Under the Skin

Most of you are probably aware, but I thought I'd fill in those who didn't know.  I'm getting married!  I am engaged to marry in December.  I am thrilled for this and I am excited for Brian and me to start our life together.  It could possibly change the timing on some of my big plans, but I still want to get a PhD, and Brian wants me to as well.  So that you can see him, here he is below  And do I ever love that man. 

I really like Children's Literature.  Had you noticed?  Anyways, as much as Sarah mocked me on this one, I have found that I enjoy a new series of Young Readers.  They are the Humphrey Books.  These books are intended for probably about a 2nd grade reader, so they are not difficult at all.  But they are clever and quite enjoyable to be honest.  (Note:  I guess they're officially 3rd grade advanced/4th grade, but I think I could have read it in 1st). Humphrey is a classroom hamster in Room 26.  A very precocious and intelligent one, but a classroom hamster.  Also, his cage has a "lock that doesn't lock," so he can go on adventures in the classroom when no one is looking.  Because he spends the day watching the students, he learns a lot about the students, human nature and what is really important.  As he goes home on the weekends to the students' houses, he finds a mark that he can leave on each and every family.  To the b...

I am trying to follow prophet's counsel and start a garden.  Unfortunately, I live on a ground-floor apartment that faces east, and it's cold outside.  So, I'm starting my garden in yogurt containers and sour cream containers.  But, I have learned that I have the brownest thumb in human history.  Everything I have planted has died.  Twice.  And I even had more plans for them.  But, apparently, none of them work.  My roommates tried to tell me they didn't have enough light.  Well, they're directly under a fluorescent, which is exactly what we use in my lab to grow all our experiment-plants, and they seem to live through that a-ok.  I don't know why, but I plant them, they sprout and then promptly die.  I'm not actually sure how to resolve this issue, to tell you the truth. But, I still think it's funny that my Italian parsley seeds are from Holland.

Unlike some people, I can tolerate lawyers.  I really can.  But, I will say one thing.  Or rather, two things.  There are two types of lawyers who I firmly believe should have never actually been born.  1) Personal Injury Lawyers This one is fishy.  I do believe that if you've been hurt by someone, perhaps they should have to pay your medical bills and such.  But, are we really in such a revenge-filled society that we have to find some way to hurt anyone who hurts us?  Furthermore, whenever I see personal injury lawyers advertizing on the TV saying, "You have been hurt. You've been entitled to compensation.  Every minute you don't call us, you're being robbed!"  If you didn't feel like the victim already, are you really entitled to something?  And what's with convincing people that everything in their life should be warped and twisted until it benefits you, without thinking of what it might cause the other people involved? 2) ...

So, I mentioned that the pipes in the laundry room froze.  Management eventually did fix that part.  But then, I started the washing machine.  One of them had a moment where it had a bit of trouble and trickling before coming out full force.  But, they all filled up.  Unfortunately, they had only managed to thaw the pipes that fill the washing machines.  Not the ones that drain them.  So, when it was done, my laundry was still sitting in a bunch of water.  It had "spun," but in the water.  So, I fished all my laundry out and spent 1 1/2 hours wringing out all the laundry.  Then, it went in the dryer, but the dryer couldn't handle them. They were too wet. Therefore, this is what happened. And these pictures are what's left over after 6 hours of blow dryers and ironing. It is an adventure. But I feel a bit like a pioneer.

This summer, I had promised that I was going to get better at blogging.  I find that not only does blogging help me keep my thoughts in order, but it is a different part of my personal history.  I do keep a journal, but I think that I write differently for an audience.  And sometimes, the things that never occur to someone to write in their journal, they write for an audience.  As a family historian, I have found that sometimes letters are better sources than journals.  I am fairly certain that in the future, my children could learn a lot of things about me from my blog that they probably wouldn't have learned from my journals.   I think that I have gotten better at blogging.  In fact, I would say that blogging has become a habit for me.  Sometimes I have more thoughts than other times, but I do remember to blog.  I am bad at making new habits.  Though they say it takes about three weeks to make a new habit, it takes much more tha...