Alright, two more days until I'm off to India. Actually, not EVEN two more days. More like a day and xx hours. Crazy. I pseudo-finished packing today, and all I've got to do now is just pack some final things (contacts, gel, etc.). When Papa comes today, he's probably going to rearrange everything once again, because he's apparently the King of Packing. He's just good at seeing things and figuring out how to maximize space and such. That's cool. Alright, I'm blabbering. Off I go to Barnes and Noble to buy a couple of novels to read on the flight.

So there are mail order brides, right? You know, you start talking to some chick in Russia or something who is desperate to come to the U.S. for a green card, with the hopes that there's a connection. If there is, you marry her, blah blah blah. Ideally it's a way to help a really desperate woman to come to the US, and really desperate guys (who can't get women here) to make a love-match. Or something. That's until I met this site for mail-order husbands. It's the same thing as the mail-order brides thing, except the women get to choose who they want. You've GOT to check it out.

Alright, so I saw this on albinoblacksheep.com and haven't been able to stop cracking up since. Be careful, it's got a good dose of cursing, but it's probably one of the funniest things I've ever read. Check it out.

So an Amish kid died Wednesday when he was trying to remove an electrical cord that was stuck on his buggy's wheels. Does anyone else find this ironic?

Now I'm not saying I'm bitter. I'm not even saying I'm pessimistic. However, it takes a lot to make me go, "awwww," online. (Now if you put me in a room with a puppy or a baby, I melt into play-noises and going, "come heeere!") However, here's a story that warmed me. A child, when asked what he wanted for Christmas, responded, "Christmas cards. Lots of them."

And he did. 130,000 of them as of now, and still coming strong. What makes this even more special is that he has Holt-Oram syndrome, which causes abnormalities in the hands and brain. You can check out the story on CNN.com.

I was just talking to my friend Astri and I realized, with one week to go before India, that I haven't properly explained what I'm going to be doing there.

*NOTE: THIS IS ALL TENUOUS AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY POINT*
There are three things that I'm looking at right now, and all of the things I'm going to mention are IF everything works out. Since I've given two full disclaimers, I guess I can begin with what I hope will happen.

The Movie
The number one reason for going to India is to shoot a movie. The director/screenwriter of the film is a family friend, and he has said that he'll include me. Now if that means that I'll be Village Boy #3 or if it's a more substantial role, I don't know. As I have more details, I'll post them. Either way, all I'm hoping for is a few lines. On top of that, the movie is going to be distributed internationally, so there's a good chance that it'll make it to The States.

An Agent
I have gotten some contact information for an agent/ad agency owner in Bangalore, where I'll be staying for a while. If this means that I have some acting work while I'm there, wonderful. I'd love to keep myself busy.

Accent Neutralization
You know how when you call IBM(for instance) with a tech support question, the call center ends up in India? Well these people sometimes need help with neutralizing their thick Indian accents to something that Americans can understand. Plus, they also need some skills in understanding the wide array of American dialects. (When I first got to America and heard the thick Southern accent.. whew!) This is a niche that I hope to fill. I have a few contacts there, but this is DEFINITELY something that I'm hoping for because the details are up in the air. Plus, I love helping people anyway, so this provides an ample opportunity.

And that's what I've got so far. Suffice it to say that I'll be updating the info as often as I can, and being able to say if there are some aspects that are working out, and others that are not. Alright, I'm out for now.

Quote of the Day
"i have ice on my left ass cheek"
-Nisha

INSANE story from Donna. She went to the city rescue mission, where there are a lot of homeless people (obviously). So there she is, trying to help these people out and.. you know what? Just read the email she sent.

" went to the city rescue mission yesterday...downtown...and i got a couple of stories...first of all i loved helping those ppl...as 25 of us walked in one of the homeless guys goes....wow...it looks like Abu-Gharib just let loose...?!?..can u believe that?? and then another guy asked if i should cover my face since its against my religion to reveal it...and i kindly informed him that i was christian...and then another guy asked my sisters...what church we went to ...and we're like 1st Indian Pentecostal Church on 10th and council...and he goes...oh is that the church with all the terror cells????....WHAT THE...these ppl where crazy....and abt a million of them hit on all of us...one guy was like "i need some spiritual healing..and hugs...and...."...and another guy...abt as old as my dad...comes up to me and he was like "sweetie are u married...and i was like no...and he was like whats ur name...and i was like...donna...and then he goes...what's ur address...and i jus smiled...and he's like " u need to quit lookin so good...i'm VERYYY single...AND VERY interested..and definitely NOT married...and then he goes..is ur bf here?..and he answered his own quest and goes..."i hope not"....i was like that's nice and slowly walked away...and then later he saw my sisters and i standin together...and he was like "triplets???...and mann all y'all look good too...i must've done died and gone to heaven..."...eventful day i tell ya..."

WHOA.

Yet another night that I couldn't sleep until 5:30 am. You know, it's interesting-- I went bed yesterday at 11pm and woke up at 1 am. And then... nothin. Totally awake. So I basically stayed up all night talking to Angel, another night/early morning owl. If nothing else, it looks like my body is already adjusted to the Indian time zone. Good good.

Speaking of Angel, we're supposed to go take photos today, but this time it's gonna be a bit different- I'm going to take photos of her. She wants me to only put one of the photos up, which is fine- I'll put it in the 'My Friends' section.

On another note, you know it's a sad day when you start designing covers for your iPod. I'm such a loser.

Peas.

Guess what I got today? I'll tell ya. An iPod- the Special U2 Edition. To be totally honest, I'm not a huge U2 fan. I mean I respect them and all, but I don't go out and buy every one of their albums, like Kim does. Now how I GOT the damn thing is a whole other ordeal (apparently a regular 20GB iPod is no longer in service or something.. and they're sold out everywhere.. blah blah). As a result, I got one of their remaining U2 iPods for $25. Add a carrying case, and you're good to go. I definitely know that it'll come in handy on the lonnnnnng plane ride to India. Plus, I'm taking my software with me by using it as an external hard drive. Not too shabby.

Now that I've spent MORE than enough time on the iPod, I'll sign off.

On another note, Erica isn't coming to Norman. Should I really be all that surprised? I'll tell ya-- I'm not. (In case you can't tell, I'm pissed.)

But boy howdy.. that iPod suuuuure puts ya in a good mood. :D