Maintaining sanity, freshmen and why my boyfriend is amazing.

Maintaining Sanity: I've had a rough week. Seems I've fallen into a funk, which means that it takes that much more effort for me to maintain some amount of sanity. Usually, I start eating crappy food. I spend more money because I'm too lazy to cook dinner and lunch. I skip my aikido classes. I isolate myself from my friends and develop insecurities that manifest themselves in really ugly behavior (which then fuel the insecurities). ENOUGH!


This happens a lot :) What I've realized is that I don't have the luxury of enjoying my sanity. I need to work to maintain it, or else I don't have it. This is a bleak prospect. But it's also just the way things are. So...the only thing to do is continually work...spend time with people, do something that keeps me spiritually grounded. I cannot think myself into a good place...but I can take actions that will change my attitude. After a few days of self-care, I feel much better.


Freshmen: I am officially a student again. Because I am going back for another B.S., I am in a lot of intro courses. So are all the freshmen. Here are a few words for my fellow classmates:

• Stop packing up your crap five minutes before the end of class. When I ask the professor a question, it's because I don't understand something and I feel that it's vital to my success in the class. I would like to be able to hear his reply.
• When you ask a question and the professor says "no," and you ask "why," it becomes obvious that you spent the last fifteen minutes sleeping or chatting.
• It's 65 degrees outside...that skirt only covers your crotch. Stop complaining about how cold it is in the lecture hall.
• No...the homework isn't required. But it's strongly recommended. If you did the homework and still have questions, ask away. If you didn't...STOP WASTING MY TIME.

Why my boyfriend is amazing: I haven't done a tribute to J yet, but I've been feeling especially grateful for his presence in my life lately. Here's a few reasons why:

• When I throw a fit because I can't do distribution analysis, J rubs my back and asks me why I'm having a hard time. And then I explain why and I feel smart again. And he listens, even though he has no idea what I am talking about.
• At the end of each House episode, J does a funny walk to the beat of the soundtrack. And he doesn't stop until I'm in stitches.
• When I try to leave for work, J won't let me go without making me hug him for a few minutes. And when he has to leave first, he makes sure he comes and hugs me goodbye.
• Every morning, J sends me a text message that begins with "good morning, beautiful."

Lame blogger...Jack Horner...and a random Triceratops

I am an utterly lame blogger. I have failed my duties as a blogger and have ignored my blog for far longer than any decent blogger would. For this, I am sorry.

I have done some cool things in the last few weeks, especially dino-related things!

1. I have finally read Jack Horner's "Digging Dinosaurs." It was just what I needed...a little pick-me-up before school starts...a little 'hey, you can look forward to this' thing. The book is old...like, twenty years old. I'm sure much of the information is outdated...but it's perfect! There's not so much emphasis on the science...well, there's not so much emphasis on scientific language...it's all science in layman's terms. It's fascinating. I never considered that field work could mean contending with black widows and scorpians (which I would have considered had I not been blinded by love). There's subtle humor throughout...the kind I've become so familiar with since joining the Dinosaur Mailing List. And of course, the discoveries...I have a new respect for Maiasaur...for dino babies...for the amazing conclusions that can be drawn from a few bones and a quick study of the geology of an area. It's SO COOL!!!!!

2. I discovered that OPU (Over-Priced University) has a Triceratops! Turns out one of the professors is working on a Triceratops skeleton. I don't know much about it...there's literally no information on the OPU website...anywhere. I have contacted the professor, however, to ask if I can get my hands dirty with the project. I'm sure, as a brand new geology student with no experience, that I won't get to do much more than watch...but that will suffice. Currently, the Triceratops is resting peacefully in a plaster jacket, enclosed in a rock matrix, inside a preparation room in the geology museum. I usually walk over there on my lunch breaks and press my face up to the glass, trying to pick out the bone fragments from the rocks (yeah...I'm THAT new to this). I get chills when I go in there...it's like my dream of working with dinosaurs is sitting on the other side of a window and I can almost touch it!

3. Miss Emily and Jordan have become best of friends. He's been documenting their relationship on his cell phone. Apparently, she's not the easiest company:


First Picture Caption reads: Emily drank all my water and she won't refill it.
Second Picture Caption Reads: Now she keeps changing the channel.