Engrish

Rules to keep in mind when using the Queen's English:

1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

5. Avoid clich?s like the plague. (They're old hat.)

6. Always avoid annoying alliteration.

7. Be more or less specific.

8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.

9. Also, too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

10. No sentence fragments. No comma splices, run-ons are bad too.

11. Contractions aren't helpful and shouldn't be used.

12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.

14. One should never generalize.

15. Comparisons are as bad as clich?s.

16. Don't use no double negatives.

17. Eschew ampersands and abbreviations, etc.

18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.

19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

20. The passive voice is to be ignored.

21. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.

22. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.

23. Kill all exclamation points!!!!

24. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.

25. Understatement is probably not the best way to propose earth shattering ideas.

26. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed.

27. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

28. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.

29. Puns are for children, not groan readers.

30. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

31. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

32. Who needs rhetorical questions?

33. Exaggeration is a million times worse than understatement.

34. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.

Dance

I’ve been struggling with something for a while now, and I think I just need to spread all the individual issues out and see where they lead. Dancing is bugging me lately. I’m just not that into belly dancing at the moment – not teaching, not performing, not making costumes, etc. While I enjoy the actual act of dancing, I’m not big on the parts that involve other people right now. I’ve never been one to perform for anyone but myself. In the truest spirit of the arts, I’m an artist. My dancing is an expression of myself and my body. I’m not doing it for anyone else’s approval or because I want them to notice me. I’m usually oblivious to anyone else while dancing, which is a good part of the reason why I usually enjoy teaching- it makes me pay attention. But I’m not finding rewards in teaching right now, probably mainly because my time needs to be spent doing something else. Students NEED and I have no time or patience or capacity to serve anyone else’s needs. But it’s frustrating to not be happy with something I used to hunger for.

Maybe it’s the lack of decent outlets. I really enjoy a good dance band. Al Samoud isn’t around where I am much anymore, and while I love good drumming, melody just creates so many more opportunities for choreography. And usually there’s just Allister’s crew with any decent drumming anymore. While I appreciate their drumming, and it is wonderful, with it being the only party with drumming, you get everything on the dance floor. And I do mean everything, and most of it isn’t involving dancing. I think I’m just really disappointed in the lack of any manners, respect, planning, organization, or effort put into ME dance down here anymore. While it’s good to finally have drummers, it’s like the energy put into that is sucking the life out of any party planning. We’re lucky to have rugs, there’s never any lighting or drinking water, there’s a good chance some drunk guy will go stumbling across the dance floor into the dancers, no attempts at creating an actual show or safe space to dance, and no real appreciation for the actual artsy side of things. It’s a nightclub activity now, and that’s not why I dance.

It doesn’t help that I’m tired after fighting all day, and not really keen on the attitude displayed. Folks keep telling me “Sammy, don’t teach stripper moves!”. Gee, thanks for the insult. Frankly, I can make picking up my coffee cup lavicious and lewd, but you won’t chastise me for that. Stripper moves are about attitude. If you act like a stripper, most of the time you’ll look like one, good or bad. If you’re learning to dance to pick up men and flirt, you’re most likely going to look like a stripper, and there’s not a whole lot I can teach that will change that. If you’re out there to actually dance and express yourself, then you’re not really going to look like you’re out on the prowl. And it’s rather annoying to assume that all the girls out there are out there to look sexy. I was trained by folks who tended to make dance parties a more private thing. There was an effort to create individual opportunities to dance alone or in small groups, to actually perform, to keep the nasty comments and catty attitude under control. The art was respected, and not just a spectacle of scantily clad bodies moving. There was a ritual to it, a feeling of community, a love and respect for dancers and audience that pervaded. Dancers were escorted for their safety, and looked after on the dance floor – did they need water? A place to sit? Older dancers taught newer dancers with care, and one’s choice to dance or not wasn’t questioned. This doesn’t happen anymore, at least not anywhere I’ve danced lately.

And let’s get one simple thing straight. Awards. Oh, how I hate awards, for what people think they represent. In the SCA, you get an award because someone had the follow through to write letters. And it wasn’t so outlandish that the Royals gave it to you. Sure there’s a minimum of actual effort involved on your part, but awards are and will always be a popularity contest. I danced the same 3 years ago as I do now, but no one ever said to me then “Gee Sam, why don’t you have any dance awards?” I actually taught more classes then, and was a lot more active. I actually think I was a more focused and better dancer then, but did awards rain out of the sky? No. And they won’t. It’s not that you’re better than anyone else, it’s that someone noticed what you were doing. Now, bear in mind that awards mean going to court, and I’m not fond of that either. No, I really don’t give a crap about awards. If I did, I’d be spending energy on getting some. But I’m not. My award is my law degree, my man’s smile, a good shot on the field, a satisfied smile as I go to bed each night.

