My neighbor's got wood.

A little voice inside me wants to start a bonfire. Evil.

Strawberry Jell-Oh man, I forgot the Cool Whip.

Look what I made last night.

I brought some to work because sharing is caring.

Plus I'm doing employee evaluations today, and my staff deserves a treat.

I am blessed to have a good staff, and a good treat, they deserve. If I could, I'd give them all thousands of dollars raises too.

Go Team Samaritan!

So I'm driving along B-50, and the car in front of me slows to a stop as we round a curb. I see why. Another car has crossed over to the oncoming lane and has hit the cement wall. I pull over seeing that the car has an American license plate, grab my cell phone, and head over to the crash site. Several other people pull over, offering their help. Some begin to clear the debris of the road. Others direct traffic. One guy shares that he knows CPR. I pull out my cell phone and ask a German-looking fellow if he is indeed German. I dial 112 so that he can speak to the polizei. When he's done, I ask the victim (who is coherent but a bit shocked at this point) what her husband's work phone is. I dial him. She speaks quietly, telling him to come to her. I then call Security Forces and hand my phone over to the Lieutenant Colonel standing next to me so that he can talk to them. I get her a bottle of water from my trunk and rub her arm saying that everything is going to be okay. Another American woman continues to comfort her. After these four minutes, the ambulance shows up and begins to take her vitals and proceeds to put on a neck brace. I'm on standby on the side, making sure I'm not in the way of the medical people, but still feeling bad for the woman, who by coincidence, is a library patron. I sense that I can do nothing more but get out of the way, so I return to my car, take this picture while I'm waiting for the traffic to clear, and then drive off.

Despite this unfortunate event, it is comforting to be reminded that good people do exist and will come to one's aid in an emergency with nothing but good intentions. Go Team Samaritan!

Subject: advantages of being Chinese

THIS IS BRILLIANT!!! If you cannot decipher anything, then try pulling the corner of your eyes as if you were Chinese. It works!

(Sent to me by Friend Uschi. I admit I really did pull the corners of my eyes to read it! It's okay to laugh at me.)

Get down on it.

Since buying my camera, I've gotten used to getting on my knees, pulling the car over, stopping in the middle of the street, carrying my camera in my purse everywhere I go, getting on my belly, etc. to capture what I think are cool shots. This, by far, is my favorite shot while "gettin' down on it."

Taken on my knees, in front of my house, today.

Party's over

Well, so much for the party jitters I had previously. The farewell party I threw for my boss on Saturday went extremely well. The food was delicious. The company was great. My boss loved her gifts. And I was calm and fully satisfied. These, by the way, were the flowers my boss brought for me. Lovely.

Thoughtfully. On ALIAS.

My library holds seasons one through four of Alias. I just finished watching season three. And here are my random thoughts of the characters so far.

I wouldn't mind having a friend like Jack Bristow. And Marshall too! I want to age as well as Irina Derevko. I whimper when Sydney does that thing where she's about to cry. Vaughn always has the same expression--eyebrows drawn together while flexing his forehead muscles up, then looking to the floor, then to you. Weiss needs a love interest already. My sister Carla hates Sark. You deserve to be Director, Dixon, my brotha! The only time I like Will Tippen is when he makes jokes. I love Arvin Sloane's office and his water pitchers. I'd like to slap Lauren Reed's face, but her nose frightens me. Francie's/Alison's deaths have made me enjoy the show even more. I like Kendall better in Lost. It would be so cool if Guam was involved with the "Rambaldi Device."

Show-off

I wanted to show off my new watch--a ring watch! I got it for 10 euro. And it stretches, so it can go on any of my fat digits. Plus look! I stopped biting my nails! Aren't my fingernails pretty?

It's a small world after all.

Our eyes lock.

"You look so familiar," I say.

She runs towards me and hugs me tightly. Meanwhile, I am trying to place her. Why does she look so familiar? I can tell she is from Guam (you know how you just know?). God, help me before I look like a fool! Who IS she? She hugs me tightly once more because she can't believe we're face to face--in Germany, in the tiny library that I work at of all places!

We talk or "catch up" for a while; she asks about my parents, talks about her children, and then she says the magic word--"Tarague" as in Tarague Beach on Guam. DING-DING-DING-DING-DING! I realize that my siblings and I used to play with her kids at Tarague. Relief. Zina and Christine. Raquel and Cathy. Tyrone and Christopher. Carla and Carla. I want to hug her again.

She says, "Ai adai, if I knew you were here, I would've brought the roskete I made last night. Wait fan, until my husband comes in, and I'll tell him to go back home and get for you."

She looks to her left as her husband walks into the library. "Hon, atana este. It's Roke and Gina Santos's daughter."

