Judge A Book By Its Cover

I love book covers.
Most of the time, I purchase books based on their cover.
I think: good cover=good writing...

Ali knows this about me, which is why she sent me THIS link.
It's the best...it's like a link to "here's what you should read next..."

Can't wait to get home and actually look through the covers without having to restart the internet and reload the page every 3 minutes...

Sometimes...

When I wake up from a nap, I take a sharp breath like someone who just came back from almost drowning...not on purpose...it just happens. (not the drowning, the breathing...)

Thought you'd be interested.

Captain Crunch Mouth

I got it bad right now...



And I didn't even enjoy some crunchberries to get it.



I burned my mouth...and then ate toast...a bad combination...



But it hurts...with every bite...with every sip...



Ouch.

Joe Vs The...

THIS might be one of my favorite smells in the world.
The VOLCANO scent.

I had one in the kitchen of my house and would light it everyday when I came home...

Seriously delicious...I can't wait to come home and buy another.

Sing (Canta), Sing a Song (Cantar Un Cancion)

This morning I received an email asking if I would sing in my friend Katie's wedding...

Katie is one of my best friends in the whole world...and Brandon (her soon-to-be-husband) is pretty high up on my list of favorite people...

I was already so flattered to be a bridesmaid...but now to sing, too! (My self-consciousness immediately jumped to: maybe she asked someone else and they turned her down...but, I don't care if I was fifth in line...I am still so honored to be a big part of the day...)

Katie and Brandon, I love you both and I am very, very excited for the day you are introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Hunt!

In the last ten minutes I have serenaded Daina with...

• Spice Girls "2 Become 1"
• Ryan Holladay "Oh Happy Day"
• Andrew Drey "Brenda, Oh Nakupenda"
• Daniel Powder "Had a Bad Day"
• Cast of Sister Act 2 "Bowl of Confusion"
• C & C Music Factory "Things That Make You Go 'Um'" (I was singing Oohm instead of Mmm because of the Ukrainian housemate named Umi)
• The Proclaimers "500 Miles"
• Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch "Good Vibrations"
• Cast "Salute Your Shorts Theme Song"
• Blindmelon "No Rain"
• Gaykin "Solitaire"
• Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun"
• "Chocolate Rain" (met with a puzzled look..."what song is that?" To which I said, "who are you? you've never seen chocolate rain? my mother would be so disappointed in you...")
• Christina Aguilera "Lady Marmalade"

Seriously...how jealous are you that you are missing this?

PDYM

Have you signed up?
I'll be there...you should be, too!

Newly Updated

the links on the side of the page...

just a little belated Christmas gift for you...

Kenya Kenya Kenya

Have you read my Kenya blog recently?
If not, check it out HERE...

I could try to tell you all about it, but really, reading it would be so much better...

Since Christmas...

I have watched:
Season 1 of 24
Season 1 of Big Bang Theory
Season 1 of Pushing Daisies
Season 5 of One Tree Hill
Season 2 of 24 (in process)

I have read:
To Kill a Mockingbird
Downtown Owl
The Lucky One
The Secret Life of Bees
Beezus and Ramona (in process)
Mr. Darcy's Diary (in process)


If productivity was measured in watching TV on DVD and reading fictional books, I would be at the top of the charts...

I'm Moving To Portland

I just heard that Portland was announced as The Beardiest City.

So...see ya later, suckers...I'm going to find myself a bearded man.

Say Hi To Judge Ito

Anyone get the title? Hopefully someone does (I'm banking on Ange, Luke or David Hughes...but I know my brother would get it)

Okay...I emailed the OC Jury Duty place (don't I sound like I know what I'm talking about?) and they rescheduled my service for April...

I'm actually really excited about potentially serving...and I'm going to wear a fancy dress and carry a coconut in my purse (anyone, anyone?)

Just thought you'd like to know...

Oh, and Papa, thanks for the offer to write to them on my behalf...you are a really good Papa!

Sticks and Stones...

I’ve been stuck in my own head a lot today…it was fine, I was doing some administrative stuff that didn’t require my full brain and I wasn’t around many people, so I wasn’t being rude and non-conversational…I was just thinking about a mess of stuff…and writing some emails in my head.

One thing that was repeating in my head was this:

Isn’t it funny that there are certain words that will trigger memories of someone or somewhere? And some of those people have left such a bad taste in your mouth that the word he or she is attached to will always be tainted…

But others are words that could be tattooed on your body or hung in a frame in your house because of the memories that are attached to it?



What words do you love or hate because of a specific person or memory?

I know, this is such an English-major post, right?

I've Been Thinking About You

I spent a big part of yesterday thinking about friendships.

There are people who are in your life forever and some for a short time.


As I lay in bed last night I was thinking about a few of my "short time" friends.

