Whole Lotta French and Saunders

This post was inspired by my good friend Jennie. For you newer readers that are wondering who Jennie is, the time will come for that post. For you more dedicated folk, you may remember her from other posts as: a friend from school, a friend from work, a good pally I had a good Thanksgiving turkey sandwich with. But this is really neither here nor there.

The point is that she referred to me as a “book obsessed” person one of her most recent blog posts. This is not offensive, nor worrisome. It was the word “obsessed” that made me start a-thinkin. I have been called this before in reference to many things: books (clearly), Beatles (you should see my room, it’s like I’m a teenager in the 60’s), and whatever currently grabs my fancy. Currently, my obsession de-jour is the ever funny French and Saunders (mostly Saunders) double act.

I stumbled onto this dynamic British duo during the summer. My dear friend David and I were in a public library several years ago (probably 2005-ish) just wandering around. He saw a copy of a show called Absolutely Fabulous, and asked me if I had ever seen it. I hadn’t. And at that time, my anglophile-ness hadn’t really reached the level it is now, so I brushed it off. I had always liked those old British sitcoms you see on PBS late at night, but didn’t actively seek them out. So, one day this summer, I saw Series 1 (they call 6 episode seasons “series” in the UK) of Absolutely Fabulous (or Ab Fab, as is commonly called) at the library. I picked it up skeptically because the cover of the DVD looked old. I was hooked within 10 minutes of the first episode.

The show revolves around a character named Edwina Monsoon (played by Jennifer Saunders), a self-obsessed, alcoholic, drug abusing, middle-aged woman who can’t get out of the 60’s. Sounds bleak? No, it’s hilarious because they pull it off with British humor. Here in the states they tend to not “go that far” with jokes and apologize the moment they do. They end out sitcoms (other than maybe Seinfeld) with sweet syrupy messages. This show does no such thing. Eddie’s best friend Patsy is just as bad, if not worse. Eddie also has a mild mannered daughter named Saffy who is their foil. The show was originally made in the early 90’s, and has 5 sporadic series (6 episodes each), with several “special Christmas episodes”, throughout the past 20 years. It is an iconic comedy in the UK and recently returned on Christmas day for another 30 minute special, with two more to follow in the next few months.

The show started from a 9 minute sketch on the French and Saunders sketch show. Jennifer Saunders took this character she had portrayed and decided to write a show around her. Dawn French, her comedy partner, was unable to do the series with her. Saunders has won a BAFTA (like an Emmy and Oscar mixed together) for her work on the show and was nominated for several others. The following clips are some of my favorites from the entire show (they are super short clips).

Eddie and Patsy are forced to take a menopause class

Baby shower confusion



Drug convictions

New Years Eve plans

After I had watched every episode twice, and then bought all the episodes, I decided to check out clips from the French and Saunders show. I’ll admit, I didn’t love it at first. The show is very British and it took me a couple tries before I could start understand their accents, and then catch on to the humor. Now, I own all of their series as well. The show started in the late 80’s, and they’ve since retired it. It is also an iconic show, and French and Saunders received the highest honor the BAFTA’s could give a couple years ago for their contribution to television. What I like most about the show is that it is two lead females and that when you watch it, you just keep thinking “That’s exactly what that’s like.” Of course, there is also slight exaggeration for comic effect, but I think what makes it so funny is that it is so true. I’ve attached two clips below that I think are pretty good.

"I've Had That"



Schoolyard Trouble

Lobster Night

I had decided that I wanted to try and make lobster when I watched an Alton Brown episode last summer. I have never really had lobster, didn't even know if I liked it. But I did like the challenge. So I roped my friend Avery into it and on the 22nd we headed up to Dan's on Foothill to buy ourselves some lobsters. (For readers also interested, that is the cheapest place to buy it, I called around). These pictures detail our night. There were plenty of laughs and screams (very loud screams), but fear was overcome and we prevailed with two delicious lobsters.

Conclusion: I don't much care for lobster.

The Swedes (Part 2)

So here we are with what I consider the greatest contributions to pop music . You may think these songs cheesy, silly, etc, but popularity and sales don’t lie. People like this music and buy it, even if it is just a guilty pleasure. I submit to you the jury, Exhibit C.

