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Sunday, September 26, 2004

do the puyallup

 

Looking for a great time?

How about OODLES of rides, HOT Scones (perfection!), Elephant Ears, Roasted Corn-on-the-Cob, Earthquake Burgers, HOT Scones (delicious!), Fresh Salt Water Taffy, Farm Animals as Far as the Eye Can See, Thousands of People, and oh yeah, HOT Scones (yummy!)???

If all of this sounds like BUNCHES of fun to you, then go to the fair! It's open every day from 10-11 and costs $10 and oh yeah, today was the last day.

Oh...you didn't make it...don't even live in Washington...hmmm....that's a bummer...

But guess what?

I GOT TO GO!!! And it was fabulous! I had a great time! Woohoo! Sucks to be you!!! Rocks to be me!!! :)

No really, it was a good day. I haven't been to the Puyallup Fair for years and I really missed it. I mean, what is it about fairs (other than the fact that they so totally rock!)??? I think it starts when we're just little tykes and our parents take us there, stick us on a bunch of rides, get our faces painted, and feed us a bunch of fried, sugary food that we're not normally allowed to eat. And we do it every year, for the rest of our lives (here's hoping). And I think it becomes this wondrous day of gluttony- I mean, the sole purpose of the fair is to have fun. No one goes there thinking "Dammit, I have to go to the stupid fair again" (like we all think when we're heading to work or school or church). Instead, it's "yay! I'm going to the fair! I'm going to eat five thousand scones and ride the roller coaster until I puke! Woohoo!"

Or at least that's what I think.

Awww!

So today was a good day. I went with my friend, Brandy, who had already gone twice. We started off by wandering through all of the exhibits.

First we went to the Poultry Barn. In it there were a lot of chickens, including a few that had been spray-painted blue as part of some sort of "USA-Red, White, and Blue" theme. Right outside were a bunch of Tempermental Turkeys that would puff up all of their feathers and turn around, shoving their bare asses in our faces. It was really funny, because if we pissed them off even more (which means we stood a little closer to the cage and stared at them with wide, creepy eyes) they would make that really loud GOBBLE GOBBLE GOBBLE sound and hold their breath so their faces turned a bright Violet color.

Then we saw the Horses, Cows, and Pigs. We saw one horse who...ahem...demonstrated...why there exists the phrase "Hung Like a Horse." Brandy, who is clearly going to be a farmer some day, couldn't hack the pungent stench reeking from those barnyard asses and had to hang outside for fear of throwing up. The last straw, I believe, was when she turned and saw a cow who, apparently...um...had a little case of the runs, and was, as she so aptly described it, "Leaking Shit Out of its Ass." Mmmmm, tasty. I don't know though, she may have it in her yet to spend her life shoveling horse shit. What do you think?

I must admit, however, that she did stay long enough to see the week-old piglets fighting to the death over their mamma's tasty titties. (However, we both remembered at the same time dissecting pigs about the same size in biology class in high school. How sad. I remember my teacher made us watch Babe and Gordy after we were done. Sick bastard.)


Argh!We also saw a lot of hobbies and craft stuff. Most of it was uninteresting, QVC-types selling the next new Wonder-Appliance. But it did include the biggest Dahlia I've ever seen, the Record Winning Great Pumpkin (958 pounds!!!), honey bee farms, a demonstration on why we need to preserve the flood plain (the guy made me help him), free samples of chocolate milk, the Republican National Committee Stand, giant decorative landscapes comprised entirely of fruits and vegetables, a HUGE dollhouse completely decorated (inside and out), and the largest collection of Pez Dispensers I've ever seen.

However, this paled in comparison to the collection of Mullets I saw wandering around, as well as hot guys paired with ugly, skanky chicks (all with bad dye-jobs and caked-on eyeliner). And, in a rather touching moment of intimacy, a guy standing about 6 inches from me decided to "goose" his woman, reaching her "Front-Side Naughty Place" via her ass-crack. Brandy's response was "Well, I hope he at least bought her dinner first!"

So I dragged Brandy along to see more animals, and made her watch the State Grand Championship Dog Show, an event which I won with both of my dogs. We only saw the tail end of it, but it certainly brought back happy memories. She bet that a Golden Retriever would win, and I thought the German Shorthair Pointer was looking pretty good. She was right though. (I should have remembered...Golden Retrievers RULE!!! (Miss you, Rosie!)).

We were going to go on some rides, but seeing as they cost ONE DOLLAR PER TICKET and rides are SIX TICKETS making it SIX FUCKING DOLLARS PER RIDE, we decided not to. Maybe when I'm old and rich. So we settled for a gondola ride (which I think is actually called "Sky Cab" or something) that took us up and over the entire spanse of the fairgrounds. When we reached the other side, I went to hand the guy our tickets for our return trip when Brandy violently yanked them out of my hand and showed them to him. The man laughed and asked why I wasn't qualified to show him the tickets. I didn't know what to say because our cart was already leaving and I didn't know if there was proper time for something witty and sarcastic, so I just said "She's the boss!" and he laughed. But as we left, I added "Well...the word starts with a 'B' but it's not 'Boss'." Ahhh...Good Times.

So, the food. Yeah, we ate a LOT of food. Brandy had a corn dog, curly fries, two sodas, an elephant ear, and half of a blooming onion. I had a piece of saltwater taffy, a soda, two scones, and the other half of the onion (which we both agreed was no Blooming Onion from the Outback Steakhouse. Mmmmm...).

