Chores

Halloween 2010

For Halloween this year we:

*Carved this pumpkin (it's a little boy in bed 

getting scared by a monster eye--

can you tell?):

*Tortured this beloved dog:

 *See? She LOVES me ;) 

 *And bought these:

For ZUMBA!!! (and Jeremy)

Want to Try a Class?

Me+Lindsey Taylor=ZUMBA certified

:)

New House Pictures

So, I finally uploaded the pictures from my camera to the computer.
I present, the new apartment...in all its glory...

actually, since there are many pictures I'll be lazy and just give you a link to the pictures.

one moment, here it is: http://picasaweb.google.com/jeremy313/NewApartmentAndOtherPicturesOnTheCameraAtTheSameTime?authkey=Gv1sRgCP26r63ckemMTA#
(for some extra fun, count how many pictures Bridget managed to show up in. She is continually around every corner. )


Something else we thought was worth mentioning. So last week, we went to TacoTime. I had never been before and thought it was something like Del Taco or Taco Bell. I walked in and saw that their burritos cost 3 times as much as TB and thought that was weird. Anyway we ordered and their food was ACTUALLY good. Surprising even. So, I just wanted to give the Draper/Sandy TacoTime a shout out for having edible food. It was really fresh and tasty.

We took Bridget to the fireworks in Sandy and she behaved very well in a crowd of thousands. She wasn't spooked by the fireworks either. Perhaps she was just distracted by the roasted chicken bones she was permitted to pick clean after I had picked as much as I could.

I have been promoted from Order Picker to Production Order Picker Team Lead and will soon be hired on as a full-time employee rather than just a full-time temp. It is quite a promotion as my title gained three whole words and I now have underlings. :) My supervisor told me that as an Integra-Core employee I would have "bennies."

"What are bennies" I asked, intrigued.

"Benefits, you know, so you can start a family." he said with a wry grin.

"Oh, yeah, I guess its about time for that, right?" I joked.

"Yes...it is." he responded as he walked away.


Until later,

More Buggy Fun

We ran out of gas. But it was fun anyway!

Jeremy

Ethan's Sweet Remote Control Tank

Ethan, a 13-year-old boy Alexandria and I mentor, designed a tank. We were looking for a project to keep us busy without having to find a new activity each week. With his input and help, I built this tank for him. It uses a tethered remote for control and weighs a little over 42 lbs. It is welded from 1/8" steel plate and is very robust. It  literally shakes the ground when on concrete. I finished the mechanical part last week and on Saturday we painted it. Then I finished the wiring. By that time the batteries were running low, so I charged it for a day. These batteries are massive compared to most RC batteries and I am trying to charge them with a 330 mA wall adapter. Its working, but slowly. A car battery charger would work better. As heavy as it is, it definitely moves. Check it out!

The batteries and motors

Ethan's dad joined us to paint it.

















If you want to see other big stuff I've made:

I got a DOG!!!

So...

Yesterday I went to Petco (it was actually Petsmart) in Orem because that is what I do when I'm craving animals.  Because it was not Saturday, I did not expect there to be dogs at the store (C.A.W.S brings in dogs to have adoptions on Saturdays and I go...a lot).  My plan was to hold some cats and maybe a few rodents, then migrate to Ross and think about buying a purse suitable to hold both work stuff and clothing for a trip to the gym on my way home.  However, I got distracted when I fell in LOVE with this:

I began playing with her and she was PERFECT!!!  She's mid-sized, energetic, and about 8 months old.  She's great with other dogs.  Also, the animal shelter she came from puts dogs down...a lot.  They informed me that I couldn't just wait 3 months if I wanted her alive and mine.  I called Jeremy and he came by to see.  I told him of my plan along with the details of where I would have her stay...us not being allowed dogs in our apartment and all...and he responded with, "I'm going to leave.  Make a good decision."  I informed him that if he left, I was buying the dog.  He said "I know," and that was that.

We have a dog!!!

Her name is Bridget.  She is currently staying in Jeremy's wonderfully kind grandparents' backyard with their two other dogs.  She is fitting in just perfectly and loves having friends.  George, a 6-year-old male dog who turned out not to be neutered, loves having her there.  Maybe too much...  But it's working out.

I took her today to get her rabies vaccination and to get her licensed.  She was great in the car and stayed and waited for me when I ran a few errands later on.  She didn't destroy anything and was super excited to see me when I came back.  I took her on a run/walk afterward.  I bought a "gentle leader" for training and walking purposes, but she really doesn't pull.  She still has lots of command-learning to do, but we love her already.

The owner came by and popped his head in today randomly.  He's never done that.  Of course, it was when I was in the shower and Jeremy was holding the dog.  We're not ALLOWED to have dogs.  He thought our apartment was the vacant one, as two couples have just moved out of our building, and he wanted to fix the refrigerator (which isn't broken...).  WHOOPS!  I called him after I was done cleansing myself and explained that Bridget wasn't actually living here.  He said that was perfectly fine that she had temporarily visited and thanked me for letting him know.  So we're good.

