I was driving the Suburban, with my brother in the passenger seat. I commented to him, "I like driving this Behemoth. I'm high up and I like it." Tyler replied, "I'm telling the parents that you said, 'I'm high ... and I like it.'" He never did tell them, but I laughed very hard.
August 2005 Archives
I went to bed at 11:30 last night and woke up at 11:00 this morning. It was so good. Here it is 1:30, and I've finished the only things I had to do today: Enrollment Clearance, yearbook photo (*shrug*), pick up planner. So now there's only an empty day to fill with relaxing and listening to NPR pieces online. :) Every day should be like this.
Here are a few interesting pieces I heard on the same day a week or so ago:
Balloon Incident Ends Ostrich Farmer's Career: All Things Considered, August 10, 2005 -- Melissa Block talks to Arizona Ostrich Rancher D.C. Cogburn about the day his ostriches stampeded several years ago, and the financial woes he's had ever since. He says a hot-air balloon so spooked the birds that they panicked; many were seriously injured. His loss to the balloonists in a civil lawsuit has led Cogburn to quit the business.
Ranchers Weigh Government's Role in a Crisis: Morning Edition, August 10, 2005 -- Andrea Seabrook visits cattle ranchers in Missouri coping with the mid-summer drought. These ranchers tend to resent federal government intrusion into their business, but they know they need its help now.
And there was one more Missouri-cattle reference I had heard that day; I had been listening to the news on TV while getting ready that morning, and there was some fair in St Louis which had a contest called "Cow & Owner Lookalike" or something. The first girl (about 12 years old) they interviewed did not seem clever at all, except for the concept: they were both dressed in baseball outfits (the cow had a baseball cap and a BIG jersey and his/her tail was made to look like a baseball bat) and the cow's name was Albert Moo-jols. When asked how she came up with the idea, she replied, "Well, not by myself. My mom helped me and we thought and stuff." Ah. The next contestant was a kid, about 9 years old, and his theme was Nascar. The cow had a hat or something, and a checkered flag on its tail. The news correspondent (who always looks rather foolish on these news stories, a la Bruce Almighty, pre the 'Almighty' was added) asked the boy if he thought he was going to win and he glumly replied, "No." The reporter sent a surprised and somewhat mocking glance at the camera, and moved along to the next little boy (not older than 4 years), whose theme was John Deere, the costuming consisting only of a John Deere cap for the cow and a John Deere cap for the boy. Asked if he believed he was going to win, the little boy screamed, "YEAH!" Triumph.
I'm back at Rhodes. I like my little room. Pictures later.
To do: bring up fridge, go to storage unit for shelves and dehumidifier (which this muggy room needs), go to Walmart, and finally, TAKE A FREAKIN SHOWER.
Ugh. It's NINETY NINE DEGREES OUT THERE (feels like 108). Oh, what? You wanted to know the humidity? 42%, while we're on the subject. It's supposed to thunderstorm tonight, so that'll be awesome.
UPDATE (Monday Night): my air conditioner wasn't working when I got here, but it is now, plus my two fans I bought at Walmart today. I'm very tired, so I think I'll go to sleep.
[Edit 8/14 12:22 AM] I am selling 2 things on ebay. Please go check them out. Thanks.
Yesterday Mom and I went to Lady Footlocker and bought me some new running shoes, so that I wouldn't get a blister every time I tried to wear my old crappy non-running shoes (Skechers). I ended up with New Balance 536's, which look sort of like this. They're so light, so when I was running on the treadmill today, I knew that most of the work I was doing was lifting the weight of my legs, not lifting the weight of my legs plus my shoes. And they didn't blister me.
This, I think, will be a pretty happy (but busy) weekend. I have a dermatologist's appointment tomorrow, and I also need to buy some new clothes before I go to school. If we go to the mall in Fairview Heights that has a Weathervane, it'll be easy to find pants that fit, and I just need shirts that are long enough to cover my beautiful midriff. I should probably go through my closet and see what is most desperate.
I bought the supplies to sew my and Drew's pajamas, so I want to get those done if I can. Sewing is pretty relaxing -- that'll be nice.
I also want to record some of the shows that I have Tivo'd onto a tape (if it'll let me) so that I can watch them at school. I guess I'll try to set that up tomorrow night or one night this week. Also this week, I'll need to do some laundry and start boxing a few things up before the big moveout on Sunday the 21st.
When I get a few spare moments, remind me to tell you about the Missouri cow stories. And the ostrich farm guy. And the tractor guy. Life is so funny and so sad.
I went to visit Drew in Indiana this weekend. It was a very short visit, and I had to leave earlier than I had planned, because Drew's poor dad was having trouble with kidney stones, even after they had tried to break them up with surgery. He was in extreme pain, and that sucks. I remember how unhappy I was with just poison ivy, and that doesn't even hurt. But I enjoy spending time with Drew so I'm glad that I got to do some of that: bowling, air hockey, watching movies, eating. He is a very good boy.
Two weeks from today I go back to school, which makes me realize how much I have left to do before then. I've kept a list this summer of things to accomplish.. the thing that has been on there for THREE MONTHS now is to redesign, already. The design is basically done, but it's just all the little touches that I am procrastinating about.
I also wanted to write 10 poems this summer, and I have written one crappy one, and half a good one, and I have an idea for a good one, and an image for what'll probably be a crappy one.. so that might turn out to be about 3 or 3.5.
I have wanted to write Our Lady Peace a letter to tell them about how much I appreciate their music, ever since I dreamed in June that they broke up.
I wanted to buy or sew new curtains for my room since I have had this set for probably ten years. I also wanted to sew Drew some pajama pants, but I don't really know his size, nor can I sew extremely well. So he'd probably end up with one shabby pair of PJ bottoms.
I also have just normal things to do, like get a haircut, buy a few new pairs of pants (I actually SPLIT a pair of pants while on vacation -- I've gained 5 lbs in three weeks -- I'm going back to working out tomorrow -- going to try out this), get a dermatology appointment with someone in Memphis, things like that.
There were also the ideas I had for myself in the beginning of May, right after I finished my last final. Let's see how I did. Italics means accomplished, stricken out means not.
"I have goals for this summer (which will have to commence AFTER I unwind for a couple days): work out like nobody's business [ish], earn money and save it [pretty well], buy some new underwear [one new pair, so far], learn some Portuguese, and see Drew as many times as I can [three]."
Four out of five ain't bad. (Bonus points for earning over a hundred dollars profit on the Amazon books sold endeavor.)
I had almost forgotten the joy of going downtown to see a baseball game before last night. Almost. It was definitely fun, though. I got two jumbo hot dogs and couldn't finish the second one, so I unloaded that onto my dad, and then when my ice cream soupwich proved (yet again) too much for me, it was he who reaped the melty leftovers. Mom, Dad, and I (and the whole stadium) booed zealously at the Marlins' pitching when they tried to take out our guys, but we also admired Dontrell Willis, if only for his sheer bendiness.
I shouted "To the rescue" when John Gall hit the ball into right field and pushed in two runs (his first and only two in the major leagues, I think). I think Edmonds did something, too, but I was so happy for Gall. My parents were all naysaying him and I was just hoping he would do something impressive, and he did.
Later on, when they were switching pitchers, Ernie Hayes busted out some weird elevator (or alligator) music, to which my mom commented, "All you need now is a margarita and a cigarette" ... So I made up a little song:
We're chillin' in an alligator *arm chomp movement*
and it's really crowded in here.
And we need a margarita
before the gator eats us..
And the Cardinals won, and it was a good time.