All in all it was a great day. I wanted to go back to get another scone to take home, but the lines were long and Master Brandy decided we HAD to leave at that EXACT moment and could NOT wait ONE more second! (She's lucky I love her enough to forgive her for such moments!). I did wait patiently, I might add, whilst she purchased all of her food including the two 10-pound bags of kettle corn she lugged around like a pregnant woman with a craving. I searched forever to find a souvenir, in case I never get to go again, and while Brandy's idea of getting a Doo-Doo Head (I think actually called a Doo-Dah Head, but I like my words better) was nice, I ended up with cute little cow that has "The Puyallup Fair" branded on it.

Awww?And, in keeping with Fair Tradition, we got the requisite black and white booth photos. I had to fight her for my half of the picture but she had to take up the whole damned frame, so that's why my face is cut in half.




So after seven Full-of-Fun Fair Hours, we left, touting Brandy's cheap glasses she won by tossing dimes into them, and giggling like itty-bitty school girls at the stamp the woman at the gate put on our hands that said "Thanks for Coming." In what will probably be our Greatest Moment of Immaturity we Tee-Heed over jokes like "What does the prostitute say to her customers after they leave? Thanks for Coming!" Tee hee! Tee hee!

So I say YAY to the fair. Find one near you and go to it. Eat as much food as you can hold, and go on tons of rides. Forget work and school and obligations for a day. Spend money. It will be well worth it in the years it adds to your life by getting rid of some stress. I know I definitely feel better- enough to move my IMood Indicator from "Exhausted" to "Happy". :)

 
Laura wrote this at 9:09 PM -- | -- email me -- IM me -- back to top

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Saturday, September 25, 2004

100 things about me

 

Awwww

0.


  • As I start this list, I am sitting in my pajamas on my big comfy couch, drinking a Mike's Hard Lemonade (one of several), and watching The Prince and Me (which I am actually really really liking. Stop laughing please.) (No...really...stop laughing.)

  • My dream car is a 1966-68 Ford Mustang, Blood Red with Black interior. It's the cute, feminine muscle car. My other less-of-a-dream Dream Car is a Porsche. I think a Porsche would be well-served by me, as I can actually drive well, and like to drive fast.

  • I'm 5'10", and I've been 5'10" since 7th grade. This is probably where I got my habit of liking older men (aside from that whole maturity thing), since all the ones my own age were 2 feet shorter than me and remained that way until half-way through high school.

  • I have an extreme irrational fear of spiders and mosquito-eaters. If there is a spider on my wall and it is in a position where I'm not completely confident I can kill it before it A) Jumps on me, B) Runs and hides where I can't find it, or C) Falls directly on to my face, then I will just sit and stare at it until either it moves where I can hit it with a volleyball or can convince some nice friend to come over and get rid of it for me.

  • I hate the death of any living creature. This is to say, if there is a spider outside of my house, I will be very upset if someone kills it. Most people find this odd about me.

  • I SUCK at remembering what day it is. I know the month, but never the actual date. I am extremely punctual when it comes to being at a certain place at a certain time. But I always miss birthdays and holidays- not because I forget the date of them, but because I never realize the day has come around.

  • I think Viggo Mortensen is REALLY REALLY HOT. He's tall, he's pretty, he's all rugged and manly, he's smart, he's got a great ass, and from the tight jeans he's wearing in this movie I'm watching right now (Hidalgo), he's got quite a package going on under them pants. :)

  • I have chronic allergies. I'm allergic to dust, mold, and feathers, which translates to being allergic to the entire world. As a result, I'm used to living day in and day out with congestion and sinus headaches. I don't realize it because I don't know any different- it's the story of my life. Doctors always tell me I don't complain enough.

  • I have dimples. Both cheeks. (On my face, not my ass). They're really deep. I forget they're there until someone points them out. When I was born the nurses all thought they were so cute that they kept trying to make me cry so they could ooh and ahh over them. Isn't that sweet?

  • I love books. When I'm in a bookstore, I'm like a kid in a candy shop. However, I have yet to read most of the books I own. I'll read books from the library first. I guess I figure that I can always get around to the ones I own...


10.



  • Speaking of which, at any given moment, I am reading about 7 books. Some I have been reading for years. For example, I read Catcher in the Rye over 3 years. No, I'm not a slow reader. Just an "occasional" reader. Every once in a while I'd pass by the bookshelves and notice it, then pick it up and read a chapter. I do this a lot.

  • I'm a really fast typer. I never officially learned to type- I am just sorta self taught. However, my mother, who was formally trained, said that what I taught myself is almost identical to the formal way. Somehow my fingers just figured it out.

  • I showed dogs for 10 years. At first I showed a dachshund, only she was old and not that into it. Then I showed a golden retriever and a border collie for the rest of the time. Both were champions, and won everything they entered numerous times, including the "brace" event where they were tied together by a 6 inch "y" shaped chain that was attached to a leash (an event that forces them to act as "one").

  • When I was in 8th grade I was supposed to get braces for teeth that had come in over baby teeth and were, therefore, jutting out pretty far. One week before my appointment I backed out, telling my parents I would rather wait and see if they grew in. It was a good choice. Within a year they grew in perfectly and now it appears as if I have pretty much straight teeth.

  • I like a lot of what most people would call "really bad movies." I think my tolerance for movies is just really high. So, stick a really hot guy in a piece of crap movie and I'll probably watch it, maybe even buy it on VHS.

  • I love sauces. As a kid, my parents thought I was weird because my mom would make spaghetti, and I would rather eat a bowl of the spaghetti sauce than the noodles. To this day, I still would rather eat the sauce, and if I do have the noodles, I'll eat them plain, or with parmesan cheese.

  • I collect sunglasses. They're kept in a giant lunch box in my closet. I never go anywhere without a pair.

  • Every night I go to sleep, I will wake up naturally almost exactly 8 hours later- sometimes to the very minute.

  • On the pinkie toe of each foot, I have a split toenail- meaning I have two
    separate toenails that grow side by side on the same toe. I got it from my dad (isn't genetics interesting?). It sucks because the outside one gets caught on things and tears off and sometimes I'll look down and realize there's blood all over my foot.

  • My parents encouraged me to do anything I was ever interested in. As
    a result, I've played tennis for 18 years, volleyball for 12 years, softball for 4 years, piano for 10 years, flute for 14 years, saxophone for 1 year, bassoon for 1 year, piccolo for 13 years, debate for 10 years, soccer for 1 year, basketball for 6 years, and showed dogs for 10 years. I took gymnastics and horseback riding lessons for three years. I was a Blue Bird and then a Girl Scout (until my parents bribed me to quit by buying me a dachshund and telling me I could show her, which was my original request. They thought my girl scouts leader was a bitch.)



20.



  • I've studied a lot of languages, and can pick them up and understand them
    pretty quickly. I know the basics in German, Spanish, and American Sign Language. I've studied (for years) French, Latin, and Italian.

  • I am second generation American- my grandparents came over here from
    Norway early on. Unfortunately, my Norwegian culture is limited to my name, occasional news of relatives that still live there (whom I've never met), and some foods that I never really noticed that other people around me don't eat (until recently)...like Lefse (yummy potato tortilla-type things with butter and cinnamon and sugar type stuff melted in the middle...mmmm).

  • I have kept a journal for 6 years. I'm actually working on the fourth one, having filled up three already. I've filled up one and a half since last January. What can I say, it was a heavy-drama period.

  • I'm really sensitive to drafts- meaning I can't sleep with a window open, or with a fan blowing- I'll get a horrible sinus headache and wake up with a sore throat, then get sick. Air conditioning in a car is like sinus-death to me. I'll get an immediate sinus headache (ever felt one of those? They hurt pretty bad and nothing makes them go away.)

  • My piano specialties are Chopin, Beethoven, and Brahms (the first two
    being my absolute favorite composers). I know the Moonlight Sonata by heart, and have made people both cry and give a standing ovation by playing it. My goal now is to learn Chopin's Nocturne in C# Minor (it's the song Adrien Brody is playing in the beginning and in the preview of The Pianist).

  • I've had the top cartilage of my ear pierced for 5 years. It hurt like hell and took 6 months to heal. My parents were shocked and sickened when they saw it, but apparently not so much that they remembered it considering they expressed the same shock as they continued to completely forget its existence and re-discover it for 4 years.

  • One time some irritating guy kept IMing me for a picture, trying to get me
    to cyber with him. So I sent him a picture. Of a man. Happily enough, he stopped bugging me immediately.

  • I taught myself to read when I was 3, using a book entitled "A Pig Can Jig." My mom gave it to me and after playing with it for a few hours, I figured out the words and read it to her. She was shocked.

  • I can remember my first steps. My parents never believed me, until I
    described the exact image in my head. I was standing by the couch, and one of my brothers was calling me to him, arms open wide. I stepped out and into his arms. For the next several minutes, my brothers were calling me from one to the other, and I walked back and forth.

  • I love a good medium-rare steak, surprisingly enough, without any sauce
    whatsoever.



30.



  • Like a true writer, my dreams always appear in these complete, long, epic
    adventures.
    They're always really weird and I write them all down in my journal. I like telling people about the weird and interesting ones, and they always laugh and tell me I'm strange.

  • I have four older brothers, all at least 12 years older than me.

  • No one in my family has the same hair color. We're all naturally very different, and my dad's is the only one even close to mine. My Mom has almost black hair, which she has dyed blond since she was 22. One of my brothers has platinum blond hair, the second has sandy blond, the third has medium brown, and the fourth has darker brown. My dad has medium blond hair, and mine is sort of a dirty, dark blond. Hmmm...maybe we're all the result of several different mailmen?

  • When I was young (like first grade young), I had an extreme fascination
    with the Third Reich
    and anything having to do with WW2. I read every
    book I came across, and was an expert on Hitler, the Nazi Party, and Germany. I got over it by junior high and have since forgotten pretty much everything.

  • I was raised Lutheran, not because my parents are religious but because they wanted me to have exposure to religion (so I could make my own choice later) and also so I would have a sense of morals. Now I don't ascribe to any religion in particular. I took a "What is your religion" quiz online and it told me the top 3 religions that matched my beliefs were Hindu, Amish, and Protestant. Hmmmm...

  • On another note, I LOVE churches, and I LOVE going to services. Churches are always really pretty, and I love the solemnity of a church service. Additionally, I think organs make some of the most beautiful music ever created.

  • I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was 14 and started debating. I have not changed my mind since then. After people get to know me, regardless of whether they know I want to be a lawyer or not, they almost always say "You'd be a great lawyer."

  • I could also see myself being a teacher, doctor, FBI profiler, and engineer. If there was only one thing I could do for the rest of my life, though, I'd be a writer.

  • I've had a bazillion jobs- waiting tables, slinging bagels, managing a movie theater, running the movies, coaching volleyball, teaching computer classes, and running my own store.

  • When I was in elementary school, I always half-assed those Presidential PE
    testing things
    ...so I'd run a 15 minute mile (because I'd walk the whole time) and never scored really high on anything because I never cared. In middle school, my competitiveness kicked in and I decided to start trying. After that, I scored in the 99th percentile on everything but the Flexed Arm Hang. I ran a 5 min 57 sec mile, and did 64 situps in a minute. :)



40.



  • I like driving really really fast, but have never gotten a ticket.

  • I was a vegetarian for three years until I made my family dinner one night
    and the chicken I was cooking smelled so good I kept nibbling at it, then decided I missed it too much and said fuck it to the whole thing. I haven't looked back since.

  • My favorite position is On Top because it feels better and I get to do everything for once.

  • I can sleep pretty much anywhere- in cars, on planes, on the floor, on the
    couch, in class, on the bus, on the floor of a bus, and if I drink enough, with my head propped up against the corner of a desk.

  • I'm really picky about who I let sleep in my bed. If it's not someone I really like, then I'm way too uncomfortable. And if it's anyone new, I can never sleep for the first few nights. I'll usually lie in bed the whole night either staring at the ceiling or them. (Yikes!)

  • I don't like dating. I hate forced situations, and I'm really picky about who I like. Basically, I'd rather only go out with people I really like, and that isn't too often, which is fine because I like my alone time.

  • I'm really good at keeping in touch with people. In fact, when I moved back to Washington from California, I found that I had kept in better touch with more people than the people who had actually stayed in Washington. And I still talk to my old friends in California.

  • My nicknames have been and still are Whora and Spora.

  • My favorite drink is a Mudslide. The runner-ups are Pina Colada and White Russian.

  • My favorite beer is Guinness. The runner up is a good Hefeweizen.

  • I have a really stable personality, meaning it doesn't change much. This is not to be confused with having a boring personality. I've been accused of being a lot of things, but never of being boring.



50.



  • I refuse to stay friends with people who fight dirty- meaning when we get
    into an argument, they do everything they can to make me feel as horrible as
    possible- from calling me names, to trying to turn people against me, to actually physically trying to hurt me. We're not in junior high anymore and it's not worth it.
  • When I was in junior high I was fascinated with vampires. I once jokingly told a boyfriend that I was one and lightly bit him on the neck. He REALLY liked that, and was thereafter obsessed with the idea. Yeah, okay.

  • My hair has been Red, Purple, Green, Blue, Bleached Blond, Streaked Blond,
    Dark Brown, and Black. I fried it so badly once that the top part broke in half and fell off. When I dyed it black, it was only supposed to be temporary. But when it still hadn't faded after a month, I noticed that the bottom of the box said that if you had hair lighter than a brunette, the color would not come out. Thanks fuckers. So I had to bleach it to get the color out, and the color hair you see in my picture above was the color I got. On a related note, whereas I'd worn mostly gray and black before, I started wearing more colorful clothes (if you're White and you have dyed Black hair, you look Goth, which I wasn't). This trend has continued, and now I wear all colors, even Orange occasionally.

  • My favorite pizza is half-vegetarian and half-hawaiian. Unless I'm at McKormick and Kuleto's Seafood Restaurant in San Francisco. Then my favorite is the Spicy Rock Shrimp Pizza (spicy rock shrimp, feta, mozarella, and homemade pizza sauce made in a brick oven). Yum.

  • I'm crazy and I love to do crazy things. I once picked up and drove
    to Lake Tahoe late at night. I've gotten lost in the woods for an entire day. I like to just get in the car and go somewhere. Most of the time I can't find someone to go with me, in which case I've become used to going on my own.

  • Every boyfriend I have ever had has promised to teach me how to drive a stick shift (literally...get your mind out of the gutter). I still don't know how. At this point, I figure it will be the man I marry who actually teaches me how to do it.

  • I'm really really shy but after years of customer service and force of habit, I've made myself overcome most of the symptoms to where I'm actually really outgoing. My shyness still surfaces when I have to call someone I don't know, and when I have to tell someone I like them (even if I know they like me for a fact).

  • I absolutely can't stand people who have to argue with everything.
    At some point I have to tell them to just shut up and let things be. I find it ironic because I'm going to be a lawyer, and all of my friends are debaters, two attributes that make people extremely argumentative.

  • I hate it when people talk shit about someone who is my best friend or
    boyfriend
    . I mean, you've got other friends to bitch at...are you really that stupid that you think I'd be sympathetic to you, want to get involved, or want to hear it at all?

  • I'm not afraid of heights, but I don't trust ladders. The higher I get on a ladder, the less in control I feel, and I don't feel I can trust my life at 30 feet up to some child laborer in a third world country who's being paid 2 beans a day to make ladders for us stupid American consumers.



60.



  • I'm one of those people who is extremely prepared for everything. In my purse I've got medications, floss, makeup, a flashlight, bandaids, finger nail clippers, and a knife. It's a small purse too. In my car I've got a complete First Aid Kit, a change of clothes, and enough stuff to last me should my car ever break down in the mountains or the wilderness. Hey, it runs in the family.

  • I've got like 50 people on my AIM buddylist, and most of them I never talk
    to or don't know who they are. And this is after I've cleaned it out. This includes people I've never known (but found them on a list for Interview with the Vampire) named Armand, Lestat, and Louis whom I put on there years ago just for kicks.

  • On a related note, I love reading people's away messages. There are people I haven't talked to for years whose away messages I read daily.

  • I have a highly developed sense of manners. It's kinda bad because if I forget to say thank you, even for something really really small, it will bug me and I'll feel guilty until I do say it. It also means if someone doesn't say thank you to me, I will notice and it will bug me until I force myself to forget about it.

  • I have really really quick reflexes. This is what makes me good when I play tennis or volleyball and am up at the net.
  • I don't belong to any particular political party, and I refuse to choose one. Sometimes I go one way, sometimes I go the other. I'd rather just vote by person, by issue.

  • I like the idea of reincarnation. I think it makes me feel better about death. I also like the idea that Heaven and Hell are what you make of your life on earth.

  • For some reason, I can't dive head first into water. Once, in high school PE, we were required to dive head first off of the high dive. I went up there, determined to just do it. So I put my arms together, and pushed off...halfway down I freaked out and pulled my head up, and went SMACK...I belly-flopped on to the water. Everyone in the whole pool heard it, and I went home right after that. My body hurt for like three days.

  • I love LOVE horses. Once, while I was at my cousin's house, I went into his neighbor's yard (who wasn't home) and hopped bareback on to his horse. The horse bucked a bunch and tried to bite me, but I rode it anyways. :)

  • My favorite holiday is Christmas. I love everything about it- the snow, the smell, the lights, the presents. When I have kids and a family, I'm going to make sure we live in a place that has White Christmases and Christmas will be a big deal with lots of lights and events and family and presents and Santa Claus and such. I want to reinvent the magic I lost from when I was little.

  • I love Violent Femmes. I've seen them live at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA and it was awesome! My favorite song by them is Add It Up, for the line where he says "day after day I get angry and I will say that the day is in my sight when I’ll take a bow and say goodnight."



70.



  • I have a really large vocabulary. Partially because of debate (after I started, my dad said he needed a dictionary to understand what I was saying), partially from reading a lot of big books, and partially because I do a lot of crossword puzzles. I think that runs in the family too. My grandma can do any crossword imaginable and will finish them all. The same goes for my parents, who regularly finish New York Times and Wall Street Journal crosswords at the drop of a hat.

  • Several years ago a friend and I wrote a screenplay and entered it in Project
    Greenlight's Screenplay Contest. We wrote over 300 pages in one month, long distance, over the phone. We didn't win, but everyone who commented said our writing was amazing.

  • I am a Gemini, and even though everyone says this, I really do match up with the description. "Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex, and contradictory."
  • I have two personalities. Not in the MPD sense, but there's a very dualistic and contradictory nature. There's the confident, no-bullshit bitch who knows what she wants, expects the very best out of herself, and refuses to let anything stand in her way. She's intimidating, and mostly exists when I play sports, drive, debate, or work. Then there's the insecure, shy girl who over-analyzes everything, is sensitive to anything that might pop up in her mind, worries about failure, and just wants to be loved.

  • As far as looks go, I don't really have a set type for what I like in men. I've liked guys from every look. Personality-wise, they're always exactly the same- Extremely intelligent, Really funny, Moody, Sensitive, and Impossible. Hey, I didn't say it was what I look for, it's just what I always get, and I'm okay with that. It's what works. I think. Hmmm...

  • My favorite dessert is Loganberry Pie with vanilla ice cream.

  • I once was camping alone and was held hostage in my tent by a bear. It was poking and sniffing at it for about an hour before it finally wandered off. I was freaked out, and I really had to pee, but I didn't feel comfortable walking across the campground to pee with the bear still nearby. That night I felt like the biggest coward ever.

  • I've been to most of the states in the US, but have hardly ever left the country. I went to Mexico once and Canada thrice.

  • My goal this year is to find a job that pays me more money and spend all next summer traveling Europe.

  • Last November I tore my rotator cuff coaching volleyball. We were doing this drill where the girls had to squat with their heads underneath the net without standing up and pass 10 perfect passes in a row back to me. I was hitting the ball at them as hard as I could and after 2 hours, felt my arm snap and I couldn't use it anymore. I researched and found that either it would heal itself or need surgery, so I tried to let it heal, while continuing to coach the team. I took them to semis in the state of CA and still couldn't use my arm. Then a month ago, that's August, it stopped hurting. I played tennis for six hours the other day and it was fine. That's an entire year of healing!
  • I think it would be a great adventure to get stuck on a deserted Pacific Island. I think I would do well with the survival stuff, and would write stories in my head the whole time.



80.



  • I'm really organized, and it bugs me when things aren't in their proper place.

  • I'm not shy when it comes to talking about myself, and am comfortable talking about really personal situations (not with strangers, but with friends). And being naked doesn't bother me...mostly.

  • I can wiggle my ears.

  • When I was young, I hated reading. Then my dad sat me down one night
    and told me to read more. So I started reading Nancy Drew and romance novels. After my parents made me go to bed I would read with a flashlight for hours. My mom would come by and check to see if she could see light under the door, so I had to be really careful about it.

  • When I'm trying to get to sleep and am not that tired, I make up stories and act them out in my head. It's like making my own mini-movie to watch at bedtime.

  • I can't draw at the drop of a hat like those really good artists or my brother, but if I have a little time, I can do a pretty decent job. I'm really good at imitating- looking at a cool picture in a magazine and drawing the exact same thing.

  • I'm really consistent and not really forgetful. This makes me a good
    employee and is why I've been a manager for years now. When I work, whether it's counting money or closing up shop, I can do the exact same thing every night and not forget a detail from the very start.

  • It takes me a long time to fall in love...and a long time to fall out of
    it. Unfortunately.

  • My favorite out-to-dinner food is chicken strips with ranch, barbecue
    sauce, and honey mustard.

  • I'm addicted to Aquafina. The entire bottom shelf of my refrigerator is full of bottles of it. I wasn't drinking enough water and so I made myself a deal- I will buy myself Aquafina and work a constant supply of it into my budget if I promise to drink at least 4 bottles a day. So far it's worked for about 6 months.

  • In 8th grade someone dared me to punch a hole in a dime. It took me two days and two hole-punchers, but I did it. I started wearing it on a chain around my neck. A year later some stupid in-bred hussies told me that it was a gang symbol and I hat to be initiated to wear it...they told me to take it off or they were going to beat me up. I was scared but I knew it was all crap, and refused to back down. So I kept wearing it, and they noticed, tried to bully me into taking it off, and I just ignored them. They left me alone after that. I wore it around my neck for 12 years, seeing it as a sign and reminder of the person I strive to be.

90.



  • I channel with my hands. This means when I'm thinking, my hands are
    somehow reflecting that. When I'm driving, and I sense a car is about to pull out in front of me, I point at it and tell it to stay, without even thinking about it. It always works!

  • Even though I have four older brothers, I am basically an only child. They're all so much older than me that I was practically raised without them there. I think it worked out well- I got the attention I needed and didn't worry about competing with my siblings because they were off to college, but I was prevented from being entirely stuck up and spoiled because I had these thugs around to beat up on me and share in the parental goods.

  • Four older brothers, all athletic and over 6'2" plus one beefy 6'2"
    dad = one well protected girl.
    That's right...you don't want to mess with me, cuz after I get done with you, you've got five buff and brawny men coming after your sorry ass.

  • My favorite All-Time TV Show is La Femme Nikita. I think Peta Wilson
    is absolutely beautiful. I think Roy Dupuis is really really HOT. I still have Peta Wilson on my computer desktop, and I'd kill to be as beautiful and kick-ass as she is. My second favorite show is Golden Girls.

  • I'm hypoglycemic, which means if I go without food for a really long period of time my blood sugar crashes and I feel like my entire body is dying. A meal of nothing but carbs or sugar is like death to me- I'll get a headache, a fever, get all sweaty, feel like vomiting, and get that sick achy feeling you get when you're really really sick (like when you're skin and body just feel really uncomfortable.) So I eat a lot of protein and never really think about it unless I haven't eaten for several hours and am thinking about reaching for something sugary.

  • I hate money. I hate that I have to live by it, and I hate the control it has over the world. If somehow I had just enough to pay the bills so I never had to think of them, I think I would be really happy. On the other hand, I find it would be much easier to do all of the things I want to do with my life if I had a job that pays me more money. Hmm...is that hypocritical, or selling out?

  • I love plants. My apartment is full of them, and outside I've planted tons of roses and pansies. When I grow up, I want a house with tons of gardens and lawns, full of oodles of roses and every other flower imaginable.

  • When I was in second grade I spent a few weeks designing my dream house. I still have the plans, and I intend on building the house (with a few slight modifications) whenever I settle down and have the money to do so. It's got to be on the water, with lots of acreage, near the mountains. It will be an older style, with lots of rooms, a library, and a ballroom. (Somewhere, my mother is saying "And what good fairy is going to clean THAT?")

  • I have a really genuine personality. Take it literally. When I'm happy, I seem
    happy. When I'm sad, I seem sad. I usually suck at lying (so my mother tells me) (then again, she always thinks I'm lying). When I don't like someone, it's goes against everything in my nature to pretend to like them. I can be civil, but I can't talk shit about how much I hate someone and then turn around and tell them they're my best friend. I wouldn't say I'm blunt...just obvious.

  • I want to find someone who is smart, funny, adventurous, good, steadfast, sarcastic, sweet, and can keep up with me without ever telling me he's too tired, too busy, or just doesn't have the time to do what is right. I want this.


< ? 100 Things # >

 



Sunday, September 19, 2004

Washington v. California

 

During my years in California, I found myself often regaling the folks there with stories of Washington. And since I've returned to Washington, mine is the voice that speaks to the nature of the Californian. I consider both states a home, and as such, have my likes and dislikes about both of them. So I thought I'd share.

Washington v. California: The Good, The Bad, and the Crazies.

California: The Bad
1. Nutties and Crazies everywhere, always harassing you for change, food, alcohol, or their pet squidget named Muddy McForbanks.
2. Everything is brown and there are few trees. My nickname for it was "The Wasteland."
3. Things are massively more expensive (especially apartments: take for example, a huge 1 Bedroom apartment. In Berkeley, $1600 a month, and it's actually a tiny 1 bedroom apartment, with no closet space. In Auburn, $550 a month, and not only is it huge, but you've got a full kitchen, giant living room, dining room, bathroom, walk-in closets, and a patio. See what I mean?)
4. Lower minimum wage ($6.75 in CA, $7.16 in WA).
5. More pollution, meaning constantly hazy skies and water that smells like ass.
6. Bazillions more people, meaning more competition for jobs, apartments, and most importantly, parking spaces.
7. Lots of hippies who abhor cars and refuse to make any more parking spaces.
8. Traffic. All of the time. Everywhere.
9. It's really loud all of the time, everywhere. It's surprising how you find that you can get used to things like police sirens, fire engines, car alarms, traffic, people yelling, and shopping carts going up and down the sidewalk all night long.
10. Hypocrites. People who make over 6-digit incomes a year, drive their SUVs to work, mow down all the surrounding trees, and would sell their own children for the heck of it who pretend to be peace-loving, tree-hugging, homeless-helping, good people. Assholes.

