Well, it's been several weeks since I last posted. And judging by all the blogs I've read in that time, I'm supposed to be talking about resolutions. So, last year I had two unofficial resolutions. Unofficial, because making them official seems too heavy. What a let down when you can't keep your official resolutions! But no big whoop when you can't keep your unofficial resolutions. They weren't official anyway.
So, my unofficial resolutions were:
1. No more urine samples. I hate giving urine samples. It's one of my least favorite things. There was a certain urine sample incident that involved having to drink 16 cups of water to get one tiny sample, and I was in actual pain for a week. Hence, my resolution. But! Then I got a huge rock in my windshield, and it prompted me to buy life insurance, and guess what? They require a urine sample. So, no urine samples fail. No big whoop.
Aforementioned rock in windshield situation
2. No more being in the front of group photos. I am, and have always been, the shortest person in most rooms, and short people always get put in the front of group photos. Well, after 35 years of this, I am tired of seeing myself in the front. Booooring. So, last year I managed to get in the back of every photo. I just determined if I have to stand on a chair, or get on someone's back, I will not be in the front. Thanks to my determination, and the support of my friends I did it. Unofficial resolution success. Feels just as good as official resolution success.
So, this year my only unofficial resolution was to quit karate kicking my boyfriend. It never ends well. Well, we broke up, so I think I have a good chance of keeping this one. Was the karate kicking a factor in the break up? I don't think so, because I did tell him my resolution, and had kept it for a week already. But it's a fair question.
If your resolution is to read more blogs, may I recommend this one. If you're only going to read one blog, this is the one. If the recent posts don't strike your fancy, just search the archives for "penguins". You won't be disappointed.
So, I haven't made a new post in approximately a million years. This post will make up for it with information, entertainment (at my expense), and a photo. You're welcome!
I got a new job in Bellevue, and I anticipated the commute would be horrible. However! People do it every day, and I knew the opportunity would compensate for this fact.
What I did not know was that the commute doesn't have to be that bad! Ever since 520 became a Toll Bridge, taking it or not has been the subject of a lot of conversations. A lot of painfully uninformed conversations. I've been saying for months I will never take 520, because I am not paying money to cross a bridge. Like ever. My GPS is constantly telling me to get on 520, and I have spitefully disregarded her instructions. And I know I'm not the only one with this particular misunderstanding, because I have never been corrected. Never ever.
But guess what? 520 is a Toll Bridge, not a Toll Highway! You can get on 520, and exit before the bridge from either direction, and it is for free!!! I had no idea. Lucky for me, many of my coworkers live up here, and are vastly more knowledgeable about almost everything. And, lucky for me, our IT guy is infinitely patient. When I am instructed to take a certain route, something in my brain makes me do it wrong. Especially if that route involves not turning or exiting. I am compelled to turn and/or exit, and probably both. I literally can not just drive straight. I have no idea why. So, our IT guy checked in with me more than weekly to see how the commute was going. All I had to do was get on 520, and not get off. But I kept exiting in Redmond! And then would get stuck in Redmond for half an hour, undoing all the time savings from skipping 405. But he never gave up, and one month later when I finally followed directions, and I got from Bellevue to Monroe in rush hour, in a downpour that was more like a monsoon, in 40 minutes, my life changed. Literally life changing.
So, above is my commute when I was taking 522 to 405, and it could take an hour and a half. Now, my big complaint is I'm not stopped long enough to blow up my friend's phones texting while not driving. Not too shabby. Next, I'm going to figure out how to tell my phone to text by talking, and get back to annoying the heck out of my friends.
Three weeks later, and I'm posting again. I've been busy! My sunflowers are bada$$. I took these pics today. And that little lady bug snuggled in to the last pic is about the cutest thing ever. Ever. As in #summerforever
This week's infotainment, featuring TMBG! Let's say I recently dated a guy, and the subject of "dealbreakers" came up (this actually happened, but it's a very long story, and not material to this post, so I'm treating it hypothetically). And, let's say, off the top of my head, I replied that I guess if he was a racist, that would be a dealbreaker. And, let's say, he of course replied that he is absolutely not a racist. But his friends make (racist) jokes, and that doesn't mean they're racist, and its NBD. Fast forward, and I have had TMBG's song Your Racist Friend stuck in my head for weeks! Which leads me to today's post, chock full of links and videos! I love TMBG, and love this song, and am thrilled to share all my "research" on the internets with all my invisible internet friends!
The sound on this video is atrocious, but worth watching!
This cover by schoolchildren is adorable!
This is a shocking and beautiful spoken word piece in regards to the song and the subject.
So, I haven't had a new post in a couple weeks, because I was busy Having An Experience, and like any non-professional blogger, I don't just have posts ready-to-go. If you're keeping score, I'm putting this post firmly in the Unusual category. Not because racism is unusual (that would be awesome!), but because it's pretty unusual that I would be so busy dating someone, I wouldn't even have time for the internets! LOL.
