Jane's Science Spot

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 20

2011-06-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

Day 20 - A song that you listen to when you're angry
For angry music I usually turn to NIN. However, this band works too. They also work for running. It gets you to "just run through this song, you wimp".

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 19

2011-06-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Day 19 - A song from your favorite album
This one is easy. My favorite album is "With Teeth" by NIN. My favorite song on that album is the title track.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 18

2011-06-14T19:47:00.001-07:00

Day 18 - A song that you wish you heard on the radio
This one is tough. I like what I hear on the radio and for what I don't hear, I have iTunes. And since I listen to all types of music, I can get whatever I want to hear on the radio. Hmmm... I guess I could pick an old obscure song that I still love to hear.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 17

2011-06-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

Day 17 - A song that you hear often on the radio
I hear this song a lot b/c I listen to the popular music station in the car. This song is on heavy rotation right now. I like it. I bought it. So now it's on heavy rotation in my playlists too.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 16

2011-06-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

Day 16 - A song that you used to love but now hate
This song used to remind me of someone. I liked that someone. He used to tell me that he liked me "Just the way I am". Now I can't stand to hear this song.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 15

2011-06-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

Day 15 - A song that describes you
I have been described as many different things from many different people. I didn't used to believe some of them. I never thought I was pretty. Or sexy. I can see those things now that I am alone. It's weird how being alone has helped my self-image. This song describes what most men say they feel about me. I am finally starting to believe them.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 14

2011-06-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love
A person in my life got me to appreciate a different kind of music than I am used to. Watching the video is interesting b/c that voice doesn't look like it should come out of that guy's mouth. Go figure.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 13

2011-06-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

Day 13 - A song that is a guilty pleasure
My biggest musical guilty pleasure is 90's dance music. I will dance around to "Rhythm is a Dancer", "Boom Boom Boom" and "Strike it Up". However, this is one song that I am embarrassed that I like.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 12

2011-06-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Day 12 - A song from a band you hate
I don't really hate a lot of music. And I feel hate is a strong word. I don't really know what song to pick for this one. Since I don't really know this band, I'm going to choose whatever video I see on youtube first. Here it is.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 11

2011-06-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

Day 11 - A song from your favorite band
This would be a song that we played at my wedding. We had to bring the CD b/c we knew the DJ wouldn't have it. Complete Music, the DJ, still calls our wedding the "NIN wedding" and we only played 2 of their songs. This was one of them and one of my favorites.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 10

2011-06-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep
I didn't have to think about this one at all. I used to listen to this song (along with others) to help me fall asleep. This was a great song to "eat sandwiches to" and then pass out :)

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 9

2011-06-05T18:30:00.001-07:00

Day 9 - A song that you can dance to
This is about 1/2 of my library. I can dance to most any song. If there is a beat, I can dance to it. I did take ballroom lessons which reminds me of Dan. We danced to this song at the one bar in Austin, MN. I heard it and said, "Hey, we could cha-cha to this song." And that we did.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 8

2011-06-02T17:38:00.001-07:00

Day 8 - A song that you know all the words to
Well this could describe over half of my library. Maybe I will go back to high school for this one. This song was on a cassette that we listened to on the way to my first Phish concert in Lake Placid, NY. I love this song. I loved that concert. I bought one of my best winter hats before the show. I "ate way to many sandwiches". For those who watch How I Met Your Mother, you know what I'm talking about ;)

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 7

2011-06-02T17:22:00.000-07:00

Day 7 - A song that reminds you of a certain event
There are many songs I could have chosen for this day's challenge. My wedding song, my prom song, a song that was popular when I graduated from high school. But the event that tops them all was my sister's wedding. There is a certain song that was playing in the video "The slide that shocked the nation". What I remember of Pi's wedding is: that move, a bartender that did magic and having to wake up and check out of our hotel by 10am. Who has that kind of check out after a wedding??!! I mean, c'mon! Things I don't remember: how I got pen marks on certain places of my body, how we got to our hotel room and the drive home from Oswego (even though I was driving!). Again, I would like to thank my beautiful sister for an awesome wedding. And I would like to thank my ex-husband for executing his "awesome move" at the wedding for all to see.
P.S. The picture posted reveals how I got pen marks on certain parts of me. See the flowers I stuck down my dress? Yeah, those are pens. They were Pi's wedding favors. I think I stuck at least 4 of them down my dress. Awesome.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 6

2011-05-31T18:14:00.000-07:00

Day 6 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
I used to visit my sister a lot when she was in college & I was still in high school. Hell, it was only hours away. We had the best times. This song reminds me of a dorm room. It was Eric's dorm room and we were playing some kind of drinking game. Mom, don't judge. I wanted to make out with Eric terribly. But I settled for another person... Billy. The following morning I got to ride home with mom & dad in the minivan. I was trying not to puke the whole ride home. And I was choking down vomit at Perkins before we left. Don't drink the water in Oswego! It tastes like potting soil. Not cool after a night of fruity drinks. After we got home and I took a shower I noticed a "present" that was left from Billy. A hickie. Not on my neck. Again, mom, don't judge :) TMI? Sorry. Every time I hear this song I think of that night (well what I remember of that night)& it makes me smile. Thanks for all of the good times in Oswego, Pi. I love you.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 5

