I've been trying to figure out what this blog should be about --now that my adventure in Honduras is over. At times I feel like my life in San Diego is too boring to write about. It's not, but how do I communicate something about my current life in a way that interests and challenges or inspires you?
I'm not sure yet.
Today at work I decided to begin a list of my favorite things. Number one on the list today is Cocorosie. Check out their song"By Your Side". It makes me want to live a life worth writing about.
Congrats to my best friend Meghan on being engaged! I can't wait to be there dressed in whatever color you decide!
Traveling Stories: Fueling children's minds with stories.
"Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify himself, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant and interesting." ~Aldous Huxley
Huxley is right. Being able to read really does empower us to make our lives more full, significant and interesting. In a recent interview with Parade magazine Oprah shared similar sentiments. She said, "I wasn't a dreamer as much as I was a reader. That allowed me to see ... that there was a world beyond my backyard."
Oprah is right, too. But what about people who can read but have no access to books? This is why I am starting Traveling Stories, a non profit organization dedicated to putting books into the hands of kids who have none.
The idea for Traveling Stories began when I was teaching high school students in Honduras. My students hated reading but had little to no access to books, something I could hardly fathom having grown up in a country with bookstores and libraries in every neighborhood. During my trip home for Christmas I purchased 40 books from used book stores. I took them back to my students in January and made them read for an hour a day. Eventually they fell in love with reading! I saw their behavior and attitude toward learning English improve incredibly! I decided to try and provide that opportunity to more kids. Thus, Traveling Stories.
Currently I'm raising money to pay for the legal fees of becoming an official 501c3 organization. It's going to cost roughly $1,000 ($250 to get incorporated and $750 for the 501c3). Here's what I'm looking for:
200 people willing to give $5 each
50 people willing to give $20 each, or
20 people willing to give $50 each.
This is an exciting time for Traveling Stories! A lot of great things are happening. If you want to learn more leave me a comment! If you want to donate please click on the "DONATE" button at the right of this screen!!
The first books will be donated to an orphanage and preschool in San Salvador, El Salvador.
I was thinking/looking over some of my recent posts and I'm grossed out by how ugly of a person I can be sometimes. Life can be so beautiful, but why do I make a mess of it sometimes -- and why, when I'm met with ugly situations, do I sometimes choose to make them even uglier? I think part of our purpose in life is to bring beauty to situations -- to expose it, to create it, to highlight it. We're meant to redeem the ugly things -- as we ourselves are being redeemed.
It's only 9:04 but already a few crappy things have happened.
1) got into a big fight in the bathroom with my sister. We both picked on each others' weak point. I made her cry. For some reason I laughed, even though I felt like crying too. She called me crazy.
2) at the coffee shop by work i got my butt half grabbed by a guy we'll call S. He came in for half-hug that turned into a butt graze. gross.
All this before I even stepped into work. What else will happen today!?
Today it took more than an hour to get to work --and it was almost all traffic. (Normally it takes 25 minutes) About 15 minutes into the traffic a sign said "Expect Delays, Accident at 94 and 5 North.
About 35 minutes later I was merging onto the 5 North from the 94, expecting to see a huge accident. There was none. Instead I saw a woman standing on top of a bridge. Is it ironic that I was also listening to Third Eye Blind's "Jumper" about this time? But unlike the song, I was not urging this woman to step back from the ledge.
The bridge ...if you look real close you can see the woman standing on top, to the right of the palm tree.
If I remember correctly I said something a little more like "F@#$, Jump, B#$%^!"
Wow! Mean, right?!!!! I'm not proud of my road rage, but I think most of you would have similar responses.
It turns out that this woman has been threatening to jump since 1:30 this morning! WHAT?! So I wonder, why is she still there!?!? Why are 6-8 lanes of traffic still blocked for her?!?!! Can't they just tranquilize her and pull her off the bridge?
That's all ---just a little drive-to-work story. Hope your morning drive was less hateful. :)
Today I am listening to "Circle of Life" from The Lion King soundtrack on repeat. It's amazing. I'm inspired to live a better life. Here's the youtube video link. You owe it to yourself to watch it, at least once!
