March 2, 2012

I’m Alive!

By meteorologygirl

Oh My God…I feel like I’ve just written an entire 20 page paper and have lost the whole thing. I finished my blog post and then POOF! gone. Grrrrr!!!!!!! I blame this on a friend of mine who made a comment today about whether or not I’ve been keeping my blog updated because he’s been forgetting to check it (you know who you are). SO, I go ahead and update everyone on everything and lose it all. Along with several important strands of hair… Soooooo, here we go again…

Mississippi State University

Image via Wikipedia

I finally received my official admittance letter from Mississippi State University! I am a Bulldog baby! (Whatever that means.) J Do not expect me to be parked in from of the TV during college football season. I don’t like college football (sshhhhhh, that’s just between you and me, don’t tell anyone at MSU!) But seriously, I am so proud to be admitted to MSU to begin my meteorology degree. I feel like I should be partying every night and dragging my hung-over butt to class every morning. But I guess it would be pretty pathetic to get sloshed in my living room then drag myself to my computer to attend my online course. I guess that college party bit has sailed for me. Sadly…

I did hear from the local meteorologist that I had been emailing. I spent Monday, President’s Day, seated in a chair just off camera during the morning show!!!!  It was AMAZING! Up until that point, I didn’t think that broadcast meteorology would interest me. I was SO wrong. I saw a green screen for the first time and honestly, I thought it would be confusing, but it wasn’t at all. I was kind of in awe the entire time. Everyone was super nice, but I especially enjoyed my time with the meteorologist (I am avoiding giving a name to my readers for fear that you will all get the same idea and start sending a ton of emails!) Of course, if I were to be completely honest, all three of you wouldn’t really blow up an email account… J I have been invited back when we have some real weather action going on around here. Because, let’s face it, Phoenix weather is only exciting a few days a year! That station is definitely my first choice for my internship. I am so thankful for the generosity of others that has allowed me this opportunity. I can’t wait to go back!

Until next time…

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January 30, 2012

Super Excited!!

By meteorologygirl

So, the thing that started this whole blog adventure was me searching the web for information on meteorology as a second career, grants, scholarships, etc. But the very first thing that started me on that path was a simple email to a local meteorologist. She lead me to Mississippi State University and their online Meteorology program.  I’ve  applied and am waiting for my official evaluation. I can’t believe it! I’m so excited to finally be working toward something that I’ve been interested in for so long! Anyway, I sent my new meteorologist friend another email inquiring about possible internships and she kind of invited me to spend an hour on the morning show!!!!!!!!! I’m beside myself. It’s the same channel I’ve been watching for at least the past 16 years, so I feel like I know them all. Then to see what goes on behind the scenes during live news broadcasts is kind of blowing my mind! I keep telling myself…ok…calm down…it’s not a big deal…oh, but who am  I kidding?! Aside from getting to check out the inner workings of a live broadcast, I get to really take a look at one career in meteorology (if only for a moment) and get an idea if that is the direction I would like to take!

I wrote that first paragraph over a week ago. I haven’t heard back from her. I’m trying my hardest to be patient. I mean she doesn’t know me, she might find it a bit creepy if I emailed her everyday like we’re best friends. I would find that creepy and I know me. And I certainly don’t want to become a pain in the backside about it. So I sit…and wait…and wait…and wait…at the same time that I sit and wait…and wait…and wait for my evaluation to get done at the college. ALL THIS WAITING IS DRIVING ME NUTS!

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January 10, 2012

Happy 2012! (sort of…)

By meteorologygirl

Wow, here we are already, the 10th day of 2012 and I don’t even have my Christmas list done! Ok, I guess I have a little bit of time, but if this year screams by like last year then I already feel a little behind. I spent the entire first week sick. Oh yeah, ringing in the new year on a high note! I thought for sure it was strep throat. I was wrong, but boy did it feel nasty. I find it interesting and a little bit ironic that I’m the one in the house getting the freaky fun bugs (pink eye, mystery bacteria…) when my kids have been perfectly healthy! (Knock on a frigging Redwood tree…) Anyway, after two trips to the doctor I was FINALLY prescribed an antibiotic and now, I don’t feel my throat! I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy! Little piece of advice, DO NOT try honey, raw garlic and cayenne, no matter what the “natural remedy” sites tell you. Ick and Ow. That’s pretty much all I have to say about that. 🙂

So now, onto the new year. I’m struggling a bit with topics for my blog. I have all these interests that range from crafts to weather to cooking to whatever else tickles my fancy at the moment. I feel like I should stay on track, but the weather excitement isn’t really exciting yet. Just classes (which I haven’t even registered for yet for the spring…) involving nothing weather related at the moment. Blah. Who really wants to read about that?! So here’s my challenge. Give me a topic, any topic, and I’ll see what I can come up with! I’ll cover as many as I get (because I’m pretty sure I’ll be lucky to get one!) Readyyyyyyyyyyy, GO!

