January 30, 2005
Journal of a Fire
If you haven't read the previous entry, please read it before you look at this entry. You need a little preface to everything. Also, since this blogging stuff is new to me and I don't know much about uploading images, I apologize if this entry takes forever to upload. I'm not sure how to reduce the file size, so I just did the best I could. Please forgive me if you have time to roast a turkey while loading this entry.
The date/time function is all screwed up in my camera, so I'm realizing while I'm uploading these files that the date stamp isn't correct for most of the pictures. Sorry 'bout that. Most of the pictures were actually taken early this morning, despite the stamp that claims they were taken on Saturday.
11:32 p.m.--Another firetruck arrives. This is the first photograph I took that was post-able, and it's a shot from my balcony of the flames. Oh, and since my digital camera doesn't capture night action very well, lots of the pictures have reflections from the flashing lights. You can't really see what's going on, but I think the pictures are cool.
11:58 p.m.--Another view from my balcony. The fire doesn't seem to be any smaller.
12:30 a.m.--A firefighter comes through my building and advises everyone that we are still on evacuation alert and not to go to bed until further notice. This is the second time we've been advised; the first firefighter came by around 11:00 p.m. By this point, all I can see is lots of billowing smoke. Maybe the fire is under control?
1:17 a.m.--A huge explosion that rattled my windows and knocked a picture off the wall. I guess some of the windows and balcony doors blew out. Lots of flames shooting up in the air again.
2:00 a.m.--Someone is screaming in the parking lot. My guess is that it is a resident arriving home from a nightclub or something and discovers that her home is being destroyed. Such a haunting sound.
3:46 a.m.--One of the firefighters goes through our apartment again and tells us that we are still on alert because things are still blowing up. I had a lapse in memory before the firefighter rang my bell; I suppose I drifted off to sleep at about 3:00.
3:50 a.m.--Several more explosions in rapid succession and a large crash. Perhaps the roof falling in?
3:59 a.m.--An ambulance arrives and the paramedics unload about 50 tanks of oxygen. I guess they've been fighting the fire so long that they've used the truck supply.
4:21 a.m.--Several more firetrucks arrive. My unconfirmed count is eight; there are four that are parked outside my building and another four sets of lights that I can see flashing closer to the flames.
4:32 a.m.--Several helicopters are now overhead. I don't know if they are official fire helicopters or if they are news helicopters, but they are surrounded by smoke. This shot is of the smoke hiding the helicopter and all you can see is the light shining over the fire.
5:18 a.m.--A shot of some of the firetrucks. I can't see any more flames and the firefighters aren't running frantically any longer, so I guess everything is under control and pretty much over. We're still not out of evacuation notice, though.
6:47 a.m.--Most of the firetrucks are gone now. A firefighter rings my bell and tells me that we are out of evacuation notice. There is still so much commotion, though, that it will be impossible to sleep. There are news trucks everywhere and onlookers still standing around and lots of messages floating through the air on the firemen's radios.
8:39 a.m.--Now that all the firetrucks are gone, I wander down to the scene (along with about a hundred other onlookers) to take a look. I can't get any of the photos of the damage to upload right now, but I will post some later. The building is really messed up. The roof is completely gone, all the windows on the upper floor are blown out and most of the windows on the lower floor are gone as well. Looking through to where the windows were, it appears that the building has been pretty much gutted. Even though it looks like the fire started in the apartment on one end of the building, it looks pretty black and empty all the way through, even on the other end of the building.
Oh, and my hair smells like smoke, even though I took a shower right before I typed this. I guess watching from outside most of the night and having the smoke blow over my apartment didn't help anything.
Whew. It's been a long night. I'm off to bed for a couple of hours before I attack that homework again...
Posted by Anna at 10:38 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 29, 2005
Fire In the Hole...I mean, 'Hood
I was disappointed because I didn't have anything to post about today. Well, it seems I wasn't patient...because now there's something big on the horizon.
