My Soapbox

Republican Rep. Virgil Goode Brings Back Old Fashioned Racism (Or did it ever go away?)

2007-01-03T14:56:00.000-05:00

Republican Rep. Virgil Goode is reminding us of the good old days back when slaves knew their place, women were best barefoot and pregnant, the Japanese were secure in their internment camps, and those strange, heathen brown fellas who talked funny were watched with a wary eye.

The Congressman recently wrote a letter in defiance of Rep. -elect Keith Ellison's decision to use a Quran (Koran) for his swearing in, saying "that unless immigration is tightened, 'many more Muslims will be elected' and use the Quran to take the oath of office," according to the AP wire. For most clear-headed people it is obvious that Rep. Goode could have easily been wearing a KKK hood or a Hitler mustache when he said this statement, but for those of you who are a little confused by the Christian-religious haze floating around your head, I'll explain further.

1.) While the U.S. religious majority is Christian, this is still a country where religious freedom is upheld by the First Amendment; thus, Rep. Ellison should be able to practice whichever faith he should so choose without any repercussions.

2.) This isn't even the REAL swearing in. It's an unoffical one. The real swearing in, according to a Reuters article, is done as a group with no bibles or books of any kind.

3.) What sense is it to have a non-Christian swear on a bible??? That person doesn't even believe in the bible, so what's the point? It'd be like me trying to swear you in with the Good House Keeping book. It holds no weight unless the person is swearing over something he or she holds dear...like your mother's grave and such.

4.) Rep. Ellison is not even an immigrant. Although, I'm sure Rep. Goode doesn't realize that non-whites and non-Christians are actually born in America.

So why hasn't there been a louder outcry against this xenophobic racist jerk? I thought maybe, just maybe, in 2007 things would be better, but here we go again. We've done this over and over throughout our history. First it was the American Indians, then the black slaves, the Chinese, the Irish, the Italians, the Catholics, the Japanese, the Mexicans, and now the Muslims. You'd think we would've learned our lesson by now, but I guess ignorance never dies.

Hopefully Rep. Goode will go the way of George Allen.

In closing, I'd like to defer to the C-Ville, Charlottesville's Newsweekly, which said it best:

"Goode Makes Complete Ass of Self"

I HATE PHILADELPHIA

2006-10-04T16:45:00.000-04:00

I really really hate and despise this place. No culture, no diversity...this place is driving me nuts. I'm just biding my time till my sentence is over and I can get the hell out of this place.

At least they had enough sense to put that stupid Rocky statue at the bottom of the museum stairs instead of the top. Stupid city's only claims to fame are Rocky Balboa (the epitome of a blockhead grunt), cheese steaks with cheese whiz, and a cracked bell. Newest addition to the list would be highest number of homicide shootings. When my friends came recently to tour the sights they almost died of boredom. I won't see them again!

Then the burbs think they're sooo special because they claim one of the biggest malls on the east coast, King of Prussia Mall. Gimme a fukin break! When most of the area has to drive about 30 miles to find any decent clothing stores, I call that a disaster, not a triumph.

Biding my time...biding my time.

Korea

2006-10-04T14:04:00.000-04:00

Cutesy stuff in the mall. Korea loves cutesy stuff. They use cartoon images everywhere. The police department even has a mascot cartoon dog.

The DMZ (De-militarized Zone):
Propaganda Village on the North Korean side. This is a fake village the North Koreans constructed to make the South Koreans think they are advanced and live in luxurious buildings. However, no one really lives in Propaganda Village.
The blue building in the center is where negotiations took place with the North Koreans. The DMZ line runs through the building, symbolically cutting it in half. The large building in the background is in North Korea. We were under North Korean survelliance the whole time. There are two South Korean soldiers in front of the blue building on the right. One is positioned oddly so that only half his body is exposed from the building. This is so he is not such an easy target for the North Korean soldiers.
This is me inside the center blue building. I am standing on the North Korean side, so technically I am in North Korea.
This is some good ol' Korean food. Some delicious grilled pork, an egg dish in the left bowl, and a type of kimchee on the right. Oh, and a shot of soju.
My husband standing in the street. Seoul is a very lively city at all times of the day.
Changing of the guard at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul.
Main building in Gyeongbok where the King conducted his meetings.
Another beautiful spot in Gyeongbok.

More pictures to come...

2006-09-27T23:02:00.000-04:00

I know it's been F-O-R-E-V-E-R, but my husband and I just got back from visiting Korea last week and I've been playing catch up ever since. My severe jet lag hasn't helped. Anyways, this will be a lame ass post, because it's just a post to tell you to come by in a few days because I'll be posting some photos from my trip. Korea was FABULOUS and I think I gained five friggin pounds!!!!! All the damn pork, beef, and red bean snacks!

2006-09-11T10:48:00.000-04:00

We'll never forget you...

2006-08-04T13:51:00.000-04:00

The news lately is completely depressing me, so I'll close the week with this adorable photo I took while working at the Wildlife Rehab. My coworker is feeding one of the baby squirrels, just one of the many fun tasks we get to take part in.

Fun Tidbits about animals and working with wildlife:

Fawns (baby deer) get very excited when you come out to feed them. They leap up on to you like a large dog, pawing to get to their bottle. I have a nice little cloven shaped scratch on my leg to prove their enthusiasm.

Mealworms still crawl around after they are torn in half. Also, a mealworm's guts turn your fingernails black, so after a day of tearing apart mealworms for baby birds to eat I have the hands of a mechanic for about a week. Doesn't matter how much you scrub your hands.

If you feed a squirrel his milk too fast, then the milk will come out his nose. It's not good to do that too often.

Baby sparrows are aggressive eaters and are fast enough to steal another bird's food before it has time to eat it. They are tiny birds, but suck down large clumps of food easily.

Bird poop comes out encased in neat little sacs, but if the sac is popped, then you have a mess. Baby birds stick their butts up and over the edge of the nest when they poop, thus, keeping their nest clean. They also poop a few minutes right after they eat.

Baby squirrels like to poop while they are drinking their milk.

Opossums are marsupials (the only marsupials in North America) that carry their young in pouches on their belly.

Opossums open their mouth and bare their teeth to frighten off people or animals that bother them, but they're really just cute little wussies who are more bark than bite.

Ducks can bite, but it doesn't hurt one bit!

Geese are really heavy to hold for any extended period of time.

Horses flirt with each other. Horses also dislike each other sometimes just like people do.

Breasts are made for milk!

2006-08-03T22:15:00.000-04:00

Ok, so this controversy over Babytalk Magazine is REALLY PISSING ME OFF!!!! The cover of the magazine shows a baby nursing from its mother's breast because the subject matter is breastfeeding. The breast on the cover is barely distinguishable as a breast because you can barely see anything. In fact, you can see more of a booby watching MTV or Desperate Housewives, yet, that didn't stop some people from completely freaking out:

Excerpt from CNN.com AP article:

"I was SHOCKED to see a giant breast on the cover of your magazine," one person wrote. "I immediately turned the magazine face down," wrote another. "Gross," said a third.

These readers weren't complaining about a sexually explicit cover, but rather one of a baby nursing, on a wholesome parenting magazine -- yet another sign that Americans are squeamish over the sight of a nursing breast, even as breast-feeding itself gains more support from the government and medical community."

Gawd this pisses me off! America needs to grow the hell up and start realizing that God made boobs to feed babies. A fact that seems to be obscured in American society by the infamous allure of breasts as erotic sexual tools meant to ensure the downfall of a moral society.

Again, from the same CNN article,

One mother who didn't like the cover explains she was concerned about her 13-year-old son seeing it. "I shredded it," said Gayle Ash, of Belton, Texas, in a telephone interview. "A breast is a breast -- it's a sexual thing. He didn't need to see that."

WHAT?!?!? If you treat a breast like a sexual object and the act of breastfeeding as sexual, then YOU'RE causing the problem NOT the photo. This mom is teaching her child that breasts are something to be ashamed of, that breasts are only sexual objects, and that breastfeeding is not a natural act. This woman is what's wrong, not Babytalk's cover.

Besides the fact that this infantile (no pun intended), sophomoric behavior is ridiculous and not generally found in other parts of the world, it also encourages a stigma against breastfeeding despite the scientific enlightenment that breastmilk is the single most nutritious source of food for babies.

According to the FDA website:

More than two decades of research have established that breast milk is perfectly suited to nourish infants and protect them from illness. Breast-fed infants have lower rates of hospital admissions, ear infections, diarrhea, rashes, allergies, and other medical problems than bottle-fed babies.

"There are 4,000 species of mammals, and they all make a different milk. Human milk is made for human infants and it meets all their specific nutrient needs," says Ruth Lawrence, M.D., professor of pediatrics and obstetrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in Rochester, N.Y., and spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The primary benefit of breast milk is nutritional. Human milk contains just the right amount of fatty acids, lactose, water, and amino acids for human digestion, brain development, and growth.

Breast-fed babies have fewer illnesses because human milk transfers to the infant a mother's antibodies to disease. About 80 percent of the cells in breast milk are macrophages, cells that kill bacteria, fungi and viruses. Breast-fed babies are protected, in varying degrees, from a number of illnesses, including pneumonia, botulism, bronchitis, staphylococcal infections, influenza, ear infections, and German measles. Furthermore, mothers produce antibodies to whatever disease is present in their environment, making their milk custom-designed to fight the diseases their babies are exposed to as well.

I'm definitely going to try my best to breastfeed when I have children. The only thing that would likely stop me would be if I were unable to stop taking Singulair for the time period I'd be breastfeeding. I think all women should be able to breastfeed whenever and wherever they need to as long as they try to be discreet about it. Unfortunately, I would probably avoid breastfeeding in public because I just don't have the patience to deal with all the jerkoffs out there who would have a problem with it. Fortunately, I would probably be a stay-at-home mom and would have the option of more convenient settings; however, most women don't have that option. Regardless, I think it's a very sad world we live in where people; in fact, other women, describe the scene of a baby nursing from its mother as "gross".

2006-08-02T16:16:00.000-04:00

OMIGAWD IT'S HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I KNEW IT!!!!

2006-07-26T13:22:00.000-04:00

'N Sync Star Lance Bass: "I'm gay"

Jordan Knight has got to be next!

My Birfday!

2006-07-26T11:24:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated my birthday in NYC. Here are some photos. Enjoy! (As you can see, I'm being lazy with this post!)

On the Seinfeld Tour with the real Kramer in front of the real diner.

In line at the Soup Nazi's kitchen. The lobster bisque was EXCELLENT - filled with huge chunks of real lobster!

Later that afternoon we met up with a couple of my friends from D.C. and we went to Comic Strip Live. The next day we went to the MET (Metropolitan Museum of Art). We were there three hours and just barely saw three galleries (one of which I was just power walking through so I could see it in time).

Just hanging out with Hatshepsut, female pharoah of Egypt.

Pharaoh for a day?

More of my favorites:

Indian Art

Assyrian Art

Something to think about...

2006-07-19T14:38:00.000-04:00

"Not so smart when it comes to the Middle East" by Lou Dobbs

I HATE GLASSES!!!

2006-07-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

I've been wearing contacts for 16 years now. I got my contacts right before 9th grade. Before that, I suffered two years of huge, powder blue coke bottle glasses. I hated my glasses. I would keep them off most of the time and only quickly put them on to see the board in class. Well, as you know from my previous post I'm back to glasses for now. I've rarely worn my glasses in the past 16 years, so let me tell ya....I don't know how anyone does it!

Why Eyeglasses SUCK!!!!!:

1.) They make me look like a total dork no matter what I wear or how I fix my hair. Even if you look OK in glasses, you'd always look SOOOO much hotter without them!
2.) They give me headaches because I'm not used to them.
3.) It's SUPER annoying having this thing balanced on the bridge of my nose all the time.
4.) They keep sliding down my nose leaving me momentarily blind until I shove them back in place.
5.) It's hot as hell lately and it's not fun gathering copious amounts of sweat on the bridge of my nose and underneath my eyes.
6.) It's nearly impossible to do any type of strenuous activity in my glasses, like aerobics.
7.) I can't go swimming unless I want to ram myself into the side of the pool or a kid trying to doggie paddle.
8.) If it rains, then you're screwed. You might as well take them off, because you're blind anyways.
9.) Peripheral vision SUCKS!
10.) My neighbor didn't even recognize me the other day.
11.) I can't see what I'm doing while I'm in the shower. Where's the soap and how do I shave my legs?
12.) Oh, did I already mention THERE'S THIS THING SITTING ON MY FACE?!?!?!

Well, since I don't want your last image of me to be nerdy, I'll leave you with this.

Oh, I'm sorry...that's Jessica Alba, not me!!! Silly me!

Florida, car accidents & eye problems...oh my!

2006-07-14T17:55:00.000-04:00

July Fourth weekend my husband and I went to Florida to see my family and go to a wedding. The wedding took place in St. Augustine, so I was really excited to show my husband around this historical Spanish city. We visited the fort, Castillo de San Marcos, and strolled along the old cobble stone streets browsing little shops.

