I'm up doing homework. yay.  I'm reading The Republic and I'm not incredibly intrigued.  I'm ready to hurry up and move on to Descartes.

I posted 9 weeks ago, and so much has happened since.

I lost my job at Whole Foods.  Well... I didn't misplace it.... I slept in (by accident) and was late to a mandatory meeting, while on a final warning. Ouch.  We've managed to make it before, so I'm sure we can make it through this again.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for unemployment, but I'm not going to count on it.

So, this bonus round of stress has aggrivated the hell out of my psoriasis.  My shoulders are rivaling the alps in the winter. And since the psoriasis is worse, so is the psoriatic arthritis. I'm now considered hanicapped (but at least I get good parking at the school now.) AND, even better, now that the psoriatic arthritis is worse, the pesky fibromyalgia is fighting for the spotlight. I'm really excited about rock-solid tensed muscles, a personal blizzard, and a limp to put Dr. House to shame. GAH!

Anyhow, enough of the pity party for now.  I'm really kind of stoked to have the opportunity to buckle down and kick ass this quarter.  The circumstances suck, but I've got this on lockdown.  I have a steady 3.5 GPA and I fully intend to keep it that way (or even make it better).

Steve and I finally picked a location for our wedding.  It's been almost a year since he proposed, and I have been slacking!  I had a place picked out before, but it only fit 70 people, sardine style even, and my sister would be too young.  So, we're going with Fort Worden.  It's one point of the Triangle of Fire around the Puget Sound.  It's old, scenic, somewhat creepy, and perfect.  So, at least now, I have a wedding to keep my mind off things.  (Plus! Dad volunteered to help pay for everything! We thought it was going to be all on us.)  I also have to work out realistic goals for Steve and I to get healthy before our wedding.  I really dont want pictures, being passed through future generations, of me with a gnarly muffin top and Oprah wings.

Okay, now I'm just stalling.  I really should get back to my homework.  I just needed to vent a little, and now it's done.

I'm lacking in the friend's department on this site, so I always forget it even exists.  It's been a whopping 12 weeks since I signed in last.
 

A lot has happened in that short amount of time.
 

• I didn't work for almost the entire month of June.  (which makes it even weirder that I didn't sign on to LJ at all)
• I'm living in an Aircast.  I do cheat on occasion and take it off, but my doc wants it to stay till the swelling goes away.
• The aforementioned swelling is due to psoriatic arthritis. I knew it would come eventually, but damn, it couldn't wait till I was 70.
• Steve and I won $3 from the Washington State Lottery.  It's a real accomplishment, I guess.  He was pretty stoked.
• I took time to detox myself and properly cleanse my house.  I'm on the fast track to a rebirth of sorts.
• I turned 25.  And, I reminded Steve that he is still only 24.
• My car is almost done.  I haven't driven my precious Bandit in a year. I hope he'll be done soon though. I'm getting anxious.
• I went to dinner with my dad.  He has his own table at Royal Orchid.  I met the staff.  Their names are: Cake, Jeep, Alfredo, and Kitty. doubleyouteeeff.
• I finished/caught up on all of the episodes of Weeds, Dexter, Dead Like Me, America's Got Talent, Family Guy, American, Lost, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and South Park.  And watched/regretted many movies.
• I'm determined to watch every episode of True Blood I can get my paws on.
• And the biggest thing is... with my new medication, I cannot drink.  So,  once I finish off the beers in my fridge, I'm done with booze for awhile.  Maybe the spare tire will go away :)

And that's all I've got for the night, I guess.  I have books to read, laundry to do, and student loan forms to finish. And, I have to pee.

I'm sitting in Chemistry 100, listening to a lecture about Seattle Weather. Kinda useless for me since I grew up here. I know how rain shadows work and that we have more temperate climates because we're near the ocean. *yawn* heh.

Anyhow, I'm only a few weeks away form Summer break.  I really want to find a outdoor part time job.  I dont care if it's hanging door hangers for student painters or throwing phonebooks on doorsteps.  I really just want an opportunity that I can walk around and get paid for it.  I spent most of last summer indoors, sulking about losing my job.  I have to make up for it this year. 

Also, I want to BBQ more this summer.  I want to gorge myself of ribs, wings and grilled asparagus. 

