Friend or Foe?

We often hear from people what makes a great friend. Most of the time we hear this in a form such as... "she/he's so thoughtful, like a true friend".

So what makes a friend, all of a sudden not become a friend?
How do you determine who is considered a friend and who is no longer considered a friend?

For example, I have a friend who I have been friends with since the summer of 2003. However in the summer of 2004 he moved away. We remained friends for awhile after his move, emailing each other back and forth every so often. I would also call him every year on or around his birthday to wish him a happy birthday, because that's what friends do.
For the last year or so, I have e-mailed him on occasion, mainly to let him know I was still alive and to see what he was up to. But he has never once e-mailed me back or even acknowledged my e-mails. I am starting to consider this friendship flatlined.

Am I right to be concerned about the lack of communication, or do I come off as being obsessed?
Should I continue to pursue an old friendship or should I just give up and live with the memories?His birthday just recently came and went...... I did not phone him this year.

crash cars and psychedelic movies

So last night Momford and I went to see "Across the Universe". It's a very psychedelic almost rock opera-type movie. Lots of singing and lots of music, some dancing as well. It was a very good movie that you really wouldn't even need drugs for it to be cool because it was so awesomely weird!!! Any how, if you enjoy the Beatles I would suggest for sure to go see that movie!

On our way home there was this white sunfire driving in front of me that all of a sudden decided to go into the right lane and then continue into a pull out. While it was in the pull out it suddenly started to speed faster until it came out of the pullout cutting off 2 cars in both lanes. It then turned hard right from the left lane into the right lane and then turned hard left right before it went into the ditch. But then when it corrected itself it went into oncoming traffic then finally turned around and stopped on the opposite side of the road. It was a miracle that nobody hit him as he was swerving in and out of traffic.

So halloween is coming up and apparently I already have a costume. I did not find out I had a costume or a place to go until today. Apparently I'll be a pumpkin... along with Lori-Ann and Jackie. If all goes well, she'll have something connecting the three of us together to look like we are on a vine! I'll post pictures!

Crappy Crap Crap

Ever have one of those day's where you just feel like crap.
Not physically, but emotionally. And don't say it's PMS because I really don't think it is!
I dunno, it's weird. I was in a great mood today, the sun was shining and all was well. Then suddenly halfway through my class I just got this feeling of bleh. I don't know exactly what I mean... But Bleh is not good.
And then I lost my keys today at school. Spent an hour looking for them because of course there's no way I could get home without them. Basically I was stranded.

On a good note: For the last two days, I have been looking and feeling fairly pretty! I bought two new pairs of boots yesterday for 90 bucks! I was super jazzed!

P.S I was going to add a picture to this but this stupid thingy is not working so I give up. No pictures until later I guess!

Oye Vey, World! (Re: Ellen and Iggy Situation)

Oh boy! That basically sums it up!

I am in shock... and awe as to how our world-our people of the world- how we treat each other with such aggression... such anger... such HATE!

I was watching the Ellen Degeneres show on tuesday, October 16, 2007 and I watched as she poured out her heart and soul on international television about the Iggy situation.

If you do not know the situation I'll explain it in it's simplest form: Ellen adopted a dog, Iggy, from a rescue organization and unfortunately could not provide it with the attention that it needed so she gave the dog to her friend and hairdresser, and her two daughters. The organization has rules about the fact that if the adopter cannot provide a good home that the adopter must bring the dog back and so they took the dog away from the hairdresser's family.

I do not want to talk specifically about that exact situation, as that is not the point of this blog. What I do want to address is the horrible horrible things I am reading on the Ellen Degeneres web site.

There are postings of love and support towards Ellen. There are postings supporting the rescue shelter while stating that Ellen was wrong to do what she did without taking the proper steps.
Those postings are more or less civilized. But then... there are absolutely horrible postings that degrade, insult, and even threaten BOTH Ellen AND the shelter itself.

What has the world come to????

People are MEAN!!! Just to demonstrate the horrible things people are saying I will include them in this blog:

I think Marina Batkis and Vanessa Chekroun deserve medals for upholding their moral compass. Don't just bendover and let Ellen take you from behind like Portia normally lets her.
Fight Ellen! Viva La Revolution!
Posted by GetReal | October 18, 2007 12:47 AM

Hey, I heard that Ellen has her own dog rescue shelter. It's in her head - the down side is that she gets her dogs from other shelters and gives them out.
Posted by Insider | October 18, 2007 12:23 AM

You're so brave for coming out about this Ellen. I hope your celebrity status/attn gets this dog back to the previous owner, your hairdresser. If not we'll riot the shelter...and throw stick bombs in the administration office.
Posted by alex | October 18, 2007 12:45 AM

My oh my, This has gotten crazy!!! There are even postings verbally (verbally or written?!?!) attacking OTHER PEOPLE ie. complete strangers as to this situation... It even gets down to my favorite arguments such as, "your stupid, learn how to spell." (and yes the youR (no 're) is intentional.

The disturbing thing is that these types of postings are not only relegated to the "Iggy" portion of the comments sections. In fact, the comments have even started popping up in the comment section of Ellen's daily lunch blog!!!! The place where she puts up pictures of her lunch for crying out loud!!!!

It amazes me also that I can refresh the comment page on the "Iggy" blog after only a few seconds and there will be at least 3-5 additional postings again both attacking Ellen and Mutts and Moms organization.

It is unfortunate that people feel the need to attack other people so much. I hope this issue gets resolved and I hope it gets out of the public as well. All the media attention is not helping matters.

Anyhow, if you want to read the insane posts (as some of them are somewhat comical) go to http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2007/10/all_iggy.php

Such outcry... such angst... OYE VEY!

Oye Vey!!!

The words "oye vey" usually translate to "oh pain" or "oh woe" in Yiddish, and trust me, I know oye vey!

Oye vey about my midterm exams... I am cramming more information into my head than a squirrel can cram nuts into his mouth.

Oye vey about my health... I feel hot (and not in sexy terms) Feverish and drowsy!

Oye vey about work... ...who am I kidding? I've got the best job in the world! Minus the constant loneliness late into the night... 7-8 o'clock at night that is.

Oye vey about my allergies and exzema... I now look like I have had somebody sucker punch me in the left eye!

But to all my oye vey's I say "Enjoy it while it lasts, because soon all of you oy veys will get a kick in the kisser!"

Oye, I have no idea what I'm talking about! Thus I should get back to my studying...

OOOHHHH... I bought something totally ridiculous today!!!! A Hair Straightener!!!
Yes that's right folks, the girl who's hair barely reaches her chin has bought a hair straightener!
Stay Tuned... I'll tell you how it works!

Smells like Christmas!

What does the Best Thanksgiving Day Ever look like?
Perhaps it is one spent with family... or depending on your family, perhaps it's one without your family. Either way, the common denomiator ususally consists of Turkey!

What does MY Best Thanksgiving Day Ever look like??? Simple... The one I had last night!
Of course it consisted of the usual Turkey, Stuffing, Corn, Mashed Potatoes, Pumpkin Pie, and a couple of Beers and a glass of Baileys on ice! There was also the usual people who attended: my father, my mother, my brother and his girfriend Tracy, myself and Jacob.

So what's new? What made this year the best year EVER? It wasn't the food, although the food was top notch, and it wasn't so much the people either... It was the activities.

It started out with me working...DULLSVILLE!!! I had just finished all of my checkouts and everything else was done when I realized that there was a NASCAR race that was ready and waiting to start.
They said the most famous words in motor sports history: "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!" The commentators started to commentate... The Flag person was getting ready to raise the green flag in anticipation of waving it around to start the race... The flag goes up... and the flag WAVES... you can here the motors just starting to rev up as the racers just hit the gas... I hear the Commentators "And there they..."
CABLE GOES OUT, T.V. GOES FUZZY.
"NNNOOOOOO!" I yell in agony. The wind must have knocked out the cable.
I sit in Silence.
Half hour later, the phone rings. Finally, something for me to do. The person on the other line is wanting to make a reservation. So I ask for their name... "Silvia Renthurst... that's S I L V I A... R E N..." POWER GOES OUT, PHONE CUTS OUT, T.V. SHUTS OFF ENTIRELY.
Five minutes later the power comes back on but the cable was still out. The phone starts going crazy as it rings continuously and with each ring it changes in volume and stregnth. I wanted to throw it out the window. Thank goodness it was two oclock!

So far, the day was not going too well.

After work I went over to Jacob's house to pick him up for my family's turkey dinner.
As soon as I got home I rushed to the living room where dad was watching the rest of the race. 14 laps to go! Tony Stewart almost won but then he made a stupid mistake by moving up in the corner... Jeff Gordon won.
After the race Jacob and I went downstaires to watch "The Truman Show". Neither him nor I ended up watching the movie in it's entirety as we both fell asleep. Jacob had also brought over his super-nerdy-but-oh-so-fun Starwars Monopoly as well as another board game called Ticket to Ride. As there was still a couple of hours before dinner would be ready we decided we'd play Monopoly. As we were setting up the game, dad walks over and asks us what we were going to play to which we replied "Monopoly, Starwars version" and then Jacob asks the question that I never would have considered "do you want to play too???"

Here's where the most wonderful, oddly confusing, never-expected-it-to-happen-in-a-million-years, absolutely made this the best Thanksgiving Ever, thing came in... "Yeah, sure. I'd love to play monopoly."

***GASP***

Dad has not played a board game with me or the rest of the family in... well, ever since I can remember. I mean I love my dad dearly, but when it comes to turning off the t.v. and doing something as a family it just doesn't happen.
I have always been jealous of Jacob and his family when it comes to the time they spend together, and so I ran downstaires and begged my mom to play with us. She too was happily suprised when I told her that dad was playing but she was busy with work and said "isn't it good enough that your father is playing"... to which I replied "but mom, it's the dream!"

So dad, Jacob and I played while the turkey was turkey-ing. It smelt like christmas minus the pine (which we never really had because we've always had a fake tree) Then Nathan and Tracy came over. The six of us sat in what would never be considered silence, and we ate and drank and were merry.

We then all sat around the living room coffee table and my mother and Nathan and Tracy watched as Jacob, dad, and I battled it out Starwars style.

I won!

Although we did not ALL play, it was the dream. And I am thankful for the family to be able to all get together and do something as a family. Mostly I am thankful for Jacob, for his thinking to bring these board games (which I pessemistically thought would never get touched) and for his asking my dad if he would like to play.

Have a Great Thanksgiving Everybody!
Hopefully it will be as good as mine!

SKATE-TACULAR!

Jacob pushed Jackie
Then skated away quicklyLearning to skate backwards
How can you tell they're sisters???So Sunday, Lori-Ann and Jackie and Jacob and I went ice skating!!! It was quite random but very skate-tacular or skate-tastic if you'd prefer!

Here are just a few of the highlights:
-Lori-Ann and Jackie wore the same thing (grey hoodie and light jeans)
-Jacob and I wore the same thing (Black hoodie and darker jeans)
-Jacob fought with a little kid (don't worry they knew eachother)
-We skated... and skated... and skated some more!
-I tried teaching Lori-Ann how to skate backwards.
-Jacob decided to teach her how to take a body check in preparations for her "hockey lessons".
-Jackie kept kind of falling but never fully did.
-Then we all lived happily ever after with our tummies full of sushi goodness!

Favorite Quote:
Jacob: "Where's Lori-Ann and Kari?"
Jackie: "I dunno... just look for us but shorter."

P.S. all who may or may not be interested... I have started up a blog thingy... you should check it out sometime. It's still a little bare but sooner or later.... WATCH OUT... as the stuff will come pouring in!
http://karinabear00.blogspot.com/