nerds, netflix

School's out. Monday was the last day of spring semester. I had a final meeting with a tutee, because nothing like a last minute cram sesh. 

So, after a whirlwind of tuting and testing - the two areas where I work - the tuting's come to an abrupt halt. Not gonna lie, I feel a bit rutterless. At least testing is still hopping. We typically get a wave of testers at semester's end. Newly pinned EMT's getting their certifications, educators getting their licenses, etc.

On Tuesday...

Magnum: No more tutoring?

Me: *SIGH*, not until summer session starts... but in the meantime... (gesturing to the whiteboard, because, yes, we have a whiteboard).

I'd put up a thought provoking math problem, to keep our brains exercised, nerd that I am. Nerd that he is, he couldn't wait to try to solve it.

Since that, there've been more brain teasers appearing on the whiteboard. Some from me, some from him. I had to get more markers, we'd expended the others.

So this is what happens when nerds collide, get hitched. This, and that offspring who liked to do experiments and once blew stuff up and melted a poop bucket - but at least it was outside the house - and that's another story.

Meanwhile, we finished the Netflix series Four Seasons since it was getting a lot of hype. 

It was... all right. It's about a group of friends, 3 married couples, who take regular vacations together. One of the husbands asks for and gets a divorce, then takes up with a much younger "girlfriend", thus changing the vacation group dynamic. It's based on the 1981 movie, which I've never seen.

It was entertaining enough. I didn't always relate to the characters as I found them too neurotic in general. But it did remind me of a couple I met years ago. 

J and A were good friends with Magnum's dad and stepmom. The four of them went on vacations together, etc. Then it turned out that husband J was having an affair on wife A with a younger woman. 

J and A got divorced, and J eventually married the other woman. I remember FIL telling us they'd received an invitation to J's wedding.

"I threw it in the trash!", he said with a chuckle.

I didn't know my FIL that well yet at the time, and I remember him moving up a few rungs on the moral ladder in my mind with that remark. 

But really, I think I may have gotten more into that other viral Netflix series - Tiger King. 

This concerns me a little. 

scribin'

"I'm a robot, I'm a robot, I'm a robot...", I repeated to myself in my head. 

Yesterday at work, I took on the duty of scribing a quiz for a student. The students who come to the testing center for exams and quizzes are only those who have a documented disability as confirmed through Disability Services.  

So we deal with several students in addition to the professional testing candidates, and we only know of the accommodations they get. We don't typically know why they get those accommodations, and it's inappropriate to ask. I'd say the most common is extra time, but others include a private room, text-to-speech software, access to medication/ food, etc.

Some have readers for math tests since the text-to-speech software doesn't typically handle math very well, and that job usually falls to me since I'm the resident math nerd. This semester is the first time I've been asked to scribe - write out the work as dictated to me by the student.

But the request for a Calculus scribe came in. None of my coworkers wished to attempt that, and I honestly didn't want to leave the poor kid in their care. I feel like math is its own language, and there are levels of fluency like any other language. I would not be a decent scribe for a French exam, for instance.

I'd never met the student before, I'll call him Ben - not his name, but it's quick and easy to type. I didn't know why he needed a scribe. Maybe he had a hand injury and was temporarily disabled? 

Ben showed up for his quiz, and I immediately surmised that he has cerebal palsy. He was friendly and in good spirits. After struggling a bit to retrieve his wallet and present his ID, he was ready for his quiz.

His instructor allowed him 40 minutes to complete the quiz, and he (and I) banged it out in a little under 15. He would've completed it sooner if not needing the scribe. In other words, he knows his calculus stuff so far. 

Admittedly, it was difficult for me not to paraphrase. The environment was much like a tutoring session, but then, not at all like a tutoring session. I was to be like a robot and just write what I was told. I could tell he knew what he was talking about, but some of  his word choices were not the best, and I could feel myself trying to send him words with my mind. 

Didn't work, by the way.

But honestly, most of the time, he was spot on. And I rather enjoyed this scribing duty. Something different from the usual. I'm looking forward to his next test.

Enjoying it now before I'm replaced by AI.

children of the sage

Greetings fellow travelers! Magnum and I recently returned from a couple of days of hippie camp. We traveled south to the outskirts of Taos, NM to live among the Earthshippers. An interesting and educational time was had!