One of the buildings in my apartment complex is on fire. Not simply smoldering, but engulfed. I can see flames shooting in the air as I type. I first heard the firetrucks when I got out of the shower at around 10:30, and apparently they'd been there for awhile already.
We've been put on evacuation notice. So I'm in my flannel jammies with my cell phone, car keys, and wallet in my pocket and my backpack with my textbooks by the door.
I've got pictures to post later. I'm more interested in what's going on outside right now. Just let the record show that I DID post today.
Posted by Anna at 11:12 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 28, 2005
Lost in Translation
After over six weeks of vacation and absence, I finally headed back yesterday to the inner-city elementary school where I tutor. It was so great to get back around kids; despite being an education grad student, I'm actually around children very little.
Here are some things I heard from the kids I worked with yesterday. Where needed, I have provided a translation. Please realize that I am in no way poking fun at any particular race or ethnic group. For those people not commonly around different races of children in an inner-city school, I am translating because some children use a different dialect from my own.
"Oops...I pooked [puked] a little bit in my mouth then it went back down into my tummy." (Kemaya, kindergarten)
"Doo, dis getti tuper good." ("Dude, this spaghetti is super good." Travis, kindergarten--has a bit of a speech problem)
"Hey, Bradison, you're wearing my shoes." (Raphael, third grade. There are two boys in one of my classes with identical shoes. It's kind of a standing joke between the two.)
"Are we gonna...are we gonna...are we gonna play that game where we find the cards that have the same letters but one is in upper case and then say what the letter is and then say what sound it is and then point to it on the letter board and then if we get all of it right we get to keep the cards and if I get the most cards then I win and get a high-five from you?" (Emmanuel-Garcia, first grade)
"Gwok! Blaygee gwok!" (No translation available. DeLaMonte', preschool)
"Man, them orange crackers make me have to use it!!" (Kortavius, second grade. "Have to use it" means "needs to use the bathroom.")
"There was my brother, and he was real mean to me, so one day I went up to him and I pushed him in the mud and then I sat on his head and I farted and he cried." (Dayzhona, first grade.)
And just for my readers who esteem me for my snot stories:
In the preschool class, the kids were using ice cubes to "paint" with the generic brand of Kool-Aid drink powder. One of the little guys discovered that he could lick his ice cube and it would taste like Kool-Aid. He did this so often (the teacher didn't have a problem with it) that he got the Kool-Aid up his nose. I could tell he was uncomfortable, but I figured he would go get a tissue if he was that miserable. He got up from his chair, came toward me and pointed to his nose, and then proceeded to bury his face in my sleeve and blow his nose as hard as possible. Therefore, I ended up with a crusty patch on my sweatshirt that was purple and smelled strangely like grape...
Posted by Anna at 11:25 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 27, 2005
Odd Holidays #3--Skip To My Loo
Grab a plunger and give a courtesy flush...because it's Thomas Crapper Day! Yep, Thomas Crapper, the man who invented one the most beloved (and appreciated) household objects. After all, I guess we'd be in a world of hurt if he hadn't worked so hard to invent something that took care of...well, you know.
Wow. There's really something to be said about the power of suggestion. Excuse me while I skip to my loo...
I got this image from Toilet Museum. Yes, you read that correctly.
Posted by Anna at 06:00 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 25, 2005
Flop (not to be confused with my blogging friend Flip)
I tried something today that I haven't tried since I was 16: parallel parking.
It didn't work.
I was trying to find a parking spot anywhere close to the sports medicine clinic where I had the ankle stuff and the toe stuff examined. The only available spot was in a metered parallel spot. So I gave it a whirl.
I got the car in the spot without too much problem but there was a distance of about 3 feet between my car and the curb. Had it been likely that someone would've interpreted my parking as a job done by a little old lady, I would've left it and gone on inside. I think the Vanderbilt University rear-window decal would've given me away, though.
So I just circled around the parking lot 17 times (yes, I counted) until I saw someone leaving and then I snagged their spot.
At least I didn't have to feed quarters to a hungry machine just for the privilege of parking. Personally, I think it's a rip-off anyway because I already pay $200 a semester for campus parking privileges.
Oh, and the toe got a clean bill of health...well, as "clean" as an infected toe minus the nail can be. As for the ankle...physical therapy is still on the planner for awhile.
Posted by Anna at 06:07 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Road Trip
I have a hard time with directions. Kindly put, I get lost easily. I sometimes get hopelessly turned around in grocery stores; shopping malls are nearly impossible. Therefore, I should’ve anticipated an adventure trying to find my way to the nearest UPS warehouse. And, as you would expect, it was definitely an experience.
I actually made it to the store without too much of a problem (thanks, Mapquest!). When I visited with the clerk, however, he informed me that my package would not be available for pickup until 9:30 (it was a little after 7:30 this morning). “OK,” I thought, “I’ll go get some breakfast, read the campus newspaper, and be back right at 9:30 to receive the materials I MUST have for my 1:00 class.” And my plan worked…partially. I looked at my scribbled directions and knew that if I just did the opposite of the directions, I would end up back at my apartment and near the McDonalds where I anticipated getting my breakfast burrito. Unfortunately, I sometimes also have a problem negating things, and I ended up going the wrong way on a major road, blissfully unaware that I hadn’t passed that way before.
As I drove by the headquarters for Captain D’s and Shoney’s, my initial thought was, “Hmmm. I don’t remember seeing those before.” Of course, I rationalized my surprise by reminding myself that I had been focused on a particular address when I’d gone by before. I drove a little further and passed the Standard Candy Company, which created and produces the southern favorite, the GooGoo Cluster. Again, I told myself that I had just not noticed it before.
After several miles of unfamiliar terrain (and road signs and businesses), I saw the star shining in the sky, the beacon that would lead me home: the Waffle House. I knew that if I could see the Waffle House that was near my apartment, I could find my way home. So I drove toward the Waffle House, fully expecting to end up on road I recognized.
It was then that I realized that there are no fewer than 40,000 Waffle Houses in Nashville. I looked at a road sign and noticed I was on Wanda Street. Wanda Street? I had no idea where Wanda Street was. Even though my atlas and Nashville maps were under my passenger seat, I avoided looking at them; since I don’t know how to read maps, I figured it would just confuse me more.
I kept on driving, turning randomly on streets that I “felt” would lead me to some place I recognized. One road led me down into an area with office buildings…and I recollected that my cousin worked somewhere in one of the complexes. Mind you, I had no idea how to get back to anywhere familiar from there, but at least I was in a vaguely familiar location. So I followed the road until it fed into a major road. I got my bearings again and realized where I was…36.7 miles from my apartment on the only roads I knew (I certainly wasn’t going to try side roads again). I drove the 36.7 miles back to my apartment and then the 6 miles back to the UPS store to retrieve my package. All totaled, the excursion that was only supposed to last about 20 minutes and add only 12 miles to my car ended up lasting over 3 hours and added an undetermined amount of miles driving aimlessly through Nashville industrial areas.
At least I got my UPS package.
Posted by Anna at 11:06 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
January 23, 2005
Learnin' the Rules of the Road
I'm learning all sorts of interesting things about life in a new place. One of those things is mastering the different laws. For instance, it's still legal to talk on a cell phone while driving. I did find a law, however, that I will have to work hard to remember:
You can't shoot any game other than whales from a moving automobile.
Yes, folks, it's in the books here in the lovely state of Tennessee.
I'm going to strive to restrain myself from shooting the next time the whale from Free Willy crosses the street on a Don't Walk signal...
And just because I'm a teacher:
Posted by Anna at 05:17 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 22, 2005
Is Less REALLY More?
Do you know what commercial really irritates me? Any of the commercials that advertise Charmin Ultra.
