My body, Acting out

It is now (officially) a month since I first started feeling ill.  In retrospect, I'm wondering at the fact that it happened right after I graduated, and had a sudden resurgence in the last week of my job.  I blew out an eardrum, then had a wicked cough and sore throat, and this week, nausea, aches, and fatigue.

I'm beginning to work on a new theory here (it's not pregnancy--yes, I'm sure), because I'm starting to think these symptoms are in part psychosomatic.  I think my body is physically rebelling against my not being in school and over worked; I went two years being swamped with relatively good health.  Even being overweight, I had great scores on my cholesterol and blood pressure, and that's something coming from a family history that's horrifically bad on both fronts.  Now I'm sleeping, watching television, catching up on reading, and have time to write and publish--so why do I feel so crappy?

Every time I sit down to write I feel like I need to be doing something; mostly, I think I need to be finding a job.  I think I put in 10 new job applications today.  I finally have my husband's full support to focus on getting published, and after years of dreaming of doing just this, I suddenly have some subconsciousness need to avoid.  Last night I stayed up until after midnight researching jobs and property in Montana (would I *really* do it, now that my education isn't in the way?  I have no idea).

Munchkin, thank you for agreeing to hold the whip on the publishing cause.  I need it.  Until I adjust to this strange new way of life, I need someone providing structure for me.

Alula

The Last Day

Today was my last day at my job.  I'm pretty darn depressed about it right now; I really love this job.

I love the people I work with, the work I do, and the work environment.  It's hard to find something that good, and it's very hard to leave something that good.  My coworkers took me out to lunch today, and even got me a graduation/going away present--they got me a Longs Peak bench mark paperweight.  It's symbolic because I have graduated, and hence hit a "peak" in my life worthy of noting and measuring future accomplishment against.  I believe I will return to get my PhD and become a researcher; I feel that I belong with these people.  Onward to the next big thing, the next bench mark, as it were.

In answer to Fuzzy's question, I've been sick.  For the last month.  I was sick all of last week, but worked anyways in a desperate attempt to finish up all of the work I had left before leaving my job.  I failed, but it's okay because it's all ongoing type work that I can continue to contribute to (blah blah blah "but you're not getting paid" and whatever else--it's called pride in workmanship, people; my name is going on it, and I will be satisfied before I call it done, paid or not).  Then, I forced myself to take a camping vacation last weekend, where I unintentionally hiked a nearly 3 mile trail with a runny nose, cough, and not as much water as I would have preferred.  I complained the whole way, which probably wasn't much fun for the others on the hike, but I didn't die, which was a plus.

All in all, I am expecting to have a low week.  I am crawling into a hole to reflect and figure out what I'm going to do with myself now.

Alula

I refuse to take the train again!!

OK so in an attempt to save money on gas, I took the train back home from a visit to the city. Plus I really needed to get away from my mother we can only stand so much quality time together with out problems. So me and little man took the train home. The trip was long, tedious and boring! So I refuse to take the train again, making it a little difficult to get back to the city for a plane ride to my uncles wedding. So my insane solution to this since Mr. Man said to take the bus if the train was so bad, once again I refuse got my fill of buses in high school. Basically that was Mr. mans way of saying he won't drive us down and my step dad has his head buried in books. He offered to come get us the day before the date to leave on the plane, which is another bad idea that seems like it would be more stress than its worth. Well any way my insane solution was to ask my mother to come get us. This will put my mother and Mr man under the same roof, and they really don't get along so well. And since they are both trying to not stress me out due to last months miscarriage will therefore make it more stressful by completely and utterly ignoring each others existence. And added to that since my mother I think is feeling a little left out since we are all leaving for the wedding she doesn't want to go to anyway, feels that getting us 2 1/2 weeks before the trip to the wedding is a good idea. I was thinking a week would be a better solution, that got shot down real quick. The only good thing is that my mother will go wine tasting with me which is kinda fun to get a sample of the drink all the flavors and textures is actually fascinating. So I will be leaving home 2 1/2 weeks before we leave on the 31st to spend 11 days on this trip and I haven't even figured out how I am getting home yet. Lets all count down to my descent into insanity and my doctor said I need to not be very stressed for the next month, yeah she has never met or dealt with my family. Oh add school work to my stress load and a way to active 3 year old at least my sister will be around to help with him. And I might be having another one eventually Mr. man and I talked about it, OK I talked he didn't say anything back, I decided we would just leave it up to mother nature. One thing I refuse to stress about. I seem to be refusing a lot of things lately must be me attempting to control my life in some way. I am starting to get my energy back and my blood chem levels are also back to where they are supposed to be. I still have a bruise from that blood draw. Well that's the rant for now, keep a look out for another one in the not so distant future.

