HOORAY!
Since I'm crummy at updating, many of you may not have known that I've been taking the bus to work for about, oh, 3 months. THREE MONTHS. It was getting old, let me tell you. Due to some boring and tedious circumstances I won't go into, neither my nor John's car were drivable the past few months. But now John's car is fixed, and I was able to drive to work today. It will be so nice to have my independence back, and not be at the mercy of Metro Transit's routes and schedules.
The bus wasn't terrible --I did enjoy being able to sleep on my way to work-- but it is definitely not my preferred method of transportation. Especially as the afternoon driver on my route must have paid someone off in order to get his job: the man cannot drive. He is by far the worst bus driver I've ever had. Sometimes I would work late just to avoid having to risk my life by riding his route.
In other news, I started working part time at the video store by my apartment in the beginning of October. The neighborhood the store is in is a bit "different", and we get some interesting (read: crazy) people in the store. I also discovered that the most annoying question to ask a video store clerk is: "Is this movie good?" Why is that the most annoying question? Because it presupposes that I've seen every damn movie in the store! No, sorry, I haven't seen Gwendoline but I'm sure it's greeeaaat...
Got a feel for my automobile
I'm proud to say that I voted...
in the Best CNN Poll EVER:
CNN Quick Vote
Heather Mills: Should she just shut up already?
Yes 94%
No 6%
Fight Malaria!
I love this campaign because it's straight forward and simple: buy nets, save lives.
http://www.nothingbutnets.net/
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match your donation, net for net. Nets can prevent malaria transmission by 50 %. To learn more, check out the site-- and tell others!
Substance
If you have five minutes to spare, this should be read-- and the man it references, Michael Yon, has an excellent site:
hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/645fe332-765f-4ee4-940c-5819a72c2d44
Babies Are Not Like Pets
This is objectionable on so many levels, I don't even know where to start...
Just Let the Brows Do All the Work
HA! I just read this post on Go Fug Yourself-- (read my post from earlier today first to make more sense of this...)Whit, this is for you/us:
And how can they kill off John Black on Days Of Our Lives while he's wrapped in head bandages, thus giving us no time to say a proper goodbye to Drake Hogestyn's Irresistably Incredibly Incomprehensibly Amazing Eyebrow of Shock/Terror/Amusement/Boredom/Vengefulness/Arousal? I mean, talk about a fugly thing to do, NBC. If we don't get a cocked-brow montage by the time John draws his last breath, I am going to... sit here and think unpleasant thoughts for five minutes before catching up on Bionic Woman. TRUST ME, YOU DON'T WANT THAT. And, frankly, neither do I -- Bionic Woman is terrible.
Do you guys know how many laughs Whit and I got out of that eyebrow? It cheered us in our darkest hour...
Not Much
I am just sick of seeing that last post when I pop onto this page, so I'm updating just so I don't have to look at that post anymore.
On Monday I didn't feel well (I'll spare you the details) but stayed at work, but on Tuesday morning when I woke up I still felt icky, so I stayed home. I watched daytime tv, including that old favorite of mine, Days of Our Lives. John Black is on his deathbed, after getting hit by a car. Apparently Stefano is back (for the 1,000,000th time) and it's all his doing. There was some super dramatic "acting" by the actor that plays John Black-- he must be one of the cheesiest actors ever. Good times. I also got to see Martha, and found out Rachel Ray has a talk show: gross. I do not enjoy her personality or fugly face. I shut her off and took a nap.
In other news, I started a part time job at the Hollywood Video by my house. The first shift was a nightmare, but every one after that has been good. I get free rentals, so that's awesome. Apparently my store has the biggest selection in the state, so pretty much anything you can think of, I can rent it for free.
Otherwise, not too much going on. Cornflake has an appointment to get neutered on Oct 26th...can't wait! It was supposed to happen in November but I moved it up-- he's naughty enough, he doesn't need the extra testosterone to help him out.
I was born in small town
On Saturday, I went up north with my mom to help clean out the lake house before winter. On the way there, we passed Onamia, and my mom told me a story.
One of my dad’s friends, Kenny, is from Onamia, and he used to drive to Princeton every day to get to work.
One morning, he sees a naked man in middle of the highway, on the grassy area that divides the lanes. Kenny stops to see if the man needs help, thinking that maybe he was robbed and beaten up and then stranded, naked.
He pulls up to the man and says “Hey buddy, is everything okay?” and the man says “Yeah, but I need a ride to Princeton,” and Kenny says “alright” since he was going that way.
On the way, Kenny asks the man what happened to his clothes, and the man says “Oh, the devil was chasing me, so I took off all my clothes so he wouldn’t recognize me.”
Kenny drops the guy off in Princeton. That morning, my mom was at work and just happened to be near the front window of the store she worked at, and sees a man running down the street (still naked). When my dad came home from work that day, first thing he says is “Oh man, today Kenny picked up Rick, and he was naked!” and my mom says, “Yeah, I saw him running down the street!” Turns out the naked guy was a guy they knew (small town) and poor guy has some mental issues.
