oh yeah....

I know you're just sitting at the edge of your seat wondering what's up with the hair. Well, I succumbed and went back to have a few more inches cut off. I like it :) and I gotten LOTS of comments on it [both here and at home]. Do I have pictures of it yet? nope....but in case you're wondering, I cut off between 9-10 inches. Did I donate it? No, alas my hair is undonatable due my fondness for constantly changing it's color, which incidently is a dark, rich brown--which doesn't seem all that different to me--but also yielded lots of compliments. who knew?
:I SHEZ

The Morning After....

Okay, I hate my hair. I know, I know--yesterday I thought it was fabulous. I'm sure tomorrow I'll go back to liking it again [I hope].

That's it--that's all I have to report--just stayed at home, lounging with the dog, watching football [how 'bout them Cowboys??], and studying....lazy Sunday stuff.

:ISHEZ

Doh....I Lost the Bread!

What an afternoon I had today. The mall is one the other side of the island, which has lots of shops, but more importantly to me this afternoon was a nice big supermarket. Along the way--having been sick AND tired of my hair--I gave in and stopped for a haircut. A trim, really. About 6 inches and an hour later, I emerge looking FABULOUS, even if I do say so myself! She asked if she could cut a bit more than just a trim and I said sure as long as it looks good and isn't supershort, I'm fine. I'm not sure that anyone's told her that before, because periodically she'd ask again [which by that point it was too late if I would have wanted to recind my statement!], so happily cutting more and more and more and flinging hair everywhere until voila! the finished product. It now sits just above my shoulder--with lots of layers. I have no doubt the first time I wash my hair, I'll forget nearly 2/3 of my hair is gone and spend 45 minutes rinsing out shampoo!! Alright--not to be deterred, as the fridge and pantry were shockingly bare--I head over to the supermarket, where they were having all sorts of sales on great items to stock the pantry and freezer [I refrained from buying too many perishables with the exception of fresh fruits and veggies]. Of course, then I realize I have to schlep all this back to the house via the bus. So looking like a packmule, I head from store to bus, get on bus--which is 20 minutes late. Because it's late, it's packed and me and alllllllllllllllllll my groceries squeeze into one seat [okay maybe 1 and 1/3] and then unfolding and repositioning everything to get off the bus was quite humorous. Unfortunately, the bread didn't fair so well, as at one point the bus swerved and the bread fell as did the diet coke--on top of the bread. Anyone know how to unsmoosh bread? tragic really....

so that was my big day out. now i'm home, making some soup, hanging with the pupcicle...contemplating studying.

:ISHEZ

PS--the only thing more funny than me trying to be a packmule and get off the bus in an efficient manner was me trying to inconspicuously take a picture of the new cut while walking to get a coffee at starbucks...I'm sure the people I passed thought I was nuts. Oh well, welcome to NYC!

PPS--okay, blogger's being difficult and not letting me download my pic at the moment [and after I made such an idiot of myself!]...you can see it on my facebook thumbnail [scroll down, it's in the side column!]

'Bout Time....

okay, so i'm just now posting pics of the house--better late then never! :)

So, here's the living room and kitchen, which are downstairs. Then head up the stairs [which Addy LOVES] to the loft bedroom and bathroom. Never fear--there's also a 1/2 bath downstairs, so when you visit, you're not having to climb the stairs just for potty breaks!!

While loving adventure, my sweet baby girl is very happy to have her furniture back at her comfort [what a rough life she leads!] :ISHEZ

Look Momma--Look What I Got!!

What a wonderful [NOT] surprise Addy had waiting for me this morning, when I got up—45 minutes late. A mouse. A dead mouse. Laying on my sleeping bag, which Addy of late had confiscated for her own.
Lemme start from the beginning…a couple of nights ago. It was a cold and stormy night [okay, well maybe not stormy, but the temp was about 45F], I’m sitting in bed, sipping my tea, watching a movie, when something caught my eye—scurrying across the floor. EEEEEuuuuwww…I HATE MICE. Can’t stand the disgusting little buggars, regardless of how cute and helpful Cinderella makes them seem. Great, just one more thing to think about during the insanity of trying to find a job, midterms, and figuring out where to put everything that I’m unpacking. I’m sure he was just seeking refuge from the cold. Don’t care. My house. My rules. No rodents. Promising myself I’d look into solutions the next day, I went to sleep. Well, next day came and panic set in about 2 upcoming midterms and 2 papers—all due/occurring over the next two weeks. So little furry guest was forgot about…until last night. In fact, since nothing was seen or heard from him again, starting thinking perhaps it was just a dream.
Until last night….I awoke at some ungodly hour to my dog playing and jumping around. Not really thinking anything of it, I fussed at her to lay down, which she did [although—in hindsight THANKFULLY—not on the bed!]. So later I, awoke, not to the sound of my alarm, but suddenly and quickly [you know, that feeling you have when you wake up and KNOW that you’ve overslept]. I jump out of bed and am heading for the shower without glasses when I noticed something on the sleeping bag [aside from the dog], I bend down for a closer look, about to grab it when my brain registers that it’s a dead mouse. I jump back with a little scream, which apparently Addy mistook for playing so she jumps up, picks up the mouse [like she does her toys] and flings it across the room, chases it and picks it up and brings it to me [at which point if she has a TOY we play tug-of-war], but I AM NOT playing tug-of-war with a RODENT, with its dead tail hanging haphazardly out of my dog’s mouth. I’m screaming at her to drop it. Heartbroken and confused why Momma’s not excited about her new toy, Addy drops it and sinks to the floor pouting…
Damn dog. But good dog for taking care of the mouse. You know Samson used to act more like a dog than a cat, well apparently I now have a dog who loves to hunt mice. Fine by me, because the real question is how many more are illegally housing themselves in my humble abode…
:-S SHEZ
PS—I guess it’s a lot better than finding a 7 foot python in your toilet, like the lady in Brooklyn did last week [upon finding it, as she was going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she slammed the lid down and tried to flush it….needless to say—but saying it anyway—it didn’t help.] Both plumbers and firefighters were called in to remove the snake…

