New Element Discovered in the wake of Katrina and Rita

A major research institution has recently announced the discovery of the heaviest chemical yet known to science. This new element has been tentatively named "Governmentium."

Governmentium has one neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 224 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert. However, it can be detected as it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.

A tiny amount of Governmentium causes one reaction to take over four days to complete when it would normally take less than a second. Governmentium has a normal half-life of four years; it does not decay but instead, it undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some scientists to speculate that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypocritical quantity is referred to as "Critical Morass."

You will know it when you see it. When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element which radiates just as much energy since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

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Thanks Grandma for forwarding this to me!

Halloween Costume

I don't think I've ever had this much fun putting together a halloween costume!

To back up slightly... my sister was supposed to send me the costume she made and wore last year. It's a belly dancer costume made with shiny fabrics and belly baring. She did a fabulous job on it. But she didn't get it in the mail on time, so it wouldn't be able to arrive in time.

So this afternoon I've been going a bit crazy trying to think of something else. Well... I did, with the help of a few friends: Kate, Courtney, and the internet. I've got a few finishing touches to find still, but every last bit of it so far came from what I've got, plus a few things Courtney is letting me borrow. Thank you Courtney!!!

Waiting to hear what it is? Tough luck! I'll be sure to take pictures when it's complete, but anyone who won't see me in person on Halloween will have to wait until after to see the pics and find out what my costume is! :D

A story my brother wrote...

Here's a story my brother wrote just the other day. It's totally not fair how he's so good at so many things!

Seth's Story - Shiloh

Can't Stop Dancing!

This weekend has been a whirlwind of dancing, more dancing, and even more dancing! And it's not even over yet!

Friday night I went to the ballroom dance at Alaskaland. That was a lot of fun with most of my favorite dance partners in attendance. :D Soon after I showed up I was told that there was a latin dance at the Blue Loon afterwards. I wasn't so sure I could withstand even more dancing after dancing for a few hours at Akland, but I said maybe. Well, it ended up that my feet had horrible blisters on them and I was fairly tired by the end of the ballroom dance. (A polka to Cotton Eyed Joe will do that to me every time.) Well, as you might have guessed, I went to the Blue Loon anyways. :P Matt gave me a ride out there cause I didn't really feel like driving and a bunch of other people I know were there too. It was a blast! I haven't had so much fun dancing in awhile at least. The DJ was pretty cool and played lots of salsas and merengues and other latin tunes for us. He also played some pretty good hip-hop and other styles too, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I even acquired a puppy dog! (Puppy dog = random guy with a crush on me.) I never did get his name, but from pretty much the first minute I was out on the dance floor he was checking me out. :D Poor guy though, he had no chance competing against all the guys I knew that knew how to dance to latin dances. They'd grab me almost before the next song had started, while this poor guy was just working up the guts to start in my direction to ask me to dance. And then he'd get one of his friends to help him learn the steps for whichever dance was playing, but the next song would be something entirely different. He did get me for a couple of the club style songs though. And I will admit he was cute, although not really my type. *shrug* Oh well, it was fun. Matt and I didn't leave until nearly 2:30 a.m. and by the time I got home, took a shower to get the smoke out of my hair, and went to bed, it was 3 a.m.

Saturday morning I woke up quite happily at 10:30 a.m., which was pretty impressive given the time I went to bed. I spent most of the day going through my music, sorting out the good dance tunes. :D Patrick is DJing the music for one of the next ballroom dances and I get to help! Yay! I love picking music for dances, although it does take a lot of time. *shrug* It's worth it. Anyways, then at 5, Patrick and I went to Hot Tamales for dinner with the NATC group (where I currently work and Patrick has worked before). It was good to see some people I hadn't seen in awhile, and also meet others who have worked there. Then Patrick and I headed to the Silver Spur (with a little running around after silly shoes involved). Matt was there, as well as various other dancers. It was a good evening with some good west coast swings, cha chas, tangos, salsas, sambas danced as salsas (that was fun!), and all kinds of other stuff. Patrick left just before the live band came on, and Matt agreed to give me a ride back home afterwards. The live band was really good, with an excellent female vocalist. I must say I do like country music on occasion. :) Matt and I ended up staying until about 12:30 a.m.

Now it's going on 2 a.m. and I seriously need to go to sleep. I've got more dancing to do tomorrow!

Weird Moods, Stress, & Lack of Sleep

I am so glad this week is almost over. It has been an odd and off week for me. Between too little sleep (and still being tired when I finally get enough sleep), and lots of school work to do, as well as other work too. And then toss on some other odds and ends that I don't need to get into, but have affected me emotionally, and you get a week that definitely does not make it onto the favorites list.

My business law class was driving me nuts today. We were going over the topic of shipment and who gets the risk of loss, the buyer or seller, in various situations. Well, shipping terms have never made a lick of sense to me. I mean, F.O.B., stands for "free on-board". What the hell could that possibly mean??? Well, anyways, after reading the chapter last night, I was still just about as confused as ever. Then in class this morning, the professor talks in circles around the topic for at least an hour and managed to confuse me even more! And to top it off, when we go over a problem in class, he changes his answer to the problem three times! Add to this my weird mood and I was just about ready to either break down crying right there, or walk out of class early. I actually did sit down and have a good cry when I got back to my room. It felt good and it helped relieve the stress a little at least.

Well, that's only one of the things that have been driving me batty, but that's all I'll complain about for now. This weekend should be at least minorly less stressful. And with plenty of dancing. :D There's a ballroom dance tomorrow night, and Saturday I'm going to go to dinner at Hot Tamales w/NATC (my job), then Patrick and I are going to head to the Silver Spur for some dancing. Matt will be happy to hear that. ;)

I'm off to bed now. I think I'm starting to get a headache, so a tall glass of water and sleep are on my agenda.

Too much fun with dolls... :D

Here are a few dolls made on elouai.com:

These first two are John's rendition of me, and my rendition of him. Aren't we so cute?!?


These last two are ones I tossed together, both with at least the vague idea that they looked something like me. (Or at least what I'd love to look like.) ;-)


By the way, Jessi, you're a horrible influence on me! You put way too many fun/cool things on your blog! :D

Dance Video Clips!!!

Hurrah! Many thanks to my very generous brother for donating space on his server so I could upload them! And many more thanks to Vanessa for taking these video clips and giving me a copy!

Anyways, now to explain. On Saturday the International Day of Friendship went very well. Jessi and I went together and watched most of the performances before it was my turn. There were some pretty awesome performances, including one I've included a clip of below. Then our salsa rueda group, nicknamed the "Cuban Dancers", even though all but one of us is white as can be, did a little practicing and then went on. It was awesome! We only messed up a little at one point, but I dare you to figure out where it is. ;-) (It is in the video clip, but not incredibly noticiable, except to us.) We had a great time doing it though, and I'm pretty excited about doing it again December 3rd. I'll keep you all posted as to where and when, after I find out. Anyways, don't mind me, here's the clips:

The first 3 minutes of our performance. - Fairly large file, will take time to load, be patient!
JJ's and my little exit routine. - A very short/small file.
A beautiful Thai dancer. - Another large file, but generally worth taking a peek at.

Also, see my brother's website, where he so graciously allowed me to upload these clips, since I seem to be too close to my limit on my ASUAF space.

Winter Wonderland!

It's snowing and everything is white. You know what my favorite part of snow is? It dampens all noise. Especially the noise of cars driving past. It makes you feel like you're in a whole new world where cars don't make any sound and the stuff you walk on is really some sort of cornstarch. :-) I think I'm starting to get used to the idea of winter again. It's not such a horrible thing. Although I do have to start remembering to plug in my car. It always takes me awhile to start remembering to do that every time. I need to start now though, or I'll never get into the habit.

On another note. Are Jessi and I the only ones who blog anymore? It's becoming an assumption of mine that I'm not going to find any new blogs on any of the ones I check except Jessi's. You guys can't be all that busy! Or maybe I'm more bored than I thought I was. I do have tons of things to do, but I guess I do hang out with other people a lot less than I used to. Which means any amount of time not spent in class, doing homework, or dancing is most likely spent sitting in front of this computer, or crocheting and watching a movie. I used to hate having free time to myself. Now I think I kind of like it. I suppose that is a good thing, since when I'm in Anchorage again, I'll be living by myself and it'll take awhile to make friends outside of work.

International Day of Friendship is at Alaskaland (Pioneer Park) today. I'm planning on heading over there around noonish and hanging out most of the afternoon, at least until the performance I'm in at 3:50 p.m. I'm in the Cuban Dancers performance. We're doing a salsa rueda performance that is totally awesome and a lot of fun! Come see it!

8 months!

John and I have been together 8 months now. I wouldn't trade those 8 months with him for anything! (Except maybe another 8 months.) I do wish we could be around each other more, but this arrangement does seem to be working for the best right now anyways. Especially considering the load of school and such I seem to have gotten myself into this semester. I guess that's what I get for trying to plan an easy last semester of college. :-P Anyways, I'm off to work now.

Sleep?

It's amazing what an extra hour or two of sleep can do to you! I was so tired yesterday and last night that I took a half hour nap in the afternoon, and I went to bed at 9:15 instead of my official bedtime of 10 and my unofficial actual bedtime of somewhere closer to 11. Then when I woke up at 6 o'clock this morning, I didn't feel like I was trying to kill myself to pry my eyes open! I was still almost late for class (a different story), but I didn't sleep through it, even though it was a rather boring class this time. I also did some sit-ups this morning, which were actually really hard. :P I'm so out of shape. But I've got a halloween costume that I don't want to look too flabby in, so I'm going to do sit-ups dammit! (No comments from the biased peanut gallery please: aka John.) Anyways, I guess today is working out to be a pretty decent day. It's white outside, not too chilly inside, I've got tons to do, and I'm bound and determined that it is all going to get done! And if it does, I'll reward myself with a bit of time to crochet this evening, and then go to bed on time! Haha, ok, have a good day everyone!

Interesting Again...

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Interesting...

Your Hair Should Be White

Classy, stylish, and eloquent. You've got a way about you that floors everyone you meet.

What's Your Funky Inner Hair Color?

Distance classes are such a hassle...

I've been plugging away at these two distance classes I'm currently taking at a fairly quick pace. Sometimes slower, sometimes faster, but overall I've gotten a lot done. Well, the other day I did a quick count of how many lessons I had left and the number of weeks I thought I had left to do them in. Plus some time for testing and all that good stuff. It worked out that I needed to get 2 lessons done per week. (Pretty much regardless of which class.) That's not bad, that's actually worse than I've been averaging, so it'd be pretty easy. But then I was looking through part of one of the syllabi trying to find something about the exams, (I'm waiting and mostly ready to take one in each class currently.) when I found a line saying that I needed to take my final exams 4 weeks before I wanted to have my final grades. So I did a new calculation. I have to have my final grades turned in to UAF by the 16th of December. Four weeks before that is the 18th of November. I have to my last lessons turned in about 2 weeks before that to have any hope of actually being able to take the tests by the 18th. So that means I have to have all of the lessons, plus all other tests, done by the 4th of November. That means I have approximately 3 and a half weeks from today to finish 13 and a half lessons, 10 of which are in one class. And I'm not allowed to turn in any more than 3 lessons per class per week. Well... now what my mother is saying (or will say when she reads this), is that it's feasible, "now why aren't you working on it right this minute instead of blogging about it?!?" Well, I guess I'm trying to set in stone a few dates. If they're on here, I can't ignore them so easily. So here's my messy timeline:

*3 lessons per week in Cost Accounting, starting this week (Already did one, so 2 more this week and 3 each week after until they're done.)
*1 or more lessons per week in Governmental Accounting, starting this week (Already half way through one, will finish and start on next this week.)
*Midterms (1 in Gov. Accting, and 2 in Cost Accting) taken as soon as they show up.
*All lessons mailed on or before November 4th.
*Spend the next 2 weeks hounding them to send me my finals and studying for them.
*Take both finals by November 18th or sooner.
*Request final transcripts sent to UAF and hound them until they are there.

I guess the good thing in all this is that while I'll be swamped for the next month or so, I won't have to deal with it at all (except the hounding part) after that. Which is particularly good since I'll have a paper to do and lots of studying for my regular classes.

Oh, and I added more class time slots on my weekly schedule to set aside specific time to work on these distance classes. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. is from now one dedicated to distance classes until they are done.

Alright, now I'm off to my Advanced Accounting class.

RPG Class Test

Some of you will be shocked I did this, others will be worried. I just like that I'm a wizard. ;)

Wizard 29% Combativeness, 13% Sneakiness, 82% Intellect, 30% Spirituality

Brilliant! You are a Wizard! Wizards are spells-casters who study powerful arcane magic. While Wizards tend to be pretty fragile, some of those spells can pack quite a punch. Unlike Clerics, Wizards aren’t as good at fixing people as they are at breaking them, so watch where you toss that fireball… Your most distinctive trait is your intelligence. You're probably well learned and logical, if perhaps a bit fragile.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 10% on Combativeness You scored higher than 4% on Sneakiness You scored higher than 84% on Intellect You scored higher than 30% on Spirituality

Link: The RPG Class Test written by MFlowers on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Announcement!!!

I am here to tell you that Bryan and I are making a new little addition to our relationship! We will be having (er... acquiring) a puppy! Still working on a name for our new little baby. Feel free to suggest!

Disclaimer: This is a joke... there is no puppy. Or if there is, Bryan is taking all responsibility for it!

Oh, and John is my boyfriend... Bryan and my relationship is... well... something else. *shrug*

Last Night

Brad is a fantastic curry cook! His thai green curry with tofu was quite possibly better than any I've ever had at any restuarant. :D He should have made about three times as much. ;)

While eating dinner, Brad and I watched the second half of "Fiddler on the Roof", which we had started a week and a half ago. That is a very good movie, although I'm a bit confused when in history the general events happened.

I also got a good bit of crocheting done between dinner and when it was time to go. I'm determined to get this afghan done someday! (Soon hopefully.)

Then Alicia (sp?) showed up and the three of us headed to go see Jessi's theater production, "Noises Off". It was excellent! It was a very confusing plot though. I won't tell too much in case someone was going to see it today, but it's basically a play about a play... sort of. Anyways, it was very good and Jessi did a fantastic job!

After I got home, I sat down and watched the rest of "Snow White" with Courtney who was watching it in the middle room. I found it quite hilarious when the prince comes waltzing in at the end like he owns the place, kisses her, then is completely unsurprised (happy, but not surprised) when she wakes up, and just waltzes off with her like he owned her. lol, I guess that's Disney simplification for you. These movies were made by men mostly, weren't they? Haha, on well, I love Disney movies anyways.

Well, I've got a list of things to do today... I guess now's when I've got to get hacking at them.

No motivation...

I've successfully managed to accomplish nothing today! Oh well. That generally just means I'll be working like crazy to get things done tomorrow and Monday.

In a little bit I'm going to head up to Brad's apartment and see if he's as good of a curry cook as he tells me. ;) (I have no doubts.) Then we are off to go see Jessi's show, Noises Off.

Anyways, I don't have much to say right now, so I'll end this here.

Ice Breaking Pictures, as promised!

Ice breaking in a canoe!!! This was definitely a first for myself and Matt. It was fun trying to get the paddle in the water sometimes. :-D 

Matt keeping the canoe going in a straight line, more or less. (He did a better job then I did!) 

Beaver Dam on the Noyes Slough - It's hard to tell in this picture, but the difference between the water level on either side was around 2 feet! 

Hehehe...

You will be famous for being a Poker Star You have incredible intuition, and although you don’t desire fame or fortune you will eventually get both. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

What I Really Want...

You know what I really want? I want a system where I can have a tablet of some sort (not too heavy or large) that will allow me to sit comfortably somewhere with my school books laid around me and I can "write" with a pen-like object. This pen-like object would work both as a pen and a mouse and would interface perfectly with Microsoft Excel. I would be able to write numbers into cells, arrange things exactly the way I want, draw borders, drag things, anything I might want to do while working out a homework problem in Excel. I would have to have all the functions and capabilities that I traditionally have in Excel (or more would always be nice), but in my hand in a pen form working on a tablet. Now of course Excel isn't the only program this would have to interface with, but seeing as I'm doing my Advanced Accounting hw right now (consolidations and the works), that's what I'm most interested at the moment.

If this exists as such, please let me know! And then get it for me as either an early birthday or christmas present. :D Thanks!

New Look!!!

I've got a new blog!

Don't worry though, my old blog is still available and can be accessed by clicking on the "Pre-October 2005" link under Archives, or by clicking this link.

For anyone who doesn't access my blog through my website,
1. you should! and
2. the new web address is salmonamanwich-blog.blogspot.com.

Please let me know what you think of my new layout!