I really hate doing the marathon updates like I did last time where you get stuck reading a narrative about what I find fascinating in my own life, even though I know it isn't actually fascinating. So, today I thought I would try a "By The Numbers." I was first introduced to the idea by the Star Tribune, who summarizes some of their biggest stories with a By The Numbers on the front page of the paper.
Six. The number of Mexican-themed meals I have consumed in the last seven days.
Nine. The number of hours worked at "The 'Bou."
Twenty-seven. The number of laps I swam Wednesday morning.
Five. The number of loads of laundry that still need to be completed tonight. Yikes.
Five and a half. The average number of hours of sleep per night this week. Thanks a lot, Midterms. . .
Three. The estimated number of POTS of coffee (10 cups per pot) I consumed this week. This may explain the previous entry.
Twenty-eight. The length of time (in minutes) that it is supposed to take an 'express' load of laundry to wash.
Forty-two. The actual length of time (in minutes) of an 'express' load. (There is nothing express about being tardy, Maytag, nothing.)
Six hundred, twenty-three. The number of times I thought about chocolate cake this week. I assure you, this is not exaggerated.
Six. The number of classes attended this week.
Four. Number of classes enjoyed this week.
One. Number of days until I leave for California.
Eight. The current setting on the electric blanket.
Seventeen. The number of minutes that could have gone to something productive (like 5 loads of laundry) that instead went to this update.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
A Month in Review-- Sorry!
Hmmm, the whole point of a blog is to actually update on a regular basis so I don't have to come here on the eve of a month of absence and try to pick out what have been the highlights of the month to share with you. For all of this time I think Wow, I don't really do anything that people will want to read about. And then it has been a month and I feel like there is so much to share! I will try to keep it concise (a skill I struggle with in academic and personal writing ALL the time).
Let's see, the last entry was the beginning of a minor and expected lapse in mental health-- it is grad school after all, this gets hard sometimes! And I surprised myself by realizing I had gotten homesick even though I live so much closer to the family than I have in the last 4 years. Regardless, I had to push through the stress and rewarded myself with an end-of-the-week mini-vacation in Lakeville. I needed that in a major way-- I reconnected with all my favorite people: Bridget, Mom and Dad, Kim and Erik, and even myself a little bit. I logged some serious hours in the basement working on a painting (more on that later) and I forgot how wonderful painting is for my mental health. Very few activities relax me and energize me with such calculated balance as putting on some loud music and mixing color.
When most jeans get the kiss of death due to an ill fit or massive hole, mine get labeled "PAINT" so I remember not to wear my nice pants to art in. Because they all end up looking like this:
Things at Caribou have been going well and I am getting promoted to Shift Supervisor. Ha! This after I did a few choice things at work:
1. Brewed a full pot of coffee into an already full pot of coffee. All that does is create overflow-- and 1.5 gallons of coffee on the floor. Classy. . .
2. Spilled an entire bag of beans into a whole bunch of beans that have been measured to brew. Well, you can't have a mix so EVERYTHING has to be trashed and remeasured. Excellent. . .
3. I worked the bar for the first real time this morning. I miscreated 6 drinks. Okay, so I probably made 30-40 correctly, but I don't like doing things wrong.
So basically, I am pretty surprised that after less than a month of working there I am getting promoted, but at this rate I will own Caribou in about 14 months. I'll be sure to get you a discount when I get there. . .
This is already getting long, and there is definitely more coming. Seeing as we just discussed Caribou Coffee, why don't you go ahead and brew yourself a pot and come back to the blog after you get a cup. Don't worry, I'll wait.
That feels better, huh? Okay, let's continue through 28 Days of Katie:
Went to the water exhibit at the Science Museum with the family and I really liked it. It was interesting because Kim sure knows a lot about the science of water and the ooogie-booogies in it, and I am much more interest in the social aspect of water (wasting clean water, access to water, responsible use and storage, etc.) and it seemed to be a fun balance of those two things. We also saw the Goosebumps exhibit about fear and that was pretty cool. I was a 'fraidy-cat and wouldn't do some of the activities. I have never really considered someone who is scared of much, but a lot of these had to do with being surprised and I don't like creepy or scary surprises. Only good onces. Like cake. That's a good surprise.
My SPH friends and I finally had a much needed "girls night" after a crazy week of projects and we saw the movie He's Just Not That Into You. If you want a fairly comprehensive recap of the Katie dating train, sometimes going recklessly full speed ahead, whistle a-blowin' and sometimes painfully derailed, just watch that movie. It was interesting-- and the fun part of seeing it with a group of good friends is that we have watched each other go through a lot of the situations in the movie.
Went to a formal hosted by the School of Dentistry about mid-month (Shivan, one of the roommates, is a dental student) which was affectionately dubbed "Tooth Prom." A good friend from NDSU, Steve, came down for the event and we had a wonderful time. Steve and Shivan have been friends forever probably, and it is fun for me to spend time with them and have some cohesiveness between Fargo friends and Minneapolis friends. We had dinner at Palomino downtown, which is a little out of my price range for regular dining, but for a big event it was great fun. Remember the discussion about good surprises? Dinner here would fit well in that category.
Have another cup of coffee. Really, I am not done yet. I have a lot to share, and I try not to skip the finer details. They really make the story. So really, do a yoga pose or two. I'll be here when you get back. . .
I guess there are maybe just two more topics. . . and since one is about art (aren't all my posts about art in some way these days?) I can make it shortish. The painting I worked on at home? I sold it. Well, I made it specifically to be sold. It is going to habitate on the wall of a classmate who saw the sketches of my Spoonbridge and Cherry and wanted a big painting. So, here it is:
Don't get too attached (this means you, Katie Muehe) because she is, in fact, leaving. It's a major milestone though-- first painting I have ever sold. Feels kind of cool. Makes me a professional, sort of.
Last topic (I am going to save one for a later post in case this week is ultra-dull or something): The Spoonbridge and Cherry was disassembled this week so the cherry could be cleaned and repainted. Seeing as this is one of my favorite places (which should be obvious by the number of times it appears in some format in this blog), I went to take some pictures and enjoy another wintry afternoon at the Walker. I will leave you with these photos. By this time you might be on your second pot of coffee. . . or maybe you won't even make it this far in the blog entry, wishing I would have just said "The last month has been busy, love you!" Sorry, that's just not my style-- you know that.
The last month has been really busy. Love you all!
Let's see, the last entry was the beginning of a minor and expected lapse in mental health-- it is grad school after all, this gets hard sometimes! And I surprised myself by realizing I had gotten homesick even though I live so much closer to the family than I have in the last 4 years. Regardless, I had to push through the stress and rewarded myself with an end-of-the-week mini-vacation in Lakeville. I needed that in a major way-- I reconnected with all my favorite people: Bridget, Mom and Dad, Kim and Erik, and even myself a little bit. I logged some serious hours in the basement working on a painting (more on that later) and I forgot how wonderful painting is for my mental health. Very few activities relax me and energize me with such calculated balance as putting on some loud music and mixing color.
When most jeans get the kiss of death due to an ill fit or massive hole, mine get labeled "PAINT" so I remember not to wear my nice pants to art in. Because they all end up looking like this:
Things at Caribou have been going well and I am getting promoted to Shift Supervisor. Ha! This after I did a few choice things at work:1. Brewed a full pot of coffee into an already full pot of coffee. All that does is create overflow-- and 1.5 gallons of coffee on the floor. Classy. . .
2. Spilled an entire bag of beans into a whole bunch of beans that have been measured to brew. Well, you can't have a mix so EVERYTHING has to be trashed and remeasured. Excellent. . .
3. I worked the bar for the first real time this morning. I miscreated 6 drinks. Okay, so I probably made 30-40 correctly, but I don't like doing things wrong.
So basically, I am pretty surprised that after less than a month of working there I am getting promoted, but at this rate I will own Caribou in about 14 months. I'll be sure to get you a discount when I get there. . .
This is already getting long, and there is definitely more coming. Seeing as we just discussed Caribou Coffee, why don't you go ahead and brew yourself a pot and come back to the blog after you get a cup. Don't worry, I'll wait.
That feels better, huh? Okay, let's continue through 28 Days of Katie:
Went to the water exhibit at the Science Museum with the family and I really liked it. It was interesting because Kim sure knows a lot about the science of water and the ooogie-booogies in it, and I am much more interest in the social aspect of water (wasting clean water, access to water, responsible use and storage, etc.) and it seemed to be a fun balance of those two things. We also saw the Goosebumps exhibit about fear and that was pretty cool. I was a 'fraidy-cat and wouldn't do some of the activities. I have never really considered someone who is scared of much, but a lot of these had to do with being surprised and I don't like creepy or scary surprises. Only good onces. Like cake. That's a good surprise.
My SPH friends and I finally had a much needed "girls night" after a crazy week of projects and we saw the movie He's Just Not That Into You. If you want a fairly comprehensive recap of the Katie dating train, sometimes going recklessly full speed ahead, whistle a-blowin' and sometimes painfully derailed, just watch that movie. It was interesting-- and the fun part of seeing it with a group of good friends is that we have watched each other go through a lot of the situations in the movie.
Went to a formal hosted by the School of Dentistry about mid-month (Shivan, one of the roommates, is a dental student) which was affectionately dubbed "Tooth Prom." A good friend from NDSU, Steve, came down for the event and we had a wonderful time. Steve and Shivan have been friends forever probably, and it is fun for me to spend time with them and have some cohesiveness between Fargo friends and Minneapolis friends. We had dinner at Palomino downtown, which is a little out of my price range for regular dining, but for a big event it was great fun. Remember the discussion about good surprises? Dinner here would fit well in that category.
Have another cup of coffee. Really, I am not done yet. I have a lot to share, and I try not to skip the finer details. They really make the story. So really, do a yoga pose or two. I'll be here when you get back. . .
I guess there are maybe just two more topics. . . and since one is about art (aren't all my posts about art in some way these days?) I can make it shortish. The painting I worked on at home? I sold it. Well, I made it specifically to be sold. It is going to habitate on the wall of a classmate who saw the sketches of my Spoonbridge and Cherry and wanted a big painting. So, here it is:
Don't get too attached (this means you, Katie Muehe) because she is, in fact, leaving. It's a major milestone though-- first painting I have ever sold. Feels kind of cool. Makes me a professional, sort of.Last topic (I am going to save one for a later post in case this week is ultra-dull or something): The Spoonbridge and Cherry was disassembled this week so the cherry could be cleaned and repainted. Seeing as this is one of my favorite places (which should be obvious by the number of times it appears in some format in this blog), I went to take some pictures and enjoy another wintry afternoon at the Walker. I will leave you with these photos. By this time you might be on your second pot of coffee. . . or maybe you won't even make it this far in the blog entry, wishing I would have just said "The last month has been busy, love you!" Sorry, that's just not my style-- you know that.
The last month has been really busy. Love you all!
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