Hurray for Lindsay and Jason!!!

So on Tuesday(last week) my horseback riding instructor called and asked to talk to my mom. No big deal. Well momma came back over and told me I had to be there early, so we needed to call Haley and tell her to be ready early. So we did. Got there early. Got one horse ready for a lesson. Lindsay came down to the barn and got us all together (Haley, Maddie, and I) and said she had some good news. She said " I am now the proud mother of a....." Okay about now I'm thinking a puppy, new horse, But is was so much better. Sorry. "I am the proud mother of a baby boy in Moscow three years or younger!!!!" We flipped out. See Lindsay and Jason started the adoption process two years ago for Albania. Well that didn't work out. So about a month and a half ago they changed their country to Russia and pretty quickly got their referral. I'm so happy!!! They hope to get pictures soon and then go in August to meet him, come back for two months and then go back to get him before Christmas!!!! I'm so excited! This is such a God thing! Lindsay said that they hadn't felt really alright with the Albania adoption so they switched countries. And look what it got them!! WOW! Anyway please pray that this all goes well with them and that they get their little boy home soon.

View from the window ( Headspace 07.07.08 )

The streetlights turn on
Just as my lights turn off
The rain has come and
Caught me in its damp.
In it's downpour of
Thunder and lightning.
The air has gone cold
Sending a chill through my bones,
Cutting to my very core.
I wonder if i stepped out
Into the storm
Would it do the same ?
Would it penetrate my body,
Wash me pure, clean?
Or would it drown me
In it's fury,
Sweep me clean away ?

Kind-of, Sort-Of, Could Have Been A....

So when i said yesterday that i had hardly anything else i wanted to blog about - well, that wasnt entirely true. I do have something slightly different, slightly new, and possibly exciting, i just didnt really want to mention it in case i jinx something. See, thing is - i went on a date on Friday night.

Yep, me, the depressed person with anxiety issues who has difficulty interacting with new people went on a date. Actually, a kind-of, sort-of date - we didnt really put a label on it to be truthful. But from everything that went on and from my best friends humble opinion, it was a date. And also from what went on and from my own humble opinion, it was a date with a Really Nice Guy. Lets call him RNG for short.

RNG and i met online ( on a dating webiste that shall remain nameless ). He had just moved from the city to a small town not far from where i live and was looking to meet some new people. He sent me a message, i sent an email back and so on so forth. That was almost 6 weeks ago now. Now to be fair, its not like its taken us that long to get our shit together - he went on an already planned overseas holiday in between, so just after he came back i sent him a text and asked how his trip was : he said great and would i like to meet up? Obviously, there was more to the conversation than that but you get the gist.

So Friday night it was. RNG travelled the hour and bit from the small town where he is working and we went out for Thai ( i had mussamun curry.... yum! ). Considering that one of the participants on this date has a few social anxiety issues ( hi, that would be me ) there were hardly any awkward pauses and the conversation flowed nicely. Turns out we have a few key things in common - both into travel, both like football, seemingly a similar sense of humour. After dinner we went to see a movie ( " Hancock " which, for the record, was quite good ). RNG bought me a drink while i was in the bathroom and shared his popcorn with me. And, after that, the kind-of, sort-of date was over. No kiss, but a hug and a peck on the cheek accompanied by a " I had a really great time - would you like to do it again sometime soon ? ". Naturally, i said yes.

RNG texted me the next day to again say what a nice time he'd had and hoped i'd enjoyed it too. Naturally ( again ) i said yes. He has also texted me today just to see what i was up to and fill me in on the score of his rugby match yesterday.

And there you go, thats my news. So you tell me - are the signs pointing towards the positive ? Is RNG into me ? I guess the answers to those questions are yet to come, which means this general topic is a " To Be Continued ".....

Tag, I'm it!

