Today, we would like to discuss a comment made about an article in the Kansas City Star discussing the Royals (go here to read the article). We think this baseball fan brings up a very interesting and controversial subject: "is it illegal to drive with an iPod? I've heard yes and no." We would love to hear your comments on this hot topic in baseball.
News Update:
-Katie is looking for a bike at a bike store. (Although, I was scouting out a good bike route, and I found a really good route to get there, except right before 81st and Quivira there is no more sidewalk anymore. Then, I guess I could just cut onto the street and turn left at the stop light, and take a left across the street into the parking lot. Which, I guess is not a big deal, but how fast do you bike on average? I was thinking I could just ride on the sidewalk all the way there. So, now I don't know).
-Steve's hair cutter was in Slovakia, and not in Minnesota.
-The package Katie sent to Josh (her brother, though, you should know this) in the mail was returned to her without being delivered to him. Apparently, in Florida, if you are not on the lease, you may not receive mail. We do not know if this is true. We have our suspicions and Katie is rather annoyed that this happened. I'm so annoyed that this happened.
Past Event:
We did not go to City Market on Saturday because we did not feel like it. We felt like sleeping.
And now to address a bigger issue we have been avoiding: What what will happen to the blog if Katie or Amanda dies?
If we will the blog to each other, even in death it can continue.
Katie, will you will the blog to me?
I will.
I will it to you as well.
We should make vows in case that happens: I vow to always blog on Tuesdays and Thursdays 'till death should take me.
We don't even blog that much and we are both still alive.
But death would spur us on to be better people.
So, what you are saying is that if our readers want more to read, they should hope for one of our deaths?
Exactly.
Coming soon: A new bedtime story by Amanda Johnson and Katherine Schnose, a review of Atonement, and tips on how to not both buy kitchen cleaner and sponges at the store without the other roommate knowing on almost the same day so you now have 2 bottles of kitchen cleaner and twelve sponges and no cottage cheese because that wasn't on the list on the fridge.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
To the blog
Katie, what would like you like to say to the blog?
To the blog?
I mean, to the readers. €Martha says, "To the blog, to the pain." Thank you, Martha.
While we are thanking people, we would like to thank all the people who made suggestions for Katie's career. Especially, the ones who think she'd be good at teaching deaf kids to run and Helen Keller to jump rope (jobcombobulator sounds promising).
Katie, are you now considering all of these options?
Yes.
Triumph Updates:
Things are going well in the triumph point department.
Ongoing Triumphs-
-We hope Brett went to class tonight.
-Amanda has yet to begin going to Royals games, but Royals games have yet to begin for Amanda to go to, so, as far that point goes, we shall just have to wait.
-One question for Timothy, though, would 6 months of 5 days a week blog entries actually be 120 posts, instead of 80? That would make him almost 1/3 of the way through, now, which is deserving of a round of applause and the announcement of "credit where credit is due". So, if you please, wherever you are, take a moment, and give out some credit.
New Triumph-
-Katie and Jeremy are going to compete to see who can finish a crossword puzzle book first. They each have their own copy and will begin near the first of March.
Upcoming events(s):
-It is time for warmer weather.
-We will be going to City Market on Saturday, February 23 , if we feel like it. And depending on the weather. You should come, too.
Investigative Journalism:
We have found a light bulb attached to a string in our utility closet. (It is a sight to behold--my, oh, my.) This would have been helpful on that long ago morning when the power went out while someone was using her hair dryer and space heater at the same time, and needed to find the switch in a very dark utility closet to turn the lights back on in the bathroom and a bedroom.
A word about Becoming Jane:
Don't.
My review about it will be the same as your review of The Squid and the Whale.
And now, a thought of the day from Katie (different from Katie's Corner in the way that right now Amanda is typing what Katie is saying, as opposed to Amanda giving up control and letting Katie have a turn for a minute):
Maybe, when it comes springtime, I will get a bike, and bike to work. But, I don't know, can you bike on the sidewalk, or do you have to bike on the road?
I think on the road.
I thought if I could go on the sidewalk, I could find a quicker, short cut way to work.
I do not know the legal laws of bicycling.
'Cause I could be outside and it would be nice weather, and I could save some gas. I also do not know if my work has a bike rack. I'm just weighing the pros and cons of biking, here. It would take me considerable more time than driving. Though, if I was on the road, I could go as fast as a car.
You are a very fast biker.
Though, I've never biked in the street before.
I think this is a good idea overall. I give it a rating of 'good idea' on a scale of 1-5. Please, feel free to rate Katie's Biking Idea in the posting area. We are eager to see if she has support in this endeavor.
Although, my ideal way to bike to work would be on a motorcycle.
You can't have eaten your cake and wish you still had it, too.
To the blog?
I mean, to the readers. €Martha says, "To the blog, to the pain." Thank you, Martha.
While we are thanking people, we would like to thank all the people who made suggestions for Katie's career. Especially, the ones who think she'd be good at teaching deaf kids to run and Helen Keller to jump rope (jobcombobulator sounds promising).
Katie, are you now considering all of these options?
Yes.
Triumph Updates:
Things are going well in the triumph point department.
Ongoing Triumphs-
-We hope Brett went to class tonight.
-Amanda has yet to begin going to Royals games, but Royals games have yet to begin for Amanda to go to, so, as far that point goes, we shall just have to wait.
