Random update

Well gentle readers, I've been pre-occupied, but not dead. Here are some random things:

-I'm now 38.5% done with my MS in Accounting. Yeah!

-DH Jeff & I have celebrated our 5-year anniversary. Cool!

-One year down, three to go in this administration. I'm not going to wax eloquent on THAT whole thing except to say they must really think we're all morons.

-One New Years Resolution I will keep: update my workout playlists - for real! They're getting a bit stale and I have new stuff to add!

-Must get to this Christmas thing - wrap, send, repeat!

-Very glad to have such great family and friends!!! *Happy Glow*

Last, but not least: I will be blogging more on a philosophical bent for a while, rather than political (too depressing and BP-raising)...but still with a bit of social commentary.

Updates

I'm now deep into school & have already submitted my first paper. Working on the first five pages of a larger paper. Sending out a paperbackswap book to a requestor today. Must work out. Going to see King Lear @ the Shakespeare Theater tonight. Foot's coming along just fine. Must go now!

Update!

So, the news of Renee:

1. Getting stitches out tomorr--oh, yeah--later today. This is good!
2. I finished Kingmakers. Watch for my review of this book club selection.
3. I'm on the LAST chapter of my Accounting book, which I hope to complete, uh, later today.
4. In the last week, I've been contacted by two Accounting placement agencies. They found my resume on Monster.com. A little clue that perhaps I should have posted my res on Monster first, you think?
5. I've found the joys of Freecycle. This is a forum in which you give stuff away (ie, free). Areas/neighborhoods/cities have their own "branch," for example, Arlington, Virginia has its own site that's for people who live in Arlington. You wouldn't believe the stuff that's offered. It can be real random stuff (eg, unopened cans of Similac, fabric swatches, left-over cleaning products, etc.) - maybe stuff that one really can't sell, wants to get rid of, yet doesn't want to throw out. Or stuff that might sell, but you just don't have the time/patience to go the Craig's List route. You send an OFFER email to the listserv, then interested parties contact you directly to arrange pickup (they have to pick up the item(s) from you). It's actually karmic & keeps stuff out of the waste stream. So far, I've had really positive experiences.

Progress Report

Ok people, here's my progress (re everything):

1. Got my foot surgery done on Friday & am recoop'ing fine. Many thanks to all (drs nurses, staff) who made the thing go as smoothly, comfortably and painless as possible. Honorable mention to Rachel, the RN who did my IV insertion - the insertion was pain-free, expertly done and the resulting mark is tiny. It's an art. Loved the efficiency of the whole process (surgery, from prep to finish), prep info calls & reminders, the warmed blankets provided before & during the procedure and the hot tea in post-op.

Further thanks to all who have called, emailed, Facebooked good wishes for my recovery.

Number one thanks to my DH Jeff who shepherded me home, has been great moral support & ordered pizza for lunch yesterday (he'd get that last one). Super luv!

2. I'm starting chapter 25 in my Accounting book. After that, only one more chapter!

3. I'm on p162 of Kingmakers, a book club selection that is rather challenging - Middle East history with all the dizzying number of players involved. I march on.

4. Was contacted by an Accounting placement firm earlier this week (after they saw my resume on Monster.com - yeah!) & had a chance to meet with them. This is a hopeful development. Also, it was nice to be contacted by an actual human being, instead of an auto-generated email response. Wish me luck that something comes up.

5. I'm in a very good mood. Not really a novel development, but helps immeasurable with my energy levels.

That's all for now folks.

Marching on

Well, I finished Milagro Beanfield War. Wahoo! I'm in the middle of chapter 21 in Accounting. And my tan is coming along very nicely.

On a less bright note, I got another rejection from the Feds regarding a job I'd be perfect at. Mewl. My unemployment benefits are about to run out, so I'm hoping I can extend them...

I'm finally taking care of an old problem in one of my toe joints. Unfortunately, it'll require (minor) surgery. Whatever, this has been going on for years, mostly because my Internal Medicine kept telling me it was nothing (eg, tendonitis). The podiatrist's xrays spoke volumes - it's an obvious bone spur that's been causing so much discomfort.