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December 27, 2011

Merry (Belated) Christmas!!

By meteorologygirl

Well, it’s obvious that I’ve totally and completely neglected my blog this month (or more…). The holidays nearly killed me this year. Between baking and crocheting and working and finishing my class and raising kids and pink eye (YES, pink eye!!!! Unbelievable!!!)…I’m EXHAUSTED!!! But here we are, two days after Christmas and poof…it’s over. I feel a little lost now. What worries and stresses will occupy my mind and time now? I can’t believe I even asked that question. In my case, there is never a dull moment, never a time when I don’t stress about whatever. I’m sure I’ll think of something….

So this last month and a half has been super busy. We had family and friends over for Thanksgiving where I made a ridiculously tasty turkey if I do say so myself. And yes…that is BACON!!!!) I found the recipe here  (which of course I found on Pinterest). It did not disappoint!  It even made my father’s Christmas letter as a highlight of the year. Now THAT’S amazing!  Two weeks later I finished my History class (YAY!!!!) with an 88 average. So close to an A, but hey, I’ll take it. Then it was a race to the finish to get ready for Christmas.

The weekend of December 10th we hopped in the car and drove over to Palm Desert to see the in-laws and have our family Christmas early. We had a great time even with 8 kids and 6 adults hanging out for two days in a three bedroom house. Woohoo!!!! But really, it was fun and the kids had a fantastic time playing with their cousins. We really don’t see them enough…

We FINALLY got our Christmas tree on December 15th. We never really did finish putting all of the decorations on it. But it is beautiful just the same. December 18th was the day I bought my very first present for the kids. I really really wanted to start early this year, then BAM!, it’s a week before Christmas and the only thing stirring in my house was the sense that maybe we better get some presents.

Both my hubby and I kind of had a hard time getting into the spirit this year. I think that Christmas had become over commercialized and it seemed the only purpose was to shop, shop, shop! If I could show you just one page from my email account that has apparently been changed to receive only spam and advertisements, you would see what I mean. I’ve been emailed ads for after Christmas sales ON Christmas Day! Can’t I have just one day, say…Christmas DAY…that I don’t have to think about spending any more money?

Oh yeah, then I found out today that some low life stole my debit card information and attempted to purchase almost $800.00 with it all over Illinois! Luckily my credit union is ON TOP of it. A friend suggested I add them to my Christmas list next year. Not a bad idea…

But now we can move on to the New Year with new opportunities, experiences, classes, projects and possibly a little P90X. The food was amazing this season…

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November 15, 2011

Focus, focus, focus!!

By meteorologygirl

I can not tell you how hard it has been to focus lately. All I want to do is craft, crochet, bake, crochet, bake and craft some more. It’s ridiculous. Then, as if focusing on my History class wasn’t hard enough, I had a quiz almost completely finished, saved it and went back to it the next day…GONE!!!! The whole thing, just gone. 😥 I literally looked at the screen, emailed my instructor and said “screw it”. I used a more colorful word at the time, but it meant the same thing…

I do believe that this will always be the hardest time of the year for me to go to school. I just want to MAKE THINGS!!!!!!! I’ve picked up crocheting, ya know, because I’m totally not busy and have time on my hands. :-/ I’ve been making hats and scarves and wrist warmers because of course it’s freezing in the desert. I’m so daft. But whatever, it seems to keep me sane. I just sit still for hours counting stitches…one, two, three, one two three, one two three, chain 1, one, two, three, one, two, wait, crap, then unravel half of my work, one, two, three, one, two,…well, you get the idea. It’s amazing what you DON’T think about when you’re doing something like that. Kind of therapeutic…

Then, I told you guys about the Pinterest site…that is going to be the end of me, seriously. I.CAN’T.LEAVE.IT.ALONE. Holy crap, if I had the time, my house would be friggin buried in craft turkeys made from felt, baked goods of every kind (including the cutest litte santa hats made out of brownies and strawberries…really…), new centerpieces for every single day, alcoholic beverages of every single kind, you name it, I’d be doing it. That site is evil…pure evil…and I absolutely love it.

But what I would really love to do is to rip out every single page of that history book and make a wreath with the pages. Hmmmmm…..

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November 2, 2011

Dracula and Anna Valerious (Van Helsing)

By meteorologygirl

Our costumes!

 Oh yeah, it was a fun and crazy Halloween weekend! The kids got major sugar highs and epic crashes (thankfully…) and everyone stayed safe and had a good time!

