My own little version of "You Might be a PA Student If..."

Well folks, here's a small taste of my life.

You might be a PA student if...

- You check your watch so often that you even look at your wrist in the shower and have a mild panic attack when you see that it isn't there. It takes a few seconds to recover and realize that you don't actually wear your watch in the shower and there is no pressing need to know what time it is every second of the day, anyway.

- Your backpack has become a constant companion. A constant, heavy, companion. When you don't wear it, you have phantom limb pain.

- You buy beverages according to caffeine content. When you go out for some rare leisure time, you buy beverages according to alcohol content.

- You refer to anyone who hasn't gone into a medical profession as a "non-masochist."

- You seriously consider the possibility of living in a shack on the beach and selling sun-tan lotion for the rest of your life.

- You start to think things like "Oh, it's only another $10,000 on my loan. That's not too bad."

- You realize that the afore-mentioned loan will total more than many mortgages when you're finished.

- You also realize that, after graduation, you will have to move to a remote part of Alaska to qualify for repayment of the afore-mentioned loan because that is the only way you will ever be able to afford things like groceries again.

- You watch TV shows, commercials, or movies and notice all of the things people do wrong, medically. You announce these things to your friends. They give you a look that says "It's fiction... it doesn't matter if she put the earpieces of her stethoscope in backwards."

- You automatically run through the ABCDEs in your head whenever you notice that a friend has a mole. You then tell them what the ABCDEs are and insist they go to a dermatologist immediately just for monitoring. Pester them until they make an appointment.

- When you're out in public, you diagnose certain things on sight alone, then you think about how you would write up a description of your assesment.

- By the end of first semester, you have become convinced - on at least three occassions - that you have some sort of rare disease or condition. Your classmates have also convinced themselves of this. Between the 30+ students, you've covered every disease known to man.

- You have absolutely no clue what your, :ahem:, cycle is anymore - partly because you're constantly stressed and partly because you sit in a classroom with 30 other women every single day. You also hang out together most evenings.

- You can put together a complete sentence using only acronyms and abbreviations and know exactly what it means.

- You use these acronyms and abbreviations with your non-school friends and they look at you as if you're speaking Greek. (You are).

- You say things like "If I see the word beta-adrenergic one more time I'll have to claw my eyes out." You're only half-kidding.

- You love every single second of it and wouldn't trade it for the world because when you finally stop to think about it, you're still astounded that you got accepted in the first place. ;)

Time to get back to studying for the big Pathyphysiology exam tomorrow (and hence look at the word "beta-adrenergic" again and again and again).

xo,
Ms. V

Speechless

Holy mother-frakking cow. Flight of the Bumblebee on piano and up-tempo. There are no words to describe it. None. I am truly speechless.

I think some people may even get motion sickness just watching the close-ups of his fingers. Unbelievable.

xo,
Ms. V

Request for a date

Well folks, I’m in need of a date for “Ironman.” A classmate (the only guy, bless him) invited me but left me in the lurch and saw it on his own last weekend. When I told him he was at the top of my SL, he said “I’m sorry. I thought you’d forgotten!” Ahem. I responded with “I NEVER forget the request for a date to a superhero movie!” He’ll pay. He’ll pay dearly. He’s trying to get back in my good graces by offering to see it again. I’m not sure I’ll take him up on that just yet. He might have to bribe me with coffee. We’ll see.

Tomorrow night, however, will be something much less fabulous than "Ironman." A few of us are supposed to hang out and watch the newer version of "A Texas Chainsaw Massacre." I wonder if I'll be able to keep my eyes open through the whole thing? Wish me luck!

xo,
Ms. V

P.S. - This is my 200th post. Yay me. It's kind of sad to think that I actually have that much useless crap to discuss though, isn't it? ;)

My new roommate

I hate bugs. Really. I really, really hate bugs. One of my ex-boyfriends used to say "There are only 2 things that Ms. V hates: bugs, and bugs." He wasn't kidding. Spiders aren't bugs, but I hate them too. They're creepy and crawly and gross.

This past weekend I was talking to a friend of mine about how much I hate them, and how I killed my first spider at the age of 20. He brought up a very good point: why kill a spider? It's an animal too, isn't it? If I would never kill a dog or a cat, I shouldn't kill a bug. He was absolutely right, so I mentally vowed to stop squishing all of the nasty critters who show up in my apartment.

I didn't think this would be a problem since I don't exactly live in a cockroach infested slum. It turns out that I was wrong. While going over some homework last night, I noticed that there was a very large spider sitting on top of my closet door. Fabulous. Just what I like to see. I was faced with a major dilemma. If I were to capture it and take it outside (5 stories down), I'd have to get within 6 inches of the hideous thing for more than 3 seconds and I would run the risk of it crawling onto some part of my body, which would send me into a psychotic fit. If I were to attack it with a paper towel, I'd become and animal-killing hypocrite. The only choice I had was to accept it and leave him (or her!) alone. The fact that I can't actually reach the spider helped with my decision. I'm short and don't have a stool. It hasn't moved. My theory is that it knows it was spared and has chosen to cohabit with me in peace. I'm OK with that. The other possibility, of course, is that it's already dead. Either way, I'm not willing to find out, so I'm keeping it as a pet. Maybe it'll help me get over this completely irrational fear.

If you have name suggestions, I'm happy to hear what they are. Something gender-neutral would be preferable. ;)

I'm going to stop avoiding my mountain of schoolwork now and get some of this stuff done.

xo,
Ms. V

Skills

Well dear readers, I arrived back in Albany this afternoon around 5:30pm. Zippy Jr. did a great job carrying the 2 large pieces of luggage, the small luggage (which held my books and was heavier than either of the large pieces), my laptop, and my medical bag. I managed to get extremely lucky and find a parking space within 1/2 a block from my building. Ab-fab.

After 3 trips up to my 5th floor apartment, I decided it would be fun to put together the coffee table I received on my last break in February. I figured it would be a cinch, since I am now an old pro (having deftly assembled my TV and microwave stands). If it were easy, however, I wouldn't be blogging about it, right? By now, you've probably figured there's a story. You're right: there is.

If you're ever interested in assembling the same style table, feel free to use my revised instructions below. Plan on the entire project taking at least an hour and a half. This is exactly how I managed to survive the ordeal and with careful planning, you can too.

