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Saturday, September 06, 2008
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Another Day, Another Set Of Iron Pills.
Current mood:  sick
Hold on if you feel like letting go
Hold on it gets better than you know
Don't stop looking, you're one step closer
Don't stop searching, it's not over
Hold on
-- "Hold On" Good Charlotte
Well, I'm supposed to go and get that pesky blood work done sometime next week so I'll know for sure how things are progressing but for now I'm content to assume that I'm improving. Of course, I still get too dizzy to do things like go for a walk or drive a car but I'm not losing any hair that any normal person wouldn't be losing anymore and that alone is enough to make me happy for the rest of the week, month and year.
Seriously, I had been struggling to come to terms with the possibility of losing enough hair that it would actually become noticeable to other people, because there's a lot of people out there that would have enjoyed seeing that happen to me, and that never ended up happening, so to say that I'm happy is actually one hell of an understatement. I'm also seeing other small but notable improvements like when I walk across the house I'm starting to be able to breathe and talk at the same time again and I'm no longer getting winded from having short conversations. Sure, laughing still makes me sleepy and I'm still weak as a kitten but I feel like I've made some progress. Now, I just need to stay the course and go get that blood work done. *looks around*
In the meantime, I'm just trying to entertain myself. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I write. Sometimes I watch movies, sometimes I watch TV. Sometimes I do stuff and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I just lay on my bed and stare at the ceiling and think about how sick I am, how much sicker I was, how close I came to dying and how someday I'm actually not going to be sick, or anemic anymore. That's when I start thinking about all the things I'd like to do and then it's all I can do to not cry because I have so much that I want to do and I'm trapped in my body right now. But, then I remind myself that it's getting better. And then I relax a little and find something else to do...
And then sometimes I take silly little quizzes, quizzes like "What Kind Of Coffee Girl Are You?":
You Are a Soy Latte
Yeah, you've got a bit of that healthy hippie thing going on
But you're more Kate Hudson urban bohemian than Phish groupie
You're worldly and well traveled... and you know where to get the best coffee in town.
All your experience makes you a compassionate person - and a caring girlfriend.
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Currently
listening
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Good Morning Revival
By
Good Charlotte
Release date: 2007-03-27
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Friday, September 05, 2008
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Wasting Time With A TV Meme
Current mood: sick
"Your cable television is experiencing difficulties. Please do not panic. Resist the temptation to read or talk to loved ones. Do not attempt sexual relations, as years of TV radiation have left your genitals withered and useless." -- The Simpsons
Blah blah blah. Anemia. Blah blah blah. Still. Blah blah blah. Frustrating. Blah blah blah. Any day now. Blah blah blah. Iron pills. Blah blah blah. Blood work again next week. Blah blah blah, in the meantime:
Back in the Day: 5 TV Shows You Loved As A Kid:
* M*A*S*H
* Night Court
* Pee Wee's Playhouse
* Twin Peaks
* Unsolved Mysteries
Who Would You Do?: 5 TV Characters You Would…Well, It's Self-Explanatory
(Wow, I so do not think like that. So, I'm changing this to who would you go have coffee with... And let's keep in mind that I'm talking about the character here, not the actor.)
* Anthony DiNozzo from NCIS (Sarcastic movie nerds are always winners in my book...)
* Charlie Eppes from Numb3rs (As are geniuses...)
* Chris Stevens from Northern Exposure (Philosophical is fine too...)
* Fox Mulder from The X-Files (Same with paranormal nerds...)
* Special Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks (And anyone who says something like "but what you need right now, more than anything else is a friend..." *melt*)
Wow: 5 TV Moments You Still Remember (And Probably Won't Forget)
* I can remember simultaneously being totally fascinated by Twin Peaks and totally scared of it when I was little. So, I would turn it on and watch as much of it as I could and then turn it off as it got too scary for me, especially when the music would get all weird and creepy, which was all the time, and let's face it the theme song freaked me out enough to begin with so how do you think I handled the freaky backwards talking... Anyhow, there I was watching it one night when Audrey Horne tied a cherry stem in a knot with her tongue. Now, remember I was about 10-ish or so I had no idea what this actually meant but I knew I had to figure out how to do it because I just thought it was cool. So, I practiced every time I had the chance and that was pretty often since my family went out to dinner all the time, and eventually I learned how to do it.
So, one day I'm sitting with friends at dinner in (at? on?) the Space Needle and I ordered a fake mixed drink so I'd blend in with the "grown-ups" and I got a cherry in my drink. I decided to bust out my cherry tying skills and all the guys are just riveted by this and I'm like "wow, I can't believe that they're that impressed by that..." That was when the other girl at the table made an off-color remark about my skills and I put two and two together and got... really red because I was now blushing. She then asked how I'd never put that together before and I was stymied. That was when someone noticed that as the restaurant revolved people were leaving notes for each other on the window ledge. Saved by the novelty of passing hilarious notes to strangers, I never had to actually explain my level of innocent ignorance to them.
* I remember one night when Lizandra was spending the night at my house. We'd ordered pizza and were watching Mystery Science Theater 3000. It was the episode where they watch "Pod People." (And if you know what I'm talking about then you my friend are awesome.) And we laughed our way along to the part where the kid screams "Trumpy you can do magic things" while all sorts of crazy crap flies around the room and we just died. I have no idea what it was exactly that made it so hilarious but we were rolling. It was fantastic, and thanks to the magic of YouTube, you can enjoy it too... Ten Minutes Of Trumpy. (I just rewatched it and died all over again. "...you can do STUPID things.")
* When I was little I didn't really have a bedtime, but it was sort of assumed that I'd be in bed by about ten which was when the local news came on. I was down with that because I liked laying in bed watching the news. I know, I was a weird kid, I loved reading the paper while I ate breakfast too. Anyways, after the news ended at ten-thirty M*A*S*H would come on. Keep that in mind.
