That's My Girl! Part 4.

On Friday, my sister and her family were camping, so the rest of us went up to have a hot dog roast with them. We were wandering around the forest, looking at the beaver dam in the river.

On the way back my niece proclaims, "Follow me! I'm the prophet!"

Nick-names

Not a single sibling in my family goes by their full name. In fact, it seems a little strange when the full name is used, as if we're in trouble.

Christina -> Nina. Marianne -> Mare. Emily ->Em. Erin -> Rin.

Maybe we're just lazy. Any more than two syllables and you're out.

You Will Never Be Sorry.

For living a white life; for doing your level best; for your faith in humanity; for being kind to the poor; for looking before leaping; for hearing before judging; for being candid and frank; for thinking before speaking.

-Anon.

A bit of an indulgence.

Might I request your attention to my personal day to day affairs and tell you that:

MY BIRTHDAY WAS AWESOME!!!

The celebrations started the night before with the family. They all provided a fabulous chicken/fancy salads/baked beans with bacon dinner, followed by an oreo cake and mint chocolate chip ice cream. That cake was dang amazing. It was homemade and looked like a giant oreo. Presents included a camera, flip flops that doubled as the center piece, a cook book and yummy-smelly lotions. And I got balloons and beaded necklaces. Plus it was with some of the family, which automatically makes it awesome.

I woke up at 7am on the day of, to a call from a friend who serenaded me with a lovely, traditional version of "Happy Birthday". In weight training, the instructor was "on one" and threatened to throw dumbbells at people who had bad technique. I told him that he couldn't be mean to me on my birthday, so thankfully even though I got lots of "straighten that back!", my head stayed in tact. The rest of the day was uneventful until after work. Mom and I had our nails done. A friend stopped by and gave me graham cracker waffle mix. I am craving to try it. The night finished with a few friends, a little backyard dancing, Monopoly and more cake eating. Just after midnight I got another call from a different friend and another classic rendition of "Happy Birthday." That summed up a pretty awesome day.

Now I'm 22. Old.

Translating.

There is always something lost when language is being translated. A lot of the time it's choosing between very similar synonyms, other times, if you use one word differently, it will change the entire message of the text.

But sometimes you just have to question people's word choice. For example, the following is from Hesiod's Works and Days. I will refrain from telling you which translator it was to cover for any criticism. Except I'm pretty sure he's dead. Either way, here it is:

Do not let a flaunting woman coax and cozen and deceive you: she is after your barn. The man who trusts womenkind trusts deceivers. 

First of all: Really Hesiod? Are females generally that bad? There are always those odd exceptions, but come on. 

But to the point, note the word barn. BARN?! The other possibilities are words like estate. Personally, I know more women would rather have an entire estate if they're really going to "coax and cozen" men, not just the barn. Of course if you are a literary haute, you would tell me that barn implies the center of wealth for an estate meaning all that the man has for monetary means. And I would just tell you that to heck with implying all his wealth and just say "estate". Then we wouldn't all have to think as hard as you.

I Like Candy.

At home currently, I have a 1 lb (diminishing in size rather quickly) bag of gummy bears. Also waiting is a larger-than-my-face sucker from Disneyland. In a drawer to be saved for a rainy day is an Almond Joy. Candy is not something I regularly partake of, and right now I feel like the luckiest kid in the world. 

glee

Status Update

On Facebook, it is always interesting to see what posts people will respond to. Sometimes you may say something shocking and no one will comment, or you may post the most hum-drum idea and your friends go wild. This is an example of the latter, amusing enough to preserve for your enjoyment. 

Red is like a good wine.

• When can I scrutinize the vine?
• Someone stomped on you with barefeet? That wasn't nice of them.
• High alcohol content? Not safe for children? Best when accompanied with a sharp cheese? All bottled up? Reportedly healthy when taken in small portions? Robust? Flammable? Are you flammable?
• You need time to breathe?
• You get better with age?
• You should be kept in a cellar for several years to mature?
• You are to be avoided?
• ...try not to stain my shirt or the carpet.
• You will not spill, even when placed on a Tempur Pedic mattress someone is jumping up and down on!
• It takes at least 20 minutes to fully savor you?
• Deep and red? Intoxicating?

The line is actually from a musical, Jane Eyre. Mrs. Fairfax is singing about Mr. Rochester, "And like a good wine, gets better with age." Though the first one was equally appropo, when later Blanche Ingram sings to Mr. Rochester, "Make no mistake, like the taste of the wine, when it comes to a woman, you must scrutinize the vine."