Reverb 10: Party

December 9 Party


What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans.

I'm not usually the rock-your-socks-off party type...


The parties I go to consist of work parties and family/holiday parties.


I suppose if I had to pick one that "rocked my socks off", I'd choose...

And that's where I left off yesterday before I went to Scott's company Christmas party (I know, I'm behind again...). Being there made me realize: I don't actually like parties (mostly). I had planned on coming home with a new party perspective and writing something about how nice it is to see family and friends for the holidays, but I was being a total Grinch last night, I suppose.

Parts of last night's party were fun. After we had gotten food and settled down at a table with another couple and we had a nice, laughing, joking, light but refreshing conversation, and it was awesome. I do love that part: sitting down with people and catching up and making small talk (but meaningful small talk) (if that makes any sense).

I don't like being in loud places, or crowded places. I am not hard-of-hearing, according to the many audiologists that have tested me over the years, but something in my brain isn't able to ignore background noise and focus on something being said to me unless I'm looking at the person talking, they're speaking in my direction, loudly enough, and with very very good enunciation. That's why I detest mumblers. If someone says something to me, and I have to ask "What?" more than once, I get frustrated, so I usually ignore them. Most of the time when I'm at a party and someone tries to talk to me I can't understand a word they're saying, so last night I ended up just sitting on a couch with my hands in my pockets, just waiting for it to be over. Sad, I know.

I also don't do well in social situations with new people. I am, by nature, shy, though you'd never know it because I try very hard to act like I'm naturally outgoing. So I have a really hard time relating to new people, finding something we have in common, and not making an absolute fool out of myself. I try hard enough with people I already know as it is, so this is just stressful for me. It's exhausting, actually.

I love much smaller parties, maybe too small to even be considered "parties". It's just so much better for me to be able to talk with people one on one and really focus on what they are saying. It's more intimate. I can learn more about the people around me this way. I make friends more easily this way (and the friendships are more lasting). Maybe this makes me a total dork, but if it means having closer relationships (and feeling less awkward) then I don't care.

The nice thing about the party last night? I met Scott's coworker's wife, who is a chemist at another nutraceutical company.We had a nice, nerdy conversation. It was fabulous! Usually I have to really simplify when I describe what I do because people don't know what I'm talking about but she knew! I love smart chemist chicks!

Reverb 10: Beautifully Different

December 8 Beautifully Different

Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different - you'll find they're what make you beautiful.

I am beautiful. I admit it. Heh.

There are a lot of things that make me different from most people. How about a list?

1. I'm freaking nuts, you guys. Most people aren't (or at least they haven't been diagnosed...), so I am different. This is usually a bad thing, but medication is magic, so it's all good (most of the time). There is some good that comes from this, though. I have to keep a close eye on my moods, and why I'm feeling the way I'm feeling. I have to work hard to make sure this illness doesn't screw with my marriage (or any number of other things in my life), so I am very careful with my words and I consider carefully what the things I say will really say to other people. I'm not perfect about this, of course; everyone loses it once in a while and I am no exception (and anyone who says he/she never loses control is LYING) (unless it's Jesus). But I think that having to think carefully about the things I say helps me be more considerate and helps me communicate more effectively.

2. I get along way better with men than women. I have a few close girlfriends, but the vast majority of my good friends over the years have been dudes. Guys just make more sense to me. They aren't catty and most of the time they say what they mean, they don't overthink things or play games, and they don't gossip as much (not all women do this, of course, it's just a generalization). This has been frustrating in the past; when I was in high school and I wasn't allowed to date until I was 16, I couldn't hang out with my friends because it would be a "date", even though I had no romantic feelings for my guy friends. Mim and I fought about this one a lot. Fun times. Also, in college, before I dated Scott, I was totally in love with my best friend, and OH BOY did that complicate things.

3. How many women do YOU know who are chemists?

4. I am apparently the only person on the planet who doesn't want babies. Ok, I suppose that's a slight exaggeration...I can think of...two other people who don't want kids, and one of them is married to me. I would be totally willing to donate my eggs to help other people have babies, but they won't take them because of #1 (I'm crazy).

5. Something different I do that lights people up...? I really like sharing what I have with other people (unless it's yarn; I'm a total Yarn Scrooge), but I don't think that's that different.

