Monday, Monday, Monday.... =_=

For some reason I have been feeling like tired all weekend after cleaning the bathroom (yes, I know, some people's gotta clean their bathroom AND kitchen AND lounge etc) and my friend's 21st.. Not sure why but hmm. /Shrug.

But yes... last Friday was my friend's 21st and it was pretty good... had a little wine and a Corona before having to leave and look after a friend got sick after too many wines... gotta say that's the shortest amount of time I've stayed at a party~ lol. It wasn't that bad though, good that she got over most of the throwing up and didn't have to watch it... coz if that happened, I think I would have been throwing up also >_<

But yeah she was thankful and such... unlike other people I have had to help who was like pretty ungrateful and remembering back, didn't even say thanks.. and I even got blamed by the father! =_= Oh well. Not friends with them anymore. So, yeah.

Met one of her my friend's friends at the bar, lol. While I was waiting to get served and yeah, she was nice. Also talked to another of her friends which I met earlier this year/late last year (or almost like a year ago) at a defensive driving course in Mt Roskill area. Other than was just drinking my wine/Corona with family friends and two other friends who I knew.

But yes, I don't think I will be returning there again in a hurry~ also took something that don't think will be like ever returning heh.. >_<

The rest of the weekend.... didn't do like anything other than clean bathroom and then like sleeping on and off and then not being able to sleep till 5 am! >.< Oops..? -_-

Should really study more... wow, I cannot believe that there is only like three. more. weeks of uni~ kinda scary.. well not really but to know that a year's already over and... well...  guess a lot of achievement(s)... like that at the beginning of this year, didn't know ANY Mandarin Chinese and yeah.. amazing what coming onto 8 months can do.... can string together like sentences and understand (kind of...) some basic conversation. Quite amazing... sort of...

But yes.. somewhat a lot to do before the end of semester... like creating a Chinese newsletter and like study.. yup, study.. ugh... ><

Sigh. I also hope, maybe even wish that my family and I wil be able to go overseas to China/HK! That would be really great and definitely the cherry on the top of the year~ it'd just make this year somewhat even more awesome and better.. not exactly sure what has made this year like great..

But yes.. till next time~

The complete report on Obama’s can be found: HERE

And McCain’s can be found: HERE

The short version of what I read is that Obama’s plan is workable and brings most citizens under the umbrella of health care insurance. McCain’s appears unworkable, and if it did work, it offers no improvement in the current situation.

I went to each candidate’s web site to review their proposals first hand and found Obama’s to be a clear presentation of his position, and in complete agreement with the Urban Institute’s analysis.

McCain’s on the other hand was just a confusing as the Urban Institute’s analysis. Even worse, McCain’s web site placed an attempted smear of Obama at the beginning of the report on McCain’s plan.

Here’s the link the McCain’s page I am referring too.

Here is the link to Obama's program.

This certainly has solidified my choice of Obama for President. I hope you see it this way, too.

I believe that dreams are where our hopes and fears manifest themselves. At least that's what dreams do for me. Is it any wonder these days, then, that in one week I had dreams of both hope and fear?

Earlier last week I dreamt that my period had begun and that it was only day 27 of my cycle. Curses! I was really worried, when I woke up that that was the case. I was able to comfort myself in my waking state with a) the knowledge that day 27 has not yet arrived and b) I had not begun my period yet.

About two days later, I dreamt that I was in my specialist's office getting a wand-up-the-"lady business"-style sonogram. (The only kind I've ever known.) The purpose of said sonogram was unclear to me, but behold, on the screen was revealed a perfectly formed little fetus-baby lying on its back and hanging out. We were all stunned. Not only did I not know I was pregnant, but that baby was easily something you'd find well into the 2nd trimester, if not the third, and I was not showing, nor had I gained any weight. The graphics were amazing and you could even see its eyelids closed on its eyes. I was, of course, really excited, if thoroughly dumbfounded.

For better or for worse, I've begun to leak parts of my story to selected (female) coworkers and colleagues.

