| Is This Weird?: Episode 1 |
[Nov. 21st, 2009|12:17 am] |
Jon and I have had a nonworking toilet for almost a week now. The thing is fucking clogged as hell. Two different plungers, Draino, and a wire coat hanger have proven worthless against whatever the hell is in there. I have a spare key to Jon's friend's house a few doors down. They haven't moved in yet, so we've just sort of been going over and using their toilet. I don't know if Jon has told his friend yet.
Is this weird?
Also, you can't make a pStyle out of a cardboard paper towel tube. Trust me. It won't work. |
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| This is my "I'm a science officer now! :D" icon. |
[Nov. 14th, 2009|06:06 pm] |
Yesterday was my and Jon's fifth anniversary. It was really nice. Jon took me to Peter's in Fells, and at first I was kind of underwhelmed because the place is tiny and really noisy, and the wine list was less than impressive. Also...they didn't just seat us near the bathroom. They didn't just seat us near the kitchen. They gave us the table right next to both. But! The food was really good and we ended up having a romantic night anyway. Jon had the fillet and I had--get this--lamb chops over ratatouille with duck confit style beans and lamb sausage with cheese ravioli. All that in one little dish! It was pretty damn good. We ordered one of each of the desserts, red velvet cupcakes with ice cream and something that was basically tiramisu broken down into its separate parts. Both were delish. I was fucking stuffed to the point of discomfort when we got home, but it was so worth it.
This week was my first as a research assistant at the Center for Learning and Health at Johns Hopkins. It is pretty cool. I'll be mostly working on a study that's been going on since 2007 that's meant to develop a workplace for cocaine and opiate addicts where the opportunity to be employed and learn job skills is contingent upon drug abstinence and enrollment in a methadone treatment program. Spoilers: cocaine addiction is fucking hard to treat. WHO KNEW, RIGHT? Anyway, there are some really cool people participating in the study. Pretty much everyone starts out looking, well, like a crackhead, but those who stick it out for the full six months usually leave with awesome clerical skills and sometimes even a GED, if they've opted to use their time in the lab to pursue an education. Hopkins tries to get them jojb placements after they leave the study, but unfortunately, this treatment seems to have little impact on employment at the six-month followup. : / Only a very small percentage of people stay clean and find employment, so we're looking into developing an employment program that is self-sustaining so that people can work there longer than six months.
But anyway. I'll be presenting a poster about that research at MABA, which is the con for the Maryland Association for Behavior Analysis. I'm thinking of cosplaying as B. F. Skinner, or maybe one of the pigeons in his self-concept study. Not really, but how cool would that be if people cosplayed at behavior analysis conventions?*
In other news, I am broke! Apparently, you no longer receive paychecks if you become unemployed! Also, my student loan check has failed to materialize! Haha, I sure hope I can pay my rent at the end of the month! :D
I'm fucking starving, so I'm gonna go make some burritos now.
*(Answer: Not cool at all.) |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|09:50 pm] |
I have a really long taste bud in the middle of my tongue. It's like 4 or 5 millimeters long. What the fuck?
That is all. |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 23rd, 2009|07:58 am] |
I just bought an antique vibrator in working condition on Etsy for $15. I'm no expert, but I think this thing might have been made in the 1930s. On the one hand I'm thrilled to have found something so rare at such a ridiculously low price, but on the other hand, I just bought a used vibrator, and something tells me that's a little strange. I guess this is a great excuse to start that collection of medical and sexual paraphernalia collection I've always wanted. Oh man, I even have the perfect place to display this thing. SO EXCITED.
Anyway, my life is pretty boring lately. Relaxing, but boring. I've been cooking a lot more since I have so much free time, which is great. I want to start drawing and painting soon, too. I need artistic inspiration! |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 18th, 2009|05:58 pm] |
I'M PUTTING IN MY TWO WEEKS NOTICE ON MONDAY, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!
I got bit by my primary kid on Tuesday, and it's infected. GROSS. More deets on life later, I have a ton of shit to do.
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| Craving |
[Aug. 13th, 2009|08:32 pm] |
You know what I want? Bubblegum liquor.
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 3rd, 2009|10:37 pm] |
You know that Gmail application that prevents you from sending drunk emails by giving you a minute to solve a few simple math problems? Well, I just had to do that (presumably because it is 10:30 pm on a Friday night). How sad is it that I had to skip one problem and come back to it? I'm not even drunk.
Even sadder: I was emailing my dad to get information so I could fill out my FAFSA. On a Friday night. ~*Exciting Social Life*~
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| OMG I HAVE INTERNET |
[Jun. 8th, 2009|04:31 pm] |
So! I have been completely absent from the internet for over a week now because I have moved to BAAAAAAAAAAAAALtimore and I still don't have internet in my apartment. I have journeyed to Starbucks for access, and now I shall post a hurried list of things that have gone down since my last update!