1) Cut open package containing coffee table, look at 2 diagrams and simple instructions, say to yourself "Hey, this isn't bad at all." (Words you will later wish you had never uttered).
2) Remove 2 "B" pieces, 2 "C" pieces, one "D" piece, 8 nuts, 8 screws, 8 wooden pegs, and 1 allen wrench. Dig out the flat-head screwdriver from the little black toolkit you stole from your mother 10 years ago. Prepare for take-off.
3) Using nuts, screws, allen wrench, and flat-head screwdriver, attach 2 "C" pieces to one "B" piece, then attach "D" piece to same "B" piece. Crank allen-wrench like mad to make sure everything is secure. Strain a muscle in your arm.
4) Turn the table onto its side to attach other "B" piece to the empty ends of the "D" piece and 2 "C" pieces. Just as you're about to secure the screw, drop the allen wrench on your foot, then drop the heavy screw on your foot, too. This is best executed when you're barefoot (which I always am). Lose screw. Lose allen wrench. Sift through coffee table box to find them. Start over with attaching the screw and once again crank like mad to make sure they are all nice and tight. Plug all 8 holes with wooden pegs to make the table look pretty. Drop one peg under your futon and get a cramp in your shoulder as you reach to retrieve it. Note that none of the pegs fit.
5) This is where the real fun begins. I suggest mixing yourself a drink at this point. I didn't but I wish I had. Dig piece "A" out of the box. Note how heavy it is. Find 4 cambolts and 4 camlocks hidden in the mess of packaging. Once again break into the old black tool-kit that you stole from your mother 10 years ago and retrieve a Phillips-head screwdriver.
6) Use Phillips-head screwdriver to secure 4 cambolts into the 4 holes in the bottom of piece "A." Note that the holes are too small and you need to make them larger by hand. Strain another muscle in your arm while you complete this task.
7) Insert 4 camlocks into 4 holes of both "C" pieces. Gently place "A" face down on top of these holes so cambolts fit into locks. Realize that none of them fit. Contort yourself into positions that would make Nadia Comaneci proud. Use allen wrench in an attempt to re-position the camlocks. Lose 2 camlocks in the process.
8) Invent new curse words and contort yourself once more as you search for the camlocks. Find them in the mess of cardboard sitting on your floor.
9) Repeat steps 7 & 8.
10) Repeat steps 7& 8.
11) Repeat steps 7 & 8.
12) Turn table upside down and attempt to secure cambolts into camlocks. Repeat steps 7 & 8.
13) Turn table right-side up and attempt, once again, to secure cambolts into camlocks. Repeat steps 7 & 8.
14) Take a deep breath (or a large sip of that drink you mixed), and pray for a miracle.
15) Rejoice in the miracle that has occurred and secure cambolts into camlocks. Strain a muscle in your arm to make sure they're tight.
16) Lift table from the top to make sure it won't fall apart. It won't. Pull a Pat O'Brien and bury your face in your hands and cry.
17) Look at the mess on the floor, decide it's going to stay there until tomorrow, then blog about your experience.


The end result will be a few strained muscles, a cramp in your shoulder, a bruised metatarsal bone, and a coffee table that looks like this.

Good luck,
Ms. V

My shoulder hurts real bad!

(I miss Napolean.)

xo,
Ms. V

ps - My shoulder really does hurt. I never got around to making an appointment with my chiropractor on break. Great.

The madness of life

I am absolutely certain that PA school turns people into alcoholics. I actually said this to my mother today on a quick trip to upstate NY. The bright side is that I will know the minute I have cirrhosis or pancreatitis. Heck, I'll even know how to perform my own liver transplant! This might not be so bad afterall.

All kidding aside, I have concluded that there are only two things required to survive PA school: chocolate and coffee (actually, in my case, these are the only two things required to survive life.)

I had been enjoying my glorious two-week break until this past Wednesday when my fellow students and I received an email from a professor with a homework assignment attached. Fabulous. Naturally, I am the queen of all procrastinators and haven't even considered doing the reading yet. I'll probably crack open the book at 11pm on Sunday night when I arrive back in Albany.

To get over my mild-depression (related, of course, to "life's general annoyances"), I guzzled some pomtini's then stayed out at a friend's house until 3 o'clock this morning watching "Curb Your Enthusiasm." This was followed by a quick trip home to catch an episode of "Ace of Cakes" which helped me nod off to sleep in the recliner. When I finally awoke from my coma, I high-tailed it to Malone and was lucky enough to see both my niece (16 months old) and brand new nephew (3 weeks old). Naturally, they are perfect in every single way.

Hub is away for the evening, I'm going to settle back into the oh-so-comfy recliner and take a ride in the TARDIS with Doctor Who (or as I like to refer to him: "my second husband").

I know this is a bit of a boring post this evening (certainly not nearly as entertaining as my little trip to the dentist, which people are still asking about), but I'll have more very soon. Promise. School starts again on Monday. Something tells me that I'll have plenty to write about.

xo,
Ms. V

Ms. V goes to the dentist

I hate going to the dentist. Really. I really, really hate it. I can barely manage having my teeth cleaned. Imagine my dismay when I was told at my last check-up that I needed a crown. Abso-frakkin-lutely-fabulous.

I showed up today for an appointment that I was told should only take an hour and a half. The nice assistant called me back, settled me into a comfy chair and offered me a Newsweek. Not too long after, the nice dentsit arrived, swabbed some topical anesthetic on the inside of my cheek and jabbed a needle full of novacaine into my mouth. He walked away to let it work its magic and I settled back down with my Newsweek.

This is where the problem began to take shape. The people at my dentist's office are normally very quick. You don't wait to get called back to the comfy chair, you don't wait to have your checkup, you don't wait for your filling. They get you in, get you taken care of, ask for your money, then send you on your merry way. Today, however, was a different story. After the glorious (sarc) shot of novacaine, my dear ole' dentist had to attend to a few other patients. I waited. Then I waited some more. I finished the Newsweek and started reading Forbes. I continued to wait. Somewhere in my waiting I thought "Hey, if I wait much longer they won't be able to finish putting this crown on before the novacaine wears off." As it turns out, my psychic abilities are still quite sound. Read on...

The dentist finally arrived to work his magic. He drilled, ground, chipped, and drilled some more until the only remnant of "tooth 15" was a tiny, foreign-feeling nub. He took pictures, played on his computer, designed my new tooth, then turned the whole project over to the hygenist and walked away. His work was finished. The hygenist became an artist, finished designing my tooth, then said "it'll take about 20 minutes to make it" and walked away. In that 20 minutes, you can probably guess what happened: the novacaine started to wear off. The waiting had been too much. Oh lord. Read on...

Hygenist #2 arrives and reminds me of Nurse Ratchet. I can tell this is going to be a fun ride. She doesn't introduce herself, treats my poor mouth like it's a slab of meat, and uses my chest as an additional table-top for her tools. Great. To make matters worse, as she's cleaning up my hopeless little nub, preparing it for the crown, I start to cringe and squeam. The following conversation then took place:
Nurse Ratchet: "Did you feel that?"
Me: "Yeah, a bit."
Nurse Ratchet: "You're starting to thaw. Would you like another shot?"
Me: "How much left do you have to do?"
Nurse Ratchet: "Not much, mostly just rinsing and drying."
Me: "I'll be alright if it's quick." (This is perhaps the dumbest sentence I've ever uttered.)

