It always rains on Tuesdays

It always rains on Tuesdays.
Think about it; I guarantee you that it rained all but one Tuesday last semester.
Rain on Tuesdays is inevitable.

I love the rain. It is so cleansing, so peaceful, so mellow. None of this lightly sprinkling now! If it is going to rain, it better rain. Give me some of that peaceful chaos ye cumulo nimbus clouds! Come at me dense precipitation.

Are you an inside person? Well, if you are, then rain is the perfect kind of weather for you because in my personal opinion, rain entices the attention to be directed outside. Something is just absolutely fascinating about the juxtaposition of the chaotic happenings outside and the calm and stillness of the inside.

An inside person would be drawn to the window to view this spectacular display of the heavens' release.
Rain can do those inside people some good. It might drive the outside people absolutely nuts for the time being, but a little calm chaos could do everybody some good.

Weather - pathetic fallacy
Rain - it's not limited to destruction or a damper on your day.


"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day," What, so we can live the next dust bowl? Ridiculous! teaching our children to not embrace the rain.

"... the sun may brighten your day, but if I had my way, I'd take the rain." Eli Young Band

Take it or leave it, but at least give the rain a chance to "settle with your mood" and accommodate your plans.

Conversations: fostering those people

I cannot count how many times I have had this conversation.
It is one of those absent-minded conversations that we are guilty of having. The robot pre-programmed response comes out as your thoughts are already occupied with other greater and more important things (upcoming elections, financial planning, more ways of being environmentally friendly, and marriage duh).

My mom always has this response as I ask her for a choice in music: "I want the people!" (meaning Foster the People)

This morning I replied the same. And then I continued to say, "Of course I want the people; I always want the people. The people are the people I want and mainly because they are fostered. Don't you just love fostered people. I am so happy that people are fostered. My life depends on fostering people I love. So, let's foster the people all the way to class shall we?"

And thus, another illogically planned conversation. It needs some modifications.
As do the hundred other pseudo-conversations I have.

I suppose the real question would be, "Where are my thoughts, really?"
I'll try to remember to figure this out as I absent-mindedly reply to your next question.

I'll Foster the People forever. And If you are making progress on my last request please let me know: http://www.takeitorleaveitbutatleastthinkaboutit.blogspot.com/2012/02/please-create-this-song.html

Take it or leave it, but at least think about the quality answers that you could be investing in as opposed to the same ole same ole.

Conversations: cheesecake

"This cheesecake tastes better than The Cheesecake Factory's cheesecake." - me
"It IS from The Cheesecake Factory!" - katie
"Oh, I see." - me

Pointless.

People, please stop giving me food. This includes: cheesecake, doughnuts, pizza, bubbly drinks, coffee, candy, cookies, or anything processed. I welcome: bok choy, kale, rice, tofu, naked smoothies, kalamata olives, falafel, dolmuths, tomatoes, extra butter for butter lovers popcorn, vegemite on toast, and slim jims (Tabasco flavored).

No more fried ANYTHING. Or else it will all go to my legs and the sunbathing cheesecake for spring break will not be a pleasant sight.

Dinner Clevers and Heist Endeavors

Day 1 - in the making
Pasta dinner was on the horizon, which meant a salad heist was inevitable.

 Friday night dinners in the cafeteria are always hoppin' with hundreds of spectators consuming the freshly cooked deliciously nutritious meals (well... ). We situated ourselves by one of the five tables that were occupied in order to give us some cover for the pending intake. Backpacks were at side with appropriately suited containers inside. Quickly evading the salad bar lady, we scurried off with our baskets piled high of lettuce.

Sketchy? Who would ever take lettuce to go? We would, we did, because we are sketchy and cannot grow our own food. An entire 11 x 14in container and we were set for the upcoming Cajun Pasta Dinner. And a big thanks to the Immigration Conference letting us take a nice vat of Tazikis' Greek dressing off their hands.

Day 2 - the making
Pasta dinnertime had arrived in the kitchen. Our ingredients organized on the counter, the skillet on the stove, and at that moment all of our problems and experimental errors were hatched and would continue to be throughout the remaining time.

Let me interject here that the overall time for cooking should have been 20 minutes tops; little did we know that the problems we would face would increase our time to an ultimatum of 2 hours and 20 minutes. Low on blood sugar to begin with, all outside factors changed our reaction capabilities. When a problem(s) arises, you have to be creative. [The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman "collaboration, innovation, and connectivity" reference.]

The stove top did not work, so we packed everything up, and hauled it up the hill to another kitchen. [exercise score 1.]

The new kitchen destination was occupied so we had to wait quite a while catching the tail end of "Forrest Gump." [exercise score 3.] And then aha! the kitchen was ours. We Cajun chickened it up like a boss. Noodle time. We reckoned that the egg noodles in a crock pot would have been fine until 15 minutes later the noodles were not cooked all the way through, rather they were steamed. We had steamed the noodles! Mushy and incredibly disgusting, I wish I could accurately describe the taste for you. [exercise score 15, who knew that cooking could entail so many trips up and down the stairs? Well, we do now.]

In conclusion, the mistakes were rectified; much innovation, collaboration, and creativity/connectivity was had, and Team Cara & Katie were exercised Cajun Pasta experts.

In the end, the dish and endeavors were quite a success despite the complicated efforts. And we didn't start any fires, another positive.

Take it or leave it, but at least think about how much more wonderful the end product of your efforts always turn out as opposed to the slightly less satisfactory but still wonderful end product had everything gone as planned.

Cajun Pasta night was definitely an adventure.

Bunkbedding: dangerous

Well, this post is grotesque. You have been forewarned.

A year and two weeks ago I took a big fall, to say the least.

My rooms and I had bunked our beds, and one morning as I was descending from the end of the top bed, my foot got caught in the sheet. I landed on my desk, then my chair, then the floor. The living daylight had literally been knocked out of me. I could not breathe, my entire body was in pain, and I thought that I was going to die. I was down for at least 2 minutes, frozen in the fetal position - not quite sure about what had happened - as far as I was concerned, I would never walk again. My roommate, who had been sleeping for she had a later class, half in a daze, remarked, "Maggs, was that the printer?" I squeaked out a "no."

It was go time. The initial shock and pain had finished its first stage, and I had to keep moving - I was NOT going to miss my class. I crawled to the bathroom, switched on the light, and panicked from what I saw. Blood was everywhere. Had I hit my head? How was I going to get to the hospital? How do I make the blood stop? Where was the blood even coming from? WHAT DO I DO? I need my mummy. I can't think clearly anymore; maybe I actually hit my head. My shin had swelled from a slight bump to the size of a blueberry muffin in just the time I had been lying there! Wait, how long had I been lying there on the cold bathroom floor? Did I go unconscious? Oh no, the pain was coming back! Why? I didn't have time to think about the pain - I had to keep moving.

My thigh. Weird to say. But I think I fractured my femur. My eyes zoomed to the puddle of droplets that were collecting around my toes. Oh thank goodness! I had only split my toe in half! Oh good, it wasn't coming from my poor head. Well, there goes a toenail and some bone marrow - least of my worries.

I had to isolate the problem. Now I had to form a plan of action. 

"Quiet," I kept telling myself. My suitemates and rooms were still asleep; I would not wake them.

Community bathroom! What a brilliant idea! Oh no, there are people. Wait! I like people. People can help me. Go!

Quiet now. Turn off the light, grab the tape and gauze. Where did I put those? Where is my First-Aid kit? Oh no, it's at the back of my closet in the most inconvenient place. more noise. Blast! Now tape, Scotch will have to do. Now, it's to the people.

Open the door, close the door, left foot, right foot, left foot, more blood... only a few more steps, the creaking of the bathroom door - I've made it. I've made it this far. Now, to the sink. Water; I drink water. I shower with water, ahah, that is what I will do - shower my foot with water. Tap, sink, foot. In goes the foot. Stinging pain, oh the stinging pain is sending shots of electrical shocks up my leg. Voices, I hear voices. Are the voices causing the pain? No, they are friendly voices. Friends are people. And people can help me. Suddenly, I start hyperventilating. Everyone is in a frenzy. I shall panic too! I don't know what to do; I don't know what to think - I will follow the motions of these friendly frenzied people. A blur it all becomes. I am drifting. My face is wet, I taste saline. I am thirsty. 

What is the time? I have to go. Yes, I'll be fine. I mean, I have to be fine, right? What can be done anyhow? I need to go to class. Let me limp. What am I going to wear? Oh dear, jeans will not do! Sweat pants, Sperries, t-shirt, corduroy jacket, and scarf. I look like a hobo. 

