Bit by a bug

I was driving along 35E and my phone rang. No problem. The phone number was one I didn't recognize and that always sparks my curiosity. The caller called me by name and acted like we were old friends. He proceeded to go on about how we knew each other in Utah 2 years ago, er uh, you weren't in Utah 2 years ago, I mean Texas. We met at a Fourth of July shindig and he was the Penzoil guy. This guy obviously didn't know me b/c I have a great memory. Strike one. He then identified himself as not actually knowing me but wanted to know what was going tonight for fun. I wasn't about to launch into how we were having a pool party and then giving out the Brassfield's address to a complete stranger so I asked his name. He told me and then completed the sentence, "I'm one of those bug guys here for the summer earning money to buy a ring." So I'm assuming he's about to be engaged or whatever, finally a bug guy that's NOT on the prowl. Then he continued the conversation, "Gotta save up for that ring for that special girl. What are you doing for eternity?" Strike two. Dumbfounded, I didn't know how to take the conversation. I knew he wasn't actually proposing, I'm not that giddy for the bug boys, but my mind was thinking about him and his ladybug, so it sounded to him like I was actually considering it. Nice try, like I said, Strike two. Then he really wanted to know about what was going on tonight and like a good rep, I proceeded to tell him. But everytime I gave him a part of my directions, he chit-chatted. He asked things like, How many miles is it from Denton Tap to Bethel School? (Seemingly innocent). So I told him. Then he wanted to know how many feet that was. Listen pal, I'm okay with fast math but not while I'm driving. He then figured it out for the next 2 minutes and 34 seconds and told me his final figures. Thanks, bug friend. We chatted a while longer and I finally got out all my directions. Luckily it's easy to get to their place or I would have died. Good thing I wasn't giving him directions to Chapel Hill. Disaster.
After our direction fiasco, for some reason he brought up kissing and wanted to know how long it had been. I was speechless. What was a girl to say? He said things like, Be honest. A while huh? (Not giving me time to answer, mind you). He then proceeded, It's okay. I'm shy around girls. (Coulda fooled me). He promised me he'd be there tonight and we could chat. Looking so forward to chattin' it up with my bug boy and his bells. Did I mention he was coming with bells on?

Strike three. I'm so out with those bug guys.

Home sweet home

Hot and humid summers. Hot and humid winters. Hot and humid springs. Hot and humid falls.

This is my first attempt at a blogger post, and I must say it frightens me. I feel like I'm a bit out of the loop. Posts about dating and 24 and Nickleback songs that sound exactly the same... it sounds so foreign to me. I'm married with a kid, the most popular shows in our house are "While You Were Out" and "Clean Sweep", and for my birthday my sister got me a "Philadelphia Chickens" children's music cd. Yes, mine is a very different world. As far as I can tell, the only thing I may have in common with some of you is my love of Texas.

We just moved to the heart of Texas, Austin. Our suburb is just far enough away from the lights of the city that stars at night really are big and bright. The days are hot, the nights are comfortable, and AC is a joy. You say hello to people and end up talking to complete strangers for half an hour. Neighbors come and knock on your door two days after you move in and apologize because they couldn't wait any longer to meet you. Simple things like this are what make Texas the great state it is. I'm not a proud Texan because of the size of the state or any of that "everything's bigger in Texas" mumbo-jumbo. I'm proud to be a Texan because of the little things.

We moved from Utah. As we let people know of our plans, some of the most common responses we got were, "Won't you miss the mountains?" and "Ugh, you know how hot and humid it is there, don't you?" and so on. Number one, I never really used the mountains when I was there, and half the people that asked me that question didn't either. Number two, I'll take a hot and humid climate over a perennial cold shoulder, any day.

It's almost as if I am there, and you slam the door in my face...

Ok... click. Huh... click. You see it in movies and on television. The conversations over the phone that end without a good bye. Usually there's an "ok", "sure", or "yea" but sometimes there isn't any of that. You say something and wait for an acknowledgement but don't get any of it. The sad thing is that this happens in real life in the business world. All too often telemarketers are treated like members of an outcast nation... like the indians... I did some research and found these two comparisons.

