It's a war on war

Yesterday, for two hours, I stood in the median of an extremely busy intersection during rush hour to protest the war in Iraq.

I was nervous. My knees were shaking.

But my friend Sharon and I were soon joined by about 10-12 others, all well-seasoned in protests. I was the only newbie. The banners/posters were all variations on the theme of ending the war. My friend and I held a long banner reading (if I remember correctly) "We stand in silence for lives lost in violence."

For the most part, people were really supportive. We got lots of good-natured honking, thumbs up, smiles, waves, and a few people shouted positive things. One carload of teenage boys started chanting "BARACK! BARACK! BARACK!" It kinda sounded like they were barking, but whatever.

Yes, there were a few dissenters. They showed their disapproval in the form of thumbs down, shaking heads, scoffs and revving of engines (I assume this meant they thought there was an unlimited amount of oil). One really pathetic creep stuck his head out the window and started screaming really vile racial epithets. I won't repeat them. I told Sharon it was a shame we couldn't cure ignorance.

One guy rolled down his window and yelled "Get a job!" at me. I was tempted to yell back, "I would if the economy weren't so bad!" But instead I saved all my snarky comebacks for Sharon, who laughed appreciatively.

Within five minutes of our arrival, a man in full military uniform drove by. He didn't acknowledge us in any way, positive or negative, but my first reaction was embarrassment. I fervently hoped he didn't think we were judging the actions of soldiers. I put that thought out of my head, though, because I think the best way we can support our soldiers is to bring them home. Or at least make sure they have the proper equipment and gear to survive and a clear objective in order to win a war. I think as it is, all those brave men and women who signed up to serve their country after 9/11 are having their sacrifice taken for granted by the government.

I guess there will be another protest next month, this time on a larger scale in a mall parking lot. A group of veterans against the war are supposed to be there as well. I'll update later with more information.

I had a comment on Facebook from someone who knew me, saying she was surprised to see me, a "mild mannered librarian," at a war protest. I am shy in crowds, and I hate confrontation--especially when it comes to election season and an issue with such polarity. I was nervous as hell, I don't mind telling you. But I'm hoping that gives you confidence to get involved somehow.

YEEEEESSSS!!!!

Dear Every Tourist Who's Come To Town This Summer,
this card is for you.
Love, April

"There's only music now. There's only music now."

Here are a few videos I keep coming back to:

Speaking for myself

I went to an Obama rally today with a couple of friends: Rachel (co-worker) and Sharon (former co-worker). We also found another friend, Ray (former co-worker), there as well.

This election year's rally was different from the 2004 rally I attended at the same place in that this time there were a few picketers with signs about abortion and gay rights. Because surely the issues I care about as a Democrat--health care, the economy, an end to the war, quality education, etc.--are worthless if I also believe a woman should have the final say over her own body and that two adults of the same sex can have a loving and committed relationship together if they so choose.

Politics--it's a hot topic that no one wants to touch. Not that I blame them. I've just edited the above paragraph three times so as not to overly offend anyone. But whatever. It's my blog and I'll outcry if I want to.

There were some great speeches made today. I especially liked one of the district representative's comments about Democrats too long turning the other cheek to Republican lies and that it's time to get angry and stand up to the bullying. I paraphrased, but it was quite moving. I'm tired of getting anti-Obama emails from people who think they're educating me but who in fact are just forwarding another person's propaganda, which always ends up being quotes taken out of context or just flat-out lies anyway. Educate yourselves, people! Don't believe everything sent in an email or what your neighbor says. Go to the source if you can, beginning with local and state representatives. Or visit offical Web sites that are approved by the candidate you're researching, so at least you know if he/she regards the information as truth.

I don't care what you believe in or for whom you want to vote--just don't get involved with the dirtyness of it all. Just know that someone else may have a different opinion, and that's not a reason to attack them.

Remix

Labor Day weekend -- not much to tell.

I spent hours (hours!!) revising my story for the writers group. If they don't like this revision, I give up.

I spent hours (hours!!) figuring out which songs I wanted to change on my Hot -n- Creepy 2.0 mix for my friend Pete and finding the perfect balance of quiet yet not snooze-inducing tracks for TOWR's indexing mix.