Max Martin:
If you were into the bubblegum pop and boyband scene in the late 90’s, early 2000’s, you may recognize this name. When he was just 25, he started writing and producing for a band called The Backstreet Boys. I think his discography speaks for itself:
Backstreet Boys: Quit Playing Games, We’ve Got It Goin On, Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), As Long As You Love Me, Larger than Life, I Want It That Way, Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely, The One, The Call, Shape of My Heart, Just Want You to Know, I Still…, Climbing the Walls, Bigger (and many more, including solo albums)
Robyn (see yesterday): Do You Know (What It Takes), Show Me Love, Time Machine
NSync: I Want You Back, Tearin Up My Heart, It’s Gonna Be Me
Britney Spears: Baby One More Time, You Drive Me Crazy, Oops!..I Did It again, Stronger, Lucky, Overprotected, I’m Not a Girl Not Yet a Woman, If U Seek Amy, 3, Hold It Against Me, I Wanna Go, Till the World Ends (many more)
Celine Dion: That’s the Way It Is
Bon Jovi: It’s My Life
Kelly Clarkson: Since U Been Gone, Behind These Hazel Eyes, My Life Would Suck Without You
P!nk: Who Knew, U + Ur Hand, So What, I Don’t Believe You, Please Don’t Leave Me, Whataya Want From Me (also released by Adam Lambert), Raise You Glass, Perfect
Katy Perry: I Kissed a Girl, Hot n Cold, California Gurls, Teenage Dream, Last Friday Night (TGIF), The One That Got Away, ET (plus more)
Leona Lewis: I Got You
Taio Cruz: Dynamite
Usher: DJ Got Us Fallin in Love
Avril Lavigne: What the Hell, Smile, Wish You Were Here
Glee Cast: Loser Like Me, Light Up the World

In addition he has worked with: Bryan Adams, Westlife, A-ha, The Veronicas, Enrique Iglesias, James Blunt, Daughtry, Carolina Liar, Simple Plan, Cyndi Lauper, Sugababes, Carrie Underwood, Ke$ha, TI, Pitbull, and the newest pop sensation Jessie J. When reviewing the “original songs” he wrote for the TV show Glee, Rolling Stone said “For their first foray into original music, the producers of Glee didn't exactly go out on a limb: They hired Swedish songwriting genius Max Martin, the most reliable and prolific hitmaker of the last decade and a half.” And this Swede is still only 40 years old.

Abba:
In other words, the greatest pop band of all time. They have sold over 370 million records worldwide, making them the fourth best selling music artists in the history of recorded music, behind only The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson (woah-za). They still sell between two to three million albums a year (thank you Mamma Mia). Last year they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I don’t know how to talk about them because they are so prolific, even after Abba disbanded. The two men of the group wrote other musicals, including Chess and obviously Mamma Mia, which was one of the biggest selling movies that year. I can only submit Exhibits D, E, F, G, etc etc as clips because hearing is believing when it comes to them.

So, I feel like I’ve proved my point, especially with the last two. I’m not going to even talk about other successes, such as Roxette, Ace of Base, and current boomers Swedish House Mafia. Every nation has its collection of hitmakers, in my opinion the UK and US reign supreme. But in pop music, the greatest contributions have come from the ol’ Blue and Yellow, as I call them. No need to argue, just enjoy.

The Swedes (Part 1)

Sweden is known for many things. It’s blue and yellow flag, it’s yellow haired population, and that it is a big country located somewhere near Finland and Denmark (geography is not my strong point). However, I would like to throw something else in the mix and praise them for another thing they are good at. And that is that as far as pop music is concerned, the Swedes do it best (when I speak of pop music, I am referring not to the technical term of “popular music”, but the “bubble gum” dance infused melodies). Generally speaking, Europe is the greatest geographical area for pop music (Euro Pop), and I have been known to sing the praises of Her Majesty’s England in producing music. However, you can’t argue with facts, and the facts are these.

