I've never spent a Thanksgiving going where I wanted to go or doing what I wanted to do. It feels odd to me that suddenly, I don't have someone narrarrating my day's agenda. I get to pick! Yeehaw!! I will be leaving for Dallas early Thursday morning, where I will be spending Thanksgiving with CCL. I have been assigned the task of making green bean casserole. I have no doubt that I can make it and that it will be good. However, I know better than to think that CCL will consume the GBC without some sort of insult. Back when I was 7, I made a horrid pan-fried steak...and despite the fact that I've grown up and can now cook pretty darn well, she will never forgive me for it.

On Friday, I'm off to Houston. I have lots of cousins from both sides there, so it's always difficult to visit everyone. But, I will definitely make the attempt on this trip. My cousin Benji will be in town from Chicago. I haven't seen the dude in 12 years...which is horrid, but true. I'm looking forward to spending time with him as well as my cousins on my father's side. My cousin Mikey is the only person I know who gets excited about family get togethers. He loves family bonding, and I think that's why I love most about him. =)

It's going to be a long weekend...and a lot of driving will have to take place...but it will be well worth it. Wish me luck...as I attempt to clean my bathroom, room, vacuum, sweep and grill chicken fajitas in the span of an hour and a half. =/
Before I go, I'd like to list a few things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving...

I'm thankful that despite the fact that I live in an evil world...where no one knows exactly what can happen at any given time...the Lord has kept me safe and sound.
I'm thankful that my sister and I were able to give my mom her very first birthday cake!
I'm thankful that I have 3 precious children in my family who are healthy, ingenious, and beautiful!
I'm thankful for my friends who make me smile even when I don't want to.
I'm thankful for my insane, yet entertaining family...far and near!
I'm thankful to God for giving me a something to be passionate about!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I'm ba-ack

I just received a call from a very important person in India, Mr. DM...he told me that I needed to get on the ball and post some pictures from my trip to the Bahamas...so I thought I better oblige.

I've been back for 3 days, and I still feel like I'm swaying. It's really weird. I've heard people say that you have "sea legs" after a cruise, but I never fully understood that term till now. I had a few short days with no worries, and now i'm back to the rat race. I had an interview yesterday. It was the most I've ever been questioned in an interview...questions ranging from what's your favorite color...to what was the worst professional decision you've made? =/ please pray for me folks.

however...the memories of paradise still linger in my mind....

Tuesdays version of Friday Shout outz...

Today is my Friday since I'm out for the rest of the week! I know you will be desperately sad, but I have no time to put up the word for the day. I'm running around like a chicken with no head to get my b-znass taken care of before I go.

In honor of my Friday...I shall give you my Tuesday version of Friday shoutouts!

To Tuesday...the checker at Hobby Lobby, who undoubtedly has spent her entire life listening to people mock her about her name. Why? Why would parents do that?

To the best pharmacist in Okc, my pal, Ruby...for ordering me Sea Bands since no other pharmacy in town carried it!

To the cast and crew of 2911 for the 2nd week in a row...my thoughts and prayers are with you.

To DM in Banglore...I don't know how I'm gonna live for 3 days with out reading your blogs.

To opentable.com, which allows me to make dinner reservations online! i love it!

To all of you suckaz...that still have to work Wednesday-Monday.

oh oh oh...and best of all...TO MY LORD JESUS! I made it to step 2 of the interview process for the job I've been trying to get!

aplomb \uh-PLOM\, noun:
Assurance of manner or of action; self-possession; confidence; coolness

Because of her training and skill she was very aplomb.

Is it jsut me or do Mondays come around so quickly? The good thing about this week is that I only have one more day before my vacation. So technically, this is my Thursday and tomorrow is Friday! Yeehaw. I would have loved to know about my job situation prior to leaving, however at this rate, I don't really think I'll know anything till after Thanksgiving. I will survive.

I don't think I was at home for more than 5 minutes on Saturday, which was A-ok with me. Sunday was jam packed too, but I was able to make a run to Blockbuster last night and rent a really heart-wrenching documentary. It's called "Born into Brothels." It's basically the story of a photographer who spent time in Calcutta's Red Light District...with children of prostitutes. She taught them everything about photography, and raised grant money by selling their pictures in art gallery showings. It was absolutely awesome...how art changed their lives...if even for a brief moment. It gave them hope. If you haven't watched it, please rent it!

I feel good...cuz it's FRIDAY!

puissant \PWISS-uhnt; PYOO-uh-suhnt; pyoo-ISS-uhnt\, adjective:
Powerful; strong; mighty; as, a puissant prince or empire.

I serve a puissant God, and everything is possible with Him on my side.

Good Friday to you all...I am in much better spirits today. I have finally realized that I need not worry because God is on my side. With that being said, no more whining about my work woes. I know He is going to see me through this situation. I called the lady that I talked to yesterday. If you'll remember, I completely jacked a phone interview with her. I called her to "touch base" since I hadn't heard from her yesterday. (I just knew that her lack of response was because of my horrible interview). However, she explained that she hadn't finished phone interviews and would let me know today. I think I've done all I can...showed her I was interested...so now it's in God's hands. Meanwhile, I have another interview today, but I am kinda iffy about whether I want this one or not. So, anyhoo..we shall see how it goes.

On to my shout outs for this Friday...

To next Wednesday!!! My suitcase is packed and I'm ready to go. Bahamas here I come. I can't wait to feel the sand between my toes (shut up, Sheryl) and the waves nipping at my ankles (cuz i wont be going any deeper than that!)

To Sherry P, my first event planning customer!!!

To having my BF in town this weekend and next week till I leave...let the good times begin!

To the cast and crew of 2911...good luck and God's speed...you've reached "the week before"...you will be living and breathing 2911 and my heart goes out to you all!! I'll think of you when I frolic on the beach. ;)

And that's all for today, folks. have a wonderful weekend. I have to spend the evening deciding what to wear to a wedding. why do we girls do that? It's not like all eyes will be on us, anyway? It's usual focused on the chick in white.

=/

laudable \LAW-duh-bul\, adjective:
Worthy of praise; commendable.

I didn't give a laudable performance on my phone interview today.

Well folks...I had a phone interview today. Except I didn't know it was going to be a phone interview. So, I freaked out because I sit out in the open where everyone and their mothers can hear what I say on the phone. So, if I had known the lady was going to do a phone interview, I would have waited till I was at lunch in the comfort of my office, the CRV to talk to her! So, she asked me questions, and I nervously replied. But, it was worse than that. I had 50 second pauses between words where I was trying to remember the English word for ORGANIZATIONS! oh my goodness...talk about SCREWING UP! Now, the next step is an in person interview...if I make that far, it will truly be God's grace and nothing else. It's hard to think about anything else other than my non-laudable performance this morning. =( But, as the good word says..."if God is for you who can be against you?" So, I'm just praying that the good Lord is for me!

Ok, let's talk about something else, shall we? So we can get my mind off my non-laudable performance. I was thinking about how much "stuff" I do in the car besides drive. Normal people juggle driving and talking on their cell phones. That's not so much of a challenge and still relatively safe. But me? I'm a total multi-tasker. I put on make up and drive, read and drive, and eat cereal and drive. Let me tell you, i love those bowls with the straws attached. I know theyr'e for kids...but they come in handy when you're driving and eating cereal. That way you don't have to tilt the bowl and cover your eyes when trying to drink milk.

ok guys, this isn't working. i'm still thinking about...u know what. =/ I have to get out of my current situation. It's so bad that "Hoo" the BC's groundskeeper has noticed that my current state of funk is a serious one. He called me this morning and said, "Hootie, when you go off to the Bahamas, you need to think long and hard about what you want to do. I don't want you to come back and sound as bad as you do now. You only have 2 good days in a week and the rest of the days you sound like hell."

Pray for me, folks.

Reminiscing about the college crew...

oneiric \oh-NY-rik\, adjective:
Of, pertaining to, or suggestive of dreams; dreamy.

My trip to the Bahamas should be an oneiric paradise!

I was reminiscing today about my college days. My mother wonders why I'm not hooked up as of yet because back then I solely hung out with guys. But what she doesn't understand is that I wasn't one of those girls who had a throng of guys around because they were attracted to me like bees on honey. Instead, I was just kinda one of them....and this is why all of them are married now..but not to me. (thankfully...no offense, guys). I know there were other girls on campus, but I guess I couldn't relate. I was definitely in that tomboy stage until my mid-twenties. (Strange, I know) I always used to buy my shirts from Structure. (sheesh..so weird!)

I remember vividly when the guys first invited me to go to lunch with them. I felt like I was finally being inducted into the brotherhood. We sat at Taco Bueno...and I listened intently while they talked about various stories of how they lit fire crackers. (so enthralling, right?) At one point, something humorous was said, and I laughed. Or should I say...I snorted. It was the first time the guys had heard me snort. It was the first time a snort had accidentally leaked out. I stopped abruptly...and so did they. They all just kinda stopped and stared at me. But, then after a few seconds, they proceeded with their nonsense...and I hung out with the brotherhood ever since.

Now my brothers are married with children. In fact, last week I went to one of the guys' house, and his little girl was tugging at his pant leg, saying "daddy, daddy"...and it was so strange to me. How is it that time has flown by so fast? Weren't we just sitting at taco bueno yesterday?...Laughing, talking, and snorting amongst each other? Now all of a sudden there is a tiny little human calling you daddy?!? It was a surreal moment.

Luckily, when I was 24 or so...I realized that it was time to start behaving like a girl. I began making gal pals and became engulfed in the drama of the sisterhood. =) Sisterhood...or brotherhood...I am a pretty lucky girl because I have great friends. They accept me and love me...snorts and all!

Following Suja's Lead...

nosegay \NOHZ-gay\, noun:
A bunch of odorous and showy flowers; a bouquet; a posy.

I told Sheryl to order nosegays for her bridesmaids boquets, and she had no clue with they were.

Following SujaK's lead today with a twist. I figure half of the stuff on surveys no one cares about...so i picked the top few interesting questions from each portion and answered ....

