My sugar addiction...

Hi. My name is Jennifer and I am a serious sugar addict. Seriously. I was doing so stinking well and now I am back to square one. I crave it for no apparent reason other than I am addicted. I feel tired all of the time. I am not eating well. It is the damn sugars fault. I ate almost an entire box of Runts today. They are purely little beads of sugar with a waxy coating. Not only can the sugar not be good for me, but seriously...is the waxy covering very good? Doubtful. Tomorrow is a new day and I am going to break the addiction. I am admitting right now that I have a problem. That's the first step, right? It really does make me feel miserable. I don't even want to go running or to the gym or do anything except eat more sugar. Pig.

This weekend was pretty unremarkable. Saturday was spent working and then to a naughty party in Rochester. I bought nothing and got home very late. Sunday was a day in Ithaca, which was nice. The weather was just beautiful and Mags and I hit the park once I got home. She slept well. I slept well. All was good.

I think I forgot to mention the other day that I went for a massage. I needed it. I did not do a traditional Swedish massage, but something called a cranio-sacral massage instead. It is manipulation of the skull bones and spine. The touch is very light and it feels like nothing is really happening. Since I have had it done I am sleeping like a rock, which is something that I've not done in a really long time. My lower back pain is gone, too. She claims that it helps with PMS. If there is any good person to test that theory, I am thinking that would be me.

This week is semi-busy. I am meeting with administrators about our grants and the program for next year. Tomorrow is a big meeting - a school that does not want to comply with the grant regulations that we may need to pull funding from. It is not going to be a fun conversation, but life is full of choices and they may have made theirs. The crappy thing is that the kids lose out. Adults suck.

Wednesday night I am going to see Dirty Dancing in the theater in Syracuse. I didn't see it on the big screen the first time around, so this should be fun! Thursday night is orientation at the University of Rochester (which just got named as one of the top 25 new "Ivy" schools in the nation). I am hoping that I can maybe get in some more apartment shopping that night. I am still undecided as to whether I want to live in Rochester or not. I like the idea of being closer to school and Wellsville, but not so keen on the 45 minute drive daily. I am thinking that I will be ending up in Seneca Falls, which is a beautiful little historic town. I was hoping to give my notice to Kings and Queens this month, but it doesn't look like it is going to happen.

Okay, I am going to et my sugar addicted butt to the gym. I have to at least get some elliptical in. This is how it all starts. You skip one day...then two...then before you know it you haven't done anything in three months and it hurts all over again. For me it has been since Friday, so I absolutely am in the time frame that it could all go down hill from here. I don't want that to happen. I get to reward myself with "A Night at the Museum" (movie) tonight. That should be fun!

Oh what a beautiful day....

It is raining. It is cold. It is a beautiful day. Why? Because my income tax came. Glorious. Each year I "treat" myself to a little something (when I actually get a return). One year it was a watch. One year it was a palm pilot that I 1) never used and 2) hated. So what's it going to be this year? Well.... any guesses? Let's think about this. Over the last year I have:

Moved
Changed jobs
Left my friends
Rehomed a puppy
Got into grad school
Ran 200 miles
Lost fiftyish pounds (depending on the day)
Been in interesting "relationship" situations and just generally put up with a lot of male bullshit

So get to the point. What's it going to be? I know you are just dying to know. I believe it will be a new Coach bag!. YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!!!!!!!!! Don't worry. We have the outlet here. It won't leave that big of a dent. Besides it will be on sale and who can pass up a sale? Meow.

So, last night (as mentioned above) I surpassed my 200 mile mark for running. I was pretty proud. That's a lot of miles! The thing that is even more amazing is that I have stuck with it. I have been doing it on my own, which is hard. it was hard when I was running with Katie and Cristin, but I never really had that drive to do it on my own. I have learned a lot about myself in the last few months. I am stronger than I thought and that makes me proud.

Well, I would really like to add more, but the Coach Outlet is calling me.

Oh what a beautiful day....

It is raining. It is cold. It is a beautiful day. Why? Because my income tax came. Glorious. Each year I "treat" myself to a little something (when I actually get a return). One year it was a watch. One year it was a palm pilot that I 1) never used and 2) hated. So what's it going to be this year? Well.... any guesses? Let's think about this. Over the last year I have:

Moved
Changed jobs
Left my friends
Rehomed a puppy
Got into grad school
Ran 200 miles (and that was just the last two months!)
Lost fiftyish pounds (depending on the day)
Been in interesting "relationship" situations and just generally put up with a lot of male bullshit

So get to the point. What's it going to be? I know you are just dying to know. I believe it will be a new Coach bag!. YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!!!!!!!!! Don't worry. We have the outlet here. It won't leave that big of a dent. Besides it will be on sale and who can pass up a sale? Meow.

