WHEW!!!! Busy, busy, busy. Just a recap of last week. Everything was pretty normal last Monday through Wednesday. Just the cooking and wrapping gifts, etc. that comes with the holidays. I finally got the Christmas cards out. Gold star for me. I didn't even do them last year. Thursday was our lab Christmas party. We went to Polliwogs for beer and appetizers and played Dirty Santa. I usually don't like that game, but it was actually pretty fun this year. I got a stocking with a puzzle, candles, a Sudoku puzzle book, a fuzzy pen, and this green goo called Flarp that makes fart noises (tons of fun at a bar, by the way). Friday, I went to work and that evening we went to Doug's birthday get-together. We ate at Harveys and then went to Zachary's to listen to some music and (you guessed it) drink more beer. We woke up at 6am the next morning to go to my Grandparents' and ate and exchanged gifts, etc. This continued on Sunday and that evening we traveled back. It's almost relaxing to be at work today.
So far I've checked my e-mail (which took a while since I got 100 messages over the weekend), updated my notebook, moved some fish, and wrote this. I've got to go grocery shopping tonight since we didn't get to do it yesterday. And I have several gifts left to wrap. One of Rich's still hasn't made it in yet. I hope it gets here soon.
I will be 25 years old 1 week from today. I came to the realization yesterday that 30 is getting really close. That number has never really bothered me before. But I realized that at 30, it is the end all be all. You are an...dun, dun, dun...ADULT (oh the horror). Oh well, I've got a few more years. I really feel like I'm still 17 years old. Except that I have a college degree, an apartment, bills, and a husband. But other than that I don't feel grown up at all. It's actually kind of amusing.
Oh, and as a side note, GO SAINTS!!!!! I just knew they'd make the playoffs this year. Even though we lost yesterday, we still kick butt! Ok, end of side note.
Tomorrow and Wednesday and going to be REALLY s....l......o......w. I don't really have much to do. Well, I've got to pretend to work for a little while. Later.

So Monday is nearly over. I don't really have a whole lot to say, but I thought it would be nice to update this blog. I'll just keep typing and we'll see what comes out. This weekend was pretty fun. We had the department Christmas party Friday night. Food was excellent, as always. Who knew a bunch of nerdy scientists could be such good cooks? We stayed until about 7pm and headed to Mike and Jen's. I love going over there. It's just like family. And their kids are as adorable as they come. Again, food was excellent, as always. I ate a lot this weekend, if you can't tell. We stayed over there until about 2am (really late for me, but the conversation was good). After that Rich and I went home and went to bed.
Saturday, we slept until nearly 11am (ahhh....just like being back in high school). We hung around for a while and then decided to catch the matinee of Casino Royale. Now, I'm not usually a Bond fan, but holy crap I could watch Daniel Craig until my eyeballs fall out. HHHHHOOOOOOTTTTTT! Someone should kiss his parents for me. When he put that tux on...well, I'm just not even gonna go there. Rich thought it was funny. But hey, he got to ogle the Bond girl (which happens to be the reason I think men love these movies so much). I thought no one could reach Sean Connery's Bondness, but I have been corrected.
After the movie, Rich and I stopped by Blockbuster and rented the DaVinci Code. I highly recommend the book. While the movie was enjoyable, anyone who has read the book will find it to be disappointing. But if you're not busy comparing the 2, the movie is pretty good. Nothing exciting happened the rest of the weekend.
We did our usual Sunday routine of grocery shopping and preparing for the coming week. And that was about it. However, I would like to take a moment and send out a big shout out the the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!!! We are so due. Way to kick ass! 9-4! Watch out Carolina, we're coming for ya!
As for today, I have been writing my manuscript and planning out what all I need to accomplish this week. I know that doesn't sound like much, but I get so much more done when I sit down and work out all the details. I don't have to worry that I've forgotten something. Tonight, I'm going to go home, put on some laundry, watch Rachael Ray, run on the treadmill (I have a new program I want to try tonight), and just chill out. Rich is cooking tonight (yea!).
Well, that's about it. Until next time...