Example 1.

Long ago the Indians faced much prejudice. The Americans did not even consider them people, just things. They went through incredible hardships just so the white settlers could steal their land. One of these hardships was the Trail of Tears (to learn more about the Trail of Tears, go to the Removal page). Also, they fought what was called the Indian Wars (to learn more about the Indian Wars, go to our Resistance page).

Example 2

Recently, telemarketers faced much prejudice. The Americans do not even consider them people, just robots. They went through incredible hardships just so they could bug you. One of these hardships was the National Do Not Call List (to learn more about the Nation Do Not Call Registry go here.) Also they fought what was called the "Do Not Call List bill wars" but they lost in many states because no one likes telemarketing. Not even the telemarketers. (to learn more about the telemarketing resistance, you'll have to use google and search hard because we don't think there is one.)

Problems Solved

I think I have found the solution to my shin splints. Cycling. Now that Dodge and his 15 bikes are home, I can ride 'til my heart's content. I have ridden two days in a row now, and so far I have had no shin problems. There was the issue of the wreck, but that shouldn't happen much. This morning I rode over to Jeff's for a water break with Dodge and back home. Hopefully I can lose some chunk and return to running without splints. O, the possibilities. Dodge and I are planning a mountain bike ride for Friday Morning. Hopefully all goes well.

Pain in my YES!

I went mountain biking for the first time in about three years. It was a blast. Dodge, Andrew, Amelia, and I went to the North Shore Trail, starting at Rock Ledge Park. It was quite the ride. We got to a good stopping point and decided to turn around, but then we found out that Andrew and Amelia had never gone beyond the spot where we were, so we trudged on. After the call from Linda to pick her up from school, we decided to turn back. Not long after turning around we came to a good sized drop in the trail, something happened, and I ended up on my back, underneath my bike. It was great. I screamed, then picked up my bike and started chasing down Dodge and the bike tools. The fall was caused by my front wheel giving out and turning side-ways, so I needed some tools to get it straitened out. I now have my first post mission bike scars, which I'm sure will be followed by many, many more. On top of that, I have a huge pain on my YES!

It's happiness that matters anyway

There is a belief that states "eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." I believe
that statement is just as true as someone saying "God Lives", because when anything is not governed by eternal law, chaos reigns and destroys (or brings death to) everything that was built. It's obvious that without law, there would be no earth in orbit around the sun. The fact that we are even here attests that laws have been put into place by a higher power for our growth. They have put us at a starting point, the rest of our growth is dependant on obedience to greater law.

Today I had the opportunity to have a conversation with someone who lives a life contradictory to mine in almost every way. At one point in the conversation, he talked about some of the pros of his lifestyle. Some of which were his tastes and judgement at helping things look better; he mentioned some of the things he has helped to make look better (like girls). He seemed to be presenting things that brought happiness to his life at which point I thought to ask him "are you happy?" He asked me to define happy. I almost did, but instead I felt not to, and with a stern feeling I said, "No. Do you think you're happy?" Without any hesitation whatsoever he replied, "hell no." It was a witness to me that when people don't govern themselves by correct principles, it is hard to find any happiness in life.

California Soul

Next wednesday (the 26th) there is a free screening of the film "Napolean Dynamite". It starts at 7:30pm and will be at the Cinemark 17 located on Webb Chapel and 635. To see a preview and to rsvp for the film go here.

Here's the plotline for the show...

From Preston, Idaho comes Napoleon Dynamite, a new kind of hero complete with a tight red 'fro, some choice moon boots, and skills that can't be topped. Napoleon spends his days drawing mythical beasts, duking it out with his 32-year-old brother Kip and avoiding his Uncle Rico, a door-to-door salesman who's mentally stuck in 1982 - the year his football team "almost won state." But when two new friends are brought into his life - Deb, the artisan behind the "boondoggle key chain," and Pedro with his sweet bike and talent with the chicks - Napoleon finds goals outside of being a star milk-tasting judge. Together the trio launches a campaign to elect Pedro for class president and make the student body's wildest dreams come true. But if Pedro is to beat stuck-up Summer, Napoleon will have to unleash his secret weapon...