Robyn:
You may remember this blond pixie from her 1997 hits “Do You Know (What It Takes)” and “Show Me Love.” I have a special place in my heart for her because she was the first non-Disney CD I ever owned. And man, in my 6th grade class, she was it. She was cooler than the Backstreet Boys (for some reason) and ever cooler than the Spice Girls (also not sure why). She disappeared a little during the early 2000’s, only to resurge on the scene having shook off the shackles of her previous record label, and began to make her own sound. The wonderful electro-pop sound that we hear on our radios so much today. She had stayed fairly famous in Europe during this time, but had not cracked America again. With her next project, she would embark on a 3 CD release in one year, the “Body Talk” mini albums. Rolling Stone said about this project and the final combined CD that "It all adds up to the best dance-pop album of 2010, 15 songs that are both immaculately catchy and packed with quirks". At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim." My personal favorites include: Dancing on My Own, Hang With Me, Indestructible, Time Machine, and Call Your Girlfriend. This Swede knocked it out of the park. See Dancing On My Own Music Video (WARNING: she's a terrible dancer)

RedOne:
This next entry may not be as familiar of a name. His real name is Nadir Khayat, and he is a producer and songwriter. Let me list some of the songs he has produced: Just Dance, LoveGame, Poker Face, Bad Romance, Alejandro, On the Floor, I Like It. That’s right folks, he is the mega-producer behind Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, and is considered by some to be the key to Lady Gaga’s success. Whether you love her or hate her, she has dominated the last few years in pop music and he has been a key contributor to all her albums. He has been nominated for multiple Grammy awards and has been the #1 producer on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. There are many more bright years ahead for this Swede. I would post a Lady Gaga music video or song, but there would be lots of WARNINGS for those. So, see youtube if you care.

This is the end of today’s entry. I will continue with another post tomorrow, as this one has already gone on too long. If you are not convinced yet, wait for my last two pieces of evidence. You will be.

My Two Favorite Things

Is calling them things rude? You get my point. I will just let these pictures describe the cuteness (with maybe a couple words).

L: Sam wearing his dad's old pajamas M: Sam eating his shoes R: wearing overalls so I could see


Reading stories


Ainsley learned a new skill from Aunt Suey: planking

So folkies, the time is ripe for another blog. I’ve been inspired by two friends who are both better bloggers than I. And I totally predicted not blogging again until October, so I feel like I’m right on track actually. To quote Bob Dylan, for Susan “the times they are a-changin”. I’ve had some pretty major life happenings happen, so here is a list detailing each one in probably more detail than you care to have.

Probably the biggest change in my life would be the fact that I got a full time job. I’m four weeks in at the WIC program in West Valley. This last week I’ve been on my own a-dietitian-ing away. I’m trying to figure out how to say “your child gets too much milk” and “your child gets too much juice” in different and creative ways… Any suggestions would be helpful. And if you want to hear a lecture about breastfeeding, I’m your gal. But please don’t, I’m really sick about talking about breastfeeding. But everything is pretty good, I like working with kids and dealing with pediatric nutrition, so this is a great first job to get some experience in. Who knew that a catatonically shy kid would be meeting a dozen strangers a day and talking with them for extended periods of time about personal issues? Certainly not me, or anyone that has known me for the past 25 years for that matter. But here we are.

But now I feel like a bona-fide adult. I just figured out my benefits and insurance, which up until now has been a complete riddle. Honestly, it is still a bit of a puzzle, but I figure as long as I don’t get sick, EVER go to a hospital or dentist, and don’t get into an accident, I won’t have to worry about it ever again. That’s my goal. And speaking of adulthood, I actually have to work a job that I can’t goof around in, FOR 8 HOURS A DAY. Primary’s gave me that sweet luxury, and I’m having a hard time not checking my email all day, every day. This blogging I’m doing now is not exactly allowed, but I’m waiting for someone to come train me in taking blood (which I don’t have to do, so I don’t know why I have to train…), so I can’t really do anything else. And this getting home at 5:30 is bizzare. I never really had late classes, and if I did they were sporadic. And I got out of Primary’s by 2!

I sound like I’ve never had a full time job before. I have, several in fact. I’ve actually had a 9-5 (sometimes 7) job before at The Winner School. But for some reason it felt more like play, less like work. And it was summer, so you don’t feel like you’re late though, you know? And I had the most crap-tappy work schedule at Los, I had to work late nights and weekends. So I don’t know why this 8-5 schedule is working me so hard…. But I’m getting used to it. And three cheers for no more school ever!