The New Season of Our Lives

I am coming to realize that this year is holding more change than the typical year in our group.

Munchkin, your timer in the margin is getting set to run out, and there will be another new baby in our next generation and a new dynamic in our group and interactions.

Q, your husband will be out of school and starting into the "real world" with a career.  I also suspect that you will be facing some decisions soon about school, work, and family.

Lady A has a new boyfriend (you don't know him), and is considering going on a spirit quest to figure out what she wants from life.  Our Ambassador sent me an email that he has been accepted to graduate school to study history and will be moving back home from China this summer so that he can start in the fall.  (Ironically, there is a better than normal chance that one or both of these individuals will live in my spare room at some point in the coming year.)

I am finishing and leaving school, at least for the time being, and (HOPEFULLY) getting a job in the mean time.  I plan on spending more time with family and my books.  Mr. Borealis is looking to make a change in jobs if he can, and now he will be the one in school instead of me.

We have officially launched our business, and we have a website, and it will be interesting to see where that goes in the coming year.

So in preparation of these events, we have business to attend to:

-We need a new counter for our blog.  What's our next "big thing", y'all?

-Since the Ambassador will be back in town, would we like to do another pool on his life?  (Lady A has informed me that she finds this idea distasteful, but I feel we have only done this in good fun.  He's a cool guy with a fast-paced life who would probably be thrilled to know a group of women was gossiping about him.)

-If we were a television series, all of these changes would definitely demarcate a cliffhanger ending and start of a new season.  It's time for a new blog theme--thoughts on what it should look like or incorporate?

Alula

Just when I thought I was done...

The graduate school has fired off a new form for me to fill out before I can graduate.  I need to petition the school to have two classes I took as an advanced undergraduate student towards my MA.  Yes, being punished for overachieving.  I call 'em like I see 'em; and this smells like bull to me.  (sigh--doing the paperwork because I understand the need to formally document things 'for the record', but still smells like a delay tactic to get another semester of tuition out of me.)

I am still unable to finish my incomplete from last spring; the professor hasn't posted the assignments I need to do yet.  I am down to 4 weeks to finish this thing, so ready to be done with it, and the professor won't post the work I need to do.

I am once again on the publishing bandwagon; I need to get this done.  Recently I agonized over whether or not I should push to try and get in to my desired PhD program since the deadline has passed.  Mr. Borealis has been put in a situation because he thought, with 2 master's degrees, that I would have a job by now.  He dislikes the idea of my unemployment more than he dislikes the idea of my staying in school to keep a job.  But, I don't think I can get back into the program until fall of next year.

So now, I think I have resigned myself to focusing on writing and getting published until that time rolls around. Once again, seeking editors.

Alula

Sad news

This morning my grandmother passed away.  She had a stroke several weeks ago.  The doctors had her in rehabilitation therapy, but I guess she developed some chest congestion over the weekend, and she died early this morning.  It was kind of unexpected, because she was in therapy to get better.  It wasn't until yesterday they started to say that she likely wouldn't be with us much longer.

To clarify, this was my grandmother in North Carolina.  She was my dad's step mom, but she married my grandfather when my dad was still a child, so she was responsible for a good deal of his upbringing.  My dad was with her when she passed this morning.

I have an email out to my graduate advisor now to see if I can reschedule my comprehensive exam (supposed to happen this Friday) in the event that it conflicts with the funeral.  No word on when the funeral is going to be yet. I'm not sure what I'm going to do if that exam can't be rescheduled; the bloodsucking leach of a graduate school requires students to register in the semester they take the exam, and it is only offered once per year.  The cost of the required one credit hour?  ~$2,500.  If they do not let me reschedule for an unexpected death and postpone my graduation by a year, I will be pissed.  I have been studying like crazy for this stupid test.  ANd it really is a stupid test--the MA is made up of two parts: 36 credit hours worth of classes, and a 4-hour written exam.  Anyone who thinks these two aspects balance 50/50 needs a brain scan, because if 5 semesters of graduate study can be cancelled out by one 4 hours exam, there is something wrong.  That alone really has me hating the school right now.

