So my weekend plans have basically been ruined, all the way around, thanks mostly to snow. I was planning to see one or two friends tomorrow, but both are now ill, and even if they weren’t the snow probably would kill at least tomorrow night’s plans. Yes it looks like a blizzard is coming! I guess we won’t really know how bad it will be till tomorrow, but we could get at least a foot of snow. To the south, where my mom is, they are looking at 2 feet! I was also supposed to go to NY Saturday/Sunday and that’s out now too cause of the snow.

Tomorrow should be interesting. I have to get up and compete with everyone for the last loaf of bread and jug of milk I also am low on soda, and John commented there isn’t enough alcohol to make it either. It’s also looking like a second storm is coming next week. At this point (see the next paragraph) I am praying it knocks out a day of classes for me!

So while I’m sad at my ruined plans, at the same time it seems they may have gotten ruined for a reason. I found out this week (actually yesterday) that an abstract I submitted to an “Upcoming Scholars Conference” months ago was accepted, and I now have a month to get a paper in order to present at it. Ack! I had written it off, as originally we were supposed to have heard about a month ago if we were accepted (or this was my take on it at least). So I now really need every available free moment I can get to prepare for this!

Panic Attacks to occur regularly over the next month I really now need to call my doctor for that prescription for Ambien or Lunesta

Just a note, I started back to work this week, teaching two classes. So come Friday I can breath and then I’ll begin the vacation remembrances. Just some quick notes. As you might have been able to tell from the tweets, yes this year was a great vacation The parks started rough, but the cruise was great. Not only were there like 15some gays on board, we took over the dance club, so it was a blast each night (okay most nights, some annoyance as usual with music/djs). Since I was also weighing more than I would have liked to start, I wasn’t picky about what I ate and enjoyed the food this time (which also probably helped with my mood).

More soon with photos!

So I survived my night alone in the house with the animals and the ghosts. I ended up having a “Mr. Belvedere” marathon However I didn’t get to bed till 4am, thanks to finally taking some drugs. John goes in for a 2nd one of these this Sunday. I’m totally knocking myself out way earlier in the night this time! That or throwing a party

Let’s see, the boycott of said establishment is almost a month in now. Of course someone came to me this morning pleading with me to just make two small changes to said website, because there was a price error. This error wasn’t my fault, it was theirs. I contemplated fixing it for one second, then decided not to. That would be me caving, and them realizing they could just continue to milk free services out of me. I think I’ll tell them “If that error costs you money, take it out of the asshole’s paycheck, and let him this is what happens when you treat people like shit.” Frankly I think I need to up this ante to make them realize I’m done with their establishment. I’m still hosting their site on my dollar, perhaps I need to give eviction notice

Changing topics, I fired off 78 pages to my adviser yesterday, and am trying to get another 100 edited and out by this weekend. I’m also hoping he’ll have some suggestions on how to cut the size down as I still have another chapter of 200 some pages also coming. I need to get the size down, as it will take my committee too long to read it (just like it’s taken me too long to write it).

Related, the paper my adviser and I gave in HotLanta (remember that trip from hell?) is set to be published. That’s another deadline to add to my plate, I have to get it ready by the end of September. We can expand on the original paper fortunately.

Finally Saturday is my birthday. I turn the big three four. The weather looks to be nice. As it stands it looks like I might be doing dinner with friends in Philly and then maybe a night of dancing. However more than likely things will fall through and I’ll end up sitting at home as usual.

Figured I should give some updates as to what is going on.

I have still avoided said establishment, and being stuck in my house is driving me nuts. I went to Chili’s for lunch on Friday, then out with Emily to Bahama Breeze on Saturday. I am currently on “Oh My God Look How Much I Weigh” Sunday

I’m pretty sure unless I be shady with the dates on my Wii that I’m gunna fail my EA Active Sports 30 Day Challenge. I am not planning on trying it again, I will simply just use preset workouts (or design my own) and move forward. You have to do 20 workouts in 30 days, and I think if you have too many “rest” days in-between a workout you fail. I think I might just put my Wii Date back a few days and “cheat.” You see I have a nice blister on my hand (accident with the stove of course), which forced me out for awhile (because of the straps the game uses). Frankly I don’t want to start over mainly because I have to do the same workouts over again (the 30 day challenge uses a course of workouts), and I’m bored as hell with them (having already restarted them once). Way too many lunges for my tastes, and I’ve cursed the poor lady trainer out enough as is for making me do so many. I’m so glad she can’t hear me and talk back!

I went to see “District 9″ this weekend. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, as the trailer was just bizarre. Plus I’m not really an alien movie fan. However the movie was fantastic. A little slow in the beginning with the set-up, and a little dragged out at the end, but well worth it. Just don’t see this movie if you are squeamish. This is a gory movie, with blood and guts and oozing and bodies exploding left and right. Yes, bodies explode!