So, last night (as mentioned above) I surpassed my 200 mile mark for running. I was pretty proud. That's a lot of miles! The thing that is even more amazing is that I have stuck with it. I have been doing it on my own, which is hard. it was hard when I was running with Katie and Cristin, but I never really had that drive to do it on my own. I have learned a lot about myself in the last few months. I am stronger than I thought and that makes me proud.

Well, I would really like to add more, but the Coach Outlet is calling me.

Gosh! It's been so long!

Well, hello there. It's been a while. Over a week? Wow.

I guess there either hasn't been much happening or more than I handle. Not sure which one... Let's see. Where to start?

Work has been busy since we are approaching the end of the year. I am trying to get site visits in as well as set up meetings with all of the administrators. It has been a scheduling nightmare. Anyway, I think we are all set up and ready to go.

I went this past Saturday to meet with the doctor in Fairport that I was considering sharing a house with. It is pretty clear that he wants/needs the money, but he continues to ask questions about Maggie and the dirt that comes with her. It isn't like she slops around in mud puddles and then goes tearing through the house...well, okay she does if I let her. He asked if I take her to the groomers. She is a LAB. That is part of the beauty of having a lab. She doesn't have to go to the groomers. He also asked me about space and basically if I would give him his space. I said "What do you mean - space?" "Well, ya know sometimes I just like to come home and make dinner and veg in the den. Would you be okay with that?" Hmmm....let me think about that one. I haven't lived with anyone in ten years. I am incredibly independent. Yeah. I think you could have your space, which then lead me to the thought of do I really want to spend all of my time in my bedroom? If that was the case I may as well get a studio for way cheaper and call it a day. Anyway, he asked me to sign a YEAR lease. Can you imagine? Who in their right mind signs a lease for a year when they move into someone else's house? What if it is a nightmare. So I told him I was not comfortable signing a year lease and he offered to make a shorter one. Six months. Sorry. Six months is still too long if he is a weirdo. No go. I mentioned that if one of us actually found a significant other that maybe that person wouldn't be so okay with the arrangement. He didn't seem to get it. It is pretty much sounding like I am not living there, huh? Not to mention that his dog Mitchell (a boxer) drools constantly and sniffs at Maggie nonstop. At one point Mag got pissed and barked at Mitchell, which then lead to the question of whether Maggie is dangerous and would she attack Mitchell. I was thinking that she SHOULD attack him for not leaving her alone. I just got a weird feeling about the whole thing and it really pushed me over the edge with the year lease. I guess I keep looking.

Saturday night I had a great run down by Owasco Lake. I didn't know there were piers there and took advantage of being able to run on them. The sun was setting and except for the bug that I snorted through my schnoz it was a great night. A little Kenny Chesney and some steel drum action. Was good to go.

I need to make a decision about my house in Wellsville. I need the money. Point blank. I have gotten no scholarships from the U of R and got no federal financial aid. Great. I have some thoughts on it, though and am going come hell or high water.

Okay, I will try to keep up to date a little better. I just don't have a lot going on right now. I will try to stir up some drama over the next few days!

What a horribly tragic day.

As I was sitting at my desk this afternoon, Susan announced that there had been a shooting on the campus at Virginia Tech. At that point the death count was tragic, butfairly low...but then it climbed...and kept climbing. I am so saddened by the events at VT today and my heart goes out to all of the families, students, and community there. I don't understand the senselessness of this act. I, like the rest of the world, am interested in hearing motive, background, method. What brings a person to this point?

Reading about the shootings immediately took me back to my time at Penn State and the sniper shooting on the HUB lawn in 1996. It was the beginning of the fall semester and we were changing classes. The HUB lawn was a beautiful expanse of grass where students would lay and study before finals. There were festivals here along with carnivals and concerts. It was just a great place to hang out. That was shattered the day a sniper hid in the bushes with a rifle and a bottle of orange juice waiting for students to make their moves. She hadn't opened fire during the rush for 8:00 classes, but after that. One student was killed and several other were injured. Bullets were found in downtown buildings blocks away from campus for weeks after the shooting.

