Family Bonding...

Just a note... those of you who know anything about me and my families knows that I am kinda iffy about Andy's dad, like I can't really connect with him... but he's won me over. He's a cat person. That takes the wind out of my sails, huh?
And to top it all off, Andy's family treats Punk like a member of the family, like a cute little pet, even though Dawn is allergic. (Punk's had a bath so he's pretty much allergen free, but my family treats him like scourge and he doesn't hurt them in any way...) So they are way higher on my list than my family right now.

Hrmmmmmm....

I was going to write a witty post. A post about my awesomeness. A post about Christmas. A post about everything.
I said WAS. I started to write and realized it tried to spell "fly" as flight without the "T". Maybe that's cuz I stayed up til 4:30 working on Christmas presents for 'my babies'. And they are fantastic. Thom-monster is getting a papercraft Bambiraptor and maybe a triceratops, Matthew's getting a pirate games and Faith will be getting a thing to hang from her ceiling... after I make it tonight, of course.... haha.... they are Teh Awesomez. But dude, I'm tired now... so I guess, except for the witty, I did write about all that jazz... Whatdaya know?! OK, off the internetz and home to print a build some more madness. Pictures to come, soonish.

Whooooo are you? Who Who Who Who?

Tell me about yourself…
You have probably seen this game before, but if not the rules are simple: copy my questions and answers, replace my answers with yours, and either post on your blog or in comments.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Kinda. My dad used to be a long-haul truck driver and Bill Macc was the all night DJ in texas. My dad was driving one night and heard Bill Mac announce that he’d just had a daughter, Misty Dawn Macc. My dad liked the name and made a note. So if either of my brothers had been girls, they would have been named Misty Dawn. And then I was born at 6:04 a.m. on a foggy day… so haha.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
ummmm, probably Thursday night?

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Sometimes. It varies from day to day, some days I like to type instead. It also depends on the pen, some days.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Ham (especially that weird ‘ham and cheese loaf’ with the cheese squares in it…

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Not yet, unless you count Punk, my cat, whom I refer to as my son….

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Depends. Some days I like me more than others.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
ahahhahahaha… yes.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
Yes, although I would love to get rid of them.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
I think so.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
either Basic 4 or Honey Bunches of Oats

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Not usually.

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Death by Chocolate

13. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
it varies.

14. RED OR PINK?
red, usually… or hot pink

15. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
mmmmmmm…. I feel pretty good about me now… but probably how paranoid/worrisome I am.

16. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My nAnders














17. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU?
I guess so… I have one regular reader here… so I welcome any replies…

18. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
I’m barefoot in bed. But I’ve been wearing my airwalks all week














19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Cold Stone Mint Chocolate creation-y thing.

20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
“MANswers” on TV

21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
either teal or lime… or a shade of blue or green

22. FAVORITE SMELLS?
fruity things, like lime, mango, peach, etc. especially citrusy... or Andy

23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
left a voicemail on Sabrina’s phone… actually talked to Andy….

24. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
no one sent it… but I like the person whose blog I stole it from…

25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
um… ew. Only time I really watch sports is the Olympics, I guess… love gymnastics

26. Hair Color?
very dirrrrty blonde…..

27. EYE COLOR?
blue

28. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
yes

29. FAVORITE FOOD?
Pizza, probably.

30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy Endings.

31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Ummmm…
the sex and the city movie? I think?

32. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
grey m’side summer youth institute t-shirt, maroon lettering

33. SUMMER OR WINTER?
summer. I hate the cold… I am currently stuck in the “Frozen Palm Tree Tundra” too

34. Hugs or kisses?
mmmmm, who’s giving them?

35. FAVORITE DESSERT?
hard to say, probably brownies

36. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
idk… Kris? lol

37. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND
Andy

38. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I finished my book, need to start a new one

39. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I don’t have one… my finger is on my trackpad…

40. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
I dunno. Abby had the remote, I was texting then I fell asleep

41. FAVORITE SOUND?
“I love you.” or andy “mmmmmm”-ing

42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
definitely Beatles

43. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
ummmmmm…. The pacific coast

44. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I have many… just don’t ask me to specify now… im tired… well, I have mad grammar editing skills…. And I’m an amazing cook… I have other skills, but I forget them right now…

45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
O’Neill, NE

46. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
anyone who gives them


side note, I just learned how to add the pics like this... so yay me!

Bold things you've done...

Bold the things you've done

I shamelessly stole this from http://tm2ts.sarahsmidnightfantasy.com/2008/11/30/meme-bold-the-things-youve-done/ (piumpage? I think so...)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee Jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt (yep, about 4 times)
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma –I’m also part of the national bone marrow registry…
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one-- ironic, since I'm home for my grandmother's funeral right now...
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee – wasp yes, bee no.
100. Read an entire book in one day

I almost had #9, but I let him crawl around instead of holding him. As for #56, it should happen in a couple years…

Being thankful, even for the fleas....

Yesterday, Pastor Paul preached on Thankfulness (wonder why, huh?) In his sermon, he told the story of 2 young girls in Ravensbruuck Concentration Camp in WWII and how the girls thanked God for everything because the Bible said to be grateful for EVERYthing. So the girls thanked God for everything, even the fleas. And it turned out that they were very safe (in relation to other places) because the guards didn't want to enter the women's barracks because they were infested with fleas. The point being that everything has a purpose and we should be thankful and praise God for everything. We took a moment to thank him for bad things, becuase maybe they are a blessing in disguise. So here are this weekend's blessings in disguise:

At lunch my dad said no matter what, he wasn't thankful for snow. After a minute, I said that since it was snowing and Andy and I were in a hurry so as not to have to drive in bad weather, I bought Dad lunch. He had to concede that point to me.

Since CrackCat coated himself in wax, he has been very calm and snuggly and apparently all the wax he's been eating (as he cleans himself) has helped him somehow, he hasn't barfed since he got waxed. He's waterproof now, I guess... that's good right? Now he's losing some fur, but you know, if he goes temporarily bald, I can make him wear a sweater (bwahahahahaha) and no one can be allergic to him if he doesn't have hair...

While it wasn't fun and I stood around feeling awkward for an hour and my cheesecake was done much later than I wanted to be baking, I'm glad we went to see my grandma in the nursing home Wednesday. A couple minutes before midnight last night, my mom called and said the nursing home had called and said grandma had died a few minutes before. So I guess things come more hidden than we even know. I dunno. It doesn't really upset me that much, altho I'm sure i'll bawl when I see my mom, but I am quite melancholy today.

It's a gray day and I am blue. My world is colorful. I am terribly sleepy. And hungry. I am just needy all over I guess. Oh well. This, too, shall pass.

My butt is so asleep right now...

