Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Nicola's LiveJournal:

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Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
12:09 pm	Seems I only post the bad... Ever just want to crawl under a rock and just disappear? Well thats me today... $156 for cat emergency (White Paw). Last night I noticed one of his back toes seemed injured and raw. Got an appointment today and was really stressed because I have no funds lately but I just wanted to be safe. Good thing I went. Poor thing is missing 3 nails and has one infected toe. Lord Knows how it happened. It appears his foot got caught in something and he pulled til something gave...and it GAVE! An epic cleaning, shaving, and pulling (what was left of one nail) and a lot of hissing and pain ensued. He has a cast on right now and is fairly happy because they gave him an injection of pain meds. I have to dose him in antibiotics twice a day for 14 days and go for a recheck visit next Wednesday...another $40 there... I get home and notice the right side of Lau Lau's face is all puffed up. She must have got stung on our walk just before I went to the vets. She seems happy enough, if puffy. I shoved a benedryl down her throat but really? WTF? What did I do to deserve all this? Current Mood: sad (Comment on this)
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
12:01 am	Fear I just had a rather traumatic living alone experience. Below I've posted the "official" write up I did for the police. "I had just let my dog outside, at approximately 11:00PM when I heard a scraping sound coming from the dirt road in our yard. Next I see lights of a vehicle coming up Maple St and see that this is where the scraping sound is coming from. The vehicle pulled slowly into my driveway but the driver did not stop immediately, but rolled up into the side rim of my driveway right next to my stairs. It didn’t appear that he was going to stop. When I yelled out and asked if he was alright, he halfway got out of his truck but appeared disoriented and off balance. I couldn’t see him very clearly but he had white hair and a full white beard. He started saying that he was lost and needed directions and was looking for a campsite but was unclear what campsite exactly. At this point I became scared and told him to hold on a moment. I went inside and locked the door and called 911. Because I was nervous I also called the police station directly. My fiancé just took a job in VA so I’m living alone right now, which made me even more scared." The moment he pulled into my driveway I was nervous, but when he started to get out of the car I was downright scared. After I got into the house to call 911 I swear I heard him start to come up the walk and I was just shaken. Now it's all over. He was taken away and they just towed his car. Why don't I feel any better? Current Mood: not sleeping tonight (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, September 20th, 2008
1:56 pm	I don't know how to use Facebook. I'm screwed for my first A&P exam, too many big words! Pax is here and we are djing a wedding today and then he leaves early tomorrow. This is not what I call a good visit. *pout* Things that make me excited to move to Virginia... Bilbo Baggins Pub! http://www.bilbobaggins.net/ Random cool website on Irish things http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/2Kitch/rDessert2.html#MichaelmasPie Current Mood: over tired (Comment on this)
Monday, September 8th, 2008
2:15 pm	So the florist canceled on me working today. Last minute of course... Then I irreparably ripped my pants while getting into the car. ARGH! So now I'm stuck with way too much time on my hands for a Monday. Anything fun going on? (Comment on this)
Friday, September 5th, 2008
2:27 pm	Being all alone puts some serious issues smack in front of ones face. I think I'm in some serious financial hardship and I'm uncertain how to get out of it in a reasonable manner. After reviewing my pathetic bank accounts and terrifying credit cards I think I need to try to get a PT job to make a dent in some of this stuff. How am I going to find a job to weave around school, djing, and my desperate need to try to see Pax over the weekends? The only thing I can really sacrifice are those weekends and it really sucks. Relationships over long distances cannot thrive without the ability to see your loved one. It's really frustrating. Yeah, its that time of the month and its hard not to dwell on all the negatives out there. I will get over it but I still need to do something for my situation. I guess its just a matter of what... (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
