The Girl in the Other Room

My first tag...

2008-09-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

Both Tian and Devry have tagged me. Oh, and it's Lester's fault too since she started the funny business. Actually I am overjoyed at writing this because it's a list and anyone who knows me will attest that I am INSANELY into lists.

i am - not the best at attending baby and bridal showers.

i think - pro sports is overrated.

i know - how to make people feel at ease.

i want - to swab my ears out everyday even though it will make me deaf.

i have - a delusion about how tall I am.

i wish - for three more wishes. Duh.

i hate - the seemingly permanent kink in my neck.

i miss - La Dolcezza, the fall, getting excited about Christmas.

i fear - being single forever...and....partially eaten by wild dogs.

i feel - anxious about my financial future.

i hear - my mom's voice inside my head.

i smell - the gluey copy machine smell of my office.

i search - for a way to eat what I want sans consequences.

i wonder - why people don't rollerskate anymore.

i regret - spending so much time switching my major in college.

i love - going to the movies in the middle of the day, reading, a clean bathroom.

i care - about women's rights in the middle east.

i always - check my email, lock the door, make my bed.

i am not - assertive or good at math.

i believe - that most people are good.

i dance - in the car.

i sing - everytime it's an Indigo Girls song.

i don't always - say morning prayers.

i write - and then refuse to re-write.

i win - if we're playing Dr. Mario.

i lose - too much hair in the shower, it's already getting thin!

i never - feel confident enough.

i listen - too seldom.

i can usually be found - at Toad's.

i'm scared - of SCORPIONS!

i read - novels and more novels and the occasional newspaper.

i'm happy about - my new shoes that cost me 20 bucks.

Now I'm supposed to tag more people (LD you're it!) but the people that I really want to tag claim that they aren't bloggers. Hmph. Instead I command Isabellarchery and Craig to answer three of the questions in a 'Comment'.

Hair-bobs

2008-08-17T16:40:00.000-07:00

Pamchenko has her own vernacular. It is ingrained in me. For a long time I thought that everybody's mom called hair adornments 'hair-bobs'. Recently Super bought the girls some new 'hairbobs'. They were too fanciful even for my 28 year old self to resist.

There were new earrings to compliment the hair-bobs as well. Roo reported that she chose her earrings because they looked like blobs of frosting. Indeed, why not sweeten one's lobes with something sugary looking. Boo's earrings are pink tulips.

Pie Heaven

2008-07-15T06:48:00.000-07:00

“When you die, if you get a choice between going to regular heaven or pie heaven, choose pie heaven. It might be a trick, but if not…mmmmm, boy!”
Jack Handey

The other day I commented to a friend that I have been trying to break into the pie scene for awhile now. My efforts haven't been entirely in vain and definitely haven't gone unnoticed. Big Daddy has very calmly fielded emails RE: PIE QUESTIONS that begged immediate responses - even though he's very busy and important. And as a Christmas gift LD bought me a membership to the very exclusive Pie of the Month Club. One of the perks of membership is that I receive a monthly post card that has original pie art on one side and a recipe on the other side. At the risk of seeming ungrateful, most of the recipes are too complicated for the likes of me. They call for double boilers and custards and multiple steps and such. But July brought a recipe for Strawberry 7Up pie that I could not resist. The crust and the filling called for generous doses of 7Up and Food that has soda in it gets me all excited!

In the end the pie was a little disappointing. I guess I was expecting more fizziness?

Summer Plans

2008-07-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Summer is a magical time. My memories of childhood summers are so drenched in good nostalgia I can hardly stand it. Unfortunately, I find that as an adult my summer passes in an air conditioned office, in the same way as the rest of the seasons. Come September I will panic, grasp at last moment summery activities, and try to jam as many cobs of corn as I can in my mouth. Today I vow not to let the summer pass me by without a more concerted effort to enjoy it. Here is Heiderhead's List of ways to put more summer in her summer.
1. Take my shoes off and walk around on the hot cement.
2. Eat more produce. Especially watermelon.
3. Spontaneous swimming activities. Despite popular opinion I can be quite spontaneous.
4. Get my neighbors, all retired folks, to play night games with me.
5. Buy Slurpees. Free Slurpee day is this Friday! Ha! Beat you to it LD.
6. Go to a rocking summer concert.

