Saturday, May 22, 2004
The Forest Family
This is fascinating to me. I've always had some deep-seated curiosity -- envy? -- with just checking out of society by finding a cave, island or some remote location and subsisting on the land. It can be done.
I want to donate to Ruthie's college fund. I wonder what problems she may have integrating back into society and relating to children and girls her age.
Current mood: Sleepy
Posted by Lynniechan @ 03:24 AM EST [Link] [No shoutouts]
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
One step closer to driving a minivan and wearing capri pants and Keds
Reality check of the day: I am old enough to be Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe's mom (if I'd been one of those girls to waddle, pregnant, through the halls of my high school).
Current mood: Unhip
Posted by Lynniechan @ 10:03 PM EST [Link] [1 shoutout]
Food for thought
I watched in horror (and longingly) as a co-worker recently ate a loaded baked potato and a large roll for dinner. I couldn't imagine having that many carbs in one sitting.
Now, I'm beating myself up over eating a snack-sized bag of Chex Mix, 36g carbs.
It's so unfair how hard some have to work to maintain a decent weight, while others can eat whatever junk they want, when they want, and never gain a pound. I am such a slave to this diet.
Current mood: Guilty
Posted by Lynniechan @ 12:13 AM EST [Link] [No shoutouts]
Monday, May 17, 2004
Unbelievable
What Rush Limbaugh had to say about the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse:
"This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation, and we're going to ruin people's lives over it, and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time. ... I'm talking about people having a good time. These people, you ever heard of emotional release? You heard of need to blow some steam off?"Earth to planet Limbaugh: Who forcibly sodomizes someone to blow off some steam? How can you defend that kind of savagery and sleep at night? People like you are the reason there will always be wars and hate.
Current mood: Outraged
Posted by Lynniechan @ 06:01 PM EST [Link] [2 shoutouts]
Monday, May 10, 2004
What seems to be the problem (wink), officer?
http://texascitysun.com/story.lasso?wcd=5421
Current mood: Amused
Posted by Lynniechan @ 08:26 AM EST [Link] [No shoutouts]
OMG
I must have read at least 50 "Choose Your Own Adventures" as a kid. Naturally, I find there's a site themed after it: http://www.chooseyourownny.com/CYOA-1.htm
Current mood: Amused
Posted by Lynniechan @ 08:21 AM EST [Link] [4 shoutouts]
Sunday, May 9, 2004
Cool
The next few days are supposed to offer prime viewing times to see the international space station pass overhead. I should get a chance tomorrow morning, right after our row. I might even still be on the water. I can't wait.
Current mood: Awestruck
UPDATE: The good news: I'm pretty sure it passed right overhead this morning. The bad news: I forgot to note that it would be too bright out to see it. It was broad daylight during the passover! More good news, tho: My next two opportunities are both in the dark, one tomorrow night and one Wednesday morning when I will be on the water. This morning, a rowing friend, after I'd explained why I was killing time after rowing practice, hung around with me to try to see it too. I hope I didn't disappoint him. He'll be there Wednesday morning, tho, so I have a chance to make it up to him. This Java applet by NASA kicks arse for mapping satellites.
Posted by Lynniechan @ 02:41 AM EST [Link] [No shoutouts]
Friday, May 7, 2004
Huffy v4.0
I did something today I've never done.
Got my hair cut -- short.
Shorter than it's ever been.
It's never been above my shoulders.
Until now.
I think I made the stylist's day, though. He said he had a lot of fun with me. OK, NERD ALERT! I had been tooling around this afternoon on the Web, looking at hairstyles I might like. I Photoshopped a short, layered bob I liked onto a picture of myself and saved the finished product to my desktop. I stuffed the laptop in my backpack and brought it with me to the salon. When I sat down in the chair, I asked him, "You think you might be able to recreate something if I showed you a picture?" So I pulled out the laptop, opened it up and showed him the Photoshopped me. He pondered for a sec. "No problem. At least you picked a hairstyle that matches your hair type," he said. "Sometimes I get requests for things from people who don't even have enough hair to make it with." I said I was nervous. "Take a deep breath," he said, and before I could finish it, he had suddenly snipped the length off right to the shoulders. "Got it quick!" he said. "No turning back now!"
And plop went my look of the past 15 years to the floor, to be swept into a nice neat pile and into the trash.
I sweat the whole time. The backs of my legs were sliding on the vinyl seat. Can I take off this bib? I was nervous but excited. An anxious nervous. I asked him if he needed to see the picture again.
"Nope!" he said confidently. "It's all right here," he said as he tapped his temple. "Don't worry! You look younger! It looks better already."
And later:
"Don't ever cut your own bangs again. Please let me do it."
He gave me a big hug when it was all over.
I've never had a real hairstyle before, and I've always been afraid to change it. What if I looked more manly than I already do? What if it starts thinning? What if that bald spot on the back of my head shows? My paranoia about my appearance -- more specifically, drawing attention to myself -- is just one of the many ways my lack of self-confidence and general self-loathing manifest themselves. But I was feeling adventurous today (also read "moody" for the 52% of you with two X chromosomes), and if I was going to take a chance on myself, I thought I'd better do it now before I got cold feet again. If I didn't like it, my hair grows so fast, it'll be back in no time, right? RIGHT?
The finished product is somewhat like the Photoshopped version I created (I told the stylist to ignore the color), but not as big and foofy, and straighter.
Current mood: Tired
Current music: MC 900 Ft. Jesus | Adventures in FailurePosted by Lynniechan @ 01:13 AM EST [Link] [8 shoutouts]
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
Like my old 'Roos
Boot these up.
Current mood: Tired
Posted by Lynniechan @ 03:17 AM EST [Link] [No shoutouts]
Saturday, May 1, 2004
Cha-CHING!
The Other Driver's insurance company finally paid up, sending me a fat check for the accident their driver caused me to be in. I wouldn't have known their investigation was settled so quickly had I not called them three days in a row -- that's how long it took me to talk to a real live person -- to hound them into telling me what's going on.
It's just a pisser that the accident wasn't my fault, yet I'M the one who has to initiate all the phone calls, drive around with a car that has a shattered turn signal and a front bumper tied on with a rope, schedule all the appointments and take time from my busy days to make those appointments. Talk about wrong place, wrong time.
But hopefully, the end of the tunnel is near. My car is supposed to go in the shop next week. Meanwhile, they're ponying up for a rental. So if you pass this on the highway, wave hi.
Current mood: Hungry
Current music: Amber's snoringPosted by Lynniechan @ 01:59 AM EST [Link]
You are not forgotten
After I came home tonight, I sat on the floor near the couch, ready to decompress by telling the BF how my night at work went. As the BF lazily channel surfed, waiting for me to unleash my frustrations, he stumbled on Ted Koppel's reading of the names of Americans killed in Iraq in progress. We sat quietly and watched the rest of the show. It was hard not to get choked up seeing the faces appear on the screen as their names were read. They didn't have pictures for some of them, and in place of their photo, they ran a photo of some flag-draped coffins. There were well more than 700 people, most of them younger than me. Koppel even added at the end that two more people had been killed today. I wondered if the producers had to call some of the families to confirm the pronunciation of difficult names and whether the some families expressed gratitude to Nightline that their loved one's name was read to the world.
To think that broadcasting the names in such a manner "undermines the U.S.'s agenda in Iraq" is ludicrous. Does releasing the name and photo of a cop killed in an operation or on duty undermine the police's agenda?
Current mood: Sleepy
Current music: Goldfrapp | TiptoePosted by Lynniechan @ 01:35 AM EST [Link]