*&%#@% ouch!

Yesterday I was playing racquetball, & was moving backward to get to the ball & fell......and I naturally put my hand (right one) out to stop the fall.  Now, I can barely move my hand, & have my stats final tomorrow.  Bad timing.  Can barely type.  So, I probably won't be writing for a week or so.

**I do ask for your best wishes on the exam, though!

Love, 365

Finals are coming up!

Hey, they are smiling because they know their pic is being taken, or maybe it was a great joke.....(bing images)

This is more like it......

Or maybe this, lol....

I am not worried about my forensic anthropology exam.  I'll read over my notes, review the photos that are included in our weekly powerpoint lectures, and look over our quizzes.  No biggie (but not taken lightly, I assure you).  However, statistics is different.  I'll spend hours studying....hours at the tutoring lab......it's torture.  Because, basically I feel like a monkey learning sign language.  I'll (hopefully) learn enough to do well on the exam, and then forget it all a week or so later.  In fact, when I reviewed our last exam, I was shocked to realize I probably couldn't do as well on that same test right now....how did I ever pull it off?  Well, hopefully I will be able to do the same in a little over a week.  

Last week I spent some time shopping.....and crying.  I was trying to find some new clothes for work, and crying because everything is so expensive.  Over 70$ for a pair of slacks?  Never.  I just can't do it.  I am going to try Kohl's again.  I usually don't shop for clothes there because I can never find anything that fits me well ~ although I admit I'm extremely picky.  I don't have the body shape of a 16 year old, which seems to be the model manufacturors use.  Aren't they paying attention?  I don't get why so much of the clothing in retail stores is geared toward teens.  They don't have any $$, and although I realize their parents do, I would never have asked my mother for an outfit that cost over $100, but I suppose that today's teens do.  

Ok, off to study!  Enjoy your weekend, and Happy Easter!

(bing images)

Love, 365

Just screwin' around

Sandpipers in New Orleans

This morning I decided to catch up on reading new postings from my favorite blogs, and I thought, I haven't "skimmed" for new blogs that I might find of interest in awhile.  You know, when you view your own or someone else's there's a little link at the top that says "next blog".  When I first started blogging, I would hit that little link and read until I was bored, got an idea for my own blog, or hit a road block (usually a blog where something is for sale).  So, I starting skimming.  Sadly, I ran across a lot of blogs that were old.....no blog posts for years.  I get it though.  Something happens in your life, and suddenly blogging is the last thing on your mind.  I suppose there are as many reasons for abandoning a blog as there are for starting one.  And although I realize that one day I might abandon my own, I would put more importance in making sure that my family deletes my Facebook page than worry about this silly thing......

Friday my youngest son turned 31.  We aren't big "birthday" people ~ you won't find us inviting loads of friends (family all live elsewhere, 100's of miles away) for a party.  We do the "what would you like for dinner, pie or cake" kind of thing along with a gift or two.  And my son says the words I had been dreading ~ "Pan dulce".  Pan dulce (which simply means sweet bread), is time consuming.  I first made it about 15 years ago when I was exploring bread recipes.  Well, my son absolutely LOVES the stuff.  So, yesterday I made pan dulce.  It takes a long time, because the dough takes forever to rise on that first go round.  The recipe says 1 1/2 hours, but its more like 2 to 2 1/2 hours.  At some point you have to make egg streusel, which goes inside (or outside if you want, but I don't like it that way).  Which is basically flour, sugar, salt and egg yolks - you make plain and chocolate.   Well, it had been a year since I had made it, and I was trying to read it without my glasses, and I made a boo-boo, and had to fix that, and in the meantime the dough was ready ~ well, to make a long story short, I was muttering "why couldn't he have just asked for pie", my better half asked if he could help, and FINALLY finished.  My son eagerly grabbed the first batch out of the oven, my husband told him they were pretty hot, and he said "I'll take my chances!"   It was worth it.  :-)

Love, 365

And now I will rant.....

Hi!

