Gateruner

Another Year Gone By!

gateruner — Mon, 04 Jan 2016 02:20:44 GMT

Wow, where did the time go?! Seriously!

I disappeared again, didn't I? Well it's been a wild and woolly last part of the year for me. I am not even sure where to begin. So I guess I should break it all down:

1. School - Well it was in a word, HARD! I have to say though I persevered. Not only that, but I kicked it's ass! That's right, I ended the semester with ALL A'S!!!!!!! I can't believe it! I am still in shock! lol. It managed to boost my cumulative GPA up to a 3.81!

It was so rough though, I can't even describe how incredibly hard it was. We had a test and/or quiz every day. If not 2 on most days. There wasn't a day that went by I wasn't studying or reviewing something.

And the blood bank practicals were not nearly as bad as I had imagined. We did lose one student though. :( She will be missed. I have to say I ended up really enjoying blood bank after being so nervous about it. It's one of my favorites now! And I am totally in love with microbiology now! :D

The best part of the semester was that we got to do a lot more hands on lab time. I really enjoyed it and it gave me some good insight into what the job will really be like and I am gonna love it! So glad the semester is over though, I can't even describe it.

2. Sickness - Given my track record for all things happening at the worst time, I managed to hold true. The Friday before finals I started sneezing and running nose. No big thing, I thought, just a cold. By Saturday evening my head had completely stopped up. On Sunday morning, I thought I was gonna die. My head hurt so bad that my eyes wouldn't stop watering. It looked like I was crying it was so bad. Craig had guard drill and I had to get Carter to drive me to Wal-Mart to get some severe sinus medication. Well that was lovely because as soon as we got there I was diving out of the car and throwing up in the parking lot. Lots of mucus and junk. Ugh. Then I had to make a dash for the bathroom in the store for the other end. :(

By Monday I was loaded up on sinus meds and downing the fluids and feeling a bit better. So I managed to muddle through my finals. It just so happened that I had a doctors appt on Wednesday for a check up. I go and guess what? I had Strep Throat. I couldn't believe it. It was so weird because my throat didn't hurt all that bad. But there it was. And I have been battling it ALL MONTH LONG! I had to go back for a second round of antibiotics and another shot because it came back on me by the time I finished the first round of antibiotics.

I am finally over it, I think. But my stomach was completely torn up from the sickness and the antibiotics. I started eating a ton of yogurt and taking some probiotics to help out but it's still not back to what I'd call normal. Here's hoping it's truly knocked out now.

3. Rosie - As if everything else going wrong wasn't enough, my poor dog got sick on Christmas Eve. It was storming here and I was cooking dinner and she peed on the floor. She hadn't done that in a long time but I wasn't sure it wasn't from here being scared of the storms. But she did it again later that night. By the next morning she wouldn't jump on the bed or on the sofa and becoming lethargic.

Well with the holiday and weekend it was Monday before we could get her seen about. We were pretty sure she had a UTI so we didn't opt for an emergency vet call. By that Monday morning she wouldn't eat at all and barely drank any water. Poor baby.

So I took her in and they ran some blood work to check her pancreas which was normal and urine which did show she had a UTI. Well it's the second on in several months so the doc wanted to do an X-ray to check for kidney stones. Unfortunately, that wasn't the issue. She had an extremely large (as in bigger than the size of my fist) mass in her abdomen.

There was no way to tell what it was for sure, nor what it was attached to but it was pushing on her stomach, intestines, and bladder. That was most likely causing the bladder irritation and her not wanting to eat. Pre-surgery labs showed what we had begun to suspect. Her liver enzymes were off the chart. So going into surgery the doc and I were pretty sure it was a mass on her liver, most likely a hepatocarcinoma.

The doctor had initially told us she'd put Rosie down if she she couldn't remove it all and it appeared like cancer. But she didn't because she said it looked strange and not necessarily cancerous. She sent it off for a biopsy and we are supposed to receive the results tomorrow. I am so nervous. If it does turn out to be cancer, we will put her down. Sadly, it will be the best option and most humane thing to do.

