New approach & Chinese talent show

I've decided that my current day to day life is rather dull. However, I had a rather bizarre childhood and many adult adventures. Kimbo left a comment that she'd love to hear about my travel adventures. This inspired me to take a new turn in my blogging. While I may write about anything interesting that happens in my current life, I think I will start telling stories from my past. They will range anywhere from picking the brains out of a bear's skull to getting arrested in China. Many may be about members of my crazy family. There will probably be no order, chronological or otherwise. I hope this is interesting to those who may read my blog, but even if it isn't, it's time I start putting this stuff down on paper, proverbially speaking, of course.

I'll start with China. I lived in China for 5 months in 2001. It was amazing and I could go on and on about stories from China. I went over to work for a non-profit Chinese company to teach English. I got there in August and man WAS IT HOT! There was no air conditioning, so everyone spent every evening out in the park. There were hundreds of people out...children running around everywhere, ballroom dancing in one section, line dancing to Chinese instruments in another. I was the only foreigner for miles and did not know one word of Chinese. It was my first night in the park and I was wandering around just watching. I was in awe! I approached a large group of people that were gathered in a kind of circle. I hung in the back and found myself a nice brick wall to sit on. I think I had the best view in the park. I realized what was happening was a talent show of sorts. Someone would go to the middle of the group and do a fan dance, sing some Chinese Opera, or play some sort of instrument I wasn't familiar with. I was in the back, enjoying the show, thinking I was invisible, an invisible imposter in this completely unfamiliar world. I was wrong. I guess the only blonde for miles can't be very invisible. Suddenly, the crowd parted and everyone was looking at me. Remember, I spoke NO CHINESE and had no idea what was going on. Why were they all staring at me? A woman with a kind smile approached me, took my hand and gently pulled me off the wall and into the middle of the circle. All eyes were still on me. She said something to me but it was soon obvious that I did not understand. We played a short game of charades until I finally understood that she wanted me to sing. Upon this realization, I politely said no and tried to return to my comfortable wall. Have you ever tried to get through a solid wall of people who have no idea what you are trying to say? Well, I was gently nudged back to the middle of the circle and abandoned there to stare back at the masses surrounding me. Word must have spread about the blonde in the circle because the whole neighborhood seemed to magically appear to watch the upcoming show. What was I to do? Sing, I guess. So I did. The only songs I was certain I would remember all the words to were hymns. When I was done, I received generous applause and returned it with a encore (on demand of course). I'm pretty sure this won me several instant Chinese friends. So there I was, a 22 year old American girl, with no knowlege of the Chinese language, singing about Jesus Christ to a group of about 100 people with no knowlege of the English language who have no idea who Jesus Christ is. After the show, many of my neighbors tried to talk to me...albeit unsuccessfully. We managed though. They acted out words and then said them. That's how I started learning Chinese. That was my second day in China. By the end of the month, I was pretty comfortable getting around with my new found language skills. Not only that, but I became a regular with the line dancing crowd consisting of mostly women over the age of sixty.

Busy Semester

I started my last semester of law school this week. I CANNOT believe it's really almost over. It's very surreal. I have so much to be grateful for! I'm working part time at a law firm right now and I LOVE it! I am interested in the things I do. I get paid well. I feel useful and not like I'm doing busy work. I really feel like I will be prepared to be an attorney in a few months.

I'm moving out of my parent's backyard soon. I know it's time for me to leave, but this small part of me is sad. I don't understand that part. Why wouldn't I want to move? The financial part is part of it - you know...paying rent. I think the other part is that I have to move into a room and share living space with other people. I'm used to living alone and I really like that. I will be living with two sisters too, which may be a little weird. Oh well, it's time for a change.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot. I bought a plane ticket to Italy last week. I fly into Rome on May 15th and fly out of Paris on May 25th. I'm travelling with one friend, which is perfect and we travel well together.

I really do have a lot to be grateful for. Life is good. I just have to find me a man now! Ha! But who really has the time?

Jailbird got sentenced...finally!

Jailbird got sentenced on Friday. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Because of some time served credit and some weird prison time calculation, he should be out of jail in about January 2009. I was the only one at his hearing and his attorney asked me to speak on his behalf. I thought his attorney did a good job and the judge even said that she was persuasive, but in the end, none of it mattered.

I had to call his mom and tell her. That was not a fun conversation.