Anyway, to get out of the house, as well as help facilitate my writing and concentration, I’m going to the local library starting tomorrow to do my work. We’ll see how it goes, whether or not the space is “too big and too busy” for me. Yes it’s a library, but this is a huge library and they don’t have little private nooks for people to work in. Your stuck at a giant table, unless you snag a corner chair, in which old people seem to just sleep. If it doesn’t work out I could always try Panera, but then I’ll probably go broke and get fat

Don’t have too much to say right now. I am still hoping to be done with the dissertation by September. I’m currently in the “plow through writing mode” to make that happen.

I know I said I wouldn’t, but I did. I booked us another cruise in January. We are going on a similar boat to last year, which is now cheaper because newer bigger boats are out (which I refused to blow savings on at this point, I did have some restraint!). Plus we are going on a Western Caribbean cruise. The last 3 were Eastern, which stop mostly at small little islands. Frankly I was getting bored as I’d seen all of them, and I’m not a beach and snorkel person. I think being trapped on the boat most of the time the last trip helped add to my issues This one stops not only in parts of Mexico, but Belize. I haven’t been there since my first cruise with John 7 years ago, and it remains one of my favorite stops to date. So I jumped. I think every port offers Mayan ruins, should I care to do them every port I won’t, but the option is exciting

Of course the final (ie BIG) payment is due at the end of October, which isn’t too far away. So again I’m realizing I need to get me a job and soon! I finally sat down to apply for the Halloween store, only to get the feeling that they were basically looking for high school kids. Shocking I know, it’s a seasonal job for 2-3 months. They required three references, wouldn’t let me not submit any less than three, and the options were “Teacher, Mentor and Other.” I worked around it I was not about to submit academic references though. I want to teach again, and I think having the Halloween store calling up the heads of university departments might just be . . . awkward.

It kinda sends me/one into a panic attack having to apply for retail jobs when your in my situation. I don’t have a normal resume by a long shot. It’s a mix of a resume and my CV. I have tons of teaching experience, conference/public speaking experience and even a few publications. Then I have self-employment for 10+ years, as well as employment via other website companies writing weekly columns for them. It makes getting references . . . tricky Especially since I can’t be my own reference

Fortunately a bit of job relief came this week, I confirmed that I’m not only teaching the same class I just finished again next spring, but a second class as well. That’s a big relief! Whether I’ll get the Halloween job to tide me over, I don’t know. I’m thinking not given the resume I submitted Sadly there was no option on the application to explain why I thought I would be a good employee at their store!

Other options? There is a small independent pet store around the corner that is always looking for people to work there. I actually go there so much they know me and John, so I think I could probably get a job there. John’s sister keeps commenting I’m always welcomed to work at the farm, but I really feel that should be a last resort. I just think mixing a relationship and work is probably a bad idea. I would have to do something there basically no one else could do, or would want to do. Oh the jobs are there Otherwise I would feel I was “given” a job for who I was, and other employees might have issues with that. Frankly I would too, I want to earn a job or be able to do something nobody else can or wants to, not just given a job.

Finally coming up this month is another Monster Mania! I’m so excited. I’m actually going to take not only tons of photos this time, but videos. I really want to use these conventions for a paper next fall at the big Anthropology meetings. The convention has a web board set up, which I could use at a later date to ask for anonymous interviews. There is normally an event in March or April as well, so I might try and set real interviews up then with staff and people.

Okay, yeah, I think that’s all I have to say I did have a lot to say after all.

So Boot Camp is almost at an end. On some level I’m sad, on some I’m not. After today I see I have gotten a lot done this week. By Friday, heck possibly by Thursday, I’ll have 100 some pages to send off to my adviser to read, part of the much over do data analysis chapters. I just have to make sure I continue to get these 4 hours minimum of work in a day. I now have at least some structure to these final chapters that have been a headache for far too long.

Of course what I won’t miss are driving into Philly each day, and especially the parking fees! I will miss the yummy food I’ve been eating, but my waste line won’t. I am NOT a morning person. I do not drink coffee, I do not drink tea. So I’ve been reaching for Coke to wake me up these past 2 weeks. Coke = a giant sugar bomb! I can’t believe how much of this stuff I used to drink and not put on weight. Yes I could drink diet coke, but frankly it tastes like stale ass. I can’t do it. I mean come on, I don’t like water cause of how it tastes, do you think I’m drinking diet coke? I do like diet Dr. Pepper, but it makes me belch like Shrek, so I have avoided it too. The yummy delicious high in sugar and other bad for you stuff Chinese food I’ve been getting daily probably isn’t great for me either. I know it isn’t, cause by mid-afternoon there is a brick sitting in my stomach.

Basically the 2 weeks I had Pink Eye I lost 5 pounds, lets just say I’ve gained it back and then some. I’ll be happy to get back to more normal eating and back to the gym again. As for what is normal eating, I’m rethinking the vegetarianism yet again. I’ll probably give it till mid-July and make a decision. Lately I have been keeping track of various budgets (via Pocket Money on iPhone), and let’s just say the grocery bill sky rocketed this month. Morning Star Farms makes great veggie foods, but they aren’t cheap and they don’t go on sale that much. Meanwhile I have a stockpile of Lean Cuisines downstairs in a freezer that I haven’t eaten cause they are chicken dishes mostly. Yeah, we are talking 2 weeks of pre-bought food. Hmmmmmm. I told John to start eating them for lunch last month (he’s trying to lose some weight too) but he never did. Don’t get me started on his lunches!

