Deb's Blog

The one thing you can't wear is steamed Vegetables!

2008-03-09T23:46:00.002-05:00

Kelley K. visited this weekend with her friend Tomiya from SMU. We had a fanatastic time touring San Antonio, eating fabulous Mexican food, drinking margaritas, and of course.... Glam Rockin' the Rock Band! Friday night, we created a monster. Tomiya is the new karaoke queen! Songs from Rent, Garbage, and of course, Madonna were enjoyed by all. Brian K. sang "rock this night" and we closed down the bar.

Saturday started with lunch at La Fogota, the best jalisco style Mexican on the planet!We sipped margaritas, pina coladas, and took advantage of the fabulous lighting with a few pictures. (coming soon!) After that, off to the ALAMO!! Tomiya had never been so we had to do the Alamo Drive by. Of course, you can't beat wandering the river walk with a beer in one hand and strobing devil horns on your hand... can you say "attention seeking behavior." La Tuna served us Texas's greatest burger, and we wrapped up the night and Brian and Alisha's with Rock Band!

Its business as usual in San Antonio. Beautiful weather, and lots of it! That being said, I'll be visiting Dallas next weekend... Look out Dallas, Debbie's Back!! :) JK.

So if you are reading this, I'm sorry, now we all see why I don't write often. Apparently I don't have much to say. I think it's because whenever I actually have time to write, nothing interesting is going on. Oh well.

TTFN

Deb "dunzo" Barnes

The 9th Wonder of the World

2007-12-16T22:27:00.000-06:00

Toni graduated this weekend with her bachelors degree. Apparently, she claimed this to be the "ninth wonder of the world"... but that begged the question what was the eighth? There are seven wonders of the ancient world, and many places that have been called the eighth, but no official claim to this name. Apparently, art history majors at UNT are in on something that the rest of the world missed out on... so Toni what is the eighth wonder of the world according to you?

The commencement ceremony came with all the "Pomp and Circumstance" to be expected. Amanda suggested an update to included "oontsa" music and announcer like the guy who says " lets get ready to rumble!" to proclaim the new graduates.

The weekend was truly a blast, Jay was in from Iowa, Will from Germany, and all the locals (Ted, Tommy, Amanda) joined in the fun as well. I have to say I was impressed with everyone's stamina and 11 hours of celebration!! Woo Hoo!

Deb " the eighth wonder" Barnes

A House Full of Friends

2007-12-10T22:20:00.000-06:00

This weekend Tommy and Ted came to San Antonio for a visit, Will flew in from Germany, and Janet (Will and Ed's mom) drove over from Houston. We had a great weekend. On Friday night we went out to a Rag-Time jazz club on the San Antonio Riverwalk. It was very fun, and got me in the mood for swing dancing... has anyone been recently? I really miss it... I think I'll try to find a place to go here in SA. Saturday Will and Ed returned from Dallas, where Will flew to, and Janet arrived from Houston to visit Will. We all went to dinner out one of favorites: La Tuna... a SA ice house turned restaurant and bar. Great food, and a fabulous white chocolate, cherry bread pudding. Hmm... wonder why I've gained so much weight recently.

Meanwhile , on the losing weight front, I'm checking out Gold's Gym. The one here in SA is really nice. At one of the locations they have cardio equipment set up in front of a movie theater screen. Pretty cool. I took a yoga class on Friday, and it kicked my booty! Today I tried out a class called body pump. Its a class that takes you through a series of barbell exercises: squats, curls, push ups, and sit ups.. the works! My legs were all wobbly when I left. My arms are still on the fritz.

We are going to Denton this weekend ... Toni's Graduation!!! Hooray!! We'll be back again the weekend after that for xmas fun!

Deb "burning off the booty" Barnes

Update: Back to Business

2007-11-26T22:01:00.000-06:00

(1) Stop smoking...for real. DONE
(2) Excercise 3-4 times a week. : (
(3) Spend more time for school (10-12 hours a day). (DONE - Dissertation Complete!)
(4) Save Money (just a little) every month. (DONE)
(5) Work on my posture. : (

Two years 8 months and 22 days later, I've accomplished 3 of my 5 goals for 2005... I ROCK!! 2 more to go - funny - these have remained my goals throughout.

Deb "sittin' up straight" Barnes

Is there anybody out there?

2007-11-26T21:47:00.001-06:00

If anyone is actually reading this I'm sure you will be completely astonished! It has been 2 years 8 months and 22 days since I last posted anything to this blog. Well, I'm consistent if nothing else. I guess you could say a few things have happened since then.

(1) Married my sweetheart Ed. (Which makes me a Barnes)
(2) Finished my Ph.D. (Which makes me Dr. Barnes)
(3) Moved to San Antonio (Which makes me Dr. Barnes Princess Mama)

I think you could say the last few years have been muy bien! Ed and I have been married for almost a year now (which is hard to believe) and are loving married life. Honestly, it hasn't been too different for us... marrying your best friend who you have known for almost 14 years (HOLY CRAP!) makes marriage a pretty easy transitions.

Current Favorite Shows: House, Heroes, Weeds, Californication, Scrubs, and since no one is even reading this I will admit it is Voyager.

I guess this is all for now, but I bet I will be back soon... I'm sure less time will pass than last time!

Deb "knocking you off your chair" Barnes

Anwers to your questions Regarding Sponge Bob's Sexuality

2005-03-04T13:13:00.000-06:00

Check the link for the truth from Mrs Squarepants herself.

ttfn
Deb

Subject: Dilbert's Best

2005-03-01T16:21:00.000-06:00

A magazine recently ran a "Dilbert Quotes" contest.

They were looking for people to submit quotes from their real life

Dilbert-type managers. Here are the finalists:

1. "As o f tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday and employees will receive their cards in two weeks." (This was the winning quote from Fred Dales at Microsoft Corp. in

Redmond, WA.)

2. "What I need is a list of specific unknown problems we will encounter." (Lykes Lines Shipping)

3. "E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business." (Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)

4. "This project is so important, we can't let things that are more important interfere with it." (Advertising/Marketing manager, UPS)

5. "Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule."

6. No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working

on it for months. Now, go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them." (R&D supervisor, 3M Corp.)

