Sunday reflection...

Whoops!

I forgot to do the Friday-Fill in! How could I possibly forget? I'm sure what few people out there still read this are like... "Hooray! She's actually going to post something substantial for once!"

And, I guess I could.

At least in the spirit of all that is blogging. :)

There hasn't been much going on with me lately, well... except for the fact that our semester is RAPIDLY coming to a close! We have about two full weeks left to go (woo woo!), and I am just about done teaching. That's right, my Conflict class has a couple more days of lecture to go and then it's just final paper presentations from there. As for 100B, we'll spend the final days of class contemplating Movie Symposium projects-- and I hope that they've picked some good ones, because otherwise... those projects can drag for everyone.

The other thing keeping me busy is, of course, the dissertation. I have finally decided to break down and PAY SOMEONE to do all the transcribing that needs to be done at this point. I have to admit, if you were to ask me why I am refusing to work on this as much as I need to, it's that darn transcription of interviews! Of course, this is also going to be easier said than done. There are procedures for this that have to be followed with PSU's ORP (Office of Research Protections), but I figure that even if this business I've found does at least the LONGER interviews... I'll be saved so much hassle in the long run. So, keep your fingers crossed that this process remains efficient. I'll be working on that IRB modification for that today, actually.

So... hmmm... other things on the burner to think about...

This weekend was quite a good one! I was able to giggle a lot! Friday, I met my friend Marcelo and some of his friends out at Champs to sit in the sunshine and enjoy the beautiful weather we had here in Happy Valley this weekend. And then Saturday, it was a lunch date with Marcelo followed by a trip to Home Depot to look at flowers and all things green.

Let me just say I am OFFICIALLY declaring my love for Home Depot at this point. I have to admit that I've always had a fascination with home improvement stores because let's face it, the toys are just the coolest things EVER! For example, while Marcelo and I were walking around looking at things like hammers, levels, and safety cones... we managed to stumble upon what we thought was the coolest thing ever. (And let me just warn you by saying that this demonstrates how DORKY we really are...)

We found this tool that you can use to go down pipes, under houses, and in other dark areas and it allows you to see all over the place! Of course, we tried to give ourselves impromptu views of our tonsils and that stuff before some workers came over and started to look at us strangely. Then we decided to just stick it down these "sample areas" and got all fascinated by that! We were just so excited to find something as cool as this! After that was done, we went and played with electronic door knobs and other fun things like grill covers. But, in the end... we came in empty handed and left empty handed.

Wa, Wa, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. (Sad, right?)

I will say that I do have an idea for a mini-charcoal grill that might be needed for Blue and White weekend which is this coming weekend. Julie, Bonny and Ben, Marcelo, and I will probably end up trying to do some tailgating if the weather is good. Otherwise, we will sit indoors somewhere and hang out and wish the the weather was better. I'm personally keeping my fingers crossed!

The other cool part about yesterday was actually getting to meet some new people. I <3 meeting new people because they have stories and attitudes that you may not have been exposed to yet! My friend Brad and some of his buddies were up riding their Harleys around Happy Valley yesterday and decided to give me a call to see what I was up to.

**NO, I DID NOT RIDE ANY MOTORCYCLES. I PROMISE!**

We actually just ended up meeting at Texas Roadhouse for some food and fun. (Well, they had the food-- I was still full from lunch!) Brad has some of the most interesting friends... and they are all truly "salt of the earth" people-- which I find to be refreshing because sometimes being surrounded by brainy people gets awfully stuffy. I love hanging out with people who know there is more to life than CONSTANTLY talking shop and comparing yourself to everyone else. Well, I'm sure they do that too... but it's on a completely different scale. My friend KB laughs at how much I adore hanging out with the people she grew up with, but it's exactly this reason. They kind of remind me of my family in that there are so many different personalities and stories... that I just get fascinated with it all. (Well, with MOST of it... some stories NO ONE wants to hear!)

So, to make up for all the playing I've done this weekend... the time has come to get back to work. Woot! Here's hoping your Sunday is just as productive if not more so!