"Blog" number one word of year

"Blog - noun [short for Weblog]: a web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer" was one of the most looked-up words on Merriam-Webster's internet dictionary sites this year.

Blegh!

MADRAS, India -- C. Manoharan Snake Manu practices with a garden snake by running it through his nose and out his mouth in an attempt to create a Guinness Record. Manu plans to set the record by using a live cobra.

Library

This is the Texas Tech library, where I am this very moment (minus the snow - although we are expecting a couple inches tomorrow). Been here a couple hours already, and by my calculations won't be able to get back to my cozy couch until after midnight - even longer if I don't actually start studying! I have a final tomorrow in Child Counseling - 7 chapters of crap like counseling exceptional children, counseling culturally and ethnically diverse youth, and counseling at-risk adolescents. Actually it isn't crap at all, but as I don't have any intention of working with kiddos, this is stuff I'll probably never use (until I have kids of my own, but that is a completely different story). This library has always reminded me of a McDonalds - just can't get past those 'golden arches' in the architecture. It is a really nice library though - Coach Knight donated and raised a ton of cash for the library when he came to Lubbock three years ago and they've made some really spiffy technology upgrades as well as improvements to the building. In fact, about a year ago Coach Knight and his wife donated 700 books from their personal library. He said he believes "the library is the heart and soul of the university." I wouldn't take it that far, but I do wish I'd ventured over here a little more frequently. Maybe I could've earned my undergrad degree in less than 7 years if I'd spent more time here... Oh well, can't look back now... I'm only 12 months away from my master's degree - must stay focused... Back to the books.

The urge to keep drinking

Check out this little flick. It's only humorous because I see the truth in it. Actually this site, Face the Issue, has some great animations narrated by celebrities on drug and alcohol addictions, abuse, depression, eating disorders and self-esteem. Super for class presentations when you need a visual.

Hungover Thanksgiving

It was a wonderful holiday with a slightly bumpy beginning...

Wednesday 11/24 - After we struggled through dinner at our place (see previous) and the family left, Mike and I decided to head over to Cujos for a couple drinks. It was about 11pm - we hardly ever go out that late, but figured if we started drinking late, we'd only have a few hours of sweet alcohol-goodness flowing through our systems, and would be in decent shape for our family's Thanksgiving feast. Oh, the best laid plans...

Cujos was fine, $1.50 wells fixed us up pretty good by 2am and we headed home. Then ... the icy Sam Adams whispered our names. Oh ... and let's not forget the bottle of Llano merlot. Besides lots of story-telling and laughs we also re-watched part of the Willie Nelson and friends special and a bit of the MTV (something or another) awards - some Beastie Boys and some Naz and his old man singing this hot bluesy number which I can't remember the name of now. Jammed out to iTunes cuts for what turned out to be hours. If this better describes the state I was in, I shot a couple dozen pics while spinning around in my office chair trying to master some blurry swirly artsy pics for the blog (didn't work, big surprise). The next thing I know, Mike goes outside for a cigarette and I hear a very sober, "come here". I was expecting a stray cat on the balcony or a neighbor pissing in the bushes, but instead was disheartened to see ... the sun. And not just a slightly pink sky as the sun peeked over the rooftops, but a completely bright blue sky. Ugh. It was 7:40am. It was bad enough that we'd been drinking for 8 hours, but even worse that we had to be at my grandmother's house - rested, showered, and with dinner in hand - in only 5 hours. Holy shit. We were too drunk to process these facts at the moment, so made the most rational decision and drove to McDonalds for a super big deluxe breakfast before heading to bed. Needless to say we showed up a bit late, bloodshot eyes and all, and giggling the whole way. After we were able to scarf down a honeybaked ham, pineapple casserole, cheese rolls, and the best mashed potatoes and gravy in west Texas, it turned out to be a really nice day.

So among other things, this Thanksgiving I am thankful for my incredibly kind grandmother who would never mention that fact that my boyfriend and I smell like a brewery, my wonderful parents who are just so happy when we get together that they wouldn't dare risk a confrontation by asking what we did the previous night, and especially for my extraordinarily bright and handsome boyfriend who can keep me up all night laughing, listening, and hopelessly in love.

