I read a little article on msn about how Americans are perceived abroad. I like this part, ““All my friends who have traveled through America tell me that on their home ground the Americans are as hospitable as you could ever want,” he says. “But what is it about guns? And alien abductions? And intelligent design?””

It certainly isn’t the most intelligent part of the article, but it’s the same thing I wonder. Find the article here.

Yesterday I watched my car get towed away. I needed to get rid of it by the end of this month (or else I’d have to register it again when I’m not even using it), and the plan was to sell it–but when your car is in your apartment complex parking lot and doesn’t even make one noise when you turn the key, how the heck do you sell it? I decided to donate it to 800 Charity Cars, a non-profit organization that will either give my car to someone who needs it, or they will sell it. It was nice that the car didn’t need to be running. I can claim this on my taxes, but I’m not too worried about that. I’m glad it’s out of my hands and it’s one less thing to worry about.

I only drove on Saturday mornings when I had to work and open the store, because I’d have to go to the bank (which is only across the street from the store), but only the drive-thru is open. Sometimes it takes up to 45 minutes in line, seriously, and cars always cut in front of pedestrians. Most people in this town don’t even know what a pedestrian is, I’m assuming, since they stare out their windows all the time and don’t understand what pedestrian right of way is.

I walked to the bank last week, and walked through the drive-thru, and the car behind me just kept creeping forward, inch by inch. They do this when you’re crossing the road too. They don’t just wait until you’re across, they drive as much as they can without hitting you (so they are sometimes literally like 8 inches away) and then speed off with tires squealing once you’re out of the way. It makes me want to bend over and tie my shoes, both of them, while they do that.

Hey, I have an idea, instead of complaining about gas prices, why don’t you start walking or riding a bike more often? I can probably name at least 10 people who drive to work or school, but live less than a mile away. What are you complaining about? When I mention this to them all they say is, “I should.”

I guess I woke up angry today. It’s only 7:44am, why am I out of bed?

In other news: Yesterday I donated blood. Bryan and I try to take time out of our schedules every time the Community Blood Center is here. They asked us to get our friends to come because their supply is still low, but unfortunately, getting our friends to donate blood is like pulling teeth. We are always the only “young” people there donating. It was my 11th donation. You can donate every 8 weeks! Come on everyone!

I’m going to stop before I continue. I’m no huge self-proclaimed activist or anything, but get off your asses, everyone. Do something. And then blog about it.

We bought plane tickets for August 1st – August 7th to visit Seattle. We’ll look at apartments, try to find our way around the city, put money down on an apartment, and try to soak in where we’ll be living a month after the visit. We weren’t going to visit for that long, but buying tickets for those days saved us over $100, and maybe we’ll need that long to find a place. Who knows.

Now, we need to find someone who will take us in for five nights, or a cheap hotel room, and either a rental car, a person to drive us everywhere, or some map of bus lines or something.

The next few months are going to be ridiculous. We’ve already started sorting through things for a garage sale–it kind of looks like we just moved in. We’ll have a sale in about a month, and then maybe another if the first doesn’t go well. Lots of furniture and plants. We’re trying to visit everyone, especially family, and packing and cleaning and packing. Moving is such a huge pain, but I’ve only moved across town (besides moving to college, to the dorms, where I didn’t have any belongings). Across the country?

Christ.

I’ve learned how to do new things with crocheting in the last few days. I have been swimming in yarn.

So, I started this project that I haven’t been keeping up with very well, and I will try to bring it back. I’m making poems from the pages of a book called Your Money Matters. It is a hilariously ridiculous book and this little project is just something fun, like crossword puzzles, but better and more useful. So far I’ve been leaving the words in the order they appear on the page. I might start mixing it up a bit more later. I have 150+ pages to go.

Poems from the section titled: Understanding What Causes Money Problems

Page 9

How to Avoid Them

Suppose you and I could enter homes unnoticed
and listen.

Words revolve around,

drop.

You’d be happy in that
shaky land. This mess,

I get pretty tired of having to smooth.

Page 10

The next time he calls

I’ll pay that bill when I cheer up.

Here, look, $11 down and I hope,
strike close to certainty,

I’ve been involved in enough counseling situations to know
conversations reflect violations, guarantee trouble.

Let me briefly describe:
Another day older and deeper in debt.

That old miner’s song—
grossly underpaid and taken for.

Page 11

Economic bondage

Today you can get into a comparable position,
exploited and kept perpetually
in a servant relationship to a servant.

Joe can’t answer God’s call because he has debts and a husband.

Debt disqualifies people,
too many of us have felt the heavy pressure of month’s end.
We say, “Oh Lord, it’s not there.”

God knew the pressure and did not want us to love.

Page 12

Never pay in full

It’s no fun to pay and pay for husbands and wives.

He comes
and she wants,
says get away from the grindstone,
get a break, think.

And he expects misuse
of the parables of the pounds
and of the talents.

Page 13

There are many ways to waste resources

You end up irresponsible.
You have developed a checklist of eleven questions to ask about cute shoes.
Computer-minded husband has to avoid this kind of scene.

We stayed up until it was light outside. Wine and two-person dance party. Today is headache.

Today, besides a headache, I received an email about signing up for fall courses. I’m squealing and am scared and am happy, and a lot of things. I’ll have a poetry workshop with Heather McHugh, perhaps.