I can't think of anything else. And I don't see how these make me beautiful, but Scott and my mommy think I'm pretty so I suppose that's all that matters.

Text Time 11

Kwiddens: I'm at Wal-Mart and there's a line for the blood pressure machine
Me: Lol random

Kwiddens: You should call my work and tell them there's a family emergency
Me: Ok what kind of an emergency do you want?
Kwiddens: Dad in a car accident or something.
*insert fake, frantic phone call here*
Me: Are you going to be able to come help? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge?
Kwiddens: Yes. THANK YOU
Me: Love you a million!
Kwiddens: Love you more!

Kwiddens: I hate when I have to force myself to stay awake until a decent bed time
Me: I know EXACTLY how you feel

Me: You should really see a doc...
Mim: Been hoping to see a plastic surgeon...romantically. For Valentine's an eyelid lift, for my BDay a tummy tuck...!

Bob: A chemist and a mathemagician/philosopher. This ought to be good. Do you have a large white board yet? I expect a formula that balances out all of life's problems! It should include moles, k, pi, constants, infinitives, reason and purpose. Ready, set, go.

Now I'll Go Churn Some Butter...

Apparently, housewives are extinct.

An acquaintance posted this link of Facebook a little while ago. I read it, and thought it was fine and had a bit of a point, though it reeked of 19th century gender roles.

Then I read the comments.

Holy hell, people!

It took me three days to cool down enough to write this while keeping the language clean. Well, cleanish.

Gee, I'm SO SORRY I was too busy studying quantum mechanics to learn how to make a perfect souffle. Apparently I'm an awful person.

There are women who are happy to be at home, to cook and clean, and take care of children, and be there when the husband comes home with a smile and a fresh, hot supper laid out on the table. And I think that's wonderful. I think women should be able to do whatever they want to do, whether that is being at home or being out on Wall Street, trading stocks. Mim was a stay-at-home mom, and it was so wonderful to know that she was always there and would help and support us in all our endeavors. But she always wanted more. She wanted to learn. She wanted to (someday) be able to go out into the world and do something else after we kids were raised and do something she really, truly enjoyed.

I have no desire to have children of my own. I also have no desire to quit my job, stay at home, and cook. I don't particularly like cooking (but maybe when I have a nice, new, big kitchen I'll be willing to learn...) and I don't want to do all the cleaning (although I would clean more around the house if someone would remind me to, hint hint). I'm just not the domestic type. And I have thought to myself, many times, "Thank GOD I was born when I was, because I don't think I could ever be happy in a fixed gender role like things used to be!"

(And, no, I didn't just take the Lord's name in vain, because I really DO thank Him)

(So nobody get offended, ok?)

I don't consider myself a "feminist", but I'm really happy that I found a man who didn't have...ideas...about how things should be run in our home. We're partners. We share. We help each other. We pick up each other's slack. And we split the work (not quite evenly, I must admit...he's so much better at remembering chores than I am!). We both go to our jobs and earn about the same amount of money. And all of this is totally fine with both of us. We're happy.

There seem to be a lot of men (at least, all the men who left comments on this article...) that think that just because they were born with man-parts they are entitled to having a woman who will do whatever he wants her to do.

Think again, jerks.

Why Pay More?

There are a few things I am willing to pay more for to get the name brand. In some cases the quality is actually higher, so I make up for the higher cost by being able to use certain products for longer.

Of course, there are other things, like food, that are exactly the same, no matter what brand they are. I'll gladly pay half price for Great Value macaroni and cheese that tastes exactly like Kraft.

I generally don't understand why people insist on paying a higher price for something that is EXACTLY THE SAME.

That's why I don't understand why people want brand name medications, either over the counter or prescription.

Let me tell you a little story.

Once upon a time I worked at a giant pharmaceutical company (Cephalon). In the particular location where I worked they made a product called Actiq, which is fentanyl (a narcotic 80 times more powerful than morphine) (you would not believe the amount of paperwork required for ANYTHING involving a Schedule II controlled substance...). In the factory they made brand name Actiq...AND generic fentanyl. Exact same formula. Exact same production process. And, most importantly, EXACT SAME QUALITY CONTROL TESTING PROTOCOLS. Very strict ones, in fact.

For one dose of Actiq, Cephalon charges somewhere around $50, depending on the dosage.

Guess how much they charge for a dose of generic fentanyl?

