Pop This, Mr. Computer Man

So here at the U, even if you are a graduate student, they won't allow you to have administrative privileges on your own machine. Which means you can't do hardly ANYTHING during the day without having to call Mr. Computer Man. I even had to bring him in so I could use my jump drive. UGH!

And I have a personal preference for utilizing a pop-up blocker. Mr. Computer Man says I don't need one because he doesn't have one and it doesn't bother him, so no. How on earth can this possibly violate the university computer policies? It's not like I said can I please have a pop-up blocker that also allows me to download music illegally onto the university network? I'm thinking if I could secretly install a blocker on his machine and he can see how nice it is to not mess with ANY pop-ups, that I might win this battle.

I still need to figure out how to deceptively word the phrase, so how 'bout those instant messaging programs?

And why do computer men not feel the need to wear long pants at work? And why combo the denim cutoffs with a blousy Hawaiian tee? Is it part of their coursework to pick a decade and just go with it?

Wish us Luck!!

Tomorrow, Dr. J and his new wife will embark on the all important, house hunt.

I have the willie-gigs just thinking about what I would do when I don't have to step over the coffee table to sit down on the couch.

When does it stop?

I find the last three comments in my previous post absolutely disgusting. Can't I just write into cyberspace without having to worry about brown-noser-advertisers who are trying to flatter me so that I will visit their site (although a little cheap satelitte tv never hurt nobody)?

Their comments will remain and I hope you all hang your head in humiliation for your little antics.

You know who you are.

As in ... Go Cocks!

I would like to publicly answer a question that was posted on this site. Given the answer, I believe it is important that it be given our undivided attention.

The mascot for USC (no, the other USC ... on the east coast) is the Gamecocks. Like a rooster. Interestingly enough, their rival is Clemson (who the Ags are going to beat the hell outta come next Saturday!!) Tigers. I don't think any of us lay awake at night wondering whether a rooster would actually stand a chance against a tiger, but there are those here that seem to think otherwise. Maybe that's why they call it a cock instead, so you don't realize you're wearing poultry on your jersey.

And yes, there is much paraphenelia here that reads simply, "COCKS". I saw a skinny little freshman girl running around with that very phrase tatooed across her behind on a pair of rather skimpy athletic shorts she was wearing. Is she aware of the message she's sending out, or is she just that naive?

I've been here for 7 days

And I've already lost my keys. This is really going to impress my boss.

We here at Dance to the Rhythm apologize for the inconvenience

I can't say I am ashamed of this, I just simply haven't gotten around to it, but as of today I am back to checking my email address that is posted on this blog. To those of you that have emailed me there anytime in the past 3 months, you'll be hearing from me soon.

I like to use the word mature, rather than old

I haven't quite fallen into the student role yet (other than I did my laundry in the middle of the day on Thursday), I really don't think I am going to feel that way for a while. I've spent most of my week teaching 6th graders (SO fun by the way!). I have my first Wifely Duty this weekend with the Husband's Coworkers. I already feel like a cliche.

I've definitely moved to a college town though. Yesterday while driving in my car, I heard The College Song on the radio. To give you an idea, the chorus contained the lyrics "Oh Dad! Won't you be proud! I can do a keg stand for two minutes now!" and then some kind of similar message to his mother about coke and bourbon costing $2, then yada yada, the girls are easy ... Imagine my utter delight.

Oh and those 6th graders I'm teaching were born when I was a junior in high school. I don't think they would even believe me if I told them we didn't have the internet when I was in school. Friends, you are all very old people.

Honeymoon in a nutshell

We went to an island off the coast of Colombia near Cartegena. I hear Cartegena is not what it used to be. I was starting to get this feeling right about the time that random man on the street accosted me and requested that I eat his ... err ... excrement. I politely declined. It's still a beautiful city and I want to go back once they decide it's time to rid the city of the plague of vendors that is currently swarming their streets.

The island was very remote and very private, it took a very rocky 2 hour speed boat ride to get there. Friends with sea sick tendencies would have been toast. Upon arrival we were welcomed with a nice young gentleman handing us chilled beverages as we exited the boat, had lunch immediately and then headed off to settle in the room. Nap #1. On average, we took 2 to 3 naps (ranging from one to three hours) a day .... some in the room, some on the beach under the huts. I had no idea how tired I was till I got there and had nothing to do but sleep.

Dr. J and I had different ideas about a pleasant day on the beach. I was looking forward to flying through a couple books (sadly, I inadvertently abandoned Harry Potter on the plane) beneath the huts, getting an afternoon massage, and sucking down one pina colada after the next. Dr. J had starry eyes dreaming of the kayaking, snorkeling and sand castle building that lay ahead. Most of the week was some combination thereof, but it's terribly difficult to have productive reading time when your child is in the water constantly screaming, "look at me! look at me! come see this!". Sadly, I didn't have the camera with me the day the Grand Castle was constructed so I can't show you Dr. J's handiwork that was so extensive that it nearly caused us to miss lunch hour. (Also, let me point out that there were a couple dozen children under the age of 12 and NONE of them built sand castles until after old school Dr. J took the initiative)

I did manage to get that massage, oh and to have a friendly native woman spend two hours braiding my hair (photos to come). The only bad thing about the week was that the food wasn't really up to par. This could be considered a good thing since we didn't eat ourselves into oblivion, however, by "par" I mean that I spent one night Praying to the Porcelain God until the island nurse came and injected a syringe into my bo. On my honeymoon. It was most embarrassing, yet somehow very fitting for me. It was sort of another welcoming ceremony to Dr. J so he could really see what he'd gotten into.

I suppose there is more, we'll see if I get to it later.

New Town, New Name

I thought it would be convenient to take care of some of this name change stuff before I get too settled into this new town. I think most people wait a few weeks before they start having to fill out thousands upon thousands of forms, but not me, I have to fill them out right now. And since the name change thing takes a few days to process, I will have to fill them all out again in a few weeks and then probably battle for the next 3 years what could have been avoided if everything just went my way all the time.

And it is so very very humid here. I've already sweat off half my body weight running between offices here. It's most unsightly.

Ahhhhhhhh

Home.

After about a 17 hour drive yesterday, Dr. J and I have finally crawled into our own private space. There's lots to do this weekend so that we can actually walk and/or sit somewhere in this apartment, but at least these don't involve sleeping in other people's beds or driving across the Continental U.S. The only bad thing is that it doesn't really feel much like home here and probably won't for a while.

Maybe a Tivo would help :-)

No stories here ... no time yet

What a whirlwind of sightseeing these last few days have been. And oh just fyi to the parents, if you really want those grandbabies that you are ALREADY pressuring us about, don´t put us in side-by-side twin beds. You guys know how it works.

To all: I would like to announce that after a FIVE AND ONE HALF MONTH dry spell, I will be returning to my own bed this Friday night.

More that Dance to their own Rhythm

I´ll have to start further back and work my way up to present time. There´s a story that the world really shouldn´t have to wait a second longer to hear, anyone who was at my wedding probably heard it, but it´s so classic, I know they´ll all still laugh when they hear it again. And again.

My "rehearsal dinner" was more of eating barbeque at a friend´s house in town, uber-low-key. Rehearsal ran a little late, imagine that, so we all showed up about 45 minutes late to the dinner and I felt awful since we had several friends that were just joining us for the dinner and had probably been waiting on us that whole time, hanging out with my friends that they didn´t know. They were amusing themselves, I needn´t have worried.

I have many friends that sort of just float around in their own little bubbles, paying enough attention to things to just get by and use the correct gender bathroom. One of them was heading up this group. She and her husband came with the husband and 10-month old of one of my bridesmaids. However, not having REALLY looked at the directions and only gotten the general idea of where things were, they stopped about 15 houses too early at the first party they saw.

Intruders: Knock, knock, knock. Hi! I´m Carm and this is my husband Dom and this is Heather´s husband Matt!

People who had all reason to be there: Great! Come on in! Help yourself to some food and make yourself at home!

So scuttles in the trio and baby who settle themselves into a few plates of cheese crackers and set up baby with a bib and some munchies so they can hang out to wait for the wedding party to show.

(THIRTY MINUTES PASSES. It should be noted that during this time the party photographer took their photo for the scrapbook.)

Trio decides to be more social, Dom´s off to get a Margarita, and Carm´s mingling with Matt in tow. So they start making the rounds...

People who had all reason to be there: So, whose baby is this?

Intruders: Heather´s baby.

People who had all reason to be there: OH! .... Who´s Heather?

Intruders: A friend of Amber

People who had all reason to be there: OHHHHHH!!!! ... Who´s Amber?

Intruders: The .... bride?

People who had all reason to be there: Umm ... we`re realtors.

(Matt and Carm left to clean up baby cracker crumbs while Dom bolts at world record pace for the door. More photos taken for scrapbook)

Will be returning to dance to the rhythm soon

Well the wedding is over, the honeymoon is pretty much over and there is much to tell... Dr. J and I have had a great time ... followed by some rather interesting times that will make great stories in the future. All to come soon ...

Thanks Suzie

Dang. If only I'd gotten the word earlier.

Should I go to grad school?

Kids and Screaming

Usually I'm the unfortunate one that has to sit at the back of the plane with all the screaming kids since my travel plans always seem to get made last minute (I guess it's possible that since I travel the economic route this could have a little something to do with it as well). Anyhooooo ... yesterday I managed to finagle a second row seat and really enjoyed my three hour flight without having to listen to the engines or know when ever passenger flushed. However, about a half hour from the end of the trip a three year old two rows behind me started screaming bloody murder like someone had just broken her arm and was trying to set it ... over ... and over ... and over.

I really tried to not be one of those passengers that turns around and looks ... I know those moms are embarrased and are trying to shut their fool kids up, but after 15 minutes of banchee behavior and my headache that had developed, I had to peek. Sure enough, it was the lady that had walked her daughter onto the plane with a leash and a harness. Yeah, when I saw the daughter-on-a-string I thought it was a little bit ridiculous but it didn't really clue me in that it is probably a sign of someone that just doens't know how to be a parent. This lady just let her kid SCREEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAM (I don't mean cry either) for a half hour and all she did to try and calm her was make a very faint shhhhhhh every 20 seconds or so. Finally, a perfect stranger calmed her down by letting her play with her bookmark. This girl is either going to be a librarian or she just needed a toy. Me thinks the latter is more likely. Why the parent didn't try something, the world will never know.

I'm not opposed to having kids on planes, and I know why they cry. Planes are scary things. Sometimes I want to cry. But maybe we should evaluate which parents should fly the friendly skies.

As if I don't already have a wedding to attend shortly and then that honeymoon thing followed by the Other Reception and the drive from Dallas to SC

But today I had my "orientation" for graduate school dos accompanied by the work program I'll be starting. Oh and as soon as we get back here in a month (after completing above duties) we'll have to start up that house buying thing and the whole getting married thing, with a quick interlude of the brother's getting married a month later thing. Yup. That should about do it.

Most importantly, I have my entire extended family watching the first season of 24. If anyone owns it and wants to let us borrow it, you'd save us a cumulative rental fee of about $75.

It's about the weather, which I know is really old and boring but at least it's not about the wedding

I can't believe how much it has rained here this month. I think it will be quite the achievement to post this blog without the power shutting off as well. I feel like I'm in some sort of tropical (humid) climate and in the rainy-season. It's still about 100 degrees every day but the nights and mornings are so pleasant and cool. The folks and I swang on the back porch with the kitties last night and watched the storm tear branches from the trees. Probably safer inside, but not nearly the fun!

At least it will probably be cooler than we were expecting for the wedding now (DANG! I almost made it without mentioning the "W" word, I swear I'm not one of those brides)

A different kind of game

When you watch a baseball game from the OWNER'S BOX (as Karo, BK, and I did on Friday night - Thanks BK!) it really, REALLY changes your perspective on the game. You gotta be on your toes though. Sitting right next to the dugout can prove to be quite precarious from a foul ball point-of-view. And it really adds to the fun when you can actually see the answer to boxer vs. briefs question.

Karo came away a much more learned person than before the game, having learned many a baseball rule, and what exactly that guy-that-just-stands-there-next-to-first-base-and-doesn't-do-anything-ever is actually doing.

Err ...

I might have been a little jumpy with the asterisk. I'm not sure I'm ready to give up on The Abbots, the Browns and the gang just yet. I'm such a sap when it comes to that show. I'll lose DH, we'll talk about the other one.

I keep meaning to tell you that ...

M&D (local reference to Mom and Dad) TIVO'd my shows while I was in ColOmbia including Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives*, & Everwood* ... all except the season finale of EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. And Television Without Pity only recaps DH, which I've really lost interest in anyway.

* will be removed from Missy's Fall 2005 Television Line Up. My heart has been won over by 24 and Lost, and those will probably please the rest of the house more anyway. Compromise means never having to watch Star Trek.