Thanks to everyone who replied to my first message! You're right, it wasn't that bad and it was good to be a little overprepared because I felt much more comfortable once I got in the office. I looked up questions in advance so I was ready.  Since it was my first interview, it seemed a little awkward but I don't think I made a total ass out of myself.

I don't think the job was quite right for me (although I haven't been offered or denied it yet) because it was A WHOLE LOT of chemistry (right up audrey1hepburn1 's alley, lol).  If it comes down to it though, I'll take it for the short term so I'll have a job.  BUT, on the day of the interview, I received an email from another lab offering me the chance to interview with them on Thursday (i.e. TODAY!) and it is much much more interesting to me.  I printed out their papers (once again, the overpreparation) and can't stop reading them because the work is so darn cool!  So I'm considering that a good sign and am setting out this afternoon to get myself that job!

Thanks for the encouragement everyone!

So, I'm in the late stages of earning my PhD which basically means that I don't sleep and am a ball of nerves on most days.

It dawned on me that I really need to start looking for jobs for the first time in nearly 6 years. James and I really don't want to move right now, so I focused my search in Tennessee or, more specifically, at Vanderbilt. Before Christmas, I made a list of labs that I would be interested in... It took me nearly three weeks to finish my cover letter because (1) I've never written one for myself and (2) I don't like to write them because I feel like I'm bragging and I hate it.

I finally bit the bullet and finished it last week. I sent out my first letter on Friday at 11 AM. I was told by several people to not expect replies because most PIs get tons of letters and not everyone actually opens postdoc application emails. With that in mind, I went about my day, not really thinking anything of it. Friday at noon, I received an email from the PI I emailed earlier in the day and, lo and behold, he will have an opening at the exact time that I finish my PhD and is willing to consider me for it. Yay! He wants me in for an interview this Tuesday at 4 PM.

I'm excited and scared to death at the same time. I would love to work in this lab but its huge and has lots of funding so realistically, I'm on a long list of potential employees. But the fact that he replied back so quickly is a good sign, right?

I spent the weekend researching every paper this lab has published in the last five to ten years. I feel like I'm overthinking and overpreparing but I don't want to sound like an idiot during the interview :(

*sigh* I need sleep :(

It has taken me forever to get these photos uploaded but I have finally got them online!  :)  Below are the pictures of my ravelry "the end" swap kit pictures.  My amazing spolier was, lidkyd.  Thanks so much for everything!  I love it and it really was a nice surprise to return from my wedding to! :)



( Detailed Pictures Behind the Cut ... )

House Quiz


1. What potion has the strange side effects of excessive singing and nose-tweaking?
An Elixir of Euphoria

2. What ingredient can be used to counteract the effect of the above side effects?
Peppermint

3. How much can you get for Acromantula venom?
One hundred galleons per pint

4. What is the most powerful love potion in the world?
Amortentia

5. What antidote does Harry use to help Ron when he is poisoned by Madam Rosmerta's finest mead?
Bezoar

6. How does Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' Owl Order Service get their potions past the security at Hogwarts to their customers?
They disguise them in perfume or cough syrup bottles

7. What did Draco Malfoy make in Potions class when Professor Slughorn assigned them to make something amusing?
A hiccuping elixir

8. What spells will not work in an area affected by Instant Darkness Powder?
Light spells, such as Lumos, and fire magic

9. What are the ingredients for the Draught of Living Death?
Asphodel, Wormwood, Valerian Roots, and a single Sophorous Bean

10. How much will unicorn tail hair fetch?
Ten galleons per hair

Extra Credit


Answering the following questions are extra credit and will earn you an additional ticket in the drawing for the prize.


1. Do you prefer to knit or crochet? It depends on the project. For blankets and large items, I like to crochet so it doesn't take forever to finish. I tend to knit smaller projects.

2. What is your favorite weight yarn to knit/crochet with? Worsted weight, especially natural fibers.

3. What fiber contents do you most like to knit/crochet with? What fiber contents do you dislike knitting/crocheting with? Natural fibers are my favorite. I don't like crafting with novelty fibers or really rough / itchy fibers.

4. How many complete pair of socks have you knit/crochet? For myself? None. For family and friends, 4 or 5.

5. What is your favorite item to knit/crochet? BAGS! And blankets :) And an occassional Harry Potter scarf or two.

6. What is your favorite treat? Craisins and chocolate!

7. Do you drink coffee, tea, or both? Only tea.

8. Do you have an online wish list? If so, where? I don't have one.

9. How many Ravelry groups are you in? 28.

10. Is there any special item you have been really wanting, but can't find in your local area? Not really.

Here's the first section of my traveling scarf! :)  Finished at 2:15 AM...  It looks red in this picture (because my camera phone sucks) but its actually a shade of pink-purple ("raspberry" to be exact).

Here is the map of the route group 16's scarves will travel on.


View Larger Map

Half of the living room is done done done!  I've gotta use the steam cleaner on the carpets but I'm saving that for next weekend.  I bought a new area rug and it looks a lot better than the old one (although I miss my pretty green rug - I just wish the cats hadn't ruined it).

The other half of the room is okay, not finished but its not terrible.  The good news is that the living room is the largest room in the house, so I'm about a third of the way through house cleaning. 

I bought a bunch of supplies today, but I am so exhausted!  My goal is to have the living room, kitchen and guest room done today.  We'll work on James' office tomorrow (I'm calling out and James is off).  And that will leave my bedroom and the bathrooms for next Saturday.  They don't get in until the 11th so I'll have a week to finish up odds and ends.

UGH!!! Back to work ... again :(  (WHY did we let the house get this BAD?!?!?)

I'm supposed to be cleaning the house, but after about 3 hours, I'm so pooped!  My parents will be here in TWO weeks (exactly) and my house is really messy.  Its not really dirty (just a little dusting and wiping down a few surfaces) but I have just piles and piles of stuff everywhere.  I sort of got in the zone this morning and threw quite a bit of stuff away but I've barely scraped the surface.  James and I are packrats and we hate to throw things away, so it gets really bad from time to time.  When we first moved here, we had friends over a lot, so we had an excuse to keep the place clean.  But we've been so busy with new jobs and me finishing school that we haven't had much time to hang out at our place.  So its pretty bad. 

But now, James is at work, so I have no one to motivate me to continue.  Whose wedding is it anyway is on TV, and I've got a perfect unfinished pair of armwarmers still on the needles in the bag next to me and I am SO tempted to just say screw it and start knitting. 

Speaking of knitting, about a week ago, I was all bummed because my stash was rather pathetic.  I started this new traveling scarf swap and wanted to find some killer yarn to use for people's scarves. Well, it turns out that I have more of a stash than I originally thought.  We were cleaning this morning before James went to work and I told him to go through the living room and take everything crafty / yarny and bring it into the spare bedroom so I could organize it all and put it into bins.  After his third trip with BAGS full of yarn, he told me that it was getting a bit ridiculous and that I really needed to use some of it up before I bought anymore.  I, on the other hand, was psyched!  I finally have a decent (and VERY organized) stash!  I also found a few nearly finished projects that I put into a wicker basket and put on the end table in the living room to motivate me to finish.  :) 

Ok, so I've probably stalled enough.  Off to eat dinner and the CLEAN some more.

I'm SO EXCITED to be a involved in a Pay It Forward Exchange! I found out about it from liudwih!

It’s based of the concept of the movie “Pay it Forward” where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on. So here’s how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 12 months) and that’s a promise! What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

And remember, you don't have to knit or crochet to participate, anyone who can make a nice handmade gift is welcome to join in the fun! :)

This sums up how I feel about my most recent electric bill :)

Thank you thank you thank you Knitty Knitterson! Package 2 was equally awesome as package 1!

Tomorrow is going to be a hugely important day for me.   I get to go back to my dietitian for my first weigh-in since I started my "nutrition plan" three months ago.  I've been keeping a pretty close watch on my weight and as of this morning, I have lost a total of 26 pounds!  That's like the equivalent of my dog, Gigabyte, or a small child.  I'm absolutely amazed and ecstatic. 

My goal was to be at or below 200 lbs for tomorrow's weigh in and I'm at 197.5.  My next goal is to fit into the business suit that I bought for interviews five years ago by the end of April so I can wear it to my meeting in Atlanta.  The suit is a tailored size 14, which means its closer to a size 12, and by my estimations, I weighed approximately 180 when I wore it last.  So I have 17 pounds to lose in about 2 months, meaning I need to seriously hit the gym and stick as closely to the plan as possible.

I'm going to go do a lot of walking at the mall tonight for my "last chance workout" of sorts and then anxiously await tomorrow's appointment.

I will post pictures sometime this weekend of me at my starting weight and me after the appointment tomorrow.  James and I are going out to celebrate tomorrow night.  We haven't decided if we are going to splurge on our calories or just have a sensible meal yet, but it should be fun either way.  He's also lost a lot of weight (30 lbs) so we both have something to be proud of :)

My first SPLJ5 package arrived today!

( Click here for the pics! )

I got my Christmas present from crazykimmy !

( Check out the pictures )
Thank you so much! Its so pretty and I love it!

I saw this on nevergivingaway's journal and it looks like a really neat idea.  (I -love- sending surprise gifts!)

STEP ONE
- Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and fandom-related ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.

- If you wish for real life things (not fics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you. [Note: Your home address is not required!]

- Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your LJ, or link to this post (it'll be public) so that the holiday joy will spread.

STEP TWO
- Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:

- If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.