I spent hours (hours!!) searching the Internet (mostly Etsy, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Lush, and Sephora) for those perfect Christmas presents for friends and family. I figure if I buy one or two pressies per paycheck, then I won't be stressed when the holiday finally gets here. Some of ya'll (Azucar, RC Cola) are tough to shop for! Some of ya'll (Laura Llew, Kristen), there are waaaay too many goodies I'd love to get you. You'd have the bestest Christmas ever if I won the lottery. Fo sho!

I spent hours (hours!!) watching Season 5 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. What can I say? It's addicting.

And that's about it. I finally had a weekend where I didn't have plans, didn't have to hang out, and didn't have to spend money. It was rather nice, and I'm already dreading tomorrow because it's deadline day at the newspaper without all the extra regular work hours to complete stories. It's going to be s-t-r-e-s-s-f-u-l. I'd better get to bed early.

Show me the meaning of being awesome...

The weather at the Minnesota State Fair was spectacular: sunny with a cool breeze. We decided to first check out the rides. Here is Amanda and my mom (Darla) before Mom and I jumped on the Fighter ride, which promptly made me want to vomit.

Then Amanda and I went on a ride called the Crazy Mouse, where I got a bruise on my right arm and she walked off with her pants unzipped. So, it was definitely an appropriately named ride. (That's me with wild hair sticking out of the top of the booth.)

Krista and I awaiting for the start of the concert.

Unfortunately, the first act was Girlicious, which they made sure we knew by repeating their names 42 times. Here are Amanda and Krista's reactions to the scantily clad, fake-haired, gyrating whores (pronounced Hoo-ers).

Cute pic of my sis as BSB time got nearer.



Sidenote: I made three random strangers laugh while at the fair. A fair (no pun intended) day's work, I must say.

The concert was pretty fun and wild. There was a great mix of guys and girls, and everyone screamed their hearts out and heads off. Aside from some jerky creeps in the section next to us who kept making comments to every girl who walked by, spilled their beer all over, and were obviously drunk and/or high, the crowd was awesome. The guys eventually were hauled out of the grandstand, to the delight of all around them.

I was too far away from the stage to take decent pictures, but here's one clip if you're interested.

BSB put on a very high-energy, exciting, and visually stunning performance, complete with several wardrobe changes and a solo by each group member. After the encore, fireworks burst in air to conclude the show.

Aaaaaand we're spent.

Also, today is Grandma's birthday. Happy 78th, Grandma!

"Now all your love is wasted? Then who the hell was I?"

So Friday night Kristen and I went to the Twin Cities to see Bon Iver, with opening act AA Bondy. I wasn't sure I'd like AA. His CD didn't do much for me. But he's better in person and was actually quite funny. For example:

AA Bondy: "I don't believe athletes at the Olympics should be tested for drugs." *crowd cheers* "Personally, I want to see how fast they can go." *strums guitar* "This is a children's song."

Maybe you had to be there. It was pretty hilarious, though.

And Bon Iver? So MF awesome. Kristen and I managed to stand right up at the gate in front of the stage. She'd been to that venue before, so she was clever and knew exactly where to stand. At first we were behind another row of people, but before the concert even started, this guy and his girlfriend in front of me decided to leave their spot. He bent down and said loudly "Go for it!" And go for it I did, swooping in on that coveted gate spot like a vulture on roadkill. Now, it's possible that he was actually talking to someone else, but I didn't care. I heard "Go for it!" and nothing was stopping me.

The girl to Kristen's left kept elbowing her, dancing like a hoochie, and bumping her. The girl to my right annoyed me greatly by talking in a little girl voice, telling her guy friend "Feel my rock hard abs!" But she kept laughing at things Kristen and I said or did, so I forgave her for being everything I'm not. Plus, she knew one of the guys in the band, so I was kinda hoping we'd get to follow her backstage. (Didn't happen. She disappeared before the end of the encore. Her spot was swiftly snatched by a dorky guy who'd been yelling things all night like "That was very nice!" "Fantastic!" and "WONderful!")

I can't really tell you how spectacular Bon Iver was. There I was, just six feet from him, beating out 1,500 other people to be that close to him. He was funny, too. After we'd cheer for him, he'd bashfully shake his head and say "Thanks, yo." One time he tried to shush us, which just made the crowd cheer even louder. I yelled "Opposite!" Eh, maybe you had to be there. Here are some pics I took with my cell phone.

Also, in the dream I had later that night when telling other girls about how hot Bon Iver's music was, I may or may not have used the phrase "You'll cream in your jeans!" Also, I suffered from man voice all day Saturday due to screaming so much at the concert. But it was totally worth it.

Other highlights of the weekend:

~Bought Guitar Hero Aerosmith. I played it for two hours last night. Pro: they have a ton of guitar choices for characters and not every song is actually by Aerosmith. Con: When you play as Aerosmith, the design on the neck on screen where the fret buttons come down makes it super difficult to see the actual colors of the fret, so prepare to screw up a lot.

~K-Lo and I went to Michael's in Duluth so she could order matting for her Bon Iver poster, and we made the boy working there laugh several times. I got him started using the phrase, "In my professional opinion." Then after we found out that K-Lo's contact number at the store was still her parents' home number, we all made up an imaginary conversation about her mom calling to tell her Michael's had called. This is all of us speaking as Kristen's mom.

Boy: Um, somebody named Michael called. He wants to do arts and crafts with you?

Kristen: He wants you to come over right away.

Me: *excited voice* Are you dating someone? When do we get to meet him?

Boy: He sounds really nice!

~We saw "Tropic Thunder" in Duluth. It was pretty funny for the most part. The best thing of all was that Kristen ordered pretzel bites with nacho cheese at the concession stand before the movie started, and at first all she saw was the guy filling the container with enough cheese to drown a moose. "Why the crap is he giving me so much cheese?" she asked. I shrugged. Then he filled the rest of the container with the pretzel bites--there were about 30 of them the size of a fat man's big toe. We stared in horror. And then couldn't stop laughing. We ate like seven, total.

~I had breakfast at Hell's Kitchen in Duluth. Never been there before. It was excellent. And in Minneapolis, we had dinner before the concert at an Irish pub, where Kristen's sandwhich was called the James Joyce. My sandwich didn't have an awesome Irish name, so I renamed it the Flannery O'Connor.

~Bought a shload of Christmas pressies for my sister, which I'm using as an excuse to give her an early present. I can't tell you what it is yet because she might read the blog. But I'll tell you soon, dearies.

~Went to a craft fair at Glensheen Mansion in Duluth. It was a little "meh." Though I did buy a cute little vase. I'll take a pic soon. Anyway, we had to ride a schoolbus to and from the parking lot. On our return trip, this woman behind us had her nephew with, a toddler, and she kept asking him questions nonstop throughout the ride. Each new question was said in a progressively higher-pitched tone. "Are we on a bus? Is it yellow? Are you sure? Do you see the water? Where's the water? Do you see daddy? Is he behind us? Do you see your uncle? Is that his truck? Are you tired? Are you sleepy? Do you need a nap? Are you sure? Do you have the hiccups? Should I scare you? Boo. Did I scare you? Did I scare you? Boo. Did I scare you?"

UGH. So annoying. But then for the rest of the day, Kristen and I kept saying to each other "Do you have the hiccups? Should I scare you? Boo. Did I scare you?" And while we were playing the new Aerosmith Guitar Hero I bought, she did it again. Two minutes later, she got the hiccups. We couldn't stop laughing. Then she'd hiccup again in the middle of talking or laughing, and it made us screw up our game cuz we were laughing so hard.

~When I got home Monday morning, waiting there for me was the newest issue of Paste magazine, with the delish Bon Iver on the cover. WONderful.

~Friday night, Krista arrives. Saturday night, Backstreet Boys concert at the Minnesota State Fair. Will be boy band-alicious.

Birthday weekend

It was Aaliyah's birthday Saturday, but she was sick and stayed at her mother's house. So we'll have presents for her next week. Jersey's birthday is technically tomorrow, but had a big lunch and cake and presents today. First we played outside. Here's Brauny next to one of Jerz's numerous lizard toys.

He likes getting his belly rubbed. But then, who doesn't?

Jerzy and Brauny like the sandbox.

Action shot. Look at that sand fly!

Her stripper name is Sandy Bottoms. hahaha! Er...no? Oh.

MWAH! Thanking Uncle Skunkle (that's what we call my brother) for the Play-doh.

Bruce the shark bubble blower from Gram.

New outfit from Gramps and "Little Gram."

Testing out her bubble-making skills.

What does it mean when a boy asks if you plan on bringing someone with you to zombie night?

Aaliyah turns 2 on Saturday. I got her a musical Dora the Explorer See and Say.

Jersey turns 4 on Monday. I got her a (cheap) digital camera with three interchangeable face plates in various shades and designs of pink.

I turn 30 in three months. Kristen's making me a quilt because Lord knows I won't have anything else keeping me warm at night.

Bon Iver/AA Bondy concert in 10 days. Will attend with Kristen. We may also have another SingStar/Guitar Hero party

Backstreet Boys concert in 17 days. Will attend with Mom, Amanda and Krista. I know you can't wait for all the pictures I'll be taking.

Still revising ending of short story, but the writers group absolutely loved the new direction I'm taking it. I commented that it's difficult to write something in a more sinister way without making it cliched, like a villain twirling his mustache. They laughed. D says, "No, you wouldn't do that. That's something I'd do. You're way too talented for that garbage." I will accept that compliment. :)

Got my awesome T-shirt from Laura Llew that in blue sparkly embroidery reads "Team Edward: Cooler Than a Werewolf." I'm a million times more satisfied with the shirt than the actual book, even though I'm only halfway through reading it. Quite disappointing. Thank goodness the final Harry Potter book wasn't crappy like this. Ah, well. At least I have the movie "Twilight" to look forward to.

Please help me. I've become addicted to Facebook. And really, it's not even as good as MySpace because you can't listen to music or anything. But I can't. stop. checking. it. Also, I've found so many high school and college friends on there. People I haven't seen or spoken to in years! I actually got teary-eyed after I found a couple of old friends.

Anyway. Amanda and I went to see the new X-Files movie today. I liked it while I was watching it, but reflecting afterward, it wasn't that great. I mean, it was ... but it wasn't. Wow, enlightening review, isn't it? I think Gene Siskel's job is safe. Er ... he's the one who's dead, isn't he? The other guy, then.

I bought these bowls online from Urban Outfitters yesterday. They're for my future kitchen. (Can't stop daydreaming about own place. Now, if I could only find perfect full-time job in my field of expertise.)

I was also tempted by this dinnerware, but $14 per plate? As Chris Rock playing a homeless man in an In Loving Color sketch once shrieked, "Good LAWD, that's a lotta money!" (Dudes, I totally dropped an old-school comedy reference on your collective asses.)

Also, currently obsessed with all things Adele. I especially love the song "Daydreamer."

"Wonder Boy, what is the secret of your power?"

Rachel from work and I went to see "Batman: The Dark Knight" at the drive-in Friday night. It was pretty excellent; we were both pleased with it. There were several cringe-inducing moments that Heath Ledger's Joker gave us. And stupid freaking Matt Lauer gave a crucial plotpoint Thursday morning on the "Today Show," so I unfortunately already knew one thing. Ugh. Stupid bastard. Other than that, two thumbs up for the movie.

My mom got a new puppy at the house. He's a mix of Boston terrier, a Shih Tzu, and a chihuahua. His name is Brauny, named after my mom's favorite Milwaukee Brewer.

He's adorable and tiny and bite-y.

Mom made dessert the other day. As she was pulling the pan out of the oven, Jersey came up to her.

Jersey: What kinda cake is this, Gram?

Gram: These are lemon bars. Do you like lemon bars?

Jersey: Oh, yes. I love lemon bars! Except I haven't had them since military camp.

Jersey and her mom walking outside:

Jersey: Mom, what are those cracks in the sidewalk called?

Amanda: I don't know, Jerz. They're just cracks.

Jersey: No, according to my science book, the cracks in the sidewalk are made of needles. And needles are very dangerous.

I recently purchased a print from the LauraGeorge Etsy site, titled "Four Bookish."

I just picked it up from the frame shop yesterday and hung it over my bookcase.

Here's the other wall with my Gorjuss print, along with Jersey's handprints, a framed robot card from Kristen, and my fave photo from when Jersey was in the cutest baby contest:

I finished writing my second story for my writers group. I haven't had their reactions yet, but we meet Monday evening. Amanda, Mom and John loved it, though. After Mom quit crying, she croaked "Mediocre." ha!