So yeah, if I don’t dance, it’s because the settings I’m told to dance in are just not me. It’s like someone saying “Sing” in the middle of the sidewalk. Umm, sure, I love being your performing monkey. It’s not that I can’t, it’s that my creation deserves more than that. And I have no problem being selfish with what I create if it’s going to be treated with ridicule and apathy. I’m just not feeling the love anymore, except when I’m home alone, feeling the groove thing without any distractions.

ok, this sucks

Ugh, just when I'm thinking my damn cough has gone on too long, and I'm dreading my midterm next week, I find out that yet again I'm not eligible for the new PLUS loan program. Yet again. Unless I miraculously come up with a cosigner, which isn't going to happen. Yay me. Yet again I'm faced with the crappy situation I'm in and no way to relieve the pressure. I have to put aside $300 per month for the next 2 years in order to pay for both summer and the Bar Bri course I need to pass the bar. And that's not counting the $1000 in fees just to take the bar. Then, if I pass, there's another $500 to actually be a Bar member in good standing. Every year. All in all, it's about $8000 that has to miraculously come out of my ass in the next 2 years.

So, my best advice to anyone with a bankruptcy (which apparently is about half of the people I know) is don't go to school within 10 years of a bankruptcy. If there is any doubt that I'm "paying" my debts that got discharged, here's your proof. I have to pay for everything except for my car in cash. Period. There's just not been any relief there. I can't even get a stupid credit card, so don't give me those stupid options. And the sad part is that I had more to live on when I was living off student loans than now when I'm working full time for a larger salalry than most of my friends. Yeah. How's that for reality check?

So here's the deal. With very few exceptions, namely my man and my family, don't bother with Christmas presents, birthday crap, etc. Don't be offended when I don't show up to your dinner out with other people, movies, trips, and other things involving money. I don't have any. In theory, eventually I'll be able to do this crap again. But for now, don't bother. I'd rather not know what I'm missing.

So, I'm still here. Back to contempation....

Yup, I'm slowly kicking this nasty cough and sinus thing out of my system. Bad news is that the man might have it now. *sigh* hooray for contagions! If it is just a sinus thing, I shouldn't be contagious... So it might be from one of his students as well. But then again, I'm pretty sure he doesn't kiss any of them.. blah. Yup, probably my fault....Sorry baby!

Goodness, I have got to start writing down those random blog topics! I usually think of them while in meetings. Ugh, meetings.. But they are a nice break from paperwork.

Started reading Smashed last night - it's a woman's account of her alcohol use and abuse since she was 13 or so? Fascinating crap. No clue if she's right, but she might have put her finger on why I have issues relating to lots of people my age and younger. She basically ponders early in the book about how alcohol use affects her emotional development in her teens and early 20s. How she didn't have memories of her first kiss, prom, first checking account experience, and how she's viewed as much younger than she is usually. Wow. And based on how many people I know who had similar habits (drinking to drunk more than once or twice per week, or more than 10 times in a month), I'm in the minority. I didn't really start drinking until almost my 20s. Sure, my first drink was a glass of champagne when I was 12, but I hated it. It was weird, and not terribly pleasant. So I was never a drinker until law school. Sure I got drunk in college, but not regularly. Geekdom alert - I was too busy playing role playing games and beating people with padded weapons.. Yeah, geekdom.

But there is a huge difference in relating to some folks that I've always noticed. I tend to have to dumb down my approach, stick to completely white bread Middle America mainstream, and not talk too fast. No jokes, those fall flat. Hi. Nice to meet you. Nice weather were having. But add in a few drinks and someinane conversation and suddenly we're best friends. Or at least they think so. Weird. My sister's friends are like this. We don't mesh in the slightest, but she swears they're the most wonderful people. Most of them I find to be about as complex as my nephew's toys - lots of bright colors, but no real challenge. They don't read books for fun, their idea of research is watching a Discovery channel program, and are pretty happy just soaking up the happy American day to day routine...

