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Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
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11:21 am
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| Friday, June 26th, 2009
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4:50 pm
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This afternoon, I decided to test-run how long a walk to my new job from my apartment would take.
Yes, it is 89 degrees and sunny....but it's so much less humid than it has been lately that it really didn't feel so hot (down to 39% humidity from 90% earlier in the week). I wore jeans because I refuse to wear sneakers with a skirt, and me and shorts don't mix. I did put on sunscreen and took a bottle of water. I figured that if it got too unbearably warm, I'd just turn around and head back.
Google Maps told me that it was a 1.6 mile walk (one way) with a walking time of 30 minutes. And wouldn't you know--it took me exactly 30 minutes. How do they know that?! What's worse, is that it took me only 31 minutes on the way back and I was walking a lot more slowly because I was tiring out.
I got back home 1 hour and 2 minutes after I set out. I am, despite best efforts, sun singed. And sweaty. Very, very sweaty.
current mood:  hot
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| Thursday, June 18th, 2009
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6:51 am
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Currently, Champaign is having thunderstorms of the scary-bad variety. You can barely see anything beyond a couple hundred feet because the rain is driving so hard (and it's foggy). Lightening is flashing constantly (the National Weather Service says there's 'cloud to ground lightening' with this storm). The wind is whipping around like crazy and I'm watching the intersection outside my window turn into a river. I'm a touch concerned about fording many such rivers on the way to work this morning, especially if it keeps up over the next hour.
That's the thing about Champaign...the streets flood at the drop of a hat.
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| Tuesday, June 16th, 2009
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11:02 am
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Today, after about 4 years of no dental insurance and no money, I went to the dentist for a cleaning. A local office was offering a cleaning, exam and x-rays for $59 to new patients. Sold! I have dental insurance, but it's crappy. There would be a $50 deductible and a $50 office fee, plus 20% of whatever cleaning fees there were. Obviously, this was a much better deal.
I go in and have the extremely uncomfortable x-rays taken. They've traded the hard cardboard things that they jam in your mouth for rubber. I was thrilled by this development until they brought out a larger rubber and metal contraption to jam in the side of my mouth in a variety of ways. This revved up the gag reflex several times and made me tear up. I gotta say: I don't like starting out my mornings by gagging and crying.
She brought out a newfangled contraption that emits light. She pressed it against each tooth, while explaining that it checks the density of the tooth and tells her if there are any weak spots (that may indicate cavities). A couple times, the device made a scary noise, unlike the unthreatening normal beep it made when it touched most of my teeth. She told me she found a few weak teeth, but she'll have the dentist double check to see if there are cavities.
She poked and prodded and made my gums bleed a bit, but that's nothing new. No gum disease, she says, so the cleaning may progress as normal. She cleaned me up real nice like (I was actually impressed when I took a look).
The dentist came in. He used something to puff air on my 'weak' teeth. Asked some questions. Pressed on the teeth. Checked the x-rays. "30 is fine. 18 is MD, 19 is OD." Eh? And then he said, "Heather, you have two cavities. We need to numb the area and fill them in. Any questions?"
The thought of suddenly having huge dental needles jammed into my gums (something I've experienced before) made my chest clench and my voice wobble embarrassingly. Damn my needle anxiety. I've never had cavities before, either, so it's new and scary. I know it shouldn't be, but anything that involves giant needles and drills is inherently frightening to me.
They left for awhile to go check my insurance info, leaving me to practice some deep breathing techniques in the chair. Finally, they came back with the front desk guy (friendly, but with an accent that's very difficult to understand). He checked my insurance, and gosh, even though I have it and pay for it, fillings aren't eligible to be covered at 60% until 8/1/09...and furthermore, 'major' surgery wouldn't be covered until 11/1/09. I admit, I was kind of relieved that I could buy some time, despite being pissed off about my crappy insurance.
"So, you're telling me I should come back to have them done in August?" I asked.
"Yes, that will be fine, unless you want to pay the full amount to have them done today," he said.
"I'd prefer not to pay $380, unless my teeth are going to fall out or something," I smiled.
"Well," he said, gesturing to the breakdown of my insurance benefits, "You'd be in real trouble if your teeth fell out, since you don't have major surgery coverage until November."
