My new fear:

Okay, so in order to go to the gym every morning, it's about a 20 minute walk from my house. There are a whole mess of streets in the area, and I'm learning my way around College Heights. I try to change up my route everyday so I can look at all of the great houses.

However, now I am avoiding certain streets. I'm terrified of being attacked again. I was attacked five times last week, three times from walking back from the gym, and twice after I was walking home from church.

Attacked? By whom, you might ask?

BIRDS.

I am not kidding. Up until this point, the idea of attacking birds was solely from that Hitchcock movie. Everyone joked about it. A seagull stole my Maman's apple while she was strolling on the beach. Birds poop on everyone's heads and cars. They're annoying, but not harmful.

UNTIL NOW.

Last week, I was walking home from the gym, and I felt something hit my shoulder. I was a bit confused, and I thought that I was hallucinating. I continued on until I felt something hit my shoulder again. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bird flying away. I turned around in time to see a THIRD bird swoop out of the sky and SLAM! it hit me in the shoulder too.

I was freaking out. I began to walk quickly, using my bag to shield me. I wondered if I was wearing any strange colors (I KNOW that birds aren't bulls, but I had no idea of what the problem was!) or if someone poured birdseed on my clothes while I was in the middle of my hamstring exercises. Nada. Nichoho. Nothing.

Luckily, I was not attacked again.

Until last Sunday. I decided to take a roundabout way home from church so I could listen to worship music and just meditate. I turned down a different street, and I felt the SLAM! on my shoulder again. This one was closer to my head, and I immediately recognized what was going on. I kept walking, but put the bag between my shoulder and neck this time (they have been favoring my right shoulder and I'm not sure why).

The next part happened in slow motion. I turned around, and I saw a bird swooping down from the sky, getting ready for its attack. I didn't move fast enough because it hit me near the back of my head. I was more aware of my surroundings this time, and realized that it was the same bird that hit me twice. I'm not sure if the first time consisted of the same bird hitting me three times or several birds going in for the kill.

I have no idea what is going on. But I know that I am petrified to walk through College Heights. Is this a sign of God (I mean, He sent the ravens to feed Elijah, He could be totally sending them to beat the crap out of me)? Is someone training their birds to attack people walking on the sidewalk? Do they really hate me that much? Do I look like a threat to their nests?

**This story is not a fabrication. It is 100% true.

Britain, you're doing something right!

When Ayatollah Khamenei lists you as its biggest threat, due to your harsh criticisms of Iran's repression and opening a BBC Persian channel? You are doing something right.

In this instance, no punches should be pulled. All of my PC Middle Eastern gloves come off, because I am SICK of people defending (or being delicate about discussing) a regime that committed the same brutalities as the regime under the Shah. I pray that the people of Iran do not back down; many of them have been fighting for all of their lives and I hope that they will get the results they have been aiming for.

I also got this from the Guardian's live blog about the Iranian protests:
According to CNN, the White House responds to Khamenei's speech with a reiteration of Obama's cautious line on the unrest.

CNN reports that in a background briefing, top Obama administration officials said, "the US does not want to be a foil for anyone. This is a debate among Iranians, in Iran. It is easy to stake out a strong tough position, but this is not about the United States."

Who said that we'd want to make it about the United States? I agree that this incident should bring the spotlight to the Iranians who have been fighting for reform for a long time....but I think that a soft line at this time is completely unecessary. Too worried about harming the new US image you're creating, Obama? Who gives a crap when Iranians believe that they're not getting who they voted for? So it really IS all about the United States, isn't it.

Iran dust daram!

Iran.

It's about time!

There is life after lactose intolerance.

Just now I am reading a book that my friends purchased for my birthday. It's entitled "Go Dairy Free", written by Alisa Marie Fleming.

When I was 18 years old, and I was first diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I started to notice some problems with dairy. I didn't suspect lactose intolerance because I previously used to eat cereal twice a day. However, my doctor told me to stop eating dairy for two weeks, and I noticed a difference. However, after that last visit, I returned to eating dairy. "Cutting down on dairy" meant that I was eating pizza only once a week as opposed to twice a week.