To further our adventure, we introduced Bridget to the rats.  They sniffed each other curiously and were just fine.  Flower didn't even get scared.  Later on we introduced her to Sam and Michelle.  They didn't get scared either, but Michelle did get very excited :)  It made me happy. 

I think she will be a great dog for our family.  We're both super excited and very grateful to the Dison grandparents for taking care of our baby for a few months.  I'll be glad when we move someplace we can actually have her.

Just in case you needed proof:

Alexandria + Dog = Happy

also...

Happy Alexandria = Happy Jeremy = Happy Family

Gradieachion

First of all dear lovely blog-reader friends, I realized I have been a silly person for the last few months. I enabled comment moderation but thought I had set it up to e-mail me when someone commented on our blog. Therefore, for the past 4 posts I simply figured no one loved me. I just found out that people actually HAD been commenting today...and published them. Let's just say I'm taking that little feature off and thank you so much for reading/commenting! Yay. People do love us after all!!! :)

Second of all, I thought it was worth mentioning that my lover and I finished college. Look how cute we are!!!  

It was super fun.  Both of our families came.  Activities consisted of dinners, two lovely beautiful bike rides with my parents and I, going to the graduation ceremonies (duh), a tumbling birthday party for Caitlin, hanging out at our apartment, RUNNING A HALF MARATHON, and more.  I must say that racing through the Thanksgiving Point tulip gardens, golf course, and past a bunch of moo-ing cows was beautiful and wonderful.  The weather was exactly perfect, and I got a free stretch/massage at the end.

Jeremy loves me.  He bought me a scooter!  Isn't she beautiful!?!?!  It's a blue 2006 Yamaha Vino 125cc.  I LOVE it and I'm even legal driving a motorcycle now.  I never thought that would happen.  When we first got married I promised Jeremy that he would never own a motorcycle due to their dangerosity.  Now I can't really talk.  I expect he'll have one in a few months.

So we're done.  I start my job next Monday.  Jeremy finds out next month whether he gets into Washington Medical School this year or needs to reapply next year and makes a job decision accordingly.  And it's summer!

Look at my rat in the flowers.  Even she's excited.

Done

I am done done done done done done done with finals and BYU. Yay. Very exciting. What will I do at work with no more homework? :) Jeremy is five finals and therefore five days away. Double yay. My best friend Erin comes to visit me starting tonight. Triple yay. 2nd to last day at Nestle...!

Happy April Fool's Day

I'm PREGNANT!!! I'm so excited. We just found out on Monday. It will be the first grandchild for both of our parents. Adrienne, my sister, and my parents are thrilled. We were going to call Jeremy's parents to tell them the news, but we realized they were on a cruise out of the country and therefore without cell service...so we figured that we'd just announce it this way since we know they read our blog. Let's just say I'm expecting a few phone calls. Maybe if it's a girl we'll name her Camila...haha. Too bad our health insurance through BYU expires April 26th thanks to graduation! Lol. Something will work out though. It always does.

In other great news I had a job interview for Quality Control Manager at VMI Nutrition on Tuesday that I feel went really well. I'm hoping to get it! I should find out in two weeks. I feel like this will be a better deal for us than Nestle anyway, even though I was pretty bummed about missing that opportunity. We could move to SLC and get a pre-trained year old lab puppy, and Jeremy could work doing the same research that he's been doing for his professor. Maybe we could even end up with a DISHWASHER or WASHER AND DRYER!!! I'm really excited about the prospect of working for them if they choose to offer me the job. I hope they do. They even offer DENTAL and 401K matching up to 4%. Even if I only end up putting a few thousand in, I have over 40 years until we will need it and by then it could be a LOT more. Of course, we are still hoping that Jeremy gets into St. Louis. Either way, I'm sure what is supposed to happen will and I'm looking forward to May when we have a better idea of what that is. I must say that the waiting game really sucks! I'm happy though that at least things are moving forward, going well, and that we are almost done with school :) Just think. In 9 months we could be real people!

Run Like a Girl

Dorky Things I Want for My Birthday

1) A leash for the dog I am going to run with soon (i.e. when I get a dog). I would of course want purple or black. You may click on the picture to link to the site if you're curious. That way I can look like a dork but still at least get to use my arms!

2) HUGE containers to store flour and sugar and such. Like the containers Barbie has.

3) Good makeup. Nice makeup. Including concealer, foundation and eyeshadow. I have no idea where to start. I buy the cheapest stuff I can find at the grocery store. It's just not doing it for me anymore.

4) THIS sexy running skirt in fuschia with THIS matching shirt of course :) I'd go medium.

5) A chocolate lab/pointer mix like this one of course. Yes, I know that's not possible JUST yet. In 3 months maybe, though?

I think that's enough fantasizing for one day.

I feel like I've found myself again

I went running today and listened to the number one song that gets me high. Winters leave me feeling like I'm drowning. That feeling of anger and hopelessness was particularly exacerbated this past week and weekend. After an amazing workout, a little sun, and a little thinking, I finally feel better.

