Sara's blog

Normally I laugh at old people and their resistance to technology. Like what's so difficult about reading the news on a computer screen? Or using a cell phone? My grandparents can barely even access the internet. I don't know if I could live without going online. But in one aspect of my life, I am very much like someone two generations older than myself--when it comes to watching TV. For one thing, my favorite show is Jeopardy! , which, judging by the commercials for Medicare and funeral homes, is geared toward a slightly more elderly demographic. That's not what I'm talking about now, though. My thing is that I only like watching TV as it airs. None of this DVR stuff or watching shows online the next day. Call me strange, but I kinda like commercials. They slow down the pace a little and give you a perfect opportunity to go grab a snack without missing anything. I know, you can just pause what you're watching using your DVR and get the same result, but I feel oblig...

Mark and I have been living together for about a month. I would say I do a majority of the cooking. But, the thing is, every time I'm in the kitchen making dinner, the smoke alarm goes off! It's uncanny. I've got a good system now, where I know to open the windows and turn the fan on high. It usually limits the beeps to a few before the alarm is silent again. And besides eating burnt food all the time, you wouldn't believe the amount of dirty dishes I can generate. Last night, the sink was overflowing with dishes and the counter next to it was stacked as well, all from one meal that I cooked! Mark and I had a deal where if one of us cooks, the other does dishes. Funny, that rule went out the window last night and I ended up washing them all myself. The good news is, though, the casserole I made tasted good!

Last winter, I decided to knit a dress. I was definitely out of my league for that project. All I'd ever knit before that was a bunch of mishapen, half-finished scarfs. But you know me, I love tackling enormous craft projects that would take the average person a long time to do. I think I started and restarted the dress like 3 times, but I finally got it going. And I had it finished within a month. It was still winter though, and too cold to wear. And summer seemed to come so suddenly, it was too hot to wear the dress. (It's thick knit, pretty warm.) I finally got around to blocking it like a month ago. And just recently, we had a day in the 60's, perfect for the dress. So I donned it and went about my day. And, guess what! I got several compliments! The lady at the deli counter said she liked it, that it looked homemade and had a unique look to it. The phlebotomist who drew my blood for my blood test said it was cute, that she hadn't seen one like it before. And a frie...

Living with a boy has been a new and....interesting experience. For instance, the toilet seat and lid are always up in the bathroom. And never before have I encountered dirty socks that smelled so bad. And do you know what I found in the fridge the other morning? I was just getting some milk to pour over my cereal for breakfast; and next to it, there was a jar with a lid. Inside was a giant bug! I can honestly say that none of my other roommates ever left anything like that in the refigerator. Mark explained to me that it was a cicada. Apparently he thinks girls care about that stuff. And then, he set the cicada jar out on the counter to 'defrost.' And what do you know, the thing started moving again after reaching room temperature. I've learned boys also like to play jokes and mess with their roommates. The sink sprayer handle rubber banded down and aimed where someone might be standing when they turn on the kitchen faucet...rubber bands shooting at me from all direct...

Now that the nights are getting cooler, it's beginning to feel like fall. As I see the leaves beginning to change, I think, "Nooooooo, I'm not ready!" But I heard the Spartan Marching Band practicing on campus the other day; and now the students are back. I guess it is an exciting time of year. As fast as this summer went, it certainly was a good one. Autumn has it's fair share of stuff about it that's good. Going to the apple orchard and getting cider and doughnuts, for example--anybody want to do that with me some time? And football! I don't care about the NFL and the lions; I've already been forced to watch an exhibition game or two. But I always care about Spartan football! I'll be in Indiana during the first game this Friday so I probably won't even be able to watch it. But there will be plenty more opportunities. And in a few short months, I'll have graduated and it will be Mark's and my first Christmas! Yay!! So you see, the ...

Google has forced me to create a new gmail address to use this blogger tool. I used to use my msu.edu account, but apparently that doesn't work now for whatever reason. I don't understand computers and stuff... I figure, since it's only 8 days away when I become Mrs. Feeney, may as well make my new gmail address with my new name. Go ahead. Send me a message. I'm at sara.e.feeney@gmail.com It looks so strange! I'm definitely gonna have to get used to this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go practice signing my new name...

Once again, I am going to break my rule about writing about the weather. Though, I made up that rule years ago, and it's outdated; maybe I should remove it from the rulebooks. Anyway, the wedding is near enough that the date falls within the 10 day forecast on weather.com now. Right now, they're predicting mostly sunny with a high of 81 degrees and only 10% chance of rain. I know it's a little far out to really trust their forecast yet, but wouldn't that be great if they were right?

I'm just wondering if anyone else does this. I hate so much for people to know that I've made a mistake. Say I'm driving somewhere and don't really know where I'm going. I know I have to turn right up ahead somewhere. I see a road and think my turn is approaching so I slow down and activate my turn signal. But upon coming near enough to read the street sign, I realize it's not my road. But instead of just turning off the car's blinker and speeding back up, I'll follow through with the turn. I don't want the person behind me to know I'm not sure where I'm going. Once I've turned, I'll find a more secluded spot to turn around where no one can see me. Or maybe I'll turn into a parking lot and make a loop so it's not obvious. Or, if I'm walking somewhere when I realize I've taken the wrong path, I won't just do a one-eighty. Instead, I'll go around the block or linger in a spot pretending to look at something befor...

No, not my co-ed team, but the Martin Luther Chapel men's team won the softball tournament last Tuesday! It was a single elimination tournament with 6 teams. The MLC team was the five-seed, so I figured if they didn't lose the first game, they'd definitely lose their second against the first place team. No way could they win three in a row to claim their title as champions. But somehow they did it. The other handful of fans and I were cheering like crazy. We now have another trophy to display proudly in the church somewhere. It was such a perfect night--beautiful weather, no bugs. For the first time all season, I didn't use any bug spray while at the ballpark. And victory! Y'all can congratulate Mark when you see him next.

I wonder if all my dreams for the next 2 months are gonna be about the same thing: my wedding. The big day is only 60 days away now, and there's a lot of work to do between now and then. Nothing big, just lots of little things, like getting the stuff to make programs, deciding on music for the ceremony, meeting with deejay and photographer, etc. Well, last night, I had a dream that, after all the planning and thought going into every detail, I couldn't even remember my wedding actually occurring. It started with me seeing one of my friends all dressed up. "Did you just come from my wedding?" I ask. "Yep." I'm now thinking how I don't remember ever giving a final expected guest count to the decorator. Maybe they just forgot our contract and didn't decorate. "Were there chair covers at the reception?" "Yes, there were," responds my friend. "With lavender sashes?" "Yes." Phew! I guess the decorator must've...

So, Mark and I went and washed our cars the other day. This is the first time I've ever washed Alejandro (my car's name) since I got him. Dirt actually doesn't show up that much on my car since it's silver; but washing it made me realize how dirty it really was. It was exhausting scrubbing all those bugs off. But now my car looks nice and shiny. And I've learned that I need to wash my car more often so it isn't so difficult when I do decide to wash it. Mark, of course, obsessively washes his Camaro. I don't blame him. If I had a Camaro, I'd probably be the same way.

So, I was on Mark's and my wedding registry today, and there's been a purchase! One item! I guess we can count on getting some new sheets! For whatever reason, seeing that an item was purchased on our registry just made it all seem a little more real. I'm getting married in 108 days! And my shower's only like a month away!

I went to the beach yesterday! Virginia Beach was about a 45 minute drive from my hotel. It felt so nice just to lay out and bask in the nice warm sun. It always feels weird the first time you wear a bathing suit each year. I'm so used to being fully covered, wearing long pants and long sleeves all winter. Feeling practically naked in you bikini needs a little getting used to each spring/summer. The weather was great--sunny and 70. It was really windy at the beach. Whenever there was a big gust, you'd just have to brace yourself and get pelted with sand. It actually hurt a little. Oh, and close your eyes and mouth. I tried calling Mark while at the beach and ended up eating a little sand. By the time I left Virginia Beach, I was covered in sand. It was in my hair, on my clothes, between my toes, etc. I decided I needed to at least put my feet in the water. While walking toward the ocean, a creepy old man approached me. I'm not sure if he decided to talk to me because I was ...

A few comments after driving around here in Hampton for a couple weeks now: they love the double-turn-lane here! What I mean by that is they will have two lanes designated as left turn lanes or right turn lanes at most intersections. We have those in Michigan, but they're not extremely common--just at intersections where there will be a lot of traffic trying to turn. But here, it's at like every cross street! People in Virginia must not like to travel in straight line. And U-turns are legit here. At least, I'm pretty sure. I've seen plenty of people make U-turns, so I decided to take a chance and make one the other day. They sometimes have divided highways where you have to go right to go left; we're familiar with that--the Michigan left. But instead of having a designated little turn around road, you wait until the next intersection and make a U-turn. And by many of the entrance and exit ramps for the expressway, there are red and white striped gates, like what you...

Friday after work, it finally wasn't raining, so I decided to go to a local beach area on the Chesapeake Bay. I got there and it was virtually solitary. It wasn't the nicest day; actually, it was in the 40s and windy. There was a pier and a big grassy open area. But the most notable thing was all the seagulls. And they obviously weren't afraid of people. The swarmed all around me; I was afraid they were going to attack! Either that or poop on me. This Saturday, I went to visit the Virginia Air and Space Center. It's right here in Hampton, only like a 10 minute drive from my hotel. And I got to flash my NASA badge for a dollar off at admission. There were a lot of little kids around. I guess it's one of those places parents take their kids to look at all the cool stuff. And there was a lot of cool stuff. There were planes hanging from the ceiling. I learned all about the Wright brothers and stuff like the science behind their propeller design. There was even somethi...

My life is so pathetic. All I do is go to work, do about 2 hours worth of stuff and then sit and stare the remaining 6 hours. Then I come home, cross stitch and watch tv , and do it all over again the next day. Speaking of work, did you know here in Virginia, you can get a license plate with a little NASA logo, like how I have the Spartan block S logo, and then the last 2 letters on your plate are "LR" for Langley Research. Somehow I don't see myself getting a plate with a logo of my place of employment; it would be a great thing if I liked my job enough to do that. Speaking of license plates, there's someone staying at my hotel from Alaska. I saw a vehicle with an Alaska license plate in the parking lot. Speaking of vehicles, I see a lot of C amaros down here. And they're all black! Well, I saw one gray one, but all the rest are black. I guess they really like black Camaros down here; that and trying to make me miss Mark a lot. Speaking of cars owned by people ...

I feel that the stereotype of nerdy scientist who works for NASA may actually be true. I sit with these people at lunch, and you should hear their conversations! Yesterday, as usual, they were talking about the nuclear reactors and the issues they're having over in Japan. If I had a dollar for every time they said the word plutonium... This one guy wearing a Pacman sweatshirt seemed to be the guy to ask about nuclear stuff. My guess is he has like a PhD in nuclear physics or something. He was talking about how his friend out in California took a sample off his porch and put it in his gamma ray spectrometer and actually found higher-than-normal radiation levels, most likely due to Japan. I was thinking to myself, "Who has their own gamma ray spectrometer? What is that, even?!" Seriously, though. And these guys all watch the science shows every night. They're too nerdy for popular entertainment. Someone in our branch is actually named Michael Scott. (If that name means ...

I've put in 3 days so far at Langley Research Center. I sit in a lab all by myself in the same building as my NASA advisor, Tony. My space isn't huge, but it's sufficient. Here's a photo of my experimental setup. You can see the steel horizontal tube on the left. That's a plane wave tube, and my microphone is mounted in that. I try to be at work from 9-5 each day. It's tough; my attention span only lasts until about 2:00, and that's with an hour lunch. And it doesn't help that I don't get internet access. There's an unsecured guest wireless network there, but the signal isn't very strong. Yesterday, I could get it if I went into the hallway, but today, even standing next to the wireless signal transmitter, I couldn't find the network. So I had 17 emails waiting for me when I got back from work. I've got 17 days left going into work here in Virginia, or even less if Congress doesn't get their act together and there's a shutdow...

Mission accomplished. I'm basically a sporcle addict (that website with lots of trivia quizzes; I've written about it before). Each day, they have the "daily dose" with new quizzes in a few different categories. I'm pretty good at the mixed word and word ladder quizzes, but I've never (until today) aced the missing word quiz. Missing word quizzes typically are in some category like movies or music and you fill in the missing word from the title. Usually, I score in like the 30th percentile on the missing word quizzes--not very good. I set a goal for myself long ago to get a perfect score on a missing word quiz some day. I came close on the day it was Disney movies, but was unfamiliar with one of the titles. But today! Today, I found my category in which I guess I'm an expert--Chick Flicks. I didn't even have to guess at any. I finished the quiz in about 30 seconds!

Well, I've been in Virginia a couple days now. Here are some photos of my hotel room. It's not a luxury suite or anything, but it'll do. The "kitchen" consists of a couple burners, a sink, 1 pot, 1 pan, a few bowls, plates, cups, and some silverware. I also have a fridge. I feel pretty limited on what I can make, but I guess I'm not much of a cook anyway. The other night, it took me like 20 minutes just to figure out how to turn on the stove. Luckily, the NASA facility has a cafeteria, so I'll get some variety in my diet besides cereal and sandwiches. Don't worry, Mom, I'll be intentional about ordering at least one vegetable every day in the cafeteria. Today was my first day going into Langley to work. I was a little nervous about finding my way, but things went pretty smoothly. (It was on the way home that I had all the difficulty--I think I made 3 wrong turns...pretty tough to do on a 7 minute drive). First I had to stop at the badge and pass ...

Today, for the first time in a long time, I wore open-toed shoes outside! It was like 70 degrees today! I actually didn't walk to work or choir practice or anything because I heard it was supposed to rain and I didn't want to get caught in it. But even so, it was nice not to have to bundle up and be uncomfortable walking between my car and whichever building I was going to. Leaving choir practice tonight, I was wondering where my coat was when I realized, I didn't bring one! And soon, I'll be heading down to Virginia for a month where, hopefully, the weather averages around 10 degrees warmer than here and I can wear sandals many days. Yes, if you haven't heard, I have to go to the NASA facility in Hampton, Virginia for about a month and do some of my research work down there; it's part of my fellowship. It kinda stinks that I'm gonna be stuck in a new place all alone, but I can always try to meet some people. And I'll be getting reimbursed for my tr...

Yes, it's one of my favorite days, next to Christmas and my birthday. And opening day--of course, Dad. Being a math dork and somewhat of a nerd, I decided years ago to memorize pi up to 200 decimal places. Not really useful information, but it gives me something good to say if I'm ever in a situation where we have to go around the circle and introduce ourselves and say one interesting thing about ourselves. I haven't actually had any pie today; but I think I'll just celebrate by memorizing a few more digits or something.

I'm totally getting swamped with interviews now. It's crazy! Good news! I just got another on-site interview with a company--ArcelorMittal, the steel company. I'll have to travel all the way to Burns Harbor, IN for this one. And I have a phone interview next week with Eaton and the week after with O-I. And don't forget my other on-site interview with Dow Chemical. It's exciting; I may have finally gotten the hang of this whole interviewing thing. Though, I shouldn't speak too soon. I don't have any job offers yet...

I just got back from a trip to Meijer. I try to avoid going very often. I always end up buying more food than I can eat. And this time was no different. I went shopping hungry, which everyone knows is an amateur mistake. Next thing I know, I have over $60 worth of groceries. Now mind you, I was picking up some stuff for Mark too that he requested. But most of it was mine. It's just, the last couple days, I've run out of stuff to snack on. So now I have tons of snacks. And do you know my favorite part of shopping? I'm such a dork. I love seeing what coupons I get at checkout. The anticipation is always so thrilling. I know you're curious, so I'll tell you what coupons I got this time. I have $3.00 off my next bottle of CLEAR CARE contact cleaning and disinfecting solution; $1.50 off 3 boxes of General Mills cereal; and $1.25 off 3 packages of Hot Pockets or Lean Pockets. Hmmm...I'm not sure I'll actually use any of those. Oh well, maybe next tim...

Guess who just landed another interview? Me! It's with ArcelorMittal. They're a steel company. It's next week; aah! I also have a phone interview tomorrow with Dow Chemical. At least I don't have to wear a suit for that one. It's nice that I'm finally seeing a glimmer of hope at actually getting a job. I did a mock interview on Tuesday; that's like the 5th one of those that I've done. And it's the most positive feedback I've yet received after one of those, so hopefully that's a good sign. Wish me luck!

The other day, I think it was Monday, I saw a flyer stapled to the bulletin board in the lobby area of my apartment. My eyes are trained very well to pick out certain phrases--basically, anything that translates to "free food." This particular flyer said "Come early for free Chipotle ," so I scanned it for other important details. Tuesday, January 25. 7pm. 224 Erickson Hall. That's all I needed to know. I wasn't even sure what the meeting was for. Some group called Beyond Coal. So Tuesday night, I made my way over to Erickson. I entered into a room full of hippies. I've never seen so much tie dye and dudes with long hair. I'm just kidding; it wasn't that extreme. And I didn't see any food. Was it all gone already? No...no one was chewing. It must not be here yet. Then, to my relief, someone walked in carrying a boxful of burritos. They were vegetarian, but a box of chicken burritos was on the way, so I waited. I made sure t...

So, wedding planning is in full swing. I bought my dress last week! No details here since my fiance will read this. I'm super traditional and won't let him know anything about it. And now that I have my dress figured out, it's time to move on to bridesmaids' dresses. Yesterday, my two sisters and Hayley all came dress shopping in Okemos . We tried on a lot and I think we found a favorite. I even got to put a dress on so we could compare them all at once (and to make for a cute picture!) In this photo, Jennifer's wearing the one I think we're gonna go with. But the color will be lavender. It's gonna be so pretty!

Yesterday I volunteered with a group of girls from Society of Women Engineers ( SWE ) to go to the food bank in Lansing and put together weekend survival kits. I wasn't exactly sure what I was signing up for. We ended up packing plastic Ziploc bags with food. These bags would be handed out to children, mostly in the Lansing school district, who would probably otherwise go hungry over the weekend. To get the bags, first the school has to opt to be a part of the weekend survival kit program, then any children on the reduced price lunch program are asked if they want to participate. If their parents agree to it, then those children get the survival kits. It really hit me hard that there are so many kids out there living in such poverty they can't afford to eat. And right here in Lansing. I scrounge around for free food because I'm a cheapskate (I've managed to get 4 free meals in the last 3 days--all pizza, but hey, I'm not complaining). But if I can't find...

I finally got my parking pass for the semester (harder to do than it sounds, but that's a whole other story.) Now that I have my car on campus, I drive everywhere. Not that I have anywhere that far to walk; I could probably use the exercise. But it's just so cold outside. This morning, I attended a networking breakfast in the Kellogg Center on campus. When I got back to my apartment and got out of the car, I dropped my keys. And they bounced under my car in an impossible-to-reach spot. Seriously, they were smack dab in the center of the area underneath my car. And it's not like I could get into my car and back it up a few feet because I didn't have my keys! So I did what I had to do and got down on the ground. I army-crawled a little closer and reached as far as I could. I barely touched the keys but was able to retrieve them. When I stood up, my front side was covered in snow. I was a little embarrassed, but luckily, there was no one around to see me rollin...

Have you guys seen the newest fashion trend in winter wear? It's those hats with animal heads on them. I think they look ridiculous and wouldn't be caught dead wearing something around campus with cat ears on it. The first time I saw one, I felt sorry for the girl. I figured her grandma or best friend made it for her or something. But since then, I've noticed more and more people wearing them. I've seen hats with cat ears, mouse ears, elephant ears, panda ears, etc. I think I saw a lion today. I think it looks silly now, but who knows, I'll probably be wearing an animal hat three years from now and think it's the cutest thing. I'm always a little slow to pick up on the fads.