Before I get started, I wanted to let any of you that read my blog (yeah, all 2 of you, lol) that there is a lady who needs help.  Although my battle with breast cancer is at a stand-off (my own Murphy's Law response, lest it return), there is a lady that is right in the middle of her battle and is having some financial difficulties, and is asking for help - even though it is always so very hard to ask.  Please go here to read her story, and if you have a few extra $$, please donate.  Thank you.

Facebook.  I was so excited at the idea of it, I joined a few years ago.  I don't post every day (or even every week) but I have lots of "friends" who do.  Most are posting family photos, or letting us know about a trip they took, a great restaurant they ate at, silly antics of our pets, etc.  But some people insist on attempting to solve the great issues of the day, or going off about an injustice they perceive.  Here in Albuquerque we recently had a police shooting of a homeless man who was camping/living in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains.  Someone called the police, because he was doing so illegally.  This man has had previous issues with police (burglary I think, maybe more), and was mentally unstable.  Notice the word "was".  He was shot and killed during the confrontation with police.  One of my Facebook friends posted a pro-police remark, and I responded that I certainly appreciate our police force keeping us safe, etc, so on - but that I thought that they didn't need to use lethal force on a man who had a knife.  I was villified by some of her "friends".  Apparently we are to support the Albuquerque Police Department, regardless.  No.  I still believe that the situation could have been handled differently.  He couldn't be tazed because of all the clothing he had on.  But still.  In my opinion, they put him down like a rabid dog.  He was a human being.  In the meantime, the DOJ came out with a report of the APD that is less than exemplary, stating that they used lethal force in more than a few instances that was not considered justified.  

***I hoped that Facebook would be a fun way to keep in touch.  I suppose it's human nature to take something that could be fun and uplifting, and turn it so it gives people a way to be rude and disrespectful to others that they wouldn't dream of doing to your face.  I recently posted this:  

Just for the record, I appreciate all that our police force does to keep us safe.  But to give a blanket "OK" to everything they do is to deny that as humans we all make mistakes ~ but to make a mistake with a gun is an awful lot of responsibility that some on the force are unable to handle.

Love, 365

Just your regular weekend......

Oh, yeah!  The wisteria is blooming!

I have been wracking my brain for ideas for this week's post.  But, I didn't really decide on anything.  It turned out to be the same ol' this week at work and at home (well, with the exception of getting a good grade on my stats test, ha ha.....that was pretty awsome for me).  The semester is beginning to wind down, and if I remember correctly, I'll be done by the first week in May, so about 3 weeks to go!    I have decided to take the summer off ~ #1, I need a break  #2, UNM charges more for summer classes & it's already too expensive, #3, I need some time with the family, catch up on home improvement projects, and a few months with no homework or exams.  

This morning on Sunday Morning reported on a story about whether or not professional atheletes are "born" that way.  They began with a story about a guy who quit his job, and is planning to be the next top PGA player.  His goal?  To give 10,000 hours of practice to the sport.  The question ~ if you practice the sport you're interested in for the above mentioned time, will you be good enough to put you in the top tier of the sport?  Is it in your genes?  Your opportunities (parental involvement, encouragement)?  Or did you just love it enough to put in the effort to excel?  I found this story interesting, because I played in a racquetball tournament last weekend...lost the 3 games I played, although I came very close to winning in 2 of the matches.  So, this summer, I will be signing up for some lessons, and practicing a lot more!  

Parting shot....This guy actually survived having a chain saw embedded in his neck.  I posted this on our discussion page in my Forensic Anthropology class, since we are studying trauma this week.

Love, 365

Dear Ami.......

Happiness....(Bing images)

***Oh, I wanted to write a little poem, but I kinda suck at poetry.....no, I really, really suck at poetry!  

Last week I took our second exam in statistics.  I studied, was tutored, I fretted and worried.  Today we received our results.....a 91!  I was so surprised, I raised my fists into the air and said "yes!"  So, at least I won't have to drop the class.  I can soldier on and put this last (I hope) math class behind me.

Ami ~ I might go look for that elusive purse this weekend.  :-)

Love, 365