And just in time in the right place steadily emerging with grace.

My friends are funny.

2009-10-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

"In other news, garth brooks is thinking about coming out of retirement.
I wonder which name he will choose this time." - Jess

My loves

2009-09-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

Mycology

2009-09-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

The genus Phallus, commonly known as stinkhorns, are a group of basidiomycetes which produce a foul-scented, phallus-shaped mushroom, from whence their name is derived. They belong to the family Phallaceae in the order Phallales. The best known species (and type species) is the common stinkhorn (Phallus impudicus). (Wikipedia)

The world is too much with us

2009-09-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

I was reading for my British literature class and I came across this sonnet by Willam Wordsworth:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for every thing, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. -Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

He is basically saying he'd rather be a pagan than be a fake, materialistic person who is divorced from God, nature, and true feeling.

I love it.

I love Cspan.

2009-07-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

What is the best way to utilize sixty seconds to get your point across to the House of Representatives?

PROPS!

My country personality

2009-07-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

My professor wrote the results of our research papers on the board: one A, two Bs, and six Ds. Vivian asked me what I got. I told her I got an A (Which I actually did, people). The girl sitting next to her said, "I KNEW IT!"

Since then, she keeps asking me to proofread her papers before she turns them in. I glady do it, but I keep trying to tell her that I've peaked and I'm not that great at writing papers. Michael insists that I am "being modest."

I was telling Alex about this craziness yesterday and she said, "Well, Lindsey, being an overachiever is your country personality."

2009-04-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

Introduction to Me

2009-01-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

On a cold morning in October my parents were blessed with the most beautiful baby girl the world has ever seen. I was born on October 25, 1984 at 11:51AM at Medical City in Dallas, Texas. My mother went in to the hospital early because she couldn’t feel me move and was afraid that something had happened to me. Apparently I was just taking a nap, and at 9AM she called my dad to let him know that I was on my way. 48 hours later, my parents brought me home. My grandmother wanted me to be named Kelly but my parents told her that was ridiculous and named me Lindsey instead. My first room was decorated with clowns which explains my deep psychological fear of them. Everyone in the family was so excited that they now had a baby girl to play dress up with and to buy Barbies for. My first Halloween I was dressed as a pumpkin “because of my big fat chubby cheeks.” (My mother) As I began to develop my personality, they opted for the devil on my second Halloween.

I have two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister. My mother had a son from her previous marriage. My brother, Chad, is 12 years older than I am. More than a brother, he has always been more of a father figure to me. He took care of me as a baby when my parents worked, and we spent plenty of time together. When I was four years old, one of our favorite activities was listening to the tape of Les Miserable and acting it out with Barbies. The day I started kindergarten was also the year that my brother graduated from high school. When I turned 5, my brother left for college and it was very traumatic for me. In 1995, Chad married Cathy my sister-in-law. I was so fortunate to have a best friend and a new sister. I have two nephews, Cameron who is 7 and Cooper who is 2. I am their favorite aunt, but don’t tell my sister I said that.

In 1986, my parents finally decided to make me a play mate, Ashley, who became my little baby doll. As she grew up, my parents began to notice that she wasn’t speaking. They took her to many doctors who said she was mentally challenged. They decided to get a second opinion and it was discovered that she was hearing impaired. My parents took her to a speech pathologist and bought her a pair of hearing aids. The first day she wore them as a two year old, she took them off and hid them behind the toilet. She loves to tell her friends that she was retarded as a child. She used to be a tomboy, but sometime during high school she became a prissy girl. She graduated from Texas Tech with a major in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in American Sign Language.

I attended Canyon Creek Christian Academy in Richardson, Texas. I stayed at the same school from kindergarten to high school. In my kindergarten graduation program I was typecast as Lucy from The Peanuts. Everyone said it was fitting and my performance was superb. My mother worked at my school so I could very well get away with anything. I was a cheerleader from junior high until my junior year when I decided that it was boring and joined the golf team. I spent my junior and senior year playing golf every single day. We won state both years. One tournament I hit a golf ball that sliced and landed in a pond. I got so angry I accidentally slammed my three wood on a rock and sent sparks flying. It was an accident, I meant to slam in into the ground, not to make fire.

My freshman year of college I attended Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. I spent one year there and loved every minute of it, but decided to further my education at Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi. I stayed there for one year, but the economy was so terrible I decided I didn’t want to be poor anymore and moved back to Dallas. I worked at an insurance broker’s office that sold medical insurance for 3 years.

While living in Dallas, I moved into “the commune.” Jess, my best friend from kindergarten, and I decided to move into a quadplex with a few of our friends. We shared joint custody of an evil cat we found in our stairwell. He howled for 3 days while hiding under that couch. We happened to be suckers for evil males, so we kept him and named him Lucifer Prince of Darkness. He actually lives with me now. I woke up last week to have him sitting over me with his face 5 inches from mine just staring. I couldn’t figure out if he just enjoys watching me sleep or if he’s actually plotting ways to kill me.

We had community meals most nights and spent most evenings drinking wine/beer/whatever on the porch while discussing various things but mostly politics. My favorite politician is Vice President Joe Biden. I’ve loved him since he stated that he was going to run for president several years ago. My friend Luke (also a commune member) declared the day Obama chose Biden to be his VP as “Biden day.” While commune living was great, I got restless and tired of the mundane every day life. I decided to go back to school and finish my education. The rest is history. Well maybe not history, the future would be more appropriate.

While reading the Dallas Morning News SportsDay page about the Mavs game the night before:

2009-01-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

Ash: "'You have to erase your floppy disk and become a shooter or a scorer,' Kidd said."
Me: Wait... a floppy disk? Maybe someone should tell him to say flash drive next time.
Ash: He's old.

Also, David Moore's article, "A once- and perhaps future - All-Star" was a bit harsh on Josh Howard.

Ash says hi to "my people". And also, "welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome, to linz's blog."

"My people" = Jess. Hi Jess.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-17T23:36:00.000-08:00

This was actually thanksgiving. Nevertheless, tis the holiday season for eating copious amounts of ice cream!

and also for me being awkward!

but more importantly for sis graduating!

I am a SciFi aficionado.

2008-09-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have quite the obsession with Ghosthunters. I love all things ghostly as I stated in the previous post.

Well, I have a new obsession on the SciFi channel.

Destination Truth.

Reasons why I love this show:

A. They travel all over the world looking for mythical creatures also known as cryptids. Basically they travel to parts of the world where people claim to see creatures or spirits.

Examples of cryptids:
Chupacabra
Big foot
Werewolf

B. They do a lot of ghost hunting. In fact, they use some of the same gear as Ghosthunters. Stuff like thermals. Hand held video recorders. Etc.

C. They occasionally do some diving. I lurve diving.

D. The crew is so entertaining. Josh Gates. So stinking funny. Even if you don't care at all about mythical creatures or travel or interesting things, just watch one episode. Josh will have you cracking up.

E. They cuss. Especially when they are freaked out. I find it hilariously funny.

So just watch an episode. It comes on after Ghosthunters on Wednesdays.

Instead of Environmental Biology, I think I'll change my major to cryptozoology. Seriously, I'd be an excellent asset in the field of discovering mythical creatures.

P.S. College is going well. Remind me to tell you about the pop-tart story.

Epiphanies from a sleepless night.

2008-05-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

I couldn't sleep at all last night. Partially because of the fear that Lu was going to pounce my face at any moment, and partially in thought about the "big move." I am slightly terrified, but it's good for me. Adds character. I am going to miss you guys a ton. This is pretty anti-climatic because you know I'll probably be home more often than you might think. Regardless, I love you people.

I just want you to be as happy as humanly possible.

I am single. It is weird. It is new. I am fairly stable regardless of all the chaos that keeps getting thrown at me. Fairly is as good as it gets.

I made a list of qualifications for the next ill-fated male that stumbles into my life. I've never ever made a list of qualifications for a significant other. I've always just gone with the chemistry thing. I've decided to think of chemistry as a special bonus and to focus on the following list of qualifications:

I need someone who loves the environment. This is priority. It is unacceptable to not recycle. EVERYONE should do it. If you don't recycle, you don't respect and love the environment. I can't stand people who are wasteful. As far as I am concerned, it uncovers bad character. Recycle, people.

I need someone who LOVES animals. Not someone who just tolerates them. Adores them. He needs to think that ALL animals are god's gift to the planet. Speaking of planet, he needs to be okay, nay, exuberant with watching the animal planet/discovery channel for hours if I feel like it. I hardly ever watch TV so this shouldn't be a problem. I do not want the TV on 24-7 regardless of what it is. Not ok with that at all.

