Forget It

Sometimes it's sad when something that's interesting or important to you isn't remembered by a friend. It's bound to happen sometimes, and friends are human too, but it's still a reminder of how we're not as interesting or important as we sometimes think we are. Floating around in our own bubble universes.

Formwork With a View

Here's the view from my jobsite. I'm standing on the 29th level formwork, looking due north.

Ready for Writing

In the absence of any entertaining activities to tell you about, I thought I'd post a picture of the little journal that I'm going to be doing my annual November writing exercise. I normally do NaNoWriMo (kind of a writing marathon), but this year I am way too busy. However, I would love to participate. So, I decide to write a little, just enough to get my fix, but not high stress enough to give me a melt down. I've got my little journal (bought for my Honduras trip, but never used) and I'm going to hand write a fictional travel journal. The structure should be loose enough that I can write for as long or as short a time as I have. I hope to write a little during the in between times, maybe as a wind down when getting home from work.
I'll keep you guys updated! November starts in one and a half days. Eeeep!

School Daze

I'm learning how to study all over again.
Fortunately, I picked a relatively easy exam for my first multiple choice exam.
I started reading for it this weekend. On Saturday I read the first chapter and it was slow going, but I did pretty good (80%) on the end-of-the-chapter quiz. Then, on Sunday morning, I was thinking "Hey, maybe it would be a good idea to take notes while I read..." DUH! As soon as I started doing that, it was a little less dull. I had to engage my brain a little more to take the information and condense it into what I thought I should write down. Plus, writing it down helps me remember stuff. The second chapter seems much longer, but I think that's because the material is a bit denser. Regardless, the studying is going better - though I'm still thoroughly undisciplined about it. :P
It was funny relearning how to study though. Very odd sensation.

New New Header

OK, I've changed the header again to an unaltered (except cropped) picture of some rose hips I have growing near my garage. It looks better with the green background, is less contrived than the last photo, and shows the fruit of the rose, which is in keeping with the season.
Enjoy!

If You Could Taste Fall

Today I bought that most evocative of seasonal foods, apple cider. I love just heating a cup in the microwave with a stick of cinnamon. I enjoy the Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider (except that it's a little too sweet and a lot too expensive), so I bought some caramel syrup to try. It's nice. Adding a small amount gave the hot cider a hint of extra sweetness.

Later: I made some of the Alton Brown hot chocolate that Aileen pointed out. It's good (though I think I added a shade too much cayenne pepper) but it'll take me a bit to figure out the mix to water proportions. I did it per the recipie first and it was too rich. After I drank some to make room in the cup, I added more hot water and it's better.

The New Header

Yes, it's a Photoshopped version of the photo I posted. The colors are the same, I just cropped it down till it was the right proportions, then moved the moon down so it was "in frame." Oh, and flipped the mountains so that the moon could be on the right and be in a good place relative to the mountains. It is, however, the same size as in the original photo, even though it looks gigantic closer to the mountains.

I fiddled around with changing the colors to something that matches the header, but they all looked hideously garish and there were a couple areas that stayed stubbornly green. So I left it as it was.

Hunter's Moon

I got a better picture of the moon this morning, with the mountain lit by the morning sun. A better camera would have done a better job, but you get the general idea of how beautiful it was.

Assortment

Well, I got my money back from Bed Bath & Beyond. Good customer service, yay!
I also went on a wild goose chase for a store that a friend told me about. So, when I got back home, I was pretty pooped.

However, two things revived me:
1. Going out to see the Hunter's Moon (I tried to take a picture, but it just looks like a bright white dot in a sea of black. None of the cool details you can see with your eyes.)
2. Talking to my brother on the phone. He's just started a new job, and it seems like a pretty good place for him, good perks and whatnot (ppbbbbttt, Max & Brian! :P). He reminded me to go watch some "webisodes" (little videos on the internet) for Battlestar Galactica.

The BSG webisodes follow young Bill Adama. They're very short -- around 2 1/2 minutes -- so it's hard to get anything beyond a basic storyline, but the effects are good. (True to BSG form, they have a sex scene right at the beginning of the first one, but in thier defense, is there any quicker way to show how close two people are than by a sex scene followed by dialog? A bit of an easy shortcut, I agree.) There are three webisodes up, and the third one has a space dogfight in it that reminds me how far special effects have come in describing how ships might move in space. I once heard them described as "flippy little ships." They are, indeed, wonderfully manuverable. The BSG people are getting us ready for a spin-off TV movie about Battlestar Pegasus, the other ship BSG runs across during thier travels. It should be good, but we have to wait until the end of November. The question I have is: when are they releasing the DVDs of season three?