Last week, I was working an event with a freelancer colleague with whom I've worked in the past, and whom I really enjoy. I had heard from a mutual colleague that she had been trying to make it to baby #2 with IVF, but knew no other details. Before the event - a three-day colossus - began, she pulled me aside and told me she had to explain her situation to me, in the event that she needed to ditch the ship at a moment's notice. She was pregnant, but the pregnancy was not viable, the embryo had lost the heartbeat. She was miscarrying. However, she'd been taking a drug to delay the miscarriage, so she could work, and then she'd have a D&C later in the week. This was her third miscarriage. "I've had 4 miscarriages, including an ectopic pregnancy. You have no audience more sympathetic than me," I told her. "I've got your back. You do what you've gotta do and don't worry about us."

She managed to tarry forth without any trouble. Towards the end of our event, we chatted a bit more about baby-making trouble. Very surface stuff. We're going to the same fertility specialist clinic, but as it is a local franchise, it's not that surprising. She has personal connections to an excellent fetal surgeon so (God forbid) if I should ever need one, I'll give her a call to pass along the info.

The week prior to that, I was chatting with another colleague, a freelancer who's been working on the mega-project and now another, for us. She's just turned 40 and married last year. She'd like to find a steady job so that she and her husband - another freelancer - could have full health insurance and try for a kid. "We've gotta do this NOW," she says. I've told her that we're trying and that I almost want to find a part-time job, just because my job has been stressing me to the max and I rarely get to see my husband, much less mate with him. She mentioned the possibility of approaching our boss with the option of a job share for us. I like that and hope we can talk more about that later this week.

I'm always very reluctant to let people know about the mine-field that is my uterus or to even let people know that we're trying to have kids. The expectation it creates, that I'll be pregnant soon, is tremendously burdensome and complicated. However, sharing with these women felt okay to me. With the former, sharing felt critical: she needed to know she was not alone. Goodness knows, even though I comprehend that I'm not alone, it feels terribly lonely to be the woman who keeps losing pregnancies; who keeps conceiving but not having a baby. With the latter woman, sharing felt okay because I might need or want to reshape my career path for the next few years as we get this family project off the ground, and also because if she ends up having trouble, she might need a colleague who's been there. Of course, I hope she doesn't have trouble conceiving and bearing children, and she doesn't yet know my journey, but I'd be willing and ready to share with her if she needs it.

My only hope here out, is that these two women keep this information confidential as I had asked them. My worst professional fear is that people find out. And then they watch every move I make. Ugh.

All four of us went out for lunch today at this Chinese buffet place. I was craving the taste of white fluffy rice and really salty foods. It was so good. Then we went to Sams Club. It's Emma's turn to bring snacks to preschool this Friday and there are 17 kids in her class. For some stupid reason, they don't just give kids water. They give them juice and you have to provide cups or send juice boxes. So I bought a 36 pack at Sams for about 9 bucks. I got a big bag of pretzels and a big bag of raisins (salty & sweet!) and now I don't have to worry about it at the last minute now. I'm ready!

Tomorrow afternoon my friend Jaimie is coming over to help me create a magical playroom out of my basement. This ought to be good. We originally wanted to install a drop ceiling down there ourselves but we're not doing that now. We just don't have the funds for it. I'm just going to clean up and move crap around so we can bring the outdoor toys indoors for the winter and the kids can ride around down there.

I love my friend Jaimie. She's someone Billy and I have a lot of history with. I met her when I was about 16 and she's known my husband since she herself was 14 years old. She's like a sister to us.

Well, no one napped here this afternoon but we all need one. I'm not even a little bit hungry after that Chinese lunch. I think that MSG is some powerful stuff. I'm incredibly thirsty and insanely tired.

The secret to a successful session we were told was to be well prepared, so we completed the form on water, size of fire and position of electrical points as well as preparing three pages of questions either relating to the specification that we found or concerns or uncertainties that we already had.  Of these the main one was that we had understood that the wood cladding would increase the level of insulation but in fact it reduces it so we wanted to switch back to crepi.  We also wished to state clearly that we were most unhappy that I had included calculations in the planning application that had been submitted by our architect Monica when in fact the figures used of U=0.16 was very different from the wood clad house of U=0.19. We also had on our list of points all the problems that we had encountered since the project had started 18 months previously.

