Quick chance to breathe before the next deluge

I just finished the 2-3 page paper that's due tomorrow based on an on-line collaboration I did on Monday. Fun! No...truly. It was. The collaboration anyway, the paper not so much.

My school will be featured tomorrow on a national morning show. Why? Is it because our Forensics team is doing so well? Nope. It's because our basketball team is kicking some serious ass. I don't dare watch the game...I hope they win!

Crazy composition prof is still crazy. 750 words due for her on Monday, but at least it's actually a draft of our term paper, so not a complete waste of time.

I also have a test in Statistics that day. Study group for that is tomorrow.

Muffin Man is still amazing. Sweet, funny, delicious. Occasionally a noodge, but he's four, what would you expect. Now, if he would only decide that it's a good idea to poop in the potty.

Do you remember me mentioning my dear friends who just got married? I was just reminded by one of them that they met on the internet. Isn't that cool? Just like Angie. Go on over and offer up some congratulations, won't you?

If you folks aren't watching Dr. Who, you should be.

Yesterday was individual picture day at PNP and tomorrow is class picture day. I hope that this photographer is better than the one at the old school. I love dressing Muffin Man up for picture day. He looks so cute in his little hawaiian print shirt and chinos.

Does anyone else have the theme song from "Little Einsteins" stuck in their heads? I'm trying to get it out by humming the theme from "Higgly Town Heroes" but it's not working.

Well, that's it. See you all later!

Sunday....

Muffin Man and I went to visit Aunt and Uncle-Tandem-Bicycle and Cousin Sweet-and-Shy (who turned nine the day I turned 37). They live near the National Zoo, so Uncle-Tandem-Bicycle, Cousin Sweet-and-Shy, Muffin Man and I went to pay our respects to the lions and tigers and (panda) bears. Well, we didn't actually go to see the pandas, but we did see some HONKING GIANT turtles and three elephants and some prairie dogs and silly orangutans. Then MM & S&S played on the giant pizza and then we all went to the nearby playground and then we all went back to their house where MM played on S&S's trampoline and they gave us some left-over birthday balloons and then we went home.

It was a lovely day.

And Mr. Spock made a low-fat cheese cake which was simply fantastic.

And that was our Sunday.

Weekend Update

Mr. Spock was at work from 8 til 5 today, so Muffin Man and I kept each other company. I admit I wasn't the best of company for a friendly, sweet, active 4-year-old today...I had some reading to do for one class (while MM watched The Incredibles) and an on-line assignment due at noon today in another (which I finally decided I could do faster if MM were NOT popping in and out of his room where he was supposed to be having Quiet Time so I let him play on his computer. I posted the assignment a couple of hours late...oh well) And then MM and I went out for a spot of luncheon. And then we listened to "NO!" by TMBG and then I let him play on Disn3y.com while I took a shower and got dressed and then Mr. Spock came home. I gave them both kisses and then...

I went out. To dinner. And a movie. With Two Lovely Neighbor Women.

We ate at Sweetwater's (tex-mex eggrolls and short smoked grilled salmon salad) and went to see Failure to Launch (which I found fluffy and hysterically funny - though Matthew McConneghy's teeth are frighteningly perfect.)

It was fabulous. They called and invited me this morning. We had a great time.

Quick question:

Any of you read "Dispatches From a Not-So-Perfect Life"?

An odd thing

Today in my Communications class we were all asked to write down the names of people who fit the descriptions from a long list. One of the descriptions was: Your Best Friends.

And without a second's hesitation I wrote down the real life names of two people I know through the blog world. One I've met in person and the other I've never met.

And as soon as I wrote their names I felt strange about it. Because I could have written Red-Haired friend. Or FriendWhoLivesWestofMe. Or SweetYoungFriend. Or DearFriendsWhoGotMarriedLastWeek (who also have blogs). Or....

But there it is. I wrote down the names of 2 people I feel I know really well, who I like and care about and who like and care about me. I don't have to be the strong happy thin one with these friends. I can be not perfect and (ahem) whiny. I can be sad.

And they can be sad or whiny or not-perfect and we understand each other.

Maybe it's because none of my friends who I met out of the blog-world are moms? Or that one of DearFriends was Mr. Spock's friend first and I don't want to poach? I don't know. All I know is I think of you all as my friends and two of you got written down as my best friends.

