the hardest thing & the right thing

honey boo boo

2012-01-25T21:05:00.000-08:00

Am I ashamed of how much I love this video? A little.
But I could watch the last :15 on repeat all day long.

Get More: TV Shows, Full Episode Video, Reality TV Shows

I'm gonna work the stage. Gonna work the stage.

the first loser.

2012-01-18T12:47:00.000-08:00

I came in second, y'all.
I chose Green Bay in the second round of the Playoffs and that choice proved to be the end of the road for me.

My co-worker sent me this yesterday in honor of my loss.

important updates.

2012-01-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

1. I sold the KitchenAid. But it went to a good home and I'll have visitation.
2. I've put the Dyson to good use, even cleaning houses other than my own. (You could be next!)
3. The NFL regular season is over and I tied for first with one other person in the Pick 'Em league.

are you ready for some football?

2011-12-20T20:21:00.000-08:00

I have a list of things I should be doing right now, including working, packing, cleaning, Christmas gifting, etc. But instead I'm going to be irresponsible and blog about insignificant things.

Three cheers for irresponsibility!

Here's the deal: I've been (sort of) into the NFL this season. My team at work has a pick 'em league which entails choosing one team we think will win each week, while not choosing any team twice throughout the season. I consult with TN every week via gchat and we make our pick. I was tied with two others for first place until last week when the Giants failed me.

Regardless, it's made me pay attention to the NFL. So that made it all the more exciting when I got the chance to go to my first ever (and second) NFL game in Seattle. The Seahawks had two weeknight games this year and I was lucky enough to go to both.

And the most brilliant part (aside from not having to pay for any of it)? They actually won both of them! I like to think it's because I'm such a great spectator.

Game One: Hawks vs. Eagles
We were only a few rows up at the 30 yard line (and in the middle of all the Eagles fans). It was also very cold, but I got a hot dog so I'm counting it as a win.

Game Two: Hawks vs. Rams
If the first game was cold, this game might as well have been played at the North Pole. SO COLD. This was also an important game because I had picked the Seahawks that week for Pick 'Em. They didn't let me down.

Two NFL games in 10 days is enough to tide me over for a while, but it sure was fun.

self.

2011-12-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

I have a friend that likes to include photos of himself with text messages to help deliver the spirit of the message. I have to say, I kind of love it. So today I decided to respond in kind and returned this photo with my response.

My first thoughts after looking at this photo:
1. My hair is LONG.
2. The chubby cheek look stopped being adorable around age three.
3. I honestly forget I have dimples. Or is there just one? I don't even know.

Another story about this photo.
I went to a work event tonight and in the car on the way there I passed my phone to a co-worker to show her some pictures of the Christmas decor in my house. Then she passed it on to the girl on the other side of her and, long story short, buttons were pushed, confusion set in and suddenly she was staring at this photo of me. Obviously taken of myself at my desk at work.

Of course I then felt the need to explain why I had taken a photo of myself. They tried to stop me, but of course I felt the need to provide all the details surrounding the incident. I ended up pulling up the text message, showing his photo, reading aloud his message, re-showing my photo and reading aloud my response.

Awkward.
For everyone, I'm sure.

In a related story, after an incident last week at a football game where he had to save me from myself in a conversation with a food vendor, AB said to me, "You know, sometimes I think your love of the details makes things harder for you."

I don't think that might be the case. I'm sure of it.

telephone.

2011-12-07T00:04:00.000-08:00

My roommate came in the room while I was on the phone last night and through the course of my conversation I was laughing pretty hard. When I hung up the phone she said, "I've never seen you so happy. I have to know who you were talking to."
"My sister", I replied.

We were talking about heart palpitations and mashed potato sandwiches.
You would have laughed too.

decisions. decisions.

2011-12-06T21:49:00.000-08:00

Cyber Monday got the best of me.
Long story short, I ended up making two large purchases.
(The deals were going to expire!)
(Also? I'm an advertiser's dream.)
And ended up immediately having buyer's remorse.

But you can't beat a 6 quart Kitchen Aid for nearly 50% off. Right?!?

And I've been on the verge of buying a Dyson for six months.

So, the question is - do I keep them?

feeling festive.

2011-11-28T23:08:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving happened.
And before you think this post will be full of photos of turkeys and rolls and pies, let me tell you right now that is not the case. In fact, I did not take a single picture of the day.
I struggled with Thanksgiving this year. Not the part about being thankful, I'm totally into gratitude, but just the holiday part. A large part of me wanted to spend the day alone. Weird? Probably.
In the end I knew mid-day would roll around and I'd be wishing I was eating carbs somewhere, so I made fruit salad, rolls and pie and joined a gathering of people. The right decision? Probably.

But here's the thing, while I wasn't feeling Thanksgiving this year, I'm totally digging Christmas.
The Christmas spirit has already rooted itself in my heart, which is due in large part to Jenny and I spending the weekend getting the house all festive for our upcoming holiday party.

A few weekends ago we hit up Hobby Lobby for Christmas decorations. Did you know every other weekend it's 50% off? I didn't either, but it's pretty amazing. And it's a good thing we went early because it's all picked over now. We decided on Peacock Blue and Copper as our colors.

You can't tell from the photo, but it's totally adorable.

On Saturday Jenny ventured out and chopped us down a tree.

Setting up a tree is a PROCESS but thanks to the internets, Jenny had it all planned out.

A Noble Fir. Sounds fancy.
And it's 10 years old, which makes me just want to give it a hug.

A trip to Target and some overspending later, it was finished. It's delightful. I just want to turn out all the lights and stare at it while listening to Bing Crosby and Johnny Mathis.

We also decorated the mantle with real garland (a first for me), made wreaths and watched White Christmas. It all looks much better in non-iPhone photo life.

And topping it all off, Jenny cut out lyrics to Christmas songs and we strung them around the dining room.

Trust me, it's awesome.

It's cool, December. You can come anytime. We're ready for you.

give it all back.

2011-11-22T16:44:00.000-08:00

I saw Noah & the Whale last week and haven't been able to stop listening since.
This isn't my favorite song of theirs, but every time the chorus comes on I can't help but bop around.

conversation of the (yester)day.

2011-11-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

Me: I actually used those words.
Me: By the way, I appreciate that you know I'm crazy but you never call me out directly.
Other Person: The thing is, it's not that I don't think to say the things you say...
Me: ...you just don't actually say them. Yeah, that's not possible for me.

Related: this post.

a sail.

2011-11-09T21:44:00.000-08:00

Another video, folks. (Sort of.)
This song is my latest obsession.

call your girlfriend.

2011-11-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

Is it any surprise that I love this?

Didn't think so.

Thanks, S. Reale!

the pit of despair.

2011-11-08T20:51:00.000-08:00

My neighbor looks like this. I mean, more or less.

We had a little run-in over the summer where he and his wife fairly aggressively confronted me (I may have cried) about how we had been parking in the driveway even though it's technically shared. In our defense, our landlord had told us they had an agreement with the neighbor and we were free to park there. According to the neighbor no such agreement existed and they had essentially been bent out of shape about it FOR A YEAR AND A HALF.

Well, now I'm bent out of shape (still) about their aggressive confrontation and what's making me even more bent out of shape is the fact that they are now parking in the driveway. Every day.

Please tell me how that makes any sense.
And please tell me I shouldn't key their car. Because the thought has crossed my mind once or twice.

it's the most wonderful time of the year

2011-11-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

Raise your hand if you thought of Johnny Mathis singing a Christmas song when you read that title.

Probably only my family. Awesome.

Well, Johnny was wrong. The most wonderful time of the year is Fall, when it's done right.
And Seattle is doing Fall right this year.

Crisp, sunny days (my favorite!) have been delivered to my doorstep more than once. The leaves have changed, cider and donuts have been consumed, pumpkin patches visited and daylight savings depression was delayed until November. I mean, what's not to love?

Saturday was one of those perfect days. My roommate and I took a little stroll around the neighborhood and I couldn't help exclaiming, several times, "I love this day!".

I carried that leaf for several blocks before realizing it was pointless.

Moral of the story, things have been good around here. Real good.

And my gift to you is this awesomely bad video of Johnny Mathis.

clever title: halloween.

2011-11-01T00:18:00.000-07:00

Facebook is ablaze tonight with photos of everyone's kids looking totes adorbs (translation: totally adorable) in their little costumes. But for us single folk, Halloween felt like it was over by the time today rolled around.

I impressed myself this year. I had not one, not two, but three - THREE - costumes.
Why is this impressive?
1. I have a love hate relationship with Halloween and even coming up with a single costume is very near rocket science in my book. Real hard.
For your reference, I've recapped my recent Halloween ~~struggles~~ adventures.
2008
2009
2010

2. I'm somewhat socially awkward, so the fact that I participated in three activities needing costumes is worthy of giving myself a high five.

Friday
A dance. In a gym. At a church.
It sort of hurts to even write those words, but whatever. It actually turned out to be one of the more enjoyable parts of the weekend.

I had zero intention of going to that dance so that costume was not planned, but my roommate Jenny is like Mary Poppins and just always has what you need. Oh, you need a beret? Got one. You need some red fabric for a scarf? I just happen have some lying around. I'm excited to find out what else she's hiding in that carpet bag.

Saturday
A party. At a house on the East side.

Snowflake & Leslie Knope.
Also? Am I really that much shorter than Stacey?

I accidentally took this picture of myself (front camera as a mirror on the iPhone, anyone?) but I sort of like it because you can see the makeup a little better, which for the record I did not do myself.

Again Jenny and her bag of tricks provided the inspiration for this costume. She pulled out that headband and it just snowballed from there. (Get it? Snowball...)

Marty McFly, Ron Burgundy and Sexy Sax Man.

Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone

And let's just throw in one more photo from Friday night of Adam looking disgustingly awesome.

Monday
A dinner party. A mad scientist theme.

I was told it was hard to talk to me because I looked like a cartoon, which might be my favorite thing anyone has ever said to me.

PS - Second white wig of the weekend. Apparently a girl can never have too many.

And I stole the idea of unzipping AB's face from LL's sister on the internets today. I think it worked out well.

So there, you have it.
Three costumes. Three events. And I'm glad it's over.
Until next year, friends!

totes creepin'.

