Napoleon was Dynamite

So much has happened since my last post, the funniest of which is that I saw Napoleon Dynamite on Friday.  If you are wondering if it'll be worth the $5 to see it, my answer is: HECK YES IT IS!  I started laughing right when the movie started and seriously wondered if I was ever going to be able to stop.  I thought I might have to be removed from the theater, which nearly happened only one other time:  when I saw My Girl, but that was because I was crying hysterically.  Anyway, since Matt picked the last couple of movies we saw (both of which I thought were horrible, despite the fact that I might have laughed at moments: Secret Window and The Girl Next Door), it was my turn to pick!  He went blindly into the opening night madness of Napoleon.  As a very young looking crowd began to gather outside the theater doors, he asked rather worriedly, "What is this rated?"  Oh yes, it is a PG flick!  I do think we, at 25, were the oldest movie goers there on a bustling Friday night.  We even ran into some of my students, who I was so pleased wanted to acknowledge me (they even sat next to me!!).  The movie is hilarious.  It was very confusing trying to determine what year the movie was supposed to be set in.  It had the feel of a retro early 80's movie, yet the internet and online chat rooms were often mentioned.  Also, I believe the "Happy Hands" signing club preformed a Backstreet Boys song.  I really enjoyed the fact that Napoleon's grandmother had a pet llama.  I would consider having one too, but I'm not sure if he would get along with my cats.  I had so much fun laughing even though I began to get a stomach ache!  For those of you who have seen this stellar movie, one of my favorite parts was when Napoleon called his brother and asked for his chap stick because his lips hurt so bad.  Funny stuff. 
 
I got to see another movie this week, too.  Not as funny as Napoleon Dynamtie was Anchorman.  I went down to Vero/Sebastian to see one of my favorite people ever, Kelly, on Thursday!  We had an adventurous afternoon!  On our way to the mall, we took a picture of a man directing traffic, who smiled at us!  That was fun.  Once in the mall, we got blizzards from Dairy Queen and then stood in front of the Napoleon Dynamite movie poster and cracked up for about 20 minutes.  We just stood, eating our ice cream, staring at Napoleon, and wishing that it was Friday so that we could see him.  We cruised the mall and found some light pink gangsta' shirts (that are so big that they could be worn as dresses) for only $9.99.  We considered loading up, but then came to our senses.   Then we went to see Anchorman and laughed at Will Ferrell (which is one of our favorite things to do).  Afterwards, we headed back to Kelly's house, ate some pizza, and watched all the skits we could find online of Celebrity Jeopardy from Saturday Night Live (with Will Ferrell as Alec Trebec).  It was a great day.
 
My blog will now be switching topics :)
 
Relient K is a really great and fun band.  One of my favorite lines is from their song "I Am Understood" that goes, "Sometimes the place I'm at is at a loss for words..."  I'm sure you've all been there whether it's been because of something good or bad, when words cannot begin to express what you're feeling.  For instance, when I went to visit my dear friend, Karen, in KY once and the night I arrived at her house she said, "Close your eyes."  And when I opened them, I was looking at a real life Cinderella dress that she painstakingly made just for me...just because one day I mentioned that I'd love to have a Cinderella dress!  I couldn't believe it!  At that moment I was at a loss of words.  To date, it's still one of, if not THE, most amazing things that someone has ever done for me! 
 
