Free As A Bird


Today was the last day of my online class and I gotta tell ya'....it's like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders! Since that all-nighter I pulled the other day, I told myself that I would NOT stress out over the final paper. I did more than my share of the project and feel pretty damn good about the content quality. My partner claimed that she's been having technical difficulties. Any other day, I would be the first to sympathize, but when there is a deadline looming above our heads, hmmm, I don't know. I took it as the opportunity to "take one for the team" and suck it up and just do the damn thing myself. I always tend to bitch when I do things like this because it seems like a curse that will forever haunt me as long as I'm in this program. Nevertheless, she redeemed herself with a good conclusion. Not as kick-ass as I hoped, but it'll do. I've got myself a mini three-week break until the next class. Got lots of things on my plate, but for the next couple of days, I just wanna chill.


Like Twins


I was talking to my sister the other day. Whenever we get on the phone, we spend a good deal catching up on each other's week with updates about the family, the kids, the weather, etc. From there, we usually tend to go off on tangents about everything and nothing. One of the recent things we discussed was hobbies. I started my spiel about how I've been wanting to get into photography. Not as in being camera happy all the time, but to really develop an eye and capture great shots. I shared that I'm not a huge fan of digital cameras. Horrors, I know. I mean, they're great because you get instant results and I do love the fact that they can be downloaded on the computer in a flash. But I like to have developed pictures. I like the feel of the real deal. Perhaps it's 'cuz I'm not as computer savvy and on top of that, I don't have the patience to sit in front of the screen to try and manipulate the size, coloring, and all that other stuff. A couple of weeks ago, I bought some black and white film to experiment. I took a lot of outdoor shots, which by the way is ironic seeing that the great changing of the leaves thang is going on and black and white pics won't do them justice. I have yet to get them developed and to see if there's any hope that this may be something new to pursue.


So I'm telling my sis all of this and there's a pause. She told me that I was either weird or eerie, I can't remember which. Then she starts to explain that about six months ago, she started looking into classes at the local community college...for photography! We hadn't talked about this prior so I didn't even know she had any interest in it at all. How funny! People may think it's all a coincidence, but I'm set on the theory that as sisters, we're just so linked together. Some have mistaken us for twins in the past (really? you're NOT twins? and you're 7 years older?!), and yes, we do have similar likes and dislikes, but it's times like this that validates that theory even more for me. Going on a tangent really quick... when my sister was in college, she tore a knee ligament while playing volleyball and had to have surgery. I was in high school at the time, but I vividly recall that on the day of her surgery, I was feeling major pain in my left knee. Coincidence that it was my sister's left knee that was being operated on? It's been referred to as sympathy pains, but why, eh? Again the theory makes sense here. We're connected. We'll forever be connected and honestly, I'm cool with that.

Freakin' All-nighter


I honestly didn't think I was capable of these anymore. Staying up until the break of dawn and being stuck in a "zone." I went to bed at 7:30am this morning. I probably could've kept going like the Energizer bunny had I not noticed the light coming through the blinds. I got up to open the blinds and just like that, the exhaustion washed over me. As if on cue, my eyes suddenly lost their power to stay open, my head began to ache, and my heart was pounding on overdrive. Plus, I always know when I've been up too late when my stomach starts hurting as if to tell me, "Okay, time to hit the sack. You will begin de-energizing in zero minus five minutes." And if I'm lucky, I could go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and wash my face before I end up collapsing next to my snoring hubby. On the real, I can't be doing sh*t like this at my age. Let's face it, I'm not as young as I was before and pulling a stunt like this just screws up any chance of developing a healthy regimen and sleeping routine. I'm so screwed.


My final paper is due tomorrow at midnight. The gal that I'm working with is in CA, so yes, it gives me an extra two hours to make our paper bomb-diggidy. I have to say though, that I put partial blame on her for my staying up late last night and into the morning. I've been trying to get this assignment started since last week and she's been no help. I take the initiative, but only up to the point of not being overly controlling. I hate people like that. I wanted to make this assignment what it was- a partner project. In any case, we only decided our topic, Bilingual Education, last night and so I spent the rest of my time researching information. I came across this website that featured a book that looked vaguely familiar. It took a minute to click in my head that I had that very book! I found it and thank goodness 'cuz it had the exact info that I was looking for.


