The Soap Box
A place for me to dump my brain and you to pick thru it

Random Thoughts
12:59am

Is it so very wrong if I have the hots for Parminder Nagra?

Honey Nut Cheerios rock.

Microsoft's Powerpoint is an amazing load of shite.

I think I need sleep...

Easter Bitch Fest
9:51pm

Movies not to see with your mother: ones that have verbally graphic cyber-sex and use the word "cunt" repeatedly. Yeah, I did that. Not one of my finest moments. (BTW the movie was "Closer.")

Yesterday my car started acting strange. It's fine when I start driving it but then it starts whining when I turn (left or right) and then it is as if I lose the power steering. By the time I was pulling into my driveway, it was as if I had no power steering left. Yes, I checked the steering fluid but beyond that, I'm pretty much lost. Nick had left our 13 year old car at the airport when he went to work in CA last week so I go to pick up that car tonight and there is a ticket on it. WTF? What could they give me a ticket for in the airport parking structure? The ticket states my tags are expired. That's not possible! They MVD didn't send me a notice in the mail to renew. I check the tags, and sure enough, the tags expired December 2004. SHIT! SHIT SHIT SHIT! So now I have one car that doesn't work right and another that is illegal to drive on the road. Tomorrow morning I have to bring the new car to the dealer where they will rip me off, get home, get the illegal car emissions tested and then go to the fucking MVD and get new tags and then get to campus to pick up another student then get to the VA in time for my training.

And chain in the toilet in my bathroom broke and the light bulbs in said room burnt out and I've been too lazy to do anything about it. And like an Alzheimer patient, I keep using that toilet and trying to flush it. Or, I go to take a shower at night and flip the switch and then remember the bulbs are burnt out. Gawd, I'm a idiot! But seriously, what are the odds that both the toilet and the light bulbs would go at the same time? Perhaps it's a fiendish plot to make me mad...errr...make that madder than I already am...

Oh, and did I mention that I have to give a presentation on Tuesday regarding what my Master's is going to be on, which at this exact moment doesn't exist in any form, and give another different presentation on Wednesday in front of my mentor? Yeah, this week is going to suck.

But the Calendar Says...
12:15am

I haven't really done any exercise since I got sick last November but something made me want to go for a walk today. I mean, it's almost April and this is New Mexico. It should be beautiful today. So I got dressed, got my iPod, a bottle of water, kleenex, gloves and drove to the nearby wilderness trails (which are only a couple of blocks from my house but, you know, I don't wanna "blow my wad," as it were, before I even get to the trails). I got out of my car and the wind was blowing and it was quite cold. I started wondering why I was outside and not going to the gym but the rocks and cacti and occasional coyote crossing my path made me want to walk outside.

I began my walk and was in awe of the clouds over part of the mountains just ahead of me. I walked for about 20 minutes and would have walked for a longer time if it weren't for the hail that began pelting my face. Damn those pellets of ice stung! Also, the mutatious (yes I made that word up) swollen left side of my face was starting to ache.

Before I got back to my car, it was practically like a blizzard on the trail. I couldn't believe it! I looked behind me and the mountains were now completely engulfed in clouds. I just couldn't believe I was walking in a snowstorm at the end of March! While it was beautiful, it was a tad cold for my tastes. I guess that's what I get for trying to exercise.

TMI
1:28pm

*You have been warned*

Yeah, I got the root canal. It was terrible. To all of you who told me they don't hurt, you can go <censored> yourselves. Seriously. After 4 shots of Novocaine, I was still in pain and crying in the chair while Dr. DeSade did whatever it is that gets him off. Literally I had tears streaming down my face. He said some gobbilty gook about that he just couldn't numb where the pain was coming from, blah blah blah. Whatever dude. You're killing me! There was no blood during the procedure which indicates the tooth had been dying for some time. It was just awful. It was everything I feared it would be...maybe even worse, if that's possible.

I scored more vicodin. Ahhh...vicodin my only friend...except for a nasty little side effect...how do I put it delicately...ummm...while food goes in, nothing comes out...enough said.

So now I have a swollen face of which half is so numb I can't smile but yet still in pain from the root canal. Just fucking charming.

(7:10pm: This post was edited after the author was not out her mind in pain.)

OUCHIE!
12:01am

OK, WTF is going on? My sinuses feel better, I mean, they hurt less but aren't completely well. However, I have a tooth pain that is unbelievable! Jesus! I took a vicodin and I'm still in pain. I don't know what to do and I don't think I'll be sleeping any time soon! How much vicodin can someone take and still wake up eventually? The prescription I have says "Hydrocodone/APAP 10/650." I took one perhaps 2.5 hours ago. Someone please tell me I can take another one soon!

