The Golden Girls

A couple weeks ago four of us were sitting around on a random week night, flipping through channels, and somehow ended up on The Golden Girls.

Linds: That's going to be us when we're old.
Pamela: I get to be Blanche!
Me: She's kind of slutty...
Pamela: I know.
Linds: Then I'm Rose.
Me: Aww, crap! That makes me Dorothy. Why do I have to be the manly one?
Breann: So then I'm the super old one?

In a GG related story...In elementary school we were learning The Golden Girls theme song, "Thank You for Being a Friend", for some sort of production and it got stuck in my head a lot. One afternoon I decided to sing the song, really loudly, out the bathroom window (because why wouldn't you?). The next day at school my neighbor, who was also in my class, asked me if I had been singing the song outside the day before.

My response? "Pshh...no."

I may have been dumb enough to do it in the first place, but not dumb enough to fess up to it.

Conversation of the Day

Linds: What was it you said when we were getting out of the car?
Me: I don't know....Did I say something inappropriate?
Linds: Yes.
Me: Pamela, do you remember?
Pamela: I don't know. I ignore everything you say anyway.


And the quote of the day, brought to you by yours truly: "Well...thinking is hard."

The Minivan Weekend

May has been the month of traveling and visitors. By the time the month is over I won't have worked a full week, which is awesome and a little stressful at the same time. Especially since I'm a person that likes stability in her life.

Last weekend's trip was to SLC for the wedding reception of these two, Max and Chelsea, who are now living it up in Hawaii for the next year.
The weekend started off right with a free rental car "upgrade" to this beauty. Yes, that's a minivan. I was a soccer mom for the weekend and owned it. I'm not sure which was worse, the minivan or the baywatch mobile.I spent Friday morning working, the afternoon shopping and the evening with my family. I had wanted to bowl for several weeks so Brian, Amanda and I hit the lanes. I was absolutely terrible. I didn't break 100 either game; however, that was good enough for me to win the second game. Shameful.

That evening all of the Utah siblings (+ nephew) were able to go to dinner. I didn't take any pictures (which is so unlike me!) but it was fun to spend time together. For dessert Brian, Amanda and I hit up Baskin Robbins and got sundaes. I had a Peanut Butter Cup sundae that can only be described as INTENSE. It was like a PB Cup Blizzard on steroids. There may or may not have been melted peanut butter on it.

On Saturday Annie and I went to lunch and then made a quick stop at the Keith's. The kids are still adorable and Tatum is still funny.

The wedding reception was Saturday night and was delightful. The scenery was gorgeous and I may or may not have eaten fifteen cupcakes. Okay, I didn't but I wanted to.

Look at the view in the background! What's that? You can't see it because my shoulder pads are in the way? Oh, sorry about that.
The cupcakes.
Emily is one of my favorite people on the planet. She's always making me laugh and was kind enough to let us stay in her adorable new home.
No adventure would be complete without a self-portrait. Too bad it wasn't our camera. You're welcome, Em.On Sunday morning we had breakfast with Sarah & Steph and even had the pleasure of Todd's company for a few minutes.
As always, a great SLC weekend with some great people! I'm sure I'll be back again soon enough.

Midwest to West Coast

A couple weeks ago my parents spent a long weekend with me in Seattle. We saw the sights and ate our way through town. The weather even cooperated and we had a couple beautiful days.

Our first stop was Pike Place Market. I bought a bouquet of flowers for Mother's Day and some delicious peaches and pears. Dad got a jumbo tomato and some "crusty" bread.
On Saturday the weather was absolutely gorgeous. We visited the Reflections of Christ photography exhibit (which was fantastic), visited the temple grounds and Deseret Book.
Then we made our way out to Snoqualmie Falls. The drive was very pretty, but I was a little underwhelmed once we got there. From Snoqualmie we drove back to Seattle and made a quick stop at Golden Gardens to get a good view of the water.
Over the course of the weekend we did a lot of eating...Mondello's, Ivars, Blue Star, Cupcake Royale and Trophy's.
Sunday morning my Dad and I made breakfast - french toast with the new love of my life, cinnamon bread. I'm not much of a cook, but it's hard to go wrong with french toast. We hit up my ward for the first hour of church and then came home and made steak for dinner.