2011-05-30T18:21:00.001-07:00

Day 5 - A song that reminds you of someone
Ok. I said I was going to try to not go back to my married life for these songs. I will have to go further back. Way back. This song is for you, EAH. You got me listening to this band b/c Justin liked them. You had a cassette that we would listen to in your VW Jetta and drive around and smoke cigarettes, etc. I LOVE this song. I have tried in vain to purchase it on iTunes. I can't seem to find it. Someday I will own this song. I need to. It is a part of me and you.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 4

2011-05-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

Day 4 - A song that makes me sad
There seem to be a lot of songs that make me sad. Most of them remind me of my other life when I was married. I'm going to try not to go there throughout this challenge. It's hard. So a song that makes me sad... I picked this one b/c it can describe so many different people who come in and out of my life. And even though it makes me sad, I love it.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 3

2011-05-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Day 3 - A song that makes you happy
Hmmm... A song that makes me happy. So when I am actually listening to the song, it makes me smile. That would have to be...

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 2

2011-05-27T16:34:00.001-07:00

Day 2 - Least favorite song
My least favorite song right now has got to be "Comin' Home" by P. Diddy/Puff Daddy/Dirty Diddy Money/Whatever. This song was totally overplayed and I change the station every time it comes on the radio.

30 Day Song Challenge - Day 1

2011-05-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

Day 1 - My favorite song
I'm going to assume that this is my favorite song right now. That would have to be:

30 Day song Challenge

2011-05-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

All right, Pi. It's on. I updated my blog, pictures and all. So now we see if I can keep at it for 30 days. They're only songs, right? How hard can this be...

Day 1 - Your favorite song
Day 2 - Your least favorite song
Day 3 - A song that makes you happy
Day 4 - A song that makes you sad
Day 5 - A song that reminds you of someone
Day 6 - A song that reminds you of somewhere
Day 7 - A song that reminds you of a certain event
Day 8 - A song that you know all the words to
Day 9 - A song that you can dance to
Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep
Day 11 - A song from your favorite band
Day 12 - A song from a band you hate
Day 13 - A song that is a guilty pleasure
Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love
Day 15 - A song that describes you
Day 16 - A song that you used to love but now hate
Day 17 - A song that you hear often on the radio
Day 18 - A song that you wish you heard on the radio
Day 19 - A song from your favorite album
Day 20 - A song that you listen to when you're angry
Day 21 - A song that you listen to when you're happy
Day 22 - A song that you listen to when you're sad
Day 23 - A song that you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 - A song that you want to play at your funeral
Day 25 - A song that makes you laugh
Day 26 - A song that you can play on an instrument
Day 27 - A song that you wish you could play
Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty
Day 29 - A song from your childhood
Day 30 - Your favorite song at this time last year

Long time...

2009-04-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still alive. I'm sitting here listening to the wind whip the ice and snow off of the trees onto the roof. Yup, I said ice and snow. It's April gosh darnit!!! Winter weather adivisory on the first weekend of April. Hello??!! I live in NE!! Where is spring???!!!
I'm doing much better. The meds are working and I start therapy soon. My job might actually turn around. They are forming a technical support group with a new hire to be my supervisor. That will help my situation A LOT!! I think this job could turn into the job I thought I was getting when I got hired. I'm excited. So school is on the back burner for now. It's always an option but if this job can turn around, I might actually like it there.
I'm branching out and getting a life without Dan. I kind of made him my world since we moved out here and that's not healthy. I need my own friends and time to be away from him. I relied on him to create my social life and I hid behind him when making friends. It was always "Dan & Jane" not "Just Jane". Will & Grace just popped into my head "Just Jack". Anyway, I'm getting friends at work and going out with them. It's fun and I find I'm not so lonely. Still miss my family though.
On Monday I had 2 crowns seated without novacaine. Well, that was the most fun I've had in a while. NOT!! Getting air and water blown on exposed roots should be considered as a form of torture. I almost jumped out of my skin!
I am still taking ballroom classes with Dan. We have 30 group lessons to attend still, so we'll be at it for quite some time. I like it. It's fun and gets us out of the house. We have both decided to quit drinking for a while. I should anyway bc of the meds. We'll try and find other ways to amuse ourselves. Games, cards, puzzles... there's plenty to do.
It sucks having to admit to being grown up when all of our friends are at least 4-5 years younger than me. That's why work friends are cool. More my age and more in common. We can have intelligent discussions and not drink our faces off. Wow, adult friends. Big step.
I'm getting excited to go visit Pi and family at the end of the month. Warm weather and little nieces. Who could ask for anything more?
Well, gonna go watch a movie and wait for Dan to get off of work. Typical Sunday for me. Fingers crossed that no big branches fall off the trees onto the house. Next weekend looks WAY better. Temps in the 60s. Finally! I'll try and update more and things unfold. Here's to better mental health for all!