Now don't get me wrong; even though I scrimp on most things by looking for the best deals at the grocery store and reusing Ziploc bags, I'm not thrifty with my toilet paper. As Elle Woods says in Legally Blonde, "All those opposed to chafing, please say 'aye'." I buy only the best--and that is usually Charmin.
The most recent commercial blitz, however, is about to send me over the edge. I find the commercials showing the Bear family in the woods with their toilet paper very disturbing. And it's not the catchy, fun music or the charming animated bears that bother me; most early childhood people like myself really like those things. It's the part in each commercial where the bear squats against the tree and does that characteristic wiggle. Am I the only person who knows what they're doing when they squat and wiggle? They're pooping, people!!
Everyone else must really like these commercials, because the good people over at Charmin keep making them! I think the one that bothers me the most is where both Father Bear and Daughter Bear sit at their trees. So now we're pottying communally?
In case you haven't seen the commercials (and you must live in a cave!), you can see one of them here. Please bear in mind (pun only partially intended) that this is possibly the least troublesome of the commercials. The others are much, much worse.
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I think I'm switching to Kleenex Cottonelle. Somehow, the commercial of the cute puppy nudging the roll of toilet paper under the falling baby isn't nearly as disturbing.
Posted by Anna at 12:07 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
January 21, 2005
Whad'll They Think of Next?
It seems like my good friends over in Hershey, Pennsylvania have done it again.
Pretzels, caramel, peanuts, peanut butter, and milk chocolate. Does it get any better than that?
Well, probably. Today I sampled the Hershey's Take 5 bar.
The good side: with peanuts and pretzels, it's healthy, isn't it? And at least it's kosher, just in case that's important...
The bad side: it was kind of sensory overload. Maybe there's too much flavor? (that's a quote in a KFC commercial, by the way)
I'll let you be the judge on this one. The jury's still out in my courtroom...
Posted by Anna at 05:51 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
Odd Holidays #2--Revisiting the Rodent Springboard
'Tis a sad day for squirrel haters. Yes, today is Squirrel Appreciation Day.
Bluntly put, I don't appreciate squirrels. For a reminder why I hate them, check out a post I made on WIT's blog:
And that's all I'm going to say about that. I shall be neither celebrating nor appreciating.
I got this picture at a politician's website. Apparently he does appreciate squirrels. Wonder if he knows it's a holiday...
Posted by Anna at 08:52 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 20, 2005
We know he's absorbent, but ...
We know he lives in a pineapple under the sea, that he's absorbent, yellow, and porous. But is that ALL we know about our pal SpongeBob?
It seems a conservative Christian man I admire a great deal has declared SpongeBob Squarepants promotes homosexuality.
Hmmm...
Now I need to see the movie.
Posted by Anna at 05:32 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Four More Years
Just an hour ago, our president was sworn in by Judge Renquist for a second term.
Though I certainly do not plan to turn my blog into a political forum, I do have a few thoughts on today’s inauguration:
1. George W. looks more like his father than ever before. I didn’t realize how much until I saw a photo of his father, George H.W., on his own inauguration day in 1989. It’s amazing.
2. The ceremony, while moving and stirring, was not nearly as entertaining as 1993’s inauguration when Chelsea Clinton experienced the yawn seen ‘round the world. I remember this because I was watching the inauguration in my seventh grade English class and we discussed how embarrassing it would be if we had been caught yawning on world-wide television.
3. Some politician’s wife looks a great deal like Carolyn from “The Apprentice.” Prior to the ceremony, the news cameras were showing the guests arriving. I got so distracted by debating if the woman was Carolyn that I neglected to see whose elbow was escorting her. I think this means I watch too much reality TV.
With our nation’s changing values, a sobering thought came to my mind: today’s inauguration may potentially be the last inauguration where the Bible is used for the swearing-in ceremony. It may soon be an issue regarding separation of church and state, particularly if the president-elect is not a person of faith. On this day in 2009, the newest-elected president may not be able to quote the Bible, hear selected Christian hymns, or use the phrase, “May God bless you and the United States of America.”
Perhaps the total exclusion of Biblical reference in 2009 may be a bit extreme, but a great deal can happen in four years. Never before has our nation faced such a crisis concerning issues of God and religious expression. In the past four years, our country has battled with the legality of the Ten Commandments in a public building, lawsuits to remove the “one nation under God” from our Pledge of Allegiance, and movements in schools to eliminate any religious aspects from holiday celebrations or even in academic courses like biology, where controversial topics like evolution and the creation of the earth are now taught strictly as fact with no allowable reference to God or any other deity. There have been smaller battles as well, from a lawsuit in the Nashville school district to remove a textbook that discussed the Christian ideals our forefathers held (the school lost) to a school where I taught being sued for the display of the Ten Commandments and the superintendent’s Bible on the bookshelf in his office (again, the school lost and the superintendent was released from his position).
Whether or not you support President Bush, it is impossible to deny that our nation and world are in a fragile state like never before. My prayer is that our nation will join together so that the God who created all of us in his image will heal our land.
Posted by Anna at 12:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 18, 2005
Going, Going, Gone
*Warning to Readers--This Entry is Kinda Gross*
I've had an infected toe for quite some time. The doctors have warned me several times that antibiotics weren't going to fix everything. So today they cut off my toenail. I'd post a before and after picture except the before picture is pretty nasty looking and the after picture doesn't look much better.
Did you know they inject anesthesia directly into the toe? I've never had five shots in my toe before. Not particularly comfortable. It was better than slamming it in a car door but not as pleasant(?!) as donating blood. I'm just trying to keep my readers informed in case you need to have it done.
The doctor told me to go barefoot or wear sandals until everything heals. Yeah, that's likely in freezing weather. Plus, who wears sandals in January??
Posted by Anna at 10:59 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 17, 2005
My P.T.'s Cruisin'
I hurt my ankle in May and it isn’t getting any better very fast. A doctor at the Vanderbilt Student Health Center prescribed physical therapy (PT) twice a week. My physical therapist, Julie, is great. She is very kind, caring, and sympathetic. She’s just nice and I enjoy visiting with her. Julie has, however, a physical therapy student. Travis (or Timothy or Thomas or some sort of “T” name) is in his final semester and is doing his clinical experience, which I equate to student teaching. Travis/Timothy/Thomas is not very personable and not even all that knowledgeable, but he is assigned to work with me because I’m a “typical” case.
While Thomas/Timothy/Travis was working on my ankle today, we small-talked a bit. He discovered that I was the same age as he is. He then found out that I’m a Vanderbilt student and he told me all about the University of Mississippi where he went to school. He found out that I lived in Nashville (imagine that—I certainly wouldn’t be driving to Nashville if I lived in Chattanooga or someplace) and revealed that he, too, lived in Nashville. Then he popped the question: would I like to go out to dinner with him sometime?
Julie, my lovely middle-aged PT, must have radar ears. She bustled over quickly from across the busy room and reprimanded him for making a pass at a patient. He put his head down, apologized, and shuffled off to work on a man with an injured neck. Julie mothered me for a bit and told me that she wouldn’t let Timothy/Travis/Thomas work on me again if it made me feel uncomfortable.
Even though I’m not interested at all in the guy, it was nice for him to ask. I just feel so guilty because he got in trouble. Poor guy. I just hope it’s not awkward when I go in again on Wednesday. Maybe he'll be busy with someone else...
Posted by Anna at 08:14 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 16, 2005
Just Reading the Signs
I finally feel comfortable enough driving in Nashville to start paying attention to the places around me. I was on my way to church this morning, about a 10 minute drive, and I noticed a sign that I had seen many times before but had never really considered.
The sign was an advertisement for a liquor store. But for the first time, I really read the name of the store: Mom's Liquor and Spirits.