And there it is.

In which I fight against the bureaucracy and win, one day too late to whine about.

1. My advisor told me I could register for Summer Term on Wednesday, March 22nd - because with the credits I will have at the end of this semester, I will be fully a Sophomore. Unfortunately, the On-line Registration program doesn't count the credits I will have, only those I do have and so it told me that I couldn't register until 9:00 this morning with the rest of the Freshman.

2. At 9:01, I log in to register and it says I can't because there is a hold on my account. I click on the link to find out WTF the hold-up is and it says I'm not up-to-date on my immunizations. WHAT?!?! I got two gonzo shots in January! I handed in the paperwork! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???

3. So I call and just get an answering machine. I leave a message and decide to be proactive so...

4. I call the doctor's office and ask them to fax over a copy of what I got done in January. It is now 9:10 in the morning. They are very pleasant and act as though they will do it right away. I drop Muffin Man off at PNP and I go to my first class (starts at 10:30) and after class at 11:45 I go to the University Immunization office where I am informed that they have not received a fax from my doctor's office. The Immunization office says that the doctor must not have filled out the sheet properly since they are missing a current MMR.

5. I call the doctor's office. Am on hold for 4 minutes. They say they will get to it as soon as they can. I reiterate that I cannot register until they send the fax.

6. I go to my Women and Work class where I discover that in all the aggravation this morning, I have forgotten my assignment. It is on my desk at home. I will have to e-mail it.

7. I have lunch and return to the Immunization office at 2:00. Still no fax. I call the doctor's office again and get attitude from the receptionist. I tell her I'll wait on hold until she faxes it. She does so.

8. My records do not show an MMR given in January. What? But I got everything I needed to be up-to-date!

9. I ask the nice nurse at the Immunization office if I can get an MMR there. "Only Mondays and Wednesdays" she says. She gives me the number for the Public Health office.

10. I call. They don't do immunizations on Thursdays but I could go in tomorrow.

11. I call my doctor's office. They can't do immunizations today because they are short staffed. One of the doctors is on vacation.

12. I take another look at the immunization form. The field for MMR is blank. BUT...the fields for Measles only, Mumps only, and Rubella only are filled in. Don't they count?

13. I bring the form over to the nice nurse and ask her. "Yes" she says. "They count. But they have to have been given after your first birthday."

14. I look. The form says, "Measles: 2/10/70, 4/17/77; Mumps: 3/19/70; Rubella: (some date or other in '72)" and it specifies that they have to be after the 1st birthday AND after 1967. Well, I had my last shots of all of these after my first birthday! I'm golden! I bring it back to the nice nurse. "No." she says sadly. "You had to have gotten ALL of your shots after your first birthday. Any shot you received before then doesn't count."

"And there isn't any way you can give me an MMR shot today so that I can register?"

Long pause. She reaches behind the counter and gets some forms.

"Fill these out. The shot costs $45.00."




So, I am now sporting a bandaid and am registered for Summer: 1st half: Intro to Creative Writing and General Linguistics, 2nd half: Micro-economics and Social Psychology.

My college is going crazy

Because apparently our uh...volley ball?...team is doing rather well. And oh, yeah, our basketball team is going to the prom or something. No, seriously...our basketball team is in the Sweet 16, and our volleyball team is also in the top ranks. I'm trying not to pay attention, 'cause the moment I do, they'll both lose badly. I mean it. (Did I ever tell you about the time I went to see the 1977 Yankees play against the Blue Jays?)

So the campus has gone nuts. News crews everywhere. People wearing the school colors. The bookstore is selling out of sweatshirts, I went in to check the bargain book bin and the line was out the door with people buying school logo paraphenalia - I decided that no bargain would be worth waiting on a line 200 people long.

It's sure chasing away the "After Spring Break" blahs.

I'm going to take just a moment to brag...I hope you don't mind

Psychology Midterm: 95. This gives me a 93.5 for the course so far.
Women and Work Midterm: 94. The highest score in the class. I'm about to plotz.

Seriously, people. I am not--absolutely not--the same person I was 18 years ago.

A conversation

"Muffin Man, would you like a hard-boiled egg for breakfast"
"Oh! Yes, my dear. I would like a hard-boiled egg, if you please."

Where the heck did that come from?

