Manditory Christmas Post

For all you clever folks who put generous thought into my movie quote (Melanie), you'll need to go rewatch Sleeping Beauty. "What are you three dears up to?" "Up to?" "Up to?" "UP TO??" I think that's one of my very favorite Disney movies, and Fauna is the most hilarious person in the whole thing! "Cups, cups, cups."
So anyway... This Christmas we went out to see Kevin's parents in Washington. Usually this entails weeks of dreary rain, but this time, we got into town just as a huge snowstorm was hitting. It snowed like 8 inches, which is CRAZY for Washington, where snow usually doesn't even stick. So everyone kind of freaked out. Kevin's mom (who is from the tropical island of Taiwan) was VERY worried, and it eventually worked out that a friend of the family came to the airport in their 4-wheel drive Jeep thingie to pick us up. This is after we'd discussed options of getting a shuttle, getting a hotel room right by the airport, or even staying home in Utah instead of coming out. I thought it was pretty hilarious, personally. But that is because I have very little compassion.
For Christmas, we cut down a tree in the yard and planned to bring it inside to decorate. However, instead of being a small, room-sized tree, it was actually the top of a 40-foot tree that Kevin's dad needed to get rid of. During the huge crash when it fell to the ground, it kind of knocked all the branches off one side of the tree. The top was really spindly, so we cut it off. We put it into the Christmas tree stand, but since it was a pretty big chunk of tree, it actually broke the stand. And it was too wide and looked pretty ugly once we trimmed down some of the width.
So no Christmas tree this year. Which is okay, since there weren't any kids-- just Kevin and me with his parents.
On Christmas day, we opened presents and then some relatives came over for a big dinner. It was really fun! If I had a camera, I would have taken some pictures, but that's still on the list. Officially that's what Kevin and I are getting each other for Christmas. We just haven't bought it yet. So perhaps in the near future, there will be some pictures on this blog.
After Christmas, we went to Seattle for a day. There was this store I really wanted to go to, and it was just a half mile from the Seattle Aquarium (response from Kevin's parents and brother: "There's an aquarium in Seattle?"). So we went to the aquarium too.
I've been to aquariums before, and this one was maybe a bit smaller than some others. There was a big area for kids to play with starfish, and there were a bunch of demonstrations and stuff. If I had kids (like kindergarten age or so), I would definitely take them. But for me, the best part of the whole thing (and the reason I went in the first place) was the sea otters!!! They had a whole bunch of them, and they'd swim around and rub themselves on the mats in their cages. They are just so incredibly cute! We saw the ones in their tanks, and then the last stop before we left was a huge waterfall. On one side of the fall, there were some trout and salmon or whatever. I looked at them for a while until Kevin told me to turn around. Right behind the glass on my left were two otters sleeping right up against the glass. I just about died from squealing with joy! They were so cute! And right there!! Inches from my face!!! Yes, the Seattle Aquarium was wonderful.
So Christmas was snowier than I'd expected. We didn't get to use the Christmas tree skirt I'd made last year for my in-laws (who might have thought it was a cape, but I won't mention that part). And the Seattle Aquarium is awesome, especially if you came for the sea otters.

Up to? Up to? UP TO?

Movie quote.
Anyway, so what have I been up to? I am pleased to say that I've been dutifully Christmas shopping, decorating, getting ahead on my homework, shoveling the snow that graces my front walk and driveway, and carefully folding and packing the clothes I'll be taking to Washington for Christmas break. Sprinkled in among that, I've been cooking a variety of healthy and tasty meals, the leftovers of which I lovingly pack into Tupperware to take to lunch the next day.
------Paaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Essentially, I've been doing none of that. The Christmas presents, whether bought or made, have yet to appear. I've taken care of my parents and Ryan and Cherisse's family. That's it. I have a half-made present for someone else and then nothing (NOTHING) for anyone else. Not even Kevin. I went Christmas shopping the other day... and came home with a new pair of pants for myself. So much for the spirit of giving. I set out my nativity sets, and I put up a couple strings of lights on our house. Only one works, so part of the roof is very nicely outlined. Then it just stops. If by "getting ahead on my homework" I mean "doing absolutely the very minimum and hoping somehow to conjure up two very large assignments by Monday," that would be closer to the truth.Our driveway is covered in snow that I'm driving over enough to compact it into ice. Having trouble getting the car out sometimes. And as for our Washington trip, I may just bring a pair of jeans and the sweatshirt I got from my school this morning. That with clean underwear could very well constitute 2 weeks' worth of clothes. And Kevin's doing laundry today, so it should work out very well. I'll be stylin! And as for food, if Taco Bell's Fully Loaded Nachos counts as a well-rounded meal, then I've been eating very well-roundedly. I packed a tuna sandwich for lunch today, but for most of the rest of the week, I've been either eating the school lunch or bringing random fruits and hoping they'll fill me up (not so much).
So that's what I have been up to. Well, what I should have been up to. I'll run some errands at lunch today, and then after getting together with some friends, I'll have the rest of the evening and then the day tomorrow to catch up and get ahead on life.
Again, paaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha!

For the birds

My mom gave me a bird feeder while she was here a couple times ago. I have finally filled it... and filled it... and filled it.
Should be called a pig feeder! Those birds go hog wild all day! It is a new favorite pastime of Howie's, Toby's, and mine to sit and watch the birds chow down. It makes them hungry. It makes me happy.

Nerdiness

Sometimes I try to be cool. Like, I wear pants that are long enough to cover my socks, whether they be white or black. (ha ha. I actually wear bright Costco socks most of the time). I update my haircut once in a while, and I work on having good conversation skills.
But there are some parts of my nerdiness are unabashed.
Tonight I'm watching Star Trek on my laptop. When I was living in China (translating Chinese documents into English -- see, I'm a nerd), I bought the entire 7 seasons of Star Trek the Next Generation on DVD. I think Data's hilarious and Wesley Crusher is just so cute! But my favorite part of my DVDs is that the main menu and the subsequent menus look -- AND SOUND -- like the computer screens on the show. So as I'm clicking through to find my episode, it makes appropriate beeps and computer noises so I sound like I'm actually sending the Enterprise into hyperspace.
Okay. I'm going to finish watching it and then pretend to be cool again. But you know the real story now. :)

Christmas!

It hasn't snowed yet this year, and so it hasn't felt much like Christmas yet. But tonight Kevin and I got to watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. I love the Christmas lights and other decorations on Temple Square. I went to see them with my family over Thanksgiving weekend, and I'm going again with the YM/YW this Wednesday evening. I loved getting to see the conference center and its decorations tonight. I loved the Christmas messages, too. It makes me want to spend a little more time reaching out to people this Christmas season and spending more time with Kevin reading the Christmas story and other scriptures. I especially loved President Eyring's story about his family's Christmas pageant which eventually included a part with Samuel the Lamanite prophesying on the wall, and the angry disbelieving crowd below who would throw wadded up balls of tin foil. I loved doing the Christmas pageant with my family when we were growing up. Sometimes we'd get really into it and get costumes and props, and we were always really silly.
But my favorite part about Christmas is the music. I had ward choir practice, and even though I won't be here for one of the weeks they're singing, I stayed for the whole practice so I could sing more of the songs. Then during the devotional tonight, Kevin and I sang along with the beautiful Christmas carols.
Now I feel like it's Christmas. Maybe I'll finish unpacking my Christmas decorations, and somewhere in that box is a stack of Christmas CD's that need to be listened to again this year.
Merry Christmas, my friends! The season has finally started!

Falling behind

I've heard of being a day late and a dollar short. That would be an improvement.
I haven't paid our rent for two months.
I forgot to send our landlord their property tax forms... a couple months ago.
Our car's registration expired in October.
I currently have a 50% in my online class. That's an F, folks.
I wake up every morning 45 minutes early so I can exercise, but I don't.
My hair has grown and exposed my roots.
The bathroom is yucky and gross.
We have no idea what to get Kevin's parents for Christmas.
I decided to make a few of the presents this year, but have yet to finish any of them.
There's a huge plastic tub of Christmas stuff decorating the living room floor.
Every piece of clothing I own is on the floor. If it's dirty, I don't know. If it's clean, it's too wrinkly.
I had a doctor's appointment before work. So instead of sleeping, my body decided to stress out about having to wake up early.

And I guess that's why I haven't blogged in a while.
I've never been good at to-do lists, so instead of starting on all this stuff I have to do, I'm going to the ward Christmas party tonight. How's that for responsibility!

Mama Mia! Twilight was wonderful!

Okay, so I haven't written for a while. For some people, that might mean they've been super busy. For some people, it means they just haven't written anything. I'm not saying which category I fit into.
A little over a week ago, on a Tuesday, my friend Claire and I went to the dollar theatre to see Mama Mia! The good thing about the dollar theatre on Tuesdays is that the movies are only $.75. I can usually afford to see movies at that price, even if they're Mama Mia!
So I listen to Abba in my car to and from work, and I literally can't keep a smile off my face when I sing along, especially to Take A Chance, Dancing Queen, and Fernando. I love those songs, and I was greatly looking forward to seeing the movie. I'd had a roommate in college who saw the musical and thought it was super fun. I had high hopes for the movie.
After seeing it, though, I'm glad the ticket was only 75 cents. It was terrible! The lines were cheesy, the dirty old women were uncomfortably vulgar, and the singing wasn't that great. I'm not saying that I sing any better-- but you don't buy tickets to come see me do it, either! And the choreography.... Ugh!

