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Monday, October 22, 2007

The weather is going to be wonderful over the next few days. Yay, finally autumn weather! This is my favorite time of the year since I absolutely enjoy the coolness, the smell of fall in the air and the chance to wear sweaters.

I'm actually looking forward to winter, which may seem odd; but I live in Texas, where it's hot as hell for a great part of the year. Oh, yeah, and I'm originally from Minnesota, so maybe I have "thicker blood" than most Texans. Probably not, though. I haven't been in temperatures cooler than 15°F in almost twenty years, so I really have no idea how I'd fare in temperatures that cold. No need to worry about freezing here, of course!

Song of the moment: "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

Labels: corpus christi, joanna

Monday, June 11, 2007

Although I've never walked across the Harbor Bridge, I think it's about time they opened it to foot traffic again! From what I've been told, the view of Corpus Christi and the bay from the bridge's apex is lovely. The landscape here in the Coastal Bend is so flat that the bridge most definitely offers the highest vantage point in the area.

Once, I did begin to walk over the bridge, but had to turn back after only making it less than 1/4 of the way across. My fear of heights was compounded by the fact that there was traffic whizzing by at more than 60 MPH mere feet away from me. I'm always up for an adventure; but in that situation, I was basically paralyzed by fear. At that point, I probably would have had to have been dragged by someone to get me to cross the bridge on foot. Oddly enough, I never had any problem driving across it.

Investigators check reports of a haunting: "The first supernatural report came from landscape workers, who asked association members who was the old lady in the upstairs window who waved at them."

I'd have a hard time believing such reports if I and my family hadn't experienced very similar events years ago when living in a house that was built in 1912. Here are a few examples:

• We often heard an inexplicable phantom ringing that sounded like an old-fashioned telephone.
• Many times late at night, we'd hear the clickety clack of the keyboard, as if someone were typing; but, of course, the computer wasn't even turned on.
• Most hair-raising of all, one of my family members once saw an apparition of a stooped old woman dressed in black Victorian-style clothing ascending the stairs to the second floor of our house.

There was other poltergeist-like activity, as well; but I'd rather not get into all the minute details. Needless to say, I was very relieved to move to a newer place with less history!

Quick Spurs update: They're currently up 2 games to 0 against the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Great game last night! Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were amazing, as usual. Next game: Tuesday night in Cleveland.

Song of the moment: "Stolen," by Dashboard Confessional. Watch the music video or listen to the song at DBC's MySpace page.

Labels: corpus christi, dashboard confessional, joanna, San Antonio Spurs

Sunday, May 27, 2007

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is a blast! I went to see it yesterday and was highly entertained: Captain Jack Sparrow is as incorrigible as ever and absolutely fabulous. (Johnny Depp is brilliant!)

The movie was a great way to end the PotC trilogy; but it looks like there's a chance there could be another movie. I'm thinking it would feature Captain Jack as the main character, which would be fine with me! Will and Elizabeth are annoying, I say. I'm just speculating, of course; but I do think a Sparrow-centric movie would be wildly popular.

It's been a very long time since I posted a survey, so when I came across this one, I thought it would be fun to fill it out and share my answers. A lot of the questions are utterly silly and so are some of my answers!

1. yOUR Name?
Joanna Blackwell

2. Were you named after anyone?
In a generic way, I was: My parents wanted me to have a Biblical name. They'd settled on Anna, but my mom changed it to Joanna at the last minute. When I was younger, I didn't really care for my name, but I like it now. I'm very grateful that I wasn't named Jennifer, Britney or Amber!

3. Do you wish on stars?
Not really.

4. Which finger is your favorite?
I am fond of all of my fingers. Heh.

5. When is the last time you cried?
I had a really good bawl about two months ago.

6. If you were making a movie about yourself, who would play you?
Hmm, Drew Barrymoore...Kate Winslet...Rachel Weiss? I'm not sure!

7. Would you rather attend a concert or a play?
I say combine them both and attend a musical!

8. Who do you admire?
My family, those who help others and those who aren't afraid to follow their dreams.

9. What is the #1 priority in your life?
To keep evolving as a person and to learn and expand my knowledge about the world around me. Also to stay true to myself and be as authentic as possible.