The feeling of having your life and your campus violated by an intruder is earth shaking. There is nothing like it. This place where you dream of going your life suddenly becomes dangerous. The reality that your utopia isn't utopia any more than anywhere else is heart breaking and crippling. The aftermath of that event on campus was painful. We grieved as a campus. We prayed as a campus. Proudly, my senior class gift was the Peace Garden on campus - a place with benches and white flowers and paths. Wouldn't it be a beautiful thing if that's all it took? A few flowers and benches for the world to be safe?

It's not okay that someone comes and takes the dreams and sense of well-being from an entire campus. It's not fair. It's not okay. What gives someone that power?

I know this world is not perfect. I know there will always be pain, but why does it have to be where young people are just beginning to bloom? Where they are learning who the are and how they want to be a part of the world?

The events at Virginia Tech put a heavy weight on my heart. Remembering Columbine...and countless others. Take a look at this timeline of shootings. Notice how many are in the United States. Where are we failing and how can we make it better?

Feb. 2, 1996 Moses Lake, Wash.	Two students and one teacher killed, one other wounded when 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis opened fire on his algebra class.
March 13, 1996 Dunblane, Scotland	16 children and one teacher killed at Dunblane Primary School by Thomas Hamilton, who then killed himself. 10 others wounded in attack.
Feb. 19, 1997 Bethel, Alaska	Principal and one student killed, two others wounded by Evan Ramsey, 16.
March 1997 Sanaa, Yemen	Eight people (six students and two others) at two schools killed by Mohammad Ahman al-Naziri.
Oct. 1, 1997 Pearl, Miss.	Two students killed and seven wounded by Luke Woodham, 16, who was also accused of killing his mother. He and his friends were said to be outcasts who worshiped Satan.
Dec. 1, 1997 West Paducah, Ky.	Three students killed, five wounded by Michael Carneal, 14, as they participated in a prayer circle at Heath High School.
Dec. 15, 1997 Stamps, Ark.	Two students wounded. Colt Todd, 14, was hiding in the woods when he shot the students as they stood in the parking lot.
March 24, 1998 Jonesboro, Ark.	Four students and one teacher killed, ten others wounded outside as Westside Middle School emptied during a false fire alarm. Mitchell Johnson, 13, and Andrew Golden, 11, shot at their classmates and teachers from the woods.
April 24, 1998 Edinboro, Pa.	One teacher, John Gillette, killed, two students wounded at a dance at James W. Parker Middle School. Andrew Wurst, 14, was charged.
May 19, 1998 Fayetteville, Tenn.	One student killed in the parking lot at Lincoln County High School three days before he was to graduate. The victim was dating the ex-girlfriend of his killer, 18-year-old honor student Jacob Davis.
May 21, 1998 Springfield, Ore.	Two students killed, 22 others wounded in the cafeteria at Thurston High School by 15-year-old Kip Kinkel. Kinkel had been arrested and released a day earlier for bringing a gun to school. His parents were later found dead at home.
June 15, 1998 Richmond, Va.	One teacher and one guidance counselor wounded by a 14-year-old boy in the school hallway.
April 20, 1999 Littleton, Colo.	14 students (including killers) and one teacher killed, 23 others wounded at Columbine High School in the nation's deadliest school shooting. Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, had plotted for a year to kill at least 500 and blow up their school. At the end of their hour-long rampage, they turned their guns on themselves.
April 28, 1999 Taber, Alberta, Canada	One student killed, one wounded at W. R. Myers High School in first fatal high school shooting in Canada in 20 years. The suspect, a 14-year-old boy, had dropped out of school after he was severely ostracized by his classmates.
May 20, 1999 Conyers, Ga.	Six students injured at Heritage High School by Thomas Solomon, 15, who was reportedly depressed after breaking up with his girlfriend.
Nov. 19, 1999 Deming, N.M.	Victor Cordova Jr., 12, shot and killed Araceli Tena, 13, in the lobby of Deming Middle School.
Dec. 6, 1999 Fort Gibson, Okla.	Four students wounded as Seth Trickey, 13, opened fire with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun at Fort Gibson Middle School.
Dec. 7, 1999 Veghel, Netherlands	One teacher and three students wounded by a 17-year-old student.
