So, we have a mouse in the house……………….

Our Lazy Lumps

The other night, I was lying in bed doing homework (just like every night), and the big, fat cat started growling at something.  This is strange, because he is usually so lazy that he barely even moves when you enter the room. He has gotten so lazy that he doesn’t even meow anymore, just lets out a little squeak (although that may be because he weighs almost 15 pounds now, but hey, he’s old, and he deserves to be happy). So, anyway, he starts growling, and of course, the dog perks up. I leaned over to see what was going on under the bed, and the mouse come running out with Smokey (the fat cat) running after it. It was impressive; I haven’t seen that cat move that fast in a long time. He actually caught it too. By the tail. Dragging it back under the bed.

I got up and went to find something to catch the mouse (I wasn't worried that the cat would kill it, he has no teeth), but by the time I got back to the bedroom, the mouse was gone. The cats, Smokey and Neff, and the dog, Echo, have taken up stations at various closet doors in the house. I keep opening the doors, hoping to be able to catch the mouse, but it keeps getting away. I just want to put it outside. it's not even freezing outside anymore. He could bask in the sun. Get a little tan. Who knows, it might impress the lady mice. he just needs to do it somewhere else. 

The Perfect Puppy

What Is Our Education Worth?

Today I went with hundreds of other students to the Rally for Education in our state capitol. There were students from UNR, UNLV, TMCC, GBC, and all the other schools of higher education in attendance. The background is that the cuts that the Governor wants to enact on higher learning are too much (google Nevada education cuts 2011 if you want to know more). Yes, I know that there is no money in the state budget, but cutting education (both higher and K-12, mind you) is not the answer if we want Nevada to prosper. Many good points were brought up by the students that testified in the Ways and Means committee hearing:

1.       Less education means higher unemployment. 
2.        Many of the programs that are set to be cut are important to people from other states. Our Agriculture Dept. gets calls from all over the country for help.
3.        We have very bright high school students here in Nevada that are planning to take their education and excellence to other states to go to college rather be faced with a mediocre education here. Most of them will not return, even though they would have probably stayed had they been able to get a college education in this state.
4.        One woman, a high school guidance counselor, said that she had 11 students at the rally (and she made them stand so that the committee could see them) and between the 11 students, they had earned 10 million in scholarships. They are from a depressed area, and they are on their way up. Unfortunately, they will not be bringing their neighborhoods up because they are taking that 10 million to other states whose schools are not in such jeopardy. 
5.        When education is cut, it means a rise in the need for prisons, police, and other safety personnel.
6.        Educated people do not want to move their families to places where their children will end up with a subpar education,
7.        The rural colleges help to staff the rural areas with trained personnel. The nurses and teachers trained at Great Basin College stay in the area and enhance the community. 
8. There was a 5th grader testifying from Las Vegas, pleading with the legislators to let him have a chance to go to college.

The future of Nevada is at stake. The future of education is at stake. Cutting as much funding as the Governor wants to make is going to make education only for the rich, the equality is fading from sight.

Gotta jet, going to class. If I think of more rant later I will post again.

What a Day (and its only 9:30 am)

So, this morning I was running around before taking the boy to school cleaning the house so that the housekeepers could clean the house later today. I cleaned my bathroom and bedroom and picked up the kitchen. I made the boy empty and load the dishwasher. Yes, this should have all been done yesterday, but well I got in the groove writing for my memoir class, and the boy decided that it was a good time for a nap and then screwing around on the computer. This in spite of the fact that I woke him up and booted him off the computer (a few times).

Thus begins my day of being productive. House picked up....Check. My desk at work clean......Check (in the first 15 minutes of work). Email correspondence done........Check. Rest of the day planned out.....Check.

The rest of my day is planned out in the following way.

• Go to the cleaners
• Return business purchase
• Drive out to Fernley (About 35 miles each way)
• Pick up the boy at school at 3:00
• Go home and enjoy clean house

We will see if the later part of the day is as productive as this morning was......

Polyamourous Relations

So, I've been reading all the banter about TLC's show "Sister Wives," and can see there are strong feelings on both sides of the "issue" (if there even is an issue). My Thoughts? So what. So, this man found 4 women that were okay with sharing him.

My problem is that you always hear about Polygamy and never about Polyandry. Why do the guys get to have all the fun? I think that it is male pride that makes polygamy more palatable than polyandry. A man with sister-wives can look over his children and say that they are his. There is no doubt of who the father is supposed to be. With polyandry, there is not the certainty about children. With more than one husband, there is the chance that any one of the men could be the father. This was bad news when inheritance law was structured around things like gender and birth order, but, at least in the western world, that is no longer an issue. I could leave all my worldly goods to some random person picked out of the phone book. So, it seems to me that ego is the main hurdle.  

I have been thinking about the pros and cons of each of these two life-style choices, and here is what I see, and how my life would change if I chose either of the life-styles. 

Polygamy

Pros

• Having helpmates around the house.
• As a full time student, employee, wife, and pseudo-mom, this would be a godsend. there are not quite enough hours in a day.
• Close friendships can be formed.
• Most sister-wives get a say in the new additions. 
• We all need girlfriends, and if we are all griping about the same guy, it kinda makes it easier.
• you always have someone to shop with
• Everyone knows "who's the daddy"

Cons

• Jealousy
• Feelings of being left out of a private joke or of being neglected.
• The green-eyed monster can pop up in even the best relationships. 
• The strict schedules
• I am kind of the spur of the moment gal. My time outside of the home is so regimented that I want my down time to be free and easy. 
• Cash resources. 
• It must be hard to keep more than one household financed. 

Polyandry

Pros

• If one hunka-hunka burning love is not "in the mood" there is bound to be another one who is.
• I know that my husband and I just have schedules that get outta whack. This way that rarely happens. 
• You can have one of each flavor. 
• I have been trying to figure out my "type" for a writing assignment, and have been having a hard time. This way I don't have to have a type. Male pretty much covers it.
• Multiple cash resources. 
• Since, unfortunately, men are usually still the bread-winners. Having more than one seems to be beneficial.

Cons

• Children could be a little confusing. 
• Who's the baby daddy?
• Does it matter?
• Just more men to clean up after. 

Kinda Like My Job

So, yesterday I really didn't want to be at work. I was super tired, even though I went to bed at a "reasonable" time. I had a midterm after work. I hadn't read for the class before that. I needed a mental health day from work. So I took one.

I came to work at my normal time, I finished the project that I had started the day before and then.......
I decided the coffee area was messy. I took everything off of the counter, wiped everything down, refilled all the condiments, cleaned out the microwave, and set everything back where it goes. As I was cleaning, I noticed that we were low on a few things--we only had two filters left, and there was still a long day ahead, they were going to want coffee tomorrow. My job is a little bit of everything. I am the administrative assistant, the marketing assistant, purchaser, and part of the provisioning team. I order parts, services, and do all the shopping for the office. I keep the techs in coffee and candy. I get to spend someone else's  money.

And so, I decided I had to shop. 

I went and bought the coffee filters, the Splenda, the cold cups, the candy. I had to get out. I drove the long way. I wandered around Smart and Final looking at things that I might want to go back and buy for home. I picked the longest line for checkout. I got out the company credit card, and I had to smile.

I got to go shopping, and I wont go home to the 3rd degree about what I am spending money on, because, It's not my money!!! My husband wont care that I needed shopping therapy to improve my day, because he wont see the bill!!! Oh, happy day.

The only thing was, after wasting as much time as possible, and stopping to pick up lunch (Super Burrito Rules), I still had a half hour left when I got back to the office.

Next time I need to plan better.

Let's Give This a Try

So, everyone else is doing it. Blogging seems to be the norm. I wanna be normal too. Really not sure what I will be blogging about, but as my Memoir professor says, everyone has a story. I may try those stories on you, or I may just rant. We can only wait and see.

First, a little about me:

1. My husband and I have been together for what seems like forever (really only 9 years, but who's counting?).
2. We have custody of my youngest brother (15 years old), and no kids of our own--hence the pseudo-mom comment in my "about me" section.
3. I am a full-time student at the University of Nevada Reno.
4. I work full time (just to keep my insurance).

That is pretty much my priorities in order. Family, school, and work. I don't really have much time for anything else. Eventually I'll tell you about our travels, my husband working out of state 2 weeks at a time, the things everyone does to annoy me, the things everyone does to surprise me, and anything else I flippin feel like telling you.

Who knows how long it will last, and what it will ultimately become, but we will see. If there is anything you want to know, tell me, and I will see what I can do!