Friday, March 26, 2010

system failure

It's been a while since I posted last, I know. Here's the simple explanation. The computer broke. I have no idea how or why, really. And there's not a whole lot I can do about it, either, seeing as it's not my computer anyway. It's my sisters. But there's my reason. Forget the fact that I can somehow magically make it work for over an hour at 3 in the morning. I don't blog then. Mostly, I don't even try. So now it's touch-n-go with the blogging until either A) her computer gets fixed, or B) we get our own computer. I'll try to work it out.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Natural Cures

I have been doing some research lately about natural remedies for different ailments. What I've found has been phenomenal! Let me tell you just a couple that I've started using.

Apple Cider Vinegar - to cure athlete's foot, condition my hair, aid in weight loss, and helps balance my pH.

Cayenne Pepper - ALSO cures athlete's foot, also aids in weight loss, boosts blood circulation, clears sinuses, helps with thyroid issues (I think mine is underactive), boosts energy, stops bleeding, and warms the body(not just on the inside).

I've been most excited about discovering this stuff about cayenne since I found out that my mom's cousin had her take some after she had a stroke, and she was just fine. I take in in a little shot mixed with water. I also mix it with my ACV and sip it throughout the day. But my favorite is putting it in my socks. It actually does warm my feet! This is especially great at night, when I'd usually have a problem falling asleep because my feet are so cold. Even when my booty socks slipped off during the night, the powder that had got between my toes stayed and was enough to keep my feet warm all night! It's important to me because I'm pretty sure I have thyroid issues...my hands and feet have suddenly become freezing cold no matter what I do. It's very irksome!

Anyhow, so those are my two favorites. Keep them in mind, try them, whatever you want.

Viszontlátásra

Weekend Plans Ruined

I was SO EXCITED to be getting rid of a lot of stuff this weekend. I didn't even care that it's been cold. I went outside into the freeziness and worked real hard to organize things so they'll be prepared for my 'free sale' this weekend. I don't care that I'm not making any money. I just want it all GONE.

So, I plowed my way through, not caring about anything that would stand in my way. That is, until I stopped feeling my fingers. I went inside to warm up, and decided to check the weather forecast.

Rain. Lots of rain.

I can't work with the RAIN!!! I have fabrics, electronics, wood, leather! I can't put this stuff out in the rain!! Geez! So now I'm inside, futilely trying to get warm...I'll explain that another time.

It's my fault, really. Not the rain, of course. The lack of knowledge about the weather in advance. I was just too excited, I never bothered to check before.

Sigh.

So this stuff sits in our garage area still, for at least another week. Aw, well. It's been there for months already...what's one more week?

Alwida

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Nine Weird Things

So, I like to read a certain blog from this hilarious mother, and she talked about some list she heard of about 9 weird things kids do. Only she was disappointed, because the things listed weren't weird at all. They were fairly normal. So she made up her own list from her son, and encouraged her readers to do the same. Since I don't have kids, I had to borrow from my sis. So this list is about one of my neices.

Nine Weird Things Kieltaa Does:

1. Stuffs herself until bursting, then tries to continue eating with tears streaming down her cheeks because her tummy hurts.

2. Will sometimes drink El Pato straight from the can like it's juice. (this is more like a 'used to' thing)

3. Constantly makes "lists" (neat little rows and columns of scribble...very orderly) and passes them out to random people.

4. With a disgusting look and (again) tears streaming down her face, absolutely refuses to spit out the fresh rhubarb that she hates so much.

5. Stands up in her crib yelling "Mommy, no! No, mommy! I don't like it! Open the door! Mommy, no! Open the door! I don't like it!" if she hears anyone in the hall outside her room during naptime. (Actually, this happened every single day...but it was when she was small enough for a crib)

6. Will get angry at me for pouring water on her...when she's sitting in the pool.

7. Throws herself into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably, until she can calm down. Then when I ask her what's the matter, she straightens up, wipes her now-red eyes, and says, "I don't want to tell."

8. Will look at strangers who have just praised her beautiful red hair, completely blank faced and un-appreciative, and say, "I know. Everyone says that."

9. Gives herself commands, or sometimes comfort when things don't go her way. Out loud. Ex: "It's just cause Autumn is a BABY, that's why she gets to go first." and "Don't sit in the little chair, Kieltaa. Sit in the comfy chair this time." Oftentimes these things are said right when there is a problem...so anyone standing nearby gets an earful, on the spot, about what she really thinks when she doesn't get her way, etc.

Hyvästi

Thursday, March 4, 2010

What's that noise?!

So, I have another memory to post. And Hans is at the store, so I have a few minutes. This one is more recent, although still several years ago. We (my parents and most of us kids) moved to Washington state in 1999. We've moved back and forth between Mount Vernon and Burlington, as they're kind of a joined city.

Anyhow, about a 40 minute drive away is Oak Harbor, which is on Whidbey Island. Also on this island is a Navy base. In fact, you have to drive past it to get to Oak Harbor. So the loud roar of planes suddenly overhead is not at all unusual. This is key to my story.

My sister, Sharmin, and I were always going out to Oak Harbor for singles activities with others from our church. So much, in fact, that the trip almost just seemed like a hop and a skip away.

One day, she and I were in the backseat of my parents car, with mom in front of me and dad behind the wheel, heading to Oak Harbor. I can't remember if anyone else was in the car, but I don't think so. So we're just talking, the radio may or may not have been on, and mom was reading.

Out of nowhere, my dad jerks the car onto the shoulder of the road and starts ducking his head around trying to look out the windows!!

Sharmin and I sat bolt upright at this, trying to figure out the reason for dad's suddenly frantic behavior. It finally clicked. An airplane, which we had become so accustomed to, had just zoomed (unexpectedly) overhead.

Meanwhile, mom drops her book and is literally screaming, "Jack! What is WRONG with you?!"

Tears of laughter streaming down our cheeks, Sharmin and I were finally able to choke out to mom what had just happened (we had to, seeing as our usually low-key father was still scanning the skies.) She was still visibly upset. Dad, however, now assumed a very sheepish look as he eased back onto the road.

I still can't get the full story out all in one shot. My poor husband had to watch as, trying desperately to keep a straight face, I collapsed into a fit of giggles when I told him this story. I get animated.

To my dad's credit, though, there may have been good reason for his behavior. After all, he did serve in the military for 13 years.

Sayōnara

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

High School Daze 3 - Guy Trouble

I'm back on with the third and final installment of strange high school memories. This one involves a guy.

I know, I know...eyebrows raise, I hear a whistle in the background...oh, wait. That was just in my head.

So this guy is one that I had a HUGE crush on for a very SHORT period of time. I think it was a month. Something like that. After that...meh...he was cute and all, I just wasn't completely smitten. If he had asked me, I would have dated him. But he didn't, and it didn't rock my world too harshly. Get the picture? Cool. Well, the thoughts about this guy are two part. One has to do with him specifically (Senior year), and the other is kinda him, mostly someone else (Junior year). It'll make sense when I get there.

So I had the massive crush on this guy. For the sake of anyone I used to know who might actually read this some random day in the future and think giggly schoolgirl thoughts about it, I am considering not even putting his name on here. But it's not such a huge thing that people have crushes on people in their high school years, right? Okay, his name was Greg Frye.

Anyway, so back to the story. Turns out, my good friend had a crush on him as well. I didn't know. I was probably about at the peak of my crush (y'know, when you get flushed just cause he walked in the room...even if he didn't actually look your way) when I found out that she liked him. She and I were in an otherwise empty classroom where he had just departed, and we both commented on having a crush on him.

My delight! I had someone to relate with about how massively gorgeous he was and isn't he so charming and funny?! Not exactly.

Before I tell you what happened here, I need my thoughts to be justified and validated. So...just so you know, she was FULLY AWARE that I had been crushing on him already, and she had NEVER NEVER NEVER said so much as a peep about liking him.

So, here we are with this confession of a crush in the air, and me excited that we could talk about it...and she hammers down on me right away! She tells me that I would not be a "real friend" if I ever flirted with him or dated him because I now knew that she liked him. She concludes with the fact that she wanted to ask him out sometime, though. I was floored!! So...so that means that any time we happen to like the same guy, I would not be allowed to act on what I feel, but she could? Say what?!

I have to insert here that this is the ONLY time I have felt any negative feeling towards this friend. She was one of my best friends, we stayed friends for years, and we're still in semi-contact today...and this is the ONLY negative memory I have of her. She is just a sweetheart in general, so naturally this stands out as a glaring contradiction to who she is.

I had no idea what to think or feel at that point, and so I tried to laugh it off. She was dead serious, though, which made me evaluate my feelings. Did I honestly think Greg and I would ever date? No. Could I be okay crushing on him if she dated him? Yeah, prolly. Even if I ever did date him, did I seriously think that the guy I dated at age 17 would be my future husband? Not really. So in all, was it worth risking losing my friendship with this girl? No. So I continued to crush on him all I wanted, and we talked about how wonderful he was, but I never flirted. Turns out, she never did either.

Now, I know you could think and reason that her ultimatum to me would make her not such a good friend. Believe me, I've been down that thought path. I try to take a kinder route, though. I think she was just being a typical hormonal teenage girl. I think that her crushing was dumbing down the better part of her brain...which crushing has a tendency to do.

Funny, though, that this exact realization didn't come until I fell in love with my husband. He was crushing on someone else, she was kinda playing with him rather than actually being interested in long-term. She and I had recently become friends, and she knew I was madly in love with him. He was (and still is) my best friend. Only my feelings had gone farther, whereas his were happy with just friendship. She knew this...I talked out my feelings with her SO MANY TIMES! She was well aware of them, she was also well aware that she was only interested in making out with him, and she was well aware that he was crushing on her. So MY thoughts lined right up with my friend from high school. OF COURSE it wouldn't be real friendship if she made a play at him! I could, but not HER. Alas, they did date...for a miserable few weeks, while I sat there being in the middle of it all...hearing about his unsatisfied feelings with her, hearing about her desire to kiss him all the time (never happened...whew!) and wishing it would all end. And feeling bitter towards her. Because she knew. See how it relates? (By the way, she and I are still friends.)

But I digress. So, that was the end of my first memory accompanied by my thoughts of the memory. On a side note, I just thought of another memory about Greg. He was once robbed on the outskirts of town, forced to strip down, and had his car stolen. So he walked back into town naked. It was in the newspaper.

No, not the picture! Sicko! The story was in the paper. I never actually talked to him about it, though.

Okay, onto my next story...er...thing. He wrote in my yearbook. Twice. Well, he didn't sign one of them...but you know how you get to know someone's handwriting after a while? Well, that was the case.

The first thing he wrote was that I'm good and I'm gonna go to heaven, and that's cool. random, but okay.

The second thing he wrote, even more random, is a little note he signed with the name Pepe Le Pew. Oh, you've heard of him, eh? So have I. Horny little skunk! Well, he wrote that he'd like to take me up to the gridwalk and...well, it's kind of embarrassing even all these years later. I believe his words were "I want to take you up to the gridwalk and ravage you like you've never been ravaged before."

Now, wait a minute. After you wipe away your tears of laughter and smirks, let me add something here. This is not embarrassing because I BELIEVED it...no, no. It was, after all, Greg. It makes sense that he would write nonsense. This was embarrassing because I had to get a friend tell me what he MEANT.

Yes, folks...even though I was generally known and liked by most (although not so far as to say popular), I was completely naive. Not something I'm ashamed of, either! Not at all. I've been blissfully innocent almost my entire life now, and I'm quite happy with that. But the fact remains, this did leave me with blank stares on my face at times when people would say things like THAT and wait for my response. I had no clue.

So when I did find out what it meant, that was a different embarrassment altogether! There was all this wishy-washy "did he really mean it, or was it just a joke?' crap going on in my head.

Oh, and the horror!...to think, in my innocence, that someone would even THINK of me like that...even if it was a joke...was a different head-spinning altogether. I hadn't even imagined myself with someone like that!

Well, after a week or so my thoughts and heart calmed down. I noticed he was still just acting like normal Greg in class, so I had to assume that he knew I would read it and probably assume that I might know what it meant (or maybe not, if he figured out the extent of my naivety), yet he was completely unfazed. The verdict...not guilty. It was a joke. And I could relax.

So, there it is. That was the last of my most recent thoughts on the things that stood out to me as oddities in high school. I like memories, and I like writing them down, so I'll probably have more blogs about more memories. Probably more about high school, too...eh, whatever. For now, this is it.

Auf Wiedersehen

High School Daze 2 - First Impressions

Okay, so on to my other thoughts. This next one might be somewhat shorter. It starts with a girl named Megan. She and I became friends my senior year, despite the fact that she was a 'mere freshman' (here's my nose in the air...heh heh). Anyhow, she is a sweet girl, genuinely beautiful, fun, and pretty smart. There was a time I didn't think so, though. The day I met her.

My negative thoughts didn't last long, mind you, nor did they stem to anything hateful in any way! No, no, no. It was much simpler than that.

She offended me.

The very first thing she ever said to me was rude, in my opinion. Especially considering that she didn't even know me. I now attribute it to family loyalty and a high regard for her older sister, coupled with a desire to be known instantly in her new school.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Here's the scenario:
I'm eating lunch with friends, and one of them says they have a new friend who wants to hang with us. Of course everyone is cool with this, and so off she trots. When she comes back, she's talking with a curly-haired, round-faced, kinda shy looking girl. Her name is Megan, and she is NOT shy. Everyone makes introductions all around, and she was saying something about hanging with drama people because her sister Trisha (not to be confused with Trish) was over there. So I brighten up and tell her I'm in the Advanced Acting class with her sister.

Her response? "You're not the best, you know. My sister has been acting longer than you. I'm sure she's better. Just because you're in that class doesn't mean you're the best."

To which I replied (looking very confused, I'm sure), "I never said I was the best. I just said I was in the class."

And her response..."Well, she's better than you, just so you know."

I shook my head and tried to figure out how this girl A) came to the conclusion that I THOUGHT I was the best, B) figured it was good to put me, a total stranger, in my place, and C) knew enough about me in the first place to judge how good I was or wasn't compared to her sister.

Like I said, we did become friends. Not that day, but the next. Seems that my humility was enough for her to consider me friend material...for which I'm glad, cause snobbery is never a good memory to have of someone.

Here's what has always bugged me about this encounter, though. First, you had to be hand-picked by the drama teacher in order to be in the advanced class. This class skipped the lets-teach-you-how-to-act stuff, and focused only on setting up and performing high school plays. Every day, all year. You had to have had beginning drama in order to qualify, but still...not everyone qualified. So right off the bat, you had to be good. Second, I WAS one of the great actors of the class. I learned this later from the teacher. I had asked him why I was usually in middle roles (not extra, but not lead). He had given us countless stories about quality actors not in lead roles, and he directed my thoughts to those. He said he knew he could trust me to direct focus where it needed to be when it needed to be there, as well as give good supplemental dialogue and character to a scene to make it work, and that even though my roles were never lead...I was noticed. And in a good way. Great compliment, in my opinion! I was pointedly reminded of several times when my character, played my specific way, had brought in audible sympathy, disbelief, or laughter from the audience. And third, my school drama team was one of the top three in the STATE! Another thing I learned later on. So, yeah, that makes me pretty good. Another talent from God, I'm well aware.

With all that in mind, I'm also aware that I'm not the best. I'm not even comparing myself to Trisha, either. I have no idea what my teacher's opinion of her talent was. My opinion is that she was great...really great. To be regarded highly. But this wasn't actually about her anyway. It was about little sis. Megan.

And often I've thought to myself, when I'm feeling somewhat confrontational, that I would love to go back in time and point out all of the above to Megan on the first day! If for no other reason than just to shut up the immediate snob she made herself out to be.

But, alas, that would have most definately made it impossible for any friendship between us. So even though I randomly think about that...in my heart now and forever, I'm VERY glad I said exactly what I did. Cause even though high school was 10+ years ago, and we haven't spoken to or seen each other for at least 8 or those years, we did have a good friendship back then and the memories I have of her (other than the first) are good memories.

So I guess this blog is just so I can scream it out to the world what I never said back then: I WAS ONE OF THE BEST ACTORS!!! NOT JUST IN MY SCHOOL, BUT IN THE ENTIRE STATE!!! HAND-PICKED BY A MAN WHO KNEW MORE ABOUT ACTING THAN A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL ACTORS, AND NO AMOUNT OF PETTY SNOBBERY CAN TAKE THAT AWAY!!! SO, HA!

Okay, I'm okay now.

Ciao

High School Daze - Dealing With the Duo

I was cleaning my house the other day, and just thinking about my life. My mind paused on high school, so I reviewed. I was home taught my first two years, and attended public school junior and senior years. As pleased as I am with my high school years, there are still a couple things that bother me. Maybe bother is too strong a word. I still randomly think about these things because...well, just because. They stand out as odd, I guess. There are three of them.

