Are We Meant to Meet the People We Meet?

I have been contemplating a lot of things lately. Perhaps because I am going to be thirty-years old in six months. There is still so much I feel like I should accomplish before I hit this milestone and I am no where near close. I can blame a few things on the economy sucking and making it harder than ever to find a well-paying job. I can also blame myself for almost everything else that I am not happy about or haven't accomplish. 

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Anyways, before I get too far off topic, I found this great article from the MindBody Green website and it really grabbed my attention, and made me think about the people in my life. Over the years, I have had a lot of people come and go out of my life, especially after college. I have also had a few people re-enter my life!

Until today, I have never really put much weight on those people coming in and out of my life. I am a firm believer of everything happens for a reason, so for me, I think yes -- we are meant to meet the people we meet. 

Are we destined to meet the people we meet?

Yes

I know we are.

Every person we meet, we are meant to meet. No matter how long they stay in our lives.

Every person has something to teach us. Whether they stay for an hour, a day, or 10 years, they are there for the right amount of time. That amount of time is simply how long it takes you to learn the soul lesson. There are 6 billion people in this world, nothing is an accident.

If the experience seems negative, and this certain person really irritates you, or you feel like you cannot connect to someone, that experience presents itself in your journey to give you an opportunity to learn patience, understanding, or perhaps empathy. It gives you an opportunity to see yourself even in someone your ego categorizes as different, less than, or not good.

The people we meet who seem special, with whom we connect instantaneously… they enter into our journey to show us we are on the right path. To show that we are creating a path for ourselves that is true to our being, to our soul, to our creativity… and connecting to people at higher levels proves this.

To read the rest of the article, you can jump over the MindBodyGreen website, here!

What do you think... are we meant to meet the people we meet?

I Wish...

This "super yacht" is friggin huge (280-feet long) and I wish I had one! 

Inspire Me: Summer Love.

The prompt for this week's inspiration board link-up is:

"Summer Love"

Summer is definitely my favorite season and I can't wait for the weather to warm up so that I can get outside an enjoy it!

Photo Credits (clockwise):

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

Now It’s Your Turn! 

 1. Create your own inspiration-board based on our pre-determined prompt.

2.Grab the html code below & add our button to your blog post. 

3. Link up your blog post, be social, make new friends and get inspired! 

We will feature our favorite inspiration board on the off-week and announce the prompt for the following week.

<center> <a href="http://www.lifeunpublished.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aC08VNmiegg/UXy6VM1KMhI/AAAAAAAAEzk/7cJMFtekGCU/s300/inspire%2520me%2520300x300.png"/></a></center>

The Quarter-Life Crisis.

This past weekend we had my boyfriend's family in town for his grandfather's 90th birthday. It was a fun weekend full of surprises, and a few ups and downs. All in all, it was a great weekend but there were a few events that really made me think about things in my life -- things that I am happy or not happy with, and things that I would like to change in the near future. Rome wasn't built in a day and I know that it won't happen over night; many of the changes that I want will have to happen over a period of time before I am at a point in my life that I would like to be. 

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The title of this post and the below speel is about the quarter-life crisis we all face and relate to; even though I will be 30 years in December, sometimes a lot of the time, I feel like I should be 24 instead of 29 because I still very much relate to the first few paragraphs of what is written below.  

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared. You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

 -- Unknown

Recipe // Spaghetti & Meatballs.

I have really outdone myself with this recipe..!

I am no master chef or anything, but I am a picky eater and absolutely LOVE pasta. Chances are if I really like something, everybody else does too!! Approximately a month ago I combined two favorite recipes into one AMAZING recipe. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner because it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. Tonight was the second time I made it and was just as, if not more, delicious than the first time!

Recipe 1: Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

With the first recipe, I basically combine everything except for the ground beef and the diced tomatoes. I also substitute the tomato sauce with two large tins of crushed tomatoes (I love lots of sauce!!). Because you're adding the Worcestershire sauce and the brown sugar, I find the sauce really needs to simmer for a few hours; otherwise, it doesn't taste as good as it could. 

Recipe 2: Lady & the Tramp Spaghetti & Meatballs

I absolutely love this meatballs recipes, so delicious! I follow the recipe to the "t" except for adding the pasta sauce to the meatballs. I used to add it, but I find it works better without. We used to cook the meatballs until they were really browned on all sides, but now I don't because I let them simmer for a few hours in the spaghetti sauce. I do cook them until they are brown on every side, just not burnt brown, and pretty well cooked through the middle.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can't really go wrong with it. The first time I made it, I added a little Prego tomato sauce that I had kicking around. I hate the stuff by itself, but mixed with crushed tomatoes, you have no idea it was in there. Next time I make it, I may even try putting in some red pepper to the mix!

