Be Sure To Drink Your Ovaltine

I can honestly say that up until I walked out of the sanctuary of the church, heading towards the altar where I would await my bride, I had little to no anxiety or nervousness. My feet were warm and comfortable. Many asked, "Are you nervous?" I replied with honesty and truthiness that I was not nervous, I was cool, calm and collected. That all changed quite rapidly upon walking out and standing in front of the many guests, family, and friends gathered in the church. Another person told me prior to the wedding, "Don't worry about standing in front of everyone because nobody will be looking at you, their eyes will be on the bride." Whoever told me that was a Liar Liar pants on fire. Yes, once the doors swung wide open and my bride was walking down the aisle, heads did turn and the focus of 150 plus pairs of eyes were no longer on me. However, prior to that, there was a period of time when all 300 plus eyes were on me. In all the weeks prior to the wedding, in all my life I had never felt so much anxiety. It cannot explain why I was anxious, all I can say is that I think that I nearly had a panic attack. Thank god for Peeps.









Standing at the front of the church, at the front of the altar, the wedding party began the procession. The first person to come down the aisle was one of my best friends, Jay. I don't know what led me to look into his hand, but somehow I could see that his hand wasn't empty. Immediately I knew that whatever rested in his hand was meant for me. As it turned out, with my two brothers already standing next to me, each of my remaining groomsmen handed me a Peep that spelled out the message," BE- SURE-TO-DRINK-YOUR-OVALTINE." As I received each peep in a covert handshake from each groom, I discreetly placed each sugar encrusted, marshmallow treat in my rented tuxedo pockets (so much for that security deposit). With each groom came smaller and smaller pocket space. Luckily the peeps came in an even number and I was able to place three in each pocket. Although this was quite embarassing it helped take my focus off of being nervous and allowed me to calm down and remember to have fun. So I would like to thank everyone who was behind this brilliant, for lack of a better term, prank. I would especially like to thank Matt who showed courage and diligance in the face of the Nazi wedding director by not letting her take his peep. Not that he will ever see this post because he believes that computers are evil and I don't think he knows what the internet is...

I'll leave you with a picture that says it all...

If it's broken, fix it

As a relatively recent alumnus of Clemson University, I was captivated by the tragedy of Tiffany Souer's death and the pursuit of her murderer. I have to say that my interest was slightly biased in this case due to my history with the school, meaning that if this terrible crime had occured at another college I wouldn't have followed it as closely and I wouldn't have been as relieved when the suspect was caught. I think that it is human nature to focus more attention on events that are less removed from you. Things that are closer to home we often give more attention to than others. I would tune into CNN or Fox News to check on the status of leads that the police might have. I wanted details about the time, the place, the evidence that was left. Reports on the news mentioned that there was DNA evidence at the scene and I replayed scenarios similar to CSI reruns in my mind.

A few days later I woke to news reports that there was a suspect in custody. Jerry Buck Inman. Not Jerry Inman or "Buck" Inman...Jerry Buck Inman. Not an odd name, but I was surprised to see that "Buck" was not in quotations, meaning that this was his real name, and not a nickname that he went by. The full name makes this man sound more evil than a simple first name and surname combination would. The simple "Jerry Inman" doesn't strike fear into the hearts of cable news faithfuls. Jerry Inman sounds like the neighbor that lends you his ratchet set and is the vice president of your neighborhood association. Jerry BUCK Inman sounds like a man capable of evil deeds. Think Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wayne Gacy.

The report on the news stated that Jerry Buck Inman not necessarily confessed to the murder, but he hadn't denied his involvement with the Clemson girl's death. As time went on, more and more details were released about this monster and his terrible past littered with kidnapping, rape, and various other criminal offenses that would certainly have him incarcerated for the remaining years of his natural existence. But no, this sick, twisted cretin is roaming the streets, picking girls out at random to fulfill his deranged sexual/homicidal urges. I understand that there is overcrowding in our jail systems across the country, but I haven't heard one report that this maniac had any qualities that would classify him as a redeemable human being.

