Well, not really, I still do lots of stupid things, and leave work early & watch too much tv. But, I did finally open an IRA (Roth, so I don't have to worry about weird tax laws that make my income taxable, but not eligible for any retirement savings allowances). I signed up with Sharebuilder.com, where you can buy portions of stocks, and made my investments automatic, so it will actually be a pain to cancel them & hopefully I'll just suck it up & keep making deposits. I've actually been meaning to do this since I was 23, but being a graduate student doesn't really jibe with saving money.
In house news, our place is very cold. Unless you go outside & come back in, at which point it's almost steamy. We actually got the know & tube wiring cut out of the bathroom, with the only bad consequence being that my working kitchen no longer has any power. Except for the fridge, which is on a different circuit (thankfully & surprisingly!). So we've trekked the microwave downstairs, and capped off the wiring in the bathroom, since the electrical inspector should be coming by soon to look at the panel & subpanel work that got done last month. In case anyone has forgotten, D hired some yahoo last year to redo our panel & subpanels, installing breaker boxes & upgrading our service to 200 amps. Unfortunately, the guy wasn't actually registered with the city of Pgh, and apparently didn't know the codes, or didn't care, since he never filed a permit & obviously was never going to get it inspected. So, one year later, I finally got around to calling a real electrician to fix all of his mistakes. The most ironic part was that the real electrician charged less than half what the scheister did. I don't think I'm going to let D hire people anymore - one more example of how the stereotype of women not dealing well with tradespeople/fixing stuff doesn't really apply to us.
So the project line up for this year is: 1) upstairs bathroom. I know, I know, I've said that this was going to get done for almost two years now, but house renovations apparently always take 6 times as long as you think they're going to. But, D & I have a valentine's day date planned at the tile store (in the overstock section, of course), and hopefully we'll be going to buy an obscene amount of green-board soon. The sub-floor has already been cut & fit in (though not permanently affixed), and I suppose we'll go root out a baseboard heater thingy soon. 2) Downstairs kitchen. We actually have to get a dumpster permit & rental first for this, since a huge amount of plaster & flooring needs to be removed before we can start re-assembling it. But at least it will be a lot easier to run wiring once the walls have been removed. And drywall will be a lot lighter than the current plaster/lathe that is covering everything. Plus, we'll be able to inspect the piering underneath this part of the house once the floor is up. I'm praying that there won't be some problem with that that will cost 30 bazillion dollars to fix. 3) (or maybe it's 2) - garden planning and starting seeds. I've actually already started planning the front flower garden, & we picked up a couple of hanging light housings for very cheap at the home despot. Of course, the growing lights were incredibly expensive, but we're looking forward to getting our tomato, pepper, lettuce, herbs, etc all started a little bit earlier this year. Of course, the garden tends to distract us from other household projects, but it's so relaxing to work outside that I think it's worth it. Plus I'm going to have to make more cherry/pear tomato preserves next year. Make that a lot more, that stuff is awesome with Brie :)
Love you all, hope you had a good holiday season & are keeping warm! It's horrifically cold here today, but should be 60 on Monday. I know I should be upset about the global warming induced strange winter temperatures, but I'm just glad for the heating cost reprieve.
Friday, January 4, 2008
Friday, December 21, 2007
Chapter Unknown - wherein seasonal affective disorder kicks my a**
Just when I thought things were looking up, the uniform greyness of Pittsburgh days descends upon us once again, and I get steamrollered by my old friend-nemesis, SAD. First, on Monday, I wake up at 3:44 a.m., and am obviously not going to be able to get back to sleep. Now, as the busses in Pgh only start running around 5:20 a.m., I can't go to work, and I don't want to wake D up, so I busy myself with e-mail and such & watch some TV until a more respectable hour. Then, on Tuesday, I'm running late, and don't do anything for the christmas party at work. Which leads me to believe I shouldn't go. Plus, I feel like avoiding people, which isn't particularly difficult since one of my co-workers reliably locks me in the lab when she leaves the room. Interestingly, she fails to lock the door when she leaves the lab empty - but I suppose I have complained enough about her in previous blogs. And in person a whole lot.