Quickly now. Hurry along dear one. I am sitting at my Spanish class desk. Blast! I forgot pain medicine. I cannot concentrate. A class photo, really, and I have to squat. This is a true test of my endurance, surely. Tears, that is the word for that saline solution, I could feel them now. Two hours later and I limped to the nurses office: 

"Can I please have some gauze? (holding back tears)" 

why?

"Um, I sort of fell out of my bunk bed and I need gauze, thanks."

how much do you need?

"20 sheets"

Well, I can give you 10, and any more than that I will have to charge you.

"well, give me what you can. please. now. so I can go die."

pardon?

"10 will be fine, thank you."

12 months and 2 weeks later the bruise is not quite gone; however, knotted. I can still feel it. And, if I press my shin too hard it will swell up again.

Thus, the story of my unfortunate incident. What can I say? I did not hit my head, and I have extraordinary endurance. Climbed stairs and Vail Hill like a hoss' boss.

Gruesome pictures:

There's that hobo in the back.

So: Aftermath, I don't have sheets on my bed. Never will again. Only the mattress sheet, a down comforter, and my quilt cover. Quite European and less painful, I'd have to say. 

Heels, Meals, and Immigration

I had even done a test run with the pre-packed backpack the night before. I wasn't even halfway across the bridge, and I knew that it was a bad idea to wear my 2.5" heels. Business dress calls for nice shoes, and I'm pretty sure that Chacos are not acceptable.

My usual walk to class is approximately 5 minutes. My heel-ed walk to class added an extra four minutes to the excursion. Obviously it was the shorter strides and balancing factors that increased my time by half. Bad news bears.

I took a brief breather at the library, a sit in the caf to coon (as in a racoon smuggles) a bagel and time to gulp down some coffee, a trek to class, then work.

I had had it. There was no way I was going to walk to the conference in my heels, up hills, quite possibly a quarter of a mile more until my destination. By then I had 6 blisters. I completely bare-footed it all the way back, and you would be surprised how uncomfortable the gravel and pebble-paved sidewalks are. As I passed three separate tour groups, I took it in larger stride (literally) as I paraded past in my footless business attire.

"Come to our Uni., where you can bear (bare, feet that is) all free!"

The extremely flat feet, the one double-jointed toe, black nail polish residue from Step Sing, and multiple blisters AND the one foot that is half a size smaller than the other one + the brilliant idea of heels I had = pissy and in pain. Someone carry me. I need a sherpa.

As I soak my feet in a tin bucket out here on the back porch sipping my Dublin Dr. Pepper in one hand and my fishing pole in the other, I think about how much free food I cooned today.

Immigration Conference volunteer = awareness, inspiration, and healthy non-caf food.

Please invent a high-heel Chaco. Thanks.

Signed,
A flat-footed person.

The Literary Tablet

Kindle, Nook, Tablet, IPad, whichever you will.

A class presentation hypothesized about the efficiency of the "tablet."
I understand that hundreds of books can be stored on such a device, and with only a few hours of charging to last days, and entire library can be turned into a planner-sized source of all literary works.

Mind you, the weight averages:

• 5-inch Tablets: 6" x 3.2" x .4" @ .75 lbs.
• 7-inch Tablets: 7.5" x 5" x .5" @ 1 lbs.
• 9-inch Tablets: 9.3" x 6" x .5" @ 1.2 lbs.
• 10-inch Tablets: 9.8" x 7" x .5" @ 1.4 lbs.
• http://compreviews.about.com/od/buyers/a/Tablet-PC-Size-Weight-Guide.htm

Just think, moving day just became 10 boxes less of a hassle.

And, no one ever has to worry or Pinterest about the perfect library setting ever again! Because the world is at the palm of your hands, or you can take your palm wherever you want around the world and are not limited to space because of the bulkiness that books embody.

Tablets are great! No doubt about that.

But I want you to just think about having your favorite book of all times on that tablet. You can read it wherever you go, and whenever.

However, you loose its cover, its originality in its truest form, special quality in that when it is a tangible book, it is its own - not mixed in with the others that may not quite be its equal. 

And most of all, you loose the essence you add to a tangible book that makes it your own: the oils on your fingers cannot permeate every page, the scent of its antiquity cannot be inhaled, and the wear and tear on the corners cannot reflect its value to you.

All you have is an electronic device that can delete your favorite book's existence. How sad it is, that you can emotionally remove yourself from such a great work at the touch of a button. If you wanted to get rid of a tangible book, you could burn it and at least have some symbolic significance to its' ashes.