In need of a creative mental break. I've discovered that I can only stay focused on my writing for about 5 minutes at a time. I'm getting my stuff done, it's just that I can't keep my mind from wandering off subject and talking to my co-workers. The only thing that keeps me remotely focused is listening to my iPod. I swear that is the best money I ever spent. Except for maybe my treadmill. But I get more use out of my iPod. I remember being able to sit still for hours at a time when I was a kid. Is there such a thing as late development ADD? I guess when I used to write as a kid, it was because I really wanted to. When did writing become work for me? I used to want to do this for a living. I used to love to go to the library and do research. What happened to all that? I really think that higher education can stifle creativity. Not always. I'm sure that the fact I went into such an analytical field has something to do with it. I miss enjoying what I do. I wish there were some dance classes or something I could take to get that all out of my system. I miss performing. You would think that living in a college town would provide opportunities like dance and music classes. Hell, I think a knitting class would be a lot of fun. They just don't seem to have much around here. I'm not artistic enough for art classes (my mom and Rich will confirm that for anyone who doubts that; I just don't have an eye to create my own art.)
Well, I guess that's enough rambling for right now. I'd better get back to writing my paper.

Yet again...it's been a while. I know. I have not excuse, so I'm not going to give you any. Just a brief update to pass the last 15 min. of work. I have begun Christmas planning. Rich and I took pictures for our Christmas cards this past Saturday. My mom did a really good job. Photoshop does wonders for puffy eyes ;). Rich is doing well. There's not a whole lot to report there. We're both just working. We went to go see some friends play at Polliwog's Saturday night. It was so much fun. They are all very talented.
I don't think it's a secret, but a couple of our friends are expected their 3rd child. I'm so excited for them. They already have 2 wonderful kids. They're really good parents.
I started dieting and working out again. Hopefully, I can lose at least another 5-10 lbs before Christmas. Just so I can have some buffering for the holidays. You know how that is. Finding sparkpeople.com has really worked for me. It breaks dieting and exercise down into numbers. When you see how much you really eat, it makes a huge difference.
Well, I think I'm going to pack up my computer and start heading home. Hope everyone is doing fine (if anyone is actually reading this). I'll check in again soon.

It's FRIDAY!!! Yea! I can't wait for 5:00. This was such a long week and I don't even feel like I've gotten anything accomplished. I taught on Wed. I can't tell you how glad I am that that is over. I realize that having teaching experience looks good on a CV, but I really think that I would be absolutely miserable if I had to do that everyday for my career. I have tons of respect for teachers. It's just not something I'm cut out for.
Somehow the vet students got into vet school not knowing how to take notes quickly. The write down every word you say. It's called abbreviations! My class ran over a full 10 minutes because they wrote so slow. I really wonder how some of those people made it through undergrad.
Yesterday was All College Day here at the vet school. So basically I just went to a bunch of functions and did absolutely no work whatsoever. Fun. Fun.
So this weekend will consist of me sleeping in and possibly some shopping. It would be fun to see what bands are playing this weekend. Maybe I'll check out the bar scene tonight. I'll see how I feel later.
Okay...so this just popped into my head because my feet are still sore from Wed. How in the heck do women wear dress shoes all day. I wore a flat pair of leather Clarks and my feet still hurt 2 days later. Maybe it's my high arches. But there are girl around here who wear 3 inch heels all day everyday. How is that possible? Can someone explain this to me?
Well, I'm going to wrap this up. Have a good weekend everyone!

Improvident--that is the lab's "Word of the Day" according to Cynthia who got it from Google. It means thoughtless or negligent. So here comes my vent. I'm having a bad week so far, so just bare with me for a moment. I am supposed to teach a class tomorrow morning at 8AM. FUN! (or not). I hate teaching. There is nothing I despise more than standing up in front of 72 vet students with a God complex and a professor who is a billion times smarter than I am and acting like I actually know what I'm talking about. My major professor informs me last Tuesday through another grad student (not directly through a conversation she's had with me) that I will be teaching the lecture I taught last fall next Wednesday. OK. No problem. Next week, Monday at 4pm (less than 2 days before I teach) she informs me that I will also be teaching another organism that I don't have a lecture for. I also need handouts for the students. Sure, I can handle it (I'm a pushover.). I work on it for most of the night last night. This morning around 10am. Phone call: you don't need to do the other organism lecture. Note: This is the day before I teach and I haven't worked on my handout because I was working on the other lecture. UGH! And she also wants a copy of the manuscript I haven't finished so she can proofread it while she's out of town. She will be getting the introduction. I feel like my whole experience as a grad student has been like this. My major professor has no time for me. I am always the last one to get a meeting if I get one at all. If I ever go crazy and decide I want a Ph.D I will be sure to do my homework first before I spend years of my life working for someone who forgets I exist. Ok. Thanks for listening. I feel much better now. *stepping off soapbox*

