Oh. MY. GOD!!!!!

Badass Rose with her gun!
Badass Martha with her teleporter thingy!
Badass Jack just being Jack!
Badass Ianto getting mad at Jack for flirting with soldier guy!
Badass Sarah Jane! I have got to start watching the Sarah Jane Adventures!
Badass Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister and how did she get to know so much about networks!?!
Still not a fan of Gwen, though.
And, oh poor Rose!

And OH MY GOOODDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What happens next!!!!????!!!

Ahh, the week of the computers breaking down and people being on vacation. I have gotten nothing done! Ok, that's not true. I finished the file I was working on. And got a bunch of other small things done. Finished up some of the backlog cataloging, finished cleaning the bits of the museum I missed last week, rearranged much of the back store room because we have an installation due, made paper covers for some books (of which there are a ton more) before packing them away for storage, ad so on and so forth. But this is the first week since I've been here that I haven't felt a real sense of accomplishment, so I still feel pretty disappointed. Also, one computer for three people who all need to use it seriously sucks. I've been taking breaks during work so I can stay late and actually get stuff done. Sigh.

I finally figured out why I keep craving Cuban food, which I rarely do! The only other time I have stayed in a house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees was in Niquero, Cuba where I obviously ate a lot of Cuban food. Yay, mystery solved!

I really, really hate the rain. Just before I got off of work today it started pouring. As in it was coming down hard enough that it was denting things. As I walked to the main office to shred some duplicate financial papers at about a quarter after three it had just started to sprinkle after a beautiful, sunny, if very humid, day. I had just finished up shredding about five minutes later and was walking out to go to the next building so I could close everything up and go home when I opened the door and realized that it was coming down in buckets. And that all of my things, including my rain jacket (but not my umbrella because it was a beautiful day, remember?) were still in the other building. And I was not about to go through that just to get them. So I waited about ten minutes for the rain to stop and when it didn't I called my boss and asked her if she would bring my things out to me. Which she was kind enough to do. And then I braved the walk home.

It's about a half a mile from where I work to where I live. No big deal usually. This was not usual. I was completely soaked within about thirty seconds, my shoes squelching with every step. By a minute after that my glasses were so wet that I couldn't see through them. And without them I can't see more than about eighteen inches past my nose. This was a bit of a problem as the road (lets be honest-trail) that I use to get home is uneven, rocky, and generally very dusty. Today though, I was spared the dust. No, I got mud and multitudinous fast moving small rivers all over the path. And I couldn't see them. I could barely see where I was going. I kept switching from glasses to no glasses and the things that were there both times I figured were probably real. But that only let me know what was a couple feet in front of me. I'm just glad that no one else was on the road and I didn't crash into anyone. At any rate, I finally got home, soaked to the skin, freezing, and I ran up the stairs, kicked off my shoes and dumped my bag and jacket on the porch where they would hopefully shed some water before I took them inside, ran to my room, striped, wrapped myself in a towel and threw my clothes into the dryer. Then I went to go see how much of the stuff I left outside could be salvaged.

I was too wet to contemplate putting on something other than the towel and I live in the middle of nowhere, so I didn't bother getting dressed before I went outside. We also have automatically locking doors. So I used my foot to keep the door open as I looked outside. And then my foot slipped leaving me locked outside in a towel in the poring rain. Now I have two roommates and both of their cars were here. That doesn't mean much in one case as she walks to work, but the other one drives, so I knew that she was home. So I knocked. And I knocked. And I knocked. And I shouted. And I banged my head against the door. Which didn't really make much noise, but made me feel slightly better. And then I sat down in my towel, back against the door, feet propping the screen door open and started going through my things. My work notes were probably salvageable, my bank statement that I had been using as a bookmark was mush, but my book was only wet around the edges. So I leaned back, opened the book up and started to read. And every time I heard the slightest noise I started banging on the door again, but no luck. Which meant that my roommate who had to be home was in her room by the back porch either sleeping or with headphones on. And I could get to the back porch no problem-if I was willing to walk around the house barefoot, in only a towel, over slippery stairs and rocks I couldn't see in the pouring rain. So I sat. And I waited. And finally, about an hour later, the rain let up to a light sprinkle. So I put down my book, grabbed my still wet jacket to put on over my towel since you never know when a random tourist will show up around here and ran around back. I pounded on the door and then her window until she finally woke up, searched for her keys, and let me in.

So, once again, back in my room with the stripping, this time putting on real clothes and wrapping my hair in a towel. Then into the kitchen where I did what I had been dreaming about for the last hour. I pulled out the cookie dough I bought the last time I was at Ingels, found something that vaguely resembled a cookie sheet (it's almost flat and can go in the oven, pretty much as good as it gets) and made myself fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Cuz that makes any day better. And if the first batch were a little underdone because I was impatient and the rest a little overdone because I was writing this up and I'm using a bread knife as a spatula, who cares! I have cookies. And my package came today so I also have books! And rain shoes! Ok, they are four inch vinyl ankle boots, but they keep the water out and as long as I can see what I'm doing I can walk in them. Which is kinda problematic as I just discovered that when it really rains here (oh-it also hailed a bit-in JULY!!!!!) I can't see. So I have no idea how I'm gonna work it. But I have cookies and books, so it'll all work out in the end.

One of my best friends moved to West Virgina a couple of years ago with her husband so they could buy a house and have a kid. They're still out here and since I was so close, comparatively speaking, we figured that this three day weekend would be a good chance to spend some time together again. So her poor husband drove a little over six hours to pick me up on Thursday, waited an hour for me to get off of work, and then drove me the seven hours back (the weather got kinda bad). I couldn't even spell him driving because the car had a stick shift which I still haven't gotten around to learning to drive. Fortunately, we had enough to talk about during the drive. Between violent sports, violent games, violent movies, violent books, violent comics, general violence, and his wife/my best friend we made it pretty easily until the last hour. And looking at that list I am suddenly seriously disturbed.

At any rate, we got to their place late Thursday night, collapsed on the floor too exhausted to make it to the couch and then dragged ourselves to the kitchen because Twix had cooked for us, sweetie that she is. And then we all fell into bed cuz it was a very long day.

Friday morning I woke up to beautiful Internet and my honorary nephew playing outside my door. So we played. I love that kid. He has gotten absolutely huge! He's wearing 18 month and 2T clothing at 7 months! And he's standing almost by himself! At any rate, he was cute, I was an adoring aunt and it was a good morning. And we spent the afternoon having a movie marathon with as much American junk food as possible in honor of Independence Day. And set off a few fireworks that we woke the baby for, but it started raining so we left the rest for Saturday.

Saturday dawned and I slept through it to wake once again to the beauty of the Internet and the combine cuteness and loudness of my nephew. After a lazy (for me) morning of playing with him all four of us trekked out to Ohio for outlet mall shopping where I spent to much money and bought a present for someone who might be reading this. In fact, they'd better be! :) Wandered on home again, put the baby to bed, watched more movies and set off the rest of the fireworks.

I continued my trend of sleeping on Sunday and woke up in time for just a little auntie/nephew fun before it was time to get going. We planned on making a quick stop at a bookstore in Charleston, which, really we should have known better. Neither of us can do a quick stop in any bookstore ever. At any rate, we got out of Charleston a little over an hour later after I'd spent over a hundred dollars on comic books and yarn. It turned out that the bookstore was next to a Michaels. And I have been pretty darn bored.

At any rate, we got out and I took over driving for the next five or so hours until we got me home. Where I promptly couldn't find the right turn into the park and it took us fifteen minutes and at least three wrong turns before I found it. Yay! So I'm home, and despite having a lazy relaxed weekend I'm tired for some reason, but still to wired to go to sleep. So I'm writing all of this up and hopefully sleep will come now.

A combination of sick days and holidays made this the shortest week ever.

Monday-I took over opening the Museum House for my supervisor on vacation with a sore back and the resulting bad mood. Also, I was completely unable to vacuum the stairs. Go to the preservation center office to work on my new cataloging file and can't function from the pain. My boss takes me to the drugstore to pick up painkillers, heating pads, etc. Go back. Weed some more of the file. Go home and collapse in a heap.

Tuesday-I woke up and immediately had to hold back tears I was in so much pain. Called in sick and then tried to lay perfectilly still except when I go to take more pills or heat up the hot pad.

Wednesday-Still can't move without wanting to scream so I call in again. Manage to take a long bath and by the afternoon can actually sit up and do some stuff-Yay!

Thursday-Make it into work, but completely unable to open the House, so my supervisor had to do it for me. On the other hand, I finished weeding and organizing and started cataloging my file, so at least I got something done!

Friday-HOLIDAY!

I hate being wet and I hate being cold, but for some reason I really love the sound and smell of rain. Not if I'm out in it, mind you. Then all you'll get from me is whining. And not really in the city because that's just inconvenient.

But listening to a thunderstorm when I'm inside, curled up in front of a fire reading a book, during tea or hot chocolate and with the sound of soft jazz or classical music not quite drowning out the rain is one of my favorite things. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that some of my best (and only good) childhood memories of my father involve doing just that.

And sitting outside but undercover during a soft summer rain, watching trees rustle, smelling damp dirt, and listening to the pitter patter of the water falling (again preferably with the accompaniment of soft jazz) is one of the most wonderfully soothing and beautiful things that I have ever experienced. Which explains why I am currently sitting crossed legged on my back porch, killing my back, surrounded by tall trees, green grass, cobblestone paths, and one extremely loud and annoying bird to watch the rain.

I mostly sit at this computer to complain or talk about work, but this right here is an amazing perk of being stuck in the middle of nowhere. This makes it worth it for me. This beauty, this peacefulness, this feeling of oneness with nature reminds me that I don't really hate the great outdoors. I may be a city girl at heart, but I can see why so many people are happy with this life. It truly is exquisite.

or at lease one definition is repeating the same actions over and over again while expecting different results. And under that definition I am completely certifiable, at least as far as my health is concerned. Something in my body goes wrong and I just keep going, expecting it to get better. And no matter how many times I have tried this it never works. And yet I keep expecting it to.

In this case it's my lower back. I tweaked it while I was moving three weeks ago and other than taking some painkillers and applying heat when it gets really bad (as in when I stop being able to move) I have been ignoring it and continuing with my normal activities. This is how I ended up with arthritis in my knee at the ripe old age of 18.

Well, I'm finally learning. Either that or the pain just got too bad. At any rate, I realized yesterday that I needed to do something about this, so I called doctor dad for advice. And after yelling at me for a while (apparently running with a bad back is Not A Good Thing) he informed me that I haven't let my stupidity and stubbornness do irreparable damage this time and that painkillers, muscle relaxants, heat, and taking it easy should eventually make me better.

So I finally got around to telling my boss that I can't do any lifting or bending and she drove me to CVS so I could pick up supplies. I got a reusable heating pad to use at home and a couple of boxes of the disposable ones that you can wear under your clothes as well as several different types of pills. Apparently you can combine them for greater effect. Who knew? To be honest, I think that she was just grateful that I was finally admitting to the problems that have been making me wince and hold my back every time I move. We have a volunteer in his seventies coming in tomorrow who can move better than I can at this point.

So my getting back into the habit of jogging plan is shot and it's probably a good thing that I haven't been able to get a bike yet as that will likely be just as bad. And I'm debating stealing one of the maintenance interns to do my bending and lifting and vacuuming stairs for me for the next few days. We'll see how it goes.

The curator came back this week so I got to start working on the backlog cataloging and archiving. The files I was working on were not particularly exciting as they were the park records for the past couple of years, but I had a lot of fun working on them. Which basically proves what we have all known for years-I'm weird. I got to do some organizing, but mostly I went through the files, almost two thousand pages worth, counted each page, and input each file and in some cases each page into the database. Basically, I got half a masters degree to go back to doing data entry. It's just data entry that I happen to like.

Sadly, it took me all week to get through this one set of fairly simple files. I don't feel two bad though, because there were some extenuating circumstances. There are three of us, not counting any volunteers, and only two computers, which cut into my work a lot. There were also other things that we had to do. For example, we put two of the historic vehicles up on jacks to remove the strain on the wheels which were starting to disintegrate and the guy I was working under last week was going on vacation so I followed him around some more so that I could take over his tasks. And on Friday, I did and will continue for all of next week. I opened and cleaned the house museum in the morning and worked on IPMs in the afternoon. I also started work on a new way of supporting a couple of pictures on display in one of the rooms as they have a tendency to fall over. We tested the light and UV levels anywhere where there was historic materials and collected the data from monitoring systems all over. And my boss's boss gave me a project. He wants me to work on researching how our library works and how to change it so that it works the way he wants it to. And possibly completely redo it. Which is fun *sarcasm* as the library is currently under a different department. On the plus side I can't do anything about that until I can talk to the volunteer who deals with it in a week and a half, so I'm mostly free of that project until then. Oh, and of course there was the five hour meeting with said boss's boss and his boss on Thursday which more or less ruined any desire on my part to permanently work for the Park Service. So I don't feel to bad about taking a while to get things done. Everyone else is impressed by my efficiency, in fact.

And now for the question that I am sure that you are all burning to ask-what exactly are IPMs? Integrated Pest Management. Which are sticky bug traps set all over the house museum and the preservation center where the archives are. My job is to go and look at each one, see if there are any bugs in it and if there are to replace the trap, note down the number and type and if they are particularly dangerous to the collection, and then seal up the old ones and throw them away. I got two floors of the three story house done on Friday. Which is harder and more time consuming than it sounds because there are tours every half hour. So I was constantly trapped in one room with a tour in between me and the office room in the museum where I could note things down and throw the traps away. Which means I was standing with hands full of bug traps full of spiders and roaches and bees that were still alive in some cases, holding them as far away from myself as I could and peeking every few minutes to see if it was safe for me to run into the room to throw the blasted things away so that I wouldn't have to be *touching* them anymore. And of course I kept getting caught by tourists who were very confused by me in my jeans and superhero T-shirt and socked feet (you can't wear shoes on a historic carpet and I kept having to go over them to get to the traps so it was easier to just leave the shoes off) and my hands full of bugs that I was making disgusted faces at and they were clearly wondering if they should report me as a possible thief. I don't know if I'm relieved or worried that none of them did. At any rate, I got twenty traps and two floors done in about two and a half hours and have ever since been convinced that every tickle, every imagined touch is some bug on me. Which really sucks in a southern summer when there actually are bugs everywhere. I was writing this outside where I could enjoy the night but I had to come inside after the fifth or sixth scare. Which turned out to be real. When I got back inside I found a seriously big bug on my shoulder, freaked, stripped while trying not to scream 'get it off me!' and wake my roommates, then had to find it and take it back outside because it was perfectly harmless. Which still freaked me out. The saddest part is that I'm usually ok with bugs but I guess that I just got so overdosed that I couldn't handle it. Fortunately we only do IPMs once a month so I will hopefully be gone by the time they come around again.

For next week I have a new cataloging project that is much bigger than the last one and involves weeding so will probably take me at least two weeks if things go well, opening and cleaning the house each day, finishing the IPMs and picture supports, and adding UV filters to some of the lights, so it should be a pretty full week. Plus, of course, all of the other things that will inevitably come up. I'm looking forward to it.

One of the most difficult things for me in moving away from my friends, my family, and my cats is the sudden lack of physical affection. I'm a very huggy, touchy, physically affectionate type of person. My usual greeting is to give a hug. Except in some cases where it is a hug and a kiss. If I am in a group of friends I will often find someone to snuggle up against. And if all else fails, my cats know to come up and cuddle me until I feel better. (Yes, even the psychotic antisocial one!) So I generally don't have to go for more than a couple of hours without some sort of hug or cuddle or whatever.

It's been two weeks. Two weeks since I've been hugged or given a hug to anyone other than a goat. Because of my lack of transportation, all of the people that I am meeting are people that I work with and that's really not appropriate. Especially when none of them are especially touchy feely people. So I pet the resident cat, Tiger, whenever he will let me (although I haven't seen him for a few days, which is starting to worry me), and I pet the goats who sometimes think that getting pet is more interesting than grazing and sometimes don't, but almost never cuddle back. I'm awfully glad that I brought a stuffed animal with me so that I have something to hug.

But I'm starting to have some definite withdrawal symptoms to add to the general stir-craziness that I have been getting from having no way of getting out of this beautiful wilderness. I was about to try to hug a coworker today whose personal bubble is about six feet wide before I realized what a bad idea that was. Now I can't sleep because I'm too distracted imagining myself as part of a great big cuddle-pile of friends.

But I am determined to go out this weekend to deal with the stir-craziness so here's hopinin' that I meet a wonderful, huggy, new group of friends. And that now that I've written this down I can get to sleep. I have to be at work in less than eight hours.

In the last three working days I have learned-
how to properly dust historic things
how to vacuum carpet runners in a historic house
to always bring a covered cup if you are riding in the golf cart thingies
that I hate tourists (that was more of a confirmation, though)
that almost all museum employees hate tourists
how to wax a historic jeep
how to clean and wax wooden railings the conservationist way
that anything is better if HEPA makes it
that pig mats are extremely useful
what cleaning materials are conservationist friendly
how to handle old books
how to remove Plexiglas in front of bookcases
that if you are going to support terrorist organizations they would really prefer that you don't do it from a government computer (in my computer training readings)
and large amounts of plant, animal, insect, and geographic information that I am never going to remember-except, hopefully, which ones are the poison ivy, oak, etc. and what to do if a bear shows up, but I'm not even bothering to try and remember which snakes are dangerous and which aren't. I'm just doing my best to stay away from them all.

I watched and was instructed in but did not get to try-
repairing/conserving book jackets
making mylar book jackets
making tuxedo/four flap book boxes
helping with the goats (not that I really want to-I'm ok with just petting them)
driving the golf cart thingies (I'm supposed to learn that next week-dreaded stick shift)
and checking fire extinguishers (yay! my supervisor had to deal with the spiders instead of me!)

