1. Oatmeal for breakfast. I'm glad I like oatmeal.
2. Sookie goes for her first walk in the cat tote today.
3. Hopefully, that previous point doesn't kill either of us.

1. Making a couple of Bittman recipes for dinner tonight. Super excited.

2. In preparation for said Bittman dinner, I went to a fishmonger I had found that happens to be really close to my house.

3. Not only were their prices good, but they also gave me a magnet, nail file and pen with their name on it. I love freebies.

1. Organic Chem exam in a little under six hours. These evening exams are kind of a pain in the ass as they make for really long days. Up at 5:30 AM to shower and get ready, leave the house at 6:20 to catch my 7:00 bus, go to two lectures, then hang around campus until the exam. Finish exam and hurry over to catch the 7:30 PM bus back to town, then finally get home around 9:15 or so. On the other hand, I've got five and half hours with nothing better to do than study.

2. One of the DVMs I work with has been gently bugging me to pick up some shifts with her at the emergency clinic. My full-time job had been keeping me from doing so for a long time, but I'm officially leaving there early next year (half the reason I've stayed on through the end of this year is so I'll get my year-end bonus). So when she asked (again) a week or so ago, I simply replied "January". She smiled and said "Yay! My job here is done then!". So yeah, looks like I'll start doing animal ER work here in a couple of months.

I've encountered a handful of emergency cases at the clinic (hit by cars, toxicity, large lacerations, etc) but I'll admit I'm a bit...intimidated by this. The techs there have a lot more direct responsibility (meaning not just prepping stuff, but doing a lot of it), so I'm going to have a big learning curve at first. But I'll learn a ton about treatments and medicine and the 500 or so hours that I should accumulate there before officially sending in my application next Fall will look fantastic. This whole process has been one hell of a grind, and the program is *very* competitive, but I feel like I'm building quite a strong application. I'm actually starting to have a small amount of confidence in my chances (don't tell that to my panicky brain though -- stressing about it keeps me focused on studying and keeping my grades high).

3. The other weekend/holiday tech at the clinic asked me if I'd be willing to swap some shifts over the Thanskgiving holiday and, per her request, it looks like I'll actually have the whole day of Thanksgiving off for the first time since probably 2004. I'm really looking forward to that.

1) Biked in the rain to neurofeedback and then left my MP3 player there so I now have to bike back.

2) Then I have to give and grade 60 quizzes.

3) I'm just delaying my bike ride in the rain by bothering to type #3. If I could think of more, I'd get to delay it even longer but I can't.

1. I get to apply for what is more or less my own job. Joy. I am vacillating wildly between a Fraulein-Maria-esque "I have confidence in confidence aloooone!" and an Eeyore-esque "They probably think I smell."

2. God, me and the boy have been pushing hard to get things done. It's a different kind of flop-on-the-couch than we did before the wedding, but I am worried because we don't have something fun and happy and rewarding waiting for us.

I guess there's Christmas, but money hasn't been great and I have no idea what to get. As I told him on our anniversary, "I'm spending all my money to give you MYSELF at this wedding, so I hope you like it."

3. We finally, FINALLY went down to Chicago and picked up the seven-foot bookcase we'd been trying to get since January.

Annnd... it seems to be the wrong color.

We bought it to match existing furniture I'd bought five years ago (that they no longer sell in town). It's cherry veneer. I seem to recall the original salesperson saying something about the wood getting darker in color over the years, but that may have been BS. So now we have a very lovely bookcase, assembled, in what has got to be the lightest cherry color I've ever seen, and a similar bookcase and hutch in what I could have sworn was cherry but is probably teak.

*shakes fist so.damn.hard*

1. Still eating the vegetable curry I made from Jamie Oliver Ipad app for dinner and it is just getting better each time. Very promising as that is my first cooking experience using that app.

2. Work is picking up. For some reason everything is going a little over scheduled time which is giving me a mild case of feeling like I am running to catch up a lot.

