Superfluous Hullabaloo
The world according to Feffie.Monday, December 01, 2003
Friday, November 28, 2003Thou Shalt Not Skim Flavor From The Holidays
I got this in an e-mail, and it was so great I had to pass it on.
By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY
I hate this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism and forced frivolity, but because it's the season when the food police come out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds. You can't pick up a magazine without finding a list of holiday eating do's and don'ts. Eliminate second helpings, high-calorie sauces and cookies made with butter, they say. Fill up on vegetable sticks, they say. Good grief! Is your favorite childhood memory of Christmas a carrot stick? I didn't think so. Isn't mine, either. A carrot was something you left for Rudolph. I have my own list of tips for holiday eating. I assure you, if you follow them, you'll be fat and happy. So what if you don't make it to New Year's? Your pants won't fit anymore, anyway.1. About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving
rum balls.2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an egg-nog aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it! Have
one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Remember college?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. You can't leave them behind. You're not going to see them again.
8. Same for pies, apple. Pumpkin, mincemeat, have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards, mate.
10. And one final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips. Start over. But hurry! Cookieless January is just around the corner.
Saturday, November 15, 2003Thanksgiving
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I actually had two Thanksgivings this year, and they were both fabulous. :-) Last weekend I went home to Florida and had Thanksgiving with my family. The whole weekend was great: Chris and I went to the movies Friday night, the beach on Saturday, Harry Connick, Jr. concert Saturday night (which was AMAZING!), on Sunday we had Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, brother, and his parents, and Sunday night Chris had an orchestra concert. A very busy and very fun weekend. Melissa came down from Boston this week to spend Thanksgiving here with me, and we did a lot of shopping, went to the parade, and had a tasty dinner with my friends Patrena and Nicole. She's on her way back to Bean Town now, and I miss her! We had so much fun together.
Her's the Friday Five for this week. How appropriate after hanging out with Melissa, the shopping champ! hehe
1. Do you like to shop? Why or why not? Yes, but it's frustrating when I can't find what I want, or don't have enough money.
2. What was the last thing you purchased? Sme new black shoes, I had to retire the old ones, they were falling apart.
3. Do you prefer shopping online or at an actual store? Why? If it's clothes I like shopping at the actual store, because they look so different on. Things like electronics are sometimes better to shop for online since there is usually a better selection.
4. Did you get an allowance as a child? How much was it? Yes I did, but I really don't remember.
5. What was the last thing you regret purchasing? Well, I bought a hair polishing product yesterday that when I opened it up turned out to be all melted, and that really annoyed me.
Friday, October 31, 2003Busier Than The Bees That Make The Honey!
So yeah, I've been pretty busy lately. I'm playing in the pit orchestra for Hänsel und Gretel, and getting ready for my recital on Monday night. Very inconvenient timing to have the opera right before my recital, but oh well, I will survive. Here is what I am playing on my recital:
Carl Nielsen Two Fantasty Pieces
Walter Piston Suite for Oboe and Piano
Benjamin Britten Six Metamorphoses after Ovid (the first four)
Samuel Barber Summer Music (for wind quintet)
So it should be cool. Just pray that I play well and don't make a fool of myself, please.Here are the Friday Five:
1. Using one adjective, describe your current living space. messy
2. Using two adjectives, describe your current employer. eh, I don't really have an employer in the traditional sense. I teach music lessons.
3. Using three adjectives, describe your favorite hobby/pasttime. I haven't done it in forever, but swing dancing: exhilerating, fun, groovy
4. Using four adjectives, describe your typical day. long, tiring, busy, full
5. Using five adjectives, describe your ideal life. long, productive, rewarding, relaxing, and fun
Tuesday, October 28, 2003Friday Five
1. What was your first Halloween costume? The first one I remember was Rainbow Brite.
2. What was your best costume and why? Well, I had the most fun on the Halloween when I dressed up as a schoolgirl.
3. Did you ever play a trick on someone who didn't give you a treat? No, not that I recall, I always got my treat.
4. Do you have any Halloween traditions? (ie: Family pumpkin carving, special dinner before trick or treating, etc.) My mom used to put pepperoni on a pizza in a jack-o-lantern pattern.
5. Share your favorite scary story...real or legend! I like the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Friday, October 24, 2003Gove Forever
I don't even know what to say. What do you say when someone you know kills himself? Are there words that are appropriate? Last night I found out that someone I went to Stetson with, Matthew Beeman, killed himself. He was found by his roommate yesterday morning hanging in the closet. It just seemed too awful to believe, and it still does. Talking to people and hearing their pain makes it more real, but doesn't make it any more comprehensible. It makes me so sad. He wasn't a close friend of mine, but he was someone I knew and saw on a daily basis for two years. He was close friends to a lot of my friends, and someone I always saw at parties, making people laugh with his silly ways. I keep seeing this image of him at the Zeta spring formal in 2001, wearing a feather boa and big goofy glasses, laughing and having fun; and then hanging there dead, and it just doesn't make sense. Of course he had problems, but we all do, and I think most people have thought about suicide at some point in time. But how do we know when someone is really in danger? How do we know before it's too late? How could something like this happen at Stetson? How could something like this happen to someone I know? It scares me. I feel sad and confused. I feel so far away from Stetson where everyone is still in shock, and so many are in pain, but at the same time I feel a strong connection.
To those of you who were close to him, my deepest sympathy. Wow. I just don't know what else to say.
Friday, October 17, 2003And Old Friday Five
1. What vehicle do you drive? 1994 Mercury Grand Marquis
2. How long have you had it? 2 1/2 years
3. What is the coolest feature on your vehicle? keyless entry... I never lock my keys in the car!
4. What is the most annoying thing about your vehicle? the windows don't work
5. If money were no object, what vehicle would you be driving right now? I really like my car, I would probably keep it. I would just get some things fixed on it and make some improvements, like a new stereo.
Monday, October 13, 2003Cingular
Don't EVER get phone service through Cingular. Unless you want to pay for service you don't receive. If it gives you a thrill to spend money on a cell phone and rarely get a signal to make a call, then definitely, sign up with Cingular. If you like to call a company's customer service and get a different answer from each person you talk to, or if you like to travel outside of the state and find that no one can help you fix a problem with your phone, then don't hesitate, call Cingular, they are the company for you!! however, if you just want a phone company that provides service and actual SOLUTIONS to any problems you may have, look elsewhere. Cingular is awful. I wouldn't wish their poor service on anyone.
Tuesday, September 30, 2003It's Been a While...
Yeah, so I haven't posted in a while. Guess I've been busy! Went to Boston last weekend. Visited Melissa, who's at BU, and Clark, who's at Harvard (but not Victoria who's at NEC because she was in NY when I went to Boston). It was a lot of fun. I have some pictures, I should put them up. Candice sent me new pictures, I should put them up too.
80s movie night was this weekend. Not a lot of people showed up, but Kristin and I had fun anyway. We dressed up all 80s and; got sugared up on pixie stix, ring pops, and candy necklaces; and watched St. Elmo's Fire and Sixteen Candles
So other than that, just been doing school, dealing with things that don't work like my phone and camera, the usual. Chris is coming this weekend, so I am very excited about that!!
I might as well catch up on a Friday Five I missed...
1. Do you watch sports? If so, which ones? Sometimes I watch sports. Not so much on my own, but when I am with my family. Usually baseball and football, sometimes hockey and basketball. Never golf, it bores me to tears.
2. What/who are your favorite sports teams and/or favorite athletes? I like the Dolphins of course, and the Marlins, my home teams. The only New York team I like is the Yankees, because they are so classic baseball. Speaking of the Yankees, my mom is obsessed [she likes the Marlins (current home team) and the Cardinals (Mark McGwire) too]. During Yankee games, she waves her Yankees flag and screams at the TV. She has a bobble head doll of Roger Clemens that she turns upside down and shakes if he doesn't pitch well. Yeah, my family is pretty funny.
3. Are there any sports you hate? I don't hate any sports, but I think golf is boring, and I'm really nto a big fan of soccer, especially the kids who scream outside my window early in the morning while playign it.
4. Have you ever been to a sports event? duuuuuuhhhhhhhhh If you have to ask this, you don't know me at all!!!
5. Do/did you play any sports (in school or other)? How long did you play? I played little league softball for three years, and I was on the track team for (most of) one season in high school. Wasn't a big fan of the running, but it was cool that I could eat like a monster and not gain weight. i wanted to get back into softball, but I didn't have the time since I was so busy with band and drama club. I wanted to go out for crew in college, but didn't have the time.
Sunday, September 28, 2003Healing Powers of the Oboe
This is cool...
Asthmatic man says playing oboe has been instrumental in recovery.
Friday, September 12, 2003National Tragedy: The Death of "Common Sense"
Today we mourn the passing of an Old friend, by the name of "Common Sense."
Common Sense lived a long life but died in the U.S. from heart failure on the brink of a the new millennium. No one
really know how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories, helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. For decades, petty rules, silly laws and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as: "to know when to come in out of the rain", "why the early bird gets the worm" and "life isn't always fair." Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn); reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids); and it's okay to come in second.A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression and the Technological revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends, including body piercing, whole language and "new math." His health declined when he became infected with the "if-it-only-helps-one-person-it's worth it" virus.
In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of well-intentioned but overbearing regulations. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers. His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouth-was after lunch and a teacher fired for
reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but could not inform the parent when a female student was pregnant or wanted an abortion. Common Sense lost his will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims and federal judges stuck their noses in everything
from the Boy Scouts to professional sports. Finally, when a woman, too stupid to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, was warded a huge settlement, Common Sense threw in the towel. As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding questionable regulations such as those for low flow
toilets, rocking chairs and stepladders.Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by two step brothers: My Rights, and Ima Whiner. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
--Obituary Author Unknown.
Wednesday, September 10, 2003Friday Five
1. Is the name you have now the same name that's on your birth certificate? If not, what's changed? Yes.
2. If you could change your name (first, middle and/or last), what would it be? I like my first and middle names, and I plan to change my last name when I get married.
3. Why were you named what you were? (Is there a story behind it? Who specifically was responsible for naming you?) I don't think there's a specific reason, my parents just like the name. I think it fits me well. Before I was born, my parents called me "Stephanie/ Michael" since they didn't know if I would be a boy or a girl. Luckily their second child was a boy!
4. Are there any names you really hate or love? What are they and why? I like the names Jasmine and Victoria, and I would love to use Sunflower as a name. I like the name Christopher, I guess because it's my sweetie's name, but I have always thought it was a nice name. I like the name Joseph because it reminds of my uncle. There are some names that I would probably like otherwise, but I can't hear them without thinking of certain people, so that ruins them for me. I won't mention them, because that would not be nice.
5. Is the analysis of your name at kabalarians.com/triggur.org/astroexpert accurate? How or how isn't it?
Your name of Stephanie gives you a very idealistic but passive outlook on life. You desire culture and all the refinements of life but you are inclined to live in your dreams. Although you would like to do many things, procrastination undermines your accomplishment and success in life. You do not like to create issues and will do anything to avoid a conflict. Making decisions is difficult for you without the support and approval of others. This name gives you a very sensitive nature, making you feel much that you do not understand. Your feelings are easily hurt, at which times you are inclined to withdraw and become uncommunicative. Although you desire the friendship and association of others, you find it difficult to express your thoughts through the spoken word, and others find you hard to get to know. It is much more natural for you to express your deeper thoughts in writing. Inner tension can deplete your physical vitality.
Some of this is true, but I don't fully agree with it. It makes me sound like some spineless blob just floating through life.
Fight the Radical Right!
While walking around the Purchase campus, I saw in a window, right next to a sign saying, "Keep abortion legal," one that said, "Fight the radical right."
I stopped and thought about that for a minute. Radical right? Isn't that kind of an oxymoron? How can the right be radical?
If anyone can offer a reasonable explanation for this, aside from, "It's Purchase logic," please let me know.
Friday, September 05, 2003Grilling
The other day, it was so nice outside, I said to Kristin, "Wouldn't it be a great evening for a barbeque?" So after we picked up Wendy from the train station, we went to the store and bought charcoal, grilling tools, and food to grill on the outdoor grill in our complex. We prepared the food and brought it outside, only to find that the grill that used to be there was gone! Argh. So we had to end up "grilling" inside on an electric grill. NOT the same thing. it was very disappointing.
Anyway, today I made up my mind to get a grill. I found this little table-top charcoal grill and it's just fabulous! There is just nothing like real charcoal-grilled food. I am going to grill on every nice day that I have time from now until I gets too cold!
Friday, August 15, 2003Friday Five
1. What housekeeping chore(s) do you hate doing the most? Cleaning anything, especially the bathroom, and laundry. I don't like vacuuming either, because of the noise.
2. Are there any that you like or don't mind doing? I love to cook, so much that I don't think of it as a chore, but I suppose some people do.
3. Do you have a routine throughout the week or just clean as it's needed? My roommates and I have a rotation so we take turns cleaning different parts of the apartment.
4. Do you have any odd cleaning/housekeeping quirks or rules? No, not really. Well except for the fact that I fluctuate between being a neat freak and a slob. I go back and forth between the extremes of getting really fussy about everything being just perfect, and then being just too tired or apathetic to care.
5. What was the last thing you cleaned? Uh, I just wiped off the kitchen counter a little while ago. I cleaned the whole apartment over the weekend. It was NASTY when I got here. They make no effort to maintain these dumps. Oh, don't even get me started...
Monday, August 11, 2003Friday Five
1. How much time do you spend online each day? About an hour on average, I suppose.
2. What is your browser homepage set to? Purchase
3. Do you use any instant messaging programs? If so, which one(s)? Yes, I use AIM.
4. Where was your first webpage located? Steph's World, and I still have it!
5. How long have you had your current website? 2 years
Miracles are instantaneous; they cannot be summoned, but they come of themsleves, usually at unlikely moments and to those who least expect them.
Katherine A. Porter
Music Lessons Boost Verbal Memory
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
on Monday, July 28, 2003
July 28, 2003 -- The benefits of music lessons may turn up in more areas than just the recital hall. A new study shows children who take music lessons have better verbal memory skills than others and may find it easier to learn in school.
Researchers say the findings suggest that experiences that activate and alter a region of the brain may improve performance in other tasks supported by that area, much in the same way cross training boosts athletic performance.
More Music, More Memory?
In the study, psychologists in Hong Kong studied 90 boys between the ages of 6 and 15. Half of the boys had received music training as members of their school's string orchestra, plus music lessons on Western instruments, for up to five years. The others had no musical training.
Researchers gave the children verbal memory tests to see how many words they could learn and recall from a list and a similar test to measure their visual memory skills.
The study showed that the students with music training learned, recalled, and retained more words than the other boys. And verbal memory skills rose in proportion to how long they had taken music lessons. No such differences were found for visual memory skills.
"The more music training during childhood, the better the verbal memory," says researcher Agnes S. Chan, PhD, a psychologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and colleagues. "This strongly implies that the better verbal memory in children with music training is not simply a matter of differences in age, education level, or their family's socioeconomic characteristics."
Lasting Benefits of Music Lessons
In a second experiment, researchers followed up a year later with the 45 orchestra students. Nine had dropped out less than three months after the initial study, and 17 new students had begun music training.
This beginner's group had originally shown lower verbal memory skills than the musically trained students, but one year later these new students showed significant improvement in verbal skills.
Although the verbal memory skills of the nine children that stopped taking music lessons did not continue to improve after the training ended, their memory skills remained stable and they did not lose the advantage they had gained previously.
Researchers say this group of children had already had almost three years of musical training before they discontinued their music lessons, which means their training may have had a long-lasting effect.
But as shown by the new music students, as little as a year of music lessons was enough to provide noticeable benefits in verbal memory skills.
Researchers say more studies are needed, but learning more about how musical training boosts memory performance may one day help in rehabilitating people with memory loss.
SOURCES: Neuropsychology, July 2003. News release, American Psychological Association.
Saturday, August 09, 2003Choose Your Own Adventure
Sometimes I wish life were like one of those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. I always thought those were cool. Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I could go back and make different decisions, take different paths, at certain points in my life. It would be interesting to know.
There are high spots in all of our lives, and most of them come about through encouragement from someone else.
George Adams
Thursday, August 07, 2003Friday Five
1. What's the last place you traveled to, outside your own home state/country? New York, obviously, but aside from that, North Carolina.
2. What's the most bizarre/unusual thing that's ever happened to you while traveling? Getting lost and ending up in Tennessee. I suppose that's not so bizarre, but it did freak me out.
3. If you could take off to anywhere, money and time being no object, where would you go? Hawaii
4. Do you prefer traveling by plane, train or car? Well, although planes are terribly uncomfortable (I can't afford to fly first class), I go like to get where I'm going quickly, so I'll say plane.
5. What's the next place on your list to visit? I'd like to go to New Orleans.
Shopping is better than sex. If you're not satisfied after shopping, you can make an exchange for something you really like.
Adrienne Gusoff
Tornados
We've been having some rough weather here in South Florida today. Some really bad tornados hit Riveria Beach and did a lot of damage. Please pray for the people who were affected by them. Don't worry about me, though, I am ok. :-) No, Forrest, I am not dead ;-)
Friday, August 01, 2003The Pastor's Cat
Someone recently told a true story about the pastor of his church. He had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree bent down, he could then reach up and get the kitten. He did! All the while, checking his progress in the car frequently, then figured if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved a little further forward, the rope broke. The tree went "Boing!" and the kitten instantly sailed through the air--out of sight. The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed, "Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping," and went on about his business.A few days later he was at the grocery store and met one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. Now this woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, "Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?"
She replied, "You won't believe this," and told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, "Well, if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it." She told the pastor, "I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this, but I saw it with my own eyes... A kitten suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her!"
Never underestimate the Power of God and His unique sense of humor.
Friday Five
1. What time do you wake up on weekday mornings? For school, I usually wake at or before 10:00. For work, well that depends on where I'm working, but usually between 7:30-8:30.
2. Do you sleep in on the weekends? How late? Yes, usually. Depends on how late I was up the night before. If I stay up all night baking or go out partying (or both, I've been known to party and bake), I may just sleep until 2:00.
3. Aside from waking up, what is the first thing you do in the morning? Pee
4. How long does it take to get ready for your day? That depends on whether or not I give a crap about how I look on that particular day. On a normal day, it takes me about 45 minutes to shower, get dressed, and have breakfast. If I put on makeup, do my hair, and all that jazz, probably about an hour and a half. Sometimes I have the time and energy, I do Pilates in the morning, and that adds an extra 20 minutes.
5. When possible, what is your favorite place to go for breakfast? I usually don't get up early enough to go out to breakfast, and most breakfast places serve greasy fatty things that I shouldn't eat. I'd rather just have a homemade fruit smoothie for breakfast and go out for lunch or dinner.
Speaking of food, if anyone has a fun recipe you want to share, feel free to send it to me. I love to cook, and I'm always looking for great new ideas.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003Sick & Grumpy
Not much else to say. Have plans for the weekend and will be really pissed if I'm not feeling well enough.
Friday, July 11, 2003Florida Quarter
Does anybody know which design was chosen for the Florida state quarter? I remember a few months ago there was a site to vote for one of five designs (I liked the Everglades one), but I never found out the results. That link is now dead, and I have been searching for the results, but no luck. If anyone knows, please tell me, I am quite curious! Thanks!
'Tis the Season to Barbeque!
I love to walk around in the evening and breathe in the aroma of barbeque. There's nothing quite like it! One of the things that makes summer my favorite season. Of course, theoretically, it's nice enough all year 'round to barbeque here in Florida, but there's something about summer that just puts people in the mood to barbeque. mmmm I can just smell it!
Sunday, July 06, 2003Friday Five
1. Do you remember your first best friend? Who was it? My next-door neighbor, Stephanie, and I were close friends when we first moved into our houses since we lived next door and were the same age (and by strange coincidence, had the same name). We did pretty much everything together, but sadly, her family moved away a year later.
2. Are you still in touch with this person? We stayed in touch for several years, but I haven't heard from her in a while. I would like to get back in touch with her, even though I suspect our lives may be totally different now, it would still be a lot of fun to hang out.
3. Do you have a current close friend? Now, Chris is my closest friend, as well as my boyfriend.
4. How did you become friends with this person? We went to Stetson together, and had several classes and ensembles together. We got to know each other when we played in a trio/ quintet together, and also we had a lot of mutual friends.
5. Is there a friend from your past that you wish you were still in contact with? Why?Lots of people! The older I get, the more important old friends are to me. In particular, I would like RJ to return my calls so we could hang out some time before I go back to New York. We were usch good buds back in the day, and I really miss him!
These questions are really appropriate for me today, since I just got back from having lunch with an old friend I haven't seen in 4 1/2 years! It was a lot of fun. :-) You should call an old friend today!
Thursday, July 03, 2003Happy Independence Day!
I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth! Mine was nice. My parents and I went to spend the holiday with Chris' family, and we had a lot of fun. Tasty food, card games, it was groovy. Here's the Friday Five
1. What were your favorite childhood stories?The Anne of Green Gables series, and as a very young child I liked Dr. Seuss books & Care Bears books
2. What books from your childhood would you like to share with [your] children? Definitely Anne of Green Gables
3. Have you re-read any of those childhood stories and been surprised by anything? I haven't re-read the books in a while, but Mom and I watch the movies quite often. I do remember some slight differences between the books and the movies, and I would like to re-read the books just to notice those differences, just for fun. One thing I don't understand about the movies though is the one they made called The Continuing Story. It used the same characters, but wasn't based on any of the books, even though there are four more books in the series after where the Anne of Avonlea movie left off. It's in a totally different style and doesn't fit at all.
4. How old were you when you first learned to read? I think I was five. Before that, I used to memorize the books my parents would read to me and pretend I was reading them.
5. Do you remember the first 'grown-up' book you read? How old were you? When I was in fifth grade, I started reading Stephen King books, but when my mom found out, she took them back to the library.
Saturday, June 21, 2003Busch Gardens!
Well, the weather was more cooperative last weekend, so we went to Busch Gardens and it was so much fun! I took a lot of pictures, but much to my annoyance, the camera lost them. Just disappeared. Have no idea why. VERY annoyed. Took more pictures, those disappeared too. I guess I have to upload the pictures right after I take them??? I suppose I'll just bring my computer with me next time. We ate at the Stanley Smokehouse barbeque place in the park, and it was SO GOOD. I would go to Busch Gardens just to eat there. That's one of the things I really miss when I go to New York. It's just too f@*king cold (although right now I hear it's hotter than in Florida! it's just never nice there) to barbeque up there, and there there sure as shit aren't any barbeque restaurants in snotty Westchester County.
Anyway, it was a lot of fun. I love seeing all the animals, especially zebras, gifaffes, and flamingos. Tigers are cool too. They're all cool. I think I like animals better than people. Of course, the roller coasters were awesome too. I always have such a good time when I am with my sweetie!
Hmm, I don't think I ever did the Friday Five last week. I guess I might as well do it now.
1. How are you planning to spend the summer [winter]? Well, I was planning on spending it working and earning money for next semester, but unfortunately I have hardly gotten any work. So, being broke and all, I have spent most of it so far sitting around the house doing nothing. I have gotten to see Chris a lot, which of course is wonderful, and I have been to the beach and Busch Gardens. I also hope to visit some more of my Florida friends before I finish my sentence in New York. It would help if certain people would return my phone calls.
2. What was your first summer job? I worked as a cashier at Publix (a supermarket, for you non-Floridians).
3. If you could go anywhere this summer [winter], where would you go? Oh there are a bazillion places I would love to go! I want to go to New Orleans, Europe, Hawaii. None of it matters though since I am broke.
4. What was your worst vacation ever? I don't think I've ever had a bad vacation. I live for vacations!! One time I went on vacation and I forgot to pack underwear, so that was annoying having to wash the same pair every night, but it was still a great vacation.
5. What was your best vacation ever? Hmm, I love all vacations, so it's hard to decide. Maybe Key West with Shelly spring break of 2001 (other than being sick). I just love the Keys.
Speaking of vacations, my parents are going to Disney World without me next week.
Friday, June 20, 2003Crappy Weather
Well, no Busch Gardens for us today! :-( boo hoo hoo
Thursday, June 19, 2003Friday Five
Going to Busch Gardens with Chris tomorrow! Woo hoo! I will try to remember my camera this time. When I upload those pictures, Iwill try to get some of the other work done on Steph's World that I have been meaning to do. You'd think I would be able to, having plenty of time not working and all! If only my connection weren't so slow...
1. Is your hair naturally curly, wavy, or straight? Long or short? It's usually slightly wavy, unless I scrunch it up and make it curly, or striaghten it, and it's long.
2. How has your hair changed over your lifetime? I've permed it (before it started getting wavy on its own); dyed it verious shades of red, from burgandy to strawberry blonde; and cut it to shoulder length and chin length.
3. How do your normally wear your hair? I usually keep my natural light brown/blonde shade with sun streaks (or frosting when I haven't seen the sun in a while!), let it grow long, and put in a ponytail, a twist, or clip it up in a half-ponytail.
4. If you could change your hair this minute, what would it look like? Glistening red waves like Debra Messing on Will and Grace. Sometimes I miss being a redhead.
5. Ever had a hair disaster? What happened? Oh sure, many. The one that pops into my head first is one of the times I dyed my hair red, I didn't spread the dye evenly through my hair, and I had a big bright red splotch on the top of my head while the rest of my hair was a dull auburn. OOPS!
The rich aren't like us, they pay less taxes.
Peter de Vries
Wednesday, June 11, 2003Friday Five
I did this on Tuesday, but the server was acting up, so I was really only four days late and not six. :-)
1. What's one thing you've always wanted to do, but never have? Travel outside the country.
2. When someone asks your opinion about a new haircut/outfit/etc, are you always honest? That depends on whether the person asking knows how to take constructive criticism.
3. Have you ever found out something about a friend and then wished you hadn't? What happened? No, not that I can recall.
4. If you could live in any fictional world (from a book/movie/game/etc.) which would it be and why? I think it would be cool to live in Rivendell with the elves.
5. What's one talent/skill you don't have but always wanted? Speaking foreign languages.
Friday, May 30, 2003Survey
1. WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME? Stephanie Anne Cecelia Byers
2. WHAT COLOR PANTS ARE YOU WEARING? Gray
3. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Jeopardy
4. WHAT ARE THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER? 0518
5. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? spaghetti
6. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? purple and silver swirl
7. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW? sunny and warm, cooling off a little since the sun is setting, pretty humid
8. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Chris
9. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX: I only notice my sweetie, and I notice his sweet lips.
10. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT YOU THIS? Melissa sent it to me, and yes, I like her. Haven't seen her in a while, though.
11. HOW ARE YOU TODAY? Doing pretty well, had a nice day at the beach with my mom, upper back is a little sore though.
12. FAVORITE DRINK? cranberry juice
13. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK: Amaretto Sour
14. FAVORITE SPORTS? football, hockey, baseball
15. HAIR COLOR? light brown with blonde highlights
16. EYE COLOR? dark brown
17. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? yes
18. SIBLINGS AND THEIR AGES? Mike 21
19. FAVORITE MONTH? July
20. FAVORITE FOOD? sushi
21. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?: A Walk in the Clouds
22. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? March 29
24. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT? no
25. DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING MOVIES BETTER? funny!
26. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer DUHHHH unless we're talking "winter" in Florida! hahaha
27. HUGS OR KISSES? both, geez, that's like saying peanut butter or jelly!
28. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS? relationship, just one
29. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? chocolate
30. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO WRITE BACK? of course
31. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? who knows?
2. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? RJ, he's a bum and he doesn't return phone calls
3. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS? living with my parents right now
34. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Fellowship of the Ring and a book about Picasso
35. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? two birds saying, "Everyone's talking about the Florida International Festival"
6. FAVORITE BOARD GAME? Boggle
37. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT? watched a movie with my mom
38. FAVORITE SMELLS? Chris, bread baking, jasmine
39. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? What day it is? What do I have to do? Can I go back to sleep a little longer?
Saturday, May 24, 2003Friday Five
Looks like I haven't posted since last week's Friday Five! I am a bum!
1. What do you most want to be remembered for? Making people laugh, and making beautiful music.
2. What quotation best fits your outlook on life? "Life's a journey, not a destination."
3. What single achievement are you most proud of in the past year? Surviving my first year of graduate school, and not moving back to Florida before the year was up.
4. What about the past ten years? Getting my Bachelor of Music from Stetson.
5. If you were asked to give a child a single piece of advice to guide them through life, what would you say? Don't give up when times get tough. Stick it out, use your family, friends, and God for support; you will make it if you work hard, believe in yourself, and don't give up!
Monday, May 19, 2003Friday Five
1. What brand of toothpaste do you use? I would have to check to be sure, but I think it's Colgate.
2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer? Whatever is on sale and fluffy.
3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear? Do you really want me to list all the brands of all of my shoes?? My sneakers are Nikes and Adidas I think.
4. What brand of soda do you drink? I'm not really a soda drinker. I drink cola when I have rum, but as long as it's Captain Morgan, I don't care too much what type of cola.
5. What brand of gum do you chew? Usually either Trident or Eclipse, but I'm not too picky. Sometimes I want to buy Bubblicious or Bubble Yum just for old time's sake.
Back In The Sunshine State!!!
It is so good to be back in Florida! It's so sunny outside!! I am not used to the heat yet, though. I'm sweating buckets! But that's OK. I love to feel the warm sunshine on my skin. I'm already starting to get my tan back. :-)
I took the auto train down here on Thursday, and arrived Friday morning. I was so worried that I would miss the train that I couldn't sleep Wednesday night, and I ended up waking up at 5:00 and not being able to fall back alseep. So I just decided to leave, and I got to the station in Virginia REALLY early. I had a couple of hours to kill, so I found a salon and decided to get my nails done. It was nice and relaxing after the drive, so that worked out pretty well. There was another lady taking the auto train who was at the nail salon too. I saw her later on the train. I thought the train ride would be long and boring, but it was actually fun. I met some nice people, and we ended up drinking and playing cards all night. They showed movies, and the food was pretty good. Chris met me at the station, and we went to Tampa to visit Ahmad and Alicia. We saw the Matrix Reloaded, but I was so tried from being up most of the night on the train (and actually waking up for the 6 AM breakfast) that I slept through a lot of the movie. It was fun seeing them, and we went to Busch Gardens on Saturday, and had a really fabulous time. We got the best picture of us on the Montu! The best part was we got passes for the rest of the year for the price of on day's admission, so now we can go back many more times!
It's good to be home. :-) All of you out there who said you'd visit better do it!!!
Saturday, May 10, 2003Friday Five (on Monday)
1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.? I like water from the Brita filter. Tastes just as good as bottled, and it's cheaper!
2. What are your favorite flavor of chips? I like those Terra chips. yummy! I also like lime-flavored tortilla chips (escecially with guacamole..... yay avodados!)
3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most? Oh wow, hard to choose! I like my black bean burritos that I eat all the time, my pizza, eggplant or chicken parmesean, and lasagna.
4. How do you have your eggs? poaches on toast, or sometime scrambles with a little bit of cheese
5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out? My mom made lasagna, and it was delicious!
Friday, May 09, 2003Just Another Reason to Hate Purchase
8:00 in the morning, on a Saturday, and they are outside my apartment mowing the grass with the loudest machine ever created. I have my earplugs in, a pillow over my head, and I can still hear this thing. EIGHT AM. I want to know what dumbass made this decision, and send a marching band to his house at 3 AM and crash some cymbals in his ear. Those of you in Florida, just stop before you make the comment that they are working outside early before it gets hot out. It may be MAY, but the hottest part of the day here will probably be a whopping 60 degrees (yes, that's Fahrendeit).
Saturday, May 03, 2003Friday Five
1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not? hahaha no way! I would love to be organized, and sometimes I try, but it just never seems to work out for very long.
2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly? No. Actually, I do have a pocket calendar in my purse, but most of the time I forget it's there, and I don't think to write in it. I don't even carry my purse with me all the time.
3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now? HAHAHAHAHA I am in the middle of packing right now, so it looks like a tornado blew through here.
4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter? Yes, believe it or not, I do. I like to be able to find things!! My CDs and records are alphabetized by genre (although that gets confusing with the classical ones... do I go by composer or performer??), my videos are alphabetized, and my tapes used to be, but most of them are lying around my car now.
5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize? My brain! Too much chaos inside my head!
Thursday, May 01, 2003Friday Five
1. Name one song you hate to admit you like. The Real Slim Shady I really do have better taste, and I find Eminem offensive, but the beats and lyrics are just catchy.
2. Name two songs that always make you cry. I'm not really a big crier.
3. Name three songs that turn you on. almost any Enigma song, Anytime, Anyplace by Janet Jackson
4. Name four songs that always make you feel good. Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith, Walk This Way by Aerosmith, Love in an Elevator by Aerosmith, and Margaritaville by Jimmy Buffett
5. Name five songs you couldn't ever do without. American Pie by Don McLean, Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith, Angel by Aerosmith, Don't Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmtih, and Walk This Way by Aerosmith
Tuesday, April 29, 2003Happy May Day
Well, Happy May Day everyone! Time to flip my calendar, approaching close to summertime! I can tell you for sure though, that this is the first time I have ever worn a turtleneck in May. It's been cloudy and in the 50s today, although right now with the sun peeking through we may be peaking up in the lower 60s. Woo hoo.
As a side note, I am very grateful for my allergy medicine working well, otherwise all this pollen would be making me miserable!
They caught the first female serial killer in Florida. Eight men. But she didn't kill them. She gained access to their homes, hid the romte controls, so they killed themsleves.
Elayne Boosler
Monday, April 28, 2003I Hate New York!!
It was supposed to be nice again today, but now it's raining. This is ridiculous!! One day of nice weather is all I get?? I don't have to go to orchestra today, so I was going to lay out in the sun all afternoon, but now this rain!! RARRR This place sucks. I want to go home.
Sunday, April 27, 2003Sunshine & Springtime!!
Well, today was such a beautiful day, I just had to go outside and enjoy it!! Upper 70s and sunny. I laid out and got a tan!! It was like a day in Florida, only no Publix subs. Very groovy. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, too. I am so excited!! New York wouldn't be so bad if the weather was like this more often.
Friday, April 25, 2003Aerosmith
Aerosmith. Wow. I just can't even tell you how much I love that band. I just can't explain it. Amazing.
Saturday, April 19, 2003Friday Five
Well aren't I a slacker... I haven't posted since last week's Friday Five!
1. What was the last TV show you watched? I saw part of ER last night.
2. What was the last thing you complained about and what was the problem? hahaha where do I even begin??? The last thing I recall is the parking situation at this school. I don't know why it is so difficult for people to park between the lines in the spaces. If I can do it with my big boat and mediocre parking skills, anyone can. Really, people.
3. Who was the last person you complimented and what did you say? I just told Joo Young she played well on her recital.
4. What was the last thing you threw away? I just recycled a plastic bottle.
5. What was the last website (besides this one) that you visited? Mindspillage
In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.
Isaiah 30:15
Saturday, April 12, 2003Friday Five
1. Who is your favorite celebrity? oh geez, I don't know, that could change daily really. Harry Connick, Jr. pops into my mind right now. I love his music, I could listen all day long!
2. Who is your least favorite? Britney Spears (and I don't give a damn if I spelled her name right). No talent and so fake!
3. Have you ever met or seen any celebrities in real life? No.
4. Would you want to be famous? Why or why not? I'd like to be well-known and respected, but not famous to the point where I would have no privacy. That would annoy me - sometimes I just want to be left alone.
5. If you had to trade places with a celebrity for a day, who would you choose and why? I don't know, I'd have to think about that.
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool the pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
Emily Dickinson
Friday, April 11, 2003Culture Shock
This weekend is the annual Culture Shock festival here at SUNY Purchase. A bunch of bands play, there are carnival rides and games, even a beer tent. All kinds of fun and chaos. It's supposed to be an outdoor event, but due to the really crappy weather yesterday, has been moved inside. Today is birght and sunny, so I'm nto sure why they didn't move the main stage back outside. I guess too much trouble, or maybe they're expecting more rain. Oh well. I went to come of it last night, and it was fun. Some of the bands were good, and some not so good. There was a hip-hop duo who, in the middle of their act, said to the audience, "You've been here all day, I bet y'all are HUNGRY!" and brought out some grocery bags and started throwing pieces of chicken (in plastic bags) out into the audience! I had never seen such a thing! It was awfully nice of them, though. People must have been hungry, because there were hands grabbing like mad for that chicken.
Sex Tips from Donald Rumsfeld found courtesy of Ferro Lad
Wednesday, April 09, 2003Friday Five
1. What was the first band you saw in concert? Well, Billy Joel was the first rock star I saw in concert, but if it has to be a band, then Pearl Jam.
2. Who is your favorite artist/band now? Aerosmith
3. What's your favorite song? Just one song???? I can't pick just one song!!
4. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? Bassoon... which I already know how to play, but at present I can not play since I don't have one! Donations are gratefully accepted. :-)
5. If you could meet any musical icon (past or present), who would it be and why? John Lennon. I think he would be fascinating to talk to.
I quit smoking. I fell better, I smell better, and it's safer to drink out of old beer cans lying around the house.
Roseanne
Steph's World
I added some new pictures to Steph's World. Come check it out!
The reason that there are two senators for each state is so that one can be the designated driver.
Jay Leno
Monday, April 07, 2003Quizzes
Cellie has a bunch of fun quizzes on her LiveJournal, and right away I had to take the Florida quiz!! Maybe I'll take more of them. Not right now, though... I should go to bed!!
I scored a 90% on the "How Florida Are You?" Quizie! What about you?
More on Snow
I do have to admit that it's pretty when it snows. A winter wonderland in April!! Who woulda thunk? The birds look really confused. I don't know where all the geese went. Maybe there's a sauna for geese somewhere?
It's not really snowing right now... it's doing something else. Sleet? Freezing rain? I don't really know the difference. It's little frozen pellets that make a "ping" sound when they hit my car. They call it a "wintry mix" when it switches back and forth. All of these interesting weather terms I am learning.
Saturday, April 05, 2003Snow Day
Well, I never dreamed I would have a snow day in April. Craziness! I suppose I should do something productive with my day off. ha!
Gave the page a makeover yesterday... changed the colors... how do you like it?
Friday, April 04, 2003My Personal Hell
This is fucking ridiculous. This winter shit has gone on far too long. I just heard the weatherman say that there is a chance on snow again on Monday. Absurd!!! It was in the 30s today. Unreal!!! The weather must have missed the memo that it's SPRING!! I just can't take this anymore.
Monday, March 31, 2003Friday Five
1. How many houses/apartments have you lived in throughout your life? 2 houses, 1 dorm, 1 sorority house, 3 apartments
2. Which was your favorite and why? Well, I like the house my parents live in now... which I lived in for 10 years, and on and off for 5 years. It's big and nice, that's why I like it (and I don't pay for it)! As far as my own places, I liked the apartment I had in DeLand... it was a good price, convenient location (walking distance to school, the bar, and "Club Sushi"), and the neighbors were all friendly. I liked the front porch with the swing, and only having 3 other apartments in the house.
3. Do you find moving house more exciting or stressful? Why? ehhhh I hate moving!! I have too much crap and it's such a chore!! I am not very good at packing either.
4. What's more important, location or price? At this point in my life, price, since I am just so darn poor!! Location is important too... if I have to live too far from work or school, I will just end up wasting money on over-priced gas! And I don't want to live in the ghetto or anything.
5. What features does your dream house have (pool, spa bath, big yard, etc.)? Oh I love thinking about my dream house! Definately a big yard for kids & dogs to play in; a big decked-out kitchen because I love to cook, a very elegant and romantic master bedroom to share with my sweetie; a pool; hard wood floors (carpet bothers my allergies); colorful, happy, soothing colors on the walls; a big mirrored wall like the one in my parents' house; a great dining room/ bar area for entertaining, I think that covers it!
You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest player in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the US of arrogance, and
Germany doesn't want to go to war.
Chris Rock
Friday Five
The Friday Five from March 28:
1. What was your most memorable moment from the last week? Well, if I had answered this on time, I would not have been able to include Saturday (the 29th), but from today's perspective, it would have been on Saturday. Either seeing the incredible art at the Met (the Manet/ Velazquéz exhibition was so neat - and the Impressionists -wow!) or seeing La Bohéme.
2. What one person touched your life this week? My mom, who came to visit for the week. We had a wonderful time togather!
3. How have you helped someone this week? Uh... I helped my mom carry her luggage... I helped my students to play oboe & piano...
4. What one thing do you need to get done by this time next week? Just one thing??? There are a million things I need to do! Well, I have to do laundry, for one.
5. What one thing will you do over the next seven days to make your world a better place? Clean my apartment! And of course I will recycle.
Friday, March 14, 2003Update
So yeah, it's been a while since I've posted. I've been too busy and having too much fun!! hahaha I was on spring break in Florida from March 15-24. I spent a lot of wonderful time with my family, Chris, and my adorable dog Ebony (whose birthday was the 26th - same as Steven Tyler! - happy birthday Ebby and Steven!). We went to the beach a lot, took a bike ride, saw a Florida Phil concert, saw a movie (Bringing Down the House - funny!), went to JD's senior recital (he did a great job!), went out for St. Patrick's Day (trapped under a tent in a storm -eek! - but plenty of Guinness), and really had quite a groovy time. Mom flew back to NY with me to visit for a week. She got to see my orchestra concert on Thursday, and we celebrated my birthday on Saturday. For my birthday, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, saw La Bohéme, and had a delicious dinner at Rosie O'Grady's. It was really a lot of fun.So there's my condensed version of my last two weeks. Lots of fun, now back to ordinary life. I was all excited by the warmer temperatures last week, and the trees are beginning to bloom!! It seemed that spring was on the way... until the temperatures dropped drastically yesterday, and last night it snowed. I am not amused. It's still cold, and today it's sunny, but tomorrow there's a 30% chance of snow. On April first! Not a funny April Fool's Day joke! grrr I want spring!! I don't want it to get hot though... with no a/c in this apartment that will be miserable. A nice, cool 60s and low 70s and some sunshine would be perfect.
I have a bunch of pictures to put up on Steph's World, when I get around to it, so check back soon!
Sunday, March 09, 2003Friday Five
1. Do you like talking on the phone? Why or why not? No, not really. If it's a friend, I would much rather talk in person, and if it's not a friend, I would rather not talk at all. Talking on the phone to strangers or people I don't know well is so awkward. However, seeing as I live hundreds of miles away from most of the people I care about, talking on the phone is better than not talking at all!
2. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone? Chris
3. About how many telephones do you have at home? Two landline phones, a corded and a cordless, and my cell phone, so three.
