Oh sweet extra hour
Yay, extra hour of sleep tonight! Of course, if I never go to bed, that's not going to matter anyway. Alas, I will have pictures to post from this evening and stories to go along with them.
For now, a quickie: I was putting things on my amazon wishlist for my family members who like to do their shopping early. I had added Family Guy Vol. 3 which comes out sometime in November. For those who have used the wishlist before, you'll know that when you add something, there are 3-4 things that are shown as recommendations based on what you selected for your wishlist. So, because I selected Family Guy, Amazon in all its infinite wisdom suggested "To Kill a Mockingbird".
WHAT????!!!!!???
Does ANYONE see the connection here???
Pancho and his goat
Pancho and his goat
Originally uploaded by sbjuengst.Another Pancho picture for you. Despite being a small dog, Pancho does not like small dog toys. He LOVES giant raw hides that he has to drag across the apartment and plush toys that he has to hold up in order to run (like his goat). This goat was a particular favorite of his.
Uncertain future
Dramatic schedule changes are in my future. How things will pan out, I'm not entirely sure. Suffice it to say, it will be better for me I believe. I have been awake since 4:45am this morning. At 5:45 am I was standing in front of the SHRS building in Oakland waiting for my ride (after taking the bus there, that is). At sunrise (sometime around 7:25am) I was about an hour east of Pittsburgh, surrounded by mountains, trees, and snow in Johnstown, PA. On a normal day, this is about the time that I am dragging my lazy butt out of bed.
I have high anxiety about this coming Monday - more on this when the above mentioned details unfold. Suffice it to say, I hate disappointing people more than anything and I'm going to be a BIG FAT DISAPPOINTMENT on Monday (probably - maybe Tuesday). So, wish me luck and I promise to stop being vague once I have real details to share (I just couldn't wait until then as I am sitting at home, stuffed full of Sharp Edge food, tired as all hell, alone (with Pancho) wanting to tell SOMEONE (other than Jon, who knows of course!)). Did I close all my parentheses there? Eh, I'm too tired to bother going back and figuring that out.
I went to bed at 10:15 last night, as I had to wake up so freakin' early. However, just before midnight Jon woke me up to watch the WHITE SOX WIN THE WORLD SERIES! WoO HOO!!
I also got to see Sadie again tonight. I took more pictures, but they're on my real camera, so I can't put them up until I get the photos developed. All the puppies are bigger than they were a week ago, and now their faces are becoming more and more distinguishable. I think Sadie likes me. She is by far the most affectionate with people, and anytime I would walk across the room and then kneel down, she would be the first to come running (and since she's by far the fastest of the litter, most definitely the first to arrive). She gnawed on my ear once, which didn't feel too nice, but other than that it was all sweetness. She cried when we left while all her brothers flopped on the floor and slept (they had just finished a big meal).
The countdown will begin soon to our bringing her home. :)
***Side note*** I have update my sidebar to include a few more friend's blogs (one old, one new (blogs that is, not friends)). Check them out. ***end side note***
Crazy Tuesday
It's been one of those days.
Because of that (and the fact that I have to be at class in less than 30 minutes), you get a fun quiz for the day. Make your best guesses - I'll let you know when someone is correct.
WORLD'S EASIEST QUIZ
(Passing requires 4 correct answers)
1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?
2) Which country makes Panama hats?
3) From which animal do we get catgut?
4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?
5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?
6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal?
7) What was King George VI's first name?
8) What color is a purple finch?
9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?
10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane
Note to Texas
Dear Texas,
Stop sending us your
F*&king Politicians!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Disgruntled Schna
One Word
A friend sent this in a forward to me, and it struck me that it could make for some interesting responses as a post, so...
Describe ME in ONE WORD...just one word!
BE HONEST, THAT IS IMPORTANT
My response to this friend was: multifarious (I was proud of that one).
SO, be as creative as possible. Making me look up the word in the dictionary gets you bonus points!!!
Tuesday even shortier
Without made-up words, I could not speak.
Work is busy - that always happens when my boss goes out of town. GRRRR...
I can't post flickr pictures from work because my computer here is STUPID!!!!
Tonight, I shop. Thank you Uncle Stafford for the wonderful new winter clothes you will buy me this evening. :)
Monday shorty
What does it say about you readers when the most comments I get center around yogurt containers? :)
In other news...White Sox are going to the world series!! WOO HOO!