Song of the day: clip 14 from Dj Shadow & Cut Chemist's Product Placement.

It happened to me.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I managed to find out that this lovely man to the left has the same birthday as myself, just 30 years earlier. I also found out I have the same birthday as The Notorious B.I.G. Now I don't have to say my birthday is around Morrissey's birthday, but that I share it with Mr. T, and Notorious B.I.G (No rhyme intended). To find out what actor or actress shares your birthday go here.

A couple days ago at work I saw a man in the cafeteria wearing Jnco's with what looked like suede granny boots. He also seemed to be wearing some sort of facial make up. I tried to get the camera on my phone out and take a picture, but I would have gotten caught. Then what would everyone in there have thought? "That kid must be really sick to be taking a picture of the guy in the pant-dress."

Your money has no value here

I was recently in a little town in Texas called College Station. I had the privilege of touring the city as I often do. In the process, I went shopping. I soon discovered something about myself. When I travel, my money has no value. I feel that all my realities of bills and car payments have been left behind with my problems. I can spend money in this new city and not worry about the consequences because they are in a little place I used to be...home. I didn't spend like crazy but I did buy things I could probably do without. I probably won't die without them, but I guess I'll never know. But what the hey, I'm on vacation, right?

Rangers Mania

The Yankees are coming to town. That means that we can see the new Rangers stick it to A-Rod and the rest of the team. Or watch the Yankess dominate like usual. Whichever you prefer, you can see it at the Temple. Game starts at 3:05pm on Saturday. Lets see if we can go. Cheap tickets this time.

ALL OF US SOUND LIKE WEEZER!!!

Now most of the music junk I post won't mean much to many of you, but this should.

OZMA, Rooney, and Straylight Run
June 25, 2004 at Gypsy Ballroom 2548 Elm St. 214.744.9779.

Song of the day: Ozma - If I Only Had a Heart
PS (05-18-04 8:11 AM) Pedro the Lion will be doing a free in-store at Good Records on June 11th.

Second Encounter

I had yet another bug guy encounter today. Once again my conversation was interrupted by a bug kid inviting the girl I was talking to to his place. A bit awkward. This is only after their visit to Macaroni Grill on Saturday night; where they hit on all of the female servers, left, and came back inside to get their numbers. Pitiful. Tasteless.

Just Call me Dr.

So I'm sitting at my sister's college graduation and I'm pondering my own college graduation. It seems so long ago. As the students, soon to be graduates, walk in, I'm mesmerized. I'm taken away to universityland. The place where true dreams come true. The Ph.D's walk in, next the Master's and finally the Bachelor's. But I notice something as the first two groups arrive, I want to be with them. I want to be called doctor. If Tracy Ann Dougan can do it, why can't I? The prestige, the honor, the recognition. I long to know what they know, I can do it. I want to work my tail off to be one of them. Even a Master's would be neat! My mind wanders as the speaker is giving his sound advice, and I start to take it to heart. I can apply my all, I can receive the blessings and be willing to work. I can do it. Then as the graduates walk across the stage, I'm reminded of all the 7 years I was in college. I can't do it. Forget it, the Ph.D and Master's programs are off. I'm out.

Itching for politics

Today was a voting day in Flower Mound. My folks got home from their weekley tennis match and took me and my little brother (who just turned 18) to the town hall. I haven't seen many people holding signs who wouldn't yell at you so my impressions of everyone holding a sign was "run into the building before they go nuts." Luckily we weren't taunted... until we walked out of the building.

For those of you who feel indifferent (indifferent:having no particular interest or concern)on community politics... here's an opinion. Song of the Day: Fugazi - Argument

TMI

Alright Marc... you are no longer the only person who's been profiled. JORDY'S PROFILE

I just saw a guy in the bathroom wiping his armpits out with the paper towels... sometimes we go too far.

Song of the Day: The Polyphonic Spree - Soldier Girl (Uk Single version)

Someone, Please, Splint My Shins!

