Whew!! It has been a long time and a great deal has happened. Soon after my last post I moved out of my apartment in Shorewood while working a temp job at the Milwaukee Center for Independence in the payroll department. Eric, thankfully, was able to watch over the moving process at the end of June, though there were several hitches in the process. Namely a car running into the moving truck and some problems with the storage space I had reserved which led to finally obtaining a larger one further away. The larger size was probably a blessing as most people know I have a lot of stuff. At the end of June I had an interview in Chicago with the Census Bureau for a job with the Census Coverage Measurement department. It was pretty cool going to downtown Chicago and seeing all the hustle and bustle of business people in the midst of rush hour. The interview seemed to go so so as it focused quite a bit on supervisory skills which I only really have in the classroom. I did the best I could, and I guess that was good enough because I got the call on July 13 to start work for them on July 27... a mere 14 days later. So, I gave notice at the temp job and trained my replacement (a whole other story), found a place to live, and made hotel reservations for the first week of work which turned out to be training in Oak Brook, Illinois, site of the permanent Regional Office for the Census.
So now I am living in the area of Chicago known as North Center, living on the third floor with all kinds of locks between the outside and the inside of my apartment, parking on the street, riding the "El" to work and back, and settling into life here. There is a lot to get used to. While grocery prices are good here in comparison to other densely populated metropolitan areas like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles (I saw an article about it recently), they really do suck. I need to take a serious trip to Woodman's, but then I also do not have much storage space for the items I would purchase. My cupboard is full as it is from the stuff I had in my apartment cupboards! It would help if it would get cooler so I can really get to some cooking and get back into the swing of things in that arena after quite a bit of time without frequent cooking- well without any real cooking to speak of. It is going to take some time to get more settled because there are still three weeks of Kilties to go so I am not able to move stuff back and forth between Milwaukee and here like I might want. Hopefully I can get more organized and clear some stuff out of here once Kilties is over.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Blond Joke #2
Have to include my favorite one!!!
Puzzle Puzzles Blonde
A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, 'Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get started.'
Her boyfriend asks, 'What is it supposed to be when it's finished?'
The blonde says, 'According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster.'
Her boyfriend decides to go over and help with the puzzle.
She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table.
He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says,
'First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster.'
He takes her hand and says, 'Second, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then ..' he said with a deep sigh, . .. . .. . .. .
'Let's put all the Corn Flakes back in the box.'
My birthday
Tomorrow is my birthday, the Big 3-0 as my mom called to point out. Thanks Mom! I guess if I am that old she is, well, older also so she might feel the pain too.
When Mom called I mentioned that I feel like turning 30 marks my crossing over point from being young to being old. She said that maybe a generation ago 30 was considered old, but now it is young. I guess this is true considering the life expectancy predicts I am likely to live another 40 years or so, thus I am not even half way through my life. But my peers and I looking back at our parents lives, see that by the time they were our age they were settled into adulthood- they had a career (or at least long term jobs), a spouse, children, and you know, a cohesive life. I wasn't there but that is how it seems. When my parents were my age, they had been married for eight years, had purchased a house and been living there for about five years, had each been at their jobs for eight or more years, and were two years away from having me... at which time they were 'old' parents. I wonder if they had any student loan debt left? =) Me? I have no job past Friday at this point, much less a career, I have a boyfriend (thank God for that or things might be bleak, right?), and I have a home for about 12 more days. Things are not good. My friend got laid off recently in LA, not completely unexpectedly and posted on her Facebook a quote from her pastor that things can only get better from here. I think things can definitely get worse. But I have hope that things will get better in the near future. Things are obviously going to go one way or the other because I am kinda balancing on a fence post and I can only stay up here so long before I either fall on solid land or fall into the lake and potentially drown. But I have had two interviews in the past week and hopefully another in the next week. Maybe one will net a local job offer. If so, I have been invited to seek housing with some friends here who are relocating.
Now birthdays tend to create problems for significant others who feel compelled to give gifts. My lovely boyfriend is no different. I guess he has given it thought, barked up some trees, and come up empty handed. Poor guy. He wanted to buy me some Cole Haan Shoes that I really liked, but he couldn't find them on the Internet and he is too lazy to go to Gurnee to get them for me. I say tough luck, dude! And he then asked me what he should get me... I gave some suggestions but he did not like any of them. Really, maybe he should think outside the box, hey? He has time on his hands, what could he do with the time he has on his hands that would be nice? I don't know. Buying gifts under pressure is hard! I feel it. I have a month before his birthday, maybe I should get started figuring out his birthday present. I have some ideas, but they will probably go over as well as the Christmas present which is likely in a box somewhere in his house and has never been used. The other half of the gift went well, though, so I can take solice in that.
