Back-breaking and other stories

The weekend (minus Sunday) was fun-filled.

It started early because we had a work party at Chuck-e-Cheese Friday afternoon.

Saturday followed with a free trip to the zoo which included free lunch from Chick-fil-A and cookies from the Cookie Cottage. There was also a balloon artist who was incredible. He used techniques I've never seen before (popping off certain parts of the balloon was one) and created intricate masterpieces! I think we were more amazed than the kids of his talent. He even blew up the balloons by mouth, too! Amazing, I tell you. Included in the whole free zoo day deal was also a free ride, so we got to go on a log ride toward the end of our trip. I took 300+ photos, so I will have to take some time to upload them.

After the zoo, Holly, Emily and I went shopping for graduation clothes/accessories. I actually bought a few things, which was pretty much the first time in the history of our shopping trips that it has happened. They were proud. My dress is perfect and was reasonably priced (I didn't want to pay $40, and I only had to pay $25).

Saturday night, we went bowling and I beat Joe and Greg several times. They told me that they would deny this to other people, but we all know that I should be trusted over them. We bowled 6 or 7 games in 2 1/2 hours. It was really fun, especially when Truc didn't look where he was throwing the ball and threw it down the walkway outside of our lane (we were on the end). The worker there said that had never happened before so that made it even better.

Unfortunately, I kind of broke my back from bowling so hard, because I woke up at 8am Sunday morning due to sharp pains in my back. I thought it was temporary, but my back hurt no matter how I tried to fix it. I could only lie on my stomach and even then, it hurt. I took some medicine to try to relieve the pain, but I couldn't eat much (can you believe that? It was that bad.) so that combination caused me to throw up at night. I can't remember the last time I threw up because I was a kid when it happened. That's how long it's been. Man, it was terrible. You think it'd be nice to not do anything all day, but when you're stuck lying still in one position the whole time, it's pretty terrible.

I woke up feeling much better this morning (I can sit and stand), but my back still hurts and my neck is stiff. Woe is me.

Hooray for less than 2 hours left of work!

Oh, and this is how my day at work is going:

• I put 75 cents into the coffee machine just to notice that there is a scrolling message indicating, "Temporary Out of Order." No, I did not get my money back.
• Pizza Hut charged me 10 cents for a cup of water.
• Danny (co-worker) and I walked to the library (about 20 feet away) to see if the coffee machine was working there, and I discovered that their machine has Vanilla Chai! It was okay, but it needed a lot more spices. It just tasted a lot like Vanilla Cappuccino to me.
• We hung out in the library to wait out the rain, then we just decided to walk back to work in the rain. Flip flops/sandals & rain = dirty feet!
• My workload has tripled.
  

Zooomr!

State Street Sunset Hosted on Zooomr

I'm not sure if they're still giving away free Pro accounts, but I'm giving it a try. Thanks in advance, Zooomr!

Update: Zooomr just gave me a free Pro account. You should get one, too! Wise Bread wrote a great article (with instructions) about this.

This all started when I was considering a Flickr Pro account. I did a search and found that Zooomr had been giving out free Pro accounts since last summer, so that pretty much made my decision for me. Sorry Flickr, maybe next year.

Dear Wait Staff of Fort Wayne,

My friends and I really appreciate you and your [hard] work. We always tip, even if your service wasn't exactly deserving of it. We're not bad customers. We're not picky (except for Paul), we usually order what you have on the menu without special instructions. We only send our food back if you bring out something completely different from what we've ordered.

That said, we would like to make some suggestions for those of you who are not exactly as good as the waitress we had at Outback a few weekends ago:

1. We would like to be provided with silverware before you bring us our food. Sure, we understand that everyone makes mistakes and forgets once in a while. When you bring out our appetizers or orders, please take a moment to wonder why we haven't unopened our napkins and begun eating. If you forget, that's fine, but could you make an effort to remember next time you come around rather than exclaiming, "Oh, I'm sorry, I've forgotten your [insert item here]."
   
2. Please notice that we're dying of thirst sometime before we finish our meal. There's no need to ask whether we'd like a refill when it's evident that we're merely halfway through our meal and our glasses are completely empty. Furthermore, the waitress at Outback (Sarah was her name, by the way) brought our drinks to us before we could even get thirsty again, and she didn't even ask. She just knew that we would probably be thirsty. She is an angel.
3. We don't know if we have enough room for dessert at the beginning of our meal, so we like to wait until the middle or end to figure that out. Please, just ask us if we'd like to order some before throwing our checks on the table. The past few times we've gone out, we've wanted dessert, but the waitress has never taken that into consideration.
   
4. Lastly, we really appreciate when you ask how we'd like our checks/bills separated. Please don't become so overwhelmed with a table of eight that you can't make separate bills. I reckon it takes up 2-3 pages of your order book, and if you give us each a number, it isn't so bad. We've seen this in action before, it works. Don't make us try to remember what we ordered. It's not that hard, but it's not our job. You're the one who wrote it down.

Okay, so I'm sure that some people will get mad at me, but just remember, I really appreciate the angelic Sarah at Outback and I don't hate all wait staff (of course not). It's just that lately, the service has been really bad everywhere.

Pet food woes

Our animals' food supply had been running quite low, and yes, we had noticed. We just held off for so long because we weren't sure which foods to buy for them ever since the dog/cat food recall earlier this month (or maybe even last month). Sure, the food we get them may not be on the list, but who knows whether the next bit of news will tell us that the brand of dog or cat food we just purchased is the newest discovered brand that has been contaminated?

It took me nearly an hour to decide which food to get them at the pet shop and it made me sad that I had to pretty much guess which food would be the least likely to kill my animals. I decided on The Good Life Recipe for the dogs and the cat. I hope it was a good decision. As I was browsing the huge variety of overpriced and overly lavish shampoos, conditioners, and colognes for my pooches, I overheard this:

The bell rings or the automatic door opens and a man hurries in.
The man (to the cashier): Hi, my wife just told me about the food recall, and I have this (he hands her a receipt or UPC).
Cashier: Was it the xxxxx kind?
The man: Yes. We just heard about it this morning. We don't have the bag. Our dogs have eaten 3/4 of it.
Cashier: Let me get my manager to see if she can help you.

Everything just seemed to fade out for a while, then I heard him say to the manager, "I thought they were just cold. I didn't know." How sad is that?! They didn't even know and it's been maybe more than a month since this first surfaced. I wanted to cry for them and all the other people whose animals got sick or died. I would solve this problem myself by cooking food for them, but I don't even do that for us, so I don't want them to starve.

Spring Fling Carnival

Wow, today has been a blast! It's Carnival Day of the Spring Fling week, so there was plenty of amusement just outside of the building where I work. It was so much fun that we had to go back for more.

Reasons why Carnival Day rocks:

• Carnival games you can't lose, and prizes that included: gloves, headbands, mini games, frisbees, and more!

• Free stuff everywhere
• Street vendors! Everything was free: cotton candy, popcorn, fruit smoothies, pulled chicken & pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, pitas, and more!

• World Tour of Butt Drawing

• Balloon man on stilts

• Life on campus!

Tomorrow's Forecast

According to my favorite weather man:

• High: 62 F
• Low: 37 F
• Sunny & Warmer, Overnight Rain

Do you know what this means? It means I can go outside and take pictures without freezing! I can wear my capris! I don't have to wear a winter coat! I've been waiting weeks for tomorrow to come.

In other news, I used my new camera to finish up my photo essay shoot at the nail salon where Mom works and I messed my photos up by using some automatic setting. The photos are unevenly exposed and I may have to go back since I'm a perfectionist. It's okay--the more, the better, right?

When Dreams Come True

A few weeks ago, when the free food on campus craze began, I wished it would last for the rest of the semester. I think my little wish is coming true, because the school's been feeding us (with our money, of course) each week since. What's the big deal this week? Why, it's Spring Fling week!

• Monday: Game Show Day
  
• Game Show: We Can Make You Laugh
• Free Chick-Fil-A (Chicken sandwich, potato chips, brownie, choice of soft drink)
• Free t-shirts
• Tuesday: Sports Day
• Performance by Diana DeGarmo from Season 3 of American Idol
• Inflatable games
• Free food from Catablu: hot dogs, brats, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks
• Baseball game
• Free t-shirts
• Wednesday: Board Game Day
• Free food from street vendors
• Inflatable games and carnival games
• Thursday: Field Games
• Free food from Nelson's: chicken and ribs
• Walb Parking Garage Luau
• Performance by JunkFood
• Free food at luau: hot dogs, hamburgers, Maui Wowi fruit smoothies
• Free leis
• Friday: Racing Day
• Free food from ice cream vendor(s)
• Reality stock car racing
• Saturday: Battle of the Bands
• "Take Back the Night" dance

This week will be exciting! I'm also grateful for these events because my current photography project is to document campus life and shoot a feature photo. I'm giddy, but at the same time, I'm on the verge of crying for the families of the victims from the Virginia Tech shooting.

Currently Enjoying

• High Dynamic Range (HDR) Images: Learn how to make them and look at some examples. I love how these images are photos, yet so incredibly surreal.
• LensEnvy: I love it when I stumble upon outstanding photography.
• JPG Magazine: I knew about its existence, but I never really looked at it until today. There's so much more to it than information--there's interaction, which I think is what attracted me.
  

Reasons You Should Skip Class

I'm listening to a live web cast my boss has running about the shootings at Virginia Tech. I think I'm in awe because I'm trying to ignore it. This is twice as bad as Columbine. Why is this even happening? I guess there was a bomb threat on Friday, too... bad stuff like this is the reason I'm always paranoid. Poor people and their families--this was absolutely unnecessary and quite possibly the worst way to lose a loved one. Someone, please fix this.

Update: They're saying that the death toll is rising and the gunman was supposedly an Asian guy who was upset over a girl.

Sigh.

Another Update: I didn't really think much when reporters started questioning why the classes were not canceled after the first shooting took place until I looked at the map of the Virginia Tech campus. Why would a school still function after 2 people were shot and killed on campus? Students could've left class and gone back to their dorms (or homes) with caution, and perhaps the 30 killed would still be here. I think the second shooting could've been prevented if the authorities/administrators would have taken action immediately after the first shooting. I bet there are some very hurt and angry families and friends out there wondering how and why this ever got so bad that it made history. My eyes were welling with tears thinking about how much pain they're in right now and how it could be different.

Wants and Needs

Want:

• new messenger bag, so I can carry my new camera with me comfortably
• camera bag that will fit inside a messenger bag
• black shoes suitable for most occasions
• graduation outfit
• zoom lens
• wide angle lens
• neutral density filter
  

Need:

• camera bag
• money for summer semester tuition
• to do homework
• to read
• to finish projects
• to make reservations for anniversary dinner
• to buy Mother's day and Mom's birthday presents (and arrange lunch/dinner)
• to concentrate on needs, and not wants :)
  

Let's Go Outback Tonight

I spent the day being a lump around the house--napping, watching TV, shopping for clothes online. After I woke up from my 3-hour nap (I don't know how it happened, I was just trying to watch Monk), I decided that I needed to get out of the house. It was snowing, but I still drove to see Emily at work. We caught up a bit, then she had to work, so we're planning on some major hang out time after the semester is over--something to look forward to.

I went home and made some Turkey Fried Rice for dinner. It's pretty darn easy. Thanks for the cooking lesson, Truc!

Even though we'd already had dinner, we agreed to go to Outback Steakhouse for round 2. I forgot to take pictures, but that's pretty obvious. We had a top notch waitress who brought us drinks before we ever got thirsty again. This was good and bad, as I drank 4+ mugs (we stopped counting) of raspberry iced tea and my belly was full before my entrée arrived. The bloomin' onion was yummy, too. I had some sort of cheesy pasta dish with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms, but I wasn't able to enjoy it because I was so full. It's nice to be filled up at dinnertime though...right? There was one moment when our waitress forgot to bring us our boxes, but then she remembered and brought them right away! This is amazing for us, as our waitress last night at Ruby Tuesday never even gave us straws or silverware. Joe was disappointed in his steak salad, but I don't think the two make a very good combination anyway, so maybe that was the problem in the first place. Isn't it always grilled (or crispy fried these days) chicken on salad that makes it good? Eh, who knows...

We walked outside and the heavy snow made it feel like we were awaiting a big blizzard in January. Good thing we have a remote starter for the car.

Tomorrow, the guys have a soccer game and Adam's supposed to be there. We haven't seen him in ages.

Good things, 04/14/07

• getting enough sleep to feel awake at 8am
• going places
• my new camera--thanks, Joe!
• funny little kids
• seeing a man in slacks and a dress shirt, but carrying a Ninja Turtles wallet; admiring that he could care less what other people think
• salad bars
• raspberry iced tea
• Naked smoothies; the "Blue Machine" tastes like blueberry fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt--yum!
• seeing the guys all dressed up
• taking tons of photos everyday
• the feeling of relief
• pay day

Oh, school!

School has been very enjoyable lately. Yesterday, a couple of Canucks entertained us while we feasted on free food. Today, the Human iPod came and won me over by playing Jack Johnson. This guy can pretty much play 600+ songs on demand; pretty amazing, non?

I also get to work while listening to good music. What I've been listening to:

One step closer to growing up

Yesterday, I messaged my best friend to see if she was still alive since I hadn't heard from her for a whole week. She messaged me back to confirm that she was still alive, and she even came over to Walb to have lunch with me this afternoon. I love it when things come together so well.

We had a pretty long lunch and it wasn't really rushed at all. It's amazing how much you can share in such a small amount of time (say, 45 minutes). She was nervous to tell me, but she's planning on moving to New York next year. Although I'm worried, I'm genuinely happy for her. She's moving on with her life. She's not settling. I'm proud of her for not being too scared, even though we're both a little bit scared. That's what life's about right? It'll be sad to have her so far away, but I'm glad that she's being brave and doing her own thing. She was so happy to hear that I support her fully. I just hope it works out, but don't we all?

Easter Goodness

How was your Easter?

Ours was much like Thanksgiving. We went over to Joe's parents' house first, where we had turkey, stuffing, deliciously prepared peas with mushrooms, and roasted potatoes. After that, we went to visit my Mom and had some Vietnamese noodle soup. Gotta love meal-after-meal holidays.

I hadn't seen Mom since she came back from Vietnam last month, so she had a stack of gifts for me:

• a little phone ornament from Japan (I'd asked her to get me something Japanese during her 2-hour layover)
• pair of jeans
• sweater
• $10 Chanel purse (hey, it was Vietnam, after all)
• Zeiss Ikon camera from my grandfather (photo from Wikipedia)

Best gift ever, non? I can't wait to use it.

The Joy of Discovery

I really want to be a decent photographer, so I'm always looking for tips and inspiration. I browsed the Internet and learned a bit about the effect(s) of neutral density filters, so I set out to get one for Bo's camera (Olympus Evolt E-500) from Sunny Schick today.

The weather was dreadful on the way to the nice little (and I stress the this term) photo shop downtown, as there was drifting snow reminiscent of the blizzard we had two months ago. It was winter then, snow was allowed. I'll spare you the rest of my complaints. Anyway, I arrived at Sunny Schick and I squeezed my way over to their filter section. I thought I'd found one, but it was in a rectangular form and I wanted an actual circle filter. I searched, then one of the employees searched, and we couldn't find one for the lens size (58mm). There were a lot and it seemed that none of them were in my size. This was disappointing, but I persisted and looked more carefully. It wasn't at all distinguishable, so that's why it was so hard to find amongst the others, but I found it in the end, and $20.99 plus tax later, I was shooting photos of anything and everything in sight. I have yet to meet with a water fountain or other streaming water source since the purchase, so I will have to wait to test the "soft" effect later.

I did, however, shoot some photos of the dogs playing in the yard while Joe was putting things away after work. They were halfway decent, but I'm still having trouble with the focus. Is it just this camera or is it just me? I'm getting better, but it seems the camera should be more focus-friendly. Ha.

I just like this one for the expression on Vada's face

"Mmm...glass!"

...probably wondered why I kept calling his name

Stalking the neighbor's dog

Joe fell asleep, so I had to find something to do during this time (which can last for hours). I decided to get out the tripod and start playing around with the long exposures. Oh, and Einey's not dead, of course--this is just how she sleeps. I promise.

Note: Do not fall asleep while in the presence of crazy girl with camera.

Trademark sad face

Lit by "America's Most Wanted" on TV

I'm Too Sad

Last night, I went back to Jessica Williams' website to look at her I'm Too Sad project, and by chance, I clicked David Drennon's Flickr link to discover the wonders of night-time photography. As soon as the photo shop opens, I'll be in there to get a Neutral Density filter! I'd always wondered how the photos of professionals always had that "muted" (if that is the correct term to use) look to them.

Thank Goodness

It's Friday, I got paid (from one of my jobs), and there were refreshments at the meeting this morning. Pretty good finish to the week, I say.

Filled to the Brim

My "glass" is filled to the brim with happiness and excitement. Call it what you may, but I'm absolutely enamored by...everything.

This morning, I woke up late--at the time I was supposed to be at work. I couldn't sleep last night, so I guess my REM sleep kicked during the time the alarms were sounding and I didn't hear them at all. It was okay! I didn't think it was the end of the world, as it isn't, and won't ever be.

I called Bo (and woke him up, as I usually do) to see if he was still home so that I could pick up the camera from his house, and he was, and I did!

This camera is so amazing and it zooms, which is excellent since my rather old (but still very awesome) Canon AE-1 Program only has one lens and it's just a 50mm. This guy goes to 140mm or something. Amazing? Definitely.

During some "down time" at work, a fellow employee and I decided we would test some of the functions of the camera, and we discovered the "Burst" mode. There are videos to come, I tell ya. So much fun! I love creative opportunities.

I'm either on a natural high or this Cherry Coke contains a lot of caffeine. Maybe it's both.

What did I have for lunch today? It cost a dollar, so it wasn't free, but it was still delicious: Nissin Souper Bowl--Picante Shrimp flavor. I also used what appears to be the oldest microwave ever. Maybe I'll snap a photo to show you later.

Oh, what a lovely day! Too bad the weather dropped about degrees and I have to wear my mittens in April...

A few things

• I skipped class today and took a nap instead. I don't regret it.
• I stabbed Emily repeatedly with my pencil today.
• I think I'm addicted to rich chocolate Ovaltine. I mean, it's so amazing because it melts in cold milk. Nestle Quik does not.
• I just sent out my resume for a grown-up job.
• I get to play around with my friend Bo's digital SLR soon! I don't think I'll be able to work tomorrow.
  

Four to go

There are four weeks left of school, then it's finals week, then summer school. It's okay, though, because I will be done after August 3rd! Things are going well. I will be in the French poetry competition by force in a few weeks, and this is the poem I will be reciting to spite my professor:

La Grenouille qui veut se faire aussi grosse que le Boeuf

Une Grenouille vit un Boeuf
Qui lui sembla de belle taille.
Elle, qui n'était pas grosse en tout comme un oeuf,
Envieuse, s'étend, et s'enfle, et se travaille,
Pour égaler l'animal en grosseur,
Disant : "Regardez bien, ma soeur ;
Est-ce assez ? dites-moi ; n'y suis-je point encore ?
- Nenni. - M'y voici donc ? - Point du tout. - M'y voilà ?
- Vous n'en approchez point.". La chétive pécore
S'enfla si bien qu'elle creva.
Le monde est plein de gens qui ne sont pas plus sages :
Tout bourgeois veut bâtir comme les grands seigneurs,
Tout petit prince a des ambassadeurs,
Tout marquis veut avoir des pages.

The Frog who Aspired to Become as Big as the Ox

A Frog espied an Ox that seemed to her of a noble size.
She, no bigger than an egg,
Envious, stretches, puffs up and labours
To match the animal in size,
Saying: "Hey watch me sister;
Is this enough? tell me; am I there yet?
-No way! -How about now? -Not at all. - Is that it ?
You aren't even close." The puny, pretentious creature
Swelled up so much that she croaked.
The world is full of people who aren't too wise:
People with some money wish to build like royalty,
Every minor prince has ambassadors,
Every marquis wants servants.

I happen to enjoy it, and I know that it'll kill my professor that it's not some crappy romantic sonnet by Victor Hugo.

Talk to me, Mac

I forgot to add that I accidentally (I'm sure that's the wrong term to use, but it's the only one that comes to mind) discovered my Mac's text-to-speech capabilities over the weekend. I was trying to force refresh a Web page, but I forgot that I was on a Mac, so I hit Apple+F5 and my computer started talking to me! It was "Alfred," and he was a bit weird, so I changed it to some alien voices. I like some other lady's voice best, but I thought aliens would be more fun. There are over 10 voices from which to pick, so you know I was just sitting at the computer and giggling to myself while I went through all of them.

Cha-ching!

No, this post has nothing to do with money. I just remembered the end of the Mika song, so I thought it would fill up the title bar.

This morning, I somehow made it to 50% of my obligations. I was too tired and sore to drive all the way to the old office to fill out some paperwork regarding my resignation (pfft, like I really care now that I've quit), but I did make it to the car dealership to get my oil changed. I also decided that I should baby my car, so they sold me on the tire rotation/10,000 mile service. I was dropped off at school minutes after by their excellent shuttle service, and I am now slacking instead of working on my French paper. That's just how it goes sometimes.

Friday, we went to Applebee's and Giff got the short end of the stick again. He's always the only one whose order they mess up, every single time. He ordered the sirloin or whatever with fries and asparagus, which is pretty close to what they have advertised on TV, but instead, they brought out a steak and two orders of mashed potatoes. Those silly people even put the mashed potato on both sides of the steak instead of together, in one big pile. They brought him back some steak, fries, and broccoli the second time, and well, that's when he just gave up. The waitress didn't even ask us if we wanted dessert, which a lot of us did, before she brought us our checks. She stayed in the tanning bed too long. Sorry, I just had to say it.