Pictures!

I just figured out how to post from my phone, which means more pictures! So, here are my two favorite pictures of the cat.

1. His awesome face that looks like he got in trouble,
2. Him drinking beer. (well, sorta. Licking the beer bottle)

With regards to the cat

I am keeping him.  He gives me kitty snuggles when I get home from work, plays with a laser pointer like nobody's business, and keeps me warm at night (while taking over the bed and sometimes cutting off my airways...we need to work on that one).

For the first two days, I was keeping him locked up in my laundry room while I was out and at night because the lady at the shelter recommended it, and EVERY SINGLE TIME I went to let him out, he had puked.  So I decided not to lock him in that room anymore, as a bit of an experiment (hey, maybe the room stresses him out, right?).  I also slept with him on the couch for the two nights after that because I wasn't ready to let him into my bedroom yet (what if he puked on my bed?  EWWWW!).  Anyway, he even found it in himself to cram up onto the couch with me those nights, and with that he won my heart (sooooooo cute!).  The past week, he's been allowed full reign of my bedroom at night, and has so far always chosen to sleep in my bed with me.  For awhile he was sleeping on my chest, making it hard to breathe.  The past two nights he has gotten better and has slept nuzzled up against my legs.

I think it's safe to say I've never met a friendlier, snugglier cat.  He is very much the opposite of the stereotypical cat that is standoffish and lazy.  He follows me around everywhere, loves to play and snuggle, and greets me at the door when I come home.  Basically, he's a puppy in cat form.

His puking improved DRASTICALLY since I got him here (he puked 5 times in the first 2 days I had him...but in the 9 days since then has only puked twice, and they were both on the same day so I can basically lump those into one incidence).  I don't think he's perfectly healthy yet, but I do think that he will be with time.  Based on my evidence of the laundry room, I believe that stress was a major factor in his unhealthiness, and he has been settling down into a much less stressful environment since living with me.  And also, vets exist.  So.  Things can be done.

All things considered, I am super glad I took him home.  I found a snuggle buddy.  And the way he looks at me with those big green eyes...I'd say he is pretty fond of me too.

This is Boussinesq.  Or if you want, just call him "Boo."  My handsome man in a tuxedo.  

His namesake is a French physicist who did some important work, on turbulence modeling in fluid flow and buoyancy effects, that was very helpful to me throughout grad school.  Also, his shelter name was already "Boo," so it seemed to fit.  Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Valentin_Boussinesq

ESFJ

According to the Myers-Briggs personality test, I am an ESFJ.  The characteristics are given below (source: http://psychology.about.com/od/trait-theories-personality/a/esfj.htm)

• Extraversion: ESFJs gain energy from interacting with other people. They are typically described as outgoing and gregarious.


• Sensing: ESFJs are more focused on the present than on the future. They are interested in concrete, immediate details rather than abstract or theoretical information.


• Feeling: ESFJs tend to make decisions based on personal feeling, emotions and concern for others. They tend to think more about the personal impact of a decision rather than considering objective criteria.


• Judging: ESFJs are organized and like to plan things out in advance. Planning helps people with this personality type feel more in control of the world around them.

None of this is incredibly surprising to me.  One of my adviser's main complaints about my writing style when working on my thesis was my tendency to look at small details rather than the bigger abstract picture (see "sensing," above).  And has anyone who has ever met me thought I wasn't an extrovert?  Come on.  Other than those first 2 weeks of knowing me (I may be an extrovert, but I am also pretty shy), you couldn't get me to stop talking.

This week I had the unfortunate pleasure of wrestling with the most frustrating part of my personality: the S-F combination.  From the S-side, I see details as hard, concrete facts.  I can easily look at a situation and know what needs to be done.  From the F-side, I am very swayed by emotions.  The problem comes when a decision must be made, and the details say something different than the feelings.  

Long story short, I adopted a cat this week.  And not just any cat.  A snuggly, affectionate, loving, quirky cat that just truly won my heart with his constant following me around, sitting in my lap, and meowing at me when he has something on his mind (or he just wants to meow...don't really know.  But he really loves to meow at me).  But he also is sick.  He has this nasty habit of vomiting at least once a day.  And we're not talking hairballs, we're talking the consistency of, say, spit-up...except more volume and browner.  The people at the shelter didn't know what was causing it, exactly.  

