flirt-boy is back!

Okay. So today I went back to McDonalds... same place as last week. The good news is that they had ketchup this time. But the bad news is that flirt-boy is back... and worse than before.

I got my order from him because, well, I didn't really have a choice... he was the only one behind the counter. AGAIN he messed my order up... but again I wasn't dumb enough to go back up and ask for a new order. As I stood waiting for my order, he made many (pitiful) attempts to start a conversation with me.

So finally I get my food and sit down. I was looking forward to a quiet lunch, as I pulled out a book and opened it to the place where I'd left off. I turned to my food when suddenly, Flirt-Boy sat down (uninvited) in the seat across from me. Again, he is attempting to make conversation... asking all kinds of questions about me. So I was trying to be polite and friendly, but not overly forward... I answered his questions and plastered a polite smile on my face. I also made it very clear that I am (almost) 24 years old. Finally he left, and at last returned to my (now-cold) food. I thought I could finally have some peace.

I was nearing the end of my meal when he came back... and he asked me when I was coming back to McDonalds. Now that's a question that took me off guard. I don't plan my visits to McDonalds! I just go there when I'm in the mood to eat out. I sputtered and told him I had no idea when I would return.

But honestly, based on his behavior, I'm not very inclined to return soon at all! I strongly suspect that when I return, I am going to have to tell him that I am NOT interested in him. Sheesh. What can you do about that?

Ward Parkway Shooting

Just minutes ago, life in Kansas City became a whole lot scarier.

I don't have all the details yet, and neither do the police or media. Sometime this afternoon, a shooter (witnesses say it was a man) opened fire at Ward Parkway Shopping Center. At least two people are dead. The attack is believed to be unprovoked. The mall is currently locked down, as police believe the shooter may still be inside.

Perhaps the most frightening aspect of this attact is its location. Ward Parkway is a very suburban and (until now) very safe area. We have other malls in our area that have suffered due to the high crime rate of the surrounding area. Blue Ridge Mall was torn down and replaced with a Wal-Mart. If you want drugs, you can go to the parking lot of Bannister Mall. But Ward Parkway Shopping Center is (was) safe.

I guess life is never safe.

a controversial question?

It seems that one of my previous posts has sparked a bit of a controversy, and I thought I might expand on that a bit more. I'd like to know how each of you feels about invitro fertilization and other infertility treatments that help infertile couples become pregnant. Are they just another advance in medical science, a gray area in regards to medical ethics, or a downright sin?

Tell me your thoughts... and I'll leave my thoughts in a few days!

boys... why bother?

I'm not sure why, but it seems like in the past couple of days there have been lots of boy-related events in my life. More than usual, at least.

Yesterday, I discovered the Xanga site for Nathan, a guy I dated briefly when I was in college. (Link here to see his site.) That was a totally surreal experience! Things I learned from this experience: To the best of my memory, Nathan has not changed his hairstyle a bit in the five years since we dated. He has, however, managed to grow a bit of scruff on his chin! Cute kid. Thank heaven that God knows what I need better than I do, because I can tell you I would be incredibly unhappy with a guy like him. Not my type!

So anyway... Today I decided to go out on my bike. I went across the highway so that I could pick up a couple of things at the grocery store and, while I was over there, I stopped at McDonald's for lunch. I locked my bike, waited in line, and ordered my usual chicken nuggets. And the guy who took my order started flirting with me! I stood there waiting for my order while he made a pass at me. Very weird, considering that he couldn't have been older than 16 or 17! Then I had to go back up to the counter to tell them they were out of ketchup, and again - the flirting. (For what it's worth, he didn't even get my order right. But at that point I didn't want to face the flirting any more!)

Boys boys boys... you see, guys like him are why I am single. Now given, he is much younger than I... but sadly, many guys just do not grow up! They either stay in this immature/girl-hunting phase for a very long time, or they become so boring that they are no fun to be with. There's a balance between intelligence and fun-seeking. Not to mention, I will only date Christians. It's a shame that so many Christians are so doggone boring. God never meant for Christianity to be boring - it's the most thrilling ride I've ever been on.

theories on invitro fertilization and other infertility treatments

Today, I found this article on ABCNEWS.com. The article is about 10-year-old transgender kid. He is biologically a boy, but strongly believes that he is a she. He had his name legally changed from Richard to Riley, and his (her?) parents allow him to wear female clothes and to behave like a girl.

One interesting note in this article is that this child was conceived via invitro fertilization. The couple gave birth to fraternal twins, a girl and a boy, though of course the boy is transgender.

So this brings me to my theory... Could invitro fertilization and other forms of infertility treatment be the cause of the many people today with sexual confusion? (i.e. homosexuals, transgender, transexuals, etc.) Is a child born via invitro fertilization at higher "risk" for struggling with homosexuality or another form of sexual confusion?

Many of my friends already know how I feel about infertility treatments. For a variety of reasons, I know that my own fertility is already compromised, and I'm okay with that. I also know that I will, under no circumstances, hot-wire my body to have a baby. There is no reason to do so when so many children in our country and in other countries are orphaned. I fully plan to adopt at least one, and hopefully more, children. We were not made to be conceived in a test-tube.

tonight's thoughts... bicycling

Many of you know that, since moving back from Africa, I do not have a car. We sold my car to help finance the Africa journey, and I don't have another one yet. In a way, that's not a bad thing... I'm not paying for gasoline or car insurance, which saves a lot of money. But anyone who has ever lived in the KC area knows that a car is pretty necessary to get anywhere around here.

Well, after being cooped up in the house for two weeks, I dusted off one of the old bicycles (with pedals!) in the garage. I fixed the chain, filled the tires with air, and got it ready to go.

Today I took the bike out and rode to Taco Bell for lunch - it's the closest restaurant to our house. Also I went to the Dollar Store, which was in the strip mall next to Taco Bell. It was nice to get out of the house, although I definitely discovered that I need to work on getting in shape!

Now I am exploring some of the potential roads where I will be able to ride my bike. It would be nice to be able to venture out even farther - say, as far as Target and the grocery store, or to a different restaurant. I'm not sure what will come of this, but hopefully it will be a happier, healthier me. :)

tidybowl revealed!

finding my groove

After six months with no opportunity whatsoever to practice my HTML, it's been a bit of an adventure to set up this new template. I have the sidebar mostly good to go. But I had to refresh a lot of things in my memory!

Now, I am off to play with the template on my Myspace page. So much HTML today!

new template

Yay for me, I got a new template up today!

So okay, it's not perfect, but I'm going off to work on it some more and get that sidebar figured out.

Also I need to get a couple of my other blogs figured out... I have a myspace, which I should probably update a bit as well.

It's an HTML day!

It's all me!

HowManyOfMe.com

There is 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

so i gotta update this...

It's all about habit! I gotta get back into a habit of updating this blog!

Life since I returned has been fairly quiet. I don't have a car, so I am just tooling around the house every day. Yesterday I got out one of our old bicycles and, with help from my dad, got the chain and tires fixed up again. With a bike, I can go out a little bit. I'm still somewhat limited in where I can go and what I can do, but at least I can get out of the house, get some fresh air and sunshine, and get some exercise while I'm at it.

I've read the classifieds online, and when I am able to get a car, I will have to put my job hunt into high gear. I'm in a strange place, since I just really don't know what I want to do. I'm not as gung-ho about teaching as I used to be - or at least, about teaching in a traditional school. But there are still lots of opportunities out there. I just have to pray and find something that suits me.

I've toyed with several different ideas. I could go into computers and move up in the computer business. I have thought about applying to teach high-risk kids at a couple of different types of unique schools. I might enjoy working for a non-profit organization. I could go back to school for a master's or another bachelor's degree. I've also thought about going back overseas. I could join the Peace Corps - that would be a well-established service organization, albeit not a Christian one. Or I could find another organization and go overseas with someone else.

So many choices! What do you think?

Kansas City barbeque

My grandfather has been in town for the past couple of days, and he wanted to get some good old Kansas City barbeque. So today, we drove across town to Arthur Bryant's BBQ. Arthur Bryant's makes the best barbeque in Kansas City, hands down. No questions asked! I strongly reccommend it to any visitors to our area! Also, it is near the 18th & Vine district, which means that it is within a couple of blocks of the Jazz Museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and several other attractions.

this one's just funny

So as I'm getting back into this blogging thing, I have to find "stuff" to write about. Most of my friends know that, for whatever reason, I'm a news junkie. Few days pass when I don't check my favorite news websites (and, now that I'm back in the US, actually WATCH the news on TV!).

I found this story today and, well, it just seemed dumb enough to share. When I was in Ghana, I remember seeing a few Muslims who would pray on their prayer rugs in the port. Ironically enough, I'm fairly certain they were NOT facing east! That requirement is one tenant of the Muslim faith that has always perplexed me. I mean, really, what's the point?

aye aye aye... i'm home sweet home!

Where to begin, where to begin...

Well, I'm home now. The drama of the ship has finally driven me back to a "western" continent. I won't lie a bit - it's a relief to be here. Home is, and always will be, home. More importantly, home is where my parent, my church, and my friends are. These are people who accept me completely, for everything I am and everything I am not.

That's not to say that life on the ship was miserable or impossible. It was difficult, but I found some close friends on the ship - people who I miss already. The organization is flawed and changes need to be made, but that's not my call to make, plus now that I'm home, I won't really be affected by their choices anymore. That's a relief.

Here in the US, I am just beginning to adjust to the time-zone change, and just beginning to get back on top of my old life. I sold my car when I went overseas, I haven't owned or maintained a residence in the US, and (partially because I was not expecting to be home so soon) I do not have a job. My first goal, then, is to somehow buy a car. Since I don't really have any money, I don't really have that figured out either. Once I have a car, I will start applying for jobs, and hopefully I can get some kind of income started. Then maybe, in a few months, I can start to look at getting my own apartment.

I don't really have a clue what job I will get, so that will be an adventure. Working on the ship pretty much dashed any interest I have in teaching, at least for the time being. So I am looking at going back to school or somehow getting a job in a different field, maybe science-related or writing.

Now that I'm home (at least for the time being), I will hopefully have time to blog! I have to get back into the blogging "habit"! Amazingly, I think I will be quite busy now that I am home, both online and off. Somehow there is always enough work to fill the time! But, for those who are in the neighborhood... see you around!