2011-10-31T12:48:00.000-07:00

There was an infographic on Mashable today about how cellphones are influencing students' lives and one of the stats made me laugh.

The end.

the sunset's just my lightbulb burning out.

2011-10-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

I had a date with Ryan Adams last night.
Well, it was Ryan, me and 2,499 other people.
It was a bit of a crowd, but I think we really hit it off.

Things started off right when he opened with my favorite song.
(Unfortunately, it was sans Emmylou Harris.)

And obviously I fell in love with him.
He was singing me beautiful songs (with harmonica!) and he was funny. Like really funny.
Clearly I had no choice but to fall in love with him.

As I was realizing this, CC and I had the following conversation:
Me: I'm falling in love right now.
CC: Duh.
Me: That Mandy Moore sure is lucky.
CC: She got one of the last good ones.
Me:...one of the last sad, sad, drug addict* good ones.
CC: It's fine.

I can't say enough good things about this show and I'm trying not to make a massive list of all the funny things he said that won't be funny to you because you weren't there, but I have to write down a couple:

He began the second song of the set and some people had come in late and were still finding their seats in the second row when he stopped the song and said in a mock whisper, "Where have you been? We've been worried SICK."

After taking a moment between songs to re-situate himself, he said, somewhat under his breath, "Alright, here are more songs about my feelings".

It should be noted that I'm showing restraint right now in not posting more. You're welcome.

Long story short, I was into it. Not a bad way to spend a Friday night.

*For the record, we think he's clean.

conversation of the day.

2011-10-13T23:51:00.000-07:00

CC: He only wrote me the letter to make himself feel better.
Me: That's totally something I'd do.
CC: Fine, write your thoughts down if you have to, but you don't actually give it to the person.
Me: No. I'd totally write it AND actually send it.
CC: Well. You need to stop doing that.

These conversations of the day rarely translate and I feel like this one really doesn't.
But trust me, it was funny.
And I'm a disaster when it comes to relationships. So, there's that.

what happened to september?

2011-10-03T22:52:00.000-07:00

My favorite month of the year just flew by.
Although, October is a pretty close second to September.
Here are some things I've been doing/thinking during my blogging absence.

I'm in love with the word adorable. In fact, I find the word adorable to be rather adorable. And although there are some people out there who would hate it, I've decided that I would be quite pleased if someone were to use that word to describe me.
Speaking of adorable, have you been watching New Girl? Because you should be. Zooey Deschanel is delightful.
I bought a rain suit at Costco this weekend. Yes, suit. Jacket and pants. Who wants to go camping in the rain? Because I'm ready.
Buying the rain suit prompted me to search for new rain boots. I found these, but cannot find them anywhere online in my size. That's a mean trick, Internet.
And while we're talking about online shopping, I'm tempted to buy this shirt. It has the word "bling" in the name soooo, there's that.
What I really want is this. But made for a woman. And it should be blue. And the D should be orange. Life is hard sometimes.
I've been watching a lot of sports lately and I'm not mad about it. Give me a team to cheer for and things will get intense.
I want my nails to always be perfectly painted. Is that too much to ask?
My dear friend, Butter, brought me some cider yesterday. She knows I like the cider. Now I just need to obtain some powdered donuts and I will be in heaven.
The new season of Dexter started last night. I have a little crush on him.
Last week the IT guy took my computer for, what I thought was, a quick fix. A couple hours later I still had no computer and there was a client emergency. I ended up having a co-worker print out documents and a phone list, grabbed a highlighter and started making phone calls. I felt like I was on an episode of Mad Men. How did people get anything done before computers?
I saw Bon Iver last week. And thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm starting to panic about a Halloween costume already. It's a yearly struggle.

As you can see, there's been a lot of deep thinking going on over here.

birthday song.

2011-09-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

They put a sombrero on me.
They all got instruments.
The singing started.
And I was embarrassed.

PS - You'll have to turn your head to the side to watch. Technical difficulties.

two. nine.

2011-09-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with my birthday.

I don't particularly enjoy being the center of attention or that strange expectation (whatever it is) that inevitably comes along with the day, but I do love feeling loved.

There wasn't a lot of hoopla associated with my birthday this year, but I have to say, I still felt the love.

I have new roommates. And one of these new roommates is a firm believer in celebrating a "Birthday Week". A period of seven days, sometime before/after your actual birthday, in which to celebrate. So, my Birthday Week commenced with a Sunday afternoon backyard picnic.

It was adorable. And (!) they made homemade mozzarella for the caprese salad. HOME MADE. I've never once had the thought that I wanted to make my own cheese, but these ladies thought it and did it.

It was the last day of sunny, warm weather we've had and everything was delightful. The food, the company, the laughter. I even told the story of how I was banned from having birthday parties for a few years.

(Look if you had been there when I was 11, you would have thrown that 2 liter of cream soda too.)

A few of my favorite moments:
1. My dear friend, LH, struggles with depth perception. She somehow got asked to light the candles and wound up either burning the center of the candle or not even coming close. Bless her.

2. I was told that there were three candles so I would get three wishes. As a result, when blowing out the candles, I wished on/blew out the candles individually. When my roommate said, "Maybe no one told her you're supposed to blow them out all at once" I got defensive. This is what I look like when I get defensive.

3. We tried to take a simple photo with a few of my favorite people in life. And it got out of hand.

It all started when Stacey turned to Susan and said, "What were you doing with your face?" after the first photo.

And then we got the giggles.

That started out slowly.

And progressed until I threw my head back so far in laughter that I was practically lying down.

And then Susan got elbowed in the face and also laughed until she cried.

And Stacey looked like this.

And in the end, the first picture we took ended up being the best one.

On my actual birthday some of my favorites got super classy with me and ate at my favorite Mexican restaurant. Who wouldn't be on board with Diet Coke and chips & salsa?

Don't let these smiles fool you. This crowd is also responsible for a point during dinner where I was wearing a sombrero and they were each holding an instrument. If you're lucky, there will be video to come.

After, there was more cake (banana split cake!) to be eaten and more wishes to be made.

Unfortunately, I underestimated those candles and left one standing. It's a good thing I made those three wishes earlier in the week...

I received the gift of Bieber in the form of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and the night ended with a viewing. As it turns out, only the gift giver (AB) and gift receiver (me) were hardcore enough to see it through to the end.

So, here I am in the final year of my twenties. I have plans to make the most of it.

why i love my family #6,345.

2011-09-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

My Dad just posted this as his FB status.

To all the girls who are in a hurry to have a boyfriend or get married, a piece of Biblical advice:
"Ruth patiently waited for her mate Boaz."
While you are waiting on YOUR Boaz, don't settle for any of his relatives:
Broke-az, Po-az, Lyin-az, Cheating-az, Dumb-az, Drunk-az, Cheap-az, Lockedup-az, , Goodfornothing-az, Lazy-az, and especially his third cousin Beatinyo-az
Wait on your Boaz and make sure he respects Yoaz....

awesome.

2011-08-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

The latest addition to my bedroom.
Sometimes you just need a reminder.

find it here.

hard times.

2011-08-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

I was listening to the latest Gillian Welch album on the way to work this morning and this song sort of punched me in the face.

I haven't been able to stop listening to it since.

Hard times ain't gonna rule my mind.

needs more mud.

2011-08-29T22:54:00.000-07:00

In early July I ran the Dirty Dash and I don't know what came over me when I decided to sign up for it because:

1. I don't like to run
2. I also dislike being dirty

So, it makes perfect sense that I would sign up for a 10k run (which could not have been more than a 5k based on the lack of time it took us) where I had to crawl through mud and other obstacles, right? Right. That's the power of Groupon, folks. Groupon and Natalie telling me that if it ever came to Seattle I needed to do it.

Of course I was totally nervous leading up to it and I informed my teammates on the car ride down that should I end up stuck in a mud pit somewhere, they should just leave me behind. Save yourselves! They reassured me that I would not die during this race.

Here we are pre-race (minus LH). Yes, I know I'm standing awkwardly far away from CK. I blame the nerves.

The race started with us running up a dirt mound and sliding down the other side. Insta-dirty. Other obstacles included rolling through muddy water under some tubes, climbing over wooden walls, jumping over massive tires, more mud pits, more wooden walls, crawling through tubes on our hands and knees, sliding down a massive blow up slide and finally wading through a knee deep "pond" to cross the finish line.

Blow up slide.

I won't deny the fact that I had to talk myself into getting dirty at first. My natural instinct was to run around the pit of muddy water instead of rolling through it. It's just something I usually avoid. But that was half the fun of it, so we did what we had to to makes sure we were covered in mud.

Our group post blow up slide, pre-wading through the final pond.

Notice how I'm just slightly less dirty than CK? No matter how hard I tried I couldn't convince myself that I wanted mud on my face. Maybe next time.

Official Dirty Dash photo. Post-race.

I only ended up bleeding in two places, but the next day when I went to get in the shower I found some of the worst bruises on my ribs and hip bones that I've ever had. Remember that tiny, baby moment when I thought there was internal bleeding? Yeah.

I guess it's not as fun if you don't have battle wounds to show for it.

the time utah almost convinced me to move back.

2011-08-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

I spent last weekend in Utah, and had the most fun I've had there in a long time. I don't know if it was my mental state prior to arrival or the fact that Seattle hasn't gotten the memo about summer or if it was something else, but it was a perfect weekend. There's nothing about it I would have changed.

The weekend involved the following:

Staying at Em's house. She loves robots and the number five and is a great hostess.
A four(ish) hour visit with one of my college roommates, Audrey. She has three adorable children, including one that I met for the first time. I wasn't feeling 100% while I was there and stopped in the middle of our conversation and said, "I just need to lie on the floor". She thought nothing of it and we just kept chatting away - her on the couch and me on the floor.
Two things as a follow-up to that 1) I love how there are people who you always feel comfortable with even after not seeing each other for a while and 2) I love that I have people in my life who love me for me and don't bat an eye at the fact that I stopped our conversation and crawled onto the floor.
I bought eye patches for my nephew's third birthday pirate party.
Ate at Cafe Rio.
Bought my nephew a sweet dino toy that he called a dragon. To be fair, it was only a "dragon" when it had armor on but when he removed the armor it was a dinosaur. It was a hit.