10:36 pm	Return to School So yesterday, being the dork I am, I awoke still groggy from my trip and succumbing to a head cold from hell and went to Quinsig to attend my first class, Nutrition, or so I thought... After walking the empty halls for five minutes I made my way to the library where the chaos of registration was occurring. Of course there I learn that classes didn't begin until Wednesday. How lovely. Instead of getting too angry I called the florist and got a few hours of work in before I returned home and my parents stopped by en route from a doctor's visit for my dad. He is doing really well and is recovering right on schedule. Though after a long day of appointments he looked pretty worse for wear and wouldn't even eat the mac n cheese I made. :( It was a short visit mostly because I felt terrible and needed a wee nap. Afterwards Danielle came over for dinner and Wowing. I made a great salad that had beets, candied walnuts, apples, feta and greens with a home-made dressing of balsamic, fresh oj, minced shallots, and a touch of olive oil. It was fantastic and went great with our sammies. I baked one of those Peppridge Farm rosemary and olive oil loafs. Split it open and filled it with mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and home-made balsamic glaze I made by reducing the vinegar on the stove. Damn was it tasty. Today was the epic class day from hell! It began at 10am when I left my house only to get pulled over by a local cop for not stopping at the line for the stop sign (I was too far ahead). Luckily I got off with a warning, especially since I need a new inspection sticker. My professor for Microbiology is a really nice guy. Laid back, funny, and has pre-printed lecture notes. The best thing though was his willingness to work with me regarding my schedule. While he couldn't transfer me to his night course, he is allowing me to attend the lecture segment on Tuesdays from 4-7. Now I won't have to waste time on Mondays coming out for a single one hour lecture. Plus my Wednesdays are now pushed back to me leaving my house at 1pm not 10am so I won't have to pay for a sitter for Lau or inconvenience family members like I did today. The good news continued with my evening course of A&P 2. I was worried because it was not the same professor from part 1, but this woman is great. Again more pre-printed notes, this time in power point form which is fairly handy. She is funny and silly and rather animated. But the best part of all is the fact that she intends on us leaving an hour earlier than scheduled. I'll be out of there by 9pm, which means less crate time for Lau! Yippee So tomorrow its back to attend that first Nutrition class, but I think I am going to drop it. I don't think I want to drive out on Thursday's for an hour and fifteen minute lecture. Plus I don't "need" to take it, I just wanted to, so if I drop it that will be less money clogging up my already clogged credit card arteries. I'm still undecided, but haven't purchased the book yet. ok, seriously, this cold needs to go the fuck away... (Comment on this)
10:10 pm	Return from Arlington I had a wonderful weekend in Arlington visiting Pax. What an easy flight! I don't think I've been on such a quick trip on a plane before. I arrived on Saturday afternoon and still felt that weird sort of numb/antiemotion state of mind. Luckily it dissipated soon enough. The neighborhood Pax lives in is delightful. It reminds me of the well to do neighborhoods in JP or over around Salisbury St in Worcester. We could never afford to buy a place there but it was nice to play pretend. So many wonderful stores, ethnic eateries, and a great bike trail system. After we arrived home from the airport we walked to a local thai place and had a really amazing lunch. The spicy noodle was actually made with those wide square noodles that I don't usually like but you could tell these were homemade and the dish was just fantastic! When we got back I got the ten cent tour of the house. Its very nice and very well decorated. You can tell it's a man's house and an older one at that. No frat parties here, but there is a nice deck and jacuzzi! Afterwards we napped, really, as in sleep not sex. I've become a regular napper post surgery and Pax is sick. In the evening I got to meet his roommate Phil who insisted on us all going out to dinner that evening. After picking up "a female friend", who incidentally was really lovely and friendly, we went to Jaleo, a Spanish tapas place. From the looks of it I would never have guessed how good the food would be... We each ordered two tapas and shared them over sangria, which was unfortunately a very unsweet and rather bland version. I think I ordered the bext dishes and most of our party would have agreed. 1. Manzanas con hinojo y queso Manchego ~ Sliced apples and fennel with Manchego cheese, walnuts and sherry dressing This was so simple yet amazing and I simply must make it at home! 2. Dátiles con tocino ‘como hace todo el mundo’ ~ Fried dates wrapped in bacon I wasn't sure of this one but one bite sent you to taste heaven! The crunch from frying, the saltiness of the bacon, the sweet creaminess of the date. YUM!!!! The menu is here, drool away! http://www.jaleo.com/tapasModernas.htm Sunday we met up with Paxton's sister and family and attended the zoo. It was a lovely day but really rather hot. My ovaries imploded from the sounds of whining crying babes, even that of our own group. I don't care how damn "cute" they are, I'm not having any! Maybe I'll adopt a 17 year old so I can look forward to kicking them out the following year... Though I relented to