Pics of completed projects

Wolves cross stitched, need matting and framing. Gift for my dad. Took 4 weeks of work, 6 hours per day (ughhh)

Crescent moon cross stitched by me and matted and framed by my dad. Gift for my sister Becca.

"Abbott" sign cross stitched for my half brother Carl who changed his name back to Abbott recently. Matted and framed by my dad.

Black, tan, and white afghan made for my Grandpa Abbott. Southwest 3-D motif.

Purple/gold reversible afghan made for my wonderful "other mother".

Home Sweet Home

We are finally back from Seattle. Had a FANTASTIC time. Will post pictures later, and add details later. Am VERY tired, loooong way from here to there. Dad bought Adam and I am really nice digital camera for our anniversary and we took tons of pictures. Am working on posting those. In the mean time here are the pictures of the gifts I made for my Seattle family.

Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband. Two years!! Thank you for making it possible for me to become the person you knew I could be. Thank you for letting me be apart of your wonderful family. Thank you for being who you are, I wouldn't change a thing!
I love you.

Sorry we have to spend our anniversary in an airport...

Tooting my own horn

My husband HATES when I talk to him about my grades, so I figure I can brag just a little on here.
I made the Dean's list for the 6th quarter in a row! Yeah me! OK I am done now.

I am an addict

I am out of the denial stage and I will finally admit it... I am addicted to cross stitching and crocheting. They say you are not really "addicted" to something until it starts affecting other aspects of your life. My addiction IS affecting other aspects of my life. I make pretty things instead of cleaning my house or reading books that I want to finish before school starts again. I wonder if there is a group for this...
But to add to my addiction I am going to start posting pictures of my finished products online, for two reasons 1) I am just that nuts and 2) so I don't forget what I made.
So look forward to that little treat all three of you who read my blog!

Comment

This was a comment I left on my cousin's blog regarding his worry about the glow in the dark cats in Korea:

Speaking as a political scientist, there is little to fear from Korea. The North can hardly feed its own people, the South relies on the trade of the Western World for its survival. I do not think glow in the dark cats is a sign of the end, but I do think it is cruel and horrendous to screw with nature in that way. There seems to be no logical purpose for creating animals such as these, I feel bad for the cats, not concerned for humanity. At least not because of this, I would be more concerned with our desire to destroy our environment if I were you. There will be no where for people to clone cats if the planet has run out of resources.

** There is a lot of scary, horrible things in the world, but I believe our efforts should be concentrated on sustainability rather than novelty cats. Shame on you scientists for wasting your time torturing felines instead of finding ways to save humanity from itself.

Idle Hands

During an academic quarter I am the most diligent person I know. I get all of my reading done early and turn in all assignments on time. As soon as a break hits it's like I am a different person. A lazy person. I have so much extra time to get all sorts of stuff done around the house and yet here I am posting crap on a blog. What the heck is wrong with me? I leave on vacation in 6 days and my house is...well I suppose sty is the best way to put it. I have been cooking everyday, so i guess that is something. That is certainly not something I do during the quarter. Last night I made vegetable lasagna (from scratch!) and it was awesome. But as far as putting laundry away or sorting through the books I promised my husband I would sort through, no way. We have to be out of this apartment when Adam leaves on March 31, so I should really get my butt in gear. I can only take the essentials with me to the hotel where I will be living alone until I graduate. Ugh... Any tips for forcing yourself to do things you don't want to??

Yeah for Christmas!!

With my views (or non-views) on religion being what they are, it may seem strange that I LOVE Christmas. I think the reason for this is two-fold: 1) Christmas is so very commercialized that it is no longer about Jesus' birthday and what not (which actually took place in July and not December, the Catholic church moved the celebration to December so as to try to win over the pagans during their celebration of the winter solstice, bit of trivia for you there). and 2) The "meaning" of Christmas to me is a time to be with family, to be kind to others, to appreciate the wonders of humanity... which I suppose are things we should be doing everyday, but isn't it a lot easier to do when surrounded by tinsel, lights, pretty things to eat and festive music?? I love this time of year, its the rest of winter that sucks... I suppose it will not be so bad when I get out of frigid Ohio.
So to my fellow non-believers: suck it up, Christmas doesn't belong to the Christians any more, and Christians, you are just going to have to accept that. Unless you want to tell retail stores they can no longer endorse "your" holiday.
I will be celebrating Christmas in the beautiful city of Seattle this year with my dad and his family. I have not seen may dad for almost two years and have not spent a Christmas with him in 6 years. Adam has never been to Seattle and I lived there for several years so I get to play tour guide. I am really excited.
To everyone:
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Winter Solstice, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year! May we ALL practice tolerance, or better yet, acceptance this holiday season.

