Psych-O By Now

Obviously, I am C-R-A-Z-Y

2008-09-20T14:01:00.002-06:00

After bitching and complaining my way through this PhD (which will be done this year) and vowing never to take another class EVER again, I am now trying to put together an application for the MBA program at Harvard Business School.

What is wrong with me?????? I actively hate school!!! Why do I feel the urge to do this?

This is How I Know My Friends are Crazy...

2008-09-15T10:47:00.003-06:00

Related Facebook status updates:

is reminding you that taxi cabs do say “TAXI” on them, this separates them from random guys in random cars.

is a random taxi car.

is wondering if a not so random guy in a not so random car is better than a taxi.

The story:

A good friend of mine (we'll call her LPS = lack of personal safety), from my undergraduate days, calls me last night to describe the sadness of her boyfriend moving away (and their last random night together).

They (and a couple of friends)decided to hit up the most famous of all "nightclubs" in my hometown, with a reputation for all sorts of western-themed debauchery. LPS gets extremely intoxicated and pulls her usual disappearing act, the one where she decides to go home and doesn't tell anyone. She heads outside the bar to find a taxi. Seems quite simple so far, doesn't it? LPS proceeds to get in a "taxi" to make her way home. About halfway home something seems a little suspicious...the taxi driver asks her some strange questions:

What is your address? Can you give me directions?
How did you get to nightclub? Oh, how much did it cost to take the taxi there?
Can you pay cash?

Then, LPS realizes that there is no meter in the cab...strange indeed. Finally, a drunken revelation..."OMG, I am not in a cab". How does this end? Not in some sort of crime against her person, but with her paying some random guy for driving her home from the bar.

At first, I gave her shit for her total lack of regard for her own personal safety, but the more often I hear/tell the story the funnier it seems.

Things to contemplate...

2008-09-10T10:30:00.002-06:00

I am too nice. This is something I hear all the time, but still tend to disagree with. I think I come across this way because of my empathetic nature and my need to avoid confrontation.

I think this may be time to assert myself against those who treat me unfairly, which should make for interesting blog posts in the future.

Sentence Completion Meme

2008-08-29T10:00:00.002-06:00

As seen on Shorty's blog.

1. My uncle is the one person who was always willing to play Barbies with me when I was a kid.
2. Never in my life have I hurt someone intentionally.
3. When I was five, I got married on a swinging bridge, at the school playground, to a guy who died of a drug overdose last year. RIP Clark!
4. High school was, looking back, so much better than I thought it was at the time.
5. I will never forget my first kiss.
6. Once I met Cuba Gooding Jr. and Keith Sweat in a hot tub (that I snuck into from the beach) at the Four Seasons in Maui.
7. There's this boy I know who is forever represented in the tattoo on my back.
8. Once, at a bar, I danced on the speakers and was invited to dance tryouts for a CFL cheerleading squad, which I did not attend.
9. By noon, I'm usually way over caffeinated.
10. Last night, I watched the original Beverly Hills 90210.
11. If only I could finish this dreadful PhD.
12. Next time I go to church, it will likely be a result of that good ol’ Catholic guilt.
13. What worries me most is that no one will ever want to marry me.
14. When I turn my head left I see pictures of Hawaii and the coffee maker on my desk.
15. When I turn my head right I see a picture of my BF, a bottle of wine I just got as a gift, and my textbook filled bookshelf.
16. You know I'm lying when I give way too many details.
17. What I miss most about the Eighties is the ridiculousness of fashion, like the fact that it was okay to wear fluorescent colors, black spandex, a banana clip, 12-inch teased bangs, and multiple pairs of socks at one time.
18. If I were a character in Shakespeare I'd blather on endlessly.
19. By this time next year I hope to be defending my dissertation.
20. A better name for me would be The Procrastinator.
21. I have a hard time understanding the lack of common courtesy in society today.
22. If I ever go back to school, I am indeed, completely Psych-o.
23. You know I like you if I am willing to do anything for you.
24. If I ever won an award, the first person I would thank would be the person who helped me the most along the way.
25. Take my advice and get a dog, you will never find a better companion.
26. My ideal breakfast is unhealthy and includes all or a couple of the following - bacon, sausage, hash browns, home fries, banana muffin, and pancakes.
27. A song I love but do not have is probably a song I have forgotten the artist or title of.
28. If you visit my hometown you must go to Cowboys…it is an experience like no other.
29. Why won't people treat others with a bit of compassion and respect?
30. If you spend a night at my house, you too will be envious of the bouncy castle in my neighbor’s yard.
31. I'd stop my wedding for a natural disaster.
32. The world could do without the “war on terror”.
33. I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than give up my dogs.
34. My favorite blondies are my nieces.
35. Paper clips are more useful than a bad staple job.
36. If I do anything well it's mothering my friends and giving advice.
37. I can't help but worry about my 16-year-old niece’s overt sexuality and substance abuse.
38. I usually cry in movies like The Notebook and P.S. I Love You.
39. My advice to my nieces is to be comfortable with who you are.
40. And by the way, I can’t wait to work on my dissertation proposal.

I'm bbbbaaaaaack...after a really long break

2008-08-18T12:04:00.003-06:00

I have decided that in order to facilitate an aura of absolute craziness I must resume blogging. Come September 2 I will be the proud "owner" of a full-time job (internship), a part-time job (teaching at the U), and full-time student status (complete with 3 committee positions and title of "President" of our student association). I may be a wee bit BUSY. So why not add a little blogging to the list?!?!?

Interesting...

2008-02-11T10:19:00.001-07:00

Back Again

2007-10-04T16:31:00.000-06:00

For some reason (currently beyond my comprehension) I am just not motivated to blog, but I am going to try in hopes of also motivating myself to work on my dissertation ;)

I’ll start with some lists:

Five Things I Am Working on Right Now

Keeping my sanity via a fun yet viable social life.
Reading a plethora of articles and trying desperately to formulate a dissertation topic.
Revising all of the assignments for the graduate statistics course I TA.
Beginning the reading for my candidacy exam (that which has driven the most brilliant of my colleagues mad).
Funding applications

Five Things I Am Loving About My Life Right Now

My ability to be interested in absolutely any topic. This has become very handy due to my crazy supervisory situation.
The bf - although we have been together for over 10 years we are at an especially high point in our relationship.
The fact that I think I can see the light at the end of the Facebook stalker tunnel (their attention and love for me is beginning to wane).
That I can still party like Gene Simmons when the situation is right.
Connecting with old friends from the days when I was doing my Honor's degree.

Five Things That Are Making Me Crazy

My new little black dog. He can clack his teeth at you (**this is a replacement for barking**) all day long until he gets whatever he wants. This does not make working from home very easy.
The society of graduate students in our department!!!! I was the president last year and my two fellow members were noticeably absent at all required and auxiliary events, thus I did a whole lot of work completely on my own. The president this year insists on making backhanded comments about my performance last year at any and all events with any faculty and graduate students in attendance. This is incredibly annoying.
Trying to find a dissertation topic.
My lack of motivation to exercise, it is utterly ridiculous.
My fascination with buying shoes (**I just cannot afford it**).

Five Things I Plan To Do This Long Weekend

Spend Saturday at the spa in a nearby mountain resort town with my best girlfriends.
Eat myself into a turkey coma.
Go to my first professional football game.
Get A LOT of work done.
Watch a girly movie.

Tragedy

2007-08-16T23:46:00.000-06:00

Today I am really struggling to come to grips with the senseless tragedy that has touched my family. I cannot even fathom what it would be like to lose both your parents and your grandmother in one fatal moment, thereby changing your life forever. How do you breathe? How do you go on?

Even more, I am struggling with what to say and what to do when I come face-to-face with these girls at the funeral. What do you say when “I’m so sorry” just does not cut it?

I’m sorry for the short and rather depressing post however, this is really all I can think about right now.

I Am Still Alive!!

2007-07-31T15:30:00.000-06:00

No, I have not dropped off the face of the planet. I have just been terribly neglectful of my blogging buddies. I tend to lose interest in my blog when I am working on things that interest me and I have nothing urgent that causes me to procrastinate. So here is what has been going on:

Supervisory Update

I now officially have three supervisors and a dissertation topic. This means that I am able start working on my proposal as soon as I get back from the conference in Philly…woo hoo!!! It really feels great to be able to move forward again.

I will be seeing the ex-sup at Philly conference, can you say awkward?

Travel Update

I just spent the last week in Cuba at the Paradisus Princesa Del Mar (an utterly fabulous resort) clearing my head and relaxing before another crazy year. I have officially decided that Cubans are the nicest people EVER; they are very sweet, kind, unassuming, and overtly optimistic. I greatly enjoyed getting to know many of the hotel staff on a personal level.

I did not however know that you are not allowed to travel to the US within 14 days of Cuba and as a result, I just spent the entire day at the US consulate trying to obtain special permission to make the trip to Philly. Here are some pics!

Academic Update

Things I am doing:

3 manuscripts submitted
1 manuscript in the writing phase
2 conference submissions underway
1 ethics application for goal setting study
12/48 articles read in preparation for next dissertation meeting
1 conference presentation underway for Philly

It almost seems like I am being productive…hmmm.

Personal Update

Over the course of the last two months the “miracle” of Facebook somehow resulted in the acquisition of a Facebook stalker, whom I will call Bags (in honor of the large amount of baggage he possesses). Now Bags is a fellow I dated in the eighth grade, for about a week, whom I had not seen or heard from in 13 years until he added me as a friend on Facebook. We chatted harmlessly for a couple of weeks until he suddenly proclaimed that “he loved me”, “I was his soul mate”, “he had been in love with me for 13 years”, and “we were meant to be together”. Under normal circumstances this may have seemed a little bizarre however, throw into the mix my current boyfriend of ten years who did not appear to faze Bags even a little. Bags tried many different strategies: messaging me on Facebook, talking to me on MSN, texting me, and (my personal favorite) sending me naked pictures. He has recently found a girlfriend so I appear to be safe for a little while.

Hope all is well with you guys!!!!!

Supervisory Update

2007-06-14T13:24:00.000-06:00

In response to a few of the comments on my previous post:

I do really feel like I am actually in a better position (from a supervisory standpoint) that I was originally with ex-supervisor (X-sup). I am trying to think of this as an opportunity to "start over", I will now have three supervisor instead of just one, and likely innumerable opportunities as a result.

However, I did speak to X-sup's "would-have-been" honor's student yesterday (who will now be working with me instead - yippee!!) and she forwarded the email he sent her. X-sup's email to her contained all sorts of apologies, "what can I do to help you"s, and "I will make sure you are looked after"s. This really makes me question myself and what I did to deserve such a short, unfeeling email. I guess working really hard and being really nice was just not good enough for him.

My Supervisor "Broke-Up" With Me.

2007-06-13T07:16:00.000-06:00

Here is the email that I received on Monday:

Hi Psych-O,

I'm afraid I have some bad news. I'm leaving the University so that my fiance and I can live together. Unfortunately, that means you'll have to find another dissertation advisor.

-New Advisor

This email seems to be lacking a few very important things: 1. An apology for leaving me high and dry, 2. Any sort of feeling or compassion for the awful situation he has left me in, and 3. any suggestion that we meet to talk about my options, etc. This is the most rude and unfeeling email he has sent me in the entire year that we have worked together - good timing on that one!!

This effectively limits my options as we only have one professor in our area group who is not going to be away for the next year (either on secondment or sabbatical) and that professor is not taking any students. This means that the department is going to have to try and strike a supervisory committee for me containing one I/O professor (who will be absent for the next year), one business school professor, and one other psychology professor with an in depth knowledge of my dissertation topic. This is because no one on their own has enough specific expertise to supervise my topic except for my ex-supervisor.

I am very disappointed in my ex-supervisor's behaviour and sad that he did not have enough respect for me to tell me this news in person.

Meme from Shorty

2007-05-31T14:58:00.000-06:00

4 jobs I have held:

Barista/General Manager
Teaching Assistant
Sessional Instructor
Managerial Consultant

4 movies I can watch over and over:

Dirty Dancing (I am going to have to agree with Shorty on this)
Riding Giants (I am still obsessed with anything surfing related)
Step Into Liquid
Really...and good 80's teen movie (I own a lot of them).

4 places that I have lived:

Alberta
British Colombia
Hawaii
No fourth place as of yet but it looks like it may be Texas (due to a recent offer).

4 categories of TV programming I enjoy:

Regular TV Drama (e.g., Grey's Anatomy, Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives, etc.)
Real Life Network (e.g., Real Housewives of Orange County, Miami Ink, Brat Camp, etc.)
Sad, sad, MTV programming (e.g., Real World, The Hills, Bam's Unholy Union, etc.)
Regular TV Comedy (e.g., The Office, The Class, How I Met Your Mother, 2 1/2 Men, etc.)

4 places I have been on a holiday:

Maui
Cuba (which gives me away as a Canadian)
Mexico
New York City

4 websites I visit daily:

All my favorite psychology and medical blogs
Facebook (better know as Crackbook)
A few Real Estate websites
Hotmail/Webmail

4 of my favorite dishes:

Tuna and Salmon sashimi
Jambalaya from the Blue Dog Cafe (my favorite local Cajun restaurant)
My mother's cabbage rolls
Mahi Mahi in any form from any restaurant.

4 places I'd rather be right now:

On my deck in the sun (without my computer or an article)
In Maui kiteboarding (hopefully this will happen soon)
Floating down the river in a tube.
At Lake Koocanusa wakeboarding (hmmm...there seems to be theme here)

4 other blogger buddies to do this meme:

Word Nerd
Little Student
A day in...
There are no others I really know.

High School Reunion

2007-05-29T15:27:00.000-06:00

For those of you that don't remember I have been planning a 10-year high school reunion for the last 3 months (conveniently with my ex-boyfriend from those days). It was on Saturday night and it went quite well if I must say so myself (or at least the part that I remember clearly - yikes is all I can say about that). We even managed to raise about $2000 for a children's charity.

I really love people and visiting with people but the reunion was a lot like a "7 hour job interview" (Drunken Rowdy Guy, 2007). There was a lot of "how are you? what have you been up to? and what do you do now?". Overall, I must say it was a night filled with old friends and drunken debauchery (apparently I partook in this or at least the pictures suggest this is the case).

Here are a few classic photos:

Mexico

2007-05-29T08:34:00.000-06:00

The long awaited trip to Mexico was fantastic!! This was the first time I managed not to bring a speck of work with me and not feel guilty at all (until of course I arrived home to an overwhelming amount of work).

My daily schedule went a bit like this:

7:00 a.m.: Yummy unhealthy breakfast with my better half's sister

8:00 - 10:00 a.m.: Laying in the sun by the pool with a slushy bevy or two

10:00 a.m.: Move to the beach (the bathrooms were quite far from the pool, after lots of careful observation I realized many people who should have made a trip to the bathroom after 15 Coronas did not...hmmm)

12:00 p.m.: Lunch

1:00 - 3:00 p.m.: More beach relaxation time and a little ice cream

3:00 p.m.: Nap time

5:00 p.m.: Pre-dinner drinks

6:30 p.m.: Dinner

7:30 - until well into the night: Post-dinner drinks and the nightly entertainment.

It was a great vacation and just what I needed to be in a better place in my life.

Vacation

2007-05-12T11:49:00.000-06:00

It is finally time for me to take an actual vacation, one where my brain gets a rest. Hopefully this will result in an innate ability to be super productive for the rest of the summer. My bags are packed and we (my boyfriend, his sister, and I - we are also meeting his other sister and her husband in PV) are off to stay in the airport hotel tonight because our flight leaves really early tomorrow morning. I am really very excited.

I am parched...and nothing quenches thirst like a swim-up bar.

My suitcase is overweight, this is not surprising considering my inability to pack less that 4 pairs of flip-flops, 3 pairs of heels, and 2 pairs of runners. I have a shoe problem.

Have a great week everyone, I am sure I will in sunny Puerto Vallarta!!

New York and so much more

2007-05-05T12:25:00.000-06:00

I am finally back from New York and settled back into a new work routine (that is, where I actually do some). I really, really loved everything that New York had to offer including the Big Conference and some pretty interesting internship interviews. For example, one particularly interesting one went a little like this:

Interviewer: Oh hey...are you Psych-O? I am so sorry I am late (20 min. I sat waiting) last night was a big night (*wink*). Come with me.

So we sit at a table and the interview goes a little like this.

Interviewer: Do you have an questions about our company? (Even though I already had a phone interview with a different guy I'll call Steve, where we took care of all of this).

Psych-O: (Basically I asked all the same questions that I did on the phone)

Interviewer: Oh well...Steve would really be better able to answer these.

Psych-O: Okay... What is the work environment like?

Interviewer: I don't know what that means, can you be more specific?

Psych-O: (Flabbergasted...that is a pretty standard question)

Interviewer: Can you explain your CV to me in great detail?

Psych-O: (a little stunned to say the least)

Now as much as I now really want to intern with this company I turned them down based on their interviewer. I had a few other interviews that went a lot better.

I loved New York but there were definitely a few highlights:

Taking the Sex and the City tour (it was so much fun and you get a delicious cupcake and a cosmopolitan).
Yankees Game (where we actually ended up getting spit on as a result of cheering for the Toronto Blue Jays - likely we deserved it for being obnoxious since the Blue Jays were winning)
Downtown city tour - where we made a stop in Chinatown for some knock-offs (this is a great story I will elaborate on in a moment) and saw Kelly Ripa at a Starbucks in Soho.
Seeing Chicago and A Moon for the Misbegotten (staring Kevin Spacey) on Broadway.
Taking a 3 hour harbour tour (I would highly recommend this as it was really very interesting)
Central Park for some ultimate Frisbee
Time Square (both for the Naked Cowboy and for seeing Cory from Boy Meets World) at night in the pouring rain.
Staying in an apartment around W 55th and Broadway with all of my close friends from school (even though there was only one shower).

How to buy a knock-off bag in Chinatown (as told by many New Yorkers and experienced by me).

Find a small Asian man holding a post card in Chinatown.
Say "bag"
He will lead you at least four blocks away down some really dark alleys.
When you find the building he will lead you through a locked gate and ask if you are cops, if no, you will then proceed to the next step.
Go up nine flight of dark, metal stairs.
Arrive in a sweatshop filled with women and children making clothes.
Go to back room filled with replica bags.
Pick what you want and negotiate with a number of scary looking men (using a calculator).
Pay and get chased back down different stairs and into a different alley.

You really would think that a bunch of graduate students would be smarter that to get into this type of situation...wouldn't you?

Now I must get to work!!

Finally Done!

2007-04-26T06:38:00.000-06:00

Well I am finally done what has turned out to be the worst semester of my university career to date...what a relief. It is at the point where I no longer care about grades they are just not as important as being done.

On another equally as happy note I am in NYC for a bit conference (and lots of internship interviews), I have already had fabulous cheap sushi, and we are staying in a really funky, cheap apartment right by the conference. It should be a fantastic week.

Hockey

2007-04-19T21:19:00.000-06:00

I imagine I will be able to post something about the Virginia Tech rampage once I really have time to process it and sort through my feelings on the subject, although I am nothing short of heartbroken for those who lost their loved ones.

I must stay focused on my huge assessment report and on the big upcoming conference.

In the meantime I can't resist cheering for my hockey team.

GO FLAMES GO

Finally Friday!

2007-04-13T08:12:00.000-06:00

I am so happy that the final day of the semester is here even though I am not technically done until the 21st. It is really nice to feel a sense of closure on a hellish semester.

Things going on today:

My students handed in their final papers to the office (to be put in my mailbox) on Tuesday and Wednesday. This morning I found the mailbox to be empty...hmmm...I am not really sure what to make of this.
Graduate student meeting in our department - I have to break some bad news about the graduate student computer lab (so we'll see how that goes).
Avoid the undergraduate parties - it is a big day here the U for the undergrads: beer gardens, bands, beer run, etc. Graduate students in our department are not allowed to partake so it is best to avoid.
Last seminar class of the semester
Wine and snacks at a colleague's house tonight. I am really looking forward to an opportunity to socialize.
Marking (if I can find my papers).

Happy Friday everyone!

Swamped

2007-04-10T09:35:00.000-06:00

The next two weeks are going to put me in work hell...one take home final and one really large client report both due within one day of each other.

We have a prof. in the department who is "dropping the ball" left, right, and center - every time he says he is going to do something it never materializes. Although this bothers me the worst part is that he then blames it on us. I have lots of sympathy for people who are struggling through difficult times but I have no respect for blaming it on those people who are counting on you. Bah!

Well it is off to work and the battle to survive the rest of the semester.

Have a great week!

Updates and Work Forecasts

2007-04-02T13:51:00.000-06:00

I guess I had better start with some updates to keep myself up to speed.

The High School Reunion is rolling - the details have been finalized, the website is up, a Facebook group has brought in a lot of contacts, and people are starting to but tickets. It looks as though we should get a really good turnout. Yippee!! This means limited contact with the ex - how can you go wrong with that?

I have turned down the teaching position (although it was a good opportunity) in favour of applying for a variety of internships, I really think this is the best choice for my future career goals. This was a really tough decision but I feel as though I've made the right one.

I am definitely getting to end of semester "crunch time" where I start to panic a bit and wonder how I will be able to get it all done. I have a lot of papers to write and final presentations to give. This will be a true test of my ever lessening sanity.

Have a great week!

Tough Decisions

2007-03-25T21:33:00.000-06:00

This has been one of those weeks where I had so much "stuff" to get done that it really feels as though I haven't made any real progress. I have also had some really crazy decisions to make concerning my future career path. These are the offers on the table:

Teaching two course in my area of expertise (one junior and one senior) for both the Fall and Winter semesters, at a university 3 hours from my current location (so I would have to drive down on Tuesday morning and back home on Thursday night). This is a great opportunity if my career path meanders toward academia. Start date: September 2007

There is an internship at a local health organization, for 6 months, in an area that I find really interesting and would like to gain some experience in. Start date: July 2007

I am registered for a placement centres at a couple of large conferences to find the ideal, 1 year internship. Start date: potentially September 2007 or January 2008.

This is a really hard decision as I really, really love teaching however, I truly want to be a practitioner and not an academic. I really am not sure what to do...any advice???

I have to say I am really looking forward to the end of the semester, so I can head to the "shopping mecca" and then PV to relax.

Have a great week!!!

So, So Busy

2007-03-18T15:07:00.000-06:00

Well these are the things I did accomplish this past week - sent off a publication (hopefully it won't get rejected), wrote most of a paper (the rest I will be finishing tonight), did some seriously complicated data analysis with the all the groups in the ugly lab I teach, and attended a bunch of committee meetings.

Things I must to this week = WAY TOO MUCH STUFF to list.

Confession: My name is Psych-O and I am overextended, because I can't say "no" to anything.

As such, it may be awhile until I post again.

Finally!!

2007-03-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

After a really horrible week, where I slept only 10 hours in total from Sunday night until Friday evening while trying to get some major projects finished, I found some things to be happy about:

It is nice and sunny out (even though I am currently in my office at school)
One of my three papers stemming from my Master's thesis was accepted at a big conference in our field, which is perfect timing in terms of feedback because I am submitting it to a top tier journal tomorrow.
I have started one of the other three papers and hope to get it out for publication in about a month.
My friend "J" is here from Hawaii, I am incredibly excited to see her.
I finally finished an extremely boring consulting project.
My dog was being exceptionally cute this morning.

Mostly Dog

2007-03-04T16:40:00.001-07:00

You Are: 70% Dog, 30% Cat

You and dogs definitely have a lot in common.
You're both goofy, happy, and content with the small things in life.
However, you're definitely not as needy as the average dog. You need your down time occasionally.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

Woo Hoo!!

2007-03-04T16:37:00.000-07:00

You Are 40% Nerdy

You're a little nerdy, but no one would ever call you a nerd.
You sometimes get into nerdy things, but only after they've become a part of mainstream culture.

How Nerdy Are You?

Hmmm...Interesting

2007-03-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Your Emoticon Is Laughing

You've got a wicked sense of humor. You're everyone's favorite IM buddy... at least today!

" href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatemoticonbestrepresentsyourightnowquiz/">http://www.blogthings.com/whatemoticonbestrepresentsyourightnowquiz/ What Emoticon Best Represents You Right Now?

5 things...

2007-03-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

5 snacks I enjoy:
1) Frozen Yogurt from the famous ice cream parlor in my tiny town
2) Salt & Vinegar popcorn
3) Salsa (yup! Straight out of the jar)
4) Berries of any kind
5) Light cream cheese and Melba Toast crackers

5 Favorite lazy at-home activities:
1) Getting up early eating breakfast and going back to bed
2) Watching movies
3) Reading for fun - preferably on the deck in the sun (so that I can kill two birds with one stone)
4) Bubble bath
5) Cleaning (I know it says lazy but I love to clean)

5 Things I would do with $100 million:
1) Travel (preferable to hot tropical areas)
2) Move back to Hawaii and open a surfboard shop (I have always wanted to be a shaper)
3) Provide for all my family members
4) Do as much charity work as humanly possible
5) Have an indoor and outdoor pool

5 locations I would like to run away to:
1) Maui
2) Mexico
3) Greece
4) Spain
5) Italy

5 bad habits I have:
1) Procrastinating
2) Worrying (mainly about my partner)
3) Being too nice
4) Over-analyzing
5) Saying yes to every little request people make of me

5 things I like doing:
1) Kiteboarding
2) Surfing
3) Relaxing
4) Swimming in the ocean
5) Reading (for fun - just though I’d better clarify that, as articles do not fit in this category)

5 things I would never wear:
1) The skinny jean
2) Leg Warmers
3) Fanny Pack (lame - unless it is a yuppie-puppy one from Lululemon, the ones that hold their ball, treats, etc.)
4) Elastic-bottomed sweatpants
5) Thigh-high boots

5 TV shows I like:
1) Grey's Anatomy
2) Gilmore Girls
3) Criminal Minds
4) Numbers (yes! I am a nerd)
5) The Class (it is the funniest show ever!!!!)

5 Biggest joys of the moment:
1) Finishing anything on my To Do list
2) Lunch/coffee dates with J & M (my local girlfriends)
3) Friday afternoon basketball with the I/O Group
4) 3rd Mexico trip of the year (yippee! For May)
5) High school reunion - I am really looking forward to it

5 Favorite toys:
1) iPod
2) Laptop
3) Nintendo Wi
4) Soon to be my new Blackberry Pearl
5) All my shoes

High School Reunion

2007-03-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

So on top of the craziness that I generally refer to as my life, I have decided it would be great if I planned our ten year high school reunion with my ex-boyfriend from high school. So far this is what has gone on:

We have established a venue, a date, food, DJ & band, door prizes, and are almost done the website (yup! sounds like a lot of work but the ex is really well connected - so it's been a breeze).
We had out first face-to-face meeting - where we were able to accomplish virtually nothing but did fall into a pattern of finishing each other's sentences - This sucks! I really hate being/feeling connected to someone I consider to be pompous and arrogant (especially since I absolutely adore my partner, the one I've been with for the last 10 years).
My job is to contact the 568 people we graduated with. So far I've tried emailing everyone I know and asking them to send me all the info on the contacts that they still have, I've posted on Facebook, Classmates, Gradfinder, and Reunion.com, and I've contacted the high school. Have any of you (yup! all 3 of you who read my blog) ever planned a reunion? Do you have any suggestions for contacting people?

Well I guess I had better get back to my presentation for tomorrow's class. Have a great week!

Another Me List (in single words)

2007-02-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

Now this one I borrowed from bgiogirl:

1. Yourself: reading
2. Your spouse: sleeping
3. Your hair: messy
4. Your mother: sweet
5. Your father: gruff
6. Your favorite item: surfboard
7. Your dream last night: n/a
8. Your favorite drink: Strongbow
9. Your dream car: Audi TT
10. The room you are in: office
11. Your ex: stalker
12. Your fear: vomit
13. What you want to be in 10 years: happy
14. Who you hung out with last night: E, C, C, R, N, & J
15. What you're not: serene
16. Muffins: banana or pumpkin
17: One of your wish list items: Maui trip
18: Time: 11:11
19. The last thing you did: laundry
20. What you're wearing: lululemon
21. Your favorite weather: Hawaii’s
22. Your favorite book: thriller
23. The last thing you ate: cereal
24. Your life: stagnant
25. Your mood: distracted
26. Your best friend(s): supportive
27. What you're thinking about right now: reading
28. Your car: Honda
29. What you're doing at the moment: procrastinating
30. Your summer: busy
31. Your relationship status: forever
32. What's on TV: nothing
33. The weather: chilly
34. The last time you laughed: last night a drunken C telling a story about getting hit with a squash ball

Firsts & Lasts

2007-02-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

This fun list is borrowed from my good friend Word Nerd:

Firsts

First best friend: Allison Wells
First break-up: Clark Palmer (after third-grade marriage on the playground bridge)
First screen name: Psych-O By Now
First Self-purchased album: Tom Cochrane
First funeral: in the same day: my favorite aunt and my friend RJ
First pets: Missy - a very sweet mutt that I got in first grade
First piercing/tattoo: piercing = tongue on my cousin’s 18th birthday, so I was 16 tattoo = kanji symbol in Maui about 6 years ago

Lasts

Last car ride: on the way home from watching the hockey game at a bar downtown last night
Last good cry: during Grey’s Anatomy 2 weeks ago
Last movie seen: The Departed
Last beverage drank: coffee- as we speak
Last food consumed: Cream of Wheat cereal
Last phone call: my friend E called last night to confirm plans for the game
Last time showered: yesterday morning (soon to be right now!)
Last shoes worn: puma running shoes
Last item bought: Strongbow and Nachos
Last annoyance: an itinerary change from Air Canada
Last time wanting to die: many times this week when I have felt overwhelmed with things.

My newest procrastination tool...bah!

2007-02-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

It has happened again, an unmentionable first-year Master's student in our area group talked me into joining Facebook, and now I am addicted - seriously I could spend hours looking for my friends from High School, Junior High, and Elementary School, not to mention all of those whom I did my Bachelor's and Master's with. Thanks a lot J-Dogg! My advice to you: don't get involved.

Ten Things I Need to do This Week That Will Make Me Crazier Than I Already Am

2007-02-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

OK it is definitely time for another list, one that corresponds nicely to the list I carry around in my notebook titled "Psych-O's Giant, Never ending, Continuous, To Do List"

Write paper for Consumer Behaviour class
Do ugly TA marking (ethics forms - lots of them!)
Decide on paper topic for Motivation seminar - start writing
Do reading for all 3 classes
Get the first publication off of my Master's thesis out the door
Find article to present in Motivation seminar
Write my WAIS-III report for Assessment class
Enter class grades to date
Try not to pull all of my hair out
Try to make trip to rival city next weekend to see best friend's new house - well she moved in over a year ago but it is still new to me a "delinquent visitor"

Well I guess that is enough for this week. Happy third week in February to all!!!

Procrastination...My own personal demon

2007-02-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

I found this the other day and have seen Piers talk at numerous conferences (he is a meta-analytic genius!!!)

CNN News reports:

After 10 years of research on a project that was supposed to take only five years, a Canadian industrial psychologist found in a giant study that not only is procrastination on the rise, it makes people poorer, fatter and unhappier.Something has to be done about it, sooner rather than later, University of Calgary professor Piers Steel concludes. His 30-page study is in this month’s peer-reviewed Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association.

In 1978, only about 5 percent of the American public thought of themselves as chronic procrastinators. Now it’s 26 percent, Steel said. Men are worse than women (about 54 out of 100 chronic procrastinators are men) and the young are more like to procrastinate than the old. Chronic procrastination also affects productivity in the workplace. As to why people procrastinate, Steel thinks it is due to the various distractions of modern living, like cell phones, iPods, video games and the Internet.

Studying procrastination as a field has a benefit, said the professor. The more he knows about the problem and the causes, the less he procrastinates — even though he sheepishly acknowledges his study was completed five years late. The good thing about studying procrastination, he said: “If you take a day off from it, you can always say it’s field research.”

Check it out at: http://www.procrastinus.com/

ABC's of Me

2007-01-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

A really good friend of mine (Word Nerd) has this posted on her blog, and these things really make me happy, so I decided to do it as well (no, not in an "if-she-jumped-off-a-bridge-I-would-too" kind of way).

A is for Age - I am 27 (although I also have a different birth certificate that will argue 28) - don’t ask!
B is for Booze - Bavaria, Strongbow, Bellinis, Gin n' Tonics, & Caesars are my top 5.
C is for Cookie you crave - Auntie Birdie Cookies (to the rest of the world - haystacks), and any kind of homemade shortbread (I sure love Christmas).
D is for Dating tip you'd give your son or daughter - If he/she seems too good to be true, likely they are (e.g., they turn into stalkers), hmmm…my inner pessimistic is creeping out
E is for Essential items to bring to a party - Booze, Cranium, and Junk Food
F is for Favorite song at the moment - "We Might Fall" by Ryan Star
G is for Goof off thing to do - Read psychology/medical blogs, read for fun
H is for Hometown - Calgary, Alberta
I is for Instrument you play - In my junior high band days: flute, alto sax, trumpet
J is for Jam or Jelly you like - Homemade raspberry or strawberry rhubarb jam
K is for Kids - Not ever!! That’s right I am not a hot commodity with this as a trait
L is for Living arrangement - With many crazy family members, and a very cute dog
M is for Mom’s name - Linda
N is for Name of first crush - Clark Palmer, in grade 3 I married him on the bridge at the playground (unfortunately he died a couple of years ago)
O is for Overexposed celebrity? - This is easy, these three ladies have been “overexposed” in more than one way: Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Brittney Spears
P is for Phobias - Vomit - yup! Weird I know
Q is for Quote you like - I am not sure there is only one??
R is for Relationship that lasted longest - Current one. Almost 10 years.
S is for Siblings - 1 really sweet, but very inconsiderate sister
T is for Texas, ever been? - Nope. I missed out on AOM last year.
U is for Unique trait - How about a really annoying cowlick (not really a trait, but it will have to do)
V if for Vegetable you love - Spinach - are there other vegetables??
W is for Worst trait - I'm a huge procrastinator and have dangerously low self-esteem
X is for Xtra Credit, did you ever do it in school? - Maybe…I’m not telling
Y is for Yummy food you make - Pumpkin Cake and a “cheesy” hashbrown casserole (recipe courtesy of bf’s mom)
Z is for Zodiac sign - Scorpio.

Basketball Night

2007-01-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

I often feel as though grad school is "kicking me in the teeth" repeatedly, and this is just one of those days. However, on a happier note it is Wednesday, and that means Wednesday night basketball - Yippee! I sure hope we win tonight.

A case of the Mondays

2007-01-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

My general Monday mood: Frazzled

Why you ask? Only because I have two 3-hr. classes and our brown bag meeting (Synthetic Validity today) every Monday - there is something about being at school from 7am - 10:30 pm that makes me feel a bit frazzled.

Happy Monday to All (really all 2 of you who read my blog)!

Shopping

2007-01-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

It is really surprising that I am trying to save money by not making a physical appearance at the shopping mall, yet I am buying more than ever on Ebay (boo!).

Hello my name is Psych-o by now and I am a compulsive shopper. This is not a redeeming quality on a grad student budget. In other news...I was very productive today - however, there is no productive emotion.

Why Did I do This To Myself?

2007-01-20T14:15:00.000-07:00

My current mood today is: Exasperated

Why is this? This is because I decided to take 3 classes this semester (Motivation Seminar, Assessment, and Consumer Behavior) instead of the usual 2, so as to prove to New Advisor/Supervisor that I am a competent "go-getter" (HA!). This was likely not a good idea since I also have to be a productive publisher/researcher and proficient TA (yes! of Cognitive Child Psychology - definitely an area I know nothing about). The question remains, does New Advisor even notice the effort that I am making - likely not since he just got engaged. So is this a giant waste of time? The upside is that I will be done my classes, prosem, and candidacy exams sooner than expected so I can go away on internship much sooner - yippee! Can my sanity survive? Only time will tell.

Looks Like I Am A-Okay So Far According to The Neurotic Test

2007-01-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

Well-Adjusted
You scored 29 anxiety, 37 awkwardness, and 34 neuroticism!

You scored low in all categories--so there's no need to worry! Not that you were worrying, anyway. You are so Well-Adjusted that I almost feel the need to worry for you.

Your low anxiety score implies that you are able to relax, can enjoy the here and now, and have a healthy amount of self-confidence.

Your low awkwardness score implies that you are socially capable, are personable and charming, and probably go to parties and have fun.

Your low neuroticism score implies that you don't exhibit subtle neurotic behaviors--your nails are probably an acceptable length, your pencils aren't covered with bite marks, and your bookcase isn't arranged alphabetically by genre. Congrats!

My so-called holiday break

2006-12-20T17:01:00.000-07:00

Ok! So now that I am officially on my "holiday break" (and have officially completed all of my Christmas shopping), except for a few course overload forms that need signing, I need to begin my list of things to do on what I will call "my so-called break":

Submission for AOM
Get Master's thesis in publishable format - submit to journal
Come up with 5 good dissertation ideas
Scholarship applications
Send data to Norway
Re-analyze thesis data for BJW moderation effects
Minutes of PGSA meeting typed and dealt with
Wrap Christmas gifts
Spend time with BF
Coffee with friends I've been neglecting

Well, nothing like a good list to put me in relaxation mode.

Take Home, Nope In-Class, Nope Take Home Exams - But Don't Do Them at Home

2006-12-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well...this is the second week of hell period, final exams, final papers, final grading... Now I was sure after the first year of my Master's degree I would never ever have to take another in-class exam. Surprise! Apparently our "area group" has made an executive decision that all PhD classes require an exam, to "facilitate learning". So this week I have an in-class Neuro-like exam and an "in-class, given the exam questions beforehand, don't work on it before the exam, OK I guess you can do it at home, but only during the scheduled exam time exam" - confused! Me too!! Anyhow better get studying for the Neuro exam and not working on the other exam?!?.

Welcome to the Ramblings of a Psychology PhD Student

2006-12-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

Likely this blog will accurately represent the true depth of my procrastination on the mounds of work that I have to get done by the end of this semester (yes! only the first of my PhD). Enjoy!!