$17. Yep. Almost three times as much, for the exact same thing.

People, it doesn't matter what company makes the medication. The FDA monitors very carefully the production and testing of every single drug available in the US. There are inspections ALL THE TIME, and they are very strict. If there are any violations, the companies get fined heavily, so to avoid this, the companies are very very careful to do everything properly and safely.

On a related note, I hate when people are wary of something that's made in a lab versus the same thing found in nature. Keywords being the same thing. And, chances are, they can get the substance more pure if they make it in a lab, and many times for a much smaller cost.

So now you know.

Go forth and buy generic!

There Was Makeup EVERYWHERE

I am a total klutz. You'd think that as a knitter and a chemist, you know, someone who works with her hands, that I would have very agile little fingers. Think again.

This is why I'm not allowed to use the super glue any more:

Yes. I glued my thumb to the glue. And seconds after that, I glued the Q-tip soaked in acetone I was using to try and pry it off to my fingers on my other hand.

This weekend has been...crazyish. Em and three of her friends were planning on attending the Anime Banzai in the Davis Conference Center this weekend, and I'm super nice so I offered to let them stay at my house instead of having to get a hotel room for three nights. We pulled out all of our extra pillows and blankets and sleeping bags and let them crash on the living room floor.

Scott and I generally go to bed rather early, but we needed to stay up late enough to let the girls in each night...LATE. Also, between their regular stuff and their costumes (like 3 different costumes each) my living room and bathroom were CHAOS. There was makeup everywhere. HURGH. I got home and hurried to clean up as much of it as I could before Scott saw it and had a conniption. Ha!

They're over at the convention right now, and later today they will gather all their things and head back down home and then my house will be SILENT again. So nice.

They were gone during the day though, so on the plus side, we got all the ugly linoleum in the kitchen ripped up, and we were happy to find that there wasn't any more water damage under the dishwasher, so we don't have to replace any more subfloor. Happy!

Answers

A few days ago I got a few good questions to answer, so I'm using them to make a post! I didn't make it to 20 for August, but maybe I can for September.

magnolia (it takes everything in me not to capitalize this...) asked:

money is no object, nor is time. where are you going on your dream trip? what are you doing when you get there?

Well, magnolia, it would be a four-phase trip. First would be a tour of Scotland etc., to see all the castles. I would also go visit Nessie. I probably would spend mucho $$ to get non-English food, because I hear their native foods are...well, disgusting.

Second would be a trip south, through Rome (where I would stay for a few days and see some of the really old, really pretty stuff) on my way to Egypt.

Egypt. It's somewhere I've always wanted to go. I would grease a few palms to make sure I could get up close and personal into tombs and other restricted areas...people generally let you do more when you give them money. I'd also hire a bodyguard. I'd also buy a million presents for all my friends and family (and myself!).

Next would be the trip through Central and South America: after I've seen Egyptian tombs and pyramids, then I want to go see the more amazing Mayan and Incan pyramids, you know, the ones so deep into the jungle you need a skilled and experienced guide to not get lost and die. A significant amount of money would be invested in this guide and, once again, a bodyguard (it's getting scary down there) (terrorism sucks!), as well as bug spray. LOTS of bug spray.

The last phase would be Alaska, in the fall so the snow begins but it isn't the dead of winter with no sunlight and happiness. I would want to see glaciers and polar bears and...um...I don't know. What else is in Alaska? All I know is that it's gorgeous there and I would love to go again sometime, in a tourist capacity. I would definitely need to cool off after traipsing through the jungle.

Kim asked:

1. What did you want to be when you were a child?

Well, Kim, I wanted to be a fashion model. Look how well that turned out. As soon as I had a reality check though, I've always wanted to be a scientist, and secretly a singer.

2. What made you fall in love with your husband?

So many things! The previous "serious" relationship I had had went south for a number of reasons, but one of them was my ex's arrogance. He was in love with himself. Scott is nothing like that, which immediately attracted me. He's adorable. He is reliable and completely honest. He's the most selfless person I know, and he would do anything to make me happy. I think the biggest thing was that he made me want to be a better person.

3. What's your favorite book?

I know I should say something like Vanity Fair (which I detested) or Pride and Prejudice (which I do love), you know, something that would make me look well-read and elegant, but I'm going to have to go with the Harry Potter series, the Chronicles of Narnia, and the Lord of the Rings (along with the hobbit). It's a tie.

