The Stories

Nothing very interesting has happened today. I woke up around 5:00 and couldn't fall back asleep, so I got up and packed lunches for Zack and me. I had resolved not to spend any money at Starbucks today (mostly for the reason that I don't actually have any money to spend), so that meant taking a lunch and enough snacks to get me through the day. Zack's mom gave us a couple of really cool insulated cups, guaranteed to keep your drink hot for 4 hours - exactly what I need! I forgot to put the kettle on, though, and didn't think of it until I was running out the door. So, no tea for me :(. I could hardly stay awake in early morning service. It was gloomy and drizzly and dark, and I just wanted to be in bed. While everyone else was in Starbucks, I took a little nap and started dreaming and everything.

Zack and I both have a yucky tummy bug. He has it worse than me. Yesterday we both stayed home all day. This morning I made myself get up and go out, even though I would rather have slept. It's annoying because I feel crummy, but I don't have a fever, and I haven't actually thrown up or anything, so I'm just toughing it out. I would rather be really sick and stay home, or else be well. This in-between stuff is just dumb.

I talked to Andrew a little bit at the service meeting. We were both standing in the back, waiting for our car groups, and he looked exactly the way I felt - all droopy-eyed and sleepy, and like he wanted to be in bed. It's one of those days I guess.

Anyway, as to the stories from the pioneer party - now that I'm trying to think how to tell them, it seems like you had to just be there. The "cadaver room" stories were pretty gross. Bryson is a firefighter, and Luke is going to nursing school, so they've both taken anatomy/physiology, which includes studying actual corpses. So somehow the subject came up, and they were describing what it was like, and Bryson said that the flesh of the cadavers looks just like regular cooked meat - some of it light, some dark. I was like, "you mean, like turkey?" (we were having a turkey dinner), and he said, "yeah, just like that turkey you ate, that's sitting in your stomach right now." Which was a pretty disgusting thing to say, but funny.

I don't know if you've ever seen the old sitcom, Welcome Back, Kotter, but one of the characters is this kid named Horshack. We were talking about the show, and I said he was my favorite character. Luke goes, "Did my parents ever tell you that they met him?" Apparently years ago, right after they got married, Jeff and Carol saw him do a standup show in New York. They were there with a friend who knew him personally, so they got to go back to his dressing room and meet him. And sadly, he turned out to be really creepy and spent the whole time ignoring Jeff and hitting on Carol.

I can't remember who brought up the vanishing sandwiches. I think we started discussing obesity because Luke had eaten so much and was so full. He and Bryson started relating stories they had heard of in their classes, about morbidly obese people with lots of rolls of excess flesh. Apparently, it is not uncommon for very large people to somehow lose a sandwich in amidst their belly rolls. Both Luke and Bryson have heard about this phenomena, where doctors will be examining their patients, and lift up a roll of flab, and find a forgotten sandwich. I swear I am not making that up. We were wondering how it could be possible not to notice that your sandwich had disappeared. Luke did a reenactment of someone making a sandwich, and somehow inadvertently stuffing it into a pocket of flesh. It was so gross but so hysterical.