4. Have you encountered anyone who has really bad phone manners? What happened? Oh yeah. There was one guy who called my cell phone, I guess it was a wrong number, but he kept calling back!! I told him to leave me alone, and he kept calling me back and yelling and swearing at me. Maybe he thought I was someone else?? Eventually I reported him to the police, and he quit calling.
5. Would you rather pick up the phone and call someone or write them an e-mail or a letter? Why or why not? In most cases an e-mail, but if it's someone I really want to talk to, then I will call.
Friday, March 07, 2003Computer Crisis
I installed a new hard drive the other day, and I was very excited to see that almost everything was working right. The colors were off on the monitor, and I gasped in horror when I realized that my internet connection wasn't working. What on earth is going on??? Well, apparently the driver for the ethernet card was missing. The ethernet card came with the computer, and didn't have its own CD or manual or anything. The driver was supposed to be on the resource CD, but it wasn't. After a couple of hours of tinkering and swearing, I called tech support. Fixing the display was easy enough, after some searching around for where the video card driver was hidden, but the ethernet card was another story. Apparently the only thing I could do was to download the driver from the Dell website. If it had been anything other than the ethernet card that wasn't working, that would have been a simple solution! Argh.P.S. long story short, I got it working, I'll spare you the gruesome details. It was a long, traumatising day without my internet connection.
6 days until spring break!!! Sunny Florida here I come!!
Follow the birds.
Thursday, March 06, 2003The Friday Five
1. What was the last song you heard? Sweet Home Alabama
2. What were the last two movies you saw? Sweet Home Alabama (it was just on TV), and The Wedding Planner
3. What were the last three things you purchased? I bought a pizza last night (an overpriced disappointment after over an hour wait), a new hard drive, and a memory upgrade
4. What four things do you need to do this weekend? practice my oboe, tame the wild eyebrows, go to the gym, clean my humidifier
5. Who are the last five people you talked to? Kristin, Joo Young, Chris, Elena, and Nicole
Why is there so much pressure to spend Independence Day with other people?
Betsy Salkind
Friday, February 28, 2003Insane Weather!
I just can't take this weather anymore! It's crazy!!! Yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far (I never thought I would say 50 degrees is warm). It rained in the morning, but once the rain cleared up, it was sunny and warm. It was a nice day. The snow was melting. I didn't even need my coat! Pants, a turtleneck, and a sweater were sufficient. No hat, gloves, coat, long johns, etc. I thought spring was here! Soon the leaves will be back... I even heard the obnoxious geese honking on the soccer field yesterday morning. Not that I was happy to hear them waking me up early in the morning, but if it's a sign of spring, I'll take it.
But NO!! No spring yet. I woke up this morning and it's 26 degrees and snowing. Absolute insanity. I just can't handle it. That's a whole lot of degrees to drop in one day! And it changes like that every day! Monday it was about 15 degrees. This is making me crazy, and confusing my poor little body.
9 days until spring break!!!
I tried cocaine to lose weight. It just made me eat faster.
Lenny Clarke
Friday, February 21, 2003The Friday Five
1. What is your favorite type of literature to read (magazine, newspaper, novels, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)? Novels, definitely
2. What is your favorite novel? Oh wow, I don't know, tough question... I suppose I'd have to say Anne of Green Gables is my all-time favorite.
3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!) No I don't, but if I think of one, I will share it. I can say that I am intrigued by Sylvia Plath.
4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read? I want to read more of the Bible.
5. What are you currently reading? The Fellowship of the Ring It's been such a long time since I've read Lord of the Rings, I've decided to re-read the trilogy! It's fun after seeing the first two movies to compare the differences.
Scientists in Africa have just discovered the oldest known human ancestor, born 4.4 million years ago. He is already engaged to Anna Nicole Smith.
Norm MacDonald
The Blizzard!
I have never in my life seen so much snow!! OK, I can count on one time how many times I have seen any snow, but that's not the point. 2 feet!! Insanity!! Am I in New York or the North Pole??? The good news is that Chris's flight was cancelled and he got stuck here for two extra days. We went sledding, the first time for both of us, with Nicole, and it was so much fun!! We took pictures with the new digital camera Chris bought me for Valentine's Day (isn't he a sweetie?), but unfortunately, they didn't come out. It was snowing pretty hard, and apparently the camera isn't supposed to get wet. We tried to keep it away from the snow, but evidently we didn't succeed. Luckily, the camera survived, even though the pictures didn't. I got some pictures of Chris digging my car out of the snow. I am so glad he was here, because I would have had an awful time trying to do that myself. I'll post those picures one of these days.
I went to confession... I said, "Father I want to hold men down and whip them, I want to force them to caress my naked body." "Say 10 Hail Marys and meet me behind the Exxon station."
Joanne Dearing
Sunday, February 09, 2003The Friday Five
Oy, it's been a while since I've posted!!!
1. What is your most prized material possession? My oboe
2. What item, that you currently own, have you had the longest? The underwear I am wearing now... and they've never been washed...
3. Are you a packrat? yes
4. Do you prefer a spic-and-span clean house? Or is some clutter necessary to avoid the appearance of a museum? I prefer a spic-and-span house, but yeah, that never happens.
5. Do the rooms in your house have a theme? Or is it a mixture of knick-knacks here and there? A theme? Ha! Well, my bedroom (my half of it) has a Florida theme. I have 12 scenic nature photos of Florida, and illustrated map of Florida, a postcard from Boynton Beach, a "Someone in Florida is missing you" sign, a Florida switchplate, and an almost lifesize palm tree on the wall. There is some other stuff that's out of place (like my NYC calendar), but I suppose the Florida stuff is overwhelming enough to constitue a theme. The rest of the apartment is kind of a hodge-podge since 3 other people live here (unless ghetto, dirty, and falling apart counts as a theme).
And last week's Friday Five: (since I did not spend Valentine's Day in front of the computer!)
1. Explain why you started to journal/blog. I thought it would be fun to put my thoughts on the internet and pretend that people will read them.
2. Do people you interact with day to day or family members know about your journal/blog? Why or why not? Yeah, I let most people know about it. I figure it's a good way for them to get to know me better, and to know what's going on in my life if they haven't seen me in a while, or at the very least provide some amusement. Of course, the tradeoff for this is that sometimes I don't get to vent about things that piss me off if I am afraid the wrong person might read it and get upset.
3. Do you have a theme for your journal/blog? No, not really. It's just, in the words of Kat "public mindspillage."
4. What direction would you like to have your journal/blog go in over the next year? Direction? My blog? LOL! Well, I would like to become more consistent about posting, and I would like to develop as a writer, to be able to express myself more clearly, and make people laugh! I love to make people laugh.
5. Pimp five of your favorite journals/blogs. My all-time favorite, my inspiration (although I really should not blow up her ego any more by saying so), mindspillage; I also enjoy All blogged up and nowhere to go, green gabbro, sonafide, and Sarah Hatter Dot Com.
I'm originally from Cuba. I live in Miami now. What a shocker, huh? Who would have guessed? Outside of Florida, people have no idea what a Cuban is. Most Americans think Cubans are Mexicans with belts.
Al Romero
Saturday, February 08, 2003SNL
Something strange happened last night. Saturday Night Live was funny. Kristin and I were laughing our asses off, and this was before it was late enough for us to start getting punchy. It was really funny! Matthew McConaughey did a great job hosting, but we found the Dixie Chicks to be a lot more amusing muted. We had the captions on, and we sang the lyrics oursleves and made fun of their ridiculous outfits.
How exciting was it to see a new episode of AbFab??? I even taped it. It was absolutely fabulous.
We amused oursleves by watching the "I Love the Eighties" series on VH1. We were inspired and decided top have an eighties night. It's gonna be a blast!
The only difference between Catholics and Jews is that Jews are born with guilt and Catholics have to learn it in school.
Elayne Boosler
Sunday, February 02, 2003The Friday Five
1. What did you have for breakfast this morning? If you didn't have breakfast, why not? a fruit smoothie2. What's your favorite cereal? raisin bran
3. How often do you eat out? Do you want that to change? I rarely eat out. I would love that to change... I love to eat out! If only I could afford to go out more often!
4. What do you plan on having for dinner tonight? Got a recipe for that? I had a homemade pizza for dinner. It was quite tasty! E-mail me if you really want the recipe.
5. What's your favorite restaurant? Why? A tapas place in Asheville, NC called Zambra. Very tasty food, fun & exotic atmosphere.
I saw the movie The Hours last night with Elena. Great movie. Very complex. The music (by Phillip Glass) was very intense and appropriate, really gave the impression of moving time.