Ah, back to work after an eventful Thanksgiving weekend. When I say back to work, I obviously mean I have nothing to do at work today, again, so I'm updating my blog. Shocker, huh? So the last 2 weeks have been unusual... Abby ("dear co-worker") and I had training in Des Moines Thursday and Friday, at 8 am, 4 hours away, so we took Wednesday 'off', and drove to Des Moines.... 2 days of boring, not at all helpful training later, Abby took off for home for TG and Andy and I headed to his house for the weekend. Had a good time, saw his brother and friends in a pretty damn good variety act... lots of thing happened of course, but I'm too lazy to write about them all... Sunday headed back to Sewer City. Worked by myself Monday, as Sharona (who shall from this point on be known as "scum co-worker") didn't show up until 12:43 pm Tuesday. Tuesday worked, did laundry, watched Andy sleep, yada yada. Wednesday drove to my house. Went and saw my grandma. made a cheesecake. did general around the house type things, you know how it is... got a drill from my parents, a belated birthday gift (my bday is in September) ....Thursday, made the annual trek to Norfolk, saw the family, ate tons, shopped, was lazy, went home. Cat had puked on the floor. Cleaned that up, all seemed fine.
Fast forward to Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is the day I traditionally put up my xmas tree in the basement. Got up fairly early in the morning, went up, let out the cat, woke up Andy, the usual. Around 11 or so, my mother comments that it stinks in the room that the cat stays in. I write it off in my head as my mother being whiny like usual. A short while later, CrackCat cracks out, so we put him in the utility room to have alone time. Cat barfs again. a little snuggle time and stuff, then back to his room. one crash later and Andy checks on him. My mother has put a candle warmer in his room, leaving the cord draped and he has dumped a candle on himself. waaaay waxy. take hours, combing, washing, chilling, calling the vet and taking care of the cat. gross feeling, but ok. a very calm cat after that, waaay snuggly. i put up my tree and wrap presents while he has alone time and then naps on my friends, who came over whilst i was wrapping things.
Saturday had Finley-time: tea party, pizza, decorating for xmas, ranting time, etc. Fantastic, just what I needed. They gave us a bed frame, 2 filing cabinets and a desk shelf thingie. WHOOO HOOOO!! This means we only have to get a matress and a box spring when we get married. Super Sweet... played "national park-opoly" with the fam. weird but fun.
Sunday to church, lunch, all the thinkgs you do, then back to sc. just chilled. this is long and you know all the pertinent details for now. follow up post after lunch, getting light headed. and dear coworker just barfed. I shall return.

Whatchu lookin' at?

Whatchu lookin' at?, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

He has some serious Cattitude. Especially towards my camera.

Ctrl Alt ZZZZZZZZ

Ctrl Alt ZZZZZZZZ, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

This may be one of my very most favorite pictures ever. I love the details. the keys are in focus, Punk is asleep, every hair in focus.... no extra scenery in the background. And just so sweet.

Phooey. And Harumph. Just for good measure.

Hey that didn't work. Damnit. Oh well. back to flickr for a bit, I guess, cuz I'm really too lazy right now to try to make it work and learn stuff. My head hurts. think it's connected to that weird lump??

Hey, did you know I could do it this way? I certainly didn't. I thought I had to go through Flickr and make each picture a separate post. Is this new or am I just a moron? Oh well, anyway.... look at my pictures. Do it. Do it now.

Um...

Um..., originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

I founds da pickles, Mommy, noa where da cheezburger?

You eat dis?

You eat dis?, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Punk noms on carrot peels as I make soup.

My boys

My boys, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Dude seriously, HOW CUTE IS MY FAMILY?!?!?!

Cheesecake 1

Cheesecake 1, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Remember when I said I was gonna make all the cheesecakes in the book I bought? Well, I've tried 2 recipes so far... hoping to make another tomorrow... This is my favorite of the two tho, it's a frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake, with chocolate sauce. It's like a giant Reese's. Nom nom nom.

It's that time again...

That's right... I downloaded my camera a few days ago... so following the customary procrastinating, it's time for the downpour of uploads... did that make sense? IT DID?!?! Well, I'll try harder to make it less clear next time. So prepare yourself... and remind me to come up with a cool title for the cycle of procrastination and blog updates later.... (did that make sense? it didn't? good, i was hoping to make you as confused as i am right now.... ) Haha, I hit my head pretty hard last night and then forgot about it until I touched a tender bump on my head this afternoon... so I think I might be a bit loopy today. Oh well, deal with it.

Heartfelt Thanks

Happy Veteran's Day. It's never enough, but today is the day that we say thank you to those who have given a portion of, or perhaps their full, lives to protect our freedoms and the American way of life. Maybe we don't always agree on the fight, maybe we don't think agree with the methods, but we should always stand behind our troops. I don't care if you are against the Iraq war, the Vietnam war, any war, I don't wanna hear any crap about our men and women. They have left behind their homes, their families, their other jobs, their free time, their lives altogether, just because our country asked them to. When I go to work and hear people complain about their jobs, today I'm just gonna punch them. Because we have it good because someone else is willing to help by taking the bad. So shut the fuck up and be grateful.
While he was referring to something else, I think Brian in Cedar Rapids said it best when he said "I live in the best country on Earth. Where else would people I don't know do this for me?"

So thanks Daddy, Chris, Grandpa, Mikey, Dewey, Michael, Anthony, Donovan, Yvonne, Denny, and everyone who has served, is serving now, or will serve in the future. We don't deserve you, but Thank God we have you.

NOM!

NOM!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Just quick note... Look how big and still cute my baby is getting! He's been remarkably calm for the last day or so... I hope the weather is just changing or he's growing up. I am a little concerned that he might be getting sick... but maybe the nastiness (you can thank me for not explaining what I mean by that) is just cuz his body is changing and that it will be soon time to give him adult food instead of kitten chow.
He's getting pretty round, so I worry about over-feeding, but you can definitely tell when he's hungry... and I don't want him to be uncomfortable...
Just so cute, even when eating the pants I was currently wearing... well, cute in picture... sharp in real life....

Again?!?! Really?

25 Ways to Know Me Better

Yeah, I know, I said I never do these things. But I have nothing I care to share until I download the pics on my camera. And it's across the room. So suck it up and read my post. haha, I promise there will be real posts coming.