4. When do you normally go to bed?

I usually get in bed around 8:00 and read or surf the internet or watch videos with Scott until 9:00, then I try to sleep.

5. You get to meet a celebrity--who is it?

Honestly, I wouldn't really want to meet anyone. If it were someone I thought was really cool and talented or attractive I would just be kinda awkward and I wouldn't want to be one of those people who fawns over celebrities. That being said, I wouldn't mind having lunch with Mike Rowe.

Chemistry Can Also Be Ridiculous

And, some more!

• 10:15 am Saturday: My reaction tipped over :(! Nooooo...
• I rotovaped (is that a word?)
• I added bromine to phenol in DMSO. What a smelly mess. I am sick of all of it. Solid into NMR tube (maybe it worked)...nope.
• Mixture #6 smells like dead cats
• I QUIT the column. I have a better idea!
• Solid unknown is water soluble! Yay! It's also basic to pH paper...ooh.
• Smells nice.
• Smells terrible.
• WOW. This is harder than it looks, let me tell you.
• One last conclusion: Vigreux columns are expensive. Don't break one.
• Refraction=really cool
• Title: Nasty Dynamics Lab
• Eight a.m....yuck.
• File names: "StrongBadIsAwesome", StrongSad", "AnnaSilly", "ErikTheWeird", "LifeIsSilly", "SweaterSong", TenOnEverything", "KirkTheJerk"
• Starting some crap over again
• Refocused MUCH BETTER NOT GARBAGE

So, anyway...this is probably why I am not a research chemist. I am incapable of being serious.

Chemistry Can Be Funny

I was looking through some old lab notebooks from college, and I was noticing that I logged my experiments with...flair. I thought it would be amusing to share with you some of the gems I wrote in there! Keep in mind that this is exactly like I wrote it originally in the lab books...smiley faces, exclamation points, and all.

• My percent yield is going to be dismal. A few crystals are forming, but for the most part it isn't working out so well. Nothing came out when I hirsched it! :( Starting over...
• The reaction mixture is a nice color this time.
• I removed the aqueous layer. For some reason this layer was on the bottom...weird.
• I keep washing and washing and washing with methylene chloride...
• I have product! Plenty of product!
• I know my product was pretty darn pure because my melting point was great!
• It looked white. Really white.
• Meso-stilbene dibromide! :)
• Lo and behold, it decomposed!
• It looked pure. No weird colors, etc. The end!
• 0.023 g product. DISMAL.
• (A messed up reaction mechanism) This is what I get for writing in pen...The REAL one: (the right reaction mechanism) I win!
• My alternate procedure yielded brown junk. I suspect failure...
• I made diphenylacetylene! Here's how I know:...It tastes like diphenylacetylene (just kidding!)
• I could have recrystallized it, but I am lazy.

I'll post more later!

Text Time 7

Today's Text Time has pictures!

Mim:

Great place for math!

Scott:

Me: Perfect! Is it working?

Scott: Not at all...it is bringing me more attention.

Mim: Pain everywhere.

Me: What can I do??

Mim: Send positively charged no pain ions.

Me: It doesn't matter what time I have to pee in the morning, the janitor always happens to be cleaning the bathroom at that exact time.

Kwiddens: Haha you're cursed

Me: No kidding. I wonder who cursed me...

Kwiddens: Your mother-in-law?

Me: Lol maybe. I don't think she knows I don't like her, though.

Mim: Hey Nanners, what do I want a ring to be coated with? I want to order a ring today and I forgot.

Me: Rhodium, dahling.

Mim: Rhodium is a girl's best friend...

My New Profession

A recent text conversation:

Mim: If I ever have to get a smaller bed, I'm having this bedspread cut down, and the excess made into more pillows! You have such good taste! This set is perfect!

Me: I love that I can match your personality and moods to your colors and decor!

Mim: You should be an interior designer.

Me: A chemical interior designer. Everything will be molecule-themed.

Mim: Could be fun!

Missing School

Often at work, or when people ask me a chemistry question, I realize how much I've forgotten and how much I never knew in the first place. That's the problem with getting a degree; the more you learn the dumber you feel as you find out about more and more that you don't have a clue about. Awesome.

