The Grace Lee Project

I just saw the trailer of this documentary online, and it seems really interesting! Let me know what you think if you've gone to see this film!

Thursday night geekdom

Like the geek that I am, I am watching the C-Span coverage of the Chinese president's visit to the U.S. I saw the footage where a woman reporter/protester was shouting at the Chinese president, then taken away by secret service agents. Poor gal, just when she thought that there was freedom of expression, she got the experience the effect firsthand. I heard that she's still sitting in secret service detention as of right now.

The GF is working a late shift tonight, to be able to pay our slightly higher bill (new motorcycle fees, credit card bills, and of course, the money for snacks.). I really appreciate her trying so hard!

I am going to goto Japan for three months, working as a linguist, I hopefully will be able to make a little more $ than I am now, so that we'll be closer to being debt-free, and get ready for kids.

Speaking of kids, one of my supervisors brought his 11 week old grandson to work for a while. We were taking turns feeding and burping the baby. When I held that baby, it was almost like second nature! The baby settled with me pretty well, drank his formula with gusto and gave me a deep belch! I've always been good with kids and babies, but hesitated because of past uncertainties and worries about $. As I approach my mid-30's, I think this is the best time to either: a. conceive b. adopt, or c. do the Angelina Jolie thing. (buy the babies!)

Found out recently that I've got osteoarthritis, and had it for a long time, just didn't know it. I was kind of bummed about it, but not extremely, now I just feel ordinary, complete with common aches and pains.

As if blogging couldn't get any lighter, over the next few weeks, I will not be able to blog much. I need the time to see my folks, walk the dog some more, pet my cats, spend time with the GF, her family, and my family. I will be sure to update to y'all my journey in Japan though!

With some anticipation, excitement, knots in the stomach, I'll be off to the Orient!

Tom Cruise's spectacular sex life

From contactmusic.com ....



TOM CRUISE enjoys a "spectacular" sex life with his pregnant fiancee KATIE HOLMES, because they have such good communications skills. The Hollywood actor reveals his sex secrets in the May (06) issue of GQ magazine, declaring the physical act is a "by-product" of a successful pairing. Cruise enthuses, "Sex is about the connection. "Great sex is a by-product, for me, of a great relationship, where you have communication and it's an extension of that. Where it's just free. And that's how it should be. It's spectacular. If you're not in good communication with your partner, it sucks. "(Meaningless sex outside of a relationship) is really horrible and pathetic and lonely."

....Funny....I never knew that he even had a penis!

Here comes the sun

Literally, it seems like the weird weather that we've been having for the last few weeks have gave way to sunny days with temps in the low 80's! Mind you, there is still a chance that we could be hit with another bout of freaky weather, but that's the Midwest for you!

Let me just say how proud I am of the GF, she has worked for 5 weeks straight so far, and I think she's doing really well, despite of what she may be thinking. I'm just sorry that her co-workers can be such asses! I think they're just a bunch of small-minded and burned-out phlebotemists.

Made banana bread last night, and it has won great accolades from the GF, the only audience that counts. I doubt that it could have been better than the ones that she has made though!.

The job situation is still a blur, but I'm used to everything happening at the last minutes anyways. Yes, it does get old, but that's the way my life is going right now. Still want to move Westward later on in the year, we'll see what happens!

Words of wisdom

How often do we all seem to forget these words?

Something for everyone
Baz Luhrman


Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97, wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth, oh never mind, you will never understand the power and the beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in twenty years, you will look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about the future or worry that know that worrying is as affective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind. The kind that blindsides you at 4 PM on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don't be reckless with other peoples' hearts; don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss .Don't waste your time on jealously, sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and in the end, it's only with your self. Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters; throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to knees, you'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the "Funky Chicken" on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's. Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can, don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance.
Even if you have nowhere to do it but your own living room. Read the directions even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They are your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go. But a precious few, who should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, for as the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young .Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain alienable truths: prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old and when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse but you'll never know when either one will run out. Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're forty, it will look eighty-five. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of wishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling for more than it's worth. But trust me on the sunscreen.

What kind of food am I ?

You Are Chinese Food

Exotic yet ordinary. People think they've had enough of you, but they're back for more in an hour.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Bored

I can't pretend anymore to tolerate life in the Midwest. I'm not trying to convince those who already like the place not to like it anymore. The semi-rural, small military post with nothing in it, and a city that is desperately trying to be what other cities were like 10 years ago (the yuppie wanna-be's and all), are not for me.

We've got very little as far as arts and entertainments are concerned, and I suppose that if I was a bit more of a bookworm, this place would probably be a better fit for me. I see a lot of what life could be like after one retires, after one gets fed up with all the stimulations of life. I don't think that's quite where I am at yet.

I'm bored, and have no sex drive whatsoever. My dog's favorite past time has become laying on the floor, and if I ever do retire, I pray to God that we'll never come back here....Amen!

Sick

Instead of going on TDY to China, my happy behind will be staying at home, going to work, and finally able to take the dog for a much-deserved bath! I have to say that I was slightly disappointed about not being able to go to China, but not too much. We were basically going to go into some academic conference without knowing much anyways.

As much as I like the people to which I work with, I'm not sure if they're the ideal folks to go and sightsee with. (As I am sure that they'd rather travel with their own sets of family and friends.) The thought of spending a lot of time in a Chinese military bookstore (because of my job) kind of makes me cringe a bit.

The Japan thing is still up in the air, I don't really want to leave the families so far behind, but why do I have to go so far in order to gain an experience like that?

I'm feeling under the weather right now. It started last night as I was walking my dog. During the walk, I got really short-breathed and my heart started beating really hard, and I hate that feeling that you can't catch your breath, even if I'm getting a good workout. There was no heating at work (long story), so I had been freezing during the day, and coming back to the apt., it's warmer. These two factors combine to make me vulnerable to colds.

The GF is really doing a great job at her work, not only will the income help, but I'm glad that she has found something that she's enjoying and is good at doing.

I still hope that one of these days, we won't have to worry about this income thing so much anymore, and we can just concentrate on screwing up the next generation! (I mean raising kids!)

I turned 34 today

Looking forward to menopause, gray hair (which I already have), and brittle bones!

Woke up with the GF around mid-morning, showered and headed straight to Barry Road (the "hip" strip mall place in the North Kansas City area. Had a big breakfast, then window shopped all day at the bookstore, sporting goods store, funiiture store, and fianlly at best buy/circuit city. We almost got a set of iPod speakers but couldn't test the sound qualities of some of the speaker models at the store because, get this, they were broken!

Ended the day with dinner at this Japanese hibachi-styled steakhouse, and the dinner was good.

Now we are settled down back home, I walked the dog, at last, the day is over.

I'm really happy that this birthday passed quietly, and I'm even more glad not to have spent this birthday alone. My GF is the cake, the icing, and the cherry on top! Her birthday is coming up in two days, but we are going to go ahead and celebrate it tomorrow! Maybe we'll go and play some of her beloved poker game, or whatever she wanted. I'm just glad to spend time with them (GF and the pets).!

What to do?

I think I'm going to end my current job around May or June timeframe, and one of my many job searches was with this military intelligence detachment in Japan. I just happened to have kept in touch with some of the people that I've met when I went over there for this present job.

Got a reply from one of the guys in charge of that military detachment place in Japan and he has expressed an interest in me working there on assignment for 6 months. Not only would I get to use my Chinese skills for something more practical (translation), but I'll also get a chance to pick up some Japanese! (Not chicks, the language.)

But....I can't stand to not be around my GF and the pets for that long of a time again. This is a great opportunity for a new cultural and job experience though.

The GF and I are still mulling over this....stay tuned!

And just when you think stuff like this don't happen anymore....

Comes a story like this....

Wad of Cash Found in New Orleans Home
March 21st, 2006 @ 7:48am

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Trista Wright was spending her spring break cleaning out hurricane-damaged homes when she discovered some unusual papers among the moldy plaster board and debris.

"I started raking it out of the air conditioner vent. I thought it was garbage and I was going to shovel it up, but I bent down to pick it up, and it was a stack of $100 bills, and then more and more kept coming," the 19-year-old said Tuesday on CNN.

By an unofficial count, it was more than $30,000.

Wright and fellow students notified the organizers of their church mission, who told the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office.

The woman who owned the house, who has asked that she not be identified, was as shocked as Wright.

"She was speechless," said Wright, an Armstrong Atlantic State University student was among 175 Georgia college students spending their week off volunteering in the city's Arabi area.

Deputy Gary Adams verified the identity of the woman who owned the home.

Adams said it's not uncommon to find weapons or medications behind the walls of homes, but this was the biggest sum of hidden money he had heard of. "It's good to see someone find something like that and turn it over to proper authorities and the rightful owner," he said.

The homeowner said she suspects the money belonged to her father, who was wary of banks. The home had been in the family for generations, she said.

"I had my suspicions about the money at first, but once I met the family and talked to the woman, I have no doubt she's telling the truth," said Aaron Arledge, one of the organizers of the mission. "She said her father grew up during the Depression and must not have told anyone in the family about it before he died."

The one-story house was flooded to the eaves by Katrina and, aside from the hidden money, none of its contents could be saved, church officials said.

"To see that woman's face when we told her about the money, that's the kind of positive story that makes all the hard work worthwhile," said the Rev. Warren Jones Jr. of New Salem Baptist Church in the Ninth Ward, which has served as a base for church missions. "She said it was a miracle. And when you think about it, it was."

Haley Barton, a fellow student who was in the house with Wright, said there was never a question of keeping the money.

"I think that it's expected of us as young people, or people of any age this day, to go in and take it and not be faithful or trustworthy in turning it in, but that wasn't even an option for us," she said.


Courtesy of ksl.com

Random, Sunday post

My pillow makes me snore if I lay on the back of my head, the GF noticed. If I was really asleep, I would not really notice that I was snoring.

I was up for a while around 7 AM, with my mind so infused with how I'd hate to go back to work, the prospect of talking to my boss while holding my own positions. I was at a birthday party last night for a collegue of mine, and I could tell that my other supervisors have no clue of what has been going on in our little team. Oh heck, I just wanted to get this little part of my life over, done with and not look back!

Rest In Peace, Whisky the dog.

I've also got the greatest GF ever! 8 years and counting!

What's happening

I recently took a four day visit to my folks in Houston and it was a good visit. My folks looked healthy, although they still do get tired a lot. My sister was there too, and there was a lot less tension between us this time, partly taken over with her PMS. You know how PMS is, when you have it, nothing would seem right.

We'd take the folks out to eat traditional Chinese breakfast, and some grocery shopping, then take them back home so they can nap, eat dinner, and ending their day with a 8 PM mahjong game. Grandpa is religious about his mahjong games.

I also took my seventeen year old cousin to the museum to see "Bodyworld 3". It was a exhibit of naked and dead people....really naked, as in skin stripped, then muscle, and some internal organs stripped. There was some controversies about the corpses purchased for the exhibition, and the allegation was that the exhibition sponsors used corpses of executed Chinese political prisoners, and purchased wholesale. To tell you the truth, I really couldn't tell whether or not the corpses were Asian, Caucasian,etc. I think once you get that stripped, it's really hard to tell the race. This German guy decided to take corpses, preserved them in some special way that the body will be "plasticized". He'd pose these bodies in different poses and display them to the public, supposedly to educate and inspire people about the wonders of the human body. I really suggest that everyone go and see the exhibit, should it come to your city.

I felt bad for the gf, who, while I was gone, was having a cold, her period, and all kinds of boredom all packed into 4 day. Yet she managed to make her work orientation and worked the rest of this week, and I highly commend her for that! Soon she'll have some $ for poker playing, and other fun things.

About work, let's just say that I'm now looking for something else. I think I've had about up to here. The folks that I work with are cool, for the most part, but it just feels harder for me to keep on staying there. My boss is becoming unclear in his intent and starting to become overbearing too. I have all the respect in the world for him, but I'm just not sure if continuing to work for him is a good idea. So wish me luck in finding my next gig!

I also am going to try to make this blog more exciting than it has been. It's a bad sign when I am thinking that way! My apologies to all and please stay tuned!

Long weekend

A brief update of what has been happening....

I flew to S.F. for a test/interview with U.S. postal inspection service. I didn't make it, but I did get a day of free tour of the city on the postal inspection service! I walked to Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, parts in-between, and ate some good dim-sums. I used to want that job a lot, but not as much as I thought I had. There were 5 people there taking the test, including myself, and they were all people in their late 20's, early 30's, and really bright, achievement orientated, and dull as can be. There was a guy who is a ATF agent who wouldn't stop talking about the details of getting a federal job, and to a point, it got a kind of irritating. He meant well, but cared a tad bit too much about the job. There was a woman prosecutor from NYC who just about walked out of the test after she found out that she would actually be making less as a postal inspector. I had no idea whether or not they had all gotten the job, but even if they did, it would probably be at least 4-6 months before they'd hear from the postal inspectors again. I hope that they got that job, and I hope that there'll be something better for me somewhere down the line.

This weekend is a long weekend, the cool thing about being a soldier is that there are some holidays that only soldiers and federal employees get off on, and for soldiers, they're called training holidays. Soliders who are not fighting are supposedly always in training for when they will be going to war. The GF and I went to Harrah's casino, and donated some $ for the state of Missouri, ate a complimentary buffet, and I cursed at our bad luck so far at winning. The weekend wasn't all lost, we did the laundry and put in some time on the stationery bikes.

Now to go back just a bit in time, about the night after I got back from S.F.... We went to dinner at this upper-medium scaled steak place to celebrate the end of a promotion exam for someone from my office. For starters, her and I sort of get along, but that's about it. I mean, she's a nice person and all, but her personality is so strong that I simply choose not to bother any further than the minor details of life. The GF is not that keen on her, both of them have strong opinions on things and for that reason, discussions can be a bit peppered. Last but not least, the friend who, for a while, was working out with me, but not any more. Either I... a. Gave her strange vibes, or b. She got sick of me. c. She just got lazy, or d. Who really knows? Recently, a string of brush-offs to the GF by her has given both me and the GF strange vibes about her. Even though we all are still friends, it's not like either of us felt comfortable enough with asking her what's going on. She might not feel that anything strange is going on, so if you ask her, you might get one of these "making issues out of nothing" responses, and you'll end up feeling a kind of stupid as a result.

Anyway, at dinner, I was tired and not participating much in any of the 3 conversations going on at the table, and the GF was feeling and showing the weirdness of not liking the gal who had just taken her promotion exam, and how the friend didn't even really say hi to her. Feeling tired and all, I wonder why I even bothered coming to that particular dinner gathering.

Later on the next day, I caught a friend of mine from college online and chatted with her for a little while. While it was great to have chatted with her, I felt that we've drifted so far apart in the last 10 years and that, for some reasons, was making me feel old, dull, and somewhat of a loser. In my 33 years of life so far, I've met a lot of people, but no matter how I've tried, rarely made lasting friendships.

Then a few days later, on Sat. morning, I got a call from someone that I did not expect to hear from. When I first arrived at the place I am now working at, this short, balding sgt. helped me get settled here and introduced me to everyone in the office. He was a little bit weird but only in a geeky kind of way. Anyway, he got deployed to go to Iraq about 6 months ago, and I got a call from him on the 1st. day of his mid-tour leave. We chatted for a while, about what his life was like at his camp in Iraq, how many times did they get mortared, and I told him about some of the personnel happenings at the office. We're not the best of friends but we do get along. The point is that, just when you think all is lost, then you get a little sign of assurance that you just might not be as bad as you once thought you were.

I don't think that I'm one of those self-assured person, can't even pretend to look that way. As much as I enjoy friendships, I can't stand to interact with large crowds. I don't even know if I am moving on some kind of right direction in life... and if I'll be good for my GF...

...but I'm trying.

To Mr. Coleman....

I just wanted to thank you for the e-mail, and that rest assured, Bradli has managed to make more of a contribution and having been a positive force in his short life than a lot of other peoples' lives.
So, thanks again.

Wintermelonsoup

I am a....

Tri-Lamb Material
56 % Nerd, 39% Geek, 52% Dork
For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.
You scored better than half in Nerd and Dork, earning you the coveted title of: Tri-Lamb Material.

The classic, "80's" nerd, you are what most people think of when they think "nerd," largely due to 80's movies like Revenge of the Nerds and TV shows like Head of the Class. You're exceptionally bright and smart, and partly because of that have never quite fit in with your peers or social groups. Perhaps you've realized, or will someday, that it is possible to retain all of the things that you like about being brilliant and still make peace with the social cliques around you. Or maybe you won't--it's really not necessary. As the brothers of Lambda Lambda Lambda discovered, you're fine just the way you are and can take pride in that. I mean, who wants to be like Ogre, right!?

Congratulations!

Update

I got a copy of a order for me to attend the reserves civil affairs reclassifications course in Ft. Dix, NJ, leaving in about a week. This was done after the people at the reserve unit that I was at told me to goto the course, then turned around and told me not to goto the course because I did not pass my physical fitness test. (Missed the 2 mile run time by a minute.)

I felt rushed and confused.... and that's not a good sign.

You see, I went to a drill at that unit, wanting to know whether or not it'll be a good unit for me to attend drills at. Once I got there, I found myself in a inspection by the colonel of the brigade, then door guard, and endured a PT test in the freezing wind. No one wanted to see my records or tell me what the unit is about. Officers were sitting around doing nothing, and the enlisted were running around with no real missions. The only folks that I got to talk with was this young private who was really neat to talk to because he was also deployed to Iraq but doesn't yet have that battle-hardened perspective. There was also a 52 year old sargeant who could not stop talking about the military and how he's doing his part for the country by sending his kids into the military, and last but not least, a skinny, 35 year old guy who is leaving behind his life as a computer programmer and going to attempt to join the special forces. For a guy with such ambition, he was not acting gung-ho at all. I felt especially sorry for this older woman specialist, who, despite losing her husband to deployment (she was the one deployed), still is willing to let her unit step all over her.

I guess not having attended weekend drills for a year, it has become a pain in the ass again.

On what could be a positive note, I got a call back from the postal inspection service to do another job test/interview with them on Valentine's day! In San Francisco, of all places. I hope that I'll do well this time around. It would be a really cool job to have, even if it'll be a long process even after you pass the interview process.

Also, I'd like to say that my dog is the cutest dog in the world. The GF said that he's liking me better now... well, I sure hope so!

Congratulations to the GF, who is now a full-fledged phlebotomist! Soon, she'll be making some $$! (Translation: More tasty snacks!)

My poor sister

My sister sent me a e-mail from Tokyo Narita Airport this morning.....

Hey,
I have arrived to Japan Narita airport since Jan. 22, our flight was cancelled due to weather, so I had to sleep at the airport overnight. This morning (Jan. 23), I am still trying to get on a flight to take me to Taipei. So far everything are sold out and completely booked, I might have to stay in Tokyo another day. Ugh. I am so frustrated.
Mom actually went to the airport and waited for me there, I tried to call but it wasn't easy trying to figure out how to use the stupid phone is Japan. I am going to cancel my tour in Japan, I am fed up with the J*%s!
I have not showered since the 21st, I feel so dirty and tired. Pray for me, I believe I will get to Taipei sometime this year! LOL.
Talk to you soon!
Jenn

She was on her way to Taipei to visit our mom for 2 weeks, and even having been in almost hellish travel/combat situations, I still say that what she's going through right now is just sucky.

Please join me in wishing that her ordeal will be over soon!

College made me dumber

Study: Most College Students Lack Skills
By BEN FELLER AP Education Writer

Nearing a diploma, most college students cannot handle many complex but common tasks, from understanding credit card offers to comparing the cost per ounce of food.

Those are the sobering findings of a study of literacy on college campuses, the first to target the skills of students as they approach the start of their careers.

More than 50 percent of students at four-year schools and more than 75 percent at two-year colleges lacked the skills to perform complex literacy tasks.

That means they could not interpret a table about exercise and blood pressure, understand the arguments of newspaper editorials, compare credit card offers with different interest rates and annual fees or summarize results of a survey about parental involvement in school.

The results cut across three types of literacy: analyzing news stories and other prose, understanding documents and having math skills needed for checkbooks or restaurant tips.

"It is kind of disturbing that a lot of folks are graduating with a degree and they're not going to be able to do those things," said Stephane Baldi, the study's director at the American Institutes for Research, a behavioral and social science research organization.

Most students at community colleges and four-year schools showed intermediate skills, meaning they could perform moderately challenging tasks. Examples include identifying a location on a map, calculating the cost of ordering office supplies or consulting a reference guide to figure out which foods contain a particular vitamin.

There was brighter news.

Overall, the average literacy of college students is significantly higher than that of adults across the nation. Study leaders said that was encouraging but not surprising, given that the spectrum of adults includes those with much less education.

Also, compared with all adults with similar levels of education, college students had superior skills in searching and using information from texts and documents.

"But do they do well enough for a highly educated population? For a knowledge-based economy? The answer is no," said Joni Finney, vice president of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, an independent and nonpartisan group.

"This sends a message that we should be monitoring this as a nation, and we don't do it," Finney said. "States have no idea about the knowledge and skills of their college graduates."

The survey examined college and university students nearing the end of their degree programs. The students did the worst on matters involving math, according to the study.

Almost 20 percent of students pursuing four-year degrees had only basic quantitative skills. For example, the students could not estimate if their car had enough gas to get to the service station. About 30 percent of two-year students had only basic math skills.

Baldi and Finney said the survey should be used as a tool. They hope state leaders, educators and university trustees will examine the rigor of courses required of all students.

The survey showed a strong relationship between analytic coursework and literacy. Students in two-year and four-year schools scored higher when they took classes that challenged them to apply theories to practical problems or weigh competing arguments.

The college survey used the same test as the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, the government's examination of English literacy among adults. The results of that study were released in December, showing about one in 20 adults is not literate in English.

On campus, the tests were given in 2003 to a representative sample of 1,827 students at public and private schools. The Pew Charitable Trusts funded the survey.

It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
___

Damn!

1st. day of work out

Has been weights, for all the major body parts. My work out partner is one tough lady! She's tiny but can lift! I think I'll start to feel my underused muscles pretty soon! The GF was not too happy that today's work out took about 2 hours to do, what can I say, I'm such a novice that it's not funny!

Back home now with the pets and the GF, and waiting for the meat loaf to cook. I feel grateful that, despite my dilemmas with work, money, and everything else, the GF and the pets do their parts to help me feel stable.

Now, if only the dog would stop harassing the cats.....