Hoppity hop hop hop hop....

All images courtesy of Bing...

Easter is my favorite religious holiday.

Yes, I realize it represents that our Lord died for our sins and was resurrected.

But.....

My favorite part is the candy.

Believe it or not, my Mom made my sister and I Easter baskets until we 

had our own kids!  Then, she made them for her Grandkids....

Although my parents never gave us baby chicks (dyed pink or purple)

Or baby ducks (they are awfully cute)

My neighbors did get a baby duck that grew into a fun pet in their backyard...

Until our dachsund got out of our yard &

promptly ran over and killed the duck that he used to "play" with through the fence.

I know they are pure sugar..

I do love peeps.

We dyed eggs for hiding

And tried not to peek where Mom and Dad were putting them.

There were always plenty of jelly beans

Sometimes they would get lost in the basket grass

So once eveything else was gone, you could go on a treasure hunt.

Although Easter is over a month away

The grocery stores are completely stocked with every kind of confection

Tempting me to buy some and stash it somewhere.

Or eat some.

***We are already short a box of peeps****

Love, 365

Signs of Spring...

Trees blooming on UNM campus....

Ah, Spring!  In New Mexico it means extremes of highs and lows.  We've had temp's in the high 60's and then yesterday we had snow flurries.  Luckily it didn't get too cold last night, 31 degrees is probably not so bad, especially if it wasn't that cold for too long.  So far, people with peach trees are OK.  Peach trees seem to bud and bloom as soon as the temp's warm up, regardless of the hours of sunlight, so no one wants a hard freeze, which will destroy most of the blooms/hence no fruit.  It really takes forever for peaches to ripen here.  In south central Texas, where I'm from, some peach varieties  begin to ripen the first part of May.  Here, it seems as though the majority of peaches ripen at the end of June or even July.  Its a long time to wait for a good peach ~ because the grocery store peaches are awful, in my experience.  

This week is our spring break at both colleges.  Since I am taking one at each, it's nice for them to occur at the same time.  I have a big Stats test that will take place on the Thursday after spring break, but our instructor gave us the practice test so we can work on it during the break.  Good news for me, as it gives me time to work on it, have some tutoring, etc.  I really need to make a better grade on this test.  Hoping for at least an 80.  Anything above that will be gravy.....

