I guess ricki and I are mortal enemies... except I know better.

You Are a Club Sandwich

You are have a big personality. It's hard for anyone to ignore you! You dream big. You think big. And you eat big. Some people consider you high maintenance, but you just know what you want... and when you want it. Your best friend: The Tuna Fish Sandwich Your mortal enemy: The Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:17 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Here we go again. You know what to do.

1. Voyage ::
2. Patricia ::
3. Transformation ::
4. Vocabulary ::
5. San Francisco ::
6. Edward ::
7. Sawyer ::
8. Literary ::
9. Tiger ::
10. Seal ::
more...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:11 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 91 words, total size 1 kb.

Too much crappy stuff going on around me.  It rubs off.

UPDATE: Work is working itself out without me needing to do anything else at the moment.  Feeling much smiley-er.

Thanks for the well-wishes, they were much appreciated!

Now, off to buy a screen door!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:31 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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SciFi is showing a FIREFLY MARATHON!!!! until 3pm!

Yes, I own it.  But STILL.

And Flash Gordon starts tonight.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:35 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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The universe is conspiring against me.



It's the small pathetic things that rankle so much.  Like your husband
being called into jury duty on FRIDAY after being told to go about his
business all week and basically being told that he will be sitting on
his ass from 7:30 am until 4pm, thank you very much, on THE day you
made plans to go out of town early, and for which you took the day off
of work.... and since you are sitting at home, the cable decides to go
out,and of course the internet with it.  And when the son-of-a-bitch
finally comes back up, the fucking router refuses to do its job, so I'm
now within 6 inches of no internet and the TV is fuzzy on and off.



Not to mention that he got lost driving into downtown, ended
up in East LA and I had to talk him in to where he was going after
figuring out where he was.  FROM 10 MILES AWAY.



Big things I can handle.  I can deal.  I have a gameplan.  This piddly little shit?  I could murder someone today.

*FFO = Friday Fuck Off.  Here.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:02 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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The Grand Poobah of Harry Potter Goodness, aka SarahK (finish the darned review already!) has a quick and dirty quiz to help you choose a house at Hogwarts without benefit of the Sorting Hat.

My answers in the extended. more...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:56 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 I was sorted into Ravenclaw AGES ago on the "official HP website. I'm okay with that... ;-) 'Course you know I am going to go take the quiz. Ha!

Posted by: Richmond at August 09, 2007 06:05 PM (XkZ30)

2 I scored as Griffindor - imagine!

Posted by: Richmond at August 09, 2007 06:11 PM (XkZ30)

3 I also have a house to finish, so I am not allowed to do much per day. I have a boss.

Posted by: sarahk at August 09, 2007 07:09 PM (QLpkT)

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It's official.  The Democrats have decided that Fred Thompson will be the Republican candidate in 2008.  How do I know this, you ask?  Well, lets see:

1.  First they gossiped that Mrs. Thompson was nothing more than a trophy wife, and tried to insinuate that she was the reason his first marriage broke up... except that she's brilliant and professional and Fred didn't meet her until more than a decade after his divorce, and after several serious relationships after the marriage.  (many links here for more info)

2. They tried to paint Fred as a flip-flopper on abortion.  Nice trick there, but it didn't work that well, did it?

3.  Now they're trying to link him to the KKK?  Hey Henry Reynolds, I know you live here in LA la land, but there IS a difference between reality and TV.

So I ask the Democrats: You've got like 9 people running on your side of the aisle.  Are you trying to say that NONE of them measures up to Fred where it counts? (that would be on the record, dirtbags)  Or just that your scared spitless because you didn't see him coming?

Funny how Fred didn't matter to you until he showed you he was a master of YOUR milieu as well as his own.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 11:28 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I think we'll be getting one of these for the Princess!

h/t Ken S

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:58 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Here we go again.... My answers in the extended. Play along in the comments!

1. Voices ::
2. Have to ::
3. Machine ::
4. Seventh grade ::
5. Beach ::
6. Roommate ::
7. Cyclone ::
8. Theater ::
9. Pregnant ::
10. Phoebe ::
more...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:48 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 1. Voices :: carry 2. Have to :: pee 3. Machine :: grade 4. Seventh grade :: math 5. Beach :: ball 6. Roommate :: best friend 7. Cyclone :: tornado 8. Theater :: ticket 9. Pregnant :: helen 10. Phoebe :: chandler, ross, monica.... etc...