Monday

Mondays are not so bad when you don't have school... or a job to go to. This is only my second winter break since I became a full time student (meaning: not going to school and working 40 hours a week). I hate the feeling that I am not getting anything done. I have been making Christmas presents for a few weeks now and that has helped keep me active. I cross stitch and crochet like no body's business. I just wish my favorite hobbies involved some form of exercise. I feel like such a lump, at least when I am in school I have to walk two miles to and from classes and to and from the parking lot.

Some good news:
I finished my application for grad school, I just have to find one more professor willing to write me a letter of recommendation and get my transcripts sent to ASU. It is exciting to think that at this time next year I will be one semester into my master's work. Deciding not to go to law school was probably the second best decision I have ever made (the first would be marrying my husband). I feel excitement about the future and not dread, as I did when contemplating law school. I know I could have handled it mentally, but that gauntlet is not something I want to put myself through for a legal system that I no longer have faith in. The only thing in this world I have passion about is seeing the human race not extinguish itself before my niece is old and gray. We WILL NOT survive if we continue to live as the species of maximum harm on this planet. If you doubt that statement at all you seriously need to do some research. I am not just talking about global warming, I mean pollution, destruction of biomass, lack of clean drinking water and biodiversity. There is going to be a food war on this planet and the only way to slow it is by ceasing the planting of food crops on top of forest. Overpopulation is causing our biggest problems, but try telling that to a nation full of Catholics.
For further information on the information presented here please see the following books, or as I like to think of them, my personal sources of guidance:
1.) Beyond Civilization by Daniel Quinn (in my opinion the most important book ever written)
2.) Ismael, also by Daniel Quinn (may need to be read first in order to understand Beyond Civilization)
3) ANYTHING written by Jared Diamond; including: Collapse; Guns, Germs and Steel; and the one I am currently reading, The Third Chimpanzee.
I beg of anyone to read just one of these books (but all would be best), I guarantee it will change your way of thinking, and if doesn't, you weren't paying attention.

** I realize my posts make me seem like a bitter husk of a person, but I swear I am not, I love humanity and I love life, which is why I care about these things so much.

Old Lady

I turn 24 tomorrow. I have no idea where the time went. It seems to me that from age 16 to 20 all I wanted to do was get older. I am ready to stop now, will someone please tell time that I am done getting older. Thanks for the ride, but I think I will hop off the linear timeline right here.
Well that didn't seem to work, so I must accept it, but I will still whine. On the plus side, Adam and I are going to Sima tomorrow, a fabulous sushi restaurant, to "celebrate" that I am one year closer to death.
***
Some random thoughts:

*It is weird not having anything to do, being out of school and not having a regular job... I feel useless on breaks. It is time for my nerdy-ness to kick in, I will start reading and outlining my textbooks for next quarter. I must be doing something right though, checked my grades yesterday, and I still have my 4.0, even after having surgery in week 2 of the quarter. Busting your ass pays off. Not really sure what I am working so hard for now that I am not applying for law school anymore. But I like the challenge of setting the bar so high, and I hope to get some scholarships for grad school.
*Adam is sick, came down with the dreaded "Arizona virus", I am almost over it, still a little congested but am on the mend.
*Speaking of Arizona, having a rough time finding an area I want to live in in Phoenix. I drove around down there for 5 hours and found about 3 blocks I would be ok with living in. Not very comforting. But we will manage, and it is not forever.
* * Addendum: the Thanksgiving food was amazing, I have never had a meal so decadent. The mushroom gravy made by my cousin was awesome. Thanksgiving can still be awesome without eating a bird... or any other strange looking land-based creatures. (p.s., I am proud to be a tree hugger) =)

Thanksgiving

Time changes people. I learned this over Thanksgiving. I noticed more than anything that I have changed. I had a wonderful time with my family on Thanksgiving. I used to dread spending time with family, hated the feeling of being judged. But I learned that not everyone in my family is judgemental. I felt free to be myself and found that I had a lot more fun that way.
Thanks to my cousins for their hospitality. I feel I got to know people I have known for many years on a different level, and I love and appreciate those people that I have rediscovered.
OK, enough sap for one post.