- Jessica and Patrick visited and helped me and Jon pack up our apartment! Fun was had.
- Enjoyed a sort-of going away night out with friends in Gainesville. Found another way to distinguish real friends from people I won't mind cutting out of my life: real friends show up to your going away festivities. I am trying not to be bitter about one very conspicuously absent "friend"!
- Drove from Florida to Maryland with Jon's dad, who is not afraid to blame his sister-in-law for her husband's having molested their children, tell me that women and homosexuals make bad soldiers, and all Muslims hate women. Awkward!
- Still haven't unpacked even though I've been here for six days. :/
- Went to both Safeway and Ikea for the first time. Bought stuff.
- Bought a bed! Still steeping on the floor. Bed will be delivered on Wednesday, along with INTERNET!
- Debit card was cancelled because of dick hacker. Got new card in mail this morning.
- Went to KKI orientation today! Borrrrrrrrring.
I start at KKI's neurobehavioral unit on Wednesday. They are going to teach me how to physically restrain people and avoid getting punched in the face. I will still get punched in the face anyway.
Claire and Oz, if you don't come visit me up here, I will be so mad! This city is awesometots! Awesometots are like tatertots, except awesomer.
I have consumed a lot of coffee today!
My new apartment is very nice, but I wish it had more storage space. I found out last night that you shouldn't add bubblebath to your jacuzi tub, because you end up with one foot of water and two feet of thick white foam. Much of this foam will end up on the bathroom floor. And then your cats will paw at the foam and track it all over your bedroom. :/
What have you guys been up to? I haven't cheecked LJ in maybe two weeks, so I have no idea what is going on. Have I missed any wank from the '09 LJ election? Are there any new memes that I need to catch up on? Have you made any cool posts?
I'm not going to spell check this! Fuck it! |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 27th, 2009|04:46 pm] |
So.
The real estate agent that I've been working with to secure the PERFECT APARTMENT in Baltimore got an email form the person who owns PERFECT APARTMENT, saying that basically Jon and I can't live there because, even though we can totally make rent off just my salary, we probably won't get to lease the place because...I don't know. I guess enough money is too little money? Whatever. Seriously, worst timing ever. She couldn't have told us this stuff two weeks ago? We're set to move up there on June 1st, and I start work on June 8th. I don't need this right now.
I have no idea where I'm going to be living in five days, basically. Our lease here in Gainesville lasts until the end of June, so at least I won't be homeless. Great. At least I won't be homeless!
In other news, I have a goose marinating on the counter. |
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| waaaaaaaahmbulance |
[May. 25th, 2009|11:41 am] |
I've been in kind of a funk lately. I guess I imagined that this summer would consist mostly of parties and hanging out with friends, but the reality of it is that I'm mostly doing nothing at home. Going on Facebook really drives home how much of a disappointment this summer has been. All I do there is look at pictures of my friends having fun without me. Excepting pretty much just Claire and Oz, I kind of resent everyone else. I'm ready to leave them behind and never see them again. I need to get the hell out of Gainesville.
I have a frozen duck and two lobsters in my freezer and a thawing goose in my fridge, and no idea what to do with all that meat. |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 28th, 2009|10:49 am] |
Ugghhh. I'm done. I don't even care anymore. I'm just over this phase in my life. I got a letter in the mail yesterday from UMBC saying that I've FINALLY been officially accepted to the behavior analysis grad program there, and I am just. Ready. To go. Now. I've been done with school for a week now, and I've been letting Jon work all my shifts. The only structure I have in my life right now is volunteering at the ARC twice a week. All I want to do is work with the developmentally disabled, play WoW, and party with friends.
Speaking of partying, I'm hosting a going-away party at my place on Friday at 10 pm. We're doing power hour, so bring a six pack and your game face. You all are invited. Even you guys in California. Just fly your asses down here, I've got plenty of room for air matresses. Jessica is coming to town that day, so get pumped.
Two of my favorite grad students are paying me $150 to stay at their house and make sure their dogs don't die while they go off to the biggest, baddest party of the year. I'm jealous that they get to go and I don't but I'm sure I'll have my chance next year, when I'm a grad student and my school will pay for me to go. I told Coco I'd come visit her that weekend, but I totally forgot about the dog thing. Crap.
TO DO LIST:
Contact that real estate agent and get her to find me a place in Fells Point.
Clean the house
Send thank-you cards to Iwata, Vollmer, and Branch
Accept my spot at UMBC
Get my hairs cut
??????