Also, just came across this --Psalm 96:
Sing to God a brand-new song. He's made a world of wonders! Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea, take the news of his glory to all the lost, news of his wonders to one and all! For God is great, and worth a thousand hallelujahs. His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap; pagan gods are mere tatters and rags. ... Bring gifts and celebrate, bow before the beauty of God, then to your knees -Everyone worship! ... Let's hear it from the sky, with earth joining in, a huge round of applause from sea. Let wilderness turn cartwheels, animals, come dance, put every tree in the forest in the choir -- an extravaganza before God as he comes, as he comes to set everything right on earth, set everything right, treat everyone fair.
If there was any doubt before (come one, there had to be some!), it's all gone now. I am definitely a nerd because today at the library (yes, I go to libraries on Saturday) I checked out a book on punctuation ... and started reading it ... and guess what?! I enjoy it!
Here's the book. We'll see if my punctuation gets any better. :)
On Monday afternoon I walked into my favorite coffee shop, the one right across the street from work, to order an ice tea.
Mr. Cafe Musician (the one who sits at the counter every day recording music and waiting for his big break) walked up to me, put his arm around my shoulder and said, "You got me sick."
"What?!" I asked.
"You got me sick when we were making out," Mr. Cafe Musician says.
"What the hell are you talking about. We've never made out and we're never going to make out," I saw.
Hi. It's me again. It's been about a month and I think I'm ready to return to blogging.
Today's topic: being pursued.
I've been a Christian since I was 8 years old. It happened at the Del Mar Fair in a little Bible story tent (not creepy like it sounds). The decision to put God in charge of my life was simple: It made sense. It still makes sense. However, it's been 15 years and what still is not simple is figuring out how my life should look. Following God is a lot of work and most of the time I feel confused. So, I've decided to ask God something: Please pursue me.
I know the Bible promises that if we pursue God we will find him. But right now I really need God to find me. I want to feel wanted by him.
I'm not sure if this quote is relevant to the topic, but they said it in church today and I really liked it: "God is present to us in the most destructive aspect of our cultural captivity." ~Robert Mulholland
I'm taking a break from journalism and re-evaluating what I want to do with my life. In the meantime I'm not reading as many newspapers and I'm not updating this thing.
Thursday, August 13, 2009. The day started as usual with getting dressed. By 8:15 a.m. I was signing paper work to donate blood for dengue research. Work began a little later than usual -- about 9:10. In the afternoon that shirtless man sat at the tables in front of my window. After work I met up with a friend for a Hornblower concert cruise with Meiko! It was a solid day.
Yesterday I was trying to get to Horton Plaza, a mall in downtown. The traffic was insane and cops were everywhere. I found a parking spot and rushed toward the yellow caution tape to find out what had happened.
Apparently the cops had shot and killed a crazy man who had been walking around threateningly with a stolen steak knife.
The fired 3 or 4 shots and the man died on the scene, which just so happened to be one of the most trafficked streets in downtown San Diego.
My question is this: Was it really necessary to shoot (with real bullets) and KILL this crazy man?
Interestingly enough this story did NOT even make it on the front page the SD Union Tribune (the major city newspaper in San Diego). WHY?
What do you think? Would you have shot a crazy homeless man if he had started walking toward you with a steak knife? AND, do you think this story deserved to be on the front page? Click here to see what made the front page instead.
Have you ever found yourself at the 7-Eleven soda counter trying to decide which straw to use with your 32 oz. big gulp? The green straw is barely tall enough for the cup, but the red one sticks out of the cup a good four to five inches. As you may have guessed I've faced this dilemma several times. Today I chose the red straw and trimmed it down with scissors. Perfecto!
This little story has nothing to do with why I originally wanted to update my blog.
The original reason I wanted to blog today was to say that I'm considering a career change. I'm not sure I want to be a foreign correspondent (or even a journalism, whoa!) anymore. Here's why: Since I've moved back from Honduras I've been reading/watching the news coverage of the removal of President Mel Zelaya and over and OVER again the journalists get it wrong. The same thing happened with the genocide in Rwanda, the violence in Somalia and probably hundreds of other cases.
SO ... as far as I see it I have two choices: 1) abandon my hopes of being a journalist and find a career more suited for my passions, or 2) pursue journalism with a steadfast commitment to investigation and accuracy.
