Reasons why I should always lock my door

The last week has been pretty busy. These faculty position interview seminars have been really time consuming. I'll very very glad when they're all over. This week really didn't have much of anything noteworthy.

I did discover something rather odd on Monday. I stepped outside my appartment building to head off to the lab, when i noticed a puddle of something red on the sidewalk--blood. Without a doubt. And i'm not simply talking a few drops, I'm saying this was a puddle--a large pancake sized puddle of blood. There weren't any feathers or tufts of fur to show that something had simple gotten a bird or a rabbit. Nor were there any traces of a trail or droplets leading off somewhere else. It was very strange.

Yesterday was Amanda's birthday. A large group of us went out for Mexican food and margaritas. It turned out to be a rather good time, even if i was the only one ther without a date. After a short while, I actually forgot that this was the case. After dinner, we went back to Amanda and Mike's and played Catch Phrase, which was also a ton of fun.

I got home around midnight, talked to my sweetie for a bit, then showered and crawled into bed. I was just about to drift off to sleep when I heard yelling and running outside. Even for being 1 am, this wouldn't have concerned me so much if I hadn't heard the phrase, "He's going around back!!!" This definaly peaked my curiosity, so i got up to peek out the window. I couldn't look out my bedroom window, where all the commotion was happening, so I went out and looked out my living room windows. What I saw raised a bit of concern: 3 police cars parked haphazardly in the lot, one with the doors left open, and another cop car coming up the drive. At this point, I double checked to make sure all 3 locks on my door were indeed locked, and greatly wished I had a baseball bat. Another concerning observation was that my landlord was also here. She is hard enough to hunt down during regular business hours. To see her car here at 1 am on a Saturday night could not have been a good sign.

Superbowl, Baby!!!

The 2006 AFC Championship game: 34 - 17 - the Pittsburgh Steelers maimed the Denver Broncos. Woohoo!!! Pittburgh's going to the Superbowl!! It's just awesome!!!

Its just a shame we can't afford tickets, since Detroit, home of superbowl XL, is only an hour away. Wouldn't that be an experience. Oh well. I'll be going home to join my 'team' for the game, so i'll be quite content.

As far as other happenings since i've returned to Ohio: Not a whole lot. School has kept be busy. I spent my birthday putting together my night stands, with Radar's help of course (meaning, he kept running off with my screws and sprawled across the directions). But that weekend, I did go out with Sarah, Amanda, and Amanda's Mike. We went out to Chili's for food and margaritas, so that was no doubt a good time. Afterwards, we went to see Walk the Line, the Johny Cash movie. I was quite pleased with the movie. Joaquin Phoenix did a very good job. (Of course, I'm a fan to begin with.) All in all, that was a good night.

My parents also came up that weekend to deliver my piano. So, I have my piano back now. *Cheeky grin*

After that, I was sick for a while, which was not fun at all. But all is better now.

Steven came over this weekend. *big grin* Its always so great when he's here. We rented movies, ate Tony Packo's, went to Cabela's, and went to the mall/movies. It was a very good time despite the fact that the movie was HORRIBLE. We went to see Munich. It got good ratings, but I simply don't see how. I found it to be very boring with periodic bouts of rather graphic violence. Its not the violence that bothers me as much as the boringness. I found it very anticlimatic, and much longer than it should have been. But all in all, we had a very good time. I miss him tons already. *sighs*

Anyway, I think that brings me up to the curren moment, where I am sitting here basking in the glory of the AFC championship with a Woodchuck Draft Cider in hand. GO STEELERS!!

Back to the Grind....

I got back to Ohio yesterday. The trip is a long one, but its nice in the sense I get in a lot of thinking time. This time i dreamed up the stables that I'll have next to my cabin someday, and all the critters that will live there. I also decided that I will have ducks, because I like ducks, and maybe they'll have little ducklings, which are just adorable.

I'm back to my own place now, which is nice. Radar, I think, is rather bored without the dogs around and a basement to explore. I have all my christmas loot put away. I miss my piano though, my parents will be bring that next weekend.

I miss my sweetie. He took me out to Red Lobster on Friday for an early birthday present. He also got me Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" Special Illustrated edition, which is super awesome. He is such a sweetheart. I'm so lucky to have him.

I can't believe this weather either. It was late-March weather here today, not early January. It was ridiculous. Well over 40*, sunny, birds were singing this morning. Sweatshirt weather. *shakes head* Crazy weather.

Narnia

Let me begin by wishing you all a happy and healthy 2006. I have some high hopes for this year, and I think overall, it should be a pretty good one.

New Years eve was spent with Steven and his parents for the usuall shrimp and crackers and dip and all sorts of excellent finger food, sitting around eating and waiting for the ball to drop. Yay and Happy New Year and all that stuff.

Sunday, we slept late, got up and watched the Steelers game. Then we came down to my parents house for the traditional saurkraut and pork New Year's Day dinner.

Since then, not a whole lot has happened. Monday, I sat around the house and read a bunch of Calvin and Hobbes (Not a bad way to spend a day *grins*). On Tuesday, Angie stopped by in the morning, and it was great to see her. I finally have a phone number now, so hopefully we will be able to stay in touch a bit better. Then I was off to Erie to have lunch with Karla and Leslie, whom I worked with over the summer at PISP. It was good to see them again, and odd not to see eachother sweaty and dirty and in our crumby DCNR shirts. And of course, you can't go wrong with Panera. After lunch, I ran some errands and then got comfortable at Barnes and Noble with a good book and a Mocha. The mocha wound up being a bad idea, and I was up half the night, but the book was good and so I bought it. Steven met me there after work and we were off to the theater to see Narnia.

Narnia.........To say I was pleased with the movie would be an understatment. For the majority of the movie, I belive I was grinning from ear to ear just because it was so incredible. It was just great. I hadn't even pulled out of the parking lot when I wanted to watch it again. This movie will definatly be in my dvd collection. Talking animals and magical lands.....its like my childhood imagination brought to the big screen.

As for yesterday and today, a lot of Calvin and Hobbes, a lot of piano, and the dreaded doing laundry and getting things ready to go back to Ohio. In one way, i'm glad to be going back. I miss my appartment, and living with my parents again for the last 3 weeks has been trying. It will be good to get back to my own space, if only that space were in Erie, and not so damned far away from hills, friends, family, and most of all, Steven. Considering Erie will likely be the next town I call home, here's to hoping the next 4 semesters (summer included) go smoothly and quickly.