The 12th Day

1. Put your iPod, or other music player on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. If you feel so inclined, write a little comment explaining how it pertains to you! :)

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
"The Crash" by Working Title (I guess that's a huge, depressing no...)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
"Adrenaline" by Bush

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
"Jaded" by Aerosmith (You've got your mama's eyes...)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
"Good Ride Cowboy" by Garth Brooks (I guess I better run away and join the rodeo?)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
"Stranded" by Alien Ant Farm (I wouldn't call it a motto, but I DO get lost a LOT whenever I drive somewhere.)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
"With You" by Lila McCann (Aww my friends love me!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
"The Beginning" by Lifehouse

WHAT IS 2+2?
"The Space Between" by Dave Matthews Band

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Dirty" by Trick Daddy (HAHA!!!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"East Coast Anthem" by Good Charlotte (exact opposite...)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
"The Reason" by Hoobastank


WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
"Makeover" by David Cook (I just wanna be David Cook!!)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
"You're On Fire" by MxPx

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
"Parker Lewis Can't Lose (But I'm Gonna Give It My Best Shot) by Fall Out Boy

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Glamorous" by Fergie ft. Ludacris (I danced to this at my PROM...)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
"Feels Like Today" by Rascal Flatts

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay (my hobby is ruling the world!!)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Without You" by Hinder

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
"Anytime" by Eve 6

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
"Concede" by Sister Hazel

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
"Cleveland Park" by Edwin McCain

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
"So I Need You" by 3 Doors Down

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
"All We Are" by Matt Nathanson

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
"Zzyzx Rd." by Stonesour (woah..could that be a more perfect fit?!)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
"In Terms Of Love" by SheDaisy

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
"Online" by Brad Paisley (Online creepers scare me.)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
"Beer For My Horses" by Toby Keith (My horses like me...)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
"She Said" by Collective Soul

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
"Noise and Kisses" by The Used (soooo true)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
"The 12th Day" by Autopilot Off

The Perils Of Bulldog Gal

Last night I decided that after missing 3 days of work last week after surgery, I had better go into work early today to make up for some lost time. I would not have even bothered setting the alarm for 5:30 am had I known what was to come.

5:30 am: Awaken to "Shake It" ring tone by Metro Station.

5:31 am: Realize I am so tired I can't think straight enough to get to the bathroom.

5:32 am: Reset alarm for 6:00.

6:00 am: Awaken to "Shake It" again. Sing a little in my head.

6:01 am: Pee, then get dressed.

6:05 am: Sit on bed to put socks on. Fall asleep immediately.

6:52 am: Wake up still sitting up.

7:03 am: Venture into the world, looking quite disheveled.

By 7:15 I was on I-94, cruisin' along with the best of them. Then, BAM! Everybody goes from 75 mph to 0 mph. By 7:30 I was being tailgated on 494 by a teal Honda Civic from about 100 BC who, despite the line of probably 30 cars in front of me, felt he could offer his assistance by RIDING MY BUTT.

Then, as swiftly as the tides, it happened. All at once the ground shifted as all cars again halted to a standstill in about .5 nanoseconds. I watched the rickety old Civic get about 2 inches from my bumper. I would have pulled over to ensure he didn't hit me, really. I'm not that dumb. However, as fate would have it on my already pleasant morning, I was on the Wakota Bridge, where there's no shoulders on the left lane. Perfect.

We repeated the stop and slam on the brakes gig for another 15 minutes. This is my 3rd summer enduring this traffic, it's not new to me. I have acquired much wisdom in my 3 summers about driving in rush hour on 494. For instance, do not even DREAM of applying make up while driving. Also, do not keep your windows down. No matter how hot it is, do not roll them down while crossing the River, unless you happen to admire Eau de Mississippi.

I learned a new rule today. If you cannot see around the truck in front of you, and you have a sneaky suspicion they are about to slam on their brakes..........they are.

Do not, in this moment, think that you can take a "quick sip" of your steaming coffee. You can't.

After making sure Mr. Civic wasn't going to rear-end me, I set down my cup of coffee, and immediately thought, "Shit. That's gonna look just like I got the Herp on my upper lip."

I decided I wouldn't look in the mirror until I got to work. I parked, I attached my badge to my shirt, I cracked the windows, cleaned the windshield, straightened my CD case......I did everything I could before bringing myself to look in the mirror.

There it was, plain as day.

And here I sit, with my upper lip in my mouth, like a bulldog with their under bite. Plain as day.

From now on, I will sit on the ice cold concrete to put socks on, just to ensure this scenario does not repeat itself.

You Decide...

Ghetto?

Or just a spaz who claws herself in her sleep?

P.S.--It's my birthday on Thursday, and I wan't that bling that Nelly has around his neck, okay?

Tunnels

In light of recent events, aka my little tunnel incident on I94 a few weeks ago, mom sent me this video to pick on me.

The 3,150 m long Lefortovo tunnel in Russia, (near Poland) is the longest in-city tunnel in all of Europe. It is nicknamed 'The Tunnel of Death'. There is a river running over the tunnel and water leaks through in some areas. When the temperature reaches nearly 0°C like it does during the winter in Russia, the road freezes and becomes as slippery as . . . well . . . ice. The result is this video, which was taken during a single day with the tunnel surveillance camera.

Congratulations to the dual-carriage bus driver! Jon, let's see some of that fancy drivin' outta you!

I, on the other hand, am moving to North Carolina the first chance I get.

Winding Down

I officially only have 10 days of classes left! The last 3 of those are for finals, but I only have 1 day of them. I got pretty lucky, despite taking a pretty full schedule this semester. I took 4 more credits than last semester, yet somehow my finals schedule is much less hectic. Granted I have a research paper in place of a test....but I would much rather write a 10 page paper than study my butt off for a test.

My theology test is open notes, which is awesome. That just leaves me to worry about Nutrition. I have a B in that class, so how bad can I do? I present my final presentation in there on Monday with my lab group, which should only help my grade. Out powerpoint is pretty nice...

My research paper is 80% done! Literally...I have 8 out of 10 pages done. It's due May 1st (birthday present to myself?), and I'm much farther than the rest of my class seemed to be on Monday. Erin is going to help me finish it up this weekend, while Richard tries to distract us with Guitar Hero III.

I am so antsy to get OUTTA here! I have driven home almost every weekend of my 1st college year. It's so boring up here on the weekends! There's juts nothing to do, and driving into St. Cloud get's old. There's a mall, that's about it. I can't wait to get back to work and make some money so I can fix my car, get a gym membership, and play some hockey! I'm starting to feel better and better every day about my decision to attend Hamline next year. The drive from STC to home get's longer and longer every time, I swear. Now Mom, Dad, Rich, and Erin can make more of my hockey games, and hopefully baby can too.

I'm going to go pack more stuff to bring home tomorrow :)

On Cloud Nine

You know how a dog gets really excited about getting a treat? Atleast, if you are familiar with Lexi or Pedro, you know this is the case.

Yeah, I get that way about new hockey equipment.

I also got a new pair of breezers, but those aren't nearly as fun to look at.

My plans tonight? Sit on the couch in my breezers and watch the Wild game while playing catch with the wall.

Ironic.

So, my roommate fell asleep while I was in the middle of organizing my desk and some class folders. The only thing keeping me from finishing my work is that I need to staple things together before I can put them in the folder with other papers.

I have one of those super loud staplers that are like...spring loaded so that you don't get carpal tunnel. I'm pretty sure I'd piss her off if I tried to staple anything. So here I sit, buried in papers.

What's so ironic about this, is that the song "Staple It Together" by Jack Johnson just started to play on my iTunes, which is set on random.

Of nearly 3,500 songs, this is the one that plays.

For Richard!

Kurtis Foster of the MN Wild suffered a broken femur, which is too bad cause he's pretty hot, and we coulda used him in the playoffs. :(

Really interesting interview with Kurtis Foster of the MN Wild:

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wild/17174706.html?page=1&c=y

Here's the video to accompany it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54rKDkNBzHo

Shirley Jean Desvousges

This little angel was born on March 18th, at 10:30 a.m. to Richard and Erin Desvousges!

She weighed in at exaclty 8 pounds, and was 21 inches long. She has a good amount of fuzzy reddish-light brown hair, and beautiful blue eyes. She has flawless skin and LONG fingernails!

Finally! Something Useful!

That's right. I have finally learned something very useful here at college. AMAZING recipes! We do a lot of cooking in my Nutrition Science class...and today we made some amazing dishes. I'm going to share my favorites. None of these took more than an hour and a half to make. They all turned out great!

MY FAVORITE RECIPE OF THE DAY!:

Tropical Cornish Hens

3 (1lb) Cornish hens
3/4 tsp Black pepper
Vegetable cooking spray
1/4 cup Frozen orange juice concentrate-thawed and undiluted
1 tbsp+1&1/2 tsp Bourbon
1/4 tsp Garlic powder (Chopped garlic doesn't work as well)
2 (per hen) Banana
3/4 cup Fresh mango, peeled and diced
3/4 cup Pineapple chunks, unsweetened

Sprinkle hens with pepper, and place in a foil-lined roasting pan that has been coated with cooking spray.

Combine orange juice, bourbon, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Brush the hens with this mixture.

Bake at 425F for 1 hour, basting frequently with orange juice mixture.

Add banana, mango, and pineapple to hens and pan. Drizzle remaining orange juice mixture over hens. Bake for 20 more minutes, or until fruit is thouroughly heated and hens are done.

That's the recipe we used in class. There were some alterations that the group who made these chose not to do, which I think would have made them a lot better.

1- Fill bottom of roasting pan with a bit of pineapple juice...helps moisten and flavor the hens.
2- Using a syringe, inject the hens with pineapple juice just under the skin. Same effect as above.
3- Grate orange peel onto the hens, which crisps with the skin as it cooks, and gives it a more intense flavor.

Coq Au Vin

8 ounces Bacon
1 tbsp Oil
4 whole Chicken breasts (boneless works best)
16 tiny (4 small) Onions (Tiny work best)
1 pound Fresh mushrooms
1 & 1/3 cups Red wine
1 cup Chicken stock
1/2 tsp Thyme
1 per breast Bay Leaf
4 crushed Garlic cloves
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Flour
2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley

Dice bacon slices. Place in saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, drain.

Add oil to frying pan, place over moderate heat. Add blanched bacon. Saute until brown. Remove with slotted spoon, DO NOT DRAIN PAN!

Increase temp. to high, and add chicken breasts. Brown well on all sides. Remove. DO NOT DRAIN PAN!

Add onions and mushrooms to pan and saute until brown. remove and set aside with bacon. Now you may drain the pan.

Add wine and stock to the pan, bring to a boil. Tie thyme, bay leaf, and garlic in cheese cloth and add to pan. Return chicken to the pan. Stir in mushrooms, onions, and bacon.

Remove mixture to covered casserole dish and bake at 350F for 30-40 mins, until chicken is done.

Place chicken on a platter. Strain, but keep the liquid. Top the chicken with bacon, mushrooms, and onions. Cover.

Place retained cooking liquid back into fry pan. boil over high heat until mixture is reduced by 1/3.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in flour and cook until light brown. Stir constantly. Add the cooking liquid slowly while stirring with a whisk.

Sprinkle chicken with fresh topped parsley. Serve as desired.

Okay, this recipe turns out a lot better of you cut the chicken breasts into pieces after cooking them and simmer them in the final cooking liquid. The chicken turns out much juicier and much more flavorful.

Well, those were my 2 favorites of the day. I am most definately keeping some of these recipes for future reference!

You Want Me To Do What?

Midterm grades are out. Everything is how I expected it to be, except for one thing.

Remember my Islamic speech I had to give? That screwed my Seminar grade up, although it really shouldn't have. Here's what happened.

The night before the speech, I went over to St. John's to work with the 2 other guys in my group. We seperated topics among the 3 of us, and I ended up with the different religious practices of the Sunnis and the Shiites. Fine, that seems easy enough.

And it was going to be. I was to go 2nd, talk about religion, phase into the leaders, then hand it off to our last guy to wrap it up. I stayed up until 2 am writing and reciting my speech, and actually felt pretty good.

Until I got to class the next morning. We were scheduled to present first. I got there and the guy who was supposed to go first decided that he was now going to go third. The guy going third was going first, literally reversing my speech. Do you think maybe somebody could have called me the night before and TOLD me the plan? No, that would make way too much sense!

So I had exactly 2 minutes to reverse my speech. I tried to frantically get my notecards in a new order, draw arrows, renumber my points, etc. Guy who is now in position 3 goes, "Oh, also, we don't want you to talk about this, this aaaaand........this." I stared at him, dumbfounded. No words escaped my mouth except, "Uhh..err...mmm....huh?"

Oh, so uh, he just took half of my speech. Did he expect me to compensate? You bet.

It was a disaster. Not only was I trying to do my speech backwards, but I was trying to make my topics flow, which was nearly impossible because he cut all of my middle topics out! We got a B on the speech, but it easily could have been an A. If I had had more time to prepare, it would have come out better. Also, the guys didn't pull it off well either. They didn't reverse their speech...they just swapped spots. So really, what they were saying didn't make sense. I managed to fill in the holes in my part, but the 3rd guy just dug a new hole.

The good news? I got an A on my German midterm. I studied way too hard for that test, and it's about freaking time that I see some reward!

I'm not bragging, by the way. I'm just celebrating.

Rent A Cop

That's right. The great Noonie "Big Toe" Khabibulin is about to become a rent-a-cop. There's an open position in the security department here at CSB. I have all of the medical training, so I'm pretty much bound to get the job.

List of cool gadgets I would get:

Pager
Cell phone
Radio thingy
Baton (I can think of a few people I'd like to whack upside the head...)
Mace...I'll never forget when Laura taught me how to spray mace...using the tree. Then chased me around the yard with a tazer. Oh jeeze.
OH..A TAZER! Zap!
Cuffs (uh oh...)
Sharp lookin' uniform!

I'm just a gun shy of being a real cop, haha. Maybe for a summer job I'll work security at the MOA. I love people watching. What I wouldn't give for an orange julius and a flock of emo boys to laugh at every 20 minutes.

Would you like to laugh and poke fun now?

Things I Can't Seem To Get ON My Mind...

When I was showering a bit ago, I was contemplating what to blog about. I came up with some GREAT ideas! Now that I'm here, I have forgotten them all. I am now taking requests for blog topics.

I have sunk THAT low.

Since nearly all of my readers are pregnant...

Okay, and because I need a break from this crazy, education-filled day of mine...

Why I Don't....

...blog very often.

My crazy schedule for Wednesday:

8:00 a.m.--Oral midterm presentation. 10 minute speech on the difference between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. I get to talk about their differences in beliefs. Ugh.

STUDY!

9:40 a.m.--Nutrition midterm.

11:20 a.m.--Lift weights for hockey. (Yes, this is required on Wednesdays.)

STUDY!

1:00 p.m.--Theology midterm.

3:00 p.m.--Hockey practice.

7:00 p.m.--Laundry.

I blog this for 3 reasons...

1-To explain my lack of blogness.
2-To make a list so I have something to stick to. (Thank you Erin, for that bit of advice.)
3-To stay sane. I needed to type something that wasn't homework-related.

Hey, if I head to bed now, I might manage 5 or 6 hours of sleep! Just my luck!

Hell to Heaven and Out

Thanks to mom for the creative title, as well as the blogging idea. This is a 2 part story...

Hell:

Last week I spent Monday night through Wednesday night in the St. Cloud Hospital. It was quite the adventure...

It all started Monday evening when the nurses had trouble with my IV's, because I was so dehydrated. I got poked about 5 times. This was to happen AGAIN on Tuesday night. I left the hospital with a total of 11 holes poked in my arms/hands from IV's alone. That doesn't include all of the bloodwork that was done...I have lots of annoying bruises.

My roommate Monday night was an extremely overweight black woman in her mid 40's. She had fibromyalgia and asthma, but insisted on telling the nurses (and me) that she had no interest in quitting smoking. Nobody asked, but she decided she wanted to talk about it. Among other things....

This lady was CRANKY, and I never said more than 2 words to her. She talked on the phone constantly, between coughing fits and spitting like a man. You know that gross spit they do where they clear their throat, sniff real hard, and then spit it out? Yeah, that nasty thing. GAG!

I wanted nothing more than to sleep during my 1st night in the hospital. I was so exhausted and had the worst headaches. However, my roommate decided since she was in pain, and couldn't sleep, I shouldn't get to sleep either. Literally, that was what she said to me. My nurse gave me some medication for nausea, which was supposed to help me sleep. Well, when you have a roommate who cannot stop gagging, coughing, snorting, farting, and then swearing about it all, the drugs are pretty useless.

She was very disgruntled that I was getting medications and she wasn't. She proceded to attempt to pull guilt trips on the nurses, and me. "Well, I guess princess over there gets whatever she wants because she's white, and I'm black. That makes perfect sense now." This made me rethink my future plans to become a nurse. A comment like that would just piss me off, especially coming from somebody that was calling me into the room every 10 minutes.

She insisted on watching tv every single time she woke up from her cat naps. As soon as she fell asleep, I would turn the tv off, only to have her wake up and flick it back on until she dozed off again. This went on for about 3 hours, until I asked the nurse for some earplugs. They didn't help, because i could still hear her coughing and snorting through the curtain.

She took GREAT pleasure in giving me crap when I finally puked at 3 am. I was starting to get really sick from a combination of no sleep and nausea from my headache. The entire time the nurse changed the sheets on my bed, she was over there cackling, then gagging. The next time I had to puke, I went to the bathroom and left the door wide open so she had to hear it. She wasn't laughing that time...I managed about an hour of sleep that night. It came in random 5 minute intervals.

She decided to use the puking to her advantage the next morning in the presence of the nurses, Mom, and myself. She said, and I quote. "I guess I have to puke to get some attention around here." She spent the rest of the day sticking her finger down her throat. Psycho.

Heaven:

So, the next morning I promptly asked for a room change, which came at about 5 pm that night. I was estatic to find that I was being roomed with an elderly woman who barely talked, or so I thought.

I was much more comfortable, and nearly asleep when her phone started ringing. "No big deal". I thought to myself. Until the phone rang a 2nd time, and a 3rd time, and maybe even a 4th time. I lost track, quite honestly. The only phone conversation I remember was just awkward to hear. It went something like this:

Nice old lady: "I'm telling you (insert name here), it is just not our time to die. We have to fight this! I am much more optimistic than these doctors. They just keep taking pictures of me, I don't know what the heck for. There's nothing to find."

Person on Phone: Some more encouraging, optimistic talk.

Nice old lady: "God this, God that. God, God, God."

The rest of the conversation went on about God and how he will not let her die. I appreciate optimism and religion as much as the next person. However, if you know me, you know about my EXTREME lack of knowledge of God, and my dwindling motivation to learn about faith. Needless to say, I was rather uncomfortable, but not to the point I was going to say anything. That would just be rude.

It took all I had left in me to not burst out laughing when she turned on the tv for a few hours on end to watch the Pope's march to the Vatican, or whatever the heck that event is called. (Lack of knowledge shining through here...) I seriously would rather have been surrounded by misquitoes. All of that humming made me feel like I was in a jungle. When you're on pain killers, your dreams take on your surroundings much more easily. I honestly dreamt that I was in a jungle, swinging on vines, and being chased by Tony the Tiger (the frosted flakes tiger).

It was all very exciting, until I could feel myself wanting to puke. I argued with myself for awhile between seeing how long I could frolic in the treetops and lead Tony on, or waking up to tell Mom to ready the puke bucket. I bid Tony goodbye, thanked him for a great adventure, promised to come back and visit, and then gave mom about a 2 second warning...good thing she has good reflexes. I saw the crossword book hit the floor, her hands swoop to the bucket, and the bucket appear before my very eyes all in the blink of an eye.

This was the beginning of what will go down as the worst migraine headache in the history of my 18 years. I don't even know how to describe it, so I won't. You all know what a migraine is, so just multiply it by like 10. Launch mission: Anxiety. I started crying and freaking out. I was completely inconsolable, despite Mom's best efforts. It came down to giving me something to rid me of anxiety, and another to just knock me out. I FINALLY slept through the entire night. Mom said the doctor came and talked to me, and that I responded. I don't remember that part, and that's okay by me.

I like to think that Tony and I rendezvoused in the treetops soon after I went back to sleep, but I can't say for sure. I just can't remember what I dreamt about the rest of the night. The next morning I awoke feeling quite refreshed. I spent most of the day in an empty room, because my roommate had been discharged. I managed to eat some of my soup and jello, since that was the closest thing to food I was allowed. We got discharged around 7 that night, and headed back to Hudson, where I caught up on my sleep for a few days.

I decided to share this story with all of you, because now that I look back on it, it can be pretty humerous. It wasn't when I was living through it, but now it certainly is. Plus, Mom and Erin won't LEAVE ME ALONE about not blogging.

Sheesh, get back to work, ladies.

Favorite Videos of 2007

Opera did her favorite products of 2007 and gave them to her guests. Well, I'm giving my readers my favorite videos of 2007.

Dane cook definitely took the cake. Not only is he my now favorite comedian, he is just wonderful to look at. Most of what he's talking about is completely true. It always makes me feel better on a bad day. Hope you enjoy some of these!

Dane Cook on relationships: Warning, lots of obscenity.

Dane Cook on crying: Always makes me feel better; some obscenity.

Feed the Kitty: You don't have to have a cat to appreciate this one.

Drunk Driver: "You're gonna have to stop doing that, ya know?"

The End Of The World: Obscenities to ensue, but I found it really funny for some reason. Keep your speakers low on this one, it gets loud.

Extinction of the Dinosaurs: There are no words. Literally. Just gross humor.

Human Tetris: Who cares if it's not in english? Tetris requires no words.

Cheap Shot: Dominik Hasek sends Gaborik for a flip. As a goalie, I can say that this was a pathetic excuse for a save.

Roy vs Vernon: I can relate.

Magic Milk: I really want to try this. I'm not convinced it works.

Monster in the Closet: I was never this brave.

You're Insane: This is really annoying, but amusing nonetheless.

Scanning On The Job: Erin, do we need to worry about you doing this? I know how bored you get...

Cats: Just because cats do the funniest things while playing!

Achmed: "Silence! I KILL YOU!"

So yeah those are a handful of my favorites. I laugh at everything.