Deja vu? Yup!
Hooray for Ghana! I wish I could be there for the party!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Familiar
Sometimes I like things, particularly edible things, not because they are good, but because they remind me of other things.
Sometimes when I have to work on a Saturday morning, I will treat myself to a Tim Hortons sausage breakfast sandwich on a biscuit. It might be my favorite food item on their menu.
I was eating one a couple of weeks ago when I realized that they don't actually taste that great. What I also realized is that they remind me of the biscuits and sausage gravy that Gram, my great-grandma who passed away a couple of years ago, used to make me for breakfast when I visited her as a child. Mmmmm, it was my favorite breakfast. Many Canadians do not understand how a person can consume such a heavy meal in the morning like that (many Canadians also do not understand the idea of donuts for breakfast, something that I can agree with), but my Gram was a true southern woman and that is what we ate at her house.
I think the only reason that I like the breakfast sandwich is that it reminds me of Gram.
Something that I am not particularly fond of is Nestea. To me, iced tea is made when you brew some tea, make it cold, then add some sugar and lemon to it. It does not come from a can. I've tried to learn to enjoy Nestea. I even started calling it "special lemonade" in hopes that I would forget that it had any relation to iced tea, but the stuff is just not very good.
One time, when I was working at camp, I was having a really bad day. I was sitting on the couch with Cassy in Sam's cabin (it was the summer before Sam and I shared the nurse's cabin). I think we were sitting in the dark, too, so that nobody would know that we were not working.
That summer, Sam and I took several trips to America to buy brown cream soda and our fridge was literally full of it. I love brown cream soda, so I figured that drinking one might make me feel better. So, I grabbed a can out of the fridge, opened it, and took a big sip.
Wouldn't you know, someone had put a can of "special lemonade" in our fridge. A single can of "special lemonade" amidst about 100 cans of brown cream soda. That is the can I picked, and it was terrible. It was so terrible that it was hilarious and it made me feel better.
Today I had a crappy day. I was bustling around work and got to thinking about the sausage biscuit and how it doesn't really taste good but I like it anyways because of the familiar feeling it gives me. I remembered that bad day I had at camp a few years back and how funny it was when I drank the "special lemonade."
"Maybe if I drink some Nestea," I thought to myself, "I will laugh and feel better."
So, I got my Nalgene, went to the fountain machine, and poured myself some "special lemonade." I drank it, and it was terrible, but I kept on drinking it in hopes that it would make me feel better. When I finished, I was mostly thinking about how terrible it tasted and how I needed to drink something else to get the taste out of my mouth. Then, I realized that my plan for feeling better was a little bit ridiculous and not very effective, so I chuckled at myself.
It didn't really end up making me feel better (arriving home from work did make me feel better), but it was kind of humorous.
Sometimes when I have to work on a Saturday morning, I will treat myself to a Tim Hortons sausage breakfast sandwich on a biscuit. It might be my favorite food item on their menu.
I was eating one a couple of weeks ago when I realized that they don't actually taste that great. What I also realized is that they remind me of the biscuits and sausage gravy that Gram, my great-grandma who passed away a couple of years ago, used to make me for breakfast when I visited her as a child. Mmmmm, it was my favorite breakfast. Many Canadians do not understand how a person can consume such a heavy meal in the morning like that (many Canadians also do not understand the idea of donuts for breakfast, something that I can agree with), but my Gram was a true southern woman and that is what we ate at her house.
I think the only reason that I like the breakfast sandwich is that it reminds me of Gram.
Something that I am not particularly fond of is Nestea. To me, iced tea is made when you brew some tea, make it cold, then add some sugar and lemon to it. It does not come from a can. I've tried to learn to enjoy Nestea. I even started calling it "special lemonade" in hopes that I would forget that it had any relation to iced tea, but the stuff is just not very good.
One time, when I was working at camp, I was having a really bad day. I was sitting on the couch with Cassy in Sam's cabin (it was the summer before Sam and I shared the nurse's cabin). I think we were sitting in the dark, too, so that nobody would know that we were not working.
That summer, Sam and I took several trips to America to buy brown cream soda and our fridge was literally full of it. I love brown cream soda, so I figured that drinking one might make me feel better. So, I grabbed a can out of the fridge, opened it, and took a big sip.
Wouldn't you know, someone had put a can of "special lemonade" in our fridge. A single can of "special lemonade" amidst about 100 cans of brown cream soda. That is the can I picked, and it was terrible. It was so terrible that it was hilarious and it made me feel better.
Today I had a crappy day. I was bustling around work and got to thinking about the sausage biscuit and how it doesn't really taste good but I like it anyways because of the familiar feeling it gives me. I remembered that bad day I had at camp a few years back and how funny it was when I drank the "special lemonade."
