tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25219706749863807362024-03-05T04:47:08.957-08:00nshawnat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-88545852160518731312010-09-13T08:24:00.000-07:002010-09-13T08:50:32.378-07:00Party in the USAMiley Cyrus has a little song you might have heard of, called "Party In the USA." If you've never heard it you can listen to it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA">here</a>. Catchy, right?<br /><br />Most people mock the song for its horrible pop-ness, but I've really come to appreciate it for its deeper, more subtle meanings. The song came out last year, right as I was packing up to move to New Jersey. Beneath the silly lyrics about rocking kicks and Nashville parties (whatever those are), the song is really about how much of an obstacle homesickness can be when pursuing your dreams. Miley is jetting off to LA to become a big music star, feeling a little wary about being so far from her hometown, when she hears her favorite song on the radio. Despite being thousands of miles from Nashville, and all of the comfort and familiarity that that entails, she realizes she is still "home," in this mighty country called the United States of America, where people in LA are rocking out to the same songs as people in Nashville (or New Jersey, or Omaha, or DC).<br /><br />There is a bar not too far from my house here in DC called the Union Pub where, every Saturday, Husker fans from across the city gather to yell and scream at the TV and drink pitchers of Elk Creek. The bar gets so packed with people the bouncer has to turn people away at the door, and every single patron is sporting Husker gear. That, my dear friends, is what Miley Cyrus is singing about in "Party in the USA." Thousands of miles away, in a strange and unfamiliar city, I have found a little piece of home to get me through.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaQhOAEos0XvRcO6ciBbHHtwRbJdE6E2Z2pGwAL3FZWsHbKDjK9exAENJBMY-xd7H-uQBazWqFjAP8EZmRqcZ7y1BZpLv1vUYr3uuyT4Xk6z31EapJbmjyPHoYLI7mECeu-hdxWxmnT0/s1600/DSCN0239.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaQhOAEos0XvRcO6ciBbHHtwRbJdE6E2Z2pGwAL3FZWsHbKDjK9exAENJBMY-xd7H-uQBazWqFjAP8EZmRqcZ7y1BZpLv1vUYr3uuyT4Xk6z31EapJbmjyPHoYLI7mECeu-hdxWxmnT0/s320/DSCN0239.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516423965156470034" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPLDb3ICeg1eQX8TacHhTmrWHO_mk7dp4Cdk4HFu7kmIO5NsxzTGdRePboSX-fDJiKpTOq-uAkhxEU4WGc0sDU3CXM3HHzB7VcgbMlIVxPBtl0ZJCWPWRC990lJlqu6suXpBxVCBAebk/s1600/DSCN0242.jpg"> </a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPLDb3ICeg1eQX8TacHhTmrWHO_mk7dp4Cdk4HFu7kmIO5NsxzTGdRePboSX-fDJiKpTOq-uAkhxEU4WGc0sDU3CXM3HHzB7VcgbMlIVxPBtl0ZJCWPWRC990lJlqu6suXpBxVCBAebk/s1600/DSCN0242.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPLDb3ICeg1eQX8TacHhTmrWHO_mk7dp4Cdk4HFu7kmIO5NsxzTGdRePboSX-fDJiKpTOq-uAkhxEU4WGc0sDU3CXM3HHzB7VcgbMlIVxPBtl0ZJCWPWRC990lJlqu6suXpBxVCBAebk/s320/DSCN0242.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516423741986223490" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rwXPaO3XNjKwVPgBXEdpKtfp3FTtHb68lGF1JUvndDXC698x1WgoK2lyK_8Ujj0r1OJF_gM1wSGNB-3GZRBdIE8GmC7dEuOuKxcJeBCcs0pItBrph-binOTQxEApg4PLTFgCr4hmrTY/s1600/DSCN0241.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 248px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0rwXPaO3XNjKwVPgBXEdpKtfp3FTtHb68lGF1JUvndDXC698x1WgoK2lyK_8Ujj0r1OJF_gM1wSGNB-3GZRBdIE8GmC7dEuOuKxcJeBCcs0pItBrph-binOTQxEApg4PLTFgCr4hmrTY/s320/DSCN0241.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5516425048093078354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPLDb3ICeg1eQX8TacHhTmrWHO_mk7dp4Cdk4HFu7kmIO5NsxzTGdRePboSX-fDJiKpTOq-uAkhxEU4WGc0sDU3CXM3HHzB7VcgbMlIVxPBtl0ZJCWPWRC990lJlqu6suXpBxVCBAebk/s1600/DSCN0242.jpg"> </a></div>nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-90386006218494316132010-09-08T21:17:00.001-07:002010-09-08T21:53:29.889-07:00X-STREAMI need you to promise me something right now. If anyone, and I mean ANYONE, ever invites you to go whitewater tubing with them, you must promise me that you will go. By far one of the most fun experiences I have had, and it was only $35!<br /><br />DC was pretty empty this Labor Day weekend. Apparently there was supposed to be a hurricane, or something, so everyone fled, though I'm not sure as to where. A few of my friends and I decided to drive to West Virginia to float in tubes in Harpers Ferry, where the Shenandoah and the Potomac meet to make beautiful things happen. After an hour of listening to "Country Road" by John Denver on repeat to get us pumped up, we arrived. We had two choices, flatwater tubing, a lazy river-esque experience, or whitewater tubing, which they assured us was actually rather difficult, especially with the headwind rolling in to blow us off course into dangerous and shallow waters, and not at all the relaxing river ride we'd anticipated. But of course we've never been ones to listen to naysayers so we packed our cooler full of Modelo's and hit the open rapids.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGOB_FM-NQ0UyeizzGzgODptx9h6GdMrD2-yBhx7w5C99hyphenhyphenfW6FsGDSVJoBt8LwopNK18ts6D0j_83RjVIi5p0NMviD11wG59zEtosDxUX4E2ZK6lv6aA6jiWUisVZTnGNJT96MKbLz8/s1600/46789_536516813985_14402371_31768687_3010365_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 251px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsGOB_FM-NQ0UyeizzGzgODptx9h6GdMrD2-yBhx7w5C99hyphenhyphenfW6FsGDSVJoBt8LwopNK18ts6D0j_83RjVIi5p0NMviD11wG59zEtosDxUX4E2ZK6lv6aA6jiWUisVZTnGNJT96MKbLz8/s320/46789_536516813985_14402371_31768687_3010365_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514769783336201634" border="0" /></a><br />The beginning, I'll admit, was pretty difficult. They dropped us off on the left side of the river, and then informed us we had to "aggressively paddle" our little selves against the current to the other side of the (rather wide, mind you) Potomac River.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyKCyQx6al24q9d4mUgz9ileEHKst-736354eedfPbhAusUAkeEK4r22PkNNFVW4JiwrjmvqD2f41UYX_Xr9tIAEsnHP99yX28pHdxCuITIIko4oefBgrg20irX6hBZnAMj0kwFvkBPuY/s1600/46656_536516833945_14402371_31768689_4614781_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyKCyQx6al24q9d4mUgz9ileEHKst-736354eedfPbhAusUAkeEK4r22PkNNFVW4JiwrjmvqD2f41UYX_Xr9tIAEsnHP99yX28pHdxCuITIIko4oefBgrg20irX6hBZnAMj0kwFvkBPuY/s320/46656_536516833945_14402371_31768689_4614781_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514770007156975698" border="0" /></a><br />Shortly after reaching the other side we hit a rocky patch and encountered our first rapids. They were small, only Class I and II (and for one brief and shining moment Class III!), but don't underestimate the pure thrill of conquering Class II rapids in a tiny tube.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpznttMV7jhyphenhyphenE18mhQ6LJd9trZro8emTissRRAkCfkTztR-TI5sxFVRq1mNlKdAOFaEjj-mE4jDfx6H_DrkJgRzYpymcuwFiDOPu4HK1qOKnv-ifvEkKtwLgPVPzueYfc4zR7zEpWdUZQ/s1600/46656_536516863885_14402371_31768695_6830867_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 195px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpznttMV7jhyphenhyphenE18mhQ6LJd9trZro8emTissRRAkCfkTztR-TI5sxFVRq1mNlKdAOFaEjj-mE4jDfx6H_DrkJgRzYpymcuwFiDOPu4HK1qOKnv-ifvEkKtwLgPVPzueYfc4zR7zEpWdUZQ/s320/46656_536516863885_14402371_31768695_6830867_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514770275458464322" border="0" /></a><br />Four hours of brief adrenaline thrills and lulls of lazy river lounging bliss later, we "aggressively paddled" our way back over to the left side of the river to the pick up point and left the Wild and Wonderful West Virginia river behind. Exhausted and half-starved, we scoured Harpers Ferry for barbecue (isn't that what you eat in West Virginia?) and finally found a place with pulled pork sandwiches and curly fries for $16. Refreshed from nature and packing several pecks of peaches from a fruit stand, we returned to the city with the rest of the masses, trying not to think of the "Terrible Traffic Tuesday" we would face in the morning.<br /><br />In conclusion, whitewater tubing is something I recommend for everyone in the entire world. Because if everyone went whitewater tubing, I'm pretty sure there'd be a lot less war, and a lot more good times. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-RDsuVusFYFsH8a9mHvyeCVjR-oOCNqf0b6vNir163d0q1N35yZmSb_PxNBJJdHRMlSChkNlezKSOLL_ve8W7Vgl_2Dp5345ODrPirOFd7hpb51YdVkvmP4sYA057cyciAoq9Q_yn24/s1600/47480_536516953705_14402371_31768701_1814416_n.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk-RDsuVusFYFsH8a9mHvyeCVjR-oOCNqf0b6vNir163d0q1N35yZmSb_PxNBJJdHRMlSChkNlezKSOLL_ve8W7Vgl_2Dp5345ODrPirOFd7hpb51YdVkvmP4sYA057cyciAoq9Q_yn24/s320/47480_536516953705_14402371_31768701_1814416_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514770352688642962" border="0" /></a>nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-37064405142603749222010-09-05T13:51:00.000-07:002010-09-05T14:28:10.890-07:00DC!Well folks, I yet again find myself in an entirely new place with next to no plan. Yet again I decided to go through the agonizing pre-move jitters, to spend 18 hours of staring down the interstate wondering what in the hell I was doing, and to experience that first night in a strange, empty bedroom, so incredibly far away from anything familiar or friendly (well, except for Obie, of course).<br /><br />I now live in a rowhouse in the Atlas District of DC, a block north of the bustling H St Corridor. "Up and coming" is the term the realtor used for our neighborhood, but what she really meant was "increasingly white." Popping up next to barber shops and soul food restaurants are hip, expensive coffee shops and swanky wine bars. Gentrification at its finest.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOQa4rc6tjYRfo2zj_g8iTrzha-CxCh753BK7F4PR54IPQivLEa6JUEegzuXT6wCjnb1QSc7CZBocyfmETtbWf3RhFs0ux6EU8sOGwaMc99tUva68rvX8zJ0TgR422V4HyMmmPCPPWV0/s1600/DSCN0137.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOQa4rc6tjYRfo2zj_g8iTrzha-CxCh753BK7F4PR54IPQivLEa6JUEegzuXT6wCjnb1QSc7CZBocyfmETtbWf3RhFs0ux6EU8sOGwaMc99tUva68rvX8zJ0TgR422V4HyMmmPCPPWV0/s320/DSCN0137.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513540820995688850" border="0" /></a><br />The greatest part about DC so far? Friends. Kenyon has blessed me with an incredible network of people already set up in this unfamiliar city, only a few Metro stops away. Even with the hustle and bustle of moving finally slowing down, I still have a full smorgasbord of things to do, which is exactly what I wanted, and exactly what I hope to start sharing with you here.<br /><br />Until next time, I leave you with Obie's opinion on this whole moving business:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbrklzOGb6TGWTQ9eEgmBT10Sz13eibsNwgZlNgi_j-Wxa_gw0i99QINCymGmCwknmf3l5xG0FtdeQxL86AlcQbcFR2mWfKXhWmI8_7w-u8Zm3e8JoXaQAE80eVJrJiUC3VfYlmKeQW0/s1600/DSCN0200.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 193px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXbrklzOGb6TGWTQ9eEgmBT10Sz13eibsNwgZlNgi_j-Wxa_gw0i99QINCymGmCwknmf3l5xG0FtdeQxL86AlcQbcFR2mWfKXhWmI8_7w-u8Zm3e8JoXaQAE80eVJrJiUC3VfYlmKeQW0/s320/DSCN0200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513543001345382914" border="0" /></a>nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-1298252597447663582010-02-09T19:04:00.000-08:002010-02-09T19:33:19.034-08:00Conversations about LOSTWARNING: IF YOU'RE A LOST FAN, POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT. HOWEVER, NONE OF US REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, SO MAYBE NOT<br /><br />For 4 years my friends and I both received a college education and got hooked on ABC's LOST (ever heard of it?). Now that we're apart, we meet on gmail immediately following each episode to trade theories. This could be stupid. Or it could be genius. I'll let you know.<br /><br />TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND, 2010<br /><br /><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:21 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: HELLO</span></span><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:23 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: okay</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>and go</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: haha</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>WHERE DO YOU START</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: from the end</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>work our way backward</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>sayid</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: richard was a slave on the black rock!</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: alive? or is that the man in black</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>WHAT? how'd you get that</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: OR is it jacob reincarnated?</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>MIB referenced chains@</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:24 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>and richard being in chains</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:25 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: got it</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>interestingggggg</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: what elssssse</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>um knew it with the smoke monster = that guy</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:26 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: yes</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>definitely</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: also now it makes sense about the ash</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>around jacob's cabin</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>smoke monster can't get through it</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: aaaahhhhhhh</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:27 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>right</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>so whats with the parallel lives</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: ugh i don't even want to get into that haha</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:28 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>i don't understaaaaand</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: me either</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>:(</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:30 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: i think that's something that's not going to make sense for a while</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: probs not</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: so i'm filing it away for later</span></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:26 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: theories???????</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:27 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: richard was a slave on the black rock</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: yesssss</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>into it</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>obvs sayid = not sayid</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: sayid = jacob?</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: no sayid = guy who killed jacob?</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>or possibly jacob i guess</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: i think he's jacob</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: since the other guy is already john lock</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>e</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:28 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: yeah</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:29 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: ahhh so confusing</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>so good</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>i want answers</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:30 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: i knooooow</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: poor juliette</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>:-(</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:31 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>we thought that was kinda unnecessarily sad</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: yeah that seemed pointless</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>haha</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>i mean she is the star of a new TV show</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: now sawyer is just SO ANGRY</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: it makes sense why she's not in it</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: yeah</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: but did we really have to full on kill her again</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:32 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: yeah</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>and "it worked"???</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>she knew there was an alternate universe?</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>wtfffffff</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: yeah</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>that doesn't make sense</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">10:33 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: also</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>ALTERNATE UNIVERSE</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>wtf</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>ahhhh i forgot how mad this show made me when you can't watch 5 seasons consecutively in two weeks lol</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: hahaa</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>i know<br /></span></span></div><br /><br />FEBRUARY 9TH, 2010<br /><br /><div id=":1sp" class="ii gt"><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:03 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: say WHAAAAAT</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: WHAAAAAT</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>ETHAN</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>CLAIRE</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>WHAAAAAAAA</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:05 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: do you think claire actually died when that house exploded that she was in</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>way back in season 4</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>before she disappeared</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: i don't knowwwwww</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:06 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>are they all just going to get taken over by the evil force guy?</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:07 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: noooo</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>not hurley</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: booooo</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:08 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>i like that kate and claire are still friends in the alter universe</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: haha i know</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:09 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>although what the hell claire</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>that woman just held you up at gun point</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>is everyone super naive in this alter-verse</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: haha</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>a</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>apparently</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:11 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: ok what else</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>i'm getting really sick of the intrigue from temple guy</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: haha yeah</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>wtf</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: "we'll tell you everything you need to know"</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>NOPE</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>JK JK LOLZZZ</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: SPEAK ENGLISH</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: OR GIT OOOOUT</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:12 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: haha</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:13 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: jack seems so different now</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:14 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: yeah</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:15 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>traumatized</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>he doesn't know what to believe</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>doesn't trust himself</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: he's lost his leader pizazz<br /></span></span><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:22 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: why did kate choose sawyer</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>goddddd</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: I KNOOOOOOW</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>i am getting so sick of that</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>also COME ON KATE</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>HE JUST BURIED JULIETTE</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:23 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>LEAVE IT ALONE FOR MAYBE AN AFTERNOON</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kate</span>: oh you're grieving for your gf? wanna di?</span></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:26 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: WHAT IS GOING ON WITH CLARE</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>not everyone can be evil?</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: i think she died when her house exploded back in season 4</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:27 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>and then became "infected" and disappeared</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: what is this infection?!?!</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: i don't knoooow</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: is it like rouso's group of guys</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: i think so</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>because they go down into the temple</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:28 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>and come back "totally changed" or whatever that japanese guy said</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: HMMMMM</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:29 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: DO YOU THINK THAT WAS CLAIRE'S TRAP</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>is she the new rousseau</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: OH SNAP</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>yes</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);">9:30 PM </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">me</span>: i guess they do have similar life stories</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>island baby</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span>stolen</span></span></div><div><span style="display: block; float: left; color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"> </span><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">lexie</span>: makes senseee</span></span></div><br /></div></div><span style="display: block; padding-left: 6em;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-88683110832628567812009-12-23T10:48:00.000-08:002009-12-23T17:55:57.903-08:00Market StreetFor the three months I worked at Market Street, I tried to write about it. I have three unfinished posts waiting in the wings but I could never finish. There was always too much to explain, too much filler I would have had to write to make my point. And I hate filler. So I'm taking a different approach. When I remember something worth telling about, I'll write it down. <br /><br />I'd like to start with Marlene. Marlene Sanders is an animal communicator. A pet psychic, if you will. I don't know how she does it. I'm not entirely sure she knows how she does it. But for $75 you can call Marlene and ask her to tell you about your pet. All she needs to know is their name, their general location in the world, and if there is anything specific you want her to ask about. She'll pause, and take a deep breath. And then she just talks.<br /><br />I know. You don't believe me. I don't believe it either, at times. She once said that one of the horses compared the barn where he lives during the winter to a Motel 6. I don't believe that Seven Oaks, in all of his horsey splendor, could understand the concept of a motel, let alone be able to name one and understand that it is second-tier. But maybe it's more complicated than that, and Marlene is just trying to put it into terms we stupid humans would understand. That I can believe. <br /><br />Erin called once about her dog, Baloo. Baloo is a half-husky and the smartest dog I have ever met, like he's only one life away from being full blown human. Baloo was in pain, and no one could figure out what was wrong. He would wake up suddenly from a nap, yelping in pain, with nothing obviously wrong about him. Erin tried everything, and finally she caved and picked up the phone. This is what she said: "His name is Baloo. He lives in New Jersey, and he's having health issues, and I don't know what's wrong with him." She didn't say anything else, didn't ask any questions, didn't give any other specifics (she's skeptical too, you see).<br /><br />Marlene paused, and took a deep breath. "Oh he is a handsome dog, isn't he!" she said (It's true. He is.) "Yes he says people tell him all the time how handsome he is." (It's true. They do.) Marlene then told Erin that one morning when Baloo was by his favorite tree (whenever Erin and Baloo walk to the barn in the morning Baloo runs off to the same spot in the woods to do his business) a squirrel suddenly fell from the branches above him. Baloo then either chased the squirrel or ran away in fear. That part, Marlene said, wasn't clear. What was clear was that in his fight or flight he ran smack into a tree, and misaligned one of his ribs. His rib at the L3 vertabrae, to be exact. <br /><br />Marlene also told Erin that Baloo was worried about the gray cat. He hadn't seen her in a while, and he was concerned. Erin had a gray cat named Puddin in Omaha, that she left behind when she moved to New Jersey, but she never mentioned that to Marlene. Baloo also said he didn't much like the red bed that Erin bought him, but he loved the blue one. In Erin's living room there is a red dog bed next to her blue couch. Three guesses as to which one Baloo prefers to sleep on. <br /><br />A few weeks later one of the horses' massage therapists came to the barn. She also does dogs, so Erin asked her to look at Baloo, without telling her anything about what Marlene had said.<br /><br />After a few minutes of working on him, the massage therapist said "Oh! He has a rib misaligned."<br /><br />"I know this is a weird question," Erin said, "but can you tell which vertabrae?"<br /><br />"Umm, the L3?"<br /><br />I know I probably haven't convinced you, and I'm not going to pretend that I haven't called BS on Marlene a number of times. I still don't know if I really believe the part about the squirrel.<br /><br />One morning Hoffy called Marlene because her horse Ruby Slippers wasn't touching her water. Ruby told Marlene the water was too cold, so we then had to lug hot water to top off all of the water buckets. We cursed Ruby and Marlene for a week after that, and tried to blow it off as craziness.<br /><br />But Ruby drank almost a full bucket after that.nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-60500546065595366592009-08-21T07:32:00.000-07:002009-08-21T08:36:07.230-07:00East Coast Friend Tour 2009I don't have a job. Sometime this fall I will be gainfully employed by the likes of Anne Kurskinski, Olympic Equestrian and rumored German diva, but until then I occupy the glorious ranks of the Funemployed. I wake up every day around lunch time. I eat lunch, exercise, eat dinner, go out with friends who tell me about their work day, and repeat. This has been my oh so relaxing routine for almost three months, with the exception of two weeks spent in Kentucky earning enough money to fund my early retirement summer. For those of you writhing in jealousy, try it for one week and I guarantee you will be knocking down the door of your workplace to regain some sort of purpose in this world.<br /><br />I wanted to go on a trip. A majority of my friends from school found their niche on the eastern seaboard, so I decided to point my little orange car east and see where it took me. My friend Kate who had been living at my house all summer was moving to North Carolina to live with our friend Lexie, which gave me a first destination. I made a plan: NC to DC, DC to CT, CT to MA and VT, VT to NE. It would be a lot of driving, and not that much time visiting each place, but I managed to give myself a few days at each location.<br /><br />About three hours in to our epic journey, I learned that only fools make plans. Thirty miles outside of Kansas City we drove through some construction; I was in my car in the lead and Kate was driving in her car behind me. They were working on the shoulder, so instead of the smooth expanse with rumble bars to wake up sleepy drivers drifting off the road, the side of the interstate just dropped off a good 4 inches. As Kate listened to "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" and snacked on some beef jerky, her car slipped off the edge of shoulder. I noticed movement in my rear view mirror, and watched in horror as she spun off the interstate at 75 mph. She hit a cable barrier fence with the front of her car, chunks of her Subaru flying everywhere, which spun her around in the opposite direction, tearing off her back bumper and brake light as the back of the car hit the same fence and took out a sign that read, "Caution: Shoulder Drop Off."<br /><br />Somehow I managed to pull my car off the side of the interstate and started sprinting the half mile it took me to stop safely back to Kate's car, which sat facing West. I must have looked fully capable, because not a single other person stopped to help. Miraculously Kate was entirely unharmed, so I called 911 who connected me to highway patrol, who sent 5 whole vehicles to get us out of our pickle. With the help of a very impatient trooper, who threw all of Kate's worldly possessions onto the side of the interstate, we transferred everything from Kate's car to my car before the tow truck arrived to whisk the mangled vehicle away. Everyone seemed confused when Kate and I didn't know what we were supposed to do next. "Well if you're driving that way you might as well keep going," the tow truck driver told us, without any explanation as to what was going to happen to Kate's car if we just left it in Oak Grove, MO while we trotted off to NC.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-U2eNp-nCrMJ77o74J59oAHkCGZzdVU_8mNjQc6TNIXJzaroOeyKDI4Fk_9WDgABbXNVEGEWAs61G8IIJ7jJ4o80AO2LyqwKjx7yHR6hNRCiT9cn8SN_frOTnGkCDPLEH10V8oDavOA/s1600-h/CIMG1396.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 236px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-U2eNp-nCrMJ77o74J59oAHkCGZzdVU_8mNjQc6TNIXJzaroOeyKDI4Fk_9WDgABbXNVEGEWAs61G8IIJ7jJ4o80AO2LyqwKjx7yHR6hNRCiT9cn8SN_frOTnGkCDPLEH10V8oDavOA/s320/CIMG1396.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372437679996851826" border="0" /></a><br />Kate started calling her parents, who tried to get in touch with their insurance company. State Farm is indeed like a good neighbor, but if it's Sunday you're going to have to wait until Monday for them to do anything about it, so we became reluctant residents of room 211 at Days Inn. We found one restaurant open on Sundays, a Chinese restaurant where the owner's 8 year old daughter was our waitress and my chicken fried rice had actual fried chicken in it. We drove around the Missouri countryside for a while, trying to calm our nerves, sure that we would be on the road again soon the next day.<br /><br />On Monday morning it was raining, but I told Kate it could be worse. "We could be dead," I said, but she wasn't too reassured. "I don't like that the only other situation worse than this is death," she said. We checked out at the last minute, deciding that if we had to stay in this dismal town another night we were getting nicer digs. We went to Subway and watched the torrential downpour out the window as Kate went back and forth between the insurance company, her parents, and Steve Skaggs, Procision Auto.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvraLL3FNeJZLER1WqQqON83q56K556rE0bvpGaqgpD7nrAY23_NlUlwpw0UZr82jmYbsdr4BJGr4xioswmpN7UHq3W4TuWoJirSfp4Rvnr2hyphenhyphen0xQNLTLKtfAg5wuiT5cBPUWVCf5Ysc8/s1600-h/CIMG1409.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 158px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvraLL3FNeJZLER1WqQqON83q56K556rE0bvpGaqgpD7nrAY23_NlUlwpw0UZr82jmYbsdr4BJGr4xioswmpN7UHq3W4TuWoJirSfp4Rvnr2hyphenhyphen0xQNLTLKtfAg5wuiT5cBPUWVCf5Ysc8/s320/CIMG1409.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372439804594502482" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN32w5te2tyaRvZyqi-su6oGvE_h0GdzBdK2jnPRVqKe5lQ1PLhedcgTNSFowx7tUEQRX4ALplR5xRKWbdSIopHNviyfUOtRBTnE9OOESTcgMDNi34gXPkz9CRVEeRNNNGuGDTl4qfLZc/s1600-h/CIMG1407.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN32w5te2tyaRvZyqi-su6oGvE_h0GdzBdK2jnPRVqKe5lQ1PLhedcgTNSFowx7tUEQRX4ALplR5xRKWbdSIopHNviyfUOtRBTnE9OOESTcgMDNi34gXPkz9CRVEeRNNNGuGDTl4qfLZc/s320/CIMG1407.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372438858277036770" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Kate and I, who clearly know nothing about vehicle maintenance, decided at the latest they could have her car all fixed and ready by the next morning. Steve Skaggs told us it would take him a week and a half. Rather than sit around and pay for hotel rooms for a week and a half we decided the best option was for Kate to ride the rest of the way in my car, and then she would fly back when the car was fixed and pick it up to drive the rest of the way to NC. Before this happened, however, we had to spend two and a half hours sitting in Steve Skaggs' office trying to get a hold of Kate's dad, who, it turned out, had gone to the gym.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b9gCidBD0cJKn3RY3KupsbAuwxzpDNld0eXVCho2XxjJYMNqzjsQ8EO7iGHMyub7khE6Ev10dMqvuUPhGx3Dv92vJmhhWj12rea2P-_XAFquiaCZfrC4n7AEIbm3FBuDxErAXT4vSKU/s1600-h/CIMG1410.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_b9gCidBD0cJKn3RY3KupsbAuwxzpDNld0eXVCho2XxjJYMNqzjsQ8EO7iGHMyub7khE6Ev10dMqvuUPhGx3Dv92vJmhhWj12rea2P-_XAFquiaCZfrC4n7AEIbm3FBuDxErAXT4vSKU/s320/CIMG1410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372440438433488130" border="0" /></a><br />At 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, three days after Kate and I had left the fine city of Omaha, NE for the Durham/Raleigh/Chapel Hill area of NC, a trip that should have taken us 19 hours, we arrived. As for North Carolina, I'm pretty smitten. It feels kind of like Ohio at times, but different in a way that's hard to place. The trees are different, we decided, or maybe the grass. We found a weird tea/smoothie place that puts tapioca pearls at the bottom of your drink, which don't taste bad but feel like you're chewing on fish eyeballs. Lexie's boyfriend took us to the beach yesterday, where we battled surfers for waves and got horribly sunburned. All in all it's a place I think I could live if things with the German Battleaxe don't work out.<br /><br />My future trip plans are cloudy and tentative; losing that travel day really set me back. What I know for sure: on Saturday I leave this sunny southern state for our great nation's capital, where I will stay until Monday. Until then, here's to hoping I used up my drama quota for the rest of the week.nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-2610919698900987062009-05-01T11:55:00.000-07:002009-05-01T12:41:19.201-07:00Impending Doom (the 'G' word)I am ready to graduate. I have loved Kenyon, and I will miss it, but somewhere, deep down, I am ready for the next adventure.<br /><br />Now that it is spring in rural Ohio, and the birds chirp every morning and the dogwoods have burst into bloom, it is a bit harder to remember that I don't actually want to come back next year. That if, in August, I once again were enrolling in classes that would lock me in the library for entire days and I would once again be eating tacos every Tuesday and some sort of chicken dish every night for dinner, I would throw myself off a small cliff. But right now? Oh man right now I would stay here forever.<br /><br />In an effort to write in this ol' weblog more and in an attempt to commemorate my fast fading college days, I am going to try over the next two weeks to pay homage to the things I love about this pretentious place.<br /><br />1. Allstu. Kenyon provides us with an All-student (happily abbreviated to 'allstu') e-mail forum that is used for everything from sharing procrastination techniques and finding lost possessions to epic debates that inevitably blow up into the most offensive diatribes anyone has ever read. My relationship with allstu is Love/Hate; sophomore year I tried to start a conversation about gun control after Virginia Tech and it disintegrated into a snarky outcry about immigration reform. But still, for better or for worse, the allstu is a virtual town meeting, a place where we can make our opinions known about issues at Kenyon or out in that so-called "real world."<br /><br />It's also pretty darn convenient - if next year when I'm walking home from a party late at night and almost step on a skunk, and proceed to throw my keys/cellphone/wallet at it to scare it away and then run away myself, who will send a helpful email the next morning that they found it on their way to Peirce for breakfast?<br /><br />2. The fact that I would be <span style="font-style: italic;">walking</span> home from wherever when I run into the skunk because everywhere I would ever need to go is less than a mile from my doorstep. Also the fact that there are skunks everywhere and they always come charging out of the woods at me when I'm talking on the phone outside of my apartment.<br /><br />3. Being a college student. There's something magical that comes with being a college student. You're automatically excused from pretty much anything requiring responsibility. It's ok to never have any money and yet still not be looking for a job. It's ok to wear brightly colored leggings as pants with a flannel t-shirt and sunglasses from the 80's, and to intentionally look like you haven't showered in a few days. It's acceptable to stay up all night working on something you've known about all semester, and to stay awake by drinking essentially poison. <br /><br />And man is it hip to be a college student. Somehow we know about things weeks before they happen, we see TV shows and movies the day before they air, we know that something's out before it was even in. <br /><br />Soon it will be irresponsible if I don't have a job. Unprofessional to dress like a homeless person. And just plain stupid to stay up all night doing anything. And at Thanksgiving when everyone's talking about some Youtube video that was mentioned at the end of the evening news or that a co-worker forwarded to them I won't be able to roll my eyes and say, "C'mon, guys, that was sooo last week, the parody of it is waay funnier." <br /><br />I probably won't even have seen it yet.nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-43329797349420855192009-04-02T19:03:00.000-07:002009-04-02T22:39:50.241-07:00Instincts<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiz5_og4UuCIpWD6cKJivCF5rsxaL97vk1ZwBhZjiWBTSelOrLA8wIRlvIAjisBsycE9VvsRgmMQCPrSRt1MzLyvv1JYrIxnB1Q8x29iajy92xVhliL22Jaeprc3DM2Ba3OIroVnrrmek/s1600-h/CIMG0106.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiz5_og4UuCIpWD6cKJivCF5rsxaL97vk1ZwBhZjiWBTSelOrLA8wIRlvIAjisBsycE9VvsRgmMQCPrSRt1MzLyvv1JYrIxnB1Q8x29iajy92xVhliL22Jaeprc3DM2Ba3OIroVnrrmek/s320/CIMG0106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320331122563803106" border="0" /></a>Meet Obie.<br /><br />I've had Obie since he was 4 weeks old, when my friends found him on the side of the road while they were canvassing for Obama. One of his eyes was completely swollen shut, and he could fit in the palm of your hand. Of <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span> hand.<br /><br />His favorite <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">past times</span> are sleeping on my keyboard while I'm trying to write a paper and watching the toilet flush. He learned how to open our bathroom door and loves to do it at the most inopportune times, like as soon as you get in the shower. He loves water, and has no problem being in the tub while the water's running and then jumping back into my bed, soaking wet.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiq7XV6bY9ix32tO3YdsFMG59Oj8O566AMjxBcAAYNDn0uLuJ6jsQ2bRsSBT23QVz4Ytakikyx5UVhnGPMK5JivkC1UEH6CZKLmbTFoB4B0jWabGtqGWmER897j5uj9_k6_S7GjOsjDQ/s1600-h/CIMG0056.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCiq7XV6bY9ix32tO3YdsFMG59Oj8O566AMjxBcAAYNDn0uLuJ6jsQ2bRsSBT23QVz4Ytakikyx5UVhnGPMK5JivkC1UEH6CZKLmbTFoB4B0jWabGtqGWmER897j5uj9_k6_S7GjOsjDQ/s320/CIMG0056.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320331108850470258" border="0" /></a>He has a Beanie Baby elephant named Toot Toot that he carries around with him everywhere, and if you throw Toot Toot down the hallway Obie will come trotting back with the elephant swinging in his mouth, plop it down at your feet and look up at you expectantly. He loves to take the fish magnets off of our fridge and leave them around the apartment. I once found one in the bathroom sink; I'm pretty sure he was trying to return it to the sea.<br /><br />He's had a hard time learning to be a cat. When I brought him home over winter break he met Sadie, our fat orange devil of a feline who hissed every time she saw him. Obie, who I had never heard hiss in his entire short life, started to hiss at everything, at random, and without reason. Even Toot Toot. He eventually grew out of it after a few weeks away from Sadie, but he still never meows, except to let out an awkward squeak when he's really upset.<br /><br />Imagine my surprise, then, when I woke up this morning to a dead mouse in the middle of my floor. The initial surprise was that there are mice in my apartment, but then I had to wonder, where the heck did this cat who doesn't even know how to hiss and meow properly learn to hunt and kill a mouse? I certainly didn't teach him. Could it really be entirely instinct? It really makes you realize how much more adept our pets are than us. Obie is barely six months old and he can already hunt and kill his own meal. When I was six months old I gummed Melba Toast and had no control over even my bowel movements, let alone being able to feed myself.<br /><br />At least I know the truth about the red laser pointer dot he chases all over the apartment...that idiot.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S6LtuJHF_tIKVdyohvptDl1h_Q0MXFMZOS7ROQbFRKQyCOGnb2Jb_VUAoWDOGcrb6INSKqz_l-GdYSAG436ew2tTP3bmZyLl5pqdr3S0r_SNAi0xRwkAIZIf8z6HAYG3TN9HOqqJWJk/s1600-h/CIMG0313.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1S6LtuJHF_tIKVdyohvptDl1h_Q0MXFMZOS7ROQbFRKQyCOGnb2Jb_VUAoWDOGcrb6INSKqz_l-GdYSAG436ew2tTP3bmZyLl5pqdr3S0r_SNAi0xRwkAIZIf8z6HAYG3TN9HOqqJWJk/s320/CIMG0313.