The question is: Why was this man out walking the streets when he should have been behind bars? I understand that there is overcrowding in our jail systems, but with all of the warning signs and red lights that this guy gave off in his violent/crazed history, someone in the legal system dropped the ball big time. HE COMMITTED RAPE WHILE INCARCERATED!!! A reformed citizen he was not! Whoever parolled this man has these crimes on their conscience and should have trouble sleeping at night.

The Summer of Love...It's wedding season!

There must be something in the water. Wait, that can't be right. There's too much geography between the many people getting married this summer for that to be the case. If that were true, the water supply of the whole country would have to be contaminated. But, I think you get what I mean. It would probably be more accurate to say that a lot of people that I know or am acquainted with through my fiancee are tying the knot over the summer. Cousins, coworkers, friends, ourselves, this is getting out of hand.
HOWEVER...free food, free booze, dancing, music and fun times...Bachelor parties and the lot. What's not to like?
It seems like two minutes ago I was getting hammered on a random tuesday, milking the help desk for everything it was worth, and scraping up money to eat at Peppinos after ultimate practice. Where did the time go? I remember being 15 and thinking that it would take forever to graduate high school. I can recall someone telling me that before I knew it, I would be graduating college and getting a job. I'd like to think that I lived those years to the fullest but I can't be sure. I resolve to make the rest of my years more fulfilling and meaningful.

Sleeps with the fishes

I just had to share this experience with everyone because I don't know how many people I know have ever had the opportunity to dump massive amounts of concrete in a secluded area next to a pond. I felt like a made man, doing a job for the family...
















Since school is over and my time is only limited to thesis work, I have picked up a job working as an assistant in a plumbing/electrical company here in Aiken. I know it has nothing to do with my line of schooling, but man does it rock (Pun definitely intended)! The money is good and I would never have imagined that I would have the chance to work with concrete, hydraulic lifts, 8 foot augers, and much much more. I think down the road I will get to drive a bulldozer!!

As a kid I remember having tonka toys and watching some special on PBS about "earth movers" and thinking to myself that "What a fantastic job that would be!" I was right. The moment that my boss told me that I could play with these "toys" I have been as excited as I have ever been about working. To this day I still watch TLC, The Discovery Channel, and The History Channel to learn about mega movers and modern marvels and I remain fascinated. Wearing a tool belt to work is the most REmasculating thing any man could do. So if the girlfriend is making you watch too many episodes of Sex and the City or Will and Grace, just buckle up a tool belt filled with screw drivers, pliers, a hammer, and some black electrical tape and go fix something.

As obvious as it may sound, on a construction site, the language is not for the timid or conservative. The problem is that most people on a construction site only have foul mouths because they feel they have to be overly male in front of the other workers. Some people have a way with obscenities like artists with paint or plaster, but these people projectile vomit curse words. Not that I have a virgin mouth, but when I use foul language it is for a reason. I just stay quiet and try to learn the job. To speak without thinking is to shoot without aiming.

Graduation

I just wanted to post some recent photos of my graduation here in Aiken. I was awarded the Master of Science in Clinical Psychology and all I have left to do is finish my thesis. The topic of my thesis is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and the role of expectancy effects on the outcome of the procedure (as I am sure anyone reading this is sleeping by now, it is much more boring and tedious than you think). The red t-shirts that we are holding above say "Psych Majors are Crazy in Bed." Down below and to the left is a picture of me, Polly, Libby, and my Dad. Then to the right is a picture of my buddy Mike and I holding out our hands in honor of being Clemson grads. At the end of the graduation ceremony we were forced to sing the Caolina alma mater, in protest, Mike and I held our hands out as in Clemson's alma mater rather than giving a toast to Carolina. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

A Friendly Game of Tag (not to be confused with the man perfume, uh cologne)

The tag blog:

Top 6 Annoying Things/Habits About Me, Embarassing Secrets, Guilty Pleasures (update your bloggin ass already):

1. I am obsessed with telling people that I heard whatever music before it got popular. I know that people probably say "who gives a shit that you were listening to Maroon5 in 1999" but that's okay cause they're jealous that i can predict future pop stars.