Now, I think I am going to go to bed early, like I had planned to yesterday. Yes, my life is thrilling, isn't it?

Sweet Dreams

A long while back, a friend pointed out that my bed is under-pillowed. I "only" have two (and they're pretty old, too). Then, I slept in a couple beds that had more than the standard two and I realized that, yes, my bed is under-pillowed.
So, today I went out and [woo hoo!] bought a couple new pillows at Bed Bath and Beyond. A salesperson offered to help me, but as my process is basically looking for a mid-range priced pillow and squishing them until I find one that feels good, he really couldn't help much. (Turns out I like feathers.) I got one for $15 and one for $30 (I like all my pillows to different, so I have variety). I'm interested to find out if there's a difference in the quality. I also got bamboo (Oooooh) pillowcases. If they wear well, I know what kind of sheets to get next time.

Later: Grrrr. I just looked at the receipt and the girl at the checkout rang up both pillows as if they were the same kind. I would't be complaining if she had picked the cheaper one, but no, she rang up the more expensive one twice. I guess it's worth $15 to go get it corrected. :P

Well, I was going to say I'm looking forward to going to bed, but this mistake has made me irritated. Oh well. It'll be fixed. I also was going to go to bed early, but in 15 minutes, it will be 9:30, bedtime. [sigh] Oh well.

Something Colorful

Ha ha! I knew I would find something colorful for you guys. Little did I know I would find it so quickly. After logging off, I started tidying up, getting ready for bed, and these two little gems caught my eye. They are a pair of shot glasses given to me by a very good (and obviously tasteful) friend who just got back from a trip to Spain. The signature on the side is from the famous Spanish architect, Gaudi (hrrm, that needs an accent on the "i."). Bravo... No, wait, that's Italian... Muchas gracias, mi amigo! Son vasos hermosos!

Beige instead of Gray

I wish I could post something entertaining today, but I'm just out of ideas. I'm going to start studying for the Construction Documents exam... tomorrow. I've got a plan for a low key involvement in NaNoWriMo, but that's for November. I've got a plan to research doing an on-the-cheap version of the modular shelving, but that requires research at Home Depot. I watched the second season premiere of Heroes tonight and it was interesting, but a little patchy. Meh. I don't really have tons to talk about tonight. I'm thinking about going to bed early. To be honest, I'm looking forward to going to the gym. I think I worked out the stupid kinks in my MP3 player. Other than that, this evening I'm not really interested in watching any more TV, reading any books, even Jane Austen, nor in surfing the net any further. I'll go to bed early, and hopefully won't wake up with insomnia, like I did last night.
Oh, some news: yesterday, I scored a major success on the building project I'm on at work. Because of me, because I was persistent, we will have beige terrace pavers on the project instead of gray. Woo hoo! Go me! (Seriously, it's a major improvement. I really do feel like I accomplished something. Hope that isn't too sad for y'all.)
I'll try and come up with something a little more colorful for tomorrow. Literally.

The Remake Revolution

While talking about The Bionic Woman (yawn) with my mum, I said:
"It's a recent fad to remake old TV shows. Next thing you know, they'll be remaking Gilligan's Island."
That, of course, set my mum laughing.
And then, I said (don't ask where I came up with this line): "Well, actually, they did. It was called Lost."
Hee! Made my mum giggle even more.

400 posts

I just noticed that my post yesterday was my 400th post. Woo hoo!

If I didn't believe the weather reports (which I often don't, since weather in CO is so variable), I did believe the warm front. So I wasn't surprised when I got up this morning and saw snow falling outside. OK, I thought it would be later in the day.
I went to the gym, and when I was done, I was getting my stuff from the lockers and saw a cooking segment on a news show, where they were roasting vegetables. It looked so good (and I've been on a bit of a vegetable kick), I had to stop by the grocery store and get a bunch of veg to roast. Well, I was already planning to stop and get some chocolate chips. One of the fun things I plan to do this weekend is make chocolate chip cookies. Mmm! All they had were Nestle chips (hrrrm... I usually get Ghiradelli), but I bought them anyway. I figured I survived childhood with Nestle, I would probably be able to make decent cookies with them.

Have a great weekend!