-One question for Timothy, though, would 6 months of 5 days a week blog entries actually be 120 posts, instead of 80? That would make him almost 1/3 of the way through, now, which is deserving of a round of applause and the announcement of "credit where credit is due". So, if you please, wherever you are, take a moment, and give out some credit.
New Triumph-
-Katie and Jeremy are going to compete to see who can finish a crossword puzzle book first. They each have their own copy and will begin near the first of March.
Upcoming events(s):
-It is time for warmer weather.
-We will be going to City Market on Saturday, February 23 , if we feel like it. And depending on the weather. You should come, too.
Investigative Journalism:
We have found a light bulb attached to a string in our utility closet. (It is a sight to behold--my, oh, my.) This would have been helpful on that long ago morning when the power went out while someone was using her hair dryer and space heater at the same time, and needed to find the switch in a very dark utility closet to turn the lights back on in the bathroom and a bedroom.
A word about Becoming Jane:
Don't.
My review about it will be the same as your review of The Squid and the Whale.
And now, a thought of the day from Katie (different from Katie's Corner in the way that right now Amanda is typing what Katie is saying, as opposed to Amanda giving up control and letting Katie have a turn for a minute):
Maybe, when it comes springtime, I will get a bike, and bike to work. But, I don't know, can you bike on the sidewalk, or do you have to bike on the road?
I think on the road.
I thought if I could go on the sidewalk, I could find a quicker, short cut way to work.
I do not know the legal laws of bicycling.
'Cause I could be outside and it would be nice weather, and I could save some gas. I also do not know if my work has a bike rack. I'm just weighing the pros and cons of biking, here. It would take me considerable more time than driving. Though, if I was on the road, I could go as fast as a car.
You are a very fast biker.
Though, I've never biked in the street before.
I think this is a good idea overall. I give it a rating of 'good idea' on a scale of 1-5. Please, feel free to rate Katie's Biking Idea in the posting area. We are eager to see if she has support in this endeavor.
Although, my ideal way to bike to work would be on a motorcycle.
You can't have eaten your cake and wish you still had it, too.
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Sperm and The Whale
Katie had the worst day of her life.
not quite that bad
Well, it was pretty bad. Now, she is laying on the couch with her eyes closed. Oh, now she is talking, and seeming better. That is a good sign. Whew.
The good news about my day is that I thought I was going to have to be there late, but I didn't.
Please help us define "transmission" as referring to Katie's work. A lady felt very strongly about it today, saying they had sent one to Katie's work. Ah, perhaps it has something to do with "transmitting", Katie thinks.
Question: What is a good new job for Katie? Please leave ideas in the comments. She would like:
1. Something perhaps outside at times
2. Something with projects
3. Something with a desk at times and without one as well
4.Oh, and something without stupid people on the phone. No phone.
That is all about that.
News Update:
Katie has found her phone headphones that she lost so long ago about month ago. She purchased new ones since then, but hates them, so hoorah for finding the old ones.
And now our real thoughts on The Sperm and the Whale.
Actually, it's The Squid and the Whale, but we can hear your thoughts on The Sperm and The Whale as well.
Okay, Katie, what are your thoughts, since I haven't seen the movie?
I thought it was an interesting movie. I don't have much experience with divorce, so I didn't relate to the situation very well. But anyone, and a lot people, probably would.
Did you like the action sequences?
Very riveting.
How about the special effects?
Oh, they were okay.
And what about the character development?
Well, I think the only one who really changes is the oldest son.
How does he change?
He kind of has his opinion about everything, and towards the end, he steps back and sees the situation more clearly.
How did the movie make you feel?
Kind of, a little sad, a little depressed, a little like "oh, that was interesting", a little like hmm.
And in the future, I shall someday watch this movie, if I feel like it.
And that folks is the review of The Squid and The Whale.
And now about Bunicula. Well, Katie hadn't even heard of such a thing, so I had to fill her in and I hardly know a thing as well. It's a bunny who is a vampire. He likes to suck the juices out of vegetables and leaves tiny, cute bunny-vampiric holes in celery and carrots for people to find and be curious about. . . Adam, what the heck made you think of Bunicula? We feel Denmark is messing with your wits. In the future, we should have reading time of this particular tale for all to know and learn of such things.
(We would like to commend Adam for reading our blog, even in Denmark).
And now to quote Katie quoting James 1:1 in the NASB "James Bond, a servant of God. . ."
You might think we forgot to mention one idea from the posts, the one I am referring to is Juliet's thoughts on the best yells from Robin Hood--A clue. No, we did not. We shall be reviewing the tapes, and you will soon know our thoughts. But yes, "This is an ambush!" is high on the list. Could you please specify if the calls must come from Robin Hood himself, or from the show in general. Thank you.
And now we are going to try an experiment. . . We call it "Interview of Brett-A Test".
not quite that bad
Well, it was pretty bad. Now, she is laying on the couch with her eyes closed. Oh, now she is talking, and seeming better. That is a good sign. Whew.
The good news about my day is that I thought I was going to have to be there late, but I didn't.
Please help us define "transmission" as referring to Katie's work. A lady felt very strongly about it today, saying they had sent one to Katie's work. Ah, perhaps it has something to do with "transmitting", Katie thinks.
Question: What is a good new job for Katie? Please leave ideas in the comments. She would like:
1. Something perhaps outside at times
2. Something with projects
3. Something with a desk at times and without one as well
4.Oh, and something without stupid people on the phone. No phone.
That is all about that.
News Update:
Katie has found her phone headphones that she lost so long ago about month ago. She purchased new ones since then, but hates them, so hoorah for finding the old ones.
And now our real thoughts on The Sperm and the Whale.
Actually, it's The Squid and the Whale, but we can hear your thoughts on The Sperm and The Whale as well.
Okay, Katie, what are your thoughts, since I haven't seen the movie?
I thought it was an interesting movie. I don't have much experience with divorce, so I didn't relate to the situation very well. But anyone, and a lot people, probably would.
Did you like the action sequences?
Very riveting.
How about the special effects?
Oh, they were okay.
And what about the character development?
Well, I think the only one who really changes is the oldest son.
How does he change?
He kind of has his opinion about everything, and towards the end, he steps back and sees the situation more clearly.
How did the movie make you feel?
Kind of, a little sad, a little depressed, a little like "oh, that was interesting", a little like hmm.
And in the future, I shall someday watch this movie, if I feel like it.
And that folks is the review of The Squid and The Whale.
And now about Bunicula. Well, Katie hadn't even heard of such a thing, so I had to fill her in and I hardly know a thing as well. It's a bunny who is a vampire. He likes to suck the juices out of vegetables and leaves tiny, cute bunny-vampiric holes in celery and carrots for people to find and be curious about. . . Adam, what the heck made you think of Bunicula? We feel Denmark is messing with your wits. In the future, we should have reading time of this particular tale for all to know and learn of such things.
(We would like to commend Adam for reading our blog, even in Denmark).
And now to quote Katie quoting James 1:1 in the NASB "James Bond, a servant of God. . ."
You might think we forgot to mention one idea from the posts, the one I am referring to is Juliet's thoughts on the best yells from Robin Hood--A clue. No, we did not. We shall be reviewing the tapes, and you will soon know our thoughts. But yes, "This is an ambush!" is high on the list. Could you please specify if the calls must come from Robin Hood himself, or from the show in general. Thank you.
And now we are going to try an experiment. . . We call it "Interview of Brett-A Test".
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Ending
We would like to begin today with a suggestion for those of you who comment on our blog (and those of you who don't but should).
But, before we begin with that, we shall begin with this. We would like to give credit where credit is due to Jake for eating the cake with the black frosting. For those of us who witnessed this, it was great, and for those who didn't, you missed out.
That is the end of the interruption to the beginning of today's post. Back to the suggestion: When you make a comment, you might think of something you would like to read about in our blog. If you make a good suggestion we will consider it and discuss our thoughts, feelings, and even future actions on your subject. If you don't make a good suggestion, we will of course publicly humiliate you for all the world to see. So, if you feel so bold, get to writing.
And now, the rest of the story:
That evening, after a good long run on the treadmill, Katie went into the bathroom to take a late in the day shower. A moment not too long after this, Amanda walked into the apartment. As you may remember, our two main characters last left each other in not the best of terms. They had quarreled that morning; nothing had yet been resolved, and Amanda felt a bit hesitant to talk to Katie, not knowing if she'd still be angry with her. Hearing the shower running, Amanda thought, Hmm, Katie must be in the shower. If Katie had heard Amanda's thoughts€, she might have said, rather sarcastically,"You're the smartest!" and their tiff may have been further deepened. Thankfully, Katie didn't know how to read minds, so Amanda was allowed to keep her thoughts, obvious as they may be, to herself.
Kicking her shoes off, Amanda turned on an episode of Robin Hood of the BBC, and started making some taco salad, knowing the combination would be a sure fire way to win over her roommate, and hopefully put to rest the early morning's harsh words.
Deep in the heart of the bathroom, Katie suddenly screamed. Amanda, greatly concerned, ran to the bathroom door to find out what had caused Katie's shriek. Knocking loudly, Amanda yelled, "Katie?! Are you okay?"
Katie's voice came through the thin bathroom door, "I just read on the white board in here that the giraffe vomited. That's disgusting."
"Oh. I thought you had died or perhaps been hurt. But, you're fine, though?"
"Yes. But can a giraffe vomit? I mean, look at their necks. They'd have to puke it all the way up their throat, and out their mouth. That'd have to be some strong reflexive throat muscles."
Amanda smiled. It seemed that Katie wasn't hurt and, from the light hearted tone Katie was taking, that their friendship was on the mend. "Good point. By the way, I'm making. . . " Amanda was about to say "By the way, I'm making taco salad for us to eat for dinner while we watch an Episode of BBC Robin Hood," but before she could finish, Katie let out another, only more shriekier and much louder than before, cry of alarm.
"Katie?!" Amanda gripped the door knob to the bathroom.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" came Katie's reply, along with the sound of spraying water. Seeing there was nothing she could do for her friend from the hallway, Amanda burst into the tiny bathroom. What she saw startled her beyond what any story of an animal with an extremely long neck upchucking could do.
The faucet was on full blast, so high powered that the water in the sink shot up and into Katie's face. Katie, in her lovely, blue fleece robe that her mother had given her for Christmas, was unable to see to move away from the bursting water, and because of this, was slowly being drowned in her own bathroom.
Amanda, not aware that the faucet seethed with murderous intentions, reached towards the nozzles to turn off the water, but as she did so, the faucet increased the pressure coming through its mouth (for that is what the spout is to a faucet--its mouth), and hit Amanda in the face, full force, as well as the bathroom door, slamming it shut, keeping both girls from escaping.
The two roommates struggled to shield their faces from the pounding water coming at them from their bathroom sink (more accurately, their bathroom faucet) without any success.
Feeling it was winning the battle rather easily, and enjoying this feeling of victory, the faucet smiled to itself (which it was able to do while spurting water all over the two roommates, for a faucet never closes its mouth, not even to chew--rude, yes indeed, but true--because a faucet has no nasal passages, and cannot breathe if it doesn't keep its mouth open). The faucet thought darkly, Now, I will be able to have peace and quiet, without blow dryers, power outages, and yelling voices in the morning. I have defeated the two who have invaded my place of dwelling, and I shall live on as the most intelligent. . ." The faucet, who was in the middle of thinking, "as the most intelligent, bilingual water faucet of them all," felt its mouth suddenly clogged, and the water, which had been spewing forth in such strong gusts, unable to come forth any more.
Amanda and Katie, their eyes still blinded by the onslaught of water that had been aimed at their faces, squinted at each other.
"Kate, was that you who stopped the water?" Amanda pulled the collar of her shirt up to wipe her dripping eyes, which did little to dry anything, considering it was as completely drenched as the rest of her.
"No. What the heck happened? I was in here, getting ready to blow dry my hair, when, without any warning, I got a face full of water, and I couldn't see or breathe."
"I don't know," Amanda bent over the sink, and eyed the faucet carefully. "But look," she said pointing at something hanging out of the faucet.
Katie leaned closer to the sink, and saw what Amanda had first noticed. The cord to the hair dryer that she'd been about to use, but had not yet plugged in, was folded over and stuck inside the faucet's mouth.
"How in the crap did that happen?" Katie asked, as she grabbed both the cold and hot water taps and turned them all the way off. "There's no way the cord could have made it's way in there while that water was blasting at us. The pressure was so freaking strong."
Nodding in agreement, Amanda reached under the sink and turned off the water valve, afraid of what would happen if the blow dryer slipped out of its current place of water-stoppage. "I don't know how, but thank goodness it did, or who knows what would have happened. I think I'll go call maintenance. You'd better not stay in here, just in case, until someone comes to fix it. How about some taco salad and Robin Hood?" Both roommates left the bathroom together, thinking how blessed they were that by some fluke, their lives had been saved by an electric hair dryer.
But, unbeknown to them, that "fluke" of a hair dryer had been sitting on the counter, next to the bathroom sink all day listening to the faucet murmur its plans to kill both girls that evening. Not being the violent type, and also having had time to grow fond of the girls (since the day the electricity had gone out and rendered Katie's old hair dryer useless, and they'd both started sharing Amanda's), this royal blue hair dryer had decided$€€€it's duty was to protect the unsuspecting duo from being killed by The Killer (as the faucet was known in Mid-World), and had kept it's guard up all day and into the evening, ready to do what was needed to prevent any harm from being done to the two girls. As the hair dryer hung with it's cord in the faucet's dead mouth (for the faucet had suffocated to death, having no way to breath with it's mouth completely stuffed, and no nasal passage for air to flow through), it thought sadly, but proudly, how the two roommates would never know how it'd saved their lives.
As Amanda and Katie watched "Who Shot the Sheriff?", while eating a bowl full of lettuce and taco meat with salsa and sour cream with cheddar cheese, the apartment's emergency maintenance man changed the water fixture in their bathroom sink. The new faucet slid gently into place, as the old one lay on the floor, unmoving. Coming out of the bathroom, the maintenance guy brought out the fixture pieces, including the dead faucet. "Well, I got this one off, and put in the new one. Don't know why it acted all funny. I think the knobs were lose or something. Your water pressure is fine now, and I don't think you have anything more to worry about. Anyhow, sorry 'bout this mess. For your trouble, we'll get the ozone machine back here for you to keep, so the cigarette smell in the bathroom will be taken care of for good. It's the least we can do after this mayhem. " He walked towards the door, and then stopped, and added, "Oh, I couldn't get your hair dyer out of the spout. I had to cut the cord. We'll pay for a new one of those. It was stuck in there really good. You must have pushed hard to get it in there. Real genius move. Don't know what else would have worked quite so well." He laid the hair dryer and the sliced cord on the brown corduroy ottoman in the living room and left.
Amanda and Katie looked at the hair dryer for a moment, both wondering again how in the world it had gotten stuffed into the spigot (which is another name for faucet, but not a very nice one).
"Want to go to Costco and get another hair dryer tomorrow night?" Katie asked Amanda, as she started on a cottage cheese cup.
"Sure. I want to see if they have a green one."
"Cool. I liked the black one I had awhile back. I think I'll see if they have one like it."
Amanda smiled sadly, and turned back to the TV, "You know, I almost feel guilty getting another hair dryer, though. It's kind of like this one saved our lives."
Katie tilted her head to the side for a moment, considering what Amanda said, "Yeah, you're right. You know what, I wonder if someone could fix this one. I mean, that might sound silly, but what do you think?"
