Tom and I both had a pretty busy and productive week at work! Tom had 3 presentations in 4 days (journal club at lab meeting, committee meeting, and presentation at Graduate Student Research Day) and I had my performance review with my bosses.
All of the above went extremely well! So tonight we're going out on a date to celebrate! :) Nothing too fancy, you know us. We'll probably go to our favorite mexican restaurant, Habaneros. Not only is the food good, but the service is lightning fast and the mexican beer is cheap. You have barely sat down before they bring you water, tortilla chips, and salsa. Your meal comes out less than 5 minutes after you order it (seriously, we timed it one time when we went with some coworkers). And they come around refilling your salsa and water like every 2 minutes. It's freaking awesome. Although the decor can be a little over-stimulating. Case in point:
I don't know when I started watching so much tv. Wait, scratch that. I do. It actually started toward the end of grad school when I became obsessed with shows like Law and Order and CSI. And then it didn't help that each of those shows has like 3 spinoff shows.
Growing up I would say I rarely watched tv. I don't really remember watching a lot of tv as a kid. Except for TGIF and Saturday morning cartoons. In high school I didn't have time to watch tv between homework, sports, and socializing with friends. In college the only show I watched consistently was Friends, with my friends :)
Now I have at least one, usually 2 or 3 shows that I watch every night of the week! Monday: Gossip Girl at 7, CSI Miami at 9 Tuesday: Bones at 7 (although I think this just changed to Thursday nights), Without a trace at 9 Wednesday: NCIS at 7, Criminal Minds at 8, CSI NY at 9 Thursday: The Office at 8 (I used to watch Gray's but stopped after Denny came back from the dead and Izzie was having a relationship with a ghost. Too weird for me) and Burn Notice at 9 Friday: Friday Night Lights at 8, Numbers at 9
I think that's pretty much it. Ugh, that's between 2-3 hours of tv a day! That sounds like so much. Although I can't really imagine what else I would be doing for those 2-3 hours. Sure some nights I could be productive and read articles or brush up on some information for work. But not every night. And some nights I could be cleaning the house or deep cleaning the kitchen or bathroom. But again, not every night. Besides, that's what weekends are for! As you can see, I watch relatively little to no tv on the weekends (except during football season, of course)!
Besides, watching these shows is my stress-reliever. (Well, one of my stress relievers. Going to the gym is also quite stress reducing, and those close to me can tell when I haven't been going consistently :) In my defense, at least I don't have DVR or Tivo. I think that would be going over the limit for me.
First off, THON raised over SEVEN million dollars this year! $7,490,133.87 to be exact!!!! We Are....
In addition to my alma mater raising millions of dollars for children with cancer, this weekend was pretty great. We kicked it off Thursday night at The Wine Loft celebrating our friend Kelly being cancer free for a decade!!
Friday night was low key because I had to work at my second job on Saturday. It was no fun getting up super early on a Saturday to go to work, but it was a pretty good day and I was happy when it was over at 4:00! Saturday night I booked my flight for Mags' 30th Birthday Bash Trip :) We're going to the Pacific northwest (Seattle, Oregon coast, Portland, Redwood Nat'l Park, etc, etc) for a few days in June. I'm so excited. I've never been to Seattle, only to Portland once for Dot & Juan's wedding. We have a lot of ground to cover, but we're good like that. Remember, we once saw the sun rise over Bryce Canyon, hiked through Zion National Park, and watched the sun set over the Grand Canyon all on the same day.
Sunday morning was spent playing with Bailey (she's so stinking cute), running errands, cleaning, and doing laundry. Fun fun. Oh, and I also got the best deal EVER at Publix. A new PR (personal record), if you will. Here's a picture to prove it! Yep, that's right. I spent $20.23 and saved $52.88! Wooooooooooo I rock :)
Sunday afternoon we went to a Free the Hops meeting at the J. Clyde. We enjoyed some complimentary appetizers and some freaking awesome beers. Specifically a Rogue Charlie 1981 Cask Ale and Red Brick Vanilla Gorilla Cask Ale. (Attention Bham friends: After some internet research I found out Vanilla Gorilla is from Atlanta Brewing Company!!! Hopefully they will tap some when we go for our Atlanta Beer tour!! I look forward to the Google calender.) Here's some pics :)
Can you see me? This pic is from THON 2001. I'm probably in the front (top) left corner somewhere if this was taken near the end of THON.
Every year the Morale team puts together a "Line Dance" that is full of current events, both local to Penn State and national. The line dance is "performed" by all the dancers once/hour for all 48 hours. It doesn't take long to learn it when you're there and it was so fun to look forward to. This is what's going on in the picture above. Here's the line dance from 2001 when I first particpated in THON!
