sparkfrost: (Glinda Cocktail)
So, I bought a car? When I graduated last year, my parents made it clear that they were willing to assist me financially in buying a car, as they'd done for my sisters when they graduated college. It was an incredibly generous offer, but I asked if I could wait for a while, until I had a job more permanent (and higher paying) than the coffee shop. They graciously agreed. Well, as you may know, I now have three jobs, each of which paying more than the coffee shop did. What you might not know is that they're all over the County, and public transportation can be a bitch. While its not a problem when I only need to go to a single location in a day, it quickly becomes a major issue when I need to get to multiple locations. I end up spending hours on public transport and waiting for public transport, and its very frustrating. So! I asked my parents if they were still willing to help me get a car, and they were! The amount they gave me was more than generous, and was enough to buy a year or two old used car. But while researching, I discovered that the cars I was interested in keep their value quite well - so a two of three year old car is still quite expensive! After more research, and some lengthy talks with Palmer, we decided that I should take out a small loan and use it to make up the difference to get a new car.

And so I did! I bought a 2014 Nissan Versa Note in white, and its awesome! I bought it last Saturday, and my life has been SO MUCH SIMPLER over the past week. Instead of checking bus schedules and waiting outside in the heat, I've been driving - its pretty amazing! And since it gets really good gas mileage, I'm not too worried about blowing a lot of money on fuel!

I'm just - guys, I own a car. I'm 29 years old and this is the first car that's ever been mine, and with some clever financing and bargaining, I only owe $2500 on it! GAH! AMAZEBALLS! Ahem. Sorry.

Anyhow, yay car!
sparkfrost: (Glinda Cocktail)
Had the first full day at the new job! I'd gone in last week for a few hours, and Tuesday for a few more, but today was my first full work day with the company. It went well! At least in my opinion. Spent the first part of the morning doing research (that'll be my "backup" work to do when I've finished everything else), then really got to work on the whole "social media & writing" part of my job description. Spent the afternoon working on a newsletter for the company's mailing list, and collecting links to share on Facebook & Twitter. Two are already posted! But yeah, basically spent the afternoon getting paid to surf the internet for cool and interesting stories. I think I did good work today, and one of the guys told me I was awesome. So there's that! I'm excited by the possibilities of this job, and they're already talking about bringing me on for more hours, so cross your fingers for me, yeah?

We have a date! We spent the last few weeks researching, and emailing, and looking at prices and caterers and tented vs indoors, ad nauseum. But on Wednesday we went into DC to look at a venue my parents had recommended. It was gorgeous, with both indoor and outdoor space (so no worries in case of weather) and is already beautifully decorated so we don't need to add anything! We talked about it Wednesday and yesterday, and decided that it was the one. So! We have the venue booked, a check has been written, and we are good to go! Now all the rest of the planning can start. :-P

Oh. We also got an awesome liquor cabinet. Guy on Craigslist was selling it for practically nothing, and while the piece is a little old fashioned, I think a new stain (and maybe hardware) will make it look really awesome. For now, it is still awesome! And we actually have a place to put liquor bottles that isn't the kitchen counter. Hooray!

That's about it. It snowed this morning, it was pretty, and then everything melted by noon. Oh, DC. Never change.
sparkfrost: (Glinda Cocktail)
The race! That happened! A week and a half ago I decided to go out at 1 in the morning and run a 5k, like a crazy person! Along with 700 other crazy people, and my mom. It was fun! Managed to run the whole way, no walking, and never felt like I was about to die. It also helped that my mom set the pace, so we went a bit slower than I would have on my own; almost certainly why I never felt like I was about to die. We ran it in 35 minutes, approximately, cooled down, turned in our chips, and went home to sleep. But still, fun! I doubt I'll run much if at all this winter, but once spring comes around I'll start up again. I'd like to run a few 5k races each year, and I think that's about it. Maybe eventually work up to a 10k, but who knows. But yes! Completed the race!

Ah, what else? Gave my friend his Redskins scarf, he loved it. Another friend has since also asked for a Redskins scarf, so I'll add that to my queue. But first, finishing my scarf. Which I might not even be able to wear, because me and animal fiber don't get along.

Still applying to jobs. Just got a call back from one, though it was while I was work and therefore couldn't answer. Called back and left a message, hopefully we'll connect soon. A lot of what I'm currently looking at is advocacy and campaign stuff. I don't particularly relish the idea of campaigning through the winter, but alot of these positions have the option of upwards movement. And outreach/advocacy/education is where I want to be headed, so as long as the pay is comparable, why not?

Ooh! I won a prize! Filled out a "Best Of..." survey by the Gazette, and won a Visa gift card! Most of it will go into savings, but I want to buy some panniers for my bike, and some hiking boots. All the rest will be transferred over to my bank. But yay, money! And yay, things! I was already planning to buy those, but the purchases would have been way spread out. Now I get ALL THE THINGS!

Um. Saw Wreck-It Ralph, which was wonderful. Going out for tacos tonight. Gym+wine date on Friday. Possibly hanging with my friend Joe this week as well. Busy! And yes, I said gym+wine date. My friend Elle and I go to the gym for an hour or so, then back to my apartment, drink some wine, and gossip. Its great!

