geocities closing? WTH?

I dont even know why I'm randomly clicking on my geocities sites but I'm kind of thankful I did. Apparently geocities is closing. Which is fine, except that I'm in Japan right now and kind of can't transfer all of my files. Which I really want to do because I put a lot of work into that, especially the pages for our immigration story and such.

And this means that the website I created for my sister is forever closed and missing. I tried logging in but yahoo can't find my username. Which makes me really sad. I put a lot of effort into that, especially writing out my thoughts after she died. So I'm really bothered. There's nothing I can do about it, and I'm really surprised that yahoo didn't send out emails. I think this makes me want to print out, at the very least, all that I made about Dennis and I, because I had some really special stuff there.

I hope I can get this fixed.

What I'm thinking about now...

1. I think it is adorable that my husband toasted a tortilla in our toaster oven because we didn't have tortilla chips for dinner tonight (I ate them in yet another mindless example of how I am incapable of following a truly diabetic diet...)

2. I'm going to Wisconsin this weekend with my Aunt, for a family reunion. I need to get some photos printed to show our family. Should I bring my bathing suit. Should I check in some luggage? I wouldn't except that I hate the rules about liquids. I don't even wear makeup, but I don't want to stress out about whether or not I can put it in a carry on. I just hate that you have to pay a ridiculous amount of money for carry-ons now.

3. Which reminds me that I need to find my mp3 charger...

4. I'm getting obsessed with Twitter.
People who read this blog know I've had twitter for awhile (I got it after I saw it on Cindy's Blog) but the days pop culture events revised my twitter interest.

5. Chilean News article about Michael Jackson. My aunt and I talked about it earlier this evening- we weren't "shocked", just sad for his family.

Surreality via googling my name.

So I googled my name. This is a legit activity because I realize that other people (i.e. future employers) might also google my name.

I was relieved to find that there isn't much aside from links to my twitter account. But I did think it was strange to find this article about my sister. I don't even know how they got quotes from me about my sister's death but I am glad that they noted how important it was to me that she died because of a drunk driver. I guess the bizarre-factor is that an article was written and I was quoted without my knowledge. In 2007!

Anticipating Summer Photos...

check out Be Funky for some fun ways to mess with photos and
This page to make photos look old (Japanese site with an english-translation option).

There, I've said it...

Back to blogging (oh how I missed you!) by saying some things:

1. I like Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.


I think he's funny and cute, even though he laughs at his own jokes. There, I've said it.

2. My husband is in Florida, trying to find a job and to take an exam for a second graduate degree. He's only been gone for one night and he's coming back tomorrow, but I think I'd like another night alone. It's quiet and I can eat whatever I want and I don't have to watch Spanish news (even though I do). I wish he would stay one more night. Things have been so stressful with school and lack of full-time employment, and we have been bouncing anxiety and panic attacks off of each other. So, I really miss not having someone to talk to but I also really enjoy the alone time. There, I've said it.

3.
I think Steven Tyler looks like a lady. The aerosmith classic song has come full circle. There, I've said it.

4. This is the Cutest Commercial EVER.


Bonus: link to the song in the commercial. Yessss

G-Rated

based on the word "steal" found one time :)

Dennis became a US Citizen today!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We are officially done with immigration now!! Woohoo!!

second best site of the week. ever.

Blingee aka "Seizure-inducing site of the week"

I decided to bling out my Kindergarten picture. Because my 7 year old face needed some glitter and some Kanye West glasses.



And then I thought "what else can I bling?"




Tom Cruise!
(Note: The creator (me) does not want to imagine a world where dancing snoops rejoice as a gun shoots in the general direction of a bunny rabbit wishing the world lots of love.)

best site of the day. ever.

Be inspired.


(Obama-Me)

AKA my Dad

Seriously. Crazy Lady= Female version of my dad. Except that one of his two cats just died in a car accident. But the crazy cat part totally describes him, bless his hippy soul. My dad calls me to tell me when he hears a Grateful Dead songfest on the radio.

Boobtarded...

there are a bazillion jokes and puns for this. Am I the only one who heard her say "ow!" a few times??

Question: Is it really sexy to be with a woman whose breasts are so synthetically enhanced that she can use them to crush watermelons?

Long December

I'm pretty tired. I think I just poured out all of my leftover energy into the semester and then as soon as school was done, I just turned into a zombie. I've been sick since Christmas, so I am actually really tired. But tired in general. I think there must be a certain amount of energy points that you get in a year and by the end of the year, you just need to be refilled.

It wasn't the worst year of my life. I had a lot of family drama etc. but nothing that doesn't usually happen. And my cousin's witchy wedding was actually a good week because I was able to reconnect with my family. School is a blur, but I know I learned some things. My language skills have certainly expanded as I finished the required Greek and Hebrew classes this year and then took on Japanese. One of the best moments of this year has to be the day I figured out concretely that I am done with classes next December. It's scary and liberating at the same time.

My marriage this year was also pretty awesome. Going to Japan with Dennis was amazing, and I love seeing him serve others. I love how we have grown and evolved together. I was thinking about New Year's, which is mainly his traditions from Chile with the ball dropping on TV. I typically blog about this as "Chilean New Year's" as if I'm a tourist in my own home for this holiday. But really, these have become our traditions. And my husband is, if anything, a traditionalist which makes me love him so much more. I love our Christmas tree, I love our discussions, and things are good.