Later: As you can see, I made A LOT of vegetables. I included: two yellow potatoes, two red potatoes, a Russet potato, a sweet potato, a yam, a turnip, three carrots, a butternut squash, a celery root, an onion, garlic, two red bell peppers, two summer squash, two zucchini, and three portobello mushrooms. I didn't put a lot of each of these, but obviously, it adds up. It turned out yummy, however. A good thing, since I have a bunch of leftovers. ;)

A Good Day

Today I got up, went and did some errands AND went to the gym. (I know, on a weekend? But I haven't had much time to do so for the last two weeks, so I've been dying to go.) When I got back I started clearing out the garage. I'm throwing some stuff away, but most of it went into the basement temporarily. Because I had to make room to put the bike in a more out of the way location for the winter, I decided I could reorganize the garage and buy some shelving to organize it on. I love elfa shelving (and it's even on sale for $285, 25% off this weekend!), because of its modularity. When I have more money, I could use the same system and expand it. And, because it's modular, I'd be able to customize it to exactly what I need. BUT, that's a lot of money, especially when I can buy a couple of these Rubbermaid Shelves and maybe one of these Tool Organizers ('cause it looks cool) for half the price. [sigh] Practicality, it's hard to argue against.

Anyway, after I finished up emptying the garage, I took my (probably) last motorcycle ride of the year. I went on I-70 to 56 to Golden, then north on 93 to Boulder (where there was a bunch of traffic for a CU Boulder football game, grrr). I did a little bit of searching at that point, 'cause I thought I wanted 157, but I actually wanted 119, but I found it and headed northeast to Longmont. Finally, I headed south on Countyline Road to Lowell and thence to home (with a little jog over to Federal where Lowell doesn't continue through). See the map to the left for my circuit. (Ignore the yellow markers, I just used them to show turning points.)
The weather was gorgeous Colorado fall weather. A storm system is pushing some warm air in front of it, so we had a warm day, with temps reaching the 70s, and tomorrow it will be 39 for the high. It was not too cold, not too hot. (I did wear my chaps, just in case, but took the liner out of my jacket.) The scenery was, of course, lovely. I didn't go up into the mountains, but skirted the foothills and went through lots of farmland. It was a bit windy at times, but not too bad. The landscape was all yellow and brown, very fall. I called my family in the area, but neither Gregg and Amy nor Aileen and Brian were at home when I was in their area, so no visiting. Maybe next time.
I got back with plenty of sunshine and warm weather to spare (though it was getting noticeably cooler), so I let the cats out to play and I did a repeat of the tea, cheese, fig jam, and a good book routine. It was lovely.
Now, I think I'll do some laundry (which has gotten way behind) and watch some Heroes. It's getting very tense here at the end. They did a very good job showing how bad the baddie is and then in the following episode, showed his vulnerability as he was faced with his own death and possibility of mass murder (as opposed to serial killing, which he is fine with). It's very well done. Also, they showed what the heroes might be like if they failed and Peter Petrelli is yummy as a bad-boy good guy. [Grrrrrowl]

Hope the weekend is treating you all well!

Oh, and I survived my first sneeze-while-driving-a-motorcycle! I hate sneezing while driving, so when I had to sneeze on the bike, I thought "uh oh." It was fine, of course. No worse than sneezing while driving a car.

And one more tidbit - I canceled my landline (phone) recently. The gal at the phone company asked if my address would be the same, so they could send me a statement. "Great," I thought, "How much are they going to charge me to turn off the phone?" Turns out they gave me money, 'cause you're always paying for the upcoming month in advance. You could have knocked me over with a feather. The phone company - aka Evil Incarnate -- turns out to be a normal business after all. Wow!

Last of the Graphic Exams

I took the Building Planning Exam today. I was nervous, 'cause I wasn't sure about getting part of it done in time. I only recently started completing it within the time limit, and I wasn't sure if that was just because I was seeing the same ol' program with my own changes in it, or 'cause I was actually getting better.

I apparently prepared enough. The interior layout went like clockwork. I even had time and space in the drawing to decide what looked best and how would they actually want it in the real world. Wow. Didn't think I'd be able to do that.
The building design went fine as well. I had time to fiddle over requirement interpretation. I had the time to put in very literal interpretations, so the resulting design is not as clean and simple as I would like, but it fulfills all the requirements. (I hope!)

I think I did everything right, but of course there's that nagging thought of "what if you left out something vital?" So, I wait. And start studying for the first of the multiple choice exams. After I take the weekend off. Yippee! :D

(A co-worker tried to joke that ignorance is bliss, but I had to correct him. NOT when you're waiting for test results!)