At the Schwoerer sampling centre we were met by our guide for the next two days a Mr Weigmann who spoke English.  We started with the problems and he made notes.  Then the details of the concrete slab and he called the responsible engineer who fortunately spoke French so we were able to simplify the design considerably and discuss the issues of making it water tight and well drained as well as the Canadian well.  The Canadian well looks more and more unlikely as not only is it expensive well over 1500 euros for materials from Rehau and 1500 euros for the switching mechanism in the house between Canadian well air and ambient temperature air, but it is also difficult to install on our site due to the position of roads and entry of the cables and other services.  When I have completed the calculations I will present them here.

Then the sampling.  This is an exhausting process in which every detail has to be decided.

First the crepi or bardage issue - no problem we can change to crepi.  The only problem is that the colours are not the same as in our climate apparently we have to have paler colour because of heat absorption.  So after all our debates we had to make a quick decision on light grey at the bottom and a greeny-blue on top with silver shutters.

Rather than talk about it why don't I just present the pictures.
Roof tiles and upper colour for crepi
Roof edging in metal to avoid sun damage
Handles for windows
Crepi colours against silver roller shutters
Front door design and colour
Front door handle that can be used by anyone of any height!
Handle for basement door
Pump and filter for rainwater system
Radiator for hall, shower room and bathroom
Heat exchanger and heat pump
Control panel and heaters to augment heat at air vents for specific rooms
Electrical furniture
The floor of the ground floor
Surrounding for the basement windows and protection grill
Chimney which will start at bedroom level and accept the chimney from the fire installed in the lounge
Shower cabinet and toilet
Bath and shower with extra rail
Wash basins selection choice of under sink fittings not shown
Bathroom furniture
Tiles for the shower room note that extra tiles are always required for the wall of the entrance door
Tiles for the bathroom unfortunately we could not afford the frieze to make it interesting
Downstairs doors
Glass panelled doors for entrance to the lounge. They will be double
Upstairs doors
Beech stairs
Wood ceiling for the front of the house and white plastic coated for the back
The flexibility was also demonstrated when we asked if it would be possible to receive a quote for the kitchen and immediately a session was arranged and a half day dedicated to the kitchen. Similarly the placing of all the electrical points demanded a certain amount of flexibility.
Whilst we were there the sales manager Mr. Maeir introduced himself and sat in on the discussion about the Ouvrage Dommage insurance which we do not wish to take as it adds 3% to the price of the house and our experience with similar insurances in the UK is that the insurance company will de everything to avoid taking responsibility for any defects. It was left that we will have to consult our normal lawyer for guidance.
We left feeling that we had been taken seriously but unhappy that new mistakes had been discovered in the plans.

Now, on to a topic.
Other than I don't know a topic.  
So I'll just think about it for a moment.  

I won't go on and on and on about world hunger or save the rainforest.  
Such cliche things to want to go after.  World hunger is so important to stop, but why not try to stop hunger in your own country first?  Why not help those that live down the street from you first?  In your community before the world.  And the rainforest.  We have plenty of forest in our country (USA, I mean), and the rainforest is vital to the world, yes, but there are conservation practices already, if I understand things right, and we do need trees for paper and wood and your house, etc etc.  Surely it doesn't all need to come from the rainforest, and surely you need to plant things when you are done, but you cannot 100% save the rainforest, I don't think.  And you can't eliminate world hunger.  I just don't see that happening, I am sorry.
What I do think, is that we should start local, and grow outwards.  Change your self, then change your neighborhood.  Then change the community.  Then the town.  Then city, so on and so forth.  Start small, and just go from there.  

In a perfect world, I could get out right now, and start this crusade of mine.  
I could go and make my own little country or whatever, and impose whatever laws I so desired.  
But this is not a perfect world, sadly.  
So here I am, hoping that sometime soon, I can get out, speak out, and try out all of these ideas that I have, that I think would work and would be good.

