SpazzleNET

Archive for the ‘Random Thoughts’ Category

I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for the lack of bloggage as of late.  I’ve just been busy with work and, well, doing absolutely nothing (which is a great thing, don’t get me wrong).  The list of things I would like to write about has been growing, and I realized I need to tackle at least some of it before it grows so long that I can’t remember what’s on it.  So anyways, here goes.

I went to Long Beach Island twice in the past week!  I drove down on Tuesday to visit Nadia, and it was delightful seeing her for the second time this summer.  Her family rented a beautiful house right on the bay in Brant Beach.  We were on the beach all morning and afternoon, and I successfully made the transition from ghostly pale to somewhat pale (I think?).  Back at the house, kayaked and relaxed a bit before dinner.  The family made a great dinner (pork, mashed ‘taters, spinach, and even some cake to top it off), and it was great chatting with everyone.  I unfortunately had to eat and run, because I wanted to be home early enough to see…

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince!  Julie and I went together, and saw Scotty and Jeff at the candy stand.  I swear the candy stand jacked up prices for opening night…I bought a miniscule bag of Sour Patch Kids for $3.  Obscene.  But anyways, I thought the movie was great!  I LOVE Daniel Radcliffe, and I basically want to be Emma Watson.  I love how Daniel, Emma, and Rupert Grint have grown up over the span of the 6 movies thus far.  I guess I’ve grown up too…I was in 4^th or 5^th grade when the first book came out.  Geez, I feel old.

Scott, Adam and I planned a spontaneous beach trip at 11PM Friday for the next day (best decision ever).  I managed to (quite easily) convince them to go all the way to LBI, under the condition that I drive (which, if you know me, is perfect since I love driving anyway).  It was a beautiful day, and it was nice being back on the same strip of Harvey Cedars beach that I’ve been going to for the past 13 years of my life.  The water was so rough, though, and I pretty much almost died.  It was the first time I was actually scared about swimming.  I went in ahead of Scott and Adam, and as I swam out, I saw this MONSTER of a wave starting to build up.  I swam out as far as I could, which wasn’t quite far enough, but I was too far to go back, and the four-foot wave crashed directly on top of me and tossed me like a rag doll for a good minute under water.  I have never ingested so much salt water in my life.  When I finally surfaced, I was just in time to find another GIGANTIC wave descending upon me.  I turned to look at the boys with an absolutely petrified face (what the hell else was I supposed to do?) and proceeded to get tossed around again.  Needless to say, I hauled ass out of the water and refused to go in for the rest of the day.  We went to Chicken or the Egg for dinner (so good), and the Meltdown for ice cream (even better!).  One of the girls working at Meltdown is actually going to be a junior at BC, too, so that was pretty cool.  Small world.  But yeah, just an amazing day overall, and I slept so well that night, quite grateful to be alive.

The two drives down to LBI provided me with ample time to ponder the various people and numerous signs of the Garden State Parkway.  First and foremost, what’s up with those gigantic “ONE WAY” signs?  Obviously the road is one way, and it would take a seriously shitty driver to enter the parkway and go the wrong way.  I mean I guess it’s silly of me to assume that all people understand basic driving concepts; I vaguely remember my mom telling me about one experience she had, where an old geezer was driving the wrong way and miraculously didn’t die.  Second, I despise people who merge slowly.  WHY do people think it’s a good idea to merge, especially from the left, going a measly 45mph?  If the speed of traffic is 80mph, it’s just NOT a good idea!  These people need to learn how to push the pedal to the floor, at least until they get on the road and into their right lane.  Uch, that’s one scenario that definitely gives me road rage.  Lastly, those “SPEED ENFORCED BY RADAR” signs scare the poo outta me.  I have these mental images of troopers dropping out of the sky and landing on the hood of my car, signaling for me to slow down and pull over.  How scary would that be?  Has anyone ever gotten in trouble via this method of speed limit enforcement?  Uch.

Anyways, I guess that’s enough rambling for now.  Just beware, there are a plethora of other topics I’d like to explore in future posts…so check back soon!