If it turns out not to be, then we have other issues to contend with. One being that the doc couldn't remove all of the mass and then figuring out what it is. The doctor was nice enough to tell us she would foot the bill for the board and care and the biopsy and only charge us for the surgery if it is cancer. Because it was all her call. Even so, she will pay for the biopsy either way.

4. Other randomness - Between all of that, I have been busy with holidays and family and generally trying to get better. I am finally feeling a bit rested now and more like myself again. I think the stress of school added to my sickness and when it knocked me down it really took me off my feet.

Despite everything, I did manage to have a pretty good holiday and new years. I hope everyone else had a great one as well.

A special thanks to lmichelle599 and huntersglenn for the wonderful Christmas cards! I apologize that I never got to respond before now, but with everything going on it's been difficult. I didn't send out any cards this year despite my attempts to do so.

I hope everyone is well and I am looking forward to a new year and a new semester! School starts back on January 11. I begin clinical rotations the following Tuesday, January 18. My first rotation will be microbiology. I am super excited about it. I have my scrubs and got a nice pair of Dansko shoes to work in as well.

How are you guys?

gateruner — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 20:47:01 GMT

Damn. I broke my "A" streak. I got a 89 on my clinical chem test. :(

To be fair, I didn't study like I should have for it.... so there you go. Not that 89 is really bad, it's still a solid B, but I know I could have done better.

I need to get over it.... quit being so hard on myself.

gateruner — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 04:07:11 GMT

Seems like all I do is bitch about school anymore. Guess that's what my life has become. Feel free to sail on by if it's not your cup of tea.

I'm exhausted. I can't believe what this program is doing to me. And no, I'm not blaming the program per se. I'm more upset with myself. I spent hours yesterday and and the wee hours of this morning studying for a big Blood Bank test this morning. By the time I was dressed, I was nauseated and couldn't stomach the thought of breakfast. Made it to school and got sweats and shakes. And no, it wasn't my blood sugar. It was all nerves. Over a damn test.

The good news is it's another 100 for me! The bad new is I totally stressed myself out and then crammed for a Hematology test that was this afternoon (97 on that) and had tons to do for that class. By the time I got home LATE this afternoon, my stomach was a wreck and I've spent most of the evening back and forth from the bathroom while trying to study for a Clinical Chem test tomorrow! Oh, and a Blood Bank quiz will be coming first thing in the morning as well. OMG! I can't take it!

I'm not going to survive this semester if I can't get a grip on my stress. I'm totally freaking myself out over everything. And I don't know how to relax or let it go. Also, my sleep is ruined because of the combination of stress and the fact that Craig is not here this week. I never sleep as well when he's not here on any given day, let alone add all this one there.

I kept waking up last night like every 30 minutes in a panic and disoriented (wondering what time it was, how long I had been asleep, all that jazz). So I'm so tired now I don't know what to do.

I'm about to crawl into bed and hope that I can get through tomorrow and figure out some way to decompress this weekend. I don't know what I'm going to do if I can't let it go.

gateruner — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 02:14:38 GMT

Another week is underway. I am happy to report a 100 on my hematology test and a 97 on a POP quiz! (The quiz should have been a 100 as well but I second guessed myself on one question. I had the right answer to begin with. Grr. When will I learn)

And I made three beautiful gram stain slides this morning. I wish I could have gotten pics of them under the microscope. A few students managed to get some pics with their phones. You have to hold the lens at just the right angle looking into the eyepiece of the microscope. Eh, maybe I will manage to get it to work next time.

I did get a bit frustrated with one slide because the teacher said it was bacillus (rods) and I swear it looked like cocci (spheres or dots). Not on that, but it looked like they were in a chain. But according to my teacher they were rods that were rounded on the ends. I did notice that they seemed slimmer than the other cocci bacteria we've looked at so far and asked if that was part of what could help me distinguish but of course she said no. :(

There's where I really wish I had a picture because I would stake my life on it that it looked like cocci. Either way I've got to figure out how I can make the distinction because of that particular slide was, in fact, NOT infectious bacteria, but a contaminated sample. She wanted us to see that specifically. It was gram positive rods which in this case was not really an infection or a true pathogen.