Home Again, OR The Sweet Sound of Silence

I have spent the last 10 days in my own personal hell. I agreed to watch my ten month old niece while her guardian was out of the country. I had not clue what I was getting myself into. I have never taken care of a child overnight (alone) in my life. The situation was not helped much by the fact that the baby came down with a double ear infection, and needless to say was not a happy camper.
I am home again now, and so very, very thankful for the experience, why? Because I no longer have to wonder if my husband and I made the right decision when we decided not to have children. WE DID. Sorry to our parents but Adam and Nicole are not doing the daddy and mommy thing. Being an aunt is fabulous, because I get to go home at the end of the day, I would not trade restful nights and silent mornings for anything.

A Personal PSA

I was deeply disturbed by something I read on another person's blog. This person is a member of my family, and thus what I read concerned me even more. I felt compelled to research the following and "spread the word" (to use the phrase of those great folks at PBS):
FACTS:
1) Islam is NOT a religion of violence or hate. The groups who perpetuate such myths are those who are known as Islamic Fundamentalists and that is not the same thing as Islam. Like all classical religions some of the beliefs are antiquated, but the beauty of the religion is still relevant in today's modern world.
For more information please see "The truth about Islam in 600 words" at: http://www.religioustolerance.org/isl_truth.pdf
2) All religions have sects that are not true to the teachings of the religion that seek to pervert the good things about the faith in order to seek their own gain. For example: Christianity has some seriously frightening hate groups (if you do not believe me check out the Southern Poverty Law Center's website at: http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intpro.jsp

NOTE:By perpetuating the myth that Islam is a religion of terrorists and wife beaters we are perpetuating hate, something fundamentalists of any religion thrive on. I beg everyone to not fall into the trap of attacking a religion based on things that have no basis in truth. This will only cause our world to be more hate filled and hate only leads to violence and destruction (I am pretty sure Yoda may have said this too...).
You may be surprised that this is coming from an atheist, but know that I first began researching atheism because of how people have perpetuated falsities and corrupted beautiful ideologies. Again, please do not start slandering me unless you have some facts to back it up with. I will save you some time and clear up a couple of common misconceptions:
1)Atheist and "devil worshipper" are not analogous terms, we do not believe in a devil so how can we worship one?
2) This is a statement someone actually made to me, "You're an atheist?? But you're so... NICE!" Yes, morality can exist with out religion (I know, you are shocked). I believe in human respect, and a respect for all living things (which is also why I hold the political ideology of environmentalist (yes that is a REAL ideology as well). Any questions or comments about this are more than welcome.
Consider yourself informed, don't you feel better already?

Awesome Video

I love Deaf culture (and yes, it is a culture). I have been signing for nearly seven years now. My older sister is hard of hearing and she is the reason I started learning the language and why I have continued taking courses in college. This video is from the Deaf Performing Artists website. It is extremely powerful and a good introduction for anyone who does not really understand what struggles Deaf people face, and have faced for thousands of years. We are all waiting on the world to change, and here is what Deaf people are waiting for:
http://www.d-pan.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=45