some cuteness and held 18 mos old Laura's hand as we walked to the van, which cuted out Pax. We all had lunch together at the nearby Cactus Cantina which has some really great sangria and homemade chips and salsa. Also the tortilla's you get are ridiculously good. Nect time I go I'm so ordering a fajitas and then hording all the tortillas to myself. In the late afternoon Pax and I tried to explore Woodbridge to look at houses but what we saw was fairly ghetto and disappointing. I think we need to re-explore with a realtor or a few realtors to get a better idea of the area. I just wish the neighborhood Pax lived in didn't start from $750K and go upward! Monday we decided to rent me a bike and go exploring. We actually biked to Georgetown and had a lovely lunch of crepes at a tiny hole in the wall called Snap! After that we braved real city street traffic and made our way through the monuments and past the White House before stopping to explore the Natural History Museum. While all this biking was really tough and at times I felt weak and defeated, it was a brilliantly exhilarating experience. I loved the mobility and the wind in my hair. Though I need to work on my strength, I don't want to wobble so much and I'm terrible at hills. But I look forward to not having to drive to get where I want to go. I returned on Monday night very very tired and with the beginnings of Paxton's darn cold (which is currently kicking my ass). I must say that both TF Green in Providence and BWI are great and easy airports to go through. I think I was in the security line a total of 5 minutes each! Also, if you go to TF Green you can park your car at Thrifty for a fairly cheap rate and they shuttle you right to the airport. Not a big deal except that when you come back you actually find your car waiting for you in the front parking lot with the keys in it and the receipt attached. Wicked convenient and quick! Props to the Thrifty folk! (Comment on this)
Monday, August 25th, 2008
12:17 pm	Tomorrow will be the one month mark from my surgery. I'm doing pretty good, mostly healed up except for one little spot that is currently covered by a cute Nemo bandaid. I still have random pains, get fatigued easily, and unfortunately have an increased onslaught of headaches (but I think that has more to do with poor water consumption). I've gone back to work, both dj-ing and the florist. The florist will be very reduced and random hours but I will take what I can get in the hopes of paying off some debt. DJing hasent been to difficult because I appear to have become a night owl. I stay awake till 2am or 3am fairly easily. Im not exactly enjoying that because I feel like I've lost me day waking up so late. All I can say is thank goodness for cheesy movies and books. I am plowing through both fairly rapidly. Also thank goodness for friends. Having all this spare time has allowed me to hang out with people more. Mike has been generous in his time going out to see movies with me. Though last nights horrible viewing of the Mummy could of been the WORST movie experience I've been to in quite some time. It was so bad it made you laugh and squirm, not good things from something that is not supposed to be a comedy. I also find myself out to dinner with other girlfriends and thats been really great. Better when we cook it ourselves though, my wallet finds itself thin. Ten days since Pax last and I feel stragely detached from the whole thing. Maybe its my mind's way of dealing with it without being a meepy/cry-y mess. We talk daily and I'm flying down for Labor Day weekend. I expect that I will become a meepy mess there and then after that. heh Luckily school starts as I return. Hooray for the distractions of academia... Current Mood: blank (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, August 15th, 2008
5:16 pm	So much has gone on in the past 48 hours, I'm overwhelmed by it all. Pax is safely moved to Arlington. My mom will be leaving on Monday to take my dad home from rehab (finally)and I will be all alone. It's going to be an adjustment, living alone, caring for the animals on my own, cooking for one, coming home to an empty house. I found out today that I won't likely be needed at the florist so it will just be 2 days of dj-ing and my 3 classes. I hope I will stay busy enough to not be too sad. Current Mood: alone (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
