the writing process

so, i thought some of you, or maybe one of you, might be interested in the process that goes into writing a blog post. not just any blog post, but one of my blog posts. there are times when i don't post for several days, or several weeks as has been pointed out by many of you, and then there are times when i post several posts on the same day. to explain this variability, i thought i would walk you through my very simple procedure.

i don't plan, in advance, what i will write about in the future. when an idea strikes me, i begin drafting the post in my head. these ideas come from everywhere - something someone says, something i see, the dark recesses of my mind, etc. more often than not, i think of a title that tickles me and then develop the supporting text, still, in my head. for every 10 to 85 ideas, one post makes it to the computer. ideas don't make it to the computer for several reasons: i forget them; they're time/context-specific so if i don't post right away, it won't make sense (like about a current event); i forget them; they're too cynical or sarcastic for my diverse readership; i'm too busy to take the time to sit down and compose a post; i can't come up with enough text to support my very clever title; or i forget them. the weather comes to mind a lot here but i realize there's only so much one can read about the weather.

once an idea makes it to the computer, i try to write as much as i can remember from the draft in my head. usually, i'll write something, read it, delete it, re-write it and then edit the heck out of it until it's post-able. right now, my head is resting on the back of my chair, my eyes are closed, and i'm typing as i think. this happens a lot. i usually do it until i run out of thoughts or i get dizzy. it's amazing, upon reflection, how much gets written and deleted. because i type as i think (randomly and unorganized), i write things that seem super funny and clever, but then when i put on my editing cap, i think, really penny? you thought that was funny? other times i make myself laugh - that content usually stays.

when all is said and done (and posted), i usually call my mom to let her know there's a new post.

so, see? simple process. everyone should write a blog.

it's like being in the mountains all the time

my readership, albeit not reflected accurately in the box to the right, has diversified. some are friends and family from southern california for whom i initially developed this blog; some are friends and family from other states and countries who i've met along my lifepath; and some are new friends from madison. so when i say something like, 'it's like being in the mountains all the time', i'm pretty sure the only people who will understand that it's briskly cold everytime i step outside are the people who live or have lived in southern california. the only time we (southern californians) have all-day cold weather is when we're visiting the mountains. visiting. as in one or two days, and then we go back home where it's eighty-five degrees in january. but now i'm in madison and 1) i have to remember that everyone reading this is not from southern california; and 2) i think i'm becoming a little bit midwestern already. i've found myself thinking seven miles is way too far to drive for something and i don't even think about the indoor foodcourt at costco as something abnormal anymore. before you know it, i'll be pronouncing my o's as a's, eating cheese curds, and going apple picking voluntarily.

speaking of cheese curds, wisconsin is america's self-proclaimed dairyland. they make a rediculous number of cheeses and are known for their cheese, beer, and brats (bratwursts). i've tried a brat, don't like beer, and, for the first time this past week, ate a cheese curd. it sounds disgusting (i know, that's what i've been saying for three months), but it's just like fried mozzerella sticks from tgifriday's only with cheddar. they're so popular here, you can get them instead of french fries at many restaraunts. my opinion: fried cheese, good.

experiment underway

so yesterday i was at a meeting where several people were talking about how they had written letters to different companies to say they liked a particular product and had received free products as a result. one gal said she and her father had written to a bottled water company when she was younger and to this day, years later, they still receive coupons for free water. i must say, i loved this idea and decided to conduct an experiment. this morning i went to the websites of three companies who sell products that i purchase on a regular basis. i sent them very complimentary and enthusiastic e-mails about how much i love their product. i provided each of them with my e-mail and mailing addresses. and now i wait. i started with tp, kitty litter, and kitty food. i don't buy these items frequently but i always buy the same brands when i do buy them and i don't buy the cheapest brands (my hiney and rally are worth it). so we'll see what happens. i've identified several possible outcomes: 1. no response; 2. a thank you e-mail with a link back to their website where i can purchase the product of interest; 3. coupons for $0.50 off; 4. free stuff/coupons for free stuff. as to be expected, i'm hoping for #4. if this works, i'm sending letters en masse. if it doesn't, i'm going to have a lot of junk mail. stay tuned.

celebrity guest

two of my classes employ guest speakers regularly to discuss different topics. today, will ferrell spoke in my principles of population health class. ok, it wasn't will ferrell, but it was a professor who could make a living as a celebrity look-a-like. of the two pictures, can you guess which one is the professor and which one is the celebrity? during the entire lecture, i kept expecting him to do or say something crazy but no such luck, he stuck to health economics ad health policy analysis. he's also teaching a course i'm taking next semester so i'll be distracted all semester thinking of my professor as a giant elf (elf), mugatu (zoolander), george w. bush (snl), and countless other inappropriate characters. awesome.