The best news is that fall is upon us. This is by far the best season of the year. I don’t love the heat of the summer, I don’t love the cold of the winter. But fall is just delightful because I can wear cardigans all I want, and still wear a skirt! Also, who doesn’t love the leaves? I get to sit by a window and look out all day, and it’s wonderful. The other night I was with my bud Jennie at Market Street Grill for some lame Enfamil dinner (no, it wasn’t a dinner comprised of Enfamil, just a presentation about it), and I looked out the window and it was so beautiful. I wanted to get a picture, but alas I have no smart phone. The trees were that awesome half green half red, the mountains were in the distance, it was magical. And it means cozy holidays are coming like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I mean, honestly, find me a better time of the year.

And speaking of holidays, who doesn’t love Halloween? It’s getting to be a much bigger deal than I remember as a kid. So many decorations, so many parties, it’s a whirl. This year it’s been a very expensive whirl, I’ve had to make stuff for work, church, and friend parties. But tis the season, yes? This year my pal Jen P and I are going as hobbits. Since I started this blog after college, I have never mentioned that I have, in fact, dressed up as a hobbit twice before. Once for Halloween my friend Tracee and I did the whole sha-bang, gluing hair on our feet and everything. The second time I dressed up it was for something else, which is not important to mention here, but did not want to spend the 2 hours gluing doll hair to my feet. Not worth it. But for this year’s Los Halloween extravaganza, I’m biting the bullet and doing it again, should be fun.

UPDATE: I went to my party and Jen P ditched. So I went as a server from Los Hermanos. Clever, no? This is a picture of a few of us that night.

On a sad note, my dear friend Jane is slowly slipping from us. For those of you who don’t know, Jane is my little red Mazda 626. This picture is not Jane, but she looks like this.

She is 16 years old, and it shows. She’s got ringworm looking splotches, one missing hubcap, and a cracked taillight. Unfortunately, that is only her cosmetic problems. In the last few weeks she: started smoking under her hood and had to have some radiator tubes replaced, got two new tires put on, got a new battery, got a new water pump, and stopped shifting into next gear. I have had to go behind her back and start looking for new cars. And unfortunately again, my parents won’t spring for a new one. So this one is all me. Growing up again. And then just this morning she got grape juice spilled all over her backseat. Tragic.

On a happier note, I just came back from a visit to Chicago where my favorite people in the whole world live. No, not Ferris Bueller, no not the rag tag gang of kids from Adventures in Babysitting, it’s Sam and Ainsley! You had to see that coming. Sam is practically an adult now it seems like. He went from slobbery little newborn to a little guy who can hold his head up and almost put his own food in his mouth. He is also the proud owner of his first Tonka truck given to him by his sweet Aunt Suey. And the little Ainsley-bug constantly amazes me with how grown up she is. However, she seems even more disinterested in me. She'll have Suey-jags where we play together a lot, and other times where she can’t be bothered. But with 4 adults vying for her attention, I’m sure it’s a lot to handle. But Chicago is always fun. We went to a cool science and industry museum where we got to go aboard this U-5234897235, or something like that. It was a u-boat they sank in WWII that has been preserved and is fully intact in the museum. Made me want to watch a sub movie, but not that I’m home, I’m thinking not. We also went to the Navy Pier, and the restaurant owned by everyone’s favorite cheesy Mexican PBS food show host Rick Bayless. It was called Xoco, and I got a sandwich that was pretty good. Not exactly sure what was in it, but you could tell the restaurant was owned by someone who is semi-famous. Big long line, layout is a bit pretentious, etc. But food is good, so you deal with it. I have never been more ready to not come home.

And finally, a shout out to the tech friends. I still get to see my tech friends from PCMC every couple of weeks, which is nice. I still technically work there, a few shifts here and there on weekends. Last night Jennie, Jenessa, Hannah, and I had a soup and cornbread party and carved pumpkins. Jennie’s was pretty pro, she put a picture on her blog which I’ve linked to, so check it out. I forgot mine that I bought four days ago for the occasion. So sad. And I brought grape juice and dry ice for a witches brew. That may or may not be how poor Jane got stained this morning….