I'm feeling a little surreal right now.  I put off calling because initially things were so confused, and my dad went out to help his dad, and he promised to keep us all informed via email (he did).  Then she was busy doing her physical therapy and seemed to be improving and all her kids were coming out to see her, but she was having trouble during the downtime and had to be sedated because she was pulling at her tubes (she had a feeding tube and sometimes a breathing apparatus because she lost control of the right side of her body).  Then she had to be sedated more and more, and she wasn't aware of who or what was around her--I never got a phone call.  I should have called, even if she wasn't aware when it happened.

Alula

Musing--Freelancing?

Yesterday I got a phone call from my former academic advisor (for my MLS).  Somehow she was talking to someone who runs a museum/archive for one of the national parks and they need a website, can't hire a professional, and my name came up (lol!).  She called and left me a message asking how my job search is going, and if I would be willing to take a look at this particular client's website needs and how much I would charge.  I also keep getting emails from people I don't know either through my school listserv or saying "hey, I know (insert name here) and s/he said you might be able to give me advice on blogs/websites/digital collections".  It seems that librarians I know have recognized that I have an above average knowledge of these subjects relative to the field, and that I can also relate things in a language they understand.  It probably also doesn't hurt that I've been consulting for free--I did this for several classmates while they were building their capstone e-portfolios.  I'm also doing it for my brother now.  (Munchkin--I meant to tell you I met with my brother, we talked, and it went GREAT.  Your emotional intelligence astounds me, and your methods worked great despite my own social awkwardness.)

I'm kind of wondering if I should go freelance, at least until I either locate a "real" job or figure out if it's worth the time and effort.  Along this line, I started thinking about how Fuzzy (at one point) was talking about selling her business paperwork skills to crafters who may need help navigating these issues to run their businesses (I still think this is a fantastic idea).  I wonder if I could market my skills through our business and offer to build/manage/consult on client crafter websites?

Yes, I realize we still need to get our own website up and running.  At this point, it's mostly an issue of buying a domain name and figuring out if we want to host it separately.  This costs money, not a lot (maybe up to $15/yr on the domain and around $10/month on hosting), and I would be willing to front these costs for the business if my own financial outlook were slightly more certain.  I figure the website has been my arena, so it only makes sense that I would invest those startup costs and earn them back from online sales; that way if the website tanks due to my own ineptness, only my time/money investment, and not the business's, is lost.

I'm thinking this kind of "consulting" model could bring in more business for us by roping in crafters who already run their own sites.  Links between sites can really boost your search engine listing, so if we were to say "hey, we'll do some free consulting for you to improve your traffic and website navigability" in exchange for some friendly linking to each other's sites, everybody wins.

What does everyone think?

Alula

NOOKstudy--I wish I had had this when I was in school...

During the last month Barnes & Noble made available a new, free, downloadable service called NOOKstudy.  I stumbled upon it earlier this week while downloading some free ebooks for my Nook.  The name is slightly deceptive (in my opinion) because NOOKstudy is not a feature for the Nook device (at least not yet).  It's a download for PC or Mac that provides access to your Barnes & Noble ebook library on the computer, and more specifically, it provides access to certain etextbook services.  In the FAQ section, B&N claims that this is because the computer is the most universally owned student electronic, making the PC/Mac the natural vehicle for the first incarnation of the NOOKstudy service.  I can imagine that DRM, etextbook formating for a smaller screen, and syncing might be issues if this service were to extend to ereader devices in the future, but I bet that B&N is already looking into it.

NOOKstudy differentiates itself from the regular downloadable Nook applications with several polished services, and most notably, textbook DRM.  Through NOOKstudy, you can purchase etextbooks that can be downloaded to 2 computers associated with your account, or rent the textbooks for cheaper than the purchase price for the semester that you are taking the class.  This probably works the same way that checking out an ebook from the library works--you get a digital download with an expiration date, and after that date, you can no longer access the book.  A further difference between the NOOKstudy application and the regular Nook app is the ability to highlight text, insert digital notes, import your own documents (think class syllabus, notes taken during class in a Word .doc, or downloadable handouts created by the professor), and group documents using tags or by course.  The system is fully search enabled, and offers features like being dictionary or online lookup services from within the application.

I really wish I would have had this during all my years in college.  I have literal stacks of textbooks and notebooks in my basement that I have to search by memory to find what I'm looking for, and it would be so much easier to have it all inside my PC, where I could search my class notes like I search my email!  As a student of library science, this level of control to digitally organize and search pleases me.

