Christmas break adventures

Finally sitting down with my coffee and computer in Caleys room in Burlington with a pretty little New England window looking out on to a pretty New England street. I honestly still can't believe we made that flight on Tuesday!! I shall briefly recap the trials and travails we went through to get there. The day began late Monday morning with us waking up to snow and deciding we better leave Durango early so as to make it to Colorado Springs or Pueblo and the airport the next day for our 4pm flight. We ended up leaving town around 1:30, took two hours to get to Pagosa Springs (usually a one hour trip) then sat at the base of Wolf Creek for 3 hours waiting for it to open up, which it never did. We then decided to try going through Chama and Cumbres Pass to Alamosa and up to I-25 from there. Got to Chama about 2 hours later after a horrendous 42 miles in blizzard and slippery roads, tried to head up Cumbres buy got stopped as they were folding down the closed sign due to an avalanche. Had to head back down to Chama, but the wind was so bad we were reduced to going about 10 miles and hour, and stopping every so often do to visibility and also the wipers were freezing up on the windshield. I honestly thought we might be lost in a snow bank. Finally got back to Chama and after trying a few motels, found a room with heat and no bugs or smoke. The next morning we tried making it back to Pagosa but had to turn around due to the extreme possibility of gettng bogged down in the 6-7 inches of snow on the road. Finally we decided to go down through Santa Fe, NM (about 100 miles south of where we were) and then driving up on I-25 through NM. After some snow in Santa Fe and I-25 madness all the way to Las Vegas, we made good time on the flats and go to the airport in time to make the 7pm version of our original flight.
Whew, I'm exhausted just writing about all of it!
The stay with the Botte's was amazing. So much family and good food and beautiful houses and Christmas cheer:)
I'll post a bunch of pics at the end of this entry for some visuals. Lots from my house and some from the Botte Christmas.
Anyway, I'm so happy to finally be in Vermont, and hopefully we'll get to go skiing if the boys ever get off the new wii.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!!
-Megan

Christmas break=week long cold, then fun!!

It's inevitable, the cold following finals stress. Oh well, I'm sure it will be done soon. Caley and Caitlin and I made our way to Durango yesterday, stopping in Silverthorne for some Sunshine Cafe and some outlet shopping. We got a later start than we though, noon instead of 7am, and averaged about 35mph over Wolf Creek, but made it home by around 9:20pm anyway! Durango has a beautiful cover of snow and a distinct Christmasy feeling:) I can't wait to go ski out at Vallecito (hopefully Cold will allow...) and Burger Night on Monday, and traditional Christmas Eve dinner tonight, and gift exchanging and all the wonderful Christmas things we always do.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!
-Megan

Imagination Procrastination

So, I think one might be able to tell my level of slacking by the number and frequency of blog posts. I'm sitting in the lovely Cafe Ardour, supposedly preparing for my Vector Biology final exam. I actually got an A on the lab practical portion, which is awesome! Not much I can do to change my grade either up or down at this point. I suppose I could drop it lower significantly, but not increase it all that much. I'm sure I'll end up with a B. Not bad considering I just don't care about the bugs! It's interesting, and the parasitology part was interesting as well, but I just can't be passionate about it like some of the kids in my class. There are two girls in my class (well, three actually) that are entomologists to begin with and Dr. Black loves them, I think he's disappointed that I don't ask more questions and engage in the material. I feel bad about that because he's essentially providing for me the next year and half, but at the same time, I tried to get away from the mosquitoes! I tried to get into another program here at CSU and if fell through, and now I'm suffering for my choice to just stay put where I've been the past four and a half years of my life. I'm trying to get my head around it and have a better attitude since my life situation is pretty sweet, but I end up feeling guilty that I haven't put my best effort into my work because I hate it so much, and end up unhappy about everything!
Oh well, Christmas break is almost here and I will be leaving without looking back. Hopefully to return refreshed and ready to buckle down and get this thing over with!

A fun Christmas Elf Dance for You!

Come one come all to the Megan and Caley disco dance floor!
I think it's only available until Jan. 15th, so look now while you still can, it's hilarious!

-Megan

Elf Movie!

I'm a nerd

Watching The Chronicles of Narnia on t.v. and now inspired to read the books again, for what, the 20th time? :)

Also, have decided to go to the doctor on Monday. I don't really think I have mono, but just in case, better to know now I guess. It's 6:30pm and I think I could easily go to bed and fall asleep for the whole night.

Sweet Sebby is keeping me company on the couch. We both miss Caley who decided late last night to go to Cross Nats. It's a good thing I didn't go just because of finals and this damn fatigue, but still, hard not to feel left out. I can't believe it's already been a year since he went last! I have a lot of those "I can't believe it's been a year since" moments.

One paper and two exams left!

Sooooo Sleepy!

I think I'm going in to hibernation, a very early hibernation brought on by finals stress, no sleep, and a possible iron deficiency. I'll have to ask Caitlin about that supplement she takes and whether it actually helps at all. Oh, another reason for the hibernation is probably the exceedingly messy apartment. I think I'm trying to shut it all out and maybe the brownies will clean it up while I'm asleep.
Things to do this evening include, grocery shopping at SunFlower, dish washing and paper writing. I would like to finish that stupid paper now so I don't have to do it this weekend and can focus on studying for the exam instead. Bah, I just wish I had some energy!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

Not really, but it is dang freakin cold!! Caley and I met up with Brian and Tara and their Indian friend named, Profulla(sp??) at Avo's for 2 for 1 tempeh burgers. Delish! Now at home, trying to study for that lab final on Thursday. I think I'll be ok on everything except for the mites and perhaps the ticks. I should probably go stop by the open lab tomorrow, could be helpful, but could be not so helpful...we aren't being tested from the teaching collection of bugs, and most of the teaching collection are damaged in some way, so it makes it pretty hard sometimes. In any case, I'll be glad when this lab is over. I would like it a lot more if we actually got to go outside and look at bugs, it gets super old when they're all on slides under a microscope. Also will be glad when the lecture is over, I CAN'T STAND POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS!!! It was the latest and greatest thing like 5 years ago, and now it's all any teacher does, and they SUCK!!! I swear my body has been rewired to fall asleep during powerpoint presentations, no matter what time of day, or what the subject, guaranteed snooze fest for Megan.
In other news, Caley started to blog again, the link for his is.... http://pro1069.blogspot.com/ if you are interested:)
I am finding, the older you get, the more expensive Christmas becomes! Geez Louise! No wonder people get stressed out about the holidays, as a kid you are never aware of all the crazy hustle and bustle and pressure etc...all I want to do is ski and eat food and hang out, (and not spend money) there is now, however, more than one family to worry about getting gifts for! Oh well, it's still true that giving is better than receiving, just that much more giving I guess....:)
Anyway, better go be slightly productive!
-Megan

New Laser Pointer

IT'S SNOWING

And it is so so so pretty! Tiny little flakes of beautiful, Christmas-y, frosty, wonderfulness. I think I must wax the skis tonight or tomorrow and head up to Wyoming for some skiing this weekend.
I will try to take a picture or a video and show the amazing wonderfulness of winter finally coming to Colorado!!!
Love and Happiness and Wintertime feelings,
Megan

Books

Upon entering college five long years ago, I found myself in a strange situation, I could no longer enjoy and feel comfortable reading a book for fun. What a sad and terrible state it is. So, this Christmas break, I have decided, I shall read a book, and not just one book, like 10, or maybe even more, we shall see if I can find something to keep me interested. What you might ask is the catalyst of this crazy desire? An article in the CSMonitor that's what! :)

http://features.csmonitor.com/books/2008/12/02/best-novels-of-2008/

Click on that! I will use these books as a starting point, maybe jaunt on over to the NPR book list as well,

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96539642

I used to love reading, anyone who knew me back in middle or high school knows I was an intense sort of bookworm. I hope to regain that lovely past time and pursue it the rest of my life. No more of this college-homework-guilt-syndrome!

Maybe I'll even read the Twilight books....wouldn't that be a hoot:)

ciao,
Megan

Food Edition

Another lovely waffle breakfast at Uncle Kevins this morning. A few family friends were there as well which always makes for lively conversation. Speaking of food...I made the most delicious fish last night! We've been going through this old Food and Wine magazine, they have a little fold out with a bunch of easy summery, Italian-inspired dishes. Last night was cod (supposed to be halibut but that was $20 a lb at Whole Foods...) pan seared and then baked for a few minutes with a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, capers, fresh chopped oregano, and grape tomatoes. It was served over a bed of baby spinach and was absolutely amazing! If I do say so myself...I like these recipes also because they can usually be cooked using only one pan! This one required an extra pan because we don't have an oven safe skillet, but still, very neat and easy! I've decided balsamic vinegar is a great thing to go with fish especially if you don't want to use a lot of butter for flavor.
Now we're at Cafe Ardour, a cafe downtown that is known for its dedication to locally grown and organic foods and coffee. Very cool little place, slightly too respectable for the grungiest of the hipsters, so it still has a nice, not-too-annoying atmosphere. Anyway, I'm supposed to be working on homework, so I should go. I CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS BREAK!!! And I'm sad Thanksgiving is over:(
ciao,
Megan

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Hello Everyone! And Happy Thanksgiving! I am sitting in the new addition to Aunt Erins living room, I love the big windows here that let in the thin, cold, prairie sun in the morning. I'm listening to NPR on my laptop and waiting for all the sleeping boys to wake up and come play! There was a huge terrorist attack yesterday and today in Mumbai, the financial capitol of India. It's so weird to think of the places in the world who are, as I write, full of bloodshed and turmoil. The least of my own worries right now include where I should go look for a blanket because my toes are cold. How bizarre is that?! I guess we here in America really do have a lot to be thankful for. I only hope that more and more of our population will realize how lucky we really are.
Dinner last night consisted of delicious salad a la Aunt Erin, and delicious pizza a la some pizza shop downtown who's favorite ingredient is the green chile...SPICY!!! Plus Uncle Kevin brought some delicious Odells beer, Dad chipped in some Ska brews and we all had a lovely visit.
Grandma Helen is on the front page of the news paper this morning! Apparently she was helping out at a soup kitchen or something getting turkeys ready for today. So cute! She said the newspaper took a bunch of pictures, and I say, since she was obviously the cutest old lady, so they used her!:)
I miss you Caitlin!!!! And Mike is an older man who works in my lab....

Oh Mondays are so blah

Hello everyone! I am at work, I have been here since 9am this morning, I took a 45 minute break a little while ago, but let's just say it's been 8hrs and counting. Ah, the life of the graduate student. I missed out on the 65 degree beautiful sunshine we had today, I'll have to make an effort to take advantage of the predicted 71 degree day tomorrow! I'm planning on being here until the biking meeting at 8pm...the internet is my friend:)
Still waiting on the stats exam scores!!! It's been 11 days!!! Carsten promised they would be up by THE LATEST today. So, all day I've been sending and receiving emails and facebooks; everyone wants to make sure they're not the only one who didn't get a grade! In any case, they better be up tomorrow before class, or he will have a riot on his hands:)
I'm super excited about Caley moving in! We do have fun together, plus I've had my eye on his armchair for quite awhile....:)
I'm still looking forward to the snow, but honestly, I can't complain about 70 degree weather in November. As long as the roads are dry I guess we'll be biking. But, I'm getting the hankering to wax my skis, perhaps that would be enough to get ole Ullr to make it snow!
Adios!
-Meganita

A True CHAT girl

I'm Cold, Hungry, And Tired...to bad I'm not nordic skiing with all my other CHAT girls!
It's seriously hard to motivate for a bike ride (or anything really) on a cold Friday afternoon.
-Megan

Gmail has video chat!!!

Which is awesome:) Because now when I'm at work, Caley and I can video chat! Makes the late nights more fun. Dad, you should get video chat, and a webcam (really cheap at Walmart or somewhere) it's so much fun! Although, you might need a faster computer...or at least clean up the home computer so it will go faster than it does:)
Also, by the way...Caley is moving in!! Probably next month, or January depending on when he can find someone to sublet his current room! Whoo hoo! We had pretty much decided that he was going to move in next year after his lease was up at his current house, but he's been basically living at my apartment for most of this semester and just decided it didn't make sense to be out there anymore. So, our next big purchase is going to be one of those bike holder things that is a giant pole with hooks. I'm thinking we can probably find one that will hold 4 bikes..which only leaves one (the cannondale) that will have to be found an extra corner. The closet will have to become a lot more organized, and I definitely need some more shelving. Amazing how fast the salary goes every month. I try to give myself a good amount to put into savings...not sure if I'll be able to this month. But yeah, this is good, and will be a grand time, not like anything is actually changing, only no more free laundry really. :)
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE OVER THANKSGIVING!!!
-Megan

Testing out the video camera

A little hello...I think my voice sounds weird, do I always sound like this? I think it was because I didn't want anyone to walk in on me talking to myself during work :)
-Megan

Proud to be American

Finally, after eight years of hanging our heads, the American people can finally look the rest of the world in the eye and prove that we all aren't a bunch of war-mongering-hicks!!!! No offense meant to the intelligent Republicans out there (but even that's kind of an oxymoron...)
Our election party was a great success, lots of people, lots of food, and lots of cheering as the good news came pouring in! At one point the t.v. blanked out, during Obama's acceptance speech no less, and picture this, 20 college kids huddled around the radio to hear the rest of it. I was soooooooooo proud and thrilled at the level of involvement and concern my demographic has shown during the past year. I'm glad that we finally had some impact on the direction of this country, because it's true, we ARE the future!!
Here are some pics of the fun we had:)
-Megan

Is it really November??

I just went on another beautiful ride with shorts and a jersey, and was quite comfortable! I can't believe it's November!! The warm weather will certainly have repercussions; I'm sure to be in denial as soon as it starts to get cold. Although, I'm looking forward to skiing with much anticipation:)
Tomorrow is election day. Caley and I are having a party at my apartment...apparently we're making lasagna, although I'm a little intimidated, I've never made a lasagna, and I'm thinking it's kind of involved, at least takes some timing. We have the noodles, all that remains are fillings and cheese! I'm thinking a lot of people will show up...no one has really rsvp'd like we asked them to, but quite a few people said they were thinking about coming tonight at the meeting. Sitting room will be a problem, but I now have a nice rug, thanks M and D!:)
I'll fill you in on the festivities later...hopefully with joy and not with the news that I will be moving to Europe!
-Megan

One More Cat Video

Sorry, he's just so cute:)

Happy Halloween!

I have to admit, I'm not much of a Halloween person. As a kid I certainly got dressed up and marched around in freezing cold weather, often with snow gathering on my witches hat or expertly crafted dragon's head (thanks Mom, that was a great costume). But I definitely don't have the energy for this holiday that I used to, and that my sister and mom still have:) I think this year Caley and I will either stay at home and hand out candy (like last year) or head to see a movie or something. We've been too poor to go out for awhile, but I got paid today, yay!! It is fun to see people dressed up on campus though, I saw Rainbow Brite this morning, plus some elf dude, I'm sure a character in some fantasy book since I saw him going into Clark C (liberal arts land...)
Anyway, Happy Halloween, try not to get diabetes!
ciao,
Megan
What we did for Halloween below...

Sunday seems kind of like a dream. I've never seen a longer line in my entire life! I heard roughly 50,000 people showed up to the Oval to see Senator Obama, and 100,000 showed up in Denver that morning, Obama's largest crowd yet!!!! Wow, makes me proud to live in Colorado, we are SO going blue this year!!!! Speaking of which, I turned in my ballot yesterday, and it felt great!
Anyway, I showed up around 11am to get in line, luckily I had some friends already waiting, so by the time we finally go in at 2:30, we were pretty close to the front, I could see his head through the forest of shoulders:) Basically he covered most of the stuff we've heard on t.v. and radio and such, but I really felt like he was speaking to the students and the young people. I have to admit, when he started talking about how we are the future of the country and we all have to work together to get through the tough times we have ahead of us, I started to tear up (and spill over...) just a little bit. I was talking with a coworker of mine yesterday about the experience and how, to me, it's not what Obama might actually accomplish as far as policies go (which I actually believe he will accomplish a lot) it's more the fact that he has united and energized so much of the country and especially those in my demographic. It can't be up to the government and the president alone to change this country for the better, we all need to do something about it, and I truly believe Barack Obama is the man to lead us in that direction. He is the only politician that has ever made me care about the issues and politics in general, and that started at the DNC in 2004! I saw him speak on a big screen at our local independent film theater, and I couldn't believe the impact this unknown senator from Illinois had on me. So, needless to say, if he loses by some unGodly disaster, I will move to Europe, I swear.
ciao,
Megan

Obama is here today!!!! I might just die of excitement!!! I'll give a full report later tonight!!!

Pics from Parasitology and Vector Biology Lab

The first day we did an external dissection of a grasshopper, go to pull off all it's legs and head and mouth parts etc...they were huge grasshoppers!
The second day we did an internal dissection of a cockroach, I had a really fat female! All the gross white stuff is fat, and you can see some of the digestive tract and trachea. Fun fun! I felt like I was back in high school biology:)

aowepiawonvawoi!!!!!!

OBAMA IS COMING TO FORT COLLINS ON SUNDAY HE'LL BE AT THE OVAL

OH MY GOODNESS I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!

I'm cold

It's thirty degrees outside, and I think they still have the AC on in my office...brr!!!! What a crazy windy, cold day we had today. I'm not used to dressing for the cold yet, and I'm in denial about having to wear hats and gloves and socks and wind proof/water proof jackets! Bah, so much clothing to take off and put on every time you want to go outside, or come back in to the classroom.
Currently, I'm working on those DNA isolations...so many to do, and they take sooo long! Anyway, during some of the incubation times, I'm in the process of writing an essay for Parasitology. I think it's actually going to be hard to keep it to a two page minimum. I just finished the intro, and it's almost half the page single spaced...hmm
Seriously! It's freezing in here!!

And, I can't wait for Thanksgiving, it will be so wonderful to hang out with the fam:)

ciao,
Megan

Monday Again...

Well, today was cozy and cold and rainy. I like this kind of weather, but as Caley points out, if you didn't see the sun for all of November, it might get old:) A few days of this weather however, definitely puts me in the fall time kind of mood. I crave pumpkin spice lattes and hot apple cider.
Currently I'm at work, finally starting my DNA isolations! I have a lot to do and might be here kind of late. I'm kind of excited to start living the life of a real grad student...40+hrs of work plus homework...don't know why that would excite me, actually it sounds kind of crazy. This next week is going to be very busy, and I'm glad because Caley is out of town for mountain bike nationals! They left this afternoon and will be joined by a few team members who are flying out later this week. Here is the link to the Lees McCrae website for nationals

http://www.ncca.lmc.edu/

I'm excited to see how they all do! And I'm super jealous I don't get to go:(
Anyway, this week I'm going to go salsa dancing on Tuesday night, and on Saturday night. I have two pumpkin carving parties, I might just go to one...tonight I might go to a bluegrass concert, or just go grab a beer or something with Emily...we shall see. Oh, and homework and school:)
Oops, gotta go remove the DNA from the heat bath!!!
ciao,
Megan

Beautiful Fall Ride

Caley and I went on a most glorious Fall bike ride today! We started out with the intention of doing the whole carter Lake look, but made it to the ranger station before the big climb up to the actual lake...I'm a little out of shape and slow:) It was so hot, we were sweating in short sleeves and no knee warmers!
ps. Caley got a sweet new bike! I'm jealous:)
ciao,
Megan

Finally Friday

Well, the week from hell is over. I think I managed to pull of B's in both my exams...not true of the stats homework, but what can ya do?
Caley and I are headed to the coffee shop tonight for a "ballot date":) We are going to fill out our mail-in ballots, and hang out and just relax from this crazy week. I'm still feeling discouraged about my program and school and all that...but I think it's going to get better starting next week. I am meeting with one of the guys in the lab to go over how to do DNA isolations again, and hopefully I can just crank through them. I will eventually have around 500 or so adult mosquitoes to get DNA from, and then I'll have around 10-15 SSCP gels to run. The gels won't take too long...but I don't know how to develope them yet, hopefully Scott can help me out with that.
I'd also like to listen to This American Life tonight...and clean the house a little....ALSO, this weekend is the WILD GOOSE MASQUERADE BALL. I'm debating whether or not to go. Caley refuses, which actually makes me sad. Waltzing is so easy, and it would make me so happy...but I can't force him to go...I hate going dancing by myself these days. I always used to go by myself and it wasn't a big deal, but that was before I had a built in partner! Gah! Oh well, someday he'll go, and have so much fun he'll be hooked:)
Have a great weekend everyone, and Happy Birthday again to Caitlin!!
ciao,
Megan

Some Pics from the Last Bike Weekend

Monday Blah-ness

I officially have some sort of cold...not sure if it's Caleys cold or not, but it's something. Unfortunately I have two exams this week that I have to stay on top of it for. And, today is a gorgeous, cold, fall day, perfect for bike rides:( Maybe I'll have to take a study break, I've actually been dreaming about parasites YUCK!
Anyway, I'll give you all the update on the exams of truth...this is where we see if I can pull off a B in this class or not.
ciao,
Megan

I Lost a Race

It actually wasn't my fault....they started the race 12 minutes early! So, I missed the start, I was early by 7 minutes...but they'd already been going for 5:( Anne kindly gave me the "last place" finish, which I guess gets points, but still! I rode the rest of the race in the hellacious(sp?) wind, and only shed a few tears. Whatever, it's not like this season has been anything but a giant slack off for me. Figures that the last race would be such a let down. Currently, I'm sitting in a coffee shop somewhere in Grand Junction, obviously procrastinating on studying, but at least making an effort to study. I have two giant exams next week in one class...yes, two exams in one class...RIDICULOUS!!! Basically, I have an 80% going in to these two exams, if I can pull off an 80% on both of them, I'll be in good shape for the second half of the semester, but if not...I'm screwed, which is a sad sad state of affairs, and I won't even go in to how statistics is going... I think from now on, I'm forcing Caley to go to the library with me every night, no matter how much he doesn't want to, it'll be good for both of us!:)
I'm looking forward to winter as a chance for me to get back in shape. I'll be doing all the New Belgium cyclocross races, and I really really really want to make an effort to do some long rides on M,W, F's because my schedule really does allow for it...I just have to motivate.
Anyway, I should go, just thought I'd share the incredibly anti-climactic end to my mtn bike season.
ciao,
Megan

I WON A RACE!!!

And we forgot the camera....but, I got a $20.00 gift certificate to La Luz!!! Yay! It was just a fun little local cyclecross race, and Amanda raced up with the A men, but still, I'm psyched about it. Just the kind of thing I need to get me motivated about training and riding again. I think I'm going on a ride this evening with a friend, so that's good, and I'll have a little bit of time on Thursday, and maybe Friday morning I could ride as well depending on how long it takes me to do my stats homework. I've decided to go to Grand Junction, but I might take my own car so I can head to a coffee shop to study. It's the last weekend, and I'm not planning on doing any big trips soon, so I suppose I can swing the gas. Maybe I can take a bunch of bikes and get the team to pay for it:)
I'M FINALLY GETTING PAID BACK!!!! Yay, I just got an email saying I'd be paid back in three days, so that means Friday I guess. Whoopppee! I can finally have money again:) I'm thinking I'll be able to save most of it though, minus what I've "spent" on a plane ticket, and what I've spent from the parents...In any case, as long as I don't go over what my salary is on the credit card, I can save at least half of what I'm getting paid back from Mexico...SWEET! Gotta start now if we want to go on this bike trip in 2.5 years:)
ciao,
Megan

Pics from Colorado Trail Ride

Already October...Crazy!

What a lovely weekend in Durango! It really hit me this trip, I love Durango, and I would really love to spend some more quality time there doing all the things I love to do! Durango has it all (except for a nightlife...not like we ever really go out or do anything downtown anyway....).
The race on Saturday went well, I didn't get lapped, and didn't get pulled! Totally accomplished my goals:) After the race, we all hung around to watch the rest of the short track, and Amanda, Fuzzy and I pre-road the xc course. It was a beautiful partly cloudy day, and you get an incredible view of town going around the rim trail. I did decide not to race the xc the following day, I'm sooooo out of shape, it's frustrating, but I don't mind too much at the moment. I'm looking forward to nordic season, Caley and I have committed to doing one race, and I'm just excited about skiing a lot more than I have the past couple of years.
Saturday afternoon was the downhill competition, and the dual slalom. We watched some of both, the dual slalom was lame, and the downhill looked like a lot of fun, but totally out of my league in some spots. It started to rain during the dual slalom and didn't really stop until morning; lots of mud meant we didn't even have the option of racing the cross country the next day. We got an early start home and stopped on Kenosha Pass to ride on the Colorado trail. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! The aspens were at their peak, and in some places the leaves coated the trail like a beautiful golden carpet. I'm hoping Mike posts some of his pictures soon so I can put some of them up here.
Oh, forgot to mention, it snowed on Wolf Creek!!! Probably about 4-5 inches, enough that they had plowed...just wet when we went through, but some kids were already out building a jump at the top. Wow, I am sooo excited for winter!!!!
Well, better go, I have to go to the store and buy some fajita makings...yum:)
ciao,
Megan

Two down, one to go...

Presentation on Tuesday, parasitology exam today, and statistics exam tomorrow. Thankfully I'm feeling prepared for the stats exam...I kind of sucked it up in the parasitology exam. Hopefully I can pull through with a B for the semester. It's going to take an A on my next two exams...and she grades sooooo hard!
I went to office hours today for stats...for the first time, I only asked one question, but it was so helpful!!! I'm really glad I went, and now feel completely ready for my exam, let's see what I say after tomorrow....
Anyway, tomorrow is my Friday, all I have to do after the exam is pick some pupae, and go for a ride, and watch the debate!!!! Oh my goodness I'm so excited to see Palin's ass get stomped on!!!!!!!! Plus, we're having a party:) Or rather, just a dinner, and I want to bring wine:)
For dinner tonight we finally sucked it up and went to the grocery store, I haven't been food shopping almost literally since my parents were here at the end of August. Salmon cooked on a bed of baby spinach, and some rosemary bread with brie to start off the meal. Mmmmmmmmm, real food is amazing!!!! I can't wait to go home to Durango this weekend!

Sebby Update

Poor Sebastian is a sick little kitty:( I took him to the vet on Monday for his free vet exam, and ended up coming away with an $83.00 bill!! We do have the 30 day pet insurance, but the deductible is $75.00, so I think I'll only save about $15.00
Anyway, we noticed his eye was pretty goobery, and he had been sneezing, turns out yes, he does have a Herpes infection (viral) in the eye, and an upper respiratory infection. So, three different kinds of medicines, 2 times a day, one of them for a month! Poor guy! He's really good about taking the medicine though, no clawing, or too much struggling. Anyway, I feel so bad for the poor guy. Normally they wouldn't be too worried about a little cold, but he had a fever when the vet examined him, which is unusual, and they don't want it to turn into pneumonia. I'll be sooo glad when he's better and I don't have to worry about him! I'm sure he'll be fine, but still, it's like having a sick kid (although thankfully not...)

SEBSTIAN!!!

We have a new cat!!! Sebastian came from the shelter, his previous owner abandoned him when they moved out:( Caley and I have been thinking about getting a cat for awhile, and we finally just did it yesterday! Poor Mom, probably won't be able to visit now. I am making the bedroom the "cat free" zone so I won't be breathing cat all night as well as all day. I am confident my allergies will get better, they did when I lived with Scooby. I'm still suffering from the shelter though..40 cats crammed into two small rooms doesn't make for clear breathing passages:)
We love him though, and he is a lover in return! He is the most cuddly cat I've ever known!:) Here are some pics...

besos,
Megan

Statistics 511 Makes Me Angry

Well, almost done with the weekly homework, just have to go run one problem through the computer program we use for this class. I've spent roughly 3.5hrs on it this morning, and need to spend a lot more time with the material this weekend because our first exam is on Thursday, and I am DETERMINED to get at least a B on it because my professor is such a jerk face!:)
The reason I believe him to be a jerk face is because he wasn't very helpful getting me back on my feet after my absence...as in, he didn't let me turn in one of the homeworks late, and as a result I turned in half a problem....WHICH DOESN'T HELP ANYONE. So, I am going to do so well on this exam he'll have to take back that snide little question of..."Have you taken stats before?" In response to how poorly I did on my first homework...jerk face.
Any way, next week will be another hell of a week. Two exams and a presentation, plus my project is getting going now as well.
At least the vanny van is fixed:)
Hope everyone else is doing well.
ciao,
Megan

Girls Night Out!!

I think we all deserve this, a night at the Trailhead for two-for-one burgers and $2 pints. I'm pretty much all caught up, give or take a chapter of statistics...and I haven't gone out since...since, with the old people in Mexico:) All of us cycling team girls have actually never gone out together! We spend every weekend, and some weekdays together, and we still have never spent any down time together. Should be interesting...I hope we have more to talk about than biking stuff, perhaps no, that's pretty much all we do:)
Hopefully I'll have some nice biking pictures to put up here soon...considering I haven't really done any riding or racing lately. I'm thinking if not tomorrow, then at least Thursday I'll get back on the bandwagon. I'm also planning on doing a long ride this weekend, and racing the short track on Sunday.
I actually have some stuff to do for my project now! I'm working on this spreadsheet in Excel...and it's going really slowly because I'm bad at Excel, but at least I'm doing something. I'll also hopefully be starting on isolating some DNA from the mosquitoes we brought back from Tapachula. I hope I can get this project done in time for Laura to use the strain. I'm a little worried about it already because there is so much background work to do right off the bat, then the crosses will take about 9 months. She wants me to be ready about a year from now I think...so, I've got to get crackin!!! Hopefully the Christmas Break trip we have planned won't mess things up too bad. I'll just have to plan accordingly.
Well, I should go, get off this darn computer:)
Besos,
Megan

Cars are Expensive!!!

The vanny-van is going in to the shop today...not just any old shop, but the dealership...Dealerships are good I think, especially for older models, but still, I hear they charge quite a bit more than just a regular mechanic. Anyway, this is going to be a big one, and I am eternally grateful that Mom and Dad are still paying for maintenance because otherwise, I wouldn't. When I get a car of my own, I'm going to make sure I have the income to support it, otherwise, it's biking for me! Even if I do own my own car in the future, I'm going to try as much as possible not to drive it. That definitely means living in a place where commuting by bike is possible, but if I end up working at a University or something, that would probably be pretty easy. Maybe by the time I get a car they will all run on carbon fusion or something like that and will be way more environmentally friendly.
Anyway, I need to go do more homework, just thought I'd rant a little about expensive cars...
ciao,
Megan

Pictures of my apartment

For everyone (Caitlin....) who has not managed to see my apartment!!