Blue Moon

So, for the past two mornings, I have left my house at 6:45 to walk to work. And as I head toward work, I see this beautiful round globe in the sky. Yesterday I thought, "Well, it must be cloudy, because the sun isn't scorching my eyes as I look straight at it." Then it occurred to me: I was not looking at the sun, I was looking at the moon. This morning too (only I knew better than to even think it was the sun at any point). So, literally, if the sun ain't shining... What am I doing out of bed!! Not only is the sun NOT shining, the MOON still is! Oh well... I guess that's "welcome to the adult world." I can remember a time when I thought being a grown-up would be so liberating. Of course, I thought about things like rent and food. But you know, it never crossed my mind that you have to worry about electricity and pay for water (what?!?) and health insurance!! I vote for a return to childhood :). Nah, I'm kidding. Sometimes it sounds good, (like looking forward to summer vacations and NO BILLS!). But I know I have gained so much experience and learned so much throughout my life. And there's so much more to experience and to learn. But when I see the moon in the sky in the morning, I definitely have those feelings of wishing I was 4 or 5 and could still be in bed. However, the irony is that a lot of 4 and 5 year-olds wake up early naturally. I've always wondered about the irony of that. Like, kids HATE to take naps. But then, fast-forward 10 years (and every year after that :)) and we WISH we could!! Okay, so I wish I could :). Funny how time changes a perspective :). Okay, so these were random musings. Nothing too exciting. Hope everyone has a good Friday and a good weekend.

A-Weighing We Will Go

Okay, so let's see where I can start. I'll start with yesterday afternoon. So, trying to meet my "Strive For Five" goals of 5 fruits/veggies each day, I was sitting at my desk eating canned peaches. Okay, I know fresh is always better. But I don't have any more fresh fruits at home, so I bought some canned fruits to supplement. I would love to have the moolah necessary to go out and buy more fresh fruits. However, I live within a very strict budget, so I do not go to the grocery store very often. So, canned fruit it is... So I'm sitting here with a book in my lap for which I'm creating a bibliographic record. My desk is L-shaped, and my peaches are sitting on the "long part" of the L (the vertical line) and I'm facing the "short" leg of the L (the horizontal line). So, I don't want to pick up the bowl of peaches, because I don't want to drip any syrup on the book. So I twist my body and pick up the spoon and manage to get a peach onto the spoon. I'm slowly bringing it to my mouth, thinking, "Okay peach, don't fall, don't fall..." Not that the peach listened. Splat. Right on the floor. And just about that time, the telephone guy came into my cube to finish fixing my phone. Yay. So, I sheepishly make some comment about eating peaches and dropping one on the floor, and I have to pick the peach up with my bare hands (sticky) because he has to get onto the floor to get under the desk to get whatever gadget he'd left plugged into the phone socket. Great stuff. Moral of this story: put the book down and out of the way and pick up the bowl of peaches to eat them.


Brad called me on his way home from work to tell me that I "have not yet reached the age of reason." Then he laughed. Okay, story: back in 1993, Brad and I had to get our passports renewed. Strange to think of, now that I haven't had a current passport in almost 10 years. But while we lived overseas, we had to keep them current. Well, Brad and I had to go down to the U.S. Embassy in Panama City to get this done. I was 12 and Brad was 11. So the guy calls both of us over, and then one at a time, informs us (in his most solemn voice, I might add) that we have not yet reached the age of reason. He actually told us each that individually, but he told me first and Brad was standing right there. Brad, being younger than I am, obviously hadn't reached the coveted "age of reason" if I hadn't, but for whatever reason, he felt the need to break Brad's heart as well and tell him that he, too, had "not yet reached the age of reason." Basically, all that meant was that my mom had to sign our names on the passports, we couldn't. Whatever. I can tell you, we were totally crushed. We laughed the whole way home because "we had not yet reached the age of reason." Who says that? Just say, "Hey kids... You're not old enough to sign your own passports, so your mom's going to have to do it for you." But then, we wouldn't have that story to make us laugh 14 years later if he did it that way...


Twinkies... Okay, did you know that they once made Strawberry Twinkies? They did. Years ago. Obviously they went over like a lead balloon, but that is beside the point. Well, back when Brad was around 8 or 9, he had some friends spend the night for his birthday. My mom had bought both types of twinkies (original and strawberry). Well, this was indeed a treat, because my dad didn't like that kind of junk food. So, you never found potato chips or twinkies or any other bad-for-you (but oh SO GOOD) food in our pantry. At least, not the ones packed full of preservatives. They say the only food that could survive a nuclear explosion are twinkies. So, the preservative thing is probably true 100-fold for twinkies. Anyway, so my mom had bought these for this rare and special occasion. So we were totally psyched (how's that for an 80s word?). We decided to save the strawberry ones for very late at night (because, at spend-the-night parties, we HAVE to stay up late). Well, it got to the time when it was "late enough" to eat the twinkies. One of the party guests (Kristian) had fallen asleep. But we knew he was just as excited about the twinkies as we were, so we just knew he wouldn't want to miss it. So we woke him up and asked him if he was ready to eat his twinkie. He cried. I don't know why, but he cried. So, I had remembered that story last Wednesday night, because my group took twinkies for our class presentation (another long story that I will spare you). I just kept forgetting to tell the story to Brad. But when I finally remembered it last night, I called him and told him. Yep, he'd forgotten, and so it gave him a good laugh. Brad's response is always the same when I remind him of something like this. He says, "Oh yeah.." And then I can hear his "Brad-laugh" immediately.


Twinkie side-note: did you know that in the South, you can fry anything? They even fry twinkies here. I've never had one, but people say they are delicious.

Oh yeah, and my team weighed in today. We lost 9 pounds as a team (I lost 2 of them, so at least there's that) and so now we are actually .4 pounds lighter than we were when we first weighed 2 weeks ago. Hopefully this will continue... Especially me losing weight.

Thank-you Brad

I seriously wrack my brain for anything interesting that happens in my day-to-day life. I am sorry to say that I always come up empty-handed. Which is why I usually post something from my past. I will not, however, force you to endure that today. I can't promise that I won't torture you with more stories later, but for today, I will give you a break.

Just to give you an overview of how my boring life usually goes: I wake up early. Well, it's early to me; too early. My alarm starts sounding at 6, but I have been making good friends with the snooze button lately and can't seem to get out of bed before 6:30. The really sad part is that I don't even remember hitting the snooze button half of the time. I get to work, get to my desk, and do work. Yay. If it's Wednesday, I usually have class from 9-11:45 in the morning, but today I don't (about which I am so glad). And if it's Monday or Wednesday, I will be here until 9 p.m. because I have night classes on those nights. And lately, I haven't managed to get to sleep before midnight. So I do not feel chipper the next morning. And that's pretty much my day. I told you, I have a very boring life.