"You Chamorro?" he asks in a loud voice.

"Yes," I say with a big smile on my face because I haven't heard a thick Chamorro accent in a long time. (And he's from Saipan, so you know he's Chamorro as it gets.)

So back home he is sent. And he returns with the coveted roskete that I haven't tasted in over seven years. Roskete in foil, just like how it would be back home. It is a small and wonderful world indeed.

Mom, don't worry. They have all my contact information. I plan to take them out to dinner and invite them to the house. I would not be Chamorro if I didn't.

Party jitters

I'm throwing a farewell party for my boss at my house this Saturday. I'm a bit nervous because I usually assist my sister or my mom in throwing parties. I'm the one who cuts the vegetables, grates the coconut, turns the meat, de-shells the shrimp, sticks my hands into the sparerib marination to rotate the meat, drives to the store for last-minute items. Stuff like that.

This Saturday, I have to do everything! I really like my boss so I want the dinner to be perfect. I'm not talking hot dogs, chips, and dip; I've had the entire staff sign up for food-food dishes. I am making red rice, potato salad, lumpia (store-bought but yummy), vegetable salad, Hawaiian Wedding cupcakes, a chocolate layered cake, and some kind of meat dish I haven't decided on yet. Oh, and I'm getting fruit and veggie appetizer trays from the commissary--very affordable and nice.

For drinks? The basic soda, some wine, Bitburger beer, water.

The staff has also put together footage of each of us saying our goodbyes to her. Plus we got her a cool plaque and a sweet German license plate that says LIBRARIAN. (I want one!)

After reading this, some of the jitters have subsided since it seems that everything is in order. Now it's just three days til party-time!

Three's company

Three seems to be a popular number recently.

Prisoned until proven worthy

In my "search" for a rice cooker this weekend, I ended up in a pet store feeling sorry these caged up animals.

"Don't do it, man."

"Please don't knock on the glass."

Toilet seat art

Who'da thunk it?

A shopping cart will cost ya ... or not.

German markets require the customer to deposit 1 Deutsche mark, 1 Euro, or a 50 cent coin. When you finish shopping, return the cart, and get your deposit back. Simple as that.

The woos of shoes

I left the house yesterday morning in search of a rice cooker, but came home with these. So you think I'd make a good shoe model?

3 some

Wow, I've been deleted by three people on PFG. I had 128 friends, and now it's been decreased to 125. I can only think of three reasons why someone would delete me:

1. He/she added me as a friend only to realize that he/she didn't know me after all.
2. He/she added me as a friend, re-read my profile, and was turned off.
3. Someone told someone at some gathering that I said something about someone else that wasn't somewhat nice.

I guess it's made it way back to me because I've deleted people before for some of the reasons above.

I found Paco's Taco.

Anybody seen Mia's tortilla? Tito's burrito? Juanita's fajita? Maria's quesadilla? Billy's chile?

Battle of the Bulge

Okay, I admit I haven't gone to the gym in two days. I won't make excuses because I don't have any. I am, however, doing well by snacking on grapes, bananas, and apples instead of chocolate bars and chips. And I haven't had a soda in about two months.

Because I also lift weights, the digits on the scale hardly move to the left because I am building muscle. It's quite discouraging to sweat like hell, hurt like hell, and then not see my weight plummet towards hell.

So I'm going to try something new to keep my motivation going. Anybody want to be my online weight-loss buddy to win our own Battle of the Bulge?

Visited states

States in red indicate I have visited it--that means I have stepped foot in 17 states or 33% of the U.S. Hey, landing in a state for a connecting flight counts, right? Create your own visited states map.

I wanted to do a visited countries map, but I need to do more travelling for it to be worth posting.

Libraries before

I came across these photos from a database here at work. How different libraries were almost a century ago!

(1925) Mobile Library A mobile division of the New York Public Library, a library on wheels parks in a street on Staten Island for the locals to browse through its collection of books. (Photo by General Photographic Agency/Getty Images)


(1910) Lending Library 1910: An interior view of Mudie's lending library. (Photo by Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)

Library case solved!

Mrs. McBabble returned the book!
Signed,
The Library Police

Reminds me of the Seinfeld library episode.

Thai it.

Going once. Gone.

I'm one of those people who don't ask more than once. Unless I really like or love you, I may follow-up with a drawn-out "Okaaaaay, I won't ask again." But if I say, "Do you want me to pick you up at the airport?" and you say, "No, that's okay," and deep down you want me to pick you up at the airport, sorry buddy, don't expect me to offer again.

Another example is:
"Lunch is on me." And you say, "Oh no, I couldn't let you do that." Then pony up your cash, dude. I don't argue during mealtimes.