Now, some of you may be confused and thinking, "I thought she was a Cubs fan?". You're right - I am a Cubs fan. However, that does not mean I have to hate the White Sox (though were I primarily a White Sox fan, I WOULD have to hate the Cubs).
It's a Chicago baseball team going to the World Series - there aren't many alive who remember the last time either team won, and those who even remember the last time either team was IN the series are getting up there too. So, despite the fact that some Sox fans make me crazy (like the asshate who poored bleach on the Ivy at Wrigley), I have been and will continue to root for the White Sox (particularly over Houston or St. Louis).
I'm running on 3 hours of sleep and caffeine - I'm actually pretty amusing right now (at least I'm laughing at me). However, work calls. Damn that work!
New addition
Blue-eyed puppy
Originally uploaded by sbjuengst.This is Sadie. She is ours and will be moving home around Thanksgiving (right after LHPJ finishes his project exams).
We have been talking about doing this for a couple of years now, and had decided that it was not feasible until AFTER LHPJ finishes his exams. And now, that time is nearly upon us. Visitors who want to shower her (and Pancho!!!) with attention are more than welcome.
She's 4 weeks old in this picture.
Contemplations
Contemplations
Originally uploaded by sbjuengst.I threatened to post this, and I followed through. HAHA! This is some random girl at the Pittsburgh Pet Expo this past weekend contemplating a sheep. She tried to wrestle the camera away from me, but I just laughed and told her that these photos would resurface on the internet. She cried a lot and begged, but I showed NO MERCY!!!! I think I saw her before we left curling up in the hay with the sheep and hiding in shame.
Smurficide!!
Want to know where this picture came from?
Go
here.
Thanks to Magina (again) for the story.
Epiphany
WARNING!!! WARNING!!! CHEESE APPROACHING AT MAXIMUM WARP!!!!!I revel in the worlds that Bitchy Schna is opening to me. I've come to realize that perhaps doing everything in my power to make sure that everyone likes me isn't such a great idea. While I have avoided conflict in being a people pleaser, I've also ended up with a lot of one-sided friendships. Traversing great physical distances (Illinois to Michigan to Arizona to Pennsylvania) has been the death of these one-sided friendships (you know the old cliche about "knowing who your real friends are" blah blah blah), but I seem to pick up more everywhere I go. Until recently, that is. I'm learning to be more discriminating, as I have next to no time to devote to social interaction. I'm figuring out that it's OKAY to not like someone.
In general, this has caused a vast reduction in the number of people with whom I associate regularly (both in person and via other means of communication). However, I find the quality of the interactions that I DO have to be far more validating and enjoyable than being surrounded by the masses. Many of those people are far away, and I sadly only communicate with them rarely.
I have made a concerted effort to maintain relationships with those people who talk to me because they want to, not
just because they need something from me. I find, as a result, that I'm far more able and willing to give when they
do need something - without feeling totally taxed in return. To wax uber-cheesey for a moment - Bitchy Schna has made me recognize the people who have a pretty good understanding of who I am, enough to recognize my quirks and consciously
not exploit them for personal gain (as opposed to those who consciously exploit them
and those who just don't pay enough attention to recognize them in the first place).
Now, I'm eating yogurt without a spoon and my personal epiphany is over.
Atlantic Ave on New Year's
Atlantic Ave
Originally uploaded by sbjuengst.New Year's 2005, probably sometime around 2-3am, this photo was taken by someone - possibly me, but I think someone else. Anyway, this is the view down our street from somewhere around the steps leading up from the sidewalk to our place. This is one of those accidentally awesome photos (I think - unless it was alcohol inspired genius). Every time I flip through my New Year's photos, I stop at this one. So, I thought I would share. Now I have to go study for my first test in several years. WOO HOO!!
Magina Monologues
Thanks to Magina for this one. Wow, I suddenly realized how oddly coincindental that nickname (Magina)and this article are:
The Winner Is... Fake Dog Testicle CreatorBOSTON - Gregg Miller mortgaged his home and maxed out his credit cards to mass produce his invention — prosthetic testicles for neutered dogs.
Other winners this year (as quoted in the article):
This year's other Ig Nobel winners include:
• PHYSICS: Since 1927, researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia have been tracking a glob of congealed black tar as it drips through a funnel — at a rate of one drop every nine years.
• PEACE: Two researchers at Newcastle University in England monitored the brain activity of locusts as they watched clips from the movie "Star Wars."