JULY 20, 2009 -- Last night I saw Jewel at Humphrey's. It was amazing. It reminded me why I, in middle school, listened to the "Pieces of Me" CD until it no longer played without skipping.
The same sentiments that appealed to the 13-14 year-old me appeal to the me today: songs about broken hearts and the power of kindness and love to heal a hurting world.
Yes, Jewel is a hippy who sings melancholy chic hits, but her lyrics resonate with the insecurities within each of us -- insecurities that drive us to buy, bUY, BUY things to impress people and make ourselves seem cool.
If you've never listened to Jewel check out these --they're a few of my favorites!
I finished my first week at The San Diego Reader today. It's nice to have a job and my coworkers are awesome. Surprisingly they've shown a real interest in my life and have asked lots of questions. It's these questions that have made me realize how mediocre I possibly might be.
"Oh so you surf?" said one sales rep after I put a pic of waves in El Sal on my computer. "Well, not really. I'm learning," I answer.
"You play guitar?" "I took a class in high school and play for fun, but I'm not really any good."
"You were in Honduras a whole year? You must be fluent at Spanish?" "Not really."
"You have plans for the weekend?" "Nothing really. I might hang out with friends from my university and on Sunday I'm going to the Jewel concert with my mom."
"So, did you have a serious boyfriend in college." "No."
"You must've seen a lot of crazy s@#$ in Honduras -- you know, like gangs and political stuff?" "Not really. That all happened the day I left."
ANYWAY, these questions have made me want to actually finish something. When people ask I want to be able to say, "Yes I do play the guitar and I'm damn good at it."
I'm back in San Diego ... and the search for a job has begun! The more I talk to friends my age the more I think we're experiencing the same emotions: confusion and frustration. We're done with college but we don't yet have the job of our dreams --- and we're not sure what that job actually is anymore.
With that said, I had my second interview at The Reader today -- it's not for an editorial position, but I'm still excited about it. I should know by the end of the week if I got the job!
Tonight a bunch of friends from JBU are coming over for dinner -- it should be a blast! Tomorrow I'm going to Mexico with my dad and Bethany -- I'm pretty excited about that too! Friday I'm getting new registration tags for my car ... and that's the extent of my life plans for now.
I'm back in the U.S.A. safe and sound, but I can't help but wish I was in Honduras to see first-hand how the situation with President Zelaya will turn out. I've been reading updates in the New York Times, but when I compare them to the information I receive from people in Honduras and my own first-hand experiences I'm deeply frustrated.
The Organization of American States (OAS) called the military overthrow an "old-fashioned coup" and has given Honduras three days to replace their ousted president. The OAS says that if Honduras doesn't let Zelaya back they will be suspended from the group.
Here's the thing that makes me livid. The articles do not accurately portray the situation in Honduras. The Honduran president has been trying to change the constitution so that he can stay in power at least for another term. He was telling people to go to the polls to vote to make these changes. Technically, according to the Honduran constitution, this is an act of treason against the country because it goes against the constitution. However, until the president formally published something telling people do vote to change the constitution it wasn't made official. The night before President Zelaya was removed he published this edict, thus giving the military legal reason to remove him.
It wasn't an illegal coup!
The Honduran military wasn't acting unruly or chaotically --- they were simply defending their country's constitution and democracy! The U.S. and other members of the OAS need to get their facts straight!
I´m in El Salvador!! I just spent an amazing week on the beach with Brittany Hoover, one of my roommates from college. Her flight left this morning and I´m heading back to San Pedro Sula tomorrow to catch my flight home. I´m sad to leave.
The beach was amazing. Brittany and I had a great week. We had an amazing view ... which I´ll post pictures up as soon as I´m home ... and made lots of new friends!
It´s my third time in El Salvador and I continue to fall more and more in love with it!
My time in La Ceiba is almost over. I leave tomorrow to go to San Pedro Sula and from there I'll travel to El Salvador. I'm excited about my next travels and about going home, but I don't want to say goodbye. Here are some photo highlights of my last days in La Ceiba:
I'm living in Barrio La Isla now with Micah and Tyler ... and the occasional backpacker who needs a couch to sleep on. My first weekend with roommates in Honduras has been full of lots of things: packing, unpacking, eating, dancing, high school PROM, cleaning, educational movies, parties, rum, dancing, discos, beach volleyball, drinks, dancing, Japanese food, romance novels, fruit, the river ...
