Randoms

I have totally failed at updating the blogosphere about the movement of my pearly whites.  I know you are all in tears and it may take some time to get over it, but I hope you'll be ok. 

I have sent my wedding rings in for their cleaning/inspection and I feel so weird without them, but I still have trouble sometimes getting used to having a different last name.  I wonder how long that will last.

I usually don't make New Years resolutions and if I do, I almost never keep them.  This year I'm just going to roll with having this quarter off, try to get down in some weight so I can put some more back on (by getting pregnant).

I am pretty sure the clock is moving backwards this week. 2009 doesn't want to leave us.

I got a Wii on Monday and I am loving the Wii Fit exercising. 

The dog hasn't had an accident in the house since Saturday.  That is the definition of progress.

That is all.  Happy 2010 everyone (a day or two early)!

Brace-face

I'm 28 years old, and finally I was able to afford some braces for myself. As you can see to the left those are my incredibly crooked top front teeth. I ended up getting Invisalign which are actually pretty cool. I have to have quite a few attachments, which I wasn't fully prepared for, but in the end I think it will be worth it. I also get a free Zoom whitening at the end, and again, as you can see, that will be pretty awesome as well.

I've had 7 attachments put on and the first two days were kinda uncomfortable, but since then I've been fine. I get the other 5 on Monday and I'm definitely ready to get the show on the road. So far, they don't hurt, as much as they are annoying. Plastic in your mouth all the time isn't so fun. I will never chew on a straw ever again.

I have to have them on for 13-15 months, so for my 30th birthday, I will have straight teeth!

I'll post a picture of me with the braces in once I get the rest of the attachments.

This is one of the first steps to making a new, better me. :)

Pardon my dust...

I'm up way too late, so i thought i would try and install a blogger client for Droid. So let the test post ensue! I actually have some ideas for some future posts so maybe I can actually post more than once a year. Let's see if this is going to work!

Answers

I've never been to therapy. Well, once when I was a freshman at Pitt and depressed, I went to see a counselor. The counselor gave me the suicide test and apparently I wasn't suicidal because after I told her an abbreviated version of my life story and she graded the test, she said, "well what do you want from me?" I didn't know the answer.

Since then, in the past 10 years, I have had probably pretty regular bouts with depression. Despite this, I've never been on medication and still have a somewhat successful existence. The problem is since then and since that fall day at Pitt, I still haven't finished school. I somehow keep sabotaging myself and even as I type this I am skipping yet another class. I ask myself, "Why do I keep doing this?" I don't know the answer.

I'm thinking about actually trying to talk to someone. There are a lot of issues that loom in my future that I know are going to be hard. I know I'm going to have to try hard to get through everything and... I won't know the answer.

The Soul's Last Chapter

Disclaimer: Philosophical post follows. Don't mind my innocent babblings.

Do you ever wonder where you might have ended up if you'd chosen a different path?

I am a firm believer that fate works much like the way one of those old "choose your own path" novels works. "Turn to page 25 if you want Joey the Discoverer to turn left at the cave." I recently went to my first "real" country concert, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Sugarland, and Kenny Chesney. Then the very next weekend I went to my mom's new hobby of camping at a campground in Dillsboro, IN. This coupled with the fact of all the people from the past who are getting into the whole social networking thing of Facebook, Myspace and Twitter just makes me look up at the sky and wonder..."How in the world did I get to Columbus, OH?" I often feel like a completely same but different person that I used to be. I guess that is the way it's supposed to work though. What if I would have stayed at Pitt, would I still have met my husband? What would I be like if I had been less shy all of those times that I wanted to say something but didn't? I wonder if we ever get to see what would've happened if we'd have made a left instead of a right that one time.

I hope there is. The soul's last chapter.

I read somewhere once that one philosophy of religion that includes reincarnation is that you start out as a baby soul with no experiences and no lessons learned. As you live each life you learn certain lessons and eventually, perhaps when you are an "old soul," you have learned all the lessons there are to learn. You've been the theif and been stolen from, it's then that you're life has less challenges and the closer you are to that last chapter. In my life so far, I haven't had that many challenges to face. I wonder how many lifetimes I might have left according to this idea.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Model for Hire.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that I am not skinny. Not even average, I am overweight. For the most part, I am ok with this, as I've been overweight for the majority of my life. I'm comfortable with who I am, I'd like to lose weight to be healthier and I'd like to wear more stylish clothing, but all and all, I'm pretty good right here. However, since the wedding I've gained about 15 lbs. This is not a I want to lose weight post, but a rant of other sorts. Due to gaining the 15 lbs, I've begun to shop at Lane Bryant. I call it the fat people store, but anyways, back on track. I don't mind shopping there, because I still wear one of the smaller sizes and most of the clothes are too big for me anyways, and they do have some nice items. BUT. For the love of God, and everything holy I wish they would stop using skinny people as their models.