Here's Wynfrey and Delta!
Just thought I'd post a couple of pics of the "kids" that I took a few months ago and never posted. I've been spending a good chunk of the weekend organizing my pictures. So, I figured now is as good a time as any.

I've decided that my day just goes to darn fast to remember to keep up this blog. I look at it in my favorites folder everyday and briefly think..."I should really post something." There just aren't enough hours in the day. Things are going well on the homefront. The school year has started back up and it's hard to find a decent parking space again. I guess it would help if I actually showed up to work before 9AM. It's hard to get motivated to do that when you have a co-worker who doesn't come in until 11AM and leaves at 3 or 4PM after taking a 1 or 2 hour lunch break. I shouldn't let it bother me, but she's a real witch to me sometimes. I just don't like 2-faced people. You never know when they're going to stab you in the back. I try to deal with this person as little as possible.
Last weekend, Rich and I got to go out with CJ and the Pascos, Clayton and Sarah. So much fun. It doesn't matter how much time has passed, it feels like we're all back on the beach in Florida everytime we get together. I just love those guys!
Yesterday after work, Rich and I went to play 9 holes of golf. We did terrible. I lost 4 golf balls and Rich lost around 8. Now, I know that makes it sound like I did better than Rich, but the reason Rich lost so many is because he can hit the ball further than 5 feet. It's hard to lose the ball when you can watch it roll across the ground in front of you. It was fun anyway. After it was too dark to play anymore, Rich and I sat on the porch of the clubhouse and smoked a couple of cigars (yum!). A guy named Connie joined us. He used to coach a high school football team in Alabama, and he had some great stories. He'd spent one evening dicussing coaching strategies with Bear Bryant and some other great college coaches. We talked to him for a long time. At about 9:30pm we realized we needed to get something to eat, so we hit Taco Bell, of course. I love that stuff. I had the Nacho Crunch Grilled Stuft Burrito. I don't recommend it. There was nothing "Crunch" about it. The tortilla strips were soggy with whatever greasy sauce they poured over the top of it. Not cool.
We're supposed to go to T-town tomorrow and go to Wings. Yum-O! (to quote Rachel Ray...who is solely responsible for why we don't eat Hamburger Helper and fast food every night in this household.)
Well, that's about it for the Brandon homestead. Until next time...

I'm just proving myself to be a big, fat liar. Somewhere in my head I thought to myself..."Hey, it's summer. I'm not taking any classes. I'll have a ton of extra time." NOT!!!! I don't think I've spent a weekend at home in a month or more and work is driving me absolutely insane. I got so stressed out the other day I actually broke into tears at work. I'm still trying to live that one down. My major professor just told me to calm down. She apparently is not planning on kicking me out of there in December so I'll have at least another year to finish my research and writing.

Rich is finally finishing his baseball season. I can't wait. It seems like we hardly get to hang out anymore. His All-Star team finished 3rd in the state this past weekend and we have one more tournament in Columbus next weekend. Then it's all over! I know Rich really enjoys coaching. I just wish he would get certified to teach so he would get paid for all this extra work he puts in. But he's happy at his current job, so I can't complain.

I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July. I went in to work earlier today and put individual snail into individual little cups (they look like shot glasses, which is convenient since spending hours doing what I did today makes you want to start drinking heavily) for 4 hours. Yuck. I hate snails. What purpose do they really serve in the greater scheme of things? I guess other animals eat them, but can't animals feed on something else so that I can banish the snails from the face of the planet? At least that would solve the little parasite problem that we're researching in our lab.