Throughout my first years in college, I ate a lot of Mexican food. As it was college, I ordered a lot of pizza with my roommates. Every week, a friend and I went to our school's "Late night", which included deep-fried foods and country karaoke. I indulged in my new favorite food, mozzarella sticks.

I was never feeling well, and had some bad run-ins with hot chocolate, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs and the foods mentioned above. I only completely stopped eating dairy my junior year. When I say "completely stopped eating dairy," there are a FEW exceptions. Some items that have trace amounts of milk or cheese, I can handle. For example, I can eat Goldfish crackers and Cheez-its, and I don't get sick. However, I have recently realized that I can't even eat cake without getting sick. Can't eat yogurt, and I'm even sporadic with Lactaid milk because I got sick at times with it (not too sure about that one).

Whenever I tell prospective hosts or friends about it, they always say "HOW COULD YOU LIVE WITHOUT _____ (milk/cheese/etc.)?!!"

Actually, it's not too bad. Since I'm readingthe book, thought I'd put up a few of my 'tips' because suddenly the whole world is becoming lactose intolerant!

1) Resist the craving. - Even if you haven't gotten very sick from eating dairy, I wouldn't suggest WAITING for that time, and continuing to eat dairy until you get too sick. I made that mistake, and while it did scare me from dairy forever, it really threw off my internal system. I couldn't digest food properly for awhile, plus I was too scared to eat anything.

2) It's okay, all of your friends are going to forget at one point or another that you are lactose intolerant. - Try not to be offended. In many cases, it's not too extreme of a condition (even if it may seem like that to you). It's not an allergy to gluten or diabetes. The only time I really think that you'd have a problem is if your friends took you to a pizzeria. Even then, it isn't really a problem (see #3). Just gently remind them, and always ask if what they're cooking has milk in it. Regardless of what they're making! I used to make that mistake with hot chocolate, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs. I never made those things with milk, so I assumed that most people did the same.

3) If you're going to go dairy-free, go dairy-free. - I've tried a few products that are dairy substitutes. In my opinion, Lactaid milk is the only thing I can tolerate. The cheeses, etc., are really not great replacements, and I was sorely disappointed when I ate them. I don't even shop for lactose-free cheese anymore, even if I miss homemade pizzas and grilled cheese. It just isn't worth it, because the stuff, in my opinion, tastes NOTHING like the original cheese. I'm okay now with meat sandwiches and no more pizzas.

4) Don't assume that the pill is going to allow you to eat dairy. - When you are first diagnosed, EVERYONE is going to tell you to take the pill with the lactase enzyme, which breaks down the lactose in your system. I think that it's a great idea to try, but please don't try it while eating slices of pizza. Use it incrementally (I'd start with yogurt, which I heard has the least amount of lactose?? Fact check!), and see how much dairy that it can help you tolerate over a period of time. As I said, that mistake DID lead me to realize that I really can't tolerate any dairy, even with the pill, but it screwed up my system along the way.

5) Prepare to be limited when you're eating out. - One thing that sorely disappoints me is that I only can eat a few things on the menu when I go out to restaurants. My friends always tease me that I will continually order the same dish, but I eventually realized that I had filtered out everything that had cheese on the menu, leading me to a handful of good dishes. Dairy is used in a LOT of dishes in restaurants (you'd be surprised), so ask if dairy is used when you're ordering something. One tip I have for eating out is that Chinese restaurants are usually a great bet. I love Asian cuisine because I have many more options. My mother never used a lot of milk in cooking, so I usually have no problem cooking up dairy-free recipes.

6) Ask if they can make it without cheese! - If you want something that happens to have dairy in it, just ask if they can remove it or not include it in the cooking! One place I have been surprised with this is pizza. We have a local Greek restaurant here that has, from what I heard, awesome pizza. I was explaining to the owners' daughter that I couldn't eat the pizza because of my allergy, and she told me "Just tell them to not put cheese on it! I promise you won't regret it." I haven't done that yet (I'm too addicted to gyros to order pizza), but I DID call my local Pizza Hut and ask for a cheeseless pizza topped with mushrooms and pepperoni. It was absolutely DELICIOUS and I did not get sick from it.