So I grew up in this incredibly scary house and I hated falling asleep by myself (I still hate having to do that) so I would ask my Mom to hang out in my room with me. Some nights she would watch the news with me until I fell asleep, BUT other nights she would be... Um... Well hydrated with vodka and would instead come in and screech at me for not being asleep if I wasn't out like a light by the time M*A*S*H came on. So, when I was little hearing the sounds of the M*A*S*H theme song starting up always made me feel tense because I knew that if I wasn't already asleep I was screwed.
But, as I've established I loved watching M*A*S*H so I on the nights where I couldn't sleep and wanted to watch TV instead I would just pretend to be asleep. I'd lay there with one eye open (gripping my pillow tight, hee hee) and I'd wait for either my Mom to leave or for one of my parents to come in and check on me. They'd see that I was "asleep" and they'd leave me alone to enjoy my late night TV viewing. (They never bothered to turn my TV off because I always set the timer to go off at midnight.) Eventually, they stopped checking on me and I was left to my own resources, which was when I learned that after M*A*S*H came Nightline and if I was still awake after that Taxi came on. Yes, there was nothing like knowing that it was a school night and hearing the sounds of Taxi in the background thinking "Oh yeah, I'm going to be damn tired tomorrow during my reading group." (Have I ever mentioned that I was so far advanced in 'reading' that they had to invent a group just for me... Oh yeah, you'd better believe THAT made me popular.) And to this day, for a split second, when I hear the M*A*S*H theme fire up I think "OH NO! I'm still awa... Oh yes, nevermind."
* I'll pretty much always remember every single episode of The Simpsons, and if that statement following a statement about watching MST3K doesn't stamp my nerd passport, I don't know what does...
* And of course, I'll never forgot sitting with about a dozen people in my friend's living room watching coverage of 9/11...
Awww... : 5 TV Couples You Love
* Charlie Epps and Amita Ramanujan (Numb3rs)
* Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (The X-Files)
* Melinda Gordon & Jim Clancy (Ghost Whisperer)
* Seth Cohen & Summer Roberts (The OC)
* Special Agent Dale Cooper & Audrey Horne (Twin Peaks)
"Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs": 5 TV Theme Songs You Know (and Love) By Heart
Eh: 5 Shows You Just Can't Get Into
(I'm not saying that other people shouldn't enjoy these shows, I'm just saying that I don't. I know. I know. I'm feeling the dirty looks from here...)
* 30 Rock
* American Idol
* Criminal Minds
* The Office
* Ugly Betty
The Starting Line-Up: 5 Channels You Go To First When You Sit Down to Watch TV
* CBS
* ABC
* FOX
* Nickelodeon
* ABC Family
This Is An Environment of Welcoming, and You Should Just Get the Hell Out Of Here: 5 TV Characters You Could Do Without
* Ana-Lucia Cortez From LOST (She killed Shannon, my favorite character, enough said.)
* Dr. Mildred French from Numb3rs (I think she's already off the show, but I still disliked her.)
* Delia Banks from Ghost Whisperer (Ooo, I dislike her character so much...)
* Juliet Burke from LOST (Or, as I like to call her Botox ClownSmiles.)
* Kate Austen from LOST (Sweet Jesus, she annoys the hell out of me...)
That's What She Said: 5 Quotes That Still Resonate
* "Become Famous. Then Revenge." - Squidward "SpongeBob SquarePants"
* "I hate the people that love me and they hate me." -- Bender "Futurama"
* "In your face, space coyote!" -- Homer Simpson "The Simpsons"
* "There's a dark side to each and every human soul. We wish we were Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the most part we are, but there's a little Darth Vader in all of us. Thing is, this ain't no either-or proposition. We're talking about dialectics, the good and the bad merging into us. You can run but you can't hide. My experience? Face the darkness. Stare it down. Own it. As brother Nietzsche said, being human is a complicated gig. So give that ol' dark night of the soul a hug. Howl the eternal yes!" -- Chris Stevens "Northern Exposure"
* "Time passes in moments... Moments which, rushing past, define the path of a life, just as surely as they lead towards its end. How rarely do we stop to examine that path, to see the reasons why all things happen, to consider whether the path we take in life is our own making, or simply one into which we drift with eyes closed. But what if we could stop, pause to take stock of each precious moment before it passes? Might we then see the endless forks in the road that have shaped a life? And, seeing those choices, choose another path?" -- Scully "The X-Files"
Gimme More: 5 Shows You Can Never Get Enough Of
* Futurama
* King Of The Hill
* M*A*S*H
* NCIS
* The Simpsons
10:33 PM
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Finally, A Sign Of Progress!!!
Current mood: sick
"Regardless of the cause, all types of anemia cause similar signs and symptoms because of the blood's reduced capacity to carry oxygen. These symptoms include pallor of the skin and mucous membranes, weakness, dizziness, easy fatigability, and drowsiness. Severe cases show difficulty in breathing, heart abnormalities..." -- The Columbia Encyclopedia
You may have noticed that after years of having "Fairly warned be ye says I" as my MySpace quote I took it down and replaced it with "Putting the 'ME' back into Anemia!!!" Now, as much as I like my snazzy new quote (a quote I came up with while I was trying to design a T-shirt for myself) I didn't swap out quotes because I was bored with the old one. No. I swapped out quotes because of this eMail I got from some guy that I've never spoken with before:
Girl i dont know who you think your foolin with that fairly warned be yee says me crap bvut your not folling anyone. you may think its fun to worship star wars and yoda but let me tell you one thing you better believe in more on this rock than yoda or one day your going to waka up dead and surprised. you need to believe in more than yoda these days.
And it went on like that. For quite some time. Now, I'll be honest and agree with him that the day I wake up dead I'm sure I'll be surprised. Damn surprised, in fact. But, then that's the thing about sudden zombification, it's a little shocking. Then I saw that he hadn't said "wake" he'd said "waka" and I died a little because I was laughing so hard. Yeah, right now laughter is my Kryptonite. Seriously, laughing makes me very, very tired very, very fast. It's horrible really. And this guy now had me picturing the following scenario:
"She... She just keeps saying 'waka waka'..."
"That would explain the little pork pie hat and the spotted tie..."
"Yes, that's how it spreads..."
So, clearly this guy thought that my little quote had something to do with Yoda. It didn't. It's from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It's one of the things the talking skull says right before you make your decent into the cave. I used to throw that phrase around a little during my group's Pirate Phase but that was quite a while ago. So, I got to thinking "maybe I should change that quote..." and then I remembered what I had written for a T-shirt and voilà! I had a nifty new quote that paid homage to my current malady.
And speaking of my current malady, I am thrilled to announce that I have stopped losing hair to the anemia. I was hesitant to announce it before I was absolutely sure but this weekend I noticed that as I was washing my hair I wasn't losing half as much as I had been over the last few weeks.
You see, I'm a smidgen obsessive about my hair so I'm totally aware of how much hair I usually lose to washing and brushing. Everyone loses hair to those things on a daily basis so it's not unusual to have some hair loss each day but a few months ago I suddenly began losing more than a usual amount. It was terrifying and it was what made me ignore the doctor I was working with at the time's advice and go get blood work done in order to meet with a new doctor. And thank God I did because I was slowly dying, but we all know that story by heart by now, so I digress...
I had told my doctor that what had brought me in was my hair and he had said "I can see why, you have beautiful hair." I had thanked him and then begged him to save it. He told me what to do and sent me on my way. But, in the meantime I spent days being scared to brush my hair because I was too afraid that more was going to fall out. I'd end up brushing it and crying because I thought there was no possible way I was going to be able to skate through on this one. I was going to end up with sickly looking hair. So, during that time I asked everyone I saw how my hair looked and everyone always said that it looked great, or lovely, or full and thick or they told me they were jealous. But, no one ever said that it looked like it was thinning, and I'd assumed that they were doing that because it was and they wanted me to stop worrying. But, somehow, some way I managed to lose hair to the anemia for about two months and still not put a dent into the amount of hair I have on my head. It's a Christmas miracle, only early and with less pine fresh scent. And it means that I AM actually recovering from the anemia. Slowly, but surely. Woo Hoo.
2:11 AM
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Thursday, September 04, 2008
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Have You Ever...
Current mood: sick
"Is life not a hundred times too short for us to stifle ourselves." -- Friedrich Nietzsche
Having exhausted every possible way I can think of to describe the ennui produced by my good friend and CONSTANT companion, Anemia, I've decided to attempt to tackle it in the form of a haiku. Yeah, that's right, I said haiku. Look, you try finding fresh new ways to express the same experience over and over again for more than a year and then you can criticize my ideas. And now... Anemia: The Haiku. (Not to be confused with Anemia: The Broadway Musical, which I swear to God I'm going to write if I don't recover from this nonsense soon.)
*AHEM*
My Anemia
A Soul Sucking Beast From Hell?
Yup, Pretty Damn Much.
Fantastic, no? I 5-7-5ed that b*tch up. (Yeah, I need to get out more. I know that.) And then there's... Well, there's...Okay, this might be the anemia talking but I'm stumped... Hmm...
I Hate You Haiku!
You Are Way Too Hard To Do!
So, I Give Up Now.
Anyway... Moving on. I got this snazzy new Meme in the mail today and I thought "This will totally kill five to ten minutes!" So, enjoy:
Have You Ever...
(Bold the ones you've actually done.)
01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (In my car... heh heh.)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Seen a ghost
07. Taken a candlelit bath
08. Said 'I love you' and meant it (I never say it without meaning it...)
09. Wished you'd said 'I love you' to someone when you had the chance
10. Done a striptease (But, not for money, so please stop offering me jobs...)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise (I've done this one a lot.)
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables (When I was little...)
19. Touched an iceberg
20. Slept under the stars (At the second and third Woodstocks...)
21. Changed a baby's diaper
22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
23. Watched a meteor shower
24. Gotten drunk on champagne
25. Given at least a four figure check to a charity
26. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
27. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (Yes. Often.)
28. Had a food fight
29. Bet on a winning horse
30. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (See also: at least half of my time in school.)
