Friday, December 30, 2005

Enjoying Familiar Scenery

It is nice to be home. I am enjoying time with old friends. I am enjoying talking about my life in Cairo. I am enjoying seeing how people's lives around here have changed. I am enjoying driving and going to all my old hang out spots. It's nice. I don't enjoy not working though. Is that weird? Ok, I think it is pretty strange, but I am so much better when I am working. It's like the freedom of time is just spent doing alot of nothing. At the end of the day I feel like I have accomplished nothing, I have not really made myself or anyone else better in any way, what was the point of my existence today? Plus my mind just goes into female over-drive mode and I feel completely psycho half of the time. So that's always interesting. I suppose I could do some productive things like plan ahead for school or do some reading on teaching techniques, but I've managed to put that off so far. Anyhow, things here are good in general. A big thanks to Von for taking care of a girl who had too much to drink last night.

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Walmart. . . an insomniac's best friend

I have ridiculous jet lag. I am ready to crash at around 6:30 in the evening and ready to wake up and start the day around 1:30 in the morning. AAAAHHHHHH!!! It's driving me nuts. So I lie in bed hoping to fall back to sleep for about 2 1/2 hours. Then I get up, check my email, search the internet for random information that has no real relevance to my life, and eat a granola bar. Then I think to myself 5 am is a great time to go to Wally World and use the gift card I got for Christmas! No lines, good parking spots. . . perfect. So by 6:30 in the morning I've already putted around the house, gone to walmart, put gas in my car, and had a nice cup of coffee. It makes you feel really productive, however I know I'll be cranky as hell and ready for bed by 7:00 pm.

Monday, December 26, 2005

Babies, babies, babies

Babies make everything better. Christmas with my family was great. We were all together and there were no fights, no weirdness. It was really good. The babies were, of course, the centers of attention and they did a good job of it. Unfortunately, my niece doesn't like people with blond hair. So she wasn't really crazy about me. But that's ok. My nephew loved, loved, loved me. So I don't feel completely rejected. They are both as cute as they can be. James is so tiny. Emma is such a chunk and has this full head of hair. Anyhow, I will be proudly carrying around their pictures and making all my friends pretend to be interested in my new family members.

Sunday, December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all of you! I hope it is a good one for you! I am feeling more positive about this time with my family than I did before. Yes, I am surrounded by three depressed women. Post-pardum (is that how you spell it?) syndrome, empty-nest syndrome, financial stress, physical illness. . . they all have their reasons for not feeling up to this whole Christmas/dealing with issues thing. But these are three women that I love more than life itself and I would do anything to make them happy. I'm not sure if I can do anything to really make them happy, but I can at least try. Today I refuse to give into the negativity which grabbed hold of me yesterday.
In other news, jet lag has finally caught up to me. For the first two and a half days I experienced no jet lag and thought that I must have just lucked out. But last night sleep hit me at around 7:oo pm, though I managed to make myself stay awake till about 11:30. And now it is 4:30am and I am wide awake. I am normally an early riser, but this is ridiculous. However this is my traditional time for waking up on Christmas morning. When I was a kid I got so excited about my presents that I would wake up at 4:00 in the morning and then sit at the top of the stairs for about an hour and a half. Then at around 5:30, when I figured the rest of my lazy bum family should be up, I would wake up my siblings and then we would all wait at the top of the stairs for mom and dad to give us the sign that it is ok to come down. Now my playmates have grown up. There is no one to wake up here except the cat and dog. So instead I blog. I'll blog and then do some cleaning. Why not.

Friday, December 23, 2005

I'm slack

I haven't posted in for-freakin-ever. I'm really sorry about being so boring. But in the last two weeks I've had Christmas performances and parties, moving into a new apartment, loss of internet access in my move, and finally I've spent the last 24 hrs traveling from Cairo to Augusta. It's good to be home for Christmas. It's really good to meet my new nephew and niece! But I was in the airport at the baggage claim waiting for my luggage to appear, when it hit me like a ton of bricks. I suddenly felt what I knew in my head all along. This Christmas will be stressful. I hate to be a prophet of doom, but my family has been on edge with each other for the last 5 months (at least). So now we are trying to get together and pretend like it isn't that way, only that doesn't work at all. We are all either incapable of hiding what we feel or we are able to hide for a bit and then when the next thing happens we explode twice as much. So there in the airport I was almost ready to hop back on a plane to Cairo. I suppose nothing is ever solved by running away from it, but I don't know what I can do to make amends between the battling sides.

Anyhow, my nephew is adorable and he has a striking resemblance to my brother when he was a baby. Well, that's about all for now. I'll see some of you soon!

Thursday, December 08, 2005

Bitch Tea

Be warned. Just because a waiter offers you "bitch" tea here in Cairo does not mean that he's insulting you. It's just that somehow the pronunciation of the word "peach" is a little ify for some of the locals.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Moving

I starting moving my things over to my new apartment today. I've got another week and a half here at the old apartment, so for a little while I'll be living between two places. I'm excited about the new place. It makes me want to stay in Egypt longer, just so that this place feels a bit more like home. Then I wouldn't mind putting in some money for really decorating the place and getting all those nice touches that make a place feel like home. However, I suppose an apartment isn't a good enough reason to stay. So for the time being my plans for coming home after this school year stand as before. I could still change my mind. It has been known to happen, but I really want to go back to school. So anyways, that's my update for now.

Dottie

Saturday, December 03, 2005

A Little Too Comfortable

One of the nice things about living in a place where most people don't speak your language is that you feel like you can openly talk in public about things that are personal to your friends and not worry too much about the taxi driver or the people at the table next to you listening in on your conversation. But I had to step back today and think that maybe I'd gotten a little too comfortable in my non-english speaking environment. I was in the mall today with Sara and began singing out loud "Like a Virgin". Maybe I can get away with that here, but if I go back to the states and start singing or talking about personal things loudly in public places it will not be good.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

David Gray

I can't stop listening to David Gray. Here is a song I could just put on repeat and listen to over and over.

What on earth is going on in my heart
Has it turned as cold as stone
Seems these days I don't feel anything
Less it cuts me right down to the bone
What on earth is going on in my heart

My oh my you know it just don't stop
It's in my mind I wanna tear it up
I've tried to fight it tried to turn it off
But it's not enough
It takes a lotta love
It takes a lotta love my friend
To keep your heart from freezing
To push on till the end
My oh my

What on earth is going on in my head
You know I used to be so sure
You know I used to be so definite
Thought I knew what love was for
I look around these days and I'm not so sure

My oh my you know it just don't stop
It's in my mind I wanna tear it up
I've tried to fight it tried to turn it off
But it's not enough
It takes a lotta love
It takes a lotta love my friend
To keep your heart from freezing
To push on till the end

My oh my you know I just can't win
I burn it down it comes right back again
What kinda world is this we're living in
Where you never win
It takes a lotta love
It takes a lotta love these days
To keep your heart from freezing
To keep your spirit free

My oh my you know it just don't stop
It's in my mind I wanna tear it up
I've tried to fight it tried to turn it off
But it's not enough
It takes a lotta love
It takes a lotta love my friend
To keep your heart from freezing
To push on till the end
My oh my it just don't stop
My oh my it just don't stop
My oh my it just don't stop

Monday, November 28, 2005

Follow Up

I spoke to the appropriate person to have the aforementioned situation taken care of. As it turns out, I am not the first woman who has come and complained about him. Am I suprised? No. One problem of being an unattached western woman is that men not only think you are easy, but you are not even a person. You are money and you are a passport. You are their potential ticket to the promised land. The land where they have a shot, or so they think, at a prosperous, successful life. And if the ticket is bought with dishonesty, so be it. So be it, even if it means the two of you are married and you don't even really like each other. You barely speak the same language? Doesn't matter. You don't understand each other because of cultural gaps? Doesn't matter. Why doesn't it mater? Easy, because you don't matter. They don't give a shit whether you live or die, whether you are miserable or happy. You don't matter. Ok. I'll stop ranting like a crazy person, but it just really ticks me off.
By the way, I asked this girl in my class about her dreams. The only dream she could remember having was one where she never got to watch Shrek 2 again, and needless to say it was very traumatic. I asked her if she ever talked to Mr. __________ about this dream or any other. She looked at me blankly and said no. So not lonly is he pathetic, he is a bad liar. If he had said he had the dream or somebody else who was harder for me to check with, maybe he could be given some benefit of the doubt. Maybe I wouldn't have been able to prove whether it was true or false.

Friday, November 25, 2005

The Case of the Rotting Brussel Sprouts

Yesterday I noticed that me and Sara's room smelled a bit funny. Sara and I are wonderful, talented girls and, as Bill phrased it this morning in church, we have the gift of untidiness. So this afternoon, Sara and I decided to do some serious cleaning. Sara started the process, but was having no luck finding the source. What could it be? Do our dirty socks really smell that bad? Are the floor boards rotting? Is the cat dead somewhere in the mess of our room? We couldn't figure it out. Finally, Sara comes rushing out of the room. "I found it!" she exclaims. Down the hall she comes with a bag of brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts which she brought in our room at least two weeks earlier. They were at that time frozen and she put them on her itchy, burning misquito bites so she could sleep. However, they were forgotten at the end of her bed under a pile of clothes. Wow. We are disgusting. We officially reached disgusting. Congratulations are in order.