And yes, the ROOT CANAL alarm is going off in my head. I'm calling the dentist first thing in the morning. Waaaah!

Quote of the Day
12:05am

"Who brings a dog to a leg funeral?"

Uttered by Dewey on Malcom in the Middle.

Quote of the Day
8:58pm

"I was born with a horse shoe...straight up my ass!"

From Rob of Rob and Ambah-Survivor fame, talking about how they got ahead on The Amazing Race.

VA Orientation
8:31pm

So, as you probably read somewhere, I had to go through orientation at the VA yesterday. At one point I had to sign a form that I would defend the Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic "so help me God." I soooo wanted to ask, "what happens if I don't believe in God? Should I still sign this?" but I just didn't need the hassle. Talk about separation of church and state...

And So It Goes...
8:15pm

So after my delicious pancake meal the other day at 1am, my face started hurting. My bottom and top jaw, my cheek, my eye and ear all on the left side. OMG it was bad. From 1am to 5 am I took 1600 mg of ibuprofen, a valium and a vicodin and it STILL hurt. I was practically at my wit's end when I finally fell asleep around 6am. I had to get up at 10 am and go through the orientation at the VA Hospital so I can work there. So yesterday, I was in pain and sleep deprived. I'm sure people at the VA thought I was retarded or on drugs or something. I was bad news.

I came home and called my acupuncturist and begged that he see me. I was on his table with needles everywhere and he asked if the pain was better. I told him it wasn't and he stuck more needles in my legs. After the hour treatment, I did feel a little better. He gave me some strong herbs to fight off whatever this is and then he said something to me I've never heard him say. He said "If you are not feeling better tomorrow you need to get some antibiotics." He's NEVER told me to take anything other than chinese herbs. I was really surprised.

I spent the rest of the day on vicodin and woke up today without the excruciating pain. THANK (insert your favorite deity here)! I was still so tired though that I slept most of the day. I'm trying to figure out if I am going to make it to class tomorrow or not.

The Perfect Ending
2:07am

I just got home from eating a huge plate of delicious pancakes from the 24-hour dive across the street from campus called The Frontier. It's always an interesting place. About once a month there is a shooting there in the wee hours of the morning. Tonight nothing exciting happened except that my pancakes rocked! It was truly a perfect ending to my spring break.

The Last Harrah
11:44am

Tomorrow it's back to the old grind. Actually tomorrow is a special grind. I have to go through training at the VA Hospital here in town so I can work there. That means learning what to do in case of fire and all that jazz. Oy! I've done it before and I actually don't mind going through it again but I KNOW they are going to go at a snail's pace. I'm sure I could get everything in about half an hour, not 3 hours but not much I can do about that.

I am actually considering going to the Med library today to get an article I think may be useful for figuring out what to do for my master's. I want the article but it's killing me to go on to campus a day earlier than I need to so I'm not sure if I'll make it down there. Can't find the damn article online for anything. Well, I guess only time will tell if I make it...

PS: I've only watched 2 of the 6 videos I had planned (Incredibles, Pieces of April) and seen none of the movies in the theater but plan to see Closer later today.

Satanism Comes In #3?
11:35pm

You scored as Buddhism. Your beliefs most closely resemble those of Buddhism. Do more research on Buddhism and possibly consider becoming Buddhist, if you are not already. In Buddhism, there are Four Noble Truths: (1) Life is suffering. (2) All suffering is caused by ignorance of the nature of reality and the craving, attachment, and grasping that result from such ignorance. (3) Suffering can be ended by overcoming ignorance and attachment. (4) The path to the suppression of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right-mindedness, and right contemplation. These eight are usually divided into three categories that base the Buddhist faith: morality, wisdom, and samadhi, or concentration. In Buddhism, there is no hierarchy, nor caste system; the Buddha taught that one's spiritual worth is not based on birth.   Buddhism 79% Paganism 67% Satanism 54% agnosticism 54% Islam 50% Hinduism 46% atheism 33% Judaism 33% Christianity 25%

Which religion is the right one for you? (new version)
created with QuizFarm.com

(feefed from Betty)

WHAT????
2:11pm

It's Friday? No! It can't be! It can't be nearly the end of spring break! I still need lots of sleep and I need to watch 6 DVDs before monday!(Training Day, The Insider, Pieces of April, Motorcycle Diaries, Nausicaa and The Incredibles) There are also 3 movies playing in the theaters I want to see (Closer at the dollar theater, Kinsey and Bride and Prejudice). Then there is the Figure Skating World Championship on this weekend (Kwan is currently 5th after the short program) and I also need to catch up on some reading for school that I've blown off and I gotta figure out some sort of SOMETHING to do for my master's. I think I need at least another week off. Hmmm...more snow days? Busted water pipes in the Psych building? Nah, I think I'm just screwed (and not in a good way).