Attended the aforementioned pirate party dressed in my best pirate gear, which was really just an eye patch.

I had my first experience with a dance game on the Kinect. The highlight was my nephew dancing to "Hey Mami, You Sexy", to which he did surprisingly well, and then afterward walking up to his mom and repeating the words to the song. Except his version sounded more like "Hey Mami, you lexy".
Shopping in Park City.
Buying a 1 Terabyte external hard drive. That should do it.
Chips, salsa, Diet Coke and molten lava cake from Chili's. Dinner of champions.
Seeing The Help. It's worth it. I cried at least four times - as in wiping away tears, not just getting misty-eyed.
Nightly midnight snack of the fry/frosty combo.
Attending church with the family while wearing a dress with the zipper halfway open. The zipper got stuck and there was no fixing it.What's a girl to do?
Falling in love with my nephew, Bruiser. (Is that still what we're calling him on the internets?) He is SO, SO adorable. Just imagine this: a nearly one year old, blue-eyed, smiling, chubby-cheeked, middle two finger sucking baby. With pirate tattoos. Ugh. Love him.
I attended my first concert at Red Butte. It was the perfect summer evening: Stars. Crickets. Live music (Brandi Carlile). A crowd that danced and sang along. Good friends/family.

Stopping to see Tatum and her family on my way to the airport. It was rushed, but it's always so good to see them.
Nearly missing my flight due to a crazy security line. But even being nearly the last person on the plane, I still got an aisle seat. High five.

It was a much needed and perfectly timed break from life.

conversation of the day.

2011-08-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Scott: Camping and hiking is with you.
Me: Oh, right! I have doubts that will actually happen.
Scott: Why?
Me: I don't know...do you have a time frame in mind?
Scott: Not yet.
Scott: Are you getting married anytime soon?
Me: No.
Me: Thanks for pointing it out.

star wars.

2011-08-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

My computer's hard drive has been full for quite some time.
And it's been causing me stress for quite some time.
I'm sure you all think that's ridiculous since external hard drives are cheap and blah, blah, blah, but believe me when I tell you it's been complicated.

That and I'm sort of technologically slow. Oh, and stubborn.

Anyway, the good news is that there is now space! Which means I've loaded oodles (yes, oodles) of photos from several cameras and SD cards and my phone going back to early Q2 (yes, I'm speaking in quarters).

Here are some fun ones I discovered from my visit to the Star Wars exhibit (yes, Star Wars) in April.

Double date.

I was trying to appear tough. But that will never happen.

Do I know anything about Star Wars? Not really.
Have I ever even seen a Star Wars film in its entirety? Possibly the first one. Which is actually the fourth or something. Who knows.

But TN was moving soon and he wanted to go and sometimes you do things because your people are excited about it. And I have to admit, I had a good time.

However, you still probably won't catch me watching Star Wars on my own just for funsies.

want.

2011-08-22T20:24:00.000-07:00

Isn't this darling?
I'm convincing myself I don't need it.
But I sure do want it.

find it here.

sounds about right.

2011-08-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

find it here.

be careful with me.

2011-08-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

First of all, I decided today that I want to be Patty Griffin. She's adorable. She has great style. She sings beautiful songs. What else is there?

Second, this song is my new obsession.
I mean, that chorus? YES to all of it.

Be careful how you bend me
Be careful where you send me
Careful how you end me
Be careful with me

It's true all the time, but especially lately I feel like I just need to play this song before interacting with anyone -- half as fair warning and half as some sort of contract.

All the girls working overtime
Telling you everything is fine

Right? Right.

conversation of the day.

2011-08-10T22:56:00.000-07:00

Me: I'm going to have a breakdown when I turn 30.
CC: Really? Mine's going to happen at 29.
Me: Why, because your planets aren't aligned? Something is in retrograde?
CC: Well, Mercury is in retrograde right now. But I'll be coming out of a Saturn return.
Me: I don't even know what this means.
CC: Google that sh#!.

and when the 'mallow's flamin'...

2011-08-10T09:59:00.000-07:00

Attention Internet: It has come to my attention that today is National S'mores Day.

If you know me, you know I love a good s'more. In fact, in an effort to more readily enjoy them, I have perfected the art of the microwave s'more. (For those who are wondering, 11 seconds for one marshmallow. You're welcome.)

But now I know there is an entire day dedicated to expressing our love for this delicious treat. You'd better believe I'll be celebrating tonight.

Below is the only picture I could find of me enjoying a good s'more. I'll have to remedy that.
(PS - Short hair!!)

married is married is married. is married.

2011-08-09T23:36:00.000-07:00

Well, folks, it happened. L&P got themselves married last weekend.

Everything went smoothly. They day was beautiful (despite some clouds early on). The bride was beautiful. They were happy. And I was glad to be a part of it.

Of course LL LB was keeping things classy with her bedazzled bouquet and borderline inappropriate cake topper.

Brother Jared snapped some photos while we were all waiting our turn with the official photographer. This might be one of my favorites ever.

THE POINT.

Speaking of this lady, I was fortunate enough to spend the weekend with her. It's always a pleasure. There's never a dull moment and we're never short on laughter. Please see exhibit A below (don't be mad, Em).

Congrats to the happy couple!
Here's to hoping the next roommate I have for six years is a man. A man that I'm married to.

conversation of the day.

2011-08-03T10:12:00.000-07:00

While having a discussion about Shark Week (as well as discussing hopes and dreams of one day seeing Bear Week come to fruition) and whether we'd rather die by shark or bear, the following took place:

Me: Don't get eaten in the ocean Tom. I'd be pissed.
TN: If I do, just know that I went down fighting.
TN: Like a man.
TN: A man being eaten alive.

There would be no doubt.

mockingbird.

2011-07-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

There's always a large chance that there will be confusion when making a visit to the nail salon. And I got a little dose of it while I was getting a mani/pedi today.

But first, let me clear something up. Some of you may have seen this tweet earlier and are now questioning my Twitter honesty, since I clearly stated below that I was cancelling a mani/pedi today.

Both are true. I had to cancel a mani/pedi with co-workers because I didn't go into work today (or yesterday) because I haven't been feeling well. BUT I really had my heart set on it. And I had been holding out for a couple weeks on going on my own because I knew this one was coming up. And my toes were looking rough. So I just went and got one at my usual place.

There. Now you know.

So there I was, Nail Man doing my toes and Lee working on my hands, when she noticed the book I was reading, To Kill A Mockingbird.

She got really disgusted and began saying that something was really annoying but I couldn't understand what. Sensing my confusion she pointed to the bird on the cover and said, "I hate that bird. They're always at my house going KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK." [Insert knocking hand motion here.]

Not having much experience with mockingbirds, I just smiled in some sort of agreement. Then she added, "And always leaving holes. So annoying."

It was then that I realized she was talking about woodpeckers. We just went with it.

To Kill a Woodpecker just doesn't have the same ring to it.

today.

2011-07-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

-I went to church and it was one of those days where it felt as though everything being taught was prepared specifically for me. I needed that.
-I spent an hour after church catching up with my ex-roomie. Since we no longer live together we've started hugging again. It just felt unnecessary before.
-The weather was very near perfect and I spent the afternoon at Greenlake with lovely people. I fell asleep in the sun and it was wonderful. I only wish I had been wearing less clothing. (For tanning purposes, of course.)
-I took a Round 2 nap in the early evening. It felt right.
-I remembered that I desperately needed to do laundry. So I did.
-I spent the remainder of my evening on a rooftop overlooking the Puget Sound. Again, the weather was perfect. If I could have high-five'd it, I would have.
-Today was a good day.

mystery solved.

2011-07-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

Good news! I'm not crazy*!

This morning on my way to work I got a text from my sister: "I have the answer to your lost memory!"
And then she was MIA for nearly four hours.
FOUR HOURS! (I was dying.)
But (!) in the end she solved the mystery.

In 2007 I took a trip to California for my birthday(ish) to see Wicked & Ellen. My sister, Julie, and her friend, Audrey, decided they would drive over from Arizona and meet us in LA for the show. After seeing the show on Saturday we drove to the home of Audrey's aunt and uncle and spent Sunday evening with them. (Do you see where I'm going with this?) We had Sunday dinner with them and after dinner we made pizookie's and played Apples to Apples.

I was right!
We made individual pizookies.
I was at someones aunt and uncle's house.
We had traveled to get there.

The bits and pieces were there; at least enough to jog Julie's memory when she read it.

This case is closed, my friends.

*At least not in this case.

sneak peek: canada edition.

2011-07-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

Why did I post this really bad picture of myself as the sneak peek of my weekend jaunt to Canada?
Thank you for asking.

1. Am I standing in the middle of the river or am I not? It's hard to say, really.
2. The water! The rocks! The green! British Columbia really is beautiful. Even in the rain.
3. Note the hood + umbrella. Did it save my hair? No, no it did not. In the words of AB, "Resistance is futile." We were all looking like drowned rats by the time this particular adventure was over (especially me).
4. My face in this photo kind of makes me laugh. I like to think of all the things I could possibly have been saying at that moment.
5. I would never use this picture in a normal post, so for the sake of not duplicating it was the winner.

*I'm having trouble downloading photos onto my computer. You know, because my hard drive has been full for, oh, two years. So once I put another band-aid on it, you should buckle your seat belts.

it's thursday.

