Dear Saturn,

23.11.08 - Sunday


Let us all take this moment of silence to remember what was once my little blue Saturn. It can be seen here in all its working glory…


Happy I'm okay! Sad because no more Saturn...

Explanation? Well, evidently God didn’t want me to have my car anymore. Which is fine. A little inconvenient, but I know there’s something good to come out of my lack of transportation. I’m not one to challenge the Big Man! But seriously, I know this will help me not to rely so much on myself, and will definitely help me to rely on my main man Jesus and my wonderful friends around me, considering Huntsvegas is not exactly designed for anything but driving cars…

But yeah… The damage is rather extensive, but thankfully neither I nor the other girl involved were hurt. Both our cars were totaled, but we both walked away from the accident. (Although, both my knees were out of commission for a day or two. Hard plastic dash + bony knees = nice bruises)

Turns out all my physics professors were right when they said that two objects cannot occupy the same space simultaneously. Thanks Pauli!




Notice my bumper hanging out next to my car?




I guess the 16 year old young woman thought I was turning right in an intersection, where I was in fact going straight, and she decided to make a left-hand turn directly in front of my car that was traveling at 45 mph. Whoops. Oh well… accidents happen. Thus the word accident. The details involved my front end passenger side smashing into her rear end passenger side, my car spinning 180 degrees, both my airbags deploying, me jumping out of the car like there was a fire under me, and then me going into something resembling shock. Boy… that was fun.

Oh, and I was branded. By my car. Haha… It was funny because I noticed this big red mark on my hand after everything had happened, and just assumed I had been burned by the airbag. As the night progressed, I kept looking at my hand, thinking it was changing shape… By the end of the night, I went to wash my face, and the warm water turned the mark even more red, resulting in my epiphany of realizing it SAID something! And what did it say?? It said “SATU” backwards. As in SATURN. And it included some of the symbol too… I couldn’t stop laughing for like 5 minutes. Probably some left-over shock. Haha… But yeah, apparently when the airbag exploded, the symbol on my steering wheel hit me so hard to brand my hand for the next week. Nice.

Oh, and I’d like to make a shout-out to Eric, John & Miller for picking up off the side of the road. I appreciate it. Haha.

Time to go car shopping! (Though, I don’t think I’ll be buying another Saturn. This was Totaled Saturn #2. At least I can attest to the fact that they’re safe cars!!)





What do they do with all the debris hanging out on the road after your plastic car sacrifices itself for you?
They load it into the back seat of your car. Lovely.

The Weird Uncle… Everyone's Got One…

22.11.08 - Saturday

In the city of Huntsvegas, in the circle of everything Greek, or more accurately, in the circle of everything Delta Zeta (which is the sorority that rules all in this city… they’re like the mob), there is one weekend that stands above the rest. That weekend is the weekend of the DZ Marketplace. Where you will find everything you never needed and so much more. But don’t worry, it’s all hand-made & just “so cute!” Unless you’re the lady at the Tupperware booth. I somehow doubt you made those containers yourself…

You can find yourself wandering aimlessly in this place for hours, “ooh-ing,” “ah-ing” and “uhhhh-ing” at the “talent” displayed amongst the many aisles of heavily scented and exuberantly decorated booths. But, to be fair, there are many talented persons that come to sell their crafts, and it is from those few individuals that I bought a majority of my Christmas presents for everyone.

Including, and not limited to, a wind chime made from antique silverware, a really cool drawing of a Jimmy Buffett inspired parrot scene (but in color!), the “left brain” for my KimJim, and a neat garden do-hicky for the madre. But the best gift of all was being able to leave with this picture of an extremely creepy peanut man.

All I can say is that I’m glad Uncle Salty is not related to me…



Oh Alabama…

Thanks for the Coffee Grandma!

16.11.08 - Sunday

I don’t really drink coffee. Never really have, though I sometimes enjoy the random cup, and the coffee aisle is one of my favorites at the grocery store. So, naturally, I don’t have a coffee maker in my apartment. And that’s all well & good, except for the rare occasion when that aromatic bean needs to make an appearance in my little kitchen, such as in an amazingly delicious chocolate cupcake recipe.

Well, Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing by Ina Garten (better known as the Barefoot Contessa) to be exact.

So, in preparation of using my amazing baking skills, I went to the local Target to buy some coffee grounds for the first time in my life. That’s right. The very first time. Now, I already mentioned I don’t have a coffee maker, but that wasn’t the exact truth. Thanks to my dear ol’ grandparents, I inherited almost every single appliance, tool, mechanism and accessory you could ever imagine necessary in any kitchen. Including a stove top coffee percolator. Uh huh. A percolator. Straight from the 1950’s.

I tried to capture a picture of the coffee bubbling up in the top glass bulb, but my photography skills are not up to par with my baking skills… :)

Alright, so I have this percolator. And I have the coffee grounds. Ummm… Now what!? I definitely had to do a bit of research to find out how exactly one makes coffee in the percolator. And turns out, for this particular model, though it says you can make as little as two cups at a time, it is a liar, and you have to make like 6 cups in order for it to create the right strength of brew! And you wanna know exactly how much coffee I needed for the recipe? 2 tablespoons. Yup. What’s that saying about “waste not; want not”? Whoops. Guess I should’ve gone with the instant coffee…

Jim Put My Stapler in Jell-O Again!

13.11.08 – Thursday

As an Office fan, I couldn’t help but emulate the very mature “Stapler in Jell-O” prank on a fellow office-mate who was gone on vacation for two weeks. (It was not a gorgeous replicate, but it got the point across... haha) And to make it even better, I used her red Swingline stapler, a duplicate to the infamous stapler belonging to Milton in Office Space.

It was pretty much amazing.










And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out this clip from the original UK version of The Office.

We’re Going to the Cyclades for Lunch. We’ll be Back.

12.11.08 - Wednesday

I wish every restaurant I went to was themed. And not only themed, but festooned in very discreet, simple decorations pertaining to their advertised food. Or the exact opposite! Ha.


We had Greek food for lunch today. And I must tell you, I felt like I was actually sitting on one of the Cyclades islands. Well, that is if they were cheesely decorated with giant wall murals, foam columns and burbling electric fountains surrounded by plexiglass in the corner.

The Moon is Made of Cheese

08.11.08 - Saturday

The moon is made of cheese. It’s true. Well, it is according to Google.

Is The Moon Made Of Cheese?!? ACCORDING TO GOOGLE.COM - Funny videos are here

Well, actually, I tried that out, and the moon is apparently no longer made of cheese. Sad day.

Sad day it may be for cheese, Google & the moon… It is not a sad day, but a beautiful day! Mmmm… wonderful fall colors & the moon. Love it!

Are You Single? Cause Becky Is!

06.11.08 - Thursday

Two reasons I don’t eat at Applebee’s.

a. They have strange cardboard cut-outs of men pointing at you standing at the hostess booth.






















II. The manager comes up to your table to ask if everything’s okay, and your fellow Young Life leaders ask if he’s single, followed by informing him that I just happen to be single. Thank you guys. But I’m really not interested in dating the Applebee’s manager. Especially one who proceeds to explain to you that he is currently going through a divorce, and goes into great detail about how crazy that woman is… Quite the catch. Thank you wanna-be matchmakers. Thank you.

When Life Gives You Lemons… Make Packaged Lemon Juice.

01.11.08 - Saturday

Why would someone want fresh lemon slices for their iced teas/waters when they can get these wonderfully compact packages of lemon juice?!?

I mean, sure, it probably cuts down on all the bacteria transfer going on when workers who don’t wash their hands cut the lemons and place the wedges in maybe not-so-clean containers for people to pick through with their grimy, I-just-wiped-my-kids-snot-with-my-fingers fingers and whoops-I-just-dropped-those-on-the-floor tongs. But still! You will never get the same satisfaction of trying to rip open a packet of lemon juice as you will get from squeezing the lemon wedge yourself and managing to squirt your friend in the eye “on accident.”


Just sayin’.

Are You Lola??

31.10.08 - Friday

Halloween. Some people’s favorite holiday of the year. You get to come up with a genius plan of a costume that will knock the socks off of everyone you encounter! You get to spend hours planning, shopping and putting the finishing touches on this outfit you’ll probably only wear once ever. That is… unless you’re me.

What did I do? Well, I merely went shopping in my own closet the night before. I entered my giant walk-in closet dressed in normal, every-day clothes, and emerged dressed in every mismatched article I could possibly fit together! What was the result? A sweet clown costume.

Or so I thought. Until I showed up at my church’s Harvest Fest, where there are hundreds of little children milling about. Where there are hundreds of little Hannah Montana fans milling about! Apparently… I looked just like “Lola” from Hannah Montana.

I had multiple little girls (and boys!) come up to me and shyly ask, “Are you Lola!?” To which I replied, “Absolutely!” (No sense in dashing all those little Cinderella/Buzz Lightyear/Frog’s hopes and dreams!)

And the funny part is… They actually believed me. They all ran away whispering and giggling to their friends…

My name is Becky, but tonight, you can call me Lola.

Make Your Own Calzone!

30.10.08 - Thursday

Let me set up a little story for you here.

You come home from a long day in the office. You’re getting hungry.

You don’t have too much time to make something amazing like you always do, (I mean, you are so incredibly gifted in the kitchen [not to toot your own horn or anything…]) since you have plans tonight (you’re also incredibly popular). You reach into the freezer for a yummy CPK pizza you recently bought at Target (presumably on your infamous Black Spaghetti run…), for these very rare times when you give in to corporate, frozen-fed America.

You instantly begin salivating, which is stupid, since you still have like 20 minutes before you can even eat it, and that’s only if you’re willing to try to ingest molten-lava cheese, resulting in some sweet 2nd degree burns on the inside your mouth, which in itself results in not being able to taste the rest of the amazing CPK pizza, so in reality you have to wait like 25 minutes. Fine. You can read another 10 chapters of the brilliant novel you’re currently reading (Cause really, who has time for TV? Especially when you’re talented enough to read 10 chapters of anything in 25 minutes…) while it’s cooking. That’s a bargain you’re willing to live with. All of these near-future plans are running through your head as you’re ripping open the cardboard box. You reach in, pull out the plastic-wrapped goodness, only to find… ::gasp::!!!

What?? What happened here?? WHY is only HALF of my CPK goodness covered in toppings?? Maybe the CPK big-wigs are hinting you shouldn’t eat so much. Maybe they’re giving you an open invitation to create your own toppings for the other half. Maybe they want you to make it a calzone instead! You’re not sure what their true intentions were, but you are flabbergasted. Yes, flabbergasted. (You realize you truly don’t use that word enough…)

But, no matter. You’re an engineer. You’ll figure this out… That’s why they pay you the big bucks.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

29.10.08 - Wednesday

A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves."


Umm… marvelous. I saw this book (Eats, Shoots & Leaves) at Barnes & Noble (my earthly form of heaven) and knew I needed it the instant I realized it was a sweet illustrated edition. The closer of the deal? The price tag on the back. There is no price listed. Instead, it merely says “Sticklers unite!”


Uh-mazing.

For Those Unique Grocery Needs…

28.10.08 - Tuesday

Walk in to Target.
Get out your grocery list.
Begin your search.

Milk? Check.
Apples? Check.
Eggs? Check.
BLACK Spaghetti??? Check!

Really? Black Spaghetti?? Two questions: Why? Really?

I’m not saying it’s not cool, but what’s the purpose? For those people offended by plain ol’ spaghetti? To get those stubborn children to eat their pasta? To make it invisible for when you dine in the dark?

Hmm… I suppose you could ponder the wonder of black spaghetti for hours on end. Instead, I think I’ll just eat it.

Uncle Smokey Would Be So Proud…

27.10.08 - Monday

Tonight we had a GIANT bonfire for ((echo)), and when I think of giant bonfires out in the middle if nowhere, it reminds me of my Uncle Smokey.

“Uncle?” you ask? Yes, Uncle. Or some form of relation. You see, my grandfather was one of the forest rangers who discovered Smokey Bear. But Smokey doesn’t write; he doesn’t call… ::sigh::

Oh well, I’ll just ride on his coattails… good enough for me.

Ha. :)


And, who doesn’t love a good Public Service Announcement? Especially one with Sleeping Beauty!!

Wildfire Prevention- Unexpected

Funny How...

26.10.08 - Sunday

Beyoncé - New Music - More Music Videos

Enough said.

I Scream… You Scream… We All Scream For Ice Cream!

25.10.08 - Saturday

Hmmm…. Statistically, Alabama’s ranked as the third fattest state in the country. I wonder why!? Oh wait… it could be because they dedicate ENTIRE grocery store aisles to ice cream! Geez Louise people. Geez Louise.

Love From China. Or Huntsville, AL.

24.10.08 - Friday

First thing first. We have an “outdoors” store in Huntsville. Now, that’s not all that unusual, since there are plenty of opportunities for outdoor activities here. But the fact that it’s in a “trendy” mall, trying to market to the upper-class people of Huntsville kind of makes me laugh… And it’s also just weird seeing all this gear that I would consider Colorado-worthy sitting on shelves & hanging on racks. I guess I just find some things harder to adjust to than others… Haha…

Beyond my prejudices against this store (and the people working in it, who look like they’re trying WAY too hard to be what they imagine a Patagonia model would look like…), they did have some pretty sweet stuff.

Like this amazing hat!! I’ve seen serious hikers wearing this thing, and after trying it on myself, I would imagine it would be something I could own someday… But maybe not today. Since I live in Huntsville, Alabama and won’t be hiking along the Great Wall any time soon…


And here’s some love from Paramore. Decode’s one of their new songs on the upcoming Twilight soundtrack!
Mmm… Edward.

Paramore - New Music - More Music Videos

Yes, Scary Old Men Text Too!

23.10.08 - Thursday

Who says texting is just for the kids these days?!

Don’t hate! Celebrate!