Falling DownTo you Sweet Ground

I haven't fallen down in a while, but as a child I did so often. Often enough, in fact, that I learned how to fall in order to prevent any serious injury to myself. I learned to roll, and tuck my head toward my chest, as well as keep my arms close to my sides.

Today while having a grand ol' time walking my dog, Sophie, dancing a bit to some Irish punk music, my dog caught me off guard by surging forward in the hopes of chasing a bird. I stumbled a step, and the next thing I knew, I tripped over some uneven sidewalk. I hit my knees and began to fall forward, but my old instincts kicked in. The next thing I knew, without a thought, I'd thrown my weight to the side, bent my head forward a bit, and tucked my arms to my sides (I realized all of this later, after I analyzed the fall). I landed with considerably less momentum on my back. My knees took the worst of the beating. One is turning purple-black, and the other is missing a nice little swatch of skin. If I hadn't rolled the way I'd done, however, I would have smacked my head on the pavement, considering that I have a hard time catching myself with my arms. Thank goodness for past experiences and some pretty good ninja/ survival skills!

On the downside, I don't know how I managed as a kid! My knees are killing me. It hurts to bend them. Stairs are painful. Then again, as a kid, I'd probably be screaming my head off, so I figure I'm handling it pretty well.

Gamer Grub

I was at my local university when I got hungry yesterday, but I wasn't in the mood for savory, and I needed to grab something on the fly. I walked into the little convenience store we have on campus and came across a promising snack choice - "Gamer Grub".

I've heard of this new-ish snack food through PC Gamer magazine, wherein they wrote a review (way back when) of the two available flavors: pizza and PB&J. I remembered that their reviews weren't exactly scathing, but they didn't sing the highest praises either. I debated between the two before deciding to go for the PB&J.

The "Gamer Grub" marketing ploy is pretty simple: directed straight at computer gamers, to "boost your game" with vitamins and neurotransmitters. . . Hang on - what? Neurotransmitters? As a psych student, I was a bit confused. Maybe I haven't taken the class in which they explain how they get the neurotransmitter adrenaline or endorphins into food, so I'm extremely skeptical over that whole idea. The most I can come up with is that maybe they have managed to mimic certain neurotransmitters, much in the way caffeine mimics the neurotransmitter that brings about an alert state. Of course, that would look dumb on the bag "Vitamins and stuff that mimics neurotransmitters!!" Oh, and just reading the bag, it says that it contains "Proprietary Cognitive Blend Choline" which is another way of saying caffeine, basically, and at 101 mg per serving, and 5 servings per bag, well that's about the equivalent of 5 cups of coffee. Woo! Go game boost!

Anywho, another gimmick is the no greasy fingers and no keyboard crumbs promise on the container. With the PB&J, there really IS no greasy fingers, but no keyboard crumbs? MY SO and I both agreed that was complete bull-hockey. They're there, they're just not visible. Which, in my humble opinion, makes it all the more worse, because once you forget to clean your 'board, how long will those settle in and accumulate?

All in all, "Gamer Grub" delivers a yummy snack, but leaves some promises quite un-kept. Also, I don't feel a particular "boost" in my game, even though at the moment I'm studying and not fiddling with say, Modern Warfare 2 (which I totally played last night, and to add to this side note, I also played a newer version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which was the fun in a nostalgic kind of way! "It's pizza time!")

Of Ice and Men

I hate puns, but I had to get back to my nerdy roots somehow!

Recently, I went to a hockey game with my Significant Other and a few other couples. I've gone to numerous hockey games with my SO lately, but this one put them all to shame.

We were RIGHT on the front row. (You can see the view from the two pictures I've added.) Anytime someone would check another player into the glass near us, I would startle and jump. Details (including missing teeth) were so very clear. We also splurged since we hadn't had dinner and ate a chili cheese dog (me) and a cut beef sandwich with onions, jalapeños, and amazing bar-b-q sauce (him). After the first period, we went back for more, ordering supreme nachos and cotton candy. The couple we sat next to had two adorable children: one a little older than a year and the other 3. I offered the little year-old girl some cotton candy, which she promptly ate, but what really got her begging were the nacho chips (sans spicy chili and cheese). That kid could really put it away!

It was so much fun watching the kids see the game so close. The little girl learned how to pound on the glass when we got a goal, and seemed to be getting really into the game.

Definitely an evening well spent - a great date night!