Unfortunately, it was super hot and I was sweating like a roasted pig. We had to go directly to the wedding at 6pm and we didn't have a hotel room there, so we had to change into our wedding attire in the public bathroom. Everytime I tried to apply makeup to my face it slid off. I was literally covered in an inch of sweat. BLECH! Anyways, I somehow managed to put myself together and we were off to the wedding. The wedding was in the Lightner Museum courtyard and took place on top of a stone bridge. Very romantic!
Congratulations Leigh Ann and Tim!

The reception took place at the local winery. I was crestfallen to find out "winery" doesn't necessarily translate into "lush, open countryside a la French provence with thousands of grapes hanging off of curling vines". It was just a building with what would have been a nice waterway view if it weren't for the construction going on to build new condos. Nevertheless it was a cool idea and all the guests got a tour of the winery and a wine tasting session. I was a bit tipsy after that and we hadn't even gotten to the real reception yet! (Leigh Ann, kudos for THE best wedding cake EVER! YUM, YUM!!!)

After the wedding we drove back to Jax (Jacksonville) and changed our clothes, so we could go clubbing with friends. My friend and her husband picked us up a little after midnight and we were off. Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones who were "off" that night . The light we were at had just turned green and we were moving forward when all of the sudden we were slammed from behind. Fortunately, except for a brutal head banging whiplash, we seemed to be alright and got out of the SUV. That's when I saw a pickup truck speed by. Turns out that truck had slammed into a car and that car had slammed into us. The asshole immediately fled the scene. Lucky for us some witnesses in nearby cars took off after the truck. A few seconds later a police car followed. Suprisingly enough, the SUV had little visual damage. We thought it would be much worse because it felt much worse. Unfortunately, the other car was not so lucky. It's entire rear end was gone! It had been smashed into oblivion. The male driver and the female passenger were luckily up and about. The woman had a huge bruise on her arm, but looked otherwise unharmed. The man was complaining of leg pains and was taken to the hospital. That night my husband, two friends, and I had sore necks and upper backs. The next day we were ok. The asshole who hit us got caught. He was drunk and is facing felony charges, among other ones, for fleeing the scene of an accident where he caused an injury. It was really weird to never see what this guy looked like. He caused such a horrible incident in our lives and could have even killed us and we don't know what he looks like. We asked the cop who came to take our statements if they could bring that guy over so we could pummel him, but no such luck. All in all, we were REALLY lucky and thank God we all had our seatbelts on.

Well, this past Sunday I may have been afflicted with some aftermath from the accident. I woke up early in the morning and noticed a flashing dot in my left eye. It's like when someone takes your picture with a flash. I immediately freaked out because I knew this could be a sign of a retinal tear or detachment. I'm a prime candidate for such a thing because I am severely nearsighted. Since it was Sunday, my optometrist was not working and neither were any other optometrists. I finally ended up going to the ER at Wills Eye Hospital, where I spent SEVEN HOURS...some of that time being prodded and blinded by a bright light and most of the time just sitting and waiting, and waiting, and waiting...

I couldn't believe how many friggin people there were in the ER!!! I figured it wouldn't be that bad because it was just for eye problems. Well, I was wrong!!!! It absolutely sucked, but fortunately, I found out I did not have a retinal tear or detachment; however, a blood vessel in my eye had popped and had leaked blood into my retina, thus, causing my problem. OH, and my contact lens had apparently scratched my cornea in the same eye.....thus, I'm sporting the dork of the year look with my rickety eyeglasses for at least two weeks. Anyways, the blood vessel thing may have happened for no reason or it could have been caused by the trauma of the accident when I hit my head. Either way I'm probably screwed with some huge ER fee since Florida is a No Fault state. F'ers!

A Good Ass Whoopin

2006-06-15T22:22:00.000-04:00

Yeah..that's what they gave you in the South when I was growing up...in school that is! I went to school in Panama City, Florida from first grade to half of third grade, and when you got in trouble you got sent to the principal's office and you got whooped on the butt with a big wooden paddle (like the kind they use in fraternities and sororities to put their Greek letters on:

Yeah...like that!) Fortunately, I never got whooped. I came very close. This creepy little boy named Shane constantly bothered me everyday. One day I got pissed off and, for some bizarre reason, took it out on his sidekick, Timothy, by tearing up his classwork. Well, our teacher, Mrs. Garvin, who by the way was a hunchback (no, I'm not kidding) (or maybe it was Mrs. Mack in second grade...I'm confused now) sent us all to the principal's office. Fortunately, the principal asked us if we thought we should get paddled and our protests saved our little heinies.

It's funny, but everytime I tell someone about this blast from the past I'm greeted by dropped jaws, wide eyes, and loud gasps. "Oh, you must've gone to a Catholic school," they say. Umm..no. Good ol' public school. "My God! What do you think of that? Did it scar you emotionally?" Uhh...no. In fact, I never thought much about it until I started getting these reactions. Things were different back then. You were a bad kid then there were consequences. No one thought anything of it. I blame it on good ole' Southern discipline. (?)

Anyways, to shock y'all further...we also had to say grace (pray) together before we went to lunch.

Brangelina Baby's Birthday May Become National Holiday in Namibia

2006-05-31T19:24:00.000-04:00

barf!

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

2006-05-30T20:14:00.000-04:00

May 5-8

Above:View from our room.

Snorkeling with the nurse sharks & rays

Five of the six. (Yvonne's taking the picture.)

ha ha!

2006-05-17T18:00:00.000-04:00

Washingtonpost.com headline:

Entertainment Blog
Richie Sambora Available,
'Heather's ex says, "Tell my female fans I am single and ready to party." Sorry Denise.'

Yeah Richie....we're stepping all over each other to get to you.....I mean, c'mon....does Richie still have fans?!?

Speaking of Christianity...

2006-05-17T17:45:00.000-04:00

I had jury duty today and I friggin got picked for the trial! But that's another story. Anyways, of course, we had to swear on the bible to be honest or whatever (I wasn't paying attention) and it got me thinking....what if I were Buddhist??? Or Shinto, or Muslim, or an Athiest? Or Jewish? (I'm not sure if it was the Old Testament or New, or both) I mean, wouldn't the symbolism of the oath be lost on me then? I suppose if they're relying on tradition it's ok, but if they actually think swearing on a bible will make people always tell the truth, then how do they account for nonChristians? It must be somewhat meaningless in that case, right? Just a thought.

The Da Vinci Code

2006-05-17T17:24:00.000-04:00

The uproar over the release of the movie, The Da Vinci Code, is pathetic. I mean, even the Albinos are pissed off. But, the Christian community's reaction to a fictional work is really disturbing to say the least. It really makes me wonder what they're really afraid of? For people strong in their faith, this movie should be no more than a minor annoyance meant to either be ignored or taken as entertainment for the masses. The fact that Christians across the globe are completely freaking out only leads me to believe that:

a.) they really are the control freaks they portray themselves to be, because they can't stand the thought of anyone possibly having a differing opinion.

b.) freedom of expression (artistic or otherwise) only applies when it does not conflict with their views. (oh...that's the same thing..see "a".)

c.) they're insecure in their own faith and try to hide the fact by being overzealous when they see the same thing in others.

What are you afraid of??? Are you afraid that Tom Hanks will be soooo believable in this movie that people will believe that Jesus Christ had children with Mary Magdalene and, thus, give up Christianity to become heathens???

Look, it's just a movie. A movie based on a fictional book that everyone has already read anyways. If you don't like it, then don't watch it. From the reviews I've read, the movie isn't even that good and I thought the book was interesting, but the writing was pretty simplistic. If people weren't making such an uproar about it, then most movie goers might not even watch it.

People, get a grip! Frankly, I would have liked to have seen this much fervor in the Christian community over the issue of priests molesting children, but then that would be rational and the world just doesn't work that way.

Doctors

2006-04-27T22:16:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I know it's been a long time, so I thought I'd throw out a post. I've been busy working on some volunteer projects and dealing with being newly diagnosed with asthma. Yup! You heard right...asthma. Seems contrary to my doctor's assumptions, there is something wrong with me afterall; it's not all in my head. It took three visits to the doctor before I was finally taken seriously enough to get sent for testing. The asthma thing was a bit of a shocker, since I didn't know of anyone in my family that had asthma; however, I eventually found out that my paternal aunt in the Philippines suffers from it. Anyways, things have been stressful to say the least. Not only have I had to deal with persistent shortness of breath and chest tightness, but I've had to also deal with doctors. I'm not particularly used to dealing with doctors or clinics or hospitals. I've been pretty lucky up until now, which explains my exorbitant copay...chosen because I never had to go to the doctor before.

My GP (general practitioner) prescribed some inhalers for me. After three weeks I did not see any real improvement, so I went back in. Unfortunately, my GP wasn't working that day so I elected to see another doctor at the practice. I had had a terrible time the night before and had barely slept because of it. I needed something done asap. This new doctor proceeded to tell me that there was nothing he could do for me. That I should just wait to see a specialist (my appointment was not for another 2 weeks). I expressed concern about waiting so long when I was already feeling so bad and he proceeded to suggest that I was basically a victim of anxiety and that was my real problem, and he reassured me that I could in fact breath. THEN, he told me that the medicine I was prescribed by my GP, who is his colleague, would not work for me because asthma inhalers (broncho dilators & steroid) were only for people with wheezing and since I only had shortness of breath and chest tightness and NOT wheezing, the medicine was useless. Needless to say, this is the part where I wanted to rip off his head. It is also the part where I realized that I was not just dealing with a difficult doctor with a terrible bedside manner, but an incompetent one as well.

Since being diagnosed with asthma, I have researched my disease a million times over. Asthma can cause the following symptoms:

wheezing
shortness of breath
chest tightness
coughing

(Note:I have experienced all symptoms except wheezing.)
There are two types of medicine to treat asthma: quick-relief, which relax the muscles that tighten the lung's airways and are used for immediate relief of asthma symptoms during an attack, and long term controllers, which are taken regularly and are anti-inflammatory medicines that prevent attacks from happening in the first place. The key idea is that these medicines treat asthma, specifically preventing or easing the constriction of the airways, not one or two specific symptoms of asthma, as was suggested by Dr. Incompetent. If asthma medicines work properly and prevent the airways from tighting, then you will not have the symptoms of asthma. Thus, it seems ludicrous that this doctor would suggest that these medicines are only to prevent or treat wheezing. I tried to reason this line of logic out with him, but all he would say is, "These medicines are to treat wheezing, not shortness of breath." Then he told me that he could prescribe me a higher strength steroid inhaler or Singulair, but that it's up to me. If I could show you the blank stare I had on my face at that time, I would. Obviously, if I knew the answer to this, then I'd be the one with M.D. after my name. This guy was clearly insane.

On top of all this, I was still required to pay my copay.

Sooooo......today I saw my GP. She gave me some Singulair to add to my cocktail until I see the specialist. So, that's where I am now. I'm completely frazzled and wary of trusting anyone with the credentials, "M.D." Unfortunately for me, it looks like I'll be dealing with doctors for awhile now.

Random Thoughts on the Blogosphere

2006-03-30T20:04:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I don't know what I'm even doing with a blog. I really don't like conflict and arguing with people, yet here I am giving people an open door. I guess I'm trying to learn something while at the same time passing on knowledge. But sometimes you come across really rude and nasty people on here and instead of having a rational debate on something you end up in a virtual brawl. And, then sometimes you meet people who are refreshingly open-minded.

2006-03-30T15:40:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my husband and I went down to D.C. to visit some friends. We watched the IMAX film, Roving Mars at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. Although it was short, it was interesting. The film showed the building of the rovers and the thought processes that went into the invention. It also used a combination of real video and photos along with CGI special effects to show the landing of the rovers and their work on Mars.

Afterwards we had dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant where I indulged in enchiladas for the second time this month. YUM! I also ordered the flan for dessert. Unfortunately, the flan wasn't that great. I shoulda chowed down on the cheesecake instead. If you're looking for good flan, then I would highly recommend the flan at Coyote Crossing. Excellent! Then we spent the night and the next morning discussing and debating the plots of Smallville and Battlestar Galactica and the origins of the universe...no, really, I'm serious. Anyway, It was an excellent weekend.