Oy. I hope to get better clarification as we delve further into the world of bacteria.

On non-school related notes, I am now officially hooked on Blacklist. I am still finishing up Season 1 so nobody tell me anything! In fact I am pissed off right now because I accidentally stumbled upon a spoiler for the upcoming season and it was a big one. Grrr.

I can't believe Falling Skies is almost over. *sniffles* Only one episode left. I hope it's going to be a satisfying end. It's been a very good season so I hope it ends off well.

I'm all over Hawaii 5-0 spoilers though. I've been following tons of blogs on tumblr and know about everything out there to know so far. I am kind of thinking I may back off. While I love getting excited about episodes I kinda like the surprise too. I just don't know if I can keep away. ;)

I am still trying to play catch up on NCIS and Bones. There's no way I will be caught up before the season picks up. I will just take my time.

I've gotten nowhere with my school papers and am blocked on my fanfic writing. That's probably because I know if I'm on the computer to write it needs to be on schoolwork not fanfic. *g*

Hope all is well with everyone!

Kids

gateruner — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 21:01:36 GMT

I don't get it. I REALLY don't get it. I am trying to adapt to this creature that is living in my house now. A fifteen-year-old boy with major moodiness and brooding. It is beyond me how to live with this thing my son has become.

He simply WILL NOT listen to me, no matter what I say. And we are not talking about major things. I mean ANYTHING. It can be something as simple as what's for dinner. And I say two words and he already assumes he knows what I'm going to say and cuts me off. I. Can't. Stand. It.

And I am trying so hard not to let it get to me. But some days I want to scream. Like today, for example. His computer has been messing up for a few days now and he's been desperately trying to "fix" it. It keeps blue screening and overheating. I know for a fact it was slam full of viruses not long ago but he "cleaned" it and said it was "better". Well it takes an insane amount of time to boot up and you get blue screens randomly all the time.

So I finally get him to tell me about one BSOD and I look up the code, it says one of the system files has been hacked and/or needs windows updates. He says he's "tried" to run updates but it won't let him.

*headdesk*

I step two feet to his computer and he starts hollering. I try to help and he gets defensive and in the same breath asks for my help. How the fuck can I help if you won't let me do anything? "Just tell me, Mom!" I can't tell because I don't know exactly what the hell is wrong!!!!

So I finally push him out of the way, literally and realize that no he can't run updates because he's been running in fucking guest mode! And he's been doing it for months! Because his other account got "jacked up".

Oh for the love of God!

So no windows updates. no real anti-virus protection/updates to run properly without admin control. And god knows what else he's done under guest mode that really needs admin rights to run.

No wonder his computer is jacked. And I can't help apparently because I can't touch the damn thing. I'm about to go in there and rip it from the wall and format the drive. Either he's got something on there he doesn't want me to see or he's just being a prick. Either way I'm about done with this shit.

gateruner — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 14:40:04 GMT

Homeowner crisis #123:

Half the backyard is dug up and we need a new septic tank pump.

*sobs*

ETA: $912 later we have a working septic system again.

gateruner — Tue, 11 Aug 2015 13:36:40 GMT

First of all, I was browsing the web and came across this photo...

Okay, two things. One, can Scott Caan push those shorts down just a tad bit lower ;) And second, can I have Grace Park's body? Seriously!

And I had fun with photoshop the other day.... this will be my journal header once I figure out how to modify the code on my chosen theme.

As for more mundane things, someone's coming out this afternoon to look at the septic tank pump. I'm praying it won't be that bad. *crosses fingers*

And then there's that

gateruner — Sun, 09 Aug 2015 01:57:11 GMT

Eesh. Always something.

So the washing machine drama turned into a huge clusterfuck. I think I said in my last post that we did realize it wasn't the washing machine that was broken, but something with the circuit breaker.

I unplugged the washing machine and tried plugging in my hairdryer and it wouldn't work. Went to the garage and reset the breaker, before I could make it back inside the house I heard it pop and click and off. Set it again, same thing. Plus no hairdryer working.

So we go and get a new breaker thinking that's the issue. Install it. No joy. Same exact thing happens. And it's happening without the washing machine even being plugged in anymore. Okay, next we pull the outlet out of the wall and check it out. Seems fine.

