Well, everyone...the day has come. No, not election day, but the Diva's birthday!! Our lovely friend/roommate/sister/daughter/African Queen is turning 24 today. So quit working, and leave her a birthday message!! Happy Birthday, Amanda Jane!!
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
Monday, November 01, 2004
Come on Ride the Train...
"The Soul Train"
This weekend was one of the best I have had in a long time. We had our singles retreat down in Alabama, about 2 hours away. I saw my first real-live cotton field, came face to face with a bull (there was a fence between us- I learned my lesson with the baboon- one can never be too careful!), and was tempted by the Chu-Chu’s Buffet in Athens, AL (not really). We passed this fine establishment on our way down, which served American, Chinese, and Mexican cuisine. Um yeah, I’ll have a taco with some chow-mein and a side of fries please. As Lou-Ann from the hit movie SHAG would say, Ga-ROSE!!!
As luck would have it, Chu-Chu’s seemed to be the recurrent theme of the weekend, only a different kind of Choo-Choo. That’s right people, one of my random, spur-of-the-moment ideas actually paid off! Rhonda Lu, Emmy Sue, and myself won the prize for best group costume at the retreat with our train costume. The chuga-chugas and the train whistle is what set us over the edge I think. It was great. And then when we were announced as winners, our favorite master-of-the-music JillyMae hooked us up with some old-school Quad City DJ’s so we could Come And Ride The Train.
Once we arrived in one piece Friday night (only Emily and Ginger can appreciate the validity of that statement), a bunch of the girls piled into one of the cabins to watch SHAG where we cracked up at my boyfriend in the straw hat, and realized that Buzz has a striking resemblance to Vanilla Ice (Ha. Lar-ious). Something else funny worth mentioning was that a picture of my mom and I when I was little was up in all of the cabins. This was of course back in the day when we were both American Indians, and before I started using SPF 30 every day and dying my hair blonde.
Aaron Loy did a wonderful job leading worship this weekend (notice I said wonderful, Emily) (I decided yesterday that wonderful is an adjective that gets often neglected so I’m making an effort to use it). Aaron Bryant told hilarious stories, and then introduced related scripture passages and broke them down into very simple, yet poignant thoughts about God and our relationship with Him. All of the verses we looked at this weekend were already familiar to me (you can never go wrong with Romans) but Aaron was able to communicate them in a fresh new way that I appreciated hearing.
Girls, what am I forgetting to blog about? There were so many fun, funny, and memorable moments that I can’t seem to get them all down. At any rate, I stopped traffic in the cabin when Vann asked me about who I voted for, Emily gained the respect of everyone with her booty-liscious dance moves, and Rhonda and the rest of the SALT team did a great job with everything being so well-planned and organized. The most fun of course was getting to hang out with my 2 roommates whom I never see (hall meetings don't really count!). Oh yes, the Twix are ours!
Friday, October 29, 2004
Guest Appearances
Hi everyone! Today at the office, we have a sumo wrestler, a disco diva, the scarecrow, a tourist, a pimp, Snoop Dogg, a cowgirl (yours truly), and a chef (oh wait....that's not a costume).
Yep, it's Halloween costume day at work! My manager was supposed to be a fellow cowgirl but she stood me up!!! One of our company values is "Yeehaw!" (long story) so I told our executive team that I was dress up as the Yeehaw Value for Halloween, hehe. Brownie points much?
My friend Rick's sumo wrestler costume actually has a fan running inside of it to keep him "inflated." Betsy is the scarecrow and she has gone ALL OUT, it's so cute! Tonight is our office Halloween party for families (and non-families) but I am missing it because I am going on the church retreat - but hey that's okay! Christmas parties are just around the corner. ("...and you don't OWN the phrase 'Around the Corner'!" movie quote trivia.)
The smell of permanent marker is moving through the office thanks to my efforts to "make" my OTHER Halloween costume. Nope, I can't tell you what it is. You never know who might be reading this and then it would ruin the suspense. And I hate it when people ruin the suspense. I will just say that we're "on the track" to winning the costume contest....MWAH HA HA HA HA!