Feb. 29, 2000 Mount Morris Township, Mich.	Six-year-old Kayla Rolland shot dead at Buell Elementary School near Flint, Mich. The assailant was identified as a six-year-old boy with a .32-caliber handgun.
March 2000 Branneburg, Germany	One teacher killed by a 15-year-old student, who then shot himself. The shooter has been in a coma ever since.
March 10, 2000 Savannah, Ga.	Two students killed by Darrell Ingram, 19, while leaving a dance sponsored by Beach High School.
May 26, 2000 Lake Worth, Fla.	One teacher, Barry Grunow, shot and killed at Lake Worth Middle School by Nate Brazill, 13, with .25-caliber semiautomatic pistol on the last day of classes.
Sept. 26, 2000 New Orleans, La.	Two students wounded with the same gun during a fight at Woodson Middle School.
Jan. 17, 2001 Baltimore, Md.	One student shot and killed in front of Lake Clifton Eastern High School.
Jan. 18, 2001 Jan, Sweden	One student killed by two boys, ages 17 and 19.
March 5, 2001 Santee, Calif.	Two killed and 13 wounded by Charles Andrew Williams, 15, firing from a bathroom at Santana High School.
March 7, 2001 Williamsport, Pa.	Elizabeth Catherine Bush, 14, wounded student Kimberly Marchese in the cafeteria of Bishop Neumann High School; she was depressed and frequently teased.
March 22, 2001 Granite Hills, Calif.	One teacher and three students wounded by Jason Hoffman, 18, at Granite Hills High School. A policeman shot and wounded Hoffman.
March 30, 2001 Gary, Ind.	One student killed by Donald R. Burt, Jr., a 17-year-old student who had been expelled from Lew Wallace High School.
Nov. 12, 2001 Caro, Mich.	Chris Buschbacher, 17, took two hostages at the Caro Learning Center before killing himself.
Jan. 15, 2002 New York, N.Y.	A teenager wounded two students at Martin Luther King Jr. High School.
Feb. 19, 2002 Freising, Germany	Two killed in Eching by a man at the factory from which he had been fired; he then traveled to Freising and killed the headmaster of the technical school from which he had been expelled. He also wounded another teacher before killing himself.
April 26, 2002 Erfurt, Germany	13 teachers, two students, and one policeman killed, ten wounded by Robert Steinhaeuser, 19, at the Johann Gutenberg secondary school. Steinhaeuser then killed himself.
April 29, 2002 Vlasenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina	One teacher killed, one wounded by Dragoslav Petkovic, 17, who then killed himself.
April 14, 2003 New Orleans, La.	One 15-year-old killed, and three students wounded at John McDonogh High School by gunfire from four teenagers (none were students at the school). The motive was gang-related.
April 24, 2003 Red Lion, Pa.	James Sheets, 14, killed principal Eugene Segro of Red Lion Area Junior High School before killing himself.
Sept. 24, 2003 Cold Spring, Minn.	Two students are killed at Rocori High School by John Jason McLaughlin, 15.
Sept. 28, 2004 Carmen de Patagones, Argentina	Three students killed and 6 wounded by a 15-year-old Argentininan student in a town 620 miles south of Buenos Aires.
March 21, 2005 Red Lake, Minn.	Jeff Weise, 16, killed grandfather and companion, then arrived at school where he killed a teacher, a security guard, 5 students, and finally himself, leaving a total of 10 dead.
Nov. 8, 2005 Jacksboro, Tenn.	One 15-year-old shot and killed an assistant principal at Campbell County High School and seriously wounded two other administrators.
Aug. 24, 2006 Essex, Vt.	Christopher Williams, 27, looking for his ex-girlfriend at Essex Elementary School, shot two teachers, killing one and wounding another. Before going to the school, he had killed the ex-girlfriend's mother.
Sept. 13, 2006 Montreal, Canada	Kimveer Gill, 25, opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon at Dawson College. Anastasia De Sousa, 18, died and more than a dozen students and faculty were wounded before Gill killed himself.
Sept. 26, 2006 Bailey, Colo.	Adult male held six students hostage at Platte Canyon High School and then shot and killed Emily Keyes, 16, and himself.
Sept. 29, 2006 Cazenovia, Wis.	A 15-year-old student shot and killed Weston School principal John Klang.
Oct. 3, 2006 Nickel Mines, Pa.	32-year-old Carl Charles Roberts IV entered the one-room West Nickel Mines Amish School and shot 10 schoolgirls, ranging in age from 6 to 13 years old, and then himself. Five of the girls and Roberts died.
Jan. 3, 2007 Tacoma, Wash.	Douglas Chanthabouly, 18, shot fellow student Samnang Kok, 17, in the hallway of Henry Foss High School.

