Frog and Goat

I’ve decided to apply to grad school. Even though the deadline isn’t until sometime in October or November, I’m getting everything together this summer so I don’t get dumped in the large pile with everyone else.

I signed up to take the Miller Analogies Test in mid-July and I thought I was really stressed about the test. I’ve never done well with standardized tests, but after reviewing some material today, I think I’ll do well enough.

I already have one completed letter of recommendation and I asked a co-worker to complete another. I just need to take hers and my supervisor’s in so they can complete the form (I’m not sure why it’s called a letter since it is a form).

The thing that puzzles me the most is the personal essay. I’m pretty good at laying down convincing BS but I’m a little stumped about how to handle the essay. I have to state my goals (which seems obvious to me–get the master’s degree, duh) and tell the committee why they should pick me (er, I’m brilliant). That last part was a joke. See, I could add that to the essay–a great joke-teller. I’m a shoo-in.

Don’t you just hate it when you get an email and the email reads, “you won’t believe what just happened”? Then you are compelled to ask what just happened even though you know you are in for several more emails filled with no real information because the email writer likes the DRAMA. The writer loves to drag out a story to build SUSPENSE. Which is all well and good for a crime novelist but I’m not reading a crime novel. I’m reading email so just tell me what happened already.

This afternoon I saw Noah’s Ark floating down the street. The building owner people came down to look at a leak that spontaneously appears when there’s too much rain. I guess there’s been a leak there for awhile and is wily? because it hasn’t been fixed, can’t be fixed, who knows. While the building people were there they announced that it looked like our little parking lot was about to flood.

Richmond has some notoriety about flooding. I walked out with one of the building people and she slogged through the water to kick the debris off the parking lot drain. The drain neither one of us could see. I moved my car to the street which luckily is on an incline (and feeds all the water into our parking lot).

I got home and decreed that no one was allowed back out today. The rain, the rain, the rain it just doesn’t quit.

On a completely different subject, I received a bridal shower invitation today and wouldn’t you know it, I just told my sister we could babysit for a whole weekend. The same, exact weekend of the bridal shower. I love it when things come together like that.

Don’t you think there comes a time when you get to be a certain age and you just don’t have to go to bridal showers anymore? I’m at least 10-12 years older than the bride-to-be and am related to her by marriage. In other words, I don’t really know her. I like her just fine but I do not have a relationship with her other than I see her at family functions. And, furthermore, I despise sitting around parties and having to do the artificial chit-chat crap. My idea of a perfect bridal shower is like this:

Get to the shower. Hand over the gift. Get a drink and a piece of cake. Watch the bride-to-be open the gift. Get back in car and leave.

I already feel like she’s asking a lot to have 2 wedding ceremonies in one weekend. Not only is that an entire weekend devoted to wedding crap; it is in another city and we’ll have to spend the night and chauffeur the MIL around. There had better be at least one open bar during that weekend.

Around lunch time we hatched a plan to drive out to the West End to deliver course boxes to the regional training center. Normally one person does this on their way home. Today four of us did it because we had to eat Mexican food today. The within walking distance Mexican restaurant closed and we’ve been depressed and beans and rice free for way too long. Someone recommended a new place out near the training center and while I don’t love their salsa the rest of the food is outstanding. Hence, the reason we all had to help take four boxes to the West End.

The better-half has made some changes to the back-end of F&G and now I am in control of banning IP addresses again. I just sent a half dozen right into the crapper. It’s good to be the king.

Much to my amazement, our radishes did OK even though they were planted late.

The decking went down yesterday. The concrete guys weren’t kidding when they said we could walk on it the day they poured. Our fence parts were delivered yesterday. We’ll have to get cracking.

I think my MIL was body snatched. We had a nice meal, decent conversation and I only had to walk around the yard a little while because of all the crap in the kitchen.

Tonight we’re headed to the better-half’s mother’s for dinner. She was adamant the other day when she talked to him about having us over. Frankly, we try not to go over there for dinner. The house is a shitstorm and we usually end up having to straighten up, cook the food and then clean up. Plus there’s the handful of other chores we’re assigned while we’re there and then there’s the listening to her grump about everything under the sun. A little ray of sunshine, my MIL.

For the record, we don’t mind it if she comes to our house or if we go out for dinner. It’s the having dinner at her house thing that bugs us.

But, the better-half’s birthday was yesterday and so we’re going. I’m trying hard to move past the fact that while she talked to him yesterday not once did she utter the words, “happy birthday to my only child who does 10,000 things for me on a regular basis”. She also couldn’t get a card into the mail. I just hate it when she blows off his birthday…like she’s done for the past several years.

When I got home this afternoon there was a bag of charcoal sitting next to the front door so we’ll remember to take it with us. I guess the better-half will be cooking part of our meal. And, I’ll feel compelled to clean up the kitchen.

We have a sick bet that we’ll be doing none of that and will go out to eat because his mother couldn’t get it together.

My hotmail account is my trash email. I use it when placing online orders and I have a few newsletters that go to that account. The rest of the mail I get is spam. Some days I get better spam than others and so I present the Spam of the Day:

Seriously, don’t you wonder what a mutant dick looks like? Does it have an opposable thumb? Or am I thinking of this wrong and it can create a new weather system or turn objects into fire or ice or steal someone else’s mutant gift?

This morning, when I got to work and realized the big fun of the day was to read a course about Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, I just wanted to turn around and get back in my car. The sky is a wonderful blue, there’s a breeze and the temperature is hot. What should I be doing? Laying in a hammock reading a good book. I’m so far from that right now and there’s nothing but hours and hours of time stretching out before I can even consider loafing in the backyard. Bummer.