Can I be Waterboarded now Please?

I forgot to post this a little earlier, but it's just as relevant.

Dear Newlywed couple sitting behind me on the plane.

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your achievement. It must have taken a lot of time, effort, and determination to get where you both are today. Not many people can pull it off quite as well these days, but you two have certainly proved that it can still be done. Marriage? No, I'm talking about your achievement in becoming the two most obnoxious people on the plane. It's a shame that we're so close to Christmas, because Santa/Father Christmas might have to put me on his hit list (for those who are especially naughty) at the last minute.

How do I know you're newlyweds? well first of all I'm suffering from radiation sickness by the way you two are beaming there next to each other. Second of all, the guy sitting next to me told me, and he is an off-duty flight attendant (we'll call him Stewart) who has "seen this kind of bull---- all the time". Third, you are completely oblivious to the fact that there are other human beings in the vicinity who are all giving you dirty looks. Yes yes we all know you're so happy, but that doesn't mean you have to share it with all of us.

So what exactly have you done to earn the ire of myself and everybody around you? Your volume. Not only are you speaking to each other as if you're on opposite sides of the plane, but you are talking about the biggest load of tripe I've ever heard. Do you really think we care to hear about the process of elimination you go through while taking exams? Or your theory on why that hamster you're getting has a big black splotch on its fur? And the laugh, oh good grief the laugh. When I hear Stewart say "Man, I haven't seen people this bad in years", I wonder if I've stumbled into purgatory by accident.

There are however, those brief moments of silence that we have come to appreciate so much. Sometimes I wonder if you decided that you couldn't wait long enough for the flight to end (all 2 hours of it) and just hopped out (we can only hope). Then to my dismay I discover what all that chatter has been replaced with. Now I'll admit, I myself am guilty of public displays of affection in the past (I'm sure you all want to hear that), but do you REALLY have to be on top of her now? Can't you nitwits wait like another 30 minutes?

Oh look, the seat-belt light has lit up. I guess you two have run out of time to earn your rightful place in the Mile High Club, thank heavens. Next time you'll have to do an international flight. In the baggage compartment. For the whole time preferably.

A tortured soul who is feeling somewhat better now.
        -GB

Gods Fencer

I've been walking on and off with my cane, and most recently just walking around while carrying my cane. It's nice to have around as backup just in case my hip starts to become painful. I decided to go to the temple last week. For those of you who don't know, the temple is a very quiet place with people speaking softly in the halls to each other so as not to make too much noise. During my visit, I decided to use the lift that was being operated by a very nice lady who was rather advanced in age. Standing next to me was a very old and frail man with a cane. While we were going up in the lift, the man glanced over at me, then at my cane, then at me. His withered face then wrinkled into a mischievous grin. He leaned over to me and asked "you wanna have a cane fight?" . I couldn't help but laugh, and the woman operating the lift didn't know how to react at that moment.

With that in mind, we both moved slowly to the endowment room and enjoyed a good session :)

Just a note the food blog is still under reconstruction, and I will pay far more attention to it after the redesign. I think everyone is going to just love it, as Michele has been gracious in helping her artistically challenged brother.

Facebook = Skynet?

I wrote a message to my sister Michele on facebook last week. I included a link in the message, which activated their security check. Lo and behold, the picture below shows what facebook wanted me to type in.






Just thought I'd share :)

Talk about commitment

Ok this is just a quick post, but I just wanted to point out how amazing this video is. These guys must have dropped a lot of time and work into doing this.

Getting Back Up.

I've been walking for a week now, and I've never been so happy to do so. I'm putting my life back together now, and I can finally look forward to clearer skies in my future. I went looking around the UV Job board again and found a job where I can become a recipe writer and tester for a company called Sundesa. I'm putting in my resume tomorrow, so I'm crossing my fingers! :) My school work also is more or less coming under control. The math I've been doing this summer is far less than I thought it would be, so I've been hyping myself up for nothing really. On top of all that, I'm starting to make plans to finally move back out of the house at the end of this year when I've recovered more.

I also had my fingerprints taken last Thursday for my impending U.S. Citizenship. Obviously the office we went to didn't get the memo that they're supposed to be bureaucratic and slow like all government offices. We went into the office at 12 noon, and left at 12:10 with the prints taken and all the paperwork taken care of. Immigration is so on the ball when you're on the last stretch.

As a wise man I knew in Cali would always say, life is good.

Converting to Yankeeism

I was thinking a few days ago about how moving to the States was such an ordeal/blessing with all the adventures it entailed. But one thing that sticks out the most is that prior to getting on the plane to finally leave, I remember my mom saying " Remember kids, the Americans don't need us". That statement went right to the core. Even though I thought of America as the proverbial "Promised Land", it became crystal clear that we were going to have to make ourselves needed. If we wanted to stay, we would really have to get stuck in with how the Americans do things (not to mention all the hoops to jump for immigration). People complain about how things are in the US, and I'm all too happy to offer an exchange of citizenship with them. I don't really know what's going on in SA these days, but there are just too many things I love here to even consider going back. Some of these things are:

I have access to a great education.
In all of the states I've been to, people have been generally friendly.
The diversity across the country is incredible.
I have access to amazing medical treatment.
The mosquitoes here don't like my blood for some reason :)
An incredible natural landscape.
Costco

Don't get me wrong, I miss some things about SA, but let's be realistic here. If I REALLY wanted a box of Romany Creams, I could just order them off the net. All the U.S. needs now is a full blown national rugby league (with cricket as an added bonus).

There are just some things you can't let go of though:

Why you Should do What the Doctor Says

Let's talk painkillers for a sec. I've been on them for a while, and they're nothing new to me. When I'm in a decent amount of pain, I take one. When I'm not in pain, I leave them alone, simple as that. So for some reason that is in hindsight just beyond me, I decided to not take any today. Normally this isn't a problem except for now my hip really hurts and that I'm about to take one as soon as I'm done typing this.

So what's a guy to do when he can either go the manly (stupid) path, or the logical path and just take the meds? It's not rocket science here people. I've been asked whether or not I get a high off these drugs, and the answer is no. Or mostly not. (The names and locations of these drugs won't be mentioned here, but suffice it to say that it doesnt take much to knock me out). But every now and then, I go into a vegetative state from just taking one (whereas that much probably wouldn't phase anyone else). While in this state, I found the most remarkable video that had me mesmerized for a good 15-20 min. It was almost hypnotic.

I present exhibit A:
http://www.yooouuutuuube.com/v/?rows=18&cols=18&id=pAwR6w2TgxY&startZoom=1

So the moral of the story here is that if you're ever bored our of your skull and you have to take a painkiller, don't go randomly browsing the internet.