So, instead of gorging myself on cookies and beer, I went running instead. Well, it's actually more like jogging very mildly, with a whole lot of walking interspersed. But I did it outside, which hasn't happened in a very long time (scale of years). And this makes it a whole lot harder than running on a treadmill. My legs hurt in completely different places. So that was good, although I met some other grad students for cheap beer after work, and undid any good that was achieved with the running. Plus I ended up being in a crap mood, and went home to yell at D about the same stuff I always yell at him for.
So Wednesday I woke up feeling awful. Not hungover, but still uneasy because of the fight I picked. Not that I don't have valid points, but D never fights back overtly, so it always seems like I'm the one being unreasonable. Which is in itself a fighting tactic, just a hugely passive-aggressive one. I also couldn't seem to drag myself out of bed, or once that was accomplished, off the couch. So I missed my UV appt (8:45), and watched bad recorded tv for a few hours, all while trying to decide if I would take the day off of work or not. I finally get myself to the busstop, and take the bus to Oakland, where I eat lunch, and decide that I'd prefer to not have to be around any of the people I work with, and go home. Most productive day ever - I love that I get to a point of indecision that literally results in me turning around on the street several times, trying to get up the will to do something. anything.
I'm hoping this is just a random thing, happening this week & then receding, but I have a feeling it's just the beginning. Oh, and I got nominated for the same fellowship that I apply for every year, but fail to receive it every year. I wish they would just nominate someone else, so I can stop wasting my time on this retarded thing.
So, instead of gorging myself on cookies and beer, I went running instead. Well, it's actually more like jogging very mildly, with a whole lot of walking interspersed. But I did it outside, which hasn't happened in a very long time (scale of years). And this makes it a whole lot harder than running on a treadmill. My legs hurt in completely different places. So that was good, although I met some other grad students for cheap beer after work, and undid any good that was achieved with the running. Plus I ended up being in a crap mood, and went home to yell at D about the same stuff I always yell at him for.
So Wednesday I woke up feeling awful. Not hungover, but still uneasy because of the fight I picked. Not that I don't have valid points, but D never fights back overtly, so it always seems like I'm the one being unreasonable. Which is in itself a fighting tactic, just a hugely passive-aggressive one. I also couldn't seem to drag myself out of bed, or once that was accomplished, off the couch. So I missed my UV appt (8:45), and watched bad recorded tv for a few hours, all while trying to decide if I would take the day off of work or not. I finally get myself to the busstop, and take the bus to Oakland, where I eat lunch, and decide that I'd prefer to not have to be around any of the people I work with, and go home. Most productive day ever - I love that I get to a point of indecision that literally results in me turning around on the street several times, trying to get up the will to do something. anything.
I'm hoping this is just a random thing, happening this week & then receding, but I have a feeling it's just the beginning. Oh, and I got nominated for the same fellowship that I apply for every year, but fail to receive it every year. I wish they would just nominate someone else, so I can stop wasting my time on this retarded thing.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
cheese straws!!!
Well, I'm finally getting around to finish up the holiday boxes for everyone. I still have one batch of toffee to make (covered in white chocolate, one of my friends is allergic to the real stuff), and several batches of cheese straws. I think I'll also roast a chicken today, which D is looking forward to. I've been waking up early these days, but realize that there isn't really anything for me to do, so I just go back to bed. Of course I could always clean, but I get tired of doing all the things that I "have" to do. Plus D looks so cute wrapped up in blankets with one cat (only one of them will come into our bedroom, but she loves him like crazy).
I went for my first mammogram yesterday, which was kind of scary. Everything turned out well, but having to go early, and not knowing what to expect exactly was nerve-wracking. Fifteen minutes before I left, I was seriously thinking of skipping it. When I got there, they make you put on a robe & go into the back of the breast center. It's almost like a spa back there, with a bunch of women in robes, waiting to go into various rooms. I chatted with an older woman, who said that she still gets nervous every time she goes, and "would have given anything to not have to go" when she got up that morning. But I was out in an hour, and everything was normal. They want me to come back for another one in 6 months, just to document what my tissue looks like, but the doctor told me if I was a little older, he would have just had me come back at 40. He just didn't want me to wait 10 years. On the up side, it was not as painful as I had expected from hearing about other women's experiences. It's just really weird to be squished that much, and to try not to move while they expose the film. I kept thinking, "what if I fall over?", since you are firmly attached to this big machine.
