Pointe Blank

A friend and I had a conversation a few days ago about some of the things we like that happened to be slightly out of the ordinary, and so I thought I’d sit down and really think about the things I enjoy in life, some weird and some not-so-weird.

Smells:

Rain, Clorox bleach, Grass (the kind you mow, not the kind you grow), Men’s cologne (when it makes you kind of weak in the knees), Campfire smoke, Lilacs, Baking bread, Dirt (Yes, I like the smell of dirt), Mint, Lime, Tree sap, Shampoo, Paint, Fabric softener

Sights:

Trees, Sunsets, Mountains, Large rocks, Vintage cars, Motorcycles, Vines, Sunshine, Kites, Clouds, Fields, Antiques, Books, Art, Historical artifacts (kind of goes along with antiques), Hills and Valleys in fabric, Hills and Valleys in general…, Fire, Christmas lights, Wood grain, Water, Bubbles, Smoke, Men (not Boys or Guys, Men…there IS a difference), Snow that hasn’t been walked in

Sounds:

Orchestras, Wind, Rain, A whisper, Engines, Heartbeats, Music, Rushing water, Birds chirping, Rustling leaves, Crunching leaves too, Falling snow, Silence, Laughter, Bells, Crackling fire, Sighs

Tastes:

Mint, Strawberries, Cranberries (actually….most berries), Pineapple, Coconut, Curry, Rosemary, Molasses, Tarragon, Garlic, Orange Juice, Spinach, Artichokes, Pickled beets, Pickled cucumbers (aka Pickles…Dill ones), Cheesecake, Jerky, Cheese….but not really (It’s a love/hate relationship)

The Feel of:

Wind on my face, Sun on my legs, Sand between my toes, Cashmere, A warm blanket in the cold, A hand in mine, Being close, The cold side of the pillow, Mud, Grass, Conditioned hair, Goosebumps, When your heart leaps, An unbidden smile, Laughter, Serenity, Falling asleep, Complete relaxation

Frankly my dear....

Have you ever had the urge to watch a particular movie and you didn't know why? Well, last night, that's what led me to watch Gone With the Wind.

Yes. Gone With the Wind.

The really long movie with the annoying girl who is never happy with the man she has (which in the course of the movie is pretty much all but one), she can't seem to do anything for herself and ends up losing everything.

Fun times.

I've seen it before and I recall even liking it, however, last night I could not for the life of me remember why. This girl is seriously obnoxious. You just want to reach out and slap her. I was wondering to myself why Gone With the Wind is loved by so many people. Aside from a couple amazing lines delivered by the fabulous Mr. Clark Gable, namely, "You need to be kissed, and often. And by someone who knows how" and "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" I find the movie rather irritating.

Oh well. I guess I brought that upon myself by watching it right?

Right.

Cat Lady

I have a co-worker who really really doesn't like me. I'm not entirely sure why, but the exasperated looks, blatant disregard for things I tell her and "helpful" fellow employees informing me that she loaths my very being leave me with little doubt of my own deductions. She's not what I would call my favorite person either (how can you have a favorite person who hates you? really..) but I treat her the same way I treat everyone else I work with, no better, no worse. So imagine my complete surprise when today at work, she starts talking to me like we're the best of friends, like we went back years! Totally threw me for a whirl today.

It reminded me of a cat, because honestly, cats don't like people. They like to be fed, pet and left alone. Only when they want something do they absolutely, positively, can't-live-without-you, love you. The only exception here is that she's not cute and fluffy.

In no particular order

2008 has been a very interesting year for me.

• I have changed direction a time or two
• Met new people
• Said goodbye to others
• Done a fair bit of painting
• Attended a myriad of weddings
• Took on a semi
• Destroyed the car
• Learned how to really cry
• Laughed at myself
• Been welcomed into the Twilight Zone
• Been spontaneous
• Realized how expensive spontaneity is
• Survived a road trip with my family
• Got promoted (sort of)
• Dealt with my share of crazies
• Had Bosco come back to life
• Saw some amazing trees
• Gushed over a guy
• Built a few bookshelves
• Listened to some rockin' tunes
• Survived that horrible sickness in September
• Never finished that disgusting Theraflu (Sorry Christine)
• Found new things that make me smile
• Became daring
• Participated in witty banter
• Participated in not-so-witty banter
• Danced in the rain
• Ate cow's tongue
• Found the "miracle apartment"
• Got my roommate married within 6 months (Ok...I had little to do with that one)
• Got an amazing roommie to replace her :)
• Plunger Girl
• Bought more tools
• Discovered more about Junior Mints than I thought there could be
• Had a real Christmas tree
• Drove an SUV
• Wanted to de-man someone but refrained
• Laughed at bad dates (afterward of course...not in their faces)
• Went walking in the moonlight
• Found serenity
• Sang for my family for the first time
• Listened
• Spent some quality time ogling Harrison Ford (You know you do it too)
• Got mistaken for at least 20 different people
• Clorox
• Prayed really really hard
• Reconnected with old friends
• Finally secured an embarassing moment
• Went to Music and the Spoken Word
• Bought a lot of books
• Wanted to go crazy
• Spent far too much money
• Drove really fast
• Reminisced
• Found my happy place
• Cursed UTA
• Realized my little brother is grown up
• Heard my sister is having twin girls
• Was told I'm an adorable creature (term of endearment? or reference to alien tendencies?)
• Had an 85 year old man ask me out
• Started a blog (obviously)
• Ate peanut butter
• Won't make that mistake again
• Tried a lot of new things
• Went to the ER
• Listened to the beautiful sound of revving engines
• Missed out on a fair bit of sleep
• Got my braces off
• Watched gas prices go everywhere
• Wished I could vote for Tina Fey
• Got told off by a homeless man
• Realized how truly blessed I am

