i miss...

pesto!

I hate pesto on my pasta but i miss it in my eggs, on my bread, on my pizza.  2 months and one week until pesto :)

navy guy

The Navy guy I wrote about a few posts ago who had the stereotypes for California has been telling people on the FOB that I'm really a liberal undercover reporter from CNN.  Apparently his unit believes him so they're not big fans of mine.  I'm waiting for this rumor to get around the whole FOB.  I'm preparing myself to be called into the Sergeant Major's office to explain myself.  I swear I try to stay out of trouble!

Another DFAC story:

The army labels our food by color.  Red is foods you should limit, yellow food is ok, but they want you to load up on green foods.  There are posters around the DFAC explaining the colors and what they mean and each label for the actual food has a color.  I'm sure this would be helpful if the people who put the labels on my food knew what the colors meant.  Last week my onion rings were labeled as a green food.  I thought I was going color blind so I starred at it for longer then was normal.  I'm sure the people in line behind me just wanted me to move but seriously?!  

DFAC

I feel like there is something messed up about putting "Cheeseburger in Paradise" on the menu at the DFAC.  

half way point

I am half way done with my time in Afghanistan.  I'm starting to think of the things that i'm excited for back home.  Number one on the list is this guy:

I'm also excited about having a bed where you don't feel every spring, sushi, not being called ma'am all the time (I know that's weird), female friends, being able to eat while wearing flip flops (shoes in the DFAC have to be closed toe and with backs), not having to walk outside for the bathroom, 

i'm employed

I'm employed again! i'm employed again!!  It kind of lost its appeal after the first hour but at least I'm back to earning a paycheck.  

bite suit and unemployment

Thanks for the reminders about the ice cream this week!!  I got in there and had a bowl.  It was one of the highlights of the week.  Right now I am technically unemployed.  Our contract has to be approved my Congress before we can start working again soooo I'm just hanging out in Afghanistan with nothing to do.  I loved that when I told people I was unemployed they immediately thought I'd broken a rule and told me not to leave the wire.  I love what my friends think of me :)

Since I had hours to fill I went down to the k-9 compound and put on a bite suit and let the MP dogs attack me.  As multiple people pointed out this probably wasn't the smartest idea for someone who is afraid of dogs.  The dog pulled me down at one point and got really close to biting my face soooooo my fear of dogs is still intact!  

things I miss

ice cream cones and thrift stores.  I always forget that Fridays are ice cream day at the DFAC and I miss it.  I'm determined to make it this week!  If anyone reads this blog could you send me a reminder thursday night! thanks!!

high maintenance

I just had my coworker cut my hair in my office using a febreeze bottle filled up with water and office scissors.  It came out much better then I expected!!  After this nobody can call me high maintenance!

?

Can I blow this up to poster size and hang this on the door of my office??  Ya its one of those kind of days.  Sorry I don't care when you're classes start, when you sent things in, or when you're leaving the FOB.  On top of that I work on a base where men out number women 10 to 1, I'm probably not going to find you as charming as you think you are.  Saying, "what if I smile for you"  will just irritate me and make it less likely that I will go out of my way to help you!

a good day

reasons why today is awesome:

1. the guys who do our laundry are back!  they've been gone for over a week.  We've had to do our own laundry lately.  My coworker won't stop making fun of the fact that I didn't know which were washing machines and which were dryers.  In my defense I knew what most of them were there were just a few that threw me off.

2. The coffee shop got in a shipment.  They'd been out of everything except ice tea and drip coffee.  They didn't even have sugar.  Today they have it all in.  I can order a smoothie or a white chocolate mocha.  AHHH overwhelmed with options!

3. I was in line at lunch and I was talking to some Navy guys behind me.  One asked where I was from and when I told him California he said he could tell by my Toms, my headscarf, and my jewelry.  He then asked if I listened to Indy Rock, liked coffee shops, and was I really an undercover reporter for CNN.  I love the stereotypes my state has!! When I asked where he was from his friend responded with, "he's from someplace where they sleep with their cousins"  I guessed Kentucky but it was Northwestern Florida.  Either way  I am way happier with the stereotype of Indy Rock and coffee shops then I would be with the stereotype of sleeping with our cousins.