Posted by: pam at August 08, 2007 03:26 PM (l6NIn)

2 1. Voices :: in my head 2. Have to :: want to 3. Machine :: bolt 4. Seventh grade :: sucks 5. Beach :: head 6. Roommate :: beautiful 7. Cyclone :: tornado 8. Theater :: actor 9. Pregnant :: baby 10. Phoebe :: Smelly Cat

Posted by: GMT at August 08, 2007 03:31 PM (qPLLC)

3 1. Voices :: In my head 2. Have to :: go now 3. Machine :: Logic 4. Seventh grade :: Math 5. Beach :: Boys 6. Roommate :: Utilities 7. Cyclone :: Ranger 8. Theater :: Goer 9. Pregnant :: Pause 10. Phoebe :: Cates

Posted by: Jay at August 08, 2007 06:08 PM (Z7+lJ)

4 1. Voices :: in the dark get shot at 2. Have to ::buy some more ammo because of the voices in the dark 3. Machine ::grade shotgun 4. Seventh grade ::got laid 5. Beach ::got laid 6. Roommate ::got laid a lot 7. Cyclone : hilippine Islands 8. Theater ::drive in got laid 9. Pregnant ::blame the gardener I shoot blanks 10. Phoebe ::was that her name?

Posted by: GUYK at August 09, 2007 05:29 AM (uyoGg)

5 1. Voices :: raised 2. Have to :: pee 3. Machine :: gun 4. Seventh grade :: sucks 5. Beach :: ball 6. Roommate :: hell 7. Cyclone :: hurricane 8. Theater :: of the arts 9. Pregnant :: dismay 10. Phoebe :: cates

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at August 09, 2007 07:09 AM (+MvHD)

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Ok, it's over. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.... at least we will after we rehash #756 over and over and over and over again.  Maybe tomorrow sometime......

Oh, and Barry, keep it in mind, cheaters never prosper. You may not have been convicted in a court of law, but NO ONE's head grows THREE sizes over the course of your major league career. Your skull bones fuse sometime in childhood.

Proud to be a member of the Dodger Stadium "Barr-roids" Crew

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:36 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Oh yeah!

On the Common Sense Quiz:

Am-I-Dumb.com - Are you dumb?

On the Sports Quiz:

Am-I-Dumb.com - Are you dumb?

h/t Chickie..... who is smarter than 92.8% of you.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 06:26 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Or, I have a lot to say and not much time....

-- So we did a LOT of home improvement type stuff this weekend. Here's a partial list: New bathroom sink, new bathroom light fixture, new TP holder attached to sink cabinet, old TP holder and towel bar removed, wall heater removed, installed two new light fixtures, repaired the old ceiling fan in our den (it still squeaks, but we're no longer afraid it will detach itself from the ceiling and careen around the room) replaced the dimmer switch in dining room, and prepped our ceiling for the ceiling fan we bought. Today, hubby did the exterior paint touch up work left from the termite repair work and cleaned out and re-seated the rain gutters. Next up: shelves in the linen closet, two ceiling fans, a chandelier in the dining room, and paint touch-ups. I'll get some pictures up soon. Now that 90% of the crap is put away, it's easier to do these silly little things that take so long and make you so frustrated....

-- Thursday night we went to the Dodgers/Giants game. The Dodgers' staff are super nice and helpful when you have obnoxious idiots in your section. Everyone in our section thinks they asked us to leave for asking them to remove people, but guess what? This "fat fucking bitch" (yes, that's what she called me) got better seats in another section for the rest of the game thanks to you being an asshole. Oh, and Barry still sucks.

--We're WAAAAY behind on TV. I've got about 12 hours of catch up from this week's TV (we just got through The Closer from Monday, and we watch that religiously! Usually we see it on Monday or Tuesday at the latest)... Mom and Dad were here Wednesday to Sunday (we took them to the game, and Dad helped with the various bathroom projects), and that also cut into TV time.

--We've been having a visitor of another sort as well. Guest blogger/ frequent commenter/ buddy ZTZCheese and her hubby are on vacation, and their bearded dragon has been living on our patio, eating his worms and soaking up the sunshine. Pictures soon if I get the ok from his humans.

