my "political" opinion

Two prefacing thoughts:

1. I don't enjoy politics.
2. I don't usually pay attention to the political opinions of celebrities.

That said, I'd like to comment on a brief interview with Ben Harper that I watched a few minutes ago. I have one album of Harper's and enjoy it quite a bit and have considered purchasing more of his work but haven't gotten around to it. Anyway, in the interview, he said something that I have thought for a long time. I can't quote him directly, because I don't remember his exact wordage, and I'm in too much of a hurry to go looking for the interview online again. But roughly paraphrased, this is what he said:

We shouldn't think in terms of Republican or Democrat. There is neither Republican nor Democrat. There is only the person who is right for the job. The labels are just meaningless buzzwords. And the person who is right for the job is the person who is willing to take the little American flag pin off his lapel, put on a T-shirt, and get his hands dirty.

That's the person we're waiting for. That's the person I'm waiting for. And that's all I have to say about that. ;o)

ruminations of the sleep-deprived

As I write, it is Saturday morning, 5:04 a.m. Even if you don't know me well, you probably do know that I am rarely awake this early in the day. Even as a new intrepid jogger, I do not get up this early. Just on general principle. Please note that this is 'principle' not 'principal.'

Anyway...so there I was, fast asleep and minding my own business, when I suddenly realized that I was wide awake. Instead of fighting it like I usually do, I decided to give in and get up.

Hear that wailing? That's night owls everywhere screaming, "Noooooooooooooooo!"

;o)

So here I am, blogging just after five in the morning. And rather slowly, too, as I'm sitting at Ed's desk, using his Mac and his Mac keyboard. (Would that be a MacKeyboard?) Just for the record, I love the Mac, but I hate its keyboard. I have to pound each key with something like vehement fury in order to get it to produce anything. I fIjust tyoe the wayI usually do, i get something like this. Oh,a nd didi mention that the keys are space somewhtdifferently than on my laptop?

In case you haven't already noticed, I have no particular reason for blogging at this time. Meaning, I have no particular subject in mind. I am simply awake at 5 a.m. and needed something to do but didn't feel like doing anything that actually needs to be done. Besides, it's Saturday.

I have a zit on my chin, and it hurts. When I was a teenager, I thought that adulthood was supposed to be free of such things. (Zits, that is, not chins.) Well into adulthood now, I have discovered, to my dismay and disappointment, that this is not the case. I feel somewhat hoodwinked by this.

My parents, who are living with us for the month of July, are currently in Greece. Part of their trip is a cruise, and I guess they must be on it now, because yesterday evening, Mama called and left a voicemail: "Hi, we just wanted to call and let you know that we're having fun," etc. I was amused, even through my envy. ;o)

Although I suppose that I shouldn't be too envious......considering that I get to go to Scotland in less than a month! Wahooooooo!!!! I am so excited about this! We were supposed to go with Clint and April when they went last year, but it didn't work out. So Ed gave me this Scotland trip as my Christmas present. Brief and very vague itinerary: One day in London/Corby with our friend Patrick; one day of fellwalking with Patrick in the Lake District (and maybe with Kevin, too???); then head to the Dundee area and see Dundee, Stirling, Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Glasgow?, and hopefully drive to the highlands for a day. And we hope to see our friends Tristan and Leslie in Stirling! I have no clue if this is all possible in a 9-day trip (5-day, if you don't count London/Lake District/travel), but that's our current inkling of a conceptual hypothesis. I haven't had the time or the brains, so far, to study all the travel materials we've collected and look into specifics. However, Ed and I are going to sit down together sometime this coming week and figure it all out, so I'll keep you posted.

Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy, we're going to Scotland!!!!!!

Oh yeah, speaking of voicemail messages... Over the last month or so, Ed and I have received two phone calls to our Skype number in the middle of the night. Both times, neither of us woke up in time to get to the phone--although we *were* woken up--so both calls left messages:

Call #1: 4 a.m. Rustling, music somewhere in the background, then talking as though from a distance. No words distinguishable. More rustling. Then, a new voice talking, but this one sounds like a toy. And it sounds like several toys talking at once, overlapping each other: "I need a hug!" "What are we going to do today?" "(something-something-indistinguishable) hooray!" "I need a hug!" "What are we going to do today?" "(something-something-indistinguishable) hooray!" "I need a hug!" And so forth. More rustling. Then the toy voices start up again. The voicemail message continues in this vein for five minutes before stopping abruptly.

Call #2: 1 a.m. Rustling. Talking in the background. A kid's voice (real, not a toy), or maybe a toddler's. More rustling. An adult's voice, words indistinguishable. Then the adult says what sounds like "No, no, no!" More rustling. End.

Ed and I can't figure out who in the world is leaving these weird messages! The voicemails sound as though the person didn't know they had called, like they'd accidentally dialed the number or something. It's gotta be someone we know, but we can't figure out who it could be. Both times, the computer has been off (which is why our regular phone rang), so we haven't been able to see the number that was calling. It's just all very weird.