"Yeah, let's ask our dads or someone. I'm sure it can be done. And it's not silly. I think it's quite fitting."
Two days later, the two roommates were able to mend their blue hair dryer that had indeed saved their lives, but it never quite worked the same way as before the incident with the murderous faucet. So, they had gone to Costco and bought a black one and a green one for everyday use. The roommates never threw away the royal blue hair dryer, though. It sat on the side of the sink, waiting for another day, when it might be needed again to save their lives.
The End of Was there a Journey, After All? by Amanda Johnson and Katherine Schnose.
Well, good and faithful readers, I hope you enjoyed that tale. Katie seemed to be enjoying it while I typed it, but soon fell asleep. I'm not sure if that is a sign of the lack of interestingness in the story, but alas, I have no way of knowing now that she's gone to bed. But she gave me her blessing to post--so, no solo posting going on tonight! Have a red Valentine's Day. Goodnight all.
(One last comment: On my way to bed after writing this, I was frightened by the darkened bathroom as I passed it by. For a brief moment, I wondered why, and then remembered what I had just been doing, and thought, wow, I've gone and scared myself. Well done to bravery. I'll admit it, my bedroom door is closed tightly now. You can never be too careful when there are killer faucets about.)
But, before we begin with that, we shall begin with this. We would like to give credit where credit is due to Jake for eating the cake with the black frosting. For those of us who witnessed this, it was great, and for those who didn't, you missed out.
That is the end of the interruption to the beginning of today's post. Back to the suggestion: When you make a comment, you might think of something you would like to read about in our blog. If you make a good suggestion we will consider it and discuss our thoughts, feelings, and even future actions on your subject. If you don't make a good suggestion, we will of course publicly humiliate you for all the world to see. So, if you feel so bold, get to writing.
And now, the rest of the story:
That evening, after a good long run on the treadmill, Katie went into the bathroom to take a late in the day shower. A moment not too long after this, Amanda walked into the apartment. As you may remember, our two main characters last left each other in not the best of terms. They had quarreled that morning; nothing had yet been resolved, and Amanda felt a bit hesitant to talk to Katie, not knowing if she'd still be angry with her. Hearing the shower running, Amanda thought, Hmm, Katie must be in the shower. If Katie had heard Amanda's thoughts€, she might have said, rather sarcastically,"You're the smartest!" and their tiff may have been further deepened. Thankfully, Katie didn't know how to read minds, so Amanda was allowed to keep her thoughts, obvious as they may be, to herself.
Kicking her shoes off, Amanda turned on an episode of Robin Hood of the BBC, and started making some taco salad, knowing the combination would be a sure fire way to win over her roommate, and hopefully put to rest the early morning's harsh words.
Deep in the heart of the bathroom, Katie suddenly screamed. Amanda, greatly concerned, ran to the bathroom door to find out what had caused Katie's shriek. Knocking loudly, Amanda yelled, "Katie?! Are you okay?"
Katie's voice came through the thin bathroom door, "I just read on the white board in here that the giraffe vomited. That's disgusting."
"Oh. I thought you had died or perhaps been hurt. But, you're fine, though?"
"Yes. But can a giraffe vomit? I mean, look at their necks. They'd have to puke it all the way up their throat, and out their mouth. That'd have to be some strong reflexive throat muscles."
Amanda smiled. It seemed that Katie wasn't hurt and, from the light hearted tone Katie was taking, that their friendship was on the mend. "Good point. By the way, I'm making. . . " Amanda was about to say "By the way, I'm making taco salad for us to eat for dinner while we watch an Episode of BBC Robin Hood," but before she could finish, Katie let out another, only more shriekier and much louder than before, cry of alarm.
"Katie?!" Amanda gripped the door knob to the bathroom.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" came Katie's reply, along with the sound of spraying water. Seeing there was nothing she could do for her friend from the hallway, Amanda burst into the tiny bathroom. What she saw startled her beyond what any story of an animal with an extremely long neck upchucking could do.
The faucet was on full blast, so high powered that the water in the sink shot up and into Katie's face. Katie, in her lovely, blue fleece robe that her mother had given her for Christmas, was unable to see to move away from the bursting water, and because of this, was slowly being drowned in her own bathroom.
Amanda, not aware that the faucet seethed with murderous intentions, reached towards the nozzles to turn off the water, but as she did so, the faucet increased the pressure coming through its mouth (for that is what the spout is to a faucet--its mouth), and hit Amanda in the face, full force, as well as the bathroom door, slamming it shut, keeping both girls from escaping.
The two roommates struggled to shield their faces from the pounding water coming at them from their bathroom sink (more accurately, their bathroom faucet) without any success.
Feeling it was winning the battle rather easily, and enjoying this feeling of victory, the faucet smiled to itself (which it was able to do while spurting water all over the two roommates, for a faucet never closes its mouth, not even to chew--rude, yes indeed, but true--because a faucet has no nasal passages, and cannot breathe if it doesn't keep its mouth open). The faucet thought darkly, Now, I will be able to have peace and quiet, without blow dryers, power outages, and yelling voices in the morning. I have defeated the two who have invaded my place of dwelling, and I shall live on as the most intelligent. . ." The faucet, who was in the middle of thinking, "as the most intelligent, bilingual water faucet of them all," felt its mouth suddenly clogged, and the water, which had been spewing forth in such strong gusts, unable to come forth any more.
