WINE, WAIT, AND WHINE THREAD

[sjoh197]

I had a dream last night that the entire cast of LOTR was helping me plan a party and they all were dressed in character and only responded to their character names. It was one of the best dreams I think I've ever had. 

[magnetite]

@sjoh197 Have you watched those movies with the cast commentary? All of the hobbits had such a great rapport with each other and the commentary is quite funny.

[sjoh197]

Just now, magnetite said:

@sjoh197 Have you watched those movies with the cast commentary? All of the hobbits had such a great rapport with each other and the commentary is quite funny.

Oh yes. I watched the commentary many years ago. I am ashamed to admit that between the 3 movies, I've seen each around 40-50 times. My mother was mortified that my father let me watch them every weekend, because she was all "Jesus-ey" and wouldn't ever let me watch anything with any form of violence or non-Jesus-ey message. 

[The Interdisciplinarian]

28 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:

Oh yes. I watched the commentary many years ago. I am ashamed to admit that between the 3 movies, I've seen each around 40-50 times. My mother was mortified that my father let me watch them every weekend, because she was all "Jesus-ey" and wouldn't ever let me watch anything with any form of violence or non-Jesus-ey message. 

Which is ironic, considering some of the Christian interpretations of LOTR. Tolkien wasn't quite so overt as his friend C.S. Lewis with the application of his ideology in his work, but it was still, arguably, there.

Just got a text from the spouse at home that only junk mail was in the box this afternoon. As my email is similarly silent and the day draws to a close, all I want is a giant glass of wine and a tissue to sob into.

Seriously, I was told all notices were going out last week. Just get me my rejection and get it over with.

[gingin6789]

One-day visitation day tomorrow from 8:30 - 6 ...

Then a flight the next morning that departs at 8:30am for a recruitment visit, and I'll be at the visit until Saturday.

Ahhhh I'm nervous yet excited yet not excited about flying! I've only traveled by plane for two trips in my life. And I'm taking three trips by plane over the course of four weeks. I'm a bit intimidated!

[hippyscientist]

3 minutes ago, gingin6789 said:

One-day visitation day tomorrow from 8:30 - 6 ...

Then a flight the next morning that departs at 8:30am for a recruitment visit, and I'll be at the visit until Saturday.

Ahhhh I'm nervous yet excited yet not excited about flying! I've only traveled by plane for two trips in my life. And I'm taking three trips by plane over the course of four weeks. I'm a bit intimidated!

You'll be bored by the end of it!! Flying is a chore for me now. Headphones in, book out/papers to read, and normally have a nap. Oh and homemade snacks because airport food sucks.

[gingin6789]

2 minutes ago, hippyscientist said:

You'll be bored by the end of it!! Flying is a chore for me now. Headphones in, book out/papers to read, and normally have a nap. Oh and homemade snacks because airport food sucks.

I sure hope to feel that way! I have a 35-minute layover for one of my flights ... good thing I booked my own travel for that one and was able to choose a seat close to the exit. 

Are you allowed to bring snacks? I thought they made you throw out your food. I can't remember ... it's been two years since I've flown haha!

[hippyscientist]

1 minute ago, gingin6789 said:

I sure hope to feel that way! I have a 35-minute layover for one of my flights ... good thing I booked my own travel for that one and was able to choose a seat close to the exit. 

Are you allowed to bring snacks? I thought they made you throw out your food. I can't remember ... it's been two years since I've flown haha!

As long as your food isn't liquids you should be fine. I've never had a problem.

Sheesh 35mins is cutting it fine - run like the wind girl!!!

[gingin6789]

Just now, hippyscientist said:

As long as your food isn't liquids you should be fine. I've never had a problem.

Sheesh 35mins is cutting it fine - run like the wind girl!!!

Yeah, my inexperience definitely showed when booking my travel. I was so focused on getting good seats/prices, I neglected to factor in that layover time. *facepalm*

Thanks for the tip about the food!

[RCtheSS]

aaaaah I just booked a multi-city flight which will take me from DC to Seattle to Minneapolis to DC within five days! So many campus visits, so little time.

I'm going to be travelling a lot for the next month. Going to Charleston next weekend, still need to book a trip to Austin, and then Virginia Beach in early April...bye bye paychecks.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

6 hours ago, RCtheSS said:

aaaaah I just booked a multi-city flight which will take me from DC to Seattle to Minneapolis to DC within five days! So many campus visits, so little time.

I'm going to be travelling a lot for the next month. Going to Charleston next weekend, still need to book a trip to Austin, and then Virginia Beach in early April...bye bye paychecks.

Dang, that's a lot of time in the air! Hope you like flying

I'm wishing Ithaca, New York weren't such a pain in the arse to get to. I'm leaving tomorrow for the visiting weekend and totally not looking forward to that 13+ hour drive.

[RCtheSS]

7 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Dang, that's a lot of time in the air! Hope you like flying

I'm wishing Ithaca, New York weren't such a pain in the arse to get to. I'm leaving tomorrow for the visiting weekend and totally not looking forward to that 13+ hour drive.

