1/31/2005 11:22:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Celebrity Fat Club Like a sap that has nothing better to do with her time, I find myself sucked in, week after week, to Celebrity Fit Club. Every week I spend the majority of the time shaking my head and/or laughing my arse off. This week was a little of both. But mostly just shaking my head. Every week when the celebrities lumber onto the scales, they make such a show of surprise and utter disbelief when they hear that, yet again, they haven't hit their target weight loss. Week after week, they give the same, tired lines. "I know I ate cheesecake and drank vodka while watching Hollywood Squares all week, but I ready to get back on track!" "Yeah, I did sit on my fat, lazy ass all week and eat nothing but frenchfries, but I am feeling so focused now." "Yeah, you're right. I slipped when I went on that Jimmy Dean sausage eating binge, but you can count on me to make my target next week." "My belly looks like a mad scientist's experiment gone awry but I will double my weight loss goal!" Save us your excuses. Just get off yer asses and quit being such titty-babies. I haven't heard so much whining and complaining since Seinfeld's been over. Harvey had it right when he said that celebs are pampered and lazy. Millions of obese people bust their asses everyday in order to become fit. These celebs bust eachother's chops for cheap laughs and barely break a sweat. I think the only genuine person in this is Wendy, the Snapple Lady. I could be wrong. One thing is for sure, this is, by far, the sickest sight I have seen all week. I'm sorry to leave you all with such a bad image in your mind. Until these frauds actually start losing some weight, I'm afraid that there will be more to come. Mwahahahaha. P.S. The best part of this week's show was Joe Gannascoli farting up a storm. That was flippin' hilarious, man! P.P.S. Not to be outdone, Christopher Knight (Peter Brady), on the Surreal Life, emitted the most perfectly timed fart [ever] during a twilight zone-esque meditation session. It was genuis. P.P.P.S. (How annoying I am!) Not to be outdone, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my Magellan Meridian Color GPS system. FedEx says it's in Jersey and should be here on Thursday! Oh wait, I am going to be out of town on Thursday. Damn. That was a downer.|W|P|110723893101451958|W|P|Celebrity Fat Club|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/27/2005 02:29:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Thank you, Tool Box Fairy! You've made my day by sending me thisTool Box in the mail. I know you must be one of two people, because you know my home address. It's nice to know that you cared enough about me getting clocked by the channel locks to send me a tool box. I am grinning from ear to ear. |W|P|110686138678863588|W|P|Product: Tool Box|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/27/2005 08:08:00 AM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|After watching Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" video, I have a few thoughts. This video could be considered homoerotic. Bruce's dancing not only could turn on women, but men as well. (As for me, I find it repulsive, but funny.) Bruce comes across as gay-fabulous in the video. From the effeminate dancing to the wardrobe. Tight black jeans, white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up way too high for comfort, and tucked in so that you can see his belt. Why, I bet even Carson Kressley would approve! His saxaphone player reminds me of the Meshach Taylor (Hollywood) character in Mannequin. Beefier, sure, but no less of a girly-man. I especially love it when he gives Bruce a big, cheesy grin and claps his hands above his head while doing the lame eighties two-step. Brilliant! The icing on this cake is the fact that Bruce picks Courtney Cox out of the crowd to dance with, the most mannish looking girl there. Her dancing doesn't help. Her and Bruce dancing together look like a couple of eighties ballerinas on crack. All in all, a hilarious video that makes me question the sexuality of the working man's man. P.S. My weather pixie must be under the weather. Yes, it's 36°F outside, but it's also drenching and thus, humidity should be 100%, not 30.13%! Zoiks.