Yep. Thats my plan.

I had some time off from work due to a foot injury.  Since I couldn't really get around without shooting pain, I spent a ton of time with our cats.  Since I'm always at work or school, I don't really get to spend much time with these big babies.  We slept on the couch, watched the neighbors deal drugs, waited for the ice cream man and enjoyed the sunshine. 

The boys seem to love spring summer and fall because of our screen door.  They get to have a little taste of the outside without the risk of getting hit by a car or catching FIV from the "hoodcats."  Since this is possibly the most adorable thing that they do, I love to catch tons of pictures of them.



Charlie prefers to only peek out the screen door... Mario is a little more timid.  He hides if a loud car goes by or really if anyone wanders by.  So,  he's found another way to look out at things...



And since I just uploaded close to 400 pictures into my photobucket.... here's a few more of these charming little rugrats.







(the Minnie Mouse blanket is from my childhood.  I don't know why I still have it but, the boys love it so, it's staying.  :)

Steve has the sweetest grandma.  She immigrated to Canada from Latvia and moved to Tacoma awhile ago.  Steve's dad, Arvids, is an only child.  From what I've seen, he adores his mom and does anything to make sure she is comfortable and happy.  She was shy, quirky, loving and intriguing. Grandma Breikss passed away last night. She was an amazing and inspiring woman.  I wish that I could have known her better but, I'm glad I was able to know her for the past 3 years.

Today is the last day of spring break.  I go back to classes tomorrow. boo. hoo.

I'm really just ready to get this transfer degree over with.  I'm ready to get my acupuncture on.  Soon enough I'll be poking all of you with tiny needles. hah!

Anyhow,  I'm kinda glad I didn't hole myself up in the house for the break.  I got a lot acomplished :)  I started the hard task of cleaning out my storage unit, I cleaned Steve's workshop, I learned quite a bit about natural bodycare... and I also slept in almost every day. I spent time with teh kittehs.  I cleaned out my forensics book collection (I've been paranoid that if anything ever happened to a family member, I'd be pegged as a suspect due to my books. I've seen it happen on CSI. Dont laugh at me.)

Anyhow, Steve and I had quite the adventure in Seattle.  We took the bus into the city to avoid parking prices.  I wanted to spend an entire day at the Market.  I'm used to seeing the Seattle skyline at least a couple times a week, if not daily.  Since I've started school, my trips into the city have been far and few.  Seattle is almost a calming drug for me.  I love it. 

We started out the morning with an espresso and a brie sandwich from Le Panier. Yum.  They have the best french breads.  I'll drive down there through rush hour traffic for their epis.

We continuted to snack our way through the market.  We gawked at the delicious cheeses and meats at Delaurentis.  We heard some guy asking the clerk at Tenzing Momo what he could use to kick his heroin addiction.  I saw an old clown that has been passing out balloon animals since I was little.  He still looks the same.  We ate cumquats and muscat grapes, sampled the pepper jellies and tried chocolate fettucine. nom.

We decided to walk over to our wedding location so I could show him what he's getting himself into.  The theater is gorgeous.  I'm really excited that we're getting married in a seriously fabulous part of old Seattle.  The catch is.... it's a lot smaller than we expected. ugh.  After talking it over, we're just going to cut down the guest list.  We didn't really want a massive celebration anyways.  Just a small, intimate wedding with family and a couple super-close friends and then a late night reception for our friends.  They're even going to make tasty cupcakes for us.  The place oozes a romantic but offbeat, retro ambiance, befitting a wedding for Steve and I.  It fits our idea of a Dia De Los Muertos theme and the staff is rad.  Tia gave us a grand tour of the theater, the loft and the grotto.

Afterwards, we walked the block to scout out parking and near-by hotels.  Then we chowed down at Mama's.  They have great food, low prices and an Elvis room.  Steve and I decided that it would also be the home of our rehearsal dinner.  We saw an Elvis in the corner and having a chat over an enchilada with the King.  :)

We trekked back to Westlake and ended up having a spur of the moment martini at Von's.  I had always planned to go in there but, never made it till now.  They boast that they have the best martini in town and it's only $3.50!!  We had a great martini and a large stack of onion rings.  It was well worth the $12.  We're going back soon.  They have 12 hour barbeque and so many kinds of gin that it made our heads spin.  I'm determined to fine a rare english gin and try it in a martini.

