I can't believe they taking Warren's wealth!

I totally filled this out several days ago and my title went along with Rachel's but then I forgot to finish it and now it's like a week later. I'm slow...
1. When you're home alone, do you still close the door when you shower? Yes. If I didn't there would be all manner of animals coming in to harass me.

2.Has a friendship ended recently that you wish hadn't? Maybe

3. Do you like your music loud or at a reasonable level? Reasonably loud?

4. Would you rather talk on the phone or chat in person?In person. I hate talking on the phone unless that's the only way I can speak with the peeps. Like Rachel and Dave.

5. If you had one whole day to yourself, what would you do? Watch trashy TV and sleep.

Can you watch scary movies alone? Yes.

6. Is anything bothering you? Lots of things are bothering me.

7.Would you rather stay home all day, or be out and about? Depends on the day.

8. Do you like to keep the peace or be confrontational? Keep the peace. But I have been known to confront when it becomes a necessity.

9. Are you more likely to be with a large group of people or a few close friends? A few close friends.

10. What are your plans for October? Like I know. That's almost a year away.

11. Are you listening to music right now? Only the music on the movie my grandma is watching.

12. What is your ideal profession? I do not know

13. Cutest moment this week? All the moments I saw Zoe and Addie?

14. What are you doing this weekend? I will be traveling to AL to celebrate ten years of marriage with the peeps.

15. What is one fear that you can't seem to overcome? Yeah, I am with you on the bugs, Rach.

16. Are you in a good mood? I guess so.

17. What's stashed under your bed? Nothing.

18. Is there anyone you regret ever meeting? Absolutely.

19. On the opposite sex where do you like them to have piercings? No place.

20. Would you rather have roommate or live alone? I think Shannon and I are doing pretty well as roommates...

21. Do you like to drive? Not especially, but it's really a necessity in the BG.

22. What is your favorite thing to wear? Pajamas!

23. If you found out that you were going to be a parent, what would you do? Wonder how that happened. And then call Rachel.

24. Are you talking to anyone while doing this? Nah.

25. When were you the saddest in your whole life? I'm going to have to say my sophomore year of high school. All kinds of hell broke loose at our house that year and everything made me cry. Seeing Dave in band made me cry and seeing Dave's empty chair in band when he didn't show made me cry. It was just bad...

26. Ever had ugly thoughts about someone you love? Well who hasn't?

27. Have you ever made someone so mad that they broke something? I don't think so...

28. You have 3 months left to live, what do you do? Hang out with my peeps as much as possible?

29. You're having a bad day, what's one thing that can make your day better? Hugs. Barring that, ranting.

30. What makes you mad? Bad drivers, stupidity.

31.What do you hate the most about yourself? Yeah, I'm not getting into that right now.

32. Do you remember when you lost your innocence? Yes, I was nine. We are talking about mental innocence, yes?

33. Is there anything you would change about your body if you could? Yeah, I'm not getting into that either.

34. You wake up in an unfamiliar place, what is your first reaction? Try to reorient.

35. Is there anything that you should be doing right now? Probably.

36. Do you hide who you really are to keep your family happy? No, I suck at hiding. Unless I really want to...

37. If there was a way to know when and how you're going to die, would you like to find out? Not particularly.

38. Your phone rings at 4am, who do you expect it to be? Some family member telling me that someone has died.

39. Do you hate anyone? Not usually.

40. Would you ever give your number out over the internet? No.

41. Do you go to school? No.

42. Who are your top friends and why are they there? I don't remember.

43. If you could go back and change one thing from your past, what would it be? I would have to really think about that, because as we all know, I remember everything and there are a lot of things I don't like about it.

44. Do you ever lie to make someone happy? Not really.

45. Do you believe your dreams/nightmares hold truth? Sometimes.

46. Do you think human life is too short? Why or why not? Sometimes it seems that way. But I think we are here for the time God wants us to be. And I wouldn't want to live forever. Ditto

47. What is your worst death you can imagine for yourself? I would have to think about that for a while too and I mostly want to go to bed now. So, no answers.

48. What person are you most afraid of and why? Yeah, don't want to get into that either.

Awesomeness

I went home yesterday and we had received what should have been our first real gas bill. The first bill was just the meter set fee. But this new one was also a meter set fee. We had been waiting for this so we could find out if we should jack our heat down because our heater, stove, and water heater are all gas and we weren't sure how much winter was going to cost us. Also, the stove is being used more than you might think. So I called the gas company and it turns out that they made an error in our favor. When they set up the meter the first time, it wasn't right, so even though we've been using gas for a month and a half, we don't have to pay for that gas because they had to come back out and redo the meter. Bonus!

What kind of soap is in your bathtub? Dove Cucumber and Green Tea. It smells clean. And Shannon uses Oil of Olay.

Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No

What would you change about your living room? Have it not be paneled.

Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? Shannon is my dishwasher. The dishes in the sink are dirty

What is in your refrigerator? Milk, Dr. Pepper, fruit, Cherry Kool-Aid, water, turkey, cheese, mayo, yogurt, leftover chicken and rice, sweet tea in a jug, eggs, jelly, mashed potatoes

What is on top of your refrigerator? A little plastic gingerbread man and some red dust. I don't know if you know this, but when you make red Kool-Aid, the fine red dust gets on all the surfaces in the kitchen.

What color or design is on your shower curtain? Pink flowers.

How many plants are in your home? Well none, but I have a plant I need to bring over there. We also have bulbs in the dungeon.

Is your bed made right now? No.

Comet or Soft Scrub? If those are my choices, I guess Soft Scrub.

Is your closet organized? Sort of.

Do you drink out of glass or plastic most of the time at home? Plastic.

Do you have iced tea made in a pitcher right now? Eww. There is some tea in a jug though.

If you have a garage, is it cluttered? Don't have one. Only a dungeon.

Curtains or blinds? Both.

How many pillows do you sleep with? There are four on the bed, but I only use two at a time.

Do you sleep with any lights on at night? No. Sometimes I put the TV on sleep timer though. And then I wake up in the middle of the night still wearing my glasses.

How often do you vacuum? Every couple of days.

Standard toothbrush or electric? Standard.

What color is your toothbrush? Pink and white.

Do you have a welcome mat on your front porch? Yes.

What is in your oven right now? Nothing. It would be foolish of me to be baking while I'm not at home.

Is there anything under your bed? No.

Chore you hate doing the most? I do not like doing dishes. I don't mind the pots and pans, it's just the actual dishes that are gross to me.

What retro items are in your home? My kitchen table and chairs (thanks, Balls!), our stove, a cookie jar shaped like a mushroom, some of Shannon's dishes, a pitcher and glass set and probably some other stuff.

Do you have a separate room that you use as an office? We don't do office things at home.

How many mirrors are in your home? Thirteen. But many of them are just small and decorative.

What color are your walls? Some of them are paneled and some of them are white.

Do you keep any kind of protection weapons in your home? Kazoo barks like crazy when people he doesn't know come to the door.

What does your home smell like right now? Like a house?

Favorite candle scent? I like ones that smell like clean laundry or the kind from K-mart that smell like tuberose or the ones from Wal-mart that smell like honeysuckle. Ones that smell good.

What kind of pickles (if any) are in your refrigerator right now? No pickles.

Ever been on your roof? No, it's very slanted so that would be difficult.

Do you have a stereo? Yes.

How many house phones? None.

Do you have a housekeeper? Nope.

What style do you decorate in? Cheap and pretty?

Is there a smoke detector in your house? Two, but I recently checked and they have no batteries. So we should get on that.

In case of fire, what are the items in your house which you'd grab if you could make only one trip? Shannon, since she would sleep right through a fire, my purse, the animals?

I am ridiculously old and tired today

I'm no Rachel, so my Christmas shopping is not quite finished. But it's close. Anyway, last week I was speaking to Mark and asked him what he wanted for Christmas. He was really not at all helpful, but that's alright because later that day I remembered that I had ordered and received Mark's Christmas present three months ago. I got so far ahead of myself on that one that I completely forgot. So one less left. I just noticed that I seem to be a fan of ellipses. And I just suddenly got so tired that my head started tipping forward. Wow. I am very sleepy. I think it's probably because I took a nap yesterday and thus had difficulty sleeping last night. Shannon wanted to watch The Matrix because it happened to be on and while I haven't seen the first one in a while, I have seen it more than once. So...the nap happened. And because of that I missed the awesome part with all the shooting.

Christmas songs...

So I totally did not do that Christmas thing everyone else did, but I was thinking about what my favorite Christmas song might be. I think I'm going to have to go with Mark on Angels We Have Heard on High. Or maybe Go Tell It On the Mountain. But we only ever sing the chorus of that one. And I too, like Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella and Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming, but we really never sing those at my church. And another one I love is In the Bleak Midwinter, but I'm pretty sure the last time I heard that one sung was about ten years ago. Sad, because it's a good song. I jacked some Christmas cds from my parents' house, but I don't think Bring a Torch or In the Bleak Midwinter are on any of them. The frosty wind made my house moan the other night. I do love to be able to lie in bed and be cozy and listen to wind or rain.

Ta-dah! Now featuring the Paneled Palace!

These three are of the front room. Very exciting stuff, I know. This one has our non-functional fireplace in it. Fuzzy tail likes to use the bricks as a scratching post. I don't have a problem with this. Even though the actual scratching post is right next to it (pictured-scratching post with skinny tail sitting on it).

This is the living room. Where we watch tv and complain about things. I lead a thrilling life.

Here is our lovely bathroom. We like pink and purple, did you know?

Here is the door to the bathroom in our little hallway.
This is our hardworking floor unit. I couldn't get a picture of the flame in the middle without getting my shoes in the picture. Oh well.
This is Kazoo, wearing a sweater that is a little too big, so he wouldn't get up until we took it off of him. He's very particular.
This is fuzzy tail. She was walking by. Skinny tail was hiding under the table. No photos today, please.
And this is our brass monkey who lives on the stove. He is really made of brass. And makes me start singing that song.

Any questions, comments, snide remarks?

Family House

We got a new refrigerator whatever day the other one broke, but I'm a little sad because it's not Harvest Gold like our old one. I mean, it keeps our food cold, so yay. But it's just off-white. That just ruins the 70s theme we had going in the kitchen, what with the old refrigerator and my (Dave and Rachel's) kitchen table and chairs and Shannon's grandma's cookie jar that looks like a mushroom and the cool orange pitcher and glasses that we use only for decorative purposes. Ok, I just googled harvest gold appliances and could only come up with an old advertisement for a stove. That makes me sad that I didn't take a picture of the fridge so I could put it out there. And as far as 70s decor goes, who could forget the paneling once they've seen it? Oh, Rachel, you had posed the question-paneling or panelling. It is either or both. I hate words like that because then neither looks correct. Worshipping or worshiping? Traveling or travelling? Urgh. I like to deal in absolutes.
Anyway, I took some pictures of the main rooms. Shannon's mom and stepdad came last weekend and put up curtains for us. I forgot to take a picture of the kitchen. Maybe after we get curtains in there. I'm going to go somewhere later and load the pictures into a puter so I can post them in case you care. No pictures of my room though. It's very bland so far. I did take a picture of Kazoo wearing a silly sweater and whichever cat was wandering past me at the time. Shannon had me about ready to change their names to nice one and mean one, but then the mean one started being nice to Shannon again, so now she's skinny tail. And the other one is fuzzy tail. By the way, mean one/skinny tail was never mean to me. But fuzzy tail stopped coming out of my room earlier this week and I was getting worried. It seemed as though she was scared of something, but I don't have a clue what. She started coming out again yesterday, so I guess she got over it. It was just strange.

Arrr, ye scurvy dogs!

My Thanksgiving was kind of depressing. What with the funeral on Sunday and my grandma telling me in detail all about the wreck that killed my grandfather and all the discussion of my aunt Rachel's terminal illness. Although I learned that my grandma has a ridiculously good memory. Not just about terrible things in recent years, but also things from her own childhood. It's pretty impressive.

The trip to Pensacola was long. We decided not to stop Saturday night, so we got there about 2:30 am. And the we got back to BG about 1:00 am last night. I overslept a bit this morning and I have the beginnings of a migraine. I went home at lunch and Shannon told me our refrigerator was broken. Apparently instead of blowing cold air, it now blows hot air on our food. Awesome. Add to that our washer refusing to drain so that it has some really gross water in it now that smells like butt. Our landlord has to fix the refrigerator, but it's not his washer, so it's not his problem.

Enough whining for today. An awesome thing happened on the trip. Before I left, I was at my parents' house because they wanted me to come help them decorate for Christmas. My mom asked me if I had any cash for the trip, which, no. I don't generally carry cash other than a few dollars in quarters. My dad gave me a few gold dollar coins to take because they thought I should have dollars. We stopped to eat along the way and I handed the cashier five dollar coins. He looked at me and said, "You're kidding, right?" I was like, no, those are totally real money. And then my friends were like, don't you see, she's a pirate and so she's paying with gold doubloons (I happened to be wearing a t-shirt with a Jolly Roger on it)! The kid behind the counter was not as amused as we were. And then he kept wandering around eavesdropping on us while we ate. Apparently we were exceedingly entertaining. I'm a pirate!

Happy Thanksgiving!

My computer at work was acting weird Monday, so our computer dude came and took it away. Turns out my harddrive was shot. So I got another new used computer Tuesday afternoon. At least he updated my Office so I can use all the applications on our bookkeeping program. Yay.

So the thing is, I love buying people presents and I get all excited about the holidays, but spending so much time with my family gives me migraines. I have been having a lot of trouble with them lately. And I love my family, but they stress me out. I went to Birmingham with my parents over the weekend because, hey, free ride. My dad doesn't like the way music sounds on the speakers in his van, so we listened to talk radio. And I discovered that although I may be very conservative compared to some of my friends, I am extremely liberal compared to all the people in my family over 40. I can't win.

Some things I am thankful for-

A gas stove. I had never used one before, but they heat your food up so quickly.

A floor unit heater. I discovered the best part about this last week when it was actually cold outside and I wore a sweater dress to work (I also really love that dress). I went home and let the dog out and then stood over the grate for a minute and it warmed up my legs immediately.

Tights. I love cold weather because then you get to wear tights. I love tights.

DVR. The most incredible device ever. Except I saw this thing on GMA that is kind of like an ipod, but for books. That seemed really awesome. I have spent every trip I've taken since I could read dragging tons of books around with me on trips. That thing seems so much more efficient. But I digress.

My family and friends, of course. I found out just how great most of them are when I was sick.

Being able to eat regular food again! I feel much, much better. I was even going to go to the gym yesterday, but then Shannon and I both got sidetracked.

The worst part about holidays (other than the migraines) is all the traveling. It won't be so bad this year because we're just going to Owensboro after work today and then leaving there for Louisville Friday and coming home Friday night. But I think I am going to Pensacola Saturday. I think we're going to stop at the halfway point in Birmingham on Saturday night because we're not leaving until about 5 since one girl has to work Saturday. And then we will get up and head on to Pensacola, go to a funeral and then come straight home because most of us have to work Monday morning. My friend Kristine's mom died on Sunday and the funeral is this Sunday afternoon. Please pray for Kristine and her family.

Random

Rules:

1- Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

2- Share 7 random and or weird things about yourself.

3- Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.

4- Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



1. I keep crying when I read about the writers strike. It's just so awesome how much support they are getting from their showrunners and actors and higher-ups. Conversely, the way they are being treated by the AMPTP is egregious.

2. I am really excited to be living with Shannon again because she is the only close friend I've ever had who wears the same size shoe as I do. And she has some really cute shoes.

3. I went to Europe for two weeks when I was sixteen.

4. I love to read and will read pretty much anything anyone gives to me. Except Cold Mountain-I've started that book three times because it was supposed ot be good. But each time I was so incredibly bored that I couldn't even get into it.

5. The sheets I want really badly are $160, so I won't be getting them anytime soon.

6. I prefer dogs that don't try to lick people all the time. That's the part about dogs that makes me wash my hands frequently when I'm around them.

7. You wouldn't know it from the way I write here, because I suck at writing, but I kicked both my brothers' butts as far as vocaulary levels on the Free Rice thing.



Tagging: I'm not going to tag anyone, because anyone I might've tagged has already done this or wouldn't do it anyway. Except I could tag Christina. Whatever.

Word Nerd

I've been doing this thing called Free Rice for like 10 minutes now and I can't stop. Which, as far as addictions go, is fairly benign. It's charitable and sort of educational. Like, why do I know the word nadir? Where did I learn it and why do I never use it? It's reminding me of all sorts of words that I don't use. No wonder I feel like I'm losing my words sometimes. I probably am. Also, is this just me, or does anyone else associate bloviating with blogs? And I mean in a free association kind of way, not like I think that's what it means. Cause I know it doesn't. I guess people often bloviate on blogs. I might be leaning toward bloviating right now. My bad. Anyway, you should do the free rice vocab game. It's fun if you're a huge nerd like me. Just don't cheat. That's no fun. And I'll punch you in the neck if you cheat. Also, some of the words are medically related, so you would probably be awesome at it, Rachel.

name that film!

Whilst on my lunch break, I was watching TV and several questions occurred to me. How hard would it be to load a shotgun while driving a semi? I know nothing about guns, except for cap and bb guns. It seems like it would be difficult. If you are standing behind a car and people on the other side of said car start shooting at you, why would you not duck behind the car? Wouldn't it be extremely difficult to hold on to the top of a speeding car as it ran off the road? Not to mention how prohibitively difficult it would be to jump from a speeding car onto a speeding semi and then not fall off the semi. Also, how likely is it that you could drive straight while taking over both the pedals and the wheel while speeding? And if you can guess what movie I was watching on TV from these questions, then you too watch terrible movies. What is even worse it that I had even seen this movie before, so I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was a bad movie. And I watched the last hour of it anyway. What does that say about me?

Anyway, other than refusing to suspend my disbelief to enjoy the magic of movies, I am doing pretty well. I feel so much better. Yesterday I felt so much better that I finally made my bed at the Paneled Palace and started staying there. I even managed to sleep reasonably well. I had not been sleeping well because I could only lay on my back and I do not generally sleep on my back. Last night I managed to sleep for a while on one side. Fabulous! Now I can lie on my side! Drinks all around! I swear I am not taking any medication. Just excited about that development.

This is something I never thought I would say, but I am getting seriously tired of eating chicken and spaghetti. Not together. My diet is seriously limited right now and apparently both my parents (who've been feeding me all week) and myself can think of nothing else that's very low fat that I can eat. Strangely, you are not supposed to eat leafy greens or fresh fruit when you have gallbladder issues. So I've been eating a lot of jello. Last time I ate this much jello, I had just had my tonsils out. Fortunately, I feel better now than I did when that happened. Anyway, I am wishing that I could think of something good to eat. Also, I am wishing that I had taken a picture of my left arm earlier this week when it was totally purple in the crook of my elbow. And also a perfectly round spot on my mid forearm. They took my blood five times between noon Friday and 5 o'clock Saturday morning. It was really pretty. I also have this strange, yellow bruise creeping in from where my IV was on my right (mid) forearm all the way to my elbow. That elbow is still tender and sore when I move it. So, really looking forward to Monday, when I get a new IV. Anyway, then I would be able to gross you out.

I need a thesaurus...anon!

Not to make this a love letter to all the awesome people I know, but I know a lot of awesome people! I'm having my gallbladder out on Monday and I should be fine within a few days. Hopefully I will not have any issues this time. I had to stay in the hospital overnight Friday after the ERCP because I was having severe pain when I woke up. It was less than fun, but I'm fine and hopefully nothing unexpected will happen with the laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Today was my first day back at work since last Wednesday. I have to say, it wasn't bad, but I am exhausted. Work has been really nice and they all keep offering to help and seeing if I'm ok. Which, yay, I am. Just tired.

Shannon and Jack and Shannon's family awesomely moved all of my belongings to the new place over the weekend. We moved my felines over Monday night. They are still kind of freaked out, but adjusting to the paneled palace and to Kazoo (Shannon's dog). Now I just need to unpack. Rachel (and Dave) sent me some really pretty pink flowers and my mom doesn't want me to leave before the last Stargazer lily blooms. I'm going to stay with them again for a day or two after surgery, but I plan to unpack this weekend so I can really stay at the paneled palace. Does that need capitalization? I feel like maybe it does. I shall ruminate on this. Paneled Palace or paneled palace? Choose your own adventure, mateys. I will post pictures after I unpack my room. The main rooms are unpacked and Shannon's mom is making us curtains. Lots of curtains. We have many, many windows. Including one in the shower, which needs a curtain posthaste. It is not one of those weird windows you can't actually see out of that my grandparents have in their bathrooms. It's a real window. Anyway, all you awesome people out there know who you are. You are still awesome.

I forgot how much I liked hydrocodone...

So, I've actually been using some of my two weeks of sick days this week. I am having an ERCP at 11:45 this morning. Supposedly there is a gallstone blocking my bile duct, which is why I've been having so much pain and why I am getting jaundiced. I ate last night for the first time since Tuesday. I've scheduled my gallbladder surgery for November 5th. Although I kind of wish it were sooner so I could just get it over with. But they said I should feel a lot better after this procedure. It's just really bad timing, since Shannon and I are moving Saturday. But she's been awesome and has been moving my boxes and stuff over to the new house this week. I don't know what I would do if she and Jack weren't so awesome. Other awesome people-Rachel, Dave, my parents, work. My dad booked it back from Scottsville the other day when Dr. G said I should go see a surgeon right now. He knew I was scared, so he met me there. In that he got there like 5 minutes after I did. Rachel and Dave have been checking on me a lot via phone and even offered to come help move me. Work has checked on me every day that I left early and yesterday when I just didn't go and they offered to drive me around and even to come help pack my stuff (it's been a slow week). And Rachel, proactive as she is, called the doctor for me the other day. Thanks dude, I couldn't think straight to remember what I wanted to say. I feel better now that I have hydrocodone and have eaten. But if my sedation is anything like my dad's was last year, I will mostly be sleeping the rest of today. I'm staying at my parents for a day or two since my place is all crazy right now. So to sum up, I am still sickly, just in a different way than I used to be. And every one of you is awesome. Thanks for everything and I'll probably blog again sometime this weekend.

pain

Perk of having the same GP for 15 years-they totally know that when you say you're having severe abdominal pain, you're not kidding. I called mine yesterday and told them this and while they didn't call me back until 6:30 at night, they said to come in at 7:50 this morning. So I went and tomorrow I am to go have an ultrasound. Dr. G. said my symptoms are textbook for gallbladder problems. I told my dad this and he said that's not like me at all, so it's probably something completely different. I like to think I can take a little pain (after all, I am prone to migraines), but it was very not fun. I got so flustered after I threw up that I couldn't decide what to do, so I tried to call Rachel, but she was at the hospital. Also, she totally told me it was probably my gallbladder when I was having pain the evening after Dad's party. I trust her, since she's a medical professional. Anyway, then I called my dad, who was like, uh, yes if you have pain so bad it makes you throw up, you should do something about it. What can I say? I'm not good in a crisis. But I figured it out enough to know that there was no way I was going to the emergency room, since it wouldn't really help me to sit in a waiting room for 3 hours while still being in pain. So I called Dr. G. and squirmed around on my couch. Work was really nice about it and sent me home again when I returned after taking a three hour lunch trying to wait it out. So I got to stay home and listen to it rain. I do love rain.
Also, Shannon and I got our keys on Sunday and started moving some of her stuff into the house. I really don't have time for a medical condition this week. Maybe next week, when we're finished moving.

good times

Christina just reminded me that I haven't posted in a while. Sorry about that. I know my legions of adoring fans have been sad. Anyway, the surprise birthday party we threw my dad went very well. I was worried, but about 50 people showed up. And he didn't know until we told him, which surprised me because he kept looking at me like I was up to something. We wound up having to tell him to get him there because of the UK game. But I think he was pleased and he felt the love.

Also, these gems from my awesome nieces-Addie, running away from where my dad and Zoe were removing pumpkin goop from the pumpkins he was carving, "Tha's nasty! Tha's a nasty punkin' patch!" Apparently she didn't realize pumpkins were stinky and goopy. Zoe, after listening to Rachel and I discuss how she thought the girls needed an easel, "Yeah, we need a weasel for Christmas, Mommy." And then we laughed at her. She took it well. And Addie can totally say my name with all the consonants that are on my birth certificate. I was excited. No more Anea or Aura. I can't believe how much they've changed every time I see them.

glee-inspiring

I think Shannon and I are going to get the place with all the paneling. As adorable as the other place is, the 70s porn dungeon makes more fiscal sense. Also it's funnier. It'll be fun and we'll have an interesting time working around the paneling. I think we might try to cover part with fabric. Or there is removable wallpaper or wall decals, but they are expensive. We'll see. We're meeting the guy at 6 tonight and I guess we'll give him some money. I don't think we can get anything a whole lot better for the price. Plus, his pet deposits are absurdly low. He wants $25 for the cats and $40 for Shannon's dog. Isn't that awesome? It should be an interesting place to live.

I have been laughing so much lately. I think I'm way too easily amused. I've also been talking to the AL Benzes a lot and that's always entertaining. Not to mention the fact that some of the homes Shannon and I looked at inspired laughter. Also, 30 Rock started again last night and it was good. And I am loving some of the new shows that started recently. Gossip Girl is awesomely trashy fun and Pushing Daisies was so bright and absurdly weird that it seemed cartoonish. Which is actually what they were going for, I think. And I am so thrilled that David Anders is on Heroes and back to being a fake European mastermind type. I did not like him at all when he was on Grey's Anatomy. Apparently he's only awesome when he is channeling Sark. Or at least Sark's accent. Speaking of Grey's Nads, I did watch the premiere, even though I said I wasn't going to. It wasn't great. And I've not watched last night's, but I've got it, so I may. You should all be really proud of me, because I am. No, really, because yesterday I hooked the DVD recorder up to the TV and the DVR so I could dump stuff from the DVR onto DVD. And it worked. I didn't need to make any calls or anything. Color me skilled.

Also, this website that I love, so I'm not sure why it's not on my links here, has been having a Donors Choose challenge and since it started at midnight on October 1st, the readers of Tomato Nation have raised more than $50,000. Now, I totally think you should be reading Tomato Nation, but now is not a very good time to start, for since the crazy awesome success of the challenge, the posts since Monday have been all congratulatory(click on leaderboards on the donors choose website to see more on why). One of the things that has been making me laugh is listening to the audio version of this in my car all week. I think the Girls' Bike Club stories probably make a little more sense if you start at the first one rather than the most recent. But they are freaking funny. And she does an advice column type thing where she advises people more like an actual friend would advise them, rather than the way Ann Landers would. And also just writes general stuff about odds and ends. So anyway, maybe later I will put a link up. Shut up, I am way too busy right now! Obviously! :-D

As promised...more on the living space search!

Last night Shannon and I looked at only one place, but we loved it. It is adorable and reasonably priced and there are no dragons on the walls. It even has a fenced in backyard, which is cool since Shannon has a dog. So now we just have to wait for the dude to call us back. I hope he does. If he doesn't, we'll be tempted to take the $350 a month attic. It is sooo cheap. And the guy who owns it called me yesterday and said he wants to rent it to us and asked what he could do to make that happen. So apparently we are awesome. Which, duh. Like, more than once he asked if there was anything he could change or fix to make us take it. And he said if we think of anything we should call and let him know. Which makes it tempting, but really, I think we are too old to be living in a crack den. We didn't even fill out an application, so he couldn't have checked up on us yet. I think he must like us simply because we are not crackheads. So pray that the guy with the adorable house calls us today.

Also, I just wanted to say that even though Shannon and I spent two days painting in my parents' not well ventilated family room, I did not get sick. Allergy shots and having my tonsils removed are totally the two best things to happen to me in my adult life. Other than maybe going to DisneyWorld those times with my people. I totally don't get sick much now. And last time I got sick was, I am fairly certain, simply because I kept crying. I think the crying made me get sick. It might not sound logical, but it's my theory, so suck it.

75% less whining, guaranteed

So I started to say this ealier, but I got sidetracked because I was talking to Rachel and Dave while I was typing. Yeah, whatever, I've been down lately, but the other day Shannon was driving us down Smallhouse Road to look at a place and I simply said, "Dude." She looked at me and went, "What? Oh, mailbox!" And we both started cracking up. Probably for a little too long, but when we were in high school and she would drive me home it always seemed like she was about to hit the mailboxes on Smallhouse because it's a narrow road and she was pretty far over. As of yet, she has never knocked one over, but I swear everyone who rode with her back then knows what I'm talking about. And I realized that despite feeling stupid and restless and lonely, I am lucky to have some really great friends. And even luckier to have some really great relatives who are friends. So thanks for being so awesome.

parade of janky homes

I guess I haven't had much to say lately. I got my hair cut-somewhere between two and three inches. I feel so much better without that weird layer left over from when it was short. Shannon and I painted my parents' family room. It's just lovely now. Or something. I've been down for a while now, feeling sad and kind of restless, like I should be doing something (not painting).

So Shannon and I are looking at apartments, because I would save so much money if I lived with her and also because it wuld be fun and she spends a lot of time at my apartment anyway. We lived together before and while it didn't end well, we decided our only problems were...extraneous. And we don't have those problems anymore, so we'll be fine. The first place we looked at was so awesomely funky. It was huge and it had a yard, but it was paneled. All but the bedrooms and bathroom. And it had one of those dungeon things and a floor unit for heat and three window units for air. So, not practical and also disturbing with all the paneling. But way cheap and really big for a rental house. Yesterday we saw this apartment that was only $350 a month and it really had two bedrooms, but it was...weird. Like it was an attic apartment so all the ceilings sloped and made it seem very small. And then we looked at one that had two bedrooms, but you had to go through one bedroom to get to the other one. That seemed less than ideal. But it had this awesome breakfast nook that was all windows. It was so cool. And there was a fabulous chandelier thing that had Mason jars over the bulbs. It might sound strnage but I really liked it. We tried to figure out if we could live with one of us sleeping in the living room and the other in the back bedroom and using the middle bedroom as a living room. But I don't know. Lest you think I am way too picky, the last two were leaning towards trashy. So we called a ton of places that had signs out front and hopefully someone will call us today and let us come look. We found one place that we both completely loved, but it was $750 a month. That would be the same as what I pay now. But it was an awesome house that had just been renovated. The bathroom and kitchen were awesome, but it had three bedrooms, and since we don't know anyone else we like enough to live with, it would be too much. More on the search later, I'm sure.

Arrr, mateys!

Avast, today is Talk Like A Pirate Day! Don't forget to confuse your friends and loved ones with some random pirate jargon! And, whenever possible, tell terrible pirate jokes. I have found that they are so cheesy, people almost always laugh.

1.Who was your first prom date? Peewee Herman (most of you know what I'm talking about) :-D

2. Who was your first roommate? Dave

3. What was your first alcoholic drink? Screwdriver

4. What was your first job? Babysitting

5. What was your first car? 1989 Honda Accord-I miss you, Snake Eyes...

6. Who was the first person you texted today? I haven't texted anyone yet today.

7. Who is the first person you thought of this morning? The people who beat me to work?

8. Who was your first grade teacher? Ms. Downey

9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane? Boston

10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was with you? I never really snuck out of the house. I went out my window once, but it was the middle of the day and I was just seeing if I could do it without breaking my legs. My window was pretty far off the ground.

11. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them? Kathi and not really. She e-mailed me when she got engaged.

12. Where was your first sleep over? Either Kathi's or Haley's

13. First Kiss? What about it?

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time? Mark's

15. What is the first thing you do in the morning? Pet Grace so she'll lay down and stop meowing in my face and let me sleep a few more minutes

16. What was the first concert you ever went to? Sharon, Lois, and Bram from the Elephant Show at Freedom Hall

17. First tattoo or piercing? Ears at 10 and I still have no tattoos

18. First foreign country you went to? Germany

19. First crush? Steve in the second grade.

20. When was your first detention? Freshman year of high school I got my only detention because Dave was always running late and my first period teacher sucked. I only went for 15 minutes and then I got to leave and I didn't have to come back to serve the rest.

21. What was the first state you lived in? Kentucky

22. Who was your first love? Marie. She was our only real pet.

23. Who was the first person to break your heart? Me

24. Who will be the first to repost this? No one. Even Christina got to it before me. Maybe Mark will do it and make a blog.

Awesome!

My weekend just got really busy because a dude from church called and asked me to do graphics for him on Sunday morning. And he was also supposed to be helping my dad out this weekend in Leitchfield, but he's going to be out of town all weekend. So I told him I would cover for him Saturday too. So there's that. But what is really awesome is that apparently at some point this week one of my remaining three hubcaps fell off, but I didn't notice because it was on the passenger side and I never wind up on that side of my car. Our UPS guy at work noticed and told me the other day and I was like, nuts. But then a few minutes ago, he brought it to me! Apparently it was by a road right near work that he also delivers on so he picked it up for me. That was really nice of him. I just put it back on and I figured out why they must be falling off. The little plastic pieces that attach the big plastic part to the metal ring around the inside are mostly broken. Or maybe that's just my theory. I put it back on and it seemed stuck on well, but we'll see. I have no idea what I could be doing to make them fall off.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday Rachel! You are totally awesome and not old at all, busty.

fence-riding

I was talking to Shannon the other day about politics, which she loves to do, but I don't. I just don't like to share my opinions about incendiary matters because I know people get all riled up when you don't agree with them. I prefer to just stay quiet rather than cause unnecessary conflicts. But we were talking about it anyway, and I said something to the effect that I wouldn't vote for Romney because he is Mormon. I didn't mean it, but sometimes people have a hard time telling with me. Shannon was like, dude, is believing what they believe really that much crazier than believing that Jesus died and came back three days later smelling like roses? That's not exactly how she put it, but you get the gist. And you know, I'm glad I have her to give me a reality check sometimes because that is a good point. If you are not religious, you would think that both of them sound crazy. I guess it's just that I am sometimes intolerant of things that don't make sense to me. And I'm not saying Mormons are stupid, because that's not true, it's just that they believe something different than I do. I know that a lot of people have problems with tolerance about morals and religion and well, pretty much anything there is to fight about. But it makes me really mad when people won't listen to both sides. It's great to have convictions, but sometimes you need to think about why people who disagree with you might do so. They probably have reasons just as valid as yours for believing what they do about politics, religion, family, and life. Just because you're sure about your stance doesn't mean you are right. Maybe you need a reality check too.

what a waste of airtime

When I got home Sunday night, Shannon came over and we were eating dinner and the plan was to watch one of our Netflix movies. But while we were eating, the MTV Awards started and we wound up watching that. God only knows why. It was terrible. I was so bored pretty much the entire time. The only time I wasn't bored, I was mildly offended. Sarah Silverman said some pretty rude things about Britney and her kids. I was also almost entertained when Ludacris left poor Shia LaBoeuf hanging up there and you could tell he was freaked about it. And then again when Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner were on stage, but that was only because Jamie Foxx chose not to read off the teleprompter and said whatever he felt like saying. I guess he knew MTV's lines sucked. But all in all, it was the most boring awards show I have ever seen. We kept thinking something might happen, but it never did. Apparently MTV completely retooled the format and made it more toolish. The article I read on CNN said they loved the new formula and they thought it was great except for Britney's performance, but honestly, while her performance wasn't good, it certainly wasn't the worst thing I've ever seen. The new format was just bizarre, with random cuts to these different parties they had going on hosted by different groups and they would show bits and pieces of the performances happening in those parties. It was so strange to me. Like Rachel and I concluded last month, we are just too old for MTV. Oh, Chris Brown's performance was also mostly entertaining. Anyway, so that was a big bust. A waste of two hours, but the show used to be three hours, so at least it was shorter.

Good Trip

I made it home yesterday without incident. But last time I was driving home from Birmingham, I happened to be on the phone with Mark when my bumper fell off and I ran over it (correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't it be nearly impossible to avoid hitting your front bumper if it were to make a break for it?). I told him I thought I blew a tire (it was very confusing. It seemed I had hit something, but I didn't see anything, so I thought it must have been a tire issue). Mark told me that I would know if I had blown a tire. So about an hour later when I really did blow a tire, I thought, huh, Mark was right. It is very different.

Yesterday's trip was infinitely better than that one. We celebrated Rachel's birthday and watched all the episodes of Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull-Riding Challenge that have aired so far. It was entertaining. And I just want to say that Rachel looks great. She is standing almost completely straight and her swelling has gone way down. She looks very svelte. I am going to have to kick my butt into gear so I can keep up with her. Well, I have work to do, so I'd better look into that. I think I have to call Sacramento some more today and it's after 8 there now, so maybe I can actually find the people I need now.

Nothing

This weekend was pretty fun. My cousin Beth Ann (or cousin-in-law or something) taught me to crochet, which is awesome because I did not understand the second step in the book I had. She was like, don't use books, they're no good for this. And I totally get it now and can do two different stitches. So that was quite exciting for me! And we all ate way too much all weekend and worked all day yesterday preparing for the party. But I think it went pretty well. I got sick while they were cutting the cake and I had to go lie down before I threw up. Apparently I should not eat shrimp and steak when I never eat shrimp and I rarely eat red meat. So now I know. It was nice to see everyone and we had really good food, as always. But I am really glad my parents wanted to come home tonight so we could all have tomorrow to do nothing. It should be fantastic!

Disjointed

I got my car fixed and it was ridiculous. I got sick the day after I got home from Birmingham and it has taken me until now to feel good again. Which is also ridiculous. I went to Louisville last weekend and saw my grandparents and Mark. That was pretty fun, except we're all worried about them. Tonight after work I'm going to Owensboro because we're having a shower on Saturday for my cousin who is getting married soon. My cousin from FL who rarely comes will be there and the cousins from KY who rarely come are making an appearance. So that should be nice. They're fun. Fortunately I think we're coming back on Sunday, so at least I have one day of the weekend to do something useful. I feel like I've been really busy lately, but I don't think I have. I was just really tired for about a week because I was sick. I think tomorrow is going to be kind of crazy, since my grandma's house will be full of people and we're in charge of food. At least we'll be having good food.

Also, last night I was at a friend's apartment and I glanced at her calendar and exclaimed in dismay, "Did you mark the date of High School Musical on your calendar?!" The answer was yes, but it's worse than you think. Apparently, the people at the Capitol here did it. How awful is that? I was horrified. Because as I told Dave and Rachel while Zoe was making us watch part of High School Musical 2, the worst part about it is that it's available to do as a musical for your school or whatever. Think about that-watching High School Musical, but worse. Remind me not to encourage any children I may have in the arts. Also, I ranted at Mark last week because Zac Efron was on the cover of Rolling Stone. I really can't figure out why. I mean, he's been in like five movies, three of which were made for television. I realize that two of those movies are part of like an insane children's pop culture thing, but dude. He's like the only person in that cast who does not have a record deal. Anyway, apparently crappy movies offend me now. But I love crappy movies! I guess even I have standards. Yay me.

Breakdown

So, I am home. Most of you already know about my travel troubles, but suffice to say, I blew a tire and many thanks go to those of you who talked to me on the phone and then kept checking on me. Thanks guys, you're all awesome and I'm sorry I cried at most of you. It was almost ten by the time I got home, but it could have been worse. And, no Rachel, I have the best sister! You are too cool and extremely hardcore. I hope you keep staying ahead of schedule. Be careful and don't try to drive anytime soon, no matter how good you feel.

I love you dudes

This is me and Dave inspecting Mark when he was new. I am also apparently inspecting the contents of my nose. What can I say? I was only two.

After further inspection, we decided that he was okay and he could stay. We love you Mark, even if we don't get to see you enough. And even though you and Dave wouldn't dance with me and Rachel the night of this picture. We had fun dancing with Zoe.

I think this picture is adorable and so it took me a bit to figure out why it also made me sad. I guess because my parents are not close to their siblings, even though at one time, they obviously were. My mom's little sister was her maid of honor and my dad's younger brother was his best man. The rest of the wedding party was not family, so I don't think it was influenced by that. It just makes me sad that by the time Rachel died and Dick got really sick, we didn't see them much and I know my parents didn't talk to them a lot in between holidays. And they don't talk much to their remaining siblings now. I don't ever want to be that way with my dudes. I love that we're close and talk quite frequently. I love that they're easy to shop for because I know them. I love that Rachel and I laughed at Dave for like 10 minutes yesterday for talking about Hugh Downs when he meant Hugh Grant. And that I told them yesterday that I hit their car once when I was 16 and didn't tell anyone and they were like, dude, we never noticed (I was really scared and I had only tapped it. I would have told on myself if anyone had even asked what happened).

Anyway, I have had a pretty fun week down here and I am sad about leaving, but I have to work and see all the other people I love and stuff at home. Shannon said my cats stopped throwing up, which is awesome! Work only called me once, so I hope everything is good there. We went to the mall today, which was a trip. It kind of makes me appreciate how small BG is, even though Scottsville Road always sucks. Also, Addie saw a picture of me from kindergarten and said, "Your were little?" Yes, indeed I was once little. Right now I kind of wish I still were so I wouldn't have to work and stuff. She is still skipping all the consonants in my name most of the time, which is funny. Sometimes she says Ura instead. Andrea is a hard name for little kids.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

So Rachel and I decided we must be too old to watch MTV because we were baffled by even the commercials. Seriously, if you understand the ones with the people talking to the stuffed bear, please explain it to me. And explain to me if those people are the same people who are in a weird band in other commericals where at least one dude just sits around and watches while the others play instruments and sing. On a semi-related note, we finished the really long Pride and Prejudice today. It was still good. Addie made everyone watch Ernest Scared Stupid again yesterday, except she calls it the "punkin patch" movie (there's a picture of Ernest in a giant pumpkin on the front). Today we watched part of Ghostbusters. Addie said ghosts are also not allowed in the house. Dave had somehow forgotten about the awesome red phone we had when we were kids that said "Who Ya Gonna Call?" on it. It was totally a real phone and he got excited once he remembered. But the funniest thing so far is when Zoe came home from school Wednesday and announced that the air conditioner in her classroom caught fire. She kept telling the story to different people and gesturing wildly and reenacting what they had to do to get their backpacks out. She's very dramatic. :)

I most certainly can do dishes!

Anyone who cares already knows that I'm spending the week in Birmingham with the peeps. It's been pretty quiet. Rachel and I spent yesterday watching Jason movies on the Monsters HD channel. Just so you know, putting crappy special effects in HD does not really help. It was awesome. I haven't watched an old school Jason movie in years. Sadly, laughing really hurts for Rachel right now, so we are mostly not watching things that are funny. Although we adults all burst out laughing more than once during Ernest Scared Stupid today. Rachel is pretty hardcore about her pain. She has the some of the most vivid bruises I've seen in years. We've spent some time reading the seventh Harry Potter book, which is good. Rachel's dad lent me a copy. I finished it tonight and it was good.

Addie had some words of wisdom for me earlier. We were watching Ernest Scared Stupid and she told me, "No bad guys in the house. Bad guys have to stay outside." Keep that in mind always. Also, the troll in that movie needs a tissue. Addie also keeps telling me that I'm a girl, which is good knowledge to have.

Random old stuff

Shannon and I were gearing up for Halloween our freshman year of college. We were fairies with these lovely pink wigs, short blue dresses, pink tights (which we could only find in the children's department) and our awesome fuzzy pink wings and silver wands. I may someday show those pictures. Here we were just excited about the wig part.

Do you remember this little boy? We were all surprised when we found this picture recently. My parents and I guesstimated that Mark was not quite 15 here.

What I love about this is that we are all wearing cardigans over tank tops. It was very cold at our school. Also, I'm pretty sure that Amanda and I are wearing the exact same cardigan. I think it was from American Eagle and I had it in white and navy. I forgot about that headband phase when I was growing out my bangs. Better than the barrette phase...

Do you know these people? They look like they're having fun.

This is the source of my excitement...

Ok, since the two people who read this asked-I am excited because I get to go here on September 7th. I'm going to spend the weekend being quiet. That will be new and different for me. These nuns don't take a vow of silence, but they are cloistered, so they do not interact with you unless you're a nun. They have a water channel down the middle of their chapel so that the nuns will always be separated from the world. The nuns sit on one side of the water and all visitors sit on the other. I just thought that was cool. And no, I am not going to become a nun.
Anyway, I wanted to go here, but they didn't have any openings until the end of December. That's crazy far away. So I kept looking and found this one. I didn't even know there was a monastery just outside of Owensboro. And then I had to figure out what Passionist Nuns were. They are not Benedictine and they are not an offshoot of Benedictine like the Trappists. Apparently they devote their lives to constant prayer. They don't make things to support themselves like the Trappists. So I haven't even gone yet and it's already a learning experience! Of course, the goal for the weekend is not to learn new words.

Oh, right

This weekend Shannon and I finally got around to watching one of our movies from Netflix that have been sitting around at my house for forever. We watched The Aviator, which was okay. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't whatever I thought and it was a little slow. Also a little slow are Annie Hall and Shopgirl. I wanted to like Annie Hall because it's supposed to be so good, but I really had trouble getting past the fact that I find Woody Allen so irritating. It's really hard to figure out why Diane Keaton's character would have ever been with him. And I do mean him, because the only character he ever plays is himself. Shopgirl seemed kind of promising, but I had trouble getting past the fact that she was trying to get it on with Steve Martin. It's just that he's Steve Martin and he's old. But it wasn't a bad movie. What else did I watch this weekend? Oh, 21 Grams. It was interesting and it only started dragging towards the end. I didn't even hate Sean Penn. Shannon and I tried to guess what weighed 21 grams. We were both wrong. They do actually tell you towards the end. Wow, it totally sounds like all I did this weekend was watch movies. That's so not true, but whatever.

odds and ends

I'm really happy today because something I'm very excited about is in the works. I'll tell you later if you care to hear. I'm also excited about going to Birmingham on Sunday. I know Rachel won't be at her best, but I'm looking forward to hanging out with her regardless. Racho always provides laughs. And I haven't spent a week with the Birmingham Benzes in about a year and a half. I also think our dear father will be excited about his birthday present, even if he is confused as to why we are insisting on giving it to him two months early. If I ever manage to go over to my parents' house, I have some stuff to scan and post because it amuses me. I recently found quite a few things that I hadn't seen in some years. They weren't lost, although there is one picture I have been looking for for about two years. I think I figured out who stole it from me. So I'm pretty sure I'll never see it again, which is a shame because it was an awesome picture. Also, how cool does a cloister water channel sound? Nothing really big happening right now, just the usual junk.

Thingy from Rachel

Hi, my name is: Andrea

When I'm nervous: I get migraines and/or nauseous.

The last song I listened to was: Free by Plumb.

If I were to get married right now my Best Man/Maid of Honor would be: Maybe Shannon.

By this time next year: I hope I'm someone else.

I have a hard time understanding: Computer stuff. But I learned about USB hubs yesterday. As long as I know how to do what I need to do, I'm not going to worry about it.

If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be: Depends on what kind of an award it was.

Most recent thing I’ve bought myself: I got some conditioner at Target

Most recent thing someone else bought me: Ummm...Jennie gave me some FunDip yesterday, but she didn't actually buy it either. Shannon bought my dinner one day last week.

My favorite redhead is: I don't really know any redheads. Swoosie Kurtz!

My favorite blonde is: Two people...Zoe and Addie.

The last person I kissed was: I dunno. I may have kissed one of the kids when were in O'boro.

My middle name is: Rachel.

The last person I called was: Shannon.

The last person that called me was: My dad.

In the morning I: take a shower, pee, get dressed, brush my teeth

Last night I was: sleeping through small group. Oops. I knew I stopped taking naps for a reason.

If I was an animal I'd be: a gerbil? I don't know.

Tomorrow I am: Probably going to the gym. Other than that, who could say? It's a day away.

Tonight I am: Going to the gym and then watching some Arrested Development with Shannon.

I'm going to miss: Gilmore Girls. I watched it from the very beginning and while it got weird later, it was still pretty good. Where will I get really strange pop culture references and fast chatter now?

My favorite color is: periwinkle. Which to me is a little more blue than this, but more purple than this.

My heart is: beating.

I'm excited about: getting a new computer at work.

50 Things

I finally finished these. Like two weeks after everyone else. Whatever. I suck at life, blah blah fishcakes.

1. I am such a procrastinator.

2. I LOVE to give people presents.

3. Due to my procrastinating, sometimes I give people presents late. :)

4. I love things that taste like bananas, but I can't stand bananas. The texture and consistency are all wrong.

5. I am very particular about foods. Generally when I won't eat things, it's not about how it tastes, but how it feels. Case in point, peaches. They are too mushy and also it's very weird that they are fuzzy. But I like things that taste like peaches.

6. Stupidity is one of my pet peeves. So I really hate it when I say stupid things, because then I have to loathe myself.

7. I am not as patient as I would like to be.

8. I am probably one of the palest people you know.

9. It has always bugged me that I am super pale with freckles like a redhead, but I didn't get the red hair.

10. When I was a kid, I read all the Anne of Green Gables books at least 8 times. This may have contributed to my desire for red hair.

11. I love reading and generally do it pretty quickly.

12. I have the song Mary Did You Know? stuck in my head right now. Random.

13. I stink at math, but apparently no one I work with believes me because I do math all the time and even have my own printing calculator.

14. I am attempting to teach myself to crochet. I am no good at crafts. But I do know that I totally have the first step down, it's the part that comes after chain stitching that is giving me trouble.

15. I should perhaps have picked a different hobby to take up, since I have two cats. They only want the yarn I am working with, not the yarn I cut and throw at them.

16. My cats are sisters and they both had giardia and ringworm when I got them from the shelter. I am such a sucker.

17. I got ringworm right after I got my cats. It's very, very itchy.

18. I had my tonsils removed when I was 22. It was less than fun.

19. When I was little, I thought my dad looked like Harrison Ford.

20. I am really picky about movies. I will watch most anything, but I rarely give glowing reviews.

21. I will watch anything repeatedly on television. I will continue to tune in each week for a bad show. I think I give TV shows more leeway than movies because even if this week's episode is dumb, they get another chance next week and it could be better. Apparently I expect the people who make movies to get it right the first time, since they only get one shot. Or at least, they should. Also, I would have called that movie Baker's Dozen.

22. When I was little, I thought my mom looked like the SunMaid Raisin lady.

23. I can't stand raisins, alone or in anything, but I love Raisin Bran. No, really. That's the only way I ever eat raisins.

24. I wouldn't eat salad until I was eighteen.

25. I used to be able to embroider. My grandma was so proud.

26. I can generally remember a lot of stuff. Like stuff no one else remembers happening.

27. When other people cry it makes me cry.

28. The human interest stories on the news have really been getting to me lately. Damn you and your piece on the girl whose entire family died in a crash caused by a drunk driver, Good Morning America! Apparently I should not watch the news before work anymore.

29. Americans' taste in movies is making me sad. Wild Hogs should never have done as well at the box office as it did. Despite the fact that I love bad movies, they have to be good bad movies. Figure it out.

30. Speaking of good bad movies, I secretly love Bring It On. Guess it's not a secret anymore...

31. I got a new desk at work this week. I got a new chair last week and a new monitor that is as big as the tv in my bedroom. Freaking awesome. I am also supposed to be getting a new computer before the day is out today. We'll see if the guy shows up.

32. I love old people. I think they are adorable.

33. I did an elliptical machine at the gym this week. It's a lot harder than the bikes, but I stuck it out.

34. I'm pretty sure I have zero pain tolerance. But I could be wrong.

35. Is it wrong that I think this is funny, even though I think I should be mildly offended that Kentucky got what it got? Eeww.

36. Having a DVR makes me want to record crap that I would otherwise never even watch, just because I can.

37. I found my Chuck Lawson t-shirt last weekend when I was cleaning out old crap at my parents' house. I didn't throw it out, because it makes me laugh. If only I had a blacklight!!

38. I embarrass myself constantly. See above.

39. I want to know how pad Thai food is different from the food I order at the Thai restaurant, but the menu doesn't explain in good detail.

40. Only ten more to go and I am drawing a blank. I love to learn crap, but I hated college. It made me miserable.

41. I was watching crappy tv the other day and this character kept correcting others' grammar. Then she answered the phone and when someone asked for her, she said, "This is her." Inconsistent! That should have been caught and fixed. Stupid old WB show.

42. I used to play the flute and then the clarinet. Sort of. When I felt like it. Reeds are gross. I changed mine all the time.

43. I used to be extremely anal about things like that. Also, band was the only time I ever sat up straight.

44. I ate 700 popsicles the summer I was 17. I should probably have gotten a cavity.

45. It will be three years in August since I cut at least 15 inches off my hair. I've been growing it back out ever since.

46. I've picked up the habit my dad has where you make something up if you don't know the answer. Most people don't notice that I'm making things up. Sometimes I tell them.

47. I always thought I sucked at lying and hiding things. I was wrong. I am an excellent secret keeper when I want to be.

48. I have trouble keeping myself together, but I am really good at helping people get organized. Also, cleaning.

49. I want to buy a bookcase for my house so I can stop keeping my books in a box. I am afraid my cats will knock it over and hurt themselves.

50. I think I should start fixing my hair again. I haven't actually fixed my hair more than three times since I was 19. Wow. I didn't realize it had been that long until just now.

Do you have ovophobia?

I keep losing my words lately. You know, when you're trying to say something but you just cannot remember how you were trying to put it? Maybe I need to start doing the crossword like my grandma to keep my mind sharp. Yesterday I was reading something and came across this sentence, "You know the theme song, the one that sounds vaguely like The Addams Family theme song but with less snaps?" It is referring to the Alfred Hitchcock Presents theme song, which that fairly vague description somehow jarred right into my head. Seriously, I had that song in my head for the remainder of the day. But the day before it took me like ten minutes to find the word conclusive. Come on, what's wrong with my head? I'm not quite that old yet.

Movies, books and whatnot

This is really funny. Trust me, you want to watch it. Even if you don't, it's only a minute and twenty seconds long.

By the time I went to the doctor this morning, I couldn't even feel my weird lump on my jaw. So I didn't even mention it. But I did mention how my back hurts every morning when I wake up. Sometimes it hurts so much that it wakes me up in the middle of the night. So he gave me some exercises to do and said if it doesn't get better within 6 weeks to come back. Also he gave me a bunch of samples of Imitrex, which is awesome.

I saw Catch and Release with Jennie Saturday night. It was strange and not really in a good way. Shannon and I went to see Harry Potter yesterday. I really liked it. It's been so long since I read that book that I had completely forgotten about an important event. Yes, I read the books, but no, I am not such a nerd that I read spoilers about them or stood in line to buy the book or anything. In fact, three days after the seventh one came out, I still haven't bought it. Whatever. I did just finish a book that Mark lent to me-Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. I am now going to pass it on to my father, since all the Benzes so enjoyed Jon Krakauer's other book that we passed around the family. It's a really good read, so if you're not a Benz and so were not privy to our book-sharing, pick it up at a store or at a library if you're cheap. I don't mountain climb, but I appreciate a well-told, well-researched story. Dave just purchased another John Krakauer book that he promises to pass around. Anyway, I totally learned three new words while reading Under the Banner of Heaven. That was exciting for me. I'd tell you what they are, but you likely don't care. Fine, I'm doing it anyway. Concomitant. Neologism. Epistemological. This now concludes the learning portion of the post. Unless you already knew those words, in which case you're better than I am and I won't try to teach you anything again. I seem to have gone a little crazy with the links today.

assorted sizes and colors

The knot on my jaw is smaller today, but Tuesday the other side of my jaw was really tight and painful. I took two Flexeril before bed, forgetting that I don't take it often anymore, so one would probably have sufficed. So I had a Flexeril hangover yesterday. I guess if the knot is still there on Monday when I go to the doctor, I will tell him about it.

On an unrelated note, I am now addicted to this website where you can design your own purse. You pick a style and then you can pick different fabrics for the body, straps, detailing and inside. I just can't stop playing around with it. I need a new purse and I am quite set on what I want in a purse, but I have a hard time finding it. I need more than one pocket and the strap has to be long enough to sling over your shoulder. It's harder to find than you might think. The ones that you design on that site are about $130, depending on which style you pick, but I am thinking it might be worth it if I can get what I really want. If I don't get what I want, I'll just be looking for a new purse again after a few months. This site also has some things that look promising, but I'm just not sure. They also have a lot of weird crap. I'm not going to buy anything right now, but I just wish I could find what I want.

Also, I have been working on doing 50 things about me like everyone else did like a week or two ago, but I only started Monday and did a few each day. So it may be next week before I finish. I'm not that interesting, even to myself.

more human than human

I woke up yesterday and thought, hmm, my jaw kind of hurts today. Then I figured out why. There was a knot right on the joint that was big enough that I could see it as well as feel it. It was hugungous and it hurt. Fortunately I have a lot of hair that usually hangs in my face and obscures the upper part of my jawline. The knot is smaller today, but still weird.

Anyway, I was on camera the first two services at church yesterday, which I still don't understand why the person who does the 8:00 has to do the 9:30 also. But that's not the point. The point is that I was mildly annoyed by being on camera for those two services until I got there and we were singing one of my favorite songs (You Are Holy-the one with the parts in the chorus-so fun and fast!). Don't get me wrong-I don't dislike doing camera, I just don't find it interesting enough to do two services in a row, but I don't mind sitting through all three services when I'm on graphics. I'm so weird. Anyway again, there was a video about worship and how we think the worship is great when we sing songs we like, but that it's not good when the music isn't our taste (or is bad, but that doesn't happen often at my church, as we are blessed with many talented musicians). And that is so true for me. I love the singing part of worship, but I don't enjoy it much when we sing songs I don't like. Worship is not supposed to be about us at all, but about God. So it should make no difference whether we like the songs or not. I guess that's one more thing I need to work on.

Overheated

Over the course of the past two days I have baked two batches of cookies, a pan of brownies and a cake. Due to the stupidity of my oven, only the cookies came out okay. I made the brownies first and took them out like 5 minutes before they were supposed to be finished and they were already burned. So, since I didn't want to give anyone any crappy brownies, I made cookies. They were supposed to bake in 9 minutes, but I basically watched them the whole time and removed them at 5 minutes and they were perfect. But the next day when I made the cake, apparently I had already forgotten, so I took the cake out at 25 minutes instead of 35 and it was already totally burned. I was like, I am not giving anyone a crappy burned cake either. So I guess today I'll be making a new cake. The cake was all brown, which would have been ok, except it was a strawberry cake, so it was supposed to be pink. Oh well. My oven is exceptionally warm. I will have to take the next cake out at like 15 minutes, I guess. Enough of my adventures in baking. Back to work!

Awesome!

We have air! In fact, we had it by the time I got back from lunch. It's not great in here, but it's getting there. Also, yesterday my dad was showing me the places in Gatlinburg they were looking at renting for us and one of them had an air hockey table! I love air hockey. I think that's way better than a pool table, although this place had both. Anyway, I'm still not sure why they want us all to go to Gatlinburg, but whatever. I put my vote in for the one with air hockey. :)

Urgh

The air conditioning unit at work quit yesterday afternoon. The air people came this morning and said the motor died. So still no air. It is 85 degrees in BG right now, but it feels like 88 and we just barely have any wind. This is going to suck a lot. Our building gets full sun pretty much all day long. Awesome.

51 Questions

1. The phone rings. Who do you want it to be? Someone awesome!
2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? Yes, it's rude not to.
3. If you had to kiss the last person you kissed, would you? I think that would be Zoe or Addie., so sure!
4. Do you take compliments well? Not particularly.
5. Do you play Sudoku? I have, but not often or obsessively.
6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness would you survive? Seems unlikely. But the real question is, how did I end up in the wilderness in the first place? I do not go outside.
7. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you would do? Get the animals.
8. Who was the last person you shared beds with? Zoe
9. Who do you text the most? Either Jennie, Shannon or Kristine. It's hard to say.
10. Favorite children's book? Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin. Unless we're talking about children's books that aren't picture books.
11. What color are your eyes? Blue-green
12. How tall are you? 5'5"
13. If you could do it over again, start from scratch, would you? There are some things I would probably do differently.
14. Any secret admirers? No.
15. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden? May 19th for Christina's non-shower shower/birthday celebration.
16. Favorite ex? excellent
17. Where was the furthest place you traveled? Europe
18. Do you like mustard? Eww, no.
19. Do you prefer to sleep or eat? Sleep
20. Do you look like your mom or dad? Neither. I look like my big brother.
21. How long does it take you in the shower?Around 10 minutes.
22. Can you do splits? Nooo
23. What movie do you want to see right now? Waitress, but it's not out here.
24. What did you do for New Year's Eve? Went to Louisville with friends.
25. Do you think The Grudge 2 was crappy? I didn't see it because the trailers were crappy enough for me.
26. Omitted by someone, or the counting was bad...per usual.
27. Was your mom a cheerleader? Ha! No.
28. What's the last letter of your middle name? L.
29. How many hours of sleep do you get a night? Anywhere from 6-8. It just depends.
30. Do you like care bears? Not so much, but I loved them when I was little!
31. What do you buy at the Movies? A ticket.
32. Do you know how to play poker? Mostly.
33. Do you wear your seatbelt? Absolutely.
34. What do you wear to sleep? Pajama pants and a t-shirt
35. Anything big ever happen in your town? Not that I considered big.
36. Also left out by the bad numberers.
37. Is your tongue pierced? No and never will be.
38. Do you like Liver and Onions? Definitely not.
39. Do you like funny or serious people better? Funny
40. Ever been to L.A.? No.
41. Who is on your mind right now? No one.
42. Any plans for tonight? Go to the gym, clean my bedroom and maybe get to bed early.
43. What's your favorite song at the moment? I don't know. I like many songs.
44. Do you hate chocolate? No, moron.
45. What do you and your parents fight about the most? We don't fight much.
46. Are you a gullible person? I used to be.
47. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy? It would seem not.
48. If you could work anywhere, where would it be? I don't know. If I knew that, I would know what I wanted to be, now wouldn't I?
49. Are you easy to get along with? Depends on who you ask.
50. What is your favorite time of day? Usually evening.
51. Are you a generally happy person? Yes, except for sometimes when I get a funk on.

pop quiz: part deux

Let's try again, since the other one was too easy. So, what is this "Well she's got baggage and it's all the emotional kind. She talks about closure and that validation bit. I don't mean to be insensitive, but I really hate that shit" from? Hint: it is not a Cake song, although I almost went with the lyric that's been in my head since yesterday.

Yes, I am "a girl who uses a machete to cut through red tape"

Busy...but bored at the same time. So, pop quiz Benzes! What song is the above from?

"Bring me some reefers!"

Reefer Madness was on TV this weekend and I watched most of it because I had never seen it before. It was dumb, but I must say that my favorite part was Dish Network's description of it; "Young people go from marijuana to wild piano playing, hysteria and death." Now that is awesome. I never knew that one of the things you needed to look out for was wild piano playing. I guess we should've been keeping a closer eye on Mark when he was a teenager. Oops. What is also awesome is that IMDB's description says that teenagers become addicted to jazz music. I'm not sure if that's just because of poor syntax or if they really meant it that way, but it's funny. To me, anyway. I had wanted to see the 2005 Reefer Madness spoof/remake where they made it a musical and whatnot, but I still haven't gotten around to it. Anyway, I just wanted to share with you that you need to watch your children and make sure they aren't playing piano wildly.

Lately...I have been feeling old

I went to the bank today to deposit my dad's paycheck because he is out of town. He had left me a deposit slip, so that was cool, but I was having issues trying to forge his signature. I remember Dave used to be able to do it pretty well, but I couldn't even remember quite what it looked like. Anyway, the teller asked if I was Kathy (her name was also on the deposit slip) and I said no. Then she asked me if I was Dave's wife. I was like, uh...no, I'm his daughter. She said she didn't think he was old enough to have a daughter my age. Now, I am not loving this being old thing. I think being fat makes me look old. When I was 21, people thought I was like 16 and now, people keep thinking I'm older than I really am. I did not love being mistaken for 16 at 21, but now, I would take that anyday. I haven't gotten carded in at least the last 6 times I have bought alcohol at a restaurant or store. That makes it sound like I buy a lot of alcohol, and I would certainly age faster if I were drinking massive amounts of liquor. But I do not and I am not. Lucky Dad for looking so young. Apparently when I am his age I will not have that issue.

I saw Knocked Up last night and the theater was remarkably full for a Tuesday night, especially for a movie that's been out a couple weeks. I don't think I was as disappointed as Shannon was, but apparently that's because I didn't see 40 Year Old Virgin. I'll have to work on that. The movie started out pretty funny, but then it totally turned into a romantic comedy, which is, from what I've read, not what Apatow does. But whatever, it was still better than the last movie I saw in the theater, which mostly just made me want to watch Can't Hardly Wait. Not because they were anything alike, but because Ethan Embry is in both and he was not so much a creepy old guy in Can't Hardly Wait.

It must be summer, because I went to a softball game on Friday and I scratched my legs for pretty much the entire time we were there. Surprisingly enough, by the time we left I had not managed to rip all the skin of my calves or give myself welts. Yay. But seriously, I do not want to give myself welts like I did last summer. Particularly since it takes approximately 4 months to get in to see my dermatologist. And Dave, this is not the post that I was working on with all the links. That post is still a work in progress. Maybe I will do it tomorrow. For those of you who aren't Mark or me, Dave is the most awesome big brother ever. Thanks for helping me everytime I call you with a stupid question. And for not making fun of me for it, either.

Saw this on Rachel's blog and had a few minutes free...

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