-- I missed a bunch of people's birthdays this last week. Sorry guys. I was a little out of it. Much love to all of you. You know who you are.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 05:00 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
Post contains 410 words, total size 2 kb.

1 goodness. good for you being so productive. as for that pathetic excuse for a human at the game: she'll get hers. I would have been ejected for punching her.

Posted by: wRitErsbLock at August 06, 2007 06:16 PM (0Pi1o)

2 What is it with people doing such crap jobs putting in ceiling fans? Our last house had several that were like yours (ready to take a spin around the room). My husband had to take half the ceiling down in one room to get the new one in correctly! Anyhow, isn't it wonderful to get stuff done. Now you don't have to worry about it. *grin*

Posted by: Teresa at August 06, 2007 06:30 PM (gsbs5)

3 Oh, and Barry still sucks *sigh* I love you.

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at August 06, 2007 06:38 PM (Yh9SA)

4 Totally funny, largely-unrelated note: Several years ago, my daughter came up with the epithet "Big Butt" for the One Who Shall Not Be Named Despite His Preparation to Break the Great Hank Aaron's Record. In the recent series between the sainted Dodgers and the Foul Satan-worshipping HellSpawn, some kind of reference was made to the (no doubt steroid-enhanced) tookus of said "Big Butt". The wife and I got a big kick out of that. Oh, and we also got a kick out of how the F S-W HS announcers (who actually happen to be pretty good) mentioned that the Dodger's left field bleachers section does the best rendition of the "Barry Sucks" song.

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at August 06, 2007 06:50 PM (Yh9SA)

5 Hmm. One last comment before I move on and let you get back to the home repair stuff. The same daughter who came up with that thoroughly appropriate epithet for that Foul Beast, also wrote a baseball song some years ago. I can't remember all the lyrics exactly, but here's a partial to the best of my recollection: Giants suck They suck suck suck They suck and they suck and they really suck They suck all day and they suck all night That's all I remember at the moment. This is the same daughter (and I SWEAR this is a true story) delighted her grandma as follows: When she was about a year and a half old, my mom came to visit and we went to a Dodger game at Candlestink park (this was in 1986). Got some cool pics and the Dodgers won. Anyway, after the game we got home and my mom decided to teach DNO some cool phrases. She said "Can you say 'Go Dodgers'?" DNO said "Go Dodgers!" The my mom, planning to teach her some less-than-civil phrases, said, "Can you say 'Giants'?", and DNT let out with a really GREAT raspberry. "Pthththththth!" Man I wish I'd had a tape recorder.

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at August 06, 2007 07:05 PM (Yh9SA)

6 Oh, one more: someday I'll tell you the story of putting up a ceiling fan in our house in Santa Cruz. It's a wonder I'm still alive.

Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at August 06, 2007 07:07 PM (Yh9SA)

7 When you said a LOT of home improvement, you meant a LOT! Makes me wish I weren't so lazy... ROFL!

Posted by: pam at August 07, 2007 04:53 AM (l6NIn)

8 I think after all your hard work, you deserve a vacation. Maybe somewhere South-East. I know, you can come to South Florida!! You can stay at our house. That reminds me, I have a few home improvement things that need to get done. I'm looking for volunteers. ;-) Love ya!

Posted by: Amanda at August 07, 2007 06:03 AM (ay+rD)

9 Fine by me. He's a handsome lizard Try to get his sexy side!

Posted by: ZTZCheese at August 07, 2007 01:10 PM (Rpjgo)

10 Me? I'm sick as a dog. But damn, you DO kick some ass, girliefriend. Yay! on you for the home improvement-y stuff and yay! on Dodger staff for removing you from that horrible woman. And I don't watch sports but that man has an unusually large - everything - but his head worries me. That ain't natural. I'll try to be patient about the pictures. Heh.

Posted by: Margi at August 07, 2007 11:25 PM (DwLKz)

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I spent the weekend on home improvement. Pictures soon.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:08 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 Awesome! Cannot wait!