Our hippie camp rental among the sage

We knew  there was a cluster of earthship activity just outside of Taos, but I was not expecting the sheer number  of structures.  There are six or seven that can be rented, and I was thinking maybe fifteen to  twenty altogether with rentals plus private owned?

Welp, turns out the site is over 80 earthships on 640 acres.  I had no idea there were so many in one spot. It was almost other worldly. It was nothing but dirt, sage, and earthships as far as the eyes could see!

For those who don't know, earthships are sustainable structures offering total off-grid living. They are often made from "trash" such as glass bottles, beverage cans, and automobile tires.  They utilize solar and wind for power, rain collection and cisterns for water, and greenhouses for gardening. 

We stayed in the Phoenix West studio. It was the only one available on the dates we requested. It was very nice, better than I expected actually. 

"Our" side of The Phoenix

The only drawback is that it does not have a kitchen since it's part of a bigger structure, and the kitchen was in the other half - rented by some people who rained on our parade.

The interior was cozy and quite serene.  So much so, I kinda forgot to get photos, but I swiped these from the website:

Strangely, I really loved the bathroom (?). This photo doesn't do it justice. 

Two skylights above kept the whole interior bright and cool, and that shower was better than anything Gilligan ever had on his island.

I was surprised at how hot the shower water could be. 

Not surprisingly, there are fire restrictions in place in all of New Mexico. I'd brought our camp stove to use on the patio, and we managed fine without a full kitchen. There was also a coffee maker, coffee and tea selection, and a few dishes and utensils in the studio.

So yes, hippie camp was a win! Are we going to pull up stakes and become children of the sage, ourselves?

Oh, heck no. Too "out in the middle of nowhere" for us. 

We will remain Outlanders.

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:

5. Write a blog post inspired by the word: Freedom

make the cold nights feel like summer days

Back in late February, I got a LinkedIn notification about  a job opening.  It sounded like something I might like to do, and I felt qualified, so I went ahead and completed an application.  Other than the automated acknowledgement that they'd received my materials, etc., I never heard anything from them.

...until a couple of weeks ago.  Seemingly "out of the blue", I got a phone call.  The hiring manager was  personable, explained the nature of the job a bit more, asked if I was still interested and if so, would I come in for an interview?

Yeah... sure... okay... despite the fact that I'd just taken on a promotion at the old folks job.  

Long story short, I've given my notice at the old folks home and start the new gig on Tuesday.  I'll be working in the testing center at the local community college - coordinating activities for various standardized tests and academic exams.  My inner test nerd is happy, and it fits well with my tutoring experience.

Although the job was posted over three months ago, they'd halted hiring until the campus had their COVID policies more solidified, which apparently has happened.  So, I'm thankful and looking forward.

In the meantime, it's been a bit of a bumpy ride lately at the nursing facility.  Short staffing (remember me fretting about this as it loomed on the horizon??) has made for grumpy conditions, and it's difficult to get applicants right now.  Our chef has seemed rather cold to me this week, but he has the right.  He was away on a much needed vacation last week.  Upon his return, he was met with

• a cook who quit and didn't complete his 2-weeks notice because the new job offered him a fat bonus to start right away.
• I put in my notice.
• various dietary aides are quitting or wanting long vacations since school just got out.

and last, but certainly not least:

• Malcolm died.

I've enjoyed my time there, but really, it feels a bit like getting in the lifeboat of a sinking ship.  I don't know what upper management is doing to increase staffing as there's a lot of competition for workers right now.  Plus, I've said it here before:  I've learned that geriatrics isn't really my bag.  

A coworker friend who will likely take my position asked why I decided to take the new offer.

"Better pay, better schedule, more along the lines of my interests... Other than that, I dunno 😉"

Self care.  It's a good thing.  Speaking of which, I was enjoying a lovely morning bike ride earlier this week and came upon some dear deer just hanging out.

Such rides sure beat the slush fest from a couple weeks ago.

Thanks to everyone for the kind thoughts and words regarding Malcolm.  There was a well-attended celebration of life at his neighborhood cul de sac last weekend, but it still seems unreal at times.  

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Linking up this week with MamaKat for the prompt:

5. Summer is coming! What are you most looking forward to?

with all due respect to the queen...

Happy Independence Day, America 😊

I don't have an actual count of days, but 4th of July marks the mid-point of summer in my mind.  And here we are already!  We're burning through summer (not literally this year, thankfully)!