May all of the young people, faculty, and staff impacted by these acts of violence lay forever in peace and serenity.

In remembrance of Melanie Spalla who became a Nittany Lion angel in September, 1996. God speed.

Cale kicks ass.

What a weekend. It felt like there never was one. I feel like my feet have not stopped moving since the Wednesday I went to mom's to go to Chicago. Things have been busy ever since. Maybe next weekend things will be a bit slower.

Yesterday morning I had to go to Wellsville to met the realtor at my house to go through to list it. The tenants stuck around so I met both of them. I was so incredibly nervous to go, which is weird because it's my house. Anyway, he is as big of a dick in person as he is on the phone and on email. I am not sure what is going to happen - whether I will list it or keep it. Time will tell, I guess.

After Wellsville I headed to Canton for Cale's party. For those who don't know, Cale is my 17-year old cousin who is a senior this year. Not only is he just a cool kid, he is a KICK ASS drummer. I have not seen him play in a while, but he ripped it up last night. He is so much fun to watch and I am glad that I went. We had a ball. His band played for three hours then Cale dj'ed. Good times. Maggie was indoctrinated into the family during "Friends in Low Places." She was part of the kick line and got her leg going. She also was in the middle of the Chicken Polka and Brown Eyed Girl. She was a little confused, but the payoff was good. She is tuckered today.

This week will be busy. I have late nights Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully I will get to check out a couple of apartments in Rochester this week. I need to find something relatively soon so that I can give my 30 day notice at Kings and Queens. I am anxious to move to Rochester. I look forward to it happening.

Okay. That's it. I'm headed to my freshly-changed-sheets bed. Night!

I'm going to Disney World!

Not kidding. I really am. With my sister and mom. This is all my crazy sister's idea, but I will go along with it! The reservations are made, the food has been chosen. All that's left is plane reservations. How cool is that? My sister is incredibly generous...always has been...but this time I am thinking maybe she has gone over the deep end? I really look forward to have time with mom and Michelle. It's been a long time and we never really took much of a family vacation. We did day trips to Hershey Park and maybe some others, but I don't really remember?

So I kicked ass at the gym tonight. Are you ready for this? Seven friggin' miles. RUNNING. I ran seven miles. I hauled this but seven miles...Wellsville to Scio...that's amazing to me. The time wasn't fast, but that's not the point really. The point was that I pushed myself and didn't quit. That is remarkable since 1.3 minutes in I was checking how far I had gone. The original plan was five miles, but I was going too fast and it hurt so I dialed it down a few notches and whaddya know? I ended up going two miles further than planned. Heall yeah!

Not looking forward to tomorrow. I am going back to my house in Wellsville to meet the realtor to list it. The tenants have not been cooperative in terms of returning phone calls or emails - mine or the realtors. Wednesday morning I sent emails and called both of their phones to leave messages that I would be there Saturday morning with the realtor. I hope all goes well, but need to be ready in case it doesn't. Cross your fingers for me.

Okay, I need to grab some grub (I am starving and freezing) and get some laundry in process. I put a rip in the ass of my jeans the other day at Dick's when I squatted down to pick something up and caught my ass on one of those stupid hooks that hangars go on. Why on earth was it that low? Anyway, I only have one pair of jeans now. Dammit.

Chicago (Part 2) Disclaimer

I have tried several times to get the captions to make with the pictures. I can't. I think you are all smart enough to figure out which caption goes with which picture....at least I hope you are!

Chicago (Part 2)

These are going to be all messed up, but I was getting frustrated trying to upload and get them in the right place, so we will be working backwards a slight bit. They also are not in chronological order.

This is part of "the gang" sitting outside Navy Peir after a long weekend waiting for the trolley to go back to the hotel. This was the last day in Chicago. :(

















Michelle, Andrew, and me. What a bunch! We were pretty darn tired at this point!











Mom and I. Somehow we managed to not kill each other on the trip. I did have one snap at her in the elevator when she fussed with my hair. I was tired and cranky and that's not the time to just take the liberty to try to fix my hair...especially after the blow dryer wouldn't work!











Gotta love the bunny ears! We had a great time walking through the Stained Glass Museum at the Pier.



















Did I mention that we were exhausted? Well, we were.














This guy is a contortionist. No kidding. He fit his entire body in that box he is standing on and shut the lid. I said to Grace Anne "What do you think of his outfit?" Her response "I don't think so." 'Nuff said.