I actually hate flying, lol. Not out of fears, but mostly out of annoyance and discomfort. But I feel like this is the perfect opportunity to see parts of the country I've never ventured to before, so I will gladly suck it up for the experiences. 

Yeesh, that's a long drive though! My ass would be numb after 4 hours of sitting in a car seat.

[sjoh197]

7 hours ago, Pink Fuzzy Bunny said:

Dang, that's a lot of time in the air! Hope you like flying

I'm wishing Ithaca, New York weren't such a pain in the arse to get to. I'm leaving tomorrow for the visiting weekend and totally not looking forward to that 13+ hour drive.

Driving is hard. Last summer I had to do a field course that was a lovely 20 hour drive by map. In reality it was closer to 22 with gas stops, food stops, leg stretch stops. And I had to drive because of the amount of gear I had to bring. I drove straight through there. I still maintain one of most hilarious breakdown moments was on that trip. 

Driving through BFE oklahoma, it had been over an hour and a half since I had passed a gas station and I only had a quarter tank, so I stopped at the next gas station I saw... which was some super old trucker/ farm tractor gas station. So I pull up to the trucker pumps, which were off to the side, and I go up to the pump  and then the machine says "Make diesel selection"? No, no... I just want regular diesel... like the regular stuff at the gas station... no selection. And then it says... "Reefer diesel... biodiesel... diesel 2,... etc." Since I don't know what kind I need, the machine times out and I have to swipe my card again. I do this 3 more times. My debit card is then declined.

I have 1 bar of E cell signal... no internet,.. no one is inside and I don't know what kind of gas I need. And I've been driving for like 14 hours. Finally a nice trucker pulled through and I had to ask him what kind of diesel he was putting in his truck. Lol. So then I  used my backup credit card (thank god I have one) and selected the one I needed.... then I took the pump off the handle... and there's no start button. 

Now I realize that there are people here who are either old enough, or grew up somewhere old enough that the gas pumps had the little handle that the pump sits on and you pull it to start the pump. I am neither that old... nor had I ever encountered a gas station that was old enough to not have digital pumps. At this point, I've been sitting at this gas station trying to get gas for over a half hour. On my 1 measly bar of crappy signal... I call my partner bawling my eyes out, barely able to make a coherent sentence... and of course the call dropped like 4 times. Thankfully, he is much more in tune with the world of non-digital gas pumps... a fact that he won't let me live down to this day. I later had to call my bank to explain that, Yes, it was indeed me swiping my card 5 times at the gas station without making a selection, and no, I wasn't involved in card fraud. 

Although, I did learn that day that apparently reefer fuel goes into refrigerator trucks.... so there is that. 

[Neist]

13 minutes ago, RCtheSS said:

I actually hate flying, lol. Not out of fears, but mostly out of annoyance and discomfort. But I feel like this is the perfect opportunity to see parts of the country I've never ventured to before, so I will gladly suck it up for the experiences. 

Yeesh, that's a long drive though! My ass would be numb after 4 hours of sitting in a car seat.

I try to drive long distances as little as humanly possible. It's a very uncomfortable experience.

[katpillow]

Apparently there are delays in the admissions process at my top choice. There is still some form of a chance! (I think I'll stay on the defensive just in case, though)

[iloveOM]

3 rejections in a row in 2 first days of March compared to Februgatory.. March is acting too fast too furious to me

[hippyscientist]

51 minutes ago, sjoh197 said:

Driving is hard. Last summer I had to do a field course that was a lovely 20 hour drive by map. In reality it was closer to 22 with gas stops, food stops, leg stretch stops. And I had to drive because of the amount of gear I had to bring. I drove straight through there. I still maintain one of most hilarious breakdown moments was on that trip. 

Driving through BFE oklahoma, it had been over an hour and a half since I had passed a gas station and I only had a quarter tank, so I stopped at the next gas station I saw... which was some super old trucker/ farm tractor gas station. So I pull up to the trucker pumps, which were off to the side, and I go up to the pump  and then the machine says "Make diesel selection"? No, no... I just want regular diesel... like the regular stuff at the gas station... no selection. And then it says... "Reefer diesel... biodiesel... diesel 2,... etc." Since I don't know what kind I need, the machine times out and I have to swipe my card again. I do this 3 more times. My debit card is then declined.

I have 1 bar of E cell signal... no internet,.. no one is inside and I don't know what kind of gas I need. And I've been driving for like 14 hours. Finally a nice trucker pulled through and I had to ask him what kind of diesel he was putting in his truck. Lol. So then I  used my backup credit card (thank god I have one) and selected the one I needed.... then I took the pump off the handle... and there's no start button. 

Now I realize that there are people here who are either old enough, or grew up somewhere old enough that the gas pumps had the little handle that the pump sits on and you pull it to start the pump. I am neither that old... nor had I ever encountered a gas station that was old enough to not have digital pumps. At this point, I've been sitting at this gas station trying to get gas for over a half hour. On my 1 measly bar of crappy signal... I call my partner bawling my eyes out, barely able to make a coherent sentence... and of course the call dropped like 4 times. Thankfully, he is much more in tune with the world of non-digital gas pumps... a fact that he won't let me live down to this day. I later had to call my bank to explain that, Yes, it was indeed me swiping my card 5 times at the gas station without making a selection, and no, I wasn't involved in card fraud. 