Tidbits and Jealousy

2008-06-25T07:38:00.000-07:00

Tidbits:
Today I noted that my chewed up wad of Extra Spearmint gum was the exact shade of greeen as the post-it note I stuck it to before throwing it out.

Here are some very useful items that Tian brought back from Taiwan. She categorized them as Taiwanese Junk Greatness but I beg to differ. They don't slip nearly as much as their American counterparts and with hearts and polka dots are much more friendly looking.

I recently returned from Pamchenko's family reunion. Yes, I belong to that family too but it was her side. It was very enjoyable depsite the stomach ache that occured as a result of eating too many BYU mint brownies. I'm really glad I decided to go as everyone showed up and I wouldn't want to be known as the 'ungrateful' grandchild. Plus I got to celebrate Tian's birthday and bask in the general silliness of my siblings.

Jealousy:
Tian has a blog. It's way better than mine. You can get there by clicking on her name in my blogger list.

My Brand of Crazy

2008-05-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

The lovely and dark Ms. N came to visit me over the weekend. We had a great time talking. Originally her visit was going to be a camp out (I haven't been camping in Texas yet) but I had a mysterious ankle pain that would have made a trip into the wild unpleasant. As an alternative activity I tentatively suggested the Indian cinema in Irving. Been dying to get out there for some Bollywood but could never find somebody crazy enough to go with me. N. is great at being accomodating and so she and I sat in a darkened Bollywood movie theater watching song and dance in Hindi for four hours. Here is a pic of me and my Indian movie star boyfriend Shahrukh Khan.

Also on Heider's list of must-see Dallas attractions was Central Market.
We bought italian soda in Blood Orange and Pomegranate, challah, french cheese, and Truffle Pig chocolate truffles. Thankfully, N. was appropriately impressed.
We packed our delectable finds and went for a N.'s birthday picnic at White Rock Lake. There would have been birthday cupcakes from Sprinkles but we ate them all the day before.

Sushi works just as well.

"You deserve a longer letter than this; but it is my unhappy fate seldom to treat people so well as they deserve." - Jane Austen

2008-05-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

My beloved sister has returned from her LDS mission in Taiwan. I am overjoyed at the prospect of her visiting me in Dallas next week. As a good sister ought, I wrote to her faithfully and so we should need very little time re-acquainting ourselves. As an homage to her visit and a recap of hilarious tidbits, I plan to include a list of the best sentences she penned during her time in Asia.

Quotes from Holly's letters to her sister Heiderhead -

"Shih asked me to be her boyfriend today because things just aren't working out with the District Leader; I wonder why."

"This is my conclusion, or perhaps thesis: it is because of the pure love of Christ that we have faith, diligence, passion (that is a Holly-Christlike Attribute, not in preach my gospel), courage, obedience, etc."

[In response to her companion's reaction to the arrival of a very long letter from a rougish boy friend]"Anyway, I'm sure it gives him great delight to cause drama 7000 miles away."

"President Hsu for some reason unknown to me has Church-approved kareoke cds. How cool is that? I want that to be my next calling in the church."

"My companion is teaching me Mo li hua, a famous Chinese folk song. I have great urges to dance to it."

"How is Eve doing on her dieting? She never writes me back. Does she still have mold growing in her sinuses. Sometimes I think I have a brain tumor."

"Every girl needs an older brother to buy saucy shoes for them. It is so much better than a boyfriend because you won't break up and then have this memory of them haunting your shoes."

"For everything there is a season and a time under the heaven... and a time to dance..." Sometimes there is time to not be amazing. That is most of the time, so that when we are amazing we can realize it."

Absolution

2008-04-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

I don't even know if absolution is a word. But that's beside the point. This post is, of course, about how I've been a slacker blogger and must be absolved of any guilt that I felt over going three months between posts (minimal) and how much I like hip hop (alot).
So, yes, haven't been blogging. But I have other things to feel guilty about. Serious things. Actually, I feel the need to air my dirt laundry here in this public forum.

Current Sins for which Heiderhead needs to be Absolved:
1. Forgetting my favorite bro-in-law's birthday. He's modest and didn't mention it. AND graciously answered my week late birthday felicitations(another made up word?)phone call.
2. Eating far too many cashews.
3. Secretly thinking I am a much better driver than most of Texas.
4. Avoiding recent social gatherings that would be optimal for networking necessary for facilitation of dating and friendships.
5. Imagining how great it would feel to VIOLENTLY put my Micheal Scott-esque supervisor in his place.
6. Being lustful.
7. Buying more shoes.
8. Preoccupying myself with shallow endeavors like watching the Bachelor on the internet and listening to hip hop.