1. What do you add to your coffee? I don't drink coffee. I bought a glass teapot and flower tea today tho! I'm excited to try it.
2. What are you reading now? A Body To Die For by Kate White (she's the editor of Cosmo! I read her last book and it was great, so I'm excited to get into this one)
3. Do you own a gun? no
4. Are you registered to vote? Yes, i voted a month ago
5. What do you think of Hot Dogs? they are ok, on occasion.
6. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? no, not really. not for my own anyway.
7. Favorite Christmas Song? Pretty Paper or Silver Bells
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? coke or mr. pibb
9. Can you do push ups? yeah.
10. What was the name of your first boyfriend? Geoff
11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? my Gaelic "Love of my heart" temporary engagement ring from Andy.
12. Favorite Hobby? plurk, reading, crafty things
13. Do you work with people who idolize you? no, thinkin' not... hahaha
14. Do you have ADD? Not that I know of... I have my days where you would swear I did...
15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? I get bored with myself. I can sit forever with a person tho...
16. What’s your middle name? Dawn
17. Name three things you brought yesterday? um... bought lunch at Bucks, that's all... soooo... pizza, garlic breadsticks and a hot chocolate. Today I bought x-mas presents for my mother ( a zester, and looked at a card reader for her), my future father-in-law (the grindhouse films collection) and my future mother-in-law (a tea collection that benefits breast cancer research).
18. Name three thoughts you had just now. What should I think about? Am I that boring? Who is the dude on tv?
19. Name 3 beverages you regularly drink. Coke, water, juice
20. Current worry right now? the wedding.
21. Favorite place to be? with Andy
22. How did you bring in the New Year? drunk, playing pool in my basement, laughing with my hos, getting yelled at by my mom.
23. Where would you like to go? back to Yellowstone, to China, to the jungle.
24. What color shirt do you have on? Andy's black "American Mars" shirt
25. Can you whistle? Yeah. I do it at the cat a lot.

The Krave... I krave it...

I never do these things, but I'm bored and I just got my first cell phone and it is AMAZING, so I'm gonna do it. And I guess you are supposed to tag people... so... whatever. tag, you're it and there is no homebase.

OK, Mobile Phone quiz:

1) what color is it? Grey back, clear cover.

2) Who is the first person to come up under M? I think Mom. she may be the only M I have on there.

3) Who is the last person you called? Andy? I think... he's the person I contact the most...

4) Who was your last missed call from? um.... some guy I don't know... his phone number is one off of mine... so I have no idea why he would call me... but I called back and confused him too.

5) Who is the second person who comes up under A? I'm not sure I have anyone under A besides Andy. Wait, I'm wrong. Andy is the second person, since it's alphabetical. Amanda is the first.

6) Who is speed dial #2? I don't have any clue. I never set speed dial. Unless you count the In Case of Emergency as speed dial... then 1 is Andy, 2 is my dad and 3 is Sharon.

7) Who is the 3rd person who comes up under J? I only have one J so far. It's Jamie. I've only had my phone since Monday....

8) Who was your last received call from? ummmm... I'd have to check later (I don't bring my phone to work) but maybe Coonrad? I think Coonrad.

9) Who is speed dial #3? Nobody.

10) What is your background? I haven't changed it yet, so just the standard yellowish art. I kinda like it tho. When closed, (and locked) (the front screen is a clear touch screen) the background is a red artsy screen with a shimmering lock on it

11) How many text messages are currently in your inbox? ummm... I just cleaned it out again last night, cuz (after 2 days!!) it told me I was getting close to full, but i think there are like 43 in there now... or something like that.

12) Who is speed dial #1? Really hung up on speed dial, huh? No one is on my speed dial. Since i have a touch screen, speed dial would probably be more complicated than just going into contacts anyway.

13) What does the 5th message in your inbox say? i dunno... will have to tell you later.

14) Who is the first person that comes up under B? um, well, I only have Bobbi in Bs, so probably Dad. haha.

15) Who was your last text message from? unless I've gotten one while I am here at work, my last was from Andy, last night telling me goodnight. I did get a mobile IM last night that I didn't get until this morning... I do think I dreamed about my phone beeping tho...

16) Name every person you have text messages from: Well, I cleaned the inbox last night, so I think they are all from Andy, one from Kate and 2 from Verizon... but before that I had Andy, Sabrina, Kate, Jesse, Jamie, Verizon, Lisa... maybe more that I'm forgetting.

17) Who do you have the most received calls from? Um... Sabrina might be the most calls, since Andy knows I am in looooove with texting on "Louie" (haha, so when I got my phone I told Andy that I was now in love with "Louie" and now he thinks that's what I should really name my phone... I gotta remember to bring up the subject that he touches "Louie" too... and that he loves to play with it...

18) Whuy is there no 18? Is there some unwritten rule to these things that says you must leave out at least one question when you make them?

19) What does the 6th message in your Outbox say? Well, I erased most of them last night.. and I think I only had like 2 saved... but I texted right before bed... so the last one probably says goodnight to Andy.

Who is the first person in your phone book? Well, it has the ICE at the top in red... (and those names are highlighted in red in the contacts list too) but I think my first specific person is Amanda.

21) Who is the last name in your phonebook? Will Knapp. well, voicemail and all that jazz is in there too, but he's the last person.

22) Do you have a camera phone? Yes.

23) Who is the last person under G? Nobody is in G.

24) What does the first text message in your inbox say? I have no clue right now. I'd have to tell you later.

25) Where do you usually carry your phone? In my pocket. Occasionally in my purse... but VERY rarely... I like it to be close and accessible...

Why doesn't this thing ever as more about the phone, like what do you have or something? For the record, I have the Motorola Krave ZN4. And I looooove it... highly reccommend it.

I'm a crappy Blogger

I'm sorry. I'm a crappy blogger. I have a ton of stuff happening in my life, but none I feel I can share with the world. I'm all tender and prickly at the same time right now. Maybe I can be human again sometime soon. Here's hoping, huh?

Do I look GOOOOOD or what?!?!

IMG_0959, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Me, post chimney-destroying in Cedar Rapids the second time... I'm all covered in soot... and, as I just learned, wearing Dan's shirt. What is it with this family that I end up with everyone's clothes? I have a favorite sweatshirt, stolen from Andy, that I wear often. I went home to his house once, and his dad greeted me by saying, "I see you're wearing my sweatshirt."
I also have Sam's Captain Underpants shirt that I stole from Andy... thought it was his...
And tonight I learned that shirt I'm wearing in that pic, which I thought belonged to Andy, belonged to Dan. I say belonged because I look so damn good in that shirt, there's no way I was giving it back. Nice that he said I could keep it anyway...
Unless I am mistaken (like with the last 3 shirts), I, of course, also have some of Andy's shirts...
So now all I have to do it collect something from Dawn and I can wear the whole damn family.... hahaha... frickin' ridiculous.

