it's not everyday...

...that you join the ranks of tina fey. so maaayabe that's stretching it. but my friend becca just wrote on her blog that there are two women who always make her laugh-- tina fey and me. um i don't want to brag, but i'm kiiind of a big deal. tk ("totally kidding").

while we're talking about becca here, let me tell you about her and how cool she is. honestly, i could write all night about this, but i need to tell you about my roadtrip. but first, can i just list some of the reasons i think becca is awesome?

a. three words: perfect brewing temperature.
b. peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat
c. she named her firstborn child jonas (this kid will always quote weezer when introducing himself. only buddy holly and sweaters can say the same. ha. ha.)
d. she is a wonderful friend--one of the most compassionate people i've met.
e. she had a cat that used the toilet. actually, that's disgusting, so this should not be on this list. but it's true. and, i'm a truthteller.
f. if i could model my day to day approach to life after anyone, it would probably be her. she's uber responsible, organized, and puts important things first. i admire her and respect her immensely.
g. she's a great hostess, and trotted me all over socal-when i visited last spring. AND we identified wildflowers together at Joshua tree.
h. i actually didn't like her the first week or so i knew her. but then i realized the error of my ways, and she welcomed me into friendshiphood with open arms.
i. she bought a kids basketball hoop in college and put it in her dorm room
j. i used to walk into our apartment, and she'd be typing up a storm, and she could greet me without missing a beat.
k. she is genuine and honest.
l. she put up with 2 years of my singing in the shower and sckedric
m. she taught me the fake benchpress
n. she bought a welcome mat for our apartment that said "Go Away." that CRACKS me up to this day.

i could go on and on and on. so, if you learned one thing today, i hope it's that i am one lucky girl.

and btw, my roadtrip was rather uneventful. it is one long flat haul across indiana ("crossroads of america") and ohio ("the heart of it all"). my mom and i went shopping tonight though, and she bought me a pair of crocs. the cute and streamlined ones. black. with a strap. i am wearing them right now in fact. anyhow, here are the highlights of the trip:
*belting out my desire as a "girl" to "have fun" ( yay cindy lauper). windows down. wave to the truckers.

*answering the tim horton's worker politely with a smile, even after he asked me for the fourth time if i needed cream and sugar in my coffee.
("no thanks, i'll take it black"......."no thank you, black's fine"...... "nope, i'll just have it black, thanks so much." ..... "thanks for asking, i'd like it black, please"). an excercise in patience.

*filling up my gas tank for $21. what a steal

*filling up myself on candy at my grandma's. she has exactly six places in her kitchen alone (we're talking entire drawers here) she keeps stocked with candy. and she's all of a size 2, but that's becuase of the immense amount of nervous energy it takes to just BE her. so you win some, you lose some.

also, and let me warn you i'm changing the subject here...how is it that THREE states claim babe-raham lincoln as their own? IL, KY, and IN all lay claim to our 16th president (and i believe they all have special edition license plates available for purchase that attest to the same). i can't wait till i'm famous, and ohio, indiana, and michigan all have to fight over me. that's when i'll know i've "arrived." when my face graces the backside of every automobile in the midwest.

put on your sunday best kids, we're going to sears.

yelloooo.. 

how is it that i had an entire day off, and am still only managing to do my laundry now, at 8:39 pm? seriously. i'm getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to drive to ohio to see the matriarchs of the family--my mom and grandma. so that's the news i guess. 

i was in borders today, and saw something rather disturbing. the "young adult section" sign had a little asterisk (*) so i followed it down to the fine print, only to read something like "parent discretion advised: some books may contain mature content."  wha???? since when should kids books have mature enough content to warrant a parental advisory? we're not talking about classic literature here, we're talking about poorly written chicklet lit that lacks substance, but apparently contains raunchiness. awesome. i also spent about 45 minutes and $25 at the happiest place on earth, Target.

 

and that, my friends is the news. watching a movie later tonight, then turning in early for the "roadtrip" tomorrow. i'll be back on monday. happy weekend to everyone and happy spring break to all you grad school kids out there. 

how many fans are in your fan club?

i've got 20. 

you, too can join! don't be shy.

and speeeaaking of shyness--i keep hearing through the proverbial grapevine that all these people are reading this blog. well, that's news to me, since NO ONE LEAVES COMMENTS. it's like i just performed a song and dance and got no snaps.

i mean, it's cool. i'll get over it.

so i've decided that i don't need to do anything fancy for spring break. but there IS an indoor waterpark in indy that's attached to the holiday inn on the northside. i need three friends to volunteer to go in on a room (and pay their share, of course) and then we can spend all afternoon at the waterpark.  who's in? i'm serious. let me know. i figure i'll do that, go tanning once or twice, get a pedicure, and i'll be as happy as a clam. i'll almost fool myself into thinking i went to hilton head or somewhere equally as warm and awesome. so will any of you who join me at caribbean cove in beautiful indianapolis, indiana. 

 

what i've been up to since 4th grade (and more specifically, since this morning)

first and most importantly, i'd like to say hi to my friend john q murphy, my favorite (great) american, math master, and drum major extraordinaire. even if he does eat ketchup packets alone in a closet. jk. let me tell you a little about this kid. we go waaaay back. back to 4th grade in mrs sumner's class. there's one story that we tell over an over and over, basically to anyone who will listen. and since i have you as a captive audience, engrossed in rapt attention, you too shall read it....

so back in the day at stewart elementary school, we had this "publication" called stewartsaurus tales. each kid in the school had to write something to submit to be "published" (read: typewritten by some poor parent volunteer then spiral bound and distributed to all the kids in the school). ANYWAY, we each submitted our "best work" for this yearly endeavor. john (at the tender age of 9) wrote an essay on being a "great american," where he told his plan for stopping the hunger in somalia without using violence. good for john, you get a yellow bookmark (true story). doesn't that show a profound depth of thought and compassion for a 4th grader? i think so. he deserved the bookmark prize. 

...my essay? IT was a gem entitled "why i wanna be a dolphin." where i outlined my plan to become a cetacean and live in a zoo "so i wouldn't have to worry about finding my own food." 

however, THAT plan hasn't happened so far. so i'm going to grad school. plan b. 

but the upshot of the story is that john is one cool kid and i told him i'd say hi. he also is my favorite calculator dance partner and euchre antagonist. like a certain other friend from college who shall remain nameless, i also laugh almost every time i see him.

in other news, i got word that my interview went well for subbing, and i will be "oriented" next week. i also got 1 more piano kidlin--brings me up to 4! i was kind of feeling burnt out from piano teaching, but i've had about 6 months off, and i'm revitalized and looking forward to getting to know these new kids. 

i bet you're on the edge of your seat wondering how running club went. in a word...bonaparte. (that's code for "awesome"... among other things). allison really showed her competitive depauw fire and totally kicked our collective tails at the end. shoot--would never know this was her 1st time running 6 miles. to clarify (i've had some questions).... gary and jay are our pace leaders. they look like the mice from cinderella. they are not real mice. they are men who remind us of mice. and their initials are the same (gary--gus,  jay--jaq). that's where the similarities end, since they are live action rather than animated, and men wearing spandex rather than mice wearing tunics. 

remember how i told you my brother is flipping furniture to combat this darn recession? well one of my grad school friends tod me he's started flipping computers-he bought one cheap, added some memory "that i just had lying around" and sold it for profit. perhaps they're on to something....

and finally tonight, i have 3 midterms left and then spring break, during which i will be spending time with my grandmother and her boyfriend. in ohio. at mcdonalds. and i am totally looking forward to it. 

 

plan B, my dream, and a new favorite song

Good morning! Oh my goodness, I woke up today, only to find NO ENGLISH MUFFINS!! how did I run out of this breakfast staple? I was FORCED to go out for coffee and a scone today. It's a rough life, guys. 

Got to Panera, only to find a shady internet connection at best. Can't get access to my mail account. So I'm considering starting up my midterm again and trying to finish it before work this afternoon. Meanwhile, I'm very distracted by the rather sweet older couple sitting kind of near me--he brought his own newspaper, she brought her own orange. HA--that's my goal. In 50 years I want to be bringing my own fruit to a restaurant, while my husband reads the headlines to me. I hope he wears sweater vests. 

Hey, you gotta know what you want in life. 

Speaking of older people, there's a lady across the hall from me who, though very nice, is way more interested in her dog "Mandy Rose" than she is in actual people. I have a reputation for walking down to the workout room in shorts in subzero temperatures. Well, this neighbor woman always comments that whenever she sees me, I'm wearing shorts. Haha, funny and neighborly right? wrong. She's never actually addressed me--her comments are directed toward Mandy Rose, the dog.  It's awkward--do I respond event though she's clearly not talking to me (I do), or do I ignore it because clearly, I'm not part of of the conversation? Moral dilemma. 

My brother is going to kill me for saying this, but, raise your hand if you like Jason Mraz's song I'm Yours? I think I could listen to it all morning. And in fact, I will :)

oooooh, i just realized that it's tuesday, my favoriteday!! running club at 6, yay! 6 miles tonight means i get nearly one hour of the allison and the rest of the mighty tens. you do the math: 6 miles at 10 min/mi =60 minutes. BUT as stated early, we will not be harnessed by pace times. absolutely not. we'll nearly kill ourselves only to finish 1.2 minutes ahead of the pack, and then somehow find ourselves BEHIND gary and jay in the candy and banana line. seriously, how does that happen?

(reminder: gary and jay are our pace leaders who look a little like the mice in cinderella. we finish before them every week, but they always end up getting their refreshments before us. 

paradox. but i guess it makes sense--those mice in cinderella sure accomplished a lot in one day...making a dress out of scraps and all...)

my time here is up. i told myself i'd get to work at 9am sharp. 

bad hair day, among other things

today was the first day since i got a haircut in january that i thought i'd venture out au naturel--ran some "product" as they say, through my hair and let it air dry (more on air drying later), schlepped on some lipgloss, and called it good. big. mistake. i look like i'm in 2nd grade and tried to do my hair all by myself for the first time. i'm also wearing a striped turtleneck, which adds to the elementary school motif. so, to anyone who i see today, hold your comments. like you don't need to say "long night?" "do you...feel ok?" or "shoot girlfriend, you look like a bus hit your trike." i get it. i am not my usual svelte self.

ok, so when i wrote "air dry," it made me think back to college when i would run with abby and then refuse to take a shower afterwards, instead opting to "air dry" as we did our post-run abs of steel session. looking back, i see that was rather inconsiderate of me.

ok, so you remember the unruly neighbors above me on whom i had to call the police? well, they are ever so sublty exacting their revenge on me. i keep my keyboard in my bedroom, and my latest favorite thing to do at home is learn how to read and use chord charts. i feel like i'm getting a lot better. however, as soon as i start playing, the neighbors upstairs start stomping around and making noise, i don't think they like it. so i say to myself, "i too can play this game," and then i turn the volume up. and then i feel bad for being so spiteful, and i promptly turn it back down. i honestly don't know how they could possibly hear me. but coincidence? i think not.


in other news, behold my favorite artifact from friday night.

HELP !!!

here's the situation....

i bought microsoft office a year and a half ago and installed it on my computer. well, when the hard drive crashed last week, obviously the program was lost as well. the guy at the apple store told me i should have no problem re-installing office on my new hard drive.

i was skeptical, but the guy works at the "genius bar" at the apple store. who was i to say "yeah...doubtful." sooo i tried to reinstall it, but when i put the cd in the computer, nothing happens. it shows up, but it doesn't start downloading, nor does any kind of dialogue box pop up and ask me or tell me to do anything else. i really need Word to get things done for school, but i don't think i should have to buy it again, and plus the GENIUS told me i would've have to. so...please tell me. what are my options here? has anyone had this problem and re-installed office on a new hard drive? i also tried to just download a 60-day trial of office from the microsoft website to tide me over, but THAT didnt' work out either. ugh.

for now, i'm writing my paper on an online google doc. not a permanent solution.

HELP ME!!

gem of a christmas present

soooo i settled in for a long afternoon of studying and working on a rather daunting midterm exam. I wanted to watch a movie--something entertaining but light enough that I would be able to work on my homework. I was going to go to the library, but instead I remembered one of my Christmas presents from my brother...um, Ernest goes to Jail. That's right. If you haven't watched it, here's a synopsis.

"I am Ernest P Worrel and I know that if i pay my taxes, bathe, and floss regularly, I can climb the ladder of success hand over foot."

This gem of a film tells the story of aspiring bank teller and nighttime janitor Ernest P. Worrel . Following an all-too believable mishap one night, Ernest finds himself permanently electromagnetized. A few days later, he is elated to learn that he is chosen for jury duty. ("I'm the luckiest guy in the whole world...they chose me for United States jury duty.") And it's during the courtroom scene that the one redeeming quality of the movie presents itself....when Ernest, while chewing on a pen, gets ink all over his face. (correct, that's the funniest part of the whole thing) The defense in the court case moves for a change of venue--to the county jail. While there, the defendant arranges for Ernest ot take the place of the most notorious criminal in the jail...Ernest gets locked up, the bad guy goes free, and the plot thickens.

Ok, not going to lie, I didn't finish the movie. THAT was 27 minutes of my life that i will never ever get back...Mostly because it just is not as funny as it was when I was 7 1/2. I'm pretty sure we can rest assured that in the end, Ernest will go free and justice will be served to the real criminal. This was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. And I'd forgotten that it was the inspiration behind Jeff's common phrase in jr high, "you dirty rat."

It's kind of like watching Full House now...not nearly as funny as it was in 1992.

So there's that. Honestly I have lots to do today, so this is all. I've taken a little flack for not updating this page much this week. Here's the deal--I don't have internet at home, and because I have access to it so many other places, I don't think it' a good use of money. Darn recession. and grad school. The moral of the story is that I dont' have lots of "down time" online. But I will try to do better.

In other news, I went to He's Just Not that Into You with Kathy last night We had quite the experience with some inappropriate comments from the elderly gentleman sitting next to her. I'll let her update her page and you can read it there.... becarefuloutthere.blogspot.com. I haven't laughed that hard in at least a week. totally. not. ok. kath, please fill us all in.

anyway, it's off to the gym i go before beginning the thorn in my side that is the multicultural counseling midterm. awesome.

slow news day

hello-o.

what a day. a good day. a long day.

i had an interview with a principal at a local middle school to sub at the school this semester. it went really well, and he even hinted at the possibility of interning there next year. THAT would be fabulous, since i think i already have one of my two internships arranged for next year. so THIS is what it feels like to be on top of my A-game. anyway, i'm hoping i'll get my proverbial foot in the door and can begin working quickly. not so much for the money, as it doesn't pay all that well. more to be back in the school / teacher mode. i don't consciously think of how much i miss the school atmosphere---until i walk into a school and feel right at home. i know that sounds cliche, but it is what it is.

spent a couple hours with my grandma today, mostly dusting her tchotchkes (i know i butchered the spelling, but it's a new favorite word). my christmas gift to her this year was to come over a few times and help her out around the house. i've done lots of dusting!

in other news, allison rocked my socks off tonight at our running club. she makes me practically sprint the last mile. some guy in our group had an orange string hanging off his jacket, and she pointed to it and whispered, "he has a tail." now that i write that, i realize that it's really not as funny as it was 4 hours ago. kind of like the calculator dance and frank the wonder shark. (that's for you, euchre buddies)

speaking of frank....beth and i used to play this game called "what are you thinking." basically you have to guess what the other person is thinking. it works really well if the other person is thinking of something really funny. i know it sounds ridiculous, but try it sometime with your bff. i will literally pay you money if you don't have a good time.

um, is anyone else addicted to michael buble's song "home." ?? if not, you probably should be.

and finally tonight...my gas bill was $91.00 (this was WITH turning the furnace totally off at night, and setting it to practically 61 while I'm home.) so i've decided that i'm going to call my stint in indy a short-term mission trip and write letters to basically everyone i know (and those my parents know) and ask them to support me.
OR i could take my brother's advice and "flip furniture." that's exactly like flipping houses, only using chairs (via antique stores and ebay) instead. i love that kid.

you're so vain

you prob'ly think this blog is about you.

ha, jk.
actually, I'M so vain. went to the apple store to pick up my new and improved computer. "data transfer unsuccessful," they tell me. which is a huge bummer, as i've explained, and as i'm sure you can imagine. i'm in denial about how much work it's going to take to get up and running again--re-doing class work, etc. NOT THINKING ABOuT IT.
however, i got home, opened up my macbook, and --ta da--they replaced the top case (it was a known problem and covered under a recall) so all my keys are white and new. this totally made my day...even though i lost the important stuff, the machine looks brand new. it's like raaaaaain on your wedding day, a free ride when you already paid....(name that song)

i had a great weekend. it was refreshing and therapeutic to see old friends, sleep in my old bedroom, hang out my parents, and see my brother and sister-in-law. and now that i'm back home, i am thinking about the big week ahead. not that there's anything especially exciting going on...just lots to do. i could spell out my to-do list, but i don't want to brag about how so incredibly busy i am.

i'm pretty excited that the book i reserved at the library is in. it's called infidel, about a woman who left islam. yeah, that does sound interesting, doesn't it? i will let you know how it goes. i'm also finishing up "the drunkard's walk," which is interesting though at times a little over my head--especially when i'm reading right before bed.

the mighty tens and the rest of the mini marathon training group is running five miles tomorrow along the canal....allison and i totally left them in the dust last week. the mighty tens can't hold back the fire in us. so i hope our new friends are not too intimidated by our formidable running technique...or toned physique. or our pure unadulturated speed.

on the job front, i have another piano student. and an interview for a subbing job tomorrow--so cross your fingies and say your prayers :)

ruh-roh

update:
i took my macbook in to the apple store yesterday. do you want the good news or bad news first?
well, the good news is that they're fixing my broken hard drive for free (actually, replacing the defunct one...see below)

...but the hard drive is totally shot, and i lost everything...pictures, music, and most notably--documents. as in, everything i've done in the last year and a half--papers, journals (for class that i'll have to redo), class notes, etc. honestly, this is huge, but i'm going to just deal with the consequences as they come. for instance, i'm not going to get upset that i have to redo my resume. i'll just kick and scream (and yet, suck it up and rewrite it) when i need it again.

i'm also sad to report that gone are the pictures of multiple christmas craft nights, as well as the one with me (wearing my "american steel" shirt from walgreens) and george w. bush (on tv deliving the state of the union address). sad day.

but the real kicker? the real kicker is that beth and i just went back to "the studio" to record some new tracks last year. yeah, we had a couple projects going... most notably a cover of "my heart will go on." piano duet. with vocals. it was lovely.

back to square one now.

in other news, i'm already back in the big mitten for the weekend. was blessed to see friends and family throughout the day. i got home last night, and walked in to the house wiht fox news blaring in the background. my dad has the commercials memorized. "got a real talker here, a reeeeal talker." anyway, we had dinner with jeff and mary tonight, and i should update the mouse story from a few days ago...the mouse had been in the crawlspace for THREE YEARS. hahahaha

before i go to bed, here's my hilarious story for the day. a certain friend volunteers at a local elementary school. ever-sensitive and alert to valuing cultural differences, she decided to give multicultural valentines. and the most appropriately-themed valentines she could find? kung fu panda. awesome.



and fianlly tonight...i just saw that a johnny cash's brother tommy cash is coming to south bend to do a "johnny cash tribute concert." my initial reaction was "that's ridiculous," but now i think he's on to something. i could do a tribute to my brother, performing such hits as "boxas or briefs," "yo, get on the dance floor," or "counting our toes." more on jeff's music career later (including ihis brief foray into two notable fan clubs: kris kross and weird al)

could i make these things up? not even if i tried.

ugh

sooo my computer broke last night. i...hate...technology...

now here's the thing... i was under the impression that macbooks didn't break. i bought my mac because someone who shall remain nameless (BETH) told me that they're out-of-box ready (true), "basically immune to viruses" (so far so good) and indestructable. false. in fact, they can, and do, break.

so i scheduled an "appointment" to fix it later this afternoon (like it's my pet and i'm taking it to the vet). and if this thing is going to cost more than thirty five dollars, i'm going to have to donate plasma. kidding, kidding. meanwhile, i have to rewrite my group counseling paper about my visit to narcotics anonymous. that's another story.

i'm not even entertaining the thought that it could be beyond-repair broken. if that's the case, i have major problems, seeing as i've not backed up anything. file this example of irresponsibility next to "loses credit cards at least once a year" and chalk it up to my "perceiving lifestyle" according to ms. myers and briggs.

in other news, i did finally get a computer at work (i've been working here since september. you do the math)...which is awesome because i can actually do my job now. double edged-sword however because now i actually have to do my job. this is work. not amateur hour.

happy thursday!

(boys drool), tuesdays rule

soooo i'm watching the biggest loser and eating brownies.... paradox.
tuesday is one of my favorite days of the week...no class, so my mornings are free.i try to get some school work done, and am ofte successful. then i take in my weekly dose of matlock early afternoon, waltz myself over to work, run a few mini-marathon prep miles with my pace group leaders gary and jay, laugh at allison's hilarious jokes, and come home to the best tv night all week: jeopardy, TBL, American Idol, and SVU. ah, life is good.

don't you judge me, earl hickey.

allison has this lovely habit of making me laugh in the middle of class via IM. and now she's doing it while we run. to all of you non-athletes (as if I am), lauging is counterproductive to the running endeavor. endorphins, schmendorphins...it gives you sideahes and takes your breath. so tonight at running club, she told me that one of our pace leaders looks like one of cinderella's mice, and then she started talking about "filibuster bob," by which she meant punxatawny phil.


in other news, i think i'm going home this weekend. this is strange...i have been getting really homesick lately. little things trigger it...certain songs, and SUNSHINE, of all things. i know that sounds weird, but it is what it is. i'm looking forward to going home and seeing friends and fambly. should hold me over til easter, which is probably the next time i'll be there. the last 5 months have FLOWN by. i am so grateful for the new friendships i've made and the things i've learned and experienced in grad school. i miss my life as a teacher DEARLY, but i do't regret making this move in the least. doesn't mean i don't ache for my old life once in a while.

well, kids, i'm out. things to do, people to see. the octuplet mom is on dateline...

Calvin College. Making me Proud.

Saw this on MSN.com today...



Most Popular Colleges: Liberal Arts Colleges
Posted January 26, 2009
So which colleges do students really want to go to? One way to find out is to look at a school’s yield, the percentage of applicants accepted by a university who end up enrolling at that institution in the fall. The figures in this table are from the fall 2007 entering class and show the admit yield and overall acceptance rate. If a school has a high yield (a large proportion of those admitted enroll), it means that the school is most likely very popular with a top reputation and that the students are highly motivated to go there.

And guess what? Calvin College was the 8th-highest liberal arts college in the country.

i'm wearing flipflops.

jump around!

got home from church today, started to work on my multicultural counseling paper...THAT didn't go well. but the task is nearly impossible--relating the career-decision making process of Chinese American youth to the underutilization of counseling services by lesbians with disabilities. i kid you not--that is what my paper is about. 2 pages down, 3 to go. no big deal. anyways, one of things i'm learning about being who i am is that i need a certain amount of activity going on around me to spur me on toward productivity. this is why it DOES work to watch movies and study, or, as is the case right now, study at panera. with coffee and strangers milling around.

however, i've been sadly unproductive.

i really really want a pair of boots, and i'm on a quest to find the perfect pair. no luck so far. i'm actually hesitant to buy anything because i feel like as soon as i lay down all that money, boots will be "out" again. i'm usually a good 8-12 months behind the trend. and that, my friends, has been a problemo in the past. i think i need to go with something timeless like cowboy boots. no joke. versatile and true to my cultural heritage. god bless america.

Was that a WORM i just passed in the parking lot??!!

indeed it was. And it was huge and fat and 100% ick. Granted, it was dark outside and we’ve had about 60 days of frigid cold, so I don’t know how that thing could possibly have survived. So there are two possibilities: that sucker was basically freeze-dried back in November, or it was actually a small twig. And a slimy one at that.

Speaking of gross little vermin…my brother called today. Ha-ha, good one, right? No but seriously, he had to remove a dead mouse from his crawlspace the other day (so the plumber who came to fix the water heater “wouldn’t think less of him”). Not news-worthy you say? This is the kid who could not bring his 10th-grade self to get rid of a dead mouse in our garage, even WITH A SHOVEL AND WORK GLOVES. Let’s travel back to that fateful spring day in 1997….
i'll set the scene. picture, if you will:
dead mouse: still dead in the garage.
Mom: cowering just inside the house
Jeff: dry-heaving in the corner.
Time: ticking away, and school is about to start
Libby, recognizing we were going to be late for school if no one would take care of the dead rodent, picked up the mouse and threw it into the backyard. Done deal…
“Pull yourself together and get in the car Jeff…Mom, it’s gone... let’s get to school.”


My point? This recent ridding-of-the-mouse was a big step for Jeff. A big step.

Back to Jeff’s hot water heater. Of course , with no hot water, they can’t take a normal shower (or bath, in Jeff;s case). He explained his “solution” over the phone. One word: classic.
I’ll paraphrase the pertinent parts of the conversation:

Little sister: “Well hello, Jeffrey. How’s life?”

Big brother: “Not good, Lib. Not good.”

LS: (in empathic counselor voice) “Oh I’m sorry bro. What’s happening?”

BB: “The hot water heater broke, and I’m warming up water on the stove.”

LS: (using another counselor skill) “What I’m hearing you say is you’re upset by having no water. And you said you’re heating water on the stove. What for? Giving yourself a spongebath?” (laughs to self)

BB: “No, I found an old trashcan and I cleaned it out—we’ve been using that..” (utterly serious)

LS: “Jeff, have you considered the sheer irony of bathing in a trashcan?”

Apparently not. Apparently not…..keep your animal cleeeean…washawashawasha

OK, that last part is an inside joke. Sorry for anyone other than my brother who’s reading this. I know he’s a faithful reader. And he’s also one of the best people I know. Even if he DID let me take all the blame for finding and snooping through all our Christmas presents that one time. He’s still really proud of that.

So you may know that I’ve been fighting a quasi-sickness the past few days. Not bedridden by any means, but my throat is sore and my ears itch. Went out last night anyway…comedy club in Broad Ripple, but came home early because a.) we’re getting older, 2.) we were all tired anyway and d.) we had a 6-hour class today. So last night I got home and took 2 nyquil gelcaps. Accidently bit into one. Note to self and others: don’t’ do that again. or ever, as the case may be. Gel-cap Nyquil is 17 times more gross than the drinkable liquid, and after the initial nasty taste overwhelmed me, it turned my whole mouth numb. but I did fall asleep right quick.

In other news, I worked out on the elliptical for a while tonight. My apartment complex has a workout room, and I can watch TLC on the TVs down there….so my question is….
How is it that Jon and Kate plus 8 are cute and authentic and real (even though their kids fight and kate yells and mady’s a little drama queen), and the Roloffs are totally messy (kids also yell and matt’s full of impractical ideas) but completely endearing nonetheless…but the Duggars..the Duggars are annoying and hard to take, and need to stop making babies, for heaven’s sake.

No internet-- this is from yesterday :)

I hate to bring up the weather, and I’m sad to admit what an effect it has on my mood (my affect, if you will). But it does—I am much happier when the sun is shining, and I’m also getting over being “above” talking about the weather. I read the book, “The Last Lecture” a few weeks ago. It was written by a Carnegie Mellon professor following his last lecture after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. Anyway, here you have a dying man giving advice to his children and whoever else will read his book, and he basically permits using weather as conversation fodder in your dealings with others. As he says, at least you have that much in common. So there you go—permission to blog about the sunshine and 40+ degree temps (pack your shorts, kids…we’re going to indiana!). As far as the book goes—I definitely recommend it. Reading about others’ dying process puts life in perspective and spurs me toward action and living life now. You should youtube it: “the last lecture” should suffice. However, I recommend “Tuesdays with Morrie” even more highly. Great book.



“my” internet (um, actually my neighbor’s) wasn’t working today, so I went to panera for my favorite breakfast of all time (orange scone and hazelnut coffee) and my daily fix of email, facebook, and gap.com. nothing too exciting in cyberspace and I’m trying not to spend money. I did get a piano teaching gig with two little boys, which will bring in some spending money each week...that’s an answer to prayer, but it’d be great to have about 4 or 5 more students. Back at my apartment now with lots of reading and writing to do. Sans internet, so I’m typing this in word and will have to do the awkward copy and paste routine when I wrap this up and the wireless signal comes back. Word auto-corrects most, but not all, of my capitalization sloppiness. Sorry for the lack of consistency



Another good book: “The Prize winner from Defiance Ohio," about a woman raising a family in the 50s—alcoholic husband (was this more common back then?), with lots of kids and little money. She entered prize contests advertised on things like detergent boxes, soup can label, and toothpaste tubes. She’d enter—and often win—jingle-writing contests. Well, gone are those days with paid marketing professionals. However, Trader Joe’s has a raffle you can enter if you bring your own shopping bag. I am so going to win one of these days. It’s the little things that are going to finance my higher education. It could happen



Hey, I’ve won a free facial, a leather garment bag, and a goldfish in the past. Although, I did have to surrender said fish to my brother following a poker game loss. You win some, you lose some.



tasks for the weekend; call beth, call jeff, make spring break plans, watch my two new library dvds, and get lots of paper writing done, medicate my cold/flu-like symptoms, get caught up on my plan to read the bible through this year (it WILL happen this time, people), laugh at hilarious jokes tonight in broad ripple, run on the monon, and bask in all the joys that life brings.

mmm

i love chocolate milk, especially after running. so you can imagine my joy when i read in runner's world just the other day that chocolate milk is one of the best things to drink after a workout. apparently it has just the right amount of sugar, protein, and minerals to replenish what you lose during a workout. win-win-win. 

did you also know that running can actually cause some red blood cells to burst from impact? which, naturally contributes to susceptibility to anemia. i did not know that.

my running club was cancelled  again this week-not so much for the snow, but for the frigid temperatures and wind chills. which meant that i had to work out on the treadmill and elliptical. that was not cool. but, i got to watch jeopardy and the biggest loser. so that was cool : ) i was inspired and actually ran the 4 miles that i was supposed to have run tonight with the running club. 

in other news, i've done lots of reading, studying, and paper writing today. THAT is what's up today. exciting life, i know. 

peopled-out

had a really good last-few-days, but there's been almost no alone time, so i elected to study and go to target during the superbowl. i am one pathetic loser, but totally ok with it. i actually went and worked out as well, so i caught some of the highlights of the game while i was on the treadmill (100 yard return right before the half) <-- beth, that's for you. 

ok, a few things....

a. who names their kid santonio? (not judging, just wondering)

2. long hair under a helmet looks ridiculous and should be un-allowed in football 

d. aww, tony dungy-turned-commentator. what a cool guy.

in other news, i signed up for the chicago marathon today!! it's official, and very exciting. 

ooh the office is on...