currently...

• reading: love in the time of cholera by gabriel garcia marquez; dear john by nicholas sparks
• on deck: personal finance for dummies by eric tyson
• watching: bridges of madison county (starring clint eastwood, meryl streep)
• listening: jars of clay's the long fall back to earth
• song playing over and over in my head: the way we were by barbra streisand (the movie - by the same name, starring robert redford and barbra streisand - is great too. i just watched it recently. it's too bad they don't make romantic movies like that anymore)
• missing: charcoal (i know the gallardos and bj will keep you company while we're away =)
• eating: a delicious crunchy cucumber salad i whipped up myself
• going: on a (HUGE) boat ride with the fam !!! bon voyage !

and yes, i'm doing all of these things simultaneously. i'm such a talented multi-tasker

lately...
    
1) a chorus line ! starring david hull, sycamore alumni
2) doggie dash: charcoal -- drrrrenched
3) this toy poodle's name was priscilla. cotton-candy-colored pink puffs, pink stroller, hot pink boa, even her nails were painted hot pink
4) charcoal was born an athlete
5) cincinnati rollergirls !

    
1) safari time =] nothin' but blue skies...
2) rhinoceruses
3) this swan knows how to play the trumpet
4) nikki, the giraffe
5) duh. pretty self-explanatory

i will sing a song of hope, sing along,
God of heaven come down, heaven come down,
just to know you and be loved is enough...

til we earned a holiday

• so you like sudoku, huh? well, try your hand at kenken
• i usually prefer salty to sweet, but at the moment, i'm really diggin swedish fish
• h1n1 influenza... swine flu? i guess something's goin around...
• there was an asian culture fest last weekend and there was a lady doing henna for free. i had never gotten it done, so i was pretty excited to go just for that. i had no idea it came out in a dark brownish-green paste that kind of looks like puffy paint. the paste (is a tad stinky) dries and then flakes off, leaving behind a brown design... very cool ! after about a week, the design has sadly started to fade
• i have the nature channel playing right outside my window. a robin made her nest on my windowsill and i've been documenting their growth by taking pictures every day. it's so cool, watching the birds hatch and grow from babies to juveniles within days. it's life fast-forwarded. literally. i've even watched and video-taped her feeding the birds. very fascinating =] i'll post more pics soon
• jm and mary ann made an appearance at the sycamore prom last weekend. HOTT stuff ;) ah prom... brings back fun memories !
• i will not be sucked in to this new fad called twitter. i absolutely refuse. i'm not a very public person and i don't need that kind of attention. it's just not my thing

currently playing go by vertical horizon see related

til we see the shore by seabird see related

in my head :: tunes

hide nothing by matt alber see related	words & music by aqualung see related	safe trip home by dido see related	fiction family by fiction family see related
lightbulbs by fujiya & miyagi see related	o'reilly street by james galway & tiempo libre see related	made in the dark by hot chip see related	julianne hough by julianne hough see related
speaking louder than before by jeremy camp see related	the glass passenger by jack's mannequin see related	fall and winter, spring and summer by jon foreman see related	808s & heartbreak by kanye west see related
evil urges by my morning jacket see related	love at the core by run kid run see related	a hundred million suns by snow patrol see related	over and underneath by tenth avenue north see related

16 :: facts, goals, habits, and shortcomings

6 facts
- i can snack on chips and salsa like it's nobody's business
- one reason why i like bananas is because it's not a messy fruit to eat
- i like to eat noodles or any kind of pasta
- i sleep with my socks and watch on
- i miss doing art: painting, playing with clay, drawing
- i haven't made a cd mix in a while

4 goals
- be more optimistic and complain less
- read at least 15 books this year
- love people more... really and sincerely love them
- learn to play an instrument (bass? drums?)