And that's it. More on fitness later, probably tomorrow. Ciao!
sparkfrost: (Glinda Cocktail)
I have been procrastinating so hard on this history midterm. It is due tomorrow evening and I seriously just got started. Sigh. Ah well, I am 1/3 done, and plan to knock out at least 1 of the 2 essays tonight. If I get them both done tonight, awesome, if not at least I don't have the WHOLE THING to work on tomorrow. Procrastination really is a weak point for me- I know that I should work on things in advance, schedule out my time and whatnot, but I just... don't. I rationalize pushing it back until the last minute, and then I run around like a chicken with my head cut off, and write a 4 page paper in 2 hours the day its due. Fun!

Went to the mall today with the mission of buying pants, a belt, and more Lush products. Well. I succeeded in one of those endeavors! Seriously, why does nowhere make jeans that I want/fit me? Torrid has like, 3 styles, and I want something new, GAP doesn't do skinny jeans, and Old Navy still doesn't quite fit. Grr. Whatever. I bought stuff from Lush, I am excited. 3 more bath bombs, some dry shampoo, and some new conditioner. The girl ringing me out took a look at my purchases and was like, "Wow, I'm guessing you like citrus." I might be a little one-note, but at least it is a nice-smelling note!

We got our meat CSA today! Went down and retrieved it (and got a free dozen eggs since it was our first pick up) and were encouraged to come out to the farm for a 'farm day' thought I can't find out when they are or what they are about. Alas. But yeah, I think we got invited out because I said I was happy about being able to eat pork guilt-free. The guy talking to us got really excited and was like, come out to farm day and see the pigs, you'll see how happy they are! So that was funny. It didn't hurt that he was super-cute, but don't tell Palmer I said that. :-P Anyhow, wrote up the purchase here if you're interested.

And that's it! Off to write some more on history!
sparkfrost: (Boom Di Ya Da)
Have finally resumed knitting, thank god. It looks like I may actually get my friend's Redskins scarf completed before the football season. At the very least before next winter. :-P

Purchased a Lush Bath Bomb and tried it out on Wednesday. Oh. My. God. I need a million more of these in my life. I am going to take SO MANY BATHS it will be EPIC!

Palmer and I signed up for a Meat CSA. Once a month we'll be getting 12 pounds of meat from a farm in Pennsylvania. We chose the "Everything" package, so we'll be receiving beef, chicken, pork, and lamb, all pasture raised. I am excite! We signed up for 3 months of it, so we'll see how it goes. First pick-up is next week!

Work is just getting worse and worse. I have been seriously tempted to quit twice in the last week. Thank god the semester is almost over, and I can GTFO. I have officially started the job search, and sent in an application yesterday for an internship with a global sustainable development company. Cross your fingers!

Cooking tonight- making this avocado pasta (2nd try, first time we got an avocado that wasn't ripe enough, so it didn't blend well) with a spinach salad and fresh bread. Can you tell we went to a farmer's market today?

Resumed my blogspot experiment, and started with a post about blackberry vodka. Check it out!

Going to procrastinate for a bit more, then get a start on my Annotated Bib that's due tomorrow, simply so I don't have to freak out about it then. There may possibly be a pedicure.
sparkfrost: (Boom Di Ya Da)
I don't believe I mentioned this before, but I got A's in both my Emergency Management course and in my Business Writing course. You know, those two classes who each had assigned a MASSIVE paper, both due within hours of each other? Yeah, those two. Well, after a few days of nail biting and obsessively checking my grade portfolio, I found out the results- 95% on the Emergency Management paper and 100% on the Business Writing paper! And for the emergency management paper he said that although I'd left off a few things that would have been useful, it was overall a great emergency management plan! ROCK!

So then I had my final project due in my GIS class this week. It was due Thursday, and then we have to critique our classmates maps (two critiques, 100 words each) by Sunday. Handed in, critiqued, and graded- 95% motherfuckers! Which means that I have an A in that class as well!

So- cross your fingers for me that I don't fuck it up in my other classes, but graduation is getting closer every day!

On a pissy note- I am fucking fed up with my debate teammates in my capstone course. Only one of my teammates and I have bothered to post anything in the debates, and the girl who is "team leader" this week hasn't even contacted us. The debate is due (with summaries of our points) by Monday night! wtf?! I posted a rebuttal to the other team, but haven't been able to post a main point because SHE is supposed to direct that!! GAH!!!

Deep breath. Whatever. I will keep on rebutting like a champ, and if she doesn't send anything by tomorrow night, I'll post a main point, her input be damned.

Back to cheerful- uh... I got new Threadless shirts, and we bought a bird feeder, and we bought a pop-top bottle to pour our soon to be fruit infused vodka into! Rock!

Oh Target

Mar. 26th, 2012 02:59 pm
sparkfrost: (Adulthood)
I realize that I still haven't posted pictures of our apartment, but please believe me that Palmer and I have a nice little balcony outside our living room. Up until now, the only things on that balcony have been my bike, some Christmas lights on the railing (yes, still), and an ashtray. Since the weather is getting nice again, and we might conceivably want to sit outside and hang out in the nice weather, Palmer and I decided it was time to buy some outdoor furniture.