Hip hop! I am addicted to hip hop. I don't know why. Perhaps becacuse I grew up in Utah, clearly not the most diverse of environs. I never consistently listened to it before moving and so now I am making up for the absence. Whatever. It makes sense that I would like it. It's dancy music and I am a dancy person. Just the way I roll.

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY

2008-01-27T12:28:00.000-08:00

See this movie. It's based on the memoirs of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a french journalist and former editor of french Elle who suffers a debilitating stroke but goes on to write about his experience by learning to communicate with only his left eye. For a proper review you can go here.
The cinematography, the story, and the acting were all wondrous. But be prepared to crave a croissant after. Oh and why do foreign films have all the genuine looking actors and we have to put up with Julia Roberts in film after film?

List of my Current Obsessions

2008-01-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

1. Checking craigslist for apartments that I've no intention of renting.
2. Checking craigslist for shabby chic furniture.
3. Craigslist.
4. Making sure all the blinds in my room are either angled up or angled down.
5. Keeping my nails filed.
6. Puffs tissues.
7. Stretching after each workout.
8. 'Superstar' by Lupe Fiasco.
9. Green beans - delicious.
10. Looking for plane tix to places I can't afford to go.

Too bad I can't be obsessed with 'scripture study' or 'putting money in savings'. So that's that. In other news Pamchenko confessed she had no idea what my blog was called - and could I email her the name of it? Which proves that my mother doesn't read my blog, so get ready for some scandalous posts about my fabulous Dallas nightlife......and some sweary-ness.........and...........a tattoo perhaps?

Y-M-C-Heeeeeey Baby!

2008-01-16T09:33:00.000-08:00

I used to workout at Gold's Gym in Utah. The reason I chose Gold's becomes an increasing mystery to me. Before my mission they tried to scam me out of around 90 bucks and then finagled me into sitting on the phone for over three hours to sort it out. Because I'm a sucker I turned around and bought another membership after my mission. I was seduced by all of their classes that fit into my kickboxing fantasies.
Now I work out at the YMCA. There is no YMCA in Utah. Why is that? It seems that the mormon community would embrace the tenets of the YMCA. Christian brotherhood, family fitness etc., and we pray and "thank the Good Lord for our bodies" after every class.
It has been quite the adjustment going from classes where the conversations were about "like, how many calories have you burned in this class before?" to "girl, I be workin' hard in this class, got Satan all up on my back."
Figure 1

Figure 2

Pretty Poison

2008-01-02T17:02:00.000-08:00

For reasons unbeknownst to me I cannae find this song on itunes. So it must suffice to post the video. I heard it on the freeway the other day and I COULD NOT HELP MYSELF. Had to do a little car dancy.

Parting is such sweet sorrow...unless you make it Ugly

2007-09-30T10:11:00.001-07:00

The ability to make an ugly face is important to me. This makes me somewhat of a critic when taking pictures. Of course, I can smile normally but that's not entertaining. So after the first picture has been taken and it's time for the 'make a face' picture, I really shine. Not only have I a mastered my facial muscles to the point that I have names for my different funny faces ( Dry Heave, Goblin Child, Botox, etc..) but I really respect other people who aren't afraid to be hideous.
That said, this is what I really wanted to write about - The end of my career at WIA. *sniffle* The above picture portrays the best 'funny face' my beloved coworkers could produce. Some are awesome (which raises my esteem for said person) others are, well, lacking. However! That does not mean that each person that I have shared the last two years with at WIA has not impacted me.
In fact, I would like to address each one in this public forum.
Paris,
You will always be taller than me, and perhaps you don't have to work so hard at destructive behaviors to get the public attention but you've always been a proper frenemy. Thanks for all the diet coke, celery sticks and dove to counteract the celery sticks. Oh, and the awesome time on your boat...I mean yacht.

Dear Samoan Princess,
You are the best world's best boss, and I mean that in a non Michael Scott kind of way. I'll miss trying to take you down in the hallway and your wealth of random fitness tidbits. Picture me on a treadmill somewhere in Texas, pounding out one last mile because the monitor hasn't reached all even numbers yet.