On the Forensic Anthropology front, I was surprised we actually had an e-mail from our otherwise absent professor (no, not the movie, lol), letting us know that she is crediting us for the first 2 questions on the lab test, because further review of the book/lectures showed we weren't provided enough information to correctly answer them (unless you were lucky).  This means I have a 92 instead of an 84.  This is not the first time this has happened in this class.  Makes me wonder if this is the first time she has offered Forensic Anthro online.  You would think that if it had been online awhile, these bugs would have been worked out already.  Although I am thoroughly enjoying the class content, the way the class is being handled leaves a lot to be desired.  The torq (my jaw) is that I paid an extra $100 to take this class online (because I couldn't find an onsite class outside of my working hours).  ***gnashing of teeth******

~~~~~in other weird news....

In North Carolina, a guy kills an 8 foot, 500lb boar.   

Ugh.  

Enjoy your Sunday!  Love, 365

The art of conversation is dying....

Is this a date?  Or are they just sharing a table? (courtesy Bing images)

Yeah, no kidding....

First of all, I want to state that I do text.  Sometimes.  When I really need to.  Like "I'm on my way home"  or  "Could you pick up milk on your way home?".   The only people I have "text conversations" with is my oldest, who receives so many phone calls (business) that he rarely answers the phone.  BUT, even in this case, it annoys.  Why don't people want to talk to each other anymore?  

I would say that texting is distancing us from each other.  Look at the photos above ~ great examples. I see this everywhere I go ~ in class, on campus, at work, shopping.  Like the photo above, they aren't even looking at each other.  Are they on a double date?  Waiting for the bus?  

Looks like the art of conversation is dead.....

Be a rebel ~ call someone you love today & just have a chat......

Love, 365

Why Cosmopolitan Magazine is irrelevant to my life....

Photos from the April issue.......

I was never this skinny after age 10.....

Well.....our office subscribes to a number of magazines (only we donate our old ones to the gym, and keep new ones in the waiting room, which is definately not normal).  Every now and then we get some rather odd mixes, like "Trailer Life" ~ which is about travel trailers, not the mobile homes you see here and there.  Last month we received a Cosmo.  I haven't read one in years, so decided to have a look through it during lunch this week.

The stories included: 

~brazilian waxing - not something I've ever done or would want to, mainly because I've heard it's extremely painful - also kinda stupid looking.  You see?  That last comment puts me into the "old fogey" category.  Just what I'm talking about.

~How about this headline: The pro's and con's of him coming on your face as a sort of "facial".  Umm, no.  Make that HELL no.  

~"Dry shampoo will change your life"  Really?  There's a video of a woman demonstrating the life changing aspects of using dry shampoo.  The only difference I noticed at the end of the video, was that her hair looked messy.  Easy.  Just don't do anything to your hair in the morning.  I certainly don't need to purchase something that sort of does the same thing.  Sheesh, were we born yesterday?

~5 ways to fake amazing bone structure.  Hey, if God meant for you to have it you would.  Using makeup to "fake" bone structure (which just looks like a lot of makeup to me), isn't going to fool anyone.  Over do it, and you look like your getting ready for Halloween.  Besides, I don't want Kate Moss cheekbones.  Mine are fine, thank you very much.

~Things men don't want to talk about.  Obviously, the women interested in this article just simply aren't paying attention!!  I knew all that stuff when I was 10, from paying attention to how my parents communicated (not to say they would talk about penis's and such, though, just to make that clear).

~Celebrity stuff - what they wear, what they say, how they do makeup, etc.  Who cares?  I've never understood celebrity fascination.  They sometimes put their underwear on inside out too.  And have zits, cellulite, under eye bags, etc.  If you saw the Today show last week (?) they demonstrated how photos are retouched, to where you almost don't recognize the original.  Hmmm.

There are soooo many other things I could rant about, but I'm tired.  It's late.  It's Friday, and I'm ready to go to bed and read for awhile.  

Love, 365

Forensic anthropology is fascinating....

Crystal skull....didn't want to gross you out with a real one.

Although I still have some gripes about how the online class is being managed by our "out for a break" instructor, the class itself is really fascinating.  Currently we are studying how to identify the sex, age and ethnicity of a skeleton.  Which ain't no easy task, apparently.

The older the individual, the more difficult it is to pinpoint with any accuracy the age, due to health, activity level, (access to health care anyone?).

You'd think it would be easy to determine sex, right?  Nope.  Some female skeletons could be mistaken for a male if the bones are "robust" ~ large, strong, large muscle attachments, etc.  Conversly, a small man might be mistaken for a female if considered "gracile" ~ smaller, etc.  The pelvis is invaluable for determining sex, but if it isn't present, then it can be pretty sketchy.

Ethnicity (or race, as they term it in our text, which seems like a very antiquated term that I don't really like, because I don't believe there are "separate races" of humans).  Not surprisingly, forensic anthropologists are typically asked to determine ethnicity before sex, because different ethnic groups have different phenotypic traits (genetic expressions that are visible) that will influence the determination of the sex.  

