Straight To My Thighs

But, OH MY GOD, when you open the bag the smell is spot on.

Things I've Been Pondering

In no particular order.

• Why do contestants on Deal or No Deal think "strength" and "determination" have anything to do with winning the game? Have they never seen the show before? Last night was a Star Wars themed episode and the woman had left a foreign country (Vietnam I think?) and made it to the U.S. as a child. I'm sure she's a very strong person and has been through a lot in her life, but really? It's a game of chance. Crossing your fingers would have the same effect.
  
  
• If Reverend Wright supports Obama why is he continuing to preach his extremist views knowing they will be detrimental to the campaign? He has to realize what he's doing. Is this a backlash for being disinvited to speak on the day of Senator Obama’s presidential announcement?
  
  
• Why would Miley Cyrus' parents even allow her to pose in a photo shoot topless in the first place? I understand that she is regretting her actions now after the negative attention the photos received from the media. But would she have had the same reaction if the press would have adored the photos? Regardless, she's 15 years old. Someone should have put a stop to the shoot as soon as the words "Miley, we're going to have you remove your top now" were uttered.
  
  
• Why does Google reader take so long to show published posts?I know this has been a pet peeve of a lot of bloggers lately, but really I just don't understand it. I normally publish posts before work in the morning and sometimes the time stamp shows 3 or 4 in the afternoon! I'm not editing posts after I hit publish (which I know can delay it sometimes). What's the dilly yo?
  
  
• Why do I worry about everything? Is it a woman thing? Am I alone? I feel like no matter how great my job/relationships/life/health is going, there's always something on my mind.
  
  
• And lastly, how in the world can we justify SNOW flurries on April 29? For those of you who still think Al Gore is full of shit, ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?!

I Found You Ms. New Booty

For some reason, people (AKA Each) don't believe this girl's got back.

I'm here to prove it:



In fact, growing up I had the nickname "Bubble Butt". I'm glad that now as a 25-year-old attractive young woman, this is a GOOD THING.

Anyone else out there "got back"? Who's with me? ;)

One More Day

Doesn't it seem like this week is dragging?

Going to break out the bullet points today guys:

• Bought whole wheat poptarts last time I went grocery shopping (trying to be healthier and all). They're actually not too bad.
  
  
• Apparently I'm a bangable blogger? Can't decide if I should be flattered or offended. Twitterers tell me both. What do you guys think?
  
  
• Finally got a new cell phone. The T-mobile shadow. I pretty much am in love with it. And my ringtone? Popular from Wicked the musical. Does that make me egotistical? "Popular. I knooow about Popuuular." hehe
  
  
• Working on my knitting project I mentioned on Monday, I dropped a few stitches. Ended up having to unravel the whole thing. Talk about heartbreaking. Don't worry, I don't give up easily. Attempt #2 has begun.
  
  
• So not to throw everyone off tomorrow, I'm letting you know that I will be posting a piece of fiction. I joined the Choose Your Own Blogventure team and at 10 AM tomorrow everyone will be posting their part. Basically the story starts with NPW and you can follow it along by choosing what you want the main character to do at the end of each entry. Fun, right? Hope you guys enjoy it!

Tweet Tweet

Yes, I gave in to Twitter. Took me long enough. Not sure I really "understand" it yet, it's sort of like in college when you would change your AIM away message all the time. So, if you want:

Follow me :)

P.S. Go wish Rachel a Happy Birthday!!

Playing Catch Up, Questions & Other Miscellany

Warning: Complete Randomonium to follow.

First: You guys rocked the music quiz yesterday! I am very impressed. However, how did no one guess Bob Marley's One Love? I am hoping it's because I put that song up last and not because I have no Marley fans as readers. That would be sad.

I posted a playlist of most of the songs below so have a listen! (Some of the newer songs weren't available and the version of "One Love" that I really like is on yesterday's post if you want to have a listen.)

Second: I was nominated for a few awards this year and have failed to pass them on - until now! The first one is a "You Make My Day" award. Thanks Jenni and Kate for nominating me - of course both of you newly engaged women always make my day, too! I want to hear more about the wedding planning!



I am passing this on to: Christa, Rachel, Blogging Barbie, Each, Elysa, Miriam and Kari because you guys always make my work day a little brighter.

