Thursday, May 30, 2013

work zombie

So, it's high season for my work so I'm working quite a bit of overtime and making hay while the sun is shining. I've worked 32 hours in the last 3 days. I'm not whining, actually. I spent so much of the past 6 months feeling like hammered crap that it's glorious to feel like doing anything. Also, 3 weeks ago was the first week this year in which I've worked a full 40 hours. Making up for lost time, I suppose.

Another 11-ish hour day at work tomorrow and then I have the emergency phone all weekend. Every time the phone rings, an angel gets its ka-CHING!

Yeah. That's so stupid. I'm rather tired. Maybe I'll feel embarrassed tomorrow and un-post this.
Gnight.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

73 degrees at 4:11 AM

This is the cold part of the day. Hard to sleep with three furnacles glommed onto me. Sigh. 

Summer season has hit at work, but I'm happy I'm happy in my work for the moment. I do get sick of sitting in one spot, but the time flies. 

Monday, May 27, 2013

Remembering what others have given for us is a beautiful thing.

We all are indebted to those who gave their lives for our country.  May they be blessed.



Friday, May 24, 2013

This stinks on hot ice:

If you are a person who loves perfumes, particularly French perfumes, you'd better stock up on the current formulations of your favorites before they are gone forever.

A goodly number of perfume accords-- both synthetic and natural-- are going bye-bye, thanks to hyper-regulation by the European Union.  See this informative post from January over at Perfume Shrine.  This is not just perfume for women, by the way.

The idea seems to be that certain accords-- even stuff commonly found in common foods (cinnamon?  mace?) and other things are going to be outlawed for use in perfumes.  The whole idea of perfume is that it's a unique blend of accords that create a very specific scent profile.  Start dinking around with the accords and you will quickly have an entirely different fragrance on your hands.  And all this in the name of protecting people from chemicals which may cause an allergic reaction in a shockingly small sample of the population.

THIS.  This is how safe our lives have become-- our daily lives are so generally devoid of danger that governing bodies have to sit around and invent new ways to protect us from our own mortality.

If you pick up many classic perfumes bottled past 2013, expect them to smell very different, indeed. Many already have been cowed into shadows of their original formulae, but this could well render a great many of them utterly unrecognizable. 

Myopic bastards.
What a waste.  What a bore.  What a shame.

If you DO stock up on perfume, plan to keep them in a cool, dark place in your home where they will not be exposed to UV.   The greater the concentration of oil in the formula, apparently the greater the stability will be.  Therefore, perfume is more apt to last if properly stored.  Eau de Cologne is much watered-down, and Eau de Parfum is a greater concentration than EdC, but has less of the essential oils than the perfume.   The purest form of a scent is an attar, which is essential oil only, and if you can find these, they are generally profoundly more expensive than the other concentrations.

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Gosh, I'm tired.  Worked quite a bit this week and also had the emergency phone for the last week.
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Pet peeve of the week: asking a person a direct question and then having them launch into a 500 word ramble and then having to ask them the same question again, to which they respond with yet another ramble.  Ah, the embuggerances of customer service.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Someday I'll learn not to get dressed in dim light.

I was at work for nearly two hours before I realized my skirt was inside out. 

Whoopsie. 

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

It's nice when you can do something productive with the extra time afforded by waking up early.

I trailed in the wake of pups to the back door and let them out.  Then I went and put my retainers in a denture bath.  Returned to the kitchen to fill the bowls with kibble, then opened the door.  Praline came running in to her bowl and Chuy pulled focus by charging right to Mochi's bowl for the morning chow-down.  What was shocking was that I had to call Mochi, and here she came along, happily munching away at something in her mouth, which she promptly dropped when she was offered Chuy's bowl of kibble. 

Young mockingbird.  Mochi's first confirmed kill.  I say first confirmed because if Praline or Chuy had killed it, they wouldn't have let her have it.  I had one of those conflicted parents moments.  I was slightly squicked out by dead bird in the house and yet it was cute and I wanted to take a picture of my baby girl and her animal in-stink.  Removing the fouled fowl won the moment.

A little scrubby scrubby on the floor, take out the trash, blog a post and soon it's like I didn't get up early at all.  I blame the mockingbird.  Poor little thing. Never had a chance.  Mochi's been training all her life for that moment.  Today her low-slung little frame will sashay a little prouder knowing she's equal among her mates, able to defend hearth and home and to provide food for the pack if she feels like sharing. She has contributed!  Yay, Team WEENIE!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Tonight I am thankful.

I'm thankful for dear and lovely friends and family.  I'm thankful for the good things in my life.  I'm thankful I can snuggle up in my bed with my pups tonight, and my heart goes out to the folks in Oklahoma who are still hoping to find dear friends and pets. May their hopes be rewarded. 

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: Mochi in the morning

I usually wake to find Mochi snuggled up beside me and all cute and lovey-dovey. Sometimes she squeaks, which is her usual method of talking. She is so sweet. 

