Merry Christmas, Darling

To you and yours, and all who celebrate it, Merry Christmas. For anyone else out there, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Boxing Day, Happy End-of-December.

All will be merry and bright—

I post this each year (which I would link to if Mr. Hijacker didn’t interfere), but it’s my favorite thing ever written in this silly little world. Here I post my favorite parts of the famous editorial.



September 21, 1897:

Dear Editor: I am 8 years old.
Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
Papa says, 'If you see it in the sun it's so.'
Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?
--Virginia O'Hanlon



Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except what they see. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside. But there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest man that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, and romance can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God he lives, and lives forever.

A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

-- Francis Church

Fiddlesticks

I had a really horrible dream last night. I dreamt that it was the day of my surgery, and I kept accidentally eating stuff, like a piece of toast or a sucker, and then freaking out because I’m not supposed to eat anything after midnight the night before the surgery.

So that was annoying in itself, but then I go in to have the surgery, and the receptionist is like, “Yeah, sorry—we’re not going to be able to do that today. You’ll have to reschedule for sometime in April.”

Needless to say, I was PO’d and started shouting obscenities. I guess I’m a total potty mouth in my dreams. So I ask the lady why we can’t do it and she’s like, “I don’t know, your doctor just didn’t want to.”

So I go hunting around the hospital and find him in a room making balloon animals for a bunch of kids. So I ask him what the deal is, and A) Why we’re not doing the surgery, and B) Why he didn’t call and tell me yesterday. And he says he just didn’t feel like it, so I go off again and say I’m going to find a new doctor. Then he says I can’t, or I’ll have to pay for it all myself.

OK, it may not sound like much, but it was really annoying. I mean, I’m not exactly looking forward to the surgery, but I’m so sick of snot, sinus headaches, coughing, and swollen eyelids in the morning (goddamn ethmoid sinuses) that I am ready to do ANYTHING to make it all go away.

Hrmph.

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In other news, I’m still really really bored at work. So what does Jennifer do when she’s bored? She plays with Microsoft Paint!

I should do this for a living.

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In other other news, I’m looking forward to Christmas—it’s my favorite time of year. I’ve had my radio tuned to the Christmas station since the day after Thanksgiving. I just love it because it’s a time when I get to spend time with my family (which sounds corny, but it’s true). I don’t get to see my grandpa, aunt & uncle, or cousins very often, so it’s always fun to get together on Christmas Eve to have general merriment! :) Not to mention I love watching my little brother and sister on Christmas morning—so much fun!

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I am painfully bored here at work, so here’s a painfully boring survey that I filled out. If you are equally bored, please fill it out for yourself…it will give me something to read!!