I often get the urge to review my chemistry just to keep it fresh in my mind, and I've never really acted on that urge because I didn't have many of my books from college. It's one of the only things I regret from my college years: selling back my chemistry books. Now, I realize that this was necessary in order to afford the books for the next semester, but I wish I would have found another way, because now I don't have them and I miss them terribly.

But the other day, I was itching to review some chemistry, and I remembered that I am The Queen Of Internet Shopping, and I decided to see if I could find my old books online. I made myself a list of the chemistry courses I had taken (I still remember each course and its course number, yes that's sad) and went down the list, searching online for the book I had for each course. This wasn't easy as I had forgotten which books I had in the first place, so I spent a few hours doing this. But I did it!

The next step was finding the books for sale online. This is why I am in love with Amazon.com. I found all of my books. All of them. The best part? Three of them were under $10 (including shipping) in very good condition from sellers of used books. I went home and checked to see what books I still had, and I had several still, and a few that I didn't have I had some good replacements for (due to inheriting all the books in an old professor's office one time), so I only needed to actually buy five books. So I'm keeping a close eye on Amazon to see if the other two books come down in price. Even if they don't, I will be able to get them for about $20 each, which isn't bad considering they were originally hundreds of dollars. Let me tell you, upper level chemistry books are some of the most expensive textbooks out there.

So I started with my general chemistry book, which I still had. When I was in college I was so busy that I pretty much learned what was going to be on the exams, and there were bits and pieces that I missed because I was strapped for time. This time around, I have all the time in the world, so I am reading each chapter slowly, highlighting and practicing the chapter exercises. I'm in nerd heaven. I remember now why I chose this as my major: it's very interesting, and there are numbers involved, and I love math and I love knowing how things work and interesting applications of different chemical processes.

So the plan is to go through and review, class by class, until I feel I have fully refreshed my memory, and even learned more than I did in the first place.

Now. This has brought all sorts of good memories to the front of my mind, and I am remembering how much I loved school. I've always loved school, since the very first day of kindergarten. Yes, there were times when I was stressed, but I love learning. I love the smell of books, I love buying new school supplies, I love sitting in class and listening and debating and asking questions, I love sitting and doing homework (believe it or not), and I love taking tests, because they are challenges and it's very gratifying to get good scores, which I almost always did (because of loving school so much).

All of this made me want so very badly to go back to grad school.

But one of the things I've realized about myself is that I can't be in school full time and be healthy at the same time. It's too much. I don't handle stress well, and if I don't sleep enough it throws my brain chemicals (and my whole body) into utter chaos. I thought about doing a master's with night classes, just part time, but chemistry is one of the few disciplines that can't really be done at night. There just isn't enough demand for chemistry classes to extend them to night school.

I wouldn't want to quit my job, either. I love my job. It's amazing. It's such a perfect match to me and my needs. Getting a master's would involve time-consuming research, and I would probably have to quit to be able to devote enough time to it.

The other thing to consider is that I wouldn't know where to go. BYU's chemistry department was AMAZING in resources, classes offered, and staff. I loved it there. I didn't like BYU in general, but the chemistry department was always wonderful to me. So, naturally I would want to go there for grad school. However, not only is it an hour and a half drive from my house if there's no traffic, but I couldn't get back in to save my life, since I've become a heathen.

So, my other options would be to go to the U of U or Weber State, which are closer to my house, but not close enough to be convenient, and I don't honestly know much about either chemistry department, except that the U of U was the place where that cold fusion thing took place years and years ago, which didn't make them look too good.

So, basically, it won't happen. It can't happen. And I need to be ok with that.

So I think what I will do is to keep reviewing my books, and then branch out. I learn extremely well from books, and if there's anything I don't understand I can always internet. The internet knows everything; you just have to know how to sort through the garbage to get to the real stuff.

Ramble Ramble Ramble

Tuesday we came home and there were weird red spots on the carpet in the living room. It was pretty late so we didn't worry about it until the next day. It turns out, Buster threw up his (red) dog food all over, and then ate it, so all that was left were smelly red spots. Fabulous. So Wednesday Scott went and rented a RugDoctor, and we cleaned the spots the best we could, and even though it didn't get the stain out the nasty junk was out of the carpet so we were ok with it and we returned the cleaner and went to bed.

We got up in the morning and everything seemed fine, and we both headed off to work. When we got home and opened the door the stench was overwhelming...bleh. I think the RugDoctor just kinda spread around the nast instead of totally sucking it up, and to top it all off it didn't pull out enough of the water in the carpet, so it got mildewy and gross and smelly (so pleasant) while it was "drying"...so that was a complete waste of $30.

So today we called around and found a guy who could do the whole room and the stairs for $50, which is a pretty awesome deal, and he was able to come over an hour and a half after we called, which was also awesome. So, now our carpet is very very clean and smells NICE. He even got the traffic spots out.

Moral of the story?

RugDoctors suck. A lot. Don't bother.

Today I was reading some chemistry history (nerdy...) and I was talking to Scott about it and I was saying how if there's an afterlife with a heaven or maybe even a Chemist Heaven (and when I said that Scott about died from laughter...) the guys up there must be like, "I told you and you guys totally didn't believe me!" and they must feel so...vindicated. What a nice feeling. Good job, Avogadro.

I am getting better at playing Plants vs. Zombies. If you haven't played this game you MUST. It is SO MUCH FUN and SO CUTE and THE PLANTS HAVE FACES. I mean, come on. What other game lets you throw butter and popcorn kernels at a zombie to kill it?

Scott and I are now both on fatsecret.com. It's a daily food and exercise diary that keeps track of calories, portion sizes, and all the exercise you do. If you're dieting, it's definitely worth checking out. We're both in love with it. Scott's phone even has an app for it, so when he scans in a bar code on whatever food he's eating it automatically logs it in his food diary. Very cool.

Mim and I are going to go to a family reunion up in Sandpoint, ID later this month. We'll see how that turns out...either way we'll get a band saw out of the deal (more explanation later). The fam is also coming up to our house for July 4 for fooding, a movie, and fireworks (the little baby ones that are legal in this horrible state).

There were several other things I thought about today that I wanted to write about but I've completely forgotten them. I suppose that's what I get for not writing things down.

Aspartame

So I was in Wal-Mart yesterday doing some grocery shopping. Scott and I are trying to be healthier, so we were picking out light yogurt-the kind that's fat-free and has artificial sweeteners in it. So I was picking some out and telling Scott how that yogurt has fewer calories and no fat so it's better for you and good for digestion, and a man nearby turned to me and said, "May I add something?" I expected him to chime in and agree with me that it was a healthier choice, so I said "Sure". He pointed to the word "aspartame" and (pronouncing it incorrectly) said "Aspartame is really bad for you."

I restrained myself. I just said "I have a degree in chemistry and I don't agree with you". And then I walked away. I said it as politely as I could with a smile on my face.

Here's what I wanted to say:

The only study that has ever shown an artificial sweetener to cause cancer was many years ago in California. Not only have those results never been replicated since, but the original "results" of the study were on rats, anyway.

Now let's pretend..I mean assume...that aspartame does have a teensy tiny chance of causing cancer.

Even if this assumption is true, the risk is far overshadowed by the damaging effects of eating too many refined sugars and too many calories. I mean, come on. Obesity, which is caused by too many calories in the first place, causes coronary diseases and diabetes. It's a walking death sentence, and it cuts quality of life drastically. Trust me, I know. I was obese, technically, and I was always sick, always tired, always physically miserable in some way or another and it was horrible.

Now let's take a look at diabetes. If a person eats too much sucrose (table sugar) he or she risks developing type 2 diabetes. If this person instead indulges in naturally sweet items containing glucose and fructose (plant sugars), these sugars have a less pronounced effect on blood sugar. This effect has been shown to be directly related to the development of diabetes. Artificial sweeteners, like plant sugars, also have a less pronounced effect on blood sugar (as do sugar alcohols, in case you were wondering), and so are a better option than table sugar in that regard.

So let's recap. Aspartame (and sucralose, and saccharin, etc.) offers a person with a sweet tooth the option of having something delicious that has fewer calories and a less pronounced effect on blood sugar.

Let's see. If I have the choice of eating something healthier that has a 0.0000000000001% chance of causing me cancer vs. something with more sugar that will give me diabetes and gain weight, am I going to choose the artificial sweetener?

Hell yes.

Edited to add: Recent studies, however, have been showing more and more that aspartame makes your body hold on to fat more tightly. Therefore, since writing this, I've stopped drinking diet soda. But it still doesn't cause cancer!!!