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320331120417416050" border="0" /></a>nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-75901496614691068622009-02-15T11:34:00.000-08:002009-02-15T12:04:41.034-08:00If this desk could speak..It's been a busy week. My senior exercise, a 30 page paper about fisheries and how we're all doomed (yeah yeah blah blah) is due tomorrow. I finished it, but that doesn't really mean anything because, trick trick, I also have all the work I didn't do while I was working on that to finish. <br /><br />I've been spending a lot of time (just a few 13 hour days, no big deal) in the library trying to get it all done, and I've seen the inside of a lot of these little "study cubicles." I went to a public high school in downtown Omaha, so I'm used to vandalism, especially of the "Crip," "Blood," and "I will kill you" variety. Kenyon, on the other hand, is prestigious. A "New Ivy." Completely full of themselves. I guess I always thought my days of reading aimless scribblings were behind me, until I sat down in this cubicle. <br /><br />"Fuck Independents" is written on the wall to my left, but someone scribbled out "Fuck" and wrote "Go" instead. An arrow from that points to "Dead Rabbits Society" written in pencil, and "Against Gocial" added in pen (Gocial is a pretty unpopular Dean here on campus, think Umbridge from Harry Potter). Under all of this someone wrote "We have more fun and better sex," after which someone scribbled "False."<br /><br />"Oh hello" is written at the top of the wall, with "Johannes Van Eyck Fuit Hic (was here)" written underneath. Near the surface of the desk, in small, neat handwriting, is "Finals hurt my <span style="font-style: italic;">soul</span>."<br /><br />On the right hand wall, a correspondence between strangers: "ALMOST DONE!!!" written in red, "Not me..." underneath that, followed by "me neither..." In faint, slanted writing further down the wall: "KILL ME!" followed, inexplicably, by a star.<br /><br />I'm a doodler. I draw all over my notebooks during class. But, no matter how bad it gets, I never feel compelled to write on walls. Don't get me wrong, I love reading them, but what is it that makes people write them? Boredom? Desperation? A cry for attention? <br /><br />On the shelf above me someone wrote "HEHEHE." Why? What was so funny?nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-50015021748030919362008-09-29T19:42:00.000-07:002008-09-29T20:22:04.641-07:00FarmingLast week I cut up livestock organs for dog treats. There was a cow tongue, and the tastebuds felt like braille under my fingers. "Grass is good," it said, "but corn is better." That tongue had seen so many blades of grass, so many clumps of clover. It had called out to the rest of the herd, waited for a response. And now it sits in a dehydrator, waiting to be suitable enough for a dog to eat.<br /><br />Today we decided the fates of sheep. We herded them through a series of gates into smaller and smaller pens. Eventually they crowded into a chute, where we checked the small ones for parasites and chose which ewes, marked with yellow ear tags, were big enough to breed. Lisa sprayed the big ones with blue spray paint to be mixed in with another herd in a few weeks. "You want to be sprayed," she told them when they jumped with the shock of blue on their faces. "Don't you know that?"<br /><br />The orange ear tags are foster replacement lambs, and the black ones are castrated males, both groups just waiting to grow big enough. After de-worming they ran out of the chute into a different paddock, and immediately forgot the stress.<br /><br />"They're not the same," Bruce and Lisa tell us. "They don't have life goals or aspirations. They breathe, they eat, they poop. They don't think about yesterday or tomorrow or whether or not they'll be here next spring, they just live."<br /><br />In one pasture are all the old ewes, the ones past their lambing prime. There's one old ewe who gave them triplets, which isn't rare but usually ends with twins, but this one kept them all alive and strong. "She'll stay here when the rest of them go," Lisa said. "We figured after something like that, well she deserved it."<br /><br />Today, tomorrow, the next day, that old ewe will probably breathe, eat, and poop. She will never know she did anything spectacular, and will probably never notice that her life ended up differently than anyone else's. She will never appreciate the opportunity they gave her, never use it to better her life. She'll just live.nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-29077550884485065552008-06-29T20:03:00.000-07:002008-06-29T20:08:07.937-07:00Prompt: The first time Harry saw Susan...The first time Harry saw Susan she was running out into the street after her dog, which Harry had just mauled with his car.<br /> "Susan?" he said, getting out of the car. "Susan Jake, class of '89?"<br /> Susan stared at him, incredulous. "Unless the next words out of your mouth are, 'Remember me? I'm the guy who left to go to vet school' I don't give a fuck how you know me, you might have just killed my dog!"<br /> "Oh! Right." Harry crouched beside her, examining the terrier mix sprawled on the pavement. Its leg was bent at an awkward angle but its eyes were open, and it was breathing, so Harry passed it off as alright. <br /> "So, really?" he said. "You don't remember me?"nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2521970674986380736.post-64875970186524985322008-06-23T20:01:00.001-07:002008-09-29T19:40:51.227-07:00Sophomore RamblingsI'll probably give this up in a week, but I thought I'd give it a shot.<br /><br />I found this in an old notebook from Sophomore year. I kinda liked it:<br /><br />My Shakespeare professor wears no wedding ring. Her face is round and her hair is gray, pulled back everyday in the same low ponytail, parted to one side. Her large, round glasses make her always surprised, magnifying her make-up free eyes. When she smiles she looks afraid, and the show of emotion quickly falls from her face. She desperately uses her hands to make her points and emphasizes every few words by rising up on her toes. Her favorite word is "uh" and her voice shakes when she speaks, tapering off at the end of every sentence. She shows the most feeling when she reads the Bard aloud, and I wonder if she spent her younger days reciting lines in front of a mirror, her voice bouncing and echoing off the bathroom walls. I wonder if this is where she saw herself when she sat in a classrom just like this one, in this very building, with a breeze smelling of spring rustling the blinds and the late afternoon sun giving everything the perfect light. If she got bored in class and daydreamed, writing love letters she never found the courage to send. Maybe if she had sent them she would be far away from here, watching one of Shakespeare's plays performed at the Globe, making her daydreams real. Or maybe this is exactly where she dreamed she would be, speaking softly the words of Shakespeare as the sound of the church bell striking three reminds us there's only an hour left in class.nat shawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12022414342777526547noreply@blogger.com0