We both looked at each other sidelong and started laughing. That guy was fun.
current mood:  anxious
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(9 comments | comment on this)
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| Sunday, June 14th, 2009
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10:06 am
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Yesterday, Greg and I visited a lovely park we just found out existed in Urbana. Greg saw that there was a park map under a wooden shelter, so we went to see what trails there were to walk on. As we were walking toward the map, things went horribly awry.
There was an older lady there in spandex pants (bad thing #1) fixing something on her bicycle. With her back towards us, she bent over at the waist to pick something up off the ground. She had very obviously cut a slit in the spandex pants so that she might pee without taking them off. So, when she bent over, I saw everything. And I do mean everything. Greg, fortunately, hadn't taken his eyes off the map, and saw nothing. Lucky bastard.
So, thank you, crazy old bike lady, for not wearing any underwear. I also feel sorry for you and your bike seat.
current mood: horrified
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(11 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, June 13th, 2009
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6:07 am
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I got a summer cold, which, as we all know, are the worst. Last night I went to sleep around 9:30 and really conked out (Greg was reading beside me with the light on...and if I can fall asleep with the light on, you know I'm tired).
I'll be going to the dentist for the first time in 4(?) years on Tuesday. There's a place here that offers a $60 cleaning & x-rays exam for first time clients, so I'm all about it. I have dental insurance now, but the costs of using it (unless I have a cavity, gum disease, root canal, etc) far outweigh not using it in this particular circumstance. There's a $50 deductible, a $50 office visit, and then you pay 20% of any routine cleaning fees, 40% of cavities and things of that nature, and 60% of major surgery work. Gosh, I hope nothing's wrong with my mouth. :p
And then, on Thursday, I'll be going to have my ever-declining vision checked. I'm just in it for the contact lenses.
And on a more random note: What time in the morning do you think squirrels get up? 4:00? 5:00? Because they sure do seem extra scampery and frolicky at 6 a.m.
current mood:  drained
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(comment on this)
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| Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
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6:54 am
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| Friday, June 5th, 2009
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1:51 pm
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Dear Trains,
Thank you for ensuring that you tooted your horn no fewer than 20 times while going through my neighborhood at 5:30 a.m. Given the multitude of people out and about at that hour (and given that we have absolutely no flashing lights along the railroad tracks to alert cars to your presence), I'm sure you saved many lives. On behalf of myself and neighborhood: Thank you. We appreciate knowing when you arrive, even if it's early, just so we know not to jump out of bed and onto the tracks.
Your safety-conscious buddy,
Heather
current mood: tired
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(5 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, May 29th, 2009
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2:00 pm
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| Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
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8:49 am
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What I really want are custom Chuck Taylors on my wedding day. I want pretty-yet-cheap heels for the ceremony and formal photos, and then I want adorable, comfortable, non-blister-forming Chuck Taylors to walk in, dance in, and be photographed in.
I just created the cutest pair ever (click on 'more views' to see the whole thing). The thing is, I know I'd wear them after the wedding, too, unlike pretty-cheapie heels. They would be so cute with jeans.
That being said: Who wants to buy me my $62 chucks? Eh? Early wedding gift? Any takers? No? Damn. :p
( See more contenders. )
current music: I Get a Kick Out of You - Jamie Cullum
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(8 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, May 21st, 2009
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10:25 pm
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It is real damn humid in Champaign. Right now, it's nice outside, but still extremely sticky in my apartment. Fan Power to the rescue! As an aside: I already know I don't want to live in a Southern state, but this clinches it. I'm not even IN the South and I can't stand the heat and humidity. My Wisconsin blood runs thick, I think.
Tonight I used the beautiful rocks glasses that Greg got me for my birthday. Teej came over and I made us tonic-based drinks ('tis the season!). I am very pleased to announce that my vodka tonic measured up to Teej's high standards. I am awesome. Anyway, it was intensely wonderful to drink out of heavy, lovely rocks glasses. They give such a sense of occasion to my gin & tonics. :)
Then Teej decided he wanted to have some cheese curds, so off we went to Seven Saints (home of the hugely bastardized cheese curds). Seriously, though...it looked like they dumped a plate of buffalo mozzarella into a deep fryer, took a pair of chopsticks out and poked holes around in it until it was done frying. It was just a huge fried lump of thick cheese. Very weird. But, greasy and fried, nonetheless. Also, I got a birthday Tanqueray-Tonic, which was delightful. Wooooooo!