I need someone who believes in ghosts and has a high respect for the paranormal.

So that's it. I don't think it is too much to ask for. Especially the ghost portion.

Outlandish, maybe.

Watched Biden on c-span last night..

2007-11-28T08:39:00.000-08:00

After he was finished an old vet came up to talk to him. He was stuttering, and clearly nervous. Old Joe said, "Take your time." and put his arms on his shoulder. I immediately started weeping and went out on to the porch. I prayed to god and jesus to please help Joe be the next President of the United States... and also for chris to get into vet school.

www.joebiden.com

Happy Birthday Joe!

2007-11-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

Joe Biden for President in 2008!

www.joebiden.com

Split Personalites

2007-11-09T07:22:00.001-08:00

Where is my John Wayne?

2007-11-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

I don't like the song "Where have all the cowboys gone". Frankly, I find it offensive and vulgar. Well maybe not vulgar. The woman sounds like a sissy (no offense ash). "I will raise the children if you pay all the bills" Really? Really?? I don't think it's a good deal at all. Jess and I went to Ikea yesterday, and on the way we stopped by Chick-fil-a for some dinner. It happened to be kids night, and we were the only ones there without a child of some sort. On average, I'd have to say there were 5 kids to every one parent which is not great coverage if you ask me. Kids were screaming and running EVERYWHERE. I brought our food to the table, narrowly escaping a wild pack of little boys. We did see one cute sort of behaved child there, and it gave me hope. We almost didn't get a refill of sweet tea. Was it worth it? I'd go with a yes. Jess goes, remind me never to have children ever. Then we came up with this genius idea, to adopt a kid that's like 17 and then boot them out when they turn 18. I could so do a year.

Jess is hilarious. We have been a great duo for a good 18 years or so. No one makes me laugh as much as she does.

Only one office coaster...

2007-10-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

...and entirely too many liquids.

Phobia # 17,657

2007-10-03T09:40:00.001-07:00

Canned goods

My fear of canned goods stems a cup of soup that tasted like EXACTLY like pennies in high school. I realize that the soup came in a paper cup, but the taste of metal was distinct and disgusting beyond belief. Since that fateful day, I have had a hard time with canned goods. I still can't stand the smell of metal, but I have worked myself up to eating out of them with a certain process. I do NOT eat anything that was touching the sides and or bottom. (Ok, so I realize that it all rolled around in there, and probably at some point all of the contents came in contact with the can. However, I choose to forget this all together. So there.) I will very carefully scoop out the core making sure I do not touch the sides with my untensil. My fear is that I will accidentally somehow scoop up bits of metal from the can and be able to taste it. I don't think I have a fear of choking on a can, but it's just a fear of possibly tasting the metal of the can in my mouth. When I think about canned goods, my teeth actually start to hurt. I am convienced that the problem is with the old, bad cans emitting a metallic taste into their food. I usually check the expiration date to make sure the can isn't too old to prevent this issue.

Your welcome for the brief glance into the innermost being of my soul.

This is Jess's version of me if I were a simpson..

2007-09-25T11:22:00.002-07:00

There are no words.

Today is my sister's birthday.

2007-07-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

Ashley is in Cali and I can not spend this day with her. I do not like her so far away from me. I think Lubbock is far enough. She is now 21. I can no longer pretend she is my baby sister that I have to take care of. I can no longer pretend that she can't possibly function without me. I so love being needed, but this summer without her has brought me to the realization that she is fine without me and I am ok with that. I've always known that she would be fine on her own, but now it is official. This does not mean that I won't want to protect her and worry about her. I am the big sis, that's just what I will always do! I just know that she is an strong, independent woman who can function fully by herself. She can go off to a state where she knows no one and make a TON of friends. She can find herself TWO jobs. She can ride the bus alone. She can walk around the streets of L.A. alone. Growing up is hard to do, and letting go of someone you love and want to smother with protection is even harder. I now know what my poor mother has gone through with all of us. She had to let go and let us live on our own. Oh dear.

Happy birthday Ash, you'll always be my baby sisr!

One of these days I will actually post a paragraph

2007-07-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

But until then, I will read all of your blogs.

My favorite father figure of the week goes to MOL Jr.

RANT

2007-06-11T10:47:00.002-07:00

I am tired of rude people who are self-centered and don't even think that maybe that waitress is doing the best she can, and maybe she might not be having a good day and maybe one smile or nice customer could really make her feel better. Her job is to serve you, but she's not your servant. She's got other customers, you are not the only one. Open your eyes and see the people around you, notice someone other than yourself. Contrary to your belief, you are NOT the center of the universe.

My poor babies

2007-06-07T11:34:00.001-07:00

Bunnie stepped on something sharp and has a cast oh her foot. She's ok, but needs drugs for a couple weeks.

Baby Samson got sick, and he died today.

Baby Samson Update

2007-05-31T11:44:00.000-07:00

Look at his stinkin' cute horns y'all! He's growing up to be such a little stud.

YUMMMMMMM

2007-05-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

HOLY CRAP!

Koolaid pickles? Count me in! I am going straight home after work to start my own batch.

Baby Samson

2007-03-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

This little guy is inevitably going to be sold and turned into hamburger. I have been occasionally bottle feeding him. His mom died, so Chris has to take care of him and I get to help. He's so stinking cute and I just love his huge big dumbo ears. It makes me sad that some over weight a**hole is going to eat my baby Samson and not think twice about it. I know he can't be kept, but I wish there was some way he could grow old and live a content, happy life like alot of other bulls do.

CREEDE

2007-03-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Throwing People Under the Bus: Part 1

2007-03-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

"Have you ever thought about how weird it is that we lick envelopes to stick them? and that they all taste different?" - Jess

Brand New - Jesus Christ

2007-03-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Jesus Christ, that's a pretty face
The kind you'd find on someone that could save
If they don't put me away
Well, it'll be a miracle

Do you believe you're missing out
That everything good is happening somewhere else?
But with nobody in your bed
The night's hard to get through

And I will die all alone
And when I arrive I won't know anyone

Well Jesus Christ, I'm alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Cause this problem's gonna last more than the weekend.

Well Jesus Christ, I'm not scared to die,
I'm a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot?
Do I float through the ceiling?

Do I divide and fall apart?
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark
And the ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands

I know you're coming in the night like a thief
But I've had some time, O Lord, to hone my lying technique
I know you think that I'm someone you can trust
But I'm scared I'll get scared and I swear I'll try to nail you back up

So do you think that we could work out a sign
So I'll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try

I know you're coming for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
We all got wood and nails
And we turn out hate in factories
We all got wood and nails
And we sleep inside of this machine

Part of believing is being tested, and still believing through it all.

To tan or not to tan? That is the question.

2007-03-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

jess: good
did you get a tanning membership?
me: not yet
jess: are you going to?
me: eh i dont know
its kinda frivolous
jess: ya i keep going back and forth
me: i think i will just lay out
there is no sense in not using the free sun
and i dont care about being white anyway
jess: haha...the problem is that i cant lay out except on weekends and that doesnt do very much
me: ya
but why must we feel the need to be tan for crying out loud?
why are you "prettier" if you are tan?
that is bull(corn)!
jess: i totally agree...i am always thinking about that
jess: the problem is that i do feel prettier when im tan
me: so lay out when you can
jess: and i dont notice my fat as much
me: but i am not going out of my way to conform
but if it makes you feel better about yourself then do it
jess: if you are doing it to conform then dont....thats why i havent decided if i want to or not, because part of me wants to prove i can be white and still pretty
me: ya i like being out in the sun and i like being tanner
but i refuse to follow the masses and tan because it is socially accepted
thats crap
and i am not doing it
and i am not paying for it
i am blogging about this
jess: haha i know...ok you convinced me...lets put our efforts into working out and actually feeling good about ourselves so we dont have to cover it up w/ tanning
me: YESS
thank you very much
and on the weekends if we feel like it which we might we will go and lay out by the pool
like seriously a good couple hours would do
jess: yes, we can still lay out because we like it, but to pay for it is ridic!
me: so true
i am glad we decided this.
this convo is going on my blog
jess: haha ok
jess: yes, thats what i was going to say..the gym will make you live longer and the tanning bed will make you die from skin cancer
me: so true
and its so beautiful outside anyway
why not get tan and be outdoors?
why be in a tube instead
nobody stops to enjoy the outdoors anymore
theres no time, just gotta hop in fake and bake and go on
jess: haha agreed its irresposible to our bodies.

FYI

2007-02-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

Did you know that female hyenas have a pseudopenis? They actually urinate, mate, and give birth via this things, it's freakin crazy.

