I know. It's been a long time. Things have been kinda crazy since before Christmas. A quick recap...the holidays were great. We got to see our families and Rich's dad took us to Disneyworld. We had a blast. I'll (finally) post some pictures just as soon as I get them loaded onto my computer. We came back from the holidays and headed back to work. We are now in the process of shopping for our first home. We've gotten preapproved and are meeting with a real estate agent Saturday morning. I can't wait. I'm trying to update the blog a little so I've got the background changed (couldn't leave Christmas trees up there all year long, could I?), but I'll have to put off the other stuff I want to do for later. Sorry this is so short, but I've got to accomplish some other things before I go to bed this evening. Later!

I'm afraid that I haven't been able to stir up any excitement about Christmas this year. I sent out my Christmas cards this morning and made a list of what I want to buy everyone, but that's it. No Christmas tree, no wreaths, no lights, nothing. Sad, isn't it? So I've put on some Christmas music on Pandora in order to inspire myself.

So, what else is new, you ask?

Well, I've recently discovered my love of the public library. It's fabulous. I've been checking out books for my bookclub, books I've been putting off reading, and even books on CD to listen to during my commute to and from work. Currently, I'm finishing The Pact by Jodi Picoult. Now, I've heard a lot of good things about this book, but there is the one character that I absolutely HATE. She just ruins the book for me. The book is about a suicide pact (well, sort of...it's much more involved than that obviously, but I digress) and the reasons this girl has for killing herself are just so STUPID. Stop here if you don't want me to ruin this book for you.

Okay...so this girl decides to kill herself because she finds out she's pregnant with her boyfriend's baby. She doesn't want to get married (because I don't think that she really loves this poor guy), but she can't bring herself to break up with him. Can't break his heart and all that crap. She can't bring herself to have an abortion because she was molested by a stanger when she was younger. Ok, fine, whatever. But this stupid girl can't even kill herself without enlisting the help of her boyfriend who desperately wants to stop her. I mean grow a pair and pick something. Quit being a wimp and choose something, don't bring your boyfriend down with you, you selfish twit. Ok...so obviously I'm not enjoying this book. I've never been accused of being too sensitive. Can you tell? I just can't understand certain points of view. It's not for lack of trying, but I'm very set in my ways, and stupidity just baffles me. I understand suicide to a degree. I've gone through a period of severe depression myself as a teenager, but I would have never taken anyone down with me like this character did. It's appalling, really.

Ok...If you stopped reading, you can pick it up here again.

I'm also listening to Confessions of a Shopaholic by *well, to be honest, I have no clue who wrote it.* This is typically a book I would have NEVER picked up in a thousand years. Greatly due to the fact that I am ungodly tight with my money and the thought of being addicted to shopping is something I cannot relate to on any level at all. But, when Rich and I went to see Twilight (a movie I was fairly dissappointed with, by the way. But the movies are never as captivating as the books, with very very few exceptions, of course.) and previews for this upcoming movie came on. It's definitely a chick flick and this book certainly falls into the category to chick lit, but the previews caught my attention and stuck with me. I grabbed this book on CD with the thought that if I just couldn't find anything else on the shelf that I wanted to listen to, I would grab this. Of course, there was nothing else. So I wasn't very excited about listening to this particular book, but it is so perfect for my commute.

I don't know if I would find it as funny if I were reading it off the pages of the actual book, but the person reading it on the CD makes it all worthwhile. She has a British accent and the way she says certain things and the emotion she puts into the book is priceless. The character is in deep debt and her thought process dealing with how to handle her debt and how to justify her purchases (EVERYTHING is either a bargain that just can't be missed or a very wise investment...lol). I don't know if the movie will be as funny because you won't be able to hear inside her head like you can when you read a book (this was one of the things that I felt was lacking from Twilight), but it has potential to be a cute movie.

The weird thing about listening to this book is that I find myself hearing my own thoughts throughout my day in the same voice and the woman on the CD. It's hilarious. I even throw in a few phrases like..."She is looking smart today." or "Oh, bloody hell." I'm also daydreaming like JD on Scrubs. My mind has been all over the place lately, but it makes for a very entertaining day. I keep trying to explain to people that is actually is fun to be in my head. lol

Well, I seem to have rambled on quite a bit. You're probably tired of reading this. I'm actually a little tired of typing, and I'm stumped as to what topic I'd like to move on to next. So, I'll end it here before I think of something to go on another tangent with. Until next time...

UPDATE:

• I finally purchased a vehicle to replace my dearly departed Toyota Camry (RIP 1997-2008). I got a 09 Nissan Versa hatchback. I don't have any pics, so just click the link if you have no idea what they look like. Mine is pretty basic. It's white and for the first time ever, I have a CD player and keyless remote. WhooHoo...moving on up, baby! Hopefully, I'll get some pics soon. Now I get to pay for this thing for the next 3-4 years...



• I saw Twilight last Friday night. It was decent. You must go into it realizing that there is going to be a certain cheeseball factor to it due to it being a teen romance in nature. I'm thinking of cutting my hair like Alice Cullen. What do you think? I also thought it was pretty awesome that Edward drives a hatchback (like me!) in the movie.

• I find that there are a lot of non-hatchback lovers out there. I can understand that to a degree because I thought they were ugly in high school, but how are they any different from a SUV or a van?
• I still want to see the new Bond movie. Daniel Craig is a hotty. :)
• I'm just getting started with my Christmas shopping. This year has gone by way too fast.
• I'm still undecided on whether or not I feel financially ready to purchase a house. Should I take another year and put some more money back? We've got a pretty decent emergency fund and I would rather not dip into that for closing costs, etc.
• I am so ready for Thanksgiving. We're doing the traditional dinner at the grandparents' again this year. Bring on the turkey...gobble, gobble.
• I've joined a book club. Last month we discussed The Choice by Nicholas Sparks. I read it last year. Our next book is Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris. It was a pretty good collection of short stories. Now I'm a couple of chapters into The Pact by Jodi Picoult. I hear she's good. I love the library. I also got Confessions of a Shopaholic to listen to during my commute. I eventually want to re-read the entire Harry Potter series. I might start that next.
• I have been knitting the same pair of socks since the beginning of the year. I'm almost finished. Why can't I just finish this second sock?
• Christmas cards have been ordered. That is really all I have accomplished for the holidays.

Ok...so I can't think of anything else to ramble about. Later.

I don't know if you've seen this on the news, but this has been keeping me entertained. Someone has a litter of adorable puppies that they are streaming live on the internet 24 hours. They're so cute, I just had to post.



I'm also going to try to embed this on my blog. Wish me luck.

Edit: OK...this link isn't showing up. I'll keep trying.

Happy Halloween!!!!

Good afternoon, all. I decided that since I've got a few minutes in between experiments here at work, I'd fit in a quick blog. Hold on...I need to measure some samples...

Okay...I'm back. Where to start? I'm still without a car. I have one picked out, but my insurance check hasn't made it yet. I have issues with buying a car without a downpayment, so as soon as the USPS decides to make it possible for me to finance my car, I'll go get one. In the meantime, my ever-patient co-worker has been bringing me to work and back this week. Thank you, Kelley!
We have this nifty little machine (Snap ID) for Western blots that we're trying out today. It uses a vaccuum to pull the antibody through the membrane instead of washing the antibody over the membrane and hoping that it binds. I can't wait to see this thing in action. It takes a process that usually takes a day down to an hour or so. Sorry, I think my nerdy side may be showing, but I really think this stuff is neat.
Tonight, we're going to M & J's and hanging with them. It will probably be an early night because Rich is running his first 10K tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I can drag myself out of bed to get some pictures. It's supposed to be 37* tomorrow morning, so I doubt I'll be in a pleasant mood standing out in the cold while Rich is running, but I know this stuff is important to him.
The rest of the weekend should be pretty standard...grocery shopping, knitting, reading, etc. (I'm pretty boring, huh?).
I recently read the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyers. I am now addicted. It's a young adult series, but I can't help but be absolutely fascinated by the characters in the book. The movie comes out November 21st. I'm so there.
That pretty much covers everything I have going on. Later!

Argh! Car salesmen are so irritating. I only went to 2 places before I gave up and came home. The first guy wasn't very bad, but the second guy knew less about the car we wanted to see than I did. I think when I asked him about the optional antilock brakes on the Nissan Versa, he realized I was not some stupid little girl who just wanted a cute car in a pretty color. He had NO IDEA about what came on those cars. I hate how even though I'm the one looking for a car that I'll be driving, they insist on talking mainly to my husband. Like I don't bring home a paycheck and make decisions for myself. It's just so insulting.
I cleaned out my car out this morning. I cried a little. I wanted to buy another car to replace Rich's truck. I did not want to shop for a car like this. I miss my little car.
We might go troll some lots tomorrow when the vultures aren't stalking. Maybe that will be a little less stressful. I'm thinking about coming home next weekend and maybe trying to buy a car in Columbus. The salesmen there don't seem to drip with as much slime as the ones here do.
In other news, I read "Twilight" yesterday. It's a young adult book about a girl who fall in love with a vampire. I loved it. I don't typically finish books in a single day like I used to. This one I just couldn't put down.
Well, that's about it. I think I'll go mope around for a while and watch the Bama game.

A first...

I experienced something for the first time today. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of those enjoyable firsts like a first birthday or a first kiss. This afternoon for the first time ever, I was involved in a car accident that wasn't a minor fender bender in a parking lot. I rear-ended a guy (in a BMW, no less) because I turned my head to the left for a second. I still have no clue how it all happened. Everyone is okay. Thank God. I'm a little stiff right now, and I'm pretty sure tomorrow will absolutely SUCK. I've been sick for 2 days and left work early to get some rest so I can get over this cold, but now I'm still sick and have a sore neck and back to go with it. I will not be going in to work tomorrow. I'm pretty sure I've totalled my car. It's a 1997 Camry, so it won't take much. We'll see what the body shop says tomorrow. My insurance company (Allstate) has been awesome through this whole deal. I'm going to get something to eat now (I haven't had lunch and its 7:30pm). Hope everyone has a good night and drive safely.