Come on let's dance, dance Reach within (1), find the cure Kids, kids The kids are who we're dancin' for Right! (2) Subway series (3) Subway diet (4) Chad got pregnant What a riot (5) Crikey that was close! (6) Ritenour, wait an hour (7) Parking ticket (8), Verizon picket (9) My cell phone's blowin' up (10) Surviving on Temptation Island (11) Dude, where's my girlfriend? (12) As one, we stand together Why? To conquer cancer Hey! A little bit louder For the kids! Within reach Almost there Whoa! Livin' on a prayer (13) Thon two double-oh one We are! - Penn State! Hey you guys! (14) Whasssssup? (15) Scuba Steve says (16) Sigesacky sigesacky, hoy hoy hoy! (17) Hercules, Hercules (18) How you doin? (19) Whoa! (20) D'oh! (21) Hey Jeff, pump up the volume Moore, Moore, Larry Moore (22) Men's gymnasts, Icers too National champs, so proud of you (23) Crispin brothers' game is on (24) Replay, replay, Jumbotron (25) We believe! We believe in 43! (26) Wilson volleyball, man's best friend (27) Hoops and denim, latest trend (28) Got mullets? (29) Things that make you go hmm. (30) U-G-L-Y. You ugly, big ugly. (31) M'm m'm good. (32) As if, Shaa! (33) Dude. Sweet. Dude! Sweet! (34) Ditdoolioo ditdoolioo (33) I see you baby Shakin' that can, shakin' that can (35) Courage, wisdom, honesty, strength (36) Fourty-eight, on your feet (37) No sitting, no sleep A child's life: priceless (38) As one, we stand together Why? To conquer cancer Hey! A little bit louder For the kids! Saving lives. Hershey cares. (39) Whoa! Livin' on a prayer Thon two double-o one We are! - Penn State! (40) We believe! We believe it's within reach!
I got contacts! Again! And not goodbye glasses completely. I still love them. Although I just got sick of having to put them on every single day. I've been wanting to get contacts again for a while, and was finally able to last week. The last time I had contacts has got to be at least 8 or 9 years ago, during college. I never got into the routine of wearing them consistently because I didn't really need them all the time and they really irritated my eyes. In fact, I was quite worried this time that I would have the same major problems. But I don't :) The first couple of days were rough....getting used to them again. But now I can wear them for just about the whole day and they don't really bother me. AND it's so great to be able to SEE!
2 things. 1) I really only wore my glasses at work. I really should have worn them all the time but I didn't. Just work, driving, and (when I remembered) to sporting events/concerts or other places where I need to see far away. 2) It made me feel really old to say "The last time I had contacts was in college, EIGHT OR NINE YEARS AGO. That seems like soooooo long ago!
The really cool part about all of this? I put money into my FSA (flexible spending account), and it feels like I don't even have to pay for them! Of course I do, X amount goes into my FSA biweekly, tax free, but since it's taken off my paycheck before it even gets to me, it doesn't even feel like it's my money. Yay :) And there's a rebate. Double Yay.
Not for me. Thankfully. Not right now at least. One of the secretaries at my job got picked for jury duty and is on some trial that is expected to last 20 weeks! That's 5 months! That's so crazy. I would be bored out of my mind.
I remember when I got called for Jury Duty in Philly. I really didn't want to go, so I delayed it for 3 months hoping by the time my name got drawn again I would be married and living in Alabama. Wrong. They summoned me and there was nothing I could do to get out of it. I was so worried. I had watched about a million episodes of Law and Order by this point so I was expecting the worst! Tom told me to quit being a baby, I was probably going to get called for a parking ticket case or something and to get over it. Me being me, I continued to stress out about it until the day finally arrived.
I went to the court house in center city Philly with a book in hand and waited to be called. My name finally got called and I went and sat in this little room with about 40 other people. Then, they called us into the courtroom. I was one of the "lucky" ones who got to sit in the actual jury box and everyone else lined up in the front row.
By this time, I had a pretty good story worked out in case they asked me why I couldn't do jury duty. I was a physical therapist at CHOP and I cared for critically ill children and taught them how to walk and function again. I was ready.
So when we all got settled in the courtroom, the judge said that we would be trying a homicide case and he expected it to last about a week. MEANWHILE the MURDERER was sitting right there in the defense seat in the courtroom!!!!! *heart racing* The judge then asked if anyone did not think they would be able to fulfill these obligations, please stand up now. You bet your ass I stood up! I was soooo nervous and ready to tell my sob story if he asked. But he just dismissed those of us who were standing back to the "waiting room" and our names were recycled to be picked for another case. I sat there for about an hour and then they came in and said all of the cases were filled for today!
