"Clint Eastwood Is Going to Eat Us Up!"

This evening, my sister B and I took a walk around the neighborhood, and as we were making our way back home, noticed that quite a few guys were standing in the road staring at us. Rather than trudge through the thick of hicks, we opted to cut through a neighbor's yard. It was then that I noticed my sister looked nervous.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
She glanced about, and muttered, "Clint Eastwood is going to eat us up!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know. Their dog."
"They named their dog Clint Eastwood?" I asked, still confused.
"Um, that's his name?"
"I have no idea," I told her. "I'm just repeating what you told me."
"I never said anything about Clint Eastwood," she said. "Whoever he is."

I have no idea how we got so mixed up, but I am pretty sure that communicative "skills" like ours cause war. Besides, how could she not know who Clint Eastwood is? He's the Chuck Norris of Westerns minus the roundhouse kick.

Tinkerbell

Who needs a trail of bread crumbs? When I got home today, I merely had to follow the trail of glitter leading up the drive way, over the yard, up the steps, and to the computer. My youngest sister, O, got a hold of the glitter today and now everything and everyone is wearing it. It looks like Tinkerbell was brutally murdered...I kept brushing off the nasty stuff, but I can't help feeling--and looking--like a Britney Spears retread from the 90s.

I hate glitter, and it's quite obvious that the person who gifted my sister with the colored gitter set does not have children. Anyone who has children, or contact with children, would never be so cruel...Ah well. I'm still Kai, just in multi-color.

Training Bras...

Today mom, B, and I took O clothes shopping. My ever-funny and frighteningly intelligent youngest sister bounced over to the wrack of "training bras,"* becoming the latest victim of our over-sexualized society. Okay, we all know the history of bras. That wacky Frenchman thought of yet another way to torture us females, because high heels obviously weren't enough. I must admit they have their benefits, but why would anyone with a training "cup" (it's a tiny 2" by 2" triangle that is not the least bit cupped)? What exactly are they keeping in place? And what the hell is a training bra, anyway? Do they teach the girls to do tricks? If so, mine are stunted and sadly untalented.
I don't understand girls who are excited, enthralled, and exuberant (yes, I exhausted my 'E' vocabulary with that) about certain developments. The first instantly means you are no longer "one of the guys," your IQ instantly goes down if they're any big than a "training cup," some people will try to have full conversations with them, and jumping jacks become your enemy. I mean who likes getting smacked in the face 200 times?
The second means Eve has an excuse to kick your ass every month, and if you don't like the torture devices commonly referred to as tampons, you have to go around wearing something that is about as comfortable as a diaper for a week. If that doesn't make you cringe, trying cramping, which is not only in the stomach region, mind you. Guys swear you have mood swings when they're just stupid enough to stand between you and the chocolate, or utter "PMS." Bah! Permissable Manslaughter.
I myself was the person who defined "tomboy." Sure I had long blonde hair past my waist (it darkened naturally), and occasionally played with Barbies, but that is beside the point. I was respected by the infamous Big Kids, and was wild...okay, stupid. I took any dare, even if it meant jumping in a field with an angry bull. Admittedly, not my brightest moment. How I made it to age 8 is beyond me, because I can think of at least nine times that I could have, possibly should have, died. I remember clearly when those damn changes started, I was furious, especially with mom. She fixed everything else, why couldn't she fix that? I eventually got used to the changes, and don't mind them so much now, expect the second one--I'll never get used to Eve's ass kicking, which puts Chuck Norris' infamous roundhouse to shame.

Disclaimer: I do understand that bust size is a touchy topic for many women, but this was not directed at you ladies, but more the 3 year olds wearing undergarments akin to things I might find at Victoria's Secret.

"The Last Song"

“The Last Song” also known as “Nicholas Sparks Sells Out” is a movie starring Miley “Look at Me” Cyrus. Reportedly she always longed to be in a Nicholas Sparks movie, so Billy Ray decided to forgo the pony for her birthday and instead bought her a screenplay by, you got it, Nicholas Sparks.

According to IMDB, the movie is about an angsty young girl who spends the summer with her estranged father. Wait! Are there vampires and werewolves in this movie? It sounds like little miss Miley is longing for a Twilight-and-The Notebook combo of her very own.

Be rest assured that with a title like “The Last Song” she will be screeching out some lyrics at one point or another. She takes great pride in her vocals, and has been known to brag about her lack of formal voice lessons (IMDB, 2007). Anyone who has heard her song “The Climb” can tell you that is painfully obvious.

I mourn the loss of Nicholas Sparks, for to sell out is to die. “The Notebook” was incredible, and all of his other hits were as well, but I wonder how he will recover from what is sure to be a box office flop or a Disney hit.