You can check him out for yourself at www.chicagocontortionist.com










Mom and Grace (with Bompa in the background) at Easter Vigil. This is the night that a baby cried in church and Grace declared "Oh! There's little baby Jesus!"












Andrew and I content on singing the responsorial psalms. I also counted how many times "chariot" and "charioteer" were said. I forgot what it was now. I think I do that every year and never remember how many times it's said.







Here he is actually receiving his first communion! The priest announced that it was his first and invited Andrew and his family to receive communion before the rest of the church. Andrew was pretty proud, I think.














.


Andrew was part of taking the gifts to the altar. He was nervous about dropping the bread and was reassured that would not happen. Well, as he was standing there a woman turned right around and walked right into him. He didn't drop the plate, but you could see the quick look of panic across his face.






Does this picture need an explanation? I don't think I slept much in the car on the way home, either.












This is back at the Museum of Science and Industry. Grace is working on getting her heart rate up, which was difficult since her legs were too short to pedal.














Grace and Bompa playing in the shadow box at the museum. This was quite fun. Bompa doesn't need a wheelchair, but he sure had a great time watching people move to make way for him.









I love this picture. They are clowns in real life, too!











This is Andrew aka "Bones". He is so skinny. Look at the length of those legs! I am so proud of him! I think this officially concludes my Chicago report. Check back later for a (possible) blog this evening or tomorrow!

Chicago (Part 1)

(Please note: I was planning to post pictures on the blog from our trip, but my sister has them locked or something so I can't post them. Once I finish arm wrestling her to let me save them to my desktop maybe then I can put them in the blog.... She is a party pooper. Anyway, I have a few that mom took, but really they are subpar compared to the ones Michelle take.)


Well...I made it. I am currently sitting on my futon in Auburn at 8:16 pm Tuesday night. The plan was to make it back for work this morning, which just did not happen. I ended up sleeping very late and then driving home around 5:00. It took a little over three hours to make it from mom's to my apartment. Just to verify that I am actually home and in my own space, Scout just laid a vomit out on the floor for me. Yep. I am home.

So, let's do a rundown.

I left Auburn Wednesday afternoon to head to mom's. I am still not sure of the town, so we will just say she lives south of Wilkes-Barre. I met her on 81 and we headed to the house. Thursday morning, up we got. We showered, packed the car and headed to Nanny and Bompa's. We left Canton around 3:15 or so.

All was happy happy joy joy at this point. Nan and Bomp in the front, mom and I in the back. Mom and I start playing a "guess the animal in ten questions" game, which lasted for about six or seven rounds and then grew old. We made it to Youngstown Ohio in a little over four hours. Dinner at Bob Evans and then to bed (can't remember which hotel). It was at this point that I started learning far more about my grandparents than I ever wanted to know. (All four of us shared hotel rooms the entire trip) My grandfather is not at all modest about stripping down to his tightie whities and climbing in to bed. Can you imagine? Who the hell wants to see that?!?!

Up early Friday morning, with a weak breakfast at the hotel. This time we have a fairly long haul across Ohio and Idiana (about six and a half hours). People in Ohio are strange. They look fairly inbred and act that way, too. At the Bob Evans we were somewhat of a freak show with the locals looking at us like we were in a cage. I was waiting for them to throw kibbles at us. What do you expect from Buckeyes? We also picked up our beautiful teeth in Ohio at the "last rest stop in Ohio" according to the sign. There was a bit of irony in this since it was the only rest stop on the highway in Ohio.

Indiana also is not my favorite place ever. They do have these interesting gadgets on the side of the road that blink when an animal breaks the ray so you know there is something in the road. That was kind of cool, but other than that? Not so much. What can you expect from Hoosiers?

So, finally we make it to Chicago! YES! Mom is driving at this point, so we are tooling around a little quicker. This is when panic and anxiety ensues in the car. Nanny is nervous about the "traffic" which was no different than traffic anywhere else when there is construction. We are moving at 30 miles at best and she is on the phone with my aunt telling her that cars are swerving in and out and cutting us off. I am wondering if we are in the same car at this point. We also started to get the quick suck in of air. You know the one... it's when the backseat driver thinks the driver is going to hit someone? Yeah. It was that one. Anyway, we make it to the hotel in dowtown Chicago without any kind of major catastrophe.

Pull up at the hotel and they want to valet park the car. My grandfather is having no part of this so it had to be parked in a parking garage about a block and a half away (he wanted to have his keys in his possession at all times). I make six trips up to the room to haul all of the luggage up while mom and Bompa are parking the car.

