Upping the Numbers

So, it is my last day here in Canada and I am doing something so fulfilling - I am upping my count. Yes, that's right, I am watching more movies. I really like watching movies and that is about all there is to do here in Small Town Alberta anyway. Right now I am watching The Happening. I know that some people have said it was crappy, but as a neuro-scientist I still wanted to watch it to see how they justified everything.

Things are going well other than that. I have been having a good time here and as much as I am ready to go home I am surprised because it came really fast. Like, really fast. Time always does this weird stand-still/fly-by thing whenever I am home. I think that makes sense so I am not going to explain it. If you are confused then just chalk it up to me being weird and ignore it.

I still have to pack. I went to Lethbridge to visit a friend from High School today, and then Jess and I went to a movie (7 Pounds - it was super good, and no, I did not cry). After we left the movie I was thinking about the things I had to do tomorrow and it hit me that I had to catch a flight tomorrow! I haven't even started thinking about packing yet. This is going to take some work. But I don't want to do it. I wish it would pack itself. Blech.

Anyway, I guess I should sign off for now. I am trying to watch this movie and it is getting really weird (what a shocker - it is a Shyamalan movie) and I kinda want to pay attention so I can complain about how crappy it was later. My next update will be from Oregon! Woo!

Christmas Post

So, today is Christmas day and it has been a good one. I mean it. It has been a really good Christmas. I stayed up way too late last night chatting with Dallas and Jessie and then I still had to wrap presents. So basically I slept barely at all before JR woke me up to open presents after Mom got home from work. It was okay though because I just went right back to bed after the presents. The worst part about all of it is that Mom has been sick since about a week before I even got here and I think she gave it to me. Luckily I didn't seem to get as sick as she is - at least I haven't yet. I just got all achey and I had a headache and I was dizzy and stuff like that. It was weird. It came on really fast too. It was Christmas Eve and I felt fine all morning but then I had a nap on the couch and when I woke up from that I felt like crap. And I told JR and Jessie I would babysit Johnny for a while but I felt so crappy that I mostly just sat there and stared at him. Poor kid. He wanted to play but I couldn't really move. Sorry Johnny. He is super cute though. I love that little boy. :D

Anyway, I am going to sign off - I think I will give my roomie a call. I hope that the airports are all cleared out by the time that I go to leave or else there are going to be some problems. :(

164

I stole this from a girl on facebook - it was too sad to post there so I decided to put it here instead. It is still sad.

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this list, go to your own facebook account, paste this as a note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click post at the bottom. Have fun.

(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
(x) Fight Club
(x) Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
(x) Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 9

(x) The Princess Bride
(x) Anchorman
(x) Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
(x) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(x) Anger Management
(x) 50 First Dates
(x) The Princess Diaries
(x) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 18

(x) Scream
(x) Scream 2
(x) Scream 3
(x) Scary Movie
(x) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 26

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
(x) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(x) The Wedding Singer
(x) Little Black Book
(x) The Village
(x) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 34

(x) Finding Nemo
( ) Finding Neverland
(x) Signs
(x) The Grinch
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(x) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
(x) Butterfly Effect
(x) 13 Going on 30
(x) I, Robot
(x) Robots
Total so far: 43

(x) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(x) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
(x) Along Came Polly
(x) Deep Impact
( ) KingPin
(x) Never Been Kissed
(x) Meet The Parents
(x) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
(x) Joe Dirt
(x) KING KONG
Total so far: 52

(x) A Cinderella Story
(x) The Terminal
(x) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
(x) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
(x) Final Destination
(x) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
(x) Halloween
(x) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving x-MAS
(x) Flubber
Total so far: 61


(x) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
(x) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
( ) Hellboy
(x) Secret Window
(x) I Am Sam
(x) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 67

(x) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
(x) Ten Things I Hate About You
(x) Just Married
(x) Gothika
(x) Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
(x) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
(x) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(x) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 76

(x) Bad Boys
(x) Bad Boys 2
(x) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
( ) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
(x) Bedazzled
(x) Predator I
(x) Predator II
(x) The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
(x) Curious George
Total so far: 89

(x) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
(x) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(x) ET
( ) Children of the Corn
(x) My Bosses Daughter
(x) Maid in Manhattan
(x) War of the Worlds
(x) Rush Hour
(x) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 97

( ) Best Bet
(x) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
(x) She's All That
(x) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(x) Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
(x) Forrest Gump
( ) Big Trouble in Little China
(x) The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
(x) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 107

(x) x-Men
(x) x-2
(x) x-3
(x) Spider-Man
(x) Spider-Man 2
(x) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
( ) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
(x) Reign of Fire
(x) The Skulls
(x) Cruel Intentions
(x) Cruel Intentions 2
(x) The Hot Chick
(x) Shrek
(x) Shrek 2
Total so far: 122

(x) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
(x) Old School
(x) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
(x) Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
(x) Boogeyman
(x) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 129

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 135

(x) Baseketball
(x) Hostel
( ) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) Devils Rejects
(x) Elf
( ) Highlander
(x) Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History x
( ) Three
Total so Far: 140

( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
(x) Night Watch
(x) Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
(x) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willard
Total so far: 145

( ) High Tension
( ) Club Dread
(x) Hulk
(x) Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
(x) 28 days later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
(x) Waterworld
Total so far: 151

(x) Kill Bill vol 1
(x) Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) the Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
( ) Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 155

(x) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(x) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(x) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
( ) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
( ) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 161

(x) The Matrix
(x) The Matrix Reloaded
(x) The Matrix Revolutions
( ) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
( ) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
Grand Total: 164

Okay so, if 85 is you have no life, then I REALLY have no life. I guess my defense is that I grew up in a small town with nothing to do. And I like movies - that is why I was originally a film major. Hate me if you will. The end.

