quote from a friend...how true...

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES: NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING, BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.

weird weather

(get over the spelling errors in this post, can't get the spell check to work)

this photo is of the anoles we have in the area...this was taken in june 2007, but they are the cutest lizards and this one was hanging out in the tree right outside the middle room of our house...what a cutie...we have some others that hang out on the front porch and a differnt kind with blue on them too, much faster than the anoles, too but they don't seem to climb as much either.

it has been really nice for the last few days...we even had the windows open on wednesday to get some stinks blowed out of the house. the birds are ravionous!! i do not know when it will end...we spend more on the birds than the cats, I think. but it is worth it...they are really neat to see...we have a RWBB (red-winged black bird) boy out there now, i have seen a RWBB girl too, but not today.

the land lord tore down his two barns across the street...and a bunch of trees...sigh...he said that he is going to "landscape"...I think that means that he is going to lay sod. he is also going to build a more modern barn to put his boat and trailer into...i guess he is not going to have livestock again. as they were taking down the trees and the barns, everything over here was ratteling, a little disconcerting, but we survived. it was amazing to see them pull down the first barn, it took about a week to get all the pieces down and removed to flat land, the other one was done with a big yellow machine...with a clasper-shovel thing and took 1 day! sigh...i wonder if they are going to take down the barn over here? if they do, i am going to request that we get a small shed to put some of our gardening stuff and the wagon into. we shall see what happens...i am not sure if that will happen or not, but once they get the new barn built, then their stuff in this barn is likely to head over there...why not remove this barn too?

OK...i have heard back from 3 profs re: my exams...2 up-thumbs (81 and 85%) and one down-thumb (from the meanie who i think is still trying to prove something) and one who has not yet read it...my main advisor!?! i am planning to print off a copy for him on monday, if he hasn't read it yet! what a pain. i don't know what the next step is and i don't know what he will think of it, anyways...sigh...well, there it is...i haven't been telling anyone because i haven't heard from all 4, of course the 1st i heard from was the down-thumb...what a ego-bruser. sigh.

almost time to do out an re-fill the feeders for the birds, and go get more cat food too. smile. i just filled it yesterday evening.

birds

we must be the only ones around feeding the birds...we have a TON of goldfinches (picture of winter-boy) hanging out at the thistle feeders and they are also eating at the other feeder, they must be eating the millet. we counted 7+ at each of the thistle feeders plus some waiting for a space, man.

i filled the feeder yesterday and then again today...they eat alot.

goldfinches are cool because they can hang upside down and eat from the feeders...and they are pretty. we also have a pair of cardnals and some birds called a yellow rumped warbler...my bird book says they are also called "butter butts" because they have yellow rumps...what a fun name...and they are cute.

OK, guess i have to get back to data-entry (fun! not)

peace.

done

i'm done-i'm done-i'm dun-n (singing)

finally life can go back to some what of a normal pace...monday starts guts...i love being a fish-girl sometimes.

now i just need to hang out and be cool and wait for them to make the decisions...sigh...

all that matters at this point is that i am done for now.

the photo was taken in 2006 when f and i went to greece--athens...what fun and how cool to see something that people built SO long ago!

OMG!!

first, the photo is of Spot helping me study...there was progression, this is the culmination...what helpful cats we have!

tomorrow is the first day of COMPS! i feel like i want to throw up...i am light headed and can't stuff anymore into my head...it reminds me of the far side where the kid with the small head asks to be excused because his brain is full...i can't figure out what to do.

i have everything ready for tomorrow--the geology part...Dr. R accidentally sent me the copy of the questions along with a spread sheet that is necessary for the test...i saw one question (or part of one) then quickly shut it down and asked if he meant to send that too...it was a HUGE temptation to look at the questions and prepare ahead of time for the test...i was a good girl.

let us see where that gets me? i hope not to throw up today or anytime this week and not to cry in front of anyone either, because i could see that happening too. i have been having problems getting to sleep because i can't turn my brain off enough and then i can't wake up because i am so tired and then tomorrow i have a specific time that i need to be up and showered and ready and i just hope i can do it...waaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

keep breathing...i need to find that necklace the one that says "breathe" and wear it for the next few days...i think i know where it is...

i have also been working on a quilt of Mom Scraps...it is taking shape...f can't figure out how i can work on that when i have this HUGE test hanging over my head...i guess i have to tell her my brain is full and i need some Mom-time...i can't believe all the scraps she saved and also some of the colors/fabrics she was using...i think some of these fabrics are VERY old--like something that she got when she first started to sew or something...weird stuff, but i have been having fun...i have no idea how it will be quilted, but we shall see what it ends up like and how big...when do i stop? i guess i stop when i am done...i am having fun and i have squares from 3 other people in there and some squares that Mom did and some 1/2 finished squares too and i put together some pinwheels from some 1/2-square triangles that she had made, but didn't do anything with...we'll see.

gonna go and be stupid at National Geographic puzzle land--what fun!! enjoy the link...pick and choose--it can be overwhelming < href=>"http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/yourshot/jigsaw-puzzle.html">

cut and paste if nothing else...so there!

no rest for the stressed

i currently have this image on my desktop...it came from National Geographic...cool, huh?

my life as a fish girl has been a bit rocky as of late. i have been told that the first year is the hardest. went to see Golden Compass yesterday, Mom's birthday, and it was good. they played with the timeline from the story, but mostly what happened, happened. some major things were left out--like the ending--but i guess that means that we have to see the second movie, huh?

i am reading like i have never read before...i have read some serious "foundation" articles and a ton of info on estuaries and their functions. i have read about the history of cod, oysters and now striped bass and then Chilean Seabass (toothfish) (they are yummy, but overfished)(duh)(smile). good books and all but a TON of reading. i am taking my comprehensive exams soon (January 7-10)...this should be a time of stress, but i think i will probably be too pooped to be too stressed, but i am not sure...we shall see.

there is a big, bright yellow dandelion in the yard, and temps are in the 70's!! holy cow! the birds are still thinking that it will be snowing soon, and who knows, that may happen tomorrow...gotta go get more bird food soon, and feed the "chickens" (you know, anything that diverts you from what you NEED to be doing). speaking of chickens, i made the neman marcus cookies a few days ago, if you have the recipe, try it, they are great!

this was taken on-board the Schooner-Heritage in June of 2001. mom and i went on this cruse...7 days and 6 nights in Maine...what fun! i actually went swimming, like an idiot...water temps in the 50's!? gotta do it once, huh? this was a really cold morning...mom didn't even have coffee yet!

we had a good time getting there too...covered bridges and some cemeteries for grave rubbing...i brought back a fern from NH at a covered bridge, (probably illegally) that i planted in the front yard, it is probably gone now, with the new people and all...sigh. anyways, we had a good trip and i won't forget it...i also just recently found her copy of the map and notes about the trip! I haven't read it just yet, but it is nice to have her notes too. she was such a neat lady.