Okay, so I haven't posted in... forever. I don't tend to use the computer much outside of work anymore. I guess I'm past the point of wanting to be on the computer 24/7. When I was in school it was never a problem; I was on it at home, at school, all the time. Now I'm on it at work, and a lot of the time I don't even turn on my home computer.

I've been working in the Astronomy department for about six or seven weeks now. It's an interesting job most of the time. I do reimbursements, I handle keeping track of the two cars and two parking spaces the department owns, I do the recharge journals (dealing with thousands of dollars... oooo), and various other things around the department. They really like me there - I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the guy who had the job before me was completely and truly awful. He couldn't do the work, he yelled at people, and he smelled bad (or so they tell me). I can do the work quickly, I am friendly, and everybody (or almost) knew me from when I was a work study. I've been working 32 hours a week, but next week they're bumping me up to full time. Yay! Means more money, which I could use.

Mom and I are planning a trip to Florida to go to Disney World and visit some family in January of 2010. I know, seems like a long way off, but Mom likes to plan that far ahead. Plus, it will give me a chance to save up money and vacation time. :) Found out pretty quickly into the job that I'm not allowed to use my vacation time during my probationary period (the first six months), so that should definitely help me save it up. And because of this, I'm going to have to work on Christmas Eve! What a bummer. Oh well.

I also really want to take a trip sometime during the summer or fall. Perhaps to England. Or maybe somewhere a little closer. I haven't really decided yet. But something interesting and exciting.

Have been reading my way through the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. I really enjoy the Death books and the stories involving Rincewind. But I've only read about nine of them. I've been reading quite a bit. I finally read Mansfield Park. I enjoyed it, but obviously not as much as Pride and Prejudice. The ending didn't seem quite as satisfying - but it was still a happy one for my favorite character. I felt like I could really connect with Fanny Price. Right now am re-reading Jane Eyre. Sigh... I love this book.

Other than that... Peter has my car now. His died. I felt that because he drives to work everyday and has the little one that he needs the car much more than I do. I walk to work and rarely drove my car anymore. I might get it back in a while, but I'm not holding my breath or anything. Angela is beyond adorable. Everytime I see her she seems cuter than the last time. She's smiling and lauging now. She's very curious and loves to look around and play. She's just darling.

Um... that's my life in a nut shell. I work, watch DVDs (from Netflix), hang out with my roommate, Tina, and read books. I also occasionally visit Stockton or my family visits me here. All in all, I'm really enjoying Berkeley.

Moving

I'm moving tomorrow! As I said in my last post I found a really great apartment, and tomorrow is move in. I'm very excited, but in a tired, I can't wait to be done with moving, sort of way. Because I know that the after move - oh crap, I need... shopping will likely occur. Or, the, "maybe I can wait until I'm next at home" thoughts happen. But, it's all worth it.

My parents have also been super great about the whole thing. Financing the move, actually helping me move down there (Peter and Dad), and all that.

Excellent News

Well, the time has finally arrived. I have a job! Yay. I am going to be an Administrative Assistant (or something) in the Astronomy department at Berkeley. So, I am currently looking for a place to live in the Berkeley area. Moving out! So excited. Of course, finding a place to live can be a little difficult, but it will be well worth it. I love my parents, but they are driving me crazy. Also, I get to leave Stockton!

Anyway, I'm really excited and happy.

Pride and Prejudice

I have just finished reading Pride and Prejudice for what must be the tenth time. In addition to the book I've seen the A&E version a few times, the popular Keira Knightly version several times, and the Indian/Bollywood Version - Bride and Prejudice - a few times as well. I don't really know why I love the story so much, but I'm certainly not alone. I remember thinking that I wouldn't like it when we were going to read it in high school - it seemed like it would be too romantic, too feminine. But I love it. It would certainly be among the three books I'd take with me on a desert island - assuming I had the foresight to pack three books. Haha.

I've read quite a bit in the past two weeks. I've read the Twilight Series - I actually read the first three twice in a very short period. I know it's odd, but I've always been one to re-read and re-watch things several times. Repetition never bothers me, as long as quality and/or enjoyment was there the first time. I re-read Darcy's Story (Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's perspective) and Timeline by Michael Crichton. And then of course - Pride and Prejudice itself. It is a bit strange, I must admit, for me to re-read old books when I have so many new ones I haven't gotten to yet... Oh well.