I received a catalog from them today and every. last. person. is SKINNY. How in the world am I supposed to see what the fat people clothes look like on a person, if that person isn't FAT?!

Look here if you want to see an example. As an overweight person, I seriously resent the fact that they can't even put appropriately sized models in their catalog. I just might stop shopping there. Argh!

Life Changing Events

Well...I'm not pregnant. Bet I had you fooled! And, since I've recently gotten married it's not that, so what pray tell am I talking about you ask? I've decided to reevaluate my schooling situation. As many (if you can qualify my readers as many) of you know, not only do I work at Ohio State, I am working towards my bachelor's degree there. I have an associates of applied science in Clinical Laboratory Technology, and so I was working towards my bs in bs, uh I mean microbiology. I like to think that I am a strong, smart person, but trying to work and be a wife, and take care of a house, and take these hard ass math and science classes is just well...turning me into a miserable 80 year old shrew. I don't cook, I don't clean (well like I would LIKE to clean), I don't do anything but work, do homework, and bitch about doing work and homework. I think I've just reached my breaking point. I've decided to drop down to one class per quarter instead of two for a few terms, and change my major. I am probably going to either change it to history or business, neither of which have anything to do with my profession. But! I can still take classes, and as long as I end up getting a 4 year degree I will be satisfied with myself. And, amazingly, that's all that matters to me.

A Whole Month?

Wow, there goes my goal of trying to blog more often right out the window along with my professional reputation. I don't mean to be vague, but it really angers me when someone insults my profession. I am a medical lab tech, and yes there are a whole lot of people smarter than me, who know alot more about a lot of things, but sometimes, I actually know what the hell I'm talking about. I'll just leave my little rant at that, because I'm annoyed and I'm sure that I'll go on and on and it will be boring.

Nothing exciting is happening around here, hence my lack of subjects to blog about, but we did have a cancellation yesterday! OSU hardly ever closes and so it was a real treat to not have work or classes. I spent the day oh so wisely, doing absolutely nothing. For those of you keeping track, midterms are next week and so my free day off was definitely not spent in the manner it should have been. I did catch up on some sleep though, so that was a nice change. The next storm is supposed to hit Monday and Tuesday of next week, oh great just in time for the tests! I'll let you know how that goes...

Oh and this weekend, a little pick up game of football is happening, the SUPERBOWL! I really wanted to come home to Pittsburgh to watch the big game, but again, stupid midterms are putting a cramp in my style, so I'll have to watch from the C-bus, but don't think I won't be cheering with every bit of intensity as the yinzers on their home turf! Go STEELERS!

The Great Debate.

For those of you who don't know, I have PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). And 6 months ago, I finally got married. So therein begins the great kid debate. Shawn and I decided before we ever got married that if we have kids fine, if we can't, then that's ok too, and we laid out exactly what measures we were willing to take if things don't happen naturally.

The thing is... I don't know if I want to have kids. At times I do, but at times I really don't. I've always kind of let myself hang in the middle there, so that I wouldn't be too let down if I can't have kids.

The part of me that wants the kids, just wants to get it over with, I want to be a relatively young mom. I want to do the preg thing and be done with it, I don't forsee myself as being one of those women who will enjoy pregnancy and glow with it. I'm also hoping that if I do get pregnant then my body will normalize itself somewhat, and I won't have as many annoying "symptoms" of PCOS.

The part of me that doesn't want the kids says that I want to finish school first. That's going to be another 3 years at least though because of my work/class situation. This part is the part that doesn't want to get her hopes up in case I can't get pregnant. The point of the whole so serious post is that, it's been 6 months. Since we've started trying. So now, I'm going to try and embark on a "lifestyle" change to be healthier so I can get pregnant (maybe) and stay that way and be a healthier me.

If this isn't enough weight to motivate me to lose some of it. I don't know what is.

Random...