Lent

2007-02-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

For lent I am giving up sugar and cokes. I am thinking I went a bit far. I should have given up just sugar or just cokes. The double whammy was not a smart choice.

So I've cheated twice. I had splenda with coffee on Sunday, and I had half a cookie yseterday. Don't worry though, I spit a good portion out and threw away the other half.

I am going straight to hell in a hand basket.

There's a message in my alphabet soup!

2007-02-20T14:51:00.000-08:00

Please welcome the new addition to the family

2007-02-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

This is Samson. Kerri and I are taking the red eye to go pick him up in China.

Admit it!

2007-01-19T11:26:00.000-08:00

Despite your pseudo-bohemian appearance
And vaguely leftist doctrine of beliefs
You know nothing about art or sex
That you couldn’t read in any trendy New York underground fashion magazine
Prototypical non-conformist
You are a vacuous soldier of the thrift store Gestapo
You adhere to a set of standards and tastes
That appear to be determined by an unseen panel of hipster judges (bullshit)
Giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to incoming and outgoing trends and styles of music and art
Go analog baby, you’re so post-modern
You’re diving face forward into a antiquated path
It’s disgusting, its offensive, don’t stick your nose up at me

Yeah, what do you have to say for yourself
Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah
Yeah, what do you have to say for yourself
Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah

You spend your time sitting in circles with your friends
Pontificating to each other
Forever competing for that one moment of self-aggrandizing glory
In which you hog the intellectual spotlight
Holding dominion over the entire shallow pointless conversation
Oh, we’re not worthy
When you walk by a group of quote-unquote normal people
You chuckle to yourself patting yourself on the back as you scoff
It's the same superiority complex
Shared by the high school jocks who made your life a living hell
And makes you a slave to the competitive capitalist dogma
You spend every moment of your waking life bitching about

Yeah, what do you have to say for yourself
Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah
And I say yeah, what do you have to say for yourself
Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah

Cause I’m proud of my life and the things that I have done
Proud of myself and the loner I’ve become
You’re free to whine, it will not get you far
I do just fine, my car and my guitar

Proud of my life and the things that I have done
Proud of myself and the loner I’ve become
You’re free to whine, it will not get you far
I do just fine, my car and my guitar, yeah

Well let me tell you this, I am shamelessly self-involved
I spend hours in front of the mirror, making my hair elegantly disheveled
I worry about how this album will sell
Because I believe it will determine the amount of sex I will have in the future
I self medicate with drugs and alcohol to treat my extreme social anxiety

You are a faker (admit it)
You are a fraud (admit it)
Yeah, you’re living a lie (hey) living a lie (hey) you’re life is living a lie
You don’t impress me (admit it)
You don’t intimidate me (admit it)
Why don’t you bow down, get on the ground, walk this fucking plank (yeah!)

Yeah, what do you have to say for yourself
Whoah, whoah, whoah, whoah
And I say yeah (what do you..)

Proud of my life and the things that I have done
Proud of myself and the loner I’ve become
You’re free to whine, it will not get you far
I do just fine, my car and my..
Guitar, guitar go!

I drift drift drift drift drift yeah
I drift drift drift drift drift yeah oh

And I am done with this
I wanna taste the breeze of every great city
My car and my guitar
My car and my guitar
So you'll come to be, made of these, urges unfulfilled
Oh no no no no no
When I'm dead I'll rest
When I'm dead I'll rest lay still
When I'm dead I'll rest, I'll rest
When I'm dead I'll rest, I'll rest
When I'm dead I'll rest, I'll rest
When I'm dead I'll rest, I'll rest

The following is a short essay for my English class:

2007-01-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

My experience as a writer consists mostly of one sentence e-mails to my grandparents every month. I enjoy writing that is very straight forward and to the point. I keep a journal of sporadic thoughts that cross my mind throughout the day, and this is my writing style. It is very laid back and free of sentence structure. I write exactly how I think in my head, and I am all over the place most of the time. This is probably going to be my tragic downfall during this class. I enjoy writing in the form journals the most because I believe it is a true form of sincere expression from the heart. Some people can turn it into a passion and others can just keep it as a core class. I do not believe I have ever enjoyed writing a paper for a grade. When I think of writing, I think of fifteen page papers that are mostly excess words to make it to the minimum page limit. Needless to say, this is a negative feeling. I would say that I appreciate open topic short essays the most because you can pick your topic and keep it short and sweet at the same time.

Your thoughts?

(Ya, I couldn't help but throw a little Will Ferrell plagiarism in there..)

Essay #2

I described my "rituals" a little bit in the first forum. I have two different techniques, one for writing papers and one for journaling. I would say I am in my best form for writing a paper when I am sitting on the couch in my living room with my lap top. I have to be very comfortable, most likely in my pajamas. I find that later into the evening is the best time for me to write so I can reflect on the day's key points and events. I would prefer writing on the computer because it is easier to proof read and correct. The downside to this is evening turns to the early hours of the morning when you procrastinate. I work best hyped up on sugar, generally the three pack of Fun Dip and a Dr. Pepper. My technique for journaling has no specific time or place to be at it's best. I carry a small journal with me every where I go, so I can capture my thoughts exactly word for word. My journal ranges from shallow to deep thoughts. The entries can be a simple phrase or a couple pages long. My last entry says,"Love - not accusing, not judgemental." The only problem with the short phrase entry is that I have no clue what it pertains to. I'm running out of Fun Dip, so let's call it a day.

I love my roommates.

2007-01-16T11:37:00.001-08:00

Roommate #1 and I woke up exactly at 4:36AM and wandered around our apt in search of water bottles. It was so strange, "Hey, what's goin on" That's what I say in odd situations. "Nothing, I am looking for my water bottle." "Me too, except I am going to get a new one out of the fridge."

I love them, my mini family. That is all.

Rare white dolphin declared as extinct

2006-12-15T11:54:00.000-08:00

Rare white dolphin declared as extinct

BEIJING (AP) -- A rare, nearly blind white dolphin that survived for millions of years is effectively extinct, an international expedition declared Wednesday after ending a fruitless six-week search of its Yangtze River habitat.

The baiji would be the first large aquatic mammal driven to extinction since hunting and overfishing killed off the Caribbean monk seal in the 1950s.

For the baiji, the culprit was a degraded habitat - busy ship traffic, which confounds the sonar the dolphin uses to find food, and overfishing and pollution in the Yangtze waters of eastern China, the expedition said.

"The baiji is functionally extinct. We might have missed one or two animals but it won't survive in the wild," said August Pfluger, a Swiss economist turned naturalist who helped put together the expedition. "We are all incredibly sad."

The baiji dates back 20 million years. Chinese called it the "goddess of the Yangtze." For China, its disappearance symbolizes how unbridled economic growth is changing the country's environment irreparably, some environmentalists say.

"It's a tremendously sad day when any species goes extinct. It becomes more of a public tragedy to lose a large, charismatic species like the river dolphin," said Chris Williams, manager of river basin conservation for the World Wildlife Fund in Washington.

"The loss of a large animal like a river dolphin is often a harbinger for what's going on in the larger system as whole. It's not only the loss of a beautiful animal but an indication that the way its habitat is being managed, the way we're interacting with the natural environment of the river is deeply flawed ... if a species like this can't survive."

Randall Reeves, chairman of the Swiss-based World Conservation Union's Cetacean Specialist Group, who took part in the Yangtze mission, said expedition participants were surprised at how quickly the dolphins disappeared.

"Some of us didn't want to believe that this would really happen, especially so quickly," he said. "This particular species is the only living representative of a whole family of mammals. This is the end of a whole branch of evolution."

The damage to the baiji's habitat is also affecting the Yangtze finless porpoise, whose numbers have fallen to below 400, the expedition found.

"The situation of the finless porpoise is just like that of the baiji 20 years ago," the group said in a statement citing Wang Ding, a Chinese hydrobiologist and co-leader of the expedition. "Their numbers are declining at an alarming rate. If we do not act soon they will become a second baiji."

Pfluger said China's Agriculture Ministry, which approved the expedition, had hoped the baiji would be another panda, an animal brought back from the brink of extinction in a highly marketable effort that bolstered the country's image.

The expedition was the most professional and meticulous ever launched for the mammal, Pfluger said. The team of 30 scientists and crew from China, the United States and four other countries searched a 1,000-mile heavily trafficked stretch of the Yangtze, where the baiji once thrived.

The expedition's two boats, equipped with high-tech binoculars and underwater microphones, trailed each other an hour apart without radio contact so that a sighting by one vessel would not prejudice the other. When there was fog, he said, the boats waited for the mist to clear to make sure they took every opportunity to spot the mammal.