As I sit here, writhing in pain, I think to fonder days. Days when I ran for fun, not to get into shape. Not to lose my mission 20. This week I have experienced my first helping of shin splints. I don't know the cause, though I blame my Nike shoes (and the 30 extra pounds I've been carting around). I hope to one day own a decent pair of running shoes and figure out a way to rid myself of the dreaded splints.

P.S. Please, jump on the profile band-wagon. It's lonely out here.

Thank You LoveSac

I have on loan a pair of LoveSac wrist bands. Occasionally I will wear them to a big event such as dodge ball or wiffle ball. I decided to wear one to work this evening and see how it fared. Can I tell you how much we got done tonight and how smoothly our work evening went? It was like butter. Things just seemed to fall into place, much unlike the rest of the week. I obviously attribute tonights visual success to the LoveSac. Thank You LoveSac. Without you Nordstrom would be in shambles.

FOOREVERRRR

Had a dream last night that a police-woman on a motorcycle was driving in front of me flashing her rear lights. I didn't think she was flashing her lights at me, even though I had been speeding previously. I was driving down Valley Ridge and came to the stop light at Garden Ridge; when I stopped in the area between the 2 lights, the cops pulled me out of my car and wouldn't let me explain myself. I got arrested and smacked in the face by the lady who was on the motor cycle while the other cop read me my rights. Man they were so mean!!!!

Yesterday on my drive to work I thought about my first viewing of Winamp TV. They have 4 streams dedicated to Radiohead videos which is probably too much. One of the videos I saw was of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood doing an acoustic version of "There There". I had a real hankerin' for this tune the morning after I saw it. On my commute I rummaged through the cd's in my car and put it in Hail to the Theif to satisfy my desire.

Song of the Day (05-12-04): Radiohead - There There (acoustic from the Bridge School Benefit 10-27-02)

Good, Bad, or Ugly?

I, personally, like the new format of the Blogger site. I hadn't been yet, cause my home page is set to our very own Clockworks Blog. But I am glad that I have finally experienced our Mothers' Day gift from our friends at Blogger.com. Thank you very much. We now have profiles, which I encourage everyone to fill our. I already did, you can see it here. However, I don't think that that should prevent us from having our own, clockworks profile, personal soundtrack and all.

Too Little, Too Late

Last week at work I was asked to seat a deaf couple. I was extremely surprised to find that the man that I was seating was none other than 'Cajun Bob.' Well, it wasn't actually 'Cajun,' but it looked just like him. If it is possible to go deaf in a matter of weeks, it very well could have been him. Maybe our anger driven encounter last month had something to do with him going deaf. Maybe he just forgot his miracle ear®. Maybe he was just pretending so that he could continue his angry, anti-DiVall tirade. Whatever the reason, I swear I saw 'Cajun Bob.' If it wasn't Cajun Bob, it was 'Cajun Bob's Brother.'

The early bird

Does the early bird really catch the worm? I don't know, but it obviously as plenty of time to think.

On Monday I had to work at 5 am. Yes, that's in the morning. I came to a realization that I actually liked getting to work that early.

PROS
I have a 30 minute commute and I think I counted maybe 5 cars on the whole drive. The roads are empty.
You can really go as fast as you want because there are no cops around for the most part. I did see two yesterday and was wondering what on earth they are doing pulling someone over at such an insane hour.
The day gets over faster. Well, that is if you only work 8 hours. 5am-2pm is an excellent day. You still have the whole afternoon.
You are at work almost 3 hours before anyone else gets there,
therefore, no one can bother you because basically by the time they do get to work, your day is almost over.

CONS
Well, you have to wake up around the time that most people are letting their heads hit their pillows.
The next day you almost endanger yourself on the way to work because you are lacking in sleep and your eyes keep closing and your speech is a little slurred and no one can understand you because you are a bit delirious and tired.

With that said, I am going to bed so I can begin it all again.

