Mass Transit Hysteria

I ride the bus because, surprisingly, I enjoy not owning a car. Oh sure, there are those times when I just need to pick up some cat litter and a 30 pound bag of food, and it's raining, and I want to do it in less than 2 hours. But for the most part the joys of not having to worry about insurance, gas, parking and traffic far outweigh the inconveniences of bus travel. Except for days like today...

A man gets on the bus and calls his mother on his cell phone, and proceeds to tell her all about some guy he knows and his medical problems, in the loudest voice possible. And he says "you know" at least 50 times during the conversation, and that tally is after I started counting. Then, as he's getting off the bus, "Okay, I gotta go now, I'm getting off the bus." What!?! Get off your effing phone before you get on the bus. Luckily he was transferring to the same bus as me, and I got to hear all about his friend again, this time as he relayed it to his brother.

This has been happening more and more lately. People talking on phones, carrying on extremely loud and inappropriate conversations, making out in the seat behind me, listening to headphones at a volume at which the entire bus can enjoy. If there's thing I love after a long day, it's riding home to the sounds of 16 year-olds sucking each others' faces off. And Everyone else, in what I'm beginning to discover is true Seattle fashion, just sits there, occasionally glaring in passive aggressive silence.

I think it may be time for that scooter I've been dreaming about. Donations accepted.

Ta Dah

What do you think of that? Three posts in 2 days?!? Huh? HUH?!? I feel some sort of groove emerging.

Best Laid Plans

I went home last night thinking I was going to get so much done. I was going to be so productive. I stopped at the library to pick up my languishing copy of Battlestar Galactica before they took it away from me, then walked home, enjoying every voyeuristic peep into cheerfully lit up houses. I made my dinner, and was just settling down to pay some bills, write some very overdue cards, maybe organize a bit or fold some clothes; when Nikki called. Now in her defense she was only returning my call from earlier. But there went the evening. Much gabbing and giggling ensued. And I have to say, I don't feel quite as guilty about procrastinating if it's done in the name of catching up with a very, dear friend. And bonus... new baby pics!





















What a mitten!

Breaking News...Woman Arrested Breaking Police Lines to Get to Her "Mittens"

Well, hello again. Apologies, apologies, excuses, excuses. Seems to be all I'm made of lately. But, there has to be a way around this no internet thing. At least to the end that I post something every once in awhile, maybe not everyday, but certainly more than every other month.

So, I won't bore you with the things I did this summer, mainly because all I did was study and obsess, and most of you have had your fill of that. Instead I will regale you of the tale of the standoff across the street. That's right...a standoff!

Carrie was just driving me home from dinner at her and Trish's place when we turned onto 15th and were greeted with a police blockade just north of my house. Holy crap! I got out and asked the policeman if I could get through, and did he know how long it would take. Both questions were met with a rather curt and altogether unhelpful "no". At this point I got a little panicky, I didn't know what was going on, or even where it was going on and all I could think of was, my poor baby mittens! So, I told Carrie to drive down the back way, and maybe I could get through there. But, when we turned down the block, there were at least five news vans and the SWAT team and Carrie says, "Um, I think this a little bigger than you think." We asked a newsguy what was going on, and thankfully he was a bit more forthcoming than a certain member of Seattle's finest.

It turned out to be some sort of domestic dispute that erupted into a guy waving a gun around. He then locked himself in his apartment, hence the standoff. It also turns out that after "flash bangs", and SWAT teams, and news reporters, the guy wasn't even in his apartment. I feel safer already. Thanks SPD, you guys are great!

Breaking news from the Midwest...

Emergency cactus spine removal.

We were sitting outside enjoying the Nebraska, August evening when a fat, little toad hopped into our party. Being the city girl I am, I jumped up to take a picture, frightening the toad, who then jumped into the nearest cactus to hide. And there he sat, with spines in his mouth, flailing about and injuring himself further. Until my stepsister, Daniela flew in to the rescue, snatching the toad from the evil clutches of said cactus. I ran in the house, grabbed my tweezers, and we had ourselves a makeshift vet clinic, operating room. Poor little guy had spines stuck in his face, feet, belly and even his eyes. But when all was said and done, he hopped off into the sunset, not too much the worse for wear.

You're Saying Glenn Beck Isn't An Arrogant #&%@?

Here's a great video clip of Glenn Beck defending his current freak out on Bill O'reilly's show. You know there's something wrong with you when Bill O'reilly is mocking you.

http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/glenn-beck-defends-his-radio-show-freakout

Thanks to Jon for the heads up!

Material Wealth

Christy and I were talking the other day about how being thrifty can make a person, to use her words, shriveled. How being ungenerous with ourselves can make us ungenerous with others. This was in reference to (perhaps justification for) me wanting to splurge on a new hardcover of an author I've never read. It was just one of those books that I felt I needed to have. I think the last time I bought an unknown author (to me) in hardcover, was A.L. Kennedy's Everything You Need, and that was 2001. Of course that's not to say I haven't bought loads of other new hardcovers by people I have read, but it always feels like more of a risk, more of a splurge, with the unknown. In an effort to be more generous with myself, and in consequence, all of you, I bought the book. So, you're welcome.

It's Come to This

I'm at the point where I have studied so much, taken so many practice tests, worked through so many problem sets; that I am starting to see the same questions popping up in various different study guides. The question I would like answered is; why, if I've seen these question before, even answered them correctly before, I just got my worst practice test score on a test I have actually already taken?

And Here's a Lolcat to Keep You Interested

This is how the studying makes me feel...
...you know, if I were a cat.

This One Goes Out to Carrie Glover

Blech, blech, blech. And a ho hum for good measure. I know, I know. My blog is unbelievably boring at this juncture. Most of you probably aren't even checking it anymore. But I promise, be steadfast. The posts will become more frequent and more interesting on Sunday, September 27th.