After a blurry eyed bus ride back into Renton, we hopped into Smokey and set out for a new teapot and a chocolate-peanut butter milkshake from Burger Express.

I couldn't have asked for a better day.

So, we had a paper to write in my anthro class about a trait/behavior that we take for granted. It had to be something that we do differently than some people and how it might catch on and become commonplace.  I chose Table Manners. More specifically, people who chew with their mouth open.  It's one of my pet peeves so, it was easy schmeazy.  I just figured I'd share the paper:

Growing up, the critiques and reminders were always there. “Keep your elbows off the table,” “Don’t eat so fast,” “Sit like a lady,” and most importantly, “Chew with your mouth closed!”   This was common banter from both my mother and grandmother. Even though I was raised in a laid back household, I was taught very strict manners. Needless to say, after growing up around all of this, I’ve come to realize that not everyone was raised in this manner. The more I was dining without the matriarchs of my family, the more this evident.

 

At first, I was befuddled by people who would discuss topics like religion, politics or sex at the dining table. It’s confusing to me that it has become so common to hear someone slurping that last bit of soda through a straw or clinking their silverware on their plates or using their fingers to help a piece of food onto a fork. Nowadays, I don’t take the manners so seriously and I find myself doing these things on occasion. However, there is the one coup de grace, one bad manner that will drive me up a wall.... people who chew with their mouth open. 

 

My sister is completely guilty. Even though we were both raised by the same set of parents and were fussed over by the same sets of grandparents, she will gladly show the world what she is eating. Born only six years after me, she was not raised with the same rigid manners. I’m not sure if she is even aware of it. I’ve asked her before to (please) chew with her mouth closed. I either get the response, “I am!” or “I can’t!” I’m positive that Miss Manners is rolling in her grave.

 

So, I decided that since she is unable to close her mouth while she is chewing, that there must be a valid reason. I took that assumption and ran with it. I started watching other students in the school cafeteria, my coworkers and random people in restaurants. In a casual dining situation, the chewing seemed to switch between courteous and rabid mastication. In a more formal setting, everyone is trying to impress everyone else so; they’re on their best behavior. In both the break room at work and the school cafeteria, it was a completely different story. 

Since efficiency is the key when you’re under a schedule, manners seemed to fly out the window in both scenarios. At work, most people were just trying to eat a decent meal in a half hour.  They’d take huge bites of their Panini sandwiches and have to leave their mouths ajar to accommodate the massive hunk of sandwich. At the school cafeteria, one student, in particular, was alternating between audible chewing and gasping for breath. Then it hit me. 

 

Not only is this open mouth chewing a socially negative trait to carry, it’s also a poor survival technique. These people must have to leave their mouth open so they can breathe and chew simultaneously.

 

So, in closing, I’m ecstatic that manners were so enforced when I was growing up. I’m just hoping that, just like in the Snickers Episode of Seinfeld, that common table manners become one trend that will catch on (again).

I'm hoping that my anthro teacher will get a kick out of it.  I kinda feel sorry for him having to read through some of these papers.  I know that some people are going to take a crack at being analytical, thoughtful and uber-serious. Listening to them talk in class was a riot. Apparently graduating high school makes you a great philosopher and scholar. (I hope I wasn't that much of a D-Bag when I graduated.) Pssh. Whatever. It's an end of the quarter extra credit assignment. They should be having fun with it.

Thanks for reading! :D

I'm bogged down with last minute extra credit assignments and I really want to blow it off and make cookies... anyone got some spare energy?

So, the quarter is almost over... that means I get one full week of freedom. Woot!  I get to sleep in, lay around in my underwear till I have to go to work and not stress about if the tone marks I put on "gao" means dog or tall in Chinese.  I'm still really happy about going back to school.  I've had some great teachers so far. 

My anthro teacher was a really different guy.  I couldn't get into his lectures at the beginning of the quarter without a cup of coffee and some gummy worms but, now he's got me.  He taught us to use stone tools, demonstrated an Atlatl and next week, we have a lecture about aliens.  I have a final project, in which I have to interview someone about a boring trait that they have.  He wants us to look at something that we don't really pay attention to but that they do differently. I'm thinking about interviewing guys on why they pee standing up or something.  There really is no reason for it but, for some reason, they do it anyways.  I'm taking his Cross Cultural Medicine class next quarter.