The next one is the "E is for Excellent" award. Thanks B2G and Pessimistic Redhead for the honor! :)



I'm going to pass this on to a few blogs I've recently been exposed to that I think are highly entertaining: Whoorl, Jenn, Chelsea and Single + Cats.

Third: Remember how I told you guys about Peep Torture week? (I know you all secretly loved the peeps melting in the microwave.) Well, here is Day Two - Peep Burnout!

Last But Not Least: I don't know if anyone noticed, but back in the days of NaBloPoMo you guys asked me a bunch of questions. I answered a few and then sort of... forgot about the rest. Don't worry! I will posting all of the answers next week. And it's not too late - feel free to leave me any questions to answer in the comments.

Happy Hump Day!

104.7 :: The Lifesavers

You may (or may not) have noticed my disappearance in the blog world this week. When I arrived at work on Monday I felt awful and made an appointment with my doctor for late in the afternoon. The nurse took my temperature and it was 104.7! Apparently I had the flu? Oops, maybe I shouldn't have gone into work after all.

So needless to say, the past 3 days have been pretty icky, but let's take a look at what pulled me through:


From left: Campbell's chicken noodle soup, Puffs - plus lotion of course, several prescriptions, Motrin, Tylenol and Theraflu.

Not pictured: my comfortable bed, hours of Baby/Wedding Story on TLC, Desperate Housewives reruns, my favorite sweatshirt, and a certain guy who came to my rescue with DVDs, jello, vitamin C and cough suppressant (oh and Oreo Cakesters for when I felt better). I'm pretty sure he's a keeper.



Still not feeling 100%, but I'm back - and I missed you! How the heck have you been?

Unconventional Problem Solving

Men and women have always been different (i.e. Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus). Not just emotionally, or the way we handle relationships, but in solving every day problems.

Women, how would you go about coring an apple? A knife right? Or maybe you have a handy dandy apple corer that slices too. If so, I'm jealous.

Well, last night, I learned that men are not only unconventional in their problem solving, but also freaking hilarious.

In an attempt to make baked apples, the cores were removed using a power drill.

And I have to admit it worked pretty damn well. But don't tell him I said that ;)




Has your boyfriend/husband ever done anything that really surprised you when it came to solving a problem?

A Bit of An Obsession

All my life I have loved collecting things. You could say I'm a pack rat, but in an OCD sort of way. At first it was books. Sweet Valley Twins, High & University; The Babysitters Club; Goosebumps - any books that were part of a series really, I had to have them ALL.

Then I moved on to Puffkins, which are similar to Beanie Babies just a little bigger and fluffier. When my parents and I repainted my bedroom, my dad built a shelf that went around my entire room toward the top of the wall to hold them all. And it gets worse - I had them in order of release. See I told you I was OCD.

During my Puffkins phase I also was obsessed with the Got Milk? advertising campaign (who knew I would ever grow up to be a graphic designer?!). The ads featured celebrities, cartoon characters, politicians, etc. with a milk mustache and a witty paragraph about why they drink milk. I would rip the ads out of magazines all the time and plaster them on my walls. I even had hundreds in folders.

I must have figured out that not one of these collections was going to make me any money, because I moved on to bigger and better things - stamps. Didn't you know I really am a nerd at heart? I actually still have most of my collection stored away. The post office releases a book every year with all the stamps made that particular year. I have one from every year since I was born.

I also have a state quarter map with most of the slots filled in. I couldn't help this one though, my dad works at a bank and started bringing them home for me when they were first released!

My innate desire to collect things has tamed with age, but it's definitely still there. I have a collection of hand towels, dish towels, soap dispensers, rugs, candles, knickknacks and more for every holiday. They are all stored in their own Rubbermaid container, color coordinated by holiday of course - green with red lids for Christmas; orange with black lids for Halloween; purple for Easter.

But the collection I love the most?
My salt and pepper shakers:



We can still be friends right?

Please tell me I'm not the only one out there with the burning desire to collect things... hopefully?

Do You Eat Like A Fifth Grader?

