Steallower [n]: someone who "borrows" your stuff, without asking permission, so it's pretty much like stealing, and attempts to make it seem like the act never happened; see example below.

For example, if you run out of toothpaste for like the tenth time and you don't want to bother your roommate by asking to borrow their's again, you sneak in a use and return the tube of toothpaste to its original position. 

You may ask why I've provided this definition, and it's because tonight was the second time I’ve noticed someone using my milk in the community kitchen here at the village and I am officially on a manhunt. The first time this happened, I had maybe enough for a glass of milk left in the jug; the next morning I went to the kitchen for breakfast and opened the fridge to grab my milk BUT WAIT, it wasn’t there. Whoever the burglar was decided that after they finished my milk that they might just toss the jug all together, officially making them a thief. I have to admit this person had some gonads to steal the last bit of my milk because if I had, say, half a jug left and someone used a little bit of it, chances are I wouldn’t notice. 

So tonight, I once again opened the fridge and my milk was gone, but the thing that really peeved me about this time was I had just bought my milk yesterday! As my blood pressure skyrocketed, I called Devin to report the atrocity and as I was walking around the kitchen I noticed it was just hanging out on the counter next to a rice cooker. I was baffled, like are you really that lazy to steal someone’s stuff and then just leave it out in plain site? Obviously they have never read the definition for a steallower. So like a paranoid freak, I decided I would wait until the person who was cooking the rice came back into the kitchen to confront them. Now to be fair, I had rice to cook as well so I had about thirty minutes to attempt to conveniently try and catch the culprit. About ten minutes after I arrived in the kitchen, another guy walked in and began to cook his dinner, which consisted of some steak and veggies – TO GO WITH THE RICE HE WAS COOKING. I could feel the adrenaline starting to coarse through my veins and then I asked “Is that your rice that’s cooking?” and he replied “yeah” – nail biting stuff I know – but then, I asked if he put milk in his rice. His eyes widened, darted to his rice cooker, and then replied “no”. I then simply stated that I was just curious because someone had used my milk and not placed it back in the fridge. He stared at the floor and said “oh, weird”. Whether or not I just freaked out a total stranger or actually caught the person who stole my milk, I was proud of myself for sticking up for myself. And while it meant creating a really awkward tension for the next twenty minutes as our food cooked, I felt satisfied. After reading back through this story, I realize that it makes me sound like a crazy person – neat.

On a less crazy note, I found Froot Loops at the grocery store yesterday - hello childhood! Now you may wonder why that is such a glorious find, but Australia does not indulge itself in sugary cereals like we do back home. They like bran, mini wheats without the frosting, and corn flakes. It’s strange and unnatural, so in short their cereal aisles are nothing like they are in the states. There’s been something about munching on my Froot Loops the past two mornings that’s made me feel strangely connected to home, and I can't help but smile because of it. While I could go for more challenging word scrambles on the back of the box, I’ll take what I can get. 
   
After reading about the mass shooting that happened in Washington yesterday, it made me think about the gun control policy here in Australia. Here’s a bit of Aussie history for you:

In 1996, after a mass shooting in Tasmania, Australia’s government enacted a strict gun control policy and held a massive buyback. It sounds complicated and impossible, but a very short time later they enacted the new policy and in less than a year, over 630,000 guns had been purchased and destroyed. There have been no mass shootings since.

Isn’t that incredible? I’m not going to debate over the internet on what I think should happen in the states, but it’s definitely some food for thought. Just recently, Jon Stewart did a three part mini series on the gun policies here in Australia, and I highly recommend you watch it - here’s the link


Smile, because there are only 77 days until I'm home!
Debbie
9/21/2013 12:18:07 am

Oh my little Nancy Drew!!!! I'm so proud of you! And wonderful that you took up for yourself in such a brilliant way! I love that there was uncomfortable silence for 20 minutes. Perfect punishment for the level of the crime!!!! :)

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