7. "My Boss spent the entire weekend retyping a 25-page proposal that only needed corrections. She claims the disk I gave her was damaged and she couldn't edit it. The disk I gave her was write-protected." (CEO of Dell)

8. Quote from the Boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say." (Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)

9. My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday.

When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, "That would be better for me."

(Shipping exec, FTD Florists)

10. "We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees."

(Switching supervisor, AT&T )

11. We recently received a memo from senior management saying: "This is to inform you that a memo will be issued today regarding the memo mentioned above." (Microsoft, Legal Affairs Division)

12. One day my Boss asked me to submit a status report to him concerning a project I am working on. I asked him if tomorrow would be soon enough. He said, "If I wanted it tomorrow, I would have waited until tomorrow to ask for it!" (New business manager,

Hallmark Greeting Cards.)

13. As director of communications, I was asked to prepare a memo reviewing our company's training programs and materials. In the body of the memo in one of the sentences I mentioned the "pedagogical approach" used by one of the training manuals. The day after I routed the memo to the executive committee, I was called into the HR

director's office, and told that the executive vice president wanted me out of the building

by lunch. When I asked why, I was told that she wouldn't stand for perverts (pedophiles?) working in her company. Finally, he showed me her copy of the memo, with her demand that I be fired - and the word "pedagogical" circled in red. The HR manager was fairly reasonable, and once he looked the word up in his dictionary and made a copy of the definition to send back to her, he told me not to worry. He would take care of it. Two days later, a memo to the entire staff came out directing us that no words which could not be found in the local Sunday newspaper could be used in company memos. A month later, I resigned. In accordance with company policy, I created my resignation memo by

pasting words together from the Sunday paper. (Taco Bell Corporation)

Not successful So far

2005-02-08T18:24:00.000-06:00

So far my goals have not been achieved, well not entirely. I am still smoking occasionally...A part time smoker as I have been for more than a year now. I am exercising, but not regularly...Sporadically is the best way to describe it. I have been working more hours most days, but somedays are totally unproductive. However, I have not given up yet.

Deb " not totally satisfied" Manica

Back to Business

2005-01-24T15:13:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone! Can you believe it, less than week has passed, and already a new entry. So I have a few New Year's resolutions, and I feel that if I share them with you I will hold me self to them more strictly.

(1) Stop smoking...for real.
(2) Excercise 3-4 times a week.
(3) Spend more time for school (10-12 hours a day).
(4) Save Money (just a little) every month.
(5) Work on my posture.

Okay, so they are the standard set, but I still really want to achieve these things.

Not much news now. See you later.

Deb "the new and improved" Manica

Everything you want to know about the last month of my life

2005-01-19T23:37:00.000-06:00

The next several days in DC consisted of long days at the conference. I presented my opinions about a paper I had previously reviewed that was being presented in the conference on Monday. It was nerve racking as usual, and as usual, I didn't explain my points as thouroughly as I could have. Not having practiced always make me rush. Oh well. According to my adviser, Vijay, it was fine.

I met some new people at the conference from seeveral different universities around the states. These conferences are a huge opportunity to network, and boy I really tried to make the best of it. We (Ulku and I) attended lots of sessions for the next few days, and Vijay and I did some souvineir shopping together.

On our last day, Ulku and I toured two Smithsonians, the Natural History musuem and the national air and space museum. Both of these places were great, but we realize now we could have spent a full week just trying to get through all the smithsonians. It is really a Mecca of museums and all located within walking distance from each other.

I have alot of pictures from this trip, I will see what I can do about posting some of the pictures so you all can see. If anyone knows an easy way to do this using Blogger let me know.

Okay, so we return from Washington and the Christmas insanity insues. I think of counted a total of 7 Christmas celebrations this year, which I think is a record for me. I have to admit, I really enjoyed the holidays this year. I spent alot of time with Ed's family this year, and he spent more time with mine. We were truly in the holiday spirit.

Jay came in to town shortly before Christmas and we spent alot of time together this trip which was fun. I mean, we can't seem to get enough of each other, first DC now Dallas. Its always nice when he is around.

New Years was a blast. We went to Nada's and played DDR for hours. We are such dorks, we had a bracketed competition, and Jay won. I'll have you know I was in the running for the title, but Jay skunked it away from me. I will say that I think I have more style, but he is better at pushing buttons (take that as you will).

I'm learning German these days. I picked up Pimsleur's CD's as a Christmas present from Mom and Michael. I have quite a few friends who speak, and figured I might actually be able to practice it. So far its lots of fun. I can say things like "Where is____ street?" "Over there?" "Would you like to drink wine?" "Beer?" and all the statement versions of those questions plus a few other basic phrases. Basically, If I go to Germany right now I would be able to find out where a Bar is and order a drink. I think that's all I really need to know...

And of course, for those of you who don't already know, I'm engaged!!!! I think everyone I know is already aware of the gushy details, but if you don't... call me!! I'll tell you all about it.

Other good news:
I bought a new car Scion TC
I will graduate with my Masters this summer, apparently I will be able to pick it up on the way to my PhD after all.

Deb "tells all" Manica

DC

2004-12-20T13:03:00.000-06:00

DC was great! I got back last Thursday, and I had a wonderful time while I was there. I traveled with my office mate, Ulku, for an IS conference that was being held there. Jay flew up from Charleston and met me.

The first 3 days Ulku was busy attending a conference and Jay and I explored DC. Our hotel was about a 7 minute walk to Union Station, so we spent alot of our time there. The architecture in the builiding was really beautiful. In fact, all the builidings in DC were quite pretty.

Friday night, Jay and I checked out a Tapas bar called La Tascas in chinatown...yes we ate spanish food in china town. We tried a white sangria which was very good and caught up on the usual topics. Afterwords, we had a few drinks in the Hotel bar with Les, our bartender.

On Saturday, Jay and I set out to explore DC. We seemed to do alot of eating and drinking. We went to an awesome Turkish, Greek, Lebonese fusion restaraunt called Zatinya (and came back 2 more times). Then we took a fishy tour around DC. The guy picked us up on a corner in a van...it was kind of freaky at first, but then some more tourists joined us and we felt better. We saw the WW II memorial, Jefferson's Memorial, Washington Monument, and then Arlington Cemetery. The tour guy was 20 minutes past due, so Jay and I opted out of the rest of the tour and took a cab back to our Hotel. Again, we visit Les.