Basics
Where were u born? Chicago, Illinois...the home of awesome people like Jeesho!

Favorites
Memory? I'm not sure this is my favorite memory, but it's definitely a funny one that comes to mind. When me and Sheryl thought lake Hefner was only 4 miles around...and tried to walk it and then discovered it was 10 miles around and had to call Sonia to pick us up! =/

Family
Favorite cousins ?
This is so easy....Susan T. aaaaaaaaaahahahaha, sorry CCL!

Friends
Friends you spend the most time with? Finuji, my neighbor!

Who is the ______ person you know?
Craziest…Lisa, my cousin
Loudest ....Lisa, my cousin
Most trustworthy ...Sonia, her mouth is a steele safe
Ditzy...Sherika Jenkins Jacob
Smartest...DM
Prettiest...my sister
Funniest...Sheryl, Lisa, and Billy
Talented: Mikey Mathew
Most creative: Sybil
Most mature: DM
Hottest guy...JT. ;)
Best to joke around with...DM and Billy
Best person for advice...DM and Sonia
Person you tell everything...Sonia, Sunu A, Lisa, and Susan T
One you can’t stand...Sonia, SunuA, Lisa, Susan T know

Love
No Comments

This or That
Pepsi/Coke...Coke

Random ?’s
How many people do you trust with your life? 1
What’s your biggest regret? No regrets...learned a lot from every stupid thing i've done.

Last
Who was your last hug? My niece, Missa

What do you
Want? a new job
Need...a new job
Crave ...Taco Bueno
Love...traveling
Think about ALL the time...getting a new job
Like looking at ...job ads
Wish...that I could get a new job
Hate...my current job

Almost Done
Any last thoughts...this has made me realize that I want, need, wish for, think about getting a job way too much!!

propitious \pruh-PISH-uhs\, adjective:
1. Presenting favorable circumstances or conditions.
2. Favorably inclined; gracious; benevolent
Sentence: I hope this will be a propitious week for me.

Monday again. It comes so fast. I have a lot to look forward to this month, however my work woes are getting the best of me. On Friday, I was walking out of work with this lady, and as soon as our feet hit the pavement of the parking lot, she jumped as high as her 4 foot 5 inch self could jump and yelled, "Yesssssssssss, it's Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She's been here for 26 years. It was a horrifying thought to me. Living like this day in and day out for weeks, months, years. I shudder to think about 26 years.

Anyway, so as I was saying...I have lots to look forward to if I could just get past my current situation. BF comes to town on Friday. We are going to try out a posh, new cafe in the art district here in OKC..where we will be sporting all the cute "New York-ish" clothes we bought on our visit to the Big Apple. ;)

Then, next week...I'm Bahamas Bound!!!! I'm so excited despite the news of the recent pirate attack on one of the sister ships of the carnival cruiselines. I figure we'll be sailing on US waters, so I should be farely safe from pirates. I can't believe pirates still exist. I wonder if they are the "others" on the island in Lost. Hmmm...I wonder what pirates look like. Not that I'd like to run into one and find out.

Thennnnnnnn....it's Thanksgiving. Typically Thanksgiving is farely boring because I never go anywhere, and God knows no one comes to Oklahoma. But this Thanksgiving, the maternal unit will be visiting my sister. This means, I have the house to myself for an entire week! Yee to the Haw! I will be hosting a little pre-thanksgiving feast for all the friends Wednesday night. And then Thursday, I'm headed south for a Thanksgiving with CCL and gang. After which, I will be driving to Houston to see my namesake cousin and the new baby, as well as my cousin on my mom's side who I haven't seen in a good 12 years. Wow!

Yes, exciting times are ahead...if only I could be excited about them!

dapple \DAP-uhl\, noun:
1. A small contrasting spot or blotch.
2. A mottled appearance, especially of the coat of an animal (as a horse).

Sentence: I have a dapple on my forehead from when I ran into the wall as a kid.

It's Friday. And in 7 hours, I can rejoice. Till then, I will just keep praying that I can survive the day.

I don't have many shout outz this week...

To God for getting me through yet another week of the rat race.
To DM for being able to fly all the way to India in first class because he's officially a business man now.

And that ends my shout outs for the week. Last night on the way home, I listened to this radio dj tell this story about how he was in an elevator and sneezed and a fart popped out also, and he was completely mortified. Then all these callers were talking about embarrassing situations. So, I thought I would share my own...and a few others.

My most embarrassing situation is when I visited the Mar Thoma Church in Chicago several years ago. I went to the bathroom and came out, walked all the way up the stairs, through the sanctuary, sat down in a pew, and stood during various times in the service. Finally, when I was about to leave...this kid comes up to me and says..."your dress is stuck." Sure enough, the bottom of my dress was stuck in the waist band of my hose. In other words, I was flashing the entire church! I was mortified and haven't been back to Chicago since!

Here's another funny one...my friend Sheryl being the dope that she is was boarding a plane one day. The hostess stretched out her hand toward Sheryl (for the ticket) and Sheryl shook her hand. Then the hostess said, "uhh, I need your ticket." I witnessed the entire thing...and thought "what a moron!" When I tried to call her out on her moronic behavior, she insisted that she shook the lady's hand on purpose in order to be funny. (whatev!)

My other friend...who will remain nameless for this story...did an equally moronic thing. It was at a hotel in houston. I was pretty pissed off about something, and in order to relieve my stress, she suggested that we go chillax in the sauna. When we got there, I decided it was way too hot. But she jumped in. There were a few guys already in the sauna. So it was her, 3 guys, and my feet. (no comment Sheryl) I was wondering why the guys were staring at her hypnotized for some reason. But, suddenly it made sense to me when one guy floated over to her and said "you might want to stay under water because we can see through your shirt." Needless to say, my brilliant friend had worn a white tee with no bra! aaaaaaaaaahahah...

Got an embarrassing story?

How to make a brotha blush...

subfusc \sub-FUHSK\, adjective:
Dark or dull in color; drab, dusky.

Sentence: During the winter months, I resort to wearing subfusc colors.

It's Wednesday, weigh in Wednesday, and I'm crazy nervous. I'm not sure why, but my scale showed that I gained weight. Could it be my wool skirt? I hope so. In other news...I have no other news, per se. A funny incident did occur in the elevator this morning that I would like to share.

I was in the elevator with an older woman (gray hair and in her late 50's) and a young, rather attractive black man who was dressed to the nines today. In my head, I'm thinkin..."damn, brotha sure do look good." Just then, as if she was reading my mind...she told him, "you sure do look nice today. then again, you look nice every day. your mother taught you well." he chuckled an uncomfortable chuckle as he stared at his feet and muttered thank you. Then he assured her saying, "I don't look nice every day. Sometimes I'm a scrub." To which she replies, "well everytime I see you you look nice, and I can tell you enjoy looking nice because you're always trimmed and looking good." At this point, I was somewhere in the corner of the elevator dying of embarrasment. Luckily, the elevator doors opened and the blushed black guy left.

After which, the older lady turns to me and says, "i think I embarrassed him." Uh, yah...u think? Then she said,"but that's okay, I'm old. If I were young, he woulda thought I was flirting with him." News flash, I think he thought you were flirting anyway.
But, I gotta give props to the ballsy lady who spoke her mind. The fine brotha will remember her more than the girl in subfusc colors cowering in the back corner of the elevator.

Halloween...a recap

alpenglow \AL-puhn-gloh\, noun:
A reddish glow seen near sunset or sunrise on the summits of mountains.

Sentence: As we climbed up the mountain side, we stopped in awe to admire the alpenglow.

I have to write about the festivities of last night to give you all a good chuckle or two. I got home last night to see that the M.U. (maternal unit) had already neatly arranged the candy in a bowl...all prepared for trick-or-treaters. She had one bag of chocolates open on one side of the bowl and one bag of gum filled the other side of the bowl. I proceeded to put stickers (the Jesus loves you labels I made) on the candy bars. In fear that I was opening up more bags of candy, the MU ran into the kitchen to see what I was doing. After realizing I was not "messing up" her arrangement, she relaxed and settled back in to watch the news. Mainly out of curiousity, I had to ask her why she didn't just open all 3 bags of chocolate. What was she saving the other two for? For us to eat? Afterall, I'm watching my intake and she has diabetes...so this wouldn't be a smart thing to do. Her reply? "I'm just saving."

I shrugged and started dinner. It wasn't long before the doorbell rang, and I yelled out to her that her friends arrived. She grabbed the candy and said, "Juth a minute..." towards the door. The kid at the door says, "I like bubble gum." And instead of giving him an extra one (which is what the kid was hoping for), my mom says..."I already gave you one."

At that point, I was thrilled when my niece called me to ask me if I would take her and my nephew trick-or-treating. It beat listening to my mom the stingy grinch all night with these kids...despite the fact that we had a whole stash of candy still unopen! So, I headed over to my brother's house to find my niece, the karate kid and my nephew, mr. pumpkin head all ready to go. Marissa had offered Andrew a crash course on Halloween etiquette, which he sampled on me when I gave him the first stash of candy (that I snuck out of my mom's carefully calculated bowl). Andrew looked straight up at me, held his bowl in front of my face, and said, "twick o tweat" as if his life depended on it....followed by a "thanku" when he heard the candy hit the bucket.

Taking him out to do the real thing was a different story. If any of the houses had decorations in front of the door, the boy freaked out. His sister would then coax him to the door step by reciting their mantra..."we gotta the candy"...As soon as he got the candy he took off running down the drive at high speeds and practically jumped into my arms saying, "I'm scared of that pumpkin!" (pointing at the jack-o-lantern lit up the doorstep). I asked him how he could be scared of a pumpkin when he was a pumpkin. His explanation was very simple. "i'm a cute pumpkin. that one's scary." Kids...gotta love em'.

Happy Neewollah!

immolate \IM-uh-layt\, transitive verb:
1. To sacrifice; to offer in sacrifice; to kill as a sacrificial victim.
2. To kill or destroy, often by fire.

Sentence: On Halloween, the evil lurk in order to capture a pure soul who they can immolate for Satan.