Today was a gorgeous day. I got off my lazy azz and took a walk around the complex. Luckily that kept me busy for awhile and I was distracted from watching TV and eating goldfish crackers all day. I've really got to step up my workout/diet whatever...cuz I've only got a month before I go to Punta Cana and I'm nowhere near bikini ready. =(

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2006-03-28T20:49:00.000-05:00

So, I've noticed a lot of the time I don't seem to get much respect from service workers in my daily life. I think most of it has to do with the fact that I don't often dress up and, therefore, I look like a kid. Even my eye doctor thought I was 21! I think everyone dismisses me because of this. A few of my Asian friends agree. While we're blessed with youthful looks, we're also cursed by the lack of respect those youthful looks bring. I can only imagine the stares I'll get when I'm pregnant. People will think I'm a pregnant college drop-out! However, I was talking to a good friend of mine earlier tonight and she said I'm not getting respect or attention because I'm tooooo nice and way too polite to people. She said I'm giving them the sign that I'm easy to walk all over. (I know what you're thinking...this blog reflects an outspoken, annoyingly loud, and sarcastic person - not a nice, quiet, polite dogooder. But, sometimes blogs are a reflection of the self that is shut away and screaming to get out...people who know me well know that I'm a more complex combination of the two.) This thought had crossed my mind before, but I hadn't given it much weight. Now I'm wondering if she's correct. Could it be that I treat people with too much respect that they can't possibly give me any back??? I think it sounds ludicrous, but maybe it's true. In many cases it's the yelling, irate bitchy customer that always seems to get exactly what he/she needs. People jump to attention and start running to assist. The service workers know they'd better not mess with this person or else! More and more I'm begining to think this is true. Obviously, not in every case, but more or less true. The fact that this IS true is infuriating! How is it people would be more inclined to deliver good service to someone who berates them over someone who is polite to them? How is it that a few stern words and an evil eye are better perceived than courteous discourse and a smile? Not only is this stupid, and I hate stupid things, but I'm annoyed that I have to become a total bitch in order to get the simplest tasks done. I don't like being mean to people unless I'm provoked. I can't fathom going up to the unsuspecting innocent and yelling, "Bitch! Where's my money?" Shouldn't everyone get that initial chance before being condemned? I sure think so. Apparently not everyone else does. So, I guess I'm going to have to grow some wrinkles and wield some nasty words if I want to get anything accomplished.

arggh!

2006-03-24T18:08:00.000-05:00

I know I'm beating this like a dead horse (where the hell does that expression come from anyways???), but...my GAWD...it's so completely infuriating and dumbfounding...I'm almost knocked speechless (almost)...it's like you feel like your head's going to explode.

(CNN) -- An Afghan man possibly facing execution for converting from Islam to Christianity is expected "to be released in the coming days," a source with detailed knowledge of the case said Friday. On Thursday, top Afghan clerics urged Muslims to kill Rahman if the government freed him.
"Rejecting Islam is insulting God. We will not allow God to be humiliated. This man must die," cleric Abdul Raoulf told The Associated Press.

I mean, my God...how do people like this exist??? I mean, what do we do with people like this? Jettison them into outter space? What the hell do we do? BELEoEurOEUIRooo!!!!

More hypocritical, depressing news

2006-03-22T15:06:00.000-05:00

Right now there's a man in Afghanistan facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity. Ironically, self-proclaimed "super-Christian" George W. Bush, who brought "democracy and freedom" to Afghanistan, has yet to condemn this atrocity. The Christian convert's trial judge told the BBC, "We will invite him again because the religion of Islam is one of tolerance. We will ask him if he has changed his mind. If so we will forgive him." AWww....how tolerant and graciously benevolent of them!

Uhh..is this what U.S. soldiers died for in Afghanistan? The right for the new Afghan government to put to death a Christian convert? And where the F*$# is Bush???? He's always got something grand to say about democracy, freedom, and Christianity....why is he suddenly speechless?

UPDATE: Looks like Bush publicly condemned this situation today in a speech out of West Virginia. Mr. President, are you reading my blog? According to CNN, Bush said, ""We have got influence in Afghanistan, and we are going to use it." Let's hope so, let's hope so. I can't think of anything better than for Mr. Bush to prove my above tirade wrong. Let's hope he does.

Thank God

2006-03-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

for this beautiful day!!!!

Today
Partly sunny; windy, warmer
High: 74° F

Real World, Real Dumb

2006-03-03T12:25:00.000-05:00

Ok, not that this is any news to anyone but MTV's Real World totally SUCKS!!!!! Unfortunately, I have to admit I used to be a fan. I enjoy laughing at other people acting stupid. I guess no matter how bad things get in my life I can always point to these people and think, "at least I'm not them!" Anyways, now even I am abandoning this wagon. I watched the first episode of the new Real World Key West and thought I was going to throw up. I mean, c'mon MTV!!!! Can't you show some originality??? I'm sick and tired of seeing the same five personalities hashing out the same tired storylines season after season! There's always:

1.) The Jock - The goodlooking, yet moronic, beer-guzzlin, booty-chasin, frat-boy, who is sure to hookup with...

2.) The Hot Girl - The hot bimbo, who likes drinking, dancing on bars, tonguing her female roommates and other females at the bars, running around in her underwear, and has serious low self-esteem issues (and sometimes an eating disorder)...

3.) The Token Minority -
a.) If a black male, then he's the angry black guy who's mad at society and by default mad at most of his roommates, especially The Jock.
b.) If a black female, she will undoubtably become the object of desire for one of the white males, but usually not The Jock, who is already taken by The Hot Girl.
c.) If an Asian female, she will rarely, if ever, be the subject of an episode and she will rarely have any lines. This is not because she did not say anything or do anything of interest, but because she got edited out to give more screen time to the immature rantings going on with the ill-fated love story between The Jock and The Hot Girl and "The Hot Girl's about-to-be dumped boyfriend back home". And, although usually very attractive, Asian Female will not be highlighted as such.
d.) If an Asian male, ....haha..PSYCH!!!! There never has been nor will there ever be an Asian male on Real World! haha..c'mon...get REAL!
e.) If a Hispanic male, he will be relegated to a supporting role. He will support one of his white male castmates with two-liner comments as needed.
f.) If a Hispanic female, as long as she's goodlooking she will be shifted to the white girl category and there will be little to no mention of her race.

4.) The Gay Roommate - If a male, then his presence will cause the straight male roommates to question their own bigotry on the path to enlightenment. If female, no one will care because there's already enough girl-on-girl action going on in the jacuzzi anyways.

5.) The Reject - Usually a female, but not always, who is unattractive, yet reasonably intelligent and, thus, does not fit in with the other roommates. He/She will either explore the ramifications of being an outsider and have a good cry so as to give the show a humanistic, serious tone, or He/She will provide witty and sarcastic commentary on the idiocy of the rest of the house.

COME ON MTV!!!!! CAN YOU THROW IN SOME DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES ONCE IN AWHILE???? AND, HOW BOUT AN ASIAN GUY?????? ONE THAT ISN'T STEREOTYPICALLY NERDY TOO! OR BETTER YET! HOW BOUT AN ASIAN JOCK?!? I KNOW I'M BLOWING YOUR MINDS MTV...

Scary

2006-03-03T11:52:00.000-05:00

So Domino's pizza founder Thomas Monaghan is building a town, Ave Maria, in Florida, which will be governed by strict Catholic law. There will be no pornography, abortions, and birth control, among other "sinful" things. Other than the above, I haven't seen a list of rules for this town or an explanation as to how they'll enforce them, besides regulating businesses. You've got to figure that if they want a town ruled by strict Catholicism, then they'd need a whole litany of "Do Nots"...like requiring people to go to confession (which, incidently, hardly any of the Catholics I know do), no premarital sex, no blasphemy, etc... I'm not sure how that would be enforced and, in fact, I'm not sure it could be....seems to me a lot of that would be unconstitutional. And would they restrict nonCatholics from living there??? That's also unconstitutional.

I just got done reading Bentley Little's book, The Association. It's about this couple who moves into a gated community and they come to find out that their Homeowner's Association is run by a sadistic group of nonhumans (demons or what?), who run the community with a yellowpages size book of unbelievable rules....like:
No minorities are allowed to live in the neighborhood.
No pets allowed.
No business work to be done on premises.
No personal photos or mementos to be displayed in home.
Only green string can be used to tie plants in gardens.
Cars must be facing the same direction when parked in driveway.

etc, etc..
Of course, the Association will kill your pet if you have one...and kidnap and kill your minority friend who happens to be visiting. And all the houses contain surveillance cameras so the Association can videotape you in your own home and on your own toilet. But anyways...you get the gist of it. Anyways, I doubt that will be the case in Ave Maria, but the whole idea really rubs me the wrong way. And what bothers me just as much and maybe even more is Gov. Jeb Bush's wholehearted endorsement of the town. I'd like to invoke a little separation of church and state, please.

2006-02-24T12:08:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official now! I'm a volunteer at the local aquarium and I'm going to be preparing the seals' food, so in an indirect way I'm responsible for the livelihood of the seals. Well, at least twice a month anyways. I'm stoked!

After my orientation last week I roamed the aquarium for awhile (I woulda roamed longer, but I was:
a.) sleep deprived
b.) going to be late for horseback riding
c.) there were waaaaay too many people visiting the aquarium that day)
So THE coolest things I saw there (besides being up close with two seal pups) were the Leafy Sea Dragons and the short-nose batfish. Friggin awesome! Also, the jellyfish were very beautiful! I have to remember to bring my camera next time.

Well, super CONGRATULATIONS to Shizuka Arakawa!!! She was absolutely flawless in the women's free skate program! And her outfit was kickin! It was like a cross between Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Star Trek! I felt really bad for Sasha Cohen. I knew if she fell on that first jump (which she did), then it was all over! She had no confidence going into the program because of her flawed practice session, so one fall during the program was all it took to undermine her and cause a second fall. It's a shame because the rest of her performance was beautiful. Very nice choreography. I also loved Emily Hughes' passion. It's funny but I never expected so many skaters to fall during their programs, since they're cream of the crop, but I guess the pressure is just too immense.

Well, my girls and I are all set to go to Punta Cana in May! WOOoeOoeOEOO!!! Here I come sunny, white beaches!!! Unfortunately, I don't think any of my friends will want to do my preferred water activity: snorkeling with sting rays and nurse sharks! I'm going to have to do some serious campaigning; however, my husband is concerned I might come home with only one arm.

Oh, and, as if people didn't already know,....the Bush administration is selling our ports to a foreign country, a foreign country known for terrorist activity. This administration never ceases to amaze me with its screw-ups! I truly believe that Bush could literally walk out of his white house with an AK-47, take aim, and mow down a touring kindergarten class of 50 kids and a pregnant teacher, write it off as a regrettable accident and both the media and the public wouldn't so much as bat an eyelash. I'm beginning to suspect brainwashing chemicals in our water supplies.

2006-02-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I'm particularly morbid and negative in most of my postings. I thought today I'd try something upbeat. My Best Things in Life List:

1.) My husband
2.) Mom, Dad & bro
3.) The thought of making a human being (or two, or three) with my husband.
4.) Spending time with my friends
5.) Cuddling with my cat
6.) Sunny beaches with white sand and clear, turquoise-blue water
7.) Sunny days & warm temperatures
8.) Cantering on a horse
9.) Snorkeling with tropical fish
10.) Sleeping in late
11.) Cheesecake
12.) sour cream & onion potato chips
13.) Dancing to a good song
14.) Ziplining through the treetops
15.) Spending time in nature
16.) Zombie movies
17.) Travelling to new places
18.) Massages
19.) Hiking

Cheney Apologizes

2006-02-16T11:03:00.000-05:00

I have to admit when I first heard that the Vice President shot someone I laughed. Not that it's really funny, but it just sounded so bizzare. And while I'm no fan of the emotionless robot who apologized yesterday to the public for doing so, he shouldn't have had to do it. The only people Cheney should be apologizing to are Whittington and his family. This matter has absolutely N-O-T-H-I-N-G to do with the country. This is a private matter and Cheney shouldn't have had to make a public speech about it. The public's "right to know" isn't so completely encompassing that I need to know everytime Cheney picks his ass or everytime Bush makes up a new word.

2006-02-13T16:24:00.000-05:00

I'm soo hungry!!! I can't stop eating...PMS sucks!

What is human life worth?

2006-02-03T11:58:00.000-05:00

Ok, I wasn't going to write about this because I just didn't want to get involved, but everywhere I look I see this issue about the cartoons depicting Muhammed popping up. It's driving me friggin nuts!!!! Ok, let me preface this with the usual blather, because even though all this is true I'm sure some of you will see it as just some pitiful attempt at comaraderie on my part. I realize that not all Muslims are terrorists. In fact, the majority are not terrorists. I have several Muslim friends. I've been in relationships with Muslim men in the past. I respect everyone's religion and everyone's right to religion. I really admire Persian culture. I love Islamic art and Middle Eastern food. I think Israel is occupying Palestinian land and it's unfair. I think the Iraq war was a bad idea (hopefully I'll be proven wrong). But the Western world just doesn't get this controversy! And, I'll tell you why:

First of all, the cartoons were satirical, meaning not to be taken too seriously.

Second, the cartoons were published in free societies with freedom of press and expression.

Third, because of the latter, people who hate the cartoons can express their outrage and either boycott or sue the paper(s) that printed them or even take the higher ground and count them off as idiots or whatever.

