I think Mother Nature is Very confused...

I woke up this morning to a VERY light dusting of snow on everything and a lake that *finally* has a bit of ice on it.

My Texan parents woke up (after a night of thunderstorms) to ice and sleet and a Winter Storm advisory.

Sure we're colder in MN, but where's the precipitation?

Looking for a pet? Or know someone who is?

Thanks to Sharon for sharing this....

The St. Cloud animal shelter is closing. Over 50 cats and dogs may have to be euthanized.

If you are looking for a pet or know someon who is, please think of them!

I'm holding on for a hero...

If you haven't caught this show yet, you need to.
Tonight, 8pm Central
NBC

Heroes

I need a name....

He's a dwarf.... or maybe a gnome....
A Gnome Gnamed Gnorm?
Gimli?

What do you think?
I'll make a contest out of it.
What should I gname my gnome/dwarf man?
Prize to be determined :)





I'm really quite proud of the way he turned out. Not bad considering I'm a (very) beginning knitter!

Ironic

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.
I had a lovely day with Aya's family and lots of nummy food.

I also got a cold. I started feeling crummy on Thursday and now I'm full-on coldy.
The last time I was sick was back in March when I bowled my very first (and only) Turkey.... get it... turkey in bowling, turkey day... sick....

Ok maybe it's the left-over Nyquil talking.

*sniffle*

I hate being sick.

However, 8 months of not being sick was SWEET and a new record for me (since I moved up here).

Guess there's something to this living off campus after all.

*sigh
I need to go by juice and more drugs.
Later ya'll.

Unico!!!

Video came in.
Watched it last night.
Tape is in perfect condition.
It rOxOrs!
Finally got to see the ending!
/cheer
It's as good as I remembered. Beezle is a bit annoying with all that whining, but overall I loved it. Unico is so cute. And Katie :) And the little old woman! Awwww! I wanna watch it again and again!

I'm off to Aya's mom's for Thanksgiving, but first: some vigorous can-opening!
I'm in charge of bringing the fruit salad!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Get stuffed!

And that makes 3!

I now have three (3) professors for my committee!
I needed two additional profs (other than my advisor) for my committee and now I've got them.
Time to fill out form 3 and send it over to the Grad office.



..............


Eep!

An AWESOME Birthday!

It went a little something like this....

9am - Drive out to a gorgeous log home in the woods. Visit with a friend and her family. Share crafty-goodness: drop spindles, knitting, wreath-making... A lovely brunch with a cinnamon-roll cake (candles included). It was her nieces b-day too and we shared :) The moment I walk through the doors of her house I feel at-home. Her home is gorgeous and inviting and perfect and I feel so relaxed out there. By the time I headed back to town at 3pm I was totally relaxed and I had a permagrin.

4pm - Meet Aya and D at Target. Get a couple of things for my Christmas tree. Go back home, finish tidying up apt and decorate tree (while Aya baked me a delicious cake at her place).

5pm - Aya, D and Jer come over for games, spaghetti, cake and presents!

8pm - Meet up with some friends at Applebee's for lots of chatting and laughing and fun! And there was a fuzzy pink tiara... (see below)

10pm - Leave Applebee's to roam around Walmart with several friends who were waiting for 12am when they went to Game Stop to get their Wiis.

12:30am - Return home, play one level of Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (gift from Aya & D!)

1:45am - Fall asleep all happy and contented.

Happy Birthday to me!

Headed out to the country to a friend's cabin for some crafty-goodness.
Then out to a restaurant tonight with more friends!
Had game night last night with Aya and D.

So far so good!

Mystery solved....

So I have this memory of watching an anime movie with a unicorn and a little girl who wishes she was a cat. They're by a cottage and/or a stream..... And the unicorn gets whisked away at some point. Random memory huh? It's been bugging me for years. It's something I watched at my after-school daycare one day when I was maybe 5 or 6? I think I was really into the movie and my parents picked me up early that day... It's bugged me for years. I had hunted on the internet for it and found nothing.

Yesterday I was chatting with Jer on MSN and we were talking about childhood tv shows and movies and I asked him if he had ever seen this movie. He didn't think he had but he started hunting too and found this: Unico.

And that's it!
That's the movie that has haunted me for 20+ years!
Awesomeness!

I also found it on Wikipedia: Unico

So as a birthday present to myself I ordered a copy (VHS) from Amazon.com!
Woot Jer! I hope it's as good as I remember... it'd suxor to be disappointed after 20+ years. But at least this time I'll get to see the ending!

It found me...

That dreaded insomnia.
Grrrrr...
I thought I'd chased it away for good, but apparently I was mistaken.
Ah well...

Lots on my brain.
I think that happens when birthdays come around... reflecting and expecting... wondering what comes next.

Lessee... what have I been up to lately....
Bowling last Sunday was fun. It was Aya, D and me. We were one person short on our team and we didn't bowl against anyone (there's an odd number of teams) so it was just the three of us and we were done in an hour.

I've been doing some crafty things - drop spindle and knitting.
Even picked up my guitar again yesterday.... been a long while.
I've been watching Buffy from the beginning :) wooty woot woot
And of course I've been hooked on Dancing with the Stars.
I don't know why everyone's so surprised that Emmitt Smith is doing so well. Didn't they ever watch him play football? Crazy-cool footwork. Discipline. Performs well under pressure. Feeds off the croud. Uhm... yeah of course he's kicking serious arse.
Though Mario deserves gold stars as well. I was Saved By the Bell and I'd be ok with him winning... but come on now. Emmitt's a Cowboy! Yeeeehaw!