Also, the ability to rent certain textbooks digitally would have been nice, because some textbooks really weren't worth the purchase price to use for one semester.  I have to wonder if some universities will fight this transition to digital tooth and nail because it's likely to put university bookstores out of business.  For example, you don't get a resale value on a digital rental.  I had professors in college who authored their own textbooks and then released new editions every few years so students would be required to buy the book new every semester (heavily devaluing the used resale value), thereby keeping their royalty checks up.  If students can now rent that textbook for $50 instead of buying it for $200, some of these money hungry, empty-student-wallet-squeezing, arrogant professors might decide to not release the book in digital form to support their profits.  As a student, if I saw this happening, I would elect to take the class from someone else--when I'm already paying 10-20K a year in tuition, I shouldn't have to buy an over-priced textbook filled with information I can find online that I will probably crack twice over the course of the semester (midterms and finals).

I do have one question/concern for Barnes & Noble regarding this service, and this has to do with renting vs. buying.  If I rent a textbook, and take notes throughout, would I lose access to my notes once the rental expires?  Also, what if I rent a book, and then like it so much that I decide to buy it--will the program automate the process of moving all of my notes and highlights from the rental file to the purchased one, or do I have to do that myself?

One thing I might suggest to B&N to include in this service is academic file sharing, similar to the LendMe service they have on the Nook devices, where you can digitally loan a file to a friend for a limited amount of time.  There's another free research aid that I have used a lot at work called Mendeley, which works kind of like iTunes for your PDFs.  You can upload your PDFs and tag them, do full text search across your library, create research groups to share what you are reading and learning, and even upload them to the cloud to have online access to your PDFs anywhere.  It's spiffy, and the base level membership is free (you pay more for more online storage, but I have never needed more than the basic level).  It would be very neat if B&N would incorporate this type of group sharing and collaboration into their NOOKstudy, thereby making it a social learning tool--this type of service might be able to overtake online learning systems like Blackboard.

Looking forward to future improvements on this product, B&N.  Keep up the good work!
Alula

Going on

First Munchin go to projectworkingmom.com this is the site that I got my scholarship for medical transcription and it really was easy to get the scholarship and once I get it done I will be able to work from home, just an idea.
Next I will not be able to come down to the city for the next couple months Mr Man has decided that the pass has to much snow on it and the temps aren't getting high enough for me to drive over so no visiting for the next few months till the average temperature gets over 40 degrees. This means that Little man and I will be alone for 5 days starting Wednesday. What fun oh what fun. I will figure out the business tax stuff hopefully. I have to call our business account bank and find out where our money went. Its there I think just in the savings account.
Well that's the short so unless I can get someone to come get me I can't come over no diving for me thinking of asking my step dad but drought that will happen since I can't pay for gas.

A Big Decision

I have just decided that I am going to self-publish my books.  For the record, yes, I am 98% sure.  I have never written a query letter to an agent or publisher.  However, I have a feeling that self-publishing will be the main channel of publishing in the future.  So, here goes nothing...

I need to get around to making final edits on the Waldgrave series.  I am also trying to put together cover art (If anyone has ideas or suggestions for this, feel free--please don't get offended if I decide to go a different direction, though).  I am kind of hoping to create my own cover art.  

Here is my list of priorities:

1) Finish the homework assignments for the incomplete I had to take in NLP spring semester

2) Take the NLP final exam, thereby finishing the incomplete

3) Study for (and hopefully pass) my comps for my MA

4) Self Publish the Waldgrave Series

Oh, I forgot to mention--my interview for the library position I want is on Monday (and I REALLY want it--I don't know what I'll do if I don't get it...).

Alula

Serendipity

So, we are not moving to Montana!  (Both sad and happy for reasons previously discussed.)

Mr. B could not get the potential employer to agree to a salary he wanted--literally a matter of about 5K a year. Plus, my mom had a minor freakout when I told her.  She told me that my brother had been let go from work, and that at the moment he and his wife were both unemployed with 4 kids between them.  My sister was mid-finals and of questionable emotional stability, so she couldn't even think about telling her until finals were over.  My grandmother would miss living across the street from me.

And that was about the point that I realized, I am one of the few points of stability that holds the craziness of my family together right now.  My brother has a habit of springing life changing situations on us without warning.  My sister's emotions are constantly on a roller coaster.  I'm the responsible child who got a spouse and a house and a college education and a successful job; I'm the person my family calls when something important needs to happen, because I can be trusted to check in on Grandma.  I can talk to my sister when she's having "one of those days".  I can watch the nieces and nephews when their parents are having a medical emergency.

