South Korea probably isn't like how I dream it

Last night I dreamed that I was in South Korea (I think my mind got it mixed up with more backward North Korea). I was stuck in some sort of wooden container moving diagonally up and down. The only place for hand holds so you didn't fall was between the cracks in the wood and whenever the box moved it would pinch my fingers. It was a study on smoke inhalation and smoke was pumped into the box. This didn't make any sense.

Then they were testing a roller coaster, which some how had two different types of cars on it and one plowed into the other. The one full of people fell off the track and no body came to help them. Though apparently, this is typical in "South Korea." After this I woke up. I had to push snooze so that I could get the terrible image out of my mind.

In real life news, our empty lot next door wont be empty for long. It seems as though dear old Wayne (my landlord) is going to build a new house. So that means unpleasant construction next door, and awkward interactions with a rougher set of people. Possibly. I hear some silly girls have already agreed to live in the place next fall, even though the house currently consists of six pink spray painted stakes in the ground. Though, this news explains why Wayne was inexplicably plowing the empty lot.

That's all I have for now!

The Life and Times Book Review

Hey! Since my daily commute takes about an hour of bus and train rides I've been reading a lot. I enjoy reading very much, so this has been a delightful predicament. Here are some of the most memorable books I've read. We'll start with my favorite!

The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes (In Two Handsome Volumes), by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I happened upon the complete collection at Half Priced Books for very cheap in two delightful and the most handsomest volumes I've ever encountered. I was at first wary of these stories as I'm a fan of more modern writing. How wrong I was though! I've never been so enthralled with a set of stories since Harry Potter. These are some of the most intriguing and exciting stories to read. One of my favorites is the novel A Study in Scarlet, which is the first of the stories. Currently I'm reading The Memoires of Sherlock Holmes. I recommend these stories to anyone who enjoys a thrilling story and a challenge to an inquisitive mind.

The Undercover Economist, by Tim Hartford
This is an enjoyable book uncovering the mystery of economics. Overall, this is a fun read. I feel as though I understand how the world works better. It would be satisfying to see some economic policy that actually worked and would help to get us out of this is maybe "recession." The examples given in the book are more understandable than my Econ 1101 professor's Oreo and Milano comparisons.

The Final Solution (A Story of Detection), by Michael Chabon
This is a cute little novella about a mute little boy and a very old man solving the mystery of a stolen bird. It's a terribly cute novel and when I found out that the author thought of the old man as an incredibly aged Sherlock Holmes. I was inspired by this novella to read Sherlock Holmes. It is very well written and each description is hilarious and detailed.

The Optimists, by Andrew Miller
Generally when I read a book I get something good out of it. I like most books, I'm not too picky, usually books I don't like are more "eh" than "I might want to stop reading." I really wanted to stop reading this book. It made me angry, it wasn't good, it didn't make me happy, it didn't make me think, it didn't make me feel anything other than boredom. The main character didn't do anything and the writing was boring. If I looked at a map of London, I would probably be able to trace the steps of the main character, because the author felt it pertinent to name every street this poor soul walked down. It was annoying, and unnecessary. As is this novel.

Rule Number Two (Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital), by Heidi Squier Kraft
This is an excellent memoir of the author's time in Iraq and the terrible things she had to work with. As a professional psychologist she not only experienced the war first hand, but she also listened to many other experiences. It is a really moving story and it makes me thankful that we have such wonderful people over there supporting each other.

What I've been doing

Andy and I took advantage of being mobile and went to the lovely town of Red Wing. Where Andy bought a hat and I bought shoes from the local cobbler. We also found some interesting art by the train depot.

Andy got curious.

I danced with a metal person.

Another weekend Andy and I ventured to the little town of St. Peter and visited the local Lutheran college. Mr. Gustavus Adolphus was a fairly chubby man according to his statue in the center of campus.

They have a really ugly church there. Only made better with this crazy statue.

Though the views were much more beautiful!

Tony came down for a visit one weekend, and we had a boot or two at Gasthof's with some of his buddies from school. We all learned to polka and did a bunch of dancing. It was less fun when the live band left and we were left with some DJ. Overall it was a good time.

Tony enjoying his boot, sideways.

Like brother like sister.

Andy is uncomfortable dancing with me, it may be due to the placement of my left hand.

The delightful weekend of the Super Bowl, us people who ride bikes had an even the day before called the Stupor Bowl. It is apparently the longest running alley cat bike race in North America (and the largest) and Minneapolis is quite proud of that. It was a lot of fun to bike around to new places and enjoy beers a places I've never been. Once again, I like the camaraderie of biking in these cities. Our ride was cut a bit short though because dear Andy ingested a bit too much and took a risky turn on a large patch of ice and injured his shoulder. He's fine and well now, no harm done. Pictures shall come later.

And that's the gist of what I've been doing!

I want an iPod

It feels blasphemous to say after avoiding iPods for about sevenish years. I'm going to buy my first mp3 player and it's going to be an iPod Nano. Other products for the same price offer the same amount of storage, but are harder to get at. Being that I work in the Mall of America and the Apple store is right there with tens of eager "geniuses" competing for my attention, an iPod is the best and easiest purchase. Though, with a $200 price tag, this little 8 gig harborer of music will be mine only after some saving. And, since I'm not prone to making big purchases like this (unless the price tag is in pounds, then I don't realize what I'm paying) it'll be nice to wait on it for a bit.

I like it in blue.

Life and Times of the Jobbed

I have a job! My first day is Tuesday and then I have 2 weeks of training before jumping into the good stuff. I'm really looking forward to going to work everyday and having something to do. I'm also looking forward to being busy all day, being unemployed really sucks. Not having things to do all day means I eat a lot, watch more HGTV than is healthy, and read. Reading is good, but I can also do that when I have a job.

I'm an HR Assistant for the Mall of America in the recruitment portion of the department. People who want to be hired by the mall (ride operators, ticket sellers, security) have to see me first. This is a good job to give me experience in HR and working with a lot of different people. I'm really looking forward to it.

I'm also looking forward to getting into the work force. I plan on taking the bus and the light rail to get to work, make a lunch everyday, and take out any stress on the bumper cars. This is going to be a good year!

My Life Home, Alone

I keep wanting to take out the trash. I've thought of what I'm going to throw away, the timing of throwing it away, and how to throw stuff away with using as few bags as possible. This is far too much thought about an event 2 days away yet.

Since I've gotten home from Indiana no one else has been here, except Snell for an afternoon. I've been much more jumpy. Whenever someone is in the backyard I know about it and I don't like it. I've had a stressful night or two, but generally, living alone is kind of cool. I've been cooking a lot. And no, not just pasta or chicken and rice. Here's what I've cooked (because I know Tony likes lists):

• Turkey Tetrazinni
• Cream Cheese Mints
• Herbed Whole Wheat Muffins
• Spiced Whole Wheat Muffins
• Breaded chicken tenders
• Risotto
• Italian style meatloaf
• Apple Struesel Muffins
• Turkey Tortellini Salad
• Garlic Cheesy bread
  

I'm sure theres more, but I'm not feeling like remembering. Back to living alone...

I've cleaned a bit, and I've fallen behind on the dishes. But they do actually get done quite frequently. With all this new found cooking, I've been doing more dishes have been getting dirty. I like living alone and doing whatever I want and not worry about disturbing anyone. I just wish that I was living in a house that hadn't been broken into so that I wouldn't be so scared.

Also, I dislike onions.

A Picture

This is for Pete, you made the suggestion awhile ago and I did it today!

Guess whose foot is whose...