Cooper and Lucy

oh the sadness

being an Astros fan is too much like being an Aggie football fan...heartache...

hee, hee, sometimes I think it's silly how much people are so affected by sports and how unaffected we are about other things, like the AIDS epidemic.

cluster analysis attempts :(

I’m currently trying to work on my cluster analysis report but am struggling to stay on task. It is due Wed and I really need to get it done because I also have to prepare for my mineralogy lab on Tuesday – our first optics lab (shudder).

Data analysis doesn’t really interest me. I wish it did. Has anyone noticed that the first part of analysis is “anal”? Perhaps I am not anal enough to enjoy data analysis, because to be honest, I am not really caring how my coal ball data clusters.

It is a nice day and I have Lucy back. The windows are open and the back door is open so that she can go in and out. Currently there is a squirrel walking around in my yard. Lucy must not be outside to chase it. Too bad – she is missing out on some fun. Okay, I just sent her outside and pointed him out to her. He ran to a tree and is now trapped there, while Lucy sits and stares at him and wags her tail. I’m so mean – but at least my dog is entertained while I try and get something done.

my garden after approximately 2 weeks

Above you can see the latest photos of my garden. It appears that everything is growing nicely. :)

My week with Adrian :)

The following is from some scrap-paper that I wrote on while I was sitting in a rocking chair of the front porch of our motel in Arkansas. :)

I wanted to write about Adrian's visit last week so that I could remember it. I like having a blog because it makes me think about journaling more. I've decided it's important to journal in order to remember events, and also, the random thoughts that I have. I suppose the only drawback to the blog is that is public - however, only a few people read it and I'm not sure that they even read it all that often or carefully.

So back to the main point. I was so excited to see Adrian, especially after the Friday before (that was when I had to give my scary presentation). Good news, though, it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I was super nervous, though. At one point, I fidgeted my ring off my finger.

Adrian flew into IAH at around 1 pm on Tuesday (10/04), but I had to wait until my lab was over to pick him up. It was their lab mid-term and I expected to be able to leave early. However (I just realized I use however a lot), I had a student stay the ENTIRE time and then wanted me to go over the problems with him. Sometimes, I feel like such a bad TA because I just want to rush him out (he always stays super late), but I always stay and try to act patient.

I showed up at Pearland at around 8 pm and finally got the hugs I missed. :) Christy emailed me this survey thing and one of the questions was, "Do you like hugs or kisses more?" Christy prefers kisses, but to me, hugs are what I crave more. Of course, I like kisses, but there's nothing like a full, contact hug where you are squeezed so tightly that there is no doubt that you are loved.

We visited with his parents and Patches for a bit and then had to get going, because I had an 8:45 class the next morning and a test after that. The next morning, I went to my classes, and Adrian just hung around at the house and played with Lucy. We made lunch and then I had to leave to go to Jane Long to see my HOST student that I am going to start helping. I really like my student. His name is Tony and he's a 7th grader. He seems really smart and polite. So far, we know that we both like Harry Potter and dogs. I was sad that I had to miss our first real day due to the mineralogy trip. I hope he still remembers me when I see him again.

While I was at Jane Long, Adrian took my bike to Best Buy and Barnes and Noble. hee, hee...my bike is pretty girly - it's purple with a basket. At Best Buy, he got me the latest O.A.R. CD. I'm so excited, because it turns out that Mariann also likes O.A.R., so we have a date to go see them in Houston Monday night. At first, I didn't think I'd find anyone to go with, but one day, we were talking and out of the blue, I asked her if she liked O.A.R. She kind of paused and said "....yes..." It was a great turn of events! On the mineralogy trip, I learned that one of the students likes them, too. I find it fascinating how music can travel by word of mouth, rather than the radio.

When I got back from Jane Long, Adrian and I went to Holze music to get new string for my guitar. While we were there, we ran into our mentor from the couple class that we took last semester. We had to explain how Adrian was just visiting from Wyoming and that we are not engaged...

After that, we ate at Jason's Deli and Adrian dropped me off at my Bible study, while he went to go visit with Bret. The study was funny last week, because it was the beginning of the woman as man's helper section. There were some disagreements among the graduate students over some of it; it was enlightening and entertaining discussion. Afterwards, I walked to Bret's and we all visited for a bit.

Usually, on Thursdays, I go to mineralogy lecture. have my help hours, and do whatever else I need to do in the lab. But this Thursday, I decided to take a day off and hang out with Adrian. It was great fun! In the morning, we went ice skating at Arctic Wolf. It was just us and 3 other people, so it was a lot of fun to have the rink to ourselves. The 3 other people were figure skater people who could do turns and such, so we felt a little dumb, but it was still fun. It's a very nice rink. I hope it is able to stay open.

Then we ran to the Sprint store and Wal-mart. While at Wal-mart, we went by the gardening center and saw some plants that they had for sale, including lettuce, herbs, and broccoli. So on the spur of the moment, we decided to start a vegetable garden. I already have a plot that came with the house, so went to Home Depot and bought seedlings of lettuce, broccoli, parsely, oregano. We also got some flowers for my flower bed: zinnias, gerber daisies, and daffodil bulbs.

The rest of the day was spent in the garden, digging up the plot and weeds. While we worked, we invited Dixie and Mason to come over to play with Lucy. It was a grand time. The dogs are so funny and are just like little kids. At one point, Mason picked up a stick in the yard and was lazily walking around with it. Dixie came up to him and just took it from his mouth. Then, Lucy tried to jump up and take it from Dixie but she was too short.