Down with the tablet. Buy paper books. (you for sure won't be saving any forests, sorry).

Greetings

"Good morning starshine, the earth says Hello!"




Social Norms: 
Good Morning: 12am - 12pm
Good Afternoon: 12pm - 6pm
Good Evening: 6pm - 9pm
Good Night: 9pm - 12am


The social norms do not make sense. I usually say "good morning" until 2pm because that is the time when I am just fully awake, then I crash at 2pm, and would if I actually did, say "good afternoon" until it gets dark. I would assume that most people send off a "good night" once it is dark. 


I believe that the proper greetings should be based on sole observation of the position of the sun in the sky.


My only question is why "morning" is for an entire twelve hours, and afternoon, evening, and night are morphed into another twelve.


And, why can't we just say "Good Ante Noon," and "Good Post Noon?" and then just change the subscripts to AN and PN.


OR, why not go with the original, "Good Ante Meridiem" and "Good Post Meridiem?" [AM and PM]


Why be so particular?
Let's get specific, shall we? It is 11:59am, I say "Good Morning!" 
                                          It is 12:00pm, I say "Good Noon [on the dot]!"
                                          It is 12:01pm, I say "Good Afternoon!"


So complicated. Just observe the sky. We should say "Morning!" all day long because "morning" sounds a lot less awkward than "and a good afternoon to you," and a lot less creepy than "and especially a good evening to you." 


Maybe we should just take out "evening" all together and consider the entirety of "night" the evening. It makes more sense logically, then, to say "Morning" until noon, "Afternoon" until dark, and "Night" upon darkness. I presume these masters presumed "evening" would be the transition period between "afternoon" and "night," but if that is the case, then wherever did the transition period between the darkness of the morning and the light of morning go? 


....


which brings me back to my first question. ["My only question is why "morning" is for an entire twelve hours, and afternoon, evening, and night are morphed into another twelve."] Perhaps the fallacy is not in the later hours of the day, but rather it is in the beginning. [and don't tell me I can use "dusk" or "twilight" because those are interchangeable too.] If we are going to be so specific people, then we must continue in our specificity. Good Luck to all.

Well, to counter everything I've just argued, if Truman says it, then it must be right:

"Good morning! And in case I don't see you: good afternoon, good evening and good night!"

on Foot Insulation

You don't realize how cold your feet are until you put on warm socks. Looming hypothermia was just evaded.

Going barefoot is my calling, but sometimes socks are a must.

... I think we are going to go to bed before 2am for the first time in four weeks. 

I'm looking forward to this warm-footed slumber.

Cat Food/Cereal

... that moment when you serve yourself a nice heaping bowl of Fruit Loops cereal and observe that it looks an awful lot like the cat food your great grandmother used to set out for her cats.

               =                            

It's back to the Cornflakes.

I really only added the Fruit Loops for some color variety anyhow. "Beautiful Cereal." 

   

                               ... now if only the Caf had "Skippy Cornflakes."

http://twilightphycho.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/fruit-loops425.jpg

http://static4.depositphotos.com/1022283/355/i/950/depositphotos_3558919-Dry-cat-food-texture.jpg

http://shop.countdown.co.nz/Content/ProductImages/big/9414942030307.jpg

"Of Showering"

 People, how? How can you live with yourselves - more like sleep with yourselves. I personally look forward to, after a long day of being out and about, to taking a shower. I am aware that many countries cannot provide this luxury for its inhabitants, but here we happen to be in America with hot running water, and people still choose to deny themselves this simple comfort. Call me crazy, but not only do I clean myself with propaganda-bought solutions, but I also relax and ponder. If I actually had to pay for my own monthly water bill, this luxury would be minimized, however, still practiced. Thank goodness right now I don't, but I allow myself the time to think about that too as I let those steamy droplets encompass my body. Suddenly, I have an idea [Eureka!], so I rush to the pen and paper to record. Thank you shower.
So there you have it. A hygienic genius.


So I hop into my clean-sheeted bed in my clean night clothes, and I can rest assured with the very fact that I am indeed, very clean. 


So to all of you "in the morning" shower'ers, I bid you a sleep you can smell, feel, and taste. Because if you can't bathe yourself, then why would you even bother to brush your teeth?


Just think about it the next time as you are snuggling with your once-clean pillow. I pity those who refuse to partake in this therapeutic practice [bathing]. Such a shame. And I pity those who deny themselves a right to think clearly after a day's worth of the world's ideas are shoved into their heads. Wash those ideas out and lather up some of your own. 


"So in this, “of knowing a man’s self,” that every man is seen so resolved and satisfied with himself, that every man thinks himself sufficiently intelligent, signifies that every one knows nothing about the matter." - Of Experience


Please, satisfy yourself so you can be satisfied. You must know. "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle," and in your case, showering would be the other half.

Clean Sheets

It has come to one of those moments in life I like to call...
"spring cleaning, soul searching, and simply satisfying."

We come and go; our memories build up like residue on a shower wall, and a cleansing is past necessary.
You have to reach rock bottom before you can push off from the ground, extend your legs, and head in the opposite direction in stride.

so... I hadn't cleaned my room in three weeks, yet alone finished unpacking from Christmas vacation. I came and went throwing various items about onto the pile underneath my bed. My roommate hated me, but that discord couldn't bring me to sort through my life. It wasn't until after I refused to "if I want a happy ending, it depends on where I stop the story" kind of situation. After the fact.

So, I had to do my spring cleaning, while I soul-searched, which was quite simply satisfying.
I gathered together all of my collected scraps of paper memories, put them into an express mail envelope [express mail envelopes make the best folders/dividers for binders], and sealed the envelope. Symbolic. I'm considering burning the envelope, gathering the ashes, and burying the collected ashes on a fault line.

and...  

I washed my sheets.


I'd never been so glad to make my bed.

Take it or leave it, but at least think about what areas of your life need some "spring cleaning and soul searching," because it is simply satisfying.

It was. It is.

It was one of those mornings, for the third week in a row only 4 hours a night had been slept, yet again. I woke up to find my hair still wet from the recent shower, still matted from Step Sing hair teasing, and a looming day of an 8:30am class, work, and class and another class until 5, and then STEP SING!!!


If I can just get through the next 4 hours of classes, sleep time, then I'll be fine.

But, my looming morning quickly ended as I briskly walked to my morning class. Every bird in Birmingham was chirping, the mist was rolling in over the mountain, and my perspective changed. This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Although tired and incoherent of mind, absence of mind really, I am embracing this day. And will do everything in my ability to focus and absorb its entirety.

I am hanging on by only a thread, but that one thread is strong. [if I pass out, don't call 911. just put me in the corner and elevate my legs and I'll come around shortly. my insurance card is in my wallet if you need it, and I am allergic to Cefzil.]


Take in the mist, leave your anxiety, and think. Thinking is a necessity.


May possibly be the most played song by each individual in our household, and I'll play it once more, a comfort song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oqXVx3sBOk&feature=related

This song puts me in the mood for a lot of things, like when I need to feel all classy, proper, and prim - though not the version I have, it is the closest one I could find: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQdnChc_th4&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL9C43F9A7E92F3E5D

5,7,5

Attempts at my first Haiku. Next ones will be wittier.

Austin Daniel D.,
preacher, a theologian,
new-found friend of ours.

Cara L. Wilson,
Meows from the Paducah,
Debating hipsters.

Y Alyssa Duck,
Meows from Chattanooga,
Shabbats her Shaloms.

Katie Holthouser,
Roommate, Soul Sister, Best Friend,
Makes odd cat amends.

Amy Amy A
Amy Amy Amy A
Amy Amy A

V-day:3: I Do

Gin Wigmore couldn't have said it better in her song, "I Do:" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2lcTwkzogE

#requite 

Because "You Are the Moon," - The Hush Sound http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0yccAsWTOY

V-day:2: Pseudo-Valentine

We were assigned boys to write Valentine cards to. Of course I looked mine up on facebook, and of course he was taken. So instead of making a creepy or even funny card, I decided to make a Valentine card for him to give to his girlfriend. Just a little something extra, you know.

A decent makeshift card with an incredible quote will certainly add that "special" to their day. I'd like to commend myself for being a clever pseudo-valentine. 

"Without you, today's emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's." 

The description of my ingenuity. [some people just don't understand wit]

And of course it couldn't be anonymous.

 A pseudo-copyright from a pseudo-valentine. 

It is mine and signed.

V-day:1: Roses

V-day. It really is a war, of the heart that is.

