Sarah: World Traveler!

Actually, not so much. Making this map was a little depressing, because I realized that I haven't really been anywhere. I guess I'm not as well-traveled as I'd like to believe. I'm thinking of making another in combination with Lisa, so that we can get a few more countries filled in. Or maybe I'll put in all the countries where someone I know has been... We've got to get more red on this map!

create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

Thanks for the link, Loriloo!

Lisa: What about the ones in the middle?

My U.S. map looks much more impressive than my world map:

create your own personalized map of the USA

Lisa: Please don't take my Angel away!

Whether you read this blog or know me in real life, you are probably aware of my love for Angel, the Buffyverse, and yes, Mr. Boreanaz himself. A few people have gingerly mentioned to me Angel's probable cancellation after this season. Considering that Angel and Gilmore Girls are the only watchable dramas on the WB, I find the idea of canceling one of them absurd. I'm not the only one who feels that way, and I hope the fan and industry outcries are being heard and considered by The Powers That Be. (Is it wrong that I think a "Keep Angel Alive" blood drive is a brilliant idea?) I am staying abreast of any updates via Karen at this site, but I refuse to comment more about this until Angel's fate has been decided. (Except about the blood drive. Phlebotomists, call me!)

Come on, people! It's not like things in the Buffyverse can't come back from the dead...

Lisa: The world is round? Nonsense!

There has been a lot of anti-Atkins sentiment going around lately. I mentioned here about six months ago that I was going on the Atkins diet (or rather, changing my eating patterns to fit the Atkins nutritional approach), and I have been faithfully following it ever since. So far I have lost about 35 pounds, with another five to go. I have never stuck to a diet before in my life. On Atkins, I not only look a lot better, but I feel a lot better. I have more energy and fewer mood swings (and hardly any unexplainable crying). Here's the thing--I am sick of people telling me that my lifestyle of choice is unhealthy. Atkins isn't about eating pound after pound of bacon, topped with cheese and a stick of butter. It's about avoiding processed flour, processed sugar, and caffeine. I'm pretty sure that all doctors (and garage mechanics) would agree that cutting those things out of your diet will not only help you lose weight, but also be generally healthier! And of COURSE people who go off the diet gain the weight back! Their regular diet is what made them fat in the first place!!!

OK. I'm backing away from the computer now...to eat my delicious, low carb lunch of grilled chicken with pesto and sauteed vegetables.

Lisa: wack

Question: is it "wack" or "whack" that Angel was seen getting a spray-on tan at a strip mall on L.A.'s Sunset Boulevard?

wack

NOUN: Slang A person regarded as eccentric.
ADJECTIVE: Inflected forms: wack·er, wack·est
Very bad: walked out of a really wack movie.
ETYMOLOGY: Back-formation from wacky.

(Courtesy The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Check out the pronunciation guide recording of the extreme white girl.)

Answer: "Wack" seems to be the generally accepted spelling. However, "wacky" is probably derived from the phrase "out of whack", so there's a case for "whack" being an alternate spelling of "wack." Since it's a slang term, I think the spelling is probably pretty flexible, but when writing a note to my peeps in the hizzouse, I for one will eschew the 'H'.

Sarah: I mean SWEET!

My roommate, Stephanie, is an elementary education major and is finishing up a semester of student teaching. Tonight while we were chatting, Steph shared a few notes from the kids. The first was written moments after Stephanie was introduced to the class.

Dear Stepanie
I know You will be a great studnt teacher.
Love
Nora

Another student gave Stephanie a note this week to say thank you and goodbye.

I will miss you. So I sent this to you. Love, Kayla. I Love you. Youare sweet. I mean
SWEET!

The "sweet" covered the bottom three-forths of the page. Very cute.

Lisa: Meet me in Montauk

Do yourself a favor and go see Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I don't think I've seen a better movie--ever. If I had the money (and no real-life obligations) I would be watching it again right now.

Edited to add:
According to the front page of the official movie site, Peter Travers of Rolling Stone thinks E.S.o.t.S.M. is "A smart, sexy, and seriously funny comedy." Um, did he even see this movie? I guess it had funny parts, and it was definitely smart, but that quote makes the movie sound like an above-average RomCom. Which it IS NOT.

Lisa: At least I'm in time for the DVD release...

Okay, I'm finally posting more pictures of my costume for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Tuesday. To see the full photos, click on the thumbnails (duh).

Back. (with Blake!)

Front. (with Blake!)

Back. (Outside. Yes, it is cold. Hence the silly velvet cape)

For the first entry in the saga of the Eowyn costume, click here.

Lisa: The sad, sad tale of Mr. Eggman

I took advantage of my new deluxe picto box (YAY!) to record Blake's breakfast shenanigans. He did not know his work would be photographed--he just does this kind of thing for fun.

The birth:

The death:

I guess that's all there is to the "tale"--maybe that was a bit of an overstatement.

Sarah: The Vending Machine Blues

Today I was purchasing my beverage of choice from the vending machine located in my apartment building, and I suddenly remembered my junior high days. Although my mom made our lunches for school from first grade all the way until we graduated (spoiled, I know), and they were always quite fabulous, I would occasionally purchase candy during the lunch hour. There were these certain cherry flavored candies that I just thought were the most delicious EVER. If you kept them in your mouth long enough, the sugary flavored outside would melt away and you'd be left with the gummy center! Anyway, the point. There were several boys who would spend the majority of lunch time gathered around the vending machines begging for your change. Their goal was apparently to collect enough money to make a purchase of their own. I never understood this. Why don't they just bring 65 cents to school? It's not that much! Instead, they opted to spend their time out of class asking their peers for enough change for a soda or some other item. I, like many of my peers, became an expert at guarding my hard-earned pocket change. After I inserted my cash, I would punch in the numbers for my selection. Then I would immediately cover the change slot with my hand. If I did not do so, my change could be stolen or, possibly worse, handed to me by one of the aforementioned beggars, who would then, with my money in his hand, ask for my change. Did I give the money to him? Did I snatch it back out of his hand and hurry back to the lunch table where my friends were seated, clutching my worldly possessions? This was a major moral dilemma for a 14 year old, and one that I faced all too often.

Lisa: It's rude to type with your mouth full.

Sarah signed on to instant messenger this afternoon before heading down to Salt Lake from Logan, to let me know she would be a little earlier than expected to pick me up. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of cleaning my keyboard when she signed on. Since I eat lunch at my desk almost every day, my keyboard was completely disgusting. I had a bunch of keys popped off in order to clean underneath, making it almost impossible for me to type. Translations and explanations are below in bold. Sorry, Sarah! I love you!

Sarah: so i might be there closer to 2, depending on the roads.
Lisa: (hasn't noticed yet that Sarah is trying to talk) 1223134
Sarah: i TOTALLY agree.
Lisa: krd rk (keyboard broken)
Lisa: (still cleaning) 5
Sarah: okay, i'm going to be okay on money.
Sarah: i don't have a lot to spend, but we can buy ribbon or whatever.
Lisa: (now cleaning the keyboard tray, causing the number keys to smash against the desk above) 7+7+++777;
Sarah: have you been gagged?
Lisa: 77777777777777
Lisa: (puts the keyboard back down) (smiley face emoticon)
Sarah: ugh.
Sarah: what's your deal?
Lisa: (sobbing emoticon)
Sarah: WHAT??
Lisa: (reassesses available keys and tries again) typg rkm (typing broken)
Sarah: typing rkm?
Lisa: typg (Yes! Typing! You figured it out!)
Lisa: (smiling emoticon)
Sarah: typing.
Lisa: (smiling emoticon)
Sarah: dude. add vowels. it will take less time.
Sarah: is your mouth full or something??
Lisa: rkm (Okay, second word. BROKEN.)
Sarah: slkdgh;asdioghjwamcsewionsdfvads
Sarah: okay, miss no-speaky.
Sarah: i'll see you soon, i suppose.
Lisa: (Seeing Sarah's stream of letters, gets the idea to cut and paste. Unfortunately, there is no 'b'. Long pause.) sorry
Sarah: what's up with the crazy talkey?
Lisa: (Now brilliantly deduces that she can use the missing letters by poking down the little holes in the keyboard with the screwdriver she was using to pry the keys off. Long pause.) broken
Lisa: (pause) keys
Sarah: really?
Lisa: cleaning
Sarah: oh. dweeb...
Lisa: (longest pause ever) now using screwdriver
Sarah: hee
Sarah: okay, i'm gonna go.
Sarah: i'll call you when i'm close.
Sarah: LOVE YOU!
Lisa: k
Lisa: (heart shaped emoticon)
Lisa: (resumes cleaning) 05455545555555555555

So, all's well that ends well, I guess. My keyboard is now cleaner than when I got it. Unfortunately, I kind of broke the space bar when i was putting it back on. I just have to remember to space with my right hand.