My fave professor from my alma mater will be conducting a reading from his newest book at my library Wednesday night. I volunteered to make cookies. (Not just any cookies. They're chocolate mint cookies, and they're delish!)

My only other exciting news is that I joined Facebook. I know, quite the fascinating life I lead, isn't it?

Jerz on parade! (obviously to be sung to the tune of "Bulls on Parade.")

Amanda, Jersey, my aunt Linda, and I went to the Fourth of July parade Friday, as did most Americans, I guess. Anyway, it was a pretty fun day. Jersey was all smiles.



Even when she saw the old man and his skunk, which has been a part of the July 4th parade as long as I can remember. I can still remember my sister getting excited to pet the skunk when she was little.



British clown police? Albino Native American? Foppish mime? All of the above?





Jerz in action. Gotta grab that candy before the other kids do!

No matter what we did, we could not keep that kid's pants up. She mooned just about every float that went by. The ones throwing candy, anyway.

We also saw some bizarre things this year:

After the parade, it was off to my mom's house for an old-fashioned cook-out, after which the girls went swimming.

Today is also my mom's birthday. I'm sure she'd appreciate me telling this little anecdote:

Jersey brought Gram (my mom) a "note" that she'd scribbled for her.

Gram: Oh, thank you, Jersey! *reading note* "Dear Gram, happy birthday. I love you very much. Love, Jersey."

Jersey: *stares at Gram with strange expression* But, Gram. That's not what it says. It says "Shark-infested waters."

Gram: *starts laughing*

Jersey: I think you need glasses.

"That reminds me of an episode of 'Reba.'"

Krista came for a visit this past weekend, and now I'm blue cuz my life is boring again.

On Saturday we played all three of my SingStar games, and Krista beat me at almost every song. Plus, my voice turned manly after all the strain. Hmph.

Later that night we met up with my friend Rachel and we went to the drive-in theater to see Get Smart. Rachel made fun of me for buying Backstreet Boys tickets. I made fun of her for liking Reba McIntyre and worse, the TV show Reba. Then she started relating every one of our jokes or stories by quipping, "You know, that reminds me of an episode of Reba." Funny, then annoying. And Krista kept it up for the rest of the weekend. Grrr.

Get Smart was okay. It had some decent laughs, but the movie was a little slow paced. Some quotable lines, though.

We went to a Methodist church near my house Sunday morning. As we were walking up to the building, the church bell suddenly rang, and I jumped, yelling, "Good Lord!" Oops!

The service was super boring because the pastor wasn't there to give the sermon. Instead, some lay person rambled on about some convention she'd gone to. And she paused after every other word or would repeat a phrase that she felt must have been really inspirational. For example, "This man I'd never met before preached about the passion of hospitality." *long pause* "The passion. Of hospitality." Also, she talked about the victims of flooding who'd seen their houses "go down the Kickapoo." I told Krista that at first I thought "Kickapoo" was just a church-friendly way of saying "the shitter." Then I was like, "Oh, yeah. The river. Dur."

We also had to hold hands with a neighbor during a prayer, but Krista ignored the person who tapped her shoulder, and I was forced into holding hands with an old man who steadily increased the pressure of his grip until I had to massage my hand to get the feeling back.

Then as we left, two older men I knew had to come up to me like a couple of kids vying for my attention. "Hey, April! Are you coming back again? I think you should come back again." "Hey, April! Remember Shannon? Guess what? She got married yesterday!" Goodie. Rub that in my face, why don't ya?

So after that we made our way down to Eau Claire for some lunch and shopping. I heart shopping. It's my favorite. Our first stop was at Red Lobster for cheesy garlic biscuits. Then on to Pier One Imports, where they had tons of clearanced items. I bought a red Japanese figurine for my future Japanese-inspired living room. Oh, living room of the future, how fancy you are. I also adored this lamp, but I have no place to currently keep it. :(
I tried to talk Krista into buying a hideous ceramic sandal-shaped tealight holder to give as a birthday present to Kristen, but she didn't go for it.

Next up was Borders, where I bought the newest CD by South. Pretty good. Especially liking the song "Wasted."

