This is way to fun to pass by...

So... here are sixteen quotes from some of my favorite movies. Let's see if you can guess them all! No googling, now! And then you do it for me, because it's fun to guess, too! Thanks to the lovely Noel for this bit of excitement! And also... this is posted on lj, myspace, blogspot, and facebook... let's see which readers can get them first!

1. I know, that I am very fortunate to have a lady friend who just happens to have an Adam's Apple.

2. It's called the Freedom of Information Act, Kate. The hippies finally got something right! Ha-ha! Just kidding. But not really.

3. Yeah, I love you. (I'll have more of this quote later... I have to pop the movie in, though, because I can't find it online, and it's my favorite part.)

4. Don't just jump off like lemmings! Take a look around!

5. Give yourself over to absolute pleasure. Swim the warm waters of sins of the flesh - erotic nightmares beyond any measure, and sensual daydreams to treasure forever. Can't you just see it? Don't dream it, be it.

6. Speak for yourself. You may be a sinner, but I ain't yet had the opportunity.

7. He tastes like you but sweeter!

8. No, no, STOP. I've waited my entire life for somebody that I cared about to tell me they loved me and if you think you're getting out of this car now, you're INSANE.

9. Too many guys think I'm a concept or I complete them or I'm going to make them alive, but I'm just a fucked up girl who is looking for my own peace of mind. Don't assign me yours.

10. Death, you are my bitch lover!

11. We're not in infinity. We're in the suburbs.

12. I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don't want to know. Some things are best left unsaid. I'd like to think they were singing about something so beautiful, it can't be expressed in words, and makes your heart ache because of it.

13. I'll give this little cookie an hour before we're doing the no-pants dance. Time to musk up.

14. Mom, I can't talk right now, I'm having sex with a white woman.

15. I want always to be a boy, and have fun.

16. I thought you killed yourself. That wasn't you?

Be nicer than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Mr. Dick Hoyt

by Rick Reilly

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck. Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars -- all in the same day (doing the Ironman Triathlon). Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much -- except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. "He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life," Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old, "Put him in an institution." But the Hoyts weren't buying it.

They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way," Dick says he was told. "there's nothing going on in his brain." "Tell him a joke," Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!"

And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that." Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker" who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "then it was me who was handicapped,"

Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks." that day changed Rick's life. "Dad," he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!" And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

"No way," Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year. Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?" How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried. Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzz kill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way," he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling" he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together. This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 -- only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time. "No question about it," Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century." And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape," one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago." So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life. Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day. That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. "The thing I'd most like," Rick types, "is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once."

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And in my best behaviour, I am really just like him.

Oh goodness. Life is not so bad.

We have power in the apartment now, which is nice. I like all my classes, which is nicer. I'm tired, but that's okay. I'm glad to be back at the day care. I love Harris and William more every time I see them, and I know they love me.

Some killer bands are going to be at Big Spring Jam this year. I'm pretty pumped about that. I had Arby's tonight, and I'm happy about that, too.

And a time for every purpose under heaven.

All human life has its seasons,and no one's personal chaos can be permanent:
Winter, after all, does not last forever, does it?
There is summer, too, and spring, and though sometimes
when branches stay dark and the earth cracks with ice
one thinks they will never come,
that spring, that summer,
but they do,
and Always.

You'd think that people would of had enough of silly love songs.

Thank a lot, Jessica. I couldn't figure out what song was in my head all day!

So... I haven't been this excited about school-- specifically college- in a loooooong time. I am inclined to believe this is a good thing. I'm especially excited at writing again. I can't believe how much I've missed it! I really have, though, and I'm ready to start again. I'm sure I'll be rusty at first, but it should come back fairly quickly, right?

At the day care last night Chris, Chris who you've heard of many a time, was pretending to race his car, and it was really sweet. He's nine now, but still rarely acts like it, and this moment of childlike playtime was nice to see... until he pretended to jerk his car to a stop and roll down the window. "Mann, why'd you pull me over?!" Then he went to "jail" and had one of the play phones and had several conversations along the lines of "Man, you better get me out of here or I'm gonna kill all you and your families!"

Sad, huh? I had asked him the night before what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he said a rapper. And I asked what else he might wanna be, should that fail. And he said a robber. If not that, he wants to fight pit bulls.

I'm going to bring him pictures of robbers and pitbulls all torn up and sad Monday, and some pictures of nice pits and firefighters and policemen, and hopefully spin things off in a good way. Once I got him talking about those last two options, he actually was more interested. Those are normal nine year old dream jobs, aren't they? Maybe some astronat pics?

So now a question, and I'm going to aim it specifically at my black friends, though I'm sorry to segregate and I value opinions from everyone: any idea how I can get this kid uninterested in this kind of behaviour? I'm not suggesting he's acting up because he's black or any such nonsense, but I am saying that he has been taught that to be a cool, to be black, he has to be a thug and he has to cuss and hit women (yes, we have conversations to that effect... he's so young to have seen that stuff...), and when he's in trouble, he thinks it's because he's black and we are white (even though half the day care instructers are black... when he's in trouble with them, he just thinks it's because they're mean, but when it's with us, it's because we're out to get him). I think I'm doing all that I can, considering what needs to be done is he should be taken out of his home, but I figured I'd ask for suggestions anyway. Surely he's not already lost in society at nine years old?