Ok, do you know how expensive that shit it?! Even the cheapest set still clocked in at $150. For just two little chairs and a dinky table! wtf?! That was not going to happen, so we decided to just check out Target and see if they had any Adirondack chairs or cheap outdoor chairs available. And they did! Some nice metal frame chairs with green netted seating, and a little metal and glass table to go between them. And since all were on sale, together they cost about $67. SO MUCH BETTER!

But here is where we ran into difficulty- the chairs did not fit in Palmer's car. Not in the trunk, not in the backseat. At all. We didn't want to return the chairs, because we really liked them, so what to do? After a close examination, we realized that we could, in fact, take apart the chairs, as they had bolts holding them together. But did Palmer have a wrench in his car? No. Luckily, we were still right outside a Target! Wrench acquired, we began the dismantling process. Oh. My. God. These things were clearly never meant to be taken apart by human hands- it took us about an hour to get both of them broken down. But hey, at least they fit into the car afterwards!

So we got home, and brought the chairs up, and started to put them back together. Palmer was much faster at getting his chair back together than I was, but eventually they were properly reassembled. Then, sweaty, gross, and tired, we took our chairs outside, placed them on the balcony, sat in them, and smoked triumphant cigarettes.

I also finally located an ice tea container with a spigot that wasn't a)glass or b)mad expensive. Bring on the infused vodka!

Oh, and this exchange occurred in the Target parking lot, as we're disassembling the chairs:

Random Woman: Oh, I hope after you take those apart they fit in your car!
Suze: Thanks, I hope so too!
Random Woman: Because if they don't then you'll have done a lot of work for nothing.
Suze: ...Thanks, that was SO helpful!

Wretched woman.
sparkfrost: (Default)
The television hutch DIYed out of bookshelves is not going so well. Or rather, not at all. Well, a little. But it has clearly become the new Dresser of DOOM in our lives, as it is still deconstructed on the living room floor. Meaning that books cannot be put away yet, so they are also sitting, in boxes, on the living room floor. We have, however, gotten the correct screws, nuts & bolts, and drill bit required for the construction of this thing. We have also gotten (and drilled) a test piece of wood to make sure that 1)we know how to use a power drill and 2)we did actually get the right stuff for this project. We did! Yay!

Palmer also got a stud finder because he's been wanting one. Next on the list? Multimeter. A multimeter measures multiple electronic things like voltage and amperage, plus a whole bunch of other stuff. Palmer likes stuff like this. I am sure we will have need for it someday.

The summer session of hell is finally over, and I know I'm going to have to retake one of the classes. The depression got too much, and the class just fell to the wayside. I literally did not have the energy to do more than one class's worth of work, and Risk Assessment was not that class. Awesome. I've also decided to drop my minor, because if I kept it, I would have to take an additional semester to get all my credits in, and if I do that I will cry and vomit.

Speaking of, I think that "I will cry and/or vomit" has become my new favorite descriptor for when I'm feeling unbearably shitty. When the AC at work broke a few weeks ago, that was my standard response after 6 hours in the 95 degree heat. I think I will integrate it into my regular vernacular, but hope not to use it too often.

Seattle was awesomesauce, though we were woefully unprepared for the trip. But we swam in a freezing cold lake, drank a lot with friends, saw two good friends get married, saw the Battlestar Galactica exhibit at the Experience Music Project, spent too much money on food, and closed out a hipster bar. Also! Had a layover in Vegas, during which I played the quarter slot machines, and beat the house! That's right! Started with 10 dollars, ended with 10 dollars 25 cents. Rock!

That's about it for now. Have a month until the fall session starts, and I plan to relax and focus on getting the apartment looking put together. Tomorrow I'm going to the Borders to try and get some cheap cheap picture frames for some of our art.

Good times, sports fans!
sparkfrost: (Adulthood)
Sorry for the TMI, but Palmer and I totally bought diaper cream on Saturday due to the wicked chafing we had from moving all our furniture to the new apartment on the hottest day of the year. Seriously, it hurt to wear underwear. Not fun. But diaper cream? Wonder drug! Put it on and instantly felt better! We were able to go back to the old apartment and move even more stuff! So yes, in case of godawful chafing, use diaper cream. You're welcome.

Anyhow! Friday was our official move-in day. We managed to move everything from our storage unit, plus the 55" inch tv we had left at his mom's place, plus all the furniture (except the bookcase) from the old apartment to the new. Saturday we went to Target for much needed supplies, then moved a whole bunch more boxes. Today we completely packed up the kitchen, then cleaned the hell out of it. How did I accumulate so much crap?! Whatever. We have through next Sunday to finish moving, and we're going to use all of that time so that we don't burn out. Tomorrow I'll be cleaning out the bathroom and disassembling the bookshelf (and doing laundry), and we'll tackle the bedroom and the living room after that. It'll be all good. Meanwhile, we definitely have the new place set up to be livable, though our clean clothes supply is running perilously low, hence the laundry. Basically, super busy for the next week. But by the end of this coming week, we should be both fully moved, and fully unpacked. Rock on!

