Palau? Seriously.

Ok, so a friend of mine who worked on the Obama campaign is apparently being appointed to work in Palau.
Where is Palau you ask?
Yeah, I had to ask to...or at least I had to look it up.

And it's seriously in the middle of nowhere. I'm pretty sure if you looked up BFE in the encyclopedia, or maybe BFP, it would show you a picture of this tiny island nation.

If you feel so inclined visit their website:
http://www.visit-palau.de/aboutpalau/index.cfm

From the pictures Palau appears to be a lovely place surrounded by lots of ocean. I'm sure the seafood is great. And the nature too. But the flight out would be way too long for my personal taste. And heaven forbid they have any natural disasters like hurricanes or typhoons out there. Everyone would drown. Including my friend.

Despite my friend sometimes being a pain in the ass I really wish him no ill will. But he's does random crap like this every so often.
Him: "Hmmmm...I could go anywhere in the world...Palau sounds nice."

I wonder if he can even get facebook or a phone there?! Perhaps...?
There are cars and they do take Visa. You know, it's everywhere you want to be.

The site says the population is about 20K. So I wonder how long it will take him to meet a woman out there. With only 20,000 people the options are limited. After all, this is a man accustomed to New York and other immensely larger dating pools than what I imagine Palau has to offer. Then again, maybe he'll meet a nice island girl and fall madly in love. Stranger things have happened. Seriously!

Palau. How many people can say they know someone who has been there, much less lived in Palau? I don't know one, but soon I will. Seriously!

Facebook...friend or foe?

I joined facebook aka the stalker network almost 1 year ago. The only reason I joined was to keep up to date with a close friend over in Iraq. He was doing his service for our country and I am grateful for that. And I care about him. So, I joined to keep in contact with him.

So many months later and...I am just like everyone else. I am addicted, and frustrated by Scramble. I trade make believe plants assuming rain forest is being saved in some magical, mystery location out in the mist somewhere. My entourage rolls 40+ deep. And I keep getting friend requests.
OMG, I'm like popular!

So what's the problem?

Lately, it seems the most random people are sending me friend requests. There are moments where it's like being in high school all over again with a new techno twist.

I'll admit it's kind of cool to see some of the people. Get an idea what they've been up to. Many were actual friends of mine at one point in time. Yet, there's a slightly different group that have been "requesting" me. You remember, those people who didn't really speak to you in high school or even acknowledge that you were human. Those people are coming out of the proverbial facebook woodwork and requesting me as a friend. It's weird.

I realize and am not proud of the fact that I added someone the other day for purely selfish, regressive reasons. She was one of those people in high school that was just sort of mystical. She was cool on her own terms and ran around or so I assumed with the best of them. She even knew who I was then, although we didn't ever hang out. But, she wasn't rude or callous either. She was cool! All around.

I accepted her as a friend. I think part of me regressed to, "Hey, I must be cool too. She wants to be my friend." Then reality set in! I don't really care that she is my "friend" on facebook. I don't care that she wasn't really my friend in high school. Honestly, I don't really care either way about her. I haven't even written to say hello to her. And yet she now gets little anecdotal updates about me. So what was the point?

A few more requests have since rolled in. These from people whom I suspect only make the request because they see my name or affiliation with the high school on someone else's page. I'm not sure what the appeal is...to have everyone you went to school with a hundred years ago be your "facebook friend."

Don't get me wrong. There are certainly people on the site that I would like to reconnect with or just see what they're up to. But, I don't go actively seeking out and inviting people to be my friend just because I knew them when....
And there's others that I could care two flies about.
So what is the draw?

I don't get it!

How did this little piece of social networking software become so important to my life? Why does it make me regress and feel 15 again?
Why do so many others on it find the need to be my friend?

My real friends know who I am. They know what I am up to. And even if a long time passes they have the balls to drop a letter, an email, or call me up to discover what I am doing with my life.

I love my friends with all my heart and soul! And while some are certainly better friends than others, they all have their place and their reason for being my friend.
And they don't need an invitation!

Which in hindsight just makes the whole facebook issue seem, well...like high school! And I am sooooo over high school!


P.S. For those of you I have actively sought out on facebook...there are a few of you...rest assured it's because I was genuinely interested.

Frustration...need sleep

So, ok. My perfect mate is not always perfect. And although I appreciate him more than many could ever imagine, there are times that I just don't get him. Or perhaps, he doesn't get me.

We spent a long hour or so earlier this evening discussing the importance of sleep hygiene.

You see, I don't sleep...at least not well. I haven't for the better part of a decade give or take a few months here or there. But, it's something that I, that we have been working on. Trying to improve our habits and surrounding environment to help get better sleep. On the rare occasion it happens, everyone is the better for it.

Perhaps, I should backtrack a bit...
I went to a seminar today regarding the various risk factors that attribute to ill health and chronic disease. One of the topics we discussed was the need for proper sleep hygiene.

For example:

• going to bed at the same time every night
• sleeping with the lights out
• going to bed warm
  
• but keeping the temperature moderately cool
• getting treatment for snoring or apnea
• Etc...
  

One of the problems that recurs in our relationship is that he is always hot, even when it's 20 degrees outside. And, well, I'm nearly like the hot chocolate ladies from the SNL skit. I am cold almost all the time. In the dead heat of summer I will get into my car and just sit there to warm up, enjoying the heat as it moves in waves over my body.

Alas, I digress. So we have this discussion about some very interesting yet important pieces of sleep hygiene. Yes, I know "sleep hygiene" is a strange phrase. Around 9:30pm I am freezing! Mind you, I am in bed with 4 sets of covers and an electric blanket on high. (I take my temp for kicks: 97.5 Fahrenheit.) So, I'm heading toward hypothermia for no reason at all. He's on the other side, no covers, sweating! We were watching a movie by the way.

Upon the finish of the film, I am finally warm. Eyelids heavy, I start drifting off. Usually he's long asleep before I. So, I ask if he could possibly take care of the night's chores...feed the pets, turn out the lights. No biggie, right?

He looks right at me and rolls over. I think, "WTF?"

Nearly every night since August I have done the night's chores. You think he can possibly do it one time this month. I know and he knows as well, if I get up at this point I will be UP! It will turn into yet another of my sleepless or minimal sleep nights. Come morning, I will be tired, b*tchy! And because of these events...pissed!

I decide to wait it out, thinking perhaps he just needs to work up the motivation. I ask again. No response, but he's still awake. Still toasty warm, I roll over and fall asleep. Great, good, right?!

Um...NO!

I can't sleep long with lights on, so 35 minutes later I am awake and the lights are on and the cat is waiting to go to her room. Yes, we put our cat to bed too. Freaks that we are or I am.

I get up. Do the chores. Begin shivering again!

As I am walking in to go back up to try and sleep, my darling, dearest saunters down the stairs to relieve himself.

Honey: "I love you, but F*%k You!"

I just don't get it. Almost an hour has passed since my request. I could still be sleeping to the benefit of us both. And he decides to get out of bed AFTER I finish doing the chores.

So I am awake and blogging.

Thinking aloud

So, I'm sitting here with a million things running through my boggled mind. And not sure where to start pouring them out.

Things I learned this week:

I have an old friend I recently reconnected with through facebook that has been through hell. I mean HELL! He's my age, recently divorced and has battled Hodgkin's lymphoma all the while.
I think good for him for being so upbeat and optimistic. And I think selfishly, glad it's not me.

I learned Biochem...especially Lineweaver-Burke graphs, Hgb, Mgb, and enzyme kinetics can be basically understood in under 4 days.

I was reminded that some people may have clothes on their backs and a place to sleep, but they still may need toilet paper.

I was reminded that spell checker doesn't always catch my misstakes.

And I was reminded that there are people out there who believe in me, even if I think there belief is somewhat misplaced.

I started the PA blog a while ago. But haven' revisited yet. Too much and yet not enough has happened. CMU is still pulling my chain. But, I doubt I'll get in because they constantly say..."I just don't know how..." to me. Still, the rejection letter hasn't come.

I'm remembering why Schmucky Schmuckerson still makes me soooo angry! I think we've all had people in our lives that we expect a little something from and well....when they disappear for almost 2 years and then try to use you as a go between to someone else. Well, it's a bit annoying.
Plus, you see all the other people who've been let down by them too.

I remember why I love my real friends. Those troopers like buoys in the sea that help guide and shape you when the seas are calm or stormy. They give you a lifeline in the harshest of weather and just help you ride the waves.

I am reminded to be careful what you wish for...because you just might get more than what you're expecting. Especially, when you're expecting. (Love you CC.)

I am reminded that I am with my partner for many reasons, but mostly because he is a reminder to me everyday that God exists.

I am reminded that miracles can be anomalies and anomalies miracles.

Did you see the Lali the 2-faced baby? Check out the Sun article. It must be photoshopped, right?

Anyway...things are strange everywhere.
Life is good and bad.

And I have a lot in my head to get out.

Write you soon!

Until then...