Jackpot!

I found a whole arsenal of chamomile tea in my kitchen cabinet tonight .. I guess I had put it there once and forgot all about it.

I see better sleep in my future!

My bruises are nearly solid black now and I'm not limping anymore ... and no more crawling up and sliding down the stairs.

My toe, however, is all sorts of disgusting and still very sore. I managed to get the polish off so now I can see the damage and it sucks. I'll spare the gory details but I'm guessing the nail will either quit growing completely or fall off.

I would photograph but I don't want to make anyone sick.

Do you love my new header for my blog?

Wonderful Paulie made it for me, andI love it! There's Tokyo in the background .. doesn't that look like a cool place to be? =D

Absolutely nothing.

War.

Like the old song says, what is it good for?

Absolutely nothing, indeed.

I ran across this website full of photos of what's really going on in Lebanon.

Do NOT go to that site if you cannot handle it. It's not for the weak.

I don't have tv, so I don't know if this is what they are showing on the news or not. Dead babies? The bodies of civilians ripped to shreds? Let's not even get started on the animal suffering, which hurts my heart to no end.

I interviewed a professor this week who has just returned from a month long trip to Lebanon (where years ago he attended college), and he met with officials to discuss the happenings. He's Armenian and very opposed to what is going on. On Tuesday evening at 7pm he's going to give a lecture on campus as to what's actually happening so that people can understand it all in layman's terms. I would love to attend but I have class that evening unfortunately, a class I cannot afford to miss.

I may not understand all that's going on, but I do know deep down that it is wrong.

No matter what religion, what creed, what walk of life you might be from, it's WRONG.

I want to know what world leaders would put their own children or families in this type of situation. The Bush twins? I think not. Tony Blair's spawn? I'm sure he wouldn't approve of that.

When the only countries approving of this atrocity are Israel, England, and the United States, that is very frightening.

I spoke to my Philosophy professor about this and he gave the analogy, "Can you imagine if Canada suddenly had these weapons set up and attacked us with this type of force? What would we do? *Could* that ever happen?" He said it couldn't, but what if it did?

What if someday, everyone became such enemies as this?

I want this to end.

I don't care if you are protozoa or have climbed your way to the top of the food chain.

This isn't the way living beings should treat each other.

This isn't what life is about.

I hurt all over.

I have a whole new kind of respect for disabled people.

Last night I couldn't climb my own stairs or even bend to sit down and soak in my bathtub.

I sat and slid one by one down the stairs (which I'm sure looked so stupid, but luckily nobody saw), and then crawled back up them.

Tonight I limped around all night at work and found my knee buckling a lot.

I'm going to try really hard to sit in the tub tonight so I can soak in some epsom salt.

My bruises have gone from purple to almost black, so at least I guess they are healing.

But my toe .. holy shit, it hurts so bad!

I can't stand to hardly think about it for very long let alone look at it or touch it. It's going to be a few days before I can deal with it properly I think.

*UPDATE*

Ahhh. I made it into the bath. Epsom salt is heaven! That stuff works gooooooood.

Because I can.

Feel free to copy and use on your own blog. People love reading this kind of stuff .. why? I dunno.

1. What time did you really get up this morning? Alarm was set for 7 but I didn't get up til 9 a.m.

2. Diamonds or pearls? Neither. I'm not big into jewelry unless it's the stuff from like Claire's or something. I lose things too easily.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Ice Age 2

4. What is your favorite T.V. show? Hell's Kitchen and Prison Break

5. What did you have for breakfast? a few spoonfuls of yogurt, a swig of milk, and a piece of string cheese. I was too rushed to have cereal, my usual.

6.What is your middle name? Renee.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Middle Eastern (falafel), Chinese, or Mexican. Actually, I never really met a cuisine I didn't like.