Fourth, Westerners don't understand the importance of not depicting Muhammed. We have pictures of Jesus everywhere. We just don't understand it. It's a cultural problem and even though we can acknowledge that people find the depiction appalling, we still don't entirely get it. It's kinda like Bush or some other super rich and privileged person trying to understand the life of a homeless person. Maybe that's our fault, but it's not done out of maliciousness it's done because we don't get it.

Fifth, Muhammed was depicted with a missile on his head and denying suicide bombers into heaven because of a lack of virgins because terrorists have hijacked your religion and used it so well to their murderous agenda that the rest of the world will always connect Islam to terrorism and death no matter how hard we try not to. Even though we know it's the horrible actions of a few, it's impossible to get rid of that image. But that's not really our fault. It's the fault of those few terrorists and, maybe, the fault of those good Muslims who aren't working hard enough to take back their religion.

Sixth, while there are some of us who believe that religion supercedes everything, most of us still don't understand the swelling of outrage over some cartoons drawn by some obscure guy at an obscure newspaper when there are hundreds of people dying each day on your side and our side. Regardless of sides, I think we should be most outraged at all the killing. How are you burning flags and calling for death to an entire country because of this??? Where's the outrage at the deaths? People are being beheaded, gunned down, and blown up. If you have to be mad, be mad at this! We just don't understand!

Six more weeks of HELL!!!

2006-02-02T13:56:00.000-05:00

That damn groundhog saw his shadow!!!

Things I Don't Care About

2006-01-26T22:14:00.000-05:00

1.) The James Frey Controversy
2.) Oprah's attempt at redeeming her reputation after the James Frey Controversy.
3.) Kerry's usless attempt to filibuster the Alito nomination. (not gonna work, therefore, pointless.)
4.) Anything Howard Dean has to say. (I'm a Democrat, but Dean is still a moron. His attempt at being "different" to stand out is only working against him and our party.)
5.) Kanye West portrayed as Jesus on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. (If this is for controversy and press - Yawn! If this is an artistic expression reflecting his hip hop "gospel" song - that's nice, yawn, moving on...)
6.) Brangelina (barf)
7.) Michael Jackson and his crossing dressing escapade in the Middle East

Disgusted

2006-01-25T19:40:00.000-05:00

I was just listening to NPR and an interview with Washington Post writer Jackie Spinner. She was talking about her new book which deals with her experiences as a reporter in Iraq. She said she had received a lot of hate mail for her stories. The interviewer asked her if she had gotten any good mail and she said she had become friends with a woman who sent her an email thanking her for her reporting; however, the woman said she couldn't thank her publicly because she was a conservative and Spinner worked for a liberal newspaper.

How is it that someone can be of such low moral character, be so bereft of principles, be such a brainwashed lemming of a drone as to not be able to stand by her own opinion??? I can only imagine what a pathetic kind of a person that woman is if she wouldn't dare give her own opinion just because it might differ from her party affiliation. Grow some F'n balls! People like that make me want to puke.

Blog while you jog???

2006-01-18T20:31:00.000-05:00

So, I was listening to NPR earlier today and I heard that Minnesota State University has developed Tech Rec on their campus. Basically, they have installed computers in their exercise facilities, so people can log in or type up papers while they use the treadmill (not sure exactly how that's accomplished), elliptical, and bikes. The rep from MSU thought it would be a great way for students to study AND exercise at the same time. I thought this was one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Do you know how many people fall off treadmills??? Why, just the other day I was at the gym and some girl flew off her treadmill and hit the floor and she didn't have so much as a magazine distracting her, muchless a computer screen. Besides the dangers of physical injury, the gym is not the place for surfing the web. The gym is supposed to be where you're getting in shape. If you want a good work out you need to be concentrating on what you're doing. Sounds to me like there'll be a lot of increasingly obese and delusional MSU students blogging from their stationary bikes, while pedaling at .05 mph. Anyways, aren't we all just a little too connected to everyone and everything nowadays? I prefer my 60 minutes of peaceful exercise each day with no cell phone ringing and no inbox dinging.

Dumb and Dumber

2006-01-12T00:58:00.000-05:00

Project Walk the Cat

2006-01-09T14:52:00.000-05:00

My cat is fat. It's taken awhile for me to admit this to myself, but I can no longer deny it. I guess part of it has to do with the fact that my mom has an obese cat and compared with that cat my cat looks like a marathon runner. I've been debating over what to do about this situation. He really isn't fed too much food. I would bet my money that it's mostly to do with his lack of exercise. He's an indoor cat and he's old, so he pretty much lies around 22.5 hours of the day. So after much contemplation I've decided to implement Project Walk the Cat (a.k.a. Project WC), not to be confused with Project Cat's Cradle or the British term for toilet room.

DAY 1:
Attempted to put kitty harness on cat. Cat swatted at harness and nibbled on it. (Mental Note: for extra exercise swing harness in front of cat twice a day for 15 minutes.) Found harness was too tight and adjusted it. (My cat is NOT fat, just pleasantly plump!) Put harness on cat and attached leash. Attempted to walk cat out of apartment. Cat would not get up from lying position and was dragged a whopping five inches. Picked up cat and physically carried cat with harness and leash to door of apartment and opened door. Cat would not go outside into hallway. Picked up cat again and took him downstairs and outside. Placed cat on ground, so we could "walk". Cat looked around wide-eyed, sniffed, and proceeded to whine and headed back for door of building. Gave up. Opened door and let cat walk in. Realized I had only put one front arm through harness instead of two. (Mental Note: Next time fit harness properly.) Proceeded to walk cat with leash upstairs. Cat climbed up stairs. Outing deemed successful! Cat walked up stairs by leash. (Mental Note: Walk cat up and down stairs everyday for 20 minutes.)

2004, again?

2006-01-01T19:37:00.000-05:00

I think the city of New York should have splurged and bought a "6" for their New Year's sign instead of opting to recycle the "4" and turn it into a hybrid which looks more like a 4 than a 6. A miserable attempt at time travel that did not involve a Delorean.

The Plight of Womankind

2005-12-28T19:14:00.000-05:00

Another "honor" killing has taken place in Pakistan. According to the AP wire, Nazir Ahmed slit the throats of his three young daughters and their stepdaughter (Muqadas) because Muqada's husband accused her of adultery. Said Ahmed, "I thought the younger girls would do what their eldest sister had done, so they should be eliminated. We are poor people and we have nothing else to protect but our honor." Ahmed's younger daughters were ages 8, 7, and 4. Ahmed said he had no regrets except that he wished he had been able to kill the stepdaughter's lover. But there's little evidence that there even was a lover. According to the article, local people said that Muqadas had fled her husband because he had abused her and forced her to work in a brick-making factory. The claim of adultery was most likely her husband's form of revenge for leaving him. What can we say about a country, a society, a world in which "honor" is saved through murder? What can we say about the worth of a woman?

It would be easy for many of you to say that it's the fault of that lunatic religion, Islam, and their society, which spawns terrorists among other things. In some ways this would be correct. We all know stereotypes are a bad thing and anytime we step off that precipice to condemn an entire group of people for the actions of a few, we are also teetering on the edge of disaster. Because it never ends there. There's always another group to condemn, until no one is left standing and all the people that were good are long gone. But something must have gone horribly wrong with Islamic society along the way. Perhaps it was never meant to be like this, but it went wrong nevertheless. Things were left up to interpretation and there were fewer and fewer voices of reason.

However, to blame Islam for the woes of womankind is a bad move, because it allows us to ignore all the misogyny taking place in other places around the world, and in our own backyard. And, yes, don't doubt that it's there, because it is. Since the beginning of time man has trod upon the back of woman. You can give me some crap about it being all Eve's fault, but I don't buy that bullshit one bit. It has to do with power and control. Simple as that. Maybe it also has to do with low self-esteem, the bully on the playground that has to beat up little kids so he can feel better about himself. In any case it's been around for ages. Women are cattle, property, slaves, servants, prostitutes, abused, disrespected, murdered, raped, violated, mutilated, circumcised, sold as sex slaves, called hoes and bitches in songs, told they're not good enough, not strong enough, not smart enough, not worth enough, are paid 76 cents for every dollar the average man is paid. They are killed. Killed for the honor of a murderer. A child murderer. They are killed.

M.I.A

2005-12-22T17:16:00.000-05:00

I'll likely be M.I.A. for the next few days, so I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy Hannukah!

2005-12-22T12:17:00.000-05:00

I hope the asshole who stole the baby penguin gets thrown in a dark cage where he'll starve to death while watching March of the Penguins over and over again. Merry Christmas Jerkoff!

Greetings, Salutations & Yultides!

2005-12-20T13:37:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I'm feeling a bit under the weather (this saying makes no sense) right now. I've had a sore throat for days and yesterday and today major congestion and sneezing. I drank some theraflu this morning and I still feel hopped up on whatever the heck they put in that stuff. I feel like I'm floating and, better yet, I am not noticing my ailments so much.

Well, I was going to thrill everyone with some photos of the absolutely ABSURD Christmas decorations I've seen in people's yards, but I forgot my camera this past weekend and those "delightful" displays may be gone the next time I'm there. So, I'll just talk about them and hope I get some photos to you guys soon. Anyways, I can't stand some of these yard displays. Sometimes I want to stop my car and go knock on their doors, because I can't imagine what kind of moron lives there. Nothing's worse than those idiots who put up six or more of those dumb blow-up santas/snowmen and that stupid snow globe of them. There are so many blow-ups in their yards you can't even see the grass. It's like Santa threw up all over their yard. I guess these people never heard of the saying "less is more". I do like those little light-up deer; however, no more than three and only one should be a large one.

Before I end, I have to tell you I've discovered a disturbing trend on TV lately. Dumber than usual commericals. One that continually irks me is the stupid commercial where the lady is trying to think of something to give her husband and she turns around and sees that Lexus with a bow on top of it. So, the lady goes out and buys her husband a Lexus for Christmas. One of those MSN messenger smileys with the wide-eyed dumbfounded look would be appropriate right now. I realize there are a few people in America that could actually buy someone a car for Christmas, but I don't think Bill Gates, Madonna, and George W. Bush are exactly representative of the population.

Then there's THE MOST LUDICROUS COMMERICAL EVER!!!!!!!! THAT STUPID SEIKO COMMERCIAL!!! Has anyone seen that stupid thing?

"It's not what you wear, or what music you listen to, or what car you drive...it's your watch that defines you....Seiko...."

WTF?!?!? The absolute gall of Seiko to say that a watch defines a person. If this society hasn't already gone down the toilet, then Seiko just flushed it!

Besides, Seiko??? C'mon!!!! Rolex or Cartier...maaaayyybeee..., but Seiko?

2005-12-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

Last night I couldn't even sleep. I kept waking up because I thought I might be grinding my teeth. I'm afraid I'll wake up looking like Cleatus the slack-jawed yokel. I think another reason I couldn't sleep well was because I knew I was going to the DMV today. Now THAT is the stuff of nightmares! Anyway, I went to the Social Security Office and had my last name changed to my married name. No line, it was perfect! Then I went to the DMV. There were only five cars in the lot. I knew something must've been wrong. I couldn't be THAT lucky. Turns out only the photo services section is open on Mondays. The side that does the actual paperwork is closed. Frick.

Tomorrow I'm going to get impressions done for my mouthguard, since the cheap-o one has been unbearable. I'm either going to choke on the thing or go without sleep for the rest of my life. One way or the other, I need a new solution. Luckily my insurance will pay for part of it. I know...friggin hallelujah!...It's a miracle!

Now my news commentary for the day:

I think this ultra-PC Christmas etiquette is crap! You can't call a Christmas tree a holiday tree! It's NOT a Hannukah tree or a Hindu tree or an Islamic tree...It's a Christ-mas tree! DUH! We wouldn't even have this holiday if it weren't for Christ. However, the Christians that are complaining over Bush's "holiday" card are one step from the looney bin. No president has time to send religious-specific holiday cards to each American household. And, in case you didn't know, not all Americans are Christian AND a lot of other religions have holidays around the same time. Get a grip people, he did put a verse from the Bible in the card.

Merry Christmas everybody!

2005-12-12T14:13:00.000-05:00

Ok. That didn't work. Let me try this... OH that was stupid! One of my posts had too many "m's" in a row! >=(

2005-12-12T14:12:00.000-05:00

This is a test, because my stupid sidebar is not where it's supposed to be. This happened before and I never quite figured out what went wrong, but it seemed to fix itself after awhile. I think it has something to do with my posts. Let's see what happens.

2005-12-06T23:34:00.000-05:00

OK....so on top of everything else my dentist tells me I'm grinding my teeth and I need a mouth guard at night. Wellllll...dooodddllleleeeedoootdootdoot....! Of course I thought she was full of crap, but after some thorough research I think she may be on to something. Sooo..I bought this cheapo one at the drug store because I didn't feel like paying $350 for the professional one. Of course insurance doesn't pay for mouth guards even though they could prevent future repairs that will cost $$$$$$$. But, so what else is new? We all know insurance companies are the tools of the devil. Dirty rat finks! Wonder what other ailment I can come up with. I don't think I have enough yet. How bout insomnia??? Can't wait to get to bed and try that big ol' piece plastic in my mouth. Sure to be comfy!

