i get things done on friday

Case in point: my new license plates!  For those who have been privy to these conversations with me, getting new plates in Ohio is a process, especially for folks who, like me, still have a lien out on their cars.  However, my specialty plates came in the mail last week and, after a quick stop at Auto Zone to get a mounting bracket for my front plate (no need for front plates in AZ), I was able to outfit Sampson the Scion with his new plates.  

Red Hawk Nation!

I also signed a lease extension today for the next year and a half (no signing bonus or fringe benefits - if only I were a pro athlete) and get Grrtrude all set up with her new vet.  She has a bit of a growth/infection on her left paw, so we also made an appointment for next week to get that looked at as well as do a routine checkup.  She doesn't seem to be bothered by it, so here is to hoping it is just a bite or infection and the swelling will go down.  

This weekend should be interesting - first Miami football game for me and then I will be attending the drag show put on by Spectrum, the undergrad LGBT group on campus.  Sunday will then see me traveling up to Ball State for a couple sessions for their fraternity and sorority students!  Looking forward to it all!  Now if only I could shake the beginning stages of a cold I seem to be exhibiting...

6th week here we come!

Hot dang - it has been over one month since my last blog post!  Time sure does fly when you are in a doc program...

oh my living room looks so wonderful now!  calling all people interested in sleepovers - i now have a couch!

This weekend I took some much needed time to relax and actually got quite a few things accomplished.  For starters, I finally got a couch.  Yup - that's me over there playing in the Big Kid Section now.  Glad to have arrived, albeit a touch late.  At least I can now use my living room area.  Bonus: the dog already loves the couch.  

nobody puts BetCi in the corner

Double bonus, I have an indoor trainer for BetCi.  Now cycling purists out there will roll their eyes.  I did too for a long time - and then I moved to Ohio.  Shit gets cold here.  The model I got is really nice, not too loud, and is a snap to get the bike on and off.  This means I can still ride outside but also just hop on the machine indoors for a quick ride before work or class.  It is a nice ride too - I took the inaugural one this afternoon!  I am hoping this will keep me fit during the cold months while not driving me insane due to never actually "going anywhere"...the stationary thing sorta kills me and makes me feel bored, but at least I got my iPod.  Check back in with me in a couple months to see if I have gone nutso from riding it yet...

lovely lovely baker's rack

I also finally got a baker's rack as a second bookshelf and am awaiting a few books from Amazon to help fill them up.  No, I am not just spending willy-nilly...these are books for class and that will ultimately help me write my dissertation.  You know, that thing that helps me get outta here and find that pesky thing they call a job.  Yeah, that thing.  So they are necessary.  Or so I have told myself.  Either way, they will look good on the new shelving unit.  

homemade applesauce looooove

The last thing of note is about apples.  Yup - apples.  For those of you who live/lived in the Northeast at some point in your life, you will know that fall is synonymous with apple picking.  Well, for the past however-many-years-I-can-remember, I have not been able to go.  Even when I worked at Dartmouth I neglected to go (probably due to coaching soccer most weekends).  Well, last weekend when I was up in Cleveland visiting my friend Hilary and her family, we all went apple picking, and 9.5 pounds of MacIntosh later, I was well stocked.  I woke up this morning to make homemade applesauce, pumpkin spice bread, slow-cooker vegetarian chili, and apple pie!  Okay, a friend really made the apple pie, but I totally supplied the apples...and helped peel a few apples after a minor peeling injury requiring the last Scooby Doo Band-Aid in the house (Winnie the Pooh Band-Aids soon replaced them).  


In honor of my house looking so gosh-darn-good, I figured I would also post some updated pics from around the house.  I have already shown some of these fun features, but have taken some additional photos, as they look more "lived in" now.  Enjoy!

someone shared with me they saw this idea on some fun blog...looks like i am ahead of the curve!!

bookcase with books and fun magazine holders for articles on the bottom...lots more of those to fill over the years... 

finally i have some jars for the kitchen...

...and a full-length mirror for the bedroom.  I was outbid for an amazing 6x8 foot antique mirror, but it would have been a beast to get, so this one will do juuuuust fine