Enough of that...it's not that interesting unless you enjoy forensic shows ~ I've been told that "Bones" is a really good show to watch if you're interested in forensics.  Never have watched it, but will have a look at some of the older ones on Amazon video streaming, so I can see what my friends are talking about.

Still haven't heard much from our instructor, but I did hear from one of the teacher's assistants, who finally helped me figure out how to look at my previous quizzes, which I promptly copied so that I could study them for the mid-term/final.  Damn, guess I should have taken that damn IT class.

Meanwhile:

How nice.....

I appreciate honesty......

Whaaa?

(the preceeding courtesy of Huffington Post)

Love, 365

Online class blues....

My Sis used to have just these plastic chickens, but now they have real ones!  That lay actual eggs!

In reference to the above photo, I have no idea why my Sis and her husband would put plastic chickens in their yard.  They do live in the country....and have cows......but plastic chickens?  The logic escapes me ~ but there is an ironic humor here that I do appreciate!

If you read yesterdays blog post, you know that I didn't do well on my stats test.  However, I've been doing swimmingly in my forensic anthropology class.  We've had 3 quizzes and I've made A's on all of those.  But, there's a little trouble in paradise.  It appears that our instructor is missing.
I've read no less than 5 posts by classmates that mention they have sent an e-mail or two and even after 4 to 5 days haven't heard anything from her.   Yesterday I decided to send an e-mail as well, because I have been unable to view the quizzes.  Which means that in the future when we have our mid-term, I won't have those to help me study.
I've taken a lot of online classes.  They are convenient, I can work on the classwork when it suits me, I don't have to drive to a class (I actually miss the UNM campus, which is really nice, but there weren't any classes that fit my schedule).  In the past classes, we were always allowed to view the quiz ~ at least for awhile, and I take exception to the fact that she says we can "view" the quiz and then when I attempt it, I can't.  Hence the e-mail.  Only I decided to send them to the "teacher assistant".
Now, that was a shocker, because there are no less than 3!  For an online class?  One of my friends is a history teacher at CNM, and when we discussed online classes, she complained bitterly that they were much more work than an actual classroom, which makes no sense to me.  The computer automatically grades the quizzes.  The powerpoint's and pdf's must be set up in advance.  I'm not even sure they need to formulate new questions for the quizzes every semester, although perhaps they would on the mid-term and final.  Really, except for answering e-mail questions, or checking on discussion questions, the entire course could conceivably run without an instructor.

~I recently sent an e-mail to the Dean of Students, letting them know that firstly I'm really not happy paying a higher price per credit hour simply because I'm a part time student, and that CNM discontinued the practice of charging extra $ just because you're taking an online class, but UNM is still doing so.   A few days later I received an e-mail encouraging me to apply for financial aid.  Coincidence?  I think not.

~Why am I paying more for an instructor that isn't available to answer questions?  Maybe those teacher's assistant's are really expensive....(not!)

***************

I did get started on painting the bathroom, a really lovely light blue.  Unfortunately, the spot I painted is probably 1' by 1'.  So, not much of a start, but I plan to do more tomorrow on my day off.  

**************

I'm having key lime pie for breakfast.

*************

Love, 365

Ahhh, it's the weekend!

Couldn't get rid of the reflections, but a cool poster

First the sad news (my sad news, anyway) ~ I really blew my test, and ended up with a 72.  On the plus side, it's passing, but I had hoped for a B.  Waaahhhh....

Ami, I guess it's not possible to bribe yourself, although I did my best.  Unfortunately my best in statistics isn't very good.

We have been having wonderful weather, all sunny and warm.  Feels like spring, and we haven't had a lot of wind (yet).  I'm considering getting a pedicure and wearing my sandals this weekend.  I feel for you guys who are experiencing the record breaking snowfall and cold, icy weather.  It is horribly dry and dusty out west, and many of us are having allergy issues.  At work it sounds like a TB ward with all the coughing & whatnot.

On tap for the weekend: painting!  I am (at last) going to start on the master bath remodel project. I am sort of starting with the easiest change - paint.  I still need to find a new sink, figure out if I'm going to refinish the existing crappy cabinets or consider replacing them, and find a new counter top.  I just don't want tile, and granite is too expensive, although I haven't had a quote yet.  I might go with a nice laminate.  At least there won't be grout lines to clean.  I do also hope to replace the door with a pocket door.  That bathroom is so small, having a pocket door would actually make the room seem more spacious....a friend of mine does small remodel projects, so I'm going to get an estimate on what it would cost.  