I've been busy enough with school and work stuff, but I also have more free time than I've had in a reallllllly long time. I'm enjoying it! Can ya tell?

Not going home for Thanksgiving, but Aya's family has a spot for me.... as usual :) Least this way I won't get stuck in the Cities for 3 days thank-you-very-much-ice-storm.

Oh and Mom and I may or may not be going to a Spinner's Retreat in Canada in April.... Hopefully they have room for us! *keeps toes crossed*

I think we're all caught up now.

Gonna try and get some sleep now :)

Suddenly I have a lot to say...

Haven't been posting much lately and now three posts in a day... yeesh :)

Found this on the New Zealand Herald Website and wanted to share:

Texting abbreviations 'allowed for NCEA exams'

8.45am Thursday November 9, 2006

Students will be able to use text abbreviations in this year's exams, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) has said.

Bali Haque, NZQA deputy chief executive of qualifications, said credit would be given in this year's NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) exams if the answer showed the required understanding, the Dominion Post reported today.

Abbreviations are widely used in mobile phone text messaging and include abbreviations such as "2moro" for tomorrow, "cul8r" for see you later and "gr8" for great.

However, Mr Haque said text abbreviations would be penalised in some exams, including English, where candidates were required to show good language use.

He said the NZQA still strongly discouraged students from using anything other than full English. Credit would, however, be given if the answer "clearly shows the required understanding", even if text abbreviations were used.

Students should aim to make their answers as clear as possible, Mr Haque said.

- NZPA

I Have:

(Everything that's bolded...)

01. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea - from the shore
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon - Absolutely amazing experience
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day - I so have to try that
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states - I'm working on it... at 36
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends - Thank God.
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs - And DVDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an "expert" - No, but my dad has
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation - Assuming ASL counts :)
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking - Every-freaking day!
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol - All of the above
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse - Thus the broken bone :)
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours - Was very sick
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi - Not the raw-fish kind.... so prolly doesn't count
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach - God No! Ewwwwwie!
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - See 132
137. Skipped all your school reunions - Just skipped my 10th
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life - Possibly... took the keys away from a drunk

Hmmm.... 62 out of 150... not bad for someone my age :)
Quite a few I need to work on though!

The Creeper

Have you ever been forced to sit and listen to someone talk? Someone whose words go against everything you think, believe and feel? So much so that you can feel your brain cells dying and you think to yourself: “I will never, ever, EVER get that time back… it’s gone."

I could feel my hair losing its pigment. I'm pretty sure if I counted I would find 6 new grey hairs.

*sigh*

*Mutter* Vultures....

And I'm one of them.

"winter" is here - according to the street signs which say no overnight parking on the streets from now til April. This means all the dorm residents are parking in the dorm parking lots again.... Wait.... How's that work? There's the same number of people per day that need to find parking spaces, either on the street or in the lot. If the people who were parking on the street are now in the lot, there *SHOULD* be some parking on the street.... right?
*brain pain
*sigh
I dunno.
All I know is I circled the parking lot and streets for over 20 mins this morning trying to find a spot. I did finally find one though...

Another runner in the night...

What's up with you, the reader?

I'm sitting in my office watching the last hour of my office hours drag by.
Tonight is Thursday Night = Girls Night! And I haven't hung out with my best friend in almost 2 weeks - thus the extreme impatience :) If all goes well we'll talk each other's ears off in the process of catching up. *grin*

Coming up:
*I want to see Inspector General - the campus producation
*I want to try out the local Spinners club meeting - this Saturday
*I need to finish some work for class
*I need to contact the local sub-ing office and get my name on the list asap

I got my plane tickets yesterday for December 16 - January 16, 2007.
Can we say *WOOOOOOT*!?! That's an entire month at home with the folks and friends and dog and kitties and-and-and *breath*
I'll have a lot to keep me busy. I hope to spend most of my time going through the rest of our belongings at the old house and the boxes and BOXES in the garage at the new house. My parents want to have a big estate-type sale, but there's a lot of sorting that needs to happen first.
*ponder* I bet I could bring the puppy with me to the old house to keep me company ;)
I guess if I'm feeling terribly inspired I can look into PhD possibilities at the local university in between sorting stuff and working on my master's paper. No, I should look at teaching positions... see how many openings they have in my hometown and work outwards....
*cringe*
Texas.
*sigh*
All my friends are here.
*sigh*
BAH!
Anywho....

Listening to: Blinded By The Light

Happy Late Halloween!

For some reason I was not terribly into the Spirit this year.

hehe sorry for the bad pun...

In any case, I didn't dress up yesterday - just some sparkley make-up.

BUT then - last night I was a tour guide for the Oak Haunted House - which was AWESOME! I had 2 criers, one little girl who left before we even got to the good part (their last chance to exit) and LOTS of screamers. My throat was a little soar from screaming, but I it did seem to freak people out ;) LOTS of fun. Lots.

Last year I helped with the set-up and the tear-down, but had class and wasn't able to participate in the haunted house.

This year I wasn't able to help with the set-up, but I guided and then I helped them tear-down. I was exhausted at the end of the night, but it was so worth it.

Uhmm... yep.

Oh... got my flu shot today. Bleh. Didn't hurt at all when she shot me up, but feeling a bit of a twinge now. But it's over and done with and HOPEFULLY I won't get the flu this year :)

2 Floors of Shopping

One of the stores we went into in downtown Minneapolis was a 2-story Target!
They even have special escalators for the carts. Something new for me :)


I *heart* Target! So this was pretty darn neat to see.