Things we still need to buy:
-A second dresser. We decided on the long, low 6-drawer model, but we want to measure my car and make sure it'll fit in it before we actually spend money on it. It should fit, we just want to make sure.
-Another utensil holder. The drawer space in the kitchen is not optimal, and silverware takes up most of the one available drawer. Another countertop utensil holder is necessary.
-A kitchen workstation. There is also minimal counter space in the kitchen, and Ikea sells an awesome workstation for about $200. We just need to measure and double-check that it'll fit, but I am optimistic.

So yes. We've gotten the place livable, and over the next week we'll move everything else over and clean the shit out of the old place. Once everything is done I'll post pictures, but trust me, the new place is awesome.

Til next time!
sparkfrost: (Boom di yah dah)
In an effort to be less of a crazy shut in, and because we hadn't hung out in forever, I invited [livejournal.com profile] cinaea and [livejournal.com profile] samanthahirr over for drinks and dinner. Which meant I had to clean! My place is never like, a danger zone, but it had gotten cluttered and messy over the past couple of weeks. So yes, much of yesterday was devoted to getting the recyclables outside, sweeping, cleaning the kitchen, and, of course, cooking! They said they'd be down with a slow cooker dish, so I decided to try my hand at Doro Wat, spicy Ethiopian chicken. Oh my goodness. SO GOOD! So very spicy as well, but so so tasty. Basically you throw boneless chicken thighs in the slow cooker with lots of onions, tomatoes, spices, butter, and water, and by the time its done the chicken is just falling apart, it is so tender. I think the next time I make it (because oh god that recipe is a keeper!) I'm going to add more tomatoes and throw some potatoes in as well. And then maybe serve it with rice, or noodles. Something. Because it was tasty, but I thought it could have used something more. But still! Ethiopian chicken! I can has!

I actually had a super busy day yesterday, because not only did I have guests over in the evening, but I had lunch with my dad in Bethesda. We decided to go to Mussel Bar, which I've been to before, but he has not. We got the Wild Shroom Mussels (heavy cream, cheese, mushrooms, and bacon in the sauce with the mussels) and the spinach salad. Sooooo tasty! Since it was his belated birthday present, I treated, and since it was such a nice day outside, we walked around to my coffee shop and I made us fruit smoothies! Of course my coworkers gave me a hard time for not being able to stay away, even on my day off, but whatever, I make a mean smoothie. And a regular commented on how dressed up I look (i.e., NOT in work clothes), which I think was meant to be a compliment. At least, that's how I took it.

Monday afternoon I drove down to Vidal Sassoon to talk with my stylist about being his house model. It was pretty funny, because basically all that happened was this: I walked in, he gave me a hug, touched my hair for like, 10 seconds, and then said, "Ok, so I'm doing a workshop in a month, want to be my model?" [livejournal.com profile] cinaea and [livejournal.com profile] samanthahirr told me that the new looks are all with slightly longer hair, which explains why he wanted to see mine, I'm just amused that our "meeting" lasted all of two minutes. Anyhow, in a month I should have a funky new haircut! Meanwhile, it'll just get shaggy and more Bieber-ish until then. :D

Tomorrow's plans include breakfast with Palmer, buying short sleeve button down shirts for work, taking old clothes to Value Village to donate them, and going to hang out with [livejournal.com profile] lillbet and her friends in the evening. Sometime in there I'll have to squeeze in a few hours of homework. Good times!

That's about it for now. Ciao!
sparkfrost: (Adulthood)
I keep going back and forth with myself whether or not I want to pre-order the Panic album, and if so, which package do I want? I mean, I do want to get the album when it comes out, but do I care enough to pre-order it? I also do like the look of that Black Plague t-shirt, but again, do I want to spend an extra 15 bucks for a shirt that may not fit? Alas!

I also keep going back and forth on whether or not to buy Catherynne Valente's short story collection. Normally this would be a no-brainer: I love her writing, I own many of her other books, and I know for a fact that I love several of the short stories included. But! Three of her books are coming out over the next year, books that I fully intend to buy. Do I really need another? I mean, with Deathless, Fairyland, and Prester John 2: Medieval Boogaloo all on the way, do I really need Ventriloquism as well? Most of me says yes, but then I remember the 35 dollar price tag. Yeesh. Tough choices!

Then there's clothing! I made the mistake of looking online at Boden's website, and now I pretty much want ALL THE DRESSES! Especially this one in purple. And this one in the blue polka dot. They aren't TOO expensive... and spring is coming! Slowly. Ever so slowly. If I do end up buying a dress, it'll probably be the jersey, just because it is inherently the more flexible dress. Doesn't stop me from drooling at that blue one though!

Palmer and I are now officially going to ALL THE CONCERTS this spring! Travie McCoy and Black Cards in March, Cake in April, and My Chem in May! And if Panic ever posts US tour dates, I'm sure we'll go to one of those as well!