Well, all this weekend, from Friday until even now on Sunday night, I am at a place where I'm simply at a loss for words [although, I'm trying to use them now on my blog :-) ].  Here's the story: My Aunt Anne came over on Friday morning and the two of us pressure washed the house.  We worked hard, stopping only for lunch, from about 10-5 (and that, I was to learn, was just the tip of the ice berg that we were soon to embark upon).  I had lots of fun using the pressure washer (sometimes getting too carried away) and I even enjoyed strapping the blower on my back and giving that a go.   Saturday morning, Anne returned with Dean.  I learned all sorts of things about caulking, cement, ant killer, taping up windows (something I never want to do for the rest of my life), painting aluminium, renting power painters, primer, and I'm sure loads of other things that are slipping my tired mind at the moment.  We stopped working last night at about 9:00, when it was finally too dark to see anything else.  Last night, I slept so soundly!  This morning began with breakfast out (where Anne secured for me my very own A Cinderella Story movie poster...which will probably find a home in my new, phat classroom -- K207!) and then we got straight to work with a few more preparations and then PAINT, PAINT, PAINT.  The last time the house was painted was when I was 10 (so that was 15 years ago...it was past time for a new paint job).  However, the last time the house was painted, I was just a kid and don't remember helping much.  Instead, I remember hanging out underneath the orange tree in the backyard collecting rollie pollies in a shoe box.  This time around, it was neat to be an integral part of the process...however, I had no idea the hard work required and the expense required to paint a house (and a pretty small one at that!).  Dean didn't stop at painting: he fixed some bathroom problems, installed a new porch light, WD-40'd the squeaky doors, fixed the outside storage room door...all things that he just tended to because they needed attention.  I'm at a loss for words because Anne and Dean gave so selflessly of their time and money...and they worked so hard!  I'm just so thankful.  I have a pretty bad sunburn on my back and I can barely move I'm so tired, but the house looks beautiful and it's all because of Anne and Dean!
 
My aunt Anne has lived in Orlando my whole life, so I've grown up spending time with her.  I remember climbing a big tree in her front yard when I was probably 5 or 6 and learning to play croquet in her backyard.  She knows how much I lov mashed potatoes and always has them on the stove when I come over for a special dinner.  Every girl wants to be a flower girl and she made me one on my 7th birthday :-)!  I thought it was so neat that she got married on my birthday, but now I realize it was just a convenient Saturday!  When I was about 9 or 10, she came to visit and took me to the grocery store letting me pick out however many packages of cookies that my heart desired (my mom, of course, just had one package of cookies at a time for us).  I'm pretty sure I was 8 when she took me to the mall and let me pick out any dress I wanted for my special Christmas dress.  I decided on a beautiful grey velvet dres with a lace collar and a pink rose.  And, when her first daughter was born, she always let me have a couple of Sarah's pink diapers for my baby dolls :-)!  I have some pretty great memories of Anne, but I'm fairly certain that this weekend's painting adventure will forever stand out on top.  I guess this really is what family should be all about:  selflessness and generousity with a bit of laughter!  Thanks Anne and Dean, from the bottom of my heart.  This has meant so much to me.
 

Cinderella and Unexpected Emails

Emily Sue and I have been awaiting A Cinderella Story for nearly 6 months!  Today we met for lunch, me in my Cinderella shirt and sparkly blue headband, and then headed to the movies.  EVERY SEAT IN THE THEATER WAS FILLED (that should tell you that people DO want to see this movie).  Whoever gave A Cinderella Story only two stars, LIED.  I would give it ten!  Seriously, it was THAT good!  Oh man, it was everything I expected it would be!  Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray delivered stellar performances.  Prince Charming had a Bob Dylan picture in his room!  RUN to see this movie.  It will not disappoint.
 
On to unexpected emails...
 
Yesterday evening I heard from two dear friends...right out of the blue!  Nothing is lovelier than getting back in contact with such a dear friend!  And, lucky for me, it happened TWICE last night.
 
