Old

I have one gray hair. It's short and cute. I actually kind of like it. I don't think I want any more just yet, though.

I have been thinking a lot about getting old lately and how your body changes as you age.

I was at the doctor's office the other day, and I was the only person in the waiting room under the age of 75 for some reason. It was hot and they were all wearing shorts. I was thinking about how people always talk about how tattoos will look so bad on your body when you get old, but I have never actually seen an older person with a tattoo. I guess tattoos are more popular nowadays with many different types of people (not just sailors) and maybe we will see that more as time goes on.

I've always been fascinated with aging and a little scared of getting old myself. Even as a kid I thought about it a lot and have always worried about being old and helpless.
I have a hard time dealing with it.

I know that most people my age don't spend a lot of time thinking about this, I am not sure why I do.

I don't really like reading other people's dream posts, but here I go posting one

It was a twofer.

I gave birth to a son. But I didnt know I had been pregnant, I just thought I was getting a little overweight. I remember being frustrated about my abs not being defined and then popping out a baby.

Then Keith proposed to me with a hideous ruby ring. If I hadnt woken up at that point, I am sure I would have said no.

I had fun with my friend Delicia yesterday at her gym. We wanted to weight train, so she got me a guest pass and we headed there after our run downtown. We started out with a weight training class. I always feel stupid in these classes. I takes a lot of concentration to follow the instructor and not slip and fall and keep time with the music.

Then we went to the weight room and Delicia showed me different moves in front of the mirror and we laughed so hard, we couldnt really lift the weights. Then we discovered the excercise balls on the floor and started rolling around the weight room and falling into things and laughing hysterically. It was time to leave when we were not really excercising anymore, just laughing.

My abs are really sore today. I think it was all the laughing.

Rain, rain, go away

Every day, our neighbor gets into his red jeep, starts it up, races away, and comes back home approximately 30 seconds later. Several times per day. Where do you think he is going? He always roars off too. And pulls back into the driveway quickly.

I am making a valient effort to finish The Road Home. A movie about walking along a road and waiting and subtitles and stuff. I don't know. I've slept through most of it.

The summer keeps faking us out here in the North Wet. It keeps taunting us with warmth and then snatching it away and replacing it with drizzle and clouds.

YAY!! Sore throats!!

We never seem to be able to pull a night off smoothly. We plan on going salsa dancing with a few friends and use up our cell phone batteries agreeing on times and locations. Once we settle on where and when, we discover that there happens to be a classic rock band playing instead of the live salsa music they have normally. We settle on the hip bar down the street and call our straggler friends to warn them of the change of plans.

I had never been to this particular bar. It was a ski lodge sort of feel with a fireplace going and tree stumps for tables and what not. I noticed on the drinks list that they served mint juleps, which I had never had, but had always thought sounded refreshing and cool. I decided to try one. Of course it was not at all what I had imagined and I couldnt drink it. It was kind of, um, nasty. I tried to make Keith take it back for me, but he wouldnt, so I sat there and pouted for a while, trying to get up the courage to go talk to the super busy waitress. She was having to deal with a sleazy customer (who had moments before wrapped his arm around her waist as she took his order) that was telling her as he swayed back and forth in his hawaiian shirt tucked into his shorts, that he didnt appreciate her adjusting her bra strap in public. She took it quite well and brushed him off.

I just couldnt send my drink back, but, at 8 bucks a pop, I couldnt order another one either. Katie finally got fed up and took it back herself, getting me a gin and tonic.

We looked over and the sleazy guy was drunkily imitating to all his friends how the waitress had so rudely adjusted her bra. He kept doing it over and over, grabbing the sides of his hawaiian shirt and wrenching it back and forth, to the amusement of his friends. This pissed us off and we tried to get his attention by adjusting our own bras in an exaggerated manner. He didnt notice. As we left, I gave him a dirty look and he raised his hands in a "what did I do" fashion.

Our straggler friends never showed up, and we went home to bed. And my sore throat is back. No, no, its good, really. I missed it.