The image of "mom" usually conjures up feelings of security, warmth, and nostalgia. How sad that the owner of that store felt led to attach the name "Mom's" to a place like a liquor store. It is, of course, the owner's business, and if he/she chooses to earn a living selling alcohol, so be it. But I was just hearbroken that the owner had associated alcohol with "mother." Of all the potential feelings and images possible with the word "mother," how disappointing to feel the need to attach the image with liquor.
Posted by Anna at 12:36 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 15, 2005
Odd Holidays #1
It is just amazing to me to read some of the weird topics people designate for celebration. Therefore, I am beginning a category about odd holidays. And so, as an entrance into this category, may I present to you today's odd holiday...Penguin Awareness Day.
Please realize that today is merely "awareness" day. It is not to be confused with "Penguin Appreciation Day," "Sponsor a Penguin Day," or "Dress Like a Penguin Day." I shall try to inform you of those days so you can celebrate accordingly.
So there. I've made you aware of penguins. Now that you're aware of them, go celebrate! I dare you to wish someone a Happy Penguin Awareness Day.
UPDATE: I got this picture from an unauthorized link. Here's the site of this gorgeous baby's father. Baby is named Emely Sophie. What a cutie.
Posted by Anna at 11:36 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 14, 2005
I Know Kids Grow Up Fast, But...
I was in my local Kroger grocery store the other day, the one where very few people speak English. While I was pondering the various bread choices (I always get the cheapest brand, but I still like to browse), a little boy, perhaps three years old, raced around the end of the aisle and came right up to me.
"Hey, you, girl!," he exclaimed.
I turned around, surprised to hear my native tongue in the multicultural grocery store, and faced a little boy dressed in an odd match of green shorts and a striped purple shirt.
"Hey, girl," he said again, "Guess what? I got dodent!"
You need to realize that, based on my past teaching experience with handicapped preschoolers and my general passion for the little ones, I pride myself on the ability to determine a child's intentions when he has garbled speech. Since he now had my attention, I knew I could figure out what he said.
"You have what?" I asked.
"I got dodent," he insisted again.
I was stumped about the meaning of dodent. A frenzy of possible meanings of "dodent" flew through my head--did he have diarrhea? A new toy? Spiderman underwear? I concluded from his tone of voice that he was rather pleased with his possession of dodent. So I decided to play along, suspecting he probably meant the word "doughnut."
"Oh, you do??" I responded, "Do you like to eat those?"
I fully expected him to nod and disappear back to the doughnut and snacks aisle, the aisle directly next to the bread. But instead he turned up his nose and declared,"You no eat dodent. Duh!"
"You don't? Then what do you do with it?"
At this moment, he reached into his pocket and proudly unveiled his treasure: a trial size package of deodorant. "No 'tinky pits!," he squealed.
"No stinky pits, huh? Well, that's always important, I guess," I said.
With that, my new little friend turned and trotted over to his grandmother, who had steered her cart into the bread aisle and was selecting her loaf. As I passed him with my new bread in hand, I said, "Hey, you have fun with that deodorant, OK?"
He grinned, nodded, stuck out his chest in a gesture of pride, and said, "'Tinky pits bad. Me no 'tink now!"
Kids. I realize they grow up fast, but this is ridiculous!
Posted by Anna at 04:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Your Barn Door's Open
Why do women's pajamas have open flies? I finally changed out of mine today (it's my only day off for quite a while with school and work), and this question has stumped me for quite some time. All of my flannel jammies have an open fly, and I'm pretty sure they're intended for ladies because they have penguins, sheep, or daisies on them. I understand why men's pajamas have them (and believe me, that seems like one of the most convenient inventions ever and I'm a tad jealous), but why do mine have them? Is there some sort of anatomical reason that I'm just not aware of?
Posted by Anna at 12:03 PM | TrackBack
January 13, 2005
Get Off the Curbs!!
Tomorrow is a day that came up faster than I ever imagined: it is my baby brother's sixteenth birthday. I can't believe it's been sixteen years since I saw the nurse hold up a tiny little foot and I fell in love with a wrinkled little baby.
Sixteen is a major birthday, mainly because the fledgling adult is allowed to get a driver's license. And my brother, even with all his wide turns and jerky braking, is well-prepared to receive his "license to independence." He's done a good job. He's a good kid.
At 4:38 p.m., my brother embarks on a new adventure: his life as a sixteen year old and new driver and young adult, with all the privileges and responsibilities that go along with this important birthday. If you see my David, be sure to wish him a happy birthday...and you'd better remember to stay off the curbs for awhile.
So happy birthday, Davey boy. I'm proud of the wonderful young man you've become.
Posted by Anna at 06:31 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
Sharin' My Bed
It was bound to happen eventually. I’ve now got a houseguest sharing my space that is not a member of my family.
My friend moved in yesterday. We spent a nice evening of snuggling on the couch. My friend kissed me all over my face and neck, and not just smooches, but the juicy warm kind. My friend ate out of my hand. We even shared my bed, and my friend made some deep contented sighs throughout the night.
I’m looking forward to another pleasurable night.
This is Amber, my temporary pet. I'm pooch-sitting for my boss. Why are you so surprised? What kind of houseguest did you THINK I was having??
Posted by Anna at 06:09 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 12, 2005
Rubbed the Wrong Way
This wasn't the entry I intended to be the first "bloggy" kind of post, but something happened to me at the gas station that just needed to be shared:
I visited a local gas station before class today. After filling my tank and paying for my purchase, I got out my antibacterial hand sanitizer (you never know where the previous gas-pumper's hand has been!). I squirted the gel onto my hand...and then realized that, as it inevitably does, the sanitizer had squirted other places. One of those places just happened to be...my left boob. I wasn't sure if the sanitizer would stain (I didn't think it would, but it was also the purple variety so I wasn't sure), so I knew I had to get it off my shirt immediately. I quickly reached down and wiped the glob of goo off my shirt. Much to my chagrin, though, I discovered a wet, discolored patch where the gel had been. I glanced around and saw nobody else pumping gas, so I decided it was safe to do the only method I thought would work: rapid rubbing of the spot. I commenced rubbing frantically, hoping I could dry the goo up before I ended up with a purple blotch on my boob.
I continued rubbing as fast as I could; much to my delight, I saw that my rubbing was working. So I kept rubbing and rubbing my boob. I was rubbing so fast and so hard I could feel the heat forming from the friction. I finished the job (one could barely tell where the incident had occured unless looking specifically at that particular area) and smiled with a sense of satisfaction and relief.
Then I looked up. Remember how I thought the scene was clear before I started fondling my boob and going to "second base" with myself? Well, I was correct when I determined that there were no other customers at the gas station. I didn't, however, consider the people waiting about 10 feet away for the metro bus. My heart sank when I saw a clump of about ten people staring, wide-eyed, at me. Not even a grin or a confused look--only those deer-in-the-headlights stares. They must have thought I was a pervert or an exhibitionist or something!
I shall not be patronizing that particular gas station again. I'm afraid the bystanders took down my license number so they could get another free show the next time I'm there and they're waiting for the bus!
Posted by Anna at 08:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
The First Post
OK, so this is it. The first post on my blog. Whew. I'm already overwhelmed!
You probably linked up to this from the Cranium Leakage network. If you're a regular reader of those blogs, I'm probably pretty familiar to you. And yes, there will be snot stories. Probably some vomit stories as well. That's just what you get from a preschool teacher.
I will be adding more and more features, so check back frequently. I started a new job yesterday and my semester at Vanderbilt University started this evening. I've got a lot on my plate right now.
I promise, though, that within the next few days, I will be adding lots of posts, lots of things in the sidebar, and providing a full explanation of the theme and why I chose inkblots. And of course, I'll give you an introduction to me and who I am.
So stick around and welcome aboard! I only hope this will be as fun for you as it is me!
Posted by Anna at 07:47 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 03, 2005
This is a Test
This is a test to see if I remembered how to do this.
Posted by Christopher at 09:58 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack