So I suck at the whole posting online thing. But in my defense, my internet situation has been very less than stellar since I've started this journey.

So here are some bullet points:
- I've been to Denver, Greeley (CO), and am currently in N. Miami.
- I'm now the video intern for the first part of the semester, so I'm totally stoked about that. I get to play with pretty cameras, shiny computers, and lots of high tech performance stuff. Also, I get to borrow the tech computer every once in a while, which is far superior to my computer in both battery power and internet connection retention.
- I have had three different roommies from three different countries (Norway, Germany, Netherlands, in that order).
- I have new really close friends and I love them dearly. We're all very huggy people and I love it.
- Our first real show was a hit and the audience was really responsive.
- I get to be on stage most of the show because I sing in the special mic groups for a lot of the songs. Go me!
- I miss my alone time and my downtime in general, but on the upside, I've gotten really good at sleeping just about anywhere.

I may talk about more personal stuff here later (if I ever get the chance to get online again) but for now, this will do to let you know that I am alive and I am busy doing stuff.

Okay, so I really am going to try to post more regularly about my trip, but maybe not for a while. The internet situation at this particular host family is not optimal for posting long entries or pictures. But I will! I'm hoping to get a little more organized this weekend once I've had a chance to sleep in a bit and maybe unwind a bit.

The quick version though, is this: I got to Denver, got my host family and my roommate. I adore my roommate, who is from Norway. I also adore most of the cast and I have all but about 6-7 names memorized. Go me! It's sometimes quite strenuous, and often tests my limits, but it is always a lot of fun. I've learned several songs, met about 100 people, and learned two dances. All in the last week. And the dances just in the last two days. Another interesting note - I haven't had a Diet Coke in about a week and my only source of caffeine has been a coffee chocolate bar I've been rationing. It kind of sucks. But it's much healthier and while I do miss it, I do okay without it.

That's it for now.

Oh! And the holograms last night? Coolest thing evar!!! I want one! To do what with, I have no idea. But it's so awesome! Half the time I didn't even listen to the person talking because I was trying to figure out how they do that.

Well, the votes are in and it's a landslide. I figured that since this is such an amazing event that I would comment. I'm very happy that Obama won. I'm pretty sure I would have been happy with either since they are not Bush, but I am infinitely more excited because it's Obama. That man is awesome as far as I'm concerned! He's not the messiah and he's not going to be the BESTEST MOST AMAZING PRESIDENT FOREVER AND EVAR!!!1! but I think he's going to do a wonderful job and I'm excited to see where he takes us. I was sad to see he looked very sad and serious last night. I suspect he missed his grandmother, but what do I know? He could have been just trying to be presidential.

In other and completely unrelated news, I had the weirdest dream last night. I don't remember the first part, but then there was figure skating (which I was taking part in) at a bar and drinking with some guys that I don't know. I was in charge of Manna and Ginger while Denise went next door for something (where did she come from? get out of my dream). And while I was sitting there, this girl I don't know came over, pulled a gun, and asked for directions somewhere. I ended up taking her to where she needed to go, which was an abortion clinic. I wanted to just drop her off because I was already late meeting Denise with the dogs - at least that was the vague impression I had; I know I was late for something - but she didn't have anyone else and she was scared. So I ended up staying and holding her hands while she had an abortion. All in all, very WTF!

Contemplated not coming to work today because I was so tired from staying up for the election stuff. Also, I don't really have much to do here. As usual. But I came for the shared joy and the buzzing conversations. However, now that those are done with I kind of want to go home and back to bed. I keep entertaining the thought that I might take a day off, but it doesn't happen. I don't know why, other than I won't earn the few minutes of OT I manage to squeeze in every day. I guess I feel that it's not justified since I have no real reason to take a day other than I feel like it. Perhaps I will take Friday off for the hell of it. Perhaps not.

 I have learned soooo much the last two days. I've been reading the comic Sheldon (www.sheldoncomics.com - go read it NOW), which is like Calvin and Hobbes, but with a billionaire 10-year-old and his talking duck. And his grandpa. It's so adorable and funny and cracks me up. Anyway, every time the comic addresses some sort of fact or cool thing, or when the author finds something cool, he posts about it in the daily blog and provides links. So I look stuff up to see if they're true. And thus! I learn. 

For your enjoyment (or rather because I find this all fascinating and feel like sharing), here is a brief synopsis of what I've learned in the last two days:
- a significant portion of the world's population believes the world is flat;
- some people function on 2 hours of sleep a day; a 20 minute nap every 4 hours round the clock; and they actually function;
- velociraptors had feathers;
- baby blue whales can gain around 220 lbs a day when weaning;
- Shakespeare spelled his name differently in each of the 6 handwriting samples believed to be his;
- Micheal Phelps consumes about 10,000 calories a day! Sure he burns a million, but seriously! Check out his diet.

