11/28/2005 08:43:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Hot cup of egg nog + Statistics book + gas heating = my plan for the evening. A little more than two weeks and this insanity will be over. Three tests next week, five the week after that. Ew. Blogging will be scarce. Sorry, but true. Work with me, eh? I have a presentation to work on now, so I am signing out. |W|P|113323598423021828|W|P|Nog and Stats|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/27/2005 10:20:00 AM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Just a really quick note to say, "Hi" and "I'm okay." Very, very busy. I have to do a PowerPoint presentation today, prepare my two Herbarium specimens, work on my Stats, and study for finals. I'm a little overwhelmed. Thanksgiving was good- I boycotted turkey as per my plan. Didn't miss it at all. Missed candied yams, damn. Made a pumpkin pie that turned out okay. Holly's coming over today to work on Stats with me. We will understand if it kills us! Getting into the spirit of the Holidays now. :-) Maybe if you listen to Ave Maria (Chris Cornell w/Eleven), you will too! |W|P|113311455437708524|W|P|Checking Up|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/24/2005 07:46:00 AM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P| I'm giving thanks for: God My family My friends All the strangers who have helped me when I was in need My home My good health and that of my family Not having to go hungry A reliable vehicle The opportunity to go to college The opportunity to travel this summer to visit loved ones Being raised as a smart, independent female All of my creature comforts (eg indoor plumbing, gas heating, refrigeration, etc.) Books Mother Nature Wildlife I am truly blessed. I would wish to extend my blessings to those in need and less fortunate than myself. |W|P|113284980543828373|W|P|Thanksgiving|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/23/2005 02:52:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|If you want to spend a few minutes proving how smart (or special) you are, play this interesting Japanese IQ test that employers give to potential employees. Here are the rules: -Only 2 persons on the raft at a time -The father cannot stay with any of the daughters without their mother's presence -The mother cannot stay with any of the sons without their father's presence -The thief (striped shirt) cannot stay with any family member if the policeman is not there -Only the Father, the Mother and the Policeman know how to operate the raft . -To start click on the big blue circle on the right. -To move the people click on them. -To move the raft click on the red ball on top of the pole on the side of the river you want the raft to go to. River challenge The first time I played, it took me almost 15 minutes to get them all across. I am down to 2.5-3 minutes now. *L* Good luck. |W|P|113278290747644378|W|P|IQ Game|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/21/2005 05:26:00 AM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Monday Morning Blues Worst night of sleep, ever. I literally tossed and turned all freaking night long. And thought about Cetaceans and plants. Cetaceans and plants. All night long. I had to get up because I just couldn't take it anymore. I situated the vaporizer so that it was blowing steam right on my face last night, so I feel much less congested this morning. I'll let that smile be my umbrella today! Oh, so tired. |W|P|113257760363781419|W|P|Blech|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/20/2005 06:35:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Sick Picked up a nasty virus and, man, is it kicking my ass. It started Tuesday and has gotten progressively worse through the week. I actually consider myself quite lucky that I went about 6 months without being sick at all. Par for the course. I just got back from filling up my gas tank. There's a station in town that sells it cheaper than everyone else in town (right now 1.93/gallon). However, there are always huge lines and I know better than to sit and wait 15 minutes for gas. Just this once, though, I could not control myself. I got in the line at the outermost pump. The line next to me was inhabited by complete dumbasses. Half of the people in line were facing north, half were facing south. Each time someone would finish pumping, they were stuck in the line, so everyone had to back up to let them in. When they got out, it was a pissing match between the two opposing lines as to who was next. Totally ridiculous. So on Friday, I had a most magical night. Why? Because I went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, of course! Pure heaven for a muggle like myself! Let me just say that it was a fantastic movie and I was not at all disappointed by it! So, do yourself a favor and go see it! I can't wait until it comes on video! Yes, I am a total nerd and I accept this. Set Prairie dog traps today. I have them wired open for prebaiting this week. On Friday or Saturday, I'll remove the wire and set them normally. Then I can come out the next morning and hopefully open presents! I've never handled Prairie dogs before, so this should be a most interesting experience. :-) There's only three weeks left in the semester; I can't believe it! It's gone by so quickly! I am going to be so thankful when it's finished. I have been spread way, way too thin this go around. Homegirl needs a serious break. Looks like we'll be staying home for Christmas, so it will give me plenty of time to relax and just hang out with the fam. Kinda sad I'm not going to Idaho- I want to see my new, little nephew so badly! Anywhoo....I guess I'll just have to wait until May. That's the news for now, must go study. Ew. P.S. What's for dinner? (Pretend I am Alice from the Brady Bunch.) Pork chops and applesauce.|W|P|113253771329379620|W|P|Sick|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/12/2005 10:05:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Have Bike, Will Travel My new bike arrived today. Crikey, she's a beauty!! I rode about 5 miles today and my ass hurts. Even with a sore ass, I am so tempted to go riding again tonight. It's been too long since I've had a great bike ride. While setting up my bike today, I got into too much of a hurry and forgot to put the pads into the calipers before I tested the brakes. Unfortunately, I broke a tiny piece off of the calipers and now need to replace the entire rear brake. Why they can't just replace the caliper is beyond me. Anyways, I have the part on order from the K2 dealer in Lubbock. Until then, I ride front-brake-only-style. *L* Yesterday, I was completely panic-stricken because I was convinced I would have to stay at Eastern for another semester. Today, things are looking better. As long as I can get credit for the summer class that I took, I think all will be well. If the Political Science department won't let me sub a class or do a directed study, I found a class through Louisiana State University that I can do via correspondence (thanks to a tip from my sister). Another thing that has been bothering me has been the rushed manner in which I have been studying for the GRE. According to the official website, the general test is offered only twice a year (dates that I missed, unfortunately). However, the testing center in Roswell advertises GRE testing every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If that is true....things suddenly are looking much brighter! That way, I can schedule the test AFTER finals week and take the general test instead of the Biology test. Man, that would be sweet. Other than that, I am a studying fiend. Sort of. Today I mostly worked on registering for next semester and applying to grad schools (cv polishing, professor shopping, etc). Tomorrow, I will study like a fiend. I want to start my comprehensive studying now and not leave it to the week before finals. Then there's my plant lab test Monday to worry about... Enough of school shit. Looks like we'll be staying in NM this Christmas unless a minor miracle occurs. I was really hoping for Mexico or Idaho, but, oh wellski. I'm sure I can make it to my advantage. Study for GRE, prepare for Prairie dog study, read a book, ride my bike! Damn this Chai tastes good! I may have to start a second website entitled "Tao of Tea" if I keep this up. :-) I need to start studying so I'm gonna head out. One more thing: Mom- you forgot to wish Andrea a happy birthday! Major sucking up is in order!!! |W|P|113185940125073257|W|P|Have Bike, Will Travel|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/10/2005 07:33:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Happy Birthday, Re! Happy 29th birthday to my big sis, Andrea! You're, like, ancient now, dude. Just kidding, but not really. *LOL* Today I called my sister to wish her a happy birthday and she related a most funny experience to me. She was watching a home video of the fam taken back when she was 18 and I was 17. She described my outfit and I remember it exactly: Magenta Converse sneakers (that I still wear, by the way), my long, black poofy skirt, a tie-dyed Grateful Dead t-shirt, and a flannel over the top. Yeah, I know. I was such a hip dresser. She said my Dad made some comment about me having a "snazzy" or "snappy" outfit. *LMFAO* Seriously.... Andrea told me about her outfit and that made me laugh also. She was wearing a t-shirt about 5 sizes too big with black jeans. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Bad fasion did, indeed, run in the family. I can't wait to witness said video for myself. No doubt it will provide endless amusement!! So, Re, another year older. The thing is, you get more beautiful every year. I wish I could post a picture of you so the people out there could see how pretty you are, but I shall respect your privacy! Not only that, you're a college grad with a great job, a fantastic husband, and a brand, spanking new baby! Wow. Quite a year. If my year is half as great as yours has been (even with your not-so-glamourous pregnancy), I will consider myself lucky. :-) I hope you celebrate your achievements and have a great day! |W|P|113167694830224614|W|P|Happy Birthday, Re!|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/09/2005 09:48:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Thanks for the water wings, sis. You are incredibly thoughtful. Just when I thought no one cared. :-D *Huge Hug*|W|P|113167753098175975|W|P|Water Wings|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/09/2005 04:58:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|A Praise Chorus 102 on my Mamm test. Yeah, buddy. Kicking ass and taking names. Didn't get my Stats test back yet. I will probably be eating humble pie on Friday. My hands stink like fish from the Ichthy lab test I just finished. I am pretty sure I missed ~4 questions. Just so glad it's done so I can move on to the next shitty test. What an attitude! |W|P|113158091409216810|W|P|Mamm Test|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/08/2005 05:30:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Heaven Help Me The missionaries found me again. They're so eager and want so much to bring me back into the fold. I told them that I had completely lost my faith in the church and that it would take a small miracle to get me to believe again. The looks on their faces....sheesh. Anywhoo, they challenged me to read the Book of Mormon and pray. I said I would accept their challenge as long as they accepted that I don't believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet and I think that the Book of Mormon is a work of fiction. Then they wanted to come over and watch some video with me and the fam. Missionary evasion tactics, anyone got some? Underpants: if you are reading this, do you remember when the most stressful part of the day was fighting over who had to sit next to Tom in the truck after a day of trap hauling? *LOL* I wish it was still that simple. To Brady, Ono, and Jeremy: You've found my website. Delving into the archives may result in you knowing more about me than you may want. Use caution. This pic is for you guys. (Since you find it so unusual that I have pictures with a little man from another place. |W|P|113149684789379834|W|P|Heaven Help Me|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/08/2005 08:21:00 AM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Good morning! Enjoying a cup of Cafe con Crema whilst I search for primary lit to present to my Plant Systematics class. Dr. Cho totally rejected my last offering, so it's back to the drawing board. I think I've finally found one that he can't dis. Phylogenetic relationships of Empetracaea inferred from sequences of chloroplast gene matK and nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS region (Sounds gross, doesn't it?) Molecular phylogenetics....right up Dr. Cho's alley...ha! I'm not quite sure how I did on my Stats II and Mamm tests yesterday. I only had 3 hours of sleep the night before and my brain was all sorts of sloppy. I still have 6 plant lab homework assignments to make up, an Ichthy lab test tomorrow, and my plant lab test next Monday. Oh, yeah, and study for the Biology GRE. Shit. I'm telling ya, this semester will be the death of me. On a much happier note: I have purchased a new bike that should be arriving in about a week. 'Tis a K2 Lithium 4.0 and if it isn't all that and a bag of chips, I shall eat my own dirty socks! I am terribly excited about riding again! I have really, really missed it. I have been having some weird self-esteem issues, so hopefully riding will help those now. I am looking so forward to the interim. My brain needs a break in the worst way. Speaking of; I will most likely be using the interim to study for the General GRE and to design my preliminary study of Prairie dog post-trapping behaviour. I have received some excellent advice from other Prairie dog researchers and am feeling quite good about the possibilities. In fact, it's hard for me to keep that on the backburner because I would much rather think about designing a study than study for, say, and Ichthyology test!! :-P Anywhoo...that's what's up this morning. It's a fine time to listen to Such Great Heights by The Postal Service. Have a great day, y'all. |W|P|113146445922294138|W|P|Cafe News|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com11/05/2005 07:53:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|I have such a foolish, wistful heart. Questioning the way I am has led me to nowhere. ------- In other news, Jenny Ramirez has been missing in action. She has, in fact, been replaced by a robot that does nothing but eat, study, and sleep. We know this because the Jenny-robot has no sense of humour. Also, Jenny Ramirez used to be kind of pretty. Jenny-robot looks haggard and unkempt. If anyone knows how to find Jenny Ramirez, please let us know. -------- Don't know how much longer I can keep up this charade. This semester is killing me. I spend all of my waking hours studying, in class, preparing for grad school, or doing homework. I have about one hour that I get to spend with my family and that is one half hour in the morning getting the kids ready for school and one half hour in the evening getting them ready for bed. All I can say is.... ....this shit better pay off. |W|P|113124599187441772|W|P||W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com