The concert!!!

I'll admit that I was a little concerned going into this concert because I had built it up so much in my mind. I didn't want it to suck because my expectations were too high. I am pleased to announce, however, that despite my enormously high expectations, they were completely exceeded! Let me start at the beginning and I'll tell you the tale of possibly the greatest night of my life. I don't have a husband or little ones, so I can say that and be pretty sure that it's accurate. Kinda sad, but oh well.

Lorri and I decided that since it was such a special night, we would really live it up and go to dinner at the Sizzler. Kidding. Not about the Sizzler plans, though-we're both poverty stricken and she keeps getting gift certificates for there because the restaurant where she works is owned by the same peeps. Anywho . . . the line was too long there and everywhere else good, so we ended up at Training Table. Not to imply that the Training Table isn't good, but let's be honest . . . it's not that great. Their cheese fries and dipping sauce actually are quite good though. Because the restaurant is right by the E-Center, it was packed with groups of late 20's and 30-something women dressed in their finest 80's garb and NKOTB shirts. This did not please Lorri. She's far too good for anything like that. I'm not too good for it, I'm just physically incapable of showing that much enthusiasm.


So after consuming much greasiness, we headed over to the concert and took the obligatory, always slightly off-center self-shot.


We also ran into our friend Ginny who had far better seats than us, but don't worry-I'm not that bitter. Please ignore the double chin.


Then the show started. Lady Gaga was the opening-opening act and we would have taken a picture of her, but we were too baffled. We just kept staring at her trying to figure out what the crap she was wearing/singing/doing. Natasha Bedingfield was the opening act and she was much better. We at least knew some of her songs. Plus she has an awesome voice and wasn't wearing a weird leotard like Ms. Gaga.


Then the wait for the actual reason for attending the concert began. It wasn't very long, plus they had this cool thing where you could text in a message to be entered for a drawing, and what you texted would appear on the big screens on the front. There was all sorts of stuff texted in, mostly about not being jailbait anymore, how peoples moms wouldn't let them go to the concerts before, and a great one about how the New Kids are in Utah now, so they can have more than one wife.

Then . . . THEN . . . the fun really began! Along with massive amounts of deafening shrieking and screaming. (It probably would not surprise you to learn that both Lorri and I at different points in the evening, were ready to beat down a couple of girls.) The guys looked great and happily, no one was sporting a rattail. Our seats were on the second row off the floor, but they were a little further back so we were at an angle.


Hey look, there's Danny on the screen! He and Jon were pretty much in the background the whole time except at one point when Danny did some sweet break dancing. Remember back when the reunion was announced and I blogged about how Danny looks like a pedophile? Well I take it back. He is no longer Creepy Danny. I'm back to enjoying him.


At one point they moved to a mini-stage in the middle of the arena, so we got a much better view. Look, there's Jon! I can call him Jon instead of Jonathan 'cause we're tight like that. Random association, but remember in the first couple of episodes of Arrested Development, how Buster would have panic attacks and needed oxygen? I wonder if Jon feels like that before every show.


Look at Danny's arms in this one . . . he's still totally buff.


That's Donnie sporting the receding-hairline-covering red baseball cap below. I was never a Donnie fan back in the day, but oh my, I certainly am now! He looked awesome and was really good about playing to the crowd. There were, however, a couple of close-up crotch-grabbing moments where I couldn't help thinking "Dude, how old are you? Are you seriously still doing that?" Oh, and speaking of old guys trying to be all sexified, Jordan had a little solo moment and did the open shirt blowing in the breeze thing. I'll be the first to admit, he looked pretty darn good, but it just seemed a little awkward. I think there's a clip of it on YouTube. I'll post it later. Jordan and Danny were my two favorites way back when and I think I may possibly be over Jordan. Lorri and Erin can fight it out to see who gets him. He just looks like he's had a few too many run-ins with cocaine and strippers.


Here's where they slowed it down a little and Joey wore a gay scarf. (Disclaimer: when I say a gay scarf, I mean nothing derogatory or negative by it. I simply mean that it was a scarf that I could picture Perez Hilton or Steven Cojocaru wearing. Or maybe Elton John.) I was kinda distracted by said scarf. It was weird. Earlier in the evening when he did his little solo thing he also wore a gay shirt. It was black and foil-y gold. It's possible that my grandma owns something similar. If you click on the picture below to make it bigger, you can kinda see the scarf. Joey is the second from the right.


I had another picture to post, but for the moment, it is no more. As I said, Ginny had better seats than we did, and David Archuleta (Go David Cook!) was sitting nearby. Why he was at a NKOTB concert, I don't know, but Ginny took a picture and texted it to me, but I've texted too much since then and it has been deleted. So . . . if I can get her to forward it to me again, I'll post it. If not, it's o.k. 'cause I'm not a fan of little Archie. I know, I'm Mormon so I should like him, right? Well I can't. I'm sorry. Call me a cold-hearted biotch, but he annoyed the crap out of me. I'm sure he is very sweet in person, but I don't really care to find out.

So, in summary, the concert was awesome, Lady Gaga is weird, Danny is no longer creepy, Donnie's the shiz and Jordan, while still hot, has aged more than the rest.

so very, very good

I need to sleep now, but I'll just say that the concert was awesome. More details to come, but here's a little teaser . . . the evening involved a gay scarf/neckerchief, much crotch grabbing and David Archuleta.

laziness be darned!

I just posted a new recipe. We usually make this at Christmas, along with ham dip, which if I remember, I will post the recipe for next.

****UPDATED WITH RECIPE****

A Ball Made of Cheese

16 oz. cream cheese
4 oz. bleu cheese, crumbled
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c. onions, minced
1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Bring cheeses to room temperature. Blend with onion and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and chill for 8 hours. Shape mixture as desired and chill for another 2 hours. Makes 2 small balls*. If you feel the need to ruin your chez balls, you can coat them with nuts. I don't believe in nuts.


*If you're a fan of The Office, insert appropriate Michael joke here.

It's the big day!

The concert is tonight and I am literally counting down the hours. As each hour goes by, I seriously think to myself "OMG*! Only __ more hours to go!" And then I may possibly shriek a little bit. Just a little bit though. And if my shrieking is ever brought up in the future, I will deny it and make you feel stupid when I ask you in an extremely snotty voice if I seem like the kind of person who shows enthusiasm like that. And then, when you realize the only possible answer to that question is no, you will want to shrivel up and die. That's why you should never, ever even hint at the possibility of me shrieking like an over-enthused Jonas Brothers fan.



*Yes, I do think in abbreviations. On many occasions I find myself snickering and muttering LOL.

new music

In order to stop Emily from harassing me, I updated the songs on my playlist. I will forewarn you, though . . . I may possibly have included music that I normally would never admit to listening to, but in reality I kinda like (Beyonce, Justin Timberlake). Don't judge the trendiness! Also, since we're talking about trendiness, I feel impressed to admit to you that my new favorite song is "Womanizer" by Britney Spears. I may possibly listen to it over and over again, especially whilst trudging across campus to my New Testament class. I know, I know, it's not exactly spiritually uplifting for a Bible class, but the beat keeps me walking fast. And in closing, I would just like to say . . . don't hate-participate!

Girlies, please!

I see that yet another nekkid picture scandal is rocking the Disney world. What is wrong with these girls? I think I blogged about this when I first saw it, but there was an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians in which some nekkid pics of Kourtney were leaked or about to be leaked by an ex-boyfriend. Her response to this was that the lesson she learned was to be careful who she trusted. Um . . . no. How about the lesson is to not take nudies pics of yourself. (Oddly enough, this new picture scandal also involves a Kardashian . . . nekkid chickie's boyfriend is Rob Kardashian.) We live in a world of technology where it's hard to have secrets, especially if you're famous. Do these girls really think when their picture is being taken, that these photos won't eventually be leaked? Or maybe I'm just being naive in assuming that the photos were leaked without their permission. I guess it does generate quite a bit of publicity. Is that really the kind of publicity you want though?

Wino, don't you have people?

Now I know I'm not supposed to kick people when they're down, but let's be honest . . . that's when it's the most fun! Totally kidding! But not really. If I followed that rule, I would never ever be able to mock Amy Winehouse because seriously, that chick is always down. She reminds me of this woman I know who has problems with the bottle and always seems to be being discovered by the police; naked, behind the dumpster by the liquor store. It would be sad if it weren't so funny. Anyhoo, back to the Wino. One thing about her that I particularly enjoy mocking is her hair. I'm just not a fan of the beehive that looks as though it probably contains the remains of assorted insects and possibly rodents.

I've been hoping that someone would help her out with that, and then this morning when I woke up, I saw that someone had. Except that now she looks like a Jewish, crack smoking Annie. She also kinda looks like Adam Sandler in drag, don't you think?!? Just a little bit!

migraine from you know where

I have migraine and general headache issues. I used to get a headache for at least a few hours pretty much every single day. I also once had a migraine that caused one of my pupils to be twice the size of the other one. I used to take a migraine prevention med that worked brilliantly, but then I went back to school and lost my wonderful health insurance. Now I have crappy student health insurance that doesn't cover prescriptions. So . . . no more pricey miracle drug. I can usually tell if I'm going to get a migraine because I get little flashes of pain in my eye balls. Fun, huh! So I could tell yesterday that one was coming on, and sure enough, I got very little sleep last night because I was trying to keep myself from ripping my eyeballs out. You know how people talk about pain behind their eyes? Well I've felt that and it's nothing like this pain. It literally feels like it's inside my eyeballs and the only thing that helps is to put pressure on my eyes by pretty much shoving my fingers into them. So that's how I have spent my day today-being miserable and shoving my fingers into my eyes. Oh, and chugging Pepto to keep from vomiting. Except for some reason, the Pepto we had in the cupboard was cherry flavored. Who's ever heard of cherry flavored Pepto Bismol? It was about as delicious as you would expect, meaning it made me want to vomit almost as much as the migraine. So the point of my story is that if anyone knows a drug rep for Topamax who wants to hook me up with lots of samples, I will make them my honorary BFF.

check it out

My little brother, Mark, also has a blog and his last entry included the story of his broken arm, among other things. It was pretty entertaining. Check it out here.

Sunday Summary

Today was actually semi-eventful. Usually Sundays are slow days, perfect for napping. Oh, and worshiping the Lord and all that. BTW-are Sunday naps not the best kind of naps ever?!? Here's what went down today:

• Mark hurt his arm last night and when my dad took him to the ER this morning we found out it was actually broken. He says he did it by running into a wall. I told him that was pretty much the lamest story ever and he should probably make something up. Preferably something involving a burning building or a psychopath with a gun.
  
• Today was the missionary farewell of sweet, little Robert. We called him Bobby back in the day, but now that he's all grown up, I'll refer to him as Robert. Also, he's not really little and he probably doesn't want me to call him sweet. Whatever, Robert, whatever. I knew you when you were like three and I've put up with your sisters (Love ya, Em and Bets!) all these years, so I've pretty much earned the right to call you what I want. His talk was great and did not end badly. Let me reiterate . . . it did not end badly. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)
• I went visiting teaching today and completely forgot that I was in charge of the message. Fortunately, my companion is on top of things and was prepared for my inevitable slackerness.
• I just talked to the nieces (and my brother, but that's not what's important) and Ashley has a friend named Jolie, but she either can't remember the name or can't say it, so she calls her Ravioli. When she said Ravioli I could hear her mom in the background correcting her and so Ashley then started talking about Chili and not Ravioli.
  

Craptastic

You know those movies that are kinda crappy (horrible acting, questionable storyline, etc.) but yet you still find yourself watching them whenever they're on t.v.? Well, those movies make me happy. Movies like that just show that even if you're less than stellar, as long as you're persistant, people will eventually like you. Or possibly despise you. Anyway, here are my top picks for craptastic movies:

• Center Stage-This movie is so bad and yet so good. Oxygen has actually made a sequel that I have yet to see but I am patiently waiting for it to air again.
  
• Grease 2-When I was 10 my BFF, Crystal, and I used to sing about how we wanted a Cool Rider.
  
• Return to Peyton Place-The original Peyton Place is the ultimate movie that once was scandalous and now is just awesome. The scene where Doc Swain gets on the stand and tells off the whole town . . . fabulous! The sequel, however, not so fabulous. I still love it though. It makes me want to move to a small town and rock the boat. What would be even cooler is if it was a small town where you weren't allowed to dance, ala Footloose AND if you're a girl, they won't let you work in the mines ala North Country. Ooh, ooh, ooh! Check this out-the book you wrote in which the hypocritical town members are only slightly disguised is banned, you can't dance or work in the mines, plus the piece de resistance . . . it's Lent so you can't eat chocolate like in Chocolat. I think I need an agent, 'cause I'm pretty sure I've got the basis for an Oscar-winning screenplay right there! Move over, Matt and Ben!
  
• Toy Soldiers-Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton and Keith Coogan fighting terrorists? Pure genius.
  
• Don't Tell Mom the Baby-Sitter's Dead-I still quote this movie on a regular basis. "Dishes are done, man!" "I'm right on top of that, Rose!" "We have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to tidy up the garage." Love, love, love this movie!
• Cocktail-Not Tom Cruise's finest moment, although considering his couch-jumping issues of late, this movie doesn't seem so bad. I may possibly still attempt to do the cup tossing thing on occasion. But only on occasion.
  

best birthday ever

Remember when birthday parties at McDonald's were the ultimate in coolness?

Just a side note. . . the guy I have my arm around was my first kiss. I don't remember his name.

this picture makes me shudder too . . .

The 80's were not a good time for me, fashion-wise. I'm pretty sure those glasses could not possibly be any bigger.

still makes me shudder

This one time (not at band camp) when I was in the first grade, my family was outside when the phone rang. I started running inside to get it, but unfortunately I tripped and landed face down on the cement steps. I got all cut up and my upper front teeth were pushed back up into my jaw. Fortunately they were baby teeth so there was no lasting damage (well, other than the obvious brain damage-don't even try to tell me you weren't thinking it!). This picture and the thought of my teeth being viciously shoved back up into my skull still make me shudder violently.

Don't look too closely at the haircut-I think it was my mom's doing. A completely unrelated story-when we lived in Spain when I was in kindergarden, she trimmed my bangs and they ended up way too short. Everywhere we went people would say "Pobrecita!"

Jack Handey quote

I subscribe to a quote blog, and one of today's quotes made me chuckle:

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it."

Thanks, guys!