Forget Irag, send the troops to Portland

Invasion
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

We have been invaded by the Deadly Square Dancers. Don't be fooled by their silly yet peaceful exteriors. They be packin' underneath those skirts.
They are gathering near the convention center. They will probably attack after nightfall. We must all be prepared

separated from the herd

separated from the herd
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Roving the streets

Roving the streets
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Burgerville has been compromised

Burgerville has been overtaken
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

100 things

1. I haven't done one of these yet and thought it was about time

2. I'm sick right now and I spend a lot of time being sick.

3. I also get a lot of random and unexplainable physical issues like giant cysts on both of my feet in the same spot, strange rashes, etc

4. I have never thought of myself as being a creative person (that's why making earrings is strange for me)

5. I panic when I can't find my chapstick

6. I lived in Mexico for 2 years. So, habblo espannol mucho bueno

7. I am terrible at math and I freeze up when I need to do multiplication on the spot

8. I sometimes listen to Portand's hip hop station in search of blog entry titles

9. I really like taking the bus

10. I get obsessed with things like mangos or grapefruit or the color green until I get sick of them.

11. I am a lazy writer. If I tried, I could be an okay writer, but I can't seem to find the energy. Jess does enough for both of us

12. I love my neighborhood

13. And my apartment

14. I picked up my boyfriend at Trader Joe's

15. In the wine aisle

16. I am extremely shy and self conscious (which is why #14 is so funny)

17. I have this weird fascination with Britney Spears. She makes me really sad and depressed, but I just cant look away.

18. Im not good about apostrophes

19. Except when it comes to showing possession. I hate it when there are signs in a window that say "All Couch's on Sale!"

20. 100 things is a lot of things

21. I am really into gardening and homesteadery things that used to make me roll my eyes

22. I have incredibly pudgy fingers

23. My grades are slipping

24. For the first time in my life, I don't really care

25. I have one tattoo. I probably won't get another one

26. I miss the children I used to work with in Mexico. But I don't write them anymore.

27. I am selfish

28. I have a difficult relationship with my mother

29. Cantaloupe makes the roof of my mouth itch

30. I am having an affair with asparagus

31. I only like chocolate sometimes

32. I don't really like pie

33. I am terrified of getting old and helpless

34. I'm 22

35. I want to adopt a child

36. I want to teach my children to speak Spanish

37. I still haven't figured out this whole Mac thing

38. I hate cilantro so, so much

39. You all know about the foam issues

40. I enjoy school. I just get distracted by the rest of my life sometimes

41. I remember being a very fearful child. I cried and cried when the boys in kindergarten pretended to make a campfire with blocks and red crayons

42. I went through an entire box of tissue today

43. I have 4 godchildren (spell check wanted me to replace godchildren with 'stockholders')

44. I have to pee

45. We live across the street from a good Thai restaurant

46. I hardly ever go

47. I am tired of my job

48. I have 2 months left to go

49. I love dogs.

50. I tolerate cats

51. I love ribs

52. I have the ability to be really cold hearted

53. I have never been to Europe

54. I really want to go

55. I'm an Orthodox Christian

56. I want to live somewhere where I can have a huge garden

57. I always put on nail polish and then take it right back off

58. I'm a hypochondriac

59. I am kind of burned out on knitting

60. Making earrings makes me nauseated

61. Naps make me suicidal

62. I hate running

63. I love running

64. I miss running

65. Part of me doesnt believe that I will ever graduate from college

66. I'm terrified of not being exceptional

67. I hate it when people draw in a breathe to speak and then don't say anything

68. I do that all the time

69. I also say, "um" like I am going to say something and then don't

70. I'm terrified of turning into my mother

71. I will never understand amusement parks

72. I just bought a pair of roller blades

73. The first CD I ever bought was Jagged Little Pill

74. I've never broken a bone

75. My tailbone doesnt count. I just bent it

76. I was once accused by Homeland Security of alien smuggling

77. It's still on my permanent record

78. The scent of lavendar makes me think of kindergarten

79. Lyle Lovett is the man

80. I blush when I talk to strangers

81. NPR frequently makes me cry

82. It's all about the french pressed B&B

83. I own too many pairs of Danskos

84. I enjoy shredding paper

85. I am terrible at keeping in touch with people

86. The wind is my evil enemy

87. Wine is good

88. So is beer

89. I do things to the extreme. The TV volume as high as it can go, all the lights on

90. I can never seem to hang on to umbrellas and water bottles. I dont know where they all end up

91. I laugh a lot in church

92. Mr. Rogers is my number one hero

93. Amy Sedaris is pretty awesome too

94. I am the oldest of four. The youngest is 7

95. There are four open wine bottles currently on our table

96. I like having people over to our yellow home

97. I am starting to get sick of Portland weather after 15 years of living here

98. I don't wear makeup

99. My roommate and I look like sisters

100. My couch is red.

Jesse is my hero

I am writing you from my new Firefox browser and it is everything I dreamed of and more. Thank you Jesse.

I can now link to my heart's content.

Donuts

Another class to go to. Meetings at work went late. Rushing as usual to get out of there. Oh yeah. Which building is the class in? Look it up. Turns out it is in Beaverton. Beaverton is a suburb of Portland, the city where my university is. Fuck. That's far away. Its rush hour traffic. Everyone seems to be headed to fucking Beaverton. Traffic at a standstill in tunnel. Its hot. Roll down window. Coughing attack. Pull car over. Can't breathe. Cry. Cry more. Call boyfriend. Boyfriend doesnt answer. Cry. Now one hour late for class. Exit freeway. Purchase 2 donuts and a quart of whole milk at QFC. Go home. Eat donuts. Drink whole milk. Drop class online. Cry.

Famous Titties for 200, Alex

Hi, its me.

I think that I am much better now. I can speak several sentences without a coughing fit. I am only mildly hoarse and I now only sound a little like Lindsay Lohan instead of a heavy chain smoker on her death bed.

I have a question for y'all: how do you link to things on a mac? Blogger doesn't have the same features when I am using my mac. The little globe doesn't show up as an option. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

Off to use up another box of tissue...

It gets worse

I didnt have a coughing problem until this morning. I was just hacking a bit when I woke up and was not too worried about it. I had another class this afternoon and headed to school. I found the class, sat down and felt a little tickle in my throat as the instructor was handing out the syllabus. Then my eyes started watering and I knew I needed to cough. I tried to cough discreetly, but it came out as one of those deep "hooogah" coughs that are really loud and leave you gasping for air. Then tears started streaming down my face and snot started pouring from my nose as I coughed and coughed and coughed. I ran blindly from the room in search of a bathroom. I literally could not see well because water was pouring out of my eyes. I was unfamiliar with that building and it took me a long time to find one. I ran in and sort of slumped down on the floor next to the toilet paper dispenser in the handicap stall. I thought I was going to suffocate because I couldnt draw in enough breathe before the next cough. I started panicking and thinking about how no one was going to find me in this remote bathroom until it was too late. Thankfully the coughs slowed down enough for me to breathe again and I was able to shakily stand up after a little bit. I continued to cough, though and decided to just dart back in and grab my stuff from the classroom and go home. I did, causing a lot of commotion because my coughing continued as I tried to quickly pick up my notebook and water bottle and stuff them in my backpack as I ran from the room. Can't wait to go back on Thursday.


me
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Doc Rock

Even though I am slowly wasting away on my diet of tea and soup, I had to go to class last night because it is the first week of classes and I would have been dropped if I hadnt shown up.

The class was the History of Rock and Roll.

I hauled my wheezy ass all the way up 4 flights of stairs and wandered around the confusingly numbered maze that is Cramer Hall until I found the giant auditorium where my class is held. I only found it because of the loud rock music eminating from it. Now, I've been home, in a Fiery Throat Coma for several days and I was shocked by the blasting music, the air-conditioning, the bright lights, the many, many people scrambling for seats. I sat in shock and must have looked very frightened. A girl came up to me and asked me if the seat next to me was free. When I just blinked at her and tried to respond, (all that came out was a sort of bleat) she hurried away.

The music was oh so loud and there was no proffessor in sight. Everyone looked kind of uncomfortable. Some people stared straight ahead with their arms crossed. Some chose to mouth the words to the song (I didnt recognize it) and quietly bob their heads. A guy with a tight yellow polo shirt with the collar turned up was jerking his head from side to side so violently that I was afraid the Oakleys perched on top of his hairsprayed head were going to fly off and impale someone. Another guy (obviously a drummer) was air drumming along. I chose the more dignified route of blowing my nose every 3-4 seconds and making a lot of commotion looking through my bag for the last cough drop. Yes. I was That Person in class last night. The person who refuses to stop moving and searching for stuff in her bag and rustling wrappers and opening and closing her water bottle and blowing her nose and wheezing and coughing and sucking loudly on cough drops. I just couldnt help it.

After everyone was seated, he made his appearance. He was a short man dressed in black jeans, a black tunic-like shirt, very long, shaggy black hair, and black tennis shoes. He kind of jerks when he walks. You can't quite tell if he is moving to the music, or if he just walks like that. He has his doctorate in something or other. He just looks like a guy you would see in some tired old band playing in a dive bar. Last night I named him Doc Rock.

Anyway, he shuts off the music and starts the class. He's a laid back guy who says "cool" a lot. I rolled my eyes when he first entered the room, but I think that I am going to like him. He is actually pretty strict while being laid back. I hate it when teachers let their classes walk all over them. He has tough rules like, if you miss a class, you automatically fail.

It's a four hour class and its all lecture. That's brutal. But I think I am going to enjoy it.

ah ah ah ah stayin' alive

Keith dropped by on his way to work to check on me because I can't answer my phone and as he was leaving he said, "um, stay alive, okay?"

I'll do my best

America we stand as won

I've completely lost my voice. Now I have to write everything down or use a series of complicated hand signals. It's pretty frustrating. I decided to try to use my feeble voice to call in sick today at work. I am the one who records the outgoing message in English and Spanish at work. So I had to listen to my nice, clear voice on the machine before I squeaked my pathetic, feeble message.

I could barely say anything at all. I basically hacked and coughed and squeaked a little and tried to say my name. Hopefully they figured out who it was.

I start the summer session today and I really hope that my class tonight is not one of those "Let's hear from everyone, your opinion counts" classes. I can't handle that. I can sit there in a stupor, pretending to pay attention to a lecture, but I wouldnt be able to participate.

Disintegration

It's amazing how quickly a person can deteriorate from respectable, functional human being to blubbering, incoherant slob. I got my haircut yesterday and was all ready to celebrate out on the town. Now I can't swallow and have to rely on my loved ones to force feed me.

Below are some photos of yesterday and today.

I'll never be able to get it like this again

I'll never be able to get it like this again
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

haircut

haircut
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Back

Back
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

uh

uh
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Kill me now

Kill me now
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Bucksnort

You know when you are going along, having your day, working, running errands, visiting your goddaughter, going to see the new Batman movie. And then suddenly you're thirsty. And then you get a little chilly. Your boyfriend gives you his jacket and when he touches your arm, you feel as if a thousand tiny ants are crawling all over your body. And your throat bursts into flames. You've gone from perfectly fine to sick as a dog in as long as it took Batman to fling yet another of his enemies off a railing. That happened to a friend of mine once.

I just looked up at my Google search box and the word 'bucksnort' has been typed in it. Whoever last used my computer did a search for bucksnort. What the hell is bucksnort? I can't ask Jess because she's in the shower and I can't call Keith because reaching for my phone would cause shivers to run violently down my back.

Okay, gathering from the search results, I think that a bucksnort is a kind of fish. That means it was probably Keith who did the search. Mystery solved.

My business card says: "Guitarist, Engineer, Inventor, Eternal Child", which about sums it up.

Ladies, I have some exciting news. This guy is available. I know, I know, you are wondering why I don't go after him myself, but as you know, I am in a committed relationship. He's all yours. I love his website
Oh, and he is a fan of Touched by and Angel!
You better hurry, though because you've got some stiff competition

Sneezy

I think that I need to change my Righteous River Runner name to Sneezy. Because that is what I do. Constantly.
I just tried to microwave something by putting it in the mini fridge here at work and then stood there for a very long time trying to figure out what was wrong with what I had just done. No more Claritin for this one.

Tidbits.

I was a little too optimistic about what the weather would be like today and now I'm sitting at my desk, trying to conserve body heat in my little sleeveless dress.
I want to go home and get a sweater.

I made coffee cake for everyone in the office and they are all ooing and mmming over it. I have a hard time watching people consume things I have made. It makes me sick. Its the same feeling I get when I think about people buying my earrings. I don't know if I am cut out for this.

