Thanks, Mary!

That would be the Mary of the Bloody variety.

Yesterday it was a party for my pal Jillian (that’s her on the left, and Aubrey on the right). Her birthday is today, but it was also a celebration of her getting her teaching certificate and no longer working at the lab. Congratulations, Chica! I know she's going to do great--she was always wonderful with the students. Wow...I remember teaching her when she was a student at the lab. It was obvious right away how smart she was, and how much she "got" Microbiology. She is one of my favorite people from the lab, and I wish her great success in her new endeavors. She's a peach!

I really had fun, and got to see lots of people that I hadn't seen for a while. I had a good long chat with Aubrey, talked plenty with several others, got caught up on what was happening with folks and a little bit about what was happening at the lab, talked some sports and politics, and had lots of laughs. It was great to see everyone, and like I told someone last night, although I don't miss the daily grind and the stress of the lab, I really do miss all my friends there. *sniff* They really are a great bunch, and I was so happy to see them!

In fact, I was awfully happy in general. I didn't have much to eat all day, and that beer was mighty tasty. I was feelin' no pain, believe me. I didn't feel too bad this morning, but not 100%...thus the Bloody Mary, which is definitely hitting the spot!

As you can tell from the pictures, I had some Colts gear on, and I'm nervous and excited for today's game against the Jets! Kickoff is in 45 minutes. If I were a nailbiter, I'd be nibbling right now, believe me. ::num num num:: You might also notice that I have several tall friends. It kind of looks like Jillian and Aubrey are crouching down a little bit, doesn't it? Awww, they're trying not to tower over me, isn't that sweet? I think Jim is crouching down, too, because he’s a lot taller than me, more than this picture looks like. I have a sneaking suspicion that he made me laugh and snort right when this picture was taken!

I finished Under the Dome yesterday. I really liked it; there were a lot of great characters (both cool ones and dastardly ones), and I just liked the whole premise in general. Having grown up in a small town, I can imagine all too well what it would be like if it were suddenly cut off from the outside world. (I'm not giving anything away there...after all, the name of the book is, you know...Under the Dome, and the cover shows a town under a dome.) The Stand remains my all-time favorite of his (and pretty much my favorite book of all), and that also has a doomsday, apocalyptic theme, with the extra zip of an infectious disease. Hard to go wrong there! But Under the Dome was very enjoyable, and I recommend it.

You know, something occurred to me when I wrote just now about growing up in a small town, and what it would be like to be cut off from everything. There is a politician in the book who uses his power in the town for ill-gotten gain, and he is...well, he is not a good guy. I'll leave it at that. He reminds me very much of a politician from my hometown of Lakeville, and that politician is Jackie Walorski. If Lakeville were to be cut off from everyone, Walorski would probably try to take over. Talk about a Stephen King horror novel! Now that is some scary stuff!

You might have noticed that I've changed my font. That is thanks to Milwaukee Dan #2, who said that he can't quit me, despite my use of Comic Sans on this blog. After an email exchange, I have decided to leave the Comic Sans behind and go with Trebuchet. I appreciated Dan's honesty, and I'm proud of myself for taking constructive criticism. Believe it or not, I do listen sometimes!

On a related note, thanks to everyone who left comments on my previous entry. They were kind, fun, and funny, and made me smile and laugh. You guys are great.

Now it's time for some football. Let's go Colts...I want to see you back in the Super Bowl!