If you've been following my blog, you may remember the rather lengthy entry about the Opossum Excavation of 2000.  The friend who starred in that entry was Patrick!  I heard from Patrick yesterday!!! Yay!!!  The last time I saw Patrick was last summer at his beautiful wedding! Theirs was truly an amazing wedding!!   Patrick and Aubrey got married on top of a Tennessee mountain in a beautiful chapel called The Chapel of the Good Shepherd.  Their ceremony was more than just a wedding, it was also a worship service, which was just neat to be a part of.  The coolest thing EVER was that Patrick wrote Aubrey a song and played and sang it for her...AND...Aubrey wrote Patrick a song and sang it for him!  It was truly beautiful!  It was the first time I had met Aubrey, and sadly, since she was the bride, I only got to talk to her for about five minutes. She was one of those people who just glowed!  Just from the 5 minutes I talked to her, I could tell she was awesome!  She's the kind of person who I would have wanted to be good friends with had we gone to the same school.  Plus, she loves Anne of Green Gables, so she scored some major points there :-).  Anyway, Patrick was like a brother to me during college...such a dear friend.  I always thank God when I remember him.  Well, the amazing thing is this: just yesterday I was thinking about my upcoming road trip and trying to figure out if I could arrange a visit to see Patrick and Aubrey and yesterday evening I got an email from Patrick!  Very cool!  So, hopefully, I get to see the Jensens very soon!!
 
Well, I was flying high yesterday evening...and then it got even better!
 
I heard from a dear old friend, Angel!  Have you ever had a friendship that just happened so suddenly and the physical time together was so short?!  And it was just so unbelievable what a great friendship it was?!  That's what happened with Angel and me.  She was a senior when I was a freshman at UM.  I don't remember her AT all during my freshman year, but I remember that summer after freshman year before she moved to NY to begin law school.  All of a sudden, we were like best friends!  She spent the night on the floor of Wesley Room 7 (my first Wesley room) and we'd stay up all night!  We laughed uncontrollably together and shared a love for the Gap (I still wear that tank top you bought me, Angel!).  We saw Brokedown Palace together, and cried and cried!  We went to the sneak preview of Ever After together!!  We talked on the phone for hours (and, I am NOT a phone person).  I have only dear, sweet memories of our short time together.  Then she was off to Pace University to become a big lawyer (which she is today!!).  We saw each the following summer when she flew in and surprised me!  (I LOVE LOVE LOVE the airport, so when a friend suggested that we go to the Miami airport just for fun and to eat lunch, I was all over it!  I suspected NOTHING!  When we got to the airport I said, "Hey, can we go to a gate and watch people get off the plane before we eat lunch?"  My friend thought it was too easy, and steered me right to Angel's gate.  Sure enough, she came walking up...and it was SUCH a surprise!!)  And, I haven't seen Angel since.  We've had only a few emails back and forth and she's sent me a Christmas card nearly every year, but we just haven' t been in touch.  But, last night, it felt like no time had passed at all and we picked right back up where we left off!
 
I really think that friendships are one of God's GREATEST blessings to us!  I am so thankful.

3 More Movies

I FINALLY saw Pirates of the Carribean. Brilliant! Great fun! I loved every minute of it! I thought Captain Jack Sparrow was wonderful -- very funny! Generally, I think pirates get a bad wrap (I like pirates), and Jack Sparrow does something to restore their reputation. Peter Pan is still my favorite pirate movie (actually, it's really the only other pirate movie that I've seen), but Pirates of the Carribean comes in a close second. Hmmmm...the only other semi-pirate movies that come to mind are The Goonies and The Princess Bride [the Dread Pirate Roberts :-)]. I think that monkeys make better pirate pets than parrots. Birds irriate me.

I watched Runaway Jury with John Cusack. I really enjoyed this movie, too. I am one of those people who enjoy knowing the ending of movies so that I can relax and just enjoy the film...so, about 15 minutes into the movie, I called up my mom and asked her how it ended! It was excellent! And, there's a remake of one of my all time favorite Dylan songs in the movie too, "Heart of Mine", by Norah Jones. :-)

I tried watching Intolerable Cruelty, but found it to be intolerable. It was annoying. I like George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross on ER or as Billy Ocean. Anything else, NO. Batman?! Definitely a NO!

Movies

I've been watching videos for the past two days and thought I'd comment on them here.

