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These are the necklaces and bracelets I made for Sydney and Karissa.
The pictures are incredibly blurry. Sorry :(
I am selfish. Really. During my recent cleaning spree I threw out a box of food that I had bought, opened, ate a little of and then let go bad in my pantry. And I felt like an ass throwing it all away. And it's something i have noticed myself having done many times in the past. I realize that when I go to the grocery it is pointless for me to buy half of what I do buy. If I stuck to only ordering from the farm then I wouldn't end up with so much that is wasted on my wants. I would be able to get only what I need and will use completely. I then I realize, like when throwing all of that food away, that I am selfish, like many others. And I take a long hard look at myself.
As I was putting the food into the box I was thinking that I could leave it out by the compactor. People leave all sorts of things out there, from furniture to books, from linens to clothes, from hygiene products to food. Someone else will either come by and get this items or the maintenance guy will eventually throw it into the compactor or have Goodwill come and pick it up (in the case of furniture that is still usable). Foodstuffs, clothes and some hygiene products usually go to the homeless that like to peruse the inside of the compactor at night. The rest tenants run down and grab before anyone else can. But I couldn't leave the food beside the compactor, I had to actually throw it away. Because I had bought it. And used it or not. And it was not fit for consumption anymore. And that makes me an ass. It makes me the kind of person that takes advantage of what they have and can have. And not everyone has that advantage.
Heifer International is out to put a stop to widespread hunger. The idea is a simple "pay it forward" approach. Food isn't just given out. We all know the saying, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." That's how Heifer Int'l works. Here's a timeline:
You donate a heifer for $500 to a family and/or community somewhere in the world that is in need.
The family and?or community is taught to care for the cow and how to produce milk, help with calving, etc.
The family and/or community then has fresh milk daily and is able to sell the milk to earn extra money for schools, clinics, medicines, homes, clothing, more farm animals, act.
As the cow gives birth, those calves are then passed onto other families/and/or communities where they are need and the process starts over again.
There are many different donations that can be made: water buffalo, sheep, chicks, geese, rabbits, honey bees, fish, not to mention trees and plants to help keep the soil stable and there land healthy.
And in case you were wondering, yes, they do help in the United States. It is not just Third World countries that benefit from the donations. You could be helping out right in your own backyard.
Brett reading
Silhouette of Brett and his crazy hair
Crazy hair!
Furry slug butt
Sadie
Scampi
A perfect wet nose
Scallop squeenchy face
Scallop caught in the act of eating Scampi's food
"I seem to grow more acutely conscious of the swift passage of time as I grow older. When I was small, days and hours were long and spacious, and there was play and acres of leisure, and many children's books to read. I remember that as I was writing a poem on "Snow" when I was eight. I said aloud, "I wish I could have the ability to write down the feelings I have now while I am still little, because when I grow up I will know how to write but I will have forgotten what being little feels like." And so it is that childlike sensitivity to new experiences and sensation seems to diminish in and inverse proportion to the growth of technical ability. As we become polished, so do we become hardened and guilty of accepting, eating, sleeping, seeing, and hearing to easily and lazily, without question. We become blunt and callous and blissfully passive as each day adds another drop to the stagnant will of our years."
Sylvia Plath
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
When I read this entry in The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath it made me remember how when I was little and something would happen, or I would do something, that I felt was of some significance, I would always say to myself (and usually out loud to myself, provided there was no one else to hear me), "I will remember this for always, even when I grow up." And you know, I can remember saying that, but I haven't the foggiest what it was that I was supposed to remember. Not one time. But I clearly remember saying it. And what's odd is that I remember saying it, then thinking back to the last time I had said it and not being able then to recall what the situation was before that when I had spoken those words. Apparently my mind didn't retain specifics even then. Yet I have a whole slew of incidents that I can recall with no problem. I was also a half-hearted diary keeper when I was young. I would always beg for a new diary, with a lock and key, so I could write down my most personal thoughts, feelings, and actions to keep forever. And my mother would give in and buy one. I no longer have those diaries. Not that it would matter much anyway. I was once afraid my mother was reading my diary (because every mother does, right?) that I started writing in a secret language. I think I was 8 years old at the time. Anyway, it turned out to be a silly thing because I couldn't even remember how to decypher the entries. But dammit, I was doing it anyway. I do remember some of my entries, because before one of the diaries was lost I reread it and laughed about my silliness as a child. A typical entry would be (and I am going to "quote" here, even though I can't quote myself exactly...but to make it more interesting, we can pretend) something to this effect: "Robin, Susan and Shawn came over today and we were going to play office but Shawn tried to clean my desk so I called for my mommy and I was crying and my mommy had to come to my room and tell her to leave my stuff alone because it was ok for my desk to be messy as long as the rest of my room was clean and then mommy called Shawns mommy and had her pick her up for being mean to me and then Robin and Susan played office with me and then we had lunch". And yes, that was an actual incident. I was 9 years old. I think. I guess that's the age because the four of us were in a class together. Another entry would have been (again with the quotes, but don't quote me on it): "Kevin was walking on the wall between the backyards and he fell into our yard and the dog ran up and bit him and he had to have stitches but it's ok because he gets stitches all the time because my mommy says he is accident prone and they know him really good at the hospital". Another true story.