Also of note, while walking back to my house, we discovered a nerdy gaming store.....it was still open at 9:30 on a Thursday. The guy in there was very nice, and should I need to purchase nerd games in the near future, I will purchase from him.
Greg is currently in Indiana-Ohio-Kentucky (in that order) with Scholke. I miss that guy already.
current mood: hot
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(5 comments | comment on this)
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| Monday, May 11th, 2009
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11:34 am
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I'm getting my hair cut and my eyebrows waxed tomorrow! Let's give it up for self-care! Woo! I am way too excited. It's like a special treat, even though it shouldn't be. :p
In other news, I started mistyping "sweetinsanity" while logging in, and it came out "weetubsabut." I found that amusing.
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, May 8th, 2009
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2:13 pm
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My god, I'm completely in love with one of the bands playing our wedding. When we first got engaged, I shot them an email asking if they do weddings, how much, etc. They were reasonable ($500ish) and very stoked about doing weddings. I never followed up on that email since it's so far off. The singer emailed me today and asked if we were still looking for wedding bands or not. Oh, and by the way, they'll do our wedding for $300. And they'll play for however long we want them to. Oh, and we don't have to pay until whenever, we'll just sign an agreement for time, place and $$.
In love, I tell you.
current mood:  enamored
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, May 7th, 2009
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2:15 pm
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One Thing I Love:
Michelina's Lean Gourmet "Shrimp with Pasta and Vegetables." It is, like $1 and incredibly delicious. It beats most Lean Cuisines. It has this fabulous creamy white sauce that is absolutely perfectly spiced and not at all bland like prepackaged white sauces are want to be. I am stunned at how good it is with each bite I take. I could eat this every day, forever. MMM.
One Thing I Hate:
Meijer's didn't have peaches. They had two varieties of mangoes, but no peaches. What the hell?
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(2 comments | comment on this)
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| Thursday, April 30th, 2009
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1:55 pm
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The sad bit about changing cell phones is losing your wealth of photos (if you do, in fact, have a wealth of photos...and I do). Fortunately, I have a text messaging plan, and this (apparently) includes photo messages to my 'picture page' or others. Woo! So, today I undertook the large task of sending each one to my picture page. And now I give you the last 2 1/2 years worth of photos on my phone, in no particular order. Enjoy!
( Choo choo! )
current mood:  nostalgic
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
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2:18 pm
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I was eligible for a "New Every 2" cell phone upgrade on 10/22/08. Yes, that's right. I have completely neglected to upgrade my cell phone for a brand new, free one for 6 months. Yes, I am lame.
I just signed on for a silver Samsung Alias. Very sassy. I was drawn into its sexy web by promising user reviews and the way it can open in two different directions! I'm a rube for technology.
current mood:  excited
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(3 comments | comment on this)
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| Saturday, April 25th, 2009
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7:19 am
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This dog is currently at the Champaign Humane Society. I want him. Look at that punim.
Awwwwwwwww pudding.
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(4 comments | comment on this)
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| Friday, April 10th, 2009
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7:15 am
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| Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
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6:47 am
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So, ya gotta be a real nerd to have Geddy Lee (of Rush) in one of your dreams. I'm just saying.
current mood:  geeky
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(1 comment | comment on this)
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| Monday, April 6th, 2009
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6:59 am - Mmm...free goo.
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Last night, I was reviewing (read: drooling over) Hubbard Avenue's cake list in case that's who we choose for our wedding. We'd be getting cupcakes to reduce the need for extra plates and cutting/plating blahblahblah
Anyway! I'm totally a genius, and I'll share why....just look at these combinations I came up with!
1. Banana cake, chocolate mousse (or ganache) filling, peanut butter cream cheese frosting.
2. Champagne cake, walnut cream filling, chocolate vanilla buttercream frosting.
3. Lemon cake, cherry or blackberry filling, cream cheese frosting.
4. Mocha cake, raspberry filling, mocha buttercream frosting.
5. Almond cake, caramelized apple filling, coconut buttercream frosting.
6. Red velvet cake, cream cheese filling, coffee buttercream frosting.
7. Chocolate cake, caramel pecan filling, german chocolate frosting.
I could go on, but I won't. Mmm...cupcakeyness.
current mood:  hungry for sweets
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