It snowed here today. The snow is very pretty to look at, but not fun at all to drive in! It seems to be warmer when it snows, so that is nice.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
Homesick
I was just watching the Food Network (I know, big surprise) and they did a show on Florida! Specifically, Miami. It was neat to see familiar places... South Beach, the Evergaldes, and foods from back home... Cuban food, gumbo, gator tail (yes I've had it - it's good!), Florida spiny lobster. Kristin left the room to call her boyfriend, and I scolded her for missing her Florida education. I think she was a little grossed out by the prospect of eating gator tail. The show made me a little homesick. I miss Florida! They showed an airboat ride through the Everglades, and it occurred to me that in all the years I lived in Florida, I never took an airboat ride through the swamp. I'll have to put it on my to-do list the next time I go home. I love the natural beauty of Florida. That is one of my favorite things about my home state. Oh sure New York is beautiful too. I just love to look at the leaveless trees and muddy snow. Very scenic. *Sigh* I'm counting down to spring break! In the mean time, I will try to appreciate New York.
Watching the show reminded me that I have some tasty homemade black beans in the fridge. A taste of the tropics right here in the frozen tundra! I'll eat them as I look at my palm tree on the wall. :-)
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
Arthur Clarke
Shuttle Parts on eBay
Jett says just about what I was thinking when I heard that people were selling shuttle parts on eBay. What the hell is wrong with people??? Besides, how can eBay allow that? They know that it's stolen property. The shuttle debris obviously doesn't belong to some redneck in whose backyard it fell. Really.
Only Irish coffee provides all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffiene, sugar, and fat.
Alex Levine
Saturday, February 01, 2003JD's Party
Kat sent me this link to JD's party just to show me what I am missing. I really do miss everyone, and JD's parties were always fun. It's funny to see him in my old apartment. Whenever I think of JD's apartment and his parties, I still envision it upstairs. I haven't even been in the downstairs apartment since he moved in! It's funny to see all of JD's tacky things (well, as many as Jess will allow him to put up) in my old apartment.
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for stern as death is love, relentless as the nether world is devotion; its flames are a blazing fire.
Song of Songs 8:6
Friday, January 31, 2003Happy February!
I am so glad it's February!! 1 month closer to the spring, closer to Chris' visit next week, and closer to spring break! The picture on my NYC calendar (my mom gave it to me, trying to help me learn to love New York) this month is the Guggenheim Museum, and I was just there a couple of weeks ago.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18
Florida Girl in the Snow!
Well, I had my first experience of getting stuck in the snow. It had to happen sooner or later. Backing out of a long, curvy driveway I ended up stuck in the snow bank, tired spinning, gripping nothing, going nowhere. I tried to dig the snow out from underneath the tires, but it didn't help. I was good and stuck. Luckily, I have AAA and they were there shortly to pull the Big Blue Monster out of the snow and set me on my way. it was a rather painless experience, aside from the initial panic, but I am glad I got it out of the way and hope I don't have to deal with that again!
Is it springtime yet??
I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Thursday, January 30, 2003The Friday Five
1. As a child, who was your favorite superhero/heroine? Why? I didn't really have one. I was more of an outdoorsy child than a TV child. I was always climbing trees and stuff like that.
2. What was one thing you always wanted as a child but never got?? A treehouse.
3. What's the furthest from home you've been?? Arizona.
4. What's one thing you've always wanted to learn but haven't yet?? Foreign languages.
5. What are your plans for the weekend? ? Plans? Ha!
I think all cars should have car phones in them and the license plate should be the phone number. You would call them up and tell them to get the hell out of the way. Old people would have the 1-800 numbers. 1-800-MOVE-IT-MURRAY.
John Mendoza
Wednesday, January 29, 2003What's Your Inner European?
A little silly, but nevertheless amusing. :-)
You are a Dubliner.
What's your Inner European?
brought to you by QuizillaWhere there is great love there are always miracles.
Willa Carter
Monday, January 27, 2003Oversexed Neighbors
Every time I go into the bathroom, which is the part of my apartment right next to the neighbors, I hear the neighbor's bed sqeaking and shaking. I don't know who this guy is, but he must have more sex than Madonna. When does he go to class?? It's a wonder his dick doesn't fall off.
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose.
Janis Joplin
Friday, January 24, 200329 QUESTIONS
1. WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT LIVING ARRANGEMENT? I live in a ghetto-ass on-campus apartment where people steal doormats. I share a bedroom with one person, and there are two other people who live in single rooms. My roommates are all nice, but some of the neighbors are loud and inconsiderate.
2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? I am reading The Bell Jar, which I borrowed from Kristin.
3 FAVORITE BOARD GAME? I like Boggle, but I don't know is that's really a board game, more of a cube game. I like Scrabble too. I don't like games that realy too heavily upon luck, since I am very unlucky.
4. FAVORITE MAGAZINE? I don't really read magazines often. My parents get National Geographic, and sometimes I flip through those. They're pretty interesting. I especially enjoy the photography.
5. FAVORITE SMELLS The smell of my sweetie, fresh-baked brownies, garlic bread.
6. LEAST FAVORITE SMELL? Poop, and whatever died in my kitchen cabinets.
7. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Chris playing his flute
8. WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD? Hangovers.
9. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? Do I really need to be awake yet, or can i go back to sleep for a little longer?
10. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? Well, that all depends upon how far away the phone is and how much energy I have.
11. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME? For a boy, Joseph, after my uncle. For a girl, Sunflower or Jasmine.
12. WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN LIFE? Salvation of the soul.
13. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA Chocolate.
14. DO YOU DRIVE FAST? Haha yeah. Except when it is snowing, then I become a terrified, white-knuckled old lady going 5 MPH.
15. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? Yes
16. STORMS - COOL OR SCARY? Cool as long as I'm not driving in them.
17. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? Sniff, sniff. The Big Green Monster, R.I.P. I had a 1994 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight. It was a great car. I only had it for two months before some idiot in a red Honda Civic plowed into me and killed my Big Green Monster.
18. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK? Wine
19. ZODIAC SIGN? Aries
20. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI? Yes
21. IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR: Purple
22. GLASS - HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL? My glass is always half full... that's why I'm having such a great time! ;-)
23. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 29
24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Hockey, football, basketball.
25. SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS Angie is sweet, fun, and pretty. I miss having her for a neighbor!
26. WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? Ha! Who knows?? Empty suitcases and CD cases, among many other miscellaneous items.
27. TOILET PAPER/PAPER TOWELS - OVER OR UNDER? OVER! it drives me NUTS when they roll under!
28. OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU EMAILED THIS TO, WHO'S THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I didn't e-mail it to anyone.
29. LEAST LIKELY? Of course, feel free to do the survey and e-mail it to me or post it on your blog if you have one.
No one is just an anything. Each of us has gifts and talents. We need not limit ourselves by such small definitions. I know what I can do when I listen to my heart and live from there.
Geery Howe
Wednesday, January 22, 2003The Friday Five
1. What is one thing you don't like about your body? My eyebrows. They're out of control. I have to use a weedwhacker to trim them.
2. What are two things you love about your body? I love that I am tall, and I love that I am a "white girl with a booty."
3. What are three things you want to change about your home? Well, if I can call this place a "home," I would like it to be cleaner, I would like to have my own room, and I would like to have better neighbors (you know, ones who don't leave broken glass on the sidewalk and steal doormats).
4. What are four books you want to read this year? I read the first Left Behind book and that was really interesting, so I would like to read some other books in that series.
5. What are five promises you have kept to yourself? I have been working out more consistently, I have been eating better food, I have been getting more sleep, I have been using my daytime minutes (on the cell phone) sparingly, uhhh.... geez, this is hard... I usually don't make too many promises (that way I won't have to break them) oh how about this: I finally cleaned my room!
Happiness can not come from without. It must come from within.
Helen Keller
Tuesday, January 21, 2003Right to Choose Murder?
On the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, a lot of controversy about abortion is re-surfacing.
Of course I value my freedom of choice as an American, but since when does freedom of choice include the freedom to choose murder? We don't have the right to choose to murder our neighbor or our children once they have been born, why should we have the right to choose to murder a fetus? We have enough knowledge now to understand that a fetus is a living creature. Why should we have any more right to murder him/her than a baby once it has been born?
People need to plan ahead and be more responsible about their birth control choices. There are so many reliable methods of birth control now, their is no excuse for abortion. Of course, there is always the old-fashioned way too... abstinence until a couple is READY to have a child! We need to educate people, especially young people, about birth control and responsibility. Creating another life, whether intentional or not, is their responsibility. Abortion should not be an option. If it weren't, people would be forced to make better decisions. When a woman has another living creature inside of her womb, its become more than just her body.
