Thoughts On A Sunday Evening

"A real man makes his own luck."
-Billy Zane, Titanic

I heart this quote for two reasons.

1) Dwight quoted it on The Office and it always cracks me up when two of my favorites reference each other.

2) It's true...in some ways. It basically means, if you want something-do something.

See, lately I have been kind of a brat. I've been pouting and bemoaning my marital/relationship status quite a bit...not outwardly for the most part but those closest to me have surely seen signs of it or have even been lucky to hear the tale first hand. Sadly though the brunt of my frustration has been taken out on the members of my new ward. It's hard for me to switch wards and get to know new people all over again. It's just not something I am used to...and with getting to know new people comes all of the questions, "Is your husband with you?" "Do you have anyone sitting with you?" "Do you have any children?" "Are you...single?" After about a month of this (because that's about how long it takes to meet and greet enough people so that word gets out and you don't have to answer those questions any longer...at least I hope so), it gets really annoying and I want to give snappy answers like, "Well what does it look like?"...even though I don't.

Last Sunday I found myself highly annoyed when a nice lady was trying to introduce herself to me (without the awkward questions about my non-existent husband) and was sending out all sorts of signals that said, "Leave me the #@%$# alone!" I had my legs and arms crossed, I never made eye contact, I gave clipped one word answers, and I didn't smile. Then after church I made a bee-line for the door and sped out of the parking lot. On my way home I was grumbling to myself about how I didn't like my ward because I didn't have any friends and I didn't know anyone and all I ever did anymore was watch the clock. Then my sane brain stepped in and said, "Why do you think that is?" and gave me a flash of what I must look like to others at church with my blank annoyed stares and speed walking to the door.

Oh...well...uh...yeah.

So this Sunday I decided to do something about it. I sat in the same spot as last time and when the nice lady sat down next to me again (because we all know we have our "spots" on certain pews) and called me Khia (kee-uh) because they misspelled my name in the ward newsletter, I smiled and laughed a little bit and started off the conversation the same way I do to everyone who reads my name before they hear my name, "It's Rye-Uh..." And then it turned out to be a very nice Sunday (and I only caught myself watching the clock once.)

Oops You Did It Again!

Yes people. The creator of two of my most favoritist TV shows has done it again. J.J. Abrams has created another obsession for my life.

First there was Alias which I'll admit, I only started watching because Michael Vartan is bee-u-ti-ful, but it also had a good storyline to go with it. A very good storyline until it went south during season 4 (the season I like to pretend doesn't even exist).

Second there was Lost. I was driving home one evening and saw the billboard ad for it and made a mental note of the date it was premiering so I could put it on my calendar when I got home. All I had to do was see that billboard and I was hooked.
And now there is a new show, Fringe...which has a storyline that is kind of hard to explain. Basically an FBI agent teams up with a genius and his crazy mad scientist father to investigate weird occurences that are all linked to fringe science. See? Kind of hard to explain. If you watch the pilot, eat first then watch. I'm just sayin'.

And now I will attempt to break down J.J. and his wonderful creation/co-creation habits for you.

J.J. has a habit of trying to create adult dramas (or dramas of the heart) that inevitably bomb (Six Degrees, What About Brian...Felicity did well so I have to give him credit for that one), when his real talent is in suspense dramas (see above).

J.J. has a habit of carrying actors over from previous shows. For instance, the guy who played Weiss on Alias was Sean from Felicity (he had a small part on Lost, I'm just waiting for him to pop up in Fringe...he and J.J. must be BFFs). The guy who plays Locke on Lost was Kendall from Alias. This time its the guy who plays the head of the secret agency on Fringe was the guy who works for Widmore on Lost. The black guy with immaculate diction.

Sadly, J.J. has a habit of starting a new show and ignoring the previous one until it gets extremely stupid and we have to pretend like seasons never existed. Case in point: Lost began when season 4 of Alias began. What does this mean for my precious Lost? It's about to get stupid. :( I really hope I'm wrong on this one.

He's getting in the habit of re-introducing teen stars as grown ups. I mean, who ever thought we'd see Matthew Fox again after Party of Five went off the air? This time Joshua Jackson has been resurrected from Dawsons Creek. Thanks J.J.!

