The rummage sale

Today Jessie and I successfully held one of the most ghetto rummage sales in history, all in the name of helping abused women and children and orphans, and were triumphant! When I say ghetto rummage sale, I am talking about me going through drawers and binding together a clump of loose crayons and selling them for 30 cents! I am talking about selling old clothes, free gifts-with-purchase, and dusting things off on the fly; selling half used bottles of mosquito repellant and hairspray and lotion. Anyway, again, all in the name of charity--and of course, Melissa and Jessie's clothes actually were nice enough to be sold legitimately. We raised like 150 dollars in an hour. It was awesome. Our coworkers definitely came through like champs as did some of the local student population. I felt that the ladies who actually pretended to be happy about buying the hair dye that I was selling...the hair dye we got for free b/c our company has a contract with Revlon...were very kindhearted. All this happened and I, Julie Anne Hartle, was dressed in a pink outfit, painfully reminiscent of pepto bismol and the 1980s, both things I try to avoid at all costs. I needed some pants for all the lifting and running around we were doing...and the only ones i had were my pink workout pants, which woefully matched the pink stripes in my shirt. So it even looked, God forbid, INTENTIONAL. Oh Lord above. Thank goodness I am in Taiwan, where couples dress alike and women get mullets because they actually think they look good.

Okay, I have to go wash out my hair dye. a report on that in a few short minutes. I have returned. Well, it's definitely red. dark red. I'm a little nervous that I let the roots grow too long because they have a sort of technicolor red about them that the ends do not have because I have been in the sun a bit more lately and I think they have lightened, but that is fairly typical. The dye felt like it was burning my scalp when I put it on and the ammonia smell was choking me such that I thought I might pass out. A normal person who cared more about their own comfort and well-being would have washed it out immediately. I realized that as I was trying to take my mind of the burning sensation on my head. But I am stubborn. I would not forfeit the potential of my red hair just because of some pain! oh no. When I finally washed it out it was eerily the color of blood. It used to always be a little more purpley, but this was like a japanese horror movie bathroom scene. in any case, we'll see how it turns out in the full light of day. Feria only totally caused tragedy once and it was because I bought a different shade of red than usual because they were selling a free mascara along with the dye. I had to run to the store and get some brown. That's a good tip if you dye your own hair and it goes terribly awry. A good, solid shade of brown can usually smooth things out.

Elliot was voted off American Idol which means that a truly annoying thing may come to pass. Katherin McPhee might coast on the wings of her beauty for the win. She has no discernible style and is totally unconfident. She always looks scared when the judges say anything negative about her. How frustrating, to be an unbeautiful woman in an era when beauty has so much power to control people. Really, think of all the good a beautiful woman can do when she uses her powers for good, i.e. the fomerly incestual and creepy Angelina Jolie who has gotten people to actually give a shit about impoverished children and adoption. My suggestion: Katherine McPheever needs to go and use her powers to help cure some other type of fever, like typhoid. One of my university students, let's call her Heinous, said last week that if she won the lottery she would buy 10 Gucci bags and 10 LV bags and a nice car. I was supremely disappointed. Another of my students, let's call her Greasy, said she would give half to charity and then travel around the world with her family. Now, if I were in charge of natural selection, Heinous would definitely get the boot, even though Greasy has big glasses and never washes her hair. If those two were on American Idol, America would surely choose Heinous, and congratulate themselves for it. Little and cute and hygienic and selfish.

The movie Sahara was vastly underrated. It even includes a dragon fruit in the buffet scene...and Steve Zahn: one of the funniest people alive.

my Bible reading today was gorgeous: Isaiah 57-58. Some highlights: 57:17 Peace, peace, to the far and near, says the Lord; and I will heal them. 58:6 Is this not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the things of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7. Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly. ; your vindication shall go before you...9 If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong.

Btw, Isaiah 54 is absolutely one of the most beautiful chapters for single women.