Today's music is Bill Wither's, and there is an extremely fuzzy kitty sitting next to me. :)
I went for my first mammogram yesterday, which was kind of scary. Everything turned out well, but having to go early, and not knowing what to expect exactly was nerve-wracking. Fifteen minutes before I left, I was seriously thinking of skipping it. When I got there, they make you put on a robe & go into the back of the breast center. It's almost like a spa back there, with a bunch of women in robes, waiting to go into various rooms. I chatted with an older woman, who said that she still gets nervous every time she goes, and "would have given anything to not have to go" when she got up that morning. But I was out in an hour, and everything was normal. They want me to come back for another one in 6 months, just to document what my tissue looks like, but the doctor told me if I was a little older, he would have just had me come back at 40. He just didn't want me to wait 10 years. On the up side, it was not as painful as I had expected from hearing about other women's experiences. It's just really weird to be squished that much, and to try not to move while they expose the film. I kept thinking, "what if I fall over?", since you are firmly attached to this big machine.
Today's music is Bill Wither's, and there is an extremely fuzzy kitty sitting next to me. :)
Friday, December 14, 2007
I'm Dream.....mas
One of the things that the MythTV recorder actually recorded was White Christmas. I decided to actually watch it while finishing up the present wrapping last night, since I don't generally have christmas music, and we have no tree (something that will be remedied next year). However, I'll have to agree with Mom's assessment of this year's TV airing of the movie - they cut out like 1/2 the scenes!!! Most of the dancing is gone, and you can barely follow the story - even when you already know it! Shame on whatever station is behind the "My Pittsburgh TV" logo.
On the upside, the cats thoroughly enjoyed climbing into empty boxes, sitting in empty boxes, then running away once I had put batteries in the camera and aimed it at them. Also, I gave them wrapping paper balls that they had lots of fun with. This was after D suggested that we wrap some of their existing toys to give to them for christmas - since cats aren't all that smart, they won't know the difference. I then had to demonstrate that there is no substitute for wrapping paper balls (except maybe tin foil balls).
Otherwise, not much is happening. We might get snow on Sunday, as opposed to the rain & freezing rain that has been on the menu this week. School is wrapping up for the semester, and I'm having a hard time getting anything done again. I just don't really care that much. In fact, I think I'm going to leave early today, in order to cook some more & perhaps clean up a bit at home. I hope I'll be able to talk to my family this weekend too :)
On the upside, the cats thoroughly enjoyed climbing into empty boxes, sitting in empty boxes, then running away once I had put batteries in the camera and aimed it at them. Also, I gave them wrapping paper balls that they had lots of fun with. This was after D suggested that we wrap some of their existing toys to give to them for christmas - since cats aren't all that smart, they won't know the difference. I then had to demonstrate that there is no substitute for wrapping paper balls (except maybe tin foil balls).
Otherwise, not much is happening. We might get snow on Sunday, as opposed to the rain & freezing rain that has been on the menu this week. School is wrapping up for the semester, and I'm having a hard time getting anything done again. I just don't really care that much. In fact, I think I'm going to leave early today, in order to cook some more & perhaps clean up a bit at home. I hope I'll be able to talk to my family this weekend too :)
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
%*&$##! microdialysis probes!
So I've been doing this apprenticeship thing (research in another lab) for a couple of months now, and enjoying it. But, despite the relative simplicity of the experiments, it is actually very hard to get data. First you have to make decent probes out of very small and delicate materials, plus a lot of epoxy. Then you have to implant them into a brain. Then you have to hook them up to liquid that is pushed through them. Then you have to inject the liquid that you collect into an HPLC machine. Then you pray that the HPLC will reveal some nice peaks.