That last one was one I learned from BBC, not from the comic, but I thought it was amazing. I can't even imagine eating the amount he eats for breakfast throughout the day! I'd have to be burning some serious calories that day. Or totally porking out. 


We all got bonuses today. I don't know how much everyone else's was - though from the sound of it, just as impressive and surprising as mine - but hells that's money! I was exctied fantasizing about getting a new laptop when I realized I should fix my car first. And that it would barely cover fixing my car. Sigh. I prolly won't end up getting my car fixed, but I can get it washed now!

 I need a hobby. I need a hobby that I can do at work that isn't as obvious as reading a book. It needs to be something I can come back to for a few minutes at a time throughout the day. Suggestions? 

In other news, I'm still housesitting and for some reason I haven't been sleeping all that well. So that's fun. Other than that though, it's been great. There's internet, diet coke, ps3 - what else could I need? I also have a housesitting stint lined up for September and one for November. I don't know about the September one, but I know I'll at least get paid a bit for the one in November. I don't know why dad feels the need to pay me for housesitting (other than he pays anyone who housesits) but I won't argue; I could use the money. 

My aunt and uncle are getting separated. It makes me sad because they were so good together and now they're really in pain. But their lives went in different directions (was the reason my aunt gave my uncle for the separation) and since they pretty much live in different cities anyway, it kind of makes sense. I just wish it didn't happen. Really I wish my aunt weren't so crazy obsessed with her work to the point that it takes precedence over their relationship. Whatever happens though, Bruce will always be my uncle and I will always love seeing him when I can. I hope it works out.

 So as expected I've slacked off on this. It happens, get used to it. :)

The only real reason I'm posting now is because I have a half hour left to kill before clocking back in from lunch. I am so bored. I've done the daily puzzle, the daily diff, I've read my daily comics, I've played various other games, I've read the news, I've run errands, and I've socialized. The boss isn't here nor is the president, which means what tiny bit of motivation we have usually is out the window. Or would be if we had any. 

I went to Allison's wedding last weekend, which was amazingly wonderful. I had a blast and I loved seeing my girls again. I hemorraged money, but it was so worth it. I just have to stop spending it now. Only four and a half months until I leave for UwP and I'm holding steady at my current money amount when I would really like to go up some. I will be perfectly willing to go with the knowledge that I will have - literally - no money when I get back, but I would rather go knowing I have a little to cusion me while I look for a job in June. Anyone care to donate? No? Oh well.

I'm housesitting next week for Beth which means I will get no sleep as I will be on teh interwebs all night. I invited Mac to come down and keep me company, but I know he won't come so I don't feel the need to run it by Denise. Also, I'm not sure she would care. It could be one of those things she gets weird about though. I don't know. It's a moot point.

"I would challenge you to wear dresses (only at the store), but I also would want to tell you how nice you look in them. As per the 'appreciate you as a woman.'" 

Seriously! What the hell is wrong with this guy!! He obviously doesn't know me at all if he thinks I'm going to try on dresses or even be in a store where they have dresses.

I don't think he's met anyone quite like me before and I think I'm going to shock the hell outta him. I sure hope so. This could be fun.

Jeff just called me a "sylvan fairy creature (at least level 12)". 

It sounded slightly less painfully dorky in context, but only slightly. What a maroon.

Another day, another time of boredom. That's not entirely true actually. I have a bunch to do and I'm actually looking forward to getting started on it, but not enough to try and navigate the people and jobs that are currently swarming the lab. I'll try again in a few minutes. My mom keeps asking me if I'm going to look for another job. I suppose I should. I mean, I could make a lot more and do more of what I'm schooled to do. And I know I would like the people I worked with wherever I go. But I do love it here. Not the work, that's kind of annoying. But I love the people and the atmosphere. I love the mutual laziness of our office. And the mockery of driven people. ;)

Jeff is obnoxious. He thinks he's being subtle and testing me to see what I pick up on, but he's so obvious. He's an open book. Okay, more like Cliff's Notes. The point is, it's clear when he's trying to hint at something and it's clear what that something is when he does it. At least he seems to admire the fact that I'm shamelessly blunt because I don't often have the patience to go along with his weird hinting and I end up calling him on it. It's kind of fun in that respect; I don't have to put up with the bs that I do with most people (though with most people I don't mind at all, let alone even think about it) and I can say whatever I feel like. I kinda feel rude and mean sometimes, but then I try and tone it down a bit. 

I need to run errands after work. I really do. I really need to get healthy type snacks at the store and some green fabric from the fabric store. Need to get going on this quilt!! I realize Kelsey's not going to be in for quite some time, but I want to be ready when she is and that's never going to happen if I don't work on the damn thing. 

