And I was in a good mood coming home...

Adira had decided it was better to sleep on her "throne pillow" on my bed the next time I ventured into the scene of the crime. I did turn the light on this time. Adira tolerated this trip, but wouldn't let me pet her. I'll leave bits of chicken on a plate for her as a peace offering.

And I was in such a good mood when I came home. I picked up a script that I needed filled. At the point I paid for it, the receipt showed I had a three dollar credit on anything the store sells along with a two dollar credit towards vitamins. Seeing that, I was reminded to get some iron.

So I went to the vitamin section, and saw that a brand of iron on special where it was buy one, get one free. I added my three dollar coupon, and I got a screaming deal for the iron. I paid $4.29 for 180 caplets of 28mg iron glycinate.

I even remembered to take it after dinner. Too bad a half hour ago my right foot cramped up so bad for so long that the sides of my foot got numb. Maybe it'll eventually help.

She'd run away if she could

File this under "how NOT to treat your cat"

I was grabbing some dirty laundry so that instead of several piles of laundry, they'd be in one place. The designated place is in the bedroom closet, and I know the way by heart. So I decided to forgo the light switch. One step, two step, then the third step my right foot landed on a stick.

The stick moved and I knew it wasn't a stick or a pair of fur mice. A rush of fluff ran under the bed for refuge.

I put the clothes in the closet, and I thought I saw a rush of fluff. I looked closer, but didn't see anything. In my heart, I knew it was Adira running to put distance between the evil foot and herself.

As I left the bedroom, she ran around me to seek refuge under the bed.

I feel terrible. She normally doesn't lounge around in "high traffic" areas, so that was the last thing I was expecting.

If I left the computer available tonight, she'd probably look for a new place to live.

If I had my camera, I'd probably get a picture of a fluff ball running away in terror. The camera is in Hawaii for my boyfriend to take pictures.

My job sucks vent

My job really doesn't suck that much. I'm just having a bad boss day and need to vent. Finally comes in around a half hour ago. Ask him if he received the paperwork to renew a grant yet since it's close to the point of no return.

He said "No, did you?"

Me: "Why would they send it to me? I'm not the PI."

Him: "But I did get the second quarter progress report."

Me: "Finally. Remember we got yelled at four months ago for not submitting it. So they sent the second and third quarter reports, and we mailed them together since the third quarter was due in a week."

Him: "No, I don't remember that."

Me: "They should be in your files. I made you copies before I sent them out."

He doesn't seem to grasp this concept. He starts mentioning that he'll do the quarter report. I gently suggest that it's been done already.

I then get chewed out for "not listening". So I promptly just shut up and leave the room for a minute.

Come back, and he's forgotten completely about it.

Then on his way out, he says he's going to call the other granting agency to ask what the hold up is on the funding award notification. I discussed this with him yesterday, and he didn't seem worried at all, and told me not to worry for another week.

I know people with brain tumors can have these shifts in personality from moment to moment. But for the sake of my blood pressure, don't bother coming in and yelling at the rest of us when we're trying to help here.

Plus, running on fumes tends to set me a bit more emotional. I know it's not his problem. But when I look like "hell" (his words), maybe you can save the chewing out for when I look better.

Too bad many scientists can't be self-employed.

the end of the world

Okay, maybe not.

But since I live in southern AZ, I should already own one of these. Unfortunately, I'm running out of time, and will need to get one soon.

Winchester rifles are to be discontinued.

Soon to be a collector's item.

I have a Ph.D.

Okay, so it's not in Immunology:

You Have Your PhD in Men

You understand men almost better than anyone. You accept that guys are very different, and you read signals well. Work what you know about men, and your relationships will be blissful.

How Well Do You Understand Men?

You know you're tired when...

You keep re-reading the same page of an article that you're really interesting in reading.

You're too tired to go two doors down and recover your lab book that you left yesterday to work on the writeups.

You're cold so you're sitting there bundled up trying to keep warm and everyone's looking at you funny.

The one thing that keeps popping in your head is the comforting thought of laying in your bed.

Three cups of coffee feels like you just poured it down the drain.

The first thing you pull out of the closet to wear to work are a new pair of pajamas.

A pile of cat puke at the opposite end of the bed from where you sleep is not a deterrant to going to bed.

These are the only things you can come up with.

Alcohol free hangover

I learned this morning how one can feel hung over without a single drink of alcohol.

Work a 12 hour day. I don't mean a day where you're sitting at a desk all day. A day where you're running between two labs, and shuffling between duties of two lab procedures.

It didn't help that I'm still having troubles with my celiac. My feet started cramping something fierce when I got home. To a generic person, my foot looks like it's writhering away. It's because the way it cramps, it pulls the muscles in towards the center of my foot.

Which means that the feet are just the beginning. Anytime I moved my legs during the night, I got the cramps in the lower legs. Which wakes me up until it subsides. Go back to sleep, roll over, cramp, repeat.

Perhaps this will be the motivation I need to get some iron for my legs.

Woke up at 5:05AM. A bit too early for today. So I go back to sleep and have a weird and bad dream. The jist of the dream was that I was coming to boyfriend's place after being out of town (I was arriving early). As I walk in the door, a brunette runs out wearing a sheet. So I get pissed that boyfriend's cheating on me. It's boyfriend's place, but the guy doesn't look like my boyfriend. Then I start asking questions about where he had been doing her, and he starts coming on to me. I get further mad, then wake up.

I hate dreams like that. I wish boyfriend would drop me a note letting me know how things are going. For all I know, he doesn't have internet in the hotel he's staying at, or just too tired to drop me a note. I haven't heard from him since he got there.

At least my mom was thoughtful enough to call last night to make sure I wasn't brooding too much. "Not today, I'm just trying to stay awake."

Nothing like catching up on paperwork to help.....*lol*