Because I Know You All Care What I Think

+Even though I hate being hot, lately I've taken to blasting the heat in my car until I can hardly stand it. Then leave it off for the rest of the way home.

+Since Lindsay moved out and there's no one here to cook or be domestic, I only have to take the trash out once a week.

+Every time Ellen does something nice for someone on her show I get teary-eyed.  Today she gave someone a car and the woman was SO happy that it made me cry.

+I love music.  This week I discovered Amos Lee.  I wish I could just buy CDs from iTunes all day long.

+HOUSE was new this week. Dr. House is such a jerk and I like it.

+Monday I didn't feel well so I skipped dinner.  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I had a PB & J sandwich for dinner. Grocery shopping is definitely on my to do list this weekend.

+I absolutely LOVE my new computer.  No buyer's remorse here.

+Today my shirt was too tight.  Not in a "Your shirt is too tight and it's inappropriate for the work place" type way, but in a "That may have fit you at one time but it doesn't now" type way. Bummer.

+I have woken up late 3 of the 4 days this week.  Today I was so tired of wearing my hair curly (which is what I do when I get up late) so I blow dried the top so it appeared straight and pulled the rest back.  I got a lot of compliments and am considering not doing my hair every day.

+The Real World/Road Rules Challenge - Gauntlet III started last week.  Nothing's better than some trashy reality TV.

+I'm so happy that Friday Night Lights has had so many new episodes. Tim Riggins loves Lyla!

+I only feel pressure to shovel my driveway if all of my neighbors have shoveled theirs.

+I'm going to see Juno again this weekend.  I'm excited.

+I know nothing about politics and can't seem to muster up the real desire to learn.  

+Sometimes LOST really does creep me out.  It's just so weird.

+Tomorrow is Friday and that makes me happy.

Pop-Up Video

ABC is playing the season finale of LOST tonight in preparation for the new season that starts tomorrow.  They're doing their own version of Pop-Up Video.  As the episode plays out a running commentary/recap randomly pops-up on the bottom of the screen.  

Strange.

One, Two, Freddy's Coming For You...

As part of my nightly internet surfing I went to check out what Perez had to say.  I typed the URL into my browser and this popped up.

It immediately gave me chills and I had to look away.  You may recall my childhood fear from this post (see numbers 62 and 63).

Not cool, Perez. Not cool.

Bored enough...

...to check all of the blogs I read (even those I only read sometimes) more than once.

Sundance: Round 2

This weekend we went back up to Park City to see two films that won at Sundance.  It was my first time seeing any films at the festival and it was a lot of fun.  Below are the summaries of each film that Em got from somewhere.

The Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to TROUBLE THE WATER, directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. An aspiring rap artist and her streetwise husband, armed with a video camera, show what survival means when they are trapped in New Orleans by deadly floodwaters, and seize a chance for a new beginning.

This film was amazing and brought me to tears more than once.  There was video footage from a woman and her husband who couldn't afford to evacuate and had to wait out the storm.  I can't even imagine going through what they went through.

The Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to FROZEN RIVER, directed by Courtney Hunt, about a desperate trailer mom and a Mohawk Indian girl who team up to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States from Canada.

This film was a slightly depressing but very well done.  

And of course we took pictures while we waited.

Farewell

Tonight the prophet of my church, President Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away at the age of 97. Even though I feel like I've been "expecting" this to happen for years, it still came as a shock.  I have a lot of thoughts and feelings right now that I don't really want to share with the world wide web, but he was a wonderful man who had an impact on my life.

Fun with Photo Booth

Tonight Lindsay, Emily, Chelsea and I entertained ourselves with Photo Booth for quite some time.  Who knew something so simple could be so fun?  

These pictures probably won't be funny or of any interest to anyone but us, but I thought I'd post them anyway.

Emily

Stephanie

Lindsay

Chelsea

Max

Here are a few group shots.

I haven't laughed as hard as I did tonight it a long time!  I'm grateful to have good (hilarious) friends that can find enjoyment in the dumbest things.

D-Prom

Tonight was the annual company awards banquet and it was the best of the three I've been to.  Congrats to Cambo for winning Client Services Employee of the Year!

Jill helped me shop for an outfit and I promised her I would take a picture of the final ensemble.

I was trying to be slightly sassy but it didn't quite translate.

Highlight of the Week

Seeing Rob & Big side-by-side in mud baths.  

Good stuff.

Someday Soon

I think it's time to put myself away
Seek out a little silence
Close the doors and sit a while
Walk a little

And as I put my words away
The flow slows
See this pen in a stream
Picking it up is easy.