It was great to spend Mother's Day with my wonderful mom! I haven't been able to do that in a long time.
All in all it was a successful weekend! So fun to spend time with my parents and I was happy they got a chance to appreciate my new city.

On the Sea Side of Things

I'm spending the weekend in Seaside, Oregon with my fabulous friend, Cara. It took a little longer than we expected to get here (6 hours vs. 3.5 hours) due to holiday traffic, a stop at Taco Del Mar for dinner and dessert in Astoria. The drive was BEAUTIFUL and the company was great, so the extra time didn't bother me.
I should have taken more pictures of the drive...so much green! So much water! But I didn't really think of it until we were almost there and the clouds had rolled in over the water and the sun was almost completely set.
Plus, I kind of have a thing for bridges.
We're staying in a suite on the beach. Kitchen? Check. Living room? Check. My own bedroom and bathroom? Check, check.
My plan is to do a lot of the following: sleeping, eating, beaching and reading. We have no schedule.

It's going to be a great weekend.

Note To Self

Don't let the lady at the nail salon tell you that the color you picked is bad, believe her and then let her pick out a color for you. Your toes will end up looking like this:
Barbie called. She wants her toes back.

Crazy Train

I was watching Ellen this morning while eating breakfast since there are a million episodes piled up on my TIVO (sidenote: I thought Raisin Bran is supposed to have two scoops of raisins? Not in my box.). My style of watching Ellen is to fast forward through everything except for the guests I'm interested in. I can get through an episode in less than 15 minutes. Aren't you impressed?

On this particular episode one guest caught my eye. A nine year old kid came out with a guitar almost as big as him so I stopped and watched. He's from Japan and is a guitar prodigy and, apparently, a YouTube sensation. His favorite artist is Ozzy Osbourne and he played Crazy Train on the show.

Below is a clip of the show. It's long so just skip to somewhere in the middle to be amazed by his skills and then skip to 4:50 and just watch.

The look on that little boy's face! It's like all of his dreams just came true. Of course, I immediately started crying sitting there on the couch with my Raisin Bran. I just couldn't help it!

And this is why I have a job. If for no other reason than I would otherwise sit on my couch all day watching Ellen and crying at everything.

Conversation of the Day

This conversation was with a man who works in another department (where he is the equivalent of my supervisor) and took place in the elevator as I was leaving work today. We work on a "special team" together so we know each other a little. Plus, sometimes I see him on the bus and while I usually pretend I don't see him (because that's how I roll), I've acknowledged him once or twice.

[Elevator doors open. I step on.]
Me: Hey, how's it going?
Guy: Hey. Not too bad...Any fun plans for the weekend?
[Notices my purse and laptop bag on my shoulder.]
G: And are you sure you have enough purses there or...
Me: Well, you know...I could probably use at least one more. I'm heading to Seaside, Oregon for the weekend.
G: Nice. I hear it's on the sea side of things.
Me: Yeah, I was thinking it might be near the sea.
[Elevator doors open. Goodbyes are exchanged. I step off. ]

Things That Made Today Awesome

-Accidentally getting to sleep in by forgetting to set my alarm. This could have been disastrous had I not woken up in time, but since I did it was awesome.
-Having a new book to read on the bus.
-Learning that there is a code of conduct among panhandlers. A man (a panhandler himself) on the bus was telling a story of how he was so disgusted with someone he saw on the street that only approached women. "Women have enough to worry about without you bothering them".
-Thai food for lunch. I'm addicted to cashew chicken from a couple places around my office. This is not helping my weight loss situation.
-Catching the bus even though I left the office late.
-Shopping. It's always more fun with a "personal shopper" who is an expert on the product AND when you can buy a size smaller than you had originally thought.
-Hard core thunderstorm. It was the first I've experienced since moving to Seattle and I kind of loved it (even though I was caught in the pouring rain without an umbrella).
-Running into a restaurant to avoid the rain. Delicious, delicious bread.
-Singing Wicked very enthusiastically in the car with Pamela. We maybe had some sweet synchronized moves.
-American Idol. I still heart Kris and I think he did WAY better than Adam on the [already crappy] last song, despite messing up some words.
-Watching the Justin Timberlake SNL. So I'm a few weeks behind...
-Gregory Alan Isakov's new CD. I didn't make it to Easy Street so I had to download from iTunes. I got desperate.
-My bed. Sometimes I wish I could stay here all day. And by "sometimes" I mean "every morning".