Text Time 4

Me: There are screaming babies everywhere!
Scott: No babies!
Me: No kidding!

Mim teaches math at UVU...

Mim: I hate that I have to teach slow, clumsy methods. I teach them, then say "here's the quick, slick method."

Me: Sometimes I can't even remember the slow methods because I just do the quick ones in my head...

Mim: This book series teaches mixture and distance solving with 2 or more variables and a system of equations. WHY?!

Me: Why do people overcomplicate things?

Mim: I know. Sometimes I'm demonstrating and accidentally slip into a quick. I think at this level we should just teach the quick, then later introduce the theory and the slower methods for deeper understanding.

Me: If only we ran the world...

Mim: I agree.

Me: When you take pictures in negative your dog shampoo glows!

Kwiddens: Weirdie

Scott: Buster just lost a fight to a wasp.

Me: Yay, acid on my face!

Ten Things

So I just have a few things to post today, with no apparent theme.

Scott is almost finished sanding, bondo-ing, and priming the 'Stang so soon he will be able to paint it. He doesn't think it's going fast enough, but I think we should take our time and get it done very well the first time. We're looking to sell this thing for quite a chunk of cash, so it needs to be as authentic and carefully done as possible.

I hate tailgaters. When someone is that close behind me, the evil part of me wants to just SLAM on my brakes and pretend there was a deer in the road or something, because more often than not the car behind me is much MUCH more expensive than mine. Ha. But then there's that whole whiplash thing...

Diet Mountain Dew isn't very good when it's flat and warm.

I really really want to know who the final Cylon is, but I promised Scott I wouldn't go online to find out before we finish watching the series. It's just about killing me.

One of my friends' husband is a structural engineer and was kind enough to come over the day before yesterday and take a look at our sub floor and support beams in the basement. It turns out that if we replace one beam with steel and add one more on the longer side of the basement, we might not have to replace the entire sub floor before we can put the wood down.

Mim called me yesterday and asked me a chemistry question (I love when she does that!). Someone had told her that aspartame decomposes to make formaldehyde in your stomach and poisons you so you shouldn't drink diet soda with aspartame in it. Number one, there is no known one step acid to aldehyde reduction. Number two, if you did want to make it into an aldehyde, you would have to eat some lithium aluminum hydride tetrabutyl oxide or else some palladium and quinoline, and if you had eaten these formaldehyde in your stomach would be the LAST thing you should worry about. So there's your chemistry lesson for today: aspartame will not turn into formaldehyde in your stomach. The end.

I have been walking on the treadmill on my lunch breaks at work and sometimes again when I get home. I just pop in some Scrubs or Stargate or Gilmore Girls or whatever and walk while I watch and it makes it go so much faster. I feel like I have more energy and I don't feel so bad about having a cookie for lunch yesterday.

I wish I were a size 8. Or a 6. Whatever.

Kwiddens asked me to knit her special socks to wear to the hospital when she goes into labor. They will be purple. Also, I am stalling weaving the ends into her baby's blanket by starting a new lace scarf.

I'm in love with my new phone, but I miss waking up to Hedwig's Theme as my alarm. I will have to download a new tone.

Text Time 1

So this is the first installment of funny text messages/conversations that I have with my family and friends. Mostly my family. Chances are, my family is just going to keep getting funnier, so hopefully this will be something I can post often!

Mim: Will you make some hydrogen sulfide for me?

Me: Who are you trying to kill?

Mim: WHOM am I trying to kill...

Me: Shut up. So whom?

Mim: No one. Need for a friend who needs to do a comparison thing.

Me: Let some eggs rot. You'll have some in about a month. Maybe faster if you leave them out in the sun.

Mim: I'm just gonna tell him you said no.

Kwiddens: Is it bad that when I see a guy in the airport screaming "Sell! Sell! Sell!" into his cell phone I think he's faking?

Kwiddens: Isaac's mom was eating an avocado and Avogadro's number popped into my head.

Mim: So what do you suppose is a mole of avocados?!

Kwiddens: Isaac found my old ring!

Me: Where was it??

Kwiddens: In Nyah's room

Me: Isn't that your uterus? How did it get in there?

Kwiddens: Haha no the room where the guns used to be

Me: Buster just tried to eat a Schnauzer

Mim: Hors d'ouvres!