Friday, January 13, 2017

Dreams

Recently, my brother was at my house and we were having a conversation about the 'deep web.'  I first heard about the deep web on a Portlandia skit where Fred, Carrie, and the Mayor arrange to buy fireworks on the deep web.  My brother is a computer guy and we were talking about whether it is an actual thing (it is).  Well this conversation must have resonated with me because I had the craziest dream last night

I dreamed that I was perusing the deep web.  My brother, knowing that I was on the deep web, asked me to do him a favor. He had a pet snail and he wanted to buy some lingerie for the his snail.  The lingerie he requested was something you could buy at Kohl's - just some purple silk pajamas (like the ones below).

It wasn't that the pajamas were clandestine or anything, my brother was just embarrassed that he was buying pajamas for his pet snail.  Seriously how do snails wear clothing anyway? My brother didn't want anyone to know he ordered the snail pajamas. So being the nice sister I am, I went on the deep web and searched for some purple silk pajamas for snails.  This is where the dream got really vivid and funny.  In my dream, I was shocked at some of the pictures of snails in purple pajamas. I can't find anything to show what I saw in the dream, except snails became cartoon characters wearing pajamas - and weirdest of all snails had legs, and were tall.

Anyway, I searched what it means to have snails in your dreams.  According to this website  , it means that I am peaceful right now.  I may be peaceful because I am dreaming about snails, but what does a snail in pajamas mean?

Friday, January 6, 2017

Boring charts and free work

Today, I am getting ready for  a meeting with a new post doc.  A new post doc (Natalie) is joining the lab that I worked in, both as a cartographer and as a research assistant, for the past 3.5 years.  She is taking over my Chapter 2 thesis research (which I never ended up completing).  Although, I am not getting paid by the lab anymore, my advisor (who still needs to sign off on my thesis) wants me to debrief her on my project.  Since I never got very far on the project, it is a bit difficult.  However, I can show her some boring graphs and such.  Such as this one below:


What does that graph even mean!  Seriously -- I bet in 3 months I won't be able to tell anybody what it means either and I feel bad for Natalie having to look at it.  However,  she needs to see that the NREI changes depending on the depth within the water column.  I am also going to make a map that illustrates the same concept for her.  I am sure the map will make more sense, but just in case she is a graph person, I am going to show her this really boring graph (and poorly made at that) too.

Besides getting ready for an unpaid meeting, I have spent the last couple of days applying for jobs.  Two days ago, out of the blue, I got a phone call from a potential employer.  He is putting together a proposal for a contract and interviewed me right over the phone.  He also called me back and negotiated a salary with me.  If he gets the job, I might get the job too.  This job is for a contract cartographer with the federal government. I think it would be a good job, and would allow me to use both my GIS and design skills, plus still keep me creative. I am particularly happy that the job is more design based, and less GIS.  I will work a GIS job because I am very good at it, however, it would not be my first choice.

That's all for now.  I know this is kind of an abrupt ending, but I really just am using this blog to document my daily thoughts, so no ending here....

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

My dog


Scrappy (otherwise known as Sir Pappington the 3rd)


Scrappy is a maltese-yorkie-poodle-?.  A friend of my husband's family was trying to sell the puppies as the designer-type Morkie for $800.  My husband, who has a lot more courage than me, wanted to get me a puppy, but wasn't willing to spend that kind of money on a dog.  He called the person and told her that he would pay $50 for a puppy.  She kindly declined and many weeks went by.  We had totally forgotten about a puppy.

After about 2 or 3 weeks, the lady had gotten rid of all of the puppies, except for the last one (Scrappy), which she thought she was keeping for herself. Well, she must of gotten tired of cleaning up after puppies because the night before my 35th birthday, she called my husband and sold him the puppy for $50!  My husband came home from work on a normal friday night, but it wasn't normal at all.  He was holding Scrappy!  A 3 lb. little tiny  bundle - he was so small, he looked like a baby squirrel. 

We tossed around quite a few names for him: Flea, Biggie Smalls, Copper (Kevin's mom has his sister and she is named Penny), but ultimately, we decided he was a scrappy little thing.