2011-07-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

I'm disappointed that no one has come forward with information regarding the Unsolved Memory Mystery. The only other explanation is that I made it up. Which I guess is possible.
I saw Gillian Welch perform last night. No opener. Just two people on a nearly empty stage with two guitars, a banjo and a harmonica. All good things.
Two years ago I first listened to Gillian and thought she was too "country" for me. My how things have changed.
The audience was more than 50% old-ish folks. Definitely much older than the crowds I was used to. But oh how they were loving on Gillian.
We sat next to a super smelly man. His stench was attacking my nostrils, which makes me wonder why the people he was with didn't tell him? Or how can he not smell himself? Questions I will never have the answer to.
I participated in a mud run with obstacles last weekend. It was not nearly muddy enough, but still fun. Things it reaffirmed: I still don't like running. I have to talk myself into getting dirty.
My body is covered in the absolute worst bruises I've ever had. I may or may not have actually considered for a tiny, baby moment that there was internal bleeding going on. A picture text to a friend reassured me that I was not dying.
I am in possession of 36 mason jars.
I went to Home Depot last week and bought wood. And built something.
On my Home Depot trip I forgot to purchases nails. No matter, we scavenged the walls of my garage and found a few that would do the trick.
I've been living alone for a week. It's strange, but not strange.
The strangest part is the fact that the only room in the entire house that has furniture is my bedroom.
Last night before the show we ate a picnic-like dinner in the car instead of going out to eat. It was kind of refreshing.
The shocking thing is that I provided the food. You know what that means? I actually had food in my house to put together some sort of meal.
Which leads me to this: I finally bought a few groceries this week. A few.
I've been planning LL's bridal shower and tonight's the night. It won't be as extravagant as her dinner parties, but it should still be fun.
On a related note, it's hard to make the vision you have in your head a reality. It's so much better in my head!
I'm going to Vancouver, BC tomorrow. I've been trying to convince someone to go with me for two years. It shouldn't have taken this long.
I'm going to a soccer game while I'm there. That makes three soccer games in the last couple months. I guess I love soccer now.
Google+ isn't very exciting to me.
I'm addicted to chips and guacamole from Chipotle. In fact, I think I will eat some for lunch.
I'm pretty sure I've decided I want to go skydiving for my birthday. I'm probably the last person you thought you'd hear that from.
One response: "Kills me how the girl that won't step foot in a swimming pool wants to jump out of an airplane." I should not be underestimated.

labels.

2011-07-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

CW: I see that we're connected on Google+.
Me: Yup, I have you in my Co-Worker circle.
CW: That is weak!
Me: Should I move you over to Friends?
CW: Nope, don't even bother.

I just can't win with co-workers on social networks.

misplaced.

2011-07-06T23:43:00.000-07:00

I have a memory that started crawling to the surface on Sunday afternoon that I just can't place.
LL mentioned making individual cookies in ramekins.

And there it was.

I was in a kitchen making an individual cookie in an apple shaped dish.
We were standing at a kitchen island.
The fridge was behind me.
The sink directly in front of me on the other side of the island.
The cookie dough had already been made and was in a large bowl.
I have no idea who I was with, a friend of some sort, and I think the house we were at belonged to a relative of this friend. Aunt & Uncle, I think.
There were lots of people in this family.
We had traveled to get there.
I can't remember if we slept at this house, but I think it was big and fancy-ish.

For the life of me I can't remember who I was with or where this place was. It's been bothering me for days.

And then tonight, just before drifting off to sleep I remembered another detail.
We played Apples to Apples while our cookies baked.
In the living room that was off to the right of where I was standing in the kitchen.

Please, dear internet friends, if you have any recollection of this fill in the blanks.
Because right now? I feel like a crazy person.

old mother hubbard.

2011-07-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

Old Mother Hubbard

Went to the cupboard

To get her poor doggie a bone,

When she got there

The cupboard was bare

So the poor little doggie had none.

Except the doggie is actually me.
And the bone is any sort of edible human food.

Not only is my house void of any furniture. The cupboards are also void of food. And dishes. And utensils.

CC came home yesterday after spending some time in Japan and we had the following conversation over gchat this morning.

CC: what are you up to for dinner tonight?
Me: no plans. should we eat some deliciousness?
CC: obviously yes. seeing as there is nothing in the house.
CC: which begs the question: what have you been eating and how?

She asks a very good question.
The Answer: Restaurants. And I know kind people that have taken pity on me.

Don't worry. I have big plans to suck it up and grocery shop this week.

[For those unaware, I loathe grocery shopping.]

Until then, granola bars and string cheese will tide me over just fine.

standoff.

2011-06-26T23:41:00.000-07:00

So there I was, on my bed chatting on the phone with my roommate (yes, she was downstairs and I was upstairs) when a giant mosquito eater took aim at my face. That's probably not completely true, but it felt like it. Naturally I freaked out, bobbing and weaving to avoid getting touched by the massive bug, all the while keeping Lindsay on the phone.

I grabbed a shoe to kill it, but it never landed long enough or low enough for me to get it. I tried turning out the lights and luring it into another room, but that didn't work either.

Me: This is it. I'm calling in for backup.
Me: That backup being you.
Linds: [In the whiniest voice possible for her.] Nooo-o-o. You need to do it.
Me: I can't. I can't do it. Put some pants on and come up here.
Linds: [Sounding desperate] My bed is SO warm. Please. Please just do this for yourself.

This might be my favorite conversation we've ever had. And I feel like it sums up our friendship.

In the end she suggested sucking it up with the vacuum cleaner using its go-go gadget arm. Worked like a charm.

Guys, she's moving in a week...

be awesome instead.

2011-06-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

jars. and brides.

2011-06-21T18:18:00.000-07:00

I have a recent obsession with mason jars.
I don't actually have any in my possession, but I keep collecting ideas of what to do with them.
Like simply using them as drinking glasses.
Or this, for example.

I have a project coming up that drove me to actually search for some to buy and I ended up on Amazon. This woman's review of the product made me chuckle.

Now days it is very difficult to find jars for canning, since the most recent brides do little to no cooking, much less any food preservation. So stores seldom carry glass jars.

I year ya, lady.
Brides these days.

hidden treasures.

2011-06-13T22:28:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to simplify my life for some time now. Simplify in many ways really, but specifically by ridding myself of things. stuff. clutter. And with a move quickly approaching, I took some time over the long Memorial Day weekend to do just that.

The first stop was the garage. I always think I don't have that much stuff, because nothing in this house belongs to me except what's in my bedroom. Then I remember that I have a garage full of boxes. And who knows how many of those are mine.

Well, now I can tell you. Three. Three of those boxes are mine.
But it took some purging to get there.

I went through every box and threw things away, with Lindsay again being the voice of reason telling me when I was holding on to something I shouldn't. Except this time she didn't even attempt to make me throw out my jersey/sweatpants combo. She already lost that battle once. No need to lose again.

I took a picture of a few hidden treasures I found.

I'd like to introduce you all to Digby. Digby the dog, who I believe had a brother name Dexter.
But that's not the point.

My middle school bestie, Nikki, and I were given matching stuffed dogs for Christmas by a friend-boy. We both loved those stupid dogs. I mean, obviously I loved it because I'm 28 and he was still in my possession (albeit in a box in my garage).
Friends, I hate to tell you this way, but Digby is no longer with us.

I also happened upon my very first cell phone. I even pulled up the antenna for the picture to give the full effect. You're welcome.

That phone was killer. The back lighting was bright blue. And when it rang a picture of a phone showed up on the screen and it was animated. ANIMATION!

A Costco bin of tennis balls that Lindsay has tried to make me get rid of for three years.
For the record, I still have them.

In SLC Lindsay and I had this grand idea that we were going to start playing tennis together. I think she even bought a racket. I know what you want to ask and the answer is no.
We never played.
However, after the purchase my brother, Geoff, and I played every week for a while. "A while" might mean "two weeks", I can't remember.

And last, but certainly not least, formal dresses.
WHY did I keep these?!?
It's a question for which I just don't have an answer.

I tried them on over my clothes. And took photos. Duh.

First up, senior prom. A mint green beauty. The dress came with spaghetti straps, but that was obviously immodest.
So we made it into a halter.
Because clearly a halter is the more modest route...

Next up, bridesmaid dress.
There's nothing clever to say about it, it's just not something I'd ever wear. Unless I moved back to Utah where wearing shirts under strapless dresses is acceptable.

And as you can see, I decided to get fancy with this pose. [Please note the left foot. Fancy.]

I also went through College In a Box and threw 99% of it away. I can't explain to you why I thought I would ever dig through that box to find old notes from [insert college class name here].

And the Goodwill is pret-ty lucky because they also got my collection of romantic comedies. On VHS.

I still have a closet that needs to be de-cluttered, but as it turns out, I'm not moving. Soooo, who knows when that will happen.

aahVOCADO!

2011-06-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

Subway bought the homepage of MSN.com today to tell me that I can now get avocado on any sub. any time. HOW DID THEY KNOW I LOVE AVOCADOS?!?

But seriously.

I want to eat guacamole all day, every day.

Especially with those salty chips from Chipotle.

mmmmmm.

I digress.
I just wanted to tell you that this thing called advertising nearly worked.

Spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy the homepage for one day to announce a condiment maybe wasn't so crazy after all!

I got up from my chair, grabbed my purse and headed out to Subway to try their avocado.

Which will undoubtedly be in spreadable form and not even come close to meeting my expectations.

Unfortunately, to get to Subway I have to walk past the NY Deli where I eat lunch daily.

(They know my order. And my name. What's new?)

Subway and their avocado spread didn't stand a chance.

Random Story:
Long before my taste buds had a love affair with avocados, I drew one from a picture I saw in a magazine, using chalk, for a middle school art class.
It was one of my favorite pieces of work from that year.
Apparently it made an impression on a classmate as well because that year she wrote in my yearbook, "don't deny your avocado".
To this day I have no idea what that means.
The end.

mandolin.

2011-06-09T00:05:00.000-07:00

I am now in possession of a mandolin.

AND I'm still under the impression that I'm going to learn how to play it.
So, that's fun.

happiness in the form of creamy tomatillo.

2011-05-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

This afternoon my mom and I ventured out to pick up lunch, traveling 45 minutes round-trip to make it happen. Believe me, it was worth every minute.

Mom: Oh, we forgot to pray.
Julie: Well, it's lunch.

I love my family.

a rant.

2011-05-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

But this time it's not coming from me.
It takes me a while to come alive in the morning. Which is evidenced by the fact that I don't like to talk for the first ~~thirty~~ few minutes after I arrive at my desk.
It all worked out nicely today because I didn't have to do any talking. I just got talked at.

CW: Why is he asking me this question? I'm not the one who sends this out. And then when I tell him that he says, "oh otay". What the [crap] is that?! Are you practicing for your child? This isn't Little Rascals.

THIS ISN'T LITTLE RASCALS, she says.

Okay, okay. I'm awake now.

sick.