Nurse Ratchet picked up her mini-fire hose and proceeded to blast the living daylights out of my mouth. Now, I don't know if any of you have ever had ice-cold water blasted onto the root of a tooth, but I can assure you it's painful. Imagine your tooth being electrocuted. Yeah, that's what it felt like. Blinding, white-hot pain shot up the mandibular branch of my trigeminal nerve (c'mon - I'm a PA student remember? Technical terms will be used). I cringed. I squeamed. I gripped the sides of the comfy chair like it was binding me to life. I tell Nurse Ratchet "I'm completely thawed. I felt it all. Are you almost done?" She seems to take pleasure in my pain and responds with a blast of ice-cold air to the same poor tooth root. Great. The bright side is that the worst was over. Once she put the crown on, it had a mild analgesic in the cement and the root was no longer exposed. My mouth was still a slab of meat and my chest was still an extra table for her instruments, but I survived.

Funny how I never would have felt a thing if they had worked on me a bit sooner, giving them time to finish everything before the novacaine wore off, huh? Funny how, with the waiting, my hour-and-a-half appointment turned into a two-and-a-half hour appointment. Oh well. They're a good bunch overall. I'll forgive them. Besides, it's the same dental group that Bernie Sanders uses, so you really can't go wrong if Bernie likes them. ;) I saw him there at my last check-up. Awesome.

In the end, dear readers, this was my excitement for the day. My tooth is still sore, my gums are still swollen, the whole thing feels funny because I technically have another foreign object stuck in my mouth, but I'm pretty satisfied with my new tooth overall. :)

xo,
Ms. V

You'll laugh, I promise (part deaux)

This is the funniest Saturday Night Live skit I've seen in a long time.





A good rule of thumb is: never turn your back on a cactus.
Ms. V

I love Ellen Degeneres

Click here. You'll laugh, I promise.

xo,
Ms. V

Bumper Sticker Fun

Seen on a bumper sticker yesterday (by yours truly, of course):
"I believe in dragons, good men, and other fantasy creatures."

;)

Happy weekend!
Ms. V

The state of the capital

Moving back to the state of NY after 10 years away has proven interesting, especially in light of the recent scandal involving our now-former Governor Spitzer. I live only 1 block away from Empire State Plaza and as I was doing the parking dance today I couldn't help but notice the 18 news vans surrounding the entire block. Since many of my VT friends have asked, "What's going on down there? What is it like?" well, this is it. Especially when a new governor is about to take office.... oh, and especially when it's because the old governor was disgraced... oh, and one more thing, especially when the new governor is a blind African American.

As far as my thoughts about Elliot go, I could ramble on about it but I think Amy Poehler and Seth Myers said it best on SNL this past weekend. Check it out:
They are ab-fab, sweetie darling, aren't they?

That's the news for now.

xo,
Ms. V

Wow.

There are simply no words to describe this.


In other news, my current midterm status is: 3 down, 1 to go. Wish me luck!

xo,
Ms. V

Puff-tacular

Well folks, I've probably formed a DVT. I've been sitting and sitting and sitting some more. Really it's because I've been studying like a good little PA student, desperate to pass the 3 midterms I have to take next week. Should be interesting. "EKGs, anatomy, and cadavers, oh my!"

I'm floating through life on only one brain cell at the moment and getting a tad snippy toward people. Hub complained this evening about how long his work-days were this week and I became slightly unhinged. The conversation went something like this:

Hub: "We hoped to get done at 2pm today but couldn't leave until 5:30. :sigh: Long days..."

Me: "YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT LONG DAYS?!?!! I DIDN'T GO TO BED UNTIL WELL AFTER 1AM AND WAS UP AGAIN AT 6! YEAH, 6!! THAT'S LESS THAN 5 FRAKKING HOURS OF SLEEP AND I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY THAT I EVEN GOT THAT MUCH!"

Hub: "Yeah, you're right. Let's not compare."

Me: "You're finally learning."

In addition to the exams, we have a video-project due tomorrow that needs to be accompanied by a patient write-up. We have our regular weekly write-up due tomorrow too. Oh, and our regular weekly physical skills test on a sheet that we need to memorize word-for-word. We have EKG review for an hour and a half then breast-exam lab for 3 hours. I won't get done until 4pm which is at least 30 minutes later than when I normally arrive home in VT. Fun times.

The good news is that I've been doing all of this sitting & studying in my fabulous new puffy-chair. It's like a giant foam-filled bean bag. I never want to leave it. I might even sleep in it tonight. I'm a woman obsessed. I want to build a giant house just so I can furnish it with these. :D

Time to get back to work!

xo,
Ms. V

Woo Hoo!

A major baseball player has officially gone veg. Yay!

xo,
Ms. V

Ms. V turns 30

This may be the first time I post something serious instead of sarcastic...

Technically I turned 30 on the oh-so-fabulous day of January 24. Unfortunately, I had two major exams the following week and wasn't able to celebrate. Instead, I postponed the festivities until break.

I'm just going to offer a big, HUGE, INCREDIBLY MASSIVE "Thank you" to Jeff, Charla, Issei, Ingrid, Luz, Jess, Jansen, Trisha, and Kevin for joining me for a rousing round of Rockin' Bowling, dancing, and drinks. A huge thank you especially to Trish and Kevin for the fantabulous gifts. ;)

All of you made my belated birthday truly special. It was wonderful to be surrounded by such good friends.

Tomorrow: Mardi Gras and 80's night. Charla and I agreed to wear the old Debbie Gibson "Electric Youth" perfume. Woo hoo! :D

xo,
Ms. V

Too cool for school

Just a quick one tonight, gang. More will follow later in the week. Promise. Though, we all know how good I am about keeping my blogging promises (which is probably why my readership has dropped to only 1 person... my mother).

I wanted to blog tonight but couldn't think of anything to write. I asked my friend Travis for inspiration. His response was: "blog about how awesome I am" so that's what I'm doing. Just for kicks and giggles.

OK, done now. Back to IM'ing and trying to get Hub to wake up and get out of the recliner so I can go watch Ghost Hunters International and fall asleep in front of the TV.

:D

xo,
Ms. V

Adventures in moving

True story, follow closely:

Today was supposed to be the big move to Albany. Orientation at AMC is on Thursday and Friday. The plan was to drive both vehicles down, unload, set up, Hub would drive home and go to work for the rest of the week, I'd stick around, have dinner with my aunt and cousins, spend Wednesday finding my way around my new neighborhood, go to orientation on Thursday and Friday, then come home Friday evening. Simple enough, right? Apparently not. Why? Because we live in the Northeast.

1) Hub and I woke up an hour late because last night was New Year's Eve, it was cold, the bed was warm, and moving in a snowstorm just isn't fun.

2) We got dressed, got ready, fiddled around with the printer and the laptop, printed off some last minute directions, and packed up a bunch of stuff that hadn't already been taken care of.

