Same survey...all grown up!

1. What bill do you hate paying the most? the electricity bill...especially now that it is summer
2. Favorite place to eat a romantic dinner? somewhere with lots of ambiance, candles, and chocolate
3. Last time you puked from drinking? about 2 yrs ago. it was the first, last, and only time i've ever lost it.
4. What do you really want to be doing right now? not be hungover
5.How many colleges did you attend before you settled on the one you graduated from? 2, went to UT for 2 1/2 yrs (hated it), went to NWV (for summer school) and in one year I will be a proud graduate of Texas State
6. Why did you wear the shirt that you have on right now? i slept in my white tank top, i'm hungover and its 3:45pm and i still don't feel like getting dressed
7. Gas prices! First thought? if you don't like it a) ride a bike b) vote c) buy a hybrid
10. If you could go anywhere and take someone with you where would you go and who would you take? i'd hike across europe with arthur
11. First thought when the alarm went off this morning? handed the alarm to arthur...told him to get up...and went back to sleep
12. Last thought before falling asleep last night? there is no way i'm gonna make it up in the morning when the alarm goes off
13. Favorite style of underwear? hipster
14. Favorite style of underwear for the opposite sex? boxer briefs...and he finally discovered them! yay!
15. What Errand/Chore do you despise? grocery shopping
16. Your Favorite Cartoon Charater? johnny bravo
17. favorite non-sexual thing to do with a guy/girl at night? crawl out arthur's window, lay on the roof, look at the stars
18. A secret that you wouldnt mind everyone knowing? i dont lock my truck all the time.
19. What was your First Car? 84 buick lesabre
20. Do you think Marriage is an outdated ritual that was invented by people who died at 20? i wouldnt go that far. but sometimes i think it isn't taken seriously enough until it's too late.
21. Favorite Guilty Pleasure? blue skittles
22. What's your drink? summer: mojito, fall: crown & coke , winter: amaretto on the rocks, spring: whisky sour
23. What Hollyood Star do you think resembles you best? i've been told Doris Day...but shes like...dead. so what's that all about?
24. What do you want when you are sick? someone to take care of me
25. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now? who knows...i've had it with the radio. i make my own roadtrip CD's and leave the radio to the masses
26. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back? wow...where do i start? i've made a lot of mistakes but they were all something i learned from and i think i had them to thank for the amazing relationship i have now.
27. Last book you read for real? annonmous tip- michael ferris
28. Do you have a teddy bear? yeah...whats it to ya?
29. How many times a day do you text? who knows...all i know is that arthur had a little "talk" with me about our last cellphone bill. ouch.
30. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or relationship? career...duh! my relationship rocks!

Arthur's new job

This week Arthur began his first "real-world" job for Gore Design
Official Title: Mechanical/Structural Engineer
Unofficial Title: "Pimp My Plane" Engineer

Hes got "skills"

Here is a short excerpt from my little brother's blog. It made me laugh because it is so typical of the type of interactions between him and my dad:

"...on a lighter note, my dad talked to me about the collapse of civilization today. he thinks its gonna happen sooner or later, and that i will survive because i got "skills".....to tell the truth, i'm not real sure what these vaguely hinted at "skills" are, but i can only hope it means i have some latent genetic trait that lets me do cool stuff. like fly. or run real fast. or cook. yeah....that'd be a good one. but anyways, he says that despite the fact that i SUCK at high school, in 60 years when i am an old decrepit geezer, i will survive a world economy collapse."

P.S.
when i spell checked this entry blogger's own spellcheck did not recognize the word "blog". does anyone else find this strange?

I want to be loved like that

Since 3am this morning, my dad has been with my mom at the hospital . As her surgery began at 7:30am I pulled into the hospital garage. It was hard being back in the very same hospital that Arthur's mom was in for over 4mths. It brought back painful memories and that empty feeling left by her death. At 7:45am on my way to the surgical waiting room I ran into my dad as he was on his way to the hospital food court. I waited while he ordered coffee and a breakfast taco. We went back to the waiting room. As we waited we chatted, and my normally talkative dad was fidgety and distracted. Worried.

Her surgery, although routine, was complicated by the possibility of her having a rare genetic disease known as Malignant Hypothermia. A different type of anesthetic was required and her post-op vital were very closely monitored. Her brother suffered from what is known as a Malignant Hypothermia Crisis (MHC) and now has extensive brain damage. If my mom has it, there is a good chance that my brother and I will as well. After she recovers a muscle biopsy will be performed to determine for sure.

At 9:30am the surgeon came out to tell us that she was fine and there were no problems with the alternative anesthesia. We could see her after she was out of recovery. 2 1/2 hrs later she was given a room on the 5th floor and I got my first post-op glimpse of my mom. She was pale and sleeping.

As soon as my dad saw her he took her hand and kissed it, even through she was too asleep to realize it. He pulled his chair up next to her bed as close as it would get, one hand holding hers, the other gently massaging her shoulder. He spoon fed ice to quench her thirst whenever she was awake enough to ask for it. The rest of the time he just sat next to her.

Tonight, as my mom sleeps peacefully in her hospital bed, my dad will be by her side. He will doze in an uncomfortable hospital chair until early in the morning when the surgeon releases her from the hospital.

what does it all mean?

Last night I had a dream that Arthur's brother, William, went crazy. He was chasing everything around the house and killing it, including the pets. He cornered Arthur and my brother, Mason, in a room, I left for 5 seconds to grab the phone to call 911 and when I returned he had stabbed both of them in the chest. I started screaming hysterically. When I looked down from the second story window I was in, he had Blitz.

Then Paul called and I woke up.

Arthur is considering moving in with his brother next month. Perhaps there are some things he should know.

i have found my calling

I love my major and my future profession. Speech-Language Pathology is a lot of work but I really think it is a perfect fit for me. I love interacting with people, I love language (written and spoken), I love the fact that I will be an expert in something...because lets face it...i am a little bit bossy...this profession will give me a good excuse to be bossy all the time. However, at times I have wondered if I was missing another, more rewarding calling.

At 4 I got my first dog, Barkley, a beautiful golden retriever and began dreaming of someday being a vet. We were inseparable until he passed away in a house fire when I was 10. 6 mths later, I got my second dog Banjo, another golden. At the same time I was working for various animal shelters around town as well as volunteering at a local horse barn, in exchange they would allow me to ride the horses every so often. At 12 my mom finally began paying for riding lessons...but my passion wasn't rodeos or barrel racing...I just loved being around the animals.

At 13 I started highschool and joined my local FFA chapter. Mostly because it just gave me another opportunity to be closer to animals. I raised rabbits all 4 years I was in highschool and made sure that after the stock show and auction my animals were bought as pets...and not slaughtered (as most were). My senior year in highschool, I was part of an independent study mentorship program in which I studied animal behavior by working and studying horses and their social interactions, 10 hrs a week for 6 months. It was one of the most rewarding educational experiences I have ever been a part of.

As I applied for colleges my senior year in highschool I tried to decide, at 18, what I wanted to do with my life. I choose the University of Texas only because I couldn't decide, and they offered me a sizeable journalism scholarship. My dream of being a vet was trumped by the need for money for college. I had only been in Austin for 2 months when my family called to tell me my Banjo had passed away. I was devastated and no one seemed to understand. I began volunteering at the Austin-SPCA and as things in my personal life seemed to be falling all around me it was one of the few things that brought me any joy while I lived in Austin.

I left Austin 2 yrs later, moved to San Marcos and finally got another dog. The love of my life, Blitz. A spunky little dachshund that I take with me just about everywhere (except school). Well, tying this all in, clearly animals have always been a deep love of mine. Being around them in therapeutic for me. And for other people as well.

I read this article and decided, this is most definitely what I need to be doing for the rest of my life.

What Will Happen May 5th?

inspired by the brilliant bridget mac I have decided to predict my future:

My prediction for tomorrow:

I wake up to a full day of nothing but studying. With my Articulation & Phonological Processing Disorders finals on Monday and my Speech Science final on Tuesday I've got a lot of studying to do this weekend.

I get into the shower around 10am, and drag myself to the library. When I walk in I realize that no one else at Texas State goes to the library on a Friday. In fact, not a single soul is inside the 8 story building. For Texas State Univeristy (the drinking town with a college problem) Friday is the unofficial "recover from your Thursday night hangover by tubing the river" day. It's rather creepy. The silence eventually gets to me so I leave and go get some lunch. I head to Subway where none other than my ex is working behind the counter.

He doesn't recognize me until he asks me "toasted or untoasted"
I reply "untoasted...Nick"
He looks up and his entire face turns red with rage. He leaps over the 4 ft counter (mind you he was in the military, so hes got a spring in his step!) and grabs me by the shoulders and starts to yell at me. One of his co-workers pulls him off me but he continues to yell...in Korean (he spent too much time stationed in Seoul I suppose)

I was shaken but unphased. With no idea what he was yelling or why he was so upset, I walked out the door with my Turkey on wheat.

...check back tomorrow to see if my prediction comes true...

SCREW the audience

So I used to be totally obsessed with writing in my blog. Things would happen to me throughout the day and I would mull over how I would post it. Should the post be witty? Somber? Full of links or pictures? Comments were the highlight of my pathetic online existance. But then, mostly because I choose to keep my journal private from most of the people I know in the "real world", comments dropped off and even my boyfriend stopped reading. Having no audience really takes the fun out of posting.

I am proud to announce...SCREW the audience. Audience or no audience its time I started posting again!

the reason for my bad mood

• I am sick. I have been sick for a while now and with finals quickly approaching I simply don't have time to go see the doctor. If I'm lucky I'll quickly deteriorate and die before Thursday at 8am, which is my first final.
• Speaking of finals. I have to make a 98 on my Articulation & Phonological Processing Disorders final to make a B in the class. Every single grade I have made in that class (tests, papers, observations, presentations, etc.) has been 80 or above except my very first test grade, which is a 51. I was sick when I was studying/taking the test but thanks to that grade being weighted so much, a B is pretty much impossible.
• Got home, poured myself a big bowl of cereal, opened the fridge to discover my lovely roommate drank all the milk. Wait, she didn't drink it all, she left me about 10 drops. Apparently she thought that satisfied my requirement of not eating or drinking that last of anything that belonged to me. Dry Honey Bunches of Oats really sucks. I don't recommend it. Especially if you're dying.
• Oh yeah, almost forgot that I hate you if you go to UT because you get to have a Dead Week. Here at Texas State we get only get a Dead Flippin' Day! What the hell!