Between those two issues--the pay wasn't good enough and our families--we decided not to take the offer.

However, this decision comes with repercussions.  Mr. B was so upset by not being able to settle on the salary and turning down the offer that he said some pretty nasty things about my job, and a minor fight ensued.  He later apologized and admitted that he's just frustrated with life because his job has reneged on career ladder promises.  We had a heart-to-heart about how worried he is about losing his job and neither of us having medical benefits.  About two weeks ago he very sincerely told me he was worried for me and our marriage if I stayed in school because I am a glutton for punishment and tend to overload on courses.

Ultimately, he asked me not to enroll in a PhD program.  Not straight out of two Master's programs, anyways--he said I could go back, but that he really thought I needed some time on the outside.  My parents and Q had each spoken to me separately about this as well (Q, I want to clarify that I am a member of the "real world"--I do real research at a real job that pays real and really good money--but I get what you're trying to say).  So I decided, based on the people who know me best telling me to, that I am putting off the PhD.

Unfortunately, losing my student status means I also lose my job.  So Tuesday night after making this decision, I started applying for jobs online, and was pleased to see there were about 6 in my area right now for academic or research librarians.  I made a mental note to swing through the library at my work to ask if the librarians I know there could introduce me to anyone working at places I was applying to.

I go in to the library Wednesday to talk to a friend there.

Me: (after long-winded explanation...) "...So I am not starting the PhD program in the spring."

Friend: "So you're losing student status."

Me: "Yeah."

Friend:  "Are you looking for a job?"

Me: "Yes."

Friend (raises eyebrows):  "Have you applied here?"

Me (shrugs indifferently):  "Do you have an opening?"

Friend:  "Uh, yeah!"

And less than 24 hours after starting the job search, I have a good shot at a job.  And not just any job, but one that would allow me to keep working where I'm currently working, keep working with my researchers, and keep doing my research while also getting job experience in the library.  It's a win-win-win situation; I'm happy, husband is happy, and work is happy.

I can't help but think that the Universe is just on my side this time.

And someday, I can still complete a PhD.

Alula

Always look on the Christmas side of life

I'm not sure if we're moving or not.  Mr. B has been mum on the issue despite the fact that I keep trying to ask him about it.  I'm wondering if certain repercussions are starting to sink in for him.  FYI, this whole "we might be moving" thing is still on the down-low until next week, please!  I haven't told my sister yet because she's mid-finals, and I don't want to stress her out, so please no one announce anything on Facebook.

Right now (or last I heard, anyways) the plan is that he is going to accept the offer when he gets a call back, presuming the pay is agreeable (they offered something at the last call and he countered).  Even then, we could pull out later if something better came along.  I am reminding him that his chances in the job market have improved since he started his Master's program in the fall, so he might stand a better chance of getting a local job now if he gives it some time.

But right now, I am trying not to think about all of that.  I graduated from my MLS program yesterday.  In the words of my grandmother (she was SOOO proud!) "We finally have a REAL librarian in the family!"

I have decked the halls, and am preparing for the major holiday cookie bash.  I have ordered some of my holiday gifts for the family.

Falalala, Lalalala,

Alula

More Montana...and Maine?

Well, I was wrong about the population of the town in Montana.  I had quoted the population for the city and two surrounding counties.  The actual population of the "city" we could potentially be moving to is about 30,000 (half of the town I currently live in).

Mr. Borealis went to his interview in Minneapolis for the position in Montana yesterday.  It went well, though he said they kept stressing the point that the position was "in Montana", and he had to sign a waiver acknowledging that he knew the position was in Montana, and he would relocate there, if he were offered and accepted the job position.  Apparently it's hard to get people to move out there, and they wanted to make it clear in his mind that he would, in fact, be living in Montana.

I ask you:  Does it make a city more or less of a place if it qualifies for listing on ePodunk.com??

He also got an email on Monday from the folks in Maine.  (Did I tell you about Maine...?)  He had previously been turned down for a phone interview because he didn't want to pay his way to fly out for an in-person interview (the Minneapolis people paid for him to fly out).  They later sent him a personal note apologizing for not being able to accommodate his phone interview, and then the email came saying they had held on to his resume and wanted to talk to him about a different position.