3) (This is where the fun began): Hub was in a crabby mood. Somehow, *I* caused the heavy, wet, sloppy snow to fall. We pack up the car, bicker, snipe, and bicker some more, then pull out of the driveway. This is where my feeling of dread set in. This didn't feel right. I always trust my gut. Read on.

4) We had just pulled out of the driveway an hour later than we had planned. I stopped at the ATM then met Hub at Dunkin' Donuts (he was still cranky but at least we were in separate vehicles). At this point I suggested going home and hiring movers so we didn't have to deal with this. Mind you, Hub has to work tomorrow so he would have had to turn around and drive back home tonight... in the dark.... in the middle of a snowstorm. Hub says no to my new plan. We pull out of Dunkin' Donuts, I stop to fill up Zippy Junior before our trip.

5) We reach Shelburne Rd. and some idiot in a Subaru decides it's fun to tailgate small cars on slick roads. Guess whose small car she's behind? Yes, mine. At this point, I started to fear for Zippy Junior's beautiful rear-end. I also started to calculate how much of my PA school tuition I could pay after suing her ass for rear-ending me. Instead of being a jerk and slamming on my breaks, I opt to give the guy in front of me more room, "just in case." Subaru lady doesn't let up one bit. Hub is directly behind her and he sees this.

6) We reach Shelburne, Hub overtakes her. I call Hub on his cell phone and say "Beware! The imbecile behind you is a tail-gaiter. BTW - thanks for rescuing me from her. The 4-Runner won't be damaged if she hits you, whereas Zippy Junior would be totaled." He responds with "Yeah, I saw she was driving like an ass-whipe so I thought I'd spare you." Hmmm, it seems he had forgiven me for causing the snow. Thanks Hub, you're tops.

7) We finally reach Charlotte, a whopping 12 miles away from our home. I call Hub again. "I have another idea: I'll call my aunt and see if I can crash at her place and we'll move in better weather. Your thoughts?" Hub: "You're brilliant! You should be nominated for a Nobel Prize!" (Actually, he didn't say that, but I know he was thinking it...) I call my aunt: "I have a favor. The weather is miserable, we're pulled over on the side of the road, can I crash with you for a few nights and move my stuff into my apartment over the next few days?" Aunt (who is currently my favorite person in the world): "Yes, of course! You're my all-time favorite niece and we'd love to be blessed with your presence!" (Actually, she didn't say that, but I know she was thinking it...)

8) Still pulled over on the side of the road, I call Hub back (because even though he's pulled over right behind me, it's snowing like a bastard and I have no desire to trudge even 10 inches in this slippery mess with a bunch of traffic flying past me.) Me: "Favorite Aunt said I can stay with her. Here's the plan: I'll drive down tomorrow, drop some stuff off at the aparment, crash at Favorite Aunt's place for two nights and see you on Friday at the White Coat Ceremony. You'll drag the futon and the rest of the junk down on Friday and we'll unload it after the White Coat Ceremony. If the weather is bad, we'll reschedule for the weekend." Hub: "You're brilliant! You should be nominated for a Nobel Prize!" (Actually, he didn't say that, but I know he was thinking it...) Hub's real response: "You know, there's a traffic light and a gas station just up the road we could have stopped at." My response: "Uhhh... your point is? Nevermind, we'll turn around there." My feeling of dread has now lifted completely and I'm thrilled with the new plan.

9) We return home to find that the garage door had been left open. Good thing I trusted my gut-feeling of dread. Not only am I brilliant, I'm psychic. Awesome. Yay me.

10) I call the landlord, assure him I'm a good tenant, offer to scan a copy of my rent check to prove it's already made out, tell him I'll move in little by little over the next few days and won't actually spend the night until Sunday. His response: "Thank you for being my favorite tenant." (Actually, he DID say this.) Apparently the guy just moved out of the apartment yesterday morning and the landlord is sick, so this will give him time to recover from his cold and make sure the apartment is presentable. I told him to take as much time as he needed to get it squared away. My stuff is in boxes and won't be harmed by any work he might need to do. He was just as thrilled with the new plan as I was, hence my new title of "favorite tenant."

11) We now have tentative dinner plans with friends this evening. I have a date with the treadmill, which I'm actually looking forward to now that I can jog an entire mile. I get to spend more time with my fur-kids, and can take my time driving to Albany tomorrow morning. I'll spend some time with my cousins, my aunt will come home from work, a good time will be had by all.

The end.
Ms. V

Parents, Canadians, and Leaf Peepers, OH MY!

In addition to the miserable weather last weekend, Burlington became an oh-so-joyous epicenter of tourists.

1) It was UVM family weekend
2) It was a Canadian holiday weekend
3) Leaf peepers are still coming by the busloads, from all over the world (yes, I'm serious)

What fun, what fun. If you ever want an adventure, drive through Burlington and South Burlington, VT when there are an extra 20,000 people visiting from out of town.

On the bright side, the weather is gorgeous today, the population has returned to almost its normal size, and hub and I are going to hit the farmer's markets one last time before they close for the season. Woo hoo!

Also, I just looked out the window and hub seems to have half the contents of our garage spilling out onto the walkway.... interesting... perhaps I should run for cover.

xo,
Ms. V

OK, I know I've upset all of you...

Yeah, yeah, I haven't posted since March. I hate google-blogger. It's a giant pain in the ass to long into.

Updates to my life:

1) I've been accepted to PA school at Albany Medical College. Hub and I will have to live apart again. I'll be a "weekend wife" but this time, he'll have the condo and the cats. I'll be in an apartment, studying my brains out. Fun times.

2) I had LASiK. I can see 20/20 now. Unbelievable. I keep thinking "this must be what Pinnochio felt like when he became a real boy!" Even more fun times.

I think that's it. Nantucket was great, but it got a bit boring. We ended up coming home a day early. It was still nice to have a mini-vacation though. Most of my summer has been spent traveling home to Malone or sitting on my giant ass. :D I love not being in school anymore.

Oh yeah - there's a #3:
3) I graduated. Finally. Yippee!!!

xo,
Ms. V

An alcoholic's dream

This machine does for alcoholics what a self-heating spoon would do for crack-addicts. Just what we need...

I'm glad to see this kid's really expensive Duke education was time well spent.

I've already told Hub that the answer is "no, we are not getting one for our soon-to-be-finished basement."

Countdown: 63 days until Hub and I arrive on Nantucket. Fun times.

xo,
Ms. V

Too funny not to share

This was sent to me by my good buddy Perplexio:

One night, George W. Bush is tossing restlessly in his White House bed. He awakens to see George Washington standing by him. Bush asks him, "George, what's the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did", Washington advises, and then fades away...

The next night, Bush is astir again, and sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving through the darkened bedroom. Bush calls out, "Tom, please! What is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Respect the Constitution, as I did", Jefferson advises, and dims from sight...