I know that I have nothing to complain about because I won't be spending the next few years in jail, but I'm a little overwhelmed. Aside from all the "stuff" I have to take care of...like selling his car, figuring out what to do with all of his stuff, etc., I feel a huge burden. He's going to some prison, probably not very close to here. His family all lives out of state and his friends I fear will dwindle. They had such a hard time going to see him in jail when it was fairly easy to get through the process. I really feel like I will be the only one who will stick with him. That's a lot of pressure that if I don't write or visit, no one will. It's so sad. Add the guilt that I feel for even being selfish and feeling that way and I just feel crappy. I feel selfish and uncharitable.

I'm sure once I process all this and things settle down, everything will be okay. Why do people have to make such stupid choices?

Random kiss

I guess a random kiss in front of a room full of people never hurt anyone. I have this friend, DF, who is working on his Ph.D. in Physics. Let's just say he's not exactly the player type. Last night he told me about this random chick in Ireland that kissed him last week, so today I jokingly asked if I got a kiss too. He laughed and said sure, then went on talking to someone else. Well today, at CHURCH, I was getting ready to start my Sunday School class when he abruptly grabbed my face and just laid one on me in front of everyone. It was hilarious and seriously SHOCKED me! That's really all I have to say about that.

101 Things

1. My kitchen wall is red.
2. Since 5th grade I wanted to be a marine biologist.
3. By high school I wanted to be a choir teacher.
4. By the end of college I wanted to be either a financial analyst or a stockbroker.
5. After college I became a stock broker.
6. I hated being a stockbroker.
7. Now I want to be a lawyer.
8. I prefer room temperature water over ice water.
9. I hate lemon in my water.
10. I love the ocean.
11. My dream is to scuba dive with Great White Sharks.
12. I want everyone to think I’m tough, but I’m really quite emotional.
13. I love accessories.
14. I get really bad Spring Fever every year.
15. My normal body temperature is 97.1 F.
16. Calla lilies are my favorite flowers.
17. Yellow roses used to be my favorite flowers.
18. My eyes are green.
19. I have one pointed ear.
20. I have slept on the Great Wall of China.
21. I want to travel the world someday.
22. I can roll my tongue 3 times.
23. I prefer stick shifts to automatics.
24. My favorite dessert is a Pazookie.
25. I love pesto sauce.
26. I drink milk with pizza.
27. I own my own shot gun.
28. I always remember people who don’t remember me.
29. Remembering unimportant details is easy for me.
30. Scrap booking and I will never be friends.
31. I love chick flicks.
32. I’m the oldest of 7 children.
33. Someday, I will open a battered women’s shelter.
34. I lived in China for 5 months.
35. My first kiss was at age 17.
36. My toenails are always painted.
37. Sometimes, I wear dark purple glasses.
38. I love to sing.
39. I play the piano.
40. I love bubble baths.
41. I have almost all flavors of Bath & Body Works lotion and body spray.
42. Without contacts, I am nearly blind.
43. I would do anything for a friend.
44. I’ve always wanted a pair of leather pants.
45. Someday, I will skydive, but never bungee jump.
46. I was in Men’s Choir in high school (but only as the accompanist.)
47. I’m a Leo.
48. I’m a red on the Color Code.
49. I hated Diet Coke until I started law school, now I love it.
50. I don’t like watermelon.
51. I don’t like pumpkin pie.
52. I don’t like cucumbers.
53. I don’t like mushrooms.
54. I like almost everything else.
55. I love Audrey Hepburn movies.
56. I love Broadway musicals.
57. I went to college at Northern Arizona University.
58. I have a reverse birthmark on my leg (it stays white when I tan.)
59. I have a permanent retainer on the inside of my bottom teeth.
60. I had braces when I was younger.
61. I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
62. My favorite law class so far is Legal Research & Writing.
63. My favorite undergrad class was Small Business Analysis.
64. I have a laptop named Lola.
65. I have a puppy named C.J. (stands for Chief Justice).
66. I love lightening storms.
67. I love warm, summer rain.
68. The sound of my clock ticking at night puts me at ease.
69. I can type pretty fast.
70. Sapphires are my favorite colored gems.
71. I drove a tractor once and almost ran it into an electric fence.
72. I’m not terribly athletic, but I love to play sports.
73. “10,000” is my family’s favorite game.
74. I’m allergic to walnuts.
75. My favorite dinner is Navajo tacos.
76. My favorite breakfast food is hash browns.
77. Sometimes, I write things that I’ve already done on “to do” lists.
78. I’m a night owl.
79. I’m not a morning person.
80. I love to bake.
81. I love to cook.
82. I like to eat fish, but no seafood with claws.
83. I love to laugh.
84. I have a thing for tall guys.
85. I am very blessed.
86. I have the coolest family.
87. I’ve had over 30 roommates over the years.
88. I think popcorn should only be eaten with orange juice.
89. I got arrested in China once.
90. I want to go to Beauty School and Culinary School someday.
91. Someday, I will be scuba certified.
92. My name means “earth” in Latin and “star” in an Indian language.
93. I love to read.
94. My favorite books are true accounts of people’s lives at interesting times in history.
95. People tend to disclose to me much more information than I want to know.
96. I love my job as a law clerk.
97. I love to do logic puzzles.
98. There is nothing quite like singing in a choir with people who can really sing.
99. Red is my favorite color.
100. I’ve always had a secret wish to be a dancer.
101. I try really hard, but know I have a long way to go

