So...

I woke up a little on the sick side this morning, and decided to cancel my observations for the day and go back to bed. I'm not thrilled with the fact I didn't get 4 hours accomplished as I had planned, but I needed to take some time to catch up on my sleep. It would have been great to sleep in if it hadn't been for the bitch fest going on between Scott, my Dad, and then my Mom. No rest for the weary.

There literally aren't enough days in a week any more to get everything done. I'm counting the days till Christmas, not because I want the holidays to be here that badly, but because I want the semester OVER with. I'm so fed up with this program, I seriously considered dropping out, but then I go to work and remember why I'm going to school at all. It's the lesser of two evils.

Jason came back from New Orleans, and I'm eager to visit with him and see the pics from his trip. I have always wanted to go there. Just not sure when I will have time to see him any time soon because... Graduate Students of the School of Education are not allowed to have a life!! >:-o

The price of being me.

Textbooks: $500
New Tires: $325
Car Window Repair: $350
Certification Exam Fee: $90
Monthly Gas Fee: $100
Having a list of debt a mile long: PRICELESS!

This & That

Despite the rain, I was loving the Fall day we had. Cool weather, cloudy, breezy, with that crisp smell of wood burning and old leaves in the air. I've had it with this 70 degree stuff, and that better be the last of it until spring. Low to mid 50's would be just fine with me.

Where the hell is time going?? I can't believe October is almost gone. The weeks just fly by, and every time I turn around, there is another assignment due that I thought I had at least a week to get to it. Even now, I glance over at the clock and wonder where the time went. Someone needs to ease onto the breaks just a little bit on this Merry-go-round we call life. I'm getting dizzy!

I made a new friend over the weekend.. lol. His name is Jeremy. Turns out we went to the same high school (he's a year younger than me), he went to grade school with my sister in law, and is now my sister's new boss. Small world. We hung out on Sunday, doing the Denny's thing. When I meet new guys, it's either Denny's or Starbucks, just so happened that this time I didn't want to pay $7 for a cup of tea.

He has a great sense of humor, much like mine actually -- and I'm not gonna lie, that's pretty scary. We're both Trekkies from way back, and after Denny's went back to his house to watch episodes of Star Trek: Voyager which he has on DVD. Even we laughed at our nerdiness.

I have no idea what's going on in his mind, but I found out I am leery about doing the whole dating thing again.. as much as I would like to. Regardless of what's on his mind, friends is where we are, and where we'll be for a while (should he stick around). When I meet someone new, I'm always afraid I'm going to hurt them somehow (if things don't work out), or they are going to hurt me. I also think that there has to be that "love at first site" element which really only seems to work out in Fairy Tales and PG movies. Only twice did I ever meet a guy who I fell for immediately, and never once lost that feeling of "Damn.. he's hot", which tends to fade after the first time you hang out. Both times, it ended in disaster.

Regardless of my over active mind, and my need to over analyze, I enjoy the random text messages I get from him, and it's nice to know there's someone out there as sarcastic and twisted as I am. =-P

Our machines broke down... AGAIN.. yesterday, so I had to "suit up" and start playing around in chemicals. Good times! I'm blaming the chemicals for my early onset of dementia. Anyway, my co-worker snapped these two pictures, and I wanted to share them with you. Figured it would make you laugh. :)

Don't I look good in rubber? Talk about protection.

History of the Jack-o-Lantern

Pumpkin carving is a popular part of modern America's Halloween celebration. Come October, pumpkins can be found everywhere in the country from doorsteps to dinner tables. Despite the widespread carving that goes on in this country every autumn, few Americans really know why or when the jack o'lantern tradition began. Or, for that matter, whether the pumpkin is a fruit or a vegetable. Read on to find out!

People have been making jack o'lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o'lanterns.

This and That

Today was much less stressful than the past few days. I LOVE my Foundations of Ed. class.. we have such a great group of people in there that sometimes the discussions take right off. This professor is WONDERFUL, and shares information that isn't found in the textbook.. the stuff that will help us out in the field, and not just in theory.

Even work was a little more calm today. We are still working with just a skeleton crew, with another associate possibly taking a leave of absence to take care of her sick father. Even though I was alone all night, there weren't too many customers, and I enjoyed the quietness that brought with it.

My buddy Malcolm text messaged me while I was at work. I hadn't heard from him since he moved to Rochester in August. He was the only other openly gay guy at work, and I miss having someone to grope every now and then (that won't report me for sexual harassment). He told me today that he thought I had a hot bubble butt. Now, I'm not a butt man.. but I'm not sure how I feel having a "bubble" butt. I'm glad he thought it was hot.. but really, a bubble butt? I just don't know.

Aunt Kathy's wedding was awesome!! The two weddings I have been to at fire halls were amazing.. and I was really impressed at how elegant the hall looked for the reception this past Saturday.

I spent most of the night hanging out with the young priest who performed the ceremony. He's from the Ukraine, and only ordained for two years. He looked rather timid, and our family can be overwhelming, so I sat with him after dinner to keep him company. We had such a ball.. he was my drinking buddy. They had no real glassware, just LARGE plastic cups. I had about 5 or 6 "cups" of wine, and Father had 5 (that I counted) cups of Molson. We were trashed by the end of the night. My sister Kristy even got him out on the dance floor, and he's a damn good dancer.

I needed the excitement and laughs, and it was great to see Aunt Kathy so happy. I have often been looked at as the Aunt Kathy of my generation.. the level headed (riiiiight) one who doesn't date much. I just hope it's not true, and I don't have to wait till I'm 57 to find love.

I'm not above begging.

Things have become very stressful lately. Whoever said the college years were the best years of our lives deserves to be shot.

There have been a few kinks already in my field work, posing some possible big problems. I'm trying not to think about it, and deal with things as they come... though sometimes I can't help but ponder the "what if" scenarios.

My observations are proving to be tricky, and getting all 100 done by December is going to be tough. It's hardest when you're trying to plan out your week to the minute, and waiting for teachers to e-mail you back to let you know if you can observe them, and if not, try to find someone else. It ain't easy being at the bottom of the totem pole.

Financially, I've hit rock bottom. I have managed to keep 20 hours or more at work each week, which is pretty hard considering most days I go to my observations, class, then right to work (or some combination of the three). In between that, I am going to the doctors or doing massive amounts of homework... sometimes doing the homework while at work just to get everything done. While my hours have managed to stay the same, my bills have sky rocketed. Increased gas usage for traveling to school, field work, work, and doctors has soared. Textbooks cost me about $500, and the fees for state exams and other program "extras" are through the roof.

A few blogs I read have donation buttons on their sites. To my surprise, people actually donate a few dollars here and there. I decided to post one here. I have nothing to lose. At this point, my pride can get kicked right in the ass for a dollar for all I care. Money is money. If someone out there is kind enough to throw a buck or two my way.. go for it! It would be greatly appreciated. Hey, it worked for Carol Burnett. To this day she has no idea who gave her that envelope with the money in it to pay her tuition. If he's still alive, I hope he's reading my blog!!

Bringing Sexy Back