1. Hi my name is...Jennifer

2. Never in my life have I...Done drugs

3. The one person who can drive me nuts...One person? Um, there's several.

4. Favorite Teacher?Of all time? That's tough... Byron Steiger (aka Mr. Burns)

5. When I'm nervous...I bite my nails

6. The last time I cried was...Yesterday I laughed so hard that I cried!

7. If I were to get married right now my maid of honor/best man...Crappety crap. Can't they just all be my MOH?

8. My hair is...Getting long!

9. When I was 5...My grandma died

10. Last Christmas...I didn't put any presents on a credit card.

11. I should be...Working...but I have nothing to do.

12. When I look down I see...My keyboard...exciting stuff going on over here.

13. The craziest recent event was...Inexplicably finding a dead rat in my toilet.

14. If I were a character on 'Friends' I'd be...Monica

15. By this time next year...I will be able to breathe freely!

16. My current gripe...That I might be stuck with a famously psychotic professor next term.

17. I have a hard time understanding...Why Oregonians can't drive in the rain. I mean, we're Oregonians! Helllooooo!!

18. There's this girl I know who...Is going to be a fantastic teacher.

19. You know what the weather is going to be by... Remembering where I live. RAIN!

20. If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be...Probably my dad.

21. Take my advice...Don't go out walking when zombies are on the loose.

22. My ideal breakfast...French toast...alas I rarely have it.

23. If you visited the place I was born...You would be unimpressed.

24. I plan to visit someone...In Alaska in June!!

25. If you spent the night at my house....I'd have a fabulous air bed for you.

26. I'd stop my wedding if...My fiance cheated.

27. The world could do without...Unnecessary war.

28. I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than...Hold a spider.

29. Most recent thing that I have bought?I can't tell you, it's a Christmas present.

30. Most recent thing someone else bought for me...My friend got me a coffee mug in St. Louis.

31. My favorite blonde is...My little bro and sis.

32. My favorite brunette is...Me. I'm fantastic.

33. My favorite bald guy is...Um...Mr. Clean.

34. My middle name is...Lynn

35. This morning I...Begrudgingly woke up.

36. The animals I would like to see flying besides birds are...Giraffes. I mean, wouldn't that be funny?

37. Once, at a bar...I dealt with friends' bizarre escapades. Oh wait, that's more than once.

38. Last night I was...Watching "Bones." Booth is hot.

39. There's this girl I know that....Is getting married in July!

40: I don't know...The square root of 784,525,455.568

41. A better name for me would be...Jennifer, Princess of North Portland

42. If I ever go back to school I'll say..I'm in school.

43. my birthday is....October 19th

44. What I really want for Valentine's Day is…Flowers. I haven’t gotten flowers in a long time.
45. I'm wearing...My comfy purple sweater

46. Tomorrow I am...Going to my best friend’s for our annual dinner/gift exchange!

47. The last thing I ate was...A Clementine orange

48. I really want to learn...Everything.

Thank you, thank you...

Jenniper: Time’s Person of the Year.

That has a lovely ring to it, doesn’t it? I would just like to thank the academy for this honor. This will look excellent on my resume.

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It is frosty this morning! Brrrrrrr!! I had to scrape off some major ice on my car this morning. And I have yet to take off my scarf. I tried to, but this horribly frigid ice blast hit my neck and I couldn’t do it.

A couple of my friends had a Christmas party on Saturday, and it was oh-so fun. Good food, good company, just good all around. It was my old coworker and her girlfriend, who just happens to be a chef. So needless to say, the hors d'oeuvres were fabulous. They also set up a primo bar with do-it-yourself mixers and such. It was an excellent idea.

The best part, though, is that every year they pick a charity or an organization and make that the “theme” of the party. Last year they chose the dog shelter where they adopted their pup, and instead of everyone bringing a hostess gift, they bring something for the shelter (like dog food, toys, etc.). This year, they chose p:ear, an organization that helps homeless & transitional youth. One way they do that is through art—so this year, we all brought art supplies for p:ear.

Full of warm fuzzies, no?

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Is it Friday yet? Next week I'm on vacation!!

We're goin to the zoo, zoo, zoo

How about you, you, you?

You can come too, too, too,

We're goin to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

We began our adventure along the corridor of light--all was peaceful in the rain.

We soon came upon what appeared to be a wildlife colony, with a lovely blue stream flowing through it.

Upon closer look, we saw monstrous beasts crawling toward us! His jaws were chomping, but alas he could not reach us.

He soon turned his attention to a lovely elephant and her child. We were afraid the beast would try and attack them, but mom sprayed him with water!

Then the King of the Zoo arrived to save the day, and insisted that the beast control himself...after all, this is a family establishment.

I suspect this brave soul may be a relative of our dear Monkey.

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So that was some windstorm last night, huh?? I haven't had a good one like that in years, so it was lovely. Miraculously, I only lost electricity for about a minute and half. But I had a lovely evening anyway listening to the wind howl.

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And if I saw a deer with seven legs and both reproductive organs, I sure's hell wouldn't eat the damn thing.

Flakey

Boredom has overcome me. This is a major downside to working in an academic library—when the students aren’t in session, they run screaming from the library.

I have nothing to do, nothing to do, nothing to do. (Yes, you can probably expect mindless drivel like this all week).

But my coworker did email me this website, and I have been making e-snowflakes all afternoon. I also tried to make an “offensive snowflake” seeing as the website specifically says to keep them clean (What? I said I was bored). But even if you make them offensive as you cut, they don’t really turn out offensive—it’s just another design. But I challenge you to make a naughty one!