8. What foods do you dislike? I'm not into red meat.

9. What is your favorite Potato chip? Salt & Vinegar.

10. What is your favorite tape/DVD at the moment? At the moment, Walk the Line. Of all time, Pulp Fiction.

11. What kind of car do you drive? 2000 Chevrolet Metro.

12. What is your favorite sandwich? Veggie Delite from Subway.

13. What characteristics do you despise? Intolerance, lying, stupidity.

14. Favorite item of clothing? Anything comfy .. tshirts, yoga pants, boxer shorts ..

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you be ? I can only pick one? hmmm, Tokyo.

16. What color is your bathroom? Hmm, it doesn't really have its own color yet. I intend to work on that later.

17. Favorite brand of clothing? I'm not really brand-conscious ..

18. Where would you want to retire to? Costa Rica.

19. Favorite time of day? I'm a night person.

20. Where were you born? Augusta, GA.

21. Favorite sport to watch? Baseball, or football with Paulie, or as we call it "soccer."

22. Who do you least expect to send this back? This isn't by email, but feel free to use it anyway. I don't care.

23. Person you expect to send it back first? See answer to #22.

24. What type of detergent do you use? Purex.

25. Coke or Pepsi? Coke.

26. Are you a morning person or night owl? Night owl.

27. What size shoe do you wear? 9.5

28. Do you have pets? Not right now.

29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with everybody? Hmm, I fell and busted my ass yesterday and I have the biggest bruise ever on my upper right thigh. It's like softball sized. It hurts.

30. What did you want to be when you were little? A majorette. Yeah, I had big dreams.

31. Favorite Candy Bar? Don't really have one ..

32. What's your best childhood memory? hmm. My Papaw.

33. What are the different jobs you have had in your life? jesus, where shall we start. I think I published a post about it here if you really want to know.

34. What color underwear are you wearing? Orange. But don't worry, it's a nice shade, not a oh-my-god-how-ugly shade.

35. Nicknames: Stef, moopie, poopie, booey, baby, sweetie (those are only from Paulie =D)

36. Piercing? Ears.

37. Eye color? Blue.

38. Ever been to Africa? Not yet.

39. Ever been toilet papered? Hellz no.

40. Ever Loved someone so much it made you cry? Sure.

41. Been in a car accident? I have.

42. Croutons or bacon bits? Both.

43. Favorite day of the week? Any day where I can sleep in.

44. Favorite restaurant? Depends on where I am .. Applebee's, Blue Danube, the falafel stands in Amsterdam, anything Chinese .. etc.

45. Favorite flower? Sunflowers.

46. Favorite ice cream? Vanilla.

47. Disney or Warner Brothers? I don't really care .. Disney I guess.

48. Favorite fast food restaurant? Subway if I'm being good, KFC if I'm being bad.

49. What color is your bedroom carpet? it's sort of a brown, cream, tan mix.

50. How many times did you fail your driver's test? Almost once, but I started to tear up so the officer gave me one more chance.

51. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail? My Dad.

52. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I don't have a credit card, and I could never choose just one store. Steve & Barry's, Old Navy, Bath & Body Works, amazon.com, McKay's Used Books in Knoxville .. god, the list could go on and on.

53. What do you do most often when you are bored? Sleep, surf the internet, whatever. I don't really have much time to be bored.

55. Who are you most curious about their responses to this questionnaire? I'm not curious.

56. Last person you went to dinner with? the people that I work with, we went to Bob Evans.

57. Ford or Chevy? Chevy.

58. What are you listening to right now? Paulie =D

59. What person have you learned the most about life from? Myself.

Nice.

I think this is my best score yet on Bookworm.

My bruises must be getting better.

Major Ouch.

I was leaving art history class today and descending a flight of wooden stairs about to leave the building .. and ..

I fell.

The first time I've fallen in quite a long time, not counting those creepy dreams I have that make me jerk back into conciousness.

I didn't just fall because of my own klutziness (for once, last time I fell it was when I worked at Taco Bell .. my ass met a freshly mopped floor and I popped both arms out of socket) .. this time I slipped on some spilled Mt. Dew.

My feet flew out from under me so fast I didn't know what had hit me.

I landed with my left leg bent under my ass, and my flip-flop about 4 stairs behind me.