This post is about roses. How lovely the fragrance of roses is to some! How silky are their petals! And the meaning behind each bunch! Where do these roses come from - Publix, Walmart, Grocery stores? Relatively, yes.

Valentine's Day is the third most expensive holiday of the year ranking in 40 Billion dollars. Why???

Roses.
Roses have a 48 hour turn around time from when they are cut to making it to the shelves. They have to be flown in from Colombia [roses & cocaine alike], which means jetfuel prices are a large portion of the cost.

Flowers, what girl doesn't like flowers?
Personally, I believe that flowers should be given on no occasion at all. Why is there only one day allotted for this expression, why not give flowers when your counterpart least expects it, least deserves it. That is the true beauty -- Expected Unexpectedness. However, I do approve of a single day dedicated to the celebration of this beauty. It is actually an excuse to be bold and act out the actions which so deserve to be demonstrated. Not a dozen, one will do just fine, or even a small posy of pansies from the school's garden. The fountain outside of the library has rosemary too.

Either way, my heart just melted when my professor said that Valentine's Day is a day he puts a lot of time into, and he looks forward to Valentine's Day.

Just saying...

Take it or leave it, but at least think about it because I will be the one stuffing my face with cheap chocolates -- those are always the best (along with Lindt, Ferrero Rocher, and Cadbury).

hashtag tall

Yes, I will always be put in the back for photos.
Yes, I will always have shorter people stand in front of me whenever I am standing in a group circle... hello, I'm standing right here, do you mind. I'm a part of this circle too.

but... I saw Coldplay.

I saw them with my own eyes throughout the entire concert,

so I'll get over myself. 

Go ahead, be in the front, block my pretty dress, exclude me from your conversation because I can't hear all the way up here on my altitude, but all of that bitterness changes because I collectively experienced that awe, all because of a few inches/feet.

Song for this picture: "Yellow," of course

Chris Martin: 20 feet away

Puts you in retrospect

That's right, just a little more of awesome.

I'd like to commend myself for this excellent shot.

haha, and I thought I'd throw this one in just for kicks.

Take it or leave it, but tall people get offended too. But they find ways to secretly channel their bitterness in other ways such as actually seeing the people who they are going to see perform, perform, and if you draw this on your finger I'll draw it on mine.

Free Bath Salts in Class!

I don't really know why I happen to be so touched that our teacher would go to the trouble to give all of us baggies of lavender-scented bath salts, but I really am. And I don't even take baths (#prefer showers) or even fancy the lavender scent.

It could be that I love knick knacks, free things, or pitiful keepsakes.
Or it could be that she passed around a heart hole punch with a sheet of Valentine's stickers as well.

hashtag pitiful bliss. too tired to make sense of anything these days.

take it or leave it, but at least think about the little random acts of kindness that you could be sharing with someone else. Bless them by giving them bliss.

"Guilty"

Listen to this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfSZARFUvnM

... hashtag guilty.

well folks, there you have it. Frantically finishing my homework, yet perspectived by [the past happening of being consumed with perspective] "Amelie" soundtrack. The frantic rummaging about my drawers trying to find a sock is meaningless {[because if I miraculously found two socks, neither of them would match anyways [hello Target $1.50 grey socks my life]}, the cramming of old Spanish vocabulary is meaningless, and the time I spend doing homework problems on online-graded assignments is frustratingly meaningless. The time I spend not really eating anything in the cafeteria is not meaningless, the amount of calories I burn shivering because I wore shorts in the freezing cold is not meaningless, and my exceptional hoarding skills surpass the actual meaning [intention] I have for all of this recycled crap. 

Let me put it this way. How many extra trips do I take to the library? How much more time do I spend "eating?" How many times do I base my outfits on the chance run-ins? How is it that I have been consumed? 

To whom do I owe this meaninglessness? Well, let's just say "if it's a crime then I'm guilty, guilty of ...," and that, my friend, is not meaningless. 

TMI on what was originally going to just be a sharing of this great song.

anyways...

I usually say "take it or leave it, but at least think about it." But I think you should just take the song, watch "Amelie," and leave the rest to me. Don't even think about it - I've got you covered, like you'd notice anyway.

Please create this song:

I would like for anybody, anybody to please take the song "Broken Jaw" by Foster the People and put the portion of the song from 2:37-3:37 on a repeating track. It's a great part of the song, and I wish it was 10x longer. It's one of those "I keep pausing and rewinding to that part over and over again, and it would be ever so convenient if it were just a 10 minute song."