That's about it. Realized that the notebook I'd intended to use for Marine Biology was actually filled up with math notes and homework from last semester, so I have to buy I new one tonight if I want to be able to take notes on chapters. Good times!

Oh, and here, smaller and hopefully less obnoxious:
My Valentinr - sparkfrost
Get your own valentinr
sparkfrost: (Squee! \o/)
My Kindle arrived! Hooray! It is so very shiny and new, and I'm so damn excited about it! Currently it is charging (well, I think it is, it may be done, I haven't really looked at it in an hour), and sitting snug in its neoprene case. After reading the User Guide I immediately had to get several books onto it, so I took the easy way and went for those that are out of copyright. So far I have two Austen books, Shakespeare's The Tempest, and a collected works of H.P. Lovecraft. I mean, I've been reading Something Positive for years, and you know Randy loves himself some Cthulu jokes, yet I've never read any Lovecraft? Travesty! So yes, I got four books, and for those books I paid a total of $0.99. Apparently Amazon doesn't offer Lovecraft for free, and I was too lazy to check out Open Archive. Soon, my pretties. Soon.

Loki is cuddled up next to me on the couch (I think he missed me over the past few days) and is trying to sleep but failing. The failing is mostly due to the determined kitten bathing his face. Goblin just won't stop licking him! It is pretty adorable, I gotta admit. On that note, I'm really glad that Palmer and I got Goblin back in July. Loki is a much happier cat with Goblin around, and while he'll still bat at frames to wake us up and yowl for food when he decides its dinnertime, he's much more well-behaved. He just seems really happy with Goblin, and Goblin clearly adores him. I'm glad my cats like each other.

Randomly, I appear to have lost my sweet tooth. I'm finding that I much prefer savory foods, and even having the Georgetown Cupcakes right across the street hasn't tempted me into indulging. What is tough, though, is resisting the siren song of the bagel store. I decided to give up bagels for a while because I had plateaued in my weight loss efforts, and I'm pretty sure the daily morning bagel was the reason for it. So I've been resisting, and eating apples and drinking smoothies for breakfast, but its hard, let me tell you. Especially when my coworkers get bagels and I can smell them. GAH!

Tonight I'm asking Palmer to grab us some frozen stir-fry stuff, but tomorrow I'm making a slow-cooker dish I just looked up, a Sausage Vegetable Medley. It looks delicious, and I would like it to be in my mouth ASAPt. I also bought myself a recipe book so I can write down and keep those dishes which we want to repeat. Nothing super fancy, just a binder with dividers and a pretty cover, but hopefully it'll come in handy and I'll make use of it.

That's all I can think of for now. Let me know if you've gotten your Christmas cards, yeah?
sparkfrost: (Boom!)
So, my Christmas cards went out disgracefully late, my apologies. I had them all written out several days before Christmas, but it took me a while to get stamps. So uh, they may arrive next week. Sorry! (I did receive several suggestions that I just wait and send them out next Christmas, but that is too absurd even for me.)

Christmas and the surrounding days were quite fun. Serena and her husband Ed were in town, as was Clarissa. Serena and Ed are expecting twins, due in April (which I've not mentioned here before), and we got to see the sonogram images and make noises over her expanding midsection. Ed kept calling her Godzilla, which she took with good humor.

I got a lot of bike gear for Christmas, shirts and pants and headlights for the bike itself. Just yesterday my dad helped me install the front and rear headlights and a rearview mirror, so hopefully I won't have to twist around to look over my shoulder anymore. Also got a Redskins shirt which I'll wear to the game on Sunday, and Palmer got me some sweet noise cancelling headphones. Considering that I'm taking at least two flights this year, those will come in handy. I also bought myself a Kindle. Over the past month I've saved up both my tips and gifts from customers, and I had over $400. $210 of that went into savings, but I decided that the time had come to buy myself an e-book reader, so I did! It is, of course, taking forever to arrive, but oh well. It should be delivered early next week, and then there will be awesomeness!

This past week has been a bit rough. I opened Sunday through Thursday, and by last night was just freaking exhausted. I apparently fell asleep sitting up, which is when Palmer escorted me to bed. Today has been relaxing, and tonight we're going to our friends' new years party.

So. Goals for the coming year!

-Get in shape. Vague, I know. I have lost some weight over the past six months due to walking and biking into work 4 days a week. My goal for this year is to combine that with restarting the gym and eating more healthy, home-cooked meals. Palmer and I are looking into CSAs and there are several farmer's markets in the area, so hopefully we can also incorporate eating locally into this.
-Pay off my credit card debt. Its not a huge amount, but it is several hundred dollars that I would like to be free of. So, for the next several months I'll work towards paying it off. Once it has been paid off, I'll put that money into savings. I have about $1000 in savings now, I'd like to increase that amount.
-Be more social. I spent alot of time this year holed up in my apartment, studying or sleeping. I'd like to get out a bit more. Not at the expense of my schoolwork or my health, but make an effort to see my friends more often, and go out to concerts or movies or the like. Just be less of a shut in, basically.
-Finish my degree. If I work hard and take classes over the summer, I should be able to complete my Bachelor's by this time next year.

