summer day 70

this is picture fail.

summer day 69

this is what birthday dinners are made of.

summer day 68

today, I am 25 years old.





and I still get teary over unexpected surprises-- like an ehug from my bff's niece.





I hope you have a wonderful weekend, reader. you keep me going.

summer day 67

this is good news. planning a bike ride for tomorrow.

summer day 66

amy treated me to olive garden last night as a thank you for watching her house last weekend, so more food makes me want to vomit. however, I saw this restaurant on my way home from the nampa store (actually not a bad place/shift...): hello, beefy's that also sells teriyaki. this is true 2c.

summer day 65

I bought a pair of Ann Taylor Loft slacks during my teaching days; they are a creamy/off-white color with a thin navy blue stripe, size 0p. guess who can wear them again? yep! this is serious marketing for golds gym. and dieting.

exercise and eat clean: get results.

summer day 64

this is meineke trying to rip me off for a brake job. my dad ordered the parts and fixed everything for about $120. effers.

summer day 63

gym locker 82--as in blink-182-- and a pink lock because there is no other cool color. this is proof that I am strange.

think think... think think...

my head feels cluttered lately, as if the useless thoughts are impeding budding questions from breaking through the ever-rising compost pile.  so let's dig a little, shall we?

- currently, boise is experiencing 70 mph winds. KTVB just reported a fire and power outages in the area.  almost 2 years ago, dear mary ellen ryder passed away in a house fire due to strong winds on an august afternoon.  god and i were on tenuous terms prior to ME's tragic death; i fear that now i may never be able to accept someone as my savior who would allow (will?) such a brilliant, inspiring, and bright woman to perish in such a violent and disturbing way.  yet, makers and sellers of child porn will sleep soundly in their beds tonight, mildly perturbed by the sounds of rattling wind chimes and leaky doors.

- after a recent conversation with a self-proclaimed liberal (*insert rolling eyes*), i am even more convinced that elitism suffers unfairly from society's gradual assignment of its negative connotation.  aforementioned a-hole-- i mean, "liberal dude"-- mourned the absence of certain activities in the world olympics.  he maintained that skateboarding was truly worthy of olympian sport status.  isn't curling embarrassing enough?  think about it: one 14-year-old girl can run, catapult herself over a gymnastics horse, twirl mid-air, twirl again mid-air, and land on her feet-- all in a matter of 2 seconds-- and yet she is just in the company of a curling olympian who shares a medal too.  sweeping... flipping and twisting midair on snow skis down a steep slope of ice... sweeping...???  congratulations, mediocrity.  you've made excellence a bad word.

- i love my iphone 3g, but i think apple has purposely gutted its very life from my loving palms; rosie is noticeably slower and stupider, and i attribute her slow assent from the technology pedestal to iOS4's 15 minutes of fame.

- while i admire lady gaga's dedication to her music career, i cannot help but continue to doubt god's so-called dominion over the world's affairs after reading gaga's reaction to her record-breaking 13 VMA nominations: "God put me on earth for 3 reasons: to make loud music, gay videos, and cause a damn raucous."  like, thumbs up, lady... but we could really use someone to, oh, you know, cure cancer, solve food shortage problems, and bring back grammar lessons as the cool thing to do.

- if one claims to be an unique individual and another one claims to be an individual and so forth, does that mean that all those individuals are just part of one giant conglomerate mass of uniformity-- thus negating their individual status?

- each day, i become more and more comfortable with my refusal to breed.

summer day 62

this is scout watching the windstorm. Idaho weather, seriously? you suck.

summer day 61

I am convinced that my body conspires against my brain in al all-out war to see who really rules me. yes, I realize this is crazy. but let me explain.

you see, last night I dreamed about chasing someone through crunchy snow in a giant unsteady pirate ship as the wind bit my cheeks. I woke up shivering. and then I threw up.

and then I dreamed about somewhere dark and I woke up clawing at a bump on my neck. and then I threw up.

so was I dreaming, brain? or body, were you cold and motion-sick? because I still have the bump and a queasy stomach. and questions.

summer day 60

rafting day! main fork of the payette. lots of fun. mostly, Amy paddled and I dodged water. strange seeing the world from the river's perspective. oh, my shoes were a big hit with the 8 and almost-six year old girls in the raft who kept smelling coconut.

next summer, Amy and I will try out the north fork...more rapids and less downtime. this is motivation to work on upper body strength. can't wait.

summer day 59

Amy and I went to Fred Meyer, Shopko, Sports Authority, and Target looking for water-appropriate shoes for rafting. I checked out Old Navy and Walmart on my own before settling--against my will--on these danskins from Wally world. I die a little inside when I buy ugly shoes, so this is bordering on total annihilation of Andrea's innards.

summer day 58

I have been slacking so I don't think I took a picture for august 17...it was like any other day...work, gym, eat, sleep. my left shoulder has been bothering me. I blame the bosu ball.





this is not affecting my self-portraiting abilities though. no worries there.

summer day 57

this is what I've been watching lately. dear Michael C. Hall, can you be anything other than stoic creepy man?

summer day 56

this is my new haircut-- shorter layers and majorly thinned out. thanks, fantastic sams!

summer day 55

I've started sketching again, which I think means there is something inside me that needs to express itself some way that words fail to achieve. sometimes this is what scares me: what happens when words and pictures and actions are not enough?

what else is stifled?

summer day 54

this is guilt.

summer day 53

productive day despite being bummed that rafting has been postponed until next week.

today I:





-went to the dentist
-saw mom at work
-bought bike helmet and lock
-cleaned apt
-hung up new full-length mirror--ok, I admit it's a little crooked





-whimpered a few times as I hung up laundry, as my training session yesterday must have been more brutal than I realized (you can revoke my badass card now)
-checked myself out in the mirror a few times...not gonna lie
-decided I've outgrown some of my clothes, ie this one-piece top-skirt combo from when I was 19 (almost six years ago...but who's counting...)
-currently steaming yellow squash to go with my black bean chipotle gardenburger

this is what grown ups do on their days off. ah, I have arrived.

summer day 52

I've heard the saying, "there is no use crying over spilled milk"--which seems to imply the futility of assigning responsibility to a fluke mistake. unavoidable errors. the like.

but what if this is calculated, acknowledged, predictable, and formulaic by design? what is the saying for that?

summer day 51

this is Hilda, my new bike that a girl at work gave me. anyone want to ride with me?!

summer day 50

kim's friend kali came into town and we celebrated with a pf changs feast. the vegetarian lettuce wraps are so yum-o...my new favorite. this is how I know I am asian.

summer day 49

work, gym, PF changs with friends, and good conversation. and you wonder why this is the song I can't get out of my head...

summer day 48

this is me describing "blindfold" during a round of catchphrase at game night.

summer day 47

so I'm at Target...





at first, I'm lured in by this tee.





and further intrigued...



until this...





...reminds me, "OMG, Andrea, you're in the girls' department. this is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too young for you."

but seriously, cute shirt, huh?

summer day 46

this is what short peoples' pants go through to be wearable.

summer day 45

not sure what to post today. I'm tired (day 7 of the 9 day work week) and I'm still housesitting for my best friend. knowing that kim's house is not just clean--it's "vietnamese clean"--makes my laziness feel that much more rebellious.

again, aren't you glad you read my blog?

summer day 44

I've been trying to drink at least 2 of these a day to get my 8 cups of water...but I think all this is accomplishing is excessive urination. aren't you glad you read my blog?

summer day 43

I think this is how honey shows me that she was lonely today--by promptly sitting on my feet when I walk in the door.

summer day 42

hanging with rock steady.





and roomba. (it knows things.)





this is how I can be creepy.





and I wonder what miracles can be performed with such delicate air pockets.