Here are some photos that capture the essence of the weekend:
Dancing at prom. The students all looked awesome! Most of the girls had their dresses custom made and the boys all looked nice in suits. Prom here was much different from my prom ... the whole family came to the party! I left around 3 a.m., but even then the dance floor was still pretty full with students and their families.
Cindy and me -- a group of us meet at the beach every Sunday afternoon to play volleyball, hang out, and watch the sun sinking into the Caribbean Sea.
Tyler, me, Matt, Cindy and Hiromi at Ki'Bok Sunday night for a little fiesta. Hiromi made a traditional Japanese dish and afterward we had a photo shoot with random objects.
I just got back from having coffee with my good friend Hiromi. It was awesome. We laughed so hard and talked about all sorts of things ... girl things ... in Spanish. :)
It's been a rough week, although I'm not sure exactly why. I haven't been feeling myself. A lot of stuff is stressing me out. It was really nice to take a break from everything and giggle with a good girl friend.
Hiromi is a volunteer here through the Japanese government -- kind of like the Peace Corps. She's one of the sweetest, most joyful people I've ever met! I hope we're friends forever! :)
Saying goodbye to a place is difficult. Unfortunately I've planned it so that I have to say goodbye several different times. The first time will be Thursday when I move out of my apartment and into Tyler's apartment with both Tyler and Micah.
One of my neighbors, an older widow who only moved in about 2 months ago, found out today that I would be leaving soon. I offered her my coffee maker, which soon turned into her walking through my apartment and asking for more things. It was a little weird, but normal for this culture. A few minutes later I heard her knocking at my door -- she had a dust pan in hand, a temporary gift to help me with my cleaning! About 5 minutes after that she was at my door again but this time with a bowl of homemade noodle and potato soup.
When I returned her dishes she told me that that I could live with her, "juntas," after Thursday if I wanted. :) I politely declined but am still blown away. I wouldn't say that my 10 months here have given me the impression that Hondurans are super hospitable and open, but maybe they are?
I honestly don't know my neighbor well. I can't even remember her name, but it's nice to feel this little sense of community. It's nice to feel like my neighbors might actually miss me a little. It's nice to be noticed. It's nice to not have to make dinner.
This morning at about 2:20 a.m. an earthquake hit La Ceiba --- rumor has it that this was the first earthquake in La Ceiba history. It was a 7.1 on the richter scale. My second floor apartment was swaying back and forth and I kept hearing the sounds of glass breaking in my neighbors' apartments. It was bigger than any earthquake I've felt in California.
Fortunately the epicenter was in the ocean, so very little damage was done. Part of a bridge collapsed, but I don't think there were any fatalities. There may have been one death in the whole country as a result of the quake, but I'm not sure about that (my translation skills while watching local news still aren't super reliable).
School got cancelled today though. I think most people were awake all night so schools were cancelled nationally. Crazy! Imagine if that's what people did in California!
Here are some of the pages of the magazine that I made with my tenth grade students. It includes their original poems, essays, reviews and creative stories as well as some of their favorite quotes!
It's almost time for me to leave Honduras. June 4th I'll be moving out of my apartment and into my friend Tyler's apartment, along with Micah. By June 16 I'll be on my way to El Salvador where I'll meet up with Brittany Hoover for about 10 days of adventure and beach fun!
It sounds cliche, but my time here really has gone by quickly. I'm excited to be going home, but sad to be leaving. The past few weeks here have been great. Micah and I have more friends now! When we have parties it's not just the two of us! haha There's constantly stuff going on, and yet never before in my life have I had so much free time. I think I will miss a lot about Honduras.
This past weekend was the Carnival ... La Ceiba's claim to fame. It was a ton of fun! Thursday, Friday and Saturday night the streets were full of thousands of people. The streets were lined with colorful tables full of crap that, for some reason, everyone felt compelled to buy. Entertainment consisted of everything from punta peformed by the great Aurelio Martinez (La Ceiba local) and Honduras' pride Guillermo Anderson to a rock duet by two women wearing silver bodysuits. It was awesome ... I'll try to find time tomorrow to tell more stories about it!