31. Asked out a stranger
32. Had a snowball fight
33. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier
34. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
35. Held a lamb
36. Enacted a favorite fantasy
37. Taken a midnight skinny dip
38. Taken an ice cold bath
39. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
40. Seen a total eclipse
41. Ridden a roller coaster
42. Hit a home run
43. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days
44. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
45. Adopted an accent for an entire day
46. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
47. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
48. Had two hard drives for your computer
49. Visited all 50 states
50. Been violently attacked by another human being
51. Taken care of someone who was shit faced (I called her Mom.)
52. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
53. Had amazing friends
54. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
55. Watched wild whales
56. Stolen a sign (Lizandra, I'm looking at you...)
57. Backpacked in Europe
58. Taken a road-trip
59. Rock climbing
60. Lied to foreign government's official in that country to avoid notice
61. Midnight walk on the beach
62. Sky diving
63. Visited Ireland
64. Been heartbroken
65. Sat at a stranger's table in a restaurant and had a meal with them
66. Visited Japan
67. Benchpressed your own weight
68. Milked a cow
69. Alphabetized your records (I alphabetize everything. Not just records.)
70. Pretended to be a superhero
71. Sung karaoke
72. Lounged around in bed all day (I'm doing that right now.)
73. Posed nude in front of strangers
74. Gone scuba diving
75. Gotten it on to "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye
76. Kissed in the rain
77. Played in the mud
78. Played in the rain
79. Gone to a drive-in theater
80. Done something you should regret, but don't regret it
81. Visited the Great Wall of China
82. Discovered that someone who's not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog.
83. Dropped Windows in favor of something better
84. Been in love with someone and told them
85. Been in love with someone but never told them
86. Toured ancient sites
87. Taken a martial arts class
88. Sword fought for the honor of a woman
89. Spent the night in a haunted house
90. Gotten married
91. Been in a movie
92. Crashed a party
93. Loved someone you shouldn't have
94. Had someone propose to you (Yes, and it was a complete stranger at an intersection...)
95. Gotten divorced
96. Had sex at the office
97. Gone without food for at least 3 days
98. Made cookies from scratch
99. Won first prize in a costume contest
100. Ridden a gondola in Venice
101. Gotten a tattoo
102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on
103. Rafted the Snake River
104. Been on television news programs as an "expert"
105. Gotten flowers for no reason
106. Masturbated in a public place
107. Got so drunk you don't remember anything
108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug
109. Performed on stage
110. Been to Las Vegas (I miss Vegas...)
111. Recorded music
112. Eaten shark
113. Had a one-night stand
114. Gone to Thailand
115. Seen Siouxsie live
116. Bought a house
117. Been in a combat zone
118. Buried one/both of your parents (My Mom...)
119. Shaved or waxed your pubic hair off/into the shape of something like a heart, etc
120. Been on a cruise ship (Does the scary Queen Mary count?)
121. Spoken more than one language fluently
122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
123. Bounced a check (HA HA HA, oh you'd better believe it pal... But, not in years.)
124. Performed in Rocky Horror
125. Read - and understood - your credit report (Yes, I think it's all silly nonsense, but yes.)
126. Raised children
127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
129. Created and named your own constellation of stars
130. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
132. Called or written your Congress person
133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
134. ...more than once? - More than thrice?
135. Driven across the Golden Gate Bridge
136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
137. Ever been pregnant
138. Had an abortion (or your female partner did)
139. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
140. Wrote articles for a large publication
141. Lost over 100 pounds
142. Held someone while they were having a flashback
143. Piloted an airplane
144. Petted a stingray
145. Broken someone's heart
146. Helped an animal give birth
147. Been fired or laid off from a job
148. Won money on a T.V. game show
149. Broken a bone (Left wrist, right foot twice, snapped the baby toe off on the right foot, broke my tailbone when my Mother shoved me into an antique butcher block and so on...)
150. Killed a human being
151. Gone on an African photo safari
152. Ridden a motorcycle
153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph (Many, many times.)
154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
157. Ridden a horse
158. Had major surgery
159. Had sex on a moving train
160. Had a snake as a pet
161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours (Yes, not too long ago.)
164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
165. Visited all 7 continents
166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
167. Eaten kangaroo meat
168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground
169. Been a sperm or egg donor
170. Eaten sushi
171. Had your picture in the newspaper
172. Had a healthy romantic relationship for over a year in your lifetime
173. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
174. Gotten someone fired for their actions
175. Gone back to school
176. Parasailed
177. Changed your name
178. Petted a cockroach
179. Eaten fried green tomatoes.
180. Read The Iliad
181. Selected one "important" author's books, who you missed in school, to read
182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them
183. ...and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you
184. Taught yourself an art from scratch
185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
187. Skipped all your school reunions
188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
189. Been elected to public office
190. Written your own computer language
191. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream ("Livin' the dream baby!")
192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
193. Built your own PC from parts
194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
195. Had a booth at a street fair
196: Dyed your hair
197: Been a DJ
198: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal
199: Written your own role playing game
200: Been arrested (Yes, for something I didn't do, in a small town by a spastic hick cop, who roughed me up and then didn't bother to read me my rights, in fact he was so out of control that the other police officers involved wouldn't leave me alone with him and they took me in instead, but not before they all did an illegal search of my vehicle, this was the same cop that lied on the stand during the trial about what I actually did, a trial that took a year to resolve and almost made me take my own life. Yeah, you might say I've been arrested.)
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Currently
listening
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Viva La Vida
By
Coldplay
Release date: 2008-06-17
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12:32 AM
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Tuesday, September 02, 2008
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Lil’ Angel
Current mood: sick
"Sassy and sexy! Lil' Angel is constantly looking out for others because she knows there are two sides to every story." -- Harajuku Lovers Fragrances
It's starting to feel like Groundhog Day around here. I wake every single morning and the day starts out unfolding the exact same way (wake up, feel awful, take twenty minutes to shake off the sleepy fog, take handful of vitamins, eat, continue to feel foggy...) It's all exactly the same. Then something happens to make it slightly different and then *BAM* the whole thing starts over again. It's getting OLD. But, the Stephanie abides.
And the Stephanie has discovered something new. Well, no, that's not actually true. I had read about this slightly newish discovery a while ago but I hadn't seen anything concrete until today, so it's only slightly newish...
And it was there that I came upon this article: (yes, I know it's a bit old, but I'm on anemia time over here.)
Harajuku Lovers fragrances (uh-huh!) are here – have you already picked a favorite of the five perscentalities? Love, Lil Angel, Music, Baby, and of course, G the leader of the pack.
You're invited to play around with the spritzy versions of Gwen and her Tokyo gals on this insanely cute website. You can get a free sample (yay!) or take a quiz to see which Harajuku lover matches your scent style. And if you're ready to make some music, there's a section on the site to add your own karaoke video.
You can meet (and sniff) Love, Lil Angel, Music, Baby, and G yourself at your fave Sephora store or get them online...
...OR tune into this blog between September 2nd and 6th for a shot at WINNING a one of the .3 oz fragrances! Gonna sock it to you...in a scent.
And that's when I remembered reading all about Gwen's new Harajuku Lovers fragrances a few weeks ago. It was either in a magazine or on a blog. I'm not all that sure because of the anemia fog. I had been excited about the concept and had been looking forward to learning more about the actual scents. And then the anemia had kicked in and I forgot about it. Until now. So, off to the site I went to take the quiz so I could learn which girl I should smell like. (Hmm, never thought I'd type those words in a sentence like that...)
Neat. I think. I mean, I love a good school girl outfit but I'm not so sure about the banadana (quiet Lizandra). So, I decided to go and see what Lil' Angle smelled like and instead I got to read her biography, and believe me I'm exactly the sort of person who wants their perfume to have a biography. Why? Because I'm a nerd, that's why.