Last night I had Institute. We are studying the Old Testament. I learn a lot in Institute. The teacher is very well-read and very intelligent and he can really make things come to life. I never get home from Institute before 9:45, but it is so worth it. Well, last night, my phone started ringing in the middle of class. I had it on vibrate, though, so it wasn't disruptive. Last week, my dad called me during class, twice. Which had me worried, because he never calls twice in a row. So I actually got up to answer it the second time. But on Tuesday night, Institute is packed (we usually have around 20 people in a very small space), so I had to go use the restroom to talk to my dad because it would have been very hard to get around everyone to go outside. Anyway, to make a long story short, my dad was calling to tell me that PBS had some mariachis (Mexican musicians) on and he wanted me to see it. I was just relieved it wasn't anything bad!

Anyway, so my phone rang again last night, but I didn't feel like trying to see who it was calling me. So when I got out of class, I looked. It had been Brad. So I called him back. He called to tell me that Tarylyn liked my title Murders on My Street and said that it sounded R.L. Stine-ish. Which is great, because that's exactly what I was going for at the time. I mean, that's what I was reading back in 5th grade (to my mother's ignorance... she didn't want me to read them, but I borrowed them from my friends... I was a rebel, and I'm not particularly proud of myself now for going against my mom's wishes). So, my title was fitting as far as that is concerned. So I said to Brad, "See, my title wasn't so stupid after all." And he said, "Well, you're right, it wasn't as bad as your other title: Last Chance for Survival." And then he started laughing. Not even I had remembered that title. But he's right. That was another one of the titles I'd created, and of which he'd made fun. So then he starts telling me the story line I'd planned for that book, and he was asking me if he was right about what he remembered. I said, "How do you even remember this? I didn't remember the title, much less the storyline!" But I committed to writing the title in this blog (as well as in my journal last night) so that I never forget again. So, thanks Brad, for reminding me about yet another of my goofy titles. Hey, I was 11. What do you expect?

And now I'm at work for another day. See, I told you my life is BORING. I bet you're wishing now that I would just go back to writing about past funny stories :).

Saria's lost teeth

I know I posted earlier, but I just got these pictures. And I want to post them so my dad can see them when he looks at this next time...

Oh, my babies are growing up... It's so sad :(. Saria is now 6 and she has lost 2 teeth to date. Brad said the tooth-fairy left her a dollar for each tooth, but she left the money in dimes. So, after losing the first tooth and getting her money, Saria told Brad (when he asked her) that she got ten monies. Too cute. So here she is in all her toothless glory:

And to even it out, here are recent pictures of Samuel (he looks SO big!!) and Benjamin (he looks a lot more like Samuel than he ever has before!). Benjamin sure looks happy :).

Now if I could just get Christina to send me a recent picture of Desiree... And Ben and Michelle should send me a picture of Sean, Tony, and Royce, too. Then I'd have everyone posted!

Sam's picture is so big, because for some reason, it is not clickable, but the other two are... It's a mystery...

Graphic Novels

Okay, I must do my duty as a librarian, but more importantly, as an educated member of society, an English major, and someone who literally sees the dumbing-down of society in action. Realize that these are my opinions. Nonetheless, I feel very strongly about this topic.

What is a graphic novel? Well, at first I thought it was a new title we in the library field were giving to things like Harlequin romance books; you know, books with lots and lots of explicit (and therefore graphic) material. However, that is not what a graphic novel is. A graphic novel is basically a glorified comic book. How that qualifies as a novel is beyond me. Now, I have never had a problem with comics or comic books. However, I feel there is a time and place for comic books and I do NOT think they should be considered to be on equal ground as novels such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Where the Red Fern Grows, or even something like Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

I am a firm believer that reading increases one's vocabulary. We learn new words using context clues to figure out their meanings, we learn what words LOOK like (i.e. how to spell them). I'm sitting here trying to think of an example in my life, because I know I have several (an example in which I learned a new word because I saw it while reading a book). I cannot come up with one, though, although it would be neat if anyone who can think of one would include the word in a comment to this blog (and what the word means, and which book you happened to be reading when you learned it, if you remember). Obviously, I'm not really expecting anyone to remember specifics, since I can't do it myself. But suffice it to say that I do know it has happened to me. I have learned new words by reading.

So, comic books/graphic novels (from now on, just assume I have grouped these two genres together) are reading, you say? Okay, I'll grant you that. But the very idea behind a comic book is that the story is mostly told through the pictures and the only actual READING being done is by reading the dialogue. Which, you have to admit, could be ignored and the reader would still get the gist of the storyline, right? Now, a comic book might be helpful in teaching onomatopoeia (when the written word mimics the sound one would hear, like BAM! BOOM! SMASH!). But because real descriptive words that cause the reader to picture the scenario in his or her mind are not necessary (there's already a picture to do that for you), no new words are really learned. For example, a cartoonist could draw a picture of a kid smelling freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies with the caption "smells good." But without that picture, a novelist would have to describe the chocolate chip cookies and the aroma that would fill the room. The character could still say something as inane as "smells good," but the reader has just been exposed to an entire paragraph of words describing something the author was picturing for that scene. And I'll tell you, "smells good" alone would not cut it, because the reader would have to ask, "WHAT smells good?" Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, but is it really worth the limiting of our colorful and extensive vocabularies?

Because of my professional field, I know that graphic novels are becoming more and more prevalent and they are starting to win coveted awards (like Newbery, etc). And what this means is that these award-winning books, like the others before them, will go on "required reading" lists in classrooms. And I do not agree with that. Am I saying graphic novels should be burned and discarded?? NO! I'm a librarian. I don't believe in burning books :). But like I said before, they have their time and their place. They should be for entertainment only and should not be regarded as great literature in any sense of the word. Think about it: You're in 8th grade, and you have a book report due and you have to pick one of the books on a supplied list of books. Several of them are graphic novels (and I'm telling you from experience that it takes about 1 hour to get through a 600+ page graphic novel, because there's really no thought involved there). The rest on the list are 150 to 200 page novels. What are you going to pick? Well, I'll tell you that when I had to read 30 Young Adult books for my class in the spring, and when it got down to crunch time and I needed to finish the 30 books, I went and found about 5 graphic novels. Why? Because it was easy, and because it was quick. I was running out of time. And an 8th-grader will do that too. Because it's easy and he doesn't have to think too much about it.

