The world is like a book. Not traveling is like only reading a page.: 2/8/09

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentines Day 3

So I showed up to work (on time) Friday. And guess what I had on mydesk? A chocolate bear. I've been in my department for about elevenminutes. It was to me from someone I didn't know. Awesome. I'm notsure why people feel the obligation to give me a valentine when theydon't know me. It is nice that I was included in the littlegift-giving, but then I FELT THE OBLIGATION to try to spend the wholeday figuring out who she was so I could give her an awkward thank you.

I ate the chocolate bear at 10:30 in the morning. I'm a sucker forcheap chocolate I guess. I didn't even really like it. I bit into it,though, and realized it wasn't hollow. This chick splurged on me. Idevoured the whole thing. I even got scolded from one of my fellowco-workers for eating the chocolate bear before lunch. Nice. Thanks,Mom. Love you, Mom.

Now that I was busted out and semi-satisfied by my semi-sweet friend, Igot back to work. One of the guys who sits next to me was on the phonewith his wife. He told her he bought her a chocolate bear forValentines Day. I was interested. I stopped what I was doing andimmediately went into detective mode. I needed to know more.Especially if I was planning to blog the experience later. As theconversation went on, he ended up confessing that the bear was on hisdesk when he came in. He didn't know who it was from so he was afraidto eat it. Another thing that scared him was that the package said (andI quote) "Milk Chocolate FLAVORED Bear."

HOLD THE PHONE. AT THIS POINT, ALARMS ARE GOING ON IN MY DETECTIVEHEAD. WHAT THE HECK HAD I DONE? WHAT HAD I CONSUMED? WHAT THE HECKWAS IN MY TUMMY? WAS I GOING TO DIE? WAS THIS REALLY HOW IT ENDED?FREAKIN CHOCOLATE FLAVORED TEDDY BEAR? SON OF A.......

You know, this is like RULE NUMERO UNO when you are four years old.Don't take candy from a stranger. I'm guessing rule number two is readthe label before consuming. I'm twenty three years old and chose tofollow NEITHER. I was pretty sure I was going to die. I had beenpoisoned by a co-worker with a chocolate FLAVORED Palmer's Cuddly Bear.Freakin Nice. Freakin Sweet. Freakin Dangit!

Turns out I didn't die. (I haven't yet, at least.) Unfortunately I wasalso nervous to thank my potential murderer. Not only because I didn'tknow who she was, but also because she might realize it didn't kill meand stab me right in the neck. I decided to shoot for the safer method.In the spirit of the non-social accountant, I sent an email. I alsosaid I would see her when I returned Wednesday.... Only time will tellif Cuddly Bear doesn't kill me before that..... You have beenwarned..... Anyways, Happy Freakin Valentine's Day.

Happy Valentines Day 2

If I hear ANOTHER STUPID commercial on the radio or the TV aboutValentines Day, I might throw up. Seriously. C'mon. They all tell menthat their significant others just will not love them unless they shellout a certain amount of dough on a made up holiday. Puke. Mark and Iare going to Cirque Du Solei downtown Saturday night. No, it's not aValentine's Day thing. That is merely a coincidence. Going to randomevents is just how.we.roll. So poo on you Valentines Day! And shame onyou, commercial! And I better have some sort of schmoozy gift from Markthis weekend even though I hate the holiday... lol That, my friends,is just how.girls.roll..... :-)

Happy Valentines Day

So on Friday the 13, I woke up at 8:05 am. The latest I can be at workis 8:30. I got there at 8:28. I thank ya. How is that possible, youmight ask? Well, let me tell you... You are required to look like ahomeless person (with your teeth brushed, of course) and it isIMPERATIVE that you drive TOO FAST on the interstate on the way to work.My justification for this excessive speed was: If I got pulled over,THAT would be my excuse for being late! What was my excuse before that?That I'm still in college mode? That I am lazy? That my flannel sheetson my bed are absolutely amazing and send me into a temporary coma eachnight? A coma that I am fortunate enough to wake up from every morning?....((and Almost every morning on time, might I add......!?!?!?))

No, I didn't get a ticket.
Yes, I brushed my teeth.
Yes, I got there on time.
Yes, I looked homeless.

Don't. Judge. Me.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

HALFTIME

I posted the halftime slam dunks last time we went to the Pacers game... boom shak a lak a... here it is! :D

Monday, February 9, 2009

Blow

There were people throwing these blow up Pacers things to the crowd. I worked really hard to get one, but Evan ended up going to the concession stand and BUYING one for me... lol... our whole family ended up getting them.... Some of us were better at blowing them up than others......

Dancing at the Pacers Game

There was a little bit of dancing at the Pacers Game Friday.... Lots of fun.....

Yikes..... News from Czechy.........

This is from the following website:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/02/05/czech.castrate/index.html

It was sent to me from a girl I studied in Czechy with.......

Rights group calls to ban Czech castration law

Council of Europe says Czechs should abolish it castration law for sex offenders
CoE says some choose castration fearing refusal means long jail sentences
Group alleges some choosing castration include non-violent and first offenders
Czech Republic defends procedure as voluntary and effective

(CNN) -- The Czech Republic's practice of surgically castrating convicted sex offenders is "invasive, irreversible and mutilating" and should stop immediately, the Council of Europe's Anti-Torture Committee said in a report made public Thursday.

The central European country castrated at least 94 prisoners in the 10 years up to April 2008, when investigators from the Council of Europe, a human-rights forum, visited the Czech Republic.

The Council of Europe condemned the practice as "degrading."

The procedure is being performed even on first-time, non-violent offenders, such as exhibitionists, its investigation revealed.

Prisoners have to request castration under Czech law, but many fear they will be jailed for life if they do not, the investigation found.

"In practically all the cases, these patients indicated that their application was at least partially instigated by fear of long-term detention," the report said.

"Some patients claimed that the treating sexologist had explicitly told them that surgical castration was the only available option to them and that refusal would mean lifelong detention."
And it warned that some "significantly" mentally retarded people had been castrated.

"In at least five cases, legally incapacitated offenders were surgically castrated," the report said. "In all of these instances, the court-appointed guardian had signed the consent form; in two cases, the guardians were mayors."

The investigators found only two convicts who had spontaneously volunteered for castration, while others they interviewed said mental health staff specializing in sexuality had recommended it.

"The other patients interviewed indicated that the treating sexologist had suggested surgical castration, in several cases within a week of the patient's admission to hospital," the report said.

"Some of the sexologists interviewed by the delegation themselves affirmed that for certain
patients there was no alternative treatment to surgical castration."

The Czech Republic defends the practice as voluntary, saying castration aims permanently to reduce testosterone levels in order to diminish the offender's sexual urges.

The process, officially called "therapeutic testicular pulpectomies ... are performed upon a written request of an adult man," the Czech government responded. It said the operation had to be approved by a committee of experts.

"Prior to the performance of such intervention, the patient must express his consent with its performance. Castration is considered with respect to men who cannot manage their sexual instincts and are sexually aggressive," the Czech government said, saying the Council of Europe had not proven its case sufficiently for the country to abandon castration.

It argues the procedure is effective in reducing repeat offenses.

But the Council of Europe questioned the statistics on repeat offenses and said even if they were correct, castration was not an appropriate way to reduce recidivism.

"The committee's delegation came across three cases in which sex offenders had committed serious sex-related crimes, including serial rape and attempted murder, after they had been surgically castrated," the human-rights group said.

"Surgical castration is no longer a generally accepted medical intervention in the treatment of sex-offenders," the report said.

It said candidates for castration often received information about the procedure which was too technical to understand -- or no information at all.

"Several patients who had undergone surgical castration told the delegation that they would never have applied for surgical castration had they been properly informed," the report warned.
It condemned the practice as "an irreversible intervention that always leads to infertility and, in the long run, a significantly increased risk of osteoporosis," also warning of possible depression and changes in appearance.

It said it was impossible to determine how many people had been castrated in keeping with a 1966 law.

The Council of Europe delegation visited the Czech Republic from March 25 to April 2, 2008. It issued its report and the Czech response on July 23, 2008. It made them public on Thursday at the request of the Czech government, it said

Sunday, February 8, 2009

FYI

In case you are mad at me for posting videos and not telling you how to turn off the darn music, here it is:

At the bottom of the website is the music player. Just pause the music. I think you have to click once to activate the music player, then click again to actually pause the music.

I am sorry for any inconvenience this causes... :D

xoxo

-Tiff

Gelato at Dinner Friday

I told you that my Dad had problems with the Gelato at dinner Friday night.... Luckily I was there to catch it on camera! :D

Like Father Like Son Video

This was a hilarious video from the Pacers game Friday night..... The girls were wanting to borrow the binoculars while the boys used them..... And it wasn't during the game... it was on timeouts.... lol

PACERS GAME!

For Christmas, Mark and I bought Pacers tickets for our family. Friday was the big day! They came to Indy for dinner and the game! It was sooo much fun!!!

We went out to eat first at an Italian Restaurant downtown! We had Gelato for dessert. Dad had a very hard time with it... lol

Mom and Grandma are such great Pacers fans!

We were in the nosebleed seats... Dad used the binoculars when the cheerleaders danced during timeouts. It was so funny because Mom would always ask for the binoculars when he was using them... lol.....