Well. It is my birthday now. I am just going to try to enjoy it. Focus on the good things, the happy times in my life. Mom says the 30's are the best years, and Mom's always right, right?
When Mom called I mentioned that I feel like turning 30 marks my crossing over point from being young to being old. She said that maybe a generation ago 30 was considered old, but now it is young. I guess this is true considering the life expectancy predicts I am likely to live another 40 years or so, thus I am not even half way through my life. But my peers and I looking back at our parents lives, see that by the time they were our age they were settled into adulthood- they had a career (or at least long term jobs), a spouse, children, and you know, a cohesive life. I wasn't there but that is how it seems. When my parents were my age, they had been married for eight years, had purchased a house and been living there for about five years, had each been at their jobs for eight or more years, and were two years away from having me... at which time they were 'old' parents. I wonder if they had any student loan debt left? =) Me? I have no job past Friday at this point, much less a career, I have a boyfriend (thank God for that or things might be bleak, right?), and I have a home for about 12 more days. Things are not good. My friend got laid off recently in LA, not completely unexpectedly and posted on her Facebook a quote from her pastor that things can only get better from here. I think things can definitely get worse. But I have hope that things will get better in the near future. Things are obviously going to go one way or the other because I am kinda balancing on a fence post and I can only stay up here so long before I either fall on solid land or fall into the lake and potentially drown. But I have had two interviews in the past week and hopefully another in the next week. Maybe one will net a local job offer. If so, I have been invited to seek housing with some friends here who are relocating.
Now birthdays tend to create problems for significant others who feel compelled to give gifts. My lovely boyfriend is no different. I guess he has given it thought, barked up some trees, and come up empty handed. Poor guy. He wanted to buy me some Cole Haan Shoes that I really liked, but he couldn't find them on the Internet and he is too lazy to go to Gurnee to get them for me. I say tough luck, dude! And he then asked me what he should get me... I gave some suggestions but he did not like any of them. Really, maybe he should think outside the box, hey? He has time on his hands, what could he do with the time he has on his hands that would be nice? I don't know. Buying gifts under pressure is hard! I feel it. I have a month before his birthday, maybe I should get started figuring out his birthday present. I have some ideas, but they will probably go over as well as the Christmas present which is likely in a box somewhere in his house and has never been used. The other half of the gift went well, though, so I can take solice in that.
Well. It is my birthday now. I am just going to try to enjoy it. Focus on the good things, the happy times in my life. Mom says the 30's are the best years, and Mom's always right, right?
Friday, June 12, 2009
Blond Joke #1
My mom suggested that I should start a collection of blond jokes. You know because I am blond, I guess. Hey why not? If they are funny, I will post them. Here is one she sent me today.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
A contestant Sally, on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'
Had reached the final plateau.
If she answered the next question correctly, she would win
$1,000,000.
If she answered incorrectly, she would pocket only the $25,000
Milestone money.
And as she suspected the Million Dollar Question was no
Pushover.
It was, 'Which of the following species of birds does not build
Its own
Nest but instead lays its eggs in the nests of other birds? Is
It:
A) the condor
B) the buzzard
C) the cuckoo
D) the vulture
The woman was on the spot..... She did not know the answer.
She had used up her 50/50 Lifeline and her Ask the Audience
Lifeline.....
All that remained was her Phone-a-Friend Lifeline.
She hoped she would not have to use it because........ Her
Friend was,
Well, a blonde.
But she had no alternative. She called her friend and gave her
The
Question and the four choices. The blonde responded
Unhesitatingly:
'That's easy.... The answer is C: the cuckoo.'
The contestant had to make a decision and make it fast.
She considered employing a reverse strategy and giving any
Answer her.
Except the one that her friend had given
And considering her friend was a blonde that would seem to be
The
Logical t hing to do. But her friend had responded with such
Confidence,
Such certitude, that the contestant could not help but be
Convinced.
Crossing her fingers, the contestant said, 'C: The cuckoo.'
'Is that your final answer?'
'Yes, that is my final answer.'
'That answer is Absolutely correct!
You are now a millionaire!'
Three days later, the contestant hosted a party for her family
And
Friends, including the blonde who had helped her win the
Million
Dollars.
'Jeni, I just do not know how to thank you, ' said the
Contestant.
'How did you happen to know the right answer?'
'Oh, come on,' said the blonde 'Everybody knows that cuckoos
Don't
Build nests. They live in clocks.'
Sally fainted
Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
A contestant Sally, on 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'
Had reached the final plateau.
If she answered the next question correctly, she would win
$1,000,000.
If she answered incorrectly, she would pocket only the $25,000
Milestone money.
And as she suspected the Million Dollar Question was no
Pushover.
It was, 'Which of the following species of birds does not build
Its own
Nest but instead lays its eggs in the nests of other birds? Is
It:
A) the condor
B) the buzzard
C) the cuckoo
D) the vulture
The woman was on the spot..... She did not know the answer.
She had used up her 50/50 Lifeline and her Ask the Audience
Lifeline.....
All that remained was her Phone-a-Friend Lifeline.
She hoped she would not have to use it because........ Her
Friend was,
Well, a blonde.
But she had no alternative. She called her friend and gave her
The
Question and the four choices. The blonde responded
Unhesitatingly:
'That's easy.... The answer is C: the cuckoo.'
The contestant had to make a decision and make it fast.
She considered employing a reverse strategy and giving any
Answer her.
Except the one that her friend had given
And considering her friend was a blonde that would seem to be
The
Logical t hing to do. But her friend had responded with such
Confidence,
Such certitude, that the contestant could not help but be
Convinced.
Crossing her fingers, the contestant said, 'C: The cuckoo.'
'Is that your final answer?'
'Yes, that is my final answer.'
'That answer is Absolutely correct!
You are now a millionaire!'
Three days later, the contestant hosted a party for her family
And
Friends, including the blonde who had helped her win the
Million
Dollars.
'Jeni, I just do not know how to thank you, ' said the
Contestant.
'How did you happen to know the right answer?'
'Oh, come on,' said the blonde 'Everybody knows that cuckoos
Don't
Build nests. They live in clocks.'
Sally fainted
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The weekend, plus some before
So Eric chided me about writing about the weekend so I guess I should get to it! But really I could probably go back a little further. So let's go back to Saturday the 16th. That morning I headed off to Chicago to pick up my parents. It rained their first day there so we stuck around and went to the Field Museum where we saw the Early America exhibit, Pirates, and the dinosaurs. Then we drove back to Milwaukee, saw a little of the city and ate at Trocadero. Sunday morning was Graduation, which was lovely though the speaker went on a bit. Then lots of pictures and off to Mader's for brunch. My parents are buffet brunch fans and I am a fan of going to buffets at restaurants that have food that I don't really know well, then you can get an understanding of what is what and what you like. Like the Indian restaurant: they have a great buffet with stuff I would probably not order off the menu but now I know that I like it so I can order it in the future... or just go to the buffet! Ryan, however, is not adventurous in food so it was amusing. Anyway, it was a good time. After a little digestion and changing time, the parents and I went to the Harley Davidson Museum which was pretty cool. I didn't know any of the history and of course seeing all the old bikes is interesting. We did attend a very horrible little talk about the bricks on the outside of the building. The content was good and I learned from it, but the presentation was deplorable. After our visit to the gift shop we drove around the city a little more and then went to Alterra at the Lake, which is pretty cool and the parents liked it. What is there not to like about it? It is in a cool building, has greenness outside, and a lake across the road. We ran into Brian and his family there, which I had a feeling we would though he lives in Whitefish Bay so there was really no reason to expect it (an example Ryan). After getting caffinated we came to my apartment and hung out for a while. My dad offered to help pack but I decided against it as I wasn't ready for it. Then Dad wanted something to eat so we went to California Pizza Kitchen where no one wanted to wait on us, which got comical after a while. But we finally ate and it was good. I took Mom and Dad back to their hotel and went to bed myself. On Monday I picked them up and we went to the Pabst mansion which was really a cool place. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it. It was perfect for my parents as it only took about an hour which was good for my dad and involved an old house which was good for my mom. It reminded my mom of one of the houses she grew up in. They are trying to refurbish the place which isn't easy and takes a lot of money. Especially since the Milwaukee Diocese bought the place and sold all the furnishings so they are trying to get them back or buy similar items. After our experience at Pabst we met Eric at Fugyama for half-price sushi lunch. There was a lot of sushi consumed and it was good. With full bellies all four of us got into my car and headed to the O'Hare. I think this was the heaviest my car has ever been with four big adults and a full trunk, but we made it just fine. On the way back Eric and I took a walk through Gurnee Mills and didn't find what we wanted so we stopped in Kenosha too. Then I was starving so we went to Olive Garden where I ate salad and breadsticks and three bites of my entree. Starving, I say. Wednesday Eric came grocery shopping with me and then I had my House Cooling Party which was fun and entertaining. People came, people left, people came, people told funny stories, we band geeked out, bonded over memories of Jars of Clay "Flood," and killed three bottles of wine, since that is all I had. I should have made margaritas.