On a more serious note, I reached a completely pissed of state this morning. It takes quite a bit to get me truly pissed, but somebody pushed me to that point today. Ass hole. For the safety of reputations, I will be somewhat ambiguous on some details. About two months ago there was a certain man who I came in contact with on a regular basis. He wanted to get guitar lessons from me. I told him I was too busy, but he continued to ask over and over again. It got to the point where he made me very uncomfortable. He said one or two comments that made me feel even more uncomfortable. So I began to give him a bit of the cold shoulder. I am forced to interact with this guy regularly, so I just tried to keep it as cold, unfriendly, and brief as possible. Well, I've just now gotten to the point where I am feeling more comfortable around this guy again. I see him at church this morning and we are chatting a bit. He asks me how old one of the girls in my class is. I'm say that she is six years old. He says something along the lines of "I can't believe it! It's just amazing!" So of course I am like what is this guys talking about. She's six. We've all been six at some point. What's so amazing about that? He tells me that she came up to him and said that she had a dream that he and I got married. By the way, this conversation just happened to follow a sermon where it was mentioned that God sometimes uses dreams to speak to us.
Guys are creeps. No offense to all you not creepy guys. I should say. A lot of guys are creeps. He knows I am a nice, polite person and that I won't be directly rude to him. So he takes advantage and is trying to pressure me into . . . marriage? It's really insulting. Does he really think I don't see through that? Does he really think I'm that stupid? Well, mister man who is to be left unnamed, I have one thing to say to you. . . YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE!

Happy Late Thanksgiving

I started to write a post last night, but then got distracted and then later I was too tired. You know how it goes.
But anyhow, happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Thanksgiving here was weird, not bad but weird. Obviously, I am not in the U.S. and therefore it is not considered a holiday here. So I worked yesterday. It was my first Thanksgiving working and my first Thanksgiving without my family. I kept busy most of the day and worked from 7:00am to 6:30pm just so I could avoid being home and feeling sorry for myself. I did have some invites to go elsewhere and celebrate, but I felt like that would only make the homesickness worse. You have to put on a happy face and spend the evening with one or two people you know and a bunch of complete strangers, when where you really want to be is with the people who know you the best (even if they are crazy). So instead of doing the big group thing, I went home and called my family. Julie, Mary, and Tommy were all doing well and having dinner together. My parent's went to visit other family and I didn't get to talk to them. When I got off the phone with them, Rosemary and I ordered in for our Thanksgiving dinner. Then two of my friends from church/work came over and we chatted while we celebrated the day with pizza, calzone, and Foster's. I watched movies and fell asleep on the sofa. So I guess that's at least one thing I traditionally do on Thanksgiving day, although it's usually holiday movies I watch not Bourne Supremacy and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. All in all, it was a really good day. Today I will be more social and go to a more traditional Thanksgiving dinner I was invited to.
So in honor of Thanksgiving I am writing a thankful for list. These are in no particular order.
I am thankful for. . .
  1. The Kauffmans. Rosemary and Ed's generosity. Sara's listening ear. Esther's sense of fun. Edward. I am thankful for his randomness.
  2. My coworkers. They are good people to work with. They support you with all that they can and slowly are becoming more like a family to me.
  3. My cell group. Though I feel like I am not doing a good enough job at times. They are always there to fill in the gaps when I run out of time, energy, or ideas of things to do. But mostly I am just thankful that they are who they are and I get a chance to know them.
  4. My friends at home. The ones who occasionally drop me a line and make me think "Yay! Maybe I haven't been forgotten!" The ones who you know as soon as you get back you can pick up with like you were never gone.
  5. My family. I am thankful that they don't resent me for being gone for the last year, even though I missed a graduation, two babies, all the birthdays, most of the family drama, and the little ways that we have been there for each other day in and day out of our lives.
  6. My church. It's a good place to be and a good place to grow.
  7. My sanity. Sometimes I am amazed that I'm not truly and genuinely crazy.
  8. Egypt. Being here has been the most amazing experience of my life.
  9. Love. I come across it in so many ways and in so many forms. It is a powerful force. It is a gentle reminder. We wouldn't exist without it.
  10. Music. Who needs an explanation for appreciating good, quality music.
  11. Sleep. What a wonderful way to escape.
  12. Coffee. There is nothing like a good, strong latte.
  13. Nail technicians. Thank God there are people out there who will touch my nasty feet and turn them into something I can show in public for at least a week.
  14. Books. There is a quote I remember, but I don't know who said it originally. "We read to know we are not alone."
  15. Cold weather. What better excuse to cuddle up in sweaters and blankets and drink hot cocoa.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Sunday, November 20, 2005

For the Love of Jazz

Last night I went to see a Jazz band from New Orleans. They were wonderful!! They made me remember why jazz is my favorite expression of music. They made me feel nostalgic over the deep south with their southern accents and when they mentioned collard greens in one of the songs (not that I actually eat them, but they are still very southern). The band was brought in by the U.S. embassy to honor the Egyptian government for the aid they sent to New Orleans after the hurricane. So the down side of the event was that it was a sit down in your seat affair with music that told your body to get on the dance floor. So I chair danced, clapped my hands, and tapped my feet. It was a nice evening.

As a side note, sometimes in life you reach a place where something inside of you just knows that it's time to give something up. It may be a goal you have been striving for and getting no where with in your career. It may be a relationship with someone who just isn't on the same page as you. It may be that you need to change an attitude towards life in general. But sometimes you just get that clear vision that things have to change. I had that vision today in one area of my life and it is already starting to make other areas feel more clear and certain. It's a little bittersweet sometimes when you have to give up things, but it's for the best. Wish me luck in sticking to my guns.

In other news, I will be living at the school this week. Who knew that teaching would be such a time consuming, life consuming job. I would say screw this, but unfortunately I happen to love it. Reports are going out at the beginning of next week, plus my class is having an after school party this week, plus we have a mandatory Thanksgiving Tea after school this week (fortunately I don't have to prepare anything for that). So it's eat, sleep, and breath school for the next week. You probably won't be hearing much from me for a little while.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Music Therapy

A few weeks ago, I was over at the apartment of one of my coworkers. We were hanging out, making Christmas cards, and watching Friends episodes. We spent all day doing this and it was a good time. We got to talking about everything from our favorite musicians to thoughts on getting older to things we miss about being home. I shared with her that one thing I miss about home is playing my own music. I used to play in coffee shops and on street corners and the occassional bar. Now I play at church and that's it. Don't get me wrong I love playing at church, it's the place where I picked up guitar. Church is where I realized I loved, loved, loved singing. Church is kind of like home base for me when it comes to music. But I really do miss performing the songs I've written. I miss doing some of those songs that I didn't write, but I relate to them so much that it feels like I did.
So anyhow, my friend Dorothee (yes she has the German version of my name), came up to me a few days later and said that she would really like to do some kind of get together at her house. I would play. She would host and organize/prepare snacks and drinks. Friends and co workers would come. And so I said that it sounded like a wonderful idea to me.
Lat night was the night. It was so nice for me. I love playing and singing so much. It is a mood enhancer for me. I felt like I was on a high when I was finished with it all. It was also a nice reassurance that just because I hadn't done some of those songs for quite some time, didn't mean that I couldn't still perform them.
So Dorothee, if you read this blog, thanks so much for giving me that opportunity. You are a real gem and I am so glad we are working together this year. Also, if you need a roommate Esther and I would love sharing an apartment with you!

Friday, November 18, 2005

A Quick Thought

My pastor at church said something that stuck with me today. He said that we are often so blinded by our desire for success that we completely miss our true need for significance.

Saturday, November 12, 2005

A Long Week

So I haven't posted for a week now and that is not like me at all, but this week was particularly busy and long and tiring. So I now have stored up a few amusing stories, a few scary stories, and a thought or two. Here goes.

Yesterday at church I was on the worship team. So I'm standing up on stage just before the service starts and I spot my two roomies Sara and Esther. Esther and I have this thing where we wink at each other. So she winks at me and I wink back. Just as I was winking I realized that the father of one of the girls in my class is standing right in front of Esther and looking at me as if to say "why are you winking at me?" Yikes. That's not good.

Earlier this week Esther and another friend were walking down the streets of Maadi. Randomly, an Egyptian guy in a parked car yells to them out of the window "Dottie Wottie Lee!" Now the only place they could have gotten that name is from this blog, I think. So that's weird enough. But why would they yell that out and Esther and some other friend of mine. Truly bizarre. I might be reaching the celebrity status that Sara has around here.

Thursday night I went to the opera. I saw Madame Butterfly. What a wonderful escape from the rest of the week. Wonderful costumes and sets. Gorgeous singing from the baritone, mezzo, and tenor. Though I must say that the soprano's voice was obnoxious at times, the acting was not great, and the orchestra was over bearing. But on the whole, I can't think of a better way to spend $6 or $7. I love the affordability of Egypt.

Alright, this is my last blerb for this blog and I'll save the rest for another time. Yesterday at church, the pastor talked about helping each other grow in Christ. One of his points was that by affirming each others worth we help them grow, and one of the ways that we affirm is by accepting others. I automatically thought to myself ,"oh well that is no problem for me, I accept people just as they are most of the time." Then he goes on to talk about how we measure people against our own strengths. For example, if you are a punctual person doesn't it just bug you when others are late. If you are a particularly tidy person, do you find yourself going into others people's homes, car, or offices and thinking how you are better than them at keeping things neat and organized. Or if you are a free spirit, can you just not understand how some people can't seem to do even small spontaneous things like clap their hands during worship. Then I thought, "oh well maybe I do do that sometimes." His point was that you know you have accepted someone when you stop insisting that they act like you. It's an easy enough concept, but putting it into practice may prove more difficult.