Shortly after we arrived Michelle and afmily appeared at the hotel! Yeah!! Mom and Nanny both made Grace dresses and she needed to model them immediately. This is the one Nanny made (please note the pink striped socks):

So after the mini fashion show, it is dinner time. We head downstairs to the restaurant in the hotel. Mistake. I won't go into detail, but they treated us like we didn't belong there. It sucked. I emailed and complained. They called and I need to call them back. It's on my "to-do" list for tomorrow.

Saturday morning. It's time to head to the Museum of Science and Industry! SO COOL. Initially the plan was to go to the Field Museum, but I had been there last visit and wasn't so sure it was the best choice given the group we had. I basically said "Can we please go to the Museum of Science and Industry?" and we did. This place was awesome and what a time we had! There are exhibits of everything from hatching chicks to trains to the inside of an airplane to all about the body and how the brain works. Most of it was interactive, so that was a big plus!


The first ting we hit was how the brain works and the walk through heart! Can you imagine? I totally dug the heart. It freaked Grace out a little so we didn't spend much time in it, but I was pretty fascinated. There were also things about how blood pressure works and the risks of having a stroke or heart attack. Good news. My chances are low! Yippee.

We spent a fair bit of time looking around that part and then checking out the airplanes. That's not my bag, baby. Not so exciting to me.










There was a section that had funny mirrors and a carnival-like atmosphere. There were lions and elephants in train cars (fake ones, of course) and we found these clowns along the way. They were pretty darn funny, let me tell you. Mom and the kids and I stayed out and hit all of the "I Spy" windows while the rest went ahead to look at the Space Shuttle exhibit. No worries. We eventually became astronauts, too. I think that will have to be posted tomorrow 'cause I am just getting tired tired tired. Promise that tomorrow will bring chapter 2 (and maybe I will be able to post some better pictures....HINT).

Good night!

So....we made it....

Here we are sitting in downtown Chicago in the Hampton Inn on West Illinois Avenue at 5:25 a.m. We can't seem to move away from the "Okay, but what time is it really on our time?" Well, that is okay except that for now we are in Chicago, so we need to run by their time. Anyway...

THe trip out was interesting. Sixteen hours in a car over the last two days was exhausting. I admit that I got a little short a couple of times, but I held my tongue and I think I did okay? It was helpful to get in a run and get rid of some of the energy that had built up. I tried to run the night before last, but there was no treadmill at the hotel and it certainly wasn't a place that I would go outside and run in. It was Ohio, after all.

When we got to Chicago, Michelle had prepared us a welcome box complete with mugs, Peeps, and some other candy and things. It was very nice and I have had a Peep already this morning. Yum. After we got settled in Michelle, Steve, Andrew and Grace came and met us at the hotel. Initially we were going to go to a pizza place, but due to the wait we went to the restaurant downstairs in the hotel. They were jerks. Really big jerks. I emailed and complained on their website. We basically had appetizers and left - although that was enough food for me.

Today we are headed to the Museum of Science and Industry. We did not make it there last visit, so I am excited to go. (See www.msichicago.org ) There are several exhibits that I am stoked to see... I will be sure to report on them soon!

I think that is about it for now. I need to go hop in the shower to get ready to get moving. Tonight is mass and Andrew's first communion. Yeah!

Monday musings...a day late!

I am getting frustrated with running 5K. I can't seem to break that 30 minute mark and that irritates me. I am apparently slower inside than I am outside and assume that is because I am running flat rather than catching some breaks on hills. Anyway, I did 5K in 31'01" last night and felt like I was busting my ass the entire run. I would have been happy to have even hit just 30', but noooooooo... It can't seem to happen. Whatever. I finished up with 15 minutes on the recumbent bike and called it a day. My Mizunos continue to feel better and better each day. No lie. I am still in love. Sure. They are ugly, but it's what's inside that matters.

Yesterday was interesting. I contacted the realtor to list the house, since I am tired of not having phone calls returned, etc. I also don't care to go back to that place with Mary. I am happy where I am and I don't need to talk about stupid Owasco boy anymore. So, anyway I called. I emailed my tenant to tell him that she would be calling and thanked him in advance for his cooperation. In true form he did not reply to me. I hate that little weasel snort. I can't wait to not have to have any thoughts, interactions, energy, ill-will, or any other thing associated with them. And, I want them out of my house.