First, there's the 2003 hit DRUM LINE (I'm kidding; it wasn't a hit.) The movie was rather slow, but it's a movie where some smack talking bad boy gets his corn rows shaved off and he learns a lesson: to read music. The drum scenes were cool, all 15 minutes worth.

Moving along to a classic, Indiana Jones. Hmmm...I'm not quite sure why so many people thought there was something wrong with me since I hadn't ever seen an Indiana Jones movie. Truth be told, I wish I hadn't seen it. Sure, the theme song is way cool, and Harrison Ford uses a whip really, really well. Maybe I'm too easily bored, but the movie was no fast paced ALIAS episode. Also, I can't believe it was rated PG. My goodness, there were some scary parts! The spiders and snakes warrant a PG-13 rating (but I guess movies aren't rated according to the scary creatures that menace the main characters). I was all set to watch the other 2 Indiana Jones, but after the first one, I think I'll pass on the other two (at least for the time being).

I can finally say that I saw Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. 3 hours?! Is there really a need for such a long movie, well, besides The Sound of Music? I had to pause it twice in order to take some naps :-). I've got some complaints about this movie. First of all, the black horses and those ugly and quite unrealistic looking creatures who ride the horses made such ridiculous sounds that they could have ridden straight off of a Scooby Doo cartoon. Their noise was SO distracting. I couldn't take it seriously...AT ALL! I liked Frodo and Sam very much (Here's an interesting fact about Sam. The actor who plays him, his name escapes me at the moment, is Patty Duke's son. Patty Duke's sister is named Carol Kennedy. Carol was my boss when I worked in financial aid at UM. I saw Sam on some talk show and he mentioned his cousin: Mike Kennedy! I just thought that was neat.). So they advertise how Liv and Cate are main characters?! They were on screen, what, all of 5 minutes a piece? I was quite disappointed. It also kind of bothered me that the hobbits went around without shoes. How could they stand it?! I don't like walking in grass without shoes on. I will say that when the movie ended, I was left hanging. Furthermore, I searched and searched for The Two Towers movie...but in vain (I am staying at my aunt's right now and she could open up her own Blockbuster if she wanted to. She had the case for The Two Towers, but the movie was missing!) On a side note, a phone call from my cousin later on this evening found the tape for me, but I'm in no mood for another 3 hour movie.

I love a movie about a teacher (go figure!). So, I watched The Emperor's Club (I think that was the title). Kevin Kline is a history teacher at a very top notch boys school. Of course, he is very influential in his students' lives. Any movie about a teacher makes me shed a tear or two. Actually, the ending made me cry quite a bit. It was VERY good. (Other teacher movies I have enjoyed include: Mona Lisa Smile, Stand and Deliver, Lean on Me, Mr. Holland's Opus, and even the classic, Dangerous Minds--which brought us the wonderful song "Gangsta's Paradise". Summer School was actually a pretty good teacher movie too!)

The last movie I watched tonight, and in fact it just ended maybe 15 minutes ago, was We Were Soldiers. This movie was phenomenal. I really loved it and not just because Keri Russell (Felicity) was in it (although, that is the only reason I decided to watch it tonight). This movie was absolutely brilliant, my favorite war movie...EVER. The ending, again, made me cry a lot! But, I also laughed :-). I don't know what else to say about this movie other than it was really really great. I highly recommend it, but not for those who are easily grossed out (it is a pretty graphic and violent movie).

It being 10, I still have time to squeeze in one more movie and perhaps a bowl of ice cream before bed. I did see that my aunt has the new Peter Pan :-). I can never tire of watching that! Actually, I'm really in the mood to see the Disney version and I think it's the only Disney movie she doesn't have. Maybe I'll have to settle for watching Cinderella.

She's still Katie from the block...