And that's it! Happy New Year to all!
sparkfrost: (Adulthood)
Palmer and I went out last night to a friend's birthday party. (It was his birthday as well, we'd already gone to dinner.) But anyway, went out, saw some friends, had a good time. But what struck me was that everyone seemed really surprised to see me. Not in a bad way, but more of a "Suze! You came!" I knew that I'd kind of disappeared due to work and school, I guess I just didn't realize that others had noticed as well. It was kind of nice to know that people have missed me, and now I know I need to make more of an effort to hang with friends.

I took three exams this weekend, it was intense. I'm really confident that I did well in the Environmental Change exam, did ok on Bio (there were a lot more questions about cells than I was expecting), and I think I got a 90 on the math exam. Now I get to register for next semester! Yay. I did figure out that if I take 5 classes in the spring, summer classes, and 5 in the fall, I can be done with my major a year from now. Jesus. So yes, next semester I'm taking Pre-calc, Environmental Health, Environmental Regulations, Life in the Oceans, and Health and Human Disease. (Not actually interested in public health, but I need upper level science classes for my minor, and it sounds interesting.)

I've been biking to work in my shiny new winter gear, and its working out really well so far. I did discover the hard way that I need fenders on my bike. Rode in the day after it rained, and definitely had a big wet spot on my lower back. Unpleasant. So yes, fenders are going on my Christmas list, along with a lot of other bike gear.

I have actually been putting thought into my Christmas list this year, rather than just throwing it together a few days into December. I've also already picked out a Christmas gift for my older sister, I just hope she likes it. No clue what to get for anyone else, but I'll think of something.

So I haven't mentioned it anywhere cause she asked me not to, but it is public news now so I can share! My oldest sister is pregnant and expecting twins! I'm going to be an aunt! I'm ridiculously happy for her and my brother-in-law, and I can't wait to meet these babies. In both good and bad news, she got a new job that required a move to Atlanta, so I won't be able to be there for the actual birth. But my mother (and my brother-in-law's mom) are both under the assumption that I'll go down there a few weeks after the birth to help out, so I guess that's what I'll be doing! Atlanta in May, here I come!

That's about it for now, I'll try to update more often and disappear less. My final two classes are over in two weeks, I'm sure I'll be around more after that. Ciao!
sparkfrost: (Boom di yah dah)
Yes, the title may sound a bit shallow, and well, this post might be a bit shallow, but you should totes read it anyways!

Whatever. So I've realized over the years that there are a few stores that I have *issues* with. Not issues in the sense that I have a problem with their business practices, but issues in that I go into the store and it becomes physically impossible for me to leave without MUCH more than I originally planned on buying.

World Market? Went in to look, all of a sudden I have a chair cushion, a Ganesh, 4 Christmas tree ornaments (yes, in the same purchase as Ganesh. And what?) and wine stoppers.

Stronsneiders (a hardware store)? Go in for Simple Green & leave with potted plant bases and potting soil.

And now REI. I went to REI this afternoon after a haircut (all of them, actually) in order to purchase some winter biking gloves and possibly a balaclava. And then I saw the coat. Oh yes, Flist, I found a biking jacket that I simply had to own, and succumbed to my base desires. Now, granted, I had recognized several weeks ago that I had a need for a winter-ready biking jacket- I have to be at work at 5:30, and in winter temperatures I'd much rather bike to work in 5 minutes than walk in 20. But after perusing REI's website I decided that I would put that biking jacket on my Christmas list and simply continue to wear my beat up, old, men's wool coat. But then I saw the jacket. It is purple, it is fleece lined, it has side AND back pockets, plus a built-in, tight-fitting hood. OH. MY. GOD. I had to own it.

So now I do! Along with other shiny biking gear!

The jacket: Looks ugly in the pictures, but is AWESOME!

The gloves: Toasty, and awesomely padded!

The "balaclava": I got the Udapur Grey

Now, while the jacket is heavy for a cycling jacket, it is not thick enough to protect me during the depths of winter in D.C. Northern friends, laugh if you must, but it gets fucking cold here! So, now on the Christmas list are such things as wool blended shirts and silk base shirts. Possibly wool tights? The problem with wool tights would occur once I started actually working. While I'm sure they would shield me adequately on my bike ride, they would probably make me uncomfortably warm while working at a coffee shop. I could wear them in and then take them off before starting work? Hmm, possibilities.

Anyhow, I has stuff, it is shiny, unless it rains on Friday I will be testing it all out then.

Also, I am not to be trusted inside an REI by myself. I BUY TOO MUCH!
sparkfrost: (Audrey Glasses)
I have a day off today! I have errands that I will eventually be running, but first I thought I'd traipse about the internet catching up on various websites. Also, since I've been totally breaking my promise to post more often, I thought I'd remedy that!

Classes start in less than one week! Well, three of them do. I went into the online classrooms to check the various syllabus (syllabi?) and it looks like I'll be well and truly swamped this semester. Good times. But seriously, SO many papers for my Environmental Change and Sustainability class, it isn't even funny. At least Math and Bio don't look too bad. We'll see what happens with Enviro Management and my multi-disciplinary course.