Lucky Me

So, basically, I am one lucky girl. I was supposed to leave Portland for Canada (through San Fran) yesterday but it was snowing a lot. Like, A LOT! So, I went to the airport - we were planning to get there early anyway, but then my flight was delayed so I was even earlier. My flight that was supposed to leave at 4 ended up leaving at 5:15 or 5:30. We were one of the last flights to leave the Portland airport before it closed for the night until 10am the next day (at least that is what they told us over the overhead pager). Then we got to San Fran and I had about 20 minutes before my next flight took off. So then we boarded and I got to Calgary just fine. Around midnight. There were no problems in Customs or anything (not that there should have been, but I always get nervous about it). Anyway, now I am here and I am lucky I was able to make it. Now I am just sitting around being bored/boring. For 10 days. Lucky me.

Cold

So it is still snowing on and off here in Oregon. I guess this is good - it will prepare me for the coldness to come when I get home. Mom said it is freezing there too. Moreso than here. Oh well. I guess this means that I will appreciate summer that much more, eh?

As for things other than that, I am a happy girl. I worked a half a day of work yesterday (Thurs) and now I am off until the new year. Thank goodness. I love time off. I haven't had it in so long that I had forgotten how nice it is. And I get to see my family - I am way pumped about that. Mostly my nephew. Forget the rest of my family, I really just want to see him. He is almost a year old now! He changes more than anyone else in my family right now so that is why I want to see him most (no offense Mom)

My flight leaves at 4 in the afternoon tomorrow and then doesn't land until almost midnight in Calgary. It is kinda weird. I have to go to San Fran first too which sucks since that means that I will have a teaser of semi-nice weather before going to the arctic tundra up north (haha)

Well, that is about all I have to say right now. I am in the middle of trying to get all my laundry and stuff done so that I can have stuff to pack. So I am off. To pack. (actually I will probably not pack until the very last minute - that's just how I roll). Au revior! My next post will be from Canada (I hope!)

So Klutzy

Oh man. All I have to say is I deserve to have scars all over me. I am so klutzy. Today at work I was trimming these hard plastic things with a razorblade - which I have done thousands of times, and I slipped and cut myself. I did a pretty good job too. I got a pic or two but the camera was too dead to upload the pics - they will come though. Anyway, I didn't go to the urgent care or anything like that (but my roommate thinks I should have) because I hate it. I hate going in and having to explain what I did and how I could be sure that it never happens again and blah blah blah. I am just a klutz, okay you people over at workers comp? Isn't that enough for you? Apparently not. So that is why I don't go to get stitches. And it will be fine. A bit of a jagged scar, but not bad. I don't think. I am surprised I don't have more scars all over though. This explains some of the unknown scars on my body though. I m must have blocked the memory of getting them because they are from such stupid things! Gah!

Everything is Cancelled!

So, I guess I need to start off this post by mentioning that I live in Oregon. Here our weather consists of a lot of rain, some sunshine and occasionally snow that will melt as soon as it hits the ground (so not really snow at all). So, this morning our Ward choir was supposed to sing in two Ward's: our own and then a neighboring one (their Bishop used to be our councilor) but since it snowed all of two inches everything was canceled. It was nice since we were going to have to go to the other Ward super early, but it is sad since now we won't be able to sing. And I won't be here next week, and neither will a lot of people I am guessing, so I think that we probably won't be able to sing at all. I know I won't. Sad. Stupid Oregon!

Anyway, so now we are sitting around our house just doing nothing. We are going to have dinner later with a bunch of people (if they can make it here that is!) but yeah - I haven't really done much today other than sleep in and watch movies.

Well, I am off to do more nothing. I might actually take the time to shower. Woo. Go me. Over and out.

Huge 8 Ball

Okay, so I knitted this toque last night (yeah, that's right, I said toque - deal with it) and it is huge. Like, massive. Too big for anyone to ever wear. Well, that is not exactly true - but you know how when you put on a toque it is supposed to be snug and you kinda have to stretch it to put it on? Well, this one is nothing like that. This is loose. I think if I was wearing it and I bent over it would fall off. And I did an 8 ball pattern on it (I will post pics eventually maybe) and I didn't leave enough slack on the yarn and so the 8 is all bunchy and messed up. Anyway, I am going to try again and make it smaller (maybe I will actually figure out gauge this time!) and see if it works out. It would have been cute if it wasn't for those mess ups though. Wish me luck.

Anyway, I am off to the dentist to get some fillings replaced and a cleaning. I know it makes me sound sick, but I am super excited. Seriously. I haven't been able to chew on the left side of my mouth for months now and it will be nice to fix that. Yay for the dentist!

So ...

Well, today was a long day at work. What's new, right? It seems like lately everyday is a long day at work only to look forward to another long day at work. Things keep piling up and I don't feel like I am getting anything accomplished (even though I actually am) and it is just frustrating. Oh well, I guess that is how a lot of people's jobs are.

Mostly, the only reason I am even updating this right now is that I just got home from work and there is a knitting project I want to work on (something of my own creation, I will let you know later how it turns out) and so I decided to check knitty.com to see if there are any patterns to use as a base pattern that I can change to my liking (that is the way I knit a lot of things actually). The problem is that knitty is taking forever to load, which is really annoying, and I should go shower but I want to see these patterns first so now I am stuck sitting at my computer watching the little loading circle thing spin. So annoying.

I am really tired. I stayed up way too late last night. And I didn't even do any of the things on my list that I need to do. And there are many things on that list, believe me! I just am so good at procrastinating that I end up doing a whole lot of nothing. I am hoping that after I shower I will feel more awake for a little while at least so I can finish my experiment and then go to bed nice and early (like I keep saying I am going to do and then I don't).

Well, my thing finally finished loading, so I am off to shower and knit and sleep (in that order hopefully). Wish me luck!