Kate was my best friend at Palm Bay High school this past year. I will never forget the first day I met her and the moment we began becoming friends. I think it's neat when you're able to look back on a friendship and pinpoint the moment that made all the difference from acquaintence and friend. I remember noticing Kate because I liked her skirt, a black skirt with white polka dots (how I love polka dots). I was glad to learn that she was coming on board the PBHS faculty as a new, first year high school teacher, too. Furthermore, besides teaching French, she was also going to teach English! In the English department meeting on the first day back to school, all the teachers had to introduce themselves. When I introduced myself, another English teacher stood up and said, "I used to be her Brownie scout leader" (while this was true, it was slightly embarassing). Anyway, when Kate introduced herself she said, "My name is Kate. Well, it's really Katie but I told myself that when I got my first real job, I'd start going by Kate." I thought that was kind of funny.

The first day of school can be terrifying for students, but for beginning teachers, it's equally terrifying (although, I found when I taught the first grade I wasn't nearly as nervous!). Anyway, I was returning to the high school from whence I graduated and so of course I knew some people. But, it was strange. I couldn't bring myself to call my former teachers by their first names and I kind of felt like an outsider. When we all broke for lunch, I decided to go sit in Mrs. Graham's room and eat my lunch (she was my favorite teacher in high school and a mentor of sorts). Sadly, I discovered her door was locked. But, all of a sudden, from around the corner, Kate surfaced. Her classroom was 2 doors down from Mrs. Graham! So, I boldly went up to her (as I am sometimes fairly shy) and said, "Hey, can I eat lunch with you?"

And that was the moment that we began becoming friends: we ate lunch, discovered that we were the same age, talked about our visits to Paris, and she graciously gave me some storage space in her classroom (because for the first 9 weeks of school, I was a floating teacher).

Our friendship developed over lunch together in the faculty room. Fortunately, she had third period planning, so she was able to meet me during my lunch time. We generally had a great time eating our lunches and skeptically listening to surrounding conversations. We exchanged knowing glances when something questionable, or extremely funny, happened. She was the one to whom I could vent about my rotten third period class (although, they weren't rotten all the time!). Having Kate for a friend was great fun. She knew my limits, and respected them (for instance: I lean towards being a bit of homebody, so she wouldn't push me to go to the County Line...although, she did appreciate my red boots! However, I had no problem going over to her apartment to watch TV!!).

Having her there was invaluable. She moved on to Jacksonville to be near her boyfriend, Jon. But, guess what, he's not her boyfriend any more (this is in fact what prompted me to write about Kate today). Jon is now her fiance!!! I am very happy for Kate and Jon! Yay!!! They were engaged earlier this month. So, while I'm kind of sad that I'll be flying solo next year during lunch, I'm thrilled that she's up in JAX and engaged!

I will ALWAYS fondly think of Kate whenever I drive by Jason's Deli. I will ALWAYS laugh when I hear someone refer to Jennifer Lopez as J-Lo because I liked to call Kate, K-Lo. And I'm pretty sure that when something pretty funny happens in the faculty lunch room, I'll look around the room to make eye contact with Kate...and I'll miss her.

But anyway, Congratulations, Kate!

The Funniest Day...EVER

Today was one of those glorious days that you wished could happen over and over, but are glad only come around once in a while so that you can truly treasure them. Karen, Philip, and Marnie Jane arrived in town from Scotland last night and somewhere around 8:30 this morning my phone rang! Usually I do not like it when the phone rings; I am not a phone person (however, when the ALIAS theme song used to be my cell phone ring, I’d call myself just to hear it!). Anyway, Karen’s bright and happy voice was on the other end and instantly my heart began beating faster than usual and I started to pace back and forth (something I tend to do when I am very excited and talking on the phone). Oh happy day! The Tallons and I would spend the day together…and it was all to start at Taco Bell!

