Stomach Update

My stomach has been pretty good the last few days (barring one inexplicable sucky day). I think the exercise has helped, and it was fun to play basketball with the guys. (We'd play basketball then go play Guitar Hero then go play basketball again).

But. I have a chemistry test tomorrow. My stomach just realized TEST. TEST IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. CHURN OUT ACID.

This nursing career path? Is stressing me out. The fact that I need to get great grades is stressful, especially since my grades are not great right now. I am so behind it is ridiculous. And I find it easier to blog about being behind than actually catching up. Crap.

Look! Pretty hair!

Quentin's Soccer Banquet

Finally got some pics up of Quentin's Soccer Banquet! (The lighting was really funky so the pics came out funny).

Here is Quentin with his coach while he reads off a quote . . . that I forgot. Mom wrote it down. I'll put it up later! The picture on the projector screen is of Quentin staring pensively at a soccer ball. His nickname is "Frenchie"). When his name was called all these girls went "Yeah Frenchie!" It was very cute.

All the varsity boys at the table.

Quentin taking the dishes to the trash. Good French boy!

Finally! AKA No More Split Ends

Behold! My new hairstyle! (Please ignore the strand of hair across my forehead--feel free to blame my brother, the photographer, for not telling me about it).

I have a secret that isn't actually a secret. I LOVE to have my hair played with. It is one of my favorite things, and hardly anybody does it. Which is why I love to have my hair done by other people. Even if I have to pay them to do it!

So next time you see me, feel free to start playing with my hair. I will love you for it.

(Unless I don't know you. Then I will just back away slowly.)

Haircuts, Huzzah!

Finally made a hair stylist appointment. Really, really needed one.

I'll be going to a new stylist today--my other two are busy, unfortunately, and since I am the obsessive impulsive type I simply couldn't stand to wait another day with these split ends. Yick! I find I reach my ignoring-hair limit when my "bangs" reach my chin. ^_~

I'll post pics when I have it done!

Home At Last

We left Valencia at nine this morning and arrived home at six-thirty in the evening. We are all pooped. We made a quick stop at five for Quentin's indoor soccer game (they won by 24-3! Quentin made two of the goals! And then he played goalie and stopped a goal!) and a few other bathroom breaks, and I am so glad to be out of the car, you have no idea. Also, vans are uncomfortable to sleep in.

I spent over 200 dollars on clothes in Santa Monica, and will post pictures soon! I've already done two fashion shows for my family.

Thanksgving 2009

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. I hope everybody else did too. My family (Quentin included) and his friend Louis from San Francisco (originally France) and our two dogs drove down to Valencia to have Thanksgiving at my aunt's house. Unfortunately two of the families that are usually here were seeing their significant other's families this year, but they will be showing up today. 

We had all the normal foods, but it was sooooo good. Mmm. Turkey and mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole with pecans and green bean casserole (with imitation sour cream for yours truly!) and rolls and deelicious gravy. Our family actually eats special occasion "dinners" at about one o'clock. (And then leftovers for dinner, mmm.) 

I sat at the "kids" table with Troy, Quentin, and Louis. Troy and I chatted in Pig Latin whenever the boys broke out too much French. 

Then the fun started! We played Guitar Hero for a loong time. The French boys had never played it before, but they got good pretty quickly. I kept trying to earn the song "Suck My Kiss" by Red-Hot Chili Peppers. I love that song. (Nick and I played Guitar Hero for ages when we first started dating (and before) and that was the one song I could almost sometimes beat him in. 

After Quentin got tired of playing, we went outside and played an impromptu and no-rules game of basketball. There was a lot of arm grabbing to stop people from scoring. It was the Symington's vs. the French Boys. We played a game of HORSE and then another basketball game. (Hey! Guess what! I can actually shoot pretty well! I can't dribble or steal worth crap but I can shoot! Mwahahaha.) 

After we were all exhausted we went back inside and played more Guitar Hero. Okay, it was more like the French boys played Guitar Hero and Katie did homework while listening and occasionally played. AND! AND! We finally earned Suck My Kiss! I was so excited! 

And then Quentin and I went back outside and played more basketball in the dark. This was the most exercise I think I have gotten in, like, years. Which is sad.