Blog Action Day Post-- Poverty and Sensationalism

In August of this year, the BBC reported that the World Bank had revised the poverty level. Poverty level is defined as the amount of money a person can live on. The number is now $1.25 per day. Since 1981, the number of people living in poverty has jumped from 1.5 billion to 1.9 billion. However, with population increases, the percentage of people living in poverty has still decreased. In 25 years, the number has dropped from 50% to 25%. Obviously, that is approximately 1% each year.
The problem with defining poverty in number like this is that poverty is relative. The poverty level is $1.25. But according to TV commercials, children in impoverished countries can live on $0.80 per day. That's because poverty is relative. In America, we are considered 'poor' if we don't have health coverage. However, in Africa, you are lucky if there is a doctor in your area. We consider ourselves poor if we don't have shoes. In other countries, you are hugely rich if you have shoes. America is one of the richest countries in the world. So how can we be so unconcerned about people's needs? When did the world become so materialistic we forgot about the human element?
In the past few months there has been overwhelming media coverage about the Olympics and China's amazing displays in the ceremonies. When people were oohing and awe-ing over the majesty of the opening ceremonies, did anyone stop to think about the realities of the event? China spent over $43 billion on the Olympics. If you were to figure out how much money that was, it's $117,808,219 per day for a year. Going by the World bank's numbers, that would care for 94,246,575 people for a year. That's 20% of world poverty. If China had decided to better the world instead of having the world's grandest display, they could have eliminated 20% of world poverty for a year.
I know that asking for nothing in respect to the Olympics would be ridiculous. But China spent $3.5 billion on designing an airport. That's about $9,589,041.10 per day for a year. That would feed 7,671,232 people for a year. For an airport. Is that really what matters? I spent 8 hours in an airport last month and I really couldn't tell you that much about it. Are tired, traveling people really going to notice all the improvement? Is it really worth it?
I guess what I'm trying to say is maybe we don't need designer jeans and the newest phones and all the things we desperately neeeeeeeed. Maybe we should just set a bit aside for helping out our neighbors when they are having a bad year. Maybe we should all try living at $1.25 per day for a while.
That's my challenge to you. Look at your budget. What is your cost of living per day? Whatever you think it is, cut out everything you can live without to get down to $1.25. What kind of things do you have to cut out? Maybe try living like that for a week.... How does it change your life?

Ok, so Cedar Rapids... The picture below was the house we worked on most of the week. That house is almost 4 blocks from the river and the water was still over 6 feet high. Inside the house, at least 15 feet high, there was a bar of soap stuck to the first floor ceiling. (15 feet because there was a porch that was at least 3 feet higher than ground level which was at the same height as the first floor). The water was that high. The woman who lived there, Linda, had just put in brand new flooring and other improvements. She had just started remodelling her bathroom. She was 2 years from retirement. And we threw out almost all of her possessions. The trash pile in front? Take that times 15 and it might be close to how much of her house we removed. When we left, there were studs, outside walls and bare minimun floors. No insulation, no siding, no wiring, no plumbing.

We arrived over 40 days after the flood. The house had not been touched. Everything she owned was molding or rotted or dissolved into a liquid... There was very little that could be saved. We tore out drywall and insulation to find mold growing all the way to the ceiling. we tore out the first 2 layers of ceiling. We pulled out her new floorboards and subflooring. We ripped out her stove, her washer, her water heater, everything. We mucked out feet of standing water. We hauled out her clothes, her papers, her canned food, her furniture. Almost everything she owned, gone.

I didn't write about it sooner because it's a tender subject. Some people talked about how they wanted to go remodel their homes now. But as we destroyed walls and tore up floors and ripped out fixtures, I thought about what it would feel like if this was my house. What if I had to rip out the drywall in my bedroom? Would I be able to pull down my lilac walls and rip out the insulation and rip up the carpets and take out everything I ever owned the throw it away? There is no way I could do that. I feel so sorry for her and bad that we couldn't do more for her, but I'm glad we could do that much. At least she didn't have to do it herself.

I'm going back next week. As faculty/staff, I no longer get a fall break, but by taking a service trip, I get a day out of the office. We're leaving friday and coming back Monday. So I will be working all weekend, but I'm glad I can give this tiny bit to help another person. When we arrived, Linda was tryig to figure out what to do. She was living in a trailer, thinking she would have to try to sell her house, after, of course, paying to have it fixed up to livable standards and her possessions removed. After a week of free labor, when we left, she had a little more hope. She was thinking of coming back. Her kids were figting over who got to buy her trailer. If that isn't worth giving up a weekend, what is?

Cedar Rapids.

DSCF0724, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Welcome to Cedar Rapids. That's me on the porch of the house we (the Morningside VIM) cleaned out in July. Why blog this now after so much time has passed, you may ask? Well, I'm going back next week. More to come... I want to save this before Flickr freaks out on me.

Why I Rock Your Cat Box.

Kelley at Magneto Bold Too has challenged all her readers to list reasons why we rock. Sooo, without further ado, Reasons Why I Rock Your Cat Box. (ok, I lied, a little ado... does anyone else remember the Rock the Casbah commercial where the guys think the song says "rock the cat box"?)

REASONS WHY I ROCK YOUR CAT BOX:

• I am the proud owner of a new pair of Rocket Dogs shoes. They are purple, gray and beautiful.
• I bought a cheesecake book and am going to try ALL of them, even if they don't sound like something I would like. Because I am adventurous...sorta.
• I also bought ice cube trays made for cocktails. You are supposed to freeze lemon and lime slices right in the tray with your ice. How cool is that?
  
• Instead of the Peace Corps, I joined AmeriCorps*. For the next year, I am a VISTA (Volunteer In Service to America). In exchange for my amazing services, they are paying $4,700 of my student loans. And I get to goof off at work a lot.
• I have a cat named Punk and he is on Crack. but neither of us has killed the other yet.
• I can cook damn near anything. Except scrambled eggs.
• I have HUUUUUUUUGE boobs.
• I am most likely getting married in Yellowstone National Park in July 2009.
  
• I have a Bachelor of Arts in English and have a minor in Photography.
• I read Kelley's blog.
  Shameless plugging? yeah, so?
• Ok, there are not enough bullet points to express how much I rock your catbox. Now I must go clean Punk's.
  

Cool Ice Cube Trays

Cool Ice Cube Trays, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

And the last spoils of the day (yesterday), funky ice cube trays! This is the first time I've lived alone, and in my last 2 apartments, Lisa had ice cube trays. So last week I scoured walmart looking for ice cube trays and nada. I mean I walked the store like 5 times and bubkus. So yesterday A and I went to Linens and Things to look. The normal ice cube trays were waaaaaay up on the pillar thing, so A was gonna lift me a bit to reach them... as he leaned down to brace himself, he noticed these... they are designed to freeze fruit slices right into your ice cubes. Cool huh? Punk thinks so too.

New Rocket Dogs!

New Rocket Dogs!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

New shoes! Got new workout shoes, only problem is now I have to workout. Ok, that;s not actually that much of a stretch... I bought them to replace the gym shoes I destroyed in Cedar Rapids, so now I can workout... BECAUSE.... if I lose *an undisclosed amount of* weight, I'll buy myself an iPod Nano. Probably in Lime. If I lose a little extra before the holidays (leeway, you know) then I will buy myself the Nike+ Nano workout sync thingie... can't remember the name obviously, but I have been intrigued for over a year... anyway, new shoes! and they are ADORABLE!

...just gotta remember to get thin socks (I hate sock wrinkles when I run) when I do grocery shopping tomorrow...

New book, mmmmmm

New book, mmmmmm, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

So I noticed this at Barnes and Noble like a month ago... and yesterday I finally got it... I'm gonna learn to make all kinds of cheesecakes! Now I just gotta get Sharon's fruit sauce recipes... mmmmm...
Hope the neighbors like cheesecakes, cuz they are probably gonna get stuck with some of the leftovers.....

