Sports are dangerous...

This is insane. I can't believe that guy is ok. This is why I have always maintained that hockey is way more hardcore than other sports. Dudes are flying around the ice and getting into fights with what amount to weapons strapped to their feet. And I was reading about this and learned about this business, which is even crazier. It almost made me cry. Because I'm just like that. And then I remembered that dude who was skateboarding and lost his board and fell really far and hit so hard that his shoes flew off. Sports are crazy.

Take back your free advice - I don't accept.

I went to the eye doctor this morning. Getting old stinks. My right eye moved three steps and my left eye moved two. I didn't even realize how much I wasn't seeing until I put the contacts in the new prescription in. I mean, I knew my eyes had changed because the words on the screen at church have been fuzzy for a while. But that wasn't a huge deal because I know all the songs. And the last couple times we've actually had new songs, they have been ones I had just learned at Dave and Rachel's church (where the screens are easier to read). But that's neither here nor there. The point is, my eyes are screwed by genetics and the fact that I do a lot of computer work. At least Dr. Love gave me some more stuff to keep my eyes from peeling. Yay for eyelids that aren't falling off! Also, she was very impressed by my eyelashes. So I told her it was just that I have good mascara. She didn't think that $25 was too much for mascara. And I guess since it is the best mascara I've ever used, it's not too bad. Thanks, Rachel!

You're crazy for thinking I'm above this

I've been having a lot of problems with my head lately. So today I got to just sit around and do nothing and it was awesome. My head actually feels better and I hope that maybe it will stay that way for a few days, at least. I saw The Namesake, which I liked. And A Mighty Heart, which was very good. Both of them made me cry, but I totally knew it was coming with the latter, seeing as how we all know how that one ends.

I think I am ready to cut part of my hair. I don't want to lose the length, but it's time to do something. I can't do anything with it and it takes forever to dry. So...a real haircut is coming up soon! As you know, I haven't had a real hairstyle in many, many years. In fact, it's been so long, it's making me feel old. I guess it's because my birthday is coming up and I am about to be in my upper middle twenties that everything is making me feel old lately.

cool blue reason wraps around my throat

So last night, Shannon and I realized that while we thought our neighbors had moved out this weekend, we both saw their dog yesterday. We went to investigate further and it would appear that they did move out and the jerks left their puppy on the screened-in-porch. The dog is, we believe, under six months old and he is a pit mix. He's really sweet and really skinny. So we gave him some food and water and talked to him and Shannon was going to feed him again this morning. We are trying to find someone who wants him, rather than taking him to the Humane Society. We both got all riled up about the situation, and then more so when we realized how skinny he is. We saw the dog outside a lot before, but he wouldn't ever come near us because he was scared of Kazoo.

One more thing. We were watching the returns last night and CNN kept "projecting" that so and so won such and such state. Which, like, fine. But they were projecting when only one percent of the returns were in! Really, CNN? One percent? That is ridiculous. Shut up, Wolf Blitzer. Get back to me when you have more than one percent. Also, how surprising were the GOP results? Insanity. Anyway, I have work to do.

Happy Mardi Gras and Super Tuesday!

It's Super Tuesday! I am also very excited by this, Christina. On a note unrelated to things I am excited by, I actually watched the Superbowl this year. We found it pretty dull until like the last two minutes. Shannon got so bored she forgot to cheer when something finally did happen. We got internet at the house this weekend, so that was cool. I saw The Descent this weekend, which if you're into horror movies, is worth it. I know it came out like a year and a half ago here, but I am slow. I jumped a couple times and, as Shannon said, we are never going cave diving! Not that that was something I planned to do before, but still. It's a little slow at the beginning, but once things start happening, they don't stop until the bitter end. Which I read was different here in the U.S. because we weren't satisfied by the unambiguous U.K. ending. Whatever. Not all movies have to end happily. And even with the altered ending, I came to the conclusion that the U.K. ending made readily apparent. Anyway, I liked it. I also watched A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, which was one of the free movies on the On Demand thing. It was worth it, since it was free. It was strange and I am not prepared to say it was bad, but I'm also not going to tell you it was good. Also, did any of you guys watch Eli Stone last week? I watched because I love Greg Berlanti shows, but I have mixed feelings about it. The pilot didn't grab me.

