Я хочу есть!!

Well... I was looking for something today so I almost missed my bus. SO! I didn't have breakfast this morning and couldn't run to 7-11 before the bus for a muffin or anything. Hence, now, why it's 10:22 am and I'm starving. I'm still sucking back water by the ocean-full, but I'm hungry. Hungry hungry hungry!! My stomach just grumbled. I'm hungry! Anyways, that's all.

So! I'm moving on Saturday! I'm moving to a house that I'll be sharing with 3 other people that I went to Masters with two years ago... they're really awesome! We're sharing the first floor and the basement of a house and my part of the rent is going to be a ton less than it was when I was living on my own. It's awesome! I'm a little nervous about living with 3 other people because we'll be sharing a bathroom, living room and kitchen... I'll have my own bedroom, and it's bigger than the one I have now! I'm excited! It'll be good!

I'll take senses for $600

So, I've decided that if I had to give up one of my senses... it would be my sense of smell.

If you had to give up your sense of sight, then things would get a whole lot more interesting. You couldn't see. And, I like to be able to see! I don't like tripping over stuff (I do that now, so imagine how much more could happen without my sight!) and I have a lot of fun seeing new sites and stuff... If I couldn't see, I'd miss out on people doing stupid things and hoping nobody saw, I'd miss out on waterfalls and rainbows and mountains... I would not give up my sight.

Hearing... Well, I think sign language is a beautiful language. I'm actually starting classes to learn sign language as of the middle of September. And, giving up hearing, I'd stop hearing retarded boys cat-calling... and people swearing... but, then I'd miss out on laughing and singing and music. All things that I could not live without! (Well... I could. But I don't want to.) And plus, it's a lot easier to get away with whispering to someone because nobody can hear that. Try having a secret conversation of sign language.

I just blanked on what other senses there are. Oh. Touch. Now, I'm not exactly sure what happens if you lose your sense of touch. Actually, I think that is an actual disease or condition or whatever, and they have to be very careful because they don't notice when they get hurt. Something about the nerve endings. See, I don't think I'd want to give that up. Plus, petting a kitten or puppy would be a whole lot more boring.

Ummm... I did it again. OH! TASTE! Yup, no way am I giving up taste. There's some things that taste disgusting, but there's too many awesome things... like COKE, for instance, that taste awesome and no way could I give up taste. Except for when I'm drinking Pepsi maybe... (hee hee)

So... why am I convinced I'm giving up scents? Hmmm... maybe just for this morning I would have liked to give away my sense of smell. I was riding the bus to work, and infront of me was this man who I don't think had showered in... well, ever! and behind me was a guy with something along the lines of a cappuccino. Then, combine that with the other interesting smells of 15 people on a bus... yeah, I didn't breathe a whole lot on the way to work. And then, when I went to the bathroom this morning before I started this, (Yes, still drinking a ton of water), then the bathroom stank like it hadn't been cleaned in forever. It's the building's bathroom so there's people that are supposed to clean it. Regularly! But I guess they didn't. Or 20 people went to the bathroom already before I got there. (Guys bathrooms smell worse than girls, but I don't think they notice... But I can't imagine what the guy's bathroom smells like in this building.)

Come to think of it though, then if I couldn't smell... I'd miss out on a ton too. Like that really good smell when you walk into Subway when you're starving. Or pizza just out of the oven. Or cookies just out of the oven. Pretty much any food product that is baked in an oven that just came out of the oven. Guys' cologne. Flowers. Tide. Purple Mr. Smelly markers.

Okay... so I wouldn't give away my sense of smell, but if I could just turn it off and on when I want to, that would be awesome. I'm done now. I'll keep my senses, thank you.

the second international convention of the bathroom-users

Well... I made the decision that I was going to try and drink more water. 8 glasses a day, to be exact. I started this adventure yesterday. I think I took a trip to the bathroom every 30 minutes. Atleast we know my kidneys are functioning properly! Anyways, 8 glasses of water... sounds like a normal feat. Except for, translated into mL, you have to drink about 4 591-mL bottles to equal your recommended daily dosage. Well, actually it was like 3.38409475, but I rounded it up because apparently it helps you lose weight if you drink a ton of water. So, I did drink 4 bottles of water yesterday. Felt kinda sloshy walking around because I drank an ocean, but we'll see how it goes today. I've already drank (drunk? dranken? drunken? drinked?) 1 bottle... I can do this!