I have been working on a grant funded project this semester so I got some work on that done and applied for a lot of jobs. Friday evening Eric and I made Pho for dinner which was fantastic, much better than I expected. Later we went to celebrate Guy's birthday at Buffalo Wild Wings and then back to Guy and Bridget's place for margaritas, Wii oddness, and drum corp videos. Saturday Eric and I actually made it to Kilties practice on time for once! I had a ton of clothes on by managed to take some of them off over the course of the day- yipee- and get started on my tan for the year. We had dinner at Infusino's with 17 other people! Crazy! On Sunday we did more practice which we made it to again on time... wow a streak! After practice we headed back to Milwaukee to rescue Eric's friend from a wedding at the Art Museum. Wish we could have gone to the wedding. We took her to Water Buffalo and talked for a while. Monday had us in Racine by 8:15 am... I am amazed. We marched in the parade- yay! I love a parade! We then went to the mall and walked around for a bit before we headed to Greg and Missie's party where we stayed for 10 hours! A lot of people graced that party and a lot of food was consumed. Games were played. It was a fun time with a bunch of fun people! Tuesday I pretty much stayed put to recover from the weekend- it was quite a lot of running around- outside for over ten hours three days in a row. Great time. And now I am back to the grind of finishing the grant work, and trying to find a job and a new place to live though I can stay here through the end of June.
I have been working on a grant funded project this semester so I got some work on that done and applied for a lot of jobs. Friday evening Eric and I made Pho for dinner which was fantastic, much better than I expected. Later we went to celebrate Guy's birthday at Buffalo Wild Wings and then back to Guy and Bridget's place for margaritas, Wii oddness, and drum corp videos. Saturday Eric and I actually made it to Kilties practice on time for once! I had a ton of clothes on by managed to take some of them off over the course of the day- yipee- and get started on my tan for the year. We had dinner at Infusino's with 17 other people! Crazy! On Sunday we did more practice which we made it to again on time... wow a streak! After practice we headed back to Milwaukee to rescue Eric's friend from a wedding at the Art Museum. Wish we could have gone to the wedding. We took her to Water Buffalo and talked for a while. Monday had us in Racine by 8:15 am... I am amazed. We marched in the parade- yay! I love a parade! We then went to the mall and walked around for a bit before we headed to Greg and Missie's party where we stayed for 10 hours! A lot of people graced that party and a lot of food was consumed. Games were played. It was a fun time with a bunch of fun people! Tuesday I pretty much stayed put to recover from the weekend- it was quite a lot of running around- outside for over ten hours three days in a row. Great time. And now I am back to the grind of finishing the grant work, and trying to find a job and a new place to live though I can stay here through the end of June.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Falling into the abyss/pool
I am suffering the post- whatever blahs. This past semester I managed to finish my thesis when the situation looked like such a thing was going to be near impossible. It happened fast, indeed. And now I am on the other side of it. I graduated. I finished the thesis, I defended it, I bound it, and submitted it to the department. I walked at graduation, got a nifty hood and a folder for my diploma, whenever it arrives. I am done. But for what? What comes next? What is my next challenge?
In these blahs, that I knew without question would surface, I am thankful to have friends who can pop in to drag me out. As I was walking to school today I got a text message which did the trick in dragging me out of my doldrums.
Tomorrow night is the House Cooling Party. I am working on the menu and considering all that needs to get done tomorrow... maybe I will get going on that tonight! I am excited that many people are coming, but the number of people with restricted diets has multiplied so that will require some creativity.
In these blahs, that I knew without question would surface, I am thankful to have friends who can pop in to drag me out. As I was walking to school today I got a text message which did the trick in dragging me out of my doldrums.
Tomorrow night is the House Cooling Party. I am working on the menu and considering all that needs to get done tomorrow... maybe I will get going on that tonight! I am excited that many people are coming, but the number of people with restricted diets has multiplied so that will require some creativity.
Friday, May 8, 2009
It's Friday and I am Fried
I bet that title means to some something other than what I intend but at this point I do not care. It is Friday, I am tired, it has been quite a week.
Tuesday, of course, was the big day: I defended my thesis and I passed. I thought I would be elated or happy or something of that sort, but not really. This could be because of the work that still needs to be done on my thesis. It would be okay if it was an add this, take out this sort of thing, instead I am charged with a rewrite of a large portion using a different sort of language- acktdhabrahbbbb! Different sort of language?!! Yuck. So I am not done and making very slow progress because I practiced that language I was using before pretty hard. And so I am also still stressed about the whole thing, thus not sleeping well, thus tired, thus not thinking clearly, thus not writing clearly, thus not getting it done. And there is plenty else to do like find a job and a place to live. To that end I have sent emails, filled out applications, sent CV's, and sent inquiries. I also took money out of my mutual funds so I don't bounce checks and/or run out of money and I am not happy about having to do so.
I went out on Tuesday night with several people to celebrate my successful defense and Cinco de Mayo at the same time. A margarita and a bunch of Mexican food left me super full. It was a good time.
So it is Danny Gokey Day here in Milwaukee. I am not sure if the mayor or anyone else decided this, but FOX certainly did. I think it would be interesting, considering last week the governor and the mayor were giving press conferences about Swine Flu, for this week the topic of a press conference to be Gokey Day. I digress. They are having a big pep rally at Summerfest Grounds. Apparently I decided not to go and am instead writing this in my office after attending a colloquium here in Sociologyland. But the Bucks Wild peeps are performing at the shindig and were supposed to go on about 45 minutes ago (3:00), though the FOX people said the gates opened at 4:15. Not real sure what the story is, but I am sure I will hear about it later.
This weekend brings yet another weekend of Kilties in my life. We are supposed to put the first and second movements on the field, but the weather is supposed to be bad tomorrow. Who knows what is going to happen? I don't. Hopefully we will make good progress, have a good time, and everyone will maintain a positive attitude. I so long for the days when I showed up, did my stuff and went home without all the excess drama and gossip. It would be particularly easy this year, being in the Guard, to be completely oblivious to everything going on in the rest of the corp. I just need some more energy to make it through the weekend without dying!
Now, pretty much everyone is gone from the department so I think I will go home soon. My apartment is a disaster area, the dishes seem to be mutiplying. But in all reality lots of dishes are what you get when you take on multiple cooking projects. I also have a mountain of laundry. All this needs to be get cleaned up as my place will be shown this weekend. Then it needs to stay clean because Mom and Dad are coming next weekend when I will be graduating. Can't believe that is coming up next weekend- time is flying.
Tuesday, of course, was the big day: I defended my thesis and I passed. I thought I would be elated or happy or something of that sort, but not really. This could be because of the work that still needs to be done on my thesis. It would be okay if it was an add this, take out this sort of thing, instead I am charged with a rewrite of a large portion using a different sort of language- acktdhabrahbbbb! Different sort of language?!! Yuck. So I am not done and making very slow progress because I practiced that language I was using before pretty hard. And so I am also still stressed about the whole thing, thus not sleeping well, thus tired, thus not thinking clearly, thus not writing clearly, thus not getting it done. And there is plenty else to do like find a job and a place to live. To that end I have sent emails, filled out applications, sent CV's, and sent inquiries. I also took money out of my mutual funds so I don't bounce checks and/or run out of money and I am not happy about having to do so.
I went out on Tuesday night with several people to celebrate my successful defense and Cinco de Mayo at the same time. A margarita and a bunch of Mexican food left me super full. It was a good time.
So it is Danny Gokey Day here in Milwaukee. I am not sure if the mayor or anyone else decided this, but FOX certainly did. I think it would be interesting, considering last week the governor and the mayor were giving press conferences about Swine Flu, for this week the topic of a press conference to be Gokey Day. I digress. They are having a big pep rally at Summerfest Grounds. Apparently I decided not to go and am instead writing this in my office after attending a colloquium here in Sociologyland. But the Bucks Wild peeps are performing at the shindig and were supposed to go on about 45 minutes ago (3:00), though the FOX people said the gates opened at 4:15. Not real sure what the story is, but I am sure I will hear about it later.
This weekend brings yet another weekend of Kilties in my life. We are supposed to put the first and second movements on the field, but the weather is supposed to be bad tomorrow. Who knows what is going to happen? I don't. Hopefully we will make good progress, have a good time, and everyone will maintain a positive attitude. I so long for the days when I showed up, did my stuff and went home without all the excess drama and gossip. It would be particularly easy this year, being in the Guard, to be completely oblivious to everything going on in the rest of the corp. I just need some more energy to make it through the weekend without dying!
Now, pretty much everyone is gone from the department so I think I will go home soon. My apartment is a disaster area, the dishes seem to be mutiplying. But in all reality lots of dishes are what you get when you take on multiple cooking projects. I also have a mountain of laundry. All this needs to be get cleaned up as my place will be shown this weekend. Then it needs to stay clean because Mom and Dad are coming next weekend when I will be graduating. Can't believe that is coming up next weekend- time is flying.
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