The stars of his TV shows eventually go on to bigger and better and we get to see them in different roles (which I always like) after J.J. starts working on a new project and the previous one goes down the crapper. Jennifer Garner, Matthew Fox, I bet it will be the girl from Fringe...maybe Joshie...it's a toss up.

And finally, my favorite. He always keeps you guessing. This is why it becomes an obsession for me because it drives me nuts not to know.

So here's to my new obsession Fringe. Please feel free to join me. Really. Please do. I'll need someone to theorize with....please?....anyone?

Oh How I Love My Yard!

Thanks to my BFF Janette who had her baby shower today, I had a good reason to take the day off and not go in to work at the bookstore like I normally do on Saturdays. Thanks again to my BFF for not dragging it out to an all day occasion and thus I was home by 2:00 and had the rest of the day to myself. So what did I do? My new favorite thing...yard work. For those of you with yards, you may think I am joking but I'm not. I really love being in my yard. So I spent 5 hours today pulling weeds and baby pecan trees and trimming hedges and raking leaves and mowing and all that good stuff. Needless to say, my arms are killing me...killing me. I did buy some good gloves so I am blister free :)

Anyways, I rewarded myself this evening by watching two movies and about an hour ago when I decided it was time to turn in for the night, I looked out my back door and thought I saw something move out there. So I went over and turned on the porch light and what do I see? A possum. Just sitting there blinded by the light. A POSSUM!!! What was I to do? How was I to proceed? I had to get him off my porch so I pounded on the door in the hopes that I would startle him. Nope. He just sat there completely unfazed. I couldn't go out there. Those things are mean. So I opened the door a crack, stuck my nose out and yelled "Go away!" real quick and then slammed the door shut. He turned a fraction in my direction. Seriously! These things aren't afraid of anything! So I did it again and what does the stupid thing do? It crawls down the space where the tree comes out of the deck. So now I have a possum that lives under my deck. What on earth am I supposed to do now? The way I see it I have three options and I don't like any of them:

Option 1: Poison it. If I do this, it will eat the poison, go under the deck, die, and then stink, therefore making this not an option.

Option 2: Set a trap. If I do this, it will get caught in the trap and die...hopefully. If it doesn't die, it will crawl back under the deck and die of injuries. If it does die in the trap, then I have to dispose of it therefore making this not an option.

Option 3: Just let it be. If I do this, there will always be a possum under my deck and then it will have little possum babies that will always live under my deck too therefore making this not an option.

Why can't it live in someone else's yard? The people that live behind me have this huge shed and lots of junk in their yard that the possum can hide under. I'm sure there are lots of backyards with lots of dark hiding places. Why did it choose my yard? *shudder* What am I going to do?

Facebook...let's just be honest with each other

Okay Facebook. We need to have a little chat. What is up with the advertisements you are allowing on your sidebar? I am deeply concerned. Apparently there are a lot of issues and offers out there that I haven't been aware of. Here is a sampling:

"Need Help Wasting Time?"

Ooooh! Ooooh! I can answer that one! No. I do not need help wasting time...that is why I am on facebook.

"Get A Guy"

*ahem* Thank you. Thank you for this advertisement. I was really wondering how I would accomplish the monumental task of how to get a guy and then you went and offered me a guide. I like to see that you have my best interest at heart.

"Fixes Snoring"

...it just looks like an el-cheapo mouth gaurd to me. Although I'm not sure...is it a nose plug? No, looks like a mouth guard. Either way, I don't see how either one would fix snoring.

"Help Share Christ's Love"

I'm not sure where exactly this picture was taken or what exactly it is, but I do know this...it has nothing to do with Christ. It appears to be someone's vacation/stupid tourist photo. It looks like two babies that are bowing...????

"Roosters Country Bar"

...Do they look like roosters to you? I mean, I get the double meaning behind Hooters, but Roosters? I guess it's the whole double-o/big boobs thing...

"No Poisoning Prairie Dogs"

Apparently this is a huge problem with facebook users. I know it is tempting but I encourage you to refrain. Just don't do it people. We have to save the prairie dogs. What would we do without them? I shudder to think...

