Zaza gets domesticated

Yesterday I finally got completely sick and tired of eating junk food and never packing lunch for school. I decided to do something about it, and because I'm the type of person who doesn't do things half-way, I decided to cook enough food last night to last for the whole month so every day I would have healthy, nutritious and delicious food to eat.
I started out by making a huge casserole dish of rice pudding, and while it was baking in the oven I used random leftovers and made a huge lasagna casserole. While that was baking in the oven I made a big bowl of vanilla pudding. Then I decided to make muffins. Halfway through I realized we had no eggs or chocolate chips, which the recipe called for.
Not to let things get me down, I googled egg substitutes and found I could put a mashed banana in my recipe in place of an egg. As for the chocolate chips, I found a bag of truffles someone had given me that had melted together, and I shaved off chocolate curls and threw them in the batter. By the time the muffins were baking I had had enough of cooking, so I quit for the night.

To my great disappointment, the muffins were flat. Completely, totally flat. The lasagna casserole was sunken in and looked kind of dry and burnt. The rice pudding looked puffy and burnt. Oh well, I thought to myself, at least they taste good, and boy are they nutritious! Tomorrow I will finally have good food to eat at school!
The only problem was, I slept in this morning and took too long in the shower, and as I wandered into the kitchen I looked out the window and there was my carpool sitting patiently in the driveway. I barely had time to throw a few things in my bag as I raced out the door.
So I'm back to square one again. No breakfast, no lunch, and to top things off, for some reason today I put on the most uncoordinated outfit I have ever worn in my entire life (no joke). To top that off, I only have 10 more minutes before I have to go to badminton class and prove that I don't just look uncoordinated, I am uncoordinated.
Man oh man. Maybe I should just stick to things I am good at.
On second thought, that wouldn't be any fun at all. And I really wouldn't have anything to eat at school. So maybe I should try again tonight. Maybe I should get a recipe. And maybe I should follow it. That's a novel idea!
Definately not one I have tried before.

Life is hard, then you die

That is a very funny thing my Dad used to say when I was little. We would complain about something and he would say "life is hard, then you die." Somehow it wasn't very comforting.
I was reminded of it today for a number of reasons. The first is that my calculus professor was talking about a difficult integration and he said we would just have to 'bite the bullet' and do it. That was another thing my Dad used to say.
I suppose biting the bullet comes from the Civil War or something like that when men would have their legs amputated without anaesthetic and be given a bullet to bite on or something like that. Aside from the lead poisoning issue, it conjures up images of really tough guys who had the mental fortitude to suffer in silence and come out smiling.
The other reason I was thinking about such macho sayings is that our furnace broke down. The other day it must have been about -2 out, which isn't much, but when there is no heat in the house it is pretty darn cold. We had no extra blankets and our firewood was frozen solid and in the morning I turned on the oven and opened it up just so I could thaw enough to wash dishes. Our laundry won't drybecause it is too cold, either, so I had to wear slightly damp pajamas last night (along with jogging pants, socks, two shirts, a sweater and two blankets).
But I am not complaining, oh no! In fact, right now I have an old shotgun shell of my Dad's and I am biting it. Moreover, I am counting my blessings. At least we have electricity! (Even if only half the appliances work). At least we have a car! (Even if it smells like rotten milk inside, but that is another story)
As for badminton, it is going fine. We did have a tournament the other day, and I did sit on the loser's bench for the entire class, but it is going a little better than before. I am keeping my eye on the birdie, and I wear a bright red dress to class. Every little bit helps, I guess.
That is probably a life lesson. Keep your eye on the birdie.... wear red dresses... and bite the bullet.
Have a good night!

