Murphy is OK, thanks for your concern. He is looking good, the eye is hardly even bloodshot anymore, but I'll admit I was worried. Plans for the weekend are getting finalized. Heather is getting in on Friday, and we are heading out in Denver. Saturday we are heading up to Aspen for the Jazz fest, Joss Stone and John Legend on Saturday night, Spearhead and the Allman Brothers on Sunday. Sunday morning, 11 am the Ultimate Tubing Championship Series, or, City Of Destruction For Individual Sporting Heroism (COD FISH). We had a 2 hour conference call this evening (Mak, Jared, Ez, Brandon and Myself) to determine rules and scoring. And what an elaborate scoring system it is. I am so excited for the festivities. I sure do wish I didn't have class Monday. Boo.

Labels: Mak and Kate, Miscellaneous, Murphy

Monday is a long day for me. I have class from 4:30 until 7pm, and I was so busy today that I didn't eat lunch until almost 4, I just lost track of the time. So after my first really long Monday, which I am looking forward to after my first class tonight, I came home to my Murph. (Murph was, by the way, hiding in the bathroom, his usual behavior when he has done something wrong, I haven't figured out what yet). We went outside and ran around for a while and then played fetch the stick. So he caught the stick, caught the stick, caught the stick, and then for some reason looked up and took the stick right in the left eyeball. Blind in one eye is not what Murph needs, his sniffer doesn't work! But, it looks fine, he's squinting it shut, but he's not crying or messing with it and he doesn't snap at me when I try to look at it. If he isn't fine by morning we'll go to the vet, but i think he'll be OK.

Labels: Murphy

This weekend I just wasn't feeling up to much. I went out for a short night in Golden on Friday, but what I really wanted to do was play with my new computer. Which is what I did on Saturday, Saturday night, and Sunday. It is awesome and super fast. The other highlight of my weekend was discovering a new program, Mad Men on AMC. I caught up with the series On Demand, and I really enjoyed it. Now I just need to get used to this smaller keyboard! This paragraph had about 50 typos.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Mak and Kate were in town Friday night, so I met them at the Rock Rest. For some reason, someone had a goat in the bar. This bar has a stripper pole in the back room next to the dance floor. Need I say more?

Labels: Mak and Kate

Check out the 25 Weirdest Animals. This is such a cool page. I've never seen most of these.

Labels: Check it

Last night, not willing to do anything productive in honor of the end f my summer vacation, I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix again. I went to see it when it first came out, and since then have reread the book and wanted to see it again, and see if my opinion of it had changed. When I saw it the first time, it was everything I had expected, and I wasn't the least bit disappointed. After rereading the book, my only complaint is that although it was a dark, brooding book, it was also a very funny book. The movie is equally as dark, but lacking a lot of the humor that balanced the books insufferable teen angst.

I fear I am in trouble, Harry Potter (or I should say Daniel Radcliffe) is HOT. And a teenager. Shame on me. (See yesterday's post about the delightful Zac Effron in Hairspray)

I think this girl, Evanna Lynch, was perfectly cast for Luna Lovegood. When I read the book, this is exactly how I pictured her.

I do have a little issue with the casting of some of the older characters however, Harry's Parents (who died at the age of 21, but are shown in the Sorcerer's Stone in the mirror or erised look about 35), Sirius who should be 35, is played by 49 year old Gary Oldman (and he looks it).

Also Lupin, 44 year old David Thewlis, who looks every bit his 44 years, and who is to marry Tonks, played by 23 year old Natalia Tena. Creepy.

I always worried about Ginny Weasley becoming Harry's love interest in The Half-Blood Prince as she always looks so much younger than Harry, until I came across this publicity photo. In a year or two, Bonnie Wright is going to be hot, so now I get it.

As far as the rest of the cast is concerned, Puberty has not been kind to Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), but hopefully he'll grow out of it.

On the other hand, Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom, is growing right along with his character. Looking less awkward and more confident every year, and I look forward to the part he will play in The Deathly Hallows.

Finally Helena Bonham-Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange. Great casting, she can look so glamorous and so deranged, just like Bellatrix should.

I was really pleased with the fight in the Department of Mysteries. It looked just like I pictured it, the fight itself was excellent, and I thought the effects were spectacular.

Labels: Movies

I wnet to see Hairspray with my mom on Saturday. It was actually really good! I went in expecting it to be cute, but I was surprised at how well done it was, and how funny. I couldn't stop laughing and dancing in my seat. John Travolta and Christopher Walken really stole the show. I tell you, Travolta can move! I know it's wrong because he's seventeen years old, but I think I love Zac Effron. If I were 13 years old, I'd cut pictures of him out of magazines and pin them up around my bedroom. Maybe I can get away with that in my office?

Labels: Movies

OK, I have gotten a little resolution to my course schedule problem. Not much, but a little. For some reason I hadn't occurred to me that I could take courses outside of the department. I took a look and found two course that look really interesting. One in the Chemistry department, and one in the Materials Science Program.

Intro to Disordered Solids on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 to 12:15 and Advanced analytical Chemistry on Mondays from 4:30 to 7. So that will cut into Monday night football a little, but at least I'll be doing something I like.

I have also decided to retake the LSAT, so I'll be studying hard until Saturday, September 29. Hopefully I'll be able to increase my score significantly enough to justify putting myself through all that again.

Sorry, but I don't have anything good from the weekend for you today. I had a terrible headache on Friday night, and stayed home and went to bed early, and on Saturday I went to the folks house to cheer my mom on at another triathlon. She really does kick ass.