And the diagnosis is...

2009-03-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm depressed. Shocker. I'm on anti-depressants. It is like night and day with my mood. I still hate my job but I don't cry about it anymore. They made me really tired at first but I think I'm getting used to them now. I actually have the motivation to work out after work! And I love our Wii Fit. It rocks! I kick ass at the hula hoop games.
Pi suggested that I take a look at going back to school. I found a campus in Omaha. They also have an online school. I was thinking about nutrition. I took a course for fun in college and I really liked it. The school only offers a BS in nutrition but then I would have 2 Bachelor's degrees. That's something to be pround of and would look good on resume. I would only take 1 class a semester bc I would still be at my shitty job. They offer tuition reimbursement but it has to be a course related to what I'm doing. So like chemistry or the like. Boo. So 1 class at a time works for me.
Things are starting to turn around for me. I'm happier than I have been in a long time. I am getting more energy from working out and I have a better outlook on things. I'm going to visit Pi in April. She had a baby girl. I'm so excited to see all of them. Dan can't go, bummer. Next time. Well, gotta run and figure out dinner. Here's looking on the bright side of life for once!! Woo hoo!

It's not a tumor

2009-02-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

So picture Arnold saying "It's not a tumor" in 'Kindergarten Cop'. I talked to Mama Starla yesterday and we have concluded that my muscle pain is... plantar fasciitis. There is a tendon that runs the length of your foot. If it gets tight it can cause pain and swelling in the calf muscle. No blood clot.
I realized after talking with my mom that I have this pair of shoes that I wear to work which make me walk differently. A cause of plantar fasciitis is if your feet roll inward too much when you walk (excessive pronation). I know I was doing that the other day b/c my feet will swell and contract throughout the day. This makes the shoes sometimes too big on me. So I was rolling my foot to keep it from falling off.
Many thanks to Starla for helping me diagnose this problem. It's not a tumor. Phew. Crisis averted as sis Pi would say.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a while... We had a great Superbowl party. Too much food and too much beer. I did have the Monday after it off so we could clean the house and nurse our hangovers. I ended up calling in on Tuesday. Sometimes I wake up and I cannot go into work. It didn't help that Dan was on vacation until Wednesday. We spent the day together. I usually feel I should accomplish something on my days off but I just relaxed. Weird, right?

My "head" doctor appointment is on Tuesday. I'm scared and excited at the same time. No one ever wants to hear that there's something wrong with them but in my case I kinda do. I hate my job. I don't use the word hate lightly. This job has sucked the life and sanity out of me and I hope that therapy can help me through.

Dan, of course, thinks he has to fix my problems. It kills him that he can't fix me. I'm hoping to get advice on how to deal with him as well as my job. We're ok so far but he thinks I should be happy and if he can't make me happy... it makes him sad.

We normally cook a grand dinner for Valentine's but this year we're going out. I wanted to go to the restaraunt we went to on my birthday but typical man waited until the last minute to get a reservation. So, of course, no openings. We're going to a burger joint near us, Goldberg's, where we went on my actual birthday. They had the best sloppy joes!

I'm trying to see the brigher side of life. I try and leave work at work but at night when I can't fall asleep all I think about is work. Boo. To combat that we have ballroom on Tues. and Thurs. nights at 9pm. This helps me fall asleep b/c I'm trying to remember the steps while I'm falling asleep. We're getting pretty good. But this means they are going to try and sell us more lessons. Both Dan and I are terrible at saying "no". I mean, if it's a telemarketer I can say no b/c they are a stranger. But our dance teacher is kind of our friend now and it will be harder. But we are not willing to pay for more lessons when we're happy with what we have now.

It snowed all day today and I got to leave work after lunch. Sweet! Dan tried to start the snow blower but it wasn't happening so he shoveled. I would've helped but I'm fighting what I think is a severe muscle strain in my right calf muscle. I woke up on Thursday and I thought I must've had a weird dream where I flexed or pointed my foot all night. But I woke up again this morning with it. I could barely put weight on my right heel. Try taking a shower like that... not fun:(

If it doesn't go away by tomorrow I'm going to the emergeny care center b/c I looked at webmd and now I'm worried that I have a blood clot. I like webmd and all but it always tells you the most dire outcome. If you have a headache it's a brain tumor. If I have a muscle cramp it's a blood clot. Stupid internet. I don't think it's a blood clot b/c it's not warm to the touch and there is no discoloration. Heat seems to help. I took a bath and that was GREAT! I have the heating pad on while I'm watching TV. I don't want to spend Valentine's Day getting an ultrasound of my calf only to have them tell me it's a muscle strain and I should take Tylenol and stay off it. Oh, thanks, here's $200 for that. We'll see.

I wish everyone a happy and loving Valentine's Day. Don't go buy extravegant gifts. Just let the other person know they are loved and will always be loved. Don't give in to the spending of this made up holiday! Go out to eat or eat in. As long as you can enjoy each other, that's all that matters. I love my family and friends. Have a good weekend, Valentine or not.

