lame.

So, I have the knee problem, and the driving without cruise control tends to make me want to curl up in a ball and die. Further, extended periods of certain activities, like moving, also make me rather miserable. Yesterday, I did both. I drove home from Cincinnati and then I helped Erin move. By 9pm, I felt like I had been run over and someone had pulled my shoulders out of the sockets. My physical state post activity/driving was far worse than usual. I think that I am either feeling my aging in an extreme way, or I am horrendously out of shape. I don't really know what to do, but it makes me want to cry. It might be time to make one of those life changes.

Thanks, for the good time. Sorry, that I made you wake up before you wanted to. You are a fantastic host.

There is a couch in my lawn... what does that mean?

I am not sure how I will find you in your respective cities without at least an address. Do you want me to be there or not? Help me out kids, get those emails moving.

I fixed my shower last night at approximately 10pm. Then I drank some bad beer and went to bed. This morning, I am painting, so I have not yet ascertained if I did actually fix my shower, or if I just finagled all the wrong gizmos in the hopes that I was doing the right thing.

Last night in world politics, we talked about free trade vs. fair trade. She gave a brief overview and than we had discussion. When the questions started flying about fair trade, she ran out of answers. I, however, had all of the answers those kids were looking for. It made me feel swell. It is always nice when the information gleaned from a college research paper ends up being used somewhere beside in said paper. I think I am a better person for it.

I am drinking coffee from Nicaragua. It is really bizarre, and as I drink more of it, I am thinking bizarre in a not good way.

How do you make your dad listen to you?

cold shower #3

I think that it is time to take matter into my own hands. Apparently, top priority to me is not necessarily top priority to the handyman. I have never ventured into plumbing, but it looks like there has never been a better time to start. Wish me luck.

Oh, I got a refrigerator! It is pretty.

I'm sorry.

Mae got a new car! It is a new new car. I was thinking about it this morning, and I think that having the ability to buy a new car might make her a big girl. I am sad. You are all growing up without me. Thanks, for the call. Sorry, I was so groggy.

For some bizarre reason, the hot water in my shower is not so hot. In fact, it is quite cold until about the last 2 minutes when it becomes luke (sp?) warm. Coldish showers in the morning doesn't make for a happy Colleen. If it weren't for those last 2 minutes, I think that I might cry. The shower still leaks (even after the fix). Lyndsey, what was that you said about my dad?

I got a refrigerator! It is in a big box in my basement. Pretty cool. It will be nice to expand my diet to things besides bagels and coffee. I shared a six pack of Newcastle with a friend last night and it made me think of you. It was quite nostalgic. If I had been in a more appropriate place it would have been just like old times.

Remember that time that I ate the salt and then threw up? Priceless.

I pinched a nerve.

Or I might have pleurisy.

I got a big couch and a little couch. That is two couches, which is a big step up from my one chair when Talya and I lived in the square. They are both really ugly, and they really don't match the paint colors but they are real comfy. The love seat used to be my grandma's (I am pretty sure it is as old as I am), and the big couch was my aunt's (which is almost as old as I am). They both have a lovely floral pattern of sorts. Very much my style.

My stove is in the living room and the refrigerator is still at Lowe's. I cut a hole in the wall yesterday. The shower was leaking. Apparently, the plumber (my dad) forgot to tighten the pipes before we put up the drywall. We are putting up a little door over the hole to allow for further access to the shower plumbing. It is an old wooden fuse box door from Ewing Hall. The word on the street is that Ewing Hall used to sit on College Green between Chubb and Alden. It was the amphitheatre behind Scripps before there was an amphitheatre. My dad stole it when they were tearing the building down. Very cool. (The door, not my dad).

The kitchen floor is amazing, and the counter space makes me giddy.

Bangs, next saturday, at noon?

It is amazing how much better a movie can seem when educated about the real events that the movie was based on. Case in point: Black Hawk Down.

I am moving. Either today or tomorrow, I haven't decided. I guess that Friday is a possibility as well. What will I do with all of that space and all of my belongings in one location.

I haven't lived with all of my stuff since before I went back to OU junior year. That is pre-appendix cancer... approximately winter of '03/'04. I am not sure how I will handle it. When I am all settled in, will you come to visit me? It will make me feel nice.

Yesterday, and the day before I saw a cement I-Beam driving down I77. My best guess is that this will eventually be part of a bridge, although I am thrown off by the fact that it is cement rather than steel. I thought the house was big... that was nothin.' This thing was just short of three semi lengths. It was pulled by a cab and front trailer and than a second trailer approximately 100yards back. It was outstanding. I wish that you could have been there to see it.

I think that we should reform our commenting practices. It is very difficult for me when you read something on one blog and then go and comment on another blog. My brain freaks out a little bit and than I have to painstakingly go back and try to figure out what you are talking about. This is hard for me. Example: Lyndsey comments on my blog. When it is time for me to respond to her comment, I do it as another comment on the same blog. It seems that some prefer to read a comment and than go and comment on the commenter's blog. This is where I get confused. Please, make it better. My brain is very tired.

In regard to the Over the Rhine... the plan is to come to the 'Nati on Saturday the 28th (2:30-3ish if all works well). As far as I am concerned, we can go to see OTR or not. I am seeing them the next weekend in Akron anyhow, so I am fine with whatever. However, if you (Mae) want to see them, I am game. Lyndsey, apparently, would rather drink butter.

I have to go to school.

hydrating.

My home improvement to do list is shrinking. I finished painting the kitchen ceiling today. Tomorrow, Erin Molnar and I are cleaning the bathroom, hallway, living room, and upstairs. After the cleaning, only touch-up paint and fill wood holes will remain on my list. I am moving in on Friday. I am shockingly unexcited about this news. Frankly, I would like to burn the house down. I know that this feeling will pass, but I hate it for eating up so much of me.

Let this quote forever live in infamy, "It would be like nixing the lobster and chugging the big bowl of butter." Although I really do love the lobster, in this case, I am all about chugging the big bowl of butter.

I can't get all of the white paint off of my hands. My pants have all turned cranky and I don't know what to do.

For J-Doe: Not to support G.W. or improve his image, but it should be noted that it was not only in his administration that UN dues went unpaid. As far as I know, the US' dues to the UN haven't been paid (except during the Clinton Administration) since Jimmy Carter became president.

condoms.

Did you know that the U.S. doesn't and has not payed their U.N. dues for decades (except for when Clinton was President, and he even payed some of the back dues) because the U.N. funds organizations that distribute condoms to fight against AIDS. Since the U.N. provides aid to these organizations, the U.S. dues would also indirectly be funding these organizations. What are your thoughts?

Shawana might have been right...

I walked into a bar and ordered a pint of Guinness. A young man down the bar looked over, smiled, and said, "Isn't it a little early for a Guinness." (It was approx. 8pm). I turned, smiled and said, "No... it's never too early for a Guinness." Then, because I am the way I am, I looked down at what he was drinking... Miller Lite. Sigh. It was a nice little banter back and forth until I noticed that. So, being the pretentious person I am, I smiled and walked back to my table... thinking... shut it miller lite man... until you start having some self respect I will give you no more attention.

Apparently, I am like that with music too. The new Bright Eyes album came out yesterday, and it is gorgeous. Its style is very I'm Wide Awake, Its Morning but it isn't as good (however, I don't know that he will ever be able to top that, and if he does, I will pee myself... you can write that down). The new Modest Mouse is amazing... amazing. It may be their best album, but we will have to give it some time to know for sure. It just keeps getting better with every listen. The new Arcade Fire and The Shins albums... not as good, but still very solid and worth spending some time with. Going back a bit now... The Decemberists The Crane Wife, I cannot say enough. I struggle to remember all of the albums of 2006, but it was definitely in the top 5. Outstanding work. Damien Rice 9 was also quite good.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go on like that. Bonnaroo, should I go? Do you want to come with me?

I got the grade back for my Politics of the Global Economy paper. My life can now move back into a stable sort of pattern. Is it an indication that there may be something wrong with me because I am so invested in my papers that I struggle to function like a normal human being leading up to, writing, and post handing them in? I will try to work on that. Sorry, that I left you high and dry for so long.

reconsidering my thoughts on fairtrade...

I hate everything about it.

I have been trying to write a paper for three days. It is not going... well. Yesterday, I spent approximately three hours writing the bibliography. Problem... when I get sources off of the internet, whether they be journal articles or from the general web site, I print them out and and am not overly concerned that all of the citing information is included in the print out. When I sit down with my stack of source material and begin my works cited page, I am then quite frustrated that I am typically missing one little bit of information for almost every source. So, I have to go back into the net and try and retrace my steps to find that item I am looking for. In all cases, I eventually found what I needed, but it was only after I kicked myself for not making sure it was there the first time around. You probably think that this is rediculous, and I can't say that I don't blame you, but I am quite frustrated and feeling the need to talk about it. Life was so much easier when we used real books to do research.

Drew (my nephew) is afraid of grass. Not really the cry when he touches it type, but he makes the most bizaare, irritated/angry face when his feet touch it. (This is very funny if you ask me, but he doesn't seem to be quite so amused.) So, yesterday, I was holding him and decided we were going to go for a walk in the grass. I dangled him over the strange green stuff until he got tired of holding his legs up and after some getting used to, we took a nice walk. Later on, Tara (his mom) tried to take him for a walk in the grass and he got very upset with her. See, I am his favorite.

My dad had a business meeing on the porch yesterday afternoon. It was quite the site to come home to. Apparently, it was the lawyer's idea.

Colleen Rankin Jr.

I hung kitchen cabinets today. It is amazing how satisfying this task can be. My nephew is walking. 10 months and 10 days. He is a Rankin. I know, it is amazing. I am not in the best of moods, so this will probably sound like I am an aweful, hateful person.

My other brother's wife (Katie) is due do have a baby girl on May 14th. Yesterday, they told me that one of the names in the running is Colleen. At first I said that this was not acceptable. The name was already taken in this family and it will not be shared. Than I gave it some thought and realized the awe that would fill a small child when it realizes that I am the one that she was named after. I figure that this will win me the favorite aunt award for sure. My goal is to be the favorite aunt/uncle of all of my nieces and nephews. I realize that the competition my not be very strong on my side of the family, but Katie and Tara have some tough competition on their sides. Still, I am feeling confident. I feel very strongly that sharing my name will seal the deal. In fact, I think that I will encourage all of my siblings to name their future children after some form of my first or middle names.