Tomorrow.

I've been counting down to the day Gregory Alan Isakov's new album comes out since I saw him for the first time in February. He's one of my new favorites and not just because Brandi Carlile sings on his new CD.

Just listen to his voice and you'll know why.

Quote(s) of the Day

Brought to you by The Number Five:

#1
Em: "Look how big my boss's goat is, you guys."

#2
Steph: You follow Soleil Moon Frye on Twitter?
Em: Yeah dude, she's all over the place.
...
Em: Punky Brewster is important.

Dear Enterprise

Dear Enterprise,
Thanks for the free "upgrade".
Now I'll be able to pick up every child in the Salt Lake valley from soccer practice. Just like I was hoping I could.

Love,
S

Almost Famous

Guys, remember when we took a trip to Portland last October to visit Roloff Farms? Well, there was a moment on the farm when Lindsay got trapped in a corner by the boom mic operater. And it was awesome. And it was on the show this week.

Peanut Butter Cup

Today at lunch I was informed that there is a Blizzard Fan Club. As in, Dairy Queen Blizzard. As in, my favorite delicious frozen treat. And not only did my co-worker KNOW about this club, he's already a MEMBER. I think I'm just a little sad that I didn't know about it first.

On an unrelated note, I got my trash kicked at the gym twice in 12 hours earlier this week and I'm still feeling the effects. My ribs hurt to the touch and I had a sneeze earlier that almost ended in tears.

For future reference, if someone tells you to assume the push-up position with your feet on a 10 lb. weight and then to walk on your hands across the room while dragging the rest of your body behind you, all while maintaining that push-up position, DON'T DO IT. Your sneezes will leave you in tears.

You know, maybe that's not so unrelated to my first thought. Maybe I thought of the gym because I was feeling guilty about lusting after a Blizzard and my brain said, "Hey Fatty! You want to know why you get rocked at the gym? Because you've eaten a few too many Blizzards. Now get on the treadmill."

Sounds about right.

Spotlight

When I was in college our ward got together every Sunday night on the "balcony" outside my apartment for ward prayer. I'll be honest, this wasn't really my cup of tea. You were more likely to find me at home at the kitchen table, in my pj's, frantically studying for a test or writing a paper that was due the next day than you were to find me there. There were, however, times when I could be convinced to show up.

One of those times happened to be when the ladies of my apartment were the lucky recipients of the "Spotlight". (This just keeps getting better and better, right?). Some people got creative when it came to spotlighting their apartment by writing/singing songs, poems, etc. but that was just too BYU for us. We chose the simple route and each took a turn introducing one of our roommates with the one rule that we could say whatever we wanted. That's a recipe for disaster if I've ever heard one.

I can't remember who introduced me and I don't remember everything she said about me, but I do remember a this: she gave everyone in the ward the key to making me uncomfortable.

You see, I have this list of words that I can't stand. Every time I hear them I cringe. And it's not because of the meaning of the word. It's just the way they sound.

moist.
panties.
lover.
indentation.
ointment.

See what I mean? Say OINTMENT a few times to yourself and then try and tell me it doesn't make you shudder a little. The complete list was much longer than that, but I can't totally remember all of them. Or maybe I just don't want to tell you.

Anyway, one of my dear roommates chose that time, in front of my entire apartment complex (and the neighboring complex + random nearby houses) to announce that I had a list of words that I hated. Can you guess what happened next? Everyone started using them in sentences and shouting them at me. And pretty much anytime they saw me after that point. Awesome.

