I am back at uni, after my two-week impromptu work-holiday at home. I drove up, could not find a parking space outside my building, and wondered for a minute what was with all the frakking students. Then remembered it's exam time, and that I live on campus. Gah. Currently parking illegally and hoping my disabled parking card gets me out of trouble until the kids remember it's the weekend and they're better off at home. Roll on the PhD (2010, I hope), when I might have some staff privileges...

I think that's the problem: I'm not that enthralled, for some days now, with what I'm studying. I can't even call it boredom, but... I'm keep waiting for some new, exciting approach that I'll totally love in an eye blink.

What stage of your studies are you at? That sounds pretty normal to me. Despite having found a subject I really enjoy (finally), I still don't love every minute of it. And my current term papers are driving me slightly loopy. But overall, there's more interesting stuff than dull going on. I reckon if you can say that, you're doing well!

Polter-Cow, is this for post-extraction food? Would it be easier to get a new blender, or are they expensive?

Barb, Mooshu = your dog? If it helps, I have a (human!) friend who had three TIAs a couple of years ago, and she's doing fine :) Here's hoping he bounces!

When I grew up in South Florida women routinely wore bikinis and high heels to the mall.

When I grew up in the San Fernando valley, a lot women sunned themselves on lawns in bras and white (opaque) panties on the grounds that they were no more revealing than bikinis.

Barb, Mooshu = your dog?

Yeah, Seska-- he's my baby boy (all one hundred pounds of him). I have three dogs and really they're all my babies, in some ways, even more than my kids, because the kids at least can tell me what's going on with them now.

Thanks for the good thoughts-- I just talked to the vet and they say he's being a total sweetheart-- they're hoping we can bring him home tonight.

Yay for Mooshu being ok!

Higher education~ma to them what needs it.

Since we had some discussion of shutting down schools for swine flu - here is a long post on daily Kos that explains why this is necessary.

[link]

It explains why closing down schools (especially elemnentary and middle schools) is important. Look especially at the graph from the 1918 epidemic comparing Philedelphia (where schools were not closed) and St. Louis (where they were).

Polter-Cow, is this for post-extraction food? Would it be easier to get a new blender, or are they expensive?

I don't know how much blenders cost. My mom was going to send e a Vitamix, but I declined since I don't know how to use blenders anyway.

Vitamix is the top of the line blender. Blenders are fairly easy, it's just pressing buttons.

When I had my teeth out I relied on mashed potatoes, jello, pudding, Slim Fast shakes (I was lazy), mushed bananas, and things like that. Then moved up to soft stuff like mac n cheese.

The other advice for getting your teeth out -- if they seem to keep bleeding , steep a tea bag (black tea) in water for a bit and then put the tea bag the space where your teeth were and press lightly. It will stop the bleeding.

Blenders are fairly easy, it's just pressing buttons.

I can press the buttons; I just don't know what to put in them.

When I had my teeth out I relied on mashed potatoes, jello, pudding, Slim Fast shakes (I was lazy), mushed bananas, and things like that. Then moved up to soft stuff like mac n cheese.

Ah, thanks for the suggestions. Slim Fast shakes were the ones I was thinking of. Nutrients and stuff! Presumably.

So glad about Mooshu, but you need to stop worrying your mama, and be healthy, puppy dog.

I'm trying to get the gumption to do laundry. Must be done, but I don't wanna.

Instead, I've been researching a school that I have an interview with on Tuesday (woot!).

Rules for using a blender:

1. It's physics: don't put in more stuff than half, in general. The whirling blades are going to spin around, the higher the speed, the more up the sides.

2. Keep the cover on.

3. Experiment with the proportion of liquids to solids, as, again, physics applies: Liquid speeds up breakdown in general.

4. If you have harder things in there, use a setting that pulses or if it's a really old Blender, the momentary switch, whatever it's named.

5. Some foods do not fit in the easy rules above.

6. See #2.