2011-04-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

I'm sick.
I somehow escaped the plague that inflicted my roommate not once, but twice (maybe even three times) and yet my body just couldn't handle going from 50 degree weather to getting all kinds of sweaty in the near 100 degree heat last weekend. By Sunday night my throat was on fire, which I attributed to all the second hand smoke I had been inhaling all weekend, but by Monday evening when I was back in Seattle and felt as though I had been hit by a truck, I had to admit defeat.
I was sick.

So, for the past three days I've been locked up in this house doing whatever it is you do when you're sick. Here are a few observations/thoughts:

I hate blowing my nose. I have no idea why, but it's a fact. Today I have filled an entire waste basket with tissues. So yeah, I pretty much hate life right now.
In related news, I now understand why people want tissues with aloe. TOTALLY GET IT.
I've reacquainted myself with my very girlie collection of DVDs. So far I have watched:

Tangled
She's the Man (much more funny when watched with any member of my family)
Pride & Prejudice (the new version and this Mr. Darcy is slowly growing on me)
Fools Rush In (I can still quote nearly the entire thing)
You've Got Mail (also very quotable)
And right now I'm in the middle of The Notebook (I fast forward through the old people parts) and next up is Sense and Sensibility.

A person can only live on OJ, toast and Popsicles for so long.
NyQuil doesn't knock me out. In fact, every night that I've taken it I've woken up in the middle of the night (usually due to a coughing fit) and end up lying there wide awake.
Cough attacks in the middle of the night are the worst.
Sleeping slightly propped up to avoid a coughing fit is tied for the worst. Who wants to sleep on their back all night? Not me.
I've gotten roughly 11 hours of sleep a night for the past three nights. And yet I can still take a mid-day nap. SLEEPING CHAMPION.
I've showered two of the three days I've been home sick. I feel like I should get an award for that.
One roommate currently has a burning throat. It all downhill for her from here. I feel guilt.
I have to fall asleep every night with a cough drop in my mouth. Bless whoever invented these things.
I just realized that my cough drops have motivational quotes on the wrapper and now I'm totally inspired:

Nothing you can't handle.
Go for it.
You can do it and you know it.
Buckle down and push forth!
Put your game face on.

Oh, my game face is on. And tomorrow I'm going to will myself back into health.
I'll let you know how that goes.

conversation of the day.

2011-04-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

SS: and are you moving to socal?
Me: nope. not moving.
SS: is that good that you aren't moving?
Me: i could go if i wanted. i just decided that LA isn't really my style.
SS: big glasses and tanning isn't your style?
SS: since when?

The man has a point.

would you rather...

2011-04-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

...spend the weekend in California having your mind blown by live music

spend the weekend in Seattle wearing rain boots?

I know, it's a tough one.

countdown: four days

remember this?

2011-04-10T00:54:00.000-07:00

While I'm posting YouTube videos of myself today, why not bring back this gem?

Salt Lake City. Post-5k. Penny whistle. Jig.

That was a really good day. Days like that almost make me want to move back to the SLC.
Almost.

do-do-do

2011-04-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some things you ~~may or may not~~ know about me.

NUMBER ONE
It could be said that I'm shy.
Is shy the right word? Maybe more like utterly-afraid-of-making-a-fool-of-myself-in-any-way.
Or something like that.
So, I have that fear and I often let it rule my life. (Please see Do Hard Things here.)

NUMBER TWO
I like music.
I like to sing in the shower, in my car, while I'm cleaning the house and I wish, nearly every day, that I could sing out loud at my desk at work.
What I don't like to do is sing in front of other people.
(At least not when they're paying attention.)
But I have a couple musically inclined friends that have taken it upon themselves to become my musical cheerleaders and have been trying to get me to sing when I know people are paying attention.
One might even use the word perform.

SU is one of those people. And she's a tricky one.
Oh, hey, I just wrote this new song. Want to hear it? And it just so happens that there is a harmony part. Want to learn that and we can sing it together just for funsies? Did I mention that by "just for funsies" I really meant "on stage at some open mics and possibly even shows I book"?

I mean, that might be a slight exaggeration, but that's basically how it went down.

SU does open mics every week and, in a moment of temporary insanity, I had made a goal for myself to join her on stage within the first two weeks of April. Wednesday became that day. The good news is that I didn't trip, pass out, vomit, stop breathing or mess up the words. In fact, it ended up being a lot of fun and she got some good feedback. She invited me to join her again on Thursday and I figured that while I was feeling brave, I might as well have at it.

When I told people what had happened, one person said, "I need proof". Which is really a legit request considering points #1 and #2 outlined above.

So, I give you The Proof.
For the record, I thought Wednesday went better than Thursday, but alas, Wednesday has no shareable proof.

Who knows? Maybe I'll do it again.

winds of change.

2011-04-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

The winds of change are blowing in my life. The storm is rolling in, and after it sweeps through it will leave behind a different landscape than the one I've come to know.

People. Comforts. Situations. They're exiting my life, are on the verge of leaving or have rapidly budding desires to leave. Lives are changing for the better, and I can't help but be happy for that. But I also have to remind myself often not to take it personally.

People come and go, right? That's just what they do.
I firmly believe that people are brought into our lives at certain times for a reason. And sometimes, most of the time, they won't stay forever. But if you're like me, you just want them to stay. It's an understatement to say that I have a hard time letting go (which explains a lot experiences I've had).

This has all been weighing on my mind lately, but felt heavier this week.

The internet is a tricky thing. You wander around it's pages, seeking that specific nugget of information you need, or not really seeking anything at all. In one of those moments of aimless wandering I happened upon a photo of someone that used to be very important to me. It was unexpected, stopped me in my tracks and left me feeling like I had been punched in the stomach. I thought about how strange it is that a person can be so very much a part of our lives and then one day we see a photo of them in their new life, a life that has no traces of us, and realize we can't remember the last time we really thought about them. Or maybe not just thought about them, but remembered them.

The other day I was sitting on the bus when I saw a familiar face step on. A few months ago this person was, what I would consider, a staple in my life. A few months ago I would have made my way to the front of the bus so we could chat and laugh away the ride home together. But it's not a few months ago, it's now. So instead I turned up the volume in my headphones and watched the people on the street.

I've been looking through old photo albums this afternoon. (Note to self: don't do that when you're feeling tinges of sadness.) Although it made my heart a little heavy to think about how rarely, if at all, I talk to some of these people, I also felt very blessed to have had them in my life.

I do a lot of my feeling through music. And these recent thoughts and experiences have caused me to put this song on repeat; not because of the exact situation she's describing, but because of the feelings that result from what she's describing.

I don't really have a point. I haven't come out on the other side of these thoughts and feelings with a clearer understanding or a way to wrap this up and put a pretty bow on it. They're just thoughts.

But the winds of change are blowing. I guess I just need to brace myself so that I'll still be standing once they've run their course.

conversation of the day.

2011-03-31T13:13:00.000-07:00

CW: “I don’t ask people to help me move because I hate it. So I shouldn’t have to help other people move, right? Even for a friend who needs help because she’s leaving her husband…?”
Me: …
CW: “Clearly you don’t agree with me so just tell me why I’m being a [jerk].”
Me: “I mean, maybe because it’s a friend in need. So, there’s that.”
CW: “I feel like you’re going to quote me a Bible passage right now.”
Me: “Well, I’m sure I could come up with something if you really wanted.”
Me: “And I’d post it on your FB wall, you know, if we were FB friends.”

Just imagine these conversations all day, every day and you'll then know what work is like for me.
It's entertaining, if nothing else.

makes music. and sandwiches.

2011-03-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

she's adorable.
and i ~~kind of~~ want to be her.

conversation of the day

2011-03-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

Nothing is striking my fancy, so this is the best I can come up with.

AB: There just isn’t enough parking.
Me: Is there a lot?
AB: No. [Said in a tone that led me to believe what he really wanted to say was "duh".]
Me: No, I mean a parking lot.
AB: Oh, yes.
Me: This is my favorite conversation.

PS - "striking my fancy" seemed fine in my brain, but weird when I typed it out.

imported from detroit.

2011-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

Although I was parked in front of a TV on Superbowl Sunday, I was under a deadline at work and basically saw none of it. I had heard a lot of buzz about the Chrysler ad, but had never taken the time to actually watch it.

Today I was reading an AdAge article about the Chrysler f-bomb tweet and they referenced the company's new tagline, "Imported From Detroit." So I decided to see what all the hype was about.

I kind of loved it.
Even though Eminem is currently the biggest claim to fame.
Maybe Madonna was busy. Material Girl probably wouldn't have been a good fit for the soundtrack anyway.

conversation of the (thurs)day.

2011-03-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

gChatting at work.

Me: I'll have to tell you how it went later. So many meetings.
SS: I'll call you when I get back to ATL...I land at midnight.
Me: Ok.
SS: booty call!!
Me: hey-o!

[And at this precise moment a co-worker walks up to my desk. I close the IM window while we're talking but this pops up on my screen just as she's about to walk away.]

SS: I wouldn't mind a more physical booty call.

I read it and start to laugh and the following conversation takes place:
Me: Oh, just ignore that. He's not talking about with me.
CW: Wow. Booty call. I'm shocked.
[Another co-worker overhears and yells]
CW2: Who's getting a booty call? Steph?

Wow, everyone. Just wow.

Let this be a lesson to you:
Don't believe everything you read.
Or sign out of IM when someone is at your desk.
Either way.

conversation of the day

2011-03-06T01:33:00.000-08:00

CK: Oh yeah, Steph loves songs that include claps.
JR: Sure. That's how I feel about space sounds.

i believe.

2011-03-03T23:10:00.000-08:00

I've had an "off" week. Let's just start there.
I've felt incredibly bored. With everything.
I've intentionally disconnected from some things. (Or people.)
There's been a lot of thinking.
And I make no claims that any of this thought has been rational. You've been warned.

I had a business lunch this week with a man I'd never met before. Nearly from the moment we sat down his topics of conversation were inappropriate. He told us how he had met a model on the plane on the way into town, had convinced her to move into his row and shared many of the inappropriate things he said to her, and even included the fact that he had removed his wedding ring.

Uhhh...nice to meet you, I guess.

I will admit that I'm not easily offended when it comes to these types of things, but as the day went on and I thought about it, the more disgusted I became. I began to wonder if this is really how people are and whether I've just been naive in genuinely believing that people are better than that. And then I started feeling sorry for myself thinking that might be all that I have to look forward to in my own life.

