why?!?

i was at the QFC post office this morning and i was standing in line behind a mom who had two little boys with her. they looked about 4 years old. the post office is near the magazines and on the cover of JANE magazine, it's paris hilton.

boys: "mom, it's paris and nicole."
mom: "no, it's just paris, nicole isn't on the magazine."
boys: "paris and nicole...paris and nicole..." [chanting]

i was amused and horrified all at the same time. why do they even know about paris and nicole? are they watching the simple life? and if so, WHY?!?

accident prone.

so i twisted/turned my ankle a couple of days ago. just about an hour ago, my car ran into a lamppost in my neighborhood. it's icy conditions here in portland with freezing rain and most of the roads outside of my neighborhood are drivable. my dad gave me the suggestion that i try an alternate in my neighborhood to get to our house. so, in low gear, i tried his way, and it involved making a right turn going downhill. i was starting to turn when the car started sliding sideways and the car jumped the curb and was headed towards somebody's lawn and house, so i turned the wheel away, which caused the driver's side door to slam into the lamppost, which then somehow helped turn my car away from a bunch of brick-structured mailboxes and driveway lights and back out onto the street, where i finally stopped sliding and found myself parked against the curb.

there were these kids in a nearby cul-de-sac who made their way over and were like, "ma'am, ma'am, are you okay?" my first thought was, "i'm not a ma'am." i was totally fine and i told them that i was. they offered to get their parents, but it was so icy and one of them fell on their front step, and i told them not to bother, and that i had a cell phone with me to call for help. i did ask them how much damage i did, and they said the only thing i hit was the lamppost and someone's lawn. they also told me the only place that sustained any impact on my car was my driver's side door, so that was a relief. i called up to my house and my brother andy walked down in metal football cleats to haul me up the hill, with my bad left ankle no less. it was only after i got home that it hit me how scared i was, sitting in the car spinning and out of control. andy was like, "you don't have to cry." i yelled back, "i'm traumatized and i'll cry if i want to." i wasn't really crying, it was more sniffles and a couple of tears, just to get it out of my system. i've been rear-ended and had someone back into my car before, but this is the first time where i'm at fault, though i'd rather blame the weather and icy roads. so later, when the ice melts, i'll have to trek back down to get my car, and all of my stuff. so lame.

no balance

a few years ago, i was playing intramural volleyball at the IMA, and twisted my right ankle. it was a mess of pain, black, black bruising, swelling, and all-around ugliness. i was told that i tore something and that it was really, really bad. since then, my right ankle has been bigger than my left, and i already had good-sized ankles to begin with.

just a few hours ago, i was walking downstairs and i didn't bother turning on the light, because, how hard is it to walk down some stairs? apparently, it's harder than i thought. i missed a step, lost my balance, and landed wrongly on my left ankle and it twisted. it hurt...a lot. i iced it a little and now i can feel it starting to swell. it hurts to put weight on it. i think that may not be a good sign. but, at least now my left and right ankle are even.

injured.

i had a volleyball game today and during one game, i had a collision with my teammate on the floor. now my lower back hurts at my spine and i think i see bruising. this can't be good.

let it snow

it's snowing outside...right this minute! and, it looks like it's sticking, at least for now. i can only hope to wake up to a lot more snow, which means...no work!!!

a sinking feeling

ryan has brought it to my attention that the neighborhood where i currently live is sinking. you can read about the greenwood neighborhood bog problems here. and the picture that's included with the article - that's my street!

last night, i went to see the lion king at the paramount theater. it was fantastic. the various sets and the costumes were visually stunning. the singing and dancing were amazing. mufasa, scar, zazu, and little simba were great. adult simba was a little weak by comparison. it was just so much fun to be in the audience watching the story unfold. and we were pretty darn close - like the 14th/15th row from the stage. too bad the guy in front of me had a really big head. :)

my application deadlines are coming up fast...like next friday/saturday for UCLA and columbia. i decided to fly to LA for the UCLA interview (the interview is an application requirement) at the end of the month. yay! playing in LA!

lost and found?



is anyone missing a north carolina tarheels baseball-style cap? kristie found such an item as we were cleaning up for the new year's eve festivities. if you are the owner of the hat in question, let us know and it will be promptly returned to you.

[edit] the owner has been found. :D

happy new year!

we had a potluck and played board games until midnight. kristie contributed her games - family fued dvd edition and trivial pursuit - the 90s edition. it was fun just eating, playing games, and hanging out. i forgot to take pictures, but maybe someone else will post a few to share :)