The third night, sleep still does not come for Bush. He awakens to see the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush whispers, "Franklin, what is the best thing I can do to help the country?"

"Help the less fortunate, just as I did", FDR replies and fades into the mist...

Bush isn't sleeping well the fourth night when he sees another figure moving in the shadows. It is the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. Bush pleads, "Abe, what is the best thing I can do right now to help the country?"

Lincoln replies, "Go see a play."

:D

The "Nantucket countdown" today is 81.
Ms. V

The countdown

I've decided to start posting the number of days left until Hub and I arrive on Nantucket. As of today, it's 83. This also means there are only 82 days left until I'm finished with school. I can barely contain my excitement.

By the way... this is where we'll be staying. Seems nice.

Also: I still hate this new google-blogger crap. Anyone who uses it knows how awful it is and probably shares my misery.

xo,
Ms. V

There once was a girl from Nantucket...

I'm not going to finish that thought...

I do have a few things to report today though and one of them has to do with Nantucket.

1) I booked a vacation for Hub and myself on Nantucket this May. We leave the day after my last class.

2) It truly will be my last class because I also graduate in May (hence the vacation - it's to celebrate the return of my social life). With any luck, I'll start grad school next year, probably in January. That will give me 7 full months of bliss.

3) I know I hardly blog anymore but it's because I hate google and consequently hate blogger now, since it (along with the rest of the world) is run by google.

4) I vow to change that. I've decided that I'm going to write at least once a week from now on. Probably more. Spread the word. I want to work up a good fan-base.

That's all for now. More later.

xo,

Ms. V

There once was a girl from Nantucket...

I'm not going to finish that thought...

I do have a few things to report today though and one of them has to do with Nantucket.

1) I booked a vacation for Hub and myself on Nantucket this May. We leave the day after my last class.

2) It truly will be my last class because I also graduate in May (hence the vacation - it's to celebrate the return of my social life). With any luck, I'll start grad school next year, probably in January. That will give me 7 full months of bliss.

3) I know I hardly blog anymore but it's because I hate google and consequently hate blogger now, since it (along with the rest of the world) is run by google.

4) I vow to change that. I've decided that I'm going to write at least once a week from now on. Probably more. Spread the word. I want to work up a good fan-base.

That's all for now. More later.

xo,

Ms. V

Do you like bowling? Let’s play bowling. Breaking down the pins and get hot communication.

Ms. V

My very own TARDIS!!!

Actually, I guess it's just an RDIS because it doesn't travel in time....

In either case, the good people at Hyundai Motor Corp. seem to have developed my 2007 Accent using Time-Lord technology. When the service crew at the dealership folded down the back seats to store my tires in the hatch, it suddenly became one of those cars that's tiny on the outside and abso-frakin'-lutely massive on the inside. Seriously.

Sweet.

xo,
Ms. V

Pain. Real pain.

Well folks, I finally had one of my tattoos embellished. It looks fabulous, but it hurts like hell. It was done on Wednesday and given the location (the inside of my wrist) and the size, I knew it would be a bit more painful than the others. When the artist opened his drawer to choose a needle size and said "Let's go with the big boys!" I knew that it would be downright excrutiating. I was right. Mind you, I have a very high tolerance for pain. This hurt. This hurt more than all of my other tattoos combined. It still hurts. I think the fact that I have to move my hand is what's actually making it worse. Oh well. It's a small price to pay for a gorgeous tattoo. This has now become my "signature piece." As soon as it's healed, I'll be sure to post before and after pictures.

:)

xo,
Ms. V

Minor updates

1) I take my last final exam tomorrow afternoon

2) I've now officially received word that I can graduate next May

3) I'm terrified about taking the GRE's

4) I made my first car payment. My car is now 1/60th mine.

5) I'm finally going to start working out again

6) Happy Hanukah, Merry Chrismas, Blessed Yule, Happy Kwanza, and whatever the heck else people celebrate this time of year.

xo,
Ms. V

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, I know. It's been ages since I've posted and it's been even longer since I've posted something that's not cat-related. Forgive me. I work full time, go to school full time, have a husband, four cats, and just bought a brand-spankin'-new car. My brain is even more mushy than normal. :)

A few things tonight:
1) I love Chicago and must move there immediately. I finally managed to make it to Illinois to visit two of my dearest friends. It was unspeakably fabulous. I dare say it's tied with Vegas at the top of my wish list of places to live.

2) As you might have guessed, I'm overjoyed at the fact that the Republicans are finally the minority party in Congress. It's about freakin' time.

3) The Beast has finally settled. I haven't had the opportunity to pass him in the halls lately, but when I have, I wasn't treated to the delightful combination of B.O. and cologne. This is truly a time to be thankful, indeed.

Alright, I've spent the last 3 days completely ignoring my homework and several projects I have coming due. My weekend will be a fun-filled adventure that will likely involve kicking Hub out of the house while I lock myself in the office/study/den/spare-bedroom to catch up. In between homework and studying, I'll have to clean out my 4-Runner. I have a new car. We're getting rid of Hub's and he's taking the SUV. He likes his cars super-clean. I like mine super-messy. I'm afraid of the things I might find hiding under the seats... Wish me luck and cross your fingers that I come out alive.

xo,
Ms. V

Gracia's new home!

It's been a month since I've posted, but this will be worth it...

Gracia has found a home!! Hub and I definitely wanted to keep her but she terrorizes our other cats. Five cats is also a bit much right now.

As luck would have it, my sister and her boyfriend have fallen in love with her. Gracia and I will be traveling to Montreal this afternoon so she can settle into her "forever home."

If everyone out there in blogland could cast a spell, light a candle, say a prayer, make a wish, or do whatever it is that you do, we'd appreciate it. I'd like to have some smooth sailing for the 2 1/2 hour drive.

xo,
Ms. V

The Beast

There's only one thing worse than the overwhelming smell of B. O. There's also only one thing worse than the overwhelming smell of cologne. In each case, it is the overwhelming smell of B. O. mixed with cologne.

To the nice gentleman in the lab upstairs: please, please, do us all a favor and get up a mere 10 minutes earlier to take a shower. You'll get rid of the B. O. and you won't have to try to cover it up with too much cologne.

Thank you.
Ms. V

Lesson learned

When the timer goes off, indicating that you should rinse the dye out of your hair, make sure you do it.

I was giving myself a manicure last night when my 40-minute processing time was up. I figured an extra minute or two wouldn't hurt. I was wrong. My hair is orange. My hair is also naturally curly. Imagine Ronald McDonald without the clown makeup...

In other news, Copper and Stoney, soon to be known as Grady and Cooper, will be going to their new homes tomorrow night. Yippee! We're still looking for a home for Ms. Gracia and since we CANNOT have 5 cats, we really do need to find a place for her. Let me know if you're interested or know anyone who is! :)

xo,
Ms. V

A very exciting day, indeed!

Well, I started the day in a miserable mood because I, for whatever reason, decided not to stop at DD for my morning coffee.

Truthfully though, it has turned in to an absolutely-fracking-fabulous day. Two kitties have two new homes. :)

Our friend's parents want to adopt Mr. Stoney-Finnigan.

That just leaves Miss Gracia-Mae. If hub has his way, she'll probably stay with us. We'll see.

;)
Ms. V

Breaking news!

Copper has found a home!! Wahoo!

Some very dear friends of our's have decided to adopt him. Since I know what good cat-parents they are, we really couldn't ask for a better outcome. His new name is Grady, which fits him quite nicely. :)

Congrat's to the new parents and his big brother, Pippin.

xo,
Ms. V

Try to resist these cuties!!

Baby pictures, as promised. The orange one is named Copper, the one-eyed tabby is named Gracia, and the other tabby, with the white paws, is Stoney-Finnigan. :)

Copper:

Stoney:

Gracia:

First thing's first...

To the disgusting, wretched, foul scumbag who dumped a box of kittens by the trash bin behind Hannaford: May you be eaten alive by fire ants. Seriously.

Now that my important announcement is out of the way, Hub and I are the proud foster parents of 3 kittens who are too-cute-for-words. Pictures will follow later in the week, I promise.

In other news, I had a one-week break from school before starting up again full time. Now I work full time, go to school full time, take care of our four fur-kids, take care of our 3 foster-fur-kids, and somehow maintain a (hopefully) healthy marriage. This, my dear readers, is the reason for the infrequent posting. I hope to get better now that school is back in session and we have a full-fledged cat farm. Methinks I'll have more stuff to talk about now...

xo,
Ms. V

Long time, no post.

Yeah, yeah, you're all perturbed that I haven't posted in over a month. Well, the good news is that I have a full time job at the lab now (the last lab tech was a nut-bar, got fired, and they hired me instead). On top of the full time job, I'm taking 3 classes. Life is busy. Hub and I have had plans every weekend so far this summer. One weekend included a date with my mother-in-law to the Paul Simon concert, which was unspeakably fabulous. Seriously.

I really don't have time for more of an update right now, but I will say this: To the joker out there who put me on the "Tarrant for U. S. Senate" email list, you are NOT funny. Seriously. Not. Cool. I'll find out who you are and get my revenge. I promise. >:P

xo,
Ms. V

Ode to prednisone

Y'know, prednisone is a great little drug. It gives me insomnia and TONS of energy. As a working college student, these two things come in quite handy.

Granted, the downside is that in another month or so, I'll be as swollen as a blow fish. Also, from having to take so many steroids over the years, I'll end up with glaucoma at 40 and a broken hip at 50. Fun times.

I guess I'll just have to enjoy the extra energy while it lasts, then hope that I can find a good orthopedic surgeon in 20 years.

Wish me luck. :)

xo,
Ms. V

My new mantra

I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework. I hate homework.


Off to finish my god-awful homework,
Ms. V

What was NBC thinking? Really?

Since my good buddy Perplexio brought up the now-famous (or should I say infamous?) David Hasselhoff video, I got thinking: Why on earth would he be picked to judge a televised talent show? Actually, why on earth would he be picked to judge ANY talent show?

I know he was popular in Germany and has been on a few TV shows, but c'mon! A fat Curriculum Vitae does not mean that he has any acting or musical abilities what-so-ever.

Sorry David, I just don't see the appeal.

Kit the talking car, on the other hand, would have been a good judge. I'm sure of it.

xo,
Ms. V

Difficult decisions

There comes a time in every woman's life when she's faced with a great dilemma: which pair of shoes to buy.

Today it was my turn. I needed a fabulous pair of shoe/sandals that I could wear at the lab without breaking dress code (it's no fun to splash acid on your feet, so they're sticklers about the "no open-toed shoes" rule). I hate wearing shoes in general, so wearing my traditional mis-matched socks and purple clogs to work in the summer really sucks. The solution? A comprimise. I decided to get a pair of those "kind of like sandals but could easily pass as shoes" shoes. Like these. Or these.

Off to EMS I go.

I pick out one of each, both in purple. The guy can't find the first pair in purple so he brings me black. Black looks fabulous and I think to myself "I have shoes in every color known to man EXCEPT black. Maybe black would be nice." Black it is.

He brings me the second pair in purple. They look ridiculous. My foot appeared to be twice as long as it actually is.

Now you may wonder where my dilemma is. Well, the black looked great, the purple didn't. The purple, however, was the most comfortable shoe I've ever worn. Seriously. I wanted to wrap my hole body in the footbed. Honestly. Yes, it WAS that comfortable. So the question became: "Do I buy for comfort or for looks?" Ah geez. The practical thing would be to buy for comfort of course, but I don't want to look like I'm wearing flippers. I got the black. They black aren't uncomfortable in the least, they're just not as downright-amazingly-comfortable as the purple. Oh well. At least now I have a pair of sandal/shoes that I can wear in the lab. :)

Thanks for putting up with today's boring post,
Ms. V

Furniture shopping is fun and annoying at the same time

Why? Because we have 4 cats. That's not the problem though. The problem is finding a fabric in a color that we like, that goes with our current decor, that's NOT green (because we're sick of it), that the cats won't want to claw to shreds. Fun times.

We've decided on colors, kind of. Both of the fabrics in the colors we like seem like the type to attract claws, unfortunately. We did find one fabric that was acceptable in a color that is so-so.

The least expensive set has a lot going for it: cheaper, lifetime warrantee, nice color, nice accent, BUT, again, the fabric is perfect for cats to dig in to. Also, it only comes in two colors. I like one of the colors, Hub isn't thrilled with it.

Choice number two: more expensive, limited warantee, cats would love to shred it, BUT Hub really likes the color (more so than I do).

Choice number three: most expensive, limited warantee, cats wouldn't touch it, Hub and I both like the color, but not as much as either of the others.

Decisions, decisions.

I guess we could always try to train the cats, but really, who am I kidding? I don't have the heart to tell them "no." :sigh:

Time to take a second look at our choices.

xo,
Ms. V

Pink is just not my color

At least not when it's on my cornea. Yup, I have conjunctivitis. Pink eye. Fun. What's worse is that I can't wear my contact lenses and I *hate* wearing my glasses. My prescription isn't even updated so I'm not sure I can legally drive with these lenses. At least the eye Dr. isn't too far away. His office is in the mall, right across from Auntie Ann's, so I think I'll treat myself to a pretzel for my suffering.

Bright side? My glasses make me look sufficiently geeky. I love it.

xo,
Ms. V

I'm taking a vote

The VGN wants a picture of me for their website. What do you think of this one? It really makes my blue eyes pop, huh? I'm sure they'd appreciate it. "Science-nut turned Swamp-thing." Catchy.