I didn't really set any goals or specific plans for summer, but I suppose there's still some time.  I tried to think up some summer goals to put in writing in no particular order:

Keep on a-tidying
I've mentioned my recent tidying efforts and how we're looking to downsize now that our nest is emptying.  That's been going well.  I even, to my surprise, managed to sell a pair of next-to-new running shoes on craigslist today.

I prefer rather minimal, zero-drop shoes for running, but thought I'd see how the other half lives and bought these Hokas to rotate in as I've heard such rave reviews.  I wore them once and realized I don't belong with the other half.  All that dang "support" - so uncomfy!

Some may recall that I tried to sell another pair of barely-worn running shoes on craigslist once.  The only response I got was from a foot fetishist, ick.

But this time, a friendly non-foot-fetish woman contacted me. She was so appreciative, and the shoes fit her perfectly.  Win-win.

And speaking of feet...

Walk/ Train the dogs
I'm trying to make it a point to walk our dogs and work on their leash skills on a regular basis.  They've been making good progress, but are both young and energetic and tend to pull and go wherever their noses take them.  I mean, look at what handfuls they are!

And speaking of training...

Keep the tutin' skills sharp
Not surprisingly, tutoring requests drop off in the summer months, which I'm happy of.  Thankfully, they don't drop to zero as many rising high school seniors (who don't bribe and lie their way into college) tend to use summer break to prep for SATs and ACTs - my biggest gig.  I have a handful of very pleasant kids I'm working with now.  The test makers update their prep materials every couple of years, and the SAT peeps just released new stuff.  I've got this lovely new edition of tests to geek out on.

And speaking of geeking out...

Use the apps

The app that I used for years to track my bicycling miles announced that it's getting rid of a key feature.  In protest, I removed them and downloaded a new app.  So there I was, in the new app, with a big fat zero for miles logged.  Gotta get rolling, and get rid of that goose egg.










And speaking of joy riding...

Spend time with fam
With everyone having the day off, we - Magnum, Meego, and I - indulged in a delightful joy ride today (as recorded in the app image above - no more goose egg).  Rode downtown to a nice shady park where we hung out for a bit and did some people-watching before heading home, grabbing lunch on the way.  Here's an action shot:

The "action" being checking the map to decide on a place for lunch.  And if wanting to tease Magnum about his white socks, go ahead.  He's already heard it from me.

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:
1. Do you have any summer goals? Write about them!

E F P T O Z

Most of us have heard the saying, "Be careful what you wish for", right? 

Well, I remember being around middle school age and having friends who wore glasses and thinking, "that would be fun to have glasses". 

Sheesh, what a dweeb.

But alas, I was blessed with wonderful vision.  20/15 when I was in high school.  That's better than 20/20, for those keeping score.  I figured things would stay that way to the grave, but it was college that I started squinting.

One day, it occurred strange to me that I had a hard time seeing the board in class - this was back in the day when professors used CHALK on CHALKBOARDS and overhead projectors used mirrors and TRANSPARENCIES.  I was only sitting a few rows up, and there were people way in the back row that seemed to see everything just fine.  

And so ended the 20/15... and the 20/20 for that matter.  Over the years, I've followed the spectacle fashion trends.  

Big plastic frames to go with my big 80's hair.

The round tortoise shells of the 90's.  Who of the glass wearers DIDN'T have the round tortoise shells?!

What followed in the early 2000's were a series of lenses that seemed to get tinier and tinier.  Why was that a trend?  Sacrifice peripheral vision for fash-on!?

A few years ago, I became a member of Team Bifocal, and this week I got my third pair of glasses of that genre.  I'm looking at them, and they kinda resemble that original pair from the 80's.  

What's old is new, it seems...except for the Old Lady lenses.

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Linking up this week with Mama Kat for the prompt:
4. Write a blog post inspired by the word: new

do all the things!

Summer is coming! What are you most looking forward to?