Lil' Angel
Lil' Angel is a woman who is compassionate and caring towards others, but is no saint. She sports a classy, yet sexy, schoolgirl outfit complete with a plaid pleated miniskirt, white knee-highs, and shiny black Mary Janes. Her scent is a citrus floral with notes of pineapple, candied violet, and lollipop accord.
Notes:
Raspberry, Cranberry, Blackberry, Pineapple, Pear Blossom, Violet, Rose, Lollipop Accord, Hinoki Wood, and Crystal Amber.
Style:
Colorful. Sassy. Sweet.
Wow. Those three questions actually did a good job of placing me with a perfume I was now interested in trying out. Mostly because it's supposed to have notes of lollipop involved. Seriously, they had me at lollipop. (And no, it doesn't hurt that the first sentence could easily be applied towards me. :P) But, I'm also interested in seeing how all these notes that sound lovely separately blend together in actuality. So, off to Sephora I go.
6:11 PM
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Pre-Season Pumpkin Planning
Current mood: sick
Mayor: We've got to find Jack! There's only 365 days left until next Halloween!
Wolfman: 364!
-- The Nightmare Before Christmas
I called my Sister today to see how things were going and I learned that my nephew had some sort of flu. Ick. See, that's why I say kids are nothing petrii dishes with feet. Every time you turn around one of them is sick and just waiting to pass it along to someone, anyone... Even YOU! *DUN DUN DUUUUN* And by the by, isn't it way early for the flu to be striking down innocent little children? Yeah, that's what I thought too... *places Kleenex boxes on feet*
But, anyhow I felt bad for the little guy so I decided I would make one of my patented Stephanie Care Packages. First, Mike and I swung by Whole Foods to grab the following items:
Well, actually only Mike swung by. I stayed in the truck because that's what I do these days. I sit and I wait by myself. Sometimes I read, sometimes I chat on the phone, sometimes I play video games but I always sit and wait. (Yeah, that's right anemia, I'm waiting for you... To leave.) Unfortunately, Mike had trouble finding the shower gel, but he did manage to find the bubble bath, which is still an awesome product all by itself. At least I like it when I'm sick, it has that whole "oh yes, that's what breathing once felt like" thing going on for it. Besides that, it would give him something to use in the tub because that's where my family ends up when it's sick. In the tub. Seriously, when I'm sick I want to be in the water and he's the exact same way. Plus, that bubble bath has a bubble wand, and if there's something more entertaining than blowing bubbles at kitty cats while you're in the tub, I'd like to know what it is...
So, with that stuck in the gift bag we tried to figure out what else to add. Normally I'll get someone a book or a video game or a stack of tabloids to help pass the time with but he's 10 so I had to think age appropriate, That's when Mike had the idea to get him a stack of video game magazines. Splendid. Except I wasn't giving up my latest issues so we had to head off to Barnes & Noble. Mike went inside while I... That's right, waited in the truck. When he came back out he had gotten Triston a few video game magazines, a Lego magazine and an Indiana Jones magazine. But, that wasn't all he had also gotten me a book, Extreme Pumpkins II: Take Back Halloween and Freak Out a Few More Neighbors.
Like this:
Only slightly different. Mostly everyone loved it, except for one woman who passed by me one morning as I was checking on my flock. She said that it was a very upsetting pumpkin. I wasn't sure how to respond so I just gave her a faint smile and continued dusting everyone's hollowed out insides (the pumpkins) with cinnamon (it prevents mold and smells like pie when you light them. Mmm.). That was when she asked me what religion I was. Weak smile, back up, retreat inside.
Two days later, I'm half awake and eating some oatmeal while I read the paper when I hear. *knock knock knock* I get up, as does a surly Mike, and we follow the herd of barking dogs to the front door where we're greeted by two women and a small dirty child. I step back to let Mike handle this one because God only knows what they're about to ask. And that's when I remember one of the women. It was Mrs. Upsetting Pumpkin. Oh Jebus, what fresh hell was about to be unleashed...
"Sir, are you the owner of this home?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Is this her home?"
Mike turns and looks at me. I shrug and continue with my oatmeal. He turns back and says:
"Can I help you with something?"
"Well, actually I'd like to help you with something."
"..."
"What faith are you?"
"Huh?"
"What religion are you?"
I resist every single urge to hold up my oatmeal and say "Quakers." But, I don't. Mainly because the oatmeal was actually McCann's but still the idea does amuse me enough that I start giggling. So, now not only am I an upsetting-pumpkin-carver, but I'm also the sort of person who giggles at her breakfast.
"I understood what you wer..."
"Well, we've recently moved into the neighborhood and we're going door to door..."
"Okay, well. I'm not interested."
"I would think anyone with pumpkins like that on their front step would be very..."
"Not interested. Thank you."
"But, you see..."
Mike began shutting the door and I started to stroll back towards the bedroom to finish reading the paper and watching cartoons. Yes, I'm also a newspaper-reading-cartoon-watcher. Hide the good silver.
"Sir, my I have one more moment of your time?"
"*audible sigh* Yes?"
At this point the kid, who is TOTALLY digging my pumpkins goes over to one to check it out. I'm tempted to offer him some Halloween candy because we'd already stocked up. And I'm not talking "fun size" candy here, I'm talking regular sized candy fun. Seriously, any house I'm at is THE house to visit on Halloween... Anyhow, the kid starts laughing at my "Frankenstein" pumpkin and Mom is less than thrilled...
"Fox, get back over here!"
"Mom, look! A Monster."
Mike turns and shoots me a look that clearly states "FOX?!" Which results in more oatmeal snickers for me. (Mmm oatmeal snickers...) Mom seems flustered, the kid seems to want to get to know my pumpkins better and the other lady is just sort of standing there. I'm guessing as some sort of religious back-up in case something starts to happen...
"Well, sir we need to get going, but I'll just leave you some information..."
"Oh that's all right, no thanks. Okay, have a nice day..."
And Mike successfully shuts the door, nicely though because there was a kid involved. I looked at him and said "How can you name your kid FOX and not like Halloween? Or at the very least the X-Files?!" to which Mike responds "maybe it's short for something... Like Foxworth or Foxington..." I chime in with "Foxfellow? Or maybe Foxtopher?" and we both laugh and return to the bedroom. Mike goes back to sleep and I finish the paper. Later on we decide to go out for coffee and as we stroll past my pumpkin gang I see that "someone" has rolled up some religious paraphernalia and left it in the mouth of my "The Scream" pumpkin... I point it out and say "And they say that Jehovah's Witnesses don't have good senses of humor..." Mike removed Scream's scriptural gag and starts to hand it to me. I back up and invoke the "1,2,3 NOT IT..." rule and he glares at me. Then he looks at his neighbor's house and says "Hey, they didn't get one..." I look around. No one else had anything attached to their homes OR their pumpkins. We'd actually gotten our very own private visit. How remarkable. I laughed and said "Wow, you carve a few pumpkins and you end up making the locals assume you need saving.
And that's how Killer the Pumpkin made sure that every single time this woman saw me she'd mutter something and walk a little faster. (The kid always waved though. At least until they moved out a few months later.) But, on Halloween every single person who came to the door loved the pumpkins, which is why I'm already planning out this years patch. And if you're as Halloween-tastic as I am, you'll enjoy those two books. But, if you're greeted at the door one morning by a couple of intrusive ladies who want to spread the good news, just giggle into your oatmeal and let someone else deal with it... *knowing head nod*
Oh and by the by, Triston loved the gift bag, he's still sick but at least he'll be mildly entertained for a while...
3:45 AM
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Sunday, August 31, 2008
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What Role Do I Play?
Current mood: sick
"In response to those who say to stop dreaming and face reality, I say keep dreaming and make reality." -- Kristian Kan
*Yaaaawn* Another lazy dog dangling Sunday is upon me and I'm still anemic and I'm still feeling awful. I know. I'm just as shocked as you... Eh, it's all part of the process. Here's how I killed some time today:
You Are the Storyteller
You have a way with words, and you love hearing yourself talk.
You are at your best when you have an audience, and you can carry on a conversation with anyone.
You are light hearted and fun - a natural entertainer. It's a side of you that you can't really turn off.
You thrive on attention (perhaps a little too much), and you love applause.
When you allow yourself to be serious, you can be a moving and articulate speaker.
Your words have power, and not just the power to make people laugh.
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Currently
listening
:
Purple
By
Stone Temple Pilots
Release date: 1994-06-07
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10:18 PM
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Saturday, August 30, 2008
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Is It Opposite Day, By Any Chance?
Current mood: sick
"When you're feeling your worst, that's when you get to know yourself the best." -- Leslie Grossman
Oh my gosh, I feel horrible today. I can't possibly be getting sicker but it certainly feels like I am. Of course, the weird thing about me is that normally when I'm sick, I'll get slightly worse right as I start getting better soooo maybe I'm actually getting better...
And maybe today is opposite day and my cats are all going to put on monocles and wee little bowlers hats and walk around saying "jolly good show." And then my dogs will make my bed for me and then clean the house just like those forest animals did for Snow White. And then my car will come to life just like KIT and I'll be able to go out for a drive without having to worry about fainting. Yes, yes. Everything is coming together nicely. *rubs hands together with glee*
What? Stir crazy? What's that supposed to mean? Why are you looking at me like that?
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Currently
listening
:
Alice in Chains
By
Alice In Chains
Release date: 1995-11-07
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9:12 PM
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Friday, August 29, 2008
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Days Like Today
Current mood: sick
"I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday." -- Author Unknown
Today is one of those days when I can really feel how sick I am. A lot of days I can push the anemic feelings aside and ignore them to some degree. I can pretend I'm not having trouble thinking. I can remind myself that I just need a little snack and then I'll stop shaking. I can ignore the fact that I can't walk outside with Mike because the hot weather destroys me because my body can't regulate it's temperature. I can just keep on taking all the supplements and napping and reminding myself that this will improve and I will be healthy again...
But, today everything I do is being impacted in some way by the anemia. I'm not thinking clearly and I'm getting exhausted very, very easily. I tried to sit down and type a little while ago and the typing was too much work for me. Then I wanted to sort through some magazines but I couldn't focus long enough to do it. I finally gave into it and laid down for a while... (I ended up watching "A Haunting" on the Discovery channel with Mike. Nothing like evil spirits to take your mind off your own problems.)
I understand that this is just part of the process and it's obvious that I'm recovering, in fact part of the reason that I'm as anemic as I am today is that the hormonal part of my body is actually functioning properly again. If you catch my drift. (And I kind of hope you don't because it's all very distasteful to me.)
I'm thrilled that I'm getting better and I know that I'm getting better faster than anyone expected but it's never going to happen fast enough for me. I've lost so much time to this nonsense and each day that I'm sidelined makes it a little bit worse. I guess I'm just tried of having days like today. And to be honest, days like today also scare me a little because days like today remind me of how sick I really was, they remind me that I really was dying. I just didn't know it... And days like today remind me of how sick I still am...
It's okay though because days like today also strengthen my resolve to get through this as quickly as possible, which is why I'm sitting here drinking yet another delightful molasses smoothie. *shudder*
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Currently
listening
:
Gorillaz
By
Gorillaz
Release date: 2001-06-19
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11:23 PM
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Thursday, August 28, 2008
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45 Of The Most Random Things You Probably Never Needed To Know About Someone
Current mood: sick
"Never be afraid to sit awhile and think." -- Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
I'm feeling pretty beat down today. I'm just having a really rough week with the anemia. All signs point to improvement but I keep forgetting that this is supposed to be a slow process because I'll start to feel a little bit better. I'll be able to walk around without gasping for air or I'll be able to have a conversation without stopping to rest and then I get my hopes up that I've bounced back faster than I actually have so when I begin to feel how sick I am again it hits me harder than it ought to... I suppose that's just a matter of me coming to terms with the reality of the situation. And the reality is that this situation sucks. Poignant, no?