As I was cruising back to my house from the gym this morning, I saw a ridiculous truck that said Pet Butler on it.  I was thinking, “Wow, cause my dog needs a butler…?”  So anyways, it got me curious, and I decided to do some research when I got home.  Turns out its a waste clean up service that charges $113.67 per month to have the crap removed from your yard twice a week.  I mean, I guess it could be useful if your dog takes industrial sized dumps that you don’t feel like cleaning up…but really, can’t you just grab a shovel and scoop that (literal) shit yourself?  We have services for EVERYTHING these days, it’s just kinda crazy.  I dunno, I’m starting to think we’re lazy…

Anyways, that’s that.  I gotta run and finish packing for this weekend.  I’m going up to Saratoga with my brother to see Dave Matthews Band.  The two shows I’m seeing this weekend will be my 14th and 15th.  Aaaand I’m pretty pumped, because as I mentioned in an entry a few days ago, their new CD is great.  And Emily may be going tonight, and I’m meeting up with Steve, Gayle, Aliya and Sofia tomorrow for the show and a camp-fest afterwards.  Should be fun!  Let’s hope it doesn’t rain.  Woooo, smell ya later!

I absolutely love thunderstorms.  This is why I woke up with a little smile yesterday morning, as my entire house shook from the boom that only an amazing storm could bring.  I was still half asleep, which was most unfortunate due to the rain pouring in my window and splashing my (electric) fan.  It was weird because I knew I needed to close my window, but my body simply wouldn’t get out of bed.  At least, not until the thought of getting electrocuted by either my wet fan or a stray lightning bolt entered my consciousness, at which point I leapt out of bed, grabbed my fan, and closed my window.  But I digress.  Thunderstorms are amazing.  I think I used to be scared of them when I was a little girl, but over the past 5 years have grown fond of them.  The magnificent bolts of lightning that race across the sky remind me of the power and beauty nature possesses, and the slow rumbling of thunder soothes me.

So I actually have to run, I’m going to see the Hangover with Ash and Kris.  I’ll probably write more when I get back, I have a lot on my mind (ants, downloading crappy music, tea, and geosense just to name some of the things bouncing around in my lil’ brain).  Toodles!

Today just did not start off well.  I had to get up at 6:30 to bring my car in to get serviced before work.  A yogurt exploded all over my dark brown dress pants; yogurt-y pants are unsightly, and I’m afraid they may be mistaken for the pants of a whore…?  And I got rained on.

BUT!  There is hope.  It’s Friday.  Scott brought in donuts.  Bavarian cream?  Fabulous.  And I get to leave at 4:30 instead of 5:30 so that I can pick up my car.

Also I found the most ridiculous thing ever: banana guard.  Despite its ridiculousness, I guess the idea isn’t half bad.  I hate bruised bananas.

Today is a special day.  Today is Kev’s birthday.  AKA today is my dad’s birthday.  I’m sitting here in my office waiting to wish him a Happy Birthday, but he hasn’t shown up yet.  This could mean one of two things: either his networking meeting ran late, or turning 56 is not sitting well with him.  Either way: Happy Birthday, Dad, and thanks for giving me an excuse to eat ice cream cake!  PS, does anyone else eat ice cream cake for birthday dessert?  It’s a family tradition I guess, a good ole’ Baskin Robbins ice cream cake with extra crunchies (because after all, crunchies are the best part).

I finally got some of my photography up!  I still have to add personal pictures of friends and stuff, but I have the good stuff linked in the tab above, or in the sidebar to the right, so check ‘em out and let me know what you think!

Random thought: why is it so addicting watching other people parallel park?  Whenever I’m sitting next to a designated parallel parking space, I find myself watching intently as people try to maneuver their way into the spot (which is sometimes actually a lot smaller than their car/gigantic, gas guzzling SUV).  I know it’s a nervewracking (cruel?) thing to do because I myself hate having my parking skills observed and critiqued by strangers.  It’s hard enough when no one is watching, but when you have an audience…infinitely more difficult.  It’s just so amusing though: hit the curb, pull out of the spot, nudge forward millimeter by millimeter, reverse too quickly and slam on the breaks, repeat.  When they finally do get in the spot, I love how they often give a satisfied nod, or what they believe to be a discreet fist pump.  I  have a hard time restraining myself, and can barely stop myself from cheering or giving them a congratulatory high five.  So next time you’re parallel parking, rememeber: there are probably a couple of freaks like me watching you, and the fist pump is never discreet.

 Just thought I should give y’all an update on the PB&J count: thus far in my life I have consumed 8.5 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  For those of you who are not aware of the situation, you should know that I ate my first PB&J at Relay For Life in February, 2009.  So yes, I’m keeping track, and yes, I will keep you updated when I eat my next sandwich of the gods. 

My Horizontal Life

My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler.  Chelsea Handler’s memoir, if you will, of the various one-night stand experiences she has had thus far in her life.  Ranging from midgets to (almost) really old men, her stories are borderline insane, and most definitely hilarious.  If you’re looking for a good beach read, something light that will have you laughing your ass off, this is the book for you.  I haven’t laughed out loud at a book in a while, and so was pleasantly surprised to be doing so with this.  I checked out a couple of her videos on YouTube, which were also funny.  Her interviews with T.I. and Snoop Dogg were both pretty funny, too.

Also, I wanna comment on how depressing the poll results are.  First off, if you haven’t seen the poll yet, just look to the right *points*.  I posted the following “would you rather” question: would you rather be stupid or ugly?  Sadly, so far, people have overwhelmingly voted for stupid, and I’d like to know why.  So if you voted ’stupid,’ or think you can explain why somone would vote stupid, please enlighten me by leaving me a comment below.  It would be much appreciated.  And if you have any suggestions for the next “would you rather,” please leave them in the comments as well!

Anyways, I think it’s about time I got to work.  Stay fabulous.

Interesting article…High Court in Germany Pops Names That Balloon. I wonder if the US would ever pass such a law? At first I thought it was ridiculous, but as I mulled it over a bit, I started to see the use in it. Imagine actually having the name ‘Karl-Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg?’ Absurd. I don’t think that ever really happens here in the US, but I don’t know…does anyone know any ridiculous names? Anyways, at least its only a 3-name limit for last names…it’s nice to know that if I ever had a kid in Germany, I could still name him John Jacob Jingle-Heimer Schmidt. Excellent.

Wade deserves some credit for being the most talented singer-songwriter I know. Here it is, his soon-to-be hit, an ode to Craisins:

C, the lovely “cran” you used to be
R, now so rich and really quite tangy
A, absurd amounts of wond’rous delight
I, you’ll be mine all night
S, sinful and holy all wrapped up in one
I, incredible flavor, the best, bar none
N, no other treat can even compare
S, so give me some Craisins or get out of my hair.

It brought tears to my eyes, it was just so beautiful.

Just a thought: why do we derive so much pleasure out of scaring people? I mean, I know I personally LOVE waiting behind a door and giving a simple, yet forceful “BOO” to make someone (usually Ash) jump and possible crap in his or her pants. Immature? Yes. Still awesome? Definitely. Back in middle school and high school, Sam used to scare the hell out of me by coming up behind me and poking me in the sides. I screamed every single time, without fail. Anyways…yeah.

Sooo, new obsession: Caf?nation. It’s an adorable little coffee shop/creperie in Brighton. It’s a 21 minute walk from my dorm to the door of this little niche. I ordered and iced coffee and a tuna melt on a crepe…and both were excellent. Definitely work the trek to get here.

Anyways, so I’ve been sitting at the bar in front of the window working on my (awful) International Studies final paper for a few hours, and my eyes and mind are starting to wander. I’ve been staring out the window for about 20 minutes, and in that brief span I’ve encountered some interesting individuals. There was one guy who drove by in his car with one of those old-fashioned pipes. There was another lady carrying one of those tiny little daffodils. I saw what must have been a 107-year old woman parallel park in seriously 6.7098 seconds…impressive.

Crap, so I really have to get to work. Point of story: this place is FABULOUS and you should check it out if you’re in town. But don’t worry French Press, you’re still number one in my heart.

GUYS, I finally did it! I bought a reeeal DSLR camera! I decided on the Canon Digital Rebel XSi, and I’m in love. I haven’t had a chance to put the photos up here on Spazzle, but you can check out the ones I’ve put up on Facebook by CLICKING HERE. Right now I only have the kit lens that came with it, but I’m gonna buy another lens after I do some more research and figure out what I want to use the lens for. Wooooeeey, I know you’re all excited for me :)

Random thought: I want to play tag. Seriously, hasn’t it been so long since you’ve played? Or even better, man hunt. Maybe I’ll organize a game this weekend…

Okay, so I’ve been sitting here in the Chocolate Bar writing my business law paper (on the right’s of photographers, actually, so it’s pretty interesting), and I’ve been listening to Pandora. And seriously, I have had SUCH a good line up of songs in the past half hour…Joshua Radin radio is the way to go. Check it:

Iron & Wine ? Fever Dream
John Mayer ? Say
Joshua Radin ? These Photographs
The Format ? On Your Porch
Regina Spektor ? The Call
The Shins ? New Slang
Dispatch ? Out Loud
William Fitzsimmons ? Goodnight
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds ? Crash Into Me (Live 1999)
Death Cab for Cutie ? What Sarah Said
Joshua Radin ? No Envy, No Fear

Uhmmk, more later…I really have to write this paper.

Woohoo, you guys are going to be so proud of me! I finally updated the website and gave it a total makeover! It’s a bit kookier than last time, partly because my face is in the header seven times…which I guess is kooky in and of itself. But whatevs, it’s fun, it’s spring-like, and it will simply have to do. I also added random facts about me, since I know you’re all so incredibly interested.