I do. And the girls at work make fun of me for it. But you know what? I think I'll make some kick-ass lunches for my kids when I'm a mom :)



A typical lunch:
Peanut butter & jelly (or fluff) sandwich
Yogurt (low fat!)
A Little Debbie's product (brownie or ho-ho usually)
Lunch-size bag of chips
Water
Candy for a late snack (optional)

What do you do that keeps you a kid at heart?

My 100th Post

Don't worry, I'm not going to make you suffer through another 101 Things About Me List or anything like that (but if you haven't read my last one you should, we could have more in common than you thought - AND it's been revised, you guys would be proud of me).

BUT I do feel like celebrating. 100 posts! Now that is something to get excited about. And not much has been exciting me lately (obviously). I've been blogging since February of this year but only on a very consistent basis since August. I can't believe that it's only been that long that I've known most of you. It feels like a lot longer.

So tell me what are you celebrating? I know I've been down in the dumps lately but I want to share in other people's happiness! Don't be afraid to tell me the GREAT things that are going on in your lives because it is so much better than dwelling on the NOT SO GREAT things going on in mine.

And if you haven't already you should also check out some of my favorite posts in the sidebar. Comments are always appreciated. Seeing them pop up in my inbox is sort of a small celebration, right?

xoxoxo

Because Everyone Else Is Doing It

That's right. Today's the day for all of you lurkers to come out of hiding and comment! Don't worry I don't really think you're mofos. Because that's just wrong.

But I love blogging, reading blogs, commenting on blogs, the works! If you're not experiencing all of what blogging has to offer, you're missing out! And don't you want to be in with the in-crowd?

So will you pretty please show me some love? I always reciprocate. This goes for my loyal readers as well! (Hi! I heart you!) If you don't know what to say, how about starting with how you found my blog. And maybe your favorite color? Mine's pink if you couldn't tell already ;)

Ode to Fall

[I don't know why, but the fact that today is October 1st means that fall has officially begun (at least for me). Well, that and the fact that I bought my first gallon of apple cider this weekend.]

Fall, how I love you.

You bring about the changing colors in the leaves, the cool breezes, the frost on the windows in the morning. Hot, sleepless nights are no more. I open the windows and can half-snuggle in bed with my Clance without suffocating him with heat. For that, I thank you.

Pumpkin flavored foods of all kinds have begun to hit stores. This is part of the reason why you are my favorite time of year. Pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin pie, pumpkin roll, pumpkin pie blizzards from Dairy Queen, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin ice cream, and pumpkin Little Debbie snacks. You fulfill my cravings. Pumpkin flavored food, only trumped by cheesecake, is one of my favorite things.

Pumpkin cheesecake is therefore heaven on earth.

When you visit I can wear my most favorite sweaters, blazers, trousers and boots that Summer made me hide away in the depths of closet storage. Especially my treasured cashmere sweater from the boyfriend last Christmas. I also enjoy the fact that I can wear these things and don't have to worry about them being ruined by the snow - especially the boots. Thanks for holding out until Winter with the slushy precipiation. I appreciate it.

And scarves! Scarves galore! This in itself is so exciting for me. Knit ones, fleecy ones, striped ones, oh my! Paired up with a super cute pea coat in a matching color and I'm set for the chilly temps.

So, here's to you fall. To nights in front of the fireplace (well once Clancy installs it that is), cups of warm apple cider, pumpkin pie a la mode, my love's arms wrapped around me, and the dogs snuggling close by for warmth. Thank god you're here!

So guys - what other pumpkin flavored things have you heard of that I am missing out on?! You MUST share :)

Toss Me That Rabbit's Foot

Sunday night I watched the special on TLC "How Lottery Changed My Life". It was really interesting to hear the stories of different mega lottery winners and where they came from. One guy had filed for bankruptcy a few years before winning, so it changed his life completely. One of the youngest lottery winners (I think he was 24 when he won) had a premonition that he was going to win the night before he actually did. I'm not sure about that one.

It was sort of like an episode of MTV's Cribs, actually. They visited the lottery winners "mansions", took a look at their enormous backyards with pools/hot tubs, and of course checked out their expensive sets of wheels! A few of the winners were more modest with their purchases, others extravagant. It got me thinking... what would I do if I hit it big?