10. What is your favorite lunch meat?
Uhm, this is an odd question! Anyway, the answer is turkey.

11. Any bad habits?
Biting my fingernails (I curb the habit, but it's a struggle!) and imbibing too many caffeinated beverages.

12. What store would you never be caught dead in?
I can think of a couple types of stores I'd never patronize; but as for naming a particular store, I never shop at Hot Topic.

13. If you were another person would you be friends with you?
Yeah, I think so. Of course, I've never had the opportunity to meet myself, though, so I really don't know.

14. Are you a daredevil?
Not at all!

15. Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Definitely a morning person, as long as I go to bed on time!

16. Have you ever told a secret you swore you wouldn't tell?
no.

17. Have you ever stolen anything?
I don't think so. If I have, it was an accidental theft!

18. Do looks matter?
Some say that looks don't matter (I want to believe they don't), but I think everyone knows that your looks do effect how others view you.

19. Do you pray?
Yes.

20. Have you ever met anyone famous?
Yes, I've met these Olympic athletes: Apolo Anton Ohno, Rusty Smith, Fabio Carta and Vonetta Flowers. They are all awesome and very gracious and friendly! I've also met Joshua Radin. We had a nice chat about Corpus Christi after I attended the Hotel Cafe Tour show in November 2006.

21. Do you prefer watching movies at home or in the theater?
Summer releases are best in theaters, I think; the rest can be watched at home.

22. Are you trendy?
No.

23. What do you do to vent anger?
I used to write in my journal, but now I just talk to anyone who will listen to me rant about why I'm mad.

24. Are you passive or aggressive?
I tend to be passive.

25. Who is your idol?
I don't have one.

26. Do you prefer cats or dogs?
Cats!

27. Do you trust others easily?
I do and maybe too much sometimes.

28. What was your favorite toy as a child?
A little mole doll, which I called "Moley." Plus, I had an affinity for Legoes and Lincoln Logs.

29. What class in school did you think was totally useless?
None of them.

30. Do you like sappy love songs?
If I'm in the right mood, I do. Life would be no fun at all without some cheesy songs, I think!

31. Have you ever been on radio or television?
No, but I'm a podcaster. No need for radio!

32. Do you have a journal?
I kept an almost-daily journal from the age of 13 to 24. I haven't been able to keep that up, unfortunately.

33. Have you ever intentionally hurt someone?
No.

34. Do you like sarcasm
In certain situations, yes.

35. Have you ever been in a mosh pit?
I've been very close to mosh pits, but never in one.

36. Do you feel understood?
For the most part, yes, I do.

37. Would you rather have a sore throat or an upset stomach?
A sore throat, since I absolutely hate feeling queasy.

38. Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?
I usually read fiction for pleasure. If my interest is piqued by a subject, however, I devour any material about it, whether it's fiction or non-fiction. (By the way, audio books are my very good friends now!)

39. What is your favorite season?
I love autumn. 40.

What is your nickname?
I have more than one: Jo, Josie, Jo-izy, Josita.

41. Could you be a vegetarian?
I could be a lacto-ovo vegetarian, I think.

42. Would you ever bungee jump?
No!

43. Do you untie your shoes every time you take them off?
No.

44. What are you worried about right now?
Things I'd rather not post about on my blog.

45. Do you ever wear overalls?
I haven't worn them since I was a little girl.

46. Do you think you are strong?
Sometimes I do.

47. What's your favorite popsicle flavor?
Cherry.

48. Who have you had a crush on that you can't imagine liking now?
Heh, my first celebrity crush was Charlie Sheen. *gags* What was I thinking?!

49. Do you have a crush on anyone right now?
Was this survey written by a 13-year-old girl? Ok, I admit it: I do. I'm a single girl, after all. I can't help it. ;)

50. If you could predict your future what would it be?
I'm not a prognosticator, but hopefully, it will contain a fulfilling job (something involving writing), a man I love and travel. That's my dream future, anyway.

Labels: joanna, pirates of the caribbean

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