As for other goings on - I've been substituting, although jobs have been rather scarce. I've hung out with Zenitra a few times, which has been nice. And tomorrow I'll be seeing Angie, Kathryn, Danny, and Thomas. Oh, and today I went and visited Peter and Angela with my mom. She's gotten so big! She's six weeks old and already 23.5 inches long - which is pretty amazing, given that she was only 20 inches when she was born. She's also adorable. And... that's all. :)

Regret

I've been thinking quite a bit about regret recently. I'm sure, that like me, everyone has some degree of regret with which they live. Regrets about missed opportunities, what the judge to be bad decisions made in the past, or simply wrong decisions. Wondering if they had taken an even slightly different path at one point in their lives what the rest would have turned out like. Very recently I re-read Timeline by Michael Crichton and he was discussing the idea of a multiverse. The multiverse is made of a vast number of universes, each the result of a different possible outcome from every moment with more than one possibility. Some universes would be very similar to ours, others would be drastically different. There'd be one where Hitler won WWII rather than lost. One where Al Gore became president, rather than George Bush. Etc, etc.

This got me thinking. Not about the entire universe, granted, but about my own. About all the decisions I've ever made - especially those where I'm not sure if I made the right decision or not - and the other possible lives I could have. Of course, this is rather silly. How do I know what would have been a good decision and what would have been a bad decision. Perhaps, what I think of now as a wrong decision, led to a better life now than it would have. But, then, I suppose it could go the other way as well. A decision I feel was the absolute right decision, could have been the absolute wrong decision and I would never know.

Well, of course this is all rather ridiculous. I can't change any of the decisions I've made, even if I wanted to, and even if I had that power I would never know which decisions I should change. I actually don't have many regrets - not large ones anyway. There are a couple, but they are ones I can live with.

A Good Day, Rationalization

Yesterday was fantastic! It didn't start off all that great - with a small verbal altercation with my grandmother. Details aren't all that important, but it ended by her calling me "uppity," which really ticked me off. Anyway, we'll get back to that in a moment.

I met Susie for lunch at The Elephant Bar, which neither of us had been to before. It was yummy!! I had creme brulee for the first time. It was magical. :) Conversation was great as well. We then went to see Wall-E. It was awesome!! Funny, cute, witty - another winner from Pixar. They have never let me down, and I hope they never will! Keep it up, Pixar!! Afterwards, I met Peter, Melanie, and Angela at the mall. We then went to Donna's for a while. A fun, fun day.

And then I had to go back to Grandma's. Which, is not something I wanted to do. She's manipulative, rude, hypocritical, stubborn, etc. Which, I am not saying that I'm never any of those things because I know that I am, but she frustrates me and brings out the worst in me. I feel guilty for disliking my grandmother and I felt resentful of the fact that I had to be there to do things for her that she can do herself, but refuses to do because I can do it for her. And, of course, I was supposed to do the chores, but I got treated like a kid... I don't know. Well, last night/this morning, I decided I'd had about enough. She gets around just fine and can do for herself - she just refuses while I'm there. So, I left. I know she's my grandmother and I should be willing to do things for her, but I have my limits... But perhaps I'm just trying to rationalize everything so that I don't feel guilty about leaving.

Although, I did go back tonight to make dinner for her. And, I'll be going tomorrow to take out her garbage and change her patch. And, I'm always a phone call away. So, we'll see.

14 miles, give or take

Well, yesterday I rode my back about 14 miles, give or take. I know to some it may not sound like a lot, but I'm really proud of myself. I rode to the drug store to get my grandmother's medicine and then off to the book store - to get something to try and distract myself from living with Grandma. She's driving my batty!! Anywho, it was a wonderful way to get some exercise and to get out of the house. :)

Other than that... Am looking forward to going to Modesto tomorrow.

Yesterday I went to the movies with my mom and saw Hancock. I must say, I really, really liked it. There were some really hilarious parts, some really predictable plot twists (at least I thought so, my mom didn't think they were), but a really great cast and story line. There was one twist I just didn't see coming. While it didn't get the best reviews, I'd have to say that it's near the top of my summer movie list. I would highly recommend it.