For parts of it, the dancing consisted of jumping on the bed or just dancing around the room-- not choreography. Then there was the weird flipper dance by the guys going to the bachelor party-- I'm not sure what that was all about.
All in all, I was horrified by the whole production. It was bad bad bad.
So on Sunday, Claire asks me if I've seen Twilight. I tell her no, and she tells me it was super cheesy and terrible. And considering we'd just gone to see Mama Mia! together, I knew what she was probably talking about.
But I still went to see Twilight.
And I loved it!
Not as much as the book, mind you, but I really enjoyed it. I don't know that I'll go buy the DVD when it comes out. I usually don't. And I don't know that I would have liked to have paid full price for it (I went to a matinee). But I usually don't again.
But I thought it was really good. I liked the pacing, and I liked the characters. I wish Bella had smiled more. That's one thing I didn't like about the movie and I now realize accurately reflects the books: Bella doesn't smile or laugh very much. And I think when you're in love, that's a VERY important part of the relationship. Oh, she had passion and intensity and very strong feelings. And I don't doubt that she loved Edward. But one of the biggest reasons I was cheering for Jacob was that she was HAPPY with him. They had fun, and he made her laugh and smile. And he was WARM. Who wants to snuggle with an ice cube?

(This is a picture that SHOULD have represented the movie).
Anyway... where was I? Oh, the movie. Yeah, I liked the movie, and I'm glad I got to see it with Cherisse, Sarah, and my mom. My dad had taken my mom to see it, but besides that, the rest of us have husbands who wouldn't have dreamed of going. In fact, most of us have husbands who are watching James Bond right now as I type this. I'm not interested. :)
I did watch the Jay Leno interview of Robert Pattinson (Edward). It wasn't interesting at all. He didn't brush his hair or shave or have anything remotely interesting to say. Which is too bad.

Superficial Christmas

Sara wrote a tag to write a list of the 10 things you'd like for Christmas. And this isn't like a "Peace on Earth" or anything sappy like that list, it's a "stuff" list.
So here are my 10 things I want, followed by the 10 people I tag.

1. A maid. I mean, I guess I don't want to technically own her or anything, since I don't believe in slavery. But neither do I apparently believe in cleaning up after myself. I need some help.

2. a digital camera. I think we're going to get this "for each other" for Christmas this year. I kind of miss taking pictures.

3. A thread spool holder thingie. Not exciting, but useful.

4. I want someone to do my homework for me, getting all A's or B's.

5. Jeans that fit.

6. A Mr. Fusion.

7. New pots and pans. A few of mine are getting kind of peely.

8. New dishes. They're cracked and chipped, and that's not very appetizing.

9. A portable space heater. Seriously, I'm ALWAYS cold, especially now that it's winter. I mean, it's 73 degrees in my room right now, but I'm still wearing my coat because my fingers and ankles are cold.

10. A chef. They can be Indian, Chinese, French (for the chocolate croissants, of course), New Mexican, or Thai. I'm not picky.

Okay, now I'm supposed to tag 10 friends. But I won't. If you'd like to write your materialistic Christmas want list, please do! So in essence, I'm tagging all of you!

The Big Apple

In college, I took Geography 101. And while it's very useful stuff to know, especially now that I'm TA-ing for a Social Studies class, it wasn't a particularly hard class. So during lecture, I'd sit with my notebook open, pondering what to add to my list of things to do in New York City.
I've never been there. I think it would be amazing to do all the stuff that I've seen on the movies: visit the Statue of Liberty, ride the horse carriages around Central Park, eat NY pizza, find the apartment that they used in Friends, go to a Broadway show.... you get the point.
But really, what is New York City besides the horrifyingly leftist so-liberal-I-want-to-puke capital of the world?
I read the New York Times sometimes, and I can usually get through a couple articles before the gag reflex gets to me. Today was no different. I read this article, which is a review of the Twilight movie. I plan on going to see the movie, and I just wanted to read it to see what calibre of movie we were talking about. Is it a halting effort to copy the book onto film, or did they make it a cinematographic masterpiece? I guess I will never know.
See, the reviewer said very little (tranlation: nothing) about the actual movie, except that she hated it because the characters don't have sex. And therefore it was a terrible movie with boring characters and no captivation at all.
Stupid liberal!
What is wrong with a high school love story where characters fall desperately in love with each other but don't sleep together? Just because the reviewer apparently has other views of what should happen in high school relationships, it doesn't mean that stories about people who exercise their self-control are worthless and boring.
Stupid New York!
Just because every story (movie, crappy book, TV show, etc) is set in New York where apparently EVERYONE sleeps together on first dates and has no morals-- it doesn't mean the rest of the world follows suit! And from the success of the Twilight books, it shows that romance can still be steamy and compelling without being graphic and lustful.

Random bits of history

I got to visit with my grandma when I went to visit my family a few weeks ago, and she told me a little bit about her mother. Now, that side of the family, the Thomas family, is where I get some of my... well... quick-witted stubbornness. Whenever I think of people who lived way back when, I always imagine them as sweet, mild-mannered, soft-spoken ladies and gentlemen straight out of a BBC film. But apparently they were normal people who thought for themselves.
Before my grandma was born, her mom lived in Colonia Juarez, Mexico, with six children. She had a newborn baby, 2-year-old twins, a 3, 5, and 7 year old. Oh, and here's the fun part. She lived in Mexico with the six kids, and her husband lived up in Colorado with his other wife. The first wife had been in Mexico a couple years before, but she'd returned to Colorado once they had a house ready. My great-grandma was waiting for her house to be built/set up, but apparently it just wasn't getting done. Out of sight, out of mind, and all that.
So that winter, which was in 1911/1912, she got sick of it. She didn't get a lot of support there from her husband, and I read on wikipedia that the Mexican Revolution had started in 1910, so that would make anyone uneasy.
She bought a train ticket, and because kids rode for free, she packed up her six kids and went home. Since she hadn't told her husband she was coming, she went and stayed with her mother.
Now that she was in town, my great-grandfather felt it more pressing to build her a house, so soon she had a house for her little family. That's where my grandma was eventually born, making her the eleventh out of twelve children.
We got to talking about this because we were saying how ridiculous it is that Americans nowadays feel like they need mansions just to fit them and their two children, plus a craft room, den, living room, family room, dining room, and day spa. In my grandma's little house, there were just two upstairs rooms for the kids: the boys' room and the girls' room. She said that once the older ones had moved out, she got to move into the next room, and she and her sister had their own rooms. And they did argue and yell a little less when everyone had more room.
So there's a little random bit of my family's history. I'm still a little confused about one part: the Church officially discontinued polygamy in 1890, but my great-grandparents were married in 1903. The wikipedia article talks about how the church officially ended polygamy in 1890 and then really REALLY ended it in 1904. Sounds like my family fits in to that gray area there.

Real New Mexico Enchiladas

Sarah asked me for this recipe, and here it is. It's one of those recipes that I never really use measuring spoons for, so I basically made up these measurements. And it never turns out the same any two times I make it, but it's wonderful!

1-2 chicken breasts
Boil in about 1" of water. Add one chopped onion. Simmer until chicken is cooked through.
Add:
1-2 cans green chile or 1/3 tub frozen chile
1 can cream of _______ soup (usually chicken or mushroom)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp - 1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin (if it isn't in the chili powder mix... it usually is, though)
That's the sauce.

Tear up tortillas (I like corn, but flour are pretty good too) and make a layer along the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan.
This is also when I usually remember to preheat the oven to 350.
The layer should be like 2-4 tortilla pieces thick, depending on how soupy your sauce is (more soupy, more tortillas). Then pour about half the sauce over it, and top with a layer of shredded cheese (cheddar or jack). Repeat a layer of tortillas, sauce, then a tiny covering of tortillas again. Then top with cheese.
Bake for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and it's warm through.
Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and/or whatever else you want.

Trying to be healthy

Sometimes I try to be healthy. In fact, as I never try to be UNhealthy, it's probably safe to say that I always try to be healthy. Or at least neutral.
I consider myself somewhat of an expert in this area, so please take careful notes as you read the following.
1. Substitute unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. For example, if you feel that you consume too many M&M's, try buying Raisinets instead. Raisins are dried grapes, which are FRUIT!
2. Don't drink KoolAid instead of water unless you want to gain weight. Don't ask me how I know this.
3. Eat smaller portions. If you buy an entire pork burrito (enchilada style) at Cafe Rio, save the last third for tomorrow's lunch. This is also a great way to make people jealous. And jealousy is just a step away from friendship!
4. Never make desserts unless people are coming over to help you eat them. You'll notice my favorite loophole: there is no limit on how many times you can invite people over in a given period.
5. Exercise doesn't always mean you'll lose weight. (See item 2).
6. Chinese people are skinny. This is because they don't eat American Chinese Take-out food.
7. Hard boiled eggs are small, healthy, filling, and individually packaged. The yolks are also choking hazards if you just pop them into your mouth all at once.
8. Don't feel pressured to finish all the food on your plate. If you're not hungry, you don't have to eat it. This is why you should save your lima beans for last.
9. Exercise is an important part of being healthy. So I always try to walk from my house to the car and then from the car to my office. I reverse that at the end of the day. Whew! I'm winded just thinking about it!
10. Eat whole grains instead of processed white flour. This means fewer Cheetos and more popcorn.

I hope you've learned something.

Weekend Update

What is the point of doing exercise if you can't move for the next three days? Shouldn't I just remain semi-sedentary and do it consistantly? Yes, I thought so.
But this weekend I went to this Ballet class at BYU on Saturday morning. Basically, it's a make-up class available on the weekends, but theoretically you can go if you're a student. Which I am not. But my husband is, and therefore I have an ID card as if I were a student. So there.
I was in this class with a bunch of skinny 19-year-olds who are flexible, muscular, and coordinated, all of which I feel like I am until I go to ballet classes. But I think I'll go regularly. Then I won't feel as if someone just clipped my calf muscles so I have to waddle around the house groaning.

And in other news... I got to go to a conference on Friday for work! Basically, one of the other teachers was supposed to go, but none of them wanted to. So I got to go! It was up at this resort up in Midway, UT, that looked like a Bavarian village. We had meetings and classes and keynote addresses, and I felt very professional. Best part: free stuff! I got a frisbee, a piggy bank, several pens, a flashlight, some refridgerator word magnets, and all sorts of other freebies. Best freeby: free lunch. They had some amazing food, and my favorite parts (which says a lot about how good they were, and also a bit about my impression of the chicken and brownies) were the garlic mashed potatoes and spinach/strawberry/red onion salad. It was wonderful.
I was the only person from my school who went, but I decided to talk to people at my table and at every class I went to. It was a good plan, but there are seriously some weird people out there! I did run into people I knew, acutally. A lady was there with her husband, and they had been in the Beijing branch when Kevin and I lived in Beijing!! We got to talk, because we fortuitously sat together at lunch. And let me mention again what a marvelous lunch it was.
I learned a lot about financial literacy, which was the point of the convention. I was really excited to go, because I teach that class (financial literacy), but I knew absolutely nothing about it. Now I know everything. Ask me anything.
How long does it take for money to double in amount with compound interest? Well, divide 72 by the interest rate, and that's how many years.
How do you make financial literacy fun for teenage girls? Color it pink and use daisies as demonstrations! Sing Abba! Wear pink lipstick! Use a really short, paperback textbook!
When should you start investing? Right now!
Should you buy a car with a credit card? No!
Okay, so some of this stuff I already knew. But not the first one. And I did learn a lot that will be useful as I pretend to teach this stuff!

Complaining

One of the things that's irked me about the last 8 years is how critical, negative, insensitive, and petty the news media, Hollywood, and therefore the general public has been about the president. There have been things he's done right and things he's done wrong, but that's not what we heard in the news. All we'd hear about was when he'd say a word wrong or trip over his speech. Honestly, you should hear me try to say a cohesive sentence or even a simple word that I have trouble thinking of. I sound like a garbled, confused idiot. Does that make me stupid? Does that make me a bad teacher? Does tripping over your words make you a bad president? No.
And yet, that's all we really heard about. People occasionally had criticisms of President Bush's policies or decisions he'd made. But mostly he would get blamed, as president, for the stupid decisions made by others. In response to Hurricane Katrina, first of all, with a week's warning to evacuate a city built below sea level, how is it President Bush's fault that people stayed? And why is it President Bush's fault that the mayor and other local authorities didn't do their jobs first? In a disaster whose major damages (loss of lives, etc) could and should have been avoided, I found it appalling that our nation blamed the president.
And I also hate that the nation blamed the entire economic crisis on President Bush and his administration. I'm sure many of you have read this article by Orson Scott Card. If not, take a read.
So for the last several years, I've gotten pretty sick of all the complaining done by the nation as a whole. I blame the media, with their constant criticisms, which sell better than positive analyses. Blah!
I know not everyone agrees with the president, and they don't have to. But it's important to support him, even if it means finding a tiny area where you agree with him.
So now, my friends, imagine my delight when I read and hear all these Republican friends-- whom I assume agree with me in their disgust with all the criticism of the current president-- and what are they doing? They're whining and complaining already! Seriously, people!
Is Barack Obama Bill Clinton? Is he a pandering ladies' man who can't be trusted in marriage, or in court, much less with the fate of our nation? No. It seems like he's a decent, intelligent, Christian family man, and while I don't completely agree with all his policies or ideas, I feel like he's a good man who will be a good leader and someone I can support as president.
I listened to his victory speech and appreciated very much the things he had to say. I hope he continues in that strain. I think he could be a good president for our nation, as the media will most likely point out more positive aspects of his presidency. I liked in the victory speech where he said, "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree."
I think I'll write him a letter.
And I saw Michelle Obama on the Jay Leno show a few days ago. As she walked on, the band played Stevie Wonder's "Isn't she lovely," and it's quite a fitting song. She seems absolutely lovely, and equally as intelligent as her husband.
I hope the two little girls can grow up to become normal, even with the public focus on them. That would be horrid, but it seems they're mostly kept away from the media and cameras, which is a smart approach.
And I'm happy they get a puppy.

Writing about myself again

Clever, huh? Beth tagged me on this. I love writing lists... about myself at that... so here it goes!
1. 8 TV shows I watch
I don't have a TV, so these are shows I watch either on the internet or on DVD.
1. The Office
2. The Tonight Show-- while I lived in China, this is how I got my real American news.
3. Paris Hilton's My New BFF-- this is my shameful secret. Now it's no secret, but it's still shameful.
4. Friends
5. Firefly--the tragedy of the decade is that this show got canceled before anyone began to watch it
6. Stylista-- not as shameful as the BFF show
7. Star Trek The Next Generation-- shameful in another way
8. Top Gear-- This one you've got to check out, guys. It's so funny! And British. I'm not ashamed at all. I'm just ashamed I can't watch several episodes in a row like Kevin likes to do.

2. 8 Favorite Restaurants
Oh, this one's gonna be easy. I LOVE eating out. So here are my favorites in their sugary, salty, fatty glory:
1. Cafe Rio
2. Goodwood BBQ
3. Todai (in Seattle)
4. Tucano's-- especially their BBQ chicken. Man, I don't usually like chicken, especially with the skin still on, but theirs is heavenly.
5. Any Indian restaurant-- I just adore Indian food. I picked that up when I lived in China, since one of the chefs at the Summit Club Restaurant was from India. Wonderful stuff! He'd cook for the buffet
6. Ma Cherie Thai and Vietnamese Restaurant-- Kevin and I ate here several times a week while we lived at Hotel Kunlun in Beijing. We'd always order a curry and then finish up with a coconut milk and tapioca dessert. Just thinking of it is making me feel it was worth the terrible job just to be able to eat there.
7. Mmmmmm... now that I'm on a kick with the Hotel Kunlun restaurants, the breakfast buffet was amazing. I gained like 100 pounds after eating all you can eat chocolate croissants and French toast every morning. Luckily, I soon discovered the gym.
8. And Beth, I'll have to agree with you on this one: Taco Bell. Maybe it was that Los Alamos didn't (and still doesn't) have one, or maybe the fact that they serve PEPSI (!!!), but Taco Bell is the place to get your money's worth.

3. 8 Things that Happened Yesterday

1. I roamed neighborhoods around my house looking for apple trees.
2. I took a stepladder and picked apples from a tree outside an apartment complex. It was on the median between the sidewalk and street, which is officially public property.
3. I got yelled at by the guy whose car I put my apple picking bowl on.
4. I went home.
5. I made applesauce.
6. I finished watching Bleak House.
7. I had FHE with Kevin.
8. I brushed my teeth-- twice!

4. 8 Things I’m looking forward to

1. Heidi's baby shower
2. Voting this afternoon
3. Writing my first novel (haven't exactly started...)
4. Lunch (I packed a sandwich, applesauce, and chocolate-covered raisins)
5. Eating the chocolate-covered raisins before lunch
6. The Second Coming
7. Finishing my Master's and being DONE with classes
8. Having a baby
(These are random thoughts, not necessarily in order of how much I'm looking forward to them. Just thought I'd say...)
5. 8 Things on my Wish List

1. A maid
2. A baby
3. A camera
4. A new bike-- one that weighs less than I do, perhaps
5. One of those racks you hang on the wall for spools of thread
6. An apartment big enough for a grand piano
7. Juno on DVD
8. Warm weather year round

6. 8 Things I Love

1. People (Kevin, my family, my extended family, my friends, my students, everyone)
2. My kitty cats
3. Books that make me laugh, cry, and think
4. Movies that do the same
5. Dancing-- ballet especially
6. Riding my bike
7. Cross country skiing
8. Learning Chinese

7. 8 Things I Can’t Stand

1. Farting
2. Techno music
3. When my house is messy and it's all my fault
4. Dead cats on the side of the road
5. Being cold
6. Long, boring, pretentious paragraphs
7. Dogs
8. Ice

8. 8 People I’m Tagging

1. Tia- for her listing skills
2. Sarah McKenna- especially to see her loves and hates lists
3. Sarah Franz- because she's opinionated
4. Keri-Ann- for old-time's listing sake
5. Karisa- she makes everything fun, even lovely lists
6. Terri- mostly to see what she loves besides spiders ;)
7. Bethanie- do you even have time for TV shows?
8. Stacey- although I think you've already done this... don't feel obligated, but it's always fun to hear what you have to say

Halloween

I know I'm supposed to take pictures of myself and my Halloween costume. But that didn't happen. You'll just have to use your imagination to see me as the cutest/most realistic pirate you've ever seen in your life.
Except Captain Jack Sparrow.
And Long John Silver.
And Blackbeard's ghost.
But I was very fearsome.
I have my pirate costume from marching band in high school when we did the Hook show. That was the first year our colorguard was awesome, and we all dressed up as pirates-- which made us even awesomer!
And having an awesome costume that is billowy and elastic means I can wear it and probably will always be able to wear it. This year I made the addition of some belts and my brown boots, unzipped part way and folded down. Sarah gave me that awesome idea. I also wore a bunch of my random Chinese trinkets (coin bracelet, jade necklace, antique combination lock, and Buddhist scripture in a can) dangling off my headscarf and belt. I was pretty cool.
Oh, and I was just reminded: we had a Halloween parade of all the kids from the daycare at my school. And since I was a scary pirate, my super awesome sister, Sarah, let me use her pirate treasure chest (given to her by her super awesome sister). So I had that pirate booty on my desk and gave out candy to little tiny trick-or-treaters. They were so cute!
The teacher I work with, Kelly, says the best part about Halloween is the little tiny kids dressed up. And when they come to his house to trick-or-treat, he gives them full-sized candy bars. When teenagers come, dressed up or not, he gives them each a Smartie and tells them they're too old for trick-or-treating.
I'm taking notes.

Best and Worst Halloween Candy?

Upon opening up my hotmail box this morning, I sought to educate myself by reading an article entitled Best and Worst Halloween Candy. Thinking it would tell me what the most popular and suckiest candies were, I read with eager interest. But imagine my dismay, shock, horror, and disgust when all it was was a list of candies and their calorie content. Who wants a stick of Trident, people?
So here is my list of the ten best and ten worst Halloween candy... the right way.

Best Halloween Loot
1 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
2 Smarties. Not usually my favorite candy, but I loved getting them at Halloween.
3 Malt balls (although my mom would usually "trade" for (a.k.a. commandeer) these)
4 York Peppermint patties (see item 3)
5 M&M's
6 Earrings (that was the coolest house!)
7 Blow pops
8 Hershey's Special Dark
9 Pixie Sticks
10 Sour patch kids

Worst Halloween junk
1 Peanut butter flavored saltwater taffy. The wrappers might be cute orange and black, but just like in the wild, those bright colors tell you "get away! poisonous!"
2 Tootsie Rolls. I mean, one or two is okay, but when half your candy stash is made of Tootsie, it's impossible. Can't be eaten. I always appreciate the sucker who will trade me good stuff for my Tootsie Rolls.
3 Trident gum. I don't recall ever getting any for Halloween, but now that I know it's low calorie, keep it, folks.
4 Plastic toys
5 Circus peanuts
6 Bit o' Honey. Never actually eaten one of these. But they look gross.
7 Rock hard pink bubble gum. Any brand.
8 Black licorice
9 Generic jaw breakers. I could never tell if they were gumballs or hard candy. I think that's why I developed TMJ.
10 Fire balls. The fiery outer shell was just too much. Too hot. And apparently they're really cheap, b/c everyone seemed to give them.

So there is the definitive list. Don't waste your time counting calories on Halloween. It's like sticking to a no-gravy diet on Thanksgiving. C'mon, people. Live a little. And happy Halloween!

Sarah Palin's a Brainiac by Elaine Lafferty

[Chelsea's note: I still haven't decided on who I'll vote for. And more importantly, I haven't even looked at the voter information packet they sent about the local and state issues, which arguably affect me more directly. But I have watched Saturday Night Live clips which mock and ridicule without a thought to avoid bias. This, then, is a refreshing article that shows Sarah Palin in a more positive light, which I appreciate greatly.]

The former editor in chief of Ms. magazine (and a Democrat) on what she learned on a campaign plane with the would-be VP.

It's difficult not to froth when one reads, as I did again and again this week, doubts about Sarah Palin's “intelligence,” coming especially from women such as PBS's Bonnie Erbe, who, as near as I recall, has not herself heretofore been burdened with the Susan Sontag of Journalism moniker. As Fred Barnes—God help me, I'm agreeing with Fred Barnes—suggests in the Weekly Standard, these high toned and authoritative dismissals come from people who have never met or spoken with Sarah Palin. Those who know her, love her or hate her, offer no such criticism. They know what I know, and I learned it from spending just a little time traveling on the cramped campaign plane this week: Sarah Palin is very smart.

I'm a Democrat, but I've worked as a consultant with the McCain campaign since shortly after Palin's nomination. Last week, there was the thought that as a former editor-in-chief of Ms. magazine as well as a feminist activist in my pre-journalism days, I might be helpful in contributing to a speech that Palin had long wanted to give on women's rights.

What is often called her “confidence” is actually a rarity in national politics: I saw a woman who knows exactly who she is.

Now by “smart,” I don't refer to a person who is wily or calculating or nimble in the way of certain talented athletes who we admire but suspect don't really have serious brains in their skulls. I mean, instead, a mind that is thoughtful, curious, with a discernable pattern of associative thinking and insight. Palin asks questions, and probes linkages and logic that bring to mind a quirky law professor I once had. Palin is more than a “quick study”; I'd heard rumors around the campaign of her photographic memory and, frankly, I watched it in action. She sees. She processes. She questions, and only then, she acts. What is often called her “confidence” is actually a rarity in national politics: I saw a woman who knows exactly who she is.

For all those old enough to remember Senator Sam Ervin, the brilliant strict constitutional constructionist and chairman of the Senate Watergate Committee whose patois included “I'm just a country lawyer"...Yup, Palin is that smart.

So no simple task then, this speech on women's rights. For the sin of being a Christian personally opposed to abortion, Palin is being pilloried by the inside-the-Beltway Democrat feminist establishment. (Yes, she is anti-abortion. And yes, instead of buying organic New Zealand lamb at Whole Foods, she joins other Alaskans in hunting for food. That's it. She is not a right-wing nut, and all the rest of the Internet drivel—the book banning at the Library, the rape kits decision—is nonsense. I digress.) Palin's role in this campaign was to energize “the Republican base,” which she has inarguably done. She also was expected to reach out to Hillary Clinton “moderates.” (Right. Only a woman would get both those jobs in either party.) Look, I am obviously personally pro-choice, and I disagree with McCain and Palin on that and a few other issues. But like many other Democrats, including Lynn Rothschild, I'm tired of the Democratic Party taking women for granted. I also happen to believe Sarah Palin supports women's rights, deeply and passionately.

Many of those—not all—who decried the sexist media treatment of Hillary Clinton have been silent as Palin has been skewered in the old ways that female public figures are skewered, as well as a host of sexualized new ways as well. Some feminists have weighed in; “Even the reportedly clear glasses she wears to play down her beauty queen credential and enhance her gravitas can't make up for experience,” writes my heroine Suzanne Braun Levine, former editor of Ms. Oppose her on policy? Fine. But how sad for feminist leaders to sink this low, especially when Palin has worn glasses since she was 10 years old.

Last month a prominent feminist blogger, echoing that sensibility, declared that the media was wrongly buying into the false idea that Palin was a feminist. Why? Well, just because she said she was a feminist, because she supported women's rights and opportunities, equal pay, Title IV—that was just “empty rhetoric,” they said. At least the blogger didn't go as far as NOW's Kim Gandy and declare that Palin was not a woman. Bottom line: you are not a feminist until we say you are. And there you have the formula for diminishing what was once a great and important mass social change movement to an exclusionary club that rejects women who sincerely want to join and, God forbid, grow to lead.

But here is the good news: women, citizens of America's high and low culture, the Economist and People magazine readers, will get it. They got it with Hillary even when feminist leaders were not supporting her or doing so half-heartedly. Yes, Palin is a harder sell, she looks and sounds different, and one can rightfully oppose her based on abortion policies. If you only vote on how a person personally feels about abortion, you will never want her to darken your door. If you care about anything else, she will continue to intrigue you. As Time's Nancy Gibbs noted a few weeks ago, quoting bioethicist Tom Murray, “Sympathy and subtlety are seasonings rarely applied to political red meat.” Will Palin's time come next week? I don't know. But her time will come.

More about cats

Yesterday after work, since it was SUCH a beautiful day and I'd rolled my window down, I completely forgot to roll it back up. No biggie. It didn't rain, and it didn't even frost. So this morning I go out there and chuckle to myself that I had been so forgetful. And then I noticed a CREATURE in the back of my car.
OK, it wasn't scary, but it did surprise me. There's this big old Siamese cat (probably as big as Toby) that roams our neighborhood, and he was SLEEPING in the back of my car!
Kind of makes me wonder what else could have been in and out over the course of the night.
I'll close my windows from now on. :)

My wonderful kitty cats

I don't usually go on and on about my pets, because it is completely and entirely boring for everyone else. So feel free to skim, but do take a look at the beautiful pitures, photgraphed by my mom while she was visiting me.



I notice that I really love blogs that have pictures of my friends. So often there are just pictures of the little ones, which makes sense, since the mom is usually the one taking the picture. I also notice that since I don't have a camera, I don't take many (any) pictures. So these are ones that my mom took when she was here a couple months ago.
My black cat is named Toby, short for October. He is wonderful and very very big. He started to get kind of fat, but then we got Howie. Now they chase each other around the house all day, so neither of them is fat. Toby likes attention, and at about 7:15 every morning (why do I still set an alarm?) he wakes me up and then sits on the dresser and meows for attention. I used to think it was for food, but then I found that even when I feed him at night, he still comes in to get petted. When he was a little kitten, he liked to curl up in my hair on my pillow while I slept. Now that he is a very large cat, he still likes to do that. It's a bit annoying, but I really love it. He's very much a talker and will meow conversations back and forth with us sometimes. He hates small children, and if he sees one toddle towards him, he makes himself scarce until that child leaves.
Howie, on the other hand, is a bit masochistic. He LOVES little kids and will just purr and purr while they poke, hit, and drag him. He really doesn't have his self interest in mind at all. He purrs all the time. When I was out of town, Kevin had Howie purr to me over the phone and it was super loud!
We found Howie in a tree in our neighbor's yard, and that explains a lot about him. He likes to climb on stuff, but he is kind of stupid. When we squirt him with water to have him get off the table or counters or something, it doesn't phase him. Ditto to when we manhandle him or push his head down onto the ground by the scruff of his neck (like some training books say to do). We turn around, and he's back up there.
We have a little toy that is something like a feathery-looking weasel with a bell on it, attached to a string and a stick. Howie loves to chase this and will chase it until he's out of breath and has to pant like a dog. Sometimes he'll find the toy, pick it up in his mouth, and drag it around the house, stick and everything. It is completely so cute!
Toby is sleek and refined, like a black panther. He's gorgeous and soft. But then Howie is softer in a different way. He has longer fur that is just ridiculously fine textured. It is super long, and his tail is poofy like a squirrel's.

NaNoWriMo

A little while ago, I checked out a book from the library called No Plot? No Problem! In a nutshell, that's what I was having problems with: I wanted to write something but couldn't think of a plot. And books sans plots=huge waste of time. Don't even get me started about Middlemarch. Blach!
So part of this book, besides giving ideas and pointers of things to consider while writing a novel, is that the author started an event called National Novel Writing Month. He started it with his friends, fellow wannabe writers, and they all got together and wrote a novel in a month. Now, it wasn't a GOOD novel (and I'm not sure this author ever published a book besides No Plot? No Problem!), but sometimes it's satisfying to just complete SOMETHING.
So I have signed up to write a novel this coming month. It will not be good. It will be long and wholly unedited. At places, it will sound like the random ramblings of an incoherent eighth grader, and at other times it will have descriptions that put even Dickens's to shame in their length and sheer impenetrability. And I might even use words like impenetrability. So ha!
But I just wanted to let you know that I WILL be finishing a novel this November. Come join me! If you want to do this too, just go to their website and sign up. If you reach a certain word-count (like 50,000), it counts as a novel and you "win." And then you spend December and the following months editing it. You should do it too. We can be winners!
On the other hand, my school is hosting a Biggest Loser competition. That's one I DON'T want to win. ;) Who wants to be a loser?! I'm gonna spend the month sitting on my couch WRITING.

Someone get me a map!

If you asked me a week ago (and several of you did) where I thought Kevin would find a job after he graduates from law school, I'd tell you I didn't know, but he's been applying in Washington state and Washington D.C. So that's where I thought we'd be going.
However, a couple days ago, Kevin interviewed with a judge from one of Idaho's district courts, and he decided to take the clerkship with her up in Boise starting this July. So goodbye Provo; hello Idaho!
This is actually a perfect job for Kevin. He gets along with the judge really well. She had traveled to China in the 1980's, and for 3/4 of their interview, that's what they talked about. I mean, Kevin's qualified for the job and everything, but so was everyone else who applied. My husband just has some awesome interpersonal skills!
It's also perfect because the job is just for a year-- essentially a prestigious internship. Kevin's applied for some other jobs with the US Foreign Service and State Department and stuff, and he's really excited about those possibilities. But the government takes its sweet time when processing job applications, sometimes even up to a year. So if things work out according to the dream, he'll work at this court clerkship for a year and then go work for the government in the Diplomatic Corps or whatever. If not, having a clerkship (and understanding how a judge's job works) makes you really marketable for regular law firms. So this clerkship fits him to a T.
I've never been to Boise, but it sounds really nice. The wikipedia article had some information on it, and googlemaps shows me what it looks like if I were an eagle or a vulture screaming overhead. So I feel comfortable moving there sight unseen (site unseen?). It's always exciting to go do new things, especially with Kevin. I love him, and I'm proud of him for finding a great job for after law school. We are seriously, so blessed!

White Rock Ward

I love the White Rock Ward! I think it might not be perfect, but in so many ways it works the way a ward should work. People are friendly with each other. They can count on their Home Teachers or Visiting Teachers in a pinch. And they don't let minor setbacks prevent them from doing what they should.
About that last one, I had a friend who said that one week the Air Conditioner went out in their church building. So she didn't go. Or I've heard of wards in Utah (where no one lives further than 3 blocks from a church) have canceled church because of too much snow on the roads. Boots, people!
So I'm sitting in church on Sunday, and right in the middle of the second high counselor's talk, the power went out. There are some emergency lights by the exit doors, so once our eyes adjusted, we could see some faint outlines of people. When the little kids stopped talking, the speaker made a comment about the power and then continued with his talk. After about a minute, he reaches the end of his thought and says, "Well, with the lights out, I can no longer see my notes. So I'll say what I can remember, and then I'll shut up and sit down." Someone brought him a flashlight, and he finished right on time. It really made me understand why in the old days, everyone sat on the front rows of the church pews. I was on the third row, and when the babies were talking, I could hardly hear the speaker. In my ward currently, no one ever sits on about the first 3 rows, and then it is pretty sparse for the first half of the chapel. But the back divider is opened up, and there are tons of seats in the back, where most of the people sit. I think it would be a great experiment to turn off the microphone for a few weeks, encouraging people to sit together as a congregation and a community. The feeling of community is what is missing in many wards, and I think it's partly because we don't sit together and get to know each other. Kevin and I really try to do that, talking to the people we sit with. There are just two of us, so we fit on rows with just about anyone.
So continuing the power outage. The organ wouldn't work without electricity, of course, so the closing song was with piano. We sang "There Is Sunshine in My Soul," ironically. Even though we couldn't see our hymnals as well as usual, I think there was more fervent and enthusiastic singing than I've heard in a long time. It was beautiful.
The Sunday School class got moved to the Relief Society room, where there are several windows. I enjoy Sunday School in White Rock, because I feel that I learn. In my ward here, I feel that we have great discussions sometimes, and sometimes I learn something new. But in White Rock, I always feel like I learn a lot. Everyone there is thinking and has done a lot of thinking, studying, and research over the years, and then they're happy to share their thoughts.
After Sunday School, the power went back on, and it was off to Young Women and Relief Society.
I was really impressed with the Young Women who led the opening exercises for Relief Society and Young Women. They were mature and collected when giving the announcements... which is not always or ever happens in my ward. The girls in charge took care of the prelude music, announcements, theme, and prayer, without making it a question and answer series with the leaders. That's something to work on in my ward. I'll take it as a challenge myself.
There's a lot that is right with my current ward, but there are a few things that White Rock does really well, and I enjoy those when I get to go back home to visit. I hope I get to visit often. I don't know the next time I'll be able to go... maybe over spring break. But I definitely want to go for the 4th of July. I've spent the 4th of July in a couple different places (Utah, New Mexico, China, Lake Tahoe), and the best by far is New Mexico!

Saturday

Another reason I was excited to go home this weekend is that a couple of my friends from day camp, Adam and Casey, are living in Los Alamos these days. They're married and have a baby, Cara, who it was fun to meet. We decided to go hiking and have a picnic lunch up at Camp May.
I'd never done much hiking out there, and I'd been missing out! It was gorgeous and a perfect day for hiking! The trees on the ski hill were dark green and then bright gold where the aspens were changing colors. I was there on the right day. Last week they would probably have been green, and next week the leaves will have all fallen off. The weather was warm in the sun and cool in the shade, which was perfect for hiking. Apparently a lot of other people felt that way too. We ran into several other people, most of whom we knew. I actually ran into Adam Light, who I usually like to go see when he's in town. But since he lives in Colorado, I didn't figure he'd be there. When we came across him and his dad on the trail, I actually recognized his dog first. :) He has a cute little dog that's just bite-sized and completely adorable (this coming from a devout dog-despiser). She was hopping along the trail, followed by Adam's parents' dog, a big ol' sheepdog-type that should be named Bruno or Brutus or something. I forget his real name. :S
So that was fortuitous to run into them on the trail. :)
When Adam, Casey, Cara, and I got to our picnic, we had a lovely time. Adam and Casey are super fun people, and their daugher is great. She has this super sweet smile that says, "I'm so special!" And you can tell she knows her parents love her lots.
I wish they had gotten to meet Kevin and that Kevin had gotten to meet them. But it was great to finally meet Cara and to get to hang out with the three of them. Yay!

Friday

So this weekend I had two extra days off school for UEA. I'm not sure what that stands for (Utah Educators something-rather), but it used to be called Deer Hunt. And then Monday there was a staff training that I didn't have to attend, so I took off to spend the weekend in New Mexico.
I LOVE New Mexico in the fall! October is my favorite month there for several reasons, and I was super excited to go. I love the trees and the changing weather. The most beautiful spot in the world is along the Rio Grande right after the road to Espanola, where the cottonwood trees are BRIGHT yellow and stand out from the pink and dark mesas with the little juniper bushes on them. It was worth the trip down there just to see that.
On Friday night my family went to the LAHS football game. Daniel plays football, but he's on the JV team, and they didn't have a game this weekend. But he's also in the marching band (snare drum), so we got to see him do that. I never thought of my old high school football games as something I miss, but it was so fun to go and see all the hoopla that I used to be a part of. I mean, since I was in marching band, I went to every single home football game, and it was cool to see it all again.
One part I'd completely forgotten about was that during the last quarter of the game, there's a guy with Down's Syndrome who comes to lead the band in the fight song (Go Toppers!). So he's up there directing with the drum majors, and he's had enough practice that he waves his hands better than the drum majors, I think. This time, he gets up to the front and puts on a black cape. Then he leads the band in some cheers and generally works the crowd. I remember how fun it was to cheer with him, because he is absolutely BURSTING with school spirit, and you can tell that the football games are the highlight of his weeks during the fall. He comes with his mom, and she's always there with him, although she sits quietly while he's leading cheers and yells.
It's nice to visit home, although I don't know as many people as I used to. But when you only know 3 or 4 people, you have to make sure to visit and talk with all of them. So during the game, my mom and I went and talked to a few people, and it was nice to catch up.
One girl I graduated with, Katie, writes a blog, and I read it occasionally, linking through Julia's blog. I've known Katie since 5th grade, and we've never been tight friends or anything. But her blog is really neat. She has a lot of great ideas for living a simple life, and that's something I'm really interested in. She knits a lot, and she posts some pictures of the things she's knitted.
So I'm at the game, wandering around with my mom, and we see a baby stroller. I'm not sure that it was even hers, but it reminds me that Katie and her baby son would probably be at the game, since her husband is a coach and she goes to all the games. Right then I see this little baby toddling around with someone who must be his grandpa. And the baby's wearing a knitted hat that I had seen a picture of on Katie's blog! So I went and talked to Katie and told her about the blog picture and recognizing her son. I hope it didn't creep her out, come to think of it.
And I got to talk to my neighbors, the McCulloughs. They're putting a new porch on their house and decided that pink construction paper was a good look for their house. ;) No, seriously, it looks really great with a shady porch instead of a solar oven, which all south-facing houses tend to become. And it will look even better once they stucco over the pink.
The band did a show from Tommy, the rock opera. I didn't know the songs, except the last one, Pinball Wizard. The colorguard had some gray "pinballs" and used them as their apparatus for the last song. I guess I've been watching too much rhythmic gymnastics, because I was expecting some awesome rolling, tossing, and manipulation, and sadly they just held them. But it was a cool idea.
And the Toppers won the game 12-0 against Farmington, so the band wore their hats backwards to march back to the band room. I didn't watch a bit of the game, but all in all, it was a grand evening.

Trust issues

Update: My green shirt is fine. I washed it, and it looks... about 1 wash older than it did before. I can handle that. My knee is still bluish green, and my ankle is still sprained. A certain 3-year-old niece of mine (who shall remain nameless) ran into my legs as they were perched on the coffee table, which somehow re-sprained my ankle something fierce. But I'm planning on living through this. Bear with me as I continue to whine about it.
My mom is staying with me, and last night we dyed my hair. It's just a teensy bit darker than before. We took before pictures and during pictures, but we have yet to take after pictures. I'm lucky my mom was here, because she has a camera. Otherwise there would be no photographic evidence that anything had changed at all.
And now you'll just have to take my word for it that pictures exist. :)
On another unrelated topic, let me tell you how awesome my brother is. I needed to get an oil change, and so I called him to see which services and fluids I should have done when I go to Jiffy Lube. He used to work there before he got his real mechanic job, and he said that sometimes the people there just tell you need to have stuff done, but you don't really need it as often as they say. So I called to ask him what I should have done, and he said, "Actually, I've been wanting to take a look at your car for a little while now. Why don't you bring it by after work and I'll see if I can change some of the fluids too." How cool is that?!
And this is coming from the brother who used to tell me that in that Beach Boys song, Kokomo, that line that I thought sounded like "mounds of rotten steak" actually said "monster at the stake." Because obviously when you find monsters on tropical islands, it is traditional to burn them at the stake. (We watched "Ivanhoe" a few too many times as children). I think what he meant to say is "Monsarrat mystique."
We used to watch Return of the Jedi together, and I had a really hard time understanding what some of the characters were saying. I thought I was just stupid, because Han Solo could understand Chewbacca just fine, and so could my brother. I'd ask him what Chewy had just said, and he'd tell me, "Oh, he just said that he doesn't want to go to Corusant." Ok, so I know you can kind of infer what he was saying, but please! Erik didn't (and doesn't) speak Wookie!
He also taught me that a lobotomy is where you drill a hole in someone's head, poke a stick in it, and scramble their brains.
He would make sand battleships in our sandbox and show my parents, pointing out the gun turrets, the airplane landing strip, the cockpit or whatever. My parents would stand there saying, "Oh," "Ah," and "Ooh, how neat." And I thought there was something wrong with me because all I saw was a pile of sand. Same goes for his "gun cabinet" in our tree fort. I thought they were just sticks.
So despite having a little sister with absolutely no imagination, Erik is still patient enough with me that he will fix my car for free. Or for cost of supplies. Maybe I could get him to change my wiper blades. Although I heard that's pretty easy to do. I just have yet to try.

I hurt

I didn't make it to Young Women's tonight.
Oh, I meant to go. I made dinner early and then changed into some cute clothes (not my bikeriding grubbies) to go over to the church. When I was leaving, I went and showed Kevin my new shirt. I got it at Savers, but I think it was brand new... or at least only worn a couple of times. It's bright green, long sleeved, with a boat neck, and it's really soft. I love it.
So I took off for Young Women. Despite having ridden my bike to work today, I had a ton of energy, so I decided to run to church.
Unfortunately, there's a little hole in the yard right where I was running. I've stumbled through it before, but never much more than a misstep. But today I took it at a run. Before I knew what had happened, I twisted my ankle and found myself diving forward into the ground. I didn't catch myself before my whole body was spread-eagle on the ground. I tried to sit up and assess the damage, but I hurt too much to move. I didn't have my phone, so I knew I'd either have to make it inside or just lie outside and hurt in the yard.
Apparently I have some self control, because I was able to pull myself up and limp back inside. I think my ankle is just sprained. It hurts, but nothing close to when I broke it in China. My jeans tore through, and both knees are skinned and bleeding. But my left hand must have been what broke my fall as it skidded through the dirt. It's all sorts of cut up, with some dirt shoved up into it far enough that I couldn't get it out, despite all my scrubbing.
I cried because I hurt, and I cried harder because I think I've ruined my beautiful green shirt. I'll wash it, but I think it's all pulled and mud-encrusted, so there's very little hope.
My ankle didn't swell too much, because I iced it, and my scrapes are washed and band-aided but still sting.
It's been a long time since I've done this to myself. People at work tomorrow will think I crashed my bike. No, I'm just dumb and decide to run through fields of potholes.

All About Me (Thanks to Jill and D'Nell)

Last Movie I Saw In A Movie Theater? Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
What Book Are You Reading? Hmm... Kind of in the middle of rereading Pride and Prejudice, Twilight, and Anna and the King of Siam
Favorite Board Game? Monopoly (and no, it does not take forever... not if I beat you really quick)
Favorite Magazine? If I were to subscribe to one, it might be Better Homes and Gardens or The Economist (yes, I'm a nerd... but they have great, well-written articles!
Favorite Smells? Baking bread, lilacs, lilies
Favorite Sounds? Kevin singing, and my cats meowing
Worst Feeling In The World? sticking to popsicles or cold metal
First Thing You Think of When You Wake? Wow! I slept really well! or Ungh! It can't be morning yet... it's still gray outside!
Favorite Fast Food Place? Carl's Junior
Future Child’s Name? Girl: Mercedes Boy: Calvin
Finish This Statement—“If I Had a Lot of Money,” I would spend every bit of it: remodeling my home, buying said home, getting a haircut, sponsoring doctors and dentists to visit remote places, growing a garden and selling stuff at a fruit stand.
Do You Drive Fast? Really really no
Favorite place you have visited? Beijing, Washington (state), DunHuang, Urumqi, Turpan
Storms—cool or scary? I love thunderstorms! Dust storms, tornadoes, hurricanes... those are scary
What Was Your First Car? 1983 Oldsmobile. It was quite a beast
Favorite Drink? Pepsi... although I can't drink it (or rootbeer, caffeinated or not) after 4:00 PM if I plan on sleeping that night
Finish This Statement—“If I Had the Time, I Would…” install an irrigation system in my yard, do house repairs, hang out with my friends and my sister more often, get a haircut that requires extensive preparation every morning
Do You Eat the Stems on Broccoli? Not if I can help it.
If You could Dye your Hair Any Other Color, What Would It Be? dark brown
Name All the Different Cities In Which You Have Lived. Orange, TX; White Rock, NM; Provo, UT; Urumqi, China; Nanjing, China; Beijing, China.
Favorite Sport to Watch? Football! And men's volleyball is pretty exciting in person
What’s Under Your Bed? My collection of soda bottles refilled with water (food storage), dried beans and flour (food storage), a couple books, and I'm sure my missing earrings are there somewhere.
Would You Like to Be Born As Yourself Again? I'd really prefer not to have to start over.
Morning Person or Night Owl? Basically neither. My brain shuts off at about 9:00 PM, but I hate getting up in the morning. But once I'm up, life is great. So... morning person but not really.
Over Easy or Sunny Side Up? I consider myself an educated person, but I really don't know what "over easy" means. I don't like Sunny Side Up, though.
Favorite Place to Relax? As you can read at the bottom of my blog, I spent a Sunday afternoon the other week on a blanket on my lawn, in the fall sunshine, listening to our fountain trickle into the pond and read a book all afternoon. That was perfect. (except for the dropping walnuts... but that's another story)
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor? Phish food or Creme Brulee by Ben and Jerry's. Mmmmmm!!!

Designer Jeans

When I was in China, one of my closest friends was Renee Clark. They lived within walking distance, and we often went to hang out with her and her family. Her husband was there working at the Canadian embassy, and their son went to bed like at 6 PM. So we didn't often have them to our place, but we went to theirs.
One time we went over, and Renee had just come home from a shopping spree. She had bought 6 pairs of jeans... and we fortuitously discovered that we wear the same size! So I paid her five bucks and came home with a pair of Dolce & Gabbana Jeans.
I'm not sure if they're real or fake, but I know that one of the buttons fell off, and the zipper broke, resulting in either an open fly or a safety pin.
The worst part is that they have shrunk. They started shrinking when I got home from China, making the thighs particularly tight. And they've been especially shrinking these last couple weeks since I've started riding my bike to work more often.
I don't want bigger muscles! I want to be able to keep wearing my fake Dolce & Gabbana Jeans! Whine! They were only 5 bucks!
I think I'll go to Savers this afternoon. Sometimes they have good stuff. But not Dolce & Gabbana.

The Torialists

Through my reading of blogs, especially through reading somewhat-fashion-related blogs like A Dress A Day, I've found a wildly popular blog called the sartorialist. This guy goes around places like NYC and various European cities taking pictures of people's everyday fashion. Some of it is pretty cool; some of it is weird. But he's a talented photographer, and it's neat to see the styles and settings he finds. He has quite a following, and all these stylish people like to put in their two bits about each outfit or whatever. That's not my cup of tea. But I do like the website.
Then I found today's "blog of note." I love it!

Exuberance

There's a new grocery store in town. I believe one of my very first posts on this blog was about grocery stores, and I'm always really excited when there's a good one. See, there used to be a store with really cheap, fresh produce: Market Fresh. But all they had besides that was organic health food, and not a lot of variety. I'd just go for the fruit. Apparently that's what everyone did, because they went out of business.
Now there's a new store: Sunflower Farmer's Market. They have ridiculously cheap produce, a lot of bulk foods, and a large variety of organic health food... and regular food! And all there stuff is very reasonably priced.
I've gone twice already since discovering it on Wednesday. I told Alex about it, and he went immediately. I ask everyone I know about it and either exclaim together about how awesome it is, or I tell them how awesome it is and they should go check it out.
Now here's my thought: Why am I so hesitant to be this way about the Gospel? Isn't that better news than a new grocery store, for Pete's sake? Saving money and getting good, fresh, healthy food-- all in one place-- now, that's pretty exciting. But saving your eternal life, learning about repentance and the joy that comes when guilt is washed away through the Atonement of Christ-- that's much more exciting!

The Office

So last night, as you all know, was the first episode of The Office. Since we don't have a TV, and since Kevin has friends, we went to Kevin's friend's house to watch it with a bunch of other folks from law school. And since it was a party, we brought some nice food, including homemade salsa and a Jell-o mold, in the middle of which was suspended Kevin's cell phone.
I left the Jell-o in the bowl until we got to the party, where I uncovered it. Then I left and went to sit on the couch. Someone exclaimed over the Jell-o a few moments later, and Kevin rushed over to investigate. I just sat on the couch and laughed really hard.

Ok, ok, ok. We totally staged the whole thing. Kevin's old cell phone died, and he got a new one. So we decided to put the old one in Jell-o, and then he'd act all surprised and outraged that I'd put it in Jell-o. I didn't think it would work, because I have some pretty limited acting skills. I can't lie, and I can't pretend I'm surprised. I can't act.
But somehow it worked, and everyone thinks I'm the type of wife that would steal her husband's cell phone and suspend it in Jell-o, which I apparently am.
Kevin also brought a stuffed bat, which he kept in his pocket, waiting to toss out at the right moment. Unfortunately, that moment never arrived. It's too bad, too.
We are quite possibly the funniest people-- and biggest geeks-- in the world.

Hmm... not that hard. ;)

SCATTERGORIES...it's harder than it looks!

Usethe 1st letter of your name to answer each of thefollowing. They have to be real places, names,things..nothing made up! You CAN'T use yourname for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name? Chelsea
2. A four-letter word? Can't
3. A boy 's name-- Charles
4. A girl's name-- Cassandra
5. Occupation-- Cafeteria worker
6. Color-- Cerulean
7. Something you Wear-- Cardigan
8. Beverage-- Coffee
9. Food-- Cheese
10. Something found in a bathroom-- Crap

More to the story

I almost forgot: the rest of the story.
So I got home at 1:30 AM and crashed into bed within about 15 minutes.
Instead of sleeping in and leaving at 8:40 for my job that conveniently starts at 9:00, I had to wake up early to ride my stupid bike. No car, remember?
It was a morning just like any other, except for the wind that picked up as soon as I got to the flat part. I was heading west, and the wind was coming from the west, picking up more and more the longer I rode. I pedaled hard against it, and I looked forward to my respite when I turned north.
But apparently it was a northwesterly wind. A bit more northerly than westerly, actually. So I'm riding up the stupid road with the wind blowing fiercely into my face. I'm not the most aerodynamic person, and my bike certainly isn't streamlined. There were gusts that would blow pretty hard on my basket, turning my handlebars. But in general, I just had to ride right into the wind. At times, I would be riding in my lowest gear, pedaling essentially in slow motion, going slower than if I were walking. And this is all a nice, flat ride on normal days!
I got off to walk for part of it, and that may have been one of the faster bits. It was so frustrating, I was almost in tears at points. I hadn't wanted to ride my bike. I was so tired, from only 5 hours of sleep (my cats were excited to have me home, so they came and partied in my room an hour before I needed to wake up), and from riding so hard for so long. But I had no other choice at that point.
The wind ended up adding 20 minutes to my 45-minute ride, so I was incredibly late for work.
I rode the bus home.

Weekend Update

So I had a lovely, lovely weekend visiting with Kevin's family up in Seattle. It was fun, easy, and flawless. That doesn't make so much for an interesting story, though.
Enter last night.
I went to the airport in plenty of time to catch my 8:30 flight. Kevin had decided at the last minute to stay in Seattle for another day in hopes of another job interview, so it was just me flying home that night. After I checked my luggage, I realized I didn't have Kevin's credit card.
At Salt Lake's airport parking, instead of giving you a parking card, you just scan your credit card, and it measures when you started parking there. Then when you leave, you scan the card again: voila! you've paid for your parking stay.
But I didn't have Kevin's card, which we'd used when entering the parking lot. I frantically called Kevin, then the airport information people. They said it was a situation they could figure out by just going through the manned toll booth instead of the automatic one. Crisis averted! I called Kevin back, and he turned back around and headed home with his parents.
Now, going through airport security is usually a piece of cake (except for that time I packed my entire tool box-- hammers, exacto knives, extra saw blades, etc-- in my carry-on. But that's another story), but that night I had apparently left my brain somewhere else.
I got to the front of the line and couldn't find my ID. I had to step out of line and search through my bag for a few minutes before I found it. Then I forgot to take my shoes off. I tried to go through the scanner, but they needed to see my boarding pass and ID, which were now deep in the bowels of the x-ray machine. They had to back up mine and 3 other people's bags so I could root around and find my boarding pass. Then once I was done, the security guy got after me for not putting my laptop in a separate bin. At least I'd taken it out of the backpack! Whatever, I'm such a flake.
But that is nothing compared to the upcoming flakiness. I slept on the whole ride home, and as we were landing, I realized I didn't have my car key. Stunned silence. Kevin had driven to the airport, and I had given my keys to my friend to take care of our house and cats. Including my car key.
By this point, it was 11:30 PM, and my brain was completely useless. I was stuck at the airport in the middle of the night, with my car mere yards away from me. I couldn't get into it, and even if I could, there's no guarantee I'd be able to convince the toll gate people to charge me something reasonable. But I'd never actually have to worry about that, because I DIDN'T HAVE ANY CAR KEYS.
I called Alex, knowing he would be awake. 18 year old brothers don't need sleep, and he'd think it was an ADVENTURE to come rescue me from Salt Lake in the middle of the night. He didn't answer.
I called Sarah... but just to wish her Happy Birthday (it was 12:01, and I wasn't first! I couldn't believe it!). I'd already decided to take the shuttle. I was luckily able to catch the one at 12:30, which wasn't the cheapest option, but was the most reasonable.
So next time you travel, folks, don't be stupid.

Todai

Todai we went to eat sushi with Kevin's parents at this ossum sushi buffet called Todai. I know it looks like it should be pronounced like "today," but it is more like "toad eye." Gross. But it is not gross. It doesn't serve toad eyes. It serves sushi.
I really like sushi! I don't really like sashimi. I like the rolls of rice and avacado, fish, and yellow pickled radish. I love the sesame seeds on the outside, and I even like the seaweed covers. But I don't like raw fish... very much.
Apparently it's good when you dip it in soy sauce and wasabi. But there you have another problem: wasabi is gross. It is so potent and spicy that if you eat ANYTHING with wasabi, it covers up any other taste, and permeates your entire soul with its nast. I remember the first time I had wasabi: it was at China Moon in Los Alamos, and I thought (logically as it is in New Mexico) that since sushi has avacados in it, why wouldn't it have guacamole for the top? Yes, the fire and putressence that is wasabi filled my very being, and I had to spit it out.. or die. That may be some of the cause of my hatred toward wasabi.
So I avoided the wasabi and ate to my heart's content... and then some.

Blog it like it is

I did it!

On Friday I didn't exercise, but on Saturday and Sunday I did.
And then today I rode my bike to work. Woo hoo!! I'd been meaning to do it eventually, but I was afraid I'd either be waaay too early or waaay too late. I gave myself an hour (and by giving myself an hour, I mean I gave myself 50 minutes by the time I was actually out the door), and it was a bit cold. Tomorrow I will wear long sleeves and maybe gloves.
It is fairly flat the whole way, so I just cruised right along. I got to work about 7 minutes before the bell rang, giving me just enough time to change clothes. Unfortunately, it didn't give me enough time to dry my sweaty hair or get rid of the helmet marks on my forehead. But I'm not here to impress anyone by my flowing locks or non-splotchy head. I impress myself enough just by riding my bike... to work!
When I ride my bike, II love that I can actually experience the world instead of just flying past it. I got to ride through some pretty fields along Geneva Road, and it was idyllic. Except for the wafting cow aroma. And the up-close-and-personal view of roadkill. And the bug I sniffed up my nose. And the train tracks I had to ride across. I hit them at full speed, just like Super Mario running across those little crevices on level 8.
And I made it. I plan on doing this again for as long as I can before the weather changes. I love fall, and this will be just one more excuse to enjoy the great outdoors.

TMI, people, TMI!

So you know the style: You're a high school girl, and your pants barely come up enough to stay on. Your shirt hits the top of your pants... when you're standing up. You have to know that you show some skin every time you move, but that's probably the point.
The part you might not anticipate (or at least I hope you don't anticipate) is the plumber crack. Yes, you are sitting at your table helping the person across from you look something up in the Atlas. And yes, I am standing right behind you seeing waaaaayyy more than I ever needed to.
But this fashion, I must tell you, should not be combined with the fake bake.
How do I know you fake bake? Well, suffice it to say that your plumber crack tan line (which I tried not to look at but couldn't help glancing and snickering) completely gave you away.

Success!

As of today, I have exercised FOUR days in a row!! I know, I know, amazing, isn't it? This may be a record streak. I walked on Monday and Tuesday, and then yesterday and today I rode my bike. There's a loop beginning at my house, going up the mountain, down gradually, and coming back up to my house, and it's 1.5 miles long (thank you, google maps). I try to walk at a brisk pace, humming Abba songs to myself as I go. I don't know all the words to any of their songs, so they get a bit repetitive in my head. Fernando spends a lot of time in the firelight. Perhaps I shall borrow Kevin's ipod. I seem to recall it having some Abba on it.
Someday I may try to run part of the loop. And then someday after that I might try to run all of it. And then I could try to go it twice... and that's 3 miles. Then I could run a 5k!
That day is a long while off, though.
Then yesterday and today I rode my bike. I got home from work yesterday and realized I had nothing left to do that day. So I took more vegetables to Cherisse, who now has a filled-to-bursting supply like me. She returned a bowl to me that had been at her house forever. Unfortunately, I left it on the counter, and it is still at her house. Oops! Then I went up to campus and met Kevin. We rode our bikes home together.
And tonight I decided to deposit some money at the bank (acct # ... ha ha ha), so I booked it over there in 7 minutes. I think that's only a couple more minutes than it takes in a car. But it does serve as helpful motivation to ride fast when you know the bank closes in 15 minutes from when you leave.
I hope some day (maybe next week) to ride my bike to work. I think I can make it. You'll hear about it either way.

Bugs

A few days ago, I did some laundry, and as is my practice, I went and hung a lot of it out on the line. I have a little clothespin holder that I just leave out on the line. Since it's been so dry lately, they just kind of hang there and get warm... nothing happens to them.
But when I went to put my laundry out, my clothespins were not on the line. I dug through the dry grass and the weeds and found the bag and went to hanging out my clothes. This was really fun, especially when I found that in addition to my clothespins, there were also hundreds of earwigs! Seriously, every pin I pulled out had one or two hidden in the little holes, and the entire bottom of the bag was covered with them. I dumped the clothespins and half the earwigs onto the ground, then hung the bag on the line. Eventually I figured they'd all crawl out and find somewhere dark and moist... which they did.
So that was disgusting.
And then later on that day, Kevin and I went over to the church for a fireside. On the way, I stopped to pick a nectarine off my neighbor's tree. Usually I would feel a little bit bad for taking such marvelous fruit. But it was so good I didn't care. No! not really. Our neighbor is elderly and currently living in a assisted living center, so his fruit just dumps on the ground. I felt like I was doing a little bit of a favor.
Unfortunately, after I picked the fruit, I felt tickly, like there was a hair caught under my shirt. So I glanced into my shirt, and there was a SPIDER! In my shirt! I started squealing a little bit and trying to get it out. It was a good thing it was only Kevin walking with me, because it sure wasn't decent, dainty, or proper. But it was a spider and had to be removed. Oooohh... the thought of it still makes me shudder and feel tickly.

Bottled

I canned some peaches tonight. I am still quite iffy as to whether they'll turn out.
A girl in my ward had some connections with an orchard down in Payson, and she offered to bring back 1/2 bushel boxes of peaches for $5. Yay! Relatively cheap fruit! I still prefer free, but this was definitely a doable price.
So that evening (Saturday), I brought home the peaches and got started canning them!
Everyone knows that the first step in canning peaches is to dump them in boiling water for a minute to loosen the peels so they slip right off. If you didn't know that, now you do. And thus, everyone knows that.
I scalded the peaches and pulled them out of the water. I pulled on the peel with my thumb. It didn't budge. I tried another one. Same story.
Yes, in all my vigor and excitement, I had forgotten to check if the peaches were ripe. They had been bright red and yellow, so I just assumed they were ripe. But they were hard as little rocks.
I didn't want to sit around peeling peaches, so I put them all out on the counter to ripen for a few days.
When you scald peaches, the peels turn from their perky red, orange, and yellow to a sickly, dead brown. So we had these nasty-looking brown peaches sitting all over our kitchen counters for two days. I give Kevin all the kudos in the world for not mentioning how disgusting they looked. Well, apart from the initial reaction.
So tonight, two days riper, the peaches had to be canned. They were not ripe enough for the peels to slip right off, even with a second scalding. So I spent [way too much time] peeling the stupid things before I cut them like apples and canned them. Or bottled them, as they like to say around here.

Tag from Bethanie

Link the person who tagged you
Mention the rules on your blog
Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them
Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they have been tagged.

This is from Bethanie's blog: http://thedietrichfamily-jbnha.blogspot.com/
And she is just about the cutest ever, and you can tell she's a really fun mom from all the neat things she and her kids do!
Unspectacular quirks, huh? Boy, do I ever!
1) I make my own clothes. Not all of them, and not very often. But the best clothes I have are the ones I made. Skirts are super easy, and dresses sometimes turn out well. I have the hardest time admitting to myself that a dress was an absolute disaster. So I have 2 homemade dresses that are overwhelmingly ugly, but they still exist. But the one I'm wearing now is BRIGHT pink with white Hawaiian flowers. I got the fabric in Hawaii: the best souvenir ever!
2) I ride my bike a lot. I used to HATE riding a bike. I think I went for about 7 or 8 years without riding one. This is because girls are not made for bikes. We have these things called hips, and the little spoon-sized "seats" on most bikes are just about the worst designs ever. But I have a crappy $35 bike I got off craigslist, and I have a big fuzzy seat cover-- and a basket! I love that little bike, and it saves me a lot of gas money.
3) I love writing and aspire to someday write something that won't make someone vomit... or die of brain rot. But as of yet, everything I've written is absolute garbage. Once I get past a page or two, I read what I've written and realize what drivel it is. How do I get past that?
4) I cannot remember numbers, amounts, or addresses in Utah. Names, though, stick in my head forever. When I talk to people I haven't seen for a while, or maybe I just met them in a party, I tell them my name and ask for theirs... even though I already remember them. It just freaks people out when you know their names and they don't even know who you are.
5)I love the desert! Specifically, I love New Mexico. I really miss the blue skies, sunsets, stars, colored cliffs, cottonwood trees, and green chile. I may go back sometime in October to visit. I hope so!
6) I hate cold stuff. Ice cream is not my favorite. I get goose bumps when I even think about metal scraping ice. I use oven mitts to take stuff out of the freezer, especially if it is metal. Cold plastic doesn't bother me, but I think that's because it doesn't stick to your skin. Bleeechchh!

And I'm going to tag Sarah, Ashley, and Cherisse. If they want.

Career

So Kevin's starting his final year of law school, and this means applying and interviewing for REAL jobs. It's kind of weird to think about. He's applying all over the place, and already had a couple interviews. Every single one he tells me about sounds so exciting. Just because he loves me, he applied for a job in Albuquerque, and I'm particularly excited for that one. But he has so many options, and it's just fun to imagine myself in these cool places he's applying: Washington, California, Florida--even Texas! ;)
Whatever we do, and wherever we end up, it will be an adventure!
Kevin got a job with the county prosecutor's office (I think), and that will be some good experience. Right when the office called him to offer the job, he went in and wrote it on his resume. And it will also boost our little income. Unfortunately, neither of us gets paid for a little while (new jobs), so things are a bit tighter than usual. I guess this means I have to cook beans more often and stop going out to eat (our only-- but too regular-- extraneous expense). But for me, it is fun to cook.
Sometimes it just seems pretty pricy when I'm buying a whole week's worth of food. Deep down, my reasonable side knows that it is much cheaper and healthier than paying 10-15 dollars for a meal at a restaurant. But the lump sum is sometimes hard to swallow. So I avoid buying decent food at the store, so we just buy vending machine snacks and even meals while we're out. And that is much worse.
So last time I went shopping, I made a list of the meals I would be making, a list of the snacks, and a list of the food I'd need to buy. Then I organized the grocery list into a little map of the store, and it saved me a bunch of time in the store. I had a lot of time at work to be making said list.
So now I have good food AND good snacks. Life is great!

Satan Springs bottled water

Hmmm... a couple hours after I wrote that blog, I found my chapstick, and all was well.
I found an article that explains very well, very thoroughly, and very lengthily what I've known all along: bottled water is actually from the devil, not glaciers. Or maybe it's glacier water because it's so cold down in that deepest circle of Hell that we've all read about, thanks to Dante.
You must read it.
I agree with it so wholeheartedly. When I got my Costco membership, they offered me a whole flat of bottled water... for free! I told them I didn't want it. I get water for free at home. They pushed. I refused. I did take their crappy picnic blanket, though.