Amanda and Katie, their eyes still blinded by the onslaught of water that had been aimed at their faces, squinted at each other.
"Kate, was that you who stopped the water?" Amanda pulled the collar of her shirt up to wipe her dripping eyes, which did little to dry anything, considering it was as completely drenched as the rest of her.
"No. What the heck happened? I was in here, getting ready to blow dry my hair, when, without any warning, I got a face full of water, and I couldn't see or breathe."
"I don't know," Amanda bent over the sink, and eyed the faucet carefully. "But look," she said pointing at something hanging out of the faucet.
Katie leaned closer to the sink, and saw what Amanda had first noticed. The cord to the hair dryer that she'd been about to use, but had not yet plugged in, was folded over and stuck inside the faucet's mouth.
"How in the crap did that happen?" Katie asked, as she grabbed both the cold and hot water taps and turned them all the way off. "There's no way the cord could have made it's way in there while that water was blasting at us. The pressure was so freaking strong."
Nodding in agreement, Amanda reached under the sink and turned off the water valve, afraid of what would happen if the blow dryer slipped out of its current place of water-stoppage. "I don't know how, but thank goodness it did, or who knows what would have happened. I think I'll go call maintenance. You'd better not stay in here, just in case, until someone comes to fix it. How about some taco salad and Robin Hood?" Both roommates left the bathroom together, thinking how blessed they were that by some fluke, their lives had been saved by an electric hair dryer.
But, unbeknown to them, that "fluke" of a hair dryer had been sitting on the counter, next to the bathroom sink all day listening to the faucet murmur its plans to kill both girls that evening. Not being the violent type, and also having had time to grow fond of the girls (since the day the electricity had gone out and rendered Katie's old hair dryer useless, and they'd both started sharing Amanda's), this royal blue hair dryer had decided$€€€it's duty was to protect the unsuspecting duo from being killed by The Killer (as the faucet was known in Mid-World), and had kept it's guard up all day and into the evening, ready to do what was needed to prevent any harm from being done to the two girls. As the hair dryer hung with it's cord in the faucet's dead mouth (for the faucet had suffocated to death, having no way to breath with it's mouth completely stuffed, and no nasal passage for air to flow through), it thought sadly, but proudly, how the two roommates would never know how it'd saved their lives.
As Amanda and Katie watched "Who Shot the Sheriff?", while eating a bowl full of lettuce and taco meat with salsa and sour cream with cheddar cheese, the apartment's emergency maintenance man changed the water fixture in their bathroom sink. The new faucet slid gently into place, as the old one lay on the floor, unmoving. Coming out of the bathroom, the maintenance guy brought out the fixture pieces, including the dead faucet. "Well, I got this one off, and put in the new one. Don't know why it acted all funny. I think the knobs were lose or something. Your water pressure is fine now, and I don't think you have anything more to worry about. Anyhow, sorry 'bout this mess. For your trouble, we'll get the ozone machine back here for you to keep, so the cigarette smell in the bathroom will be taken care of for good. It's the least we can do after this mayhem. " He walked towards the door, and then stopped, and added, "Oh, I couldn't get your hair dyer out of the spout. I had to cut the cord. We'll pay for a new one of those. It was stuck in there really good. You must have pushed hard to get it in there. Real genius move. Don't know what else would have worked quite so well." He laid the hair dryer and the sliced cord on the brown corduroy ottoman in the living room and left.
Amanda and Katie looked at the hair dryer for a moment, both wondering again how in the world it had gotten stuffed into the spigot (which is another name for faucet, but not a very nice one).
"Want to go to Costco and get another hair dryer tomorrow night?" Katie asked Amanda, as she started on a cottage cheese cup.
"Sure. I want to see if they have a green one."
"Cool. I liked the black one I had awhile back. I think I'll see if they have one like it."
Amanda smiled sadly, and turned back to the TV, "You know, I almost feel guilty getting another hair dryer, though. It's kind of like this one saved our lives."
Katie tilted her head to the side for a moment, considering what Amanda said, "Yeah, you're right. You know what, I wonder if someone could fix this one. I mean, that might sound silly, but what do you think?"
"Yeah, let's ask our dads or someone. I'm sure it can be done. And it's not silly. I think it's quite fitting."
Two days later, the two roommates were able to mend their blue hair dryer that had indeed saved their lives, but it never quite worked the same way as before the incident with the murderous faucet. So, they had gone to Costco and bought a black one and a green one for everyday use. The roommates never threw away the royal blue hair dryer, though. It sat on the side of the sink, waiting for another day, when it might be needed again to save their lives.
The End of Was there a Journey, After All? by Amanda Johnson and Katherine Schnose.
Well, good and faithful readers, I hope you enjoyed that tale. Katie seemed to be enjoying it while I typed it, but soon fell asleep. I'm not sure if that is a sign of the lack of interestingness in the story, but alas, I have no way of knowing now that she's gone to bed. But she gave me her blessing to post--so, no solo posting going on tonight! Have a red Valentine's Day. Goodnight all.
(One last comment: On my way to bed after writing this, I was frightened by the darkened bathroom as I passed it by. For a brief moment, I wondered why, and then remembered what I had just been doing, and thought, wow, I've gone and scared myself. Well done to bravery. I'll admit it, my bedroom door is closed tightly now. You can never be too careful when there are killer faucets about.)