Posted by: Richmond at August 06, 2007 04:01 PM (gZB7C)

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Yep. Preach it, Senator:

Our Founders placed respect for private property as a key principle when writing our nation's Constitution, and the protection of private property resulted in the United States becoming the greatest economic power in the world and a beacon of freedom to all. This principle is even more important today, as homeownership has become an increasingly integral part of our citizens' aspirations for a better future for themselves and their loved ones. If the Supreme Court will not protect our right to ownership, then political leaders must step up to the challenge.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:58 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Dear Caltech Gal, would love to have you on board! I'd like to invite you to support Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's candidacy for Vice-President on the Republican Ticket. Sarah is an absolutely remarkable elected official, the nation's most popular state official. I urge you to read Fred's laudatory piece about Sarah in The Weekly Standard, available by clicking on the following link: The Most Popular Governor He says the following: "The wipeout in the 2006 election left Republicans in such a state of dejection that they've overlooked the one shining victory in which a Republican star was born. The triumph came in Alaska where Sarah Palin, a politician of eye-popping integrity, was elected governor. She is now the most popular governor in America, with an approval rating in the 90s, and probably the most popular public official in any state. Her rise is a great (and rare) story of how adherence to principle-especially to transparency and accountability in government-can produce political success. And by the way, Palin is a conservative who only last month vetoed 13 percent of the state's proposed budget for capital projects. The cuts, the Anchorage Daily News said, "may be the biggest single-year line-item veto total in state history." Here's what I recently wrote about Sarah on my blog: Campaign2008VictoryA (reachable at http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com/ "If the Democrats had a Sarah Palin -- which they don't -- she'd be up on stage battling it out with Hillary, Barack, and John. When the Democrats have someone who's highly electable, they put him or her out there in front of the nation -- as they did at the convention with Obama. We Republicans have a lot to learn when it comes to highlighting candidates like Sarah (and Michael Steele and J. C. Watts)." The mother of four, Sarah is ardently pro-life. Frankly, if we Republicans are to win in 2008, we have to present candidates -- plural -- who are appealing, dynamic, and diverse. Right now, we're way behind in fundraising and marginally behind in national polls. We won't overcome these deficits by pursuing "business as usual." We need to put our very best people forward. If you want to learn more about Sarah -- or, to join the number of bloggers and others who support her candidacy for V-P-- please let me know either by e-mail (TalkTop65@aol.com) or by leaving a comment on my site. Today at that site I've had many visitors from the U.S., but also people from the UK, Denmark, the French Alps, Italy, and Turkey. I guess our movement is becoming worldwide. Thanks for your interest! Stephen R. Maloney Ambridge, PA National Coordinator, Palin for V-P P.S. You can learn more about Sarah by visiting my site and, if you wish, by clicking on any of the many links to articles and supporters at Campaign2008VictoryA In addition to the Barnes piece, other recent articles about Sarah by important conservatives include Dimitri Vassilaros' Palin is GOP's beacon - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Tom Koenniger's piece at: http://palintology.com/.

Posted by: Stephen Maloney at July 31, 2007 04:02 PM (7MeZM)

2 Run, Fred, Run!

Posted by: pam at July 31, 2007 04:17 PM (l6NIn)

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Here we go again.....

1. Traditional ::
2. Popeye ::
3. Gin ::
4. Harsh ::
5. Topless ::
6. The thing ::
7. Defiant ::
8. Huge ::
9. Food ::
10. Lenny ::

You know the rules. My answers in the extended post..... more...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:16 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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I cried like a baby this morning, y'all. Seriously. Helen writes:

There's a song I heard by chance when this IVF round started. I heard it and I listened to it constantly, as it's a sweet, calming, pure song that goes in one ear and right out the top of your toe, massaging every nerve in comfort on its way out. I listened to this song through the shots, the surgeries, the positives, the scans, the scares. This song has been with the Lemonheads since before their existence. I got the headphones and placed one beside one baby, one beside the other.

I hit play.

I heard the song myself as I watched the slide move, indicating the song was playing.

I waited.

And waited.

Then I felt it - a flutter from the left. A kick from the right. Mama, we're sleepy.

I smiled as the song ended, then plugged the iPod into my own ears and fell back asleep listening to the song.

All this is a long winded way of saying that Helen is home from the hospital, and feeling a bit better after a hell of a scare, although she and the Lemonheads will be closely watched for the next 10-12 weeks (hopefully!)

