Comfort in a Cup

This is a soy noel nog latte. I make the espresso in my mokapot and heat the noel nog in a pot on the stove, then foam it up (it makes the best creamiest yummiest foam) and add a little sweetener...and top it off with nutmeg. Mmmmmmm.......love it.

The current contents of my desk.

1 laptop
2 phones
1 water bottle
1 half-drunk, cold coffee in a mug
1 empty source yogurt container
1 stapler
sharpie markers in various colors
1 sewing tape measure
3 post it pads
2 other note pads
1 to-do book
3 work folders
1 pencil case
1 flash drive
1 tax return
1 calculator
2 random CDs/DVD's containing video
Several articles to be read for school
1 folder of research on stereotypy
1 hole punch
1 picture of client
1 plant
5 magazine holders full of files and miscellaneous papers
2 baskets full of stuff.
Receipt stub from a recently paid parking ticket.

I need to clean it!

Brilliant Minds.

Found this here. I'm no where near doing my defense, but was looking for some funny grad student humor to lighten the mood for a presentation I'm doing and came accross this. It's hysterical. I've bolded my favorites. This really had me laughing out loud!

Things to Say and Do Guaranteed to Spice up Your Thesis and Dissertation Defenses

1. Begin the defense by charging a cover and checking for ID.
2. Charge a two-drink minimum.
3. Begin with "Ladies and Gentlemen, please rise for the singing of our National Anthem."
4. Bring coffee and charge 25 cents a cup.
5. "Charge the mound" when a professor beans you with a high fast question.
6. Describe parts of your dissertation using interpretive dance.
7. Lead your committee members in a Wave.
8. Break the tension at appropriate moments with a sing-a-long.
9. Answer tough queries with "You call THAT a question? How'd you ever get to be a professor?"
10. Have bodyguards outside the room to discourage attendance of certain professors.
11. Present your defense using puppets.
12. Before you begin your presentation, sell T-shirts to recoup the cost of copying, binding, etc.
13. In addition, pass a collection basket.
14. Answer complex issues in mime.
15. Use the ocassion to hold a Tupperware party.
16. Have bikini-clad models in charge of changing your overheads.
17. At approximately the mid-point of your defense bring out maracas and shout "Everybody rumba!!"
18. Explain nonsignificant findings with "It would have worked if it weren't for those f*%ing kids."
19. Refuse to answer tough questions "in protest of our government's systematic and brutal opression of minorities."
20. Offer door prizes and conduct a raffle.
21. Ask professors to "Please phrase your question in the form of an answer."
22. Interrupt every 15 minutes with the announcement "And now, a word from our sponsor."
23. Present critical parts of your defense in iambic pentameter.
24. In your announcement, inform your committee that it will be a black tie affair.
25. Hire the Goodyear Blimp to circle the building.
26. Announce to your committee that "There will be a short quiz after my presentation."
27. Bring your pet boa.
28. Bring snacks and start a food fight.
29. Slap your committee chair with a glove and challenge him to a duel.
30. Arrange for a halftime show.
31. Bring a big foam hand that says "I'm #1."
32. Pass out souvenier matchbooks.
33. Hang a pinata over the table and hire a strolling mariachi band.
34. Make each professor remove an item of clothing for each question asked.
35. Use a Greek Chorus to highlight important points.
36. When necessary, say "I'm sorry Professor Smith, I didn't say 'SIMON SAYS any questions?'. You're out."
37. Dress in top hat and tails.
38. Hold a pre-defense pep rally, complete with cheerleaders, pep band, and a bonfire.
39. If you sense that things are not going well, threaten to detonate a small nuclear device in the room.
40. Show slides of your last vacation.
41. Put your overheads on a film strip. Designate a professor to be in charge of turning the strip when the tape recording beeps.
42. If members of the committee begin to argue among themselves announce: "OK, everybody - heads down on the desk until you show me you can behave."
43. When in trouble, begin speaking in tongues.
44. Answer every question with a question.
45. Hand out 3-D glasses.
46. Announce credits at the end. Include a "key grip" and a "best boy."
47. Make a practice of replying, "Sure, I could answer that, but then I'd have to kill you."
48. Ask a friend and conspirator to attend and ask the first question. Draw a blank-loaded gun and "shoot" him. Have him make a great scene of dying. Be sure to include fake blood. Turn to your committee and ask "Other questions?"
49. Wear clown makeup, a clown wig, clown shoes, a clown nose, and nothing else.
50. Install "APPLAUSE" and "LAUGHTER" signs.
51. Use a TelePromTer
52. Alter the clocks in the room and begin your defense 15 minutes before anyone arrives.
    

