Good Bye Old Friend

It was early summer in Clarksville and I had just started working at the hospital.  My friend had returned from overseas and had huge chunks of free time, and I did too with my crazy hospital schedule.  So after we had lunch at our favorite (actually only) burrito joint and not wanting to go home yet the idea of going to look at the dark red Mini Cooper that had just turned up on the VW lot sounds like a great idea.  The dealer let us drive it off the lot without him, and just a mile or so down the road in a grade school parking lot I learned how to drive a stick.  I was in love.  Within the week I would become the proud owner of a slightly used 2003 mini cooper.  I had to learn to drive a stick, but it was worth it.  A co-worker named him DB after the famous if failed hijacker.  DB was my buddy through 2.5 deployments, 4 jobs, 4 houses, 10 states, 1 transmission, 85,000 miles, at least 3 snow storms, 3 army bases, and a lot of fun.  I'll miss that little guy. Besides me 2 other people have learned the art of the stick shift on his gears, and hopefully he'll find his way into someone's life soon.  He started to have too many problems and so it was time to say goodbye.  When I stood and thought about it, my first car a 1991 civic was only really about 8 years old when I started driving it and now at 30 with a good job I was driving at nearly 10 year old car.  In all truth I was trying to hold out for DB's 10th birthday, which would have been this March.  Oh well.  I can still celebrate Sheldon's 2nd Birthday on March 16th! I might have left DB on the lot, but came home with Sheldon, a 2011 Cooper S.  He's a huge step up from the bare bones DB.  Heated seats, 6 speeds, and a super sporty "S" with a hood scoop.  He still sports a huge sunroof and a stick shift, but he has an even more rockin' sound system and most importantly a gigantic warranty!! So as sad is it to loose DB, I think I'll be very happy with my new friend Sheldon whom I hope is more a little more social than his name sake. 

FAIL!

I totally failed at the 30 Days of Lists.  I got way behind and then just gave up.  Because of my art class (which is totally awesome) my free time has been split between drawing and knitting.  The two most important things out side of my Hub and my science, in my life.  When I'm not working, crossfitting, or cooking my "free" time is limited to about 2 hours a night.  Which normally includes a walk (so I can watch my Netflix on the treadmill) and then my art class homework.  For a brief time I was hell bent on becoming an artist.  A graphic designer to be exact.  These days I can't imagine not being a scientist, but creating things is still a HUGE part of my life, and while I was always good I was never great. Honestly I'm shocked with what I'm creating, with my skills that I kinda didn't know I had.  Maybe its my teacher or the subject matter.  Maybe its because its not a class that I'm required to take or because she teaches in a different style.  Whatever it is Susan is getting me to do work I never thought I could.

Lists

So this is the 9th of September are here are last few lists.

 

 

 

 

If you know me, you know I'm extremely negative.  I've got to be more positive or at the least, more neutral. 

I don't eat late, it has been burned into me by years and years of being a fat ass.  Also I don't like going to bed feeling too full.

I forgot I had watercolors, and that I love to paint.  So I had fun.

Sunday is my favorite lazy day.  My mom and I went to the Puyallup Fair (I didn't take any good pictures)

Trust me, when these things get thrown off, its not pretty.  A non-crossfitted Claire is a grumpy Claire. 

A little happy

There have been a lot of nasty, sad, angry stories out there about big fat jerks doing big fat jerky things.  Lots of yelling because a girl reading a book on the bus doesn't want to talk to them or just people being plain ASSHOLES! 

Lets share some happy stories! Like the nice people I sometimes meet at the store or little kids who smile at you from two places up in line.  Just something so that we know that the world is good. 

30 Days of Lists

So awhile back I signed up for 30 Days of List, with the intent of it helping blog more and be a better crafty-pants person.  Well in all the excitement leading up to this weekend, I plum forgot to start my listing.  So today while I watched Batman Begins with Hub (it just kinda played in the background while tons of laundry was done, naps where taken and much lounging about was had) I caught up on my lists and got in some blogging.  So here are the first 4 days of the 30 Days of list....

 

 

Some Knitting

I do knit (this started out as a knitting blog) as well as other craft things.  Summer time isn't always the best time to knit, but it doesn't stop me.  As of late I've been working on a few things, nothing much...

The Lazy Girl Shawl

New York Cardigan

Lace Detail

When Science Gets Goofy

Sometimes the Science get a little crazy.  We get a little goofy around my parts, or at least I get a little silly.  It's how I survive.  Here's a little peak into my world at work. 

This is the 3rd one of these I've had.  They're made in France, so they get french names.  The last one, was Jean-Luc.  So this one naturally became Locutus!

Lovely Salmonella

That's the "evil eye" keeping an eye on the machine.

This damn piece of crap, doesn't work right.  It gets an "evil eye" too!

That's my office door, and yes that's a picture of Data. 

Seymour, the PCR cart!

No really, Salmonella!!!

My dear friend Jessie got these for me!!! Aren't they great!!

SCIENCE!!!!!!