I was talking with a co-worker today who happens to be male and also Mormon (and married, btw) and he was asking for an update on my gentlemen relationships (sounds weird but I'm going with it). Of course those conversations always come with advice and, inevitably, a pep talk that includes some variation of "You are so great. You deserve to be treated better than that. You shouldn't accept any less."
Appreciated? Yes.
Taken to heart? Not usually.

Tonight I walked into the Seattle Art Museum and was greeted by an older gentleman, let's call him Lloyd for funsies. Lloyd directed me upstairs to the ticketing desk and I kindly informed him that I wasn't heading up yet as I was waiting for someone.

"Oh! What a lucky guy! It IS a gentleman you're waiting for, isn't it?" was his reply.

"Yes, it is.", I said. Leaving it at that was easier than explaining how, while it was a gentleman I was waiting for, it wasn't what he was thinking.

My museum partner in crime was running late and soon Lloyd headed my direction and said, "You know, he really should not keep you waiting like this." and directed me to a place to sit.

Lloyd

As I continued to wait Lloyd approached me several more times, each time telling me that I deserved not to be kept waiting or that I should get a really expensive dinner out of this or how happy I seemed despite having to wait or that I shouldn't stand for it.

Now, keep in mind I was not at all upset about having to wait. But, despite the fact that he had the wrong idea about my situation, the things my new friend Lloyd was saying started to resonate with me.

Maybe I do deserve whatever this "better" is that everyone keeps talking about.

Maybe there is at least one more man in the world that will keep his wedding ring on while on a business trip and not say inappropriate things to models he meets on planes.

I think it's worth believing.

cayamo 2011.

2011-03-01T00:02:00.000-08:00

Did you hear? I went on vacation.
To the Caribbean.

Sidenote: I said "cuh-ribbean" and the IT lady at work corrected me and said it's "care-ibee-an".

And then she tried to give me a history lesson about it, but I tuned out.

Am I right? Or is she?

Because she wears purple velour pants.

This recap is only going to happen if it can come in the form of a list with no rhyme or reason.

Get some snacks because it's a long one.

Possibly my favorite photo of the week happened right after stepping on the ship.

John Prine. He's an adorable, adorable man. And he plays with an Apolo Ohno look-alike. Hey, remember when I loved Apolo Ohno during the 2002 Olympics? Yeah, me too.

Brandi Carlile. We got in to all three of her shows. I never get tired of it. AND she played two new songs. If I start telling you that "you rattle my bones", it's because of her new song.

Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We took a water taxi to Virgin Gorda and then a "bus" to The Baths, which we walked/climbed/ducked through and ended on a beautiful beach. It ranks high up there for my favorite activity of the trip.

I also danced a jig in The Baths (not unlike this one). When that penny whistle starts, I have to dance.

Another favorite moment of the trip was when we found Mike & Dwayne on the beach in Virgin Gorda. They were walking with great purpose (they were late), I called out to them, Mike looked up and saw us, pointed and just said, "AWESOME", and kept walking. Writing it doesn't do it justice, but it was often quoted throughout the rest of the week.

"Did you know that Dwayne hates big sunglasses? He thinks we all look stupid right now. Except for Em." -Unck

The bigger, the better, I say.

I think I'm allergic to Caribbean sand. The CANKLES! tried to overtake me, but I was ready for them this year. Well, once I turned over my life savings to the ship store for Benadryl I was ready. Two little pink pills were my nightly cocktail.
Ice cream cones. Self-serve was back!

I learned that I laugh out loud in my sleep nearly every night. One night I woke myself up with my giggling, immediately rolled over and looked at Lindsay (who was still awake reading) and without me even asking if I had just been laughing in my sleep she looked up and me and said, "Yup".

Speaking of sleeping, I didn't have the top bunk this year. Stacey rocked that.

We were lucky enough to have Valentine's Day dinner with Mike & Dwayne. Apparently they had questioned "who's going to get who?" without coming to any conclusion. When Mike, Em and I got up to go to the bathroom all at the same time, the decision was made. I guess our bladders were made for each other.

Let's talk about Shawn Mullins for a bullet (or three). His voice pierces my musical soul. Make fun of me all you want, but every time I see him live my mind is blown by how much I love him.
My #1 musical moment of the week was when the Indigo Girls were singing "Kid Fears" and he came out in the middle and started singing Are you on fire? I can't even describe it. Shawn sang the part that Brandi sings in the video below (around 2:20).

It's possible that I have a soft spot in my heart for Shawn because he was the soundtrack to some teenage drama. Shawn has a little song called "Lullaby", maybe you've heard of it? The song's not great. However, when I was 16 I found myself with a broken heart. And for a week or two the last song I heard on the radio every night and the first song that came on the radio every morning was that one. Everything's gonna be alright.
St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. We thought we were walking 1/4 mile to the beach, but we ended up walking 1 mile through the ghetto to the beach.

That island provided a very hot sun and cell phone service. Perhaps you saw my tweet?

Patty Griffin. She won a Grammy on Sunday for her Downtown Church album and then joined us on the boat on Thursday. She's adorable. And she makes what comes out of her mouth seem effortless.

I can't tell you how much I love Mike & Dwayne. They are weird and normal at the same time. So kind. So, so funny. It was basically like we were on a six-person vacation. Cayamo's best decision was seating us next to them in 2009.

Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. This was the day I entrusted my life with Captain Meeko and Big Daddy Tunes. After years and years of trying to convince someone to parasail with me, I finally did it. It was super peaceful (minus the part where I started to freak out a little about getting dipped in the water).

This is also the place where I fake snorkeled. The water was shallow for a long way so I just walked out and stuck my face in the water. Not satisfying, for the record.

I spent some time alone on the deck at night, watching the waves and the moon. It's hard to put into words the way it makes me feel. So I wont even try.

There was a bowling alley on the ship. Finally, on the last night, we bowled some balls. And by "we" I mean "everyone but me". I just wasn't feeling it, but Mike wins the award for most creative bowling. Loved it.

Virgin Gorda (Tortola) had chickens. And they kept coming after me. As it turns out, I'm not a fan.

Lindsay put a spin move on a hammer head shark. Yes, you read that correctly. Every time we got off the boat there was someone dressed in costume waiting to pose with you for a picture. The shark really wanted Lindsay to pose. Lindsay really did not want to.
Dar Williams sang "The Babysitter's Here" during one of her sets and her friend's daughter danced on stage. That little girl just meant it. And it made me cry.

I read 1 1/3 books on this trip. That's 1 1/3 more than last year.
I got a little worried when it was cold in Miami. But I was pleased to find that the weather every other day couldn't have been better.

There was still no Diet Coke, just Diet Pepsi. We made the most of it.

Stacey rocked an open mic. I wish I would have been brave enough to sing one of her songs with her. One day.

Speaking of Stacey, she kept falling up the stairs. And I kept missing it. But the third time's the charm and I finally witnessed it. Man, I love people falling down.
Colin Hay. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed him. His wife was...interesting. I wish I had captured Em's reenactment of her interpretive dancing. Priceless.

Dan Wilson. Remember the band, Semisonic? Yeah, him. Another top musical moment was Dan Wilson singing his song "All Kinds" and the audience joining in. I'm a sucker for that crap.

All in all, it was not a waste of time.

think. think. think.

2011-02-24T23:27:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting to post until I can adequately summarize my trip, but I realized tonight that if I continued to do so, I would never blog again. So, there's that.

Coming back from tropical lands to lower-than-normal temperatures + snow is a mean trick.
But whatever, I'm tan.
Seattle is turning me into one of those people that freaks out at even the threat of snow. Look Seattle, I'm from Michigan which automatically makes me tougher than you. I just never want to get stuck on a bus for three hours again.
Speaking of the bus, I have been struggling to ride it in 2011. In fact, I take the bus so rarely that this afternoon I stood at my normal stop for 15 minutes before I noticed the sign that said my route no longer picks up there. And it hasn't since 2/5.
The bathroom at my office is at least 30 degrees colder than the rest of the floor. Unnecessary.
Last night I had a work outing that may or may not have involved fake eyelashes. I'm not mad about it.
It always takes me several days to fold and put away my clean laundry. But until that day comes, I dump it all out on the floor every morning to find the one thing I want and then toss it all back in the basket.
I've been having bad dreams lately.
I spent 7 days on a boat and didn't get sick, but I spent 20 minutes reading on the bus this morning and thought I might have to puke in my purse.
I learned to play the Doogie Howser theme song on the piano the other night.
My hair is long and I kind of love it.
I had to go to the grocery store tonight, which is in the running for my least favorite thing to do. But it was for a good cause.
As I was picking lemons to buy I realized that I find perfectly round lemons untrustworthy and avoided them. However, my aunt later informed me on FB that if they are round and have a thin skin they are the juiciest. I'm still suspicious of them.
I would like to snap my fingers and magically have my taxes completed.
Yesterday I locked myself out of my computer three times. Today the IT lady said, "You know, you were a real pain in the a%$ yesterday." She wasn't lying.
Tomorrow is Friday. Why do short weeks always feel the longest?

L-O-V-E

2011-02-14T14:15:00.000-08:00

It's Valentine's Day.

I could post something slightly bitter [and also funny. and true.] like this:

But of course I wouldn't do something like that.

Instead I will just recommend that you love someone today.
Or love lots of people if you want.
Just spread the love.

I plan to love everyone.

textversation of the day

2011-02-11T18:07:00.000-08:00

EM: Also, let's aim for the 1 to 1 ration again this year...k?
Me: I might have to lean more toward h2o. I can't get those cankles again.
EM: And you blame the soda??? Eff no.
Me: Are you saying my ankles are always fat?!? Not true.
EM: Um, no. I think you were allergic to something...But honey, that something ain't soda pop. Though, I do actually encourage some water.
EM: Just not too much.
Me: Wouldn't want to get TOO healthy.
EM: Exactly.

roommate auditions.

2011-02-10T22:52:00.000-08:00

Sooner or later I'm going to need to find a new roommate. And tonight I think I came up with the perfect screening question:

If I were to randomly sing, "Up in the hot tub, poppin' bubbly", would you, without skipping a beat, be able to sing the next line?

