I had to practice descriptive writing in one of my classes the other day and we had to write about a kitchen. Any kitchen. So I wrote about my parents'/my childhood kitchen. Here goes.
The granite countertops are black swirled with yellow, a fancy stone that is the product of a homeowner who owns a granite business. He put them in himself, no sweat for the handyman. They’re durable, like the family that uses them, able to hold the weight of a person or resist the blade of a knife. They wrap around three sides of the kitchen and in the smack dab center, under the windows to the backyard, is the sink. Split in two, one side has an absurdly loud disposal and the other just a drain. There is a broken hot water nozzle that petered out after serving hundreds of cups of instant coffee. The two levels of cabinets are white, brighter white in spots that have been chipped and then painted over with a fresh coat. They make a very distinct sound when they are closed that can be recognized from any corner of the six bedroom house, the noise that has been known to announce breakfast. At the top of the cup cabinet are the glasses painted with butterflies and birds, the ones that are saved for company. In one corner, a worn out air vent lies pathetically, the swirled design of the cover pressed inward from the many winter mornings when the daughters would stand on it’s warmth while they ate breakfast before school. The walk-in pantry sits to the left of the new refrigerator along the wall without granite. The pantry smells like dog food and is filled with canned foods, dog treats and Easter baskets. This is where the vegetable oil and the Pam reside, useful knowledge if you get the urge to make brownies. If you walk into the pantry, be ready for the black lab and probably the neighbor’s Jack Russell to follow at your heels, eagerly awaiting a dropped treat. The two dogs growl and play with each other, their feet sliding on the hard wood floors. The floors are tired though, and have learned to expect the harsh daily use. They’ve been walked on by hundreds of people, tens of dogs, and have delighted in 15 years worth of after-dinner father-daughter waltzes. The kitchen is worn, but it feels like home.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
GTL...minus the T. And skimpin on the L.
Manfriend and I have a bet going.
Here's some background:
When I went to Asia this summer I was still dealing with my reflux issues and, consequently, ate next to nothing for five weeks. I lost 8 pounds. Pretty awesome if I was trying to lose weight. Mostly, I was just trying not to get sick. Which didn't quite work.
But I digress.
When I got home from Asia, and, I'm happy to share, until this day, I felt much better. So for two weeks in June, beginning the moment I stepped back into 5585 Bannergate, I ate everything. No exaggeration, people. EVERYTHING.
I out-ate both my father and homeboy that night. So after I lost my 8 pounds in five weeks, I gained 15 in the next 3. Remember that time you thought I was exaggerating when I said I ate everything? Take it back.
Manfriend also reached his all-time high this summer and we made a group decision that we were both fat. And hence the bet was conceived.
Now we don't have to get into the details of said bet, all you need to know is that I'm at the gym at least four times a week. And if I didn't have my built-in elliptical TV or trusty iPod, I would still be entertained.
"Why?" you might ask. Because of the people that go to the gym. Let me describe them to you. And yes, I have seen all of these people with my own eyes.
The Skinny Mini: You work out way too much. Stop, because your friends are worried about you. But really. Stop.
The Hollywood Dreamer: You don't realize that while you can hear the music coming out of your headphones, everyone around you can't. Your high pitched exclamation of "PAPA-PAPARAZZI" does not go unnoticed. The people around you try to not laugh, even though they can hear you over their own music. Keep up the good work, rockstar.
The Screech: You're a man, and you're trying to bulk up. You weigh less than me. You have glasses and don't change the weight on the machines after I get off them and you get on. You wear a wife-beater to look like the other guys in the gym, but it is a poor, poor decision.
The Marathoner: When I come into the gym, you are on the treadmill. After my 30 minutes of elliptical, you remain on the treadmill. After my twenty minutes of weights and machines, you are still on the treadmill. As I stretch, I stare at your legs and wonder if they are real. Cause you are still on the treadmill. I would not be surprised if tomorrow, when I return, you are still on the treadmill.
The Awkward Dresser: You are wearing jeans. Or sweat pants. Or flip flops. Or a nice sweater. Your hair is down. You are most likely Asian. And I wonder why you don't look at the other 30 people in the gym and take some pointers.
The Jealousy-inciter: You have a KILLER body. You wear tight little spandex shorts and a top that leaves two inches of perfectly toned stomach exposed. Your thighs don't touch when you walk. You don't even need the skinny arm. You are what the rest of us are working towards.
The First-Timer: We've all been you, so no offense, just own it. You get on the elliptical only to be kicked off by the person that knew to sign up for it at the front desk. You give up after one set of free weights when you realize you're half as strong as you imagined. You don't change any settings on the weight machines and find yourself attempting to leg press 480 lbs.
The Freshman: You try your hardest to look cute. Your ponytail is awkwardly high on your head and it swishes as you run. You watch Hannah Montana on the treadmill because you and Miley are the same age and you feel like you grew up together. Your socks match your Nike Tempo shorts. Your iPod is pink.