I have done my share of reading. I have read some really crazy stuff for my undergraduate degree (like Buried Child), I've read some stuff I hated (like The Oxbow Incident in 11th grade), I've read stuff that depresses me (like Death of a Salesman), I've read stuff that makes me laugh (like Home to Harmony), I've read stuff that makes me think (like The Giver and 1984), and I've read tons and tons of classics that I just wanted to read because they are on the "classics" list (like Wuthering Heights). Have I liked them all? NO. Have I been glad that I read them? YES. Have I expanded my knowledge by so doing? YES. There is value in books. Value that goes beyond entertainment. And yes, I think comic books, and graphic novels, are legitimately enteraining. I do not think they should ever be considered in place of a traditional novel. And so, therefore, I think they should not call them graphic novels, but instead maybe they should be called "Book-length comic books."

And P.S. Please read to your children. Let them see YOU read. This is the way they will develop a love of reading. Oh, and reading aloud helps them HEAR new words and how they are pronounced... So, books educate people all the way around!!!

Ah... let me step off my soapbox now...

And sorry for writing a mini-novel here. I didn't mean to get this involved in this topic. Can you tell I feel strongly???

Bradymus

I have the greatest "little" brother. Yes, to this day there are moments when he drives me up the wall. But he and I have an awesome relationship. He just finished calling me because he drove an hour to work, only to find out they aren't dealing with the barge until tomorrow. No worries... he still gets paid. But he just decided to call and harass me (his words). So, I told him about my journal-reading weekend. He laughed at me. But what can I expect from him? He is, after all, the laughing-kid that I told you about in the slapping story. So I have included a few pictures of Brad and me through the years. He and I are only 13 months apart in age, so we grew up very close. Brad is the one who will call me out of the clear blue just because he remembers some hilarious thing from our childhood that he knows will make me laugh. While he was in the Air Force, he even called me from Turkey to do this. And when he was in Germany with the Reserves about a month or so ago, he did the same thing. So let me tell you a few stories about Brad... (I guess I should apologize for all these "remember when..." stories. I have just been in a big reminiscing mood lately).
Okay, when I was in 5th grade, I wanted to write a story. So, I started one. I was going to write a suspense-filled story. So I titled it Murders on My Street. I didn't get very far with the story line, because when I told Brad about it, he laughed at me and told me that that is the dumbest title he'd ever heard. So, the other night (Friday), I told my dad about this. And then I thought, "You know, I need to call Brad and remind him about that story title" and so I did. He answered the phone and I said, "Brad, I'm going to write a book called Murders on My Street." He sarcastically replied, "Yeah, and I bet it's going to be a best-seller too." And then he started laughing. What a dork.
When The Lion King was huge, Christina had a bunch of the "jungle friends" toys. One night, the three of us (Brad, Christina, and I) were in my and Christina's room. Brad picks up one of the toys and looks at the bottom of it. He says, "Hey Hila, did you know they gave these animals names?" And I said, "No." And he said, "Yeah, this one's name is Hip Pop Atamus (pronounced a-thomas)." I said, "Nuh-uh. Let me see that." Well, that's what it said on the bottom of the toy, so I was like, "huh. how about that, they sure did." Okay, it only took me about 30 seconds to figure it out. I said, "Wait a minute, give me that." I turned it over and studied it again. I looked at Brad and said, "You dummy. That says hippopotamus." Funny how, when you look at a word with a specific pronunciation in mind, you see it that way. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it. Ah, the stories are endless, and I will have to save some for another day. I hope you won't mind :). I really love my family. I love to tell stories with them (and about them, if you can't tell). So, here are the pictures of Brad and me over the years.... How cute of kids were we??? Oh, and I'll have another one to add tomorrow morning. One from when I was in WA in March.

Looking Back...

Every once in a while, I get a desire to look at my old journals. And this past weekend, I felt that itch. So, I read most of my oldest journal which spans from August 1991 (when I was 10) to some time in early 1996 (when I was 15). I only wrote in it sporadically, which is why that same journal lasted me so long. Well, towards the end of it, I started writing a lot more frequently, and by the time I hit 10th grade, I was writing in a journal every day. It is interesting to see how my handwriting changed. It is interesting to see how my grasp of the English language (and spelling) improved over time (this is how I spelled Chinese in 5th grade: chinease). It is sometimes absolutely hilarious to see some of what I wrote back then. Of course, it is also sometimes cringe-inducing to see what I wrote. A few examples:

Funny
Apparently there was a time in my life when I was absolutely boy-crazy. And it lasted quite a while. I would read journal entries where I was soooo "in love" with a boy named Derek. I could not imagine a day when I wouldn't feel that way. (I literally wrote that I figured I would "always love him"). Then my next journal entry would be the following week and I'd say, "I don't love Derek anymore." And I'd be just OVER THE MOON over a new guy, like Jack. Hahaha. In some ways (like this) life was simpler then. Okay, then I get to 7th-grade and am "in love" with a guy (I should probably say kid, being as I was much younger then) named Cody from church. And passing him in the hallway at school was like the epitome of a good day for me. So there is one journal entry I wrote in January 1994 (I was 13) that I say, "I passed Cody in the hall today and I said, 'Hi Cody' and he said, 'Hi Hila.' It was a moment worth saving." Oh man, I'm cracking up now. What constituted that being a "moment worth saving" is so beyond me, it's not even funny. I actually told my dad about that one (when I was talking to him on Friday night), and he laughed and laughed and laughed (because I was cracking up too).

Sad
Okay, one thing that does happen when I read back is that I can remember that there were things that really did hurt my feelings. And even though most of what I wrote back then makes me laugh now at how corny it was, there are things that I still know hurt me very much. I had huge self-esteem issues and always felt fat and ugly.

Cringe-Inducing
There are a lot of these. Some of them I don't really remember, but I wrote them down, so I know they happened. One example is my rebellious years of 9th grade. That's when I turned into a brat with an attitude problem. My poor parents. The best example I have from what I read this weekend was one that happened in January of 1996. January 24th, to be exact. I don't know what all happened, but basically, I wanted to go to the swimming pool after school, but I didn't want to go alone. Well, after Christina's "stupid" dance class, she decided to take two of her "stupid friends home" so she wasn't going to go to the pool with me. Brad was being his "gay self" and wouldn't go to the pool either. Mom had a retirement party to go to, so she wasn't going to go swimming either. So I was mad, and so we went to my dad's office for a family discussion (probably about my attitude). Well, we had one of our "stupid fights" (probably instigated by me) and my dad said, "Well, if you hate this family so much, why don't you just get up and leave." So I did, and my mom got worried about me, so she came out to find me. But I hid so she couldn't see me and she got in the car and started trying to find me. She finally saw me and pulled up to me. I opened the van and got out my backpack and swimming stuff. My mom said, "Where are you going?" And I said, "I don't know." And my mom said, "Well, how are you going to get home?" And I said, "I don't know. Maybe I won't even come home." So, my mom was upset, but she left. Then my dad came and "started asking me more stupid questions." Finally he left. I ended up at the swimming pool, and eventually Christina came to swim with me... And life went on (as evidenced by the fact that a nearly 27-year old Hila was reading that entry on Friday and just wanted to die at how awful she was to her parents.) Seriously... I added the dialog in quotes (all the "stupids") because that's what it said in my journal. And just to give you an idea of my bad attitude. I feel so bad that I acted that way. And the really heart-wrenching part is that both of my parents displayed so much love and concern for me (my mom worrying about me and trying to find me; my dad coming to the pool to try to talk it out with me by asking questions) and all I selfishly could think of was how much I hated my family. I didn't really hate them. But I sure acted horribly toward them. And now I regret it so much. So, for any of you who thought I was a complete angel, now you know the truth ;). The amazing thing, though, is that my parents love me. Unconditionally. I know they have forgotten this incident and I know they loved me then and I know they love me now. What a blessing to know what unconditional love is; what a blessing to have parents who taught me that.