4.  I started the day blasting a little backstreet boys and having a mini dance party in my office.  One of my coworkers was less then thrilled when he walked in but it made me happy!

5. We went to a DFAC on the other side last night for dinner and I grabbed kiwi to eat later.  So I have two kiwis sitting on my desk waiting to be eaten! they're almost too pretty to eat.  oh I love me some kiwi!

6. I got a package in the mail today!  It doesn't matter what the package is I get excited to see a box with my name on it!

Okay that's about all for today but it is only noon here so hopefully this good luck keeps up!

Room Tour

So I finally got around to taking some pictures.  Here is my little 8 foot by 8 foot room.  It's cozy.  I like it.  If you've ever sent me a card or a picture its on my wall.  Along with a Michelle Obama poster and an Obama postcard.  I tried to make it my little liberal haven in my conservative world.  I also have toy story sheets.  Most people make fun of them but my nephew thought it was cool!  I have my own space but the walls do not go all the way up to the ceiling so you can hear everything.

The painting on the wall is at the end of the hallway.  I'm not sure who did it or why its there but I thought I'd show it to you guys.  

another food post

I actually planned a whole post that wasn't about food but then yesterday and today happened.  Afghan food has been one of my favorite foods for as long as I can remember.  I was so excited to come here and get amazing Afghan food.  The DFAC does have Afghan food sometimes but it is pitiful.  Yesterday a friend of mine shows up in my office with a paper towel. I asked him what was inside and he said because you're always sad you don't get real Afghan food.  Inside was beef kabob wrapped in Afghan bread.  AMAZING.  Tasty doesn't even begin to describe it!  I'm still on a food high from yesterday.  The deliciousness doesn't stop there though.  My roommate has been on R & R for the past month and she got back this morning.  She spent her R & R in Macedonia and Turkey.  She has homes in both countries.  When she got to work today she pulled out a box of Baklava for us.  The delicious food just kept coming.  I'm a very happy Kerry today and Nate and Teuta are two of my favorite people!

chipotle

I have a chipotle App on my phone.  No judgement please!  I have been bringing my phone to the gym with me when my ipod is dead and its happened three times that my hand has hit the app.  When I look down at my phone there's a delicious looking burrito covering the entire screen of my phone.  Its a sick joke the universe is playing with me.

Also related to mexican food our DFAC had guacamole the other night and it was delicious.  It scares me that I find the DFAC guac delicious.  I'm scared for my reaction when i have real Mexican food when i go home.  My coworker told me I should probably get the mexican food to go since my reaction will probably make others very uncomfortable.

another post about oreos...

So I promise to get more consistent about blog updates! Its hard to write updates when the only thing that changes around here is what's served at the DFAC.  I was telling someone the other day that I had no idea Afghanistan would be so boring.  He pointed out that given the alternative, he'll take boring.  I have to agree boring is good.  Our px recently got a shipment in and it included oreos.  I like living someplace where the availability of oreos brings me so much happiness.  I take oreos for granted at home but getting them into the px made my whole day.

cravings

All I want today is some oreos and a lemonade.  I went to the PX but as usual they were out of everything.  I'm debating whether its worth it to order oreos since i'm sure by the time they get here my craving will have passed.  On a side note I spent the morning wearing flip flops and a skirt and it definitely put a smile on my face.   It may sound vain but I miss my closet at home.  

food hoarding

When I get back to the states someone needs to keep an eye on my food hoarding habits.  I have a drawer full of ranch dressing, honey mustard dressing, peanut butter, soda crackers, anything packaged that the DFAC has I have started to hoard.  I've been told that in the winter it gets so cold that trucks can't get in and the DFAC becomes pretty pathetic so people here tend to stalk up for that.  I feel like i'm living in the pioneer times stalking up for those cold winter months.  Its a necessity at the moment but I want to make sure I never qualify to be on the hoarders show so just keep an eye out when i'm back in the states.  I appreciate it! 

surprising

So my parents have been sending me care packages mainly full of snack foods and various things from home.  If you know my dad you know that he likes to add random things to the packages.  The first one contained sticky banana slugs, the second one contained books about juggling and magic, and this last one had a few random frogs thrown into the mix.  I'm a little surprised there haven't been any bird books.  Being a zoology major all the cars contain bird books so if you're randomly driving along and you see a bird you can pull over and quickly identify it.  I'm surprised I do not have a birds of Afghanistan book in my possession right now.

Vegas Homesickness

I was just waiting in line at Green Beans Coffee.  (I didn't actually want anything but I needed a bunch of straws for a craft project I'm doing)  The guy in front of me made a comment that its not hot here compared to where he is from.  When I asked where he was from he said Vegas.  I got really excited and we got to talking about all the amazing food places in Vegas.  Now I can't stop thinking about Capriotti's, Osakas, and slot machines!!!! AND he agreed with me that the landscape here reminds us of Las Vegas.  

latest craving

I'm getting yelled at about not updating my blog enough but there's not a lot going on here.  The only thing that changes seems to be the food.  Today, I am craving Zucchini.  Last week, I would've done terrible things to have a fresh avocado.  This week is Zucchini.  I don't even like Zucchini but it is all I can think about this morning.

I really need to take pictures of this place so I can stop posting about food!!

future menu

So i'm already planning my meals for when I get home:

Day 1
breakfast: dad's chilaquiles and bloody mary's
lunch: in-n-out burger
Dinner: Burrito and a margarita

Day 2
breakfast: Katy's Korner and mimosa's
Lunch: Uncle Yu's
Dinner: Sushi

Day 3
breakfast: jamba juice
Lunch: jerry's beef burgers
Dinner: corned beef and cabbage

Day 4
breakfast: french toast and mimosas
Lunch: Bake sale betty's
Dinner: dad's Flank Steak

only 5 more months till i get to eat all this deliciousness!

PX

These are the shelves of our PX.  They closed the border to Pakistan and it kept shipments from coming in.  They have reopened the border but people are still in hoarder mode.  They sell out as soon as they put the merchandise out.  

food

1. We actually had lettuce! In three weeks that has happened 4 times.  Very exciting.  

2. Vegetable soup.  I'm finding that soups are usually a good choice in the DFAC

3. Apple Sauce

4. An egg roll from the "oriental bar."  

airforce one

I found this picture on my phone from the day I left the states.  That's air force one landing at SFO.  I was a little scared I wasn't going to make my connecting flight but for President Obama I was ok with it.  If it had been one of our other presidents I would've been pissed!

poo ponds

I was at the gym this morning and the wind must have changed because the gym was suddenly down wind from the poo ponds.  I had to stop doing cardio because of it.  You can't run on the treadmill if you are trying to hold your breath.

I took these pictures of the poo ponds from the side of the gym.  My favorite is the top picture.  I want to know who decided to put in a bench that overlooks the poo ponds.  

driving

List of countries I've driven in:
USA
Germany
Austria
Italy
Czech
Iceland
san marino
Spain
AFGHANISTAN!

mythbusters

Not an Afghanistan post but when I was home I volunteered on an episode of mythbusters.  The preview for the season came out at comic con.  I'm a passenger on the airplane.  

Mythbusters 2012 preview

food

My sister told me to keep a food journal while I'm here because she finds military food fascinating.  Today there was pastrami sandwiches on the grill.  Fried chicken and cheesy garlic mashed potatoes on the hot bar as well as fish, onion rings, beans, and a few other things i don't remember right now.  We always have a salad bar that usually has a beet salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, and a full range of salad fixins except for actual lettuce.  I guess the lettuce always goes bad by the time it gets here but if you want a full plate of croutons, celery, olives, and salad dressing they've got you covered.  After all of those bars there is the themed bar.  Today it was "oriental bar" yesterday it was "afghan bar."  It might look like I take a lot of food but you never know what's going to be delicious and what's going to be inedible. Today I ate the potatoes, chicken, and chow mein.  The sandwich and the egg roll weren't very good. 

I miss...

I know its a little early to be missing things but the last two days I have been craving anything covered in mozzarella, not the crappy mozzarella but the delicious mozzarella from a cheese shop.  Grimaldi's pizza in Brooklyn and gnocchi covered in tomato sauce with chunks of mozzarella are coming to mind.  I guarantee that todays lunch at the DFAC (dining facility) is not going to satisfy this craving! only 5.5 more months till I can have some delicious mozzarella.  I wonder if I could use the milk in the DFAC to make my own. hmm...

for future reference

The insignia for a Major is not a gold flower its a gold oak leaf.  Hopefully this will keep you from making the same mistake I made.

the day just kept getting better

My parents recently retired.  They marked that big moment in their lives by burying their alarm clock in the backyard.  They are now proceeding to go through all the crap we have in the house, starting with the attic.  If anyone has every been on shopping trip with me you know I usually buy anything that makes me laugh.  That usually means I buy the stupidest things.  I get that from my parents, specifically my dad.  This stuff has accumulated over the years,  we're not at hoarders status but we do have a lot of stuff.  My mom just sent me an email that they found my beloved Spice Girls lunchbox in the attic.  I thought that lunchbox was lost forever.  I am so excited to be able to use that lunch box again, I can alternate between my Spice Girls lunchbox and my Fraggle Rock lunch box.  

I can die happy!

Steve Guttenberg responded to one of my tweets!  I sent him a tweet saying I was reading his book in Afghanistan and that he should stop here on his book tour.  Yup, Steve Guttenberg from Police Academy and Three Men and a Baby fame responded to my tweet. This combined with getting all my stuff, seriously, BEST.DAY.EVER!!!

FOOT LOCKERS ARE HERE!!!!!

I had been told that sending things from germany through military mail to Afghanistan could take more then a month to get.  This morning when I was lying in bed, thinking about putting on the same pants  and shoes that I've been wearing for two week, I was telling myself only 3 more weeks of these pants and shoes and I'll have my stuff.  This morning our admin assistant came into my office and told me that my foot lockers were here.  My eyes bugged out of my head and I did a little dance.  I ran back to my room to put them inside and I quickly changed my pants and shoes.  ahhhhh clean pants and shoes and all my stuff here with my in Afghanistan.  I'm pretty sure this is better then Christmas!

poo ponds

I had heard about "poo ponds" before I arrived in Afghanistan but hearing about them and experiencing them are two very different things.  I worked at The Oakland Zoo for a really long time.  The smell of animal feces usually doesn't bother me, in fact, it usually gives me a comforting feeling, the Afghanistan poo ponds do not.  Luckily, our poo pond is located out of the way.  Some bases they are front and center on the base, letting that smell infiltrate everything.  My roommate and I got up the other morning at 6am and went for a walk and our path took us right past the poo pond.  If I ever start running I will take the same path, nothing motivates you to run up a hill at lightening speed like trying to get away from that smell.  Today, when I left the office to run to the bathroom the wind must have been coming in from a different direction because the poo pond smell was everywhere.  I hope the wind changes before its time to line up for dinner!

I found this article describing poo ponds in the NY times.  http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/26/the-poo-pond/

embarrassing secret

I never realized how consumed I am with the color of my urine.  I drank a lot of water at home and it was always clear but now that I'm here I have to make an effort to keep it clear.  I wake up and wonder what color its going to be and if I have to drink more water then I did the day before to get it back to being clear.  We have to drink bottled water here and there are stacks of bottled water everywhere, usually out in the sun.  I shutter to think how much BPA I am ingesting before throwing the bottle in the trash since there's no recycling.  

apo address

I have my APO address.  Please send me goodies or letters.  Any connection to life outside the wire would be nice.  My address is:

Army Education Center
Kerry Kurtz
FOB Sharana
APO, AE 09311

I posted the APO rules below.  

I have arrived

I have been at FOB Sharana for 3 days now.  So far its good.  My co-workers all seem nice.  The 12 hour days aren't bad.  The DFAC (dining facility)  isn't terrible.  This is my opinion after 36 hours.  Ask me again in a few weeks and I might be singing a different song.  I'm not posting any pictures yet since I'm not sure what's allowed but as soon as I know I'll put some up.  I sent my clothes out the friday before I left and packed a bag for the three days I'd be traveling.  I forgot to factor in that my stuff was being shipped by military mail.  I'm pretty sure I'll be living in the one pair of jeans I have until my stuff gets here in 3-4 weeks.  My co-workers have all lent me clothes so hopefully it won't be too bad.  It will be a happy day when those boxes get here.  

sorry

i've been without internet for a while at the hotel in Germany.  Sunday I left Germany.  I had a flight from Frankfurt to Istanbul, Istanbul to bishkek, bishkek to bagram and I am now sitting in the bagram airport waiting to leave.  As God as my witness I will never complain about Southwest airlines ever again.  10 minutes before my flight I got bumped from it to make room for soldiers coming back from R & R.  Don't they understand that a test examiner is just as important to the war effort?!  So its been about 32 hours since I started traveling,  I'm exhausted, I smell and I'm a tad bit grumpy.  The army also has a lovely little rule about no bags, purses, luggage allowed in the food places.  So I have been lugging my backpack, my purse that includes all of my electronics, and a 30 pound vest with a helmet around with me.  They don't have lockers just open shelves you can leave your stuff but apparently your bags are safe but your vest isn't.  I can't think these crazy bullet proof army vests are cheap so i'm just hanging out with all my crap until I can get on a flight!  fingers crossed I get on the next one!

UMMMM....

Right before I came back to Germany I checked out my favorite travel blog, let's get lost.  While they had nothing on Germany they did have a post about being a tourist in Afghanistan.  Totally reasonable!  I am not allowed outside "the wire" but if I ever get a day pass off the base I'm heading straight to the Kabul Zoo. Shhhhhh don't tell my mom and dad!

APO

I do not have my official APO box yet but I thought I would post some of the restrictions on packages sent to me.  This took me a really long time to find on the internet so I wanted to make sure everyone reading this knows exactly what they can and can't ship in the multiple packages that they plan to send me.  I'll post my address as soon as I get it!

Prohibited items that will be confiscated

Please do NOT send the following items to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan. Packages are scanned and these items WILL be confiscated:

Alcohol and alcohol-production products and ingredients (R, R1)

Fruits, live plants and animals (M)

Pork and pork by-products (H1)

Pornographic and sexual materials (including nudes and semi-nudes) (E2)

Obscene materials and horror comics (C1)

Non-authorized political materials (E2)

Religious materials contrary to Islam in bulk quantities (E2)

Firearms and ammunition (F)

Cash, coins, securities or precious metals in their raw state (A)

Hazardous, flammable, toxic and radioactive substances

Tip: Don't use packing boxes that are labelled with a prohibited substance.

Items that may melt, leak, explode or turn on

Use common sense and realize that packages can be subjected to high heat and bouncing around. Use Ziploc bags and lots of padding where applicable:

Batteries in summer

Aerosols and other pressurized products

Liquids in glass containers

Perishable food products that can spoil

Electronic devices with batteries installed

happy days

I am indulging in every food craving while i'm here.  My nights are spent in the hotel courtyard with a glass of wine and a bowl of ice cream.  Thanks to general order number one, while in afghanistan civilians and military cannot have alcohol.  I'm hoping my nightly glasses of wine will hold me over until January.

After eating a huge sundae I decided it might be time for a run.  The weather was nice and I need to take advantage of the weather and the ability to go where I want.  I have to stay within the wire when I go "Down Range" and i've been told it will probably hit 120 degrees this summer.  After two right turns from my hotel I found myself in the middle of the German gardens.  Since a lot of people in Germany live in apartments they have big pieces of land that they divide up and the gardens are right next to each other.  I was too distracted to take real pictures but I grabbed a few as I was running by.  It was pretty amazing!  I think I might head out for another run right now.

xoxo

SURPRISE!

I tried to keep my trip to Germany a bit of a secret for awhile because I didn't want my friends in Garmisch to know I was in the same country as them.  This weekend I was able to rent a car and head down there to surprise them.  There were some tears and lots of hugs! it was pretty awesome.  Living there I never realized just how beautiful that place is.

Rollover

I spent the last few days in Grafenwoeher doing required trainings for deployment.  I was briefed on the law, a thorough history of Afghanistan, IEDs, first aid, and rollovers.  My favorite part was the history of Afghanistan.  It took two hours but I actually payed attention to the whole thing.  It was super interesting and the instructor made it fun.  My law school instructors could've learned a thing or two from him.

My first aid instructor saw immediately that I could not handle seeing pictures of medical stuff.  He would tell me to cover my eyes before showing the class really gross pictures.  He thought it was hilarious that I couldn't handle the pictures.  He is probably wondering why such a wuss would sign up for Afghanistan.

The civilians in the training all stayed off base while the soldiers in the training were housed on base.  The line to get onto the base took forever and all the civilians were late.  The soldiers looked less then amused with us when we showed up for formation that morning.  The soldier in charge of the trainings yelled the cliched response to all the civilians, "Formations are at 0745, not 0746, not 0747. 0745..."  Next time I have a formation I'll make sure to leave earlier!

The big part of the training was the roll over drill.  We were put into a simulator of an army truck and they flipped it over and we had to get out.  I felt like a bad ass when it was over and then someone in the air force told us that they have a plane simulator that does the same thing except it lands in the water and they have to get out.  Way to kill my adrenaline rush!!

After the rollover drill we headed home.  I forgot how much I love driving on the autobahn!

things I miss ...

Here are a few things about Germany that I didn't realize I had missed...


1. the chalk blessings above the doors

2. Outdoor markets

3. Fresh veggies

4. Cobblestones

5. Sitting outside with a  glass of wine/beer/fanta.

Germany

I made it to Germany.  I almost missed my flight from Charlotte to Frankfurt.  We were ready to leave San Francisco when they announced that the airport had been shut down temporarily because air force one was arriving.  I got to watch air force one land before we took off.  It was a pretty awesome way to leave the states.

My time in Germany so far has been spent trying to adjust to the time change.  I don't do jet lag well! I'll post pictures as soon as I start taking them.  This weekend I head over to Graf where I will learn how to get out of a car that has rolled over and how to spot IEDs.  I can't wait!!!!

detoxing

I've been oil pulling for a few weeks now and I love it! I use olive oil once or twice a day.  I haven't hit 20 minutes yet but i'm almost there.  Here's a link for all things oil pulling: oil pulling

I decided to combine oil pulling with the detox foot pads.  I can already hear the comments from a  few of my friends and family members about how detoxing is a scam, yada yada yada, but I love all my little detoxing habits.  The only problem with the footpads is they make my whole room smell like whatever is in the foot pad things.  Its not a terrible smell but I always equate the smell with the brown goo it collects in the night so its not my favorite scent.

I've been researching dogs and coconut oil and it seems to do some detoxing for the dogs so my poor little Luke has been pulled into my detoxing obsession too.  He seems to enjoy the oil though!

love

Watch this and try not to smile!

A tour of the ship

My Bathroom.  Yup that's pretty much it.  You can see the shower curtain on the left.  The shower was just big enough to stand in.  It became difficult if you wanted to raise your arms.  I also heard rumors that the water caused people to loose their hair.  

My practical magic list

I like to come up with random things that would get me to propose to a guy on the spot. My mom calls it my practical magic list, like Sandra Bullock's list in the movie Practical Magic. (see the link below)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx4v5FcBARE

  In my defense I'm not looking for a guy who has all of my qualities but if I find one that has just one I will propose on the spot.

 At the top of the list is:

 Having a framed Tom Selleck Poster in his home. I want to walk into an adult apartment (not a 20-something apartment surrounded by used keg cups and playstation games) and see this hanging tastefully on the wall in a frame.

To Whom it May Concern:

Dear Movie Industry,

 Please stop making Nicholas Sparks' books into movies, it only encourages him to write more books. 

Sincerely, Kerry

 Dear Movie Watchers,

 Please stop going to see Nicholas Sparks' movies, it only encourages the movie industry to make more Nicholas Sparks movies.

 Sincerely, Kerry

 Update: I realized after watching the latest episode of Army Wives that maybe people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Dorm Life

I think I lived in the Abrams too long. I immediately pictured the elves passing out in the stairwells, hooking up in the hallways, and doing the walk of shame.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A tour of the Ship

I finally went through the photos I took on the cruise ship. Here's a little tour of my room, emphasis on the word little.

