12.29.2005

So, I'm putting my final touches on the Winter Reading List (tm). That's the list of books (everything from snobby intellectual type books to tasty junk-food books) that I will be reading Winter Term. Winter Term being January through April. I will be reading them at my night job, because, trust me, there ain't nothin' else to do.

Here's where you come in, my favorite figments. I need your ideas. What have you read lately (or not so lately) that you think I should read? That you luvred? That inspired you? That made you cry? That you hated, but you hated enough to remember it? Fork `em over. I need just a few more, and then my monster will be complete!

I've sort of already cheated, and read four of the books on the list in the last week. It doesn't matter though, because I shall replace them with your wisely chosen suggestions.

Suggest away!

My idiotic foot hurts something wicked tonight. Somebody come pamper me. If that makes me a whiner, so be it. Pamper! Pamper I say!

HotD:

Splishy squishy splash.
Big drops falling on the ground.
Let's go puddle jump.

12.28.2005

The word of the day is 'Blah'.

Blah because in three days it will be 2006.

Blah because in five days classes start.

Blah because in five days my first class is at 6 AM.

Blah because in five days I go back to work at the other two jobs.

Blah because it's once again time to start thinking about New Years Resolutions I will most likely have broken within the first week of the sparkling New Year.

So, I'm going to spend the next couple of days pondering them, but I'm pretty sure I know what they will be. What about the rest of you? Do you have your New Years Resolutions all picked out, or is it still too early?

HotD:


Sing the mid-week blues.
Only five more tiny days left,
Then it's grind time, poo.

12.25.2005

I had a fun Christmas. A gigantic dinner with a ton of my family, and lots of fun goodies under the tree. I hope all the rest of you celebrating today had good days as well.

I got totally whipped at a game of Simpson's Operation today. I couldn't for the life of me get the dumb plastic parts out of Homer without the buzzer going off. I'm completely miffed about it. It totally does not inspire confidence in my medical carrier abilities.

I snagged some good loot though. I got a new purse which is totally cute, a CSI board game, three bath stuff gift sets (you know, with lotion, bath salts, bubble bath, ect), a froggy lufa, a book from my winter reading list (which I'll post in it's disgusting entirety tomorrow), some totally gorgeous gold-flaked glass tree balls, and a frog shaped serving dish from Elaine. Elaine is absolutely convinced I can't beat her at the CSI game, I told her that I'm an armchair detective, and good luck with whipping me. We haven't had a chance to play yet, but I'm sure when we do, I'll mop the floor with her.

I got a ton (a ton, like 30!) pieces for my Christmas village from Robin. I love villages. I have one for fall, spring, summer AND two winter ones - one Christmas themed and one just winter themed. My Christmas themed one is currently the largest, and it takes up two whole coffee tables. I'm a decoration whore, I admit it. I'm probably the only person in the world who likes getting decorations as gifts, but it really trips my trigger. She also got me a bunch of really cute Halloween decorations, a set of Christmas plates, a couple snowmen, some frog socks, a couple DVDs (Young Guns II, woooot!), a set of absolutely lovely lead crystal votive candle holders, and some candles to go in them.

Everyone was a little short on cash this year, so I was actually surprised I got as much as I did. And thankful, of course.

No jewelry though, but I got some for my birthday, so I guess a girl can't get jewelry twice in one month. That's just greedy right?

I'm still totally stuffed, and terribly sleepy, since I had to get up at 6 this morning and finish wrapping stuff. So, I think I'm going to throw my jammies and my new knit frog socks on and veg out for a while. Mmm...vegging.

Anyway, Merry Christmas! May you all sleep well tonight. Also, since it's past sunset, Happy Hanukkah to all my wonderful friends who celebrate it!

HotD:

I just shop and prep,
And in a flash: woosh it goes,
Another one gone.
Merry Christmas!!

12.24.2005

Well I'm back from a rather enjoyable day! It's a long drive there and back, but it's worth it. I got to gossip a ton while playing hand after hand of Canasta. My team won, by the way. We didn't even cheat...much.

On the way back I passed a house with a santa in a sleigh. Pretty typical Christmas outdoor decor right? Yeah, except the santa was buck naked and leering at the street. I would have written them a strongly worded letter, if I wasn't laughing too hard to write down their address.

So, now wish I could just throw my PJ's on and watch some good saccharine-filled teeth-aching holiday specials on TV before football takes it completely over, but I can't. I've still got a large mound of presents to wrap, stockings to stuff, cookies to bake, and some presents to deliver to people in the neighborhood before tomorrow morning, when I'll be heading off to Robin's house to spend Christmas.

I just got to keep telling myself it's all worth it, just so I don't have to do the dishes this year.
A very merry Christmas Eve to all those who celebrate Christmas. I'm heading out the door in just over an hour to go out of town to drive three and a half hours to visit relatives for the day. Doesn't that sound like heaps big fun? I'm looking forward to it, but don't tell them that.

I still have to come home this evening and finish my baking and wrapping. I baked and wrapped (wraked? Bapped?) all day yesterday, but as always, it's endless. There is a circle of hell where all you do for eternity is wrap oddly-shaped items with scraps of paper a quarter of an inch too small and one piece of tape from the end of the roll - you know, with the cardboard from the roll torn off on the end.

I've got Almond Roca bars to bake, those are time consuming in themselves. But I did get two huge pans of brownies and about 9 dozen sugar cookies done. I decorated the cookies yesterday, which is always fun. Most of them were dipped in chocolate and then covered with crushed candy cane. Yum.

Weather is nice and clear, and it finally stopped raining outside for a bit, so I'm out the door. Have a fantastic day, and to those of you who are traveling, be safe!

HotD:

Grinch is my fave, man.
But I haven't seen it once,
And that makes me sad.

12.21.2005

Every day at work I read Busstop an odd little column located (oddly, just like the column) on the front page of the classified section of the Statesman Journal.

Busstop is written by Patrick Johnson, who's so totally my hero. He goes out to the Cherriots bus terminal and asks people weird questions sometimes from him, sometimes sent in by readers, and then prints their answers. He prints E-mails on Tuesdays, and voice mails on Saturday which, is my favorite. Because everyone likes weird, random, bizzre voice mails don't they? The whole thing could be boring or just stupid, but Pat has a quirky sense of humor that makes it addictive.

It's updated every day, so if you're bored out of your mind at work, then I suggest giving it a quick read. You'll thank me, honest you will.

HotD:

Little drippy drops.
Cascading into puddles,
Getting feetsies wet.

12.18.2005

Happy Birthday to Michael. I knew it was today, honest I did. Have a great one, ya hear?

HotD:

Pretty white flakes fall.
I am both happy and mad,
No work, but no shop.

12.17.2005

If anyone would like a Holiday card from me, send me an E-mail and get one out to you. Getting mail is super fun!

Yesterday I was driving downtown to deal with my bank (another post, which will be long-winded and angry, for those of you who enjoy that sort of thing) and while driving a man was let out of a parking lot (henceforth called Scrap Tin Man), and so then was the car directly in front of the car I was in. Just then, the large truck (henceforth called Bubba) in front of him went too far out into the cross-walk at a four way stop, and backed up, squashing his entire front end like a beer can under some overly drunk deer hunters foot.

Bubba truck didn't even notice he had hit Scrap Tin Man, and poor STM had to get out of once very posh and shiny black car and walk to his window and tell him.

Here is my question, because the man was let out of the parking lot by the car I was in, does that mean:

A) Somebody up there really does love me, and doesn't just spit on the ground whenever my name is mentioned like I originally thought;

Or is it:

B) One more way to stick it to me, and build up that nasty Karma that I know is going to come back and bite me in the tush. People who let other people get smashed by cars are bad people.

Help me decide so that I know how much tithing to do to The Church of Valkaslavakia this holiday season. Either way, I figure a payment is in order to those big baseball-bat wielding Button Men in the sky.

HotD:

Baby, it's cold outside.
Toes are turning blueish green,
Matching lights on trees.

12.14.2005

Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me,
I'm older the diii-iiirt,
But not older then Prana!

12.13.2005

My tootsies are cold. My tootsies are cold and I'm sans a cute cowboy and/or sailor to help me warm them up. This is a crime! It's cold outside, people. If it was rainin' it would be snowin'. Thank goodness it's not, otherwise I'd never be able to get to work, and then I wouldn't get paid, and my power would get shut off, and I'd become a Jamiecicle, and how would you get your fantastic Christmas presents from me then, figments? Unless you've already peeked at them in the closet, and know that they're really sucky. In that case, I apologize, and I promise to never again buy you a cocker spaniel hair scarf or that shoe horn cleverly shaped like a shoe.

According to semi-trustable Weather.com, it is currently 27 degrees outside and dropping. Unacceptable! Now for those of you who are already below zero, this is silly to you I'm sure, but for those of us tender Pacific Northwest cool rainy weather lovers, freezing weather really puts a damper on our outdoor Salmon grilling.

HotD:

Today is the thirteenth.
Tomorrow is the fourteenth.
That is my birthday.

12.11.2005

I've moved my very cute blue recliner in front of my computer desk to replace my broken computer chair (a stroke of friggin' genius if you ask me!), and prop up my broken foot (yes, I broke my foot, another fun story for later on today) so while I'm waiting for Prana to get her naked self clothed and get on here so we can go fry our last collective brain cell in World of Warcraft (The total extent of my geekyness right there folks, the rest of me is all nerd), I bring you Sunday's Question, stolen from Christie.

Do you have any phobias? Have you ever faced one? If so, did facing it help you overcome it? If not, would you ever face one?

Aside from people having things in their closed fist and wanting me to put out my hand to take whatever it is without me seeing it (yay for irrational) I have a pretty big phobia of needles.