Let it snow, let it snow...

2005-12-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

Well, it's supposed to snow this afternoon until tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, it's not supposed to start snowing until 3pm, which means I'll already be in my car driving to my horse back riding lesson. I can't cancel my lesson that close to the start time, so I'm basically stuck going and hoping I don't get snowed in there. We mid-Atlantic peoples are such friggin wusses when it comes to snow. When I lived in the D.C. metro everything nearly came to a grinding halt with an impending snow storm. A few hundred miles north and no different. But, I'll admit it! I'm one of the panick-stricken. I've been glued to the stupid weather channel all day. (I hate the idea that I'm giving the media business) I don't even want to leave the house for the next couple days, but I have no choice.

**Warning - the following account could scare small children and delusional males.**
A little while ago I had to take a dump. Yeah, it happens sometimes. Afterwards I went to talk to my neighbor, that's when the maintenance guy came to my apartment to replace a piece in my toilet tank. Tell me if that ain't Murphy's Law at its finest! At least I flushed several times. That eliminates smell and crumbs. Do you know how many people leave crumbs in the toilet??? Some people don't even bother to check things out before they leave the room. YUCK!

Ok, so if you don't know by now, I get easily bored. I'm VERY easily bored; thus, I need your help trying to figure out what to do for New Year's Eve. We've been invited to three get-togethers at people's houses, but I really don't want to be confined to an abode. I really want to do something active. I'm thinking snowboarding is the best option, but undoubtably we'll end up staying in our area because my husband doesn't want to travel anywhere. Any suggestions?

2005-11-22T15:56:00.000-05:00

mmm....deeeelicious!!!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

2005-11-22T13:38:00.000-05:00

I'm baking a sweet potato pie right now. I didn't use a ready made pie filling. I made it straight from the yams. If it turns out ok, then I'll be baking another one and sending it over to my in-law's house. I'll update you shortly...

2005-11-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

I'm sooo depressed! I don't want to do anything. Damn you PMS, damn you.

2005-11-14T11:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was at Trader Joe's (natural/organic/speciality foods grocery store) waiting in line to check out. The lady in front of me had two young girls and the girls kept trying to get their mom to buy them some chocolate bars. The mom kept telling them no, saying that they wouldn't like those candy bars because they're natural. One daughter asked, "What's that mean?" The mom replied, "That means they're healthy." The children were upset and called their mom mean and that was that. Now, it's not the typical children begging for candy at the checkout counter scenario that bothers me....it's the stupidity of their mom.

1.) We can infer by her argument that she believes that if something is healthy, then her children will not like it.
2.) We can infer by #1 that if they did not dislike healthy food already, they are learning that they should.
3.) Natural or organic chocolate does not taste any different than regular chocolate. The only thing it means is that the cocoa beans and other ingredients used were not bombed with pesticides and ingredients added do not have names like polyeurethane silicone extract. The only different tasting chocolate would be the dark ones with a high precentage of cocoa, which is irrelevant because the children picked out milk chocolate bars.
4.) Her statement that the natural chocolate bars were healthy is erroneous. They may be health-ier because they're natural, but to just say they're healthy implies that her children can eat 25 natural chocolate bars and still be fit and trim.

I really hate it when I see stupid people trying to turn their perfectly normal children into an exact copy of themselves.

Speaking of ridiculous, what's up with the whole McDonald's strip search thing??? So, I watched this thing on PrimeTime and was amazed! I'm not quite sure David Stewart should get more than a slap on the wrist. I mean, he wasn't the one who actually sexually abused the employee(s) and he wasn't the idiot employee(s) who complied either. If anything, he revealed how stupid and twisted seemingly normal people can be. First of all, the girl was an idiot or, maybe, has some serious mental issues. Who in their right mind would strip naked for their boss if he/she told them to unless there was a gun involved? Especially if your boss is wearing a cap with the golden arches on it. Who would then do jumping jacks naked without questioning the validity of what was going on? Who would not scream for help in such a situation when there was a restaurant full of people a few feet away? But worst of all, who would submit to a sexual act because some guy on the phone claiming to be a cop told your boss' boyfriend to do it to you? Who could possibly be that stupid??? Well, apparently this girl and several others who did whatever Stewart told them to do over the phone. I think these employees need psychiatric help and the managers and their boyfriends should be sent to jail. Above all, if you're that dumb...I don't know what to tell ya, except you're gonna have a hard time getting through the rest of your life.

Oh, so I went to the doctor last week for my bloating and she thinks it's irritable bowel syndrome, which basically means there's nothing I can do except MAYBE monitor the most offensive foods, whichever those may be. yay!

Random thought. Who's more annoying than neurotic Susan (Teri Hatcher) on Desperate Housewives? She gets worse with each episode. I can't believe it took Mike this long to dump her. After Desperate Housewives I watched another of my favorite shows, Grey's Anatomy. I really wish Meredith would stop professing her feelings to Derek. Grow some dignity and move on. He sure has.

BTW, why did that female Iraqi suicide bomber admit to trying to blow herself up? Just wondering...

2005-11-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

I've been having some serious bloating problems. I exercise like a fiend, so it's obviously not fat. I'm beginning to think I'm suffering from some kind of food allergy or food malabsorption problem. I am praying to God it's not a wheat allergy, which would reduce me to eating bunless burgers and vegetables. I'm going to see the doctor tomorrow, where I will most likely spend 45 minutes waiting in the reception room, 30 minutes waiting in another little room all by myself...only to be told by the doctor, after I cough for her and breathe deeply, that I should go home and take some aspirin.

I have a feeling I'm going to be seriously pissed tomorrow around 3pm.

2005-11-04T13:31:00.000-05:00

Well, for some bizarre reason the place where I was storing my files, myfilestash.com deleted all my files. No clue as to why and, thus, you see all these friggin broken images all over the place. oh yay.

2005-11-04T12:46:00.000-05:00

I saw this quiz on Matthew's blog, so I decided I'd take it.

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Atomic Torpedo
Your Superpower is Cybernetics
Your Weakness is Peanut Butter Sticking to the Roof of Your Mouth
Your Weapon is Your Web Bullets
Your Mode of Transportation is Camel

What's your Superhero Name?

Atomic Torpedo is kinda cool, but not very feminine. A camel is neat, because it rarely needs water and can spit on my enemies, but I hardly see the need for such transportation when I can obviously fly!

Lamenting My Youth and Other Things...

2005-11-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

I used to think I was a pretty cool chick. I loved who I was. Now, I'm not so sure. Sure, there are a lot of cool things about me, but lately I seem to only see the bad stuff...and I'm not likin it. My "little" flaws are increasingly becoming more apparent to me. Maybe it's because I have more time for introspection or maybe it's because I'm older and I know better now or maybe the cynicism I've been cultivating in my old age is reaching into every aspect of my life. Whatever it is, it's depressing.

For one, I'm not as outgoing as I used to be. In fact, I could care less about engaging in conversation with new people. I used to be all about that and now I'd just rather talk to the people I already know. Kinda weird, considering I'd like to meet new friends in my area. Lately I've ended up at several different parties with people I barely know and I've had no desire to make conversation or attempt to get to know these people.

Two, I've always been a worry wart, to say the least, but now it seems worse than ever. I'm constantly worrying about everything, esp. things that are out of my control.

Three, since I've stopped working I find myself more and more dismayed by the smallest of problems.

Four, I still have absolutely no idea what I want to be when I grow up. Pretty sad, since I'm already thirty.

Five, I'd like to be more into myself. I'd like to think that it's "my way or the highway". I'm really too concerned with doing everything the "right" way all the time. You can't rise to the top of the ladder without stepping on some heads...that's why I'm not at the top of the ladder...I'm too busy helping all the stragglers and the dysfunctional climbers because I'm too nice.

Six, I want to be more of a risk taker. I'm the type of person that plans six months in advance and works out a contingency plan on a spreadsheet. That's also why I'm not at the top of the ladder. Funny though, I have managed to get past this problem in other areas of my life...for example, I'm scared of deep water and not the best swimmer...so I took swim lessons and then went snorkeling in Hawaii. I wasn't going to let my fear ruin my good time. I wish I could translate that into other areas of my life where it could be used.

Seven, now...I love my mom to death. She's a wonderful woman and mother. BUT...I don't want to be her. And, yet, as I get older..I see I'm becoming more and more like her...and that's scary!

More Stupid Awards...

2005-10-27T13:41:00.000-04:00

Special Stupid Awards to the following songs:

D4L's Laffy Taffy
BlackEyedPeas' My Humps

These songs win my Stupid Award for their tacky and tasteless lyrics, which further lead to the dumbing down of America.

(I'm very disappointed in the BEPs, whose songs I usually love.)

In Honor of Halloween

2005-10-27T12:36:00.000-04:00

My list of the ten worst horror movies, in no particular order:

1.) Darkness - This movie made my list because of it's ridiculously asinine ending. (for more, see my December archives)
2.) Friday the 13th, parts 3 through 1,010 - Typical case of a decent first couple showings, which increasingly turn into a disaster with each new sequel. Been there, done that! And, can anything in the world be worse than Friday the 13th number 10 (Jason X), where Jason wakes up in the 25th century aboard a space ship??? Da fuk?
3.) Nightmare on Elm Street sequels 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7 - The first and original Nightmare on Elm Street was awesome and scary as hell and part 3 was pretty decent and brought Nancy back into the fray...all the other sequels were a pile of steaming horse poop, where Freddy went from creepy child killer to lousy stand-up comedian.
4.) Basically, any original Scifi channel movie, esp. the ones involving giant snakes and spiders.- No bust on Scifi...I watch it all the time and I do enjoy watching their retarded originals on weekends, but I'm really getting sick of giant bugs and snakes, which look about as realistic as a spray-painted piece of styrofoam.
5.) Attack of the Killer Tomatoes - need I say more?
6.) Any horror movie that plays on the tired storyline where a family moves into a haunted house and the dad slowly starts going psycho, the mom keeps denying the creepy things she's seeing, while the kids are talking to ghosts, and, in the end, the dad tries to murder his family with a hatchet or the like. Oh yeah, and the dad's always a frustrated writer who's come to the countryside to finally bang out a best seller on his antiquated type writer. *Yawn*
7.) Scream 2, 3, and 4 - because they're NOT horror movies...they're campy spoofs; they should almost be put in the comedy category.
8.) ALL of the Chucky sequels - Once again, the first (Child's Play) was a unique play at horror and everything that followed was a puke-worthy mess of poor humor and bad storylines. What could be worse than the bride of Chucky?...Chucky having a kid? BARF!!!!
9.) Book of Shadows, Blair Witch 2 - The first and original Blair Witch Project was a unique take that made for great scary movie material. This sequel squashed that uniqueness, going back to a regular movie type plot, which delivered one of the worst horror movies I've ever seen. Haven't we learned anything yet? NO sequels!
10.) oh GAWD! ALL OF THE DAMN LEPRECHUAN MOVIES! Dumbest of which has to be Leprechuan IV, Leprechuan in Space. Seems like every horror star needs to make it to space in one of his sequels. I'd really like to meet some of the idiots that think this is a good idea.

Well, I could actually go on and on and on with this list, but I'd rather not, so here's my list of the Best Horror Movies, in no particular order:

1.) Nightmare on Elm Street (the original one)
2.) Aliens
3.) Alien
4.) Prince of Darkness (1987)
5.) Halloween I and II
6.) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)
7.) The Shining (even though the book is SOOOO MUCH BETTER than the movie, Jack Nicholson's performance is a cult classic)
8.) The Ring
9.) The Thing (1982)
10.) Dawn of the Dead (2004)
11.) Night of the Living Dead (the original, 1968)
12.) The Evil Dead (1981) (of course, the sequels SUCKED)
13.) 28 Days
14.) Hellraiser
15.) Hellbound, Hellraiser 2

OOops! I'm over 10!

Anyways, there are other movies I love, like Interview with a Vampire, Blade, and Alien vs. Predator, but I consider them to be less horror, more action (well, Interview is more drama).

Where have I been?

2005-10-17T19:11:00.000-04:00

First came this:

Then came this:

(Kona Village, the Big Island, Hawaii)

Hawaii was friggin awesome! And nothing was better than our resort, Kona Village. This was our beautiful hut (aka hale):

Lazy days...

And not so lazy days...horseback riding in Waipio Valley, Big Island and ziplining in Maui:

Sunrise on top of Haleakala on Maui:

A rainbow at one of the craters at Volcanoes National Park:

Doesn't get any better than this!

9/11

2005-09-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

I guess I'm a tad bit late with this post, but if you read my previous post, then you'll understand why.

Friday evening HBO ran a documentary special on the World Trade Center attacks. It was horribly painful watching it. I spent the entire time crying. The pain of the whole thing is just beyond description. I can't believe it's been four years. The wound is still so fresh it seems like yesterday. I think America will be bleeding for many, many more years to come, if not forever. Love and prayers out to the survivors, the families and friends left behind, and, most of all, to those that were lost. We'll never forget you.