Although, I did learn that day that apparently reefer fuel goes into refrigerator trucks.... so there is that. 

MY MIND IS BLOWN!! I have only ever used a handle pump. I had no clue others existed! 

[katpillow]

@sjoh197 Yeah, the manual switch pumps used to be everywhere. Typically only run into them in places that are a bit... further out (shall we say?) these days. Granted I'm probably only a few years older than you, so I've not seen a ton of them, either. It always takes me a second to remember, "oh yeah, it's that kind of gas pump."

At least you got a story out of it?

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

@sjoh197 that story is a real keeper

 

I'm not too worried about the drive. I've driven over night to Boulder, Ithaca and a few other places before (about 14-15 hours). Driving during the day is so ANNOYING though!

[sjoh197]

Lol... I also eventually had to get a "diesel inside" bumper sticker because I have a little volkswagen beetle and I would literally have men run up to me at the pump saying "Nooooo that's diesel" as if I'm some kind of idiot, and I would be like "Yeah, I know. It's a diesel." The look on their face was always pretty priceless though. 

[magnetite]

Next time you guys do an overnight road trip, check out this light pollution map beforehand. It's basically a google maps overlay that shows where the best spots to see the night sky are.

I found a nice spot in the Texas panhandle to see the Milky Way galaxy on an overnight trip to Denver a few years back. I grew up in the city and had never imagined so many stars would be visible. I just got out of the car, looked up, and was fortunate no cars were passing by on the highway, because I literally fell down from shock. That trip provided motivation to pursue astronomy as a career, though that's now changed to planetary science.

http://darksitefinder.com/maps/world.html

[The Interdisciplinarian]

2 hours ago, sjoh197 said:

Driving is hard. Last summer I had to do a field course that was a lovely 20 hour drive by map. In reality it was closer to 22 with gas stops, food stops, leg stretch stops. And I had to drive because of the amount of gear I had to bring. I drove straight through there. I still maintain one of most hilarious breakdown moments was on that trip. 

Driving through BFE oklahoma, it had been over an hour and a half since I had passed a gas station and I only had a quarter tank, so I stopped at the next gas station I saw... which was some super old trucker/ farm tractor gas station. So I pull up to the trucker pumps, which were off to the side, and I go up to the pump  and then the machine says "Make diesel selection"? No, no... I just want regular diesel... like the regular stuff at the gas station... no selection. And then it says... "Reefer diesel... biodiesel... diesel 2,... etc." Since I don't know what kind I need, the machine times out and I have to swipe my card again. I do this 3 more times. My debit card is then declined.

I have 1 bar of E cell signal... no internet,.. no one is inside and I don't know what kind of gas I need. And I've been driving for like 14 hours. Finally a nice trucker pulled through and I had to ask him what kind of diesel he was putting in his truck. Lol. So then I  used my backup credit card (thank god I have one) and selected the one I needed.... then I took the pump off the handle... and there's no start button. 

Now I realize that there are people here who are either old enough, or grew up somewhere old enough that the gas pumps had the little handle that the pump sits on and you pull it to start the pump. I am neither that old... nor had I ever encountered a gas station that was old enough to not have digital pumps. At this point, I've been sitting at this gas station trying to get gas for over a half hour. On my 1 measly bar of crappy signal... I call my partner bawling my eyes out, barely able to make a coherent sentence... and of course the call dropped like 4 times. Thankfully, he is much more in tune with the world of non-digital gas pumps... a fact that he won't let me live down to this day. I later had to call my bank to explain that, Yes, it was indeed me swiping my card 5 times at the gas station without making a selection, and no, I wasn't involved in card fraud. 

Although, I did learn that day that apparently reefer fuel goes into refrigerator trucks.... so there is that. 

Oh, my gosh, @sjoh197, what a story! You poor thing!

I've got a forthcoming 9-hour road trip to do next month, and I originally thought I'd be going with my husband, but now it looks like I'll be doing it solo. Never driven that long by myself before. I'm not as much worried about something weird like this happening, not worried about getting lost in the age of Siri and such, but I AM worried about just going out of my everloving mind with boredom and getting cramped up from not being able to trade off driving with another person. Ugh. I may look into last-minute flights instead after all.

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

@The Interdisciplinarian Play music loud and proud with the windows down (bonus if it's under 40 degrees!), drink plenty of energy drinks, stop often, etc. etc. Listen to an audiobook if you want. I prefer to drive overnight for long trips just because there's less traffic, calmer and easier to think, but to each their own. 

[hippyscientist]

I can't log into the portal of my #1 choice school...does this mean after 5 months they might be changing a status??????? 

[Pink Fuzzy Bunny]

1 minute ago, hippyscientist said:

I can't log into the portal of my #1 choice school...does this mean after 5 months they might be changing a status??????? 

Knowing our luck it's probably down for maintenance