Friday, February 8, 2008
As it should be
we begin today on a sad note. my former roommate is no more.
true, it is sad, but when you violate the unwritten and generally assumed rules of team blogging effort, you have to face the consequences. even if they at first seem a little more severe than necessary.
ok so that was false she is not actually gone, just recovering from a sound beating. perhaps i may unshun her long enough that she can say a few words in today's post.
Some more story:
As you may recall, when we last left our heroines, they had narrowly escaped the killer faucet, and had just left the bathroom.
Stay tuned for next week's conclusion of The Impossibly Long Journey Home by Amanda Johnson and Katherine Schnose.
Triumph Updates:
We have rather exciting news. There is not one point trying to be earned, nor just two, there are three and a half Triumph points up for attainability.
1) Timothy posted in the posting area (a rather good place to leave a post, if you ask us) that, let's quote him, "I hereby propose a challenge for a triumph point: Consecutive weekdays blogging. I propose that 6 months (that is, 80 week daily posts) would constitute a triumph. Multiple posts in a single day would not count." So, Timothy, if you accomplish this, you shall earn a Triumph. Go on your way.
2)Brett is being challenged by everyone to attend each of his Monday night classes through this semester. If he makes it to all of them (unless we allow a skippage that is, and only if we allow it) he will earn a Triumph point. He has so far been to two (three?), so he has a long, long, long, long, long, long way to go.
3)And finally, Katie has given Amanda a choice: either go to at least 2 Royals games a month this season, or do not gain a Triumph. Amanda is choosing to gain a Triumph. (See, it isn't that Amanda doesn't love to go to Royals games, she does. It's just that there are lots of people there, and lots of people are exhausting, and after working all day, she doesn't want exhausting. But enough complaining, she will go-->).
31/2)The half point is a Triumph in the making. More on this later. But it will be between two roommates who you might know, and if you do not know them, perhaps you shouldn't be reading this blog, creep. . .
katie's corner
well i for one am glad that people have decided to step up and try to achieve such wonderful goals. triumphs do not come easily but we are never too busy to give credit where it is due, so i wanted to take a moment to encourage all of you young triumph hopefuls in the beginning of a great journey. i know on that glorious october day when the fist triumph point was awarded to me i felt like i had accomplished something great. i mean think of it to be the first person to triumph over another and start a craze that spirals almost out of control. defeating another person to show undeniably that you are superior is very fulfilling. even in my second triumph, which was not against another person, the evident awe in people's voice when the mention your name is unmistakable. an honor this special does not come around everyday but it is sure to stretch on through the ages so that generations from now we will be remembered for our accomplishments. in conclusion, i say strive on all who aspire to the sort of success that has marked many a day of my life.
Coming Soon: A day in the life of Katie or Amanda, a cookie for Jill for figuring out the crossword's trickiness, and a rumor about Asian Lawn Party the Sequel.
Amanda's Anecdotes and Antidotes:
First off, you might think I wanted to say it is good to have Katie back. You would be correct. So, good job there.
Secondly, when I started typing just now, here at the end of this post, I intended to change the font to green when I was finished--but, amazingly enough, green it became on its own! Wonder on that for a while.
Three.) Recommended reading: Anyone who hasn't read Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series should do so now. I am on book three and it is brilliant. If you haven't started them or are on books 1-3, and you finish them before me, you shall gain a Triumph. Added bonus: I shall be reading all seven books, plus Hearts in Atlantis and Insomnia (before book 5, which is what Timothy has told me to do). If you choose to add these books, and don't finish before me (because I do have a bit of a head start here), the you will automatically gain a Triumph. If you have read them already, then good.
true, it is sad, but when you violate the unwritten and generally assumed rules of team blogging effort, you have to face the consequences. even if they at first seem a little more severe than necessary.
ok so that was false she is not actually gone, just recovering from a sound beating. perhaps i may unshun her long enough that she can say a few words in today's post.
Some more story:
As you may recall, when we last left our heroines, they had narrowly escaped the killer faucet, and had just left the bathroom.
Stay tuned for next week's conclusion of The Impossibly Long Journey Home by Amanda Johnson and Katherine Schnose.
Triumph Updates:
We have rather exciting news. There is not one point trying to be earned, nor just two, there are three and a half Triumph points up for attainability.
1) Timothy posted in the posting area (a rather good place to leave a post, if you ask us) that, let's quote him, "I hereby propose a challenge for a triumph point: Consecutive weekdays blogging. I propose that 6 months (that is, 80 week daily posts) would constitute a triumph. Multiple posts in a single day would not count." So, Timothy, if you accomplish this, you shall earn a Triumph. Go on your way.
2)Brett is being challenged by everyone to attend each of his Monday night classes through this semester. If he makes it to all of them (unless we allow a skippage that is, and only if we allow it) he will earn a Triumph point. He has so far been to two (three?), so he has a long, long, long, long, long, long way to go.
3)And finally, Katie has given Amanda a choice: either go to at least 2 Royals games a month this season, or do not gain a Triumph. Amanda is choosing to gain a Triumph. (See, it isn't that Amanda doesn't love to go to Royals games, she does. It's just that there are lots of people there, and lots of people are exhausting, and after working all day, she doesn't want exhausting. But enough complaining, she will go-->).