Actually, I have a gigantanormous phobia of needles. I get physically weak when I see them, even if they're on TV. What's worse? Even people talking about needles or getting shots gives me the heebies. Fortunately (or...Unfortunately depending) a few years ago while I was in and out of the hospital I was harpooned so much by those thoughtless medical vampires that I've slowly become more accepting of needles. I still hate them, and I haven't gotten past them enough to do anything like donate blood to the red cross, but I can be around people who are talking about them without dry heaving. I think that's a big time accomplishment. Somebody give me a gold star.

Now that Prana's naughty bits are all covered up, I'm going to go be a geek. Thankfully, her streaking only struck me blind in my left eye, so I can still play, I just have to squint a little to compensate.

HotD:

Vacation, woohoo!
That's woohoo yay for happy!
Not the kind in Sims.

12.07.2005

Why is it, when things just get going good (like the first offical day of vacation from classes) and it turns out to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?

Hopefully things will be better by the end of the day, since it is only almost 10:30. At least I didn't wake up with gum in my hair.

12.01.2005

Surfer Snowman layout until I get time this next week to make a new Christmas holiday layout.

I refuse to say Christmas this year. All I'm going to say is Holiday. I'm so cheesed off over all the idiotic people wasting tons of idiotic time and money because they're mad that some people and companies don't say 'Merry Christmas'.

I know so many people of so many faiths that celebrate holidays this time of year, that I always say Happy Holidays to people, because it's the nice thing to do. I don't assume everyone celebrates Christmas just because I do, because not everyone does. Stop being Grinches, you meanies, and quit blowing hot air over how people are supposedly trying to ruin Christmas and distroy Christmas and how it's all a bunch of anti-Christians. You do know Christmas was adapted from a pagan holiday, right? And that Jesus wasn't born in December?


Why don't you take all that energy and money you're putting into newspaper ads, tv commercials, tv interviews, and speeches on how Christmas is being discriminated against, and ohmigod, won't you think of the children? Put all that money into making sure the hundreds of thousands of children you're so worried about, who are going hungry this Christmas, have food.

What? That would be rational and logical? Oh, then God forbid anyone asks it of you. I wouldn't want to mess up your irrational groove, or anything.

HotD:

Happy Birthday, Day!
To Miss Robiney Robin,
Have a great day, now!

11.28.2005

Oh four day weekend, four day weekend, where for art thou four day weekend? Why have you forsaken me and left me so fastly?

I had so much productive stuff planned for this last four day weekend too, and do you think I did it? Of course not. I did some of it, like the Botany homework that was due today, but not the seven minute speech that is due Wed that I still have to drag my lazy butt to the computer to write. The spoken word is stupid, I think that they should let me give my speech entirely with pantomime. I just really want this term to be over. Just two more weeks, two more weeks and I have a month off. I can't wait. I'm almost wetting myself with excitement.

Thanksgiving was a blast, I had about ten people or so over, and it was good because they all came, ate, chatted and left, so I had the evening to myself. Selfish, I know. But I'm a horribly selfish person and a terrible friend, so that should be pretty normal by now. My brother and his fiancee came up, which was good because I never get to see them anymore. They'll be up for Christmas too, but I have no idea what to get either of them as gifts. Yes, that was a small not-so-subtle hint for suggestions, since I know you read my blog!

On Friday I did nothing but watched bad movies and my Botany homework. Yes, I am that boring.

On Saturday I had the All-Freaking-Day Write-In from NaNoWriMo from 10 to 5. Chemeketa was closed-closed, as in doors chained shut closed, so I had to flag down a public safety officer (after 40 minutes of standing outside in the freezing cold) to get him to let us in. He was mad, and I spent the rest of the meeting worried he'd come back and unleash his vengeful wrath upon Sav, I, and our brave little troupe of writers. He didn't, but I'll have nightmares for a long, long time to come. Public safety guys scare me.

Sunday was a trip. In the office I'm overseeing (I guess?) a Tree of Giving for the Salvation Army, and Phi Theta Kappa volunteered to get the tree for the Lobby of Building 2. We got a 11'-12'ish tree donated from Ballyntyne Farms (they rock!) and we got to go out Sunday and cut it down ourselves. Because I found it so amusing that they were going to let us play with handsaws, I took pictures. We dubbed the tree Bob, and saw that it was good.

Cory. With a saw. A leathal and dangerous combination. Yes, he looks that derranged normally.



Cory and Terra with Bob the Tree.



Cory and Me with Bob the Tree. That totally rhymes, but this picture sucks, because I'm a moron and I had my eyes closed.



Cory going down on some wood. Yes, that joke is never going to get old.



Terra, Cory, and I with Bob all loaded up in the truck! We're so freaking awesome.



After we cut the tree down and loaded it up (we're so buff!) we went out to dinner and so I didn't get home until like late. Well, late for boring old me anyway.

Today we came in early and set the tree up. Which, of course, needed to be documented by more pictures:

See? Decorating the awesome Bob.



And, Terra, Cory and I with Bob, the finished pretty Tree of Giving. Woohoo!




It was very difficult to get other people (who know who they are) to pose for pictures. My feelings were very hurt.

I love Bob, it smells so good and it looks so pretty! Of course, I ended up smelling like a pine tree all day (even my hair still smells like tree, which isn't a bad smell at all). People, however, keep going by Bob and molesting him. I'm worried he won't have any branches left by the end of term because people keep pulling them off and pocketing them so they can sniff them. Darn tree huffers.

It's for a very good cause though. So if you're in the area, stop by Chemeketa and pick up a tag from the Tree of Giving and buy a toy for a needy child.

Now, however, I think I'm going to head off to study my notes for a bit for finals next week, and go to bed. Man, I'm old. How pathetic. It's only 10 and I'm already ready to turn in for the night. Maybe I should eat some prunes first, you know, just in case.

HotD:

I do not want snow!
Today was scary with flakes,
I'm glad that they're gone.

11.24.2005

I know I haven't posted in ages, but I finally got my internet back. That only took me what, six months?

I just wanted to wish you all in the United States a very Happy Turkey Day! I hope you have a fantastic day full of yummy turkey, tasty pies, and long fulfilling naps time spent with your family.

I am having people over this year, so I am looking forward to that. It should be a full house, but it will be enjoyable. I just hope someone sticks around to help me with the dishes, usually nobody does, they just abandon me with a dirty kitchen. Geesh, some peoples children.

I've got to go finish baking though. I quit last night at 1 am, and I still have brownies to bake.

Happy Turkey Day!

HotD:

It is Turkey Day!
Have some pie and brown gravy,
And don't choke on bones.

11.02.2005

I have a ton of weird, exciting and juicy tidbits to post on that nobody else will even care about but me. Unfortunately I don't have the time to post about them because I have to run off and bomb my mid-term for Public Speaking.

I have to give a five minute (and thirty some seconds) speech on something that "Greatly Effects Students at Chemeketa". I wanted to do it on STDs or Alien Abductions but I figured that would probably just get me kicked out of the class, so instead I'm doing it on the Student Book Exchange.

I hate public speaking.

NaNoWriMo has started. I only have 1900 words, but I plan on writing this evening for a good two hours. I've got a pretty fun novel idea, so that's good. First NaNoian meeting for Salem is this Saturday on campus (bldg. 2 room 232) join us if you're interested. I'll be giving away sugar, how can you say no to that?

Last Thursday I got picked on by a rock star, and then he made up a song about me. Just for kicks, I'm going to stop this post here, and tell you all about it later.

HotD:

Oh stupid mid-term.
I'm going to bomb you so bad,
And puke during my speech.

10.19.2005

'ello all. This is a guestposter, Savanna by name, and Jamie has handed the keyboard to me while she does something work-related :) So this is a blog, eh? Cool beans. More specifically this is *Jamie's* blog and she said I could post about whatever ::evil cackle::

I could talk about how Jamie is absolutely out of her head and most of the stuff she says only makes sense to her. But I think everyone knows or is figuring out that she is insane. lol. But insanity is what makes her so fantastic to be around!

I do believe we're supposed to be having a NaNo meeting, Co-ML business, very important. Absolutely important!

Now she's sitting across from me on the other computer typing up stuff and babbling about Buddhist soapstars. Funniness.

And since I'm guest-posting, don't expect any witty haiku because I have not the haiku talent that Jamie possesses. Sorry, but tis true.

Adios, "figments!"

10.17.2005

So I'm sneaking a post in here in the office. I'm sure nobody cares, but I'm peeking over my shoulder and minimizing the window when someone walks by anyway. I feel like a middle-schooler looking at naughty websites where everyone is still all clothed or all spyish. Student Life Spy! I should get paid more for this stuff.

I pinched a nerve in my lower back on Saturday on my stupid 12 hour Botany lab. I am now officially a temporary person with a sloping back (no offense), and can hardly stand up straight or walk. We rode in a school bus who's seats were very close together and so I had to sit diagonally. It was SUPER FUN! It rained the entire time so nobody was dry the whole day, not only that, all our notebooks got sopping wet. We were like a parade of squishy-shoed bigfoots with moss and sticks in our hair. It was so much fun that I'm trying to talk fellow students into doing it everyday. Nobody wants to, but I don't blame them. I've been a big whiny brat all day about it. Someone should buy me a hot chocolate or give me a hug. Hugs would be nice.

I'm done with classes for today but because of work I won't get home until nearly 10. This makes doing homework very frustrating, because what I really want to do is curl up in a little ball and drown my sorrows in some Tylenol PM. Mmm...tylenol.

I'm going to get back to work now, I've got a community service project to organize and I have to call some people about a commercial. Whee! I wonder if anyone would notice if I just took over an empty office and had myself a codeine induced nap.

HotD:

Oh, goodbye sunshine.
I shall see you some far day,
In April or May.

10.14.2005

I haven't posted in ages upon ages. It's not that I haven't wanted to, it's just that I've been away from the internet for what feels like decades and because of this (and the fact that I honestly lead the most boring life ever) I haven't been able to keep all you cute little figments up to date on my nonsense.