btw, neither picture is used with permission so i'd appreciate it if noone told any regulating agency of my indescretion. thanks.

bought an ice scraper today

and, at the same time, was reminded that all of my christmas decoration disappeared in the move from california to wisconsin. target (and every other store, to be fair) has christmas decorations up, for sale, themed items, etc. everywhere i turned, i was confronted with the memory that i no longer possess the tree my grandparents gave me, the ornaments from my childhood, my stocking to be hung from the mantle. you might think i would have been safe in the trash bag aisle, but no, there are christmas-themed trash bags (with fresh scent). i did, however, manage to find paper towels, tp, and sanitizing hand wipes in non-christmas-themed designs (plain white) so, all in all, it was a successful trip. and, don't forget the ice scraper.

speaking of christmas, i will be enjoying my ohio relatives' decorations and i'm looking forward to seeing my grandparents, uncle, aunt, assorted cousins and their families, pets, etc. i'm sad to not be able to go back to california and be with my parents and sister but airlines barter only in money and i aint got none.

speaking of money, this week i enrolled in a study at the hospital for some extra cash. i 'donated' plasma for money when i was a freshman in college; i was 18 and my friends were doing it. never thought i'd be doing things like this at 32, but life takes funny turns.

the n key and space bar on my keyboard are not working properly so typing all of this is rather painful. were i to not continuously backspace and correct for keyboard (not user) errors, sentences would look like this: the key ad spacebar o my keyboardare ot workig properlyso typig allof this is rather paiful. but i correct because i care.

ice

two mornings ago, i went out to my car and it was covered in ice. not just the windshield, the entire car. the windshield wipers did nothing to remove the ice from windshield, so i had to think creatively. looking around inside my car, i found a piece of cardboard and tried to scrape the ice away. the result was thin scratches of cleared window and wet cardboard. next i found a 3-ring binder with one of those plastic inserts. this did the trick and within a few minutes, I had ice-free windows. twenty minutes later my engine was warm and i was on my way. at work someone told me about an invention called an ice scraper. she said they're available 'everywhere' and that i should definitely get one; apparently my binder insert will be insufficient once winter 'really' hits.

fall is beautiful. a few weeks ago, the leaves on the trees turned all shades of yellow and orange and there is a particular bush that turns bright red. i meant to take pictures but, well, that would have required more effort and energy than i have time for. if i took pictures now, the trees would just be empty branches. the weather is wonderful, if a bit on the cool side. highs in the fifties and sixties, lows in the twenties and thirties. today was an anomyly at 70. not complaining, just reporting.

i'm gettig really nervous about snow. not the falling of so much as the driving in. when i bought my boots awhile back, i also got these metal things you strap to the bottom of your shoes so you don't slip while walking on ice. so here's my next question: you're wearing your jacket, gloves, scarf, ear things, hat, boots, metal-strap-no-slip things because it's freezing outside and then you get inside where they're pumping out the heat to the tune of 80-90 degrees (or so it feels) and you have to take off all of that stuff and put on regular shoes. where do you put all of that stuff? am i going to have to start carrying two bags? one for school stuff and one for winter stuff? how do people do this? so much to learn.

assper-agis

four friends walk into a cafe. a pakistani, an indian, a saudi arabian, and a caucasian. ninety percent of my classes, madison, dane county, and wisconsin are white and my friends are from all over the world. truth be told, ms. pakistan (can't remember her name) was a new addition to our lunch crew this week, but sridavi, sulliman, and i have lunch together every tuesday and thursday. i like the international set. i also have friends from an african country (he's only told me, like, half a dozen times, i just can't remember), italy, and another from india.

so, sridavi, sulliman, ms. pakistan, and i are eating lunch, talking, and i ask sri about her grainy green beverage. she says it has things like assperagis (pronounced like apperatus), broccoli, and other things i don't hear because i'm stuck on assperagis. after asking her to repeat the word several times, mostly for my entertainment, i tell her the correct pronunciation of asparagus. but assperagis is my new favorite word.

in other news, i have/own/possess four blankets and they are all on my bed. my electric blanket has died (a moment of silence please) but it still works as a layer. i'm thinking throws and the snuggie are next. if all else fails, i'm going to pile all of my clothes on top of my bed and burrow. have i mentioned it's cold?

