You can see it's all a show, Keep 'em laughin' as you go

Lets try this

Thu, 08 May 2008 02:35:38 GMT

So lets try this one last time:
http://midnyghtchilde.blogspot.com/

Squirrel

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:06:15 GMT

Joy and Sorrow

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:13:03 GMT

Then a woman said, “Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow.” And he answered: Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.” But I say unto you, they are inseparable.

Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.

-Khalil Gibran

10 Steps to Healthy Living

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:37:15 GMT

1. Eat when you are hungry. Stop eating when you are full.

2. There are no “good” or “bad” foods, so eat lots of different foods, including fruits, vegetables and even sweets sometimes.

3. Eat different types of snacks: sometimes
raisins, sometimes cheese, sometimes a cookie, or sometimes carrot
sticks or celery dipped in peanut butter.

4. If you are sad, mad or bored, find something to do other than eating.

5. People who exercise and stay active are healthier and better able to do what they want to do, no matter what they weigh.

6. Try to find a sport or activity that you like, then do it.

7. Good health, feeling good about yourself and
having fun go hand in hand. Try different hobbies, such as drawing,
playing music or making things.

8. Remind yourself that healthy bodies come in all sizes.

9. Some people believe that fat people are bad,
sick and out of control, while thin people are good, healthy and in
control. This is not true. And it is hurtful.

10. Do not tease people and don’t laugh at other people’s jokes about fat (or thin) people or short (or tall) people.

Hattip to The F-Word, who found it republished at the Sacramento Bee but is originally from the National Eating Disorders Association.

It's sad these are not common place.

Now its time for delicious shrimpy stir fry.

Just another Faceless Zombie

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:01:31 GMT

I broke down and joined the masses - I bought an iPod.

I got a Nano. In my stereotypical black (though I almost got the blue or green...but meh they don't look at sharp). the new 8 gig one, though I don't need that big, its silly to get half the storage for only 40$ less. It's a treat to myself from my tax refunds. I like the shuffle...but I really want to have multiple play lists.

Um...I've been toying with Pirates of the Carribean online because A: It's free and B: several coworkers play. And it's making me sort of want to try WoW again. But seeing as how there is still no expansion pack, I know better...when there is a new one...I might try it again, but only seriously casually.

Amalythia was talking about a game called Aion as an MMORPG ... it sounded awesome. She posted on girlsdontgame.com about it (apparently she's an author there, which is sweet).

Time to go relax now.

New colors, same theme

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:05:37 GMT

And thusly the colors changed.

And thusly the theme remained the same.

And thusly it was awesome, as am I.

:p

Life, a meme, and health.

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:53:17 GMT

So I saw a meme floating around the internet, which I'm too lazy to copy for word for word. The short of it is "Ask me something outside of my comfort zone that I don't normally blog about, anything at all. Just let it fly, and I'll devote a post to it." So go ahead and ask away, it will get me to post more.

In terms of life updates...

The One Year Anniversary of Dad's death passed quietly. We were home for the weekend, Trysten and I. It was nice and quiet, and uh, snowy. I cooked some stuff from my healthy cookbook that was delicious.

I recieved a 9.5% pay raise for my review. Mind you, this was the Annual Review, but in my case, was written based on only 3 months of work (it was written in December, even though it gets HR Processed and I don't get it until March. Gogo HR delay power!). So 9.5% for 3 months isn't bad. I also recieved verbal confirmation that I am up for a promotion as soon as they get around to it. Hopefully it is sooner rather than later, maybe by summer. That would bring with it another pay jump and a cross into the Real Real World - salaried instead of hourly. In reward I treated myself to a very pretty black and red and white dress at Dress Barn. I even kindly weasled my way into a 20% discount by asking what the coupon on the mailing list had been (which I had thrown out, not realizing that DB even carried my size, and when in fact, they do, and their sizes are generous - my dress is a 14, and that is the smallest size I've been) and then sighing and saying I would have to come back with my (nonexistant, but I thought I still had it) coupon. The lovely cashier laughed and said she had extra and I shouldn't waste the gas money, thusly turning my 70$ dress into a 58$ one with tax. Score. I tried to find a picture, but their catalogue won't let me save the image, how lame. http://dressbarn.richfx.com.edgesuite.net/catalog/media/DB_DBW/ is the spring catalogue, and the second set of images, the handkerchief skirt is what I bought, except in red, not pink.