That is all for now.

Some more "progress"

You know you want it. Well, here it is:

-Finished chapters 16 & 17 in Accounting.
-Applied for a Commerce Dept position.
-Reached p156 in Milagro Beanfield War, which I'm determined to finish, after a reading hiatus of a year. Clearly, I'm a masochist.
-Bought new shoe laces for DH Jeff's hiking boots.

Now I must:
-Go to the gym
-Shop for groceries
-Fold laundry
-Keep my chin up
-Ignore all news, esp. about Savior Obama

Argh.

Progress of sorts

I warned you that I would be giving you updates on my "progress," and you didn't think I was serious?

1. On chapter 16 of Accounting: Investments. Wahoo!
2. Yesterday, I applied for two positions.

Now I have some other realizations:

1. I can't stand Facebook - all the myriad applets. Drive. Me. Crazy.

2. I'm getting a little irritated when folks know my email address, but send me messages thru Facebook. So I get the notice of a message with the text in an email, but I have to log onto Facebook to reply. Uggh. Don't I have to log onto enough sites already?

3. I thoroughly loathe & detest America Online. One of our little projects to wipe my clean system to eradicate all the copious crap that AOL has inflicted upon my poor little computer.

Over and out!

Realizations

So, I've been unemployed now for half a year & have discovered:

1. I suck at time management
2. I'm getting good at crossword puzzles. Also, obsessed.

Nevertheless, I'm gearing up for my re-entry (again) into the world of academics (accounting). Before I start classes in July, I have vowed to complete my entire accounting textbook so I have a leg up (did I mention this?). So, my gentle readers, I will keep you informed of my progress. Also, this serves as motivation to re-engage with blogging.

Ok, with that in mind, I'm reading chapter 15 (of 26) today: Long-Term Liabilities. And, as long as the weather holds out, I'll be reading poolside. Wahoo!

Some [known] bad news, some good news

I'm not going to talk at length about this article in today's WaPo, because I've already talked about how fighting mad it makes me that the DHS can't seem to pull its head out of its butt...and how happy it is to charge that incompetence spectacularly to you and me. Read and weep.

Onto more positive news: Goldman Sachs is bankrolling business education programs for female entreneurs in Africa and the Middle East with an eye to improving local economies in these regions. I think this rocks - focus on the women. We've seen the positive effects on the ground with microcredit/microfinance programs & banks (which tends to lend primarily to women) in the the third world (Grameen Bank, for instance), now Goldman Sachs is taking this thinking to the next logical level: giving female entrepreneurs the educational tools to make their businesses a success. Read the whole article here. And yes, libtards, Goldman Sachs is what you're always howling about - BIG BUSINESS - big raspberry to you!

Hell Week is nigh...

...so posting will be sparce until a week from Tuesday. I have a presentation to prepare for Psych class for this coming week, the second crime scene write-up (unfortunately, I have to coordinate with others for this - uggh) for next Tuesday & both finals that day. Oh yeah, and then there's work. So, I'm going to put my nose to the grindstone until then, with no time for Rants-on-parade. Wish me luck!

Post Thanksgiving Slump

Well, we held Thanksgiving at our place for around nine people (including ourselves) and I think we pulled it off pretty well. Yeah, I’ll have to work on the stuffing (turned out kinda soupy if tasty), but on the whole, everything turned out great and folks seemed to have a good time.

Sooo…Friday and Saturday we proceeded to do a slow, measured clean-up. We’re pretty much back to normal except for the roasting pan which I’ve been purposely avoiding. Remember when we just bought the aluminum version which we could just fold up and throw away? Yeah, now we’re all sophisticated and have an actual “non-stick” roasting pan. I suspect it’ll become more non-stick after soaking it in hot, soapy water – for a while.

For the last two days, we – DH Jeff and I – have been clicking-clacking away at our laptops, him at the NaNoWriMo contest (write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November) and me at my 10-page paper on Postpartum Depression/Psychosis (yeah, the same one I’ve been plodding through for the past month or two). Neither of us had bathed or left the apartment since Thursday. Yesterday, I finished the first draft of my paper, decided I needed to be somewhere besides the apartment and eat something other than leftovers. I convinced DH Jeff to go get sushi with me…which prompted showers. Halleluiah!