You're crazy for thinking I'm below you

So I've been really busy at work for the past couple weeks, which you may have deduced from the dearth of posts. But I'm not swamped today, so yay! It's been all cold again, so I'm glad that my mom bought Shannon and I blankets. I actually had to put extras on my bed. As Shannon pointed out, I could just bring in the other space heater my dad bought us, but that would be a hassle. I would be afraid that the cats would knock it over and start a fire or something.

Last night Kazoo told me he likes Bush and that he wants to vote for Hillary. I was quizzing him about politics and I could tell because he got all excited and tried to lick my face when I mentioned those two names (not in the same sentence or anything, because...no). Anyway, I was reading an item today about how the lady on A Daily Show last night mispronounced Obama's first name. Which I noticed while watching it, but what they failed to note was that the lady he had on Wednesday night also mispronounced Obama's first name. It seems very strange that two people who are going on a show to talk about politics would not know how to pronounce a candidate's name.

From Rachel

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:00 AM

2. Diamonds or pearls? Yes

3. What was the last film you saw at the movies? Atonement. I am conflicted about it...

4. What is your favorite TV show? I'm not sure.

5. What do you eat for breakfast? Water

6. What is your middle name? Rachel

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Jack's Mannequin-Everything in Transit

9. What kind of car do you drive? Sentra

10. Favorite sandwich? I guess peanut butter and jelly

12. Favorite item of clothing? Pajama pants!

13. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go? Europe

14. What color is your bathroom? White

15. Favorite brand of clothing? Rachel got me hooked on Gap

16. Where would you retire? I don't know...that is a really long way off

17. Most memorable birthday? Eighth. I got to have a party at the CLC and when we had my family party at our house, my grandfather had to take my dad to the hospital because he had a kidney stone.

18. Favorite sport to watch? Basketball

19. Furthest place you are sending this? The World Wide Web

Deleted by blog author... haha

22. Favorite saying? No se.

23. When is your birthday? February

24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Depends on what I'm going to be doing at those times.

25. What is your shoe size? 7 1/2

26. Favorite food for dinner? Spaghetti

27. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher

28. What are you doing today? Working...

29. What is your favorite candy? I love Skittles, but I can only a few before my jaw starts to hurt.

30. What is your favorite flower? The kind that blooms

31. What day are you looking forward to most on your calendar? Whatever day I get my tax return

32. What church do you attend? Living Hope

33. What are you listening to right now? People talking down the hall

34. What was the last thing you ate? Potato soup

35. Do you wish on stars? No.

36. Do you believe in angels? Yes

37. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green?

38. What is your pet peeve? When people mispronounce words that are clearly spelled the way they should be said. E.g. nuclear, realtor, supposedly, library, ask, across. You know...

39. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My dad

40. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Not even a little...

41. Favorite soft drink? Dr. Pepper, right now

42. Favorite restaurant? Kyoto, right now

43. Favorite movie? I don't know

44. Siblings? Yes

45. Favorite day of the year? Thanksgiving Day

46. Favorite day of the week? Saturday

47. Spring or fall? Fall

48. Hugs or kisses? Hugs

49. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate

Deleted because it has nothing to do with my blog

51. What is under your bed? Nothing

52. Who is the friend you've had longest? Christina

53. What did you do last night? Made dinner and watched House

54. Favorite smell? Clean laundry

55. What are you afraid of? Bugs, especially ones that fly

56. How many keys on your key ring? I am going to guess 7

57. How many years at your current job? In two months it'll be three years

58. Favorite city to visit? Washington D.C.

59. How many towns have you lived in? Two

60. Do you make friends easily? No. I don't make good first impressions, or second. But I, too, tend to keep the friends I do manage to make for a long time.

Some people suck...

This is despicable. Those people are so disgusting. I would link to their actual site, but just reading about them on Wikipedia made me cry. So, no. I didn't visit their site, even though it is on that press release. That much vitriol directed at everyone and everything makes me sad. It's "Christians" who behave like that that give the rest of us a bad name. This is the same group who picketed Matthew Shepard's funeral and the funerals of soldiers who died in Iraq. Picketing a funeral...nauseating.

TV Talk, mostly

I know Rachel mentioned coming in fourth when we went bowling, but guess who came in third...that's right, me! I beat my previous personal best by about 30 points when I bowled a 110. I was shocked. And so was everyone else. Including the guy bowling next to us. Anyway, I finished My So-Called Life and lent it to Rachel. It was just as awesome as I remembered. I really like that the kids wear the same clothes repeatedly. I'm not sure if they did that for the realism or simply because they had a small budget, but either way, I like it. And it inspired discussions of when everyone wore flannel and clothes that were way too large, rather than way too fitted.
Yesterday I had a nice relaxing day off and finally got to watch the last two episodes of Heroes that had been sitting on my DVR since 11/26 and 12/03, respectively. I know a lot of viewers were less than thrilled with the first volume of the second season, but I didn't hate it. I must admit, I am glad they killed off at least part of the annoying twins and possibly Niki, too. I found her character kind of silly all along. I am also so thrilled that they didn't kill Kristen Bell. I was worried for her character when I saw the promos about two heroes giving their lives. So, yay. But none of you clowns even watch Heroes, so I don't know why I'm detailing it for you. I should be working.

I seem to have lost my mind...

I have been obsessing about my teeth lately. I know that if you dream about your teeth falling out it can mean you feel a loss of control (and sometimes I do dream that my teeth are loose and start falling out, but not lately). I have been worrying over my teeth while I am awake. And also, I don't think I have ever felt in control and it's hard to lose something you've never had. Anyway, I think they are moving and getting crooked, which is possible, I suppose, since I got my braces off 12 years ago. Although I didn't stop wearing my retainer until about 5 years ago. I think one of my front teeth isn't as far forward as the rest and it is really irritating me. I keep catching myself pushing it forward with my tongue, like that would really help. It really bothers me when things are uneven. Like if I break one nail, then I file all the rest of them down too so that they are all even, my eyebrows not matching drives me insane and the fact that one side of my nose is bigger than the other kills me. I am rather OCD about certain things. More things than I realized, apparently. I was already aware that I wash my hands rather obsessively. I wash them after I pet any animals, after I let the dog out, before I get a drink, before I wash dishes, after I wash dishes, after any cleaning activity, before I eat, after I eat, sometimes more than once while I am eating, after I put on or touch shoes, after I get out of the shower, but before I put in my contacts. And if I am cooking anything, forget it. It gets absurd. I wash my hands before and after I even stir anything, which seems silly because I'm not even touching the actual food, just the utensil handle. It's no wonder my knuckles get so dry that they sometimes crack and bleed. Wow, this post makes me sounds really manic. I think I will quit while I'm behind by ending with a slightly modified cliche.

Get behind Jesus

Today I found the thing that cracks me up early in the day. I mean, it basically says click here to see the miracle of this dog's butt. Awesome.

Fish 'n Flush has nothing to do with giving your pet a lousy funeral

This weekend was pretty nice. I worked part of the day with my dad on Saturday, but I didn't have to do anything on Sunday, so that was relaxing. I saw The Bourne Ultimatum, which was good despite having a dearth of dialogue. But what really has a dearth of dialogue is Shoot 'Em Up. I enjoyed it because it was completely ridiculous (fortunately that was what it was going for).
Yesterday someone called and needed me to explain some TV stuff for them. Now, I could understand me maybe being the person to ask about television programming, but if I am the person you know who you would go to with questions about televisual devices, that is scary. One day my dad called me and said he had a TV question for me and I was like, uh, have you lost your memory? But no, it was about TV programmes. Anyway, this TV and movie themed post has been spectacularly boring. Sorry.

Something that cracked me up today. Also, on the distributors page-it makes me sad for Canada that there is only one place in the whole country where you can go look at them.

Yay, Winter!

It is totally snowing here right now! I'm sure it won't really stick or amount to anything, but it's still pretty. It's making my car look less ghetto. ;)

Watch out, y'all, she'll chew you up

Since I came dangerously close to talking about politics yesterday, I am now going to bring this blog back to the usual superficial level. I don't know if you watch America's Next Top Model, but in any given week, there is a ninety percent chance that there will be a marathon of it on MTV or VH1. The other day, during a marathon of Cycle 5, in which the judges repeatedly discuss their lack of comprehension of Danielle's speech, I wondered what their problem was. Then I realized that I could understand her clearly only because I, too, am from the south. Although, when I had car trouble this summer and had to call the Alabama Highway Patrol, I actually could not understand the guy who answered the phone. I only caught about four words. It was bad, y'all. ;)

Can I express how thrilled I am that McCain came out on top in New Hampshire yesterday? He and Romney thrashing Huckabee=awesome. And Hillary's surprise win means things are going to be even more interesting than we thought. Here's the thing about my political leanings-not that many people even know what they are. As Shannon told me yesterday, I don't make a lot of declarative statements. I don't like to upset people and people always get all worked up when you don't agree with their political beliefs. But I did go off the other day about voting in general. If you don't vote, you suck. Anyway, I think I'm going to start actually disagreeing with people when I disagree with them, consequences be damned.

Also, I was looking at the classifieds yesterday and there was an ad for a Speed Language Pathologist. Our paper is about as absurd as our local television.

I'm still here...

Despite what this may look like, I am not turning into Mark with regards to blogging. I've just been really busy at work and whatnot. So Christmas was fine, New Year's was fun. I learned that I can do things to hair, just not my own. I even learned to use hot rollers and a flat iron. I know, I used to fix my hair every day, but I did it with a curling iron. So now I know more. But I still can't do anything with mine. I'm thinking about cutting it off again. It's driving me crazy. And all the people I know with short hair look so adorable. So I could cut it and then it wouldn't take as long to dry, but I would have to fix it every day. I'm weighing my options.

Anyway, last week was very exciting, what with the caucuses and all. Super Tuesday is less than a month away. And while we watched the returns, Chuck Norris was very amusing to watch bobbling around behind Huckabee while grinning like an idiot(Chuck Norris being the one who was grinning like an idiot. I think it goes without saying that Huckabee always grins like an idiot. Oops, I just said it.). But we are not going to talk about my political views because then people get all upset. And of course, Stewart and Colbert returned to late night last night, so that was interesting. I was wondering how they were going to pull it off since they are both WGA members and so cannot write even for themselves, but it wasn't bad. It wasn't the same, but since it's an election year, having them back in any form is better than nothing. I like politics, but I also like watching the professionals make fun of politics. Although, since they didn't want to be there, it wasn't the same for more reasons than just the lack of writers. And I'm trying to understand where the line is between preparation and actual writing because some of the bits had obviously been set up ahead of time. If you know, please explain it to me.

Shannon and I never got our washer fixed, so all through the holidays I took my dirty laundry with me wherever I went. Which, since it was me and all, no one even seemed to think was strange. But last night her aunt brought us a new used one that works, so that was really cool. And I received two bills from Atmos for the apartment I haven't lived in in more than two months. So I called and apparently the just turned off the gas over there in my name in December. But they aren't charging me for anything because they went back and listened to the recording they made of my call and I did request that they turn it off back in October. The agent just failed to do so. So I get credit back from Atmos for the credit I already had with them that they had been using to pay that bill and we still got a month and a half of free gas from them since they set up the meter wrong at the new place. Bonus!

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.