Saturday, June 30, 2007

Still Feelin' Crappy



I am still trying to find the humor in this situation, but alas, I cannot.

I am in the depths of despair, and no matter how many jokes I make about using mini marshmallows and chicklets are going to raise my spirits.

It hasn't even been a week? Ugh.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Remember the Toooooooooth!!!

"Be quiet, please, my poor Duke. You haven't much time.

That peg tooth I put in your mouth after the tumble at Narcal--that tooth must be replaced, in a moment, I'll render you unconscious and replace that tooth." He opened his hand, stared at something in it. "An exact duplicate, its core shaped most exquisitely like a nerve. It'll escape the usual detectors, even a fast scanning. But if you bite down hard on it, the cover crushes. Then, when you expel your breath sharply, you fill the air around you with a poison gas..."

Cool remoteness spread upward from Leto's jaw, across his cheeks. The shadowy, hall narrowed to a pinpoint with Yueh's purple lips centered in it.

"Remember the tooth!" Yueh hissed. "The tooth!"



As in Dune - I have decided to replace my baby tooth with a cianide capsule. That way, in case I get into a bind, well, you know not to try and kiss me. They even put it into a little box for me after the extraction.

I'm not to get false tooth (grillz) after 2 months. Since I have a permanent tooth directly above the baby - the dentist wants to make sure it won't be dropping down only to be brutally rebuffed by a retainer.



Dentists are a bunch of assholes. If I had known I just needed to get an extraction - I would have done it before I reached 29. The dentist told my mom when I was 14 that I needed to 'be patient' and then get braces - which turns out to be a bunch of bullshit. Imagine the dentist who tried to sell cosmetic dentistry to a single mom of 2, with an income of $20,000 a year!

I must go eat mashed potatoes and practice not smiling for 2 months.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Jogging? Me?




All right. I did it. I went jogging today.




I have no idea what possessed me to do it. I thought - "Well, I don't feel like biking, and I really don't want to go to the gym, so maybe I'll go down to the park and jog."


I know.

Is this really Cassie talking?

I've been on vacation and eating like a pig with NO exercise for the past couple weeks. I thought it was high time to tighten and lift some things. But by jogging?


Why didn't I just go to the pool and swim it off? Seems like a more acceptable form of exercise - but no. I had to pant and sweat and get shin splints for the sheer joy of running for recreation. I'll stick to biking. Speaking of which, the MS 150 is coming up and as soon as I get some scratch to sign up, I'll be hitting the Donations Box again. Hooray!


Plus I'm really nervous about my tooth issue. I'm getting it pulled on Tuesday and I'm not too happy about it. I also got another letter from the Peace Corps telling me I 'missed' some immunizations, my eye doctor didn't fill out his form correctly, and one of my lab tests was incorrect - so I have to take it over. What gives? Not only will I wear that damn baby tooth around my neck while in South America - I'm going to make a t-shirt that says,


Bureaucratic Bull-Shit - Call Me!


They must really want you to be sure that volunteering in a 3rd world country is really what you want to do for the next 2 years of your life. Maybe it's so that when you're FINALLY done with all the hoops they send you through, you are so GLAD to be going, that high will keep you going when you realize you're living in a hut for 27 months.

I'm feeling a little disgruntled lately, but I'm trying to stay positive. That damn tooth is really going to take all of my remain goodwill. I can't even imagine walking around like Cleavus (that's the female Cleatus - with boobs) talking about my home town of Dog Patch for 2 months.



Ugh.

So instead of dwelling on it, I'm going to St. Louis for the weekend to visit Amber. Hooray for small pleasures!

Friday, June 15, 2007

Home again, Home again - Jiggety Jig!

Well, I'm back from the east coast. I must say, I wish I had more time to spend out there, but alas - my money is all but gone! Lucky for me, I might have a new job next week. It would be working part time at a mechanic shop - running the front reception area. Sound out of character? Well, it's only part time, and I can make my own hours. It would mainly be keeping the books and making call backs. Plus, its close to my mom's house, and I'll be able to ride my bike there.

On a crappy note, I found out from the Peace Corps that I will have to get my baby tooth extracted. No big deal with all the new dental surgery and Grillz, right? Wrong. The dentist said that I would have to live with my newly gapped teeth for two months in order to assess the damage. She said the permanent tooth which is underneath might come down once the baby tooth is gone. If that is the case - no false tooth needed. If not - I'm off to get a gold tooth. Just kidding. A silver one preferably.

I promise to start reading and commenting on blogs ASAP. Sorry I've been so neglectful while hanging with my dad. I'll post my pictures soon, too.

I'll leave you with a good note:


It's always fun to hear about a new movie. Especially a movie of one of your favorite books. Stardust by Neil Gaiman is coming out August 10th. If you get a chance to read this book, I highly recommend it. It has also been made into a graphic novel if you are interested. Don't forget Neil Gaiman wrote Mirror Mask and has a new book out. He really is one of my most favorite authors.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Croatians like to Party!

The Don Lipovic Band - are you KIDDING?


Wednesday, June 06, 2007

So Far, So Good, So What?

I'm here in loverly Allentown, PA visiting my dad! Sorry if I haven't been online and on the blog roll lately! I'm here for another week, and keep uploading pics - but I've been pretty busy making myself useful around the house, driving my dad and bro to Philadelphia, and going to NYC tomorrow!

I went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art the other day, and of course I had to

run up the stairs



And when I got to the top:


Please note in the first picture as I ran up the stairs - the guy in the far right of corner in the blue shirt. Alas - I fear I am not the only person who has seen Rocky.

haha!

I got to see Sunflowers

And Degas



And Picasso




And Bosch

And Bosch/Bruegel followers




I saw many more - but was only allowed to take snapshots with my camera. I really wanted to complain as THE LOUVRE lets you take REAL photos! Hmph!!! I tried to get a photo of the Duchamp Urinal and 'Nude Decending a Stairway' - but some security guard told me he would throw me out. The jerk. That was only after he got off his cell phone talking with his 'special lady friend'.

Tomorrow I meet up with Josh in NYC at the top of the Empire State Building.

Just kidding. We are going to MOMA and then spending the afternoon with my friend Leslie and his brother, John. I will take TONS of photos!

Friday, June 01, 2007

Giant Hogs Killed by Hunters in Georgia-Truth!


My dad, who used to raise hogs, says he believes this story.


Guitarists hope to ‘Smoke’ world record

This is my cousin's little boy! Isn't he awesome?


Mass performance of classic rock song could set Guinness mark
By JAMES A. FUSSELL
The Kansas City Star


Mickey Barnett is hoping to help set a world record.
Sure, the Shawnee boy may have just graduated from kindergarten and stand only 3 1/2 feet tall, but he can crank out Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” with the best of them.

And that’s all that’s needed for Mickey and his electric guitar to help make history and grab a page in the Guinness World Records book. At least that’s the plan.

This Sunday thousands of guitarists — including local rockers, hobbyists, parents, teens, senior citizens, people from other states, other countries and, yes, even kindergartners — will try to break the record for the world’s largest ensemble performance of the same song.

Mickey will be one of the youngest participants. He started taking acoustic guitar lessons at 4, then plugged in after receiving his electric three-quarter-sized ax for his sixth birthday. He has been practicing at Funky Munky Music in Shawnee, which is sponsoring the event with Gail’s Harley-Davidson in Grandview.

“He’s basically been devoting his guitar time to ‘Smoke on the Water’ for about a month and a half,” his mother, Betsy Barnett, said. “He’s doing pretty good.”

READ MORE HERE