Where in the world...?

Sadly, I have not been posting much & one might wonder what's the problem. Well, here's what's been up in my world:

- Biology class demands. Tomorrow's the first exam and Monday at lab was first lab quiz (one every week). That said, I like the prof (really a together, organized sort) & we got to look at stuff under the microscope in lab, including this tiny water insect that was wonder what happened to his aquatic world.

- Honors! Speaking of school, I've been nominated for an honor society at Marymount. Not my first in general, but my first there. Figures, though, that the only recognition I get is the kind I have to pay for.

- Work. Did I mention I've been working so hard, that I get home completely exhausted every day? Not to mention the dreary, chilly weather we've been having lately.

- Book Club? We've put it on hiatus because of lack of interest. Evidently to most, book club is something you drop by on when you have nothing better to do. Otherwise, no communication. Very frustrating to those of us who make an effort and actually host the thing! A few stalwarts, though, & we plan on recruiting others & hopefully opening up shop again in a few months.

- Exercise. This week isn't a good example, but I've been trying to work out regularly to get rid of this sludge around my middle and thighs. You probably wouldn't notice it, but that's irrelevant. I get to have my obsessions if I want.

- Socializing! Hah! Yes, actually going out with friends and family! And yes, I'd rather be doing that than carving out the time to blog. Sad, my lack of commitment. Ah, but mental healthy-speaking, a vast improvement over (specifically my) anti-social attitudes of the past.

Ok, enough for now. More soon, I promise! Rants galore! Harsh language and sentiments!

Random thoughts

I just started my Biology class. Can't ignore the irony that the first few chapters we cover concern - anyone? anyone? - Chemistry! Aggghhhh! But that disturbing occurrence aside, the prof is organized and proactive - he emails us the syllabus and first lecture slides BEFORE we set foot in the classroom. Now that's impressive. Also, he seems really engaged in the study and how to bring it across to students - i.e., interested in actually making sure we grasp the concepts. This bodes well.

On a completely different topic, I've noticed that the more I focus on a task or more specifically a bunch of tasks, working on them concurrently, the more I get done. At work, I've had an (expected) avalanche of work that provokes that kind of focus. Although I've been exhausted over the last week, I've also been energized by the sheer volume of work & now study that I've been able to accomplish.

I'm planning to transfer some of that residual energy to home. There's this series of paintings by a Mexican artist that my dad gave me which badly need re-matting & framing. I'm finally going to take one of them (to start) to get this done & finally display it. Brother Chris & wife Steph should appreciate this as they've had a couple of the series framed (and displayed) so nicely. Today, in another effort to improve our home environment, I'm going to work on getting rid of some clutter in the apt. Less clutter, more tranquility and function.

At this point, I was going to launch into a catty tirade, but that'll have to wait.

Oh, one last thought: I'm currently in a state of non-indebtedness: I've paid off my school loans, my credit card balance in full (which included my Biology class tuition), our rent and bills are covered. I'm going to savor this moment - because it will not last long. But a keen moment it is!

End communication.

Sorry about the silence

To those loved ones out there who have sent me emails and such, sorry I've been silent. Not on purpose - this last week has been a doozy. For starters I had an ear infection I had to deal with. We're talking swelling that made me look like a lopsided Ferengi. Kidding, but I couldn't hear out of that ear. Then I had my final exam. Then another doctor's appointment (regular maintenance type). Then my job has exploded with work. Fortunately, I got antibiotics for the ear and it's recovering; I aced the exam & the class (yeah!) & the abundance of work means I'll be employed for at least the next few months.

So all's well that ends well - and I'm going to start returning emails. Last night Jeff & I got together with a gym friend and her new beau for dinner. We've been trying to be social with her for a while & I'm so glad we finally got things together. Also, tried a recent addition to the Clarendon restaurant scene - Sette Bello - and the consensus of four is that it was way overpriced for the food quality and service. They ran out of olives & glasses (no kidding) for our martinis.* I mean, come on. We're not going to give the restaurant a second chance. But - good to try new things anyway.

Coming up: Mom's part 3 of Ten Days in Israel. Right now, though, I must go work out.

Update: Oh, forgot to mention, I decided to pay off my current school loans in one fell-swoop. It's a large commitment of cash, but with my job ending possibly before the end of the year, better to be completely solvent than having that hanging over my head. Of course this is a temporary condition as I'm planning (tentatively) to start back at school full-time Fall '07. I feel good about getting rid of any debt, but I dread having to be back in the market for a job. Might go the consulting route since that's more flexible & "clients" don't generally want a long term commitment, so I don't have to lie. Never easy, is it?

* Clarification: it's not out of the question to expect a restaurant that charges $20 an entree to stock more than two glasses of a certain variety. Our favorite tiny & modestly priced Thai restaurant has no problem with this concept.

Oh, yeah, evidently I left Las Vegas

Yep, I've returned uncorrupted by Vegas. Good thing I don't gamble. Anyhoo, the Wynn Hotel was fabulous, the 120-degree heat was um, HOT but amazingly tolerable without any humidity, The Family (no! not the Cosa Nostra - my inlaws, silly!) was fabulous as was our mini-tour of eatin's around town.

But - now back to reality. Job's in turmoil, sort-of. Don't know about that. Next week is my final exam with the latest class. Whirl-wind class, but interesting & informative, and such a pleasant change from the drudgery and frustration of Chemistry. Never again! So...late August I start a biology class. You just know I'm going to have to buy the latest edition of Campbell's Biology (I have an older edition from an earlier Biology class - weighs a ton, costs a fortune). Really feeling like I need to get serious & save money in a hurry. Uggh.

Well, gotta get some sleep - my new resolution.

Posting While Applying Make-up

I'm happy to report that I received an "A" for my Chemistry efforts! Yeah! Now, I'm totally free!

It's going to be rainy and 66 degrees out which makes me just want to go back to sleep in my cozy and dry bed instead of braving the elements. You know, (on a another random thought) I think I'll pick up a bunch of umbrellas today as I'm so likely to lose or destroy them. Might as well have a supply.

My herb seeds have sprouted. That's not code for anything, I just planted basil, etc, seeds and they're already showing and growing towards the sun in our lovely southeastern-exposed window.

Evidently, (according to DH Jeff), there's an article in the Post today about backlash regarding those stupid illegal marches. I'll have to link to it later, but must scurry to work.

Ciao!

Later: here's the link to the story referred to above. Shows all immigrants are not of the same mind as the marchers.

Free at Last!!!

I am now DONE with Chemistry!!! Yippee! I'll have to wait for next week for my grade, but it's DONE!!!

The last few weeks could not have been more stressful (without a complete nervous breakdown) with the move (of apts), starting a new job, trying to finish up with the class. At the end, I was so unmotivated to do the homework, labs, etc. But did I mention that it's done?

Back to some semblance of normalcy, regular work hours, regular workouts, decorating and perhaps enjoying life a little.

Whew!

Rant o' the Day

I had a mini-meltdown in chem lab this morning because I was so disgusted with the poor quality of the lab manual (the professor writes these) and of having to keep correcting old lab reports whereas if I knew how to do them in the first place, I would have done them right in the first place. And I guess I'm supposed to be happy about paying $2500 for this crap. Bonus: I have an exam tomorrow morning that I'm really uneasy about. My professor brags about putting them together in 15 minutes. No doubt there will be mistakes in her test or perhaps unsolvable problems. But who cares? She still has a job.

Yesterday it took me an hour to ride home in a cab from work because the marching illegals were clogging the metro & creating traffic problems. Metro spoke only Spanish over the intercom. Made me feel like I was in a third world shithole. Wait awhile, and it shall be so. These boneheads have no right to protest anything in this country - let them go back to their own screwed up countries and try protesting there. Plus, most of our "leaders" aren't doing a damn thing about this problem, just allowing it to get worse. The Post gleefully reported on how our illegals feel politically empowered. I'm not linking to any of these pieces - if you're that interested, go find them yourself.

I'm as stressed out as I can be, yet, I must head to work and look happy...then rush home and cram for this test. Is all my effort worth it? I'm thinking not.

Streams of Unconsciousness

So, you thought I'd given up on my blogging life, eh? Nah.

Got a 94% on that Chemistry test - no one more surprised (and pleased) than me!

Teacher got me royally pissed (as opposed to just commonly pissed) the other morning by starting the class early with no prior notification thereof. I walked in on time to find her whisking thru her transparencies.

Now we're gearing up for another exam. Oh joy.

I've come to a realization after having bored to death a guest with a rambling diatribe about abortion, fueled by way too much wine. Yeh, I should watch the amount I drink, but more importantly, I should drop that subject permanently. There is absolutely no point in bringing it up. I have my values, they have theirs - and never the twain shall meet. But, if it were truly a personal and private choice (to kill your kid), then no red cent of mine should ever go to supporting (any) abortion (e.g., healthcare/insurance that covers abortion, etc). Your mistake, your bill. Fat chance!

War on drugs? Same thing. Just a way for our govt to spend a huge amount of (our) money and man-power for no appreciable benefit. The constant is that Americans love their drugs & will find other means of acquiring them or, they'll just make them at home. Then demand that there be all sorts of "free" rehabilitation to salvage their useless lives. Your mistake, your bill. Nope, we pay for that too.

Wars run and international policies hatched, having the effect akin to creating antibiotic resistant strains of tuberculosis by sharing your meds. We pay on myriad levels for that, believe me.

I think I'm going to try to ignore all these things, adopt a positive if self-absorbed mental state, and attempt to make enough money to go to school and continue dining out when I want. Blah. My fury at these issues and how they're dealt with serves only to give me stomachaches (I've had a lot of those lately, but I suspect partly due to the gallons of coffee I drink daily, and the consequent erosion of my stomach lining). Anyhoo, there it is. Rambling diatribe sans alcohol.

Musings on Monday...

...More like, bitching on Monday, but would you expect any less from me?

I'm pretty certain I've paid for any sins I've committed (therefore, no need for continued Purgatory), I continue to "pay my dues" and thus, still dragging my bum into work day after day in order to pay bills. That's how it feels. I'm getting too old to feel this way day after day.

Now, you can say, I'm also paying for vacations in Key West & you would be right; yet that's a fairly recent thing. You also know part of the problem is my procrastination about applying for schools & my loathing thereof (applying, that is). Have not completed or started applications. Boo-hiss. This will be an ongoing issue.

Well, I not only made gazpacho this Saturday, but then used the leftovers for a hot vegetable soup base on Sunday evening. Both results were good, and I had enough left-over for lunch today.

Paid bills over the weekend. Depressing. So bringing lunch on a regular basis will become mandatory. Nice if I could get to the concept of an emergency fund. Not this month, though.

I started a major purge of old files and reorganizing by year. Amazing how much I threw out, yet there is still substantial clutter and piles in our "study." Realized we need a shredder.

I'm reading The Bookseller of Kabul, which makes me immensely glad I'm an American woman. Gaack, how bleak their lives are in Afghanistan, even after the Taliban. Realized having too many options is infinitely better than having none, ever.

Realized once more today how much I despise meetings, folks who can't grasp the concept of deadlines, and folks who constantly call in sick, always when you need something from them. But, hey, I still have a job.

Realized in spades how much I hate being guilted into or about anything. Enough on that.

Had a vision this morning of the Jeff & moi-meme having dinner out tonight. Jeff shared this vision - yeah!

Going to take an accounting class (for work, on them) and a Spanish class (for fun, on me) in the fall. It's something.

Read a commentary blurb in the Post today lamenting the CDC non-funding of several preventative AIDS programs for teens in DC. Questions: where are the parents? and why aren't they teaching their kids about such things? Is it the Fed's responsibility to tell the little angels to wear condoms so they won't catch a fatal disease? I guess parents are too busy teaching lessons of perpetual victimhood, stupid virility, teen pregnancy and how to get the govts to pay for the little bastards. Ok, enough - go read the thing for yourself and see what you think.

Back to work...