first time's a charm

We went to a Bombers game on Friday, Becca and me and her cousin Marc, and it was AWESOME!! They were playing the Ottawa Renegades and they totally squashed them! (Squashed? Yeah I don't know... They won! I don't know football lingo!) But the Bombers won 38-17! It was awesome!! I loved it! I loved the mini-donuts too! It was cold, and the mini-donuts were warm so I was happy! I love sports when it's live, and you're there in person... the crowd's screaming and I was screaming and standing up and cheering! It was awesome! I may become a hard-core football fan! But only if eventually I'm allowed to play!

my soap box

Okay, read this news article and then I'll get on my soap box.

=========
Taiwan works to reduce ghost-month trash
12/08/2005 5:59:00 PM

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) - Environmentally conscious Taipei authorities are taking a novel approach to this year's annual ghost month, when Taiwanese burn thick stacks of paper money to appease the spirits of the dead: they're providing small garbage bags to limit the amount of immolated cash.

To insure that wandering ghosts will not disturb the peace and prosperity of the living over the ensuring 12 months, many Chinese burn copious amounts of paper money and set up tables laden with food during the seventh month of the lunar year - ghost month.

But in recent years Taipei's authorities have become increasingly concerned that large stacks of immolated cash are adding to the city's already serious air pollution problems.

As a remedy, the Taipei City Government said on Friday it will distribute a bag for each household in which symbolic amounts of paper money can be placed.

"You can address the bag to wandering spirits in general or to specific dead persons of your choice," the government said in a statement, adding that municipal garbage trucks would dispose of the bags in high-powered incinerators.

This year's ghost month observance began on Aug. 5 and will continue until Sept. 3. It is marked not only on Taiwan, but in Chinese societies throughout the world.
============================

Okay, you've read it, there's the URL, now my soap box. Take in mind, I'm probably being really cynical and assuming the worst about people right now... but c'mon. The government finally got environmentally conscious and now they want to help out the citizens in their burning of their cash to appease the spirits of the dead so they're giving them special garbage bags to put their money in that they can just assume will go to a high-powered incinerator???? GET REAL!! That's a money-making scam right there! And please remember, I'm on my soap box right now... You know what? Maybe the government does respect the Taiwanese and really wants to help them out in their ghost month observance and cut back on pollution... but are they going to monitor whether the guys driving the garbage trucks are actually putting the money in the garbage truck or pocketing it for themselves? Does no one else see the sketchiness of the whole deal? Maybe it's so blatantly obvious that me rambling about is all moo. (Friends episode) I'm done now.

a duck's quack doesn't echo, but my cough sure does

Well... I'm fed now... But now I'm cold. Actually, I've been cold all day, I'm wearing 4 layers of clothing. Cold. Just had to tell someone. I'm having a bizarro day today... probably why there's 3 blog entries... Gosh. Okay, CONCENTRATE Crystal!!!

famished

I'm hungry. I have an hour to go before lunch and I'm starving. I'm craving things I wouldn't normally eat... like... Fresca! There's a can sitting infront of me and I don't particularly want it because it's grapefruit flavored and sans sucre so it doesn't appeal to me at all... normally... except for RIGHT NOW because I'm hungry. I'm downing water because maybe that'll fill the void until I can eat. Sigh. Hungry hungry hungry... yes well, it's true, it doesn't help if you keep thinking about it. Alright well, I'm going to go back to working... and being hungry... think food thoughts for me, ok?

warm fuzzy 2

HE CALLS THEM BY NAME ----- by Max Lucado

WHEN I SEE a flock of sheep I see exactly that, a flock. A rabble of wool. A herd of hooves. I don't see a sheep. I see sheep. All alike. None different. That's what I see.

But not so with the shepherd. To him every sheep is different. Every face is special. Every face has a story. And every sheep has a name. The shepherd knows his sheep. He calls them by name.

When we see a crowd, we see exactly that, a crowd. Filling a stadium or flooding a mall. When we see a crowd, we see people, not persons, but people. A herd of humans. A flock of faces. That's what we see.

But not so with the Shepherd. To him every face is different. Every face is a story. Every face is a child. Every child has a name. The Shepherd knows his sheep. He knows each one by name. The Shepherd knows you. He knows your name. And he will never forget it. I have written your name on my hand (Isa. 49:16).