It is true that a pregnancy is just as much a man's responsibility as a woman's, but the fact remains that women are given the gift, as well as the responsibilty, of being the ones to physically carry the child. Men should certainly be held accountable for making responsible decisions about conception, but ultimately and realistically, it is the woman who has to live with these choices.
Why has this issue of abortion become a religious issue? It does not take religion to realize that murder is wrong! Anyone with morals, a conscience, and an appreciation for justice, whether or not they hold any religious beliefs, should be able to understand why abortion is wrong!
The rape excuse is so overused it has become ridiculous. Rape is indeed a horrible crime, and rapists should be punished severely. However, the unborn baby did nto commit the crime, and should not be punished for it. He/she has the right to due process just as people who have been born. Murdering an unborn baby that may be a result of a rape does not erase the crime. A woman who is raped will carry painful memories and scars throughout her life whether or not she conceives and bears a child. Rape is awful, but is no excuse for murdering an innocent fetus. The rapist, not the unborn child, should be the one to pay for the crime. Rape is a sorry excuse for abortion since most rapes do not result in pregnancies.
ABORTION IS MURDER! NO ONE HAS A RIGHT TO MURDER!
Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.
Mother Teresa
Guestmap
Thanks to Yvonne for being the first one to sign my Guestmap. All the way from Poland! Now you sign it too... go ahead, don't be shy! It won't bite... hard. ;-)
Change your thoughts and you change your world.
Norman Vincent Peale
Friday, January 17, 2003New Year's Resolutions
How silly are New Year's resolutions? Really. Does anyone ever keep them? What is the point in setting unrealistic goals for oneself? Thing that you never accomplished last you, all of a sudden you will have a magical power to do now that it's a new year? Yeah, right. You've been a chain-smoker for 10 years, and you'll suddenly stop smoking for good just because you've put a new calendar on your wall? Riiiight. You've spent your whole life scarfing cheeseburgers and guzzling beer in front of the idiot box, and now that you're dating your checks 2003 you're going to magically become a tofu-eating, treadmill-running health nut? Unlikely.
The whole concept of the New Year's resolution is just so silly. By the holidays are over and you're back to the grind at work, beginning a new semester at school, and the holiday bills are rolling in, that "resolution" takes a backseat to all the other chaos. Sure it was fun to make that "resolution" on New Year's Day: after hugging, kissing, laughing, and watching the ball drop with your close friends and family, with a slight champagne buzz, anything seems easy to accomplish. But when February 1 rolls around, will you even remember that "resolution?" Certainly by April, as tax time rolls closer, that "resolution" will be long forgotten, and the bad habits will back back in full force.
Of course I am by no means discouraging people from setting goals to improve upon themselves. I think self-improvement is a wonderful goal. However, if one really wishes to improve oneself, it would certainly be a better idea to come up with a more gradual, realistic, systematic plan for accomplishing goals, rather than to realy on something so arbitraty and meaningless as a New Year's resolution.
My folks moved to Florida this year, but they didn't want to move to Florida. But they're in their sixties and that's the law.
Jerry Seinfeld
Thursday, January 16, 2003Friday Five
1. Where do you currently work? Work? Ha! It's Friday, you ain't got no job, you ain't got s*@t to do! Well, I teach music lessons, maybe not enough to really say I have a job. Also, I'm a student, and that's a job.
2. How many other jobs have you had and where? Oh geez, several. Highly glamorous jobs at Publix, Einstein Bros. Bagels, and Dodge. I've also worked at the Florida International Festival, a music festival in Daytona, and that was actually pretty interesting. I've also done temp work, so that has put me at a lot of different places. Temp work is nice, because you're never at any one place long enough to get sick of the people you work with.
3. What do you like best about your job? When I am teaching, I really enjoy when a kid catches on to something, really figures something out. It's neat to see thier eyes light up and get excited when they know they can play something well. It makes me feel like I've accomplished something and am actually making a worthwhile contribution.
4. What do you like least about your job? My least favorite thing about being a student, right at this moment, is having to live somewhere it's really really cold and being very far away from my friends and family, particularly my sweetie.
5. What is your dream job? Anything that involves getting paid to make music with my sweetie, live in a warm climate, and have enough money to not have to worry about making ends meet.
I had to stop drinking alcohol because I used to wake up nude on the hood of my car with my keys up my ass.
Robin Williams
Friday, January 10, 2003Tea at the Plaza
I had a wonderful time in Florida, spent a lot of great time with my family and Chris, visited a few other friends, but all too soon it came to a close and I had to board the plane back to New York. I left gorgeous 75 degree sunny weather to come back to this frigid place. Sigh.
The flight back here was an adventure itself. I flew out of West Palm and connected in Orlando. When I changed planes in Orlando, I got on the plane that matched my flight number, which I thought was going straight from Orlando to LaGuardia. When they announced the flight going to Raliegh-Durham, I was somewhat confused, because I was not aware of any stops. I double-checked the flight number on my boarding pass, and it was correct, and then I heard my name called for boarding that flight, so I got on it. When I got on, the flight attendant told me, "This plane is only going to Raliegh-Durham, not LaGuardia. You're on the wrong plane." So I got off the plane, and there was someone there with a list that said the plane would be going to LaGuardia after stopping in Raliegh-Durham, and I got back on. Needless to say, I was somewhat confused. It also occurred to me that it was odd that, even though it was a small plane (50 passengers) no one else was continuing on to New York. The whole flight I was extremely nervous, wondering what on earth I would do if I were stuck in Raliegh! It turned out OK, because when I got to Raliegh-Durham, there was indeed a connecting flight to LaGuardia, but I was a little nervous when I saw my luggage coming off the plane. I checked and made sure that they would not leave my luggage there, and they told me they take all the luggage off the plane, and they would put mine back on. I am grateful to say that both my luggage and I arrived safely in LaGuardia airport, right on time (nearly 5 hours after I left West Palm Beach). From now on, I will make sure to book a direct flight with no connections. That was just entirely too stressful.
Coming back to New York a few days before classes began turned out to be a good idea, though. It turns out that Melissa is in New York this week, and I went into the city to meet up with her. It was so much fun seeing her, especially in NYC! She took me to tea at the Plaza, and that was quite an experience. It was so nice, and so peaceful. The room was gorgeous, and it had the first palm trees I had seen outside of Florida. There was a harpist playing background music, and it was so beautiful and peaceful. She was quite good, and she played good music. While we were there, Melissa ran into someone she knew from the University of Tampa! How funny to be in New York City and run into someone you know from Florida! It's a small world after all. She tols me that when she lived in New York, she used to run into people she knew all the time. Apparently, New York is just a REALLY big small town!
I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I only lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three.
Elayne Boosler
Friday, January 03, 2003The Friday Five
1. Where are you right now? At my parents' house in Florida, where it's warm and sunny. :-)
2. What time is it? 4:09 PM EST
3. What are you wearing? Jeans and a pink shirt.
4. Any people or animals around you? Describe them. My parents and my dog are in the next room. My parents are a middle-aged white couple, and my dog is a black cocker spaniel who is absolutely adorable, except when she is licking her butt.
5. What are your plans for the weekend? Well, tonight I am going out with Chris, and tomorrow we are going to a car show. We'll proabably end up watching videos later tomorrow as I do laundry and pack. Unfortunately, on Sunday, I have to fly back to cold, gloomy New York (where there are probably only about 10 people left in the state since virtually everyone from NY and NJ is in south Florida right now).
What boring questions ths week.
Happy New Year!
I hope you had a wonderful New Year's Day, and that 2003 will be a great year for all of us! I had a nice time on New Year's Eve. Chris came over, and my mom threw a little party. We played games and ate tasty food and it was a lot of fun. For dinner on New Year's Day, I went to Chris's house, and his mom made a delicious meal. I've gotten to spend a lot of time with my sweetie lately, and it's been wonderful. :-) The weather has been gorgeous, sunny and warm. I love Florida!
Here's the Friday Five:
1. Do you wear any jewelry? What kind? Yes, I love jewelry! I wear necklaces, bracelets, watches, rings, earrings, and a navel ring. My newest piece is a silver bracelet that Chris have me. It has a heart with our names engraved on it hanging from the bracelet, and it's very pretty!
2. How often do you wear it? I wear some of it on a daily basis, some of it I save for special occasions. The navel ring I never take out.
3. Do you have any piercings? If so, where? Yes, I have earrings and a navel ring. I used to have an eyebrow ring, but not anymore. Sometimes I miss it.
4. Do you have any tattoos? If so, where? Yes, I have an oboe running down my spine.
5. What are your plans for the weekend? Well, tonight I am going out to dinner with my family to celebrate my brother's birthday, even though it's a few weeks early, since we are all in one place right now. The rest of the weekend, I am not sure yet. Give me a holler if you want to do something!