She Reminds Me of Clark Gable

This morning I was approached by my employer and asked if I would train a new employee. My manager brought the newbie with her to my desk which meant if I said no I would lose some Kudos Awards (part of my company’s award system) for my lack of willingness to serve. I sat the girl down and almost immediately her and the girl in the box next to me started to chat up a storm. My newbie is quite the talker. Since I was sitting so close to her I got a wiff of her breath at the funny points of their conversation… yikes. I was reminded of something I heard about Clark Gable, it was that Vivien Leigh did not like kissing him because she said that he had excessively bad breath. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/trivia) It is also reported that she didn't have the heart to tell him. (www.angelfire.com/ct2/vivienleigh/bio.html)

I say that she reminded me of Clark Gable because she is beautiful and has a lot of charm… I just didn't have the heart to tell her about her case of halitosis.

PS: Song of the Day: Divine Comedy - Perfect Love Song

I'm not ready to fall in love right now

It was a great day, as far as 2nd grade goes, and there wasn't any major drama as of 2:00pm. 45 minutes to go. A girl student came up to me and showed me a note that was left on her desk. It read: I love you, from guess who. I read the note and gave it back to her and said, "Ohh, hot stuff." She's the kind of girl that is tough and can take my joking so I was feeling good about making that kind of comment. Well, little did I know that she wasn't really that okay about it. She came back to me about 10 minutes later and said, "Can I talk to you in private." Of course. We moved the conversation into the hall and she said, "I'm not ready to fall in love right now." It was all I could do without busting out laughing. I had to bite my tongue from laughing. I suspected a boy and asked him in the hall. He came out and said he wasn't the culprit and pointed fingers at another person, a girl. I quickly pulled that girl out in the hall and we chatted. I asked her why she would do that and she thought it would be funny. She then proceeded to cover her face in shame and started to cry. I felt awful. I reminded her to "do work in class and not write notes." They hugged and the girl who got the note said it was okay. They were friends again, actually, friends forever. 2nd grade friends forever.

A Few Random Thoughts...

In the past few months I've tried to stay in contact with a man namd Chip Kohrman. He is by far one of the coolest people I've met. Yesterday I went through my keepsakes of the mission and pulled this out. It was a piece he had on his fridge that I asked for.

A year ago at this time Hagge and I tracted into a guy while he was working on his car. His name was Roger or "Wrong Way". (Wrong Way was his handle on the CB) We met with him 3 or 4 times a month while I was in that area. He was quite funny to me because he always managed to interupt our discussions and talk about conspiracies within the government. I've managed to find the truth to everything he said!

click here, and here.

PS: Song of the day... Sigur Rós - Staralfur

Mullet Mania

Bug Me

I realized, and now share Danno's contempt for the bug boys. There was an entire new group of them at my ward today. And I have to say, I wasn't pleased with what I saw. There was the guy wearing Cadillac belt buckle, big and shiny. The kid wearing clogs, no socks and bad clothes. And the kid wearing flip flops with his suit. Not good. I normally wouldn't have a problem with any of this, except one thing. It all reminded me of the first day of high school when everyone was different than the year before. They thought that over the summer they could change who they were by how they dressed. Not so. Why can't people just be themselves? My contempt doesn't come from the way they dressed. But from how they acted. They definitely had the "I'm here for the summer, I'm going to get as many girls as I can" attitude. I was with a couple of girls in the hallway after Sunday school when two of them came up, interrupted, and preceded to issue the invitation to their pool party. Who was invited? Damen and I? No. Only the girls. My conversation was interrupted by two bug guys wanted to get with the local girls. I would be fine with the bug guys if they invited everyone and still got with our girls, but they don't. It's funny.

Creative Writing 101

The notes below are from Kurt Vonnegut's Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction. I started listening to this book and found these tips interesting. It's too bad I don't have the attention span to write something like a novel.


Now lend me your ears. Here is Creative Writing 101:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a sadist. No matter sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to
them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak,
your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense.
Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could
finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964). She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that.

The Gauntlet

Last night I told Julian K about this road. It leads back to matt's house. Whenever we'd go to see him (after a good hard rain) we'd have to park at the road and have him come out to pick us up. If it was dry, we usually walked down into the woods and jumped over the mosquito infested pools. I believe that's what we had to do the day this picture was taken.