My local Pizza Hut, once they connected my address with the dairy-free orders, even began delivering boxes of breadsticks with cheese in a separate container! (The breadsticks were for my friends, who were deeply upset when they noticed that the breadsticks were not topped with cheese) I do warn you about this though, because I have a friend who still gets sick from cheese-less pizza (there are trace amounts of dairy in it). However, I've ordered it 3 times and I haven't gotten sick yet. The yummy sauce, crust, and pepperoni have pretty much cured any pizza cravings I've had.

And that's it! For those of you who are lactose intolerant or may become in the future, I promise, there is life after it!

A very silly rant.

Okay, well to fill my unemployed days, I am studying Arabic at the library and working out at the gym. YESS! I am loving it so much; even with my chronic fatigue. All of the sports that I loved growing up required a lot of stamina (such as tennis and basketball), which I didn't exactly possess. However, last summer I had to take a phys ed class for college credit, and I fell in love with the weight room. It requires more strength, which I have none of, but it's something that I can work on without being totally discouraged. I am also surprised when I can use a 48-60 lb weight for some of the machines (although my arms are useless, I am using a measly 2.5 lbs for one of the apparatuses...).

Ahem. Anyway, that wasn't my rant. I just needed to discuss my irrational love for weight training. Another post.

My rant involves clothes. YES I told you it was ridiculous!

I loooove fashion. Even though I buy fashion magazines, I usually don't follow specific trends. I just read for inspiration. I usually am attracted to a few different styles:

1) Bohemian- Most people identify me as some type of bohemian in terms of how I dress...with flowy skirts and peasant blouses.

2) The aptly named 'Russian' style- the one referring of course to the pre-USSR aristocracy. Brocade, long long skirts, very opulent jewelry. Something that will never be in my price range, but I do love those types of clothes.

3) The polo look- Now, this one I'm sure would surprise most people. I have absolutely no idea why I am attracted to this look. I guess that despite my love for loose, flowy clothing, I also like clean lines. I love Ralph Lauren ads. Can't afford their clothing but I like looking at the ads!

4) The military look - ANYONE who knows me knows that I love military looks. I want to own a military coat one day, but I just can't see myself spending hundreds of dollars on them. (Although my cousin M did show me a cheap coat shop at the mall that had military coats!). I love the buttons, the limited yet sharp color palette, and the clean lines of the military look itself. For this look I would totally go outside in full gear. If I had a pair of sleek boots, a military coat, and a hat, I would totally wear it everywhere.

5) Anything retro/mod, etc. - I don't shop for vintage clothing (pretty much because I can only afford Tar-jay at this point), but I love clothing that is a direct throwback to certain eras, such as the 60s and the 40s.

I look at clothes online, and I was searching for the retro clothes tonight. Every stupid site that I looked at was super pin up girl!. All of the dresses were modeled by Bettie Page wannabes, with black hair, tattoos, and heavy red lipstick. It totally turned me off, and I closed all of the websites in disgust.

Let me get started with saying, I HAAAAAAAAAATE that look. In my opinion, it is so completely overplayed to the point that women who attempt this style don't even attempt to put their own spin on it. (Of course I'm sure that some do, I guess I'm just generalizing based on what I see.) All of the women who do this look either have black or platinum blonde hair (and it's most likely not their natural hair color), have pale pale skin, and wear a lot of red lipstick. A lot of these sites portray the 'rockabilly style' which is pretty in right now.

And all of the clothes are sexy. Sexy sexy sexy. It makes it look like every woman of those eras dressed like sex kittens. Lots of cleavage. Don't get me wrong, I know that guys love it (and I know that my boyfriend wouldn't hate me in that look as well), but I guess that is the point of my dislike.

Fashion is very sexualized. It's aimed at arousing in a response (you can define that as you wish) in others. I understand that, and understand the desire to dress like that, but as someone who is thinking about dressing modestly, I am trying to take that out of the picture. I'm trying not to think about how others would look at me when I wear the clothes that I do, but whether I like it or not.

I'm usually a pain to shop with, because even if I'll ask for an opinion, I won't lie, I usually don't pay attention to it. I shop for my own taste, not based on how someone else will like it. I do sometimes ask the BF if he likes a certain thing on me, but I usually don't listen to that either. He's not a fan of prints, while I love toile, paisley, and damask prints and will buy them until I die.

