I Need to Hire an Elephant

They do that "stompy dance thing" way better than I can.

So...I'm just going to ignore the fact the US Women's team apparently bombed and sent out the 4th line to give the Canadians the Gold Metal.

(Nope, I'm not bitter or disappointed. Not at all.)

Though having been a hockey puck magnet on the losing team in important games I'm sure no one feels worse than they do. God damned freakin Canadians...

Even my brain

Wow...even my brain is confused.

Glitch

I honestly have no words.

But! Apparently they have eggplants and eggplants make it very different. Sound advice in my opinion.

Those insidious blue socks!

Considering hockey socks, even for someone as height-retarded as I am, are pretty damn big you wouldn't think it could slip in so easily to a load of normal laundry.

(Oh yeah, a Monday post at its best!)

What would I be doing with a hockey sock you ask?

/Innocent yet shifty eyes

I reclaimed my gear from little brother's house last night after stealing his cable for a few hours to watch the USA whomp the Canadian men's team in a friendly game of hockey. (I also spent an hour making disapproving looks at Marty Brodeur for some OMG plays that helped us win - then my patriotic side caught up and cheered loudly.)

Going through my gear (after the unfortunate 7 year neglect showered on my favorite things in the world) I noticed a few things.

1.) A Complete lack of mold! (I was very excited and really still kinda am.)

2.) My socks were still on my garter belt. (...)

3.) My blocker has not magically repaired itself while it was off in vacation land. (Lazy blocker)

4.) The nuances of my equipment are still as familiar as they were when I was 19 cause everything I remember being tricky is still tricky. (Point - remember to buy a new screw driver for the giant hockey bag.)

5.) There is some stuff missing. (Yeah this caught me a bit surprised but I have eyes and ears all over the place and honestly Dad probably knows where my helmet is, he has this uncanny knack for finding lost stuff. Saint Anthony of Padua, pay attention and learn. As for my skates they live in a bookcase in my closet and the giant sticks are probably down at the Lake house.)


I am running high on adrenaline and I haven't stepped onto the ice yet! It won't be like it used to be, squid on ice is most likely retired and all Little Bro will get is lazy butterfly goalie but still this is freaking awesome!

{Remember when you were a kid and you would stay up way past midnight playing your favorite game or wearing your favorite sneakers or whatever kids do? Yeah, that's where I am right now.}

Pack your Lunch

Did you ever look down at your pizza and wish it was just a little bit better? A little bit wilder?

Well have you ever thought of these combos?

Click here for the craziest pizzas I've ever heard of!

Now not having tried them I'm not saying they're bad. (Heck I'd even be up for a couple of them.) Though now that I read them again the venison one just kind of scares me...

It is done

And strangely I don't really feel any different.

I canceled my World of Warcraft account.

(Yeah, something big and earth shattering, right?)

I have until March 10th to actually log on again (but really have no inclination to.) It was a fun 3 years but what with my writing getting much more time consuming and fulfilling and the fact that my original reason for playing no longer applies I figure I can put that 15 bucks to better use some where else. I might go back for Cataclysm, I might not. All in all it was a good run. (Sadly I'll really miss my pets Taberth, Katen the Condom Raptor, Thykir, Modo, and Haku. Screen shots for everyone in really frickin cool places...at some point...maybe!)



(Should a penguin be almost as big as a bear? Dunno but now I kinda want to tame him too!)

Plague of the Mind

Everyone is afflicted with something. Whether it be the horrible pig flu or the dreaded Zombie skin disease that so many have to deal with in these long cold months no doubt everyone has something. (Trust me, I'm sure of it. Even Jupitor has something aka the OMG there are wrinkles in my blanket and I must destroy them! -itis, quite tragic really.)

I have a mild case of ADD.

(This is not to be confused with ADD Elf syndrome. Those who have it know who they are and know how to break PS2 buttons.)

This quite mild ADD of mine comes and goes, kind of gas. Don't believe me? Just ask my poor coworkers who have to put up with it on a slightly regular basis culminating in the debacle that was Friday and my trip to Stop N Shop just to have something to do after the Gun Story.

....You haven't heard of the Gun Story? Ummmmm, moving on!

My attention span is limited at best. I can read novels because so long as stuff is happening I have no problem. (Henry James I'm lookin at you! Shit is happen in novels!!!!) I played World of Warcraft for a couple years though the last one was mostly cause I was used to it, not so much that it was enjoyable and I had a bazillion characters I rotated through on a regular basis. Think of me as an alt whore. :)

I routinely pick a spot on the map and stalk it via Google maps (street view rules!) So far a couple European nations, Japan (Osaka especially), New Zealand (both islands) have all been explored.

New Zealand is obviously my new interest and I have a few forums I check regularly, a newspaper I read daily and blogs I read front to back. Of those the best, by far is Kia Ora, Y'all!

Like most blogs out there it is geared towards the author's family, friends and social circle but there are so great insights into the culture shock of moving to another country that anyone can find both amusing and helpful. (A plus to this particular blog is the lack of "Ugly American" syndrome many of the others I've found suffer from. There is no reason to complain that someplace half way around the world is not as pleasant as the place you left.)

Having the attention span of a ferret on a coffee high is at times trying, even for me but can lead to some pretty good times too. I'd rather be a ferret than have bacon flu. It helps keep me busy (and keep my house clean), gives me plenty of projects (anyone have tips on laying down carpet thresholds? The nails look like screws but their nails. Hmm also tips about replacing stair boards would be mightily appreciated. DIY will be interrogated tomorrow) and bouts of inspiration that I can even handle occasionally. (Like now, been brainstorming since about quarter of 7 non stop. Pffff who needs sleep when major plot points can be solved.)

Maybe its not ADD. Maybe I have a super fast brain that through awakening the sleeping parts has conquered linear thought!

Ehhh ok no. Remember, ferret with coffee.

I kind of want to go for a drive.

Hmmm the possibilities.



Classic Foamy!

Competely stunned

There are times when things seem like they get too big, to out of hand. Living like we do, connected by texts and images more than voice and touch can make life seem like that of drones, worker bees doing the same thing week after week.

Hail to these people who said screw the worker bees!

It's called Born of Hope.









Watch and cheer.

They did this with 56K and alot of hard work.

Gods it's awesome. Enjoy!

Nuclear Thoughts

My mental filter is on hiatus since yesterday when an employee was kind enough to ignore my directions (yay for parking lot detail in the middle of a snow storm) and make me chase him a lot over to repeat what I said to him two more times.

(For the record he is just all kinds of fail)

But while I spouting my opinions last night it occurred to me briefly that what the people over at a blog called Broken Luggage did is not that bad of an idea. (However if I sell my house when I come back home I'd be homeless...fail planning.) But I really admire someone that committed to doing something. Imagine what it takes to just pick up and move not only to the other side of the world but to a culture that is so unlike our own. Yeah we're all human but everything I've read and seen pretty much equates life in NZ with life in Europe (England and Germany are the two most common examples) and these people up and left from somewhere in Texas (most definitely not England). The jokes about people hunting me down to return me to loving New England aside the idea of leaving everything and everyone I know for an indefinite period of time is frightening. But if you have say a solid return date I don't see the problem of a longer stay.

:)

But whether I invest in a WHV (Working holiday visa) or not the question remains...

Should I or should I not attempt to hike the Worcester/Providence bike path.

(Ok a walk that long seems really interesting in my head but in print looks all kinds of gay. Dangit!)

There are so many 2-6 mile options for hiking paths within a 45 minute drive of my house and I already have a few out west and two in Connecticut planned but the idea of such a walk just gets me all excited. After all when I was younger (and pretty much debt free) I used to always say I wanted to hike at least a part of the Appalachian Trail (and camp in Glacier National Park, and this list could go on for quite a bit). However there is that 10 mile trail in Sutton. So many options so little time but at least I have weekends free now!

Wow, tomorrow is already Friday. Super 14 begins at 130am. Oh how I love time zone differences. Go Go Hurricanes!

{Why the Hurricanes? They were 3rd last year in S-14 among the 4 NZ teams so not the underdog but certainly not the golden kids either. Just the way I like my sports teams.)