Yep, it was a dinner disaster

Note to self: NEVER REPEAT THE CRANBERRY-GINGER PORK ROAST RECIPE! It was sooo hot, that is pepper-hot not oven-hot, that initially we could barely taste even a spoonful of the sauce without burning off a few tastebuds. I'm pretty tough and really enjoy spicy foods, but evidently the chipotle in adobo is a little more than I'm used to, and the additional shot of Daves was just too much. After it was all said and done, we'd added half & half, cream cheese, and a can of cream of mushroom soup to mellow it out, and that barely diluted the gravy enough to make it edible. After all the additions to the sauce, plus some cranberry relish and mango wasabi sauce on the side, it turned out pretty good. The family said they liked it (oh wait, they have to say that, they're family!). Actually the meat itself was tender and tasty, but I still would not repeat this weird ass recipe. Lesson learned: gotta make a test-run of all new recipes before the special occasion.

8 words w/ 2 meanings

1. THINGY (thing-ee) n.
Female... Any part under a car's hood.
Male… The strap fastener on a woman's bra.

2. VULNERABLE (vul-ne-ra-bel) adj.
Female... Fully opening up one's self emotionally to another.
Male... Playing football without a cup.

3. COMMUNICATION (ko-myoo-ni-kay-shon) n.
Female... The open sharing of thoughts and feelings with one's partner.
Male... Leaving a note before taking off on a fishing trip with the boys.

4. COMMITMENT (ko-mit-ment) n.
Female... A desire to get married and raise a family.
Male... Trying not to hit on other women while out with this one.

5. ENTERTAINMENT (en-ter-tayn-ment) n.
Female... A good movie, concert, play or book.
Male... Anything that can be done while drinking beer.

6. FLATULENCE (flach-u-lens) n.
Female... An embarrassing byproduct of indigestion.
Male... A source of entertainment, self-expression, male bonding.

7. MAKING LOVE (may-king luv) n.
Female... The greatest expression of intimacy a couple can achieve.
Male... Call it whatever you want, just as long as we do it.

8. REMOTE CONTROL (ri-moht kon-trohl) n.
Female... A device for changing from one TV channel to another.
Male... A device for scanning through all 375 channels every 5 minutes.

Dinner disaster in the making?

I'm making the boldest of cooking moves this week. I'm trying out a brand new recipe on family on the day before Thanksgiving. We're having my grandmother and my parents to our place tomorrow. Since we're doing a traditional meal on Thursday, I wanted to try out something out of the ordinary. Although my boyfriend is a magnificent cook, and he could whip up any of a dozen delicious meals without even thinking about it, for some reason, I decided this one needed to be different ... and boy is it going to be different. I found several recipes like it online, but this is the one I'm using:

Cranberry-Ginger Pork Roast

4-lb pork loin roast
1 c. fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. sugar-free pancake syrup
1 can chipotle en adobo, chopped
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a small bowl mix cranberries, syrup, chipotle, ginger, salt and pepper. Place roast in crock pot and rub with mixture. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.

I must confess now that I've never in my life made a recipe exactly as called for - it's a curse I inherited from my mother - I always feel like it needs just a little ... something ... more. I added 1/2 chopped onion, another 1/4 cup of cranberries, some garlic, and of course a dash of Dave's Insanity - no dish is complete without it. I think some dry or dijon mustard would've been good too, but I didn't have any.

I'm all about the crock pot - since I have to work tomorrow it will be almost ready by the time I get home. The cranberries and ginger just sounded so ... Thanksgiving-y! Mike almost varmited when I told him about the pancake syrup in it. I know it sounds nuts, but I'm really hoping the tart, sweet, and spicy flavors combine in the pot as nicely as they do in my head. Wish me luck...

Good news, bad news

I finally dragged myself to the dentist today for a routine cleaning. My dental plan covers a free cleaning bi-annually, so I can't really explain why it's taken me almost 3 years to get back to see Dr. Marshall. I know a lot of people are terrified of the dentist but fortunately I've never had a bad experience. Besides the doc is pretty cool. So here's the news...

Good news: My gums are very healthy (especially for not having a cleaning in 3 years!).

Bad news: I have 2 tiny cavities. Damn. Haven't had one since I was 10 - thought I'd outgrown that baby stuff. I'm going back after Thanksgiving to get them filled.

Worst news ever: Doc said I need to get all 4 of my wisdom teeth taken out, as soon as possible. The bottom two are impacted which makes the whole procedure more painful, more prone to infection, and more expensive. I called the oral surgeon that my dentist referred me to and the initial estimate is between $1440-2550 depending on the severity. PLUS I have to pay the entire balance upfront then wait up to 2 months to get reimbursed by my insurance company. I have a decent job but sure don't have an extra two grand lying around the house for dental work. What do people with no insurance do in this situation?! Just live with it?! Maybe they pull a "Castaway" and knock the tooth out with an ice skate blade. I'm fortunate to not have any pain so I can put it off a few months. The only good thing I can look forward to? S-e-d-a-a-a-t-i-o-n.