This is the link. This is your mission.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTfXeO3Jm2s

L.H.O.O.Q.

L.H.O.O.Q

Please comment if you can offer any vulgar formations in English. Amuse me. Or at least give me an anagram.

Signed,
Ivan W. Bliminseo
Now figure that one out.

Foiled by the Gyro

My previously stated vows were:

1. No fried food. (chicken, okra)
2. No macaroni and cheese.
3. No pizza.
4. No lasagna.

Neither of which I ate, but I did have a gyro from the food court in an effort to help my poor fragile body along to my next class. I did not break any of my vows, but I feel just as guilty.

As I was completely full from the late lunch I had at 3:52pm, I could not have anything from the Caf except a cup of tea, and an addition of 6 more bananas to replace the four that I have half-mushed in the freezer.

We are going to be blending tonight.

I tried to be the hero in the circumstance of all of this unhealthy food we are exposed to; however, it appears that my heroic actions were foiled by the gyro.

[please pronounce "gyro" like "hero," that's the proper pronunciation]

Take it or leave it, but at least think about the awesome smoothies I will be making and wish that you were making them too!

Smooth move

I vowed to myself that I would not eat any cookies, fried chicken, [my favorite chicken fried steak], fried okra [my other favorite] macaroni and cheese, pizza, or lasagna this semester from the Caf. Basically, I'm going to starve. I've eaten the same thing for lunch and dinner for the past week and two days now which is a tortilla wrap with spinach leaves, two pieces of swiss cheese, olives, and kidney beans. Plus a grove of bananas. 

I did have one piece of grilled chicken, but then I got freaked out. The Caf meat just really freaks me out. I can only live on sparsely filled tortillas and cereal for so long. 

So, I thought I was going to be smooth today and make my own banana smoothie. 4 bananas and a cup of milk later, I'm back in the dorm being clever until.... I can't figure out how to make the blender work. A sheepish blunder of the blender, but my plans have been foiled.

I decided to mash the bananas, but then bananas can only be mashed so much with a fork, so I stuck the bowl into the freezer hoping that this concoction will magically smoothie itself.

So, here I am again, facing the same dilemma of "what ever will I have for dinner?" 

I might have to break my vow, or one day I am going to break.

Just a glimpse of my efforts: 

Necessity => Invention

How did we spend our weekend, aside from the studying and other scholarly commitments (Step Sing say what what)?

1. We went to the International Club, like always, because we are international to the international.
2. We went to the local synagogue. Will return next week. Descriptive post to come soon.
3. Step Sung all day. Went to the Caf for dinner. Brought back four bananas each (a total of 16 bananas), and made smoothies. [we had to re-stock our supply. ready for round 2]

4. Put on make-up with false eyelashes and made a fort because we have nothing better to do on a Saturday night. photo credit: lauren

5. Slept through four alarms that we had set for church.
6. More step sing, then dinner, but this time we were able to take away a cup full of strawberries and grapes.
7. Alas, after much home-working, we were in need of a low-key therapy, so instead of stealing things from the recycle bins, (and I mean real low-key all of that studying is countered by this activity =>) because we watched "Confessions of a Shopaholic." "I literally feel my brain turning to goo," Gordo from Lizzie McGuire. And I just verified your response to the first movie. Lizzie McGuire is forever. #paolo&isabella.

We still have several textbooks to buy, or to just sit in a corner of the bookstore for the rest of the year. Although the scanner in the library works quite well as well. But, we are employed, well fed, and have each other. And we bought a carpet!

So, after a long first week back to school, I leave you with this song. It is the theme song of our room right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUE4ZKcy1kU

"Necessity is the mother of invention." And Shabbat Shalom to you.

(mind blown, so much more to say, Braggs Amino Acid and Apple Cider Vinegar post and "the world is flat" and "flatland" on the mind. coming soon apparently I just decided.)

Take it; leave it; think about it; I'm processing.

Expectancy's No Spark ... or is it?

At first, it is exciting; discoveries are made, and as the relationship is being formed, expectations are being developed.

How much time do you let pass to smother that initial spark, that was once, in fact, a spark. 

An aura envelops the beings until one day, the aura fades, and all that is left is just being. 

.... and that being is normal.You say that everything will return to normalcy (alluding to Harding), and you allude to the fact that normal is, in fact, not a good thing or desired. 