Somewhat related to school- my parents bought me a new laptop! My current laptop, which has been a faithful companion for 5 years, is now starting to fall apart both physically (the screen's casing is popping apart) and in regards to its computational prowess (blue screens of death, difficulty connecting to the internet, etc). So I told my parents about it and they agreed to buy me a new computer. Probably helps that a new Dell is about half the price now than it was five years ago. It will probably arrive early next week, once it does I will take shiny shiny pictures and post them.

Hobgoblin and the Lokasaur have been slowly getting better. Goblin appears to be 100% recovered, and while Loki is still sneezing a bit and has red eyes, his appetite and energy are both back to normal. And I have meds for his eyes, which he fucking hates, but at least doesn't hiss and scratch like he does at the vet. Goblin does have the bad habit of trying to play with Loki for far too long, which tends to result in Loki biting harder than he should. Goblin doesn't seem to mind too much, but I've been breaking them apart when the growling starts. Other than that they are quite sweet together, and I think Palmer and I really did get the best cat for us that we could. Plus, he is seriously adorable. Those of you who follow me on Twitter may have seen this already, but for those who haven't:

GIANT PICTURE )

I switch over to opening shifts starting tomorrow. I'm nervous, but also excited. Nervous because of having to get up early and function, excited cause of MADLY increased tips! Anyhow, wish me luck!
sparkfrost: (Glinda Cocktail)
Trying to start posting more regularly, since I've basically been disappeared for months. So I figured an easy way to get back in the swing of things would be to do a Weekend Update! So, let's see-

Friday I got out of work around 8:25, and managed to walk back to my parents place in 15 minutes. I'm getting faster! Got their car and agreed to look after their cats this weekend. Went by my place, fed the cats and cuddled them a bit, grabbed my computer and some laundry and went off to Palmer's. We ordered Thai food, I watched an episode of LOST, and then we were hanging out with his roommate Mike the rest of the night. It was a good time, but we drank way too much, Saturday morning was unpleasant.

Saturday we stumbled out of bed (seriously, quite unpleasant), fed my parents cats, fed my cats, fed ourselves, then sat on the couch staring at our computers until around 8pm, when it was time to feed all sets again. Palmer and I went out to Joe's Crab Shack, which is always quite delicious, and both got the King Crab legs. God, those things are sinfully good. I do wish they would put more Old Bay on the "Chesapeake Style" legs, but ah well. Unfortunately, after the meal my headache returned with a vengeance, and when we got home I went right to bed. Palmer told me that when he came into the bedroom, Loki was curled up between my calves and Goblin was curled up right next to him between my knees. I vaguely remember this, but apparently it was super cute!

Today has been fairly epic. Fed the parents cats, then attempted a trip to Target for Simple Green so I can clean my bathroom properly. I swear to god, no place in this area carries it, it is QUITE frustrating. After Target we met friends at an Indian restaurant for lunch buffet, then decided that we should all go to Value Village to go thrift store shopping. That place is irresistible, I swear. I ended up buying a Polaroid camera, a samovar-style pitcher that is now sitting in my bookshelf, and two shadow boxes with miniature kitchen implements and recipes that I will hang in my kitchen. All awesome!

Unfortunately, this evening we had to take the kitties to the emergency animal clinic. Goblin has been sneezing since we got him, and though the vet had said that it would probably run its course, his cold has been getting worse. And today Loki was totally lethargic and had no interest in food, so we decided we should take them both in to get checked out. Good thing we did! Loki is fine, just a bit under the weather (and he still hates the vet, though he didn't scratch this time- mostly because we just removed the top of the carrier to examine him and the vet had me hold him and talk to him while she checked his vitals), but Goblin's cold has turned bacterial. So! Goblin now has antibiotics that I have to give him once a day, and we have cans of tuna to feed them that should penetrate their stuffy noses and incite their appetites. Hopefully within a few days this will all be behind them.

On the plus side, they are total best buds now. Loki has been repeatedly trying to bathe Goblin over the last several days, and like I mentioned, Goblin loves to sleep next to Loki. It is quite adorable, and I'm glad they're getting along so well. Today they comforted each other after the traumatic ordeal that was the emergency clinic:

Too cute! )

Anyhow, tomorrow I have to work, but I plan on swinging by Strosneiders in the morning to 1)check for Simple Green, 2)buy some ceramic water dishes for potted plants, and 3)purchase a hanging pot for my spider plant. Then on Tuesday I will continue the epic cleaning project that I started today. Good times!
sparkfrost: (Glinda Cocktail)
Alas, my annual wretched cough has arrived. It began yesterday with a slight itchiness of the throat combined with achiness of the chest. I thought that a dose of NyQuil might kill it, but unfortunately the bottle was down to 1/4 of a full dose. I took that anyway, hoping that it would be enough to let me sleep through the night. Miracle of miracles it did, but the second I hauled myself out of bed this morning the cough was back with a vengeance. Ugh. The painful cough combined with wicked cramps to form a morning of suffering. Luckily the cramps have gone away (I love ibuprofen!) but the cough lingers on. So I drink tea with honey and eat Ramen (what, its steamy!) and pray that the cough fades quickly.