If You Ever Feel Guilty . . .

I must admit, as a long time book lover, I feel it's sort of my duty to give a book a chance, even if the cover art and title are completely and utterly boring or just too bizarre or out-dated. It's my duty to give the book a chance, yes, but do I do it? Nope. I go completely against the old adage and judge a book by it's cover. A well-produced cover means a more interested me. And of course, a title that gets me a'wondering.

Of course, I feel guilty about this. What kind of book lover am I? So shallow, I know! I can't possibly truly enjoy real books if all I do is pass up the ugly brown and orange covered monstrosities entitled, "The Cat" or "Tea Time for Betsy". And yet, I do! I judge a book by it's cover. And for all of you out there who do the same, you don't have to feel guilty anymore (assuming, of course, that you did in the first place). There's an actual website dedicated to just this kind of thing. They find ridiculous cover art and make fun of it. And then you can look at that cover art and make up your own goofy, snarky interpretation, if you aren't fully satisfied by theirs. I giggle, I scratch my head, sometimes there is some actual ::face::palm:: action going on.

One of my favorite posts is done by Rex Parker, a man with an endless supply of old books with weird and strange cover art and even stranger synopses. He gives his favorite points about the front and the back of the book, and even includes a sentence from inside (I think it's from page 123.) I'm always entertained.

Go check it out if you haven't already: Judge a Book By Its Cover.

When It Rains, It Pours

I might have mentioned in a far earlier post that I am a tiny bit superstitious. So it is with my belief that things come in threes. Good or bad, if it's notable, it's going to occur 3 times. Lately, it seems that that has applied to the not-quite-so-fantastic for me.

You see, I had to register for classes at the university here in little city, USA, but they couldn't seem to figure out what to do with me. I submitted a transcript from a prior college, and then called them back a few days later. I was told to call again in another couple of days. This happened the next time I called, and then the third or fourth time I called (this was over a period of two weeks, by the way, what with the holiday), they said they were missing my high school transcript. . . . Say what? I've gone to the university before; they had no problem with my transcript then. No one would actually come out and say it, but I had the distinct feeling it had been lost. So, since I no longer live in the city that I graduated high school, I had to wait until the weekend to obtain the transcript. I submitted it finally, and the lady I physically handed it to asked me, after looking up my account, "Who told you we needed this?" Yes, they did not need it at all. The hold was taken off, but I was terribly late with registering. That's 1.

Of course, with late registration comes "good luck getting THAT class". I signed up for all of my classes, but then I had to speak with my boss, because the classes I was able to sign up for didn't exactly jibe with the schedule I was supposed to be working. (No worries, they're usually pretty flexible about working around school schedules. So, that's 1 in the blessings department, too). Come class time, I discover to my dismay, that I am enrolled in a class that requires a different class before it, a class I have not yet taken. I practically ran across campus to drop it and sign up for another class, since the day after was the last day to register, which means it's the day with no available classes. Of course, that meant another talk with my boss about how I need to change my hours. . . again. That's 2. (On the plus side, my new class seems great, so 2 for the blessings.)

Today, after class, I got into my car, ready to haul butt to work, when I realized the front end felt wrong. I found a new parking space, got out and discovered that my front tire was flatter than flat. After calling a myriad of friends, I finally got a hold of my mechanic friend, who agreed to help me change it. Now, I know how to change a tire, thankyouverymuch. The problem is I weigh 90 pounds soaking wet, and at 5' 2", well - you can guess it'd be a bit difficult on my own. My friend made it over, and we discovered the tire was unsalvagable, having been worn down over a long period of time because my car needs re-aligning. That's 3. (Again, 3 on the other side of the spectrum because thank goodness it didn't blow while I was driving the country roads to my hometown this past weekend, or even on the highway on the way to classes!)

Moral of the story: Murphy's Law is real, and so is the Law of 3s. Let's hope it just doesn't decide to spontaneously change to the Law of 4s or 6s.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Born and raised in South Texas, I'm very much a wimp when it comes to being cold. I'm also always cold. I wear jackets anywhere I go, because Texan's love their AC. But winter is upon us, and while that usually means the weather doesn't get bad until early in the new year, it does mean that January and February are absolutely miserable. At the moment, there is a "freeze advisory" in effect until (I've heard) Sunday, and while those Northern freaks are probably laughing at the way I'm reacting while they walk through the snow to work, uphill both ways, in temperatures that make Antarctica feel like Hawaii, I just have to say this makes me NOT HAPPY. For one thing, I don't actually own warm clothes. Maybe a long sleeved shirt here and there, but they are all about as thin as tissue paper, as are most of my jackets. Right now, I'm wearing a great brown cardigan that makes me feel like a hip and sexy librarian, and I am sitting in my office, freezing my tail off. Why can't they at least shut off the air conditioning when the weather turns frigid outside? Why must it stay at a constant, shiver-inducing temperature?

