Like a snowflake in a fiery grill

You got more static than radio.

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:04:41 GMT

I had my first clients yesterday. Lemme see how much I can describe without violating confidentiality. There were two: one stuttering case, one articulation.

The stuttering kid (SK) session went surprisingly well. I know this, because the supervisor didn't walk in until the very end, when something went wrong. That's how she does. She'll leave you alone until you start screwing up, and I like that. But I timed this one well, maintained control, got most of the information I probed for that day, and established a rapport with the child. It was overall very good.

Articulation kid (AK) was not so great. He came in excited, and I really did just want to make the session fun. But articulation just isn't fun. It's not! I promise! It really does suck! /r/ is the hardest phoneme to teach, by the way. And of course my first client is going to have /r/ issues. It's not his fault. I was at a loss for trying to explain to him what he was doing wrong. I mean, I *know* what he's doing wrong, but how to explain it? No idea. My supervisor walked in on that session so... many... times. At the end of the day, I really did feel defeated. And I was walking around in heels all day, so even my feet had hurt feelings.

Anyway. Monday's another day. I've got Friday to figure out what I'll do differently. I work all weekend, and Stephen is coming in for Sunday and Monday. Something about how he wants to see me growing old like him.

Question: Do girls get a discount for being 25 and older? Or is it just boys?

In other news, I have reconnected with my Mexican culinary roots. Made a kick-ass batch of pico de gallo. Also *finally* got a handle on chilaquiles, and figured out how Mama used to do the tacos. I tried to buy pintos from the store, but they were out.

Out!

Seriously. Out of pintos? Does that even happen in third world countries?

I'm going to make frijoles. Oh, yes. At some point, I'm also going to hazard an attempt at pozole. There was a time when I could do it, you know. Albeit, with a grown-up's help. We're talking almost 20 years ago, though.

Oh, my. I'm already talking about things I could do 20 years ago. I am getting up there.

Made an important discovery tonight. YouTube is not exclusive to America. You heard it here.

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 09:01:14 GMT

I feel dumb for not even thinking to search for my favorite Russian songs on YouTube all these years. DUMB. Now that I have, the last few days have been like a national convention, and I got/get to dress up like all my favorite characters and steal all their best lines for great fangirl justice.

It really is the most awesomest thingy ever. And I'm so late for it!

Anyway, this realization comes in good time for my earnest study of Spanish. I love her, and her, and him. I like this, that and even this (not so much for the boobage). Still deciding how I feel about this one, though. Let me untangle the lyrics first, then I'll decide.

The unfortunate thing is that school just started--not the best time to indulge in new hobbies. Or old ones, I should say. I'm not new to YouTube, but this is a whole new way to procrastinate with it. :)

I apologize for the linkspam! Have a good night!

I realize it's pretty difficult to mess up those Jiffy muffin mixes, but I sure do love a challenge.

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:16:12 GMT

Did you know that if you're in a graduate program, you can't just go and decide to get another bachelor's for your collection? You can spend a couple more years in school after graduating to get a second bachelor's, but don't expect to do it and get a master's at the same time. Apparently there's some kind of point of no return. Like in that Bridget Fonda movie. Except she got to be a spy, and I just get to be overqualified.

My idea was pretty simple. If I'm going to HAVE to stay an extra Fall (and I do), and if I'm going to be taking undergraduate Spanish courses ANYWAY (and I am), I might as well get a little recognition for it. Someone stamp me, please. COMPETENT.

Of course, I'm not, yet. But that's why I'm taking the classes. Also, since my first B.A. is in a foreign language, how hard could it be for my credits to transfer? I'm thinking not very. Anyway.

I did something nice for myself! I paid my library fines, and now Dupre Library loves me again. And I love it. And it loves me. And being allowed to keep books for the entire semester somehow, in some small way, compensates for not being able to coax another degree out of that school. Sigh.

I have clients! Can't say too much about them, but one's a kid I was randomly assigned to study last semester, and the other one is said to be an easy-peasy sweetie pie. I'm excited! The fun won't begin for another couple weeks, which gives me time to figure out what in the world I'm gonna do. It's awesome that we have supervisors to nudge us in the right direction.

Speaking of directions, I'd like to go South. In order to be certified good and proper, I have to complete a supervised fellowship year after graduating. Sky's the limit as to where that can be (read: I don't have to stay in LOUSY-ana if I don't want to... and I don't want to). It's not unheard of for clinicians to go abroad, but it's rare. Many don't even bother to learn the basics of another language. I'd like to do it. I don't think I'd have to spend the entire year in Mexico (I'm pretty sure I can complete it someplace else, as long I make prior arrangements). It would suck everlasting hard to be away from Stephen for that long, too. Of course, he does enjoy warmer climes...

At this point, it's a thought.

Another thought I'm having is how much I want a kitten. I saw one today! It was charcoal gray with a random orange spot. I wanted to bring him home and call him Snowy Gordon, but he hissed himself into a coughing fit, little bastard. I like the spastic ones. :)

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:08:18 GMT

Today was the first day of school. Got it off to a great start by being 10 to 60 minutes late to class. What's that? How can I not be more specific? Isn't that something I'd know?

Why, yes. You are perfectly correct. Maybe I do know the exact minute, but as long as I give a range, no one can have any idea what that minute would be, and my secret is still safe with me! Isn't that clever?

I got a monitor for Christmas. Rather, I was visiting my family, saw a brand new flat screen sitting by the TV, and asked my parents what they were going to do with it. Apparently it wasn't actually for me, but they let me have it anyway.

And pulling it out of the plastic sheath was just like unwrapping it Christmas Day!

New monitor = getting to make up for lost time with my tower. I missed her so! I've been going through all the crap I'd accumulated over the course of six years. Not as much music as I remembered, but a boatload of chat logs. Apparently I was very chatty. Anyone remember that? Me being chatty? Really? Anyway, I've lost touch over the years with people, a couple of which I only knew through Livejournal. And now they're gone.

Hey, if anyone sees Eric, lemme know? Might've spelled it with a 'k', but I don't remember. People and their aliases. ;)

On Respecting One's Own Privacy

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:09:45 GMT

People should do that more.

Really should learn to remember to keep up with myself

Sun, 19 Oct 2008 04:24:33 GMT

Been really busy this week. Exams, papers. Meetings, clinic. The glamorous life of a grad student, and everything that does and does not entail.

I've been adding undue pressure to the mix. Yes, planning a wedding when you should be reading six chapters for the next morning does crowd your plate a bit. Who'da' thought? This is just me being silly, though. I know I'm getting married; just don't know when. I even know with whom. But not when. I even know under what circumstance we could rush said wedding! But, neh. If just planning the rest of your life with someone crowds your plate, imagine living it. No, should not. I have a history of hastening my future only to be greeted with grisly results. Let's just play it by ear for now.

Still, it doesn't hurt anyone to pick out a few songs. Build a tentative guest list. Choose a city and venue. Design a menu...

Deciding on a date would be the most fun, though. *Sigh*

The best part is that, now that my best friend's wedding is done, I can freely ponder what I would/will do differently in my own wedding without feeling like a selfish jerk. That's good!

Anyway.

I've rediscovered my passion for language learning, this time with a bent on Spanish. It all happened about a month ago when I was at an elementary school screening the chil'uns for hearing problems. A small monolingual Spanish kid came in, and no one knew how to communicate with him. It was really sad, but I did see it as an opportunity to flex my Spanish muscles (I took a whole semester, mind you). I---was---awesome.
I told him exactly what he needed to do, and said calming, friendly things to soothe the fear and alarm of a child who doesn't understand what's going on around him.

I did it so well.

But I did it in Russian.

This... was... unexpected. I mean, it doesn't surprise me. Did I ever really know how to say "Raise your hand when you hear the beep" in Spanish? I'm guessing No, since, you know, that stuff probably doesn't get covered till Spanish 102, right? I learned two important things that day, though. 1) I haven't forgotten my Russian, despite a year and a half of outright neglect. 2) I don't know Spanish to save my life, and if I were you, I wouldn't count on me using it to save yours. It made me feel like a failure to my heritage. A wannabe. A fake Mexican!

You know, for the first time this year. I was so close!

The third important thing, which apparently doesn't *really* need enumerating, is that I need to get serious about it if I really want to maintain my Russian and beat my Spanish into competency. I've had so many opportunities in my life to learn it on my own (not so much formally, because, hell, do you even KNOW why I took Russian in the first place??). I'm gonna do it this time. And I'm going to do it in my spare time, not school time or reading time or ~~reception planning time~~ other times which might suggest I would actually be abusing it as a way to procrastinate. Although, I have to admit. Since starting graduate school, I really have gotten more creative with the ways I waste my time. Must come with the territory.

*Yawn* I'm beat. Later, kids.

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 04:03:38 GMT

I got accepted to graduate school. Let the higher degree good times roll.

:D

Suddenly this icon seems so useful.

Sat, 15 Dec 2007 05:59:06 GMT

Me: I wish I knew what I was getting for Christmas.
Nick: i'm getting a check
Nick: and maybe a girlfriend
Me: Neato.
Me: I think I'd like my boyfriend to give me his last name. He could wrap it up for me and everything.
Nick: dork
Me: I'd still act surprised!
Me: It's just that I know he's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I *know* it. And now that I know it, all I really want to do is get the rest of my life started. That so bad?
Nick: nah
Nick: does he know this?
Me: ...I think so.
Nick: do you keep reminding him?
Me: ...What would constitute a reminder?
Me: Anyway, he said give him two years to get settled in a career.
Nick: what a punk
Nick: i'll marry you tomorrow
Me: Hey, hey. Then I could start signing Christmas cards, LOVE, THE SLAUGHTERS
Nick: totally
Nick: but my family would reject you
Nick: dirty mexican
Me: Have a Very Slaughter Christmas.
Me: Yeah, prolly, Whitey McWhiterson
Nick: Don't forget a Slaughter this holiday season!
Me: Peace on Earth, and Slaughter towards men.
Nick: definitely

Fri, 14 Dec 2007 22:10:20 GMT

Finals are done. Except for a paper I still have to write. Which of course I saved to the last minute, because other projects/people seemed more urgent/interesting at the time.

So good to myself, really.

Sunday I leave for Houston. I'll see my family, check out their church, spend time with the kid. The next day Stephen will drive in, and we'll go out to lunch with my parents so they can finally meet him. Then he'll kidnap me and take me to Louisiana, where I have an informal interview scheduled with the admissions counselor at a school to which I'm applying. Then it's off to Florida to play Scrabble with his Family. Oh, yeah, and I get to meet another of his Friends.

From Highschool.

*nervous*

He's reassuring, saying he's more nervous about meeting my best friend from high school, because I've actually kept up with her, whereas this'll be the first time he's seen his friend since... um... when?

I'm really tired. I'll recover from the all-nighter first, then get cracking on that paper, cool? See? I'm good to myself.

PS: I'm glad my parents didn't make my middle name Ursula, or something. Because then my initials would be NUT.

Hey

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:39:34 GMT

I'm broke and I'm hungry. Would it be wrong to take something out of the canned food drive bins downstairs? I'm not looking for a feast, just tired of getting by on Coke and Craisins.

edit: So, like, I found fish and biscuits in my freezer. Other than "Where the hell...?" I gotta say, Scooore! It'll hold me over till Sunday.

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 01:29:31 GMT

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 11:28:00 GMT

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 04:18:44 GMT

Dr. Smith,

So I checked the source that said Russia was still selling its most advanced technology to China. The book is dated 2005, *but* the context of that particular bit of information was dated more than a decade ago, and I just remembered it wrong. That's why you get invited to Turkey and I don't!

Thank you again for giving me a second chance to present. Have a happy Friday!

Nohemi

Nohemi: You did a good job and have a very nice presentation style. Your slightly wicked (twisted) sense of humor comes through every now and then. Charming. You'll get invited to Turkey someday and when you do, you'll remember me! Fridays are always happy days.

Dr. S

Glowing now. :)

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:53:59 GMT

There's always some kind of crisis going on in my life. Something causing me stress and worry. Right now? The bills and the end of the semester. It's all just piling up on me. I'll live, but it just really sucks being Nomi in December 2007 right now.

I have new goals, call me silly.

1) Finish this semester with allllll A's and Bees.
2) Apply for a two-year stint with Teach for America
4) Be accepted by Teach for America
6) Move to Louisiana, teach for America, then go to grad school for speech pathology and have a real career by the time I'm 30.

Oh, and have paid off all my student loans by then, too.

It's good to have goals.

I gotta be honest about what makes me want to move to Louisiana, of all places. That's where Stephen is right now, and will be for a while. He visited me for a week, now I'm a goner. Can't get enough of that man, just can't. I've had the TfA thing in the back of my mind for a little while now, as an alternative in the event I don't get accepted to graduate school. But I'm thinking now that it could help my chances of getting in later, AND be a springboard into the real world. I sure do like springboards.

We'll see how it all goes. But for the record, I want a future that will serve me WHILE letting me be close to him. That's what would make me happiest.

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:15:21 GMT

A triangle trying to squeeze through a circle
He tried to cut me so I'd fit

And doesn't that sound familiar? Doesn't that hit too close to home?
Doesn't that make you shiver; the way things could've gone?
And doesn't it feel peculiar when everyone wants a little more?
And so that I do remember to never go that far,
Could you leave me with a scar?
--"Scar" (Missy Higgins)

It's a bright, sunny day, but there's a raincloud just above my part of downtown Columbia. I'm sitting at home with pink eye(s), spending probably too much time thinking about the past. I read old chat logs of the few times my ex-boyfriend and I talked after he left. It's unnerving how much I tried to change myself to make him happy, to somehow get him to stay in my life. I feel sorry for that little girl, her pain trembling through her words. I feel bad for her; yet, it's not so easy to identify with her anymore. What she wants and what I want are different things. Her outlook on life and my outlook on life are as night and day. She's clearly not over him; I am.

That's not to say I don't have a couple issues left to work out, mostly dealing with anger. It hasn't been that long, after all. But the progress I've made, how far I've come in just the last six months... Sure, I've got a scar I can talk about. That doesn't mean it has to disfigure my heart. More importantly, it doesn't have to change the way I love. I think back to entries I've since deleted, where I swore I'd never let someone get that close to me again. Funny how that's changed, too.

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:39:13 GMT

Goosey: I happen to have always thought you were beautiful
Canned Riposte: Well, thank you. But just like you, I'm still a little skeptical. There's a difference between being "pretty" and "beautiful." I consider myself worthy of breeding, but I wouldn't compete for a ribbon.
Goosey: LOL
Goosey: no Nomi, I think you're beautiful.
Canned Riposte: ...I just called myself a dog, which, given the context of this conversation, is pretty hilarious.
Canned Riposte: I think I'm ridiculous. But this is nothing new.

All the lonely people

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 03:26:59 GMT

Me: Huh. Okay.
Me: What are you doin' now?
Nick: sitting around doing nothing
Nick: thinking about doing some writing
Nick: haha primarily wishing for romantic female companionshit
Me: Well, I can't do romantic, but if you want some platonic female companionshit
Nick: its unwise
Me: How so?
Nick: my faculties sometimes fail to differentiate
Me: Um, well. I guess I could roll around in dirt, eat garlic and seaweed, and fart so I'd make myself as unattractive as possible?
Nick: do you know nothing!
Me: I could use foul language all day long.
Nick: that is the precise formula with which to pierce my heart!
Me: I could pick my belly button.
Me: I could pretend like my netherregions itch.
Me: There's all SORTS of things I could do.
Me: I could pretend to be a lesbian!
Me: And we could talk about the woman who are tormenting us!
Nick: i appreciate the offer, but i think i'm actually going to go to bed early
Nick: i didnt sleep well last night
Me: Okay.
Me: Sleep well, then.

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 02:23:31 GMT

Wow. Been awhile, huh?

This either means my life has been so boring, there's been nothing worth posting about in the last month, or that I've been 2cool4school. You decide.

No, wait. Maybe I should do that. ;)

I guess the most interesting change is the shift in the whole Nomi/ex-BFF-but-now-we're-friends-again-and-it's-cool dynamic. Who saw that coming? Six months ago, I sure didn't. Now I'm just waiting for the ex-BF-tried-to-be-friends-again-but-he-turned-out-to-still-be-a-lyin'-loser-dribble-head-retard to move away and never come back. Maybe when Stephen Colbert becomes president of South Carolina, he'll deny visas to all Tennesseans. Or at least all people with CR-Vs. I'll write him a letter about it.

That's about all the thought I've had time to spend on the subject. Mom's supposed to call me soon to tell me how my sister's cardiology appointment went. Tomorrow, Jeri-Lynn is coming to town. Sunday, I tutor some girl from my anatomy class. Monday, Monday... I know I've got something on Monday. Tuesday, big anatomy test. Friday, Stephen might be driving up for the weekend. Can't get my hopes up, but I'm really excited, nonetheless. A couple deadlines before Thanksgiving. Said Thanksgiving with Valerie's family. A couple deadlines right after Thanksgiving. Exams, Christmas, family, more Stephen, then start all over again in January.

And throw a couple graduate school applications in there, too.

Anyway, I guess I'll get back to my life, now. heh.

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 01:57:20 GMT

I'm pretty sure I pwned the GRE today. Well, I didn't *really*, but I'm very pleased with my score, considering what I was expecting. Despite the small high I got from that, I was feeling a little bummed, because I had nothing fun planned for the rest of Fall Break. Then I checked my missed messages, and apparently Stephen's family is going diving on Sunday, and they want me to come, too.

!!!

And since I'm heading down that way, anyway, might as well finally introduce the man to my family, right?

!!!

Not to mention, it's his birthday weekend, and I get to hang out with him for that, after all.

!!!

And SCUBA dive again.

!!!

Which means he'll probably see me in a bathing suit.

...

Clearly I should have thought this out a little further before signing on.

Oh, well! I'm really looking forward to playing with the blowfish. :)

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 01:15:30 GMT

Today I experienced L3 magic. I was at the zoo with some friends, and this woman walked up to the glass in the aquarium and told her kids, "Look at this big green one!" And it was about a full minute later that I realized she had said it entirely in Spanish, and I actually understood. I know it's not much, but, gimme a break. It might've been after a couple years of studying Russian that I finally heard spontaneous speech and was all, "Hey, I know what that meant!"

Might have something to do with the fact that Spanish is pretty easy. Also, I *did* grow up around it. And, I've learned how to learn languages. It kinda gives me hope that I'll be able to speak it with near-native proficiency someday. It would take a lot of work (more than I'm putting in now, at least), but it would be worth it. It would certainly be nice.

I also had some friend magic. Later, I went to a rally at the State House. I could hear the speakers from my apartment anyway, so I decided to just go. I actually ran into a bunch of people I knew! Which is funny, because in previous years, wherever I'd go that wasn't Wal-Mart, I'd never see a familiar face, much less a friendly one. I guess this means I've been successful at this whole learning to socialize thing! I joined some friends from the rally for a later scavenger hunt and ice cream party. It wasn't completely random: I'm friends with the girl who was hosting the hunt, but didn't really plan to take part until some girls from another university said they heard about it and wanted to go, too. We might've had an unfair advantage, because a couple of the ideas on the list were actually mine... :-D But we weren't the first group back, so we lost anyway, ha.

It's been a busy day, for sure. And all that walking around the zoo and then downtown and then campus has me whipped. Especially because we spent most of the hunt *jogging* from place to place. And then I got a sick feeling from the ice cream, probably because that was a lot of sweet to be enjoying after forgetting to eat real food the entire day. *shrug* I'll live.

Still nothing new about the kid's heart condition. Am currently displeased with the hospital's sluggish administration. Hopefully, they'll get back on the ball and start giving answers soon. This is not something you inform a family about and then just leave up in the air. I'm sure it'll all work out. Always does, right? I like the way that sounds, anyway, and I think I'll stick with it for now.

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 20:31:04 GMT

My sister went up to Mom the other day and told her how she wants her remains handled when she dies. This is an 11-year-old who is fully aware there's a problem with her heart.

It's heartbreaking, is what it is.

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 03:36:06 GMT

So on that test I took? Last Tuesday in Russian Foreign Policy?

I got a good grade. Totally.

I was just ONE itsy bitsy right answer away from an A, but compared to a lot of other people? I did just fine. Especially considering that I ran out of time, an' all.

Tonight at Bible study, one of the girls baked a pie. And when I say 'baked,' I don't just mean pulled a frozen mess out of a box and heated the thing up. She made it from scratch. And it was delicious. So delicious, I miss it.

A lot.

I want a kitten.

And I want a screwdriver with a very specific kind of head, so that I can open my windows finally. And I *also* want a really good excuse to skip school tomorrow so I can go to the beach, but I don't think I'm gonna get one of those, either.

Heh. I'm way too hyper to be this sleepy. G'night.

You should see my bee sting.

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:49:52 GMT

Three times a day, Monday through Friday, the week of a home game, someone downtown sees fit to air the fight song. And believe it or not, it's rather annoying. Just thought I'd share.

Also, I'm back from Fall retreat. I had a blast, and it was probably the most intense weekend I've had in a long time. Intense, I tell you, because I can't think of a better word. But I needed it, and I'm soooo glad I went. At some point, I really will write in the journal I got for note-taking, you know, instead of just drawing pretty pictures.

And for the costume party, I went as Violet from "A Series of Unfortunate Events." I think I did alright putting the outfit together, but nobody had seen the movie, so it was like, "Are you that girl from The Addams Family?" And then they were all, "OHHHHH, I never saw that, but the previews looked interesting!" uh-huh.

This is Violet.

I guess I should've carried a baby around. Might do that if I recycle the costume for Halloween (which I'm still inclined to do). Should be easier to find little Victorian dresses for babies anyway, right? (Oh, no! She's gonna start looking at baby clothes, *gasp*!)

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 22:53:24 GMT

I vowed to never talk about him again here, but I think this bears mentioning.

He called me and wanted to talk. They broke up, and he realized the gravity of what he had done. When it was happening, he apologized profusely, promising me he'd never do it to anyone else again, though any one of you can probably retell how little that comforted me at the time. But after seeing him today, and hearing him out, I think I finally believe it. It's a shame their relationship didn't last long enough to merit the damage they did to our friendship, but I do think he's being sincere. Maybe that sounds funny, coming from me. He said he was rebounding when he dated her, and that now he's ready to actually deal with his problems. I told him what to expect, and what he couldn't expect from me. He seemed to understand.

Stephen was right, in that this was that final bit of closure for me. Maybe I could've taken this chance to tell him to fuck off and go to hell, but I chose to not handle it that way. I surprised myself by saying how I believe it was God rearranging my life for the better. Like heavy dental work, you know? It hurts for a while afterward, but the pain dulls and your teeth are happier little campers than before. I inwardly wished him nice things, like a good, solid recovery, and the wisdom to take from this experience more than just a specific list of "do-not's". I outwardly wished that he'd find faith in some way; there's no reason why he should have to make the journey alone. I also wished him love. The requited kind. The good stuff. Perhaps this was generous of me, and maybe I could've easily slung hate at him, as much as he deserves it. But hateful words are not the instruments of a healed heart, and denying him forgiveness to his face just to spite him would've undermined everything I've accomplished thus far. Wishing him well was the best thing I could have done, for both his sake and mine.

And now it's over. That's all.

FUCK--HIS--LIFE!!!@$#

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 22:44:54 GMT

I know it's only a scaled grade, but I totally got the highest score on that crummy cranial nerves test last week. A 91!

I feel pretty good about that. Won't feel so good when I get my test in Russian Foreign Policy back, though. So much information to write, and not enough time to write it!

Today at the pool, I almost mastered the ART of ducking my head in the water without pinching my nose. Be almost happy for me! And note to self: Stop it with the whole forgetting to bring flip-flops thing! It's irritating and unsanitary, so quit it!