In other news! Class starts today! Well, tonight. I have a 6pm class tonight and a 4pm class tomorrow. Good times! Tonight I have Introduction to Physical Science, which turned out to be a pre-req for almost all of my environmental management classes. But hey, at least it'll count towards my minor! Palmer is incredibly excited that I'll be studying physics, and in fact insists on calling the class Physics 101. Never mind that physics will only be a small part of what we're studying, and we probably won't even get to it until the end of the semester. He is bound and determined to call it physics.

Speaking of cats in small spaces (that was a physics joke, hee!), Loki has recently discovered how to open the door to the cabinet that is under the sink, and spent all morning going in and out of there. Which worries me a little bit because there is an access hole to pipes and ducts and whatnot back there and I don't want him getting stuck in crawlspace. But he seems content to just sit inside the dark space under the sink, batting at the plastic bags I store down there in between trips to the supermarket.

What else, what else? My planner is scheduled to arrive today, but I don't know how accurate that is. A makeup store in Downtown Silver Spring had a sale on O.P.I nail polish, so I bought three bottles. "I'm dating a Royal" blue, "Do You Lilac It?" (obvious), and "Kyoto Pearl" which is a lovely silvery color. My nails are now a vibrant lilac color, which I approve of, and I'll probably do my toes tonight. My Threadless shirt has shipped but has not arrived, WHERE IS IT?! I wants it, I needs it! Oh, and my books shipped, they should get here Wednesday. Hopefully they don't require a signature, since I'll be at work most of that day. And the next day and so on through Saturday. Cross your fingers for me!

For some reason, Firefox is now running off of British spelling, and insists that "color" is not the correct way to spell that word. It also doesn't recognize "downtown" which seems odd to me. Do British people not have downtowns in their cities? (I'm being sarcastic. Mostly.)

Anywho, off to waste more time before catching the bus to campus. Ciao, bellas!
sparkfrost: (Audrey Pink and Blue)
So you may have heard a rumor that I got a haircut. I did, its true. I'm somewhat torn on how I feel about it. It is very short and very structured, and requires the use of a flat iron in the morning in order to not look stupid. From some angles I really like it, and I certainly do like the color. But my inability to take a decent picture of myself now has really damaged any liking I have for the style. I don't know. I mean, the stylist was super happy with it, and it certainly is a skillful and interesting cut. But I don't know if it is the right cut for me. On the plus side, the Vidal Sassoon creative director loves my hair (complimented me on how soft it is) and I've gotten a ton of positive feedback on the cut itself. That doesn't change the fact that I cried, a lot, once I got home from the salon. Sigh.

I went shopping with my first paycheck (only *some* of the check) and got new sneakers, a new belt, and several pretty scarves. God, I love scarves. I know it makes me a total emo hipster kid (not helped by the skinny jeans, funky haircut, and preference for whiskey and cheap beers), but seriously, I'm wearing a scarf right now that is pink, teal, white, and grey, and I LOVE IT! Plus, its square so I can actually do the scarf thing where I tie it in back and its all fringy and puffy in the front. Good times!

My eldest sister got me a years subscription to Cooking Light, and I am attempting the first recipe tonight. I'll let you all know how it goes! I was also recently linked to a blog called "A Year of Slow Cooking" so I'll be trying a lot of the dishes from there as well. Hooray, cooking! Went to the gym yesterday for cardio and today for my last PT session. I really like our trainer, maybe next paycheck I'll try to budget a bit and see if I can sign up for a few more sessions. I seriously get a great workout with her, and she helps me change it up from my standard elliptical workout. Also, she gave me tips on workouts to strengthen my knees. My poor, weak, liable to bust at any moment knees. I don't want to tear my ACL like my dad did, that sounds horribly painful.

Sorry I didn't post for almost a week, ennui kept me away from LJ. I've backread my Flist through Monday, let me know if I missed anything crucial over the weekend. Love!

And yes, I picked this icon because Audrey is wearing a scarf. Sue me.

Quick post!

Jan. 2nd, 2010 07:40 pm
sparkfrost: (KISSES NOW!)
Work was much better today, considering that 1) my schedule wasn't changed without warning and 2) my stomach wasn't trying to roll its way out of my body via my esophagus. Good times!

Got everything on my (admittedly short) to do list accomplished today- renewed my library books, bought a new pair of jeans (my old ones had a hole in the butt) and bought a trapper hat! It is currently 25 degrees here in DC, and with windchill it is more like 10, so the hat will come in handy! When it eventually arrives.

Have discovered that my hair makes a most interestingly bouncy and fluffy ponytail after a work day of it being in a bun. I am wearing it like so, with my bangs clipped, cause Palmer and I are about to go out to his friend Edgar's surprise party.

Just wanted to keep my promise about posting regularly! Love to all!

Profile

sparkfrost: (Default)
Roulette Girl

May 2016

S M T W T F S
1234567
89101112 1314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031    

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 12th, 2025 07:44 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios