tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36127236045967257802024-02-20T22:59:21.523-08:00'tis mabel<i>did ever maiden close her eyes on waking sadness, to dream of such exceeding gladness?<br>if such poor love as mine can help thee find true peace of mind - why, take it, it is thine!</i>mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-85801869480343664312011-11-18T01:15:00.001-08:002011-11-18T02:33:53.581-08:00Senate Bill 5327 and the Hop ThanhSo, the obvious rebuttal to my last posting might be something relating to there being laws about fraud or some kind of enforcement or regulation, etc.<br><br>
Let me tell you a bit about SB 5327 that was passed this year in Washington State. If you want to read all about it you can go to the <a href="http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5327&year=2011">info on the state legislature website</a>, but generally it limits use of Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards at places deemed to be reasonable exclusions, such as businesses specializing in adult entertainment, gambling, and the like. Sounds like the legislature is really looking out for the taxpayers, right? Well, what they don't publicize is that the state employees who suggested this to the legislature also suggested they limit use of EBT cards at ATMs, because if a person can't use their EBT card like a debit or credit card to pay for their tab at the strip club the way they can at the grocery store, but they can use the ATM at the door to get cash... well, do you see where that's going? But the legislature didn't bother with that part. So, if you're a legislator who wants to stop people from using government benefits funded by your taxpaying constituents for illegal activity, well, you just left a loophole big enough for everyone to walk right through. If, on the other hand, you're a legislator who wants to make it look like you're putting in place sound anti-fraud policies, while effectively doing very little to offend the persons committing the fraud you are supposedly fighting, then you have succeeded quite nicely.<br><br>
Now, I recognize that some people reading this who identify themselves as "compassionate liberals" and classify those other kind of people who point out opportunities to commit welfare fraud as "heartless conservatives bent on the destruction of all that is good" assume that people who carry around EBT cards are in desperate need and use their benefits for essentials that aren't covered by food stamps like toothpaste. To these people, I apologize for the writers of the memos about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy; apparently, they forgot to send you this one: not all those who are referred to by politicians as "our most vulnerable citizens" are as honorably needy as you think... Sure, there are victims of abuse who need support, there are victims of the recession who need some help getting back on their feet and making ends meet, there are people with developmental disabilities, children in foster care, people with substance abuse problems, and children of parents with substance abuse problems. I believe there are a lot more people in such circumstances now than there have been at any other time, as least so far in my lifetime. But, to pretend that fraud doesn't happen, or that it doesn't happen enough to be concerned with... well that is just plain stupid.<br><br>
I participated in a conference call a few weeks ago that was with regard to the new Office of Fraud and Accountability, which isn't really new, it just has a new name and a new boss. I'm guessing their purpose is fairly obvious. I am not sure how detailed I can be in releasing information that was given to us, but just to be safe I won't be too specific and just say this: they have backlogs in fraud cases numbering in the thousands, some dating back to a year ago, and the number of employees to work these cases is in the teens. In the last couple years this particular group of employees has been cut by more than 80%. According to management they are hoping to increase their abilities through utilization of better computer techniques for detecting patterns of fraud, but it still seems to me that it might be helpful to have a few more employees dedicated to this function.<br><br>
Not that there haven't been some successes in limiting fraud. There was a flurry of excitement when one of my coworkers saw a story in the newspaper about <a href="http://www.king5.com/news/investigators/Businesses-caught-on-camera-trading-cash-for-food-stamps-104387359.html">federal raids that shut down businesses participating in welfare fraud</a>. Unfortunately, as this story and <a href="http://www.king5.com/news/investigators/Federal-fraud-investigations-fall-as-food-stamp-program--117252963.html">follow-up stories</a> acknowledge, the individuals trading in their food benefits for cash to buy drugs and other illegal items will probably just go somewhere else. The story said that in one year alone the two stores that were shut down cashed out $2 million in food benefits at 50 cents on the dollar.<br><br>
If you're like me, your next question is, what happened to all the people who illegally traded in all those benefits? Well, generally, probably nothing. However, the fraud investigator who works at my office was exultantly telling anyone who would listen about a big break with one individual. Let us say, for example, that this client used most of their benefits in the area where they lived, but then on one occasion happened to make a purchase using their card at one of the stores that was raided. Let us also suppose that this store was hours away from their home and that their purchase was a surprisingly round number. It could be that this person would deny that they have ever used benefits illegally. They may, if pressed, admit that they have used benefits illegally in ways other than cashing them out at this particular store, but of course they have good reasons and didn't know it wasn't allowed and won't do it again. Then perhaps this person was told that the store was under surveillance, and asked what might be seen on that video? At which point, the individual's demeanor may have changed. They may have also been presented with an internet printout of a social networking site where the individual advertised sale of their benefits card. At this point, the person may or may not have agreed to sign a statement admitting their guilt in exchange for having their food benefits denied for 1 year. Wow! What a fabulous success it would be if something like that really happened. Stopping crime dead in its tracks...mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-41839536270724646572011-11-17T22:13:00.001-08:002011-11-18T00:07:14.783-08:0020.5 million dollars... just a drop in the bucket...As a State Employee, I try to pay a little bit of attention to the ongoing state budget issues. As are most government agencies, companies, and individuals, the State of Washington is struggling financially and is trying to figure out how to make ends meet. Here is a link to the <a href="http://www.ofm.wa.gov/reductions/alternatives/Social_Human_Services.pdf">Office of Financial Management's Budget Reduction Alternatives</a>.<br><br>
Two of the many proposed cuts are the State's programs that provide welfare and food stamp benefits to people who do not qualify for the federal versions of the same programs "due to lack of documentation of citizenship". It is estimated that elimination of these two programs would save the state $20.5 million dollars during one biennial budget cycle. Also, it should be noted that adult persons who do not have documentation of citizenship can still receive benefits on behalf of minors in their household who are citizens.<br><br>
So, take for example an undocumented single mom with 3 documented children who works 20 hours a week at minimum wage... in Washington the minimum wage is $8.67 per hour, so she makes an average of $751.40 per month gross. Not enough to raise 3 kids, right? Especially if your rent is, say, $800/month. Well, with that income and rent you could get $668 in food stamps for 4 people, and if you reduce due to the rule change to the amount for just the three kids it would be $526. (If you want you can try out the online calculator <a href="http://foodhelp.wa.gov/bf_benefit_estimator.htm">here</a>). Technically, of course, if the mom or anyone else other than those 3 children eats any of the food she buys with that $526 she is breaking the law, but that's just a technicality, right? Also, any children in public school would automatically be enrolled in the school lunch program. Furthermore, there isn't an online calculator, but with income that low and that many kids I bet you she qualifies to get cash benefits for her kids too. And bundled with cash benefits is medical coverage for the kids, plus eligibility for cash assistance opens the door to a variety of other programs including things like subsidized childcare while she is working, Section 8 housing, even a new program that provides recipients of state benefits with free cell phones and 250 free minutes per month through <a href="http://www.assurancewireless.com/Public/Welcome.aspx">Assurance Wireless</a>.<br><br>
Also, perhaps you should consider that this scenario assumes that our single mom has voluntarily provided information about her job and proof of her income. If she has no social security number there may be no way to trace her income otherwise, and if she chooses not to report her income her benefits would be calculated assuming a zero income. (If you can't guess, that means they go up...) This scenario also assumes that she has truthfully declared her living situation and that she is a single mom. If she lives in a home owned by relatives or friends and pays no rent, but they write a statement saying that she does her benefit is increased to adjust for her supposed housing costs. You see, the common definition of "homeless" here at the "welfare office" is not that you actually sleep on the sidewalk at night, or under a bridge, or in a tent city, but rather that your name is not on the lease or the deed to the place where you live.* It also helps if you use a PO box and don't give the USPS your home address. Furthermore, if the father of her children also has no social security number, it may be impossible to prove that he is or ever has been in this country, let alone that he lives with her and their children, or that he works under the table framing houses, as a painter, or as a farm worker in Yakima where the going rate for cherry pickers was $15/hour this summer... And, of course, people who work under the table, whether they are citizens of our country or not, don't pay taxes on any of the money they are earning, which means they aren't "paying into the pot" from which government benefits are funded.<br><br>
As a disclaimer, I'm not racist, nor to I have a grudge against immigrants. What I do find upsetting is people who cheat the system and commit fraud. That goes for people of all races, nationalities, etc. But, it does make it a bit easier to stay "under the radar" and "off the books" when you were never "on the books" to begin with...<br><br>
You may think that the types of fraud that I have hinted at above are a bit far-fetched, but in the course of my job I see examples of these kinds of fraud many times a day. I am not even an employee of the Community Services Division which actually administers these programs. I work for a separate division, but there is some overlap in our clientele and our programs affect each other enough that clients tell us a completely different story, and we have to figure out how to deal with it...<br><br><br>
* I was told a few weeks ago by a fellow state employee that over the multiple decades she has been a government employee, she only ever had one client who claimed to be homeless that she believed actually fit the traditional street/bridge/tent definition of homelessness. On the flipside, I have seen people walk into the state office where I work and apply for benefits, and then drive off in a Mercedes or a Hummer. Of course, for some benefits only reported income is a factor, not assets like a vehicle, or, say $20.5 million dollars in a retirement account...mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-8358088432428416402011-11-17T21:20:00.001-08:002011-11-17T22:08:00.847-08:00Cha-cha-cha-changes!!!Ok, so as far as song references go, I think there are more cha's, but, whatever...<br><br>
So, those of you who knew me in college may know that a few of my friends sometimes lovingly referred to me as a dirty socialist. Not because I really believe that socialism is a feasible economic system, but because I was a sociology major and less conservative than your average LDS student at BYU living in Provo.<br><br>
In an almost humorous contrast to this, I am now one of the most conservative people around... Seattle, that is.<br><br>
What happened in the intervening years to produce this change? I spent a year in law school, during which I realized that, being a person who did not particularly want to be an attorney, a Juris Doctorate is not a particularly cost-effective post-graduate educational option. Having realized this, I got a job in the nearest large city, which happened to be Seattle. As many a person with a sort-of-fancy paper that says Bachelor of Science in Sociology on it, as well as some other stuff, displayed in a cheap frame I got at the big, bad Wal-Mart on a bookshelf I got at Big Lots... I got a job working for the government. I also met a fantastic man who thinks I'm irresistibly attractive and likes to buy me things. He is a police officer. And together, we are a crime-fighting duo... wait, ok, maybe not... He fights crime, I just fight non-payment of child support, but that's kind of like crime too...<br><br>
So, here's the deal... For those of you out there who consider yourself to be "liberal", or something similar in terms of political labels, and who do so because you feel that it is more humane or compassionate than ideologies that are referred to as "conservative" or "libertarian": I commend you for your desire to be a compassionate person, but apparently you know little of the realities of government social programs. I see these realities on a daily basis, and it is stunning how little information the general public has and ridiculous the way media portrayals twist and deform the truth. Thus, I hope to use this forum to share with you some bits of information and truth that you may not have been aware of...mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-87667496947177449872011-11-17T21:02:00.001-08:002011-11-17T21:09:10.993-08:00Wow! A lot can change in 2 years, huh?This is to announce that after a surprisingly long hiatus, I plan to return to blogging. Not because I am depressed and annoyed because of some silly man, as has often been the case in the past, (because I have an awesome husband-to-be who consistently wins the best-boyfriend award among my female friends), but because I am annoyed with other things! Are you excited? You should be...mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-18973746378265623932009-08-01T12:46:00.000-07:002009-08-01T12:49:15.419-07:00August Fools DayFrom now on I am declaring August 1st, August Fools Day. Cuz something happened to me this morning that cannot be described as anything other than the Universe dropping the punchline on the funniest joke ever... I have a big mess to clean up and a lot of work to do, but I'm hoping it will work out to be something good... I really hope I don't mess this up... AAHH!!mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-15933926554388507192009-06-13T13:10:00.000-07:002009-06-13T13:26:43.710-07:00cloudynew look for the blog.<br /><br />so, i wrote at least once a month for 23 months, then ditched out for almost 6...<br /><br />in case you were wondering the last 6 months of my life have been... well... good, but confusing and busy and tiring, and highly emotional... pretty much normal? haha. so much was going on and the farther behind i got the more difficult i realized it would be to catch up... frankly, i regret not having captured my feelings during that time... in part i wish i could go back & give a recap, but somehow it isn't the same when you aren't right in the moment...<br /><br />anyway...<br /><br />the last 6 months of my life seem like a dream... and now i've woken up and the real world is so much different than i remember it being. i made the mistake, that we all too often do, of building my world around a possible eventuality, and now that it is no longer a possibility... well... now what? i'm treading water, just trying to keep my head up... and surprisingly enough the minutes turn to hours and then days and little by little life goes on, though i have no idea where it's taking me... i just wish it didn't feel like such a solitary journey...mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-25681983817648290552008-12-08T23:24:00.000-08:002008-12-08T23:31:40.244-08:00How BYU are you? *F*How BYU are you?<br /><br />77 questions.<br /><br />[X] You have been kissed at lease once<br />[ ] Your first kiss was on campus<br />[X] You've had a boyfriend/girlfriend<br />[ ] You lived in the dorms your freshman year<br />[X] You went to Homecoming or Preference<br />[X] You hiked the Y<br />[ ] You've taken a social dance class<br />[X] You regularly attended FHE for at least a semester<br />[X] You've participated in Choose to Give<br />[X] You've been to Liberty Square for a party at least once<br />[X] You've driven around south of campus for at least 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot<br />[X] You know the cougar fight song<br />[X] You've crossed the crosswalk without using the flags or biked through a red light<br />[X] You've been to Friday Night Live<br />[X] You've performed or witnessed an act that made it onto Police Beat<br />[ ] You've been on a "date" to the bell tower or duck pond<br />[X] You've been to the Bean Museum for FHE<br />[X] You've been to Divine Comedy<br />[X] You've been to International Cinema<br />[ ] You are engaged<br />[ ] You are married<br />[ ] ...in the temple<br />[ ] You were previously engaged/married<br />[ ] You have kids or are expecting kids<br />[X] Your birth parents are still married<br />[X] ...in the temple<br />[X] You have at least three siblings<br />[X] You've taken a marriage prep or relations class<br />[X] You've taken at least one religion class that is not based on the scriptures<br />[X] You have slept on a couch in a restroom<br />[X] You have been to the BYU Creamery<br />[X] You have been in one of the BYU choirs<br />[X] You've been on a date to Fat Cats<br />[ ] You have read Twilight<br />[ ] ...book 2<br />[ ] ...book 3<br />[ ] ...book 4<br />[ ] ...seen the movie<br />[ ] ...more than once<br />[ ] You've waited in line at the Bookstore for the Harry Potter or Twilight book premiere<br />[X] You have seen The Singles Ward or Sons of Provo<br />[ ] You have walked out of a movie you found morally reprehensible<br />[X] You know where the "chastity line" is<br />[ ] You can finish the phrase "Nothing good happens after ______"<br />[ ] You read the Daily Universe at least 3x a week<br />[ ] ...and it's the only newspaper you read<br />[X] You've personally known someone who was reported to the Honor Code Office<br />[ ] You've participated in or watched a Mr. BYU contest<br />[ ] You've received personal revelation that he/she is "the one" (or been told this)<br />[ ] ...and told him/her about your revelation (or been told this)<br />[ ] ...and then they rejected you (or rejected them)<br />[X] You've been to the Nickelcade<br />[X] You've been to Classic Skating<br />[X] You've ignored your parents' phone calls for at least 3 days<br />[ ] ...and then they called the University Police<br />[ ] You've been pulled over by the University Police<br />[X] You watch The Office religiously<br />[ ] You mostly wear jeans and t-shirts or plain fitted shirts<br />[X] You own at least 3 things from American Eagle or Hollister<br />[X] Your sacrament meeting is a fashion show/scam session<br />[ ] You've been on a date to the Provo River<br />You've kissed in a...<br />[ ] ...campus parking lot<br />[ ] ...Provo Canyon or Squaw Peak<br />[ ] ...on temple grounds<br />[X] ...on a couch as soon as your roommates left the room<br />[X] You think UVU is not a real university<br />[ ] You hate U of U with a passion<br /><br /><br />FOR GIRLS (don't answer if you're a guy)<br />[X] You own knee-length shorts<br />[X] You regularly wear camisoles/undershirts for modesty reasons<br />[ ] You are a MFHD, RMYL, Elementary Education, or Exercise Science Major<br />[X] Your major crush ended up dating a MFHD, RMYL, Elementary Education, or Exercise Science major<br />[ ] You have had at least one roommate who is in hair or dental school<br />[ ] You own The Italian Job or The Princess Bride<br />[X] You wear makeup at least 3x a week<br />[X] You do something with your hair (other than brush it/ponytail) at least 3x a week<br />[ ] You went or plan on going on a mission<br />[ ] ...because you couldn't get married<br /><br /><br />FOR GUYS (don't answer if you're a girl)<br />[_] You shave every (or almost every) morning<br />[_] You know when your hair is "too long"<br />[_] You know what the "divide by 2 and add 7" dating rule is<br />[_] ...and you follow it<br />[_] You've dated freshmen girls as a RM<br />[_] ...when you already knew better<br />[_] You've used the phrase "On my mission..." to a girl<br />[_] At least 3 girls have baked cookies or meals for you<br />[_] You went or plan on going on a mission<br />[_] ...because you wanted to get married<br /><br /><br />TOTAL: 54<br /><br />A: 68-77<br />B: 60-67<br />C: 53-66<br />D: 45-52<br />F: 44 or below. <br /><br />**BAM!** I fail at being "BYU". And I know a couple guys who will back me up on that. ;) At least I still managed to get my degree.<br /><br />thanks jessica...<br /><br /><br><br>mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-1357766818481079792008-11-24T22:40:00.001-08:002008-11-24T23:20:46.097-08:00thanks matt, i don't need meds and therapycuz he just gave my my therapy. we had a nice little chat and i feel kind of better. as much better as talking and not actually fixing can be. if you do decide to drive the 600 mi from cali to come give me a hug, i can probably find you a free place to stay. :)<br /><br />also, shout out to allen, who is sad when i leave him out. he sent me a very nice text to cheer me up. after my nyquil had already put me to sleep. it woke me up and was a bit disorienting, but still nice. even though i didn't really read it until this morning.<br /><br />adam, i gave you a shout-out not that long ago, but you're talking to me right now too, so there you go...<br /><br />so, yeah, i remember now that i have friends. i just need to reach out to them more often. i was thinking about that earlier. i need a sign somewhere to remind me that if i'm feeling lonely, it's my own silly fault, cuz there are tons of awesome people out there who want to be my friend. and they're dang smart, cuz i'm dang awesome.<br /><br />yeah!<br /><br />:)<br /><br><br>mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-38532158515611089482008-11-23T21:17:00.000-08:002008-11-23T21:44:08.756-08:00i'm really pissed off right now and i can't think of anything else to do about it except write in this stupid blogugh. this weekend was frustrating. in fact this whole last week or so has been really upsetting. i've been feeling lonely and sad and i've been handling situations badly. and then instead of telling my friends that i'm having a hard time and asking for their help, i get upset that they can't see how hurt i am and how much i'm struggling and treat them badly and push them away by lashing out or isolating myself and then i'm just more sad and alone and end up feeling even worse than i did to start with. and now i'm so upset that if i swallowed my pride long enough to talk to somebody about what's going on i'd probably just end up freaking out on them and making it worse. if i could even think of someone to talk to...isn't that why i'm just writing this here and hoping someone will find it and decide to be that person? maybe i should have more faith in my friends... maybe i should just drink the rest of my nyquil and go to bed early... my throat hurts really bad right now...mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-32464243196035463792008-11-16T23:33:00.000-08:002008-11-16T23:44:13.693-08:00whirlwind weekendfriday: (1) work. (2) met matt and got some food and wandered around the u district. found some cool stuff, including a random used bookstore with kitties! but matt was allergic so we sort of just walked in and back out...haha. sorry matt. :( (3) james bond. better than expected.<br /><br />saturday: (1) service project at di. found a shirt i know i'll like it cuz i already have the same one in a different color, and it only cost me $1.74 including tax. i love good deals. (2) hanging out with ryan. i will refer you to <a href="http://bismarksblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/seattle-adventure.html">his blog</a> for the details, cuz i was frustrated with my bad tour-guide skills and so his telling of the day is much more reasonable. if you heard me tell it you'd think i'm a psycho and he's a jerk, but really we're just two friends who had a lot of fun hanging out since we live far away now and had plenty to catch up on.<br /><br />sunday: (1) institute choir program in sacrament meeting. (2) institute choir program in sacrament meeting again. (3) institute choir program in sacrament meeting AGAIN. (4) ward choir. (5) smorgasbord. (6) fireside. (7) much needed chat w/ daniel.<br /><br />i need a break from the weekend before i go back to work in the morning...haha!mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-61191115934844009112008-11-12T23:04:00.000-08:002008-11-12T23:42:43.768-08:00blank page was all the rage...<i>never meant to say anything<br />in bed i was half dead<br />tired of dreaming of rest...<br /><br />you were easy you are forgotten<br />you are the ways of my mistakes<br />i catch the rainfall<br />through the leaking roof<br />that you had left behind<br />you remind me of that leak in my soul...<br /><br />i wish i was blank<br />i wish i could think...<br /><br />i'd write a letter to you<br />and there'd be nothing to it<br />i wouldn't hem an haw<br />on just how to start it<br />i wish i was blank...<br /><br />i wish i'd said things different<br />i wish i'd said nothing<br />things would be so perfect<br />i wish myself to keep<br />i pray my soul to sleep<br />i wish myself away<br />i wish i was blank...<br /><br />say goodnight on a night like this<br />if it's the last thing you ever do<br />it goes dark, it goes darker still<br />please stay<br />but i watch you like i'm made of stone as you walk away...<br />can't stand here like this anymore...<br />i wanted to be perfect like before...<br />i want to change it all...<br /><br />i know we're just like old friends<br />we just can't pretend that lovers make amends<br />we are the reasons so unreal<br />we can't help but feel that something has been lost...</i><br /><br />so far i still know who i am<br />but i wonder who you were<br /><br /><i>sleep will not come to this tired body now<br />peace will not come to this lonely heart...<br /><br />but sometimes a someone is so hard to find...<br /><br />disarm you with a smile<br />and leave you like [you] left me here<br />to wither in denial<br />the bitterness of one who's left alone<br />the years burn...</i><br /><br />a year ago i became an ex. saying it that way makes it sound like a beginning instead of an end. i hope it was. i had a whole blog pre-written for the occasion, but decided to leave it unposted. time for a new page. and new pages are always blank.<br /><br /><i>so i pull my collar up and face the world alone</i><br /><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><center>this page intentionally left blank</center><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><center>;)</center><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-58216479135913464612008-11-08T18:53:00.000-08:002008-11-08T18:55:19.207-08:00one more reason why it's awesome to be mormon...because our church has a public affairs page on youtube... seriously. i just found it.<br /><a href=" http://www.youtube.com/user/LDSPublicAffairs"><br />http://www.youtube.com/user/LDSPublicAffairs</a><br /><br />check it out and then you'll know lots of other reasons why it's awesome to be mormon. yay!mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-58437978027310288232008-11-08T14:16:00.000-08:002008-11-08T15:59:42.936-08:00Proposition 8i was talking to my friend matt the other night about election results and he mentioned some things about prop. 8 in caifornia. he mentioned that they had temporarily closed the LA temple to keep protesters off the grounds, which really surprised me. honestly, i hadn't looked into it much. i've felt a little out of it lately, but i've seen so many of my friends posting things for/against it and especially the lds church's support of it on facebook that i just had to say something. <br /><br />firstly, i found <a href="http://ag.ca.gov/cms_pdfs/initiatives/i737_07-0068_Initiative.pdf">this</a> which is the file copy (stamped by the AG's office and everything). while i was talking to matt i really wanted to know what the acutal language was. it is surprisingly short and simple. it is a state constitutional amendment and not a statute, which i know from my limited legal experience are much longer. i was expecting something more complex in design, but was very refreshed to see how short and to the point it was.<br /><br />secondly, i'd just like to say this: all individuals are equally free to be married. of course, that means to marry a person of the opposite gender. i suppose to some that sounds as though i'm being callous and unfeeling. i am not. my favorite cousin is gay. i had many friends in high school and college who were gay and i am one of the few girls i know who has kissed a gay guy (in a play, but still...). i am not a racist or a sexist or in other way prejudiced or homophobic or what-have-you. however, i think that it is important that people be reasonable and deal with the fact that you don't always get what you want, even when you personally may feel like it's not fair. often, i hear people comparing a gay persons "right" to marry someone of the same gender with other rights such as voting rights for women or minorities and the ending of segregation. once again, the right to marry is inherently different than these rights in that no group of individuals (except minors) is unequal in marriage rights. everyone has and equal right to get married. if they are unhappy with the fact that legal contracts in marriage require that the parties be of opposite genders then i understand that they are unhappy. but they are not being discriminated against. they have the opportunity to marry a person of the opposite gender, but they are unhappy that they cannot instead marry a person of the same gender. i am unhappy that everyone tells me that i am a legal midget and should get a handicapped parking sticker so they can use me to get better parking at busy events like concerts. that is completely unrelated but i felt like i was getting boring and saying the same thing over and over.<br /><br />i mentioned before that i had a gay friend who i kissed in a play. i noticed today a very angry note he wrote on facebook about the lds church's support of prop. 8. a mutual friend then posted some well-researched comments with appropriate citations and i was very impressed. unfortunately i doubt others thought these very persuasive, but i very much enjoyed the matter-of-fact way that adam expressed himself. check it out <a href="http://www.new.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=47638776997&ref=nf">here</a> if the privacy settings will let you (not sure). adam, you rock! i am thankful for reasonable and intelligent people like you.<br /><br />lastly, my friend ruben posted <a href="http://mormontimes.com/mormon_voices/orson_scott_card/?id=3237">this link</a> to an article on the subject by one of my all-time favorite authors. i HIGHLY recommend you check it out. i know that a lot of my friends support gay marriage, and i in no way wish to hurt or offend you, but i think that mr. card makes some very poignant and persuasive points and i think it's a great read that will possibly result in a great "think" as well... and also <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-blankenhorn19-2008sep19,0,2093869.story">this one</a> which is based on social and anthropological research and actually written by a liberal and published by the LA Times no less.<br /><br />once again, i love gay people as much as i love everyone else on the planet, and God does too, but frankly that isn't the relevant issue here.mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-55459418759885932352008-11-03T17:36:00.000-08:002008-11-03T17:45:57.893-08:00wish list#1. to be married to a massage therapist<br /><br />#2. to have a real bed to lay in...preferably with mr. massage therapist...<br /><br />#3. real pillows to go on my real bed<br /><br />#4. lots of hot chicken soup<br /><br />#5. an electric blanket<br /><br />#6. that i hadn't left my gloves in my desk at work<br /><br />#7. more blankets<br /><br />#8. and more chicken soup...in fact, at this point i'd be happy with some chicken-flavored ramen noodles<br /><br />#9. another rice sock<br /><br />#10. do you think it would help if i wished for the massage therapist husband again?<br /><br />if not, i'd take a regular husband who would be willing to pretend he was a massage therapist...<br /><br />no?<br /><br />sigh.<br /><br />okay.mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-47772121090084818912008-11-02T21:21:00.000-08:002008-11-02T22:16:05.314-08:00y tengo sedso many things have happened lately that i've said i was going to blog about, but then i was always too busy running around doing all those things to sit down and write about them. but, i'm finally going to sit and give some highlights, which will of course sound completely different than they would have if i'd done it right away (but i already ranted about that phenomenon enough a few posts ago).<br /><br />but first, a shout-out to my gal pal partners in exciting but non-criminal activity: you girls are seriously one of the main things that give me the ability to get up in the morning and live my life every day. (that and all the child support cases that need me to work them...haha!) seriously, though, a lot of things have been happening that would have been really hard to deal with if it weren't for you girls, so thank you.<br /><br />that being said, my girlfriends and i have recently been reminded over and over of the fact that we are not the type of girls that mormon boys are attracted to. we ourselves are mormon girls, but that isn't really the issue. so, we decided that we needed to get out and do some things that aren't church activities. in fact, apparently my mom told my grandma just yesterday that my parents are worried about me because i only hang out with kids from church and those boys don't like me and, well they are just worried. (once again, i already discussed this a few blogs back, ctrl+f "librarian") my uncle's family is catholic and apparently they are willing to hook me up with plenty of non-mormon boys. i told them that i went to a catholic school for a year and that didn't do me any good either, but, whatever...<br /><br />anyway, we did go out and do some non-church-sponsored activities and we had a lot of fun and greatly increased our self-esteem... (however, the mormon boys have since continued to reject us so we definitely need to do it again). the only down-side was when the keys were locked in the trunk of the car with the purses and phones and we were stuck downtown on first ave just south of pioneer square at 2am when all the bars were closing and the drunks were out in the street. but, we made it out alive to tell the tale; hopefully there won't be another similar episode until it's a little warmer outside again.<br /><br />also i went to a couple of parties the last few weeks, made some cool vampire teeth for halloween, and have been making some new friends, which is good. and, miraculous as it may seem, i managed to trick one of these new friends into a date. i was actually rather surprised that it worked, but also pretty glad about it because i only had about a week left until the 1-year anniversary of being dumped and it always feels horrible going a whole year without being asked on a date. so, thanks friend for helping a girl out.<br /><br />sigh, so now i need to work on fixing my room which has become rather cluttered while i've been busy running around trying to be popular. it isn't that bad, just a pile of clothes and shoes and the pieces of some packages i need to send to my sisters, so easy stuff once i get around to doing it. plus, i got another bigger set of those plastic rolling-drawer-tower things when i went shopping at crazy aunt mary's old house yesterday, so i'm excited to reorganize some things.<br /><br />ready, set, go!mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-68095897665775286882008-10-16T19:27:00.000-07:002008-10-16T19:32:28.500-07:00like whoa...today at work i saw something totally awesome. crazy, i know. we were in a meeting. that makes it even crazier, right? in the conference room. there is this white board where we were writing ideas for training and refreshers that would be helpful, and when we had written them...this is the amazing part...they turned on this thing, and the white board like scrolled around and this little printer at the bottom printed out a page of what was written on the board. and, incidentally, it revealed the other side where whatever from the last meeting was written. but i seriously had no idea that things like that existed. it was so cool. not like crazy hi-tech, just like, oh my gosh, who made that up and why have i never seen that before? it was pretty awesome. at least the other new girl and i thought so. everyone else just seemed to be amused that we were so excited.mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-82043735203386725282008-10-15T23:29:00.000-07:002008-10-15T23:37:46.660-07:00mike holm is a freakin studcuz we had book club at his house tonight and it was just him and seven ladies, and i think that's pretty much awesome. i wish i could get seven guys over to my house. maybe i should try talking to some. and then maybe i could move on to invitations. hmm. i'll think about that.<br /><br /><i><b>girls!</b> all i really want is <b>girls!</b> and in the morning it's <b>girls!</b> cuz in the evening it's <b>girls!</b> i like the way that they <b>walk!</b> and it's chill to hear them <b>talk</b> and i can always make 'em <b>smile</b> from white castle to the <b>nile.</b></i><br /><br />yes, that did randomly come on right then, and i couldn't help it.<br /><br />did i mention white castle's are good? from the restaurant, not the freezer.<br /><br /><i>jack and mike d to my dismay...</i>mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-26184689015805565112008-10-09T18:16:00.000-07:002008-10-09T18:30:05.283-07:00lunch with captain moroniso, when i first moved to seattle i was really good at reading my scriptures every day. probably because i had no friends and spent most of my time at home by myself. but then i started to get a little busier and i decided that i wasn't being as diligent as i wanted, so i determined that i would take my scriptures to work and read during my lunch break. and i love it! traditionally i've been a "before i go to bed" person, but reading during the day is really cool. it's such a nice break from the hectic stuff at work, and it's so awesome to get to feel the spirit every day in the midst of life and...i dunno, just everything. plus, i feel like my mind is already more alert at work and i think i pay attention to things that i might not otherwise notice when i read when i'm tired or something.<br /><br />anyway, i've been reading in alma this week and it's pretty awesome. i know, i'm behind the sunday school reading... but at the rate i'm going it will still be way before the end of the year when i finish the BoM for the...um...i lost count how many times...10th? 12th? oh well... my triple is pretty beat up, but i just can't part with this set of scriptures cuz i've had them forever and all my stuff is marked! and i'm not quite the scriptorian that i was in seminary in high school so i'm afraid i'd be lost without my own familiar set... but in a good way... :Dmabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-25791805150067655262008-09-30T22:44:00.001-07:002008-09-30T23:04:58.152-07:00impulsivenessi just called someone who i vowed never to call. he didn't answer. i didn't expect him to. i did leave a message. that was really what i intended. he'll call me back. he generally calls me with pretty predictable regularity. which is why i never call him. that and i've been trying to seem less desperate in general and not call boys. not like it matters given his current situation. but i just felt like i wanted to. or like maybe i should. so i did. i wouldn't feel bad about it except that it seems like some type of sudden shift in...something. i've never called him out of the blue like that. i always return his calls and if we're texting and he says "hey just call me" then i do. but i've never just done it out of the blue like that and for some reason i'm not sure if it will turn out to have been a good move or not. he did tell me last time we talked that i should call more often because we haven't been talking as much lately, and i waited twice as long as the time period he suggested. i'm thinking that makes it okay. still. i feel like i've given up the one little bit of control over the situation that i'd been holding on to. oh well. it really doesn't matter anyway. if it did, i wouldn't be able to explain it all in such small sentence fragments.<br /><br /><i>i don't know why you say goodbye i say hello</i><br /><br />on a lighter note, i cleaned today. i was cleaning at my friends' house the other day and it felt nice so when i actually found some free time at home i decided to clean up. luckily my place is even cleaner when it's dirty than my friends' house is when it's clean so it wasn't that bad, and actually rather satisfying.<br /><br /><i>you say why and i say i don't know</i>mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-77290839669206697842008-09-23T22:23:00.000-07:002008-09-23T23:12:11.653-07:0020/40 hindsight... and issues of honesty and perception<i>random intro story</i>:<br />i was at the snohomish county prosecutor's office most of the afternoon last thursday for work, and while i was there some of my co-workers had a bit of a disagreement about whether 20/40 vision is better or worse than 20/20; the consensus was that it is indeed worse and actually something like 20/15 would be better.<br /><br /><i>just some thoughts</i>:<br />i have often heard the phrase "20/20 hindsight" used to illustrate the fact that the way you judge things in hindsight is based off a more correct and clear view of a situation than you could ever have when you're actually in the thick of things; moreover, often we beat ourselves up for things we wish we had done differently, when to be fair we did the best we could with the information available and we ought not fault ourselves too much.<br /><br />a few months ago i was talking to a friend about my then mostly-finalized decision to quit law school. he said that it was funny that before i said all kinds of positive things about it, but as soon as i decided to quit i had all these negative things to say. i think this illustrates a similar phenomenon, like when you rant and rave about how wonderful your significant other is, until they break up with you and then you can't stop talking about what a horrible person they are and how terribly they treated you.<br /><br />either of these seems to be an issue of the subjectivity with which we view ourselves and the events of our lives. it is therefore interesting to have other people to notice the differences and give us a more objective record of our thoughts, or at least the things that we express. frankly, sometimes i think the issue isn't that our subjective perceptions change that much, but rather that we tailor them to others to try and control their perceptions of us...<br /><br /><i>getting more to the point</i>:<br />although there has been some change in my viewpoints which led me to law school and then back away from it, i don't think that my actual thoughts and feelings changed as much as there has been a change in which parts i choose to share with others. when i was deciding to go i played up the positives, and when i decided to leave i played up the negatives, and although i may have been trying just a little to convince myself that i was doing the right thing, i think a lot of it was just out of sheer defensiveness towards others. i'm inclined to feel a little dishonest about that. not that i went around lying to people, but because i generally am the type of person who kind of wears their heart on their sleeve and shares ideas and opinions rather readily. but, when it comes to major life decisions, i'm more inclined to share a lot of the real details of my feelings for the people who are actually close to me, and sort of put out the canned political speech for everyone else.<br /><br /><i>the real deal(for those of you who want a bit of the real story behind the madness)</i>:<br />i graduated from byu and spent the next year playing manager at jamba because i couldn't seem to get any of the "real" jobs to work out. i was feeling a little stagnant, and i was in provo and had been there for quite a few years and was feeling a little bit old and useless, and decided that if i was going to keep getting older and feeling more single-r that i may as well resign myself to the single life and go do something that would be of use to the world or society or whatnot instead of just waiting around in provo and ending up a 50-year-old librarian at the HBLL. (i never planned that as a career, but my mom had an old roommate who ended up that way and my dad was afraid that if i didn't get out i'd be next... thanks for the vote of confidence pops...)<br /><br />so, the lsat seemed fun cuz i'm a nerd and i did okay even though i didn't study and was offered like 4-5 scholarships at schools around the country, and that seemed a lot better than being the jamba-queen forever (even though i was pretty good at it). honestly, though, i hadn't really resigned myself to the single life after all. when it comes right down to it i never wanted to be a lawyer, and as much as i want to make a difference in the world, what that usually boils down to is that i want to get married and have babies. i try not to say that because i know it's scary. especially to boys. and if i scare them away then i'm just making things worse for myself. but $100k in loans from law school isn't gonna get me married either, and paying them off by myself would probably use up the rest of my good childbearing years, and then even if i did get married...well...honestly i look down that road and things look pretty bleak.<br /><br />yep, you got it. all that stuff about not wanting to be a lawyer, and all the money, and all of the negative things i said about school and spokane and needing to get away from there and the ex and bad memories, yadda-yadda... some of that's true, but a lot of it is just part of the canned speech...<br /><br />so, here i am free and on the prowl. unfortunately i've never been very good at prowling. so, i may just be back where i started...but at least i got out of provo, so i can tell my dad not to worry about the HBLL track. and if i end up an old maid anyway...well, there's no way to tell now, so i'll deal with that kind of hindsight when i get there...<br /><br />and really, i felt good about the decision to go to spokane, and about the decision to go to seattle...so, when it comes right down to it even the old maid or not thing is somewhat superficial. mostly, i'm just trying to go where heavenly father wants me to go, and no matter what happens, as long as i do that it will be okay. because doing what's right is the best way to be happy, no matter what any kind of hindsight may say.mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-35551683916598684872008-08-07T18:44:00.000-07:002008-08-07T19:27:27.942-07:00"it's less depressing if you're dancing"sometimes i wonder if, when people do little things that are hugely nice, they know how hugely nice they are being...i dunno, it seems like most people are usually looking at the world (and other people) as if everything is somehow disconnected from themselves. so, when they do something nice their perception of why it's a nice thing to do is focused on the action itself or some quality inside them that caused them to do it, but they don't notice just how much it affects the other person...and isn't that really what gives an action it's quality? i suppose the result is never certain so we get used to classifying things by the usual or expected result just to be safe... or we're afraid of classifying by result because of the occasional times that our good intentions somehow go awry... but that's kind of sad because then we shortchange ourselves from being able to recognize and appreciate the good we can do in the lives of others. or, in the alternative, we fail to sufficiently consider our actions and excuse ourselves of a lot of thoughtless misbehavior simply because we lacked any specific wrongful intent...<br /><br />anyway, i thought i was going to be so dead tired today. i've been staying up later every night this week than i should have because there were a bunch of church-people things going on, and since that's 100% of my social life in seattle so far i decided i should take advantage and deal with the consequences (a.k.a. being really tired at work the next day). but, i wasn't tired at all today! in fact, i felt really great! i went to the crazy-long training workshop for the new distribution and disbursement guidelines being implemented in compliance with the federal debt reduction act (yes, i did just use a bunch of work-lingo, so no you don't have to know what i'm talking about) and it turned out to be really fun! and i still had time to make a "rtn tc to ncp empl" (yes more work lingo), and managed to correct, print, and attach the worksheets for the 3 9-275's i generated yesterday and routed them to cst...and i'll just hit that off button and save the rest of the stuff that no one understands... but it was great!<br /><br />what does this have to do with dancing? well, on saturday night i was listening to this song... it's really pretty and really cute, only for some reason suddenly i was just crying! gross. i think it was just one of those times when you realize that your life isn't as cute as the song and dang it but you wish it was...and why isn't it? BUT that's just one of those things that happens when you're at home on saturday night doing your laundry. but then a few days later you go to a party and have fun and realize that life isn't really that bad...in fact sometimes it's pretty great, so you should be more grateful... and that maybe you shouldn't torture yourself and just save the cute songs for when you're dancing...<br /><br /><i>heaven, i'm in heaven<br>and the cares that hung around me through the week<br>seem to vanish like a gambler's lucky streak<br>when we're out together dancing</i>(even if it isn't)<i>cheek to cheek</i>mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-47569036344908951282008-08-01T19:07:00.000-07:002008-08-01T19:20:55.132-07:00making it officiali got an email from someone at school who noticed that i wasn't registered for classes, so i finally officially admitted that i wasn't coming back. so. there it is.<br /><br />interestingly though, the state has an employee education program, and if i decided i wanted to go back and finish i could get them to pay for it as long as i remained a full-time employee (so i'd have to go to school part time) and signed a contract to continue working for the state for a certain number of years after i finished. there is actually a team of lawyers in my office, and most of the bosses of my division are lawyers too. so, if in a few years i'm still single and want to make a little more of my career i could get my j.d. for free and have a guaranteed job when i'm done. sounds like a good deal to me! we'll see... i like my job a lot, so i'm pretty satisfied right now, but it's nice to have good future options.<br /><br />also, today i finally went to the department of licensing and managed to get them to believe i really am a washington resident. i didn't have much off the list of approved items to for residency since i don't pay my own utilities or anything, but i had a paystub (from the department of social and health services) and a letter about the state retirement program (i think from the department of revenue). usually those wouldn't count as separate things since they're from the same job, but the supervisor guy said it was okay since one could count as job related and the other could count as something gov't related since they were from different addresses and departments. *phew* <br /><br />and my picture looks better than the one on my utah license. probably because i'm less fat now. after three months on my diet i'm beginning to make some more noticible progress. hopefully that will continue. i will keep working on it. maybe then i won't die a single fat girl... although i guess i could still be stuck a single skinny girl, but that would still be better...mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-66865855915125815012008-07-25T21:14:00.000-07:002008-07-25T22:09:37.102-07:00hello? are you there?so, i haven't been writing much since i moved. i've thought about it a lot though. when i was first here i was just too busy getting set up. but then when things died down and i had the time... i dunno... i guess i've been feeling pretty alone so i just decided i should get to like it so i crawled into my little shell and haven't been saying anything.<br /><br />but then i remembered that i used to write this for myself, just to say what i wanted when there was no one else to talk to, so what was stopping me?<br /><br /><i>*sigh*</i><br /><br />okay, really, i've been trying really hard to be happy and fun and say that everything is great. so i didn't want to get on here and sound like miss whiney-pants like always. but it's true. i'm a fat little baby who is lonely and cries in the car on her way home from work because she hates knowing that she has nowhere to go except home by herself and that every day is going to be pretty much like the one before it.<br /><br />it's not like i haven't put in effort to meet people. i go to every church activity there is, even though i usually don't even know where i'm going and feel like an idiot always showing up by myself. usually toward the end i stop feeling awkward and manage to have fun, but then people start disbursing and i just leave because i'm tired of trying to force conversations with strangers who have better things to do.<br /><br />so here i am once again sitting at home on friday night planning to go to bed early because i have no actual plans...<br /><br />but, lest i seem obnoxiously silly and ungrateful:<br />even though i'm lonely all the time, i'm glad i moved and i'm grateful for a lot of things and i know my life is pretty good. i have a car i like and it's in good shape, i have a nice place to live that doesn't really cost me that much, and i have a good job, that pays sufficiently if not exceptionally well and has a lot of security, benefits, and opportunities to grow into better things. in fact, my first paycheck today was better than i expected (cuz my withholding isn't as much as i thought it'd be) and i got another little surprise from the irs so i decided to check out one of the malls here and bought a really hot shirt. plus, my diet is still working, even though i'm hitting a bit of a plateau so it's going to take some increased effort, and i'm looking and feeling better than i have in a long time. so my hot shirt will look even hotter, if i ever find a place where i can wear it...<br /><br />and, even though i don't have any friends to hang out with, i still have friends who occasionally email me or call, and a week ago i got a totally unexpected call from my favorite boy in the world! unfortunately i'm not his favorite girl in the world, but i was still happy, as dumb as that may be.<br /><br />so, i'm lonely, but not entirely unhappy i guess, and even though it's been slow-going in terms of social life, i haven't entirely given up on the possibility of a less-lonely future...<br /><br />yet...mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-45454853646856625482008-07-03T22:58:00.000-07:002008-07-03T23:51:21.017-07:00random things from talking to calvin on the phone, which is the most exciting thing that i've done outside work all week..."you wrote her back?"<br />"yeah! she could be a total hottie-pants!"<br />"or a total idiot"<br />"yeah, probably that too"<br /><br />"i'm 6'4" but i can crouch down to the size of a small leprechaun. does that help?"<br /><br />"yeah, she totally digs me"<br />"the fat girl?"<br />"yeah, and i shut her down. as nicely as i could"<br /><br />"i just beat them up and got tons of free money, but then they put it in the bank so i was like, blah. done."<br /><br />"WRONG!"<br />"it's my birth month! i know how to spell it!"<br />"okay, that works, it's the stupid little...i dunno, what the crap..."<br /><br />"i can hear you typing. what are you saying?"<br />"haha. i am cracking myself up from writing all these weirdo girls. okay, this is the one drowning girl... ashley, if i was drowning and you didn't know me, would you jump in and save me? huh? would ya?...oh, that is gonna be funny. girls respond to me. i was telling this little girl the other day, the one who's crazy who may or may not be interested in me, about all these cute girls on campus, that i'm not scared of them, i'm scared of me cuz i know if i put the moves on them they wouldn't stand a chance, and she was giving me crap about, have you ever heard my guitar playing thing?...if a guy starts playing the guitar and singing, whatever, not even romantic, it causes a chemical imbalance in girls and they're like "oh, they're so great". anyway, i was telling her that and she was giving me crap, and i was asking these other girls, what's better, a guy who dances with you or a guy who plays the guitar and sings?...and she was asking these other girls, and i was like, shut up josie..."<br />"what did the other girls say"<br />"i dunno, i tuned out..."<br /><br />"what the heck. i'm a huge fan of the social scene and love being out, but pajamas and flannel sheets rock my world. what is that?"<br /><br />"i should write like 10,000 girls, just to be weird...copy...paste..."<br /><br />"well, sometimes my mouth and my brain don't match up"<br /><br />"my neck was getting really sore from trying to hold my phone with my earlobe"<br /><br />"ah, schnaps"<br /><br />"and...uh...big gulp"<br /><br />"yeah, it makes me look dead sexy"<br /><br />"i can add a smiley face to this message! should i send the little one with the heart on it?"<br />"yes"<br />"oh, look, so special. if i marry this girl, i can tell her i knew the very first time i talked to her... okay, next. find the next girl. ...daughter...oh, you're done. she's only 21! i like playing video games and listening to techno trance?... i love tall guys! oh, wait... yes! requirement is 6'4" to 6'10" i just squeaked in. compose... this is what i'm writing "hey! pick me! i'm tall. and kind of cute in the face. here is a picture. hope you like it! hooray for tall people." sounds like a 3rd grader, but oh well. just look she's gonna be 5'2" but whateva."<br /><br />"am i slender or athletic?"<br />"i dunno...in between?"<br />"how about washboard, that sounds cool"<br />"i guess you're long and flat like a washboard, but i think that means you have a six pack."<br />"that's okay, we can let girls think that"<br /><br />"languages spoken? they should have "body language""<br /><br />"what's up gangsters! can i put that on here?"<br /><br />"some midgets are cool. they get to make movies and stuff."mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3612723604596725780.post-11592775311505628592008-06-28T16:56:00.000-07:002008-07-26T08:57:46.681-07:00exceeds expectationswoot!<br /><br />1) didn't get lost<br />2) the apartment is nice<br />3) the area is not as ghetto as i feared it may be<br />4) the other girl, maggie, who was in my room but not moving out til next week moved all her stuff and is sacking out on the couch so i can move into my room now! yes!<br />5) my roommate, kate, is super nice...<br />6) ...but not a threat to steal boys<br />7) the landlord family upstairs is totally nice too<br />8) all my stuff is out of the car, and it didn't take that long<br />9) now i can go shopping and get set up<br />10) i think i'm gonna like it heeere! (pretend my hair is red and my name is annie)<br /><br />i was sitting in my room writing a message on facebook, when i heard the office theme coming from my roommate's room, so i ran over to check it out...she was on facebook too. haha.<br /><br />i need some excedrin and a nap, but i think i'm gonna go shopping first...mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01535217594653791521noreply@blogger.com0