tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82475982011-12-13T22:59:47.691-05:00of my comfort zone to start a brand new life in a new city.Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-39088231393488499722009-08-09T19:40:00.001-04:002009-08-09T19:40:34.324-04:00

and no clue where to start.This should be common knowledge by now, but the wedding ceremony's been canceled. We're still getting married, just not the way we'd planned. No, we haven't set a new date or location. The next person who asks is getting a spork to the optic nerve. Moving on.Speaking of moving, we're going to be downsizing to a slightly smaller apartment over Thanksgiving. Volunteers

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-28836317951859613612009-02-19T06:26:00.005-05:002009-02-20T17:33:02.256-05:00

While the Captain is out of town on business, a little meme to pass the time.What are your middle names?My middle name is Nicole. His middle name is Roger. How long have you been together?Together nearly two years and engaged since Christmas Eve (~5.5 weeks). How long did you know each other before you started dating?About a month. Or maybe it was two weeks. Who asked whom out?He did, because I

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-66483882224872402402008-11-15T11:19:00.005-05:002008-11-15T11:30:39.317-05:00

In the past month I have:moved into my first place that wasn't either a move out of desperation, or a college dormquit my job at the Cow Box Computer Companygot the Sweetest Kitten EverTM from the local humane societyfinally acquired furniture (and yet, I still sit on the floor...) and mostly have my computer back to a functional state. Unless I breathe on it.

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-88143306133142138472008-10-12T09:05:00.002-04:002008-10-12T09:11:30.124-04:00

Things are (as usual) pretty crazy around here. I'm getting ready to move into my own place (squee!) in three days, so right now I'm surrounded by boxes, newspapers, and a year's worth of Wegman's receipts. I've really got to learn to throw things away instead of stockpiling them in my desk until it's time to move again. I did this every year in college... Hopefully next time I'll be better about

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-58136359659485577572008-10-02T21:29:00.003-04:002008-10-02T21:48:04.247-04:00

I don't remember where I left off with the story of my mother's latest cancer diagnosis and treatment. Frankly, I can't be bothered to dig through my archives to figure that out.Long story short: Fourteen of the fifteen brain tumors have sufficiently shrunk to begin chemo. Unfortunately, that's not good enough.There was another treatment that could be done to shrink that one last tumor. Initially

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-87059412132002917762008-09-19T13:21:00.001-04:002008-09-19T13:21:50.859-04:00

For some reason lately, I'm finding more and more reasons to be full of angst and hate, and I'm not entirely sure where it's coming from. I'm being incredibly critical of everyone I come across, instead of just being harder on myself than everyone else tells me I should be.(You're such an inspiration for the ways that I will never, ever choose to be.)My patience for listening to the same problems

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-55115833825623014672008-09-11T15:43:00.002-04:002008-09-11T15:58:01.393-04:00

The "How well do I know my significant other" quiz.1. Sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?Malcolm in the Middle, King of the Hill, Spin City, Family Guy, or Walker: Texas Ranger2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does s/he get on her/his salad?Generally, Ranch.3. What's one food s/he doesn't like?Cottage cheese, and olives. Not together. Even as separate entities they're

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-91968046477744380802008-09-02T20:13:00.004-04:002008-09-02T20:21:42.478-04:00

Life is crazy. Work is crazier.Someone decided it would be a good idea to have the entire support staff go to meetings at the same time, leaving no one to run the mod desk, so I got volunteered to do it.The mod desk can be really chaotic with questions coming at you from literally 18 different directions at once, answering the BAT phone, and taking supervisor calls. They couldn't have picked a

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-58229063897726525912008-08-22T11:08:00.003-04:002008-08-22T11:12:28.596-04:00

Anti-Terrorist and Monitory Crimes Division.Federal Bureau Of Investigation.J. Edgar. Hoover Building Washington D.CAttn: Beneficiary,This is to Officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly completed an Investigated with the help of our IntelligenceMonitoring Network System that you are having an illegal transaction withImpostors claiming to be Prof. Charles

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-67787962943415011812008-08-09T08:30:00.002-04:002008-08-09T08:32:00.953-04:00

In the rear lobe, there are two tumors.One is 4.6 cm, the other is 5.3 cm.Each of the other three lobes has multiple smaller tumors.Chemo starts on August 18th. Followup MRI is September 11th.The doctors haven't stamped an expiration date on her forehead yet. I'm taking that as a good sign. For now.