Anyways, I’m home sweet home for the first time since January. I took the BoltBus for the first time, and let me tell you, it was FABULOUS. They have outlets and Wi-Fi, so I spent an hour on facebook and the other three hours watching movies on my laptop. I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding for the first time…so funny! The other passengers on the bus probably thought I was crazy, sitting there chuckling to myself. I watched Enchanted after that, too…James Marsden and Patrick Dempsey are probably two of the best looking gents out there (you can’t even honestly say you disagree).

It was brought to my attention that the pur?e discussion was not properly referenced, and I should thank Moira for the lovely/disgusting topic. It was also brought to my attention that I discuss with Nadia most of the things I ramble on about, so I just thought I’d say hi. Hi, Nadia.

Okay, so I wanna talk about elevators. Since I live on the sixth floor, I use elevators several times a day and have ample time to observe elevator behavior. Did you ever notice how there seems to be an unwritten law on where to stand in an elevator? When there’s two people, you stand at opposite corners (picture a boxing ring), and it’s usually every man for himself when it comes to pressing the button for your floor. When there’s three people, three of the four corners are filled up, and one person becomes designated button-presser. When there are four people, all of the corners are occupied, and again, you have a designated button presser. When there are five or more people, things tend to get a bit stressful and confusing. There’s always a mad dash to get on first so that you get your own corner, but if this is unsuccessful, you’re forced to kind of back yourself into the middle, hoping to position yourself in front of someone who is not going to cough and/or snot on the back of your head. Aside from elevator positioning, I think elevator conduct is interesting as well. It is generally NOT okay to talk to anyone on an elevator if (a) you are sober or (b) it is not the weekend. Also, people need to turn their headphones down…I don’t like being able to distinguish Miley Cyrus’ annoying voice on a crowded elevator. Plus, you’re breaking your ear drums, people.

Moving on…nostalgia. I was feeling kind of nostalgic before my Challenge of Peace class the other day. I got there kind of early, so I sat down on the floor in the hallway outside the classroom. Just sitting there at 10:30am with my back to the locker took me back to high school, and our fabulous “unit lunches.” I never thought I’d miss sitting on the floor, but I really wanted to grab a sandwich and just sit there and EAT like the good old days. I mean, come on, eating in a cafeteria is so boring. Just thought I’d throw that out there for anyone from SHS reading this.

Okay, well it’s 1am, and I’m tired and have to get up early to do housing stuff tomorrow. Oy. But expect some more ramblings, soon!! GOODNIGHT :)

Shittiest April Fool’s prank: University of California, San Diego sent out almost 30,000 acceptance letters. To the wrong students. UNreal. Imagine being told “hey, you’re in!” and then “…just kidding…?” My business law professor said that if the students accepted UCSD’s offer before they received the revocation of the offer, that UCSD would have let them in. I LOVE when stuff from class is applicable to current events. God, I’m such a nerd.

Anyways, another thought. I’m convinced that one of the most awful allergies to have is a gluten allergy. Kat, one of the girls in my Appalachia group, has Celiac Disease (gluten intolerance). She has to be so careful with what she eats and the products she buys. Gluten is in almost EVERYTHING…bread, cookies, pasta, even shampoo! And she’s allergic to the extent that she can’t eat a salad if a crouton brushes up against her lettuce. I’m also convinced that Nadia has a mild form of gluten intolerance. She’s always feeling crummy, and whenever she’s complaining about it most, there’s something bread-like (READ: bread, oatmeal, more bread) in her hand. Apparently 1 in 133 people have the disease (statistic courtesy of about.com), so it’s more common than one would think. I’m so glad I only had to deal with lactose intolerance for a few years…it seems I have even outgrown that. It’s a relief not having to take the little LactAid pills every time I ingest something that might contain milk.

Okay, last thought: I took part in the most nauseating lunch conversation a couple days ago about pureed food. So as I’m sure you’re all well aware, one unfortunate side effect of growing old is losing your teeth, thus eliminating your ability to chew solid foods. Nursing homes seem to have found a way to combat this problem: PUREE! Not only do they puree your typical veggies, but apparently they puree anything and everything. Some of the disgusting pureed goods discussed: tomatoes, burgers, and (WORST OF ALL) spaghetti and meatballs. I literally almost yakked (barfed/threw up/take your pick of one of the synonyms I posted on 3/30) when the last one was mentioned…it’s just NOT OKAY to puree spaghetti and meatballs. Nasty.

I’ll write more later. WOOOEEEYYY :)