Ahh, yes...it's Halloween...and a dreary, foggy, rainy, cold day in OKC...how perfect! How can a holiday that is so fun be considered so evil. It's not fair, I tell you. This is the one day a year that you can wear pajamas and curlers to work and be considered cute and acceptable! I guess I will be staying at home to pass out candy to the varmants today. I better see some cute costumes or I'm going to give out coal. Oh wait...that's Christmas. The Illustrious Finuji asked me what she should say to trick-or-treaters when they come to her door saying "trick or treat." I told her that the customary response is "smell my feet." But she didn't buy that. Wouldn't it have been funny if she had??? Buahahah!

Anyhoo...on to my subject for the day. People who PR their flogs. I really have no problem with the fact that people want to gain more readership. It's cool to use various venues to advertise blogs. I, myself have done some PR work for my friends blogs. However, here's what I think is HILARIOUS. I know a certain someone...who shall remain nameless...who used to dawg on bloggers. I mean, at one point in time, it was far beyond him/her to become a member of the blogosphere. But now? Not only does he/she blog daily, PR his/her blog site, but he/she is also a CC!!! For those of you who don't know what a CC is...it's a individual who counts comments, or a comment counter!!! Now THAT makes me laugh. I just 4 words for this individual...I TOLD YOU SO! Blogs are addictive...writing and reading them! It's just interesting to know what's going on all around the blogosphere and capture small glimpses into the lives of random strangers! Bloggers aren't nerds!...we're just folks with things to say...who enjoy the limelight once in a while. ;)

The MU and the TV

I accomplished the one thing that I set out to do this weekend...buy a new tv. I will no longer be forced to watch distorted green people or listen to my mother's constant complaining about the tv not working. Or so I thought...So, Friday night the Maternal Unit (which we will refer to as the MU) and I went TV shopping. We went to 3 different stores before we found one that we liked that was reasonably priced. We buy it (no interest till 2007) and bring it home. Yes, I lug the tv out of the back seat and drag it into the house...only to see that the idiot from the circuit city warehouse gave us the wrong tv. so guess who had to wake up early on Saturday to drag the tv back into the car and drive it back to the store? You guessed it...

After the whole tv mix up was rectified, I called Billy over to help me move the old monstrosity of a TV. However, there was one slight problem...my mother has no intention of trashing it. Instead, she wants to keep it in her room, where it will sit and collect dust for the next 20 years. As if storing a dead tv isn't bad enough, she went nutso on me because I threw away the manual to the old tv. I tried to argue the point with her...it's USELESS to keep a manual to a tv that is dead. However she insists that "someone" might want to fix it one day. Who this "someone" is...I have no idea. But if i ever meet him/her...i will tell him/her not to be dumb and spend thousands of dollars fixing a dead tv when they can spend the same thousands on a brand new one that is high definition!

As for the peace I thought I would be enjoying now that there is nothing to complain about. That is non-existent. Now, the MU is searching through sales ads to seek out better TV deals so she can complain that we got swindled on an over priced tv. as we speak I hear her saying that circuit city is now running a special that is no interest till 2008. Ahhh...the joy never ends..i tell ya.

don't push me cuz i'm close to the edge....

malediction \mal-uh-DIK-shun\, noun:
A curse or execration.

Sentence: Some people believe strongly in the power of a malediction, however I believe that if one is saved by the blood of Jesus, no malediction can come upon him.

It's Friday. Can I getta...Hallelujah? It's been a long, arduous week...and in 45 minutes, it will be all over!! I spent $110 on my window that the idiots broke today. (Just how I wanted to spend a chunk of my paycheck today.) Bleh...anyhoo, it's your favorite time and mine...SHOUTOUZ.

to SunuK who has prayer meeting at her house this weekend. We all know how moms get when hosting prayer meetings. it is THE social event of the year to them, which only means one thing....they get their Hanes Her Way all twisted about any and everything and you will have hell to pay!

to Billy TS who said the funniest comment of the week this week. I mentioned that I was going to stop by his house and he said, "very well. Garnett (their dog) will greet you at the door and guide you into the viewing area." maybe it's just me, but I thought that was friggin hilarious.

to my first event planning gig scheduled for December. Baby Shower madness shall begin!

to People Magazine for making my 30 minutes on the treadmill virtually painless.

to my maternal unit...for FINALLY breaking down and agreeing to go new TV shopping TODAY!! no more watching abnormally wide green people!!!

To this weekend's time change...Fall backwards!...more sleep!!!

To DM & SM from talking me down from the edge of insanity this week. You'll have 1.5 days of me not whining before we're on to a new week. =/

Never fear...the word for the day is here!

mawkish \MOCK-ish\, adjective:
1. Sickly or excessively sentimental.
2. Insipid in taste; nauseous; disgusting

Sentence: because of my mawkish personality, I have saved every rose petal I've ever gotten and contained them in an intricate, porcelain trinket box.

Well guys, suddenly dictionary.com is no longer available. Tragedy, I know. If the website is up and running later, I will post a word for the day. I sat watching a re-run of Lost last night on my jacked up TV. I should rephrase that entire sentence. I sat LISTENING to a re-run of Lost last night cuz of my jacked up TV. I figured since it was a re-run, I'd stay at home instead of watching at the home of my good friend and neighbor, the Illustrious Finuji. I realized that Lost is my entire reason to live on Wednesday nights. Sad, yet true. So, without it, I was pushed into a deep, contemplative chasm of depression. It's just been that kind of week. At this very moment, I feel like I'm at Ferrara's Bakery (in Little Italy in NYC) standing in front of glass counters filled with cream-filled pastries, deep, dark chocolates and milk,creamy ones too, tarts, and truffles. Yep, so many options, but all I really want is Johnny Carino's chocolate cake...something so easy and so not accessible because they dont have JC's in NYC!! Does that make any sense? Probably not because no one knows what is in my head but me. I guess what I'm saying is that right now I'm in a point in life, where I have certain options...none of which seem too appealing to me. All I want is something seemingly simple...yet so difficult to obtain. *sigh*

I just got tickets to see a Ballet..."Dracula's Revenge." This is one of the perks of working with the BC...when no one wants tickets they go to whoever does. Not that the OKC Ballet is something to get so excited about...but hey, it's excitement for me. I decided that I would share my good fortune with my friends who are moms. I figured they could use a little 2-hour escape from reality just as badly as I could. Plus, the times I get to hang out with them are few and far between. This due to the fact that they have lives, and little varmants that rely on them...and I have...well, I have...yah, so I don't have anything but the decision of what baked good to eat from where. So,...hopefully they can all come and we can take a fabulous upshot and a good time will be had by all. =)

Scary Stories that'll give you the creepy crawlies...

bruit \BROOT\, transitive verb:
To report; to noise abroad.

Sentence: Since Halloween is near,it seems as if ghost stories are being bruited every time I turn on the radio.

I guess the last few weeks of October bring out people's interest in hearing ghost and goblin tales. Lately, it's all I've been hearing a ton of them on local radio stations. Listeners call in with their own tales or they vehemently proclaim that there are no such thing as ghosts. I'm not sure how you guys feel about the subject. But, personally...I believe ghosts are evil/tortured spirits. I'm too scared to watch the movie Emily Rose because it's a true story, and i know there is truth in demon possession. Some people argue that the demon possessed are crazy, but satan and his cronies do roam the earth...it's their stomping grounds. I guess I tend to believe it more because I've seen demon possessed people with my own eyes. And trust me when I say, it was FRIGHTENING.

I've also experienced ghosts. Let me tell you the first tale. I used to sleep with some sort of music on...I would play the same song over and over on repeat until I woke up in the morning. One night I selected the remix of the song "Sailing"...I believe Chris Christopherson was the originally singer, but don't quote me on that. Anyway, my point is..the song was sung by a man and the remix was also sung by a man. In the morning, I awoke to a woman singing the song. It was so loud...it sounded like she was outside my window. At times, she forgot the words so she kinda hummed along. I looked out the window, but no one was there. I sat in bed, fully awake, and listened for a while as she sang (out of pitch) and hummed along. Finally I realized just how creepy it was, so I turned off the song...and she stopped.

Another ghost story I have was when I went to Washington DC in March of 2004. We stayed at a hotel that had 2 wings. One was very old and historic and then the new, modern wing. We stayed at the new, modern end, but ghosts can walk. So, I was in bed with my arms hanging off the side, and I hadn't fully gone to sleep yet. I felt someone tugging on my arm. A bit freaked out, I tucked my arm under my cover, and tried to go to sleep. I wanted to tell my mom, but I knew she'd run out of the room, bang on my sister's door, and cause a big scene. As I lay there, trying to sleep, I felt like someone was climbing on top of me. It was such a heavy feeling. And whoever/whatever it was had my mouth covered. I couldn't even open my mouth. So I kind of let out a weak moan/growl for help. My mom heard, and asked me what was wrong. Instantly...the heaviness was removed from me. I quickly covered my head with the sheets and fell asleep praying. It was so frrr to the eaky!

So those are my two ghost and goblin stories. Do you believe in spirits? Do you have a story?? If so, please share!

What's Chub got to do...got to do with it?

loquacious \loh-KWAY-shuhs\, adjective:
1. Very talkative.
2. Full of excessive talk; wordy.

sentence: I've always longed to be a loquacious girl who could ease her way through a crowd and feel comfortable in any social situation.

It's Monday. In the words of Destiny's Child, "Here we go...here we go again." Before I go on with my daily rant, let me take this time to congratulate Nina and Toby on their engagement. It's so nice to see best friends take their commitment to each other one step further into nuptial bliss!! I wish you guys a lifetime of love and happiness....

Speaking of marriage...a friend of mine told me this weekend that a friend of her's (who I hardly know) told her that perhaps I should grow out my hair, which would probably help with the chub factor in my face. I was a bit perplexed by the guy's suggestion. My friend said that the guy was suggesting ways that I could improve myself, so I can get married. I didn't know if I should be grateful or offended. Instead, I decided to stay perplexed.