After it was getting too dark to work, we walked to Los Cucos to eat supper. It was so nice being able to walk everywhere. It was nice and cool and I had my boyfriend to walk with me. :) Then when we got home, Adrian presented me with the Cinderella DVD. So we watched that. It is such a cute movie. Funny thing is that one of the bonus features on the DVD is a collection of Cinderella stories as presented by ESPN. Adrian liked that. I guess they had to include something for the guys, too.

Friday morning after my TA meeting with Dr. Popp, Adrian and I walked to Whataburger for taquitos, washed Lucy, and finished planting everything. I hope the garden works out. I'm not sure if I have a very green thumb - some of my houseplants have died.

In the evening, we met Amy at Rudy's and headed to the soccer game. We decided that somehow, we always eat at Rudy's with Amy. :) We lost in soccer in a most disappointing way. ISU scored a goal in the last 13 seconds. The rest of the evening was mostly packing and getting ready for the weekend.

Saturday, we woke up early to take Lucy to Schulenberg so she can stay with my parents while I am away these next two weeks on trips. It was sad to see her go. She's such a sweet, fun dog. She'll be the hardest thing to leave behind if we join the Peace Corps. Sometimes I wonder if I can give her up. After we dropped her off, an older man who was walking the track at our drop-off spot asked what kind of dog she was. He said that he just had to ask after seeing how happy and friendly she was. :)

After Schulenberg, we headed to the Houston area. At first, we had planned to go to Galveston to the beach and the candy shop, but we decided it was too cold for the beach and Galveston was pretty far. So instead, we went to Kemah. I love Kemah! I've only been once before with Adrian when we first started dating. It is very touristy. They have a boardwalk with fancy seafood restaurants, cute shops, and carnival rides. It has grown some since the last time we went. We rode two rides and ate at the Crab House, while we watched the boats sail by. It was a beautiful, clear day for an outing on the boardwalk.

After Kemah, we ran to Pearland and then left for...the Astros game! Adrian ended up buying tickets on ebay - only $35 for 2 tickets. It was such fun. Game 3 of the first round of playoffs against the Braves. I don't really enjoy watching pro baseball on TV, but being there in person is so exciting. The intensity and energy of the crowd is contagious. Biggio is my favorite. I've also decided that "Lights Out" Lidge is my second favorite. That is followed by Roy Oswalt (he pitched that game). All in all, it was a great day. I also have dead, purple flowers as a reminder. :)

On Sunday, we woke up and got ready to continue our sports filled weekend with the Texans game. It was fun because we met Mark Ricci, Bret, and Sarah there. It was good to get to visit with them. Our seats were the cheapest seats available and as such, they were impossible to find. We had to ask at least 5 people where our section was until we finally found the elusive elevators. We were in the last row in the end zone. The game was not too exciting. The Texans are not very good and the crowd did not seem that into it either. Right behind us, were TVs showing the Astros game. When Berkman (I think) made the home run to tie the game, everyone in the stadium started cheeing. I bet the football players were confused, since they obviously were not doing anything worth cheering for.

After the Texans game, they showed the Astros game on the jumbotron. At one point, one of the commentators of the Astros game said, "The count is 2-1. 2-1 is also what the Astros lead in the series." I thought that was a really funny segueway.

But after the 13th inning, they shooed us out so they could close the stadium up. We mosied over to the practice field to watch the rest of it. The practice field is in this weird, white bubble thing. When you enter, you can feel your ears pop with the pressure change. They had it set up for a little 5th quarter party after the game. They had the Astros game on big white screens but no sound (public broadcasting rules?). So the DJ decided to take it on himself to start commentating the game. It was quite awful. But we stuck it through to the end until the Astros finally won! Hurrah! Much cheering.

Monday, we awoke at 4:30 am to get Adrian to the airport on time. It was such a fun week; it was sad to say goodbye. It was weird going back to an empty house in College Station - no boy and no dog. I did have a lot of things to do, though, because (1) I didn't do too much with Adrian here, (2) I was going away Wed through Fri on a mineralogy trip, and (3) I was going to Norman on Saturday.

Phew, that is basically a pretty detailed account of Adrian's visit. On his flight back, he was super delayed due to canceled flights because of the snow in Denver. He ended up getting a free voucher to fly United Airlines anywhere in the continental U.S. But in the end, he ended up having to take a bus back to Wyoming, along with some of his other crew members that he ended up meeting in the Denver airport.

I am currently at Monica's pad in Dallas, relaxing after a busy, active week! Mon isn't here - she's with her man in Uvalde. They might get engaged this weekend! :)

I walked to the Cheesecake Factory to pick up my lunch/dinner for today. Yum! Stuffed chicken tortillas, black beans, bread, and of course, a slice of Linda's fudge cake! I ate almost half. It is a lot of food.

I am exhausted and almost want to go to sleep already but that would be silly. Wednesday through Friday I went to Arkansas on the mineralogy field trip. It was such fun! Yay for geology field trips - always a good time. And I got tons and tons of quartz! They are currently soaking in water to begin the cleaning process.

We got back Friday at around 11 pm and it took me awhile to get everything situated so I went to bed kind of late. Then, I awoke at 7 to get back on the road to pick up my samples in Norman. My slough is so dried up and overgrown; it is kinda of cool how the environment can change so much with the seasons.

Now I am relaxing! It is kind of funny to be in the fancy area of Dallas after having been on a geology trip, but it is also nice. :)

While away, in Arkansas, I wrote about my week when Adrian came and visited me. I think I will type it here in my blog to remain on record forever, or at least until I have my blog. I shall start a new post. :)