Well, I hope you guys don't think I'm a totally awful person now that I shared that story. I feel like one :(...

Oh, by the way, I found what I wrote the first day of my 11th grade year. I think it is hilarious, because I still feel that way (only now, I don't have summer vacations to alleviate the pain :)): "There's nothing like the sheer torture of forcing your exhausted body out of bed when it knows it isn't facing anything exciting. My parents woke me up at 5:30, but my philosophy is 'if the sun ain't shining, then why should I?' So I went back to sleep for 15 more minutes and then finally drug myself out of bed at 5:45. I rode the bus this morning for the first time in two years. Not that I was thrilled for the opportunity or anything." That's all I wrote that day. I just chuckled, though, because it sounds like me :).

M.A.S.H.
Oh yeah!! I also found, tucked into one of my journals, a time when Christina and I played the M.A.S.H. game. You know, Mansion Apartment Shack House. According to that particular game of M.A.S.H., I should be married to Eric (who wore a black tux to our wedding while I wore a perriwinkle (what was I thinking???) gown). We should be living the high life in our mansion in Nebraska with our three kids, while I am making the big bucks as a teacher and driving a Dodge van. Hmmm. How close to reality did this get?

Well, again, I hope you guys don't think less of me now. I know we all go through a rebellious stage, but I sure wish I hadn't!!! I wonder if you could have convinced me then that in 12 years, I would love my family so much that I would be hoping to move close to them after graduate school!?!

Oh, and I guess they had a sewage problem at the library over the weekend. Apparently raw sewage overflowed and soaked the carpet and furniture (GROSS). They had police officers being "gate-keepers" and only letting those of us who work here come in. I overheard this after I got to my desk, and also overheard that they aren't letting students in. So, we who work here have the exclusive privelege of entering the raw-sewage building... "not that I [am] thrilled for the opportunity or anything." :) :).

Walking Down Memory Lane

As usual, I don't have any interesting stories to divulge. And yet, I feel compelled to write in my blog. I like to share stories, even if I have to reach way back into my past to find some good ones :). I have had several people (aunts, cousins, friends) tell me that they keep up with my blog and enjoy reading it. So, I do this for them :). For me as well... I love remembering, and generally, when I'm telling a really good story, I can't help but sit here and smile (and sometimes I even let out a chuckle if I can't help it). It's a good way to start the day. So, since the only thing I have done since yesterday that was different is go to a Visiting Teaching Conference at church last night, followed by a quick trip to Winn-Dixie to take advantages of the good deals they had there (this is how I shop... I look at the ads, and have gotten good at knowing what a GREAT deal is... like last night I got 2 16-oz. packages of Oscar Meyer turkey bologna for $2.00), I will tell you a story from the past. Oh, then I got home and watched CSI, which I had recorded while I was at the conference. Because I missed the series finale at the end of last season (I had class), and CBS has been re-playing those in order to get people geared up for this upcoming season (which starts next Thursday). So, I had to watch it, since I knew it was last season's season finale... Love CSI. Okay, sorry, but you KNOW I get off on tangents easily!!

Okay, so, the slapping story.... This, for some reason is a classic in my family. I once told it to one of my cousins while we were out walking around her college campus. Well, she was already in desperate need of using the facilities before I told her the story, and because she was laughing so hard when I finished, we had to literally stop walking so she could cross her legs and bend over to keep from having an accident. Some people don't find the story as amusing as I do, but I think if you know me and all my siblings, you will get a huge kick out of this. DISCLAIMER: we were not violent children. We were just normal kids. Ask anyone who has siblings that are roughly close to their age.

Okay, so, the slapping story... many years ago, when we still lived in Panama and I was about 9 and Brad would have been 8, Christina would have been 5, we had a bed-time. (Of course). But, we couldn't sleep. My dad would be downstairs watching TV and laughing and we could hear him. So, we would conspire to sneak downstairs to see what he was watching. Okay, picture included is our banister so you can understand the layout. Now, the TV was on the left (you can't see it) and my dad would be sitting a ways away on the right. So, we would sneak down the stairs to the portion of the stairs that was still hidden by the wall, and then we'd peek around the wall where the banister starts. But we would be giggling the whole time, so my dad knew we were there. So he would come charging to the stairs and pretend to be a monster and roar at as us and chase us back up the stairs with us screaming and laughing the whole way. That's actually a great memory of my dad... But anyway... So, my brilliant idea was that, if we wouldn't laugh, Dad wouldn't know we were there. (Perhaps Brad and Christina have since learned not to let me come up with the ideas...). Well, the problem was: how do we stop the laughing. So, I pulled Brad in front of me, stood him facing me, and said (as I looked seriously into his eyes), "Are all the laughs out of you?" And Brad says (just as seriously), "Yes." Now, as a kid, Brad was probably the one of us that was most prone to laughing and giggling. He was just a laughing-kid. So, the fact that he pulled off answering me without a laugh is, in and of itself, impressive. Okay, so Brad has answered: yes. So, that's really not enough for me. I need proof, because I know my brother. So, I haul off and slap him on the face. (Probably not super-hard, but hard enough to make a slapping sound). Well, that does it, Brad cracks up. So, this is proof that all the laughs are NOT out of him, and we have to repeat the procedure. And we do, until Brad doesn't laugh (or at least is able to control his laughing) after being slapped. So, once he succeeds in doing that, it's Christina's turn. And yes, she let me, too. And that's probably the part that gets most people: that Brad and Christina stood there and took it. By the way, in case you are wondering, as the oldest (and therefore, the wisest), I was not in need of slapping, as I was perfectly capable of holding in my laughter. I don't know if the plan worked, but that's not the real story anyway. The real story was the opportunity I had to literally slap my brother and sister around.... and get away with it. ah... Good times. And this is a story that we all still laugh about to this day.