I have decided it's more likely than not at this point that we are moving out of state; don't know where, don't know when.  Dodging one bullet is a feat, but now I've got two coming straight at me.  I am thoroughly stuck halfway between two worlds: one where I am a hard working professional with my career laid out before me, and one where I am exhausted and doing terrible things to my health by taking too many hours at work and school (both fueling each other at this point--need student status to keep job, need job to pay for school), waiting for Prince Charming to take me away from it all before I hurt myself.

I need advice.  Badly.

Alula

Frogs, Twisted Metal, and Maine

Update on frogs: the next day, two more frogs died.  I swapped out more of the water, and the last frog looked fine.  I was really hoping he was going to make  it.  Then, today, I discovered him dead.  I don't know what happened, but it is an incredibly sad moment for me; I've had those frogs since my early teen years.

Mr. B and I drove out to Emporia, Kansas, over the weekend to attend a class weekend.  He spent the three nights before the trip trying to fix up his car with his dad because there are several problems he's let go for a while (the catalytic converter, some small parts in need of replacing, and the noise it makes when he turns the wheel, just to name a few).  He managed to replace the small parts, but they didn't have time for the "big" stuff.  Mr. B's dad assured him the car would make the trip.  Then, getting dinner Saturday night, Mr. B fouled a U-turn into a field and something went CLA-CLUNK under the car.  Mr. B assured me we just hit a rock, but I was sure I felt something break in the wheel well next to my feet on the passenger side.  Then, driving back on Sunday, we make a pit stop and I see Mr. B looking under the car.  Then he's calling his dad.

Then I look under the car.  There's a twisted metal chunk hanging out from under the passenger side front wheel, and something dripping out of the engine.  His dad couldn't identify it (and still can't, beyond the fact that it was some kind of wheel/axle support--we think the clear fluid may have just been condensation of some sort), but told us that if the wheels were turning, it was probably okay.  We made it home.

I'm now hoping that Mr. B will somehow start taking care of problems with his car when they occur instead of waiting until the last possible moment.  (Fat chance, but I can wish.)

Mr. B is now applying for jobs in Maine, and I am finding myself kind of hoping he gets one.  Property is extremely cheap out there because the average yearly income is so low (like 3bed2bath on acreage with a river for 50K cheap).  It would disappointed me to have to leave my job here, but it's nice to dream of running away to a little farmhouse with a library job and time to write.  :)

Alula

Amazon Student, Free Shipping!

I'm not sure if any of you knew (or how many of you this currently applies to), but Amazon has a new student membership program going on!  You can read about it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup/info

The big point is that you get a FREE Amazon Prime membership for one year (usually costs around $70-80 for this service)--for those of you who don't know what Amazon Prime is, it's unlimited free 3-5 day shipping with no minimum order size, and a discount on 2 day shipping ($3.99 per bundle).

Combining my love of online shopping with my obsession with education, I am on this like a pregnant woman on nacho cheese covered chocolate ice cream.

Alula

Finals

What I see when I look at Q's final. ;)

Check out my final project: Artistic Reflections on Deepwater Horizon. I did the site building & design & technical mumbo jumbo.

Parents, Bookstores, and Earning it

My first pea harvest this year--45 pods in total.

Q can tell all of you how I've been drooling over her new Barnes and Noble Nook the last few weeks. I will caveat here that Fuzzy owns a Kindle, an equally awesome product. After weeks of obsessive research, I elected that the Nook would be my product because it's more hackable than the Kindle, despite the fact that Kindle has a heartier brand, a longer and better tested run in the market, and what is generally considered the more user-friendly interface. Nook is has more open file formats and expandable memory, which for me as an individual, were strongly needed features.

I've wanted an e-reader for some time now, but have been holding out due to the price and skepticism over the quality of newly released technology. Generally, I have a 1-year rule for this kind of stuff; new products have problems that need to be worked out. Example: the Xbox 360 red ring of death, the hacked iPad, and the read-aloud feature on the Kindle that got canceled due to copyright infringement. The first round of sales are the last round of tests, and when it comes to shelling out a C-note or more, I like to learn from others' use and abuse stories to know exactly what I'm getting.