I realize it may sound mean to some, but that's-ah-me. I just don't understand why people waste time insisting on something only to have the resistor resist again and again. If I ask you a yes or no question, don't say no when you really want to say yes. Just say yes. Save us both some time. And if you're offering, mean it; don't just offer to appear polite.

Proud to be a Going Once, Gone girl.

Yum. Mee.

I didn't bother looking at the Nutrition Facts on this purchase. Highly recommended for a quick sweet fix.

Mrs. McBabble / Mrs. McProblem

(Meant especially for Carla's enjoyment.)

I have to post this because I feel so good. I just finished having a bout over the phone with one of my problem patrons.

"Babble, babble, babble, that's not fair, babble, babble, babble, that's a dumb rule, babble, babble, babble, my son's on page 369 and there are 600-some pages, babble, babble, babble, he's got basketball and is busy with his school, babble, babble, babble, I'll write a letter, babble, babble, babble." Etc. Get the picture?

"That's fine if you write a letter. You've had the book since January, and there are three people who have placed a hold on it; it is six weeks overdue. If it's not returned by next Thursday, I will inform your husband's supervisor."

"BABBLE, BABBLE, BABBLE!"

"Mrs. McBabble, you're yelling on the phone. I stand by what I said. I'm hanging up now."

Message to library patrons:
Library policies exist for a reason. If you want to hold on to a book that long, buy it! Don't think you're exempt from the rules.

Oh, how I do love a good squabble once in a while.

Just three of the people I miss

Especially

the

middle

guy.

(l-r: Dad, Khayleb Cole, Mom)

Fra-neezing and scha-neezing

Ever have a warm shower turn into a freezing shower in the middle of shampooing? It happened to me this morning. That was torture! I don't think I even washed out all the conditioner in my hair. I was fra-neezing! Mental note: Call landlord.

I've also been sneezing all day!

What up, God?

A toastmaster, I am not ... for now.

Like I said I would, I finally attended a Toastmasters meeting last night. The club was very informative, and the group is well-meant, but it's just not for me ... at least for now. I'm not joining for two reasons:
1) I've chosen to work on this fear on my own--see if I can overcome it myself.
2) The group meets on Tuesdays at 6, and I get off work at 6:30!

In the meantime, I'll read about public speaking, practice in front of the mirror, and record myself on camera.

If it's any consolation, I did have to do an impromptu speech at work yesterday to four children and three moms. My guest storyteller for storytime cancelled on me, and I had to talk about nutrition, read children's books aloud, and coordinate the craft activity all within minutes! And I think I did all right.

I shall prevail!

Go fish

Fish in the Maldives (courtesy of Friend Uschi).

Speak again? Motha ...

This morning I had to face my fear again--speaking before a group. The group was called Mothers of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS), and consisted of about 25 MOPS! That meant 50 eyes on me!

The purpose of my participation was to inform them of our library services and answer questions about our programs, our resources, etc. Thankfully they didn't ask any hard questions. I did get some laughs when I said, "You guys really know how to party!" They had a spread of good food which they happily ate during the entire informal meeting. They also gave out prizes and awards. Even me; I got a nice gift just for speaking.

I have to get over this fear. I know what I'm talking about, but I don't like being the center of attention! I have yet to attend a Toastmasters meeting, which should help me, but it is on my planner.

[Sigh.] Any pointers would help.

Idol hopefuls

The band who played for the contestants.


This performer was the best dancer as he sang Love Man by Otis Redding. He even made me want to get up and dance!


The lyrics moved out of his mouth faster than you can say, "Yee-haw!"


This performer mouthed, "I love you" to his wife in the audience. The audience went limp when he did that.


You can tell he gave it his all and has style, can't you?


And the winner was:

He had the voice, the moves, the style, and the heart.

Okay, I'll shovel my driveway already.

L-R: my driveway, my neighbor's driveway

Horsing around

On my way home from work yesterday.

Doesn't it look like he dyed his mane blonde? Perhaps it's his cover to throw off the horse police. But then again, it looks like he's in horse jail already.

Fab family

Thank you for the fabulous gifts, Family! I love all of it!

Just blabber

I've got nothin'.

Other than working, going to gym, eating after the gym, and reading, the only upcoming plans I've got are to do more working, more going to the gym, hopefully less eating, more reading, and attending my work's version of American Idol this weekend.

I guess I should shovel the snow off my driveway, but why would I do that if it's not even six inches high and eventually going to melt? My neighbors are probably saying, "Good grief, that woman should shovel that snow!" My response to them? "Hey Peeps, don't look if it bothers you!"

In other neuss, Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!