It's Like I Never Left

So this week was the first week of school for most of the United States, including my little elementary school nestled in the ghetto of good old Dallas. It's funny because each year I decide to be better and do a better job, but I have begun to realize that a lot of things still remain the same. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Mrs. N. came through the library yesterday and declared that it looked bare without her plants and said that she would bring them to make it look better. Personally, I think it looks just fine (and actually quite cute with my new blue curtains to offset the terrible yellow and red that they didn't choose to repaint this summer). Here is the evidence:

2. I only managed to make it on time three times this week. I was late again today as evidenced by the post-it note stuck to my computer. People just leave me notes because I'm never here early.

3. Last year I spent an entire morning taking all the keys off my keyboard and cleaning because there were crumbs in between the keys and it just grossed me out. Inadvertently, I switched the period and comma keys and have yet to switch them back. Sometimes I accidentally put the wrong punctuation in my sentences.

4. I also have yet to change the nameplate that is gorilla glued on the outside of the library. New teachers kept calling me Mrs. War and it would always throw me for a loop. If I could remember to get up a little earlier in the mornings, maybe I could remember to bring the red paint I bought to change that.

5. I am back to my old eating habits. Here we have the breakfast of champions: A chocolate chip muffin and a Coke.

6. And finally, my favorite screen saver...

It's like I never left...

I Have Become What I Swore I Would Never Be

Out of the loop.

I seriously have no idea what is going on in the world. Political, sports, entertainment, you name it, I don't have a clue.

Here are a few examples:

1. I watched about 20 minutes of the Olympics overall and that was because I was with my family eating and they happened to have the Olympics on.

2. I don't know anything about 85% of the movies at the movie theatre. The other 15% I can guess because they are sequels to movies I saw when I was in the loop or they are remakes of old TV shows.

3. Sam, your blog scared me. Quite literally. I clicked on it and saw Nancy Pel...whoever and thought, "Who is that?" and glanced at the beginning and realized it was someone political and immediately hit the back button.

4. I am constantly saying, "No" when friends ask me if I have heard a certain new song on the radio.

5. My friends bring up other people or upcoming events in conversation and I have no idea who or what they are talking about. (It was kind of inevitable that this would happen when I left the single's ward though.)

In my own defense, I do scan the Yahoo and/or MSN stories that pop up when you get to their home page and I am wondering why they are so concerned about what Beijing will do with all of their Olympic junk. Well, what do you think they'll do? They'll do the same thing every other city that has hosted the Olympics did. They'll make name it something Olympic-ish and then make it tourist friendly so people can go there and take pictures and tell everyone how it was so cool that they went to the place where they had the Olympics in 2008. I don't get what the big deal is. Maybe it's because I'm out of the loop. Maybe it's because there really isn't anything else going on in the world and thats all Yahoo and/or MSN has to report on.

Apparently...

...I was mistaken.

Case #1

So tonight whilst helping my brother with dinner, I was in charge of a huge pot of Rice-A-Roni. When cooking this delicious side dish, there are three basic directions to follow:

1. Pour the rice mix in the pan with some butter and let it get brown (ish).

2. Add water and the seasoning packet.

3. Let it boil and then simmer.

Now normally, people might make one or two boxes at a time, but when my brother's family, my mom, and I get together for dinner, there are nine of us so we made 4 boxes at the same time and instead of using a skillet, I used a big pot. I got to step two and instead of just asking for a big measuring cup, I decided I would use a small one and just take the pot to the sink. So I picked up the pot by the handles on the side...with no pot holder.

I was very proud of myself for not using any sentence enhancers that I would be embarassed about later.

Case #2

A few weeks ago I went to Ikea and found a bed that I really really liked. The only problem was that it wouldn't fit in Aibi's car. So I bought the parts that would fit in her car (the midbeam and the roll of slats). Yesterday I went back to Ikea and got the actual bed frame. I was so proud of myself as I was putting it together last night at 9:30pm...until I realized that I bought a queen sized bed and full/double sized slats. Yep. I'm sleeping on the couch again tonight.

Case #3

I thought that if I moved into a house I would be rid of weirdo neighbors. Wrong. I was outside a few weeks back and saw the neighbor boy go out onto the backporch in a pair of shorts with a towel slung over his shoulder while he rigged up sheets like a fort and then stood there behind his fort with the water hose running on his head. It took me a minute to realize he wasn't just cooling off...he was taking a shower.