My grandmother’s house has no internet. I am living with my grandmothers house this summer while working for MSMWD (Mid-Sized Municipal Water District). This means that the only time I get to use the internet is at work. Which sadly makes it difficult to blog about… well, you’ve read my blog… just about nothing.

As far as this summer is going… Work is amazing, I have something resembling a love life (for once) and I love being able to spend time with my extended family. I also completely miss my friends and my sister, school, and my grandmother while  I love her to death can drive me up a wall at times. So, it’s typical life. In all though it has been an awesome summer and I look forward to getting back to regular blogging. As it is I trek down to the Tully’s Coffee House here in Port Orchard,  sit myself in the tall table by the window (experience has taught me that this table has the best internet connection) and do whatever it is I cannot do at work… generally read the questionable emails & links my sister sends me (thanks Kristin, I’d be ready to strip for that guy too. Gorgeous guys should not be allowed to join the priesthood… but that is another post).

This also was my hang out while watching the last few episodes of Doctor Who (Kristin now skip to next paragraph). So I would like you to picture this. You are walking into Tully’s to get you half-caff, non-fat, soy, extra foam, extra shot, white chocolate Mocha, you see this blonde sitting by the window with her fist pressed against her lips, eyes wide, possibly about to cry as she intently watches her computer screen. If this sounds familiar you probably saw me. I cried. A lot. I am going to miss Donna sooooooo much and as far as I care it almost would have been a better fate to have Donna die. I think she would almost rather die than go back to how she was before she met the Doctor. As for Rose. I guess she’ll be happy, and it works, but it is not him… it’s not. If anyone watches Doctor Who confidential I think Billie Piper said it perfectly. It just feels sooo wrong. Because no matter how you look at it, it still isn’t the Doctor. Now I just have to wait until 2010 *sob*.

Getting ready for a trip to Victoria with my Little Sis, Jesse. I booked the hotel today. Should be great fun. I’m looking forward to taking her out to a few bars and clubs. Seeing as we never get to do that stuff in Corvallis due to the drinking age (post on US drinking age and the recent discussion of lowering the US drinking age) and general lack of decent clubs.

I bought a new camera for the trip. Granted I’ve needed to go get a new camera since my last one died in January (with it’s lens open and extended, which is kinda like with it’s eyes open & you can’t close them).  So I got a little Sanyo for less than $100. I don’t care if it’s the best camera on the market. I had 3 qualifications:

1. Takes pictures (in more detail I was looking for 8 mega-pixels, settled for 7.1 rather than spending the extra money for the 8… besides the 8 would have meant a few features would have slacked until I went up to about $160)

2. Cheap (I bought it at Walmart… I usually don’t shop there, but like I said I wanted it to be cheap)

3. Won’t break on me, unlike my last one. (Guy at the counter said he’d never seen a Sanyo returned. But he saw a lot of Kodaks returned.)

My little Sanyo fits these, so I’m good. And it is gold.

I will have more posts once I return to school, and my lovely studio apartment. See you all then!

I don’t want to go. I have to walk through the disgusting rain. Why does Oregon mean 98 and humid or cold and rainy???

One gaurentee… there will be water included.

So so little time until I leave behind Cow-valley & the sweet scent of cow for… the scent of more cows.

The apartment situation is settled. I am staying in my lovely studio (which I am happy about considering the location and my lack of car) so I don’t have to move (double yay!) and my family is well-chuffed about me staying the summer with my grandmother since her health isn’t the best… to be honest she could be a case on “House”. They can’t figure out why she has a low red blood cell count. Thank god her bone marrow is OK (found that out Wednesday) and as far as they can tell it is NOT cancer. But they are worried about her losing consciousness and it makes my mom and her brothers a lot happier to know that someone will be in the house with her. Lately she’s been staying at her fiance’s (yes my grandmother is engaged… permenantly… think is has been… 7 years…???) or him at her house.

Detour. My step-grandpa died when I was 7. Grandma was single until I was about 12 then she dated this guy… we won’t talk about him… she left him and by the time I was 13 she met Bob. Bob is lovely. His wife had died two years before from cancer. He’s been a close friend of the family forever, he’s even the godfather of the younger of my uncles. Bob is this quiet, incredibly kind man, young at 76 (grandma is 66… yes I have a young family), and he is soooo very good to my grandma. And they are so obviously in love that it is adorable. I’m as excited about seeing him as the rest of my family.