2. I buy many books in an effort to seem "well read" but I have finished only a fraction. This is partially not my fault since I am in grad school, therefore most of my extra time is spent analyzing scholarly journals and scientific papers. I give myself a Mulligan in the expectation that following the end of this semester I will be able to sit and read these books.

3. At one point I owned 2 seasons of Smallville on DVD, I still own The O.C. seasons one and two. I have a weakness for teenage mellowdrama (ask Robb about Dinner and Dawson's) and I am a comic book geek (seriously, I own over 400 comic books, magic the gathering cards, baseball cards, and random memorabilia)...perhaps this should count as number 3 and 4 in my tag.

4. See above: comic book geek/14 yr old girl

5. I sometimes catch myself chewing with my mouth open. I make a "smacking" noise that even gets on my nerves when I am munching solo.

6. I wear t-shirts from a decade ago that have many holes and some even have pit stains that refuse to be washed out in the most high tech, front loading, high efficiency washing machines. In addition, I have borrowed many t-shirts from friends and have never given them back, Robb I believe I have 5 or 6 of yours.

Well, that about wraps it up and I think Polly would agree with this group...I don't know anyone in the blogging world to tag since everyone that I am acquainted with has already been tagged. I am afraid the game ends with me:(

Stars and Stripes

I don't wave an American flag in my front yard and there are no yellow, "Support our Troops" magnets displayed on my car. I didn't realize how patriotic I could feel until this past weekend.

I'll set the scene: Three of us, my fiancee, a friend, and myself were sitting in a food court area in Atlanta Hartsfield International airport enjoying General Tso's Chicken and fried rice when we heard whistling and clapping coming from the other side of the atrium. Led by a woman holding Old Glory, there were a couple dozen of our nation's finest soldiers dressed in desert camo, looking too fresh and too clean to be returning from any forward area of combat. As I stood and clapped, I felt like a fraud, I felt like I was doing the bare minimum to show my patriotism. Yet, there were others in the area that knew what as going on that didn't stand, that didn't even clap and I realized how divided and diluted our country actually is. I couldn't help but think which of these young, brave men and women would not be coming back from their service overseas.

I don't think I will ever know what it feels like to defend my country and I know that it is every American's right to question our government and our leadership, but the lack of respect of these people that didn't even clap their hands was shocking to experience. Regardless of your view of the war and why we are sending troops there, or why we shouldn't be sending troops there, if I see someone sitting and not giving our military the respect they deserve, by god I will walk over to you and kick you in the balls (or the crotch, if you are a girl).

The Apple of Discord

As I have mentioned in at least one previous post, I have an insatiable desire to learn the orgins of words and phrases in particular. The topic of this post as you can see from the title is "The Apple of Discord." My original interest for this phrase was rooted in the word Discordia, which is the Roman name of the Greek goddess Eris and part of the title of a book, Principia Discordia. After 6 degrees of Wikipedia, I found a story called the Judgement of Paris which is a background tale about the Trojan War and its origin.

In short, this chick Eris was pissed because she didn't warrant an invite to a social event of Grecian proportions. Enraged and bitter, she threw an apple into the party with the word "Kallisti" enscribed on said fruit. Translated, this word means "to the fairest" or "to the prettiest." In an argument over who got the title of "Kallisti"est, three of the more prominent female Greek goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite were bitchin' about who should get the apple. Fearful of the consequences that he would face from these three women by making this judgement, Zeus passed the buck to a mortal by the name of Paris (Orlando Bloom's character in Troy).

Now this was before the time of swimsuit and talent competitions, so Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite offered Paris many bribes to be named "the fairest of them all." Paris gave into Aphrodite's promise of the love of Helen of Sparta after snubbing Hera's offer of being King of Europe and Asia, and Athena's proposition of wisdom and skill in war. The rest is a part of the Trojan War epic.

Back to the original point of this post is that phrases like "bone of contention" or "the crux of the story" have their roots in this tale of Greek legend. My apologies for geeking out over this, but I can't help it. I am sure that the time that I spent researching this post is in profound disproportion to the outcome of replies that will follow. Yet, down the road I will be waiting to give my knowledge to some unsuspecting victim that could give a shit about Greek gods and their exploits.