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Still awaiting the paper that says so, but...

The advisor at the RN program told me yesterday that I made the cut for The RN program in the Fall. I registered for my Fall classes this morning. It's a little surreal, but it's definitely exciting. Wow. 

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

For International Fluevog Day, I choose...

My Mini Georgeous in limited edition colors. Yummy!


Circa 2005 or so

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Bought a teeny sample, but now I want moar!

Le Baiser du Dragon by Cartier is sublime. 

Seriously.  This dragon's kiss is gorgeous and intoxicating.  Ermagahd.  I just know I'm going to run out of this sample well before I can afford a full bottle.    Do you realize I haven't bought any shoes this year?  This perfume lust may be a problem for my shoe habit. 

This one is going on my short list of fragrances I must own. *slobber*  So, like, shortly after I become a nurse, if not beforehand...

AMAZING.

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Oh, there's an essence used in quite a few perfumes called labdanum.  In Crete, the resin from the plant-- also known as rock rose-- is harvested in this fashion.  The resins are collected from the little moppy things.  This is an accord prized since ancient times, when Pharoahs would wear false beards of goat hair imbued with the labdanum essence. Here is a bee collecting what it thinks is best of the rock rose

Through the years, I've tried to have a healthy stand of rock rose, and it's never done well for me.  In truth, that was always in the climate zone of the Dallas area or north of Dallas.  Now I'm in a completely different, drought-stricken zone and I've got a stand of this stuff that just won't quit.  Matter of fact, I almost never water it, and it rewards me by thriving.  Fancy that!

This year promises to be a nonstop extravaganza of the bold pink blossoms.  Here's to a survivor that dares to be pretty and to defy the odds in extremes of heat and drought.  Beautiful!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: puppy pile

This was on the drive home from Dallas. They were rather relaxed. 

Saturday, May 11, 2013

BOOM SHAKALAKA!

Made a C in Chemistry.

This is my euphoric/relieved face.

Never thought I could be so happy about a C, but I am!

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Thought for the day:

A hedgehog won't be buggered.

Monday, May 06, 2013

A question for gun-control advocates regarding Houston last week:

On Thursday, a man went into the airport in Houston with firearms and later died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. It was illegal for him to take these loaded weapons into the premises, and loads of TSA and metal detectors did not prevent him from breaking laws and inflicting harm thusly. Thankfully, he at least chose not to take anyone with him.

Contrast that with the NRA convention in downtown Houston this weekend where legal CHL holders freely carried their own concealed handguns into the venue where there were still thousands more guns of every stripe on display. No one was shot or threatened. People were generally courteous in what could have been a very stressful press of humanity, with its estimated 70,000 or so attendees. Yet not a single shot was fired and no one was threatened or in danger. "An armed society is a polite society."

How does messing with the rights of people who already obey the law make anyone safer from people who are already breaking the laws?

Come to think of it, the most hostile people I observed this weekend were the protestors.

Sunday, May 05, 2013

Sunday, Puppy Sunday: chilling at Grandma's house

Picked up the puppies this afternoon in the wonderful Camp Bow Wow in Dallas. Praline has found a favorite perch at grandma's house.



Friday, May 03, 2013

Tired but happy at NRA in Houston

Had a nice time today and had a lovely time at The Ginger man for the gunbloggerpalooza. Great thanks to all the dear friends who came by to share some laughs and some very good beer. Looking forward to the convention tomorrow. Cheers!

Oooh! Aaaah! Oooh! Aaaah!

Magpul mini bus. Beautiful!!!




Officially Happy In My Pants at Cafe Brussels in Houston

Ermagahd!

Mussel pot and pommes frites are on the way, and I'm having a nice glass of Blanche de Bruxelles. *heaven*=

Had dinner with dear friends in Houston

The convention is going to be great, but visiting with friends has already been worth the trip.

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

Home stretch for the semester

Apparently I am in good company in my bewilderment at Chemistry these past several weeks.  I can see on young faces all around me the universal "ruh roh, raggy" look.  It's been rough, and yesterday's class did not inspire confidence. 

The professor repeatedly said "Relax. If you've done well on homework and the previous test, you'll be fine. You'll do very well."  Uh.   My homework average is 72 because of one assignment I mistakenly thought was due on a later date and on which I made a zero, and then another which I started late and gave up with an execrably low mark.  Thank goodness for all those good grades to drag up the boners. My only other test was an 82, so I'm very middle of the road.  Nice work, if I can maintain the middle of the road, but I'm sunk if I don't do at least a middling job on the test. *sigh*

I really don't want to take this course again.

My final is in the morning.  Any minute now I could get word on whether I'm accepted into the RN program, and I've got so much to do to get ready to mosey down to the NRA convention.  Much to do, and miles to go before I sleep.  One last day of work today and then I'm off. 

Heigh-Ho!