On another note, I finished a new book entitled Death's Daughter, by Amber Benson. For total dorks like me, Amber Benson is most well-known for her role as Tara, Willow's girlfriend in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I have to say that I was not overly impressed with the book. The main character, Calliope, is whiny and selfish and generally annoying, and remains mostly one-dimensional throughout the book. Another of my pet peeves was the portrayal of the Indian goddess, Kali, who was not believable as an actual goddess - instead she seemed more like a New York, latte-sipping, trash talking socialite. There were several men that snubbed her in her past, if I read the hints right (and I did, because there was no way you could miss the unsubtle there), and knowing what little I do of the goddess Kali, they would probably have been disemboweled and their heads hung about her neck as trophies for such betrayal. Instead, she just huffed a lot and made snide comments like a crazy, jealous ex. Although her idea of Death and Hell were most interesting, her writing style was not to my liking. Overall, I give it a meh.

Oversimplifimacation

I've noticed a couple of things being marketed as "simpler" than their predecessors, and I'm beginning to wonder if it is a foreshadowing of things to be in 2010. I speak mainly of two things: the new Google Chrome browser and Windows 7.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for an easier interface, something that will make technology available for all, but for me personally, in the case of tech, simplified is BORING. Take Google Chrome. I have several friends that enjoy it, because it's "like Firefox, only simpler." I like Firefox; the features are great, the add-ons are fun, and it gets the job done. Sure, simpler might sound appealing, but when something is done away with because it makes something more complicated, it's harder to do what you need or want. Sometimes, I've even noticed, a specific feature is changed to make it "simpler," and yet I'm pounding the keyboard in frustration because it *isn't* simple. I'm not exactly a computer hacker genius, but I am not computer illiterate, either, so when I say it's not simple, I feel like other people might agree.
And what's the deal with Windows 7? I haven't heard much yet, except glowing reviews from people that haven't had it for long, or from the product promoters themselves. Any word on whether or not it really does put Vista to shame? I checked it out at a local Best Buy, and really, all the pluses they were promoting didn't seem to make it worth my while. I may just wait it out and see if there isn't something else coming along that doesn't just make things "simple" but usable as well.

Uh-Oh, Here We Go

Although I love Texas, I'm getting a bit perturbed with the weather here. We have cold spells, mixed with high winds and misting rains, and then we have days like today, in which it is a good idea to leave your jacket at home, although jeans are not so very optional. Yesterday, it was so cold, I shivered as anytime I had to be outside for any length of time, not to mention the rain leaving puddles to soak my feet and jeans, which did not exactly help with the chills and shivers. And yet today, it's sunny and cool, without being cold. In fact, it feels downright nice outside. I get tired of this state's bipolar weather patterns, and even more tired of the weatherman predicting things that will not happen. They *said* it "felt like" 58 not too long ago, and yet I was sweating. Do you need a degree for weather-forecasting?

Anyway, I haven't written lately so I thought an update on our weird weather fluxes might be something to write home about. . .

[And just for my sister; the title refers to a song called "The Sound of Madness" by Shinedown. The completion of that first sentence is "Uh-oh, here we go/another loose canon gone bipolar.] :) Cheers!

When Work Goes Awry

It started out as a normal day.

If by normal, I meant waking up in order to get to work by 7:30 in the morning. I can already hear some of you whining: But I have to get up at 2:30 in the morning to get to work, because it takes hours to look this dang good, and then I have to stop off for a super whipped cream mocha latte with cinnamon, and if they get it wrong I have to make them do it all over again because you cannot have too much cinnamon, and then traffic is so bad it makes me want to cry!

Yes, life is so very hard. But back to me.

I arrive at work while the sun is still in the midst of rising, and things are pretty normal.

If by normal, I meant 7 computers were down, 4 more failed within the first few moments of testing, and we had 11 finals, two other tests, and yet one more large test occurring within my lab. I actually had to pass out numbers and call people when a computer was free. I think I used the word "SNAFU" at one point. My boss found it amusing that I was feeling so very frustrated.

It didn't help that my coworker decided not to come into work with not so much as a by-your-leave.

I also forgot to mention that it is freezing outside, with a driving rain and ice. This may sound normal to some, but I live in South Texas. This is rare. You would think global warming would take care of these little problems, but I guess it's not all it's cracked up to be.

On the plus side, my boss picked up delicious soup from my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. Rice noodles, cilantro, chicken broth, some sort of sprout. Divine. Seriously. Perfect for a day like today.

So, I was cranky, but then I got soup out of the deal, and then really, who can stay cranky after soup? All I know is, I want to share the soup with my significant other and spend time doing cold day stuff with him. Soon, work will be done, and life will be good.

Annoy-O-Meter

I have a fiery temper, and I don't try to hide that fact (it's the Irish in me. . . Or the Italian, I'm never sure which). Over the past week, because of a couple of unsolicited and ill-advised conversations, I've somehow managed to label my mood. I call the over all set-up the "Annoy-O-Meter." It ranges from 1 to 3, because I don't really go halfsies. 1 signifies that I am absolutely peachy; you can tell because I'm laughing and having a general good time. I'm usually laid back and relaxed during stage 1. 2 equals slightly annoyed and on up until you hit 3, which is generally, "Shut your mouth before I decide to shut it for you." It sometimes doesn't take much to rile me to 3.
You see, over this past week I have had at least 3 conversations that have put me at 2, although I haven't hit 3, thank goodness. The first two covered the same thing. I'd missed a get-together, and when asked why, I replied that I had things to do. "Oh," the hapless person would say, "well, you missed a lot of fun." OK! Now, there are two reasons why someone would actually say this. A) they are trying to rub in the fact that I had things to do and they were having tons of super-fun or b) they don't believe my reply. Either way, I am now annoyed. Thank you, people, for pointing out that I missed fun things when I could not make it to said fun things. Much appreciated.
The second conversation started with an older lady, who told me that I should eat more nuts and leafy vegetables if I wanted to be healthier, because she was a vegetarian and when I mentioned I had once been one, she felt it was a chance to tell me what to do. A similar conversation occurred between me and another older lady (you people are not my mother, stop trying to be) who told me I was tired because I drank too many sodas (not because, you know, I had to be at work at 7:30 that morning) and I should really watch my caffeine intake and drink more green tea. And eat more nuts. What is it with the nuts? I imagine this is about annoying to me as it is to someone that likes a pint of Guinness, but has to listen to some nag telling them where their liver is going. I KNOW sodas aren't the healthiest thing in the world; you are not giving me new information. While we're at it, why don't you stop going on fad diets to try and drop weight and work out instead?
So anyway, such is my current rant. And just so you know, I am currently at level 2 on my annoy-o-meter. Don't give me a reason to hit level 3.

Traveling

I love to travel. I love road trips, stopping along the way for snacks and drinks, laughing and joking and bonding in a tiny vehicle; I love seeing new places and people; learning of new cultures; trying new foods. The whole experience makes for a happy me. Recently, I've been reading Long Way Down, by Ewan McGregor (yes, Obi Wan Kenobi) and his friend, Charley Boorman. Basically, the two friends take off from the top of Sctoland on two BMW motorbikes and travel down, through Africa, until they hit the tip: Capetown. It speaks of culture and people at once different, terrifying, and beautiful. It has made me a bit nostalgic over a trip I took once.

I had the great opportunity to go to London and Paris while in high school, and although I found London to be a bit more aggressive than Paris, I adored Paris. We did all of the tourist-y things, visited castles and the Eiffel Tower, went down the Thames in a boat, walked around Stonehenge, and so on. But I remember one moment in time that has stuck with me through the blur of sleep deprivation, tight schedules, and time away.

The night was so dark it was hard to see, except for the brilliance of the Eiffel Tower, which lit up the square beneath with what seemed like thousands of tiny lights. Still, it was pretty dark. Venders were walking around, trying their best to get money off the tourists. One group in particular seemed to be working together. . .or maybe they were rivals. They were the darkest people I had ever seen, skin like ebony, like the night in which we wandered, taking in the sights. When the sellers were far away, they were nearly invisible, except for their jewelry. They had piercings: labraes, ears, noses; and in these piercings they wore big stones that flashed through a multi-hued light show. Sometimes, all you could see were these light shows flashing by, the people themselves blending with the dark of the night.