31/2)The half point is a Triumph in the making. More on this later. But it will be between two roommates who you might know, and if you do not know them, perhaps you shouldn't be reading this blog, creep. . .
katie's corner
well i for one am glad that people have decided to step up and try to achieve such wonderful goals. triumphs do not come easily but we are never too busy to give credit where it is due, so i wanted to take a moment to encourage all of you young triumph hopefuls in the beginning of a great journey. i know on that glorious october day when the fist triumph point was awarded to me i felt like i had accomplished something great. i mean think of it to be the first person to triumph over another and start a craze that spirals almost out of control. defeating another person to show undeniably that you are superior is very fulfilling. even in my second triumph, which was not against another person, the evident awe in people's voice when the mention your name is unmistakable. an honor this special does not come around everyday but it is sure to stretch on through the ages so that generations from now we will be remembered for our accomplishments. in conclusion, i say strive on all who aspire to the sort of success that has marked many a day of my life.
Coming Soon: A day in the life of Katie or Amanda, a cookie for Jill for figuring out the crossword's trickiness, and a rumor about Asian Lawn Party the Sequel.
Amanda's Anecdotes and Antidotes:
First off, you might think I wanted to say it is good to have Katie back. You would be correct. So, good job there.
Secondly, when I started typing just now, here at the end of this post, I intended to change the font to green when I was finished--but, amazingly enough, green it became on its own! Wonder on that for a while.
Three.) Recommended reading: Anyone who hasn't read Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series should do so now. I am on book three and it is brilliant. If you haven't started them or are on books 1-3, and you finish them before me, you shall gain a Triumph. Added bonus: I shall be reading all seven books, plus Hearts in Atlantis and Insomnia (before book 5, which is what Timothy has told me to do). If you choose to add these books, and don't finish before me (because I do have a bit of a head start here), the you will automatically gain a Triumph. If you have read them already, then good.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Without another
Shh, quiet, it's late at night, and Katie is sleeping and not awake. She has no knowledge of this post nor does she know of it's creation. I am solo posting simply because we have neglected you, our faithful and full of faith readers. We have a few and a couple of excuses, but I won't mention them here or there, for I haven't the desire or motivation to do so alone and without someone else to aid me. I am here at such a late hour and so long into the night, to ease your mind a bit and put to rest your worries. We shall return soon and quickly together and not without the other. Let that calm your dampened spirits and encourage your darkened soul.
One more word and comment, the reason I am here alone is to give you the answers to our tricky (though, not tricksy) crossword. I've had some difficulty and hardships figuring out and interpreting what I meant by the clues and questions, myself. And since I disposed and got rid of the answers by mistake and not on purpose, I had to work and labor at it for a bit of a while before I remembered them and they came back to my memory:
Across:
2. royals
3. costco
6. taco salad night
8. faucet
9. euro
10. amanda
12. triumph point
14. robin hood
15. cigarette smoke
16. drink treat
17. getting drunk
18. untitled
19. china star
down
1. katie
2. racquetball
4. the compound
5. crocheting
7. FO
11. zyrtec
13. bones
I hope they are correct and right, though they might not be and could be false in some spots or places.
It's rather lonely and alone without Katie here to type and write on the keyboard with me. Hopefully, she won't shoot and fire a gun at me because I posted without her and not with her by my side. Keep an eye out and look high and low for me, because I may be dead come morning, when the sun rises in the sky. . .
One more word and comment, the reason I am here alone is to give you the answers to our tricky (though, not tricksy) crossword. I've had some difficulty and hardships figuring out and interpreting what I meant by the clues and questions, myself. And since I disposed and got rid of the answers by mistake and not on purpose, I had to work and labor at it for a bit of a while before I remembered them and they came back to my memory:
Across:
2. royals
3. costco
6. taco salad night
8. faucet
9. euro
10. amanda
12. triumph point
14. robin hood
15. cigarette smoke
16. drink treat
17. getting drunk
18. untitled
19. china star
down
1. katie
2. racquetball
4. the compound
5. crocheting
7. FO
11. zyrtec
13. bones
I hope they are correct and right, though they might not be and could be false in some spots or places.
It's rather lonely and alone without Katie here to type and write on the keyboard with me. Hopefully, she won't shoot and fire a gun at me because I posted without her and not with her by my side. Keep an eye out and look high and low for me, because I may be dead come morning, when the sun rises in the sky. . .
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Because we lied by accident (very similar to insulting accidentally), here is something to tide you over until the next real post:
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| 15 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| 18 | | | | | | | | | 19 | | | | | | | | | | |
ACROSS
3. a place we like to go
6. what you get when you have lettuce
8. killer, killer, you're the killer
9. the mystery key
10. not katie
12. the ultimate award in life
14. a hot boy with a bow and some arrows
15. the smell in our bathroom
16. tasty
17. a funtivity (false)
18. the name of all our art pieces on display in our home
19. oh, so yummy.
DOWN
2. a game we used to play, but since katie's sickness have neglected
4. The name of the communal living fortress
5. a funtivity (true)
7. finished object
11. now over the counter
13. a show we love, but have not mentioned in our blog, or have we?
we know this is crappy looking, sorry! it's the best we could do. :D
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