Punk and Me

Punk and Me, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Don't we look like fun?

Punk and Misty

Punk and Misty, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Look how cute we are! Now if only Punk was that nice all the time....

The Epic Wedding...

So last week was the one year mark when we could book our wedding at Ponca State Park. We had called in June to reserve, but it has to be one year or the computer can't see it... so we have to call back on Sept. 12, 2008 since we wanted Sept 12, 2009. The day before we could make the reservation, Ponca calls to let us know someone else also wanted the rooms and dates we did... So we got up early and called AS SOON AS they opened for reservations. Well, the lady couldn't make the reservations work on the computer, but she thought it just wasn't finished starting up, so she took all the info and said we had it, just to watch for the confirmation email.

So I went to work, happy and such, and got the emails. But whilst I was looking over the emails, I noticed there was something funny on the billing. We were told that they would only charge a reservation fee and that the rest could be paid later. However, they not only charged the reservation fee, but double-charged us for EACH room... So when Andy called back to fix it, they cancelled the reservations instead. And then they gave it to someone else. And then, to add insult to injury, we were charged a reservation and a cancellation fee, even though we never wanted to cancel, just straighten out the billing. So they charged us $40 just so that I could be happy for 20 minutes before it all went to hell... and they still haven't put the money back in the account...
So our date has gone to someone else, they had openings 2 weeks later, but seriously, if you screw it up that bad, that fast, why the hell would I really want to actually want to hold my wedding there? I'd probably get an email on the wedding day saying my reservation had been cancelled and that they billed me $100!
...Yeah. Ponca is off the table...

Punk

Punk, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Oops, I've had Punk for a week and I haven't blogged him. More to come later, but for now, enjoy the cuteness. Try not to let it make your head explode.

Andy and Trey

Andy and Trey, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Trey and Andy chilling before going out for Joe's 21st birthday... How's the 'coffee' Trey?

Haaaaa-rumph Face!

Haaaaa-rumph Face!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

I got up early on Sunday to watch gymnastics on the Olympics... basketball instead... Haaaaaaaa-rumph!!

My shoes!!

My shoes!!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

New AIRWALKs with my jeans... Freaking LOVE these!

New Airwalks!

New Airwalks!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Baby needed new shoes.... so she got $8 Airwalks from Payless!

Ooooh, Soft, warm fuzzies!!

I bought a rug today for my apartment... I got a $1o 'gift certificate' from Gordman's when I bought my lounger/chair... well, today I used that to buy a matching rug. I'd offer to post a picture, but I've given up on taking pictures before I get stuff into my apartment, as there is really no room to shoot the pic and getting my camera out and taking it and dl-ing and all that jazz is just too much work w/ the current situation... anyway, I went up with the rug... and they told me I couldn't use the certificate because my purchase wasn't enough (if your purchase has to be over $10, why don't they put that on the certificate?) so Andy and I checked out the store some more, and picked out a cat toy for when we get our kitty! and we got a bag of candy just to push the total up... w/o the candy, it was almost perfect to the cent.... the candy was $1.19... my total charge (after the gift cert.) was $1.25. How good am I?

Roller Coaster Life

Spent last week in Cedar Rapids doing flood relief, but terrible person that I am, I don't want to talk about it. Whenever I think about it, my mind is just like "ugh. I'm still too tired. We'll talk about it later." But eventually I will get pictures from facebook ( I didn't take my camera for 2 reasons: you have to carry everything you pack and my stuff was already full AND I was weighted down by Andy's things as well, and I didn't want to risk my camera as I didn't know anything about where we were going or what exactly we would be doing.) So I took no pictures nad thus must steal others'. When I get pictures I will talk about what I did. Right now it's still a little too ...umm... heartfelt.
Instead of heart-achey things, let's talk about this week. Actually, one heart-achey thing happened this week... I talked to my mom and she told me that my grandma has cancer in both her lungs and her liver. I've never been close to my grandmother. She's never called my anything but her granddaughter, or by my name, to my knowledge. However, she's now making lists of who gets what and what she wants to keep and all that stuff... and she gave my mom her frog-topped candle and frog salt and pepper shakers and a raunchy ceramic frog gift to give to me because I am "her little frog girl". She's also given my mom a sapphire necklace for me since I am the only September birthday in the family. Yeah.. I feel bad... I mean, I know that I did everything I could to be close to her, I helped her get in and out of the car and took her grocery shopping when she broke her hip and all that, but was there anything else could have done to be 'close' to her? I don't know... maybe it's better this way.
OK, now that everyone's depressed, let's talk about cheerier things... Monday Andy and I both got paid, first time in pretty much all of the summer (that is a long angry story, let's not even get into that...) so it was a pretty exciting day. I took the afternoon off to do Misty-things... so we went and got checks cashed and went shopping...
We went several places and overall, I didn't buy much. I bought storage boxes for the bathroom in my apartment when we went to Target. They are stackable crate-like things, in almost Navy and almost Lime green. I also bought a poster for Andy (altho I will probably hang it in my apartment for the year) I have my eye on several things in Target, but I'm working on a budget, so some things just always have to wait...
We browsed around the strip mall and looked at cat stuff... (we decided a while ago that since I live alone and have an outside door and no carpet or anything to ruin, that I'm gonna get a kitten. Andy's roommate's sister has a cat who just had kittens, so we have one 'reserved'. There are 4 gray tiger striped babies and one black. The black had already been claimed, but they are saving a male tiger for me, they are about 3 1/2 weeks old now...) I picked out stuff and then realized I'd get a discount if I had remembered my PetPerks card... which I hadn't... what ever happened to my key tags, I may never know.... and Andy had to be back on campus by 5 to work on radio stuff... so we quickly browsed Gordman's, where I found a chair that was just something spectacular, but a little pricey. We still needed to do grocery shopping, so we decided that we would go back to campus so Andy could work and I could think about the chair and then go grocery shopping afterwards. So after Andy finished up at the station, we went back to PetsMart, with my PetPerks card this time, and I bought kitty treats and kitty bath to prepare for when the kitten is old enough to come home.
After PetsMart we went back to Gordman's, where I had decided I HAD to get the chair. It was too good to pass up... Well, the chair isn't just a chair... if you want to see it, go here ....it's actually more of a lounger, it's LIME GREEN!!!! and came with a pillow... so cool. And since I spent more than $50 at G-man's that day, I got a $10 gift certificate. I think I might see if they have a cheap cat bed or toys and use it for that.
After all that, we were starving (It was at least 7 by then and we had skipped lunch too) so we ran over to the mall. Andy and I collided going into the food court, and he scraped across my foot, WAAAAAAAY ouchie. Was swollen and bruised before we got across the food court... but continued on anyway. One taco salad for me and one meal for him later, we were back shopping... browsed in the mall and then continued on to hobby lobby (to look for poster frames, didn't find one we liked) and then to Walmart for groceries.
Got the basics at Walmart and.... GOT A LAMP FOR MY APARTMENT!! I had noticed them a few days before, but they have Mainstays lamps for $10... AND when we got there Monday, they had hem on sale for $7.50!! So I bought a teal lamp...good thing too... there are no overheard fixtures in my apartment's living room/kitchen area!! There's a switch.... and it kinda looks like there might have been before... but there is no light in my living room (except the window but that's not much help!) Got groceries and kitty bowls and a litter box and pretty much called it a night after that.
Tuesday we went shoe shopping since we threw away our shoes when we finished up in Cedar Rapids... I got a pair of Airwalks (never had those before!) at Payless for $8!!!! I took pics of them last night, so I post them as soon as I dL my pictures from my camera... Yesterday (Wednesday) we continued the great shoe saga looking for shoes for A. No avail. Afterwards, we went to the 4th Street Bar and Grill to celebrate Joe's 21st B-day. It was the first time Andy and I have been to a bar together, so that was pretty cool... he bought me drinks and we had a goofy time! I toatlly went to bed buzzed last night. oh and I wore my new shoes, they looked totally sweet with jeans. Love them!
Oh yeah, and we cleaned more in my apartment yesterday, soon it will be clean enough to move all my stuff into! So exciting!! I spend a lot of time thinking of what I want to do, decoration-wise. And I did 4 loads of laundry.... good core workout since I didn't want the basket to touch me, so I carried it out from my body, all the way across the apt building and up all the stairs and to the laundry room! I still haven't finished all the folding yet tho :( It's been a long exahusting but great week... after another long exhausting but great week... I think tonight I just want to chill on the couch and have a quiet night. What do you think the odds of that are?
OK, pictures of the shoes will be uploaded tonight, and hopefully I will have apartment/furnishing pictures by next week... we'll see...