That night we headed out to Georgetown, which is an awesome part of DC. The streets are beautiful and the builidings very quaint. We went to a restaraunt called Manhattans ( I think). When we walked in everyone turned around and stared at us. It was really weird. Anyways, I got a chance to try the Maryland Jumbo-Lump Crab Cakes....FABULOUS! We had some wine and then went to a bar for a little night life. The guys in DC are all REALLY tall, I don't think I saw a guy in the bar that was less than 6'1". Plus, there are about 3 guys to each girl...maybe it is evolutionary better to be tall when the pickings are slim. I don't know, but we had a good time observing. We head back to the hotel and exchange our courtesies with Les, before retiring.

Sunday was Jay's last day in town. And honestly, we didn't do too much. We had brunch at a restaraunt at Union Station and returned to Zatinya's for a late lunch with Ulku before we headed back to the Hotel so Jay could get packed.

Monday-Thursday of DC....coming soon.

Deb " leaving you in suspense" Manica

Has Hell Frozen Over?

2004-12-01T23:39:00.000-06:00

Hey Guys -
This provided a much needed laugh while I was finishing my final (due tomorrow).

Deb "profoundly amused" Manica

The following is supposedly an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course,why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbsheat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas coolswhen it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need toknow the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they areleaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, itwill not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religionsthat exist in the world today. Most of these religions state if you are not amember of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one ofthese religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we canproject that all souls go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls inHell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volumein Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature andpressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expandproportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you, and take into accountthe fact that I slept with her last night, then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over.

The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct...leaving only Heaven thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A"

Gobble Gobble

2004-11-23T13:25:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is almost here!! Yahoo! I love Turkey Day. In fact I think I may prefer it over Christmas. No stress about presents.... should I buy so-and-so something, what should I buy, Oh crap so-and-so bought me something and I didn't buy them anything. Anyways, I really like thanksgiving. Its so American....I mean what do we do when we get together...WE EAT! It sometimes seems that we can't come up with anything to do but eat.. In fact, eating is now a social activity not a necessity. Anyways, I don't mind the gluttonous consumption of turkey and dressing that goes along with Thanksgiving. Hopefully, I will see most of you for Wed Night Thanksgiving.

Deb " craving Turkey" Manica

Being Sick Sucks

2004-11-16T17:45:00.000-06:00

Well, I've been sick all weekend, and the forecast for improvement is not looking good. I forced myself into school today, and, surprisingly, I have actually got a little bit accomplished. I'm living in a Dayquil daze, so no much to say... hope everyone is doing well

Deb "doped up" Manica

The Election By IQ

2004-11-09T13:45:00.000-06:00

Check out the link in the title...I found it quite entertaining...I'm sure you all will

Deb "Texans are Dumb" Manica

Impressive Comments

2004-11-04T11:54:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to say a quick thanks to all of you who have posted comments about standing up for your beliefs.. In fact, I'm impressed that all of you are reading my blog! I think everyone's comments boil down to the idea of choosing your battles and separating your relationship with people from your opinions on controversial issues.

Deb "shocked you are reading" Manica

Standing Up for Your Beliefs

2004-11-03T23:43:00.000-06:00

On Monday, right before the elections, I spoke with my brother on the phone. He, being an avid Bush supporter, was shocked to hear that I cast my vote for Kerry. He started to question me about why I would vote for Kerry over Bush... I did not want to get into a fight with him over the phone, so I simply told him that the issues that helped me decide to vote for Kerry, were issues he felt strongly opposed to ...( I didn't mention it to him, but so you all know...Abortion, Federal Marriage Ammendment, and others). He immediately came to the conclusion that I was ashamed of my beliefs. I definitely don't believe I am ashamed, and perhaps in person I would have discussed the issues with him. However, it made me start thinking. What does it mean to have a belief but not be ready to share it? I know for me, in this case, I was simply trying to avoid an inevitable argument. But, thinking back on it, what is the point in hiding....it will come out eventually.

So, if anyone cares to comment, what would you have done in the same situation? Someone who is your family, you care about, has drastically different
views politically, questions you about your voting decision.

Deb "being proud, I think" Manica

Blasts from the Past

2004-11-01T01:14:00.000-06:00

So in the last week, two of my old friends have got in touch with me out of the blue and it has made me think about how valuable friends are.

One of the people who contacted me is Zach. As you know, Zach and I certainly had what you would call a "Falling Out" only it was more like "NUCLEAR FALL OUT". He actually tried to get in touch with me a few years ago, but I was still too pissed off to really listen. He even suggested at the time to get together for drinks or something, but I really felt like I didn't have room in my life. Now I realize, that I was intimidated to be friends with someone that was not in good graces with my friends.

Its funny that all these years have gone by, and I was still really happy to know that he was doing well. I think that it is important to cherish your friends. If someone wants to know how you are after years of separation and lack of information, I feel like you should be open. On the other hand, some people say if it didn't work out before why would it work out now?

I guess I've always been a forgive and forget kind of person, this one just took a lot more time to heal from. I guess there really isn't a strong point to my story. Just an acknowledgement about how confusing life can be. I have always felt that it is important to try and see the best in people. In doing so Ihave been hurt many times, but I've also been surprised too. Those surprises were so worth the heartache....

Deb "Nostalgia Attacks" Manica

The Presdential Horror Show

2004-10-25T17:41:00.000-05:00

Everyone needs to check out the presedential horror show...its hilarious!!

Deb " it's time to vote once again" manica

TEAM AMERICA

2004-10-20T17:52:00.000-05:00

Last night I saw Team America with Toni, Jordan, and Ed. It was hilarious in a very vulgar and gross way. We laughed our asses off!!! If you like Southpark, I would definitely recommend it, otherwise, avoid it like the plague. I think this will be the type of movie people either love or hate.

I'm really pumped, I just bought a laptop yesterday and got an awesome deal!!! There was some special one day coupon to get 750 off a Dell!!! I paid around $900 for a $1600 machine!!! YIPPY! I won't get it for a few weeks, but I am really excited. I haven't had a working machine of my own in over a year... and that was a hand me down.

School is keeping me busy as usual, and somehow I never use my time as effeciently as possible. Oh well.

I hope all of you are doing well, and haven't given up on my blog.

