireless temporarily until this morning when I secured it.  Im considering being nice and just leaving it open in spite of comcast.  In any case if anyone asked me to use it I probably would allow them.  We also have TV now which I never really watch but without a couch does it matter anyway?  Couches are still backed up and we are unsure when we will be receiving them.  Telephone is 100% go as well with unlimited long distance and local calls I think.  It connects through then cable modem and the internet so im guessing its VoIP and is a flat rate for any type of calls.

The dog is still spoiled and now that I think about it she might have snuck on the bed to sleep.  Katie doesnt allow her on the bed anymore and JoJo is so sad about it.  Lets get picture evidence of how happy she is.

“‘Mommy Im so tireds, Puhlease can i sleep on your pillow while you are at work and school?’”

She is now sadly sleeping in her own bed in the office.  Gonna have to do some hair removal to hide the evidence so JoJo and I dont get in trouble.  She is still having her ear infection problems but the vet up here is taking it very serious and thinks the original one has never been completely eliminated.  JoJo is getting her treatment with follow up visits until the infection is gone.  Hopefully this will be the last of it, unless she goes swimming!

Its Bachelor party this weekend.  There are eleven of us going camping and I expect it to be a great time.  I havent been camping in years.  Last time must have been when I was a Boyscout.  More on that upon my return sunday.

We finally have internet!!  What a PAIN it was to have to trek to the apartment’s office everyday to use their slow and always-breaking wireless.  Although there were some problems with getting the internet up and running (which I’m sure Nik will post about after he’s down from his initial high of Spore-playing), it’s working now and it’s great!  So convenient…

Today was a pretty busy day.  There were those internet issues and then we went to check out Wag Hotel (waghotels.com), which is where we’re going to leave poor Jo a couple of times in November.  It’s a very, very fancy…hotel…with a great big swimming pool, a chef, blueberry facials, paw pad massages, web cams, etc.  It’s a little over-the-top but the poor little girl deserves it.  My only regret will be that I won’t be there to see her swim, something I’ve always wanted to do with her.  And you know me…I didn’t order her a blueberry facial…the restraint…

Anyway, I have to mention how awesome my “cohort” at school is.  We’ve all quickly bonded into a great group, and actually choose to spend time together in boring rooms, for example, than go home separately.  Here they are!  Here, we were faced with 2 or 3 free hours since our first class lasted 15 minutes (5 minutes of which were joke-telling about horse poop).  We took a picture and then hung around and chatted.  More about them as time progresses…

I’m off to read some more.  It never stops, although I’m pretty far ahead and proud of myself for that.  My mom comes up to visit this weekend (yay!), so I want to be even farther ahead so that I don’t have to read while she’s here.  Dinnertime soon, too.  We’re becoming good cooks!