Are these folks who grew up on alcohol? Hid with their friends and drank their way through high school? Experimented behind the football stadium? I dunno for sure, but it does make me wonder. Especially with my lack of alcohol through most of my youth. We'll see, but it does pose an interesting question for emotional and mental development and the effects of alcohol.

Ooh yeah, I'm attractive... yet thoughtful.

I need a snorkel for my sinuses. Yup, it's official. No plague, but I do have a lovely sinus infection. Complete with stuffy nose-sounding voice. Green crap hacked up and all. Ooooh yeah, sexy! So as I sit here, eating my hot fudge sundae pop tarts (yes, i eat whatever I want while sick), I ponder my recent universe for lessons learned. Or something.

Note to self #1 - save up more sick leave. This may be impossible until after flu season, but I really need to have a week saved up for this time of year. A day off of sleeping would have been nice. But then, my vacation was lovely, so no regrets. Perhaps next year some time saved up?

Note to self #2 - It's not worth it to work for a jerk who isn't listening to you. Yay me for sticking to my guns and quitting when I saw the train wreck coming. I knew I might have issues with the law clerk thing. I was just hoping they would come from scheduling, not from the person I was working for. Caveat - I still don't believe anyone actually pays law clerks. Most seem to cycle through them so regularly that a promise of "paying when the project is done" is a joke. What's a project? A lawsuit? There's a water case in Oregon that's been going on for 80 years - you've got to be kidding me!

Note to self #3 - I miss doing actual medieval stuff. Not this Barbie goes to Disneyland crap that seems to pass out here as research. Time to get cracking on that Greek masterpiece I'm working on. Time to go look at old pottery for a while and pick out some motifs. It's not comforting when I can model an outfit from an old Hollywood movie costume and my client is thrilled with it. Ugh. Although it was a cool coat. Just not what I would call accurate :-)

Brains addled. Time to go absorb another gallon of tea and contemplate my navel while attempting to work. Class tonight should be entertaining....

Rant Rant Rant

I'm sick, hear me rant. I have 2 topics: dropping the ball and giving flowers as an apology.

Dropping the Ball

Today seems to be the day that everyone who said they would do something for me gets to inform me that they screwed up. Forgot. Never got around to it. So I've had lots of interesting things happen like Internet services shut off, employees not paid, vendors calling me with nasty "pay me" messages. Gotta love that customer service. I'm feeling warm and fuzzy, how about you? So after I shoveled off a few fires from my desk, and put out the last of the burning bits from the nasty vendors, I started informing people of the level of service I expected. Not mean, just direct. Sure, I'm just a admin on the bottom of the totem pole, but I know what keeps people off my back, and I know lack of service from my vendors reflects badly on me. Enough already, I can be nice but rather firm...

Flowers as Apology

I read about a few incidents where folks are giving flowers as an apology. Now, I'm rather opinionated on the use of flowers. I like, no wait, adore flowers! I really really like them. Because my cat tips them over and makes a mess, I only get them for myself rarely. Flowers are for celebration and happiness in my book. Truly. Not for reminding someone of the crappy thing you did every time they look at the flowers.

First example - Mel Gibson. Supposedly he sent a massive $300 bouquet of flowers to the female arresting officer during his little drunk driving incident. While I think the sentiment is a good start, I'd think a well written apology would go a lot further. Hopefully the flowers came with a note, but at the same time, I would have sent something else. Something that isn't a visual reminder of the fact that he got arrested and turned into an anti-Semitic, drunken slurring embarrassment. Free airplane voucher? Massage certificate? Something that fits neatly in an envelope with above mentioned statement of how sorry one is for the situation. I'm just saying.

Second example - Rosie O'Donnell. Apparently her inappropriate use of flowers was for an apology for her blog whining about her new job at The View. She sent the flowers after Barbara Walters was upset by the blog. After reading a snippet in the news, I can see why. Not only is it whinny, but there's an utter lack of spelling, punctuation, or full words. As a fellow journalist, I can feel her pain in hiring someone who can't express their innermost feelings with out using the number 2 as a word. All political and social topics aside, my minimum for getting into the door on a job is at least a showing that you can properly write the English language. Consistently. What you put in your private diary is your own deal, what you publish on a blog is a public representation of who you are. Additional flag on the play for complaining about a job most of us would die to have. Let's see, you sit on a couch for a few hours a day and talk about current social trends and interview celebrities. Gee, rough life. Thanks for sharing. I know it's tough actually having a boss, but yet again, a huge chunk of us have that issue every day and seem to do just fine with it. Flowers? I'm thinking you needed to send something that again, doesn't remind Barbara of your inane lack of grammar skills. Mani-pedi certificate? Massage? Gift cert to a shi-shi store?