However, I have discovered there are many things that can go wrong at all stages of this procedure. 1) Animal dies while or immediately after you implant probes. 2) Probes, which were flowing fine before you put them in brain, immediately cease flowing once you put them into brain. 3) Probes stop flowing at some random time during experiment, usually because air has somehow gotten into the line. 4) HPLC freaks out & won't show you anything useful.
Since the whole process takes two days even when its working well, it's frustrating to have it crap out on you towards the end. Especially since you'll just have to do the whole thing again if the data aren't complete. Actually, you have to do the whole thing again anyway, to prove that your results aren't just a fluke. Why am I doing this again?
Oh yeah, at some point I thought science was exciting and fun.
In other news (aka Holiday update), many of my holiday cards went out yesterday. Which is in itself surprising, since the postman only comes by our house on a random schedule (I think it's based on whenever he feels like climbing the stairs). Cookies are done, I have only one more batch of toffee to make, and cheese straws. And then, of course, lug gigantic boxes to UPS for shipping. I think I will have to borrow the car for this.
One more note, I've been bugging D to get the Voice-over-IP working in the house. I feel I have waited long enough (over a year now) for this to be working, since my cell phone doesn't work in the house, & no-one ever calls me anymore due to aforementioned cell phone problem. I miss talking to my family (not a problem for him), and would like to be able to cook or clean while I talk to them (also not a problem for him). So I threatened to get a landline installed, which I may do anyway, since the VOIP will not work whenever the computer crashes, which, in our house, is every 35 seconds. There are times when I understand why he gets fired so much - nothing ever works without having to reset it 45,000 times. Or having to call him to do it, since I don't have his passwords, or don't know which of his 15 computers is having the problem in question, or don't really care to learn how to fix it. I just want to be able to talk on the phone (or watch TV, which also breaks constantly because he has to have a free Tivo like program running on some Frankenstein computer - my favorite part of this is that it will pretend to record things, but then have an empty data file - just kidding! you can't actually watch that show!)
Urrgh, sorry to complain, I know I said I wouldn't do that here. But a lot of things are getting to me right now.
However, I have discovered there are many things that can go wrong at all stages of this procedure. 1) Animal dies while or immediately after you implant probes. 2) Probes, which were flowing fine before you put them in brain, immediately cease flowing once you put them into brain. 3) Probes stop flowing at some random time during experiment, usually because air has somehow gotten into the line. 4) HPLC freaks out & won't show you anything useful.
Since the whole process takes two days even when its working well, it's frustrating to have it crap out on you towards the end. Especially since you'll just have to do the whole thing again if the data aren't complete. Actually, you have to do the whole thing again anyway, to prove that your results aren't just a fluke. Why am I doing this again?
Oh yeah, at some point I thought science was exciting and fun.
In other news (aka Holiday update), many of my holiday cards went out yesterday. Which is in itself surprising, since the postman only comes by our house on a random schedule (I think it's based on whenever he feels like climbing the stairs). Cookies are done, I have only one more batch of toffee to make, and cheese straws. And then, of course, lug gigantic boxes to UPS for shipping. I think I will have to borrow the car for this.
One more note, I've been bugging D to get the Voice-over-IP working in the house. I feel I have waited long enough (over a year now) for this to be working, since my cell phone doesn't work in the house, & no-one ever calls me anymore due to aforementioned cell phone problem. I miss talking to my family (not a problem for him), and would like to be able to cook or clean while I talk to them (also not a problem for him). So I threatened to get a landline installed, which I may do anyway, since the VOIP will not work whenever the computer crashes, which, in our house, is every 35 seconds. There are times when I understand why he gets fired so much - nothing ever works without having to reset it 45,000 times. Or having to call him to do it, since I don't have his passwords, or don't know which of his 15 computers is having the problem in question, or don't really care to learn how to fix it. I just want to be able to talk on the phone (or watch TV, which also breaks constantly because he has to have a free Tivo like program running on some Frankenstein computer - my favorite part of this is that it will pretend to record things, but then have an empty data file - just kidding! you can't actually watch that show!)