I thought of this story today as typed about wiping my finger with an alcohol swab. WIPE. Yeah, that's on the list. If it wasn't before today then it is now.

Oh, and one of the other tid-bits my roommate chose to share? The fact that I have a Big Head Complex. As in, I'm sensitive about the size of my huge noggin. So as I stood there in front of a mass of people staring at me, she basically invited them to shift their attention to my head and silently judge me for how large it is.

And next time you see me, you'll do the same. Just trust me, it's grande.

Laying It All Out There

It's been a while since I've produced a list full of randoms. You're welcome.

• I saw Crazy Lady on the bus again today. I really can't think of a more clever name for her. I'll take away one Crazy Point because she was actually talking to another passenger, not just the air. But then she got an additional two Crazy Points for bringing her pillow (in a hot pink, satin pillow case) with her on the bus. AND she still placed the garbage bag on the seat before sitting down, yet had no problem setting down her pillow, THAT SHE RESTS HER FACE ON, directly on the seat. No worries - still off the charts crazy in my book.
• While we're talking about the bus - I had to run for it again today. I made it.
  
• Yesterday I said, "By my calculation" in a conversation at work on got laughed at. I reflected and realized just how nerdy it is and came to the conclusion that I deserved to be laughed at. That lead me to think about all the times I had used the phrase that day and thought that maybe someone, somewhere decided to start a drinking game based on my use of the phrase.
• My trainer had to get his own trainer in order to lose 20 lbs. Why have I been paying him for the last 12 months again?
• I totally enjoy Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Sincerely. They are straight up ridiculous and I love it. Don't judge me. *coughemilycough*
• Just because I'm at home doesn't mean I should always say what I'm thinking. Recently Lindsay and I were watching TV when a Mac vs. PC commercial came on:

Mac: Hello, I'm a Mac.
PC: And I'm a PC.
Me: Hey! PC's lost weight!
Linds: [No words. Just laughter.]
Me: What? He has!

• I used to get to work by 8:20 at the very latest, but lately I've been taking the next bus and getting in at 9:00. It happens at least 2 days a week. I just can't pull myself out of bed in the morning.
  
• Adam Lambert is 100% creepy. He's what my nightmares are made of. His tongue is gross.
  
• I heart everything about Kris Allen on American Idol except for the fact that his name is spelled with a "K". It's just how I feel.
  
• Last night I went to a work dinner where the sales rep sang part of Jamie Foxx's song "Blame It"...you know, "a-a-a-alcohol". By the end of the night he had had a little too much "a-a-a-alcohol" and looked at me with glazed over eyes and randomly said, "You're funny".
  
• Every time I go to a work dinner I have to make sure and study the menu online before I get there. I typically have no idea what any of the menu items are.
  
• Last Saturday I didn't get out of bed until 3pm. It was glorious. It might just happen again this weekend.
  
• Breaking News: Six probable Swine Flu cases in WA.
• I sometimes have to stop myself from saying "totes magoats". Have you seen I Love You, Man? If not, you might be really confused right now.
• My parents are coming to town in one week! Yay!
• In The Biggest Loser news - Felipe went home this week. He was really the last person I could stand so now I'm not sure who to root for. Oh, and someone should take Jillian's leather jacket and burn it.
• Have I mentioned that my sister is having twins? TWINS. The niece and nephew count will go from zero to five in 15 months.
• This morning when my alarm went off the first thought I had was If you can make it through the next hour you can sleep for 30 minutes on the bus. Is that normal?
• Loaves of cinnamon sugar bread may have been sent directly from heaven.
• My cat just fell asleep standing up on the couch next to me. He was waiting for the perfect time to make his move to crawl up on my shoulder, but apparently couldn't last that long.

Conversations of the Day

Today I got an email from a friend just letting me know that she found my blog and that she enjoyed it. (Yay!) I replied and promised that it's "not always just about Brandi Carlile and random daily conversations".

I guess I might have lied. But I really believed it at the time.

Conversation #1
I was in a slightly awkward brainstorming meeting today where the leader told us that if we didn't start spewing out ideas she had a stockpile of brainstorming games she would force us to play. By the way, I loathe cheesy games. Her threat didn't light the fire under any of us and there were long pauses of awkward silence.