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-78125607075455343412008-08-07T21:50:00.002-04:002008-08-07T21:53:35.217-04:00

It is my humble pleasureMy name is Sgt Jeff Frawley, I am an American soldier in peace keeping force in Iraq, I am serving in the military of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq, as you know insurgents everyday and car bombs are attacking us.We managed to move funds belonging to Saddam Hussein's family. The total amount is US$ 12 Million dollars in cash. We want to move this money to you, so that

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-49909888148291642302008-08-01T18:54:00.003-04:002008-08-01T19:49:22.065-04:00

Things have been quiet around here lately. First, because things were going well and there wasn't much to report outside of work, which no one wants to hear about. Then, in a strange sequence of events that seems unbelievable even to me, despite being the one who's living it, everything got turned on its head.One day last week, I was driving to work, circling the parking lot for an empty space as

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-48358273343066936762008-07-11T14:56:00.004-04:002008-07-12T12:20:22.741-04:00

You know how sometimes people on your friend's list post about stuff going on in their life, and all of a sudden you think "Wait a minute? Since when are they working THERE? Since when are they dating HIM/HER? since when???" And then you wonder how you could have missed all that seemingly pretty standard information, but somehow you feel too ashamed to ask for clarification because it seems like

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-638370148941097372008-07-11T14:24:00.005-04:002008-07-11T14:44:13.189-04:00

To steal a line from a blog I was reading earlier today: Okay so it’s been almost a month since I’ve posted but I’ve got a pretty good reason in that I temporarily forgot where the internet was.Ok, so that's not quite true. I could also try the line about how after spending 8.5 (or more) hours in front of a computer all day, the last thing I want to do when I get home is sit in front of my

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-17241474238701722532008-06-26T17:13:00.003-04:002008-06-26T17:41:40.499-04:00

I could have sworn that I already posted this (or at least wrote it) but blogger either ate it or I'm going crazy. Place your own bets. There will be a drawing in a week. Anyway, back to the story.I wasn't even awake yet from the anesthesia but I do remember coughing a lot, and being told by a nurse (I think?) that I was going to have to spend the night in the hospital. Once I could get my eyes

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-48132721715055276512008-06-10T17:01:00.000-04:002008-06-26T17:46:05.791-04:00

The first time I noticed there was a problem, I had just started college. I assumed the constant stomach aches and bathroom problems were related to the new diet of cafeteria food and ramen noodles. Slowly, I cut things out of my diet until I was entirely vegan. For the first time in a year, there was a bit of relief. After about a year and a half of being a strict vegan, I started reintroducing

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-78928134635806806242008-06-03T16:10:00.001-04:002008-06-03T16:11:48.876-04:00

I'm alive. Can't say it went well, but I'm alive. Details later when I can actually form a coherent sentence.

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-13559282907583950862008-05-27T12:51:00.006-04:002008-06-26T17:46:29.635-04:00

You might be wondering whatever happened with that round of interviews The Captain and I had last month. Funny story, that.The Captain and I had our first-round interviews on the same day, a few hours apart. Then, a few days later, we had our second-round interviews, one right after the other. I got a call wanting to set up yet another interview about a new opening that they wanted to give me a

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-11910272468055286412008-04-29T10:56:00.005-04:002008-04-29T11:16:14.874-04:00

Yesterday marked the three-month-iversary of working at the Cow Box Computer Company. Tomorrow marks the day that The Captain gets the first half of his bonus for referring me to the call center where we both work, contracted to different companies. I don't know that either one of us will still be working there to collect the second half of the bonus.Yesterday was also The Captain's first day of

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-56779980547232596002008-04-22T11:00:00.003-04:002008-04-22T11:19:58.998-04:00

I doubt anyone will notice, but one of my recent'ish posts has been taken down. The more I thought about that one, the more I realized that I'd totally failed at making my point.The point is, I'm done apologizing for being happy.Maybe I'll come back and elaborate on that. Maybe I won't.The Captain's contract with the tax software company is rapidly drawing to a close, and they've been incredibly

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-71541772380658585762008-03-19T21:19:00.004-04:002008-03-19T21:49:04.725-04:00

It's a fine line, deciding whether to tell someone something when you know there's a very real possibility that your good news may hurt them. In the end, you make the choice to tell them, knowing that you'd rather have them hear it from you than from a mutual friend. And in the end, you'd be wrong to have said anything.I'm always wrong.I always make the wrong choice.Say the wrong thing at the

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-28874206328923397192008-02-22T20:12:00.003-05:002008-06-26T17:46:05.793-04:00

