Virus Buster

Over Christmas Josh let me borrow his Nintendo DS to play during my long layovers on the way to and from New Mexico. The game Brain Age 2 happens to have another game within in, meant for "relaxing" and not for trying to exercise your prefrontal cortex. The game is called Virus Buster, and is sort of like Tetris because pieces fall from the top and you have to line up four of the same color to get them to disappear (and some of the pieces already planted that you want to disappear are mean-faced viruses, hence the name).

I am addicted to this game, and could easily pass a four hour layover playing. The problem with the whole thing is that I also spent many hours (and many in the wee hours) playing while I was at home for the holidays, and I continue to play too much now that I'm back. In fact, yesterday Josh was going to come pick me up at a predetermined time and I planned to go for a run and get ready in the two hours leading up to his arrival. Only I wasted one of those hours playing the stupid game, and then had to run 4.5 miles, shower, and get ready all in one single hour. One hour! I believe that was the shortest shower I've ever taken in my life.

The whole thing was pretty out of hand if you ask me, and that's why I thrust the game at Josh as soon as he arrived to pick me up yesterday, and told him he needed to take it back. Apparently when it comes to Virus Buster, I just can't control myself.

Pie Day (Observed)

Yesterday was National Pie Day, so today at work we have nine homemade pies to celebrate. By 10:30 I'd already tried six of them...



I made a peanut butter and chocolate pie, the only one without a pastry crust.

drowned bugs

In case you were wondering, we are still infested with stink bugs at work. As you might imagine due to my Halloween costume and all those pictures I took a couple months ago, I have a sort of love-hate relationship with them. But sometimes they really drive me nuts.

Yesterday I decided to knuckle down, buckle down. A co-worker had a little plastic dish that she suggested we fill with soapy water and use to drown them. So I took the small tub of water and went around the office rounding them up. About sixty of them, in fact. Then I flushed 'em.

Of course that wasn't nearly all of them and they are still around the office today, but at least it made me feel a little better.

back at it

It's 2011, and Josh and I are kicking off the year with new gym memberships. The place we've joined is pretty hard core. How hard core? you ask. So hard core that we flip giant tires and swing sledge hammers. Pretty crazy. Of course there's all the other normal stuff, too. I might have to get myself a pair of those fingerless gloves, because Josh has this silly idea that I should be able to do pullups, but those hurt my hands. (And the rest of my arms.) I also need to keep up with my running, because I probably want to do the Monument Avenue 10k and the Montalto Challenge again. Oh, and of course there's a new semester of PhD school coming up, so I will have a packed schedule. Exciting stuff.

Holiday Recap

Christmas happened. It was pretty good. We had family and friends over to our house in Santa Fe.

Monday my family went bowling. I won one of our three games, and scored over 100 twice!

Tuesday I went with Dad to Albuquerque to shop for a new suitcase. After that we saw The King's Speech. It is very very good. You should all go see it.

Thursday we all had lunch downtown with my grandparents, then visited a special exhibit at the history museum that included lots of old maps and letters from Spain about early New Mexico and other Spanish-owned territories.

The first several days I was here were not very cold. But then temps dropped a whole bunch and it snowed and it's been well below freezing the last few days.

Friday, New Year's Eve, my family rode the New Mexico Rail Runner to Albuqerque. That is the (relatively new) commuter train that runs between Santa Fe and Belen. The best part? The doors "beep beep" at you when they are going to close, just like the road runner on Looney Tunes!




After the train ride we saw True Grit. Also a great movie you should go see. (And it was filmed in New Mexico.)

That night I went out with Ryan and his friend to hear the friend's brother's band at Second Street Brewery. That was pretty fun, but we didn't stay out late (well, I didn't stay out late, Ryan went out again after dropping me off) and I enjoyed a glass of Champagne with my parents at midnight.

Tomorrow we're going out for a nice lunch at Ryan's old hotel, and Monday I head back to Virginia.

It's been a good trip.