Around 400 baiji were believed to be living in the Yangtze in the early 1980s, when China was just launching the free-market reforms that have transformed its economy. The last full-fledged search, in 1997, yielded 13 confirmed sightings, and a fisherman claimed to have seen a baiji in 2004.

At least 20 to 25 baiji would now be needed to give the species a chance to survive, said Wang.

For Pfluger, the baiji's demise is a personal defeat. A member of the 1997 expedition, he recalls the excitement of seeing a baiji cavorting in the waters near Dongting Lake.

"It marked me," he said. He went on to set up the baiji.org Foundation to save the dolphin. In recent years, Pfluger said, scientists like the eminent zoologist George Schaller told him to stop his search, saying the baiji's "lost, forget it."

During the latest expedition, an online diary kept by team members traced a dispiriting situation, as day after day they failed to spot a single baiji.

Even in the expedition's final days, members believed they would find a specimen, trolling a "hotspot" below the industrial city of Wuhan where Baiji were previously sighted, Pfluger said.

"Hope dies last," he said.

NERD ALERT!!

2006-11-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

As I am typing this, Jess and Luke are sitting on the couch on the HBO website playing Six Feet Under trivia and shouting out the answers.

I thought the world should know.

Slogans

2006-09-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

Go here.

The commune's slogans are as follows:

Kerri - "Choosy mothers choose Kerri."

Jess- "Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's Jess."

Jill- "If You Like A Lot Of Jill On Your Biscuit, Join Our Club."

Luke- "I'm Cuckoo For Luke."

Carter- "Carter keeps going and going."

Mine? "Give that man a Lindsey."

For kicks

2006-09-18T22:17:00.000-07:00

I went to a Celebrity look-a-like website.

I posted this picture up to see what would come up. Jill is a 78% match with Fergie. Dale is 56% Estee Lauder/Raven Symone.

I'm testing the waters..

2006-08-29T16:57:00.000-07:00

What do ya think? I love them. I have been obsessed with wanting my hair in dreads for quite awhile, so don't be afraid if I happen to wear them one day. I am too fickle to keep them forever though. Let that comfort you people who wouldn't be caught dead with me in such a way.

CREEDE SUMMER 06 BABY!!!

2006-08-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

No cell phones, no computer. I can't wait to just sit on the porch and read a book all day, or maybe go exploring in the forest.

I haven't heard 'peace and quiet' in a long time.

Who is going to volunteer to bring Luke and Jill frozen squash casseroles?

Too much, entirely too much..

2006-07-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

"Give it up for Thomas Kinkade!" said Kerri, and there was much rejoicing in the commune.

In another 364 days, I'll get it right.

2006-07-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

I missed free slurpees, AGAIN! Next year, I will be getting one at midnight July 10th.

Got me looking so crazy right now..

2006-06-28T09:41:00.000-07:00

I am thoroughly disgusted.

2006-06-23T20:28:00.000-07:00

I am in Florida, mind you. I tried to foil the Heat from the inside, but I was sold a very unlucky shirt from the Dallas Cowboys store in Allen. (I am thinking all the bad luck from the cowboys gear spilt onto my shirt but I had to have it as I strutted around the Ft. Lauderdale Airport. I actually took this shirt off and on several times during game 5. I swear every time I put it on we missed a shot and every time I took it off we made one. I might have to burn it by next season.) Anyway, I woke up yesterday to the Miami Herald and a huge picture of Shaq's ugly face holding the championship trophy. I can't seem to change the channel to anything other than footage from the Heat parade with Shaq taking over with his gawd awful "rapping" while Riley dances like the soggy bottom boys from oh brother where are thou. Funny thing though, a Miami politician just called the MVP "Wade Jones." It warmed my heart.

I've been journaling a lot here. Not really journaling, but carrying around a few sheets of construction paper from my nephew's art supplies and writing down whatever is on my mind. It's weird but I've been scribbling short essays in my suduko book and on the back of receipts. I've come up with a lot of crazy stuff. Maybe I will compile them into an entry. I had a revelation today in fact, but this will have to wait. I'll be home Sunday, my parents miss me and can't wait for my return.

Aloha

2006-06-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

Bush Plans Vast Protected Sea Area in Hawaii

Now the humuhumunukunukuapuaa can swim freely for many generations of keikis to enjoy.

TMMSN humor

2006-06-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Dear Terrell Owens,

2006-06-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, ok. We get it. You are a 'badass'. But WHY did you wear a HEAT jersey to a MAVS game! First of all, don't mix teams. Pick one team and stick with it. Just wear a Heat jersey because, frankly, no one likes you anyway. And for heaven's sake, don't put on a Mavs hat and think that's ok because it isn't. Second, where the heck is your team spirit? DALLAS Cowboys.. DALLAS Mavericks. You just moved here for crying out loud. Support your new home! I should hope when you go out on the town you won't be wearing an Eagles jersey.
Regards,
Lindsey

I like Perusal.

2006-06-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

My new boss just told me that until he is finished catching up on his work, to "peruse the internet." I am getting paid to "read over [the internet] in an attentive or leisurely manner." I am not sure if I am ok with this. I'd personally rather be doing something productive, so to counteract my perusing, I also have QuickBooks minimized. This calls for a blog so I can showcase my amazing 2,000 word-per-minute typing skills. (Grant has some serious competition for next year's talent show. Kids are only cute for so long..)

Side note: Remind me to write a blog about the cutest dress I've ever seen at Anthropologie but costs too much even on sale for my poor existence of a budget. Nevermind, that's good enough.

More important side note: GO MAVS!

A touching moment in the downstairs Miller/upstairs Gonzales household

2006-06-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Today I came home from work, grabbed a diet dr. pepper, and turned on the tv. After Kerri and I went through and recorded all the scary haunted shows on the travel channel, I settled down to enjoy some random show on mystical destinations. Luke comes in and savagely grabs the remote with his grubby little hands. He nonchalantly changes the channel to West Wing. I politely asked Kerri to come control her husband and return the remote. Luke giggles and says, "I LOOOOVVEEE the white house!" I believe I called West Wing "some crap". Suddenly, Kerri flies out of the bathroom with her hair half wet shouting, "WHHHHHAATTTTTT?!!" I was then viciously tied to the chair and forced to watch the very first episode. Right as it's ending, I looked over at Kerri to apologize for calling it "some crap" and she is weeping. I turn to Luke expecting him to have something funny to say and realize that his eyes are a bit damp too. I tried to tell them it's ok because they have every season on the shelf and just because it's no longer on tv doesn't mean they can't watch it anymore. I wouldn't say I am completely hooked yet, but I just might fall asleep to the gentle sounds of political jackassery. Sweet music to my ears..

House rules

2006-05-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

Meet my new roommates:

Here's a few of the house rules.

Luke is king. Whatever he says goes. If he wants me to mend stockings, I will mend stockings. If he wants me to buff the wood floors, that I will do it. Kerri is apparently a princess because of some big word I can't remember.
I have to be in bed by 8:30. pm. They will come up and check on me. If I am on my way up the stairs at 8:31pm, I will be grounded. This means no tv, internet, or food.
No boys allowed upstairs (or in the house for that matter) under any circumstances.
No downloading of illegal music.
All books/dvds must be signed in and out if watched or borrowed. Also, the dvds must be kept in alphabetical order.
Every Tuesday morning, there will be "Grits and God". I will make the king and his princess breakfast, and we will have a lesson of the day. I will be quizzed throughout the day to make sure I have absorbed the information.

Everyone add 10 points their quizzes, I'm giving a curve

2006-05-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

I failed to mention I am reading Dan Brown books. I just finished Angels and Demons which is set in Italy for the most part. I really want to go there, it's on my list of places to go to before I die. Everyone one knows I love Maui, and it's pretty much the correct answer on any given day. Except the day I wrote the quiz. So give yourself 10 points, which means my mom gets a 100 and my dad gets an 80. I come from a family of geniuses, you know.

I'm a follower

2006-05-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking I made it entirely too easy.
Here's my quiz.

This is just a filler

2006-04-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

I have another friend with the skills to portray this character. Wow, my friends are talented.

MUNCHKINS!

2006-04-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

GO HERE TO GET THE GIST OF KERRI'S MUNCHKIN SINGING!

My battery died during mid-song, sorry.

This is unsettling

2006-04-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

that a good portion of people are finding my blog by googling the word "poop". Yes, I did set myself up for this one, but it's so fitting in an odd way. The greatest google search phrase so far goes to a woman from Oklahoma (I'm assuming it's a woman by the content): "messy poop during pregnancy". I know it's been stated before, but I also like the smell of manure. It's nostalgic.