Give me something to do, guys. List five things for me to take pictures of, and I'll post them here. These can be things for me to do, things in my apartment, things around town, whatever. DO IT.
ETA: Is anyone here watching ANTM this season? I'd never watched it before now, but I love it. Allison and Celia ftw, y/n?
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| Hey internets, come share in my joy. |
[Mar. 29th, 2009|02:52 pm] |
I GOT A JOB AT THE KENNEDY KRIEGER INSTITUTE IN BALTIMORE YAAAAAAAYYYYYYY. I'll be hearing back from UMBC soon about whether or not I got into their behavior analysis grad program (lol I did, c'mon, be serious). I still haven't officially accepted the position at KKI, but I'm pretty sure I will. I'm already looking into housing in Baltimore, which is horrible and scary because I have no idea what I'm doing. when I moved to Gainesville, I lived in the dorms for a year before getting my own place, so I had time to get to know the town and figure out how to live there and get around, but I won't have that luxury for Baltimore. I've only been there once, for less than 48 hours, and I was sick in bed almost the whole time.
HEY LJ FRIENDS. DO ANY OF YOU LIVE IN BALTIMORE? PLEASE ADVISE.
Anyway, I guess the important thing is that I'll have a full-time job in my field of study as soon as I get out of school AND I'm going to get into grad school. I'm pretty lucky. Lol, let's hope I don't fuck it up, like I did with the job interview! That went terribly.
I still haven't celebrated getting into KKI by getting blinding drunk with friends, it's such a tragedy! HEY CLAIRE, HEY OZ, let's get wasted some time! Also, I still want to do a tappas night before I leave Gainesville in May, so call me!
WHOA I just took like a four hour detour from writing this entry to look at apartment listings in Baltimore. HOLY SHIT it is expensive to live in a big city! Aparently, some people think $1875 for a 1/1 is a steal. Sure it is, if you're renting a room in Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's house. Anyway, I checked out Craigslist (skeezy) and found a few interesting posts, so we'll see. I also made a post seeking a room/apartment, so hopefully I won't be homeless in two months. Ugh.
I've been playing a lot more WoW lately. Bad idea, y/y? |
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| SPRING BREAK! WOO!! |
[Mar. 16th, 2009|05:30 pm] |
This past week has been a blast. Well, mostly. New Orleans was awesome, even if I spent so much money that I gave myself a panic attack when I got home. Pics from that trip will be coming soon. I went to visit the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore on Friday. I was interviewed for a position there as a Behavior Data Specialist. I was sick the whole day, so it's a miracle that I made it through the visit without screwing up horribly.
Anyway, the big news is that I GOT A POSITION AT KENNEDY. So that means I'll probably be accepted into the behavior analysis grad program at UMBC. Also it means that I have to find a place to live in Baltimore. OH JAYSUS. And I have to take out student loans. And figure out howto get all my shit up there. UGHHHHH WHATEVER I'm so excited.
Also, I have acute bronchitis right now, so no celebrating for me!
More later! I need to go get my meds from the pharmacy. |
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| My first battle wound |
[Feb. 20th, 2009|06:06 pm] |
I got bit by a consumer at the ARC today while trying to block self-injurious behavior. I probably should have been more careful--the kicking and scratching was clearly a warning. So now I have a sore, swollen thumb and a bruised ego from having to terminate the session and being really shaken up. I was told that the guy that bit me had never behaved aggressively in session before, so I don't really know how to feel about that. The grad student in charge of that study took me to the campus infirmary, where I was told that the bite didn't put me at risk for infection since I had already been vaccinated for Hepatitis B. I really hope nobody asks me to run this consumer again. Meagan said they'll move him out of the current condition, since treatment had very clearly failed long before today's incident but they needed a few more data points to be sure. Suck.
I really want to get face-meltingly fucked up tonight, but everyone is already sick or busy. LAME. |
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| Best Bruschetta |
[Jan. 23rd, 2009|02:24 am] |
You'll need:
Olive walnut bread from the local farmer's market (or, if you don't live in Gainesville, something equally good)
Black olive spread
Cilantro pesto
Purple tomatoes
Fresh basil
Salt
Olive oil
Coat small slices of the bread with olive oil and broil it in the oven for 10 minutes or until you get your desired level of toastiness.
While that's toasting, cut of the tomatoes into small cubes and shred the basil. Toss both with enough olive oil to coat and some salt (to taste).
When the toasts are done, spread 1/3 of them with the olives, 1/3 of them with the pesto, and 1/3 of them with the tomatoes.
Om nom.
This actually manages to taste like authentic Italian bruschetta, despite my improvising with ingredients. No photos, because Jon and I ate them all. I know what I'm bringing to the next potluck!
I'm making white chili right now. :)
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