3. Bear is back at work but I am still very worried about him. Last night he suddenly felt so exhausted he went to bed at 7:30 pm. Hoping he improves very soon or else that I can persuade him to CALL HIS DOC.

1. I saw a dog on campus this morning! Black and gray, medium to large, cute but no tags. It walked by when I was walking to meet someone, then disappeared down a hill.

2. I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED about Friday. Seriously, it needs to get here. I'm going home for a week and a half away from school (Thanksgiving).

3. The chemistry test this morning wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great, either.

1. Saw the Drive By Truckers from the fifth row center last night and they were very loud. But even during the show, I kept thinking about distributed file system recovery. I really need a vacation.

2. I'm going on vacation tomorrow for 11 days! My brain may melt if I don't get out of here.

3. I may be buying bourbon tonight. And a lemon.

1. Date tonight. With an Egyptologist! (All the jokes have already been made on fb.)

2. Saw an opera last night. A friend of mine was Madama Butterfly. And she was phenomenal. I may actually like opera!

3. Exhausted. My commute will probably kill me. Indirectly, sure, but almost certainly. Now getting up at 5 to catch a train at Penn Station at 6:30, thanks to new LIRR schedules that killed my regular train. I think I've made it one time so far, out of four tries. Because it's a reverse commute, the next train comes two hours later. Yeah.

I keep saying I'm going to work on the resume, but my commute (and let's be honest, my commitment to improv-ing as much as possible) keeps me way to tired. I may have to beg off obligations this weekend to ensure I get at least one full night's sleep some time this fall. I honestly cannot remember the last uninterrupted 6+ hour-long sleep that I've had.

1. It's snowing!

2. SNOW SNOW SNOW!

3. Did I mention it's snowing?!

1. I'm hoping I'm not getting this stomach "flu" that is going around lately. But I feel pretty weird today, like I'm coming down with something. I have to decide if I should skip going to the gym tonight or not.

2. Everything was ridiculously busy this morning. It took me 20 minutes to get to the train station instead of the usual 5-10. Had to take a later train, and it was packed. Then on the walk to the office, the sidewalk was so busy even that took me 5 minutes longer than usual. What the heck?

3. In the process of removing some old equipment from a computer room today, a 20 pound piece of equipment managed to tip out of its brackets from about 24" up. Luckily my foot cushioned the impact. No permanent harm done to the box or to me, but it really fucking hurts when that happens.

1. Heh. Totally out of the blue, today my Dr. used the "1%-99%" to describe how part of my body is hording something the rest of the body needs and how the rest of the body "protests" because there are, then, no "jobs" available.

I got the jist at the time but totally fail when trying to completely remember what he said. Irregardless...My A1C is at 6.5%, continuing to trend doooooown. I Am The Master!

2. Found out my Mom's tumor, while the bad kind, was COMPLETELY removed from her lung with no cells found anywhere else. WHOOOO HOOOOO!

3. I got paid today, finally, so I am actually going to have more than soup for dinner. I intend to go to bed tonight feeling fat and bloaty. Also, chocolate for dessert. I will adjust my insulin accordingly.

Madamina, the cheery *will* darken over time, I promise. New cherry is very light, with light green streaks. Hopefully the wood tones are harmonious, if not matching...

1. Not much to do at work. This will not last forever, so I'm trying not to feel guilty about sort of half-assing it today.

2. Getting ready for a trip: we're leaving for Germany on Saturday, where we will see cmonkey! Then off to London for a wedding. Then, just as we're over the jet lag, we'll come home.

3. Been emailing a friend who's on a trip to South America... as her cat. This is turning out to be mildly hilarious.

1. The person sitting 2 feet away from me at work has a cold, so now I'm worried about driving to Florida for Thanksgiving with a big nasty cold. oh noooooooo . . . .