I'm currently sitting in one of the far back corners of the TRiO room printing off a couple pages for my gobs of Botany homework that is due Monday. Personally, I could care less about what nodes on soybean roots are for, but someone somewhere thinks it's necessary for me to know in order to go into medical school. This is a conspiracy that I will explain further at a later date. I also have a Botany exam in about 45 minutes (another conspiracy, if you wask me) that I am currently accepting bids on for how bad I'm going to fail. I've got dibs on D-! Winner gets a half a cheese sandwich and a lifetime supply of dryer lint.

The Office is closed on Fridays now, so it means that I get to go home at 2:30. For most people this would be pretty boring, but to me it is super-duper-exciting! You have to understand that for the last three weeks I haven't been home before 9:45 PM on a single weekday. The fact that I get to be in my apartment when it's daylight has me all sorts of giddy.

I'm starting to wonder if maybe I don't have enough hobbies or something.

My internet should be on soon. I haven't had it turned back on because my purse was snatched, and I had to call and have all my accounts closed and whatnot, and then I found my purse intact, but by then the damage had already been done since my accounts were all frozen and hot carded and my locks on my apartment had been changed. Now I'm waiting on the bank to return my accounts to normal (I've made up all sorts of fun new vulgar type names for my bank, I'm thinking of having them published) and send me a new ATM card before I can go off paying any bills. It wouldn't do to send out a bunch of checks from an account that is frozen to pay bills, however amusing at the time I may find it to be.

Not having internet is driving me nuts, even if I don't have the time to be online because I'm never home. Just knowing I have it at home if I want it will be fantastical.

Tomorrow is a 12 hour long Botany lab (yes, you heard me right, 12 hours) and Sunday is Michael's second birthday party! Woohoo! Anyone who wants a slab of Clifford the Big Red Dog cake come on to my house.

I'll post more probably Monday. Hope you all are doing great! If you're bored and want to E-mail me, you can at jking10(spam)@cp(spam).chemeketa(spam).edu I'm waiting on them, because I've got nothing else to look forward to.

Off to bomb this exam. Think positive thoughts for me, yeah? I need all I can get.

Ciao!

HotD:

Oh you Botany,
Your test will make me weep much,
And wet myself some.

9.14.2005

Weirdness. I have 'net this morning. I think I know why too, so it won't last long. I just wanted to post while I had time, and let all you cute figments know that I'm not dead. Yet.

Sorry to disappoint!

If the net isn't back by the time classes start (and I don't think it will be) I'll just start posting from work or from campus so that everyone can continue to read all about my boring and pointless life. I've got loads to post about too, so look forward to it! Or something.

HotD:

Fall is moving in.
Rainy days, pretty leaves, yay.
Unless you've gotta walk.

9.09.2005

Ah, haven't died. Lost my internet and phone (very long story) so I don't know when I'll be back around. You all be good without me, you hear?

9.03.2005

Melissa and I stayed up all night. Watching movies, playing computer games, playing video games, watching anime, watching movies, eating ice cream. You know, the same stuff we've been doing all week. I've been so spoiled with goofing off, it'll hard to go back to pretending to work. My plane leaves this morning at ten, but in order to get to the airport on time, I have to leave at 5. It's a three hour drive to LAX. Yuck. So, we decided to make the best of it, and not sleep. We don't need no steeenking sleep!

I have to go pop in the shower really quick, because we really need to be out of here really soon. But, first, a post. Since I haven't posted in ages.

I've really enjoyed my time at Melissa’s house! We had so much fun, and it was so good to spend some time with her. She really is the best! We yakked it up so much, that there were mornings our throats were totally dry and sore from talking all night long. It just sucks when all your best girlfriends (and boy friends for that matter) all live so darn far away that you rarely get to see them. It makes me all sad feeling inside. Then again, that could be Melissa’s cooking.

Today we went bowling. I lost horribly each time. God didn't see fit to give me grace or talent with bowling at all. I think my highest score was like a 57. Yeah. Sick ain't it? Oh well, at least I have my well developed stalking abilities. Sean, Melissa's husband, totally whooped us. In fact, I think he even held back so he wouldn't beat us so badly we'd leave the alley with bruises. He is the bowlin' mastah, and I bow down to his greatness.

So my flight leaves at 10, and I land in Vegas at like 11:01. I've got a 40 minute layover there (I figure, that's time enough to find me an Elvis impersonator, get married, and have it annulled and win the big mega bucks jackpot on video poker. All without leaving the terminal) and then I fly to PDX (two and a half hours, not toooo bad) just to have have about a 40 minute wait for HUT to show up, to take me from PDX to SMA, from there I go home. It will be about 4 when I get home. I'll probably be so tired by then, all I'll do this afternoon is sleep. Sleep is my friend.

I hate flying. It's all nerve wracking, plus airports and people are all crazy. Send some happy thoughts to the luggage gods that they watch and protect my baggage from being sent to Valkaslavakia...or me, for that matter.

HotD:

All the best to you,
A stout mule and magic bag,
And visit me soon.


I'd like to mention for the record and to all those who've stated otherwise: I am real. I am not Melissa. Melissa and I may seem to share brain, but we are not one whole person with extreme multiple personality disorder thinking we are two people and talking to ourselves. I am not a 40 year old man. I am not a 50 year old lesbian Eskimo from Ohio. I am not imaginary, although I am sure people may wish it so at times. Thank you Melissa, I had a blast. That is all.

8.28.2005

So I haven't posted in a very long while, but I have a good reason...honest. I've been kidnapped! I'm currently being held in the middle of nowhere in the desert in California. It's hot, and they won't let me have any water or use the bathroom. Plus, I've been told that if I'm not good, they'll sell me to the local navy base. Not for anything fun with sailors, but so that the science center there can use me as a test subject.

Meanness.

I'm at Melissa's house, staying with her for a week or so while her husband is in D.C. being all smart and chemisty. Actually, although hotter then Hades itself (thank goodness for AC!) the area down here is absolutely gorgeous.

Yes, Melissa is being nice to me. Really. She only shoved me down and pulled my hair once, and I suppose I had it coming, I did try and put some of the slate tiles from her living room table in my bag.

We're having so much fun! Being all girly and gossiping avoiding gossip because it's a sin.

If you want a postcard, send me an email to brighterskyte(spam)@(is)hotmail.(bad)com and give me your address. Gotta do it soon my dear figments, because if you don't send me your address by Saturday, it's no postcard from the airport store in Vegas for you!

Also, if you want the address of the super secret Nekked Prana Cams (tm) that I've hidden around the house, Paypal me a couple bucks, and I'll see what I can do.

HotD:

An ode to Prana:
You are so fantastical,
Even when you smell.

8.06.2005

Today is the Blogathon! Head on over to Blessed Blogger to watch us post for the next 24 hours, and enter to win some fun prizes! Leave us some comments, help keep us awake, and there is always time to sponsor us. It's for a very good cause.

7.31.2005

My printer just ruined 60 business cards. I am making my annoyed face.

HotD:

Wasted little trees.
What am I to do with these?
Someone tell me please.

7.30.2005

I'm going down to visit Prana in California at the end of August while her husband is out of town on business. Stop humming inappropriate theme music, it's not that kind of visit.

I'm so freaking excited. We plan on doing all sorts of silly girlfriend hanging out type stuff, like visit strip clubs and try and find alien crash sites in the desert.

My worry is not spending a week or so with Prana, oh no, not that. It's the flight down there. As much as I love traveling, flying always makes me a little nervous. It's the whole knowing only a thin sheet of metal is between you and certain death thing.

I'm hoping I can pick up a new client in between then and now to get up some extra money to take with me. Anyone want a layout for their blog done? I'm extremely reasonable and I'll only stalk you a little bit.

HotD:

Want a postycard?
Give me your address, okay?
I won't stalk, promise.

7.28.2005

9 bucks left until we hit $300 in the Blogathon!! Our goal is $1500, but I would love to hit $300. So, if you can please donate even a dollar to help us reach our goal.

The uneven number is driving us bonkers. Thanks.
I've decided that the whole Jury Duty thing is a scam. Possibly to lure me to the court house to arrest me or detain me for something that I solemnly swear I didn't do. There were no witnesses, I made sure of tha...wait, why is it a scam you ask? Because it's been nothing but wonky since the beginning.

Usually you don't get a summons notice in the mail until 30 or more days before the date they need you (at least here anyway, my last one I got in March for a date in May, the one before I got it in the middle of September for November). This time I received it two weeks and two days before the date saying I needed to show up.

This (if you're someone like me...read: lazy) gives you very little time to defer it if you want. Which is what I did. Now don't go all I'm unamerican-it's-your-duty-as-a-citizen
I-can't-be-with-someone-who-won't-go-to-jury-duty on me (wait, that was a 7th Heaven episode, sorry), I absolutely can not serve. Just doesn't work for me. Owning your own business = owner away on jury duty all clients leave and owner goes bankrupt and ends up homeless. See? Now unless the State of Oregon wishes to pay my rent and placate all my clients while they make me treck downtown for who knows how long, then they're just going to have to leave Juror No. 218 alone.

Anyway, so I get it with a tad over two weeks notice, I defer it, I have someone stick it in the mailbox for me. Yes, that was my mistake. It didn't get put in the mailbox until yesterday (that really is what I get, you know. Damn you laziness!) and it didn't even get put in the mailbox. My mailboxes are like any other complexes. A fantastic line of tiny silver boxes all stacked in a row. At the top of each stack of boxes is a slot reading 'Outgoing Mail'.

On every one but mine on the top of my stack o' boxes it reads 'Do Not Put Mail Here'. Guess which box the return card got put in? C'mon...guess.

Yeah. That's right. So now my return card is sitting in the 'Do Not Put Mail Here, Moron' box, and can't be removed until the mailman comes today with the key to unlock it, because they don't keep that key on the premises. I'm telling you, it's a conspiracy to not only have me serve (or at least have me arrested via bench warrant) but teach me to never again ask someone to mail something for me.

So, if the card doesn't get there in time, they won't have time to process it, and my deferment will be denied. Then my only hope is to show up and hope they let me go after the first day. Or, you know, pay my bills for me.
I'm hot, it's made me cranky. I'll try not to be cranky in my post though.

Updates....updates,

Laura is doing fine, she's probably going to be home today or tomorrow. Hopefully today, because I know she's sick of the hospital.

Lane is fine, she hasn't fainted since Tuesday but she came pretty close yesterday walking through the ICU. Hospitals really overwhelm her. When we were sitting in the ICU/CCU waiting room someone went by pushing a person on a gurney, and Lane looked like she'd been smacked. Poor Lanie. She's sleeping right now. She crashed at my house last night.

I'm alive. I've had a bunch of stuff going on lately and it's frazzled me. The heat has got it so sleep is pretty much non-existent. I'm tired. Normally when I'm tired I'm goofy, but combined with the fact that my house gets up to about 120-10,000 degrees in the afternoon makes me all sorts of just blah. I am, as they say, no fun at all.

Oh well, I probably wasn't very much fun to begin with anyway.

HotD:

Today is Thursday.
How did it get to be so?
It was just Monday.

7.26.2005

So my 100,000+ degree Tuesday started off with a bang. Since my cell phone is currently incommunicado (Sprint loves to turn me off when I go over my 300 daytime minutes, I think it's a hint that I talk too much), I was greeted about 7:45 with a knock on my door. Now, I was expecting a knock because the clients tower (nicknamed "The Surgenator", for killing not one but TWO of my surge protectors yesterday. No, I did not charge my clients for it, because it didn't even cross my mind to until I started writing this post) was supposed to be picked up and taken back to their business before they opened at 10. So I was waiting around for The Surgenator to get it's ugly grey self out of my dining room, so it didn't surprise me when someone knocked at my door, what did surprise me was the reason why they were knocking.

So it's Robin, and she tells me Laura was just taken away in an ambulance to the hospital, they think she's had a heart attack. So, I am all kinds of worried, rush around and find my shoes (I can never find them when I need them) and it's off to the hospital. During off of this, I load up The Surgenator in the car and drag him along with me. I figure eventually I can get to the shop before 10 and make sure they get it back on time.

When you rush out the door at 8 in the morning, you hit 8 in the morning traffic. Which really isn't something you want to deal with when someone you love has been whisked away because of a potentially fatal reason. So we're sitting in traffic, and I'm counting all the cars that are swapping lanes and turning corners without using their turn signals, and wishing I was a cop so I could ticket them all. I think I should make a cop uniform, and make fake tickets, and ticket them anyhow. Of course, then I'd go to jail, but it would be fun for a while.

So we make it to the hospital, and eventually we find the desk you're supposed to be at (four floors, two elevators and a skywalk later) and try and locate Ms. Laura. She's in ER, they tell us. So we walk outside and around the hospital (there is no inside through way to the ER, which is odd to me) and get to the ER, and the very nice lady tells us she's been taken into surgery (.....) and will be admitted to the ICU later, but we can go up to ICU and ask them if they know when.

In defense of her, she was a very nice lady, which was shocking. The hospital here is terrible, last time I was in the ER I was asked, by a doctor mind you, while I was in horrific pain and vomiting all over their waiting room, what did I want them to do about it? You'd be proud of me though, my answer was "I don't know, weren't you the one who went to medical school?". As good as it felt to be crappy, I paid for it, they collapsed two of my veins later.

So we go up to the ICU (three floors up. Have I ever told you, my dear figments, that I hate elevators with a passion that is unparalleled? Work of the devil, they are) and give them a call from the waiting area, and they tell us it could be anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours.

So, we call them back and leave our number, because we have to go home and let people know what's going on.

So we get home, make phone calls, take my sister to a job interview, I eventually get The Surgenator back to it's owners (who can keep him) and was only a little over 30 minutes late, pick up people, go back to the hospital and we're told that we can go up and visit Laura.

So we head up. Robin, Darthee (my great aunt), Lanie (my sister) and I, and we go in and see her. She's doing fine, they did an angioplasty and she should be able to come home within the next two days.

We're standing there talking to Laura and her nurse, and Lane is standing next to me, and all of a sudden Lane topples over on me, and shoves me almost into Robin, and I turn to see if she's ok, and she's fainted! So I grab on to her, and ask her if she's ok and her eyes are rolling back into her head and she's white as a piece of paper and she's toppling over on to the floor and we get her into a chair, and she looks like she's about ready to yuke so I ask her if she wants to go outside.

So I take her out (and talk a nurse into getting her a glass of water) and we sit there for about ten minutes and finally she looks over at me and goes "How'd we get out here?". Yeah. So I go and explain to her that she decided to faint, and she turns bright red, the poor thing, and feels mortified about it. Fainting in public is bad enough, but fainting in a hospital has to be awful. At least there is people there who can help, I guess.

So now, I'm home. Lane is fine, she had a second job interview (She got a 'we'll call you' which can mean anything. I hope she got it, it's in a retirement home), Laura is doing fine she was taking a nap last time we checked, and I'm pooped. I hate hospitals, they're so draining. I always feel so sad and awkwardly guilty when I'm in them.

I'm sitting on my butt playing at Pogo.com and not doing anything. I didn't get home until almost 3, and I don't know what to do with myself. I feel all off center now. I didn't cry though, not once. Aren't you proud of me?

HotD:

Juicy fruity yum.
Peach iced tea you are a god,
With a little "g".

7.24.2005

I got sentenced summoned for Jury Duty yesterday. I really can't fathom why in the world the Circuit Court of the State of Oregon wants me to serve so very badly. They've sentenced summoned me every year for the past five years, however, I've never once actually served as a juror. You'd think that would give them a clue to stop sending me those postage paid postcards in the mail?

Personally, I'm torn with the whole Jury Duty thing. On one had, it would be fun to be able to say, "Hey yeah, I was on such-and-such trial. You know the one about the guy who sued the other guy because a branch fell over his side of the fence?". I mean man, can you just feel the excitement in the air during that conversation? It's enough to make a girl wet herself.

On the other hand, a more serious one, I am not a judgmental person, and I honestly do not believe that I have the right to sit in some little box and pass judgment on someone else. I am just highly uncomfortable with the whole process. I don't want to do someone I don't even know wrong, and I don't want to make a choice that will have people angry - even though I know in this situation you can't please everyone, it just doesn't work.

Oh well, I guess I'll send the card in and then wear a tin foil hat and quote scripture during the Voir Dire, that'll get me out of it.
I've had company for the last four days (hence no posting!), and it's nice to finally have my apartment to myself again, even though company is always fun. I enjoy having friends and hanging out, but I refuse to give up living alone over my dead, bloated and puss-oozing body. I need my own space too badly to share it, I guess I'm just selfish like that.

Now that everything is back to normal I've got tons of work that piled up, including a clients tower that is sitting in my dining room needing to be looked at. I, however, think I may be really naughty and put it off in favor of a bottle of peach iced tea (brewed by yours truly, with brown sugar instead of normal sugar because I like it that way better, it's...mellower?) and Black House, which I finally got my sticky little hands on (I'm slow when it comes to books lately) but haven't read yet. My house is very nice and cool compared to outside, and reading on my couch instead of working is very, very tempting.

I also need to clean out my refrigerator. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that one is being bumped to the very bottom of the list. Over, and over...and over. I hate cleaning out the fridge, I'm always afraid something I've neglected for months has grown sentient and is plotting against me in the deep, dark depths of the crisper.


Still time to donate for the Blogathon. C'mon. A buck, it's all I ask. We've got $1214 left to hit our goal, and I can't do it without you, you cute little 'umpkin you.

HotD:

Serene quietness.
I love having my own place,
Even fridge duty.

7.21.2005

Thanks for everyone who contacted me about my bleed-happy nose. I really, really appreciate all the suggestions and nice comments. I haven't had any problems with it since my last post (thank goodness) it's just dry, I might try the Vaseline thing, although it does seem a little weird sticking stuff up my nose.

A Blogathon update! We're up to $276.00! WOW! Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who sponsored! Our goal is $1500. It sounds like a lot but it's totally possible, so if you can sponsor, even a dollar or two, it would totally help! Thanks a gabajillion, as a three-year-old I know says.

Since I'm all for trying one new thing everyday, I decided to be cautiously adventurous and bought pomegranate juice at the store. For five bucks a bottle. It was a very spendy adventure, and I now won't be able to retire. I don't mind pomegranates, and I don't mind grenadine (pomegranate juice syrup usually sweetened with sugar or honey or with currant juice. I think I'm going to name my first imaginary child Grenedine) but I've never had just promagrante juice straight. Yipes. Talk about a bitter aftertaste. It's like eating a pound of straight pomegranate seeds at once. Yummy! I have a bottle of plain and a bottle of pomegranate-blueberry. Anyone want some? I'm all about the sharesies!

A question: If you hit someone with a bag full of pomegranates, does it work like beating them with a sack of oranges?

HotD:

Let's dance you're a star!
Step, step, one two, DDR!
I'm better then you are.

7.20.2005

I'm having issues with my nose. No, not the it's huge and I need to have it done type of problems. I do not have a big nose. My nose is dainty! average and I like it. No it's not because I'm picking it (or letting my friends pick it, for that matter. I don't love my friends that much), so don't even get into that. It's just plain disgusting. I prefer my protein from children and small, rare woodland animals.

I've had four bloody noses in the last two days. To my knowledge I have not bumped my nose into anything. I would hope, even if I'm growing old, that I'd remember if I walked into a wall or slammed it into a headboard. No, I have not done anything that would get my head slammed in a headboard either. Really, you people and your filthy minds.

I don't recall angering anyone in a bar/alley/subway/church to the point that they popped me one, and I certainly don't think I've shoved anything up there like a raisin or a marble (or a hot pepper seed, which I did once when I was four, and don't ever want to do again, thankyouverymuch) so what's the problem?

I woke up once the other night with blood everywhere. I thought for a moment that I'd gone and murdered someone without my knowledge and did a poor job of cleaning up the mess. Then twice yesterday I just spontaneously spewed blood everywhere. It's a perfectly good way to ruin a sandwich, let me tell you. I was lucky I was not in public...although I wouldn't say no to some cute EMT guys coming to my rescue. Then once this morning when I was, of all things, brushing my teeth and did whap my nose a little.

Is it stress? The heat? An alien? Have I contracted a rare nose disease? Am I going to have to have it coterized? I won't get it done! I'll bleed to death first! They don't freaking numb you for that crap! Is my nose going to fall off? I'm going to look right stupid with no nose on my face. I need my nose, it's good for things, like smelling. I like smelling. I'm good at it. I don't want it to go away.

Help me.
I was trying to open a package of Louis Rich Carving Board Grilled Chicken from hell and it was being insanely stubborn. I couldn't get it past the seal under the zip that reseals the package, and as I finally got frustrated and reached for a knife, the package came flying open and I punched myself in the jaw.

Yeah yeah, yuck it up chuckles.

What's even worse, is this isn't the first time I've whapped myself in the face, nor is it the first time I've posted about it. I really am pathetic, aren't I?

Because of this, I think not only should you kiss it and make it better, you should also sponsor me in the Blogathon. That'll make me feel better! Also, what is suitable torture for a package of chicken that hits you while you're trying to get at it's sweet chickeny goodness? Stew? Stir-fry? Salad?
We're all signed up for the Blogathon. If you'd like to sponsor us (please, even a dollar or two, if you can. Payments are sent directly to the charity and do not have to be sent until after August 6th) then follow these simple steps!

1) Go to the register page located here: http://www.blogathon.org/blogathon.php?Register

2) Sign yourself up for an account and sign in!

3) Go here: http://www.blogathon.org/blogathon.php?Campaign&id=56 scroll down to the bottom where the pledge box is, enter the amount you're pledging and smack the button.

Tada! You're done! See, it was simple to get yourself a little good karma for the day wasn't it? It also makes you eligible for swanky sponsor gifts, you'll get some exposure (great for businesses!) on our `Thon site, and love forever from yours truly. Now what more could you want then that?

Don't forget! August 6th starting at 6 AM over at Blessed Blogger we will be blogging for 24 hours for Doernbecher's Childrens Hospital Fund. Be there, or I'll cry.
I added Radio.Blog to IBOM. You can find it on the sidebar underneath Tropical Tunes. If you've never seen Radio.Blog before, it's pretty swanky. It's a jukebox type program that lets you stream music on your site. It's spiffy, and it's an EXTREMELY easy install, all you do is upload the files, convert MP3s to rbs files (takes about 30 seconds an mp3, give or take), tweak the skin to look like you want, and call it to your website. It's gravy, yo.

What's in there right now? Mostly J-Pop and Anime tunes in honor of the upcoming Blogathon, and a few fun songs that I just really like that aren't Anime or J-Pop related. Give it a whirl, don't call the RIAA on me, and lemme know what you think, yeah?

My only suggestion: "zap" the songs before listening to them to pre-load them so it doesn't pop if you close the browser or whatever. Also, you can 'Pop-up' a player and take it along with you if you want to close my blog...but you don't want to close my blog do you? Right? Do you? Hey...where are you going? Geesh.
Blogathon sign ups are up! As soon as our blog is all signed up for the `Thon I will pass along information to you, I very much hope that you can sponsor us! Even if it is just a few dollars, every dollar helps.

Again, for those of you who don't know, I will be blogging along with a group of people for Doernbechers Children's Hospital in honor of a six-year-old little girl in a class I teach that passed away. Doernbechers covered her hospital bills for, from what I understand, the entire length of her illness, which was her entire life. Because of this, and to honor her, we are trying to raise money to assist Doernbechers in helping cover the medical costs of other families who can't afford it, but have ill, or even terminally ill children.

I will be doing 24 hours of Anime. I will be watching the first five episodes of 11 different series picked pretty much at random (save Bleach), and giving reviews of them. Also, my secret guest posters will give their thoughts as well. I will be holding a raffle to give away eight prizes, giving away random secret prizes, I will be giving away J-pop and OP/EN songs of animes throughout the `Thon, I will also be giving away backgrounds, website sets, and other goodies. I'm not the only one though, my fellow group-bloggers will also be giving away prizes based on their themes (art and science) and we will be running a Live365 radio station throughout the night for your listening pleasure. It'll be a night chock full of fun, sleep-deprived goodness.

Until we are all signed up (which should be within the hour) I'm posting my Official Geeky Anime List and Watching Schedule (so official it's underlined!), are you not thrilled? If you, my dear figments, would like to watch it with me, every series is available through AnimeSuki for Bit Torrent downloading. Also, if you're interested in doing a couple guest reviews of an anime you've watched with me, I'm so totally up for that!

Like last year, animes will be reviewed by episode and then by series and given a rating of Duckies, five Duckies being the best. All anime series will be episodes 1 - 5. All posts for the Blogathon will be posted at the group `Thon site here.

Official Geeky Anime Watching Schedule:

Hours 1 & 2 (6:00 AM PST Â? 8:00 AM PST)
Victorian Romance Emma


Hours 3 & 4 (8:00 AM PST Â? 10:00 AM PST)
Mahoraba ~Heartful Days~


Hours 5 & 6 (10:00 AM PST - 12:00 PM PST)
Cooking Master Boy


Hours 7 & 8 (12:00 PM PST - 2:00 PM PST)
Ichigo 100%


Hours 9 & 10 (2:00 PM PST - 4:00 PM PST)
Bleach


Hours 11 & 12 (4:00 PM PST - 6:00 PM PST)
Zettai Shonen


Hours 13 & 14 (6:00 PM PST - 8:00 PM PST)
Eye Shield 21


Hours 15 & 16 (8:00 PM PST - 10:00 PM PST)
Touch


Hours 17 & 18 (10:00 PM PST - 12:00 PM PST)
Gin'yu Mokushiroku Meine Liebe


Hours 19 & 20 (12:00 PM PST - 2:00 AM PST)
Hachimitsu to Clover


Hours 21 & 22 (2:00 AM PST - 4:00 AM PST)
Tsubasa Chronicle


Hours 23 & 24 (4:00 AM PST - 6:00 AM PST)
Beet the Vandel Buster


Holy crapoly. I'm going to be so sick of anime by the time this is done. That's ok though, hopefully certain people (who know who they are) will be coming to keep me awake (and play some DDR! Woo!) and hopefully some other people (who know who they are) will be downloading anime and watching it with me.

Sounds good? Good! Now keep your eyes peeled for the sponsor link, and please please sponsor me, so I don't melt my eyeballs out of my head for nothing.

HotD:

Summer Sunshiney.
Why does it always feel like,
It goes by so fast?

7.18.2005

One Word time.

Today's Word: Own

He stared at the dingy brown plaid fabric covering the seat in front of him, and shifted his weight trying to find a more comfortable position in the cramped little airplane seat. He glanced down at his watch, trying to see the time through the cobwebbed broken glass of the face. They had been in the air over the ocean for nearly two hours now. He was just beginning to relax the tense, sore muscles in his shoulders and neck. Stretching them was like pulling out needles that had been long since lodged in tissue and let to fester. It hurt, but it felt oddly good too, confirmation of still being alive. The muscles he could relax, but he still couldn't shake the habit of glancing around the plane and mentally marking the other passengers positions. He was on his own; he knew that, it was just so hard to break yourself of compulsive little habits that give you a small measure of order formed in such chaos.

If I hadn't written it, I wouldn't think it was that possible to write that much in a minute. Oddly enough, a very fun little story is beginning to develop from these words. I want to avoid the habit of writing my words off a plot though, because that forces me to conform the word into what I want, rather then writing whatever comes to mind from the word. If it stays being this easy then I'll keep with the poor man in the coat, but if it doesn't, then...I won't. Yeah.

As always, give it a shot, and leave me a comment.
So, yesterday a certain friend who loves it when I don't get any work done gave me a copy of the new Harry Potter book. What did I do? I read it all in one sitting, that's what. It took me a little over three hours or so to finish it. It was hot, so it wasn't like I was going to do anything else anyway.

I won't give any spoilers for those of you who haven't read it, or are still reading it now. It was good though. I made a lot of giggling noises, and angry noises. That wasn't really a spoiler, was it? Nah.

Before I started reading, however, I had a YCC to teach. One of my former YCC kids were there, with the Harry Potter book, so I gave him a wide birth. He's totally the type who would spoil it for me with a big grin on his face, and then I'd have to beat him up, and what kind of behavior for a teacher is that?

The date for the 2nd Annual Camp-At-HOME has been set. It will be August 13th & 14th. From the looks of it I may have more children then I did last year, which should be pretty fun. It's basically a tiny mini sleep-away camp that I did last year that was a big hit. The first official YCC weekend o' summer I had requests for a repeat, I wasn't sure if I was going to, but I finally decided to go ahead and do it. I might set a limit of 20 children, and more only if I get volunteers. Anyone interested in camping out with a bunch of kids? What? Whadda mean no? Some figments you are.

HotD:

Noise pollution, yo.
Your car is not a bubble,
Turn your music down.

7.17.2005

One Word time!

Today's Word: Hush

He sat stiff and uncomfortable, bunched down in his seat, drumming his fingers aimlessly against the worn, stained armrest. Earlier, in hushed and hurried tones, he had managed to convince the elderly woman next to him to give him the isle seat. She had agreed, and smiled uneasily and turned away to her carry-on bag embarassed when he thanked her, near something like tears. He felt more comfortable knowing he had a way of moving away quickly if necessary, even if it was a false feeling; he knew there wasn't anywhere to hide on the plane.

