something good, at last

 I feel like I've been a hub for bad or melancholy news lately.  Been sad about my friend with cancer, I have this horrible cold and it is worrying me, I've missed a lot of work and Turkish class, AND my Grandma's 1st anniversary of her death was yesterday.  BUT I've already cried and whined enough on here so 'two tears in a bucket'....

I decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and finally sponsor a child.

She is 11 years old and lives in the Philippines, one of my favorite countries.  She likes school and wants to be a teacher when she grows up....awwwwwhhhh.  :0  The photo I tried to save from the website did not work, so more later.  I can't wait to get a letter!!!!

Also, because I am a mastermind, this will be the gift that keeps giving back to me too.  1,000 frequent flyer miles to start, 200 more each month, plus the matching funds because I am charging my monthly gift to my Airmiles credit card, muw ha ha ha ha ha!  You will be mine, free flight, oh yes, you will be mine!

Strangely, though I am gathering and hording flyer miles, I have no future trip to save for/look forward to.  I better get on top of that.  Turkey?  Iceland?  Grand Canyon?  hhmmmmm.....

Mafia vs. Yakuza

 Two questions;

1) Why has it taken me so long to watch the movie, Brother? 

2) Who do you think eats better; the Italian Mafia or the Japanese Yakuza?

just say you miss me

 I was five seconds into having the largest white-trash moment in a long time.  The clerk behind the counter asked if he could help the panicked woman in a leather jacket (faux) with tear tracks on her face and bleary red eyes if she needed help finding anything. 

That would be me.  "Vodka!,"  I said, "where do you keep  your Absolut Vodka?"  (I am a sucker for advertising)

"Those are all behind the counter, Miss"

"Good, get me your smallest bottle of plain and uhm, sniff, I need to sign up for a new point card."

About fifteen minutes prior to this exchange I was waving goodbye to my friend's boyfriend from their porch.  I just finally made it to visit.  It had been...gosh....definitely over a month.  I got a text earlier in the week that she had days, if not minutes, to live.  Pancreatic cancer is a motherfucker. 

A few vodkas-and-whatever-I-had-in-the-house later, I have the energy to make the rice, clean the stove and write a few words of reflection.  I'm so glad I didn't go with the wine. 

I had brought over some snacks for the house and family and went into her room to hold her hand and say a few things.  She seemed pretty out of it, but she looked me in the eyes and I saw a glimmer of recognition.  I know she is in there, trapped in her body wasted like a skeleton.  All these wasting diseases this past year: Parkinson's, MS, Cancer!  How much better would be the firing line?!

As with my Uncle...when you know each time you see this person could be the last and you really aren't sure what to say as you stand there awkwardly, heavily, by their bed....What do you say??  I just told her that I went to work that day and that we all missed her.  I guess that is what I would want to hear.  Just say you miss me.

Propaganda from NorKor

 There are all from this website (awesome, thanks)

I actually really like this style of art.  Even if these posters are completely ridiculous.  Some are just ironic, like the one above, "Let's all go for harvesting!" which would be really cute if there were any food to harvest or food for goats in, "Let's extensively raise goats in all families" (below)

I have a better idea:

LET'S ALL GO FOR THE HARVESTING! NOW AVAILABLE ON BLACK MARKET!
(click the photo)

Despite the big stars and stripes on that bag of rice, the Kim Jong Il seems to have something against Americans:

  "Death to U.S. Imperialists, Our Sworn Enemy" 

  "The U.S. is truly an axis of evil." 

Here the axis looks like it revolves around Bismark, North Dakota.  And anyway, we used that term first. You know you want to be US.  Looking at the hands in this poster, Michele Bachmann will be prez in 2012.

"when provoking a war of aggression we will hit back, beginning with the U.S."  

When writing a propaganda poster, we will use awkward and lengthy slogans!

"do not forget the U.S. Imperialist wolves"

wtf.  No one has a baby that chubby any way.  And who is that shady dude holding that woman back?  A Russian?  Don't put that on US!

"When we say we will, we will we do not talk idly"

Watch out Canada!!

A week in photos

 

Monday, Kyohei began his orthodontic adventures in America.  He got the top braces on AND had two teeth removed on the bottom because of over crowding and alignment issues.  I guess this is a good 'before' photo.  In another year and a half, we should have a beautiful 'after' photo.  Sayonara to crooked, jacked-up J-teeth; welcome to America. 

Even though Kyohei is still whining about his braces (more than 9-year-old justgotspaid ever did, mind you), he seems to be channeling his frustration in positive ways by taken extra care with the dogs' dental hygiene.  Poor Chitah.

Despite having a week like a bad country song (my wallet got stolen, my job is a hassle & can't get a new one, I'm getting a cold and my friend is in the hospital), I managed to have a great Friday night with some friends.

I decided that I wanted to go downtown and drink... so driving would not be an option.  I forced myself to get over my bus phobia.  Success!  I made it downtown.

My round of drinking was so gleeful that I came home and decided that I needed a new profile pic.  Please vote!

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yeah... I'm pretty ridiculous.  Two more things

1) Check out the movie Dessert Flower.  It is a real-life story, turned book, turned movie.  More here  I really enjoyed this.
2) My little brother (yes, that one) is getting into town tonight for a week.  I'm excited, but nervous.  That little shit's boss gave him a $1,000 vacation bonus.  I hope he knows that by telling me this very annoying fact that he is obligated to pay for all tickets this week.

rejected!

 More than a month after applying to a position that is as close to a 'dream-job' as I could think (besides being a co-host on The View), I finally got this email today:

Being a college-educated woman of North America, I should be either a) creating a family b) working hard on advancing my career, but ideally both, right? 

What I am if I'm not doing either of those?

having fun?

wasting time?

?

At least I get an interview before being rejected these days.  At least it is good to finally know.  I've lived the past month not knowing where I would be living in November.  Who wants to move to Indiana anyway?

baby, baby, baby oooooh!

 If only I had a beautiful boy to sing to me every morning after my shower and every night before I go to bed.... 

 
A dream come true.  Available at Walgreens.  I want him, er, this.

Another thing that is amusing is the movie, "Still Walking."  That is the English title anyway.  Besides starring Hiroshi Abe, who is crazy good-looking, the dialogue in this movie is amazing.

If you ever thought to yourself, "I wonder what it's like for justgotspaid when she hangs out with all her in-laws?  I wonder why she gets tired out from them so easily?"  This shows the workings of family dynamic in Japan so perfectly; all the fussing, all the sensitivity, all the getting in someone's business while trying to hide your own.  Netflix recommended it to me and now I am recommending it to you.

extended version

 Too awesome.  I'm so glad I discovered this last night.  Kyohei makes fun of me for watching this so much. 

Why do all Rome & Juliet / West Side Story -type things appeal to me so much?  Daddy issues?  ha ha ha

rollercoaster!

 [insert humming the Red Hot Chili Pepper hit here]

"Elaine, don't get too down. Everything will even out. See, I have two friends. You were up, he was down. Now he's up, you're down. You see how it all evens out for me?"

- Jerry Seinfeld, in "The Opposite"

I had a great weekend (starting Thursday night).  I even fell into crush approximately 2 times, give or take 1.  I was invited to gatherings in public.  I managed to go out to 3 bars and a) did not feel annoyed that I was at a bar b) did not come home smelling of smoke c) did not spend a lot of money.  I managed to say only a handful of offensive things, which is excellent considering the breadth of time and volume I had to drink.  These people even became my facebook friends after the fact.  phew. 

Side note:  What is going ON with me lately?  The past week or so seems to have turned into a peacock parade of temptation.  Why do guys, who I find contemptible and disgusting in general, seem so darn attractive lately?  I have literally run into every mini-crush I've had in the area recently.  Why now?  I hate this.  Also, and this might sound a little too 'Jersey Shore,' but sometimes I can't help but want to just make out with someone out of boredom.  I WON'T, jeez, I like being married too much.  I'm just saying.  I miss the making-out.  That's all. 

And real-life xanga friends, don't even ask who these might be.  You don't know them and I'm never telling.  ever.

This was all eclipsed, naturally, when I discovered that one of my dearest friends had been admitted to the hospital under mysterious conditions last night (panic attack, heart attack, seizure???) .  I can't focus and NOTHING that I could possibly have to do at work today is as important to me.  I can't wait to get out of here so I can run over to the hospital. 

not-so-productive behavior

 What have I been up to lately? 

Thursday:  I drank a bunch of mudslides at trivia night so my team could get points.  This almost makes up for me never knowing any trivia.

Friday:  I went to not one, but 2 dance classes (and worked on Turkish homework).  Actually, Friday might have been productive

Saturday:  We went to our first Italian greyhound meet-up.  It amazes me that there are enough people in this town with these weird dogs to form a group.

Most of the time Chitah hung around our legs hiding from her would-be-friends. 

Look at the other Italian Greyhounds playing!  They come in so many colors

Eventually she made one little friend with this dog named, Sealy.  Cute.

Then I went to the mall, met Justin Bieber and we made out.

People are always saying how lucky I am to have married a chef. 
This is one of the things he made-a triple sandwich; one layer of ham, one of egg salad and topped with butter and strawberry jam.  yummmmmm, right?  Luckily, I had gone out to eat with friends that night.