I also filed my taxes online, it wasn't too bad. I'm getting 650$ back, yippie! And will be getting an iPod (breaking down finally), probably a shuffle, for listening to at work, and with my refund this summer, probably a real digital SLR camera (low end, though, I don't have 2k to drop on a camera, unfortunately).

And uh, that's about it.

Edi: I reread this and realized I missed 1/3 of the title. I was going to comment that I have begun exercising with Trysten. We go 3-4 times a week to the little work out room in the main building for the complex, after work. I have found that the elliptical machine is quite enjoyable. It's not aimed at weightloss, but just at being a bit more active - especially since its cold and that makes me want to nothing but curl up inside with a videogame. After almost 3 weeks of said working out, I can notice how much more e nergy I have - despite the apparently conundrum of exerting energy to have more, hah.

The Dash

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:00:37 GMT

The Dash, by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak

At the funeral of a friend

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth

And spoke the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time

That she spent alive on earth.

And now only those who loved her

Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;

The cars, the house, the cash,

What matters is how we live and love

And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.

Are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left,

That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

To consider what’s true and real

And always try to understand

The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,

And show appreciation more

And love the people in our lives

Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,

And more often wear a smile

Remembering that this special dash

Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read

With your life’s actions to rehash

Would you be proud of the things they say

About how you spent your dash?

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:22:49 GMT

Dear Vermont Person,

Thank you for returning my lost wallet. It even had all the cash in it. You even paid to mail it to my house, without any name so I can not thank you personally. But thank yu for returning it, and for renewing my tiny little hope in humanity.

Sincerely,
The Unlucky Atheist

Update....I guess?

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:15:54 GMT

So....

I got a little journal to jot down story ideas in. Hopefully it will lead my somewhere towards my enjoyment of being a writer. It's been many months since I did any real writing, and many months before that. I miss the inspiration that free-form text role play in various chat rooms used to give me, but I don't have time for that and whenever I seek an RP-By-Email partner I can't find one.

I am hoping this weekend works out and I get to see Lishug, yay! I even got an EZPass so I get cheaper tolls.

Tristen got Lost Odyssey for Xbox360, it's a sweet ass game. I'm still lose in Elder Scrolls: Oblivion - a few more tasks and the Mages Guild shall be mine!

I am crossing my fingers for a raise and promotion at the end of the month. I know my review is awesome, and there have been a few hints of the desire to keep me around, in a "we'd like to see you be a manager one day" sort of tone. If my raise goes through as I am betting, I would suspect that by the end of summer this year our gross apartment-income will be about 80k/year. Purdy good for one year out of college I'd say.

And the Winter of Crunk party was awesome. I was drunk enough to be social but not enough to make an idiot of myself, thusly it was perfect. I really like my coworker's girlfriend, she's funny. I am hoping that we'll get to do something else some other time again, maybe Guitar Hero. I did not win the pimp cup contest, but that's ok....my gems were falling off the cup half way through the night anyways, lol.

And that's about it. This weekend is another party - though it will be far more lowkey than the Winter of Crunk. But zomg two parties in a row?!

Spock rocks

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:34:36 GMT

Leonard Nemoy is my new hero
http://www.bfdblog.com/?p=359

The 21st century can make you miserable

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 02:10:32 GMT

http://www.cracked.com/article_15231_7-reasons-21st-century-making-you-miserable.html

Granted, it's a comedy website and meant to be rather funny, but it makes several damn good points.

The ability to avoid irritation/confrontation via the internet is a major one. I know I do it, I know a lot people I know do it, it's easier. But I think it goes back to our parents too - I distinctly recall being told to "pick my battles" and that things "weren't worth it" if they made a lot of drama, and "just let it go." And it's really easy to let it go and ignore it when its the internet.

Which is probably why I let shitty friends just get away with it and never call them out. Why I laugh as I ignore their Facebook friend requests, because they aren't my friends. Which is why I say "they" and "them" instead of saying "Bill, and Sarah, and Laura, and Kristine" and any other dozen names of people who piss me off in restrospect.