While I was scanning the pages, it turned out to be quite an interesting read. The idea of bilingualism in the United States has a fascinating history. Contrary to popular belief, bilingual education isn't an invention of the Civil Rights era. In fact, it dates all the way back to the late seventeenth century. Of course when you think about all the immigrants coming from Europe into the New World, it makes sense. Then you've got your period of turmoil as the building of the country took place followed by the rebuilding from the result of war. Add to that the push to "Americanize" language minority students and the stab of discrimination of non-AngloSaxon people and well, you've got yourself quite the cocktail and the primary reason why puti people so sucked back then and still continue to suck today.


Needless to say, I've learned quite a lot during my early morning "nerding session" as Rycegirlie would say. It reminded me of the Asian American Studies classes I took at State and to relearn all this history now, for some reason, resonates with me even more. It's all about perspective and seeing it through older and wiser eyes. In any case, I'm confident the paper will be kick-ass, but not without the stress of finding the right words to make it so. Wish me luck ya'll...just one more day.

They're Baaaaaack!


New Edition. Yah, you read correctly- NEW EDITION! I happened to catch the ending of the Steve Harvey show and it took me a second to realize that these bruthas dancing around in matching suits were indeed them. Of course, no Bobby Brown was in sight and the Bivins brother was home sick. But their voices and their moves were an awesome flashback, it's like they got better with age, and what makes it even better is that they're back.


Their album, "Buy It or Die," comes out November 9th. Don't know about you, but I think this would definitely make a good addition to any cd collection.


Quick jump to Charmed episode that's on...they just found a witch in The Mission. Ha, I thought that was funny!

Waste of Time

We decided last minute to go watch a movie tonight. Because it's been such a stressful week in terms of work, school, and whatnot, we weren't particularly in the mood for any serious drama. I've been wanting to watch "Taxi" 'cuz it just looks damn funny, but it wasn't showing at the theater near our place. 'Twas a toss up between "Surviving Christmas" or "Team America: World Police." We went with the latter.


Now, we'd been curious as how the whole puppet thing would work out. The puppets, the string...it almost seemed worth it to spend six bucks to see it. Wrong. Within the first five minutes, you start to hear the curse words. And boy oh boy, do they curse up a storm! I somehow forgot that the film was done by the creators of "South Park." Back in da day when I was in college, it was THE thing to watch. It was crude, it was sick, it was twisted, and it was everything that appealed to the crude, sick, and twisted minds of us college folk back then. Honestly, everything seemed funnier when all the filthiness was bleeped out. Watching it tonight was tough on the ears. I don't know what it was...was it because it was on the big screen? Was it because there were some young'uns in the theater? I think what it comes down to is that we're sitting there watching a movie with puppets and when I think of puppets, I think of little kids. Well this movie was definitely, 100% inappropriate for kids! It did have its moments, we chuckled, we laughed and guffawed here and there, but mostly hubby and I were more like, "Dayamn!" or "Ewwww!" or "They did NOT just show that!" or "I can't believe they just said that."


The movie was weak. For us, anyways. I'm sure there are rave reviews from "South Park" followers, but y'know, we're over it. I will say one last thing though. If you've been hearing all the hoopla about the sex scenes that made it an R-rated movie and wondering just what's so bad about it....go see it for yourself. I see the producer's point about them being puppets and all, but still. I'd almost say think Kama Sutra, but it's leaning more towards the porn side. Also, there is one majorly gross scene that many of you, in your stupid college or post-college years, may have experienced. For me, it just takes one word "Miyakes." That's all I gotta say about that.


