I know.

My sophomore year of college, I transfered from the University of Alabama to the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire. About a quarter of the way into the year, I had plans to meet with a good friend at a study cafe on campus.
I was feeling so sad and out of place. I had just moved out of my parents' house, I was afraid of being on my own, I was separated from my long-time boyfriend by 800 miles, and just...trying to figure out the new "grown up" me.
When I sat down at the table with my friend, I intended to pour out my heart to her and tell her all my woes and thereby feel better.
Instead, I just burst into tears.
Do you know what she said?
She said, "I know."

Sometimes that's all you need to hear.

You won't get any details here!!!

Go here to find out the scoop.

Do it. Do it. Do it. DO. IT.

Click.

Click here.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Why are you still here? Click already.

Pop and Lock

Dear Paul Dopkins,
The guy over at StuffChristiansLike.net wrote this in reference to THAT STUPID SONSEED VIDEO and other ridiculious Christian music videos. I hope this comes true to the very word:
"OK God, you're in control. I don’t get to define what you are pleased with. Maybe that breakdancing was exactly what you wanted and there were people that were deeply moved by that. But between you and me, I hope that when I get to heaven you'll do a little pop and lock, pull me aside and whisper, 'Hey, even I thought that video was funny.' But we'll just have to wait and see."
Speaking of stupid Christian music videos, here is one that I would have thought was VERY cool when I was 16. I guess "cool" and "funny" are in the eyes of the beholder.
I'm just saying.

Sincerely,
Erin
p.s. He taught me how to praise my God and still play rock and roll. [Emphasis mine.]
p.p.s. The idea of God doing pop and lock is quite possibly the funniest thing I've read in weeks, nay, months.

Good to Know

I learned a lot again last night in my ASL class. The most important of which was the difference between "I understand," and "horny."

Gulp!

Self-exterminating candle as art:
What? It can be art if I say it's art.

Once Bitten...

Dear Gertrude's Caretaker,
I wasn't harrassing your stupid dog. I was protecting Gertrude from your stupid dog. Remember Gertrude? Who I was visiting because I care about her and her bruised pelvis? (Where WERE you, by the way?)
I had no choice but to bodily grab the dog off of Gertrude who was crying out in pain. Because of this, she bit me so many times that I am bleeding in four places. Still.
A word of advice: when you come home and I tell you what happened, do not--repeat: DO NOT act as if it is my fault that your stupid DILL PICKLE DOG BIT. ME.
I'm really mad at you.
Sincerely,
Erin

Pre-Children Halloween

We really knew how to party way back in 2005.

Ross Perot

I prefer not to talk politics on the internet, but I just can't let this go by.

A friend told me tonight that Ross Perot is lobbying to be on the presidential ballot as an independent party.
Is this true?
Someone, please educate me.
Who would be his running mate? Ron Paul?
Does this guy have an abyss of money?
Can he bail out our economy?


Upon further thought:
Does he also secretly possess a fountain of youth somewhere in his great big house?

Pot

Is a pot really dirty if all you used it for was to cook pasta?

First Day of School

I started American Sign Language 1 last night at a local community college.

It was fantastic.

FANTASTIC.

My professor is deaf, and didn't speak a word for the first hour and a half of class. Can you imagine! I got a good taste of what total immersion would be like, because by the end of the three hour class period, I was able to communicate basic introductions and family information with my classmates.

The most interesting thing I learned is that ASL is a completely different language. It is not English. I never understood that before. That will be the hardest part about the class for me, because the sentence structures are completely different than anything I'm familiar with.

It was hard to be away from the baby. I've never been away from her that long before, but I think it's good for both of us. I guess. This is something I've always wanted to do since I took a sign language class during summer school at EP Rock. I've been reading books about signing with children, and have been signing with SJ for a couple of months. I think she is starting to recognize the sign for "all done," but is not yet able to put it all together.

I was so wound up when I got home last night that at 1am, Richard put his hand over my mouth.

Point taken.

Home Improvements

I'm just laying here enjoying the view of my new curtains.
I finally put one up in the bathroom, too.

And I put these up in the entryway.

Yay, me!

Sideways Corduroy Pants

"At last, horizontal corduroy pants. Made in San Francisco and only sold online, Cordarounds are the most aerodynamic pants on earth."
Not to mention, no more thigh-rubbing-induced forest fires!

Facebook Brain

Erin is baking cupcakes.
Erin should go to bed.
Erin didn't realize it was 3am.
Erin thinks people who said rice cereal would help SJ sleep through the night are full of crap.
Erin wants new curtains.
Erin wants new carpet.
Erin wants a clean kitchen floor.
Erin wants to throw away her house and get a new one.
Erin thinks she might start improving her current house one flat surface at a time.
Erin could go for a coke.
Erin is laying awake staring at the ceiling, thinking about what Erin is doing right now.
Erin is wondering how much longer this will last.
Erin is tired of being stuck in third person and blames Facebook.
Erin thinks she might have a problem.

A Good Day

So far, today has been a very good day--and it's only half over!

At the Mall of America, the Christian Fiction Writers Association had a book signing. There were 120 Christian Fiction Writers there, among whom was one of my favorite authors, Tosca Lee.

Tosca is a friend of my Aunt Kris, and she and I have exchanged email on several occasions, but I had not yet had the chance to meet her. She wrote a book last year called Demon: a Memoir, that stands alone in the relatively sucky world of Christian Fiction. It was really fun to get to meet her because, like I said, she stands out. If I were to write a book, I would want it to be on the edge and make people think the way Tosca's does. Too many Christian books are sugary sweet and don't deal with real issues and spiritual battle. Tosca is not afraid to go there, which I greatly appreciate.

I have not yet written a review on Demon, but I think I will in the near future. It is up for the AFCW 2008 Book of the Year. Good luck, Tosca!

I also got to meet John B. Olson who was one of the writers for Ben Stein's Expelled that came out earlier this year in theaters. Verrrry cool.

Confession

Today, on the way home from the doctor's office, I pulled up to a stoplight. At the same time, I reached behind me to give Shirley Jean her pacifier. Somehow, in doing so, I LAID on the horn.
Scared myself so bad I peed a little.

Oil Diddy

This made me laugh and cry at the same time.
Source:
TIME Magazine.
Vol. 172, No. 11, 2008, page 16.

My Heroes

Question:

Are men truly unafraid of mice, or do they just pretend for our benefit?

Thank you, Grandpa Bob, Richard and Pedro for rescuing me from my mouse today.

Kitty, you are a worthless beast. In fact, I would be willing to bet good money (that could happily be spent on something else like coffee or a new outfit for the baby) that you probably brought the mouse IN the house.

ZAP!

This is for Brandy.

Where you lead, I will follow...

This morning I said to Richard, "Have you noticed that when the living area is cleaned up, the bedrooms are a mess, and when the bedrooms are cleaned up, the living area is a mess?"
He said, "I think the mess is wherever you are."

Stop me if you've heard this one...

Dear Past Erin,
Bring more than $60 to Aldi's.
Seriously.
Sincerely,
Future Erin