Deb "the laptop buying" Manica

Two Wrong Shoes

2004-10-05T01:10:00.000-05:00

Hello all. Well, It has been a few days since I spoke to you last, but my life has been insanely busy. I've had tons of work to do for my teaching assistant position in the last few days. I can't really complain too much, I only have to work a few times a semester, but it has been really rough. I spent all day Saturday afternoon grading 120 homeworks, and then all day today proctoring exams, and grading tests. BUGGIN!!! Oh well, I guess I have to earn my keep some way.

Its been tough to get anything done on the Research front, especially with my latest discouragement: a paper I had submitted for a conference proceedings got rejected : (. I'm not too torn up, but lately I've felt like I've been working really hard and not seeing any results.

Same goes for my work out efforts. I feel really sore, but no apparent change in the bod... am I not doing enough, or eating too much..... Probably the latter.

After proctoring all day and grading my exams, I went to see M&M (mom and michael) because I had not been by in a while (a while is more than a week in mom terms). Its always nice to visit with them. They are attempting to move to Houston if they can...right next door to Jeff andLori's new house.. I think the more practical perspective here is right next door to their only grandchild Kelly. Anyways, it was nice to see them and to harass Turbeaux and Spud a little bit.

Monica(my Ph.D parnter in crime) and I met up for some coffee around 9:00 before coming back to school. When I called she was sleeping and rushed out to meet me. When she showed up I told her
"Your shoes don't match"
she was wondering why I was being so particular about how her shoes looked with her outfit, when she realized the truth behind my statement... the shoes didn't match each other. She was completely befuddled with herself... aaah the life of a PhD.

Okay, back to work.

Deb "Do two wrong shoes make a right?" Manica

Too few hours in the day, or Too Many hours in the Night?

2004-09-29T17:18:00.000-05:00

It seems lately that I just can't seem to fit everything in. And of course, when it rains it pours with things that have to be done immediately! I'd rather be busy than bored though, and I'm definitely having my wish granted. Isn't it funny how works expands to fill the time you have. If you have 3 weeks to finish one project you take 3 weeks. But, if you are given less time you can usually get it done. This is a major problem for me. I know what needs to be done, but I can't seem to get in gear until the pressure on. Why is it that we can't put pressure on ourselves... atleast for me it always comes from an external source.

Oh well, going for someting to eat now...more later.

Deb "can't always get what you want" Manica

New Website

2004-09-27T19:06:00.000-05:00

I have finally posted a "Professional Website" for myself. You can check it out at the above link. It's not that interesting, but it did take me all afternoon to put together..

Friday night was alot of fun. We had a dinner reception at Dr. Jacob's House in McKinney. The food, drink and company were all good, and I had a really nice time. We seem to all be totally different people outside our work environment. It's funny how you can feel more comfortable around other people just by changing locations.

That night I went to Denton and Ulku, my office mate, came with me. We met up with Ed and her husband Kamil for a few drinks at Lucky Lou's before calling it an early night.

More later... check out my website though!

Deb "fingers are freezing" Manica

Excitement in the Air

2004-09-24T01:42:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to start off with a HUGE CONGRATS to Michael and Nada.....Michael proposed a few days ago which is totally awesome! Though I haven't known Michael and Nada closely as a couple... from everything I've seen they are completely perferct for each other (I know...I'm so cliche, but its true... so I don't care!!!)

Thursdays seem to be late nights for me...which is good!! I seem to get so much done if I just force myself to stay at school all day. I definitely couldn't do it every day of the week, I would get too stressed out, but sometimes it feels really good to be totally exhausted.

I'm super excited because my ADAM and his VANCE are coming in town this weekend. I haven't seen them in awhile so I am really looking forward to hanging out with them! I'll be visiting them in Seattle soon, but I am excited to get a preview for my trip.

Tomorrow will be a long day for me, so I guess I'll be off!

Deb "I hope you all realize I stole this little quote thing from Tommy" Manica

City of Sin

2004-09-22T17:51:00.000-05:00

I had an awesome day yestserday. Rather unusual. Toni and I went to New Orleans and back all in one day. We were both completely exhausted from the trip but glad we went.

The drive down took a little more than 9 hours, but was full of excitement. The weather was beatiful (around 80) and the sun was shining gently. We cruised with the windows and sunfroof open, music blaring and spirits high. We left at 6:30 am that morning (a few people had doubts about our departure time) and got into Dallas just in time to hit traffic. Outside the Dallas traffic (both coming and going) we had a pretty smooth ride.

Ani deFranco (sp?) was playing the House of Blues on Decatur in the French Quarter. We got there around 3:30 and picked up our tickets. Then we were on a mission for seafood. We asked alot of people for recommendations and ended up at a place called Deenie's which is apparently a Buckland style restaraunt. The food was really good and Toni and I kicked off our evening with a shot of Patron, a Bloody Mary for her, and a margarita for me. Looking back we should have taken some pictures of Toni's bloody mary. It came with a whole shrimp in it (I'm talking eyes, legs, tail, the works)

We headed to Bourbon street to take advantage of the ample supply of booze. Its so nice to be able to get a drink and keep walking around outside. I think that is awesome. New Orleans certainly has its own flavor, dixie style and blues music comes pouring out into the street. Certain spots of the road are unbearibly smelly, but others have aromas that could knock your socks off. After a double bacardi and coke, we got in line for the concert.

The house of blues venue is quite small and very intimate. The indigo girls opened for Ani, but we didn't really pay too close attention. I had never seen the Indigo Girls or Ani play before so this was a new experience for me. Of course, Toni has seen Ani a few times and thinks of her as a major influence in her life and was really excited about the show. I enjoyed the show, but somehow found it a little too rehearsed. The music was great, but her banter was obviously planned. According to Toni, she felt this show was less personal then the shows she has seen previously.

Okay, this is getting really long, so here is the short version of the rest. Ani finished, we left, we were tired, we got back to Denton at 9:00 am this morning.

The End.

Deb "on the road again" Manica

BLOG

2004-09-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

Karaoke
More Karaoke
and More Karaoke....

And a little bit of studying. More on Wednesday.

Deb " I'll be here all week" Manica

For Good Measure

2004-09-17T13:22:00.000-05:00

Hello All. I don't really have much to say today, but I'm trying to keep an entry every week day. I'm off to Denton for the weekend... so everyone enjoy!!!

Deb "practice makes perfect" Manica

Are you Mad?

