They finally removed the cement stops I had on my bottom molars, and it feels weird now that they're gone. They also smoothed out the edges of my top and bottom front six since I had little ridges on them from my bite never forming properly. I can't wait to see what my teeth look like when I'm all done. I only have my brackets left on, no wires, no powerchains, no elastics. I do have to wear elastics at night for the next week, but then on Wednesday I'm getting the brackets removed :) Getting pretty excited.
I realized I haven't updated in a while, just been reading about other people's lives, so I figured it's time to catch up a little.
I guess the biggest things that have happened recently are as follows:
I am scheduled to get my permanent retainers placed on June 24th and scheduled to have my braces removed on July 1st (that'll make 16 months with braces, holy crap). I say "scheduled" because I've had appointments set twice before to have the retainers done/braces removed and both times it was pushed back. I think this time is really it though and I'm getting pretty excited about it. My teeth are looking great and I'm just so over having braces. I'm really interested to see what my teeth look like once the braces come off because there has been quite a big change. I'm going to see if I can get copies of the pictures and x-rays that my orthodontist took at my first visit since I neglected to record my progress. Publix sub, here I come.
Bob and I decided to start doing Weight Watchers together. We had both been pretty lax about our eating/exercising habits and were ready for a change. We started June 1st and today was our second weigh in. I didn't lose any the first week, but today I was down 4 lbs, which I'm pleased with. Bob, on the other hand, was down 12 lbs today! It makes sense that he would lose a lot to begin with, he's made a huge change to his eating habits and has been going to the gym every day. He's really sticking with it and I'm super proud of him.
My lease is over the end of July, and I'm going to be moving into Bob's apartment for a couple of weeks until our apartment is ready. We should be moving in sometime in the middle/third week of August hopefully. We're staying in the same complex (Reflections for any of you who are familiar with Gainesville) but moving to a 2/2 since it's just us. We got the apartment we wanted, 3rd floor, facing the interior of the complex (trees, pool vs. parking lot) and a screened-in balcony. I'm pretty excited to move into the new place and FINALLY be living with Bob. We've been dating a little over 14 months and the driving back and forth got old a long time ago. We already cook/clean/stay together every day/night and the only thing missing is that all of our stuff is in two places. We have a phone plan and bank accounts together, so there's not really much transitioning to be done. Oh, I also got the go-ahead from my boss to switch my schedule from 8-5 to 9-6 (since Bob works 10-7) so that our schedules can match up better. This will make things a lot easier in general and we could go to the gym together in the morning.
I think I may have finally found a bra that actually works for me. I know this doesn't sound like big life news but it's a pretty big deal for me. I have a really hard time finding bras in my size (38DD) that aren't meant for gravity-defying 'enhanced' boobs. I don't really care for tons of coverage, since I do show a bit of skin, but I don't like the cut-to-there bras because I tend to spill out of them, which is means I'm constantly adjusting myself and there's really no subtle way to do that. Once I lose a bit of weight I'm considering possibly going for breast reduction surgery, mainly because I pretty much constantly have back/neck/shoulder pain and I feel like my breasts are too big in proportion to the rest of me in general. I don't worry about how I look to other people, but when I see myself in pictures I'm pretty much always shocked at how big my chest looks. Gravity also hasn't been too friendly to them after I gained and then lost 40 lbs. For a long time I was very closed to the idea of surgery, but at this point, I don't want to have to deal with pain the rest of my life and be unhappy with my appearance.
This one was for my grandmother's 90th birthday in August.
My dad's retirement party in April 2009
Friend's birthday May 2009 (I just finished this one today)
Bob and I decided not to move up to D.C. The big reasons for this are 1) the money he'd be making and the money (assumed) that I'd be making would not be enough to live up there, especially with Bob's school loans coming due this year. 2) The job itself was nothing that Bob wanted to spend a year doing. So we're going to be staying in Gainesville for now. Bob is applying for a few other jobs, one of which is in Florida, so there's a chance we could move, but I tend to think we'll be here for another year at least.
Today's my birthday. This is the first birthday that's made me feel... weird. I won't say it makes me feel old because I'm not, but I'm kind of freaked out by the idea that I'll be 25 next year. It also doesn't help that Bob turned 27 this month.
I'm getting excited at the idea that I might have my braces off this month. I think I'm going to have a dinner party and serve all the foods that have been difficult for me to eat this past year.
I'm not looking forward to all the stuff we'll have to do, and it doesn't help that Bob's kind of freaking out about the whole situation. It's completely understandable, I just wish I could do more to help him calm down about it. I know he's most worried about me finding a job. He knows I'll do everything I can to find something quickly, but until I have a job I know he'll be stressing about it.
I really wish I had more to talk about than just moving. I'm sure it's pretty boring to all two of you who probably read this.
This weekend we're having a small retirement party for my dad in Jacksonville. I want to make him a cake shaped like a guitar, but I'm worried I won't have enough time to make it come out how I want. I'll certainly give it my best try though. I've wanted to make him a guitar cake for a while, but since his birthday is May 10th I really don't think I'll have the time/my baking stuff will be packed, so this is probably my best chance to do it.
I've started reading a fantasy trilogy recommended by Bob's friend Hutch. I wish I had more time to read, but I know if I don't make the effort I'll just get out of the habit again entirely.
I'm really looking forward to Bob and I (hopefully) being on the same work schedule once we move. Between me working 8-5 and a second job and him working 10-7 it's pretty frustrating. We make it work and I know it'll only be for like a month longer, but it'll be really nice to be on the same schedule. Not to mention being in the same apartment. Can't wait for that!
Since I have very little time to go to the gym anymore, I really need to get back in the habit of walking more. As it is I walk on my breaks at work (2 miles a day), but I've been lazy and I need to get back to walking in the evenings as much as I can.
So ready to be done with this second job. So ready.
If we're both there it's most likely Family Guy or House, if it's just him probably Entourage or BSG since I'm not up to date on either of those.
2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does s/he get on her/his salad?
That's funny. Bob only eats salads if they come with his meal (then it would be caesar) or if he's eating at someone's house (ranch).
3. What's one food he doesn't like?
Onions, mayonnaise (I still can't understand this and probably never will). One thing that's weird to me is he likes chickpeas, and he likes tahini, but he doesn't like chickpeas + tahini.
4. You go out to the bar. What does s/he order?
Beer
5. Where did s/he go to high school?
Santa Fe High School
6. What size shoe does s/he wear?
10 or 11
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?
Bob kind of "collects" in that he buys lots of things. There's not necessarily a trend to what those things are though.
8. What is her/his favorite type of sandwich?
Anything with meat on it. Or this weird peanut butter/jelly tortilla concoction he loves.
9. What would this person eat every day if s/he could?
Meat
10. What is her/his favourite cereal?
I've never seen him eat cereal, but apparently he likes Frosted Flakes.
11. What would s/he never wear?
If we're talking absolutely never, probably women's clothing. If we're talking in general what he doesn't like to wear, long sleeves.
12. What is her/his favourite sports team?
Gators
13. Who will s/he vote for?
He voted for Obama
14. Who is her/his best friend?
He's got a few. Matt, Hutch, Brett, me.
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?
Oh I'm sure there are tons of little things, but nothing really major.
16. How many states has s/he lived in?
Just Florida
17. What is her/his heritage?
I think maybe German on his mom's side, but his dad's side is uncertain because he doesn't know who his biological grandfather is.
18. You bake her/him a cake for her/his birthday; what kind of cake?
It would probably be a peach cobbler. Or brownies with ice cream.
19. Did s/he play sports in high school?
He worked for the soccer team but didn't play on it.
20. What could s/he spend hours doing?
Watching TV, playing video games, taking pictures, messing around with the computer, playing golf
1. Who eats more? It depends on what it is. When it comes to meals, he eats bigger meals. When it comes to desserts, I can put him to shame.
2. Who said "I love you" first? He did, but we were both awkwardly waiting for the right time for a few days.
3. How long have you been together? Our first date/meet-up was April 12, 2008.
4. Who sings better? Neither of us sing really. He'll sing along to a song in the car though, which is something I won't do if someone else is in the car.
5. Who's older? He's 3 years older.
6. Who's smarter? We're both smart (and dumb) in our own ways. Bob knows a lot more about technology and business-related things, I know more random stuff about languages and grammar and cooking.
7. Who's temper is worse? We both can have pretty bad tempers, but never really directed towards each other.
8. Who does the laundry? We both do.
9. Who does the dishes? We both do. It's pretty much an understood thing that whatever needs to get done gets done. We both don't mind cleaning and doing laundry.
10. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? He does, mainly because that's the side that the fans blow on, and he's always hot.
11. Who snores? We both do.
12. Who's hair is longer? Mine, but it's not really a fair contest since he shaves his head.
13. Who's better with the computer? We're both very computer literate, but he knows a lot more about the inner workings than I do.
14. Do you have pets? I have two birds and two rabbits, he has a cat.
15. Was it love at first sight? No, but it was definitely mutual attraction.
16. Who cooks dinner? I do most of the time, but he makes really good pasta.
17. Who drives when you are together? We both do. It depends on who feels like driving.
18. Who pays when you go out to dinner? He does, but that's because he typically wants to go out more than I do, and he makes more money than me. We've been eating at home more, and we both buy food for cooking at home.
19. Who is the most stubborn? We both are pretty bad about that, but we do well not letting it become an issue.
20. Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong? Either of us will if we realize we're being ridiculous about something. We both are able to have a sense of humor about admitting fault, so it works out.
21. Who's parents do you see more? We see them all about the same amount. My parents live 2 hours away, so it's longer in between visits. His mom lives in Gainesville, but we only see her every few weeks. His dad lives half the year in Gainesville, half the year in Nevada, so whenever he's in Florida we see him every few weeks too.
22. Who named your pet? I named Jack, Oliver, and Bella since I got them before we met. I got Molly from a rescue shelter, so she was already named. He named Skippy because he got her when he was 12.
23. Who kissed whom first? He tried to kiss me on our second date, but I was clueless and gave him a hug instead. Our first kiss was the next date.
24. Who asked out whom? He asked me out for a beer, with no romantic intentions. I asked him out on a second date.
25. Who was more nervous? Neither of us were the first date, because it wasn't intended as a date at first. The second date I was just looking forward to seeing him again, I don't think I was very nervous.
26. Who's more sensitive? I guess it depends on what you're talking about. He's more sensitive when it comes to dealing with people. He's much more sympathetic and patient with people who are annoying (and children) than I am. But we're both pretty good about reading body language and knowing when someone is upset.
27. Who's taller? He is. 5'9" versus 5'3".
28. Who has more friends? He has a very large group of good friends from high school and from just living in this area for so long. I have a smaller group that has become larger since I met his friends.
29. Who has more siblings? He does. He has three half siblings that are like 20 years older than him. But we both grew up as only children.
30. Who wears the pants in the relationship? We both have an equal say in the relationship. Neither of us gets to override the other one when it comes to decision-making and neither of us is in charge of the other one.
31.Who's sexier? Well, I suspect we both would have our own opinions on this one.
32. Who sleeps naked? Neither of us, we both wear something to bed.
33. Who has been with more ex-lovers? He has.
34. Who has more money? He makes more money, and has more disposable income, but he also has a lot of school debt. I make less money, and have a reasonable amount of disposable income, but I have a lot less debt. He's very financially responsible though.
35. Who has more tattoos? I do. I have one and he has none.
36. Who eats more sweets? He eats more candy than I do, I eat more ice cream.
37. Who is closer to his/her family? We're both close to our families in different ways.
38. Who has the older car? I do, but both of our cars are in really good shape.
39. Who feeds the pets? We both do. If the animals need to be fed/taken care of, whoever is around does it. Sometimes we do it together.
40. Who cries more? Me. To date I don't think I've seen him cry. He lets out his emotions, he just doesn't really express them through crying like I do sometimes.
Basically, my teeth feel very tight, but aren't painful unless I put pressure on the top front ones. But it's all worth it if I can get them off in a few short months. I also had a panoramic x-ray done since it's been a year since I first had one done. My teeth look all straight and orderly and he said that everything is where it should be.
These are 5 things that Melissa (I don't know how to link to lj usernames) wanted me to say more about. If you are interested, comment to this post. I'll come up with 5 things I want to know more about with you, and then you post it in your LJ. It's fun! Or it's...well, it passes some time at least!
1) Bob
Bob and I met on Facebook, of all places, because he was looking for agnostic/atheist girls to hook up with. I thought he was a frat boy the first month or two we were messaging back and forth, so I didn't even entertain the thought that we might date. Our first date was more of a meet-up, but I asked him on a second date, and from there it's been awesome. I'm not used to having a boyfriend that all my family and friends really like, or being in an emotionally healthy relationship. It's lovely.
2) Career
I don't have one, and I don't know what career I might actually want to have. In a few years I'd like to go back to school and I always find my self thinking of going into something along the lines of speech therapy, so who knows.
3) UF
I was raised to be a Gator, even though I'm the first in my family to go there, the first to graduate, and the first to have a Bachelor's degree. I always knew I would go to college, and even though I was never pushed to go to UF specifically, I know my mom was even more thrilled than I was that I got accepted.
4) Fernandina Beach
I'm glad that I grew up in Fernandina, mainly because it was great living so close to the ocean and living in an area that was safe enough that my cousins and I could play mostly unsupervised a lot of the time. It's also neat to me that my mom was born and raised on the island, we attended the same high school, and even had one teacher in common, even though there are 30 years between us. I know I could never move back there, it's too small and closed and stagnant, but I do have a lot of great memories from growing up there and it is a beautiful area of Florida.
5) Jack and Ollie
Jack and Ollie are as close as I'll ever get to having children (along with any other pets). I got Jack 4 years ago when he was a baby, never having had a bird before, but being won over by his personality and attitude. Ollie was an unexpected addition 2 years ago, but she and Jack are very different personalities, and they behave as though they belong to the same flock. They can be very challenging and annoying, but they are also incredibly intelligent and clever and it's fun to see what new sounds Ollie learns to imitate and what new shenanigans Jack gets into. The best description I've ever heard for a parrot is that they are like a 2 year-old with a can opener on it's face, which is disturbingly accurate.
Added some new pictures to my Flickr account of our visit to Fort Clinch and some miscellaneous tchatchkes from my room.
- Today for lunch at work I'm having this. For a while I've been leery of soup in a carton for some reason, but I finally caved and decided to try it, since it would be so easy to make at work. Aside from the fact that it looks absolutely vile when it slimes its way out of the carton, it's pretty tasty and now I'm interested to try the other flavors. Unfortunately it does contain huge amounts of sodium, but I eat very little salt otherwise, so I guess it all works out.
- I got my very own Flickr page since I'm now actually taking pictures. I've loaded a few pics so far. Right now I'm playing around with shutter speed, so there will be lots of random pictures of things in varying stages of blurriness, and also pictures of the birds, since they're always willing to get attention from the shiny flashing thing. Go see: http://flickr.com/photos/robotpenguin/
- March is almost here, and that means that shortly I can begin the 2 month countdown the the big move. I'm beginning to get a taste of what it will be like to have my budget and my savings caught up in a whirlwind of chaos. First up is my car, which recently decided "Hey! I'm going to need new break pads and sensors, oh and while you're at it, a 50,000 mile checkup would be nice too. K thanks." I don't mind so much because I do need to have it running well before I make a long distance trip, and my car has been good to me for 6 years, so I want to keep it that way. What I do mind is depleting my saving in one fell swoop. Oh well, I do know that I'll be able to build it all back up in the next few months, so that makes me feel a little better. I also am in the middle of trying to sort out my apartment lease, which ends in July but needs to end in May if I don't want to be paying for two apartments for June/July. I'm pretty confident that that will have a positive conclusion though.
- Going to Fernandina for the weekend.
- I see my orthodontist in 2 weeks and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that when I ask how much longer until my braces come off they tell me 2-3 more months.
I settled on one and tried it out to see if it would meet all my needs, and I soon discovered that I really wanted to have a nicer camera, something that would allow me to experiment a bit and learn to really use a camera, since that's something I've always had the desire to do. I have some experience with film cameras, my dad has an old Minolta that has been in my custody for a few years, but I've never had my own nice digital camera. Sunday, we went to Best Buy to return the little camera, and then headed straight for the SLRs. Bob has a Nikon D90, which is lovely but way out of my price range, and has more features than I know what to do with right now.
I decided on the D60, since it's much more in my price range, is a good camera to start out with, and I didn't have to shell out even more money for a 35mm lens since Bob has one for his camera that will work with mine too. In a few months a less expensive version of the lens will be coming out and I'll by it then, but for now this arrangement will work out so I can learn to use it before I spend more money. I'm excited to play around with all the features and see what I can do, and I'm really happy to finally have a camera of my own. I already have some subjects, since the birds are very photogenic and love getting the attention. One of them actually starts grooming herself and preening whenever the AF light is on her.
So yea, I need to start playing around with it a lot. I read the manual last night, which was really helpful and easy to go through. A lot of the features and menus are pretty common sense to me, I just have to get used to all the adjustments I can mess with. I need to use the 35mm lens so I can get the hang of manipulating the aperture and shutter speed a lot more, since I'm a beginner when it comes to all that.
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