Two of 2

Allison, Joey, and Laurie

Just a couple more pictures to give the world...there were plenty of goofy Polly faces but I am being censored:), instead, please enjoy funny face Robert

A Shower of Couples....(1 of 2)

This weekend my fiancee and I were honored with family, friends, coworkers, and more at the First Annual Giving of Presents to Robert and Polly. This event will continue to be held each year, ah what the hell, how about bimonthly?? The soiree was rittled with food, drinks, and embarassing as well as hilarious games in which Polly and I were asked to indicate our most anticipated "position" for the honeymoon. In an effort not to incriminate ourselves, we answered in a conservatively boring way with "Horizontally." Enjoy the pics (of the shower, not of our "position")

Paddy Tanager the Caddy Manager, yeah it rhymes, big whoop, wanna fight about it??

[Insert Stereotyped Irish Greeting Here],
just wanted to post some new pictures from St. Patrick's Day. The green beers flowed freely while the band played one song followed by a 30 minute sabaticle to adjust their amateurish light show, thankfully we were drunk and the band sucked anyway.

Cheers

Volkswagen Commercials

Don't know if any of you have seen these commercials yet, but they are hilarious. Here's one for you to check out.

Damned if you do...

And interest rates have risen again...stupid inflation. A member of the land barrons has taken a hit...the question is, "To lock, or not to lock." The mortgage on the house is dependent on the interest rate that we get and the rate has risen twice this week. Do we lock in the current interest rate, in fear of a continual ruse in interest rates...OR do we wait and gamble, hoping that the rate will fall before we close at the end of the month. After Robb enlightened me to why interest rates were rising, I don't know how good I feel about buying a Japanese car. But I really, really like my Civic. As a guy that doesn't like to take a lot of risk, I think I will lock in the rate that is current for fear of the rates rising yet again. With my luck, the rates will probably fall to a twenty-year low after we complete the final paperwork after we close.

The way economics function is a complete and utter mystery to me and the people that are able to understand how the global market, I envy. From what little I understand, it seems to me that the current global market can be likened to economic chaos theory. However instead of the butterfly and the hurricane, we can think of it in terms of consumers and recessions or stocks and affluence. Everything is interdependent. It is a domino effect of economics where a potato famine in Russia increases the price of Finnish vodka.

This can also be applied to the outcome of human behavior. Psychoanalysts such as Sigmund "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" Freud believed that maladaptive human behavior can be traced back to a developmental hang up from our childhoods. He outlined critical stages of development that, if we were to not meet that developmental milestone, we would be stuck in that particular stage until we were adults. He believed that this was the cause of neuroses in the human mind. While his views and ideas, in their application, were quite extreme (specifically in their interpretation of sexuality), I think the overall gist is probably true. I believe in the intrinsic goodness of people. I don't think that anyone is born evil, or good for that matter. However, I am not a full supporter of nurture. I think that there are innate tendencies for each person based on genetic makeup, but these tendencies do not solidify a person's future. For example, children of alcoholics may have a genetic predisposition to become alcoholics themselves, but that doesn't condemn them to a life of AA meetings and 12 step programs. And these people that use their parents as an excuse for their problems can piss off, life doesn't owe you anything because of how you were raised. It's time people started standing up and taking responsibility for themselves. (Kindly stepping down from my soapbox)

It seems like I am contradicting myself, I know. On one hand I am saying that your childhood does bear weight on your outcome as an adult, but I am also saying that you can't use what happened to you as an excuse. What I am trying to say is that nowadays, shitty things happend to a lot of people when they are growing up, some may lose a friend or a parent, some are abused and neglected, God forbid they are sexually abused, but we all make decisions on what we know is right and wrong. Just make sure you make more of the former than the latter.

