Mobile terriers

Now you all wonder what a mobile terrier is and if not all terriers are mobile most of the time. Well yes, this is just another kind of terrier and it is not a dog.

A day not long ago I happened to enter a mobile phone store. You know the little hole-in-the-wall shops where they try to sell you a mobile phone. Anyway, I went with friend J because she needed to get her phone fixed (no, I am still not talking about dogs. Get your mind out of the gutter and pay attention! :))

So we went into this tiny space where there are three salespeople and exactly zero customers. One of the salespeople lights up like a Christmas tree, bounces up to me and asks if I want a new phone too.

And here's the dialogue that followed.

Salesperson in a bouncy voice: Do you want a new phone too?!?

Me: NO! (I figured that if I tried to use a firm voice and clear message sales person would understand the meaning of "no" just like children and dogs do. I was wrong.)

Salesperson not deterred but still bouncy: But are you sure?!?

Me: I am NOT getting a new phone. I am happy with the one I have thank you very much. (See? I already lost my patience)

Salesperson: But if you would get one, what kind of phone would you want?!? One with an mp3-player?!? One with a really good camera?!?

Me: No! If I was to get a new phone, which I am not, I don't want one with an mp3-player nor a camera. I would want a phone that is good for calling people. And maybe text messages. That is all. But I am NOT getting a new phone. I have Christmas presents to buy first.

Salesperson still not deterred but more bouncy than ever: So you want one that stands rough handling?!?

I felt my eyes doing a mental roll by that time. What part of "no" is so hard to understand?

Me: No! I do NOT want a phone that stands rough handling. If I would get a new phone it will be for calling people and sending text messages!

Now salesperson looks at me as if I just sprouted a new head. Apparently one has to have a phone that does just about everything. Well, if I could wish I'd wish my phone to be a gourmet cook and happy to clean windows. How's that for a phone? I'd even be willing to pay for it.

Fortunately friend J had almost finished her dealings with another one of the salespeople so I took refuge behind her when bouncy salesperson took out a calculator to calculate how much I would save from getting a new phone and how much I could talk and the benefits. I almost wish there had been a representative from Guiness world records there because I fled from that shop so fast that light would seem sluggish in comparison.

Ah yes, the terrier. I was just getting to that. In my mind a terrier is a stubborn, energetic and eager kind of dog. Much like the salesperson. However, terriers are also cute and trainable...

Nina

Seven Bookish Things About Me

Heather tagged me yesterday with this so I will try to do it. I know I'm bad at these tag-thingys but I'm working on it. :)

Rules stated I'd link to her blog, and I have, in the link list. I have just not gotten around to learn how to link in text. Anyway...

Seven bookish things about me:

1. I hate typos! If there's typos in the book I'm reading I start to think that the author is sloppy doing research also and therefore the book isn't trustworthy. This is especially important when reading textbooks or other works that isn't fiction. I do correct typos in books.

2. I hate translations! I recently read a novel by favourite author Jill Shalvis where the translator had mistaken one word for another. My guess is that it was the English "shocked" that can actually be translated into two words one meaning shocked as astonished or surprised and one meaning shocked as in outraged. This was so not fun to read. Anyway, a book, any book, loses part of its content in translation, that's just how it is so if I understand the original language I will read the book in original form.

3. I do not write in books. Anyone who writes in books violate the book. If you want to write something, find a piece of paper not attached to a spine!

4. When moving I try to put all books in the same direction. I hate it when people put books upside down in the box/bag. That is not just me being silly, it saves time when it comes to unpacking when one has as many books as I do. Also, when packing books you do NOT put them with the spine down so all the pages stick up. Stuff will fall in between the pages and ruin the book. Likewise you do NOT pack the book with the spine up and the pages down, something will press the book down and ruin it. Preferably books are packed in stacks in paper bags with a piece of junkmail on top of it. You know, the kind with the glossy pages. That way if it's raining the day you move, the books will not get wet nor stained.

5. Despise my books and I throw you out. I once knew a person who disdainfully told me I had a lot of books. That acquaintance did not last long. You got to respect a person's hobbies.

6. Like Heather I rarely borrow books from the library. I find it much cheaper to buy the books I want myself without having to bother with fees for being late.

7. I probably will always have twice as many books as I have shelf-space. That is just the way it is. I just need to accept that. And get more shelves to put books in. And get more books.

Bonus: Books do NOT belong on the floor. They are not for walking on. You do not walk on your friends eh? Maybe for a few minutes while you answer the phone or the door, but not longterm.

Um... don't know who to tag. Let me think about that for a while.

Nina

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I absolutely love Christmas so when Heather sent me a seriously cute little gingerbreadmanstamp I knew I had to start making my Christmas cards. After running myself ragged trying to find gingerbreaddough-colored paper to make the gingerbredmen out of I got down to business. Here are the fruits of my labour so far.

Gingerbreadmen on parade!

Gingerbreadmen in the making. Unfortunately the picture doesn't show their glittery buttons too good. Oh well, it's like with everything, it looks good in real life.



Runaway gingerbreadmen!

All cards were made using the gingerbreadmanstamp which I stamped on brown cardstock in black ink. Using a scalpel (no Heather, you are not allowed near the scalpel!) I cut out the gingerbreadmen. I figured I could use the "holes" too so I cut out a dough-shaped piece of paper and glued it to black cardstock. White crayon was good to make "flour" on the men and the dough. Glitterglue in assorted colours and a white pen decorated the men.

I have one exam and three keywords to write so making more cards is strictly off limits right now. If I can keep myself from it that is... :) I am still tired from the two exams last week. Oh well, I'll catch up on my sleep when I get old.

Ta ta for now!

Nina

Things I have done

I nabbed this from Heather's blog. Thought it would be fun.

Highlight the ones you've done.



01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with wild dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain (it was a very small iceberg)

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath

08. Said I love you and meant it (I tell my family and friends all the time. No point in waiting until they're dead right?)

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby's diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten drunk on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope (a bit disappointing really, but fun to have done)

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (in the middle of class once...)

27. Had a food fight (I was very little then)

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight (I live at the North Pole...)

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb

33. Seen a total eclipse (but I wasn't supposed to be looking at it)

34. Ridden a roller coaster (I LOVE roller coasters!)

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment (that happens fairly often actually)

39. Had two hard drives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states

41. Taken care of someone who was too drunk

42. Had amazing friends (I have them. All of my friends are amazing. I don't socialize with un-amazing people)

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched wild whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow

56. Alphabetized your CDs. (Why? I don't have that many. Now books...)

57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke (Every chance I get!)

59. Lounged around in bed all day

60. Posed nude in front of strangers

61. Gone scuba diving

62. Kissed in the rain (any volunteers?)

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theater

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played a Computer game for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch (how else do you make cookies?)

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo (Nope. Never. Ever!)

81. Rafted the Snake River

82. Been on television news programs as an "expert"

83. Got flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark

88. Had a one-night stand

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone (but it hadn't been one in ages. We went to Napoleon's old battlefield at Austerlitz when on class trip to Czech Republic.)

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in Rocky Horror

96. Raised children

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city (several times)

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds (and gained them again and am now losing them again)

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane (both a glider plane and one with an engine)

109. Petted a stingray

110. Broken some one's heart (how should I know? I think so though)

111. Helped an animal give birth

112. Won money on a T.V. game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced (OUCH! Not happening!)

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (does air rifle count? If so, I am quite good at it.)

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states (Since I have been in several foreign countries, but no US states I guess that would be a yes.)

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days (Nope, just two-day trips)

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi (I would do it again too. If someone would join me)

128. Had your picture in the newspaper

129. Changed some one's mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school (I seem to be doing that a lot...)

131. Para sailed

132. Petted a cockroach

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes

134. Read The Iliad (parts of it so far)

135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school and read something by them (Arthur Conan Doyle)

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions (give me one good reason to attend)

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (several times actually. It seems to happen in foreign countries)

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream (last week I thought so. I still do. I love it at uni.)

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair (but it wasn't my own booth, it was a lottery for an organization and I volunteered. Come to think of it, it wasn't a street fair either. It was indoors.)

146. Dyed your hair (Yep, several times)

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head (no, but I thought about it)

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved some one's life

It was fun!!

Nina

Blogthings...

I knew I should've never tried this... :)

You Are Spaghetti with Pesto

Compared to most people, you have complex tastes. You're a bit of a walking contradiction. You like a little bit of everything, even if the things you like don't go together. You aren't picky at all. You can find something to like about almost anything. You don't judge on appearances alone. You like to experience something before you judge it.

What Pasta Dish Are You?

And this one was fun... And probably true also. :)

You Are Strawberry Cake

Fresh, sassy, and romantic. You're a total flirt, who never would turn down a sugary treat. Occasionally you're a bit moody - but you usually stay sweet!

What Kind of Cake Are You?

Now what is it with me and pesto?

Pesto Pizza

Adventurous and hedonistic. You live for new experiences and tastes And you're not the type to have your pizza the same way twice. If they can put it on pizza, you're up for trying it!

What's Your Pizza Personality?

He he he...

You Are a Powdered Devil's Food Donut

A total sweetheart on the outside, you love to fool people with your innocent image. On the inside you're a little darker, richer, and more complex. You're a hedonist who demands more than one pleasure at a time. Decadent and daring, you test the limits of human indulgence.

What Donut Are You?

Those were fun! Now on to more important things. Like laundry.

Ta ta for now!

Nina

Crazy week

It's been a seriously crazy week. Just started new class. It was Mon-Wed all day. More than all day. 10 hrs of cramming in lectures. Statistics mostly. Could be interesting when I know more about it. Got off to a bad start on Monday, but that wasn't school-related. It did however affect my mood a bit. Oh well, I will probably survive. Tuesday was statistics day. Looked at graphs and diagrams all day. Felt like a rag when I got home and stumbled into bed. Who knew it was so tiring to just sit on behind and not do anything but listen?

I got new book yesterday, that was fun. I had a coupon, half price off on paperback novel of my choice. I think I spent 30 mins in bookstore to choose. And that was the bookstore on campus with limited options. I do not even dare to guess how long it would've taken me in a full fledged bookstore.

Today I worked a bit on assignment 1 and then went to pharmacy to get a wrist support. Wrists hurt because of too much time spent online so I got me one of those fancy supports that one can use on both hands. That's always nice. Can't afford to buy two of them. That and the fact that the hand is basically useless when having support on. It's good for me anyway. It helps. Being a behaviour scientist I have to ask if it's the support itself or the fact that wearing it makes me remember to be more careful that does the trick.

Card of the day will be one that Heather inspired with her striped card a couple of weeks ago. It lacks sentiment so far, because I do not yet know who will get it or when. There are space left for one though. Recognize the coloured paper Heather? :)

And one seriously pink one from when I had a pink-ish kind of day. I had fun with scalpel trying to cut out all those circles. It doesn't show very well in picture but the edge of the card is bubbly too.

Recent cards

Blue cardstock. Textured paper, brads, flowers and bow from Panduro. Ribbon, stamps and sentiment card from Heather. Or rather, I traced the outlines from one of the ones she sent me on paper I already had because it wasn't the right colour. The round stamp is clear and the word is a wooden one. Ink is Ballet Blue from Stampin'Up. Also from Heather.




This is the most recent card. I just finished it an hour ago or so. I got so inspired from the first card I made. I just love the Ballet Blue ink from Stampin'Up!
Anyway, here's the specs: Blue cardstock as above. Patterned paper and brads from Panduro. Leaves, ribbon and the blue square from Heather. The white square I got from printer. :) I just love the way the blue leaves makes the card look so much more sophisticated and expensive. :)