We sit around scratching our heads and Craig chats with a buddy of his and he suggests that maybe there's more on that circuit than just the washing machine, so we go around the house systematically trying every outlet and switch we can find all to no avail. Nada. Everything works fine.

And then Craig starts to wonder about outside the house. So we try the outlets around the house, still no luck, until..... we check the frakin' septic tank pump. Unplug it and voila. No tripped breaker. Son of a mother!

When the septic tank got backed up we realized that it wasn't pumping properly and when they dug up to get into the tank they cut the electrical wire by accident. Well that got fixed, but then it took several tries to get the pump to start up and the man that did the work said that he thought the pump might be failing as well.

Craig went and got new electrical line and replaced the broken and spliced wiring and still nothing. So whatever the problem is, it's either further down the wire and down into the tank itself or the pump itself is bad. Either way it's not going to be cheap to repair.
*cries*

Why is it always something?

Watched the first episode of "The Blacklist" tonight. OMG. I loved it. But I cannot get into another show. Nooooo! lol.

And it's forecast for a high of 100 degrees here tomorrow with a heat index of 110+. Ugh I hate Mississippi in the summer.

gateruner — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 12:38:45 GMT

Where has all my time gone? I seem to be pissing it away. Seriously. I have GOT to get serious about writing the papers for school and finishing my stories. I did make it to the doctor to have my MMR vaccination redone and the first of the 2-step TB skin test. Had it read yesterday and go back next Monday for the second step. I am happy to report I don't have TB. Which is good. :)

I can't seem to get a hold of anyone at the school who will give me specifics on any of the other vaccinations other than MMR. My adviser won't be back until Monday so I guess I'll just pray and hope that anything else I need can get done next week.

Carter started back to school yesterday. I can't take this. He's growing up too fast! And did I mention he has his learners permit to drive? eeesh. I don't want to think about it.

Our washing machine decided to go on the fritz too. That's just perfect. It trips the breaker every time you try to start a new cycle. I am trying to track down someone local to repair it as Sears can't send anyone for a frickin' week! It's always something....

I've been getting back into the study swing though and I'm getting excited about starting back. I am brushing up on the Gram Stain and various types of bacteria. :) Geek love!

ETA: It's not the washing machine. It's the circuit breaker! Thank goodness for small favors. At least one of Craig's friends suggested checking that first before spending a small fortune on a service call. Now it's just a couple of bucks on a new switch. So much better!

Well isn't that just lovely

gateruner — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 19:21:00 GMT

I go to track down my old immunization records from *coughs* long ago *coughs* and find out that there are no records any longer. In fact, Mississippi didn't require private doctors to report their immunization records to the state until 1994. Meaning that all MY records are just gone because I have no way of tracking those records down. That pediatrician is long since retired and so is his practice.

So, what does that leave me? I have to go back and get all those lovely childhood immunizations again. Un-believable. And so help me if my insurance doesn't cover it!

And yes I have to do it because I'm in a health program at school and ALL health program students are required to have documented proof of vaccinations before they begin clinical rotations.

Ugggggghhhh!!!!!!!!!!

gateruner — Sat, 01 Aug 2015 22:05:18 GMT

Time to get serious again.....

Got to get started on all those papers as well. Only two weeks before hell starts again!

Back home!

gateruner — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 21:08:17 GMT

Whew! It's good to be home. Seriously. I did enjoy my vacay very much but I'm worn out for several reasons.

I had a blast driving. No, really I did. I enjoy the time and getting to see stuff along the way. Carter went with me, so we headed out last Saturday and made it up to Greenville, SC and crashed for the night. Then we headed on to Norfolk to see huntersglenn! Who was the most awesome hostess ever.

We didn't do a whole lot, but getting to hang out and watch a little Stargate and talk about fanfic was great fun to me! Also, we went to the beach and splashed our toes in the water one evening after sweating to death playing a game of miniature golf. lol. Carter and Cathy's son seemed to hit it off and Carter was eager to be home this afternoon to get online and see if they could hook up playing games at some point!