Mac's birthday was May 27th and I didn't know! Why does no one tell me these things?! Possibly because no one I talk to knows either. But still! Grr.

I want more icons but I don't want to pay for more.

So I had my  not-date with Jeff on Wednesday night. I was going to use Beth's impending family explosion as an excuse to leave early, but it didn't work. That guy is generally engaging and his thought processes baffle me so much that I can't help but sit there and try and figure them out. But by the end of the evening I was so done listening to him talk, particularly about himself. Part of the talking about himself may be due to the fact that he spends his day listening to people who only think about themselves and so he can't help himself when someone actually listens to him. But it's still tiring. Also, he's glad we defined our undefined relationship status. We didn't. We got nowhere. I'm glad at least one of us thinks we made progress anyway. I've decided that at least for now, I don't care one way or the other. He can be confused and delusional if he wants. I'm just going to do my own thing. 

In other news, I've been sold down the river by my boss. Fortunately it's not an issue til the parts actually get here on Monday, but it's a shitton (metric) of work and not a lot of time to do it. It's doable to be sure but it's not going to be fun. Stupid people and their defective circuit boards. :P On the plus side, Lila gets back on Monday, so the office will be a bit more lively.

 I love three day weekends. I got so much done this weekend! I didn't get in as much time with Rhiannon and Beth as I would have liked, but I got other things done that have been bothering me for quite a while. Like cleaning my room. That sounds lame, but it's been so crazy chaotic and dirty that it's been tweaking me. But now it is not only cleaned up, it is *dusted*, which is a major accomplishment in my book. I also put some things in storage so it's a little more open. 

Friday night we watched Temple of Doom. It was just about as bad as I remembered which was nice because then I could accept the badness and just sit back to enjoy Indy without having to constantly yell at the tv for being bad. It's not that it's *bad*, it's just not *good* which the other two are. It's a poor installment in an otherwise brilliantly entertaining set. Moving on. Saturday I helped mom in the garden (mumble grumble weeding mumble grumble) and got a kickass sunburn that still kind of hurts but is delightfully going away. I also started on the baby quilt for Kelsey, which I think will be easier than I expected. That's the hope in any event. Saturday night was drinking at Beth's, and by drinking I mean two girly beers each. I think I was the only one who finished both mine. Sunday was cleaning and quilting and gardening. And Last Crusade. I remembered exactly how wonderful that one was and of course enjoyed it immensely. Sean Connery is such a great bumbling professor. Monday was even more cleaning because I needed to get my room in some semblance of order, and I had to clean a bit more because Bob and Meagan were coming. They came and stayed the night last night and we went to breakfast this morning. 

Which means I am really very tired. We were up chatting until about 11 and then I couldn't sleep, so I read until 2:30. Then I woke up at 5 and vaguely dozed until my alarm went off at 5:30. Blaaaarrrr.

Well I'm glad I was too lazy to make lunch this morning because we're having a pizza party! I guess one of the guys upstairs just graduated from GU and is leaving us for bigger and better things. Or at least other things. So, pizza for all. 

I am so looking forward to this weekend. There's a chance that I won't have to help Brad move after all, so I might actually have a three day weekend. I wouldn't mind helping him move, but if they don't need me, I'm not going to complain. I think we're going to watch Temple of Doom tonight, simply because we're watching all three before we see the new one and that's the one we're on. I haven't seen it in nearly 7 years I bet, mostly because I don't particularly like it as far as the Indys go. It's not bad, but it's not of the same caliber that the other two (now possibly three) are. I will try to spend some time out in the garden if it doesn't rain and isn't too warm. I am also going to make a baby quilt for Kelsey since she now has a little boy. Me making it is going to essentially consist of my mother guiding every step, but it will be made by me no matter how much help I need. :)

I was considering upgrading my video card on my laptop and then discovered I can't. That was very sad. I want a better video card! I want to play shinier games! I want to pay a bit for a better video card, not a lot for a new computer! I could always take over Beth's computer. Or mom's. But that's such a hassle as it restricts when I can play and where. Can I justify buying a new laptop since I'll need a new one within the next year anyway? On the other hand, I'll be taking my current laptop with me into Up With People either way because regardless of whether it's my older or it's my only computer, it's old enough and trashed enough that I can take it around the world and not worry too much about it. I will probably wait through another few paychecks and then decide. Ideally I would wait until I had absolutely the amount of money I want to have for UWP, but that could take a while. 

SIGH CHOICES.

 Doot doot doo. Bored at work, as usual. I do have something to do and I have been working on it this morning, but it was insanely easy and now I am done with the part of it that I have to really work on. All that's left is the printing and the QA and the sending. And I have all afternoon to do it.