Y'all know I took a part-time line position in lunch lady land instead of a supervisory position that was offered because I wanted to get a better feel for the biz before committing further?  My "trial period" just ended today, and it was interesting to observe and assess while in the role of "Fiesta Lady!" aka SO Much Mexican Food! As I ponder next steps, one thing I'm looking forward to is:

1.  Not cooking and serving a bazillion nachos / tacos/ burritos

While I enjoyed the shenanigans and camaraderie of my coworkers and had fun with the kids, there was not a day that went by where I neither thought nor said out loud, "this is NOT rocket science!" - usually several times. This brings me to my next point:


2.  Getting my geek on

Now that it's summer, when many give their brains a rest, I'm looking forward to jump starting mine. This morning I ordered a book so as to learn a new-to-me programming language, recommended by Chaco.  I may not end up doing rocket science, but maybe I can pretend to approach rocket science's  neighborhood.

Summer is also P.E.O. state convention time, and Colorado is gearing up for hers in a couple of weeks, where I look forward to


3.  Being a nobody at convention

For the past two summers, I've attended convention as our chapter delegate.  So I sat through ALL the meetings and voted on ALL the proposals and ate ALL the meals and slept badly ALL the nights because of ALL sister Susan's snoring...

...really, I love Susan, but man, she can saw a log!  And she loves going to convention, delegate or no.

Many parts of convention are fun, however, and this year, I am not chapter delegate!  I do plan to visit the convention, and mainly just do fun stuff 😊 then go home and sleep in my own bed. And through that restful sleep, I hope to


4.  Laugh in the faces of my allergies

I've been getting these allergy injections for several months now, and I've noticed some imporovement, but they haven't yet been fully put to the test.  But summer's nearly in full bloom.  Bring it on!

5.  Go someplace I've never been

I feel like I haven't had a decent getaway in so long.  I WILL get one in before summer's out!

In short, I am looking forward to a fulfilling and productive summer!  Although... that may be easier said than done, judging from past experience.

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Linking up with Mama Kat for the prompt:

5. Summer is coming! What are you most looking forward to?

when nerds collide

Out for a romantic dinner.  He suddenly stood up, then got down on one knee, whipped a diamond ring out of somewhere, and popped the question.

Or...

At a lovely hiking destination, with nothing but the sounds of nature and breathtaking views.  He gently popped the question.

Or...

At a favorite sports venue and suddenly he was on the jumbo tron, down on one knee, and smilingly popped the question.

I've heard of things like this happening or seen them in movies.  Well, nothing like that has ever happened to me, and I'm perfectly fine with that.

In fact, our proposal just sort of materialized.  Think of an engineering problem to set the romantic mood...

Magnum and I met at the University of Colorado where we were both studying mechanical engineering.  So right there, it can be inferred that we were/are both unromantic nerds.  We'd been "dating" for a little over a year I think.  But I'm struggling to recall our "dates" since I mainly remember working at my retail job and doing homework, and he was in the Army National Guard when he wasn't doing homework.  Somehow, we managed to become a couple during that time.

The proposal, however, was quite momentous.

We had both just finished fall semester finals, typical painful things that they were.  So we were celebrating the conclusion of finals and being another semester closer to graduation when the idea of marriage just kinda came up.

The mush that was left of our brains at that point was already on vacation.  Plus, we were both probably a little drunk at the time.  Yeah, what the hell!  Let's get hitched!

And here we are, almost 28 years later.

As an epilogue to that touching story, I also remember the choosing of our wedding date.

Magnum's brother/best man lived in Austria at the time.  My brother Guano/usher lived in Japan at the time.  My best friend/maid of honor lived in Germany at the time.  We managed to find a date that worked for all those worldly people.  My dress was off-the-rack JCPenney, and we sealed the deal.

To this day, we sometimes consider renewing our vows and having the wedding WE always wanted...

at the Justice of the Peace.

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Linking up with Mama Kat this week for the prompt:
1. Write about your proposal.

I finally did a three-way

I bought something for myself a coupla weeks ago.  Something other than the usual essential things.  It might be classified as a splurge, but it was only about five bucks, so.  No.

I'll call it an "enrichment toy".  Like that time we went to the wild cat sanctuary with the overhead walkway, and the guides told us, "If you drop your hat/ camera/ phone/ child, you won't get it back.  It becomes an enrichment toy for the animals".

See, I never had one of these as a kid.  I knew others that had one, but I just found them frustrating.  It wasn't until recently that I learned that the dang things come with instructions.  INSTRUCTIONS!?

So... here... many moons later.  I bought one.  I bought myself one of those... the other day, I bought... I ordered online... for myself... I found and bought...

a Rubik's cube.