"Maybe if I drink some Nestea," I thought to myself, "I will laugh and feel better."
So, I got my Nalgene, went to the fountain machine, and poured myself some "special lemonade." I drank it, and it was terrible, but I kept on drinking it in hopes that it would make me feel better. When I finished, I was mostly thinking about how terrible it tasted and how I needed to drink something else to get the taste out of my mouth. Then, I realized that my plan for feeling better was a little bit ridiculous and not very effective, so I chuckled at myself.
It didn't really end up making me feel better (arriving home from work did make me feel better), but it was kind of humorous.
Friday, June 18, 2010
World Cup!
I love World Cup! It is so sweet to see Ghana right there in the mix, and there is a decent chance that Ghana will end up playing the US again, that is if both teams make it through the group stage. I think we all know who I'd be cheering for ;-)
How Familiar
I often doze off during the long bus ride to school/work. It reminds me of childhood, when I would almost always fall asleep during car rides. I'm not talking about just my early childhood, I'm talking high school as well. For those of you who know me, this should come as no surprise. I have fallen asleep in places far more ridiculous than a comfortable car.
One of the things that always astonished me when I would fall asleep in the car as a kid was my consistent ability to awaken as we approached the house. As I felt the last few familiar turns before we arrived home, I would start to wake up. My body must have known that my mom had no intention of carrying me up a flight of stairs to my bed.
Today, I was met with that same sense of surprise as I opened my eyes from my little rest on the bus just in time to pull the cord for my stop. I must be getting used to this bus route.
I think it's pretty cool that we learn to perfom these sorts of autonomic actions that are beneficial to us. Of course there are much cooler examples than the one I used here, paricularly in the field of Biology, but it is interesting to think about nonetheless.
Do you think that normally voluntary things can become more autonomic by simple repetition? Does doing good things out of habit take any of the good out of it?
One of the things that always astonished me when I would fall asleep in the car as a kid was my consistent ability to awaken as we approached the house. As I felt the last few familiar turns before we arrived home, I would start to wake up. My body must have known that my mom had no intention of carrying me up a flight of stairs to my bed.
Today, I was met with that same sense of surprise as I opened my eyes from my little rest on the bus just in time to pull the cord for my stop. I must be getting used to this bus route.
I think it's pretty cool that we learn to perfom these sorts of autonomic actions that are beneficial to us. Of course there are much cooler examples than the one I used here, paricularly in the field of Biology, but it is interesting to think about nonetheless.
Do you think that normally voluntary things can become more autonomic by simple repetition? Does doing good things out of habit take any of the good out of it?
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Where'd they put my bus stop?!
Excuse my negativity, but getting to work/school SUCKS! I have to take two busses and a train to get there and it typically takes about an hour and a half. Well, it used to take an hour and a half.
They are extending the train line so that it goes near my school/work. Isn't that awesome? I would think so, too, if it was actually going to be finished sometime before I graduate. I guess it WILL be awesome in the future, but for now it is a pain.
The construction for this train line has closed the bus terminal that I used to get off at. The change makes it so that after I get off the bus, I have to take a half hour walk to get to school/work. Walking in the sunshine has been enjoyable these past couple of days, but I doubt it will be fun when it is -40 degrees out. My transit time since the change has averaged about two hours one way. Oy!
Dealing with the inconsistent transfers, the long walk when I am dead tired after a day of work, and being late for work if something goes wrong along the way are the sorts of things that put me in a grumpy mood. I hate being grumpy! (I know, who doesn't?)
I know, my attitude is terrible. I have to get creative and find ways to make the most of it. Any ideas?
Well, I should probably go meditate on I Thessalonians 5:16-18 for awhile and see how it goes tomorrow. Bye!
They are extending the train line so that it goes near my school/work. Isn't that awesome? I would think so, too, if it was actually going to be finished sometime before I graduate. I guess it WILL be awesome in the future, but for now it is a pain.
The construction for this train line has closed the bus terminal that I used to get off at. The change makes it so that after I get off the bus, I have to take a half hour walk to get to school/work. Walking in the sunshine has been enjoyable these past couple of days, but I doubt it will be fun when it is -40 degrees out. My transit time since the change has averaged about two hours one way. Oy!
Dealing with the inconsistent transfers, the long walk when I am dead tired after a day of work, and being late for work if something goes wrong along the way are the sorts of things that put me in a grumpy mood. I hate being grumpy! (I know, who doesn't?)
I know, my attitude is terrible. I have to get creative and find ways to make the most of it. Any ideas?
Well, I should probably go meditate on I Thessalonians 5:16-18 for awhile and see how it goes tomorrow. Bye!
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