shiningeyes

A Drive on St. Patty's Day

Yesterday, the S.O. and I spotted a white truck that was driven by a man that obviously decided to start his St. Patty’s Day binge-drinking before noon. I hung back not wanting to even drive next to him, because he nearly side-swiped every other car that did do that. We watched the guy swerving all over the highway going 80-85mph for so many miles before I insisted that my boyfriend call the Florida Highway Patrol and report him. Another truck driver that was nearby did the same thing and we both followed the guy at safe distances.

After a while, we finally spotted a Florida Highway Patrol car. I immediately pulled over to the opposite lane, so the car could get on and pull the guy over. Instead, we watched the Florida Highway Patrol turn around and go in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION!

February 21

My birthday was the Saturday before last (February 21).  I am now twenty-seven.  Below is some birthday-related astrology that I think eerily describes me in a lot of ways.  (Marked out items do not.)

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[Copied and pasted from How Stuff Works.]

A Pisces born on February 21 is acquisitive without being materialistic. Security-oriented, they seek social prestige but are generous with resources. People close to them know they can always come to them for help. They are generally fun-loving, yet they embrace responsibility wholeheartedly.

Friends and Lovers
As with most Pisceans, February 21 individuals are kind and giving. Few people have as much integrity. They are often hurt by the insensitivity of fickle or uncaring lovers. Finding someone who shares their need for commitment is the focal point of
their lives.

Children and Family
February 21 natives are impressionable, so they are likely to retain many memories from childhood — both good and bad. People born on this date may feel unable to take on the responsibility of another human, fearful of not being up to the task. But when they make a decision to have children, they turn out to be wonderful parents.

Health
The men and women born on this date have a tendency to get involved in New Age health practices. They often adopt a restrictive diet for philosophical as well as health reasons. They love food, but they prefer to substitute vegetables, fruits, and grains for fatty, high-calorie goodies.

Career and Finances
People born on this date have an affinity for artistic endeavors. They are excellent managers or supervisors. They enjoy the good things in life but aren’t fervent about getting ahead financially. This may be because things come easily to them, even money.

Dreams and Goals
February 21 men and women strive to reconcile their spiritual and worldly concerns. They have a desire to succeed in the conventional sense but aren’t willing to check their ethics at the door. Although motivated, they are not single-minded about success. Achievement means doing their best without sacrificing other aspects of life.

A Pat on My Back

I actually left the house after work on a Monday night and accomplished things!  (Oh, I am so tired/lazy/old/sad.)

• Stopped at a local Italian marketplace/bakery and placed an order for my own work birthday celebration on Friday.  I feel obligated to make my arrangements for my own birthday after I basically forced the last Workplace Birthday Fairy into retirement for always requesting weird, hard-to-find desserts.  This year, we will be having this:

• Returned tax software to Walmart (ughughugh)for my parents.  Because I was already there, I also picked up milk, half & half, sweet potato fries and butane gas.
• Got my FREE birthday burrito from Moe’s.  I am not generally a fan of their food, but free always tastes better. 

25 Random Facts About Me

1. I’m a shower singer. The acoustics are incredible, after all.  A few years ago, a preacher jokingly tried to talk me into joining the church choir by offering to install a shower on the stage. I don’t think he understood what he was implying.
2. My first internet nickname/handle was “BondGirl21” on AOL back in 1996.
3. I commute to work on a blue cruiser bicycle.
4. I’ve witnessed several KKK protests/rallies first hand while growing up in Florida. White hooded robes and all.
5. I failed my drivers test the first time around. The tester neglected to tell me I was supposed to pretend that the parking lot was actually a road, so she failed me for driving on the wrong side of the road.
6. I hate driving anyway. I much prefer walking, bicycling and subways, thankyouverymuch.
7. I think Cajun accents are sexy.
8. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an archaeologist when I grew up.
9. I started sleeping with a teddy bear when I was in college.
10. I don’t know how to do a cartwheel or how to properly rollerskate/rollerblade.
11. I tried wearing contacts once, but they ended up suctioning to my eyes and the skanky girlfriend of the guy working in the optical store had to scrape them off with her long fingernails. I decided to stick with glasses.
12. I play the piano.  I used to play the string bass.  I’m learning how to play the cello.  I also want to learn how to play the guitar, the mandolin and the digideroo.
13. Most of the books I read are either nonfiction or classic novels.
14. I lived in Alexandria, Virginia (DC metro area) during the “Beltway Sniper” incidents in October 2002.  At the height of the hysteria, my roommates and I used to either speed-walk or run from the car/subway to our lobby door.
15. In the 1st grade, I won 3rd place in a pet show for my pet - a cute fluffy baby chick.
16. I love dirty limericks and cheesy pickup lines.
17. My hair color has been red, brown, black, blond, orange, green, pink and purple. 
18. I went to New Orleans for the first time when evacuating Florida from a hurricane in 2004. I remember a conversation with a bartender there about how screwed they would all be if New Orleans was ever really hit by a bad hurricane. The bartender forgot to knock on wood after saying that.
19. I marched with clowns in a New Year’s Day parade in London, England.
20. When I was 4, I was hospitalized for inhaling poison ivy smoke.
21. I used to collect shotglasses from places I’ve visited, but I “lost” some of my collection when I accidentally put them in my washing machine! So now I just collect iron-on patches.
22. I was a lacto-ovo (no meat, poultry, fish) vegetarian for 10 years. I eat poultry and fish now.
23. My pet beagle is the best pet I have ever had. No contest.
24. My parents met in Saigon during the Vietnam War. My dad was an American GI and my mother was a young Vietnamese cashier.
25. I interned for a semester at Amnesty International in Washington DC.