Needless to say, hubby and I felt cheated out of a good movie night. When we got home, we felt a sudden need to salvage what was left of the Friday night movie experience. We popped in "Alladin" and it worked. This definitely makes my top three faves of Disney movies. It's just so romantic and sweet and never fails to leave you with that good feeling when it's done. Movie night wasn't a waste after all!


*Have a good weekend ya'll! Oh, and if you're going to make it a movie night, choose wisely. Much love...*

Flashback


October 17, 1989. The weather was unusually dry that day. Too dry for San Francisco. It was always such a bitch to wear the damned wool uniform skirt on days like these. VirgoCapri, Mish, CC, and I were headed to 6th period Geometry with Mr. Frezzo. As we headed into the coolness of Herbst Hall, I vividly recall the exact words that came out of my mouth "..this is earthquake weather."


Aside from the heat, the day was like no other.


I don't remember the bus ride home from school that day. I don't remember changing out of my uniform or getting a drink of milk. I do remember heading downstairs to the basement of the house to play "Dark Castle" on our MAC computer. The computer sat on top of the liquor bar and I situated myself on one of those bar stools, the same ones that we used to lie on our tummies on and spin around and around endlessly until you felt like throwing up when we were kids. Haha, simple pleasures. Anyways, everyone in our family always flocked to the basement on warm days because the temperature was just comfortably cooler. In fact, of the thirteen steps it takes to go downstairs from the top floor, you feel the shift in temperature at about the seventh or eighth step down. Sitting in the stairwell could often bring relief to those hot Indian summers.


I remember hearing the garage rumble open. Dad was home. He always came home through the garage. I didn't even have to look at the time because Pops came home around the same time everyday: 5pm-ish. I'm assuming that we exchanged our hellos and while I continued my quest to retrieve the elixir of life, my Dad continued upstairs to get dinner started. Approximately five minutes later, it happened.


Through the many earthquakes I've experienced and no matter how small they were, they never failed to leave my heart pounding afterwards. Aside from the actual shaking, it's the sounds that scare me. As an earthquake begins, you hear this deep rumbling sound and you're not sure, at first, where it's coming from. Then, you start to feel the ground below you move and it almost reminds you of that rickety bridge you have to walk across on playgrounds. And while the reality of what's going on has yet to hit, you're standing still, perhaps frozen in fear, watching everything around you move to and fro. Usually, many don't realize it was an earthquake until it's over. Many times, it'd last but a second or two. Some miss them it altogether.


I remember the view from my stool. We have this huge bookcase downstairs that is filled with picture frames, vases, trophies, and plants...all of which were losing its place. The leaves of my mom's plants were trembling just as my knees started to shake. I thought to myself, "Okay, it should be over any second now." But it didn't stop. All of a sudden, I heard my Dad calling my name. His voice sounded urgent and panicked. I've never heard his sound so scared before. Whatever happened to that unspoken rule about not panicking front of the kids?! I figured that I had to get myself upstairs and man, that was an obstacle in itself. Thank goodness for the handrail because I don't know how I ever made it upstairs. I was being knocked right and left and could have easily lost my balance. When I finally reached the kitchen, the manner in which I found my Dad is something that we can all laugh about now, but at the time, my dad was bracing the counters so tight that I'd probably be able to see the white of his knuckles. After about another few seconds, the shaking stopped. Immediately after, it seemed like the whole neighborhood came out to check up on each other. Perhaps it felt safer to be outside with others than to be alone inside. My dad and I surveyed the damage around the house. Nothing major. Lots of fallen items. The huge mirror above the piano fell, but miraculously held on by the other hook. The weight of it left a dent mark in the wall that's still there today.


My sister didn't come home and spent the night at UC Berkeley. My uncle, who happened to be on the Bay Bridge, had to turn around and stay at our house to calm his nerves. He wasn't too far from where the section fell. My mom who was waiting at the BART station said she literally saw the streets roll like waves. We lost power and throughout the night, we endured endless tremors of aftershocks. I wouldn't get any sleep that night because as each aftershock came, I'd either bolt upright in bed and debate in my head whether or not to head for the door or just freeze with the covers over my head praying that it'd be over quickly.


