what had happened was...

i'm moving

2009-09-02T09:53:00.001-04:00

...my blog. [kinda.]

see...i'm not really moving it, I'M just moving.

i'll keep this up in case i ever feel like coming back to it, but for the time being, you can read me over here.

20-second thoughts

2009-08-26T21:34:00.003-04:00

-my legs are like jello.

-i like jello.

-jello is good.

-i need to stop reading wedding blogs.

-i love google reader.

-do i like google reader more than jello?

getting back on track[s]

2009-08-25T10:33:00.004-04:00

why is being consistent in blogging so hard for me? no. strike that. why is being consistent in anything so hard for me?

i think my nature is such that i am easily distracted, which leads to a more permanent distraction from the end goal.

example: weight watchers [ww].

i started back in late september of last year. was soooooo dedicated and tracked everything. planned each meal, lost 11 pounds, handled trips out of town and birthdays dinners, and stayed "on point" until november 4. election day. yes, this is where - as i see it - it all went downhill. the mans and i ordered pizza and wings to celebrate an obama victory, and somewhere deep in the styrofoam container of ranch wings from valerios, i forgot that i was on weight watchers. like, permanently?

thanks, barack!

from there, it was bad news bears.

no tracking. no planning. no "on point" days.

i managed to make it through the holidays, through the new year, and well into my summer without really gaining any weight. and then ---- funnel cakes. corn dogs. barbecues and grad parties. the. busiest. summer. of. my. life. [foodwise and otherwise] seriously.

now, i'm not talking a gain of like 15 pounds. i'm talking two. pounds. yes. that's it. just two...but the same two pounds i'd battled with at the beginning of my ww journey.

in the spring, when i had [finally] been diagnosed as hypothyroid and having PCOS, i thought maybe medication would help me lose weight, as it had for others. it didn't. i thought the low-carb diet my doctor recommended would help me. it didn't. in fact, in two weeks without carbs of any kind (ANY KIND), i lost 0.3 pounds --- this in comparison to the 11 pounds i lost in one month of ww.

now, i've planned on rejoining ww and starting fresh. the only problem is, i can't seem to find my fresh start. somehow it's more difficult the second time around. it's as if i have permanent ww ADD [weight watchers ADD]. cannot concentrate on tracking. cannot concentrate on planning.

and i really, really want to. i'm done with making excuses. yes, my health issues have contributed to where i am today. but they're certainly not going to help me to get back to where i was.

all i want is some focus, some clarity, some consistency --- in ww and in life. and i'm not quite sure where to find it.

i've never really been a "find your inner strength" kind of girl. it all seems a bit too earth mother for me. but i need some inner strength.

those girls with way too much time [seriously, can i borrow some?] on the ww boards say that the plan works if you work it. so i guess this time, this one's on me.

oi vay!

2009-07-09T22:21:00.006-04:00

so i know i'm a horrible blogger of any consistency. i post one or two blogs a day for about a week and then disappear for months at a time. my bad. i'm currently in the midst of the busiest, craziest, crazy-busiest summers of my life [to date].

so, as a recap, here's what i've been doing since may...

1. memorial day

[sweet grafixx!]

le boy and i hung out with my parents in the boro, munched on some hamburgers and hot dogs and did the all-american, memorial day gig. oh, and told lots of great stories and sat on the back deck and laughed a lot.

2. rachel's wedding

my cousin and her beloved were married the last sunday in may at the gorgeous riverside inn. i did the photo thing along with man-mans, and we took somewhere in the neighborhood of 2500 photos over the course of the weekend. needless to say, i spent a lot of time in photoshop that week. good times!

3. katie's shower/bachelorette

kate's arm. toxic?

celebrated with kate and a ton of old, beloved friends. it was one of the best nights out i've had in a long time, and so good to reconnect with people i've known for years and years, but haven't seen for years and years.

4. george w.

yea. he was here. and i wrote his intro. and i saw him. [and laura] and no matter how you or anyone else feels about him, it was pretty stinkin' cool. and following my utter exhaustion, i went to buffalo and got sick [completely unrelated to one another]. i had a disgusting cough for the next three-plus weeks that i'm just now beginning to shake.

5. 20th year celebration

[i'm getting tired of blogger's pictures function, so no more. sorry, folks.]

we celebrated my parents 20th [it's actually more like 23ish...] year at the church the last weekend in june. it was a great weekend. they had a roast for my parents on saturday night with all the current/former staff and elders. so many people came from so far away, including....

JUSTIN!

we planned justin coming home as a surprise many months ago, and somehow managed to keep it a secret all this time [well, pretty much]. good thing my parents are busy people and didn't notice jared's slip about making coffee for justin :) poor jared. he felt absolutely sick over it. but, like i said, they didn't even notice. it was a complete shock for both of them, and my mom cried, of course. and then i cried [of course]. my dad and the rest of the family were roasted, and well, i might add. it was a great night.

sunday morning, my uncle preached on what it means to be a leader.....and take a church from good to great [great book, btw]. my aunt, grandma, great aunt and uncle, and some old family friends made the trip to be there [my aunt and uncle all the way from atlanta], and be at the reception afterwards. the church gave us some really great gifts, including a really awesome backyard swing. we will get a lot of enjoyment out of that in the coming years.