2004-09-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

`But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked.
`Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: `we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.'
`How do you know I'm mad?' said Alice.
`You must be,' said the Cat, `or you wouldn't have come here.'
Alice didn't think that proved it at all; however, she went on` And how do you know that you're mad?'
`To begin with,' said the Cat, `a dog's not mad. You grant that?'
`I suppose so,' said Alice.
`Well, then,' the Cat went on, `you see, a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.'

Ted posted this on the thought of the day... It made be think about how we define things. So many words that we use daily we don't really have a good "working definition" for. Like in Reality Bites when Winona Ryder's character is asked "Define Irony"... she says something to the effect of "I can't define it, but I know it when I see it." So, as a new productive effort of my blogging I am going to start including definitions of words I use all the time, but can't necessarily explain well.

We'll start with irony.

irony : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning

This is only one of many definitions provided by webster.

Enjoy!

Late Night Continued

2004-09-16T01:59:00.000-05:00

Today was another busy day, semi productive, but I haven't finished my assignment for tomorrow. In fact, I'm kind of annoyed about doing it at all, because I was really making good progress on one of my papers. I guess this is life!!

Mom took me out for bbq tonight to celebrate passing the QE. Dad is taking me out tomorrow... so there goes the whole being buff thing the next time I see you. It's always a trade off, when I am busting but at school, I get out of shape, and when I am busting but at the gym, I slack at school. Oh well, someday I will achieve a happy medium!

So if any of you need a tool to keep you off task (and haven't already seen this from Mike and Erin's Thought of the Day) check out this game....I played it all afternoon, part of the reason for the lack of productiveness!

http://www.popcap.com/launchpage.php?theGame=insaniquarium&src=big8

The downloaded trial version has cooler graphics, but you get the same idea from the online game.

Deb "too many fish in the sea" Manica

Late Night

2004-09-15T01:16:00.000-05:00

It has been a long day....nicely interrupted by a new a faculty/staff/ph.D welcome party!! Everybody needs a nice glass of wine in the middle of their productive day.

Surprisingly enough, I have been more productive since the wine than I have in a long time... maybe I should have a drinking lunch more often. It's really late now, and to spice things up a bit I visited one of my new favorite sites... EBaumsWorld!!

Check out this link about the end of the world!!!

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/endofworld.html

Deb "but I am le tired" Manica

2004-09-14T14:00:00.000-05:00

Second Attempt at Conquered Qualifier

So I posted this once already, but blogger had a fit... Anyways, I'm sorry that this won't be with as much as enthusiasm as the original, but I'll do my best.

Yesterday afternoon I was told that I have officially passed my qualifier. What is more exciting, is that of the five students who took the exam, I am the only student that does not have to re-write any of the questions WOO HOO!! I am now a Ph.D. Candidate instead of a Ph.D. Student.

Will and I went out for a treat.... BRAUM'S ICE CREAM!!!! Instead of a drunken celebration we had a caloric celebration! We wandered around the park nearby Will and Ed's Mom's house, and reminisced about the old days.

Today my allergies are out of control... I sneezed 11 times on my 10 minute drive to school. BUGGIN!! I'm all caff'ed up on coffee now, so I feel better....

Deb "The Ph.D. Candidate" Manica

2004-09-13T13:38:00.000-05:00

Nothing will Top the Elephant Man!!

Hello all!! I had a fantastic weekend. We started off Friday night with karaoke (on the new karaoke machine) and had a terrific time. Dan did an amazing performance of Fiona Apple's "Criminal", Toni performed Lisa Loeb's "Stay", Ed and I sang "Summer Nights" from grease, Chris showed his own special style with Angela on the famous Sonny and Cher duet "I got you Babe", Beth timidly sang Melissa Etheridge's "Come to my Window", but the most amazing performance goes to Jordan and his "It's Raining Men" extravaganza. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard....let's just say the elephant man came out and if you want more details email me!

After the drunken debauchery of Friday night, Beth and I headed out to Ft. Worth to meet Keirschen for a girls afternoon. We saw "Garden State" at the Sundance 11 AMC in dowtown Ft. Worth. I was quite impressed with the movie and with the soundtrack. It was very entertaining, the cinematography showed influence from many films like Oceans 11 and Ferris Bueller. Anyways, I really liked it. We bar hopped, had dinner, and ended the evening with a drink at the Reata. The Reata is an awesome rooftop bar/ restaraunt in sundance square. You get great views of the city and a breezy atmosphere....slightly pricey, but definitely worth it. Oh, and Beth and I bought cowboy hats... I think it is about time that I had one. I've only lived here my WHOLE LIFE!!!

Sunday.... Ed cashed in one of his "girlfriend coupons" from Valentine's Day last year and I persuaded Toni to help me wash his car. Visited the parent's and wathched "Man on Fire". This movie ROCKS!!! Everyone should see it!

Now I'm at school, clearly not being produvtive since I'm blogging instead of working.. Oh well.

Deb "the two-steppin' cowgirl" Manica

2004-09-10T14:48:00.000-05:00

Two Days in a Row

This may be a first for me. I'm actually writing in my blog two days in a row!

As I mentioned yesterday, I've started working out again, and, boy, am I paying for it. I am soooooo sore today. Almost every movement causes a twinge of pain! Oh well, it kind of feels good...." Hurt so good, come on baby make it hurt so good...." that's how I feel!

Night before last I sang karaoke with myself!! I am probably the biggest dork I know .... but it was really fun. I really love to sing, although most people around me would prefer that I didn't, there is really something freeing about it. Also, it is an excellent distraction from homework, cleaning, and any other productive outlet.

That's all for now.

Deb "singing like there's nobody listening" Manica

2004-09-09T21:19:00.000-05:00

This one's for you Jay!!

Hello everyone....actually, I'm pretty sure Jay is the only one that looks at this anymore since I've had a 7 month hiatus from blogging.PATHETIC!! I'm going to try keeping up with this again.... we'll see how it goes (that means you and me Jay).

Things that have happened since February:
(1) My niece got cuter
(2) I got older (24)
(3) Took my qualifying exam (don't know if I passed yet)
(4) Ed got cuter and moved to Denton.... don't think I don't know what you are doing up there.... aren't education classes full of girls?
(5) Bought a karaoke machine (this was just yesterday).