Strange Day
1:10am

I was driving back from campus when I saw a man face down on the sidewalk. I seriously could not tell if he was dead or alive. I pulled into he parking lot behind where he was and got out to see what was up. He was mumbling when I got to him. He looked in really bad shape. There was a puddle of drool on the sidewalk where he was lying. I asked him if he was ok and if he needed help. He began talking to me but was totally incoherent. I held out my hand to him to help him sit up but he chose not to take it. Now he was more or less on all fours trying to sit. He was a native American man, perhaps in his 30s, possibly younger, obviously seriously intoxicated. Intoxicated on what, however, I had no idea. My first thought was perhaps he had been huffing hair spray or, God forbid, drinking something like antifreeze since I couldn't smell alcohol on his breath. A string of drool still hung from one side of his mouth and there was also blood in his mouth. I picked a twig out of his long black hair as he tried to figure out where the hell he was. He suddenly became aware of my presence and started to apologize to me as he wiped the drool from his lips and pulled his hair back. I'm not sure, exactly, what he was apologizing for or who he thought I was. I asked him if he needed help, if he wanted something like orange juice or water, if he wanted to sit on the bench he was currently leaning against. To each question I got more incoherent answers. I honestly don't even know if he was speaking English.

Within a few minutes I got him in a sitting position and asked if he was OK. He seemed to indicate he was and I just didn't know what else to do. I got in my car and drove off but felt I had to do something more. I didn't want to call 911 necessarily as the 911 system here in Albuquerque is so overworked as it is and I didn't know if this was an actual emergency. I was home within about 8 minutes and called the police non-emergency number to tell them about the man and how I feared he might be so intoxicated that he could possibly die. They said, "was he on Carlisle and Indian School?" to which I replied, "uh yeah, how did you know?" The woman on the other end of the phone assured me that paramedics had already been dispatched to pick him up and I have to say I was MUCH relieved.

So here's the question I'm left with. What should I have done? Should I have called 911 and waited with the man? Taking him to the hospital in my own car was not an option as far as I'm concerned for many reasons which I'm not going to get into right now. Anyone have any official training regarding such situations? Somehow I feel I might come across a similar situation at some point.

Snow Day!
12:16pm

It's still snowing here in Albuquerque. Al Franken picked a great day to broadcast live from here. Anyway, I took a few pics for your pleasure.

Here was my car this morning. I don't think I've seen this much snow on my car since I left the east coast. I know, I know, it looks like nothing to you guys in places where it normally snows, but for here, this is a TON!

There was enough snow for this guy and his friends to build a snow cave. The brown thing on top is a dog, who also seemed to be enjoying our crazy weather.

Only a TRUE friend would bury you in the snow!

There are mountains back there somewhere...hard to see. In the middle of the tree-lined street is kind of a red/pink tree. It was in bloom before the snow started to fall.

And as you can see, my cat is VERY upset about the weather and just does NOT know what to do with himself, poor thing.

Typical
9:33pm

I spent a good chunk of Saturday shopping for some spring/summer clothes. Got shorts, capri pants, tank tops, t-shirts...the typical stuff. It was so beautiful on Friday, at least 70° and I was all excited to wear some of my new clothes today except there was one problem...it SNOWED all day today, from when I woke up until now. It's still snowing. We're under a winter storm warning until 4pm tomorrow! WTF? This is my spring break! All the trees JUST started blooming and my tulips are almost ready to bloom! And now there are inches of snow outside my door and my new summer clothes are going to have to wait...

Silly Pussy Games
2:54pm

We have 2 girl kitties who are only territorial about me, specifically me in bed. The game used to be "Who Can Sleep Closest To Mommie's Head." However, the older crazy-spooky cat constantly won that game as she would sleep right next to my pillow (or actually on hubby's pillow). So younger doodle bug kitty started sleeping on top of me -- on my side, on my boobs, on my shoulder -- which took some time to get used to but now I can sleep no matter where he plops down on me. Well, crazy-spooky cat could see that the little one was closer to my head which REALLY pissed her off. This led to me waking up in the middle of the night as the geographical center of a cat fight! Charming at 2am when you're dead asleep! Now crazy-spooky cat tries to get on the bed first so she can lay on top of me, claiming me as her own. It's so charming and cute...NOT.

Note to Self...
11:35pm

...stop trying to fit in.

One More Day
11:57pm

One more day until spring break! I have HUGE plans for spring break. I'm gonna sleep, watch movies, get acupuncture, get a massage, get my hair cut...I think that's it. Wonder if I can get all that done in a week.

Too Much
10:56am

I'm taking the day off. Well, that's not completely true. Let's say I'm working from home today. I'm so exhausted and afraid I'm going to get very sick so I'm gonna not go to campus and try to get some stuff done here.

Honestly I feel like I could sleep for about a week and if I can just make it until Friday, then I'll get to do exactly that. I'm so glad I didn't make plans to go away this spring break. I don't think I could hack it. I need to recharge in my big comfy bed with my kitties and hubby.

Fucking Crack Cookies
11:20pm

I swear, Girl Scout cookies have GOT to have crack in them, they are that addictive. So far this weekend I've eaten 1.67 boxes that I will 'fess up to. When I start mooing like a cow because I'm so fat, I'm gonna sue those Girl Scouts for peddling crack to poor innocent citizens like me.

Exhausted
5:57pm

Friday was "Interview the Prospective Grad Students" day. It started for me at 7:45am when I needed to pick up a candidate at his hotel and drive him to campus and more or less ended at...oh...2pm Saturday. In between was going to class, driving people to lunch, driving more people to their hotels, picking up a guest who stayed at my house on Friday night, going to a 3 hour dinner, coming back, putting my guest to bed, having my husband come home from a 3 week business trip, hauling my ass out of bed early to bring my guest to the airport, going over my friend's house to have breakfast with other candidates, etc. I came home from her place and took a 3.5 hour nap! I'm still exhausted today.

My mentor interviewed 3 people but I have no idea how many he can make offers to. I haven't talked to him about the candidates but I'm dying to know what he thought of them. I hope, no I PRAY, we are on the same page with them. It's about all I can do not to call him at home and ask him what his thoughts are.

Anyway, hubby and I are going to see Allison Krause tonight. Should be good. Hope I can stay awake!

Catch Up
11:28pm

So I got a 79 on the stats test which is curved to a B+, one point away from an A-.

Did you know if you leave homemade chili in your fridge for like 3 months, it starts to reek? Well it does.

This damn mouth guard stops me from clenching my jaw, which makes my teeth feel better but sometimes it makes me gag...so I get to choose to gag in my sleep or be in pain during the day...ugh.

Gotta get up in 7 hours. One more day until I can crawl into bed for 48 hours...I think I can make it...

The Good...
8:10pm

Dear Jennifer:

I am pleased to inform you that you are a finalist in the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association Student Paper Awards. You will present your paper "The influence of ethnic experience in cognitive ability assessment" orally in an award session with the other finalists. Final awards will be given out at the business meeting on Saturday. You will get your membership and registration free. blah blah blah...

Again, congratulations and we look forward to seeing you at RMPA in Phoenix.

Sincerely yours,
Ross J. Loomis PhD
Professor Emeritus
President, Rocky Mountain Psychological Association

and The Bad...

The stats exam today was just fucked-up crazy. Our class is usually 1 hour and 15 minutes but the professor gave us a full 2 hours for the exam. After 1 hour and 45 minutes, I was still working on the first problem (out of 9 or 10, I don't even remember) I started with. I am not exaggerating when I say I almost started crying right then and there. I can't remember feeling so panicked taking a test in school ever. (I might have been as panicked when I took the GRE for the first time.) I just started writing down all kinds of shit hoping I'd get partial credit for something...ANYTHING! With about 5 minutes left the professor announces that he has arranged for the next class that is supposed to use the room we are in to meet elsewhere so that we can have some extra time. Well, I took an extra HOUR before I gave up and just hoped for the best. I felt so emotionally exhausted and so defeated. The only saving grace is that EVERYONE else felt the same way. Now I just gotta wait until Thursday to see if I passed...

Crap
5:00am

I have a huge stats exam in exactly 5.5 hours and woke up an hour ago feeling sick. And my teeth hurt. Great. That's just what I need. I'm trying to decide if I can stomach some ibuprofen or if that is going to make my tummy worse.      :(

Blog Name: The Soap Box
Email: jenben[at]g-r-c.com
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