Anyway, the whole point is that it is certainly true that no one can remember what is feels like to be a child. And no one can retain all of the information of thoughts, feelings and experiences from when they were a child. I don't know if it is the whole "trying to grow up too fast!" in us that hits as soon as we reach puberty or if nature wipes it all away so that we can become successful adults, but it sucks.
Anyway, I have decided to relay a couple of things from memory, because I can't recall (remember) if I have before, but most importantly: because I can.
1. My favorite food when I was little was pizza, hands down. Often my mom and I would make homemade pizza and going out for it, or ordering it to bring home, was a treat. I had two all-time favorite pizza places: Showbiz Pizza and Numero Uno Pizza. I'm not sure why I like Numero Uno so much, because it was a regular family syle restaurant. But Showbiz was awesome! It was much better than Chuck E. Cheese. I didn't go just for the pizza and games. I loved going for the shows. Watching the animatronic wildlife dressed in overalls and banging on pots and pans and using washboards up on the stage was awesome. It was almost as good as going to Disneyland, in my mind. And closer, distance-wise. And usually my parents would agree to Showbiz before agreeing to Disneyland or Knott's Berry Farm (more on Knott's Berry Farm in a sec). I remember the last time I went to Showbiz Pizza. We had gotten there just as a show was ending. I can't remember how long went between shows, but there had a fairly long intermission. Anyway, we ordered our pizza and drinks and I went off to play the the super awesome games, like skee ball. When the food arrived I was called over to eat. When I was finished I went to play more games. At some point my mom called for me to stop because we were going to leave. Just then the next show started. And I so wanted to stay and see it. But no, my mom said she was getting a headache being in there and we were leaving and that was that. So after attempting a temper tantrum (attempt being the key word...there were no temper tantrums in our house) I was pulled out of the place, crying, begging to stay. And that was the last time we went there. I don't remember how old I was, but I think about it now and I miss that place. Too bad they aren't around anymore. I think that is pretty much how the last time we went to Knott's Berry Farm ended. My favorite things at Knott's were the Hat Dance, Ghost Town and shopping for Snoopy stuff, my favorite being a stationary set I got that came in a little tin mailbox replica, including paper, envelope, pencil and eraser. I loved Snoopy and Woodstock so much that my first pair of glasses had Woodstock on the sides of the frames I was stylin'. Of course, I think back to how I looked and refuse to wear my glasses much now. Anyhoo, I wanted to ride the Hat Dance one more time, but the line was too long and I walked out upset, somehow knowing I would never be able to ride it again. For the record, I still love pizza, as long as it's good pizza and not greasy (unless I am craving grease, then it's ok). And I still love to be entertained while I eat (see Casa Bonita) . And I still love spinny rides that make me want to puke.
2. I used to loooooove being the center of attention. I'm not sure exactly when that ended, but I enjoyed every bit of it when I was young. I always wanted to be in every play. And I always wanted to be the lead. In fifth grade I was cast as Booker the Cat that loved to read. The whole premise of the play was to show the little kids how reading can be fun. I think the only reason I was given the lead was because during recess and lunch time I would go to Mrs. Johnson's room (she was my second grade teacher) and help her with her class. Yeah, I was kinda a nerd and a teachers pet then. I think she was convinced I would become a teacher. Anyway, I was totally excited about being Booker. My mom made my costume (black tights, black leotard, headband with ears, painted on whiskers, and socks on my hands and feet!). I worked hard to memorize my lines. The day came and I blew the audience away. I convinced everyone in the city of Long Beach to pick up a book and read! I made believers out of those who favored playing outside to books. I might have even gone on to turn an entire nation to spend their money only on books chosen from the Scholastic book fairs and ordered through those dinky little "catalogs" the teacher would hand out in class had it not been that the only people to actually see the play, besides my parents and some teachers, were little kids in first through third grade. After this play I had a blow to my acting ego. And I blame it on my Girl Scout troup leader. It had been decided that our troup would put on a play in the school auditorium. The play was Cinderella. We didn't have auditions. I had hoped to be either rough and scraggy Cinderella or ball gown Pincess Cinderella. Unfortunately, as things often go in the unjust universe of being a kid whose mom is not troup leader, I was not cast in either of the leads. I got stuck as Gus the Mouse. You know, that fat little mouse? Yeah, I was stuck as him. I don't think I was fat. Maybe a little pudgy from childhood, but I was kinda offended. Anyway, Stacey got the part of ball gown Cinderella, because her mom was the troup leader. Figures, huh? I can't remember who got the other Cinderella. Anyway, my mom again made my costume: brown tights, a big orange shirt with "GUS" on the front in felt letters, headband mouse ears and painted on whiskers. And I was the best damn Gus in the history of elementary school Guses ever. I can't remember my lines now. Anyway, one of the very last times I performed in front of an audience after that (not counting my senior year in high school and the year after when I helped Ms. Brewick with her Summer Drama Camp for kids ages 5 through 12) was also in 5th grade. I played violin and I was in the school orchestra. For my last performance my mother bought me a pair of black patent shoes, that weren't Mary Jane's, white tights, a black velvet dress with a white lace bib, and a black velvet headband with a bow. I don't remember much about the concert itself, except I was told by many that I did very well. During the one song that my age group played I had a solo part of it. My mom told me I did so well I could choose anywhere I wanted to go to dinner. Just so you knw, we never ate fast food. Never. Well, I take that back. We would go to Wienerschnitzel or Carl's Jr. when my mom was in the mood, but that was about it. So anyway, I get to decide and I picked McDonalds. I don't know why. My mom asked if I was sure, then she tried to talk me into Jolly Rogers, which apprently now is called Busters. She tried to talk me into Hamburger Henry (now closed down) and Bobby McGee's (I loved their zucchini muffins and that my drinks were served in cups that looked like either a bthtub or a toilet). But nope, I wanted McDonalds. My parents were disappointed, but they took me there. And I was sooooo excited. What do you think I ordered? A Happy Meal, of course! And when we sat down at the table and started to eat the food...well, then I wished I had chosen the Jolly Roger, Bobby McGee's, Hamburger Henry, anything but that food. I was young, I was stupid. I was just a kid, for crying out loud. And that was a memory that I hold onto to this day. (wow, I went from one to another to another...hmmm...stream of conscious)
So yeah. I may not have the ability to recollect the instances that I promised myself to never forget, but I can reminice about things that have happened that lead to explaination of myself today.
So today is April 19 (for those of you that didn't know this. This means that in 3 days it will be Earth Day. So what are you going to do for earth Day? I will be off of work that day (I hope) so I am going to see what's going on in my community that I can participate in. Luckily on the Earth Day Website I can search for events nearby. Unfortunately a lot of them were yesterday. But if I can't find anything, then I will do something on my own. You can watch this short video if you need to learn a little more about Earth Day:
I'm thinking that I will do something super flashy, like take all my recyclable paper and make some new paper with it. Or something to that effect. What I would love to do is buy some plants and put then out in the plain dirt spot at my front door, but I know it will just get ruined when my neighbor takes his dog out to pee and doesn't care if someone took the time and care to plant them there.
Anyhoo, I am hungry and thirsty and somewhat awake now. So I must procure some food and drink.
When living in Atlanta there is no need to travel outside of the city in order to go on a vacation. All you hafta do is head down to Buford Highway and enjoy any ethnicity you may be looking for. This road has it all. Just watch out for the people with strollers trying to run across the six lane without using a crosswalk.