It's been four weeks since I started working for the Cow Box Computer Company (CBC Co.) and my training's officially over. My hours have changed, so if you're wondering why you can never find me either IRL or online, it's because I no longer have even the little bit of a life I used to. My schedule is essentially waking up ridiculously early, getting home about 13 or 14 hours after I left, having

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-63886887341758282862008-02-02T11:14:00.000-05:002008-02-06T19:48:53.782-05:00

That's what they said to me.When I was a kid, going to college never seemed optional. I guess my parents wanted me to have more opportunities than they did, which sounds good in theory. The problem was that I had no idea what I wanted to study. School wasn't something I enjoyed; it was something I tolerated because there was no choice. Ultimately, I chose a major in chemistry for a very stupid

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-91521299095058944232008-01-25T10:00:00.000-05:002008-01-25T19:35:33.796-05:00

As anyone who's been facebook stalking me already knows, things are looking up. I finally got everything straightened out with the school and my diploma is being issued in the near future. Until that happens, I have a "temporary diploma" in the form of an official document from the university.As of yesterday afternoon, I have a job working in tech support for a major computer company. The one

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-51571387545490902182008-01-22T09:47:00.000-05:002008-01-22T11:10:24.658-05:00

Yeah, it's cheating. I know.Tomorrow: Spending the day with The Captain, now that his "weekends" are Wednesday and Thursday.Feeling: Unmotivated and anxious, waiting to hear back from the last series of interviews.Happy Because: The dog's going to be okay. She slipped a disk in her neck, and she's on anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxers. She's one happy puppy. Mmm muscle relaxers.Today I:

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-38696037804991938052008-01-08T18:01:00.000-05:002008-01-08T18:22:00.728-05:00

I finally got in contact with CAS, more than three weeks after I was promised a phone call or email letting me know their decision from my three different interviews with their company. Their decision? They're not filling the position I applied for until later in the spring, but that when they do decide to fill the position, I will continue to be considered for it. So, not officially a dead end,

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-20159801447260426452007-12-28T17:42:00.000-05:002007-12-28T17:48:16.093-05:00

I never heard back from CAS despite the promise of a phone call two full weeks ago. Unfortunately, I know exactly why they never called with a job offer, and all I have to say about that at this point is "Thank you, Brazilian math prof from my alma mater."Each one of my job applications has dead ended, and I'm more unhappy in this new city than I could have possibly anticipated.Things can only

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-59799081357303116872007-12-16T13:20:00.000-05:002007-12-16T15:15:49.396-05:00

The story of how The Captain and I met is a complex one that boggles my mind, even now. Our story begins nearly 12 years before we met, but for simplicity's sake, I'll start five years ago, in 2002.I was still in high school at the time, and working at a summer camp that I'd gone to as a child. The first day I was there, I met Gecko. She and I met at a program several years prior, and had gotten

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-62478359043794186592007-12-15T11:34:00.000-05:002007-12-14T11:35:33.059-05:00

***Reposted from one year ago***It's amazing how quickly people forget. How quickly people move on, and expect everyone else to do the same. That people don't understand how I can miss someone I never got to know.K is my big sister. Today is not only her 30th birthday, but also the anniversary of her death. Even though I never met her, she's still very much a part of my life. I will always wonder

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-9210961395087156952007-12-10T17:40:00.000-05:002007-12-11T17:11:52.075-05:00

As I mentioned here, yesterday was my interview with CAS. Because the company is more than a three hour drive from where I'm currently living, I made the trip out last Friday and I've been staying with Captain Emo Ranger's parents (more about them later, probably as a post of their own). Since the street address of the company would put me in a less-than-savory part of town, The Captain and I

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-19779368197461068632007-12-08T17:06:00.001-05:002007-12-08T17:14:19.720-05:00

The Worldwide Candle Lighting is one day out of the year when you can remember a child who has died and know that the world remembers with you. It is a day when you can light a remembrance candle and know that yours is joining with hundreds of thousands around the world.This Sunday, December 9, bereaved parents, siblings, grandparents, relatives, and friends from across the globe will join

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8247598.post-33397822881548328622007-11-30T15:28:00.000-05:002007-11-30T22:36:09.560-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, the blog has gotten an entirely new look. I figure that with all the changes that are happening right now, this site should change to reflect that. The infrequent, long, rambling posts spent whining about my courseload, classmates, dormmates, professors, blah blah blah ad nauseum, is no longer relevant to the new directions my life is going.I graduate in nine days.

Betelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04977035077785157716noreply@blogger.com3