Quite a thought, isn't it? Your name on God's hand. Your name on God's lips. Maybe you've seen your name in some special places. On an award or diploma or walnut door. Or maybe you've heard your name from some important people-a coach, a celebrity, a teacher. But to think that your name is on God's hand and on God's lips . . . my, could it be?

Or perhaps you've never seen your name honored. And you can't remember when you heard it spoken with kindness. If so, it may be more difficult for you to believe that God knows your name.

But he does. Written on his hand. Spoken by his mouth. Whispered by his lips. Your name.

From When God Whispers Your Name
Copyright 1994, Max Lucado

mortgage rate dancing hula girls advertisement

I am the master of my domain! I take the public transit buses to work now... actually I take them everywhere now. It's a long story, but I'm not using my car right now... so I take the public transit system. I've been kind of nervous about this whole bus thing. I love it, don't get me wrong, but I've been not wanting to miss it so badly that I show up at the bus stop half an hour early. And then, because the bus I need to take comes half an hour early and at the time I SHOULD take it at, I get on early... and I get to my destination half an hour early as well then. Which is great because then accidentally I got home early last night by half an hour... Not so great this morning when the eager beaver got to her doctor's appointment 30 minutes before the door opened. Luckily, the waiting room area was open so I could sit in there.

But I really love the buses! I love zoning out and listening to my discman and reading a book... and plus it's a million dollars to fill up your gas tank right now so I'm completely content to ride the bus. I'm very happy about the bus right now!!! I'm thinking of making a t-shirt that says "Public Transit Queen"....

Hey guys, I know this isn't really cheery or anything, but there's some craziness going on in Greece today because a plane crashed yesterday killing 121 people, 48 of them children. I don't know exactly what happened, but appparently the plane lost cabin pressure and everyone went unconscious because of lack of oxygen and they all froze. The pilot also lost consciousness, and the plane eventually crashed into a hillside. Many people had to wait hours to find out if their loved ones were okay or not. That's got to be horrible to not know... I think I'd hate that more than knowing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8944885/

That's one of the sites for the crash if you want to read more. Either way, maybe we can all say a short prayer for comfort for their families right now because I can't imagine what that would be like.

a warm fuzzy

Today, I stopped at 7-11 to buy a Coke, gum, and some other stuff... the cashier noticed I wasn't as happy as I normally am and commented on it. She's super nice, and while I've tried to remember her name my entire way to work, I've blanked. I have several memories of staring at her name tag promising myself I'd remember her name, but alas, no name.

Anyways, as I was leaving, she said, "Have a good day, sweetie..." and I walked out the door. "Sweetie". A simple term of endearment, but it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. And I know it probably is just something that she always said, and to be honest, I heard her call the lady infront of me a sweetie as well, but... isn't everyone in the world just wanting to be special and loved by someone? Don't we all want to know we're important to someone? Isn't the need to be loved like a basic human need? If you don't get that, the whole structure of how your life will be lived is screwed up... There's millions of cases of people who turn to drugs or alcohol or sex or some other vice just because somewhere along the line, someone hurt them or failed to love them or stuff happened... I'm not going all 60s hippie on you and saying "all we need is love", although that John Lennon song in "Moulin Rouge" was awesome.... And I also know the whole topic of love and how "why can't we all just get along" has been butchered, but... I don't know.

All I know is stuff happens and today was one of those days that I needed to be a "sweetie" to someone and God bless her for blessing me.

yeah... she looks like she's smiling...

only the best cat ever... I miss her.

the first international convention of the bathroom-users

Normally, the bathroom for the floor where I work is empty. There was one time I was coming around the corner and just about steam-rolled this girl who was shorter than me coming out of the bathroom because she was going so fast... So, I know that people do use the bathroom. Well, anyways, today, I went and there was 3 people in there! This sounds less fascinating than it was for me, but there's only 3 stalls in the bathroom and I had to use the middle one! I don't like middle stalls.... feel surrounded.

