My Life Amongst The Nerd

I am married to a nerd. 

This is not in any way an insult.  Nerds are hot and really smart.  It's geeks you don't want.  Geeks are lame.  Geeks do things like talk in binary code and play dungeons and dragons.  While nerds probably could speak in binary (and I realize I sound geek/nerdish even referencing binary code) they don't generally choose to.  And they do things like go outdoors, socialize, and play Starcraft (Starcraft = Nerd, Warcraft = geek.  Are you following me?  Good because you could get in trouble for confusing them)

Dan likes dinosaurs, thinks he's Wolverine, and aspires to be just like House/Seinfeld.  He knows the most random things about just about everything.  It's a little weird.  He likes rock climbing, being embarrassing, dressing well, doing strange things with his facial hair, not smiling in pictures, and me.  He always beats me when we play hearts.  He once dyed his hair black.  I'm still unclear as to why.  Children and my family like him better than me.  After seeing Iron Man II, he came home and by the next day had rigged up his computer so that it will listen to his voice and do what he tells it too.  It will even type out what he is saying.  His friends and I like to try and imitate his voice but we rarely get the computer to respond to us. 

He can fix just about anything to do with electronics.  Which works out as he is majoring in electrical engineering.  For example, he built his own computer in the ninth grade.  Also, he just found out I'm writing all of this and is not pleased with me.  Today while I was working on the quilt I'm making, I used the program he wrote for me, to build a random non repeating design for the different square pieces in the blanket.

Dan bought a motorcycle last summer that had some issues.  He took it to a mechanic who couldn't figure out what was wrong with it and so gave it to another mechanic he knew, who was really good with motorcycles.   We got it back still broken with no verdict on what was wrong.  Dan fixed it.

Anyway, the point of this blog is this: He got a new job when we got back from Spain.  He's working in the Energy Dynamics Lab at Utah State.  He does all kinds of cool things there that he's actually not allowed to tell me about.  However, since being there he met a guy who was given a grant to come to Utah State and do research on wireless power.  He met with Dan and hired him to do research with him.  Which is great because Dan is being paid better, it will counts as a class, he will be able to use it as his Senior Project, and he'll get a patent and be published.  Nice eh?

Anyway he's smart and hot (nerd) and I kinda like him.  A lot.

 Hot Suspenders

 When he got it working

 Black hair

Never smiles

Busy Boredom

So this year I decided not to go back to teaching preschool.  Not that I didn't love teaching my tiny kids, but I decided it would be better if I subbed in the local school districts.  Because, if nothing else, it will help me get better, more legit references for next year.  Plus then I can actually be teaching in grades I'm licensed for and last year, once school started and they needed a new teacher, they just hired a long-term sub.  So here's hoping.  Of course, the people that manage the substitute teachers have about three times as many subs for the year as they need and only about 20% of them don't have a teaching license.  Welcome to Logan.

The year I graduated, there were 433 people from Utah State University who also graduated with a degree in education and received a teaching license.  Including all elementary, middle and high schools, public, private, charter, etc, there are 35 schools in both the Logan and Cache districts.  (That's for this 2010-2011 school year, there were, I think, three or four less last year.)  Now take a look at the geography of Cache Valley...  We're stuck in here.  It's not easy to drive that canyon twice a day when winter lasts from October through April.  So while Box Elder school District is an option, it's not a great one for people who aren't even legally allowed to drive that canyon in the winter due to the size of their Honda Fit.  But anyway, there's not a whole lot of turnover for teachers in Cache Valley.  It's hard enough to find a job teaching here and everyone knows it, but then stick the economy in the mix.  When I did my general interviews this year with both Cache and Logan they both said they would be hiring maybe 10 to 15 teachers for the upcoming year.  Logan went on to say, "but really, probably only five".  Awesome.  Since that day last Spring, if I'm remembering correctly, Cache has only posted one or two job openings.  (Logan doesn't post)  Not sure how Cache is pulling that off as they will be opening two new elementary schools this Fall.  Box Elder, has posted two job openings.  So now you know what it's like to be stuck as a licensed teacher in Cache Valley.  