This, my friends, is the kind of stuff I missed out on since we moved away from Princeton when I was five.
Congratulations!
Kerri and Justin welcomed their son to the world this morning! I am so excited and happy for them.
Back when Kerri and I shared an office, we'd talk about how one day we'd be mommies, and we'd look back at that job and laugh. Can't wait to join you in Mommydom, Kerri, but until then, I will thoroughly enjoy your mommy stories and baby pictures (cannot wait for the baby pictures!!!) 
Second Most Wonderful Time of the Year
My favorite time of the year is Christmastime (my definition of Christmastime begins the day after Thanksgiving and lasts through New Years). My second favorite time: State Fair time! The State Fair closes out summer and heralds my favorite season, Fall. Soon it will be cool enough to wear sweatshirts (God I hate summer clothes!) and jeans everywhere, but not so cold that you can't still wear flip flops. It's the Best!
The Fair is the one place where I can stuff my face with all kinds of treats and not feel an ounce of guilt. In fact, I only feel remorse if I forget to eat something that's on my list. Roasted corn: you're number one on The List.
Here's a picture from last year's trip to the Fair. Maybe one of these lil' guys grew up to be the Biggest Pig in Minnesota! :)
Germs are invisible, but they are there!
There was a gum wrapper on the floor of the bathroom stall I visited at lunch. I have never been struck by the immediate need for fresh breath while in a bathroom stall. And if such a need did strike, the very fact that I am in a bathroom stall would prevent me from putting anything in my mouth-- you have to touch gum to put it in your mouth, and that, my friends, is just gross, considering that you have probably touched the handle of the stall door to lock yourself in. Think about what the person that touched the handle before you had just been doing. Now, does gum seem like a good idea?
I'm still kind of freaked out
about the bridge collapsing, but everyone I know is okay.
Also, somehow I chose the most ill fitting pair of underwear I own out of my drawer this morning. I'm considering making a trip to Target on my lunch break to obtain a new pair, just so I can have the satisfaction of tossing this pair in the trash. I had no idea they were so uncomfortable until I was well on my way to work. Lunch cannot come soon enough
Schedule Change...
I've been debating this in my head for weeks, and have finally come to a decision.
After about a year of working 1030-7, I've decided to change to 8-430...
There are pros and cons for each shift, but I need a change. So, now I'll be getting up early and dealing with traffic, BUT, I will get home at a reasonable time OR be able to go shopping/run errands after work.
That's my big announcement. I realize it's pretty boring. I really don't have much else new going on, though.
I do have a picture of Cornflake getting ready to run around with a cup on his head, though.
Enjoy!
I'd rather be "fat" than vindictive
I read this in the miscellaneous section jkrowling's website (jkrowling.com), and it is not Harry Potter related-- I was quite surprised and pleased to find these words of wisdom... I'll repost a condensed version here (my favorite part):
'"Fat" is usually the first insult a girl throws at another girl when she wants to hurt her,' I said; I could remember it happening when I was at school, and witnessing it among the teenagers I used to teach. Nevertheless, I could see that to him, a well-adjusted male, it was utterly bizarre behaviour, like yelling 'thicko!' at Stephen Hawking.
His bemusement at this everyday feature of female existence reminded me how strange and sick the 'fat' insult is. I mean, is 'fat' really the worst thing a human being can be? Is 'fat' worse than 'vindictive', 'jealous', 'shallow', 'vain', 'boring' or 'cruel'? Not to me; but then, you might retort, what do I know about the pressure to be skinny? I'm not in the business of being judged on my looks, what with being a writer and earning my living by using my brain...
I went to the British Book Awards that evening. After the award ceremony I bumped into a woman I hadn't seen for nearly three years. The first thing she said to me? 'You've lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw you!'
'Well,' I said, slightly nonplussed, 'the last time you saw me I'd just had a baby.'
What I felt like saying was, 'I've produced my third child and my sixth novel since I last saw you. Aren't either of those things more important, more interesting, than my size?' But no – my waist looked smaller! Forget the kid and the book: finally, something to celebrate!
The trouble is, when you say "well, yeah! I'd rather be "fat" than, say, vindictive, or bitter, the retort is "well, of course you'd say that, you're fat, hahahahaha" It's hard to actually believe it, but who you actually are has so very little to do with your physical appearance. You are more than the size of your waist, you are the choices you make. And while some choices may regard what to eat for breakfast, and you may chose a cookie, when you could have chosen yogurt, the much more important choice regards how you chose to treat people.
I Miss My Book!
It was so nice to be in a quite apartment, with a good book to read and a few days off from work.
Harry Fever!