So, today's time killing activity was filling out this questionnaire someone forwarded to me...
45 Of The Most Random Things You Probably Never Needed To Know About Someone:
1) What does your name look like spelt backwards? Elocin Einahpets. Hmmm, makes me think of éclairs and elephants. Which should be the name of someone's forthcoming album...
2) What did you do last night? Let's see, last night I took a really long nap, woke up in time to watch the Democratic National Convention, then I read for a little while, then I played ToonTown with Mike. Then my computer crashed in the middle of a fantastic robot battle leading me to believe that my computer is a cog sympathizer. Then I wandered around online for a little while and then I went with Mike for the drive to the food store and to my house to check on everyone. We came back home, Mike cooked dinner I zoned out because I had let my blood sugar get too low again and then we ate. Mike went to bed and since I was having trouble falling asleep I took a bath and read then I played some Cooking Mama while I laid in bed trying to convince my brain that we were really very sleepy even though I had energy to spare in a body that's still too sick to use it right now.
3) What's the last thing you downloaded onto your computer? I think the last thing I downloaded onto my computer was a screen saver from Mutts Comics about a year ago. I don't really do all that much downloading...
4) Have you ever licked a 9 volt battery? No. Why the hell would I do that? (Editor's Note: Okay, so I asked Mike why you would do that and he said it produces an odd sensation when licked... I'm sure that's true for a lot of things but it still doesn't make me want to try it.)
5) When was the last time you swam in a pool? Ha Ha, I can just imagine Lizandra's face when she reads that question... And that leads us to a great little story. The last time I swam in a pool was about three years ago on the Fourth of July with Lizandra, Dennis, and Mike. There were other people there but they weren't swimming. Anyway, Lizandra and I have known each other for years and every time the topic of swimming would come up I would say something like "Oh yeah, that sounds great but I can't swim..." or "Yeah, I'm scared of water... And sea monsters." That's only about half true. I am scared of sea monsters. Mostly I just told people that I wasn't much of a swimmer because I was entirely too self-conscious about how I looked in a bikini... (See also: "my mother told me I was an ugly, fat, whore on a daily basis from about 5 to about 13.")I know. I know. So, I would just lie and say "Uhhh, yeah I can't swim" and then I would hope no one around me would start drowning because then I'd have to get all Baywatch on them and people would shout "LIAR!!!"
Well, eventually I started dating Mike and my Sister had a pool at her house and we were house-sitting and Mike said "Hey, we should totally go swimming and I said sure. But, I didn't own a suit or have one with me, so I decided to be spontaneous and went with my now classic choice of the white T-shirt I was wearing and my panties. Yeah, this was a classic choice because I didn't factor in things like what would I wear on the drive home or that as I was in mid-swim on my Sister's Husbands friends would drop by to also check on the house. Spontaneity you're the greatest.
So, that set the stage for my worlds colliding. Eventually, all of us were at the house on the Fourth, once again I was house-sitting and everyone wanted to go swimming. I had left the American flag bikini that I'd been swimming in with Mike the day before up there so I couldn't even use that as an excuse. I could see Lizandra thinking "Hmmm... If she can't swim... Then why does she have a SWIM suit..." ("Then why did I have the bowl Bart, then why did I have the bowl...") Mike said "Yeah, let's all get in the pool..." Lizandra pointed out that I can't swim and I thought "here we go..." Mike said "She can swim, she swam with me last night..." Everyone in the pool looked at me and I dove in deciding to end the speculation. Then I did some laps using various swimming strokes and Lizandra called "SHENANIGANS" on me. Once I stopped laughing, I explained that my Mother had been this amazing champion swimmer her whole life and that as a result of that, not a summer went by that I wasn't either in the pool with her or was forced to take swim lessons with my little friends at a local country club. In fact, she often tried to make me join a swim team. As you can guess, that never happened.
And so from that moment on, anytime swimming comes up Lizandra does this fantastic impression of me saying "oh no, I can't swim" while she does the backstroke. Good times.
6) What are you wearing right now? Right this second I'm wearing a... You know, this is a creepy question. Each time I get asked this in a survey I think "why am I answering this?" but then I still do... Here I go again. I'm wearing my favorite Alice In Chains T-shirt and a pair of black boyshorts because I'm curled up in bed writing this...
7) How many cars have you owned? I've owned four cars. A BMW 318, A BMW 323, A BMW 330 and my current car, A BMW M3.
8) What type of music do you dislike most? There really isn't any type of music I actively dislike but so help me God I'm going to kill someone if I have to listen to that horrible "I kissed a girl, but not really" song. Seriously, enough already, release a new f*cking single. NO. MORE.
9) Are you registered to vote? Yes. Yes, I am.
10) Do you have cable? Yes. Yes, I do.
11) What kind of computer do you use? All of the computers in my house are one type of Dell or another... There's the home computer and about a half dozen lap tops, some working and some not. (Note to self: lap tops should never be utilized while soaking in the tub...)
12) Have you ever made a prank phone call? Yes. *looks at Lizandra* I've made them with her and to her. Like that classic time when she was alone at someone's home baby-sitting by herself at night and I decided to call her with my snazzy new voice changing machine to ask her if she "LIKED SCARY MOVIES?" Yeah, that ended well.
13) Do you like anyone right now? Yes. Yes, I do.
14) Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving? I'd like to go indoor skydiving. Does that count?
15) What's the furthest place you ever traveled? That would be Vancouver, Canada and then a little bit beyond that when my old group and I all went Orca watching in a tiny little boat somewhere north of Vancouver. ("Oh my gosh, those whales are huge and they're moving around..." "Did you think they were going to be animatronic...")