Happy anniversary, Zaza

Today is a very special day for me: 14 years ago on January 31st I was baptised. I believed in Jesus years before then, but for me that day was the day I stood up and decided to share my faith with those around me. Actually looking back it was probably pretty funny: I was very skinny with oversized glasses and freckles and two braids (I think I kind of looked like Pippi Longstocking) and I had the loudest mouth of anyone I knew. I remember going to the hospital that winter to have my tonsils taken out, and in the operating room as the anesthetist inserted an IV, I asked if he was a christian.
"Uh....no." He looked a little suprised.
"Well, you should be?"
He laughed. "Why should I be?"
"Because Jesus loves you!"
Then I fell asleep, thankfully. Sharing the gospel was one thing: being as precocious as I was is another thing altogether.
But that feeling hasn't left me. I love the Lord so much; my life would be an absolute mess without him. And I want to share his love with everyone around me. The other day I looked at my list of 47 things to do before I die (yes, I love lists) and one leapt out at me: "See close friends and family get saved who aren't already." I know, it's a tall order. But I still have lots of time to see God do more miracles!
And as for things on lists.... I have already completed a couple of my new year's resolutions: I got more piercings, I have been exercising 3 times a week, I just signed up for tryouts for women's hockey at TWU, and my french has improved a lot.
As for the timbits, alcohol, pork and chips..... well, that's another story.

Lamentations

So after that horrendous day this week... friends encouraged me by telling me that it could only get better, and other comforting platitudes like that.
BUT THEY WERE WRONG!!!!
Actually it got much much worse. I'm sure it would bore you to hear all the gritty details, but it is really ironic how wrong everything went all week. I fear I have permanently lost my sense of humor and I am desperately trying to recover it.
Just to tell you some of the highlights.....
1. I took pop bottles in to be recycled (about 900 of them) and managed to pour a whole bottle of rotten grape juice down my pant leg and into my shoe.
2. My passport that I'd sent away for 3 months ago returned (minus the $75 fee) because I'd failed to fill out the form correctly.
3. Migraine headaches 2 days in a row
4. Very horrible nightmares two days in a row, involving lots of blood, sex and gore. (You see why I don't watch tv. Real life is bad enough)
5. During calculus class my prof decided to give us a pop quiz instead of marking our assignments, and chose the integral of dx/3-5sinx. If you don't know what that means, don't worry, I don't either, which is why I got zero on the quiz.
6. I got a paper cut on my finger. Hey, this may not seem like a big deal, but after a long day full of heartache, it is pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back!
7. My research paper on cadavers is making me feel depressed every time I work on it.

Well, just the highlights, as I said. I went walking with Miriam and she tried to help me see the bright side of things. For example, at least I made lots of money on the pop bottles even though I covered myself in juice. I had to get more passport photos anyway, so this is an opportunity to get lots of them. My pants were too long and were dragging in the mud, but Mim pointed out that at least we had a washing machine to put them in.
That night my friend John-Daniel called and told me not to worry, it was okay to lament. After all, there is a whole book in the Bible called Lamentations. So I apologize to my readers, today it is Unhappy Heather's Hullaballoo and you will have to put up with my lamenting for a bit longer.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH
HHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of those days

Today was one of those lousy days when everything goes wrong from the moment you get up. It all started badly when I woke up half an hour before my alarm clock and couldn't get back to sleep....
1. I made tea in a travel mug to take to school. I put the lid on without stirring it and then thought I should mix it up, so I shook it. The hot tea under pressure exploded all over the kitchen.
2. I leaned over to put my shoes on and the safety pins holding my skirt together popped open and stabbed me in the thigh
3. I finally arrived late to my first class
4. After class I went to the lab to print something off the computer. The printer broke down.
5. I went to my Calculus prof to ask him for help with the 4 out of 8 questions that I couldn't get. He pointed out that the 4 I had already done were actually wrong as well. I left knowing less than when I came.
6. My lunch leaked in my backpack
7. After lunch I fell asleep in calculus class
8. After class I walked towards my office and there was a girl sitting on a couch nearby and as I went by I stepped on her foot and went flying.
9. Just as I finished my history class I noticed everyone was handing papers in. I asked someone what they were doing and she told me we had a paper due that day. I was extremely surprised.
10. I drove home and stepped out of the car into a mud puddle
11. After dinner I noticed a strange rash that appeared all over my feet and ankles. I hope I'm not dying.
12. And to crown off the whole day, after noticing my strange rash I decided to have a shower and while trying to reposition the no-slip mat, I slipped on it and almost killed myself.

Some days are just like that, I guess. Thankfully God is still good and gives me strength to get through the day. But the way things are going now I think I should just go to bed.
The bright side is, if I wake up tomorrow and the strange rash is covering my whole body, I probably won't have to go to badminton class.