If Looks Could Kill

Did that blog title header thing grab your attention? Good. However this post has nothing to do with the killing abilities of looks, more about whats been going on with me since my last post. My bi-semi annual post is here! And not a moment too soon, I know my legions of followers have been checking every day for an update. Well, here you have it, Susan's happenings since March 20, 2011.

So, as my last entry detailed, I had finished my defense and was getting ready to graduate. I was just waiting for some notice to come tell me I had forgotten to do some unimportant minuscule task for graduation. But here was my plan: walk for May and just tell all my professors that I was done, and that way I woud have "witnesses" in case the registers (registrars?) office came a calling. And then never look back. Luckily, I didn't have any such shinanigans and I was able to walk across that stage, grab the empty diploma case, weakly shake a couple of people's hands that I've never met before (referring to both hands and owners of said hands), and then sit back down to talk during the rest. And might I say that I did walk the whole way, not wobble, not teeter, not trip. So, double bonus! Then I took A MILLION pictures with my classmates, meaning I am now tagged in dozens of identical pictures on facebook. And to honor me and my mastering of nutrition knowledge, we went and had sushi with just my immediate fam. Nothing better than telling people to not eat deep fried food and then going and getting some tempura sushi. Ahh, hypocrisy!

But the absolute best part of graduation was that it was one day closer to going to Michigan to see Tom, Beth, Ainsley, and the newest addition Sam!! I mentioned in my last post that T and B were expecting a baby of unknown gender. And before you ask and embarrass yourself, Sam is short for Samuel, not Samantha, and therefore he is a boy. I was at the Utah Dietetic Association annual conference that day (jealous?) when I got a text stating "He's here!" Which was great because it meant 1) They had the baby and 2) The baby did in fact have a gender. That day when I realized I would not be able to rush to the hospital to meet him like I did his elder sister, I made a command decision to buy a plane ticket to go visit. I also made a command decision that day to buy a chick to help our home become more self sufficient, but that hasn't worked out as well.... Fast forward a month, and I was on a plane BY MYSELF to Detroit. Two things of note 1) I have never flown by myself, so I was a little worried I was going to get on the wrong plane or get robbed or something, because I feel like sometimes I am just dithering about. 2) I was pretty sure I would be shot at some point flying into Detroit because it just seemed statistically plausible. 3) I am a list maker, there will be more lists. #2 did not happen, which is great, it would have been a downer on the trip. And #1 also went smooth, though I did keep my bags beside me so much so that it was nearly impossible to use the bathroom. I had a backpack AND duffel carry on because I had checked two suitcases. Now, this is not because I'm an over-packer. This is because it was Ainsley's birthday and I was the drug/present mule for the Reese family explosion of gifts. But that is neither here or there, everything worked out great!

The trip to Michigan was wonderful. I will not detail the details because it was two months ago, and I don't really want to. But the most important things are these (kind of pseudo list here, and LOTS of parentheses): Ainsley and I worked on completing one of those Costco sized things of Jelly Bellys (I don't actually like them, but they were there and she thought it was fun activity, so we did it); I watched LOTS of Parks and Recreation, which is funny, but still not quite as funny as Modern Family (I hope you are reading this Tom); pretended that I was going running every morning, but didn't (I had run a half marathon two weeks prior and didn't want to lose my distance, but vacation, you know?) ; held Sam whenever he wasn't crying or nursing; and visited a fascinating museum called the Henry Ford Museum (google it, it has LOADS of cool stuff, much is not related to Henry Ford) then ate at a very scary Taco Bell where we had to pay through a glass window and get our food through a glass lazy Susan contraption (there were bars on the windows at neighboring stores). It was fantastic, and I wasn't ready to go home....
Coming home meant studying for the Registered Dietitian exam. Which I was not looking forward to. I really had no idea where to start, so luckily my good buddy Jennie suggested we form a study group with another classmate and work on each section each week. There are 5 domains, so we picked one each week. One girl took it after 2 weeks, so it was just me and Jennie for the rest. She took it soon after we finished because she had a job lined up. Not me, no job here. I'm going to note here once and only once that I still do not have a job (other than my tech job at PCMC), and I am working on it. So, until further notice, assume I do not have one. This is not an attempt to sound bitter, only an illustration of my frustration of the lack of jobs available right now. Anyhow, so I actually scheduled a date, July 7th, but only told my immediate family. I kept straight out lying to most people when they would ask if I had set a date. I would do the whole "Oh yeah, when I'm ready" thing, or "Well, it needs to be done before my family comes into town...." I did this for two fold reasons 1) I was already super stressing out about this, so I didn't want added pressure of friends and co workers; and 2) I didn't want to not pass and then have to tell everyone. How embarrassing (and cowardly too I suppose). Anyhow, I studied and studied, and...... I PASSED!! I feel wonderfully relieved, however, like I mentioned, still no job.... But either way, I passed and I'm officially a Registered Dietitian!!! Yay! Since that day I have taken lots of naps and read lots of books.