The good news is that I was assigned my advisor for grad school. I am excited since is who I hoped that I would get. She has a strong background in adolescent development and it doesn't hurt that she worked at Penn State. She has also been a teen rehab and teen pregnancy counselor. I am anxious to meet and work with her. I have a feeling we will come to know each other quite well. Have I mentioned lately that I can't believe that I am going back to school? It is still weird to me, but pretty much everything at this point is revolving around getting ready for school. Finding new housing, thinking about filling out financial aid forms, trying to figure out when I can take time off...

Maggie the crack pot went swimming in the lake yesterday. She has got to be nuts. I took her there just to run on grass since she has been running on asphalt all summer. Her legs have got to be sore from the hardness and I am sure the grass felt nice. It was a beautiful day, but not exactly warm. The sun was shining, but there is no way that the lake has even thought about warming up. I do love to see her swim. The water was good fer her since she hasn't had a bath or been in water since what...maybe October? She snored last night so it must have been a good workout.

Okay, back to work to try to get things at a good point to leave for Chicago. Looks like it is going to be coooold. Yuck.

The weekend wrap-up...

So, I am sure you are waiting to hear how the visit with the potential roommate went. Well, I am not lying when I say that I have no idea how it went. I was thankful that I took two friends with me - not because he was a weirdo or because I felt threatened, but because it took some of the pressure off of me. On the other hand it put A LOT of pressure on him. Given the fact that he was overwhelmed by three hot (if I do say so myself) women, he held his own, but was invisibly nervous. How could he not be?

Okay, so anyway... We were late getting to his house because we had stopped at the Eastview Mall and got a little sidetracked at Maggie Moo's ice cream.

http://www.maggiemoos.com/home/index.cfm

If you have never had Maggie Moo's it is like Cold Stone. And who doesn't like the name "Maggie Moo"? They had a flavor called Better Batter that tasted like Buttercream frosting and was sinfully deeelish. I enjoyed that flavor with coconut folded in. Lordy.

We finished our ice cream and headed to the house. The neighborhood is very nice and residential - the kind of place that looks like it should have Playskool toys in all of the front yards. It seemed very quiet and quaint, which was nice. Pulled into the driveway and immediately sawy Mitchell the Boxer standing in the front door. He was fairly large, but he has nothing on Maggie. I rang the bell and Mitchell went bonkers. Potential roomie came to the door, we did intros and Mitchell foamed at the mouth. At that point in time drool in falling from his mouth, which of course was the perfect time to start snorting and shaking his head making spit fly all over. Yum. We took the dogs out back to the fenced yard off the deck. Bonus.

The tour of the house was interesting. Susan's analysis was that he was a divorced guy trying to get his life back together. Judging by the teal green leather couches, I would guess that he does need some help. Jesus and God were everywhere. I swear there was a billboard sized picture of Jesus on one wall and crosses in each window. Under his t-shirt he was wearing a clerical collar. I don't necessarily have a huge problem with it, but it definitely took me off guard. Like a lot. I started to panic that maybe my mouth was too trashy and my sense of humor too sassy. I don't know. Over all the house is very nice and the two rooms that I would have are good sized and clean. Both have nice big closets (another big bonus) and plenty of room. After the tour we headed back out on the deck and hung with the dogs. Maggie chewed sticks and Mitchell layed in the sunshine...until I threw a stick at which point both dogs took off through the very wet yard and left large divets in the mud. Oooops! He wasn't watching and Amy and I blamed it on Mitchell. Given the mud all over Mitchell, that could very well have been the truth.

Some concerns about Maggie's shedding and mud tracking came up and he asked about keeping her confined to one area of the house. That raised some reed flags for me, since we know that I get very defensive about Mags. I am not moving in with someone so that she can have her freedom taken away. I recommended that he consider doing some research about labs on the web and think about whether he can live with one or not. We agreed that we would talk in a couple of days. We will see.

After the visit we headed back to the Eastview to to have dinner at PF Chang's. The wait was an hour to an hour and a half so we did not stick around. The good news is that I bought a SIZE 12 DRESS!!! HOLY COW! That was definitely the highlight of the weekend.

I am tired and have a long week ahead of me - again. Three days of work and then we head to Chicago for Easter and Andrew's first communion. I have no idea where Maggie is going to stay and have had no luck finding boarding for her while I am gone. Little problem.

I am going to settle in with Borat and see if I can get through it. Who knows?

PS - Potential roommate was far more attractive in his picture online. There was no attraction on my part. None. Whatsoever. Any man who paints his bathroom calf crap yellow is not sexy.