Dear Prego,
Thanks for setting me up when I was too lazy to socialize but too lonely to refrain from complaining about it. You know I'll help you paint your house, watch your kids, take a kickboxing class with you ANYTIME. May we continue as Buddha's Feast sisters many long years.

Dear Commuter,
Anytime 'I earned it' I will fondly think of you. As well as anytime I order a fancy drink. You are one of the most thoughtful and sincere people I know. Thanks for always letting me mooch flavor and stain stick from you. I'll keep you posted on any triathalons that we could meet in the middle at.

Dear Karl Marx,
Why doesn't anybody listen to you? At least I do. It's a good thing too because otherwise I wouldn't have a clue about tracking one's temp, grad school, Uworks, and good hair. Also, I passed statistics with the help of your husband. You guys should apply in Texas...just sayin.

Dear Token Male,
Really I can sum up what I have to say to you in one word - sorry. For all of the mistakes I made in Case Managing that you surely don't know about yet. May you continue to provide balance. Oh, and watch out for posting non-authorized flyers in the building. Seems that doesn't go over too well.

Dear Miko,
I apologize to you as well. For all the mistakes I made that you will have to fix. Whatever, I know you won't judge me, and if you do I'll think smugly about you walking around in sweat shop clothes. I hope you love the job. Keep spinning.

And so I lovingly dedicate this post to the staff at WIA. They are saving the world one GED at a time.

Updates...

2007-09-12T09:01:00.000-07:00

WASATCH BACK RELAY
The official team name has been decided: Run More, Eat More. It's more of a mantra I'd say. But I voted for it too so I'm not complaining. La Dolcezza did suggest we name the team Bringin' Wasatch Back, which made me laugh. Clever, clever girl. The registration has been paid in a lump sum and so if you want to secure your place you need to get your money to Pamchenko (Team CAPTAIN!) as soon as possible. For those of you who have not researched the website as previously suggested, you will want to know that if you want to pay and then have to drop out at a later date substitutions are allowed until April.

***

MOVING TO DALLAS
Yes I will be moving to the Lone Star state at the beginning of October. I can't tell you the excitement I feel when I picture myself packing all my worldly belongings into my Civic and heading out...which reminds me, I am in need of some sweet new road trip tunes. Suggestions? Oh, and I copied this from Bexy's blog. HILARIOUS!

***

GRE VOCAB WORD OF THE DAY
Mendacious - adj. Lying; habitually dishonest.

Want to Know Where to PARTY?

2007-09-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

The above heading I copied from the Wasatch Back cross country relay website. For those of you who have not been recruited by Pamchenko or myself - The Wasatch Back is a 176 mile run on backroads from Logan to Park City. Naturally, the feat is accomplished in teams.
And we, my friends, are compiling our team of Running Lunatics.

Like any successful team we need to unify ourselves by choosing a stellar team name. Various emails have been circulating several good suggestions. Unlike other races, you register as a team instead of individually and you cannot register without a team name. If you are planning on running you need to email Pamchenko your vote by this Sunday ( if you need that address leave me a comment) and then she will register the team once the votes are collected. Check out the website. There is extensive information on how much each person runs, elevations, training schedules etc. This race is gonna be crazy! If you aren't sure you can commit (the race isn't until next June) we would still love your input. If you don't vote you can't complain when we decide to call ourselves Team Super Fudge Chunk.

There have been some rumors of appointing a team captian. Indeed, I received a ridiculously long voice mail from Sue expressing concerns over whether she was cut out for the job. Of course Sue would be an ideal captain and I think she should shoulder this resposibility as well as start wearing a viking helmet with horns and braids BUT i don't want her to feel pressure. Besides, Toad insists that they will be in Hawaii during June. Funsucker.

Therefore, I suggest we appoint Pamchenko as team captain - she's a running veteran, benevolent dictator, and most importantly she's committed to bagging this race.

Get Thee to a Bunnery

2007-09-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Today is Bunny's birthday. Besides declaring that she is one of my top people, I should like to share some of my top moments of Bunny history.

- During one of our trips into the Uintas a nasty storm hit us. The first day soaked us to the bone, making the set up of camp a miserable affair. We rushed about trying to get our tent up and find dry places to stash our packs, all the while shivering and snapping at each other in our sopping clothes and gear. Finally, as we climbed into our freezing but dry sleeping bags, Bunny insisted that I reach down and unzip her pants for her as her hands were too frozen for such fine motor movement. I declined at first. But I soon realized that her capacity for piss and vinegar was yet untapped and so I tried to be obliging.