So, I am okay with not wearing clothes that totally 'show all the goods,' as we say. I used to dress in that style (somewhat), but I've been more uncomfortable with it lately, and it's getting hard to find some styles that are modest. Thank God that peasant tops and flowy skirts usually fit in that mold! But if I look for a cute retro style dress, it's usually a halter or strapless. Because apparently, that's all people wore in those days. Every woman? A pin-up girl.

It completely aggravates me how a woman, in order to be beautiful, must be sexy. She needs to show a certain amount of skin, or have the item of clothing be skin-tight (because a catsuit will never be modest!). In today's 20-somethings fashion, there's not a lot left to the imagination. I try not to judge other people's clothing in church, but I am secretly appalled when I see girls wearing booty shorts in the summertime.*** To church??? The thing is, I'm sure that some of them are doing it unconsciously. It's an accepted way to dress, so they're wearing it to church.

Ah, society. I am not going to pretend that this is a modern phenomenon, because women have been dresing in this fashion since the beginning of time. PROBABLY not the way that we do today, but if showing your ankles was forbidden, there were probably women trying to get away with it.

Nothing wrong with looking sexy, ladies, but I guess I'd like to save that for one person. Any guy who wouldn't fall for me unless I was wearing a miniskirt isn't worth my time. (Although I am aware that any guy who would fall for me wearing a knee-length dress would also like to see the miniskirt! MEN!)

***And I don't want ANYONE to give me BS about how they can't wear heavy clothes in hot weather. Believe you me, I've been there. I feel just as hot in a pair of short shorts and a tank top as I do in a knee length skirt and a shirt! It doesn't make that much of a difference.

My personal statement: To prospective employers.

I've been job-hunting a LOT lately. One of the activities I do daily is refresh USAJobs, hoping that something I qualify for has been added in my job search. I think that I have roughly 10-12 applications out there for government/military jobs.

Lately, in my state of unemployment, I've talked to people who work for the government or people who applied for government jobs. I know that people who have masters degrees are being rejected for entry-level jobs. It makes my blood run cold. And I keep asking, what is going on? What do I have to do to get myself recognized out of a sea of thousands of people?

I wish that I could at least get an interview. I feel that it would really benefit my application. I wish that my references can personally speak to the recruiters and tell them about how hard I work.

I have absolutely no idea how this job search works, but I do know that prospective employers sometimes search for applicants on the Web, to find discriminating Facebooks or such. I have absolutely no idea if anyone will be searching for my name anytime soon, but in case they do, I want to make my personal statement.

To prospective employers:

This is not a contrived statement. Every word I am typing comes from my stream of consciousness, and barring any major spelling errors, I will not edit or 'fix' anything to make it sound better. This is who am I am, and who I will be as an employee.

Throughout my four years of college, I studied political science, international affairs, and Middle Eastern Studies. I truly have a passion for all of these subjects, and I am interested in a number of things: National security, law enforcement, international relations, the civilian-military leadership within the United States, the politics of nuclear weapons, the complexities of the Muslim world, etc. My desire is not to be the politician on television, but to be working behind the scenes in the best interests of the United States. While I tend to take an international focus, I always think of the interests of the United States first.

Ever since I was a child, I've always had a secret desire to join the military. To me, there is no greater honor than to work in the position of sacrificing one's life for the maintenance of freedom. I admire soldiers, firefighters, police officers, etc. Although the people and institutions are naturally flawed, I believe in the concepts of justice, peace, and freedom, which those people work for.

I am also grounded in my understanding of the limits of these institutions and political systems. There are always dilemmas and difficult questions surrounding each area of work, and I hope to be one of those who will work to address these problems in order to improve the system.

If I have a weakness, it is that I am fascinated with so many things. As I mentioned in a previous post, I've wanted to do everything from be a soldier to be an actress. Although I have not 'succeeded' (depending on one's definition of success) in being several of those things, I can guarantee you that I have pursued every goal with every fiber of my being. When I wanted to be a WNBA basketball player, I watched every game, planned workouts, and even wrote up plays for the coach to use. In my case now, I am studying Arabic and Farsi (and hope to extend this to further study Ukrainian). Most of the books I read in my spare time involve Russia or the Middle East, both fiction and non-fiction. Whatever I decide to do, I will immerse myself in it and extert as much effort as I physically and emotionally can.