Our local news reports are filled with fire danger alerts, and we've already had a few, mostly in the bosque (a group of trees near a river ~ in this case the Rio Grande, which isn't so grande these days).  We don't live in a wooded area, but we do live in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, which is filled with dead trees and pines.  There hasn't been a fire near us since we've lived here, but this year it seems like it's a ticking bomb, waiting to go off.  We are all hoping for some rain......

Love, 365

Winter Olympics & my 4 year anniversary.....

Courtesy of Bing Images

4 years ago, I was recuperating from breast cancer surgery & watching the Winter Olympics, high on pain meds, enjoying the time off from work (crazy to be happy about having surgery just to get a day off from work, lol).  So far, I'm doing OK ~ I am still cancer free.  I have one more year of hormone blockers, then I'm free of those & the oncologist (unless there's a once a year visit they haven't mentioned).  At my last visit, the Dr mentioned that studies suggest a 10 year regimen on the hormone blockers might be recommended...what ever it takes to prevent the return, I'm willing to do. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Last Tuesday I took my first statistics test.....and may I say "ARGHHH!".  It was tough.  I studied hard, and did the best I could.  I thought I would have the results on Thursday, but the first thing the teacher told us was that he wouldn't have them ready to return until next Tuesday.  I felt very let down.  I had spent the whole day steeling myself to accept whatever grade I earned on the test, and now I have to wait for 5 more days.....although I haven't been thinking about it too much.  I'm spending my time crossing my fingers that I did better than I think I did.......sigh.

We have been having record breaking warm weather down here in the Southwest.  Yesterday our temps were in the 70's!  In February!  The local weather people are still believing that winter weather will return, and I agree....the trees will start budding out and then they'll be frozen.  Stupid trees.

Have a wonderful week!

Love, 365

Today I'm just....me

Chaco Canyon, NM  

Speaking of crap (OK, we weren't), my boss has a small sticky notepad that has CRAP right on the top.  Then, so that you might further refine the crap there are six boxes for you to check that say things like, boring crap, useless crap, crappy crap and so on, well here's a picture.  (especially love the "cut the crap" at the bottom)

Then there's this one....

You can find these at:Knock Knock

They even have one that gives the ol one finger salute (although I think it would be exceedingly bad to use that one at work), and the usual OMG, WTF, and another fav of mine: Seriously?.  

I am studying for my Statistics test (or exam, but I like test better - exam sounds so horribly ominous) which is on Tuesday.  I promised myself that if I can make an A on the exam, I will go out over the weekend and purchase a new purse.  I've been looking for awhile (a year, but in my defense, I'm extremely picky), and the deal is that I will buy it even if it costs more than I want to spend. It's a treat, a reward for work done well.....and a little bit of a bribe.  Can you bribe yourself?  I guess I'll find out.....

We have had some really weird weather.  50's one day, then snow for the next two, and then mid 50's again.  Of course, we are horribly dry, and we always celebrate when there is rain or snow.  How about you?  

Have a great week...Love, 365    

I know what I should be doing...but I'm doing this instead....

Flying above the clouds....

Actually I'm studying for my test on Thursday....

I've been studying for an hour, and then, I decided to check out everyone's blogs from the weekend.  I was reading Lime's blog, and she has this wonderful entry about women and beauty and her poem was truly moving and wonderful.  You should go there and watch the video and read it.  

When I reach a point of maximum stress, I play games on my phone, read blogs and write on my own, or watch TV.  The latter is when I'm really out of ideas, lol.

It helps that I scored 100 on my quiz in my Anthropology class (which is the gruesome Forensic Anthropology, bones, murder, death and all that).  The quiz was on the skeleton, which thankfully I have been somewhat knowledgeable seeing that I have one.  Skeleton that is.  Still, it boosts my confidence somewhat.  In a little while I will shower and fix my hair (which is frightful right now) and go to the tutoring lab for help studying Statistics, chapters 2 - 4.  

Have a wonderful week!  Love, 365

7 things about me......

The road less well traveled.......

1) I am not a morning person.  This is not to say that I sleep all morning.  I get up fairly early on the weekend (6:30 ~ 7:30 or so).  Actually when I think about it I guess I would put myself in the category of "mid-afternoon person" when I'm really hitting my stride....ha ha

2) I'm a "seat of the pants" kind of girl.  I have abandoned my previous uptight, organizer & planner personality with glee.   And I love it, although it horrifies many of my friends.

3) I find myself avoiding contact with angry, confrontational, (and irritating) people.  Life is just too short, ya know?  

4) I enjoy all types of music except: opera and twangy country music.

5) Although I enjoy both cats and dogs, I prefer dogs.  They're happy and goofy and require that I get off my ass and take them for walks.

6) I wish I could speak/read another language, but so far can only say a few things in Spanish, like "Hola (hello), adios (good by), & la mierda del toro (bull shit).  Ok, I actually know a few more, but I didn't want to bore you with it.

7) I love my family!  They are supportive and funny and frustratiting at times....but they're mine, and I am theirs.