yeah

This last year has been good - stressful at times but stress ended in accomplishments - finished research, classes, and defense. I am also proud of my high score for the medium difficulty in spider solitaire. This next year I hope to finally win a game on the difficult setting. Although things aren't clear at the moment I hope to soon have a job so I can be a productive part of society. Will just have to wait and see how long it takes till that happens. Another change this year is in getting a new car - I still miss my Mazda at times but that's ok. At least my car runs - at least most of the time... Will have to wait and see as to what other changes are going to happen - maybe a new state? Maybe not. Maybe I will go live in the mountains and learn to talk to the wolves - ha ha. well enough speculation. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Rain can be evil

Yesterday evening it started to pour here. Well then today I learned that a car out in the pouring rain can cause it not to want to start. It would turn over and almost wanted to catch but wouldn't quite make it. So I gave up and went back in the house. Luckily my dad came home about 1/2 hour later and got it to start. Said it was probably just too wet from the rain. Did anyone know rain could do that? Wonder if it would with all cars or my car is just special enough that that can happen.

I feel like I am getting old. I strained a muscle or tendon or something in my neck just by bending over the 'right' way with a towel on my head. Unfortunately this was the morning before driving back to GP. I am just now getting back to normal can still feel a bit of pain when I turn my head. At Thanksgiving my dad had a pulled tendon in his lower back but at least his was initiated by lifting weights. Ah oh well.

Oh on the way back to GP we stopped at a little gas station/gift shop about twenty minutes outside of burns because I had to pee. My dad went in and looked around the gift shop place he called me over after I came out of the bathroom and showed me a cool coffee table. Well it wouldn't be a very functional coffee table but it was cool. It was a wood triangle and on top was a triangle cut rock probably 6 inches deep and in it were three fossil snail type shells and I think two spike type shells (I think they were shells) also. The rock was kinda rough but the shells were polished and really pretty would be cool to have but I don't think I'd want it... especially if it meant paying for it - they had a small single trilobite fossil for $120 didn't look for a price on the table.

I did a quick google search and I think the snail type shell were ammonites, but still not sure about the other things.

Starbucks

Today I went with my brother and sister-in-law to Cost-co with agreement that we would stop at Starbucks so I could use my gift card (at least part of it) I got from my friend. Because it might be a while till I finish it unless I by a mug or something but I tend to use them for drinks - imagine that... because since I'm going to be home for a while the closest Starbucks is a half an hour away and I don't plan on going there often... Anyway we stopped on the way back home and I ordered my usual a tall soy caramel macchiato and went to pay with my gift card and the girl asked if there was anything else I could use to pay - their computer system or something like that for them was down and they couldn't process payments with gift cards - guessing it was because of the amount of people using them that day - another worker walked by and said they went down at ~10 and the corporate office said they'd be back up in about an hour and scoffed because it was at this time after 2. So I couldn't even use my gift card - sad. Later I thought I should have said I didn't have any other way of paying - try to see if I could get it for free.. :) too bad I don't think that way cause who knows may have worked.

Will see

So I'm still stuck on the topic of my defense. I have everything turned in and the director of graduate studies turned in my completion of degree last Friday. I found out that waiting a half hour is not a big deal between them asking questions and deciding if you are to pass. One of the teachers asked how it went afterwards and I told him - he kinda burst my bubble by saying the first 10 min or so aren't even spent talking about me. Oh well.

Guess I'm not stuck completely - I am not really having fun trying to find a job. One of my friends suggested a mail order husband then could make him work... nah. Feels like I am experiencing deja vu - finished my bachelors in Dec, now finished Masters in Dec. Looking for a job - going back home for a while. Hope it doesn't last too long.

Christmas is coming soon will be good to spend time with family.

Ta Da!

Well yesterday I started typing the proceedings of my defense but then did something to make it all disappear so will have to do it again.

My presentation went well - had friends close to the front supporting me by - telling me not to flash people (was playing with my shirt - nervous fiddling - before it was time to start) and holding up a little sign that only I could see that said rat killer. Funny things helped relieve tension and thankfully not heard or seen by others... I was nervous in the beginning of the talk but got better as it went although still used the two handed laser pointer technique to keep it from flying all over the screen. Questions went ok - my major prof actually helped answer a couple which made me feel as if it was cheating but it helped me out. After questions people told me I did well got advice from one of the prof's not on my committee - said to take a deep breath before I went in to the defense part and to pause for a couple of seconds before each question to let panic fade. We started with prayer then my major prof (mp) said they would go around the table and ask questions. She reserved the right for the first question - she had told me what she was going to ask ahead of time so that I could make sure to know the answer and get a good start to it all... after her question the next committee member asked and easy one since hers was difficult - evidently not knowing her practice of telling people the first question they will be asked. So easy question good - next question was ok - I don't remember what it was... each committee has three bio people a mp and to others then one out side observer that makes sure they don't gang up on me. He didn't ask many questions but did ask a couple that were good. The second or third one he said he thought that if he could explain my work then that would mean he could understand it. So he tried to explain it to his JV basket ball students (think they are high schoolers). They evidently got upset by animals getting killed - and they wanted to know if they all go used/killed. The answer to his question was yes - all except one was used for screening. They kept going for about an hour some questions I knew the answer to others I didn't but wasn't feeling too horrible. They also made comments here and there about my thesis - no one objected to anything of significance so that was ok. They kicked me out of the room told me to leave but don't go to far. My friend who defended this summer only had to wait ~5 min. So in talking to her said that the longer I wait the more I should get nervous? she said maybe... so I was waiting and it had been about 10 min... then one of my friends stopped by and talked for about 5 min then I waited more. After he left I got really nervous but then after about a total of 25 min my mp came back and said "Let me be the first to congratulate you." Which was a relief went back down to the room and they all said congratulations - my outside observer said "should we clap?" and started clapping others joined - he said thank you for asking him I think it was cool he liked being part of it. At the end my mp and I made an appointment to meat the next Friday (today) to go over little things they suggested needed to be changed. After that I felt drained but I lived through the process - I then told people the happy news and eventually went home and sat. While my roommate kept saying how happy she was - she acted way more happy than me I just didn't have the mental capacity to be that happy. Too much for one day. But now it's over and I only have a few things to change - less than 42 ;) probably less than 20. Well depends on how you count anyway that's the whole story for the most part :).