Look Out Below!

Sometimes I am afraid that my upstairs neighbor is going to drop a heavy object one too many times and it's going to come crashing down on my head. I really hope that there is a lot of buffer between her falling hammer and my side of the ceiling. The noise alone can be especially startling when it's been fairly quiet up above. I guess I'll take the occasional THUD to the noise made when she's training elephants to dance. Some may say that it's simply a dog running across the apartment but I am pretty sure they're working on the quickstep or lindy hop.



Loves.

Farmer's Tan Not Desired

I had a moment of shock the other day when the temperature started to hover around the high eighties. I went to get dressed and noticed that I have very few tank tops. Didn't I realize that I was moving to a city that is hot more often than it is rainy in Seattle? How could I not have done a wardrobe inventory before I got to spring and summer?

As a result I have been eying sale prices on tank tops and am slowly acquiring summer wear. Hopefully by fall I'll be ready. Otherwise I'm living in my bathing suit at the pool.


Loves.

Biking In The Redwoods

The new rec center at school has finally opened. When I registered and applied to CSUB the rec center was scheduled to open early fall 2008. Then it rained so they pushed it back to January. Then in January it was obvious that it still was not finished, yet there was no new grand opening date set. So we all waited and did a little grumbling. I am sure that you can imagine how excited the campus was when the doors were officially opened April 30th.

I didn't get over for the grand opening but I was there a few days after. The only reason to have gone to the grand opening would have been for the free smoothie samples. But by waiting to go over I was not having to hunt for a free machine or be a work-out model for those touring the facilities.

The rec center is wonderful and I can forgive the delay in opening because of that. When you first walk in you are greeted by the rock walls. There is one giant one and two curved ones. There are also three indoor basketball courts with a suspended three lane track circling above them. There are a ton of cardio machines that have plug ins to listen to one of the many tvs on the tv tower. Very cool!

My current favorite feature is the stationary bikes because they are a step above your typical bike machine. These have tv screens that show the trail or path that you are biking and handlebars to steer. I am able to bike 2 miles through the redwoods with the benefit of air conditioning.



I am hoping to try out one of the many classes they offer sometime this week. Maybe bellydancing.
Loves.

I Have A Garden

I decided that if I am going to be hanging out on my patio it should be pretty. That and I was tired of looking out my window to nothing. To remedy this outdoor blandness I went to Target and Wal*Mart to get supplies. Here is what I created on my day off this week. Actually, I created a mess as well but decided to clean that up before the photos.


Yep, that is Shasta's old water bowl.




I find sitting out on my patio in my lawn chair to read much more appealing now. Even on hot days I get the shade and breeze to keep it from being too warm to enjoy being outside. The other day I spend nearly my entire afternoon out there lost in my book.
Loves.

Chickens & Kool-Aid

Last Wednesday my social psychology class participated in a flashmob. A flashmob is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse. For our flashmob we walked down to the Marketplace (where my Vons is) and at exactly 3:30 we all walked around the fountain twice while clucking and flapping our "wings" like chickens. After our second lap we all layed eggs then dispersed. It was so silly and fun that I kept giggling the entire time. It's surprisingly easy to cluck while giggling. When we got to the Marketplace there were some kids playing around the fountain while their moms watched from a few benches in the shade. When we started our chicken act the moms kind of got worried and I could hear them calling over their kids, "come stand by mommy!"

I was one of the first few people to start the flashmob and once more of the class got going as chickens the moms seemed less concerned and more confused as to why we were acting like chickens. The older kids were looking at us like we lost our minds and the younger kids we entertained by our actions. About halfway through our first lap a guy who was having lunch with his buddies jumped over a hedge to join in with us. He joined in at the end of one of the two mini-congaish lines and was so into it that I lost control of my giggles. He was doing a chicken head bob and flapping in the most exaggerated way. We all were talking about it afterwards, he totally rocked. After we layed our eggs we dispersed and I happened to walk by where the kids were standing and I heard one of the younger ones say to her friend, "I wonder why they weren't cows..." As if the flashmob hadn't been funny enough already.

I am hoping to get some video or photos because I sadly forgot to grab my camera and left it on the back of the couch. Here is a flashmob that was performed in London that also has a chicken theme.