-All the nights she helped me with stats homework and all the Math Curse! phone calls she calmy fielded.

- The first time, while sitting at the kitchen table, she gave me her impromptu rendition of Silverstein's Deadly Eye. Her eyes were as big as saucers, veins popping, and her cheeks were flushed. This talent for oddity has since been immortalized and can make me laugh any place, at any time.

-When she finally gave up speaking proper English and started calling Bangerter, Bangety

-When she ran her first half marathon. I was at the finish waiting to cheer for her and when she came through triumphant and strong I knew I had to do the same. She was inspirational.

-All the times when we were little and she would lay in her bed at night and beg me to come running down the hall and jump on her.

-After her wedding reception she and I stood in our parent's bedroom and talked about how to handle honeymoon anxiety while I helped her unlace the world's tightest corset.

-During See How They Run she would come on stage and say, "Oim Oida!" and everyone backstage would collapse with laughter. Comic genius.

-When I get to see her bossing her class around. "WHY IS THERE ALL THIS TALKING?"

-When, baited to the breaking point, she told Toad to go to hell.

-On a road trip to Denver when I was depressed and broken hearted yet she never gave up on me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Love.

Flight Of The Conchords - Jenny

2007-09-06T10:38:00.001-07:00

"Trust me. I'm a Doctor" aaaaaand FINISHED HALF MARATHON!!

2007-08-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Paranoia is a pretty prevalent symptom amongst not only mental disorders but normal mental fluctuation as well. That said, it makes it easier for me to accept my paranoid ways with less gravitas. Most of the time my subconscious is nursing a little bit of paranoia over what I am consciously sure of as temporary mysterious bodily glitches. I often suspect the presence of stress fractures, swollen glands, west nile and dehydration without consulting a professional (Wikepedia excepting).

HOWEVER, I have secretly thought I had a melanoma buried deep in the delicate tissues of my bottom lip for at least twelve months now. In fact, I can remember quite accurately a day last November when I spent and entire aerobics class alternately bouncing around and wondering how anyone would ever love me once my lip had been removed. This cancer paranoia has persisted all summer egged on by an infrequent throbbing from that general area of my lip. But enough is enough. Yesterday I went to the dermatologist. I sought enlightenment and healing. Or at least validation.

Silly girl.

I got a quick cold-finger probing of my bottom lip followed by a rapid explanation about how dead cells sometimes never heal and then, before I could even ask what that miniature fire extinguisher thingy was used for, a blast of liquid nitrogen on the offending spot. I was told to call in a month if the problem persisted.

Now, a day later, my lip is doubled in size and throbbing like a drum.

***

I may have a fat lip but I finished the half marathon! GO ME! No more training hanging over my head. Thanks are in order. First, to Big Daddy and Lester for coming all the way from Denver to support me and run the race with me. Second to Pamchencko for riding all those miles on her bike and for all the Gatorade and steaks. And lastly 50 Cent, Stereophonics, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beastie Boys for their musical genius.

Alaska Trip Highlights

2007-08-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

Fresh from the airplane we went whale watching.

The sight of the whales was so moving that I had to pontificate to the rest of my tour mates about what a privilege it was to share the water with such mammoth yet benign creatures, at which point I was ridiculed.

We also took a tour of a botanical garden that was planted after a landslide. The hippie-landscape-architect owner decided to leave the upturned trees and use them for planters. The entire tour I kept wishing Big Daddy was with me to marvel at all of the botanical wonders. One of them being lichen which are so rare because they can only grow in very clean environments. Who knew?

I arrived in Juneau during that very special and aromatic time that the salmon spawned. Salmon at this point have stopped eating in order to put all of their energy into preserving the eggs they carry and getting back to the very same spot they were born. They some times get trapped in inlets when the tide goes out. At which point you can catch them with your bare hands.

This is highly illegal. He promptly returned this bloke to it's watery home so it could go on it merry decomposing-from-the-inside-out way.

My favorite part of the trip was a hike we took around Mendenhall Lake

Here:

Up and under the Mendenhall (eat your heart out Dev!) Glacier

Here:

To some blue caves

We also got a great shot of Juneau and the Gastineau Channel from the top of Mt. Roberts.