Dammit.


I couldn't get the darn things to work way back when they were first introduced in 1974 - yes, I was alive then.

They were all the rage.

I'd twist things around a few times and just when I'd get colors to line up, the other colors I had lined up were unlined up.  GAAAH!!


One day not long ago, Wolfgang was here and he had a mirror cube, which is kinda like a Rubik's cube, but harder.


It reminded me that I never mastered the Rubik's cube.  Never mind the fact that now there are 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, 7x7, and maybe even bigger cubes!  I never even figured out the 3x3!  Elementary school kids can do it!

So, dammit, I got one!

And yes, the frustrating things come with INSTRUCTIONS!  Who knew?!?


So I studied.  I learned.  I got the idea.

I tried.  I failed.  I tried some more. I failed some  more.


I learned that you actually solve the thing in steps - clear and specific steps, rather than the mess-with-it-until-something-works method I'd used in my naive impetuous youth.


Even Magnum confessed  his frustrations with the thing long ago.  Asperger Magnum had struggled with the Rubik's cube!  I let him mess with mine.  Just as long as we all know...It's MINE. 



It's mine,  as in...






I OWN it.





How are you wasting spending your time?
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Linking up with MamaKat this week for the prompt:
6. Share your favorite October purchases!

.

I need you to need me

I was around 15 years old, going somewhere in the car with my mom.  She asked me,
"What do you think you want to be when you grow up?"

Of course I'd been asked that before.  Seems like from first grade on, we had to write a paper every school year to answer just that question.  I'd never had any clear cut ideas, anything I KNEW I was destined for.  But I always remember that I wanted to do something useful.  Does that count as a thing?

And by that time of her question, I wasn't in elementary school anymore where we'd write about three sentences and then draw a picture of our career of choice.

I remember thinking that I should probably give my mom an answer.  To ease her mind that I wouldn't be a spinster living at home forever.  I told her I thought maybe I'd like to be an architect, maybe...

I detected a sense of relief from her.  Apparently I'd given a favorable response, unlike say, "barmaid", "snake charmer", "pole dancer"...

In fact, it seemed like I was better at knowing what I didn't want to be.  That seemed like a shorter list.  For example, I wouldn't want to work in sales.  Trying to reach quotas every month, trying to always "get to 'yes'", travelling all over to meet with clients.  Not my cup of tea.  The competition, the schmoozing, the somewhat conniving connotations

So I went to engineering school which I actually enjoyed except for the lack of a social life and the first few days of classes and...

But even that business calmed down after a while.  And in case anybody's wondering what it's like to be one of five girls in a classroom with 95 guys, it's not as good as it sounds.  But it does make it more likely to be picked for a photo to accompany a magazine article on your somewhat well-known professor.  And you will be paid a very handsome sum of one black and white photo.

Eventually, though, after a few group projects and such, the engineering guys learn that the engineering girls are just people.  Plus, they learn that the typical engineering girl doesn't really have time to spend on hair and makeup, nor does she want to.  The business school was the next one over.  Those girls spent more time on their appearance and would probably be good at sales.

At that point, it's safe for an engineering girl to agree to marry one of the engineering guys.  *ahem*.  We understand each other.

So I went to work and was useful, and it was good.  I liked my job.  I liked my coworkers. I liked my paycheck.  Mom was happy.

But then babies started to arrive...

mommyish.com

and I realized I'd be more useful taking care of them.  So I did...

Now, they're all big and independent.  So it's time to grow up and be useful again.

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Linking up with MamaKat this week for the prompt:

2. Something you wanted to be when you grew up

.

Silver Liningness Sunday

Full Moon.  Solar flares.  Friday the 13th.  Father's Day.  All in one weekend!

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there, including Magnum and my own dear old dad.  I actually haven't called my dad yet today, as he's not a fan of Hallmark Holidays.  But he seems to like it when I call, so I'll probably rebel.

As a special gift to Magnum, we took a weekend getaway.

Well, actually no.  We were going away for this weekend anyway because it was Denver Comic Con weekend!  Welcome to Nerdtopia!

It was a little iffy since Chaco was gimping around on his bad ankle.  Recall that he rolled it post-Incline a couple of weeks ago.  Just as the ankle was getting back to normal, Chaco and some coworkers were returning from lunch and dashing through a parking lot, dodging a rainstorm.  He planted his foot in some mulch and...  back to square one.