Another conversation:

"Are you my big, big, Muffin Man?"
"No!"
"No? Well, who am I kissing then?"

Doesn't this look like a good birthday dinner?

Dinner
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

Yummy!

Good thing, since I'm in college...

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

It's my party and I'll cook if I want to.

37.

Yup.

Me.

Happy Birthday!

The menu: Osso Buco, risotto, kale, and triple chocolate cake with vanilla icing and vanilla ice cream.

The guests: Me, Mr. Spock (he made the risotto and the kale, I made the o.b. and the cake), Muffin Man, Mr. Spock's sister and her husband.

The verdict: Delicious. Lovely evening. Lots of good chatter. Muffin Man regaled us with songs.

The aftermath: not too bad, most of the dishes are in the dishwasher and the pots and pans just need a quick rinse before I rub them down with oil. (Cast iron, God's cookware.)

I took pictures, but I used actual film so I won't be able to post them until tomorrow sometime.

This is how we've been getting ready in the morning...

Pajamas off
doo do di do do
Pajamas off
Doo do di do
Pajamas off
doo do di do do
di do do di dah dah dah di dah

Underpants off
doo do di do do...

Go make a pee
doo do di do do...

And wash your hands
doo do di do do...

Put on your shirt
doo do di do do...

And underpants...
doo do di do do

Put on your socks
doo do di do do...

Put on your pants
doo do di do do...

Put on your shoes
doo do di do do
Put on your shoes
Doo do di do
Put on your shoes
doo do di do do
And now it's breakfast time.

The Magic 8 Ball's cousin, The Pioneer 300 disc Carosel

(With 264 discs inside!)

Via APL

Go to your music player of choice and hit shuffle (or in my case, random). Say the following questions out loud and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING!

How does the world see me?
Mozart, "Die Zieberflote: Overture". Huh? I'm a magic flute?

Will I have a happy life?
Front Street, "The Beginnings".

Uh-oh. This is a song by a band from Pittsburgh. Not a particularly happy song.

What do my friends really think of me?
Marlo Thomas and Friends, "Dudley Pippen and the Principal" (off the Free to Be You and Me CD).

Am I Dudley, whose teacher didn't believe he didn't tip over the sand table? Or am I the principal who is so understanding and plays a wonderful tune on his flute? And does it wierd anyone else out that a flute is prominent in both this and the first answer?

Do people secretly lust after me?
Crash Test Dummies, "I Think I'll Disappear Now".

Oooh! Good one!

How can I make myself happy?
The Christmas Revels, "Aro Que Nostre Seign Es Nat" (off the Sing We Now of Christmas CD).

Yes, celebrating Christmas makes me very happy.

What should I do with my life?
The Wizard of Oz soundtrack, "Wicked Witch Theme/Toto runs away from Mrs. Gulch"

Hmmmm....Maybe it has to do with the fact that I've left a career I was unhappy in, and am going to school to get into a career I'll like more?

What is some good advice for me?
First came a song off of one of Mr. Spock's cds. I couldn't find the album cover, so no clue as to what song it was. I decided to try again and came up with:
Sting, "Shadows in the Rain" (from Dream of the Blue Turtles).

Someone else is gonna have to figure this one out. It's beyond me.

How will I be remembered?
David Bowie, "Diamond Dogs" (from the Changes album)

Beats me.

What is my signature dancing song?
Stravinsky, "Lullaby" from The Firebird.

Is this the Pioneer trying to tell me that it's no use trying to find a tune with some rhythm 'cause I can't dance anyway?

What do I think my current theme song is?
The Day the Earth Stood Still soundtrack, "The Glowing/Alone/Gort's Rage"

Ahhhh...so true.

What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
REM, "Strange"

Doesn't this fit nicely with the previous answer?

What song will play at my funeral?
k.d. lang, "Mind of Love"

What type of men/women do I like?
Women: John Fogerty, "Rock and Roll Girls". Rock on!
Men: Steeleye Span, "Twa Corbies". Ick, Pioneer thinks I like rotting dead knights?

What is my day going to be like?
Annie Lennox, "Walking on Broken Glass"

Very true. Allergies are giving me a sinus headache. (BTW, this is the one song of the whole list I stopped and listened to the whole way through. And I bopped up and down. Made me feel a whole bunch better.)

What one thing could I not live without?
Woody Allen, "European Trip" (from his Standup Comic cd, recorded in 1965 before he was a complete asshole.)