12 Hours and then some...

2005-09-12T21:05:00.000-04:00

That's how long my fiance and I spent yesterday working on printing programs, timelines, place cards, and favor labels. *yawn* Very, very sleeeepy today. Thought I might fall off my horse today, but luckily I didn't. In fact, cantering went VERY well. Thank THE LORD! Went very well despite the farm bunny that had come into the barn and parked itself right by the track. Everytime we went riding by, the bunny got sprayed with dirt, but the little rascal didn't even budge. He was jus...chillin.

Tomorrow I make a retarded 5 1/2 -6 hour roundtrip to Maryland to pick up my wedding gown. I plan on being very sleepy and very irritable by evening tomorrow.

wow...less than 5 days to go now!

2005-09-08T19:27:00.000-04:00

So, I'm watching Entertainment Tonight (yes...I sometimes watch this mindless drivel)and they're showing Richard Simmons visiting New Orleans. I guess it's a nice gesture, but I can't take this guy seriously no matter what he's doing. I was giggling through the whole episode, even while he was crying. He was wearing the same outfit below except in blue. Doesn't this guy have any regular clothes, like jeans and a t-shirt?

Chicago

2005-09-08T11:42:00.000-04:00

I really like this city.

Clean, hip, good feeling...

Amazing lakefront. Still can't believe that's a friggin lake!!! It looks just like the ocean with waves and no visible end.

Makes for a pretty photo, but I still don't see the big deal about the Sears Tower.

Who woulda known? Bubba opened up his shrimp company in Chi-town!

U.S.A., Where Anyone Can Be All They Can Be

2005-09-07T12:09:00.000-04:00

FEMA head, Michael Brown, is living the American dream. The unlikely candidate pulled up his boot straps and rose from judges and stewards commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association to his exalted position as Federal Emergency Management Agency head honcho. Now if that ain't a success story I don't know what is! Brown's former job, from which he was FIRED, consisted of ensuring that horse show judges followed the rules and investigating allegations of cheating, according to The Mercury News. "I wouldn't have regarded his position in the horse industry as a platform to where he is now," said Tom Connelly, a former association president. Neither would we Tom, neither would we.

Nevertheless, Brown now heads one of the most important agencies in America, responsible for saving people's lives. He gives the rest of us hope that we too can one day become someone very important, despite our qualifications.

Red State, Blue State...Yawn!

2005-09-06T17:11:00.000-04:00

Just to clear things up. I am not blaming Bush for New Orleans because he's a conservative and I'm a liberal. I'm so over this stupid red, blue debate I could puke. I'm blaming Bush because the government did not act quickly enough and, as usual, did not have a plan in place to combat such disasters. Americans should not have to sit on rooftops or wade through feces for three to seven days without food and water after a forecasted disaster. I heard a terrific quote today on NPR, unfortunately I can't find it and I can't remember which governor or senator said it...but she pointed out that something like this should have never happened post 9/11. And I completely agree. You'd think we'd have a system in place by now that would work effectively and efficiently in the face of all possible disasters, terrorist or natural in origin. But...umm..no! And, I'm not being ridiculous...I don't expect a plan to fix everything in 26 hours, but I DO expect some federal government presence in the region within 24-48 hours. The fact that that didn't happen is abominable. I guess the same people who run the DMV are also in charge of FEMA.

Several news organizations have quoted government officials as saying they didn't know about the chaos happening in New Orleans until several days after it happened. That's funny. I knew about it the day after and that's because I watch the news. Wow! The bullshit is sooo thick I can barely breathe.

Anyways, I digress, my point is...I didn't make this all up so I could lambast a conservative. It wouldn't matter if our president was Ted Kennedy....the federal government screwed up....BIG TIME...and lots of Americans died because of it. Bush just happens to be the head of the federal government...that's all.

What the hell is going on in New Orleans?

2005-09-02T09:05:00.000-04:00

I've never heard of anything more ridiculous than what's happening in New Orleans. How the richest country in the world and strongest superpower can't manage to rescue it's own people in its own backyard is beyond me? According to reports, people haven't had water or food for three days now and things are looking like a scene from Escape from New York. Where the hell is the government, the water, the medicine, and the buses? I don't think Bush has screwed up this bad since....Iraq? This is actually much, much worse. The government might regret it's lax and slower than a snail actions after the 30,000 or so people stuck there get out and sue their pants off.

Congratulations to the Happy Couple!

2005-08-26T11:48:00.000-04:00

This is late in coming, but I've been swamped. My beautiful "soon-to-be" sister-in-law and her sweetie got married on Saturday. So, raise your virtual glasses to the happy newlyweds! I'm so jealous that they're through with all this wedding crap and are enjoying themselves in French Polynesia! (See my fiance in the background, ruining this fabulous shot?)

Coming soon.....

2005-08-25T02:17:00.000-04:00

to a bookstore near you...

or maybe just on this blog....

Wedding Guest Etiquette for Dummies, Morons, and Nincompoops

A "must-read" for all potential wedding guests.

Includes topics such as:

How to fill out an RSVP card.
What an RSVP card is for and what you should do with it.
Understanding the cutoff date for booking your hotel room.
What are all these neat little inserts that came with my invitation?
RSVP - is it optional?...NO!

and much, much more!

Pat "Wacko" Robertson Strikes Again!

2005-08-23T21:32:00.000-04:00

Further confirmation that Evangelist Pat Robertson is completely psycho, today he advocated the assassination of Venezuelan President Chavez.

M.I.A.

2005-08-15T12:13:00.000-04:00

Yeah..that's me! I'm sure no one's been on pins and needles about my blog, but I just wanted to check in to say that I am up to my eyebrows in wedding crap and I've been finding it impossible to post.
On a positive note, my honeymoon is going to be
F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!! So far planned:

Attending an authentic luau.

Horseback ride through a rainforest valley.

Couple's massage in the garden tiki hut.

Zipline

Watch the sunrise on top of Mt. Haleakala and then bike down the mountain to the shore.

Ride a 55 foot glassbottom catamaran for snorkeling to Molokini, an island created by an extinct volcano that rises just above the ocean.

Road to Hana.

Black sand beach.

View active volcano and lava flow at night.

Hike through old lava tubes.

YEeeeeeeeeeeeEEEE...friggin HAW!

That said I'd like to end my post with a word of encouragement and praise for Israeli Prime Minister Sharon. He definitely did the right thing. It was a necessary move.

2005-08-04T15:09:00.000-04:00

I'm completely stressed out today. The wedding is coming up pretty quick. Only a month and some change before the big day and I feel like I'm forgetting to do something. I can't think of what, but I'm sure that something important is being overlooked. I feel like throwing up.

I had to get rid of my Lily of the Valley bush because it was infested with red spider mites. I was soo upset, but I had to get rid of it because I couldn't take the chance of it infesting my other plants. It's really depressing, because the little bush was growing well beforehand. Those nasty little buggers already got my dahlias.

Can't think straight.....have to go to the gym soon. Hasta la vista...

Where do all the dead people go?

2005-08-01T21:24:00.000-04:00

Millions of people die each day all around the world. (I can't find the actual statistics. Please contact me if you do.) That's a fact, right? Everyday tons and tons of people dying from natural causes, murders, suicides, accidents, car crashes, etc. YET...I never see the amount of graveyards increasing where I live. In fact, I have never seen an increase in the amount of graveyards anywhere I've lived (so far, I've lived in and around five different states). In fact, I only occasionally run across any graveyards for that matter. After living in the Philadelphia area for a year I think I've seen three total graveyards. Obviously there are more somewhere in the area, but few and far between considering the amount of people dying each day...esp. around here with all the shootings downtown. And the graveyards that do exist aren't getting any bigger. Sooooooo...where are they putting all the dead bodies???? Are they burning them all down and everyone's taking their loved ones home in an urn? Are they chiseling out old names off of tombstones and putting on new ones? Are they pulling the ol' Poltergeist movie scam by moving the headstones and not the bodies? Where the hell are they putting all these dead people? Something to think about.

I hate it when...

2005-07-29T13:34:00.000-04:00

I'm in the express lane at the grocery store and the lady in front of me starts writing a check to pay for all of five items. It's soo dumb! You only use checks to pay for mailed bill payments. You use your check card to pay for everything else. It's the same friggin thing except faster! Someone needs to send out a memo to these dinosaurs so they can stop holding up everyone else in line.

Omigosh!

2005-07-29T13:08:00.000-04:00

Finished reading

last night.

Holy cow! I can't believe what happened!

British Police Offer a Lousy Apology and No Explanation for Murdering an Innocent Man

2005-07-24T18:11:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, I was correct. The ruthless and "excessive" force the British police deemed necessary to subdue a suspected terrorist last week was not only barbaric, unnecessary, and insane....but it resulted in the death of an innocent man. Several hours after British police shot this man five times, at least once in the head, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the man was "directly linked to the ongoing and expanding anti-terrorist operation." Now we know that the man was a 27-year-old Brazilian national with no connection to terrorism. I was completely flabbergasted last week, even before the identity of the man was known, that there hadn't been more of a world outcry against this barbarism. It seems we've all gone stark-raving mad in this air of terrorism, shedding any semblance of democracy or justice...which is exactly what the terrorists wanted. I guess they truly have won.

A lot of people have said it was all necessary and it's the guy's fault for running. I'll admit the guy was obviously either an idiot or having some other serious problem. But, I guess we'll never know what really happened. Although, the whole thing smells fishy.

My heart goes out to this murdered, innocent man and to his family. All the British government could do was apologize and stand by their policy of "shoot to kill, ask questions later". Maybe they should try aiming for the leg or shoulder instead.

I Have Nothing to Wear

2005-07-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

I really don't care what anyone says, I really don't have anything to wear! My fiance would retort that I have 1/2 a walk-in closet full of clothes, but I swear to you there's nothing to wear. Here's why:

50% can be eliminated because they suck. This lot consists of "why the hell did I buy that" clothes and "clothes I just bought to wear at the office" clothes.

5% of what's left doesn't fit right. Either I shrunk it in the dryer or I lost a few pounds and it's too big.

35% of what's left consists of pieces that are really cute on their own, but don't match anything else I own, which means they gather dust in my closet until I finally find a bottom/top to match them.

So, that leaves 10% of my wardrobe stylish enough to wear. Unfortunately, that means I will end up wearing the same damn thing over and over again, thus resulting in:

a.) worn and shabby, yet stylish pieces
b.) several "hey, didn't you wear that last week" comments
c.) "I can't go out until I do the laundry" statements

Never Give a British Cop a Gun

2005-07-22T09:52:00.000-04:00

If you didn't know it, British cops do not carry guns. I believe they just carry those billyclubs. However, a group of British law enforcement officers were carrying guns today in response to the recent terrorism in London. And, well, they fatally shot a suspected terrorist. Fatally shot him five times. Now the facts are pretty unclear right now. Hell, maybe the guy was wearing a t-shirt that said "I'm a Terrorist" on it or maybe he had a bomb strapped on with wires coming out all over his body from his ears to his ass, but, so far, all we've heard is that he was looking around furtively, was wearing a padded jacket or coat in the middle of summer, did not respond to verbal confrontation, and ran away from cops. Suspicious? Yes. Worthy of "shoot to kill"? Umm..debatable. One witness described the scene to CNN as follows:

Mark Whitby, who was on the train at Stockwell, said the train was stopped and had its doors open when he heard authorities shout: "Get down! Get out!" He saw a man wearing a thick coat running onto the train so fast that he "half-tripped."
The man was being pursued by three men, one carrying a black handgun, Whitby said. When the man tripped, he fell down, and one of the pursuers dropped onto him while another fired five times.

Oh, and those cops chasing this guy...they were plainclothed. So either we've got a terrorist fleeing law enforcement or we've got a foreigner who barely speaks English fleeing from plainclothed men yelling and waving a gun. Oh, and the padded coat that no honest citizen would ever wear in the summer? Seems that the balmy U.K. got to a record high of 75 degrees this week. Hardly what I'd call a heat wave. When my relatives from the Philippines first came to the U.S. to live they were absolutely freezing to death in the summer in Florida. They wore sweaters and hats. And, did I mention the murdered suspect was reportedly South Asian? So now we've either got a terrorist or a newly arrived and confused South Asian immigrant.

Ok, so maybe I don't know the whole story and maybe it was obvious this guy was a serious threat and should have been shot five times after he tripped while running onto a train.

All the more reason NOT to kill him, eh? Likely to have a wealth of important information I'd say. Maybe some details on his buddies, the terror network behind all the bombings, etc., etc.....the location of Bin Laden? Coulda shot him in the leg or maybe just twice instead of five times.

Gawd...how are we ever going to win this war?

