Random dumb thoughts

This page is to put those little weirdnesses of life that don't really fit anywhere else, or aren't worth a page of their own

Saturday, September 20, 2003

How bored am I?

The scene: Saturday night, ThePlaceWhereIAm (hereby referred to as "Kansas").

The options: Working. (nope, did that for the last seven days, 12 plus hours a day). Doing laundry (too crowded this time of day). Going to see American Pie 2.

I'm so bored, that yup -- American Pie 2 it is! Let's see how far I can go without walking out. I hope I won't be too out of the loop for not having seen American Pie 1. I wonder if I can follow the complex plotlines.

.: posted by Lily Saturday, September 20, 2003

Friday, September 19, 2003

I hate it here, can I come home?

The main reason why I hate it here is that I seem to have found the only place on the planet with NO SHOPPING OPPORTUNITIES. How on earth am I supposed to teach the natives about the joy of capitalism if I can't do my bit for the local economy and flood it with filthy American lucre?

I'm having serious shopping withdrawal. However, I'm feeling a bit better in that I have already mail ordered shoes. Shopping and shoes -- makes a girl feel better. As is usual, I brought several different pairs of shoes, including an incredibly expensive pair of hiking boots. However, those hiking boots were sneaky little bastards, and turned out to be three hour shoes. After three hours they just pinch like hell. Another pair are okay, but not quite right. The only comfortable pair I brought were cheap-ass Lands End shoes that were on sale at Sears. The only problem is that they were black, and they don't call Kansas the dustbowl for nothing. So in order to let the inside of these shoes air out and to stop having to hose down the black all-weather moccasins, I have ordered a second pair of these shoes in dust color, also known as Taupe.

They should arrive at the PlaceWhereIAm in three weeks or so, provided they don't take a wrong turn at the BackOfBeyond.

.: posted by Lily Friday, September 19, 2003

Thursday, September 18, 2003

I can't believe they closed the federal government today on account of rain. If that's the case, can I have the day off on account of the fact that I'm in the back of beyond and the local situation is unstable? It ain't safe out there, I tell 'ya.....Aren't there tornados in Kansas? I'm sure I just saw a witch, a girl and small dog fly by

I guess it's those dastardly raindrops. I'm not sure how this level 2 hurricane is any different from the drivetime storms that we had for the last month. It's rain, people.

.: posted by Lily Thursday, September 18, 2003

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

An Ode to Five Year Old Boy Food

ThePlaceWhereIAm (end of the earth) isn't really that bad, but the catering facilities have a big problem. The food, while plentiful and not out of a pouch, is a bit..... limited. The catering staff do not seem to have heard of cholesterol, the obesity epidemic, the rise in type 2 diabetese, and high blood pressure.

The other day, lunch consisted of, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, baked beans, chicken nuggets, french fries and corn. The beverages were that yellow faux-lemonade, hyper-sweeteneed tea and water. The "salad bar" has the same cucumber salad each day, and mayonnaise-y ham salad, egg salad and tuna salad. However, the chicken nuggets triggered something in me. A friend of mine has a very fussy five year old boy, and with the exception of the cucumbers, I realized that every option I was offered was on that limited list of foods that that five year old boy would eat. Continued observation confirms that the canteen seems to have gotten its impression of what Americans like to eat from sitting down and seriously interviewing several five year old boys and asking them what they wanted to eat. I mentioned this observation to several colleagues, so now everyone says at mealtime -- "wanna go for boy food?"

Last night, for the first time, they had plain baked fish. Not fried or breaded. I'm sure it's a mistake they won't make again.

Help. To paraphrase the late Warren Z.: Send Broccoli, tofu and money..

.: posted by Lily Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Comments by: YACCS