Monday, December 31, 2012

Mundane Monday

Ok, so I'm not exactly a photog expert.  But at least they're in focus!  These were taken with my new iPod Touch.  Gotta practice with it a bit more.  

Shiver is the reddish one, Chico is the black one.  

I'm gonna miss 2012.  It was a stressful, but very good year.  I can only hope 2013 will be just as good.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Half Full Friday!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day. 

~I'm happy because...

I spent a really nice Christmas with my mom!

Santa was very generous this year!

I've been able to sleep in every day this week!

Jury duty is over and I never once got called in!

I got a new follower!  Welcome!

I've spent endless hours hanging with the chi's!
*****
My favorite gift this year was an iPod Touch!  It does sooooo much more than I ever thought it would.  It's almost like having a cell phone (which I don't have!), only you can't make calls with it.  Although you can kind of Skype on it with a program called FaceTime.  I've already texted a few people with it.  I've been feeling like one of the cool kids now.  lol

My digital camera needs a new battery.  It's funny how when I bought it, I thought I would use it all the time.  Only I'd forget to bring it with me, or that it was stuffed in my purse.   I did do a photo shoot of the boys out in the yard, but didn't get them uploaded to my computer before the battery went out.  And now I can't get to them.  

I need to play around with it some more and get some more pix of the boys.  It's been way too long since they've been featured here.  They were just barking about it the other day, saying  how everyone has probably forgotten all about them.  So I'm making it my mission this weekend to get a few good pix to post on Monday!  

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Wordy Wednesday!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  What did Santa bring you?  Please share, I wanna know what ya got!

Anyways...

Most of the pix I post for Wordless Wednesday's come from various emails I've gotten over the years, and other people seem to like them too.  I was going to post more today, when I ran across a website post that I wanted to share.  Click here to see pictures of moments that restore humanity.  I hope you'll appreciate it as much as I did.

I'll be back next week with my regular installment of Wordless Wednesday.


Monday, December 24, 2012

Monday Meme

I haven't been around to visit as many of you as I would like, but I'm working on it, I promise!  This past weekend was spend scrubbing my house down, so I kept myself pretty busy.  Thanks to those who left such sweet comments on my last past.

Happy Holidaze!

Got this from here.

1.  Make a list of movies you believe everyone should see at least once.  

Pulp Fiction, A Christmas Story, St. Elmo's Fire...

Honestly, I have no idea.  Those are just 3 of my favorites.

2.  What was the last random really hurtful thing someone said to you?

I can't think of any off the top of my head that were recent.  It was probably from a coworker who has no filter and has said numerous very rude things to me.  Over time, I realized that she is this way with everyone, and that it's not just me.  Her comments still sting, but I don't take them to heart as much anymore.

The funny thing is, we've talked on facebook and over email a lot and she's such a different person in that context.  I don't care for her in person and avoid her as much as possible; in writing though, I actually like her a lot.  It's weird!

3.  What's the first thing you do when you get off work/out of school?

I let my boys out, then go pee!  Then I let the chi's in, and usually fix something to eat something.

4.  Show and tell.  What comes to mind first when you see this picture?  Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.  
This reminds me of an Easter basket from when I was a kid.  My mom would always fill our baskets up with candy in such elaborate ways and I couldn't wait to wake up to see what the Easter bunny had left us.  I didn't have a very happy childhood, but my parents always managed to make Easter and Christmas magical.  

Friday, December 21, 2012

Half Full Friday!



Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day. 

~I'm happy because...
I'm back!

I'm off from school and work for the next month!

I get to sleep in, spend the endless days with my chi's, catch up on reading, hang out with all my online friends, and so many other things!

I passed ALL of my classes this semester and did better than expected, gradewise!

There's less than a week until Christmas, my favorite holiday!

I didn't lose a single follower while I was away!  Thank you!
*****
Some of you left comments and sent emails checking up on me, and I thank you for that.  It's nice to know that I was missed.  

So where have I been?  This past semester was incredibly busy.  I had to attend 3 musical performances, go on a police ride along, go to an art museum, and to the aquarium.  This was in addition to attending classes five days a week, working, doing homework and studying.  It was a matter of too much to do, too little time.  My last few posts hardly got an comments, so I figured no one would notice if I took a break.  

At first I didn't even miss blogging or visiting my online friends.  It was nice to have one less thing to keep up with.  But after awhile, I realized I did miss everyone!  I did visit blogs once in awhile and even left comments sometimes.  It'll be nice to catch up with everybody again.  

I meant to do a few posts over the Thanksgiving break, but got sick for several days.  Unfortunately, I still can't seem to kick the lingering cough.  

It's so good to be back!

Monday, September 17, 2012

What I've Learned This Semester

Once a semester I like to share my wealth of knowledge with you all, so that you can save yourselves a bundle by not having to attend college like I am.  You're very welcome!

1.  Math

A bookstore had 80 copies of a magazine.  Yesterday, it sold 1/5 of them.  Today, it sold 3/8 of the remaining magazines.  How many are left?

40 copies
2.  Music

Stalactites in caves may have been used as musical instruments in ancient times, hitting them to produce different sounds.

3.  Biology

At the cellular level of biological organization, atoms can be joined together to form ____, which make up organelles and then cells.

Molecules
4.  Criminal Justice

Plato's best known contribution to philosophy was his Theory of Forms.

5.  Art

Perspective:  The creation of the illusion of depth in a two-dimensional image by using mathematical principles.

*Ugh!  Why does everything have to be about math???
6.  Biology Lab

Hypertonic:  A solution with the higher solute concentration
Hypotonic:  A solution with the lower solute concentration
Isotonic:  When the osmotic concentrations of the solutions are equal.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Back To School Wordless Wednesday

My boys say I've neglected them for far too long on this blog and that if I can't be bothered to get a new camera battery for new pictures of them, the least I could do is to show off their fancy new back-to-school backpack!  Chico keeps packing and unpacking it full of stuffies and treats, trying to figure out how to get the most in there that he can.  I told him he needed to make sure there was enough room for school supplies, but he wasn't having any of that.  Shiver thinks everything belongs to him, but he's been surprisingly generous in letting Chico play with it.  Thanks to Sarge for doing such a great job of putting this together for them.  My boys will be stylin' and stuffs in class today!

And now back to our regularly scheduled program - Wordless Wednesday!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Monday Meme

Took this from here.

1.  If you were drafted from the military but could pick your branch, which would you choose?  Explain why.

I had briefly contemplated joining the military after high school, but decided I wasn't really ready to move away from home yet.  If I were to ever join, I'd probably go with the Air Force, because that's the branch my dad went into.

2.  What was the last thing you made from scratch in the kitchen?  

A mess, lol!  I don't do much cooking because I live by myself and it's just easier to microwave meals or make a sandwich or something.  With school and work, I'm busy and don't really have the time to make elaborate meals.  Plus I'm not much of a cook. I don't want to take the time, so if something says to heat the butter (or whatever) slowly, I turn the burner up so I'm not waiting on it any longer than necessary.  Or if I don't have a proper ingredient, I'll substitute something else which never seems to work out the way it should.   If I were cooking for someone else on a regular basis, I think I'd put more effort into it.

3.  Why did your parents give you your first name?

My father heard it somewhere or another and thought it was pretty.  I, on the other hand, think it's absolutely hideous!!!  I've used a nickname since 8 or 9th grade.

4.  Show and tell.  What comes to mind first when you see this picture?  Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.  
It reminds me of the squirrels that I like to feed on campus.  They hang out year round and I always have peanuts for them.  For some reason,I haven't seen very many this semester.  

Friday, September 7, 2012

Half Full Friday!


Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list!  (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list on your own blog.  Thanks!)
~I'm happy because...  
I had a three day weekend last weekend!

I went to the zoo on Labor Day!

I saw the butterfly exhibit at the zoo!

I'm going to Arts in the Park this weekend!

I got an 87% on my first bio quiz!  I have another one to do this weekend, keeping my fingers crossed I do just as well, if not better!

I seem to be doing a lot better in math so far this semester!
*****
I did a Monday Meme recently and was supposed to talk about this picture.  I knew it was a marsupial, but nothing else beyond that.  Well, I went to the zoo this past weekend and now I know what it's called - it's a wallaby!  The zoo allowed us to walk up close to them, although we weren't allowed to touch or feed them.  They were eating when I went through, so they weren't all that interesting to watch.    

Monday, September 3, 2012

First Impressions

Last week was the first week of school.  Most of my classes are 2 days a week, and one is only one day but two hours long.  For the most part, it's not been too bad!

The first class on Monday was math.  I took a lower division class and failed it both times the last 2 semesters, so I decided to start over with the very lowest one and maybe learn the foundations first.  The computer program requires you to take an assessment before beginning.  Most of the questions were ones I knew I'd gone over the two previous semesters, but had absolutely no idea of how to solve them.  The class is a lot easier so far, but I know it's not going to stay that way.
The professor seems nice.  She's deaf in one ear, and uses a guide dog.  The class is filled with students taking different math classes (an upper and lower), so that may get to be a little confusing down the road.  One thing I *do not* like is that she doesn't allow us to use calculators.

Next up was biology.  I always have one nightmare class per semester, and this is it for this go around! I don't know anything about or even care about biology, but it's a required class so I can't get around it.  It seems like this class is going to have an ungodly amount of homework, which I'm not pleased about.  At the end of the week, we have an online quiz we can take at home, which means we can use our books and notes.  I did two outlines of the chapter (accidentally deleted the first one!) and did the practice quiz - neither of which helped out in the least!  I got an 87% on the first quiz, which I'm quite pleased about!  I depended on notes, the book and google way more than I would have liked though.  I need to see about finding a tutor for this class, I think.  The professor goes waaaaaaaay too fast in class to get very effective notes.

I needed a fill-in class, so criminal justice was it!  I like the professor, but can't figure out why he got hired to teach this class.  He has virtually no experience in the real world.  After law school, he lived overseas and taught English to people in some other country (can't remember where he said).  When he came back to the States, he became a college professor.  He's funny though and lets us out of class early.

Art has been interesting.  I wasn't sure what to expect, as I'd been told it was a difficult class.  The only hard part so far has been that the professor goes through her slides too quickly, but she's going to post them online for us, which will help.  She asks lots of practice questions, some of which will be on the exam.

I was a little nervous about music, because I don't play any instruments and I don't know how to read music.  The professor is very young, very good looking and very engaging.  He seems to really know his stuff and has played in several symphonies.  I'll have to attend 3 musical events and do a write up on them.  I think it'll be a fun class!
And finally, I have a bio lab!  This is basically a whole other class, only with less credits.  It's required in conjunction with the biology class and is two hours long, once a week.  The professor seems knowledgeable, but he also seemed really nervous.  He told us he's going to be assigning a lot of homework, more than what's listed on the syllabus.  As if I didn't already have enough!  We'll also have an in-class quiz every week.

So that's basically what my semester will be like!  Not that you care, but I told ya anyways!

Happy Labor Day!  I apprerciate three day weekends so much more now that I'm back in school.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Monday Meme

Please note that today is my first day of school.  I have classes Monday - Friday this semester, which I haven't had in the past.  One nice advantage is that my days will be shorter, especially Monday and Wednesday.  Friday is my long day.  I'll do my best to try and visit everyone at least once this week, but I can't promise anything.  This is going to be a very busy semester with lots of homework, so I'll be around Blogville when I can.

Got this from here.

1.  If you could play any musical instrument, what would it be and why?  If you already play an instrument, what do you play and why?  

Currently, the only instrument I play is the radio.  When I was a kid, I wanted to learn to play the piano.  I'm not really sure why.  I asked my mom for lessons and she said no.  I think it was more because we didn't have a piano and she didn't want to pay for lessons.  I still think it might be nice to know how to play, but I haven't taken any steps to learn on my own.

2.  When trick-or-treating as a kid, was there any kind of candy you didn't like to get?  

I rarely got candy as a little kid, so I wasn't too picky back then!  I didn't care for peanut butter flavored taffy though.  Everything else, I devoured as quickly as I could, lol.

3.  Why do you live where ever you live?  

As a kid, my family moved around a lot.  My father was in the military and it seemed like almost every year, I went to a new school.  It had it's advantages, but there were also the disadvantages.  When my dad retired, he and my mom moved back here because they liked it so much when we lived here previously.

My brothers and I don't really talk and I don't know my other family members (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) because they all live so far away.  I'm not married, so I've always stayed close to my parents.  Now that my dad has passed away, I'm staying because my mom is really all I have.  When she's gone, maybe I'll move on.  I won't have anything else to hold me here.

4.  Show and tell.  What comes to mind first when you see this picture?  Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.  
Apparently, it's a marsupial.  I thought it was a kangaroo at first, but after googling for a better look, I don't know what it is!  I'm pretty sure it's not a kangaroo though!  What do you think it is?

Friday, August 24, 2012

Half Full Friday!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list!  (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list on your own blog.  Thanks!)
~I'm happy because...
Chico is doing a lot better!

School starts on Monday!  

My student loan proceeds finally came in!

I got most of my textbooks and school supplies!

I'm getting a haircut this afternoon!  

I bought myself a pretty dress!
*****
On Sunday, Chico started walking better.  On Monday, he walked almost normally.  By Tuesday, he was walking completely normally.  My student loan funds didn't come in until Wednesday.  Since Chico was doing so much better, I wondered if maybe he just hurt his leg maybe, and now it's healed up?!  After much thoughtful consideration, I decided to just watch him very, very closely and if I see any signs it's bothering him again, I'll make an appointment for the vet right away.  So far, so good!  

I need to give a huge *THANK YOU* to Pip's mom for researching and emailing me some information on companies that provide financial assistance for pet medical care.  It was very much appreciated.  I'd also like to thank everyone who offered prayers for my baby boy.  I love how we all look out for and help one another in Blogville.  
*****
Do you like nail polish?  One of my bloggy buddies has a nail polish blog.  She used to post mostly on another blog, but now she's starting to do more on her own again.  She wants to build her readership back up, so if you're into polishes, visit Smoochiefrog and be sure to tell her I sent you.  
*****
Got most of my textbooks yesterday.  One is on back order so I couldn't get it yet.  I still need to purchase two computer programs too.    Looking through the textbooks makes it seem all so real that school starts on Monday.  I already have homework for 2 different classes.  I also have a work meeting this morning.  I just want to enjoy the last of my summer vacay and not even have to think about school.  
*****
Speaking of school, I don't know how much I'll be around next week.  I don't work any closing shifts this semester except for Friday, so once my school day is done, I can go home.  I'm hoping I'll have a little more time now, especially since it seems like I'm going to have a LOT of homework this semester.  At least 2 classes have weekly quizzes, two others have weekly assignments, so I'll need to keep up on everything.  I'm not sure what the fifth class will be like yet.    

My Monday and Wednesday posts will be pre-posted.  I'm not sure about Friday's post yet.  I'll try to visit everyone at least once next week, but I'm not going to make any promises.  

Monday, August 20, 2012

Monday Meme

Unfortunately, my student loan proceeds didn't come in today, as expected.  It was a day or two late last semester too, so I'll wait until tomorrow before contacting the Financial Aid office to ask where my money is.

I noticed Chico seemed to be walking better yesterday and this morning.  He's not sticking his leg out behind him nearly as much, so I don't feel quite as bad about not being able to get him into the vet this morning.  Thankfully, everyone's prayers seem to be working, so thank you!

I got these questions from here.  They're from a June post, but I that's OK!

1.  What's one thing you can't seem to scratch off your to-do list?

I'm big on writing up lists so that I don't miss anything.  It's nice for when I'm at work and need to prioritize things.  At home, however, it's not nearly as effective.  There always seems to be at least one thing I don't get around to.  If it's housework, I procrastinate on dusting and cleaning the bathroom.  I'll usually eventually get around to the bathroom, but put off dusting for as long as possible.

2.  What is your biggest annoyance when driving?

This is easy - when people don't use turn signals!!!  There are several other things too, like seeing people texting while driving (which is illegal here), when people cut me off and when people ahead of me are going slower than the speed limit and I can't get around them for whatever reason.  Not using turn signals annoys me the most though.

3.  List three jobs you'd consider pursing if money didn't matter.  

Number one would be social work.  I briefly considered it for a time, but everyone kept telling me not to do it because it doesn't pay well.  Someone told me that money shouldn't be the reason why you would want to pursue that field, but I want to be able to pay my bills at the end of the month!  I think I would really enjoy this field and do a form of it with my volunteering gigs.

The second one would be to own a craft shop.  I'm not a crafting person myself, but there used to be a craft store in town where people would sell handmade crafts.  I loved to go in there and see all of the cool things on display.  At Christmas time, they would have an open house, which was amazingly well put together.  The owner's husband thought she spent too much time at the store, and told her she had to either close the shop or get a divorce.  I'd want to open a shop just like hers!

The third one would maybe be a doggie daycare.  I've never looked into working at one, so I don't know how profitable it would be.  I would want it to be one where people drop their dogs off for the day while they go to work, and the dogs would spend their days in utter bliss.

4.  Show and tell.  What comes to mind first when you see this picture?  Or tell a story if it reminds you of one.  
Obviously, this was taken in a place where there are lots of farms!  I don't know why, but this reminds me of my father.  He grew up on a farm.  The farm was long gone by the time I came into existence, so I never got to see where he spent his childhood years.  

Friday, August 17, 2012

Half Full Friday and Power of the Paws Needed Please!

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in each day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day.  Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list!  (This isn't a blog hop so please only link up if you've participated by posting your happy list on your own blog.  Thanks!)
~I'm happy because...
I went to a classic car show! 

I got my lawn mowed!  I had to pay someone to do it, but it's done, and that's all I care about!

One week left of vacay until I start school again!

My mom gave me some really pretty flowers for no reason at all!

One of my friends is no longer homeless!  I'm so glad she found a place to live!   
*****

Please cross your paws in prayer for my little Chico.  When I first got him, I took him to the vet and had them do an overall checkup, in addition to getting his shots up to date.  They told me at that time that his patella would slip out of his kneecap or something like that.  They recommended surgery, but said it wasn't necessary to get it done immediately.  My main concern at the time wasn't money necessarily, but the fact that Chico is so little!  The vet said it tends to happen to the smaller dogs and that he does this kind of surgery regularly.  It didn't seem to bother Chico overly, so I didn't do it.  

I'm kicking myself now, because Chico has been walking oddly lately, holding one back leg straight out behind him or holding his leg up close to him and walking on three legs.  He doesn't do this every time he walks, but he does it enough that it's grown to concern me.  It doesn't seem to give him any severe pains, as he doesn't cry when he walks or when I pet him on and around his leg.  But obviously something isn't right.  

I should get my financial aid on Monday.   The first thing I plan to do is to call the vet to set up an appointment.  I know for certain that they'll want x-rays and I'm pretty sure they'll recommend the surgery for him again.  I would do it in a heartbeat, but I'm so worried I won't be able to pay for it.  My financial aid will only stretch so far, and I need to make it last for the whole semester, which is difficult even with working part time. 

I really, really, really hope that my vet will allow me to make payments.  I know that they will sometimes do that in certain cases.  I don't know how else I could pay for it, and I can't deprive Chico of it if it'll make him better.  I'm just really worried about him.
 

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