Update, by special request

The quarter is almost over (yeah!). I have been working my ass off trying to keep my 4.0 GPA. The surgery in the second week of the quarter really screwed me up. We shall see when grades come out in a couple of weeks if my efforts were successful.
I leave for Arizona on Tuesday to watch my niece while me mom is in Italy (soooo jealous). I am excited to see her and get to spend some time with her. Though starting in the spring I will get to spend a lot of time with her because:
WE ARE MOVING TO TEMPE!! I am so excited. I realized a few mornings ago when I walked outside and could literally feel my insides freezing that it was time to head home to the Southwest. I have already started the application process for ASU. I have decided to avoid law school altogether (perhaps someday soon I will feel like getting into all the details as to why I made that decision, now is not the time).
So I am applying for a masters program. I will be getting a Master of Urban and Environmental Planning, specializing in environmental planning. It is with the environment that my passion lies and so I am going to pursue my passion so that I have a reason to get out of bed every morning. My ultimate goal is to join the Peacecorps when Adam gets out of the Air Force and travel abroad and help the people of other countries learn to live sustainably. Perhaps someday America will be ready to accept the fact that its capitalistic ways have destroyed the planet, and some of that damage is irreversible. I am not going to wait to start fixing things until it is completely destroyed (thus, my reason for not being a republican, I don't want to let future generations have to deal with the problems I have created, did someone say deficit??) Sorry to any republicans who read this, wait no I'm not, its true and if you don't know that about your own party, perhaps it is time to get educated and if you are ok with letting future generations deal with your problems, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP HAVING CHILDREN JUST SO THEY CAN BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR MISTAKES!!!
Wow am I snippy today, I am going to go watch Seinfeld reruns and cheer myself up.

Happy Birthday Christopher!

Happy Birthday to the best big brother in the world (seriously... I am not just blowing smoke, you are the best). =)
I love you!

Maya

I realized that I had yet to put a picture of Maya on here. She is the best kitty in the world. I used to hate cats but this little thing has won me over. She is busy chasing flies around the house (have no idea how they keep getting in here...). Doesn't that face just say "love me"?

I'm going to prison

On Tuesday Oct. 9th....
For a County Awareness of Prison Systems program. Its for school, I promise, and I hope they don't make me stay. The program sounds very interesting, we get to experience what life is like in a medium security prison, listen to presentations from lifers and be locked in solitary confinement. It is recommend for perspective law students who may be interested in a career in criminal law. Criminal law is on my list of interests, but we shall see how interested I will be in visiting clients after Tuesday.

Other than that,
Took the LSAT on Saturday. I did my best and what more could I ask for? I do not find out my score until Oct. 22nd. So I have a lot of anxious waiting to do until then.

I have a midterm tomorrow in Supreme Court so I should get back to studying. whoo.

Surgery Survivor Note: VERY long and VERY graphic, not for the faint of heart

I should get a T-shirt.
I had my gallbladder removed on Sept. 11th (not a good thing for my apprehensions, especially since the procedure was on a military base...nothing happened (obviously).
So... I started the morning with blood work and x-rays, I was in pretty high spirits, mostly because I was REALLY done with being in pain. How naive I was, the pain was just beginning.
I woke up after the two and a half hour procedure in the recovery room. The first thing I remember was that I was coughing, apparently they had just pulled the tube out of my throat, but luckily I don't remember that part. The first thing I wanted to know was "how many holes are there?" I have no idea why this seemed like the most important question to ask at the time, but it was. The nurses in recovery were very kind. (There are four, if you are as curious as I was, one in the center of my abdomen, just under the breast bone, two more to the right of that one and one in my belly button).
I was wheeled into a room some time later (can't remember the transfer at all).
It was then that I wanted nothing more than to see my husband. He came in and had a hard time looking at me for a few minutes. I suppose it was difficult for him to see me in pain.
But seeing him made me feel much better. I was not in much pain at all, though my throat hurt pretty badly and I couldn't talk much. The inside of my mouth was torn up pretty badly from the breathing tube too.
Then my own personal hell began and did not end until four days ago.
It started with a nurse coming in and telling me I HAD to walk across the room and go to the restroom before I was allowed to go home. No problem right? OH HOLY HELL IT HURT. Sitting up was the 2nd closest thing to dying that I have ever experienced (this comes from a woman who has had kidney stones, twice). But I made it across the room and into the bathroom with minimal help.
I went home at 4pm.
There was nothing but intense pain and nausea from this point on. On Thursday (the 13th) I started having some issues... not to go into too much detail but, things were not exactly moving as they should have been through my system (truthfully, they were not moving at all). So it was back to the ER. We spent 12 hours in the ER, they did scans, blood work, poked me until I nearly punched a doctor in the face and finally decided that I had to be admitted to the hospital.
I was in so much pain as to be nearly delirious that the words "barium enema" did not even register in my bran. OK, now if you have not heard of this little procedure than you will have to research it on your own, needless to say it is highly, highly unpleasant, and that is for someone who did NOT just have abdominal surgery.
Now this experience was the most painful thing I have ever and hope will ever experience in my life. I screamed, cried, began hyperventilating and begged for mercy. I was forced to lay in my side where just two days earlier my very inflamed gallbladder had resided while being filled with gallons of unpleasantness. The memory alone is enough to make me want to vomit.
Well, bodily functions returned, some more unpleasantness as well, but I shall spare you that.
I was supposed to go home that evening, but I was very nauseated and in massive amounts of pain as well as being very dizzy. I ended up staying in the hospital until Sunday morning (the 16th). I hope to never again have to be in a hospital, it is as bad as people say it is.
So... lots of pain and an extended recovery followed. It is now 18 days later and I feel better than I have in months. My scars are a little icky but I earned them, and thus am proud.
Future:
The Law School Admissions Test is on Saturday. I am very, very nervous but so very happy that it will be over soon. My husband's friend (the rocket scientist) is taking the test with me (just for fun, and to show up his lawyer-wife). My entire future depends on my score (and no I am not exaggerating, just ask an attorney). So wish me luck!!