Anyhoo, it was a very fun day. My stomach didn't bother me that much once we started to have fun, but it wasn't great in the morning. And now I need to get up and clean off the couch (my make-shift bed) so we can go to Magic Mountain. Woo!

Traveling to Thanksgiving

A few things I have realized today, from packing this morning and driving eight hours to LA:

1) My kittens new favorite toy is whatever clothing item I am trying to pack. 

2) I don't like traveling. My stomach/IBS doesn't like driving eight hours. I had split pea soup for lunch and omg, hello freaking heartburn and upset stomach. Also a bit of anxiety from a change in routine. 

3) I need to go to the library, I had no books to read. I snoozed most of the way. 

4) My kitten chewed my laptop's charge cord. It no longer charges. Oops. 

5) I drink way too much water and suffer from Tiny Bladder. 

6) You actually CAN fit six people (my parents, brother, myself, Quentin, and his French friend Louis) plus two dogs and luggage into one van. I would not, however, recommend it. 

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Holy shit on toast, I just saw New Moon, and ohmigod, I am still in awe of Jacob's muscles. I am just going to have to get over the feeling like a perv because he is 17, as there is just no escaping the fact that he is hot. He is like the perfect little werewolf. If only he sparkled!

That said, WHAT IS WRONG WITH BELLA?! WHY, in the world of sparkly vampires, would she pick the pale brooding 109 year old instead of the strong, sexy werewolf? I simply do not understand it. 

Yikes. This post is a bit embarrassing. Um. So. The movie was great! I will see it again Saturday with my aunts and mom and cousin, yay! I thought that the acting was improved, the sparkling was better, and the muscles were awesome. 

Operation De-Stress

Stress plays a big factor in how I am feeling lately. If I get too stressed, I am more likely to have an anxiety attack and feel sick. (Boooo!) So I obviously want to cut down on the amount of stress in my life. (Yay!)

So! Katie's Totally Awesome De-Stressing List

1) De-clutter my room. Check! (Mostly. Oz and Io are enjoying having a whole bed to themselves, instead of sharing it with my clothes). 

2) Exercise. Check! (I stopped exercising three years ago when I started working evenings. Beating people up in TaeKwonDo was great stress relief). I walked around the circle yesterday and today with Troy, and started thinking about doing yoga. 

3) Talk to a counselor. Check! Appointment has been made. 

4) Medications. Check! Lexapro and Kapidex on board. 

5) Write. Check! Bloggidybloging, and also just finally started writing in my journal again. 

6) Keep up-to-date on homework and studying. Well. Erm. Huh. I'll get back to you!

7) Happy Place (visualization for when I get anxious). 

8) Library, to check out books on stress management/IBS/anxiety. I still need to go to the library, haven't been in ages! I miss my books. 

9) Play piano. This is harder, as piano makes me think of Grandma. Yesterday when I played, I started getting . . . angry? sad? frustrated? And later that night ended up blowing up at my dad (sorry!) and crying. But I felt better afterwards! Today when I played it felt better. 

10) Connect with friends. I miss my friends! They've all gone off to college. Thank god for facebook. (And blogs!) I do have Vicky coming over today, yay!

To the Nines

My pretty Mom and I on our way out to Quentin's Soccer Banquet, where we dined on Strings (Italian restaurant) takeout and watched funny slideshows.

Frustration Update

Well, shit. Who told my stomach that I said I was feeling better? Way to keep a secret, Internets.

Frustration

. . . with myself, because I do feel better but I don't want to admit to feeling better because I am afraid my stomach will hear me and then it will decide to be not nice. So . . .

Psst.

C'mere.

Closer!

*teeeny whisper* I do feel better. The Kapidex is working much better than the other pills did. I can actually eat things. This is exciting! Don't tell my stomach.

Semantics

I have decided to call the Lexapro "anti-anxiety pills" instead of "anti-depressants" since I am being treated for anxiety and not depression. So there.

The Long-Anticipated Doctor's Visit!

I had my long awaited doctor's appointment on Wednesday, finally, after months of delaying it because of insurance worries. I started off (after waiting half an hour for the doctor) by telling him what's been going on for the past five months. Remember, his initial diagnosis of my problems was gastritis. 

Well! 

He now believes I have irritable bowel syndrome. Plus reflux. With a little heartburn on the side. He would like to refer me to a specialist, and have an endoscopy and a colonoscopy done (oh joy!), but we will wait until I have insurance because those are expensive. 

When he heard how I can obsess over things (like worrying about people dying) and how I stress a lot (to the point where I make myself sick over a test) he nodded and said that he wanted to try something that he had found helped patients with IBS that have this problem. 

He wants me to try anti-depressants. (I'm on dem CRAZY PILLS!) These will provide a filter between my obsessive worrying brain and my delicate as a flower stomach.

My initial reaction was "What?! Crazy pills! I'm not crazy! . . . am I crazy?" I did not actually say any of this out loud. Dr. Amazing gave me some free samples (love. my. doctor.) of Lexapro, which treats for, among other things, General Anxiety Disorder. And . . . huh. I took a test (not intended to be a diagnosing tool!) on the Lexapro site, (yes, I do research all of my medicine. I read the fine print), and gee whiz, I do have some of those . . . quirks. I was still kind of skeptical, in the realm of "I don't want anti-depressants. I'm not depressed! I'm a happy person!" but when I told Nick, right after my appointment, he said that was the first thing he'd heard that really made sense. 

Because I do stress out over ridiculous things, and have some obsessive/compulsive behaviors when it comes to worrying, and sometimes I can't stop. And if these pills can calm that part of me down so I can focus on getting my damn stomach healed, so much the better. 

For my stomach, my doctor sent home a few weeks free of Kapidex 60mg once a day (It is nearly the same as the Prevacid was, except it's two times the dose and this one is a delayed release capsule, so it lasts longer). I started that Wednesday night. So far, it is working much better than the Prilosec twice a day was, but I'm going to wait a few more days before giving it a really positive rating. (Plus, I had a micro test today that stressed me way out, which equals worse tummy and reflux. But it wasn't as bad as it has been! Yay!) 

He also suggested I think about seeing a therapist to discuss ways of coping with stress, besides rerouting all the bad to my stomach. I had tossed that idea around before but didn't ever do anything about it. Now I will. 

Last but not least, (oh, definitely not least), he thinks that I can start eating normally again, just obviously omitting foods that upset my stomach. People. I HAD EGGS FOR BREAKFAST. I LOVE EGGS. They were the most delicious damn eggs I've ever tasted. If my stomach is still behaving, in about one week I'll start adding dairy in again. (She says, after just eating caesar salad and alfredo from the soccer banquet for Quentin. Oops). 

So! To summarize that hodgepodge of information! The Kapidex should control the crazy acid, which should help the irritable bowel. The Lexapro (1/2 a tab once a day for one week, then one every day) should help me control my stress and worry, which will definitely help my stomach and irritable bowel. My doctor does not think these are forever things, just until my stomach is healed up and I learn better coping techniques. 

I, for one, have learned some very important lessons:

First, if your doctor tells you five months earlier that you should not take hard classes because it will stress you out, LISTEN TO THE MAN. Don't take chemistry and microbiology (and music!) and expect to have an easy time. 

Second, if you are having problems with some aspect of your life, be it coping with stress, or grief, or just plain aaaaackness, get help early, for God's sake.

Third, start a blog because it is very cathartic. 

Quick!

I love my doctor.

I'll update more on what happened at the appointment later. But for now, just know: I love my doctor.

Silver Lining

On the bright side, dealing with a restricted diet (something I definitely mean to discuss with my doctor--seriously, is it necessary?!) has meant that my baking skills have branched out!

I'm now cooking with rice milk and applesauce instead of milk and eggs. And you know what? It taste good.

Applesauce muffins are delicious! Scones--omigod I made the most delicious blueberry scones ever--were amazing. Right now I'm baking cranberry oat muffins for breakfast. I'm working on finding a good macaroni and cheese recipe made from Veggie Slices.

This? Is all pretty cool.

Anxious (AKA ALL OF MY PROBLEMS, LET ME TELL YOU THEM: Gastritis/GERD/acid reflux/heartburn/anxiety)

I have had stomach problems since June of 2009. After feeling like I had the flu or food poisoning for a week but not throwing up, I went to the doctor and he said it was probably gastritis, brought on by stress (I had like 15 units, including Anatomy, that semester, plus I was working two days a week) (not to mention grief. I lost my Grandma, my Grandpa, and my Boppa [and our family dog Rosie] in less than a year), and my doctor suggested taking Maalox. My mom had Prevacid 30 mg which he said was great, I could take that once a day.

So I did. For weeks. And it helped, it did, but my upset stomach never went away. I should have gone back to my doctor (I love him), but we, like so many other Americans, had lost our health insurance. I didn't want to go in case we were denied for our insurance (whenever we next applied) because I had a preexisting condition. So I put it off. Finally I went in to see my college's family practitioner. She said, since I was running out of the Prevacid, that I could take Prilosec OTC (omeprazole, a proton pump inhibitor) every 12 hours if needed.

And again, so I did. I started getting better! I could eat things again, I could do things again. I was happier.

AND THEN. Then, came the sausage McMuffin of DOOM. I ate a Mcmuffin. I don't even like sausage, so I took two bites of that then threw it away and finished the rest of the delicious, fatty goodness. For lunch I had a huuuuge deli sandwich, and for dinner I had another huuuge meal (I have portion issues. Always need more!) The next morning I was sick. I stayed sick for two weeks, a bad, don't-touch-me-don't-make-me-do-anything-not-going-to-study-go-away kind of upset stomach, and general blahness. And for the first time, I started to experience heartburn. And acid reflux, which for me is a kind of sweet/bitter taste in the back of my throat. I felt like I had some food stuck in the back of my throat but never did. I experienced the usual "burn" around my sternum. I had to take Tums and other antacids and Pepto Bismol often. (One night, after eating wor won ton soup, the only thing that had been sustaining me for days, I had such bad heartburn/reflux/stomach I thought I might throw up, and spent nearly two hours walking around and watching silly movies to distract myself. (Thank you again, Nick, for staying with me, even though I didn't want to talk or touch or do anything but Google different reflux medications [Aciphex, Protonix, Nexium] because it made me feel better to read about how people GOT BETTER. It is possible!) That night I took, if I remember correctly, three doses of Pepto Bismol, four generic antacids, and two rolaids, plus my usual nightly Prilosec.

I now have Googled so much about proton pump inhibitors and H2 blockers that I probably mutter about them in my sleep. I know procedures. I know prices. (HOLYSHITONTOAST Aciphex prescription for one month is $205. GAH).

It has now been about four weeks since the McMuffin of Doom. I have been gradually inching my way towards feelin better again. But I am still not "better". This is messing with my life. I have dropped 13 pounds, and I am still losing weight. I have a very restricted diet (and now more food cravings than I know what to do with, or are able to indulge). My stomach is still bad, I still get heartburn, and I still reflux. I am right now.

Here's what I have noticed plays a roll in when I feel sick:

First, obviously, if I eat anything spicy, fatty, caffinated, acidic, etc. etc. I actually have cut all that out of my diet so I can't swear if it affects me, but I am too scared right now to try anything that can potentially worsen my stomach.

Second, STRESS. My God. I have a microbiology test on Thursday (today is Tuesday) and I know I am stressed about it, but I can't do anything to stop it. Every single test I have had for chemistry or micro has led to acid reflux, heartburn, and then afterwards days of stomach problems (which lead to mild intestinal problems). If I worry about school, if I worry about work, if I sorry about overpopulation . . . it all affects my stomach. I'm sure if I exercised more it would help keep the stress down. (I used to be a third degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and worked out 5 nights a week. Then I got a job working evening hours and stopped workin out. Now I can't punch and kick people when I need to!)

Third, anxiety. Ever since my grandparents passed away I have been terrified of my parents, or my brother, or my boyfriend, or myself dying. (Also pets, friends, etc.) (Also also, having chronic stomach problems are not a good way to convince yourself that you are. not. dying.) I know that it is useless to worry about, but I can't help it. Both of my grandparents--my Grandpa and my Boppa--were sick for a long time, and I knew it was coming. My Grandma--my grandma who taught me piano for 13 years, who lived just a half-mile away most of my life, who was incredibly wonderful--it was sudden. She developed ovarian cancer, and passed away about ten months later. Throughout my whole life, I never, ever, ever thought that my Grandma would not live to see me married and to meet her great-grandchildren. It wasn't until she had passed away that I realized she wouldn't, and it just broke my heart. The fact that my incredibly healthy Grandma could be gone in less than a year made me so scared that something could happen to my parents. However unready I was to lose her, I am absolutely not ready to face being without my parents. I have gotten better, a bit, but will still from time to time have a heart-clenching, trembling moment where it overwhelms me.

I think what frustrates me most is that I have made changes, and I still have these problems. And they are affecting my life. My grades are dropping. I don't make time to see my friends because I don't feel well, and would rather stay at home. I don't see Nick as often, which makes me sad. I'm afraid to plan a vacation, because what if I get sick? Better to stay home and hide under my covers.

So. Nick's persistence has finally paid off. (He probably should have just hit me over the head with a frypan to begin with. I am stubborn). He convinced me to go see a damn doctor, already. I've waffled back and forth for days, weeks, months! Because we still have no insurance, and what if the insurance people see it and deny us (hint: they did. Boooo on Kaiser!) and then I'll never get insurance and I'll have a black hole of medical bills, waaah.

I have a doctors appointment tomorrow, with my own doctor, and I am so, so excited for it. Hopefully this is the beginning (middle?) or the road to good health. (Knocks on wood. Have recently become veeeery superstitious, as it seems my damn stomach can sense happiness or optimism and likes to slam me down with the pain).

Wish me luck! (Also, dear God, this is a novel!)

What Do You Think?

I don't know about you, but I think that this sexiness needs a makeover.

There has been some serious slacking off in the looks department at here at Casa Katie.

That hair! It must be cut. I really need to call Desirae, the amazing hairstylist that I avoid going to too often because I could get my car's oil changed three times for what I pay her. (She's Nick's cousin's boyfriend's sister. She's awesome).

Eyebrows. As the stylist in Princess Diaries exclaims, "There should be two!" (Okay, it's not that bad, but I do need to break out the tweezers).

Eyes. Is it really that hard for me to put on eye shadow and mascara? Or at least wash off my old makeup? Jeez.

Skin AKA that thing I'm ignoring. Washing would help.

I should also probably occasionally put on earrings, maybe even think about lip gloss, (although I'm currently loving my Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm), do some pushups and crunches and squats, and shave my legs for the love of God.

Oh dear.

Weight Loss Confusion

I simply do not understand it. I feel like I'm eating a lot! Internets, I do eat a lot. I eat every 2-3 hours (when I can swing it. Sometimes at school I go much longer. Hey, an 11-9 schedule doesn't leave much room for eatin', ya know?)

So how in hell's holy hand grenade am I still losing weight?! I dropped another half of a pound and am smack dab at 140. I am getting dangerously close to the 135 lbs I weighed when I got my drivers license, five freaking years ago. 

I thought I was going to gain weight, simply by eating immense amounts of chicken pot pie. Last night for dinner I had a half a grilled cheese (cheese = veggie slices) dipped in chicken rice soup. Two hours later I had a blueberry bagel with margarine. An hour later I had a slice of sourdough toast. Over the last week or so my appetite has come back--even when I take a bite of my delicious bagel I am dreaming of what I will eat in a few hours. Everything sounds delicious!

Granted, my meals are smaller than they used to be. (Thinks mournfully of my teenage years "snacks" after school--ramen, two bagels, maybe some cereal too, huge glass of orange juice, some cookies. [Not kidding in the slightest. I ate a lot]). I can't eat big meals now because it makes me reflux. 

Also, my cutting out dairy and eggs on the advice of my college's family practitioner probably has to do with the weight loss. I plan on discussing that with my doctor at my appointment on Wednesday. But I am still flabbergasted when I step on the scale and the numbers keep going down. 

Sweetie-Pie Kitten

Warning: This post contains mushy, gushy, potential baby-talk because this just happened a few minutes ago and I'm still in shock.

Guys, Oz just jumped up onto my lap! He never, ever has voluntarily jumped up on my lap and right now as I type this he is curled up on my lap purring quietly as I type on my laptop that is situated on my knees.

Here! Proof!

Me looking goofy, Oz looking cute.

Oz thinking that Man, that chick sure takes a lot of photos. She should pet me!

He has always preferred sitting close to us, but never on us. (Exceptions: he will sit on mom's chest when she is wearing her fuzzy navy blue bathrobe with the moons on it. He will also sit on her laptop keyboard).

He seems to think it's a pretty good deal; he gets a warm cushion and also scritches. What else is there to want? Unless I were to start feeding him some of my dinner. (Hint: I totally have before).

I'm still excited! My sweet little smushy-baby-cutie-pie happy purring fluffy warm kitten jumped up on my lap and curled up and is now happily napping. Except . . . now I'm stuck. There's NO way I can get up.

I should probably stop drinking water, otherwise that tiny bladder thing will be an issue.

And start buttering up my brother to make a bagel for me. Maybe he could bring me a toothbrush. And my pillow. Maybe a book?

Thank God for the entertainment factor of the internet!

Guffaw

The funniest thing I have heard today was on the season 3 of "How I Met Your Mother" when a girl on a date on her way to the bathroom said "I have T.B."

The guy froze.

She grinned. "Tiny Bladder!"

HEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEE.

Bikini Body Challenge Update + Gastritis

Beginning Weight: 152-153 lbs

Current Weight: 140.5 lbs

Feelings about Current Weight: YayBleaaaghhhhhWhateverHungry

People. I can fit into my Grandma's wedding dress. My teeny tiny Grandma's teeny tiny wedding dress. I think I'm ready to stop losing weight now.

The sad thing is that if I lost this weight by exercising and eating well, I would be ecstatic! In actuality, though, I am losing this weight because of gastritis, and heartburn, and acid reflux. I have cut caffeine, sodas, chocolate, spicy foods, spices in general, dairy, eggs, desserts, sugary things, fatty things, vinegar, and black pepper out of my diet. (You'd think the black pepper wouldn't matter, like who loves black pepper, but I have had some mondo cravings for Salt & Pepper Kettle Chips) (Also cravings for burgers, and fries, and cheese, and fried pork. Really, anything I'm not supposed to eat).

I am still taking Prilosec OTC every 12 hours. I am taking Align probiotic once a day. I take Tums and Rolaids and Pepto-Bismol as needed, which for the last week or two hasn't been that often. I'm also fighting a cold/sore throat that I was sweet enough to give to Nick. (You're welcome!) And now my mom has laryngitis and she's blaming me too. And my dad feels like he has heartburn right now too. Yikes!

Also! My jeans don't fit me as well. I'm wearing Cassie's smaller jeans a lot. My shirts are looking loose and my boobs are smaller. (CURSE YOU, GASTRITIS!)

In summary, my body is bikini ready.

Too bad it's winter!

Realizing . . .

. . . after 2 minutes of blind panicked fumbling around my nightstand to find my cell phone and silence the loud alarm, that I do want LASIK or something like that eventually. Not being able to see sucks! (Right eye = -4.75 and Left eye = 4.50 with astigmatism).

Wondering . . .

. . . How often the seats at college lecture halls are cleaned. The "yellow" is actually dirt-encrusted. Yick!

. . . If I should feel guilty for flipping out at Dad and Troy and Quentin for eating the last of the chicken pot pie, and my scones, and snacking on my muffins THAT I MAKE SPECIFICALLY FOR ME AND MY SPECIAL STUPID DIET.

. . . Why I started tearing up and had to bite my lip not to cry when my Micro neighbor told me how they ended up with their foster son.

. . . How sore my arm will be tomorrow from the H1N1 flu shot I got, and whether or not I will get any of the side effects from that and/or the seasonal flu mist I got today.

. . . If my parents will end up going on that 23 day cruise from China to Alaska for their 30th anniversary. I hope so! It sounds fabulous!

Craving

Cream cheese. I am craving a blueberry bagel with cream cheese, and instead I have to make do with margarine because I have been off of dairy for over three weeks now to see if that will help my stomach in case I'm lactose intolerant, and now I crave cream cheese. 

Suspicions

I suspect that when I yank up my blankets to cover my freezing shoulders, my covers are not moving at all and instead I am pulling myself down towards the end of the bed, due to the two loads of laundry and many different books tossed haphazardly on my bed, so that I am squished on the last twelve inches of bed available.

Chicken Pot Pie

I believe there is nothing in the world at this time that is as delicious as home made chicken pot pie. With ketchup.

Twilight Confessions!

My name is Katie, and I am addicted to Twilight. *deep breath* (ducks flying rotten fruits and vegetables from Twi-haters). 

I swear I've heard all the arguments against Twilight! People say that it isn't well-written (it's a book for teens!) and that it shows an unhealthy teenage relationship (whatever. So many worse books out there. Yes, it may be different because these are so widely read, but honestly. Heathcliff, anyone?) also, Edward acts like a freaky obsessive stalker (no snarky comment here, I actually agree. Him staring at her sleeping without her knowing it freaks me out). 

HOWEVER, these books rock. I dare you to start reading it and then try to stop. (I couldn't. Read the first book at night when I should have been asleep, but I couldn't stop, I JUST HAD TO KNOW!) I also love the movie. My worst complaint is that the actor for Jacob Black is freaking only 17, and I wish he was 20. (Shh!) 

Even though I have all this love for the books, I actually cannot read them anymore. I had to stop myself from rereading them, because too much of the "Edward--so perfect! thoughtful! Adonis-like! Perrrfect!" comments by Bella and then start to read about their fantabulously perfect relationship (misunderstandings and evil vampires aside, these two worship each other), I start to get irrationally angry at Nick. Seriously. My fabulous, sweet, thoughtful boyfriend, because he is not as perfect as a fictional character. I have absolutely no basis for it, because I'm so happy with him, other than we are not in a book, and our lives are not perfect like Bella's and Edward's are. And because I realize I am ridiculous, I've cut myself off. 

 . . . well . . . . . .at least for a little while. 

Catch ya later, Twi-hards!

PS JACOB RULZ!

Frenchie

Quentin discovered the joys of photobooth a few weeks ago! He has a pretty good sense of humor. (He doesn't know that I'm posting these, so we'll see how well that humor holds up when he does see). ^_-

His English is much improved from when he first came here: he gets jokes, he can be sarcastic, he uses slang, and he is getting better at watching movies in English instead of wanting to watch them in French. (Interesting side-note: did you know that the French audio uses "merde" for every single bad word?) 

He still doesn't pronounce "h" very much, and he calls our dog Kali "Kari" and Nick is "Nicky" my name instead of Katie is a cross between "Kitty" and "Kahty", but I think that it's funny and that he shouldn't change it. 

And here he is giving the French cheek kiss! (Not really, but it goes along with this being the end of the post.) He actually didn't do that when we first met him, because he's trying to be American, but his French friend Louis stayed the weekend and did the cheek kisses (I totally didn't know he was going to, and ignored him for a sec, but then was like oh! oops! okay.) 

And I'm babbling. 

Kiss kiss!

Idiosyncrasy Confessions: Voicemail

Idiosyncrasy is defined as "an individualizing characteristic or quality" by Merriam-Webster, and I have quite a few. (Surprise!) But today I'd just like to focus on one that never fails to make me twitch. 

Voicemail. 

*twitch*

I have an unexplainable inability to listen to my cell phone's voicemail. I will do practically anything to get out of listening to it. If I slide open my phone and see I have a voicemail, I'll hit "ignore" and call the person back, and then try to get them to understand that unless they are bleeding and can't call me again, to just not leave me a voicemail. My poor mom is often a victim of The Voicemail Speech, because she loves to leave casual voicemail. "Hi honey, just wondering what you were up to. I'm at work/home/shopping, call me back. Mwah!" 

I will let my voicemail's pile up until I get some angry calls (that actually get through to me) from friends and/or relatives that can't leave a voicemail because my box is full. Then I go through my voicemail's and delete, delete, delete (it makes me happy) so we can start the process over again. 

I have a theory that I hate voicemail so much because it takes too long to get to the messages. I have to wait, enter a password, and then wait for the stupid woman's voice to stop talking so I can delete. *twitch* 

Moral of the Story: Please, fortheloveofgodandallthatisholy, do not leave me a voicemail unless it is urgent*. I just won't listen to it. 

*Exceptions: Mom, because you're my mommy and I don't really mind except sometimes; Aimee, because you're my supervisor and I live in fear of missing an important message; and Nick, because I like the sound of your voice.