Emuzines

I’m in LA!  Yay!  It was a difficult and slightly painful drive down.   I took the 80 to the 680 to the 101, because of the snow problem on the 5.  I had never driven the 101 all the way down, and I actually really enjoyed it.  It was really pretty, a very neat drive.  I thought it was funny that the scenery completely reminded me of Disney’s California Adventure, rather than the other way around.  With the trees hugging the highway, the tin agricultural buildings with “Asparagus” painted on the sides, the fields, the mountains covered in snow.  It was very pretty.  I was amazed at the great time I was making, and most of the time there was very few cars anywhere to be seen.  Then I hit Santa Barbara.  It took me two hours just to get through SB (rush hour), and from then on it was tough.  The valley and the 405 were horrible.  Even the radio DJ was late to his shift because of the 101/405 area traffic.

Anyway, I made it!  My mom had a yummy Greek dinner waiting for me.  Logan cried like a big baby and has been following me around and cuddling any chance he gets.  I went to bed pretty early to prepare myself for yesterday, which was our Christmas!  Mandi and I started the day with some shopping, and I wrapped and wrapped, and cooked (well, I mashed some sweet potatoes) all day until Christmas time!  Then gifts, fun, food, and a nice drive along the beach with Logan.

It’s nice to be home, and nice to know it’s for 2/3 weeks and not for 2/3 days!  I can’t wait to see everybody.  Let’s get together!!!

Nik and I have realized in the past week, that neither my mom or Mike D. live with us…so…who is going to kill the spiders that are apparently quite rampant in Davis???

I’ve refused on the two and only occurrences in the past few days.  Nik stepped up.  Anxiety all around.

Here are some pictures from my visit!

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I’ve spent the weekend back at home, and had a great time!  At first, I didn’t tell anyone I was visiting home, because I had so many plans and no free time, and didn’t want to say, “I’m coming home, but won’t see you” to anyone.  I feel a little guilty about that but really, I didn’t have time! 

On Friday, my mom picked me up and, although she tried to keep it a secret, she had a secret Indian food feast in the trunk.  I smelled the garlic naan yumminess and the secret was out!  We came home and Logan got a lot of love, and then we dug into the food, which I’ve been craving for a couple of months!  Friday night was pretty relaxing.  I studied a bit…couldn’t avoid it completely…and hung out with Logan, and went to bed nice and early…with Logan in a ball at my feet!

Saturday was spent with Mark and Noah, who just gets cuter and cuter and cuter.  His language has exploded.  I got into the car and turned around and said, “Hi, Noah!” and he waved and said, “Hi!”  Last time it was work to just get him to wave at me!  He was quite entertaining, demanding (”More,” “Doggie,” “Other doggie”) to see Logan and JoJo pictures.  I loved being with Mark…wish I could see him every week, or twice a week again (didn’t realize what a luxury that was, eating sushi with him twice a week!)  Saturday night, I attended Danny’s fabulous Halloween party, dressed in bat antlers.  Mandi and I carved a pumpkin.  Despite Mandi’s cutting off of the pirate skeleton’s eye and nose, we sort of won first place in the contest (we got second, but it was rigged to let the only kid win).  It was really nice seeing everyone there, and Mandi and I solidified our next week plans (yayyyyy…she’s coming to visit!  Downtown Sacramento!  San Francisco!  Napa!  Spa!  Food!  Chocolate!).

Today I went to Oak Glen with my mom, a yearly tradition which I always enjoy.  I was a little disappointed before I went, because I knew I couldn’t buy food to eat for weeks, like I usually do from there (apple bushels, apple pie, etc.).  However…I thought of how awful Safeway produce is anyway, and conviced myself that I could squeeze some apples into my suitcase!  They’re still sitting on my bed…I haven’t tried to pack them yet…

I’m leaving soon for the airport…and want to go spend the last hour with Logan!!  It was a great weekend!!

Hi Everyone!

It is Fall now and things are getting really busy!  My mom came to visit me last weekend.  We had a great time, and packed as much fall fun is as we could.  We did some shopping, cooked some scallop chowder, baked some pumpkin pies, and visited a flower farm/pumpkin patch!  I enjoyed showing my mom around my new home and most of all just enjoyed being with her, hanging out at home at night, etc.  I hope she had as much fun as I did!  Here are some pictures…

School has gotten incredibly busy.  There is an extraordinary amount of reading.  At USC, I often got away with not reading…but here, I have a prelim exam at the end of next summer, covering all of the first year’s readings…so I have to know them all.  And the class structure is much different than anything I had in undergrad (predictably) or even at USC.  I feel as though maybe the professors tried to get this sort of feel at USC, a true seminar/interactive type of conference…but it never really happened.  We basically run the entire class, and have to be all smart-sounding and bounce ideas against each other…the professors rarely talk.  I think this type of class is pretty new to all of us, and so we meet 2 hours before each class to warm up!  I feel now that we’ve settled into a good groove and classes are feeling less awkward, with less silences…  Today David found some cricket chirps on his phone to play in case we hit an awkward silence, which would have been great (we should have been quiet!), but we didn’t hit any of those today.

My cohort is so wonderful!  Tomorrow we’re going out to a place called Little Prague, for happy hour and some appetizers and things.  It’ll be the day that Nik meets them all.  April and I have a plan to “set up” our boyfriends, since both are new here and a little lonely.

So school has been busy and good, but work has been busy and wonderful! I have gotten deeper into understanding the ins and outs of the MIND, and learning what I’m doing and what my choices are. Right now I’m working on an intervention study with little ones (12 months old!) with autism, and I’ve also started work on a chapter which will be published in a book by 2 researchers I really admire…and then which will be published in a journal, hopefully. I know that the chapter is due after Christmas, but I’m not sure when the book plans to be published…but in any case, I’ve gotten started! I’m really excited and love going to work. Every day there…I can’t come up with the right words…it’s like Christmas morning for me!
Anyway, all is well. Things are settling into a nice groove, and although some days are really long, they’re good. I have become addicted to TWO cups of caffeine everyday, though. Now, I’ve been to grad school before and I’ve had long work days…but never have I needed caffeine like I need it now! I am an absolute zombie without both servings. But, mm, at least coffee tastes great!!

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!

A quick post to share my excitement for fall.  My wonderful mom sent me a fall care package yesterday, chock full of fall decorations, including pumpkin-scented candles and an autumn cookbook (and tons more).  I’m so excited.  I went to the grocery store to pick up all the ingredients to make pumpkin soup tomorrow night, and Nik’s even agreed to taste it!  (He has backup hot dogs, just in case).

We attempted fondue for the first time last night, and are extremely proud of ourselves.  Our cheese fondue was perfect and tasted just like Melting Pot’s cheddar one.  It was incredible.  The main course broth was modeled after Melting Pot’s mojo broth.  It was tasty and very flavorful but a little too spicy for me.  We had Italian-marinated chicken and veggies to dip.  It was verrrrrry good.

Not too much else is going on.  We had a lazy morning today.  We made pancakes and I studied in my pajamas for awhile, then we went shopping.  We can’t stop shopping!  Hope everyone back home is doing well.