This summer is also the summer for concerts. I am so sick of not being able to do anything because I'm busy, so I searched my local venues for any fun upcoming concerts. Apparently this summer is also the season for adult contemporary concerts. My friend and I have already seen Richard Marx (who is actually pretty impressive) and have tickets for Kenny Loggins. It would be more pathetic if I didn't have tickets to more age appropriate bands, but I'm going to be honest. I do love me some adult contemporary, soft rock action. The crowds at these concerts are pretty funny though. At Richard Marx my friend Avery and I sat in front of two women wearing matching Snuggies... I laughed at first, but then felt the green tang of jealously when I started freezing in my denim shorts/denim jacket early 90's combo I wore for the occasion.

I did go to a pretty cool concert in Provo though. Those do exist, the rare "not lame" concerts in ol P-town. It was part of the Rooftop Concert Series. This sounds neat, but replace rooftop with "Top of Parking Structure near Sammy's." My old BYU bud Christa (holla for Christers if she's reading this) invited me to go with her and her little sister (shout out to Emily if Christa forwarded this to her). They got there early to save seats, which turned out to be important because it was super crowded. We had to listen to some pretty crappy folk music for awhile, but I filled the time catching up with Christers and getting to know her sister, who I have declared as pretty cool due to the fact that she also likes Springsteen. It's an automatic qualifier. Then the real magic began. A bunch of local artists came together and formed a backing band with rotating lead singers to sing the entire Abbey Road album. It was pretty impressive and there were random fireworks throughout. They did an encore of Hey Jude (even though it isn't on the Abbey Road album) and everyone was on their feet singing and having an awesome time. It's times like these you realize how influential the Beatles are. But I'll stop there....
Harry Potter season is also among us. I started writing this post last Thursday, and was scheduled to see the new movie that night at 12:30 am. I worry that if I even start talking about how amazing Harry Potter is, specifically this last movie, will set me on a large digression. You can read my previous posts to fully understand how much I love it, but just know the last movie did live up to the epic hype, and I'm super bummed it's over!!

I also spent this last weekend with my fellow (and former) diet techs. Unfortunately, Hannah (Banana) didn't come at the last minute, so it was the Jen's and I (ie Jenessa and Jennie). Though low numbers, it was still incredibly fun. Jennie did trick/coerce us into making this a short video on her camera, which will most definitely not be posted on here (whenever she gets done with it). I'm really bummed that Jennie doesn't work here anymore, especially because now that school is out, I don't hardly get to see her. However, I feel confident in our email correspondence, Jennie, I hope you are reading this. I also haven't seen my bud Jenessa in awhile, as she is busy disliking her internships.

So, as for now, I am just working, reading, napping (A LOT), and trying to look for jobs. I have also been doing some "deep cleaning" in my bedroom. Mostly because I really and truly have no excuse not to anymore. My brother, sister in law, niece, and nephew are in town right now, so I'm using them as an excuse not to do anything. They truly are the cutest children ever created, and I dare anyone to tear themselves away from Ainsley and Sam. In fact, I am going to skip out of work a little early so I can hang out with them. So, until October (I'm sure), adieu.

Almost Finished

Alrighty, it's been a few months, and time has flown by. It's actually funny reading the last post because SO much has changed since then. I do wish I was a better blogger. I read other people's blogs, and it is such a nice fun update. I guess I'm just not that nice or fun. Anyhow I spose it is best to just forge ahead and get on with it. Instead of just rambling....

