made it!

Well, after what felt like a million delays, I made it to Huntsville last night.  It appears thunderstorms wrecked havoc on the airlines, because both of my flights were delayed significantly.  The first flight, which I got moved up to, left around 5:10 instead of 4.  Then my flight out of houston left around 8:45 instead of 6:50.  Thankfully I thought to call avis so they held my car, and I had a guaranteed late arrival at the Hampton Inn, so it wasn't too stressful.  Unfortunately I got motion sick during both legs of the trip, and had to spend a lot of time breathing and keeping my eyes closed coming into huntsville so I wouldn't throw up.  I'm buying dramamine for the way home!

The hotel is very nice by the way.  I have a fridge and microwave, which will save me money since I went to walmart last night for a few minor groceries.  The beds are comfortable too, though I still didn't sleep very well.  Roger told me to try to be at NASA before 9, so I was up at 7.  I can't tell you the last time I woke up at 7, so I was quite paranoid about oversleeping.  Going through security this morning took about an hour, but I now have a cool badge and keycard that gets me into the places I'm allowed to go.  Tomorrow should go much faster, and I won't have to be here as early since no one else will be here either, besides Greg.  So that's kinda nice.  

I can already tell this week will fly by.  Today I've been editing my code that models the magnetic field inside the machine, and then predicts density profiles, plasma radius, and alfven velocities.  Once I get the updated configuration I'll have a little more editing to do, but so far things have gone smoothly.  I was even able to fix problems and intelligently code a few modifications.  I think being at NASA makes me smarter!  hahahaha

I'm going to try to take pictures and post them, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to.  I can't show too much obviously, but we'll see.  I also obviously have internet, but only when I'm here.  I'll try to give updates as I go along, for those of you who care lol  

Well I'm going to get back to geeky stuff.  Have a good day, I hope it isn't nearly as humid as it is here. 

Neighbors

Hmm…Sorry I’ve been quiet. Moving takes time, and we still have a lot to do, primarily involving cleaning and organizing. But, a quick note. We have some interesting neighbors in our new complex. Our nearest upstairs neighbors are really gay, and enjoy drinking apparently. That’s about all we know, but they were amusing. But even cooler is our downstairs neighbor, Henry. Henry is a Marine who got a purple heart back in Vietnam. He’s just a darn cool older guy and should enjoy having some Marine Corps chats with him. His two oldest sons are Marines too. Yay!

Also, we have two very friendly neighborhood cats that are nice to say hello to. There’s a long haired grey cat that doesn’t care for people getting close, but that’s ok. It’s still nice to have outside cats to say hello to also.

well, I have a ton of research to get going tonight, so I better get going. Next week I’ll get back to more consistency, but since I don’t have a laptop I don’t know how much internet access I’ll have. Anyone wanna loan me a laptop

alabama

Looks like I'm heading to Huntsville, Alabama on monday.  It's a short notice trip to look at my research project, which means I have a lot to do in a short amount of time.  Considering that we're still emptying the old apartment and need to clean it, plus restock our food and such, it'll be a busy weekend.  Thankfully my student loans hit my bank account so we can afford what we need to pay for to settle into the place.  However we do have to save most of this to balance out the lack of pay during the summer.  It kinda takes the fun away  

Anyway, it's time for bed.  Much to do tomorrow.   

Ability to Manifest

'The ability to manifest - to take one's visions, dreams, hopes
and fantasies and make them real - is one of the most important
skills people can learn to empower themselves and become greater
lights to the world around them. There are many people who aren't
doing their life's work because they don't know how to manifest
money or the tools they need. The ability to create abundance
will greatly add to people's ability to lead rewarding and
fulfilling lives.' — Sanaya Roman in Creating Money

This is why I'm focusing on prosperity.  I want the money and tools to live my life's purpose. I may not have decided what that purpose is, but at least I won't limit myself due to the lack of tools available to me.  

quick update

I've been without internet since thursday, and am still without it.  SBC is having a hell of a time getting my dsl working, which sucks.  They're sending a technician out tomorrow to take care of it.  Right now I'm at school to check things and get work done, but I'll soon be returning home to keep working as I have a meeting tomorrow.  

I'll be back soon to normal updates.   

We found…

the fish.  Eeew…dried little danio, under the curio.  Nothing we can do about that!  But we know the cats didn't get it now.  :-( 

New Lease

We signed the lease for our new apartment today.  There are some definate advantages to the apartment, including gas heat and stove (paid), vaulted ceilings with skylights, and private patio.  Unfortunately the second bedroom is much smaller, and it's debatable how much storage we have.  However, the manager is much nicer, and we only have a single downstairs neighbor because this is a standalone unit.  Plus, she's giving us a special which brings our rent down to $650, much better than the $679 we expected to pay.  Now we just have to actually move…eeek!  Lol, makes me wish we didn't own so dang much!  So right now, the plan is to slowly move things each night, until thursday when the movers come for the few big things.  Then thursday afternoon and evening we'll focus on getting as much other stuff we need for daily life over.  Come this weekend we'll get the rest of the bigger things over, hopefully giving us some time to organize as we move in (hahaha).  

This means my updates will probably be a bit sporadic, as I really should be packing instead of surfing the web.  We'll have to see how this all works out.  :-)  If you're a friend who has my contact information, just drop me a line and I'll give you our new address and phone number.  Apparently moving a mile down the street involves a new number in Austin.  Hopefully this is our last move for a while! 