"Such dreams are woven by the imagination, such hopes are discovered by a loving heart, and one is left to deal with a harsh world not yet ready to recieve such wonderful things." ~ME, October 12, 2008

Hubby's mother called us at 8:50 this morning and invited us to a Thanksgiving meal at their home for noon.  Today.  She does this to us all the time.  Whenever there is a holiday, or any occasion or no occasion at all, she will call at the very last minute to invite us over.  Even though I know it may not be the case, it feels like she is inviting us just for the sake of inviting us while fully knowing it's too last minute for us to go.  We would have been able to go if I didn't have all my pumpkin goodies to bake, laundry to do and if we didn't need to go shopping for a few last minute items.  We never call his parents and ask them what the plan is for such and such a holiday, because if she isn't planning on making anything we don't want her to feel like she has to.  It would make it so much easier to plan Thanksgiving with my family and a Thanksgiving with Hubby's family, if his mother invited us not so last minute.  But because she does this, we can't make it to Hubby's family dinner.  And for this, I feel bad.  I know it's not in my power to control this, but I feel bad for Hubby because he can't get to his family for a holida meal.  Well, he can, but it will be leftovers by the time we get there and everyone else will be zonked out in the living room.  Ah, families, eh?

So, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to everyone celebrating it and also a Happy Columbus Day to all the Americans who read this. And a Happy....Monday to everyone not celebrating anything tomorrow!

I think I need a few minutes to reassess what I've been doing these two days. First of all, I've been more focused on the readings for next Friday's lecture mainly because the module seems the most challenging and the one in which I'll write my first essay (our first deadline is November 3rd and we can choose which module to work for first).

The broader reason for this, however, is that through my reading, it sort of dawned on me what this whole semester is about. We were told that the aim of this degree is to give us 'a map' of all the different approaches to the study of mass communication and media, but it didn't really sink in until now. Each module seems to be taking a different perspective to the matter, or at the very least, is grounded in a different school or tradition. The Research Methods module seems more sociological, whereas the Audiences module seems more effects theory oriented (having said that, those two modules were also the most cross-referential of the four, so I wouldn't set those impressions in stone). The Processes and Structures module is very explicitly grounded in the theory of political economy, while the Contemporary Issues module is also explicitly based on Cultural Studies (as made clear in the full title of the module).

While I realize I may be reading too much into the first week of lectures, I do feel that I need to start thinking about where I stand on the 'map' from now. Pretty soon, I'll have to start thinking about my dissertation and I'll have to have an anchor somewhere. I'm not saying I have to pledge any allegiances, but at the very least I should be reviewing my own biases and inclinations, and interrogating the ideas I find most alien to me, relatively speaking.

At the moment, the perspectives offered by the CS readings have been the most stimulating, since I hadn't been exposed to that strand of thought before; The closest I got to it was a brief look at the structuralism of Althusser, which, funnily enough, "never made as much headway in cultural studies as it did in film studies."◊ I also feel like I'm most inclined towards an approach somewhere between political economy and sociology, and that's why I want to read some articles that haven't been assigned that look at the differences and points of commonality between political economy and CS. I shall do that tomorrow.

Right now, I want to take a break and get ready for the events of the evening. The Hindu Society is organizing a walk down to Belgrave Road to see the lighting of the lanterns in preparation for Diwali. Or is it in celebration of it? I'm not sure which lol. I'll ask when I get there :P

◊ "It did not concede enough space for the capacity of the individual or community to act on the world on their own terms, to generate their own meanings and effects. It was too theoretical in the sense that it offered truths which took little or no account of local differences; indeed, its claims to be scientifically true lacked support from scientific method. And it did not pay enough heed to the actual techniques and practices by which individuals form themselves and their lives."

During S (Ed). 1999. The Cultural Studies Reader. 2nd Edition. London: Routledge (Pp. 5-6)

The question I've been getting over the past few weeks has been "How will all this affect Crossroads?" The best answer I have right now is "I'm not sure."  Historically, Crossroads has been surprisingly resiliant in the face of economic uncertainty - even when we had to make significant changes in our plans. I have no doubt that the same will be true in the next days. God will provide what is necessary to do the work he has called us to and the people he has placed in our fellowship have been very generous.

That said, we know we must be careful managers of God's gifts through his people. Two weeks ago the staff began the process of creating contingency plans for each ministry should contributions decline. We have cash flow reserves that should help cushion any drop in giving. Our financial team is experienced and they have weathered tough times before. And we are encouraged by the commitment of CBC members like the one I spoke with last week. He made it clear his family was committed to the same giving level even though his income has already decreased.

We'll keep you informed.

But, seriously, that's something to ponder. There was airline fare floating around that was equivalent to what I paid for Labor Day weekend, but I want flexibility - the kind of thing that doesn't come with a trip on an airbus. So I'm going to brave whatever freakish ice/snow conditions will await me on my way through Kentucky and all of Indiana. Just thankful there will be no mountains between me and home. Flat freeways through the countryside shouldn't be so bad.

I spent the day as a hermit. It was okay, and I really didn't feel too guilty about it. Tomorrow will hold most of the activities I had planned for the weekend.

I did have a mini revelation tonight. It was about a certain person who I spent a certain length of time feeling a certain way about. It occurred to me that I had those feelings based on an image I'd created in my head. In real time, in conversation, I saw who he really was. In arguments and endless frustration, I recognized his true identity. And tonight was the first time I understood how much of what I thought about him was true. That doesn't mean I find him repellent now, but it does mean I can see where the holes are, where the meaningful things lack. It was a minor breakthrough. Feeling like I can finally move on from the plague of the last several months. Liberating!

In other news: wow.

 I love dialoging about this, Mark Twain's quote inspired more thoughts in me.  What I mean is, the message contained within his words offers us a mindset that takes us out of the "box" of what we think success looks like.  Or, what ministry looks like.  Or, what following God's plan looks like.  This common, ordinary man settled for a beautiful and simple ordinary life, instead of hearing God's whisper to a plan of a larger scale.   I also acknowledge the point made, which is this: distractions in our life, focusing on our fears rather than using our faith, can hinder us from fulfilling the equally beautiful larger plan (and often small ordinary acts of kindness are the steps that lead us there) God had intended for us.  

There are times, I believe, when He calls us to do something large, really requiring a huge step of faith because it's so out of our ordinary jurisdiction of living.  Beyond ourselves.  Right now I am thinking of Hellen Keller.  She could have succumbed to her fears, never stepped outside of her box, and the world would have suffered an unknown loss, of not knowing her life, and the power of faith which poured out the contents of her living abroad.  She would have still pleased the Lord by doing less than what she did, but I sense it was His will to display Himself in a glorious plan through her life, and had she not lived outside of her self, we would have missed the rich teaching and instructions she demonstrated for the world to see and learn.  Sometimes He wants to use us ordinary people to do an extraordinary thing, all we have to do is be obedient to His voice and follow His lead.  In my own personal ordinary life, I shall always recall the time when The Lord called me to do an extraordinary thing in another country, to help bring a family together.  Way beyond myself, beyond my "connections" or abilities, but God was faithful.  He did it all and He therefore receives all the glory for it!

     That's why I refer to myself as: 

"An Ordinary Woman Who Serves an Extraordinary God."

Carrie George

Not to say that I don't like my classes or that I don't like my job. Both  are much more fun than they have any right to be. But last night, I had the option of doing whatever I wanted because no matter what, Saturday would be spent in the utmost laziness. And now I'm revelling.

Pretty much I had an awesome week. Turned in my first paper [!!!], had my first showed-up-to-a-seminar-unintentionally-completely-unprepared, worked my first four shifts at my job, and when not occupied by all of the above I had floor dinners and quiet movie nights with none other than the bomb-ass fools that I live with.

Ah! For the record, I officially have decided that when English people try and do an American accent, all they end up doing is sounding like a pirate. Oh my gosh, you have to hear it. Given that in British English you generally just ignore half of the r's (i.e. beer or retarded), that's the part that seems to prove troublesome so they just over-accentuate it until it seriously reaches pirate status. It's fantastic and just makes me love English people - the more piratey ones in particular - even more.  =]

I apologize to those of you that sometimes when you try and contact me I have a hard time getting back to you right away. Sometimes I get distracted while responding, other times it literally just falls out of my brain and I don't remember to write back until like two days later. If that happens, I still love you incredibly. You'll just have to forgive my epic failure.

It's 11:00 AM and I am seriously considering crawling back into bed. Late night generally does equal late morning...so why did I wake up at 9:30 again? Yeah, um, it's sleep time.

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend - no plans or not - and that you don't do anything too ridiculous! (Or, if you do, make sure to tell me about it. Nothing like a story of ridiculousness to just make life that much better) =]

Anyway, the coolest thing about the evening was that I was totally upfront about everything. I was myself every step of the way. That's kind of a rarity for me when it comes to people I don't know well. I don't lie about things, but I may exaggerate for the coolness effect or try to impress in some other way. But I didn't here. I had no idea what to say or do, having not been on a date in a very long time, so instead of coming up with something, I just told him I didn't know how I was supposed to act. I told him that Mandy, Carla & I have labeled ourselves "socially awkward," that I Googled him, that I secretly planned to ask him about "The Office" and then find a way to watch it together. And none of that seemed to bother him in the slightest. And for him to end the night by saying, "So, we're probably supposed to hug or something, right?" was just perfect. Given a few more beats, I wouldn't have said it any better myself.

Anyway, date #2 has been scheduled for next Thursday. No idea what the full agenda will entail, but I'm sure Michael Scott will be involved once again. It's almost like we have a "thing" already, with the Thursday nights. =)

So, that all went down last night. But tonight I got to spend with RP, which was really fun too. We drove down to the open-air mall in Collierville. And while I was expecting something like the one on Lake Lansing Road, this place was absolutely mammoth. I mean, it just went on and on. We started out at Eddie Bauer for RP to get some polos, but since I had never been there, I figured it'd be okay to look around. Holy. Crap. I can never go into that store again. I loved everything they sold! From the awesome parkas to the waffle-knit shirts - I was in outdoorsy-style heaven! I ended up leaving there with a flower-print dress shirt that actually FIT - such a rarity for me that I had to get it, even if it was $30 on sale. It was worth it. After EB, he actually went into Sephora with me and we wandered around the brightly lit emporium o' cosmetics. We played with the brushes and smelled all the Philosophy-brand products, one of which he said smelled like B.O, several others "cheap." The other big stop was World Market, where he purchased jam and I got a 99%-cacao dark chocolate bar. I am SO excited to try it. But I couldn't force him to try any tonight, so I'm waiting till Monday to open it and share.

After shopping we had dinner at a place called Cheeburger Cheeburger. Honestly? That name? Hideous. But the restaurant was cute: '50s-style diner with pink neon lights, awesome onion rings and customized burgers and shakes. Really, the selection was amazing. The burgers were cheap and all included one type of cheese and any toppings you wanted, no extra charge. I got barbecue sauce, two onion rings, cheddar and lettuce on mine. RP got lettuce, tomato, roasted red peppers, mozzarella and guacamole. We split a basket of fries and onion rings and topped it all off with half a Snickers-cheesecake milkshake each. RIDICULOUSLY FULL. But we spent the drive home laughing, me over how hard RP was sucking his milkshake through the straw (lodged with Snickers chunks), him over the fact that I was laughing like crazy for no apparent reason. =) We sang along to the "Decades" stations on XM and fought over which song was on "Night at the Roxbury" (I was wrong). It was great.

Now, it's time for the weekend. I don't really have work to do, so that's kind of cool. I have "Outsourced" to watch from Netflix, a digital camera to play with, some books to read, some major time at the gym to fulfill, church, a call home, hopefully some time talking to friends, laundry, cleaning, sleeping ... all that could easily last me through Sunday night.