It's also why I am glad to be working 8 hours a day, and cooking, and playing with my pet, and loving my boyfriend and family and barely on the computer lately. And why when the people I know around here annoy me, I just say it to their face....and shock-of-shocks we're still friends!

It's also why I need to plan a girls trip for summer to see Lishbug and Jess. And why we neeeeeed need need to get together soon in Syracuse.

And it's why I'm keeping this short and going to go enjoy the real world and my birthday presents and what not.

Weekly update

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:36:16 GMT

I'm going to the Hell Yeah concert on the 25th :-D For once I'm doing something for my birthday, and it should be awesome. Hell Yeah was really good at Family Values, and thusly, should be awesome as the headliners.

Two things off my Big List Of Crap To Get Done: Dentist appointment, and change registration on my car and license.

Got the apartment straightened up again and cleaned up. I've sort of secured Fuzzer's bowl so he can't flip it, and got a little ceramic dish at the dollar store to give him veggies on, so I will try and get him to eat some, again. Last time was a big failure.

And I have to admit, we only just took the Xmas tree down tonight, hah. It looks funny to have space near the window now, but my plants can spread back out again, which is nice. The Big Spotty-Leafed Plant is flowering. I've still no idea what it is, and neither do Nanny and Popppop.

Nanny is still sick, and they don't know what's wrong with her. Le Sigh.

Oh 2008 don't you betray me so soon.

Good bye holidays!

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 23:42:47 GMT

The apartment is cleaned, huzzah! Scrubbed clean foors, well vacuumed and spot-removed carpet, organized kitchen and cosmetics. Just need a big jar/pitcher/vase type thing to put odd-shaped kitchen utensils in, but otherwise, everything is neat and arranged, I even got my hair dyed. This makes me rather happy. Besides work, there's nothing important that had to get done immediately. It's about time!

Now I can do the new year things on my list - get a dentist appointment (paperwork is filled out, insurance starts tomorrow, and I know where, I just have to call and confirm they're taking new patients and get an appointment scheduled), contact the Pine Bush Preserve about volunteering on weekends for a bit as a naturalist of any sort, get a regular doctor appoint before summer, and a GYN in the area, and that's about it for being totally and completely 'moved' to the Albany area.

Yay for the holidays and 2007 being over and a clean apartment!

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:55:20 GMT

Good Riddance to 2007.

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 03:31:40 GMT

Let the cleaning begin!

2007 is almost over - and its about fucking time!

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:45:13 GMT

So...

-We got a lot of kitchen stuff for Xmas. Yay. Including matching chef's coats, double button collars real chef's wear. Now I won't cover myself in flour/sugar when baking. We have to reorganize the kitchen to make room for stuff, as the drawer of "other" utensils is overflowing.
-Holidays cookies = Big success, at both work and Xmas gatherings
-Stuffed African Wild Dog from Jess = sooooooooooooooooooooo soft and cute!!!!
-Desperately need to clean over New Years weekend
-No New Years plans, I am so boring socially
-Dropped ice pack (disposable kind) on toe = almost broken toe. Big, swollen, black and blue and OMG HURTS TO WALK painful. Yeeeah.
-Holidays without Dad were...odd. It was that unspoken raging bull in the corner of the room. Everything was thinking it, nobody was saying it.
-Benazir Bhutto assasinated, unfortunate and sad, but not unexpected.

And uh....that's about it. Oh! Coming home to cards in the mail from friends was a pleasant and heart warming surprise yesterday too.

Happy Holidays

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 23:28:16 GMT

And I'm done with this:

Peppermint hot cocoa

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:06:45 GMT

Mmmm I made peppermint hot cocoa, on the stove, with milk and cocoa powder and crushed candy cane. yumyum

I love having a kitchen.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa

4 Cups milk
8 tsp cocoa powder
8 tsp sugar
2 large candy canes, crushed into dust
1 tsp vanilla extra

Heat on Medium until everything dissolves, serve!

Snow

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:29:31 GMT

So we got a good foot and a half of snow. This is like, nothing, yet it's clear Albany doesn't know how to handle it. I've been spoiled by Oswego's ability to cope within insane amounts of snow...a few feet is nothing! It took a good 15 minutes to clear off my car, since it was layer of heavy wet snow, then ice, then more snow, thne more ice. I really need a better snow brush.