A Little Relief

I have found a little relief from pain. YOGA! I was amazed that I could actually do the moves with as much pain as I am in. But within 25 minutes of finishing a half hour "workout" I felt tons better. I have now done three workouts in three days and feel amazing. OK, not amazing but better than I have for weeks, possibly months. I doubted the ability of the exercises to help, but I doubt no longer. So not only am I doing something that it great for my body I am also doing something great for my mind, relieving constant pain (which sounds like a benefit for the body but is really one for the mind, if you suffer from any chronic pain, you understand what I mean).
I have also started using something called the Miracle Ball Method. They are just these little squishy balls that you place under different parts of your body and they help to relieve pain and reshape muscles. I have only done it once but it helped a lot with the back pain that my inflamed gallbladder causes. I have to give credit to my mom for this one.
I highly recommend to anyone to try yoga or the Miracle Ball Method.
These treatments have not "cured" me but they have certainly made it so I can sit through a 2 hour class without crying or getting nauseated from pain.
I have my surgery consultation next Monday and will update when I know more.

First day of my senior year of college was successful! I am excited about the quarter. Not so excited about LSATs in 3 weeks but what can you do.

All I know is pain

I am anxiously awaiting my gallbladder surgery. I have called numerous times and no one will listen to me, I need it NOW. But I have to wait until Sept. 10th to have my consult with the surgeon. I am in so much pain. I have no idea how I am going to make it through this quarter. And to add icing to the cake of crap I have the Law School Admissions Test in less than a month. UGHHH. This is the most important test of my life and I will probably be crying in pain through most of it. If the surgeon will let me have the surgery the same week as the consult I am going to take it. I may miss a week of school but I should (emphasis on should) be recovered from it enough to sit through a 5 hour test. I don't understand why everything has to happen at the same time. I have had two weeks off of school when I could have been recovering but noooo. Military insurance is great in so many ways (like it is free) but bad in others (like everything must be done on their time schedule and not yours). The good news is I am using the hell out of the free emergency room. Had another visit there on Saturday. Begged an pleaded for surgery, nearly passing out from pain and still nothing. Sitting hurts, which is going to make classes a barrel of monkeys. I am very glad that school starts on Tuesday though, I need a distraction from myself.

Positive Things:

1.) Maya was spayed on Tuesday and is recovering beautifully. She wants so bad to run and jump but I have to stop her because she could tear her stitches. She is my little angel, I don't know what I would do without her comfort all of these hours I am alone.
2.) Adam finishes his last graduate class today. From here on out it is nothing but thesis work. Which means these 14 hour work days will continue until March. But then he will be done, and that is what is important. He like his research a lot, so I am glad for that.
3.) We will be spending Christmas in Seattle with my dad and his new/old family (long, long story). I am really excited. Washington is gorgeous and dad is not getting any younger so it will be wonderful to spend 8 days with him. He and Donna (step-mom) have a lovely house on 6 acres of Washington rain forest. Should be relaxing.

Must remind myself to concentrate on the good things, and not the blinding pain and nausea.

My Religion

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."
~The Dalai Lama

As an atheist I don't believe there is any better way to put how I feel about life. Leave it to a Buddhist to put it so beautifully.
I am sure I truly am a Buddhist, if I were to examine my ideals carefully, however I have chosen to let my ideals choose my philosophy and not let my religion choose my ideals.

Still Waiting

I have a CAT scan on Wednesday. The u/s revealed nothing except gallstones. Freaking gallstones, I am 23 years old. Thanks mom and dad for playing genetic Russian roulette...and losing. So anyway, the CAT should show something that will explain where all the pain is coming from.
Only a week left of my internship and Russia class. I hate to say it but I am really ready for the summer quarter to be over. I am in need of a break. Just wish we could take a vacation, but Adam's thesis work runs our lives. He is really enjoying working on his topic though, so that is a plus. His thesis is going to be on umm... I think vehicular routing problems, which is a computer programming thing though it sounds like something cops have to do for punishment.
Saw the Simpson's movie, pleasantly surprised by its quality and comedy.
Saw the Bourne Ultimatum and was unpleasantly disappointed by the complete lack of a plot, the experiment gone awry of the cameraman jostling the camera throughout the film. It was like the Punisher meets Blair Witch Project, uck. The hubby liked it, but that is because he is a boy. I hate pointless violence, and he tells me this is because I am a girl, he could be right. Or perhaps I just think killing people willy-nilly is not something that should be condoned.

I am really not as cynical and hateful as this post makes me sound! Or maybe I am...

Kitten

Last week Adam and I brought home a 4 month old kitten. I named her Maya (after Angelou). She is the most playful, sweet, curious little thing. Have not gotten a picture of her yet, but she is beautiful. Pure black, big green eyes, looong legs. We are super happy that we have her. Now we just want a house so she and the rabbits can have some more room to roam. Feel like we live in a zoo now. But they are all worth it.
Been busy with the internship and have now started Soviet Successor State class. Really fun, teacher is very British and lots of fun to listen to.
Have a Dr. appointment tomorrow to (again) check for endometriosis via ultrasound. Yippee. I'll update if I hear anything.

Quote of the day:
"The penalty good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men" Plato

Something I try to never forget, we have seen the punishment that ignorance and denial bring, let us never forget the lessons history has taught us.

Weird Al

Adam and I went to see Weird Al on Friday night. I really did not think I would like it but I ended up having a great time. He is an awesome entertainer. I have not laughed that hard in a looong time. I don't think that I will become a major fan of his but I would happily go to another one of his concerts.
The fun ended for me about 15 minutes before the concert was over when my lower abdomen felt like I had been shot repeatedly. We ended up going straight to the emergency room on base. There was nothing that they could really do so they gave me an IV of morphine and ran some blood tests, just to make sure I was not going to die right then and there. I also got a prescription for Vicadin, so that will get me through the weekend. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow so hopefully we will get the ball rolling on getting me better.

Ouch

Well I have a brand new diagnosis for my constant pain. Endometriosis. I had never hear of it but the doc is certainly thinking this may be what is causing my pain, headaches, bladder and kidney problems, and the mess of other things wrong with me. Endometriosis is when uterine cells find themselves outside of the uterus and begin growing all over the body, they follow menstrual cycles and break down a little and bleed, but unlike when the growths are in the uterus they have no where to bleed out of, thus causing internal bleeding, organ inflammation, and intense pain. Not to mention many, many other things. (If you are interested in reading more about it see www.endocenter.org). I have to have surgery for a positive diagnosis, but I do have an ultrasound on the 18th to see (if it is this) just how much growth there is and if they will be able to remove it during a laproscopy surgery. So in sum, I am hurting more intensely than ever before, but am finally getting some answers. Thank Congress for free military health care, I am certainly going to need it. I will give updates as I learn more. Wish me luck!