Things that I got to teach my immediate supervisor-
how to fold bankers boxes-thank you Caz

Overall, a pretty normal mix of boring and interesting. Mostly because we were so backed up that there was a ton of other stuff we had to do the first two days before we could get to the interesting stuff today. Which was waxing the banisters (more fun than it sounds) and dealing with the books (exactly as much fun as it sounds, unless you aren't a bibliophile, in which case, why do I know you?)

Of my two immediate supervisors, the one who is a curator wasn't here this week, so I haven't done anything for her yet. So all of that should start happening next week. So far I have been working under the museum technician who does, well, everything listed above!

So not the most fascinating summery ever, but enough of you made me promise to tell you what I'm doing that I'm just going to do it here. More updates soon. I hope.

Tonight for dinner I had a salad of lettuce picked fresh from the museum garden and goat cheese made by one of the women who works here part time and seasoned with white balsamic and truffle salt and bread I bought still warm at the farmers market on Thursday. I am feeling wonderfully healthy as well as incredibly decadent.

I love Arthur C Clark. I love how he sucks me in to his books until I forget that the rest of the world exists and I can read for hours without ever realizing it. So I have kind of high standards for his books.

Coming from that place, this book was a disappointment. It was interesting and full of the usual Clark bits of character and world building. But it just didn't have that sense of can't put it down that I get from his other books. Probably because it was one of his first.

The story is pretty tight, although the foreshadowing is impressively heavy. The story follows Martin Gibson, science fiction writer, as he travels as the first tourist from Earth to Mars to write home about how the Mars colony is doing. I kept expecting big action from this book, but there wasn't any. Some suspense was involved, but mostly it was a low key account of what he finds and how he is changed by his experiences both in space and on Mars.

Of course, it was written in the 1940's so from the book itself you would never realize that there were people who weren't white, straight, and able bodied or that women are capable of doing things other than administrative work and being girlfriends/wives, but that was more or less to be expected.

Overall it was a good travel book as it was interesting, but I have no problems with leaving it behind.

Almost half of the nation's reported burglaries occur in the South: 45 percent, as opposed to the Northeast's 11, the Midwest's 20 and the West's 24.

Do you know what I should totally not do less than a week before I leave the state while I'm still looking for homes for my 2 cats? I should totally not pick up yet another stray that I saw on the side of the road and take him/her home with me. And yet that is what I did not ten minutes ago.

I saw this orange kitten trembling by the side of the road, about 6 weeks old, dirty, starved, and clearly terrified and I just pulled over, coaxed the kitten out from underneath a car and walked the two and a half blocks home cuddling him/her.

And now said kitten has had a bath, eaten, and is hiding from the other two terrors and I am wondering what the heck I'm supposed to do now? Because really, picking up random strays was so not part of the plan right now. But what else could I do? I couldn't just leave it there to starve. Sigh.

Got the results for the latest set of tests-all are negative. It is now time to look into alien body snatching and demon possession. Let me know if anyone knows any specialists for either one.

Ok, so the game is pictures of all my shoe possibilities below the cut. Choose five in the comments which will probably be the ones I take with me.

( Let the games begin. )

Went to the doctor again on Tuesday where I got more prescriptions, they took a couple vials of blood which they are now testing for auto-immune disease, mono, and thyroid issues. Should hear back by tomorrow. As usual I'll let you know when I know.

that someone left in a comment ages ago and I just now saw and am stealing. Thank you anonymous!

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
-- Elbert Hubbard

In some ways I am very good at packing light. I have my jewelry, hair stuff, make-up, toiletries, et all down to a rather small traveling case and I don't think that I will be having much of a problem keeping my clothes down to a reasonable amount.

In other ways I am incredibly bad at it. For example, my suitcase is already well over half filled with books and I have another dozen or so that I'm trying to convince myself I don't need. I am not having much success, but I figure that I haven't actually put them in the suitcase yet, so I'm doing ok. And then there is the yarn. I can't seem to leave behind any of it.

For the first time in a year I'm going to have actual free time and so I feel a distinct need to bring books and yarn to fill it. But at least that has an excuse. The last thing that I can't seem to cut down has absolutely no excuse. I have already put in storage about two thirds of my shoes, but that leaves me with thirteen pairs to choose from. And even I know that thirteen is way too many. Especially since most of them are stilettos and I'm going to be living in the country and walking around, probably on grass, an average of several miles a day. Which I can actually do pretty easily, but still. Thirteen. Sigh.

So I'm thinking of posting pictures of them all here and letting you vote them out of my suitcase and then I will completely ignore what you say, much like reality TV. What do you say, you all game?