For Prana, who wanted to know a little more about the man in the coat.

If you One Word, give me a trackback or comment, yeah?
If you're a "writer" like me, or even a real writer who isn't pathetic and sad, then I'm sure (like me) you enjoy finding and trying new writing tools. I know I do. Anything at all that can possibly help me be less sucky and more organized - even if I know it's not possible at all - is good in my book.

I'm on the hunt for anything that will help me better organize my little plots into something coherent and less scary. Especially since (yeah, here it comes) NaNoWriMo starts in just a few months. You can never be too organized for that thing. I've tried the flying from the seat of your panties approach, and it just doesn't work for me.

So yesterday I downloaded the trial of Writer's Cafe, software that has all sorts of neat tools in it. Like plot cards that you can drag and drop along plot lines to help you organize your story, and a notebook, and a journal, and a visual story plotter, oh, and games. Games are good. I heart things that distract me from actually writing help me get inspired. One of the little 'games' they have is magnetic poetry, which of course, I spent hours doing.



Ah, the joys of being easily entertained.

They also have writing prompts, and a whole buch of other stuff. I encourage you to download the free trial and give it a go. It's pretty basic, and way easy to use, and I like it so far. It has lots more bells and whistles then Vault, the program I normally use does. All in all, it has the potential of being a highly useful tool, it is fun, and distracting. A win-win!

HotD:

I am not a sheep.
Harry Potter is good reads,
I can't help it, yo.

7.16.2005

One Word time, boys and girls!

Today's Word: Current

The man in the long coat was sweating like a pig. He had not bathed in days and he was sure he smelled. He tried his best to keep arms-length distance between him and the others waiting in line for the terminal. He was exhausted, tired from endless hours of hiding in molding hotel rooms and peeking out curtains at every noise. He let out a stale, shaking breath he didn't realize he was holding and tried to suppress the panic in his chest. His turn was up next; would the man at the counter notice the fake? He had been repeatedly assured that the passport was of high quality and completely current, but he still anguished over it. He didn't want to be caught, not now, not when he was so close to vanishing across country borders without a trace.

If you One Word, leave me a comment or a trackback so I can read yours!
Happy Birthday to Robert, my fantastic and disgustingly talented step-father. He and Robin will be over later this evening for dinner, and so his presents are sitting all neatly wrapped up on my living room table. Saves me from lugging them over to their house.



I'd tell you what they are, but I don't know if he reads this or not and I don't want to ruin the surprise. It's possible he reads this, sometimes people I didn't even think knew I had a blog tell me they read it. Or people come up to me on campus and tell me they liked a post. Amazing isn't it? People actually read this junk. Now, if they'd just leave comments.

As the years go by, I find myself becoming more and more capable of buying him presents. Like most men, he's horrifically difficult to buy good presents for. I got some good ones this year though, I am sure to win!

No, there really isn't a lemon in the 'this gift is not a lemon' bag, I swear. I wouldn't do something that corny. Besides, I bought the lemon too early and it molded, so I had to throw it out.

Anyway, a big Happy Birthday to Robert, regardless of if he reads IBOM or not. Love ya!

HotD:

Yay! The Weekend! YAY!
There is so much work to do.
But laziness calls.

7.15.2005

One Word is a quicky writing exercise where you have sixty seconds to write something about the single word that is given to you. The word changes daily. I decided to start posting my blurbs to my blog (after all, isn't that what my blog is for? Violating the expanses of the internet with my dribble?) and I encourage you to One Word along with me, it's a ton of fun. Plus, it's good practice to get in the writing groove for NaNoWriMo. Yes, I had to throw that in there.

Today's Word: Unfold


He stat, completely focused on the mound of earth in front of him, oblivious to the frantic rushing bodies and drifting voices in the room around him. It was just him and the muse of the clay, whispering its shape with quiet urgency. Sculpting with nimble fingers, he pushed, pulled, and smoothed the pungent sulfur-smelling argil until, finally, a small, delicate pot unfolded in his hands.

Trackback or leave a comment if you do this as well, I'd love to see what you write!

HotD:

Art is so awesome.
Paying out the nose for art,
Maybe not so much.

7.14.2005

Well Figments, it's that time again. Summer means Blogathon, and once again I will be participating in the 24-hour hate-your-computer-until-your-eyes-bleed posting extravaganza.

For those of you unaware, the Blogathon is an on-line charity event where people post one blog post per 30 minutes for 24 hours and raise money through sponsors for their chosen charity. Over the last few years we've had thousands of participants and raised thousands of dollars for charities across the US and the world.

This Blogathon will be (including Project Blog last year in lieu of the Blogathon which was on hiatus) my fourth, if you can believe it. I am a sucker for punishment, aren't I? This years Blogathon will take place on August 6th starting at 6 AM. God isn't even up that early, but you do what you have ta to help out others, right?

I will be blogging for Doernbecher Children's Hospital at Oregon Health and Sciences University in honor of Melissa, the six-year-old in my YCC who passed away. Doernbecher is where she was treated, and they took care of all her hospital bills while she was in and out for most of her short life. I feel like this is a way I can give to honor her, and to help out an amazing service to sick children.

I will be blogging with two other people: Prana of Blessed Blogger, and Sean of Chemical Shift. They will both be blogging for the same cause as I am. We will be blogging right here, and this totally cute site designed by Prana for the event. Bookmark it! Don't worry though, I'll post a link to the blog the day of the event, if you want to stop by and say howdy, or point and laugh, which ever makes you happy.

We've got some pretty wicked fun stuff planned for this year. Each of us are doing a theme and giving away prizes based on those themes. I am, once again, doing 24 hours of Anime. I am a total geek, what can I say?

I will be watching the first five episodes of 11 different series picked at random (thanks to Anime-Suki) for a total of 55 episodes, and then posting reviews of them. I will also have guest reviewers, tons of prizes (including anime themed prizes, backgrounds, wallpapers, and layouts), a free music download every 30 minutes (shhh, don't snitch me to the RIAA), and maybe even a live webcast of a Dance Dance Revolution Tourney with bets and prizes on who wins. If I can get the poor suckers keeping me company to do it.

I will be posting my watching schedule this week, so if you want to watch along with me, and maybe even do a guest review, you are more then welcome!

Sign-ups for sponsors are not available yet (technical difficulties have really pushed things to the edge this year. Hopefully it all works out and we don't have to back out) but they will be soon, and I really want sponsors, so even if you can sponsor a buck, or five, or ten, it would be greatly appreciated. I will be posting sponsor information as soon as I have it. Which should be within the next five days. I will be posting the group blog information as well as what anime I'm watching and what prizes I'm giving away before the weekend is over.

Please, please please give heavy consideration to sponsoring us. All it takes is a few dollars to support a program that does wonders for sick children, especially for those sick children who's families can't support their extreme health care needs. Help me make this memorial to Melissa an unforgettable one. I promise you, you won't regret it.

Failing that: if you don't sponsor me, Baby Jesus will cry, and you don't want that to happen, do you?

HotD:

Mmm. Pineapple-y.
I don't know why this is good.
Soda? Who'd have thunk.

7.13.2005

Figments! Did you miss me? I missed you! I have lots and lots to post about, so it's time to get started. How was your weekend, first of all. Yes, I know it's Wednesday, but we can pretend like it's Monday can't we? Did you all behave yourselves while I was gone?

Sadly, I have some rather disturbing news. I came home late Sunday evening to find that my house had been broken into. I was completely devastated. It was broken into and the vandals that did it left these all over my house:



Can you believe it? Someone broke into my home and left those frogs strung out all over. I even found one on my kitchen floor! I laughed so hard, it was probably one of the coolest surprises to come home to ever. I would have jumped up and down but I was so completely beat from not getting any sleep over the weekend.

The retreat was awesome, we made it to the cabin about 4:30 after stopping for lunch and dealing with traffic. It's so pretty up there.



Ignore Cory the picture. I'm sure he doesn't mind if I post his backside all over the internet. Terra and I shared a room, which was the biggest one with a private balcony that we utilized in our conversation that lasted until 6:30 AM on Saturday morning.



As you can see, Terra was super stoked about it. I thought it was great. We had the best room in the cabin in my opinion. I also think all the guys should have slept outside, but I wasn't going to be that mean.

We got quite a bit done, except for sleeping that is. I think I had about five hours of sleep total total from Wednesday until Sunday. I came home Sunday night and crashed on my couch. I fell asleep about six and didn't wake up until eight the next morning. I thought at first I had been kidnapped because I couldn't figure out where I was...but now that I think about it, that's no different then normal.

I had a really good time, and not only did we get a lot of PTK work done, we got a bunch of bonding done (bonding is important, unless you're bonding your fingers together, that's bad) and I felt like I got a break from a lot of the stuff that's frazzling my mind lately, which I needed.

It's always good to be home, though. I missed my apartment, vandals and all.

HotD:

I got a new grill!
Brown char lines on all food now.
Because I can, yo.


Technically, they didn't break in because they have a key, but it's not nearly as fun saying that.

7.08.2005

Alright dear figments, I'm off. I shall be back on Monday to post all about my little trip to the mountains. Excited? Why yes, yes I am. Although, I've been put in charge of car games, and that's not likely to turn out well at all.

Remember - if you want a postcard, you have to E-mail me your address, so I "know where you live".

Have a great weekend!

Hotd:

Weatherman Pleadings:
I am going away now.
Please don't make it rain.

7.07.2005

More Mommy fun!