That's my life update for now. I'm pretty excited about the prospects. I know it's silly to suddenly feel like all is right with the world (especially when we're doomed), but I'm definitely feeling a little lighter on my feet today. I think that's okay. I think I'm allowed.

So, I thought I'd do a quick recap/update of some of the things I've been doing

• I've been sticking to my Back to School Plan of staying 2 hours everyday after school to get my work done, rather than grading at home, on the weekends, and pulling all-nighters.  So far I've been really successful.  We just had grades due on Monday, and normally my weekend would've been stressful and I would've spent hours and hours grading.  Instead, I only spent about an hour grading my last 10 book reports that I hadn't finished. It's so nice to get home around 4:30 or 5pm everyday knowing that I have left school at school.  I know I have the entire evening stretched out ahead of me, and I can do whatever I want to with the time.  Weekends too.  It's been great!
• On that note of having more free time, I really need to get some hobbies.  The last two years I have had almost no free time, so this idea of having idle time is sort of getting to me.  I know that I could/should use the time to workout, and I want to do that.  It's just that reading a book on the couch sounds so much more fun than working out, ya know?  I think I'm going to tell myself that once I've been going to the gym or doing some other form of activity (bike riding, doing exercise DVDs, going for a walk, etc.) at least 5 days a week to start, then and only then can I entertain the idea of doing some other hobby.  Because the main goal I have in my life right now is to lose weight, so I feel like most of my efforts should be focused on that, if at all possible.  Ok, this bullet point was a good little pep talk for me.  :)
• I joined eHarmony, but so far, the results have been nothing to write home about.  Or write a blog about.  None of the guys that are my "matches" are people I would want to go out with.  Not that they have anything wrong with them, per se, but they either live too far from me, are too old for me (11 years older is too old, I think), and seem to be in a different place in life than I am.  I paid for 3 months, so I'm hoping some diamond in the rough stands out and he and I decide we want to at least go on a date.  So far, I haven't even entertained that idea with any of my so-called matches.  Ugh. 
• Any ideas of other places I can meet a nice guy? 
• The library has become my new favorite haunt.  I've been going at least once a week to return books and pick up new ones.  I'm like a reading machine.  I've always been an avid reader, but over the past two years I didn't have as much time to devote to reading for pleasure, because I had so many things to read for my Masters program.  It's so nice to read anything I want again.  You can click on my Goodreads link in my sidebar to see what I've been reading lately.  Mostly chick-lit because sometimes you just need to get lost in the fantasy, right?
• Now that I joined Weight Watchers, and I'm  eating real food again, I've been able to start cooking!  I've come to find out how much I really love cooking.  I want to start spending more time pouring over recipe books, creating meals and showing off my culinary creativity.  So much fun!!
• I've been enjoying spending time with friends and family.  Every weekend since school started I have been able to spend time with my parents, my sister, my nieces, and/or my friends.  It's been great.  I've spent spa days, had cocktails, hosted a book club, gone to several dinners, and had lots of quick coffee/catch-up sessions.  I love reconnecting with all of my favorite people. 

So, that's what's been going on with me.  Nothing overly exciting, but all good things.  I'm enjoying the quieter side of life right now.  I'm learning to live life at a bit of a slower pace and enjoy each day.

The bitter sweet part of the trip is that it was also Lori's farewell luncheon b/c her last day is today.  :(

I told her I'll be sad on Monday morning when I come to work and she is no longer here.  I am however very happy for the good changes that God is bringing to her life! :)

Here is Lori! (in the black suit, next to me)

2x fully mature, already paired off gold angelfish

6x or so Australian rainbowfish

20-30x male guppies (the ones from when I used to breed)

5x rummynose tetras (I already have these)

3x black kuhlie loaches (again, I already have these)

2x German blue rams; and possibly

2x kribensis

I might not get the kribs due to the fact that once fully grown they might have a go at my guppies and because of their aggression, should they choose to breed. I am also concerned about the aggression of the angels and the rams when/if they breed. Hopefully I will never have to deal with more than one spawn at a time, so that all the other fish have space to retreat when the spawning fish set up a territory.