Wooooooooohooooooooooooo! I narrowly escaped witnessing a murder trial first hand. I think I'll stick to the tv show drama.
Yay :) My blog got a makeover!! I was getting very sick of the old look. Plus I wanted to put a header across the top of my blog and my old template wouldn't let me. I'm obviously no graphic designer, but it's not bad considering I don't even have photoshop :) It's still a work in progress, so don't be afraid if you see some more changes around the site!
Tom and I had a really great weekend. Friday night we went to our friends Ashley & Tony's wedding shower. There was some really good food, great friends, and a lot of alcohol, which caused things to get out of hand at some point. It got to where men in their late 20's and early 30's were acting like.....well, at what age do you write on each other's stomachs with permanent marker and then do "Belly bumps" in the kitchen? It was actually quite funny and quite ridiculous. I'll spare you the pictures. But I have included some other pics from the night.
Saturday, well, you all know about my run with Bailey. Saturday night Tom and I got PIZZA HUT for Valentine's Day! It was PERFECT :D We made the mistake several years ago of going out to dinner on Valentine's Day. Once was enough for us! I love, love, love Pizza Hut and we haven't had it in forever so we decided to have Pizza Hut Pizza and Verdi for our Valentine's Date :)
Sunday Tom spent the day in lab while I ran errands, made chicken stock, took Bailey for a walk, got caught up on Gossip Girl (now that Puppy Class is over I can finally watch it again!), and gave my blog a makeover.
I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day! Considering it's Saturday and the weather was 65 and sunny, it's been an awesome day :) Me and my sweetie (Bailey) went running today on Lakeshore. It's the first time I've taken her "running" so we were a little nervous about how she was going to do. Our prediction was that for the first mile, she would be trying to run every which way and sniff everything possible, for the second mile she would be calm and good, and for the third mile I'd be dragging her.
Wrong, wrong, and wrong.
She did okay for the first quarter mile, she kept trying to run off on the grass, and coincidentally she did this every time we passed a stroller or a biker, so I figured she had some weird issue with wheels. Wrong again! She slowed down and wouldn't keep up so I immediately looked back (because she usually pulls ahead) and she had taken a you know what for about 7 feet back. What dog takes a crap while running?! I had anticipated this (well, not this exactly but that she would go #2), so I was prepared with a bag....I picked it up and kept going. A few minutes later she ran over to the grass, this time I stopped, and she went again! Then proceeded to kick dirt, leaves, and grass over it like she was trying to cover it up! Again, I had anticipated her being difficult so luckily I had brought 2 bags. Ugh!
We finally found a trash can by a local high school and the rest of the run was fine. She was called "Cute" once and "Pretty" two times. Those people obviously didn't see her when she was using the running trail as her own personal bathroom! Here we are after our run while we were waiting for Tom to finish up in lab.
That's right! Bailey graduated from Obedience school Monday night!! Not that it's any marvelous feat, considering everyone who attended "graduated." But it was still fun and they put a cute little hat on her to take her picture!! I was sooooooooo excited! I was secretly wishing they would have a little graduation hat! Here are some pics :)
This is the Musical Chairs version of "sit." Whoever sits upon command last is out. Bailey won 2nd place!!The dog that won was in the advanced class the whole time AND she was a corgi so she was already like 2 inches from the ground...no fair!! Go Bailey!!
Here she is! My proud graduate! I HEART the hat!!
This was her prize for graduating. Surprisingly, she didn't completely destroy it in 24 hours!!
And this is Boo! Boo was my favorite. Beleive it or not, Boo has TWICE the energy as Bailey and she's twice as big! I would be really frustrated if Boo was my dog, but she's funny to watch in class because she's so hyper. She's a good dog though :) She just makes me laugh.
We've had Bailey for almost 2 months now. We've learned quite a bit about Basenji's including the fact that they are completely hyper, high-strung, sniff everywhere types of dogs. One thing that we've been working on a lot with her lately is "Loose leash walking" or "Walk with Me."
"Walk with Me" is when we hold a treat in our left hand and try to get her to walk along side of us on the left without walking in front of us. All the puppies at puppy school do okay on this, except for Bailey. For about the first 15-20 feet she bounces at your hand like she is on a trampoline. After several weeks of training, she is not quite as bouncy, but only walks at your side for about 25% (if that) of the walk. She just pulls ahead and no matter how much her collar is pulling against her neck, it doesn't matter, she just keeps going.