I mentioned in my last post that I got my thesis data. I believe I also mentioned that it was a pleasant treat to get it right before Christmas. It played out pretty much like I thought it would. I was working 4-5 days a week at Primary's over break because some people were out of town (which was good, I needed the $$). So after I was done at 2, I would head to the nutrition lab on campus and work on my stats until 5ish. I did this most days over Christmas break. Just sitting there in the empty building with my new waffle maker (a Christmas gift from Primary Childrens), typing away (not actually cooking waffles). I was hoping to get my first thesis draft done over Christmas break as well, but unfortunately I was not as well versed in the stats program as I would have liked to be. Meaning, it took me much longer than I thought it would. So around January I started thinking: Susan, get on this.

Then I got some fun news. If I wanted to graduate in May (which I was planning on instead of August like we are scheduled to), I needed to defend my thesis by mid-March so I could turn it in for format approval also mid-March. Here is my where ultimate organizational skills came into play. I created a week by week, sometimes day by day, schedule for the next 2+ months to deal with everything coming at me (there were several other projects going on at the same time). As I was coming up to March 15 (the Ides of March, not intentional), I was truly flying by the seat of my pants trying to get everything ready and done on time and in order.

The Friday before I had to do a pseudo- presentation of my data for the research team. After I left that meeting, I was in a constant state of nausea right up until the next Tuesday (15th). I was truly and honestly, not joking, concerned about throwing up in front of everyone. I had almost thrown up during another big presentation the year before, so I was planning on bringing a bag with me. However, as my dad always says, everything ended up turning out fine. I had over-prepared, practice my presentation so many times I was actually bored giving it again, and my committee is so sweet and nice (and also heard the presentation before), that I didn't get many questions. And then it was over. What I had been working towards the last year and a half was suddenly over. It was accepted, I turned it in the next day, and I'm just waiting for the final approval any day now. I do have some poster presentations coming up, but honestly if I never talk about this project again, it will be too soon. I learned a lot, but I will never do research again!

In other good, and final, news: I am finishing my last internship hours. Again, in the previous blog I mentioned that I was going to the Diabetes Center for a few months, and was curious about how my relationship with my fiesty preceptor would be. Turns out, she is pretty fiesty, but we have gotten on really well. I actually went and watched a roller derby match (which I may add is not nearly as exciting or violent as you would think). And I have really loved the counseling there. My preceptor is of the mind that you don't learn unless you just do it. So within my first few days, she was having me do parts of the education. And within a few weeks I was doing consults by myself. I have learned so much, and the best part is I feel very comfortable talking to people I've never met before. If you knew my as a child (or actually really at any point), you know how shy I can be. So going into a profession where you do a lot of counseling maybe wasn't a good idea. I've never really known what to say to people I've just met, but this internship has really gotten me to come out of my shell. I have two more days next week, then I'm done. And I'm actually going to miss it, oddly enough! Maybe that's a sign I'm ready for a real, grown-up job. Let's hope so....

Some of you might be wondering, "Hmmm, that's all fine and dandy, but this is all about school. You must have other stuff going on in your life!" Wrong. Believe it or not, I kind of pushed everything else aside this last semester so I could just work on school. Sure, I took a little break here and there, but I was mostly doing the time old tradition of stressing myself out WAY too much. It's a problem. That being said, finishing up with these activities will free my schedule up quite a bit. I still have class, but I don't think it will be too bad. So hopefully I can get back into the social swing of things.

I am scheduled to visit the Melting Pot restaurant on Tuesday night to gorge myself, yet again, on delicious cheese and meat. Hopefully not at the same price I paid last time. Also, I am scheduled to become an aunt to a new boy or girl come April 1st. Beth and Thomas are having another little bundle of joy (gender TBA) around that time. So I must be ready to shower this babe with the same amount of love (not money, still don't have any) I gave the Ainsley-bug. And may I say that Ainsley is even more hilarious/stubborn/girly than before, which brings me just endless joy. Anyhow, I'm thinking a new blog post could be coming not too far away, or in quite a while. Either one.