Well, I am sitting at my desk laughing, so I hope you are too. And I hope the picture of our banister in our house helps you picture at least part of the story. And I don't just happen to have random pictures that seem to magically fit my story. That was a picture I scanned into my computer when I worked at Troy University in Dothan so that I could use it for something to do with a story about a Panamanian Christmas. So, that said, I added the other picture I have of Christmas in Panama. This one is of Christina when she got Bravestarr for Christmas (she loved that doll). For all I know, this was the same year the slapping took place...

Sink or Swim

I feel like I am sinking. I keep finishing projects for school, but then get another one assigned. Or time seems to be running out on the next one due. Who knew one extra graduate class would make me stress out so much over classes? Okay, so I admit I'm a lousy student. I am not a fan of giving up my personal time to do school work. But that is not looking like an option. Either way, it's stressing me out, and I don't usually get stressed out over school. I know I'll be fine, and I even happened to make the comment (about sinking) to one of my professors last night (he is my professor for 2 of the 3 classes I'm taking this semester) and he said not to worry about his classes because I'm doing fine in them. So it's not that I'm worried about my grades so much as I'm worried about the deadlines. I don't like deadlines. Obviously I was not cut-out for the corporate world. So, probably I have chosen a pretty good profession for me :).

On to other depressing news... Today was Strive for Five weigh-in day. The whole time I'm just hoping I won't be the one who gained weight. Well, truthfully, we all did. But I gained the most of it. Almost 4 pounds. And I really don't get it, because I walked to work 2 times this week! And I don't think I have changed my eating habits. Oh well... the comfort is in that I wasn't the only one to gain, and also that they used a different scale this week than last week (okay, so I probably can't put a lot of weight -- no pun intended -- on this excuse, but my team seems to agree on it :)). Anyway, in total, my team gained 8.6 pounds. Ick. But I will push forward and try to have better results next week.

Oh, and a word to the wise... When you bite into a burrito and it burns (because it hasn't cooled off yet), don't continue to take the bite just because you're trying to hurry so you can get to Institute. You will end up with: a) a numb tongue on the parts where you have burned off your tastebuds; and b) a blister on the roof of your mouth that doesn't feel all that great. (And even if you're not hurrying to get to Institute, still don't do this :)). Seriously, I do believe this is the first time I've ever had a 2nd-degree burn in my mouth.

So, with my plethora of "complaints," I guess I should dedicate a paragraph to the great things in life :). I love my family and they are awesome (cousins and aunts, etc. included). My siblings are all doing well: Ben and Michelle, Sean, Tony, and Royce are all moved in to their new house - only minutes away from the rest of my WA family; Brad and Tarylyn, Saria, Samuel, and Benjamin are all moved in and settled into their new house -- only minutes away from the rest of my WA family (are we seeing a trend here? what am I doing in Alabama?); Brad's new job is going well; and everything seems to be quiet on the Western front (that is, the Pacific North-Western front :)). The weather is still nice in Alabama (I think I will bask in it for the next several months :)). I have a good job and, although I feel like I can't meet the deadlines, school is really going well and I am blessed to have the opportunities I'm having. Oh, and I have become the Smoothie Queen :). I have learned how to make my very own fruit smoothies and they are YUMMY.

Something to Make Everyone Laugh

Okay, so what you are about to see will definitely make you laugh. But don't we all need something to do just that??? It's kind of another "now and then", but you'll definitely be thinking (if you aren't already)... "She was cuter THEN." And admittedly, so was the style :).



Okay, the picture on the left (obviously the "now") was taken in Dothan. Kristin and I were discussing the 80's because one of her part-time workers is 17 and has never seen The Goonies and never even heard of The Ghostbvsters. What is this world coming to??? So, Kristin and I took it upon ourselves to educate her in the crash course of all things 80's (and you should know by now that I LOVE THE 80'S). We discussed, among other things, side ponytails (and I kindly demonstrated), jelly shoes (please take a gander at my 6-year old feet), NKOTB -- and for you poor, poor souls who do not know who they are, I linked it so you could find out... click here for one of their videos (Julie, you don't get to have a choice... you have to watch it, at least the first minute and 45 seconds of it, okay :)?) -- and Popples!!! (Again, a convenient link for any deprived soul who does not know what a Popple is: click here). Oh, and we can't forget Rainbow Bright! At age 6, I was about as 80's as you could get. Please notice my Cabbage Patch Doll shirt and Baby Gonzo (the muppet baby) in my hands. I believe that was the year they were the toys in the McDonald's Happy Meals.

Well, I can't think of anything interesting to say, so I guess I will just leave you with those memories of a great time... Who doesn't love the 80's? Oh, the weather here has been beautiful. I walked to work today. I think we are in the 60s in the mornings. Such a nice and very welcome change from the days of 108 degree temperatures with heat indexes at or near 115! Hope everyone is having a good day!

Hila the "Thief"

Okay, before I explain the meaning behind my title, let me fill you in on the less exciting stories of my life. (Of course, I say that and make it sound the like the thief story is a tale of suspense and adventure, which it isn't, so sorry to disappoint.) It was truly a wonderful weekend. Simply because I did pretty much nothing but stay home. Oh, Friday, we had a tornado warning, which means they had spotted a tornado in the county. So a siren (on top of my building) starts to sound and everyone has to go down to the first floor and wait for the all-clear. I was in the middle of working on stuff and when I heard the siren go off, I said aloud, "Oh crap." Then I started laughing because it's just so funny that that was my reaction. The reason it was, though, is because I have learned from past experience that you just never know when you will actually be able to return to your desk, so that means that you shut down your computer and pack up everything, or else you're stuck hanging around, even though you might be off work. So, knowing I was due to leave in 45 minutes, I had to shut down everything. So that was Friday's excitement. Saturday I slept until 9 and it felt wonderful. Then I spent the day cleaning house. I got a lot accomplished. There was a football game being played here, so I didn't even attempt to leave. If I had, I wouldn't have had a parking place when I returned. It's crazy, believe me. Saturday night I baby-sat for my friend Jeni. Her son Ethan is cute. He calls me "Hiwa." And Sunday I went to church. Did I mention that I am now the nursery leader here? On average, we have about 20 children, ages 1 1/2 to 3 each Sunday. It can be chaos at times, but the kids are so awesome. They are super-sweet and so funny.