10:34 am	My dad's surgery went overtime yestersay, it was supposed to be 6 hours but instead it ran over 8 hours. I guess there were complications getting into his heart and his valve was more calcified than they thought. When I saw him last night he was all tubed up and still cold from being under so long. Obviously he was unconscious and had a breathing tube in...it was hard to see him that way. This morning he was still on the breathing tube, which caused my mom a lot of panic. She went up early but wanted me to stay home. It was a long morning as I waited to hear from her. Around 10:30 she called, he was up but he's freaking out so much that they had to restrain him. It sucks... They sent my mom home, she can "call" at 3pm to see how he's doing. In addition to this stress is the heavy weighted knowledge that Pax will be moving in 8 days! I lost compossure last night and cried. I just didnt think I'd be able to be alone for so long, but it must be done. I'm definitely going to need support from everyone here. I'm just so used to not being alone...sleepovers anyone? I dealt with my nerves and sadness today by going out and picking blueberries while listening to music way too loud on my ipod. I had the dog with me and we went for a walk. I'm glad I feel well enough to be able to do my usual walk without too much discomfort. I'm still insanely itchy and I have random pain. This 10lb weight restriction is a real pain in the ass though and will really be after Pax is gone. Grocery shopping will be "interesting" at best. Current Mood: scared (10 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 6th, 2008
6:13 am	Ok, so surgery has turned me into a morning bird. I've awoken around 5am the past few days. It's not all that fun. I can't do the yoga on the TV, instead I get to critique music videos (so this is when they play them???. Who on earth said it was ok for John Mayer to cover Tom Petty's Free Fallin? I feel rather indignant about it...and sadly I like Rihanna's Disturbia video, I feel dirty. Of course today I woke up early on purpose to see my dad off before his heart surgery. Poor thing is really nervous and my mother confided to Pax and I that my dad doesn't think he will survive the surgery. This isn't the best mindset to have going into a surgery but you can't directly discuss it with him. Yesterday we were sitting outside and we were talking about being put under prior to surgery. He remarked that you needed to think happy thoughts just beforehand and that he was going to think of clamdigging with my mother. I thought that was really sweet. I just wish there was more I could do for him today but my going to the hospital with him made him too nervous since I was just in one less than a week ago. So here I am, critiquing videos and watching other early risers from my window go for walks before work. Trying to figure out my life for the next five months, such a long yet short time. How will the seperation effect my relationship with Pax. How on earth am I going to plan a wedding???? Yesterday I adjusted my upcoming class schedule. Now I will take Organic Chem, Anatomy&Physiology 2, Medical Microbiology, and Nutrition. I guess I am leaning more towards nursing than vet work. I think I'd enjoy working from a nutrition standpoint. I cn incorporate my natural tendencies to caring for people and cooking. Hopefully I can handle the classwork while juggling living solo. Lau Lau will present quite a challenge but maybe I will just have to pay for some doggie day care or find someone local to come to the house. Ok, enough mental dumpage for now. MUST NOT SCRATCH itchy healing incision. AHH! Current Mood: awake (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
8:22 pm	My booboo A pic of my incision under the cut. You were woarned! ( Read more... ) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
12:21 am	Surgery in Seven Hours Not much I can think to say, so instead I'll just leave my favorite poem... Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. And you, my father, there on the sad height, Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. D. T. Current Mood: scared but moving forward (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008
10:21 am	After my dad's surgery to check out his arteries it looks like he will require a QUADRUPLE bypass in addition to the heart valve transplant. They are waiting to hear from the surgeon today regarding the scheduling. I'm fairly concerned about the intensity of this ordeal. Seven days to go on my own surgery and while I wish I could say I'm facing this task with composure and tranquility, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I'm stressed and it's making me cranky, which is compounded by my inability to fall asleep. It's all rather ridiculous and I just wish it was tomorrow already. It doesnt help that I have concerns regarding Steph's care after the surgery. My faith in her SO is small but there's nothing I can do about it except hope. Still no word regarding Pax's knee, though it still pains him. The appointment with the orthopedist is on Thursday and all I can do is hope and pray for a miracle. The stress is making him fairly irritable too (which is completely justified. Our combined irritations have caused some fairly stupid arguments over the past few days, including yesterday's stupidity when I broached the topic of my potentially not changing my name when we married. Boy did that go over like a lead balloon!!!! Blah Im just so tired. Not fun. Well when I get another chance I will try to post about my mini weekend away with Steph in Providence. Current Mood: discontent (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