Today's Monday Meeting was secret santa and breakfast, so it was fun. We had bagels and juice and one girl brought an assload of cookies - her sister is a cookie baking freak this time of year, apparently. She had gingerbread cookies, cut-out sugar cookies, press-out butter cookies, and shortbread cookies with jelly in the middle (sandwich style) and peanut butter cookies with kisses in them. Geeeez! And my supervisor brought these things her Mom (who's visit from Russia for a few months) made, that were like a thick biscuity-base with jelly and then marshmellow and then a lattice of sugar on top. Weeee sugar rush! My secret santa was my two-tier boss, who got me an official Weather Channel temperature thing - with the wireless temperature reader that goes outside, and then the stand that sits inside, its nifty, along with a lavender bath gift set, with incense on a little leaf dish and shower gel and a soap bar, all organic. And best yet the gift bag sings "Have a holly jolly Christmas" haha, its annoyingly fun! One of th eguys got the "Officiall OfficeSpace Survival kit" including a peice of flare that said "somebody's got a case of the mondays" and the 'jump to conclusions" mat.

I have been put on my first real big project, just me and my one boss. I'll be doing all the analytical side work, while she refreshes her self with the wet chemistry (and teaches me along the way). I'm looking forward to the bit more responsibility and involvement in the project. I feel I am definitely being groomed for a promotion, which would be very nice to have at the 6 month mark.

I made cut-out cookies via a foodnetwork recipe, they are delicious. I'm going to make home-made frosting and bring some to work later in the week, then bring the rest home unfrosted and have "frost your own cookies" for Christmas Day dinner.

I've been playing Oblivion for 360, I forgot how much I liked Morrowwind. I've gone with a predominantly caster. I'll have to see how far I go before I want to just godmode and do everything, like I did on PC. I so hate having to make decisions, hah.

My Christmas shopping is done, I have to finish my uncle's gift, and wrap it, and I am pretty much done. I am going to do some small gifts or notes or something for a few friends /after/ the holidays, because the holidays are far too busy for this crap now, and I want to sit and write some decent notes and what not.

I must admit that I read through LJs and laugh, I am so glad to be out of classes. There are certainly some things I miss - like the flexible schedule and lack of responsibility, but I don't miss dealing with people who are still mentally highschoolers. I do like the fact that my team at work are smart and nice and on the whole mature and great coworkers. I am still keeping an eye out for a bio-oriented job in the area, but that will come in its own time when things line up. At least for now I am a scientist, I have lab experience, I can pay my bills with a not-so-hot salary and still put a bunch into savings and a 401k, have a sweet apartment and a nice new car, and no debt hanging over my head, so its all good.

Soon as the new year comes I can start planning a spring vacation somewhere, I love this paid-vacation stuff!!

Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:16:31 GMT

I Am A: Chaotic Good Human Ranger/Sorcerer (2nd/1st Level)
 Ability Scores: 
Strength-11 
Dexterity-11 
Constitution-13 
Intelligence-15 
Wisdom-14 
Charisma-12
 Alignment: Chaotic
Good A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs
him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own
way, but he's kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right
but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people
try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own
moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of
society. Chaotic good is the best alignment you can be because it
combines a good heart with a free spirit. However, chaotic good can be
a dangerous alignment because it disrupts the order of society and
punishes those who do well for themselves. 
 Race: Humans
are the most adaptable of the common races. Short generations and a
penchant for migration and conquest have made them physically diverse
as well. Humans are often unorthodox in their dress, sporting unusual
hairstyles, fanciful clothes, tattoos, and the like.
 Primary
Class: Rangers are skilled
stalkers and hunters who make their home in the woods. Their martial
skill is nearly the equal of the fighter, but they lack the latter's
dedication to the craft of fighting. Instead, the ranger focuses his
skills and training on a specific enemy a type of creature he bears a
vengeful grudge against and hunts above all others. Rangers often
accept the role of protector, aiding those who live in or travel
through the woods. His skills allow him to move quietly and stick to
the shadows, especially in natural settings, and he also has special
knowledge of certain types of creatures. Finally, an experienced ranger
has such a tie to nature that he can actually draw on natural power to
cast divine spells, much as a druid does, and like a druid he is often
accompanied by animal companions. A ranger's Wisdom score should be
high, as this determines the maximum spell level that he can cast.
 Secondary
Class: Sorcerers are arcane
spellcasters who manipulate magic energy with imagination and talent
rather than studious discipline. They have no books, no mentors, no
theories just raw power that they direct at will. Sorcerers know fewer
spells than wizards do and acquire them more slowly, but they can cast
individual spells more often and have no need to prepare their
incantations ahead of time. Also unlike wizards, sorcerers cannot
specialize in a school of magic. Since sorcerers gain their powers
without undergoing the years of rigorous study that wizards go through,
they have more time to learn fighting skills and are proficient with
simple weapons. Charisma is very important for sorcerers; the higher
their value in this ability, the higher the spell level they can cast.
 Find
out <a href='http://www.easydamus.com/character.html'
target='mt'>What Kind of Dungeons and Dragons Character Would You
Be?</a>, courtesy of Easydamus</a> <a
href='mailto:zybstrski@excite.com'>(e-mail)</a>