In more exciting news, Kelsey from upstairs is finally having contractions, so soon she will have a newborn! I'm not jealous of her but I am jealous of Megan, who gets to leave work and go be the best friend. I would much rather have my hand practically broken being squeezed by a woman in labor than sit here with relatively nothing to do. I make noises about hating my job, but it's not so terrible really. It's just not so great. And I do adore the people I work with. Hi-larious. 

I will soon have much more work. Four parts are coming in that require 15 cross sections each. If you figure that it takes probably 30 minutes to grind and polish each section (once I've actually gotten to the first one, which takes another 10 minutes in itself), between 20-60 minutes to photograph each section (depending on how many flaws there are), and about 20 minutes to sort and label all the pictures.... Let's just say it takes a long time to do ONE part like that, let alone FOUR. Lila was nice enough when she was bidding the job to them yesterday to tell them it was unreasonable to ask that much of one person in the time frame they were wanting. So they relaxed and said that only two had to be done by the first deadline and the other two a bit later. Roger wasn't too happy about that because he seemed to think it was totally reasonable to get all four done by the first deadline. He doesn't understand the work ethic (or lack thereof) of our office; Lila does. Thank god. I can only imagine the hell of this week and next if Roger had bid the job. On the other hand, it would be overtime money. I'd much rather do it this way though. 

Well, I suppose I will get this printed out and handed off so that I can relax while goofing off because I'll be waiting on it to come back. 

Also, hooray for Beth for having an internship where she gets her own government email address! Very cool.

I realize it's been over half a year since I posted in this damn thing. Clearly, for those of you on the edge of your seats wondering what happened, I got home all right.

After a few months of looking, I finally managed to get a job. Amazing! So now I work for an engineering lab, cutting stuff up and taking pictures of it. I actually do that sometimes. The rest of the time I sit around and pretend to work and act as lookout for the other two in my office who also pretend to work. Which brings us to the introduction of players in my daily life.

The office (in which we play games and tell stories and generally mock the goings-on around us, attempting to do as little work as possible while keeping our jobs)
LILA: "crusty old broad"; tells amusing stories; internet shopaholic who just received her new cargo pants and ice axe today
BRAD: smartass obsessed with fantasy sports; tells stories less amusing than Lila's but stull funny

Has his own office but is in ours entirely too often for my tastes
ROGER: the slightly passive aggressive friendly boss; his logic is not like our earth logic at times; feels that work and the customer are above all and seems unable to comprehend that we might not want to bend over backward to give the customer exactly what they want without charging more for more work


Anyway, I decided that since I'm often so damn bored at work - having played to death every game I can find that looks remotely interesting - I would start this back up and see what happens. I may keep up with it, I may not. Time will tell.

Monday morning on my way out, I decided I would call the Imagineering place just in case and I'm glad I did. They told me that they have no human resource department and that there was no point to me coming down there unless I had an appointment with a specific individual there. Since I didn't, I just headed out of town. I drove and listened to my new music on my new CD player (my old one doesn't play mp3s and my cousin had an extra one lying around that did). The most beautiful thing about the new player is that it also has a radio which was a godsend. I love CDs as much as the next person, but nothing compares to new music and old songs you didn't realize you hadn't heard in a while. I had planned to go to Redding, CA on Monday because it was about halfway but I reached there around 4:30 and wasn't ready to stop at all. So I kept driving. Around 7 I was wondering where I was going to stop or if I was going to stop at all, when I got a call from my mom and she reminded me that her friend Ranada just moved to Salem, OR. I called her and set it up so I could stay there. I reached her house around 11. My god her house is huge and beautiful! The next morning she, her sister and brother-in-law, and I all had breakfast and headed out around 10am, they for the store, me for Seattle.

I reached Portland around lunchtime and of course had to stop at my favorite bookstore ever, Powell Books. I spent a while looking at the books about Andy Goldsworthy; that man is so incredibly talented. I have no idea how he has the patients or inspiration for the work he does. Look him up, he's phenomenal. Then I coveted the books on tape that were out of my price range. I almost got a present for Beth, but that was also out of my price range. I'm a cheap girl, what can I say? After far too few hours there, I continued north. I reached Seattle around 4:30 and made my way to Boeing to get a key from Dan and then went to his apartment and stole internet. We went out to dinner at this place that has a drink that tastes like the Vacation that Karen and I make - sooo good. We came home and watched Ghostbusters and The Corpse Bride and I got a fabulous massage. Happiness. And then I crashed. Today I think I'm just going to be really lazy. I'm looking forward to a day of stretching out and sitting however I want to. And being cool. I might have to go get some Diet Coke too. But I'm definitely looking forward to using this giant screen flat screen tv. :)