The closest I have ever come to winning a significant amount of money was when I was in college. My grandmother and aunt were always asking me to come and play bingo with them at a local Catholic school. I caved one night and to be honest, had a lot of fun with them. The last game was a cover all. The first to cover all the numbers on the card wins and since it was the last game of the night it was for the big money - $1,000! And I won! $1,000 was a lot of money to a college student so of course it didn't last very long. A few books, trips to the cafeteria, and hello new clothes!!

If I were to win the lottery now there are a few things that I would definitely do:

1. Quit my job. And if you wouldn't you're crazy! I may freelance from home though, because I'm sure I would have a few days when I was bored... maybe. ;)
   
2. Build a dream house out in the country. Ever since Clancy and I started dating, I fell in love with the country. Maybe we could get a horse!! :)
   
3. Give money to my family. Probably buy a house for each of my parents and brother. And a condo for my grandma. She's been wanting one for so long.
   
4. Donate some of course. Most likely Susan G. Comen foundation (breast cancer research), the Columbus Children's Hospital, Save Darfur, local animal shelters and probably some to a Democratic president's campaign (although I haven't decided who I'm supporting yet).
   
5. Throw the biggest wedding ever somewhere warm and tropical. I would pay for all of the guests' flights and rooms so they wouldn't have to worry about a thing. I guess I would probably need to be engaged first...
   
6. Travel! First to Ireland. Other possible destinations: Australia, Italy, Greece, France, Hawaii, The Netherlands, England, Scotland, and Spain.
   
7. Pay for Clancy to sky dive because apparently he's crazy.
   
8. Learn to cook - maybe I could get Rachel Ray to teach me?!
   
9. Buy new clothes and shoes and purses! Because I'm a girl and couldn't resist!!
   

Now, this is all hypothetical because, really I don't think I'm very lucky. Maybe in love, but that doesn't pay the bills! ;) On top of that Clancy has "Unlucky" tattooed across his shoulders, so I don't think we'll have good luck paying us a visit anytime soon. Damn.

So tell me, what would you do with say... $18.2 million?

Oh and I almost forgot to mention - CONGRATULATIONS MOLLY!!! :)

Is that a Renoir? Monet? Da Vinci? No, KBHR

Yesterday was not at all what I expected it to be, but not in a bad way. When I signed up for Community Care Day I expected grunt work. Getting my hands dirty. For example, a few years ago they worked on houses (I think in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity) there was painting, gardening, and even manly man tools were involved. In other words I was expecting to break a sweat.

I arrived around 9 a.m. to the elementary school office and am led in the direction of the art teacher's room. I'm elated - the art teacher! This should be tons of fun. A few co-workers had already arrived and were SO happy to see me because they knew I had some artistic talent, hello thank you art degree. I asked why they looked so worried we're just painting walls. I was informed that no we're actually painting - A MURAL. Now I work at a law firm, remember. Creativity is sparse. People were panicking. "How do they expect us to paint this mural?! I've never picked up a paint brush in my life!" To be honest, I was even a little worried. I saw the sketch the art teacher had drawn across two large bulletin boards. Then I took a look at the poster sized illustration that was her "inspiration". Yikes. I can paint, but I'm not THAT good.

We quickly got to work, and surprisingly things started coming together. I managed to make the water look interesting. Mixing a sea green color and while it was still wet mixing in a little blue and white for depth. Fun stuff. After lunch as I was walking down the hall to get back to painting I saw the bulletin boards from a distance and was impressed. Wow, they actually look pretty darn good.

The greatest part of the experience was the thanks and praise the kids were giving us all day long. Every time a class would walk down the hall we would hear things like:

"Thank you for coming to our school!"
"It looks great!"
"Good job!"
"WOW! You guys are amazing!"
"This is the best painting I've ever seen in my life!"
"Are you guys professionals?"

So sweet, right? Until:

"He's putting his finger in my ear! Tell him to stop!"
"Liar, liar pants of fire!"
"You're a baby!"

Kids.

---

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

Community Care Day

Today I will be spending the day volunteering at a local elementary school with co-workers as part of United Way's Community Care Day!



I think that I will be part of the painting crew so I'm excited :)
Everyone have a great day and I'll be back later to post & read all of your blogs.

A Semi-Material Girl

Ah, the wonders of being a woman. Some days when I'm getting ready in the morning I dread the time it takes to look all 'perty' (not that I would be caught dead at work looking how I do when I roll out of bed!).