A lot of other things have happened this past year, and I didn't actually intend for this post to turn out like that, but I suppose it works just the same. To those of you who have been a part of my year, "Thank you".

The Freezer Section

Ugh.

I don't really like making decisions. Ask anyone that knows me, Lisa is not a decision maker!

Whether it be because (A) I really just don't care. (B) Whatever I choose doesn't really matter. (C) I don't want to have to choose between two very different, but very good options. (D) You've already made the decision and you just want me to validate it. Or (E) I don't want to make the decision I know I should and therefore it is easier just to take the cop-out.

I've had to make a lot of decisions about my life that I thought I'd already made before. Re-examining my life and taking stock of myself. Luckily I have had no short supply of "helpful" people offering their advice on what I should change about myself, so I think I'm covered there. Apparently I have a lot of work to do.

One of the more glaring offenses that has been brought to my attention is that I'm not much of a talker. I don't do chit-chat very well. Personally I never thought that having the ability to mindlessly babble and prattle away with people was much of a quality one would want to possess. But evidently I am in great need of it. Obviously it makes me seem unfriendly. However, I seem to have enough friends....so....don't count on me making chatter for chatter's sake anytime soon.

I am going home for Thanksgiving afterall, which will be....an adventure. We'll see what happens. The weather has taken a very wintry turn. I can see my breath when I go walking, I shake because I'm freezing, and the fact that I naturally run about 10 degrees colder than most people becomes very obnoxious this time of year. I unconsciously walk closer to people because even though they're cold too, I know they have to be warmer than I am. I kept running into Kelly the other day and she retaliated by "bumping" me back. She is a tough bumper, I felt like a pinball bouncing across the sidewalk. It was funny though. :)

So...yeah..there you have it, another incoherent, pointless post from yours truly. This is why I'm not a writer.

Some photos of the carnage

My Heap of Metal

My life flashed before my eyes today while on my way to Ikea.

Yes. Ikea.

Colby, Kelly and I all happened to have the day off today and we decided to drive down to Ikea for some things each of us needed. It had started to snow this morning, making the drive a little more eventful than usual. It actually wasn't that bad though. Sometimes it was a little harder to see than others, but generally only when we were behind another car that was spewing slush up into my windshield. Luckily I was able to get into the mostly unused carpool lane and all was well.

Kelly had just made a comment about how she was glad I was willing to drive in snowy conditions because she doesn't like to. I replied that I didn't mind and that it merely comes down to the point that I don't freak out when it snows, which gets drivers into trouble.

As luck would have it, not too much later, I hit some black ice which caused my car to fish-tail. I tried my best to correct it, but the car still couldn't get any traction. The car then turned 180 degrees, pointing us toward oncoming traffic.

Kelly started screaming. I tried my best to stay calm and keep a cool head.

In the lane next to us, which we were quickly sliding into, was a semi truck. A semi truck whose trailer ran over the back seat behind me and the trunk, it also smashed my back window open. At this moment, I knew Colby, who was in the backseat, had to have been dead. Had to be.

The momentum from being released from the semi's iron grasp sent us spinning into the next lane where we were hit by a Yukon. Spinning again, we went through the next lane and came to a jolting stop by crashing into the embankment.

My heart started beating again and I looked around frantically trying to assess the damage and to...well...frankly to do a body count and see how many people I'd killed.

Aside from being terrified, Kelly was fine. Colby I found out, was still alive and was more concerned with our safety. None of us had a mark on us. Amazing.

I managed to open my door enough so I could get out and called the police. The semi and Yukon drivers got out of their vehicles and we learned they were all right too. My car however, was completely trashed. Of course, if anyone's car had to be totaled, I'm glad it was mine, not anyone elses.

I'm glad to know that in the heat of the moment, I can keep a very cool head and remain calm for as long as I need to. Unfortunately, after all the necessary calls had been made and papers taken out, I had a moment to process things, break down, get shaky and nearly pass out.

So after getting checked by the EMT's (a highly exciting experience), filling out the accident report, and finaly being picked up by Kelly's dad, I could laugh about how ironic it was that my car payment happened to be due today. That's what you call karma.