A 7.1 earthquake rocked da Bay. The World Series between the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants was interrupted. The Marina District was up in flames and I could clearly see the rising smoke from my bedroom window. A section of the Bay Bridge collapsed and much to everyone's horror, two freeways buckled instantly killing and trapping people in their cars as they headed home to their loved ones. All this in a matter of fifteen seconds.


Even though it's been 15 years, I always take the time to remember the events that took place on that fateful day. It'll be a day that I'll remember for the rest of my life.

Latest Complaints


- It's started. The cold weather. The time has come where we have to bust out our gear and prepare our bodies the best that we can for the literally bone numbing, bone chilling season these people here call winter. Recall the comment I made about the wind being crisper? About the definite change in temperature? Well my friends, that crisp wind has suddenly transformed into the razor sharp blade of a knife that not only cuts you as it passes, but takes deep stabs repeatedly to make you gasp for air. Okay...a bit of an exaggeration. Still, my fingers are feeling almost arthritic, too cold and too stiff to even type. I've even gone to bed wearing socks. I NEVER wear socks when I sleep! As I type this, I am covered head to toe- sweatpants, sweatshirt with a hood, socks, and a fleece throw around my shoulders. In his office, hubby is resigned to his boxers, er, um, shorts and a t-shirt...(aw c'mon...ain't no one here but us!). It's not fair that he has such a hot-bodied temp while I'm over here freezing my ass off.


On my way to the grocery store today, tiny pieces of ice were falling from the sky, only to melt as they made contact with anything concrete. Yes peoples, 'tis the first sign of snow! Although it's been in the mid-30's (BRRRRRR!), it's not cold enough for any falling snow to stick just yet. Hahaha, look at me sounding all knowledgable about the weather here in MN! HA!


- I don't know what came over us yesterday, but hubby and I decided to hit the Mall of America. On a weekend. On a busy, overly crowded, bumping shoulder to shoulder to prevent the masses with kids in tow, crazy shop-filled weekend. We tend to get this claustrophobic feeling whenever we get into these crazy crowds of people and yesterday was no different. It really messed up the shopping vibe that we had on the way there. Well, though we left early, all was not totally lost. Hubby got some new kicks for the winter time...we had a YUM dinner at Stampede Steakhouse...and we got to see Pikachu perform live onstage with other Pokemon characters. By the way, all of the above mentioned are true EXCEPT for one! Lol!


- I'm itching for my current online class to be over. It's not so much the content of the class that bothers me, it's the people. Know how there are always a select few who dominate class discussion? And y'know how these online courses require that we work in teams? Well lucky me happened to be put in the team with all three madaldal, neverending, won't shut their mouths for a second classmates. Even though I can't "hear" them, they make themselves heard loud and clear. And I'm about done with them.


On a Brighter Note...


MnM has been searching the want ads for quite some time now. Without the proper certification, it's been quite the obstacle to find a job that I'm actually qualified for. As far as teaching jobs, I've basically concluded that they are out of my reach in the meantime. So, I've decided to go elsewhere...unfortunately Barnes & Nobles and Borders passed me up. Hmph. Their loss. I would've made a good book shelver- lol! Eh, I guess it wouldn't have been so conducive 'cuz I'd be constantly tempted to read on the job!


I saw an ad in the paper for Lakeshore Learning Center. It's a teacher resource store. It's one of the stores that I'd probably frequent often had I been in the classroom now. I figure that this may be the closest thing I get to being near a classroom. Anyways, there's a brand new store opening and I went down to apply. I was basically interviewed on the spot. The store manager just moved from the L.A. area and so we talked California stuff for a bit. So we're talking and talking, and then she takes me to the side with a folder with paperwork to fill out. She starts explaining what each form is and I'm taken aback. I had to ask, "Um, so filling out this paperwork means that I'm hired?" And she says yes.


I'm happy, I'm cool. I mean, I'm definitely not in it for the money 'cuz egads, it's almost embarrassing how much I make. But it'll give me something to do besides sit around the house, tinker with the laptop, and try to do my homework. The extra money will come in handy though.


*Btw: hubby is back from his trip from the East Coast. I have to say that the apartment was lonely and that it's nice to have him back. 'Twas sweet that he came back with some pasalubong of some University of Maryland sweatshirts, or as hubby would say, the "real U. of M." (not University of Minnesota). Thanks for the gift, hubby- glad you're back 'cuz I missed ya'!

Thought of the Day


Here's something that touched my heart today and yes, it did bring tears to my eyes. VirgoCapri sent this to me and I thought I'd share it here. Much love ya'll and God's blessings always...


THE BRICK


A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door!


He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and
pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"


The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister..please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."


With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell
out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."


Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay..


"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side
door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message, "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"


God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.


Thought for the Day:
If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning.
Face it, friend - He is crazy about you!


God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.

Minehaha State Park


On Saturday, hubby and I decided to venture out to look for a good place to take some pictures of the changing leaves of fall. Last year, we didn't have time to enjoy the reds, oranges, and yellows because honestly, it seemed like it was all over in a few weeks. Winter came early and fall was officially done.


The trees outside our apartment complex are beautiful and yellow that are almost too bright. The wind is crisper and there is a definite change in temperature. The nights are getting chilly and before we know it, the snow will start to fall. But before all of that, we're determined to see the rainbow of colors that fall has to offer. In the news each night, there is a "Leaf Update" that tells what the percentage of change that's taking place. Up in the northern part of MN, it's at about 75-90%. Here in the Twin Cities, it's 50-75%.


I've always wanted to go to Minehaha Falls ever since Ibalik mentioned it. Last winter, he took a dope black and white pic of the waterfalls in its frozen state. As we were driving in the Minneapolis vicinity, we chanced upon the State Park by accident. The first area that we parked at turned out to be the dog park. After finding a map of the park, we drove a little bit more further and saw a wedding party. We figured that they were probably on their way to take pics near the waterfall, so we parked and ventured forth.


We heard the distant sound of water trickling and sure enough, we found the falls. In order to get to it, you had to take some stairs down. On the way down, we were passing trees with different colors and it was really a sight to see. I started clicking away with my camera hoping that I'd somehow capture the leaves in just the perfect light. The waterfall was pretty in itself. The surroundings reminded me of Golden Gate Park and of course, the famous waterfall that the once Get-Along-Gang had searched for during a day of gallivanting and ditching school. We took more pics and then proceeded to walk around a bit. It's a nice park and now that we know where it is, we plan on returning again in a couple of weeks and again in the winter time. Pics to come later.

Flying Solo

Well, hubby is off on a business trip once again. It's so funny that every time he's gone somewhere without me, it seems that he runs into some celebrity of some kind. There was Felipe Alou of the SF Giants, who hubby got the pleasure of talking to and getting a pic with; then came all-time fave Brian McKnight, whose hand hubby got to shake and who inspired him to write a song; and just today, this morning at the Chicago airport, hubby saw Mr. Porn guy himself, Ron Jeremy. Now there was no interaction of any kind, but the fact that he saw him pass by and the fact that other people were snickering and pointing is hilarious that I wished I was there to see with my own eyes. In any case, I would never have known who this Ron Jeremy was if it wasn't for the fact that he was on The Surreal Life. Lol!


Hubby's flight was at 7am this morning. 'Course we were supposed to be at the airport two hours prior, but because of last minute packing and such, we got there in time to see the endless crowds of people. Where the heck is the entire state of MN going at this time? After line after line, hubby got his ticket and was able to get through security gate with about fifteen minutes to spare. I always tease hubby that whenever he goes on business trips that "I'm left all by my lonesome in the state of Minnesota." Boo, how pathetic, eh? While I'm missing hubby, I'll keep myself busy with all the schoolwork I've got. Plus, there's Dawson's Creek Season 4 to keep up with, too! =)


Picture Perfect


On the way to the airport, I couldn't help but notice the night sky. It was unbelievably clear and the stars were visible by the thousands, if not millions. If I could point out constellations other than the Big Dipper and Orion, I'm sure I would've been able to. Driving back home, the night sky was slowly disappearing before my very eyes. I couldn't help staring at the silhouetted outline of the trees against the brilliant blue. As the sun began to rise, the orange added beautiful hues to make for a perfect picture. Before I drove into the driveway of the complex parking lot, I thought to myself that if I saw some deer that it would've been the missing piece to the already almost perfect sunrise. Sure enough, I had to slow my roll because directly in front of me were three deer. One had just wandered into the brush and the other two stood frozen in my path. For about ten seconds, I was able to experience this almost magical moment. As the deer gracefully made its exit into the jungle of tall grasses of the preserve, I felt suddenly blessed to have witnessed such a wonderful sight amid the coming of the day. It was, indeed, a perfect sunrise.

Can't...Think

I have been working on this current assignment for the past couple of days now. I was so stoked that I actually got the ball rolling early 'cuz honestly, the whole procrastination things stinks.


It's due tomorrow. At midnight. I'm only halfway done. I've stumbled upon a roadblock, a mind block, a writer's block, a freakin' whatever block that is keeping me from finishing up.


I even tried to psyche myself out this morning and told myself that it was due today. To think if it was due today, I'd already be an hour late overdue.


I'm determined to get it done before I go to bed. A rough draft even. I'll be happy with that. Chances are by the time I look it over again in the morning, all I'll have to worry about are minor revisions and such.


I should step away from the laptop for a bit, but I know if I do, I'll end up watching TV and getting sucked in for the rest of the evening. It doesn't help that I'm getting tired. I can't think. At this point, I've strictly no opinions on whether this case or that was justified. Arrrgh.


The detour must end. I must...finish.....this....tonight....

Catching Up


Here's a quick rundown of the things I've been up to...


UOP: started up another class (see previous post below) and have been a busy bee with reading and doing research. Instead of visions of sugar plums dancing in my head, I've got all these court cases randomly popping up and meshing to create a singular nonsensical case in my mind. It's been an interesting ride so far. I'm not a usual follower of "Law and Order" (although I did watch "Jag" and "The Practice" for a bit) and so a lot of the terminology is new to me. You'd swear after watching "Ally McBeal" religiously that I would've internalized some of something! I guess the dancing baby and the sudden bursts into song distracted me. Lol! Man oh man, I can't wait until that comes out of DVD!


WB: yes, I am a WB freak. Hubby and I are a WB family. Although we do watch other stuff (in fact, we probably watch too much of everything!), the WB has got us tuned in almost every night. Plus, they just got, in my opinion, the best of the best music out right now.


Sunday: Charmed, Jack and Bobby
Monday: 7th Heaven, Everwood
Tuesday: Gilmore Girls, One Tree Hill
Wednesday: Smallville, The Mountain
Thursday: Survivor, ER (non-WB night)


Honestly, I can get by with only watching on Tues. and Wed. (Gilmore Girls and Smallville are a MUST!), but I've been seriously hooked to these new shows. Even though I'm only tuning into Charmed recently again, not only do I love the fact that it's set in da City, but it's just so cool to see some girls kick ass! (I am woman, hear me roar! Lol!)


7th Heaven, well, there's a show that is constantly making me cry over something.


Survivor: Vanuatu...I have to admit, this is something I've never indulged in. Sure, I always hear about who got kicked off, all the alliances formed and broken, and all the backstabbing and strategy involved, etc, but Thursdays were usually set aside for dance practice. Survivor: Vanuatu is cool. It's got that girl-guy competition going and for the first couple tasks, the girls were victorious! On the real? I would NEVER do anything like that, subject myself to those kinds of conditions....not even for money. Know why? Because the first mission would be to get off the boat and swim to the island in sight and well, MnM can't swim for jack...plus, does anyone really know for sure how well those lil' lifesaver thingys survive in ocean-ocean water? Hmmm...I didn't think so. And no toilet tissue? Eating bugs? You've GOT to be kidding me!!! As if...


Gilmore Girls- love the daughter-mother banter. Smallville- c'mon...man of steel? Following the young life of Clark Kent and how he deals with his newfound powers while dealing with his raging hormones for Ms. Lana Lang....just thank goodness there are no red tights involved! btw: I'm so not feeling Lois Lane. Just how old is she supposed to be anyways??? She irritates me. She's gotta go.


If anything, I would highly recommend watching Jack and Bobby. The premise is that one will later become president of the United States. Jack and Bobby...but not as in the Kennedy brothers. Sure, the other WB shows may be geared to the bubblegum high school crowd, but like that really stops me from watching 'em. But this show is intelligent and worth watching. Try it. I bet you'll dig it.


Barbershop101: gave, wait, tried to give hubby a nice fade. If ya'll remember, I did a mediocre job last time. 'Twas nerves, I tell you. Not bad, halfway decent, but far from perfect. Well, it was time for yet another attempt. Hubby said, "If it doesn't work out, we'll just shave it all off. I mean, I don't want to shave it all off, but yah, that's what we'll do."


Well....hubby has been bald for the past week now. I didn't mean to mess up! Aiya! Although it seemed that he caught a cold hella fast without any hair to protect his head, it was a good excuse for him to start wearing hats again without the fear and annoyance of "hat hair." So if ya'll can imagine...hubby with no hair, sporting a goatee to make him look all hard. Oh yah baby! lol! Bald is sexy!


Texas Hold 'Em: still hooked onto the computer game. Found the option to change the default names of the players. Decided to put some familiar names in there to make the competition more interesting. Let's see...I've got hubby, the Lapids, Voodoo, the Weekender, Keyopes, the future Mrs. Gee, RhoRho, J, and myself. It's funny how easy it is to get pissed off at another player for winning a hand. I'd be yelling at the laptop, "Freakin' J, man! Stop raising and let me win already! What a punk!" Lol! (hey J, it's all love, homie!) Like I said, it makes the game a bit more interesting...and I'll keep pretending that I really know what I'm doing. =)


Shout-Outs


-Belated birthday shout-out goes to Mister J who celebrated his 31st on the 1st! Hope you had a blast! Looking forward to seeing you at Voodoo's wedding!


-Among my family and friends, there are a total of 22 birthdays being celebrated this month! Sheesh, October sure is busy....or should I say, that winter month of February sure is busy...Lol!


-A quick THANKS to my hubby for getting me "Dawson's Creek: Season 4" today. Whoo hoo! Yes, I am such a Dawson's nerd and such a happy camper! Other purchases at Best Buy today: Alladin anniversary edition, Shawshank Redemption special edition, Deep Impact special edition (what's up with all these special eds???), and of course for hubby, ESPN 2K5 PS2 game. Whew...that should keep us busy, eh???


Last, but not least

Hubby and I went to the dentist yesterday. Ugh. I'm so traumatized that I can't even blog about it right now! I'm trying to block all of the ugliness out of my mind. Lol! But as I was waiting, I was chatting with one of the dental assistants. We were talking about the weather, which btw, is quickly dropping into the low 30's at night! This is the start people, the beginning of the cold ass weather that is going to descend upon the lovely Twin Cities.


So the assistant mentioned that it must be a Minnesota thing....complaining about the weather, that is. To back up that claim, I even read in a "How to talk Minnesotan" book at Borders that yes, indeed, Minnesotans always always always talk about the weather. (Yes, can you believe such a book exist??? Seriously thinking of adding that to my library collection...) Now this ain't saying that I've become one of them (I REFUSE!), but in my mind, complaining about the weather is totally valid for someone like me who has not adjusted at all to this "all four seasons" crap.


It's getting mighty chilly during the night. They say that since we had such a warm summer, we might be looking at a long, cold winter. Long. Cold. Winter. Shiiiieeet.