Personal Updates

In all of the prosperity experiments, I'd forgotten to update on my life!  There have certainly been things going on too!

First, Carrie's health.  She is having very few seizures.  She's finally learning to relax into the moment when she feels them come on, so she can stop them before they start. Also, the tear in her spirit, which originally ran the length of her torso, and across her stomach is now about the size of a softball.  This has helped a lot also.  She's learning to take naps when she's tired, and resting when she needs to.  Overall, things are going much better.

 I've realized that over the past month or so, that I'm happy.  A lot.  I mean, I have my moments of frustration, typically when I'm tired.  But wow do I feel great otherwise!  I mean, at this point life is so amazing to me, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  I feel like well-being is taking over my life, so that I don't want for anything.  And this is the goal of prosperity, really.  When you feel good in your life, you don't want for things.  You can desire them, but not want.  And the difference is between receiving and not.  Wanting is the experience of not having.  And even though there are things I don't have that I would desire in my life, I don't feel as if I don't have them.  Instead, I feel like I already have them, and just have to reach that point in time where I have them.  Does that make sense?  Hahaha, well, I know what I mean.  

Also, the other day I caught my first mentor online.  He's travelling, trying to land distribution deals and thus had internet access at the hotel.  It felt so wonderful to talk to him.  We have a pretty strong connection, so when we're talking it feels great.   His son is due to be born in about 2 months, which is exciting.  He said he heard his voice when meditating the other day.  Talk about suprising!  He also mentioned, before he left, that I felt different.  "you really strike me as a well rounded mature individual.. its.. strong."  He also said "damn you really have made progess old friend".  Hahaha, it's nice when someone else notices.  Of course, he caught me on a good day.  Well, actually any day I can talk to him is a good day.  But it's still good that someone else would pick that up during a mundane conversation.  It's just too bad I missed him friday because it will probably be months before I talk to him again.  But it's still nice to feel that connection again.  

And finally, I am officially done with my core courses, unless I get a B in stat mech.  And even if I do, I'll go talk to him to try to get a B+ out of it.  What that means for non UT people is that all I have to do is give a talk on my research next fall/winter and I'm a phd candidate.  Woohoo!  Also, I can focus on my research more, instead of worrying about those stupid grades. Plus, no more mandatory classes.  Everything is my choice at this point, which is also wonderful.  Hooray!

So that's my update for now.  I should put the clothes away and get Carrie to bed since she's asleep on the couch.  Take care everyone! 

Done!

I'm done with this semester.  No more annoying stat mech, no more grading, and no more studying!  Now I can focus on research.  Woohoo!!!!! 

And video games.  :-D 

Questions on choosing

Today's specific questions:

1) What does it mean to see yourself as 'the chooser.'

It means that I am in control of my life.  Everything that happens, I made happen at some level.  I can not blame anyone, and I am never a victim.  I feel it is empowering while also being a bit annoying.  It's easier to have a scapegoat sometimes! 

2) Where in your life can you see yourself consciously choosing?

I think I'm to the point where I am seeing the big choices at least.  But I'm still letting a lot just happen subconsciously.  So while I know I'm choosing, I'm not choosing very consciously!  How silly of me to not really be aware of that.  This is something I need to change. 

Next, briefly consider: What is working in your life and what is not working? (This you do not need to share.)

Haha, what don't I share?  well…actually…  

I still get easily frustrated with people.  I hate when people drive in a way that is dangerous.  It offends me that they could hurt me through their carelessness.   I also get frustrated at people who keep clinging to old ideas that don't work!  But they keep holding on, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.  It drives me insane!  Sometimes I care too much.  And while I find it relatively easy to point out to others how to relax and breathe, I don't have a person like that in my life.  So I need to find a way to remind myself to relax and breath.  If I can just slow down, I can at least affect my own reaction.  

Also, becoming a more conscious chooser helps too.  I am quite fulfilled in my life.  The only missing variable is enough money to do simple things like take vacations.  But I've avoided consciously choosing money because of the implications people place on money.  Fuck implications, this is my life, not theirs!  I won't become an unethical elitest just because I have more money.  Like my chiropractor said, money doesn't turn a good person into a bad person.  It just allows that part of the person to come to the surface.  I can choose to be a good person, and a prosperous person.  That's what I shall do.   

Then ask yourself:

3) If I were to believe, for a moment, that I am choosing whatever manifests in my life - both the good and bad - what would that mean to me?

Well, I do believe that.  It means I can't honestly blame someone else for my reactions for too long.  Once I remember it's really  hard to hold onto those feelings, because you know that it's based on a false belief.  I believe this is why I hold grudges even less now, and forgive people faster.   

4) In what ways will you approach your life differently today as you stand in the energy of 'being the chooser'…

Assuming I remember to be the chooser tomorrow when I wake up, I will actively choose smaller aspects of my life.  I've already chosen the big things in our life, now I need to choose some of the smaller and more immediate things.  What good does it do to choose a prosperous home business for me now, when that is something coming in a few years?  None.  I need to choose for now, and live now.  And now, right now, I choose money.  I choose money because that is the only defficiency besides health.  And the health is taken care of via money.  Otherwise my marriage is excellent, my career is going along fine, as is my education.  I feel truly blessed every day.  So asking for money is not bad at all, as it isn't replacing anything.  (I know I'm repeating myself, but it can be tough to overrule that annoying societal voice in your head that says good people don't desire money)

And to think I thought these questions wouldn't be very helpful.  Silly me!  :-D