The Ancient Gem: You are an old decrepit lady, and I have seen you multiple times at the gym. For pushin' 130, you are jacked. I am so darn proud of you. You go, girl.
And my most favorite of all,
The Situation: You think you look like him, or maybe you do. You are most likely ripped and wear tight shirts with the sleeves cut off so you can see your muscles bulging as you lift. You must max out every exercise you do everyday to prove your manliness. As you lay down ready to bench you close your eyes to prepare for the feat ahead. You make extremely awkward, somewhat suggestive noises as you lift. Occasionally you change it up and make "tssssss" noises as you let the weight go. Your face contorts in ways I never could have imagined possible. You, my friend, win the award for Most Entertaining.
Here's some background:
When I went to Asia this summer I was still dealing with my reflux issues and, consequently, ate next to nothing for five weeks. I lost 8 pounds. Pretty awesome if I was trying to lose weight. Mostly, I was just trying not to get sick. Which didn't quite work.
But I digress.
When I got home from Asia, and, I'm happy to share, until this day, I felt much better. So for two weeks in June, beginning the moment I stepped back into 5585 Bannergate, I ate everything. No exaggeration, people. EVERYTHING.
I out-ate both my father and homeboy that night. So after I lost my 8 pounds in five weeks, I gained 15 in the next 3. Remember that time you thought I was exaggerating when I said I ate everything? Take it back.
Manfriend also reached his all-time high this summer and we made a group decision that we were both fat. And hence the bet was conceived.
Now we don't have to get into the details of said bet, all you need to know is that I'm at the gym at least four times a week. And if I didn't have my built-in elliptical TV or trusty iPod, I would still be entertained.
"Why?" you might ask. Because of the people that go to the gym. Let me describe them to you. And yes, I have seen all of these people with my own eyes.
The Skinny Mini: You work out way too much. Stop, because your friends are worried about you. But really. Stop.
The Hollywood Dreamer: You don't realize that while you can hear the music coming out of your headphones, everyone around you can't. Your high pitched exclamation of "PAPA-PAPARAZZI" does not go unnoticed. The people around you try to not laugh, even though they can hear you over their own music. Keep up the good work, rockstar.
The Screech: You're a man, and you're trying to bulk up. You weigh less than me. You have glasses and don't change the weight on the machines after I get off them and you get on. You wear a wife-beater to look like the other guys in the gym, but it is a poor, poor decision.
The Marathoner: When I come into the gym, you are on the treadmill. After my 30 minutes of elliptical, you remain on the treadmill. After my twenty minutes of weights and machines, you are still on the treadmill. As I stretch, I stare at your legs and wonder if they are real. Cause you are still on the treadmill. I would not be surprised if tomorrow, when I return, you are still on the treadmill.
The Awkward Dresser: You are wearing jeans. Or sweat pants. Or flip flops. Or a nice sweater. Your hair is down. You are most likely Asian. And I wonder why you don't look at the other 30 people in the gym and take some pointers.
The Jealousy-inciter: You have a KILLER body. You wear tight little spandex shorts and a top that leaves two inches of perfectly toned stomach exposed. Your thighs don't touch when you walk. You don't even need the skinny arm. You are what the rest of us are working towards.
The First-Timer: We've all been you, so no offense, just own it. You get on the elliptical only to be kicked off by the person that knew to sign up for it at the front desk. You give up after one set of free weights when you realize you're half as strong as you imagined. You don't change any settings on the weight machines and find yourself attempting to leg press 480 lbs.
The Freshman: You try your hardest to look cute. Your ponytail is awkwardly high on your head and it swishes as you run. You watch Hannah Montana on the treadmill because you and Miley are the same age and you feel like you grew up together. Your socks match your Nike Tempo shorts. Your iPod is pink.
The Ancient Gem: You are an old decrepit lady, and I have seen you multiple times at the gym. For pushin' 130, you are jacked. I am so darn proud of you. You go, girl.
And my most favorite of all,
The Situation: You think you look like him, or maybe you do. You are most likely ripped and wear tight shirts with the sleeves cut off so you can see your muscles bulging as you lift. You must max out every exercise you do everyday to prove your manliness. As you lay down ready to bench you close your eyes to prepare for the feat ahead. You make extremely awkward, somewhat suggestive noises as you lift. Occasionally you change it up and make "tssssss" noises as you let the weight go. Your face contorts in ways I never could have imagined possible. You, my friend, win the award for Most Entertaining.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
My Apologies.
Dear Blog,
I'm sorry. I have been cheating on you with school work and grad school applications. I would apologize but my future is a demanding harlot. To give the readers something to keep them occupied, how about we introduce www.lamebook.com. It's a compilation of all the strangest/funniest/most embarrassing things posted on Facebook. And we all know how much I love to make fun of "the social network." A personal favorite Facebook status: "Jesus had two dads and he turned out OK." I will try to return soon with something of more substance, but until then: enjoy.