That just about hits the main points.

I've been spending alot of time working on two papers.... they never seem to end. As soon as we think we've got it all figured out we realize that we are on the wrong track. I hope to have both of these papers submitted to journals by the end of this semester. That would ROCK!!

I've also been working out lately, maybe the next time you see me I will be buff!!!

Well, I think that is a good start back....

Deb "wishing there was more time in the day" Manica

2004-02-25T13:16:00.000-06:00

Big Test

Today I have a test in my SAS class (SAS stands for statistical analysis software). I have the test in about 45 minutes and have started to feel really nervous about it. Although I have spent plenty of time studying, the pre-test jitters have arrived as expected.

After this test I have another midterm one week from Thursday and then....SPRING BREAK!!! You would think this means some time off, but what it actually means is that I have time to catch up on research. I already have a list of about 4 major projects that I am supposed to finish by the end of break. I hope I can do it!

That's all for now, I have to get back to studying....

Happy Merry!

2004-02-10T03:32:00.000-06:00

Its About TIME!

It seems this is becoming a monthly blog, that is at least an improvement over the last inter-blog time. I have been insanely busy, as usual, and have been completely irresonsible about blogging...sorry.

The good news is that school is going fairly well, although, time seems to rush buy much too quickly for my liking. I can't believe that February has already showed up again!

Actually, I don't really have any interesting comments, since my brain is mostly asleep now (its 3:32 am on Tuesday morning), but hopefully this will direct me toward blogging more often.

Happy merry!

2004-01-17T02:02:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

It has been about 2months since I have posted anything new, sorry for the slacking. Since I last blogged alot has happend.

First of all I flew to Seattle for our Conference on Information systems. The name of the Conference was Workshop for Information Technology Systems. I had an awesome time in Seattle. Monica traveled with me along with two other IS students namely Jeffrey and Hulusi. We had quite an adventure to get to Seattle. Our plane left about an hour late and then after about 45 minutes of air time we had to turn back. A lady across the row from Monica and me was having a heart attack and we had to rush back to Dallas. Fortunately, there were 2 nurses, an MD AND an EMT on board. We safely made it back to Dallas and the lady was fine. I must say it was all very surreal while it was happening.

We ended up staying the night at the Harvey Hotel in Irving, courtesy of American West They also provided us with a meal voucher, and later reimbursed us with a $200 voucher for travel....we are thinking Vegas looks pretty appetizing.

So we finally made it to Seattle the next day...this time on a direct flight to Seattle via American Airlines...woo hoo... more room in coach. This was Friday. After a few hours of lying around in the hotel Professor Mookerjee arrived and he showed us around a little. We hit Pike street marketplace and had turkish food for lunch. That evening we headed over University of Washington (where Dr. Mookerjee used to teach and research) and met Professor Andrew Winston. He is a key figure in our research field from the University of Texas at Austin. It was really interesting to here his insights on the growing direction of our field. After this we hung out with UW PhD students and exhcanged research ideas. After the best Chinese food EVER, we went back to Dr. Mookerjee's hotel room to finish up tweaking our presentations. Can you believe all of this is just the first day!!!

I will try and sum up the rest, my presentation of the paper went really well, as did all of UTD's presentations! My friend Hulusi was awarded the Best Paper award, and we all left pretty happy. It was an awesome experience. I am already working on papers for next years conference.

I think that is enough for now... I will finish off the rest of the trip later and Christmas!!

Happy Merry...

2003-11-11T00:10:00.000-06:00

The presentation on Friday went great! I felt confident, prepared, and was able to answer most of the questions fairly intelligently. A few questions were raised about our research question that we still need to hash out, but I am certainly glad these questions came from my fellow colleagues and Faculty here at UTD. Hopefully, we can get everything sorted out before I present the paper in Seattle.

We were supposed to have a department picnic on Friday, unfortunately we got rained out. However, we compensated with alot of chicken wings, pizza, and desserts in the executive dining room here at UTD. It wasn't as much fun as playing at the park, but still good times were had by all.

I have really enjoyed getting to know more of the students here. It is really amazing all the different back grounds. I have made several friends from all over the world including India, Germany, Turkey, and Lebanon. I am hoping to make a trip to India next December (2004) with my friend Monica and attend her marriage. I think this would be an amazing cultural experience, and generally enlightening. I've been chatting with some of my other international friends, and they said that if they are home they would also be happy to have me visit. I really hope that I can manage to put this trip together!!

Now I am trying to prepare a project to be ready by Thursday for which I don't have the software capabilities to manage on my own. Monica to the rescue! I hope to get alot finished tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Happy Merry!

2003-11-07T09:47:00.000-06:00

A small Surprise

Yesterday was Monica's and Michael's birthdays. Unfortunately Michael was away in Houston on business, however Monica was here and available for our pesterings. Big thanks to Sundaram for coordinating a get together. I had an awesome time, but now we all know who the liars of the group are.

Well, not too much to say right now, I have a presentation to give in about 10 minutes...I guess I'll go get ready.

Happy Merry!

2003-11-04T14:23:00.000-06:00

Halloween Party

Officially one of the best parties of all time! Erica and I threw a great bash last Saturday night complete with costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and food! I want to say thanks to everyone who attended and especially all of you who came in costume (which was almost everyone!)

You know its a good party when....
Nobody Leaves before 12:00
Your neighbors cuss at you to shut the f*@! up!
The police come
The floor looks kind of spotted the next day
The trash can is too heavy to carry out

Again, thanks everyone for coming! This was the last official bash for our place before we both return to parental living. Thanks for making it great. By the way, we fully expect that someone else will pick up were we left off in the party schedule!

Happy Merry!

2003-10-27T14:24:00.000-06:00

Kelly Marie

I finally got to Houston this past weekend to meet my beautiful niece. She is so amazing! She has the funniest little faces and so much personality. I can't believe that she is eventually going to grow into a real person one day. She is so small and vulnerable now, it seems impossible that any of us were actually like this. The good news is that she has alot of people looking out for her. Anyways, I really just fell in love.
I will post pictures on her web page ASAP.

2003-10-21T21:02:00.000-05:00

HOLD

Being on hold sucks! I am really annoyed right now, however the good news is that we have neat technology like speakerphones. Yippy! This way I don't end up with a crick in my neck. Multitasking is fun!

oooh!!! Not on hold anymore, more later

Happy Merry!