We're back!!

The good news:
1) Bitter is the New Black was an awesome read. Go. Get it. Now.
2) We had a good beach day. Took pictures. May post some.
3) Lobster. Tiramisu. Yum.

The bad news:
1) The flight down. Supposed to leave IAD at 3:00. Left (finally!) at 5:30.
2) The flight up. The second leg from Charlotte was supposed to leave at 1:30. We finally left around 6:30. We got home tonight at 8:30. We'd been in transit since before 10:00 AM.
3) As discussed earlier.

I'll go whine in the proper forum now.

Glad to be home.

Wheeeee!

Spring break!

Tomorrow we head off to my MIL's until Wednesday. Am I bringing the homework I have to do? I am not.

Instead, I'm bringing this.

And the presentation went well. I am so glad that's over...but there's plenty more to come after the break.

I am so looking forward to wearing summer clothes for a few days.

I'm ready

I have to do a presentation with a small group of my classmates tomorrow in my Communications class. Basically, we have to teach the class for 20 minutes. I just finished putting the finishing touches on our hand-outs and--after e-mailing them to the group, the professor (Prof. LooksLikeSheMightBeJo(e)), and the department as required--I printed out 30 copies.

Our topic is Cultural Stereotyping. My little section is on the benefits for the stereotyper. What are the benefits, you ask? I'm so glad you asked!

The benefits of cultural stereotyping are as follows: They help you predict what will happen and they help you behave appropriately with people from other cultures. If, while walking down Central Park West on the 24th of December, you saw a man wearing a yarmulke, you would probably refrain from wishing him a Merry Christmas and, instead, express your hope that he would have a Happy Hanukah. If you saw a man wearing a yarmulke in Rome, you'd probably kiss his ring. Stereotypes are shortcuts, roadmaps that can assist us in unfamiliar territory.

One of my team-mates will be doing the drawbacks. Of which there are many. We have a pretty good activity for the class to do, as well.

And then....Spring Break!

Warning: May trigger an asthma attack

Marla's brilliant description of a difficult situation

Today is blog against sexism day

And I'd participate except that I'm studying for my Women and Work exam tomorrow.

The exam is on various historical instances of sexism in the American work place, including domestic labor, factory work (think Triangle Shirtwaist), unions, promotions, hiring practices, pay scales, undervalued "pink collar" work, racism (against African Americans, Asians, Irish (did you know that the Irish weren't considered "white" in the 1800's?)), etc. etc.

A quick post after homework

Tonight I came home to a wonderful aroma. Mr. Spock was baking potatoes for our dinner. We had chicken, baked potatoes and spinach and I was happy.

Muffin Man asked for, received, and ate a whopping pile o' spinach. He ate his potato too. The chicken, not so much. And then, my friends, then he ate not one but TWO bananas. I sense a growth spurt.

I spent most of the weekend working on an lit review for my adv. comp. class. It didn't turn out too badly. Saturday afternoon I went to a test prep class for my Psych midterm on Thursday. I'm prepared. Didn't really need the review, but I figured my professor's giving up his weekend...and I'm always sitting in the front row, and he might notice if I weren't there. Don't want to piss him off. It would undo the good sitting up front and center does me.

Tonight I got some stuff ready for my communications class - I'm meeting with a group of my fellow students tomorrow. We have to teach the class for 20 minutes together on Friday. And I looked over my notes for my Women & Work midterm (also Thursday).

So, if you folks don't hear from me until Friday, don't be alarmed, okay?

My slippers

Slippers
Originally uploaded by Mystery Mommy.

He loves wearing 'em. Here he is playing on one of our laundry baskets.

More pix in this series on Flickr.

Sleepy...

Muffin Man woke me 4 times last night.

1. "I need to go pee." Well, couldn't he have done that without waking me up?
2. "I'm pooping. I need a diaper." Okay, I wish he'd just poop in the toilet already, but that's just me.
3. "I need you to change my diaper." Fine. I saw that one coming. I really need to teach him how to change his own diaper and wipe his own butt.
4. "There are monsters in my room." No. No there aren't.
"Spray my room." Awwww....I really don't want to.
"Pleeeeeeeease?" Oh alright, alright. But if you wake me one more time there will be no tv tomorrow.

I'm beat.