My Office

Effin PalmPilots. Notice the shiny plastic packaging that surrounds the Zire31. These Palms are encased in the most difficult plastic vault that has ever been conceived by Clemson packaging science majors. They give you a diagram on the back about how to open the package with scissors. Does it work? NO! You end up cutting your hand, throwing the contraption across the room, and shouting obscenities at the little sliver of plastic demonics that cut your hand as you were trying to open the package. You know what's worse? I had to open 8 of these fucking things. EIGHT?!? They should enclose the little black box on airplanes in this material or use them as bulet-proof vests. It's like freakin' Fort Knox to get into this thing.

Now I know what you are thinking...Why in God's name does he have EIGHT PalmPilots?? Did they happen to fall off a truck and are now being auctioned on ebay to the highest bid? Nope. Is he some lead operative for the government giving his team devices for a covert op (that's operation for those reading that aren't spy savvy)?? Not so much. The true and BORING answer is that they are a part of my Independent Research project here on USCA campus. I really wish I was a head of a covert op team...I'd have them infiltrate the local Taco Bell and disable their ability to charge me 79 damn cents every time I use my debit card to feed my addiction of the Chicken Baja Chalupa, wait, no...I'll have them add 79 cents everytime I use it. Whoa, where was I?? Oh yeah, eventually these contraptions will be handed out to students for a study that is going to measure daily hurt and reactivity. Currently I am programming the questionnaires that the students will complete using the PalmPilots. Wish me luck:)

When it rains...

I love Target. In a recent post I mentioned that my fiancee and I bought (are in the process of buying) a new house. What I did not mention is that the house we are moving to is damn near walking distance to our favorite store. Right now we live a 15 minute drive from the store, but upon relocation we'll have a maximum of 5 minutes in the car.

Yesterday, my Fiancee, Polly received over 200$ in Target giftcards in addition to throngs of gifts from her coworkers at her first of several showers. This is a very fun time for the engaged couple. The women get to pick out china, linens, serving dishes, cooking utensils, etc. The list can go on and on. Men get to hold the scanner gun and shoot the UPCs at the local Bed Bath and Beyond. However, the advent of the online registry has taken some of that glory away from the guys. On our first visit to Target, Polly and I had a deal: She picked out what we wanted and I got to shoot the item with the scanner gun. Everyone was happy. Polly had control of what we got and I got to exercise my real-life, first-person shooter fantasies with the scanner as my weapon of choice. Then came http://www.Target.com/giftregistry. Now, my Fiancee checks the list at least twice a day to add new items. I have no scanner gun at home, she has an optical mouse that clicks items with deadly accuracy. Were talkin' frickin' laser beams you guys. Pottery Barn is another deal all together. There isn't a Pottery Barn for 150miles in any direction, therefore, no scanner gun for me. At least with Target I have a chance that we will go back someday to scan more gifts. I can't complain though, I am grateful that she keeps up with the things we want for our new house. Lord knows that if it was left up to me we'd end up with Ramen Noodles, an XBOX360, an oil can of Foster's in the fridge, and an egg crate in the corner of our bedroom.

Who still uses cash?

Fast food restaurants resisted, if only for a little while...Wendy's and Subway pioneered the use of the credit/debit card for their customer's convenience and it has since become commonplace for the McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Taco Bells of the country to accept this form of payment. Which brings me to Taco Bell...What gives you assholes the right to charge me .79$ each time I use my card?!? Of course I can't resist the Baja Chalupa and I am too damn lazy to take a trip to the ATM. (Random Tangent) Speaking of ATMs, I want to point something out to people that say, "I have to go get money from the ATM machine." You redundant imbecil. ATM stands for Automatic Teller Machine. So when you say, "ATM machine," you are, in fact, saying, "Automatic Teller Machine Machine." So....Stop it. That goes the same for people that order a Cheese Quesadilla. Queso in Spanish means CHEESE, there is no purpose in reiterating the fact that you want cheese...it's included in the name. Bottom line, if you want shredded cheese, grilled on a flour tortilla and folded in half, like an omlette, just say, "I want a quesadilla." You might prevent a hispanic waiter/waitress from laughing at your ignorant gringo ass behind your back. (Back to my point) Paper money is slowly becoming archaic, generations ahead of us will have no concept of the value of money because they will be raised in an age where currency is a matter of moving digital numbers around, bills will all be paid online, and shopping will be done largely on the net. I am positive about the expulsion of paper money when I think about the germs and bacteria that cash is capable of carrying. Everytime you touch a bill, you are touching every person that touched the bill before you. It's kinda like having unprotected sex. Soon we'll have to wear latex gloves when handling cash.