Couldn't you just make that spark carry on -- the spark can be what is normal, not the doldrums in which you seem to be adrift. 

Don't resort to normalcy. Transcend time with that spark. [even though expectancy could be by the fact that you two know each other very well; you appreciate every aspect of the relationship, and yet it has become a bore - something that was once cherished so much has unfortunately become a bore. Look at yourself, for instance, that spark is still there underneath your own thick scaly skin that has hardened, but you have given up - you have not fought for it. 

Think about the time period you were in when the spark began, and think about the time period you are in now while fighting the doldrums. You have changed also - you need to make the most of the period you are in. It is not going to be the same experience-filled time, because this is a different time. 

Something really great can be created here, since, you already know so much about each other. But maybe you hate it because playing the game was more fun to you than actually winning it. [and you don't know what to do next]. Ride the wave out, and since you are in the doldrums, perhaps this is a chance for you to reevaluate yourself and see where you went wrong on your part and formulate a plan to fight for what can be what was once great. 

You know everything about each other, and you have become one. This is how it should be. You don't always have to be talking or having some fun adventure. You can find peace in just being, with each other. 

Take it or leave it, but at least think about it. I leave you this quote:

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, and leave only frustration for the life you deserved by have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desire can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours." 

-Atlas Shrugged

How was your [insert number] day?

How was your 1st day of school?
How was your 2nd day of school?
How was your 3rd day of school?
How was your 4th day of school?
How was your 5th day of school?
How was your, wait, it's Saturday - well, how was your 1st Saturday?

WHEN DO THE NUMBERS END PEOPLE??

How about, "What's one thing you can teach me that you learned today?" Or how about anything that doesn't result in an answer of "good, fine, or okay."

If you want an actual conversation, you have to ask it in the right way, unfortunately.

Take it or leave it, but at least think about it, because I am calculating what number day of school we will be on in 5 weeks.

"So tell me, how was your 63rd day of school?"

Presence: Why Moses, and who are we?

It might be the fact that I was extremely tired during this lecture and perhaps missed the key factor, but I would suggest reading the article on the following link: http://enduringword.com/commentaries/0203.htm

I was confused about how the professor said that anybody could have seen the burning bush, but because the shepherds were so engaged with tending to their flocks, the likelihood of any of them actually taking notice of a burning bush would have been slim.  -  By the professor saying this, I immediately thought "So what if another shepherd had seen the bush and wandered over to it? Would the Moses we know be a different person?" - I mean, think about it.

Apparently, randomly combustive bushes in the desert are a common occurrence. - That being said, perhaps other shepherds saw the bush and took no notice of it because it was common.

But why Moses? Why was he so drawn in? - I mean, he even left his flock of sheep to pursue this common marvel. And THEN God calls him with the angel of the Lord.

Was it that the bush was raging with fire but not consumed? Did this uniqueness spark (pun most definitely intended) his curiosity?

Perhaps God revealed himself to Moses only. Maybe, had any other passerby seen Moses, they would have thought that he was just exercising with his shoes off by a burning desert bush.

But why Moses, why Moses?
Because "I AM WHO I AM." - Exodus 3:14

The Lord was going to deliver his people out of slavery - He would be with them as they were led out; He would be with Moses as he presented himself before the Pharaoh; He would be with HIS PEOPLE.

The Lord will be with His people. Then, and now.

Take it or leave it, but at least think about the Presence of the Lord. Feel the Presence. Know that His Presence is present. Be comforted and still.

Ipso Facto: Shy?

My teacher asks, "Are you shy?" of a new student who just rushed into class.

1. Did you seriously just ask that? 

     - aren't you going to judge the level of shyness whatever the response may be anyways

2. Why do you need to know?

     - do you really need assurance and are hoping that that person is, in fact, not shy 

3. If the person is, in fact, more reserved than the person next to them who acts like a squirrel on crack and your demanding inquiry challenges their character, then I must tell you that they will retreat into themselves because you just insulted them. 

     - curiosity killed the cat, just saying. tisk tisk

4. If the person is, in fact, a chipmunks are cuter on crack, then they could either 1. take offense, or 2. laugh it off and exclaim "of course not (interlude: almost as if it is a bad trait and they could never be affiliated with such inadequacies)!"

Take it or leave it, but at least think about how you label people [TO THEIR FACES], because those who are reserved in the slightest could possibly take offense to it.

Post Script: What if the student actually was, in fact, shy?? hashtag awkward...