It feels so good...

...to be needed.

Would you believe that I am glad I came to work tonight? I was all cranky because of a sore throat and icky stomach (blame that one on the venti Starschmucks beverage before work) and didn't want to come in at all. I'm also still sore at Molasses boy for quitting on me (Thursday is his last day). Anywho, my work load was very light tonight so I was offering my help to whomever needed it. As it happens, I was desperately needed on the CBC instrument. I've never really worked it before, but how hard can it be? I figured it out, made slides as necessary, and generally kicked ass and took names. One of the sub-bosses was sooooo grateful and nice and sweet and thankful (you get my drift), and it made me feel nice and warm and squishy inside. Yay for being needed!

wtf?

So I'm sitting here at Cafe Brazil killing time before I meet my mother before lunch. Didja know that Cafe Brazil has free wifi? Unlike Starschmucks, they don't make me pay to enjoy my computer. Woo-hoo! Anyway, after the hot chocolate and coffee, I had to make a visit to the little girls room. When I got in there, there was this mop bucket on the floor. No, that in itself is not funny. What is funny is that on the side of the bucket was a label that read "Bucket." Are you kidding? Who cannot tell that a bucket sitting on the floor of a bathroom with cleaning supplies in it is a bucket? I just don't understand. Kinda made me laugh while I peed.

I can't believe how busy this place is so early in the morning. I'm used to coming here late at night or for Sunday lunch. It's a hopping joint on a Tuesday morning. Guess people need their caffeine and breakfast fix. And they do make a good breakfast. Always a good hangout after getting new tires, too. Dang! Three new tires at almost $300. Gotta love the free wifi after that! You kids have a good day now.

Ascarids Abound!

or invasion of the worms...

If you are easily grossed out, do not read this post (this is especially for you, Mother).

For the last two nights up here at work, I've been getting samples in my specimens. Meaning: I'm looking for parasite ova in fecal specimens, and I'm finding the adult worms. Last night I saw my first ever adult hookworm. Not too bad. About an inch long, pink, and dead. Tonight, however, is a different story. I got this one sample that was loaded with roundworms. These things are easily five inches long, all intertwined together in the middle of the specimen, and GROSS!!! It was next to impossible to get a small sample without getting my stick tangled on a worm. Damn vile ascarids! Reminds me of the days of Dr. Stewart's parasitology class. Wish he were still around; he'd love this. He'd have me send you here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascaris) for more info. I'm guessing all my visitors were female strictly due to the size. Ugh! Really glad I didn't meet my friends for spaghetti dinner before work.

proof...

...you really can find anything on the internet!

http://www.mental-health-matters.com/articles/article.php?artID=157

the die is cast...

...and DAMN do I feel better about life.

I started thinking to myself: "Self, why would you want to be in a relationship with this particular guy over someone else (or no one at all)?" I came up with the following list.

PROS
he likes me (says he loves me)
we both like Foamy
we both like steak
we both like animated movies
my family seems to like him

CONS
I'm allergic to his cigarettes
he's allergic to my cats
we hate each other's musical tastes
he hates where I live (the part of town)
he doesn't like to eat out adventurously
he drives like an old man (okay, I realize that's really picky)
he's never heard of Buckminster Fuller (again, picky but science is important to me)
he says he wants us to go out but we never really do
he's depressed (I think clinically)
he's only met 2 of my friends (and that was like pulling teeth)
he's a workaholic
I don't think I can trust him
he hates my shoes (but my mother agrees with him there)
his ex-wives

That's just a sampling of the cons but all of the pros I could come up with. Anywho, I feel a lot better about life at the moment. I've been single for a long time, and I'd rather be happy alone than hesitant and unsure with someone. I will still let him have his say, but I don't really expect to be swayed. Time will tell....

doubt

There is still a lot of it. Why won't my mind stop to consider that there is nothing really wrong? Maybe he's not the one for me.

On a completely different note, I found a great little chart that compares giardia, sarcocystis, yeast, and cryptosporidium all on one page. Yay!!! I think I'm gonna splurge on the $11 and buy it to keep by my microscope at work. Yes, I'm a dork. Getting excited about parasites.

shall I reconsider...

Those who know me know that I tend to jump to conclusions quickly before fully understanding the entire situation sometimes. Seems that may have been the case with me and the boy. At this point in time, I think I must give him the benefit of the doubt. He has never done anything to cause me to doubt his feelings for me. I just wish that I was capable of fully trusting someone with my emotions. Heck, sometimes I don't even trust myself. I know the "reasons in my past" that cause this "problem," but it doesn't make it any easier.

