Well, I moved in a couple weeks ago, and am back online. Dialup - about 48k give or take depending on the day. We can't get DSL out here. Or cable.

The job's going fairly well. The office is much quieter than working at a front desk, that's for sure. I'm still learning my way around a bit, but I figure that'll take a while.

In the meantime, I need to seek out a place where I can do socialish things. Haven't found many people my own age just yet... dunno if I will. Granted it's not so much the age as the type of people. I need to find people I can actually talk to easily, which around here is a teensy bit harder than in Athens. But then, Athens has a lot more people... yes, even in summer when the students are gone.

I got my letter saying I graduated and that my diploma will be in the mail in 6-8 weeks. THat's good news, though I wonder why it takes them so long to send out a piece of paper. *shrugs* I'm just glad to have official word. I heard too many horror stories of seniors finding out at the very last minute that they had one more class, having to cancel jobs and all that fun stuff.

And now it's about time I sat down with my cat. She's been trying to get my attention all night.

Is this my sendoff? The same person's car alarm going off every night this week?

It just stopped for about 30 seconds... then started again.

It's been going for at least an hour. And I can't drown it out.

*twitch*

I will be moving in a couple weeks, and I don't know how long it'll take to get internet set up. Even then, it may be dialup, so I dunno how much online stuff I'll be able to stand doing if it loads slow at all. My dad says he THINKS DSL will be available on our road, if not now, soon. I get to rent the trailer that half the family has lived in. Woo baby.

Well, IF I get my job, that is. If not, it'll be even longer before I return. Because I'll be living with my parents. Yeah. x.x Not a very motivating environment. I mean, my parents are great but... I prefer having my own space. That's mine. And stuff.

Until then, I get to pack junk. Loads of fun.

Hopefully I'll be able to move out of the black hole soon. Sounds like I may be stuck there at least till winter. *heh*

Pangaea Tea

I have crossed an odd line today in my "I might as well be working here" thing with random places uptown.

I invented a new drink at Pangaea. And Kevin let me name it and is going to talk to the owner about having it officially put on the menu.

So if you ever go there and order a Mad Cow, think of me.

Been in bed most of the day.

So much for my weekend.

The best laid plans.......

I'm sitting here waiting for news from my boyfriend before I head off to the library to be all piratical and such at the library (don't look at me like that - it's a medieval demo, where piracy is perfectly allowed... just a bit difficult with no oceans nearby). He probably won't be up for a bit, but I'd like to try and find out when he's dropping by before dragging myself out of pajamas.

This is my first weekend in a while I've had time to really just kick back. And will be the first time in two months I've seen him. I've been running into the ground this year... it's kind of hard to plan for company when you don't have time to spend with anyone. But according to my advisor, I do, in fact, have all my requirements covered and am set to graduate on time. This is good news. I am ready to be done, and thankfully have a job waiting for me when I get out.

I consider myself lucky for that. The market just isn't that great these days. I know a lot of good, intelligent, hard-working people who are stuck still looking for jobs. Some graduated quite a while ago. And I know it's not for lack of skill, or people skills, or anything that a company should want.

But I at least have something. Not exactly my dream job, but it sounds like it's going to be a pretty decent atmosphere, which can make all the difference.

It's not over yet though. I still have a couple more weeks to get through, a presentation, some more papers, and my exams. 3 exams in the same day, because everybody decided to have them the last day of class. Two of those should be easy. One is from one of the profs who grades in ways that don't make sense (yes, the entire class is in agreement on this). Aside from that one exam, after Sunday the headache should be over. Well, technically after Tuesday but by then we'll have the project done, we just have to present it is all. And that's only in 5 minute slots for each group member.

Anyway, I should go attempt to do something semi-productive for a bit. Maybe clean up a little.

O.o

I think somebody on the maintenance staff must be suicidal...

It appears some crazy SOB has gone and mowed the hill.

If you've ever seen the hill up to my apartment, you'll understand why they'd have to about have a death wish.

I think I've finally found my SCA name. One that is normally masculine, but I managed to find a source (linked from St Gabriel's so one would assume it to be accurate) showing it used as least once as a feminine given name in I believe 1595 - I have it bookmarked. May have the date a tad off but I know it was 1500s.

I had thought of it earlier, and originally expected to have to feminize it. But I can't find the feminized form in the archives, so masculine and documented on a female version it is.

Just need to find time to track down a herald and get that and my device in. But I intend to wait a bit to see how the name sits with me.

Meanwhile, I think maybe I missed my chance. Was invited yesterday to come along for an event this weekend - camping included - and emailed after trying to call a number that was no longer in service (I forgot I didn't have her number until she had disappeared, and had told her I would have to check my to-do list and get back to her if I had time). Then today found what I think was the right number, but have heard no response yet. Something tells me they left this morning and I'm SOL.

Are all my attempts to go camping this year going to be thwarted?

I really could have used the change of scenery. I'm getting bored here.

Temptation

My will power was almost broken today.

I was in Lollipop buying a couple things to feed my sweet tooth, when I saw a great gift from the chocolate gods:

A Godiva chocolate Easter bunny.

Oh, I succeeded in resisting. I knew I shouldn't. I have a mess of uneaten chocolate here... but... this was GODIVA.

It wasn't about a diet or anything. Lord knows I coulkd do to gain some weight.

But fifteen bucks for something that, knowing me, would be gone in the space of a couple hours? Nah. I'll wait and buy their ice cream. It has bits of their chocolate in it, and comes cheaper than buying just the chocolate.

Food update

Now that I managed to grab the kitchen before my roommates, I cooked up the meat I marinated the other day.

Not bad, but there wasn't nearly enough spice to offset the coconut and lime. So it tastes a lot weaker than it smelled.