I'm sure Tina Turner wouldn't mind me butchering her song for this...but, "what's chub got to do... got to do with it?" I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of myself evolve over this past year. I look at pictures from February and shudder to think I let myself go like that. To me, it's not about how I looked but how out of control I was. When I compare pictures of myself now...I do indeed look different, however the thing that has changed the most is my self control. The fact that I've lost close to 40 pounds has not changed my marital status. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is why there are fat women who are in love with wonderful men at this very moment. And, this is why seemingly beautiful women are single. It takes more than just one's figure to make them attractive... No matter how hard we try to hide it under make up and stylish clothing...heart and soul matter.

So, to the friend of the friend who suggested I grow out my hair....I appreciate the fact that you made a suggestion to help me out of my nuptial funk...but it's about more than my round face. Long hair...short hair...my face is round and my cheeks are chubby and that's never going to change. The only thing that's going to help me is if someone sees me for me...and likes me regardless of my many imperfections. I will continue to be the best me I can possibly be...this entails taking care of myself physically, mentally, spiritually, and financially.

lexicon \LEK-suh-kon\, noun;
plural lexicons or lexica \-kuh\:
1. A book containing an alphabetical arrangement of the words in a language with the definition of each; a dictionary.
2. The vocabulary of a person, group, subject, or language.
3. [Linguistics] The total morphemes of a language.

Sentence: The kids in my church have a distinct lexicon that outsiders do not understand.

TGIF!!! I made it...survived another week. There is a cool, crisp feel in the air, which means that Fall has finally fallen upon Okc. I'm elated.

I will take Scorpsy's lead once again with the 55 words of fiction. I had a good time doing it on Anna's post for Sepia.

The city lights shone brightly through the haze of rain and fog, neither of which could slow the pace of life. People hurried on foot while cars waited impatiently for lights to turn colors. My eyes followed them intently, until I looked away from the photograph and hesitantly returned to my mind-numbing tasks at work.

So that was fun. Now for Friday's shoutoutz:

To the bastards who broke into my car...thank you for making me spend 115 useless bucks on your stupidity. You broke into a car that doesn't even have a CD player, CDs or anything else valuable except a brownie pan!

To Mousse..for charming me with her cute lil self. Now my mind is riddled with confusion as I decide whether I should get her or not. Sorry CCL, but I'm 98% sure I will.

To SunuK for admitting she took the remote control with her to school. You're the ONLY person who made me laugh today.

To Jennifer Weiner for writing a book that held my attention for a solid week! That's the first book I've read within a week's time since my old college days of Literature. Now I'm excited to see the movie!

To discovering what a mimosa is...I can't wait to try it.

To weekends and all the nothingness they possess!

I needed a tocsin, indeed!

word of the day:
tocsin \TOCK-sin\, noun:
1. An alarm bell, or the ringing of a bell for the purpose of alarm.
2. A warning.

sentence: If only I had installed a tocsin in my car, which would have alerted me of last night's intrusion.


I heard them last night...the loud thump of bass in their car, the doors shutting, and their sounds of motion in my driveway. I thought it was my overactive imagination getting the best of me. I closed my eyes, and I could see the legs of the "others" walking through the jungle, dragging Walt's teddy bear along with them. I almost felt as if I was in the jungle too, creeping beneath the plush green leaves...watching breathlessly as they passed. I opened my eyes and convinced myself that I wasn't hearing what I thought I was hearing. I was just letting my mind scare me because I had watched a freaky episode of Lost.

So, while I convinced myself of this...they shot out the window and unlocked my car door. They pilfered through my things, opened my glove box, and undoubtedly thought, "damn...this girl is messy." They didn't steal anything except my comfort and trust.

I got to my car this morning and noticed the driver's side door slightly ajar and a window was shot out. Upon opening the door, I noticed that things were not as I had left them. My heart nearly stopped when I saw the garage door opener still in its' place. For a brief moment, I thought of what all could have happened...and stopped and thanked God for his protection. I then called the only person I knew who would know what to do.

Upon Billy's advice, I called the cops. I'm waiting for them to call me back and take a criminal report. Nothing was stolen, but it just feels weird. Someone was in my car. Someone was touching my things. Someone was thinking "damn this girl is messy"...and it's not someone I know.

Cocunuts!

pelf \PELF\, noun:
Money; riches; gain; -- generally conveying the idea of something ill-gotten.

Sentence: Everyone knew that the pelf she suddenly attained was from the work she did afterhours as she walked scantily dressed on Lincoln Boulevard.

The other day I called someone a coconut. She didn't know whether she was insulted or complimented. I tried to explain that it was neither an insult nor a compliment...just a statement that she obviously didn't understand. For those of you who don't know what a coconut is...it's a person who is Indian on the outside, but 100% American in the inside. The person in question tried to convince me she was Indian by blurting out some malayalam words, which she totally butchered. Finally, I asked her why she felt I was insulting her...why she felt that she had to defend herself to prove my statement wrong. I told her there was nothing wrong with being a coconut...it's just the way she is and that's just how it goes. Then she wanted me to explain WHY I think she's a coconut. I began to explain that she doesn't know a thing about Indian culture, traditions, can't intelligably speak the language, and...last but not least...she hates Indians. If that isn't a coconut, I'm not sure what is.

I think she might have had a tinge of guilt at that point until I pointed out my theory of how she became a coconut. My theory is that most coconuts...not all, but most...become this way because of their parents. I think I shared this theory in my book (I'm not sure because it's been a long time since I read it)...Parents came to America, and were so hell bent on keeping "tradition"...that they didn't teach us culture. They taught us tradition as culture. Most of us either grew up accepting these traditions or turning completely against them. But in our minds, it wasn't tradition we were turning away from it was "culture." Sadly, our culture has been lost to us. We were never taught the beauty of Indian art, literature, music, etc. The food is perhaps the only taste of culture we have received.

I'm happy to say that this coconut is trying to rectify the situation. She told me she bought this book about a form of massage that was originated in Kerala. Mothers have apparently been teaching their children this massage technique for generations. Oddly enough, it's something I never heard of. But when it comes right down to it, there's a ton of things about India and the Indian culture that I've never heard of. In a way, my conversation with her was a challenge to myself...to take time to really know my culture...not just traditions.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...(and i don't mean the season)

word of the day:
votary \VOH-tuh-ree\, noun:
1. One who is devoted, given, or addicted to some particular pursuit, subject, study, or way of life.
2. A devoted admirer.
3. A devout adherent of a religion or cult.
4. A dedicated believer or advocate.

Sentence:
I'm a votary of the show Lost.

Tuesday. Day 2. I have already screwed up majorly this week by forgetting my good friend Billy's birthday until 11 pm last night when it dawned on me. I wish there was a way to make it up to him. But alas, the only thing I can do is to publically say I am a wretch! Hopefully he will find it somewhere in his big heart to forgive me.

Other than my royal mess up for the week...I also already made a royal fool of myself for the week. I was walking back to the building from lunch with my nose in a book. Somehow my foot got caught in my pant leg since my pants are always so long, and I went crashing to the ground. This girl came running to my aid, which merely embarrassed me more. I tried to cover it up with comments like..."perhaps that knocked some much needed sense into me." The wounds I suffered are as follows: a bruised shoulder along with a strawberry..or is it called a raspberry? whatever...my shoulder is black/blue and red....a small raspberry/strawberry on my cheek, a scraped knee, and a new pair of pants that are nearly torn at the knee. lovely..i know!

The sad news for the day is that I'm completely re-thinking Mousse. CCL emailed me AND called me pleading with me to heed her warnings. Apparently Labs need lots of attention and are extremely playful, which CCL thinks does not match up with my personality. She believes I will end up getting annoyed with the dog and neglecting it, which will make the dog misbehave and start digging holes, in turn pissing my mom off...she will then kill me and Mousse. I'm afraid CCL didn't paint a pretty picture...so now I'm beginning to wonder. Perhaps I should re-think my position on this and research this whole dog thing a bit more. I will go see the pups though...and I will fall in love with Mousse and be broken hearted...that's for sure.

That's all for now...maybe more later...

Following Scorpsy's lead...

7 things I plan to do before I die:

1). Have a family
2). Write full time
3). Travel to every continent
4). Be the ideal weight for my height
5). travel the world extensively.
6). By an old home and renovate it
7). Bring at least one person to know Christ

7 things I can do:

1). make bead bracelets
2). bake brownies
3). make homemade salsa
4). Speak Ong language fluently
5). watch random people and create interesting stories
6). get ready in 7 minutes flat
7). be funny if necessary

7 things I cannot do:
1). sing.
2). socialize in a crowd of strangers
3). stay awake while driving home from work
4). watch a full episode of desperate housewives
5). hang out alone
6). calle married people unless truly necessary
7). let my nails grow

7 things that attract me to another person:

1). eyes
2). good smile
3). sense of humor
4). good conversationalist
5). deep thinker
6). avid reader
7). humility

7 things that I say most often:

1). so what else
2). what the
3). about done?
4). well, alrighty
5). dern
6). hey kid
7). later

7 People I want to do this:
1). CCL
2). Flog girls (those that remain...)
3). Mattie
4). Dains
5). Billy
6). Alex
7). Sunu K

Me and Mousse...

word of the day:
aberrant \a-BERR-unt; AB-ur-unt\, adjective:
Markedly different from an accepted norm; Deviating from the ordinary or natural type; abnormal.

sentence: Sometimes I feel as if I have aberrant personality when comparing myself to those around me.

Well, it's Monday again. I spent some time in prayer before I got ready for work this week, and I told God I couldn't take one more week of the rat race. I told him that this week, I needed to see a light at the end of my tunnel, an open door, a cracked window...something. I believe He will hear my prayers.

Other than that, this weekend was uneventful. I overslept/chickened out of the race. I know, I'm a loser as my CCL repetitively told me on Saturday. I'm very aware. I should have just tried, but I felt a bit unprepared since I didn't run much last week. I will work harder this week and aim for a run sometime this spring. Instead, I spent the weekend tending to 2911 matters, which is what I'll be doing from now till November 19th.

I got an email from Fins today, informing me that Mousse was born this weekend. She has 9 brothers and sisters...she had 11, but 2 died. I'm going to go see her some time this week, when she's strong enough to open her eyes. Hopefully the Maternal Unit will come along and be smitten by her...and thus, unable to say no to her. I had a long talk with my neighbor who agrees that a chocolate lab would be a great addition to the family since they make really good watch dogs. I really hope my plan succeeds...I'm already thinking of the fun Mousse and I will have...the long walks, the games of catch, and watching Lost together. Fun times...Mousse will be my companion and my BF...she will help me hate on the dog whose name rhymes with Hoco. Me and Mousse...I love it.

In other news...I'm nearly done with new book I'm reading. I plan to go see the movie version with the kid cousins this week...they wil be on Fall Break. Geez, fall break, spring break, christmas break, thanksgiving break...i don't think these kids do enough work to necessitate all these breaks! But, I could sure use one once in a while!

Word of the day:
sinecure \SY-nih-kyur; SIN-ih-\, noun:
An office or position that requires or involves little or no responsibility, work, or active service.

Sentence:
The work I did last year at the branch office was sinecure, which is why the office shut down.

Ahh it's Friday...the sweetest day of the week. And, 4: 45 will be the sweetest time of the sweetest day of the week. I really need to do something about the rat race...I feel it sucking the life blood out of me. I have resorted to only appreciating one moment in time in the entire work week...and that, my friends...is sad.

No time to dwell on the sadder aspects of my life. Today is Friday!...and thus, I have to do my shoutouts..or shoutout, I should say...I only have one...and that goes to...

DM for providing me with another funny/funky,fresh blog to read when I'm bored.

Other than that I'd like to talk about the "issues" in my life right now. My friend Fin told me her co-worker is selling labs. The mom is a blonde...and the dad is a chocolate. I've been really wanting a chocolate lab. I know if my CCL reads this she will say I'm uncapabale of caring for a dog. She's right...I'm not much of a pet person. But I do love big dogs...I hate tiny ones that names rhyme with Poco. Anyhoo, I'm hoping for two things...that my mother will agree to having this dog share her abode. Secondly, I'm really hoping that a chocolate lab will be in the mix. If so, I will name him/her Mousse. Get it?? Chocolate Mousse. =) If not, I might settle for a blonde and name her Brooklyn...after NY of course. ;)

The next issue is tomorrow's 5k. I'm not ready for it. This was supposed to be a prep run for the DC race. However, that has been canceled...apparently a family that doesn't blog together doesn't jog together either. (our site is dying!) So now...I'm running this race and I am wondering if I'll even make it through alive! Please cross your fingers for me!!

I saw the cutest shirt on fossil.com this was a part of my one purchase a month to become a more fashionable sue! but for some nutty reason my CC address doesn't match up with the address i gave them despite the fact it's exactly the same!...thus i can't buy the shirt. I'm totally bummed, but i guess it's a sign that perhaps i shouldn't buy it since I bought a shirt at h&m this month. =/

Last but not least...2911. For those of you who don't know...2911 is the name of the play I wrote for our youth fellowship (OPYF). Last year, DM was the president of the youth fellowship and I got suckered into helping out with things all throughout the year. It was totally killing what little social life I had so I vowed that I wasn't going to be as involved this year. So much for that. I find that most of my weekends and weekdays for that matter are scheduled around play practices and such. Y'day was the first practice I atteneded and I was quite blown away by these kids. I wanted to pass out oscars. They are doing a phenominal job. Unfortunately, I will miss the final presentation because I'll be in the Bahamas...which completely sucks. It was really awesome to see them performing words I'd written. I can't wait to see it all come together...unfortunately, I'll have to settle for the DVD version.

Have a wonderful weekend guys!

word of the day:
conurbation \kon-uhr-BAY-shuhn\, noun:
An aggregation or continuous network of urban communities.

Sentence of the day:
I have no idea how to use conurbation in a sentence? (does that suffice?)

Thank God it's Thursday! One more day to get through and then I'm home free!!! This is a really a sad way of life. Anywhoo...I must give my shoutout to the new blogger in the hizhouse...my BF's hubby and my very own BF #2. Check out his funky, fresh blog at http://vc3.blogspot.com/ .

Ok, I did my PR work for today...now on to my mind numbing banter for the day. Actually, my mind is so numb, I have no banter today. =/

A stroll throught Time Square

word of the day:
gewgaw \G(Y)OO-gaw\, noun:
A showy trifle; a trinket; a bauble.

sentence of the day:
Chinatown is full of cheap gewgaw.

I realized this weekend how much of a pessimist I am, and I was a bit ashamed. We were in Time Square and there was an artist on the side of the road spray painting a city scene. He had a crowd around him, and we were all in awe of how easy he made it seem to create such fantastic art. His face looked sullen and serious and each movement he made with his hands and the spray paint was done with such familiar ease that it was almost robotic. When he finally finished, he held it up to the crowd and everyone clapped and oohed and awwed, and then a smile came over the painter's face. His eyes seemed to light up with pride and for that brief moment everything seemed worth it to him.

I walked along silently for a while thinking about the painter. I felt somehow sorry for him. My friend JU walked beside me, and I took it upon myself to vent. I told him that I felt sorry for the painter....because he almost seemed sad when he was painting. I mean, do you expect me to honestly believe that his heart's desire is to sit on a street corner and paint the same scene over and over again?...All so someone tourist can pay a mere 15 bucks for his work of art? How does he feel knowing his art is worth 15 bucks? Yet, at the end...it's that 5 seconds of crowd appreciation that must keep him going...that fuels his inspiration...that makes him smile.

However, JU had a completely different take on the situation. You see, he's a born optimist. He said when he saw the guy painting, he thought about how he was spending each day doing something he loves...that surely it wasn't the 15$ that brought him back every night but the love of his art and the appreciation he received for it was indeed his fuel. JU said that painting that city scape every night...with the twin towers towering over the rest of the buildings...was a way for him to express himself and his loss/sorrow he felt for the city he loves.

I defintely like JU's theory better. It made me feel happier for the guy and for myself. I guess in a lot of ways I compared the guy to me. His painting was my writing letters for BC, my freelance gigs on topics I know nothing about, and my blogs. I guess in a way listening to JU's theory made me grateful for the opportunities I do have to share my writing with others. I may not be able to sit at home and write books full time...but I need to be more optimistic about the things I'm doing right now while I continue to plan for the future.

Yep...this is what I learned on my stroll through Time Square.

oops...i forgot

word of the day:
palpable \PAL-puh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Capable of being touched and felt; perceptible by the touch; as, "a palpable form."
2. Easily perceptible; plain; distinct; obvious; readily detected; as, "palpable imposture; palpable absurdity; palpable errors

sentence of the day:
Give me one palpable reason as to why I should give you a second chance?

I forgot my word for the day...forgive me...my head is not functioning properly today.

I'm back from my trip to New York. *sigh* I knew I was back to Oklahoma when I saw a woman on the plane from DFW to Okc wearing a black Halloween sweater with pumpkins crocheted all over it. My heart sunk as I thought, "no one in NYC would ever wear that!" This was the first time I really took notice of NYC fashion. I love how the people there just layer clothes and make things "work." I went to this store called H&M...I'm not sure how New Yorkers feel about that store, but considering the fact that it was so busy...I'm guessing it's pretty popular. Anyway, the clothes were so cute, but I almost felt like it was too fashionable for me. I'd look ridiculous in it! I'd see something on the hanger and think "ehh, what's so great about that?" and then see someone in the dressing room would come out in it and it looked terrific! There is some sort of fashion independence there. People just wear whatever and it looks friggin awesome. Here in Okc it's entirely different. There's a set style. You rarely see anyone wearing things that are different than the norm, yet still be considered fashionable.

Finuji and I started playing a game at Laguardia airport as we waited to board. We played "guess the New Yorker"...it was so obvious who was from NYC and who wasn't...all you had to look for were pointy-toed shoes, high heels, flashy hand bags, and the confident stride. I think we were all totally inspired by fashion. And now we're going to try to be more cautious of it. I definitely don't want to get wrapped up in wanting to buy Prada or wearing high fashion brands. But, i do want to experience fashion freedom...making unlikely things work...and being different from the norm. the only problem with that is that there are no stores comparable here in okc.

I guess for now, I'll wear my usual teacher gear until I get to my goal weight...then I'll worry about being fashionable. =/

SHIZOUT OUTS...(blognapped from SunuK)

ok folks...
i'm in less of a grumpy mood. i figure why stress about crap you can't control? That being said...i'm so inspired by sunuk's Friday shoutouts...that i decided to make my own Friday shoutouts. snuk, sorry for thieving your idea of sheer brilliance!

let the shoutouts proceed....

#1 to SunuK for coming up with this unbelievably great idea and for making me laugh each and every single day with her antics on her blog. long live proudy!

#2 to my new pink purse given to me by my good friend and neighbor the illustrious finuji! i think i'm in love with it!

#3 to getting off of work early for two days in a row!

#4 to Gabe and Abbie for singing me the best Happy Birthday Sue Aunty I've heard in my entire life.

#5 to turning 31 and realizing that whether it sucks or not...that's what I am so I just gotta get on with it...I've got 365 days to do something magnificent before I turn 32 and realize 31 was a total wash.

#6 to the flog girls who will be meeting tomorrow night despite the chaos caused by commenters.

#7 to my CCL for using the world wide web to bafoon the hell out of me. January 27/28th isn't too far away...and it'll be my turn!

#8 to the University of Texas at Austin...Crush OU, please!!!!! (I have no loyalty)

#9 to dictionary.com for teaching me great words this week..."onus, sempiternal,inchoate,beneficience,

#10 to the creators of Lost...I would be lost with out you!

> : /

word of the day:
onus \OH-nuhs\, noun:
1. A burden; an obligation; a disagreeable necessity.
2. a: A stigma. b: Blame.
3. The burden of proof

Sentence of the day: The onus of repairs is stressing me out.

I'm leaving in a few hours, and I should be in a good mood. But, instead, I'm so grumpy. If someone looks at me wrong...I'm gonna mentally jump down their throats! Everything in my friggin house is falling apart RIGHT NOW. So of course, my mom thinks I need to be at home finding repair men or accompanying her to buy this new crap instead of traveling. God forbid she take care of that on her own. So now I know...beyond a doubt...that with everything broken around the house, she'll have nothing to do about sit and stew about how i abandoned her in her hour of need.

Earlier this week it was the water heater. I was sitting at work...minding my own business when I got a crazed phone call from her..."water is coming out...heat...water...heater...water heater!" apparently the water heater erupted and spewed a load of water into the garage. Remaining calm, i advised her to open the garage, and back out the car while i called the plummer. meanwhile...she should find a neighbor to help her turn off the water. i called the plummer and what did she do? well, instead of taking my advice she calss 911. what do they tell her? CALL A PLUMBER. After a day/night with out water...that is now finally fixed.

Today...I get another call. "the TV is finally gone." For months our TV has been seriously jacked. The picture was so messed up that I didn't even know who actors were unless I could tell by their voices. So, I called a few TV repairmen...all of which said it'd be a lot of time and money...and we'd be better off buying a new one? I suggested my mom take care of this this weekend since she is retired and would be so bored with out a tv. But...is she going to listen? nope. why? she needs me to go with her.

I'm quite sure that between now and the time I leave the stove which has been jacked for the past year...(one of 4 burners now work) will also break. So she'll be with out TV and food...and I can feel guilty for the next 2 days while I'm on my mini-vacation.

As if that's not bad enough..I HAVE A PAPER JAM NOW!

Happy Birthday Dear Sue Aunty...

word of the day:
sempiternal \sem-pih-TUR-nuhl\, adjective:
Of never ending duration; having beginning but no end; everlasting; endless.

Sentence: Today I stop to think about life and realize it is not a sempiternal cycle of events and happenings, so I must cherish what each day has to offer.

Man, that sentence made me laugh. It was cheesy and dramatic..just the way I like it. I'm 31 today. Am I enjoying it? Not so much. Being 30 is kind of fun. It's a "special" birthday...30's kind of a hip age although I whined and moaned about turning 30 also. But 31? Man, I've crossed all lines of hip and cool. I'm just old now. O-L-D old. On the bright side...(I'm searching REALLY hard to find a bright side)...I came to work to find a delicious cookie cake on my desk, along with a very cute picture frame(bought specifically to hold a picture from my fantabulous weekend in nyc), and I had many calls this morning from my vonderful friends. It all began at 11 pm y'day when Sheryl did her ritual birthday call honoring EST since I claim to be born in New York. This morning the birthday calls continued from my 3 BF's...Billy, BF(Sonia), and Sherry. Sherry's call was extraspecially sweet because I said Hello and her two little ones, Gabe and Abby (2 and 1) sang me their rendition of "Happy Birthday Dear Sue Aunty." It was the sweetest thing I've ever heard(challenge to CCL to get Ethan and Lauren to sing me a duet!) Anyhoo, so although birthdays suck because of the getting older aspect, the acts of "beneficience" are most enjoyable. Oh..oh...not to mention...NYC TRIP IS A LITTLE OVER 24 HOURS AWAY!!---yeehaw!

After going down memory lane with Sheryl a bit yesterday...and listening to her wheeze and laugh like a hyena with an ocassional pot belly pig snort here and there...I realized that life so far has had its definite downs and disappointments...but i've also had a good time along the way...lots of things to look back at fondly and crack up about. ;)

word of the day:
beneficence \buh-NEFF-i-suhns\, noun:
1. The practice of doing good; active goodness, kindness, or charity.
2. A charitable gift or act

Sentence: I need a random act of beneficence to get me through this day.

After six years of waiting for an opening to become available in the department of my dreams, I ended up not getting hired for the job. I was told that I was one of the top two choices, which doesn't make me feel any better about the rejection. Why wasn't i the # 1 choice? Because the other person had better accounting skills...who knew that'd be so necessary in creative services?

To say that i'm completely crushed and heart broken is an understatement. I'm currently choking on the ball of emotions that's lodged in my throat. I'm looking forward to the lunch hour when I can unleash my tears and mourn properly in the confines of my car.

Do you ever feel like you're chasing your own tail? I feel like that...Actually, I can't remember a time when I haven't felt like that. Sometimes I just want to stand outside, look up into the sky with my arms extended and scream..."WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO?" I know, I know...think happy thoughts...NYC...yah, yah...Flog meet up...right, right...I'll be happy. I'm just not happy AT ALL right now.

Weak and Heavy Laden...

word of the day:
inchoate \in-KOH-it\, adjective:
1. In an initial or early stage; just begun.
2. Imperfectly formed or formulated

Sentence: I'm beginning to question my inchoate decision.

I have a headache. I just got back from a little excursion to go find BC's car at the airport. On the way back, I rolled my windows down in my car and decided to enjoy the last day of warm weather before the cold front rolls in. The music was blaring and the wind was whipping around my crazy curls when all of a sudden I smelled the faint odor of burning rubber. It was as if someone had hit my panic button. Suddenly I remembered how my tire needed to be changed urgently, and I shouldn't be driving on the highway with my car. And where was I? ON THE HIGHWAY. I pulled over to inspect my tire...and my friend "Hoo" was driving down the highway just about that time and saw me pulled over. He frantically came to a screeching halt on the side of the road, jumped out, and said "well, hootie...what the hell happened?" I started blubbering about burning rubber, bad tires, and somewhere in there threw in an "I'm scared." That's all he needed to hear...he told me to follow him and then proceeded to air up my tire. All the while he was lecturing me about how I desperately need a set of new tires, something about tread, and wearing away. I hateeeeeeeee car problems. I know, I know...girls can do anything boys can do. But this girl can't deal with car issues...so the thought of going to get four new tires has increased my blood pressure and the overall pressure within my head. wah, wah, wah.

Escape from the daily grind on the horizon...

effulgence \i-FUL-juhn(t)s\, noun:
The state of being bright and radiant; splendor; brilliance.

Sentence: I have missed the effulgence of the morning because I woke up an hour late, arrived at the office to see that the coffee pot spilled over, and discovered I accidently deleted the rolodex on my computer.

Good Monday to you all. The sentence above shows you how my Monday began, however I do not intend to let it carry on this way. No, this is a much anticipated Monday. New opportunities are on the horizon, and I'm going to "carpe diem." Not to mention...just 4 more days till my trip to my favorite city on the planet! I've obviously got reasons to be excited.

I have an interview today!! I've been waiting for this opportunity to open up for six long years! It's to work within the department of my dream....CREATIVE SERVICES! Doesn't that just sound fun?? So, if you're reading this...please say a prayer for me today!

u mean u don't spell segway that way?

Word of the day:
segue \SEG-way; SAYG-way\, intransitive verb:
To proceed without interruption; to make a smooth transition

Sentence:
Read Suja K's blog first, and it will segue into my blog.

I can't believe that's how you spell segway...when I first saw this word, I thought "what the heck does seg-you mean?" I feel as shocked as I did when I discovered that outfit isn't spelled alphet. shocking, i tell u!

The question of the day:
If you could eat dinner with three people (alive or dead), who would it be?

I know most people say Jesus as their #1 person. But to me, Jesus isn't a person, He's a divine being. I wouldn't want to eat dinner with Him because I'm not worthy of such an honor. So if you don't mind...I'll pick 3 mere mortals for this dream dinner.

#1 My dad...However this might not prove to be such a good choice. I would want to ask my dad a zillion questions...and he always used to have this strict rule about not talking while you eat. So, most likely...I would just end up annoying him, and he wouldn't have such a great time. But regardless, I'd definitely want him at this special dinner because he was the most special person I've ever known.

#2 My BF...She would be the first person I would call after such an amazing dinner. So, I might as well just invite her and let her be a part of it, so I wouldn't miss any details when explaining it to her. Plus, she's pretty dern special too...so if this is a dinner for special people, it wouldn't be complete unless she was there!

#3 JJ Abrams...I have no idea if he's special or not. I'm sure his wife would like to believe so. But, i have more important matters to discuss with him. Like..."Lost"...WHERE ARE THESE PEOPLE?!? Afterall, I spend a lot of sleepless hours on Wednesday night considering this very question. It would be great to discuss it with someone who actually has the answers!

and for dessert...Antonio Sabato Jr of course! (and I wouldn't mind if the rest of the guests left at that point) ;)

Why ask Jeeves when you can ask Sue?

WORD OF THE DAY: jocund \JOCK-uhnd; JOH-kuhnd\, adjective:
Full of or expressing high-spirited merriment; light-hearted; mirthful.

IN A SENTENCE: I find Billy S. to be extra-specially annoying because of his jocund personality.

I was sitting at my desk inspecting the chocolate teddy graham I was about to inhale. Something about it looked so oddly familiar. Then I realized why...it's the bear's gut. Oddly enough, it looks just like the one I'm trying to get rid of. These were the deep thoughts running through my mind before the phone rang and interrupted me.

Thank God for caller id. The number on it was familiar which means I didn't have to go through my office shcpeel of identifying the company or myself...and I didn't have to make my voice sound like I was smiling. Instead I did my usual, barely-gotta-pulse "hello." It was Sheryl on the other end. I mentally prepped myself for her. Why? Because she always has a question for me. Most people consult "ask Jeeves"...but Sheryl's version is "Ask Sue."

This began many years ago...I was working at Hyded Drug Store before it turned to Eckerd Drug Store, which finally became CVS while I was in college. Sheryl was a mere kid...with very abnormal rashes and other unrelated health problems. Every time something was wrong with her she would come and ask me....as if I was Dr. Quinn Medicine woman. Somehow, I always had an answer for her...they were my best educated guesses, which she accepted happily. I always felt so smart...and it was a great ego boost, but soon the questions were becoming more and more complex. I was so frightened that one day the question would be way out of my realm of knowledge and hypothetical guesses...like "Sue, my cranial articular major has discombobulated...what do i do?" Finally, I just had to tell her..."Sheryl, I'm not a pharmacy major...i don't know the answers!" She was shocked and dismayed, and asked me how i was ever able to answer her questions in the first place...and I said they were just my best guesses.

I guess since then, i've always been the "Ask Jeeves" in her life. My educated guesses were better than nothing...so she continued on asking me the most random of random questions. Yesterday it was what kinda catchy kiddy phrase could she come up with for an activity about cows. Today it was where she could find fake tatoos for cheap. Tomorrow I'm sure it'll be something else I have no clue about...but i will not let her down. I will either guess an answer...or BS one so good that she won't know the difference!

diahrrea of random thoughts...

I decided that I need to beef up my vocabulary. I'm a writer and a studier (is that a word) of the English language, yet my diction sucks. So, today begins my quest for learning a new word each day. I'm a bit excited about it. My new word of the day comes from dictionary.com....it is adamant. I know this word, however I'm still adamant about keeping up with this daily routine. (Like how I used that in a sentence form?) Yesterday's word was a bit tougher, so I will discuss it in greater length. It was halcyon, a mythical bird that was fabled to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation. As an adjective, the word means a calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy; as, "deep, halcyon repose." My sentence for this word is....I long for the halcyon years of my childhood . =) Ok kids...that's your lesson for today. Tune in tomorrow for your new word!

In other news...I have no other news....other than... I had a very disappointing day on the scales today. I drank gallons of water this week, excercised religiously, cut back on the snacks, etc with full expectation of losing two pounds. I so wanted to break an even 40 pounds lost. However, instead of losing 2, I gained 2!! I'd like to blame it on my thick slacks. In fact, I will blame it on my thick slacks...and if you know what's best for you...you will too! Next week I have to lose 4 pounds before my trip to New York!!

Other than that, Lost is on tonight!... My heart flutters with anticipation. I like that line. This is the second time I used it today. It's such a dramatic phrase...kinda funny when you use it sarcastically...ehhh, yah...so more importantly, I've been asked to write on dippu.com. I'm excited about it....if you haven't checked it out....please do!...www.dippu.com It's a site for Desi Christians. I was going to say Indian Christians, but desi is the "in" word right now. Anyway, dont' worry...you won't be reading my useless banter on that site...I'm going to try to write someting meaningful, encouraging, and thought provoking...instead of the diahrrea of random thoughts you read here. So now I officially write on 3 blogs...how I wish this could be a full time job!!!

That's so Sue...

My niece tells me I remind her of Raven Simone on that's so Raven. I don't really know where she gets that idea from. Something about that show bugs me....it's the title. "That's so Raven" What exactly is SO Raven? This is a question I ask myself lately because I hear this more and more often. Not about Raven...but about me.

For example...my loyal reader and commenter, Sunu K commented on my last blog post saying "that is such a Sue story." What exactly is a Sue story? What kinda story is it that typically makes one associate it to me? The other day, my buddy Ruby told me she pulled out some sort of folder/notebook during a church service and Sunu K said, "That's such a Sue folder." What the heck does that mean? Sue folder? My BF also called me this weekend saying she watched a movie called Crash and suggested I watch it. She said she thought of me while watching it because it's a....you guessed it...a Sue movie. the Illustrious Finuji says the same thing about Sex in the City. So, I'm perplexed and curious...

I hear this all the time when it comes to clothes...I can totally understand "sue clothes" because I have a very distinct style which I'd like to call "educator gear." So, if one sees a girl clad in gray slacks and a button-up...I would completely understand why one would associate her wardrobe to me and say..."that's so Sue." But the rest...I just don't get.

So...if someone would like to clarify why you think things are SO SUE and what that means exactly I would greatly appreciate it!

But wait...there's more...the wedding is in May!!!!!!!

I recently switched cell phones with my buddy SunuA. When I tell most people this they give me this quizzical look...like suddenly they don't know what number to call me on. Come on people...heard of SIM cards? Well, if you haven't...you're not the only dumb one here. I've heard of SIM cards, but I wasn't bright enough to use it, which simply means I saved all my phonebook numbers to my phone and not my SIM card. THAT means, that I have to retype everyone's phone number back into my phone. I am actually too lazy to go to all that trouble, so as people call me I'm saving their numbers to the SIM card...(fool me once shame on you...fool me twice shame on me!) All of the above nonsense is to say that if someone calls me, their name no longer pops up on caller id.

So, y'day when I received a call from an out of state number, I didn't know who the heck was calling me or from where. I picked up the phone to hear a peculiar voice at the other end.

Man: hello
me: who are you?

*note to self...be more friendlier to guys when they call. this could be why you're still single.

man: who is this?
me: u called me, u should know.
man: i'm just checking...what's your name?
me: Susan
man: Sheeja?
me: uh, no...SUSAN!
man: i'm sammy
me: sammy who?

*his voice hardly matched my friend Sammy's friendly voice.

man: Sammy from Chicago? You don't know me?
me: the question here is...do you know me? and if you do, how?
man: do you have your profile on a matrimonial site?

*of course, my bro has me on every site known to the world wide web!

me: probably, but i don't typically give my number out.

*suddenly my mind flashes back to the one time i gave my number out to a random stranger and sorely regretted it and henceforth made up the rule never to give my number out to a random stranger. ewwwwwwwwww. it's him? was his name sammy? what the hell was that weirdos name???

man: where you from?
me: Oklahoma

*dumb move on my part. I'm giving the random weird license to come stalk and kill me

man: ohhhh, you're the penti girl from Oklahoma?
me: uh yah

*yep, it's him...the freak i regretted giving my number to. ewwww. he couldn't hang with my morals...so he labeled me as a fanatical pente....puhlease!

man: so what's going on with you these days?
me: not much

*thinking...how do i get off of this phone and away from this creep?

man: have you found someone yet?

* i proceeded to tell the biggest lie ever just to get off the phone with the weirdo

me: yes, actually...I'm pretty close

*suddenly the lie felt kinda good...it was kinda nice to tell someone I was seriously attached. I wanted to tell him more...like how "we" met, and how "he" proposed and what "our" wedding was going to be like...that coulda seriously went on for days.I wanted to go on with my story... i wanted to tell him about my bridesmaids...ooh and colors, flowers, who was singing what and the reception festivities that would follow the solemn wedding service...i was enjoying the idea of unleashing all my wedding fantasies out on him as if they were really happening... but he stopped me...

man: oh ok, well that's great...good luck with it

*totally disappointed that he didn't want to hear the rest of the wonderful story of my wonderful relationship with mr. right

me: alright...well, thanks
man: ok bye...

and there u have it folks...THIS is what i have resorted to!!!!!!!

Hurricane Rita...on its way

hurricane rita is expected to lash out most of its' fury on houston and galveston this weekend. suddenly the severity of these storms has become very real to me. i have a lot of family members in the houston area. and unfortunately, none of them have been able to get out. many have attempted a few times, but turned back after spending three hours on one spot of the highway. normally they would be half way to dallas in that time. with children it's hard to be in a car that long...not knowing how long it will take to get to your final destination. i guess the only thing we can do now is wait for the storm to hit and pray that they are all safe in the aftermath.

Glimpses of Fall...

Fall...I love this season. Maybe it's because I'm an October baby. I don't know...but there's just something about the cool, crisp fall air that makes me happy. Unfortunately, the air is neither cool nor crisp here in OKC. However, normally it is one of the signs that fall has fallen...that it's time to pull out a sweater to wear over your t-shirt and replace those flip flops with a pair of fuzzy socks.

When I walk out to my car in the mornings, I hear another sign that beckons the arrival of fall. The highschool band at the school near by is practicing their routine for the football season. I remember those days...being at school at 7:00 am, when it's still dark...standing outside in the cold to practice those dern routines. I can't recall ever complaining...it was all part of the thrill of fall...football games and pep rallies!

Of course, October is on its way, and soon the trick or treaters will be out to celebrate all Hallow's Eve. I'm not so sure it's a celebration...more like a good way to sucker some candy out of the entire neighborhood. Needless to say, the stores are now stocking their shelves with candy, halloween pails, and costumes. But to me, the most exciting thing about this time of year is caramel apples! I'm really picky about apples...they can't be too sweet and have to have a certain amount of pucker to get my seal of approval. But for some reason, the apples that are used for caramel apples are absolutely perfect all the time!

Another sign of fall is the state fair. I'm not typically too excited about the fair...I can't eat the junk they call food, the teens are annoying, the fat men with chunks of fried turkey leg hanging out of their mouth are gross, and the fairhands are too tempting as they lure you into play an impossible game to win a useless stuffed animal. But there's not many fun things to do around these parts, so we try to suck whatever entertainment we can muster outta the fair.

Lastly, it's Birthday season...that's always fun times!...Sunu K, me, my sister, Staicy, Billy, Valerie...there's a lot of us...Although I say I hate birthdays, I kinda like feeling like the center of my loved ones' universe for at least one day. And this year it will be extra special since I get to celebrate with some new friends!

Ahh...yes, fall is here!

Times...they are a'changin!

Ever since Kindergarten, I've hated P.E. Yes, the dreaded physical education. I went to so many elementary schools that my P.E. experiences are all a blur. But, I distinctly remember a butch teacher with a snout for a nose, a bad perm, and a faint scent of sausage (oddly enough) who made me despise P.E. even more. I can't remember what school she was from or even what state I was in, but I know that this lady would make me hate that class for years to come.

I was never fast at anything. To this day, I'm a pretty slow walker, talker, driver...I'm just not in a rush to do anything so why be all Speedy Gonzales about everything?? Anyway, I remember bits and pieces of experiences with Ms. Snoutnose, but the memories are foggy. This is probably because I've buried all my bad experience in gym class in a hidden vault in a non-operating compartment in my brain. Anyway, Ms. Snoutnose made us climb a rope. Ok, I was a chubby kid with elastic pants...how the heck would I climb a rope? I remember watching the other kids do it with such ease. Then it was my turn...I stared up at the rope. It might as well have been Mount Everest...because that's what the rope represented in my eyes. I feebly held on and tried to push my elastic pant-wearing self up, but I didn't move...not even an inch. Sweat beads formed on my forehead as I grunted and struggled. It felt like I had climbed all the way to the top because that's how much energy I used, but I never moved an inch up the rope. Ms. Snoutnose responded to my lack of success by saying, "we're not going on until you climb that rope." My face got hot with embarrassment, and I chugged a half an inch up the rope, which seemed to take 5 minutes...and agonizing 5 minutes after that...the bell rang. Ms. Snoutnose gave me a dirty look, and I pouted my way on out of class.

Since that humiliating moment, I hated PE for all the years to come...getting picked last for EVERYTHING, the scooter races, the dodge ball (who invented that cruel game, anyways?!), tag, square dancing (maybe this is an oklahoma activity)...you name it...i hated it!!! Even in college, we were forced to take 2 hours of PE. I took rollerblading...didn't get too far with that one...so then I took walking fitness, which nearly killed me because of shin splintz. After I got that hour out of the way, I was on to Yoga, with my Nazi yoga instructor. I chugged through that class too...because I had too!

I was just about to give up on the notion of ever become atheltic or physically fit when I tried the "couch to 5k program"...and found success! And for the first time in my life, I...ME...Susan Vee!...was asked to join a team!!! Yep, the friendly receptionist at my gym asked me to join the gym's team and run the 5k for the Cancer Run in October. I had to decline...because I already joined the team at work. But boy...it was a great feeling to be picked for a change!!!

Nosey by nature...

This whole having two blogs thing is getting to be too much for my little brain. (not that it takes much)...y'day, I accidentally posted a blog here that should have went there...so for those of you who responded here, I'm sorry but I had to delete the post and transport it there. =/ now that I've gotten all those explanations outta the way I can proceed with the topic at hand.

Yesterday I was cussing and discussing with my favorite Midwesterner, the flogs very own Jeesho...about the new format on Friendster. We both agreed that it's TMI (too much info). I explained to Jeesh that it's not that I don't want to take the time to read/skim...it's the fact that I DO want to take the time to read it!! I told her I'm nosey by nature, so I would go on to read everyone's newly edited profiles and new testimonials and I would end up being on Freindster for 5 hours before it was all said and done. I can see this being the cause of some sleepless nights.

As much as I SAY I like to flog and blog because I like to write...that's only partially true. The full truth is...I'm nosey by nature...and I love to read blogs and flogs and nose into the lives of the more interesting. This is why I'm obsessed with the waste of time called reality TV.

Seriously, I should check myself into NA (Nosies Anonymous)...and get some real help. Hmmm...I wonder who all's in that group??

The truth about me...that I learned from a bee.

I think the fact that I took Spanish Lit and Russian Lit during the same semester with the same professor, who required us to read a book a week killed my desire to read for pleasure. I mean, have you seen the size of Russian books? When I was writing my book, I remained an avid reader. I read book after book written by Indian authors. While in India, I finished the book "Jasmine" by Bharati Mukherjee in one day!! But, I can't seem to do that these days. It takes me eons to get through a book. And I won't even discuss my writing these days. I'm definitely in a literary funk.

My cousin lent me her book called "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. Every weekend she asks me if I like it so far. Sadly, I hadn't progressed from the first chapter...even after 3 weeks of reading. Last night, I finally made it to chapter 2. While I was reading...one part of the story jumped out at me and lingered in my mind for the rest of the night. The young girl in the book was collecting bees in a jar. At one point, she felt sorry for them because they were hovering close to the lid...just waiting for the jar to open so they could fly away to freedom. So, feeling incredibly guilty, she opened the jar, but the bees didn't fly away. They crawled around the outside lip of the jar, but they never flew away to freedom.

After reading the passage, I remembered why I love books and literature...because it opens your mind to thought...gives you something to think about...I pondered on that passage for a while...and I realized, I feel very much like those bees. A lot of times I feel as if I'm confined or limited for various reasons. Sometimes I think I lack opportunities because of where I live...or that I can't do certain things because of my culture, religion, financial status...etc, etc. But, reading about the bees made me realize that my jar has never been closed...it's always been open. I choose to confine myself...or let things limit me. I'm merely crawling around the lip of the jar and flying around my ow small space within the jar...There's a whole world waiting for me just beyond the glass that I choose to place myself within....Now I just have to figure out how to spread my wings and fly.

Greetings, Earthlings!

I spent another sweltering hot day sitting in the heat of my car catching a few z's during my lunch hour. So, if my ramblings of the day sound a wee bit odd or off-kilter, just know that I might very well be suffering from a minor case of heat stroke. That being said, I was thinking about greetings today. In the morning, on my way up to my office, I cross paths with many people, and I usually greet them with a friendly "Good morning." It's a totally acceptable greeting until about 11 am-ish. However, what do you say after that? In the afternoon, if I'm out and about and see a familiar face (just familiar...not a friend or acquaintance), I'll usually greet them with my famous upsidedown-frown-smile. Unless, of course, it's a fabulous day (which it usually is NOT unless I'm not at work, so then I wouldn't have the whole greeting issue cuz I'd be somewhere else)...and then I greet people with a regular-rightsideup-smile. In the afternoon hours, it sounds ridiculous to say "Good afternoon." I mean, it sounds like I'm trying to be someone's British butler. I could be hick about and nod my head and say "afternoon." But that's so retarded...It's like totally stating the obvious. "Duh, we all know it's afternoon!" Then comes the hours between 5-9. The only person I typically see at that time is the receptionist at the gym. She usually gets my "hey, how are u?" greeting. If i said "Good evening" to her, she might think I was Count Dracula. I could get all hick on her too...and say "Evenin, ma'am," but again...stating the obvious. Then, there's "Good night." I mean, you never greet anyone saying "Good night." You end your conversation that way...so is that really considered a greeting? This whole "greeting" thing is quite perplexing. I think we should have one standard greeting....and it should be..."Hi" Not, "hello"...cuz that sounds all formal and strange. "Hi." I like it. It's simple, straight forward, and to the point. Ok, so who do I talk to about making this the International Standard Greeting for all hours of the day and night? (And to think that I thought I had nothing to blog about today!!!)

A trip around the world in 7 hours...

Last night at 11:30 pm, I began a quest to run from country to country all around the world by 6:30 a.m. I ran through Chinatown and tried to get away from the mafioso that was chasing me down the streets of NYC. I ran through mountainous areas where I met Chinese munks draped in orange robes, who gave me a wooden bead necklace. I ran through tropical areas where I met Hurly from the show Lost. We stopped to discuss how the "former" me...looked a little like him. Then, I ran through desert. I stopped in Kuwait and decided to go shopping. I met a man there. He wasn't my usual type. He had a thick moustache and a stern face. I decided to marry him, despite the fact he was Muslim. After our marriage ceremony (which i ended up wearing jeans to), I decided it was time for me to keep running. However, my husband didn't agree. He made me change into a burka and tried to beat the tar out of me. About that time, I was suddenly jolted awake by the sound of "bole chudia" playing on my phone. (my phone broke and I'm using Sunu's, thus the hindi ring tone). I sat up in bed and wondered why in THE hell I had such a strange dream last night. And finally, I pieced together an explanation. Yesterday, as I was running on the treadmill...I thought about losing weight for my trip to NYC...I watched an old episode of Lost in which they focused on the Chinese couple and a bit on Hurly, and I was simultaneously reading a magazine that talked about women in Saudi Arabia and how they have posh purses and clothes, but have to be covered from head to toe. It even showed a picture of how one lady got the tar beat out of her by her husband because he accused her of an affair. Crazy how we carry things from our day into our dreams...and it gets all jumbled into something nonsensical...

Laid to rest...

I have a final update for those of you who have followed the story of Shibu Mathai on my blog. Shibu is the 26-year-old man who drowned at Lake Arcadia while saving his 13-year-old cousin. His death was hard for all of us who knew him to accept, especially for his wife and family. They believed that Shibu's life would be restored, and as their friends, we stood with them in faith...supporting their belief. That first week, there were many questions in all of our minds as we searched for answers. A week passed, and the family decided to take the body back to his home in Oregon for more prayer. At this point, I wasn't sure of my feelings regarding the situation. However, I continued to uphold the family in my prayers while I prayed for God's will to be done. Finally, after 3 weeks of prayer and unwavering faith, the family laid Shibu to rest yesterday in Oregon. I ask all of you who have been praying over this matter for the past 3 weeks to continue to pray for the peace of the family....especially Jamie, his wife. She has a long, arduous road ahead of her, but I firmly believe that God will restore her heart and carry her through this tumultous storm.

my new jacked up do 

The week in a wrap up...

For some reason, I've had a hard time accessing this blogsite. Thus, I haven't been able to post a lot this week. My apologies to my few faithful readers. I can only think of one word to describe the events of this week...."surreal." The images of the cities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina are only comparable to the footage I've seen when terror struck in the form of the tsunami. It's hard to believe that the hungry people I see searching for food, shelter, and lost loved ones are not in some third world country, but a mere 724 miles from home.

I talked to my missionary friends in Mexico to see if their family in Louisiana had survived the storms. Thankfully, they had, but there was no news on how their homes and other distant relatives had faired. Brother Keith grew up in Louisiana, and he told me that New Orleans is actually the voodoo capital of the U.S. He feels that God is breaking up fallow ground, and now is the time for Christians to reach out to people there, and pray that they will respond.

In general, I believe that's a true statement. Now IS the time to reach out. The best way for others to know of Christ's love is for us to show it to them. Afterall, we are His hands and feet. I've racked my brains to figure out some way to help them. Hopefully our youth group will be doing a bake sale to raise some money. Our church usually sells the baked goods by auctioning it off instead of paying 50 cents for a cookie. Knowing the cause, the elders usually bid quite a bit on it. We do it old school malu style and it typically turns out great. I encourage those of you involved in youth groups to organize bake sales, garage sales...or whatever else to raise as much money as you can for these people.

In other news, SunuA and I will be off on a one-day adventure to Dallas. We usually drive up together and then part ways in the evening to spend time with our families. This means I get to see the DC's! Yeah..fun times! I'll have plenty to flog after this weekends. It's been a really dry flog season lately. Anyway, I hope you guys have a fab weekend!........remember no more wearing white after labor day!