I'm such a bad blogger. I'll post soon, promise.

Weekend update

So my weekend wasn't really on the Friday-Sunday schedule this week. Friday I got some upsetting news and decided to quit early for the day. All things considered, I did a lot that day anyway... So I went home and cleaned up the mess that was my life. Saturday I hung out with Sabrina, went shopping, essentially wore myself out. While we were in Walmart, there was a huge storm which knocked down some trees and a power line and street light a block over from Sab's. A huge tree also landed on a car. Bummer for them. Sunday I got up early and did laundry, cleaned Andy's room and packed and prepared for Blaze. Andy's dad and brothers got here about noon-ish. We had lunch then walked them around the campus greenspace to show them all the changes and then I left for work.
We left for Blaze training in Lincoln at 2:45 on Sunday afternoon... Sharona, Abby and I traveled to Lincoln and finally found our hall at UNL and parking and such and met all the other VISTA members of the Midwest Consortium for Service Learning in Higher Education. We adjourned to dinner at Vincenzo's, a fantastic Italian restaurant in downtown Lincoln, Where we proceeded to eat like there was no tomorrow. We had appetizers of artichoke dip and calamari and some sort of mushroom thing using Portabellos. Soooo yummy! Salads, bread, Chianti and much laughter later, dinner arrived. I had the baked manicotti, which was amazing, but barely manageable after so much food already. I actually got sick, since I had no idea there were onion hidden in the apetizers until too late, but it was well worth it. The best thing about the training was that the Consortium paid for all the food.... WOW.
Monday we ate b-fast in the dining hall in our dorm, then had training, which was pretty fun, and lunch also in the hall, more training, then off to The Blue Orchid, an amazing Thai place. We ordered appetizers of skewed chicken satay and spring rolls... I had a Ginger Mojito, quite tasty, and the Rama Garden, which is grilled steak in a sweet, peanutty, Thai sauce served with sauteed vegetables. This time we planned ahead and remembered to save for dessert... We all sampled each other's desserts as well, so I had sliced mango with sticky rice with coconut sauce, as well as tastes of green tea cheesecake, and a mini-chocolate cake thingie, can't remember what it was called... but it was soooooo rich... and so tasty! Then we walked down O street for a while and then headed back to our dorm and struggled to use the internet (looooong story!)
Tuesday we had b-fast in the dorm, then checked out of the dorm and went to east campus for training. Got kinda lost, ended up late, but saw a guy dance like CRAZY on a streetcorner while waiting for a stoplight... soooooo wished for video of it... anyway, went to training, and then to Valentino's for lunch. Best pizza ever. I love Valentino's. After that we ventured home. Being overly exhausted, I fell asleep in the car, soooo totally not comfortable tho, got back around 4:30, where we witnessed downed trees and damage from a storm Sunday night. Sioux City had winds of over 75 mph, just straight winds. No tornado, nothing like that, just straight. weird.
So that was my 'weekend'.
After talking about all that food, I'm starving and it IS lunchtime... so I'm off to eat... more later...

Me!

Me!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Curled my hair for Blaze training in Lincoln Sunday... I really like it like this... Thinking about changing my hair, not sure yet tho... more to come...

The first gift from our registry!

The first gift from our registry!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Sabrina bought this as a birthday gift for my apartment... it came from our wedding registry tho! So excited to finish cleaning and move this stuff in and use it! Oh, and it's expandable! Look at the mini picture on the label!

Me in Cooke City, MT

Me in Cooke City, MT, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

The last day in the mountains, outside the hotel in Cooke City, MT. ...still snowing.... still June...

Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

The last moment they didn't fight at Yellowstone... hahahahaha...
Dad tied mom's shoe so she wouldn't have to set her stuff down and some lady was like "That's so sweet!" Haha, if she only knew...

White Elk

White Elk, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

a very rare white elk

Stilts!

Stilts!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Stilts was the first moose I've ever seen, outside of TV. Soooo cute and friendly!

Swan Snacks

Swan Snacks, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

The swan at Bear World tried to eat dad's shoe.

Friendly Bird

Friendly Bird, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

This bird tried to follow me back into the car when we stopped at a lookout point on the way to Mammoth on Yellowstone.

Buffalo at Old Faithful

Buffalo at Old Faithful, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Some pictures from vacation at Yellowstone... there goes the buffalo family... owning the trail...

Buffalo at Old Faithful

Buffalo at Old Faithful, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Some pictures from vacation at Yellowstone... we were walking on the trail around Old Faithful when a buffalo comes out of the trees... followed by a baby!

Snack Time 2!

Snack Time 2!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Some more pictures from vacation at Yellowstone and Bear World...

Snack Time!

Snack Time!, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

Some pictures from vacation at Yellowstone and Bear World... this is an elk licking me in the petting zoo in Bear World.

What to do, What to do....

It's been a while, huh? OK, so updatey things... I've worked in the VISTA office for almost 2 weeks now, I'm running surveys about service-learning, I'm supposed to get housing soon, if I get something good, I might get a pet, we'll see....
I'm signed up to go do disaster relief in Cedar Rapids (IA) at the end of the month, I'm supposed to go to Blaze training for Americorps in Lincoln in about 2 weeks... and I think I'm going to the Gulf coast for spring break this year, as a possible 'supervisor' for the Volunteers in Mission team here at M'side... and since it's a service project, it doesn't count as my vacation time...whoo hoo!
Wedding plans.... are a little bit at a standstill... I'm not really sure what to do at this point... Andy doesn't seem to be interested in anything except his computer and some game he and Russ have been playing for a couple months... I don't know... it seems like he has time to chase after every person going in and out of the apartment, especially when Russ grills, but he doesn't care if I go walking alone at midnight. We have watched a few movies lately, but it seems like he's choosing to watch movies because then he doesn't have to be actively involved with me... He has a lot of free time, especially while I'm at work, so I don't know why he can't play most of the day and then actually try to be WITH me when I'm home... I've also asked several times if he has done any work on our wedding website... he always says he's done something but won't show me because 'it's not ready yet' or he 'wants it to be perfect' when I see it... I don' t know... I don't know whether he has actually worked on anything, or if he just wants me to leave him alone. Sharon says the wedding is essentially a party for me and he just gets to show up and enjoy, but dammit... SOME help, SOME enthusiasm, ANYthing at all would be nice...
He also hasn't picked his best man yet... he knew groomsmen when he asked, he just couldn't decide which one would be best man... and he STILL doesn't know...
I sort of wonder if he still wants to get married... I mean, I still don't have the 'proper' ring... he says he's saving, and that he almost has enough, and that he has it narrowed down to 2 different rings... but I really don't know if he actually does, or if he just wants me to let it go... I don't know... today is 1 year, 2 months and 4 days until our wedding, according to Facebook's countdown application... and I don't have a ring, he hasn't picked a best man, our wedding site isn't up, I haven't seen our site, he hasn't made his side of the guest list, and he still hasn't even been out to Ponca to look at where we are booking our wedding... I guess he has decided he wants tuxes, not suits... so that's sorta progress... but idk... things aren't looking too hot at the moment...
I'm worried... but I guess I better get to work so that we can afford to rent the freaking wedding site... i quit.

Oh goodness....

So I'm working in the VISTA office here... today has had its upsides and downsides... When I went to bed last night, I wasn't feeling so hot. I've had the same headache since the second day of my vacation, so it's been a good 2 1/2 weeks with the same headache... it had gotten so I'm pretty used to it, unless it spikes, which it has done a time or two... but now it's merely an annoyance... except it occasionally makes me wanna hurl. Not like "it hurts so bad I'm gonna puke" feeling, but just like out-of-nowhere-nausea. That's really weird. And last night, I noticed that when I tip my head, it feels like my brain is moving. Like that weird "where'd my brain go- dizzy" feeling. So this morning I got up to go to work, and felt like I was going to die before i even got out of bed... wanted to vomit, sooooooo dizzy, headACHES.... but it was my first day doing work in the office... so I went in anyway... guess that's how it goes....

So I'm 'home' from vacation. We left Cooke City, MT Thursday morning, after checking weather and such several times, and decided to get outta Dodge any way possible. Which meant, since several park roads were closed, that we had to take a 'scenic' highway back to Cody. "Scenic" meaning long twisty roads going up and down mountains and taking forever to get nowhere. And of course, more snow. So several hours of my parents arguing and complaining, and we were out of the mountains. We stopped in Cody for a while, visited a miniature village thingie, which was positively ridiculous, then made our slow way out of Wyoming, stopping at Devil's Tower for an hour or two. Dad and I walked the path around the tower (which is a much longer path than I would have thought, when I thought we were 3/4 of the way finished... 10 yards up the trail was a halfway point sign.)
After leaving Devil's Tower, we argued a lot about where to stop, or even if to stop, for the night, and then finally went on to Wall, SD. Where we spent the night. There was a mosquito in the hotel room. Grr.
The next morning, Friday, we traveled East, stopping at Huron at my brother's house for several hours. While there, he proceeded to show off how great his camera is and how great his photography is compared to our vacation pictures, and how we did everything wrong, that we didn't know enough about our cameras to 'properly' use them 'to the fullest' and that we screwed up because we didn't get this feature, or that lens or what-the-crap-ever... I may not know in 3 seconds or less how many pixels my camera has. That's not how my mind works. If you give me a minute to think, I can answer. But if you give me 4 technical and one art question in one minute, I'm not going to process them all, I'm going to answer the art and get wrapped up in my answer and forget technical stuff. If you ask me how to change something on my camera while I'm looking at it, I can show you. If you ask me while I'm across the room and working on 3 other things for you, I'm not even going to answer. And frankly, if you ask me how to change the quality of my pictures, I probably can't tell you without trying it several times, because, quite frankly, I shoot on the highest quality my camera has to offer. I don't care that I can take more pictures by using a lower quality. Why would I want several mediocre pictures when I can have a couple great ones?
Second, I have had my camera for 2 weeks. Of course I don't know as much about my camera as he knows about his. He's had his for 6 months. and you know what? I took 3/4 of my pictures hanging out the back window of the car going 45 mph through the park. He takes 10 minutes to set up a shot of a parked car down the street.
Third, I HATE live-view. So I didn't get the more expensive camera that has it. I prefer to use the view finder for all my pictures. It's steadier and I feel like I get a better shot that way. Let's face it, a 10 pound camera is a lot of weight for my to hold up steadily to take a picture. So for me to pick a 20 pound camera and hold it at arm's length and hold it steady while taking a picture is ridiculous. That's almost 30% of my weight. If he likes Live-view, that's his preference. He can have it on his camera, I don't care. It's MY camera and I never asked for his opinion, or his 30 minute tirade on why I need to be able to take a picture by looking through my LCD screen.
I also don't care how much he can zoom to look at the new picture on his screen. The reason I shoot digital is so that I can look at the pictures and edit them on my computer. Why would I want to crop and save a picture on the camera?
He may know some technical things about his camera that I don't know about mine. But here's the catch: would he know that much about his camera if he didn't have to sell it? Chris is a Wal-Mart manager. He has to be able to answer questions about cameras that I would never even imagine asking. I can't explain a lot of things to my dad when he asks. That's because I know how to use it, but not how it works. Chris has to be able to explain things to people who don't understand any technology (such as my dad). (And another thought: if he's so stinkin' smart, why did he have to ask me the difference between a compact flash card and an SD card?)
Chris may know how to change the pixels in his camera, but I know what hot shoes are, I know how to sync lights, how to use a manual light meter, what an F-stop is, and how to balance the aperture with the shutter speed. I can use hot lights, spot lights, radio transmitters and light tables. I'd like to see him even figure out which light is which.
We looked at vacation pictures on his TV using discs I burned and using his camera. Yeah, his pictures looked better. BUT his were going directly from the camera to his TV via the AV cables. Ours however, were burned onto discs and played through his DVD player, on wide-screen. They were being stretched horizontally, but not vertically. So, of course, ours are gonna be distorted.
Wow, this was supposed to be an entry about the end of my vacation and coming home and such, not a rant about my brother. And that was only the first 2 hours we were with him. We were there for 7 hours.... so yeah, my brother frustrates the hell out of me. We had supper at Godfather's with him, the food was good, I can imagine better company, then we headed home. We got home 11ish, I played with the cat, took a bath and did some general getting used to being home and then went to bed. Satuday didn't really do much, Sunday, went to Sunday School, left early, drove dad to work in Spencer *ooh* I passed someone for the first time, usually I just patiently drive behind them... pirated some internet, goofed around that night and Monday... Now, Wednesday, I'm at Finleys'. Got here yesterday about 1ish. Will be here until Friday. Better than being at my house tho. Can't wait to go home to Andy.
Tune in for more tirades later, gotta fix a little lady some lunch.