On a happier note, one of my professors mentioned Flipper yesterday, and that made me super happy. I remember that show. :)

Life may not be the party we hoped for...

...but while we are here, we should dance!

And so it is, just like you said it would be...

I got our lease extended for another month. This takes a HUGE weight off my shoulders. To much at the same time; I was REALLY close to my breaking point two days ago, but now things are stable again. Pipeline is also letting me register online now, which makes life a LOT better. I'm happy.

I'm starting to become excited about school. This came out of nowhere. I have been dreading it until yesterday, when all of a sudden I kinda thought "hmm, this could be fun." Now, this didn't cancel out the dread or the lack of enthusiasm, it's merely in addition to the negative feelings. Yes, I'm entertaining both at the same time.

I have the weirdest dreams. Last night I dreamt that I took Harris and William to Hunstville, because I was moving into a back room at the library there; I've never been to the library in my dream, but Kyle, you worked there. Then at like 10 in the evening Rosario came to get the boys and said "I thought you would have been back home by now," and only then did it occur to me in the dream that I hadn't even thought to ask if the boys could spend the night.

I saw Karen the day before yesterday, which I'm sure has a lot to do with my improved mood. After she left I went to BAM to help entertain Jessica, and I ended up staying there for like 4 hours. I bought a cheapo notebook and got a stack of cook books and started copying recipes I liked. Before that I read some more of The Five People You Meet in Heaven and I skimmed through some of my favorite V.C. Andrews books. It was great.

For a few brief moments, my whole family was at the house, and we talked in the foyer. I am so in love with each of them. Dad worries about us a lot, I think, and even though he doesn't say it very much, I think he is so proud of all of us and all that we do. Mom loves us so much, and she constantly surprises me with her support and her want for us to be happy. Lindsey is constantly changing and expanding, and she is to beautiful to keep it bottled up, so in turn the rest of us are given the chance to change and expand, always for the better. Graham thinks of us always, and his mellow love for us allows for a quiet peace that's hard to find other places. Meagan is more mature and beautiful every time I see her, and I know now more than ever that I can depend upon her as a sister and a friend; if I needed someone, she would be one of the first people I'd think to call.

I love you, Reader. Love me, too.

The trapeze act was wonderful.

Please, remember me, happily,
By the rosebush laughing,
With bruises on my chin
The time when we counted every black car
Passing your house beneath the hill
And up until someone caught us in the kitchen
With maps, a mountain range, a piggy bank
A vision to removed to mention...

That's cool with me- it's not my favorite, but I'll do it for you.

I found another song about Grace by the Bacon Brothers... thanks for the overwhelming response to that post, by the way... and by overwhelming, I mean virtually non-existent. You'd think that having a livejournal, myspace, blogspot, and facebook would keep me connected, wouldn't you? Apparently not.

The boys are asleep and the parents should be back in an hour. After that I might go to Kid Safari and get the check that's sujpposed to come for me today, though I may wait until tomorrow. We shall see. I should probably go get it when I visit Shareese (which will be soon, I promise! Sorry for being out of touch...) because I have no money and no gas.

In a rather depressing turn of events, I've lost all the pictures I had on my computer. That includes some I can retrieve (some that Lance gave me and my high school pictures) but I lost all the web cam pics I had of Stephen, which means the pictures of the kittens I had and of Richie and most importantly, all the pics from my dorm room. This makes me want to cry, and it's been like three days since it happened, and it won't go away. I guess it will. Eventually. :(

Last night I ate dinner over here (as a guest, not as the nanny!) and it was really great. I love this family. We didn't say a blessing before the meal, and that was perhaps the most awkward I've ever felt before supper. I said my own silent prayer, but it was still ridiculously weird.

Tomorrow I work from 8-4 and then I'm off, woohoo! I think they want me to split my day Friday, but I'm not really down with that, so hopefully I won't end up saying yes if they ask me to. I don't like split days.

And now, because Kyle tagged me, six wierd things! Six more weird things, rather, as you can read the first six here... or here... or here. :) Seeing as I am one very odd duck, though, I will give you some new and original oddities:

1. Sometimes I go through phases where things don't make me cry, and then I miss the tears. For a while, I couldn't even tear up without conjuring up every sad moment in my life, and even then it didn't always work. Now I'm back to normal, and a good song at the right moment can set off the sprinklers. Not sobs, mind you, just trickles, and I like that.

2. I don't locked doors. I used to think that I just never thought to lock them, but I've realized over the course of this past year that it's not that. I just don't like them. It's like locking the doors means that I'm admitting that people can't be trusted, and I don't like that thought. (I do still lock them most of the time, of course, because I don't want to feel stupid one day if I get robbed ;)

3. I love the smell of rubbing alcohol. I absolutely love it.

4. I saw this on a postsecret the other day, and I realized it could be a confession of my own... anyway, when there's a group of people together, I wonder which one of us will die first. Not really in a morbid sort of way, just a curious sort of way. And I don't do this all the time, so if we're ever hanging out and you see me zone, don't assume I'm contemplating your future non-existance.

5. When I listen to a new cd, I'm absolutely enthralled by the knowledge that one day soon, I will be obsessive about several of the songs (assuming it's by a band I like, of course). I like knowing that a song that seems foreign and usually ends up as background music upon first listening will soon be stuck in my head for days on end. I feel the same way about new places... I like knowing that streets that unfamiliar will soon be fixed into my head and landmarks will seem unnecessary (as in the move to Florence).

6. When I want to concentrate on a song or what someone's saying, I often start signing what they're saying (spelling it out with one hand, only, not all out sign). This isn't so I can pay more attention; it give my hands something to do so I don't get fidgety and my mind doesn't drift, but it doesn't occupy all of my mind.

That was the end, but I forgot that I was going to mention my trip Tuscumbia with April last week... I took her to the doc, and Landon is BEAUTIFUL and April is radiant, of course. After I dropped her off, I drove by Micah's old house. I almost drove past it. It was so weird. Years ago I could have found that place in the dark. It was still beautiful, and it made me kind of sad in a strange sort of way; I have a lot of memories from that house. Good memories, most all of them. It just got me to thinking about him and about Stephen and about various other relationships I had or almost had or wish I could have or am happy I don't have.

What a long blog! Oh my!

Fantastic French Toast!

I made some fantastic French toast... banana stuffed on raisin bread... hit me up for the recipe. ::

I should have started posting earlier... the Tomlinson's will probably be back any minute. I have so much to tell you, reader... thoughts on life... tales of my recent expereinces... I can't start them now, though, because I will surely get to caught up in them. Maybe later this evening; I think I'm gonna spend the night at my parents' house. My sister is back, hurray! I have a dentist appointment at 8:30 tomorrow morning in Muscle Shoals; I'm going to try and schedule an eye exam tomorrow, too.

Get this: I haven't seen my UNA id in months... I remember not really caring that much after I lost it because we were supposed to get new ones anyway (which I never did) and the old one doesn't work for anything. So, when I went to get my pink eye checked out, they said I'd need my id if I wanted to be recognized on my dad's insurance or some mess like that... I'm thinking this means I'ma have to wait until school starts before I can get some glasses (which I'm wanting more and more... I'm tired of not being able to see anything). Yesterday, William hands me my id while we're playing in the livng room. I guess I lost it among the toys here.

Karma, anyone? I hope so.

As if I need any more proof that there is a God and that's he's looking out for me... one little miracle after another. :)

I thought the Tomlinsons would be home by now. If they're here by 11, that will mean I've worked 12 hours today. Dag, yo... that's awesome. I need the money. 8 hours yesterday, 8 tomorrow and Thursday and Friday... at 7 an hour... $308 bucks. Good deal.

I just need 250 for an apartment deposit and 150 for utility deposit, oh, and let's not forget driving school...

and I don't want to be alone.

The double entendre that is my name.

Any additions? It's hard to search for lyrics about a person named Grace because the searches turn up about 203938 hits for Amazing Grace, plus a thousand more religious songs about grace... then there are the bands Three Days Grace and Moments in Grace... anyway, here's what I've found so far (and I've only actually heard a couple of these... yes, Gracie would be wonderful, too):

Gracie-girl - Ben Folds
Grace - U2
Grace - Robbie Williams
Grace - Jethro Tull*
Grace - Jeff Buckley
Saving Grace - The Cranberries*
Baby Grace (A Horrid Cassette) - David Bowie*
Princess Grace - Ben Graves (I can't find these lyrics to save my life)
Grace's Hands - Dave Barnes

* - indicate songs that could be about a person or the attribute... and also songs I can't decide if I like based on the lyrics

In other news, I'm at the Tomlinson's, and I'll be here tomorrow night, and I'll be working here until school starts!!! Lemme tell you, God definitely provides. Everytime I've been at my wits end this summer, struggling with money, specifically, something just seems to come up... Kelly (who has been working for them this summer) broke up with her boyfriend this week and has decided to move to Oklahoma with her parents, so I got a call this morning. Amazing.

It will be so nice to not worry about money so much. I'll still be broke, at least until I get my bank account balanced and driving school out of the way and get moved into the new apartment (still don't know where that will be), but I'll have a steady income... hurray!

I wonder where these dreams go when the world gets in your way...

Where I have been:

~Special Session
~On the Pier
~Atlanta
~AIDS Camp
~Junior High II
~Tomlinson's

Then I got pink eye, then I spent this weekend on the river, and now? Now I have nothing to do for the moment, and perhaps this isn't such a bad thing...

:)