What do you do if you accidentially honk your horn while stopped at a red light on a two lane road with lots of traffic? Pretend to wave to someone? Wave and mouth "I'm sorry?"

4 degrees is too cold. This is not Canada.

Don't Hate the Dork.

I am officially a huge dork, and have started studying for a class before it has commenced. I don't ever want to be that close to not passing again. So sue me. I guess I'm allowed to be dorky, considering I'm adult and all.

Deep Thoughts...

The wait is over. I have passed freshman chemistry, again. 10 years later. I don't know if i could be so excited and so utterly disappointed in myself at the same time. I was about to change my major from microbiology into something easier, like business. I think some part of me would have felt like I was taking the easy way out instead of toughing through this and proving the ultimate point to myself.

I often wonder if when I graduate if I will feel any different. Will I finally be at peace with myself for making so many mistakes in the past? I intend on making a post to inform my vast readership of my history with college and why all of this freshman chemistry retakingness is so ludiacris, but that will just have to come at a later date.

Randomness:
1. Definitely very funny that the 1st face transplant happened in Cleveland.
2. Every single time I remember to turn on the Steelers, it's the 4th quarter and it's a nail-biting end.
3. Cats ruin Christmas trees and plants. I am Captain Obvious.
4. Why is it that at work beer sounded so good, but at the bar, tasted icky?
5. It's icy out, but not icy enough for a snow day. There is no Santa.

Poor me.

If anyone knows what I did, kharma wise, to deserve getting sick for finals. Please respond. At least then I'd have something to blame it on.

I have not had a cold for the ENTIRE 3 years that I have lived in Columbus and I get sick two days before a final I HAVE to pass? Seriously?

Ugh. I'm off somewhere napping, dreaming of hybrid orbitals and trig functions in a nyquil induced coma. Wish me luck.

Finals

Dear Ohio State,

Due to the fact that I've been in school, one or the other, for the past 10 years, I think that I have enough credits as well as life experience to earn a bachelors degree. I don't know if you realize or not, but they let me crossmatch blood to transfuse. INTO people, in which if it was the wrong type, they would DIE. Please forward my completed transcript to my home address. Thanks.

Joann

Bedazzled.

On Wednesday, I got out of work a little early and decided that I needed to find a few new outfits to wear for the Thanksgiving holiday. Now it is no secret that I am not skinny. I even think lots of people would call me fat, but usually I can find clothes still in normal stores. However, the last 10 lbs I've put on since the wedding have pushed me over into the Lane Bryant range. I HATE shopping at Lane Bryant. I call it the fat people store, sorry if that is offensive, but I am qualified to say so, if you know what I mean. Fat people, apparently, are supposed to be gifted in the chest region and I am just not, so that makes finding clothes in there a challenge for me.



So there I am, perusing around LB with a friend of mine and we are amazed at the amount of rhinestones that one store can contain. Isn't that against the fire code or something? Don't let the sun shine in or there will surely be a fire. My friend noted that it looked like someone with a bedazzler got drunk and went to town.

I manage to find two shirts that don't have rhinestones on them, and since they were having a bogo sale, I decided to try on some jeans. They do not have regular sized jeans at LB, they have sizes 1-8 in three different fits, straight hips, curvy, and fat ass. Is the whole size 1-8 thing supposed to make me feel any better? I just don't get it. I don't even want to know what size I really was in. Carrot sticks here I come. The other odd thing I was amazed by was all of the UGLY patterns that abounded. I mean really, if it is ugly on a beanpole person, do you really thing ENLARGING it is going to make it better? I don't think so. So two shirts and two pair of jeans later, I got some nice clothing, but I am definitely ready to go back to the regular stores. I will use the bedazzler as motivation while I'm on the elliptical every morning next week.

For your Thanksgiving this year, I decided you might need a little help with some turkey alternatives. I too, like the most traditional traditionalist, believe you should have turkey on Thanksgiving. However with the rising economic concerns this year, I realize it just might not be practical.

Maybe you could try one of these:

It's a chicken noodle soup turkey! Everyone can afford some Campbells!

Or how about one of these?

A mac and cheese turkey! Get yourself a box of generic Kraft for less than a buck!

You can see all of the turkey's in their glory here. Take that Food Network!

Frrr...eeee...zing.

It is so cold in my office, that it is too cold to blog. Perhaps a witty post tonight from the warmth of my humble abode. Catch ya later.

Beat Michigan!