2003-10-17T12:56:00.000-05:00

Time is Running Out

I am so stressed! I can't believe all that I have going on at school right now. All I do is homework, research, and menial tasks for my TA position.

I am determined, however, to get on top of things. I've been letting myself fall behind in some of my studies and that actually makes me pretty grumpy. Why is it that we do so many things that make us feel bad about ourselves our what we are doing? Mostly its an attitude thing I guess, but sometimes it is really hard to have a good attitude.

Not much else to say now, I have to go to class.

2003-10-14T14:38:00.000-05:00

Timing is Everything

Last night I spent a good hour chatting up with Lisa, my step-sister for those of you who don't know her. I really love talking with her because she is the most "real" person I know. No bullshit, just the facts, and a snazzy way of getting the point across. I really admire so much of what Lisa has done with her life, although it hasn't always been easy, she has done it all for herself and on her own. It was really great to shmooze about the parents, men, and life in general.

I've been at school for a few hours today. I've been working for about an hour with Dr. Mookrjee on our paper for the conference. He has been slowly but surely removing duties from my workload so as to prevent me from freaking out. Basically, I've gone from having 4 research project to 2 in about 2 days. YIPPY!!!

Happy Merry!

2003-10-13T17:40:00.000-05:00

Destroying Self-Destructive Habits

So I don't know what the deal is, I have finally destroyed my ridiculous tendency to create problems for myself....at least for today. Why is it that we can manage to make life so much more complicated than it already is? How many times have you found yourself freaking about something that is totally insiginificant? I have to stop myself daily....

Anyways, last weekend I spent most of the weekend being a total spaz! Ed and I took a short trip from couple-dom, mostly do to my temporary dimensia, and the weekend was truly miserable...when I wasn't out with friends that is.

On Friday night I had a fantastic girl's night out with Beth and Amanda. We talked about Jack, off and on again, which was definitely a "new experience" for Amanda. We went down to Greenville and hung out near the Blue Goose at the Dubliner and Stan's Blue note. (By the by, Stan's Blue Note has awesome drink specials!)

So which are the self-destructive habits... out drinkning away my worries, or overexaggerating the supposed problems in my relationship. I don't know which is worse.

My new goal is to be totally productive, in school, life and love. I am hoping to open new doors into understanding what is really driving my life and stay focused and fufilled by those things. Only when life slows down do I even begin to think about anything that I might be missing out on. So, this is my new goal. I hope you will all join me in really trying to be fufilled. I also hope that this blog can be part of the method to the madness. I mean by sharing daily experiences we can really get better in touch with our selves and our goals.

Happy Merry!

2003-10-06T20:29:00.000-05:00

Relief

My midterm is at last over, although sadly I did not get to go to Houston this past weekend. I've been sick all week and didn't want to get anyone sick.

Instead of going to Houston together, Mom and I spent a really nice afternoon together up in McKinney's Downtown square. We looked at antiques and ate lunch at "The Opera House". The food was really scrumptious I would recommend it to anyone.

Before I move on to Saturday, let me jump back to Thursday night. During the Post exam Euphoria I headed out to a club with some of my friends from the PhD. Monica, Seungwon, and Dirk joined me for a fun and frivolous evening at Time Square. I had never been there before (which is really weird because it is about 3 minutes from my house.) I truly realized my lameness when I discovered that both Dirk (a guy in the finance PhD from Germany) and Monica ( a fellow IS PhD from India) had both been to this club before. I mean really, I've lived here my entire life and I haven't made it there...Dirk has only been here since August and I think he knows of more cool places than me.

Sadly, the dimensia could not continue. Just before we left for the club, I found out one of my very dear friends, Shweta, was in the hospital here in Plano. On Friday, Monica and I were able to go visit her, and we discovered that here condition was much improved. We were really worried not only for our friend but because she is a few months pregnant with her first baby. She is still not fully recovered and I am thinking of her condition and hoping for improvement soon.

FYI Erica and I have discussed having a Halloween party...any interest?

2003-09-30T12:19:00.000-05:00

Midterm

So this week I have been really busy with school, I have a final on Thursday evening, and lots of exciting research in the works. I am really pumped because I am finally going to Houston to see my new niece and her parents. Not much to say now, have to make a meeting at 1:00.

2003-09-22T16:59:00.000-05:00

Return of Nanna

My mother just returned from Houston on Sunday , and Finally I got to spend some time with her for her birthday. I have been honestly pathetic in the amount of time I've been able to spend with my family or anyone and truly wish I could freeze time.

As you all know, I am either at school, on my way to, or on my way home from. It has really become a ritual for me to eat in my office, snooze a little, and even entertain. My good friend Monica and I have mastered the art of appearing to do work even if we are not. Generally, we are fretting over something that we should be doing instead of actually doing it.

A recent ephinany, 8-bit (old school) nintendo actually rots my brain. I've been playing alot of nintendo since Ed brought it over about a week ago and I think I am getting dumber. For certain, it is causing serious strain on my eyesight. In fact, I actually have to change positions (move around the room) so that I can continue to play because my eyes become glazed over after some time. Really strange....I think this is actually a sign that I should not be playing at all.

My frined Jay left to go back to the Navy, he may or may not be leaving sometime around Oct. 15 for his final excursion under the sea. (Any further details are G14 classified.)

Also, I discovered how to get a coffee maker, 2 mugs and 2 kinds of cofee for just 14.95. You can go to

www.gevalia.com

and sign up to get your stuff too! Its really cool! My new machine is on the way.

2003-09-22T16:55:00.000-05:00

SICKLY SATURDAY

On Saturday I was sick off and on most of the day. Allergies and headcold made me pretty pathetic. I went with my friends to the Claypit in Addison. I love this place. Everyone should definitely go. Jason, Nada, Will, and I were in apparently antagonizing moods and continually pestered each other through dinner. The main concern was "what's wrong?" I tactful and all powerful method of really getting to the bottom of issues.

I got a little bit of work done for school, but overall wasted my Saturday. What a shock!

2003-09-21T17:13:00.000-05:00

FINALLY AN UPDATE

The last update occurred roughly a full month ago. That is because I have really LAME blogging abilities. I apologize for the deliquency of my blog, and hope to do better.