Oh, and in case anybody cares, it looks like I'll be moving to Newark sometime this summer. I currently have an offer for a full-time job at a school board office. Ought to be enough to live off of, and enough to get a small apartment of my own. I am, however, taking my mother's advice to live at home just long enough to make sure I like the job and want to stick with it, so I don't sign a lease before I am sure. Only annoyance is that means I will more than likely have to start driving again. Not a big fan of that. There's public transportation if I do live in town, but I'll have to check into how good it is.

Experimental cooking

Well, here I go trying something on a whim again. Duno how it'll turn out. See, I don't often have the attention span to want to use a recipe, but occasionally I'll get this idea for a combination of flavors that sounds like it might be good. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. It's usually at least edible though.

Today's experiment is marinating in the fridge right now. Venison in coconut milk, lime juice, ginger, and five-spice. It smells good enough. Let's hope it tastes that way. Feels like I need another "cold" flavor, but I don't have one to add at the moment.

I plan on doing seasoned potatoes with it. Hopefully it'll turn out decent.

I need to keep coconuts around more often. They're a "fresh" food that won't go bad quickly as long as they're not cracked, and I had almost forgotten how much I like them. of course, if I do that I may have to buy a hacksaw, since despite the fact that I have a hammer, I apparently can't wield it with enough force to crack the things. I had to get my dad to do it for me when he stopped by this weekend.

Meanwhile, I have just applied for graduation. It feels a bit surreal...

Yesterday in psycholinguistics I had a horrific moment. We were going over grammar, and eventually got around to explaining why there is an infinite possibility for new and unique sentences, when the dreaded word was mentioned:

Recursion.

My blood ran cold.

But rather than the mind-numbing explanation I have gotten before, the prof gave an example if "the house that jack built". I won't say that I fully understand now, but at least I have a sort of basic idea - better than I had before.

I need ideas of simple things I can do with coconut milk.

Other than just drink it. I prefer my coconuts cruncy, not liquid. :P

Had a whole big spiel but I have work to do and don't feel like typing anyway. So I'll do the short version.

Went uptown at lunch, grabbed something at Pita Pit, and headed toward Pangaea/the Athens Book Center (they're in the same building, for those who don't know). On the way found a store I'd never seen before called Bali Karma, who brings in imported stuff. Small shop, nice little place though. Went to the tea shop, found that they are, in fact, selling their teas now, and got some of their jasmine for the sake of a loose leaf version. Tried to get some work done, got one more paragraph, and ended up talking the whole time.

Good company at that place. And intelligent conversation - though occasionally silly. There was a tangent about tamarins (as in the primate) swimming around in lemonade after somebody mentioned the lemonade his friend was drinking tasted like it had tamarinds in it (not that I know what those are). There was also a random psychological discussion.

Saw Zak and Barbara on the way back toward class, though I'm not sure they actually knew who I was depite stopping to chat with me a minute or two. Didn't think about the fact that they've only seen me maybe 3 times until we'd already gone off in different directions.

Very nice day today. I came back to find the thermostat up so I just turned it off and flung open the windows.

I bought a thermos from Starbucks when I was with my parents. Nice thing, got it on clearance, so presumably they are no longer using this design. But it's 100% spill proof when the drinking hole latch is shut (trust me, I've tried purposely to spill it and didn't succeed - just to test it before I tossed it in my bookbag). And I discovered another awesome, but slightly dangerous thing about the design today. It doesn't lose heat. AT ALL. I'm dead serious. Tempted to leave some of that tea in there overnight to see if it cools down at all. But I pulled it out this morning in the middle of my first class, and the sides felt cold. Not cool, not lukewarm, COLD. So I figured it must be cool enough I can drink it. Wrong. I burnt my mouth. So I was cursing myself for that, but at the same time thinking how cool that was. I had to remove both the lid and the stopper to let it cool down, and didn't bother to drink another drop till the class ended. By the end, it was cooled enough to be safe, so I put both caps back on. This was at 10am.

Fast forward to 1. I expect it to have cooled down at least a bit by then. Nope. It's still hot.

Then to the middle of my final class. Still hot. Steaming in fact.

And it's still steaming hot now.

I've had thermal mugs and thermoses before, but never one that worked THIS well. It's definitely worth the money I paid for it. But I do need to remember now that liquids need to be cooled to drinkable temp BEFORE they go in the thermos. Because that was painful.

I've come to find that a cup of tea can bring a bit of brightness to the dullest of days. I'll try most kinda once, though I must admit I'm not much a fan of fruit teas, nor have I found many black teas I like served hot. I have an affinity for some herbal teas, and most greens. The current favorite is jasmine green tea, which I've only just tried.

I thought for a while I was losing my taste for tea, until I realized something today. I love drinking tea while at my parents' house. I tend to drink it less while in my apartment. I finally figured out that it is not me, and it isn't the tea. It's the water.

My parents have a reverse osmosis purifier attached to the kitchen sink, which I use to make tea as well as for normal drinking water. The water here, however, is chemically treated, and has a high chlorine content. Some of the flavor can be improved with boiling, but not all. It looks like I'll need to be keeping a gallon or two of spring water around just for the sake of my tea.

The jasmine is still good despite the water though.

It's storming outside. 55 degrees. And there are birds singing.

Perfect weather for relaxing indoors or on a covered porch, if you ask me. Especially since it's supposed to get about 70.

Not even going to turn on music or tv unless it stops raining today, I think. The rain is a much nicer sound.

Good omens?

Well, it looks like the current predicted weather for exam week is reasonably warm for this time of year. Hopefully it'll stay that way. Warm weather for exams would be nice, as I tend to have a lot more energy from about 60-75 degrees.