Skyte's Mommy: Did you ask The grandmothership if you could use her vacuum??
Skyte: No, you want to ask her for me, because you looooove me
Skyte's Mommy: lol
Skyte's Mommy: when do I tell her she will get it back??
Skyte: After she pays the ransom of course. I want $50000000000000000000 in unmarked bills.
Skyte's Mommy: she would just go get a new one
Skyte's Mommy: and stop talking to you
Skyte: Then the vacuum gets it!
Skyte's Mommy: I am sure it will suck it up
Skyte: lol
Skyte's Mommy: lol
Skyte: That was bad, shame on you
If you've ever wondered where I got my extremely warped and messed up personality, here it is. A conversation between me and my Mom, over IMs:

Skyte's Mommy: What ya doing??
Skyte: Um, stalking you
Skyte's Mommy: Cool what am I doing
Skyte: Talking to me, picking your nose, which by the way is seriously rude.
Skyte's Mommy: But it is yummy
Skyte: You are really disgusting. I want a new mommy.

Applications are now being accepted for the position of Skyte's Mommy. Deadline is August 30th. I like cookies, being read to, and people who will do my homework for me. I don't like peas or being abandoned in shopping malls. That just hurts my feelings.
So tomorrow at noon (exactly, according to the itinerary. Apparently if I'm late they'll leave without me. Where's the love?) I shall be heading off into the wild blue yonder in a Chemeketa van which smells faintly of cheese and peat moss, thanks to the forestry students. I shall be trekking off into the wild unknowns of Mt. Hood with my fellow Kappans for a three-ish day executive board retreat in which many a illicit acts that cannot be repeated intense coffee-laden planning sessions will occur. It'll be tea for me, but that's not really relevant and messes up the flow of my post.

I am really excited.

If you just happen to be a mass serial killer that enjoys reaping your carnage on smart nerds (and one pseudo-smart geek, which would be me) in the middle of the forest while they sleep like little bookworm angels in a cabin, then we will be staying here. If it's not too much trouble, can you come kill us on Saturday night? I want to make sure to get some planning done before I bleed to death all over the coverlets.

It'll be really nice. I haven't been up to the mountain in a really long time, and forests are always good for refurbishing my shredded graymatter into something almost functioning. Of course, there is always the chance of Mt. Hood (which is a volcano, for those of you who don't live here in the Ring o' Fire) going kablooey and covering us all in really, really hot melted rock. That wouldn't be fun as, oh, say a truck full of really cute male exotic dancers breaking down and needing a place to stay for the night. Crispy burnt up Jamie = worst vacation ever. Cold, sad, lonely, exotic male dancers stranded in the forest = tolerable vacation surprise.

I will be huffing along the digital camera so I can get lots of shots of people doing lots of things people really shouldn't be doing in public. Dance Dance Revolution is already packed. Trust me, those are the first pictures being posted when I get back. It should be fun. I will also be buying post cards, so those of you who join me in my overzealous and slightly unstable obsession with them can have one. Yes, I mean you.

Just E-mail me your address (me(spamissomean)@brighterskyte(meansoisspam).com) and I'll send you one. No worries if you don't get me your address by Sunday (the day I go home) I'll buy a few extras so anyone who gets me their address late can have one.

Oh, don't worry your pretty little head, I won't use your address for the power of darkness, I'm already stalking you. Isn't that enough?
Happy Anniversary to Robert and Robin!

No, I'm not dead. Yes, I'll start posting more. No, that wasn't me on the news. I've never done anything like that in my life...you can't prove a thing.

Hotd:

Haiku of the day.
Oh, you are so cruel to me,
With your thinking stuff.

6.25.2005

I have bunches of worthless dribble posts to make but very little time - I have a meeting in ten minutes. You can either consider yourself disappointed or grateful, I'll leave that up to you.

In the mean time however, I'm asking favors of you all. It's time for the Jamierella Summer Reading List, the reading I do during my so-called 'free time' in summer. Usually late at night when I've been locked away in my room and should be sleeping, or when I'm hiding in the bathroom.

So, I'm out for suggestions: what have you read recently that just rocks, and that I should read too? What's your all time favorite book? Tell me, so I can add it to my list, mmmkay?

HotD:

Mean painful redness.
Oh, I have been forsaken,
By the cruel sunshine.

6.13.2005

Pottery 1-Handbuilding A
Introduction to Fiction A
Intro to Work Based Learning A
Gen Sociology-Social Problems A
General Zoology A

Take that, Spring 2005! Now that I have offically seen my shiny happy grades, I can fully enjoy summer the way God intended me to. Naked...to the best of my abilities. Yeah, that's it.
Dude and dudettes, I do believe I've used up all my funny-juice. No, don't be disgusting, I don't mean that kind of funny-juice, I mean the kind that makes me amusing even when I'm not drunk. I've never been drunk, so I can't honestly say I'm a funny drunk, but let's just assume that I am for the sake of this post, shall we? It could well be that I'm an angry drunk, or a lush drunk, or maybe even a drunk drunk, but since we'll never know, we're just going to have to pretend. Pretending is using our ima-gi-nation, you know, the thing I used to make you all up, my dear figments.

I'm finding it very difficult to be amusing or have anything amusing to write about. Perhaps it's because I have yet to switch into summer gear, or it could just be that I was never funny to begin with and it's finally dawning on me. In fact, nothing funny has happened to me in days. Stubbing ones toes, almost falling down a flight of stairs, and being Shanghaied do not count as funny.


HotD:

Oh little piggy.

My house smells like sausage, yet,
I have eaten none.

6.12.2005

One of the little girls in the YCC passed away. She was six. Her memorial service is going to be held today. She was in my class since the beginning - in fact, she was the very first YCC'er. I'm completely torn up over it (which is why I haven't posted about it). After years of working with these kids every week, I get really attached. I guess I like them, or something. It's truly a tragedy, and my heart goes out to her family.

She was a fantastic little girl, and she will be greatly missed.

6.09.2005

I think perhaps Mr. Kumquat needs his own blog. I think that would make me feel better. What do you all think? Mr. Kumquat, he is awfully sessy. Crass, rude, and extremely derogatory...but sessy.
I have some stuff to say that I'm not sure I feel like posting here. I don't know if it just really upsets me enough that it's almost too serious for IBOM (I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly Ms. Austere in this thing) or because I want to avoid thinking about it.

If I want to avoid thinking about it, that brings up a whole different issue that I want to avoid thinking about as well. This leads me to wonder if I'm going to spend my entire life not thinking at all to avoid thinking about anything. You know, sort of like what I do now, but...less...or is it more?

So while I ponder if I'm going to post about it here or not, I leave you with my gripe of the day: Hot Cheetos are disgusting.

You're welcome. Glad I could waste your time.
Ah. Glorious summer. Time to throw on some sunscreen, head to the beach, and oogle all the cute sufer boys. That is, of course, after I get all the wall-bumping out of my system.

I finished my last final yesterday. Technically I still have one paper left, since I had an instructor decide that assigning a paper to be do after the final was over would be fun. You know, like poking out an eye. This is alright though, because it will only take me ten or fifteen minutes to add a few more paragraphs of mindless nonsense to an already eight page paper. For those of you worried, my BSing skills have improved a million times fold since starting at Chemeketa. College...ain't it a wondrous thing?

With the death of my first full year-and-one-term at Chemeketa, I now find myself slightly lost. I've spent so long rushing from here to there (mind you, I'll still be rushing, since it's not like I'm not working the other jobs or anything, but it's not the same) every day from 7 until 7 (or later) I'm not really sure if I can handle all the free time. No, let's be honest, I'm not sure I can use the power of free time for good. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get myself in a heap load of trouble over the summer.

I think a little trouble will be good for me though. Yes, I solemnly swear not to land myself in jail again. I know how much of a hassle it was to get people to hack up bail for me. Gessh, who would have thought the coppers would be so mad over a little fun with a handful of cowboys and some guava jelly?

Summer also marks the beginning of two things...well, two things I can talk about here. The first is the annual summer charity thingiemabobbie. I have very deep decisions to make this year, my dear figments, I have to decide if I'm doing Project-Blog or if I'm going back to the tried and true Blogathon. With this choice, comes the picking of a shtick. As much fun as last years was, I'm not sure I can con anyone into doing it with me again. Does anyone know if BThon is going to be open this year? If not, my choice is pretty much made for me.

For those of you new to IBOM - every year for the past million eons I've participated in either Project Blog, or the Blogathon. 24 hour posting charity events. Every year I come up with some kind of nonsense shtick. I've done attempted staying in a graveyard for 24 hours (I'm thinking about it again, someone stop me) to doing 24 hours of anime (Dude, lay off the geek jokes), and whatever else I did that I can't remember now.

Is anyone else planning on doing it this summer? I really don't want to do it alone, my staying awake skills are in poor shape. I'm not as young as I use to be, yanno. Maybe I could have 24 hours of mylanta, and see how long it takes me to land smack dab in the ER. Mmm...24 hours of male nurses...erm, back to my subject at hand. Number two is preparation of NaNoWriMo. Yes, yes, I know: November isn't for another zillion years. However, if you don't start planning these things now, you end up writing stuff thats so rank your computers insides melt.

Also, unless I was fired, I'm still the ML for the Salem area, so I have to start getting rough ideas pounded out for meetings and whatever else I want to make my poor tortured novelists do. Maybe I'll have a display, and charge a nickel a trip to see the little Nanoers write their little hearts out. I'm kidding though...honest.

Mostly though, I plan on digging my inner slacker out of her mothballs this summer and practicing some good old fashion unwashed laziness. Because you can never go wrong with nine hours of straight daytime TV and a bag of cheetos, yo.

HotD:

Don't run with scissors.
Poking out your eye is fun,
Only the first time.

6.05.2005

I feel surreal today. Mostly on reasons I'll talk about in a post later, you know, when I'm ready to avoid studying some more.

