cramerton, NC

i think that i'm in cramerton, NC. google maps said it would take more than 8 hours, but i made it in about 6.5. yes, i break the law--i speed a little bit. my driving skills might leave you wanting. so what.

because i drove down here alone, i spent the entire time listening to music very loudly. it was a good time to think and pray. and get a suh-lamming tan. on my left forearm.



after all this lonely introspection, i've come to a conclusion. under stress, or even under normal everyday conditions, i can be astoundingly selfish. but somehow, God shows me such grace and everlasting love. how can it be?

lovelove,
tenacious T

novocaine

i love my dentist, but as i walked through the door to his office today, i whispered under my breath that i hated him! i could hardly believe that actually came out of my mouth. i guess it's a true love-hate relationship.

the whisper of hatred was a result of the sick dread of knowing that i was walking in there to get two cavities filled today. post-procedure, he told me that he actually did three for the price of two for me, knowing that i was going to be away from him for the next three years and knowing that i was already all numbed up. see, the love? he takes care of me.

plus, he runs marathons, which is, you know, super-duper cool. he's got tons of those paper marathon ID numbers nearly covering one entire wall of his private office where he discusses all the discounts he gives me. the love.

i also love that he doesn't have a dental hygenist. no offense to all of you dental hygenists out there, but i think there's something special about my dentist personally handling all the details and knowing everything about my teeth from checkup to final rinse. he also has a fantastic memory about all the details of my family (we all go to him) and makes me feel as though he really cares for all of us.

PLUS, he is generous with the novocaine (side note, i wonder how similar novocaine is to cocaine). i've had him pull two of my wisdom teeth and fill a few cavities, and i've never felt too uncomfortable... though... i still can't really feel my teeth and it's been almost 12 hours. should i be concerned?

lovelove,
the Augustine Paik DDS fanclub president

a quick fortune

from a fortune cookie from mama goo's chinese restaurant in NYC:

 

tourism

i hadn't been to see the cherry blossoms in years, and i won't be able to see them again in years, so i thought i'd make a trip today. too bad that most everyone i know is working during normal daytime hours. so i went alone. also too bad that the rains and winds have really torn off all the delicate cherry blossoms and thrown them in the tidal basin. here i am posing in front of the only branch that held on to those petals tight. it was a prime photo opportunity for many. i had to really elbow my way through the other tourists to get this shot.

here's a nice one of the jefferson memorial. note the paddleboat in front. i don't know why, but the springling of the paddleboats all over the water was really lovely to me.

these were photos from inside the jefferson memorial. i liked the ceiling, the quotes on the walls, and how jefferson was like SO tall.


lovelove,

the single among many

filing taxes

i'm so sure that many of you have already dutifully filed your taxes and are happily spending your tax returns. but here i am, in the thick of things. the good news is that i've already finished my federal stuff, woooohoooo! but now i'm on my state and local taxes... and totally regretting the fact that i worked in washington dc last year, seeing as how i reside in maryland. stupid maryland. or stupid dc, i can't decide.

i started filling out my MD form, and found out that the tax withheld was actually DC state tax withheld. so thus, i need to fill out a MD tax credit form. that form tells me i need to fill out another form, basically filing for DC state tax returns. what the hamstring is going on. i feel like i've followed this endless trail of breadcrumbs and i'm lost. does anyone actually know what things like "fiduciary income" and "aquaculture oyster floats" are?

and like the tenacious nerd that i am, i feel as though i just can't get to bed unless i tackle this monster and triumph with some returns. once you pop, you can't stop.

this entry was just my pit stop on the way to tax heaven.

lovelove,
taxilla

allergic to it

if someone says they're allergic to something, it immediately gives them an excuse not to eat/pet/smell/whatever it, right? i've thought for a long time that i was allergic to grass because anytime we played something outside in gym class, i would get all red, splotchy and itchy on my legs. i didn't really complain, though, because i wanted so badly to fit in during those days of P.E.

as i've grown older, i've begun to suspect that it's not grass that i'm allergic to at all. i think actually, it might be the EXERCISE. any physical exertion, and my legs turn all red, splotchy and itchy. now, i know there are many medical people out there that might have an answer and remedy for me. but really, i'm ALLERGIC to it, and who needs to exercise anyway? *guilty pause*

so today, i actually did go walking/running. it had been SO long since i'd seen those red, itchy splotches--so long that i was sort of happy to see them again. hello, old friends. plus, it was just a deliciously gorgeous day. thank you God for today.

incidentally, i was out running a few errands today in the middle of the day. and i noticed something. there are a LOT of people doing things in the middle of the day. doesn't anyone go to work? i guess i just live near a lot of independently weathly people who don't need jobs... or people who don't have jobs and are independently poor. :O]

lovelove,
fair weather walker

what day is it... where am i?

i flew into washington national airport from LA today on a red eye. i had left my car at the metro station near my house, so i hopped on the metro after collecting my belongings. it was pretty convenient, but after spending the whole night on a plane and not having eaten anything, i got a little motion sick on the way home. at least, i think/hope it was motion sickness and not some other weird viral thing. i started to sweat, feel nauseous, cough/choke. it was rather frightening, because i thought i really might gag and throw up the grapefruit juice that i had on the plane. ew.

somehow or another, i made it home, with gastric contents in tact. and though i slept in the plane, i still slipped into my lovely bed and slept a glorious 7 hours.

now that i've eaten, unpacked and started laundry, i feel as though it may be time for bed again.

down with xanga

xanga has made my blog decision for me. apparently, my xanga site has been "shut down for violation of Xanga's eligibility requirements." i can't find "eligibility requirements" outlined anywhere on their site, so i'm still sort of confused about what made them kick me off. did i violate their terms of use? i didn't post anything that was threatening, abusive, objectionable, illegal, or trademarked... i didn't hurt children... i am really who i say i am... i didn't put any viruses in there... and i didn't collect and store people's personal information... at least, i don't think i did any of those things. heck, i'm not computerly advanced enough to even attempt many of them. bah.

it's the end of a three and a half year era. i was a good citizen, a devoted blogger. and now, for some mysterious reason, all my thoughts are gone. gone gone gone. i am rather sad about it. let's have a moment of silence.

lovelove,
smelen

helen and charles

Originally uploaded by takadoodledoo.

2 of the 4 posts so far on this site have been about cows. i'm usually mathematically ridiculous, but that looks to me like approximately one half of my posts are about a bovine topic.

i promise, i think about non-cow items more than half of my waking hours.

i've been trying out the photo posting tools available for blogspot, today's test is from flickr.com. the photo de jour is me on the charles river. it was a rather dreary day, but i was having a good time with a dear old friend. it's nice when a friend can fill a dark day with laughter.

a few other thoughts on my boston trip can be found here.

i could not break free

i was walking with a friend the other day. we were having a shallow conversation about something or other, and she said "haha!! we should start a 'heard in boston' with our quotes!"

confusion ensues as i think of what she could mean by 'herd in boston.' is she suggesting that we start to moo right now? that would be fun... though i'm not sure that's what she meant. "huh?" i respond.

"you know, like 'heard in new york," she clarifies.

"herd in new york?" should we try to get a large pack of pedestrians together to walk, as if in a herd of cattle? still confused. that would mean so much work, and why would she suggest that all of the sudden??

heavens. i still don't get her.

"like the website that wanx was reading!! people saying crazy things, you know??"

"HAHAHAHA!!! i got the idea of herds in my mind, and i could not break free!!!"

lovelove,
cow brained

mid-afternoon snack

low-fat, high in vitamins and nutrients.

butts

i know, i know, i'm super-duper childish, but this photo always seems to make me smile. three fluffy cow butts in a row, all different colors--it appeals to so many of the senses. :O)

ai, this is what happens when helen spends entirely too much time alone in her room.... i need something else to publish on the internet for the world to see. :O)

to switch or not to switch...

that is the question. see, blogger seems a lot more sophistocated and grownup than xanga... but at the same time, i seem to keep getting lost in here. let's keep this and try to compare to xanga as we go... and see which one i'll be more committed to in years to come.