The circumstances surrounding the end of our friendship were messy...people were hurt, tears were shed (this is not always the case with short-term friends), and in the end we were almost forced to sit down and call it quits.


But...


Even after all of that, what I could not help but feel was gratitude.


I know that these friends were in my life at really rough points...and, although we weren't great for the long-haul, I would not give up the time I shared with them, even if it would have spared me the heart-ache in the endings. I think I would still hang photos of the two of us in my house because of the memories attached to those days...


This is just something I was mulling over...

Funny & Not Funny

Something Funny:

The spell check on blogger just gave me three options when I typed PHOTOSHOOT.
Option 1: photo shoot
Option 2: photos hoot
Option 3: hot shot

Someday, I would like to use the phrase "photos hoot" in real life...and then blog about when and where I said it...

Something Not Funny:

I just got a letter (in America) for jury duty...what the heck do I do about that from here?

I Finally Figured It Out

The thing that bothers me the most in this whole world (I would call it my pet peeve, but that term bothers me):

Inconsideration

It drives me crazy when others are inconsiderate...of time, money, personal space...
Here are a few examples:

• assuming it's okay to eat the end of the bag of chips or drink the last soda without asking first
• leaving your dirty dishes in the sink
• slowing down for a turn about 50-feet too early
• cutting in line
• getting to the front of the line and then calling your friend for his order
• using the end of the toilet paper roll and not replacing it
• talking during a movie
• taking full credit for something you helped with
• forcing someone to hurry and then making them wait

These are a few of the many things that infuriate me...I keep trying to recite "love is not easily angered" in my head, but it doesn't always work...

What drives you crazy?

Yet Another Harry New Year

Last year...I spent the evening at the Johnston's building (or watching Cole build) a 3D-Hogwarts Castle.

Last night...I kept the Harry tradition alive by watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to help ring in the new year. But this was not the original plan.

We were, initially, supposed to go out to dinner with Geoffrey and Olivia...they were to pick us up at 7 and we'd go to dinner and then out dancing. Daina and I began getting ready around 6:15...I changed my clothes three or four times (trying to decide between the jeans and white t-shirt or jeans and green t-shirt, since I don't have any actual go-out clothes here in Kenya). Then, I started to think about what I was missing at home and how I don't really like to go out anyway...and I started to cry. Daina, not knowing my train of thought, looked at me, puzzled and asked if there was anything she could do...there was not...I went to the living room, with my People Crossword Puzzle book (thanks, Josh) and tried to think about something else.

We waited and waited...Around 8:15, I said I was putting pajamas back on at 9...Daina said at 8:30 she would be ready to call it a night and just stay home.

A little after 8:30 we got a call from Geoffrey...asking if we were ready to go...and I had to tell him we had decided to stay home...I know it was a little heartless of us, to cancel, but I really wanted to stay home and eat pancakes, watch a movie and go to bed...

The network was down, so we could not get online to find a from-scratch pancake recipe...but Andrew called his mom and she looked it up for us...We decided to have pancakes for breakfast, and Kraft Macaroni and cheese for dinner (our last 2 boxes).

We ate dinner and decided to watch Harry Potter 2...a really great New Year's Eve, if you ask me!

Around 11:50, we paused the movie and grabbed pots and pans. Daina had never heard of the tradition, so we decided that this was her year...Here she is very excited...

Here's Tom Riddle, waiting our return
Andrew and Daina displaying their readiness to make a lot of noise
And, of course, we made use of the timer-feature on Andrew's camera while waiting for midnight.

I like to call this my "pot hat"...a pose I learned from my years in show choir...
And this? Oh, this is my "pot-bellied PIG-ture" (you're welcome)
No clever caption for this one
It was 11:58, I was ready to make noise
All of the clocks in the house are set to different times...I'm not sure why...so we chose to go off of my phone...I've never missed Dick Clark so much...We counted down 15-14-13...and at zero tried to run outside to bang our pots and pans, but we couldn't get the door open. (Daina shouted, "Door! Nemesis!" in honor of Chris) and we just stood in the living room making noise...finally, I got the door open so we ran outside.

Evidently, some Kenyans (like Americans) don't care about New Year's...so we scared Cleophas to death and woke-up Ayub...but that just made the moment more memorable...

After the beauty of noise-making subsided, we went over to say "HNY" to the Ukrainians. They were in prayer...but, when they said Amen, we burst in to clink and clang some more. We sat with them for a few minutes (eating their midnight New Year feast) and then came back to go to sleep.

All in all, I wish I had been at the Johnston Waffle Bar, but it was a very fun New Year's in Kitale.

What's The Best Part Of NOT Living In America On New Year's Day?

Not having to explain why I'm not watching the Rose Parade...

Honestly...