Random Photo Entry 11: Where Have I Been?

I am not abandoning my blog, although it has been difficult for me to make time for it lately. I haven't even had time to spend time being an Examiner and barely am able to get to my self-maintenance (e.g., laundry, nails... you get the idea.)

All this will hopefully ease up soon. It needs to. I have had to cancel the same dental appointment several times and just barely had time to sneak in for a long, long overdue haircut this past weekend.

Did I mention that I don't think I'm going to be able to run my dissertation this summer because this proposal drafting process is taking longer than anticipated? Yes, I'm pretty disappointed, but I am partly (or wholly?) to blame for not hitting the mark right away. I need to live my life, too, otherwise, what am I trying to enrich? Some people tell me that I had set an unrealistic goal, but I can't remember the last time I did not meet such an important aspiration.

Anyway, I can't live in that disappointed mode forever. I have work to do, right? If all else fails, I have the summer to work on this and get committee review in the Fall, and then run my study. Add another 6 months+ to my PhD pursuit (which I began in August 2007)? In the grand scheme of things, that isn't so bad, right?

I'll post these pictures of recent eats and happenings....

Above: Vegan burger from Loving Hut. We took my co-worker out before she moved away. Our staff has shrunken from 4 to soon-to-be 2, which is partly why I'm stressed all the time. But this burger, wow. The fake patty wasn't all that awesome (no more than others), but the vegan mayo melded very well with the bread and tomato, creating a realistic product that doesn't even need fake cheese.

Above: Burrito from Armando's, a small Mexican food joint in my neighborhood. Sadly, there was some cheese on top of the red sauce, so I had to scrape that off. Darn my lactose intolerance! Inside, I had lettuce, beans, rice, and pico de gallo. I ate the smaller half of this sucker.

Above: This is the first picture I took of the cat that is now living in my house the day that she showed up in our backyard. I'm a dog person, so this is definitely weird. (NOTE: If this is your cat, please let me know... pets belong in their homes!) She would not (and still won't) leave, and it started to rain, so my parents took her in. Although it's nice having her, I don't think my house is fit for a cat and the costs of taking care of her.

Above: This is me on Valentine's Day, celebrating the Lunar New Year with the family at my brother-in-law's hotel. I wore this same ensemble to have V-Day dinner that night.

Above: Finally, here is one of my dancing shoes. They were only a bit cheaper than lower-cost running shoes, which was totally a burn to my wallet. I have been taking salsa classes for about 2 months and am about to sign up for another quarter. These make it so much easier to turn, and they are very light! Plus, my feet no longer hurt after class like they used to. I could write a whole other entry about my salsa experience, but I'll save that for another time. It makes for an interesting piece, e.g., "Clumsy Runner Tries to Do an Ultra-Feminine Latin Dance." =)