So after I finished playing with snails for a good chunk of my holiday, I went to Sonic for lunch. I was seriously craving a Vanilla Coke and they sent me home with a Diet Coke. Yuck. I hate Diet Coke after taste and on top of that the aspartame triggers my migraines. So I drove back to Sonic and got a Regular Vanilla Coke. Much better. I've eaten my caloric intake for the day. Damn fast food. I just wasn't going to pass on that Route 44 Vanilla Coke though. I'd just say screw it, but I've lost 11 pounds since March and I'm not ready to undo all that. So I get to drink water for the rest of the day. My body doesn't require any more fuel. That sucks.

So I went to visit my grandparents this weekend. And get this...my aunt informs me that my cousin married the rudest girl ever (they got married the weekend before, but Rich and I couldn't make it because Rich was in another wedding). My aunt (Deanna, she's 27 so it's kind of a weird aunt/niece relationship since I'm 24...but anyways) was a bridesmaid and while they were getting their hair done, the bride (Candace) tells Deanna "We're all going to lunch...you're not going to feel left out are you?" Who does that?! Deanna was a bridesmaid, not just some random family member! On top of that, my brother didn't even get an invitation to the wedding. This Candace chick has repeatedly insulted our family in front of our faces, and I can't believe my cousin doesn't say anything! She's just plain tacky. But I've seen the company she keeps, so it doesn't surprise me at all.

So that's been my recent news. Was this long enough to make up for a month of neglecting to post anything? I hope so. Later!

I know...I know... I absolutely suck at keeping a blog. But in my defense I also frequent MySpace and Facebook on a daily basis. But anyways...I was reading Brooke's blog and then I saw a link to Jenny's blog and read hers and then I really started to feel guilty. I will make a pledge to take more pictures as soon as the next 2 weeks are over. Now be prepared because I live with Rich and my dog. Not really a whole lot going on. I'm still kind of keeping up with my running. I'm down to 2 times a week instead of 3 but hey...it's better than nothing. I should probably apologize for my punctuation or lack thereof resulting in my run-on sentences. Brooke being an English major probably cringes a little when she reads these things. No I'm not illiterate...I just tend to write in a stream of thought type of manner. I guess that's why I titled my blog "Random Thoughts" because that's exactly what they are. I just type whatever is running through my head at the moment. Well, I'd better get back to working on my seminar presentation. Enough procrastinating.

Well, its been a little while since I posted. And of course there's a reason for that. I skipped my work-outs last week and only did 2 the week before that. But it's "Spring Break" (I put that in quotes because even though I don't have classes, my major professor is expecting major work to be done over this week. I was going to take this time to work on some projects I have due at the end of April, but so much for that. I'll just have to do them at the last minute just like everything else. So much for planning. Sometimes I don't even know why I bother. My plans never turn out.) ...as I digress...it's "Spring Break" and I've jumped back into my work-outs. Monday I finished up Week 3 of the Couch to 5K program (1.512 miles) and today I started Week 4 (1.545 miles). I've also taken the dog for a couple of 15-20 minute walks when I feel like taking a break from writing my research proposal. I've been doing a lot of thinking about grad school lately. I've come to the conclusion that I have NO desire whatsoever to become a researcher. I will definately be going the technician route when I finally get out of school (one way or another). My brain just does not work the way a researcher's brain works. Just give a task and let me do it. So far, my experience with research has been to run around like crazy trying to write grants, instruct grad students, teach, put up with smart-a$$ vet students with a God complex (note: not every vet student suffers from this, but there's always a few in every group). I just hope I can find a good job somewhere and buy a house. I'd go into how much I dislike this apartment, but for what we're paying for rent and having the option of keeping pets, I can't really complain. I do however think its gross that they just paint over the dust on the walls and doorjams, etc instead of wiping them down first. Who wants dirt painted and glued onto the walls. Yuck. Well, I've done enough blabbering for now. Goodnight.