Friday, November 04, 2005

Spinsterhood. . . not yet

Well, I am officially going out on the town two nights in a row. Maybe spinsterhood has not grabbed hold of me just yet. But I am a big dork. I'm going to see the same band two nights in a row. The last time I did that was for the Dempseys. Oh the Dempseys. Sigh. It was love. That is the one CD that didn't end up with me in Cairo that I literally pine for. Ok that and the choral performance of John Rutter's Requiem.

Anyhow, the latest here is that my precious vacation time is almost over. So the downside of that is that I will soon feel swamped with work again. By the time I have my Christmas break, I will again feel like a teacher zombie who has no life outside of the classroom. It will take me a week to get over all the exhaustion, and leave me two weeks of fun and relaxation. The upside of it is that I will be busy enough to not have time to think about home all that much. So I won't feel so damn homesick like I have for the past three or so days.

Wust el Balad

For those of you living in the Cairo area, Wust el Balad is an amazing band. If you haven't seen them, google search them and find out when and where they are playing next.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Ticket Home

Well, I paid for my ticket for Christmas today! Yay! I'll be home from the 22nd of December to the 13th of January. So all you Augusta people clear some space in your holiday calendar to spend time with me. I also expect a really great New Year's party to go to, since I was invited to a super fun New Year's party here that I'll just not be able to go to. So start planning now everyone!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Back up plan

So I should be on my way to Luxor now, but alas . . . I am not. I am at home. Never fear though. I have a back up plan for the evening. My plans consist of getting good and tipsy, making phone calls home, and writing goofy emails to some friends. It will be every bit as fun, though significantly less amazing, as the temples and tombs and scenery I should be enjoying.

Monday, October 31, 2005

Poo Poo Pooo!

Well, my trip to Luxor and Aswan fell through. So I'm disappointed about that.

Also, I have to move in December. I've been talking to these people about house sitting for them for about three months (from the end of December to the end of March). So it would be a few more months to save up money and find a place for a few months. Esther and I went to look at the place tonight and it's a nice apartment and they have a nice garden and internet however. . . this would be the first time somebody charged me $300/month to house sit! Especially considering they are locking up their bedroom and don't actually have a bed for me to sleep on. I would have an air matress. . . wow. . . super. What more could a girl ask for. So it's back to the drawing board I think.

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Digging Up the Past

Have you ever spent time with someone who forces you to dig up the past and every painful experience you ever had? Could be a psychologist, a counselor, or a concerned friend.
I had this experience yesterday. Some of it was good and helpful, especially dealing with the more recent past and things that I am still working through. However, when it gets into issues I dealt with years ago, people I forgave long before, I feel like why are we rehashing this? Why do I have to relive this in my mind all over? Just because I forgive doesn't mean that the memories are no longer painful. I almost felt that this person didn't believe me when I said that I had already forgiven those people because my personality is still to this day affected by events that happened so so so long ago. My response is this. . . when you are a child you are like a dry sponge. You take in everything around you and it becomes part of what shapes you. One significant (or even seemingly insignificant event) can skew how you see yourself, how you see others, or how you see life in general. Now if you compound that with similar events taking place on a regular basis throughout your childhood, of course it will most likely affect you for a long time and maybe your whole life. Even if down the road you realize that your views might be incorrect and maybe your experience shouldn't be the only factor in your judgements about life, that doesn't mean that you automatically wake up a changed person. Just because we forgive doesn't mean that we automatically forget the events of our past and it doesn't mean that we automatically have a personality change.
Somewhere between my God-given make up and my cultural experience and my personal experience, I have ended up to be a bit of a loner, who doesn't like to rely too much on others, and a bit of a people-pleaser, always needing to have affection/approval from others. I suppose the two are actually opposites, but that's me. And I have made steps forward to change some of the negative aspects of these two traits. But it just doesn't usually happen over-night. So be patient with yourself and with others. We are changing and growing at different paces.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

Everyday Holds Something New: The Continuing Story

What an eventful week, full of highs and lows. And finally the week brought me an unexpected suprise that was not completely unwelcome. A job offer. I'm not sure if I want to take it or not. It's gonna take a good bit of thinking out the details and looking into different options. This job would require at least a two year commitment. I've already missed so many things at home . . . births . . . graduations. . . weddings etc. Do I want to sacrifice missing even more? Also it would be a change in direction. Going for a teaching certification would, at best, be put on hold for a few years. But the job sounds like it might be a good match for me, my personality, my experience. So I don't know. It'll be awhile before I decide.

Just think. My two week visit turned into six months, which became a year and a half, which now might become three and a half, which later on who knows what it could become. This is all a bit exciting and overwhelming.

Friday, October 28, 2005

Weird Dream

I had a weird, violent dream last night. I was in my house (some house I have never seen before in reality, but it was mine in the dream) and this bat swooped down and bit my hand. He didn't just bite it, he clung to it. So I grabbed onto him in return. My first plan was to take the thing outside and let it go. The bat struggles and struggles to be let go. Two of my friends are with me. They tell me that they think my whole house is infested with bats. It makes me so angry to think that I have to deal with not just one, but a whole flock of bats. So I decide to kill the bat in my hands. I keep trying to break it's neck, but I can't (probably because I just don't have a killer instinct). Finally I do manage to kill the bat. I put it under a bush, then I sink to the ground and start crying. The end.

Bizarre.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Everyday Holds Something New: Part Two

Everyday truly does hold something new. Somedays may hold an unexpected letter from home. Some a suprise bouquet of flowers. Others might produce a check in the mail that you forgot you were getting. But if you've had my week the somethings new might include the formerly mentioned dead sheep, people spitting on you as they drive past in their car, and seven year olds stabbing you with pencils.

All I can say is praise the Lord, I have a whole week of vacation.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Every day holds something new

Living in general, and especially living in Egypt, I have come to expect the unexpected. You never know what each day will hold or what you might find when you round that next bend in the road. This morning was a classic example. I was walking on my normal route to work. I noticed a pungent aroma in the air, stronger than the normal trash and pollution smells I have grown accustomed to. I turned a corner to find the source. A dead, rotting, decaying sheep in the middle of the sidewalk on Road 10. Unbelievable. There are sections of Cairo where this would be quite normal, but for the part of town I live in it was suprising.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

I'm an Auntx2!!!

My sister had her baby at about 6:25 yesterday evening. I don't know any other details yet, but I can't wait to come home for Christmas to meet my new neice and nephew. My brother and sister are officially adults now. Now they have to act serious about life. Now their lives will never be the same as they were before. It's weird enough the my older sister seems so grown up. . . I mean being a parent is about as grown up as it gets. But when the younger brother feels more grown up than you are. . . now that is truly weird.

One thing worse

Not too long ago I posted about my dislike of most chick flicks. Well I've found something worse than a bad chick flick. . . a bad teeny bopper chick flick. As a rule of thumb, if Hillary Duff, Mary Kate, or Ashley Olsen star in a movie then it will qualify for this category. I don't think there is any need to defend my position here. Enough said.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Love my Job

Today was a good day at work. My class was exceptionally focused and hard-working today. The one kid who always freaks out on me and throws temper tantrums, destroys my classroom, and anything else he can do to either get attention or get out of doing his work was still his usual disfunctional self. But it was all ok. The rest of the class wasn't even bothered by him and so neither was I. I let the classroom assistant work with him and I went on with my lessons as though nothing was wrong. It was beautiful. I came home from work feeling like a really enjoyed the kids today. Like they actually listened to me today. Sigh. I love my job. Another highlight of the day was the morning devotion for the kids. Our kindergarten teacher led devotions this morning. It was about being thankful. She had the kids write a Psalm thanking God for. . . whatever they wanted to. Kids are so refreshing. They are thankful for the little things. It doesn't take much to make them smile and think that life is good. Their Psalm consisted of things like . . .
Thank you God for my cat
Thanks for my brother and my mom
Thank you for snow
Thank you for buttercups
Thanks for butterflies
Thank you for my new pants with the flowers on them
Thanks for my friend Danny

I aspire to be like kids and always appreciate even the little things. Thank you God for my job. Thanks for the Kauffmans. Thanks for my family. Thanks for plane tickets home for Christmas. Thanks for stupid jokes that make me laugh too loudly. Thank you for friends that come over for dinner. Thank you for the endless possibilities that the future holds.

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Don't leave home without them

Living in Cairo, I walk quite a bit. I don't have a car, so my options are generally walk, metro, or taxi. I don't mind walking especially now that the weather is cooling off a bit. I walk to work. I walk to church. I walk to friends' houses (within reason). It's nice and it provides me with the only regular form of exercise I've been getting since I've lived here. But when I'm walking around by myself I usually always have my discman with me and my head phones on. This serves multiple purposes. Entertainment for my walk. Mood enhancement for the day. And most importantly, a way to zone out any undesireable scenery (creepy men especially). Today I made the mistake of forgeting my trusty discman.

