Weird New Foot Awareness

This afternoon I was walking back from the laundry area two buildings down from my apartment (which should be all sorts of fun in the winter!) when I noticed something quite odd about my feet. I was wearing my why-in-the-Hell-do-I-still-own-these-painful-things?-sandals and, as such, had a wide-open view of said feet.

And please let me take a moment to say that they are indeed wonderfully incredible feet....

Anyhow, it turns out that, when I walk, I raise the big toe on my right foot (but not my left). No matter how hard I tried, I could not stop my right big toe from turning up when I took a step. I even tried to press it down as I moved, but couldn't stop raising it. My left toe did not move at all.

Weird, huh? Why would my right big toe do that, and when did I start doing it?

I Got My License!!!!

Oh man, I am SOOOOO super-mega-psyched! I got my driver's license!!! Woo-hoo!!!!!!!!

Last week I received a notice to report for jury duty in Kalamazoo, MI (just 3 weeks after moving to Dayton, OH). In order to get out of jury duty, I needed to send a copy of my OH state driver's license. But oh no! I did not have such a license!

It was a hectic week leading up to my licensing test. First, I had to find out where the DMV is located. THEN I had to go there to take the test (licenses do not simply transfer to OH). I racked my brain studying for the 30 seconds I was in line. Would I pass and receive the privilege of driving (driving is not a right - that's on the test), or would I have to rely on my parents to pick me up and drive me to work, the mall, and the movies, suffering the embarrassment of going on dates chaperoned with my dad? (b/c really, who does that after High School....shout out to Crazy Internet Girl! - see 2/14/06 blog entry) The waiting was killing me! I was trapped between wishing the 30 seconds I was in line would end and fearing that it would before I could learn all the rules of the road! THE HORROR!

So there I sat, in front of a computer terminal which would decide my driving fate. As I stared at the screen, I began to wonder not only whether I could pass this my driver's licensing test, but more so whether or not I should pass. Did I really deserve to drive an automobile? Was I worthy of the honor to be with other privileged individuals on the local highways and roads? Could I handle the responsibility that comes with driving? Would all the rules and laws (not to mention how to operate a motor vehicle) stay with me if I began driving? I almost buckled under all the pressure and got up to refuse to take the test.

"NO!" I cried out. "I will NOT be intimidated by this test and the attendent privileges and honors that are entailed in being legally permitted to operate a motor vehicle on state and national roadways, dammit!" I then burst into tears, proud of myself for believing in myself.

But would it be enough? Could I successfully answer enough questions about such obscure topics as "what do you do at a red light?" and "according to its turn signal, which way does the car in the picture intend to turn?" to pass this test? Would I be relishing in the thrill of victory, or weeping at the agony of defeat? Would I beat the test, or would the test beat me?

Thankfully, by the grace of Allah, I did pass the test. At learning this, I jumped into the air, right there in the middle of the DMV, and exclaimed "Whoo-HOOOO!!!!!! I PASSED!!!!!" I had expected ribbons and balloons to rain down upon me....you know, for my triumph....but none did so (perhaps they were out of balloons that day). Still, this did not sully my joy at being able to say that the state of Ohio from that point on recognized me as a competent, knowledgeable driver and entrusted me to operate a motor vehicle on its highways and roads.

I ran through two stoplights and one crosswalk on the way home.

Testing and My New Legos

I am getting ready to take my psychology license exam in the Spring. Not fun, but I have to do it to a) be competitive for jobs, b) keep a job once gotten (most jobs require licensure upon hire or within a certain time frame of starting), c) supervise psychology trainees, and d) work independently without a supervisor, including in private practice or group practice.

So, being the diligent me, I ordered my study materials to give myself time to prepare. In addition to books and online exams, the package included 12 audio cassettes to help me study.

Audio cassettes. Who in the bloody Hell makes audio cassettes anymore? CDs are becoming ancient over mp3s/iTunes, so cassettes are at least two steps behind.

And I don't know if I even own a tape PLAYER anymore. This leaves me with twelve plastic rectangles which could be easily stacked in a really short tower. So far, the only practical thing I have done with them is toss one to a coworker and say, "Hey, look, they sent me some cassettes." (when I did this, she screamed, btw...screamed like a woman catching a half-eaten potato!)

It is now incumbent upon me to do something with these tapes. I am thinking I could have them transferred into digital media (see "mp3s/iTunes," above), but I have no idea where I could take them to have this done. I really don't want to have to buy an adapter card for my computer to do it myself, as I would also have to purchase a tape player to connect to said adapter card, which would pretty much defeat the whole point of my rant.

Plus I have to take the damn test.....I suppose it's not as bad as it could be, tho. Like I imagine saying to my clients: It could be worse - I could be on fire, too.

Keeping Up With the Leaches

So I noticed that it has been a really, really long time since I have blogged on here. What can I say, I got busy.... But then I noticed that it had been almost as long as since my friend Brad updated his blog, and that, my adoring anonymous Internet public, is unacceptable.

Now, having written that, I realize I should do something nice to make up for negatively comparing myself to Brad. So, I will honor him and his wife with beautiful rhymes, which they are welcome to use in a hip-hop joint.

First Alice, who used to be Riley before she got married. It is a shame she changed her last name, because her lyrics would have been pretty:

Her name is Alice Riley
And she's looking really smiley
Yeah, she's dancing really spryly
While she's dressing really flyly.

Now she cannot have her last name in a rhyme, as it was her husband's name she took. So, that leaves her with a less-beautiful set of lyrics based upon her first name:

You know her name is Alice
Her heart is full of malice
And her soul is really callous
She moved on down to Dallas
Living up in a palace
Drinking from a golden chalice

Granted, that rhyme is not entirely accurate (she doesn't really live in Dallas), but you get the point.

As for Brad, well, his rhyme may be the best thing ever conceived in the history of everything ever, and I would not be surprised at all if some rapper steals these lyrics and puts them on the radio as soon as I post this blog:

His name is Bradford Leach
For his vocation he likes to teach
For all his students' attention he does beseech
On vacation takes his family to the beach
On Sundays listens to the preacher preach
Keeps sharp things from his son on a high shelf out of reach
Washes his white clothes with some bleach
His favorite Dr. Seuss character is the Star-bellied Sneech
He likes Chong way better than his buddy Cheech
In large social group he often finds his niche
When hungry he eats a juicy peach
Word!

I am a lyrical gangsta.

(Yeah, and just TRY rhyming anything with MY first or last name! :) )