Urrgh, sorry to complain, I know I said I wouldn't do that here. But a lot of things are getting to me right now.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Ohmigosh, it's so cold here!
Just a quick post - it's been snowy & cold for a couple of days now. I must go through some stored things & find gloves & long underwear & some better shoes. I'm unprepared for winter.
But after I shoveled the front walk and put salt down, I got to witness one of the cats (Bathtub Kitty from the picture) jump into a laundry basket, only to realize that the sides were too high to get out again. I love cats :)
Hope everyone else is staying warm & having a good night.
But after I shoveled the front walk and put salt down, I got to witness one of the cats (Bathtub Kitty from the picture) jump into a laundry basket, only to realize that the sides were too high to get out again. I love cats :)
Hope everyone else is staying warm & having a good night.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Silly songs
I realize it's been nearly a month since I last posted, even though many funny things have happened. It's actually a virtually daily occurrence in our house, and that's something I am frequently grateful for. D & I spent a pretty relaxing weekend at the house, but still managed to get a lot done. On Friday, I held the second Pittsburgh Neuroanatomy Group meeting, which is something I've been trying at work. Basically we have a bunch of neuroanatomists in the department, but because they all work in different areas of the brain (hypothalamus vs brain stem vs midbrain vs cortex), we never really all get in one room together. Which is a shame, because on technically related matters, there's a lot we can learn from each other. So, I've been trying to get everyone in one room, talking about their projects, techniques in general, and also socializing (since one of my main problems is talking to professors, and I imagine I'm not the only grad student who is intimidated by these pretty-famous-people). I still feel like most of them don't like me, but I'm working on getting rid of this negative thought. I've been going to therapy for this kind of thing, and I'm going to try to get better at getting myself out there, professionally.
But, back to our weekend. After the meeting, I met up with a couple of friends for some beer, pool, and darts. Then D met me at the bar, and we went home. Unfortunately, he got a new Sims game (Sims castaway), and so he spent the majority of the evening playing that. Well, so did I (we took turns), but I also went to bed at 9:30. Saturday morning, I met my friend M for coffee (as is our habit now). I walked down to the So Side Flats, which was good for me even though it was 22 degrees out. Warmed up in her house for a bit, then we headed out. She's going through a bunch of annoying legal stuff over her husband's kid from a previous marriage (big custody battle in the last year, and the mother is incredibly unreasonable), so we usually chat about that, and we caught up on our respective Thanksgiving stories (she went to Massachusetts, where we're both from, and D & I spent the weekend in Phila). After coffee, we usually wander into the insanely expensive kitchen store where I spend too much money on little gadgets I don't need, but I avoided it this time. I did go to the bookstore though, and found some really good holiday cards. Then both of us went to the grocery store, & I got candy making materials.
So, Saturday afternoon, D & I made toffee. I also just about finished wrapping presents for my nephews, and started making out envelopes for the cards we'll need to send out. D did a heroic amount of laundry, I made an edible dinner (though not fabulous by any means), and finally cleaned my bathroom. with Lysol :) The real stuff, not the stuff that's in meadow blossom scent or whatever. I bought 5 bottles of the concentrated lysol off the internet for very cheap, but was dismayed to find that all of the caps were defective - D couldn't get them open any more than I could. But, I just drilled holes in the bottles, and transferred them to another container. I know you're not supposed to do this, especially since I don't have the secondary container labeled, but I assume that the cats still can't open bottle caps & that D would realize that it doesn't smell like something one should drink. Plus it's in the chemical cabinet. Maybe I'll get around to labeling it soon.
Oh, but back to my weekend. Sunday, I got up early-ish, made it to work for a couple of hours, & then went grocery shopping. In the afternoon, I coated the toffee with chocolate, made soup for the week, and made a roast beef for dinner (something I very rarely do).
After dinner, D & I watched cartoons, and got ready for bed. As I was leaving the third floor, I told him I would switch the laundry for him (since he was still going to be up for awhile), and he started singing, "I'll switch the laundry" to the tune of "I shot the sherriff". This is one of the things that I love about him. We both do this - I have a song that I sing to my cat "Kitty, kitty, oh-o kitty cat, what are you lookin' at?" that is a supremes song, I think - and have done this for a long time. I can't claim credit for it even, my mom always made up songs when we were growing up, and she usually came up with her own music too. But I love that he's as silly as I am in this respect.