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OK, now let me preface this by saying, yes, I know I am being completely ridiculous and yes, I’m happy with my grades, I know they are excellent.

BUT the stupid plus/minus system screwed over my 4.0! Two damn A-’s and one A and I end up with a 3.78. This is annoying to me. An A is an A dammit! And why is there no such thing as an A+? My A would have been an A+ if they existed and then I wouldn’t be quite as annoyed.

Bah. Humbug.

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Also, I feel really bad for these guys, but seriously…what were they thinking?

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My friends and I went to the Zoo Lights last night (in the pouring rain I might add). I’ll try to add some pics of the adventure tonight! Some turned out not half-bad.





PS: I want this shirt.

There's the sugar!

OK, Beta seems to be behaving a little better. Maybe it was just the switch that made people anonymous, but those who were previously anonymous are no longer.

Happy Dance!



I have to admit, I had a fun time adding “Labels” to my posts (which didn’t take very long thanks to Mr. Hijacker). I had an even more fun time looking at what a write about the most.

At the moment I have 24 different labels—which seems like a lot, but hey, I talk a lot.

You’ll be surprised to know that post-hijacking, I’ve only talked about Shoes 3 times. That’s it! I’ve talked about Recycling Guy 4 times, so he trumps shoes.

I talk about Portland and Oregon a lot (10 total). Then I made a label entitled “Only Me” which refers to bizarre crap that happens to me (rats-in-toilets, parking tickets, etc.). Only Me appears 8 times.

The number one topic post-hijacking? Sinus Fiasco.

This makes me very sad. Sinus Fiasco owns 12 posts. *sigh*

So goal for 2007 (which, ladies and gentlemen, is only 19 days away) is to be able to stop talking about my Sinus Fiasco. Obviously, the month of January will still have some tidbits, but after that, no more sickness please! I had enough in ’06 to last me through the aughts. No more bronchitis/sinus infections/root canals/pink eye/flu/food poisoning/whatever. Done. Finito. Bring on the Vitamins!


In other news, I am finding it very difficult to resist buying all of the DVDs and CDs that just have to come out right before Christmas that I really want but cannot afford. Namely, The Devil Wears Prada, Little Miss Sunshine (Dec.19), Taylor Hicks’ Album, Pirates of the Caribbean, and I know there was something else, but I don’t remember what it was. Evil, evil I tell you! But I would guess that Santa is probably going to bring me some gift cards for Christmas, so I’ll put them to good use. ;)

In other other news, I just finished reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter, and it was excellent. Highly recommend.

@#$^& Blogger

OK, against my better judgement, I decided to move over to the new Beta Blogger. Every time I log in or try to post they shove in my face that I SHOULD MOVE TO NEW BETA BECAUSE I HAVE TO EVENTUALLY ANYWAY---AND RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.

Already I dislike it because suddenly Madge, Cristina, and Adam are all "anonymous" commenters on my previous post.

And Tristan's self-made link button is gone again.

And everyone's cute little icons are gone (and YES I made sure the setting was correct).

What up with that??

Is there any new business?

1. Good riddance to a violent dictator responsible for thousands of deaths and disappearances.



2. Two weeks left until Christmas. Yikes!

3. For my computer geek friends (you know who you are)--I need a suggestion for a FREE, RELIABLE internet browswer. I've had it with Internet Explorer at home. I downloaded the latest version and it's totally retarded. So can you recommend a browser that is easy to download and is SIMPLE to operate? Remember you're dealing with a simple-minded internet gal.



4. Macy's downtown store (formerly Meier and Frank) is closing for a year for renovations, which means all of the employees are being redistrubuted or given severence. My sister, of course, is a manager downtown, so she was vying for a management position at the HUGE Macy's at Southcenter Mall near Seattle. Well, she got it! So now she's moving up there, and starts the day after Christmas. Crazy, huh? So now I'll have to help her move (I hate moving, even if it's not me).

5. The Holiday is such a totally cute girly girly chick flick. Adorable. Ladies, go see it.

Is that mistletoe I see?

Just one more reason not to eat fast food, people.

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I am officially one term into my master’s program. Last night was my last night of class until January. And I would just like to throw myself a Badass Party because I plowed through it with almost no complaining (other than annoying group members), even though I have been working full time and dealing with my never-ending nasal ailment.

*applause*



“Thank you, thank you.”

I know I’m getting at least one A, and I’m pretty sure (fingers crossed) that I’ll have an A in my financial management class, but it depends on the final group paper & presentation we did last night. My weekend class that I could not stand—I have no idea. The whole grade is based on one paper which I turned in last week, so I have zero idea what kind of grade I’ll get in there. But as long as it’s passing, I don’t care! :)

So next term I am taking Human Resource Management in the Public Sector, Administrative Theory (I heart theory), and Advocacy Roles in Public Management. So it should be a good second term. But not until January, baby!

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I have a dilemma. A job opportunity crossed my path yesterday, and it’s pretty much a job I would kill for. It’s working on the staff of one of the Multnomah County Commissioners(!!!). But the timing is horrible, because the job would start in January, which is a bad month because not only am I having surgery but I’ll be starting my new term. I just don’t know what to do! I mean, the likelihood that I would actually get the job is pretty low, anyway, but it’s such an opportunity! It would almost give me an “in” for campaign management or running for public office. But the timing! Oh, woe is me. Condundrum!


Edit 12/7 3:15pm: I noticed in the job announcement that one of the application requirements is a copy of a press release I have written. Obviously, I have never written a press release (which I have no doubt I could do well). I called the woman in charge of hiring for the position, who was very nice, and said that it is a firm requirement, so I can't be considered without it. So there goes that. But she told me to keep an eye out for additional openings in a couple of months. He's a new commissioner, so he'll probably hire more staff as the year goes. I'll keep you posted. ;) But thanks for your positive remarks!!



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But I leave you with this—a hilarious cartoon from Baby Blues that had me laughing for at least five minutes:

Well, shoot.

I knew it was unlikely, but I was still hoping for the best.

Mother Nature may seem ruthless, but she doesn't know you're there.

Happiness and Cheer

So, a couple weeks ago I announced the date for my surgery. Well, Amy, the schedule lady, told me she’d call the following week to schedule my pre-op appointment.

Amy never called.

So this morning I went online to check the time of an appointment I have tomorrow, and lo and behold, there is suddenly a pre-op appointment set for me on the 29th.

Yes, that works for me, yes, I knew I would need a pre-op about a week before the surgery, but how is it that they made an appointment without calling me? And if I hadn’t just happened to look on the website, would I have ever known? I mean come on. And then I called them today, left a message, and have not heard a peep back.

Do I really want these people rooting around my head?

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

On a much much lighter note, Portland is such a lovely city during Christmastime. I keep meaning to bring my camera along on my excursions to get real-life pictures, but of course I keep forgetting. That will be my mission for the next week.

This is my must-do Christmas list for my city—

Peacock Lane



Where else can you see an entire street of homes you can’t afford lit to the nines with Christmas lights? I used to go as a child with my grandmother, and then my family after she died, so naturally, the tradition lives on. Park at the Walgreens, go buy some snacks (be sure to get cash back to give a “donation” to the guy handing out hot chocolate), and wander down the street. If you can afford to do the horse & carriage ride, go for it, but no driving. That’s cheating.

Portland International Raceway



Yes, it’s overpriced, yes, it’s silly. But they’re just so pretty. And what other time can you drive 10mph on a race track?

Oregon Zoo Lights



Monkeys swinging from tree to tree, hippos squirting out water as you ride on the train. Dozens of school choirs singing carols. It’s the only way to see the zoo.

The Pittock Mansion



Antique toys strewn about a lovely decorated 23-room mansion. Fantastic panoramic views of my city. Need I say more?

The Christmas Ship Parade



Grab some hot chocolate, put on your layers, and welcome me on my bridge as we watch dozens of ships float by, beautifully decorated and lit up for the holidays! What other city would have something so fabulous?

Pioneer Courthouse Square



Stand in the square, marvel at the lovely Christmas Tree (which they have made PC and now call the “Holiday Tree” but whatev). From there, wander down Broadway to see the rest of the lights around town.

Festival of Lights at the Grotto



No, I’m not Catholic, but there’s something so peaceful about the Grotto at Christmastime. It’s something my grandmother loved almost as much as Peacock Lane.

The Nutcracker



Yes, perhaps the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies will get stuck in your head for days, but it’s not-to-be-missed. If for no other reason than to see all the cute little ballerinas dancing about!



The Meier and Frank store windows used to be on my list, but alas…Macy’s has taken over and replaced the 12 Days of Christmas windows. They’re cute and all with the Santas in the windows, but it’s just not the same, you know?

Hey Recycling Guy!

Quiz brought to you by Adam's Blog.

Bad news, girls.

Chivalry is dead.

Or at least suffering from sort of debilitating virus. It’s quite tragic, really.

A few days ago I was downtown after the Macy’s Holiday Parade (nothing like New York’s of course). My little brother and sister were in it, so I had to drag my butt out of bed to go watch it, of course.

So I part ways with my parents and decide to head home, and as I pull out of the parking garage, I feel a funny dragging with my car.




Sonufa…

Flat tire. Flat flat flat. I must have run over something in the garage.

So I pull over to the side, and flip on my emergency flashers. I get out my spare, my jack, and my lugnut wrench to get to work.

Just my luck, I can’t get my jack up. My guess is that it’s just tight from not being used for so long. I mean, I haven’t used it since I got the car almost two years ago. So the punk was too tight for me to loosen.

So I call the fam to see if they’re still downtown so I can enlist the help of my step-dad. They are, but they had just ordered lunch so they’d have to eat it real quick and then come down.

So I waited there on the corner of Broadway and Washington waiting…and waiting. For 30 minutes.

Many a strapping young lad & capable looking men (and women) walked by…and not one damn person said a word to me. I mean come on, is this not a damsel in distress moment? I was sure to look distraught in need of assistance, and still nothing. Nada. Zilch.

I mean, there were four guys having coffee directly across the street from me at Seattle’s Best. Could they not spare a few minutes and help me get my jack loose? (K, that sounded kind of risqué).

But seriously?

Must I do something drastic like this?





Puleeeze.

So guys, if you see a damsel in distress, help her out, will you?

Sing a song of sixpence

Alright, people. We finally have a date.

January 5th.

So perhaps I can start the new year breathing freely. Well...at least a month into it or so. And my first class of the new term will be on January 10th, so that will give me five days to recuperate. I'm definitely going to take a week off of work, though. So I won't go back to work until the 12th at the earliest.



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So the biggest shopping day of the year is on Friday, so I thought I should give you a heads up on what I want you to get me for Christmas:



Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it's the Victoria's Secret "Fantasy Bra." It's completely covered in diamonds, and I think it's only $6.6 million this year. Better get those loan forms filled out!

[Doesn't that thing look totally uncomfortable? And doesn't it...pinch?]

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In other news, my friend picked out her wedding dress on Sunday, and it is very lovely. Needless to say, now she's even more excited than she already was. I need a more intense phrase than "bouncing off the walls" because kids, she's outta control excited.



And our bridesmaids dresses aren't too bad, either:





For my friends in the US of A who celebrate it, have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Visiting the Bitter Barn

I'm totally in the Bitter Barn today. I'm not really sure why, but I'm feeling extra crappy and snotty today. Maybe it's the weather, maybe it's the homework free-for-all I have going on, maybe the snot is running out of places to go. Who knows. But I am a Grumpy Grumpterton because of it.

And I have noticed a side effect of my current ailment. I have zero sympathy for people who have colds. Absolutely zero. I just want to take their little heads in my hands, shake them a little, and say, "Sick?? You think you're sick?! I'll show you sick, punk!"

My sister is the latest victim of this side effect. I had a very difficult time not rolling my eyes as she sniffled and looked pathetic and complained that she felt stuffed up.

Stuffed. Up.

I wanted to kill her.

Yes, I realize this is extremely insensitive, but I'm just about to the brink of can't-take-it-anymore status. I'm starting to consider snorting Diet 7up like my dad suggested. Sure, he was joking, but what the hell? Nothing else has worked.


So on that happy little rant (I'll work on my attitude problem, I promise), I would just like to say, I am really excited for some turkey. So excited, in fact, that I felt it necessary to draw you a picture of said turkey, pre-head chopping off:



I just hope my sister is feeling better by Thursday. Because if she talks about her cold during our commute to visit the fam, I might just have to stuff her little snot box in the trunk.


And because I'm not totally selfish, I just need to say that this is really awful.

Oh, and also? HAHAhahahaahaHAHAHAhahaha!!

Purple

I stole this from my new Twilight Zone friend, Madge, who incidentally, has just opened a new blog.

Things I have done in my life (so far): Highlighted Purple

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with wild dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain (actually it was a volcano)

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone

08. Said I love you and meant it

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby's diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity (which I shamefully later regretted)

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment

27. Had a food fight

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.

42. Had amazing friends

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched wild whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe.

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs

57. Pretended to be a superhero (what do you mean pretend?)

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day

60. Played touch football

61. Gone scuba diving

62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theater

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites (Roman and Incan!)

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo

81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on television news programs as an expert

83. Got flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark

88. Kissed on the first date

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback (???)

108. Piloted an airplane

109. Touched a stingray

110. Broken someone's heart

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a T.V. game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (Does a BB Gun count?)

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper

129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed

132. Touched a cockroach (not on purpose)

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes

134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey

135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish when I went camping!)

137. Skipped all your school reunions

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language

139. Been elected to public office (not yet)

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone’s life

Somebody turn on the sun.

Alright, it’s getting down to the wire, folks. I only have a few weeks left of my first term of grad school, and I have four projects with looming due dates. So if posting is few and far between in the next couple of weeks, it’s not because I don’t love you.

I did, however, find some time to play around with a warping website that lets you play with celebrities.


Angelina "I use children as accessories" Jolie


Britney "K-Fed Wants How Much $??" Spears


Paris "That's Hot" Hilton


George "Heckuva Job" Bush

In other news, I just can’t quite wrap my mind around this. And that’s all I really have to say about that.


In other other news, I got an email from myself the other day. I forgot that I participated in the email time capsule Forbes did last year. And I guess I’m part of the 33% who chose to have it sent in a year.

Apparently I was having a total dork moment because this is all I wrote to myself:

Aha! Self—I’ll bet you forgot you did this, didn’t you? (yes, yes I did) What a strange thing to get a message from yourself in the past. (dork!)

Hopefully you are enrolled at PSU in the Master’s program for Public Admin. Are you? (Yes, I am!) Or are did they decide to be retarded and not let you in? Hopefully you’re not too bogged down with work and nonsense. (Not too bad, no)

Did Megan and Jared finally get married? Or did she wise up? (No, she did not wise up)

I hope things are great this year—if not, go make them be! (I’m too full of mucous, I’ll try again later)

Love,

Yourself.

Like I said: total dork moment. But it was still fun to see it in my Inbox.

Sunofa...

So I still hadn't heard from my doctor about scheduling my surgery, so I called today to see what was up.



Well, turns out, my doctor is totally booked. They only do the schedule 6 weeks out, and he's booked through December. Which, if you remember, is exactly when I was hoping to get it done. So I'm a little frustrated by that, but what can I do?

The appointment lady said they're trying to see if they can put more times in for him, but there's no guarantee. So I had her write on my record for the first week of January if possible, and December if they can squeeze me in. But I probably won't know until next week. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this is very annoying.

I was sweet as sugar to her (after all, it's not her fault), so maybe she'll be more inclined to help me out. :)

I guess we'll see.

Until then, the snot continues.

Oh, snap.

Dear Ms. K______;
The Registrar's Office has deleted your records from our information system at your request.
Thank you for your inquiry.


Sincerely,

Timothy J. Ebner, Registrar
University of Utah

I want to be a cat in my next life...

Must be tough.