I was already in an irritated mood because I had to go into work on a Saturday afternoon to do some planning for the week. On top of that I've been frustrated with a few situations at work that are not going as I would like them to. I'm irritated with myself because I try to be agreeable to everyone. So much so that I don't effectively communicate that certain things are just not working for me. So I'm walking to work already irritated when a man in a car pulls off to the side of the road, rolls his window down and asks me if he can help me with anything. Did I look lost? I thought I was walking in a way that said I knew exactly where I was going. Did I look handicapped or hurt? I don't think so. He was just bothering me. So I say no and keep walking. He drives off. Two minutes down the road he pulls up beside me again and offers me a ride. This time I am more forceful and tell him to leave me alone, which was gentle compared to what was going through my head. He leaves and I don't see him again. After that I put up with what I assume normally goes on when I walk down the street, but I never notice it because I'm tuned out. There are comments yelled out from cars, little sounds from men as I pass by, and the like. It was really getting under my skin. I'm almost to the school when a couple of ten year oldish boys decide to start following me. They whistle, they hiss, they yell out any random phrase they know in English and lots of things in Arabic which I was probably better off not understanding. I almost snapped on them. I wanted to turn around and yell at them, but what good would it do. I just kept walking. I finally get to the school only to find that the gate is all locked up and our gate keeper is nowhere to be found. All that for nothing.

Moral of the story: don't leave home without your discman.

Friday, October 14, 2005

Seven

This blog was inspired by Wendy's blog, Pat's blog, Emily's pumpkin carving night (which I didn't get to attend), Sara's cell group, and a phone conversation with Gary.

Seven things I want to do before I die. . .
carve a pumpkin
visit Morrocco
visit Italy
master another language
learn how to make good mixed drinks (they always end up too strong, too sweet, too sour, too anything but good)
write a book (even if nobody reads it but me, I'd still like to do this)
learn how to ride a bike

Settlers

The Kauffman's bought the Settlers of Catan game. Yay! I am a happy camper.

Also, I just wasted an hour of my morning trying to post pictures on my blog. I was completely unsuccessful. I am thinking of changing my blog to a place in My Space instead of continuing on here. I don't have time to play with it this morning though. So until further notice, I'm still here.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Obligatory Blog

Not much new in my world, but I haven't blogged for a few days and I feel that I should. So the biggest news is that my big sis will be a mom in no more than a week! Other news is that my cell group is ok. I'm still feeling a bit awkward with the whole thing, but it's not so bad. Hmmm. . . school is ok. There is one kid that makes me wish I was a smoker and I could light up between classes to release some of the stress. But other than that, it's wonderful. Oh! I do have some other news. At the end of the month I have a week off school. Sara, myself, and another friend are planning a trip to Luxor and Aswan to see some temples and the Valley of the Kings and all that good stuff. So that will be freakin' awesome!

Sunday, October 09, 2005

A weekend in Dahab

I am back from a most relaxing weekend in Dahab. It was everything I hoped for and more. It's so wonderfully laid back there. You just forget that time exists altogether. You lounge around. You snorkel. You dive. You shop. You eat. You sunbathe. You sit by the beach and play guitar. You spend time with your friends. So here are some highlights from my trip.

I had some good girl time. I rode in the car with Sara, Esther, and two of my other girl friends. We enjoyed singing badly and loudly to our favorite CDs. We randomly stopped in the desert so that Esther could give in to her urge to chase camels. We all stayed in $4/night bungalows. Each bungalow could host two people, so Sara and I were roomies. Sara was also my dive buddy for one of the two dives I did. I love spending vacation time with Sara. She is one of those people who just makes fun happen wherever she goes. She gets people to let loose and just be as stupid and goofy as you possibly can be. For example, one morning we were getting coffee at a little shop there and she had me staring practically nose-to-glass at my eyes trying to make my pupils dialate and then go small again. It was fairly entertaining for the man working there.

The diving was of course great. For my first dive, Ed was my dive buddy. For my second, Sara was my buddy. We had a great time watching and chasing the fish. I flooded my mask more than once while laughing at Ed and Sara's underwater kung foo moves. And while gearing up and down, the most unusual stories can come up. Such as, I shared with the group how I used to worry when I was a kid that I might actually turn out to be the anti-Christ. My logic then being that the anti-Christ would be someone that no one was really suspecting. And I thought "Wow. I would never suspect that I am the anti-Christ. . . so maybe. . ."

Another classic moment happened the morning before we left. I was sitting at an outdoor restaurant with Ed and two other guys from our group at about 9:30am. Now 9:30 am is still fairly early in the relaxed, laid back atmosphere of Dahab. So the restaurants are still sort of getting things ready for the day. While we were sitting there, the boss or manager or owner or whatever he was stood around yelling at his employees to do this or do that in Arabic. One might not notice it too much or think the seen unusual at all except for one thing . . . bossman was wearing nothing but a speedo. Awesome. Just what everyone wants to see first thing in the morning. So Ed and I had fun trying to imagine what life at New Life would be like if Dan or John took some notes from this guy.
Dan (in speedo): Why haven't you watered to organic produce yet?!
We need another batch of Mocha Fudge Wow Cow. ASAP!
John (in speedo): Why is this register off? Son, don't you know we don't take out of state checks?!

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

A Few Random Thoughts

I didn't blog for a few days and I have stored up little things here and there that I want to write about.

First, Ramadan started yesterday. So far. . . I love it. The streets are filled with lights and lanterns, which is really nice. But the best part is 5:30ish to 7:00ish in the evening. All day during Ramadan, muslims fast. No food, no drink (not even water), no cigarettes, nothing. Then at 5:30 in the evening they break their fast. So every muslim is at home eating a their lovely Ramadan feasts. The streets are empty. For once it feels almost calm here. It is absolutely amazing. I rode the metro yesterday evening to meet some friends downtown. Normally, I would have a half hour ride to look forward to. On this ride I would most likely be standing up the whole way. I would most likely be shoulder to shoulder with women who, quite frankly, have B.O. I would most likely be hassled by somebody to buy something. And I would certainly have to ignore the fact that half of the people on the train were just staring at me. But not yesterday. Yesterday I had the entire car to myself!! It was mind boggling. I actually started talking out loud to myself because I just thought "when will I ever have this opportunity again?!" Anyway, Ramadan has it's down sides too, but so far it's ok by me.

Second, this is for the man I saw walking his dog this morning when I was on my way to work. Why was I embarassed when I tripped in front of you? Anyone can trip on accident. Everyone trips on accident from time to time. But you. . . you were the one who woke up this morning and actually thought "today is a good day for wearing neon green biker shorts." You should hang your head in shame.

Third, yesterday I met with two other songwriters for the first of hopefully many more songwriting sessions. It was nice. I felt like a vital part of me was woken up from a deep sleep.

A weekend just for me

This weekend is my first long weekend of the year. Woo Hoo! I am going to the Red Sea. I am diving. I am snorkeling. I am shopping. I am laying around on the beach. I am hanging out with friends. I am eating good food (hopefully). I am not planning lessons. I am not worrying about meetings. I am not tying kids shoes. I am not telling kids to listen to me, to sit down, to stop kicking the desks around, to stop throwing pencils at the fan, or begging/bribing them to eat their lunch. It is just me and my freinds this weekend. It is a very good feeling.

Friday, September 30, 2005

Is it too late?

Is it too late to quit? We've only met two weeks as a cell group and I feel like I'm causing more harm than good. I hate leading things. I'm much more of a support type person. And when you are leading a group that you are actually the youngest person in, it doesn't help matters. I feel so shallow, so inexperienced, so like I have nothing to offer any of these people. And yadda, yadda, yadda . . . I know that it shouldn't be me offering them anything, but the holy spirit and all that. But doesn't that seem like one of those Sunday school responses?

The Holy Spirit should be working through me and ministering to them. The group should not rest entirely on my shoulders, but everyone should bring something to offer (I just organize and facilitate). But this is all theoretical, not necessarily reality. The reality is that I have been really busy with the start of school and quite honestly my Quiet Times have been very irregular and when I do sit down my brain is always spinning with the other things I should be or could be doing. So I wonder how I'll ever hear the HS if I'm not listening. The other reality is that the group is in the beginning stages and my "support system" is a bit handicapped from the get go. I should have an assistant, but my assistant is gone for six weeks. Of course it is the beginning six weeks when I need her the most that she is gone. So I'm feeling a bit like I am out there on my own trying to do something that I can't do.

So the question is . . . is it too late to quit?

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Funny Story 2

I had a funny kid story happen today and I just have to share it.

We are doing a unit on poetry in my first grade class. Today we worked on writing our own poetry. We started with the basic poem
One, two
Buckle my shoe
Three, four
Shut the door
Five, six
Pick up sticks. . . etc.

So we started with the "one, two" and wrote the next line ourselves. The kids had to think of words that rhyme with two and went from there. So we get to "three, four". I ask the class if anyone can think of a word that rhymes with four. One little bot raises his hand high and I ask him what his word is. "Whore," he pronounces loudly. I think that I surely must have misheard him and ask him to repeat it. "Whore," he repeats with conviction. I think to myself that he must not know what that means and he has either made up the word in his head not realizing that it already is a word or has maybe even heard it before but has no idea of it's meaning. "Yes that rhymes with four. Can anyone think of another word that rhymes with four?" To my relief a girl blurts out, "Poor!" I quickly try to move on to her word and say , "Yes, that rhymes with four too. Let's think of a line that ends with the word poor." The little boy says, "but I said whore. . . like a lady." Hmmm. There goes my theory on him having no clue. "I'm sorry, but we can't use that word in our poem."

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Funny Story

This is a funny and not so funny story I heard today. I laughed, but then felt guilty about laughing at what could have potentially caused a good deal of harm to someone.