JBU in La Ceiba I just got back from a run down to the beach. On my way back I saw a middle-aged man wearing a blue JBU Volleyball shirt. Weird.
Heart of Clouds Outside the sky is a mess of blue-gray clouds. It's been raining off and on the past few days-- a nice break from the heat we've been having. From my balcony you can see the mountains. They're gorgeous right now. It almost looks as though the mountain has a cloud heart that is seeping out through every valley and crevice. The clouds are menacing and angry looking, but also so wispy and mystical. It's hard to decide how to feel about them. (see photo) Random Stuff Current Favorite Chill Song: "Radio Ballet" by Eluvium Current Favorite Power Song: "Shine On" by R.I.O. Current Afternoon Snack: Dr. Pepper and Snyder's Honey Mustard & Onion Pretzel Pieces Current Annoyance: bug bites Current Apartment Status: dirty & with a busted light bulb in my kitchen Last Lost Thing That I've Found: a jar of peanuts that had rolled under my bed; lost Sunday, found today. Last 3 Calls Received: Matt, Hiromi, Hiromi Time I Woke Up Today: 7:30 a.m.
One month. That's the amount of time I have left in Honduras. Thursday was the last day of school, tomorrow I'm going on a field trip with the seniors and then it's final exam week!
It's been a tough year, but I'll be sad to leave Central America. As I am turning the last pages of this chapter of my life story I've started to search pretty hard for the content of my next chapter. The fact that I'm not 23 seems to put more pressure on actually finding a career. But the truth is I'm more confused about what I should do with my life now than ever.
Here are some people and stories that have been inspiring my career musings:
Aung San Suu Kyi : Burma's pro-democracy leader who was recently moved from house arrest to prison when a confusing American man swam across a lake/river to visit her. She is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and has been called the modern day Ghandi. She has been on house arrest for 13 years. Shannon Galpin:A single-mom who started a non-profit organization in 2007 to bring education to women and children in Afghanistan. She says that she works so that no one has to feel powerless. "Slumdog Millionair": Tonight Dateline had a special about Rubina Ali and Azhar Ismail, two child stars from the film "Slumdog Millionaire" who are actually from the slums of Mumbai.The Dateline special took a look at where those kids are now ... months after the film won Best Film of the Year at the Oscars. It turns out their both back in the slums. It makes me want to visit India.
To close, I want to share a quote that I wrote in my journal months ago. It's not specifically related to anything else in this post, but I feel like it's still relevant.
"As the glow of a coal depends upon its remaining in teh fire, so the vitality, the psychic security, the very humanity of man depends on his integration into a family." -- John V. Taylor
I've always wanted to paint a guitar but never had to guts to ... I was always afraid I'd ruin it with my mediocre art skills. But on Monday I decided that it was time to do it. "I'm Not There" was playing on TV, and something about Bob Dylan's story and music made me get up, walk to the mall and buy some paint. Here's what I've got so far! The gray shapes are supposed to be a lion! (lion drawing tutorial).
In other news, I was eating lunch at Quiznos and watching my favorite soccer team (Arsenal) get beat by Manchester United when I realized that Cristiano Ronaldo is as immature and childish as my male students. All I've ever heard about Ronaldo is what an awesome player he is and how hot he is (the latter comment coming mostly from my female students). I want to know how such a talented, well-known athlete gets away with acting like a cocky 13-year-old?
LASTLY, no one says it better than Bob: "Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights... Get up, stand up, don't give up the fight." The school is trying to screw Micah and I over again ... details aren't important but you should know that there will be a battle tomorrow and I'm prepared to fight. Some people say they don't believe in fighting. I think those people are either cowardly or apathetic. I don't support violence, but I am all for fighting because there are things definitely worth fighting for.
APRIL 24: FUN DAY! Class was canceled and the entire school (from pre-k to my seniors) came to school to play games and eat lunch. My students called it "boring day" ... but that was to be expected. Micah and I shared a bunch of great ideas in the planning meeting, but none were used ... but that too was to be expected.
APRIL 28: I got my hair cut and highlighted. It doesn't look exactly like this, but it's close. :)
APRIL 29: I discovered that Mega (my supermarket) is carrying Dr. Pepper again!
APRIL 29-30: The administration tells all the students to wear masks at school to protect against the swine flu, which at this point has killed about 153 people in Mexico and one in the U.S.
APRIL 30: The Last day of class for seniors! After classes, 11B invited all the teachers to have lunch with them at Pizza Hut. It was really fun to hang out with them outside of class!
MAY 1: All of Honduras took the day off to celebrate Labor Day so Micah, Tyler (a Canadian friend who works for an NGO) and I went to Utila! I snorkeled, again. It was amazing, again. It's crazy to think that there's an entire world going on under water ... a world I know so little about.
MAY 3: I bought a kite! It cost 40.14 lempiras ... or about $2. As soon as it cools down a little, I'm going to put on my boots (to protect against bugs) and go out to the field in front of my apartment and fly it! It'll probably reinforce my neighbors' beliefs that I'm a little crazy.
I love Central America and even teaching isn't so bad (sometimes), but I absolutely hate the administration at my school.
Today they took a days pay from my paycheck because I missed one day of work to renew my immigration status. They conveniently forget the fact that when they hired me they promised to handle ALL immigration issues. (A promise they have failed to keep twice).
Later today ... five minutes before my class was going to start ... the principal told me that another teacher needed my class so that the students could practice for graduation. I said that that didn't work for me because the students needed to finish their speaking exams with me.
"I don't care," he said.
"So, essentially you're saying my class doesn't matter?" I asked, after several minutes of polite, yet heated discussion in front of my 10a class.
"Yes."
DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (no quotes on this one... I kept this thought inside my head)
If my class doesn't matter then WHY did the entire administration call me into the office last month to yell at me for missing a few days of work? Why did they tell me that I don't care about my job and that I am a bad teacher and that I don't work hard enough???? THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENS IN MY CLASS or the awesome types of projects that we do. How in the world do they have the audacity to, after giving me that lecture, take my class without any prior notice????
They're fools. I could handle another year of the students and Honduras --- but you couldn't pay me enough to deal with them a day past my last day.
This advertisement makes me want to throw up.
Was a little surprised to see this. But or a second was also tempted to add one to my window.
In case you can't read it -- "RIPPIE: Rich hippie". ha
Traveling Stories: Fueling children's minds with stories.
Dancing at prom. The students all looked awesome! Most of the girls had their dresses custom made and the boys all looked nice in suits. Prom here was much different from my prom ... the whole family came to the party! I left around 3 a.m., but even then the dance floor was still pretty full with students and their families.
Cindy and me -- a group of us meet at the beach every Sunday afternoon to play volleyball, hang out, and watch the sun sinking into the Caribbean Sea. 
Tyler, me, Matt, Cindy and Hiromi at Ki'Bok Sunday night for a little fiesta. Hiromi made a traditional Japanese dish and afterward we had a photo shoot with random objects.
I just got back from having coffee with my good friend Hiromi. It was awesome. We laughed so hard and talked about all sorts of things ... girl things ... in Spanish. :)+Lit.Review.No.1_Page_1.jpg)
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May 6, 2009:
APRIL 24: FUN DAY! Class was canceled and the entire school (from pre-k to my seniors) came to school to play games and eat lunch. My students called it "boring day" ... but that was to be expected. Micah and I shared a bunch of great ideas in the planning meeting, but none were used ... but that too was to be expected.
APRIL 28: I got my hair cut and highlighted. It doesn't look exactly like this, but it's close. :)
APRIL 29: I discovered that Mega (my supermarket) is carrying Dr. Pepper again!
APRIL 29-30: The administration tells all the students to wear masks at school to protect against the swine flu, which at this point has killed about 153 people in Mexico and one in the U.S.
APRIL 30: The Last day of class for seniors! After classes, 11B invited all the teachers to have lunch with them at Pizza Hut. It was really fun to hang out with them outside of class!
MAY 1: All of Honduras took the day off to celebrate Labor Day so Micah, Tyler (a Canadian friend who works for an NGO) and I went to Utila! I snorkeled, again. It was amazing, again. It's crazy to think that there's an entire world going on under water ... a world I know so little about.
MAY 3: I bought a kite! It cost 40.14 lempiras ... or about $2. As soon as it cools down a little, I'm going to put on my boots (to protect against bugs) and go out to the field in front of my apartment and fly it! It'll probably reinforce my neighbors' beliefs that I'm a little crazy.