Back on The Wagon

The food wagon that is, UGH! When Hub was home for his surprise visit we ate like crap.  In his world the food is SO SO BAD, so in 2 weeks we crammed in all the yum that we possibly could.  This included and was not limited to, donuts, brownies, pizza, beer, a Dicks cheese burger (with fries and strawberry shake) and a trip to Tacoma's own Frisko-Freeze! I tried to do better when he left.  In fact for a week my body wouldn't actually allow me to eat anything it deemed to be "bad".  There was a lot of soup. 
Things took a precipitous decline when I spent the next month with the science delinquents (I'm not saying that any of us are delinquent in our science, we're just delinquents who do science).  Two people who have no issues with their bodies "HOARDING ALL THE CALORIES".  So I might have eaten a lot of crap I shouldn't have.  That might have also included more weeknight drinking than I've done since college (Pub quiz night people!) Also it might have involved a lot of coffee, a lot of coffee. Oh yeah I almost forgot, and pizza which could steal your soul. 

You don't even want to know whats on that pizza

If you're gonna watch "Evil Dead" you have to have a Pizzanamicon with it, or as I like to call it the "Om-nom-nom-icon"

So as of yesterday, I'm back on the wagon, the only wagon that I know Weight Watchers.  I know this isn't Paleo, but the more time I spend reading some blogs the more I understand that people with Thyroid issues should not fall face first into the paleo zone.  Granted I won't eat wheat, nor will I eat corn (maybe a few chips) but I'm bringing some rice back into my diet.  I'm going to work hard at it, no matter how stupid I feel for as long as my initial buy in lasts.  If I have results in that time frame, I will continue.  The end of November is a fancy dress event for me so I've got something to work towards. 
Updates will be forthcoming. 

Summer, you @%$&#

I'm not a summer person.  I like pants, boots, sweaters and hats.  I really like boots.  When we living in the south, summer was that time of year that I packed a sweater in my purse to protect myself the onslaught of AC which threatened to freeze my fingers and make me shiver through movies.  The great northwest isn't AC country.  Rarely does anyone have it, including my apartment in Moscow, ID.  The Palouse actually cools down nicely at night.  Currently the pacific NW is experiencing our "summer".  But for us, its very easy.  Today it hit 93 degrees.  Personally, the AC in my car went out about 2 years ago and I've never had it fixed, my lab areas aren't AC'd because the air needs to not move when you're working with bacteria, and my house is 90+ years old.  Tonight might be a night that I sleep in the basement, the cool of the basement.
While I washed up the dishes that have been accumulating since monday (eeewie!) I came to the conclusion that cooking/eating the pork chops I had set out for dinner sounded very unappealing.  Thus I scrambled for something to make instead!

Claire's "Its too F'ing hot to cook dinner" Tuna Salad

psst, that's actually a picture of Chicken Salad made the same way, try it!

• Two cans tuna (you're gonna want leftovers its better the next day)
• Mayo (make your own, its worth it)
• Grapes
• Walnuts (or any other kind of nut you'd like)
• Apple
• Celery
• Red onion
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder

Chop up the grapes, walnuts, apples, and celery in equal portions. Then finely chop the red onion, to taste.  Mix in the tuna, and then plop in some mayo.  Mix and salt and pepper to taste.  A little garlic powder and paprika add a little extra. Serve over lettuce.

Slow Food

I'm a huge foodie.  I blame a lot of factors for that that, but its mostly why I crossfit, so I can eat.  Also, I have awesome Crossfit friends, so when one of favorite folks (Jess) wanted to do some special for her non-landmark birthday, we all drove to Seattle to visit The Corson Building! Now in my foodie journey, I've had some crazy meals.  The 16 course, 3 Michelin's starred, can't consume another bite meal.  The perfectly executed, bright, yet refined meal served in an old house.  Or the "this place looks good", turns out to be awesome tasting menu that's totally cool that our guest are wearing jeans.  But this was a whole new event for me.  I was trilled with the easy food, the comfortable surroundings and the happy people.  There was just enough quirk at know that they didn't take themselves too seriously. Bottom line, it was awesome!!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm Firing The Blog Back UP! And other things I did this weekend!

Sooooo, I kind of let this thing die.  It wasn't a great idea.  I've missed it and being creative.  During deployments I tend to shut down.  The creative part of me in channeled into simply staying afloat.  Being able to get up, go work, listen to all those voices talk at me, come home, eat, go to bed.  Repeat.  In order to remain a semi-functional person while part of my brain reals from the constant stress, I have to give up something.  That something is art.  I still knit, just slowly.  I still sew, with little passion, and I still draw, but its haphazard.  This deployment has been extra taxing, and coupled with my job (which I love and wouldn't give up for anything) I have had to use all my reserves.  Normally I am filled with huge plans for the year, the year I give up, but then they all putter out.  So its back to the Blog-lands for me.  I've gotta get a move on with it.  And here we go......

MUD RUN!! A while back my co-crossfitters somehow convinced me to sign up for The Dirty Dash.  When I say a while back I mean like February.  Well the weekend came, and we went.  Jessie, Jenn, me, Jenn's buddy Joe, all took to the mud on our team.  Super Hero's In Training (S.H.I.T)!  Thankfully my trusty summer intern came along for the ride and was able to snap some pictures of us, and hold the keys. 

Some other Super Hero's we ran into.

Still Clean!

There goes Joe, with his Birthday Crown and Cape!

I went to the Mountains

Some of my friends planned to go up to the mountains one weekend.  I said sure.  Then some seriously bad stuff happened.  I didn't know what to do, stay home, go hide in a box.  Instead they packed me up, filled me full of coffee and took me to the mountains.  It was good move.  For a long, soggy day I forgot my troubles and had some good laughs, insightful discussion and saw some really cool shit. 

That's the opening to the CAVE!

We all survived, major injure free.  I did have some great bruises.