Saturday, February 21, 2009

Chimpanzees?

Ok, so I'm not going to only start posting crazy/weird news stories I find, but I HAD to post this one - please please tell me you've seen this?

Woman's life in danger after a chimp attack

side note: i figured out how to do links! woo!


Sunday, February 15, 2009

OH MY GOSH!

Look at what I found! So ironic that this is my next post after the last one where I talked about "little people" (midgets, dwarfs, whatever.)



British Gym Replaces Dumbbells With Human Weights

Friday, January 23, 2009 | FoxNews.com

A British gym is trying to add human interest to otherwise dreary workouts by replacing traditional dumbbell weights with human ones.

The Gymbox chain gym in central London says fitness enthusiasts can now swap their usual lumps of metal for human beings in a range of shapes and sizes.

According to the gym's owner Richard Hilton, it's all about visualizing strength.

"Creating a mental image or intention of what you want to happen or feel is proven to improve physical and psychological performance," he said in a statement. "The human weight lifting apparatus ... is the ultimate embodiment of visualization theory.

The human weights range from the "Dainty Dwarf" 32-year-old Arti Shah, who weighs just 66 pounds up to the "Super Human" weight of 37-year-old — and 342 pound — Matt Barnard.









Are you kidding me?! What the heck?! Also, this is not the only news story on this thing...I googled this after I found this story to see who else did an article on it and found more! Nothing like a "little person" to brighten that workout. One of the other articles I read said that they sit there as your weight, but they also say encouraging things to help you along. Talk about some motivation to go to the gym - seriously, if ANY gym here had this, I'd join immediately.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Crazy

My mom, my sister, and I all drove down to the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama for 2 days to check out some places for the wedding we will be having down there for my dear sister in June. I never quite realize how much I love the beach until I actually get there. I always hate to leave. Especially this time - my family takes a beach trip every year (and has been doing this for about 14 years now), but this past summer I did not get to join the family. I was living in Dallas at the time, and I just didn't get to go. They ate at my favorite little local restaurant there TWICE and rubbed my face in it. I was missing my beach. BUT mom, my sister, and I ate there today for lunch....HEAVEN. The only sad thing about the trip - is that it was entirely too short. I think it would be dang awesome to live down there just during February (because it's the off season and SOOO much cheaper) one year. I want to be a local! ---yes I do realize a month would NOT make me a local...but at least I'd feel like one. haha. Ok...on to the point of this blog post today......

So we drove down to Fort Morgan to check out where the ferry comes in from Dauphine Island. My mom has always wanted to take the ferry across instead of going around - but in the last 14/15 years we have NEVER done it. We carried on that GRAND tradition and did not go for it this time either. I pretty much hate being over the water like that. I hate bridges too. I would have a panic attack on a ferry. Geez.
Anyway.....so we drive down to the Fort to check it out - usually I'm pretty thrilled about forts of any kind because I love history. This time was different though. First of all, it looks pretty creepy. Second of all, the lady taking the fees at the "gate" was strange and apparently doesn't know how to dress because every time the freakin wind blew you saw entirely too much (if you know what I mean. if not, count your blessings). Third, this lady acted like we were idiots. Fourth, she told us that some lady who tried to have a wedding at the fort got her dress all ripped up by stickers and burrs. She acted like we were just going to go roll around in the grass. As we drive off (from talking to her for like 10 minutes), she tells us "Be careful!!!" We simply laughed and said ok. And then proceeded to laugh about it some more as we walked to this little tunnel that enters the fort. (also making fun of her for saying it AND continuing to say "what the heck is going to attack us in here?!") So we go and look around the fort some...ya know check it out..all the while still laughing at the creepster lady at the gate. We then determine that this fort is no longer worth our valuable time and decide to head back to the car. We come out of the tunnel, and in effort to see where the beach actually is in relation to the fort, Mom climbs the hill that is on top of the tunnel to get a better look. Beth and I followed suit. Keep in mind we are still laughing at the "be careful!!" comment. And making comments about how that lady was crazy because we still haven't discovered any stickers. And then we hear Beth yell "OUCH!" Mom and I then proceed to laugh at her. (we really do love each other I promise) I turn around to check out what the heck she is yelling about and see this gigantic burr-like sticker. I still have no idea what to call it. It was about the size of a gumball with HUGE spikes sticking up out of it. One had gotten stuck on her flip flop. Which means it stabbed her foot. Just as I am saying "wow never saw that at all" I look at the ground to check my feet and see TONS of these things. Everywhere. They were slightly hidden in the grass so apparently that's why we didn't see them on the way up. Mom decides the best plan is to just bolt down the hill. Beth and I are super cautious the entire way down while Mom laughs about her "genius" idea. Beth and I escape (FINALLY) and we all dash to the car like these ginormous burrs are chasing us (I know. we are strange). As we are driving back by the crazy lady's station, we opt for not telling her she was completely right about being careful. About 2 seconds later my mom yells out "oh my gosh it's alive!!!!!!" and then screams and screams. She had about 5 stuck in her shoes. She honestly thought they were alive. Almost ran us off the road in her freak out. It was hilarious. I truly wish I had videoed that because it was priceless. So then a midget helped us out.**


I love my family. We are just really smart, I tell ya.





**Ok this story wasn't as funny written down as it was in person. We really did laugh about it for a while. I actually still think it's funny. But I think maybe it's because I was present for it? Anyway...I have found that any lame story needs to be followed with "then I found 5 bucks" or "then we saw/spoke with/got help from a midget" It just makes the story seem worth something. haha.


P.S. - In no way do I intend to offend little people by using the word midget in my story. I just like the word.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Annoying!

Ok. So for the past few days, I've been reading (well attempting to read) Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. It is honestly one of the worst books I've ever read. And I've read a LOT of books. Usually, I just stick it out to make it to the end of the book, but with this one, I have no desire to finish it. That is highly unusual...I'm stubborn when it comes to reading...I always finish it. Even when it's not that great. But this book is awful. Truly.

Ok, maybe it's not that bad. but it is really depressing. It's set in the 1950's and it's about this man, Frank and this woman, April. They are both unhappy before they ever met each other. April had parents who left her when she was like 3. And she only says she loves her parents because she says she loved when they came to visit - how the heck is that love?! Anyway, then she decides she loves Frank because he's nice. They get married. And have the unhappiest marriage known to man. It is probably the most depressing book I have ever read. They do manage to have 2 children. Who actually seem pretty sweet. But even that is depressing because their parents fight the majority of the time, and when they aren't fighting they aren't speaking to each other. It's ridiculous.

Not only is the story awful, but the writing is strange too. Yates jumps around an insane amount of times. It doesn't flow even in a little way. For example, the sentence starts off with Frank waking up on the couch at 2 in the afternoon completely hung over from drinking the entire night because he was so depressed to suddenly being in the past when Frank met April. I admit a little randomness is ok in a book. I enjoy it with some authors because they do it right, but Yates just seems like he doesn't know what he's doing with this book.

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'll end up loving this book in the end. Probably not because I know that April kills herself. From the very beginning of the book you know that is going to happen. It's never stated. There is just a mass amount of foreshadowing. So probably in the end I'll feel just as unsatisfied with this book as I do right now. And I'm only halfway through.

One thing that I did manage to learn so far - marriage is too serious to settle for something other than what God has for you just because you want to have someone. So good lesson...except I knew that already...it just got enforced from this massively depressing book.

Man, this post makes me sound like a major book nerd/worm. Which I am. Welcome to my world.

Also, I suck at blogging. I think of things to say and then forget about it later on when I finally get on the computer. I had one saved that I was working on, and I DELETED it on accident today. I have no idea how it happened. The cat was trying to sit on the computer. Because he's weird and he likes to do that so you will only pay attention to him. Somewhere in that insanity, the post got deleted. Maybe tomorrow I'll get around to re-doing it.

Eh, probably not. Too bad you will never know the wisdom of that post. Sad day, folks.