Grrrrrr.....

Yay! Today TimeWarner is coming to install cable/internet/phone [what? I got a really good deal--at least for the first year!]. I have been informed that they will be here sometime between 8am and 12pm. Now, I know that there is NO WAY they will be arriving by 8am, unless I oversleep, sleep in, etc--in which case, they'll be knocking on the door at 7:55am. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have tried this approach....as they rock up about 9:45am [not bad, I didn't expect to see them until 11:50], but about 5 [I KID YOU NOT] minutes AFTER the electricity went out! WHAT THE??????? Since I just moved in, there's no way the bill is late :)- I look outside--the whole block [traffic lights included] is dark. Great. I don't know a lot about installing cable, but I have an inkling that electricity might be helpful. Turns out my inkling was right. I have to say that the cable guy was wonderful and hung around for about 30-40 minutes hoping that the electricity would come on any minute... A 10 minute conversation with the Electric Company resulted that they were unsure of why the electricity was out and that as soon as they could possibly get a tech out, they would have someone out to figure out what's going on. Here's what's going on: THE ELECTRICITY IS OUT. FIX IT BEFORE MY CABLE GUY HAS TO LEAVE. She didn't seem excited about my suggestion [even though I said it nicely]. Since we had no idea about the time frame for the outage, the cable guy had no choice but to leave...and of course, the next available time to schedule service is next Friday. HA HA HA. I laugh because well, I try not to cry in front of complete strangers. ANOTHER week. sigh. gotta love technology. I feel like complaining to Electric Company for subway/bus passes for the days that I have to go to school to do work on non-class days, but I know that it'll just be a waste of minutes on my cell phone.

You'll be happy to know that as I'm boarding the ferry to go into school, the Electric Company called to say that service was back on and they hoped that I wasn't too inconvienced by the power outage. It took EVERY OUNCE of ENERGY that I had NOT to toss my phone in the harbour :)

:ISHEZ

Midterms Are Coming! Midterms Are Coming!

Ahhhh….I forgot how not fun tests are. Okay, I forgot how not fun BIOSTATS tests were. Bleh. You know, it seems relatively simple when we’re in class or recitation and it’s being explained, but get me in the test, take away my books, and I freeze faster than your tongue on a frozen pole [think A Christmas Story]. Actually, overall I think the test was okay…but conditional probability KILLS me every time! I dunno what it is, but I was making good time, doing great [at least I thought so], feeling confident and THEN conditional probability hits. I continue on…leaving that problem ‘til last…but the next problem—conditional probability. Grrrr….alright fine. Work out all the easy parts and then struggle through the last two, writing as much information as I possibly can….hoping perhaps something sticks [or the Prof has pity on my poor confused soul and gives at least a couple of points for effort!] So fingers crossed, I get results back on Monday—when we can go over the test in recitation [joy!]
Luckily afterward, I met Tom & Carol [yes, that would be wineshop Tom & Carol] who are up here on a vacation and touring around and today they had a free day and since I was in class [and there’s no way to skip on test day] decided to meet for dinner. The first thing that I did was order a beer. Tom & Carol concurred that after biostats I needed one! Dinner was great and catching up with Tom & Carol even better [Tom’s opening a new store in San Antonio, saw pics of the grandkids, etc]!!
Alright must go—had to put unpacking on hold except for during study breaks—so that’s on the agenda…at least until next week and the next midterm!

:ISHEZ

PS--Happy Birthday to everyone having a birthday within the last/upcoming week: Auntie P, Matthew, Landri, Woody, Kerry, Ange, and anyone else I may have forgotten--I'm blaming midterms & moving!

Movin' On Up...

Well, technically down…YAY! Movers have unloaded. It was so worth the cost to have them take my dressers and bed upstairs. Since most of my stuff has been in storage since May, it’s like Christmas going through all these boxes. The nice thing is that I have lots of room to put everything [well, except the kitchen, where cabinet space is a bit limited]….now I just have to unpack, unpack, unpack…and watch a little football!!

:ISHEZ

The Cruell Irony of It All...

We are moved. And I’m using the term moved very, very loosely , because well, Addy & I are here, and the furniture is still in storage, with an eta of Saturday afternoon. Yes, today is Friday. Mover issues. I think by now, I could write a whole book on moving to NYC [chapter 1, bring lots of money. Chapter 2, plan for NOTHING to go as you planned. Chapter 3, have back up money. Chapter 4, travelling by taxi with dog. Chapter 5, rummage through old coats, jackets, and jeans looking for spare money]
Ahem. Sorry to digress. Anyway, checking out of hotel TODAY, refusing to pay for another night as I just handed over an INSANE amount of money for a deposit and ONE month of rent [incidentally, these checks when combined equal nearly 5 months of rent that I was paying in Fredericksburg]. In theory, meeting movers at storage and then catching a ride to house. In reality, movers were overbooked. No worries, rent a car, stop by storage get some pillows and bedding paraphernalia, drive dog & me to new house to meet the nice gentleman who is going to turn on my gas and thus provide me heat & hot water. Thinking that with pillows and bedding paraphernalia I could “rough” it one night. HA HA HA HA. AHEM. In the state of New Jersey if you want to get a rental car using a debit card, you have to have a license issued in the states of NJ, NY, or PA regardless of the fact that you just moved here and since you were living in a hotel, getting a license with the address of the hotel seemed a bit, I don’t know—INSANE so you still have your TEXAS license. Although they were willing to accept it IF I could get the university to write a letter showing that I was in fact enrolled [because perhaps the student ID I showed them was fake!] AND a copy of the lease AND a bill with my name on it at the new address…all within 4 hours, as that was the check out time at hotel. So new plan: taxi and try not to shoot the nice people who work for a company with stupid rules. Not thrilled as it will cost more than rental car, but okay. We are now running late and must skip storage for pillows and bedding paraphernalia as gas man will be arriving at house in about 2 hours [and of course, if I am there—he’ll be late but if I’m not there—he’ll be on-time and leave and I’ll be without heat [which is fine right now] and hot water [which would suck right now!] for the weekend. Taxi ride was fun….it’s very interesting the industrialness of New Jersey as you drive south towards Newark and quite disgusting if you ask me—smog, smog, and more smog. OF COURSE Mr. Taxi Man had never been to Staten Island. I told him I’ve never been by car, so it’s an adventure for both of us! [He didn’t seem too sure of my enthusiasm]…and then we got lost. Not lost. Misplaced. Okay, we hit Victory [Street, Avenue, Road, Blvd, whatever] which, I believe, runs pretty much down the entire island and is the road we need to get to my house. So left or right? Neither of us are sure because the directions Mr. Taxi Man had actually spit us out on Staten Island at a different location—although I’m not sure how, as it’s an ISLAND and there are only a few way ON and OFF of it. But we [and by we, I mean he] decided to go right. After about 10 minutes, he pulls over to ask someone. It’s the OTHER direction….”all the way down”—Mr. Taxi Man looked at me “what kind of direction is that? All the way down?” So we chucked a u-ie and started all the way down Victory [Street, Road, Avenue, Blvd, whatever]. After about 15 minutes at a light Mr. Taxi Man asks someone else “just keep going, all the way down.” At this point it’s all I can do not to just laugh out loud. I mention that it’s an island so really how far could it be? Apparently still a ways down. We FINALLY arrive, just in enough time for Addy to give the place a sniff down and me to reassemble her kennel before the Nice Gas Guy gets there to turn on the gas and light my hot water heater and my furnace .
Now in hindsight, no 10X10 storage unit full of crap is a good thing for giving the place a thorough cleaning [after locating a grocery store to stock up on basics and cleaning supplies]. So here I sit in my uber-clean house that has electricity, heat, and hot water….but no furniture, cable, towels, or bedding. Being of girl scout mind, I made a make shift bed—using clothes and a blanket that I stole back from Addy. It was my blanket…before I stole Addy’s blanket to give to Stella because Addy drug Stella’s blanket outside through the mud and it needed to be cleaned and I wasn’t sending Stella to Granny’s without a blanket. Poor Addy. Once I got my “bed” made, she proceeded to lay on it and looked at me like “thanks Mom, but what about you?” Poor, poor Addy. She was not a happy girl, as she finally gets a house with a yard and all she wants is to curl up on her blankie and go to sleep and mean, mean Momma stole it! Hopefully just for one night. I’ve already made the decision that I don’t care if I have to personally lug all the boxes upstairs by myself because my time limit with the movers ran out, the FIRST thing they are doing once it’s unloaded is assembling my bed!

:ISHEZ

PS—nothing scares the crap out of you like spending the night in a new place—sleeping on a palette of clothes and a dog blanket, just about to fall asleep when you hear CRASH! What the??? Oh, just the freaking, fracking shower curtain rod fell. Oi. Oh well, you benefitted, as I’ve been typing this while waiting for my heart to resume back to a normal pace to re-attempt sleep on my clothes/dog blanket palette!