But yeah this stench is really getting to me. You know there's people out there who like that smell to but they mus' be crazy. I do like the smell of gas, and paint, and matches just after you blow them out. I don't like fresh cut grass, coffee, or white-out. or Sharpies. (not to be confused with Shar-pei's)
What are some funky things that you people like the smell of? or hate the smell of?
Yep, it's Halloween costume day at work! My manager was supposed to be a fellow cowgirl but she stood me up!!! One of our company values is "Yeehaw!" (long story) so I told our executive team that I was dress up as the Yeehaw Value for Halloween, hehe. Brownie points much?
My friend Rick's sumo wrestler costume actually has a fan running inside of it to keep him "inflated." Betsy is the scarecrow and she has gone ALL OUT, it's so cute! Tonight is our office Halloween party for families (and non-families) but I am missing it because I am going on the church retreat - but hey that's okay! Christmas parties are just around the corner. ("...and you don't OWN the phrase 'Around the Corner'!" movie quote trivia.)
The smell of permanent marker is moving through the office thanks to my efforts to "make" my OTHER Halloween costume. Nope, I can't tell you what it is. You never know who might be reading this and then it would ruin the suspense. And I hate it when people ruin the suspense. I will just say that we're "on the track" to winning the costume contest....MWAH HA HA HA HA!
But yeah this stench is really getting to me. You know there's people out there who like that smell to but they mus' be crazy. I do like the smell of gas, and paint, and matches just after you blow them out. I don't like fresh cut grass, coffee, or white-out. or Sharpies. (not to be confused with Shar-pei's)
What are some funky things that you people like the smell of? or hate the smell of?
Thursday, October 28, 2004
I heart I Heart Huckabees
This movie is a must see if you like off-the-wall, quirky movies. The acting is superb and the characters are perfect in their roles, which is why I found it laugh-out-loud funny. That, and I am able to laugh at the ridiculous existential philosophies that they try to adhere to in this movie. I can appreciate the humor in this, knowing that my faith in God spares me from ever having to go through what the characters do in this film. If I have any takers, I'll go see it again. And just to whet your appetite, here are a few quotes I found that might spark your interest.
Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman): Nobody sits like this rock sits. You rock rock. The rock just sits and is. You show us how to just sit here and that's what we need.
Dawn Campbell (Namoi Watts): I'm in my tree, I'm talking to the Dixie Chicks and they're making me feel better.
Albert: We're not in infinity we're in the suburbs
Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlburg): We'd all be heroes if we stopped using petroleum
Dawn: You can't deal with my infinite nature can you?
Brad Stand (Jude Law): That is so not true. Wait. What does that even mean?
Albert: I torched your jet skis
Brad: And my house???
Albert: No, just the jet skis. It spread to the garage... and then to the house.
Tommy: What are you doing tomorrow?
Albert: I was thinking of chaining myself to a bulldozer. Wanna come?
Tommy: What time?
Albert: 1, 1:30
Tommy: Should I bring my own chains?
Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman): Nobody sits like this rock sits. You rock rock. The rock just sits and is. You show us how to just sit here and that's what we need.
Dawn Campbell (Namoi Watts): I'm in my tree, I'm talking to the Dixie Chicks and they're making me feel better.
Albert: We're not in infinity we're in the suburbs
Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlburg): We'd all be heroes if we stopped using petroleum
Dawn: You can't deal with my infinite nature can you?
Brad Stand (Jude Law): That is so not true. Wait. What does that even mean?
Albert: I torched your jet skis
Brad: And my house???
Albert: No, just the jet skis. It spread to the garage... and then to the house.
Tommy: What are you doing tomorrow?
Albert: I was thinking of chaining myself to a bulldozer. Wanna come?
Tommy: What time?
Albert: 1, 1:30
Tommy: Should I bring my own chains?
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Time to get Political...
Disclaimer: this entry strays far from the cheerful randomness you normally look forward to reading
I may be preaching to the choir here, but this is just a friendly reminder to go out and vote. This election will go down as one of the most heated political races in our nation's history, and the next president will have a tremendous impact on how our country's future will be shaped. How cool will it be to look back and say that we voted in this election?
But time to get un-pc, because this is my blog. I voted for John Kerry on Monday. Not because I especially love Kerry, but moreso because I don't like Bush. Many people down here in the Bible belt are aghast when I say that. Bush is a Christian they say! And yes, while no one can know just how much he's actually living this statement out, and how much of it is just political acting, I do appreciate and admire the fact that Bush has brought spirituality into the forefront of politics again, where it should be. So if Kerry, the non-Christian, as some may see him, is elected, does that mean God lost or made a mistake? Of course not. God ordains every leader in our country, and it is far beyond our comprehension to understand the Big Picture of God's plans.
We cannot know a candidate's heart. We cannot see inside his head and know if he is lying or not. But we can look at the facts we are presented with.
To me, I see jobs going overseas, I see men and women being killed for a cause that hardly any Americans understand,much less agree with, and I see the world exposing us for the wealthy terrorists that we are, disguised in sheep's clothes. I will admit that I am not the most informed of voters, but I can look our nation and our world and see the state it is in today compared to 4 years ago and see that there is a Big Problem. And not everything has to do with September 11th.
I also realize that what I say here is not going to change the way most of you are going to vote, but I just thought you'd like to know where I'm coming from.
I may be preaching to the choir here, but this is just a friendly reminder to go out and vote. This election will go down as one of the most heated political races in our nation's history, and the next president will have a tremendous impact on how our country's future will be shaped. How cool will it be to look back and say that we voted in this election?
But time to get un-pc, because this is my blog. I voted for John Kerry on Monday. Not because I especially love Kerry, but moreso because I don't like Bush. Many people down here in the Bible belt are aghast when I say that. Bush is a Christian they say! And yes, while no one can know just how much he's actually living this statement out, and how much of it is just political acting, I do appreciate and admire the fact that Bush has brought spirituality into the forefront of politics again, where it should be. So if Kerry, the non-Christian, as some may see him, is elected, does that mean God lost or made a mistake? Of course not. God ordains every leader in our country, and it is far beyond our comprehension to understand the Big Picture of God's plans.
We cannot know a candidate's heart. We cannot see inside his head and know if he is lying or not. But we can look at the facts we are presented with.
To me, I see jobs going overseas, I see men and women being killed for a cause that hardly any Americans understand,much less agree with, and I see the world exposing us for the wealthy terrorists that we are, disguised in sheep's clothes. I will admit that I am not the most informed of voters, but I can look our nation and our world and see the state it is in today compared to 4 years ago and see that there is a Big Problem. And not everything has to do with September 11th.
I also realize that what I say here is not going to change the way most of you are going to vote, but I just thought you'd like to know where I'm coming from.
Monday, October 25, 2004
things I have learned from baseball and other ramblings
Alright, so Beckett bit the big one this year, and with Pudge gone, the Marlins just couldn't pull a repeat, so now I along with most Americans are watching the Cardinals take on the Red Sox for the world series. 2 games into it, this is what I've learned.
1. Those are Socks on the field, people!
2. Johnny Damon would actually be an attractive guy if it weren't for the long hair.
3. Even a shoe can be a billboard for advertisment.
4. Jimmy Fallon is an idiot and needs to wear a coat when it's 40 degrees outside.
5. Everyone knows by now who your Daddy is, Pedro
Stay tuned for part 2 of the top 10 after a few more games. I'm sure I can come up with some better observations than those. Anything's more entertaining these days than watching the Titans play.
Onto to tirade number 2. Why is it that women crave chocolate? Why not celery or tofu or anything else healthy? I think it's a cruel joke or else punishment left over from the garden of Eden. Men will be forced to toil and women will go through painful childbirth, and oh yes, they will all crave chocolate on a regular basis. Thanks a lot Eve.
Usually I can resist these cravings, but today i gave in. I wanted chocolate. I needed chocolate. So I perused the office vending machine and decided upon a pecan fudge brownie. About 3/4 of the way through the brownie I made the mistake of looking at the Nutrition Information. Ha Ha What a joke! They should call it the Stuff-you-really-don't-want-to-look-at Information. 9 fat grams I read... ok, not horrible I tell myself. 27 carbs... wow, that's alot, but ok... and then the dreaded clincher... serving size: 1/2 brownie. Are you freaking kidding me?? I just consumed 18 fat grams for a mid-afternoon snack?? And let's not even count up the rest, ok? It was then and there that I decided that I'm only craving vegetables from now on. There's got to be some kind of hypnosis that you can undergo that erases the word chocolate or french fries from your brain. Until then, I finished the brownie, and boy was it good!
1. Those are Socks on the field, people!
2. Johnny Damon would actually be an attractive guy if it weren't for the long hair.
3. Even a shoe can be a billboard for advertisment.
4. Jimmy Fallon is an idiot and needs to wear a coat when it's 40 degrees outside.
5. Everyone knows by now who your Daddy is, Pedro
Stay tuned for part 2 of the top 10 after a few more games. I'm sure I can come up with some better observations than those. Anything's more entertaining these days than watching the Titans play.
Onto to tirade number 2. Why is it that women crave chocolate? Why not celery or tofu or anything else healthy? I think it's a cruel joke or else punishment left over from the garden of Eden. Men will be forced to toil and women will go through painful childbirth, and oh yes, they will all crave chocolate on a regular basis. Thanks a lot Eve.
Usually I can resist these cravings, but today i gave in. I wanted chocolate. I needed chocolate. So I perused the office vending machine and decided upon a pecan fudge brownie. About 3/4 of the way through the brownie I made the mistake of looking at the Nutrition Information. Ha Ha What a joke! They should call it the Stuff-you-really-don't-want-to-look-at Information. 9 fat grams I read... ok, not horrible I tell myself. 27 carbs... wow, that's alot, but ok... and then the dreaded clincher... serving size: 1/2 brownie. Are you freaking kidding me?? I just consumed 18 fat grams for a mid-afternoon snack?? And let's not even count up the rest, ok? It was then and there that I decided that I'm only craving vegetables from now on. There's got to be some kind of hypnosis that you can undergo that erases the word chocolate or french fries from your brain. Until then, I finished the brownie, and boy was it good!
Friday, October 22, 2004
Where have all the bloggers gone?
What ever happened to Paula Cole? That woman had a talent for putting out whiney, annoying songs. First it was Where have all the Cowboys Gone? And then it was the infamous Dawson's Creek theme song, I Don't Wanna Wait. Dawson, I love you. I loved your show. Any weekday that I'm not working, you can be sure that at 9 and 10am I'll be tuning in to TBS and watching the reruns, but you can also be sure I'm muting the tv during that blasted theme song.
But really, Where have all the bloggers gone? (They know who they are.) I give them the keys to my little world, and I come back in town, and this is how they repay me? Come on girls, I know you have interesting observations about the world to make. And I know it's not because they are so swamped at work because we have had sogweaw emails flying all morning. (If any bosses are reading this, of course it's not YOUR employee sending the plethora of emails... it's just all those Other people out there.) But seriously, any time you feel the need to blog, you just go right on ahead.... any time now... Buehler?...
And Finally, can I just say how thrilled to bits I am, that fellow BHS alum Jenni, SA buddy Roger, Hong Kong-transplanted Michelle, and Massage therapist extrordinaire JillyMae, have recently joined the blogging world? This makes 6 total blogs that have come about in part due to the Fabulous Divadomain. With all this influence I have over others, I think I should run for president! George W, here I come!
But really, Where have all the bloggers gone? (They know who they are.) I give them the keys to my little world, and I come back in town, and this is how they repay me? Come on girls, I know you have interesting observations about the world to make. And I know it's not because they are so swamped at work because we have had sogweaw emails flying all morning. (If any bosses are reading this, of course it's not YOUR employee sending the plethora of emails... it's just all those Other people out there.) But seriously, any time you feel the need to blog, you just go right on ahead.... any time now... Buehler?...
And Finally, can I just say how thrilled to bits I am, that fellow BHS alum Jenni, SA buddy Roger, Hong Kong-transplanted Michelle, and Massage therapist extrordinaire JillyMae, have recently joined the blogging world? This makes 6 total blogs that have come about in part due to the Fabulous Divadomain. With all this influence I have over others, I think I should run for president! George W, here I come!
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Thermostat Wars
Ok, time to vent for a sec.
You have all heard about my sweet coworker who refuses to say Bless You when someone (namely Me) sneezes. Well now it's time to let you in on the hilarity of our silent battle over the temperature of the room in which we work.
For starters, I am extremely cold natured. (Anyone in South Africa with me can vouch that I whined about being cold the entire 2 weeks) Mostly it's not the actual temperature of a room that makes me miserable, so much as it is the cold air blowing directly on me for an extended amount of time. I want the AC to come on, do its thing, and shut off (and all this should happen in 5 minutes or less). Unfortunately, the AC in this building it seems likes to run for an hour or more at a time. So I sucked it up and brought a space heater to put under my desk, which has helped tremendously. Some days I have it on all day, and others I don't even turn it on. When I leave for lunch, I turn it off. This brings me to Dena.
Dena is extremely hot-natured. When we first started working in this office together, we compromised on the thermostat and set it on 73 degrees, and I agree this was more a compromise on her part than it was on mine. Now we don't have a thermostat in our office anymore, so we can't regulate the temperature like we used to. And Dena retaliated by bringing her own little fan from home to sit on her desk.
So it's not unusual for the AC to be on, my heater going under my desk, and her fan blowing on top of her desk. It's like a mental battle of wits, because I know our heater and fan are canceling each other out, keeping the room at the exact same temperature it was before we turned on the devices.
Well now after returning from South Africa I find out today that she has brought a thermometer from home, to regulate the temperature in here, I kid you not. If it gets over 72 degrees- that is her maximum threshold for comfort I believe- then she will ask me to turn my heater off. She hasn't done it yet, since I just noticed the thermometer today, but she did make mention of, she's fine until it gets over 72 degrees. But the Temperature Police herself leaves her fan on all the time for one, and second leaves it on when she goes to lunch, and third leaves it on in the afternoon when she leaves work only because she is too scatterbrained to remember to turn it off! So what does Amanda do? She writes a cute post-it-note to Dena from the Fan and puts in on the base of the fan that says Dear Dena, please do not forget to turn me off when you leave in the afternoon. I get tired from running all night. Love, your Fan And what does she do the next morning? She laughs and takes the post-it-note off and throws it away. Sure enough that very afternoon, Dena forgets and leaves the fan on! Argh!
I laugh about the whole thing, because in retrospect it's not even that big of deal, but her bringing the thermometer, I just Had to laugh about and share with you.
I hope this blog finds you warm and toasty or cool and comfortable wherever you are, depending on your personal temperature preference.
You have all heard about my sweet coworker who refuses to say Bless You when someone (namely Me) sneezes. Well now it's time to let you in on the hilarity of our silent battle over the temperature of the room in which we work.
For starters, I am extremely cold natured. (Anyone in South Africa with me can vouch that I whined about being cold the entire 2 weeks) Mostly it's not the actual temperature of a room that makes me miserable, so much as it is the cold air blowing directly on me for an extended amount of time. I want the AC to come on, do its thing, and shut off (and all this should happen in 5 minutes or less). Unfortunately, the AC in this building it seems likes to run for an hour or more at a time. So I sucked it up and brought a space heater to put under my desk, which has helped tremendously. Some days I have it on all day, and others I don't even turn it on. When I leave for lunch, I turn it off. This brings me to Dena.
Dena is extremely hot-natured. When we first started working in this office together, we compromised on the thermostat and set it on 73 degrees, and I agree this was more a compromise on her part than it was on mine. Now we don't have a thermostat in our office anymore, so we can't regulate the temperature like we used to. And Dena retaliated by bringing her own little fan from home to sit on her desk.
So it's not unusual for the AC to be on, my heater going under my desk, and her fan blowing on top of her desk. It's like a mental battle of wits, because I know our heater and fan are canceling each other out, keeping the room at the exact same temperature it was before we turned on the devices.
Well now after returning from South Africa I find out today that she has brought a thermometer from home, to regulate the temperature in here, I kid you not. If it gets over 72 degrees- that is her maximum threshold for comfort I believe- then she will ask me to turn my heater off. She hasn't done it yet, since I just noticed the thermometer today, but she did make mention of, she's fine until it gets over 72 degrees. But the Temperature Police herself leaves her fan on all the time for one, and second leaves it on when she goes to lunch, and third leaves it on in the afternoon when she leaves work only because she is too scatterbrained to remember to turn it off! So what does Amanda do? She writes a cute post-it-note to Dena from the Fan and puts in on the base of the fan that says Dear Dena, please do not forget to turn me off when you leave in the afternoon. I get tired from running all night. Love, your Fan And what does she do the next morning? She laughs and takes the post-it-note off and throws it away. Sure enough that very afternoon, Dena forgets and leaves the fan on! Argh!
I laugh about the whole thing, because in retrospect it's not even that big of deal, but her bringing the thermometer, I just Had to laugh about and share with you.
I hope this blog finds you warm and toasty or cool and comfortable wherever you are, depending on your personal temperature preference.
Monday, October 18, 2004
stop blog & roll
Hooray! The Penthouse Pets are finally under one roof again (I got back last week, but then Em was gone for the w/e). So the three of us celebrated last night by piling onto Emmy Sue's bed (for a bed party of course) and watched Rhonda Lu's favorite movie, 8 Seconds. Rhonda is a country girl at heart so I can see that the bull riding, cowboy hats, country music, and terrible southern accents (did I mention they were terrible?) would be right up her alley. Em & I amused ourselves by trying to figure out if Luke Perry was left-handed or not, judging by his reflection in the mirror in one scene of the movie. We even went so far as to act it out (No Amanda, you're the reflection, so that would be his left hand) until Rhonda scolded us and ordered us to pay attention. The best parts of the movie were when Luke Perry had his shirt off and wasn't talking (remember those horrible accents I talked about?), and I'm ashamed to admit that I did cry at the end (although I tear up at previews these days it seems). I think we all 3 shed a few tears though, esp. during the live footage in the credits of the real Layne Frost .
But back to reality. After agreeing that it was a little chilly in the apt. I jumped up to turn on our heat (for the first time) and then flipped on the living room tv to check up on the Red Sox- Yankees game while Rhonda and Em were still bawling their eyes out in Em's room (that may be a slight exageration, but seeing as how I'm telling the story, and I wasn't in Em's room at this point to fill in the blanks, that's how my version goes). All of a sudden our smoke alarm starts going off. I prob. jumped 10 feet in the air and then started pacing around the room completely panicked. I start to go over to the front door to feel it and see if it's hot, but then the other 2 roomies ran into the living room at this time and we're all shouting at the top of our lungs:
Me: Is that the fire alarm??
Rhonda: I smell smoke!
Emily: I think it's just the heater!
So here we are, the 3 of us freaking out, and I'm thinking, this is not happening- our apartment building has caught on fire- what do I grab to take with me? But by this time Em, the level headed one of the bunch is fanning the smoke alarm and calming us down. She said the maintenence people said that this might happen first time we turn our heat on.
"Oh." was Rhonda's and my response.
At this point the alarms have stopped going off, so the situation becomes funny as we realize how we've just freaked out over nothing. Emily re-enacts her stop drop and roll action down the hallway, and we're laughing so hard that we're near tears again.
On a happy, non-funny note, but exciting just the same, the Red Sox went on to beat the Yankees last night in 12 innings and 5+ hours. crazy.
But back to reality. After agreeing that it was a little chilly in the apt. I jumped up to turn on our heat (for the first time) and then flipped on the living room tv to check up on the Red Sox- Yankees game while Rhonda and Em were still bawling their eyes out in Em's room (that may be a slight exageration, but seeing as how I'm telling the story, and I wasn't in Em's room at this point to fill in the blanks, that's how my version goes). All of a sudden our smoke alarm starts going off. I prob. jumped 10 feet in the air and then started pacing around the room completely panicked. I start to go over to the front door to feel it and see if it's hot, but then the other 2 roomies ran into the living room at this time and we're all shouting at the top of our lungs:
Me: Is that the fire alarm??
Rhonda: I smell smoke!
Emily: I think it's just the heater!
So here we are, the 3 of us freaking out, and I'm thinking, this is not happening- our apartment building has caught on fire- what do I grab to take with me? But by this time Em, the level headed one of the bunch is fanning the smoke alarm and calming us down. She said the maintenence people said that this might happen first time we turn our heat on.
"Oh." was Rhonda's and my response.
At this point the alarms have stopped going off, so the situation becomes funny as we realize how we've just freaked out over nothing. Emily re-enacts her stop drop and roll action down the hallway, and we're laughing so hard that we're near tears again.
On a happy, non-funny note, but exciting just the same, the Red Sox went on to beat the Yankees last night in 12 innings and 5+ hours. crazy.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
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