16) What's your favorite comic strip? My favorite comic strip is Mutts. I love that strip. I think it's beautifully drawn and "shelter stories" always makes me cry.
17) Do you know all the words to the national anthem? I think so...
18) Do you shower in the morning or night? I shower in the morning and then I take a bath at night. But, I always shower off before I take my bath so I'm not soaking in ever so slightly dirty water. So, I average about two showers and a bath a day, what can I say? I'm just happier in the water...
19) What's the best movie you've seen in at the theater in the past month? Well, the other night I re-watched Tombstone for the 800th time on the History channel so I'll go with that one because I always enjoy it and because I haven't been healthy enough to go to the movies in the last two years, which is really depressing... But, not as depressing as sitting watching movies knowing that if I wasn't sick I could be out there making them... *sigh*
20) What are your favorite pizza toppings? Well, I'm a sucker for a plain soy cheese pizza, but Mike and I have also invented a couple of our own pizzas with the help of the always patient staff at Magpie's. Right now we order a white pizza with olive oil instead of sauce, soy cheese, pine nuts, scallions and tomatoes and we also get a veggie pizza with garlic, green bell peppers, onions, and black olives. We used to bring in our own vegan pepperoni but we got burnt out on it so we stopped for a while... In fact, that actually sounds good right now.
21) Chips or popcorn? It depends on the moment and my mood and the occasion... I'm actually not much of a consumer of either one.
22) What cell phone provider do you have? Sprint.
23) Have you ever smoked peanut shells? Um... No. But, I'd like to know who the f*ck has... Seriously, who wrote this question thinking "good, good now they'll all have to come clean..." Was it an elephant? Are peanut shells smoked by junkie elephants? Why are you looking at me like that?
24) Have you ever been in a beauty pageant? Not that I'm aware of...
25) Orange Juice or apple? Both are just fine by me...
26) Who were the last people you sat at lunch with? Um... Well, I had lunch with Mike today and there were a half dozen or so animals milling around...
27) What's your favorite chocolate bar? I haven't had a chocolate bar in ages. Mainly because the sugar and caffeine would murderize me right now, which again sucks. But, when I can have chocolate I'm all about the dark chocolate.
28) Who has been your friend the longest and how long? That award would go to Lizandra, who I've known since about seventh grade. I met her after school one day when I was waiting for my Mother to show up and rescue me from my scary new school. I had been sitting reading and had decided to get up and call my Mother to remind her that she had a child waiting for her and as I walked to the payphone a girl on a bike almost ran me over. I was pissed and blocked her way and she said "I'm Lizandra. Get out of my way." I glared at her, she glared at me and we didn't speak again until the eighth grade when we were in drama together. She'd ask to borrow my lotion and we started talking. We discovered a shared interest in the mocking of others and the rest is history...
29) Last time you ate a homegrown tomato? I'm not sure...
30) Have you ever won a trophy? No, I've never won a trophy but I did win a few ribbons back when I was a cute little equestrian.
31) Favorite arcade game? Oh my gosh, I have so many... But, I'm going to have to go with Mrs. Pac Man... I can remember my Mother taking me to local pizza joints where she would sit and drink alone while she handed me dollar after dollar to occupy me. I would sit at one of those table games with her and waste that game over and over again until she was drunk enough to drive us home... Good times. I can still beat anyone at Mrs. Pac Man.
32) Ever ordered from an infomercial? Yup.
33) Sprite or 7-UP? Neither. I haven't had soda in at least a decade...
34) Have you ever had to wear a uniform to school? Thankfully no, because I know damn well I would have constantly been getting in trouble for forgetting to wear it, or for altering it, or for some damn thing...
35) What was the last thing you bought at Walgreens? The last time I was in a Walgreens was around Easter and I was getting a huge stack of magazines and I decided to try out this new line of vegan bath & body products I'd read about called " Yes To Carrots." Now, normally I'm a bit of a product snob and I don't go 'round buying skin care at drug stores but I'd read about this line a few times and decided to try it out and I was really impressed by how nice of a line it was, except for the fact that their body wash has SLS in it. So, I passed on that but the rest of the products are great. I highly recommend them, and no, they don't smell like carrots.
36) Have you ever thrown up in public? Not that I'm aware of... Perhaps, I did as a baby but thankfully I don't recall that.
37) Would you prefer being a millionaire or finding true love? I'm a total and complete romantic, so of course I'm going to say finding true love.
38) Do you believe in love at first sight? Oh my gosh, yes. Totally.
39) SPONGEBOB OR JIMMY NEUTRON? WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?! I LIKE BOTH! BUT, SLIGHTLY PREFER SPONGEBOB! OKAY? NOW STOP YELLING!
40) Did you have long hair as a young kid? I did and I still do. IN fact, when I was born I had a mess of curly black hair.
41) What message is on your voicemail machine? Ooooo, that reminds me I need to record a new out-going message for my home phone... I'll BRB.
42) Where would you like to go right now? To sleep... Or to the magical land of NoMoreAnemia, where everyone has enough iron in their blood and Stephanies can run aorund and drive cars and not get sleepy from taking a shower.
43) What is/are the name(s) of your pet(s)? Elton, Vertigo, Autumn, Punky, Rex, Sunny, Raven, Dewey, Dharma, Cedric, Ruby, Belle, Jack, Hurley, and Austin... Then there's Champ, Shaggy & Scooby, the dogs that I'm fostering.
44) What kind of back pack do you have, and what's in it? The only back pack I own right now is my Prada backpack and it's empty because it's in my "Black Bag" storage container.
45) What do you think about the most? A better question would be, do I ever stop thinking? And the answer to that would be no. I'm always thinking about something or someone or both or something else... My brain never stops. In fact, I've been told "you think too much..." many, many times.
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Currently
playing
:
Cooking Mama 2: Dinner With Friends
Release date: 2007-11-13
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6:04 PM
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1 Comments - 2 Kudos
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