Tom and I have been trying very hard to avoid any "negative reinforcement" with her and only focus on the positives. However, we both are tired of her walking us around the neighborhood and think she has too much energy right now to fully comprehend all of her positive reinforcement via treats.
So we broke down and bought a choker chain for her.
HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!! Best $3.69 I ever spent! The first time we put it on her we noticed a difference!! And she never actually has choked herself on it either. It pulls tight, I say "heel," and she walks right by my side, with the LEASH LOOSE!!
We were so proud of her that we bought her a "Tuffy Ring." Supposedly the "World's Tuffest Stuffed Dog Toy." An "8" on the Tuffy scale. Psssshhhhhhhhhhhh. Too bad in a matter of hours she ripped through the first layer of material. Luckily there are 3 layers, so hopefully it will last her a week.
Bailey going Psycho on her Tuffy Ring
Stacy "bottle feeding" Bailey at the dog park. So spoiled!
Bailey and her new BFF at the dog park. I'm pretty sure Bailey and this dog are somehow related. Note: The curled Basenji tails. Maybe they had the same mommy???
This Saturday we went to Pubs & Pups, a fundraiser for Birmingham's first fenced in dog park. It was a win-win for us, really, because we were raising money for a safe place for Bailey to play and run while drinking some fine brews at the J. Clyde! And it happened to be a beautiful day, so we got to sit outside with Kelly & Stacy (and Bentley & Casper) and enjoy the puppies and the beers. We wanted to bring Bailey but thought that it might be a little too much excitement for her! Here are some pics!
Our new friend Eddie meeting his new friends
Kelly and Stacy
GIANT pretty white dog
Casper being "too cool" for the fundraiser
Me & Tomas
All dog themed beers were half price!!
The two cutest little dogs ever! The one couldn't stop shaking :)
I really do. I'm not saying this to be boastful or arrogant. I'm saying it because I'm so thankful for everything I have and sometimes I can't help but wonder why everything is so good for me and when it is going to go wrong. What brought on this recurrent epiphany you ask? I'll tell you.
Last Sunday night Tom and I went over to our friends Doug and Paige's house for the superbowl. They had invited another couple over, who we met for the first time, Bryant and Jody. Usually when we meet decent people, we're like "they're cool, we'll probably see them around sometime." But Jody and Bryant were among those few people that you meet and you say "Wow, they are so nice! I'm looking forward to hanging out with them again soon!" We talked with them for a little while and learned that they just finished their wedding plans for this Spring. Tom also joked with him about coming up to Penn State in 2011 to see Alabama play Penn State. After the game was over, we all said good bye and planned to see each other again this weekend for Paige's birthday. I said "Bye" and sulked out the door because I was in a bad mood because the Steelers won.
Wednesday I got an email from Tom saying that he just talked to Doug, and Bryant had passed away Tuesday night. He went to the gym Monday morning and everything was fine until he sat down after doing some bicep curls and suddenly couldn't feel his legs. He was rushed to the hospital where he developed an excruciating headache and it was discovered he had a brain aneurysm. He started feeling better Monday afternoon, visited with some friends and family who came to the hospital, and Tuesday morning went in for surgery to repair the aneurysm. He never woke up after the surgery and passed away Tuesday night.
We could tell Bryant was a really nice guy from the minute we met him, but had no idea how generous and amazing he really was. He's the kind of guy that the world needs more of, not less of. My heart breaks for Jody and his family. I just can't even begin to imagine.
That brings me back to my life. What's the worst thing I've ever experienced? The death of my grandparents, which is sad, but not uncommon. And the deaths of some of my patients. Again, sad, but I choose to work in oncology and the ICU so again, unfortunately, not uncommon. I have the most amazing husband in the world, a dog that is completely silly and makes me laugh, supportive and healthy parents and a brother, great friends, a secure job that I actually enjoy, relatives that I adore, and hopefully a long, bright future ahead of me.
Please keep Bryant's friends, family, and fiance in your thoughts and prayers.
Last weekend the Lakeshore Foundation held their annual international wheelchair rugby tournament. We went on Saturday with some friends. As always, wheelchair rugby is amazing to watch. The Lakeshore "A" team was unbelievable. One of their players is supposed to be the best player in the nation. No wonder the US won gold in the 2008 Paralympics. Some of the teams had girls on their team too, which I think is pretty kick-ass! Here are a couple of pictures from the tournament.
Yep, that's right. I spent $20.23 and saved $52.88! Wooooooooooo I rock :)