Enjoy!

Inspire Me Favorite: Kenzie.

I can't believe its already Wednesday! 

The lovely Elle is still MIA from blog land right now (she currently has no internet), Deanne from Hot Mess Mama has been helping me out with our inspiration board link up! Thanks a bunch Deanne for all your help, you are a rockstar!! 

This week, Deanne and I have chosen to feature Kenzie from Life and Lemons.  The prompt for last week's inspiration board link-up was "dream home." I am absolutely in love with Kenzie's dream house -- the style, colors, etc. I have decided that if my dream home never happens, I plan to move into hers! 

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Thank you Sabra, Sarah and Tessa for linking up with Deanne and I last week!! 

If you haven't had the chance to check out their inspiration boards, you definitely should.

The prompt for next week is "Summer Love"

... it was also chosen by Sarah! 

Can't wait to see everyone's inspiration boards next week! 

What A Day..!

10:00 am -- Went to work.
2:00 pm -- Finished work, headed home.
2:15 pm -- Was almost squished by very large truck.

2:30 pm -- Picked up D from our apartment.
3:00 pm -- Recycled our pop & alcohol bottles and old electronics.
3:30 pm -- Went to massage appointment.
4:15 pm -- Went to Walmart and Grocery Store to pick up items for our guests on Thursday.
5:30 pm -- Went to garden store to purchase a few new outdoor plants.
6:00 pm -- Came home, unloaded the groceries and planted the new plants.
7:30 pm -- Cooked and ate dinner.
8:00 pm -- Made Guaccamole.
9:00 pm -- Made Banana & Strawberry Smoothie.
9:30 pm -- Watched the season finale of the Voice and an episode of Pretty Little Liars.

To say I am exhausted from all that I did today would be an understatement. It's almost midnight and I have no idea how or why I am still awake. 

After almost being squished in my vehicle by a very large vehicle that couldn't be bothered to make a wider turn, I am still livid. My vehicle was where it was supposed to be, stopped at the red light. If he can't make the turn, then he shouldn't be turning there. I was stopped at the intersection long before it was his turn to turn. As he began his turn onto Contton Dr, I realized that he didn't judge it and I needed to reverse my vehicle. So I did, quite a bit initially but it wasn't enough. I finally had to honk my horn repeatedly so that he would stop and let me reverse more, towards oncoming vehicles. 

Not cool. All I have to say now is "thanks a**hole for being such an fidiot driver and nearly giving me a heart attack." Arghhhhh! 

Okay, rant over. Good night!   

Weekly Wrap-Up.

One word to describe my life right now: stressful! No matter where I go, home or work, I am surrounded by it. I don't do well with it because it really flairs up the pain in my face. And when my face starts to hurt, I am not a happy camper. Since Saturday, I have had my cranky pants on and I don't like that. 

The past week has been spent organizing and cleaning because we have house guests arriving on Thursday. While I am looking forward to having everybody, its an awful lot of work for a few days, especially when I already work six days/week. On the bright side, I have a short work week and a three-day weekend! I can't wait!

Until this evening, we have been soda pop free since Saturday night. I caved this evening and we shared one while out for sushi because I had a horrible headache from the bomb that was dropped on my just before I was leaving work. 

Favorite Snapshots:

+ Evening walk along the pier.

+ Had to take a photo of the door.

+ Beautiful sunset.

+ My handsome pup after digging in the dirt, with his nose. 

Favorite Posts:

+ Mini Reed Diffuser DIYvia Sketchy Notes.

+ Photography Tips via Don't Tell Anyone.

+ 15 Foods to Regrow from Kitchen Scraps via The Kitchn.

+ Free Fonts Take Two via The Paper Mama.

+ Magnetic Office Organization DIY via House of Earnest.

Recipes I Pinned/Want to Try: 

+ Pina Colada Cupcakes via The Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife.

+ Two Fun Mojito Recipse via A Beautiful Mess.

+ Italian Chicken Strips via Love Bakes Good Cakes.

+ Sweet Onion Dip via Mom's Test Kitchen.

Weekly Dinner Menu:

+ Monday: Spaghetti & Meatballs.

+ Tuesday: Perogies & Salad.

+ Wednesday: Butter Chicken.

+ Thursday: Sushi. 

+ Friday: Leftovers - Butter Chicken.

+ Saturday: Steak, Corn & Potato Salad.

+ Sunday: Basil Chicken over Linguine Pasta. 

My Wantlist: iPhone Case, with a Loop!

I love the camera on my iPhone 5, but I am always terrified of dropping by device, especially when leaning over the balcony to capture the beautiful sunsets (we live on the 22nd floor). My solution, a slim, but protective iPhone 5 case, similar to this one, but with a loop attached to it, like the current iTouch. I have searched around and found a few cases with something similar, but most of them are pretty tacky. I really don't think this is too much to ask for! 

Have you come across something like this for sale on the internet? Maybe I am looking in all the wrong places...!

Happies & Crappies.

Happies

1. My best friend Emily was in town this past weekend! We celebrated her 30th birthday on Saturday night at our favorite pub/restaurant across town;

2. I also took Tuesday off work so that Em and I could spend the afternoon together, shopping! 

3. I have noticed that some new blog friends have linked up with our inspiration board link-up this week! There is still lots of time to link up and share your "dream home."

4. I got new glasses - regular eye glasses and prescription sunglasses! 

CRAPPIES

1. I spent way too much money on my new glasses. Goodbye $600.00 -- should have ordered a pair online, but I wanted them ASAP. Oh well!

2. I am so bloody tired this week; I don't know why, I have been getting enough sleep but I feel like something has sucked the life of me out. I'm not sure. It's weird.

3. My Achilles tendon is still not any better. It's almost been a month since I somehow injured it. Not impressed because I have a wedding to get in shape for, and I am not allowed to exercise! 

4. I have to work tomorrow at 7:00 am. Too early for a Saturday.

Inspire Me: Dream Home.

The prompt for this week's inspiration board link-up is:

"Dream Home"

I really loved this particular prompt (thanks Deanne for picking it!) because there were so many possibilities! It was really hard to pick my favorites because I had so many. I was actually tempted to make two or three inspiration boards, lol! 

Photo Credits (clockwise):

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8

... oh how I wish I had an unlimited supply of money to make my dream home a reality!

Now It’s Your Turn! 

 1. Create your own inspiration-board based on our pre-determined prompt.

2.Grab the html code below & add our button to your blog post. 

3. Link up your blog post, be social, make new friends and get inspired! 

We will feature our favorite inspiration board on the off-week and announce the prompt for the following week.

<center> <a href="http://www.lifeunpublished.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aC08VNmiegg/UXy6VM1KMhI/AAAAAAAAEzk/7cJMFtekGCU/s300/inspire%2520me%2520300x300.png"/></a></center>

Top 5 // Apps to Improve Your Instagram Photos.

It's no secret that I am addicted to sharing photos on instagram. This app has changed my life and has helped me to become more creative with my photography. I also love browsing everyone else's photos and being inspired by some of the amazing photographers out there. 

Lately, I have noticed that I hardly ever use the filters that instagram offers. It's not that there is anything wrong with them, I have found some other pretty amazing apps that I think do the trick a little bit better. Below, I present my top 5 apps that are sure to make your instagram photos even better.

1. PicTapGo. 

2. Mextures. 

3. VSCO Cam. 

4. Afterlight

5. Pic FX

What are you favorite photo editing apps on your iPhone?

What I'm Listening To.

If you can't hear what I'm trying to say 
If you can't read from the same page 
Maybe I'm going deaf, maybe I'm going blind 
Maybe I'm out of my mind

Weekly Wrap-Up.

I cannot believe it is already June 9th -- we have a busy few weeks ahead of us, and I have a feeling this month is going to come and go pretty darn quickly. It doesn't help that I work six out of seven days of the week. The longer I continue with this work schedule, the more I begin to resent it. I would love to have two days off in a row, but I have a feeling that won't change for awhile longer. Maybe in the winter I will start looking elsewhere.

Normally, D and I are homebodies on the weekend, so having my best friend in town and going out to celebrate her 30th birthday on Saturday night was a nice change and lots of fun! You know you're old when its 11:00 pm and you're ready to go home and fall fast asleep as soon as you hit the sheets. In my defense, I had been up since 6:00 am and had a long day at work!

Today we slept in a little bit and started to organize our apartment. In two weeks, his family is coming to stay with us for a few days. We have a spare bedroom, and four people coming to stay with us. In other words, we have a lot of cleaning and re-organizing to do to make room for everybody. I have almost filled up a green garbage bag of old clothes that we don't wear and plan to donate. We also have a lot of old furniture that we are probably going to take to the dump because we don't have the time to try and sell or give it away. I can't wait to clear out some of the stuff because I hate all the clutter.

Favorite Snapshots:

+ Afternoon stroll along the beach. 

+ Night out on the town; snapshot of Canada Place. 

