Service Dog

So, we are now in the process of training Gizmo to be a service dog.  Now, what on earth can Gizmo do that makes him a service dog you might ask?  Well, let's just say I'm going to use my hands as an excuse to make him a service dog.  Now, anyone who knows me knows I would never call myself disabled or not able to do things because of my hands.  But let's face it, I do have a harder time catching things or picking things up off of the ground with my right hand (whether that's due to my klutziness or my unfeeling, small fingers is not the question). That's right, Gizmo's going to learn how to pick things up off of the ground and hand them to me.  So far, we've been working on it using his chew sticks (which he never chewed with anyways, so I thought it'd be okay).  He figured out he gets rewarded for picking up the stick.  And then he figured out he could chew the stick.  So when he gets bored of you, he runs off and chews the stick...  Soon enough, he'll be picking up pens...

From what I've been told, it's very, very easy to get a doctor's note stating your dog is a service animal.  But I decided I'm going to make my dog legit.  He is going to be able to pick things up for me and hand them to me.  Whether I need the help or not know one will have to know...  And honestly, this beats having to get rid of him because stupid rental places don't like dogs (smaller than a cat, can use a litter box like a cat - well, we're working on it anyways, and a lot funner than a cat)...

Gizmo is my other species kid.  And that's all there is to it...

Light at the End of the Tunnel

This weekend is coming to a close. I will be diligently studying for my test that is on tuesday. After that test is over, I will be finishing up the modeling paper. So far, everything school-wise is coming together very well.

I need to work on writing an abstract that I will submit for the IBE Conference. This will be interesting creating a poster based on my project. The idea of my project is pretty cool. However, the protocols used (e.g. lab work) is pretty dull and boring. I am very glad that I will never be a lab technician. I refuse to work solely in a lab for my career. It's very tedious and boring...

Last night was fun. Jared's brothers and our friends came. We drank, played Rockband, played beer pong, etc. It was relaxing. There was one thing about the night that wasn't fun at all. Stupid Domino's Pizza... Anyways, it was a good night, and I enjoyed being able to hang out with friends.

I'm excited for Thanksgiving. And it's time to get out the Christmas decorations...

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

The Good: I found out I aced my test in physical chemistry. That was very exciting news. A much better score than my first test. Now all I have to do is ace the final, and I'm set for that class. And as long as I put studying before work, then I can get it done...

The Bad: I haven't been getting much sleep this week. Wednesday night (or thursday morning), I didn't go to bed until five. My homework assignment was finished, and it looked horrible. I skipped my class today to catch up on sleep. And now I'm taking a breather away from everything else in my life...

The Ugly: I have a test next tuesday. It's going to kill me. I need to write two pages for my group project tonight. And I have no idea when I'm going to have time to do that. I need to study for my test. I've been falling behind in work. That doesn't mean I'm not working. Because in fact, I've been working my hardest this last week. Only, there's just so much that needs to be done, and I'm running out of time to finish it all. Pretty soon, I'm going to get yelled at by my professor, but you know what, I'm doing the best I can and as much as I can in my hectic schedule. Oh, and did I mention I still need to bake a cake for Jared? His family's coming for cake and ice cream tonight. Which reminds me, I need to buy ice cream...

Oh so very busy. Too many things to do in so little time... I think I may die before next week comes. (And it doesn't end with my test. Thanksgiving preparations come next...)

Just Survive 'til Thursday

So, Jared's birthday is this thursday. And I have so much to do before then... I'm so busy and stressed. And as much as I hate to say it, it's mostly my fault since I'm a procrastinator. But oh well. All I need to do is survive and get things done.

I need to finish my physical chemistry homework. I believe I quit thinking about my homework and spent most of my time last week studying for the test. Good news is I answered every question with full confidence or semi-confidence (in the "Hey! I've heard of this and studied it!! I just don't remember it right now" sense). So, now I must finish what I don't have done. It's just a few problems... So, a couple of hours. And then I need to finish my biochemical engineering homework. That'll take a while. And I'm pretty sure tonight and tomorrow night are going to be all-nighter homework sessions for me.

And once that's done, I need to tidy up the place for the birthday parties. I also need to make a cake and figure out what else Jared wants me to make for his birthday. I believe this friday and saturday will be fun and stress relieving (even though I barely have time for it all).

Did I mention I still need to meet with my group to write a seven page paper for our project? Yeah, haven't quite figured out how to squeeze that in...

Oh, and in the middle of it all (it's also contributed to my procrastination)... We are looking into seeking legal action against our landlord. He overstepped his boundaries and impeded our rights as tenants. So, we're drafting a letter to send him explaining the City of Logan Tenant/Landlord Responsibilities. I'm pretty sure he's not going to be a happy camper and is going to kick us out as soon as our lease is up. But we plan on letting him know that we will inform his future tenants of their rights and let them know that what the landlord's behavior is illegal. So, in the middle of it all, we are looking for other places to live just in case it does eventually come down to this... (Oh, and we'll probably have to sue the landlord to get our deposit back.)

Yeah... Busy week. And it doesn't stop there. Test next tuesday (that may very well kill me). Paper due tuesday. Lab work to do throughout all of these things. And then comes Thanksgiving!!! Did I mention my family's coming to my house, and I'm cooking??? Yeah... No sleep for me anytime soon.

Mesh of Life

There are only two and a half weeks of school left. And I really feel like I have done very little this semester. Well, let me rephrase, I feel like I have accomplished very little. I have done a lot though. My homework for the most part has been abandoned and neglected the majority of the time. I have been working a lot in the lab. I have been doing SWE stuff (in a semi-untimely fashion). Dog training classes for Gizmo; lots of time spent on training the dog (he rolls over, haha). And I have had some we time with Jared and me time. But I still feel like this whole semester has gone by way too fast. I have too many things to do and not enough time to do them.

I know I've said this before, but I still feel very disheartened with engineering. I don't know if I'd feel different if I were graduating next semester instead of doing a Master's degree, or if I am truly sick of engineering. Maybe I'm just disheartened with school. I don't want to be in school right now. I don't want to be making crap dollars an hour (and being told by the professors that they're doing me a favor to pay me a little above minimum wage). I don't want to be in Utah anymore. Snow, bad drivers, and all around crazy people... Or maybe I just don't want to be in Logan anymore. But then again, looking for a job and transitioning to the "real" world scares the monkeys out of me. I'm afraid that companies won't like me (or maybe I'm just afraid people in general won't like me).

Anyways, getting off of my sob train now. The landlords have come to visit. I am very urked by them... First off, they are supposed to give three days notice before coming (it's in the contract); instead, they gave us three hours notice. Second, they decide to clean the general living areas. This irks me because basically they're letting me know that my cleaning sucks, is second rate, and below their standards. And third, they use our kitchen supplies. Aren't we supposed to ask before we use what's not ours? Oh and another thing... Trekking around the house at midnight thirty trying to find a door that isn't locked just makes me think someone's trying to burglarize the house. And then finally entering the house at one thirty in the morning only to be on the loud side is kind of rude. Opening all doors to different rooms of the house is very noisy and bothersome for those who are trying to sleep. This weekend, I am not a happy camper. But I know they're good people, and we're living in a pretty big place. I'm just wanting to rant right now; it keeps me from ranting in front of people.

I honestly don't know what my future has in store for me, and I'm excited to see it. I'm excited but not quite ready to to enter the work phase of life and leave the school phase. I'm just so sick of the school phase that it's causing me to lose patience and heart. One day, I will look back at this point in life and think it was awesome. But right now, I'm just so sick of the school and homework. It really stinks. And I just want to be somewhere else and not here...