But, he'd had a few days to rest it, and he was willing and able to take one for Comic Con.  Once we entered the convention center and made plans for our rendezvous, Chaco and Wolfgang ditched the parents.  Meego was happy to keep us company however.

As expected, there was a good crowd.  Last year, I think the popularity of the event overwhelmed the staff, so this year, they seemed well-prepared for the masses.  Check-in and moving around went pretty smoothly all things considered.

The cosplay was impressive as always.  I noticed that there weren't as many zombies as previous years, so maybe that theme is waning.  Other genres were well represented - Dr. Who, X-Men, Star Wars, Serenity/Firefly, and various other comic book, video game, and anime characters I'm ignorant of.

Bender!  And his little sand person?

Lego Batman was very popular.
I was checking out his abs.

So a good time was had by all.  There were several geek celebrities there, but that wasn't my focus.  I enjoy the people-watching, the cosplay, and the Artist Alley.  There is some impressive artwork there, but I never buy any of it.  What would I do with a watercolor of Wolverine or Daryl Dixon?  Nevermind...

So a big thanks to the people of Denver Comic Con - workers and attendees alike.  Nice bunch for a geek weekend.

SOURCE

Same time next year?  Hopefully so, unless the veloci-rapture occurs...

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Silver Liningness Sunday

To my left are two of, I think, five fans.  A little behind and to my right is a hideous lamp.  There are boxes in various stages of unpack and disorganize, there is a subtle odor of vinegar...

It's a good thing everyone's in a good mood.

As mentioned, the college semester came to a close for Chaco, Wolfgang, and myself this week.  Meego still has a couple of weeks of slaving, and the rest of us are trying to organize all of this dorm stuff into manageableness.  Most of it is Chaco's as he was living in an apartment for the last 9 months or so.

One of his roommates "washed out", more or less, after the fall semester, and left a bunch of stuff behind.  Another roommate is headed home to Florida in a Honda Prelude, so Chaco took on the care and feeding of a good portion of his stuff too.  Then there are various things that the New Guy roommate left behind, and it's all invaded our house.  I KNOW I didn't buy that hideous lamp.

BUT, it's all good and will be resolved soon, I'm certain.  The good moods arise from being finished with school for now and looking forward to summer.  Wolfgang will be back to his summer job at EduKit soon, and Chaco's secured a job working in the university's computer science department.

We basked in Meego's birthday on Wednesday, and I think today, we're going out for a proper celebratory meal and activity of Meego's choice.  Yes, he did like the thing that we got him that I nearly busted a bladder to intercept.  Since Anita asked, here it is:

We've already had some fun with some backyard stargazing.  Jupiter mooned us.  Three times!















And speaking of birthdays and gazing, I have visited the new little boy baby next door.  We brought over some supplies, and I got a baby fix.  SO precious!!  Then I came back home for a full night's sleep.

In other new stuff news, Reese shed (big whoop).  We could tell he was about to strip at any moment, so decided to train the video camera on him to record his undressing.  Who knew he was so modest!  He did it, but managed to do so behind his "play structure" from the camera angle.

But oh well, we videoed it, so here is the 13-second strip show.  He comes out of the cave, sheds the skin on a piece of driftwood, and leaves it hanging off the wood like a pair of pantyhose left on the shower curtain rod.  It's hard to see it even with having it explained ahead of time, so be sure to rewatch the video about 50 times or so...





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no reaction

I thought I'd do a MamaKat's post today.  Since it's Thursday and I haven't linked up with her in a while.  I was perusing the prompts and came across

5.) Your least favorite subject in school.

and I thought, "Oh!  School!  I like school!"  Whod've thought that would be a problem??  I sat here wracking my brain for a LEAST favorite subject.  Geesh, what a nerd.

I mean, I liked school.  Heck, now I'm back in school so that I can work in a school for cripe's sake.  Least favorite subjects aren't something I consider very often.  But surely something must be at the bottom of the stack, right?

Nothing comes to mind, but I'm going with Chemistry, and that's a bit of a tragedy.

When I was a little kid, I thought that when I grew up, I'd like to be a scientist, which is a super vague and broad term.  But I pictured myself in some laboratory with the safety goggles and the beakers and test tubes all a-bubble.