After one particularly long period of silence this happened. Internet, I give to you the resurfacing of Chats McGee.

[Very long, very awkward silence. Everyone staring at the table.]
Chats McGee: Uhh...Didn't you say something about having games to play?
[My head snaps around and lasers start shooting out of my eyes in Chats McGee's general direction.]
Me: Seriously, Chats McGee?
CM: Well...I mean...Uhh....
[The painful meeting continued. No games were played.]

I got back to my desk and received the following IM:

CM: PS - Sorry about the activity suggestion during the meeting. I couldn't stand the silence/crickets. Was awkward and I needed something. Anything.
Me: No worries. You would have been in more trouble had we actually played one of the games.
CM: At least we're comfortable enough with each other that you can give me the "What the eff Chats McGee?" look and we're still cool.
Me: Very true.

Conversation #2
There are a lot of catch phrases in my industry and sometimes I think to myself, If I have to hear you say [insert phrase here] one more time I'm going poke my eyes out. Or yours.

There is one phrase in particular that is rubbing me the wrong way as of late and it's being overly-used by one person in particular. After my weekly conference call with The Offender the following conversation ensued with a few co-workers:

Me: Next week we're placing bets on the number of times she says it. Who wants to be in charge of keeping a tally?
L: I say we make a drinking game out of it. I'll line up shots at my desk and every time she says it we'll drink one. We'll all be wasted five minutes into the call.
Me: What will I take shots of?
[Thinking.]
D: I've got it...Regular Coke.
Me: I like it! Regular Coke is really living on the edge.

Third Time in One Week

On Wednesday after work Lindsay and I hit the road for Spokane. Brandi Carlile was playing a show with the Spokane Symphony so of course we made the trip. And for those of you that are asking yourselves if she recognizes us or knows our names, the answer is no. And for those of you that think we're ridiculous fans, well, I can't dispute that, BUT there are fans that are far more ridiculous than us. Trust me.

I spent Thursday and Friday working from Lindsay's parent's home. This was my "office" for those two days.

The show was Thursday night and of course it was fantastic. Lindsay's parents came as well as her brother and his girlfriend. It's always fun to go to shows with new people!

Katie Herzig opened the show. She was one of the artists on the cruise and you might remember her from my Ten Out of Tenn post. No? Well, she was the reason we went. Brandi said they met on the cruise and "fell in summer camp love" so she invited her out to open.
There were few things about this show that I loved.
1. Brandi was rockin' a suit. Sure, she still had on the vest underneath and was barefoot, but it was still strange to see.
2. She told a funny story about recording with Elton John last weekend. I love the part where she says Elton looked "super handsome and awesome".

3. I may have fallen in love with a new song, Pride and Joy. I've heard it a lot of times, but it's never really hit me before like it did that night. Take a listen if you'd like.

4. My number one favorite moment of the night was after she finished singing The Story she turned around to face the symphony while playing the last measure of the song. The audience was already clapping, but while her back was turned the entire theater gave her a standing ovation. When she turned back around and saw the room on their feet she had the most genuine look of surprise on her face. At one point it even looked like she might have teared up a little bit. She's played that song a million times - it's her big finish - but it was just so impressive to me that she was truly surprised at the audience's reaction.

One other noteworthy event of the trip was that I didn't fall asleep once on the trip back Friday night. That's pretty much unheard of for me and I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was the combination of the sweet tunes, Diet Coke and a Peanut Butter Twix.

Salt Lake City Weekend

It's kind of a long story about how last weekend came to fruition so I'll spare you the details and just say that I ended up in Salt Lake City for three days. And it was good. I was running around all weekend, but it was so great to see everyone again! I don't miss Utah as a place very often, but I definitely miss the people there a lot.

You will also find that I discovered collages for this post. One word: BRILLIANT.

On Friday I spent the morning with my sister-in-law and nephew, lunched with Cambo, hit up Ikea with my sister-in-law & nephew (an adventure all of its own), dinnered with Linds, Em & Chels, spent the evening with the Keith's and into the wee hours of the morning with Brian & Amanda.

