About 2 months ago I applied for a job in the finance department of another hospital in the system. About 2 weeks later I heard back from them stating that they weren't interviewing yet, and that they had already received a number of highly qualified applicants. Aka, I shouldn't expect to hear back from them.

I did, last week.

I have an interview Wednesday.

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Theme: International Travel

You have the summer and plenty of money to travel abroad. Where all would you go?

Normally I'd say Europe, but I think I'd want to go to India.

What foods would you be sure you got to eat?

Lots of local stuff, and I'd want to learn how to make some of it.

What landmarks would you be sure you got to see?

Don't know.

What airline would you use?

Can't I take an ocean liner?

Would your knowledge of other languages influence where you went? (i.e. would you be more likely to go to France if you spoke French)

No. It would make some things easier, but I don't want to go overseas just so I can have McDonalds. I want local flavor, in whatever language it comes in!


Theme: USA Road Trip

Who would you take with you on a road trip? Tigs and Lucy

What states would you visit? I suppose I'd want to go to Washington, and hit as many states along the way as I could.

What national parks and/or monuments would you go see? Any that we pass

Las Vegas: Overrated or a Must-See? Only for Star Trek The Experience which is apparently closing this year :-(

How long would you be gone? 2 months would do it I think.

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And because you all wanted to see it, ( the new water heater )

First off a slightly belated Happy Birthday to tritoochietops

Plans for tonight:
Continue painting trim in dining room
Paint second coat in bedroom closet, and in hall closet, and maybe in library closet
Paint shelves for the closets.

Not plans for tonight:
Reading the new D&D rule books - In spite of the fact that I preordered them and they were released today, Amazon didn't feel they needed to get them to me today. In fact, Amazon doesn't think that I'll need them till Tuesday.

I’d like to get as much painting done tonight as possible that way over the weekend while it’s dreadfully hot I can hide in the shade and move as little as possible.

This month’s First Saturday theme in Frederick is “I ART Downtown Frederick” Not nearly as exciting as it was when it was Literacy month and they had all those tables of books. Since Tigergladys has to work a half day, and we won’t want to be walking Frederick during the worst heat of the day, we’re probably going to be making a somewhat later trip then we usually do. This isn’t as big a deal in June as it is in November because the sun doesn’t set till much later.

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1. What's your weather?
Hot & humid

2. Where are you on your way to?
My CPA license

3. Are you good with directions?
Somewhat

4. Do you know your neighbors?
Not yet

5. What do you smell?
Not much

6. When was the last time you had your hands in dirt?
A week ago?

7. When was the last time you had your hands in clay?
Same time as the dirt. Depends where you dig in our yard.

8. When was the last time you had your feet in mud?
A very long time ago.

9. When was the last time you had your feet in sand?
3 years ago? Maybe 4

10. What part of your life could use a serious cleansing?
The house, my desk at work

( Bold the ones you've done! )

In my previous Goml post I wrote about Kings Quest 3, and how it was one of my first games. I always got stuck at one point in the game where it came time to cast some of the spells. You see, some of the guidebooks had the spells written down incorrectly, and if you type the spell in the game incorrectly, you die. Anyway, it's been out of print for a long while now, and unless you had a really old computer you couldn't play it even if you found a copy.

Last night Tigs and I went to Target to get a couple of odds and ends, and as we passed an end rack with a couple of clearance computer games Virginia paused and pointed and my eyes were immediately drawn to a very pretty box. It was a compilation of all of the Warhammer 40K Dawn of War games! (Ha! You thought I was going to say Kings Quest!) And right next to it was a compilation of the first 7 Kings Quest Games (which was what she was actually pointing at)!!!!

No, I didn't get both. Wanted to, but I realized that I barely have any time to play games as it is, and the Kings Quest set comes with 7 games!!

After we got home, I loaded it all up, and then clicked KQ3. The screen went black… and then popped back to the deck top after about 20 seconds. It turns out it needed a couple of patches to make it work, so I downloaded them, and restarted the game. I played for about 12 minutes before I died. It's amazing how much I remember. I spent way more time obsessing about this game when I was 10 then I needed to, probably because I got stuck. I'm so thrilled I can finally beat that damn wizard!

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1. What's your favourite TV network?
Netflix

2. If you could create your own channel, what would it be?
A mix of scifi, history/documentary, foreign and independent films, and home improvement shows.

3. What TV show did you watch as a child, that you wish they would bring back?
Star Trek The Next Generation

4. What show have you always hated, and wonder why they ever made such a dumb show?
Soap Operas

5. What TV show's seasons would you buy on DVD?
Heh. Lots of them!!

6. Are you a good worker?
I can be.

7. What do you carry?
Years of experience, less hair, my wallet, cell phone, and keys

8. Do you know your neighbors?
Not yet.

9. Where do you like to go for a day trip?
Hiking.

10. What is at your feet?
My backpack

11. What makes you feel old?
Everyone telling me I'm old.

12. What makes you feel young?
Sticking my tongue out at them!

13. What was better when you were allowed to do it the old way?
Summers (when it actually meant time off)

14. What's better now that you do it the new way?
Driving to work, I don't use the beltway anymore!

15. What's something you are old school about?
Video/computer games

I received the first 2 seasons of Enterprise for my birthday from Tigs. We also got season 3 of Stargate from DVDswap still in it's shrink-wrap. It even had a Wal-Mart sticker on it. The swapper said they just didn't have time to watch it. I'm wondering if it was acquired illegally? However I can't seem to drum up any indignation that someone may have stolen it from Wal-Mart.