If it's a true apology, there's a price involved. Something that says "I'm sorry I've caused you grief, here's something to bring a bit of relaxation into your universe". Flowers are a celebration - are you celebrating your stupidity? Lack of good judgment? The fact that that person is willing to accept something from you at all? While you can get a word in edgewise, better make it actual words. Back to that written apology again. And stay out of flower land. Lameness flag, 10 yard penalty, 1st down. Get creative and think about the person would really enjoy. If flowers say apology to them, go for it. Just remember that on Valentine's Day and their birthday and other special occasions when you really do want the flowers to say something celebratory.

It's MY word, dammit!

blerk - (adj.) crappy; less than tantalizing; futility as to daily routine; frustrating yet powerless to effect change

Yup, it's my word. I made it up. Here's my big fat timestamped claim to fame. Time to submit a copyright. Not that I'll enforce the damn thing. Just remember who made it up, Sparky!

Chicken Soup yet again..

Yup, sick again. Woke up with a scratchy throat, and I'm just done with being sick. I have a Bar reception to go to tonight, and I was supposed to go to practice. Yeah, no practice for me. I need to go home and sleep. A lot. Wrapped in chicken soup. Right after I finish the homework that got added on for the week.

Yup, I'm a grumpy critter who just wants to be left alone. Forgot my books this morning. Dealing with dumbasses about billing at work. Attempting to drown myself in herbal tea and ibuprophen. Blerk.

I'll be under my desk if anyone needs me.

Sometimes I get creative...

Hrmph.. Blogger was down for maintenance. So I wrote a song. It’s official – I’m within 10 lbs of my ideal weight. Without further ado, here’s my less than nice side, expressed in non-obscene, yet somewhat catchy poetics:

(hum along to Willie Nelson’s To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before, you know you wanna)

To all the people I’ve hated before..
Please go faster out my door
It won’t take very long,
I dedicate this song,
To all the folks I’ve hated before.

To all the folks I once distressed,
My ass looks better in this dress.
For helping me to grow,
Like you have down below,
To all the folks I’ve hated before.

The winds of change are always blowing,
Every time I try to say,
The winds of change continue blowing
My real life carried me away.

To all the jerks who shared my gain,
Who now are someone else’s pain.
I’m glad they’re finally gone, I dedicate this song
To all the jerks I’ve hated before

To the real friends who cared for me
Who filled my nights with catty glee.
They live within my heart
To bad we grew apart
To certain friends who cared for me.

To all the idiots I’ve despised before
Who travelled in and out our doors.
It’s time to change the locks
I dedicate this schlock,
To all the idiots I’ve despised before

Craving Girl Strikes Back!

So, I had this craving yesterday. I'd been doing my weekly plan of what to cook, and since fall is hitting, pumpkin things started sounding good. One the way home yesterday, I decide to drop into Wal Mart, get a few things I need and look for canned pumpkin. I know I've seen it there before, right?

Wrong. No dice. Got everything else, but no pumpkin... So I try Rite Aid. I know you're thinking I'm nuts, but again, I've seen it there before during the fall. It must not be thanksgiving time yet (wonder of wonders, they're not decorating for Christmas yet!). But again, no dice..

Last chance - Smart and Final. I know you're thinking "why not go to a supermarket?" Because they take longer. A lot longer. I usually get stuck behind the woman writing a check with 500 coupons. Root canals are shorter and less painful. I kick myself for thinking of this after the weekly foray to the grocery.

So, Smart and Final. I think I'm in love... Yet, I panic as I can't find pumpkin! I roam back and forth, around the woman in a burka speaking something other than English. I get frantic as I can't find it. I even check the freezer - no, no pumpkin pie even.. One more trip through the canned things aisle. I can get a can of salsa the size of my head - where's the pumpkin? And then I spot it, next to the head sized can of vanilla pudding. A can of pumpkin. And it too comes in the 16 lb. head sized can! Can you imagine a head sized can of pumpkin? In my madness and glee of finally finding the damn thing, I grab the huge can in celebration and swear not to run out of pumpkin until this craving is gone...

So I made pumpkin ravioli last night. And yes, 16 lbs. is a LOT of pumpkin. I hope I don't regret this...

Torture has a few benefits...

So, when you're a law student, the big database companies want nothing more than to get you hooked on using their services. So you get oodles of access for free to try and points for constantly using the service. These points are rather valuable at times. Lexis lets you shop at Amazon, Westlaw has a catalog of goodies to pick from. If you're really into saving up, you can get anything from golf clubs to gift certificates for flights.

As I'm not good at saving up points, and part of me believes that those big prizes will never arrive, I've devoted my points to getting those little niceties that make my place a bit easier. Everything from CDs to housewares. My latest purchases? A new, big CD wallet and a knife set. All ordered in the name of data addiction, facilitated by the lovely research database folks.

So when random packages show up at my house, not only am I shopping for free, but they pay the shipping too! Sometimes this suffering has its privileges... Sometimes...

Err, ack. Grr... Friday night work, hooray!

Well, I have to vent. I don't have time to vent, but in the interests of my head not exploding, I'm going to.

I just ran home on my lunch to pull out one of my legal files, call the court, weasel out of them the forms needed to be filed, find said forms, email myself the links to them (learned something useful there!) and race back to work. Lunch is apparently not for eating...

Why did I do this? Because a file was on file that I didn't know was on fire. I thought the other file was on fire. But noooo, that file is moving more slowly, oh, and by the way we missed an appearance too. Great. Spiffy. Extra tasty with ranch on it.

So I'll be spending a chunk of my Friday evening getting a bunch of forms filled out and sent off to the signatories so they can be filed on Monday morning. Happy Friday.

I have half a bottle of white wine waiting for me when I get that done. I may not go to Crown tomorrow. We'll see if I get this crap done.

In positive news, I did learn where the CA Judicial Forms live on the Internet in all their glory... Now if I just had a guide to what actually works for what we want to do, that would be spiffy. But nooooo, that's legal advice. I'm supposed to be the one to give that advice, after I pass the Bar. I smell a chicken v. egg problem here. Time to call the library....

Have I mentioned lately how much I hate California flakey? Dammit people, when I say something, could you at least try to remember it? Maybe do what you say you're going to do? Show up when scheduled? Not be pissy when I don't know something you didn't tell me? I'm just saying...

Go me!

So, I'm sitting in class last night, listening to the joys of Evidence and moping about the general fact that I can't afford to go clothing shopping anytime soon. Well, at least not in the next week. So I contemplate the possibilities. I could go thrift shopping - $20 buys a lot. But you have to shovel through a lot to get to the good stuff. I could puruse the clearance racks at the mall. But $20 doesn't buy as much there, and I really need more clothes for work. Hmm...

I get through the case where the entire class confuses itself on who's cross examining who, and suddenly it dawns on me! I can sew! Yeah, I know - DUH! But when you concentrate on making medieval and reproduction clothing for a while you tend to forget about real clothes. Not that I'm any sort of modern tailor, but I did the leotard thing for a while - I know stretch! So I'm going through my fabric stash in my head while writing notes on 404(b) exceptions. I remember some black knit stuff and a few funky patterns I have available. Hmm...

So I romp home finally, dump my books and such and dive in. One and one half hours later, I emerge from the sewing room with a brand new, black knit dress. It's not half bad! In fact, it's almost professional. Hmm, I've bought crappier dresses than this in stores! Those Chinese sewers ain't got nothing on me! I was aiming for something I could at least wear comfortably around the house and got something better. Go me!

Better now...now with an addiction!

Ok, so I'll stop whining about being sick now. Just rather weird how I felt like Superman on kryptonite. Weak and sniffly with a strange craving for chocolate. I had chocolate for dinner 3 days in a row. Not recommended, it's no wonder my stomach complained regularly.

But I am officially a junkie. Not just any junkie, but a reality tv junkie. It took them a lot of tries, and I attempted not to give in. But they created Project Runway, and it's all over folks. I'm addicted. Hooked. Willing to give up sleep. Plan my wine drinking around it (the show is better with a nice dry Chardonnay). And I swore this would never happen.

So now every Wednesday evening around 10pm, I'm camped out on the couch to see what craptacular fashions get created in a day. I don't feel so bad for some of my attempted outfits that failed miserably after seeing some of theirs. And I'll miss Angela, other than the damn rosettes everywhere! Holly Hobby is right! And it felt good to watch Jeffrey get blasted in the end last night. I'll miss Kaine's Elvis fashion sense, but there was no way he was going to win with those judges. But I'd loooove to see him open a dress shop in some good Southern city. He'd have clients for miles!

So yeah. Addicted. I'm so ashamed. I'm reading water rights cases today in atonement. And I'll hit the pell tonight too for missing practice yesterday. Blah.

The fillet/sack of potatos virus...

Just when I think I'm getting better, I feel like ass again. Yesiree bob, I went to work today, ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, and went to class as well mid-day. Got to class and sat down for the first time in a few hours and practically melted like a pat of butter on a hotplate. Suddenly it was hard to sit in my chair as I turned into a human shaped jellyfish!

It's official, this virus/cold thing sucks! I think I'm heading home to vegetate on the couch for the first time in weeks tonight. In a bucket. Hopefully I'll find my spine in there somewhere. If nothing else, maybe I'll kill a level in the new games we got this weekend... Blah.

Ode to my honey...

Well, I had a moment of realizing how fabulous my man is, so in the spirit of blatant self reflection in public forums, I hereby inflict it upon you. If you threw yourself bodily at me in the past few years and I didn't catch, pay attention. It's probably because you missed one of these. Work on them for the sake of womankind. As for you, my man, I think this is relevant enough for the rest of the universe as well as you :-) My apologies for the overly public stuff.

1. He does what he says he's going to do. Eureka! What a concept! I can get a statement of what he intends to do, and with minor variations, he does it. Even if it has nothing at all to do with me, he's consistent. Ding Ding Ding! This point is missed consistently on surveys of comparable men of a similar age and geographic area. There will be a story about it in the next National Geographic...

2. He tells me basic, necessary information in response to a question. Yes, I want to join you for the penguin performance art expo this weekend. No, I don't like petrified walnuts. Yes, I'd like to see you tonight, but I'm in Swaziland, so you're out of luck. No, what you just said sucked, and I'm hurt by it... No drama, no inflections of what could be, no blank stares, no overwhelming agenda of need. Just useful info that makes it possible for two confused people to interact.

3. He has a life. Despite occasionally getting crap from the rest of you, he has a life. And he defends his time working on his life. Actual goals are in his plans, and they don't just revolve around what's for dinner! He's not interested, without really good inducement, in picking up his universe and changing it for one person. Damn. That's hot...

4. He's clever without being an ass or a wuss. Yes, this is possible - it's not a fairy tale. And he can tell me what he thinks without demeaning me in the process. He treats people with respect, even while telling them they're idiots and is willing to stick around to discuss why he feels that way.

Gosh, I'm sure there's more here, but I do need to do work today.

The plague season

I have survived the beginning of the plague season.

It started on Sunday, when I generally felt out of it. Tried exercise, no dice. Tried lunch, not the problem. Tried a nap, could have slept all day. But I persevered and just went on as if nothing was wrong.

By 10am Monday, I felt like ass. Exhausted, stomach unhappy, sniffly and pitiful. I went home, after sticking out a 6 hour day. And slept. And slept some more. And did I mention sleep? I did that again, right after my nap. Woke up Tuesday morning and decided life was too short not to take care of myself a bit longer. And slept. Did homework between sleeping. Actually did a lot of homework, all things considered. But then, sitting with a book in my lap was about the most strenuous thing I could handle. I got a fever while doing dishes. Lord help me, I hope the briefs I wrote will work for class!

So, long sleepy story short, I'm better. Not sure I'm up for fighter practice tonight, but at least I'm not falling asleep in my keyboard while sniffling anymore. And yes, I'm getting enough sleep on the weekends and such. Really, I am taking care of myself. But sometimes the bug just gets you.

Stay frosty...

Pitiful...

Well, I'm working on my fourth week of classes this week. I've missed one night of classes due to dealing with personnel issues at work. And now, it's starting early. Yup, I think I'm sick. I'm all sniffly and pitiful today, and I'm attempting to calculate how bad it would be to miss class today, work as much of a full day at work as possible, and head home a bit early to sleep and finish homework for tomorrow.

I am about 1/4 done with the semester. Most classes, you get 3 absences. I've been trying to save those for later in the semester for when I'm well and truly sick. But, I think I AM well and truly sick. I was feeling kind of out of it all day yesterday as it was. I thought it was from being entirely off my sleep and exercise schedule. But now I'm thinking flu or cold bug.

Other issue - I have really no time off at work at the moment. I kind of killed that for Pennsic. Entirely worth it, but now that means I truly do need to be at work for a full 8 hours. So, to make my day shorter so I can go home and sleep, that means skipping class and leaving here about 2:30. Yeah, doing the sick time accounting gets complex with work and school.

Doesn't help that I'm contemplating the value of doing as much outlining and prep work on my paper as well as making a few calls on my law clerk job. Am I trading one form of work for another? Will I really get some sleep tonight if I head home early? Am I sinking my own ship early in the semester? Ugh, this stinks. I could very well survive my whole day today, it's not that bad. And save the time off for a later, much more serious illness. Or am I setting myself up for turning this cold into something worse? I'll see how I feel at 12:30 when it's time to leave for class...

Scheduling hell....

Oh bugger! I have to stop doing the personal training thing for a while...

I talked to my fantastic trainer today, and we're just both too busy to find a time that works for us. We're planning on restarting again in December, but for the moment, I just can't seem to consistently get away from work. I can get to the gym to work out, just not at any particular time each week. And he doesn't work past 2pm, which leaves those afternoons when I actually do workout out of the picture.

So, my task, should I choose to accept it, is to continue kicking my own ass into shape, and get to the gym and practice regularly. I think I can keep it mostly up, provided I get to the gym. It makes a vast difference in my sleep and stress levels. And now I know what works. My jeans look fantastic on me again, hooray!

Only annoyance at the moment is the simple fact that I think I left my demi gauntlets at Pennsic. Grrr... With friends, but no word back on whether they found them. So, time to replace another simple piece of gear before I go back to sword and board.

Have a lovely weekend, I'm off to get a cell phone for my parents!

How did they do this without the Internet?

Ok, it's official. I have no idea how anyone practiced law without the use of computers.

So I have this paper to do for Land Use that's pretty basic. You find a planning decision that is about to be decided or has just been decided. You find the supporting documentation and write a paper outlining the proposal and the action taken. The whole thing is about 5-6 pages, double spaced. I've written love letters longer than that :-)

Well, I merrily found my issue, found the online agenda and submitted documentation, printed everything out, and I'll check and see if there's anything else I need once I read it this weekend. All this from the SD Planning Commission website, right? It's all right there, I just need to print it off and make sense of it.

What I can't imagine is looking all this crap up offline at the courthouse, copying all of it, praying you have it all, and having to slog to the meeting to see what happens. Not only are all of my documents online, but a video of the meeting is there too! Talk about assisting the terminally lazy! It's fabulous!

Thank goodness for technology. I'm pretty sure I'm the only anal idiot who's already got my paper research almost done, but I'd prefer to plan ahead for my pater procrastination. The writing always kills me.

Priorities

Well folks, my plate is officially full. Manageable, but full. I'm even considering not taking the law clerk job because they guy won't stop bugging me while I'm at work. I told him nights and weekends, and I mean it. And even then, there's a limit to what I can do with that time. I HAVE to spend down time. No exceptions. I want to see my man and relax for crying out loud.

I might be nuts for trying this law clerk thing, we'll see how it goes. Problem is that I desperately need something on my resume that says I have a clue. Even if only for 6 months, it's vastly better than nothing. And I'm learning real crap. It's just a bit of a planning headache in the meantime. Spontaneity is going to be scarce for a while...

So yeah, my head just might explode. Especially if work doesn't calm down soon. We really need to stop rearranging people's offices with a day's notice. Especially since I'm the lucky girl who gets to organize it all, hoo-fucking-ray.

Have a nice day kids. Don't be pissy when I say I'm busy. I am. Deal. In theory it means I'll be a lawyer soon.

cross your fingers

So, I might have a law clerk job...

After hours, evenings and weekends. In real estate.

Inside my head, I'm jumping up and down. We'll see if I get it....

eek!

Hrmphpppppt....

Ok this Tuesday, Thursday thing is going to be painful for the next few months. Granted, it's vastly better than spreading the pain through the whole week. But going to work by 7:30, hitting hte gym at lunch, leaving around 5ish, going to class from 6-10, then stumbling home is just freaking nuts! I got out of class and had a weird "I need to eat, yet I'm wired and tired all at once" feeling. Add this to watching what I'm eating and wow, I think I'm crazy...

Granted, now that I've gottten 2 of 3 books in the mail I can go home tonight after work and shuffle through homework in the comfort of my hobbit hole. I like that going home after work thing - it's tasty! There's an excellent chance I'm not going to practice tonight, if only because of the novelty of doing my homework at home. And I'm contemplating a bit of quality time on the XBox. Sure, I'm a bit more focused when I study at the library. But boy, can I clean when I need a break in studying at home. I finally found the top of my desk on Sunday, not to mention hanging the thread rack and cleaning out one of the shelves in the cabinet. And my apartment needs some love. It told me today it's feeling neglected. There's also nothing more fun than chasing the cats with the vacuum - looks of absolute terror on their faces!

So yeah, I can do this 15 hour day thing. I truly can. I just have to take care of myself and pace things a bit to be sure I get fun and sleep and food in there somewhere too!

Sept Potrero

Sooo, I had a great war this weekend. Granted, it was hardly bigger than a Brigade practice, but heck, we should have more brigade practices like this!

The weather was actually really nice. Hot, a bit windy, but definitely nice. We nabbed a great spot behind the Romani that was all trees.

Fighting was good - same folks we usually fight. We fielded a line of 1/2 regular Orkneys and 1/2 guys trying out fighting with us. We worked well together - I have so missed my guys while fighting all over the known world for the last year! It was great to be able to march in and know the guy next to you would hold the line, crush them in a charge, and work with you on the spear line. Lots of talking and working together, it was good to see!

Evil Squirrel Move #2 is almost perfected - Big John laughed his ass off the first time he saw me do it. It's Evil Squirrel move #2 because I use one of the guys to hide behind, then pop out to the left and gack the hell out of whoever is facing off against them. They never know what hit them! I've got my point control down to a really nice feel. Especially since I retaped that spear of Riley's that I've been using. Good lord, I think he had the kitchen sink taped in there. It took me almost an hour to get down to the shaft and clean all the crap off of it. I plunked on the tip kit from Mandrake Armory (go buy them, they rock!) and voila! No more tip heavy spear! It worked like a charm...I think I gacked V 3 times in a row before deciding I'd tormented him enough. He's a good guy, he deserves not to have to res every 10 seconds :-)

BTW, in case you're wondering, Evil Squirrel Move #1 is when I actually have a secondary or I'm fighting sword and board and I basically run up your spear like a rabid squirrel. A few folks have experienced that one, it amuses me. But I haven't found a loving secondary to carry yet. It's next on my list. Right after kicking ass with a sword and board.

And yes, I willingly did push ups this weekend. It was amusing. Good to know I can easily do 10. Now to perfect the non-girly ones... Lordy, I'm turning into one of them.

Did some dancing - Allister and his guys were laying down the groove thing at Iron Maiden every time I stopped by. I stopped and danced a few times, it was fun. But I definitely need more sleep and down time while fighting. I usually shut down by midnight for need of sleep. I love to dance, but it's definitely not my focus at the moment. Good to see some of the girls using their new moves, too...

And N finally got his AoA, right as he's bitching about not getting it a few months ago. We'd all just settled into an evening of hanging by the fire when he gets summoned to the Baron's presence. He comes back his lordship. We had a good laugh and called him Lord N all night. Nothing like good timing - Good Game, Baron!

Metrics, baby, it's all about the nums!

So I managed to get to the gym today, and jogged for 20 minutes, worked on my shoulders and legs. Good workout! I was getting a shower towel when the trainer dude at the desk asks if I want to measure my body fat. Sure, why the heck not, right? Last time we tried this, I was over 30% - not terrible, but not in my range of acceptable things in my universe. So he has me hold this little thingie and voila! Numbers pop up...

Good numbers, I might add! I've dropped about 4% body fat. BMI is still the same, but I think it's a crappy measure since I've clearly added lots of muscle. If my weight has gone up 6 pounds, yet my body fat has dropped, good news, eh? No wonder my FBI Academy shorts fit again! Woohoo! Go me! Happy dance in the shower!

So yeah, I'm buying one of those little Body fat monitor thingies. If anything gets me to the gym, it's seeing real numbers other than my scale. The scale gets frustrating when you're building muscle. I still have work to do, but that made me feel lovely!

Only in SoCal

Only here can you have the Mexican quesedilla special in a French Bistro, and not have to worry about weird ingredients or your digestive system...

I didn't even flinch as I ordered. It was actually some of the best refried beans I've had in a while :-)