Thanks to Oz:
The really funny part is that I originally scored as “Slightly Dorky Nerd Queen” because I accidentally said I owned a Jar Jar Binks shirt!
Nerdiness Abounds: Nerd Quiz
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Author Archives: Kristy Nicole
How to Be Crazy: Hoarding
While out for Ainsley’s two month checkup, I walked past this vehicle. The picture does not do it justice. It is piled to the roof with stuff. Not just junk, not just trash, but anything that would fit into the car. Looking through the windshield, I saw that the garbage in the front passenger seat has started to creep into the driver’s seat, and the plastic bags/fast food empties have a person-shaped hole in them for the driver.
What drives someone to this level? Sure, I’ve thrown a few things in the back seat; I’ve found french fries a month after they went missing. When does it go from that to having to shove the garbage out of the way to drive? And forget checking the blind spot.
I wanted to stick around to see what kind of person drove the vehicle, but it would not have made me feel better. Plus, poor little Ainsley had just had a tough appointment: her first vaccinations. She went from content little girl to dark purple and screaming in one second flat. After we redressed her and comforted her for a few minutes, she was OK, but I wanted to go home quickly so I could rock her more. She’s been fussy and sleepy all day since.
She’s gained three ounces since her visit Friday. Everybody’s all relieved and happy, including her new pediatrician. Well, everyone but me. She’s only gained a net of nine ounces in 30 days (she should have gained 20-30). I am feeling good about her new bottle and about her progress this week, but it doesn’terase her painfully slow growth. The doctor did say that a formula supplement would not help things; that indicated to me that he’s confident she’s doing well as is.
Neither the doctor nor Carlton will let me have her weighed in a week. Where’s the crime in a weight check? If she’s doing great, I will feel much better. If she’s the same, well, I won’t be any more worried than I already am. I do think that the new bottle is working wonders, but I want hard data.
Enough of this. Off to feed the kid.
“Four Things” Meme
Again, from Chubby Chick. I think that these free-form ones are definitely harder to complete:
Four Things I’ve Never Done:
1. Been to Asia
2. Gone rock climbing (though I don’t think I ever want to do it, either)
3. Thrown a drink in someone’s face (but it sounds like a great little bit of melodrama!)
4. Stopped everything and worked on my drawing/painting skills
Four Things I’ve learned in the last year:
1. Nothing packs on the pounds faster than a queasy stomach- I ate constantly!!
2. My capacity to love is much greater than I ever thought.
3. Having a kid is both easier and harder than expected.
4. My mom is a saint for raising three kids.
Four Jobs I’d Love But Will Probably Never Have:
1. Head of the EPA- I once asked my dad what his dream job for me would be. He picked this one. I’ve always been flattered and wished I could do it.
2. Full-time artist- yeah, that will never happen. My paternal grandmother had lots more talent than I, and even she had to give up art school (though she gave it up because of the Depression and I was never accepted to any art school).
3. Aquarium shop owner (though considering the state of my aquaria right now, I’d fire myself!)
4. Academy award-winning actor- for the cash! Would hate the ‘razzi, though.
Four Jobs I’ve Actually Had:
1. Beverage flavor chemist- SO much fun! I mostly worked from finished recipes, but sometimes I could play around and make something new. 2. Nanny- I adored the kids. The oldest one and I became pretty good friends. She was ten and I was 16. I told her she was one of my best friends and she said, “you’re weird.” I still laugh about that.
3. Dog sitter (just once, and they didn’t pay very well!)
4. Corn milling chemist- not only was it educational, it was a look into the food industry. Made me not want to eat products made with corn syrup. Ick.
If you’d like to participate, feel free. But if you do, please let me know so I can check out your answers! 🙂
Animal Abuse in Puerto Rico
I don’t know if this article made me more mad, sad, disgusted, or what. I guess I’m not surprised that a place that promotes cockfights would also have little respect for pets; however, I hate to make it sound like Puerto Rico is unique. We here in the continent are often no better.
One of the worst parts is, in a country where so many pet animals are killed at shelters, these pets were actually in homes with people (albeit against their lease policy) and had a chance at life.
Also disgusting is the ‘tude of the guy in charge of the shelter that allegedly killed the pets. He said:
They can’t prove that they are the same dogs that we picked up.
Good job, sir, on your choice of words. Nothing screams guilt like “you can’t prove it.” It’s a fantastic defense from a criminal mastermind.
Meme, Meme, Meme, Meme, Memly Meme Meme Meme
Found this via Chubby Chick’s blog:
My secret names:
1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet’s name and current car)
Cindy Lexus
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Chocolate-Covered Cherry Wreath
3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Yellow Fish
4. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (Last 3 letters of my sister’s name and first two letters of my mom’s name; use whatever names you like also and where they came from)
EndyMa (That one is no good, though- If I switch them, it’s LynWe. Better!)
5. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Green Wine
6. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Eli Dwight
7. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Steir Seattle
8. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Autumn Calla
9. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Cherry Jeansie (T-Shirty sounded blah)
10. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Oatmeal Palmetto
11. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”)
The Aquarium Cloud Tour
Fauxtoberfest 2007 Update
This is apparently a busy weekend for most people I know! We only had a crew of three to attend the Fauxtoberfest for Tuxedo Park Brewers.
We all expected it to be in a park somewhere in Fountain Square, but it was actually in someone’s yard! I felt like I was crashing a private party. We ordered beers and chilis and ate and drank in the cool, crisp weather. They offered free two ounce tastings, so I indulged my palate.
Blackout Stout- This was my last beer of the evening. I love stouts and this one was delicious. The person pouring had likened it to a Young’s Double Chocolate, but I thought it was less overly sweet and offered a roastier flavor, with notes of coffee and toasted marshmallow. I’d drink this as dessert.
Dog Days Cream Ale- This had been named “Cream Corn,” but the brewers decided that evoked a rather unpalatable dish served by lunch ladies. Carlton suggested “Corn Dog” was a better name yet. The beer was smooth and creamy, with a mouthfeel similar to Boddington’s. Made with Indiana sweet corn, it was a great ale for a Hoosier brewer. Delicious and mild with a candy-like aftertaste.
Flat Tire Amber- I was expecting something like Fat Tire. This beer was nothing like Fat Tire. It was crisp and a little too boozy, with none of the buscuit character I expected. It was a perfectly good Amber, but not my favorite beer of the night. Midwest Supplies markets a Fat Tire kit called Flat Tire already, so maybe this one’s up for a name change also.
Big Buck Oatmeal Stout- Chewy and hearty, this was my favorite beer of the night. It was a great beer for a fall afternoon. Nutty and delicious, the stout delivered big flavor in a beer best sippe, not chugged. Best drunk while socializing around a quiet fire.
Wrecking Ball Robust Porter- At least I think it was Wrecking Ball. I couldn’t read the small print on the tap handle. It was a porter, in any case. I didn’t think this was a special beer; just drinkable and easygoing for a porter.
Raspberry Wheat- I only had a small taste (still not eating wheat). This wasn’t on the menu but was very good. I dislike fruit beers as a general guideline. I always wonder- how bad/boring is the beer that it had to be hidden behind fruit? This was bursting with raspberry and apple notes, but wasn’t stickily sweet. The beer was straw colored. That’s usually a sign that the fruit flavor came from an extract instead of the actual fruit. As a beer purist, I should (and usually do) dislike the use of flavorings; however, this was the perfect way to have berry flavor without adding sugar or making the beer pink.
The Tuxedo Park crew had outdoor games, tables, a free cream soda tap, a fire pit, and a CD mix that brought back my college days. In fact, the whole party had the feel of a college house party…but with better beer. The brewers I met were really nice and we talked homebrewing for a long time. They offered to let me watch an all-grain brewing session so I could see what it’s like.
Where can Tuxedo Park beer be purchased? Uh, I don’t know. I forgot to ask that one!
Phantom Pain from Mobile Device?
Sadly, I think I have this affliction. It started when I was pregnant- it felt like my leg muscle was twitching so fast that it felt like vibration. Because there are so many weird side effects of pregnancy, I just assumed I had some odd muscle twitch and thought no more of it. However, it didn’t go away once I was no longer pregnant.
I stumbled onto this article, and it describes me. I might be addicted to txting. I send 10-20 daily. Sometimes, it’s just easier than email. In the case of one of my very busy friends, I just text “call me” and I receive a callback when she’s free, instead of potentially interrupting a meeting with my silly phone call about this Sunday’s coupons.
But now that I might have a neurotic twitch I am rethinking my mobile dependency. Maybe I should leave my phone on the charger a day or two a week. Stop being so immediate. Cease relying on my phone for my extroverty social-fix needs.
Nah.
Thoughts on Eight Weeks
The picture’s just from my phone so it’s not that great, but I can see that she’s growing. (And yes, her cowlicks are still there and they are wilder and wilder.)
This has been the strangest eight weeks of my life. I thought I was never going to be a parent. I had put it out of my mind and was very happy with my hobbies, my family, and my friends. I thought I might adopt someday. God and chance decided differently.
I totally fell in love with her when I saw her. I knew I’d love her but I didn’t realize how much. How can I describe it? It wasn’t just that I loved her. Meeting her increased my capacity to love. I love Carlton more, value my friends more, and grew even closer to siblings, my Dad, and my best friend, my mom. I realized Mom’s and Dad’s immense sacrifices that they made for us in a whole new way.
