i got a netbook!  it's an acer aspire and so far i love it.  i bought it because my laptop has lost some of its portability, due to a broken hinge on the screen, and it's been killing me that I have to be tied to someplace with a computer.  so, i bit the bullet and bought myself the netbook (from newegg which included free shipping and a travel kit including a USB hub w/4 ports, a mouse, and some phone thing--which i won't use).  the keyboard isn't too small (for me at least) and it's super fast and fits in my (big) purse.  i'm very very happy. 

as for programs, i got rid of most of the junk this came loaded with and downloaded open office, avg free, spybot, and malware anti-bytes.  the battery life is nice and long (i used it all day today without the ac adapter) and i already know it's going to be perfect for writing the dissertation.

happiness!

 last night i started having what i thought was a massive allergy attack.  the allergy stuff i took this morning really didn't do anything and my throat got worse.  it was clear by around noon that this was some kind of illness.  so i showed a movie in my first class and cancelled the 2nd one.  who knows how i'll feel friday.  i just keep getting achier and more stuffed up.  i wouldn't be surprised if i have the flu...porcine or not, i don't know.

blah i'm a whiney snotty mess.

Ted Kennedy died.  He was a good balancing force in the senate.  I wonder what will happen now.

i saw julie and julia last night with some friends.  i really enjoyed it.  admittedly what made the movie were the julia child portions but the recent day ones with julie weren't too horrendous (usually).  meryl streep is fantastic (quelle surprise!) as is stanley tucci.  the relationship between julia child and her husband paul gave me warm fuzzies and it was just refreshing to see a film about women which did not involve them chasing men or changing from a work driven ice queen to the girl next door after some guy unexpectedly melts her heart.  also the food that's in this film--total food porn.  my friends and i all wanted to go eat something decadent and cooked in obscene amounts of butter afterwards.

i recently watched mama mia! as well and that's another meryl being awesome film.  i just wanted to have a dance party after it was over.  really, how can you not dance to abba?  that and do an abba inspired mini movie marathon with muriel's wedding and mama mia! 

yesterday josh and i went blueberry picking.  i used to go every summer growing up and i've been wanting to go again for years but was never here during the summer when it was blueberry season.  so i was really excited.  the place we went to was about 20-30min. away in leslie and was a small farm.  before we started the lady mentioned that she had a small problem with a cranberry worm on some of her bushes.  ok no big deal.  just be extra careful when picking.  we ended up getting a little over 3 pounds of blueberries.  today when i went to do a sort through in case we picked any bad ones.  at one point i looked down in the clean bowl and noticed one of the evil worms.  so i started over and got super paranoid because off the stem, that stem attachment area is a super easy way for those stupid worms to get in.  any berry where it didn't look like the stem end was intact, i tossed.  i have no doubt i tossed some good ones but i do not want to accidentally eat any worms.  so i probably ended up tossing about half of what we picked, which kind of makes me sick.  it's also no wonder she was selling them at $1/pound.  next time we go i'm trying another place that's a little farther away.  hopefully they won't have the worm problem.  i've never had to deal with it before and i don't want to again.

oh, and a funny tidbit from yesterday.  at one point, the owner referred to josh as my husband.  it sounded kind of strange.

i found out thursday afternoon i got the job i interviewed for on tuesday.  yay!  employment!  i was told that they'd been dead set on hiring another cultural anthro (since the job is teaching cultural anthro classes) so the fact that i managed to get past such a big hurdle is pretty huge in itself.  this fall is kind of a trial run but it seems like if things go well etc. that i'll be able to stay on and teach during the winter term as well.  after i'd gotten off the phone with the department chair, i realized i wouldn't have to deal with my department's crap (at least in terms of employment) anymore.  it made me feel so much lighter.  i'm so dead set on finishing this spring and having this teaching job external from MSU makes me feel like i can say 'peace out bitches' to some extent.

on the other hand this now adds to the pile of work i have.  i really need to get the lab stuff done and just get my butt in gear writing.  i've reached the point where i'm basically done with any fluff writing i have (site descriptions, methods, etc.) and now it's time to really focus.  since i'll be up at alma 3 days a week, and my classes all start mid-afternoon, i'm thinking i'll just go up early and spend the entire day so i can work on various things in my down time.  the only down side to all this is the hour commute i have each way.  i kind of wish i could find something productive to do with that hour but i'm not going to be like my undergrad advisor who would read/grade our papers as he drove to campus. 

i have an interview on tuesday for an instructor position at a nearby college--it's a small liberal arts school.  the department chair i've been corresponding with said it will be an informal interview.  they mostly want me to talk about how i envision teaching one particular class.  i should also note that part of the reason they brought me in was because the woman who had been teaching there is a friend of mine who recommended me (she just got a full time job out of state and is moving).  now the question i have is, what do i wear to the interview?  this normally wouldn't be a problem but sometime in the past 3 months my pants have decided not to fit.  i have a couple pair of pants that still do but they are a bit snug.  now here's my question, i also have a pair of very nice wide leg dark trouser jeans, which fit really well.  what are people's opinions on wearing something like those to an interview?  i feel they're dressy but i don't know if they would be seen that way.  i'm planning on wearing a blazer and nice top either way.  part of me thinks the wide leg jean trouser could be 'academic chic' but i don't know if it would be interview appropriate.

opinions please!

i went and saw transformers: revenge of the fallen with josh this afternoon.  i never saw the first one and was expecting this to be a pretty brainless action flick.  it met those expectations but it was also hilarious (unintentionally so).  probably the funniest thing i've seen so far this summer.  plus it was really fun to count how many sci-fi franchises they could rip off throughout the movie.  i think every major one got hit.  so, fun robot fighting and shia labeouf is kind of ridiculous.  i recommend it as a good rainy day or the-sun-has-relocated-to-earth's-surface day excursion if you don't want to think to hard.

tomorrow i leave for atlanta where it will be 70.  my entire stay will range from 75-80.  happiness!

uconn lost tonight

dear friends with significant others,

how do you deal with a partner who snores?  the breath-right strips don't work.  does anyone have other suggestions?  i'm thinking i might have to get ear plugs since he tends to snore every night.

i'm oh so very tired of this non stop cold we've been having in MI.  after our very brief warm spell a couple weeks ago, my brain snapped when it snowed again.  now all i can do is daydream (and search travel sites) about going someplace warm for a little bit of spring break.  josh and i had initially considered driving only destinations.  as a result, memphis is a possibility.  however, as a friend pointed out to me today, there's currently airfare wars going on and so flying is relatively cheap.  since she and her family are heading to FL, i had considered that at first but really, orlando doesn't hold much attraction for me and miami hotels are pricey.  so i started looking to the SW since a friend of mine just came back from a trip out there.  from her pictures, albuquerque seemed pretty interesting and when looking at hotel/flight packages, it comes out to about $300-320/person.  that's not bad and it looks like albuquerque's public transportation system is pretty good so no need for car rental.  plus, i've never been there.  double plus, it's 70 there right now.

the one roadblock is josh's financial situation since he's currently living on loans.  in any case, does anyone have any further warm destination suggestions?

i watched one of the most bizarre movies, six string samurai, i've ever seen the other night.  it takes place in a post-apocalyptic america where the russians bombed the U.S. in the 50s and took over.  the one place they didn't take over was las vegas, where elvis remained king.  the movie is the journey of buddy (ie a guy that looks a lot like buddy holly) to las vegas since the king has died and vegas needs a new king.  the entire movie death, who looks like slash from GNR and plays heavy metail guitar, is chasing him.  it had allusions and references to the wizard of oz as well.  not something i would have picked but it was fun and worthwhile if you want to see something for sheer entertainment.

monday can't come soon enough.  i leave to go back to MI then.  3 weeks at home is too much...i'm starting to go family crazy.

last night i made my first curry ever.  it was a chicken recipe and if i had thought about it, i would have added some veggies but i was too focused on following the directions that it didn't occur to me to do this until it was done cooking.  anyway.  i have a general question for those of you who may have more experience making indian food.  the recipe i followed called for using both yogurt and coconut milk.  i didn't have any yogurt so just used the entire can of coconut milk instead (and it tasted fine).  what i'm wondering is, what have other people used as the dairy ingredient in curry?  i imagine i could just use cream or yogurt (and obviously coconut milk) but i'd like to know what's worked and what hasn't for those with more experience in the arena of indian food cookery.

the river on campus is insanely flooded right now thanks to all the rain we had this weekend.  i love it.  i'm also not sure i've ever seen it this high.  trees along the bank now look like they're in the middle of the river.  it is teh awesome.

today is my last day of work at job number 3.  this means i'll be down to 2 once 5:00 hits. 

i am so bored right now and only have 15 minutes left.  i want to leeeeeeave!

oh my god i hate nature and all things pollinating right now!


stupid allergies.