So apparently I haven't watched all of the LOTR movies yet. Keith whipped out some more last night and we watched all the way until lil' Frodo gets wrapped up like a pappoose by the big ole nasty spider. These movies just keep going on and on.

I am beginning summer classes next week. I am taking 'The History of Rock and Roll" to fulfill a music requirement I just found out about. Should be fun.

I'm bored. There's nothing to talk about. Go read Jess's blog. She's actually talking about something interesting (no, its not a conversation about concrete)

Dansko love

http://www.bigringdesign.com/portfolio/illustration/source/ill-dansko.php

Fleet Week

This week the Navy ships were in town like they are every year and I decided to take Lil' Lil' Bro to tour one. We stood in line behind one of those couples who make you cringe when you watch them interact with their children. They say things like, "Git yer butt over here" and "I'll smack you"

The family behind us was Mexican and their interaction in Spanish with their kids was no better. Their daughter, Anna and son, Elvis were playing on the sloped walkway near the line. They kept calling out to Anna and telling her that if she falls, she better not cry. Or if she falls, she better not come back to them.

I had a long time in line to contemplate parenting styles.

We got on the ship finally and spent waay too long on the tour. Conversations with the various sailors frightened me. They wouldnt shut up about how many boats they could take out with each particular mounted weapon on deck.

I dropped Elijah off and came home to go running with Jess. We went to our usual spot downtown and couldnt find parking anywhere because of the Rose Festival. We parked really far away and had to dodge all the stupid people who idle along the walkway shoving caramel corn and cotton candy in their mouths. They love to waddle along, all spread out and stare you down as you approach them on the walkway, but make no attempt to get the hell out of your way as you try to keep a decent pace. Stupid Americans.

Jess and I had time for lots of deep conversation during our run and the long walk back to the car. Our topics of discussion were: whole milk, breast pain, going without underwear, navy ships, physics (how the hell do those things stay afloat?), stupid Americans and concrete roadways. Actually, the concrete roadway conversation was mostly one-sided as I attempted to stay interested in Jess's long-winded explanation of her love of long concrete roadways that efficiently curve and get you where you need to go without stopping. I had to cut it off somewhere, but she begged me to let her add one more thing. I dont remember what it was.

Wasted

What Kind of Drunk Are You?
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

ukiaH

A bird shat on me
On my one and only break
As I walked outside

no.

A bird shat on my arm
as I walked
On my break

Babble

I have been feeling generally ill of late. Lots of things make me sick to my stomach. Like beads. Not all beads, just some. Especially the polka dotted ones. The act of making earrings makes me slightly ill too. And thinking about them.

I think that it really might be nerves, though. I think that I am nervous about them selling. Maybe once I sell a few, then I wont want to barf every time I think about earrings.

Gardening doesn't make me ill. Maybe I should do that more often. My worms don't make me ill.

In other news, mangos are the new grapefruit in my life. I am now obsessed with mangos. I even have mango lotion and body wash and conditioner. I tend to do things to the extreme

Jess says I live most of my life that way. Like I turn the volume of the TV up really high. Or I make 30 pairs of earrings in one sitting, or I spend waay too much money on plants for the garden. Or buy mango flavored/scented everything.

I guess I get that from my mother. She is a pretty extreme person. Her extremeness is more about her attitude and the way she relates to others. My dad tends to be more extreme about projects and interests, though, so maybe I get it from him. He will get interested in pottery and take classes and learn all he can about it and make his own kiln. Then he'll move on to motorcycles or parasailing (that one was a disaster) or cooking.

I guess it is good to be interested in a variety of things and get a range of experiences. It makes life more interesting.

orange bisquick

My earrings are making their debut this weekend at the farmer's market where my dad has a booth.

Yesterday I had to ship them to him and went to UPS. I explained to the guy behind the counter what I needed to do and he said, "why don't you just come into the back room and we'll do it together?"
Well, I never.
"I don't normally do this, but you seem nice" he said.

We went in the back room and individually wrapped up my earrings while chatting about life and roommates and seasonal allergies. I kept sneezing all over the table.

It was pleasant and I thought it must be fun to work at UPS sometimes. As I came out, a customer mistook me for an employee and asked me for help. Noticing the sunglasses on top of my head and my purse in my hand, she apologized.

I shipped my earrings to what I hope is my father's address and now its all in his hands.

Be careful with my babies, Dad!


There Jesse, you happy? I told a story.

stolen goods

Stolen from Mimi

OH! Fun.

Today's Engrish is great

Stolen Silliness

I done stole it from Annie.

Use Google's image search to find images of the following and then link the first image you find.
Your Grandmother's name
Your name
Where you were born
Where you live now
Your favorite drink
Your favorite song
Your favorite smell

In which I gain some perspective for the billionth time

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my friend Lourdes and her family. I don't visit much because its a bit of a drive and I always end up staying much later than I should. Her daughter, Kayley is my goddaughter and I am head over heels in love with her. She was sick and drugged up from the medicine her mother gave her. She looks like Dora the Explorer, but cuter.

I feel like I am back in Mexico when I visit there. There are always lots of people coming and going. I sit curled up on their couch, sipping my horchata, trying to figure out who lives there and who is visiting. They always have someone living with them and their couches and floors are full of people at night. Their tiny, spotless two bedroom apartment somehow fits 10 people comfortably. Lourdes feeds everyone constantly whether they are hungry or not.

I absorb the conversation that moves effortlessly between Mayan and Spanish and try to keep up with the conversation. They tell humorous stories about being stopped by the police and getting their driver's license. They give each other advice about how to handle your racist boss and make sure you get your paycheck.

They talk about home in southern Mexico and the people they have left behind. They all work two jobs and send money back to their families. Many have kids living with grandparents there.

I get all embarrassed when they ask me how my job is going and I don't tell them that I am quitting at the end of the summer in order to go to school full time. I reluctantly pulled out my expensive camera in order to take photos of Kayley.

I have a hard time ending posts. I never have been able to end papers in school very well either. I've said what I wanted to say, and now I don't want to talk anymore. I guess this is my blog and I can do what I want. So goodbye.

P.S. The stupid Blogger Spellcheck does not recognize the word "blog"

Dora

Dora
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

She's even wearing the overalls

She's even wearing the overalls
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

drugged baby

drugged baby
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Out

Out
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Whoa

I am overwhelmed by all these comments. I cant reply to each one anymore. Reply to each other. I'm gonna go take a nap. Oh wait, maybe not...

Pokey

Pokey
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Mentally preparing myself

Mentally preparing myself
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Facials!

Facials!
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Speedy

IMG_1923
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Peppy

Peppy
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Getting us all pumped up

Maren

Maren
Originally uploaded by soytyka.

Driving to the run

In which we experience personal growth

Its interesting how you plan for something and there is all this momentum and excitement building up to it and then it turns out completely different from how you imagined.

Yesterday was the Starlight Run. Our first ever 5k race. We have been training and looking forward to it for quite some time. We had Maren and Delicia over for a pre-run meal and facial (courtesy of MaryKayMaren) so that we could feel beautiful on the outside while hauling our asses through downtown Portland.

The Starlight Run happens every year before the Starlight Parade. Someone had the genius idea to have it start 30 minutes before the parade started. This means no walking, jogging, or starting late. You have to run. Fast.

We were prepared for this and left the house an hour before the race was to start. We had planned to park and take public transportation near the event, but couldnt find parking, as everyone else had thought of that too. We got nervous about being late, so we drove downtown and Maren dropped us off and went to park since she already had her number.

We got there just in time to grab our number and check our stuff and get to the starting line.

But Jess had to pee. And she couldnt hold it.

I went with the her to the bathroom and the others waited for Maren. Someone kept announcing that the race had started and that we needed to get out there. I stepped outside to wait and noticed them rolling away the starting gate. Jess wasnt even in the bathroom yet.

She finally got done 5 minutes into the race and we booked it to where the starting line had been (the other members of our party had abandoned us). The first half mile was a hill. We didnt train on hills. We somehow made it up, though, realizing that we needed to move in order to catch up with all the other runners.

As Jess and I pumped along, we noticed the whirring sound of a car engine. We looked behind us and there was a cop car following 3 feet behind us. He was following the end of the race. We were the end of the race.

But we found a shortcut and lost the cop and came upon a fair amount of runners. This was along the main parade route where all the people lined the streets in their cushy lawn chairs with drink holders and shouted things like, "You can do it!" with little bits of corn dog spewing forth from their mouths. It was so encouraging. Children begged us to give them high fives as we passed.