We tried really hard to get Matt to read on his own. He was living with a lady who was a member of the church at the time I met him. It was pretty hard to get through to either of them. I mean, they understood what we taught, but the will and motivation to apply wasn't there. Sometimes they would come to church together which was awesome. Later in the week we'd go see Matt to follow up with him and he'd tells us what he learned at church. All of this work eventually went down the toilet when Nancy left him.

A picture really does say a 1,000 words doesn't it?

The 2 Minute Hate=Paranoid Android

When I was in middle school, my older brothers and Blogmaster D rigged up the VCR and cd player and made a music video of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon playing to the Wizard of Oz. The end result was a 45+ minute music video. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

My senior year of high school I finally read George Orwell’s 1984. I was intrigued by the man’s outlook on what the future could hold. I was probably even more surprised that it took place in 1984. My music interests at the time deviated little from anything too far from radiohead. For a couple years all I did on the internet was read radiohead interviews and download radiohead bootlegs. (I used all of that useless information to win 2 tickets to see them in Houston for free.) One day I came across this document. (click here). It is an analysis of Radiohead’s Ok Computer and it’s relation (if there is one) to George Orwell’s 1984 . If you have some time to blow and are interested in records that have been written to relate to books, or records that tell a story, check this one out. It’s not far from the greatness of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon and the Wizard of Oz.

What's it about?

In my efforts to better myself, I have come to a realization....Do more. I feel like I am constantly on the go or have better things to do but what I really need to do is stop and smell the roses (or stargazer lilies as I have). I rush and rush and I couldn't tell you what colors the flowers outside our school are, I couldn't tell you what a student in my class was wearing, I couldn't tell you how nice of a day it is. To actually stop and remember to breathe or to enjoy it all has left me. I have (almost) completed my first year but yet, I don't know where it went. I left myself back in September.

I've also realized that I need to change my attitude, my outlook on life, if you will. Accept what will happen, will happen. I have control but only of myself. (This goes along with a theory I've recently heard....) This change has been in the works since December but I've had no accountability. Now's the time....I'm officially accountable to the clockers.

my work face

Strong with an orange tint of liger. The liger power is already shining through.

My work face. I realized today that my number one problem making complete calls at work is that I don't have a power face. For my power face I researched members of the animal kingdom. Particularly the ''Panthera leo'' (the Lion) and the ''Panthera tigris'' (the tiger) both of whom are members of the Felidae family. In my research to find an animal with the attributes that are needed for a telemarketer to have a commanding presence I came a cross a 5th member of the "big cat" family. "Panthera Leogris" also known as the LIGER.

I love my state!!

I want to make a public apology, not only for my lack of enthusiasm for posting, but also in regards to an attitude problem I was recently made aware of. Our very own BMD called me out on an Elitist Californian Attitude that apparently I portray. He also went on to explain this as the type of people he hated at BYU. Thank You.

As this behaviorial display is totally unintentional, I am unaware as to how to respond to this. True, I grew up in California and I love it. I will admit that I wasn't 100% excited about moving to Texas, (Jenn, don't hate me). However, after being here almost 2 years and meeting people that I can have fun with, I've learned to enjoy the place that I am in. No complaints here, except for maybe the weather (because we all know that California has the best weather). Oh wait, I didn't mean for that to come out. Anyway, if I have offended any Texans with pride, I am sorry. My only intentions are to open other's eyes to the beauty that can be found in states other than thier own.

Viva la France

What is it about the French accent that makes a girl weak? No, not the dirty french man laugh, but the real authentic ooh la la. The new suits manager at Nordstrom does just this. Sure he is probably in his 50's, but his name is Jacques. C'mon, how authentic is that? It will be difficult to limit my time spent in that department.

Vouch this

I realize that many of you detest the game of Baseball. Ever since the Great Strike of 1994 baseball has dropped in the ranks of 'America's Pastime.' It's a sad story. However, our Texas Rangers are getting good at this game. While over the past several years we have had no pennant contention whatsoever, now we just might have a chance. So, Dan and I would like to invite everyone to a game tomorrow night at 7:05pm. We could get the cheap seats for $5, or spend a bit more for seats that are actually in the park, not in the lot. The game starts at 7:05 in Arlington. Please send any replies or RSVPs to Blog Master D, as I will be at work. Thank you.