So long story very short, he and I are still a couple. Wish me luck.

new favorite song

From The Faint's most recent album:
(I completely understand, but no worries folks. Really, it's a fantabulous song that just happens to coincide with my life at the moment. It's even as good as Southern Belles in London Sing.)

I disappear
I lost control
My body's moving all on it's own
I watch myself walk away
A foreign spirit took my place
An empty stare
its eyes are dull
So my essence
it's riding my pulse
A Burst of black
A Breath of smoke
I disappeared
I lost control
How could I resist
It's all I've wanted
now I guess I've got it
Why it happened
I don't know
Hope this doesn't last forever
I disappear

it just gets better and better

First I find out the boyfriend is (supposedly) cheating on me (there's still a smidge of benefit of the doubt). Then I cry so much my nose gets all bloody. Next, try as I might, I can't sleep without the help of melatonin. I got maybe 3 hours sleep before I went to work last night. Next, I find out the person who does my job in the daytime called in sick. Now instead of working two lab benches, I had to work two lab benches and one of those carried two shifts of work with it. At this point, you've gotta be thinking to yourself, poor girl! Can't she catch a break? The answer to that is no. After I finished the first set of 40 urine samples (how many people can say that and mean it?), the machine broke down. Again. It was only "fixed" on Monday. I wasted a good 30 minutes trying to run general diagnostics and do the usual tune ups, but no! it couldn't be bothered to remedy itself. Now, not only was I doing the work of three people, I had to do it all manually which takes 4x as long. I was only at the lab for 10.5 hours.

Now I'm back at a friend's place dogsitting. Love the dog. She wants to do nothing but play and love on me. What should I be doing? Sleeping. Can I? No way in hell. Ya, I can't wait to go back to work in 8.5 hours. :-( At least we were busy last night. Helps take the mind off the everything. Dare I risk saying it, but what will go wrong tonight?

Maybe I'll hold off on the blogging for a while until things perk up. I hate depressing blogs.

I was right

I need to learn to listen to my instincts. I was right. Every man is a dog. The boy has been cheating on me. Glad I found out. At least I was feeling paranoid for a reason.

I miss Mr. Rogers

Even though he's only been gone a little less than 4 years, I really miss the man and his iconic show. Even as an adult he could make you see that there was still good in the world.

Unlike now. Molasses Man gave his 2 weeks notice today. I told him I was going to chain him to the microscope and, if that didn't work, I was going to have to kill him (metaphorically speaking people). He just laughed. He doesn't give a rat's hind end. He's moving back to sunny California (unless he's going to snowy Malibu) with his girlfriend to teach at a junior college. No wonder he's been so happy lately knowing he was going to leave me in the lurch.

I wonder if that is why my dreams have been so effed up lately--all about death, dying, the apocolypse, crumbling teeth, and snakes. The crumbling teeth thing is a recurring theme. When I wake up I have to feel my teeth to make sure they are really still there. Creepy! I'm sure that is also part of the reason I've not been well rested lately. Stupid dreams.

One more random thing of note: turkey is not a good substitute for chicken in stir fries. I made something last night (the night before?) with turkey since I had some in the fridge. It was okay, but I highly recommend springing for shrimp or something other than turkey. Much too strong of a flavor. It was kinda like Thanksgiving Stir Fry. Weird.

So, if anyone wants to try and make me as happy as Mr. Rogers could, I'll take all the cheeriness I can get! I wonder if there are reruns at a time graveyard-shifters could watch it? At this rate, I'll never make day shift.

*snork*

I think Heather's cure for the common cold gave me one. My throat is all ouchy, I'm all sinus drainy, and I wanna stay in bed for the next 4 days. I love me some Stars hockey games in person, but DAMN! can't they keep it a touch warmer in that stupid AAC?

Ahhh, but it was a sweet game.

On a completely different front, I got chewed out by the boy this morning. Turns out someone doesn't like things left on the windshield of his car. Hells bells, man! How was I supposed to know? Granted, with his line of work, he's got a small reason to be paranoid of stuff like that. I mean, he has been followed into his parking lot at work by a guy with a gun. Needless to say, I will never be doing that again. Guess I need to get his official mailing address. See, when I was listening to the sermon for the 2nd time Sunday morning, I decided to write him a little note. Nothing errant or "unchurchy" in it either. I will not defile the sacred space (another foamy-ism). How else was I supposed to get the letter to him? All is well though. He called me later to apologize for getting a little ranty (not his word). I slept quite well after that!

drat and damnation

New slow as molasses guy is going to quit. There goes my ever getting out of work at a decent time again. Doesn't he realize that I need him to be here, no matter how slowly he works, so I only have one job to do? C'mon, they just started trying to train me on one more thing tonight! I'm not that good/dedicated of a worker! Well, actually I am. Drat. Why do I feel the need to constantly over-achieve and accomplish more than they expect me to? Oh ya, because I'm a 6 (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numerology for the stupid reason). I didn't plan it that way; I wish I could've been a 3. Anywho, I'm tired, and I think it shows. Gotta go see if my retic is ready.

And thanks to the H-bomb for an AWESOME afternoon!

my Charlie Chaplin moment

With the nasty cold as Dante's hell weather came the wind. The wind has never really caused me much trouble before (except when I still had Zeppo) until yesterday. After church and lunch, KC and I went to the grocery store to help her kill time and because I needed kosher salt. Well, on our way out of the building (without my salt, dagnabit!), the wind caught my cute little black velvet hat I got in the Land of Eng. I had to chase that puppy through the parking lot for about 2 rows. What made it hilarious was that everytime I got close to catching it, the wind would pick up again and carry it a little farther away from me. There was one man walking though the lot while this was happening, and he and KC couldn't quit laughing. A true gentleman would've helped me stop the windnapped hat. It was so cold that once I caught it, I had to put it back on. Eeeew! Now it was all wet and cold. Damn and blast! I think KC will remember that for some time to come.

bored at work--electric debacle

Due to the "inclement" weather in Northern Texas, we are waiting waiting waiting for our shipment from Houston and Austin. They are being driven rather than flown up here. Gah! Houston is still at least an hour away, and who knows where Austin is. Luckily for you, I have time to blog away!

When I left work at 8:30 this morning, I was looking forward to going home to a nice warm bed and getting some desperately needed sleep. Hah on that one. When I got to my house, it seemed a tad chilly. I went straight to the utility room to feed the boys, and when I flipped the light switch nothing happened. Cripes, the power was flickering yesterday, and today is was just plain out. I looked at the temperature thingy I've got by the door, and it was 53 degrees in my house. I like it chilly, but that was a bit much. I then realized that the entire house was not without power. The hallway, bathroom, and tv room had power. Unfortunately, none of those circuits controlled the heater, the water heater, or anything involved with heat. I found my step ladder, crawled in the closet and started futzing with the breakers in the fuse box, but it didn't look like any of them had been tripped. Arrgh! I was getting really cold. I did what any warmish blooded American woman would do--I called my father. I explained the situation, went breaker by breaker through the fuse box with him, went outside (in the cold, cold rain) to look at the meter, and finally he decided I had "dropped a phase." Huh? Then he preceded to give me a mini physics lecture on alternating current. While, surprisingly, it made sense, it wasn't solving my problem. That's when I decided I had to call the power company.

Did you know that Green Mountain Energy does not have anyone you can speak with on the weekends? Ya, I found that out today--Saturday. Luckily, after a lot of looking, I found the number to call for emergency power outages. Of course it sent me to TXU. Anywho, when I got the woman on the phone, my power immediately came back on. It was a miracle! I explained my problem, told her about the dropped phase (which she completely understood), and she said they'd send someone out at some point. About 2 minutes after we got off the phone, the power died again. Arrgh!!! I called back, got someone different, and said I wanted her to magically fix it like the previous woman had. We both laughed at that one. She said that someone would be out by 11:30am to look at my problem. At that point, I bundled up in wool socks, slippers, an extra sweat shirt, and my comforter on the front sofa and tried to sleep. Ya, that didn't happen.

The TXU man actually got to my place about 10:15--way ahead of schedule. God bless TXU. He wandered around for a bit and found the problem. Out at the meter, some of the "ancient wirings" (his words) were shot. The insulation was gone, the wires were dry-rotted, and the rain hitting the wires was causing a short. Also, if you looked at it from the just-right angle, you could see smoke coming from the bad wires. Eek! There were even some scorch marks on the house. Guess I'm lucky the place didn't go up in flames at some point previously. He was able to make a temporary fix so I can have power until we have an electrician come out and repair the whole shebang. I repeat, God bless TXU!

At this point, I was able to go to bed and get a whopping 3 hours sleep before I had to get back up to go to a family gathering and then work. Just please don't let me get iced in up here.

the almost perfect date

It's sad, really, when you have to plan a date with your sweetie way in advance just so you can spend time with each other. That's what we did this past Thursday night, and it was almost perfect.

We started off by going to a Stars game. Unfortunately, the Stars didn't show up so we watched the Mighty Ducks play what was obviously some local high school hockey club team. There were a couple of good fights, but the refs seemed to be against the "Stars" in every penalty call. Oh well. As he said, it's not whether the Stars win but the fact that we're together. What a sweetie! There was also talk of whether of not we could catch a puck where we were sitting. I said yes, he said not on your life (we were in the nosebleed section but on the front row). One can only hope, right? Anyway, he went off to get a drink and missed the high school team's only goal and a fantastic boarding by one of the "Stars" to a Duck. Copious amounts of blood and everything! I was starting to get worried that maybe he'd left me there because he was so bored, but he finally returned. He'd gotten a drink for me (the correct choice without even asking, too). After he sat down, I heard this "Wait, what's that?" as I saw something fly though the air. All of a sudden there was a puck at my feet. What the poo? They weren't even playing. The boy bought a puck while he was away and tossed it toward me so I could catch a puck in my nosebleed seat. Is there anything sweeter??? When the debacle of a game finally ended (1-5), we left and went back to his place to watch a movie. I love that I'm in love with a guy who likes animated movies! We watched Madagascar, and he had to endure me telling him the differences between all the different lemurs and little obnoxious facts about them. "The one on the left is a ruffed lemur; that little cute one is a bush baby; did you know that lemur societies are matriarchal?" Poor guy.

The only way the date would've been perfect is if the Stars had come to the game and beaten the Mighty Ducks. I mean, c'mon, how threatening can a team with a name like "Mighty Ducks" really be? None of the scary creatures from horror movies are ever webbed footed avian creatures. Bah!

scariness

When I was driving to work last night, there was this crazy, obviously lit, person driving in front of me. I debated calling 911 since they were weaving all over the 3 lanes of the highway. Once they almost took out the median, and once they almost smashing into a toll booth. Is it really considered an emergency when someone is driving erratically? Should I have called 911? I have to admit, I spent most of the 4 minutes I was close to this other car as safely far away as possible without stopping in the middle of the road. I wish I could explain how scary it was. Made me think of those times you hear on the news about people on the side of the road fixing a tire or whatnot getting taken out by some lunatic.

Gah! I think the weather or time of year is getting to me. I feel like a Garbage song: "I Think I'm Paranoid." At least it's a good song.

catch up time

Good Lord, there are so many things I've wanted to type the past few days, but I haven't had time to sit in front of the computer for longer than 3 minutes in a spell. I'll try to keep it all to a minimum.

Crazy Cat Lady
I love my Cornelius! The other night when I got home from the post Bible study pub crawl, he was so happy to have me home. He just had to be next to me touching me in sort fashion--usually sitting on my leg. Anywho, when I finally gave up the ghost and turned out all the lights for bed (I stayed up til 2:30; I was proud I stayed up that long on a night off), he left me all alone. For a cat who couldn't stand to be awat from me for 2 seconds earlier in the night, it didn't make sense. Lo and behold, about 2 minutes later, the boy jumped back up on the bed. From the foot of the bed he walked all the way up my side til he was standing on the side of my rib cage. I was about to protest when I felt a soft thud on my shoulder. My sweet kitten brought me Duckie! (Duckie is his favorite toy that has been resewn and repaired so many times there is no longer anything left to mend.) C'mon! How bloody cute is that?!?

Crazy Biologist Girl
Yes, I almost wrecked my car today because of a bird. When I was driving home past the lake today, I saw a belted kingfisher (go here for more info: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Belted_Kingfisher.html). I've never seen one inside any city's limits before. I almost freaked! They are totally cool because the female is actually more colorful than the male of the species (that's unusual in case you didn't know). I considered going back to look at it again, but I had to get home to a computer and see if I was gonna purchase...

NHL All Star Game!
...tickets. I got this email from the Stars association thingy about how they were releasing some "leftover" tickets for the All Star game. I would (almost) give my eye teeth to go to that game. However, the least expensive tickets are $130, and there were not 2 seats together anywhere in the AAC for that price. Please! Do they think I'm made of money? Only if they think money is made of skin, fat, and red hair. Pshaw!

I'm sure there is other stuff I wanted to add, but my brain is tired now. After reading 80 urine samples and 42 fecal slides, all I wanna do is sleep (no not "have some fun"--good Lord, I hate Sheryl Crow anyway--stupid hooker broke up Lance and his wife then split after the fun was gone in my humble and probably incorrect opinion).

2nd post in one night shift

I know, quit posting about meanless crap. But that's what I do best!

So here's the senario: it's 1:30am and I'm starving. Normally I eat right before I come into work, but today I wasn't hungry. Bah hah! It caught up with me. Anywho, I work close to a Whataburger and Taco Bell both of which have the 24 hour drive through business. I think, "hmmm, a whatacatch would be good--thanks for the idea Lindy," and I drive on over to the WB. Holy mother of Buddha, the drive through was longer than long--all the way through the parking lot! I'm like, WTF? Think 1:30am with 3-4 large bars and sports bars in the area. Every drunk hoo-hah was out trying to get snacks after getting liquored up. Grrr! I ended up at Taco Hell just because the line was shorter, and I knew they'd be faster.

Now my mouth is on fire--thank you fire sauce. That's all for now.

he lives!

Yes, I finally heard from the elusive boy. With everything going on in his life (working too much, sickness with no health insurance, evil ex giving away his dog, etc), he's just been slightly underwhelmed. He doesn't hate me, nor does he not want to see me anymore. I can FINALLY put my mind at ease.

Now if I can just make it through one more night of work! =)

stream of consciousness musings at 5am

So, I actually finished all my work super early. I'm glad the new guy started working nights (even if he is slow as molasses). I got to concentrate on the important tasks.

Why do vets insist on ordering a direct when there is plenty for a float? Why can't they let me decide on which is a better choice. I am the expert.

When you eat broccoli with dinner, it's a good thing when you work with poop. That way, if you pass gas (God forbid), you can blame the smell on the specimens. Not that I would know this from experience or anything.

Why are girl friends sooooooooo much better than guy friends? I had dinner with 2 friends tonight, and they did everything in their power to cheer my sorry ass up. At one point, the H-bomb looked at me and said "stop it." I'm all like "what?" She said "I know that look. Stop it." What amazing friends I have.

Why is it near impossible to get some people to respond to you in a timely fashion? How hard is it for someone to say, you know I'm busy and can't spend a lot of time talking, but yes, I got your email/phone call/note. Thanks for being an ass! (you know who you are)

In the same vein, how hard is it for someone to say "thank you" when you do them a favor? Better yet, why can't they make 10 minutes for you when they are in town after a long absence? I have tried, and I am done with that one.

Why has the Corn Muffin started to revel in the swirling of flushing toilet water? Sometimes when I'm in the bathroom brushing my teeth or washing my face, he'll come in and hang around the toilet until I flush it. Then he jumps up on the rim and splashes a paw in the water. I've raised a freak.

Ya, pms is not a good thing for me. Thanks for putting up with my complaints and musings. Mmmmm, Muse. Love them!

Give this a try...

How well do you know me?

http://www.testriffic.com/friendtest/1490691

what an endorsement

You ever have one of those days when you don't want to cook for yourself? A day when the stress (or PMS, or work, or whatever) is just getting to you and you want comfort food. That was me yesterday. I sent the H-bomb a text (while I was sill at work at 8am) to see if she wanted lunch. Yay, she did! We planned to have me pick her up and go to Pappadeaux for some rockin' dog awesome fried goodness. I got the shrimp po' boy (with extra pickles...mmmmmmmmm) while she was good and got a salad with fried crawfish (okay, so maybe not that good). It was delightful! Then I went home, slept, got up, showered and went to choir. Afterwards, Kaycee and I decided we needed sustinance. After throwing the names of places around that were close to church, she picked...you guessed it...Pappadeaux. Did I complain? Hell no! So for dinner I got the greek salad and crawfish bisque. Then we split the banana pudding. Oh heavenly goodness that abounds in your mouth with bananas and wafers! It was exactly what I needed yesterday.

Now what can I have today to lift my spirits? I'd just be happy to hear from the boy.

happy new year!

It's now 2007. Who ever thought we'd make it this far?

They say that the people you are with at midnight are the ones who you will be with all year. Since I am known as preemptive strike girl, I'd like to whole heartedly thank Heather, Jenny, Wil, Lindy, Elizabeth, and Alex for being here with me this year. It has the potential to be rough for quite a few people I know, but we'll all make it through just fine. If nothing else, we have each other!

And extra thanks to Jenny and Wil for the awesome Nip/Tuck marathon yesterday. I'd never seen it before, and now I can see why people like it. Man, is it twisted! Not very realistic, but if it were, they'd call it Dr. 90210 instead. There's enough reality in life--I wanna watch things that distract me from this reality called life. I may have to add this show to my list of things I watch as often as possible. It won't ever beat House though, but that's because I have a serious sick crush on Hugh Laurie. Mmmmmmm, what a hottie!