Laundry break

I see that so many of you have been kind enough to check back to this little corner of the internets, and I’m sorry that you ended up turning away in disappointment at the lack of posting.

It’s been a bit hectic here lately at Lil’ Kate Headquarters. I have been “given” an undergraduate summer student for 10 weeks. I barely know what I’m doing in the lab, and now I’m supposed to teach somebody else??? WTF? I’m supposed to make him love science, AND have a “real” project he can write home about. *I* don’t even have a real project. Anyway, the students, they take up a lot of one’s time.

I also spent the weekend in WI for: Grandma’s surprise 80th birthday party, Father’s Day, and Mom’s birthday. Three birds with one stone is almost unheard of. I’ll drop more details later. It’s getting late you know and I have to go to bed.

I’ve been trying to do laundry tonight and my drier up and quit. I don’t know what’s wrong, but since I’m not allowed access to the box, I can’t flip the breaker, and so now I have a lot of wet things further driving up the humidity in my house. Shiny.

Lastly, and the real point of this post (aside from excuses as to the lack of posting) I checked the StatCounter and was amused at the Keyword tabulation:

1. lil kate

I’m proud to say that if you type this into Google, my blog is the first listing. Kick. Ass.

2. rude abrasive terrible joiner

Sometimes I can be rude, I’m rarely abrasive, but I am a terrible joiner. I will admit to that. Obviously, I blogged about it.

3. bear grylls christian bale

Two very attractive men I’m proud to have associated with my little page. [sigh] So handsome.

4. disappointing dentist lil kate

I do know some dentists… I don’t think I’ve ever referred to them as “disappointing” though.

5. lil kate random teleconference

None of the teleconferences I’ve participated in have been random – I can assure you. They were all painstakingly planned and equally painful. Those were the days.

6. blue mascara panic fucks

I did tell you once about a “coworker” who was fond of the blue mascara – but I wouldn’t call her a “panic fuck.”

7. lil kate giddy stargate

OK, I’ll out myself, again, as a burgeoning sci fi geek. I’ve already admitted that I am addicted to Battlestar Galactica, and Heroes. Now you can add *both* Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis to the list. And I will admit that I am, in fact, giddy about the Stargates. If you call me on a Friday night, and I don’t answer, it means I’m engrossed and I’ll call you back later with a lame excuse. Unless you are LP and call me during a commercial break.

Sheppard: You know, we've been having these conversations for a couple of weeks now, and I don't even know your name. You guys do have names, right? Let me guess - Steve?
Wraith: I am your death. That is all you need to know.
Sheppard: I prefer Steve.

That kind of dialog is why I love those shows.

8. annoying breakneck lil kate

Wow. Um. Hmmm. I write about things that annoy me… but never at a breakneck pace. Rest assured, we stick to the speed limit around here (or 5-7 MPH over).

9. kate hewlett pictures

I don’t really know Kate Hewlett, but I do know she’s an actress and the sister of David Hewlett. I’m sorry, I don’t have any pictures of her. I probably couldn’t even figure out how to post some.

A stellar day

Right now, it’s a toss up as to who I want to marry more: my iPod Shuffle, or my Stat Counter. The both have good qualities, really, they do, but I’d hate to just let infatuation cloud my judgment.

I had 29 people visit my page today! I thought I was having a good day on Tuesday with 19. Prior to that I could count *maybe* a dozen people who I knew read my blog (because, when I’d talk to them, and they’d say “How are you?” and I’d start to tell them the latest bit of news, they’d say “Yeah, I read that on your blog” and then – I’d have to stop talking).

I’m a very good listener.

Anyway, what I’m finding amusing/confusing right now is the “Visitor Length” pie chart. As of right this second 37.5% of you all glance at my blog for less than 5 seconds. Alright. That’s fine. I get that when you Googled “squish me squishing” or “‘li’l dice’ is related to a kid” my blog wasn’t the answer you were looking for. By the way, WTF? Gobble-de-gook is related to a kid? Beyond me. Let’s move on.

What I’m confused about is the 56.3% of you sticking around for over an hour.

What the hell are you people up to?

I know I can write some winded posts but they’re really not all that entertaining.
I know.
I wrote them.
They’re intended for the hardcore readers who actually know me and, because they love me, want to know the minutia of my life. For that I am eternally grateful.

This is the scenario that plays out in my mind: you’re reading blogs at work, and you get distracted by something else, and just forget to shut down the page. By the time you wake your computer back up, it’s been over an hour. I’ve done that myself.

In other news, I’ve come to learn that the moniker “Lil’ Kate” is actually quite popular, and can be associated with a plethora of topics spanning the range from German Shepherds to human burns. Of all things.

I hope tomorrow is half as entertaining.

Maybe you can shed some light on this

OK, so, for my 30th birthday, I’m contemplating getting a tattoo. It’s just over a year away, and I’ll probably need that long to get my nerve up. Not a big fan of pain, especially the self-inflicted kind. Then I watch an episode of Miami Ink and I’m all “I want to do that!”

I’m leaning towards getting the Celtic tree of life, the one with the braided branches melding with the braided roots – looks the same when rotated 180 degrees. If I were better with the link embedding / picture posting I’d show you, but I’m not, so you’ll have to suck it up and Google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about.

Alright – here’s where you come in. I’d like to know your opinions:

1) Is this a totally stupid idea and should I forget the whole thing?

2) Any better suggestions besides the tree of life?

3) Where should I put it?

No more lurking out there. I know you’re reading my blog – you can’t hide from me any more. Comment, dammit.

I like my new toy

Over the weekend I signed up with StatCounter and I’m finding it rather entertaining.

Things I’ve learned over the last 2 days:

15 people have checked my blog
3 of them came to my blog via Dressage Mom’s blog
1 of them came to my blog by Googling “community-colleges funny-stories”
Someone in Marshfield has checked back 4 times
Someone in Cleveland has checked back 3 times
Someone in Chicago has checked back twice

Sweet! I have more mystery readers than I ever thought I would! Maybe this weekend is just a fluke – really boring for folks in the Midwest or something. We’ll see. I’ll keep you posted if I learn any more amusing facts.

There was drama, and I missed it

That’s the latest on the work scene. The new MD, Ph.D that joined the lab? Remember, the one that blew The Dentist and I off in the last post? Yeah, turns out she’s a bit on the crazy side and had what I’ll call an “altercation” with one of the other lab members. I’m happy to say that the lab takes care of their own, and the boss dealt with her immediately. Seems she’s reconciled with him, but not with the affected lab member yet. As far as the rest of us are concerned – she’s on probation, and we’re all keeping a watchful eye on her.

In other news, I’ve had a very nice weekend.

Yesterday The Dentist and I went to the local farmers’ market. Very eclectic place – I’d say there were just as many vegetable stands as meat stands, and just about every nursery in town had a booth. I picked up some cherry and pear tomato plants for the back slab and I’m excited to see how they do. In the afternoon I got to hang out with a friend who has a 2-month-old. He’s VERY cute and entertaining. I can totally see why she wants to stay home with him. After a light dinner and brief snooze, it was off to see “Knocked Up.” I was thoroughly entertained. All kinds of my favorite people from “The Office” were in it, and, of course, who doesn’t love Alan Tudyk? I know I love Alan Tudyk. I also want to take Paul Rudd home with me. My birthday is coming up in July. Make a note.

Today I actually planted my tomato plants in some giant pots. The Dentist and I ran some errands during which I picked up a few flowers to plant in my remaining pots (they’re going to look awesome). Then we hit the mall, which I have never spent any significant amount of time in. The Dentist had a rather successful day and was laden with bags. I got a “little black dress” for *$4.99* (now I just need somewhere to wear it), a pair of jeans that actually fit and don’t need to be cuffed, and some new “smell goods.” We even tried some massager things that you can use in any old chair that you’ve got. A nice way to end the day.

Evil Mutant Scientist: I did not forget about your page proofs and will start on them post haste!

FYI: This is post #100. Shiny.