11:15 am	STRESS! I am ridiculously stressed out. SO much so I think I gave myself some weird hives on my lips. They are all raw and painful like an awful chap or sunburn. Not cool. They feel like they are sticking out, even though they are not. This is going on day 3 of this. After a horribly long weekend with Pax depressed about his knee (he injured on Thursday), we went to the dr's on Monday which calmed him somewhat regarding his knee and how it will impact his job opportunity. He had range of motion and no fluid build up. This calm was short-lived because on the way home we picked up the mail and he had a letter from his Arlington physical from that douche-bag doctor stating he did not meet their standards because he is color blind. Which is not accurate, he is technically color deficient so now we need to get a second opinion. grr Once he got that letter he was refusing to go to Arlington for the psych evaluation on Tuesday. Luckily by the evening he had researched some things and had a nap so he was over that stubborness. On Tuesday he was supposed to drive himself to the airport. Of course his car wouldnt start so I had to shoot from the florist to Douglas to Boston so he could make his flight!!!! I also had to pee the entire time and barely made it to a gas station with my gas tank on E and my bladder on way over FULL! Topping this stress off was Lau Lau's destruction of the bedroom yesterday. I had only locked her in there because it was so damn hot and her crate is by a window with no AC. What a mistake!!!!!!! She ripped apart everything plastic she could find. She detroyed my window blinds, chewed up a play station controller, tore a styrofoam head (I had a wig on it) to a million pieces, ate a chapstick, a water bottle, and 2 things of LUBE. That's right, LUBE!!!!! The water and lube were ALL over the bed and floor mingling with the styrofoam pieces. When I discovered the mess (at 2pm, thank gawd i didnt work a whole day) I screamed until I cried and boy did I cry. Today I hope to get out of here soon and just go home and sleep. The people in the office are just getting on my nerves. I have to go into Boston tonight to cover karaoke. I also have a wedding from hell this Saturday down the cape that Im hoping and praying Danielle can go with me. Then once thats all done I can focus on freaking out about my upcoming surgery, moving prospects, and my dad's heart valve replacement. He has a day surgery on the 21st and is fairly freaked out, which is understandable when faced with your own mortality. It doesnt help that he's not thrilled that my surgery is back on. I just want all of this to be over!!!! I've had a weeklong headache. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, July 4th, 2008
10:37 am	Happy Fourth! Hope you are makin some fun even in the rain. :( Not sure what I will do today, if the rain holds up some I'd like to hike or kayak. Sadly yesterday when I FINALLY had a chace to bike (I've been desiring to for 3 weeks!) I found I had a hole in my tire! ARGH So instead I spent my evening trying to edit photos to post online. What a tedious task! Here is some of the results Follow the monkee to DC photos Follow the Fireman to Niece and Nephew photos (my Niece looks like Elora Dannon from Willow!) (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 3rd, 2008
2:49 pm	My ovaries have imploded upon themselves with the epic amount of tiny toddler-age going on in my world right now. It's scary. I think what makes me dislike kids the most is parent's who don't discipline. The whining and parent-relenting makes me really aggitated. Oh well. So far I'm surviving my 4th day off my birth control pills. When exactly does crazy start? I think I'm looking forward to hiding at my house tomorrow. I'm not in a crazy festive mood. Maybe I will go hike with my dog...or bike ride, or maybe just hide inside and play WOW all day. 24 days til the surgery date, what should I do in those 2 dz days? Something unique? Interesting? Current Mood: blah Current Music: my bosses son is learning the guitar, OY (5 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
10:45 am	Too Many Peoples!! Why is it that social things only occur in overlapping lumps as opposed to nicely spread out events? Morgan and Rick just left this morning and it was really a lovely visit. I get along amazingly with Morgan. She is a sweet and funky person. If we move to VA I look forward to building a friendship with her. Actually as a couple, Pax and I mesh best (out of his friends) with Rick and Morgan. They like to have fun, go exploring, etc, but without being high maintenence which is really refreshing. During their visit we booked a hotel on Saturday and explored Boston. Pax worked most of Saturday so I played fake tour guide through Fanuel and downtown. The hotel was a great score. The Intercontinental near Rowes Wharf for $140 on Hotwire. Really nice room and what looked to be a funky lounge. Had we not been so epicly tired we might have enjoyed it but by Saturday night all we wanted was our beds. Sunday we did the Freedom Trail but I had to skip out to get to a going away / engagement party for Rena from the flowershop. Unfortunately I was running insanely late, was supposed to Bring an appetizer, and didnt have the address and could not locate it by GPS nor were people answering my calls as my cell phone was