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1. What's one of the nicest things a friend has ever done for you?

Probably the going away party that Eric set up for me was the nicest.

2. What's one of the nicest things a stranger has ever done for you?

There have been so many little things.... :-)

3. What is a trait in another person that you instantly admire, and that draws you to them?

If they're big readers it usually gives me something to talk about with them.

4. What is a trait in another person that instantly repels you, and prevents you from forming a close relationship with them?

Being a smoker tends to repel me pretty quickly.

5. Time to vent: tell us about something rotten someone has done to you.

When our ex-neighbors urinated on my car... twice.

6. Describe where you grew up:

I grew up in Lancaster City PA, right next to F&M College.

7. Do you wear any jewelry?

Not currently, but I've worn rings in the past.

8. What do you have too much of?

Things to do, I have way too much of that.

9. Who is a fool?

Everyone sometimes.

10. What's your nickname?

DM – for either Dungeon Master or DavidMonster

11. How do you feel about spicy food?

I think spicy food is yummy.

12. What kinds of condiments do you add to food in order to spice things up a bit?

Mustards

13. Not counting salt and pepper, what's your favorite flavor enhancer when cooking?

Mustard

14. What's the spiciest food you've ever eaten?

Thai I think…

15. In what way might some other aspect of your daily life be spiced up, and what's keeping that from happening right now?

For the moment I actually like my spice pretty well confined to my food. Right now I've got enough other things going on that spice in my life would just give me heart burn.

16. If you knew that you had only one day left to live, what would you do for the 24 hours?

I’d start the day by making breakfast (everyone’s favorites) then I’d go for a hike with Tigs and Lucy, and have a picnic lunch with them. Then take Virginia out to dinner, something nice and romantic, maybe on a sail boat in the Chesapeake.

17. Do you think that life has meaning?

It has all the meaning that you bring to it.

18. What was your favourite childhood toy/object, or some of your favourites?
(Remember childhood according to the United Nations is anywhere from 0-18 years, so this is a fairly broad span of time).

Joggy Lion

19. When you clasp your hands, do you put your right thumb over your left thumb, or your left thumb over your right thumb?

Left thumb over right

20. If you had to teach the most ignorant person on earth the most difficult thing you have ever learned, how would you go about doing it?

Slowly! I’d start with the basics and take it step by step, breaking it down into its smallest components.

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So a new dishwasher installed will cost about $500. Well we don't have that right now, so we searched the internet for a cheaper solution.

( The solution )

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I've found a game board that has just about everything I'm looking for. This looks more like a museum piece then a game board.

( I want it... )
More then that, I want to build it!! And then game on it!

We officially moved into the house this past weekend. It took 2 trips with a 12' Penske truck, but it was done by about 2:30/3pm. We never would have gotten it all done if it wasn't for all the help we got, so a huge THANK YOU to Terence, raven296, Kim, Cory, and Alex. You've provided help, support, and friendship that's really made so much more possible then would otherwise be the case. So again, thank you!

Ok, so Wednesday the electrical work was taken care of. *thumbs up* We can now plug things in without having to use the 3-to-2 prong adaptors! Plus the service cable was replaced out back, so that worry is gone, and it's amazing how those 2 things have made such a big difference. Right now I need to continue to see significant progress being made, if only for my own sanity.

I painted the first coat on the trim in the library, and it's going to need a second coat. Even kilz primer couldn't cover that shade of pink! After that's done, there will be a little bit of touch up work, and then we can bring all the bookshelves in from the dining room. Conveniently that's the next painting project, and it should go quickly, since the walls and trim were already (4 shades of) white, and I've already done the ceiling. I don't have anything else pressing to do, so my goal is to get that all done. Two thing that might slow me down a bit are the taping, and waiting for paint to dry, but we'll see.

Last night I picked up my car from the shop. It actually drives noticeably better then it did when I dropped it off, though it is still doing that weird noise thing from the back tires sometimes when I first start driving.

I heard back about the job I applied for up at the central business office. I wasn't qualified for it, based on their experience requirement. However they had an other (lower level) job that they wanted to get me into which would have been fine just to get my foot in the door. Unfortunately it wouldn't have fulfilled the experience requirement for the CPA, and while I'm willing to make a lateral move, it needs to either pay me significantly more, or it needs to give me that experience.

There is a job at another hospital in the system in the finance department that would in theory both pay more and offer the experience I need. I've already submitted my resume for that.

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1. How often do you listen to music?

Almost constantly.

2. Do you ever listen to the radio? What is your favorite station?

I generally listen to NPR news radio, NPR's local music station, and the local classic rock station.

3. How do you find new songs, albums, or artists to listen to?

Generally it'll be something that Tigs will turn me onto.

4. When was the last time you bought a CD? A digital music file?

I think the last time I bought a CD was when Tigs and I were scouting places to live in MD. I think it was a comedy CD… And I've never bought a digital music file.

5. Do you think any of the technologies and distribution methods mentioned above will still be around in ten years? Why or why not?

Yes. People have spent a lot of money of the technology, and while there will be new stuff, the stuff from today will still be around.

1. What type of food do you most like to eat?
Mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy.

2. What type of food do you most like to cook?
I really enjoy making chili.

3. What ingredient could you not live without?
Salt. Ok, so it's not really an ingredient per se, but it's oh so necessary.

4. What do you never let in your kitchen?
Anchovies

5. What is your favorite drink?
Strawberry lemonaid

6. Other than the official start of spring on the calender, what really signifies the start of spring for you?
Seeing the first blush of that bright green you only see in the spring

7. How severe is your spring cleaning bug this year?
HAHAHAHAHA!

8. What one thing says "spring" to you more than any other?
The smell of everything coming alive after the winter.

9. What are your springtime traditions?
Open up all the windows in the house and get as much fresh air into the house as possible. Also go hiking!

10. When do you break out your spring and summer wardrobe? Do you follow the "no white before Easter" rule?
As soon as the temperature hits around 50 I start putting away the winter stuff.

11. If you became ruler of the world, what three things would you do first?
I would fix education, cut military spending and redirect it to humanitarian and scientific uses, and vastly increase the use and development of green energy

12. If you were a superhero, what would be your name and what powers would you have?
If I were a superhero I'd want to be a Green Lantern.

13. You can ask one question to someone who knows EVERYTHING. What is it?
What's the winning number to the next $10,000,000 (or more) lotto?

14. If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?
If invisible means being undetectable, then I would probably get cash, from a variety of sources.

15. If you saw a mythical/religious deity walking down the street, what would you do?
That really depends on which one it was! There are some gods you just don't want to get in the way of!

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This past weekend was the tracking trial for the dog club. This meant getting up at 5(ish) to drive up to the Maryland/Delaware boarder, and spend a lot of time cold and wet with a little bit of time spent watching dogs actually tracking. I brought my accounting books with me, but never even pulled them out. Saturday I was too tired, and Sunday it was too cold and wet (and I was still tired).

Saturday, after spending the morning at the trial we packed up, headed home for a change, and then pressed on to Frederic for First Saturday. This time however Gaer joined us! Lucy did pretty well considering how long a day she had.

Sunday we again spent the morning at the tracking trial, a cold, wet, muddy day. We then went home, took some hot showers (Lucy too) and then headed over to the house to do some more work. We managed to put in a couple of hours before heading back to the townhouse drained of all energy.

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Things are progressing at the house. It's almost ready for us to really start moving things in. At this point we've only brought over stuff we've needed, or stuff that can go straight to the basement. The next couple of weeks or so is going to be a bit of a pain as we transfer everything to the house, and then, invariably we'll need or want something that's at the other place.

I keep thinking about terrain, and building a table. I think when I finally do get to work on it that the trick to it, along with almost any other project, is to just devote myself to it from start to finish, just like I did with my original Amon Hen. 12 days start to finish on that one.

Actually my plan is to build another Amon Hen out of Hirst Arts blocks as one of my first projects. Seeing as I'll be using cast blocks (complete with texture) it should take significantly less time to finish it. Plus it works well on a grassy field.

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I need a home improvement icon...

Books! Yes, I've actually read some, in spite of waiting till the beginning of March to write about them.

"Why wait so long?" you ask.

Really it's because I didn't finish any books in January. Not a single one. I was reading… a little. February however I actually finished some. I however had to wait until I had enough to write about, and enough time to do the writing.

Homicide Trinity
By Rex Stout

3 short murder mysteries solved by the eccentric, fat, lazy, genius Nero Wolfe and his faithful sidekick Archie Goodwin. I was introduced to Nero Wolfe via the PBS mystery series, but this I think is the first of the books I've read.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds V

More Star Trek short stories. Some good, some bad. Nothing really exceptional this time, except maybe for "The Trouble With Borg Tribbles" which really made me smile.

The Copper Crown
By Patricia Kennealy

I don't really know how to describe this without making it sound as bad as I thought it was going to be at the end of the first chapter. Around a thousand years ago the various celtic tribes fleeing the incursion of Christianity hopped on a starship from Atlantis and colonized a distant area of space. They took with them magic (alternate power source) and psionics. Among the stars they built a multi-planet kingdom, complete with vassal alien planets. They cloaked their kingdom to hide even the existence of their stars, and to protect them from other human star-empires that seem vaguely based on other ancient Earth civilizations. Now, many years later (3,000?) an Earth scout ship encounters a Keltiad starship. This novel is about the scout ship's crew as they come to know their fellow humans.

I had a couple of quibbles with the book. Aliens exist, but I don't think you ever see one. Why are the 4 stellar nations that make up the main protagonists and antagonists all human?!? Also, the night before the battle, when the queen walks around the camp and talks to her troops? Lifted straight from Henry V.

On the other hand there was a lot that I did like. I thought the characters were pretty well written, I thought the justification for using medieval arms made sense (giant UN edict that's actually enforced) and the descriptive text was rather evocative. Plus it had a pretty good story!

Assassination Vacation
By Sarah Vowell

A surprisingly informative, light hearted, and sympathetic look at the killers of presidents by someone who is truly interested in who these men were, and how these acts were seen by them, their families and friends, and America at large.

Star Trek The Next Generation – Balance of Power
By Dafydd ab Hugh

A whimsical romp though the Trekverse. One of Geordi's old professors has died, but and his son is putting all his inventions up for auction. Every major and minor power converges to snatch up some potentially super powerful items. At the same time Wesley Crusher's roommate at the academy creates a device which can change a common metal into latinum. A 24th century philosophers stone! The device ends up in the hands of a pirate Ferengi who takes it to the auction, kidnapping Wesley in the process.

It's cool to see the Grand Nagus show up in the TNG book, plus Wesley is handled really well. Data has a great little scene with Wesley toward the end, where it suggests he may not be quite as naive as he appears.

On the flip side Geordi's character wasn't captured well, and Worf seemed a little off, and it could have flowed better. I think with a little bit of creative editing this could have been one of the best TNG books, but even still it's a good one.

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1. What song would you sing to your newborn child? (OR if you already had a child, which song did you sing to him/her?)
I'd sing The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

2. How do you think animals think? (i.e. in animal language, human language, etc.)
A combination of emotion and images.

3. As a child, did you have a dream to make a difference in the world? Can you describe your dream?
Sure I did! I thought that I would be involved with a Mars mission.

4. Do you believe in God/a Higher Being?
I think that there is more to the universe then we even begin to comprehend.

5. Do you believe in aliens?
The universe is far too massive for us to be the only life out there.

6. What is your keyring like?
Simple

7. What is your purse/bag/briefcase like?
Backpack

8. What is your wallet like?
Old

9. What is your mouse pad like?
Grey at work, Harry Potter at home.

10. What are the curtains in your bedroom like?
Relaxing

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It's been a really long week, and I'm really looking forward to some down time this weekend. Not too much, because I have homework to do, but some.

HAPPY BELLY BUTTON DAY sallythetimid!!!

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What is the first thing that comes to mind when you read each of these words and why?

1. ice
2. primary
3. dirty
4. green
5. fly

( Answers below )

What's a pretty good sign that your day at work or school is going to be rough?
When the coffee tastes bad, never a good sign.

What's a pretty good sign that your day at work or school is going to be terrific?
A sunny morning usually helps.

What's a pretty good sign that you should probably eat out?
When I feel bad about throwing something in the fridge out for fear that it may be developing sapient life.

What's a pretty good sign that you're going to spend more money than you should?
When you have to spend a half an hour (or more) signing paperwork to do it.

What's a pretty good sign that someone you've just met is going to be a pretty good friend?
They express interest in doing things together.

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Name five...

... things you can't live without. – Food, water, air, shelter, and games.

... of the best moments in your life. – First kiss, graduating high school, driving the moving van out of New England (when I wasn't terrified), getting Lucy (finally), and those rare weekend mornings when I can just snuggle in bed with tigergladys!

... celebrities you can't stand. – The ones who don't actually seem to have any reason to be celebrities aside from being rich. And Uma Thurman.

... books you enjoy(ed) reading. - Please see here.

... items in your purse/backpack/on your desk. – Computer, coffee mug, appointment book, lamp, and paperwork!

( Fifteen on Friday )

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I made mashed potatoes tonight, in anticipation of cooking roast in the crock pot this weekend.

I've put in a little bit of extra time just about every day this week, plus I'm working a shift (maybe a half shift) tomorrow. We're counting inventory so we can go live with a new system next week. We'll basically go until we've counted everything, so it may take 3 hours, or it may take 6. Mostly it depends on how much there actually is, and how many people come to help. I'm hoping that all totalled I'll get about 8 hours overtime this week. That would just about cover the cost of the home inspection that's scheduled for Wednesday.

Unlike the average home buyer who gets the inspection done after they make an offer, we've of course got to do things the weird way. It's not unheard of, but it's not often done. I was hoping to do it on Monday, but the inspector was already booked. Tuesday would have worked, except that I'm election judging again, and that goes from 7am till 10pm. (Wish the check from that came sooner) So Wednesday, and then an offer after we get the report.

If you were buying a home, and they were looking for $220,000, what would you offer?
Things to keep in mind:
3 bedroom
1 bath
unfinished but full basement
large fenced yard
street parking
divorced/separated owners, husband living alone with his lounge chair and big screen tv.
We're going to be asking for help with the closing costs. Around $7,000 total.

Poll #1135576 What would you offer?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

What would you offer?

Books I've completed in January:

….

Ok, I hope you enjoyed the review of all the books I finished last month. As you can see I am well on my way toward completing my goal of 50 books by the end of the year. I'm close to finishing 2 books, but if things continue at this pace, I'll be lucky if I read 25 books this year.

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1. Which open-all-night establishment has been a lifesaver for you?

The grocery store

2. What open-all-night establishment is closest to where you live?

Giants grocery store

3. What nonexistent open-all-night establishment could you really use in your life?

Hobby/game/comic store. Heck, it would be nice if one of these existed nearby even if it wasn't 24hours/day.

4. Which open-all-night establishment in your town is least likely ever to see your

patronage in the wee hours of the morning?

I actually can't think of anything else around here that's open all night.

5. Have you ever purchased anything advertised on television late, late at night?

Never.

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In case you didn't notice, today is Super Tuesday, and also Fat Tuesday. I won't be voting until next week, and I don't expect today to really bring a democratic front runner. I was going to vote for Edwards, but now I'm leaning strongly towards Clinton.

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Once again the temperature is crazy hot at work. 26.9 degrees!! It felt like I should have been wearing a towel while sitting next to a pile of rocks that I should pour water on. Luckily they did, eventually get the things working, and by 3 it was back down to a reasonable 22.6.

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So Lent starts tomorrow. I'm curious what you are all giving up? Of course that only goes for the Christians on my f-list… for everyone else, what would you give up if you had to give up something?

Me? I'd be giving up… Honestly I feel kinda stripped down as it is.

Happy onomatopoetry Day!!

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( 5 on Friday )

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I’m 7 books away from 50 book challenge. I don’t think I’m going to pull it off. Even if I managed to finish the 3 books I’m in the middle of, I don’t think I could get another 4 done before the end of the year. However, when I consider that I’ve also been in school and working full time since the summer, I don’t feel too bad. 40-something books isn’t bad for a year.

In other wacky news, a couple of miniatures that I had sold on e-bay way back in July to a guy in Belgium just got returned to me, marked "delivered damaged." The "damaged" box is really only slightly crunched, and (I'm guessing) the miniatures inside are completely intact. There isn't any odd rattling or anything. What makes this even weirder is the fact that the guy never left any feedback, never contacted me, never requested his money back, nothing! So now I'm wondering do I contact him? Do I try to mail it again? Or do I go ahead and repost the miniatures?

1. Are you married? No, but if this were about 100 years ago we would be.

2. When do your claws come out? Only when I’m really really upset. Like when someone tows my car from in front of my house in the middle of the night. Or pees on it.

3. Have you ever been in a car accident? A couple, mostly with deer, and a minivan.

4. Who is the last person you held? Tigs.

5. Describe a time you've gone overboard: I've never fallen off a boat!

6. Have you ever stayed in a hostel? If so, where? Did you like it? If you haven't stayed in a hostel, would you? I haven’t yet, but I ‘d be ok with it as long as they let Lucy stay with us too.

7. What is your favo(u)rite airport that you've been to? Why? I haven’t spent enough time at airports to have a favorite.

8. What is the best museum you have visited on vacation? Smithsonian Air & Space

9. Have you ever made friends while traveling whom you keep in touch with on a regular basis? Nope.

10. Have you ever had a conversation with a seatmate on a plane? Yes, but then I knew them.

11. What playground game do you remember most fondly? 4 square

12. What playground game did you just hate? tag

13. Which playground apparatus did you most enjoy? Monkey bars

14. Which playground apparatus did you generally avoid or not care much for? slides

15. What playground game might be really fun if grownups played it with adult rules? 4 square!

Like Peg I don’t want to be at work today. Actually I haven’t wanted to be at work at all this week. I’m feeling tired, and a little worn out, and mostly I want to curl up into a little ball and hibernate the winter away. Unfortunately that’s not an option. I think I need more sunlight. I get about 10-15 minutes of it a day at sunset. Maybe I should have more fresh greens? Luckily in another 2 weeks the days will start to get longer again.

It’s supposed to be wet/icy weather today. And then wet through at least the beginning of the week. It would have been nice to have had this rain during the summer. Better late then never I guess. Plus it’s not like I had any outdoor activities planned for the weekend! Nope, my nose will be stuck in my accounting book most of the weekend.

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Dragonflight
Dragonquest
The White Dragon
By Anne McCaffrey

I read these three novels over the last couple of months while at lunch. I’ve been trying to read stuff outside of Star Trek, and catch up on some of the “must reads” of the sci-fi & fantasy genre. I’m not sure when I’ll next get back to Pern, but I’m rather curious about the dawn sisters, and have a few other things I’m hoping to find out about later.

Star Trek The Next Generation – Resistance
By

Picking up where Death in Winter left off, Picard is confronted with the whisper of the Borg who are growing a new Queen in the alpha quadrant. Admiral Janeway orders the Enterprise to await 7 of 9 before proceeding, but by then it’ll be too late.

First off, why is Janeway such a bitch in these novels? Do the writers not know what to do with her as an admiral? And it isn’t like there are a lack of admirals to choose from.

Secondly, the Borg? Again? Can’t we do something a little different? They really aren’t that interesting an enemy, even with the addition of the queen.

Plus they introduce 3 new main characters, and then kill off a couple of them!!!

Money Secrets
by Dave Barry

You know, it would be a lot funnier if it weren't so true.

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1. What is one food (or meal) you used to hate but now love?
Orange Juice.

2. If you had to give up one of your favorite foods (or meals) for good, what would it be, and why?
:-( I don't know why you want to take away one of my favorite foods… but I would probably pick a comfort food like mac & cheese, or hot dogs. I'm keeping my potatoes!

3. Which food seems like it should be healthy and isn't, and do you eat it? Why?
Nothing comes to mind. There are plenty of foods I eat which would qualify as unhealthy, but I don't think of them as healthy.

4. If you were an item of food, personified, what would you be and why?
Creamy garlic mashed potatoes with shredded cheese.

5. You've seen tomatoes and pies used for this purpose... now think of a more inventive item of food one could throw at someone. What is it and why would throwing it at someone be hilarious?
You know, I'm gonna have to go with the mashed potatoes again. They have the right consistency to work really well for that.

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Note to self: 2 cups of coffee before bed = bad idea. FYI

Five on Friday - Lifelines
If you were on a game show and could phone a friend for help, who would your lifelines be for sports, arts & music, literature, history and geography, and science?
Sports: Maybe one of the guys at work?
Art & Music: Tigs
Literature:
History & Geography: Monique
Science: Tigs

When you need someone with muscles to help you with a task, who’s the first one you call?
Me

When you need some creative help with ideas for a project, who’s the first person you call?
Tigs

When you have a moral dilemma and need advice, on whom do you rely most?
Tigs

When you need to know the best way to get somewhere, which of your directionally-gifted friends do you call upon first?
Google Maps

What is...

one place you volunteer (or would like to)? Why?
I do volunteer for the dog club, and I do it to maintain my membership.

one book you'd like to see made into a movie? Why?
Enders Game. They finally have the special effects technology to do it well.

one creature (living, extinct, or mythical) you'd like for a pet? Why?
Dinosaur. One of the small ones. Or a tiny dragon. I think it would be cool. Not very original, but still kinda cool.

one place on Earth you'd like to visit? Why?
I’ve wanted to visit the British Isles . Mostly because I want to go see the castles!

one talent or skill you'd like to develop? Why?
Sculpting, playing piano, painting… The sculpting and painting because I want to do so much more with my minis. And the playing piano, because it’s fun!

1. They say elephants never forget. Would you compare your memory to that of an elephant or gnat?
Sadly I would have to say gnat.

2. What kinds of things do you find it easy to remember?
Generally useless things, like the average number of crew members on a Galaxy class starship (1014) or the level cap of an elf in basic D&D (12).

3. What kinds of things do you find it difficult to remember?
Important things.

4. How does your short-term memory compare to your long-term memory?
Well, I generally find…. What was that again?

5. How do you commit things to memory? Do you use tricks, songs, images, word associations, or other little mnemonics?
I try to use them over and over again.




I have 2 take home tests that I’ve got to do this weekend, one for each of my classes. I’ve already worked on the Management one, but the accounting one? Ug. Not really looking forward to it. I haven’t even cracked the cover of it yet.

We’re taking Lucy to the vets tomorrow morning. Originally this was just to pick up the refills on a couple of her meds, but now with the two swollen ticks we’ve pulled off of her this week, and the red infected looking spots they left behind, we’re gonna have the vet take a look. We’ll also be hitting the comic store, and downtown Frederick , since her vet is up that way. Don’t ask why we picked a vet that’s an hour away from our house. We liked the practice, and the vet, and honestly we’re up in Frederick often enough that it’s not a big deal.

Things I would love to do this weekend, but probably won’t because somewhere along the way I became a responsible adult:
Buy $20-30 worth of plastic sheeting and tubing.
Spend hours measuring, cutting, gluing, and filing the plastic sheeting into the shape of starships.
Spend further hours painting said starships.
Spend ~ $60 on a dremel
Use dremel to cut apart metal chaos terminators.
Use plastic sheeting to bulk up terminators
Reassemble terminators.
Take some more hours to paint terminators.
Spend $3-6 on a sphere, probably wooden, about softball size.
Paint sphere to look like a planet.

Five on Friday
1. Eat nothing but chocolate or go without chocolate for the rest of your life?
I’d probably go without. Eating nothing but would get old real fast.
2. Stub your toe or get a paper cut?
Stub my toe. Paper cuts seem to last longer
3. Write the news or make the news?
Ohh…
4. Lose 10 pounds or gain 10 IQ points?
Gain 10 IQ points hands down!
5. Wear a costume to work or wear normal clothes to a Halloween party?
Costume to work, again, hands down!

6. If you're dressing up (yourself or your kids) for Halloween, who are you/they going to be?
I’m going to go dressed as an accounting student.
7. Handmade costumes or store-bought?
I’m going to say the pieces are all individually store bought, but I’m putting them together.
8. What age did you last go trick-or-treating?
I think I last went at 18, but mostly cause I was going around with my sister and several of the houses we stopped at hadn’t had anyone else come by. So they split the candy between all of us.
9. Have you ever egged someone's house on Halloween, or done any other such "trick"?
Never.
10. Do you believe in ghosts?
I believe that there is a whole lot about the nature of the universe (multiverse?) that we don’t understand.

It finally feels like fall, and we’ve gotten 3 days of rain to help make up for the long dry summer!! The downside to this is the fact that everyone around here has forgotten how to drive in anything except clear dry roads. The number of accidents has to have doubled for the last couple of days.

This afternoon we took Lucy to the dog club and practiced both agility and obedience, as well as gave her lots of time to play with her puppy friend Tonks. Now she's all tired out, and the house is quiet. She isn't even crying that Tigs is sitting in the dining room next to it's cage.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow! I'm taking Tigs out on a date. I'm afraid I can't tell you where, because she doesn't know yet. But I know it's something she's definitely going to enjoy. :-)

Tuesday night was rough. Lucy was very much not in the mood to listen to me, and was very much in the mood to herd me. At home this isn’t such a big deal. Out on a hike, likewise, not a big deal. During agility class, as we are running side by side, and she decides to leap up and grab at my shorts and I’m in significant danger of falling on her or stepping on her, then it becomes a bigger deal. On top of the danger to her, there is also the embarrassment of having your dog not listen to you. At all. In front of the entire class. The worst part of the embarrassment is that I feel like I should know how to correct it, and I don’t. So I get frustrated, and when I get frustrated I also tend to get mad. I don’t like getting that way, because while the emotions are mine, I take it out on Lucy, and on Tigs. I get snippy, and short, and I hate it when I take it out on them.

Aside from that it’s been a decent week. I’ve gotten my grades back on all the assignments and tests for both classes, and so far I’m getting an A in both. I’m not entirely thrilled with the A in accounting though, because it’s a curved A. I’m going to have to work harder between now and the next test (2-3 weeks). I really wish that school ran on 7 week quarters, rather then the 15 week semesters. I felt so much more motivated during the summer sessions to get stuff done because I only had so much time to do it in. With 15 weeks, it feels like forever. That’s plenty of time to get everything done! Until you realize that it’s 3 weeks till the end of the term, and you now have that time to do 12 weeks worth of back homework. Personally I don’t want to spend December freaked out about school. I’d like to be comfortable with my grades and my work by that point.

I started painting up another warlock. I decided on an orange robe, something a little different, and also in the theme of the month. At first I was unsure about the color choice, but I kept at it, and wanted to see if I could make it work. At this point the robe needs maybe one more highlight, just on the very edges, and then on to the his face and hands. I really like the figure too, as there are a lot of neat little details like the frog on his shoulder, and the claw coming out of his backpack. Pictures eventually. I’d say soon, but really I can’t promise that.

( Stolen from silentrequiem )

( Friday Five! )

Damn. I was going to make pumpkin bread tonight, but the pumpkin went bad. *sigh*

I’m so glad that the accounting test that was originally scheduled for this week was pushed back to next week. On the other hand if it hadn’t, I probably would have spent more time studying this past weekend. So either way…

After work Wednesday night I went straight to the “meet and greet” up in White Marsh. Overall I think it went really well for what it was. It’s kind of hard to gauge on two 5 minute interviews, but I *think* I may get a call back, even if it’s simply because I’m an internal candidate. I decided to go in my scrubs after tigergladys convinced me that it was a good idea. Her reasoning was that this being a very preliminary interview, the guy coming in directly from work wearing scrubs stands out against the horde of guys wearing dark suits. It made sense to me! Now we’ll see if it pays off.

Thursday after work I headed directly for school, as I still had the make up test to take. It was a bigger hassle getting there, signing in, and waiting for them to take me back to take the test then it was to actually take the test. I’m pretty sure I only got one question wrong, and that’s because I couldn’t remember a vocab word. It was a fill in the blank question! Once the test was over I went and joined tigergladys at the dog club to help pack for the event this weekend. After that we went home, ordered Chinese, and finished the first disk of season 2 of Bones.

This weekend will be a busy one. There is an agility trial down in Millersville where I’ll be entering the scores for the runs. Then there is the usual First Saturday activities up in Frederick. We wont be getting there as early as we usually do, because of the agility trial, but that’s ok, cause most of the stuff tends to go on in the evening anyway! Plus Brainstorm is open till 7!

Next week’s business management class has been cancelled for unknown reasons. This is fantastic news as I can now use that time to get some serious studying done for my accounting test, something I’m not going to get much of this weekend.

You know what I’m going to miss doing this weekend though? Painting. I could probably squeeze a little bit of time in to do that, but that’s time I know I should be studying. The guilt wouldn’t be worth it this weekend. So no painting, and that’s ok.

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1. What is your favorite color? Forest Green
2. What colors do you like to decorate with? Greens and blues
3. Is there a color that you absolutely hate? No. There are some that are completely inappropriate for some things (hunter orange for bedroom walls for example), but none I hate.
4. Which colors look best on you? As rarely as I wear it I like a strong red.
5. Which colors do you wear most often? Light blue scrubs.
6. How long can you hold your breath? About a minute, probably longer if I really needed to.
7. How long do you wait to cut your hair? Cut? I trim it when the ends get bad, but no cutting.
8. How long do you normally wait at the grocery? I usually only wait a minute or two in line.
9. How long can you sing a song without getting the lyrics wrong? It depends on the song!
10. How long is the best relationship you've been in? Well the best would be this one, and it’s been 4 years, 8 months, 12 days.
11. Of the people in your life, who is Most Likely to Succeed? Me! Accounting, here I come!
12. Of the people in your life, who has the Dreamiest Eyes? Tigs
13. Of the people in your life, who is the Cutest Couple? Lucy and Tonks
14. Of the people in your life, who is Most Changed? Eric
15. Of the people in your life, who is the Geekiest? Oh man… the levels of geeky that pervades my friends makes it really hard to quantify.

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And in a total moment of geekery I would so love to do this. Unfortunately that’s the same night as agility class.

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Meant to post this last night....

Friday Five!

What was the last thing taken from you without your permission?

My CDs.

Who was the photographer the last time a picture of you was taken?

Tigs :-)

When were you last taken by surprise?

No.

When were you last taken for a ride (interpret literally or figuratively!)?

Tigs took me to Glen Burnie this past weekend.

Where were you the last time you wished to be “taken away from all this?”

Work.

What was the most sick that you've ever been?

Really bad GI infection.

What disease are you afraid of getting?

MRSA

Are you a big baby when it comes to taking medicine/shots for your illnesses?

No, just a big baby about getting sick.

Is going to the doctor really THAT bad?

No, it’s just not really worth it for me.

Would you have the flu twice a month if you were paid $1,000 for having it?

For just one month? Sure. To have it every month? It would have to be a lot more then that.

What do you consider to be your strongest talent?

Procrastination.

Do you have any other talents that you're particularly fond of?

Figuring out unusual tricks for strategy games. Painting.

Describe one talent you wish you possessed?

Piano, and I’m working on it.

How do you display or make use of your talents?

Well, I post about it here!

What do you think drives so many people to watch and/or participate in talent shows and competitions?

The adrenalin rush.

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This past week… Lets see. Business Management got out way early so the prof and half the class could watch the Ravens game. Then there was agility class, which you could see a bit of here. Wednesday was accounting, which went really well considering I hadn’t done the homework, and had only read the chapter (most of it) right before class. Normally I try to read the chapter twice before the class. Yesterday I ended up staying late at work to make a bunch of last minute changes to a all the stuff for the Friday morning meeting. Don't worry, I won't bore you with the details. Then I ended up making some garlic mashed potatoes (SO MUCH YUM!!) and biscuits for dinner.

Tonight was a trip to Goodwill where i picked up a Michael Buble CD and Tigs got a new shirt, and a CD. Then we went on to Trader Joe's, which maybe we shouldn't have done hungry... But we got some really really good strawberries.

1. Have you ever been pulled over? How many times? I’ve been pulled over a couple of time for speeding, and driving with an expired registration.

2. What are you most likely to be pulled over for? (Speeding? Reckless driving? Expired tags/inspection? Bad signal/headlight?) In the future? Probably something stupid like a bad signal.

3. You're driving along on your merry way when you see a police car. What is your first thought? I check the speed I’m going.

4. When you see a cop car, do you hit your brakes or keep your foot on the gas? I keep my foot on the gas. Maybe let up on it a bit, depending on how fast I’m going.

5. What's your personal speed limit? How do you determine what it is for any given road? Usually around 5mph over the listed speed limit. This of course depends on how much over the limit everyone else is going.

6. What’s something you suspect you regularly overpay for? Car insurance.

7. What’s something you suspect you regularly underpay for?

8. What’s taking up more of your time than it should? The leasing office

9. What’s causing you stress only because you let it? Life.

10. If all your karma were based on your positive and negative attitudes, would it be in good shape, in bad shape, or perfectly in balance? It would be in good shape, but it would need a little work.

11. If you were a full course meal what would you be?
soup: French Onion
salad: Caesar
meat: Roast Pork
dessert: Pumpkin Pie with Vanilla Ica Cream!
beverage: Spiced Apple Cider

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Over the weekend tigergladys and I spend a couple of hours each day painting agility equipment at the club. Each day we went early and met up with the owners of another puppy named Tonks, and we gave the puppies the chance to play with each other. It went really well, they really liked each other, and they tired themselves out with greater ease and pleasure then we could do. The best part was that they offered to take Lucy during the day over the next couple of weeks, rather then us putting her into doggie daycare at Petco or the vets office.

Tuesday was Lucy’s first time spending the day not at home and not with us since we got her. She loved it, and now seems to love us less. She also came home completely exhausted. We needed to make a quick trip to Trader Joe's, and because she didn’t even get off the couch as we were leaving we decided to not lock her in the kitchen. When we got home, she had moved to the floor, but that was it. She was so exhausted I had to carry her upstairs at bedtime. She was ready to sleep on the couch rather then move!

As most of you know Friday we got a letter from the leasing office letting us know that they would be doing inspections of the property between the 4th and the 14th. With the arrival of the letter I contacted the bank where we got our car loan about getting pre-approved for a mortgage, and Tuesday we heard back. We’re pre-approved for $190,000, which depending on where we look can get us a fair house. That is of course, more then we can currently afford, though by the time Spring rolls around I should be making significantly more. So now it’s time to contact a realtor, and get ourselves into our own house!

In addition to painting, finding some place for Lucy to go for the next 2 weeks, and calling the bank, we spent a whole lot of time cleaning. It’s probably one of the top 3 cleanest the house has been since we moved in. It’s kind of nice having it all clean, but having to keep it clean for the inspections is a pain.

I finished the game of Galactic Civilizations that I was playing before. I won through cultural domination of the galaxy. It happened rather quickly too. I think I’m going to go for a variety of game styles as I go along, including an alliance/diplomatic victory, a military victory, and a technological victory, just to see how the game plays differently while attempting those styles. I have however discovered that trying to ally with some of the minor civilizations isn’t all that great an idea. It doesn’t work all that well.

I don’t know if it’s because of playing Galactic Civ that I’m also in the mood to work on my Battlefleet Gothic stuff, or I’ve been playing Galactic Civ because I’m in a sci-fi mood. And I don’t just want to paint them, but I want to do some converting and even some scratch building! Of course all this desire will come to very little. There is too much else going on that needs to be taken care of right now, and many other projects that have a significantly higher priority. Besides, I need more storage for my painted minis. I can keep the unpainted ones in ziplock bags, but ones that I’ve actually finished (and want to keep) need someplace safe to go.

Speaking of higher priority, Wednesday night was accounting. 201 seems to be more about theory and a deeper understanding of why we did all of the things we did in 101 and 102. The professor has stated a couple of times now that it’s not a bookkeeping course, it’s about understanding why you do bookkeeping the way you do. This is, as far as I’m concerned, a great thing. I love theory. Everything works and makes sense, in theory. We’ll see if theory matches reality in this case.

Thursday was payday, so we went to the bank, then came home and watched some TV.

Friday I took off to take Lucy to the vet. She was about due for her rabies vaccination. Her appointment was at 8:30, so up early we headed off. Lucy, thinking we were going to see her friend Tonks again was thrilled to get in the car, but when we hadn’t arrived after about 20 minutes she started to get a little upset with me. She eventually settled down, and just watched out the windows as we drove along. Things went fine at the vets, and he complimented Lucy on how beautiful she was. I agreed, saying she was a pretty girl. He then said that, yes, she is pretty, but he was talking about her personality.

Once we finished up at the vets I took Lucy off on a house hunt. I had found an online listing for a house from 1850 with over an acre of land for a mere $119,000. Ok, it is out in the middle of nowhere, but I’m willing to do the long commute thing for a house at that price. Anyway, we eventually found it (I forgot to print directions, and only had the printable flyer from the web) and it was awful. It was built in the 1850s, maybe updated once in the 1950s, and apparently by midgets who hate windows. Standing on the porch I could hit my head on the ceiling by standing on my toes. The sides of the house each had only one window. The front had 5. The sheds and barn on the land were kinda cool, though also needed some structural work. All in all it was a little disappointing, but not really surprising. Also it is right next to a quarry. That’s what that big white thing is on the map. It’s in a great little town though. Shame.

We then rode back to Frederick , swung by Two Paws Up and Brainstorm Comics, and then onto the park to relax, enjoy lunch, and get some homework done. We succeeded in the first two, and then Lucy started to feel the vaccines. On top of that the day was getting rather hot by this point, so we packed up and headed to the dog club building to get out of the sun. In spite of not feeling all that great Lucy really wanted to play, so again, not a lot of homework got done. Around 4 we headed home, and spent the rest of the night vegging out.

That was all last week. Tomorrow (maybe) I'll post about this past week.