Oh, one story about my nephew Sam. Okay, Christina has started leaving Desiree with Tarylyn when she (Christina) has to go to work. Well, Sam and Desiree are only 8 months apart, so they are pretty tight and they have been dubbed "the partners in crime." Well, Christina showed up on Friday to pick up Desiree, and Brad (my brother) tells me that, when Samuel saw Christina come through the door, he turned to Desiree and said, "Desiree, you're not leaving." He's mighty bossy. But I guess it's a clear sign that they are buds and I think it's cute and good for both of them to have a cousin so close in age. And Saria has started 1st grade (which is unbelievable) and is loving it.

sorry the pic is so big... I couldn't get it to be clickable to enlarge in another window

Okay, NOW for the story about Hila the "thief". So, I decided to develop some more of my pictures from this past year that I haven't gotten around to having developed. (I say developed, but they are from a digital camera, so I don't know what the word should be.) I chose 6 pictures I wanted printed (maybe that's a better word) and did my shopping and came back to pick them up. The lady pulls my envelope and says, "oh yeah..." And she opens it, pulls out a picture, and says, "We can't give you this one." I look at it, with what I am sure is a look of consternation, and say, "Why not?" Well, the reason is copyright stuff. And I'm thinking, "Surely she doesn't think this is a professional picture?!? So, look long and hard at the picture above, because that's the one Wal-Mart wouldn't give me. Do you see any reason that Wal-Mart wouldn't give me this picture? Because when she said that, I sure couldn't. Then she pointed out the professional pictures in the background and told me that Wal-Mart could not make copies of pictures of professional and copyrighted pictures. And, she informed me, "besides, the head is cut off on the person." I guess that was more evidence that the real reason I wanted the picture was for the framed, copyrighted pictures on the end table and in the background. Have we not reached a new low in society? Anyway, so you can all understand that I did NOT want this picture for the copyrighted photos, I will explain. About a year ago, I went for an interview for a job at a public library. My friend Donna gave me $100 to buy a new interview suit. I found that suit that I'm wearing for like $40+. It was awesome. And I was able to buy the red shirt, the nylons, the earrings, and the shoes all with that $100. Well, I have never before owned something that sophisticated (yes, to me that is sophisticated), so when I got all dressed up, I wanted to take a picture. Well, I was the only one home at Julie's parents' house (I lived with them for about 5 months after my divorce) and so I had to use the timer and try to line up the shot. Which mean I had to find a place big enough to move back so I would be in the frame. Okay, so my head is chopped off on the top. But, I was TRYING to get me in the suit, so that didn't bother me, because my face could still be seen. Anyway, the framed photos were not my interest, and I don't see how anyone could think I was trying to "steal" the copyrighted photos!! I didn't get mad, of course. It wasn't the lady's fault that Wal-Mart makes them be so persnickety. She was just trying to cover herself, and I understand that. I just never dreamed that something like this could happen. I mean, are we supposed to check all around us before taking a picture now to make sure there are no professional pictures in the background??? Crazy. I guess I'll have to find another way of printing that picture...

Striving for Five

For the record... I am exhausted. This is how I feel:Okay, so here at the University, they have implemented a program called "Strive For Five" for the faculty and staff. Next year, they will expand it to students as well. Basically, the goal is to adopt a healthier lifestyle by each week: eating 5 fruits and veggies a day, drinking 5 glasses of water each day, thinking 5 positive thoughts each day, moving (exercising), and losing 5% of your team's total weight. There are three people per team and we weigh together, not separately. Anyway, so my team formed today and we went down to sign up. They have one big scale for us to all stand on. I will tell you that my team's weight came in at 435. Although I did weigh individually, I will not divulge that information :). In the end, if we complete a month of the program, we get a water bottle, and if we complete 5 check-ins at the end of the 2-month period, we get a free t-shirt. So yay. I like free stuff. And they give away free things at each weigh-in. Today, we got free fruit (I got a banana) and a free pedometer. Not that that's why I'm doing it. But it's fun to get free stuff :). Anyway, so here goes. My team has set a goal to lose a total of 10 pounds (although that is not 5%). Actually, the goal is to MAINTAIN the weight we have, but they did ask us to set a goal for losing weight as well. Either way, I just hope I don't let my team down. No, the stakes aren't high, but I don't want to be the loser of the bunch!

There is a farmer's market on-campus today as well. I am excited to see what kind of local fruits and veggies I can get there.

In other good news: I got home from work and school last night and found my package with my CDs. Yay!! I will again have to plug cdbaby.com for anyone wanting Shorty & Slim CDs or any other CDs from independent artists. That is what their business is. I was very impressed with their service. I mean, literally, they got me my purchase in 2 days. And they are clear off in Portland, OR. And they took a loss on the shipping costs.

Randomness

My life is hideously routine, so nothing interesting really ever happens. So, I thought I would randomly make comments on things from my boring life. Hey, the excitement has to come from somewhere, right?

Dreams... I dream A LOT. And I often remember my dreams, and they are often very strange. I tend to merge all of my past and inter-mix things. Like I will have dreams set in Panama, but people I met in Alabama will be there. Last night/this morning, this is what I dreamt: I was visiting my old high school in Panama and I went inside the main building. It was essentially empty and a lot lighter than it used to be. The floors were a pale wood, which was not the case. The real floors were (and probably still are) a dark tile (which you can see in the picture of the plaque). I located the spot on the floor where the famous BHS plaque used to be embedded. I could still see the circlular mark on the floor where it belonged. (I included a picture of the plaque, just for your own knowledge.) Anyway, as I continued to explore the now-vacant building, it somehow magically turned into the Troy University-Dothan Campus library. So the next thing I know, I'm going around visiting old acquaintances and professors from there, including Food Network's Alton Brown (no, he was not really one of my professors or acquaintances). Then I went to visit an old co-worker there and she was rearranging her office (pretty normal to dream this, right?... wrong) -- with huge wooden bedroom furniture. Seriously, I have the weirdest subconscious.

Back to junior high... Okay, so a new rule has gone into effect at my place of employment. The building does not open to the general public until 7:45, however, my department is allowed to have a "flex schedule" in which we are allowed to come in as early as 7:00 am and work until 5:30 pm if we so desire, and we can arrange our schedules accordingly (so long as we work the required 38.75 hours each week). So, in order to get to leave early on Thursdays and Fridays, and also to take classes in the middle of the day, I come in at 7. Well, we have to use this proximity card reader to get in the door at that time (yes, it's convenient for the door to unlock by simply holding your wallet in front of it, but what is the price paid for such ease and convenience? -- please refer to Orwell's 1984). Well, it is only logical that we should come into the building a couple of minutes before 7 so that we can get to the 4th floor (with oft-malfunctioning elevators, one never knows how long this will take). It is not, however, logical to come in at 6:15 am. But, some people were doing just that (and they know who it was since they get a printout of who entered and when... by the way, this answers the question about the price that is paid for convenience in this case). Those people would in turn use that 45 minutes that they came in early and apply it to leave early, a practice that is not allowed here. And so now, we all have to wait until 7:00 to even enter the building. So, I pull up to work and wait outside with all the other 4th-floorers, and I cannot help but be reminded of junior high school, where we all waited outside each morning for the bell to ring, signaling the start of the school day and our admission into the building. How childish is this? Are we not all adults? And why do the few bad apples ALWAYS have to spoil the bunch? Okay, I'm done with that rant.