 1. My bed-I had already turned in my sheets so its just a bare mattress. It was supposed to have a curtain that closed but it was missing and since I was only there for 2 days I never got it replaced.
2. My grumpy roommate's bed-she wasn't the nicest but luckily she slept in her boyfriend's room
3. My nice roommate's bed-we were new together and we were supposed to work together but they moved her to laundry immediately after arriving.
 4. My closet-Each person in the room was given one drawer(you can see them under the beds) and one closet to keep all their stuff.
5. My roommate's closets

 I am standing at the front door to the room to my left is the door to the bathroom (I'll post pictures of that next)and right below me to the right was a tiny refrigerator that was smaller then the one I had in the dorms at UNLV. I am forever thankful that I did not have to spend 5 months of my life living in this room. YAY for jumping ship.

Happy Birthday, Little Squishy

It's the third birthday of my most favorite person ever. Happy birthday sweet nephew.  Some words of wisdom from the little nugget:

"look mom, a sphinx." (while looking through figurines of ancient egypt)

After having gravity explained to him by his dad,
"What about Astronauts?"

"This little piggy had roast beef, this little piggy had naan"

"I'm flying to Germany"

"I want a tummy ache, Please I really really want a tummy ache" (after being told too much candy will give you a tummy ache)

"I'm going to use the urinal. Is he going to use the urinal because he's a man?"

Thanks UNLV

A few weeks ago when I was in Las Vegas for a career fair. I decided to stop into the career center. I'd never been in there and I figured they might have some good resources. They had free issues of a magazine called CareerRookie. I picked up a copy because one of the articles was "10 jobs that pay beginners well." The 10 jobs were:

 1. Airline pilots, Co-pilots, and Flight Engineers
2. Chemical Engineers
3. Computer and Information Scientists
4. Education Administrators
5. Financial Managers
6. Lawyers
7. Mathematicians
8. Nuclear Engineers
 9. Orthodontists
10. Prosthodontists

 This was helpful. **note the sarcasm**

favorite purchases

I love the feeling of purchasing something so epic that it takes all my self control to go on with my normal life when all I really want to do is sit on my front porch and wait for the postman to bring it.  I have had that feeling twice this year.  The first was when I bought this:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/85982192/this-way-to-the-ministry-of-magic-harry

Yup, I know, super freaking awesome but a new package arrived today that gives it competition for the title of "Best Purchase of the Year."  

5 boxes of the most delicious bread ever.  Olga flatbread from Olga's Kitchen.  It was by far the best place to eat at the mall when I was growing up.  I think people actually might have cried when it closed.  Its still open in Michigan. (I have definitely thought about a trip to michigan only for Olga's)  Now I can make their delicious three cheese sandwiches whenever I want.  I don't think anything will wipe the smile off of my face today.

Overheard at...

The Las Vegas airport.

"I've been on Irish national television.  You can google me."

A loud douche to a group of guys he had just met.  The best part is that when they tried to google him they couldn't find him.  I had to bite the inside of my mouth to keep from laughing.

Overheard at...

The Oakland Airport outside baggage claim.

"You hurt my feelings first by telling me to move my feet because you wanted to sit down.  The whole trip was fine then you didn't want to sit next to me."

I would like to say the woman was 12 years old but she was around my age.

Hunger Games Hunger Games Hunger Games

I might be on a Hunger Games high right now but it seems to me that Starbucks is getting into the spirit.

enough already

Is Lent over yet???? I gave up cussing and exclamation points. The cussing doesn't bother me but I want my exclamation points back.

Overheard on ...

a Southwest flight from San Diego to Oakland.

 "I grew up in Danville but we would trick-or-treat in San Leandro"

 HUH???

my future

Does anyone remember that episode of Mama's Family when she became addicted to the home shopping network?  Her family held an intervention and beat her with newspapers when she tried to order anything from the television.  I think that might be in my future.  Its amazing what you can learn during a 3am infomercial or on one trip to the "as seen on tv" store at the mall. I love them.  I have a feeling that if I ever have grandkids there will be plenty of forever lazies and bra extenders in their futures.

Overheard at ...

IHOP in Maui (I know, don't judge)

"She puts Cameron Diaz to shame.  Jennifer Lopez is so elegant."

The icing on this beautiful cake is that the woman who said that was wearing a Bret Michaels style bandana.  

Fail

I was excited to write about my adventures working on a cruise ship for 5 months. After less then 48 hours on the ship it was made clear to me that a cruise ship was not a good place of employment for someone who gets motion sickness. oops. Oh well, I can now add "Jumping ship" to the list of things I've done in my life.