The first message reminds me of the time Ed and I (before we were married) used his talking Alf toy to leave a message on my roommate Tamara's voicemail, and she thought she was getting an obscene phone call. ;o)

Okay, it's now 5:45, and I think that's enough for one blopgost. If you read all of this ramblingness, you get a cookie. Enjoy.

Me, I'm gonna give the keyboard a rest from my vehement fury.

yay, i'm phoenician!

Your Score: Phoenician

You scored

You are the Phoenician Alphabet! Teacher of the Greeks and Etruscans, you are the one all languages bow down to. That is, until the Romans decide to wipe out your civilization. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

Link: The Which Ancient Language Are You Test written by imipak.

Got this one from Patricia, of course, who takes care of all my online random test needs. ;o)

Q & A

Q & A Procedure:

1. Leave me a comment saying anything random, like your favorite lyric to your current favorite song. Or your favorite kind of sandwich. Something random. Whatever you like.

2. I respond by asking you five personal questions (in response to your comment, so check back!) so I can get to know you better.

3. You WILL update your LJ (aka blog) with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and offer to ask someone else in the post.

5. When others comment asking to be asked, you will ask them five questions.


My answers to Patricia's Qs:

1. If you were to have the chance to adopt a sibling, would you pick a brother or a sister?

Oooh, that's a hard one! I've always liked the idea of having a big brother to stick up for me, and there have been a couple of guys in my life who have been like brothers.... Not to mention most of my guy cousins who are definitely like my brothers....and girl cousins who are like sisters......and girl friends who are definitely like sisters..... As you can see, I definitely have trouble pinning myself down to a concise answer here! I guess I'd probably have to choose a sister, just for all the late-night girltalk. ;o)

2. What is your favorite memory of us from college?

Do I have to pick just one?!?!??!!!? ;o) Okay, here goes, in random order:

(a) All the time we spent in Honors together. You made it fun and interesting and lively during the times my attention started to drift. All the craziness we had together just really made that time something special to me!
(b) The note you wrote me at the end of our freshman year, in which you told me how much you appreciated my friendship. At the time, I had no idea that my friendship meant so much to you, and it was good to hear that in spite of all my difficulties that year, you still liked me and accepted me.
(c) Doing artsy stuff together! I know we didn't get to sit down and draw together as much as both of us wanted to, but at least we had a few times of getting to do stuff as "art buddies."
(d) Getting to go home with you at the end of freshman year. As an only child, I was pleasantly amazed at how such a large family could actually work! ;o) You all made me feel more welcome than I thought I had a right to be. Even though I wasn't there very long, it's a time I'll never forget. (Don't tell Bec and Bradley this, but I still think of them as being the age they were when I visited!) ;oD
(e) Can we say 'Medieval Fairs'?! :oD

3. What book heroine do you relate to the most?

You do know how to ask the tough ones, don't you. ;o) Okay, the one I think of off the top of my head is Kit from "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare. Kit grows up in Barbados and moves to Puritan New England to live with her conservative aunt and uncle. The book chronicles her adjustment from one culture to another. She even seeks out the other 'misfits' in Puritan society to try to find her niche. Classic TCK behavior! Since that has basically been the story of my life, I can relate to Kit quite well, even though the book is written for a young reading level. (I've read this book every few years since I was 9 or 10.)

4. What Honors quote will stick in your memory forever?

Again, it's impossible to choose just one!

"Don't ask stupid questions!"
"She was all bust absent from history."
"Moses' Little Bake Shop."
"Nietzsche is bad for you anyway. Nietzsche will rot your teeth."
The essence of scarfness.
Dead Peasants Aren't Much Fun.
"Did I date your mother?"

Hmm...I might just have to do an all-Honors blopgost! ;oD

5. What is the funniest thing you've heard or read recently?

(a) Three-year-old Velony telling her parents in all seriousness: "Ich hab' geschwitzt wie Sau!" ("I was sweating like a hog!")
(b) Once again, I amused myself by watching the guy who webcammed himself dancing to "Dragostea Din Tei". In my opinion, this is one of the greatest videos ever made.
(c)Honors quotes. ;o)

weird...just weird

So sometimes, as I'm getting ready to "close up shop" at the end of the day (i.e. shut down the computer, because the last thing I usually do before getting ready for bed is check email), a peculiar feeling creeps up on me. It's one that seems to be of the melancholy variety...but it's always coupled with this sense of anticipation. I feel melancholy and almost as though I need to stay online *just a few more minutes* because I'm waiting for something. And then I find myself piddling around the Internet, looking at blogs and other similar sites and wondering about people.

I dunno. It's just weird. If you know me at all, you know that I don't like to read too much into feelings; meaning that I don't believe that just because I'm experiencing a certain emotion, it means that some cosmic event is afoot. I don't know why I get this weird feeling sometimes, but I won't claim it's because I have some kind of spiritual extra-sensory perception that something momentous is imminent.

Maybe I'm subconsciously hoping for something I know won't happen.

Or maybe I'm just tired.

Or maybe I'm just losing my mind. ;o)

a funny little cultural interlude

Earlier, as Ed and I were walking home from the Sullivans' (for those who are interested, please note apostrophe usage ;o), we heard a wedding party approaching. In Germany, the custom is to drive from the wedding to the reception in a long procession of cars, honking all the way. So wedding processions are always audible from quite a distance.

Ed and I decided to stop at our gate and wave at the cars as they passed. Pretty soon, we saw the lead car bearing the married couple. We waved at them as they drove by honking, and they waved back. The bride gave us a big smile, and we could tell that she was pleasantly surprised that we stopped to wave. (Very few people stop to wave at wedding processions nowadays.)

So we kept waving at the other cars as they passed, and everybody waved back and honked. Then the procession started slowing down as they stopped for a red light, and we turned to go into our building. As we reached the door, we heard a single loud honk behind us, and we turned around to wave again.

A older couple was leaning out their windows to wave at us. The man called, "Watch out! You two will be next!"

We both laughed, and I yelled back, "We already are!"

The two of them laughed, then kept driving. It was a cute, funny moment.

:o)

a great movie, and reminders

This week, I borrowed "Nicholas Nickleby" from Karen and watched it twice, once with April and once with my parents (who are here now, but more on that at a later date). This is the one that was filmed just a few years ago. I won't go into detail, but I have to say that I highly enjoy this movie! I shall purchase a copy for myself. Here are a couple of the fantastic one-liners I remember from having seen the film twice:

John Browdie to Wackford Squeers: "He said thee weren't fit to live with pigs. I said thee were!"
Wackford Squeers: "Thank you!"

Mrs. Crummles: "Let us use our bodies as instruments and quiver together until music comes out!"

I love that music line. ;o)

Change of subject:
Note to self:

--> blog about 'Jekyll & Hyde'.
--> blog about Scotland.
--> blog about parents.

health

So, guess what? I'm at home with a cold today. Actually, I've been mostly at home with a cold for the last two days. I'm feeling a lot better today, but I stayed home from worship anyway, so as not to contaminate the church. Since I have such a weak immune system and am susceptible to pretty much everything, I always get frustrated when others come to worship when they're sick. So when I'm the one who's sick, I suppose the least I can do is follow my own advice. ;o)

And this time, at least, I can pinpoint exactly why I have a cold: On Tuesday, Ed and I went to Dresden and hung out at the waterpark with the Dresdner Carrolls, the Oklahoman Andersons, and Jed the OCer. And, of course, I got water up my nose. But only twice! The first time, I forgot to hold my nose while going down the water slide. The second time, I was holding my nose on the slide but hit the water so hard that it knocked my hand away from my nose. The rest of the time, I managed to retain my vise-like grip and avoided anymore unwanted chlorine flushings.

Also, my whole system was weakened by a Tuesday-Wednesday middle-of-the-night bout with diarrhea. And, if you're at all familiar with my history of digestive and circulatory issues, you won't be surprised to learn that this middle-of-the-night incident was complete with an episode of almost passing out on the Carrolls' bathroom floor. Since these episodes no longer seem to be connected with any sort of heart arrhythmia, I'm starting to develop other theories about what might bring on the passing out or nearly passing out. But more on that some other time. Suffice it to say that Tuesday night, I had another episode which left me pretty weak for the next 24 hours. And made me more susceptible to cold germs.

I'm just thankful that it isn't a sinus infection this time! Wahoooo! Do you have any idea what a relief it is to have just a general, run-of-the-mill cold? ;o) Not that I'm relieved to be sick; but if I'm sick, I rather just deal with a regular ol' cold than a sinus infection complete with fever, dizziness, and achy joints.

For now, I'm stuffing myself with vitamins, flushing my sinuses three times a day, and sleeping a lot. April's gonna get onto me for not scheduling my surgery yet. ;o) I plan on getting it worked out soon, though! I'm aiming for the end of August, after Ed and I get back from Scotland. (Have I mentioned Scotland yet?) Either that or the end of the middle of July, i.e. after the 15th. But I doubt my doctor will be able to get me in that soon. We shall see. Updates shall follow!

bloomin' plants!

My aloe aristata are blooming!
I didn't even notice those nifty stalks growing until, suddenly (it seemed to me), there were these nifty bloomy thingies at the top.

Why is this event blog-worthy, you might ask? Well, because I, Faithful Readers, was once in possession of a rather black thumb.

Over the years, I've had steadily more and more success in keeping plants alive. But flowering plants have always been the bane of my existence. Especially succulents (of which the aloe is one). I also have a jade, which I nearly killed; and the aloe barely scraped by when I first got it. (It started life as a single plant and eventually grew into seven.)




I've known for a long time that the aloe were propsering (the growth from one plant into seven was a pretty good clue), but I had no idea they were doing well enough to bloom. I didn't even know that these plants could bloom!

So, I'm excited. It's official: I am no longer a bane to the plant world. I don't kill plants anymore. I have a green thumb! Yay me.







Yay for my aloe aristata! Aren't they beautiful!