Follow the shape of it.
Jump in.
Swallow it whole.
Jump in.

Even though I know my way around
Possibly there's something that I found
Holding on for finding solid ground
Someday soon.
Someday soon.

I'll turn myself into the grass
And I'll grow
Take this space above my head
And live a little, little.

Gonna wear my feathered headdress
Like an Indian chief.
Gonna stretch out both my arms
I'm gonna test the temperature.

Follow the taste of it.
Jump in.
Swallow it whole.
Jump in.

Even though I know my way around (even though)
Possibly there's something that I found (possibly I, possibly I)
Holding on for finding solid ground (ohh..)
Even though I know my way around (even though)
Possibly there's something new I found (possibly I, possibly I)
Holding on for finding solid ground (ohh..)
Someday soon.
Someday soon.

Maybe walk a little
Someday soon.

-KT Tunstall

That's All.

"Let's get this party on the road!"

Aaahhh.  That's me breathing a sigh of relief.  I just got home from my day-trip to San Diego for a client visit and I cannot begin to describe how happy I am that it's over.  

Preparing for this visit caused me a lot of stress - late nights at work, late nights working from home, working from home on the weekend, working from home on the holiday, etc.  It actually ended up going really well, but it wasn't all rainbows and ponies today.

-I got a call from Lindsay at 6:45 am telling me that her flight was canceled and she wasn't going to be able to come.  Oh boy.

-The plane we flew to San Diego on was small and Matthew was sitting next to a guy twice his size.  He became very familiar with the window.

-Our VP of Client Services flew in with us but wasn't feeling so hot.  On the bus ride to the rental car pick-up I honestly thought he was going to puke all over Matthew.

-Because the rental car was under Lindsay's name I had to go and switch it to my name.  The man at the counter couldn't seem to grasp that she wasn't coming.

Rental Car Man: "So, you don't have a reservation?"  (After I've already explained the situation.)
Me: "No, my co-worker has a reservation, but her flight was canceled and I need to switch it to my name."
(Two minutes later.)
RCM: "So....she's not here yet?"
Me: "She's. Not. Coming.  Her. Flight. Was. Canceled."

-While I was working things out with the rental car genius, the VP of Client Services informed the rest of the team that he's not going to be able to make it.  We've now gone from 5 to 3 and the two that are missing are key people.

-Since the rental car was in my name, I had to drive.  I was not excited.

-On the way back to the airport we had to top off the gas.  I went in to get my receipt and had the following conversation.

Gas Man:"What's the last name, ma'am?"

Me: "Howard."

GM: "Here you go."

Me: "Thanks!"

GM: (As I'm walking away.) "Any relation?"

Me: "Umm....to who?"

GM: "Bo Howard." (Said as if I should have known.)

Me: "Nope. I don't think so."

GM: "I bet you wish."

Me: "Sure...."

-Natalie the NeverLost (as Matthew named her) was on the fritz on the way back to the airport and directed me to turn left into the water.  I was so focused on not missing my turn that I didn't realize I was about to pull a Michael Scott.  Good thing Matthew and Liz were paying attention.

-After returning the rental car I realized at the last minute that I had left my cell phone in it.  That would have been two cell phone disasters in one week.

-I sat in the back of the plane on the way back and there was some sort of party going on.  Two flight attendants were laughing and chatting with three guys and one woman from various parts of the plane.  They were just standing in the aisle like it was no big deal.  I was trying to sleep so this made me want to hurt them all.

-The flight crew let two passengers pass out the snack.  They pushed the cart down the aisle and everything.  What the crap?

Among all the random mishaps there were some good things too.

-I really liked the rental car we got.  If I had to drive in San Diego at least it wasn't a mini-van.

-The visit went so much better than I expected it to- which is the most important thing.

-I didn't have to eat a sandwich with some sort of weird jam on it like I usually do.

-The San Diego airport has free internet access so I got to catch up on Perez and blogs while waiting for three hours for our flight.

-While waiting to board our returning flight Matthew said, "Let's get this party on the road!".  I kindly explained that it was either "Let's get this SHOW on the road." or "Let's get this party STARTED." but not both.  It gave us a good laugh.

-I got an entire row to myself on the flight back.

Needless to say, I'm happy to be home and so glad it's all over.

I heart...

I heart free internet access at the airport.

The end.

Dear Neighbors

Dear Neighbors,

If any of you have a snow blower or a teenage son and/or daughter who I could pay to shovel my driveway, please send them my way.  

I've lived in your neighborhood for over two years and tonight was only the third time the driveway has been shoveled (only the second time by me).  And as you can see by the crappy job I did at 10pm, there is a reason for that.

Oh, and if you get a chance to talk to Mother Nature, please ask her why she decided to actually make Utah cold this year and why she decided to dump five inches of snow on my driveway last night.

Love,
Stephanie

RIP

It's official.  My phone has passed on.  It turns out it was a true Howard and couldn't swim.  I can still try Uncle Joe's suggestion of the hair dryer, but I have a feeling it's too late.
This is the conversation I had with the guy at the Verizon store.

Me: I may have washed my phone with a load of laundry.  What are my options?

Verizon Guy: Let me take a look at it.  It won't turn on at all?

Me: No.

VG: Do you have insurance?

Me: No.

VG: Okay...it doesn't look like you're eligible for an upgrade....

Me: So I have to pay full price for a new phone?

VG: Yeah....(nervous laughter because I look like a girl that's about to crack)

Me: What are the chances that if I took this to your tech support over there that they'd be able to make it work?

VG: Umm...slim to none.

And there you have it.  Oh, and they don't make that phone anymore so I couldn't buy it again even if I wanted to.  Which I do.

So what did I do?  Well, I reactivated this beauty.  Pretty classy if I do say so myself.

Don't be jealous that you're phone doesn't charge on a sweet docking station.

This phone is bringin' sexy back.  Either that or 2004 - I'm not sure which.

Sundance 2008

I've lived in Utah for 8 January's and this is the first year I've gone to Park City for Sundance. The thing that deters me from doing a lot of things is the stress of just getting there. For example, it took us an hour to find a place to park and by the end I was so frustrated I was about to call it a day. But we finally found a spot and the day was great after that.

It was less than 25 degrees in Park City and we were outside for four-ish hours. I stopped in a shop and bought a hat, but by the time we left Amanda, Annie and I were frozen. It took me several hours to thaw out. It was worth it.

I have this "dream" of seeing someone getting harassed by the paparazzi. It didn't totally come true on Saturday, but I guess I sort of filled the role when I chased Emily Blunt down the street. I full on ran after her and it was awesome.

The first person we saw was Ben Lyons from E!.

Amanda had been talking about seeing him all morning and as we were driving up Main Street there he was standing in front of a store. I didn't have my camera ready so we didn't get a picture and we unsuccessfully searched for him the rest of the day.

We spent a lot of time hanging out at the gifting suite at The Lift and that's where we saw most of the celebrities.
The rest of the time we walked up and down Main Street keeping our eyes peeled. I'm so used to not noticing anyone when I walk down the street that it was hard to try and look at every face and see if they looked familiar or not. And eventually EVERYONE started looking familiar. There were also a few times when someone looked famous, but I wasn't sure because I had no idea who they were. I took pictures of them anyway and hoped for the best.

Here's who we saw in no particular order....

Woody Harrelson. We actually saw him three times. The third time he was crossing the street and I yelled "Hey Woody!" and waved. He smiled and waved back. I think that means we're friends now.
Emily Blunt. Woody caused a big distraction and we almost missed her. I had to chase her down the street to get this picture. I felt a little creepy doing it, but it was worth it. Just think what I would have done if Michael Buble had been with her!
Mary Lynn Rajskub is Chloe O'Brien on 24. She was "so hungry".
Alessandro Gassman is from the movie La Bomba. He came down the steps and the lady standing next to me ran over to get his autograph. I had no idea who he was but I snapped his picture anyway. If she wanted his autograph he must be semi-famous.
Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush.
Tilda Swinton is the White Witch from Narnia.
Jack Black! Way to go Chelsea for getting this kick-a picture.
I don't know this guy, but Amanda says he's a cop on The Sopranos.
Stanley Tucci on his way into Hollywood Life House to get interviewed.
Amanda snapped this picture of Paul Mitchell (the hair guy) while we were waiting for Jack Black.
I kept seeing this guy and thought he was probably famous but had no idea who he was. He's Armand Assante. I (now) recognize him from American Gangster.
Method Man. I didn't actually see him. This picture is courtesy of Chelsea.
Shawn Livingston is a basketball player. He's another one I kept seeing, but didn't know who he was.
Tim Daly from Wings and Private Practice. I walked right past him and didn't notice, but Amanda got this picture.

And now on to my favorite pics of the day! I met Perez Hilton. I talked to him and he put his arm around me!

I read his celebrity gossip blog multiple times a day. We knew where he was blogging that day and found the place, but figured we couldn't go in. Annie said, "Well, let's just try." and discovered Perez was sitting right at the window! I stared at him creepily for a while then took some pics through the glass. We came back later with Chelsea and Emily and he was leaving so we got a picture with him outside.
I'm excited. Perez thinks I'm crazy.

Emily, me, Perez and Chelsea. The only thing that could make this picture better would be adding Lindsay on the other side of Chelsea.
The girl taking this photo has some technical difficulties and cut Annie out of the picture (and almost Amanda and Emily). Perez could only take one pic because his ride was there so we had to make do.

It was a super fun day and I'm so glad I went. I wanted to go again today, but the stress of making it all fit into my schedule was too much to handle.

Hey, did I mention that I met Perez?

The Cherry On Top

I'm not gonna lie, this week has sucked.  I could have done without Monday-Friday.  My work life derailed somewhere along the way and some non-workish stuff has me stressed. It's all just been a little chaotic.

But then came Friday night.  I had dinner with friends, a concert of sorts in a shack (literally), lots of laughter and delicious dessert to top it all off.  Not to mention today where I got to (successfully!) stalk celebrities at Sundance (a photo-post is forthcoming).  Things were looking up.

And then I did my laundry.  I was unaware that this act could send my good mood spiraling downward to it's demise.

The first load went brilliantly - almost like I had done it before.  I finished watching Friday Night Lights, which always brings me joy, and remembered I needed to throw the second load in the dryer before settling into what I could only hope would be a very deep sleep.  

And then I saw it.  As I was pulling the last piece of clothing out of the washing machine I saw my cell phone sitting at the bottom of the washer.  There was an audible gasp.  Quite possibly followed by me muttering something along the lines of, "No, no, no, no, no....".

I. Washed. My. Cell. Phone.  This cannot be good.

It's currently in the "open" position with the battery off to dry over night. Please bless that it works when I try to turn it on tomorrow.  It could happen, right?

Update: I put the battery on this morning and it won't turn on.  I plugged it in and the screen lights up saying the battery is fully charged, but that's all I get. Boo.

Hoooot Poooocket.

Can you hear Jim Gaffigan in your head?

Ok, so it's not a Hot Pocket, it's a Lean Pocket. Same difference.

I'm eating a pepperoni pizza lean pocket for lunch and am having flashbacks to living in the dorms where I ate a pepperoni hot pocket and drank a Barq's every single day for lunch and sometimes dinner too. No wonder I got extra chubby.

Hooooot Pooooocket.

Hidden Treasures

When I moved from Michigan to Utah in the summer of 2000 I left my parents with a childless home.  Because there was no one there to take my place and my mom had already turned the "spare" bedroom into her office, I left for college with everything exactly the way it was.  Every photo, every nick-knack, every book - all in their designated position. Forever.

Well, two years later my brother moved back home and took over my old room.  In preparation for him coming home my mom boxed up all of my belongings - every photo, every nick-knack, every book - and banished them to the basement with the 12 million other boxes that were already there.

It turns out the contents of my bedroom filled 10 boxes.  Possibly a new record for the Howard house.  It had been 7+ years and  I still had never looked in one of those boxes.  So while I was in Michigan for the holidays, I tasked myself with going through it all and downsizing.

It was not smart of me to save this so-called "downsizing" for my last night there.  Lesson learned.  Apparently I didn't know what a garbage can was from the ages of 12-17 because it appeared that I had thrown nothing away.

But hidden among all the crap I found some gems.  Please see my exhibits below.

Exhibit A: Got Milk? print ad featuring my Dawson's Creek boyfriend, Pacey Witter.  This was hanging on my bulletin board for probably three years of high school. 

Exhibit B: Remember when Mt. Dew had the green tabs?  Yeah, I made some sort of necklace out of them.  Now, this was not a necklace to be worn, just a collection of tabs.  And ever sadder still, I saved the necklace.

Exhibit C: Old copies of Seventeen.  My first subscription was to YM and I eventually graduated to Seventeen.  I'm still can't figure out why I saved them all (this picture represents only a portion of what was actually in the box).

Exhibit D: Friendship bracelets.  And you had better believe those bad boys are homemade. 

Exhibit E: Some sweet goggles from Chemistry and/or Advanced Chemistry.

Exhibit F: This is the jackpot.  I found all of my News Kids on the Block memorabilia.  A wall pennant, sunglasses, cassette tape, buttons of various sizes, a book of pictures, trading cards and a mini-cassette looking box that I believe had gum in it. 

Finally around 3 am my mom told me that I would have to finish the next time I came home.  Six bags and one giant box of trash later, I had gone from 10 boxes to 5 or six.