I’ve had virtually no time with my extended family since I returned from England. Summer courses, the temporary job I had, and all other managed to prevent me from travelling to Washington to see anyone. So am I excited about leaving behind Corvallis for The Farm?

Hell yeah.

I’m sitting in the nicest computer lab (Engineering students only!) on campus. And there are Japanese (I think…) people filming in here. It’s not unusual for students here to stumble across a film crew making an OSU commercial or the like (ask my sister about being accosted and made to walk the same peice of pavement over and over again). But it is a little awkward to sit here with this film crew filming over the shoulders of students…

This may very well become a book blog. But this entry is going to focus on Elizabeth George.

Elizabeth George is best known for her Inspector Lynley series. Most are familiar with this series through the PBS Mystery! specials of the series (starring Nathanial Parker and Sharon Small). George is an American who can with amazing accuracy write about English culture and society. The main characters in the Lynley Series are (of course) Detective Inspector Thomas (Tommy) Lynley, DC Barbara Havers, Simon St James and his wife Deborah, and his assistant Lady Helen Clyde.

The first book starts with Lynley, the Eighth Earl of Asherton (don’t worry, it’s not just you, no one seems to know why he ever entered the police force), being partnered with the unpleasant Barbara Havers. She is angry, confrontational and working class but also too assertive and intelligent for her own good. Naturally she is displeased with being shuffled around the male dominated group of detectives at the Metropolitan Police, and this seems to be the worst assignment yet. Over the next few books the unlikely pair works out a partnership and a friendship as Barbara’s life seems to unravel and Tommy’s seems to come together.

Simon is an independent forensic scientist often hired by New Scotland Yard, and life long friend of Tommy (went to Eaton together), and is married to a photographer, and the daughter of his manservant, and about fifteen years his junior, Deborah. His assistant Helen Clyde is another long time friend, who more for something to do than need, assists Simon in his lab.

Like Barbara the reader steps into a group of characters with a fully formed history and the complexities that come with them. Over the first few books the reader collects the histories of the entire group. And of course in proper mystery fashion, just as everything seems to be going swimmingly (which of course is a relative term) it all falls apart.

I’ve become increasingly attached to the characters while finding the mysteries engaging and well written. Anyone who enjoys mystery, or English culture should enjoy this book.

Her latest installment is Careless in Red and is due for release on May 6, 2008.

Today was my 21st birthday. It started last night at midnight with my sister, who has been waiting for me to turn 21for 3 years (and is probably more excited about the prospect of my legal ability to drink than I was), picked me up to go to all those bars. Yes, all those bars open past midnight on a Sunday. In some towns perhaps. Here? No. We went to the store and bought beer and watched The Soup and Grey’s Anatomy on her tivo. This morning I slept in, receiving calls at 6:45 and 7:30 from my mom and dad respectively singing me happy birthday. Because I slept in I missed my 8am class (conscious decision) and was up and in class for my 12 noon class. After class and returning to my apartment my friend Hillary and I went downtown to a pub in the hope that they would have outdoor seating, as the weather was amazing. Before she came I had a turkey and cheese sandwich. Once we got to the pub I had jalepeno poppers, because they are amazing and it is my birthday, and why not indulge? As well as a pint of Mirror Pond and a “birthday shot” a bizzare shot called bloody sack. I don’t particularly feel capable of recounting the makeup of this shot at this time.

After my afternoon wonderfulness I went and met a sorority sister for dinner and member ed. I don’t particularly like anywhere in the MU other than Pangea and Panda Express when Pangea is closed. So I had orange chicken. And hung out with Jill.

After Chapter a few of my sorority sisters and I decided to chill on over to McMennamin’s. I don’t know if you ever had their fries. Amazing. I’d already had dinner. So I decided on splitting fries and a rich dessert with Deanna. As well as having a Ruby. Stayed with Kristin and Hillary after all others left and had a Hammerhead (For those that don’t recognize Mirror Pond, Ruby and Hammerhead, these are all Pacific NW microbrews).  I was feeling… full… and a little over indulged.

Here I must digress. If you read my earlier entries you will see I do not generally eat like…… like I am 350 lbs… It was my birthday. And I didn’t check my desire to indulge in fried, greasy foods… But my body is not used to such abuse. But I must also attest to my ability to hold my drink at least to a moderate level. When I drink slowly and chat with my friends I can consume 2 pints and only begin to feel the effects. My roomies can tell you it takes me well more to get properly drunk. I have never blacked out or vomited due to alcohol.

Combine the alcohol with the massive amounts of fried food. And my stomach wasn’t feeling particularly well. So I drank water. Hoping this would make me feel better. Such a bad idea. Let’s make the stomach a little fuller why don’t we.

Now in the US the 21st birthday marks the legal age to buy and consume alcohol. This combined with a slightly forbidden pleasure aspect of alcohol results in many 21 year olds spending their birthdays consuming alcohol in massive quantities, at very high rates. This results in many college students vomiting in many bar bathrooms.

About the time we are paying our check I begin to feel ill. I had eaten too much, drank too much (water and yummy microbrews). I figured I’d be good until I got home where I seriously considered eating my finger (to relieve the ill feeling not due to any weight issue, I assure all). But then I new I needed to at least go be near a toilet. So I get up, at which point Hillary and Kristin offer to go hold my hair or my jacket. I refuse. And as I am heading to the bathroom the waitress asks if the food was alright. I say it was, just the wrong combination. This brief pause was my big mistake. I make it just inside the bathroom doors when I am sick.  All over the floor and into the sink. A sweet girl goes to the waitress to tell her for me that I’d been sick while I clean myself up.

Meanwhile our waitress goes to Kristin and Hillary to tell them that I’m being sick in the bathroom. They assure her that they know. She looks at them like they are freaks and the worlds worst friends. Let me explain a few things about my friends and me. We are there for each other. That is not the issue. But my hair was pinned back, I did not need someone to hold my hair. I do not need someone tending me as I lose my supper. And seeing as I was not drunk in the slightest, there is no danger of me passing out.  So I hardly need tending.

I apologize to the poor waitress who comes to clean up my mess. I assure her I was not drunk just unwell. She seems to believe me as I am obviously still mostly sober, and not that deathly green color that accompanies alcohol poisoning. She does inform me however that I need to leave. Yeah… like I was hanging around.

So while I uphold the fine tradition of being sick on one’s 21st birthday, it seems to be in the tradition of the Ancient Romans more than the Americans.

A final note: I am mostly convinced that this episode was due to a poor choice in food, smelling to much fried foods and water and alcohol, but I am not willing to completely discount bad ranch dressing with the fries… probably would be feeling more ill though…

Tuesday I had some stuff at work until about 6:30. I left work. And I got on my bike and rode home. It takes 3 maybe 4 minutes. Get in the door, go to the bathroom and then I go to call my mom. I still haven’t gone past the first 10 feet or so of my studio. I cannot find my phone. I tear apart my room. I figure I set it down as I had retrieved my helmet from my work space, or left it in the conference room. No biggie. i go back the next morning and no phone. I go home later and search my room again. Still having not found the phone I go to the Sprint store here. I find out it is not a corporate store but a privately owned franchise. So I can a) pay $170 for a new phone b) find a phone on Craig’s List c) get my mom to go to a corporate store, use one of our replacements and get a phone for me. The third is not as easy as it sounds, that takes some negotiating, but we’ve had an account with them forever. Mom was successful, and sent my phone via FedEx. It arrived Friday morning. I was lucky enough to figure out how to get into my phone messaging (never did it from another phone before) and I left a message explaining my dilemma and telling people to email me. So I was without a phone for 3 days. I always have my cellphone with me. So to not have it with me was very strange. And since like many college students I have no land line. Oh so disconnected.

Monday I received some incredibly wonderful news. But before I give the wonderful news I must digress and return to an earlier entry. I mentioned my interview with Acme Construction Company… yeah didn’t get it. Anywho… Kept applying to internships that came my way.

As exciting as I thought the internship with Acme would be, I have always been interested in water. As Hillary (a sorority sister) put it, the real reason I broke up with my ex was because my heart belongs to Bernuolli. Water is becoming such a valuable resource, and clean drinking water is so vital. Many of our cities are facing degrading water systems, and I always found this field much more interesting than structural.

The day before I interviewed I was at OSU’s career fair. I briefly spoke to some people from Mid-Size Municipal Water (MSMW). I gave them my resume and went on my way. Just to give you an idea, I came with 6 or 7, and I ran out before the end. I didn’t expect much to come of it. A few weeks later, just after I found out I wasn’t getting the internship with Acme Construction Company, I received an announcement from MSMW. They were hiring interns for the summer. So as I was house-sitting I filled out an application, wrote a cover letter, and resubmitted my resume. Around the beginning of the month I was asked to schedule a phone interview.  I interviewed but was somewhat uncertain. It is really hard to gauge peoples reactions when they are silently sitting on the other end of a phone. On top of it I had to do it while on campus, so I was in a group study room on the top floor of the library, praying I had good reception, and that I wasn’t talking to fast… which I do… a lot. And I was a little nervous about the 3 people interviewing me instead of the 1 I have always had in the past.

I was being interviewed for 3 internship positions. The first was in water distribution, the second in water quality, and the third was a more design based position. I knew as soon as I heard the description that I wanted the first one.

So they tell me they’ll get back to me by the 25th of April. And I was able to just let it go for the next two and a half weeks. But I didn’t have to wait that long. Monday I was in at the Beanery with Akhila, and my cell phone (that is another entry!) rang for an un-ID’d number. I answer it. I knew it had to be one of two. The first would be my ex. As he is in Germany he uses Skype to call me, which is an un-ID’d number, but we hadn’t talked on the phone since we broke up. But every time I get a call from MSMW it is un-ID’d. So I answer it and it is Terry, who led the group that interviewed me, and would be supervising the intern for the first position. The coffee shop was loud so I went outside. Terry told me that they wanted to offer me the Engineering Intern position. I accepted. And he asked me which intern position I would like. I told him, and I think he sounded pleased. I still don’t know, thanks to my phone drama, if that is the position I will have. Terry called on Friday, left a message and said he’d call me back next week or email me.

Here’s the thing. MSMW is in such a location that living at my parents home is impossible. And an apartment is going to take a good portion of my income (which I rather use to pay off some debt incurred while in England or save for school). But it is a reasonable distance from my grandma’s house. Actually MSMW is across the freeway from the high school that my mother went to (she didn’t go to the local high school). So it is an easy enough commute (even if I have to pay for the toll bridge). So summer at the farm… here I come!

I spoke to Dad about transportation. Should I buy a car it would take most of the money I could earn this summer, and then there is taking care of it for the next 2 years, while I am still at school.  I responsibility I do not want or care for. Dad agreed to let me borrow the car for the summer. I have to pay for my gas, maintenance and insurance. But I think that is pretty good for the summer. I don’t have to pay rent, or buy a car.

Oh and my uncle has been with out anyone to mow the massive amount of grass for a couple years now. Every time we visit he pays my brother to mow the grass around the house, and down by the lake. I may be able get all my spending money just mowing grass on a ride on mower.

So I have an internship in the field I want to work in, a secondary source of income for spending money, a great place to live and a car. Now… if I could only make the term end tomorrow…

Especially if it is your only phone.

Let’s say that one has a sister. This sister is in a situation that most would consider difficult, painful, and altogether one of the most unpleasant experiences possible, and all at an age that it is unusual to face this at. Now make this sister a very proud, independent individual. When this supposed sister is feeling especially unwell one has a series of options. Which option is best on any given day is as random as a dice roll…

1) Ask said sister how she is doing and what is up. This can illicit three responses:

a) She blatantly lies to you, and tells you that she is “great”. While this is a response she usually saves for the parentals, 800 miles away, you know it to be so, because, really, there are no “great” days.

b) She tells you exactly what last night was like, in dulled down detail. She spent the night on the bathroom floor like a drunken college student. While the latter part of this description would be accurate (college student) the former is not. When you offer to come over next time she feels like that she snaps at you, insisting she doesn’t need to be taken care of. Although most sane individuals beg to differ.

c) She gets mad at you for asking. At which point you ask about footy, and insist that you are an Arsenal fan (mortal sin) because she is in an argumentative mood and she can get out her anger without actually treading into any illness related areas.

2) You do not ask, instead you ask about the new illness inspired purchase. Result is universally:

a) “How dare you ask about my new Sony Bravia 46″ HDTV. Don’t you care about me? I mean, really, I’m your sister, you are supposed to care about me, not my new Sony Bravia 46″ HDTV.” Face it. There is no way to win this one.

3) Joke. Like option 1 this has 3 options

a) She is in a mood to joke, and you have a pleasant conversation about the humorous side of it all, all while making anyone in earshot incredibly uncomfortable.

b) She is in a lack luster mood. It doesn’t result in any anger, but it kinda fizzles and dies. Conversation becomes awkward.

c) She is angry. Run. Hide.

As you can see this can be a total crap shoot. When hormones, and states of feeling, can vary greatly within hours, one never quite knows what to do. So one tries to be patient, and dances to the mood, hoping for what is most likely given the day and time.

P.S. These are solely the humorous observations of one that loves a beloved sister. And are in no way meant to be a “poor me” sob fest.