2005-07-21T19:12:00.000-04:00

I was walking to the gym today, which is only about three blocks away. I stopped at the intersection and waited for the light to turn red, so I could cross the street. The light turned red and I started across the street. Then, all of the sudden, a truck came flying through the intersection and the red light. I narrowly missed becoming roadkill. Ohhh..but that wasn't it...on top of the fact that this asshole almost ran me over while doing something illegal, he honked at me. HE FUKIN HONKED AT ME!!!!! As if I was the one who had done something wrong!!!! If there is a God, then this guy will proceed to run into a ditch or, perhaps, a nice, fat utility pole later in the week.

Sometimes I really hate people.

2005-07-20T11:39:00.000-04:00

I'd like to start my post off with some great headlines from MSNBC.com.

No exercise leads to weight gain in girls (haha..no shit Sherlock! But what about guys?)
Slow walking best for obese adults (yes, I would imagine so!)

Anywho, did I mention weddings SUCK????? You know, S-U-C-K!!! I haven't had just one friggin day (or frackin day as a Battlestar Gallacticier would say) where I didn't have to deal or think about a stupid wedding detail or problem. JUST ONE DAY I ASK!!!! IS THAT TOO MUCH??? AHAREHOAHREIHAROEIH!

Gawd I can't wait until this is over and we're in Hawaii.

WElll....this weekend comes the day I've been dreading...

I'm turning 30 on Sunday. Yes, Jennifer Lopez and I share a birthday. Well, it's all downhill from here. Botox here we come! (hahaha) You know what's funny? Angelina Jolie and I were born the same year. What the hell? She looks like a woman and I look like I need a backpack and a pencil case for my birthday gift. Weird!

Sorry, but this has been a horribly boring post. Now I'm off to start my Harry Potter book. Do NOT tell me anything about the story!

Weird Quirks and Things That Suck About Me

2005-07-14T14:09:00.000-04:00

Hi everybody! I really have nothing to say. There isn't anything interesting going on at the moment, well, at least nothing that would be interesting to anyone but me and I don't feel like bombarding you with more of my morbid tirades on the state of the world.....sooo...I thought I would tell you about some of my worst attributes:

1.) I am clumsy as hell! I don't know how this came about, because I don't recall being this way for the first 28 years of my life. It's only in the past year that I've become a supreme Klutz. Last month, as you should all know, I fell while I was walking down some concrete stairs in a parking garage. I twisted my ankle and bruised my coccyx bone. My coccyx is finally ok now, but my ankle is still not 100%. I am told it'll take at least 2 months before I'm fully recovered. And, well, everyday I hurt myself in some way. Stub a toe on the bed frame, bang my leg into the coffee table, get a paper cut on my hand, etc, etc. Yesterday I stubbed my toe, banged my knee on a kitchen counter while I was getting down from a stool, and tripped over my luggage, which was lying on my bedroom floor. Several weeks ago I was walking to the car and I hit my head on the low branch of a tree. Luckily I didn't fall to the ground, but the leasing office lady saw me. My right hand always has tiny healing cuts on it. I don't know where half of them come from. One day I was in kickboxing class and I looked at my hand and I had a tiny fresh cut that was bleeding. There's no possible way I could have cut it, because in my class we're just punching air. It's really a wonder I still have all my limbs. *knock on wood*

2.)I'm Obsessive Compulsive. I set my alarm clock at night and then I proceed to check it at least 4 to 5 times to make sure I got it right. Now I also make my fiance check it once too. I also make him verbally say aloud the time and the "am" for further verification. Before I leave the house I check my purse about 3 to 5 times to make sure I have everything I need. Consequently I have only forgotten my cell phone twice in the 7 years I've had it. I also open my wallet several times to verify that I have my driver's license. Sometimes I have to literally take my i.d. out of its slot just to be certain. Before I leave the house I also check the stove to make sure everything is turned off. For added measure I have to touch each knob like I'm checking off a mental list. That's probably about as bad as it gets. The good thing is that I'm almost always on schedule with everything and if you know me and I've been late for something it's almost surely my fiance's fault.

3.) I'm not photogenic. You may think I'm lying about this, but did you really think I'd post ugly pictures of myself? C'mon! Like my clumsiness, my unphotogenicness mysteriously appeared later in life. As a child I was a regular little model.

With the exception of a few awkward periods, (In sixth grade I went through my awkward phase, so I can't be blamed for that. In junior high school I had some minor hair issues that had to do with perms and Aqua Net, so that doesn't count either.) I've always taken great pictures.

In college, I took great pictures! Then a few years ago I started taking crappy pictures. I'd say out of 10 shots, 2 would turn out good. I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm not happy about it!

4.) I've indecisive...until I get annoyed. I'm one of those retarded people who goes:
Me: "I dunno...what do you wanna do?"
Other Person: "I dunno..what do you wanna do?"
Me: "I don't care. Whatever you want to do."
Other Person: "Don't you have an opinion?"
Me: "I dunno..I guess we could do A or B? Which do you prefer?"
Other Person: "I'm cool with anything."
Me: "DAmmit!!! Let's go watch a movie!"

5.) I have a hard time pooping in new settings. When I'm spending the weekend at someone else's place or in a hotel or whatever...it takes me at least 24-48 hours to get acclimated and by then I'm bloated and feeling ill.

6.) I hate bargaining. I'm HORRIBLE at it. I'm more inclined to say:
Me: "How much?"
Salesperson: "$25."
Me: "Ok."

My fiance hates bargaining almost as much as I do, so I guess we'll either not buy anything on our trip to India or I'll buy stuff and people will laugh at me.

7.) I have absolutely no concept of measurement. I don't know why my mind is mentally blocked like this, but it is. If you ask me how much gas is left in the tank, then I say it's halfway between the first line and the second line. That drives my fiance nuts. If you ask me how far it is to the store from here I will say a 20 minute drive. I will NOT say 16 miles. If you ask me how big the room is, then I will just give you a blank stare. I know it's dumb, but it is what it is. To my credit though, I am ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT with directions.

8.) I hate long car rides and I hate sitting in the back seat. I tend to get motion sickness if I'm not the driver. My fiance can't figure out why I love rollercoasters, but I can't go on long, windy car rides. I contend it's because the car doesn't do loops and I love those.

Another wedding...

2005-07-12T19:16:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was hectic. I left for Maryland around 9:15am and had my first wedding gown fitting at noon. Lugging around that huge gown was no easy feat. I had forgotten how gorgeous my gown was until I tried it on again. Just BEAUTIFUL!!! Obviously I can't post any pictures, because it's a big surprise for my groom. ;) I told my seamstress that I'm not going to wear a bra and she suggested some nifty foam pads to put in my dress to pose as voluptuous breasts. I was quite pleased with the affect. I now have a perfect hour glass figure when I wear my gown.

Later that night I went to my friends' rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. Their wedding the next day was perfect. It went off without a hitch. Unfortunately, I found out that I suffer from aisleaphobia...the fear of walking down long aisles by myself, while scores of people stare at me and take pictures. This is not a good phobia to have if you're a bride. Fortunately, I won't be walking down the aisle by myself at my wedding. My poor Dad will be there to absorb some of the burden. I'm sure he'll be even more scared than I will be.

Here's a photo of me and my fiance with the groom and bride. Did I mention that they met because of me??? I'm soo damn cool!

2005-07-07T13:49:00.000-04:00

I feel so sorry for those people in London. When I was young I had a very different view of the world. Now I'm surprised at how different my perception is now. I think perhaps it [the world] was always this bad, but I was too young to realize it.

I really wish Al-Qaida and other Islamic terrorists would stop using God as an excuse to carry out their agenda. I'd be surprised if they thought they were really fooling anyone. I suppose they are fooling some of the uneducated, poor Islamists, but in general I think everyone sees the truth. This play on religion is one of the things that annoys me most. It's like adding insult to injury when they make these ludicrous statements of "God's will". Any real religious person would know God would will no such thing.

Best News I've Heard All Week...

2005-07-06T10:31:00.000-04:00

is that they've found that little girl Shasta and her kidnapper, who is responsible for raping and kidnapping Shasta and her brother Dylan and bludgeoning to death Shasta's family.

Some people don't agree with the death penalty. I respect that. Hell, I might end up at the pearly gates and God will say, "You were wrong all along. The death penalty was bad!"

But...for some reason I doubt it. I've really had it with today's cess pool of human miscreants. Not just the murders and rapists, but also the everyday scum on the street. Like the many ghetto bitches and thugs out there who harass people on a daily basis. I'm sick of the asshole who flicks you off because he thinks five miles over the speed limit is driving too slow.

What about the teenager in Brooklyn that was recently killed for his ipod?

What about that girl who's still missing in Aruba?

I'm damn sick and tired of it. I'm really to the point where I have little sympathy anymore. I hope Joseph Duncan gets something worse than lethal injection, because lethal injection can't begin to match what he did to his victims.

I've absolutely had it!

Jessica Alba's See Through Dress

2005-06-30T10:36:00.000-04:00

Jessica wore a see-through dress to the MTV movie awards. I love Jessica Alba. I think she's gorgeous. If I were a guy I would marry her. God Bless Jessica Alba and her boobies!

Which makes me think of the bra situation. I've decided not to wear a bra with my wedding gown. It's essentially pointless. I have nothing to harness and strapless bras make me look flatter than I already am. I don't think small-breasted women should have to wear bras, unless they're wearing a sheer fabric in a light color or their name is Alexandra Kerry. In fact, I'm going to go a step further and say Alexandra Kerry should be banned from see-through fabric entirely.

2005-06-29T20:28:00.000-04:00

You know what's really annoying? Those stupid drivers that only pull half way into the turn lane and, thus, end up blocking traffic. People have to swerve around them or even come to a dead stop. I can't stand those drivers. I can't believe there are people stupid enough to not realize that the sole existence of the "Turn Lane" is so they don't get in the way of everyone else.

Well, today I managed my intense step class, so my ankle is well on it's way down the road to recovery. Some steps had to be toned down, but in general all was accomplished successfully and I sweated like a pig. Hallelujah, because I've just recently discovered Haagen Dazs' limited edition Strawberry Shortcake ice cream with pound cake pieces. I love strawberry cheesecake ice cream with graham cracker pieces, so it was a natural transition.

Last week I went to the apartment pool for all of 45 minutes, since that's all the time I had. On my way there I found a little baby bird (I later found out it was a swallow) on the ground. He (using the antiquarian method of using the male article to describe everything and anything when the gender is not obvious) had obviously fallen from his nest, which, after a thorough look around, I could not find. I picked up the little bird and he kept opening his mouth as if he wanted food. At first, he was clutching the ground and was hard to pick up. Being a typical frightened animal he immediately shat on me and I just flicked the white goo off. (I'm not phased by such things. I've been picking up and playing with insects and other creatures since I was a kid.) Petting him calmed him down and I took the little bird back to the apartment, put him in a box, and then took him over to the local SPCA, where they planned to transfer him to a bird rehabilitation place. I hope he remembers this incident and takes better care of his own children in the future.

Anywho, I did end up finally going to the pool. Unfortunately, it was overrun with 7 to 10 year olds. I managed to get in some backstrokes, back floats, and some weird looking frog-like motions on my front. While I was there I had the rare chance of eavesdropping on the conversations of today's child. It was probably the most appalling thing I've ever heard. One little boy, who looked about 8 years old, was talking about how hot it was in Philadelphia and suddenly proclaimed, "Women have to air that booty out. It gets real hot in Philadelphia. The hotter it gets, the less clothes the women wear." I thought I was going to puke. And then I realized I was wearing a bikini and quickly left the area.

I distinctly remember playing with barbies at this age and even at 10 years old the most I thought about the opposite sex was that I really wanted to go to the 5th grade dance with this quiet little boy in another class, so we could do some moonwalking and such. I will absolutely scream if my children go around thinking and talking like that child at the pool. *shiver*

Celebrity Gossip

2005-06-15T15:14:00.000-04:00

Btw, that is NOT my big, fat thumb holding up the Millenium Falcon pita. That is my fiance's thumb. I did not want you all to think I have man hands.

Michael Jackson:
I just don't get all his supporters. How can you vouch for the innocence of someone you don't even know? Wouldn't it have been better to have just given him the benefit of the doubt and left it at that? Those moronic fans are basing their opinion on the fact that he can moon walk. Unless they hang out and converse with Michael on a regular basis I would say their opinions are moot.

Katie Holmes:
Maybe Katie Holmes has always been interested in Scientology, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say she probably wasn't and she's only converting to this wacked out religion founded by a science fiction writer in a desperate attempt to hold on to her idol, Tom Cruise. Whether it's true or not, she comes off as a really weak person who can't stand on her own two feet. (Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one. Scientology could be the only "religion" that hasn't inspired killing on its behalf.)

Tom Cruise:
This jerkoff needs to hop right off the pedestal he's put himself on. Listen Cruise, when you can carry a baby for nine months and then give birth gimme a call and maybe I'll listen to your lunatic rantings against Brooke Shields and her postpartum depression.

Paris & Paris:
I'm taking bets on how long this marriage will last, that is, if it ever gets down the aisle.

Lindsay:
Please eat for God's sake! You were pretty hot in your Rumors video and now you look a little scary. And please get rid of that platinum blonde hair. It makes you look really sallow. Besides, do you really want to look like every other starlet??? Red is unique.

2005-06-15T11:40:00.000-04:00

See this. This is the Millenium Falcon pita. I have provided a picture of the real Millenium Flacon for comparison.

Now, you would have seen this collector's item posted on Ebay; however, my fiance ate 50% of it and destroyed our chances of becoming millionaires.
And, this is what is left of our cash cow:

(I am still willing to sell the remnants of the Millenium Falcon pita to the highest bidder. Contact me via the comments section.)

On a brighter note, I finally got what I have always wanted from my sponsor child in Kenya -- A drawing!!!! I was literally jumping up and down for joy when I received this cute picture. (I have covered the top portion that displays both of our full names to protect the innocent, and me.) I wonder what kind of animal that is in the top corner?

by Jacob

Fricker Fratter!

2005-06-14T13:22:00.000-04:00

Well, I just attempted one jumping jack and I almost killed myself. My ankle was in immense pain. I'm so damn annoyed!!! It may sound dumb, but I'm dying to go back to my aerobics classes. I'm so frustrated! And I don't want to miss my third horseback riding class, because they're already paid for and I don't know how I'll manage all the makeup classes. THIS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!! FRICK!

I can't even imagine what it must be like to break a bone.

Where is the justice in this world?

2005-06-14T11:01:00.000-04:00

Ok, so a 27-year-old Australian woman, Schapelle Corby, was caught in Indonesia with nine pounds of marijuana in her bag. The woman denies that the marijuana is hers and says it must have been planted in her bag. Indonesian authorities sought either a life sentence or death by firing squad for the woman. Turns out she got off "lucky"with a 20 year sentence.

Ironically, the Bali bomber responsible for killing 202 people only received 30 months in jail.

Corby should have immediately bombed the airport after the marijuana was found. She would have eliminated the evidence and the witnesses and been sent to jail for less than 3 years.

It's so friggin disgusting I can barely write about it. It's times like this that I'm forced to reconsider my negative thoughts on U.S. imperialism.

I'm a Klutz

2005-06-05T13:25:00.000-04:00

Well, on Friday I went to the museum and as I was walking down the concrete stairs of the parking garage and I fell. I fell and twisted my ankle and bruised my coccyx (tailbone). So, this whole weekend has been a disaster. When I walk I'm ok for several steps and then my ankle gives out and the pain is excruciating. Fortunately, the Ace ankle brace I bought is helping with that and my swelling seems to have gone down. My butt is a whole other story. It's the worst pain and it's horrible not to be able to sit down comfortably. I have to lay on my side and even then it still hurts a little. I've been lugging around an inflatable doughnut, which helps some in the car but is really not all that great. I had to cancel my horseback riding lesson for Monday, which sucks because I FINALLY got the hang of cantering last week. It was exhilarating to be going that fast on my horse. Lots of fun! =) I'm majorly pissed that I won't be able to workout all week. I don't even know when I'll be able to go back to the gym. I'll make a feeble attempt to scarf veggies and salads all week.

On a sad note, I noticed that my cat has a smudgy, cloudy spot on the lens of his eye. I made an appointment with the vet for Monday. I read up on cat eye problems and it could be a harmless thing due to aging or it could be something horrible like a cataract. I've been totally freaking out, because my cat is my baby. I'm so worried about him. Also, he hates his cat carrier and I know it's going to be a fiasco trying to get him in there on Monday so I can take him to the vet. He'll probably shed me to pieces out of terror. =(

Bad weekend, bad...

My Bachelorette Party

2005-06-02T14:53:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the photos I promised you. There are a lot I haven't gotten yet because each person had a camera, but here are a few so you can get the gist of things.

Me in my bachelorette party gear: veil, penis whistle, and bun pincher. See what they did to me!!!

Gorgeous shot of the Bellagio fountain show.

Three of us in our gondola at the Venetian hotel. The other three girls had to take a separate gondola. Our gondolier was a beautiful singer. She sang a lovely Italian song during our ride.

This is part of the hall of our lobby at the Venetian hotel. The ceiling was painted in scenes reminiscent of the Sistine Chapel.

This is the penis cake my girl friends got me!!!

A shot of the entire gang in our suite. All five of my bridesmaids and me.

A picture at the indoor garden at the new Wynn hotel and casino.

Still Recovering...

2005-06-01T11:29:00.000-04:00

from the best bachelorette party EVER!!!!

My voice is partially gone and I'm really...TIRED!

My five bridesmaids and I went to Las Vegas Thursday through Sunday to celebrate my impending marriage. We stayed at the Venetian in a luxurious suite, ate buffet after buffet, rode rollercoasters, shopped, lounged in the pool (gawd! that was the best part...the heat, ranging from high 90s to low 100s, was unbelievable outside of the cooling sphere of the pool waters), rode in a gondola, grooved at clubs, sauted in a sauna, and saw the men of Chippendale's perform (thus my mangled voice cords). It was an absolutely EXCELLENT time had by all! So excellent that we've decided we all have to come back annually to celebrate anniversaries.

I'll post some photos tomorrow.

At the Museum Today...

2005-05-20T14:46:00.000-04:00

I was at the museum today following another tour for training. The museum was packed with kids running around everywhere! It got kinda loud at times. I had the cutest encounters today. A girl in our third grade tour group kept staring at me the whole tour and then she came over and said "hi" to me and introduced herself. She was really cute. Then later I was taking notes on the exhibits and a group of little girls came over to me and starting chatting. One adorable little Asian girl asked me if I was drawing the exhibits. She thought I was an artist. Then when they had to leave they didn't neglect to wave and say "goodbye" to me. It was truly the cutest thing and I can't wait to lead my own tour. I wonder why I was such a kiddy magnet today?

zzzz...

2005-05-20T09:42:00.000-04:00

I'm sleepy. This starbucks is doing nothing for me.

Rain

46 Degrees

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............

Another case of B.S. misogyny

2005-05-19T14:52:00.000-04:00

I was reading CNN.com when I came across the following story,

Pregnant Student Defies Graduation Ban

Apparently, this girl goes to a Catholic high school and because she got pregnant she was banned from walking at graduation. Of course, I'm completely against this anyways, but that's not what got my goose cookin. (yes, I'm getting old, thus, the bizarre phrase.)
And it wasn't the fact that the girl's name was obliterated from the graduation program. Although, I think being banned from walking should have been enough.

No..what really got my goat (yah, another one of those phrases) is what I read buried in the last paragraph of the article.

"The father of Cosby's child, also a senior at the school, was allowed to participate in graduation."

WHAT THA FRIGGIN HELL???????????????????

If that isn't THE most blatant form of misogynistic, pigheaded, male chauvanistic societal female-bashing, then I don't what is?!?

How is it that this stupid high school allowed the father, who commited the same "sinful" act as the mother, to fully participate????? Not only is that complete bullshit, but it's sending the wrong message to young people telling them that women are the only evildoers in a sexual act AND that men shouldn't be responsible for their actions OR their offspring.

Well, should I be surprised? Another female gets shafted in this world and the Catholic conglomerate once again shuts the door on truth and justice.

Stupidest Thing I've Read Today

2005-05-17T09:24:00.000-04:00

This is a doozey and it's only 9:25 am.

A MSN Health & Fitness article purports that you can get into "tip-top swimsuit shape" with only 1 hour of exercise per week.

I'm so gullible I think I can lose weight by working out 1 hour a week

HHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

And that was my good laugh for today.

Smells like...Spam

2005-05-17T09:05:00.000-04:00

I just took a quiz called "Made in America". One of the questions was, which U.S. state consumes the most Spam annually, per capita? At first I looked for California, but it wasn't on the list. The list, which consisted of Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana, and Hawaii, gave it all away. I just had to look for the state with the highest Filipino population and, of course, I guessed correct - Hawaii. Ahhh yesss...the correlation between Filipinos and their spam!

Getting old...

2005-05-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

Growing old really sucks. I'm in complete denial. I don't see how it's possible I've become an adult. In my head I think I'll always be 22 or so. Twenty-two is a great age!!! woo woo! Anyways, today some girls at the horse stables asked me how old I was. I told them 29 and they almost fainted. They thought I was joking. They thought I was 20!! And they happen to be 19 and 20 themselves so that makes their comments even more legite! Bless their sweet little souls! =) Thank God for my Asian genes, which make me look ten years younger than I really am. This has often been a bad thing for Asian men...forced to look 12 years old when they're really adult men. But for us women...wooowoowoowowowowoowowo...she-RA! princess of power!!!!!

Oh, but that doesn't change the fact that I've been discovering an inordinate amount of grey hairs on my head. I'm absolutely steamed about this!!! When I only had two I stood by the ole' wives tale about not pulling them out because it's bad luck and two will sprout back in its place...but that crap went out the window last week when I had to pull out three baby grey hairs. Those dirty lil' basturds were trying to sneak in, but I got them! I got them ALL!!!

I will definitely be one of those old women who dyes her hair. I will definitely NOT be one of those old women who cuts her hair short into a little teased out puffball.

Live For Today

2005-05-16T20:32:00.000-04:00

I came across the Today Show's list of the Top 50 Things to Do Before You Die. Here it is:

Watch whales migrate
Go white water rafting
See wild game on an African safari
Find a long-lost friend
Learn to dance
Fly a plane
Drive a NASCAR race car
Appear on Broadway
Dive the Great Barrier Reef
Skydive
Golf on a world famous course
Travel the Nile in Egypt
Be serenaded by a Venetian gondolier
Swim with the dolphins
Play with an orchestra
Paint the Big Apple red
Float in a hot air balloon
Sip a mint julep at the Kentucky Derby
Visit the Oval Office
Trace your roots
Helicopter over a Hawaiian volcano
Ride a mule down the Grand Canyon
Stroll along the Great Wall of China
Cruise in a Ferrari
See the Taj Mahal at sunrise
Walk the Inca trail at Macchu Picchu
Ride a Harley down an open road
Feed sharks
Scale a famous peak
Explore a Rain Forest
Learn to be a cowboy
Play ball in a Major League park
Prepare the world's finest meal
Be an extra in a movie
Gaze upon a magnificent waterfall
Horseback ride along a beach
Conquer a fear
Ride a steamboat down the Mississippi
Dive in a submarine
Taste the finest wine
Run a marathon
Write a song or poem for someone you love
Volunteer overseas
Visit a nudist colony
Explore the Alaskan wilderness
Hover in a blimp
Eat a cheeseburger in paradise
Run with the bulls in Pamplona
Say a special thank you
Experience weightlessness

I was pleasantly pleased to find out that I had actually done some of these things already.

Things I've done so far:

19 (I think I already did this because I took the White House tour back when it was possible before all this 9/11 nonsense. I don't really remember much.)

22 (i had a bruise on my ass the size of Texas afterwards, but damn it shore was fun!)

27 (ok, it wasn't a Harley, it was a Japanese motorcycle where you have to lean forward over the bike, not sit straight up...I think that's better anyways, so I'm listing it.)

31 (ok...I haven't exactly learned to be a cowboy, but I ride horses so that's close enough)

Things that need to be taken off this list:

5.) I already know how to dance

10.) I refuse to skydive unless my plane is falling out of the sky.

11.) I could care less about golfing in general.

32.) I could take or leave playing ball in a major league park...UNLESS Derek Jeter is present...in which case this moves to #3 of my must do list.

40.) Taste the finest wine???? What is the finest wine? I've had some good ones before.

47.) what the hell is eat a cheeseburger in paradise???

Things I will likely accomplish within the next two years:

12.) I'm going to Egypt before I have kids no matter what I have to do. It's my dream of a lifetime!

21.) helicopter over a volcano in Hawaii (honeymoon is coming up!!! )

25.) Goin to India soon.

35.) Goin to Hawaii soon.

Things to add to list:

Ride an elephant.

Ride a camel by the Great Pyramids.

Swim with manatees.

Go horseback riding through the Redwood forest.

Backpack across Europe.

Visit Petra in Jordan.

Visit Pompeii in Italy.

Save a life.

Give birth to a child.

Visit my sponsor child in Kenya.

Find my ol' high school buddy Michelle.

Visit relatives I've never met before in the Philippines.

Go snowboarding and skiing in Aspen.

Go to Alaska and see real penguins.

Hold a koala bear in my arms.

Scale a Mayan or Aztec ruin.

Learn to play the violin.

Participate in a dig with Dr. Zahi Hawass.

Design and landscape my own garden in my future home's backyard.

Swim with stingrays.

An addition to list, which I've already done, suggested to me by a friend:

Drive California's Pacific Coast Highway from L.A. to San Fran.

This is an absolutely gorgeous drive with magnificient shore cliffs and, as you get further north, at night it looks like you can just reach up and pluck a star out of the sky.