Thursday, January 27, 2011

Apparently I'm Stylish!

SquidinkSarah has nominated me for a stylish award! Hooray! Thanks, Sarah!



Her comment about me not updating enough is also completely apt. According to her blog, I now have to do some things.

(This is quite a nice distraction from the paper I'm supposed to be writing on Idaho's proposed medical marijuana bill.)

1. I am in love with science and chemistry, specifically organic mechanisms. To me, it's the ultimate form of truth. You can't get much more pure than the exact way everything works at the smallest level. I love that kind of certainty.

2. I have two kitties named Beaker and Threepwood. They're both a little insane.

3. I learned to knit because I found a stuffed penguin pattern and had to make it.

4. My first job was putting books away in a public library - because of this, I have a freaky knowledge of the Dewey Decimal System. Name a number and I can tell you the kind of book you'll find there.

5. The only dance I can do is polka. I only know how to do that because I went to Norwegian Camp.

6. I am unable to make lemon-y treats. Lemon meringue pie refuses to solidify. Lemon bars are lemon soup on top of shortbread. It's my kryptonite.

7. I am a certified video game nerd. I own every playstation console, a DS, and regularly play Xbox, 360, and Nintendo's various iterations.

As for the other requirements. . . I don't think I read enough blogs. I suppose I can't just re-nominate Sarah.

An aside: in an attempt to get myself to post more, I was kicking the idea of answering questions you people may have about drugs. If you have any. It obviously wouldn't constitute medical advice of any sort, but I take great joy in explaining things that fascinate me. Comment with a question!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Cars

I'm beginning to think that any dealings I have with cars are cursed.

Or maybe it's just this car.

I drive an ancient Subaru I inherited from my brother, who inherited it from our father. The car has . . . issues. It's the same car with the mysteriously stolen-and-replaced tire from
last Easter. To set the stage: the front blinker is duct taped to the car after being hit in my apartment parking lot; the cover for the back light has fallen off; at some point keys were taken to the side; there's one off tire missing a hubcap. Oh, and the lock is busted so I have to crawl through the passenger side to open the driver side door. Makes me feel really safe when I'm entering the car in a dark parking lot.

Tell me the first thing that goes through your mind when you see this vehicle.




It's definitely "I'm going to break into this car because it clearly contains something valuable," right?

Right.

I entered the car, intending to drive to Idaho Falls. After fending off the automatic seatbelt - it occasionally snaps and tries to throttle me - I looked around. Something seemed off. Every compartment was open and the trash bag had been scattered. This certainly wasn't how I left it. It slowly dawned on me that the loose change had all been removed, as had my cassette tapes.

Who, in 2011, steals cassette tapes and leaves the USB charger?

I know my junior high self's taste in radio music and slight ineptitude at recording songs and not commercials is worth thousands, if not more. But seriously. They also stole my wickford express tape, which I'm significantly more upset about (who in Idaho apart from my father and myself even listens to sea chanteys?!).

At least they didn't take Edgar.