9.25.2006

gotta love the South...

seen on a Bojangles carry-out bag: "Please put litter in its place."

You suck, Litter! Take that! YEAH! STAY DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!



anyway, my impromptu trip to raleigh this weekend was interesting. chris needed to run down there to get his car inspected, and we got off late enough that he only got to the garage half an hour before closing. we were optimistic; we'd made it the whole way down without any lights alerting us to WWIII going on under the hood, the ride being jerky, and the windows randomly sliding down into the door. these are major victories, considering the piece of shit that is the Jetta. anyway, he pulls into the garage, and THEN the check engine light goes on. thus, he fails the inspection. just to kick him while he's down, the mechanic tells him that the car is vomiting oil, such that it'll die within the day. oh, and no, he can't look at it today or tomorrow because, well, i don't really know. he just wouldn't.

sufficed to say, after putting $12K for repairs into a car that cost him $12K to begin with, chris has had it with this ridiculous German bucket of crap. thanks to several parties in raleigh, we were able to get the car in capable hands and lay hold of a rental so that we wouldn't be stranded. basically the whole ride home, there was cause to remark how comfortable a car could be, how functional, and how, well, adult. the amanti we got from avis felt decidedly more grown up than that VW money pit. once that thing is functional again, it's coming back to MD, just so that he can have the satisfaction of shooting it himself. well, not really. he's going to try to sell it, and since we're finally in touch with an honest repair person, it'll be in decent shape for a buyer.

so, this weekend was not quite so restful as we had hoped, and i had, in fact, come down with some bug and wanted to throw up the whole time. but, we leaned on each other, persevered in times of distress, and came out on top. we deserve to be taken to Bojangles for being a functional couple and given a bag full of the chicken fingers and biscuits.



but don't forget to put the litter in its place.

9.19.2006

still stealing kwizzes from kim

1. Do you have any big plans for September? I'm not sure. Do I, Chris? October? Yes. November? I think. December? Not a clue.

2. What up-coming event are you most looking forward to? whatever it is that chris has cooked up

3. What was the last song you heard? "I Burn For You" (sting)

4. Quote something from last night: "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz." (me, at 9PM)

5. What time did you wake up today? 4:30 AM

6. What does your last incoming text say? something from steve, i think

7. Is there a vase in the room you are in? No. Nobody has bought me flowers since chris did awhile ago...

8. Any plans for today/this evening? eating and planning for school tomorrow.

9. Have you recently been insulted? No.

10. What is the radio in your car tuned to at this exact moment? 106.5FM

11. Compared to someone else of your age and gender; do you feel thatyou are more or less sexual than the average? More.

12. How many days a week do you work? a BAZILLION. but in reality, seven. we teachers take our work home with us.

13. Are there people you feel more connected to than others? Well yeah.

14. Is there ONE person you feel more connected to than others? definitely.

15. Are you more like your mother or your father? hmmm... sense of humor and faith, my dad. sense of intellect and arts, my mom.

16. Where did your eye color come from? Dad

17. Describe the pants you are wearing: no pants, but an Old Navy skirt, brown with khaki stripes, size 8?

18. Have you ever been in a recording studio? no

19. The myspace picture you've had up the longest, what's going on inthat picture? don't have myspace, but the longest one i've had onlinen is the pic of me in front of the bellagio in vegas.

20. Are any of your myspace pictures alcohol related? the one of me in front of the bellagio

21. What is your worst relationship quality? taking things Way Too Seriously

22. What was your most recent serious injury? whatever it was that made me pass out at the twilight trot--bad enough for me to be taken to shady grove hosp.

23. What were you most recently pissed-off about? pint-sized individuals

24. What song best describes your summer? runaway--the Corrs

25. Are you a fan of cake? yes, especially bts/foreplay cake.

26. What shirt have you not worn in a while that you would like to? chris's black and white Broughton Wrestling shirt

27. Do you spill a lot?Yes.

28. When was the last time you were hit on? by the slimy konick in adams morgan way way way long time ago. i love the guy, but he's a man whore.

29. What is the next concert you are going to and where are you seeingit? i'm not sure. it'll probably be one of ainsley's concerts in DC

30. Name someone you know who is most likely to be found at a bar onTuesday night: russdog222

javelin greatness, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera...

one of the best throwers in the world is retiring. this guy is a beast!

i'm going back to bed...

9.14.2006

exams and big enginesnnnnn

first news:

CHRIS PASSED HIS ORAL EXAM!!! now he's officially a PhD candidate at UMD. several of the people involved, either panel or audience, are internationally renowned mathematicians, and they told him things along the lines of "fantastic/excellent job," "very well prepared," "well executed," etc. he presented his material for ~50 minutes, and then the panel asked him one question. ONE. and after short discussion, they passed him.

:)

other news:

not news, per se, but rather good feelings. teaching has been going well. i'm enjoying it, and even though the kids and i butt heads sometimes, we get along. we all seem to be learning one thing or another! in addition to my English and Literature classes, i get to teach an aviation class. how awesome is that?! hopefully, we can get into rocketry. and build rockets.

why do i get the feeling that that might not be my most brilliant idea?

anyway, the kids got to pick their enrichment class, and apparently my aviation section filled up pretty quickly. not bad for a lady that most of the kids don't even know! i'm hoping that we can go to the air & space museum annex at dulles airport. that would be the crowning event for the year. freakin awesome.

my favorite aircraft:
rotor wing--the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter


fixed wing--the SR-71 Blackbird


i don't know other girls who have a favorite aircraft. would i be considered that much hotter then?

that would be cool....

:)

9.11.2006

i'm sitting here eating an egg. i remember exactly where i was five years ago, how i found out and what i felt. my kids that i teach? the oldest were barely eight years old and don't remember much. sometimes i wish i was one of them. but i'm not.

i don't know what else to say about today.

9.10.2006

i want more cake...

it's been a long summer that's turned into a long start to the school year. but, i'm fine.

recent excitement: getting side-swiped by ghetto-mobile in PG county friday night. like i said, i'm fine. it's just that my car is limping right now. that's what makes me sad. i<3>

good stuff: a) FOOTBALL!!!! the ravens AND the eagles won today. the planets must be aligned. b) TENNIS!!!! i'm watching the third set of the u.s. open men's final, with 4 games all. andy roddick is the rock star personality while roger federer is the deceptively cagey artist. and i do mean artist. i love andy's athleticism and raw strength, but federer has pin-point accuracy and can place the ball on a dime anywhere in the court. i would like for roddick to win, but whatever the result, it's still a very satisfying, riveting match. awesome.

nerves: chris has his oral exam coming up on wednesday, and he expects it to be brutal. i can't get there in time for it to start, and i hate that. i wish i could be there. but anyway, it starts out with a big presentation, followed by open Q&A (apparently, it doubles as a seminar) wherein other professors and graduate students can ask him ANYTHING. then, there's the private Q&A conducted with only his committee members. lastly, they finally kick him out of the room and decide whether to grant chris candidate status. personally, despite its inhumane degree of pressure, i deeply believe that chris will pass. he works SO hard. if you know him, you know what i'm talking about. anyway, send some good vibes on wednesday. i'm already proud of him.

:)