• CHEMISTRY: An experiment at the University of Minnesota was designed to prove whether people can swim faster or slower in syrup than in water.
Because I'm too busy to give you anything other than links...
Something curious:
'Beowulf' Turned Into Modern Rock OperaIt's an ambitious undertaking for the Irish Repertory Theatre, which is presenting a musical version of the epic poem about the legendary young warrior Beowulf who battles a parade of creatures including the demon Grendel. The music is by Lenny Pickett, who also co-wrote the lyrics with Lindsey Turner.
Something frightening:
Supreme Court to Revisit Assisted SuicideRoberts, who once served as a law clerk to Rehnquist and worked as a government lawyer, may be sympathetic to Bush administration arguments that the federal government needs ultimate authority to control drugs.
In this case, that would be at odds with the concept, popular among conservatives, of limiting federal interference.
Solicitor General Paul Clement, the Bush administration's Supreme Court lawyer, told justices in a filing that 49 states, centuries of tradition, and doctors groups agree that "assisted suicide is 'fundamentally incompatible' with a physician's role as healer."
More bad news:
New Bush Nominee for Supreme CourtWhile insisting that he doesn't recall ever talking to Miers about abortion, he pointedly said, "I know her heart."
Bush, who emphasized that he's a proud conservative, said he hoped his supporters were listening. "I'm interested in someone who shares my philosophy and will share it 20 years from now," he said.
Yes, all we need is someone who shares the JaggerBush's philosophy...
Have you ever felt irrelevant?
First and foremost, this is NOT A POST SEEKING VALIDATION OF MYSELF AS A WORTHWHILE PERSON. So, NO VALIDATING SCHNA ALLOWED!! Got it? Okay, good.
I have had numerous experiences today where I have had the experience of feeling irrelevant. True, I haven't interacted much with those to whom I KNOW I am relevant (and the one occasion at 6am this morning in which I DID interact with such a person was perhaps the high point of my day so far).
I had a subject at work today who, believe it or not, talks more than I do. He was an interesting gentleman with some great stories to tell. However, he had this knack for ignoring direct questions or instructions (mostly related to the tests I was administering). And he kept falling asleep on me; just nodding off in the middle of a test. Somehow, my presence didn't seem to have much impact on him. Sure, I was receptive to his stories, and sure, I kept having to wake him up to test him (so perhaps I was relevant as a nuisance??), but that was the extent of it.
Perhaps relevant isn't the best word. Any suggestions as to something better, oh masters of the english language who I know are reading this right now (and those that lump themselves with me into the know enough to speak with relatively decent grammar and that's about it category)?
Experience number two - after testing today's subject, I decided to spend my lunch break reading for class (yes, eating would have been more appropriate, but I can do that at my desk - like I am right now). Upon entering the building in which I had chosen to read, I passed a friend of a friend who I have met on a few different occasions (said person was in the company of a couple other people with whom s/he seemed to be friends). I attempted the unobstrusive smile and potential follow-up hello depending on response. No hello necessary. Said person did not just 'not notice' me, but actually seemed to make a conscious effort to snub me. Sort of a 'you're not worth even a smile' sort of snubbing. perhaps i just made a poor impression at those earlier meetings...
Third experience (I'm feeling organized today, hence the nice numbered paragraphs): I have been working for WEEKS on a manuscript to be submitted for publication. However, just about everything that was original work of mine has since been omitted from the paper (not because of poor writing style, but because we keep going back and changing our minds (by "our" I don't mean mine, but that of my superior with whom I must agree) and changing the whole point of the blasted paper). I have become little more than a secretary (and an incredibly patient one too, I might add).
Dammit - this is about the 4th time I've had to come back to this and I'm sick of reading it to figure out where I left off. So, you'll just have to GUESS at what my other experiences were today! HA! (Actually, that could be amusing. Guesses anyone? The more original, the better.).
ENTERTAIN ME!!!
****note**** i think i'm having one of those moments...you know, where you sort of witness yourself from the outside, treading the waters of sanity and madness, not sure which way you are about to go (or want to go). i sort of feel like laughing at everything - not laughing though, giggling. sort of like me on caffeine, for those who have witnessed this. only, there's no caffeine. just cottage cheese and yogurt. WOO HOO, DAIRY HIGH!!! :)
Now I get to go to class...my poor classmates.