So I figured I'd write them down, and maybe I can just look at them as actual words and be okay with it so that years down the road I'm not still stopping on THAT ONE THOUGHT!! I hate those things. The same thoughts that keep coming back and back, no matter how hard you try to work it out and move on. So, here's me trying to work it out, and I don't exactly know how to start.

I suppose I'll start with Trish and Tara. After all, I had a dream about the two of them recently. Very unsettling.

They were pretty inseperable. The best of friends, and (I think) generally nice to people. But not to me. I could never figure this out. I was at a school where it didn't take much to be 'known' by all...you just had to be outspoken, wierd, in drama, or Mormon. Of the four, I was two and a half. I can NOT call myself wierd. Not in the way that would get me noticed at school, anyhow. That being said, let's move on. I AM Mormon (proudly), I was in drama, and I was *somewhat* outspoken. Of course, topic of conversation did matter as far as that last one went, as well as who's company I was in. But there ya go. That's me in high school in a very, *very* tiny little nutshell. Not popular, by any means, but then there wasn't a whole lot of that separation going on at my school. Or maybe I just didn't notice it. Blissfully unaware.

So here I was, moderately well known all over campus, and liked by all who knew me, with the exception of these two girls. For no reason that I could see. This went on through my junior year, and part of my senior year. They weren't cruel, mind you. Nothing like making fun of me, or any childish stuff like that. Just...I dunno. There was this palpable dislike they directed at me, without really saying much at all. Every now and then they would say something snobby, but not often.

But for me...well, I don't handle not being liked very well. Not at all. See, I AM a likeable person! I know this about myself. I befriend people, I serve others, I share opinion respectfully without overstepping bounds. I just am a generally likeable person. So when this dislike didn't go away, I was feeling hurt. So I finally did something about it.

No, I didn't go try to make the duo a trio, nor did I sit them down and cry about it. I wrote them a letter. Well, one of them. I still can't remember which one. Probably Trish, since I always remember her being more openly dislikeful.

Anyhow, the letter was short and said something to the effect of "I don't know why you don't lilke me. It hurts my feelings, but I've decided I'm going to just respect you and be nice to you no matter what and you can choose to be nice to me or not. I think you're cool, for what it's worth, and you're a good actress. I hope that even if we never be friends, we can at least be friendly." Not those words exactly, but that was the basic idea.

I realize, in retrospect, that this was probably not a 'cool' thing to do...more a middle school action rather than a high school one. But I was hurt and desperate, and the thing is...it worked! Almost immediately, these girls started being nice to me. We never became good friends. Just...friendly. And y'know what? It WAS cool. Turns out, it was the RIGHT action to take, and their reaction was a very cool thing. And we never had any problems after that.

In fact, Tara once suggested I sing lead in one of our plays because she said she had heard me singing when I thought noone was around and she said I was good! That was a huge compliment, especially since that was back when I wasn't sure how good my voice was. I know better now. God has given me that talent, and I'm glad (I love to sing!) But back then...well, anyhow, so it turned out cool. Trish even wrote in my yearbook...something to the effect of me teaching her about respect? Yeah, something along those lines.

So, that actually doesn't usually come to mind a lot. Mostly thinking of them I picture them doing something crazy onstage during rehearsals (typical of them), not the negative stuff. But there's that dream I mentioned...wierd. Not that the dream itself was very wierd...a little, yeah, but not much. I actually can't even remember most of it. I was standing at a soda fountain talking to Tara, and Trish said something muffled behind me. I turned and asked her "What? You're going to have a baby?" all excited-like, and she looked at me funny and said "Uh, yeah. I guess." and they walked away. That's all that I remember about the dream. So, Trish and Tara...if you ever stumble across this blog, I hope this makes sense to you, cause it sure doesn't to me!

What it did do, however, is remind me of the not-so-friendly times. *sigh* I am an optimist, and probably what you'd call a selective-amnesia-optimist. I deliberately choose to remember good things more than bad, so this memory is an unwelcome one. Especially since it was resolved long ago.

Well, I have more thoughts and plenty more time. But this being my first time blogging, I don't really know how long is TOO long of a post. So I think I'll end this one right here, and start again on a new one with my other high school thoughts.

Adios