So, i was tagged in a meme by Paula and, seeing as i have a very little else i'd like to blog about, i decided to take part. Read on:

Eight Things I Am Passionate About

1. Movies - yep i'm a huge film buff. I will also admit to being a film snob at times but that generally means i dont watse time watching Eddie Murphy or Martin Lawrence movies. The good films though are a form of escapism to me. I like to watch, ponder on and then disect films. I try to keep a current list of top 10 favourites and could list for you my favourite director, actor and actress. I wont though.
2. Fitness - these has become a passion just of late. I used to be " heavier " during high school, and even though i was relatively good at sport i wasnt all that much into it. Fell in love with going to the gym during my spare time in the USA and have just in the last three or four months gotten back into it. I try to go at least four times a week, five if i have the chance. I'm almost back to gym junkie status!
3. Blood donation - okay, i know this one sounds a little odd, but bare with me. I've blogged about it a few times before but i think donating blood is the easiest way to contribute to your community. I donate every 12 weeks on the dot and have also started donating plasma, and get a real high from knowing i'm helping to keep people alive. Unless you have some kind of illness or condition that prevents you from donating, you have no excuse not to...
4. Dressing for your body shape - just call me Trinny. Or Susannah if you prefer. I love clothes - its such a girly obsession - but rather than being all fashionista, i much more passionate about wearing what suits you best. I dont care whats in the pages of Vogue or Vanity Fair, i just want every woman on earth to dress to flatter herself, regardless of weather she is wearing last seasons jeans.
5.Relationships - be it friends, family, or lovers, i find it very hard to trust people. Thats why when i DO find people that i can trust, that i'm comfortable with, that i really like, i invest almost all of myself into that relationship. I'm extremely loyal, but if that loyalty or trust is questioned or broken, its very hard for me to trust again. This could be a bad thing, but mostly it works in my favour. It means the people in my life are the ones i love the most, and anybody else is dragging me down. Nobody needs a toxic friend!
6. Yoga - this kind of falls into the " fitness " category, but yoga is on a whole other level for me. I cant imagine my life without it in some capacity, and i am currently saving money so that i can train as a yoga instructor.
7.Travel - if only i had the money to do it more! My short term life goal is to visit at least one country on every continent before i turn 30. I'm half way there, but there is so much more i want to see, and experience, and learn. Anyone want to let me crash on their couch?
8. Music - this is probably on everyone's list, but like a good movie music is an escape for me. I'm still undecided as to whether i'm more of a melody or a lyrics person, but a brilliant combination of both will get me everytime.

Eight Things I Want To Do Before I Die

1. Learn how to make authentic bolognaise sauce - in Italy
2. Have children - dont care how many, but three would be nice
3. Grow my half way down my back, like i had when i was a child
4. Learn another language and at least be semi-fluent
5. Bought a house, but made it a home
6. Raised a dog from puppy to old age
7. Seen every Cirque Du Soleil production
8.Owned at least one piece of expensive designer clothing - there's the vanity coming out

Eight Things I Say Often

1. Bro - imagine it in a Kiwi accent ( i'm not Kiwi, its just how i say it ) as in " see ya later, bro "
2. Good Lord Claude! - picked this one up off my boss. Used most often when i'm exasperated with customers, management or computers.
3. Cack you later - shorten Aussie slang for " catch you later ".
4. What a mole! - thats my favourite light-hearted insult at the moment. Also quite often shortened to just " mole ", as in : " Did you hear what that guy just said? Mole! "
5. Jerk! - see entry above for mole, because its pretty much the same thing.
6. Freakin' boo-Jesus - variably either a term of frusturation or suprise. You jump out of a closet, you get a " Freakin' boo-Jesus, you scared the shit out of me! ". My computer freezes up, you get " Freakin' boo-Jesus, stupid computer! "
7. What a crock - of shit, that is.
8. Fella - used in many contexts, but its my favourite word instead of boy/man.

Eight Books I've Read Recently

1. Long Way Down - Nick Hornby
2. Soul- Tobsha Learner
3. The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards
4. The Motorcyle Diaries - Che Guevara
5. Atonement - Ian McEwan
6. White Oleander - Janet Fitch
7. The Life of Pi - Yann Martel
8. I Know This Much Is True - Wally Lamb

Eight Movies I've Seen Eight Times

1. The Princess Bride
2. The Crow
3. Dazed and Confused
4. Rent
5. Empire Records
6. V for Vendetta
7. The Breakfast Club
8. The Lion King

Eight People Who Should Do This Meme

( crud, can i even think of eight ? )

1. Sheena
2. SonnyVsDan
3. Lord Snuffy
4. Miss Em
5. Coffecup
6. Ruby

..... thats all i got. Feel free to not to do it, but just imagine me giving you a disappointed, puppy-dog eyed, face....

Could someone please put me to bed?

Seriously, i'm tired. It wont stop me watching " The Amazing Race " before getting some zzz's, but I am tired. ( Incidentally, i almost wrote the title of this post as Can Someone Please TAKE Me To Bed, but thats a whole different invitation entirely ). Anyways, the past few days have taken their toll, sleepiness-wise.

After having my flight delayed almost two hours on the way to Sydney - and missing the planned dinner because of the delay - my roomie and i were up early for our conference. To be quite honest, i found most of the conference content to be pretty interesting ; since the departure of our national manager we as a staff have had a lot of issues that needed discussing. We got a chance to do that, together, as one big group at the conference. We also got presented with a whole tonne of statistics and figures that i wasnt previously aware of. If there was one complaint - and yes, i have one - its that i and my colleague felt personally picked on. Ever single negative scenario we discussed was done so using our store as an example. There was a lot of questions be pointed in my direction, many of which i cant answer; and issues brought up that i have been trying in vain to solve and i cannot hold much responsibility for because i have inherited them from previous managers. I wasnt given much of a chance to point out what we do well, nor were we given any appreciation for things that we have postively accomplished. There was a whole session of what felt like " Pick on Amy's Branch : The Pity Party - presented by Senior Management ". But hey, aside from that, it was almost bearable.

So after finishing up the conference ( late mind you, but what conference ever runs on time ? ) it was time to get changed and head out to the stadium for State of Origin. I was excited! No joke, for real, havent felt for a long time, excited. Luckily you guys are reading this to yourselves, and not having me read out loud - i screamed my little lungs out and have wound up with a sore throat and slightly croaky voice for my efforts. Unfortunately, it didnt matter how much or how loudly i screamed, turns out my team didnt hear and didnt follow my instructions to :
a ) " Go forward New South Wales !!! "
b ) " Do something it with it boys !!! "
c ) " Don't run it up the middle - spread it wide you idiots! WIDE!!! "

And nor did the referee heed my pleas to get the opponents back their 10 metres, give us a penalty when the ball was CLEARLY raked or to send Nate Myles off for a blatantly obvious dangerous tackle. ( Nate Myles and Brent Tate - dirtiest players in the league ).
Nope, none of that happened and my boys lost the game. Which means we lost the series. Again - for the third year in a row. But I wont give up! I was born a blue cockroach and i'll die a blue cockroach - on to next year!



NOTE: Thats a blue cockroach. He's dancing, thats why he's slightly blurry.
NOTE#2 He is awesome, and you know it.
NOTE #3 I catch an 8:15am flight home this morning and spin out! The flight attendant is a good friend of mine from school.... made for a good start to a new day....

Yep I'm such a geek

On Sunday night after church I went with Tessa and her family to the Praise Band party at Mrs. Kim's house. We just pretty much hung out for about two hours and it was pretty fun. They had some good food too. Anyway we were talking about how some people got back from World Changers and got some surprises. Morgan got a new mattress and bedspread. I can't think what everyone else got, but still we were talking about it. I mentioned that I did not have any surprises when I got back home, but that I was okay with that. Then about five minutes later I realized I did get a sort of surprise. I got my microscope for biology this year. So out of the blue I go "Oh wait I got a microscope!" They just stared at me. Yep I'm a geek. At least to some extent.