Maroon 5

Got the new Maroon 5 CD off iTunes, LOVE IT. Fun to listen to on my commute downtown, where I have to pay $7 per day to park my car, to work for free at the internship. So that kinda puts a damper on the excitement over the CD....

Tired

Ended up going to Virginia, had lots of fun, but man was that a long drive (went all alone). My niece is unbelievably gorgeous. I wanted to steal her. And I am a terrible person and managed to take only one photograph.
Got my hair cut and dyed today, I look human again. I am diggin' the dark brown dye and the short bob, textured, flip, thingy... not sure how else to describe it.
Started my internship last week. I have learned so much in one week that it is a little astonishing, wondering what the heck I have been learning about for the last 4 years of college?
The staff attorney that I work with is awesome, she has been barred for less than a year, so it is nice to work with someone close to my age. I have only met the judge once but have read lots of his decisions, seems like a level-headed guy. I am really looking forward to the rest of the summer there. Though it is hard to get up early 5 days a week. I don't start any new classes until July 16th or so, so no homework is awesome!
We bought a new couch this weekend, but smooth us rented a U-haul to take the old one to Goodwill on Saturday and our new one is not getting delivered until Thursday. So it is camp chairs for us! Luckily getting the old couch out of the house gave us a reason to do some serious spring cleaning and now the house looks MUCH better. So that is a load of stress off. Two people in school full time one working on their masters = cluttered house. Should have seen that coming. The rabbits are certainly no help in that matter.
Reading: A People's History of the Supreme Court, excellent book, in preparation for my Supreme Court class this fall. Will probably spend most of the summer reading it, as it is rather lengthy.

Whooo for medicine

As assumed, I do in fact have another urinary tract infection, ouch. Second one in six months. Apparently some women are physiologically more susceptible to them than others. I am one of those lucky ones.
One the plus side, got a wonderful new doctor, who took an interest in me and my health, amazing that there are doctors like that huh? And a military doctor at that. You go free Air Force insurance!

Still debating whether or not to drive to Virginia on Saturday to see my mom. Not feeling too good about going since it is a seven hour drive and I start my internship on Monday and would like to be fully alert for my first day.

Reading: "Darkness at Dawn: Rise of the Russian Criminal State" as preperation for my Soviet Successor States class this summer. Really good book, sickening what greed does to people however.

Waiting

Sittin', waitin'. I have no homework.... what a strangely relaxing feeling. I don't like it.
I feel useless, like I am wasting precious "awake time". Stupid college, what have you done to me? arghhh.
I have a doctors appointment at the lovely base hospital tomorrow, get to pee in a cup, boy am I excited.
Have a dentist appointment on Thursday, get to have some more teeth drilled. Not having dental insurance for 8 years can really do some damage to your oral health, who woulda thunk it? On the plus side I get nitrous, and that is always a pleasure.
I start my internship at the courthouse for the judge on Monday, pretty nervous, but excited.
And thus this is why I am sitting, and waiting, have nothing pressing to do until tomorrow.

First Blog, Ever!

Ok, first blog...ever. What is it exactly that you say that you would not mind the whole world seeing? Oh well, judge all you want world.
I hate Sundays. There is always the regret that you did not do something really exciting on Saturday and the dread that you must return to work, school, etc. tomorrow. Luckily I do not have work, or school tomorrow. Just two four page papers for my Chinese Politics final and two, two page papers for Sign Language. Have not started on either. Not too worried though, hoping that tomorrow or later today I actually feel like writing them.
I think I will start a list of all the books that I read, which will grow massive over the summer but be slim after Fall classes start again. Speaking of, just wanted to express how very excited I am that only have 4 more quarters of school left (including summer). So very,very, ready to start law school. So tired of silly young college kids and their silly ways.
Well I suppose that is enough for one post. Watch out world, Nicole is blogging! Prepare yourself!

Bunny Zen

Ever the proud parent, the first picture must be of my "babies". They are stuck up, destructive little things, but I love them.

Summer Book 1

Finished reading "Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imangination" by Helen Fielding. I enjoyed it. Not one of my favorites, I still prefer non-fiction. But would reccommend it to anyone who likes a mystery/mild thriller, but doesn't want to be scared, or think too much. I enjoy the thinking part, thus not one of my favorites.