Monday, July 31, 2006
oh yeah
1) My doctor doesn't want me to be vegan right now. He wants me to start incorporating eggs and dairy because he doesn't think I'll get enough protein/calcium otherwise. This does not make me very happy.
2) I went out for coffee with Shannon, who just got back from back-packing all over Europe and some of Asia. She had some interesting stories from Vietnam, Portugal, and Germany. Now I just kind of want to skip out on school and go to Europe. However, since that's entirely impossible, I'm thinking I'll go somewhere over winter break or spend the entire summer next year. Damn you, Shannon!
3) My dad gets his new car tomorrow: an orange Mini Cooper convertible. I want.
That is all.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
the daily happenings, of course.
For lunch, I made myself a sandwich with sundried tomato, sauteed portobello mushrooms, red and yellow peppers, and red onions, arugula, spinach, and roasted garlic hummus on garlic and herb foccacia. I didn't get anywhere near finishing it--food doesn't enjoy being in my stomach right now. It was kind of sad because I spent a lot of time slicing and sauteeing all of the vegetables (and I was out of hummus, so I had to make some more).. but whatever.
Then I went by ethnic fest with Dylan. It was a lot less interesting than last year. They did have a salsa group playing on one of the stages, so we went over to that and danced for a little bit. When I started feeling dizzy and light-headed, we decided it was time to go home...
But we didn't (being the awesome people that we are). Instead, we went to Auburn to Flaming Geyser state park, which has the most misleading name. The stupid "flaming geyser" is a cavity that was drilled by some coal miner in some-odd year. I guess there was some sort of natural gas deposit there. So, basically, it's a hole in the ground, covered by a metal cap (about the circumference of a manhole cover) with a hole in the middle where the smallest, most pathetic flame is creeping out. Sad. The only saving grace was that it was right next to Green River, which I jumped into fully-clothed. I think I may have ruined an expensive pair of jeans, but it was SO worth it.
I'm thinking I'm going to make avial tomorrow.. I should probably go get the ingredients tonight so that, when it comes time to make it, I have absolutely no reason not to. Wait! Maybe I'll make alcapurrias. They remind me of the island (and how tia Edie would always scoff when I asked if she would make them without meat) and it's been so long since I've had them. Oh no! I'm so indecisive!
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And just because my life is one very long punchline, one of the women who was shot at the Jewish Federation building attack was a friend of the family. Only one of person died--we're hoping it's not her (the police department is keeping things quiet). These are the times that I begin to question my faith in God.
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By the way, I bought a new microphone and downloaded skype. My username thingie is 'raynitab'. Rock on.
Oh, blogger. I've missed you. Let's never fight again..
First of all: I quit my job. Both of them. I figured that I shouldn't work at the coffee shop while I'm getting treatment because it's in a children's hospital and I am exposed to all sorts of fun pathogens there (and my therapy will weaken my immune system). I will really miss the kids, and even some of the doctors. I won't miss the job, though. I bequeathed the responsibility of being "the singing barista" to Stephanie; I hope she keeps doing it (the kids really love it, plus you make a ton of tips!!).
There wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that I was going to keep grooming dogs while I'm sick. The occupational hazards of that job are bad when you're healthy, so I'm not going to gamble with it. I called a bunch of my clients today to tell them what was going on--I still have quite a few that I need to notify. One of the clients I called was so sad. He owns a restaurant in the central district and told me that I can come and eat for free anytime I want (awww!). I've divided all of them up evenly amongst my coworkers, giving all of them glowing recommendations. So, they'd better not make me look bad. :P
I also had to go feed my sister's two cats and check her mailbox at her condo downtown. I also took this opportunity to ransom my two sweatshirts that she had stolen from me about six months ago by returning one I had stolen from her. She hid them surpisingly well (but not well enough!). She has so much random crap that belongs to me in her condo, it's almost not funny. So I'm kind of thinking that one or two of her track jackets are going to go missing until she gives me back all of my stuff.
My friends went to the mountain without me today. I was kind of sad for the first couple of hours, but I just don't think I would have been able to make it (especially after what they told me it was like when they got back). They took a lot of beautiful pictures from camp Muir--there's a ton of snow up there. I'm sure it would have been a lot of fun to play in. Once I'm well, I'm going to skip camp Muir and go straight to the summit (only three more weeks!!).
Is that all I did today..? Ouch.
Oh wait! I did a bit of shopping downtown; bought some cute golf/polo shirts and some stuff from Victoria's Secret. Probably spent too much, being that I just quit my jobs. I was in desperate need of some retail therapy, though. I also went and scoped out materials for a new bellydance costume. I can't decide on a color. The one I've been using is red (a color that I don't particularly care for), and I've been kind of leaning toward a cerulean blue or deep purple. Maybe a green one would look nice.. I don't know. I should probably go for whatever compliments my skin tone the best.
... I am so dull, you guys.
Friday, July 28, 2006
I stumbled upon..
Moonlight Shadow - Mike Oldfield
I absolutely loved this song when I was little. It may have even been the first song I ever memorized in english. I obviously didn't understand the lyrics back then, I just liked the melody. The lyrics are actually pretty depressing, now that I do know what they're saying. :( Anyway, this song just reminds me of simpler times.
Okay, guys. I will be spending a lot of time in the house for the next month and I'm in desperate need of new music, so I want some good, fresh stuff to keep me entertained. Your mission: pick some of your favorite songs, preferably ones that aren't in english (c'mon, that's no fun!), and send them to me. We'll call this the "keep Raynita from being bored out of her gourd" project. :D
I blog way too much, so I'll probably take a break for the next few weeks (the operative word there being "probably"). My goal is to be more productive: I have a commissioned dress that I have to finish (the poor girl has been waiting for some odd months), a scarf I have to finish knitting for Jose, a few t-shirts that I promised myself I woud dye and screenprint (in my defense, making the silk screens is hard)... the list goes on. Why can't I just finish what I start?
Alrighty.. It's late and I'm sleepy. I think I start treatment tomorrow, so I should probably catch a few winks.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
When mortality slaps you in the face
For those in the dark (which is probably just about everyone): I had a routine endoscopy last week. I get one about every six months because I was born with a condition that keeps my small intestine from absorbing the nutrients that it should. Intestinal cancer can also be an end result of this condition, so they always take a biopsy to make sure there are no cellular abnormalities. Obviously, everything has come back normal thus far. So, when I saw that it was Dr. Abdullah calling, I was expecting the norm--that isn't what I got.
The biopsy turned up cell abnormality. Right now, that's all it is to me. If my doctor isn't saying it's cancer yet, then it's not cancer. I'm really trying to be as optimistic as possible. He's asked me to go in tomorrow to have labs drawn, and to take another biopsy (I am not looking forward to being put under general anesthetic again) so that they can run some more tests. I should know by tomorrow evening because they're pretty speedy about finding this kind of thing out--the clock may be ticking and all that.
However, I can't help but consider the possibility that it is cancer. The prognosis is always pretty dire for this type; Everything happens so swiftly. I haven't told my parents and I won't until I find out if it is for sure. I don't want them to freak out if it's not necessary. In the worst-case scenario, I'll have my parents contact my siblings; I haven't talked to either of them in so long.
Let it be known that I don't fear death--death is a part of life. Still, I'm 18-years old and haven't accomplished much.. I hope that this is all just a mix-up. All I want is to live a full, normal life: get my DVM, get married, start a family, etc.
I have a tendency to ramble so I'll just sum the rest up: I've called in to work, telling them what is going on (the reaction that I got was almost like they had just heard I had died). I obviously won't be able to sleep tonight.
In other news: at least my dance performance went well. I was planning to start sewing a new costume tomorrow, but I guess it will have to wait. I can foresee myself being in bed for most of the day.
... This blog has been too negative, lately. I promise I'll post something goofy soon.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
First a music video, and then serious business.
(I've removed the vid)
Okay, now that's out of the way, I'd like to clear the air on something:
Yes, I am Jewish and, yes, I stand with Israel. This doesn't mean that I hate Arabs and that I like seeing them be hurt and killed. I won't even bother posting my entire opinion here because I don't have the energy right now. If you want to know, you can ask me.
On a different thread: When I was at Torah study today, Rabbi made a comment about me finding a "nice Jewish boy" in Boston when I move out there. I laughed it off, but this mindset is starting to bother me--my mother has it, too. Let me lay it down: I will find a nice boy eventually and whether he's Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, or Pagan doesn't matter to me, as long as I can keep my own faith. I can't stand the idea of trying to control who I fall in love with based on religion. .. Maybe I'll marry an Arab Muslim, just to get everyone fired up. :P
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Just a couple of things:
And then I wake up and check my email only to find a message from Katie, telling me she secured a bio spot, asking me if I have yet.
... This is a joke, right? The registrar is probably somewhere laughing it up right now.
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Okay, on with the blogging.
I didn't go to the park to run today because the temperature dipped early this morning and it would be extra cold in the shade overe there. Thus, I just ran to the waterfront and back, which is only 3 miles round-trip but hey, it gets the job done.
Anyway, as I'm running and approach a bus stop from about a block away, I see a little girl who couldn't be older than five-years old waiting there alone. It struck me as odd at first but I assumed that her mom was standing somewhere nearby and that I just couldn't see her.
As I got closer, I realized that she was alone and kind of got worried. So I crossed the street to the bus stop and started talking to her. When I asked her where her mom was and all that, she shyly pointed in the direction of a house. I asked why her mom wasn't with her and she simply told me that "mommy told me to wait here."
Worst case scenarios being what they are, I couldn't just leave her there--if it turned up in the paper that something had happened to her, it would be on my conscience. So, I told her that I was just going to wait with her until her mommy got back.
When her mom did get back, she gave me an awfully suspicious look (you're right, I'm not white, but that doesn't make me a criminal). I explained to her that this is the quiet time of the day when bad things happen and I didn't want to leave the girl alone and risk the possibility of her being abducted or hurt. ... This woman then starts to berate me for "telling her how to be a parent" and all of that good stuff.
Look, lady, I wasn't trying to lecture you on good parenting skills, but perhaps that's what you need. You were just lucky that it was I who saw your daughter first and not some pervert. Seriously, what kind of mother leaves their baby standing alone at a bus stop early in the morning when it is a very good possibility that there are weirdos about? So much for maternal instinct.
Whatever. Why can people be so stupid?
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
So great..
This probably will not happen again for a very, very long time.
Monday, July 10, 2006
A confession and some random pictues..
Forgive me, people, for I have lived and it has been many days since my last addition. To reconcile this, I will post a little bit of [hopefully] goofy and [slightly] entertaining jibberish. Sound good?
First of all, I have a terrible thing to admit to: I love Martha Stewart. I mean, I'm not in love with her (come on--focus, people!), I just love watching her show. Where else can I learn to bake a cake in a flower-pot, or use the things left over from baking to fertilize my garden? She has saved my domestic life many-a-time, let me tell you. Plus, which other household guru has had Oscar the Grouch (yes, of Sesame Street fame) as a guest?
What's even more terrible is that I have been known, on more than one occasion, to laugh at her terrible jokes. ...Okay, seriously, no more T.V. after my morning run. I'm rotting my brain.
To change the subject and get kind of... I don't know, ranty: I hate the morning news. Thank goodness that I get the newspaper because I think I would actually be dumber if I was forced to watch that drivel every morning. They just don't cover the stuff that I think is important. For example, this morning they had a story about whitening toothpaste. No, I'm not joking. Whitening toothpaste, for sobbing out loud. They never cover international news or current events--hardly anything outside the Seattle area, really. C'mon.. we're supposed to be the most educated city in the United States! Why aren't we reflecting that?
Okay. I'm done with that. Here are some random pictures of random things from a little while before Independence day to present!

This picture is from the Taste of Tacoma. It reminded me of the movie Walk on Water (which everyone should see, by the way. Go, now and rent it!)
Okay, seriously. Blogger is being stupid. I'm going to have to shutterfly the rest of my pictures. Stupid stupid stupid.
Monday, July 03, 2006
World Cup-age and ouchies.
Speaking of Independence Day, I'm getting a bit tired of all of the fighter planes that have been flying directly over my house. This morning, I was awakened by two sonic booms that rattled my windows. I would have much like to have slept in, as it was Sunday and there's really nothing better to do than sleep.
Now for the "ouchies" part: only I, Rayna the Amazing, could manage to get the worst migraine of my life right after I run out of my medication and on a Sunday, when I can't have it refilled. I've been nauseous, achy, and sensitive beyond all reason. This is seriously about the worst I've felt in years from a migraine. It's just a severe intractable pain that I just. can't. shake. At one point, it almost had me in tears. :( :( :( Please, just go away Mr. Migraine.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
I'm not usually this livid but..
The worst part: this was found out when this woman went to the pet store that Beverly's friend works at to find someone to take care of her fish while she was homeless (the apartment complex was burned down by the killer, for those in the dark on that). She was talking to the clerk (who happened to be Bev's friend) about how "that girl who was found dead in her apartment was yelling all night and I couldn't get any sleep and.." so on and so on and so on. She was complaining about Bev screaming.
The girl was screaming for her life, you cold-hearted hag! An innocent girl's existence was being cruelly snuffed out and you were more worried about being able to sleep? On a Saturday night, no less.. Have some respect for the dead!
God forbid that you ever find yourself in a similar situation. While I can't, on a clear conscience, wish that it would, I certainly don't know if I'd care if it did.
I am fast losing faith in humanity..

