Applebomber79: Loose Associations

1. I was born on Galveston Island, Texas and only lived there for two weeks.
2. My official birth certificate has information that has been clearly changed with the help of white-out all over it. Seriously.
3. When I was young I secretly wanted to be a singer/actor and used to sing Disney songs at the top of my lungs in the shower and pretend to be an actor in my favorite t.v. shows in front of a mirror.
4. I tend to have a negative effect on electrical things. Especially when I’m really stressed out.
5. I cannot whistle. Or sing in tune.
6. I once had a pet iguana named Dorky. It died.
7. I hated my last name while I was growing up but learned to love it in college. It’s now my middle name.
8. I love traveling and experiencing new cultures and wouldn’t mind living in another country one day.
9. I have never owned an automatic car as my primary vehicle.
10. The initial stud that I had to wear when I got my nose pierced was too big and it would often end up poking straight out from the side of my nose. I wouldn’t feel it, though, so Robbie would tell me that my “antenna” was sticking out.
11. I have, and am learning to play, an electric bass guitar.
12. I have always been fascinated with the ocean and wanted to go scuba diving. My dad promised that he would take me to learn to scuba dive when I turned 12. When that time finally arrived, he was advised against it since I have asthma and wouldn’t allow me to go. I’m still a little upset about that. (Let me just clarify that I completely understand why that decision was made and I actually do agree with it now, I’m just still disappointed that it would be a bad idea for me to give scuba diving a try.)
13. I’m still not really sure what Robbie finds attractive about me.
14. I was stung by a portuguese man-of-war once and haven’t really enjoyed the beach as much ever since.
15. It took me four tries to get my driver’s license when I turned 16.
16. When Robbie first proposed to me, I wasn’t really sure that that’s what he was trying to do. It may have had something to do with the fact that he used a plastic ring.
17. I love playing board games and video games with people. I also like to do the puzzles in the newspaper.
18. I once canoed over a waterfall.
19. I have a completely irrational fear of needles and injections and often pass out when I get my blood drawn. (The first time that happened, I opened my eyes to find myself sitting in the waiting room trash can!)
20. I loved working with people diagnosed with schizophrenia.
21. I like to write with ultra fine point sharpies.
22. I was told by a chiropracter that I have an extra vertebra in my neck/shoulder area. He called me an anomaly.
23. People often comment on how small my handwriting is and I’d love to have it analyzed by a professional so they can tell me about myself.
24. I’m attracted to things that sparkle or look like they would feel soft.
25. It usually takes me forever to really feel comfortable with people and I almost never feel at ease in group settings.

01/29/2009:

I am a firm believer in the idea that people and circumstances seem to get nuttier around the time of a full moon. We used to talk about that a lot at BJC-BH, the outpatient mental health center that I worked at in St. Louis because we would notice an increase in “activity” during those times. Afterall, it would make sense that, if the moon has such a strong and direct impact on the ocean’s tides, it would have at least SOME effect on other things as well. It’s a hard thing to try and prove, but not something that has gone completely unnoticed in the past. Just some food for thought–somebody at some time made similar observations and came up with the term “LUNAtic”. Depending on the moon’s phase, that can be some pretty applicable terminology!

01/28/2009:

So, in the line of work that I find myself in, people insist that we be tested for TB on a yearly basis. I could kind of understand this at the place that I worked in St. Louis (BJC Behavioral Health) since it was technically a part of the whole hospital system and all. Not really clear on why it has to be done here though. Especially after I went to the clinic this week and was given a form stating that yearly testing is basically only recommended now for people that have been recently exposed to someone with TB. This was followed by a checklist that was supposed to identify those that needed to be tested and those that didn’t. I answered no to all the questions which indicated that testing wasn’t really necessary. I was elated. Seriously. I cannot tell you (for those that don’t already know) how much I hate having to get a shot or blood drawn because of the needles. When I was younger, I used to completely freak out. My mother could tell you some horror stories. But then when I got married and moved to St. Louis, I figured I was grown up now and should be able to handle that kind of thing. It’s amazing how much power the human mind can have. I was able to keep myself from completely losing it and remained calm. Unfortunately, that irrational anxiety is also a very powerful thing and it had to come out some how. So my body decided to go to the other extreme and I’ve been passing out when I get my blood drawn ever since. I usually make it through the shots and TB tests without totally passing out, although I still get shaky and pale and woozy and all. So anyway, the thought of not having to have the test done this time-since I’d just answered a whole list of questions proving that I didn’t need it–was great. I took the paper to the girl at the front desk and told her that I’d answered no to the check list. She looked at me and said “perfect”. I looked at her for a minute and said “so…do I still need to get the test?”. She was very cheerful-”oh yeah, don’t worry about that! They’ll call you back in just a minute, sweetie.” …what a waste of paper…you’ll be relieved to know that I didn’t have a positive test…again…

01/27/2009:

What did elderly people do with their walkers before the tennis ball revolution? And why hasn’t someone invented a walker that doesn’t need tennis balls to help with mobility? Or at least something that will last longer than two weeks on the end of a walker before needing to be replaced!

01/20/2009:

So you know how they package things now in that really really hard plastic that is completely sealed shut and there is no way of getting it open unless you cut it open? Well lucky for us, they have actually made a tool specifically for opening those packages.

…guess what IT’S packaged in…that’s right…the hard plastic stuff that you need it for cutting into…

Robbie asked one of the sales people at Home Depot how you were supposed to get it out of the packaging if you need to use it to do so.

Answer?

Scissors, of course.

For those of you struggling with trying to find ways to save money…there’s a no brainer for you.

01/15/2009:

Here’s a recipe for my favorite snack and the best kettle corn ever. No reason-just figured I’d pop it in here (pun totally intended). It also doubles as a good upper arm workout (at least for weaklings like myself).

Kettle Corn
 
2/3 C. raw popcorn
1/4 C. vegetable oil
1/4-1/3 C. granulated sugar
salt
 
Place oil and popcorn in a large skillet that has a tight fitting lid. The popcorn should just cover the bottom surface. Heat over medium until the first kernels start to pop. Quickly stir in the sugar until dissolved. Cover and continuously shake skillet over burner while holding top down if necessary (oven mitts may be handy at this point). Be careful-the popcorn can burn quickly and your arms can get pretty tired too! When the popping slows and you think it’s about done, remove from heat. Pour popcorn into a large bowl and shake salt on popcorn, mixing continuously. Yum!

01/14/2009:

I have a friend that is getting married this summer. On July 11….7-11…I asked her if she was going to have giant slurpees and scratch-off tickets for all the guests at the reception. Just imagine how much money you could save on the food if you went with that theme–hot dogs, chips, candy, soda, and coffee for everyone! And if you’re in the south, don’t forget the boiled peanuts!

01/05/2009:

New opinion: Re-gifting parties should be banned.

Why?

Because you end up with stuff like this:

disturbing fox statue holding a bowl

 Need I say more?

Maybe I’ll try to re-re-gift it to my friends in Fort Lauderdale who I still need to get a present for. It’s totally their taste. They could use it as an elegant bathtub for their little yorkie dog.

Or maybe I’ll donate it to The Fox Restaurant here in Jacksonville in hopes of scoring a free waffle!

12/31/08:

I find it interesting how, as human beings, we seem to need some kind of boundary/structure/definition to things. What I’m thinking of specifically today is the beginning of a new year. It’s hard to believe that 2008 is about to end and we’ll be saying hello to 2009! I passed a sign outside a law office near my house that read “2008-not so great, ’09-gonna be fine!” And it made me think-not to sound too pessimistic or anything, but-why? The reality is, there is nothing that will be different about tomorrow as there is today other than the space in time that humanity affords it. Same thing with things like the boundaries in between countries or state lines or even plots of land in our neighborhoods. I can’t remember exactly how old I was when I first paid attention to the boundary from one state to another. I know that I’d studied a map of the US in school that clearly showed these boundaries and the shape of each state because I was disappointed when I realized that the only thing REALLY separating one state from another was a large sign on the side of the road somewhere. Other than that, the tree lines pretty much stay the same. Yet I know for myself, I can still feel like I’m in a different place when I cross from Georgia to South Carolina just because of the memories and feelings that I have associated with those places. Same with New Years resolutions. I have a list of things that I want to accomplish, change, or begin but I feel like I can’t really get started on them until tomorrow. When the only thing different from today is that it will be considered a 1 instead of a 31. And not just any 1, but the first 1 of a new year. It just feels like too good of a starting point, I guess. It’s just another example of how strongly our perceptions as human beings, mostly a result of our past experiences, impact the decisions that we make and how we react or interpret or relate to our surroundings. I think if I were to give a theme to my resolutions for the new year, an overarching one would have to be perceptions and how they impact my behavior. Even though not everything on my list has a direct connection to that subject, it’s something that I want to try to pay attention to. Here’s to an exciting new year full of exciting new perspectives!!

12/31/08:

The Flaming Lips have a song called “Waiting for Superman”. I think we may be waiting for a long time–when was the last time YOU saw a phonebooth on a street corner somewhere nearby? I wonder if he would consider using Port-a-potties as a changing room instead?…

12/15/08:

You know what I think would be a very amusing thing to do? Find two NFL football teams about to play a big game (not YOUR team, of course) and secretly proposition each one to try to throw the game. It could be pretty comical to watch, I think. Probably not unlike what I saw of the Cowboys/Giants last night.

12/08/08:

Okay, here’s the thing about “60 Minutes” (the t.v. news program)-they look like they’re about 59min and 42sec away from the ultimate cancellation. You’d think they could get at least one younger face in there. I mean, just to give some hope for the future, you know? Maybe they’re afraid that the ticking clock image will change to a ringing cell phone or something.

Anyway, so we were watching 60 Minutes last night and they were talking about the whole oil issue and the impact that prices have been having on the US and Saudi Arabia, etc. Well, they’ve developed a way to get at oodles more oil out in the desert of Saudi Arabia and were talking about how much more they’ll be able to supply. And with all the drilling that is already going on around the world and talk of more drilling in Alaska, off the coast, etc.; this has had us thinking. What happens to the space that’s left over when the oil is taken out of the ground? I mean, we’ve been drilling the earth for a long time and the oil companies want to do whatever they can to make sure we keep on doing that. But surely that has to be having a major impact on the earth’s geology and all. Granted, I don’t know a lot about any of that stuff and I’m not planning to do a whole lot of research, but it does make me think. I mean, it’s no wonder we’ve seen increasing earthquakes and such. We’ve been rearranging the layers of dirt under our feet for years now. And what if that oil is there for a purpose, other than to be drilled out of the ground. In my experience, most things that occur naturally were created for a reason. I know oil and water don’t mix and in the program, they talked about using salt water to force the oil out of the ground. Somehow replacing the oil with water in the middle of the desert doesn’t seem like an even trade. Maybe the oil acts like some kind of shield to keep water from seeping too far into the earth’s crust so that plants can grow and we can have bodies of water up top. Most likely, water never makes it that far anyway. But maybe it’s keeping water from coming up too far towards the surface. Very very hot water (I’ve seen Journey to the Center of the Earth.) If we take that layer away, global warming could take on a whole new meaning.

Or maybe I should just start writing Apocalyptic-type action movies.