2. I need to rev up enough energy to exercise when I get home, because I blew it off yesterday. And this morning.

3. My ankle with the pins and a plate in it has been twinging some lately. I am mildly concerned.

1. Saw the doctor. He's concerned about me, but holding off on a new EKG until my next scheduled visit in 4 months. As he was pointing out the results from my last test 2 years ago, he noticed something odd. One of the readings (I forget which one - I should be taking notes when I see him) was low but not alarmingly low (but he already knew that), and the written analysis called it "Grossly Normal". I suggested that somebody's report-writing software had gone goofy. Still, I think I'll make that my personal tagline: GROSSLY NORMAL.

2. I had one of my weirdest dreams ever last night, and I wasn't even in it. It was the Last Episode of "Community", or at least what my sub-conscious thought it should be. The college is overrun by zombies. A message onscreen at the end says "JOIN US NEXT SEASON FOR 'THE COMMUNITY DEAD'". Would be funny if the producers wanted to go out on a F.U.T.V. But for dreams in general, I can relate to this.

3. I chose my Tardis T-shirt from my previous post, mostly because woot.com had cut the price during the recent "woot-off". But I may yet get "The Doctor Is In" too. But not for a while; I did a lot of online shopping the last two weeks, including books (NOT from Amazon), pants (when I find a source that can fit my odd body for less than an arm and a leg, I become a loyal customer), a laptop power cord (I wear them out faster than laptops), a window fan (even in winter, ventilating my little hovel is important), a Big Red Button (to keep me from being tempted to push the one at MetaFilter) and a 2TB external hard drive for $109 (just because I was watching the hard drive prices going up-up-up and this seemed the last surviving bargain). I didn't pay for rush shipping on anything, so of course it all arrived yesterday or today. All placed on my front porch, even the USPS delivery... my mail carrier is very nice, but she must be starting to wonder about me - the packages from woot.com are especially odd-looking. I'll be on a spending diet for the Holiday Season. Sorry, no "Secret Quonsar" from me, but ignoring ALL the holidays is one of my primary goals. More on that in a future update.

1. Wrote the damned comparison paper today. I just need to verify the references to make sure that they're proper and send that in. Hooray!

2. Social anxiety has been crazy, especially at the gym. I do not approve. The fact that the gym has been so difficult makes going to the pool pretty much impossible. Maybe I need more time with the HappyLight?

3. Came home from the gym/library combo to see that my across the hall neighbor's condo had been broken into. Called the cops and they came and went and I didn't have a phone number for her. Emailed pops and he did have a phone number, so I've called her and she's on her way home now. At least her cat didn't escape, which was the damndest thing because it was just sitting in the living room while the front door was wide open and the deadbolt was on the floor.

:-/

Makes me quite nervous, because I live alone too and I'm not here for a good chunk of the day most days. I already have 3 locks on my door when I'm home (chain thingy, deadbolt, normal thing).

She just got home.

Sperose..egad. Your poor neighbor. And yes, that would make me worry, too.

Oneswellfoop, I have been lately addicted to online shopping, as well. I use Abebooks when I'm book shopping mostly. And a lot of eBay, recently. And a laptop power cord as well.

1. FINALLY got a call back from a certified appraiser. You see, I purchased an original painting from an estate action for $5.00...and another appraiser got very excited and referred me to this gentleman. Please keep your fingers crossed this ends up being one of those OMG Antiques Roadshow type moments.

2. I'm rather enjoying this mild weather for November. My heat is off, lower bills, fresh air in the house. Though I admit I am envious of Deborah's snow. I do love snow.

3. The crazy turkey season at work has begun. Honestly, people, it's just a turkey. I don't know why they kill themselves to make everything perfect. Everyone wants a turkey in an impossible size (9 lb turkey? Really? Why not an oven stuffer?)

1. Last two weeks have been so emotionally exhausting -- both personally and professionally -- that I think chewing off my foot may have been easier to get through. But I think things are settling down in better patterns after these major upheavals, both for me and my clients, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

2. At the end of this week, I will have only 200 supervised hours left (of the 3,000 hours required) to be eligible to test for my therapist license. Huzzah!

3. I wish it were a bit colder here. I'm in a curling-up-in-a-big-sweater mood, but it's 70 degrees.

I respectively request that people with snow please keep the snow to themselves this year. I've experienced more snow in the past 3 years in Virginia than I did in the 6 years I was in Ohio. Snow's only nice when I don't have drive in it or shovel it. And given I'm a homeowner now, the latter is always required.

1. So today was my last full day of work. One manager & admin/coordinator I work(ed) with brought in breakfast pizza, donuts and orange juice this morning (it was also the last full day for a contractor who has been helping out the past month or so). Then we had desserts (cupcakes and brownies) after lunch. I'm so sugared up that all I want to drink is water.

2. My closest coworkers took me out for lunch and gave me a shadow box filled with knickknacks and in jokes from the past four years. It was a very good thing I brought tissues with me to lunch. Even though I'll see them every so often (since I'm not moving for the new job, thank the FSM), it'll be different and I'm going to miss them so much.

3. I have one call at 9a tomorrow and then I do check out with my manager at 11:30a and then I'll be at not-so-loose ends until the 28th. I think I have at least 20 things on The List to get done during my break. We'll see how much of it actually happens.

1. Big layoffs at work today. Several people I really like and respect. Boooooooo. :(
2. This is the 2nd night I've needed to attend an online class and not been able to get into the Adobe Connect room, for some unknown reason, and not been able to find anyone who can help me in my time of need. Online classes are bullshit, I don't think I'll ever take one again.
3. My stomach hurts, bleeeeeeech.

1. Today and tomorrow off work because of a database update (this happens every year). I have a list of 24 things to do in these two days. So far I've crossed about 8 things off it.

2. finally ordered new wine glasses. We'd been putting off ordering them until after we moved.

3. My daughter had one of those days where she went from "best thing ever" to "little shit" about 20 times in 2 hours. It's exhausting.

Wow, I have just like, no ability to relate to women or other humans. I am beyond adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Takeaways from last night's date:
1. Shut up.
2. Ask more questions.
3. Your "I am relaxed and comfortable with you" body language is easily confused with "bored and uninterested." No need to change yourself radically; just be aware.
4. Shut up. Stop talking her out of liking you.
5. Shut up and work the dimples.

Are they actually things you need to learn, Eid, or are they just things she told you? There might be a difference...

1. Just done over a week's work in 3.5 days. It frightens me a bit how I get when I've been working (too) hard - suddenly unable to string a sentence together, very snappy, not quite sure what to do with myself.

2. Heating is broken at the office.

3. Because of 1. and 2. I am going HOME. Where there is food, warmth and a cat.

Are they actually things you need to learn, Eid, or are they just things she told you? There might be a difference...

Tired of not receiving exit interviews on dates, I gave myself one (she was suitably horrified but basically confirmed what I'd said).

1. Normally, I'd be leaving to TA right now, but I no longer have to come in. Part of me wants to go because I help shape the class, but whee the freedom! I don't have to go in until 1pm. Crazy. If only I had slept in.

2. I'm a little worried that they are going to do paraphilias without me. Too much Savage Love and I feel like the queer/kink ambassador in there, especially with all the 'phobes. Man, the confusion with GID and the gay was ridiculous, and there are actual homosexuals present, you redneck freak.

3. While there are so many things I should be doing, I really feel the need to totally fuck off for a couple hours.

Eid, it sounds like you were dominating the conversation, either putting on a show or talking about yourself and what you are into-- it's suppose to be a back and forth, a dialog, a getting to know you thing. This is your chance to get to know her. You don't know her. Aren't you curious about: where she's from, what she does, why she does it, her favorite food, what music she likes, etc.?
At times, I will pelt people with the questions and avoid talking about myself, so if the person doesn't want to talk about themselves, have a couple good stories handy, but don't be like Senyar's awful date and run at the mouth for the duration of a cup of coffee.
Or do. It does kind of give the person an idea of what they will be in for and the person who digs that may be out there. If that's what you want.
It depends on what you want.
What do you want?

It's a fine line -- ask too many questions and the date turns into a freakin' job interview. Lord,if one more person asks me, "What are you passionate about?" . . . .

Oh, yeah, I am not advising to pelt out the questions and swing entirely to the other side. You have to be aware of the situation and what feels right, whether the person wants to talk or listen, whether you even care what their favorite show is, whether you/they want to share or be jokey or what have you.
The big take away seems to be awareness.
But I'm wondering what you were talking about that whole time.

It's a fine line -- ask too many questions and the date turns into a freakin' job interview.

Yeah, that's kinda how it ran from her end. "So where'd you go to school?" "Don't worry, I'm not judging you on that." So I guess I was trying to *not* ask tons of questions because I didn't want *her* to feel interrogated.

Oh, hell, that's how I always feel in social interactions, Eide. I loathe feeling like I'm interrogating someone, or crossing the line from interest to nosiness, so I usually err on the side of just... not. And then I end up answering their questions all the time, and feeling like an ass for not seeming interested in them.

Peoples is hard.

That's pretty much what happened, podeeeee.

Did you actually say the judging you thing?

"Shut up and work the dimples" is probably the best advice ever given about anything, anywhere.

Did you actually say the judging you thing?

She said that, after asking about where I'd gone to school.

The snow flurries didn't last long, redvixen. :-(

Bluesapphires - we're supposed to have a colder, wetter, snowier winter in the PNW this year than we've had in the last few years. Snow will be mentioned now and then. You have my apologies in advance.

Specklet - does your friend know that it's you emailing her?

She said that, after asking about where I'd gone to school.

I suggest that you share out responsibility for lack of success in the date, Eideteker. I assume she was joking and meant well, but...hmm. I love that you asked for an exit interview. Take your lessons and venture forth into more and better dates!

And then I end up answering their questions all the time, and feeling like an ass for not seeming interested in them.

I do this with my own friends, who I love and who are fascinating people with interesting lives. I think a lot of the time I'm getting by in my relationships on the quality of my hugs and snuggles.

1. In Melbourne for a meeting. I hate that, because we don't hve daylight saving where I live, I have to travel overnight for these meetings during summer because there is no flight early enough to get me here reliably on time (morning flights into Melbourne always seem to be delayed for some reason).

2. House is getting closer to completion, but we are totally stressed about paying for the stuff we need to do as it progresses and it turns out the $10k government grant we are eligible for can't be poid until after completion because we haven't submitted it through a bank.

3. Work is crazy busy - I have staff working overtime three nights a week and we still can't keep up. I've called a crisis meeting for Monday to try and come to a solution, but the huge staff turnover rate because of uncertainty about our future doesn't help.

I seem to recall the original salesperson saying something about the wood getting darker in color over the years, but that may have been BS.
No, this is true - it's a problem when you buy timber furniture years apart, but it will slowly come to match more closely.

Bluesapphires - we're supposed to have a colder, wetter, snowier winter in the PNW this year than we've had in the last few years. Snow will be mentioned now and then. You have my apologies in advance.

I don't mind hearing about it; I just don't want to experience it first hand. Therefore the Northerners should keep the snow to themselves ;o)

A friend was just telling me how this guy started talking to her at a store and he asked so many questions, she felt she was on a job interview. She did exchange numbers with him so I guess she didn't find it too awful.

Okay, wait a second. She kept asking you questions but said you talk too much? And judgey to boot. Huh.
What was so great about her?

Specklet - does your friend know that it's you emailing her?

Oh yeah. No one else it would be.

Oh yeah. No one else it would be.

Darn, it would be more fun if she didn't know.

On the snow front: it snowed last night! It dumped a couple inches so lawns still had the white stuff covering them, but the roads were clear.