In 2010, save your ticket money, or better yet donate it to a more worthy cause than Ms. Cyrus’ pocket book.

Happiness

I am happy. If only you knew how the past two years had been, you would understand just how major an accomplishment that is. I have had so many stressors, mainly involving family and now-former friends, and unemployment. Those stressors effected my relationships, my physical and emotional health, and at one point, my school performance.

I have never had trouble in school, but certain familial and friend-related issues caused me to have a poor result in two classes one semester, but I have gotten my grades back up and found out that I can graduate with my first degree as soon as December or Spring. true it’s from a small college, but I do have plans to go on to get my degrees in Social Work and Psychology from one of the universities that first accepted me when I graduated at sixteen (an age I truly didn't feel prepared to go off to school alone, so at 17 a small college seemed the best bet, and I met some of the best people, friends, and instructors here).

Familial issues have calmed a great deal, and the friends who caused me so much stress, I no longer call friends. I got job that just so happens to be my dream, and so far, I love it. I have good hours (so far), love the kids, and like most of the people I am working with. Also, if I become a full-timer they will pay up to 90% of my tuition to the college of my choice, which is a awesome.

I am writing again, and while I am on hiatus from the novel I have been working on for ions, I have a few other projects in mind, one of which I hope I can finish by fall, and pursue publishing. Becoming published is one of my major dreams, and on my list of things to do before I die (again, lol). I am also doing more with my art, up cycling, crafting, making jewelry, painting, photography, etc. For a while, I was just so stressed and blah about everything that art went on the back burner.

I am reading again! I love to read beyond all else, and growing up I always went around with a book and a spare (or two). Now I am reading. I’m also trying new things, and even retrying things that I hated before, such as “How I Met Your Mother” and other books and movies. Some, I still hate, others I now love.

I see the beauty, the fun, the vibrancy in life again. I never completely lost my outlook on life, but my rose colored glasses were getting a bit foggy. The other night at work, I watched a brilliant storm. I LOVE storms, but in the last few months, I can’t remember taking the time to watch one.

True, Fox and I have been going through a rocky patch, but we both know that it’s all been rooted in all the stress. We’re working through it, and the happier I become, the less dissatisfied I feel with things between us. I guess the stress and anger made me more nitpicky and sensitive.

The car Gershom gave me Valentine’s Day before last (while old) is running beautifully, and now just needs a water pump. I love having my own wheels =] I am going out more with friends, having more fun, and I truly feel like skipping or doing a little dance. The latter might be a little bit frightening since I am severely rhythmically challenged and would like a demented Chui Wawa on speed.
This is my blessing list, I suppose and it’s growing. Thank you God for restoring my life and happiness =]

I'm Official, and Possible Plans!

I survived the midnight shift, which I fully expected to do despite my co-worker's attempts to worry me with her harrowing story of crashing her car on the way home after her first midnight...
I believe that the last five minutes of the shift lasted longer than the entire shift did!

I am now official staff(!), and will work my first "real" shift Saturday. Fox and I have plans to see each other before I head in for the evening since that's our usual day to spend together, so I am looking forward to that. I get along with the kids well. One calls me her "new best friend" or "twin" since we have so many similarities. The first day I earned one of the boys respect because, in his words, I'm "quick with those comebacks." The youngest likes me, I think, because I give him attention, something the older kids don't do. The others like me well enough, especially the gamer because a) I can rock on Guitar Hero, and b) I "blend in with the residents."

I really like it there, and hope that I can stay on long-term. I also hope that once Fox and I solidify our wedding plans that I will be able to focus my hours toward the mornings. I know they are hard to come by, but I would hate to be married to a man I never see as he works five days a week, all mornings to evenings, and currently my schedule is predominantly evening!

I am also rather excited, because if my younger sister and I can get the money together, and I can get the time off, we're thinking of doing some traveling next month before the semester starts. Summer break doesn't last as long as it used to, I'm afraid.

About to Work My First Midnight Shift...

0_o I don't drink coffee, but even if I did, I somehow doubt that there would be enough coffee in the world to make me feel perky by the end of my shift...I think I feel a bit more tired than I would ordinarily because my balance has been kind of wrecked with working the morning, evening, and now midnight in just three days. That balance is a must to keep those spells at bay, the same spells that led to my death. This is part of my training (I have to shadow all shifts), and while the bosses seemed pretty fired up at the present staff for not wanting to work midnights, I honestly can't, at least not on a regular basis.
I really enjoy working with these kids, and since I started on the 21st, we've already lost two to new placement =[ That's part of the cycle, but a bit sad at the same time. My hope is that they both go on to live better lives than the lives they have left behind.