So, about 11 and a half hours to go until the book is released. Everyone at work is asking me what my plans are for tonight. I haven't decided yet. John volunteered to get wrist band and then go back to the store and buy the book... I think it might be mayhem, though, and I wouldn't want him to have to go through that. I think I would like to go to a release party somewhere (probably Barnes) and then just leave around 11 or so, before any one can ruin the ending.
What I'm looking forward to finding out:
What really happened on the tower between Snape and Dumbledore in Half Blood Prince... there was that mysterious snippet of conversation between them earlier in the book that will have to be revisited, and that will shed some light on what really happened, and if Snape is indeed good or evil (or neither?)
How Dumbledore will speak to Harry again...will it be his portrait? Will Harry see more of Dumbledore's memories through the penseive?
What the significance of Harry having Lily's eyes is. I have a half baked theory-- in Snape's Worst Memory, Lily is the only one who sticks up for Snape. Maybe he liked her? She sticks up for him, and is excellent at making potions, like him (although he did call her a mudblood). Maybe he hated James so much because he married Lily? And maybe at some pivotal moment, Snape looks at Harry, and instead of seeing James, like he always does, he sees Lily, in Harry's eyes. Or not. But in some way, Harry having Lily's eyes will be important-- like, save his life important.
The two way mirror Sirius gave Harry. Where's the other half? It has to be useful, why else would it have been introduced to the plot?
Wormtail owes Harry a life debt... how will he repay him?
What is Harry's power that the Dark Lord knows not? It seems agreed upon that it is his capacity for love, despite everything that has happened to him. How does this help him defeat Voldemort? And at what cost to Harry?
Utah!
So, it's been a gazillion years since I've been to Utah for a visit, and I finally was able to book my tickets today...Hooray!!
And some that die deserve life
A coworker of mine passed away this past Saturday, quite suddenly and unexpectedly. She was 24.
Many people have been consoling themselves with thoughts that she is in a better place, and those types of things.
I'm sure that is true.
But it also seems trite. She was young and sweet and beautiful, and I'm sure given the choice, she'd have chosen to continue her journey on this plane for quite a bit longer.
There is no fairness or meaning to her death-- it wasn't "her time" and it wasn't part of any plan, it just is.
At work, there is still laughing, and people complaining about work issues. Everyone was upset this morning, to be certain, but if you walked in here right now, you wouldn't necessarily know that a co-worker just passed away.
And what I am left with is the thought that our own life means the very most to only us, an idea that can be both formidable and empowering.
Headphones...preventing rampage killings since 1910
Every morning, someone I work with buys a bag of chips, then proceeds to inhale the contents as fast and and loud as she can. I honestly don't think I could eat that loud if I tried.
Happy 4th of July!
This comes from the Medved Memo, which is written by Michael Medved and goes out every Friday. I thought it was perfect and wanted to share it with you guys:
On July 2, 1776, after long and wrenching debate, the Continental Congress voted to declare independence from the Mother Country and the next night John Adams went back to his rooming house in sweltering, sticky Philadelphia to write, by candlelight, perhaps the most famous letter in American history. Addressing his beloved wife Abigail in far-away Boston, he exulted in the birth of a new nation:
The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.
You will think me transported with enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these states. Yet, through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means. And that posterity will triumph in that day's transaction, even although we should rue it, which I trust in God we shall not...
It may be the will of Heaven that America will suffer calamities still more wasting, and distress yet more dreadful. If this is to be the case, it will have this good effect at least. It will inspire us with many virtues which we have not, and correct many errors, follies and vices which threaten to disturb, dishonor and destroy us. The furnace of afflication produces refinement, in States as well as individuals...But I must submit all my hopes and fears to an overruling Providence, in which, unfashionable as the faith may be, I firmly believe.
The prophetic nature of his vision still makes the heart race and takes the breath away, some 231 years later. Predicting "illuminations" (the 18th Century term for fireworks!) to celebrate Independence Day from "one end of the continent to the other" remains almost freakishly prescient. When Adams wrote those words, the colonies occupied only a narrow, intermittent strip of settlements along the eastern seaboard; the very notion of a true continental nation looked wildly implausible, all but unimaginable.
The one mistake in Adams' view of the future involved his assumption that future generations would celebrate the Second of July (the date of the adoption of the resolution for Independence) rather than the Fourth of July (the date Congress approved the specific wording of the Declaration which Adams had helped his friend Thomas Jefferson to write.
In any event, those who insist on dismissing or denying the nation's deeply religious heritage should ponder the words of this "Atlas of Independence." Adams expects that we will celebrate the nation's founding through "solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty" (don't tell the ACLU!). After bitter, exhausting political battles in Philadelphia (corresponding to simultaneous -disastrous- military battles conducted by Washington's army in New York) he recognized the role of Providence in the ongoing struggle and, at a moment of exultation, proved himself not just a far-seeing leader, but a prophet.
May we celebrate our nation's beginning in a manner worthy of such founders.
Happy Independence Day!