The Halloween party that we went to on Saturday night was a blast! Our friends really know how to throw a party and the decorations were FANTASTIC. I can’t even imagine how long it took them to do all of that. It took us a total of about 3 hours to get ready (I was ready first, just so you all know…)  🙂  I think hubby’s contacts are what took the longest. That boy has a serious blink reflex…

 

 

We looked awesome, if I do say so myself.  Hubs is blond and I have lighter short hair. People didn’t even recognize us! My ribcage was sore on Sunday and I didn’t breathe most of the night, but all well worth it! I swear I wish I could wear outfits like that all of the time. Too much fun!

 So now…Halloween has passed and there are only two holidays left this year. Where does the time go?! Funny thing though, I saw this picture on a friends Facebook page and it is PERFECT for one of my posts about how all the holidays are blending together. I got a huge laugh out of this one…

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October 21, 2011

Fascinating Update…

By meteorologygirl

Well, it’s been a little while since I’ve checked in. I’ll try to do better! I came dangerously close to dropping my History class. If it weren’t for my hubby telling me to just suck it up and do it, I’d be happily courseless right now. But, as it turns out, he gave good advice (shhhh, do NOT tell him I said that…). The original instructor is no longer teaching the course so I tried to tell him that the course was so awful that even the professor dropped it! He was unfazed…but anyway, the new instructor is SO MUCH BETTER. Could just be because she finds my answers much more intelligent than that last chick, I don’t know. My midterm in tomorrow, which means that I am officially half way through this … ummmmm …. classthatisnothingmorethanthreecreditstotransfertoanothercollegesoIcangetaseconddegree. WOOHOO!!!!! 🙂

Ok…I got the “school” stuff out of the way. Right now there are only two things that I am truly interested in. Halloween and Pinterest. Let’s start with Halloween. I HAVE THE BEST COSTUME EVER this year. Hubs and I were invited to a Halloween party. For some this may not seem like a big deal, but we have kids and have lived in a “we don’t have time to hang out with friends” bubble. Which is really code for “we are completely anti-social home bodies…”. So this year, we decided that it was time to BREAK OUT. Oh yeah… The theme for the party is “The Movies”. After MUCH consideration, and I mean WEEKS of thinking this through, we (I) finally made a decision. I am going to be Anna Valerious from Van Helsing while my other half is going to be Dracula. He was originally going to be Van Helsing but he was worried about looking like just a cowboy (and let’s face it, he’s no Hugh Jackman, but then again, Kate Beckinsale would be pretty pissed to hear that I’m trying to look like her.)

We went a little nuts with the costumes. He got white contacts, which scared the hell out of our daughter last night when he tried them on. (Side note: Am I a bad parent for thinking that is hilarious?!) He also got a wig, a coat and, well, I guess that’s it. Damn, ok, I went a little nuts on the costume! I got the thigh high boots, leather corset, wig and sword. Did you know that you can buy real, this thing will kill you, swords on E-Bay?! Wonder if I need a permit for that? Hope not… I’ll have to share some photos after. Stay tuned…

Ok, my second obsession right now is Pinterest. If you have not heard of this website, I caution you, YOU.WILL.BECOME.ADDICTED. I can’t even really tell you how awesome it is. You need to check it out for yourself. Go to www.pinterest.com and then tell me if you don’t absolutely, completely, ridiculously lose yourself in it. Check it out and then let me know how ticked you are at me for telling you about it. 🙂

That’s it for now. I’ll try to be more diligent with my posts. Ya know, between school, kids, work, husband, house, yada yada yada…I need a vacation…*GASP* I almost forgot to tell you! I’m going home to Connecticut in a couple of weeks to visit my mom and sister for the weekend!! It was a total last-minute decision that involved an intensive flight search and a pity party fest with my hubs. Not only do I get to spend the weekend with the fam, but we’re going to spend a day in the city. You know THE CITY…NEW YORK CITY. One of my favorite places…ahhh, nothing like New York. Now I’m just trying to decide if I should dress comfortably or embrace the Sex in the City vibe and wear those new 5 inch thigh highs I got….

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September 27, 2011

My brain hurts…

By meteorologygirl

So, a couple of weeks ago, I made fun of the size of my pathetic looking little history book. Well, it seems that the joke is on me! I don’t know if it is advances in printing or what, but I just finished my first quiz last night, and let me tell you, there is more information in that little tiny book than all the history I learned in school!

Now, let me also say this, the “quiz” is not like the quizzes we used to take, these bad boys are B.R.U.T.A.L. Below is just the FIRST question of 7 that needed to be answered on the quiz: 

The course textbook suggests that “too often in historical writing, Europeans reaching the Americas are portrayed as the carriers of a superior culture that inevitably vanquished people living in a primitive if not ‘savage’ state” (3). Discuss how this portrayal has been the case in prominent representations of American history in American culture. Consider things like what you have learned about American history in school, how American history is often represented in popular culture like films and television shows, and how American history is often represented in national monuments and museums. Also, explain what might be the ramifications of this simplistic view of history. In addressing that, also discuss how the many groups of people who were classified together as “Indians” by Europeans “were enormously diverse in the size and complexity of their societies” (4). Specifically describe some of the diversity that can be seen among these groups of people.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! Where is that answer in the friggin book?! Look, I only need this class for the credit, I am not going to be a history major, nor have I ever wanted to be a history major. I just need to get a “C” so that I can get the transfer credit. Can I get the “C” level questions please? How about something like “Hollywood’s portrayal of the Indians was depicted in the movie “The Lone Ranger”. What is the name of The Lone Ranger’s horse? Now THAT is a “C” level question my friends!

Ugh, I think I’ve seriously over estimated my mental capacity for this stuff. I’m more of a numbers gal. I can work numbers all day long, but give me something I actually have to think about and I’m exhausted. I’m exhausted just thinking about having to think!

Thankfully, I have a husband who is a bit of a rain man when it comes to history. “Silver, yeah Silver is his name…” But seriously, he helped me a ton and I want to thank him so much. I would probably still be propped up in front of the computer mumbling and drooling trying to answer those questions. He helps me think.

I’m sure all my complaining is helping somehow so with that being said, I better go and bury myself in that damn book again, I have another quiz coming up…

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in College Tidbits

September 23, 2011

Autumn, my favorite time of year…

By meteorologygirl

Well, it used to be, back when I was young, carefree, and living in one of the most gorgeous areas of the country for fall colors. Ahhhhh, fall inNew England, does it get any more beautiful? It’s that time of year when we break out the sweaters and boots, feel a slight chill in the air, and listen to the sound of changing leaves rustling in the breeze. 

Fall was my favorite time of year when I was a kid. Jumping into a huge pile of leaves should be a mandatory activity for children. My hubby just gives me a confused look when I say that. He grew up near the beaches of southernCalifornia… no dead leaves there. But I try to tell him that there is nothing like picking dead leaves out of your hair for days.  He doesn’t believe me… 

Watching the squirrels run around hoarding all the acorns for their winter stash was always entertaining for us kids…I still squeal with delight when I see one. (Again, my husband thinks I’m crazy…) But hey, I live in the desert where lizards are the norm, not squirrels, and lizards aren’t nearly as cute and fuzzy. 

It was the time of year when you could go apple picking and drink hot apple cider or hot chocolate to warm you up. 

Trick or treating was always fun. We spent so much time finding a costume, only to cover it up with a huge coat because it was cold as hell after dark, so everyone looked like little flashers walking around with a pillow case.  Ah, but we were cute… 

But now, here I am, living in the desert where today, the glorious first day of fall, it’s going to be 107 degrees! No sweaters, no boots, definitely no chill in the air, and palm trees and cacti do not change colors and rustle in the hair dryer hot breezes…Kids can go trick or treating in their bathing suits if they wanted to and be perfectly comfortable. 

No apple picking in the desert…and ice cold chocolate milk and apple cider are better than the hot stuff that just makes you sweat more. 

Only four years to go until I get this degree in meteorology.  Then we can move to someplace more appropriate. My kids WILL jump into a pile of leaves, they will drink hot cider and they will be little flashers (with maybe a butterfly and superhero underneath) for Halloween!!

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Pet Peeves, Favorite Things and Stuff

September 18, 2011

One holiday at a time, please!

By meteorologygirl

Last time I checked the calendar I believe it said September 18th. Not October, not November, and certainly not December! I was in Costco a couple of weeks ago and saw Christmas decorations…what?!?! Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas just as much as the next person, really…I love the lights, the trees, the sparkles…but I also like Halloween and Thanksgiving. How fair is it to rob these holidays of their time in the limelight?

When I was young, Christmas decorations did not come out in the stores until after Thanksgiving. The wait and anticipation made it that much more exciting. Now, I see decorations before I see Halloween items. How can I get into the Christmas spirit when there are skulls and monsters hanging out in the next aisle?! How can I get geared up to be a ghoul or witch when there are happy, sparkly Santa’s, Elves, garland, and blinking Christmas lights right next door?

And poor Thanksgiving. It just kind of gets lost in the myriad of furry spiders, skeletons with eyes that light up, nativity scenes, and wreaths.

Maybe this year I’ll dress the kids up as elves, give them stockings to collect their Halloween candy and pass out turkey legs. Since the stores are so hell-bent on combining the holidays, as of November 1st I can just cruise through the rest of the year while everyone else around me stresses about family gatherings and finding the perfect gifts. Hmmm, now that I think about it, maybe they are onto something!

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Pet Peeves, Favorite Things and Stuff

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