Today, PB and I decided to go for a walk. Where? At one of the many battlefields around Richmond. (There was a big war with a lot of battles fought near here. You may have heard of it). Richmond National Battlefield Park has 13 different sites; until this point I had visited 3 of them.

Now I've been to 4. We went out to Malvern Hill, which was where the last battle of the Seven Days' Battles were fought. And we took a leisurely 1.5 mile walk around the battlefield.

While listening to the podcast.

And we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Saturday, I was wearing my "Huge Tracts of Land" t-shirt. (It was a gift from PB. Also, funny.) Anyway, I was at Total Wine, tasting some wine, when the woman next to me struck up a conversation.

Her: Huge tracts of land? Are you in real estate.
Me: No. It's a Monty Python reference.
Her husband: Shakes head, walks away.

Background: I was granted m VA PE license on Monday.

Last night, after getting back from dinner at a friends' house, PB presented me with this:

WG: Is it for Monkey?
PB: No, it's for you.
WG: silence, confused stare
WG: OK. I'm baffled.
PB: Well, I guess we'll have to take your new engineering license away.

Yes, I did feel like a complete and utter moron.

The train shall be taken out of the box and given a place of prominence on my new desk. You know, once I get around to actually moving.

Last Friday PB and I headed up to NJ for Bud’s wedding. We got to drive the path of the Nor’easter, which was awesome.

OK, it really wasn’t that bad. But, I’m not a huge fan of driving through rain. Especially in the dark. Which is why PB drove the dark part.

We did not make the rehearsal (that was not unexpected, but I had assured Bud that I would still be able to read the next day- I couldn’t think of a reason I would wake up illiterate.) but we did make the rehearsal dinner. Food, wine, chocolate dessert. And making PB answer questions about renovating Peg’s bathroom.

We drove up to the hotel and checked in and apparently watched some Seinfeld (this will be important later), although what I remember watching is History Channel.

Saturday, we woke up, headed out to a diner. (NJ natives miss real diners.) (PB grew up in the town next to the one I grew up in.) (Am going for a record with the parentheticals.) Then we went shoe shopping because he’d determined that I needed a pair of flats to wear. In case the heels got too uncomfortable.*

We got dressed and headed over to the church where I checked out where I’d be speaking. Also, I put on the corsage. On my left hand. Which already had a bracelet on it. Thus endeth the story of how PB ended up holding my coat, my purse, and a silver bracelet.

The ceremony was lovely. Monkey was the ring bearer and did a fantastically adorable job. My reading went well, first according to the English speakers, but then the Spanish agreed. (I did a Spanish reading. A poem about “El verdadero amor.” True love. My brother would not let me switch to The Princess Bride speech.)

After resting up for a while in the hotel we headed out to the reception. I have never had more food at a wedding. I had to check with my mom; the cocktail hour spread was enough that I wasn’t sure there would be a dinner. Which, would have totally been ok.

Hey, guess what? My brother sat all the cousins together. It was a kids’ table!

Anyway, fun! Dancing! Food! Fondue!

Headed back to the hotel on the free shuttle bus.

The next morning, Bud called. “Hey, are you guys going down to breakfast anytime soon?” No. Because we a.) did not pay for breakfasts at the hotel and b.) are still in our pajamas and watching Mythbusters.

(Clearly we know how to party.)

Anyway, we eventually got ready to leave and went and saw Bud and the SIL (who needs a nickname.**) and gave them their gift, because hey, why bring that to the reception? You know, if you are a forgetful moron.

We then headed in search of bagels. For lo, the bagels in VA, they are not so good. We had bagel/bagel sandwiches for breakfast and then bought some to go home. As PB was waiting to pay, he made some reference I did not get.

WG: What?
PB: It’s from Seinfeld.
WG: I don’t remember that. Oh! But I saw the Soup Nazi episode the other day.
PB: I know. I watched it with you.
WG: Really?
PB: Yes, that was me.
WG: I have trouble keeping the men in my life straight.

*Heels were fine. Slight cuts on my big toes at the end of the night. As Apple put it, “If you don’t have big gaping wounds at the end of the night, the shoes are not a problem.”

** Possible choices: The Beerwench, for she and Bud home brew, La Cubana because of how well, Cuban, or just The SIL, which boring. Thoughts? Other suggestions?

(Oh, and I took no pictures. TRgirl, Randy, PB, they all have pictures. I’ll post some as I get ‘em.)

Yesterday I was on the phone with a colleague from another offices; she needed me to do some spreadsheet analysis for her. I heard her say, "I've sorted the data by monotreme**." My first thought? "That's not a good system. There are only, what, two monotremes***?"

Actual first though should probably been more along the lines of, "What do monotremes have to do with sewers?"

*Probably you did not
**She was saying "Monitoring ID."
***Well, it turns out there are two families of monotremes, and while there is only one species of platypus, there are several species of echidnas.

This past weekend (yes, I know it’s Thursday. Am very busy and important.) PB and I went to see Carbon Leaf Great Big Sea at Wolftrap (www.Wolftrap.org). Apple and EvilWatergirl* (EW from now on) joined us. The concert was fantastic. It did pour, and PB wanted to upgrade to covered seating (we were on the lawn) but was overruled. Or told he could upgrade his ticket but we were staying. The worst rain was after the show when everyone was walking to their cars, so he’d have gotten soaked anyway.

The next day we (PB and I. Apple and EW did not join us.) went and visited the Udvar-Hazy Center (real name much longer). It was fascinating. Really good displays and lots of crazy flying contraptions. Seriously, there was a lawn chair attached to a rotor. I prefer my helicopters to have, oh, sides, a front, a floor, you know…

When we were walking downstairs to the main floor, I almost opened the fire exit. You know, rather than turn right and keep walking towards the staircase exit that lead to the museum. My excuse is that I was talking and not reading. But still, had the potential to be the most embarrassing thing ever. PB might have left me there.

In other news that was not at all this weekend, I have a new bookclub. It’s like my old bookclub, but with fewer married moms. Which means we won’t have long discussions about kids**. Also, they had had issues with how My Sister’s Keeper*** ended, so bonus.

*Not actually Evil. She had moved to Chicago right about the time that I moved to Richmond, so the joke was that I joined the group as her replacement. She is back, but it has been determined that a.) I can stay in the group and b.) we are not arch enemies.

**I like kids. I just don’t want to spend my bookclub time talking about them. Or hearing your stories of when you were in labor with them (actually happened.) Also, so not a discussion I can participate in.

***I hate the ending of that book.

Hey? Guess what? I’m going to Austin tomorrow today.

Yes, I realized at 4PM that I was supposed to be on a flight at 6:15 PM. I thought my trip was Tuesday-Thursday. Turns out is actually Monday-Wednesday.

At 4PM was still at work.

By 4:35 PM was packed and on my way to the airport. Only to get there and find out that our flight had been delayed for 2 (currently 3) hours.

(If this is not in fact evidence that I am perhaps a bit stressed, I’m not sure what is.)

Yesterday I walked into the office kitchen to put my mug in the dishwasher. My boss walked in behind me with a fork and a mug. He put the fork in the sink and got some coffee. He then went to leave the room.

WG: Are you just going to leave that fork there?
Boss: Are you the oldest?

(Note: he did put it in the dishwasher.)

Last night, I had a dream about work. I was marking up a map to show to a client, and I was supposed to mark a copy, not my original.

I woke myself up when I said, aloud, "Oh no! I wrote on my map!"

This weekend, the only day of note was Saturday. I went for a ride out at Pocahontas State Park . This would be a fine example of biting off more than one can chew. There were a lot of hills. Major hills. Also, the trail is not well marked so I got lost a few times. And, it turns out that there is some sort of problem with my front derailluer, so I would downshift and my pedals would stop moving. Which is bad.

Saturday night I went with my friend Kathy to the Sara Evans concert. This was the second time I seen her (Sara Evans, not Kathy) in the past year. Stace and I went to see her at the NC State Fair. This was at a better venue with better acoustics and there was no tractor pull to be heard. Also, I did not have to return to the Turkey Shoot afterwards.

There was also beer at this concert. Which Kathy ended up buying since some guy gave her a free ticket just as I bought mine. (I think he only had one.)

We also started planning for my birthday. (Yes, I do know it’s in December. Time is running out!) We decided that it should include alcohol and multiple bars.

Sunday I cleaned and then painted my toenails while watching Ice Road Truckers. That’s how I roll, yo.

• Bob called me last night (Bob is, in fact, my uncle) to tell me that they'd had to put Bear down. Bear was my grandfather's dog, and also the best dog ever. He was great with kids, great with my granddad (who had a lot of trouble getting around due to his RA), and always happy to be with his people. And his people? All people. Bear also had arthritis which until recently was responding well to medication. Recently it had gotten so bad that he couldn't make it down the steps to the yard and Bob or Steph would have to carry him outside to do his business. Bear wasn't a complainer, but he was in pain. I have not doubt that Bob and Steph did the very best for him and I'm going to miss that funny-looking dog. (He was a german shepherd/basset hound.)
• On a lighter note, msnbc had a headline on their site that said, "Aborigine wants boomerang back." I thought that was the point of a boomerang.
• Tomorrow I am going to see Sara Evans. I can't wait! I love Sara Evans.
• My bike was one of the best purchases I have ever made. Even when I don't feel like going (and seriously, I need to get back in shape, so I am making myself) once I'm out there, I love it. I mostly ride trails (there is a really good system here in Richmond) and while I'm doing so, I feel like I'm ten again. Also, yesterday I may or may not have crashed into a tree.

Friday night Robin drove up. Bud was supposed to drive down and arrive very late (or early), but as he was still sitting at the train station, 2 hours from his house, at 7 PM, he didn’t really feel up to making the 6 hour drive to my house after that. He came down Saturday morning. We all attended the event of the year, Monkey’s first birthday party.

Robin and I went on a Canal Cruise that night. The whole canal thing was something I didn’t know much about (meaning, the canal system in Richmond. I am familiar with canals in general.) and it turned out to be very interesting.
Saturday we headed out to the Richmond National Battlefield and the American Civil War Center. Lots of reading there. When we went into the museum, the City’s water rescue team was starting a river rescue. When we came out 2 hours later, they were still there. (Everything turned out OK). We hit another Civil War site (Chimborazo Hospital) and then headed to dinner and to see Indiana Jones.

Sunday we went to the botanical gardens, met some friends for lunch, and then checked out more of the City, including the Hollywood Cemetery. We were afraid we’d never get out. Turns out, all kinda looks the same.

So, that was my weekend. How about you?

First of all, Monkey's first birthday party is this weekend. (His actual birthday is Thursday Wednesday (I knew the date, I swear. It's the days of the week that mess me up!), but see the part where he'll be 1. Doesn't care.) Bud and his fiancee will be coming up and staying with me (they are the ones on the living room floor). It's been a while since I've seen Bud, so I was excited. Except that he IMed me this today: "Can wait to see you on Saturday." I can wait to see you too, then.

Those of you who have been long time readers may have picked up on the fact that I like history. I love to tour battlefields. Now, I don't meet a lot of people who also enjoy that sort of thing. Which is why I'm so excited that Robin is coming this weekend. After dragging her to the birthday party I'll have to make it up to her. I am not sure if you are aware of this, but this area saw a lot of activity during the Civil War. (Might have something to do with Richmond being the Capital of the Confederacy.) The biggest problem will be deciding what to do. Richmond National Battlefield Park has 13 sites. OK, two are close right now, but that still gives us a lot to do. And then there's The American Civil War Center, which I've heard good things about. And Pamplin Historical Park. And that's just the tip of it all.

She will clearly have to come back.

Aquamama and I won ye olde pub quiz last night.

Five of the six questions we missed (the sixth we missed so badly we can't remember it):

1. Which NFL team drafted Brett Farve?
2. What is the chemical symbol for Vanadium?
3. What does "SKU" stand for?
4. What Country is Cape Horn in?
5. What movie is the following quote from: "You're a dirty pirate hooker. Why don't you go back to Whore Island?"

The one that we made a wild guess on and got:
6. What is the most populous state capital?

The one that I pulled, somehow, out of the deep recesses of my mind:
7. Which NBA player holds the record for most points scored in a game?

The one that I somehow knew but really had to convince Aquamama of:
8. Which album was on the Bilboard 200 for the longest time?

The one that I am really embarassed that I knew:
9. Name the artist and title for the following lyric: "She's so lucky/she's a star/but she cries cries cries in her lonely heart thinking/if there's nothing missing in my life/then why do these tears come at night?"

Answers after the jump

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."
Henry J. Tillman

So, cooler temperatures have finally come to NC, and with them the discovery that at some point last year I cleaned out my closets/drawers and got rid of nearly all of my long sleeved shirts. I have short sleeved shirts and I have sweaters, but long sleeved midweight shirts? I have one.

Jenny tagged me for this meme, which has been going around the internets for a while. I haven't done it yet, although in theory I could probably make 10 such lists and yet not begin to scratch the surface of my weirdness.

Here's how you play: Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 10 weird or random things, facts, or habits about yourself. At the end, you choose 10 people to be tagged, listing their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says, "Tag, You're it" on their profiles and ask them to read your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you.

1. I pick up accents very easily. I don't lose them as easily, which is why in any conversation I can sound Southern, Bostonian, and Canadian with word choices/orders of a Brit (blame BBC America for the last).
   
2. However, when all you can hear is Jersey, you need to flee. Things are about to get very unpleasant.
   
3. I didn't eat hamburgers for most of my life. About a year ago, I decided I liked them.
   
4. I can't sing. Unfortunately, I do have an ear for music, so I know when I am off.
   
5. I am sometimes embarrassed by my taste in music. It should be so much cooler than it actually is.
   
6. However, I have no compunction about telling people about how cool the Modern Marvels "Cheese" episode is.
   
7. I tend to sit with my arms crossed. People ask me if I'm cold.
   
8. My landlord once told me that I had the best set of tools that he'd ever seen a woman have. He meant that entirely literally, and it was my box of random fasteners that sent him over the top.
   
9. I will try to fix almost anything by myself, reasoning, "Hey, it's already broken!" My paper shredder is the latest casualty, but there is still hope for it.
   
10. I am terrified of fire, but the fear can be manifest in strange ways. Bunsen burners terrify me, but not alcohol burners. I love campfires, but I refuse to build them. I will roast marshmallows in one someone else has built.
    

Oh, I'm not tagging anyone. Unless you want to be tagged, in which case, tag!

Watergirl: So I was out in my yard, in my bathrobe, holding a cat and talking to my neighbors.

Aquamama: You could be a crazy cat lady.

Watergirl: I think I pretty much just admitted that I am.

I had put a library hold on this book months ago- I think I first read about it over at Michelle's. I got an e-mail the other day saying it was available, and I just went to pick it up.

Y'all, it's brand new. I am the first one reading the library book. That's pretty cool.

A friend was e-mailing me a story today, and it included the sentence, “He YELLED at me about the pot when I confronted him about it.”

My first thought was, “You left a dirty pot in the sink?!”

I could not have been more wrong.

1. Open a door, any door, and say "Get in the house."
2. Cluck at things to make them go faster.
3. Cluck at people to get their attention.
4. Eliminate potential home decor items because they might be perceived as a cat toy.
5. Sleep perched on the edge of my bed.
6. Occasionally get the urge to head-butt someone as a way of saying "thanks", or "hi", or "good morning."

At a party last night, the talk tuned to Star Wars (as it does). And then somehow Captain Jack Sparrow was brought into the conversation.

Guy at Party: Well, if Han Solo can survive being frozen in Kryptonite, Jack Sparrow can survive being sucked into the deep.

Watergirl: Han Solo was frozen in Carbonite, not Kryptonite!

can be summed up by the fact that I laughed out loud, perhaps even guffawed, at the following quote from this program's Antietam episode.

"McClellan got perilously close to taking decisive action. It was quite a moment in his life."

(Quote from Gary W. Gallagher, UVA)

At Jbabe's Christmas Party last night, I was talking with a friend of mine. (I've talked about him before. He's a hunter and has cooked us partridge, grouse, and pheasant.) (Note: He is from Iowa.) We had what I thought was a first, a very odd conversation. We were talking about different cities.

SG: Well, the great thing about Chicago is the otter show they have at the McCormick center every year.
CP: Really?
SG: Yes, well, the center is big enough to host WEFTEC, and they hold an otter show there.
WG: Has only seen Chicago once, from the other side of Lake Michigan. Does not understand why they have a big otter show nor why SG is so fascinated with it.
SG: And it overlooks the lake, and the otter show is just huge.
WG: (realization hits) Oh , you're saying auto.

Little Matty: (to printer) Print, damn you!
Watergirl: Does that work?
LM: It does when you also click on the little print window.
WG: Oh, so you don't know which actually works.
LM: No, I haven't isolated the variables.

Little Matty and I are watching the radar for Hurricane Ophelia.  Something's wrong with the radar, because suddenly the storm disappears. 

WG:  Oh!  She got herself to a nunnery!

LM:  Huh?

WG:  You know, like from Hamlet?

LM:  I thought that was from Macbeth.

WG:  No, Macbeth is "Out damned spot, out I say!  All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."

(from the hallway, our HR person overhears.)

HR person:  What language is that, young lady?

WG:  Elizabethan English?

So, TJ asked a really good question.  I apologize for not explaining this.  The PE exam is the Professional Engineering exam.  I am an Environmental Engineer; although my current position doesn't require it, it's good to have that license, as it will make it much easier for me should I ever want to switch jobs.  Although I like my current job, I'm not sure the opportunities for advancement are there, so it's a good option for me to keep open. 

The steps for licensure (OK, the most common steps) are as follows:

1. Graduate with a degree in an engineering discipline from an ABET (American Board of Engineering Technologies) accredited program.  This is why I spent 4 years at UMass getting my Master's- my bachelor's degree is in physics;  the M.S. program at UMass is one of the few accredited ones in the U.S., but it did mean that I had to take a lot of undergrad courses as well as complete my graduate work.  (Note:  Once, upon learning that I had been working on my Master's for 3 years (at that time) this guy in a bar who had been trying to pick me up said,  "Why?  Are you stupid?")
2. Take and pass the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam.
3. Apply for licensure as an Engineering Intern or Engineer in Training (that depends on the state) with the Engineering board of the state in which you took the FE.
4. Work under a licensed engineer for a set number of years (the number of years required varies).
5. Apply to sit for the PE.
6. Hopefully, pass PE. 

So, an alternate title for this post could be "Now that you all know what a geek I truly am, you will probably never come back."

So, I was ranting to Little Matty about how one of our instruments was broken, and the PTB were being penny wise and pound foolish.  He looked at me and said, "I have never heard anyone use that phrase in actual conversation." 

Do you know that Target (well, at least the Cary Target) now sells wine? 

This is good, because I needed some wine upon finding out that they do not sell the Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2 soft pencil.  Which is the Best.  Pencil.  Ever.  Had to get stupid mechanical pencils. 

So, I indulged in a little retail therapy last week.  I bought pillows for my new couch, a new water dish for the boys, and, since Angeler is coming in August and my parents are coming in September, a new futon mattress. 

What I should have bought?  This, in Maple.

Which of the following was in my back pocket as I went to both the bank and Old Navy today?

a.)  Money
b.)  A credit card
c.)  my hand
d.)  a tire gauge

In celebration of Embrace Your Geekiness Day, I would like to report that after installing a Purge and Trap unit on my GC, using the FID, and installing a new jet for said FID, I got a calibration curve with an R squared value of 0.994.  Go me!

Y'all, I forgot to mention this in the story of the couches, but MW very sweetly allowed me to vacuum before we brought the new couch in, even though it was really unnecessary (WG:  I haven't pulled the couch out to vacuum behind it in three weeks!  MW:  Three weeks?).  He even found other things to do while I vacuumed. 

I am a crazy cat lady.  Earlier this evening, I was sitting at my desk.  Ri was sitting on my desk.  He quite deliberately knocked some papers off into the garbage.  I said, "Orion!  Why did you do that?  And don't even tell me you didn't mean to, 'cause that's a lie!"

So, my insomnia is back.  Why?  Most likely due to my current mood.  (Current mood:  Wickedly insecure.)  My goal tonight is to not even get into bed before 11.  (Usually, I am in bed by 10:30.)  So, I must find things to pass the time.  Now, I could read the current book club book, but I still have a week.  And also, 1.5 hours tonight.  And, I know the ending.  (Actually, that brings up a story from when Angeler and I went to London.  We toured the Tower of London, and the Yeoman Warder who was leading our group around asked me where I was from.  When I told him Raleigh, he looked at me solemnly and said, "Next time, take the high ground at Gettysburg."  Also helpful if J.E.B. Stuart is not out gallivanting.)  Anyway, you would think that, since I don't actually have to be at work at a specific time, I could just sleep in a little.  You would be wrong, because Jasper understands what the alarm going off means, and I can hit snooze, but then I've got a little black cat on the bed mewing in my ear (also?  His breath?  Could strip paint.)

So, Amalah posted pictures of her pretty new car (scroll down) yesterday, and while that car is cool,  it made me realize that at some point the most important thing in a car to me became cargo space.  Seriously.  I want a Subaru Outback.   Or, Cool Boss has a Toyota Matrix, and it's cool.  And have you seen the new Nissan Quest? Sweet!  Y'all, it appears I have lost my mind.  Although, this is probably due to the fact that every time I want to buy something large (e.g.  a new computer, a grill), I have to call Cdub and bribe her to take me in her minivan.  I really appreciate the help, but it'd be nice to do these things for myself. 

So sleepy.  Only 1.5 hours left...

Y'all, just now?  Coming out of the lab?  The door bounced off of the reservoir for the air conditioner (HVAC system in this building is not sufficient for a lab with 2 fume hoods and an autoclave, so we have a window unit in the wall) and hit me in the head.  Hard.  I saw stars.  Now I have a lump and a red mark on my forehead.  Ow!

(I am trying to explain to Cool Boss that he may have to stop in this weekend to refill the reservoirs for a project we are working on.)

WG:  So, it's looking more and more like the 2L reservoir we need will not come in before this weekend.

CB:  You ordered it already right?

WG:  Actually, no.

CB (laughing):  Well, now I see why it's looking that way.

(Clay Aiken's "Invisible" comes on the radio)

Watergirl:  I hate this song for so many reasons.  It is a bad song.  But the number one reason I hate it is its misuse of the subjunctive.

Cdub:  Wow.  And I thought I was a geek.

Christmas photo essay later today (I hope), but for now, I present the list of impulse buys I made at WalMart today:

1.  Paper Towels
2.  Cat Litter

and finally...

3.   A new mop!

See how spontaneous I am?

So, I lost my original Nalgene bottle (the one I bought in Hadley, MA) about 8 months ago.  REI had them on sale in June, so I bought a new one.  TRgirl and The BIL also gave the members of their wedding party Nalgene bottles,  so I had 2, which is a good number, except that I usually use my Camelback for day hiking.  Yesterday I went to the carwash (the good one, where they vacuum your car and everything), and they found the original under one of the seats.  Now I have three (!) Nalgenes. 

On a somewhat related note, I think the next time I go to the carwash, I shall try Bunkey's or the AutoBell.  I've been going to the Scruffy Duck, and the past 2 times it has looked like they had a St. Bernard cleaning the windows.  With his tongue.  I even had the kid rewash the windows yesterday, and I still have to rewash them today.  Ugh!

And now for a completely unrelated story.  Thursday I was driving to Cdub's from the barn (rode Bruno, no stirrups, and my legs were SORE!) (oh, Cdub needed me to help move a recliner into her house.  This recliner has been in her van since Thanksgiving.) and my phone rang.  It was Bud, who said, "What does Goose want for Christmas? "  I didn't remember exactly.  He hung up to call TRgirl.  He called me again, when I was 5 minutes from m house, because he wanted to know what I got him (him being Goose in this instance) and I told him I'd call him again when I got home so I could give him exact details.  When I got home and called him, HE DID NOT ANSWER THE DAMNED PHONE!  He called me again, because he didn't get the voicemail I left.  At about 9:30 that night, the phone rang.  "What does mom want?"  Dude, it's called making a list before you go shopping.  Look into it.

Y'all, I have been looking for my Swiffer duster for a month now.  I just found it.  Those of you who know me IRL can imagine the amount of joy this brought me.  Those of you who don't, the discovery was announced with a little dance, and then I showed it to Jasper and said, "I FOUND IT!
Jasper looked up at me, but was unmoved.  Silly cat!