Also, I know I haven't posted an update of the trip like I promised, but I will before the weekend is over. I'll even include some pictures. Wahoo.


Yes, I've changed the name of the blog,
Ms. V

Done!!! Done, done, done, done, done!

Ladies and gentlemen, as of 9:15am I am officially done for the semester. Tonight I have to clean like a maniac to prepare for the mother-in-law's visit, then Hub and I leave for the Emerald Isle on Friday morning. Good glory, I can't wait! I can practically taste the really-good-beer.

Summer class start on May 30th, but I'm only taking 10 credits so it should be a piece of cake.

I'll have pics and a full report upon our return!

xo,
Ms. V

Oh lord.

Make sure your speakers are on and watch the full 6 minutes. :)

Dance-o-rama.


More fun news: Hub and I leave for Ireland in only 4 days!!!

xo,
Ms. V

Bad album covers

Click here and be prepared to laugh.

xo,
Ms. V

Bad news, good news

The bad news is that 130 flavors is not yet open for the season. We drove 25 minutes just to find that out. I don't know the real name of the place so I can't even call to find out when they open.

The good news is that I presented my poster at the Environmental and Health Sciences departmental symposium yesterday and my advisor (and an integral member of the department) wants to put it up at the school. Mind you, when these posters go up, they go up for a long time (years, actually) and she only picks the really good ones. I'm so freakin' excited I can't stand it!

Bragging done,
Ms. V

Shazam!

Well folks, your's truly has won the Environmental & Health Sciences Departmental Award for Biology at school.

Hub is taking me out to 130 flavors to celebrate! Woo hoo! I have to start thinking about which one I want to try tonight.

:)
Ms. V

It's Party Time!

Hub and I are going to a party tonight with some friends. Should be fun. I'll have a full update later in the week.

:)
Ms. V

1 sick, 2 sick, 3 sick kitty cats...

OK, 3 out of 4 of the cats are sick. Actually, Teba's starting to slip a bit, so make that "all 4 cats are sick. "

If you're ever super-bored, take 3 cats to the vet at once. Make sure one of them weighs 23lbs.

Our home-vet couldn't make it so we had to go to our alternate vet. Unfortunately, they don't do housecalls.

On the bright side, it didn't seem too serious. Condor, Grenidine, and Blaze all put up one heck of a fight when I try to give them their medication now, but so far I still have all of my limbs. I think I'm doing an OK job. I do, however, expect to be heavily scarred by the end of the 5 days.

Now on to more serious stuff. If everyone out there in blog-land could keep your fingers crossed that this really *is* nothing and my fur-babies are completely healthy, Hub and I would appreciate it.

xo,
Ms. V

Just call me tubbo

Guess who has a nice little stock-pile of Cadbury Creme Eggs?

Aaaahhhhh Yeah.

Which reminds me...
That ain't no couch, that ain't no sofa, that's a looooove seat. Aaaahhhhh Yeah.

If you know where I got that and the names of the characters who said it, I'll give you one of the creme eggs. I'm serious.
Ms. V

One lucky girl

I'm sick. Super sick. Sick enough to have not gone in to the lab today, and I love the lab. Going there is my favorite part of the day, so NOT going there means that I'm really, really, really sick. Really.

To top it off, I'm having some strange allergic reaction and the roof of my mouth and my lips are all swollen. On the bright side, for this brief period I actually have an upper lip. I could barely swallow this morning though. Not fun.

Why am I lucky, you ask? Because hub is a super-star. You see, when I'm sick, I usually want my Gram because she took care of me a lot when I was younger and had to miss school. She was a nurse and raised 6 kids of her own so she was excellent at making me feel better. Unfortunately, she's 2 hours away (if I could charter a plane to fly her over here I would). Instead, Hub has to fill her shoes and he does and excellent job. He makes me tea, covers me with blankets, takes care of my house-chores as well as his own, and STILL loves me in the end. Not bad, huh?

I'm accepting well-wishes from anyone and everyone. I have a lot of work to do at the lab so I can't miss tomorrow too. I have school on Wednesday and an exam on Thursday, so I need to be in top shape!

Angelina Jolie-lips,
Ms. V

You won't believe your eyes and ears.

My poor body was torn between laughing hysterically and having a stroke.

Click here, make sure your sound is on and make sure you watch the whole thing. It just gets better as it progresses.

Enjoy!
Ms. V

How will I make it through the day?

My Palm Tungsten arrived in Williston, VT at 3:50am on 2/11/06. Holy moly. I'm going to get it today. How am I going to be patient enough to sit through my Genetics exam?

Now, the other problem is that I bought it used. Cross your fingers that it's in good-enough shape to keep so I don't have to return it and buy a new one.

Impatient, as always,
Ms. V

Random crapola

Random crap for the day, and for my life-update in general:

I'm avoiding studying for a big Genetics exam.

I've ordered a new palm and have been compulsively checking UPS's website to make sure it really *is* supposed to be delivered tomorrow.

I'm ticked off that we haven't gotten any snow.

I'm on a bunch of steroids that are making me cranky (can you tell? Probably not, huh?)

I think my Genetics professor is pure evil. Maybe my mind will change after the exam tomorrow, but probably not.

It's time to replace my contact lenses but I hate going to the mall to buy new ones.

Hub is visiting his parents, so I really should take advantage of the time to read my notes.

I'd rather surf the internet and post meaningless crap to this blog.

The "SBFH" has now been renamed the "LSBFH." L stands for "Lying." This is old news, but I think I forgot to post it. I told hub though, and he got a kick out of it. Roared with laughter. :) I'm not sure why he thought it was so funny.

I haven't been knitting at all. I need to start again soon.

Our basement is finally coming along nicely. The bathroom is going to be started next weekend, not sure how far we'll get. So far, Hub has framed the walls and it looks great.

My Sunday paper didn't come today because there was a glitch with my subscription. I was bummed, but I got over it quickly. Very proud of myself.

Time to get back to genetics and stop being crabby.
Ms. V

Happy Birthday to me!

Well, dear readers, 28 years ago today I was exactly 4 minutes old.

Happy Birthday to me. The world hasn't been the same since!
Ms. V

Go.

If B.B. King shows up in a theatre near you, Go.

Our friend "Moak" and I saw him a few years ago at the Flynn. Unfortunately, Hub wasn't able to go. Looks like we'll just have to try to get tickets for this tour!

Wishing ole' B.B. a happy retirement after this last tour,
Ms. V

SMASH!

Driving an SUV presents a unique challenge: keeping the windshield in one piece for more than a month at a time.

It seems that the height of the 4-runner is *perfect* for rocks to hit the windshield in such a way that it will crack. Every. Single. Time.

My in-laws had it replaced 4 times. I've had it replaced once (I just got the vehicle in October). Guess what happened on the way to class on Monday? Yup. Another crack. Almost all the way across. Lovely.