Let’s see, what else to update on. My friend Heidi is coming to visit in July, woohoo! We met on a cruise a few years back. She’s coming for a weekend, so I have to figure out what we are doing. There is tons of stuff I’ve never done in the 11 some years living here (Gettysburg, Hershey Park (okay did that at 10 years old, but want to go back), Valley Forge, Atlantic City, Wildwood). So I’ll make up a list and we’ll figure it out or play by ear. There is also just seeing Philly and going to a nice Steven Starr restaurant too, most of which I also haven’t been to (cause he owns so many).

Sometime in August I’ll be trying to figure out where to apply for a J-O-B. The dissertation should be pretty much done by then, with only the defense left. So I’ll probably just look for something part time at first. I could work at the farm, I probably will end up there, let’s not go there yet though. I am in the midst of a total redesign of the farm’s website though. I hope to get it done soon, like real soon, as I’m sick of the old website, which I have to update and think is user-unfriendly.

So this past week was the first week of dissertation boot camp. This coming week is only 4 days (because of the 4th weekend), so we have to work longer each of those 4 days. As of yet, I’m not sure how productive it’s been for me. The first week I felt I spent far too much time writing lists of “things to do” out as well as trying to explain to my mentor what my project was about (I should have just given him the intro chapter). Finally I said “how about I start writing this chapter, and we’ll see if it makes sense and where it goes.” So that’s what I’m doing this week (and what I wanted to be doing last week, which I only did some of). I think more than anything though it’s gotten me back to sitting down and just writing a good chunk of the day (which believe it or not is not as easy as it sounds if you don’t consider yourself a writer of some type).

Anyway, I need to actually write some today still, but looking outside I see bright sunny clear skies. I’m going to take advantage of it and try and tackle some of that yard work I said was a goal this summer. Like I said, with all the rain, it looks like we live in a swamp. SOMEONE I had recently made friends with had no idea I lived where I lived and actually said “OMG, I thought two old queens lived in that house.” Yeah, it does look like the run down overgrown yard the scary old lady on the block lives in. Once upon a time when John didn’t have the added job responsibilities he does now, he used to like to do all the flowers and landscaping. Now though he has no time for anything (something which is gunna have to change or he’ll have a mental breakdown like I did several times running the soap pages), so it has gone to disarray.

Perhaps I’ll try and get some before and after shots up later. Or maybe a before and in progress shot, cause it’s that bad I tell you

As I was driving yesterday I thought “is it time to decorate for Halloween yet?” No, sadly not for months, but it won’t stop me from thinking what new things I can do this year. First though our yard needs serious landscaping. With all the rain we’ve had recently the weeds and overgrowth is out of control. I’m going to try and start clearing stuff out this weekend, assuming the sunny forecast isn’t changed to rain. I’m really tired of this rain, where is summer?

Speaking of Halloween, yet again I am thinking of trying to have a party. Every year I want to have one, I just never do, or figure enough people aren’t around to attend. This year I might actually have enough people who might be able to come, so we’ll see.

Switching topics, the dissertation boot camp has begun. So far I can’t really say how useful it’s been. The first day was basically getting to know everyone, talking about our issues and meeting with advisers/mentors who are supposed to give us some help and feedback. I meet with mine again on Thursday, he wants me to basically have some summary paragraphs for my data chapters written as well as a list of everything I still have to do. I spent today basically making the list and writing some, but I don’t feel I accomplished all that much today. I actually did, as I had to dig through all my notes and files and make this “to do list,” but I didn’t get much writing done. We’ll see how tomorrow goes, as all I have to do is focus on the writing.

Today was the first day I woke up not feeling like total crap. I think I’m finally over this cold/pink-eye bug.

As you can see from the side bar, I brought twitter back. I tried to follow as many people as I could find again. This is a new account though, my old one is dead as a doornail and not working. So if you wish, you can follow me at the new one through the side bar (click through to the twitter page and follow me there).

I registered for the dissertation boot camp, which begins next week. It’s going to be hell, but hell I need. I know I’ll be able to make a giant dent in my pile of stuff and be almost close to done when it ends.

I downloaded about 5 html editor/design programs for the mac and have to find the time to fiddle with them and see if I like any enough to fork the dough over for them. I’m coming up with ideas for how I want the farm’s site to look.

Oh, the farm is running a full page ad in a local paper soon. I’ll scan it and post it, as I helped with it A lot of the photos I took are going to be in it too! We’ll have to add this to my resume!

I called my doc this morning and got a prescription for some eye drops to clear up the pink eye. The eyes already feel much dryer Not much else to report really. I have yet to get to the hiking thing I wanted to do, this weekend I was stuck working the strawberry picking stand. Next weekend perhaps? We’ll see. I am signing myself up for a dissertation writing boot camp that happens end of June through early July. That should help me pump out my last few chapter drafts.

Other than that, I’m just waiting for things to come back on TV to entertain me at night