Various Sundries

I figured that was a better title than yet another "Monday Random".

• I actually think everything is finally coming together for my study. I got a note from the county research office saying that it was cool to change the design. So they're sending me an official letter saying as much. With the change in design, we should be good to be exempt from an actual IRB review - I should find that out today or tomorrow. Anyway, things are looking up and I'm totally stoked.
• I went to the dentist the other day and ended up leaving with a referral to go to an oral surgeon to have a cyst of some sort in my jaw (gum? I'm unclear, honestly, because the more he talked, the more nauseated I became, which didn't really make paying tons of attention super easy) evaluated and possibly biopsied. So that may be tons of fun. I'm really hopeful that it's nothing serious.
• The grass pollens are seriously out of control around here right now and I am miserable. I don't remember having this much problem with allergies this early in the fall (late in the summer?) before. I'm wondering if it's just age or what, but it's killing me. So, as much as the kiddo would love to go out and run around madly, I'm making us stay in the next few days (plus really, it's too dang hot right now to be outside) until I see that things have gone down again. What's annoying is that I'm seriously considering going to the choir info session at church, because I miss being part of something like that, but if my throat continues to be this scratchy I know they'll just laugh me out of the room.
• Two weeks ago (or there about) we left the doodle with my folks and my sister so we could go to see Harry Potter and have dinner with friends. Since our 14th anniversary is Wednesday, Tim is planning for us to go out to dinner this coming weekend and, in the interest of fair play, we're asking his folks to come and sit. I can't figure out why I'm so much more nervous about them watching him than I was about my folks. (Though I was nervous a tad about that, it's nothing really compared to how freaked I'm getting about this prospect.) It's annoying Tim, which is probably reasonable because really, my reaction is unreasonable. But even knowing that, I can't figure out how to get myself to the ok with it stage.
• I'm really pleased with the end result of the Next Food Network Star, I'll probably go ahead and find the show and stick it on the DVR schedule for a little bit. I'm enjoying Design Star, though it's too early to really have any thoughts about who should win. Otherwise, TV hasn't really been on our radar much lately - got a lot of our summer shows piling up on the recorder.
  

That probably sums it up for now.