yellinellen

don't touch me

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:07:03 GMT

I don't know when it changed, but I've realized that I don't like to hug anyone except my boyfriend.

I think that I used to hug people and not feel awkward about it.

Harun

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 02:13:58 GMT

I had another moment today. They come less frequently than they used to. It was a moment where some small thing someone does or says brings back a flood of crazy, intense memories from Kenya.

This time it was "Good Samaritan" that brought on the moment.

If there had been a true Good Samaritan for Harun, perhaps he would still be here.

I'll have to sort through more memories (I need a pensieve!) in preparation for my Peace Corps talk that I'm giving at PU Calumet later this month.

the countdown

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:09:35 GMT

I'm done with this place in four short weeks! Yes, I'll be back in August, but I won't be in the same apartment.

new book??

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 02:24:01 GMT

I haven't been in a book store since I picked up An Echo in the Bone back in September... and somehow I completely missed that Anita Shreve had a new book out at the SAME TIME. Ugh, I can't believe it's been out for months and I just found out about it. And it even takes place in Kenya!
I'll be making a stop at Borders tomorrow morning.

2nd anniversary

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:41:40 GMT

My cell phone contract is up at the beginning of next month... which means I've been back for almost 2 years.

My Form 1's are now Form 4's! Those kids were ridiculous...

I guess I'm where I thought that I'd be after Peace Corps, but I didn't think there would be this much drama.

I really miss those peaceful nights when I'd blow out the candle or turn off the head lamp, and everything would be dark and quiet.

Super Bowl XLIV

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:14:10 GMT

Colts vs. Saints!!

Sometimes I have mixed feelings about being back in America, but right now I'm so freaking happy to be here! The last time the Colts were in the Super Bowl (XLI), I was invited to a party with Marines(!), but had to decline because I was supposed to be in Kajiado, Kenya (in the desert, without decent tv). I was a sad, crying mess all night and anxiously awaited score updates from my Dad and brother-in-law. I got almost no sleep, but was happy to receive congratulatory texts from other PCVs the next day.
My Mom bought a Colts Super Bowl Champions t-shirt (which I wore today when the Colts were playing the Jets), but I didn't receive it until April. Strangely enough, a few weeks before Super Bowl XLI, I found a Peyton Manning jersey at a market at Caitlin's site in North Kinangop... Of course, I bought the thing without really bargaining and proudly displayed it in my house.

Soooo even though it's icky and rainy and cold here (compared to warm and rainy in Nairobi), I'm glad I'm not halfway around the world.

Hopefully, I'll soon be wearing a Colts Super Bowl XLIV Champions t-shirt... and send a picture of it to Carlos.

superficial

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:05:03 GMT

yeah, yeah, yeah... they say it's what's on the inside that counts, but it's amazing what bright blond highlights and a pair of booty-licious pants can do to improve a girl's mood

moving on

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:27:01 GMT

I'm getting myself out of this rut. It's a new year and time to start over.

resolution

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:45:36 GMT

I'm not usually one to make New Years' resolutions, but I thought of one for 2010: No more dating stupid alcoholics. Regular stupid guys are ok, and so are the smart alcoholics (they're rare, but they are out there), but I need to stay away from the stupid guys that drink way too much on a regular basis.

Maybe I'm a little late in realizing this, but at least I'm learning.

Check back in 2011 to see if I made good on my resolution.

Vacation...

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:21:56 GMT

meant to be spent alone...

While everyone else is going back to work tomorrow, I'll be on my way to a condo on the beach. It won't be warm enough to go in the water, but at least I won't be wearing a coat and scarf and gloves.

dream

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 03:39:39 GMT

I had the BEST dream last night:
People at work chipped in for a going away present for me... $2000 in my bank account.

AWESOME!

What are the chances that that will actually happen??

In real life, I went to a party tonight and got to see friends from out of town. Good times. I'm exhausted from all that drinking, eating, and laughing.

grr

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 02:24:38 GMT

It seems like every day I notice the same grammatical or spelling errors over and over again.
Here is my list so far:
1. you're/your - if you are too lazy to learn the correct usage, you might as well just use 'ur'
2. then/than
3. yea/yeah - so many people type 'yeah!', but I'm assuming that they're pronouncing it 'yay!'
4. definately - I think you mean definitely... really people, don't you notice the squiggly red line under that one when you're typing??
5. their/there/they're
6. to/too
7. its/it's
8. 'would of'/'should of'/'could of' instead of 'would have'/'should have'/'could have'
9. confusing possessives and plurals

I seriously want to take a red pen and correct these when I see them.

My next post will be upbeat and happy. I promise. Not that anyone reads this anymore...

vent

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:43:13 GMT

I'm so sick of the bullshit that has taken over the summer.

I'd rather be known for having too much fun than being a total stick-in-the-mud.

the letter

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:58:48 GMT

My letter from Purdue Grad School came today! I'm supposed to respond online, but that link isn't available yet. Boo. I want to accept the offer now!

the phone call

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:48:36 GMT

The phone rang a few minutes after I got home from work today and I was very surprised that it was a professor (one of my favorites) from Purdue. He called to ask me a few questions about my grad school application and said that with my high GRE score(!) that I could expect to get my acceptance letter soon. I was mostly shocked that they called me at home to tell me instead of sending an email or letter. When I hung up the phone, I started jumping up and down and screaming, "AWESOME!"

I was just skimming over an old post and at first didn't recognize my own abbreviations. Sad.

Good night!

Lord John and the...

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:46:06 GMT

I forgot how much I LOVE Diana Gabaldon's books. I'm currently reading Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, and eagerly awaiting the release of An Echo in the Bone. The Lord John books don't have time travel or hot and magical stones, but they do feature Jamie Fraser every once in a while.

my new favorite thing

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:26:17 GMT

Tonight I really wanted fish for dinner, but then I decided it would just be easier to swing by Chipotle on my way home from the mall. I was about to order my usual Burrito Bol, but then I looked at the menu and saw prices for individual tacos! 2 tacos was just the right amount of food and it cost 1/3 less than what I used to spend. Amazing! I love finding new bargains!

My trip to visit LH is fast approaching. I'll be on that airplane one month from today!

I'm also trying to plan a trip to Paris in May. I need to hurry up and book my flight for that before all the cheap ones are gone!

This post is all over the place. Pole sana.

Monday

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:07:35 GMT

What's with my mood today? It's Monday, and I didn't feel like watching my favorite shows. It's actually been happening a lot recently that I would rather just sit and do nothing (aka mindless clicking around on facebook) than watch TV or read a book or watch a movie.

I made a book list for myself last year, and so far I've read 3. I've read other book that weren't on the list though. I guess I should take a trip to the library tomorrow after work. What an exciting life that I lead.

auntie

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:49:06 GMT

I got the best news from my sister on Friday... I'm going to be an auntie!!

I can't wait to know what the sex is so I can start buying baby clothes!

In other news, I bought new luggage today for my trip to visit Libby. I bought it a few weeks (okay, months) early because I might decide that I hate it or I might find a better deal.

WINNER!

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:04:22 GMT

I got an email to day that was pretty awesome. When I saw the subject, I thought that it was another one of those scams that say you've won a bunch of money if you reply with all your bank information. It turns out it was from American Eagle, and it informed me that I was a winner of a Christmas wish list sweepstakes. Next week I'll get the paperwork to claim my $500 gift card!

I'm going shopping!!

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:40:47 GMT

It's been almost a year since my last post! I almost forgot that I had this.

A lot, and yet not much has changed in the past year.

More to come later (if I remember)

back home again in Indiana...

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 15:05:55 GMT

I arrived back in America on Feb 1.

The violence continues in Kenya.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Wii tennis elbow

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:54:18 GMT

I realized when I picking up my bags on Wednesday that I hurt my elbow playing Wii. Too much tennis and bowling.

The extra leg room on the flight out of Chicago was nice. That whole plane was nice; probably a newer one. The movies were the same as the ones in December so I slept for a few hours on the way to London.

The flight from London to Nairobi was only about half filled. Seems people canceled their safaris because of all the violence and stuff. I don't think the animals have any opinions on the election though.

Matatus remind me of Excite Truck.

another week in America? WHAT?

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 21:16:05 GMT

So... maybe y'all have been reading the headlines about the violence surrounding the recent elections in Kenya. Well those of us Peace Corps Volunteers that came to the US for the holidays have been told to stay at home another week. What's kinda funny is that when my Dad got on the computer to change my flights, he saw an email from the airline that my flight from Chicago to London was canceled!! We'd expected to pay extra to change flights but since it was the airline that canceled there were no extra charges! And my seat had been upgraded on the first flight and I get that same upgrade on my re-scheduled flight!
Pretty much, I get a free week of vacation. Nice. Bring on the football and beer.

no subject

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:15:18 GMT

I've almost finished one year of service. Whoa.

Thanksgiving was good. Went to an embassy family with a couple other PCVs. Thursday was the pitch-in dinner at the embassy compound. The highlight of the day came in the form of cold cans of beer which I enjoyed next to the pool. Then on Friday we had another turkey! I almost thought that I wasn't going to make it back in time from my doctor's appointment. The taxi driver took a detour so he'd miss the downtown traffic. What was supposed to be a 15-20 cab ride turned into about an hour of driving around and asking people for directions. Lame. At least he didn't charge me for all that extra mileage.

Saw a great t-shirt at the market today. It said, "Don't blame me. It smelled like this when I got here."
I really considered buying it, but it had a funky stain on it.

We closed school yesterday, which was a day sooner than originally planned. I think it's because there wasn't going to be enough food to feed all the kids one more day. So now I'm just hanging out and getting ready for my big trip to America.

Oh. Termites invaded my bafu so I poured DOOM powder on their little tunnels. Showed them.

I'm off to buy cheese.