With my Rubik's Cube in hand...

Tonight I reflected on the past few months of the beginning of my college education. It all began with someone conning me into taking a class called human development. At first I believed this was a sexual education class and that it was required. Lo and behold, it was about learning how to study and act smart. Luckily I have 2 years of practice of that show under my belt. When I started the class I was pretty quiet. I didn't say much and only voiced my opinion when I felt it would add something positive to the discussion. (Maria, our 52 year old classmate, would talk not stop when she got the chance thus I avoided stretching my comments into 5 minute stories.) Along with this show of being a quiet genius I brought in books to read that made me look smart. Among them were Great Expectations and How to Think Like Leonardo DaVinci. They really got a kick when I brought in the rubik's cube. Finally it came time to end my class.

I've been sore all day, so my walk to class tonight to take the final was a long one. I paced myself nice and slow and walked past the pool all the while enjoying the old women do their arm flapping water dilly exercises. When I reached my class I sat down and started going over the material for the exam. About 2 minutes into my cramming, 3 of the 7 girls in my class walk in. Apparently they saw me walking and figured I had all the answers to the review that they did not. For some reason they think that when I am reading my book everything stays in my head. Crap, I probably read the chapters twice and take notes in the process. It was somewhat of a minor shock when I told them I didn't have all the answers.

Thus was the end of my glory.

(I bet you can't guess what part of that was fabricated. Sorry, I like Stephen Glass)

Early Morning Syndrome

The alarm goes off the same time everyday. I do the same thing everyday. I hit the snooze 2 1/2 times. I look at the clock. Even though it's 10 minutes ahead, I still freak out. I stumble out of bed, hitting many walls along the way, and manage to start the shower. I can't imagine being alert and alive at this point in the day. I wash my hair, I get out, I blow dry, and I get ready for the day. As I am packing my lunch for the day, I always say to myself, The minute I get home, I am falling into bed and sleeping until the next day. I can't imagine NOT taking a nap. How WILL I function w/o one?

Afternoon comes and I start to get energy. I can't imagine taking a nap in my prime. I am ready to go. Where's the next event? How fast can I get there? What's the latest I can go to bed w/o being completely wiped out? 11:00 I say, Nah, let's go for 11:30. By the time I fall asleep it's 12:00. Why must this cycle continue? I don't ever feel that I am completely sleep deprived, I could use an hour more of sleep a night. Will there ever be an end to the madness? Probably not.

Blog Hiatus

I would personally like to apologize for my absence from Clockworks activity. I have no excuse. I would also like to publicly announce my love for dodge-ball, and say how much fun I had on Saturday night. If only we could play more often without it becoming repetitive like Bocce did so long ago. Two very under-appreciated sports. Thank you Lewisville, for your loving invitation.

A Fancy for Krum

A story with needle and thread
often have too much talk and too much said,
but when it is quiet on a cool spring night
and the stars are shining in brilliance and bright...

does someone want to finish that for me?

Let's hear it for the boy

I just want to say a few things that are on my mind.... The first being, Thank you Blog Master D for making our Blog website a place where we can live in peace and harmony; a place that is healthy and free to roam with our opinions and stories; a place where we know we can't be judged even though we may be on the edge of "sharing too much"; a place where we can be clockers.

As I listen to this wonderful music that BMD has provided, I can barely remember the memories of yester-year, er uh, yesterday, when I was a lowly gal just typing and singing to myself. Now I can ask myself, What's with these homies dissing my girls? Why do they gotta front? I don't care about that.

We now have access to change our blogs if we mispelled something, want to change our title, or completely wipe out any memory of a past blog. I feel the freedom ringing in my ears and I now embrace it.

We can shortcut to any frequently visited website, quickly respond to someone's blog, and (cross your fingers) view each other's profiles.

Let's all give a hand to the one and only, Blog Master D, for making us free. We truly appreciate the time and effort you spend in updating and changing our blog-website.

-#3