All of a sudden, out of nowhere, my pictures from Photobucket are working on LJ again! Phew, that was worrying me lol. Flickr is much faster at uploading pics though, so I'll probably continue to use it too..

Yesterday was the bookstore's semi-annual 50% off sale (we do one in the spring and fall). We usually let customers shop in the back too, but since we had the flood and everything's torn up and moved around, there's no way we could this time (hopefully the cleaners will start tomorrow, if the carpet's dry enough). It was still a good sale, we did over $1100, and we were only $.50 short. It's fun working the sale, but I pay for it big time afterwards with horrible migraines..owww. Next time I should take something to begin with. After we closed me, Denise, Lupe (a volunteer who was helping us), mom and my brother (I told Denise it was a Rare Ryan Sighting LOL, since he's usually a homebody) went to that Indian restaurant..the manager is getting very familiar with us LOL. Mine was too spicy, even though it was mild..I'm terrified to think what "Indian Spicy" is like D:

Last weekend at my parents' house I found a bottle on the kitchen counter that said "Cherry" and something under it that I don't remember, so I couldn't resist sneakily taping "Garrard" under "cherry" haha. I'm waiting to see how long it'll take for mom to notice LOL (I turned the bottle to the back so she wouldn't see it right away). I'm pretty sure she's going to say something when she sees it lol..it'll be amusing :P (it's exciting waiting though ;))

( October 14: White )

Ooooh, a polynya!! I almost never see that word outside of polar exploration books (they mentioned one in Frozen Planet too), so it was exciting to see it used in the news lol. It's apparently larger than Maryland..wow

At work we found the blockage and fixed it, so now a team has been coming in to clean and/or replace the carpet and part of the walls that got damaged. I'm glad we have their help, because we had to move a TON of stuff. We're going to need to bookcases too. Hopefully they'll be done cleaning by next week..then we'll have the huge task of putting everything back where it was. D: I can't wait till everything's back to as normal as it can get lol

( October 12: Relax )

Today's trivia: A house cat's genome is 95.6 percent tiger

After the events of the past few days, here are a couple positive, uplifting videos (just don't read the comments D:)


Awww. There are people in the comments saying it's fake, but his reaction was way too genuine (why would he fake that anyway??). So cool!


OMG I'll never get over how awesome that guy is. Tripp's mom is super awesome too! He has a Facebook page (which I definitely "liked") which shows his family going on adventures and just the simple act of smiling and moving his arms..he's come a long way in 5 years! You can absolutely tell he can understand you (he answers you by blinking for 2 or 3 seconds). There are videos where he just woke up and he has the biggest smile because he's so excited to go to school! I'm excited to follow his journey and to see how much he improves :D

( pics for oct. 2-3 )

Today's trivia: The movie Clue has three different endings. Each ending was randomly chosen for different theaters. All three endings are present on the DVD

OMG you have no idea how excited I've been for this prompt LOL..I've been looking forward to it all month. :P Hehe yay :D

( the topics )

Also A "NEW" PIC OF CHERRY YAY!

OMGG. Sometimes I look at a pic and just stare at it trying to figure out if it's Cherry, and then there are ones like this where I open it and immediately see that it's him and feel a huge rush of excitement LOL (and even better, he's wearing his glasses :D). I have no idea who took that picture, or where it originally came from though (I found it on Pintrest, the only reason I have an account there LOL). Awesome :D

Today's trivia: Robert Downey Jr. credits Burger King for getting him off drugs: Apparently, he ate a burger that was so nasty, it made him rethink his life choices and throw all of his drugs into the ocean

1. What’s your favorite part (to eat) of a chicken? The breast probably
2. What’s your favorite cut of beef? I prefer ground beef, whatever part that is lol
3. What’s your favorite cut of pork? Pulled pork, whatever part that is :P
4. What’s your favorite part of a Snickers bar? I've never eaten one. Not a fan of peanuts and caramel at all lol
5. What’s your favorite part of a pizza? Cheeeese haha

There's a nasty cold going around that seems to hang on to whoever has it..mom and some of my coworkers have had it, including Denise, who never gets sick (I about died when she said she was getting sick D:). I better take some supplements, because I REALLY don't want to get sick, especially since this one sounds super rough D:

( September 19: Last Drop )

1. What is your paper towel consumption like? Uhh..normal??
2. What condiment do you use most often? Ketchup
3. What is your sticky note consumption like? I use a lot at work
4. What’s your coin jar setup? I have one on top of the fridge
5. What’s something you’ve purchased recently that was lower in price than usual? Books that were on sale

Grandpa and his house are ok, phew..there were just a bunch of branches that needed to be cleaned up. Luckily the hurricane lost power when it got that far. Speaking of Crystal River, today I checked out a customer that just moved here from Florida..I asked where and she said "about 100 miles north of Tampa." I told her my grandpa lives in Crystal River, a she looked at me in astonishment and said, "that's where I moved from!! I was born and raised there!" Haha wow..it's such a small world :P

( September 14: Sweet Tooth )

1. How tidy are your kitchen cabinets? Depends..some are stuffed, some are pretty organized lol
2. What’s an art project you did in school that you remember fondly? Making a model castle was pretty cool
3. What’s the best thing you ate on your most recent trip? Pasta, pretty much the best scrambled eggs I've ever had, etc
4. What’s the dumbest non-political thing you’ve seen lately? *shrugs*
5. What’s something in your home that’s lasted longer than you expected? Some of the lightbulbs have lasted a long time..

I heard from grandpa's neighbor in Florida that they're under a mandatory evacuation..I hope his nice house doesn't get destroyed! Scary how many hurricanes there have been this year D:

( September 8: Currently Loving )

1) Are your parents married or divorced? Married
2) Are you a vegetarian? No
3) Do you believe in Heaven? I feel like there must be *something* out there..nothingness terrifies me too much D:
4) Have you ever come close to dying? I believe I did when I choked when I was home alone a few years ago. *shivers* I don't really like thinking about it D:
5) What jewelry do you wear? My opal necklace and usually a bracelet that matches my shirt
6) Favorite time of day? Evening maybe
7) Do you eat the stems of broccoli? Sure
8) Do you wear makeup? No, I haven't worn makeup in over 10 years lol
9) Ever had plastic surgery? No
10) Do you color your hair? No..I have dyed it red a couple times before though
11) What do you wear to bed? Regular PJs
12) Have you ever done anything illegal? Sure, plenty of jaywalking LOL. Also one time I was at a school and some kids were drawing on the floor under the stands, and I decided to join in too (I don't remember what I drew though). I felt insaaaaanely guilty afterwards and was so afraid of getting caught, but never did
13) Can you roll your tongue? No
14) Do you tweeze your eyebrows? No
15) What kind of sneakers? I forgot the brand..
16) Do you believe in abortions? It honestly makes me sad, but I have no say over other people's choices..
( the rest )

( September 5: Learning is Fun! )

Today's trivia: There's a town in Texas called Earth and it's the only place on Earth officially named Earth

1. What kind of soap is in your bathtub right now? Dove body wash
2. Do you have any watermelon in your refrigerator? No, I'm allergic to melons
3. Is there anything moldy in your refrigerator? No
4. Are there any dirty dishes in your sink? No
5. What would you change about your living room? Hmm..mom thinks I should get "nicer" chairs..they're comfy though!
6. Are the dishes in your dishwasher clean or dirty? I don't have a dishwaher
7. Do you have a can of mushrooms in your pantry? No
8. White or wheat bread? White
9. What is on top of your refrigerator? A candle, a fake cat looking down,etc
10. What colour is your sofa? I don't have one
11. What colour or design is on your shower curtain? One side is striped and the other side has leaves
12. How many plants are in your home? None
13. How many candles are in your home? Hmm..at least 3 maybe..
14. Is your bed made right now? Sure
15. If you have a coffee pot, what colour is it? I don't have one
16. Electric or standard can opener? Standard?? I don't know if I've ever seen an electric one O_o
17. Comet or Soft Scrub? Comet
18. Is your closet organized? Somewhat
19. What colour is the flashlight that you use the most? I don't use them very often..
20. What kinds of things are in your junk drawer? Bag clips, tools, etc
( the rest )

I hope all my friends in Texas are alright..all the damage and flooding from the hurricane is crazy! (When I lived in Texas, I saw the outer bands of Hurricane Rita, which was pretty awesome.) Though here's something funny..a weatherman was like "good thing this is happening in the summer so you don't have to worry about heating your house." Ummm....YOU LIVE ON THE COAST OF TEXAS I don't think that would be much of a problem haha!

( August 26: Prickly )

Kathy came in today, and after gathering up courage (confrontations are scary!!), I told her that I've always appreciated what she's done for me, whether for a ride home, lunch, etc, but it's just hard for me to express it. I told her that even though I was upset, I'm glad she told me so I can express it better (I said next time I will definitely make it obvious to her). She looked very touched and gave me a big hug and said "I'm glad we're still friends!" and I said "me too! Sorry for freaking out on you." She was like "that's all behind us, now we can move ahead." I said "we're good!" and she said the same. Phew!! I'm so glad there's no hard feelings between us, and I'm glad I told her I appreciated her, because I definitely do and didn't mean to hurt her feelings. She's such a great friend! I've been practicing with Denise lol..we like to get smoothies a couple times a week for lunch. It took me like five minutes to get there (my hands were shaking haha!), but I said "I appreciated the nice walk with you" and she said "thanks! I know how hard this is for you and I'm proud that you're trying so hard." Aww. She's a great friend as well! I'm so lucky and glad I have people who understand and support me <3

I meet the most..interesting people walking to work..today this homeless guy that had been digging in the trash was like "Do you have burlap bag? Burlap bag? Burlap bag!!" and I was just like "...no" and as I left he kept saying something about the Lord smiting people who don't help others..or something like that..and something about the Lord giving people burlap bags?? Uncomfortable, but I still felt bad for him..there was nothing I could do though :(

( pics for august 18 and 20 )

Today's trivia: In Japan, the Hiroshima Peace Flame has been burned continuously since it was lit in 1964, and will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed and the planet is free from the threat of nuclear annihilation