Love, Cindy
I'm sorry. I have been cheating on you with school work and grad school applications. I would apologize but my future is a demanding harlot. To give the readers something to keep them occupied, how about we introduce www.lamebook.com. It's a compilation of all the strangest/funniest/most embarrassing things posted on Facebook. And we all know how much I love to make fun of "the social network." A personal favorite Facebook status: "Jesus had two dads and he turned out OK." I will try to return soon with something of more substance, but until then: enjoy.
Love, Cindy
Saturday, September 11, 2010
The American Way
Yesterday the UGA ROTC had a memorial for the people that died in the attacks on 9/11 nine years ago, and today at the USC v. UGA football game they held a memorial during the first half. I've always been a sucker for all things military and I can't help but shed a tear every time I hear the Star Spangled Banner, which isn't always appropriate (i.e. MonsterJam 2010). But this video gets me in the first 20 seconds. Here's to the men and women serving our country:
And here's my favorite song from 2002. I may not be as much of a war hawk anymore but I still have Toby Keith's back on this one.
And here's my favorite song from 2002. I may not be as much of a war hawk anymore but I still have Toby Keith's back on this one.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
UGAmateurs
On Monday the UGAtheists held "Stone a Heathen Day" at our public forum in the middle of campus, Tate Plaza. They put up posters with quotes from the Bible about when you should stone someone, had a boy stand in the middle of Tate Plaza holding a sign that said "Heathen! (Me)" with an arrow pointing to himself, and encouraged students passing through the plaza to throw "stones" (water balloons) at the heathen.
I'm not totally sure how I feel about this yet. There are tons of people that like to think of themselves as open to new cultures and ideas; who sympathetically act interested in the culture of a Buddhist classmate or pretend they aren't put off by a stranger's turban. Yet it is almost unspeakable in this Bible belt of ours to identify as an atheist.
Randall Bourquin, president of the UGAtheists, is extremely involved on campus. He was an orientation leader (an incredible honor), is in a fraternity and is known across campus. When I showed people that video I couldn't help but feel their attitudes change towards him. He states in this interview that it isn't easy being an atheist in a community such as UGA. And I'm sure it isn't. People's reactions when you simply say you aren't a Christian mix between turnt-up noses and pity that the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ hasn't "saved" you yet. Oh, but he will.
So I think we should face atheism with open minds and consider it just another religion. Or...antireligion. In my mind, I'm not going to discriminate against any other theological beliefs because there is absolutely no way to prove it. If there were, we'd all be on the same page. We won't know until we're dead and then what? We're dead. So let's treat eachother with a little respect.
That being said. I think the UGAtheists pretty much just made themselves look foolish. They weren't expressing their beliefs, they were instead putting down other religions' beliefs. They aimed towards Christianity but the quotes they used about stoning came from the Old Testament, hence Judaism. They obviously did their research. Plus, it's just an international rule that Leviticus is a bunch of bologna.
If the UGAtheists were trying to prove a point that they should be excepted as having just another system beliefs, they approached it the wrong way. Putting down Islam doesn't prove a point for Christianity, just as putting down Christianity/Judaism doesn't prove that we should all be atheists. I think it's safe to say that all religions have completely bewildering parts about them. Including atheism. They could have built themselves up by having pamphlets and a table describing their beliefs but instead they made a giant step backward and have probably lost any hope of being accepted at this Bible belt university.
I'm not totally sure how I feel about this yet. There are tons of people that like to think of themselves as open to new cultures and ideas; who sympathetically act interested in the culture of a Buddhist classmate or pretend they aren't put off by a stranger's turban. Yet it is almost unspeakable in this Bible belt of ours to identify as an atheist.
Randall Bourquin, president of the UGAtheists, is extremely involved on campus. He was an orientation leader (an incredible honor), is in a fraternity and is known across campus. When I showed people that video I couldn't help but feel their attitudes change towards him. He states in this interview that it isn't easy being an atheist in a community such as UGA. And I'm sure it isn't. People's reactions when you simply say you aren't a Christian mix between turnt-up noses and pity that the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ hasn't "saved" you yet. Oh, but he will.
So I think we should face atheism with open minds and consider it just another religion. Or...antireligion. In my mind, I'm not going to discriminate against any other theological beliefs because there is absolutely no way to prove it. If there were, we'd all be on the same page. We won't know until we're dead and then what? We're dead. So let's treat eachother with a little respect.
That being said. I think the UGAtheists pretty much just made themselves look foolish. They weren't expressing their beliefs, they were instead putting down other religions' beliefs. They aimed towards Christianity but the quotes they used about stoning came from the Old Testament, hence Judaism. They obviously did their research. Plus, it's just an international rule that Leviticus is a bunch of bologna.
If the UGAtheists were trying to prove a point that they should be excepted as having just another system beliefs, they approached it the wrong way. Putting down Islam doesn't prove a point for Christianity, just as putting down Christianity/Judaism doesn't prove that we should all be atheists. I think it's safe to say that all religions have completely bewildering parts about them. Including atheism. They could have built themselves up by having pamphlets and a table describing their beliefs but instead they made a giant step backward and have probably lost any hope of being accepted at this Bible belt university.
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