|W|P|110683850873032885|W|P|Dancin in the Dark|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/25/2005 09:53:00 AM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Today my son's Day Care teacher told me that I have lost weight. I smiled, said, "thanks," and moved on. I thought to myself, "Is my weight loss really noticeable?" I knew I had lost 9 pounds since the beginning of January and a total of 58 since I have had Gabriel. Personally, I cannot see a change, really. My clothes are fitting a little looser, but nothing dramatic. Well, to make a long story short, I jumper on the scale at home only to find that I have GAINED 2.5 lbs! I wanted to cry. Now I know how those poor schlubs on Celebrity Fit Club must feel. So now I am trying to figure out how to step up my own game. I have been more aware of calories, fat, nutrition these past few weeks than I have ever been in my entire life. Gone are the carefree days of eat anything you want, enjoy decadent, fabulous food, drink as many empty calories as you want. *sigh* My one big indulgence every day is my coffee in the morning. I have three cups (cream and sugar, of course) and I am not willing to give that up. Am I Tao of Coffee or arn't I? I am, dammit! Coffee is the freakin' way to me, man. It's my only grasp on reality and definitely helps keep me sane and grounded. I can't just let that go in an attempt to cut calories. Other than that, I have drank only water and 1% milk. Mostly water, mind you. Since most dairy is totally fattening (I don't like yogurt), I need to drink at least some milk every day to get my dairy creds. As far as food goes.....jeez. I won't eat anything without knowing how many calories, how much fat and what nutrition is in it first. I am becoming so anal about it, it's scary. I have cut my portions in at least half from their previous amounts. I do a lot of snacking (raisins, granola, misc. dried fruit) and, of course, chew gum incessantly. I have been extremely proud of the restraint I have shown lately. While I haven't been the exercise queen (I really need to start jogging again), I do have a nightly routine of sit-ups, crunches, and push-ups before I hit the hay. That way I feel like I am giving my metabolism a "boost" while I sleep. I know that I need to get serious about exercise. I am trying. Baby steps. I'll try not to let the weight gain get me down. I am feeling healthier and that's what is important. If I were menstrual right now, I am sure I would be a lot bitchier about it. Had my eyes checked this morning. They put those drops in that make your eyes ultra-sensitive to light so I am squinting and hiding behind my shades. I picked out some glasses, which should be ready in about ten days. I'll continue to wear my contacts, but at least I can have glasses to toodle around the house in. Hopefully, Sapito won't trash this pair. I have Music Appreciation and Astronomy Lab today. I am not looking forward to the lab. Astronomy is turning out to be more boring that Botany. If something doesn't pick up soon, I may be facing one of the worst semesters on record. At least Music Appreciation is interesting. I have been listening to Symphony Hall on Sirius and listening to my inherited Classical CDs from my Dad. It's been nice. I still balance with Alt. Rock, of course. I haven't turned into a complete dweeb. Anywhoo, that's it for now. Wish me luck on the drive to school (the drops may your vision blurry, as well). |W|P|110667202532217029|W|P|"Losing Weight"|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/23/2005 11:11:00 AM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Places for Wolves: A Blueprint for Restoration and Long-Term Recovery in the Lower 48 States I'm reading this plan because it is insightful to me in developing my own plan. I have tentatively decided to make a plan to Recover/Restore Gray wolves to Maine. Of course, it's not an original idea, many people have been fighting USFWS to do just that, but as far as I know, no actual plans have been made. I am totally excited about this, because I am going to be working with not only wolves, but Moose, Deer, etc. And, since Maine doesn't have a large farming/ranching community, there isn't major opposition from those groups. In Maine, the main opponents are hunters. Did I mention I heart hunters? In my flurry of activity last week, I neglected to describe my newest professors. Three of my Profs I have had on previous occasion, but two are newbies. Those are Dr. Carr, Music Appreciation, and Dr. Anderson, Astronomy. Dr. Carr is intriguing, to say the least. At the beginning of class, she said that her family came over on the Mayflower and that she was sure to butcher the pronunciation of our names. WTF? What is that supposed to mean? Did she just get in the country? Do they have poor pronuncation skillllls in the eastern US? Is she too high falutin to possibly say Julio Garcia? She managed mine just fine. She got points later on in the class for calling me out by name. Whenever a Prof can remember your name on the first day of class, they get major points. So, she sort of redeemed herself for the time being. Then she started discussing Medieval music/period and quickly began passing out handouts on torture devices while describing them in detail. My favorite? The breast-ripper. That one looked like a lot of fun, let me tell ya. We ended the class on that note. Now I'm not sure what to think. I'll get back to you on Tuesday. Next is Dr. Anderson. He is a very flighty sort of fellow. Small, nervous and easily excitable. The first class period, we spent the entire time going over the syllabus! I don't know of any Prof that does that. Usually they skim it very quickly and then get right into lecturing. This guy has a tendency to run off at the mouth. Second class period we spent going over scientific notation and watching this film, "Power of Ten" that I have seen in about four other classes. I wanted desperately to sleep. I'm praying for something miraculous on Monday. One redeeming quality of both? They won't put up with people talking in the classroom. I like that. Dr. Carr looks at whoever is talking and goes, "Shhhh. Shhhhhhh. Shhhhhhhhhhhhh," until they stop talking. Dr. Anderson said plainly, "I don't compete with talkers. I disenroll them." Sometimes there is justice in this world. So I cleaned most of my house yesterday. Most is a good thing, Martha. :-) Must pick up the kiddies in Lubbock today. I loathe the drive. I will attempt to study on the road, seeing as how it is the straightest, flattest road ever. Well, it and every other road in this neck of the woods. Woods, ha! Enjoy your remaining weekend, all. I will try. |W|P|110650388130102251|W|P|Places for Wolves: A Blueprint for Restoration and Long-Term Recovery in the Lower 48 States|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/22/2005 12:42:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Gross. I have salsa in my keyboard. When did I become such a slob? Eh, who knows? I did go through an extensive period of nesting during and after my last pregnancy, but that period of cleanliness ended about a year ago. I just abhor cleaning! And yet, I love a clean house. I wish I could afford a maid. I find it ironic that I used to clean people's houses for them. I slept in today as usual. I have a good excuse this time, however. I was on the phone with Kelli last night until almost 1AM. I then finished watching American Splendor and hit the hay right at 2AM. So, you see, I really haven't endulged myself in sleep that much! Kelli and I had a good talk, as we always do. It was so funny because she kept bringing these people up from junior high and I was like, "Who??!" I told her that I honestly cannot remember people from junior high and high school because I have devoted my brain to science and repressed all of those teenager memories. As we talked, it started to come back, literally a flood of memories and faces, and we laughed like crazy. I remembered that, when I was dating this enormous hick, I went over to his house while he wasn't home and ended up stealing his roomates jeans!! *LMAO* The roomate was actually charged with murder later on, so I probably shouldn't have messed with it. I remember my Dad telling me years later, "I talked to some puke named Allen who says that you stole his pants. I told him to watch his mouth." Haha. And as I was leaving the scene of the crime, Kelli was laughing so hard that she has to drop trou in their walkway and urinate in order to avoid doing so in her knickers. Those guys were the biggest losers on the face of the planet. They robbed pop machines for a living with a tricked-out dollar bill. Their fridge was full of nothing but sodas and they had bags and bags of quarters all over their place. Their ultimate stupidity and downfall? Robbing the pop machines in front of the courthouse. Busted! Idiots! I had nicely repressed all of that unpleasantness until last night. It was at least amusing to me. I seriously need to dig out my yearbooks because Kelli kept bringing up all of these names that I could place a face to to save my life. We reminisced and laughed and talked about the church and its strange influence in our lives. American Splendor was not as good as I had hoped it would be. It had its funny moments, but I had to admit disappointment when the credits began to roll. Maybe I should have rented Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind instead. I also rented The Stepford Wives, which I found entertaining. I really loved the colors and sets. Amazing. Nicole Kidman is such a talented actress. She's definitely one of my favorites. I love Matthew Broderick, as well. I was so sad to see him in Inspector Gadget after the wonderful job he did in Election. The choices that celebrities make in films never fails to puzzle me. School was good yesterday. We had a heated discussion in Wildlife over the definition of a "pest" species. I think that a lot of the guys were trying to excuse the fact that they shoot prairie dogs and coyotes whenever the mood suits them. There really is no use in arguing with Dr. Keller because he is a staunch conservationist who probably wishes that coyotes could don guns. I hope that Astronomy becomes more interesting or I'll start designating that hour as nap time. Botany was a'ight and I am honestly going to try to make it as painless as possible. After all, plant assemblages are what we name Biomes for. I should know what makes up a plant and how it works. Speaking of academia, I really need to start reading my textbooks. Today is my cleaning day as well. "Saturday is a Special Day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday...." Little church ditty for ye there. *L* |W|P|110642294571655958|W|P|Salsa in my Keyboard|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/19/2005 03:21:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Back to school time. Here I am back at school again. Today went without a hitch, I believe. Wildlife Lab was cancelled so I have some hours to wait before the Fish and Wildlife club meeting tonight. Which means what? Time to work on homework, time to blog, time to grab a bite to eat from Subway (I'm dieting, remember?). As for homework, I have so much that I need to get an early start on. In Evolution, I have two critiques of primary literature that I could definitely get a jump on. In Wildlife Mgmt & Conservation...wow. Busy semester is about all the sentiment I can donate without having a nervous breakdown. Let's just say that I have my work cut out for me. Music Appreciation was cancelled yesterday so I don't know how intense that is going to be as of yet. My guess? Being that it is a Freshman level course...cake. Which is what I need to balance all of my other, more difficult classes. Botany is probably going to pretty much suck. Not that I don't love plants but, after doing through the tentative schedule today, it seems that it's all about the tiny bits and pieces of the plan and the processes (ie respiration, photosynthesis, transpiration) rather than the organism as a whole. When are they going to offer "Identifying trees in North America" or "Name that Pinecone" as a course substitution for Plant Physiology and systematics, which I will also have to suffer through? At least the majority of the test is multiple choice, which is definitely a welcome respite. Finally, Astronomy looks to be fairly entertaining, if judging solely on the performance of the professor today. Lively fellow, yes. We didn't do anything interesting today, just went over the syllabus. I think it will be fairly easy, though. As long as I read the textbook. Speaking of textbooks, I am going to be a slave to mine this next semester. Not only because of scheduled readings, but just to keep tabs on the material. You all know how ambitious I am. Knowing that, you all can anticipate me working very hard in all my courses, but I am going to put major emphasis on Wildlife Mgmt & Conserv., of course. This is the course I have been waiting for and hopefully the course that will endow me with the know-how to move forward in a career. I am quite excited about it. What I think the coolest part so far is that we have to design a management plan for the endangered species of our choice. (3 guesses, first 2 don't count!) I am going to work my ass off to come up with something I can be proud of and show to other people ( we will be giving a presentation at the end of the semester). We are also going to be developing our Curriculum Vitae, which I think is pretty neat. So, that's the update for now. I am going to spend the remainder of my time reading and getting a start on my homework. Peace out. * geek note: Large forest fires create their own wind. This occurs when hot air from the fire rises above the trees and cold air above rushes down to replace the displaced air. This shift creates circulation cells of wind in the midst of the fire, effectively fueling the fire in the process.|W|P|110617438017397728|W|P|Back to School|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/16/2005 04:18:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Well, do I feel like my life is in order? Yes and no. Why am I always on the proverbial fence? *L@me* I have spent almost all of my student loan on bills and have only Qwest and DirecTV to pay off. Then I am officially broke again. On Thursday, I was feeling rich. On Friday, poor again. Eh, what can you do? Mrs. Brown just came by and brought me some macaroni and cheese and panty-liners. She means well, it's just funny the things she brings me. My life would be duller without her, that's for sure. My house is clean for probably the last time before this semester begins. It sure was nice while it lasted. Every semester, I vow to be more organized, yeah right. Once again, I am thinking just that; I will be more organized this semester! The lack of drawers in the kitchen does not help. It means that I have three shelves full of junk that should be properly stowed in junk drawers! I need a toolbox. A big, shiny red one that has lots of room for miscellaneous tools. I literally have wrenches falling on my head when I reach for a pen. Doesn't feel so good, being clocked with a pair of channel locks. I have already got a jump start on studying. I read my first chapter in my Evolution text and will read chapter one in Music Appreciation tonight. I have been listening to the accompanying discs for days. They're nice, but cut the pieces off at the most awkward moments. You're enjoying this music and then, all of the sudden, it's gone and replaced with something different. Weird. It's nice to be listening to classical again, I will say that. Right now, my life feels like it's teetering between success and failure. It's a frightening feeling. I know that there is not much I can do, but I will do my best to keep us afloat, as always. I bought MS Money to stay on a budget and track my spending. It will also come in handy someday when I am actually able to save money, not just spend it. I find it amusing to listen to my Mom and sister discuss 401Ks and savings plans. I feel like piping in with, "Oh, you guys. I just saved 25 cents on my last toilet paper purchase. Isn't that fabulous?" Somehow I think they would disagree. I feel so young and old at the same time. Will I ever finish college? Will I ever become a tax-paying citizen instead of a debt to society? I feel so helpless as I watch my student loans get larger and larger and now I have to start paying Serafin's back in March. 100.00 a month. That's not something I can afford right now. On feeling old- I have decided that, yes, I am improving with age. I have spent the last few years desperately holding onto youth and, "Ohmigosh!" I *am* againg. "Make it stop!" was my most frequent exclamation as I would notice more and more wrinkles at the edges of my eyes, the deepening laugh lines, the furrowed forehead, the horrors! Now, I am accepting who I am. I am becoming wrinkled and that's that! I am also becoming smarter, wiser, kinder and more accepting. If all of that comes with wrinkles, I don't care! I don't want to be a teenager or ever in my early twenties anymore. I am so over that crap! Yea for me! That being said, I am going to enjoy the rest of my day of rest. Haha. As much as possible with these mess making monsters that reside with me. I am okay for now. |W|P|110591751529239214|W|P|Life is in Order?|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/13/2005 11:42:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Once again, here I am struggling with my conflicted feelings. I am happy because I have finally finished painting my office and have installed four bookshelves. I am happy to finally have a space that is peaceful and cozy, yet uncluttered. My books have finally been liberated from their Mexico City-esque quarters. My desk is free and clear of paper mounds. The only thing missing is a window treatment, which I will remedy tomorrow. So why should I be anything but happy? In order to achieve said state of zen, I had to rifle through my Dad's belongings. Well, my belongings, I guess. My inherited belongings. Stuff that smells like my Dad, reminds me of my Dad. Which is good, I guess, but incredibly sad as well. I am even playing classical music which is exactly what my Dad would have been doing as well. I am glad that I am alike him in so many ways; I just miss him terribly. I don't want his stuff. I want him to have his stuff. The grieving process is ugly, indeed. So, at least the bowl of Special K (yes, I am dieting, thank you) I am consuming tastes pretty decent. It's a bit late to be eating, but I ate dinner at 5:30 and that was six hours ago! I think a little bowl of Special K won't hurt me. Speaking of dieting, I have turned into the worst sweet toothed person I know. What's the deal? I didn't always have a sugar fetish. I get these cravings at night for crap like cookies, brownies, cake, etc. Not just sugar, but sugar-packed carbohydrate bombs. I don't care how long it takes me to lost this weight. I am never giving up carbs. What is the point of living if you can't have carbs? Ridiculous, I say! Anyways, I am trying to overcome my sugar problem by keeping my mouth full of Orbit Bubble Mint gum at all times. That and I drink a lot of water. I have snuck a bit o' chocolate, though. Hey, I'm not perfect. I smuggled some Idaho Spud candy bars home and have been slowly savoring them. (You can barely find those in Idaho, let alone New Mexico!) That and home made hot cocoa. I am really trying, though, I promise. Portions are waaaaaay down as well as fast food, soda, etc. I have been pretty darn good. That said, I am exhausted. I have a million things to do tomorrow, so I need to catch some zzzzzzs. Peace out, beotches. |W|P|110568495071619751|W|P|Feelings!|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/08/2005 11:58:00 AM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Good morning, all! I can say that because it's now 2 minutes till noon and I still have a little room to squeak by with that sentiment. :-) I am having a lovely morning because my coffee tastes absolutely divine and I slept in until almost 11:30 AM. Doesn't that sounds lovely to you? Well, I am back home in New Mexico and the kids are out of town with their grandparents. "What does that mean," you wonder? It means that I have some time to work on projects that have been sadly neglected during the school period. Today, I am going to begin painting my office- finally! I have suffered with these horrible, not quite yellow, not quite white, bare walls long enough! I have decided to paint them a light brown with accents of burgundy. Something incredibly warm, cozy and inviting. When the project du'jour is finished, I plan on painting my bedroom. (Maybe next weekend.) That is going to be a fantastic khaki-ish green color. It's been a nice, sunny yellow for years and I am just a wee bored with it. Plus, I think everyone knows how fond of green I am! ;-) Eventually, I am going to get those wall-to-wall shelves in my office and my sad, little books will be freed from cardboard box hell. I am overflowing with possibilities for design. I just have never had the time to sit and think about such things. It's always been rush, rush, rush. So, I am now in a rush to get some of this done before school begins. Speaking of school...I think next semester is going to be wonderful! That is, with the possible exception of Botany. Not that I don't love plants, I do! However, my fellow student have already warned me that this professor focuses not on the plant as a whole, but rather the nitty-gritty genetics of the plant. Did I mention that it's my Genetics professor who has a super-thick Chinese accent? At any rate, I will certainly try to make the most of the class. I do love all things green, after all! The rest of my classes are my bread and butter. Wildlife Management and Lab (yesssss!), Evolution and Systematics (awesome!), Astronomy and Lab (sweeeet!) and Music Appreciation (Lucky...). I threw in a little Napoleon Dynamite there for your pleasure. So, as you can see, my next semester should be abfab! I am so looking forward to all of the learning I am going to do. Back to Napoleon. He's the new family hero. I watched it with my Mom the first night I was in Idaho. (I'll get back to Idaho and Napoleon.) We laughed and laughed and laughed. We just couldn't believe that this little film about the world's biggest geeks could be so funny! But it was. We watched it again with my sister and she declared it to be, "the funniest movie she's ever seen!" So, I think Napoleon Dynamite has replaced Fargo as the official film of my Mom, my sister and myself. Not that we're ditching Fargo, we all think Marge is such a super lady! We just have a new man at the top of the totem pole. Okay, now I'll talk about Napoleon and Idaho. It was made by two students at BYU-Idaho (that's a Mormon University if y'all weren't aware) as a school project. It was filmed entirely in Idaho, mainly in Preston, Idaho and the surrounding area. I can't tell you how strange it is to be watching a film that has your area all over the background. I am from Southeastern Idaho and Preston is not far away. The scenery is basically what most of SE Idaho looks like. We actually used to go to Preston for groceries and supplies before camping at nearby Cub River (for family reunions). True to the movie, not much happens in Preston. It's a little embarrassing, though, because ND does make the "Gem State" seem a little retarded. Eh, what can you do? Any ways, ND has been big news in Idaho for awhile. It could not be found at Suncoast, Circuit City, Best Buy, Musicland, Hastings, Albertsons or anywhere else. Sold out, if you can believe it. We finally tracked it down at Wal-Mart (bless their mass-shipping little hearts), where my Mom promptly purchased three copies, for herself, my sis and moi. Thanks, Mom! Apparently, according to my good friend, Kelli, ND played at Edwards Theatre for 8 months!! (That's not the cheap theatre, y'all.) It's a cult classic there in Idaho, which I think is totally funny, but sweet!! Haha. The moral of this convoluted story is that I now have a lovable geek named Napoleon to cheer me up when I am feeling down. My vacation was very relaxing and rewarding. I had a couple of Montana adventures, which was just what I was planning on. I didn't get up to Boise to see my sis's house, but I will next time. I went shopping and visited relatives and friends. I had my first drink in about two years at Garcias restaurant. Amaretto sour, an old favorite. I read books, watched movies and enjoyed the hell out of doing not much at all. It was dry for the most part, except for the last four or fiche days. The kids went sledding and built a snowman and snow-fort. They all had a blast playing together. My step-son spent a week with us and that made all the difference in the world. We had a really great time. Now I am back at home and itching to make improvements. So, that being said, it's time to shuffle off to Wal-Mart (on a Saturday, ew!) and buy some paint and supplies. Tata and I will write again soon. |W|P|110521283165809814|W|P|House Painting, etc.|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com1/02/2005 02:31:00 PM|W|P|taoofcoffee|W|P|Happy New Year, everyone! Hmmn. Where to start? Well, first of all, I am not on my way home right now, as planned. We had a blizzard last night and the streets are not plowed yet. I will leave for Green River tomorrow morning. Hopefully that will give the snow a chance to melt. It's wonderful to see the snow covering everything and to watch the kids play in it. I went to Missoula on the 31st to scope out the area. It is incredibly beautiful up there. They call in the "Hub of Five Valleys" and it is completely surrounded by mountains. It's a pretty decent sized city, about 80,000, I think. It's a little too crowded for my tastes, so I imagine I will live somewhere outside the city proper. It was nice to just aimlessly drive around in such a beautiful place. I will keep those memories with me as I enter another tough semester at school. The drive to Missoula was breath-taking. From Spencer, ID to Missoula was non-stop mountain views. I kept wondering when it would end but as I rounded one corner after the next, the views would become even more spectacular. It was quite the experience. Speaking of the drive- the roads through Monida pass on the way up were pretty freaking terrifying. You could not tell where the road ended and the ground began. It was all blanketed in white snow. I was driving 25 miles per hour with my hazard lights on and chanting the entire way. Think that's bad? It's nothing compared to what I encountered on my way home. The roads were bad through the Monida pass on the way back, but better than they were the day before. It was past that, starting at Dubois when things turned from bad to worse. It started snowing a little and the roads were really icy. I slowed down accordingly and concentrated furiously on the roads. However, when I hit Roberts, the shit hit the fan. All of the sudden, this blizzard starting dumping on us and the wind picked up and started blowing that snow and the snow on the ground all over the place. You could not see ten feet in front of your car. The tracks from the cars in front of me were instantly covered by the snow such that I had nothing to follow. I was bloody scared. I was going 15 miles per hour and I could barely see. I had my hazards on but I was terrified some car would come slam in the back of my car and that would be all she wrote. The only things that kept me on the road were those rumble strips on the shoulders. I would hit one on the right side and adjust to the left. I would hit one on the left and adjust to the right. I absolutely could not tell if I was driving straight, left or right. I was like a 2000 pound pinball last night. There were all kinds of ambulances out there, with cars off the road or involved in accidents. My level of fear was about the greatest I've ever experienced. I was crying but trying to stay calm. When I finally got home, I had to sit and cry for about five minutes before I could go into my Mom's house. I was just so grateful to have gotten home safely. As you might imagine,I was in no big rush to get back on I-15. My sister and I got into the most terrible fight on the 30th. Ugly, ugly things were said. We eventually made up, but it was god-awful. I don't think we've fought for about 9 years. I hope we don't do that again for a long, long time. My Mom's really getting into Harry Potter. She is going to buy the 3 movies after we leave. I can't believe this is the first time she'swatched the movies. I recommended the books to her, of course. Harry Potter is the ultimate comfort to me. Well, that's about it. I have had a wonderful stay here in Idaho and have been able to relax a bit. I am sad about leaving but I need to get home and take care of my animals. I have been so worried about them. Resolutions? 1. Get in shape! 2. Cut back on coffee 3. Get an internship this summer 4. Cut down on my sailor-speak 5. Stop being so judgemental There you go. Have a great 2005, y'all!! |W|P|110470421952089689|W|P|Happy New Year|W|P|taoofcoffee@gmail.com