Nervous Nellie

I'm taking the Building Planning Exam tomorrow morning.
I've been a bit nervous all week about this one because I was having trouble getting one of the parts (Interior Layout) done in the time allowed. I've been trying to practice a couple times per night, but then I was getting nervous that I was ignoring the other section (Schematic Design), since I had only practiced it once. Tonight, I practiced that neglected section and got done with plenty of time to spare. I forgot a couple things, but that's a good thing, 'cause now I'll know to be extra careful about those items. I also practiced the one I'm nervous about a couple times. The first time, it seemed a little too easy, so for the second one, I put a few more requirements on the program. That was good, because I spent the last twenty minutes of the time trying to squish in those last couple items. I say that's a good thing because it forces me to think creatively. Not to arrange furniture in pretty and realistic configurations, but to cram in every stick of furniture, no matter how ugly the solution. As long as has the required clearances. I did just fine and was able to come up with several creative solutions. The fact that I had time to fiddle with it means that I'm getting faster at the initial layout. That is great news.
I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be, so now it's time for a good night's sleep!
I'll let you know how I did tomorrow!

Blog Bites

Fred Willard (aka "Paul, Paul, the... pig on the ball") is in a new show called Back to You, with Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. The show's your typical sitcom (so not worth watching) but it was nice to see him and remember the good ol' days with Fairy Tale Theater.
He was also the announcer in Best in Show, which Aileen finally saw recently and enjoyed.

I'm a little bit nervous about the exam on Friday. I kinda wish I had planned it for Monday, so I'd have the weekend to practice, but I had wanted to have a weekend "off" to celebrate finishing the graphic exams and I couldn't really do that if I finished them on Monday. So, I'll prepare as best as I can and then enjoy the weekend! The weather is supposed to be gorgeous on Saturday, so maybe I'll go for a motorcycle ride, go up to visit Susan or Max (and Jenn) or stop by Gregg and Amy's on the way back to Denver. And, I'd love to do some baking. And I need to organize the garage. And maybe I'll see a movie (though I don't know what's on right now). We'll see. Right now, I should be studying, so... cheerio, folks!

Later: Yeesh. I need to practice that interior layout stuff some more. The time constraint is killing me on that one. I've done the building layout once and did a decent job, but I'm definitely planning to practice that at least once more. The interior layout is just not as easy for me as the other stuff was. Practice practice. I think I'll skip the gym tomorrow and do a practice test instead.

Another One Bites the Dust

Almost went to bed without reporting how the second exam went...

There were three parts, one long one (site design) and two short (site zoning and site grading). The two short were easy (I hope -- they sure seemed easy). Site design, however, was a nail-biter. It took me a while to find the solution -- the right relationship between all the pieces -- and then I drew it up. Then, I went through my checklist and found that I had one of the buildings turned the wrong way. Oh s*%^. I metally freaked out for about 5 seconds (it had taken me over an hour to put together the solution I had, and I had 20 minutes left), and then I got a hold of myself. I turned the building the way it needed to go and pushed a few pieces around a bit and presto, in a few minutes, I had a workable solution. I double checked my checklist and everything seemed OK, so I said I was done. There's nagging doubt, of course, that I messed it up, but I think I did OK. I hope. Eeep! :\

Ouch (or, To Stacey)

Got my second tattoo today. Damn, it hurts like a m***** f*****. I had forgotten (like a woman forgetting labor pains, I suppose). It makes me sad that I missed sharing my friend Stacey's experience (I forget why now -- all I remember was that it was a stupid reason). Having a friend with you makes it go much better. :( Sorry, Stacey!

Coincidentally, Stacey gave me a really fun t-shirt today. The front says, "Careful, or you'll end up in my novel." Heh. :) Thanks so much!

Later: Per matriarchal request, a photo of the new artwork. I'm showing it upside down because that is how it appears to me. My first tattoo is on the right-hand side. The first one was "upside down," because it was for me. This one (and the next one) are more about me and the outside world, so they will be "right side up." Also, I thought it would be cool if they switched orientation.

Dip Into the Past

I had lunch at Olive Garden with my uncle Sam today. We had the soup and salad combo, as usual. Zuppa Toscana for me, Minestrone for him.
He's doing alright. I told him about the stuff I've been up to. He didn't have much to add about his own. We ended up talking about WWII and his brothers, particularly his brother, Dick. I guess that's 'cause he's been watching The War on PBS. He told me about how interesting it is to remember personal associations with certain events mentioned in the film.
As always, it was very nice to see him.

Also, my sister sent me this fascinating link to an image that's supposed to test which side of your brain is dominant. It's fascinating. And yes, it's possible to see it switch directions. I saw counter-clockwise, but after a minute, I could see it going clockwise.

Loose Woman

I got a massage this afternoon and Wow, did it help. He did a great job and had very reasonable prices ($45 for 1 hour) -- I think I'm going back regularly, like once a month.
The picture on the left is because the massage room was blue and decorated with pictures of dolphins. The light was painted blue to give the feeling of being underwater. The music was nice (not ocean sounds though, which would have completed the experience). His style of massage is very similar to my Aunt Ruth's, which is a big compliment. AND he didn't introduce the idea of regular visits, I did, and his response was to give me his "usual spiel" of "if you get a massage regularly, even if it's not here..." I like that.
So, I'm relaxed and ready for a study-rific weekend.

Undecided

For the last three years, I have participated in NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month (for short). I succeeded in '04 (a Nov. 30th snowstorm helped that happen), failed in '05 because of a work deadline, and failed in '06 because I started seeing Le Squeeze (now FS) mid-month. This year, not only am I totally stressed at work, but I'm also taking some very important (and expensive) exams on an accelerated schedule. It would seem that now would definitely NOT be the time to undertake NaNoWriMo.
And yet, I've been thinking about it. I know I couldn't do the 50K words in 30 days, but I'm wondering if I could do a low key variation, just so I could participate. I would set up some rules and follow those, but what should they be? Should I write an epic poem, one stanza per day? Should I write a 5K short story? Should I write a series of short stories? Should I blog my story, one post per day (no matter what the length)? I have a couple of weeks to figure it out, but I'm definitely thinking about adding to the workload. [shrug] Why not?

(Aside: I have the TV going on in the background and someone explained thier amazing ability to lie by saying "I've been married." I hate statements like that. Yes, it's like having a quote from The Office be a representative statement for working in an office, but it's still off-putting.)

Countdown to Meltdown

This afternoon I had a site walk (on my project) with the assistant project manager and the assistant owner's rep for my project. I mentioned that a friend of mine was on vacation in Spain and the owner's rep joked that I was not allowed to take any vacations until the end of the project. I said that I wasn't able to take any vacations right now, because I don't have any money. She said "good, I'll make sure to tell your boss not to give you any raises until the end of the project." To which I replied, "and a that time he can give me a big raise and a bonus right?" "Right!"
It was a light-hearted joking around, but it's scary to think of shouldering this much stress without any breaks for another year. Now, before you jump to my defense, I'll point out that I'm hoping to take a trip to India to visit a friend next May or June. And, I may plan a quickie trip after I've finished (passed?) all the AREs as a sort of celebration. We'll have to see.

I Don't Need to Watch More TV, Dammit

Someone lent me the first season of the TV show "Heroes" and now, I'm hooked. It's a very interesting show. It's got twists and turns and linkages that are really cool. The acting is dang decent too. I really like that besides the "token black person" or "token Asian person," shows are starting to have token Indians or token Arabs. One of these days, we'll be able to take the "token" off the front and not think it's such a remarkable thing to have a diverse cast. Sorry about the rant. One of my favorite characters is a Japanese guy named Hiro. He is so wonderfully enthusiastic and earnest. I even like the cheerleader. I thought I wouldn't but the writing and the actress do a great job of making her multi-dimensional. It's just a darn good show and the fact that it is good AND popular says something good about the TV watching public. "Good writing, it's not just on PBS anymore."

Oh, and I just saw this wonderful quote on the bottom of an advertisement for a local spa:

"Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Appreciate your friends. Continue to learn. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is."
- Mary Anne Radmacher

Cool, huh?

One Down, But I Have to Wait

I took one of the Architectural Registration Exams today. It was one of the three graphic exams, Building Technology to be exact. It has six sections: Building Section, Structural Layout, Mechanical & Electrical Layout, Stair Design, Accessibility, and Roof Layout. It took 5 1/2 hours.
I think I did OK, but I can't tell until the official letter comes. I'm pretty sure I got all the technical points (I tried to be extremely thorough), but I'm almost positive I lost points on design, particularly on the stair design. I had about 7 minutes left on the second half of the exam, so I just started looking over the solutions I had come up with, double checking as much as I could. Then, with 2 minutes left, I suddenly realized that the stair design would have worked much better if it had been flipped along its long axis. In my normal drafting program, this wouldn't have been a problem, but in the generic program of the exam, it would have taken me about 15 minutes to redraw it. So, I left it as it was. It's not as if it doesn't work the way I did it. It just doesn't work as well as it should. [sigh] And that's the mistake that I know about. Who knows how many more there were.
Now, I've got to study for the Site Planning exam that I'll be taking in a week. I've already started, but I've got to get more proficient.
Yeesh. I hope this damn test taking thing doesn't take more than the 6 months I've allotted for it. I hate studying. (I don't mind learning stuff, but jumping through hoops because someone else says so is not really my thing.)