Options and You, Take 'Em?

Well after a roller coaster of a week and the discovery of a new super power Saturday has arrived. A morning of listening to Gaelic (the announcers for the Ireland v France international rugby match) and hanging out with the Sibs has turned into a lazy afternoon wandering the Travelblog site. (A great informational site with a very large solo traveler section, still perusing as I type.)

Oh yes, the super power. If by chance you don't like your car, or a friends car, or that ugly old thing your neighbor drives just give me a call. I apparently inspire fear and death in automobiles. Hopefully Frank can fix the part that just fell off the one I am currently borrowing. Thank God the nice man who lent it to me is in Mexico.

So, when you sit down and write your options down on paper they can either be very daunting (when written on the back of a receipt) or disappointing when on a piece of loose leaf. Still its not the size of the list that counts but what the heck is on it. {Que the music Maestro!}

1.) Work visa
2.) Teach ESL (which involves a certificate program at QCC)
3.) Second job
4.) Hire in a roommate
5.) Cut down on more expenses
6.) No more free money (all is now going into the travel fund)
7.) Sell some of my stuff

Some like #4 are so repulsive to me (I've had enough of those thank you very much) that I doubt it will come to that. Others like the first two (thanks to Sister for the 2nd one) are very doable with a little work and research.

I always work better with lists, probably cause my brain is the equivalent of Swiss cheese. It's now or never! (Hmm where are those Cheez Its?)

Hmmmmm Shiny Spider Hammers

Have you ever been in a closet?

I have. (Mine is nice, it has an unfinished wooden floor! Wait, no not that kind of closet...)

I am a closet optimist.

/hides in shame!!!

Yes. I do my best to be all cynical and grrrr chop chop chop but when it comes down to it I just can't maintain for very long. I remember in my emo high school days when being all moody and grrr was cool and kind of fun. Maybe I just got to old but lately I've been seeing things in a whole new and disgustingly shiny light.

Example:

I really really want to travel. Not like go to Hartford for a day kind of travel but my ass is on a plane for hours across oceans to places no one in my family has ever seen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That kind of travel. I save, I scrimp, I cheese it diet myself to death (but only that one time), I do all that I can to get my ass to say New Zealand. Then last week it was in sight. One more year of saving and I would be there with lots of money in March '11 or with little money but lots of enthusiasm in October '10. (I was pushing for Oct at first but now with Elvis Excursion 2010 coming up in November that seemed like too much time off from work.)

All seemed happy easy until my car decided to eat itself. Transmissions, pfffffff who needs 'em!

Apparently the Buick does.

Now the search for a new car and as usual I am being incredible indecisive. Newer car that could last for awhile (and spell utter doom for NZ '11) or older model that will be less to insure and tax that could last for a few years and let the travel continue? Yeah, I'd love a car that wasn't every 80 year old's dream ride but honestly when have I ever cared about fashionable stuff? After careful consideration and the horror stories shared at work a few hours ago about the average car payment (OMFG) I have decided that older is the way to go. Not retard car but something solid enough to get me from point A -> Point B with as little monthly expense as possible.

Now this is not the popular option (not even with myself half the time) but sometimes you have scrimp and you have to save.

One thing is sure. I will see the Land of the Long White Clouds and I will see it soon!

Depression isn't going to help me get there any faster and with the economy the way it is I can't really count on getting a second job soon (though I hope someone reads my apps). So I'm going to try selling my books.

/Shock and horror

No not all of them. I have crates and crates of books that I don't want. At first I was going to give them away but I may as well try to sell them. Anything to help the cause.

I'd love count on my novel (never ending self induced thing of pain it is) but its no where near even close to done and that's not a really sure thing anyways. Not yet but it is one cool ass story in my opinion and very saleable with absolutely no vampires or werewolves! (Very proud about that.)

Starting my travel fund from 0$ is not the brightest moment in the new year but also not the end of it either. Have backpack - will travel! :)

(What are the odds I'll end up with another Buick? There can't be that many more 95's left on the road, can there?)