Labels: Miscellaneous

I just registered for classes and this will be my schedule: M and W 4:00-5:30 pm F 3:00-5:30 pm

I actually can't think of a worse schedule, considering I am very much a morning person, and my brain shuts off around 2 pm. Maybe I'll have to reconsider this. And there is still a small chance I won't have to take anymore classes at all.

Wish me luck.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Labels: Jill, Mak and Kate

Mmmmmm. Big Jim (Ancho) Chili's and tomato from my parents garden, grilled onion, lettuce and cheddar. My friend Frannie came to visit, and all of the other pictures I took were overexposed, but at least I got this photo of dinner. I'll see if I can mess with one of the pics and salvage it, I know Frannie was excited about his Maiden Metallurgist debut!

Labels: Food, Frannie

Thursday night Jill and I met downtown for a Rockies game.

Labels: Jill

Those slideshows were bugging me, but if you want, you can look at them Here and Here

Labels: Mak and Kate, What Was I Thinking?

I finally figured out how to embed video in my blog! Thanks Photobucket! (OK thanks Frannie too) I changed this to a link also, because it was making th page load too slowly, but if you are interested in a bad short video of Mak acting like a jackass, go ahead and click Here

Labels: Mak and Kate, Video

I resisted going on MySpace for ages, frankly, I like my blog better. But last night Kate and I were MySpace-stalking people from college, and it was kind of fun. So now I have a MySpace page. Its at myspace.com/themaidenmetallurgist. But you probably already know that.

Labels: Miscellaneous

All last week I worked extra long days so I'd be able to take a half day on Friday and surprise my dad at lunch for his birthday. It was totally worth it though, as he was pleasantly surprised, and lunch was great. I stayed at my folks' place on Friday night, we listened to some Tull, drank some beer, and just hung out. To me, that's a good Friday, but my parents are awesome. Saturday I went up to Basalt, which was fun, but not too eventful considering I had no money to spend. We hung out and played cards, and then went tubing on Sunday. Good weekend, pictures later.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Always funny.

Labels: Mak and Kate, Miscellaneous, Restaurants

The lady from the bank called and said that because since it wasn't a bank error they would not refund the money. So does that mean if it was the dumbshit-waitress-who-ran-my-card-twice's fault tha tI should track her down and make her give me$36?

Labels: Miscellaneous

Jill and I are going to the Rockies game at 7:05. I got free tickets from the Graduate Student Association. Should be a good game, lots of cute Cubs fans live in Denver.

Won't be too crazy though, Radda Trattoria has seen to that! They charged me $52 dollars more than they should have for dinner on Monday night, which triggered an overdraft fee (what? I'm kind of broke, $30 bucks would have been covered, $80... not so) of $36! So now, my account shows me to be almost $80 in the red! I talked to a nice lady at the Key Bank branch down the street, and she is going to take care of the overdraft fee, since I didn't really spent that money, and according to the restaurant in about a week the extra $50 should drop off.

About a week! That's messed up, and pretty discourteous of them actually, but... it's out of my hands.

Labels: Miscellaneous

On Monday night I headed up to Boulder to go to a yoga class with Jill, followed by dinner at Radda Trattoria. We'd eaten there once before, when Gina was in town, and loved it, so it was time for another go. We probably didn't need two entrees, but we certainly cleaned our plates! We also followed up with dessert. Lemon-Rosemary cake, no where near as good as the rest of the meal. I believe I have learned my lesson, and in the future, I'll just skip dessert here.

Labels: Restaurants

Labels: Mom

Labels: Jill, Sarah

Sorry if you are looking to me for excitement, but I had another uneventful weekend. Now that everyone has a boyfriend there is nobody to go out with and shake things up, which is just as well because I have been feeling a little drab lately. I spent Friday night reading and hit the sack early, Saturday I headed over to the folks house and hit the sack early. Got up at 4:30 am on Sunday to watch my mom compete in the Tri for the Cure Triathlon. Despite her broken toe she kicked ass, naturally. Sunday afternoon I headed home, hit the pool, then hit the sack early.

I know I've been hitting the sack early a lot, but I haven't really felt like doing much else. Eventually I'll get around to posting pics from Eric's birthday on Thursday night and from the triathlon on Sunday, but not until I am feeling a little more inspired.

Labels: Miscellaneous

On the weekend, I worked a bit, but mostly relaxed. And I needed it. I can't believe how much I slept. When I wasn't sleeping I sat outside and read, or turned on the A/C and watched movies. I had a Harry Potterathon and hung out with my buds. Ever since I got the patio furniture, if I can't find my cat I check outside, and lo and behold there she is curled up on the seat. When the A/C is on, Murph and Kitty both hunker down and snooze. My folks came over yesterday, and prior to their arrival I was making my bed. Kitty was sitting in it and wouldn't move, so I began to make the bed over her (usually gets her moving). This time though, I tossed the sheet over her and tucked it in, followed by both a blanket and a coverlet, but she wouldn't budge and didn't for about two hours. Not until I came in with the vacuum. I thought it was funny, and I don't have a lot going on right now, give me a break. My parents brought with them some of the bounty from their garden. Tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, anahiems, jalapenos, kuta suqash and a baby eggplant. The kutas are going to be great on the grill. Those jalapenos will spice up an omelet on Saturday morning. And this is probably the coolest, a Black Beauty, a black bell pepper.

Labels: Food, Kitty, Murphy

That's right, tomorrow 6:00 to 6:30 pm, free beer at the Rock Bottom Brewery.

Labels: Miscellaneous

Whatever that means.

Labels: Miscellaneous