Washington: The Bad
1. Single-minded back-country hicks. They're everywhere.
2. It rains all of the time. No really. All of the time.
3. Everyone is really religious so you can't talk about things like "goat-fucking" without someone getting offended. Psh!
4. There isn't a whole lot of diversity. You've met one person...you've met them all.
5. My hometown has had the highest teenage pregnancy rate for decades. Enough said.
6. My hometown is also home to the serial killer to kill the MOST people in the entire history of the United States AKA The Green River Killer. Washington also holds claim to other serial killers, including Ted Bundy, who went to school with several of my friends' parents.
7. Mullets. They're everywhere.
8. If you don't want to drink or see a movie and you're not a major nature buff, there's nothing to do. And there's nowhere to go to do anything either. Might as well drink.
9. The whole place resembles the scene in the movie entitled "great place to dump a body." Makes you feel real safe.
10. Lots of Native American Reservations, which serves as a constant reminder of what the government has done to them, as well as provides tons of casinos everywhere. Casinos are fun. But they're ugly.

California: The Good
1. There are jobs where there is less restraint on your appearance and actions...meaning you can wear jeans and call your boss a perverted fucker.
2. Tahoe. It looks even better than any picture you might have seen. It's the bluest and greenest waters imagineable.
3. San Francisco. It's full of old charm, interesting people, great seafood, cable cars, and the biggest Old Navy I've ever seen.
4. Alcatraz. I've been about 10 times and I still love going. If you haven't been, I definitely suggest the night tour. You cruise by the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset, loop around Alcatraz Island, and then you get to wander around it while the sun sets over you. It's absolutely gorgeous.
5. The Winchester Mystery House. Definitely one of the coolest places to go. It's the house that was built 24 hours a day every day for years and years. It's got a seance room, stairs that go to the ceiling, and a window built into the floor. Very cool.
6. Highway 1. If you've got several days to kill, it's the prettiest view on the west coast- drives right along the shore all the way down to San Diego.
7. It's extremely diverse. There are people of every ethnicity, language, sexuality, and even species there. One of my earliest mempories is seeing a half-naked woman walking down the street with her pot-bellied boyfriend on a leash and collar, his hands bound behind his back. I immediately wrote it on a post card and sent it home to my very conservative parents, saying "aren't you glad I moved here?"
8. The Terminator is the Governor. Hahahahahahahaha.
9. It's the best place to learn to drive. After all, if you can't make it here, you can't make it anywhere. And if you learn to drive the Bay Bridge every day during rush hour and manage to not miss any of your exits because you couldn't get over, and managed to not die, then nothing will ever, EVER, worry you about driving ever again.
10. The sunshine. Almost every day, you've got crystal clear blue skies.

Washington: The Good
1. Everything is scenic and beautiful.
2. There's more space...everything isn't developed, so houses are big with parking lots and huge yards.
3. It rains all of the time. And in the summer, when it's sunny and 80 degrees for three months, it's ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!
4. In California, I had to walk three blocks to where I parked my car (and paid $50 bucks a month for the spot), 4 blocks to the laundry, and 10 blocks to the grocery store (none of which had parking lots). In Washington, I have my own parking space 10 feet from my front door. I have a washer and dryer inside my apartment. And the grocery store is 3 blocks away with a HUGE parking lot.
5. Driving out to mom and dad's house is like taking a weekend trip to the country estate. They have sprawling lawns, orchards, gardens, a waterfront view, and are in the middle of a forest (for privacy).
6. Parking lots. Everywhere. And they're HUGE.
7. It's quiet. No sirens, no nutties, no frat boys, no shopping carts in the middle of the night. When you go to bed at night, you hear nothing.
8. No state income tax. Very nice.
9. If you're a nature buff, there's TONS to do- from hiking to fishing, biking, camping, and mountain climbing. I can go rafting on a river right outside my apartment. And the water is clean.
10. The clincher. Everyday, from my home, from my town, and from the whole surrounding area, this is our view...

Nice...

 



Thursday, September 09, 2004

100 Things that piss me off

 

1. People. In general.
2. Irate customers who think that they deserve to be treated like royalty and you, the employee, like trash.
3. Commercials about drugs that ask "is this drug right for you" without telling you what it treats.
4. Telemarketers. It's a shitty job, but if you ask me, they're asking for whatever angry responses they get from people.
5. Banks and their bureaucratic policies. Policies, for example, that say even though you make a deposit and a withdrawal at the same time on the same day, if the withdrawal somehow overdraws you, and they can charge you $22.00 for it, then the deposit will count as having been placed into the account AFTER the withdrawal took place. Magically.
6. Huge, hairy spiders that wait until I'm just about to get into bed to decide to crawl across my pillow or bedroom ceiling.
7. Anything that wakes me up in the morning. The phone. Nutties on the street. Car alarms. Drunk people. Next door neighbors who decide to chain a young dog outside their apartment and ignore it while it yaps its head off.
8. People who drive in the fastlane going the exact speed limit or below.
9. Those irritating folks in class who think they know everything and are willing to proclaim their idiocy to the entire room, as well as make fun of those around them who actually DO know what they're talking about. Like this girl I knew in college who would make fun of the shy kids who ventured to raise their hands during discussion.
10. Pedestrians in the Bay Area...they're everywhere!
11. Any commercial on TV about insurance or car dealerships...especially if they're shown at 4AM.
12. Vending machines that refuse to take anything but a newly minted, perfectly straight and crisp dollar bill.
13. Anyone who is nice to your face and talks shit behind your back.
14. Passive aggressiveness.
15. Bad leaders.
16. Stores that encourage their salespeople to follow you around and constantly ask if you need help. Like the Gap in downtown Berkeley and any Nordstroms.
17. Lies.
18. Bigots.
19. Anyone who says gay people should not be allowed to marry.
20. Ignorance.
21. Those who argue Russia and China were really communist and all democrats should be called "comrade."
22. People who talk on cell phones while they're driving. You can always tell because they're driving really slow and in multiple lanes.
23. People who talk on cell phones really loudly in quiet places...like the library or bookstore or movie theater.
24. Hippies.
25. The rich yuppies that live on the hill in Berkeley, who wear hiking sandals and ride bikes downtown, proclaiming to love the poor and the environment but treat customer service folks like shit and drive their SUVs to work.
26. Hypocrisy.
27. Flakiness.
28. My mother when she assumes that because I haven't called for a couple of days that I must be dead on top of a mountain or have moved to Mexico to give birth to the love child of my latest conquest.
29. Men.
30. Every time a man says "I just got out of a relationship and am not ready to get into another one." What, do I look stupid? Besides, you can go fuck yourself. All I asked is if you wanted some water.
31. Brad Pitt and the fact that he keeps deluding himself to believe he'll be happy with anyone but me.
32. Totally Repressed Females. Just think of the sorority girl stereotype and you'll know what I mean.
33. The fact that banks and post offices are closed on sunday.
34. Albertson's and their whole campaign when Safeway came out with the Safeway card, saying that "you don't need a card to save at Albertson's." How long was it until they sold themselves out on that one and came out with the Albertson's card?
35. Cats when they spontaneously scratch the hell out of your hand after you've been peacefully petting them for a while.
36. The movie Eye of the Beholder. It sucked. I want the two hours of my life back.
37. People who talk, chew their nails, floss, or breathe heavily during movies.
38. Anyone who knocks on my door selling something or promoting a religion.
39. The junk mail I continuously get in my mailbox. It's just a waste of paper.
40. Sneezes that are teasing me and won't either let me sneeze or go away for good.
41. Anyone who justifies doing something illogical simply "on principle."
42. The guidance counselor at my old high school who told my brother he wouldn't get into Harvard (even though he had straight As and a 1600 on his SATs) and who wondered why in the hell I would think of applying to UC Berkeley (because I thought I would be accepted and WAS you asshole).
43. Those kids we all wish we could go back in time to meet- high school and junior high- and tell them off just because they think they're smarter, funnier, sexier, and more popular than us (but we know are just more insecure, stupid, and ugly).
44. Anyone who thinks that they deserve a refund even after they've watched the entire movie or eaten the entire plate of food.
45. Moochers who reach over and grab things off of your plate without even asking.
46. People in amazing cars (like Porsches) who either drive like old bitties or really badly.
47. When the vibrator breaks or runs out of battery power when you're halfway through.
48. When the guy breaks or runs out of battery power when you're halfway through.
49. Murderers.
50. Intolerance.
51. The ending of Romeo and Juliet. Wake up dammit!
52. That they cancelled La Femme Nikita.
53. Boyfriends who leave without telling you why.
54. That the official soda of UC Berkeley (whose colors are Blue and Gold) is Coke, which is red, and the same color as Berkeley's rival, Stanford.
55. Hangovers.
56. Taxes.
57. Bubble gum packs that explode inside your bag and leave sticky sticks of gum everywhere.
58. Anything that interrupts regularly scheduled broadcasting. Especially baseball games and presidential speeches.
59. People who think that my car is a cop car and not only slam on their brakes but go BELOW the speed limit.
60. The extension cord at work that always just slightly shocks me when I plug it in. If I ever die of electrocution, please use this post as a way to get money from the bastards that A)made it and B)made me use it.
61. The Band-Aid gunk that gets left behind on your skin and collects all manners of dirt and fuzzies.
62. People who freak out at ridiculous and inconsequential things.
63. People who get their kicks off of masturbating next to someone in a movie theater. Dammit, you're ruining my movie and NO ONE wants to see that.
64. My back because it hurts.
65. People who steal right out underneath my nose and do it so badly that I know it.
66. Standardized tests...not everyone thinks in multiple choice!!!
67. The plastic wrappers on CDs that are impossible to open.
68. Bitches...for an explanation, go HERE.
69. Labels.
70. Words like "hella" "hecka" and "hells yeah."
71. Pubic hairs and the fact that they're EVERYWHERE.
72. Trying to find the ringing cell phone buried in the bottom of my purse.
73. When things get underneath my fingernails.
74. Roadkill.
75. Work.
76. Anyone who comes by money easily.
77. Drivers who don't take advantage of free right turns.
78. Pop up ads.
79. Gina Gershon's mouth.
80. Denise Richards when she tries to act.
81. People who try to sound smart by using a lot of big words but only end up making unintelligible sentences, uninteresting sentences.
82. Gender stereotypes.
83. The bottom dollar.
84. Useless death.
85. Whiners.
86. Being sick.
87. Fake boobs.
88. Movies that cop out and take the easy plot home instead of delving into something more original and interesting. Like Identity.
89. Frat boys. The free drinks for girls at parties rocks. But the 200 barely post-pubescent boys running around trying to look cool and get laid is irritating.
90. People who have to stare at your tits at the gym like it's a frigging meat market.
91. Men in Radio Shack and hardware stores who assume just because I'm a girl, I must either be lost or have no idea what I'm looking for.
92. The same men who don't know what a digital coaxial cable is or where it's kept at the same stores after I give in and tell them what I need.
93. People who assume because a girl knows how to fix basic things, drive a car well, play sports, and stand up for herself she must have been a tomboy growing up.
94. Mustaches.
95. Pretentious pricks who try to be cool by pretending to know a foreign language, but obviously don't.
96. People who buy plants and know they'll probably end up killing them.
97. Anyone who buts a Betta in a cup and tries to sell it.
98. The people who thought up that stupid kittens in bottles web page and tried to market it as a real commodity.
99. When I get to the grocery store and totally forget everything I needed to buy.
100. Making this list. It took too many damned hours!!


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