Well, just thought I'd post my workout mileage today (1.426 miles). Nothing else really going on. Tomorrow night I'm going to Songfest at the W. It's always really fun and good cheap entertainment. Plus I like catching up with my friends that are still there. They'll be graduating soon and then I won't know anybody. That's kind of sad. Hopefully, most of my pledge class will try to come back for Homecoming every spring. I'm sure it will start to dwindle. Well, that's pretty much all that's going on in my life right now. Catch ya later...

Holy Crap! I had the worst weekend. Friday wasn't bad, but Saturday night we had the poker game from hell. I tried to invite some "friends" (there's only really one or two that I would actually consider giving that term to) over to drink some beer and play some cards. No big deal. Well, our usual tried and true friends showed up and a guy I work with was there. He got smashed and insulted just about everybody in the room. I seriously thought one of the guys was going to take him outside and beat the crap out of him. Talk about having to do some damage control. Needless to say, our usual crew is not wanting to hang out with him again. I feel kind of bad because of course he doesn't remember a thing and I had to tell him all about it on Monday morning, but he really is a pretty good guy. I wish my friends had seen that instead. But hey, that's just some of the consequences you have to deal with when you drink that much. It was his own fault.
On a better note, I worked out this evening and was able to get 1.423 miles in today. I'm getting better, but I have a long way to go. Still not losing any weight, but I had 2 salads today. Maybe that will show up on the scale tomorrow.
Okay. How weird is this? I've never been a smoker, but for some godforsaken reason I have been craving cigarettes like a madman for the past 4 days. Weird. I almost got in the car to buy a pack Sunday. The only thing that stopped me was the fact that I don't want to undo any progress I've made with my running. That, and I feel guilty because I kind of made Rich quit. He seems to be encouraging my cravings. I think he seriously wants me to start smoking so he'll have an excuse to start up again. I shall resist the temptation.
Bring on the rest of the week...

This will be a quick post. I didn't get to run last night because I worked late, then we went out. But I ran 1.38 miles today for a total of 4.162 miles this week. That's a .2 mile increase from last week. I'm still out of shape, but I'm seeing some improvement. Later.

I forgot to post this yesterday so I'll update it now. Yesterday I walked/jogged 1.354 miles. I started week 3 of the program yesterday so it's a little bit harder and I wasn't able to go as fast. However, I went to the doctor for a check-up yesterday and my blood pressure was really good. Usually it's slightly high. So I guess I can see some improvement even though I haven't lost any weight yet.
Now for the bad news. We got our tax return back today and we owe. :( It's not much but we won't be able to put any in savings or take any major trips for vacation. I try to put money away when I can so that when we decide we're ready to buy a house, it won't be such a struggle to save for a downpayment. I guess I'll just have to put some away during the year.
I made some really good black beans tonite to go with the pork chops we had for dinner. They were really easy (recipe borrowed from Rachael Ray, of course). All it was was 1/2 a red onion cooked in a tbsp of EVOO for a couple of minutes. Then you add 1 can black beans, 11/2 tsp cumin or chili powder and 2 tsp hot sauce and just heat it up. Really yummy. Well, I'll post again soon...

Okay...since I hardly ever post on this thing. I think I will write about the books I read and use this as an exercise accountability posting. Today I walk/jogged 1.428 miles in 30 minutes. I know its not much, but considering how out of shape I am, trust me, I've had to work for 2 weeks to get to this point. I'm doing a Couch to 5K program from coolrunning.com. Supposedly by the end of 3 months I should be able to run 3 miles without stopping. Considering I've never been able to run a mile even when I was in good shape, this seems like a small miracle. I'll be happy with a mile, but hey if I can do 3...maybe one day I'll be able to run in a 5K. That would be such an accomplishment. But I'll take it one day at a time and see what happens.

