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.