Reasons I Smile

Today on my way home from work I was thinking about the little things in life that I love.  I thought that I’d share some of that here.

• When Dixie stands behind me on the couch purring and kneading my shoulders.

• Driving with the windows down and radio up.

 

• Celebrity Jeopardy! because I can play along and do really well.

• Customers who chat with me while I ring them up rather than talk on their cell phone.

 

• Snail mail.  (As long as it’s not a bill!)

• My favorite song coming on just as I’m getting in my car to drive somewhere.

 

• Farmer’s markets and all the great produce I come home with.

• Cooking something for the first time and it tasting amazing.  (French toast last night)

 

• Free samples.

 

• Getting lost into a good book.

•   Movie previews.  I saw one today for You Again that looks promising.

Here’s hoping you found a little something to smile about today.

Loves.

Reaping the Rewards

I have some exciting news!  This morning I received a response to a request that I made which included a turning in of an application.  Got you interested?  Good.

I applied for and was accepted into Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology!  I will be inducted (as well as my friend Dina) on Friday, May 21st at a dinner and after that will be a lifetime member.

 

 

That’s wonderful, but what all does this mean?

• A record of my membership is maintained at the Psi Chi Central Office and can be used for reference purposes
• I receive a certificate and membership card
• I can graduate wearing the Psi Chi honor cord
• Copies of Eye on Psi Chi, Psi Chi’s magazine
• Eligibility to present research papers/posters at annual and regional conventions
• Opportunity to participate in Psi Chi’s undergraduate and graduate research award and grant programs
• Opportunity to submit my research for publication in the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research
• My name published on the Psi Chi website as record of my membership

So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go do a happy dance now.  And when I’m done dancing, work on my homework to keep my grades high.

Loves.

Forget Controlling My Destiny, I Want To Control My Universe

Occasionally I wish that I had a universal remote.  You know, a real universal remote like in that Adam Sandler movie Click.  Only I would be responsible with my new found power.  I’d just use it for important things.  For example, pausing time so that I can sleep in.  Or doing a quick rewind to catch information that I missed.  And I wouldn’t fast forward through homework, I’d pause time so that I would have even more free time when I finished!  I think the only time I’d fast forward through school would be my health psychology class because it’s so slow and boring!  We could do in half an hour what’s done in two hours in this class.

Sometimes when I have too much homework or too little sleep I imagine how wonderful it’d be to have the power over time.  That’d definitely be my superhero power if I could pick.  Though flying would be a close second.  I think that’d be fun, though slightly impractical if I needed to take anything with me.  Ugh, flying home for the weekend with pillow under one arm and suitcase in my other?  No thank you.  But that’s ok, I enjoy a good drive with fun music blaring.

Loves.

Oh No They Say He’s Got To Go, Go, Go Godzilla

I think that spring is my new favorite season.  I used to love summer but since I’ve moved to the gateway to hell I’ve changed my mind.  Spring is green and warm (but not crazy hot) and just as good as a Santa Barbara summer.

After a few weird weather days (clouds, wind, night rain) the weather has gotten warmer and this week two moths have made their way into the apartment.  I’m expecting many more this spring and summer, something I’m not terribly excited about, but they’re not hard to take care of.  In fact, it’s really easy now.

Godzilla watch your giant scaly back, Dixie, make that Dixilla, is on the case.  Mothra and Mothra Jr. went down!

The first moth was flying around the living room which made the capture quite the challenge for Dixie though she didn’t let that deter her from jumping over the couch in one giant running leap while tracking it.  After a while we lost it when it tried to fly through my head and I showed of my cat-like reflexes by quickly ducking.

A few hours later I found it hiding in the bathroom so I called Dixie over and closed us in.  I had the flyswatter but Dixie had so much fun hunting the moth earlier that I though I’d let her try to catch it.  Turns out that for having been a “fuller” cat she’s really agile!  (She’s lost weight since I’ve taken her in, probably because I don’t allow her to eat off my plate, and is now 12 pounds.)  This cat can jump and move super fast.  There was a point where she was standing on the edge of the sink when the moth tried to fly over her.  She leapt into the air, clapped the moth between her front two paws, then when she came down to land her one foot missed the edge of the sink so she released Mothra to spot her landing with her front feet.  I was totally expecting her to fall but very impressed by the catch even if she didn’t land.  She did catch and play with the moth a bit before I removed it.  I wish that I’d had my camera to try to catch some video, maybe next time.

Then last night I heard Dixie scratching about and moving stuff so I got up to investigate.  She had found another (slightly smaller) moth, Mothra Jr.  This one was less exciting, it either couldn’t or wouldn’t fly so it was trying to walk away and hide.  It was dead shortly after I realized what Dixie was up to behind my VCR (yes, I still have one!) so he got to join his buddy from two nights earlier.  Hopefully this won’t become a very regular event, not that Dixie would mind.  Ha!

Loves.

Getting Antsy For That Cap and Gown

Great news!  Today I met with my academic advisor to discuss my progress and my picks for classes for Fall quarter and she told me that I’m basically 20 units away from graduation!  Woo-hoo!!

Basically I need to take 10 units in my major and 10 units in my minor (sociology) to earn my bachelors degree in psychology.  I don’t even need to worry about taking any electives or filler unit classes since I’ve got tons of units under my belt already.  I’ve been a senior (according to the amount of units I’ve completed) for quite a while now.  In fact, last quarter I had 180 units, that’s the minimum required to graduate!  That’s the nice thing about taking about 4 years to get your associates degree, you can fly through your next degree.

Other benefits to a long community college career?  1) Getting to take a large variety of classes for relatively cheap.  Astronomy?  Check.  Black and White Photography?  Check.  Modern American Literature?  Check.  American Film?  Check.  Marine Biology?  Check.  Cardio Kickboxing?  Check!  2) Figuring out what the heck you actually want to major in before you get into the “big leagues”. Hmm…after writing all those papers maybe I don’t want to be an English major after all…I just want to read it, not pick it to pieces!  3) More graduation ceremonies!  And who doesn’t love celebratory dinners?  I love celebratory dinners so much that after this one I am planning on yet another one in another 2-3 years.  Not sure what city that dinner will be held in yet but I’ll let you know.

Loves.

I Love Large Towels

Since it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted, I have decided to come back with a fun story.  It was one of those events that immediately registered as a good story, once I recovered from the adrenaline rush that is.

It was kind of cold a couple of weeks ago and, as everyone knows, the best way to warm yourself up is by taking a nice hot shower.  One night I forgot to turn on the fan while I showered and I can’t leave the door cracked because Dixie will pull it wide open and let all the cold air in.  So when I stepped out of the shower I flipped on the fan and cracked the door since Dixie was meowing and I didn’t want to lock her out of her bathroom if she was needing it.

Now I’m sure that you can see where this is going…Since I’d taken a hot shower and hadn’t been aiding the resulting stream from escaping it all came billowing out as soon as I opened the door.  The steam then immediately hit the smoke detector in the hallway and my bedroom causing them to go off.  I have a clock radio in the bathroom so sometimes I listen to (and sing along with) it while I shower.  I’d been listening to the music that evening so wasn’t sure if the alarm had been going off before I opened the door or only since I opened it.

So here I am, wearing only my towel trying to figure out if I need to be evacuating the building.  And not only if I need to evacuate, but if I’d have time to get dressed and how I was going to get Dixie out with me.  I didn’t have a cat carrier at that point (don’t worry, I have one now) so I was not only concerned with getting her outside but also with not getting impaled by claws in the process.

As I’m sure you’ve figured out, the smoke alarms were triggered by the steam from my shower, there was no smoke and no need for me to run into the parking lot wearing only a towel (and hopefully flip-flops) with a scared cat clutched to my chest.  Yeah, that’d have turned out well.  Though that would have made a really good story.

Loves.

Recycling and Reusing

Earlier today Dixie was sticking her head into my practically full bag of paper recycles and pulling layers out...well she decided to do it again later tonight after I had just made sure it was full so I could take it over to the recycling dumpsters tomorrow. Totally my fault for leaving it laying on it's side, I know. After this second effort to empty the bag I thought that maybe she wanted to play in the bag or just hang out in it, after all she loves her cardboard box from Amazon. So I grabbed a fresh bag and propped it open for her (laying on it's side of course) and what do you know, she immediately goes over and sticks her face in it. About 3 seconds later this is what I see...



And here's the Amazon box I mentioned:
(Sorry, image issue, will fix soonish)

Oh, and have I mentioned her shoebox?



Yeah, my cat's all about the high-tech toys. Well that is if they come in a good box or bag.
Loves.