Blaaah

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 04:40:53 GMT

My Christmas shopping is (mostly) done. Now I have to wrap things, ugh.

This weekend is another fucking snow storm, double yuck. The fucking snow followed me from the Lake. Damn you snow, damn you!

I do like my job, but I don't love it. I want to find a job I love, but I don't even know what that would be. And since I have a lot of ties that I refuse to stretch, and I like living here with Trysten, I am limited geographically to an area without a lot of bio-related jobs. Ugh.

And I miss my friends horribly. I love Trysten dearly and all...but I miss having my own friends and going and doing stuff. Like going for walks. Or just chilling and talking. Stupid Holidays, they take up so much time and crap, and then crappy weather makes it yet harder to get stuff together.

We had a work-paid dinner Wed. It was a lot of fun. The whole group went. I talked to the newest team member, a girl my age, who just moved here by herself. She sounded a little homesick and lonely. She seems nice. I'm bad at making new friends though. I'm hoping to try to do something non-work related after the holidays maybe....maybe just a trip to the mall or something. Or a movie, I dunno. It would be nice to have a female friend in the area that was my friend, seeing as how the only friend around here sort of migrated to being more Trystens friend and less mine. Argh.

Fucking stockings, and fuck shopping!

Sat, 08 Dec 2007 23:52:04 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj--fCSNrLc

Migraines :(

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 03:28:28 GMT

So my day was wasted by a migraine. Ugh. Why doesn't it happen at work so I can get sent home for half a day, but nooo, it wastes my weekend. I feel better now though.

I really hope the weather tomorrow isn't the ice storm they're talking about.

Lord Fuzzer went to the vet, and was pronounced a fat happy healthy piggy, so I feel better. He was also declared rather young, as his teeth are perfect and straight and white. He's going to hate me with what I have planned for Holiday Cards.

We got a wreath up on the door. I put it together from Michaels - glittery fake-pine wreath with some little deocrative add ons - some pine cones, little red with gold glitter ornaments, and a big felt poinsetta. It looks rather nice.

Today was homemade chicken soup day, nummy. Just too bad I couldn't manage to eat very much of it because I felt like crap.

So the shorthanded update

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 02:49:27 GMT

Avatar's mid-season 1 hour episode was FUCKING AMAZING. I can't believe how many answers we got and how many more questions there are. And WOOHOO ZUKO!! We knew you'd come around. I'd just disappointed I didn't get to see Iroh beat anybody up. I did miss the last episode (from 2 weeks ago) though, unfortunately. Oh well, I'll be buying the box set.

That white bird was an almost-albino (leucistic) tufted titmouse.

Car insurance sucks. It's so frustrating to get such a massive run around. And yet, even with a 35$ bump in cost, its less than every other company, so sigh, I have to deal.

Today was cake day. Mmmm cake day. I got to spend the afternoon over at the plant, drive back and forth (yay out of the office an in the sunshine), and then got back to the office in time for cake.

We got a christmas tree. It is poifect. It looks very nice. We shall decorate this weekend.