Some quotes and thoughts and such

5-11-11
Beautiful day at Lake of the Woods. I grabbed some Subway and headed over to the park to eat. As soon as I entered, I saw it was busy day there. There were two runners, a cyclist, golfers, people fishing all around the lake and warblers chirping from their perches in the trees.

Throughout the 30 minutes I was there, I entertained myself by watching two guys get their boat in the water. This one guy accidentally threw something in the water. The two of them stopped. Looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and that was that. They didn't pull whatever it was out. It didn't seem like they knew what they were doing, but they were trying, so I guess that's all that mattered. I'm actually not sure what they were doing. They were going around the edge of the lake with a net, collecting something. Not sure what. Maybe frogs?

Aside from that, it was peaceful. The lake was calm -- aside from the motor noise of the boat. It brought me back to the days when there was a beach there. Christine and I went there a couple of times just to hang out and do stuff outside. One time we inflated an inner-tube, stuffed it in my old '89 Honda, and took it to the lake. It was a little ridiculous since the tube had to be stuffed in and there was no visibility through the back window. But those were the days. I wish the beach was still there. It was nice to visit.

The weather is great outside. I think I can get used to it. It is hot and humid...and feels like summer already, but I'm starting to realize I like it like that. Even if my hair doesn't. I walked into our air conditioned office, and I just felt like I wanted the fresh air again. It seems like the past few years, I forgot, or something, how much I liked being outside. It seems like I forgot a lot of things. Maybe it was just because it was winter.

I also forgot how much I liked to eat outside. I forgot how much I liked being by the lake relaxing. I don't think I've done it for years. But I've done it a lot already this year. How strange. It seems I lost myself for a while. A lot of people have told me recently that I all of a sudden seem like my old self again...like I did when I was in early college. Exploring. Hanging out outside. Planning activities. Doing activities. I feel as though I truly did lose myself. I was immobile for a while...doing nothing. I'm not sure why. But I know no one is to blame but myself. It's nice, though, to get myself back a little bit. It's nice to know that after a long, cold winter, there is a spring.

Just some fun quotes and thoughts:
Mom: "I need you for the toilet."
Dad: "That's all I'm good for."

Me: "I need to get rid of half my stuff. I just need to look at stuff and depart with it. Like poopy duck."
Mom: "Can you get rid of poopy duck?"
Me: "I don't know. It's going to be hard."
Mom: "I could see how it would be hard."

"Oblong man marries Normal woman." - Jillian, quoting a headline

"I got into trouble sometimes, but I'm so glad I did." Jillian

"As the Office Coordinator, I believe it would be a good practice if we had
a Disaster Drill to become familiar with what exactly we would do, and how
long it would take us to do it.
Therefore, before the end of this week when all of us are here, I will
suddenly scream "DISASTER DRILL"! At that time, all employees of the
Citizen and Press will drop whatever they are doing and
report immediately to the "Reporters Room". If you do not know the
location of the "Reporters Room", yell "I don't know where to go"! One of
the other employees will point the way. Once in the "Reporters Room", we
will all try to get under the desk. This may be awkward at first, but I am
sure we can all do it in a mannerly way. Before leaving individual
offices, please make sure your "Out of the Office" email is current with
the notation "Actually, I am in the office, but we are in the midst of a
DISASTER DRILL. Please leave a message".
Some of you may make a mockery of this DISASTER DRILL. However, I will be
recording DISASTER DRILL times and reporting them back to the main
headquarters.
Thank you all for your cooperation." - Jillian

"We are not like jellyfish--it's not like when you poke us, we always do the same thing." - Daniel Weissman, neuroscientist in charge of multitasking experiment


"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life." -Anne Morriss, Starbucks customer, "The Way I See It" #76

"You have to be willing to stretch your comfort zone. You have to do things other people won't, so you'll have things other people don't." -Arel Moodie, Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour

"For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather of power, love and self-control." - 2 Timothy 1:7

Annual update

Because I do a poor job of keeping up with this blog, I decided to shoot for annual updates. And, when I say "annual update" I do not mean I am going to cover everything that happened in the past year. I am just going to write a normal, brief blog once per year. However, because I have made this goal, I probably will blog more than just once per year. What can I say? I work backwards.

Today, I am going to write about a funny happenstance. This story starts with class yesterday. During a presentation, the class talked about assumptions people have of others based on images that are projected to society. One of the images was of a man with sagging pants. The main assumption we talked about was that when people see a person walking down the side of the street with sagging pants, then they immediately feel this person may be dangerous. That may be true. Who knows?

 Anyway, today, Joey (my boyfriend) and I went to Jimmy John's for lunch. As we were walking out of Jimmy John's, I noticed Joey was walking funny. His legs widened as he walked forward. He started waddling. That's when I realized his pants were falling down. His pants were sliding to the floor, revealing his shorts that were underneath. He held them up with his hand and waddled out to his car. I died. It was so funny. He explained he had not tied his pants and they were loose. And at that moment, I decided I would never fear someone with sagging pants.

It's 2014

Thoughts for the day (1-19-12): - I keep thinking it's 2014. 2011 seems soooo outdated. It sounds like "the 1990s" to me. - I left a partially filled glass of milk on the coffee table. I've never done this before, I am blaming Katie for giving me her habits. - I'm not complaining or anything, but I feel like I typically have some bills in the mail by now, and I haven't seen them. - I better not be getting a cold. - I really want a massage. - Super Troopers is really hilarious. - I'm glad my mom didn't teach the abstinence class in front of my peers in middle school. Sorry, kid. - I forgot my water. - Where did all my normal jeans go? Since when do I only have skinny jeans? - Ah, yes. Pinterest, thank you for pinteresting me.

Baffled

I just looked down, and it's almost November. I shuffled through some old photos, and it's baffling to me how much I have done in the past year. My life looks completely different than I ever imagined, and I am still trying to figure out exactly what I am doing. The great thing is that I've grown a lot as a person. I know better how to prioritize my time and step back to evaluate situations to make decisions. I also have been able to handle things better when things don't necessarily go my way. It has been a good learning process. It really is baffling though, thinking about how the first part of my year just sucked. It was hands-down the hardest time period I've ever gone through. Then, I took care of a cat. I house-sitted. I went to visit friends in Denver in March. Quit my job in May/June. Found a place to live in June. Went to Utah. Went to two great weddings. Saw a friend graduate college after a long, bumpy road getting there. Went to the Great Smoky Mountains. Moved to an entirely different state. Started cooking. Took up crocheting. Climbed a mountain. Got three jobs. Volunteer. I'm so baffled though. It's crazy how you think life is going one way, but does a complete 180 on you the next. How did I get here again? haha.

G.C. moments

a) Ames looks like Sloth.
b) Kristin seriously kills a lot of fish. She's trying to keep one alive right now. She says, "It looks like it has a rock stuck inside of his head. It's dead. I'm sad. We need a burial." Dave: "We need to get some more hardy fish." Kris: "Yeah, like a goldfish."
c) You better take care of those pigs.
d) Esther doesn't live here anymore.
e) my guacamole is still being eaten
f) Dave doesn't know what shucking corn is. That's all.

Guacamole

Green. When I look at guacamole, I have no desire to eat it. But then, when I eat it, it's delicious. Made some homemade today for a potluck.

Here is what I did:
3 avacados, pitted and peeled
2 roma tomatoes
Some onion (not the whole thing)
some cilantro leaves (about a handful or so)
salt and pepper
(I winged it.)

Returned to Hannibal

Rode by Lover's Leap.
Saw that familiar booth.
Drove through Hannibal streets.
A memory almost moot.

Drank homemade root beer.
Let a tear go.
Saw the deserted streets,
that were full long ago.

Slipped in revelation.
Goodbye, dear friend.
I truly loved you,
But your laughter dims.

In that cave, darkness enveloped,
But blindness did not win.
We came out half-way developed,
Room for more work, then.

Meet me in Hannibal,
after you take your time.
Let's meet in Hannibal,
to say one more goodbye.