Now, I feel that I should mention that the last time I ate at Taco Bell was about 5 years ago. It was late one Wednesday evening and I was returning home from youth group (I worked for a year and a half as a youth director at a small Methodist church in Homestead). I was hungry, but wasn’t planning on cooking anything. However, what a great surprise I found waiting for me! A friend of mine had eaten at Taco Bell and brought me 2 chulupas because every time I saw a commercial for the new chulupa, I commented on how fun I thought it was to say “chulupa.” I ate those babies quickly and soon after retired for the evening. All of a sudden, well past midnight, I sat straight up in bed. Something had gone terribly wrong. I immediately got out of bed and began the walk to the bathroom. I didn’t make it, though. Instead, I threw up all over my roommate’s bed, as she was sleeping in it, and also on the floor, which was carpeted. I then proceeded to the bathroom to continue purging myself of the chulupas. Poor Sharon…she was such a great sport about the whole thing too, since it took us forever to get the smell out of the room! People refused to come inside our room and would instead stand in our doorway to talk to us. Anyway, I had kind of written off Taco Bell since the Big Chulupas Gone Wrong of 1999. (Much like I’ve sworn off iced sugar cookies since I ate too many, which also induced vomiting, for Valentine’s Day when I was in the 2nd grade.)

Anyhow, Philip really wanted to go to Taco Bell, so who was I to argue? I eased back into the Taco Bell dining experience with a Burrito Supreme, which I found terribly difficult to consume. Karen told me that the trick to proper consumption was to bite and suck the gooey contents of the burrito simultaneously. I was not going to do that and could not finish the last bit of the burrito because it became too taxing and messy to eat. After Taco Bell, which was very fun, we went to Melbourne’s Premiere Theatres (that is what the newly and nicely renovated theaters are called) to see Shrek 2. This was my second viewing and I was able to pick up on several more allusions, which was great fun. It was Marnie’s first movie and her eyes were glued to the screen…no lie! She was perfect throughout the whole movie…not like one of those kids who cries or makes noise during the entire movie and you just want to yell out, “TAKE YOUR KID OUT OF THE MOVIE, PLEASE!”

The fun didn’t end when Shrek 2 was over. I haven’t even gotten to the best part of my day yet!! After the movie, we went back to Philip’s parents’ house and stared at Marnie for a bit…until she pooped while I was holding her. When that happened, I quickly handed her back to Karen! Karen’s parents soon arrived, and one of her aunts, and the JOKE-A-LYMPICS began! Now, I may need to catch some of my readers up…Philip, who is pretty much funny “all the time”, and I decided to have a joke contest to determine who was the funnier one. The terms were: 3 ORINGINAL jokes a piece and the loser was to buy the winner ice cream. Not bad, right? Well, at the last moment, Karen decided to jump aboard the joke train and so the three of us were facing off with our jokes today. Their parents, and Karen’s aunt, were our judges for our three rounds of hilarity. It was great! The adrenaline was rushing and I was jumping up and down, which I tend to do in moments of extreme excitement…and then…we told our jokes!

After the votes were in and the points were tallied, we had a winner! Are you ready for the results? Coming in first, with 34 points was…KAREN JANE TALLON. I am very happy for her! Truly! And TYING for runners up, both with 33 points, proving to be equally matched in humor and in wit (well, maybe not quite since some judges didn’t quite follow the rules), were…ALISA BETH and PHILIP! So, I tied with Philip. I was pretty pleased. Of course I rummaged through the score cards until I found one that had voted me in first place. I took that card, secured it in my back pocket, and am planning on mounting it in my scrapbook.

After the Joke-A-Lympics, we enjoyed a very nice dinner…and now I’m back at home after one glorious, funny day.

A Homecoming

My siser-in-law, Denise, returned home yesterday from her 9 month stint in Baghdad! Welcome home, Deinse! Quite the homecoming on the 4th of July :-).

I'm not one who usually looks forward to the 4th of July. It's probably my least favorite holiday. Not that I'm not patriotic; I am proud to be an American (at most times). I get teary eyed when I sing "God Bless America" and I enjoy a colorful display of fireworks in front of the TV, but I don't really like the 4th of July. Snappy pops (you know those things that you throw down and they snap and pop?!) and sparklers have always frightened me and fireworks can certainly be scary too, so the 4th of July isn't all that fun for me. The watermelon is fun, but I can eat that any day of the week.