Is There a Felicity in The World Superior to This?

Since finishing the patio, and since purchasing an affordable piece of patio furniture, I have begun the habit of sitting in the shade and reading while the cats play outside. It has been an exceedingly pleasant way to unwind, especially considering the amount of stress I've been under of late.
Today, after studying for some hours, I took a break and took a book outside with a cup of tea and a block of Monterey Jack cheese and a jar of fig jam. It was so nice and so photogenic that I was moved to take a picture. I couldn't pick between two of the pictures, so in a burst of extravagance (completely in character, of course), I am including both.
I am also including a paragraph from Persuasion that struck me in quite a new way this time:

"Mr. Elliot was rational, discreet, polished, but he was not open. There was never any burst of feeling, any warmth of indignation or delight, at the evil or good of others. This, to Anne, was a decided imperfection. Her early impressions were incurable. She prized the frank, the open-hearted, the eager character beyond all others. Warmth and enthusiasm did captivate her still. She felt that she could so much more depend upon the sincerity of those who sometimes looked or said a careless or a hasty thing, than of those whose presence of mind never varied, whose tongue never slipped."

I know that I ought to appreciate the emotionally reserved personality more, but it is so much easier to be with the unreserved.

One More Quote

For Mummy:
"...for I have often observed that resignation is never so perfect as when the blessing denied begins to lose somewhat of its value in our estimation."
- Mr. Collins, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

Self-Enjoyment

"To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance."
- Oscar Wilde

For some reason, I'm feeling very happy with my own company this evening. I really enjoy the times I'm in this kind of mood.

(For some truly wonderful quotes by Oscar Wilde, see this compilation. The man was a genius.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also on the quote front, I ran across the following line in Persuasion, by Jane Austen. I think it describes how my friends and family feel about my single state. (The character's name is coincidentally, Anne.)

"...and though Lady Russell, as satisfied as ever with her own discretion, never wished the past undone, she began now to have the anxiety which borders on hopelessness for Anne's being tempted, by some man of talents and independence, to enter a state for which she held her to be peculiarly fitted by her warm affections and domestic habits."

(Tor Classics has a copy of Persuasion on Amazon with a delightfully pulpy cover. It makes the book look like one of those soft-core Regency romances you can get in the grocery store.)

Self-medication

Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate Sensation Hot Chocolate gets me through the day lately.
I'm not buying by the case... yet.

Sleeping Next to Your Partner

I like seeing things that are contrary to stereotypes:

Psychologist Wendy Troxel isn’t surprised to see that men do better when sleeping in a shared bed. Studies have shown that men are very dependent on close relationships — contrary to popular stereotypes, says Troxel, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh who has studied how the quality of a relationship affects overall health and sleep in men and women.

In general, men show much clearer benefits from committed relationships, Troxel says. “My research shows that married men are much happier and healthier than unmarried men," she adds. “The findings are much less consistent with women.”

- from an MSNBC article about couples' sleep patterns by Linda Carroll

Gotta Get Something to Look Forward To

A Photo Essay on the Future:

Mail Call

Today was my lucky day, mail-wise that is. (I'm still working on finding some luck male-wise. ;) I had sent my remaining John Scalzi books to John to sign. Today, they were returned! Yay! My collection is back together again.

Also in the mail was a study book I need for the graphic portions of the exam. I was waiting for it for three weeks. Thank goodness I got it in time.

And now I need to go read it. :P

No Go

This morning, I had a peculiar experience. My alarm went off at the time I usually get up to go to the gym. I was awake, but I could not get myself to get up. The reason was not that I was avoiding the gym, but rather that I wanted to avoid the rest of the day (going to work, mostly). I had this feeling that if I could avoid starting the day, I could successfully avoid the day entirely. I think other people, particularly the extremely depressed experience this a lot, but it's the first time I've recognized it as avoidance of the work day. (That's not to say I haven't ever slept in because I went to bed late or skipped the gym because I was lazy. I just don't normally think of work as something to avoid.)
Well, time to get up and go directly to work!

ETA: Except now I have a purring cat on my lap. Now I'll have to sit here a while longer. Oh, the horror...