My faith isn't the strongest it has ever been but it isn't the weakest either. I saw God do good things for me and for others in 2008. Just looking at how many people generously gave for our mission trip to Japan, was an experience in faith enough. To say that Japan had an impact on my faith is an understatement. We didn't visit a third world country but I loved the people in Japan, who are so giving and kind and patient and humble (even to a fault) and who really are not that different from people here. I loved showing them my faith honestly. I loved moments like talking with one woman about how hard marriage really is, especially on days when you come home and are just too exhausted to even talk. It was important for me to show that I am a Christian but that I am also a real person who isn't perfect. The friendships are really what they have given to me, as I really love the email and cards and the continued conversations.

My New Year's resolution last year was to get better about my health, and I think I've pretty much kept that one. And I gave up celebrity gossip for Lent so I actually ended up not even returning really fully to celeb gossip. And I am a better diabetic.

So this year, on a faith related side, I am going to keep praying at night with my husband and I resolve to add "not hating" to my resolution list. I have become a major hater and it has really affected my faith. I hate certain things about my community, for example, and then I can't get past them to find any room to give out any love. But really, I've almost become one of those people who are just really apathetic. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself. But it's hard to be graceful to people who are so clueless that you want to just quit trying altogether.

Here's to 2009. May I lose some more pounds, get some better blood sugars, a few more A's in school, and some money. And more grace in my heart.

mental housekeeping...

there are some things I need to get down in words.

First, the facebook photo situation has been resolved: My nephew complained that he hates this photo. I can relate. People have photos of me tagged where I look like a fat cow. But maybe I was looking at this from the most selfish of all angles. My nephew is a young college kid who needs as many facebook photos of himself where he looks cool as he can get, because he is a young kid in college. It all makes perfect sense. So, I have conceded. I removed his name from the photo and he is no longer tagged. But I keep my photo online. Those are my terms and we are no longer in negotiations. (At least, I'm no longer negotiating).

Second, my brain is mush. I have finals this upcoming week and while these are mainly papers, this is where my focus of attention is resting. I need this week, at least until after Tuesday at midnight, to focus on school. Hence, the following open letter is necessary:
Dear husband,
Apologies, because I cannot be bothered until I finish my assignments. I have, literally five brain cells and they are all on school. So this means I am not going to have time to clean out the spare bedroom so my brother is at home when he visits on Friday. It will get done but maybe not to your satisfaction. Oh well. My brother is quite possibly the messiest bachelor ever so I'm sure he will not mind.

I'm also not in a position to care about cooking. I'm eating a salad and that alone deserves applause. Do NOT give me "that" look when I eat a few oreos. I'm stressing out majorly and a few oreos are not going to kill me. Yes, I know I had a panic attack last week about how I was feeling fat and I'm such an idiot for not caring better about what I eat. And I fully expect you to react as you did last week, by being supportive and helpful. Do not act like the food police when I decide to binge and have 3 oreo cookies as a reaction to my body's natural cortisol production as a response to stress.

Also, don't freak out because I am also coincidentally very absentminded right now. As I said, I have FIVE brain cells functioning right now. So if I mess up dates and times or forget words, lay off.

Finally, keep on with the supportive hugs and such. You are the best ever and the source of my sanity.

Much love,
your wife, who wishes she was really always right.

Do the dishes!

once again, thank you Passive Aggressive Notes for making me laugh. Illegal indeed.

Now Dennis is all American...

Instead of just "south american" or "north american".
Dennis is a flag ceremony away from being a citizen of TWO countries. He passed the US citizenship test at 100% and had a harder time finding the immigration building than actually taking the test itself.

My husband officially knows more about the United States than I do. We did have some fun bedtime discussions about who Patrick Henry was or why it took about a decade for the US constitution to be officially adopted by the 13 states... My old history professors might be proud of what I still remember. Or they might cringe.
In other news,

Cindy, I am really addicted to Pet Society. Thanks!!!!! (There are times when I'm trying to catch a frisbee that Dennis just cannot talk to me!)

internet banalities...

I don't think I will ever stop loving LOLZ cats.

Facebook in real life

Three things I know to be true:
1. I love facebook.
2. The British have yet again proved to be very very funny.
3. I will not un-tag or remove photos of friends just because THEY think they look bad. Tough. They are MY photos and my memories. (I've actually had a request to take a photo down from my young angst-filled emo nephew who is horribly embarrassed that I have a photo of him on facebook where he is smiling and looks clean and normal.)

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

PS:

POKE!!!! Juan Manuel, I will never ever ever remove this photo! One day when you find that Mormon girl you want to marry and have loads of kids with, you will thank me!! You look normal and handsome here!! (Plus, you CAN untag yourself from photos. duh.)

They are available for weddings...

Add This:

Plus This:

And you, delightfully, get this:



The website doesn't work, BTW but I think this is a real church choir. If it isn't, it is at least cheap Thursday entertainment. Could at least SOME of what they sing work and not conflict with the idea of worship? (I mean, you can't sing Nelly in church, obvs, but maybe you could work with the Eminem song??)

The fallout.

These are ghosts?

Thanks to Cake Wrecks for this ghost-cake. AT least I think these are ghosts. Now I know the trick to drawing ghosts that look mysteriously phallic.