When school was over for me I was approached by two 13ish year old boys just as I was leaving the building. They asked me if I would be willing to participating in a quick survey about spirituality. I wasn't in a hurry to get home so I agreed though I soon wished that I hadn't. Turns out that it wasn't quick, wasn't a real survey, and wasn't about spirituality. It was about Religion.

Them, first question: What's your religion?
Me: I consider myself spiritual, not religious.
Them: So you believe in God then?
Me: Um, (wondering how I said anything about God in those 6 words) I believe that there is some sort of higher being.
Them: Who is Jesus?
Me: Well according to what I learned growing up...[enter cliff notes version of Jesus here] (I so wanted to say he's some kid I went to High School with, not sure what he's up to now though)
...Here's where it gets fun...
Them: Are you a sinner?
Me: Sure. (long pause, they start to shift away from me) There are lots of things that are considered "sins". Heck, little white lies about loving someone's new shoes are lies, thus sins.
Them: Do you believe in Heaven and Hell?
Me: Well I don't believe that death is the end. I believe that our souls go somewhere afterwards so if that means Heaven or Hell then I believe in them. (I want to come back as a cat)
Them: If you were to die now would you go to Heaven or Hell?
Me: If those are my options, Heaven.
Them: (quoting the Bible) But those who sinned don't go to Heaven...
Me: So?
It continues for quite some time more. Me forcing myself to be polite and censor my answers and them asking more weighted questions. Didn't want to scare the kids too much by telling them I don't think homosexuality is a sin.
Them, final question: Are you willing to die for Jesus?
Me: Holy crap! They've got kool-aid!

Happy Mother's Day!

Love you!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

A couple of weeks ago Mike and Lauren came over for a quick visit. Wednesday night at about 10:30 I got a text message asking if I was still awake (uh, duh, that's early) and if I would want some company the next day. Always up for visits, especially when I don't have a for sure shift or school, I said I would love to see them. I did have a call-in but if they used me I would still be done by the time they'd get into town. Thursday afternoon Mike and Lauren arrived and we were able to catch up over lunch at Johnny Rockets. I love the nickel jukeboxes.

I gave them the 5 minute tour of campus and we drove around town. After hitting up happy hour at Sonic that is. Mmmm...strawberry limeade. While driving around we went hunting for Rabobank arena and the ballpark that the Bakersfield Blaze play at. The Blaze are one of the Texas Ranger's minor league teams. Fun fact: Mike Piazza played for the Blaze when it was a feeder team for the Dodgers. We found the arena (mainly do to my amazing skills at following arrows on signs) along with quite a few cool looking buildings in what is obviously classic Bakersfield. Despite three of us in the car we (ok, I) managed to get lost and ended up finding a creative route home.

We hung out for a while back at my apartment and got directions to the ballpark to drive over to Thirsty Thursday. On the way we took a few trips around the round-a-bout because I forgot the next step in the directions. Whee! The Blaze have various promotions to up attendance and Thursday nights they offer $1 drinks (cheap beer and soda) through the fifth inning. Good idea considering that there are two colleges in town. The game was good, lots of big hits and the Blaze won 6-5. While Mike was really into the game Lauren and I got really into picking out the hot guys. (#s 5, 6, 18, and 32)

After the game we went over to BJ's Brewhouse for dinner. Mike suggested it early in the day because he wanted to try the root beer that they brew. Which, if you were wondering, is delish! This time I managed to leave room for dessert so Lauren and I shared a pizookie. I have no words to describe just how amazing this dessert is. As yummy as it sounds, it is even better. A fresh baked giant cookie with two scoops of ice cream stacked on top. Ah-mae-zing!


By the time we finished dinner it was pretty late (we got to BJ's a little after 10) so Lauren and Mike stayed over rather than drive back that night. This sofa couch has gotten a lot of use. Friday morning I woke up early to see if they were using my call-in that morning. I was hoping that they wouldn't so that I would not have to kick Mike and Lauren out early. Luckily, they did not end up needing to use my call-in. That morning we decided to go by the mall, because I never get over to the mall. Ha. After checking out the more exciting stores we had a quick lunch before Mike and Lauren had to leave to make home in time for league bowling. Which meant that I had most of my day to make flashcards for my class. Fun.
Loves.