I finally settled that I would wait until my birthday, and use gift cards to offset the cost. Then, yesterday, I got an email at work from a research colleague. She had just gotten back from Spain, where she had presented our research from earlier this year to an international group of experts, and several had responded with great enthusiasm! Our research will be featured as a chapter in a book, and I have been invited to write up an additional report on my research methodologies. I got kudos all day, and from my supervisors especially. My main supervisor told me that having my first big publication at 25 was excellent--he didn't author until he was 42. I spent the whole afternoon thinking about my parents, and how grateful I was that they had fostered my academic and literary interests. When the book comes out, I'm going to get a gigantic magnet and stick it to their fridge.

Later in the day, I'm driving home, and as a planned errand, I stop at Barnes and Noble to check out the Nook in person and quiz the sales reps. Walking up to the door, I'm hit with a huge wave of nostalgia, because this was the bookstore of my youth. I'd spent hours in there while my mom or dad just patiently waited on a couch somewhere, browsing fiction, science, art...This was the store that started it. In some small way, that Barnes and Noble contributed to my love of reading, writing, and research. And on the day that I got confirmation of getting published, in the topic of language and the next generation of technology, I wanted to celebrate by getting something from my old friend, the bookstore, and it seemed only appropriate that it would be something to do with the next generation of literature and technology.

I went home, I got my husband, and we went back and got the Nook (I didn't actually need Mr. B to make the purchase, but I wanted him there for my moment of nostalgia and victory dance). I'm counting it as my early birthday present, and I LOVE it. DoHP, Munchkin, you need e-readers--I've had mine for just over 12 hours and it's already changed my life.

Alula

Everything in my life (including the kitchen sink)

What's new with me...?

Well, not too terribly much. I'm inundated with obligations, as usual. :)

I'm glad to hear that the business is moving along! Thanks for being the primary on this one, because I don't know if it would be humanly possible for me to take on more right now. I've been assigned room configuration for the Annual All-Hands Meeting at work next week (tables, chairs, setup, take down, A/V, etc., for all 40 participants). I'm still frantically trying to pull together a PhD advisory committee and application, and figure out funding. We've had funding cuts, and some additional drama at work, that has meant a higher up has decided to cut parts of the tuition funding option at work--I may be on my own for half, and up to all, of the tuition cost of school. Get this: after doing the math, I still make more money keeping my job and paying 10K of it to school than any other option (lottery aside). I'm mid-semester, taking 4 classes, and in another group project (yay.).

Mr. B's health is up and down, and we recently started to seriously investigate a move to the North West. Sure, I would lose my job, and the PhD option, but we've had some issues with family lately--his mother misses him. So we've spent the last 6 weekends in a row with them (not an exaggeration). She's upset about his health and puts him on a major guilt trip every time he says we're too busy (or we want to spend time together...alone). I'm trying to gently get her to understand that she's doing real harm to my marriage because we're straining to accommodate her needs. We need out, and we like the rain, so we figure Washington state might not be terrible, and as it turns out jobs in both our fields are plentiful there.

But enough of the serious: here's some fun and quirky.

Mr. B has recently discovered audio books, and likes to listen to them on his long commutes. We check them out from the online 2 week downloadables at our local library. He's now listened to Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, The Golden Compass, and a few others. We're discussing books together, a long-held dream that I never thought would be reality. We're considering an Audible account in the future, but right now the library is working out really well (FREE!).

We watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog at the last movie night, and it was truly AWESOME. Anyone who hasn't seen this 45-minute short film needs to. It's about an aspiring super villain and his bid to join the Evil League of Evil.

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of getting our cats. They're a year and a few months old now, and having left their kitten years, they're now teenagers discovering who they really are. They've discovered that now that they are able to sit still long enough, watching birds out of the kitchen window is a really fun pursuit. And where they used to run themselves until they passed out wherever, they are now more selective in their sleeping habits, and discovering certain preferences for location and position:

My garden continues to grow. It survived despite a recent, near apocalyptic, hail storm. It hailed marble-sized hail for a solid ten minutes, and it looked like snow when it was done: everything was 3-6 inches deep in white. It pummeled one of my birdhouses to the point of actually breaking it (repairable). But the wind direction just barely saved my garden, and the peas are doing very well.

My niece was cast a Bell in a kid's version of Beauty and the Beast, and she remembered all of her lines (pretty good for a 7-year-old!).

My diet is back on track, and I've finally lost all of the hospital weight I put on during the first 4 months of the year--the Wii Mr. B got for his birthday is helping. I think I'm going to give myself a 6 month grace period to finish my yearly resolutions due to all of the craziness this year.

Oh, our kitchen sink disposal also needed replacing recently. It was old, and it sprung a leak and I didn't figure it out until after cleaning out the fridge and putting it all down the drain (messy).