The Heezy

Polly in the kitchen and the dining room in the near ground.













Looking out to the fenced in backyard from the living room














The word of the day is "SOLD"

















These are just the first few pictures from our house. This purchase brings many new projects and responsibilities to the table such as decoration, painting, landscaping, maintanence, upkeep, feng shui, mortgage payments, tax deductions, termite inspections, homeowners insurance, escrow, etc. I am actually looking forward to replacing fixtures, painting the rooms, planting fresh herbs in the backyard, the list goes on and on.

We close and sign our lives away on March 30th, the housewarming party will definitely and soon follow. We doin' bar-b-q, bitches...BAR-B-Q!!!

Carol Ann Rehr-My Niece

She came into the world at 20 inches long, 8lbs and 7oz of kicking and screaming at 4:30pm on February 24th, 2006...my niece is adorable and as a proud Uncle Robert, I must force my pictures on the only person that reads my blog...Polly:)

Long live blues, bluegrass, folk

I would have to say that I am an obscure music miner...my tastes swing back and forth from genre to genre, anywhere from rock, indie, hip-hop (some), country to electonric, and yes, blues, bluegrass, and some folk music...
That means that my iPod might include Liz Phair, Norah Jones, Coheed and Cambria, Amos Lee , Kanye West, The Postal Service, Buddy Guy , the Dhuks, and Death Cab for Cutie all on the same playlist. I'll admit it, I think that I have the best music taste of most of the people that I know. That may sound conceited and it is, but if you think about it, no one would ever say that they have terrible taste in music because everyone likes what they like. I guess a better way to put this is that I think that I have one of the larger ranges of musical tastes of all people that I know. I couldn't imagine being restricted to one particular category of music to choose from when loading my iPod for recreational listening.

Currently listening to: "Do you want to" by Franz Ferdinand

Anxiously awaiting the album from: The Little Willies

Obsessively listening to: "I've got dreams to remember" by Buddy Guy featuring John Mayer

I recently got XM radio for my birthday and my life hasn't been the same since. I used to rely on other fellow music miners (robb in particular) to enlighten me on new talent. Now I have the widest range of music that I have ever had and it keeps getting better. If the satellite radio bug hasn't gotten to you yet, let me endorse the service right now...for all those ACC fans out there I would suggest XM as opposed to SIRIUS because XM carries ACC college sports. The only complaint that I can give about satellite radio is that the signal can get blocked at times and the music is dropped. However, the system is quite quick to recover the signal.

Furthermore, if you ever need recommendations on new music, please let me know. I am more than happy to share my library. I will continue to comment on music that I am currently listening to in order to give others some idea of what my tastes are.

My Profile Picture

The Money Pittance

I don't know how it happened...one minute I was a freewheelin', low responsibility, night-clubbin' sexy kinda guy. Now I have traded all that freedom in for a beautiful fiance, a new car, a house...I mean, how did all of this happen in less than a year?!

I am very happy to say that Polly and I have put in a contract on a house that we really love and the offer was accepted. It worked perfectly-she has the bank account and I have the credit. I don't know how I got such a high credit score...who knew that taking 3 years to pay off an XBOX that you bought with a Target credit card wouldn't affect your credit score at all!! If I had known that, I would have taken even longer to pay that damn thing off!

But seriously, in the world of interest rates and minimum payments I have reached a new level of maturity. As Amos Lee would say "I think it's kinda strange how money makes a man grow." Does that mean that debt makes a man shrink?? Student loans, car liens, and mortgages...oh my! By the way, Robb, there's no need to come and kick my ass, we did NOT do 100% financing. We are putting money down. Any donations will be accepted, please be generous.

The Mutt's Nuts

I have a small obsession with language...origin, use, development, etc. I will repeatedly listen to a song that I like in order to learn the correct words to the song. Busta Rhymes, Twista, and Outkast have proven to be difficult dragons to slay in terms of deciphering the lyrics. Other notable songs include "One Week" by barenaked ladies and "Bombs Over Baghdad" by the notorious ATLiens, Outkast.

Often I am amazed at how phrases in England (where they speak English!!) may not carry as much weight here in the States as they do in the mother country. One particular phrase that I have come to admire is the phrase "The Dog's Bollocks." Loosely translated it refers to the genitalia of Man's Best Friend. In England it would be a compliment to be referred to as the Dog's Bollocks. It means the top, the best, the peak of whatever the context of the phrase in which it is being used. Another permutation of this phrase is "the Mutt's Nuts."
Could you use that in a sentence please? In the world of hip-hop, rap and R&B, I would have to say that Outkast is the mutt's nuts. This has been your lesson in language for the week, please remember to use this knowledge only for the gain of the admiration of others. The author will not by liable for any humiliation suffered under the improper usage of this phrase.

Lilly

Here she is, the crazy, cute, poop-eater.
She's 90 percent angel and 10 percent schizophrenic.

Psycho Insomnia

Transient insomnia, by definition can last from one to a few weeks. That seems to me like a large range of time to be not getting any sleep. I can't say that I have had a lot of good sleep recently. I can explain it away to many factors that may include, but are not limited to: temperature of the bedroom, stress, anxiety...lately I can't seem to quiet my mind as I had been able to before. After staying up for Adult Swim (Futurama, Family Guy) I slept in small spurts not ever reaching a deep sleep. After fighting for hours I decided to make the most of my insomnia and get up to do some much needed school work. I got to sleep around 4:30am just to wake up at 6:15am to get ready for work. It is pretty phenomenal what we can do on such a miniscule sliver of rest. Pounding caffeine and breakfast foods packed with refined sugars, is the only way to survive. 11am rolled around and I was faltering slowly, the rests between my yawning becoming shorter and shorter. The only thing that I can hope for at this point is that by not getting enough sleep last night, I will pass the fuck out when it comes time for bed tonight.
If that doesn't happen, Tylenol PM it is:)

Engagement Picture

Just a quick pic of the girl that stole my affections 

Rude Awakening

You've had this kind of day before. The moment you are conscious, something isn't right...there's too much light outside coming in from the windows for you to be gettting up on time. Immediately you spring from the bed realizing that you are going to be late. Your body doesn't do you the service of sleeping until its late enough to say "Fuck it, I'm not going to be on time anyway, no need to rush." No, you body wakes you at the precise moment that you are supposed to be at work, so rushing is the only option. At this point you get dressed and are alert faster than you have ever accomplished in your life. Men with snub-nosed pistols raised in the air and chronometers in the other hand are coaching you to a faster time...No time for brushing your teeth! Don't forget to turn off the coffee maker! Your zipper is down! Bam...you're out the door. Keys! Shit...okay, back in, out and in the car. The story rages on to catching EVERY RED LIGHT that you never catch and getting stuck behind lazy assholes that are obviously not as important as you to rush to work! For the rest of the day, everything is off, as if to say that you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is not how your day is supposed to go and it is VERY clear when it is not going the way that it is supposed to.
The fact that I need Polly in my life is obvious and reinforced today. Things just aren't the same without her.

I will conquer all! 

My first post for all to see! I know that when people complain about how busy their lives are the initial and proper reply is often, "Whose isn't?!" I guess I feel that my life is especially overloaded due to the things I am taking on of myself. I am in graduate school full-time, I am working on my Master's Thesis (EMDR ) , I am applying for a job at Savannah River Site, I am planning a wedding, planning a honeymoon, working part-time with autistic children, trying to buy a house, trying to get into a PhD program at Clemson, where will it end...
Do I have the right to bitch, so far I have had very good fortune in my adventures so I guess there isn't much to complain about. The reason I say these things is that they will probably be the meat of my ensuing posts. I will try to sprinkle some positivity among the rest of my tirades.