My professors are a testament to my academic record at the University of Mary Washington. I hope to pursue further education so that I may always be an asset to my workplace.

My mindset translates well into International Affairs, as I have studied different cultures and languages. I believe that this can benefit the government and the military at many levels, and I hope to find a niche where I can work to serve and protect my country, regardless of political or economic situation.

-Lorraine Jablonsky

P.S. I also do not have a Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or any drunken or explicit photos of me (namely because they do not exist). If anything, that has to be worth something in this day and age!

Another Arabic Rant/Question:

Allahu akbar!

The cry of the muezzin to signal the salat, the prayers that take place five times a day....the cry summoning all believers to salat al-jum3a*...

Why do some people translate it as "God is great"? I am very confused about that. "Akbar" refers to greatness in comparative or superlative form. The phrase isn't comparing God's greatness to anyone else, so it simply means "God is the greatest."

I know that this is incredibly nit-picky. I'm still confused. It's translated as "God is great" in books about Islam and other texts that I've read. Doesn't Islam emphasize the greatness and oneness (tawhid) of God? Why is it translated so often to simply call Allah "great" when the statement in fact means that He is the greatest?

Just thought I'd post this in case any linguists or Arabic speakers come around the blog by accident...if you can answer this one, I've got another question about "Ana ismi," which I've been fighting with professors about for a couple of years...

*I never know how to transliterate the 'ayn' in Arabic...The 3 is the closest I can think of, although the letter is backwards.

A linguistic rant.

For those of you who know another language....you know that we Americans (and other foreigners too) butcher it. Either that or we only know a few stupid words.

Yo quiero Taco Bell!

Ja! Das ist gut! (admittedly this is the extent of my knowledge of the German language)

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?

I get that it's hard to hear. Unfortunately, I am not fluent in another language (working to become fluent in Arabic, though!)...yet. However, I do know enough of a few languages to become angry when I hear people misusing words.

And hence, a rant.

Yalla yaa habibi! يا حبيبي!

Anyone who has heard an Arabic song or watched an Arabic movie knows one of the above words. Dark, smoldering, full-lipped women murmuring "habibi, yaa habibi" to a handsome Arab man on the screen, hoping that their love will notice them.

Yes, habibi in Arabic typically means "my darling" or "my lover", when a woman is discussing her male lover. If one is talking about a female lover, the word is habibati. Habibi only applies to MEN.

I have been reading a lot of Muslim blogs, and I just want to wring my neck when I see the word being used like this:

A woman says...."Oh...I miss my habibi!"

What this woman is actually saying:

"Oh...I miss my my darling!"

A woman says...."How is your habibi?"

What this woman is actually saying:

"How is your my male lover?

A woman says..."I want my husband to call me his habibi!"

What this woman is actually saying:

"I want my husband to call me his my male lover!"

Okay, so now you see how stupid it sounds to me. Why just not use the words Habib (which means "a male darling/love") or habiba (the female version)?

"How is your habib?" Now THAT'S how you Anglicize a word! That isn't 100% right, but that does not grate an Arab speaker's mind!

For those who had no idea how weird your use of 'habibi' sounds, and want to know how to say "your husband/boyfriend," you would say "Habibek" or "Habibuki" (really depending on how 'proper' you want to sound).

I know that I sound incredibly self-important in this post. So sue me! I study Arabic, and it's just as grating to me as if someone said "We are vamanos-ing over to the beach tomorrow!". Rrrrrrrrrgh!

Why Meghan McCain betta watch her step....

...her political one, that is.

The BF and I, in a lousy mood and sick (respectively), spent the majority of the day watching television on his couch. One of the shows we watched was the Colbert Report.

I think that it was an older episode, but Stephen Colbert had Meghan McCain as a guest on his show. She spent her time talking about being a 'cool' Republican!

I had a few problems with what she said. Oh heck, I had problems with everything she said.

1) Since when does 'liberal on social issues and conservative on economic and national security issues' = Republican? By political nature, the more that one moves to the right, the more one's social views are conservative. Now, McCain can certainly call herself a Republican, but if you ask me, I'd put her as an independent, or libertarian. (And I'd hate to put her under the libertarian label because that is one that I am sadly finding myself under as of late)

Then again, it does beg a lot of political questions. How do we define 'Republican?' Who defines it? Anyway, in my opinion, Meghan McCain is not it. Call yourself an independent, girl! You're running around opposing Daddy's view points, what's a change in your political party? Go to it!

2) She calls herself PRO-SEX. Ugh. Stephen Colbert made the most awesome joke after she said that. I'm paraphrasing, but he pretended to be confused and said "Well, how do Republicans procreate? Mitosis?" Which, in my opinion, is the funniest thing I've heard all week. Yeah, HELLO Meghan McCain! PRO SEX? Who the heck is anti-sex? Sure, I guess I'm anti-porn and anti-'sex sells' and anti-girls wearing 'nothing' to school. Don't necessarily think that the government should take any action against it, but anyway. Anti-sex? Hell to the no!

Oh, oh, anti-sex before marriage? This is where I think she gets liberatrian. She said that speaking a pro-abstinence message is 'not enough.' Now, she started mumbling about condoms and sex-ed, and I don't want to quote her on what she was saying, because I have no idea what she meant. What I THINK she meant is that schools should teach sex-ed.

Now, I guess I am a different kind of conservative (OH NO I'M LIBERTARIAN!). I fully acknowledge that a large part of America is not on my abstinence train. And I am also pro-life, so I have no problem with sex-ed classes in high school. Tell the kids all about abstinence and the consequences sex brings, but please, tell them where to get a condom or birth control if they're going to be stupid enough to be having sex at 15! I don't want a 15 year old girl in line to get an abortion!

I have no idea if McCain actually agrees with what I'm saying above, because she started blabbing about her own personal sex life, which, ugh. I felt like she was saying "I'm all for people havin' sex, because I'm doing it too!" Which, stupid. She could have kept that part for herself. Unless you're Briston Palin (and it was really too bad for her), you could probably talk about the sex-education issue, without, ya know, talking about your sex life.

3) Being a Republican is cool! Stupid.

Just, ugh. No matter what happens, I always hope that there are going to be a bunch of old-fartheads* in politics. Possibly because us 20-somethings have the biggest heads and the craziest idealism possible. I think that a healthy mix needs to be present in politics. I hate this sort of 'dumbed-down' message for the 20-somethings. Why can't we be convinced with logical arguments? Why does being a Republican or Democrat have to be cool? Why does every politician need a Twitter** and a facebook, or why does the president have to answer stupid questions over the internet and act like he is interacting with his people?

I know that times are a-changing, but if people are going to get stupider, I'm all for being reactionary.

*Of course, that is a joke. I love old-fartheads. I really enjoy being in the company of people who are older and more experienced. Sometimes the idealism of the youth can be an amazing high, but we need to be grounded once in a while. And yes I love to hear all of their stories!

**I think that Twitter should die. I mean really. There is no privacy anymore. And yes, I know that I have a blog, but I leave a lot of personal things out of it. I don't post what I've had for breakfast or how irritated I am that the line is long at the grocery store. Grrr I hate society! Whenever people get together, it's to TALK ABOUT THEIR FACEBOOKS AND TWITTERS. I hate it. I hate talking about a computer when I'm next to the person!

No, I do not have a facebook.

I've got a new addiction..

While I sit home and dream about working at Quantico, as well as dealing with real-world stuff, I am happily enjoying my new addiction. It's a great distraction.

Towards the end of the year, my roommate JH and I have been watching a lot of NCIS. We have adopted a very unhealthy habit, which is watching television while eating lunch and dinner. We plowed through the anime Death Note, Moon Phase (don't judge!), watched Gilmore Girls, and Law and Order, and then began watching NCIS every night.