It took me about 5 minutes to straighten my left leg so I could stand, after I muttered quite a few expletives.

People from my class surrounded me, asking over and over, "Are you ok?!"

A hand reached out to helped me stand ..

I said, "Yes, I just need to walk it off .. "

As I was trying unsuccessfully to walk it off, I noticed blood coming from the top of my flip-flop ..

then, suddenly, a pool of blood .. spilling onto the floor.

Disgustingly, I realized it was coming from my toenail =( I had torn it ...

I immediately started shaking at the sight of the puddle of blood and had to sit down.

I now have a bruise on both buttcheeks, my upper right thigh, behind my right shin, and the top of my left foot is skinned. Three toes on my left foot are scraped, and my left ankle and shin are sore to touch and I'm sure will be black by morning. My toe is bandaged and even though I've cleaned it, I'm terrified to remove my toenail polish and see what's actually happened and where it's torn.

But most of all, it was my pride that was bruised. I felt this huge feeling of shame and embarrassment ..

Why though? It was the spilled Mt. Dew's fault. It wasn't my fault.

There was a nurse in the class who bent to look at my toe up close and personal, which made me extremely uncomfy. That's my toes, y'know? I don't want my classmate all up in my toes .. nurse or not.

and it's strange that everyone saw my blood in a fairly nice sized quantity.

I told everyone thank you (I think, I might've missed a few people but I'll tell them tomorrow), and that we'd make a point in class to marvel at all the pretty bruise colors I develop overnight.

From now on in that particular building, ELEVATOR.

The stairs are this beautiful, nice-to-look-at shiny wood. Slick as fuck and it's impossible to tell when it's wet or dry. I'm not the first person to fall there, and I just am really thankful it wasn't an elderly person or my art history professor that fell, because that would have been so much more detrimental.

Tomorrow the vice-president of the university is supposed to check on me with a phone call, since security came and we had to fill out an incident report and all .. y'know, in case I wanted to sue. Which I would never ..

But I plan to tell him that wooden stairs are a terrible idea. They have no grip and they are so sparkling shiny. Someone could be seriously injured on them, much worse than I was.

I couldn't bear to see that happen.

Oops.

Make Einstein say what you want him to say with this Einstein Chalkboard Generator

As you can see, I had fun with it today.

Ha.

What words can YOU make while playing Bookworm? =D

Love is a burning thing ..

I just watched Walk the Line.

All I can say is ... wow.

It's been a long time since I enjoyed a movie *this* much.

I've listened to Johnny Cash now for a while .. well, more than a while. I have heard his songs all my life but didn't really come to enjoy his music and respect him until a few years before he died.

This movie just brings a whole new kind of respect.

I had NO idea until now what kind of tragedies he went through in his life. When I pictured Johnny and June all these years, I just pictured this blissfully happy, wonderfully talented couple who toured around blessing the world with their music. And, yes ... that's all true .. but .. so much happened up until that point.

I had NO earthly idea how he was raised, how badly he was treated by his family, how he had another wife before June, how he nearly destroyed himself ... I just didn't know.

I'm glad I know now. This movie made me feel the Folsom Prison Blues, but by the end I was laughing and crying at the same time.

Joaquin Phoenix makes a fine, fine Johnny Cash. Very believable.

This is a movie I could watch again and again. I walk the line, too, Mr. Cash.

Now, where can I get the above picture in poster size?

* * *

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I walk the line

I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day is through
Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you
Because you're mine, I walk the line

As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I've known proves that it's right
Because you're mine, I walk the line

You've got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can't hide
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide
Because you're mine, I walk the line

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I walk the line

Eavesdropping in a Crowd.

Snippets of random conversations I overheard in my ethics class this evening:

" .. go, go, go!"

" .. do you ever watch that show on A&E?"

" .. See, I don't have periods anymore .. "

" .. I went to him and asked how can I make this better?"

" .. See, they move independently, so I refuse to wear them because they smack me in the face."

" .. I found out last night, I'm going to learn Japanese .. "

" .. her Glamour Shots were horrible .. "

" .. see, he really loves horses .. "

" .. do you sleep with him?"

* * *

It's a grueling 4 hour long class with only a 10 minute break, so I have to amuse myself somehow. I have no idea how these conversations began or where they led, but I enjoyed jotting down the bits & pieces, just for fun.

I learned that people say "see" alot.

I was deeply saddened to hear Glamour Shots still exist. I thought life had evolved past that horrid craze. I guess I was wrong.

*tear*

Lookie!

For one very brief, bright shining moment, I was listed on the daily top voted blogs on Blogmad.

whoo.

I had to join the ranks and make a screenshot of this most memorable moment, as I've seen others doing.

Luckily I did it just in time too, because lo and behold, when I refreshed my screen, my (pen)name was GONE.

oMg! w00t! L0llerc0asters!!!!!!111. {{{hugs}}}

Ok, I'm done.

Watch Super Size Me.

Now you can watch it. Online. Free.

Super Size Me .. the full length documentary. Watch it here.

You'll feel your arteries clogging up just by seeing what this poor guy puts himself through, eating McDonald's every day for a month, experimentally, to see how his body will respond .. and to prove to the overweight and potentially overweight masses that eating crap will wreck you, and fast.

You may think twice about ever eating that way again.

The changes he experiences are astounding.

Pro & Con.

What's cool and uncool about my new job:

Closes at 10.

The risk of losing a finger in the meat slicer.

I'm sure the uncool one needs no introduction.

Blaze. Scorch. Sear.

It's so damn hot here, zookeepers are feeding popsicles to the monkeys so they can stay cool.

I would kinda like to see that, actually =D

Afterboob.

At my job at the university, I write press releases regarding events around campus, exceptional professors and students, things like that.

Last week I wrote a release about a garden the kids of the local kids learning center are working on. They were excited because they are just now harvesting the vegetables that they started growing in the spring.

I contacted the class instructor, and she provided me with great tales about the garden and the class, and also great quotes I could use in my story.

I asked her if this was going to be a class offered year after year.

"The class I taught was an enrichment class. And since I worked there, it was no problem for me to be there in the afterboob. Since I no longer work there, scheduling it might be difficult."

hahaha, what was SHE thinking about?!

Freud would have a field day.

Unfortunate Company urls.

1. A site called ‘Who Represents‘ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name… wait for it… is
www.whorepresents.com

2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at
www.expertsexchange.com

3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at
www.penisland.net

4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at
www.therapistfinder.com

5. Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company…
www.powergenitalia.com

6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:
www.molestationnursery.com

7. If you’re looking for computer software, there’s always
www.ipanywhere.com

8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website is
www.cummingfirst.com

9. Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers, and their whacky website:
www.speedofart.com

10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at
www.gotahoe.com

There are other posts about clueless businesses here.

*borrowed from this site ..

The happiest place on earth.

And nope, it's not Disney World, surprisingly ..

It's Vanuatu, a South Pacific ocean archipelago. The happiest country on Earth.

This study was done to see how countries rank against each other in terms of measuring people's well-being and their impact on the environment.

I hope people don't catch word of this and go flocking there to fuck it all up. According to the study, Vanuatu is not consumer-driven, and it is full of people who just like to enjoy life and have happy times with their friends and families.

So, if you're thinking of crashing their party, please .. don't. Heavens on Earth are rare.

If you want to see where some other countries rank, here's the article.

I found this part interesting ..

"... we might better achieve long and happy lives for all, whilst living within our environmental means," he said, according to British daily The Guardian.

Nawwww, really?! Who woulda thunk it ..

America didn't do so well. Hmm.

Words per minute.

How fast can you type?

This site can tell you.

The highest I got was 109.29 wpm with 2 mistakes.

In high school, I typed 120 per minute.

I'm slipping.

A vegetarian saves 95 lives a year.

Balance.

I guess this has been around for a while .. kinda interesting.

Sometimes when I dream, people look and move around like that. Not really creepy, but with wide eyes, expressionless and sometimes featureless faces, and twitchy movements.