Procrastination Station

Well, here I am, t minus 2 hours and counting until my final in my A&P class and I am procrastinating studying. Don't freak out too much mom, I have studied a bit, I am just procrastination studying anymore. So I thought I would check me email and my facebook and my blog again (see previous post) and there was nothing good, so what do I do next? I write a blog entry.

Things are going okay here in Mandi-land. My friend Mark bought Rock Band and so we have been having fun playing the drums and singing the last couple of days (we still have fun playing the guitars, but we did that anyway). I wish I was doing that instead of taking a test tonight - but oh well. I can later since this is the last class. Now I am trying to sell the darn books from the class and all I can say is - go half.com! Sell my blasted book for me!

I am feeling pretty broke right now anyway, which is sucky when you are trying to figure out Christmas presents but there are no dolla dolla bills anywhere. Blech. Oh well I guess, I will just have to make do. I have been trying to find a good stuffed monkey for my nephew since he was born and today I was in Kohl's and I saw the perfect one for only $5. It is a stuffed Curious George monkey - but it is the right size and cuddly, so I think I will go back and get it when I get paid. Yes, I am that broke that I can't even afford a $5 monkey. Shut up.

Friday night is going to be a Christmas party at the house of one of the guys in the ward and it should be way fun. There is going to be a live band, and then karaoke to follow, and there will be all sorts of games and food and activities. It should be awe-some! (yes I sang that as I typed). I am looking forward to it. And I am getting my stupid tooth fixed the day before that so I will be able to actually eat with both sides of my mouth at the party. That is even better.

Anyway, I guess I better get back to studying (happy now Mom?) but I will update again later. :D

Australia

So, last night my friends and I went to see Australia. We went based a little bit on a whim - we wanted to do something but I was feeling kinda lazy and so I didn't want to go bowling like they did. Anyway, we watched the preview and my one friend was a bit annoyed because Hugh Jackman was so scruffy in it - but then there was one shining moment where he had a shaved face, so she said it was okay and we went. It was way good. Hugh has some very nice glamour shots in it! Oh yeah! But dang it was long. There were about three times when I thought it was ending and then - surprise - there is another scene! I liked it though.

In other news - last night was the Ward Christmas party. It was fun. I always love free food! Woot! Can't complain about that. And it was really good food too - salad, veggies, baked potatoes, ham, rolls and dessert. And Martinelli's. :D Tonight I am volunteering to serve dinner at another Ward's Christmas dinner. I think they are going to feed us too, which will be nice.

Today the only thing I did - other than sleep - is get my cv ready. I am so ready for another job because my boss is a bit hard to deal with sometimes. Also, I just feel like for all the work I do I get paid beans. And I know that we didn't get this one grant funded so there is not much of a chance I am going to get a raise. And let's face it, times are tough. Financially I mean. So I wouldn't complain about more money.

Well, I am off to serve, I will update again later. I plan to do so more often (although I sucked at keeping those plans before - lol)

Posting Woes

Okay, so lately I have become obsessed with checking everything - email, blogs,facebook, ebay, etc - about every five minutes or so. It is like I think that I am going to get some awesome email that will change my life and if I don't read it as soon as it is posted or sent then I will never be able to read it and the life changing thing will not happen. How silly is that? I think it is because I am looking for a change but I am not sure where I am hoping it will come from. Maybe I am hoping that I will find out what to do with my life through an email.

Anyway, I was so annoyed that no one (except Lex) had updated their blogs lately and then I realized I hadn't either, and I didn't want to be a hypocrite so I thought I better blog. And I am going to try to do it more consistently so that when other people don't update often I don't feel to hypocritical. LOL.

So here I am.

I just finished my A&P final and I have decided that I am not going to take it next semester. I am really going to focus on getting a different job before next summer and I don't want to have to work that new job when I get it around a class. Also, it was hard. :(

I think I am going to work on finishing my novel now. I know, you thought it was already finished - but it was only finished in terms of the contest. Which means I wrote 50,000 words. It doesn't mean that the story is concluded. I will work on that since I know that Barlow is reading it and if I don't give him a conclusion before it is done he might be a bit confused. Haha. Also, then I am going to work on editing and stuff during the Christmas break. I have been meaning to enter this contest for a million years now and I haven't so I might try to get something ready for that too - we will see. The limit for that is 17,000 so I either have to cut my NaNo novel waaaaay down or write something else. But I do have something else in the works, so we will see.

Well, I am off to work on finishing that now. I will post tomorrow - probably late though cause work is going to su-uck!

I've Been Making Changes...

So, as you have probably noticed by now (unless this is your first time reading my blog) I have changed my layout. I even changed the blog title! Even though I have to say that the description is a lie - there isn't a whole new me, it just sounded good. I am ready for change though, that is for sure. Not that I am unhappy - I don't want anyone to walk away from reading this thinking that I am unhappy - but I still want some change to occur. I want a new job. I want to go to new places. I want to read new books. I want to write new books. I want to do all the things I always wanted to do but never got around to. I want to stop being as lazy about getting on top of things as I have been. I want to know what to do with my future and follow that course - not just sit around humming and ha-ing like I usually do.

Now that you know what I want, you also have a pretty clear list of the things that aren't going to change. I am going to try for a new job, but I probably won't get one anytime soon (stupid economy). I can't afford to go to new places. I might actually be able to read new books. I can't write a new book, I need to finish writing and editing my old books. I won't stop being lazy about getting to stuff because a lot of time it isn't laziness so much as lack of energy, lack of time and an abundance of fear. And I am so indecisive I have no idea what to do with my future.

But I am going to try to figure all these things out. And I figured the best way to start was to change my layout on my blog that maybe ten people read (ps, Hi Mom!)

I did it!

I did it, I did it, I did it, yay! (yes I was singing that to the tune from Dora the Explorer as I typed it ... you got a problem with that?)

Gah!

I actually like my MC more now after writing about her for so long. And I have been trying to do one final push to finish by tomorrow and I just had a realization about what has to happen that in all likeliness is going to kill her off. I am so sad I almost want to stop writing! I don't want to kill her but I don't know how I can save her and not have the story end up really stupid. Grr. The only thing keeping me writing are these two things 1) I might find a way to not do it; and 2) my roommate promised to take me to lunch at this really great restaurant if I finished my goal. It is so sad that I am so motivated by food, but there it is. Deal with it.

Ack!

This is just a quick note to say Ack! I am so far behind on my word count (I haven't even hit 40,000 yet and there are only 2 days left!) and I am beginning to feel a bit of the pressure. So, you can guess what I am going to do today. The only thing I am going to do all day. That's right - eat, poop and write. Wish me luck!

Twilight and Excerpt

So, I went to a midnight showing of Twilight last night and it was good. I wouldn't say it was the best movie ever, and it was kinda cheesy at parts (but so is the book if you read it lol that is why I love it!) but I thought overall it was good.

Also, here is an excerpt from my NaNo novel:
“You coming this way?” Kodagan asked.
“Yeah. Do you know where we - I can cross?” she almost forgot she was alone and briefly worried about her companions.
“Keep walking this way, in a few minutes you will come across some rocks you can use to cross.”
Sure enough, he was right. Soon there were some large, flat, dry rocks placed perfect distance apart from each other all the way across the river. Addison adjusted her bag and made to jump for the first one.
“Wait!” Kodagan yelled from the opposing shore.
She stopped herself so hard that she fell over backwards. She stood, glad that he was on the opposite shore from her so he couldn’t see how red her face was. “What?” she asked after regaining her composure.
“The rocks, they start sinking as soon as you are on them, so you have to go fast or else the river will wash you away. And don’t miss either,” he counseled.
“Great,” she said sarcastically. “As if this wasn’t hard enough anyway.”
“You can do it!” he encouraged.
She raised her eyes skeptically and then prepared herself to jump again.
The first one was easy, it was more of a step than a jump. The second was about the same. She was so quick at these ones that she didn’t even notice them start to sink when she was on them. The third one was a bit further away, but just a little. The fourth was again a bit further away – so far that she had to stop for a minute on rock three and really prepare herself for the jump and this time she did notice the rock she was on begin to sink before her feet both left it. It was the same for rocks four, five and six. Seven and eight were pretty close again, probably to give her a reprieve before nine, which was further than any of the rest had been. She started at the very back of rock eight which she was on and did a little running intro before jumping onto rock nine. Once there she saw how far away Kodagan still was on the shore.
The distance looked so far that she even said “Oh no!” out loud.
“You can do it!” Kodagan assured her. “Come on!”
Addison took a few quick breaths, stood as far back as she could and took a running leap towards the far shore. As soon as her feet left the rock (which was very low) she imagined herself making the leap with distance to spare. Her magic combined with her physical strength worked together and she made it easily across the last bit of river.
“Looks like someone has improved a lot,” Kodagan said, smiling at her crookedly.
Addison was so ecstatic at making the seemingly impossible leap that she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. She inhaled his smell and felt his chest under her cheek and almost lost herself in his arms. Then she realized what she was doing and pulled away quickly, embarrassed again.
“How are you okay?” she asked, trying to distract them both from her embarrassment.
“That is an odd question,” he laughed at her.
“I know, I just … thought you had been … caught. And you didn’t meet me,” she said, trying to not look to hurt.
“I know, I feel really bad about that. I was caught,” he said simply.
Addison waited for him to continue and when he didn’t she prodded him with “but then…?”
His face darkened for a brief moment. “I escaped, but it took a little longer than I thought. And by then you were gone.” He explained.
If she hadn’t seen the flash of something else first she might have believed him. “Oh,” she said. He could tell she didn’t believe him. “I am glad you are here now though.”
His face darkened again, ”I’m sorry.”
“Wh-“ she started but before she could even ask she felt a blow in her abdomen. She looked down, shocked, and saw a dagger sticking out of her.
“For that,” he whispered and swallowed hard. The look on his face was that of pure pain and self-hatred before he pulled the dagger out of her gut and pushed her backwards into the river.

Finishing What You Started

So, first I want to mention that this is my 100th post! Yay! That is quite a milestone. For me at least.

Also, I want to talk more about my story. It is going pretty good. I am a little behind. I am only at 20,000 words (give or take a few) right now and it is the 16th (gulp) but I am going to work on it again after I post and then potty. (not that you wanted to know that but ... whatev). My roommate said that she thinks I am not going to finish. I get why she said that - I do have a track record of not finishing things I start. I have about 10 unfinished knitting projects sitting at various places in my house, not to mention every other story that I have written has only been a half of a story. Also, I keep saying things like "I am going to take the GRE" and "I am going to apply to grad school" and I don't even do that. So, based on that, I really don't finish stuff, and I can see why she said I wouldn't finish this. But, that comment just makes me want to do it even more. To prove her wrong and to prove to myself that when I really want to I CAN finish something.

Also, I posted an excerpt on Facebook. If you want to read it go there. If you don't have a facebook profile, you should get one! Or I will just post an excerpt on here later. Hopefully today sometime. We will see.

Behind...

Okay, so I am totally behind in the novel writing, but I am going to catchup. Don't worry. I just have to take a quiz tomorrow so I can't write then at all (gulp, that makes me even more behind) but then I can write on Thurs and I will have Fri off so I can write even more that day. I will catch up by the end of the weekend! I will do it if it kills me! Okay, not if it kills me, but you get it. I will get there. Wish me luck. And tell me some monsters my main character can meet in the woods darn it!

Word Count Widget

Look what I did ----->

Now you can keep up with my word count - that is as long as I keep it updated.

Sigh of Relief ....

... moment over. Mostly. Relax.

Ignore This Post

Okay, so do what the title says ... I just ....
I just had a huge, overwhelming moment of self-loathing and self-pity and self-hatred (see how self-centric this is? that's why you should ignore it).
I hate myself sometimes. Not always. But sometimes. Esp right now. Don't worry though, it'll pass in about 10 minutes.

NaNoWriMo Characters

So, I have been working on getting ready for NaNoWriMo (which is national novel writing month if you don't know - you can find more stuff about it here)and one thing I have done is a bunch of character sketches for my novel. I also did a basic outline (which I may or may not follow - lol). Here are the character sketches.

Addison – FMC. Knows little to nothing about her life. Her abilities increase as she gains experience at things such as fighting and magic. Starts off with middle levels of strength, stamina, intelligence, and magic ability. As she goes throughout certain tasks these levels increase. Has 3 lives. Has a magical map that she can open and then magically transport herself to anyplace she has been. Bottom corner of map has stats and she can see her abilities increase.
Akuma – Baddie. Goal is to rule the world like a video game. All people are drones except a select few who adore him and 13 previously selected potential heroes. Addison is one potential hero.
Colbie – girl who also has a map and some coherency but not as much as Addison
Beck – boy who is head over heels for Addison. Can only say a few pre-approved phrases, but follows and helps as much as possible.
Kodagan – Akuma’s right hand man. Is put under a magical spell to follow Akuma. Has a problem with being a murderer (not a good trait for an evil henchman).
Manannan – old magic teacher whose loyalties are often called into question. Addison is never sure if he is on her side or not. Gives good advice most of the time … we think.
Plus various other townspeople and cityfolk.

Now I know you are all thinking this sounds kinda videogame-ish, but I will post excerpts and it will all make sense. It should be good. I am way excited. C'mon November!

NaNoWriMo

So, I am going to participate in NaNoWriMo this year again, and I am way excited. I am better prepared (in that I know I am going to do it ahead of time and can actually think of a plot). I made a banner with my tentative title. Don't worry, I won't really call it this, but I thought I would post it anyway, since I haven't posted in forever. I will post my word count and I will also post excerpts. No worries. I am going to need a break from straight writing sometime right?


Oh and, I know that isn't really my name, but I thought it would be a good pen-name. :)

My Klutziness

Okay, so lately everything I have said has been contradicted.
1) At work we had some regulations change and their reasoning in part was that there are sometimes animals in this hallway at work and I said "that's stupid, we almost never have animals running down the hall." Next day, I let an animal loose in the hall (but caught it very quickly).
2) Well, this one I can't really post details of, but I said "I am not afraid of being bitten" and then I was bitten about 10 minutes later (not hard but still)
3) My roommate has a scooter and I was taking it for a joy ride. She said "Don't crash it" and I said "no worries, I will be fine" Next thing you know the scooter and I are up on the sidewalk and I have some pretty good roadrash on my arm. With a nice bruise all around it too.





On the upside though, the roomie couldn't figure out why her horn wasn't working, but after the crash, the horn works fine. Just call me Ms. FixIt. Lol

Best Sign

So the other day I was driving down the road - I can't remember which road or which day - everything in the last little while has been blurring together. But anyway, I was driving down the road and I saw the best sign stuck to a post on the side of the road. It was kinda on a bridge and so there were guardrails and the sign was on one of the gaurdrail posts, but it was higher up than that. Maybe it was on a sign post. Anyway, it was written on yellow construction paper, and it was in a bunch of different colored markers. It said in bold on top 'ISABELLA', then the second line said 'Call Tim'. Then on the very bottom it had a phone number. I imagined that Isabella had been thinking about getting a new job in Oregon but she was dating Tim and wasn't sure about leaving him. They got in a fight so she packed her car and left. He kept trying to call her, but of course she didn't answer (she's pissed) so he goes on Facebook and meets some random stranger from Oregon who is a friend of a friend (he obviously doesn't personally know anyone in Oregon). He convinces this stranger to make the sign for him, and traverse the dangers of stopping his car in the middle of a busy road to hang this sign. Tim does all this in the time it takes Isabella to drive to Oregon. She sees the sign. She calls him. There are tears and "I love you"s and "I'm sorry"s. She already accepted the job in Oregon and she can't quit before starting since she signed all these papers saying that if she quit in the first year she would have to pay back the moving stipend they gave her. So then Tim decideds to drop everything and just up and quits his job and moves to Oregon so he can be with her. Sigh. I wish it was me.

Huh? Really?

Okay, I suck at updating. It is just that, well, work is crazy. It always is in the summers for me. I am thinking of quitting. But soon the craziness will end ... Friday is the last day! Then on to normality. Sort of. My boss is already talking about next summer but she doesn't know that I don't plan on being here. Anyone got a good job for me?

Things

Well it has been a while and I haven't posted. Mostly I have thought about posting but then I get home from work and all I want to do is sleep. What can I say, my job is crazy in the summer. A few things have happened lately. Well, a lot of crazy work things have happened lately, but since I am not really at liberty to post about those I will at least write about the few things that I do feel like I can disclose.

One thing that happened is that I won tickets to go see Maroon 5 in concert! When listening to the radio in my car I often will hear the cue to 'text-to-win'. If I am sitting at a red light and can text I will do it sometimes. The other day the radio called me to tell me that I won tickets to a concert. Woot! So I think the concert is in Portland on Sept 20. I am excited. I usually don't win things.

The other thing that happened recently was my fingernail finally came off. Ew, right? Well for a long time it was just hanging by two little pieces - on on each side of my nail and the whole middle section was unattached. I was beginning to worry about it getting moldy underneath or something. And, I couldn't stop playing with it - it was like a loose tooth. So, at work the other day one side disconnected and then later in the day I went to brush some crumbs off me and the other side came off (ripped off actually, that one did hurt a bit). But now it is off and gross looking and I am going to have to keep a band-aid on it until if grows out the rest of the way (I have about half a nail on there). If you want to see it though, just ask. I might even post a pic sometime .... if you are lucky!

Well, I am off for now to watch my recent netflix acquisition. Bye for now!

Red Cross

So, yesterday I got a letter from the American Red Cross (remember in my last post how I mentioned that I gave blood). Anywway, this letter I get says that on initial tests of my blood they show that I have antibodies for Hepatitis C Virus! Upon further testing they find, of course, that it is negative and I really don't have any antibodies for that. But, because of that one positive test result I can never give blood again! I think it is a bit stupid. I mean, it looks to me like they screwed up and now I am being punished! Well, I guess technically they are the ones not getting anymore blood from me, but still. It is frustrating. At least I have a good reason not to give blood now, eh? I would have been more worried it if was Herpes (because of work - no one think anything bad there!)

Sucky Poster

Well, I am a sucky poster. Especially as of late. I guess I just have been busy. Busy getting things ready for the summer at work, trying to get finances in order and stuff like that, trying to get my life in order. You know, doing little things. Lol.

I have been working on my story but I haven't done anything on it for a while - I have been a bit busy. Let me tell you about my week. Monday was family home evening for my ward. Tuesday was the night my friend got back to town so we went to the movies. Wednesday I went to bed way early (after doing some laundry) and I really needed it! Thursday I gave blood then went to play pool with some friends. Friday after work my roommates and some other friends and I went camping. Saturday we (everyone who was camping and more) went rafting down the Deschutes river. Then when we got back we played some games with some other friends. Then on Sunday (today) I went to church and then afterwards I watched the movie 'Jane Eyre' (the masterpiece theatre version) that is 4 hours long. Whew! What a week. I am glad I did some fun stuff though, that means that I enjoyed myself before work gets crazy - which happens tomorrow. Wish me luck! So this next week I am just going to try to survive work and I am going to work on my story, although I don't think that I am going to be finished it by the deadline for the contest I want to enter. Sadness :( But good thing it is a annual contest and they have deadlines 4 times a year, every year. So if I don't get it finished I can enter it at a later date. And I might work on other things to submit to other contests too. We will see.

My Story

Well, I have been writing a story ... I have been working on it a long time actually. On and off, that is why it is only like, 11 pages long so far. Here is an excerpt:

"In her dream she was back in the gas station. The situation played through again. The man waved the gun in her face, she asked stupid questions, the police arrived. This time when he pointed the gun at the boy she made the decision – she screamed out “NO”. The man with the gun turned fluidly and pulled the trigger, as if he had planned to do that all along, and shot Lauren right in the face. In her dream she could feel the bullet shatter her cheekbone and penetrate her brain, but strangely, it didn’t hurt. She assumed that was because of the adrenaline. She saw the police bust in as the man pulled the trigger again. In her dream he only managed to squeeze off two shots, the second one ricocheting innocently off the metal magazine stand next to the young boy.

When Lauren woke up again she was confused. She remembered being shot in the face, but she still felt no pain. She reached her hands up and touched her cheek where the bullet had hit her. She could feel a scar where the bullet had entered. Lauren was suddenly very confused. How long had it been since the robbery? Did she imagine the boy dying? Did she imagine going home and seeing Joel? She sat up from where she laid and looked around. The room was familiar but she couldn’t place how she knew it. She stood and began to feel along the wall for a light switch. She finally found one and flipped it on. Finally she recognized the room she was in. This had been her bedroom when she was younger. This was the house her mother had died in."

Not the best, I know, but I think it is kinda fun. And I am having fun working on it. It takes my mind off all the stress that I am feeling about work and stuff like that. Just thought I would let you all know what is on my mind lately. :)

New Post

I went to Utah this last weekend for the weddings of two of my cousins (who are both younger than me by the way). It was good and bad. I saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time, but not everyone. I got asked the 'are you dating anyone yet?' question about a million awkward times. I turned 25. A cousin of mine who is about twelve asked me how many guys I have dated. I told her and she didn't believe me. I have felt pretty crappy about myself since. I should have lied.

When It Rains ...

It pours! No joke. And I am not just saying that because I live in Oregon and I have learned all about the rain (although I have).

No, the reason for the title is forthcoming.

May 8 - I broke my finger.
May9 - There is an ... incident ... at work. I am not going to go into details since with my job I don't feel comfortable just plastering things all over the internet (I guess I feel like I could be targeted by certain groups eventually). Anyway, if you know me and want to ask, you can, but it isn't that big of a deal, it was just surprising. There was a similar incident less than two weeks before, but I can't remember the date so I didn't include it in my list ... but still ...
May 19 - My boss is trying to get a grant out and her 'secretary' ends up crying due to all the stress.
May 20 - Boss leaves for a month.
May 21 - My co-worker goes to the doctor after work and his doctor tells him that he needs to take a 4 week medical leave for stress related condition.
May 22 - Deal with the news of co-workers medical leave.
May 23 - My Dad whose health has been failing steadily over the past week has a stroke and is admitted to hospital (he is going to be fine ... don't worry).
May 24 - My roommate's birthday. My other friend had a birthday on the 20th and mine is on the 30th so we have a party. We take a trip to the lake and a man drowns in front of our eyes. http://www.kptv.com/news/16389272/detail.html
May 25 - Nothing ... so far.

So you can see that much has happened in the last month or so (not even) and most of it bad (I guess a party is not a bad thing). I am not saying all this to make you feel bad for me. I guess I am just saying it because ... I don't know why. But is seems like this stuff happens all the time. It is like good things and bad things are pulsatile and right now is just a 'bad' pulse. Is it time for a 'good' pulse yet? I hope so.

Things...

So things have been going okay recently. Work has been crazy - but when is that not the case at my job? Today my boss talked to us all about how backlogged we are, then switched some projects around (as if that helps to give us more time - no it just gives us something different to concentrate on). But then she gave us homemade strawberry shortcake to celebrate this one girl at my work winning an award last week and because I broke my finger. Wait? We are celebrating that now? Okay, weird, but I can live with that.

The thing is that my finger isn't really any different looking than the last time I posted pics, so I won't post more. Mostly it is just way more swollen. You know how at the base of your fingernail there is an indent? Mine doesn't have one. It goes straight from fingernail to finger. No indent at all. Sad right? It is strange because it doesn't even look like my finger anymore. It looks like my older brother's finger after he got in a motorcycle accident and ripped out a bunch of tendons (I think). Someone transplanted his finger onto my hand when I wasn't looking! Oh well, I have a follow-up tomorrow so they might drain it then or something. I will let you know.

Squashed Finger!!

So, at work we have this big chamber made for measuring metabolic rate - and it is big and heavy and the top part and the bottom part fit together (the bottom part is wheels) but are not attached. Anyway, my finger got caught between the top and bottom part - just the tip of my middle finger on my left hand - and got squashed. It is broken pretty good. So I got x-rays taken and the lady explained that the finger tip should look like little mushrooms (like the other two do) but the one that got crushed sort of smashed the mushroom. After all the crying (and there was a lot which I think freaked out everyone at work since I really don't cry at all) I thought that is was actually kinda cool so I thought I would post the copies of the x-rays. Is it not the coolest thing that they actually gave me copies of the x-rays?


So, then I took some pics. These pictures don't really do it justice - it looks much cooler than this. The tip is kinda flat, but then it bulges out below that where it is swelling up. The nurse practitioner (who was awesome by the way) said that it would take 4-6 weeks to heal and in that time it would turn lots of 'pretty' colors - so I plan to photo document the entire thing. A nice treat for all my readers (yes, all four of you - lol).



So that was my day yesterday. I am getting pretty decent at typing with 9 fingers instead of 10 and I am getting okay at not banging the darn thing on everything. I have never broken anything before so this is a novel experience for me. So I will keep posting updates. Enjoy the x-rays though! :)

New Post

Well, here it is Monday night and I feel like I should post something ... but exactly what I should post on is eluding me. So I think I will just mention a few things that are random. One is that I am not sure why, but I was really productive today. I had a day off and usually on my days off I just do nothing and lay around, but today I was really productive. I cleaned, I made cookies, I did laundry, I went grocery shopping. I did a lot. I am not sure why ... maybe it was because I was well rested. For once. I almost never feel well rested, but I did for some reason today. I mean, it was probably because I fell asleep for a 'nap' yesterday and slept for like 6 hours. Then I went to bed a few hours later. I have done that before though and still felt just as tired as I had previously.

Also, I have been doing a lot more writing lately. I thought about posting it, but it is really rough so I am not going to. Also, I think if I was going to post it it would have to be on a different blog ... it wouldn't really fit in on this one. But I guess I just wanted to mention that I was doing it.

Anyway, my sudden drive to write more on this post is gone, so I will stop. Sorry if anyone read this expecting something that was actually interesting.

Rant and Rave!

Rant - So my co-workers and I were talking the other day about blogs. One thing we were talking about was why anyone would want to keep a blog. One of my co-workers actually didn't know anything about blogging, which is a little hard to imagine since I thought everyone in the world knew about blogs (even my Mom! so that is amazing!). So we were telling him that it is a lot like a journal, only published online so everyone can read it. Well then he asked, why wouldn't you just write a real journal that everyone can't read? And I thought about that. I guess everyone who keeps a blog has a little bit of an exhibitionist in them. I mean, I make sure that I don't write anything that I would feel weird having a stranger know about me, but still, I obviously want someone to know something. I guess I just like the idea that maybe someone will read it and know what I mean.

Rave - I just want to take a minute to mention how much I really really love my new car. It is such a smooth quiet ride compared to the jeep. I will always have a fondness in my heart for said jeep, but I love my new Mazda so much more. And I tested the volume on the radio the other day and it goes all the way up to 34! Sometimes I think that even 8 is too loud! And I have always been a product of my father and I love to go driving around just for the heck of it, but I especially love to now in my new car. And with gas prices being what they are the fact that I go driving just for the heck of it says something. At least I think it does.

Heere's Johnny!

So, I know that I have been procrastinating, but it is hard for my to update my blog when I am home because there is not really a good internet connection at my parents' house. So this is the update - with pictures of my little nephew John Daniel. I know that Grandma put my blog address in the family newsletter and told people to look here for pictures of the little guy so I have been feeling guilty about not posting pics sooner. Oh well, here they are. He is totally the cutest baby ever, and he has a really good disposition - even when he cries it is more funny than anything. Not a loud crier either. We tried to take pics of him smiling, but it was a hard thing to do so this is the best you will get for a while. Enjoy the cuteness! Also, for those who didn't know, I dyed my hair back to dark. It looks crappy in the last photo but still I like it much more since I don't have to keep re-bleaching it all the time.

My Car!

Well, I finally took pictures of my car and I thought I would post them. To tell the truth, I only took 2, 1 from the passenger side and the other from the drivers side, so they look almost the same, so I am only posting one. I am going to post the one from the drivers side because you can see my house in the background! Well, the house I live in .... but that still makes it mine for now right...?

My New Car!

Well, I did it. As you can tell from the title of the post, I bought a new car. It is a 2005 Mazda 6 and it has about 24,000 miles on it (give or take a few) and I love it! I just wanted to put this on here to let everyone know. Also, I am putting a pic on here that I got online. It isn't exactly like mine - mine is green - but it is pretty darn close. I plan to take pics to post on here soon but for now this should placate those who want to see it.

Inspired!

Look at me, posting twice in one day! Woo! Actually I was inspired by my friend Chelsea who just got her hair cut and it looks awesome - to put pics of my (semi) new haircut up so you can see it. I have been planning on posting pics like this forever so ... thanks Chels for the inspiration. Here is my hair. Also, sorry about the weird 'MySpace' angle on the pics, but I was taking them before going to bed one night and I was too tired to care how nice they turned out.

Half-Hearted Posting

Well, I am putting up a post but it is only half-heartedly. I have been really sucking at posting on my blog lately and I just wanted to put something new on here so that I could say I don't suck too bad.

Anyway, I have bad news. My car is on it's last legs. So sad. I love my little jeep (my dad would argue with me here that it is HIS little jeep, but you get the idea). A while back it overheated a little and then wouldn't start and when I took it in and got it fixed the mechanic mentioned to me that the exhaust manifold was cracked. He also said he understood that money is always important and since I had to pay about $600 to get the rest of the car fixed and I probably couldn't afford to fix it I could leave it as long as I don't do too much highway driving. So, that is still wrong with it (I never got it fixed) but now to add to that it is leaking oil in several places. I took it to the mechanic again and he said that it really wasn't worth it to fix it since it had so many kilometers on it.

My dad's suggestion is to just drive it until it dies but then I would be stuck with no car. So I am trying to take care of the problem now. The only problem is that I don't know if I want to buy a car here in Oregon and register it and stuff and get my license changed over because I am not sure how long I am going to live here in Oregon and it might be more hassle than it is worth. But then again, I am not sure I want to continue what I am doing which is have my car registered in Canada. Any thoughts?

Rare and Unwelcome

So, in the last however many years of my life, I can't remember how many times I have been sick - but just so you know, it is not a lot. And then what happens?! In the last three weeks I have been sick twice! Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration but it is pretty close to the truth. I got sick a few weeks ago with the whole head plugged and coughing thing and then my voice was messed up for about a week afterwards. Just when I was starting to feel fine - I had a bit of a residual cough but that was it - I got sick again! This time it was kinda the same - my head was plugged and pounding but I was dizzy as all get out and achy all over. I hate being sick. I am glad it is rare for me, but let me just say - I can't wait to feel better. I was so sick that yesterday I slept practically all day. I would sleep, then get up to go to the bathroom, then I would go back to sleep (did I mention the copious amounts of Nyquil?) I felt somewhat better today, but not a ton. Grr. I just want to be healthy!!

Not the Long Awaited Post .... Sorry

The title of this post was a disclaimer because this is not the post that will explain what has been going on in my life for the last month that made me not post. No this post will just be my musings, that were sparked by watching a preview for this movie. It is called Penelope and it is about a girl who has a pig nose and will until she can find someone to accept her as she is until death do they part. So basically, as it was described to me by someone else, until she finds her 'true love'. I guess this got me to thinking about that term. True love.

Let's also bring up the movie 'Beauty and the Beast'. It is a great movie. I love it. One of my favourites by Disney. But the curse he is under states that he will be that way until he can learn to love another and earn her love in return (or something like that, I'm quoting off the top of my head here!) Anyway, when do you know that you have earned someone's love? That is really what this is driving at. I mean if you are cursed until you find your true love, is it just until you meet them, or until they love you, or until they tell you they love you. Because those three time points in time can be significantly different. I mean, all three could never happen, but some people never say the words "I love you" so if that was the case you would be totally screwed right?

In 'Beauty and the Beast' the curse breaks when she tells him, but maybe that is the same time she realizes she is in love with him (but I don't think it is the actual moment she 'falls in love with him'). Anyway, I was just wondering about that - because it would actually be quite convenient for you if it was when you met that person right, because the curse would end and that would tell you that you had just met your true love. If that is the case then put that curse on me because it is hard to know otherwise.

Also, I am obviously totally ignoring the fact that I totally disagree with the term 'true love' in general and that I think that it is stupid to think that you have one and only one person that you were meant to be with your whole life and that if you miss them then you are in big trouble. But if that was true, and curses could be put on people, then how is it determined that the curse is over. I guess that is all I am asking. Whatever. If anyone has insight let me know. Thanks!

Blogocrite!

So I am so bad. I have several blogs that I check most days of my friends and stuff and I get really annoyed when they haven't posted in a long time - but look at me! My last post was on the 1st of this month! I am so sad. So I decided that before I can complain about their lack of posting I had to put something on here. So, now I am officially complaining! Lol.

Anyway, there are two main things in my life that are way exciting right now. One is my brother's girlfriend is about ready to pop - her due date was technically the 11th of Jan and so now she is just waiting impatiently for the little dude to decide he is sick of the warm cushy womb. They are going to induce on Mon or Tues if there is nothing by then.

The other exciting thing is that my friends and I are going to Florida in like 4 days! (Not counting today or the day we are leaving of course!) I am so excited. There is still so much I want to do before then, but I suck and every time I plan to do it I get distracted by the phone or a book or the internet, or like tonight, a nap. I was so sleepy after work that I just laid on my bed to check my email and I totally fell asleep. It was way nice though. I love naps!

The last thing that I have to update on is that while getting ready for Florida Jas and I decided I needed to re-bleach my roots (I have to do that so much, it is way annoying!) and we decided I needed a haircut too. So I got an A-line and it looks way good. We looked off this picture of Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice for those who have no idea who that is from her real name) and I think it turned out really cute. I was going to take a pic and put in on here to show you but I took out my camera and the batteries were dead - so I guess you will have to wait until next time. I promise it won't be as long until my next post!

Resolution!

So, most often my New Years resolutions are like everyone else's - eat healthier, exercise more, blah blah blah! But no one (especially not me) ever stick to those resolutions for long, so I have decided to do something a little easier and a little more practical.

Floss more than I did last year. Which won't be hard because I suck at flossing my teeth. I hardly ever do. So I only have to do it like, 5 times to make it more than I did last year. And also, this resolution is good for my gum health. And easier than eating healthier or working out more. Blech! Wish me luck!