After that, I headed down to West Jefferson, NC to drop Carter off at my soon to be ex-brother-in-law, Steve's. They wanted to hang out together, so it was a nice break for both Carter and myself. I drove on down from there to Asheville, NC to see the sister.

Well, you already saw my post about the boyfriend, Michael. Ugh. And then Carter and Steve came down on Friday afternoon and we all went out to dinner that night and went bowling. It was a hoot. I couldn't bowl for crap but we had fun.

Then yesterday we went tubing along the French Broad River. OMG! That was so much fun! I wasn't exactly sure I'd be into it but I loved it. It was hot but the river water was cold and the inner tubes were great. They had backrests and a drink cup. Score! Plus you could pay an extra $5 and get a little raft to float your cooler and stuff in. So Sloane, Carter, and myself all tethered together with the cooler floater and sailed away down the river for three miles. It was so relaxing.

Bad thing was I was so worried about my face getting sunburned that I didn't apply my sunscreen to rest of myself like I should have. So I have these horrendous streaks of BAD sunburn along my shoulders and tops of my arms. But my legs are what's so bad. I did put the sunscreen on, but I guess because my legs were constantly dipping in and out of the water that it was all for nothing. So much for waterproof. Ack!

They hurt so bad. It's miserable. But early yesterday evening I knew it was bad. But I sucked it up and Sloane and I went out for dinner and then out for a few drinks. The drinks helped the sunburn too. *BG*

And Sloane goes on to tell me some rather interesting stories about the BF and how he's "moody". No shit! Really?! And she goes on to talk about how upset and stressed he's been lately and that he's not been being himself. And how she's just got to accept it. Uh, okay. If you say so.....

Otherwise, I am pooped. I've got clothes to wash, lidocaine spray for my legs, and some tylenol in my future.

After that I have to start looking towards writing. And not the fun kind. The school paper kind. Ack! Time to get crackin'!

What did I do?

gateruner — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 23:33:15 GMT

Fuck! I think I've got sun poisoning again.

No
This can't be happening. I can't drive home like this. What the fuck am I gonna do?!

*cries painfully*

What a dickweed

gateruner — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 01:19:53 GMT

So, I have to give some background before I go off on this particular rant.

My sister has a new boyfriend. And yes, she's married. And yes she's tossing away the best thing that's ever happened to her for this guy. And she thinks this guy is the shit and hung the moon and all that crap.

So, I'm on vacay right now visiting the sister in Asheville, NC. And we go out to dinner tonight. He doesn't say five fucking words! I swear. And he won't look at me and looked like he'd rather have been anywhere else in the world at that moment.

WTF?

What a fucking douchebag! Oh and he cuts the evening short by saying "he has things to do". Dragging my sister away, so we couldn't hang out. Unbelievable.

And my sister is a shit for not saying anything or telling him to fuck off as well.

What. A. Douche!

I can't say I had a lot of love for the guy before but now....

I just.... ugh!

Reason#126 to <3 Scott Caan

gateruner — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 14:25:36 GMT

As if there aren't enough reasons to love Scott Caan....

If I was that fake person, I'd be ready to crawl under a rock.

Also, a gigantic Happy Birthday to tularia! You are made of awesome! Hope you have a great day!

20 Facts

gateruner — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 01:27:44 GMT

Comment with "I wanna play!" and you will be assigned a number between 15-50 of facts for you to share. - princessbryn gave me 20!