+ Delicious Strawberry Lemonade and Vodka drink!

+ Celebrated Italian Day by going out for some Italian food. 

for more snapshots, follow me on instagram.

Favorite Posts:

+ 7 Ways to Glam Up Your Bathroom via Lauren Elizabeth.

+ Make it Happen via Between Dreams.

+ 6 Ways to be the Best You via Between Dreams.

+ The Unwritten Rules of Blogging via Back East Blonde.

+ DIY // Rustic Food Photography Backdrops via The Perfect Pear.

Recipes I Pinned/Want to Try:
+ Sweet and Spicy Crock Pot Chicken via What's Cooking in the Burbs.
+ The Ultimate Club Sandwich via Joy the Baker.
+ Mung Bean Hummus via 101 Cookbooks.
+ Homemade Asian Dumplings via The Kitchn.
+ Slow Cooker Chicken Soup via Fat Mum Slim.

Weekly Dinner Menu:
+ Monday: Perogies & Caesar Salad.
+ Tuesday: Spaghetti & Meatballs.
+ Wednesday: Kraft dinner & Caesar Salad.
+ Thursday: 3 Meat Pizza & Caesar Salad.
+ Friday: Spaghetti & Meatballs.
+ Saturday: Margarita Pizza.
+ Sunday: Spaghetti Bolognese. 

Reasons You Should Eat Eggs for Breakfast.

I am normally not a huge breakfast person, never have been. However, when I moved in with my boyfriend, I started eating breakfast more regularly. I have a very sensitive stomach (no gallbladder), so it took awhile to get used to eating early in the morning and not having an upset stomach. Until recently, a normal breakfast for me consisted of Eggo waffles (yum!) or whole wheat toast and jam. While I love both, neither of them would fill me up and would leave me searching for something else to nibble on an hour later. 

About a month ago, I had this random craving one morning for scrambled eggs -- they were delicious! Not only were they super simple to make, but they were also very filling! Ever since then, I have cut out the waffles and toast, and have been making it a point to have an egg for breakfast almost every day. 

via

Obviously I was curious about the recent discovery, so I did some research and found this great article from Lifehack listing the following five reasons why you should eat eggs for breakfast. The article actually lists seven reasons, but I found the below five more relevant/most important to me. I also added a little extra to the below reasons with some information I found from an article on the Livingstrong website.

1. Egg keep you feeling full much longer than cereal or toast. Why? It's simple, the protein and fat in eggs helps sustain your energy levels, thus keeping you satisfied for longer and reducing the need for a mid-morning snack.

2. Eggs assist in weight loss. This is very much a follow on benefit from keeping you satisfied. Studies have show that people who eat eggs for breakfast are more likely to lose weight that those who ate bagels. Eggcellent!

3. Eggs are a great source of protein. Whole eggs are one of the most complete sources of protein; eggs contain all eight essential amino acids (and contain vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid, among others) which we must get from our diets.

4. Eggs help with brain development and memory. Choline, an essential nutrient found in eggs, stimulates brain development and function. It has also been linked with increasing memory retention and recall as well as improving alertness.

5. Eggs protect your eyesight. Two antioxidants, leutin and zeaxathin, are present in eggs and have been linked to protecting eyes from damaged related to UV exposure. They have also been associated with reducing the likelihood of developing cataracts in old age.

Weight loss, great source of protein, improved memory retention and protecting my eye sight ... heck yes! If eating an egg a day helps with all of that, I am going to continue eating them for breakfast, at least until I get sick and tired of them. Perhaps I will keep my eyes open for some new ways to eat an egg for breakfast (sounds like a great blog post idea to me!). 

How do you like to eat your eggs for breakfast?

May Highlights.

I am a little late in sharing this, better late than never! For the most part, May was a good month and we had a lot of fun getting outside and enjoying the beautiful weather. Unfortunately, a few weeks into the month, I hurt my Achilles tendon and I have yet to resume exercise as it hurts too much to wear my running shoes. 

+ We have got our butter chicken recipe down to a fine art. So delicious!
+ Attempting to drink more water.
+ We have an incredible view!
+ Love, love, love Starbucks Coffee Frappes.
+ Beautiful sunset.
+ Broken window (the highlight is that we got a new one, no cost to us!).
+ Love this guy!
+ Love this guy too!
+ Sushi is one of my favorite meals. I could eat avocado rolls every day.

We have a lot of exciting things planned this month -- family and friends in town, birthday parties (my best friend is turning 30, D's grandfather is turning 90), shopping, hopefully some much needed exercise before the wedding in June, and a couple of much needed days off work...!