Brett took me to Phở 96. And it was good. Probably too much food, but then again, is there such a thing as too much? I know we ordered the Vietnamese egg rolls, which were delish. Then I told Brett to order for me because I was all sorts of confused looking at the menu. So whatever he order they brought to us in a medium order. Each. The medium was enough for two people. I couldn't finish mine. The great thing is that they give you all sorts of fresh herbs to put in your soup. What I thought was a strange anise stalk was, as Brett had guessed correctly, basil. I haven't seen it like that before (because, presumably, I kill it before it gets to that point). But there was dandelion leaves, peppers, lime, mung bean sprouts, etc. I would have loved some lemongrass, but they didn't bring that out. But it was so good. I took home my leftovers and promptly ate them once we finally got home. The noodles fell apart, but it was still good. I love food.
After we left there we had to drive down the street so I could get a picture of Mỹ Dung Video. Because it's funny and I can act like a juvenile if I choose to. So behold! The Mỹ Dung Video Sign!
I'm also liking the One 2 Free Hair Salon beside it. Actually, seeing Mỹ Dung Video reminds me of a place in Duluth called Phuket. Totally not joking.
Anyway, back to being an adult.
Well, not really. Warning: the next pictures are going to be tiny.
We went to Mercado Del Pueblo. I love love love this supermarket. It's intriguing and disgusting at the same time. It's in a huge plaza with a giant Goodwill and a couple of dollar stores. And many different restaurants. And a bowling alley. Which is under the building. And a pool hall. I don't have any idea what all else may be there, a Ryan's maybe. Anyhoo, I didn't want it to look like I was taking pictures, so I did my best with my phone. Anyway, lemme tell you about this place. It is a grocery that has anything and everything you could ever need. I cannot remember what brought me to it in the first place. Maybe I was at Goodwill and I kinda floated over for a water or something. I dunno, but I do know that this grocery is a constant stop on the tourist train when I have people coming to visit. When you first walk through the doors you are in a "lobby" like a lot of groceries. You know, where the shopping carts are? But they have a hair salon in there, too. Pretty nifty. Kinda like a mini Satan-mart, but not as Satan-y. Oh! Actually I remember the first time I went in! I was looking for a couch at Goodwill and I did go in for something to drink. But back to the story. I walked in (ok, not really, this is still the old/same story) and after the hair salon I smelled something so wonderful that I got hungry. But I couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from. I saw later that it was a little deli-like place off to the side. But I digress. The first thing I saw when I walked into the store itself was a huge display of Bimbo Bread. Ok, what is Bimbo in Spanish? I looked it up and it is, from what I understand, short for bimbollo which means bun. But still. It was funny, so I bought some just for Trey (because this was a coupla years ago when he was my roommate). He thought it was great. I didn't eat any. He ate it all. He loves Bimbo(s). Joking, Christy :) Ok, so the second thing I saw was a HUGE bucket of tripe. Ew freaking ew. And ever since then I cannot stay away from this store. Ok, it has nothing to do with the tripe, but it has a lot to do with the fact that every Cinco de Mayo I make tamales and every year the groceries near me do not have any corn husks or masa. Jerkies. So here are some pictures from the Mercado Del Pueblo:
I think these are goat or pig heads.
Asian food for sale in a Mexican grocery.
Cow heads I believe. You can see the teeth. Ew.
Fish in the tiny tanks. I told Brett we could have taken the girls there and told them that was the aquarium.
Sherry flavored gelatin.
I know it's sideways. I'm lazy. Enchilada flavored lollipops? I dunno.
And I haven't taken a picture of it yet, but I bought some Aloe Soft Drink. I dared Brett to drink it and he said he would if I did. I will slip it to him somehow without him knowing about it. I also bought some Manitas. They are super cute. When you unwrap the lollipop you have a fortune on it. In Spanish. But you can look it up if you so choose.
So anyway, besides buying the flower girl and the ring girl dresses and shoes, that's about all for yesterday.
Exciting!
Barely legal. Ok, I just had to see if that brought more people to the site.
I am waiting for Brett to get home from his hockey game so we can go to the Dogwood Festival. The other festival going on today is the Sweetwater 420 Festival. It's an Earth Day celebration. However, to get there we would have to drive. Instead we can go to Dogwood because we can walk! And i love walking around Piedmont Park.
An update on the dentist visit, you ask? Why yes! I get my teefies fixed on Tuesday! Hell yeah!
By the way...I have a plant that I don't know what it is. It could be a weed, but I am hoping it is a hearty plant left from the flowers I planted last year. Anyone have any clue?:
