now more narcissistic than ever!

I've been completely wasting my time playing with these for the last half-hour. Ha! Sorry to pass them on.

Makeover-o-Matic

You can't add any foundation-type-makeup to this (that I can find, at least), which means in my final picture, I have plenty of makeup and plenty of acne. Fun stuff. When I showed Cardo my "after" picture, he said, "You look funny." Hey, it's not my fault the blush is applied to like half of my face! I tried to remedy it.

My Virtual Model

This one's a little frustrating because I can't readjust specific body parts. Also, I don't look at my underwear-clad self in the mirror, so looking at the depiction here is somewhat depressing. I haven't figured out how to "shop" with this thing, but I wasted enough time and I have things to do (like find out why it smells like feet right here).

blog sprint

Here's the One Minute Writer prompt for today:

What modern technology would you have trouble living without?

Because printing isn't exactly modern, I'm okay on that part (although I know the technique has been modernized...let's just say I get to keep my books the way they are.) So, what couldn't I live without?

I'm tempted to say computers. That might be more accurate than I think because computers are embedded into so many things the mind boggles. And, without computers, I wouldn't be here. This writing (not today's, but some day's) is like therapy to me. So, yeah, maybe computers.

...Or whatever technology goes into making ice cream.

[My one minute was up while I was mistyping "accurate," so I'm done here.]

P.S. After all that, I was just quickly rereading my post and I realize the prompt was which technology I would have trouble living without, not which one could I just not at all live without. Ah, well. No changes, thanks.

ugh...

Freaking earthquakes.

lunch...

I know that no one cares what I had for lunch, but here it is anyway. A baked potato with mozzarella cheese and the rest of the green beans from this dinner. I was basically using up what we had handy. Oh, yeah, and I forgot to take a picture before I cut it all up. Sorry. I'm sure Peecho will let me know that it looks like upchuck (my mom uses this word and it cracks me up every time).



Okay, because I subjected you to my lunch, I'll include a picture of Pic. This is her new favorite look. Too small flower girl dress, monkey-ear headband and one of my kerchiefs.

grand illusion

Before I came to college (oh so many, many years ago), I had definite ideas of what it would be like. First, it wouldn't be like high school. People'd actually want to be there and they'd all major geeks like me. Second, pertaining to the first, I'd finally find a place where my geekiness actually helped me fit in. Third, I'd excel in college. Fourth, I'd build a community of people to support me and who I'd support. When Thanksgiving came around, we'd all gather at a professor's home and feel like family.

Okay, so yes, I'm a huge dork. I watched too many movies about private schools or grad programs where people actually were a lot more focused on school, where every aspect of their lives had something to do with school. Those who didn't take school seriously, or who just didn't care, wouldn't be there. I still tend to live in my own little world very often.

I think about these weird expectations every time Thanksgiving rolls around. I haven't spent a Thanksgiving with my parents and siblings since 1998. Ten years. We don't really do much (well, anything, actually) for Thanksgiving because Cardo works. And, then it's over. It just doesn't feel right to celebrate it on the Friday after (The Day We're Too Bloated To Deal with Work and Besides We Have To Get Up at 4am To Go Shopping at Best Buy*...aka "Family Day"). For a while, it was just me and Cardo and for some of that time, we were both working at the same place, where working Thanksgiving is mandatory. Even now, there're only three of us. There's no way I'm roasting a huge turkey for only us. (Okay, so I'll probably never, ever roast a whole turkey for any reason). This year, we'll probably have turkey breast, sweet potato casserole (because Cardo loves it and won't let me not make it), green beans and bread. Nothing fancy, and we may not do that.

Another problem with celebrating this holiday is that I just start to shut down at this time of the year. It seems like everyone is rushing off to spend time with their families or their families are rushing here to spend time with them. We can't get away and it makes no sense for all of the other people in our families (all million people) to come here (anyhow, a good part of La Familia B is Mexican and, therefore, doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving). It's kind of a defensive move on my part that I just pretend that these upcoming holiday days aren't special, so I let them come and go, paying them little attention. And, every year, Cardo worries about my mental and emotional state because I always become quieter, a little more depressed.

Maybe this year will be different, and we'll have a nice quiet dinner with just the three of us, when Cardo returns from work. Maybe not. I'm already imagining all of the overtime he'll work that day and I'm already beginning to feel frustrated about it. This is how holidays have always been for me and how I expect they always will be.

[I'll try not to post on holidays for the rest of the year. I just started typing and it all just poured out. I hope that the rest of you enjoy whatever holidays you celebrate, as you should. I'll be here with my head in the sand.]

* I really think there is no merit in calling the day after Thanksgiving a holiday. Basically, I think it's a day for us to be lazy without really admitting it. At the same time, I appreciate the day off. I do not, though, participate in the Black Friday events. I'm not that into buying Christmas gifts (or that into Christmas, for that matter) and crabby, pushy swarms of people freak me out.

europe...where's that?

Here's a prompt I just came across:

This week is “National Geography Awareness Week.” Why do you think Americans have such a difficult time locating the United States on a map? What can be done to help change this?

I'm not sure how old this prompt is, but, anyway, it prompted the following memory to pop into my head.

When I was in high school, I knew a few foreign exchange students. One insisted on walking me home from school a couple of times. On one of these occasions, I was making small talk (something I'm still not good at), so I was asking him about his home country. He was from the Czech Republic, which I knew, but I think he just wanted to make sure I knew where it was (which I did).

Anyhow, he was going to explain to me where it was anyway and the first thing said was, "It's in Europe. Do you know where Europe is?"

*Blink. Blink*

"Um, yeah. Who doesn't?"

Apparently I'd be surprised at how many people asked him, "Where's Europe?"

Now, there's plenty that I don't know. Plenty that I've decided that I'll just never know, but I know where Europe is, thank you very much.

And, for all the things I don't know, I can rely on this here trusty interweb, no? The Constant Giver of Valid and Trustworthy Information, no? Well, I can look most things up and pretend that these things represent Truth.

By the way, I can also look up the official site of the Czech Republic. Just in case you're interested.

hey there, lonely meal

I have other food pictures, but I have about zero idea where they are. Therefore, you are being regaled with Sunday night's dinner. I got turkey breast cutlets on some super-sale at the grocery store, so I cooked some up (because raw meat products...um, not so much). What else is on that plate? (I can't see the picture as I'm typing this.) Oh, baked chunks of sweet potato (they aren't fried and they don't resemble fries, really, so there you go). I roughly chopped up a sweet potato and tossed the chunks (oh, how wrong, I know) in olive oil, salt and pepper. I put them on a baking sheet and shoved it into the oven while I cooked the turkey on the rangetop (do people use that term?). I also made some garlic and very dijon green beans. (Pic helped me to squeeze the mustard into the skillet, so yes, very dijon.) Actually, the green beans turned out really good, but I'll definitely scrape some of the mustard out next time if we end up with so much.

Anyhow, this was my dinner on Sunday. Pic, on the other hand, had a scrambled egg with mozzarella, some fruit and some raw (undijoned) green beans. I didn't mean to make two different dinners (and she did graze from my plate a bit), but I was laying on the couch in a stupor, somewhat focused on Bye, Bye Birdie when Pic came down from resting and let me know she was hungry. I made her something to eat, but she was still working on it much later when I finished the rest.