Because my current roommate just did.
And that's why it works, folks.

an analogy.

2011-02-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

Waxing is like giving birth.
And here's why: The end result is beneficial enough to make you forget the pain and do it again.
You know, like a child.

cheese-bau-bau

2011-02-08T23:26:00.000-08:00

Tonight I laughed harder than I have in a long time.
To the point of no more sound.
Head thrown back.
No air coming in or going out.
Tears streaming down my face.

It's good for the soul. For my soul.

drinking fountains and cherry heads.

2011-02-07T23:07:00.000-08:00

I'm back to the point where all I can muster are Conversation of the Day posts.
Don't be mad.
We can still enjoy each other's company, right?

Today I posted this somewhere on the internets.
Things I saw at lunch: man with eyepatch, man in kilt, man attempting to use a public drinking fountain in Pioneer Square.

Which led to a discussion about how I'm not into public drinking fountains (especially in Pioneer Square) and then this:

AB: Just thinking, it's interesting, that I would never eat anything (or most things) that had touched the ground.
AB: But you would.
Me: I KNEW it was coming back to this.
AB: But I would probably have less trouble drinking from a public fountain.
Me: You will never get over me eating that Cherry Head off your floor.
AB: Is that really the only example? I feel like there are more...

A girl eats ONE piece of candy off the floor (four months ago!) and she can never live it down.
It was a Cherry Head! Do you know how delicious those are?
And since when did the 5 Second Rule stop applying?

conversation of the day

2011-02-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

While bowling this morning for a Boys & Girls Club fundraiser.

SR: Why does everyone look so sad when they don't knock all the pins down?
Me: Because the point of the game is to knock them all down.
SR: Sounds like they need to redefine their definition of success. I already know I'm not going to knock them all down so I'm happy with whatever I can get.

man handled.

2011-02-02T23:12:00.000-08:00

I have stories to tell. And I've chosen YOU to tell them to first.
You're welcome.

I was walking over to the spa this afternoon with two co-workers when one of them announced that she was prego! That's fun. So we had some girl talk about it with our sales rep while sitting in robes, drinking a delicious beverage and nibbling on fruit while waiting for our massages. Soon the conversation turned to me when the rep asked, "So, Steph, what's new with you?" I responded, "Well, I'm not pregnant." I looked over to find my co-worker shaking her head. "You kill me", was all she had to say.

What? I'm not.

Then when the massage therapists came to collect us from where we were waiting, there was a man among them. And guess whose name he called.
Of course, mine.
Remember the last time I got a man massage from Dennis? I'm happy to report that Shawn was much better. He was young, not unattractive and his belly didn't touch me - all unlike Dennis. Still, I always feel a little strange with the man massage from a stranger.

And what's more, I basically had a couple's massage. WITH THE SALES REP. The spa didn't have enough rooms, so they threw up a partition and the sales rep (who I'd only met once before) and I got massaged together.
Good times.

And they all lived happily ever after.
The End.

remember when you didn't know what the internet was?

2011-01-31T17:33:00.001-08:00

yeah, me neither. (almost.)

"Like a computer billboard."

conversation of the [yester]day

2011-01-31T15:43:00.000-08:00

At church.

Dude: I like your sweater! I think I could wear something like that.
Me: Thanks...but I'm not sure how I feel about that statement.
Dude: I mean, if it was a lot bigger. Like for a man.

In a related story, I was also told that I looked patriotic. Apparently January 30th is the new July 4th.

this is what i'm dealing with.

2011-01-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

And the Facebook friending shenanigans continue.

I'm pretty sure I'm about to cave to peer pressure and start accepting requests.

Update: This just in from Scott.

And, yes, I've now reached the point where I'm posting Dilbert comics.
A low point or high point?
You decide.

how's this for dramatic?

2011-01-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

You can delay the inevitable.
But don't fool yourself into thinking it will change the outcome.

It won't.

i ain't gonna be your fool anymore.

2011-01-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to my first show of 2011.

I hate to get all dramatic, but I will. (duh.)

The thing is, I've been completely uninspired by music lately. I never want to listen to anything, which is unusual. But last night, sitting nearly as far away from the stage as I could get, I felt "it" creeping back in. Whatever "it" is. I mean, there were times when I had to close my eyes (that's when you know it's good).

And it felt good.

So, thanks, Amos.

This video isn't from last night's show, but he did open the show with this song and it's my favorite (so far) from his new album.

"when other friendships have been forgot, ours will still be hot!"

2011-01-13T23:25:00.000-08:00

Here's the thing: I don't accept co-workers as friends on FB.

After moving to Seattle I accepted a few co-worker friend requests, most likely because I was new and too nervous not to. But I soon determined that I was going to keep work life more separate from personal life than I had at my last job and made the decision to accept no more.

I only had to decline a few requests for the first 2.5 years (Question: Should I be asking myself why more co-workers didn't want to be FB friends with me? Answer: I don't care.) It just wasn't an issue.

Until I switched clients.

The friend requests came rolling in and I panicked. I didn't decline them but I didn't accept them. They just sat there. And that seemed to be working.

Until one day I got called out.

You see, apparently if someone is awaiting acceptance of a friend request certain actions show up in each other's newsfeeds. For example, changing a profile picture. And I had just changed my profile picture, which showed up in the newsfeed of the co-worker awaiting acceptance, which drew her attention to the fact that I had never accepted her request.

Busted.

"So, why do you hate me?", she randomly called out over the cubicle wall.
"Yeah...not really sure what you're talking about.", I replied.
"You won't accept my Facebook friend request, so clearly you must hate me."

And since then my FB rule as become a "thing".

Today I was sent this and had the following IM conversation:

CW: This is funny given your FB shyness.
Me: If I had access to your wall, I would post this there.

Look, I just want to update my status in peace. Is that so wrong?

dog paddle.

2011-01-12T23:41:00.000-08:00

I just ordered three swimsuits online.
This can only mean ~~one~~ three things.

1. I must be heading somewhere warm soon that would require the use of such an item. Fact.
2. I'm not depressed yet. Everyone knows swimsuit shopping is THE worst. However, I shopped online and didn't have to try them on. Talk to me in 3-7 days and see how I'm feeling.
3. In 7-10 days at least one of them will be sent back. Probably two. Hopefully not all three.

baby, it's cold outside.

2011-01-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

If you could only have one of the following winter accessories, which would you choose?

Hat
Scarf
Gloves

When my mind is left to wander, these are the things I think about...

conversation of the day

2011-01-11T22:58:00.000-08:00

Re: Tron.

Me: I need some ideas for ad executions to send out as thought starters. A light cycle game perhaps?
TN: Yes, that would work...Or you could show lots of Olivia Wilde.
TN: Nerds love girls.
TN: But they do also love light cycles.

karma

2011-01-10T23:15:00.000-08:00

I should have known that after spending at least 30 minutes the other night watching YouTube videos of people falling down and laughing ourselves into tears that I should watch my back.

This morning I woke up early to try to get a jump on the week (Shocking, I know.). As usual, I was running a little late but there was no way I was going to let the extra effort of dragging myself out of bed go to waste so I gathered up all my things and rushed out the door. It's been cold here. Really cold. And last night the front steps were already a little slick. Clearly my early morning brain did not remember this fact as I rushed down the steps.

Or at least I started to rush down the steps.

And then I found myself sitting on the steps with my left leg bent strangely underneath me and my right hand sitting in a puddle of water.

I was stunned. It all happened so quickly and it was like I couldn't comprehend what had just taken place. (And now I know how sweet little Channing felt as she crawled out from underneath the rubble looking so disoriented.) So, I just stood up, looked around to see if anyone saw me and hurried off. I mean, I still needed to catch that bus.

But I couldn't just let this event go unshared, so I sent a text to the roommate.

Me: Warning. Front steps are very slick. Just ate it.

CC: OMG! I thought I heard you leave but not take all the stairs. Just heard a thud and then silence but then no screaming. Hope you are ok! Happy Monday!

Me: Yup, just one thud and then I was stepping onto the sidewalk. Like magic. No time to assess the damage, there was a bus to catch!

CC: Dude, so sorry. Only up from here.

AND THEN EIGHT HOURS LATER...

CC: I'm really sorry but I forgot to tell you that when I got your text this morning I just laughed my face off. I'm still thinking about your slip...and laughing. Hope your day got better.

At least she added the part about hoping my day got better. And it did make for a good story for all of my co-workers. So, there's that.

I feel like Channing and I have a special bond.

i've missed you.

2011-01-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

I miss writing on this piece of the world wide web. I really do. It's just that I haven't been able to form any real thoughts lately. So, I give to you a random list of thoughts. No need to thank me.

I went to a fireside tonight that I really enjoyed. It wasn't one of those times when it was exactly what I needed to hear (you know how people always tell those stories?) but it was something I needed to hear. And it made me think about some things.
I watched 3.5 seasons of Felicity in less than two weeks. It was the best and worst decision I made over the break. And Ben is a dreamboat. And Noel is now on Grey's Anatomy. The end.
Speaking of TV, we got rid of cable a couple months ago. Me. Without cable. And there have only been a couple times when I wished I could just go downstairs, turn my brain off and find something to watch on the TiVo.
Not only am I not watching TV on the actual TV, but I'm only watching two shows online. TWO SHOWS.
Music players that launch automatically on blogs are totally unnecessary.
I've been avoiding reading because books suck me in and take over my life. I most recently fell victim to the Hunger Games series and read all three books over the course of six days even though they weren't awesome. Finding a balance is hard.
Since I'm confessing things I'm avoiding, I've also been avoiding writing 18 thank you notes for work.
I taught RS today and it's possible that I told the class that I had to make it an actual goal in 2010 to not go to concerts on Sunday. You know, because it was something I was doing enough that it required a goal to stop. I'd like to think it wasn't one of those awkward moments when someone gets up and starts confessing inappropriate things to the congregation, but there is no guarantee.
On Friday I had to be to work by 8:00am. I joked with my boss and co-worker that "I'm pretty sure I can handle it for one day". And sure enough, I woke up at 7:37 in a panic having slept through two alarms. It's not the recommended way to start the day.
Have you seen my motivation? Because I sure can't find it. It's a problem.
You know how sometimes you're just sitting there and an emotion just dumps on you out of nowhere? That happened to me today when I realized just how much I was missing a particular friendship.
A couple weeks ago I did a little temperature test of the upstairs bedrooms. CC's room was 71.8 degrees, mine was 64.6. They're five feet apart.
I got a package from my mom this week and inside was an afghan she had made. I love it.
I asked for a guitar stand for Christmas because I thought if I actually had my guitar out I would play it more. So far that was a false assumption. I have yet to pick it up.
However, I think I want to take guitar lessons. And maybe voice lessons. Is that totally crazy? I know, it is.
Today marked the return of the Sunday nap into my life. And it was good.
A few weeks ago a guy stopped me on the street as I was walking to the bus and said, "Excuse me. You have a beautiful smile." And he didn't even seem crazy.
A co-worker recently told me that "your attention to detail is noted". I can't decide if he thinks it's a positive or negative thing.
There are two Stephanie's on my team now and we keep getting called "The Stephanie's". I kind of hate it. But what should I have them call me instead?
Nat comes to Seattle so soon! It's going to be a good weekend.

the tube of you

2011-01-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

Try and tell me this isn't the most adorable thing you've ever seen. Go ahead, try.