Too much poop for one entry?

Interesting

2006-04-27T11:38:00.000-07:00

Go here.

I happen to be subscribed to the New York Times, and I enjoy reading various articles. This one is my favorite of the day. Because 1) I love Tom Hanks and it gives a little insight on the way he thinks and 2) It's very well written in my oppinion, and it's pretty interesting. Read it if you have the time.

Just another fork in the road

2006-04-19T02:48:00.000-07:00

"There's such variety. Which one do I choose?" Then a most angelic voice answers in the stall adjacent to mine, "The closest one."

The siblings

2006-04-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

Most of you know or have met my darling little sister, Ashley (with the tiny eyes). She is funny and a super blogger (xanga and blogspot). Why? I have no clue. She blogs about Texas Tech and life lessons and such. She is a sports fanatic, anything and everything. When she gets angry, which is rarely she says things like, "I'm definitely not ashamed to be selfish and want the mavs to freakin' play better. i won't accept another three game losing streak." I love her for it. We get into these huge discussions on the Mavs all the time, and she is definitely my gaming buddy. She also calls me when I get out of class on Wednesday nights to update me on the latest Lost episode.

Most of you haven't met my brother Chad. He has recently joined the blogging world. He is moving to Flordia Monday, and I will miss him very much. I am enjoyed being able to be closer to him, and spending the weekends at his house on occasion. When I left his house from spring break, he filled my car up with gas and together with Cat cleaned out their pantry of a ton of food to feed their poor starving little sister. They are amazing influences on me, and I love them very much. He's the funny one, well I think together Cat and Chad play off of each other and crack me up. His blog is about starting off his youth ministry at Flamingo Road Church in Flordia and some personal stuff thrown in there.

So basically I have the greatest, funniest siblings in the world, so go read their blogs. Also located under "lil sisr" and "big bro" for future reference.

Ashley's own words.

2006-03-30T23:35:00.000-08:00

"i just wanna give a little tribute to a dear friend of a sibling of mine, sandy. she was a pretty one, and we wish she didn't have to go... but shes in a better place, ocean heaven! unless lindsey didn't talk to her about Jesus and salvation."

My muse

2006-03-29T14:10:00.000-08:00

It took me less than 24 hours to be inspired. I recently took a course to volunteer at the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network. We learned how to rescue stranded dolphins from the beach, and how to rehabilitate them in the Sealab. When they are stranded, this usually means that they are sick. Alot of times, they are so exhausted and weak that they can't swim on their own, and we have to carry them around the pool 24 hours a day. As long as an animal is in rehab, there must be 24 hour supervision. Why did I not go into this detail before? There wasn't a need for it, but now there is. Sandy was stranded on a beach (where, I haven't figured out yet) at 12:30 Sunday afternoon. She is an female adult melonhead whale. She's about 8 feet long, and we haven't weighed her yet. When I got the email from our director, I went up there to see if they needed any volunteers. I got the night shift, 12AM to 4AM which is perfect for me because I can't ever go to bed before 4 anyway. Luckily she can swim on her own,but not very well yet. She gave me a couple scares last night when she went from slow swimming to crazy fast and rolling on her side. She can't seem to get her bouyancy right, and it's making it alot harder for her to swim. Every 30 minutes I had to take her respiratory rate, and every four hours we had to feed her. This was quite an ordeal because to get her electrolytes back, they have to tube feed her. 3 people got in the water and held her, and 1 person put the tube in, while the other poured pedialyte and water in the funnel up top. After that, she was given some herring and capelin. She will take them from your hand, but is still not strong enough to chase them. She's not as friendly as a bottlenose dolphin would be, but she is getting used to us. Last night (or this morning) she would swim right up to the observation deck where I was sitting and lift her head up and stare at me. I haven't gotten in the water with her yet, maybe when I observe them doing it a few more times. She was supposed to be taken to the galveston lab tuesday, but she stopped breathing for a couple minutes and they couldn't find her heart rate. She was under alot of stress so they decided to keep her here a few more days. I will probably to back Thursday night and I will take some pictures for an update. She is as cute as can be.

Waiting for my second wind

2006-03-28T01:27:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep. I decided that it's about time I write a good blog since I haven't written one in months. I've been sitting here wondering what to write about, and I've finally come to a good conclusion. I don't think I am cut out for the blogging world. I read, I comment, but lately I don't feel like posting at all. I've posted several half-ass posts, but generally nothing more. I read so many blogs, and there's no way I could write more than half a paragraph. I am not one to write flowerly, fabulous posts. For example: Instead of saying, "I feel like I am drowning in an infinite abyss of heartless professors and homework.." I would say, "I hate school." I can't stretch "I hate school" into a paragraph. not possible. I'll be reading and commenting until I can find something worth writing about.

By the way, I am currently applying for the Peace Corps. See? No need for a paragraph.

Baby got book

2006-03-24T13:27:00.000-08:00

Go HERE

GOOO NOW!!

2,000 miles from here..

2006-03-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

All of you need to see this video. It happens to be on my myspace as well. So to all of you myspacers, I am sorry I am shoving this down your throat.

I identify with Ben Stiller on this one. Maui is the place that imagine in my head when things aren't going so well, or I just want to be somewhere else. Jack Johnson is what I listened on the first trip. He takes me back to a better place and a better time. I am in love with him by the way.

Thomas Bickle

2006-03-21T12:32:00.000-08:00

Support system helps couple deal with son's cancer
07:51 AM CST on Monday, March 20, 2006
By KIM BREEN / The Dallas Morning News
Sarah Bickle never understood the point of hospital vigils until her 7-month-old son underwent brain surgery on a cancerous tumor.
Friends and family became a cocoon that shielded her and her husband, Scott, from the unimaginable challenges confronting Thomas, their only child.

CHERYL DIAZ MEYER/DMN Thomas Bickle had a brain tumor the size of a racquetball. He'll start chemotherapy soon.
"With a blow this big, you just want people to put their bodies in the way," said Sarah, a teacher at Jasper High School in Plano.Sarah Bickle never understood the point of hospital vigils until her 7-month-old son underwent brain surgery on a cancerous tumor.
Friends and family became a cocoon that shielded her and her husband, Scott, from the unimaginable challenges confronting Thomas, their only child.
"With a blow this big, you just want people to put their bodies in the way," said Sarah, a teacher at Jasper High School in Plano.
Now the Bickles are turning to a growing support system of friends from school, work, church and the Internet to help them face their son's future.
Thomas Bickle sits in his bouncy seat, his gray-blue eyes fixed on his father's face, his baby fingers reaching for Scott's nose. He wears blue-striped feet pajamas and a goofy grin.
Thomas' brain surgery three weeks ago left him with a feeding tube in his nose and tiny stitches on his head. The tumor also robbed him of his baby babble. Surgery or the tumor, or both, injured his vocal chords. He can't cry or make a sound.
When Sarah brought Thomas to his six-month checkup late last month, she thought he was still recovering from recent minor illnesses. But after the nurse measured his head three times, the pediatrician gave the news: Something was seriously wrong. Thomas would need tests to look inside his head.
Still, Sarah and Scott managed to hold on to their laid-back sense of humor. On the way to the MRI at Children's Medical Center in Dallas, hospital staff asked whether Thomas had any metal on him.
"Just a nipple ring," they joked.
But when they sat with the social worker and neurosurgeon to look at the pictures of Thomas' head, they saw a tumor with appendages that looked like green horns growing out of their baby's brain. The couple asked for a room alone and dissolved into tears.
Dr. Brad Weprin, director of neuro-oncology, said the tumor was about the size of a racquetball. Pieces of it wrapped around Thomas' brain stem and nerves and spread to his inner ear.
"The surgery went very well," Dr. Weprin said. Tests show that no tumor remains, he said.
But Thomas' fight is just starting. The doctors say it's very likely a tumor will grow again.
Doctors typically treat children with Thomas' type of tumor –called an ependymoma – with radiation after surgery. But children with the tumor are usually several years older than Thomas.
Radiation, the most successful treatment, is typically not used on babies because it affects their developing brains. Doctors plan to treat Thomas with chemotherapy starting this week. They say it's less effective than radiation. But they don't want to use that treatment until he's 2 or 3 years old.
The prognosis is fairly good for older children, Dr. Weprin said. "In younger children, the results are not as good."
Still, he is cautiously optimistic.
"My goal, my hope, is for him to grow up and die of natural causes, not from this tumor."
Scott resigned from his job last week to take care of Thomas once he comes home from the hospital.
Sarah's insurance will cover most of the medical expenses, so she'll continue to teach. Still, the family's out-of-pocket medical expenses could reach several thousand dollars.
The family was already struggling financially before Thomas' illness. Updates to their 50-year-old Richardson home and bills from Sarah's unexpected Cesarean delivery with Thomas in August drained their bank accounts.
She had already used up her paid leave because of required bed rest during pregnancy and recuperation after Thomas' birth. Neither Sarah nor Scott is drawing a salary right now. She plans to return to the classroom soon.
The couple has turned to the Jasper High School community and the Internet for help. Sarah's principal, Michael Novotny, posted on the school's e-mail listserv to parents about Sarah, who teaches English as a second language.
Sarah writes regularly on a blog about Thomas' trials: www.thomasbickle.com. The site allows people to donate online.
It also helps relay news to countless concerned loved ones and acquaintances, and it gives Sarah an outlet to talk about what is happening.
"There's not even words for this," she said. "It's so surreal, so hard to get your head around."
She doesn't know how to respond to people who ask how she's doing. "It's really hard to say where we're at."
So, she writes.
Scott regularly sleeps on the couch in the ICU. Friends deliver food daily and schedule visits so the couple won't ever be alone or inundated with guests.
Sarah and Scott, both in their late 20s, are exhausted and emotionally raw. During a recent visit, he seemed close to tears while talking about their changed lives.
But they continue to laugh, too. After nurses said they had to wean Thomas from narcotics, Scott joked: "So, my son's a drug addict."
Thomas will likely remain in the hospital for a few more days and begin chemotherapy before he goes home. Dr. Weprin said the family faces years of treatment.
"These life-altering events can occur anytime. Never have that attitude, 'It's never going to happen to me,' " he said. "That's what people need to understand."

My room is a pig sty.

2006-03-18T22:09:00.000-08:00

I totally had to google that for the correct spelling, and apparently I am not the only on with a messy room.
I am not really mess person though. My family thinks otherwise. In high school, my parents were always telling me to clean my room. When I changed clothes, I would throw whatever I was wearing on the floor. Maybe a couple pairs of shoes were carelessly thrown around. My bed wasn't made, and there was a load of neatly folded clothes on the bed to be put away.
I packed up my room and moved to a dorm at SFA.

It was simple and always clean, with a few occasionally messy days. No matter how tired I was, I would atleast shut drawers, or close the closet door, or put away my shoes. Moving into my was a bit harder. I had an entire apartment to clean, not just a tiny room.

I tried to clean it as much as possible. (Notice the Comet AND All-purpose cleaner) My room was clean. I had a walk in closet for the first time in my life, and what did I do? I blew it. My closet had a huge pile of clothes on the floor. Almost always. I had just enough room for all my clothes, and they generally just stayed on the floor. I was relieved to move into my house, cleaning wasn't going to be so bad at all since I just had to clean up after myself and take care of my room.

K, so this isn't my current room. This is actually my room when I was moving, but I put this up to make a point. This room is much more organized than my present room, and I am not about to post a picture of how much of a slob I've become because it's much worse than you are picturing I assure you. I blame this on one thing: my closet. It's tiny. If I were to climb in it, I would have to assume the fetal position. This is not ok. I like clothes, and buy alot. Some would save I have too many clothes, which is true. But the fact is, this closet is NOT LIVEABLE and that's why my clothes are on the floor. I can't hang them neatly cause there's no room. I've folded as many as possible and crammed them into my drawers, but there's simply not enough space for my clothes. I don't even think I'd need a walk in closet, but atleast a closet big enough to hold my clothes. My closet at home held my clothes. This one barely fits my shoes.

My other point, I am not a slob. I can't stand that my room is always dirty and cluttered. I can't focus. I can't do my homework. It's unliveable, and its because of my closet.

I have decided y'all (Kerri) will think I should purge my closet, and get rid of some of my clothes that I don't wear. Yes this should be done, but I am saving that shirt I bought in 95 with the tags still on it for the next 90's party. So there.

Wise words from daddy

2006-03-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

'Lindsey, I am going to have to break your legs if you forget to lock the sliding glass door one more time.' -Friendly Fred

An offical dolphin saver, unofficially.

2006-03-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

I spent my Saturday morning training for this. Thanks mom for mailing me my wetsuit cause it was COLD in the water.

Real World: Corpus Christi

2006-03-02T06:41:00.000-08:00

Well, not really, but the fight we had last night was very much up to real world par. Sean's new puppy chewed Carrie's 200 dollar straightener. We used to keep her in her kennel, but we tried putting her in the hallway with a dog gate to see if she won't scream all day long. I got home, saw that Isis had stuck her greedy little paws under the crack in the door and pulled the bottom of the cord out. I didn't think anything of it (stupid, I know) and put the cord back in the bathroom further away so she couldn't reach it. Carrie comes home, plugs in the straightener, and we hear a loud pop. Isis had chewed a hole in the cord. Carrie tells Sean, and Sean says it's not his responsibility. He says, when he's not home and we are, it's our responsibility to make sure she doesn't chew anything up, and if he isn't here, then it's not his fault and she shouldn't have left it in the bathroom. Carrie disagrees, says it is his dog and his responsibility whether he is here or not. This is her house, if she wants to leave the straightener in the bathroom she can, and if she wants to leave her door open too, she can do that. I am in my room with Daniel talking and listening to music, until I notice there is some angry voices in the living room. I turn on the music and Daniel and I try to figure out what's going on. Things have gotten pretty heated, there is some hard core yelling going on. Sean says something to Carrie that pissed Daniel off, so Daniel goes in there and says don't talk to her like that. Sean yells this is none of your business you don't live here. I hear this. I say, Don't talk to him like that cause this is my house and you don't talk to my guests like that. Carrie storms out, Daniel and I walk back into my room. Daniel pissed off like no other. Sean knocks on the door and wants to talk to me. He is telling me that it's not his responsibility, and I tell him that he should have offered to pay for it, or atleast try to fix it. He says Carrie can be a bitch, Daniel says don't talk about her like that. Sean starts up with I'm not talking to you, you don't live here. I tell Sean (with more enthusiasm this time so maybe he'll get it) not to talk to Daniel that way. Daniel says let him talk to me this way, go ahead say what you want to, and something about Stewart would have punched him (Carrie's boyfriend) . I swear I've never seen him so mad. So I slam the door to my room before Daniel punches him and we hear Sean yelling get out of my house. I decided the home is not safe, and tell Daniel to be the bigger person and not say a word on the way out the door. As we walk out, I tell Sean never to tell Daniel or me to leave my own freakin house again. That was our fight speed typed, and edited. I am pissed at Sean cause he thinks that dog is our responsibility when he's not here, but it's not. Just because we oked him having a dog in the house does not mean it is our dog. The only responsibility I take for that dog is when I take the dog out of it's kennel or let it into my room when he's not there. If it is in the kennel or locked up, it is not my responsibility. Whatever that dog does is his responsibility, it's like a child. You can't just not be responsible for it because you aren't with it. K, I am done for now, had to get that rant out before class. Wow, what's a synonym for responsibility so I can change up that last paragraph..

My Study Skills

2006-02-27T23:45:00.000-08:00

I am a procrastinator. It is 1:45AM and I am still working on lab reports for tomorrow. Being a genius, I decided to run to the store and get some things to help me focus. I bought a 12 pack of Dr. Pepper, 6-pack of powdered dough nuts, and Fun Dip. I'm on Dr. Pepper #2, and I am working on the Fun Dip. I have yet to open up the dough nuts. This seemed like a good idea at the time..

Similarities? Part 2

2006-02-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

Could this be the very same photo shoot?

GO MAVS!

2006-02-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

Who is number one in the Western conference? We are.

Keep up the good work boys, and maybe I'll forgive you for the embarassment you caused us all on the 10th.

VD

2006-02-14T23:56:00.000-08:00

I am anti anything involving ridiculous made up holidays that produce mass amounts of stupid little bears that chant I love you every time you squeeze their hand. I am also pretty anti that there needs to be a day to make you appreciate your s/o, and treat them nice and take them out. Why can't that be regular behavior? I don't mean buy gifts every day, but atleast take them out on a date or something weekly. It doesn't have to be a huge production either. I myself require very low maintenance. Feed me, and I'm happy. That being said, I fully intended to ignore all things valentine, but it didn't turn out that way. I actually had a pretty excellent v-day. I even had a date. Actually 4 dates. My friend Jessica will use any excuse to have a get together. She made dinner tonight for our little group of girls. She made chicken with heart shaped pasta and for dessert a heart shaped cake. She even had cheesy love songs playing in the background. After dinner, we played the Sex and the City Trivia game (I won) and she gave me a box of chocolates. I think enjoying a good homemade dinner with friends is much better than waiting 2 hours to get into some restaurant. We actually decided to make this our Friday night activity and take turns cooking dinner for each other and just watching movies. In summary, don't wait til next valentine's day to appreciate your better half. If you have time (which you can easily make), cook them dinner cause it's thoughtful and sweet. I hear some girls like that cheesy stuff.

Miss y'all already!

2006-02-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

This is going to sound ridiculous I'm thinking.

2006-02-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

My roommate got a puppy. Her name is Isis. She's very cute and lovable. I am her Aunt Lindsey. Here's the issue. Sean and his girlfriend have to work alot and go to school. We all are at home at different times alot. Daily Sean calls me and asks me what I am doing and if I can babysit. I am too nice so I always say yes. The fact that she screams all day long when she's in her kennel is not my issue. Even the chewing on my shoes, toes, and appendages doesn't bother me much.
Here's what happened. I was babysitting and trying to do my homework at the same time and Isis wouldn't stop biting me. I finally gave her Tiny Tony. Tiny Tony is my stuffed tiger Daniel gave to me a Valentine's Day many years ago. I am not a collector of stuffed animals, this is the only one I have but I am kinda fond of this one. It has sentimental value and also involves alot of inside jokes between us. I used to give Tiny Tony to Bunnie when she was a puppy. Sean knew that I gave it to her and made some mention of it being her new toy. I laughed and agreed. Yesterday, I went out somewhere and came back only to find that Tiny Tony was taken OUT OF MY ROOM and thrown on the floor for Isis to play with. I was going to hide Tiny Tony today when I woke up and they were at school. I wake up to Isis's screams, and I walk in the living room to find Tiny Tony only to realize that they've put him into her kennel. She's in there all day, peeing and crapping everywhere. She's got a ton of freakin toys! I even made a subtle comment like, I need to buy her one just like it to Marina, and still it's taken from my room and put into her kennel. Sean just walked in and said to Isis, "If you are going to come with me, you are going to bring a toy to chew on." He picked poor Tiny Tony up and THREW him down the hall.
Ya, I'm pretty pissed off.

I also found a new annoyance. He won't stop talking. He's driving me nuts in fact, I am trying to watch Parental Controls on MTV, and he freakin won't stop talking. I am even turning up the volume to drone him out, and still no shutting up. He talks to me, the TV, Isis, the coffee table, a bud light.. you get the point.

He just goes, "I gotta go to class, just put her in the kennel when you are leaving... you know the routine.." AHHHHHHHHHHH I miss my apartment.

Three more sleeps

2006-02-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

An email from my mother:

I'm going to get groceries before you get here. do you have any requests? You can eat the whole time you are here and store food in your little cheeks to take back to CC.

All I request are pickles, the kind you put on burgers that are all waffle like. Dill, none of this sweet crap. Thanks, mommy dearest.

There's no hope for ugly people.

2006-02-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

I just went to a presentation by Daniel Hameresh spoke on the topic of "Beauty in Economics". He is an Ecomonics professor at the UT. He has written several articles on the effects of beauty in the work place. You can look his summaries here. He says that if you are a beautiful person, you get paid more. He talked about what really qualifies people as beautiful, apparently its the facial structure. He also says ugly people can't buy enough clothes to make them look good. The only thing ugly people can do is get plastic surgery to reconstruct their face, or body.

How depressing is that? I suppose when I am rich I will have to get my cheeks reduced.

HILARIOUS!

2006-01-31T23:52:00.000-08:00

Daniel introduced me to www.ebaumsworld.com a couple days ago and I will present you with the funniest videos I have seen in quite awhile.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/dirtypreacher.html?k=117573

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/cop-loses-car.html

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/pokemon-master.html

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/aicha.html

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pinky.html

Here's a little extra funny:

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/bushuncensored.html

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/presaddress.html

http://ebaumsworld.com/2006/01/barebacktopgun.html

Souvenir or bad luck?

2006-01-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

About 4 years ago, I experienced my first trip to Maui. We went to a sight on the east side where a volcano had erupted. There was lava rock everywhere and I picked up a little piece and headed back to the house. It is sitting in my bathroom next to a hula girl. I was watching the travel channel tonight and they were doing a feature on Hawaii. I learned that if you take a lava rock you will have bad luck. I had no clue that it was bad luck until I watched this show. I found this website that offers to put them back on the islands, and also features some letters from people sending their rocks back:

Exhibit A:
2004_349.jpgRec 05/23/04We visited the Big island of Hawaii last month. We brought back with us two small pieces of lava rock. We're not superstitious people, but we can no longer overlook all the bad luck we've been experiencing since we've returned home. The following is just an example of the worst of our luck: dog was sprayed by a skunk at approximately the same time the lava was picked up, lawn tractor blew up, and most recently, a serious boating accident with our brand new boat. Thanking you in advance for returning the lava. B., Canton, OH

Bunnie would be very pissed if she got sprayed by a skunk so I am sure she wants me to return it.

What do you think I should do?

Quote of the day

2006-01-23T13:48:00.000-08:00

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson

He's getting pretty good at this.

2006-01-12T13:55:00.000-08:00

Israel Cuts Ties With Pat Robertson
The Christian Broadcaster Apologizes for Ariel Sharon Comment

What's your opinion of Pat Robertson's remark about Ariel Sharon?
He's gone off the deep end
83%
I have no problem with what he said
9%
The Sharon comment was wrong, but doesn't affect my overall opinion of him
8%
Total Votes: 108,852

Confessions: Part..

2006-01-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

I watched this family on Montel sometime during the Summer and I have been hooked ever since. Recently I have become very fond of their son. He's a few years older than me which is good and he's got a great heart. Who is this man? Well my friends I have found a photo for you:

His name is Leland. You aren't familar with him? Well maybe you will recognize his father.

Duane "Dog" Chapman and his wife Beth, as in Dog the Bounty Hunter. This show comes on A&E and it's pretty self explanatory. Dog is a bounty hunter. His family works with him, and this is where I met and grew to love Leland. Leland is one of like 17 kids, I kid you not (no pun intended). The youngest one is like 2 and the oldest one is like 40, I am assuming. They really are a nice, caring family. A little on the crazy side, but very kind. Apparently Leland isn't as hot to everyone else as I think so, my friend thinks he's "eww" but said he had a nice body. He lives in Hawaii. No one loves Hawaii more than I do. I have dreams of becoming his wife and joining the bounty hunting family. Maybe posing as a hooker or something to rake in the bad guys, and of course being my husband's secretary at his bailbonds store. No thanks to caring on the family tradition of 17 kids though. If my dad read this and saw that I was admiring a tattooed, long haired freak, he might flip out. He always says, there's nothing uglier than tattooes and smokers, but when I wanted to get my nose pierced that was added to the list as well.

Seriously though, who isn't attracted to a bad boy?

Similarities?

2006-01-11T21:01:00.000-08:00

Miss you Coach!

Strange but true

2005-12-28T22:35:00.000-08:00

Aiai, a 27-year-old chimpanzee, took up the habit 16 years ago after her mate died in 1989. Staff at Qinling Zoo in Xi'an, China, (were they also her suppliers?) helped her quit this year.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-19T20:49:00.000-08:00

Short and Sweet

2005-12-11T19:16:00.000-08:00

Here is a letter I wrote while at Journey one Sunday to God. I found it while cleaning my apartment just at a time when I needed to hear it.

You are in control of my life. Give me peace and strength to carry on with your plan. Lead me to where you want me to be. Let me remember that I am never alone. Please help me to feel your presence and to know that you are by my side.

Don Astronaut orbited the earth and was very scared.

2005-12-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

I am about to move out of my apartment and into a house with 2 other roommates. It is really a great deal and I consider myself friends with these two people. Here's the problem, I have forgotten how to really interact with people. Just tonight I was over at this new home I am going to be living in, and I felt strangely vulnerable. What if these people don't like me as much as they liked Daniel? What if they sit around while I am not here and talk about how I like saurkraut straight out of the can and they HATE it and I disgust them? I am currently reading Blue like Jazz, and I am at the part with the cartoon of Don Astronaut floating around and around space. I've been feeling like that alot lately, just very numb and aimlessly moving through this life. I feel like I am just observing everyone around me and I am not really going anywhere and that frankly no one notices me peering at them. I feel very lonely right now. I love being around people and interacting with people but I feel like I've totally lost my touch. It is like I'd rather be alone than with alot of people and that is so unlike me. I think if I was back in Dallas I would NOT feel this way. I want to come home, but to me that would be admitting defeat. I would have to come home with my tail between my legs and everyone shaking their heads and saying, "She just wasn't cut out to be a winner." I know that it might be easier to come home, but my pride won't let me. Ya, I am stubborn. I am going to be successful no matter what. Sure, it might be really difficult right now, but in the end I will come out stronger than I already am.

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

I have not been posting enough lately, I apologize for that. I just feel as though I have so much do to, but I just never get it done. Laundry for example, I wear absolutely everything in my closet, and then there's this one day where everything gets washed. Well friends, that day has come and gone, without the laundry being done. I always say, I'll do it tomorrow, and tomorrow never comes. But it will Sunday when I get back come. Meanwhile, my poor clothes will sit in a pile over thanksgiving waiting for me to return.

I am heading back to Dallas is about an hour for Thanksgiving festivities. Visiting with family and friends, and eating turkey and dressing the equivalent of my body weight. I suppose since my sister did an excellent job on her thankfuls, I should do one as well. It won't be filled with pictures, and I will most likely be scrutinized for not being poetic and such. She's the better sister, let's go ahead and put that out on the table. Anyway, my list of thankfuls.. I decided that my list would come from my detailed Christmas post. I need to go ahead and add the latest addition to the family though, Cooper. I remember last thanksgiving we were sitting around and Cameron had a shirt on that said "Ask me about the baby." I asked and he said, "My mommy has a baby in her tummy." Well let me tell you Cooper is so cute and loveable, and Cameron is such a good older brother. Already Cooper loves Cameron and wants to be with him all the time. So I am thankful for my nephews, I love both of them very much.
I was going to add photos but it seems that my uploading tool isn't working. Oh well, see Ash's thankful list for visuals. Oh, and I am thankful for bunsie girl ...and that hurricane season is over.

My rant for the day

2005-11-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

I was flipping channels today when I saw the greatest thing ever to watch: "NBA Basketball: Dallas Mavericks vs. Philadelphia 76ers". My heart was overjoyed with the thought of spending the evening with Taco Bell and my boys. I push select, and the San Antonio Spurs game was on instead. Why is that? I am totally going to write a very heated letter (or possibly email) to Timewarner Cable and tell them not to get my hopes up again or I will cancel my service all together.

My Corpus girls

2005-11-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

Does anyone find it funny that two of my favorite girls here are Kari and Jess. I work with them at gap and we have so much fun hanging out. This would be ironic of course, because two of my favorite Dallas girls are Kerri and Jess. Here's my Corpus girls on our latest adventure.

Kari and I

Jess, Kari, and I

More on them at a later date.

One picture tells a thousand words.

2005-10-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

One of those thousand words is "Mai Tai".

We remember: Lindsey's 20th birthday.

2005-10-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

I had dinner with my family at BDs. We had birthday cake.

Then we had festivities in Denton with all of my favorite girls.

They got me cupcakes.

It was probably one of the best birthdays I've ever had.

Tomorrow I will add another candle to that symbolic birthday cake also known as life. Celebrations start tonight at midnight and continue on throughout the week. I will be sure to post pictures and key moments of the celebration.

On another note, could I get in touch with someone so that I could possibly be added as big church attendee. If I can get into the Old Monk now I should think that youth group could be upgraded to big church. Thanks.

1979 L82 Corvette

2005-10-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

I had the priviledge of driving one of these sexy ladies yesterday. This is a pic I found online, but it was a 1979 Corvette. 0 to 70 in quite a short time. The roar of the engine was amazing. Let me tell you, I enjoyed every moment driving around in this oldie.

One last look to make sure you are totally jealous.

Homecoming game

2005-10-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

What I wouldn't give to be at the Journey softball homecoming game..

Think of me fondly.

I love the Ocean.

2005-10-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

I went to the beach with Daniel (Sr.) on Tuesday on my day off. He was out there waiting for me, so I headed out to the beach around 1230. It's about ten minutes from my house on Mustang Island. I get on to the road, and it's kinda wet. I was like ok whatever it did rain yesterday, as I get to the mouth of the beach, I have to drive around a suburban that is stuck. That's weird since generally cars can go out there a ways. I round the corner and HOLY CRAP the waves are coming all the way up to the sand dunes. You literally have to drive in the water to get anywhere. I am not a happy camper about this at all, because the water is over the usual road and I completely had to off road to get to where Sr. was at. Obviously I wasn't going to get stuck in my jeep, but there was a fear in the back of my mind that I wouldn't drive her properly and PEEJ would be shamed because of my lack of driving in the sand skills.

Then Thursday, Sr and I went to the Texas State Aquarium. Here are a couple pictures from that trip courtesy of Sr and I's phones because the only day I don't have a camera we decide to do something fun worth taking pictures of.

Sea turtle. I LOVE SEA TURTLES!!!

An otter, he was way too fast for my camera, but Sr is a good photographer and managed to get this photo.

Stingrays!

Sr petting an Alligator.

Me being very scared of Piranhas.

Petting stingrays.

The only way I could take a picture with the alligator was if I touched the snake. As soon as I walked out the door and saw it, I was like HELL NO! Of course, I was talked into it though because I will NOT be called a wuss.

Did I mention I love sea turtles? This one was so dang cute I wanted to jump in there and take him home to put in my bathtub. Totally too big for my bathtub but that's ok.

The dolphin show.

Jumping dolphins...Daniel's camera phone is SO much better than mine. That guy's head is much clearer in the first picture.

"We only conserve what we love, we only love that which we understand, we only understand what we know, we only know what we are taught." - Baba Dioum

That was the quote that was on the wall of the aquarium. I love the ocean, it is one of my passions. I really want to get involved in some kind of conservation organization to just do whatever I can, even if it's just something like picking trash up off the beach. I ocean is such an exciting beautiful place, there's so many different animals and fish to see in their natural habitat. I almost feel sorry for the ones stuck in the aquariums, but I could sit and watch them swim around for hours. I suppose their purpose is to educate so that others will be conscious of nature and hopefully fall in love with it like I have.

What I am Thankful for.

2005-10-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

My sister's comment goes along quite well with what I planned to write about next.

I am very thankful for this time of year my friends. Not because it's almost Christmas, not even because there's pretty colors on all the trees and we can all wear sweaters, beanies, scarves, mittens, ear muffs, gloves, gigantic jackets covered in fur, etc. Not even because it's my birthday season and I will be 21 in 21 days (remember that).
But what season is it you ask? My dear friends, starting Tuesday October 11 vs. The Sacramento Kings, it is MAVS SEASON! Usually I attend several games during the season at my home away from home the AA center. This might be weird, but every time I drive past it I blow my boys a kiss. When I lived in Nacogdoches, I used to get so mad when we'd get Houston games instead of Dallas games. Every single Mavs game that was nationally televised I watched.
Now that I live in Corpus, I will have the same problem. Stupid Houston games. This year I plan to alteast get a game in at the SBC Center, home of the San Antonio Spurs. I plan on attending the game in April. I know every mavs fan loves #41, but they don't even hold a candle to my love for Dirk.

Oh ya and I am also thankful for my family, friends, and Bunsie girl.

If we don't make it to the playoffs I blame Crump.

Extras: the British Comedy

2005-09-29T18:35:00.000-07:00

I watched a show called Extras on HBO recently. It is about these extras that try and get parts in movies. This episode Kate Winslet was guest starring, and it probably is the funniest show I've ever seen. Next episode is Sunday night at 9:30 guest starring Ben Stiller. I was laughing the entire time. I never knew about this show at all, I was actually just browsing around and stumbled across it. If you haven't, you should most definitely check out some clips. These are some of my favorites, here and here. Has anyone else seen this show?

Used and Abused

2005-09-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

I have some bad news, and some good news. No this isn't a cheesy baptist tract.

This is serious. I happen to run into my old neighbor that moved. If you didn't read the story about Persia the stray cat, you need to before continuing to read this post. Did you read it? K, good.

So my ex-neighbor and I chat and etc. I am quite a bit angry that he would even think it was acceptable to small talk after stealing my cat from me, but I am too nice to throw him on the sidewalk and demand that my cat be freed. Instead I asked him point blank, "Did you take the cat with you?" He looked at me funny and then said, "Oh the Persian cat? No he saw me walking across the yard to our new apartment building and followed us over there." I was completely shocked! Apparently they moved 2 buildings down and that damn cat just left me. Didn't even say goodbye or anything, he freakin lives 2 buildings down and doesn't even stop by to visit. Apparently it is a male too, I never actually checked but it had a pink color on. What kinda stupid cat that's a boy wears a stupid pink color and freakin uses the new neighbor across the hall for scraps and makes her think she's special and freakin just ups and leaves.

I should have known Persia was a male. Bastard.