Target was our last stop and where I made the biggest haul: Becoming Jane, Flight of the Conchords, and Rihanna (which I'm LOVING), plus some fruit and scones (lemon poppyseed, of course) and birthday presents for a lawyerly friend. That night, Guitar Hero 3 was the name of the game. I think Krista's now hooked because she's determined to buy her own GH3. We'll have a chance to battle in August when she comes back up to GO TO THE BACKSTREET BOYS CONCERT WITH ME! That's right! I'm not alone! We're gonna rock it single 29-year-old style. She even brought a boy band cd up for me to include in the mix, but I can't tell you which boy band it is. It's an MMMSecret.

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!

In case you haven't been paying attention to my Twitter sidebar, here's what you missed: my mom and sister and I are going to see the Backstreet Boys in concert at the Minnesota State Fair in August! And you know what? I could care less if you think that's lame. We're going to have an awesome time, while you'll sit home alone eating Hot Pockets.

So in preparation for the concert, I'm putting together a boy band mix CD, comprised of songs from NKOTB, BSB (obviously), N*Sync, 98*, and Five. Any other suggestions? I'd also offer to send you a copy, dear reader, but I doubt I'll get any requests for one anyway. Hmph.

Other funny and/or annoying things:

My co-worker at the newspaper was just walking into my work area (the break room) when a customer came into the front part of the office.
Co-Worker: Hey, Butch!
Me: I really hope you were talking to the guy who just walked in.

12-year-old at library, getting turned down from a high-five by Jersey.
Boy: I remember when she was little and she used to be my friend. But then--
Me: She matured and you stayed at the same level?
Boy: No!
Other Boy: Yeah, pretty much!

On the phone with Pennsylvania friend:
PF: I'm tellin' ya, you gotta come visit me one of these days. You have to check out the people.
Me: Why?
PF: Well, what do you imagine Connecticut or Boston people to be like? Kinda sophisticated?
Me: I guess so.
PF: Well, the people here are like a cross between Connecticut sophisticated and rednecks. It's so bizarre.
Me: Weird.
PF: I know. I'm really disappointed because one of my boobs is bigger than the other.
Me: Wha? How did we get to that subject?
PF: Cuz I'm checking out my boobs. And one is definitely bigger than the other. I think the kids must've sucked on the other one too hard when they were breastfeeding.
Me: Okay, gross. I'm done with this topic.

Jersey and Aaliyah coloring with BlendiPen markers:
Aaliyah: Cotter! Cotter!
Me: Yes, you can color, too.
Aaliyah: Cotter! Cotter! Cotter!
Me: I know! You're coloring. Quit saying "cotter!"
Aaliyah: *leans in closer* Cotter!
Me: Argh.
Aaliyah: Cotter! Cotter!
Me: Welcome back!
Aaliyah: Cotter!
Me: Jersey, what are you coloring?
Jersey: A color fusion rollercoaster.
Me: Wha??
Aaliyah: COTTER!

So, this guy at the CA library has been in every day that I work there, and he seems to have a bit of a crush on me. And he's ... slow. If you know what I mean. I have to help him on the computer every two seconds, where he tries to win me prizes from the Burger King web site's contest. And he keeps asking if I'm single. And he always likes my rings and wants to buy some for himself. And yesterday he pulled up the sleeve of his T-shirt, revealing on his pale upper arm a fake tattoo of a 1950s pin-up girl, half worn off. "Her name is April!" he says. "'Hi, April,'" he makes his tattoo say. I have no response.

Such is my life.

"There is no charge for awesomeness ... or attractiveness."

Last night I took Jersey and Amanda to our town's new drive-in movie theater to see Kung Fu Panda, starring the voice talents of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Seth Rogen and David Cross. Oh, and stupid Jerkface Jolie. (I don't care how many kids you adopt, Jolie, you still look greasy and stinky.)

There's a play area in the front of the field for kids/families to waste time until it gets dark enough to show the movie, so we let Jersey run amok with all the other hooligans while Amanda and I stood off to the side watching. I whispered to my sister that I hoped it didn't look like we were lesbians watching "our" daughter, then took a step further away from her.

After a while we pulled Jerz away from all the wild kids, made her go to the bathroom, then stood in line at the concession stand ... behind The Devil. *groan* She still comes into the library all the time, so I have to be nice, but ugh. It felt like for.ev.er before we got to place our orders. The young man working the register? Hawt! (He looked like this guy!) I ordered us popcorn, drinks, and Pop Rocks (for Jersey, of course).