Thank you to all of you who commented on my last post. I love that even though we don't all agree on everything, we can be polite and still get along. Not everyone is capable of this. For example, here are a couple of quotes from a couple of the blogs I read:

• (regarding Proposition 8) "F*ck you, Mormon church."
• "I think the most painful blow in this election is not simply the fact that a radical liberal ran away with the American vote, but that there did not seem to be enough Christians to make a difference. As the salt of the earth, we have "lost our savor". The foundation of our society has been infiltrated by the "termites" of secular humanism and who can we blame for its collapse but ourselves?"

Wow. I just can't win with this election-first I'm given the big eff you, then I'm basically told I'm not Christian because I support Obama. Oh, and that I'm a termite. The only thing I can say to that is . . . seriously? No, really . . . seriously?

last night's blog post

Most of you probably didn't have a chance to read it, but I blogged last night about the election and how I was hopeful about Obama and how I was proud to be an American. I deleted the post this morning. Not because I don't support Obama anymore or because I am any less disgusted with all the nasty anti-Obama emails I have received, but because of the backlash. I'll be honest-there's nothing quite like staring into the eyes of a fervent Utah Republican. You don't know crazy until you've seen the crazy that lurks deep within their souls. So, instead of my tender, joy-filled, happy post of last night, I'm just going to say this . . . 1. One of the great things about being an American is that if something isn't working, you can vote to change it. 2. To quote my Bishop about the election, both candidates are children of our Heavenly Father. 3. Maybe it's a sign that I'm a heathen and going to hell, but I personally don't feel the need to turn this election into some kind of religious crusade and proclaim Obama to be the anti-christ. 4. All of y'all who spent last night determinedly stating how you are going to leave the country now can just go ahead and move along. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

If you didn't get a chance to read my original post and would like to, I would be more than happy to email you a copy. If you feel the need to trash on my political stance, please do it elsewhere. And that's all I have to say about that.

bitterness makes the world go 'round

For those of you who know me, this may come as a shocker, but I really don't like it when people tell me what to do. I got an email today telling me that I needed to do something. If you would like to ask me to do something, chances are I will do it gladly. But if you tell me to do something, chances are I won't do it just because you pissed me off. Even if it's something I don't mind doing or possibly even want to do, I will cut off my nose to spite my own face. I realize this is possibly not the most Christ-like attitude, but I can't help it, I was born this way. From a very young age I was very obstinate and contrary. If I ask for your advice about two choices, I will inevitably pick the one that you didn't pick. Especially if it's my mom. I'm sure she learned many years ago to pick the choice she doesn't want so that I'll pick whatever she actually does want. Isn't reverse psychology great!

Something else that makes me slightly bitter is when the same person in my class feels the need to answer and/or comment on everything. I heard your answer to the last five questions, so maybe you should let someone else talk. Not that I personally want to talk or anything-I choose not to participate in class discussions as I'm pretty sure that the comments I have to make will not necessarily be appreciated by all in attendance. But I know there are others out there who have great thoughts to share, they just can't 'cause you-know-who won't be quiet. I know all of you know the kind of person I'm talking about. They always sit at the front of the class and place themselves strategically within the professor's line of view so that the professor can't help but see them and call on them. Now some of you blog readers may actually be this person. If so, I'm not judging you (or at least not much), so please don't leave me a comment about how if other people would raise their hands, you wouldn't have to keep raising yours.

monsters, I tell you!

So my little Primary young'uns, in honor of Halloween, rode into church on a sugar high yesterday and were little monsters. The previously mentioned demon child was back and that didn't help either. I must say, though, that amongst the terrors, there is one little child who makes me forget that I don't like my calling. He is the sweetest little kid ever. We had to have partners for an activity and he chose me to be his partner. (I am choosing to believe this was because he likes me and not because I was the closest person to him.) I actually baby-sat all his older siblings when I was growing up and all the other kids in his family are amazingly loveable too. I'm so glad that this little boy has been in my class. I'm going to miss him in January when they switch classes. :(

It's the final countdown!

Only 14 days until Lorri and I experience the joy that is New Kids on the Block in concert! My I Heart Jordan poster is almost finished!

Saw funnies

I saw the original Saw movie back in the day, but since they've been coming out like three a year and we're on about Saw 36, I've lost interest. Apparently Dave White from MSNBC agrees with me. He wrote a Dear John letter to the Saw franchise and it made me laugh out loud (although in my sickly and weakened state, it probably sounded more like a seal barking than a laugh). Here's a snippet:

Dear “Saw,”

This letter has been a long time coming. I just didn’t know how to put my feelings into words. But now I can say it: We’re through. Forgive my blunt words, “Saw,” but we’re breaking up for good. And not to make you feel bad or anything, but it’s not me. It’s you.

I guess you’re probably thinking that if I really understood you I’d have tarted up my words for you somehow and left you a cryptic note where I half-explained my unhappiness. Then I would have stuck that note inside an envelope that was also holding a key to a box. And that box would have been buried under a pit of deadly radioactive scorpions. That box would have contained your left lung, which I would have removed while you were under sedation. And I would have also filled your right lung with cherry-flavored Kool-Aid while simultaneously attaching a model train set to your skull. And then I would have outfitted the engine with little tiny rocket launchers that would set your entire face on fire. And you would have had 10 seconds to decide if knowing my true feelings were more important than having nuclear scorpions gnawing on you or having your nose melted off. I guess that would have been more archly poetic.

To read the rest click here.

holy laziness, batman!

I think I have just reached the pinnacle of laziness. I was going to post a new recipe but when I went to reach for my recipe files I realized that I moved my file cabinet. It used to be within arm's reach of my desk so I didn't have to move at all. Now it's like five feet away and I can't bring myself to stand up and take a couple of steps over to it. In my defense, though, those two to three steps involve stepping over lots of crap on my floor, thus changing normal steps into high-stepping, hiking-style steps, thus requiring too much effort in my sickly state. I wouldn't want to over-exert myself and cause my illness to linger.

sick . . . sick . . .

I'm sick AGAIN! I've been in bed with a nasty cold for the last couple days. I'm pretty sure this means I should be exempted from teaching Primary tomorrow.

Muahahahaha!

You must check out the Overheard in the Ward website. Some of my favorites:


Boy in sacrament meeting: Bread and water. Bread and water. That’s all they ever give us. I want a hot dog.

Non-Member: Does your church serve the little pieces of toast and the water shots?
Member: Umm… sure.


Young Man Blessing the Sacrament: Oh God, [long pause] the card is gone!

Heck to the yeah, mofo!

Word on the street is that there's a Footloose remake in the works and guess who the new Kevin Bacon is . . .

Zacquisha!

drooling

I must have these shoes in pink. Does anyone want to lend (give) me $760 plus tax? I promise I will (not) pay you back!!!

Shia

I am now officially obsessed with Shia LaBeouf. As long as I block out the memories of Even Stevens so I don't feel like a creeper, I quite enjoy him. I even lowered my standards and watched Transformers*. Everyone needs to watch this movie for one 10-15 second part. At around the 48 minute mark Shia talks about how Satan's Camaro is stalking him and his voice goes all squeaky. It's friggin' hilarious. I've watched it like 47 times. You probably should too.



*I don't believe in movies that contain superheros, robots, or mentally handicapped people as main characters. Occasionally I will watch said movies, but only under certain circumstances (eg. if Shia LaBeouf is in it).

Common knowledge?

I was talking to a couple of my co-workers last night (sexy arms dude was one of them) about an 80's movie (well, me talking; them pretending to listen while thinking about how they weren't born yet) and I mentioned the two Coreys. Can you believe it-they had no idea who I was talking about. Doesn't everyone know about Corey Haim and Corey Feldman?!? I just checked and even Wikipedia has a page about them. See here. I'm finding myself talking about a lot of stuff and people that they've never heard of. I'm really not THAT much older than them. Am I just a freak and know too much pop culture crap? Or are the Coreys general knowledge that everyone should have heard of?

A Halloween Miracle!

A miracle occurred today. My little Primary children were . . . wait for it . . . well-behaved! Not just well-behaved, but absurdly well-behaved. I don't know if their parents threatened them or drugged them or what, but holy cow! I've never seen anything like it before. Even the Primary Presidency noticed and were amazed. I think it may have been because this one particular little demon-child wasn't there today. But whatever the reason, I fully expect that this feat will never occur again so I'm just going to carry the memory with me in my heart and cherish it always.

It's Raining Men

This one gets really good around 1:10.

I Feel Pretty

Oh so pretty and witty and . . .

Barbie Girl

Add a little bronzer to Barbie and you've got my little Zacquisha!

The Sound of Music

One of my favorite movies growing up is now all that much better with a touch of Zacquisha.

Ready for it?

The next series of posts are going to be my own person tribute to Zac Efron (aka Zacquisha). Who knew there was so much about him to mock? (Me. I knew it. I knew it long ago.) Now I admit I do think he's a hottie, but good looks can only compensate for so much. Now let the mocking begin . . .

lame-o!

Gloria Steinem and Billie Jean King were on Oprah last week along with Maria Shriver, who I think looks like an alien. I absolutely love Billie Jean King. Awhile ago I listened to a lecture she gave about Title IX and it was awesome. Gloria Steinem, on the other hand, irritated me a little bit on the show. She kept talking about how all the work she's done for women's rights has been about giving women options. It was all about options and having a choice. But then she started talking about how it still isn't equal yet because more women are staying home to raise kids than men are. K, Gloria, but I thought it was all about options. Women's rights shouldn't be about forcing half of the women in the country to go to work while half of the men stay home. That's not really giving them options, now is it? The beauty of women's rights is that women can now CHOOSE whether to stay home with the kiddos or go to work. (and also voting and all that other crap) It just bugged me that she kept going on about options and women having a choice, but then essentially said that the women who stayed home while their husbands worked made the wrong choice. See when you give someone a choice, you can't then make little of the way they chose just because it isn't what you would have done. I'll get off my soapbox now . . . thanks for letting me vent!

today

So pretty much Cricket sucks. In honor of Arrested Development I tried to find The Final Countdown for my ring tone, but they apparently don't have it.

Speaking of AD, I made my parents watch the first episode with me yesterday and they enjoyed it so much we ended up watching four episodes.

Has anyone else noticed that Totino's frozen pizzas have shrunk? The price went up too. Jerks. Obviously if I'm eating your crapola frozen pizzas (which aren't crapola, btw, they're delicious) I have no money. If I had money I'd be buying Freschetta or Digiorno. Or actually going out for pizza. But I have no money, so I'm forced to pay $1.25 for your now hockey-puck-sized-pizza. And when I say I'm forced to pay $1.25, I mean my parents are forced to pay $1.25.

Does anyone else watch Gossip Girl? I haven't watched tonight's episode yet, but I finally watched last week's over the weekend and I have to say I'm pretty much in lust with Chuck Bass. Not that he's all hot like Nate, but geez louise, he's nasty! Not yucky nasty, but mean, bad-boy nasty. Janet Jackson Nasty Boys nasty! I love it! And I'm also sick of Dan and pretty much his whole family.

I'm going to see Eagle Eye tomorrow. I'm pretty excited to see some Shia LaHottness.

K, well that's all I've got for today. I'll let you know how the movie is . . .

new recipe posted

This one is a family favorite. We usually have it with Christmas dinner and sometimes at Thanksgiving.

Seriously?

I went to ShopKo this evening and they already have their Christmas stuff out. Can you believe that? Actually, CostCo had theirs out like a month or two ago. Before you know it they're just going to keep it out all year long.

Did anyone watch The Office last night? I loved Dwight's butter-covered watermelon baby. When Jan came in with Astrid (aka Astird), I felt bad for Michael. He was so looking forward to the delivery.

I'm applying for a grant through ORCA (Office of Research and Creative Activities) and spent three very long hours working on the proposal tonight. I think they must make the submission process a pain in the butt so that not that many people will apply. If my research project is approved, I'll basically be running the control group for the study I'm working on later, involving the effects of drugs on the way the color blue is seen. Our hypothesis is that visual processing, particularly the way the color blue is viewed, differs with gender. The retina contains 4-6 million cones, the shortest of which you use to view blue light. If you're addicted to drugs, particularly cocaine, your dopamine levels (which effect your ability to feel pleasure and cause cravings) get all messed up and screw with your short cones. The long-term goal of the project is to come up with more effective treatment options based on physiological information and not just modifying behaviors. If all goes as planned we'll be able to use EEGs, ECGs, ERGs and GSRs* to help judge a little bit better whether treatment is working or not. Wow, I sound like I totally know what I'm talking about! It's much more interesting than it sounds.





*electroencephalograms, electrocardiograms, electroretinograms, and galvanic skin responses

playlist

I just joined the bandwagon and added a playlist thinger to my blog. I'm thinking you should just leave my page up on your computer so that you can enjoy the fine tunes. It's a perfect blending of country, folk, oldies, rock and chillax music. This means that if you use Reader, you're going to have to actually to go my page. You will do it and you will like it.

longest day EVER!

Wanna hear about my exceedingly long day today? I thought so. I was up at 5:30(ish), left for school at 7:30, went to class and studied until 3, and worked from 3 until 9:30. I just got home. I'm worn out. But, despite the fact that my day was forever long, it was a really good day, so all is well, all is well.

And on to a different subject . . . I am trying my darndest to be social and . . . wait for it . . . it's not as bad as I imagined. Shocked are you? I hung out with a friend all day yesterday (remember my homemakerness?), I'm hanging out with her again all day tomorrow, I've got a Girl's night Saturday and next Thursday, plus a work party next Friday and I'm hanging out with a friend from work on Tuesday. Holy Mother Teresa! It's amazing how much you can do when you actually leave your house! While I do miss my hermit lifestyle, I think I'm going to stick with this for a while. I'm pretty sure that God is blessing mankind through my newly acquired social skills. If you feel the need to have God's blessing (me) in your life, just let me know and I'll pencil you in!

homemaker extraordinaire

Wanna know what I did today? Well, let me tell you. I picked grapes, washed them, juiced them, and canned the juice. Oh, and while the grapes were juicing, I helped grind wheat (meaning I pushed the on button on the wheat grinder) and make homemade whole wheat bread. I am very proud of myself. I think this may possibly be the most productive day I have had in pretty much my whole entire life. Are you proud of me? I'm pretty sure you should be.

The Elders!

Walking along in Cusco we ran into the missionaries! Here is Elder Vela and Elder Loa. Just think, Packhams, that'll be Roberto before the year's out!

Can we be done now?

There were many, many pictures taken during this trip. I'm not a picture person. Let's look at an example.

Here's my aunt, cheerfully showing off the most famous stone in all of Cusco. It's 12-sided and is from the original walls.

And here's me, pretending to be cheerful, pointing out the dumb rock. If I could have flipped the camera off without getting yelled at, I probably would have.

funnies

Occasionally we would see signs in English that had been translated correctly, but mostly we saw signs like the below. (Remember my baked piglet?)

Don't even think about it!

These dogs are the cousins of the Ugliest Dog in Peru. What is even more interesting is that this picture was taken in the kitchen of a restaurant. Those dogs better have their food handlers permits if they're gonna be in there!

poverty is abundant

Look, Robert, this is where you're going to be living!

Inquisition Museum

I've been slacking with my Peru posts, so I thought I'd do a little catching up today. These pictures are from the Museo de la Inquisicion in Lima. I did not want to go to this place. I tried everything I could to argue and get out of it, but my powers of manipulation failed me. I didn't want to go because I read in the guidebook that they had wax figures being tortured how they did it during the Inquisition. That's just not my idea of a fun afternoon-looking at people being tortured. So anyway, I sucked it up and went with everyone else, but I did avert my eyes in the "torture room." I had kind of a hard time in the dungeons too because I knew that they were the actual dungeons (the museum was built where all of this actually occured) and that real people had been held captive and tortured there. Because I am slightly dramatic, I imagined that I could hear the people screaming. I know-drama queen, right!

My mom and me in front of the museum. I just noticed that the "a" in la has fallen over. This location in Lima was one of two tribunals that King Phillip II set up in the Americas. The other one was in Mexico.

When someone was accused of a crime (ex. witchcraft, blasphemy, homosexuality, etc.) it was done anonymously so they never knew who had accused them. They were then taken away and locked up to await their trial. Their property was also taken to pay for the "court costs" and to pay for their needs during their stay in the dungeon.

The accused were outfitted in a lovely robe and cap with a devil on it. I believe if they were actually executed, the cap was hung up in their local church with their name on it so that their family and everyone else would always know what happened.


They would then bring the accused in front of the judges to hear the charges. I think the judges either acquitted (very rare), suspended (be on your way but we're keeping an eye on you), found guilty and punished or found guilty and killed. There may be other verdicts, but I don't remember.

I think the torture was not so much punishment as it was a way to get a confession out of you in order to free your soul. I know, sounds kinda fishy, huh! I think this particular activity was meant to dislocate your shoulders or something. I think they also did it by the ankles too.

The rack was the method of choice.

I think this is called garroting. Sorry-I'm not up on my torture terminology.

This one is self-explanatory.

Oh, look! It's President Bush waterboarding a terrorist!

There was a group of nuns who went through before us. They seemed out of place in a museum about Catholic torture.

previously mentioned thinger

Here's the sketch from MadTV.

recently viewed movies and tv

Definitely, Maybe-This movie definitely sucked. It maybe would've been better if it had been like an hour shorter, but even then I think it probably would have sucked. Ryan Reynolds (oh my hotness!) is just not capable of not being a goofball. I kept waiting for him to break character and do something goofy, but it never happened.

21-I enjoyed this movie, although I did predict the end. I expected to be distracted by Jim Sturgess's (Have I mentioned Across the Universe is one of my favorite movies? I know I have, but I thought I would mention it again.) lack of an accent, and although there were moments where it threatened to break through, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I also have to mention that Kate Bosworth is too skinny-she looked awesome in Blue Crush, and now she's just skin and bones. Also, I LOVE Kevin Spacey! I love Kevin Spacey being bad. He's fine in movies where he's the good guy (Pay It Forward), but man alive, he's best when he's being bad.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-I loved this movie. It spoke to me. I hate it when people say something speaks to them, but this movie did. Speak to me, that is. Jim Carrey is what Ryan Reynolds utterly failed to be-a goofball, comedic actor who can also do serious roles in a believable way.

The Office-I didn't enjoy this week's episode as much as I normally do. I'm not liking this whole Pam being gone thing. She needs to come back now.

Grey's-I think Meredith irritates me more and more every week. McDreamy is starting to get on my nerves, too. And Alex. One of the skit shows-I think it was MadTV-did a sketch that made fun of Grey's and House. It was funny. I'll see if I can find it on YouTube for you.

Um . . .

So did you guys know that the mail is delivered on Saturdays? My dad wondered out loud this afternoon if the mail had been delivered yet, and I was like "Um . . . it's Saturday." Yeah. I'm seriously losing my mind.

new recipe

I've posted a new recipe on the sidebar. It's tasty.

Just say no!

As I walked down the stairs in the library earlier today, I rounded a corner and my eye was immediately drawn to something that is becoming all too common around campus. No, not a hot and heavy NCMO session. I'm referring to something worse. That's right, I'm talking about crack. Butt crack, that is. It seems like everywhere I go, there it is, lurking in the corner, waiting to jump out and draw my attention. May I propose that young women everywhere (and elderly women too if you have crack issues) start wearing longer t-shirts and/or higher waisted pants. Let's buck the system and show a little modesty, girls. Remember-dressing like Britney Spears isn't all it's cracked up to be, so even if you have to get up at the crack of dawn to find clothes that fit properly, let's not let this one fall through the cracks. Mkay?

the senility is setting in

Old age is hitting and my memory is starting to go. Normally I never forget things. You would think this would be a good thing, but it's not because I pretty much remember every insult, every moment of humiliation, and every foot in mouth moment along with all the good memories. (except for the years 2001-2004) But anyway, Lorri asked me today where I got my new purse and I could not for the life of me remember where I bought it. It drove me crazy. I finally asked my mom and she told me. It doesn't sound like much, but I'm also finding that I'll blog and then not remember what I wrote the next day. And I leave comments on other people's blogs, but have no idea what I said or what their post was about, I just know that I left a comment. My mind is seriously starting to go. I don't know if it's a delayed effect from the drugs or if all the crap I'm learning at school is pushing everything else out of my brain or what. Whatever the reason, I don't like it and it needs to stop.

playlist update

I knew this would happen. As soon as I blogged about my playlist I realized I was kinda over those songs. So . . . since I had nothing better to do (liar!) I just spent the last two hours downloading in a completely legal way (muahahahaha!) some new music to listen to. I'm in an odd musical mood. For the moment I'm really into Panic! at the Disco*, The Killers, 30 Seconds to Mars**, Fall Out Boy, Paramore***, The Dresden Dolls, Leighton Meester's remake of "Bette Davis Eyes", and to mix it up a little, Britney Spears. I just realized how trendy it sounds when they're all listed together. Pardon the trendaliciousness (totally just made that word up-could you tell?!?). Also, I don't know why I felt the need to link all of those names. And I didn't even link them to the band websites or anything, just Wikipedia.


*I can't say their name without the exclamation point. It's not just Panic at the Disco, it's PANIC!!! . . . at the disco.
**Hello, Jared Leto hottness!
***The phrase "once a whore you're nothing more" from their song "Misery Business" has been running through my head for the last week or so. It alternates with "The Final Countdown." But yeah, I walk down the halls of BYU singing about being a whore. Nice.

Not an Addict

I love this song ("Not an Addict" by K's Choice). But don't worry-I'm not addicted to it. Muahahahaha! O.k., that was kinda lame. Sorry.


BTW, I apologize for the Telejunkie weirdness at the beginning, but you take what you can get with YouTube!

despondent sigh . . .

I'm going through Arrested Development withdrawals. All day long (I know the day is only half over-whatever) I've been singing "The Final Countdown" in my head, but the only line I know is "It's the final countdown!" And a guy in one of my classes was talking about being an MFHD major and I really wanted to ask him if he wanted to be an analrapist, but I didn't think it would be appropriate. And I almost said "Hey, brother!" to my brother this morning, but I knew he wouldn't get it. I can't handle this! I can't wait until I go to work this afternoon because I know people there watch/watched the show. Only a little over two hours to go . . . Does anyone else out there love this show and want to discuss it with me? Please, I am begging you . . . share A.D. funnies with me!

It is finished

I finished watching Arrested Development. My life feels strangely empty. Now what am I going to do to avoid studying? Hulu does have 3 seasons of ALF online. I guess that could work.

My favorite AD moments:

• Gob's dance number to "The Final Countdown" at the start of his magic show.
• Tobias being the first Analyst AND Therapist (analrapist-not pronounced the way it looks).
• Steve Holt!
  
• Gob on his Segway.
• Buster and his hook. He's a monster!

I think I'm going to go cry myself to sleep now.

musicality

Because I fully expect you to love what I love, here's what I'm listening to these days. Sidenote-playlists on my iPod are pretty much the greatest thing ever. Well, next to Arrested Development (I just finished Season 2).

Not the Doctor-Alanis Morissette
Caring is Creepy-The Shins
Come to my Window-Melissa Etheridge
Gravity-Vienna Teng
Typical-MuteMath
Ruby's Shoes-Lori McKenna
Boys Don't Cry-Plumb
It Ain't Me Babe-Melissa McClelland and Jesse Cook
Wonderful World-James Morrison
Angry-Matchbox Twenty
Don't Look Back-Antigone Rising
Happiness is a Warm Gun-Across the Universe Soundtrack
Deliver Me-Sarah Brightman
In Your Eyes-Peter Gabriel
In the Waiting Line-Zero 7
The Blower's Daughter-Damien Rice
Damaged-Plumb
Feels Like Home-Chantal Kreviazuk
Sisters of Avalon-Cyndi Lauper
Never Surrender-Corey Hart
The Sea-Morcheeba
Are You Out There-Dar Williams
Heartland-Celtic Thunder
I'm Sorry-Anouk
Lips of an Angel-Hinder
Dark Lady-Cher
Misery Business-Paramore
In Another Life-The Veronicas
Ordinary-Train
Stupid-Sarah McLachlan
All Summer Long-Kid Rock

If you haven't heard these songs, you should probably get on that.

must . . . stop . . . watching

I have a new obsession. It's Arrested Development. I know I'm kinda behind the times here seeing as how it isn't even on t.v. anymore, but I've been watching it online and I can't seem to stop. I'm almost done with the first season (I started watching yesterday). This is officially my new favorite cancelled show. Rumor is they're making a movie. Can't wait! Love it! And by the way, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett are hawt! Plus I love Will's creepy Gob voice. If you haven't seen the show, I highly recommend that you do. Hulu.com has all three seasons online.


Oh, and since we're talking about hotties, who is this hottness with Shannen Doherty? I must know.

dadgum

I can't do this anymore. I need to get married. I can't be forced to kill my own spiders any longer.

I don't know the definition of the word

On one of the random blogs I subscribe to there was a list of "10 Things I Wish I'd Known When I Was Single." The woman who writes the blog quoted it from someone else's blog. Anyway, the second thing on her list was "If you can't joyfully submit to your parents, you won't joyfully submit to your husband." I would list all the issues I have with this comment, but it would be waaaay too long. Oh what the heck, I'll list a couple anyway.

1. I don't really plan on "submitting" to my husband. Marriage should be a partnership, not one person dominating and the other submitting. But if there is going to be submitting, let's be honest, it's not going to be done by me. :)
2. If any man thinks I'm going to submit to him, let alone joyfully submit to him, oh honey, he's got another thing coming.

I could go on for a while, but I'll just leave it at that.

new recipe

There's a new recipe o the week posted. BTW, have you noticed how for every recipe I've posted I say how you're supposed to do it, and then how I do it? I don't believe in following recipes. I'm a firm believer that they're just guidelines or suggestions.

you should probably change that

It's official, I have found the worst LDS Singles screen name ever. Are you ready for it? Are you sure?
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little kid lover

Why? Why would you use that as your screen name? I'm sure all the single moms on the website are just itching to have him come over and hang with the kids.

rambling

So remember how I felt all materialistically guilty after returning from Peru and got rid of a bunch of stuff? Yeah, well I kinda want it back now.

This may be too much info, but I had like the worst case of PMS over the weekend. You see, when I get PMS, I get PM-effing-S. I seriously thought I was losing my mind on Saturday. I'm pretty sure my family thought I was too because my mom refused to leave me by myself. She seriously sat in my bedroom with me while I laid in bed, stared at my screensaver and cried. It was pretty bad. A funny side note: my mom told me that she used to PMS really bad too and when people would irritate her, she would wish they would get in a car wreck and die. O.k., maybe that's not so funny, but it made me feel better.

I'm back on the exercising kick again.

Have I mentioned how much I love my job? I think I have, but just in case I haven't, I do. Actually, I guess it's not so much my job I love, it's my coworkers. Not that the job is bad, it's cool, but I really like my coworkers and I want to force them to be my friends and hang out with me not at work, but I'm not sure how to manipulate them into doing that. Another reason I like my job: one of the guys I work with has pretty much the sexiest arms I've ever seen. It's not just me who thinks so-my boss and I have discussed it. Now lest you think I've been inappropriate at work, she brought it up first. I just agreed . . . enthusiastically.

I really wish I could sing and not sound like a dying animal. I have all these amazing gifts and talents (muahahahaha!), but that's the one thing (of many) I can't do, and it pisses me off.

Alright, well . . . that's all.

This is for you, Erin!

please tell me you're joking

This guy from one of the singles websites says this on his profile:

before i date, i require a hand written letter which i pray about and go to the temple about which may keep in my church cloths. silly i get impressions and feel that this is the best way to find my help mate.

i need a good fit in my life eather some one who could live in a small place or was well off. and i could sell my place and buy a better place with her, in this area hopefully maybe some where else depends. i am not a great writer so phone calls are better or person i will pray about it and get back you. you pray about it too please.


Oh, and then there was some other guy who sent a little flirt thing, but I don't think we'd be a good match since he lives in Iran and is 4'10".

OMG!

One of the Duggar kids got married! See their website here. I wonder if they want a big family or if he's pretty much over that.

oh yeah

Chances are I don't have your email to invite you to read this other blog and if I do, it might be too much effort to actually personally invite you. So . . . send me a request to read and I promise I'll approve you. Here's the link.

hmmm . . .

I'm tempted to start another blog. I want an outlet for addiction woes, church gripes, etc., and I hate talking about it here because I feel like it changes the vibe of the blog. This blog is always just soooooo cheerful you know! Actually, I don't know what exactly the vibe of this blog is, but I don't want to change whatever it is. I don't even know if that makes sense. I guess I just want a place where I can be more open and not worry about offending anyone. I know, it's my blog and I shouldn't worry about offending people, but I do. I censor what I say quite a bit based on who I know reads my blog (ie. my little brother and occasionally my mom). So . . . here's the plan . . . I'm going to create another blog and make it private. It will probably not be G-rated (not that it'll be R or anything), and will focus more on the insanity that is my mind and life instead of my observations of BYU students and hot celebrities. As long as you're not in my immediate family, I would love for you to read it. Even if I don't know you, feel free to ask for "permission" to access it once I set it up (which will be in like five minutes). Hopefully this blog will be more upbeat now.

introspectiveness

I went to Beth's house last night for a little girls only fun. Good friends, good food and interesting chit-chatting always make for a good time! Things we will never mention again: the Haunted Mansion, jacuzzi jet tubs, and vaginal dryness cream.


I woke up feeling a bit introspective this morning. Hanging out with married and procreating LDS friends always does this to me. Plus I've been hitting up the LDS Singles sites waaaay too much lately. I need to find a real person to go out on a date with. Not that these guys on the websites aren't real people, but they're pretty much whoever they want to be because it's all very anonymous.

I'm afraid that I am getting too settled into my singleness. I'm starting to get the attitude of I don't need someone to support me, I don't need someone to complete me, blah, blah, blah, I'm just fine on my own, thank you very much! But I don't know if I have that attitude because I'm trying to convince myself or because that's how I really feel. I think if I beat myself over the head with it enough times it'll sink in and I won't feel so lonely.

I realize I'm only 27, which is technically still a youngin', but it's really not in the Mormon world. We're commanded and raised to believe that we get married and have kids. That's our job. That's all I have ever wanted; that's all I ever tried to prepare for growing up (well, minus a few drug-hazed years). But I feel like now all of a sudden I have to shift my focus from that to "I'd better make sure I can support myself because you never know what could happen." But I don't want to support myself, I say in a whiney voice. I'm still clinging to the marriage and family ideal, but it's like my fingers are slipping off the life raft. Should I just let go?

Well, this turned out to be a downer post. Sorry about that. Actually, I'm not sorry, because it's my blog and I can say whatever I want! Can I tell you something else that kind of bugs me? Good, 'cause I'm going to. I know plenty of good, single guys, but none of them have ever shown the least bit of interest. These are people who know me, know my family, we're all friends, but I guess I've never been taken seriously as a potential anything. That kind of hurts my feelings just a little bit. I don't think I'm repulsive or anything. So how do I let these guys know that I'm interested without making it all awkward if they aren't? That, my dear readers, is the question.

I can't help myself

I just made a kinda rude comment on someone's profile on lds singles. It actually wasn't rude, it was funny, but it may possibly be taken as rude. This is his intro paragraph:

I want to nearly miss a flight in Reno just because it's too hard to say goodbye. I want to taste starbucks on a stroll through times square, ride a train to Queens to bid farewell, or maybe catch a nighcap in the Bronx. I want to drive all night in a rainstorm to the Windy City and make a mad dash to Aunt Lill's. I want to run down the river near the plaza in Kansas City. I want to catch a concert in Columbus. I want to cross the border and add a stamp to my collection. I want to eat turkey with the Cowboys, buy treats at Maverick when most men are buying coffee. I want to eat a fifteen dollar burrito at a white trash park near LA. Make a fire on the beach and walk down the walk of fame. I want to eat Hummus and Broccoli, fudge and carmel apples at the cider mill. I want a piece of cheesecake at the Factory. I want to be able to fall asleep at night.

Now maybe this is from a song or something and I completely missed it, but I had to comment. I ignored the wanting to catch a "nighcap" and several other things, but I HAD to comment on missing a flight in Reno. Basically the comment I left him said "I can understanding wanting to miss a flight because it's too hard to say goodbye, but Reno? Really?" Like who even wants to go to Reno, let alone miss a flight there? I'm thinking that it's comments like these that are the reason why I'm still single.

new intro

I changed my greeting thing on my dating profile. It used to be all like "oh, I love children, holding hands, long walks on the beach, rainbows, butterflies and kittens." O.k., maybe not really like that, but I did make myself sound more frou-frou-y than I really am. So this is what it says now. Or what it will say once the powers that be approve it:

My last intro didn’t seem to be getting me anywhere, so here’s one that’s a bit more honest.

Want to know all about me? Well, I’m 27 and I’m starting to get lonely. When I was a young (stupid) teenager, I had a list of requirements for a perfect husband but now I’ve realized in my old age (!) that the perfect man doesn’t exist. And since I’m exceedingly unperfect myself, I probably wouldn’t mesh well with the perfect man anyway. So how about this . . . you’re not perfect, I’m not perfect, so let’s be less than stellar together. We can balance each other out. Do you like to eat? Well I like to cook. Do you like to go camping and hiking? Well, I don’t, but because relationships are about give and take, I’ll do it anyway and try not to complain too much. Have you been burned in a relationship before? Yeah, me, too, but I’m willing to try again. Let’s just make sure we’re patient with each other and not let the past dictate the future.

So now I guess the question is, are you going to contact me? What’s stopping you? I won’t take it personally that you might be looking for someone skinnier, prettier, and with bigger lips and/or boobs. But until you find Angelina Jolie (and somehow lure her away from Brad Pitt), how about giving me a chance? I promise not to reject you (unless you’re really old and creepy), I don’t care if there’s plenty of you to love (but you listed yourself as above-average-don’t worry, I did it too), I don’t care if you’re going bald, or if you have kids, or if you don’t have the perfect job making tons of money. What I do care about is that you have a good heart and are willing to take a chance. Oh, and you also have to love (or at least accept) dogs, be willing to kill spiders, and not laugh at me if I cry at stupid stuff like Saturday’s Warrior.

So is it a deal? Are you just itching to push that “send a message” button? Go for it! What do you have to lose?


So there you go. If you have criticisms about what I said, feel free to not share them, as I don't want to hear them. If, however, you would like to say something nice about my greeting, feel free!

new recipe

For those of you who use the Reader, would you like me to give you a little heads up each time I change the Recipe o' the Week? Please leave me a comment and let me know. Thanks, you're a peach!

I'm in a bad mood

so I'm going to buy a pair of shoes and perhaps a purse. Retail therapy is the best!

profile names

Rebecca asked me what some good profile names are, since I complained about the bad ones. There are basically several categories of names (good and bad):

• Funny: PICKmePICKme, CaptainHubcap, festivus, superradish, theoldman, StorminNorman
  
• Descriptive: sportsdoc, lovescameras, boyatheart (from a 60 yr old), acyclist,
  
• Creepy: nighthunger, spiderbiter
  
• Your name: Nathan, Seth Richmond, greghobbs
  
• Cocky*: hotwomenadoreme, smokin', professorofluv, theguyyouwantt,
  

*it is possible that a name can be cocky and funny at the same time. Mostly though, they're just cocky and obnoxious.

Oh, and one more thing, if you are choosing a photo to put on your profile, please do not use a Glamour Shots photo or your previous engagement photo that your ex-wife has been cut out of, except that half of her head is still in the shot.

Um . . . k . . . no

For guys out there who do the dating website thing, I feel I should urge you to not use stupid screen names. For example:

• hotwomenadoreme-really? Is that why are you're still single?
• spiderbiter-is it not a well established fact that girls don't like spiders? I can't even go on your profile because I've already got the heebiejeebies thinking about spiders.
• professorofluv-also, when you say you volunteer for the Food Bank, do you really mean you're a client of the food bank?
• algernon-wasn't that story, Flowers for Algernon, about a mentally handicapped person?
• smokin-you smoke or you're smokin' hot? I'm guessing you're referring to the second option, but I'm not sure why.
  

I feel like I've gone to the dark side

I signed up for LDS Singles.

I am ashamed.

additions

Those of you who use Reader won't notice, but I have added a recipe of the week (or however long it takes me to add a new recipe-could be a day, could be a month) feature to the sidebar of my blog. These will all be recipes that I have tried and loved and now expect you to try and love. I also added a National Geographic picture of the day feature. Enjoy!

exciting news!

I finally went and got my aunt's Peru pictures, so there are many posts to come!

one more from CNN

"Giant lizards invade Florida town" Muahahahaha!

muahahahaha!

I am one of those people who laughs at pretty much everything. Even in totally sad or awkward situations, I find humor. I can't help it. Sometimes I laugh out loud, but most of the time I laugh inside my head. But when I do, it isn't just a little chuckle, it's an evil, maniacal laugh. And do you remember forever ago when I blogged about how my fingers type everything I hear/say? Well, they type my laugh too, so all day long, my fingers are typing muahahahaha! I even think and type it when things aren't funny sometimes. It's like I'm the villain in some comic-book movie who laughs when something bad happens. For example, on CNN.com tonight, there was a headline that elicited a muahahahaha:

"Thousands of bees take over 3 homes" Muahahahaha!

Hmmm . . . it sounds kinda lame when I write it down. Whatever. It entertains me, alright! Here's another headline from CNN:

"The smart side of Paris Hilton" Muahahahaha!

I don't want to study

I can't bring myself to study at the moment, so I've been trying desperately to come up with something to blog about. I'm not having much luck. I thought about telling you about my co-workers, but there isn't much to say. They're nice and fun to be around. Oh, and one of them has a mullet. I could also tell you about the lame assignment I have to do tonight, but I'm bored by it, so you probably would be too. So . . . what to blog about? Here are some random thoughts (you should be used to those by now!).

• The season premier of House is on tonight. I'm pretty psyched.
• I couldn't sleep last night. It felt like I was tossing and turning all night, although when I did manage to sleep, I had weird dreams.
• I really like to make lists. And I really like to use bullet points.
• The Primary Sacrament Meeting Program is in a couple of weeks. I need to find a way to be released from my calling before then so I don't have to go sit up there with the kids. I can't handle them regularly, so the thought of having to control them while they're sitting in front of their parents and the whole ward is frightening. I hated Primary Programs growing up. I think they're stupid and I don't understand the point of them. They should really be stopped.
  
• Speaking of co-workers (as we weren't really doing, but whatever), I'm semi-crushing on one of them. He's young though. Like newly-returned-from-the-mish-young. Well, newly as in a year ago. Any way you look at it, he's young. How young is too young, though? (Lorri, don't answer this question.)
  
• There's an Alumni BBQ thing coming up for the people from my rehab. I don't want to go. I don't really want to hang out/catch up with people who know all the nitty-gritty, dirty details of the worst moments of my life. I just think it would be awkward. I mean I wouldn't know what to say to some of these people-"Hey, it's good to see you again. How's the herpes?" or "Wow, I thought you were still in jail!" And I don't even want to think about what people might say to me. I would give examples, but I don't want to go there. :)

Alright, well I'm being summoned to go prepare dinner, so that's it for now.

Parasite Watch 2008

I am pleased to announce that the parasite seems to be on its way out . . . literally. Ew, TMI! TMI! Sorry about that-I'm just a little excited to start feeling better. :)

Sexist much?

In my Adult Development & Aging class today we discussed sexuality amongst the elderly. Not something you really want to think about, right?!? The textbook talked about how sex decreases later in life for women because they have a harder time finding willing and appropriate partners (after their husband dies, divorce, etc.), but then it talked about how men have a hard time finding willing partners. I thought that was kind of odd. Why do the men's partners just have to be willing and not appropriate? It makes me think of dirty, old men prowling for young girls or something. But then I thought about it again and it was kind of funny because it made it sound like old men have a hard time finding anyone who's willing, so they just take what they can get.

So . . . yeah.

I changed the title of my blog because I'm trying to work really, really, super hard on being grateful and having a charitable heart instead of being the ungrateful eejit that I normally am. Plus I was sick of the other title, although it probably more accurately described what you'll find on my blog.

a confession

Since going to Peru I have had this overwhelming urge to get rid of things. I have this horrible need to possess things (books, clothes, shoes, junk) and now all of a sudden it seems kind of stupid. I've been going through my things and I've gotten rid of hundreds of books; clothes I never wear, but have kept just in case; shoes that hurt my feet; and basically just stuff. As my bedroom gets less cluttered I feel more content and at peace. I'm sleeping better, too. I think having too much stuff weighs on your spirit in a way. Does that sound all new-agey and ridiculous? As much as I've gotten rid of, I still have an absurd amount of belongings, so I'm not going totally crazy with the purging. I haven't even started on the bathroom and all my product yet. That could be scary. I don't know if I'm quite ready for that yet; but I have taken the first step and admitted I have a problem!

food

It wouldn't be a vacation without a trip to a buffet! On our last day in the Cusco area our cab driver, Adrian, suggested this restaurant that had a buffet.* I don't think there was a single person in the place that wasn't a tourist. Other than potatoes, here are some typical Peruvian dishes:

Cuy-guinea pig. I tried a little bite at the buffet, but at a different restaurant my mom got cuy nuggets. She said it was kind of stringy. Driving around the countryside, we saw lots of houses that had giant cuy ovens. I think my aunt took a picture of one. I'll post the picture later.

Ceviche-fish that has been "cooked" in lime juice.


Yuca-also known as cassava or manioc. It's a root that was cooked similar to a potato. Tapioca is actually made from this kind of root. I liked this stuff alot-especially when it was fried like a french fry.

Chicha morada-a beverage made from purple corn. The alcoholic version, which is just called chicha, is made with yellow corn that little old ladies grind up, stick in their mouths to get it spitty (to break down the starch), then spit it back out. Sounds tasty, huh! If you see a house that has a red flag hanging outside, it means they have homemade chica for sale.

Sopa a la Criolla-a traditional soup usually made with chicken, noodles, an egg, and some milk in the broth. Every restaurant has their own version. My dad and I ate quite a bit of soup. He usually got Sopa a la Criolla and I got Dieta del Pollo, which was basically chicken noodle soup.





*I'm pretty sure the amount of food we ate there could have fed a Peruvian family for about a month.

Llamas!

The only place we really saw llamas in Peru was at Machu Picchu. I think they have a herd there just for the tourists. Unfortunately I didn't witness any spitting (llamas are part of the camel family and spit if upset). I think they must've been so used to having people around that it didn't phase them. My mom and Aunt Mary wanted their pictures taken with the llamas, but I refused. I thought they had been harassed enough already and wanted to just let them be. This decision provided me with a good half hour of self-righteousness.