Sundance 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hey, did I mention that I met Perez?

The Cherry On Top

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hoooot Poooocket.

Can you hear Jim Gaffigan in your head?

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

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

Hooooot Pooooocket.

Hidden Treasures

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On My Mind

1. When did Utah actually get cold?  It almost feels like I'm in Michigan again.  Almost.

2. Rob & Big are back! And they are still hilarious.

3. I need to secure the wireless network and have no idea how.

4. I've been trying to spend less money on eating out which has forced me to bring my lunch to work.  Carlee has successfully tempted me into going out to lunch with her two days in a row.  Not good.

5. Why do I have to check PerezHilton.com every morning?  It's like I can't start working until I know that Matthew McConaughey knocked up his girlfriend and Rosie O'Donnell thinks Britney is the next Princess Diana.

6. Ellen's show is slightly crappy without her writers.  I think she's gone nearly a week without a real celebrity guest.

7.  Pepperoni pizza Lean Pockets aren't that bad.

8. Dole's fruit parfait's are delicious.

9. I'm going to Park City this weekend to try to see some celebrities.  Hopefully my dream of seeing someone get harassed by paparazzi will come true.

10. I've been toying with the idea of being brutally honest at work. I don't think it would go over so well.

11. I painted my nails on Sunday night and none have chipped yet.  I think that's  first.

12.  Since Lindsay left Max has been sleeping with me every night and I like it.  I know as soon as she comes back he'll ditch me again, but that's Ok.

13. I'm wondering if/hoping Grey's Anatomy is new tomorrow.

...and that was the last time we saw Leo.

When I first started my job in 2005 the copywriter on my team was one of the most unique people I've ever met.  

His name is Leo.  

Leo didn't have a car so every morning he rode the bus to the airport and then transferred to a bus that dropped him off at our office.  He wore a hat every day, usually a fedora but sometimes a beanie, even in the summer.  Leo could often been seen on the way to or from lunch walking on the side of the rode alone.  Monday mornings were always a treat because we got to hear what crazy thing Leo did over the weekend - hopping a plane to vegas, taking the bus to Wendover, being upset when a pizza couldn't get delivered at 3 am (and when we asked why he needed pizza at 3 am he just giggled).

I could often be heard saying, "I love Leo so much."  It was that statement that led Mark and Tiffany to believe that I wanted Leo to be my boyfriend, which clearly wasn't the case, but he was just so strange that I had to love him.

Once he came to my desk and said, "Stephanie, we just heard from Client XYZ and they are pissed."  Apparently there was a flash of panic across my face (I was new and they were the first client I was setting up all on my own) and he thought it was the funniest thing ever.  He then proceeded to come to my desk every morning and say the exact same thing.  And he proceeded to laugh every time like it was the first time he had made the joke.  

The other copywriter quit which left Leo as the lone copywriter in the interactive department.  Things got really busy and he got really stressed.  One day he took his hat and dictionary (and I think a pair of shoes) and said as he was walking out of the department, "If you don't see me tomorrow, you won't see me again."

And that was the last time we saw Leo.  Until today.

This morning David sent me this link.  I'm sure it goes without saying, but Leo is the one on the right.

Now you have all had the pleasure of seeing Leo in action.  You're welcome.

Proud Owner

According to my previous post, I should be spending the weekend internet-free and, therefore, should not be blogging on a Sunday night.  It's true.  But as it turns out, I bought a computer this weekend!

I know what you're thinking and the answer is No.  No, I did not go out and buy a computer just because I wouldn't have the internet for a weekend. (Although, I will admit it may have pushed me over the decision-making edge.) I bought a computer because I'm 25 years old and have never had one of my own, have been thinking about buying one for years, Lindsay left the state with all my photos and music on hers, and I can't move forward with The 2008 Adventure without one.

I did my research - which included asking co-workers, Lindsay, Jill, Julie and Annie what they thought.  Everyone (minus one responsible co-worker) gave me the green light.  I was hesitant to let my parents in on the news, but my Mom called tonight and was anything but disappointed in my financial irresponsibility.  Just the way I like it.

So, here's to hoping buyer's remorse doesn't kick in anytime soon.  I don't think it will.

What Did We Do Before?

The wireless card slot on my work laptop (read: desktop disguised as a laptop) broke and the IT guy can't fix it. He said he can order me a USB wireless adaptor, but that will obviously take some time. And since Lindsay moved last weekend, she has both of her computers in Seattle.

What I'm getting at is that I will have to spend the entire weekend without the internet. Torture, right?

We'll see if I make it.

Rubs Me the Wrong Way

Every time the massage lady is going to be in the office we get an email from HR with this picture included.

I hate it.

I don't know why it matters because I immediately delete the email, but something about the crappy clip art bugs me.

Oh, and did you like how clever I was with my title? I thought you might.

Weekend in Review

Friday: There was a going away party for Lindsay at our house.  I'm not usually the biggest fan of parties, but this was actually a lot of fun.  The complete set of pics are on Facebook, but here are few highlights...
I printed a jumbo picture of Lindsay.  I'm thinking of hanging it up near her old cubicle at work.

Stephanie, Jumbo Lindsay and I.
Lindsay, Emily, Chelsea and I.  I'm sad we won't be able hang out anymore!

Jill, me and Erin.  Two of my very few friends in the ward.
Lindsay, Stephanie and Danny.  Steph and Danny threw the party.

Saturday: Lindsay and I got up bright and early (read: 8 am) to hit the road.  We opened the garage to find a couple inches of snow and it was still coming down.  Fun!
Once we got an hour or two out of Salt Lake the weather cleared up and the rest of the trip was great.  We made it to Issaquah (where Lindsay's brother, Jared, lives) in 13 hours and that included the bad weather and stopping twice to eat.

There is some very beautiful scenery on the way up.  

Mountains+Snow+Green = The best of Michigan and Utah combined.

And this is the view from Jared's balcony in Issaquah.


Sunday: Lindsay and I, along with our friend, Jen, who moved out here in September, checked out a singles ward in Bellevue.  It was actually better than I expected.  The girls weren't dressed like they were going to prom which is the thing I hate the most about my ward now.  So that was a good start.  We spent the rest of the day relaxing and Lindsay's brother, Ben, and his girlfriend stopped by.

Monday: Today has been a day of relaxing.  Lindsay had to work so I've just been wasting time.  I'm really good at it.  Since Lindsay will have to work tomorrow too there is no sense in me staying another day so I changed my ticket and will be heading back to SLC tonight.

Because I Like to Embarrass Myself

I stumbled upon some real gems while I was at home last week.
1st Grade: I hit my peak in first grade.  I little early, I'd say.
5th Grade: Sweet crusted bangs...and sweater.
7th Grade: I call that hairstyle "the mushroom" or "the triangle".
9th Grade: Looks like I discovered how to look trashy.  Yes, that's a denim, button-up shirt and an awesome BFF ring on a necklace.
11th Grade: Things started to work themselves out...

If you're lucky I might post the years I left out.  Cross your fingers!

I Heart Movies

I finally saw Juno this weekend and absolutely loved it. I thought it was brilliant and will most likely see it again.  I also watched Superbad again today.  I had forgotten just how funny it was.

Earlier today Lindsay, Julie and I went to see P.S. I Love You and it was actually pretty good.  I wanted to see it but had low expectations.  It's a typical chick flick, but since that's what I was going for it all worked out.  Remember how Jeffrey Dean Morgan might be one of my celebrity boyfriends?

Welcome to 2008

Happy New Year!  Here's to hoping the adventures I have planned pay off.