Young Man: And which kind of Pop Rocks would you like? We have red, blue, and tropical punch.
Me: *slightly drooling at hawtness* Um, I think we'll go with the red.
Young Man: Oh, excellent choice! *grins wickedly and ever so deliciously*
Me: *incoherent babbling*

The movie was pretty funny. I think it would have been even better if a certain three-year-old hadn't kept waving her red glo-stick in my face, "falling" backwards off the middle armrest into the backseat, whining about not being able to stay to watch the second feature (which was Crappyiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crap or something), and making me acknowledge every time she understood a plot point ... but what are ya gonna do? For her first movie experience, it wasn't too bad. Amanda really liked the movie. Like four times, she says, "April, we need to buy this movie!" And by "we," she meant me.

Stuff, yo.

Our library received an extra copy of the movie Across the Universe, and I covet it. I think I need to make a trip to the store.

I bought myself a rocker/recliner for my room. It will be my reading chair. For when I read. Which is always. So I guess it's my always chair.

Eyes slowly getting ever drier as the day wears on due to late night of playing with kittens, playing Super Mario Bros. on original Nintendo, and reading, combined with early morning garage sale set-up and working at library.

Kittens are scratchy. Now, so are my hands.

Ms. That's-Just-Good-Writing got in trouble at work! Big time! hahahaahaha

You KNOW it!

So, Best Week Ever was on last night, so I prepared myself for the usual laughs that the show induces. Imagine my delight when American Idol David Cook appeared. He was hilarious! I couldn't stop laughing, ya'll. Please watch. (I'd had a crush since his audition, but his side kick turned it into full-blown love.)



And then later I had a dream that he made me a Bloody Mary. Weird, but I'll take weird David Cook dreams over no David Cook dreams at all.

Mothers, don't let your babies grow up to be jerkfaces.

I believe I've mentioned that I hate teenagers? The sullen little you-know-whats. They're so annoying. Like the girl who has the cell phone stuck to her ear the entire time she's in the library. "Are you mad at me? Why-a? Whyyy-a? Just tell me!" The boys who smell like they came straight from gym class and stink up the joint with their sweaty pitts. And who harrass the one quiet girl in the group. "Hey. Hey, you. What's the matter? Do you hate me? What's the matter with you? What's wrong? Why won't you talk to me? Hey. Do you hate me?"

Quit hanging out at the library! Go home and annoy your parents.

Today my boss told me that a fourth-grade class was going to visit the library, and all I had to do was set up a chair for the teacher to read a couple of books. And I thought "Fourth-graders? Haven't they been to a library before? Books at that reading level are kind of long to be read in one sitting. Not that we have seating areas. Just this dark corner next to the bathroom." Yeah. It wasn't fourth-graders. It was 3- and 4-year-olds. "Hi, Miss Liberryian!" they chanted in unison, all arranged in rows on our dingy carpeting. The teacher said, "Now everyone listen quietly as the librarian tells us all about the library!" Um. What? So I made a lengthy speech about stuff. I don't really remember what. Finally someone else took over. "See, kids, here's where all the little kid books are kept! And there's games! And movies!" Ohhh. So I wasn't supposed to explain the details of the summer reading program and how I catalog? I thought they were gonna be fourth-graders, people! And even then, I didn't think I had to be a part of it!

But they were all so very sweet. "Hey, Miss April? Wanna know what? I have one of those." He points at our courier bin that's filled with books to be picked up tomorrow. And another boy, "Miss April? I don't know if I've been here before." One girl refused to sit on her fanny; instead, she sat on her knees. The teacher did not like this at all and finally pulled the girl aside. I felt bad. Maybe she just doesn't like that seating position, Teach! "Goodbye, Miss April!" they again chanted in unison as they left the building, each waving and then adding an extra "goodbye" as they filed past me. And not one of them had a cell phone or an emo haircut--the precious darlings.

Funny cuz it's true

Check out someecards.com. Huh-larious. Here are some of my favorites. (These are incredibly tame compared to the majority of the cards on the site. Just a little friendly warning.)

Oh, look. It's me.