In closing I would like to thank Pod and Pamchenko for their generosity, myself for finally graduating from college in order to make this trip happen, and the Silverbow Bakery for making such delectable Rhubarb Squares. But mostly I want to thank Babs and the entire ACT Company for being so gracious, friendly and entertaining (ie dramatic) during my stay.

OH and last but not least...

I did see a few bears. This one hung out in a tree and stuck his tongue out at the tourists. I named him George W.

Later Skaters

2007-08-23T19:07:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow night is my last night working at KOTM. Mixed feelings. It has been the best second job I've ever had. Maybe the only second job. For that reason- second jobs suck. You are already knackered from your first eight hours. Then you gotta care about someone/thing else for another four? That's tough for someone as self absorbed as me. I need ME time and this second job eats it all up. But as far as second jobs go this one has been the shizzle. I get to update m'blog, read celebrity gossip, stalk people on face book and finish homework. Sometimes.
Also, I get a good feeling knowing there are high caliber people out there who volunteer on a weekly basis. I sit here at reception and smile at their good deeds, all the while sampling books and music on ebay. Then lock up after they go. It's cush. So cush that two of my coworkers from my day job are duking it out over who gets to inherit my position when I've gone. I should maybe barter with them for the job. Or something. Like that scene in Fever Pitch where Jimmy Fallon ( mmmmm, Jimmy Fallon) makes his mates dance for ball game ticks.

Ode to Sisters

2007-08-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Bunny sent me this picture in an email last week with the following caption. 'These two girls were taking respite in the lounge of a bathroom at a party, the girl in blue suffering from a broken heart and the girl in the red there to comfort. (Her mother made the red dress for her) their cousin shot the picture after stumbling upon them.' Le sigh.

My Sweaty Valentine

2007-08-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

It was a big mistake signing up to run the Hobble Creek Half Marathon. For many reasons. But on my long run last Saturday I found that training isn't all bad. Especially if you have a Running Boyfriend.

I know you think that I am desperate and making this up. More so if you are in my family but my mom and Bunny were there to back up the story. For corroborative details see them. Haters.

Bunny had given her last valiant push past the 3.5 mile mark and then stopped to catch her breath. P. hung back on her bike with Bunny and I, as a last effort at courage for the next three miles, turned up my music. Soon Running Boyfriend, in his athletic prowess caught up with P. and Bunny. Unbeknownst to me, he amicably introduced himself- chatting with them about his training routine and, no doubt, the very flattering view they shared of my backside.

As R.B. caught up to me I only mildly acknowledged his existence. Not because I am coy, but because I long ago converted to the church of realism where sleek, energetic men do not bother to chat up huffing, red-faced wannabes. Also, I was trying to get into the zone to ward off the unavoidable pain and suffering that lay ahead.

But R.B. is persistent. Probably part of his Jedi-Runner training regime. After his first greeting, which I couldn't hear for the music pumping in my ears, he tried again and I was forced to read his lips. He said something to the effect of 'how's it going?'. I grimaced hideously and shouted, 'NOT SO GOOD.' thinking he would be amused as intended and get on his merry lithesome way. BUT NO. He then mouthed something to the effect of 'was I running in the Hobble Creek Half?' I nodded, too tired for words and quite baffled by this cheerful person taking such an interest in my masochistic plans. I kept waiting for him to get back to his normal pace and leave me to my wretchedness. Right when I thought he was going to oblige he turned around to face me and, running backwards at this point, started saying something that I could not hear as he was now about six feet ahead of me. I did, however, manage to catch last sentence about how he had hidden a Gatorade along the trail and would leave part of it for me. ??? With more enthusiasm than I felt, I shouted back that 'I would run to it', at the same time thinking, 'what makes you think I'm even gonna make it that far? Can't you see that I'm a novice? That I don't talk to males unless coerced. Much less engage in camaraderatory drink sharing with 2% body fat charmers!'

Phew, and he was gone. I promptly forgot him as I tried to distract myself by pretending I was a cross-country running Stevie Nicks type character with wild hair and fast shoes.

Unless all of the nuance of this post has been lost on you thus far, I'll say it simply - I am not a serious runner. For a definition of what a serious runner is just go here. You'll get all hype you want in full color. That said, I (in my ignorance) have not given a second thought to properly hydrating my body during my previous training. Indeed, it has been enough of a challenge to get myself from one run to the next without planning how I would stay hydrated. Then again I hadn't really been putting in the miles until lately. I finally stopped to walk just short of six miles because I was light headed and positively desperate for something to drink. So you can imagine my mistaking my body's insistent call for anything liquid for True Love at the sight of an Orange Gatorade bottle place conscientiously in a shady spot at the end of my run. R.B., to my grateful delight, was good for his word. What more can I want in a man?

