When we went back to NY for a visit this weekend, my nephew and brother in law entertained us with a rock n roll performance. My 8 year old nephew was quite impressive on the drums! And at one point, he let out a scream that would have impressed even Roger Daltrey. I offered to make him a mixed cd so that he could expand his influences. However, making a cd of rock music for an 8 year old is turning out to be more difficult than previously thought.
I wanted to include a Rolling Stones song and I was browsing the Stones songs on my computer, I ran into a problem. I really like the song "Brown Sugar", but I don't think that the idea of raping black women is good to mention to an 8 year old.
I wanted to include some Ramones, but Andrew says that "I Wanna Be Sedated" is also not good for children.
I need to include Nirvana, and a lot of their songs are a bit taboo.
Here's the list I have so far:
The Who- Won't Get Fooled Again
Guns N Roses- Sweet Child O Mine
K's Choice- Cocoon Crash
Cheap Trick- Surrender
Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit
Rolling Stones- Paint It Black
Janis Joplin- Piece of My Heart
Kiss- Rock N Roll All Night
The Doors- People Are Strange
I need some more songs, so I'm open to ideas and suggestions. Also, let me know id you think the songs on that list aren't good for kids.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
What do you think?
Yesterday, I was in the mood for a change. So I had a little adventure int he bathroom with a pair of scissors. What do you think?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Mom and Bre visit Boston
I've been working my butt off lately. But in a bit of downtime, my Mom and Bre came to visit Boston. We had a lovely weekend. We walked around Boston
but it was so cold that we had to buy hats from a guy on the street (Pretty cool hats, huh?).
We went to the aquarium and I saw my favorite penguin.
Every time we go there, this one penguin (I know it's him because he's the fattest penguin) sits on the top of the rock and just chills. And he poses for pictures. I love him. If I were a penguin, I'd be him.
On the way out of the aquarium, a shark was celebrating with the crowd of people.
Then we walked to Cheers for lunch. Bre shared a moment with Carla,
and I obviously had a lovely time as well.
Bre loved showing off her new hat everywhere- even the parking garage.
Then, we planned an exciting evening hanging out at one of my favorite bars. We sampled some blueberry beer while we waited for a table.
Once we had our table, the traditional "Crazy Faces" competition began.
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
The next morning, on the way to the MIT museum, I aparently thought the competition was still on...
Though I was able to get my act together enough to look intellectual at the museum.
And we had a lovely walk around MIT's campus.
What a nice visit, Mom and Bre. Can't wait to see you guys again soon!
but it was so cold that we had to buy hats from a guy on the street (Pretty cool hats, huh?).
We went to the aquarium and I saw my favorite penguin.
Every time we go there, this one penguin (I know it's him because he's the fattest penguin) sits on the top of the rock and just chills. And he poses for pictures. I love him. If I were a penguin, I'd be him.
On the way out of the aquarium, a shark was celebrating with the crowd of people.
Then we walked to Cheers for lunch. Bre shared a moment with Carla,
and I obviously had a lovely time as well.
Bre loved showing off her new hat everywhere- even the parking garage.
Then, we planned an exciting evening hanging out at one of my favorite bars. We sampled some blueberry beer while we waited for a table.
Once we had our table, the traditional "Crazy Faces" competition began.
Round 1:
Round 2:
Round 3:
The next morning, on the way to the MIT museum, I aparently thought the competition was still on...
Though I was able to get my act together enough to look intellectual at the museum.
And we had a lovely walk around MIT's campus.
What a nice visit, Mom and Bre. Can't wait to see you guys again soon!
Friday, January 18, 2008
More Kiva News
For anyone who is interested...
Kiva has more people applying for loans. I was browsing and noticed that there are women from Sierra Leone who are applying for business loans.
(In high school, I wrote a research paper on the civil war/genocide/amputations and it broke my heart. Villages were attacked, many of the women were raped and hundred of people has one or both of their hands chopped off. Reading accounts or looking at photos are enough to make you cry.)