When I first moved here to Columbus in 2005, I had little clue what Buckeye nation was about. I was soon to find out because the first job I got here was at Ohio State. I had every intention of starting classes also, because there is a great tuition benefit. Now, I am a Steeler fan, you know, having been born in Pittsburgh. So like many others, I was ignornant to the fact that people actually paid attention to college football. I mean, of course I cheered for Pitt, but I never really paid any attention to the BCS and such. I thought the NFL was the only football that anyone cared about. I tried hard to resist becoming a "poisonous nut", but I am starting to falter. School is hard enough, trying to hate it just makes it worse.

I am not kidding, when I say that here in Columbus, Buckeye nation comes close to paralleling Steeler Nation. No, they don't have cool terrible towels, or an accented announcer, but let me just tell you that these people are crazy when it comes to Buckeye football.

The culmination of all of this crazyness is the Michigan game. The Ohio State/Michigan rivalry roots deep in the hearts of the Buckeye fans. Imagine Steelers/Browns if you will. Tonight, something that I think is a cross between utterly ridiculous and proud to call myself an "almost" buckeye, the Mirror Lake Jump. Mirror Lake is the lake that resides on campus and every year traditionally all of the freshman, and probably a few others, jump into the lake. FYI it is 32 degrees here today. Tonight's forcast is for 12-15mph winds. That means a windchill. Really, are you crazy? Not to mention that the lake is filled with duck poop. A part of me honors the tradition side of it, but let me tell you that if I catch the plague from one of the freshman mirror lake jumpers, I'm going to be angry.

Harrisburg Pike

Since moving to the southwest side of Columbus, the shortest way to campus from my house is taking Harrisburg Pike. I commonly refer to it as "The Pike". For those of you (which I'm guessing is ALL of you) who aren't familiar with "The Pike" it is a stretch of road in between white trashville and, what is affectionately known as, the ghetto. The particular section that I drive everyday has a plethora of fast food joints, used car lots, and gas stations. The amusing thing about the Pike is that no matter what time of day you are driving it, someone is ALWAYS walking along. I'm serious. I've been on it at 4 am on the way to the airport, and don't you know, there was someone trudging along.

My favorite part of the Pike is closer to white trashville and it is the house with the giant wooden carved bear that is roaring at attention waiting to eat someone. Really? A no tresspassing sign was too much trouble? You had to go and get yourself a giant wooden bear to scare people off? That is taking the token trailer park pink flamingo to another level. The bear is a clear indication of the kind of road that the Pike is. This morning as I was on my way to work at around 7:20 am, driving along, listening to the radio, when all of a sudden, I do a double take. Walking down the Pike was....a cowboy. I'm not joking, the only thing he was missing was his trusty horse and lasso. Dressed to the cowboy nines, including black hat, boots, cowboy looking coat, and shiny white old cowboy beard. Was he on his way to the ro-deo? Maybe he was going to the final battle and fight the bear. I don't know, but I felt as I could honestly say, you never know what you will see on the Pike.

Until...five mintues later when I witnessed a man in full hunting gear riding a bicycle. He had on his hot orange neon camo. I didn't see a gun anywhere, but he did have on a bicycle helmet. I hope he can catch some deer in the woods on his bike.

you just never know... on the Pike.

An Informative Letter to the Freshman

Dear Freshman at OSU,

Due to the fact that I (for many reasons) am back taking gen chem and calculus again with you this autumn quarter, like I have with so many freshman before, there are a few things I that I would like to let you know.

1. No matter how smart you were in high school and how sky high your soaring honors/AP GPA was, you are more than likely not going to do as well as you thought you would your freshman year. Please do not let this affect your state of mind. Keep going.

2. Please be mindful of people driving on campus. With your soaring GPA you should be able to figure out that although pedestrians have the right-of-way, cars WILL hit you. Especially people driving cars that are stuck taking Gen Chem and Calculus with you. They have places to get to too.

3. Sweatpants/running pants and those robin hood looking boots DO NOT look good together. Get yourself some Nikes or Adidas.

4. Keep in mind that normal people have to spend 3.75 for their lattes and chai's. The world does not work on swipes.

5. It IS ok to skip classes once in awhile. Let other people get a good seat once in awhile.

6. Night classes exist. Please don't look at people like aliens because they have a class after 5 pm.

That is all for now, I will keep you posted of any other pertinant information that might need to be addressed.

Sincerely,

Joann
A non-traditional student