Yup, I'm 30

2009-01-30T17:21:00.000-08:00

Here is my awesome cookie cake for my 30th birthday. Thank you to all who sent cards and emails.

It wasn't that bad. It didn't hurt :)

My visit with my mom was great! We went shopping and went out to dinner a couple of times. I did cry but only b/c I thought I broke the wash machine. And b/c my cookie/cake was awesome!

I actually did break the washer. One of my little socks was stuck in the drain pump line so the washer was filled with 5-6 inches of water. A $30 service call fixed that and I just had to swallow the embarassment.

Mom and I got to go to the Joslyn Art Museum. I haven't been there since our wedding.
That's almost 2 years ago! I should go more often but the only time it's free admission is on Saturday mornings and Dan is always working! Boo to having no friends.

We are gearing up for our huge Superbowl extravaganza. We host an annual party and serve beer and lots of food. It's always fun. We watch Puppybowl on Animal Planet instead of the normal half-time show. And yes, Bruce Springsteen in the king but, he's old and lame. Puppies running around in a pen is WAY cuter! I recommend that to anyone looking for an alternative to the half-time show.

My goal for next week is to go a week without crying. I think I can do it. Dan and I have ballroom 2x a week now so that will keep my mind off of hating my job. Always look for the positve, right? I'll probably post pics from the party on Sunday. We're rooting for the Cardinals since they are the underdogs. Looking forward to better times ahead. I filled out a job app. when mom was visiting. More will get filled out soon.

Go Cards!!

Happy New Year... Finally!

2009-01-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year's!! I know I'm a little late but better late than never. We had people over for the celebration. We got RockBand II from Pi and had an awesome time. But I learned never give guys pointy hats(see photo). Ha ha.

In other news, Dan & I won a Wii at his holiday party. AWESOME!!! Although I get "Wii arm" from playing bowling and tennis. My shoulder feels like I threw it out. I know you don't actually have swing as hard as I do but I can't help it. We downloaded some old-school Nintendo games today. I got Bubble Bobble. Anyone remember that? We got TMNT too. For those who don't remember, that's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It rocks. You can go online and surf the web on the big TV now. Super cool.

In other cool news Dan and I are taking ballroom dance lessons. A studio was giving complementary lessons and I said yes. They basically show you one step and then sit you down and try to sell you lessons. We decided to do it. It's really fun, new and challenging and it gets us out of the house. We learned all of the basic latin dances the other night. We're ok and we come home after and practice in the kitchen. I thought it would be hard for me b/c I always danced ballet and jazz by myself. It is hard learning to be lead. I end up leading some of the time. At least I can recognize it and try to stop myself. It keeps my mind off of my job and that relieves some of my anxiety.

I'm going to look for another job. I'm also seeking professional help for being depressed about my current job. I dropped the "I'm ashamed" attitude and decided to call someone. I was really proud of myself b/c part of my problem is that I don't like to make phone calls. Hard to reach out for help when I can't reach out and pick up the phone. Things are looking up.

On that positive note, my Mama Starla is coming to visit in 2 days. She will be here to help me turn 30. I know I shouldn't think of it as a bad thing but 30 is a big number. I feel I should have all these milestones completed and I don't. No kids, no house, no job I love. Oh well, I'm working on it.

In the random news category... I've found a billion people I went to high school with on Facebook. Some I'm not to keen too chat with and some that I can't believe I found. It's nice to be able to communicate with people again. I don't really care for the new look of Facebook but I'm adjusting. It feels overwhelming b/c of all the applications and requests from people. I've decided to not let that be on my list of anxieties.

I think that's all for now. It was hard going without a PC for a while. We decided to dump pictures, music, videos, etc. to an external hard drive and then re-install Windows and everything. Well, try re-installing Windows on a 9 year old PC. Yeah, not a good idea. We also got a 120gig iPod. That thing rocks! You can put movies, music, videos and pictures on it. We do have some good ideas. I'll try and post more often now that we have all this cool sh**.

Just a quick note

2009-01-19T16:12:00.001-08:00

I've been out of commission for a while b/c we had to get a new PC :( So I have photos from New Year's Eve to load and much to say. This is just a quick note to let my loyal followers (haha) know that I am not dead and will get to this as soon as I have time. My mom is coming to visit and I'm going to turn 30 soon so a lot is going on. Promise I'll update later!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T12:20:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Christmas. I got many nice tops from Dan. This year I went through catalogs and circled the items I liked. I wrote my size and color next to it. All Dan had to do was go through and pick things at his discretion. The blue sweater in the photo is a present.

His argyle sweater is a gift from me. I bought it with a pin-striped shirt but grabbed a medium instead of a large. Oops. Oh well, there's a trip to Target tomorrow. But isn't it very "Clinton-esque"?

We got LED lights for the tree this year. They have many settings to twinkle the lights. We have it set to a slow twinkle. They're nice and they save on electricity. We enjoyed a nice dinner with the in-laws. It was a good time. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season!!

Meet Bert & Ernie

2008-12-23T15:49:00.000-08:00

Meet Bert & Ernie. We had them for dinner tonight. They were excellent guests ;) My mom gives Omaha Steaks as a gift for Christmas and I was like, "Umm... We live here and can go to a restaraunt and get a steak." So this is how she did it for us in the Midwest.

What do I miss about NY? Fresh seafood. Dan gets me to try new things and, of course, now that I like fish where do we live? BFE!! So this is a really special gift. Thanks to Mama Starla for providing this great dinner.

We were surprised to see 2 live lobsters in the styrofoam cooler. One of them, Bert, is really lively. Ernie not so much. I told Dan I don't want to be in the kitchen when they go in the pot. I know they don't really scream. That it's just the water vapor forming steam and escaping through the spaces in the shell. Even knowing that, I don't want to hear it. It's bad enough we gave them names.

We're getting excited for Christmas. I get 5 days off. I work until noon tomorrow (Chrstmas Eve) and then I don't go back to work until Tuesday the 30th. Cool, right? The business is closed on Friday, a company floating holiday, and I took Monday off b/c I had a personal day that I would lose if I didn't take before the end of the year. I'll post more pics after Christmas to show the tree and all that. We are hosting dinner for the in-laws. It should be nice.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-13T14:29:00.000-08:00

Well, we re-arranged the living room and bought a bunch of stuff for it. Linens 'N' Things is going out of business so we got slip covers for the very old couch and the recliner. We also got the new rug and throw pillows. I think it's very hip now. We actually match the furniture to the rug and pillows. Nice. I also threw in some pics of how I decorated for Christmas.

I decided I wanted a red and white theme this year. I think we'll get a tree today. It'll look nice with red and white ornaments. I just can't decide on colored lights or white lights. We've always done colored lights. We'll see what looks better.

I spent the day cleaning and doing laundry. My favorite. I'm excited to look for that part-time job in the new year. I will wait a little on applying only b/c my mom is visiting for my birthday at the end of January. And then we always have a party on Superbowl Sunday. I wouldn't want to get a job and then have to ask for a bunch of days off right away.

Another exciting thing coming up is ballroom lessons. That's right... a studio was giving away free dance lessons to promote business. Dan and I are going to our 1st of 3 on January 7th. I'm really excited. We wanted to take lessons before our wedding and we never did. We both watch "Dancing with the Stars" and always talk about lessons. Well now we get to do it! Cool.

My job still sucks allthough I actually did work on Friday. Wow. Real work. It was wierd and nice. I cannot work there forever. I have confidence in my plan to get out. I'm thinking about applying to Kohl's and Dillard's. They are kind of more upscale retail (if there is such a thing). We'll see what happens.

Time to go get the laundry out of the dryer and wake Dan up from his nap. He worked today, like every Saturday, but he had to go in early. Early is like 4am. He deserves a nap b/c we will stay up tonight playing RockBand. We are going to try and rent the new Track Pack they have out for it. P.S. to Pi: a GREAT present would be RockBand 2 for Playstation 2 if you can't think of anything to get us ;0). Enjoy the season!!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures from Thanksgiving. We hosted Dan's father and 2 sisters. We had to get new linens b/c we only had service for 4. All of the plates, silverware and glasses are ours that we never used and now we have this beautiful setting for 5 or 6. I picked out the napkin rings and Dan did the rest. Ya know, he gets mad when I call him "My little Clinton" but then he wants to brag about how he matched all of our linens. Men!

I luckily had Friday off. All though, I didn't go to work all week b/c I got a really bad cold which I thought was strep. Turned out no strep but a nasty cold. I almost lost my voice at the NIN concert on Wednesday night. It was AWESOME!! Our favorite band. Well, I'm sure I'll be talking to family soon. I was actually in bed right after people left on Thursday. I was beat. Doing round 2 of the dishes today kicked my butt as well. I'll be good to go back to work on Monday... boo! Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

P.S. The turkey in a brine this year was excellent! Watch "Good Eats: Romancing the Bird" and you'll know what I'm talking about.

I have an idea

2008-11-23T17:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought of something to fix a lot of problems. Starting after the new year I will get a second job at a retail store as a cashier or floor person. I always liked working in retail and there is always something to do. I would like to aspire to an asst. manager and then manager. I think it would be fun and challenging. I figure I can apply for a position like that when it gets posted while I'm working part-time and b/c I have a 4 year degree, they might consider me more than the next guy. Then I could quit my full-time job I have now and transition into reatil.
This will also help pay off debt faster. That is the goal before we buy a house. I don't want to have to spend every dollar we make on bills... not fun! It will also get me into an environment where I can interact with more people. I'm excited about this idea and I think it will open a lot of doors for me. We bought a new placemat set today for Thanksgiving so watch for photos!!

Wow, 2 days in a row???

2008-11-22T11:49:00.000-08:00

I think I'll try and follow Mama Starla's example and be a "better blogger". I used to write in a journal to get all the crap out of my head. Now, it hurts to write for a long period of time and I type much faster than I write. So, here goes...
I've realized that I'm kind of depressed lately. I went to a benefit dinner for a guy that works at the lab I used to work at. His family was T-boned by a drunk driver and his wife and oldest daughter are still wearing the "halo" neck brace things. Those are the ones that prevent any side-to-side movement of your head. His wife also broke her ankle and is in a wheel chair. They have twins who are about to turn 2. Imagine the stress on the family. While the dinner was nice to get to see people I used to work with, it made me sad b/c I don't have any friends at my new job.
I mean, I have people that I chat with but no one to vent to when Dan does something stupid. Or to cry to when I learn the expensive lesson of a "waiting period" on fillings. Oops. I have Dan to talk to when I get home but that's it. I have social anxiety disorder which hinders my social life.
I don't like to talk on the phone. I never have. I have this fear about it that I can't describe. That is one of the symptoms of this stupid disorder. I also get very anxious and tense when I have to attend a social function w/o Dan. He is my safety blanket and without him around I am extremely shy. I know I can make friends and I know I am funny and fun to be around. But another symptom of this is that I make up these events to be something they are not in my head. And then I find all the excuses in the world not to go.
I need some friends. I am going to look into taking a Zoomba class at the YMCA. It's like dance aerobics. That would get me out of the house and I could maybe find a person or 2 to have as an aquaintance. I find it hard to make friends with women. I had one very best friend all through middle school and then junior year in high school she didn't want to hang out with me anymore. This hurt my feelings beyond belief and I am not very trusting of women since then. Hence, all of our friends are guys...without girlfriends. Boo.
They are also a lot younger than I am and I feel they are more Dan's friends than mine. If Dan is tired on a Friday night I let him go to bed and I will take a bath and have a glass of wine rather than call any of "our" friends. I've learned to get by like this my whole life. I feel it's easier to stay in than to venture out into the scary world by myself.
I am working on getting over that. It's hard and I'm left being sad and alone a lot. We'll see how this Y thing works out. I also want to take ballroom dancing with Dan. That way we could meet couples (maybe our age) and expand our group of friends to include people who don't sit around all weekend and drink beer.
Time to go get the laundry out of the dryer. I thought last weekend as I was walking up from the basement, laundry basket in hand,"What would my Saturdays be like if I had a life?" I laughed to myself b/c again, I'm happy cleaning my house and doing my laundry every Sat. Mama Starla calls it caccooning. I'm pretty darn good at it!!
I'll keep my 3 readers (ha ha) posted on the events or non-events in my social life. I know it's not that scary out there, I just have to convince myself to go out and try it!

Halloween

2008-11-21T21:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, we didn't dress up b/c none of our friends had a party...losers!! But we did carve pumpkins. I used the wonderful trace-it book patterns and Dan free-handed his. Since he did so many skull and pumpkin cakes at work, his carvings came out really well. I'm very proud of mine b/c all the kids that came trick-or-treating loved Mickey and Minnie. Minnie was a pain in the a**. I know they're not pics of us in costume but I hope you like them anyway.

Life update

2008-10-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

So I colored my hair. I normally color it when I get it cut but this time I decided to leave the blonde highlights out. I like the darker shade. It's a nice change. I need change b/c I am already bored at my job.

I am not challenged there. I understand that I am still learning but it's really hard to feel like I've done something productive when all I did all day was read the news online. I mean, I'm testing stuff while I read the news but I don't feel like I accomplish anything. I could never be an R&D person... it's so boring!!

I play solitaire, freecell and minesweeper enough to choke a dead horse. I am proud to be up on my current events. I read a lot of articles on the election. It's really interesting. Like the story on Friday where a girl made up being attacked at an ATM and having a backwards letter B carved onto her face. She was a McCain supporter and lied to police telling them that she was robbed at an ATM and the guy cut a B on her face. Holy lots of bad press for the McCain campaign. Oh well.

I figure I can stick it out at this job for a while. At least to reap the health benefits. I visited the dentist for the first time in years the other day. I went in for a routine cleaning and exam (which I haven't had since who knows when) and then I got the appts. scheduled for my fillings. Yes, many fillings. It is nice to be in and out of the dentist in an hour. I got 5 fillings done (located in the same general area) the other day.

This is so much better than Creighton Dental School. I went there when I was without insurance while temporarily employed at the lab. I mean, they do good work, but the appts. last for 3 hours b/c they do the work and then have to get it checked off by a professor/dentist. I don't miss falling asleep in the chair with a dental dam holding my mouth open. Man, did that suck.

I'm trying to figure out what I want to do if I leave my current positon. I could do anything. I've thought of going back to school but for what? That's what I need to find out.

These are my ravings for the day. I will soon be carving pumpkins for Halloween. Dan and I are going to a party as Ron Burgandy and Vanessa Corningstone from "Anchorman". I will post pics, don't worry. Happy Halloween to all!!!

Check out the new wheels!

2008-09-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

We got a new car!! It's an '07 Saturn Vue, v6 and AWD. It's totally rad. Dan now drives the Escort to work and I get the Vue. It only takes me ~7 minutes to get to work so we won't rack up the miles. Even though we take turns driving places, it is my new car. We dropped off the '94 Ford Aerostar van to the father-in-law's house. Dan had been driving that for a couple of years now. I'm so glad we don't have the van anymore. It worked when it had to but it's old and sounds like crap. Enjoy the new car, we sure are!

Can I vent for a minute?

2008-09-12T18:52:00.000-07:00

So I read a lot of news lately b/c I can't really find things to do with myself at my job. Some days I have things to test and other days I decorate my office. Anyway, I need to vent about Sarah Palin. I read an article describing a rally where a bunch of "soccer moms" attended. They were making comments like "she is just like us" and "she has flaws and she's telling people about them, she's just another working mom". Well, it's all well and good that she admits to having flaws. But if she's Vice President of the United States her flaws aren't going to be the same as Sally Smith's. Sally's flaw is that she burns the cookies for the PTA bake sales every time she bakes them. Not like the flaw of... I'm VP and the prez. just died. What does a vice president do again? Also the naughty librarian look is not working. She looks like one of those women in videos like Hot For Teacher. It's like they blindfolded McCain and spun him around like pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. He pointed and Sarah Palin won the prize. They don't even agree on some issues that are important to voters like spending, stem cell research and drilling in ANWAR. She also has contridicted herself with her comments on climate change. She's not clear on her views. These elections are getting worse than kids in middle school starting rumors. It makes me sad that is comes to ads and media hype every election. I will vote anyway.

My mom's 60th birthday

2008-09-09T18:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. I had to post some pictures from my mom's surprise 60th birthday party. My sister, Pi, flew me down to Tampa for the long weekend. 2 aunts flew in as well. Add a cousin and you've got yourself a party! We had a great time and my mom had absolutely no idea that we were coming. My niece is awesome and I love her to death. I was worn out by the end of it. I made it home with only one problem on the flights. We had to turn around en route from Atlanta to Omaha b/c the de-icing mechanism was not working. New plane, back in the air, home late, but safe. It's all good. Enjoy!

Video upload

2008-08-04T17:13:00.001-07:00

I tried putting a video of Kiryn dancing at the reception on today but there was an error. I'm going to have Dan try and put it on his YouTube channel. You can then view this video if you go to YouTube and search by channel for thesithinferno. There are some other videos for your amusement as well. The Omaha Regional Jumpstyle champion video is rated R due to language. Thank you.

My cousin's wedding

2008-07-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Dan & I drove to WI for my cousin's wedding. It was a blast! I got to see my mom, sister and niece. We had a rockin' time at the reception. Here are some pics. I didn't get very good ones of the bride and groom but that's what the professional photographer is for. Enjoy!!

Yes, I'm a survey taker too!!

2008-07-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help it. I saw this on cousin Kitty's blog and sister Pi's blog so here it is:

20 years ago:
1. I was 9 years old in elementary school at Oak Street Elementary
2. I had a Def Leppard poster on my wall
3. All of my Barbies still had their hair
4. I had a boyfriend, Brian Griffin (if you consider a boyfriend some one you never talk to and never associate with)
5. I wore my long hair in a side ponytail

10 years ago:
1. I got my tongue pierced
2. I was living through my parent's divorce aftermath
3. I was doing a bunch of drugs and failing out of college
4. I lived in an awesome suite with 3 good friends
5. My love life was questionable and unsteady

5 years ago:
1. I moved to Omaha
2. I had no friends and family close by
3. I worked at a bank
4. My sister got engaged
5. I joined WW and lost a bunch of weight

3 years ago:
1. I quit the bank and got a lab job
2. I moved into a rental house with my fiance
3. I got to go home for sis Pi's wedding (maid of honor, thank you very much)
4. We had our 1st annual Mojito party
5. We started our initial wedding plans

1 year ago:
1. I got married in an art museum
2. My sister had a baby
3. I went to Vegas for my honeymoon and would kill to be back there
4. I got a new tattoo
5. The hubby got one too

This year:
1. I quit my job and got a new one at a production lab
2. I turned 29 and even when I'm 30 I'll still tell people I'm 29
3. I lost some more weight and am finally ok with who I am
4. I celebrated one year of wedded bliss
5. I went camping in a tent for the first time in 20 years(sleeping on the ground is over-rated!)

Yesterday:
1. I got a sunburn while drinking rum and diet Cokes
2. I did some laundry
3. I read some of a great book
4. I realized relaxing is ok
5. I ate ice cream and went to bed at 9pm

Today:
1. I worked on my tan while reading
2. I re-potted my indoor plants
3. I did some light grocery shopping
4. I realized I start a new job on Monday (AAAAAAHHHHH!!!)
5. I got in a fight with the husband(boo)

Tomorrow:
1. I will clean and do laundry(like every Saturday)
2. I will go shopping for business casual clothing for the new job
3. Maybe I'll lie out in the sun
4. I'll bake cookies (I made cookie dough last night)
5. I'll have a couple of drinks (hey, it's Saturday night)

Next year:
1. I will buy a house
2. We might try to get pregnant
3. I would like to visit the parents in NY
4. I'm going to turn 30
5. I'm going to cry about turning 30

A new chapter begins

2008-06-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

I put in my formal 2 week notice today at the old job!! I was really nervous. I mean, I know I have every right to quit a job but I always feel guilty about it. My last day will be July 8th. This will give me a little mini-vacation before I start the new job on July 14th. I'm really excited. I totally lied through my teeth to my supervisor about why I was leaving. I said it was b/c of a lack of opportunity to move up and gain more responsibility. This is true but the fact that I'm the hardest darn worker there and I get overlooked for praise and recognition by my supervisor is the real reason. I don't want to burn any bridges though b/c I will still have to be in contact with my old lab when I start the new job. The new job is where they make autosamplers for the instruments we use now. I don't want to have bad blood between myself and Larry, my supervisor, when I might have to work with him the future. Lies or not, it feels darn good to know I'll be out of there in 2 weeks!! It's going to be very hard to go there every day now. Oh well, I'm leaving and I've taken so much crap from them, what's a little more?

Our Cardinal

2008-06-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is our cardinal. He stops by the feeder every now and again. I think he's gorgeous and I love to sit and watch him. I think he knows I'm there b/c he only stays for a minute. I always thought cardinals were ground feeders but I guess I was wrong (which is a rare occurance, hee hee). Enjoy our Wild America right here in Omaha, NE.

Our friendly neighborhood Bull Snake

2008-06-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

I was walking by our window on Thursday afternoon and wondered why all of the birds were in the street. I thought something had died or some one had littered some food into the street. When I took a closer look it was this guy. Dan and I went out to get a closer look. We watched it wind its way down the street and then 2 neighborhood boys came who weren't afraid to pick it up. They carried it to safety. I couldn't believe a snake this big was just chillin' on the street in our front yard!! Enjoy.

The silver lining...

2008-06-04T17:50:00.000-07:00

So after the worst day of work... I got a job offer!! It is the production lab I had an interview with last Friday. They accepted my salary which is a little more than what I made this past year at my current job. I'm so excited I can barely sit still!!
I will be giving my 2 weeks next Tuesday. I will finish on the end of a pay period to make it easy for everyone. This will also give me some days off b/c I'll tell the new job I can start Monday June 30th. Dan and I just got back from Chili's to celebrate. They make really good Bacardi and Diet Cokes. I'm off to watch "So You Think You Can Dance" tryouts on Fox. Remember to wish The Pi Lady a very happy birthday today!! Hope you enjoy your gift from your sis!!

Over worked & under-appreciated

2008-06-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

Man, my day sucked! Instead of a "thank you" or a "good job" from my supervisor, I get more work. Yet my co-worker gets a pat on the back everytime she turns around! I really value politeness and I think a "thank you" goes a long way. I am the most efficient and productive person in my dept. and I get no thanks and more work. How do you figure that?
I almost walked out the door today. But I don't have a new job quite yet. I am negotiating salary right now. I am worried that it won't be what I make now. I might have to reconsider leaving my lab to go to this one. Boo. Oh well, some day a job will come (imagine Cinderella singing "Some day my prince will come"). Is it Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty? I get my Disney Princess movies mixed up even though I own both of them. Ok, off to eat ice cream.

2008-05-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

Hi. I'm Jane. I work in a science related field, hence the Jane's Science Spot name of my blog. I actually had an interview today for a production lab. I'm very hopeful that they will hire me and I can leave my lab job that I currently have. I feel that I am over-worked and under-appreciated at my current job as a lab analyst.
It's wierd that since I moved to Omaha from NY that lab jobs are hard to come by. I have a degree in environmental science but a lot of good that does me in the middle of the country with no mountains and no real lakes (they are all man-made out here). If I would have stayed in NY I could have worked for the DEC or EPA but out here it's a lot harder to find work.
I do like Omaha and my husband, Dan, is using his degree to the best of his abilities. He is a cake designer here in Omaha. He has a BA in studio art so he's pretty darn good at mixing colors and creating just what you want.
We live here with 2 cats, Sunny and Daphne. They rule our lives until we get a dog. We are thinking of getting a Bernese Mountain Dog and naming her Bella. This would stem from Dan's infatuation with Harry Potter. He thought that if we get a black dog it should be named Bella, after Bellatrix LeStrange from Harry Potter fame. I agreed that it would be a good name and there are puppies available right now but I think we would save more money if we waited.
See, we want to buy a house next year and getting a dog right now is not really budget friendly. I would love a dog since we are both more "dog" people than "cat" people. But you can have cats in apartments and not pay that much more on your deposit. A dog, on the other hand, is quite expensive. And it's a lot of work. Dan is working overnights right now b/c of the high demand for graduation cakes. He also has many wedding cakes to do at this time of year. If I get a new job that would mean a different schedule and that is no good for training a dog. Oh well, sometime soon.
Other than that, we enjoy what Omaha has to offer. Frisbee golf, hot, humid weather in the summer and lots of places to eat. We like living here b/c of our friends and family. Dog or no dog... we like it here.