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-rumph!!

It's 83 degrees in Sioux City today.... and in Cooke City Montana... it's snowing and supposedly 30 degrees, but I'm pretty sure the thermometer is broken. It snowed overnight while we were in West Yellowstone, then almost all day as we were driving. Not much seems to be landing and not melting, but since my father keeps making comments about being snowed in here, and wouldn't listen to my suggestion about just going home, I'm apprehensive... I hate Montana...

Grrs and Brrs....

IMG_0538, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

So we enter the park...and the ranger warns us that a couple of roads are closed due to weather... we didn't take it to mean much, I kinda thought she was exaggerating... and then we got around the first corner into the park... and there's like 3 feet of snow everywhere.... happy freaking June.
BTW, this was obviously taken out the back of the car as we drove along....

Rocky Rootings

IMG_0525, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

I took this out the side of the car, going 60 mph down the highway just outside Cody, WY, so I'm glad it came out so well... I saw it last year and was watching for it this year... It's just a hopeful little tree... hit by a rock, just bends, doesn't break, and keeps on growing. Inspirational, I guess....if you're sappy like that.... which of course, I am...

Clean Dogs

IMG_0482, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

So we were on our way thru Wyoming, stopped for gas (in Casper?) and I looked across the street and saw.... a Self-Serve DOG wash... and I wondered... does that mean the dog washes himself?

Blogging Blues....

So I'm in West Yellowstone, Montana tonight. Spent last night in Meteetse, Wyoming. The internet connection sucks something fierce, so I guess vacation blogging will have to wait a while... I think I'm going to write blogs everyday in Word and then just copy and paste them when I have good service. And I'm taking lots of pictures to be uploaded to Flickr and posted here... stay tuned for Adventures in Insanity.

Andy's Smamich

Andy's Smamich, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

So Andy got hungry, a few nights before he moved to his new apartment, and decided to finish off some stuff in the fridge... OK, maybe he didn't care about the fridge, maybe he just wanted a big sandwich... but anyway, This is my favorite of all the pictures I've taken so far....

Technology bites my butt... a lot...

OK, So I was going to post the pictures of M'side's new green-space, but to do that you have to go thru Flickr and each picture is it's own post and I don't know if you can combine them into one post, but it doesn't look like it... and I just joined Flickr (like 10 mins ago) and haven't gotten it all figured out yet... But I will post pictures one-by-one to post them when we go to Yellowstone... bummer.... I was also gonna add pics of my camera's first road trip (to Andy's house in Durant) but maybe I'll just have to do that later... We will see, I guess.

3 a.m. Craziness

IMG_0303, originally uploaded by woodstocklsnoopy.

So we stayed up until three... and I had a new camera... and we had a lot of pop.... I think you can see where this is going.....

The birth of craziness, part 2

So after a huge dramatic graduation day, my father had a lot of ass-kissing to do, both to me and my mother. I had never been so mad at him, and he knew it. He hung up on me when I called to tell my family that Andy and I were getting married, but I'd still never been so mad at him before. I considered not inviting him to my wedding and having a personal friend walk me down the aisle instead. So about 2 weeks after graduation, my father was in town.
Now, my father has never been one to buy affections, but he knew he had royally screwed up this time. So he bought me a gift, the best one he could have. I have a friend with a Canon Rebel XT. Actually, she has both the film and digital models. We took the film one on vacation last year, and even my father, who pretty much hates technology, was so impressed with the camera that he started discussing buying a laptop and a digital camera so that he could take more vacations, and thus, more pictures. My family hadn't taken a trip like last year's since just before I started kindergarten. This year we are going again.
I had expressed interest, before all this, about cameras, since I got into photography. But, let's face it, they're expensive. So I just put it out of my mind.
But after the fiasco that was my college graduation, my father had a lot of lost ground to recover. So when he came into town, he called me and I picked him up, and drove him to Target. At Target, he bought the camera I recommended previously and that my mother had decided she wanted. He bought all the stuff she needed to get started and I told him I'd search online for the other stuff she would eventually need. My mother is not tech saavy either, but she was adamant that she wanted a Rebel. So my mother got a Canon Rebel XT. Target, however, only had one camera. We couldn't believe it.
So we went to Best Buy, and discovered that the Xt was an old model. The next thing was the XTI. They had several other models, but I chose the XTI for it portability and other reasons.
So several failed attempts later, my mother and I both got new digital cameras. Whoo hoo!

The birth of craziness

Ok, so there's a complicated story about this blog. If you don't care to read it, skip to the second post after this post.
I started off in college as a Biology major, with the intention of being a vet, and a possible Spanish major. Then I discovered I hated Chemistry more than I had ever realized and a series of events revealed to me how much I like grammar. So after a semester as what my advisor called a "closet English Major" I officially switched to an English major, with a Biology minor. However... to get a minor in Biology, I would have to take MORE chemistry, as well as human anatomy and physiology. Blech. Then I discovered I had enough art credits to only take 2 classes for a minor. I had already taken design and decided that wasn't for me. BUT, to finish a minor, I could take photography (which I had had an interest in for some time, just no way to explore my curiosity) and then then I could decide to take either more photography classes, or to take graphic design. either would fulfill my requirements.
After Photo I (classic film and darkroom work), I decided I loved photography. I decided I wanted to take a 2 week course in Costa Rica after graduation, like a reward to myself. Of course, plans like that never actually come true for me, but it was fun to believe for a while. Photo II, digital and studio work, was more of a head-beating exercise, but I did learn and no one died (which was a close call, considering the TA in that class), and I graduated, so I guess it was worth it.

About Me

I'm a recent graduate of Morningside College in Sioux City, IA. I majored in English with what equates to minor in Photography (M'side doesn't actually do minors, they have a different name for it...) I will begin working with Americorps as a VISTA in approximately 2 months.
While at M'side, I met my amazing butt-butt Andy, whom I will be marrying in about a year.
I'm originally from O'Neill, NE, I have two brothers, two nephews and two parents, all of whom are crazy. I love duct tape, lotion, bubble gum, and my 'cat', Fluffenstuf.