Arbonne

A friend invited me to a Arbonne pedicure party last weekend. I'd never heard of the company before but evidently they've been around for about 25 years. Their products are botanically-based, hypoallergenic, not tested on animals - all that good stuff. I went to support Kara and pick up a few Christmas presents for friends, but surprise, surprise, I'm addicted! I spent way too much money - got some lipstick, hand & foot lotions, soaps, gels, scrubs. Ideally several friends from work and class will get hooked up for the holidays, but knowing myself, it is going to be hard to give up these goodies. My favorite is a salt scrub for the bath. I got a super aromotherapy scent called Unwind - ylang ylang and chamomile - very relaxing and soothing and it feels incredible... can't wait for bath time...

Sayonara

A 17-year old girl in New York was sentenced to 21 days in jail for contempt of court when her cell phone rang after an initial admonishment by the court. The judge asked the girl, "did you think I was playing with you?" Nope, I suppose he wasn't.


I wish professors would threaten automatic 'F's when student's cell phones ring in class. It is so disruptive. During an exam last Thursday, a girl's phone rang with one of those irritating polyphonic ring tones. You'll never guess the song (and remember this is a twenty-something grad student) - U Can't Touch This. Me and the girl next to me had an uncontrollable giggle fit. I have a feeling the prof suspected we were cheating but we just couldn't stop laughing. I can picture this girl dancing around her living room in her baggy Hammer pants singing "too legit, too legit to quit, hey hey" - classic.

Stress management

I found this little tidbit on a message board:

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20gm to 500gm.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax. Pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"

Neighborhood lunatic

I luuurve cats...
Now I've had my share of small dogs in my life - a schnauzer, 2 poodles, several yorkies, and most recently a maltese named Lucky. Lucky was the worst dog ever - he was precious, the happiest pup in the world, but he was untrained, had no manners, and was a complete spaz (yeah, I know this was my fault, but you don't understand, he was like a hyperactive 5-year old after finishing off a case of Smarties). Fortunately I was able to find Lucky a home with a patient retired couple about 3 years ago.

And that is when I finally became acquainted with cats...

Mike and I got our first cat, Cajun, from a "free kittens" ad in the local paper. We had to drive out to Brownfield for him, but saved him from an obnoxious family of humans and at least 6 litters of kittens of various ages. No wonder he loves us. He's a big orange country cat, about 15 pounds now (not overweight - just big boned - the vet actually told us this!).

We also have a wiry little black cat with white boots named Jezebel who was delivered to us by Mike's mom all the way from Chicago. She needed a good home - and she found one in Lubbock. These two are the best - completely unstereotypical in all the ways dog-people argue against cats as good companions - they cuddle on the couch or bed with me, they are good with company, and they actually come when you call them (well, most of the time). Every time I go to PetsMart and see the adoption sign "good home needed - had to move - can't take cat", I want to take in another one. Fortunately I've always been aware of the unwritten rule that any woman with more than 3 cats is officially labeled as the neighborhood loony toon. I'm not sure if the cats cause the craziness or you have to be nuts to take in that many cats in the first place, but I've never witnessed an exception to this rule. Take this household in Illinois for example: 130 cats found alive, 15 found dead or decomposing. The Daily Herald stated, "even at the curb, one can still get a whiff of a potent combination of decaying animals, rotting garbage and piles of feces." Ewwwww. Oddly the family wasn't cited for animal abuse or neglect, but they were referred for counseling to deal with their hoarding tendencies. I didn't even know such a condition existed, but I'm hoping that as long as I can avoid bringing home that third kitten, I should be able to avoid the "crazy lady in the corner house" label for at least a few more years.

Too drunk = not guilty ???

I sat in on the most ridiculous DWI trial yesterday. Defense counsel said that his client was too drunk, yes that is right TOO DRUNK to give consent for the breathalyzer, and therefore his BAC results should not be admissible and the jury should find him not guilty of Driving While Intoxicated. By the way, the defendant blew a .17 (drunk in Texas is anything over .08), and he injured his passenger when they wrecked. It's a no-brainer, he's obviously guilty, right? Wrong. The jury found him NOT guilty of DWI. Unbelievable. Well at least I know which defense atty I'm going to hire if I'm ever unlucky enough to get popped.

They've gone too far

There are days when I am embarrassed to be a Texan; This is one of them. Argh.