The Last Frontier

2007-08-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

I was welcomed home from Alaska with an overflowing work inbox and a health hazard kitchen. My roomate's eyes widened in surprise when she insisted that she cleaned and the place was sparkling only two days before.....two days, she promises. Urgh.

But Alaska was fabuloska. My favorite bit was the hike underneath a mammoth glacier to some dripping ice caves. Also, the clouds come down the mountains and envelope the ferny forest to the point that I was sure that Darcy was going to come striding through the mist, coat tails flapping, shirt partially open, to claim me. Then I would never have had to return to my job or disgusting kitchen. I'll post some pics as soon as I get them. Have to. Dev has discreetly informed me that nobody wants to read a blog without pictures.

Babs and I laughed and gossiped and danced and hiked and laughed some more. We are both bruised from multiple falls on the hike. High amounts of rain fall = moss and mold and slime + us not paying attention due to attempted Southern Accents means actual bodily harm.

In closing, I wish to point out the exquisite intelligence of the salmon: they swim back to the exact spot they were born at to spawn. Sometimes extremely far distances. We're talking from Hawaii back to the waters of Juneau. WTH!?! Seriously smart fish. Oh, and I also got teary eyed upon seeing an acutal whale tale during a whale watch. It was magnificent.

2007-07-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

My family is funny. Especially my sis-in-law. When she married Toad I couldn't have been happier. Not only was she friendly and nice, but she pimped a Toyota Supra and she had a huge appetite and she was unabashed when it came to demonstrating the worst french accent known to man. Two nights ago she won my admiration and respect anew when we pulled up to the Iceberg drive-thru.

Crackly Teenage Voice: Welcome to Iceberg, can I take your order?

Super: Yes, I would like a mocha shake with cookie dough and brownies and....uh....heh ( laughter and awe issue from the passenger and back seats) and...shhhh..oh, oreos....(louder laughter throughout the vehicle, as she gestures for quiet)...and, and I want extra oreos.

Crackly Teenage Voice: (bored, disbelief) Yeeeeeahhh. Could you repeat that?

"Food, glorious food! Hot sausage and mustard!"

2007-07-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today La Dolcezza thinks I am going to blog about her witty gmail chats. But I must refrain because, while they are very entertaining, the humor is at the expense of others and this is a HATE FREE blog 'yo. *Careful not to offend LD as she is my only reader.
Just kidding, actually I am as much a fan of the macabre as the next 'Office' lover but I wanted to say something else tonight. And that something else is this: that I love good produce.

No really, you know you are a foodie when you pass a gorgeous cherry tree on your morning run just laden (almost in the biblical sense, although I don't really know what that means) with luscious red gems and you contemplate stopping to sample the goods.

This happened to me the other day. Plus, I can't seem to get enough of the 'delights of the season'. Cherries, melons, mangoes, limes- I want lime on everything. And fresh corn on the cob. I don't even need butter, just one golden line after another. Also, I could hang a bunch of cilantro from my rear view I like the smell that much.

Lastly, I confess, to having eaten an entire bag of fresh peas on the freeway going to work today.

You don't have to read everyday, only on the days you eat.

2007-07-26T18:01:00.001-07:00

I read a lot. I love to read. Too bad reading doesn’t burn more calories.
And in the summer I read twice as much as normal. Sometimes I save especially juicy tomes for the lazy summer twilight.
Often I pontificate on how much I would like a job where my only duty was to read. The problem is that most jobs of this sort require extensive writing as well. I hate writing. If there was a math problem (also something I hate) that could lay out the degree to which I enjoy reading and how much I loathe writing I’d say they would be about proportionate. But I digress.
Show me a job that will pay for me to read something and then give an uneducated, opinionated, short vocal recap and I would send my resume directly. Sadly, nobody wants to pay me for my non-textual brief opinions and so I must live out my career aspirations here on my blog.