Wow... I've reached a new level of bored. Well, I'm not really bored... I'm hungry. I didn't have breakfast this morning, and I have to wait until it's actually lunch-time to get my lunch because I'm meeting someone for lunch... So! It's like 30 minutes until I can eat. I think my stomach ate itself already. Which, I guess is a good thing, because then my stomach did eat something... just joking. Alright, back I go to work.

easy does it

"Easy Does It" was the bumper sticker on the lady's car infront of me that smashed into the guy infront of her this morning. Yup, a fender bender. A good one too, I think because she was trying to accelerate around this guy and then he stopped and she went right into him. I think she was looking back or something and didn't notice him stop. Took out her front headlight, but I don't think his vehicle suffered much damage at all... some kind of Jeep or SUV so she hit his bumper pretty much, while she hurt her car a lot more... I just thought it was funny because this lady was older, grey-haired, with "Easy Does It" stickered on her bumper and a CAA sticker and a War Amps sticker on her back windshield. At least she's got all her bases covered. The guy she hit though was probably early 30s with a long ponytail... Somebody will probably go off on how seniors shouldn't be allowed to drive and all that. I felt bad for her, because it's never fun to be in an accident... especially when it's your fault. So, let's think happy thoughts in her direction today, 'kay?

a place to hang my hat

Well, I was in an elevator today on my way up to where I work, and there were two men standing who had been waiting for them in the lobby and joined me on my ride, one guy about mid-40s to early-50s, and one that was elderly. The younger man was asking the older man what he was up to, and if he had his own office space in this building, and the older man said, "yeah I have a place to hang my hat." Humble, sort of, but I thought it was cool. I, one day, want a place to hang my hat... You know?? My own business. I know not everyone aspires to own their own business, or have their own office space, but I think I would like that... as of yet, I'm not going to say what kind of business or anything like that... but I would like a place to hang my hat.

giant flying beasts of wrath

For some reason, there's been moths coming into my apartment... Now the picture is of a giant moth, so you can appreciate the horror that I face everytime I see one. Okay, they're not that big, but they're big anyways. I've killed two, and Katie let two out the door... which I'm pretty sure they somehow got back in the house. I think they're coming through the window where the window-air-conditioner unit is because I discovered there was some space they could come through. So... I stuffed the spaces with towels, paper, receipts, and I would have done more except for it was past 1 am and I was tired. Right before that, I had been in my room getting ready for bed and then turned around to one sitting on my door like 3 feet away staring at me. So, I did the natural thing anyone would. I froze. And then grabbed the largest book I could find and squashed him. Rather disgusting, I must say, just like the one I killed two nights ago. But they were huge! Blech! So that's why I had a paranoid moment of stuffing any possible places they could come in. Blech!! So GROSS!! Anyways, I had to share it with someone so there you go.

BAH! Looking forward to drugs.

Well... today has been an interesting day... For those of you who don't know what I did to my knee in November of last year, I was jumping over a fence and tore my ACL, (anterior cruciate ligament), which caused me to fall to the ground, my knee swell up, and I was on crutches for two weeks, a brace for a lot longer, and a ton of pain. In January I was running across a parking lot and my foot slipped and my knee went out because of the ligament not being there and bones moved and again... crutches, brace... blah blah blah. SO! Yesterday, going down a waterslide with my niece Kelsey who was terrified of the waterslide, I got to the bottom and in an effort to keep her from going under, I tried to land directly on my feet. Well, we were going kind of fast for this and my knee went out... again. Many bones exchanged places in my knee for a second and it swelled and I was left in the pool with a 4-year old clinging to me while I tried not to let her or myself drown but I wanted to die because of the excruciating pain... Good times. So, I stayed in the pool with my nieces because I don't see them that often and because it was cool water that I guess kept the swelling down a bit, and the water took the weight off. However, getting out of the pool caused it to balloon like a pumpkin and I haven't been able to put weight on it since... So I'm back to crutches again and it's huge and painful. (I'm getting drugs tonight.... good ones!!) Well, that's my story.

It makes doing any normal chore the hardest thing in the world. And, because I'm using crutches, my sweater is rubbing against the sunburn on my shoulders... all in all, it's one of the days I wished I could stay home for. Yup... good times. I made a ton of noise in the bathroom while trying to get into the tiny stall because my crutches and myself seemed to hit every loud metal object in there. Best part was there was another lady in there so I hope she atleast cracked a smile.

What's the diagnosis on my knee?? I have an MRI scheduled for sometime in September and then we'll talk about knee surgery. Because it keeps happening in various degrees of seriousness, this being the 3rd really serious time it's gone out, I might have to get the surgery... but we'll see what happens... I'm so glad it's 40 million degrees outside too because I have to wear a long enough shirt to keep from flashing everyone while hobbling along on my crutches, but the only thing I had that's long is black so I try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. I'll keep ya posted.