i have a biostatistics mid-term exam this week. my chest constrictions have already begun. i spoke to my academic advisor about my first epidemiology exam (the one i failed) and he showed me his first epidemiology paper on which he received an f. he's a really good academic advisor. i've heard about other advisors from other students and am really greatful. so anyway, this thursday, around 12:30 central, please pray, cross your fingers, do a hula dance, think of me, etc. as i take my biostat exam. ugh.

favorites

so i just realized my blog isn't on my list of internet favorites. how can i expect other people to elevate reading the minutia of my life to a level of importance great enough to warrant a place on their favorites list if i don't even have it on mine? (i mean, of course i have it there now, but when i first signed on, it wasn't there and then i added it and then i started writing this, just so we're clear.) google, university of wisconsin, bejeweled, juno, craigslist, wells fargo, pandora radio - all there. riversofconsciousness? my own internet journal? the place where i pour out my heart and soul and tell fascinating stories about things like my anti-perspirant cap falling behind my dresser this morning? nope.

that all changes now, my friends, that all changes now. (the favorites list, not my fascinating stories)

thirty-eight degrees

i think it's actually colder. how accurate is weather.com anyway? it's fur-eezing and i keep having to delete and re-type thanks to my frozen digits. rally just protested because i moved; she's all cuddled up warm beside me. she's in for a real rude surprise when i shut off the computer in a minute and head upstairs. but right now, the laptop is serving as a source of heat so i'm loathe to give it up.

i know, i know, you're thinking, suck it up, it's only going to get colder. and to that i say, suck it up, my complaining's only going to get worse.

i got a pair of 'winter boots' this weekend. water proof, wind proof, insulated, magical, etc. they're not pretty but i won't have frostbite. i also found a jacket, i mean, coat, i liked but i'm going to look on-line and see if i can find it for less than rei's retail price.

and i know it's cold and not just my southern california imagination because i ran an errand today and there were wisconsin people wearing jackets. if they were cold, i can be cold. the difference, of course, is that they have 'fall jackets' and i have sweatshirts. i also have gloves, scarves, hats, and earmuffs. i think i might wear them all to bed tonight.

i failed my first exam

barcodes

the barcode was invented today. i know it's true, the google told me so. well, not today, but on 7 october in some year. i love barcodes, they let me check out at the grocery store at the self-checkout station - no human interaction. thank you inventor of the barcode.

oh, the midwest

so i called the city this morning to find out what i could do about all of my trashed cardboard boxes that don't fit into my teeny tiny recycle can and the guy told me a) about a drop-off site, and 2) that he would send me a 'recyclapedia'. i'm not kidding.

and just now, i got an e-mail from a second-year student who is organizing an apple-picking expedition this saturday. i'm not kidding!

and finally (and this has nothing to do with the midwest), i just painfully found out that the university finance office only takes checks. there are fees that even 'funded' students have to pay (to the tune of $509) and i was hoping for a breather in the ol' bill department. no such luck. oh, ok, i'll blame that on the midwest too. crazy midwesterners with their recyclapedias and apple-picking and checks only. hmph!

one month progress report

school started a few days over a month ago. it turns out getting your doctorate is hard. the only things i do anymore are go to class, study, go to work (and study there), and if there's any time left over in the day, do more studying. my stuff finally arrived from california and i haven't had time to unpack it all because i can't take the time away from studying (like i'm doing now to post this). i just got internet in my apartment yesterday so i don't have to go to campus on the weekends and i hooked up my wireless printer today (i love, love, love wireless technology!!!). i didn't get cable for the tv - don't have time to watch it! although i will say i indulged and watched the first episodes of the new season of the office online early this morning. oh, so funny.

so that's about it. i'm making friends but don't have time to hang out with them outside of school. they're going through the program with me though so they don't have time to hang out either. at least four of us have already had mental breakdowns over the lack of adequate time in the week to get everything done that is expected of us. rally's fine; she's been getting cuddly as the weather is getting colder. i'm going to have to get a real winter coat soon and a good pair of boots. can't i just wear my snuggie?

the snuggie

say what you will about their lame commercials, but the snuggie is a wonderful invention with convenient pockets (as the package conveniently points out). it's 45 degrees outside and rainy but do i feel the cold? nope, because i've got a snuggie.

93rd percentile

ziva's head. body weight: average. body length: average. cranium: NINETY-THIRD PERCENTILE. it doesn't look huge or anything but apparently, 93 percent of 4-month old babies are hanging around out there with smaller heads than her.

NINETY-THIRD PERCENTILE.