TV updates

TiVo is going to start using unavoidable pop-up advertising next year. In addition to recording American Idol, skipping through the ads is the main reason I bought the thing. We'll see how it goes, but as long as the new technology doesn't interfere with my ability to save time by fast-forwarding through the commercials, I will try to happily ignore the new ads. -- Wait, before this post, I noticed that there is now a Ford commercial built in to my TiVo showcased programs. Jeez.

Speaking of American Idol, I was so thrilled to see the ad (oh wait, I guess I do watch some of the commercials!) last night that the last three AIs are performing together in a Christmas special. Fantasia and Ruben are great, but Kelly Clarkson is my favorite - I absolutely love her. I cannot wait until January for the 4th season. I'm such a nerd I know.

I found out last week that Six Feet Under is filming their final season. Final?! But it was doing so well. It is hands down the best show on TV, smart story lines and rich characters, and I am really disappointed to see it go. The 5 stages of loss ... denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance ... it appears the characters are reaching the final stage in their lives, and we too will have to learn to cope with the loss.

As much as I have worshiped reality TV over the past few years, it is finally starting to wear on my nerves - a fact I'm sure my boyfriend will be thrilled to hear. Last night we regretfully watched Nanny 911 - great birth control - horrible show. I've never heard more screaming and yelling from both the adults and the kids in my life. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I will continue to watch Survivor and Apprentice, but in general I'm ready for the pendulum to swing back to some smart dramas.

Myers-Briggs: ISFJ

Any non-psychology folks out there may not dig this post, but I've always enjoyed the Myers-Briggs personality test - I took a whole class on it last semester. The theory of psychological type says that people with different preferences naturally have different interests, perspectives, behaviors, and motivations. I am an ISFJ:

I = Introverted (vs. E = Extroverted)
S = Sensory (vs. N = iNtuitive)
F = Feeling (vs. T = Thinking)
J = Judging (vs. P = Perceiving)

The theory says that my internal motivation as a "protector" is to care for others and shelter them from life's challenges (absolutely true). I expect children to be respectful and I will be an overprotective mom (probably so). I am a good homemaker and am extremely loyal to my family and friends (undeniably). I am shy around strangers (afraid so). I don't like changes in the work place (not really), feel underappreciated (somewhat true), and have a relatively thankless job (definitely true). Fields in which I'm likely to be successful are human services and ministry. Interesting. Take the test yourself, it's free.

Guardian angel

Listen closely to the winds,
and hear the gentle whisper
of angel's wings in flight.

Look far into the sky and see
the shimmering stardust left behind.

Close your eyes,
clear your thoughts,
and feel your very own, very real, guardian angel.

Socrates Cafe

Last week I attended my first Socrates Cafe meeting with 5 other co-workers at a pizza joint near our office. A month ago I'd never heard of the Socrates Cafe and certainly didn't realize I'd enjoy debating topics like religion, politics, happiness, education and life's purpose with my coworkers! But I got a phone call inviting me to a meeting, and although I was completely intimidated by the intellect in the room I decided to give it a go. To quote Mark Twain:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

So I did. The first meeting was an invitation-only event: 2 women and 4 men aged 23 to forty-something, 3 different religious affiliations, 2 are married, 3 have kids, all at least hold a bachelor's degree, and we are all employed by the probation department. Week 1 question: Does God exist? This was an especially energetic exchange thanks to the atheist's viewpoints, not to mention one of our members has his master's in theology from Harvard! We only met for an hour, but I felt completely stimulated and was challenged to explore past my daily humdrum preoccupations. It was great, and I've been looking forward to our second meeting this Thursday...

WELL, evidently it was not meant to be. There was a big uproar at the office due the exclusive nature of the group, as well as the involvement of some senior staff admin staff. So everyone is feeling pressured to bow out. It pisses me off that other folks issues and insecurities have so quickly and completely dissolved the group that was providing me with the inspiration to more deeply explore my own beliefs and values. I don't think Socrates would be impressed with that logic.

In demand

This week The National Association of Colleges and Employers released their job outlook for 2005 college graduates. NACE foresees additional hiring and increased salaries for new grads over last year. This is all well and good for the math nerds, but my career has never been on any financial or employment group's "in demand" list. How will I ever pay off all these grad school loans?! I do take some comfort in the thought that all these super-stressed out accountants will come to me for counseling to try to deal with their miserably unhappy and unfulfilled lives!

2005 Top Five In Demand Degrees:
Accounting
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Business Admin/Management
Economics/Finance