Anyway, I didn't start this post to complain about my non existent job outlook, rather I was merely going to let you all know that, as only Logan District has started school (two days ago) and there are about a million subs (and let's face it, most teachers aren't really looking for subs in the first few weeks of school) I have no jobs in sight.  So pretty much I have been sitting at home a lot.  I sub a bit at the preschool/day care where I worked last year when they need me but that's about all the getting out of the house I've done.

To pass the time, I have been failing at being crafty.  My new recipe of the week failed.  Though I have another to try tomorrow.  I've been finishing the baby boy blanket I bought material for oh, five months ago,  playing lots of Mario Kart, trying to convince my older sister Stefanie, to give me her three year old, Oaklee, as Stef just had a new baby, Jersi, last week, (Yay)  trying to convince my older brother, Jonathan that no, I am not with child, reading lots of books, going on fun walks with my Mr. around our new neighborhood, having lunch with my girlfriend, and going boating with my parents.  Tomorrow it is possible Dan and I will also being going cliff jumping/fishing.  So woot.

Now, a picture collection of all I have been talking about........Intro music of your choice..........

My most favorite school in Cache Valley

Apparently when my computer died a few months back I lost all my graduation pictures.  This one is compliments of Facebook.  But yes, I can teach!

I would go back to teaching preschool in a heartbeat (as they have now asked me to three times in the last week) if I could teach this kid again.  Don't worry, his mom said I could come babysit.

These are pieces for my boy blanket

This is the girl blanket I made.

This is Oaklee, why would I not want to steal her from Stefanie?

Cause now Stef has this one.

She doesn't really need them both.  Although when I asked for Oaklee, Stef offered Jersi.

Our relaxing new house

Girlfriend.

Though not from this past lunch, this is where we always go.

We decided to use my little brother's board as he wasn't using it.

Dan Bronson.

Me actually up.  I lasted maybe two minutes all together.

After my face plant.

My parents are awesome and both amazing skiers

My mom.

I somehow failed to take any of my dad this time but these are from last year.  (When my white balance was way off.)

Excuse For Procrastination

Apparently Dan is not on board with me being more domestic.  The same week I decided to be more crafty and such, he went out and bought me a present...

Now I will get nothing done.

I should add that the version for N64, seen here, is the ultimate version.  Everything else is lame by comparison.

A Call For Help From The Housewifely Challenged

So I have been feeling the need lately to be more domestic.  It's probably from my recent blog stalking where it seems everyone I know is working on crafts or trying some new recipe or another.  And I'm sure it's a lot to do with all the Studio 5 I've been watching, with their Martha Stewart-channeling guests, who show everyone just how easy it is to whip up your own scented candles while also baking quiche, arranging various bouquets for the neighbors, and repainting your bedroom furniture to match your eyes.  All while I sit watching and dipping my macaroni and cheese in ketchup......

My main specialties in the kitchen are chocolate chip cookies and Cowboy Soup.  About as crafty as I get is sewing buttons back on Dan's cuffs and hanging picture frames in not an entirely ugly way.  Although I did do a stint involving baby rag quilts.

So.....  Ideas?  Tips?  Words of encouragement?  Good, fairly easy recipes/crafts?  My house could definitely use it.  And pictures are very much appreciated.

New House

While we were in Spain we had some friends move out of an apartment which, based on the front room we had been in few times, we loved.  So without actually seeing the place and knowing we would only have four days to move, (two of which included a family reunion and a wedding) we decided to take it.  Too bad we didn't know about it before we left so we didn't have to pay a month of rent at a place we weren't coming home to.  Anyway, we now live on the main floor of a cute little house on a windy one way street.  We are so happy to be out of the basement even though we loved our cute house.  It will just be nice to see the sun. 
(Oh ya, and not have to pay for utilities or tv or anything else...)

This is our little house.

The view from my kitchen table.

Our front yard views.

Our Living Room

This is right as you come in the front door

Dan's Nook

I have an oven that works properly and isn't mustard yellow!

My Nook (And the only carpet in the house.)

We're not sure what to do with a bedroom that doesn't have brown shag carpet.

Our bathroom has pink and yellow tiled walls...

This place has less than half the storage space of our last
apartment so the extra bedroom is now the closet.

Our cute screened in back porch.

So did I mention...

that while we were on our trip....

in Spain.....

they took the World Cup?

Well they did.

We watched them do it.

 

It was awesome.