Do drop by and give her your love, as she is worn out, sore, and scared, and I'm pretty sure your well wishes are more than welcome right now.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:24 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Bless your heart. I do know how that feels, tho. I cry when I read a LOT of her posts. And you're NOT a jinx. See? xoxo

Posted by: Margi at July 30, 2007 02:39 PM (Y7BFR)

2 I couldn't even leave a comment over there this morning after I read her post; I was SO messed up. My heart nearly stopped when I thought the Lemonheads might be in danger, then I cried my eyes out at approximately the same passage you cited. I was spent. Thank God she and the babies made it through! And I agree; the internet IS a funny thing!

Posted by: pam at July 30, 2007 05:27 PM (l6NIn)

3 You don't have to ask me. I stop by almost every day, and have for, umm, the last 4-5 years. I'm glad that she's doing better, albeit in a kidney suffering kind of way. Watching her countdown reminds exactly of my wife's pregnancy. Each week that passed marked another milestone on the way to healthy, surviving baby. Passing the 90% mark did a lot to calm me down.

Posted by: physics geek at August 06, 2007 01:00 PM (MT22W)

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If you could only watch 10 currently in production TV shows, which would they be?

In no particular order:

House
Psych
The Dresden Files
Ugly Betty
Deadliest Catch
The First 48
Burn Notice
The Closer
Around the Horn
Pardon the Interruption

Stolen from Ith's LJ.

What about you?

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:20 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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As many of you know, from my occasional posts about the subject, my dear friend Helen is 26 weeks pregnant with twins after a series of failed bouts of IVF.

Last night brought word that our girl was in the hospital, with hydronephrosis and a terrible kidney infection.  She's being treated for the infection and the twins (her Lemonheads) are being monitored for any signs that they want to jump ship early.

So far so good, as there's no sign yet of early labor and the antibiotics seem to be helping the infection.  However, the doctors don't know whether or how they'll treat the hydronephrosis.

Which is all a long way of saying that our girl needs love and good wishes and prayers, which I am sure she and Angus can feel and do appreciate, even in the UK.

Please drop by and give her some love and encouragement.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 09:58 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Courtesy of Nightfly, of course.

Below the fold for the 3 of you who haven't read the book more...

Posted by: caltechgirl at 12:06 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 I haven't, and I don't plan to. Does that make me odd?

Posted by: Amanda at July 26, 2007 12:44 PM (ay+rD)

2 I haven't because my hubby bought me the book for my birthday... I'll just wait and hope most everyone is as nice as you and warn about spoilers.

Posted by: vw bug at July 26, 2007 01:17 PM (FPOeI)

3 Still on book ONE in the never ending quest to drive myself insane. Thanks for the warning.

Posted by: pam at July 27, 2007 06:24 AM (l6NIn)

4 CTG - thanks for the kind words! I can reassure your readers that I've used Spoiler Vision™, so you can safely read the reviews and not see anything unless you highlight the big blank spaces. It's like a giant Yes or No book!

Posted by: nightfly at July 27, 2007 10:22 AM (PuuC1)

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You're the California Institute of Technology!

You are seen by many as a constantly rising star, but with the amount of work on your plate, you're afraid of becoming a shooting star as well. Sometimes you take your bottled-up aggression out on pumpkins, or those younger than you, or even just bottle it up in rockets. Though you aren't much for the opera, Wagner can wake you up in any situation. While many people view you as a Martian, you might be responsible for putting a human on Mars some day.

Take the University Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

These quizzes rawk! Damn short, too.

Posted by: caltechgirl at 03:34 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 107 words, total size 1 kb.

1 I'm the University of Notre Dame!

Posted by: pam at July 25, 2007 06:39 PM (l6NIn)

2 Awesome!!

Posted by: Richmond at July 26, 2007 07:26 AM (EOSWu)

3 Couldn't find my way to Uncle Charlie's Summer Camp, no questions about magic mushrooms or frisbee golf - but I did come up as Davidson College, which is very interesting because on my father's mom's side the ancestral trail goes straight back to Gen. William Lee Davidson after whom the college was named...

Posted by: DirtCrashr at July 26, 2007 03:57 PM (VNM5w)

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