I feel like a Vietnamese. They have very good food, btw . My brother Wendell took me to eat out along Main Street in Peoria (down by Bradley University). Despite his secrecy, I finally guessed where we were going  (after a broad hint  that the food was ethnic of a country the U.S. fought a war with). Before we went to the restaurant, we went to an International Food Store. It was awesome to see so many countries represented in one colorful little store . We bought some Korean soft drinks, sardines in chili sauce, and aloe vera juice. No one in our family was very excited about trying the aloe vera juice, especially since the outside declared that the product contained refreshing bits of crunchy pulp . To our surprise, it was really good . I would buy some more if it wasn't so expensive.

When we got to the restaurant, we specifically asked for chopsticks (although I have no idea how to use them), but our waiter never brought them. I think he sensed my inexperience . I had "thick noodles with chicken and vegies." I figured that it was authentic since they couldn't even spell "veggies." Wendell had red curry sauce with chicken over rice. They serve huge portions. If you ever go, make sure you are very hungry.

Well, enough about Vietnam and aloe vera juice. I have to get back to studying my Perspectives course (I'm almost done!). I decided that if I get done with my lesson this afternoon, I will reward myself with ice cream . Well, I'll probably reward myself with ice cream regardless since I'm going to an ice cream social tonite . And I get to see my aunt and uncle one more time before they leave for Ecuador.

I have a strong desire to stay updated with all of my wonderful xanga friends. I like to read about their lives and [rarely] comment on their entries. I like to laugh at their pictures and absorb their emotions. I like to see what they're up to-- getting married, eating strange food, knitting socks, etc.

Oh, yes, and then there's this issue commonly called time. And then there's someone who is formulating this apologetic entry who perhaps isn't the best manager of time...especially when it comes to the all the EXCITING xanga news. Yes, perhaps she is busy devouring large amounts of slow-to-digest literature and having to chew her cud more often than the average reader. And then there's her mal espanol, made especially poor by the absence of a tilde over the n. Here it is two sentences too late: ~ I'm just not sure how to get it over the n and I'm too tired to try.

Every time I write an entry like this, I think: I will do better this month. But like everyone else, I am slowly sliding off the surface of cyberspace without even trying to tread the perilous waters of obscuirty. (I'm not saying that not having a xanga site makes you a nobody.)

So once again, I will do better. Next time I will manage my time wisely and put something interesting on here that people actually care about. Oh wait, I think I might have two pictures somewhere that might be interesting...to me at least. Oh, here they are. They are actually very bad pictures taken by a very bad photographer who is still trying to learn how to operate her new camera (wrong setting I think). When I took these, I immediately noticed the striking resemblance to the American Gothic. Am I right?