dying. I can't possibly explain the next 1.5 hours of insanity but I barely made it and was shaking with stress by then. It was a beautiful party, if somewhat sad since Rena has been a large part of our lives for over a decade. As someone put it at the party it is an end of an era... After the party I made it back home just as Pax and guests returned from Boston. We took Lau for a nice walk and visited our neighbors with the horses. It was a great and amusing visit, especially when this tiny poodle tried humping Lau but could only grab her thigh and basically hump her ankle! In the evening we stole burritos into the theater and watched Wall E, which I highly recommend, very sweet. Too bad my evening was somewhat ruined when we got home and let Lau out to pee. She returned having been stung by Lord Knows What! and her face proceeded to poof into Sharpei/Quazeemoto. I franticly searched town for an open store at 1am to get benadryl. Im so not ready for kids, this dog is already too much!!! Monday brought more social chaos. I cooked huge breakfast for everyone, including my folks who stopped by after my Dad's echocardiogram. Thankfully it was a brief visit and afterwards Pax and guests played Wii while I napped with my poofy dog. In the afternoon we decided a visit to the lake to kayak (with beer) was rather necessary and it was a lovely time. Not too hot or sunny but warm enough to warrent a swim afterwards. Naturally we realized we were running out of time and hurried back to change and off to the Pearl Jam concert. I have a new found appreciation for Pearl Jam. I didn't realize how much like Phish and other jam bands they were. I grew up hearing them on the heavy rock stations and in the weight rooms at the gym. But they are much more complex than that. They even had a member playing the cello by hand. Very cool stuff. The nicest part was how clear they sounded. You can tell they don't need lots of studio work to sound radio quality. They just are. (As a side note, Rick is a HUGE Pearl Jam fan and I think his vacation was made when he encountered Mike the guitarist on the freedom trail and snagged a picture too!) I do not however, appreciate the Comcast Center (formally Tweeter). We were stuck in the parking lot for over 2 hours after the show!!! I think we got home around 1:30-2am, which made getting on the road today at 7am just brutal. I woke up with everyone made travel breakfast and said my goodbyes. Pax took them to the airport while I cleaned and of course once I layed down to briefly nap before work he calls and lets me know his sister is on her way over with the babies to play with the dog. INSERT EXPLITIVE HERE So no nap, instead more social chaos, whee. Now I'm at work in a rather dazed stupor, staring off into space and trying to figure out what needs to be done to take care of everyone for the next couple of days. I've no idea how to handle toddly beings. I am scattered with having to work the next three days so I can't go to the Cape and I simply refuse to get forced down there for the 4th. I am sick of driving and traffic!! I think I need a hammock... Current Mood: okay (Comment on this)
Monday, June 23rd, 2008
9:45 am	Poor Pax My heart is sinking. He just called from the hospital. He didnt pass the tests for color blindness. I guess someone made the comment that he is REALLY colorblind. The poor guy is in tears. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
9:14 am	When in doubt, find the local library or college really. I spent the early part of my morning driving aimlessly on a road much like rt 9 before spying the NOVA Community College, Annandale campus (I think). I had dropped Pax off at his physical and didnt want to brave the drive back to our hotel in DC. After blowing time at some random diner I sought to blow time by driving around. Of course this proved acceptionaly unhelpful until I came by this campus. Now for the last hour I've been in a nice air conditioned library surfing the web about the area. The drive down here wasent too shabby, about 7 hours. Our hotel is nice enough, though I would NEVER pay the posted rate of $299 a night. Thank you hotwire for my $79 deal. The biggest perk about the hotel is its location. We are literally 2 blocks from the White House. We walked there yesterday and even spotted ninja-like secret service mofos in the bushes with full gear and guns. Very cool. One disappointment is the nastiness of the reflection pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. There is a rather large duck and geese community and noone appears to be on pooper scooper duty. There are epic piles of poop along the sides of the pool and the pool itself is beyond words. Come on Washington! Hire some people to clean up this landmark. Stimulate the economy by hiring people to do real work. *gasp* Other than that Im still in my lost little limbo of a life. Going nowhere and unable to make any decisions to GO anywhere. Lets hope this moving decision gets taken care of fast, regardless of whether we go or not. Not having a plan can be truly tiresome. Not to mention Im now 29 and without a plan. Now thats just sad! (Comment on this)