Apparently it is customary to wear costumes in this race. There were fairies and cowboys and the cast of Napoleon Dynamight (Napoleon ran in his moon boots) and Jamba Juice bananas and a horse with two people inside. I have no idea how they ran, especially the ass of the horse; all hunched over and blind. I could barely run the whole thing and I was wearing running shoes.

Our favorite costume was Jesus. He even had his cross with him. A huge wooden cross that was bigger than him. It made us contemplate the walk of Jesus up to Golgatha and discuss the distance that he had to walk and the nature of His footwear (Our Starlight Run Jesus cheated and wore his Nikes). Jesus Christ didnt have to run, but the walk was probably longer than a 5k. And it was all up hill.

Even though we had caught up to other runners, we were still in the last third of the race and by the time we crossed the finish line, they had taken down the clock and started packing up the booths. Maren was there to cheer for us, though. She's good at that.

All in all, it was a worthwhile endeaver, it just kind of started off all frantic and hurried. I am glad we made it to the end.

Brothers, sisters, help me please

Okay, so there are two things that my roommate is concerned about.
1.
I love making earrings and am excited about the prospect of selling them. But unfortunately an unexplainable sick feeling comes over me while making them. Jess really wants more info, but I dont have the words to describe my feelings. I can only say the I feel like I am going to hurl whenever I make/design/look at them. Who knows why.

2.
I dont take naps very often because when I do, I wake up with the feeling that I just cant go on anymore. I lose the will to live after I nap. This happened today. I feel like there is no purpose in my life and I am overwhelmed with a depressed, bitter, suicidal feeling. I am a normally upbeat person with no depression issues. Needless to say, I try not to take naps very often.

A Monster gone mad

Jessalynn was just leaning against the front window saying, "Shrub, shrub." and "Umm, hi? That was not nutritious. I'm all tee-ohhed right now. Hey, do you wanna go to the park and swing?"

Here's the plan

So after I have purchased my teeth spinners, I will obtain some of these.
Then I need some chickens so that I can dress them up in these
If I didnt have a problem with foam, I would totally be sporting one of these

Help

Does anyone know how to post a little video clip? I have a quick time player file that I want to share with y'all

Toni, close your eyes

We finally found a name that suits us for our running team. The Rightious River Runners. And at the beginning and end of each run we say, "Rrrr!"
We are doing our first race on Saturday and we will be wearing matching, brightly colored outfits. Its during the Portland Rose Festival's Starlight Parade so there will be thousands of people lining the streets to cheer us on as we run. Should be fun. We'll take pictures.
We are getting pre-run facials courtesy of Maren beforehand.

Not for people who can't handle a story about flappy finger stubs

Keith was already in a bad mood yesterday before he cut the tip of his finger off. Yep, that's right. His violin career is over.
He was washing a wine glass last night(I knew that this career path was a bad idea) and it broke in his hand. And severed his finger. We actually couldn't tell how bad it was because of ALL THE BLOOD. There was blood all over the floor and sink. But it was just this flappy stub. He was freaking out. I was fairly calm. I tried to brush my hair before heading to the hospital and he said, "um, I don't want to lose my finger Kate. Can we hurry it up?" We hopped in my car and I drove him to the nearest hospital.
We arrived and got him all checked in and temporarily bandaged and then were told to wait. I love hospital waiting rooms. What with all the sick/bleeding people and the screaming, sweaty children in their pajamas and the Cartoon Network blasting from the overhead television.
There was a little girl near us who was running around and I started playing with her. I said, "are you sick?" her mother replied from across the room, "she has a BOIL on her VAGINA"
Oh.

We finally got seen around midnight and got the WORST MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL IN THE HISTORY OF MEDICINE to wash out Keith's wound. She ripped and tore and squeezed until Keith was writhing around and yelling at her to please stop. She then bandaged it up while HOLDING IT OPEN so that the bandage was all inside the wound and it closed around the bandage!!!!! Keith started freaking out and she got all bitchy about it and told him that she would talk to the doctor about it. He made her undo it and give him new dressing so that he could wrap it himself. She left and we had to wait another eternity for them to give us a piece of paper telling us to keep it clean.

Not the ideal way to spend your Tuesday night.