Well, its been nearly a month since my last post. I'm just not very good at this blogging thing. The fact of the matter is nothing really exciting really happens all that much. I go to school, I come home, I go to bed. It's pretty much the same thing. I stayed home from work today...shhhh. But I have to go in tomorrow morning to do some stuff. I hate going in on Saturdays. We may be leaving in the morning to go to Clarksdale for Kappa Sigma's Founders Day. It would be nice to go and see everyone, but I'm really worried about the icey weather that's coming our way. I really think we should stay home. I'm am such a homebody. There is nowhere I would rather be than curled up in my bed or on the couch, dog in lap, watching a good movie or reading a book. Speaking of books, I just finished reading "The Amulet of Samarkand". It's a children's book, but I love children literature. It was a pretty good book. It's part of a trilogy, so I'll probably check out the other 2. Now I'm reading "Good Omens". It reminds me of the movie Dogma, how it pokes fun at religon and human nature. I'm not far into it at all, but it seems like it will be pretty good. I'll update on that later... Rich and I are going to head to Polliwogs to hear our buddy Dru play tonight. He's got an amazing voice. I figure I could go for some spinach and artichoke dip and a couple of beers. Well, I'd better get ready. Goodnight.

I HAVE BANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, most people probably don't care, but at 2:40 today I had a major breakthrough with my research. I've been trying to get these bands to show up since August. I'm soooooo excited! Okay...enough of my geekiness. This day just went from being majorly crappy to really good. I may have to go out for magaritas tonight.

I thought that since it's been a month already, I'd finally post some Christmas pictures. Here is Delta enjoying her present.

Our little Christmas tree...2005

This is Rich and Delta at our Christmas last month. Delta is too busy chewing on her new peanut butter filled rawhide bone to even look at the camera.

Delta...in her natural state of being...

This was stolen from Brooke's blog, which was stolen from Jenny's blog...

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. perpetual student (The job that NEVER ends!)
2. carhop (The easiest job, but it tests your patience.)
3. daycare teacher (never again...its not fair to be out numbered 10 to 1 with 3 and 4 year olds)
4. biology tutor (I take back my earlier comment...this was the easiest job I've had; no one ever showed up to be tutored.

Four movies you would watch over and over: (there are SOOOOO many; here are four that jump to mind immediately):
1. Braveheart
2. School of Rock
3. Boondock Saints
4. The Notebook

Four places you have lived:
1. Flowood, MS
2. Columbus, MS
3. Starkville, MS
4. sorry...there isn't a fourth

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. The OC
2. Lost
3. Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals
4. The Biggest Loser

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Paris, France
2. Honolulu, Hawaii
3. Perdido Key, FL
4. The Grand Canyon

Four websites you visit daily:
1. flylady.net
2. msn.com
3. facebook.com
4. thenest.com

Four of my favorite foods:
1. anything Mexican
2. anything Italian
3. ice cream
4. granola bars

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. on the beach somewhere warm
2. skiing
3. in a warm bubble bath
4. in a huge shopping mall with lots of money and stores with clothes that don't fit funny

Ok so it really has been FOREVER since I posted last. But the fact of the matter is there hasn't been much to post. The wanna-lose-weight bug has bit me again. It's about all I can do to keep me from purchasing a $1500 treadmill right now. But the fact of the matter is we don't have the money, so I figure I'll save for the next couple of years and buy one later. I'm sure I'll still have some weight to deal with then too. Work is kind of frustrating right now seeing is how I'm the only one in my lab who actually shows up. I just left this afternoon. I figured if no one else is working today, why should I be busting my butt? Classes start next week. Ugh. It's my last semester of classes, so I'm pretty excited to just get it over with. I have to present a seminar though and I have no research to present right now. This should be interesting. Rich and I are supposed to go eat at the new Pepper's on Hwy 12 tonight. Hopefully, it won't be too crowded. Yeah right. I came across a really cool website yesterday called myheritage.com. You upload a picture and it scans your face and tells you what celebrity you look like. It's full of crap, but entertaining. Apparently my facial structures resemble those of Sharon Stone. Sounds good to me. lol. My mom keeps complaining about how cluttered her house is. I keep sending her to Flylady.net, but she's not buying it. I'm thinking about making her a control journal to see if that may get her started. I tried sending her the e-mails but she just deletes them. I know it sounds corny, but that website is the only thing that keeps my head on straight and our apartment livable. Otherwise Rich would be doing everything while I'm trying to catch up and I'm sure he wouldn't like that. Well, maybe something interesting will happen to me in the next few days and I'll have something to post that is worth reading. Until then...