Off to call the auto-glass shop again,
Ms. V

Erin-go-braugh!

No, not my sister. The country.

I just booked our trip to Ireland. Woo hoo! May 12-May19. We leave one day after final exams end. I can't think of a better way to celebrate.

Slainte!
Ms. V

Fun times at the Gastroenterologist's office

Since so many people who visit gastroenterologists tend to be, uh, large, shall we say, the chairs are all over-sized. It's fabulous. It makes me feel slightly less chubby. Always a good thing.

On the other hand, the scales they have are not the normal Dr's office scales. They're, uh, "big people" scales, which naturally makes me feel huge.

Interesting times.
Ms. V

A little tip for all of the wives out there

When you're husband gets bored with his talking Homer Simpson bottle opener, DON'T buy him a talking Homer Simpson pizza cutter to make up for it. Sure, he loves it, but will *you* love hearing it played over and over and over again? I doubt it.

More to come later in the week.

xo,
Ms. V

Yes, yes, I know it's been 3 weeks since my last post...

I'm in the middle of final exams and will come out of my cave soon. I promise.

In the meantime, I thought I'd give all of you a link to this story. Really, there just aren't any words to describe it. I guess the best one that comes to mind is "Ewwww!", followed by some major retching.

xo,
Ms. V

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

This is one of my favorite holidays (the other is Halloween). :)

Plans for today: eat a lot of food, watch a lot of TV.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Ms. V

A meme

I'm on break from school this week and have a LOT of work to do, as well as a lot of schoolwork to catch up on. I thought I'd take a break and post in the blog. This time I stole a meme from my sister.

100 Facts about me.
1) I go to school full time
2) I have 4 jobs
3) One of them is in the lab, 2 are at the hospital, and one is at the local community college tutoring students
4) I have a husband who I'm head over heels in love with
5) We have four cats and treat them like they are our children
6) We have 2 extremely noisy parakeets
6) There are only two places in the house that we can put the parakeets without the cats getting to the cage
7) I play the flute
8) I play the piano
9) I used to speak (nearly) fluent Spanish but I haven't used it in years so I've lost much of what I've known
10) I love learning about various religions, even if I don't believe in them. I do it because I find it interesting
11) I hate George W. Bush and think he's the worst president in the history of the United States.
12) I love that I live in a place where most people agree with #11.
13) I have 20 first cousins and 4 second cousins
14) Only one of my cousins is older than I am.
15) I have blue/tourquoise eyes - depending on my mood, the lighting, and what I'm wearing.
16) People often ask if I wear colored contacts, but I don't. This is my natural eye color.
17) I want to be a Pediatric Neurologist
18) I have an autoimmune disorder. Sometimes it makes my life suck.
19) I'm addicted to Prevention's 3-2-1 workout.
20) I hate folding laundry
21) I wish I were rich
22) Even if I were rich, I'd still go to school. I'd just be able to pay for it without taking out a massive loan
23) I have 2 cars right now, but after this weekend I'll only have one
24) The one I'll have after this weekend is a Toyota 4-runner. The other that will soon leave is a Geo Prism
25) I have a freakishly good memory, particularly for numbers
26) I remember every phone number I've ever had
27) I remember every address I've ever had
28) I get that from my mom's side of the family
29) I think cells are the most amazing things in existence.
30) I like to think of children's names, even though hub and I don't plan to have kids. It's fun.
31) I really like my name.
32) I *love* the letter S
33) I'm obsessed with the number 3
34) In high school, my locker combination was 3-33-3 and my parking space senior year was #33.
35) When I got my locker combination for the year, as well as my parking space, I got in my car at exacly 3:33 pm.
36) This is what started my obsession with the number 3
37) Thanks to hub, I understand - and even enjoy - football
38) I have friends all over the country because of my old job
39) I have been to Italy, Greece, and Holland
40) This spring, I'll be going to Ireland
41) I wear size 9 1/2 shoes
42) I have 9 ear piercings, but only consistently wear earrings in 3
42) I have a tongue ring
43) I have a nose ring
44) I have freckles
45) I had braces for nearly 2 years (23 months)
46) I had braces for our wedding
47) They were clear so you can barely see them in the photos
48) I have curly hair
49) I used to straighten if every day
50) I cut it
51) After it grew back, I stopped straightening it
52) I'm only 5'3" tall
53) I wish I were 4 inches taller. Even 3 inches taller would be nice
54) I love the movie Napolean Dynamite
55) I never used to watch much TV...
56) but we have a DVR now so I record a lot of shows
57) I played the saxophone for a year in high school
58) I really love to swim
59) I really love to ride my new bike
60) I have a motorcycle but I'm too scared to drive it...
61) so I'm going to take the training course in order to feel more comfortable
62) I love to snowshoe
63) I'm secretly excited for snow, just so I can go showshoeing
64) I love my college
65) I hate bugs, particulary spiders
66) The 3 guys I was most serious about in my adult life (including hub) were all middle children
67) The only CD's I usually buy are Dave Matthews Band and classical music
68) I love ragtime piano
69) I'm envious of anyone who can play ragtime piano because it's hard
70) I think Beethoven was a genius
71) I read tarot cards
72) My favorite card is the moon card
73) I hate crowds...
74) so I get my holiday shopping done early or online to avoid them
75) I'm naturally a night-owl.
76) When I'm not in school for the semester, my normal bedtime is about 3am, sometimes later if I just got out of work
77) I really enjoy working in the lab
78) When I'm done school, I want to teach part time at the community college for some extra cash
79) I'm a huge animal lover
80) I've "officially" been a vegetarian since August 29th, 1994
81) I say "officially" because I didn't really eat much meat before that
82) The only thing I miss is tuna fish
83) I found a vegetarian tuna that isn't too bad
84) I love to go camping
85) I love the Northeastern United States, particularly VT and the Adirondacks
86) I was born in Alice Hyde Hospital
87) I have an awesome birthdate
88) It fits well with my "3" obsession: 1/24. The only number missing is 3.
89) When I turned 24 on the 24th, hub bought me the "Birthday Suit Bear" from VT Teddy Bear.
90) I named him "3"
91) I like multiples of 3, too
92) I've given each of the cats several nicknames
94) I love to knit
95) I get along better with guys than with girls
96) As a result, I have more guy friends
97) My left wrist cracks a lot
98) I have REALLY sloppy handwriting
99) I have to recopy all of my notes because they're such a mess
100) I'm really good at math and science, but not so great with languages.

Sorry for the low posting

The thing is: I go to school full time and have 4 jobs. The little bit of time I get to spend with hub and the fab four is precious.

On the bright side, when I finally have a break I'll have plenty to talk about!

Aren't you excited?
Ms. V

Bam!

You know what's super-fun? Taking your car in for the "once over" and having to spend nearly $400 on brakes. Sweet.

Flat broke,
Ms. V