One of the teachers I work with rides her bike everyday to school. Some of my friends were talking about the dangers of bike riding in Cairo. I mean the traffic here is unreal. The drivers are crazy. There are no rules of the road (or at least none that anyone pays attention to). But now it seems that it's not just the drivers you have to watch out for when riding your bike. The pedestrians can be just as bad. My teacher friend was riding to school and rode past a crippled man on crutches. As she rode past, he flung out one of his crutches to trip her up. Isn't that horrible. . . and completely funny. I might be sick, but just the image of a cripple throwing out his crutch at an innocent passerby was somehow really funny to me.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Nothing Like a Chick Flick

There is nothing like a chick flick to somehow make the female mind twist and contort into something completely irrational. I watched one tonight that had me for a split second thinking "ya know, maybe a girl could bang a complete stranger in an airplane and that guy turn out to be 'mr. Right' ". . . sure . . . it could happen . . . WHEN MONKEYS FLY OUT OF MY BUTTHOLE!!! What kind of sick person tries to distort women's mind into thinking that doing something like that would be an ok idea. Obviously sick perverted men write these movies (no offense guys, I do realize that you are not all sick and perverted). Anyhow, that enough of my ranting for the night. It's time to hit the hay.

Sunday, September 25, 2005

People and Cats

I've had a revelation about how people are like cats.

I'm cat sitting for some friends of mine. I have this weird cat allergy that only comes up with certain cats. It's not about long hair vs. short hair, but I can't really figure out what the determining factor is with my allergy. Anyhow, I am allergic to these cats (or at least one of them). But my friends had a family emergency and had to leave suddenly for two weeks, so I volunteered to feed and care for their cats. It's generally ok if I just go in feed them, clean the litter pan, and leave. But if I sit there too long, I get the kitty cat eyes. They look up at you saying "why don't you pet me? I'm a really nice cat? What have I done wrong? Why are you with holding your love from me?" You know that if you touch that cat your eyes will be burning, itching, and blood shot. You know your nose will run and you will sneeze the rest of the day. But how do you tell the cat that? How do you let the cat know that you approve of it completely, but you simply can't give it what it wants? It's not that the cat doesn't deserve to be loved and petted to its heart's content, you just can't do it. So either the cat goes on feeling hurt and dejected or you give in and feel miserable all day long.

Sometimes, people are the same way. They want you to meet certain needs that they have, and you just can't. How do you explain to that person that it's not that you think there is something wrong with them or that you are better than them? It's not that you don't think that they deserve to have that need met. It's just that you can't be the one to meet that need, for whatever reason. It's tough. I think we've all been there and most of us have played both of the roles at one point or another.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

Settlers of Catan

Have you ever played Settlers of Catan? This is my new favorite game. Everyone should play it.

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Starting New Things

Tonight, for the first time ever (I think). I led a small group (by small group I mean a church-related group of less than 15 people). I've literally been involved in church leadership in one way or another for the last 12 years of my life, but never leading a small group. Be it kinship group, cell group, home group, Bible study, or whatever. . . I've never led one. So tonight I started something totally new for me. It was nerve-wracking as anything, especially since I'm just meeting over half the group and the rest are little more than acquaintances. But I think it went well. I love meeting new people, so that part was nice. But the feeling like I'm talking or leading worship or leading prayer and setting the tone for the whole night and it just freaks you out. Are they bored? Do they know any of the songs I picked out? Do they think I'm stupid? Are they uncomfortable? Am I dominating conversation? Am I not talking enough? These are just a few of the questions that were racing through my head.
The best part of the night was that we didn't have a house to meet in tonight, so we took a short boat ride on the Nile. It was a hit. I felt like patting myself on the back, but then I remembered that it wasn't even my idea (Sara suggested it to me I think). Well, I gotta go now. Edward wants to play music with me. So I'll write ya later!

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Too busy for stupid stuff

One of the really good things about my life here and now is how busy I am. Admittedly, sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed and like I have no life (I am usually sound asleep by 9:30 or 10:00). But on the whole it is good to be so busy. I find that the normal stupid things in life still happen. You know the things that you were kind of hoping for that just didn't work out. Given the opportunity, I would ponder on these things and bemoan why they didn't happen the way I thought they should. However, life right now doesn't let me do that. I have too much going on, too much responsibility, too many more important things to give myself too.
At the end of the day, we only have so much time, so much energy, so much of ourselves to give. We can give it to selfish worries, doubts, etc. Or we can get out and do something that really means something. It's really nice to feel like I have something more meaningful to do than to worry and feel disappointed.

Friday, September 16, 2005

A thought

Today at church something the pastor said struck me and I just thought I'd share. He said that problems don't create character, they just reveal it. I have tended to think of people who have suffered more as being the people who have the best character. But I think this guy might be right. There are people who have suffered enormous tragedy and handled it by stepping on others around them and just blindly grasping for anything and everything with no thought for others and no thought for consequences. But others in similar circumstances might show enormous generosity, perserverance, etc. Just a thought.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Esther's New Lover

Esther was a counselor at a camp for the last 10 days. The camp was for a bunch of young Egyptian orphans and also the kids whose parents work at the orphanage. Esther works with these kids all the time, loves them, and knows them pretty well.
So while at this camp, she is walking with one of the boys (who is around 10 or 11 years old). He tells her that he doesn't know how to be friends with her. She asks him why and he just says that he can't do it. Then there is long awkward silence. He suddenly bursts out that he is in love with her. There is more awkward silence. She asks if he means like he loves his friends or his family (hoping that something was lost in the translation). He simply says "no". Okay... more awkward silence.

Poor guy. Esther is such a heart breaker. She pretended they never had the conversation and tried her best to ignore him staring at her the rest of the week.

On a completely unrelated note, if I ever get that nesting urge and decide to start a family, I have decided to adopt a Korean kid. They are the cutest kids ever.

A Night at the Opera

Last night I went to the opera. I went with Sara, Edward, Emily, and Reagan (I'm not sure if that's how you spell her name) to see Aida at the Cairo Opera House. It was wonderful. I loved it, loved it, loved it. I was pleasantly suprised by this opera as the last one I went to there (Le Nozze de Figaro) was not up to my expectations. This opera they actually did in the original Italian. The sets were very nice. The costumes were good. And most importantly, the singing was amazing. The kind of singing where you close your eyes and you are in a different place. So it was possibly the best 35 LE I've ever spent (that's somewhere in the neighborhood of under $7). Oh, did I mention that we had third row seats in the orchestra section?
The only marginally annoying thing about going to this opera was the fact that it didn't start until 9:00 pm. Why would they do that on a Monday night? Thursday or Friday, I could understand, but Monday???!! Did they realize they were putting on a four hour opera? Do they realize that people have to wake up and function the following morning? But, all things considered, it was still totally worth it.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Odd Realization

I warn you all that this is a slightly gross comment. So if toilet talk bothers you don't read on.

I realized something odd about myself. Whenever I am in the lou and I pull off more TP than is actually necessary, I think of the book The Grapes of Wrath. You know the part when the little girl and her mom get chewed out for using more than the alotted two sheets of TP when the girl has diarrhea. It's strange how some things will just stick in your mind.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Maria McKee

I bought the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction not too long ago. So now I have a new thing for Maria McKee. I have to get some of her albums. This is the lyrics to her song on Pulp F. It's called "If love is a red dress".

My heart is empty.
Your eyes are dull.
Once we were hungry,
Now we are full.
These ties that bind us,
Can't beat these chains.
If love is shelter,
I'm gonna walk in the rain.

You were my angel.
Now, you are real.
So like a stranger,
Colder than steel.
The morning after,
You know what you bring.
If love is a red dress,
Well, hang me in rags.

Away.
There goes the fairy tale.
Lord, ain't it a shame?
In all this comfort,
I can't take the strain.

If we played even,
I'd be your queen.
But someone was cheatin'.
And it wasn't me.
I've laid it on the table,
You held something back.
If love is Aces.
Give me the Jack.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Today I was the crier

Last week was the first week of school, so naturally a few of our kids broke down and cried at one point or another. But today the tables turned.
One of my little girls, who is normally quite happy, was looking a bit blue at story time. The KG teacher was on for reading the story and, since I was free, I pulled her aside to find out what the problem was. She told me she didn't like living in Egypt and she didn't like coming to school. She said the only classes she enjoyed were Arabic and Art. So basically, every class I teach her, with the exception of the hour a week I teach art, is painful to her. So I did my best to cheer her up and let her know that I had been pleased with her school work thus far. But when she went back to story time, I sat at my desk and cried. Silly, yes. Irrational, maybe. But I felt like I was and am trying so hard to do a good job, to make the lessons interesting, to make school fun and really teach these kids well. And in one fell swoop this 6 year old lets me know that I am failing miserably. I'm telling myself that this girl is probably dealing with some other sort of issue with culture shock or at home or even with another kid at school. She has always seemed to enjoy school up until today (granted "always" includes all of 7 or 8 days), but this just appeared to pop up out of nowhere and doesn't really make sense. So hopefully it is just something else. Sigh. These things happen I guess. I'll just have to keep trying harder to make things more interesting.
Anyhow, after spending so much time with kids lately, I have become like those moms who only see their kids all day long. So when they finally get to talk with an adult they are so thrilled they don't know what to do with themselves. After work I met up with a friend for coffee and a croissant. It was like therapy, just not talking about kids, not being around kids. Truly a breath of fresh air. I love kids. They are great. They are honest and genuine. But it was so nice to have a break.

Monday, September 05, 2005

Love is in the air!