Here's a sideways picture of the day with the Atlatl.  My teacher is in the background with the giant darts, holding the camera.  (He was trying teach one of the other anthro teachers how to throw with the atlatl.)

Anyhow, I'm in class now so, I'd better stop.  I'm kinda bored and really could talk/write all day.

Cheers!

I woke up this morning to a fair amount of snow.  I was already running late for school so, this just made it worse. argh. Luckily, it didn't take long for me to get up here.  Apparently, it was only snowing in Renton.  There's nothing in Bellevue. 

The commute was easy but, I was cruising along in the left lane and this guy (he kinda looked like a homeless/redneck Hugh Laurie), pulls up next to me in a beat-to-hell brown truck.  He was red-faced screaming at me for some reason.  I have no clue why because, well.... both of our windows were rolled up.  Was he really expecting me to hear what he had to say? 

My only guess is that it was either because some snow fell off my car or I was going slow in the left lane.  I was going 45 mph because if I went any faster, I'd plow into the back of a semi.  I'm not too keen on destroying Smokey or decapitating myself for the sake of Dr. House's doppelganger's anger issues.  All I could really do was snicker at him and go back to singing along with the Beastie Boys.



But, it's all better now.  I made it to Chinese class then made a bee-line to the cafeteria for a coffee & a crack laced M&M cookie.

My mom invited Steve and I over for hot pot last weekend.  As a kid, I grew up with hot pot but, Steve was a hot pot virgin.  Hot pot is a Chinese traditional dinner that is cooked on the dinner table.  Basically, there's a buffet of raw items like thin sliced meat, shrimp, octopus, bok choy, enoki mushrooms, tofu, napa cabbage, daikon, taro, lotus root, niangao noodles, etc. 



You choose your food, go back to your table and cook it in a large pot of salty broth on a portable burner. You're given a small basket to dangle your food into the pot.



On to the...



Small meaty balls.  I have no clue what part of the animal they're made from and I really don't want to know because, they're pretty damn tasty.  Mom had furnished crab balls, pork balls, and beef balls (there was a 4th but I don't remember what flavor they were).  Of course, jokes were flowing as free as the vodka.  Nick's balls fell to the floor, Steve had his balls on the table, Mom stole balls, and Uncle John had Rick's balls in his mouth.  Classy, huh?

On that note, here's a couple other pictures from the night:



I think Siera ate five whole octopi that night.


Uncle John brought a steaming bowl of boiled chicken feet. (And, LADIES, he's single!!) ;)


And this is a traditional picture. I get an embarassing picture of my mom posing with food hanging out of her mouth.  Christmas, birthdays, New Years Eve, or at any other gathering, I usually get a picture similar to this. I'm not sure how this tradition started but, I might as well keep it going.

And, after all the MSG, salt and other bloat-enabling additives, I'm finally back to normal nearly a week later.  Note to everyone who tries hot pot: Stock up on water or you'll look like the Michelin Man for a week.

I forgot I even had a LiveJournal. heh.

Anyhow, why not just start (again) with a small rant....

People who do not understand what "Vintage" means, should not buy "Vintage" clothing on Ebay.  It never ends well.  Now I'm being shipped a return because the dress was made of Polyester and in her opinion looked "cheap".  Duh, it's polyester. Whatever.  It's a vintage sailor dress, that had never been worn with the *original* ILGU tags. She can have her $40 back and I'll gladly sell the dress to someone who will appriciate it.

</ rant>

Since I haven't really even posted here ever, here's the scoop:

I'm 24.  I live in a ghetto but, my house is small, cute and retro.  I'm getting married to my Dopface in February 2010. I have two cats that are the cutest things. Ever.  I'm going to school for a Masters in Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. Dopface and I collectively own three Volkswagens and one Nissan Sentra.  I drink gin & tonics or beer.  I listen to hip hop, drum & bass, metal and rock.  We spend our days off either watching karaoke at the local divebar or watching CSI, Lost or the History Channel.

That's about it. :)