I saw the woman I want to be in 5 years as I floated back down the trails of melting snow at Rock Canyon. She was a blond hiker in shining pigtails--athletic and cute dressed in black flared hiking pants and with a hat pulled over her braids. In front of her were two of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen. She let me pet them and further feed my hunger for a dog. One was a full grown Alaskan husky. But her puppy--oh her puppy!--was bred part wolf part Siberian husky. That would be my dream. To partially own a wolf. However, that dream does not fit well with my other dream to never live in a climate cold enough that a dog like that would be happy. A retriever will have to do.

Today I will sign up to run through fields of tulips with my husband for (hopefully) 20 minutes less than two hours on April 24. I sure hope it's sunny that day. It will be our first race as official graduates of Brigham Young University. A very long victory lap. Looking forward to it.

I am almost a real person now!

I am going to start working full time for Nestle next week! (It's the Stouffer's plant in Springville.) I'm excited and very nervous about getting it all done with school, my need for sleep, and my desire to exercise. It's crazy though! A REAL job...like...the kind that requires the degree I ALMOST have :)

Why are you so abhorred, my little friend?

My dad used to say that squirrels were nothing more than glorified rats with furry tails. I used to see that as an insult to squirrels. I now see it as a compliment to rats. I really think that people would not hate my little rodents so if their tails didn't look like snakes. Maybe I should glue a few feathers on and solve the problem.

To be fair, not everyone loves squirrels. My father once knew an old lady in Moscow who consulted him for legal advice on how she could kill the squirrels in her attic without getting in trouble. She HATED them. At the same time, he learned of another man in town who liked to eat squirrels. There was quite some consideration of hooking the pair up--but it never did happen. Sad.

Moral of the story: If you aren't a crazy old lady with squirrels in your attic (which I do admit would be upsetting) and happen to LIKE squirrels yet you find yourself at odds with rats, you should seriously consider the reasons for this foible of yours and see if you can alter your perception. If it takes a few tail feathers, so be it.

My other blog

I've posted several write-ups of the buggy project on my other blog. I write them there and then post them on a builder's forum Sam and I participate in called minibuggy.net. The blog is http://ttgracing.blogspot.com.
The writeups are somewhat long, but If you've read any of my posts here, you'll know that when I write, I tend to have a lot to say.

Anyway, this short week has been pretty busy. I've been up early all week and have been in the research lab at 8:00 am a couple of times. Dr. Woodbury asked me to be a team leader so I've been in and out of the lab a lot. I enjoy it though. Also, I've been working on three presentations. Each class I'm in has either a grant proposal or review paper at the end of the semester so they have us doing paper presentations or writeup every couple weeks. Today I got up at 6:00 to write a literature summary on the links between microcephaly and human brain evolution. Tommorrow I have a 40 min group presentation on the molecular biology method of immunoprecipitation and a research paper that employs it. After that's done I have a solo 20 minute presentation in lab meeting about the dynamic nature of lipid-bound synaptobrevin. Thats three paper review in less than that many days. By the way, I think my major is really, really cool. This last semester will be a lot of work, but now I can see how it all comes together. I like that.

This is what we study in the lab. Right now, our team grows the proteins we need in e. coli colonies. Soon we're getting a new circular dichroism machine and I'll be splitting my time with that and the regular team stuff.

Playing with 3D pictures

We recently went an saw Avatar in 3D. It was a really cool experience. You can make 3D images your self for free. I had come across stereoscopic 3D photos before and wanted to try it myself. Basically, you snap the same photo twice sliding the camera an inch or two to the right after the first picture. Then you place them side by side and correct and alignment issues. To view it in 3D, cross your eyes until the two pictures merge together and the imaginary third photo comes into focus. I can do this fairly easily, but others may struggle with it. It may help after you have isolated the third photo to place your hands about 5-6 inches from your face to block the original two images leaving only the third 3D image in view. Anyway, I think it turned out alright. I didn't play with the photos much so they're not the best quality. This is the bike I got last April. It has almost 400 miles on it. I hope to put 500 on it in the year I've had it. As I get some better 3D photos I'll keep posting them if people think they are cool. This is my first shot at it.



I made it small to fit on this narrow blog frame. Clicking on the picture will link to the larger picture in a different window. It may help you concentrate better.

It is important that you do not use the flash for both photos. For best results put your camera in manual mode, so the exposure and settings to not change between each shot. For tips you do this your self visit this webpage:
http://www.neilcreek.com/blog/2008/03/21/how-to-take-3d-photos/

I hope it works for you.
remember:
1. Click to get the larger picture

2. Cross your eyes (maybe stare at your finger a few inches in front or your face. The third photo will appear but will be out of focus. Then try to focus on the image with out uncrossing your eyes. This may be uncomfortable, but I assure you it won't cause any lasting damage. You may need to move towards or away from the screed to get it right)

3. Focus on the third apparition between the two original photos. Don't leave the mouse cursor on either of the images, that will be very distracting. It should pop, and you will see very distinct layers in the photo(s). It doesn't look quite natural, but it is cool.

4. If needed, move both hands a few inches in front of your face, to isolate the middle image.

5. Enjoy the scenery of our apartment. Try making one yourself. Its cool.


Jeremy

(obviously, I am focusing my energies on my classes for my last semester right...?)

Flower--San Francisco Botanical Garden

Orange Coat for Christmas