Talk Later

Worst That Could Happen

Thirty years ago, I remember feeling complimented when asked if I were an anti-nuclear activist. If I ever was, I’m not anymore. The world has changed and I have too. In my idealistic world-view, I thought it might be feasible to rid the world of nuclear weapons - too naive to realize that once the toothpaste is out of the tube, we’re never going to get it back in. People like me were against all things nuclear - weapons and power plants producing uranium and plutonium that could be made into weapons.

In 1979, Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island nuclear power plant nearly melted down. In January of 1986, I was in my first term as a selectman when the federal government notified us that my town and others in southwestern Maine were being considered as a repository for high-level nuclear waste. Maine was moving rapidly leftward because of an in-migration of people like me and we were in high dudgeon as we berated bureaucrats from the US Department of Energy at hearings around the state. They tolerated us calmly and then abandoned their plans after the Soviet Union's Chernobyl nuclear plant melted down in late April.

Shortly thereafter, Presidents Reagan and Bush negotiated the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the Soviet Union and after four decades of building them, we actually began dismantling nuclear weapons.

Trouble is, the Soviet Union disintegrated. It was as inept monitoring its nuclear weapons as it was monitoring its nuclear power plants. Its huge military was not getting paid. Its nukes, its plutonium, its enriched uranium, and its nuclear physicists were hanging around - lots of weapons and weapons experts looking for cash. Radical Muslims just to the south were flush with cash and looking for nuclear weapons. It doesn’t take an expert in international politics to understand deals were likely made. We must operate under the assumption that our enemies have nukes and are anxious to use them against us.

In January, 2007, I was in the audience in Washington DC when former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said: “At some point down the road, we run a serious risk of losing two or three [American] cities to nuclear weapons [in terrorist attacks], and it’s a lot better to act now before we lose a city.”

And it’s not just conservative Republicans warning us. On the other side of the aisle, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden said: “the most dangerous threat America faces is the possibility that one of the world's most extreme groups -- like al Qaeda -- gets its hands on a nuclear bomb."

Graham Allison, Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government claims: “a successful terrorist nuclear attack devastating one of the great cities of the world is inevitable.”

Scotland’s Sunday Herald quoted Ian Dickinson, who leads the police response to chemical, biological and nuclear threats there: "These materials are undoubtedly out there, and undoubtedly will end up in terrorists' hands, and undoubtedly will be used by terrorists some time soon," he claims.

Although he didn’t use the word “nuclear,” Senator Joseph Lieberman said on CBS’s Face the Nation: “"Our enemies will test the new president early. Remember that the truck bombing of the World Trade Center happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration."

What Lieberman didn’t mention is that al Quaida returns to a target if they’re unsuccessful destroying it the first time - as they did with the World Trade Center in 1993 and 2001. United Flight 93 was believed to be headed for either the White House or the US Capitol Building before it was taken over by passengers and crashed in Pennsylvania. Does al Qaeda plan to go back to the Capitol and finish the job?

SITE Intelligence Group revealed a horrific, computer-generated image of what the US Capitol would look like after a terrorist nuke attack. SITE found the image on two password-protected al-Qaeda-affiliated web sites. Evidently, our enemies found the image somewhere and use it to salivate while making their plans. With our porous borders and port facilities, we’re vulnerable.

Every American needs to look long at our enemies' vision for us. Perhaps it will help us understand that we need to get a whole lot tougher if we’re going to prevent it from becoming reality. Five Supreme Court justices should have gazed at it before voting to grant rights of habeas corpus to Guantanamo terrorists who would live only to bring down the Great Satan - that’s us, in case you didn’t know. To accomplish that, nothing would be more effective than nuking Washington, DC.