Guest Post ... Tienna from The Halfords.

Hi ya’ll!! 

Ok, that feels weird. I’m not actually a person that says “ya’ll”, even though I’m from Oklahoma. But I feel like people EXPECT me to be the type to say “ya’ll” since I’m from Oklahoma, and I didn’t want to start out on the wrong foot with anyone. Of course now I feel like we’re starting off on a lie. Awkward. Let me back up…. 

Chelsea and I were paired up through Mallory’s Blog at from California to Kansas for a fun little networking series called Bigs and Littles. It’s been a lot of fun just getting to know Chelsea and getting some words of wisdom regarding this whole bloggy blog world.  

It’s always hard to think of things to talk about on other people’s blogs. On my own blog, I just assume that people reading it know my entire life history already, mainly because I think it’s only close family and best friends that read it, so there’s no need to fill in the blanks on my day to day life. But, since you all don’t know me from Adam, I thought it would be a good idea to just list out a few reasons why you should stop by my blog and say “hi”…or “hi ya’ll” if you really want to be cool, like I tried to do, but failed. 

1. I’m occasionally funny. Sometimes life is a little serious for me and I forget that I’m a funny girl in a funny world, but then ridiculous things happen in my life that reminds me. Like that time I finally got Zumba for my Wii and then used it once and wanted to die or that time that I started posting about my dad’s health and my best friends scary birthing experience but ended it talking about my husband’s battle with Gophers. 

2. I quote Friends a lot. Generally just in my mind, because people never seem to get it. I spent many a year without cable, so I’ve seen every episode at least 5 times. So basically every situation I’m ever in warrants a Friends quote. 

3. I’ve kind of recently become a fan of Jesus. All through high school and college, I considered myself a “non-Christian”. And then I begin to struggle with infertility, and I was desperate for some peace. My journey led me to Church, which led me to God. It’s quite the roller-coaster sometimes, but I truly feel like it’s better to believe in a something, then to believe in nothing. 

4. I love my dogs like they’re my children. Even with their crazy shenanigans. 

5. I think marriage is the best thing on Earth. Mainly because my husband is awesome.  

6. I like to eat. Too much. Especially Mexican. But don’t expect any recipes on my blog. One might wander in on accident, but really I only mentioned the food thing because I wanted to explain the photo. ;)

blog // bloglovin'

Inspire Me: Special Co-Host!

Last week's inspiration board link-up prompt "naturally me" was a little challenging...! Apparently, Deanne and I were the only two up for the challenge!!! I love that we both used photos from our iPhone's camera roll. In case you missed our inspiration boards last week, I have shared them below. If you would like to see more of our photos, you can also follow us on instagram (links below!).

Follow me on instagram @ chelseadward

Follow Deanne on instagram @ deannedowden

Since my partner in crime and my dear friend, Elle is unfortunately without internet for awhile, I have asked Deanne to co-host the next link-up with me! And, since Deanne is our first co-host, I thought it would be fun for her to pick the next prompt!

The prompt for next Wednesday's Link-Up is: "Dream Home"

This next prompt will be a fun one! If you are struggling for ideas, I recommend checking out pinterest for inspiration!!!

Snapshots from Today.

This afternoon, we decided to get our lazy butts outside and enjoy the nice weather that Vancouver is having! So, we headed down to the beach and walked around for a few hours. I also took a bunch of photos on my iPhone! 

Friend Connect Blog Hop.

It's Tuesday again which means it's time for the Friend Connect Blog Hop!

It's the time to meet new friends and find new blogs. You can choose to follow the cohosts in whatever way is best for YOU! Here are some of my favorite ways: GFC, BlogLovin', HelloCotton, RSS, Twitter, Facebook.

Ok, so let's get to the party, shall we?

RULES are simple:

1. Follow your host 

The First link below

2. Follow your co-hosts 

The Next 8 links below

3. Link up below using your main blog url not a specific post.

4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link up and follow them 

and if you want to leave them a comment, I'm sure they'd appreciate that as well.

5. Tweet about this blog hop

Tweet

6. Share about this blog hop by grabbing a button and putting it on your sidebar!

<a href="http://www.thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com/search/label/gfcbloghop"> <img src="http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z237/melissaenault/fcbloghop_zps81aaa394.gif" border="0" /></a>

I have cohost spots available! Email me if you're interested at melissa@thelifeofanotsoordinarywife.com

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What I'm Listening To.

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones 

Enough to make my systems blow 
Welcome to the new age, to the new age 
Welcome to the new age, to the new age 
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, 
I'm radioactive, radioactive