I wouldn't consider myself a prissy girl - and trust me there are days when I don't "put my face on" - but I like taking the time to look nice. Now this is by no means a paid advertisement/post (so annoying!), but I thought I'd share some products I recently bought that I am OH. SO. IN. LOVE. WITH. for all my ladies out there in the blogging world.

Maybelline - Define a Lash Mascara
Best mascara ever! Hands down. My lashes have never looked so long! Warning: The brush is very flexible which is a great thing, but can lead to the splattering of mascara all over your nice, clean suit when trying to cram it back into the tube. You have been forewarned.



Cover Girl - Line Exact Eye Liner
I don't know about the rest of you, but it has always been a nightmare for me to put on eyeliner. In fact, in high school I gave up wearing it because it would frusterate the hell out of me. Other girls made it look so damn easy with their perfectly straight lines. Frankly, it made me question my feminism. Well, for any of you struggling with the same problem I present to you the miracle worker of eyeliners. Draw tiny dots across your lids and play connect-the-dots. It's a cinch! P.S. - Make sure you shake it first!




Loreal - Bare Naturale Powder Foundation
I have the blush of this product too. It hardly feels likes you're wearing makeup at all. I love it!






When we stayed over night at Clancy's parents' this past weekend, I realized how much makeup I have accumulated over the past few weeks (when I tried to stuff it all into my overnight bag because hello! don't want to look heinous in front of the boy's 'rents). I decided to broaden my horizons because I have worn the same products for like - well, forever, sticking with what was safe. I figured - why not live it up? Be bold.

So tell me, what are some of your favorites?

Home Sick

So yesterday was a CRAZY INSANELY BUSY day at work and I had no time to get a blog in - not even on my lunch hour! How sad. I stayed home from work today, because I feel completely and utterly lousy. Emotionally drained with a cold that has held on tight since last Friday and hit me like a ton of bricks today. Yuck.

I'll spare you the details and try to get some much needed relaxation/rest today. I'm totally wishing I had some of Molly's cookies. They looked so yummy!

Have a good day everyone. I'm sure I'll be catching up on your blogs in my PJs :)

Unplugged

So, we don't have the internet at home right now. You wouldn't think this would be that big of a deal, but I felt withdrawal symptoms coming on about noon on Saturday. Then I started feeling pathetic that I didn't know what to do with myself without access to the internet. It's like my right arm was cut off. Sad, I know.

Well, much to update on from this weekend's events, but I don't have time right now since I should be working! Photos/details from yesterday's concert will be up tomorrow on my lunch hour.

Show me some love -- I'm feeling kind of down and out today.

Going Up?

Oh the cramped, stuffy space of an elevator. How I have become so accustomed to using you as transportation on a daily basis. I remember hating them as a kid. Being afraid that it would get stuck or plummet to the basement and I would suffer an untimely, splattery death. It's so routine now that I have forgotten what there is to be afraid of.

But do you notice that there is always a subtle awkwardness that creeps up on you when you're on an elevator with strangers? Especially the ones with reflective doors. Why is that guy looking at me? Or is he just looking straight ahead? And why do people I don't even know have the urge to say "have a nice day" when they get off the elevator before me? Was the completely silent ride up to the 1000th floor not awkward enough? Now you want to converse? Yeah I would rather not. Then there's the ride up with people you know know who you are, but act like they've never met you before in their life. Then the look of shock or disbelief that you're now getting off on the same floor comes across their face. The look saying "Really? You're getting out here too?" Suddenly, we're best friends.

Also, elevators tend to bring out the chivalrous quality in men. Suddenly they are gracefully moving out of the way to let all the women on or off before themselves. Is it because these women are now going to be trapped on an elevator with a complete stranger and you want them to think "well at least this guy's not going to attack me or something, he's such a gentleman"? Or is it just that I haven't been around these seemingly chivalrous men before? Where have they been hiding? Apparently in buildings with elevators.

Lastly, there's the thrill of elevators. While you're riding a million floors to your destination you look around thinking... "could I get away with having a sexual rendezvous on this thing?" Especially in one with windows overlooking downtown Columbus. How fun would that be?