And lastly... What is the deal with graduate-level classes in which we watch a video (and so far the newest one has been from 1997) about technology (this is, after all, a program focusing on information technology of today and the future) each time we meet? Thank goodness I take the articles I have to read and do that during the movie. Otherwise I would be seriously, mind-numbingly bored.

So, that is my boring life for you :). Hope you enjoyed the visit. Oh, and I cannot get this thing to do my paragraph breaks for my last two paragraphs. It's annoying me a lot, but probably doesn't bother anyone else. But I thought I would apologize anyway.

S'Mores Anyone?

Okay, as per a request from Julie... This story is supposed to tell you all you need to know about my personality. One night (in 1999), Julie and I decided to have a girls' night at her parents' house and so we baked a cake -- more on that later -- and made s'mores. Although the above picture is NOT from that night (although it is a picture I took about a year and a half ago on another s'mores-making occasion with Julie and Alysha), I felt it was a good example of what I am about to share. Now, if those s'mores above were mine and Julie's, mine would be the s'mores on the left and Julie's would be the ones on the right (and that may have been the case, but I don't remember). How do I know this? Because the ones on the left are VANILLA... Notice how, on the s'mores on the right, the chocolate is broken in pieces and displayed "artfully" upon the graham cracker. That would be JULIEBEAN. See, that night in 1999, Julie sat there making art out of her s'mores by breaking the chocolate into small pieces and "decorating" the graham cracker, and then breaking the marshmallow into pices and doing likewise. I'm a functional kinda gal, so I was just slapping the chocolate down in the 3-piece way it breaks off the candy bar and slapping the whole marshmallow on top of that. But watching Julie, I thought maybe I should be creative too. So, I broke my chocolate into halves and broke my marshmallow in half and started arranging my own s'mores. I was playing around with the placement of my sweets and moving them until they "looked right." The point at which they "looked right" was when they were back together the way they were originally (albeit now they were technically broken). Little did I realize that Julie had been watching me the entire time. She laughed and laughed and laughed that my one attempt to go "wild" and change the face of the s'more forever ended up right where I had started: plain. And functional, I might add. You know the saying: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Who needs a decorative s'more? The goal should be to slap it down fast, cook it fast, and eat it even faster :). Without regards to looks :).

And then the cake... (we must have been sick on sugar that night). This picture is Juliebean and Nilla's one foray into cake decorating. I'm betting it tasted better than it looked (I just don't remember). Great memory, though :).

Our Generation's December 7th

I will post again later with a fun story. I just did not feel that this post should be mixed in with one of a light-hearted nature. Until I looked at cnn.com, I did not remember today's anniversary. In fact, the awful acts of 9/11 occurred on a Tuesday, much like this one. I say that it is like this generation's December 7th (the day Pearl Harbor was attacked), because I think most people remember where they were when they heard the news. I know I do. I was driving home from Calculus class at the community college. I don't remember my exact thoughts at the time, other than at first it was pure shock, as though it couldn't possibly be true (this was probably also experienced by those who learned of the Pearl Harbor attack). I remember going to work that afternoon, and it was one of the few times we were allowed to keep the radio on in the library. I remember the outpouring of patriotism following the attacks of 9/11, the songs on the radio, the way an entire nation pulled together... something that is not common in today's society. I know that I am blessed to have always lived in a free nation, to have all that I have, and to be safe. And I am thankful to those brave soldiers who protect those freedoms and way of life, even at the expense of their own.

An online store with a sense of humor

I don't usually feel like I have enough to say about anything to merit posting twice in one day. However, this was something that got me laughing. And of course, you have to get the back story before you can understand it all :). At least in my opinion. Well, if you have looked at my links on the side, you will have seen links to Shorty & Slim stuff. Well, this morning I finally got around to ordering their 4th CD (to view it, order it, or hear clips from it, click here). Unless you have some personal link to Panama (the country), this will probably not interest you. But the CDs hold great interest for me and I love them (I already have the other 3). The songs make me nostalgic, but some of them crack me up too. So, I bought them from this website (the only way to purchase them now) www.cdbaby.com and got an email telling me a real person would send me a follow-up email when they ship the items. Here is the notification they sent after they shipped the package... And tell me this doesn't give them a little flair? It had me laughing at any rate. Oh, and PS... If you do view their video on youtube (I have a link on the right), you can see my 11th-grade Physiology teacher. He's the one with the lighter-colored hair (aka Shorty).

Your CDs have been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
A team of 50 employees inspected your CDs and polished them to make sure they were in the best possible condition before mailing. Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CDs into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy. We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved "Bon Voyage!" to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Monday, September 10th.I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did. Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year." We're allexhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!Thank you, thank you, thank you!Sigh...

Monday, Monday, can't trust that day

It is another Monday morning and I am tired. Here's the problem: I cannot seem to stop taking naps on Sunday afternoons! I know what will happen if I take a nap: I won't be able to fall asleep at night. Yet even knowing that, I can't seem to stay awake. So I took a nap yesterday (and they always seem to be 1.5 to 2 hour-long naps) and then, sure enough, I could not fall asleep last night. I drifted off some time after 1 a.m. and woke up at about 2:25 from a terrible dream. I believe it was the first time I've ever consciously woken myself from a dream. I fell back asleep only to hear my alarm annoyingly beeping a few hours later at 6. And here's another problem: it's getting to where it's still dark outside at 6 in the morning. And here's my motto: If the sun ain't shining, then why should I? Haha. That's been my motto since high school.

Oh, a thought about watching the clock: I once had a teacher who talked about people who use their right brain versus their left brain. I can't remember which is which, but he commented on how people who use one side are governed by numbers... That would be me. I am governed by time. He asked the class if there were any of us who, upon waking at night and it's still dark outside, always look at the clock. Well, that is me 100%. His question was: "Why? If it's still dark outside and the alarm hasn't sounded, then you can still go back to sleep. Who cares what time it is." That's hilarious. Doesn't he understand that it's important to know just how much time I have left to sleep before the annoying alarm goes off?

One more cute tale with which to regale you. With photo included so you can see the cutey who did this. Okay, I called my sister Christina last night and she was telling me about her 2 1/2 year old Desiree. She's my little munchkin. And she's growing up so much and I'm missing it :(. Well, anyway, apparently Desiree has learned what sounds babies make. So one day she was following Christina around on her hands and knees and going, "waa, waa" like a baby. Then she started going "goo-goo gaa-gaa." She was doing this last night when I was talking to Christina also, so I could hear her in the background. I asked Christina where she picked that up, and Christina said she has no idea. But it's hilarious. I don't know how she learned to associate "goo-goo ga-ga" with the sound a baby makes. Okay, but that's not all. Then Christina tells me about one day last week when Christina and Desiree were driving home. They were playing the animal game where Christina says, "What does a horse say?" And Desiree would whinney like a horse. Then, "What does an elephant say," and she would make that sound. So Christina says, "Okay, what does a mama say?" And Desiree (without hesitation) replied, "No." Out of the mouths of babes. She's a smart cookie and she's going to give Christina a run for her money. Anyway, attached is a picture of three of my most favorite people: Desiree, Saria, and Samuel. They are my three little piggies... This is the second picture I have of them all eating something at the same time. Enjoy! Oh, and that's my mom behind them.

P.S. Julie-- yes, I am vanilla. I was waiting on a comment on how I chose the least froo-froo blog layout available! Kinda like the S'mores incident, no?

I Should Have Stayed in Bed

Well, it's finally Friday, and I only have to work until 11:30, so that is great. But, by Friday, I'm usually exhausted. My alarm went off at 6, but I fell back asleep until about 6:35. But no big deal, that's still plenty of time for me to get ready and get to work. But I dawdle, so I end up with about 5 minutes before I have to leave when I go into the kitchen to put all my breakfast stuff into a bag to take to work. So, my breakfast is: a water bottle full of water, a banana, and a water bottle half full of milk (for chocolate milk). As is my usual routine, I put the chocolate syrup into the bottle before I leave in the morning. So, I'm trying to hurry a little, and I am squeezing the chocolate syrup into the milk in the bottle. Apparently I was squeezing a little too hard (and apparently the "Great Value" of chocolate syrup does not extend to the bottle in which it comes) because the entire top popped off. And yes, syrup went all over my counter. Arg. So I stop squeezing and it takes me a few seconds to even figure out what to do first. But I know I can't just leave it. Number one, I don't want any uninvited critters (like ants) to feel the syrup is an invitation, and number two, I don't really want to have to come home to this mess. Anyway, I finally start SOMEWHERE and little by little I'm getting it cleaned up. I had to peel my banana (since it was sitting in the puddle of syrup), so that took time, because then I had to put the banana into a plastic ziplock. The last thing I tackled was the puddle on the counter. This took something like 6 paper towels. Although you wouldn't think so, chocolate syrup is about as hard to clean up as a raw egg. So, in the process of cleaning off the counter, I made a bigger mess because then it started dripping on the floor. And at one point, in my rush to hurry, I threw the chocolate-covered paper towel into the trash (it's a VERY small kitchen, so it wasn't even a big distance) and the syrup kindly streamed off the paper towel and onto the wall above the trash can. Double arg. So, I was late to work. Then, I sit down at my desk and , with my teeth, pop open the top of the bottle (you know, the suction top through which you suck the water/milk) and the force of that causes chocolate milk to spray all over my keyboard. So, I had to clean that up. Triple arg. I guess I can assume the day can only get better :).

Well, for your viewing pleasure, I am including a picture of most of my family. Some of you have seen the picture, but some haven't. Missing are my dad, Christina's husband, Ben and Michelle's sons, and Brad and Tarylyn's daughter Saria. The three kids were in school when the picture was taken, otherwise they would have been there. This was taken in March when I went to Washington for Spring Break. Enjoy. And if you have any questions as to who is who, let me know :).

Technology

Whew... that was an experience. I ran down to R&D on my break to scan the picture. I spent 10 of the 15 minutes trying to figure out where everything is on a MacIntosh computer! By accident I stumbled across all the programs, which only appear when you hold your mouse at the bottom of the screen for several seconds. Then I couldn't figure out which program I needed to use to implement the scanner. Finally, I gave up and asked the person working. Success... And now I know for future reference :). I am actually thinking I should make good use of the free scanner while I'm here and try to scan some of my hundreds of pictures and get them saved on CD. Anyway, I am adding the picture of me, Alysha, and Julie from 1999... I added it next to the first picture of the three of us for a side-by-side comparison. I just can't believe so much time has passed, because I can remember taking this picture!!!

Why Nilla?

Well, someone asked, and since I had intended to explain it anyway, here it goes. Way back in 1999 (it feels like it was WAY back), Julie and I gave each other nicknames. I think I started it and started calling her Juliebean. So, she decided to think up a name for me that was food-oriented (since Juliebean is essentially jellybean). She came up with Nilla (sometimes Nilla Wafer). It's pretty close to Hila at any rate. And ever since then, we have referred to each other that way. Oh, also, "The Nilla" sounds a lot like "vanilla" and, according to both Julie and my sister, I am very vanilla. I just thought that the title "The Nilla Life" worked well for me. My life is pretty vanilla most of the time :). And I love the smell of vanilla... I will even choose vanilla over, say, strawberries and cream in a scented candle... right Julie :)? Well, check back later because I have a picture to post from 1999 of me and Julie and Alysha. It is a pretty neat comparison between then and now, since I already posted the most recent picture of the three of us. You can see how much Nilla, Alysha, and Juliebean have changed over the years. I have to go down to the technology center to scan it though, so it might be a while...

Labor Day Weekend

Me and Kristin

Well, I went back to Dothan for Labor Day weekend. It was a much needed trip. I really felt like a different person there. My best friend drove up from Florida and we hung out and had a blast (as always). I also got to see a lot of my other friends, plus I got to see my dad. It just felt good to be there, to always have something to do, somewhere to go, and someone to see. I can't say I did anything earth-shattering while I was there. In fact, Kristin and I decided that we are truly old, because after dinner at Chili's and walking around the mall once, we decided we were tired and that we couldn't think of anything else to do, so we called it a night (at 7 p.m.!!!). But, as has always been my philosophy, I don't care WHAT we do... the fun for me is just in hanging out with people about whom I care.

Oh, this brings me to warning #1. I was an English major undergrad. I had a professor who pretty much fixed my habit of ending sentences with a preposition. So, forgive me if my sentences sound obnoxiously snooty and silly when I write things like my last sentence above. I still talk that way (in other words, I would have verbally said "...people I care about"), but for some reason, it kills me to see it in writing!!!

Warning #2 is that I love pictures, so I will probably post lots of them.

Me, Alysha, and Julie -- now and then

Anyway, I returned to reality (a.k.a. 'the rat race') and am back at work today. Woohoo! But like I said, I enjoyed my trip so much and it really revitalized me and made me feel like I can get through another 3 months of working and going to school!

Joining the ranks

Well, truthfully, I never thought I'd have a blog. But more and more of my friends have started their own, and it does seem to be a pretty neat idea. Add to that the fact that you have some control over who gets to view your personal information, and I decided that it's a good way to keep friends and family up-to-date on my life. Not that my life is particularly exciting and prone to major changes, but just in case... So, I have joined the ranks of bloggers. Who'd have ever thunk it :)?