Anyway, I saw that there was a 23 year old woman who is asking for a loan to expand her business. Being that I'm 23, on one hand I relate to her- being young and married and trying to support my family. But on the other, I can't imagine what her life has been like.
So I shelled out another $25 via Kiva to Hawa Tholloy. Good luck, Hawa!!!
Kiva has more people applying for loans. I was browsing and noticed that there are women from Sierra Leone who are applying for business loans.
(In high school, I wrote a research paper on the civil war/genocide/amputations and it broke my heart. Villages were attacked, many of the women were raped and hundred of people has one or both of their hands chopped off. Reading accounts or looking at photos are enough to make you cry.)
Anyway, I saw that there was a 23 year old woman who is asking for a loan to expand her business. Being that I'm 23, on one hand I relate to her- being young and married and trying to support my family. But on the other, I can't imagine what her life has been like.
So I shelled out another $25 via Kiva to Hawa Tholloy. Good luck, Hawa!!!
Friday, January 11, 2008
More about pets...
Since my last post about pets got such a response, I decided to post another one. My mom sent me this last March, and I thought it was HILARIOUS!!
PET RULES: Post on the refrigerator door - nose height.
Dear Quincy, Roxy and She-Ra,
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other
dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in
the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your
food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me
to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about
this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your
comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It
is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the
fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and
having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but
sarcasm.
For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some
miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not
necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under
the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I
entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline
attendance is not required.
The proper order is: 1. Kiss me, then 2. Go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I
cannot stress this enough!
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our
front door: To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
(That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is
short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.
To anyone who doesn't understand why I cram so many pets into such a small space, remember this:
In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a "gazillion" dollars for college.
And finally,
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.
PET RULES: Post on the refrigerator door - nose height.
Dear Quincy, Roxy and She-Ra,
The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other
dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in
the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your
food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.
The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me
to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.
I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about
this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your
comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It
is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the
fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and
having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but
sarcasm.
For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some
miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not
necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under
the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I
entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline
attendance is not required.
The proper order is: 1. Kiss me, then 2. Go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I
cannot stress this enough!
To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our
front door: To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
1. They live here. You don't.
2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.
(That's why they call it "fur"niture.)
3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is
short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.
To anyone who doesn't understand why I cram so many pets into such a small space, remember this:
In many ways, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
1. Eat less
2. Don't ask for money all the time
3 Are easier to train
4. Normally come when called
5. Never ask to drive the car
6. Don't hang out with drug-using friends
7. Don't smoke or drink
8. Don't have to buy the latest fashions
9. Don't want to wear your clothes
10. Don't need a "gazillion" dollars for college.
And finally,
11. If they get pregnant, you can sell their children.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Update: Kiva Loan
In November, I was exploring Kiva.org and found Magdalene Suri, a lady in Cameroon who wanted to start a business in raising pigs. She is a mother of 6 children and a widow and wanted to start a business so that she would be able to take care of her children. I decided that I should lend her $25. Some people basically told me that I should kiss that $25 good-bye (especially since she is considered a "high risk" loan). I didn't take it to heart. Maybe I am naive, but I didn't believe that Magdalene would take my money and run. And even if she did, $25 means that we would have to skip going out to eat one night. Not a big deal. So I lent her the money. She got her full loan (she was asking for a total of $1,200) on 11/9/07. The agreement of the loan was that she had 4 months from the day that she got the loan to start paying it back (March 2008). I'm assuming that the 4 month time was to give her time to raise the pigs until they are large enough to be eaten. I was just checking out Kiva today (thinking that I would loan another $25 to someone in need) and saw 2 things that made me very happy!
1. Currently, every business on Kiva has been funded!! Apparently a lot of news papers have recently written articles on Kiva and all of the press has made the site very popular and at this moment, every business that was asking for money has been funded!
and 2. Magdalene seems to be doing well! Her first loan payment was not due until March, but she has already started to pay her loan back! As of today, she has paid 4% before the first payment was even due! Of my $25, I have already gotten $1.19 back!
Congratulations Magdalene! I hope that your good luck continues in 2008!