So, for a full week, I had all of the data and also all of the feelings.  The full week after I picked him out and before I brought him home (the shelter wanted to check my references?), my S wrestled with the F.  "He vomits, and it's gross," the S would say.  "But, he sat in your lap and snuggled, what other cat would ever do that?," replied the F.  "Do you really want to be cleaning up cat vomit for an extended period of time?" - S.  "The shelter lady said it might just be stress and bringing him home could make him BETTER!" - F.  

So for a week I brooded and also sprouted 2 new gray hairs (greeeeeat...bringing my total up to 3).  If I didn't take him home at all, I wouldn't get attached to a sick cat (S).  And I wouldn't have to clean up cat puke (S).  But I also wouldn't be giving him the chance to get better if he was just a nervous puker while at the shelter (F).  

He's home with me.  But the shelter has been very open with me, and said that if he doesn't improve they would take him back.  Which is totally lame, but I mean I don't want to live with the constant fear of something I own getting covered in gross cat vomit.  This could potentially be something that persists for his entire life (15ish YEARS).  

I've done my best to make his life with me stress-free.  I will take him to a vet and see if it isn't just some easily treatable bacterial infection that they missed while giving him a check-up at the shelter.  It's only been 3 days, so too soon to tell whether or not he's improving.  But, he has been vomit-free for 30 hours now!  It's his longest streak since being at my house!  I have also fallen in love with him.  

Worst-case scenario: 

After a few weeks of non-improvement and a stumped vet, the S will insist on bringing him back.  The F will fight to keep this adorable kitty that has come into my life, to make it a little bit snugglier.  I mean, he is SO SNUGGLY.  

Sorry for the lack of pictures, guys.  I don't want you to get too attached just in case.  If I can keep him, I'll become the crazy lady who uploads cat pictures to facebook/instagram/this blog constantly.  Until then, just imagine a cute 2-year-old cat with black fur and a white neck/nose/paws.  He looks like he's wearing a little tuxedo.  And is currently giving himself a bath on the couch.  He will probably jump up and sleep with me like he did last night.  

2012 in pictures

This year was a big year.  2011, so to speak, was one of those uneventful years, because it was the year that embodied me adjusting to grad school.  It was refreshing after a year like 2010, the year that I graduated from undergrad and correspondingly got my butt kicked when grad school started, and also the year in which I had 4 different jobs in 3 different cities and 2 different states.  I didn't know what to expect from 2012.  I knew [hoped] I would be finishing up grad school and starting a new, more permanent job...which already adds a bit more change than 2011.  Other things were more of a surprise.  Here are a few things that happened:

I finished up my last classes and went on some job interviews.  Most of January-April isn't documented for that reason.  While classes were still in session, it was hard to take pictures due to a complete lack of free time.  

My family came to visit me for the first time at Penn State in April!  And saw my dance recital.  

I got closer to the girls at church.

Little sister graduated. 

My mom turned 50. 

One of my favorite couples got married.

I went to COPENHAGEN!!!!  It was my first trip ever overseas, and my first time ever at a professional conference.  I got to know my lab-mates better, and while it was primarily a work trip, it was also lots of fun!

I played lots of Ultimate Frisbee.  And got better!  

I celebrated summertime with the boy.  Basically I'm just putting this here because I love this picture of us.  How cute are we?  

I got a new camera with awesome zoom capabilities.  I also was able to enjoy all that Penn State has to offer in the beauty realm.  I mean, you can't tell me that the view in the pictures below aren't GORGEOUS.  

This happened.  And I took a hiatus from doing anything fun for awhile.  August-October was not my favorite time.  

My cousin got married in California.  I handed in what ended up being the almost-final thesis draft and got on an airplane to escape to the west coast for a week.  It was a much needed vacation.  And one of the most fun weddings I've ever been to.  My family is awesome.  

A few days after I got back from the wedding, on October 26, I had turned in my thesis to my faculty reader (who would later hand it back to me with minimal edits that I'd have to address).  A week later, I started a new job doing research for Penn State in a new fun lab ...I don't have any pictures of that.  Sorry.  They'd be boring, anyway.  

On November 16th, I defended my thesis, made my final submission, and was DONE WITH ALL THAT IS GRAD SCHOOL.  

I went to my last football game as a student. the next day  Although I had to be snuck in with someone else's ID because I was no longer a student who was allowed to buy student tickets.  Oops.  

And finally, on December 22nd, I GRADUATED!  

It's been a good year.  Lots has changed, but it doesn't feel like that much has really changed.  Either way, I am looking forward to what 2013 has to offer!