#24 - kick start to spring break

whoa, long time since my last post, and TONS happened since as well... it's hard to write everything in a little blog like this (and convey the same kind of excitement that the news brought in real life), so i'll just list everything that's happened, and you can let your excitement build within you... ha.

1. last thursday and friday i went to my annual work convention at ala moana. i don't care too much for going to these things (well, just because our state convention is pretty dinky and generic), but i do like to listen to speakers who have absolutely NOTHING to do with my job. haha, okay so speech path is a very broad field, and although i work with the kiddies, my original interest in the field was adult neurogenics (like post-stroke, tbi, dementia, cancer patients, etc.). unfortunately, the demands on working life (and, consequently, non-working life) for the medical/private practice field are completely beyond my aspirations... therefore, i have compromised by getting a job where working life and non-working life are very nicely balanced. not that kids aren't interesting (because for the most part they act like either tbi or dementia patients anyway), but academically and intellectually, i LOVE neuroscience. so everytime i see my old professor at these things she asks, "when are you gonna get your ph.d. already?" and i've gotta say something like, "i'm still too close outta school, gotta decompress a bit." but really, i have absolutely no desire or ambition to get a ph.d. although studying neuroscience would kinda rock... i have no ambition for research, or writing a thesis, or anything. so i'm content to just spark up that intellectual interest whenever a neuro-kid comes along, or whenever i get to listen to a speaker like this at a convention.

so our speaker was pretty cool, he had a neat indian accent, and it was all neuroanatomy, physiology, and neuro-imaging (all of which i could listen to all day). not too practical for my working purposes... but it's all stuff i learned in grad school anyway so it's good to be able to exercise that part of my brain every year or so so that i don't forget all that great stuff. maybe one day i'll use it...

2. the BIGGEST news.... I GOT THE PLACE! i'm in total shock. those guys who reserved the townhouse unit in front of me (re: lottery post about a month ago) backed out so.... i'm moving out! it's pretty sweet, and moving very very fast... i meet with the mortgage officer, signed my sales contract, and i'm already having to look at upgrade options and kitchen cabinets and whatever. whew.. i'm glad that they won't be finished with construction until december though... because i'm not ready to move out yet, but give me another 9 months to get myself together and i'll be good to go. well, lots to think about right now, and i can't convey it all in writing, so i'll leave it at that... oh, by the way, it's unit #2704.

3. my relient k cd finally came in! woo hoo! i haven't finished listening to the whole thing yet, but i'm liking what i hear.

4. went surfing today at haleiwa, man it was frickin' freezing! but real clean, nice... and the weather was pretty good, a bit too windy, but bright clear sun and all. i'm loving this spring break thing.

ps - the pic up there is from zak noyle, it's called "waianae wall," i'm thinking that needs to go in my new place