1. Currently, every business on Kiva has been funded!! Apparently a lot of news papers have recently written articles on Kiva and all of the press has made the site very popular and at this moment, every business that was asking for money has been funded!
and 2. Magdalene seems to be doing well! Her first loan payment was not due until March, but she has already started to pay her loan back! As of today, she has paid 4% before the first payment was even due! Of my $25, I have already gotten $1.19 back!
Congratulations Magdalene! I hope that your good luck continues in 2008!
Monday, January 7, 2008
What I did over Christmas Break
I finally have some time to post what I did over Christmas Break.
Well, my job called me on Christmas Eve afternoon (I was supposed to work 3-11) and they asked me if I wanted the day off. I told them to ask someone with kids, but she said that she asked everyone else and I was the last one. So we packed up quick and drove to NY. We didn't tell my mom we were heading down a day early, and we dropped off Quincy on my parent's front porch and drove away. SURPRISE!! We went to Andrew's Mom's for Christmas Eve with his family. We went back to my parents where we played Guitar Hero
and drank a little too much wine. Due to the bottle of wine I finished the night before, we had a slow paced Christmas morning.
Bre got very dressed up for Christmas afternoon...
Andrew got me a "Teach Yourself to Knit" package for Christmas. However I needed a little more help than that provided, so his niece, Amy, taught me over the next few days. I'm working on a scarf. I think I got the hang of it. What do you think?
Over the next few days, we had lots of fun with family...
Then, New Years Eve day, Bre and I went out for a permanent form of sister bonding...
then returned to my parent's house to host a kick ass New Years Eve party with all of our friends!
Then Andrew and I made the drive home through some tricky weather and had to get back to work.
What a good Holiday Season!
Added 1:15pm on 1/10/08
It has been brought to my attention that there are not any pictures of my dad in this post. I looked through all of my pictures from our 8 days in NY and carefully selected one that fully captures the high jinks that ensued on New Years Eve:
Well, my job called me on Christmas Eve afternoon (I was supposed to work 3-11) and they asked me if I wanted the day off. I told them to ask someone with kids, but she said that she asked everyone else and I was the last one. So we packed up quick and drove to NY. We didn't tell my mom we were heading down a day early, and we dropped off Quincy on my parent's front porch and drove away. SURPRISE!! We went to Andrew's Mom's for Christmas Eve with his family. We went back to my parents where we played Guitar Hero
and drank a little too much wine. Due to the bottle of wine I finished the night before, we had a slow paced Christmas morning.
Bre got very dressed up for Christmas afternoon...
Andrew got me a "Teach Yourself to Knit" package for Christmas. However I needed a little more help than that provided, so his niece, Amy, taught me over the next few days. I'm working on a scarf. I think I got the hang of it. What do you think?
Over the next few days, we had lots of fun with family...
Then, New Years Eve day, Bre and I went out for a permanent form of sister bonding...
then returned to my parent's house to host a kick ass New Years Eve party with all of our friends!
Then Andrew and I made the drive home through some tricky weather and had to get back to work.
What a good Holiday Season!
Added 1:15pm on 1/10/08
It has been brought to my attention that there are not any pictures of my dad in this post. I looked through all of my pictures from our 8 days in NY and carefully selected one that fully captures the high jinks that ensued on New Years Eve:
Saturday, January 5, 2008
A day in the life of my pets...
Quincy:
DOG DIARY
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
She-Ra:
Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Roxy:
CAT DIARY
Day 983 of MY CAPTIVITY.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow --but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
DOG DIARY
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
She-Ra:
Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Roxy:
CAT DIARY
Day 983 of MY CAPTIVITY.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Bastards!
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow --but at the top of the stairs. I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year!!
I didn't abandon you, Blog. I was just very busy visiting with family and friends in NY for the past 8 days. I am very tired right now from the stress of the 5 hour drive back home (a drive that usually takes 3 or 3.5 hours) due to the inclement weather. Tomorrow I have a fun day with my cousin, Larissa. Then I'm working Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but I promise that I will squeeze in some time to tell you all about my fun week of vacation back home.
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