In that moment, I was enthralled. This was not the Paris you read about, this was something different. A subculture, a part of the night life, an actual piece of Paris, not a tourist attraction. Sure, they were there to bank on tourists, but they were not an attraction in and of themselves. Just like the street vender who painted beautiful artwork along an alleyway, or the couples holding onto each other and walking down cobbled streets. I wasn't so interested in what the tourists wanted to see; I wanted the real Paris. That day and the night to follow was the closest I got, bartering with the venders and smiling at a beautiful landscape paiting, a universal utterance of appreciation, which had the artist in smiles too. That's what I remember.

Also, trying to spit off the top of the Eiffel Tower, but that's another story involving wind velocity and laws of physics working aginst me. :P

Jazz Festival

I like to say that my taste in music is eclectic. Let's just put it this way: if I could choose one band to see right now, it would be Flogging Molly. A close second would be Clutch. If neither of those sound familiar, and you're too lazy to follow the links (you should totally follow the links; they will open your world of music), allow me to sum them up for you -

• Flogging Molly = Irish Punk Rock; Fave Songs: Pretty much all of them. . .
  
• Clutch = Heavy, Yelling Metal; Fave Songs: Space Grass, Big News From the Party Boat 1; 10001 (yes, that's the name of a song. My thoughts are that its binary code. . .)
  

Anywho, so jazz falls somewhere on my like-o-meter, and I managed to talk myself into going to the festival they were having in my hometown. I bought a four dollar funnel cake and a two dollar root beer; I hung around with friends, one of which is a musician and probably appreciated the music far more than I did; I tried not to get a contact high from whoever thought lighting a joint was a good idea in a place where they had real cops and not just security guards (Dudes, if I can smell it, so can the cops. . .); I checked out motorcycles. I got home a little after midnight.

I thought it would merely be a little jazz, but it was a full blown festival, with three different stages, many booths selling everything from turkey legs to jewelry to cowgirl hats. It was so crowded, I actually had no problem dancing with myself, hips moving to the rhythms the entire band was feeling. Because if there were so many people, no one would be watching, right? RIGHT?!

It was an all around, basically good time, and if there is one thing I've come to discover over these past few months, it's that music can turn a bad mood around; dancing soothes the soul; singing allows release for emotions that would otherwise be pushed away. Music, in all its many forms, can help one heal piece by little piece.

Best TV Line!

Castle's Mother: "They've re-made Fame and A Christmas Carol. Has Hollywood completely run out of ideas?"

Castle: "They're going to be making a movie based on Asteroid: The Game, so apparently yes. But, Ryan Phillips is going to be playing the wee triangle, and he's supposed to be really good!"

Ha! I remember that game and it's wee triangle! Ah, good times.

P.S. That's a line from the TV series, Castle, starring Nathan Fillion, who played Mal in both the awesome TV series Firefly, and the movie version-continuation-thingy, Serenity.

Dollars For Debbie

Not too long ago, I ran into an old friend of mine and his mom at a Time Out for Women event (Google that, if you're curious). It was cool to catch up with him about his wife and kids, and to see his mom again, who was taking video with her digital camera. He was giving information out about his website company, and it's definitely cool. An online journalling site, and when you're done, you can order your journal to be printed, bound in leather, with your name scrolled into the cover for a reasonable price. Very cool. They even include any pictures you might upload onto your journal.

Well, I found out recently that my friend's mom, Debbie, has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. So, my friend put together a site for her, for anyone to donate to help with any costs. They only ask for one dollar, although I'm positive they would not mind if you gave more. This is a chance to help someone and her family in their time of need, if only in the monetary sense. Trust me, they don't need that stress on top of that. So, go check out Dollars for Debbie. I promise, you won't regret the donation.

I'm Intelligent! Some Random Quiz Says So! :P

So, I found a comment from a fellow blogger, which I followed to her blog. Finding her "All About Me" description highly amusing, I continued on to read her blog, but since it is getting late, and I have class in the morning, I decided to take this quiz, and see how I do. I'm sad I'm not so great at the advanced or expert, but at least I'm above average. Then again, like I always say: the average person is an idiot. . .

Your result for The Commonly Confused Words Test...

English Genius

You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 87% Advanced, and 87% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go!

Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it!

For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

Take The Commonly Confused Words Test at HelloQuizzy