Alula

Catching up with Spring

Spring sprang this year while I was frantically trying to wrap up last semester and deal with the various health problems that have sprung up in the last month. Mr. B now has stomach ulcers, severe acne, and swiftly dramatic mood swings from the various medications he's on. They put him on more medications to control these side effects and (oh, joy!) they come with the following side effects of their own: severe dehydration, risk of vitamin A toxicity, propensity to sunburn, and depression. Original side effects are still an issue, BTW. He has to take percocet to sleep because his face and stomach hurt so much. He has trouble shaving because they razor rips open the sores on his face. I feel so bad for him.

He's now on Accutane for the acne, and I'm not allowed to touch the medication because I'm a woman of childbearing years and it causes severe birth defects (no joke--the doctor didn't want to discuss what it did, so I looked it up and found pictures of two headed animals).

I'm now trying to catch up with the things I usually get done in the spring. Things like planting a garden and finishing school (I took an incomplete in my natural language processing class--I still need help with the homeworks).

But my garden came together, and I have parsley, sunflowers, wildflowers, pumpkins, gourds, peas, and pinto beans sprouting up so far. I'm hoping that the coleus clippings I've been fostering all winter take to the outdoors without issue.

In other news, Mr. B got a Wii for his birthday from his mother, and we're thrilled. (I'm not sure exactly what's up with this, because as you may remember, we got super expensive Xmas gifts as well. She's never been this extravagent before, and we're a little worried we're about to get bad news of some sort. That or she's bargaining for a grandchild--still not going to happen. Or she was visited by the ghosts of Xmas past.) And I finally got around to setting up the fountain my MIL got me for my birthday last year in our back courtyard, and am now enjoying a light pre-thunder storm breeze through the screen door while listening to the subtle trickle of the water.

Gnigel my mini garden gnome (thanks again, DoHP!) watches over the coleus.

The garden as it is today.

My new fountain! My MIL got the pot for it, I got the sandstones from Home Depot, and I rigged the rest from bamboo garden stakes and an old metal accent plate I had hanging around.

Alula

Ulcers, Job Interviews, and Quiet Babies

He went off of his prednisone about two weeks ago, and weird symptoms have been popping up ever since. He sleeps 16+ hours a day and is still tired. He has no appetite but he's always thirsty. And he's really nauseas at night, and sometimes has to get up to vomit (sometimes more than once, and the anti-nausea medication doesn't help).

Worried? Yes, I am. The doctor thinks he has stomach ulcers. I think he may have an adrenal deficiency since stopping the pred. And for reasons of his untimely success, he's having trouble getting in to the doctor.

Today he has a job interview for a field economist position. He also got a call back for an examiner position with the government last Friday, and returned the call this morning. They want to fly him out of state for the final interview this coming Friday (this position is local to our state, but involves a good deal of travel to neighboring states--it's kind of the job he has now, but at the federal level instead of the state level). He also has a blood test this afternoon.

So between taking most of the day today for interviews and blood testing, and taking Friday to fly out of state for an interview, he's hitting a time crunch with his job. Next week isn't much better, but he *needs* to get in to the doctor if he's having some kind of complication here. I told him to call his doctor with the new symptoms--I'm hoping he actually does it.

Also, we attended the birthday party of our niece this weekend. It was held at one of those giant indoor playgrounds, which I remember as being totally awesome when I was a kid. The kids (probably around twenty of them) had a great time, and the whole family was there. I didn't want to let Mr. B come with me, but he had done nothing but sleep all weekend and he wanted to get out of the house. I insisted that indoor playgrounds were cess pools of bacteria and viruses, and I didn't want him going to one without an immune system. He insisted he would use a lot of hand sanitizer. So we went, and had a great time, and then halfway through the party I turn around and see this:

That's my husband. Holding my cousin's 9-month-old, cheerful, quiet, perfect baby that never cries. And they're both laughing and giggling and having a great time. Then my cousin comes back and takes the baby back from him, and he looks all forlorn until she leaves to go down the slide with her 3-year-old (also a very well-mannered, quiet, sweet child) and gives him back the baby. He's all smiles the rest of the day when he gets to play with the baby--he's tickling her chin and "booping" her nose and letting her hold onto his fingers so she can stand up and trying to get her to crawl to him.

Oh boy--not before the PhD, if ever. I swear, he does this just to get on my nerves.

Alula