Biking Again

I went and got my bicycle from home today... It's nice to finally be able to ride it again, now that the smoke has cleared from Stockton. :) I have started calling my bike Stardust, as it's beautiful and all silver. Anywho...

Talked to Susie a little bit ago. Will be going to Modesto on Saturday for a visit. Hurrah! We'll be going to see Wall-E and out to lunch. I'm super excited. Not only has it been quite a while since I saw Susie, but I don't get a lot of social interaction with people outside of using AIM. Well, that and I really, really want to see Wall-E. :) While I'm there, I think I'll stop by and visit Peter, Melanie, and Angela. Yay.

Focusing on the positives

I think I generally try to be an optimistic person, but often my pessimism rears its ugly head. These last couple days I've had some help staying positive. My Mom has been finding excuses to spring me from my grandmother's house, I've talked to friends on the phone/aim, I've hung out with my kitty (which somehow just puts me a great mood), fixed my own computer! (which was a little scary, as I've never tried to take a dvd/cd player out of a laptop before), gotten paid (by both the government and my job), read the latest in the Fruits Basket series, hung out with Peter, Melanie and Angela, and spent some time in Berkeley with Angie. I also have some tenuous plans to hang out with Susie in Modesto, also wonderful. All of these things have helped me, and I greatly appreciate it.

Oh, I also watched Wanted on Monday. It was fantastic! I loved it. Lucky Number Slevin meets the Matrix. The action sequences were amazing, there was actually a great story line, plot twists, and great acting. I would certainly recommend it. For those of you who haven't seen it yet and are planning to, I just want to let you know that my favorite part deals with a computer keyboard. You'll know what I'm talking about once you see it.

Anywho, things are going pretty well right now. Trying to stay up beat - am hoping to hear about some jobs that I've applied to but will have to wait and see. Happy thoughts, everyone!

Super Fun Sunday

Yesterday was wonderful. I went down to Angie's for the day. We had brunch at Venus - excellent! I had the Indian Brunch, it was delicious. Also, I only really get Indian when I head out to the bay area, so it really hit the spot. We then hung out at Angie's, walked around campus, went to the Games of Berkeley (a cool store with all kinds of classic and wacky games), and saw Iron Man. It was my second showing, but well worth it. It's just a really awesome movie. We both wanted to see Wall-E but already had plans with others to see it. We kept our word! Then off to Little Plearn for some tasty Thai cuisine, something I also rarely get. Had the Flying Squid, yummy!!

It was also just really great to get out of Stockton, which has been hot, smoky, and uninspiring lately. Got away from responsibility for a while.

Today I'm going to see Wanted!! Looks like it will be pretty awesome.

Jenga!!

When I was much younger my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Craig, gave my brother and me the game Jenga. We absolutely loved that game. I think it was because even a young kid could beat an adult at it and because everything came crashing down at the end. What's not to love about that? Anyway, Mom and I saw it on sale at Target for 10 bucks, so of course we got it. We played for the first time tonight. I still love it! It's a great game that takes some strategy but not a whole lot of thinking, and things still all come crashing down at the end. I won both games, hehehe.

Angela Jade

Yesterday was quite a day! Melanie was supposed to be induced today at 7am, but Angela decided she just couldn't wait that long. At 2pm Melanie went into labor. AT 12:57am this morning she was born! Peter and Donna (Melanie's mom) stayed in the delivery room through the pushing, while Matt (Melanie's dad), Mom, Dad and I stood outside listening to the progress - until we got sent to the waiting room. Up until about midnight we were all hanging out in Melanie's room keeping her company and keeping each other company. Anyway, Angela is the cutest little girl I've ever seen. It's amazing to see and hold a baby that's only a couple hours old. She's got dark brown hair and blue eyes (for now). She was 8 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long. Completely healthy.

Now, for the entirety of the pregnancy I always had a hard time imagining my older brother as a father, but seeing him with Angela has cleared all that up. At first I could tell he was a little nervous holding her, but they warmed to each other almost immediately. He comforts her when she gets fussy, changes her diapers, feeds her, and looks over at her anytime she fidgets at all. It's so sweet. :) And Angela is such a calm, happy baby. She didn't mind when they gave her a bath or changed her diapers.

I'm sure I'll have much more to say about all this, but I haven't slept much the last two days.

Summer Movies

My rankings of the summer movies I've seen so far...

1) Iron Man
2) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
3) The Hulk
4) Prince Caspian
5) Sex and the City - really only ranked this high because I loved the show so much. :) As a movie seemed like they tried to cram a whole seasons worth of shows into two and a half hours. Maybe they should have just done another season of the show - would have made me happier.
6) Speed Racer - completely forgot that I had seen this. And yet, still better than Get Smart. It was like kung fu with cars. Hahaha, actually not a bad movie.
7) Get Smart - A TOTAL disappointment. Somehow Maxwell Smart can suddenly shot any target he wants, has amazing fighting skills, and used to be obese. If you were a fan of the tv show, I think I'd wait for this to come out on DVD before spending the money to see it in the theater. Even if you weren't a fan of the tv show, there are much better movies out right now, go see one of them.

Totally Wireless

For those of you who haven't heard I have moved into Grandma Stoner's house to take care of her. Last week she entered the hospital with digestive issues. They ran a series of tests that required her to fast - and at 91 years old and 85 pounds, this put quite a bit of stress on her system. This stress was probably much more than it was worth. Anyway, the doctor said she'd either have to enter a nursing home or get help at her house. While nobody specifically said I had to do it, I was the only one that could do it with any convenience. Peter's married and will be a dad any day now (by Wednesday - b/c they're going to induce if Melanie doesn't have it by then). Mom and Dad have their own place to worry about. And I'm single, on summer break, and in Stockton. I didn't want to say no and have it be my fault that grandma had to go to the dreaded nursing home.

My life is not what I want it to be right now, obviously. I have a degree from the top rated public university in the country and so far that's gotten my no where. Well, I guess I screwed it up - so can't really blame any one else. I entered a graduate program I didn't want to go into, got involved in research that I feel is pretty pointless, and then quite one year in. And one year after that... I work as a substitute teacher. But... it does pay the bills. I am still looking for a job, but don't know what direction I want to go in yet. I feel lost, but I am relatively young... right?

Anyway... None of this has anything to do with the title of this post... Because Grandma doesn't have a computer or an internet connection, I went to Verizon and purchased a Broadband Access modem thingy... Meaning, I get pretty speedy internet wherever I want, whenever I want. Basically, anywhere I have phone service I have internet service. It's pretty awesome. I figure this was a good plan because I have no idea where I'll be in a few weeks, months, years... And I'll always want the internet...

I just want to say, that while I get down sometimes and feel like my life is pretty aimless I'm not down most of the time. Just a warning for anyone who happens to catch me in one of my down periods...

Update

Have continued to substitute (which can be unbearably yucky sometimes). Took a test to get a city job working at the library. Saw Iron Man, Speed Racer, and Prince Caspian. Have read The Spiderwick Chronicles and some others...

My life just kind of continues in a kind of meandering way. I am still unsure of what I want to do with my life - but as Angie reminded me, at least we're still young. I am at an age where it is acceptable to be floundering, for lack of a better word. I still have the option of going back to graduate school (although, some where else, preferably studying something different), getting a job that will turn into a career, or doing something completely different. We'll see, we'll see.

Unfortunately I'm not feeling so great right now. Have an upset stomach and haven't been sleeping to well. It's stinky, but I'm sure I'll get over it soon.

GRAAAAAAAAAR

I substituted for an English class at my old high school. It was... pretty bad. I think one of the most frustrating things about substituting, other than the fact that they're defiant teenaged punks, is that I constantly have to tell them to watch their language and act like I never use inappropriate language when all I want to do is tell them to shut the fuck up! Hahaha. Seriously, they just poke and prod, poke and prod, because they're trying to get a rise out of me, and all I can do is try to roll with it and ignore them or threaten them with punishments they don't even care about. What is a substitute to do? Well, actually, younger kids tend to be much better because you can threaten them with cutting down on recess or other such things. Anyway... it also seems I'm faced with the same questions whenever substituting in a high school class...

Are you married? How old are you? What school did you go to? Did you party? Do you smoke? Do you drink? And I always answer truthfully and the same... No, older than you, Berkeley, No, No, No.

A lot of cool movies are coming out that I'm interested in seeing starting in May... Prince Caspian (of course, I mean... come on!), Speed Racer, Indiana Jones, Get Smart, Sex and the City, etc, etc, etc.

The Watches

Last night I finished the third book in the Night Watch series by Sergei Lukyanenko. The series is superb. There is a wonderful plot, dynamic characters, and the whole discussion about good vs. evil. It's just really great. I would suggest it to anyone who likes either fantasy books or detective stories. The two movies based on the books are okay... I'd even say the first one is great, if you consider it completely separate from the book.

Oh, I also finished the second Saiyuki series on Tuesday. Can't believe that in two years of the show they still haven't made it to India! But, I really love the characters and the way the interact, as well as the little side stories. There was one especially cute and funny episode when the four main characters adopt a cat. Not that anyone cares...

Anyway... as far as life is concerned... I have been substitute teaching, reading, watching movies, spending time with Zenitra, cooking family dinners... I also bought a new watch because I couldn't find my old one... and then I found it a few hours later when I was looking for something else. But, I like the new one better anyway... I guess life is funny like that.

Am also really excited about visiting Angie in Berkeley on Saturday. Can't wait. :)

I Got Paid Today!!

I got my first paycheck for subsituting today. So awesome!

Solar Power!

I just read a really cool article on msnbc that says that the Southern California Edison Company is going to cover the roofs of buildings covering two square miles with solar panels that could power about 162k homes. I think this is really cool! There are also several other projects going on in California to increase the amount of power coming from renewable resources. Apparently there's a state mandate that by 2010 20% of our electricity needs to come from renewable sources. We're definitely making a move in the right direction.

Sadly I read this article after I read the article about the start of sealing season in Canada. There are permits to kill 275k seals... Apparently there's a new rule stating that they now have to make sure the seals are dead before they skin them. The didn't before?! What the hell?!

At least the United States has banned the purchase of seal products, as have several other countries. The European Union is also considering a ban.

In personal news, I'm really excited because I'm going to have lunch with Susie and then we're giong to see 21. A day out! Yay.

Almost a month...

It has been almost a month since my last confession... hahaha.

Right now I'm on a sort of forced unpaid vacation. It's currently Spring Break for Stockton Unified, during which time there's no need for substitutes. I'd much rather have worked, but that's okay. I've been reading, watching television and movies, and taking care of my mother and grandmother. I'm so easily entertained - I've re-read several books and started reading Night Watch. It's really good. I am a little confused about the movies though. There are three books; Night Watch, Day Watch, and Twilight Watch. There are two movies, Night Watch and Day Watch. Although both of the movies are contained within the first two parts of the first book. So, it's a bit odd. Of course the book explains much more, as they usually do. The relationships between the characters are also completely different, which makes it more interesting.

Also, I've been reading the news. Not something I usually do, and I find it to be really interesting. I've read a lot of the articles in the Science and Techonology and the Environment sections. Apparently making ethanol fuels from corn is causing a bigger problem than it may be helping to solve. Antarctica is warming much faster than other locations on the globe and huge pieces are breaking off. Spring is coming much sooner than normal. Etc... Of course I read the "regular" news as well, but the science articles seem to stick with me. I guess I've trained my brain over the last several years to focus in on science content... I don't know, really.

Of course I've also been forced to watch The O'Reilly Factor. What a whack job he is... Although, I do still hear some interesting things. Such as Hillary Clinton lying about the conditions when she landed in Bosnia. What I don't understand is why she would lie about that in the first place... maybe to make her life when she was the first lady of one of the most powerful countries in the world that much more exciting. Or to make it sound as though she has more experience in dangerous situations and can keep a cool head or something? I don't know, just seems like a stupid thing to lie about. Especially knowing that other people who were there know that that's not the way things went down. And what was Obama thinking attending church services by Wright, some loon who thinks that the US government developed and released AIDS to wipe out African Americans, among other things. Of course I don't think Obama actually agrees with him, but it's weird to think that he would be associated with somebody like that. Still, I feel that it's better to be associated with some guy with weird beliefs than to be caught in a stupid lie. Because now that people know Clinton lied about that, they're going to be picking her statements and speeches apart looking for other lies. Especially since I have a close connection to a guy who thinks global warming is not happening, that gay couples should not be allowed to get married, and that Cops is an awesome show. It's my dad, if you hadn't guessed already.

A Job...

Substituting is a terrible, terrible job. Well, of course I'm being overdramatic. I've only substituted about three times, but I have learned that kids can be monsters. Although, there are definitely some really great, really sweet kids. If only I could substitute only for the seet kids... It's a paycheck though. That'll be nice. The monsters have given me even more motivation to find a job - not that I needed much more.

Otherwise, things are going alright. The brakes are out in my car, which means I'm driving my mom's car. I really dislike Saturns... the steering wheel is stiff, the dashboard and wind shield awkwardly sized and oriented, and the placement of the window buttons poor. For some reason the designs put all of the window controls on the middle console, rather than on the door. What the heck is that about? In every other car the window controls are on the door.

I am starting to get a little frustrated with my mom... I know she's hurt and all, but I thought that once I started working she'd at least step up and do some of the cooking or pitch in a little more around the house. I was mistaken. Oh well... At least it's almost the weekend. I don't have work tomorrow either - I have to take my mom to the doctors and then my grandma to her doctor. FUN!! Almost makes me wish I had a sub job tomorrow. :)

updated, belated - ly

For some reason I wanted my title to rhyme...

I went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles with Zenitra last week. I must say, I really enjoyed it. It was really good - the story was great, the CG excellent, the acting great. I was also very impressed because I had read the day before that the same actor played twin brothers in the movie. I really want to read the books now, but as you can only get them in hardcover I must wait. Actually, I have to wait to buy anything really. I am almost completely broke and an saving every penny to pay my loan payment next month. The only reason I went to the movie was because my mom gave me money for that specific purpose.

This has made me slightly anxious. I went to the SUSD office almost two weeks ago and still have not heard back about my application. The woman said it would take about a week to process and then I would be put into the system, but this has not yet occurred. I have to keep reminding myself that there have been two holidays in that time - but I'm still really concerned. I definitely need the paycheck. I tried to call her but got her voice mail. So I will have to continue to wait.

Well, we'll see. I will continue my job search and see what happens...

boring as ever

My Mom had a doctor's appointment the other day and got some bad news. The doctor said he thought it could take up to four months to heal, and suggested that she keep it elevated and wrapped in a heating pad most of the day. So basically she's out of work and at home for the next four months. Now, I love my mother, but the thought of hanging out with her everyday, all day while she heals is not at all appealing. Good thing I've finally gotten a job!

The woman at the school district office said that it would take about a week for them to process my application and then I'd be put into the system and can start substitute teaching. Now, of course, this is not what I want to do with my life, but I also need a paycheck and a job. So for now, this is it. Am still searching for a real job, but am not making a great deal of progress. Have applied to a few more jobs and am always on the look out.

That's basically all that's going on. Am taking my grandmother to the doctor today. Fun, fun.

A Spectacular Fall

The story starts two weeks ago. My mother called to tell me that she fell down at work and badly hurt her leg. She went to the emergency room and they told her that she's torn a muscle in her calf and needs to stay off of it as much as possible. This leaves me to do all the errands for my family, plus all the errands I've already been doing for my grandma. So, on Saturday I was responsible for the weekly grocery shopping trip. I was also left to bring in all the groceries. Well - I had a twelve pack of soda in one hand and a two gallon bottle of bleach when I tripped over a plastic thing that for some reason was on our lawn, and landed on my knees on the brick walkway. Well, my right knee got really f*cked up. Bleeding from a deep cut, swollen, couldn't bend it - the whole works. It's fine now, but for a while it made my mom feel really guilty - the person running errands was limping as well! It's still a bit tender and has a bit of a bruise, but it's much better now.

As for everything else - have an interview at the Stockton Unified School District tomorrow, so could have a job pretty soon. Am also looking for a real job, but that's going as slowly as ever.

Hm... that's about it. Watched the super bowl, was very happy that New York won. Guess I just have something against perfection. Plus I really like the Manning brothers.

Actually On My Own Computer

A few days ago my parents computer died. It just crashed - they got some sort of terrible virus. I knew it was going to happen - they had no virus protection what so ever. When they told me, my response was - DUH. So while waiting for their new computer to come in, mine is set up and on the internet and all that. Wild. My dad ordered this insane new computer - way over the top. But hey, it's his money and what he wants.

Anyway, things have been rather quiet. Everything's almost set for the substitute teaching. Will actually have a job and money soon. Am really looking forward to it. Am also looking into applying to NOAA. The application is due on April 1st - so I have plenty of time. I am getting the stuff together though. It would be amazing, but at the same time very scary. So we'll see how that goes. The good news about substitute teaching is that it would be the perfect way to have a flexible job situation, which would be perfect if the NOAA thing works out. It's actually a great situation for while I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.

Monday, Monday

Yesterday was really great. I went to visit Angie in Berkeley. It was really nice to talk to and hang out with her - as always. We also saw Juno, which is a great movie. And ate great food. And had a blast.

Things are pretty much as they always are. Ran errands, am taking Grandma Stoner to the doctor, am continuing to get everything done to become a substitute. Got the results of my TB test - negative. Also, my fingerprints were cleared through the Department of Justice. Now that's truly surprising... guess they never found the gun. Hahaha.

Oh, and if anybody cares I've decided that the way to deal with the whole roots problem is to dye my hair as close to it's natural color as possible. I'm tired of dying it - besides that's not good for my hair.

A Nephew... probably

Not a lot new has happened since yesterday, but I did get a call from Peter. Turns out that Melanie's OB-GYN thinks that it's going to be a boy! At first was a little disappointed it wasn't a girl, but then I figured, heck boys are a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to meeting the little guy.

And then nothing happened...

Well, it has been a little over six months since I quit school. I am more relaxed than I have ever been in a sense, but also really stressed out. It's wonderful not having classes, homework, labwork, teaching, and all that to deal with. It's also great not feeling stupid all the time. But it's not such a great feeling when I think that my life is lacking purpose and direction. For some reason I think finding a job will clear a lot of that up, but I don't know for certain.

Today I'm going down to the Stockton Unified School District Police Department to get fingerprinted... again. Becoming a substitute teacher is a much longer process than I had anticipated, and is rather complex. I've taken the CBEST, got fingerprinted at a livescan place, copied the forms, and sent them in. But it turns out there's a ton of other stuff I have to do for the school district, which includes getting fingerprinted... Blah!

I've also been looking for jobs, and I applied to a few yesterday and hope to find more today, but that's proving difficult as well. I think I picked the wrong major...

As for other stuff - On Sunday I'm going to visit Angie, so that will be great. Not sure what we're going to be doing, but doesn't really matter. I know I'll have a good time. Am also debating with myself about what to do with my hair - I dyed it a few months ago, the roots grew in, so I dyed it again last month and now the roots are growing in again. I can't decide if I want to dye my hair as close to its natural color as possible (so the roots won't be as obvious) or just cut it all off and start again. Both solutions have pitfalls, I'm just trying to figure out the best way to solve the problem.

Anyway... that's all.

A Post Once A Month?

Well, a lot has happened this past month. Went to Adora's and had a fantastic visit. Not only did a get to hang out with Adora a lot, go to Disneyland, visit the Wild Animal Park, see the Golden Compass, and eat wonderful food, but I got to be out of the house for over a week! Hahaha.

Of course, there was also Christmas and everything leading up to that. I played Balderdash with Aunt Kathy, Aunt Terry, and Mom. It's a really awesome game. I love games that make me laugh. Also finished up my shopping, did the wrapping, made goodies, and helped prepare the family dinner. I think this time I actually was able to get everybody something they really liked. I also got some really great stuff. My Mom and Dad bought me a really cute book bag with a cat on it, some DVDs, a CD, and some money for the trip to Adora's.

Hm... Not much has changed. I got the results for the CBEST - passed it, of course. Got my fingerprints done, completed all the paper work, and sent off for my substitute teaching permit. I'm not sure how long it will take to get here, but I hope it's soon. I could really use a job - need something to do with my time and I'd love to get paid for it.

OH, I did see I Am Legend with my Mom. Also read the book. I must say - I actually liked the movie more than the book. It's weird because that so rarely happens. I did read His Dark Materials (trilogy including The Golden Compass). Really loved it - was extremely interesting. Of course, in this case the book was better than the movie.