And maybe this is only funny at 1:00am, but I think this video is hilarious. Specifically the part when she emerges from the rubble looking totally disoriented.

conversation of the day

2011-01-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

Scene: I'm sitting at my desk, minding my own business (Probably checking FB. What? It's lunchtime.) when a co-worker walks by...

CW: Steph, did you get your haircut?
Me: Cut? No. [Pulling my hair away from my head to show the length]
CW: Oh. It's LONG.
...
CW: You should cut it.

Noted.

it's that time.

2011-01-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

Let's talk about 2010.

It seems as though the general consensus is that 2010 was the worst.
I don't know.
I mean, sure, there were a lot of things I could have done without during the course of the last 12 months. Duh. But 2010 was good to me in a lot of ways.

I'm just saying, let's not call it a complete failure, okay?

I don't typically make resolutions; at least not earnestly. But I did in 2010.
I made them.
I meant them.
I accomplished portions of them.

Drink more water. I did. Then I didn't. Then I really did. One word: STRAW.

Serve. This is what complete failure looks like.

Do hard things. I'm going to put an enthusiastic check in this box. Five course meal at Rover's where fish and glands were involved. 80's dance party where costumes were involved. Camping. New friends. Golf lessons. Hip hop dance classes. Scooters. And many more social situations I would have rather avoided, but did not. I will admit that I lost my enthusiasm for this goal in Q4, but I'm getting back on track. Hard Things, you haven't seen the last of me! (I'm shaking my fist in the air right now.)

Give people the benefit of the doubt. Well. I can say that I tried. Sometimes I tried harder than others, but I did try.

So, what about 2011?
I've decided to take it back to the basics this year.

Love. Just love people. All people. Don't allow myself to get frustrated or annoyed with others (or myself) so easily. And if I do? Get over it and move on. It's kind of like "give people the benefit of the doubt", but on steroids.

Also? I'm bringing Service back. (Did you just sing JT's Sexy Back to yourself? Just admit it. You did.) I'll keep adding this to my list of resolutions until I stop making excuses and do it.

There you have it. I'm going to love you all so much this year. Get ready.

2011.

2011-01-03T23:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
(a few days late.)

I'm ready, twenty-eleven.

conversation of the day

2010-12-29T14:12:00.000-08:00

NW: Does he look mansized enough to be riding that bike?
Me: Mansized? I don't even know that that means, but I'm laughing so hard.
NW: Is he the size of a man?
NW: []yes
NW: []no
NW: It's a perfect adjective.

She's right. It is perfect.

And for the record, no, he did not look mansized enough to be riding that bike.

monkey

2010-12-28T22:50:00.000-08:00

I stopped by my office tonight to pick up my computer and found these on my desk wrapped in plastic.

Yes, those are monkey slippers.

I have the strangest job.

mis padres

2010-12-24T11:43:00.000-08:00

These two status updates, side-by-side, made me smile this morning.

conversation of the day

2010-12-18T17:58:00.000-08:00

SS: Did I tell you I bought a BMW?
Me: No....?!?
SS: Oh, well I bought a BMW. Two years ago.

i've got a rep to protect.

2010-12-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

We moved this chair from the living room into my bedroom to make way for the Christmas tree.

The Plan:
Cozy up at night and read books.

The Reality:
No time to read books. Instead throw clothes on it as you take them off on your way to bed in a zombie-like state.

From bad to worse.

This chair is really messing with my reputation of being an organized person.

m-i-c-k-e-y

2010-12-17T23:01:00.000-08:00

Monday was spent thinking about her:

While Tuesday and Wednesday focused on her:

And Thursday and Friday were centered around this:

It was a long week, but the good news is that I survived.

The other good news is that I got to spend part of the afternoon watching a movie with my team. And apparently eating our weight in popcorn. Who would ever need that much popcorn?!?

Other Fun Facts: That popcorn bucket is branded with a movie my team is currently planning and most of the previews this afternoon were for other titles that we'll be working on.

High five to Mickey!

this ocd of mine, i'm gonna let it shine

2010-12-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

By my standards, I had a very productive Saturday. I didn't sleep in (well, not as late as I wanted), got a haircut, finished unpacking from Michigan, did laundry, cleaned, prepared a lesson, went to the grocery store, made scotcheroos and went to a party. I mean, if you knew what my normal Saturday's were like, you'd be impressed. However, two big things did not happen on Saturday: Christmas shopping and working.

Work. After being out of the office unexpectedly for three days the week before and knowing this week was going to be intense, I really needed to work over the weekend. And I did not.

Monday rolled around and, even though I worked 14 hours, I still only finished what I should have done over the weekend. I was now a day behind. Tuesday showed up and I needed to make up for the lost time. Unfortunately, when I arrived at work (early!) I saw that my morning was full of meetings.

I needed a plan. So, at 12:30 while I was eating lunch, I made one.

Aside from a meeting from 3-4, my calendar was clear after 1pm. By that time I only had 17 proposals left to review. If I wanted to be out of the office by 7:30pm, I had 5.5 hours to review those 17 proposals, assuming I ignored every other email, phone call, request that came in. That meant I could spend 19 minutes on each proposal. Ultimately, I decided I would allot myself 15 minutes per proposal, giving me a 4 minute buffer for each in case things got crazy.

You may think I'm joking, but I assure you I am not. I crunched these numbers.

What did I do to keep on track, you ask? Well, I opened up the stopwatch on my phone and would check back every so often to see how much time I had spent with the proposal I was working on. The timer would be reset every time I opened a new proposal.

I'm not going to lie, I thought this was a brilliant plan.
I had been at it for nearly two hours when a teammate walked up to my desk. She began talking and after noticing my phone said, "What's going on with your phone?"

Me: "Oh, it's the stopwatch. Just pretend you never saw it."
CW: "Right. Why is the stopwatch going?"
Me: "Oh, you know...I'm just timing how long I'm reviewing each proposal."
CW: "You're timing how long you review each proposal."
Me: "Uh, yup. I have 15 minutes to spend on each one so keep talking; you're eating into my time."
CW: "Dude, I can't even talk to you with that thing going. It's stressing me out!"
Me: "Look, it's not weird..."
CW: "Yes, it is weird. But whatever works for you."

So, maybe it was an extreme measure. BUT I AM DESPERATE. And I didn't care how weird she though it was when I finished all 17 proposals 90 minutes earlier than planned. Just in time to start in on all the emails I had been ignoring for the last four hours.

That's 14 minutes per proposal, for those of you keeping score at home. OCD wins.

we're the great lakes state, let's celebrate

2010-12-12T10:29:00.000-08:00

Last night I was at a Christmas party of sorts and decided I needed some dessert in my life. Remembering that there were sugar cookies to be had I went to the table and found that only one was left AND it was the shape of a mitten.

I think I probably shouted for joy (you know, because I got the last cookie) and said something like, "There's one left! And the shape is very fitting."

The response I got? A quizzical look and "Why? Because you wear mittens all the time?"

"Well, no. Because I'm from Michigan", I replied.

[Blank stare.]

You guys. He didn't know Michigan was shaped like a mitten.

Having my mind blown by this, I of course went on to ask several other people if they knew what the shape of Michigan resembled. Three other people, actually.

NO ONE ELSE KNEW EITHER.

I get that I might be a little biased because I lived there for 17 years and all, but I'm pretty sure even if I hadn't I still would have noticed.

And just for funsies I typed into Google, what is michigan shaped like? The results brought up a Yahoo Answers page where someone had asked a similar question. Here's what "Buck" had to say about it: did you really think this was a hard question? any 8th grader could have answered this.

Apparently not, Buck.

bangs to resolutions

2010-12-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

I always wait to get my hair cut until my bangs are so long and ridiculous that I look in the mirror and think, I literally cannot go another day looking like this. Today was that day for me. Except I didn't even have to look in the mirror. I just lay in bed and remembered what I looked like yesterday, grabbed my phone without even getting out of bed and made an appointment for 30 minutes later.

My stylist said to me, "You know what your new year's resolution should be? To come in every three weeks for a bang trim.". I'm not kidding. It's THAT bad.

Maybe that's what it will take. But it got me thinking about new year's resolutions in general.

I need something good for 2011.

what are you trying to say?

2010-12-10T22:39:00.000-08:00

Do you ever wonder what kind of targeting is in place for the ads you get served?

Let's take an example from tonight. As I watched three episodes of 30 Rock, Hulu served me an eHarmony ad. Now, do you think eHarmony thought they would reach their target audience by targeting that type of show? Possibly.

But after the ad ran and I continued watching, from my bed, I had another thought. It's also possible that they were targeting by day of week. As in, anyone watching TV online on a Friday evening might also be a person with a need for eHarmony.

Or maybe I'm a media planner with too much time on her hands.

not an empty threat.

2010-12-08T23:01:00.000-08:00

If their parents aren't careful, I might try to sneak off with one (or more) of these babies (or their siblings).

UPDATE: Why does my left hand look MASSIVE in that top photo? It's creeping me out.