It sounds like my perfect show, right? Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It's based in Washington D.C. It's the freakin' Navy. It is an investigation show (my favorite!). When my sophomore roommate first introduced it to me, it didn't catch my interest. However, I did notice Abby, who my boyfriend loves (baby, I am a lot of things, but I can never be a goth ;)). Yes, I am sorely jealous that she looks excellent as a goth-chick.

However, as JH and I watched it, I began to catch on. In some ways, the humor can be cringe-worthy. It's sometimes unintentionally funny, which isn't a good thing. However, that is how life is at times (we can't be funny all the time, now can we?), so I soon got over that in the show. It's got a great format, and I really enjoy watching the NCIS/CIA/FBI/NSA interaction, because that's where my interest is. I also love watching the military-civilian relations, which is something I am also interested in.

The episodes themselves are very difficult to follow. It is like Law and Order: Criminal Intent. I cannot look away from the television for a few minutes, because then I will miss crucial details to the story. I can usually catch up with other shows, but there are a lot of subtleties dealing with the Navy that can easily go over the average viewer's head. I need to pay close attention to what is going on.

It's just that much better because it's the area I want to work in. Plus, I know that this is uncharacteristic of me, but- SAT analogy time!:

PAULEY PERRETTE: BOYFRIEND as
MICHAEL WEATHERLY: ME

It's horrible. I rarely go for the clean-cut, overgrown-frat boy look. Plus, I'm not sure why I think he's so attractive, as I would kick him in the pants if I actually had to work with him. Reading feminist literature is doing wonders for my tolerance of chauvinistic behavior.

But of course that is just a tiny part of why I enjoy the show. Investigation + Guns + Navy + Inter-agency interaction = Awesome.

Anyway, so I'm off to watch another episode. I purchased the DVDs of Season 1 and 2 (oops, my friend JH purchased Season 1 as a present for me! Maybe she'll get me the third season ;)), and I am watching them quite thoroughly.

P.S. Another funny anecdote: My boyfriend is also in love with Cote De Pablo. I'd be jealous of this, except that he doesn't like to watch Law and Order or NYPD Blue, and I am selfishly glad that he wants to watch an investigation show with me, even if it's because of the hot ladies. Anyway, I knew that she wasn't Israeli (she's Chilean), but that apparently brought his dreams crashing down. "SHE'S NOT?!"

(of course when I say 'in love,' I'm completely exaggerating, just in case he reads this and gets mad at me! He thinks that they're pretty ladies on TV, but as far as I know, it stops there. Just as how I feel about Jimmy and Michael. :) )

This is quite possibly the most awesome picture ever.

I really think that you can't beat this. This is the best picture ever. There are about 5 million things wrong with this picture, which is why I won't be purchasing my $7.95 shot from gradimages.com (or maybe I will!).

So, what is wrong with this picture?

1) I am not stepping on those stupid footprints. So they're just there in the photo, which is HILARIOUS. #1, I would step on those footprints if I had a reason to, like you know, to shake the President's hand. Thank you, swine flu, for ruining that part of my graduation. And thank you Mary Washington, for not just making all of us use Purell hand sanitizer and Michael Jackson masks.

I actually saw a guy in front of me put latex gloves on and try to shake the President's hand. With an $80,000 tuition, I wish I could have tried it too.

2) The President isn't even looking at me! She isn't bloody looking at me! I actually said "thank you," before she said "Congratulations." I was thanking her for standing there and staring at me, which must have been fun to do for two hours in a row. Thank you, President Hample. Thank you for looking at me, although the photographers couldn't be bothered to catch that moment.

3) Seriously, what the heck was I looking at? The gal behind me, Liz, told me to take my sweet time walking to get my diploma, and I did. I actually heard a few professors clapping in the tent when my name was called, and I think that I was turning around at the moment to look for who they were (I never found out- I am such a professah whore). That is the only reason I think that I could have been looking in that direction. Way to go photographers.

So basically, up there it was anarchy. That was just possibly the worst, and the most awesome graduation picture ever. I kind of want to purchase it and show it to my children later, telling them that "Mama is a loser!"

Can't talk too much about personal things right now...life has been whooping me over the head and I know that God has a reason for me to be going through 3 traumatic events at once. I'm trying to find some peace in the middle of the storm. Please God!