Catch Up
It's been an interesting week, and mostly in a good way, but it's had its downs.
The beginning of the week was difficult. I had a biochem test that was the hardest of the 3 yet on Monday. Ornithology was fun though, as we continued our Bird Skins of the World!!! lab that had at least one representative of each Order and Family we had to know. All the skins that will be on the lab final were seen here, so if I know those I'll do fine on the lab final. And I knew them. So woo.
Tuesday had classes as usual, but that is also the day for counseling with Cathy. Some days this is a happy and lifting thing. Some days it's a frustrating and sad thing. Either way though it's a good thing. Having a great counselor who listens and does her best to understand goes a long way to helping us figure out whatever the eventual turnout of this will be. I think because of her help that we will be in a better place than if we'd done this on our own, with either result.
Trying to remember what I did all of Wednesday... don't remember the details of the whole day but it ended well. I think I got caught back up on some school work and personal reading. This was also the day I had the first conversation with someone from my mother's extended part of the family about everything that was going on. One of my aunts, who hadn't even been at the last family party, managed to guess it and drag it out of Dad. I called her up and we had a good discussion. I had been very anxious about bringing it up and to have someone already know and could talk with was a big weight gone. With the holidays coming up I couldn't very well avoid it anymore.
Thursday was Thanksgiving of course. I ended up talking with the rest of the family when the question came up of where Cathy was. Everyone was just supportive and didn't bother me will all sorts of nagging questions. They wanted to know what was up, sure, but it wasn't a grilling. I didn't expect a grilling, really, but I was worried that it could happen. The food was good and it was great to be around family and enjoy the night.
Friday I began packing. I'll be moving out of my current place back to the parents for December, finishing the move next week. I'm pretty much just out of money and since the landlord is selling the place anyway and all sorts of stuff needs fixing up, it's better if I'm out of the place anyway. So for the next month I'll be down with my parents again, but I really hope to be back out of there in January. I don't know where or with who I will be with at that point, but I do know that I want to be back up in Salt Lake. I'm really going to miss my current place. It had all kinds of problems, but I was able to look past them for the most part. It has really felt like home these last 2 1/2 years. It was our first place together and I remember all the good times that we've had here, independent and on our own. My parent's house just isn't "home" anymore. It feels weird sometimes to even be there just visiting sometimes. I can't explain that feeling, but it does. I'm not looking forward to living there again. I'll have to commute back up to school for 2 weeks for finals, but that's tolerable. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll have an idea of where I'll be headed out to.
Cathy came over to help with the packing and stuff. We didn't end up getting much done as we just kind of wanted to sit and spend some time together in a place we won't have much longer. I wasn't all that motivated to pack anyway, so it didn't take much for her to get me to sit down, turn on some Scrubs and cuddle on the couch. No matter how things out having these moments with her now while I can will always take priority and I will treasure each one. We made some dinner and I took off a little after 6:00 to meet my parents and brother on Trax to go to the Jazz game that night. Alex had gotten a bunch of tickets online to the Lakers/Jazz game for a date and due to some odd online payment snafus couldn't pay online, so Dad tried to get some too and between the two of them both ended up committed to buy 4 tickets each. I don't really know what the deal was, but it ended with them having a ticket for me, Alex and his date, the parents and Grandma and Grandpa. They were nosebleed (3 rows from the top) but a Jazz game is a Jazz game. And it was the Lakers! That's always a good game. And it did not disappoint. I sat next to some Laker fans, too, so no matter what was going on someone was cheering. Jazz were up at the end of the first, but the seconds must have had 10 lead changes and a bunch of ties, ending with the Lakers up 3 at the half. They would have been up 9 at the end of 3, but Derek Fisher (former Laker, btw!) hits a buzzer beating 3 point shot. And then the Jazz had their signature for this season 4th quarter rally. Since they've come back from 16,16 and 21 point deficits the last 3 consecutive game, the 9 point lead the Lakers established seemed paltry. Kirilinko clamped down on Kobe Bryant, holding him to 2 points in the last quarter and the offense just came alive. The 3 point shot was falling. No matter who was taking the shot it seemed that they couldn't miss. And even though Kobe stuffing Deron Williams was the Sportscenter #1 on the Top Ten, they had to acknowledge that it was the Lakers' lone highlight as they became the Jazz' most recent win on an 8 game winning streak in a 12-1 season so far, final score 114-108. They are playing so good and are damn fun to watch. If it wasn't for crazy Denver dropping 140 last night they'd be the highest scoring team this year. They've scored 100 or more points in all but one game, the one game being their sole loss this year.
So today I will be actually moving stuff. Dad and I are getting a storage garage at one of those places, and I'll be putting a lot of my furniture in there. Today's goal is just to get the big stuff, like the furniture out, and worry about all the little boxes and stuff out next week. So I probably will have a pretty bare apartment for a week. Just a desk and a mattress. Maybe the TV. I want the TV here today because the Utes and Cougars go at it at 1:30. BYU has been a juggernaut in conference play this year, and were very competitive in their two non-conference losses. I'm not giving my Utes much of a chance this year. Of course, that's what I said last year when the situation seemed even bleaker, and that turned into an all-time classic game with a Utes' overtime victory. No team, I think I read, has ever won it 4 years in a row though, and the Utes have won the last 4. I don't know if that's a true stat, but I think I heard that somewhere. I was at the game last time BYU won in 2001. Julie will remember this. Her dad is a BYU season ticket holder, but the game has a nasty tendency to fall on his anniversary. There I was in a sea of blue Cougar season ticket holders with my date (also BYU fan) and I had a whole lot to cheer about for 3 quarters. Then BYU decided to play the game and turned it around in the 4th. That year BYU was undefeated going into the game, highly ranked, and kept it up for a few more games. They could have gone to a BCS bowl game as well, but the rules at the time were very restrictive against mid-major conference teams getting in. While still undefeated at like 12-0 or something like that they were informed that no matter what they did they couldn't get into a major bowl. They then proceeded to go to Hawai'i and lose in a crazy game like 70-45, then lose the bowl game the did end up in. This year BYU is again ranked, not as highly though, and rolling through. They'll probably finish with a similar record as that 2001 team. But they'll have to go through Utah today, and BYU does not have a good record of winning their bowl games in recent memory. Utah, however, always has that chance. The point spread (that's a gambling term) only has this superior BYU team as a 2.5 point favorite. Vegas usually knows what they're talking about(last night Jazz were a 5.5 point favorite, they won by 6) so I'm expecting a good game. I will of course report back later today after the game. Then the Jazz play again tonight, this time in Oakland against Golden State. Back ends of back-to-back games, especially on the road, are very difficult to win. The Warriors also played last night though (they're the team Denver hung 140 on) so they'll have had to travel just as much for the game. Cathy and I are also planning to see Casino Royale tonight, her for the 3rd time, me for the first. So it's a great sports weekend plus I'll see a good movie and have gotten to spend some quality time with my wife. I can't ask for anything more (ok, so I will ask for a Utes win, but that would just be the chocolate sprinkles and frosting on the tasty donut of a great weekend).
The beginning of the week was difficult. I had a biochem test that was the hardest of the 3 yet on Monday. Ornithology was fun though, as we continued our Bird Skins of the World!!! lab that had at least one representative of each Order and Family we had to know. All the skins that will be on the lab final were seen here, so if I know those I'll do fine on the lab final. And I knew them. So woo.
Tuesday had classes as usual, but that is also the day for counseling with Cathy. Some days this is a happy and lifting thing. Some days it's a frustrating and sad thing. Either way though it's a good thing. Having a great counselor who listens and does her best to understand goes a long way to helping us figure out whatever the eventual turnout of this will be. I think because of her help that we will be in a better place than if we'd done this on our own, with either result.
Trying to remember what I did all of Wednesday... don't remember the details of the whole day but it ended well. I think I got caught back up on some school work and personal reading. This was also the day I had the first conversation with someone from my mother's extended part of the family about everything that was going on. One of my aunts, who hadn't even been at the last family party, managed to guess it and drag it out of Dad. I called her up and we had a good discussion. I had been very anxious about bringing it up and to have someone already know and could talk with was a big weight gone. With the holidays coming up I couldn't very well avoid it anymore.
Thursday was Thanksgiving of course. I ended up talking with the rest of the family when the question came up of where Cathy was. Everyone was just supportive and didn't bother me will all sorts of nagging questions. They wanted to know what was up, sure, but it wasn't a grilling. I didn't expect a grilling, really, but I was worried that it could happen. The food was good and it was great to be around family and enjoy the night.
Friday I began packing. I'll be moving out of my current place back to the parents for December, finishing the move next week. I'm pretty much just out of money and since the landlord is selling the place anyway and all sorts of stuff needs fixing up, it's better if I'm out of the place anyway. So for the next month I'll be down with my parents again, but I really hope to be back out of there in January. I don't know where or with who I will be with at that point, but I do know that I want to be back up in Salt Lake. I'm really going to miss my current place. It had all kinds of problems, but I was able to look past them for the most part. It has really felt like home these last 2 1/2 years. It was our first place together and I remember all the good times that we've had here, independent and on our own. My parent's house just isn't "home" anymore. It feels weird sometimes to even be there just visiting sometimes. I can't explain that feeling, but it does. I'm not looking forward to living there again. I'll have to commute back up to school for 2 weeks for finals, but that's tolerable. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll have an idea of where I'll be headed out to.
Cathy came over to help with the packing and stuff. We didn't end up getting much done as we just kind of wanted to sit and spend some time together in a place we won't have much longer. I wasn't all that motivated to pack anyway, so it didn't take much for her to get me to sit down, turn on some Scrubs and cuddle on the couch. No matter how things out having these moments with her now while I can will always take priority and I will treasure each one. We made some dinner and I took off a little after 6:00 to meet my parents and brother on Trax to go to the Jazz game that night. Alex had gotten a bunch of tickets online to the Lakers/Jazz game for a date and due to some odd online payment snafus couldn't pay online, so Dad tried to get some too and between the two of them both ended up committed to buy 4 tickets each. I don't really know what the deal was, but it ended with them having a ticket for me, Alex and his date, the parents and Grandma and Grandpa. They were nosebleed (3 rows from the top) but a Jazz game is a Jazz game. And it was the Lakers! That's always a good game. And it did not disappoint. I sat next to some Laker fans, too, so no matter what was going on someone was cheering. Jazz were up at the end of the first, but the seconds must have had 10 lead changes and a bunch of ties, ending with the Lakers up 3 at the half. They would have been up 9 at the end of 3, but Derek Fisher (former Laker, btw!) hits a buzzer beating 3 point shot. And then the Jazz had their signature for this season 4th quarter rally. Since they've come back from 16,16 and 21 point deficits the last 3 consecutive game, the 9 point lead the Lakers established seemed paltry. Kirilinko clamped down on Kobe Bryant, holding him to 2 points in the last quarter and the offense just came alive. The 3 point shot was falling. No matter who was taking the shot it seemed that they couldn't miss. And even though Kobe stuffing Deron Williams was the Sportscenter #1 on the Top Ten, they had to acknowledge that it was the Lakers' lone highlight as they became the Jazz' most recent win on an 8 game winning streak in a 12-1 season so far, final score 114-108. They are playing so good and are damn fun to watch. If it wasn't for crazy Denver dropping 140 last night they'd be the highest scoring team this year. They've scored 100 or more points in all but one game, the one game being their sole loss this year.
So today I will be actually moving stuff. Dad and I are getting a storage garage at one of those places, and I'll be putting a lot of my furniture in there. Today's goal is just to get the big stuff, like the furniture out, and worry about all the little boxes and stuff out next week. So I probably will have a pretty bare apartment for a week. Just a desk and a mattress. Maybe the TV. I want the TV here today because the Utes and Cougars go at it at 1:30. BYU has been a juggernaut in conference play this year, and were very competitive in their two non-conference losses. I'm not giving my Utes much of a chance this year. Of course, that's what I said last year when the situation seemed even bleaker, and that turned into an all-time classic game with a Utes' overtime victory. No team, I think I read, has ever won it 4 years in a row though, and the Utes have won the last 4. I don't know if that's a true stat, but I think I heard that somewhere. I was at the game last time BYU won in 2001. Julie will remember this. Her dad is a BYU season ticket holder, but the game has a nasty tendency to fall on his anniversary. There I was in a sea of blue Cougar season ticket holders with my date (also BYU fan) and I had a whole lot to cheer about for 3 quarters. Then BYU decided to play the game and turned it around in the 4th. That year BYU was undefeated going into the game, highly ranked, and kept it up for a few more games. They could have gone to a BCS bowl game as well, but the rules at the time were very restrictive against mid-major conference teams getting in. While still undefeated at like 12-0 or something like that they were informed that no matter what they did they couldn't get into a major bowl. They then proceeded to go to Hawai'i and lose in a crazy game like 70-45, then lose the bowl game the did end up in. This year BYU is again ranked, not as highly though, and rolling through. They'll probably finish with a similar record as that 2001 team. But they'll have to go through Utah today, and BYU does not have a good record of winning their bowl games in recent memory. Utah, however, always has that chance. The point spread (that's a gambling term) only has this superior BYU team as a 2.5 point favorite. Vegas usually knows what they're talking about(last night Jazz were a 5.5 point favorite, they won by 6) so I'm expecting a good game. I will of course report back later today after the game. Then the Jazz play again tonight, this time in Oakland against Golden State. Back ends of back-to-back games, especially on the road, are very difficult to win. The Warriors also played last night though (they're the team Denver hung 140 on) so they'll have had to travel just as much for the game. Cathy and I are also planning to see Casino Royale tonight, her for the 3rd time, me for the first. So it's a great sports weekend plus I'll see a good movie and have gotten to spend some quality time with my wife. I can't ask for anything more (ok, so I will ask for a Utes win, but that would just be the chocolate sprinkles and frosting on the tasty donut of a great weekend).