Well, I have a new boy coming into my class tomorrow. He came in briefly today to say hi to the rest of the class and look around at the school. After his appearance just before lunch, one of the girls in my class couldn't stop talking about how gorgeous he was. First I just try to control my laughter. After I get that under control, I'm thinking "You are too young for this!!!!" Then I thought "when did I get my first crush?" I am ashamed to say that my very first crush was when I was (gulp) 4 years old. My kindergarten class. His name was Dusty, Dusty Waters (weird name huh). I was the shortest girl in my class and he was the shortest boy, so I guess I just figured that we were made for each other.
I don't remember ever having crushes in first or second grade. Those were the first years of the hellish childhood years, the years where I had practically no friends and I was the butt of all classroom jokes. So I was too busy despising my peers to actually feel any sort of liking for anyone. But my first serious crush was when I was 8. I had a thing for my mom's best friend's son. His name was Benji. Our family would drive down to Florida every year to visit their family. I was a pretty intense kid I guess. I had a crush on this guy that I saw about one week every year, and I had a crush on him from the time I was 8 and for the next four years of my life! That just seems strange to me, but that was me. You know what else is strange? He had a rat tail. How could I ever find that attractive, even if it was the 80s/early 90s?

Do you remember your first crush?

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday to my niece Emma Marie Lee! She was born yesterday at 3:56 pm (EST). She was 8lbs 10oz and 20 inches long. Tommy says she has a full head of hair. I can't wait to get some pictures!

Movie Reviews

Lately I have been lazy. Well, at least I spend all my energy at work and when I get home I don't want to do anything but veg. So I veg in front of the TV. I've watched about a billion movies over the last few days and I just thought I'd let you know what I thought about some of them.

Father Goose- a classic Cary Grant film. Cute, funny, but not his best work.

Bewitched- Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman star in this movie. Ferrell is a self-centered actor who is redoing the old show Bewitched. Kidman is a frustrated witch who wants to be a normal person. Ferrell spots Kidman at a book store twitching her nose, and he persuades her to be his costar. This is a chick flick. It's cute. It's funny. But I was slightly disappointed with it and I don't know why.

Dodgeball- Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn star in this comedy. It was hoo-ha-larious. If you are in the mood for a stupid comedy of Zoolander genre, this is a great choice.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason- Renee Z., Colin F., and Hugh G. What can I say? The first one was better, but the second one had it's shining moments. This sequel seemed to be one of those that just repeated the same jokes that were hilarious in the original, but by the second time around had lost their element of suprise. But Colin Firth is gorgeous, they use one of The Darkness' songs, and did add a few new interesting twists. So on the whole I like it.

Little Black Book- Britany Murphy stars in this complete waste of time. Don't see this movie unless someone actually offers you money to do it. I want my hour and a half back!

Bride and Prejudice- this Baliwood take on Jane Austen's classic is set in modern day India. This movie had me in tears laughing the first time I saw it. I freely admit that it is a dumb movie and that most of the rest of mankind wouldn't even find it funny. But none the less, I loved it.

Friday, September 02, 2005

Joke of the Day

Do you know how they make extra virgin olive oil?



With really ugly olives

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Redo of a classic

Sara and I have written a redo of Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman"

When I'm walkin' down the streets of Maadi (wha-oo)
Your leering eyes follow me (wha-oo)
When I'm tryin' to buy somethin' from your shop (wha-oo)
You charge me too much money

Now I know my hair ain't covered
And you can see my elbows
I know you are very repressed
But you don't have a chance in hell

So you make me feel
You make me feel
Yes you make me feel like an American sluuuut (sluuuut)

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Heart Attack

This afternoon I walked home for school, took the elevator up to my apartment, and stepped out to be greeted by a bat in my stairwell. Talk about having a heart attack. My heart is still racing, my hands are still shaking.

Sunday, August 28, 2005


A photographic journal of my first day as a first grade teacher. Here I am so nervous that I was up and ready to go at 6:15 am, nevermind the fact that I don't have to be there until 8:05 am and it is about a twenty minute walk from my apartment. Posted by Picasa

My 7:00 am latte at Greco's this morning. Posted by Picasa

My empty, quiet classroom, before the kids were in this morning. Posted by Picasa

More of my classroom Posted by Picasa

My class, or at least three fourths of my class. One little girl didn't show up today.  Posted by Picasa

More of my class. Savanna, Isabel, and Daniel.  Posted by Picasa

Me feeling very satisfied and very sleepy at the end of the day Posted by Picasa

Saturday, August 27, 2005


Girlfriends are the best friends! Posted by Picasa

Sara, Esther, Katie, and myself sharing a toast to . . . to. . . to something really significant I'm sure. Posted by Picasa

Katie and Dottie Posted by Picasa

Me with my Cairo buddies Posted by Picasa

Friday, August 26, 2005

Commitment

Commitment is one of those things that I have a love/hate relationship with. Sometimes I thrive off of commitment. I love feeling like I truly believe in something or someone. I am truly dedicated to this particular whatever. However, sometimes commitment feels like a stone around my neck. Like this thing is binding me and holding me down against my will. And sometimes it is just scary. I feel like I will be committed, but whatever I'm committing myself to will eventually let me down in some way. And from that I will feel disillusioned, disappointed, and disoriented.

I find myself at a crossroad with something I have always felt deeply committed to . . . my family. In the past I guess I've had it pretty easy with my family. We have generally all gotten along well. We have always known that we love each other, support each other, and though we may disagree at times, we are always there for each other. Lately things feel a bit different. I can't explain it all. I can't understand it all. But I am committed. I couldn't give up on them, even if I really wanted to. If you think of it, pray for my family and this "transition period" or whatever it is.

Thursday, August 25, 2005

I don't understand

I don't understand how people you have known and loved and known that you were loved by them can turn around and become complete strangers to you. How does this happen? Did we not nuture our relationship enough? Did I hurt you in someway or abandon you when you needed me? I wish I had answers. I wish I could try and do something differently than I have done it . . . I just don't know what.

I don't understand how people can commit certain crimes. I can understand stealing because you are hungry and things people do when they get crazy with revenge. But I don't understand how people think when they attack a completely innocent person. The world is full of sick people.

I don't understand myself. I can be so fickle sometimes. I resolve to act or think in a certain way, but then I often lack the discipline to stick to it.

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Harry Potter

I finished! The book was definitely a page turner. But what the @#&*!!?? Dumbledore???!!!! That is so not right!!

Today at work I really got a good start on my classroom and it is starting to look really good. I am so excited about teaching. I am a big geek. My friend Pat blogged the other day about being a dork over things like comic books. I am truly a dork about my job. Sorry Pat, but I way out dork you. Being a dork about comic books or being a dork about teaching . . . I am definitely winning this contest.

Other good things going on in my life right now include spending lots of time with Esther (since the rest of the family is gone), my friend Craig being back from Canada, getting back into the swing of things here with my cell group and worship team, and getting to play music with Ed.

A Blog for Esther

Last night Esther requested that there be a new blog for her to read in the morning, so here it is.

I have nothing much to write about. Work is fine. Meetings, meetings, and more meetings all week. I finally got a chance to start setting up my classroom yesterday afternoon.

I am nearly done with Harry Potter. I wanted to finish last night, but at 2:00 am I reached that point where you keep reading the same paragraph over and over and so I had to put it down. I am ready to finish though. I can't seem to get anything else accomplished when I am home until I am done with this book.

I still have no coffee pot. Apparently it was broken over the summer. So it's wait til I get to work for coffee or instant coffee. I promise to write a more interesting blog soon. Now I am going to read Harry Potter.

Sunday, August 21, 2005

Back to School

Today is my first day back to work after the summer break. This week is just prep work with teachers and such, and then the kids are back in a week. But I'm still nervous about today, which I have no good reason to be. I just am. So anyhow, I woke up a awhile ago and went to put on a pot of coffee and, horror of horrors, I can't find the Kauffman's coffee pot!! NNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!! How can I function under these circumstances?!

Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe the added caffiene in my system wouldn't exactly help my nerves. Yeah, that's it. I'll think of it that way.

Friday, August 19, 2005

A Little Bit of Wonderful

Just thought I'd share some good news with everyone. First, Lisa had her baby. Emlyn Michelle was born Wednesday just a few hours before I left. She has had to spend a little bit of time in the ICU unit due to some complications, but is going to be fine.
Second good news is my parents want to pay off the remainder of the money that I owe to LaGrange College. This figure, in the neighborhood of $1000, has been holding me back from returning to school for teaching certification. So this is really wonderful for me.
What makes people just want to give me money? I never have money. Never. Only enough to live and that's it. But somehow something or someone just comes along and I have money. Whether it's a plane ticket, a school debt, money for recording, people just give me stuff. Wow. Maybe I'm a super hero and this is my super power. I have the power to make people give me stuff without even asking for it. Just kidding. But a big thanks to my mom and dad.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

Back to Cairo

So I'm back in Cairo now and, oddly enough, it feels more like home than Augusta did over the summer. Weird huh? I can't quite figure it. I've lived in Augusta since I was 8 years old. I'm here for six months in this culture that is completely different from everything I've known before and now it suddenly feels like home.

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Bad Crazy vs. Good Crazy

Recent events in my life have brought me in contact with some crazy people. This is no big suprise. Anyone who has met my dad knows that something is just a little bit off upstairs, but in a weird and wonderful way. My dad is the good kind of crazy. So now I'm seeing some bad kind of crazy come in close contact with my family and it is freaking me out big time. I know running away from problems doesn't solve them, but I have never been so ready to leave anywhere in my entire life. I can't handle it. And the worst of it is that this crazy calls himself a Christian. I won't go into the details, but we all know the type. The ones who says you're not a Christian if you don't speak in tongues, exorcize demons, and hear God's audible voice every moment of every day.

As I Christian, I begin to feel embarassed to call myself one for fear that people will think I am like these people. I literally have to remind myself why I call myself a Christian. My being a Christian is not because I am out to win some holier-than-thou competition. I am not a Christian because I am afraid of hell and damnation. I do not call myself a follower of Christ because it's the cool thing to do or to please my parents. I am a Christian because I believe in the cause of Christ. I see how He lived a good, holy, just, righteous, and loving life. I want that. I see how He endured the worst of humanity, yet still wanted relationship with us. I want to try to understand that. I see how He took up the case of widows and orphans. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, befriended the rejects, and even raised the dead. He gave hope to the hopeless. He gave meaning and purpose to the lives of lost. The hope that I could see some of those things happen in my life is why I follow Christ. I believe that He was God in human form and if that makes me crazy I'm ok with that. I believe that He died and then rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. So if that makes me crazy, I'm still ok with that. I'm ok with the world looking at me and saying "you are a freak" or thinking that I am stupid or gullible. I make no apologies for my faith. I am not perfect. I am not always some shining example of everything that a Christian should be. But I am a work in progress. So anyways, I am constantly reminding myself lately why I allow myself to be associated with some of these people who I feel like are nothing like me and I completely disagree with them. It's because of Christ. It's because I can never be ashamed of Him or His name. His coolness way outshines the uncoolness of all the nutso Christians that ever existed.

Monday, August 15, 2005

Goodbye Sucks

Yesterday I went to church and it was my chance to say goodbye to a good chunk of my friends at both VCC and the Downtown Vineyard. I couldn't do it. I left both churches giving a grand total of two proper goodbyes. One was Stef at VCC and the other was little Junior at Downtown Vineyard. It's just too sad. People are probably getting pissed at me thinking that I just don't care and I'm leaving them without saying so much as anything. But truth be told, I just can't handle how sad I feel when I'm saying farewell for at least 6 months to people that I love. They have no idea how much I miss them when I'm away. So if I leave any of you without saying goodbye please don't stay mad at me. I really do love you. I promise.

Changing subjects entirely. I am playing at the Mission's open mic night tomorrow. If you can make it out there, I'd love to hang out with as many of you as humanly possible on my last night in Augusta till Christmas.

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Killing Time

Nearly an hour till I have to go anywhere and I'm just killing some time. I could read or go socialize with my parents and their slightly odd friend they have staying here. But the computer called my name before I even thought about doing the other options. So here I am.

It's just a few days till I go back to Cairo. How do I feel? Maybe a better question would be what am I not feeling? I'm happy, excited, expectant, nervous, sad, relieved, overwhelmed, confused, not quite ready, and oh-so-ready all at the same time. I can tell you a few things I am ready for. I am ready for (1) using my mind in a productive way, (2) seeing Sara and Esther, (3) getting started on my recording project, (4) playing Settlers of Catan at Dom's house, and (5) cheap groceries. I can tell you a few things I am not quite ready for (and probably never will be). I'm not ready for (1) saying good-bye to all my Augusta friends and family for another 6 months, (2) missing my sister and brother each having their first child, (3) saying adios to good Mexican food for 6 months, (4) teaching first grade, and (5) making a budget and sticking to it so I can fly home for Christmas.

Friday, August 12, 2005

Muffin Conspiracy

All morning I have been attempting to make muffins for my sister's upcoming shower. Without fail, everytime I stick a muffin tray in the oven some one calls me up and wants to chat for half an hour. So I get completely distracted and burn my muffins. It is a conspiracy.

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Responsibility. . .what's that?

The family drama has come to a head in my household and I don't know how much more I can take. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say that (as usual) I get thrown in the middle and forced to play the role of mediator. Everybody thinks that I am the right person to "vent" to. A word of advice to you all: when you need to just vent about someone or a situation, go to a person removed from the situation. When family members vent to me about other family members it makes me feel responsible to try and make things right between the two of them and I can't. It's their problems, their arguements, their issues. By telling me all your feelings on these situations you are going through, it is impossible for me to stay unbiased and just be a listening ear. Please, for the love of God, leave me out of it. And hey, still even better, why don't you just talk to that person instead of everybody else?

All this drama is making me crave time away from family, though I love them dearly. Luckily, I am scheduled to go out with Angella, Kim, and John Borroughs tonight for some good, just-like-the-old-days hang out time. I am so ready for it. Tonights free drinks will be provided by 1102. Ladies get free apple martinis between 9 and 10!! Which is fabulous because I am broke beyond belief and up for drinking a bit irresponsibly tonight. So apple martinis here I come!

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

First Grade

I finally got an email for the Head of Primary School where I am working for the next year. So I am officially down for teaching first grade! That was what I was hoping for. I am so excited and completely nervous at the same time. I am in charge of these kids education for the next year. What if I do a bad job? I start to think "well, it's just one year, if I screw it up a bit then surely the kids can catch up with their peers the next year." But everything is so important when you are a kid. Every little thing that happens seems to shape you into who you are for the rest of your life. The whole thing is exciting and nerve wracking.

Monday, August 08, 2005

So I haven't blogged in over a week and I'm sorry for being so neglegent. What can I say? It has been a fairly busy, yet uneventful week. Monday I worked and went to home group. Tuesday I hung out with Lisa at the grocery store, ran errands for my mom, and went to the Metro for a cup of coffee. Wednesday I worked and then went to Will and Sarah's for dinner. Thursday I worked and went to Lisa's baby shower. Friday I got my hair trimmed, had a honey facial, and a hand/foot massage all for free! I have connections with people in important positions you know (Lisa at Persnipety and Jennifer Green at New Life Natural Foods). After that I sorted through my things in storage to see if I could find any clothes I wanted to take back to Cairo. Then I cleaned house a bit and later went out with Bee Jay and Alice to First Friday. Saturday I worked, planned for my sister's baby shower, cleaned house some more, went out to dinner for Angella's b-day, and watched a movie with my parents. We ate at TakoSushi for Angella's celebration. This resteraunt was on my list of places to go before I left Augusta again. It was great. I need to go back before I leave.

So as you can see my week was full, my week was fun, but none of it seemed blogworthy. Then Sunday came along. Sunday was blogworthy. Sunday I had plans with my friend Gary to go kayaking. I had never been kayaking, but it sounded like fun and I was excited about it. Well, as it turns out, AWOL is closed on Sundays and we couldn't get a second kayak. So we borrowed another boat from one of his friends (I think it was called a tandum). It was a two-seater boat with both passengers facing forward. I get in first while he holds the boat steady. Let me preface the next part with this: I am not very experienced with boats . . . I canoed once about a year ago and the time before that was probably when I was 8. Even considering that, I should have known better. I wasn't thinking . . . at all. I just stepped in the boat as if boats are the sturdiest, most-balanced things to step on. You know what happens next. The boat flips and I am in nasty lake Olmstead water. Way to go Dottie!!!!! And just to add insult to injury, I was about as graceful as . . . as . . . as . . . I don't know! Let's just say I wasn't displaying the least little bit of strength or grace or anything like that in getting back up on the dock. Gary had to completely drag my wet ass out of the water onto the dock. Humiliations, humiliations without end. Just talking about it, all the humiliation I felt at that moment is rushing back into my face. I only have one other story that really competes with this one for me feeling like a complete idiot and I'll save that for another blog. So anyway, after that kayaking was fun and relaxing and we had a nice time. Though, I wish the sun could stay out for more than 10 seconds at a time.

Sunday, July 31, 2005

Last night I went to a birthday party for my friend Edgar. Edgar is one of those amazing people that everyone loves. Spend five minutes with him and you know what I mean. He is so good-natured. He accepts everyone for who they are, where they are. So of course his birthday celebration brought together a good size group. A group of people who were all very happy to celebrate the birth of someone so wonderful. I think Edgar enjoyed himself and his friends very much. I was happy to see so many happy people. It's nights like last night that make you remember why you love being alive and what a weird and wonderful thing it can be to be a part of the human race. It is truly beautiful to watch the ways we express love, joy, appreciation, admiration, and gratitude.

My friend Esther has a journal entirely devoted to writing down all the things that make her smile. I thought it was a great idea, so I started one too. Here are some of my favorites I have written down (in no particular order).

1. the smell of cookies baking
2. fresh mango juice
3. watching people dance
4. big smiles
5. a clear, starry night
6. watching exotic fish
7. corny jokes
8. people laughing
9. chocolate
10. solving puzzles
11. day dreaming
12. my family
13. meeting new people
14. the way the sun feels on my hair
15. a glass of wine while listening to Over the Rhine

What makes you smile?

Friday, July 29, 2005

Pulp Fiction

I watched Pulp Fiction last night for the first time. I was nervous I wouldn't enjoy it, but I did. I see why it is a classic now.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Pencil Me In

For all you Augustans, I am playing at R.Gabriel's on Friday night from 8-10pm. Pencil it in your schedule if you can. I'd love it if any of you can make it.

Nashville was fun. Mary and I stayed at a small hostel. We met two young, fanatical, Bilble beating girls from PA. We met a Scotsman who was so polite that when he got ditched by the two Bible beaters, only to be stuck at Starbucks with a pastor he just met who was trying to convert him for 5 hours, he just sat there and listened to the man and prayed that if there was a God he would make it all end. We met an Australian who was exactly what you would imagine an Australian to be, fun-loving, good-natured, but not loud or over-bearing, just laid back. Australians are great. And there was Gina. She runs the hostel and was really great. If anyone is interested in a good place to stay just outside of Nashville, I reccommend River Retreat Hostel. It's cheap, it's clean, and it's a hell of a lot more interesting than a boring old hotel. Anyway, Mary and I did the zoo and an art museum/botanical garden. We had some good sister bonding time. I'm glad I got to come home this summer.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

ROAD TRIP!!!!!!

My little sister and I are hitting the road tomorrow for Nashville, Tennessee! I'm glad. It'll be good to spend some time with Mary without her boyfriend, work, and life in general to hassle us.

Friday, July 22, 2005

Funny Movie

I watched The Wedding Crashers last night. It was a good funny movie with lots of unique and interesting characters. My favorites were the classic sweet little foul-mouthed granny, the misunderstood gay artist, and Will Ferrell's character. The movie is worth seeing for sure.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Wanted Dead or Alive

It seems that I have become a fugitive of the law. While I was away, I was called to jury duty. I never responded, because I obviously didn't get the letters. So I get a notice in the mail today informing me that I must show up in court on August 4th or there will be a warrant for my arrest. Lovely.

In other news, my car broke down this week as well. It's all fixed now, but geez. I'm in town for one week and it falls apart on me. Markus (a guy I work with) and I decided that my car was mad at me for abandoning it and now it's payback time. It's possible.

The week hasn't been a total loss though. I've spent alot of time with my older sis. I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I finished rearranging/cleaning the kitchen, living room, dining room, and front hall of my parents' house. And tonight I ran into a friend I didn't really expect to run into while I was here for the month. We sat and talked and had dinner at the Bees Knees. It was one of those nights where you felt a bit like you were starring in a movie. Does that make sense? It was just such an unexpected pleasant suprise that it didn't even feel like it was my life. But silly me, I should know by now that life has tons of little suprises for everyone everyday, and that includes me.

Friday, July 15, 2005

Break Ups and Wake Ups

I have a close friend who has just broken up with her boyfriend. For the year-and-a-half they have been together, it has been this constant on-again-off-again game. My evalutation of the situation is that she is of a codependent nature and he is of a manipulative nature. She feels worthless if there is no one out there desperately needing her at every moment. She feels helpless to make decisions for herself and then has trouble taking responsibility for the decisions she does make. He wants someone to take care of him. And we are talking take care of him as if he were a five year old boy. He requires her to be his alarm clock, his driver, his ATM, and the list goes on.
She keeps trying to break up with him, knowing that the relationship is unhealthy and is not something she can live with or would want to live with. But he keeps hanging things over her head and making her feel guilty for dumping him.
I want to encourage her that she is doing the right thing. I want to be there to help her stand by her decision, because I know that he will keep trying to talk her out of it. But ultimately, the decision is hers. She has to believe in herself and in her decision. I can't do it for her and my god that is so hard sometimes. You sit on the side and watch someone you love do something incredibly stupid and you can't do anything. You talk to them, give advice, offer a shoulder to cry on, etc. But at the end of the day, it is on their shoulders to carry it all out.
On a side note, it reminds me to be grateful for my situation. It is easy for a single person to get depressed about the fact that they haven't had a significant other in (gulp) 8 years. And I think there is a rule out there that negates any high school boyfriends from counting after you have graduated college. So that would leave me at having zero significant others. Anyways, society would lead us to believe that my life is in someway lacking because of this. I try to keep it in perspective, but it's hard sometimes. I hate to say that my friend's pain somehow encourages me, but in a way it does (that is probably really bad). It reminds me that relationships aren't all fun and flowers. They can be damaging and unhealthy. And eventually all relationships, even the healthy ones, are just gonna be hard. I guess I don't mind the hard part, I'm not one to turn down a challenge. Well, I could go on forever, but all this to say that I am really glad to be single sometimes (most of the time). If a good guy came along and was interested, who knows. But in the mean time, happiness is not found in waiting by the phone for someone to call. Happiness is in getting to know my other significant others, like friends and family, even better.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Update

Furniture status: Cabinets still in original spot, Entertainment center successfully moved out of Mary's room, down the hall and is currently stuck in the stairway. Poor planning on my part I think. Now I am battling with gravity to angle the beast in such a way that it will slide into the hall way or the kitchen, but not the wall. Wish me luck.

Overwhelmed and Procrastinating

I'm doing some spring cleaning at my parents' house. I'm the only one working on it, so it is completely overwhelming. Taking things of shelves, dusting, rearranging, throwing things out, organizing, scrubbing, sweeping, de-cat-hairing EVERYTHING, and the list goes on. The worst is the rearranging. I love rearranging, but what I want to do is move these extraordinairly large cabinets and an entertainment center. I can't do it on my own. Simple solution: get my brother-in-law or my little sister's boyfriend to come and help (my dad has knee problems and I don't want him to get hurt). I have trouble asking people to help me though. I don't know why. Maybe I'm afraid of inconveniencing others or maybe I don't like to admit that sometimes I can't do everything on my own. At anyrate, I mention my rearranging plans to my sister Julie. And hook-line-and-sinker she voluteers Jim to help. Then she says something that she should have known better than to say. She says "But we'll have to do it when Dad is home to help Jim, because that cabinet is too big for Jim to move on his own." I told her I intended on helping Jim, and that Dad didn't need to put that strain on his knees. She looks at me like I'm crazy and then remembers who she is talking to and that yes I am crazy, but I am also fully capable of helping move cabinets. So my pride is a bit hurt, but I get over it. Then Jim comes to my house for lunch and Julie mentions it to him. His response "I can't move that by myself. Who is gonna help me?" My pride can't take it any more. I tell him to forget about it and that I was gonna get Brian to help me so he didn't have to worry about it. So then I decide I will prove to myself and the world that I am not a wilting flower and I can move it all myself, all by myself. The results: Cabinet not moved a single solitary centimeter, entertainment center moved 6 inches in the wrong direction. Fabulous.
So now I am procrastinating on all the moving, cleaning, organizing, and everything because I am too discouraged to currently go on. Sigh.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

6 month Time Warp

I've been away from home for 6 months. During that time I kept in touch with family and a few friends through emails and blogs. So I had a vague idea of how everybody was doing and all the exciting things that were going on in good old Augusta. But for some reason in my mind, over the last six months I had changed drastically and they all stayed the same. So even though I knew certain people had gotten married, some had bought new houses, others were pregnant, there were a few new babies, a few growing babies, new occupations, etc., it felt as if I was thrown into a time warp. It is really weird and a bit uncomfortable for me. I can't really explain it.

I met up with one of my best friends last night for a drink at this place called Room 9. That made me feel like I was at home again. We sat and talked and caught up on all the happenings and mishappenings of our lives over the last little while. I had never been to Room 9 before and I must say that it is quite a unique little place. You walk in the door and you feel like you are living something like Alice and Wonderland or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There is a long red hallway and you can scarcely see the end of it. The hall is decorated sparsely with just the odd bit of furniture (a chair, a lamp, etc.). You can't see speakers and the Alfred Hitchcock music seems to be coming from nowhere. So you get to the end of the hallway and you find a nice little place with drinks that are deeeeeelicious. I had something called the Seven Year Itch and Angella got one called the Swedish Massage. They were so good that when round two came I got her drink and she got mine. Anyway, for all you Augustans, I reccommend this place. Now I will warn you that it might not be a guy's idea of a good place to go and chill out. Their prices are probably not the cheapest in town and there are no TVs with sporting events showing. But go check it out sometime.

In other news, I am cheating on my cell group while I'm in the states. I am having a summer fling with a home group here. I hope my cell group understands, but I have needs damn it!!

Saturday, July 09, 2005

My Excuse

Ok, I haven't been slack and just too lazy to post anything for the past few days. I actually have had to stop myself from writing. I have been dying to write and tell everyone about my recent travels, but the thing is that I wanted to tell you guys about all my recent and not-so-recent travels in person because... I'M HOME!!!! I've seen some of you already, and most of you I will have seen by tomorrow night. I've been keeping it a secret for about a month now, so I could give everybody a suprise. I've tried my best not to write it on my blog until I saw nearly everyone, but I can hold it in no longer. So anyhow, I'll see most of you either at VCC or at Downtown Vineyard tomorrow. It's good to be back.

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Unexciting Life

I'm bored. Not even one week into summer and I'm bored. Not a good sign. My lack of a life is so terrible that I am actually going to blog about a tv show I've been watching. Mark this day on your calendars because it will probably never happen again.
A while ago, one of Sara's friends sent her a couple of seasons of Felicity. Out of boredom I have watched some of them this week. In general the show (like most tv shows) drives me nuts. Felicity, obviously the main character, makes the stupidest decisions. And you are sitting there thinking are there really people this dumb out there walking around diguised as normal and maybe even intelligent individuals. All that to say that I thoroughly enjoyed one episode in particular. Felicity gets a stalker, which is ironic because at the beginning of the season she was a stalker. So this guy shows up from out of nowhere who had a crush on her when they were 12. He openly admits to anyone, including Felicity's boyfriend, that he came to get a kiss from her. She tries telling him it's not good timing because she is involved with someone. He persists. She ignores his phone calls. He persists and shows up at her work and at her classes. He pleads for her to meet with him and finally, not knowing what else to do, she agrees. So they go out for dinner and he tries to persuade her that she has become someone that she never wanted to be and if she were with him, blah, blah, blah. She gives him a final no way buddy as they are on their way out of the diner. He starts to walk away, but turns around while still walking away and says "Ok, I admit I lost this battle, but I am in no way out of the picture." And at that moment he gets hit by a bus. It has been a long time since I have laughed so hard from a tv show. That's one way to get rid of a stalker I guess.