Surprisingly enough, I had a very enjoyable 4th of July this year and I found myself a little disappointed that we didn't sing "God Bless America" or "America, the Beautiful" in church. After church, I scooted on over to Orlando to Christie and Kevin's for a good ole' 4th cookout BBQ. They JUST moved into their new house this past week and I got the grand tour. The burgers were good, the company was nice, and their cats ARE huge. After seeing their cats, I can stop worrying about my poor Chloe (I've had her on a light cat food diet for quite some time now).

The party didn't end at the Lo's (Christie and Kevin). I then headed back to Palm-tucky (what Matt and I affectionately call Palm Bay) to go to Matt's 4th of July Shin-Dig. We proved ourselves to be very sucky bocce ball players. I had never played bocce ball, and it is kind of a dumb game. However, it's strangely amusing. The fireworks display finally began and flying bits of molten ash hit us in the eyes (which was scary). His family tried their hardest to get a sing along started with "God Bless America," but when some finally began singing, they sang, "Oh beautiful, for spacious skies..." Wrong song. At least they didn't bust out with, "Stop, collaborate and listen..." :-)

So yay! The 4th of July was a hit! I didn't wear red, white, or blue but opted instead for pink (looking back though, I should have worn the red boots...oh well). The 4th of July might not be my least favorite holiday any longer. I think it's now St. Patrick's Day.

I watched this movie called "My Life Without Me" today. It was kind of slow, but I rented it because Ben from "Felicity" (Scott Speedman) and the boy from "13 Going on 30" were in it, so I stuck it out. It made me cry a lot. This girl, not even 24, who is married with 2 small girls is diagnosed with 2 months to live. She decides not to tell anyone and tapes messages to her husband and her children and even tries to find her husband a new wife for when she's gone. (It is kind of reminiscent of "My Life" with Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman.) The girl isn't a saint, but her infidelites and secrecy are stragely forgivable. I tried putting myself in her position, and I don't think that I'd be able to keep my impending death to myself...even if I wanted to.

I like movies or stories that make me think...that make things which are normally "bad" seem ok, if that makes sense. With the help of my favorite English professor in college, I began to learn that people aren't wholly good or bad and that things aren't always black or white, which is what I had thought my whole life. I always enjoy remembering that there are always some redeemable things in "bad" people and there are always some damnable things in "good" people. And, we walk a thin line inbetween. I always like discovering things that turn everything that I used to think upside down. At first when changes like this happens, I am angry. But, it's a good anger. I am angry that I thought the wrong things for so long, but I'm also happy that I can see things through different lenses, more thoughtful lenses. From now on, I'm going to like the 4th of July, too.

Anyway, I will end now. I have the biggest crick in my neck! It is painful and annoying!

A New Month

I love it when a new month begins because I get to turn my calendar to the next picture! I also love it when a new year begins because then I get a new calendar (make sure you buy your calendars the day AFTER Christmas because then they're 50% off!!). For the year 2004, I went with the very amazing pig, Olivia, for my calendar. She's so much fun! If ever I have a daughter, I would SO name her Olivia. But, if I don't have a girl, or if my husband has a strange aversion to the name Olivia, I'll just get a cat and name her Olivia.



Day 2 of Aquafit was smashing! During our warmup, the teacher called me out as an example! :-) I love being the teacher's pet...although, in Aquafit, I think I'm the teacher's pet by default. You see, I haven't had a hip or knee replacement yet, and I'm the youngest! I went to Walmart today to get water shoes! Those things are GREAT! I scored a pair of bright yellow ones. They're beautiful! I can't wait until tomorrow's class so that I can wear my new water shoes.

Here's the funny thought for the day: Imagine a poster of Vanilla Ice appearing mysteriously on your door!



Who doesn't know at least the beginning line of Ice Ice Baby?!



Stop, collaborate, and listen...Ice never came back with a brand new invention.