Thus, I give you my summer reading list (sans Harry Potter as you’ve been there done that):

Wizard of Earthsea, The Farthest Shore, The Tombs of Atuan – Ursula K. Le Guin
Funny that this was my first taste of Le Guin. She’s been around for ages and I’ve been reading fantasy for ages but we’d yet to meet up. I’m so glad we did. I like fantasy as long as it is not overly romantic and Le Guin is certainly not gratuitous with the romance. She is what I call a Philantasy author. Just the right mix of philosophy added to keep us all on the space shuttle.

Reviving Ophelia – Mary Pipher
Oh seriously, don’t get me started. See below. See above.

Starving Girls, Perfect Daughters – Courtney E. Martin
I dedicated an entire blog post to my feelings (uneducated as they may be) on this book/phenomenon.

The Bookseller of Kabul – Asne Seierstad
This was a summer re-read. I can never get enough of this book. Seierstad is bloody brilliant and her book is honest without being robotic. I strongly recommend this book for anybody wondering where to start with “The Middle East”.

The Jane Austen Book Club – Karen Joy Fowler
On my reading list for two years now, JABC was a little disappointing. I think it was because the book was more serious than I was expecting. Fowler’s characters did parallel Austen’s but Fowler chose to mirror the less amiable traits. And where was Mr. Collins? Or the Bates’?

Sickened: The Memoir of a Munchausen’s By Proxy Childhood – Julie Gregory
This book is like gawking at a car wreck. The depth of human dementia in parts of it is unbelievably grotesque yet so real that you must keep reading. Plus Gregory is a brilliant and honest writer.

Beneath A Marbled Sky – John Shors
I couldn’t finish. Maybe because it is a male author writing a female heroine. I have ‘views’ about that. It wasn’t just his main character that was lacking, he went overboard with the adjectives he suspected were needed in order to describe the vibrancy of life in India. I wanted to shout, “I get it! The bazaar was colorful and lively, can we move it along?” And this coming from a wholehearted India fanatic. Pass on this one.

The Things They Carried – Tim O’Brien
Oh wretched and good. Upon opening the book I could feel the gloom and doom of war. Perhaps this was only because I knew it was about Vietnam and have an especial disgust for that part of American history. Wog was the last to read it, indeed tis her book, and her notes are in the margins. It was a strange experience to read a book and then listen to her inner commentary as if I had a supernatural radio.

2007-07-17T09:39:00.000-07:00

Fashion Trends a Gal can Work With:

The Tousled/Bed Head

Admittedly, this look requires a bit more than rolling out of bed and into the office. If you’re a gal with more oil in your skin you could end up looking like Wormtongue on LOTR but if you’re me and have dry skin and hair or live in an arrid climate, you can be cutting edge with minimal work. For once, the fashion world pulls through for me.

The Mammoth Bag

This trend has transformed me from a semi-homeless looking person ( gym bag, lunch bag, book bag, purse) to a Fashionista. Now I can throw all of my bags into one giant brownish-blackish-fringy thing.

Black Fingernail Polish

This trend hails from the Goth/Emo peeps which in turn is subconsciously associated with vampires which I sometimes fantasize about. Stop judging me. At one time you had a vampire attraction too.

Fashion Trends I refuse to Acknowledge:

The Skinny Jean

This pant looks tolerable on less than 2% of the population. Nuff said. Actually I refuse to acknowledge the rest of the fashion world for this reason.

Reference Page

2007-07-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

This being my maiden post I feel I should give credit where it is deserved. The title of this blog was nicked from a Diana Krall/Elvis Costello song. If you haven’t checked it you are missing out. If you are reading this Diana, don’t sue me. I love you and your work. I’m shamelessly plugging your album here - cut me some slack eh? Anyway, I chose this title for many reasons, most of which aren’t thoroughly thought through yet and so I’ll save that for another post. Suffice it to say that from here on I shall refer to it as GTOR.
Yes, I realize that merely stands for Girl. The. Other. Room. Take it or leave it. It sounds better.

Speaking of music, my first official post is to find out what people think of Nina Simone. I realize that the fact that she is entirely new to me does say a certain something about my musical repertoire. It is shallow at best. But I’m trying to broaden my collection. Nina was mentioned on a friend’s blog and so I went to Amazon and listened to some samples. I really liked some of the tracks. Nina's voice makes me want to eat something rich. Was a bit apathetic on others. Perhaps that’s what itunes is for.

Note: Diana Krall/Elvis Costello and itunes are in no way backing this blog financially, emotionally or with bribes for free crap and/or hot cookies.