I cried a lot in the beginning and I’m still more prone to tears than a junior high school student. I would honestly do almost anything, sacrifice almost anything, if it helped her. I haven’t given up on nursing despite the repeated difficulties I’ve had. Her weight is still a struggle, but the appointments from Monday seem to be making a difference. I feel a sense of sad joy when she outgrows an outfit: sad because I know I’ll never again see her in that phase again; joyful because she’s gaining weight and I’m excited to see her little personality develop.
The other surprise is that I didn’t lose myself, though. I miss my free time and especially my friends, but what little time I do have, I do like to spend in the same ways. I’ve brewed beer, hosted football parties, and haven’t missed an episode of Heroes yet. I don’t want to curl up with her and shut out the whole world. That suffocates her and stifles me as well.
Ainsley doesn’t define me; she just betters me.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directed by Michel Gondry
Have you ever wished you could redo an event in your life? I’ve often lamented that I didn’t study more in college. I a lifetime of boneheaded decisions painfully clearly. In high school, I said mean things about my friends when I was feeling insecure; in college, I was more interested in socializing than studying, eating, or sleeping; after college…well, let’s just say I wouldn’t have dated a stalker by choice.
Eternal Sunshine provides me with the “what if” fantasy of erasing those memories from my brain as though they never happened. Joel and Clementine both decide that they hated their relationship so much that it was better off erased. Clem’s erasure is completed with no remarkable effects; however, the technician in charge of Joel’s is more interested in in beer and the opposite sex than in ensuring his job is done well (sounds like me in college). As the memories are pulled from Joel’s head, he relives each of them one last time. Joel begins to wonder why he embarked on this at all. His memories of Clem are often as sad as they are sweet, but he realizes he wants to keep them and starts fighting the erasing machine.
What follows is a captivating view into one director’s idea of how our synapses fire and misfire as they trigger memory. Reality bends and some scenes feel like cartoons or dreams. Jim Carrey’s portrayal of Joel is very good, despite the fact that a few scenes are obviously Carrey as Carrey, mugging more than acting. I even liked Kate Winslet as Clem and thought she somehow looked prettier with crazy red hair than she ever did in her other films.
Spoiler ahead!
In the end, the erasure negatively impacts everyone: those who do it as well as those surrounding the erased. While the movie had a few times when it swirled around like a madman, it drew the conclusion I always have: my experiences and mistakes, however grave or embarrassing, have made me who I am today. Maybe the cruelty of other kids- and my resulting lashing out- led to my compassion for people and animals. Maybe I’m such a diligent employee now to make up for earlier follies. Maybe if my GPA were 4.0 I would have had a different career path and wouldn’t have met my husband. Maybe all the desperately wrong people I dated helped me to see what I didn’t want in a spouse…and, regarding my bad relationship behaviors, didn’t want myself to be.
Regret is wasteful, and this film shows how our efforts to deny our selves do not end up bettering us. I didn’t expect to like this movie but I find myself wanting to see it again to reexplore each layer of plot and theme.
[rate 3.5]
Stay Back 500 Feet or Else
I drove to the North side Monday for my doctor’s appointments, so I had some time to be irritated by the vehicles on the road. Am I the only one who hates these things? Those stickers say “STAY BACK 500 FEET” and “NOT LIABLE FOR DAMAGE.”
Ok, first of all, 500 feet at 10 mph is not the same as at 60 mph. If I even tried to stay back that far on city streets, someone would rear-end me out of crazy, annoyed spite. Second, what if the truck is going 60 mph on the highway? The debris shower doesn’t stay neatly in one lane. Must all three lanes stay back 500 feet? And what if the oafish truck is crawling along under the speed limit? Is anyone allowed to pass?
And while I’m at it, how can they say they aren’t liable for damage? At least the black truck had netting over the gravel, but many trucks don’t, and they spit gravel, dirt, rocks, twigs all over the road and in a shower over vehicles with the slightest wind. May I put a sticker on my car that says “not responsible for speeding, I had too much coffee and have a lead foot?” or “not liable for crashing into your car, I have road rage issues?” I must also note that these silly stickers cannot even be read unless one is within 100 feet of these noise-and-air-pollution-belching trucks.
If I leave debris at the side of the road and someone else has to deal with it, I have to pay hundreds of dollars in fines. These trucks litter all kinds of junk all over the road. I’m guessing these inconsiderate companies are forking over tons of extra cash for all of the punctured tires and the state-financed road cleanup crews. HA HA HA
Finally, I think I’ll buy thousands of these and stick it on everyone’s car, then have everyone go five mph right in front of one of these blasted trucks. Let the gridlock commence!