I took chemistry in high school with all the other required sciences.  I'm pretty sure I got an A, but I don't remember hardly anything about it.  Granted, it was *hack* many years ago, but I do remember pieces of my other science classes.


In college, I was required to take General Chemistry (genchem).  I don't remember much of that class at all either, other than I recall thinking it was the same stuff we'd done in high school - which I don't remember, remember?






GenChem marked the end of my chemical romance.  I moved on to other things.  Later on, I worked at a (in the mechanical side) chemical company.  I was intruigued by the work the chemists in the lab did.  Creating new formulations and compounds based on what the chemists wanted the materials to do.

Yeah, THAT'S what I'd seen myself doing in my child mind's eye.  But we didn't do any of THAT when I was in school.  I think we balanced equations and stuff, making sure that the number of molecules on the right side of the equal sign matched the number of molecules on the left.  Okay, there, I remembered something after all.

I don't regret not becoming a chemist.  I've enjoyed the schooling and career path that followed.  But at the same time, I think I would've enjoyed being a chemist of some sort.  As long as I wasn't doing cruel and unusual things to animals.

I think it's why I like having a fish tank.  It's not so much about the fish, it's about keeping it all in the right chemical balance for the fish and plants in their little ecosystem, totally under my knowledge and control.  Which probably explains the apocalarium events...

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Stop and Smell the Roses Sunday

Dear Blog,

new friends!

Greetings from Nerdtopia!  It's time once again for Denver Comic Con, so how could we resist?

So yeah, the family and I have taken a little side trip to stop and smell the roses and zombies and superheroes and video game people and stuff I have no idea what's.

KITT!

The place was a bit of a zoo for some as word got out about how fun it was last year.  Compared to others, though, we fared all right.  Got in Saturday with less than an hour wait and then walked right in this morning.  Good times all around!








As expected, it was once again People Watching Palooza.  Chaco met George Takei at the hotel gym - just a few minutes after I'd left - harummph!

Once I'm down from my nerd high, I'll be around to visit my fave-O blogs.  In the meantime, I'm so looking forward to wearing my new Hello-Kitty-as-a-Storm-Trooper t-shirt!
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don't mind the mess

While the majority of working slobs has gone back to the grind, I confess that I am still slacking.  Students in our school district don't go back until Monday, so while the teachers and administrators are back, we outsiders have an extra few days.  Additionally, all of my tutees are taking this week off, and I didn't try to persuade them otherwise.

So I'm kind of getting caught up on things while enjoying a bit of lazy bumness.  Keep in mind that all of the kids are still here making several messes daily hanging out until school starts up again.

BUT, at least Magnum's been earning his keep.  Remember that contraption we ordered?  Then it arrived all wrong and he commenced to making me stupid?  Then he retaliated and got all of our money back, PLUS we got to keep the crap thing?

Well, he's been playing around with it during the break, and IT'S  A-LIIIIIIIIIVE!

Okay, not really, not quite yet.  But the head has certainly dropped.

We gave it a little test a couple of days ago.  The lovely Tessa, happy for the activity since the snow season started, was an enthusiastic willing participant.

Okay, so it's almost working.  Just needs a bit of tweaking.

With this- and maybe a good sturdy crossbow - we're nearly ready for the zombie apocalypse.

Know what it does?  20 questions?




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hello! remember me?

We're back from road trip 2012.  Much fun was had, and I've cleaned out the 90 + e-mails.  Now for some quality blog time and a rehash!

War Machine!!!!

First up:  Denver Comic Con.  What a blast!







Really, I had no idea what to expect and was just sort of tagging along to watch, but it was So.  Much.  Fun.  Everyone has already jumped on the bandwagon to go again if Denver hosts another.

Magnum and some new friends

I'm NOT going to say, "Who you gonna call?" in this caption!

I think what made it fun was that there was instant camaraderie among all of the attendees just from the mere fact that we were all at Comic Con together.















There were some really fun costumes and displays.  And the art people were really friendly!

Meego less than impressed with a talking car
he's never heard of

More like it!

He seems a lot bigger in the movies

Okay, this one's big

We have no idea who/what this character is.
Anyone????

So the trip began with a bang.  We could all die happy, having attended at least one Comic Con.  We loaded up the souvenirs and headed out for the second leg of the trip:  Nebraska and CORN!

Excitement abounds!

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