Walter and my dad - BFF!

Though Walter moved away, he, mysteriously, is still around A LOT! I guess my dad's helping him with some stuff. Last night I got home with my car loaded with a bunch of stuff. My family was helping me unload it and Walter decided to lend his helping hand. Afterward, he lingered and after everyone went in the house he asked if I got the note he left on my car. I said, "yeah, I did. I don't know how to respond Walter." He said, "That's okay. You don't have to respond. Your smile is enough for me."

Tonight my dad told me that Walter told him he talked to his mom about me. His mom told him that he needed to change his ways so he could get me. He also showed my dad a picture of Jesus hugging a bum and told him that's what he lives by. The best part is when he took off his shirt to show my dad the tattoo covering his entire back of Jesus face down in the dirt carrying the cross. I think that's just frightening.

PS- My dad asked me if he could invite Walter to Christmas dinner.

Comment from Toronto

This is my second entry today, but I just wanted to share my excitement with you all. I got my first comment from a perfect stranger yesterday. I thought the only people that read my blog were people that know me. It made my day!

Stupid alarm clock!

I went to bed last night at about 11:30 and set my alarm for 5:30 am. I was planning to wake up and spend a couple hours doing my last minute cramming before my final. I really needed the 2 hours. When I woke up, it was light outside, which I thought was strange because I never heard my alarm. IT WAS 7:49!!! My final started at 8:30 and I live 20 minutes from school in NO traffic. I did the only thing possible - put my hair in a pony tail, threw on some clothes straight from the hamper, loaded my laptop, sprinted out the door, peeled out of my driveway, and started crying. Only by the grace of God did I make it to my final with 10 minutes to spare...sans the extra 2 hours of studying. Again...how have I made it this far through law school?

Finals

I have a final that I'm not ready for in 10 hours and yet I'm re-reading my past blogs. Seriously, what is wrong with me and how have I made it this far in law school?

Crazy letter

I have this next door neighbor. Let's call him....Walter. He's nice enough, but not so bright and a little on the creepy side. He asked me out several months ago, but we just never got around to going...shoot! Well anyway, he told my mom a while ago he wanted to be with me forever and make little red-headed babies (apparently he doesn't know my red comes from a bottle). Well I pretty much thought he was harmless, especially after I started noticing a new woman at his house a lot. My mom confirmed he had a girlfriend. I'm now out of the Walter woods, so to speak. Or am I? So I walked out to my car Monday morning and noticed something on my windshield. I have a secret confession to make at this point. Often, as I walk to my car, I hope for some little note or card or ANYTHING to be left on my windshield. I don't know why I wish that. It has never happened...until Monday. As I approach my car, I see that the outside of the folded paper says "To my beautiful flower, Tara." It's so sad, but I knew that Walter would be the only one crazy enough to write that. I unfold the paper and find a 4 PAGE handwritten letter. Below are some excerpts:

"The reason I look for so long when you come home is because you are my sunshine. You run shyly, my heart flutters." - What he doesn't understand is that I don't run shyly, I just RUN!

"I was talking to Craig a while back and I understand how you feel about men. But I choose to be different by choice. I know how to love you." - Craig is another neighbor. While I love him dearly and have known him since I was 2, he's as crazy as Walter. What do either of them think they know about how I feel about men?

"I would like to spend more time with you and if the ball bounces right, that time could be forever." - Is he really dillusional?

The funny thing is that our interaction to this point has been so limited that I cannot even imagine where this is coming from. What do I do now? I can't possibly talk to him or face him. I wouldn't have a clue how to respond. So for now, I just hide, duck, and run to and from my car. Should I worry for my safety? Can he possibly be an emotionally balanced person?