T is for Time Vampires

Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.

Time Vampires are everywhere and you've probably been a victim in your lifetime...and if you haven't...well, it might be time to admit that you are a Time Vampire. Just get it out there, we all already know.

Time Vampires often come when you have the least time to spare. It's as though they know. The Time Vampire is not well-studied due to the fact that researchers generally have a lot of stuff to do and if you hang out near a Time Vampire for too long, you don't get anything done.

Time Vampires are the ones that email, chat, call, visit, show up unexpectedly, etc. and are filled with need. What need? They need your time. They need your advice, counsel, opinion, response, etc. They just want you to give to them. It's very hard to say no to a Time Vampire and they often don't take hints about you needing to get going.

Time Vampires are not malicious. They don't want to hurt you, they just want your valuable (or not so valuable, don't be so full of yourself) time. And just like real vampires they can't come in unless you invite them. So you can't feel too bad when they show up. If you didn't care about them, they wouldn't be there.

A PSA from the Institute for Mythical Creatures.

Ta-Ta for now.

S is for Survey

I learned something last night that was both mind-blowing and earth-shattering. I was, needless to say, blown away and shattered by this revelation. So I am putting this out there for everyone and taking a little survey about the issue. I feel like I'm not alone (I have an N of 2 on this one) in this news being just too crazy, but I'd like to check in with the people.

Survey Question 1:

Did you know that baby carrots aren't really "baby carrots" - they are just pieces cut from regular adult carrots? YOU DID NOT KNOW THAT.

Survey Question 2/3:

ISN'T THAT INSANE? ARE YOU FREAKED OUT? I learned this last night and I am still amazed by it right now.

Survey Question 4/5:

Seriously, how crazy is that? Really? C'mon, that's nuts. The carrot industry has really had me fooled all these years. The even stranger part for me is that I don't like baby carrots that much. I like regular carrots better. I think I can get away with this because it is the center of the carrot so it might have a different taste profile and also apparently the process that they use to cut down the carrots heats them up a bit, so maybe it cooks them ever so slightly. I don't know. Maybe I can just taste deceit.

Survey Question 6:

Is it ever ok to continue standing in the street blocking all lanes of traffic even when a car is coming toward you? The answer to this one is no. No, jerkwads playing football and honestly just standing in the street in a gang formation, it is not ok. I don't care that it's a football weekend. I care that I have places to be. I'm in a car. A CAR! That's like 2000 lbs. of killing action right there. AND I'm driving it. SAFETY FIRST, LOSERS!

Sayonara.

R is for Responses to Readers (Because I love the interaction)

Thanks to my two loyal readers, Haytee and Sara for the questions. I appreciate that you take the time to comment. To the rest of my readers (read: Jesse), it hurts when you don't participate. So, without further ado, the answers to your questions:

Middle Name: Alexander
Milestones: Well, this is actually going to be a sort of a shocking confession. I think that we might be here another 2 years (this year and then next year, graduating in 2010). The reason for that is there are a lot of things to do before I graduate. Technically as far as the school is concerned I need to write and defend my dissertation. I also need to have some first authored papers before applying for a job and if I applied now, I don't have any in print. If I apply next year, the plan is that I would likely have 2, so I think we will wait. It would also be way less stressful for me than if I was trying to get a job/postdoc and do my dissertation all right now. Wow, I feel like I have made a major confession. This only came about in the last 2 weeks.
Plant: Z's favorite plant is, "I love all plants, except the kind that are hard to take care of because I don't like things that think they're better than me."
Floss: I try to floss at least every other day. That being said, it's actually been awhile. But according to the dentist, I'm looking good.
Shoes: No, I've moved 5 times in the last 5 years and at some point, I stopped dragging them around with me. Although they will always have a place in my heart because I don't understand their existence.
Centerpointe: I think that my brother told me that. Strange.
Z: Yes
Dating: Sure, you can definitely tell people that. Also if I come up in conversation, you should mention the following things: successful, almost done with her Ph.D. (make it sound like I'm on my second Ph.D. if you can), had a fabulous wedding, married to an incredible guy, also if you can bring some old pictures of when I was skinnier than I was in high school and show those around as though they are recent, that'd be great.
Reunion: Well, interestingly (or not), there are in fact, two reunion options, that "just happen" to be at the same time, though "not on purpose". I love that it's been 10 years and some people haven't left high school. Anyway, the "official" reunion is:

Sat Oct 11th 2008
Hilton Garden: 11460 W Hilton Way Avondale, AZ

6-7pm Open Reception - Cash Bar & App's
7-11 Dinner & Dancing

Cost is $60

The "unofficial" bbq is:
October 11th 2008

Rio Vista Community Park
8866 W. Thunderbird Rd. - Rio Vista Boulevard
1/4 mile west of Loop 101 on Thunderbird Rd.

Start time 6pm : Park closes at 10:30pm
**We can always head somewhere after if were having a good time

Price is $20 per person

You had to be on myspace to receive word of either of those events. I maintain that is stupid. But there you go. You have to RSVP to both so if you are really going, let me know and I'll get you the contact information.

Well, I hope we've learned a lot about, um, things today. If you have more questions, I'll answer them. I'm all about serving the people.

Rose says, "ba-bye".

Q is for Questions (and Reader Participation)

Q is for questions. As in, you can write in and ask a question and I'll answer it. You don't have to have an account to ask a question, you can be anonymous. Then I'll answer them and it will be fun.

And even if it's not fun...Q is also for quick.

Quit.

P is for Pissed Off

Right now I'm wearing pants, cranky pants. VERY CRANKY PANTS. I'm working on changing my name and it's a hassle. I find that amusing because at first I thought, "man, that's gonna be a big old hassle". But then when I started the process and it seemed easy enough. I still haven't received my new social security card though. Apparently though the post office doesn't have an office name change form, they are very particular about what name appears in my mailbox. Not so particular as to not deliver mail with both my old name and new name on it, but I guess just picky enough to send my social security card back to the home office because they felt that the new name was not properly represented in the mailbox. Next to Zach's last name...which as we've been discussing is my last name too. Written on the ever so official note card. By me. Seriously? That's the solution? I wrote out the names before, I could write anything I want on there. Why are we treating the mailbox like it's some fortress? At least I hope that they just didn't deliver the social security card not. I hope it's not that someone stole it and is using it to establish a whole new awesome identity.

So I'm pissed, peeved, provoked, not happy. And I took it out on someone today. Because not only don't I have a social security card which means no driver's license, etc., but the school emailed me and told me that they won't accept my maiden name as my middle name because they don't have official documentation even though they allowed it to go through before. Well, when I called her (via her email instructions) she told me that they wouldn't accept it, blah, blah and so I did say "bye", but then I sort of slammed down the receiver abruptly and I felt bad. So I sent her this email:

"I think that I was unnecessarily abrupt when I said good bye on the phone today. I wanted to apologize. It's been frustrating trying to get my name changed and I started to take that out on you. I am very sorry. I know that there is no excuse and wanted to let you know that it won't happen again. I hope you have a very nice day otherwise."

She wrote back and thanked me for my email. I felt bad though. I always hated when people were rude to me for no reason just because I was the one answering the phone. I hope that it didn't ruin her day.

P is also for paranoid. Because, and I'm sure this will come as a newsflash, I think I might be dying. I made some apple muffins the other day and I think they went bad, not "rob a liquor store bad", but moldy bad. I was eating one for awhile before I noticed that it didn't taste right. So I might die. Apparently Zach ate one today too...so he might die too.

If I make it through the night, I'll write more tomorrow. If I make it until Monday I am going to stay home all day and watch A MURDER SHE WROTE MARATHON!!!!!! I'm so happy, 26 miles of Jessica Fletcher! Oh, I hope I make it.

Peace out.

O if for...

Out, as in "out of clever ideas". Can you believe I'm out of ideas already? Yeah, me too. I guess we'll see, it's always possible that I'll come up with something. There are a lot of words that start with O, but I'm just not feeling all that creative right now.

My partner in crime did mention today that we should "take some pictures to put up on "our" blog". So I guess O is for Our. Now I'm not allowed to have anything that's my own. I think that is in fact the small print that I signed up for, but it's like, really? 50/50 all the time, huh? Like if I buy ham salad, I'm not supposed to eat the entire thing, I'm supposed to share. But it's ham salad. Perhaps the greatest creation of all time, H-A-M-S-A-L-A-D. Oh man, I really wish I had some ham salad right now. But I digress.

I bring your "our photos" from our blog. Because they are fun and because we are awesome. Omazing...that's not really a word, but it starts with "o".

The "our" in our blog. Yeah, we're looking good today. We only do shots from the neck up so that people can't tell how fat we're getting. Married life is good.

Today we put on our N.A.S.A. tattoos. We represent thug life. Science, space exploration thug life. Martians better start stepping. Anyway, we there are our matching tattoos.

That's my muscle pose.


O is for overlapping...and overexposed (no, it's more likely underexposed, but that starts with "u").

Z likes this one because he likes my face. I can't help it, I'm a white chick, I have to throw up the tough gang signs.

O is for Oppressor. Notice the happy look on my face. Well, it's more like a drunk look, drunk on the power of oppressing.

O is for Oppressed. Yeah, he's not so smug now, is he?

This is an expressive study by Zach. See? In this picture he's pointing to Arizona and Pennsylvania.

In this picture, he's pointing to Iowa. Because that's how we feel about things.

And that's Alex, he's loading up the game for us. This is our new Obsession. Get it? It starts with "o". I am so good at this. I mean, we, we are so good at this...the royal we.

Over and out.

N is for Need

Need, need, need.

I need to start working (it's 5:18 PM) and I haven't yet.
I need to organize my office.
I need to cross things off my list of things to do.
I need some more caffeine, but won't have access for a bit.
I need to answer emails, work on my IRB approval, plan out my semester, blah, blah.
I need to get the taste of garlic out of my mouth (pesto, so good, so garlicky).


Needless to say, I need to relax. So I'm out.