I actually first noticed it when we made our first drive from MA to PA. We drove overnight, and somehow kept singing, "I been driving all night, my hands white on the wheel, durn-nurn-nur-nur-nur-na na na" at intervals when neither one of us had anything left to talk about. It would crack both of us up, and it made the trip more fun. I don't remember the first silly song he made up, but I do distinctly remember him backing me up on a rendition of the themesong from the Jeffersons. He's a good back-up singer, and it was one of those moments when you realize you really love this person. (There's also the tale of der Muffinmacher, and der Snuggler, but that's for another time :)
Hope everyone is having a good day!
But, back to our weekend. After the meeting, I met up with a couple of friends for some beer, pool, and darts. Then D met me at the bar, and we went home. Unfortunately, he got a new Sims game (Sims castaway), and so he spent the majority of the evening playing that. Well, so did I (we took turns), but I also went to bed at 9:30. Saturday morning, I met my friend M for coffee (as is our habit now). I walked down to the So Side Flats, which was good for me even though it was 22 degrees out. Warmed up in her house for a bit, then we headed out. She's going through a bunch of annoying legal stuff over her husband's kid from a previous marriage (big custody battle in the last year, and the mother is incredibly unreasonable), so we usually chat about that, and we caught up on our respective Thanksgiving stories (she went to Massachusetts, where we're both from, and D & I spent the weekend in Phila). After coffee, we usually wander into the insanely expensive kitchen store where I spend too much money on little gadgets I don't need, but I avoided it this time. I did go to the bookstore though, and found some really good holiday cards. Then both of us went to the grocery store, & I got candy making materials.
So, Saturday afternoon, D & I made toffee. I also just about finished wrapping presents for my nephews, and started making out envelopes for the cards we'll need to send out. D did a heroic amount of laundry, I made an edible dinner (though not fabulous by any means), and finally cleaned my bathroom. with Lysol :) The real stuff, not the stuff that's in meadow blossom scent or whatever. I bought 5 bottles of the concentrated lysol off the internet for very cheap, but was dismayed to find that all of the caps were defective - D couldn't get them open any more than I could. But, I just drilled holes in the bottles, and transferred them to another container. I know you're not supposed to do this, especially since I don't have the secondary container labeled, but I assume that the cats still can't open bottle caps & that D would realize that it doesn't smell like something one should drink. Plus it's in the chemical cabinet. Maybe I'll get around to labeling it soon.
Oh, but back to my weekend. Sunday, I got up early-ish, made it to work for a couple of hours, & then went grocery shopping. In the afternoon, I coated the toffee with chocolate, made soup for the week, and made a roast beef for dinner (something I very rarely do).
After dinner, D & I watched cartoons, and got ready for bed. As I was leaving the third floor, I told him I would switch the laundry for him (since he was still going to be up for awhile), and he started singing, "I'll switch the laundry" to the tune of "I shot the sherriff". This is one of the things that I love about him. We both do this - I have a song that I sing to my cat "Kitty, kitty, oh-o kitty cat, what are you lookin' at?" that is a supremes song, I think - and have done this for a long time. I can't claim credit for it even, my mom always made up songs when we were growing up, and she usually came up with her own music too. But I love that he's as silly as I am in this respect.
I actually first noticed it when we made our first drive from MA to PA. We drove overnight, and somehow kept singing, "I been driving all night, my hands white on the wheel, durn-nurn-nur-nur-nur-na na na" at intervals when neither one of us had anything left to talk about. It would crack both of us up, and it made the trip more fun. I don't remember the first silly song he made up, but I do distinctly remember him backing me up on a rendition of the themesong from the Jeffersons. He's a good back-up singer, and it was one of those moments when you realize you really love this person. (There's also the tale of der Muffinmacher, and der Snuggler, but that's for another time :)
Hope everyone is having a good day!
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