I have finals Tues and Wed, and I absolutely have to make sure I use every spare minute of time I have to study. I'm not worried about Fiction or Mentoring or Pottery, because those will be easy-peasy. I mean, write a paper, talk about mentoring, be told I can't make a pot to save my life. It's all gravy, yo.

What I'm worried about is Zoology; as much as I lub Professor O'Hara's class, I know for a fact that small amount of study material on test = really hard test that asks you about everything and incorrect Latin spelling counts. Who says I can't learn after nine months of freaking out?

Sociology is scary - not because the content is hard, but because I have absolutely no idea what to put on the double-sided sheet of notes I can have. Telling me I can have notes, and then telling me what'll be on the test is a fun candy-filled surprise is just plain mean. I'm just not smart enough to figure it out. I keep telling you people, it's all an act.

So, in complete and utter defiance of studying, I made myself an entire corned beef brisket with potatoes, carrots, cabbage and onions. Yes, you read right, I cooked. I can cook you know, in fact, I can make things that actually look like the things they are supposed to be. They even smell the same too. It's a dead week miracle! I should get a whole booklet of gold stars or something.

I don't know why I cooked this much, I can't eat it all, so if anyone wants dinner, come on over. You can quiz me on my Mammal classifications while you're over. Yeah, sounds like a blast hu? I thought so too.

HotD:

It's not really right.
Who picked her name from the hat?
She was only six.

6.04.2005

The PTK Spring Induction went very well. I never would have been able to pull it off on my own, lucky for me competent people were there to make sure I didn't shove anyone off the stage into the audience or faint. I said my part of the speech without mispronouncing anything! Or spitting on anyone! Hurray!

I don't know what the turn outs for that sort of thing normally are, but if we had any more then who was there, people would have been standing back up against the curtain, which is a really undignified place to try and wrestle out of to get your certificate.

The food was all gone too, which was good. All that was really left was cookies (which I avoided) and a ton of punch. Yes, I took a bottle of punch (apple, peach, and passion fruit juice mixed with pineapple sherbert and ginger ale), and it's quite tasty thank you! Although, I'm not really sure I need three liters of it.

Afterwards a group of us went out to Applebees and monopolized a table until one in the morning. I felt vaguely bad about this, so I left as big of a tip as I possibly could. So did everyone else, this made me proud. Nothing is worse then people who don't tip after you've made the poor waitress bring you sixty glasses of soda over a span of four hours.

Yesterday was also my very last Zoology class ever. I'm oddly sad about it. I'll miss sitting in the same seat surrounded by the same people every morning at 10:30. Nine months is a long time. They've all sort of grown on me, you know, like boils. This is alright though, a plan of action has already been put in motion. I shall stalk! It's the only thing I'm really good at anyway.

HotD:

I think I need sleep.
I keep forgetting my thoughts,
Worse then normal, yo.

6.01.2005

I am not dead, although it is Dead Week. This, however, really doesn't matter because Chemeketa really doesn't adhere to the Dead Week policy. 99.9% of teachers do sort of recognize it by not assigning things during that week, or having exams, but if you are one of those strong believers that Dead Week should include no deadlines for projects at all, even long term ones or ones already in the syllabus like labs, then Chemeketa is not your school.

For those of us attending the fantastical college, Dead Week is usually our busiest week. I can definitely vouch for that for myself. I have four papers, a prospectus, a rough draft of a literary analysis essay, two presentations, and an exam this week. The exam is of my own scheduling, so that's not a teachers fault. Although, I would love to blame it on him.

Wednesdays are my busiest. Since I won't be working in the office today (I'm pretty much out of hours) it gives me an hour and a half or so break in between classes to study for my exam on Friday. This, sadly, has made me a very happy girl. Walking to school in the rain however? Not so much.

I keep telling myself...only one more week...just one more week.

HotD:

Summer has gone now.
We have warped back to springtime,
And all the raining.

5.25.2005

Boys are stupid and icky. They do nice things that make you cry and then it messes up the pretend make-up you have on.

Thank you Fred. I love you.
Savanna came over tonight for a "Lost Season Finale Party" it was a total blast! I had invited one other person (I only know TWO people who watch it, how freaking sad is that?) but I think she got called into work and couldn't make it. :(

The season finale was the most frustrating thing on the face of the planet.

I loved it. I don't think I can wait an entire summer. It's gonna kil me.

I get to go to the Zoo tomorrow! I get to go to the Zoo tomorrow! The ZOO! Are you not super jealous? I have to be on campus at 7:45 or my professor will leave without me, so I need to go get to bed, since it's almost midnight.

I'm going to take a ton of pictures. I am so excited! A field trip! To the ZOO!

HotD:

Oh, the sunshiney.
It will be so nice,
nearly 90 out.

5.22.2005

I keep coming in to post, and either forgetting what I was going to say or I get distracted by something shiny and just don't finish my thoughts.

Lane was in the Iris Festival Parade on Saturday. She's in McNary's Colorguard for those of you who don't know. Yes, I sat outside for three hours just to watch her walk by. How's that for dedicated older sibling? I have some pretty good pictures of her doing that thing she does with the pole, you know, for blackmail. No, not the ones at the strip joint, those aren't really appropriate for my G rated blog.



Don't make that face. I've heard the lecture a million times:


"It's not a stick, it's a pole! It's not a gun it's a rifle! It's not a sword it's a saber! Get it right!"


Then she usually smacks me upside the head with her flag, and I lose consciousness and wake up on some dark boat somewhere heading for a country where I'll work in a turnip feild for one set of clothing and six pennies a year. Geesh...sisters.

Anyway. I just wanted to throw something up to let you know I haven't died. I've got to get back to my Zoology homework, it's due in the morning.

Leave me a comment, yeah? I love those.

HotD:

I need more then this.
Two days is not enough,
I am so burnt out.

5.18.2005

A friend is picking me up in about an hour. Why? Because she's forcing me to go stand in line so I can watch Episode III with her. I'm not thrilled.

Seriously though, she's a blast, and we rarely get to hang out, so that part will be fun. Also, my OTHER friend is standing in line somewhere else, so at least her and I can swap freaky freak stories on Friday in class. No, I don't plan on being one of the freaks.

Sadly, I shall miss Lost. Somehow, I'm just not sure standing in line, in the rain, for hours to watch a movie at midnight is worth it.

The things I do for my friends. Geesh.

HotD:

Only three weeks left.
Oh glorious summertime,
I love thee so much.

5.15.2005

"Pencil Sitter"

"Pencil Sitter!"

"Pencil Sitter! Pencil Sitter!"

"PENCIL SITTER! PENCILSITTERPENCILSITTER - HEY! HEY YOU HEY!"

There was a loud thump. I tilted my head, and peered around one of the displays being rumbled by the wind. Her big hazel eyes, almost level with the booth table, peered right back. She had a bright yellow rain slicker with flowers on the front on, all tucked up over her hair, strands of which were currently blowing into her mouth. She spit a little to try and clear her mouth, and made a very frustrated noise. The kind only kids her age can pull off, and still look cute.

"Hello." I said.

"Yeah." She said back, staring at me. Children can stand unblinking for hours. It is both awe-inspiring and unquestionably disturbing. They have a magical sheen over their eyes that prevents them from drying out. It dissolves off as they get older. One of the signs of growing up...that need to blink. All the best starers have been children. It's a fact.

"There is a problem." She stated simply. I raised my eyebrows, and quickly did a mental scan of the days events. Had I broken some Kidinal rule without knowing it? I was usually so very careful about these things. Let's see: waved to all the wavers, smiled to all the smilers, gave candy to the ones who could have it (and the ones who couldn't), laughed at all the jokes, made sympathetic noises to all the sad stories, tied a shoe, found a sock, caught a wayward balloon before it could fly off into the grey sky forever. Nope, I couldn't think of a single thing that would have offended the surrounding child populace.

"A problem?" I encouraged, and then waited. You learn to wait, with children. To form a thought, think of words, string it into a sentence, and push those phrases out their mouths take time. Sometimes loads of time. I had time, I could wait.

She had a lopsided purple heart on her left cheek, it looked like one of the other kids had panted it. Sighing, she raised her right hand. Suddenly, I could see what the problem was.

In her iron grip was a green pencil. The kind I was giving away in our booth. It had our companies name embossed on it, it also had smiley faces, because I couldn't resist. She had come to my booth before, I remembered, and carefully picked out two. A pink one (because it was her very favorite) and a green one (so her mommy wouldn't feel left out). The pink one was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's your pink pencil?" I asked.

Another sigh. "I don't know. I am thinking I lost it, I think."

"Uhoh. Where did you lose it?"

"I was eating my sandwich. It had meat-stuff on it. I like meat-stuff, but I don't like the white kind, just the baloony kind. Oh, and there was a bug. I had to show the bug to, um, I had to show it because it was a bug. I left my sandwich, and my pencil wasn't there no more. Just the green one, it was here." She waved her fist under my nose.

Bugs these days, stealing little girls pencils. "Do you want another one?"

She blinked. I could have sworn it was for the first time. I told you, stare champions. "Yes, I mean, I want a pink one please, like the other pink one."

"Help yourself." I said, smiling at her. She trotted over to the other side of the booth, all I could see was the top of her jacket. Reaching up, she pulled down a handful, pulled out a pink pencil, and put the rest on the table. "Thank you pencil sitter!" she screamed raising her pencil into the air, and ran off. I was eternally glad the pencils weren't sharpened.

"Mommy!" I heard her yelling, "Mommy the very, very nice pencil sitter gave me another pink one! Another pink one like the pink one I lost! Mommy look! Mommy look! Mommy! Mommy!"

Her mother reached down and held her hand, and as they walked out of my line of site I could still hear her yelling about her pink pencil.

I went back to manning my booth, but I decided I'm to change nametag. Below my name, and my official title, it will read in tiny little letters "Pencil Sitter". I like that. I like it alot.

HotD:

I got a sunburn.
That sunshine always gets me,
Even when cloudy.