six days to go and...

i know that fedex has a huge hub in memphis, and that's why my package went there, but i still find it amusing that it came from tacoma to go there before it comes here.

this is what i bought.  i also got one of these which arrived today.
i'm also waiting for my very cheap refurbished dell laptop that i bought on ebay a week ago. 

and packing so far has consisted of me moaning to kate and laura about it and then finally piling a bunch of stuff that i might take on the floor.  i'm doing really well...

pardon my geek.

despite my initial hesitance towards how good this film would be, i am really excited.  despite the whole "oh!  the ALL IMPORTANT GOLDEN COMPASS! oh right, and there's that girl too, i guess".  but unlike everyone else, apparantly i have to wait until december 26 to see it.  because that is the release date in australia and i presume that includes new zealand.  this is where you should imagine me saying "NOOO!" (à la star trek II) and weeping copiously.  the almost three extra weeks will kill me, especially knowing that EVERYONE ELSE (WHO IS NOT NEARLY AS BIG A FAN AS ME) will get to see it first.  you'd better not spoil it for me or i will cease to speak to you.  seriously.  do i look like i'm kidding?

a photo a day keeps the doctor away

obviously this is way more than one photo, but i can only narrow it down so far before i become too indecisive.  just pretend that this will keep you going for the next week or so!

stephanie and i each carved one of our pumpkins today.  i'm disappointed in mine.  i liked the design idea (which i stole from someone else via google images) but the execution was poor.  i know what i would have liked to do differently, but it's too late for that.  and i got the rock and roe ray troll shirt today that i wanted (second photo).  stephanie gave it to me as a late birthday present, i'm a fan! 

also, does anyone know why typepad won't let me edit my alt tags?  i keep trying, but they never seem to take.  it's frustrating because it really shouldn't be that difficult.  argh!

wedding photos

like how there are no photos of the groom?  haha.  i put the (edited) set on facebook, which most people have already seen i gather.

i keep thinking that apollo should still be here.  like when i didn't eat the crusts on my sandwhich today and wanted to give them to him, or when i hear a dog barking.  even though he was sick since i got home, i remember him as his old self.  and then i picture him in that dirt hole, and that's REALLY hard.  sky seems to be confused too, she was at the vet's when he was put down, and came home this morning (she was spayed and declawed).  she's been mewing most of the afternoon and wandering around the house like she's looking for him.  we think apollo had osteosarcoma which, even if it had been treated, would only somewhat prolong his life.  i know it was better this way, but he was such a good dog it's hard not to miss him.

*sigh*

i found out this weekend that there is another cornellian in new zealand right now, leah.  she graduated in '05, and was on the england trip that i was on.  she was one of the people that i liked to do things with, so knowing that she will also be in the country is a huge help.  also, i finally found my hat that laura gave me, so i can officially go now, lol!

goodbye

apollo, 11/6/96-10/22/07

emotionally, not a weekend i would like to relive.  it was nice to see everyone at liz's wedding, but it's hard to say goodbye.  especially knowing i'll be gone for a long time.

and when i finally got home this afternoon it was in time to bury our golden retriever, apollo.  he was very sick, so he was put to sleep this afternoon after dad took him out one last time to a lake and gave him an egg mcmuffin.  we buried him on the property of some friends of ours from church next to the little sioux.  it was really hard, and it will continue to be so.

but at least i have pictures of this little cutie to help cheer me up:

more photos to follow. 

oh, you know...

first of all, check this out!  i am referring specifically to marg helgenberger's character.  isn't that cool?!
(maybe you have to be a csi fan?)  i came across that when i was googling my name...but believe me, i had a very good reason to be doing that!

this morning my mom said to me as i was leaving for work, "what, are you homeless or something?"  because i was wearing this combination of clothes:
 
that's a purple ragbrai t-shirt.  and well, you can see the rest.  good thing she didn't see me after i put the scarf on...

today i got my passport back in the mail!  with my visa on page 14!!!!!  i am against multiple exclamation points as a rule, but i feel that this deserves an exception!  i think i might actually be a little excited about this. 

new frames

they look an awful lot like the old ones, except the whole thing is plastic and they are a little bit "bolder" as my mom would say.  also, they don't slide my nose every five seconds.  i keep trying to push these up, i guess it's a subconscious habit from the old ones.  and i got these at wal-mart for under $200 with a prescription that is two years more current.

why on earth is the weather so hot?  i almost can't stand it, i'm just sort of unused to this.  i just have to think, it's good practice, right?  i got an email from someone in the new zealand iep (international exchange program) yesterday welcoming me and giving me instructions.  so even though my passport is floating around somewhere i guess this means i am completely official, i am going to new zealand.  in a month from today.

at what point is it okay for me to start panicking?

SEATTLE!

some of my film photos from seattle are finally online!  how exciting!  have i ever mentioned how much i love that city?  this year i even managed a photo of a flying fish at pike place fish.  on my way back, i hung out with my friend ashton and went to chinatown (not impressed) and the olympic sculpture park (which i loved).  i had a lot of film hanging around, and just took pictures of a lot of different things.  fun times!

from top left: fence, Pioneer Square; bicycle, Lanna Trading Co.; Calder Sculpture, Olympic Sculpture Park; wooden fisherman, possibly in front of Ivar's; Love & Loss, Olympic Sculpture Park; bicycle, Lanna Trading Co.

have i mentioned that i sent all of my things in?  that i am now officially awaiting my visa?  a little over a month, and i will be flying far, far away!  it's a strange thought.  i hope it was a good idea!