1. I'm an INFJ personality type 95% of the time. Although the J can sometimes become a P depending on my particular mood. Don't know what that is? Read here to find out. I believe it is one of the most misunderstood personality types. I've been called cold and non-caring before and it's the furthest thing from the truth. Just because I don't wear my heart on my sleeve doesn't mean I don't have one.
2. People tend to call me a pessimist. I prefer the term realist myself. Shit happens, life sucks, yadda, yadda, yadda.
3. Politically I don't affiliate myself with one party. I consider myself to be a "Republicrat". I am more conservative on business issues but definitely more liberal when it comes to a person's lifestyle and choices.
4. I am a deeply spiritual person. Note the use of the word spiritual. I don't handle organized religion well. But if you have to categorize me, I'm an Episcopalian. The black sheep of the family. ;) I hold my faith and beliefs close to my heart.
5. I have been married for 19 years now, together for 22 years.
6. In regards to #5, I find myself pretty damn lonely at times.
7. I am not nearly as big of a neat freak as I used to be. The house has never been more cluttered.
8. I despise my depression and loathe having to take medication for it.
9. My favorite color is purple. Always will be.
10. I am an extremely picky eater. So much so it would be easier to list what I will eat, rather than what I won't. I believe that vinegar is the root of all that is evil and should be destroyed.
11. I am a huge geek. Shocking right? ;) And I'm damn proud of it!
12. The most nerve-wracking moment in my life what the first time I ever met Michael Shanks. It was August 2003 at the Stargate Con in Chicago. I will never forget how my heart felt lodged in my throat and that I couldn't breathe when I stepped forward for my photo op. That smile was just amazing but I know he probably thought I was a total idiot. After my pic I was walking away and some girl stopped me and asked if I was okay. I think I looked like I was going to keel over. Seriously, I don't remember being that flustered at my own wedding. Eeesh.
13. I am socially inept (ex: see #12). I mean we are talking complete and utter moron. I can't do small talk, there's only so much I'm willing to say about the weather before I fall into an uncomfortable silence. Once I get to know you I can talk your damn head off, but first meetings not so much. I wish I could just be out there with myself but I'm not.
14. I am very passive aggressive. Don't believe me? Piss me off. I may smile or even laugh it off but you can bet your ass I will never forget it. It's not something I'm proud of but I've learned to accept it for what it is.
15. In regards to #14, my husband and I play this game very well. For years we went back and forth, pissing each other off, seeing how far we could push it. He would rearrange the icons on my desktop or move files in my folders and I would then start switching up all the discs in the DVD cases so no movie was in the right one. You know, fun stuff ;)
16. I keep most of my fangirling to myself these days. I've felt the need to hide my current obsession over Hawaii Five-0 from my hubby. Not sure why. I think Craig secretly knows how hot I think Alex O'Loughlin is though.
17. I have an unbelievable fear of guns when it comes to holding one or firing one. I never have and don't want to. I'm not against them or anything. Craig keeps his military issued piece in the house but I won't touch it, not even to move it. Crazy enough though, I find a man shooting one incredibly sexy, so go figure on that one.
18. I wanted to be a virologist or biochem major when I was in high school. I may have mentioned this before, not sure. But it didn't happen for a number of reasons but I look back on it and wonder what could have been.
19. I am left-handed and proud! *high five! Up top!*
20. I am bi-sexual. There. I said it. Yes I've been with a man for 22 years and will continue to do so until whenever but that doesn't mean I didn't have a life before that. Nor does it mean that I don't look. ;)

Whew! I'm spent.

Son of a gun

gateruner — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 23:00:07 GMT

So I figured out my whole screen capture debacle.

Command-Shift-3

View the video at full screen and then click Command-Shift-3

Beautiful! Figures it was something simple.

I knew my iMac wouldn't let me down. <3

I need help

gateruner — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:07:24 GMT

Oh boy. I can't even begin to describe the love/hate relationship I have with my iMac. Seriously, I'm stumped. I love it for so many reasons yet it still manages to infuriate me at times. I want to chunk the thing across the room. However, it's still my shiny apple-y goodness so I must adapt.

Does anyone know of a ~~program~~ app that will allow you to simply make screencaps from a video file like a mp4? I mean seriously, this can't be fucking magic. iMovie only wants to import video and edit it but I don't see a way to actually capture the frames. It may be something extremely simple that I'm overlooking. Quicktime offers no support for such an action, at least not that I can see anyway.

Grrr....

Anyway, I'd appreciate the help if someone would be so kind. The app store seems full of several screen capture apps but they seem more about capturing the actual background or screen of a webpage or what's actually on your desktop area.

I need to be productive today. I've got super planning to do for my upcoming trip! Yes! I'm getting to visit the sister in Asheville, NC along with huntersglenn! I'm so excited! Only 5 more days now until I take off. Carter will be joining me and I hope it all works out for the best.

Oh, and on a particular fandom random. How much do I love this video on youtube? Can I give it a big heart with flowers on it?! McDanno love!

Excuse me for a moment....

gateruner — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 13:47:33 GMT

So I stumbled across these pics on tumblr.

I'm just gonna be over there.... in a corner..... with a drool bucket.....

Seriously, can this man be any more fine?

How now, brown cow

gateruner — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 13:37:00 GMT

First off, a big birthday wish goes out to theemdash! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Having nothing but time on my hands can be a dangerous thing, I've discovered. I should be finding useful things do like trimming and adding the binding to the Lovers Knot quilt that I got back from the lady that does my quilting for me. Yes, I do make my own quilts, the piecing that is, but I suck at the actual overall sewing that binds all the layers together. I can stitch in the ditch, which means to sew along the seams of the pieces, but that's where it stops.

I've been practicing some free-motion quilting patterns, but ack! It takes time and skill that I don't possess. Not to mention the fact that I don't own a longarm, which is what you need if you plan to machine stitch any large project. So, it leads me to giving the project to someone else to complete the task.

And it ain't cheap my friends! The next times you balk at the cost of a true hand-pieced quilt (not some crap piece that was made in a slave factory in Singapore and shipped to your local Walmart, thanyouverymuch!) consider the materials, time, labor, and love that goes into one. The particular quilt I'm talking about here clocks in about $320 in just the cost of the fabric, batting, backing, and cost of the quilting. You can forget about trying to calculate the number of hours I put into the damn thing. But it truly is a labor of love and I enjoy it. It's always amazing to watch how they come together piece by piece.

But, I had a point here, what was it? Hrmm. Oh yeah, it was to say that this particular quilt is actually going to be a wedding present for my nephew and his bride. There was no way I could pull off a traditional wedding ring style quilt. So, a Lovers Knot seemed appropriate. Here is a look at the book and design if you are interested. No clue what the couple's colors are so I hope they like the rich reds and yellows I chose. They are getting married at the end of September, so I have time to finish the quilt, but I need to get started.

I fell asleep early last night, so I missed my new show! grrr. Oh well, I can catch it on Demand.

Happy Anniversary to me!

gateruner — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 13:15:01 GMT

Today I celebrate my 19th wedding anniversary to my sweetie! It's hard to believe it's been 19 years. In some ways it seems longer and others it seems shorter. Time certainly does slip by.

So what do you get one another to celebrate 19 years of wedded bliss? A new microwave apparently. Our old one was doing strange things like suddenly powering on or not starting when you tried to set the timer. I think it might have been possessed after 12 years. Oh well, no matter. We have a new one! And it's bigger than the old one, shiny metallic finish and has a bunch of features I don't even know how to operate.

Love. It's a many splendid thing. :)

And speaking of microwaving... or should I say cooking in general.... WTF Falling Skies?! Damn! Apparently skitters aren't on the menu. I don't get too squicked out too easily these days but Holy Hannah! That's a serious case of indigestion. Ack. And Tom is just going native and I don't like it. Nope, not at all.

And what were those flying bugs and all those things in that field. This show is seriously starting to creep me out!

Still writing...

Happy 4th of July!

gateruner — Sat, 04 Jul 2015 21:28:54 GMT

Hope all my American friends are having a happy and festive fourth. I haven't so much as stepped a toe outside the house myself. It's been raining thundering most of the afternoon, but it's fine by me. I didn't have anything planned.

I have been writing on the computer most of the day and took a nap earlier. Lazy day.

Not being bored

gateruner — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 15:18:29 GMT

I've been trying to keep busy for the past few days. I've been doing fairly good at distracting myself with various things. I have grown very frustrated with graphics though. Grrr. Why is it that LJ hates .png? Is it me? I thought at first it was a MAC thing at home. But I've been at my Dad's for a few days on his PC and I still can't get .png files to be accepted by LJ. I had to convert them to .jpg before they would work. I dunno. Go figure.

I've also found another show to watch. Mr. Robot. This show had the potential to be so good! I only hope they can keep it up. I know it appeals to my inner IT geek, but I like how totally fracked up the main character is.

If you want something strange, go check it out.

I am still writing my SGA/H50 crossover as well. It's going way beyond what I first thought it would be.

Also, I am finding tumblr to be a complete and utter time void. I could spend hours looking at all the pretty graphics. *sighs*

Falling Skies and other random stuffs

gateruner — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 22:57:11 GMT

First off, I finally made my decision to truly cut ties with Facebook. I'm deleting my account tomorrow evening. It's just not worth the aggravation any longer.

Falling Skies. Badamn! It left me wondering if everything that happened was for real though. I think I had the same reaction to the season 4 premiere. The beginning sequence was bizarre, but I liked it. And all the attacks seemed almost too easy, imo. This is a dark path that Tom is going down. I think it's going to break his relationship with Anne. I could be wrong, but you could feel the concern she radiated. It's going to get ugly.

And the overlord? Well that wasn't much of a fight now was it? I had expected more, honestly. Again, it all seems too easy. I can't help but wonder if Tom is still stuck on that ship or the moon or in stasis or SOMETHING! And what was with the new alien that seemed to be flashing within his memory of his dead wife?

And the whole Ben/Hal/Maggie triangle is beyond uncomfortable. As a side note about Maggie, I like that the show has the roots of her hair grown out several inches now. It's a small detail, but a very realistic one at that. No time for a dye job during the apocalypse! Kudos to the show for that bit of realism.

Hal is just set to turn a blind eye and declare that he's willing to hurt his brother for Maggie's love?! WTF?

Too many questions and a good start to the season though. Can't wait for next week!

I went over and signed up for a tumblr account but I find myself just staring like a complete moron. How do you keep track of anything? Seriously? It looks like a gigantic clusterfuck, imo. But there does seem to be a ton of info there, if you can wade through the sea of crap.

Oh well, life goes on.....

What can go wrong, will go wrong

gateruner — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 18:52:46 GMT

I managed to get my schoolbooks I will need for this fall ordered the other day. It still slays me how outrageous the cost is, even on Amazon. But it's a hell of a lot cheaper than the school bookstore, that's for sure!

Still, $283 for books hurts the pocketbook, no two ways about it. I've already received the pathogenic microbiology book and atlas. The book is HUGE and unbelievably heavy. My back is not going to be happy carting it around campus. The other books aren't small by any means, but not like this sucker. Eeesh.

Got a text this morning from our bank stating that there were a bunch of charges that needed to be verified on a debit card. I quickly looked up our account online and didn't find a couple of them listed on the online statement. So I tried to call USAA, but of course being a Sunday, I couldn't get a hold of anyone. I was reluctant to reply to the text because I haven't ever received one before from them and didn't know if it could be a hoax.

I was digging through the website trying to find a phone number to call and what do you know, USAA calls me. They wanted verification of the charges. It turned out it was Craig's debit card on our checking account and that only one of the listed charges was bogus. But it was for some grocery wholesale store in Baltimore, MD for like $260. It wasn't showing up on my statement because only the authorization went through, but not actually the charge. The lady said the card was run as a credit (which can be done, obviously. But that also meant they didn't have the PIN, thank goodness!) and USAA flagged it.

Of course that meant we had to cancel Craig's debit card and issue a new one with a new PIN. This is disturbing to say the least. Last week we got a call from Chase in regards to his Best Buy Mastercard account. There was a $776 charge to Target in Brooklyn, NY. Again, the card company declined the charge but had to cancel and reissue the card.

I tried to tell Craig then to look into it, but he just brushed it off. Now... well do I need to give him a big fat I told you so?

There was yet ANOTHER data breach of government employees a couple of weeks ago, I'm sure some of you heard about it. And Craig conveniently forgot to tell me that he had received a letter from OPM regarding that breach and that his identity may have been compromised. Grrrr!

Good news is that the gov't actually looks like it's going to do something. They've offered a free credit monitoring system for a year, so I've gone ahead and signed us up. Craig also told me that one of the guys in his unit had one of his cards try to be used somewhere in the Northeastern US within the last week as well. Not a good sign.

It's always something.....