Well, last time I was talking about how I was going to move my own stuff into the new building. While doing this I got caught in about 5 minutes of heavy hail which managed to hit ONLY UTD! Mind you, if I had been at home, I would have been fine. It took about a week for me to notice that my car was damaged, but now I have a fatty check from State Farm for around $3500. Hopefully I will be able to get a deal on the repair, and keep some of the cash.

We did, however, get moved into the new building. I LOVE IT HERE!! This building is totally awesome! Our classrooms are super-hi-tech, and we have 2 TA's per office as compared to 12 before. Also, all the Prof's offices are directly across the hall, which makes everyone more productive. We (the TA's) can always find the Prof's, but sometimes they can be a bit demanding.

We did get our paper submitted for conference, but ended up having to work all night Aug. 15 and Sat. morning. What a pain! I just found out that the work paid off! Our paper was accepted to the conference, and I will be attending in December. Even better, my closest school friend's, Monica, paper was also accepted...we get to go together!

I am now working "exclusively" with one Professor on my research. Dr. Vijay Mookerjee has been an awesome mentor thus far, and really histerical cat in general. I am really glad that he has chosen to work with both Monica and I, and will be supervising both of our dissertations. He says that he generally works with PhD's until they have achieved their tenure after graduation. This is really an honor to have already have research underway at the end of our (monica and mine's) second year. In fact, there are many more senior students that are not getting as much faculty attention as Monica and I. We are really lucky and driven and therefore are getting the attention. At any rate, I think I've made clear how happy I am here at UTD and in the Information Systems department....I won't continue to bore you.

More recently, September 7 at 2:50 pm, I became an Aunt. I will try to figure out some way to get pictures available... SHE IS SO CUTE! Kelly Marie Manica, 6lbs and 13oz. I attempted to go to Houston the weekend after she was born, but plans just didn't work out. Hopefully I will be able to go before too long.

This past weekend was a BLAST! I attended my friend Amanda's candle party on Friday and met some new friends. Lindsay, who I currently work with, and Chelsea decided to join me and my friends for a fun-filled evening at Octoberfest. Lindsay brought her boyfriend Chad. The total group included: Lindsay, Chad, Chelsea, Nada, Jay, Dan, Daniel, Ed, and myself. After a bit of browsing and chicken dance, we headed to the carnie rides were we contemplated the profitability of "Carnie Insurance" as coined by Daniel. Its really a wonder that those rides hold together. I know Nada had a special moment on the KamiKaze when she dangled upside down forever roughly 20 yards above the ground. SCARY!! Not being fond of being upside down, especially in a skirt, I took two turns on the TORNADO, which was a blast. Dan, Chelsea, and Lindsay joined me the first time, and Ed, Dan and Jay the second. We left with glass beer stiens to commemorate the event. Completely tuckered out we called it any evening and headed home.

Okay so that brings us up to this last Friday night... making some progress I think.

2003-08-11T15:52:00.000-05:00

THE BIG MOVE

I have been deliquent in my blogging lately, so here is an attempt to catch up. Starting with today, I have a million and one things to do by Friday. The most frustrating part is that the School of Management at UTD is in the middle of moving to a new building, which leaves everybody in limbo. The printers are already down, and who knows what won't work next. The timing really couldn't be any worse. I am trying to finish up a paper for conference submission this Friday, and I know already it will be a challenge.

For one thing, I will probably be moving my office on Thursday (which means I may or may not be able to use my computer at that point.) My professors are moving today and tomorrow, which means they won't be easily accessible. And finally, we don't yet have keys to our new offices, so we don't know if we can even get in. Aaargh!

On a happier note, I get to meet Ed for sushi today. YAHOO!

That's it for now!

2003-07-30T19:20:00.000-05:00

Sushi is definitely God's gift to man. It is healthy, tastes fabu, and comes with a tasty little garnish that magically gives you a headrush if you get just enough! What's even better, is that its a low point food. (I'm on weight watchers now, and the lower the points, the better!) By the way, I've lost almost 6 pounds now. But back to Sushi, I LOVE IT! I would eat it every day if I could afford it.

As you might have guessed by now, I had sushi last night for dinner. I met with Ed (my honey) , Beth and Keith (her honey), Ted, David, Dan and Mike Moen. By the way, congrats to Mike he has just received his commision for the airforce!

In fact it was an asian themed day since I had korean for lunch. How is it that the Japanese and Koreans have figured out how to make really tasty food that's actually good for you. I mean, any restaraunt (american) that you go to has tons of fat and is fried. Everything is fried these days...its really getting ridiculous I think.

I met up with my mom for lunch today at Fresh choice, which is one of few restaraunts that has the appearance of being healthy. But, oh by the way, you can now get pizza at a salad bar. I mean, what is up with that. Okay, sorry, ranting. So we had a really nice lunch, and then headed over to Barnes N Noble, which was fun as usual.

I didn't know they had a whole section on fashion and what not. There was this one book called "What Not to Wear". It was pretty interesting, it contained chapters like "If you have big boobs", "If you have no boobs",and "If you have short legs". It was kind of amusing. It would have a picture of what you shouldn't wear, and a better alternative.

Well, while I'm speaking about my vices, I went shopping today. I know I don't have much cash, but the mall was calling out to me. I found some fabulous deals though. I got a suit jacket for $24 at express, and a 4 cute tops at American Eagle for $30 total! It really makes me happy when I can find a good deal.

2003-07-29T13:31:00.000-05:00

I've just returned from picking up Dr. Rhee from the airport. Let me tell you, I am a dedicated TA. Oh well, she brought me back this awesome mirror from Korea and she and her husband Sam took me out to lunch. All and all it was definitely worthwhile.

I had a garage sale last weekend, and it is really amazing how much crap I have accumulated over the years. Of course, not all of it sold, so now I have a bunch of crap I don't want back in my apartment. This week will be a bonified mission to sell my crap. Half price books, consignment stores, and second hand stores. If anyone has any ideas about where to take crap (besides goodwill) or has a good cause I can donate to, let me know!

Okay, thats all the crap I have to talk about now.

2003-07-28T12:29:00.000-05:00

After checking out Nada's blog, I think this is an awesome idea. I always feel like I'm repeating what's up with me all the time (and it gets rather monotonous) so now you can all see what is going on by checking here! Yippy, another time saving invention!