Ick

Have to have our truck in to the shop at 7:30 am!! Gross! We are getting the breaks checked (and likely done) and getting a tune up. I am terrified, as I always am that when they do one thing they'll find another thing that needs doing. It will be a stretch to manage breaks and a tune up along with tripple tuition this semester as it is, but we've put both off for a long time, and I am driving to Courtenay regularly and up to Kamloops for Christmas...so it needs to be done.

I'm also a little nervous they won't be able to do it in as little time as they think they can. They're planning to be done by 12:30. I'm taking it to a new place this time as I think the place we had been going to was fleecing us, and the estimate at this place is MUCH lower than at the other place. So, maybe this place is just able to do things faster...Anyways..I have to leave about 5pm to drive to Nanaimo and am co-teaching workshops there all weekend, so I'm REALLY hoping they'll be done on time!

The upside is D. and I will go for breakfast together after dropping the car off, before he goes to work. I think I"ll then just hole up at a nearby cafe and work until it's done. Then scramble afterwards to finish everything else and pack and get ready to go!

Done da done done...

I had my thesis proposal meeting today. I was ridiculously nervous about it and it was much less stressful than I anticipated, and was actually quite enjoyable. But, like I said, I was VERY nervous. So, at about 10:55 I realized I had been sitting, staring at the phone on my desk for at least 5 minutes. Paralyzed. I thouht I'd better distract myself while I waited for my committee to call. So, I thought I would take some pictures and think about posting on my blog about it later on. I took a picture of the phone I had been staring at. It's ready for the call.

And I took a picture of my computer....all ready to go.

And of me....not ready at all. The call came about 2 minutes after I took these, I did the proposal and in under an hour it was done! Then I had to rush of to write a test, had dinner out with my hubby and am now home and exhausted and will likely crash soon. Then to try to catch up on everything I neglected while preparing for this tomorrow....

I forgot to bring my camera to take a picture of me with my giant beer after it was all said and done :( .

I missed my chance...

I think I may have met Gordon Campbell the other day at the grocery store. No, really, stay with me. I was chatting with the clerk at the store, and complaining about the rain. The man behind me said "Well, ladies I started my day in Grand Prairie Alberta and it was -15 there, and a snowstorm." We chatted some more, and I kept thinking to myself this man looks VERY familiar. Definately a business man, very polished...and a certain manner about him....kind of like a politician, or phone salesman. Hmmm...

It wasn't till I got to my car and was half way home that I realized that he looked exactly like Gordon Campbell. Without having seen him in person before I couldn't be sure though. So, I looked on google images for a picture of him, found a few and after vewing those pictures I am almost positive it was him. I mean, I do live in Oak Bay (renting a small suite of course, not owning) which is one of the more affluent areas of Victoria, so it wouldn't be so unlikely.

Dang, I wish I'd looked at what he was buying!

So, I likely missed my chance to bop him in the head. Sigh.

And I thought it was nearly dead!

Flashback

As I was driving back from dropping D. off at the ferry "Flashback lunch" was on the radio. I LOVE flashback lunch. A few gems from the program today:

- Whomp there it is
- House of Pain - Jump Around
- Madonna - True Blue

There were other great ones, but these are the only ones I remember. Spectacular.

There must be more...

...to my life than an omlette.....right? Just thinking that it's been too long since I updated. By updating now I am just attempting to escape all else.

It's one of those weeks. It's been a horrid work week, with large portions of it absorbed with dealing with one extremely frustrating and stressful situation...and most of that time is of course non-billable. Then add in the fact that most of the rest of the day today (aside from actual meetings with clients) that I was supposed to be getting stuff done at home was shot because I was so upset by this situation that I couldn't focus on anything else.

I have a research proposal (not my thesis, this is a big paper for a class) due Friday that I literally haven't even started, my thesis proposal on Monday and a test 2 hours after that on Monday. And so behind in work. I really can't afford the time that has been dedicated to this crappy situation.

Anyways....

On the upside, we had home-made goat cheese, basil and chorizo pizza tonight. The cafe/bakery up the road from us sells pizza dough....nice :).