4 habits
- when i sleep, my ears have to be covered by the blanket/sheet
- i like my shoes to be slip-on, even my tennis shoes, so all of my (tie-able) shoes remain tied
- when i worked at a daycare, it's natural for me to wear gloves when changing diapers... except i tended to keep the gloves on longer than i should've
- i like to people-watch 

2 shortcomings
- i need to exercise more, even if it's as simple as getting into a routine of sit-ups and push-ups
- i need to stop worrying so much

i would tag people... but does anyone even use xanga anymore?

well you say i'm crazy cause i can't make up my mind, but i won't let it phase me, instead i'll leave all these thoughts behind, cause you say that you got someone who's wasting your time, well that's alright cause i got someone who's wasting mine...

currently reading the virgin suicides by jeffrey eugenides see related

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABA !

here it is...
the annual movie and book list. my goal was to watch more movies (movies on the list were ones i saw for the first time) and read more books this year than in 2007. goal accomplished =] i'm sure i ate my fair share of popcorn too. another story for another time.

and here are the lists... [starred ones are highly recommended -- all the books i read last year are highly recommended]

movies seen in 2008

1. hollywoodland
2. half nelson
3. fantastic 4: rise of the silver surfer
4. the simpsons movie
5. freedom writers
6. stealth
7. there will be blood
8. waitress*
9. daddy's little girls
10. the aviator
11. 3 needles
12. the art of seduction (korean)
13. evan almighty
14. casanova
15. knocked up
16. zodiac
17. conversations with other women*
18. miss potter
19. high school musical 2
20. i think i love my wife
21. premonition
22. why did i get married?
23. 27 dresses
24. take the lead
25. stranger than fiction
26. blood diamond*
27. license to wed
28. year of the dog
29. bee movie
30. i pronounce you chuck and larry
31. indiana jones and the crystal skull
32. iron man
33. juno*
34. the golden compass
35. sex and the city
36. the science of sleep
37. national treasure: book of secrets
38. meet the robinsons
39. made of honor
40. tommy boy
41. the bucket list
42. 21
43. the other boelyn girl
44. smart people
45. shopgirl
46. tootsie
47. becoming jane
48. stealing beauty
49. the dark knight*
50. they came back
51. little children
52. 3:10 to yuma
53. meet the browns
54. keane
55. wall-e*
56. alfie
57. friends with money
58. dan in real life*
59. philadelphia
60. atonement*
61. harsh times
62. the producers
63. the motorcycle diaries
64. rumor has it
65. ella enchanted
66. reign over me*
67. the exorcist
68. definitely maybe
69. what happens in vegas
70. material girls
71. baby mama
72. drillbit taylor
73. bourne ultimatum
74. the crow
75. once*
76. body of lies
77. red eye
78. the lookout
79. august rush
80. 1408
81. jumper
82. p.s. i love you
83. bella*
84. the ultimate gift
85. no country for old men
86. the curious case of benjamin button*
87. the goonies
88. the brave one

movies seen in 2007: 71
movies seen in 2006: 67
movies seen in 2005: 55

books read in 2008

1. wicked by greg maguire
2. the westing game by ellen raskin
3. a whack upside the head by roger von oech
4. a framework for understanding poverty by ruby payne
5. boundaries in dating by cloud and townsend
6. rise and shine by anna quinnlen
7. the lovely bones by alice sebold
8. for women only by shaunti feldhahn
9. for men only by jeff and shaunti feldhahn
10. are you there, god? it's me, margaret by judy blume
11. from the mixed up files of mrs. basil e. frankweiler by e.l. konigsburg

books read in 2007: 6
books read in 2006: 15
books read in 2005: 15

man, i read a lot more in '05 and '06. i'll have to step up my reading this year... i'm going to shoot for 15 books

so excuse me forgetting but these things i do, you see i've forgotten if they're green or they're blue, anyway the thing is what i really mean, yours are the sweetest eyes i've ever seen...
 

currently listening to close to the edge by blessid union of souls see related

we are the change we wish to see in the world. click the link/banner above to join my group, "we are." (then click on the beige banner in the middle of the page where it says, "join team, we are, supporting child mothers." you may begin/discontinue your membership at any time.) click here for more information about mocha club. if your heart so moves you, consider darfur. click here for more information on how to help.

kudos to my twin who signed up right away &is still a member. i understand that a lot of you are in school or aren't working &aren't able to donate monetarily. if you fit into this category, if you could, please remember &pray for those in africa.

thanks all <3

but i will sing of your strength, in the morning i will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.  psalm 59:16