I adore Emily & Chelsea and they never cease to produce an adventure. We hit up Firehouse Pizza and topped it off with a photo shoot outside. I just laughed the whole time - shocker.
I spent the evening with Tatum and her family. I finally got to meet her little Owen! He puked on me within the first five minutes but I still think he's adorable! And check out his killer hair. Gavin is still a genius child and I was happy to find that he remembered me. I mean, how could you forget the woman who lived with you for a month and taught you the phrase "drop a deuce"?
Saturday morning I got up early (shocking, I know) and met up with Jill and Lindsay for breakfast at our favorite spot in North Salt Lake. It was great to see her and catch up briefly on what's been happening for the last year.
I was able to spend some time with Audrey (who is having a baby girl!) and her family. Her son Oliver is totally adorable. We kept trying to get him to say "Steph" and always came out as "Guk", but he was so cute that it didn't even matter.
Lindsay and I made quick trip up to Layton to see Carlee before the Brandi Carlile show that night. I had yet to see her new digs and she had a "special surprise" for us. We had introduced her and her friends to the joy that is Tim Riggins (Friday Night Lights) so they made us these killer shirts in return.

Did I mention Lindsay's sweet ride? She picked me up from the airport in that thing and I could not stop laughing.

Saturday night was all about Brandi Carlile. The show was at a new little venue call The State Room. It only holds 300 people so we were able to get front and center. We were so close that when she came to the edge of the stage to sing Dying Day the row in front me moved to either side and Brandi was stomping her boots right in my face. LOVED IT. Check out the video.

The show was amazing. Brandi had just flown in from Vegas after spending the day recording a song for the new record with Elton John so the energy was good. It was fun to be able to see the show with Em & Chelsea. They love Brandi just as much as I do but I've never been able to see a show with them. Afterward we got a couple pictures. She wouldn't participate in flipping off the camera because she, "learned a long time ago not to do anything she doesn't want to show up on the internet." Smart girl.

Sidenote: Flipping off the camera just comes with the territory of hanging out with these ladies. It's all in good fun.

Sunday was a beautiful day. I was able to sleep in and then hit up church with G&L and the nephew. He was crawling all over and keeping us entertained. He still would barely crack a smile for me, but had at least stopped looking at me like I was from another planet.

In the afternoon I met up with Emily and Chelsea for a free Brandi show at the Graywhale near the U. It was sunny and 80 degrees and a perfect way to spend the afternoon. The set was only 30 minutes but still a lot of fun.

My trip ended by playing Rockband with my brother and sister-in-law and her family. I tried the drums for the first time and kind of loved it.

It was a jam-packed weekend, but I'm so glad it all came together at the last minute!

On the bus today...

...I saw the craziest person I've seen to date.

Picture this...a woman in her 40's with her brown hair pulled back in a bun, wearing black from head to toe except for her white gym socks, which she's wearing with flip flops, black gloves on a 70 degree day and sunglasses. Got that image? She's a gem.

I walked on the bus behind her and I took a seat across the aisle. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she pulled out a garbage bag and placed it over the seat (after a few minutes of struggle) laughing a giggling along the way.

Then she began talking to herself. And not in a whisper.

At first I thought maybe she had an earpiece in and was talking to someone on the phone when her "conversation" went something like this:

Not Planet Soul again! I don't want to listen to Planet Soul. We always listen to Planet Soul.
Planet. Planet. Planet Soul.
Planet. Planet. Planet Soul.

But I quickly realized that she was not on the phone and also realized that I needed to write this down. Yes, I took notes.

Some of the other chatter went like this:

Balloons. Candy dish. Party. Balloons. It's like ambrosia! An ambrosial mix.

I want to go to Hong Kong. What's it like there? What's it like in Hong Kong? I want to go to Shanghai. Shanghai.

It has a sidecar on it! And it's made of tin foil! [Laughter.] A tin scooter.

It's been a while since I've had a good bus adventure. I guess when the sun comes out the crazies do as well.