My Linguistic Profile
Your Linguistic Profile: 65% General American English 20% Yankee 5% Dixie 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern
What I wouldn't choose over chocolate.
In other words, I am going to attempt to write a complete list of things that I would never choose over chocolate. Unless I for some reason have had my fill of chocolate. But I don't think that will ever happen, and has indeed never happened, even though I have been on some serious chocolate binges. OK, here goes:
internet access
work
hair highlights
professional manicures & pedicures
Diet Coke
talking on the phone
buying new purses
paying too much on gasoline
writing lists
going out on Friday nights
office supplies (or office supply shopping)
entertainment news
all my knowledge of economics
any kind of alcohol
seeing new movies
Ned Lamont & Joe Lieberman
Arizona, actually pretty much any "A" state
Duct tape
Harry Potter
My music collection
My DVD collection
President Bush
"America's Got Talent" and "I Love Lucy"
baseball
my Honda
The 20 questions game
kittens
apple pie
OK, after much consideration, that is the complete list. These are the many things in my life that I would never choose over chocolate. There's nothing else. And for those of you who know me well, you will see how much I really love chocolate because of how important some of those things are to me. At the same time, however, I couldn't care less about some of those things. I guess it's up to you to figure it out.
Be Careful...
I wish I could be reminded of my mortality without having to lose something precious. I wish I would cry more at the ends of books and less during corny TV shows.
I wish I lived in a castle and had long enough hair for my prince to admire it, even from my tower window.
I wish I had magical powers and everything I touched would succeed.
I wish I were tall and lean with a wonderful fashion sense.
I wish I hadn’t taken youth for granted when I was young.
I wish I was uninhibited and felt free to explore my wildest dreams.
I wish I was a Broadway singer, with a voice that reached to the rafters.
I wish I could dance freely and not wonder what people were thinking.
I wish I were a fairy princess, with evil stepsisters but a kind heart and my loyal subjects loved me as their queen.
I wish I were a better wife, friend, daughter, and Christian.
I wish I were more like my mom and grandmother.
I wish, when I looked out my window from a soft window seat, that there would be soft rolling green hills as far as my eyes could see.
I wish I were a writer.
I wish my favorite food was broccoli and its all I ever wanted to eat.
I wish Cadbury Cream Eggs were a magical potion that made you lose weight in all the right places.
I wish I was brave enough to star in my own adventure.
I wish my fears wouldn’t overtake me.
I wish I was disciplined enough to achieve my goals.
I wish I knew how to be content and “content” wasn’t such a boring word.
I wish my husband acted just like he does in my head.
I wish my imagination wouldn’t lead me to discontentment or disquiet, but would only come out when I call, with something absolutely brilliant.
I wish I were somewhat good at a lot of things.
I wish I were really good at one thing.
I wish I didn’t have to work, but never got bored.
I wish I could travel mystical isles, attempting dangerous deeds and exhilarating quests, while saving my money to buy beautiful robes and a horse to be my friend and carry me on my journey.
...what you wish for.
Italian Ice
Here is a perfect example of emotions gone awry: Due to the horrendous heat of late, our HR person just brought around Italian Ice for everyone in the building. She came over to my cube and I chose my preferred flavor. "What's the occassion?" I asked.
"Hottest day of the year!" She answered and I laughed. Ha ha ha. (What else is there to talk about in an office but the weather? Thank goodness for extremely hot days and blizzards.)
I brought my Ice back to my desk and looked at it. How sweet, I thought. I'm so excited to eat it. And then I burst into tears.
Like I said, emotions gone awry.
Earlier this morning...
I was minding my own business, creating reports for my boss, when from the corner of my eye, I noticed a small black spot moving quickly toward my hand. I jumped and saw that yes, my worst fear was confirmed, it was a spider. I quickly moved everything away from the spot and started slamming my mug against the speedy arachnid. Soon I realized I wasn't making a dent in the thing and the noise from my mug was echoing through the entire building. I put the mug down and made up my mind. I needed help. Off I ran to my boss's office. "Can you kill a spider for me?" I might have added "mommy" to the end of the sentence, because I felt like a small child. I was horrified to find I was shaking and sweating because of this 1/2 inch wide beast.
"Oh, I'll come kill it. Does it help do data runs? If it doesn't help with our work, it doesn't deserve to be here." She grabbed one of our publications and splat - it was dead. I thanked her profusely, but had the feeling she was laughing at me.
No longer able to sit at my desk in comfort, I performed a prolonged spider-check, bringing me back to the days of my youth. Every night I checked my room, every dark corner, every spec of the floor. I'm sure my dad remembers those days, with me screaming for him, even after he had gone to bed.
Often I spout out about how much I've changed since my school days. I'm not the same person I was back then. Yet, I still find myself asking the same timid question. "Can you come kill a spider for me?"
Wish List!
August is upon us! A new month brings a new allotment of spending money. Granted, this is a very small amount so I have to make it last. But just for fun, here is a list of things I am saving up for. 1. a wireless Mighty Mouse! (http://www.apple.com/mightymouse/)
2. Frasier Season 8
3. a shade for our kitchen window*
4. a couple nice skirts for work*
5. a sewing machine
6. The Return of the King on audio CD
7. An assortment of books, CDs, and movies (Amazon Wishlist)
8. a haircut*
9. WoW Expansion Pack (not out yet) - if you don't know what this is, don't ask.
10. a Mac laptop
11. a tiny cell-phone
12. a tiny PDA
OK, that was fun. Those with * beside them are probably ones I will get this month. The rest will have to wait for later months. And numbers 10-12 are just distant dreams.
Disclaimer: This post is in no way a hint to any readers. It is simply me wanting to take my mind off the events of the day.
I could drown myself in it.
Chocolate, that is. Today is just such a blah day. Not quite emotionless, however. I don't think I've ever been at that point. There's always an emotion, lurking in the corner, about to spring out and surprise me with a bout tears or delight. (This is something Ryan does not understand. Emotions can be controlled. If it doesn't make sense to feel this way, then I shouldn't. A must always follow B. But he doesn't understand that after B comes C, so if I jump from A to C, that's OK in the logic of math. Or even if I feel like freakin' Z because of A, that's OK too. If you don't follow, don't worry. I'm not sure if I'm making sense. Read this in my other blog.)
I have felt like crying today, though. My car practically broke down on me. I'm so tired of working. My head has been hurting. A lot of what I'm feeling, however, I'm sure is because I feel like I'm floating instead of swimming. I want to go somewhere, but I'm going no where. I wrote to some of the wonderful women in my family: This week I'm down, but next week will probably be the greatest week of my life. That's what an emotional roller-coaster I'm always on... Poor Ryan.
Why I Need Chocolate.
This, I'm sure, is old news by now. But I felt it was appropriate for this blog. Unfortunately, after reading the article (and watching my waistline grow), I now know I eat all the wrong kinds.
Harry Pottered Out
Between re-reading all the books, listening to them on CD on my way to and from work, discussing them with my husband as he reads them, and watching the movies every weekend, I must confess to being slightly tired of it all! Wow, I feel almost guilty saying that... I am a very adamant fan. So I am on a bit of a Harry Potter hiatus. For me, this will probably last a couple weeks. After all, as soon as Ryan finishes book 4, we will have to watch the movie! I will take the time now to catch up on Lord of the Rings (I have all those on audio CD too). I have started with The Hobbit and will continue through the end, watching the movies when I finish each one.
I have found that these types of epic books can be read over and over! The detail is absolutely incredible and I am amazed after reading and listening to The Hobbit many times that I don't even remember the whole story! The same is true for nearly all the Harry Potter books, especially the long ones. This does lead me to wonder if this says more about my memory than the detail of the books... Oh well, I will choose to believe the latter.
I think the reason for my attraction to these types of books is that they really are romantic in the true sense of the word. The characters are larger-than-life and there is a strong emphasis on the individuals and their personalities. The themes are similar in both sets of books as well: There is a chosen one who must do a certain deed to save the rest of the world. It's an interesting and appealing concept, and certainly not new. Many movies explore the same idea! But maybe one of the reasons for its appeal on my own behalf is that it is the same theme of the Bible. The entire Old Testament is the story of a people waiting for the One who will finally redeem them. He finally comes as an unlikely hero - most people don't even believe he will do the job. But His sacrifice does indeed save all of mankind - if we choose to accept it.
I could go on and on... but this certainly is not the place for an essay.
Anyway, even as I write this post I realize I will never be able to continue my hiatus. As much as I read, listen, and watch, I will never grow tired of Harry Potter! But I guess the break is good, so that when I begin listening again (probably around October), each book will carry the same magic for me (no pun intended) as the first time.
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I love you, Harry!! (don't tell Ryan...)
Project Update
As promised, I am letting my faithful readers (all two of you) know the progress of my self-imposed goals. 1. I have not worked on my quilt at all.
2. I have not worked on my story or its illustrations at all.
3. I have not worked on Mimi's stories at all, or looked for the tape.
4. I have not worked on my novel at all.
5. I have not run at all. But today is the first day of it! Ryan and I are going after work. Hmmm... maybe I should have written this post after we ran - it would have looked like I'd already accomplished something.
6. I forgot to post on Venustas this weekend. I did, however, post last night.
7. I have looked into reunion details and done some brainstorming. I have a few ideas that might work and make it a fun event. I still have to pick a place, time & date though.
OK, so there are the bitter details. I have not done much with my time, but I haven't been bored! What have I been up to, you might be asking? That's for another time and another post.
Golf Schmolf
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Yep - I went golfing today. You may have guessed that I did not do as well as I'd hoped. Although, I cannot totally blame my ability. The past three times we have been golfing together, my score has dropped by around 12 strokes. I will not reveal from what to what, however. I think the poor performance of today was due entirely to the weather. The reports say it felt like 104 degrees, because of the humidity. It was horrible! Nevertheless, we had a nice time and I got some cute pics out of it. Here are just a couple - perhaps I will post more later.
My dad putting and Ryan holding the flag.
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My mom - she'll hate this picture because she was sweating, like we all were, but I think she looks cute. Besides, no one ever looks at this blog, right?
Soccer Games
I played soccer through my junior high and high school years. Regrettably, I was not very good, although I really think I could have been better if I had started playing at a younger age. I only ever started a game once - my senior year - and sometimes I didn't even play. But that didn't matter to my dad. He was always there to cheer me on. My dad was a very busy man. He travelled a lot for his work - mostly overseas. There was one year he was literally commuting to Madrid, Spain and was home on the weekends. This had its advantages, as many times he could take my mother and I along with him. Through this I gained some international experience I never would have otherwise. But it also had its downsides. He worked long hours and was very busy. As I grew into a teenager, it didn't seem to matter as much though. In fact, as I went to my soccer games, I would have preferred that he didn't go! But more often than not, he was there, embarrassing me by cheering loudly on the sidelines, in his expensive suit.
Now, as I look back on those times, I feel the opposite of what I was feeling then. I feel special that he made those games a priority, even though I wasn't very good. It was one of his ways of showing me how special I was to him. So many times I conveyed to him, through rolling my eyes and sarcastic remarks, my annoyance at his showing up, but it never deterred him. He recognized that someday I would look back and appreciate that he was there. And by george, he was right! =)
I love you, Daddy.
Rex: The Tiniest Yorkie
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We put his hair in clips - how emasculating!
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Sweet little puppy!!
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He LOVES that pink blanket!
Reunions
uggg... I just thought of another project: I have to plan my 5-year high school reunion. Honestly, I'm torn about this one. I'm glad that I can be a part of planning this (I really do enjoy planning events) and bringing these people together (for the most part, I enjoyed my high school experience). But on the other hand, being with all those people that I haven't seen since then, will, I'm sure, bring me be back to who I was at that time. I'm a different person now - and I know I am not the only one. We've all changed, but most of us won't recognize that everyone else has changed as well. We, each of us, will think we are the only one. Do people really like to go to reunions? We go to this social event, expecting to show others how much we've changed and how far we've come, and we just get put back into our social box - the same one we lived in for all those years at school. Two of my favorite shows explore this idea: Everybody Loves Raymond and Frasier. Raymond and Frasier both dread going to their perspective reunions. Somehow they are forced to go and end up having a horrible time: Raymond watches the purses as his wife dances with the "cool people" and Frasier ends up at table 99, singing with the "Chessmates".
Maybe I'm just being a cynic and mine will be a wonderful time. In fact, I truly do believe it probably will be. I just don't look forward to these things. Anyway, I'll let you know when it's over - it's still a couple months away. I just wanted to get it on record that this is something else I should be working on. I'm tired.
Jean Elton Pottery
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I think this one is gorgeous!
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I like these because when you put them together, as shown, it looks like a flower.
One more project...
I just remembered another project! My other blog: Venustas. My goal is to write on that one every day. Venustas means "loveliness, charm, attractiveness, beauty" in latin, so that's what that blog is about. I want it to be an encouragement to people who read it, especially my family, who are going through some hard times right now. So far, so good. I've written every day for a week. When I run out of quotes in my quote file - then it'll be more work! For now, it's just picking my favorites!
It's Raining, It's Pouring
I used to be terrified of thunderstorms. I used to lay in my room just knowing that lightning was about to strike the huge old Oaks just beyond my bedroom window. It would fall right across the bed, in flames. I would have to scramble to find the extremely heavy metal fold-up ladder, fling it out my window, throw myself onto it, while holding my puppies - Hugs and Kises. I would surely die.
Within the last few minutes, I have realized I'm not that scared anymore. In fact, thunderstorms are romantic and like a mini-adventure! Here I am at work, listening to the growls of the thunder and wishing against wish that the power would go out! We'd have to reach under our desks for the emergency red backpack, and maybe, if we were lucky, they'd close the office and we could go home. Once home - if I made it! - I could curl up in a blanket, turn on a good movie, because of course, it's dark enough to watch one now, and feel like I'd just finished my own adventure.
bit bored...
Ever since I got married (ok, it's only been 2 months), I've been a bit bored. Honestly, after moving, planning a wedding, going on a honeymoon, coordinating schedules, cleaning, unpacking - you'd think I'd appreciate the rest. Well, I am. But that doesn't mean I don't like to have some projects to work on. So, I am going to list some things that I intend to work on for the next, I don't know... year or so. 1. My quilt - I need to finish it! I've been working on it for too long.
2. My story - I want to finish the drawings that I started to go along with the story, and then maybe send it in to a publisher.
3. Mimi's stories - I HAVE to find the tape she left me with all her stories. My grandmother, who passed away several years ago, taped many of her stories with the hopes that I would write them down for her. I do not want to disappoint this amazing woman.
4. My novel - OK, it's not the best written, or most interesting, etc. etc. but I feel like I should at least finish it.
5. Run - My husband, Ryan, and I are training for the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot. Yes, it is only 6 kilometers, but this is more than I've ever run in my life. It's exciting though!
I think that is it for now. I will probably think of more things as time goes on and add them to this category ("unsweetened"). I might also give updates as to how they are going, again posting under this category. Yay! I feel motivated and ready to begin!
OK, back to work.