15 Days, 3 Continents, 4 Countries and 200 Lactaid Pills = Mediterranean Cruise.

Toward the end of June, Hubs and I took a small, 2-week trip to the coastal Mediterranean cities of Venice, Italy; Katakolon, Greece; Pireaus, Greece; Kusadasi, Turkey; Rhodes, Greek Isles; and Mykonos, Greece. I have a ton of pictures, but I'll *try* to limit myself- no promises:

Venice. We sort of feel like our trip had two chapters, so to speak. The first chapter was our time in Venice. We spent three nights in Italy at the Hotel Danieli right next door to San Marco's Square. Our hotel was beautiful- all marble and historical. We had a special (water) taxi ride right to the door of our hotel. Literally. We hopped in a speedboat and they drove us right to the side entrance of our hotel, where they took our bags, and sent us on our way! In the three days in Venice, we toured around on foot and by boat, ate pretty much everything (dairy included!), and watched a lot of World Cup futbol. At the end of every day in Venice, Hubster and I would go to the bar in the hotel lobby, where there was live piano music and free wifi (so we could check in with our families).

Pictures below:

Our private water taxi to our hotel. Excellent combover, no?

Our view from breakfast at our hotel. Gorgeous!

On a water bus to the island of Murano!

We got all snazzy to eat at the restaurant on the rooftop.

Of course we hitched a ride in a gondola.

After taking this picture, we found a postcard with almost the exact same picture. Seriously.

Piano Man in the hotel bar.

Our last breakfast at the Hotel Danieli.

Then we boarded our ship, the Disney Magic. It was a 9-night cruise to Greece and Turkey, both starting and ending in Venice, Italy. We met a lot of characters (literally, we met Disney characters), and made lots of friends. During the time we spent on the ship, we kept ourselves busy by watching Disney movies, singing along to the Disney music that was playing EVERYWHERE (but in a good, unobtrusive way), reading, watching the amazing shows, enjoying the live entertainment, and most importantly, eating. Below I'll post a bunch of just-on-the-ship pictures:

Fancy night :)

So it was a bit breezy on the decks.

Sorcerer Mickey!

Two entrees..

 

Demolished.

This night, we watched a strangely modified version

of Beauty and the Beast on the top deck. Considering

the high temps during the day, it was shockingly cold up

there around and after sunset.

I participated in a magic show (new friend Judy on the left)

Pirate night!

Mickey on a stick!

So, fun story about Pirate night on the ship. This evening, there was a big ship-wide deck party up on the upper decks. Families, adults, kids, characters, and employees were all out enjoying themselves with the entertainment and fun. There was a dessert bar, and the 24-hour soft serve machines, drinks, music, and dancing. A young child walked past our group and dropped some ice cream onto Hubs' flip-flopped foot, so he went off to the restroom to de-stickify his foot and shoes, and while he was gone, I may or may not have had a Dane Cook moment. 

A small girl was walking past me while I was doing the dance that the entertainers just taught the crowd. At that particular moment, as I swung my left hand down to my side, this little girl was right in the line of fire, and I ended up smashing her ice cream cone into her face (in a "You remember me forever!" -Dane Cook sort of way). Now when I say that I smashed this little girl's ice cream into her face, I mean I smashed this ice cream. The cone was flattened, and the ice cream was dripping down her chin. A few seconds later, after she gave me a death stare, and I gave her the oh-my-goodness-I-can't-believe-that-just-happened-I-can't-wait-to-tell-Husband face, I went to flick the remaining ice cream off my hands. At the precise moment I chose to flick my hands, the little girl turned back around, no doubt to show her friend the jerk that just slammed ice cream into her face, and I ended up flicking the remaining ice cream into her face. 

Such a horrible and sort of amazing moment.

Three entrees demolished. (They kept taking the empty

plates from me before I could get a picture)

Our fun group at O-Gill's Irish Pub! Allan, Ashley, Iva, Judy,

Nancy, Larry, Hubster, and I.

Katakolon, Greece - "The Gateway to Olympia." Husbands and I traipsed around the spot of the first ancient Olympic games. Interesting facts about the Olympics: the games were completed naked, and therefore women were not allowed to attend. There was a separate womens' Olympics, also completed naked.

Before the guy with the whistle found us when I convinced Hubs

to climb an incline. Apparently, climbing the ruins is not OK. Also,

for those interested, taking pictures with the ruins holding sports

merchandise (or other logo items, I assume) is not OK.

The archway to the stadium.

The stadium. The box in the background is where the judges sat.

Piraeus, Greece - The port to Athens, where the Acropolis and the Parthenon are located.

It was hot and shade was a rare commodity. Hubs was lucky.

An ancient theater, where people still play, to this day. I

spent most of the day amazed that we were climbing  to

the top of this ancient site, while modern-day civilization

completely surrounded us.

"The gateway to the Acropolis"

Because if you're going to travel over 5,700 miles,

the Parthenon may as well be under construction

on the day you're there.

Athena's Parthenos

Hubs kept joking that the Parthenon in Nashville was better- much better maintained and cleaner. I'll admit, he wasn't wrong, but that doesn't take away any of the majesty of the original.


Kusadasi, Turkey - The port to Ephesus, where we saw, from afar, the house where the Virgin Mary lived her last years, and St. John's Basilica.

How did I get so lucky as to marry this stud?

Our last two stops, in Rhodes and Mykonos, Greece, were spent at the beach. The water was cold, the sand was rocks, and the sun was hot- but not hot enough to convince this Floridian to get in the water. Here are pictures from both:

Rhodes, Greece

Mykonos, Greece

I lent him my towel to cover his feet because he kept curling

into a smaller and smaller ball to avoid the sun's death-rays.

But I did get him out in it for a moment!

This really was the quick and dirty version of our trip, as hard as that may be to believe, but I'll make some quick summations:

Number of countries visited: 4 (including USA)

Number of continents visited: 3 (including North America)

Number of pictures taken: 973 (not including those on Hubs' phone)

Number of days from Home back to Home: 15

Number of Lactaid pills consumed: ~200

Fun facts about the trip:

The weather was about 10° C hotter than average, forcing us to buy shorts from H&M in Venice, Italy. Go figure we'd travel across the Atlantic Ocean to make our first journey into an H&M.

This was Husband's 2nd time out of the country; his first was our honeymoon.

This both our first time to Italy, Greece, or Turkey, though not my first time to Europe.

We had a really good time with the people who were assigned to our dinner table, and learned a lot about them and their families and jobs:

- Ashley works in California at Disney Animation, and worked on the Frozen project; and this was the end of a three week backpacking trip across Europe with her sister, who was not on the cruise.

- Allan works in Orlando in events at Disney, he loves all things Disney, and even his handwriting is basically the Disney font! He and Ashley have been best friends for years.

- Larry is a lawyer in Pennsylvania, 4 kids, great sense of humor, and enjoys tall water slides, cranberry juice and beer (but not at the same time).

- Judy is married to Larry and works part time at a courthouse in Pennsylvania, and isn't afraid of fun (for example, she sang karaoke and participated in a magic show with me). Judy and Larry's daughter Melanie worked on our ship in entertainment and she was really fun, too.

Judy and Larry at the top, the Ashley and Allan, and Hubs and I

on Pirate Night at the Animator's Palate!

Hubs and I only bought one souvenir for ourselves- a handmade glass picture frame that we bought at a glass factory on the Island of Murano in Venice. We watched a presentation at this place, and saw a man make a beautiful glass horse in about a minute. Horse picture below:

The only other souvenirs we bought were postcards (two from Italy, two from Greece, and two from Turkey), stuff for our parents, and our magnets (we always get a magnet whenever we go somewhere new).

We had a great time, and we are already looking for our next big overseas adventure. Baltic islands? England? Australia? Stay tuned.

Certification and Corvettes.

It took 6 months of coursework and training, and another 6 months of active hands-on training, which included over 2 months of observation, performance, and certification OJT, 7 simulations, 1 JMST, 4 scenarios, 2 stand-alone scenarios, 3 roundtable exams, 2 written exams and 2 oral exams, but I am finally a certified Data Management Coordinator for the International Space Station!

How many other jobs give you a brand new Corvette just for doing what you're supposed to do?

OK, you caught me, it's actually just a Hotwheels car. But still.

You may remember these posts about my job: 

A Daily Look at Midnight Shifts

My Work is Fun

and The Dream

I still truly believe I'm living the dream, and every day I get to be at work is amazing. I am so excited that I've gotten the opportunity to work in the Space Program in a way that is here-and-now instead of the way many work- on a project for the future that may or may not ever happen. I'm grateful that the work I do daily directly impacts the astronauts, ground crew, experiments, science, and videos in big ways. 

The certification process was slow, stressful and demeaning at times. My cert week kept getting pushed off due to one factor or another, and finally, about 5 weeks after my original planned cert week, I finally was able to sit for my certification. 

I officially certified last week. Wednesday, June 4th, 2014.

It was a long road, with potholes and speed bumps, but I've reached the goal, and am now working in a field I love, doing a job I enjoy, with people I like.

Pinterest and Faulty Marriages

I've complained before about Pinterest- the virtual cork board of ideas, crafts, dreams, desires, fitness, recipes, and greed.

I have a Pinterest account that I rarely "pin" to. And yes, I look at Pinterest when I'm bored and am looking for an easy way to kill 2-3 hours.

I feel that Pinterest doesn't allow a user to be content with who, what, where, and even when they are. Every pin is a way to improve yourself- whether it be your mind or your body (let's face.. it's more about the body, because heaven forbid we allow ourselves to be different sizes and shapes that don't fit the celebrity norm), or a new item to get (the latest in exercise fitness, the next best dress or style, new fashion, shoes, even nail art- seriously, who invented nail art, and why?), and if you can't afford to buy it, because most of the heavily repinned items on Pinterest are fancy-schmancy brands that will cost you a second mortgage on your home, Pinterest tells you how to make it! Thank goodness for Pinterest! Right? Well, no. And if you're not finding new things to buy (or make), you're fantasizing about the next place you want to visit- "The 33 Most Beautiful Beaches You Just HAVE to See Before You Die!" (I love traveling, but I don't plan vacation B before vacation A has arrived, typically.) And when you're not being bombarded with girls with perfect hair, makeup, nails, and clothes, or the next exercise that's guaranteed to help you burn one billion calories in 10 minutes, and pictures of places you'll never get to see, you're being bombarded with ways to make the NEXT holiday the best holiday party EVER.

This year (well, last year), in the months leading up to Christmas, everything on Pinterest was red and green Christmas decorations. The tiny minutiae of each corner of each room in your house must be filled from carpet-to-ceiling with the perfect decorations for your holiday guests. I'm all about tidying up my house for guests, but I'm not about to spend boatloads of time and money on crafts for every square foot of my house. But what bothered me what that after several weeks -nay- months of Christmas pins, when I wrongly decided to check Pinterest while watching TV on Christmas Eve, to my surprise, all the pins were replaced with Valentine's Day! What? Christmas- arguably one of the two most important of the yearly holidays hasn't even ended and it's already been replaced with the Valentines that the Perfect Mom must spend hours laboring over to send her child to school with to hand out to the other kids, who will most likely sneeze on it and leave it on the ground. (Side note- for Valentine's Day, the most I ever did was hand out the perforated Valentine's Day cards that came in packs of 40. Usually animal- or TMNT-themed.) Why does anyone need to spend time on something like that?

But what makes me the most sad, of all of these things that Pinterest bombards you with, is nearly every single girl's Wedding pin board (AKA "One Day.."). I'm honestly so happy that Pinterest wasn't a big thing until after my wedding.

I know a specific couple who got married earlier this year. They had a huge 18-person-not-including-the-bride-and-groom-wedding-party wedding, complete with the tiny details and all the DIY stuff and Pinterest-perfect engagement ring, dress, shoes, decorations, color palette, and photos.

They've gotten divorced and are now both seeing other people.

It worries me and saddens me that it seems people are getting married in order to have the Perfect Pinterest Wedding, instead of having a wedding to work at having the Perfect Biblical Marriage.

I think we, as a society, need to rethink our priorities.



*Note: I do not judge those who pin a lot. Without them, I wouldn't have anything to peruse through while waiting at the doctor's office. I don't judge those who use Pinterest to find healthy recipes (heck, or those cake recipes that look uh-may-zing) or new exercise programs. I don't judge those who try and try to get the perfect Pinterest hair- I've done it, succeeded once or twice, and loved that rewarding feeling. I don't judge those who decorate every inch of their homes for holidays, and I certainly don't judge those moms who make their kids' Valentines- more power to you! I don't judge those who have beautiful, DIY Pinterest Perfect weddings- but I do want the weddings to take place for the right reason.

A Small Rant About Decisions.

"When did you decide you're lactose intolerant?" says my intolerant sister.

Oh, you know, around the same time I decided I didn't like milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, cookies, cake, ordering like a "normal" person at a restaurant, not having to check labels and ingredients, not having to try to guess the required ratio of Lactaid-pill-to-dairy-foods, ice cream cake, pizza, Twix's, Kit-Kats, muffins, Reese's, fondue (both cheese and chocolate, obviously), ranch dressing, Caesar salads, most breads, basically all desserts, entrees and side dishes, and pretty much every other delicious dairy-laden item in the world.

Around the same time that I decided I wanted to be a burden to friends who want to invite me for dinner. Around the same time that I decided I wanted to make my waiter's shift just that tiniest bit more difficult, or the chef's job just a pinch harder, because now he has to find a cooktop that hasn't had butter on it. Around the time I decided I wanted to have to eat before going to a party, out of fear that there would be nothing I could eat.

No, Melissa. I didn't decide I was lactose intolerant. I decided not to feel horrible all the time, regretting that candy bar or the teeny tiny amount of delicious ranch dressing on my carrot. I decided to not go to bed angry at myself for indulging that part of my brain that wanted anything with dairy. I decided to not be afraid to see a movie with friends after eating dinner.

I decided I didn't want to feel gassy, bloated and uncomfortable, and I decided to do the easiest thing for my body.

Which just so happens to be deciding to not eat dairy.

Nine Years of Selfies.

Newly-Introduced selfies turn into

Friends selfies turn into

Best Friend selfies turn into

Boyfriend and Girlfriend selfies turn into

Engaged-to-be-Married selfies turn into

Married selfies turn back into

Best Friend selfies.

2006. Picture taken in Wendi's parents' garage. We spent the

first six months of our friendship freezing in a garage, designing

and building a human-powered water filter for our MAE 100 lab.

Notice that we have matching green cord necklaces, both of which I

still have, and the ring that is barely noticeable on my green cord

was the first that Hubs gave me.

2007. This picture was taken in our MAE 110 (Computer-Aided Design)

classroom on day when we got together to do homework. More likely

than not, we ended up bailing on the homework and instead went to walk

around downtown.

2008. This picture was taken on the front porch of Wife's apartment in the

ghetto. Husband (at the time, Husband was merely "Best Friend") brought

over two pumpkins so we could carve them. It was Wife's first time ever

carving pumpkins! This particular pumpkin sat at the bottom of Wife's stairs

collecting bugs and roaches for months. Shame ensued.

2009. Husband and Wife visit Chattanooga for the first of many

times together. We went to the Chattanooga Zoo (unsatisfactory)

and the Tennessee Aquarium. We had just started dating about 2

weeks prior to this photo. Neither Hubs nor Wife still have either of

those sunglasses.

2010. Husband and Wife (engaged at this point) meet up with friends

at Bridgestreet for a short day-trip to Chattanooga to visit the Aquarium.

2011. Husband and Wife (still about 2 months until our wedding!)

meander around Bridgestreet for Wife's 23rd birthday! Later in the

day, we met up with Husband's family for dinner and cake.

2012. Husband and Wife at the Memphis Zoo for our 1/2 anniversary.

2013. Husband and Wife travel once again to Chattanooga. In this

photo we are waiting for one of Wife's high school friends to show up

for lunch. We were waiting for them at our booth at Sticky Fingers.

2014. Husband and Wife go on a Sunday afternoon day trip to downtown

Huntsville to enjoy the sun and relatively warm weather for the first time

in several months. We brought books and a picnic blanket for our walk, and

ended up enjoying a beverage at Pane Y Vino while we read. Hubs is very

Knicks'd out.

Beechcraft Bonanza V-Tail

So. It happened.

I flew with Astronaut Hoot Gibson.

We met on Saturday, March 1, at the Madison County Executive Airport in Meridianville. Hubs drove me to the airport and hung out with me while we waited for Hoot to arrive in his plane, a Beechcraft Bonanza V-Tail.

When he arrived, he came inside and sat with us, and taught me a little about flying. He drew some force and vector diagrams, as well as explaining to me the benefits of differently shaped wings. He explained how to stall a plane, how to avoid stalling a plane, and how to make a plane go Zero-G. He also spent some time explaining to me various flight terms that didn't mean anything to me until we were in the air. He was very professional and explained everything really well. It helped, I think, that both Hubs and I have a scientific background in engineering and physics, respectively.

After Hoot tried to convince Hubs to ride along, unsuccessfully, the three of us walked out to the plane. I knew Husband wouldn't want to fly- he hadn't taken Dramamine, and I'm not sure, honestly, if he trusted his life in my first-time-ever-piloting-a-plane hands. Husband willingly stayed on the ground. I imagine he was thrilled that it was my intention to remain onboard the aircraft, as opposed to every other time I've been on a plane small enough to have a parking space, when I plan to jump out.

We took some obligatory photos, scattered about this post, then Hoot and I hopped in! Actually, we stepped in lightly, using a small metal step on the side of the plane, and a slip-resistant spot on the wing. Before we got in, we did the pre-flight plane inspection, and while doing this, he showed me different parts of the wings and rudder, and explained how they affect the plane in the air.

He closed the door, and we started getting ourselves strapped in, and the plane's engines and navigation systems up and running. As we sat and waited for these systems to come up, Hoot explained the different switches, knobs, dials, levers, and displays. He explained how to tell what our bank angle is, what our ascent and descent rates are, and how to tell the elevation of the surrounding terrain. He showed me how the rudders work, and explained how the single-velocity propeller work. We also continued the pre-flight checklist, making sure our gadgets and gears all work properly.

Then it was time to make our way down to the runway for take-off! Something I never knew (and also had never thought of), is that when the plane is on the ground, it's not controlled by the steering column. It's controlled by the foot pedals. You have to apply pressure on one foot or another (or both), to move the plane forward or to turn, while on the ground. Interesting! Hoot wanted me to "drive" it to the runway, but I am too short! My feet didn't reach the pedals. Next time I'll be a Spice Girl and wear platform sneakers.

Before we got to the runway, we did a final check of all the interior systems. Then we looked both ways before crossing the street, so to speak, and headed off to the runway! At this point, my only job was to watch everything he did with both arms and both legs.

Once off the ground and in the air, Hoot leveled the plane, corrected the trim, pointed us in a safe direction, and showed me the basics of steering a plane. Turn the column left, plane turns left. Turn the column right, plane turns right. Apply forward pressure to column, plane descends. Pull on column, plane ascends. Turn and push column, plane turns and descends. And so on.

Easy enough right? Right. Except also exceptionally difficult. The plane reacts to even the most minute pressure and turns.

The V-Tail only has one set of systems, so only the pilot can take off or land, but the steering column was movable. The column unhinged, then rotated so it was in front of the right-hand seat.

And then, suddenly, it was my turn to fly. A plane. In the air. With no formal instruction aside from what had been given to me in the 30-40 minutes prior to, you know, flying.

I mastered the art of keeping the plane in the air, flying straight, without any major ascents or descents. Hoot was thoroughly impressed by how quickly I figured it out. So, we moved on to lesson number two. Turning. He gave me a bank angle to stay below, and an altitude range to remain within. I remembered his lesson: when you turn the plane, the plane loses speed, which means the plane starts to descend. So, I started to turn the column and pull it toward me as well. Somehow I managed to stay close enough for comfort in the altitude range he requested! He had me level the plane back out, get to a certain altitude, then turn the other way, with the same limitations. The second turn was much better.

We continued in this pattern for about 30 minutes. I flew the plane for about 30 minutes. I got a ton better, and he was impressed at my body control and ability to multitask so easily. He pointed ahead and said "Do you see that cloud? (I nodded) Get us to that cloud."

So I did.

Then he took the controls back.

It was time to play.

You know in the movie Aladdin, where Aladdin and Jasmine ride the Carpet during "A Whole New World" around the cloud and it ends up looking like a giant cloud-ice-cream cone? We did that! We circled the cloud! It didn't look like an ice cream cone, but I can't eat those anyways, so whatever.

He positioned the plane between the sun and the cloud so perfectly that when you looked at the cloud, you could see both a 360-degree rainbow, and the shadow of the plane.

Look closely.. you'll see our shadow and our rainbow just above the porthole.

That was all good and well, and very exciting. But then he popped the non-marriage question.

"Do you want to go Zero-G?"

If you know anything about me, you know that it took me less time to answer this question, than it takes the average person to blink.

He handed me a flashlight, explained the steps he was going to perform, and then...

The flashlight was suddenly floating above my hand. ABOVE MY HAND. It lasted about 8 seconds.

When we were level again (much to my dismay), I asked him if that's what it feels like on the Shuttle. He said that's exactly what it feels like, except instead of lasting 8 or so seconds, it lasts days. He asked if I wanted to do it again, as if that was even a necessary question.

We did it again, and once we leveled off, he told me that since I didn't want to throw up, I'd be just fine in space. (Win!)

After playtime, he handed the controls over to me again. This time, he played around with the GPS system, found the airport, and told me to get us there. The first hurdle in this effort was that I need to make a U-turn, essentially. Since I'd done so well with my other turns, he told me to go for it. I got too excited/relaxed, and I ended up making a 60-degree-banked turn, and essentially nose-diving. He never freaked out. He calmly said, "You're too far banked and we are descending rapidly. Fix this." So I pulled up on the column, cooled down on the turn radius, and brought us back up to a safe altitude and bank degree. I never freaked out either, probably because I was busy trying to not kill us.

Though I was drenched in sweat (rightfully, I think.)

I got us back on track to the airport, and once it was within sight, he took the steering column back, made his adjustments and his radio announcements, checked the surrounding area, and got into the holding pattern. We checked the landing gear three times ("A pretty important thing to check obsessively," he said, and I agree. Then he said, "It's pretty embarrassing to land without your gear down.")

Once we were safely in the landing pattern, he said, "You don't realize it yet, but you're exhausted. You flew today, for the first time, and it was extremely stressful on your mind and body. I recommend letting <Husband> drive you home, then taking a nap before going anywhere."

Lo and behold, the man was absolutely correct. Once home, I slept for 3.5 hours straight.

Hoot Gibson allowed me to test the waters on an activity that had always been an interest, but never a definite. There was never anyway for me to know whether or not I'd actually want to be a pilot. Just because I love flying (commercial) certainly didn't mean I'd love flying (piloting).

I'm so grateful to him for giving me this opportunity, and trusting and believing in my skills and dreams enough to let me fly his personal aircraft.

A Daily Look at A Week of Midnight Shifts

Starting Sunday, yours truly will be embarking on a week-long adventure into the unknowns that ensue on midnight shifts.  Actually, my shift starts promptly at 11, but I have to be there by 10:30 PM. I'll be doing Performance OJT. Which means that I'll be the DMC in charge. I'm in the hot seat. If things break, I fix them. If people call, I answer them. If POD says jump, I ask how high. I'm getting graded every night on my performance and my abilities, the questions I ask, and the questions I answer. I'm getting graded both by the certified DMC sitting with me, as well as the POD on console. Good thing it's low stress, right?

This week I have five of these shifts, which end at 7 AM. Aside from the obvious downsides, like not sleeping when normal people sleep, I'm going to be figuring out what life on the midnight shift is really all about. 

Once I'm certified (3 more weeks! But who's counting?), I'll be doing 4 days on console, then have 4 days off console. So, 4 days working, and a 4 day weekend. Not too shabby. But right now, while I'm in training and a grunt worker.. I'm doing 5 days of mids.

So I thought it might be interesting to see how I feel after each shift. I started writing this post on Sunday night, March 9. I updated it in the beginning of each shift, and recollected on the previous shift and day. 

GMT 069. 11 PM March 09 - 7 AM March 10:

Tonight's went well. I felt energized and alert. I spent my downtime reading a book that Hubs recommended to me.

After leaving work, I went home and slept until 11:30. I got up and went to the gym, came home and hung out with Puppy until Hubs came home. We ate a delightful meal together, caught each other up on our days at work, then I went back to sleep for an evening nap from 730-930 before heading back to work at 10:15.

Overall, a good day. I felt a touch sleepier than normal, but not unbearably so.

GMT 070. 11 PM March 10 - 7 AM March 11:

Tonight's shift went well again! I felt a little more groggy tonight vs. last night, but I was able to make it through the evening without any mistakes in terms of my commanding. I continued to read the book in my downtime.

After leaving work, I decided I still felt energetic enough to go to the gym, so I went in the morning, instead of waiting until the afternoon. After the gym, I showered up, went home and slept until about 1. Then I got up and played with Pups, waited for my tutoree, made dinner and ate with Hubs. Again, I took an evening nap, but decided that I needed an extra hour this time, so my nap was from 630-930.

Overall, Tuesday was decent. A little groggier than wanted, but OK.

GMT 071. 11 PM March 11 - 7 AM March 12:

Tonight's shift was hard. I almost resorted to caffeine. I managed to scrape by without any commanding errors. I stood up most of the shift to keep myself from dosing while I read my book. I think I only got through 3 or 4 pages due to the inability to really focus on the story. Focusing in general, as well as the ability to announce my common commands on the loops, became difficult. (For example, saying "DMC on FMT CRD sending KU Comm Unit Data dump on my mark, 3,2,1 Mark command" turned into a delirious language barrier between me and the rest of the room.) Driving home was hard. I had to call my mom to have her keep me awake.

I slept until about 130, after sleeping through 2 alarms. I met Sarah for lunch and was just barely on time (and if you know me, you know I'm always at least 10 minutes early. It's a bad habit, but I accept it.). We enjoyed lunch, but I was really struggling to not dose. She graciously drove us to the mall for random manicures. We had a really fun afternoon. 

I tried to take my evening pre-work nap, but I couldn't fall asleep, so I unhappily got up, took a shower and laid around lazily until it was time to make my "lunch" for work.

GMT 072. 11 PM March 12 - 7 AM March 13:

Tonight's shift nearly unbearable. Don't get me wrong. I love my job and I love watching the earth spin beneath the Space Station, but I definitely could tell the difference in my energy and alertness from missing that nap. I hadn't realized how much I needed that nap. The night dragged on. I tried to read my book and failed. I found myself rereading the same two paragraphs repeatedly, then gave up. The book is interesting and funny, but I was in no state to attempt to gain anything from it.

Also, please note that I have lost all concept of time. "Today," "tomorrow," and "yesterday" literally mean nothing to me anymore.

I called my mom again on my way home from work. She wasn't able to keep me alert enough, so I hung up with her, and rolled down my windows in the 30 degree weather. That certainly kept me awake, and also slightly angry. I slept well. I missed two alarms, including my alarm to go to the gym, and ended up waking up around 230. 230! That's so late. That's like the whole day is gone. I got Puppy out and we played until my tutoree arrived. Then she (the tutoree) got to listen to my angrily growling stomach, because, oops(!), I hadn't eaten since about 4 AM. She left and I took the quickest of naps, about 15 minutes, on the couch with Pups before Hubs got home. When he got home, we went out to eat, and the restaurant lied to me when they told me they would make sure there was no dairy used in the preparation of my food, so I spent a good portion of my pre-work nap fighting brutally with my insides. (Outback Steakhouse: rude.)

My pre-work nap lasted from about 8-930.. not nearly long enough. I didn't pack any real food to bring to work.

GMT 073. 11 PM March 13 - 7 AM March 14:

My interest in my food has depleted. For tonight's meals, I brought a half-eaten bag of Skittles, beef jerky, and fruit snacks. Oddly enough, this is also the only shift this week where I haven't been painfully hungry. Go figure. Tonight's shift has been drowsy, but busy. The person who worked the day shift earlier today (yesterday?) had an atypical data loss, that I spent over 4 hours investigating, then communicating the information to all my counterparts (in Huntsville, Houston, Europe and Japan). I have eaten an ungodly amount of Skittles. In addition to fixing day shift's problem, I have been busy with our nominal activities for the shift.

I thought today was Wednesday. Turns out to be 4 AM Friday. Oh well. I still haven't gotten out the book.

I have 3 hours left on this shift, then I plan to sleep, and not set an alarm clock. Maybe I'll make it to the gym, maybe not. Anyone's guess, truly. I think I'm done with these posts.

UPDATE: It's now 4:43 AM and I just walked into a closed door because I forgot I needed to badge through it first.

/end of post.

(Also, the book is The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie. Hugh Laurie is Dr. House)