6. fourth of july

another great weekend with the fam. jared and angie and tucker made the trip for the second time in a week, and i'm so glad they did. it was a great weekend of hanging out with one another, eating good food, and watching lots of episodes of "the office" as the weather was a little on the chilly side. [side note: can i get ONE saturday of 80 degrees and sunny? ONE?] we went to the annual picnic at the wursts and had a great time laying [napping] in the sun and watching le boy WIPE THE FLOOR with the other horse-shoe playing peeps. i was so proud.

7. cara's 30th bday

my dear friend cara celebrated her 30th yesterday and we got to celebrate along with her. i love sitting on the patio at calamaris and laughing with friends, especially on special days like yesterday.

8. roar on the shore

hasn't happened yet, but it's coming. next week, in fact. and i'll be there. and so will bret michaels. and warrant. you should be there too.

okay, so that's my summer so far. i know it doesn't sound as busy as it really is, but i've also got some other stuff in the works, helping man house-hunt and getting ready to celebrate with my friends jara and kenley in october in the 'ha [just got the dress today!]. [[[[and i'm the maid of honor, so that means big responsibilities, right j?]]]] and kate and chad's wedding. and rachel's second reception. so yes. it's busy.

i can't wait for august 1. i plan on taking a vacation day [hopefully a sunny one] and doing absolutely nothing but sitting in the sun and reading a book.

see you in a few...[months]....

derby day.

2009-05-02T09:59:00.004-04:00

today is derby day.

perhaps it's uber-nerdy of me to look forward to this day each year, but i don't care. i'm learning to embrace it.

i spent part of my childhood [and adulthood] growing up in kentucky where, obviously, horse racing is life [as is basketball -- go cats!]. we didn't have a ton of money at the time...things were actually pretty scarce, what, with my dad being in school and all.

but not on derby day.

derby day was like a mini-holiday in our household. each year, we'd have our derby day dinner: juicy steaks, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob. the "cherry on top," so to speak, of derby day was dessert ---- strawberry shortcake. yummmm.

i'm not sure who decided the menu, or why it stuck, but the entire meal was extremely exorbitant for our family. it was a bright spot in our liver-and-green-beans diet.

we'd gather round our television. hear all the horses' backstories. sing "my old kentucky home" (mom would cry). [i'd] cringe as they loaded them into the starting gate ---- they never seemed to want to be in there --- and feel bad for the horses who had a millisecond to prepare (at six, you don't understand that being last is actually an advantage).

the gates would open. a pack of dust. horses. running. jockeys. roses.

and then it was over --- almost as quickly as it'd begun. the wait began for next year.

i almost feel like derby day is like life. sometimes it's as if we keep waiting for it to come, only to realize that it's [almost] over.

i don't want to live my life like that. i want it to be derby day all year round.

so tonight, i'll join my parents to watch the derby, eat steak [the rest is outlawed on south beach], cry when they sing "my old kentucky home," and remind myself that i don't have to wait for next year.

derby day -- my derby day -- doesn't have to be just once a year.

i've been had.

2009-04-30T14:40:00.009-04:00

...by susan boyle.

call me a fool but i cry over that video every single time. and by every single time, i mean the couple (20 or so) times i've watched it. and when i say that video, i mean the entire clip --- not just the "open mouth, blonde woman raises her eyebrows" clip.

and it's not really susan boyle that makes me cry, but simon cowell.

when he says (paraphrasing with a british accent, mind you): "well, susan boyle, you can go back to your town with your head held high. it's three yesses." **and the music swells. the crowd goes wild. susan boyle jumps up and down like your grandma at silver sneakers.

and i cry.

many of the blogosphere (especially a particularly jaded group of bloggers on huffpo, which i adore) have tried to shred this spectacular clip of all its wonder.

"what's so great about susan boyle?"

"she's not that great --- i've seen better."

fools.

susan boyle "the voice" isn't what makes susan boyle "the video" great. it's the cynics. the doubters. the people who, i'm sure, teased her for her unsightly eyebrows and unforgiving pea-greenish shift dress. the people who made fun of her her entire life, in fact. the people who laughed at her --- and her dreams.

what makes susan boyle "the video" and susan boyle "the person" great is that she's the one who's laughing now. not to be too corny, dramatic or theatrical (a la les miserables), but her triumph is the triumph of anyone who was ever laughed at for the way they dressed, the way they looked, the way they dreamed.

THAT is what makes susan boyle so great.

her voice is good, yes. but there have been better.
her triumph is great, yes. but there have been greater.

her story, however, has moved even the most jaded (save a few) to tears.

including me (and possibly simon cowell).

...and THAT, my friends, is pretty great.

**i will note that my mother and i have questioned what it would have been like to have been in the audience, as so much of this "fanfare" was added in the editing room.

beachin' it

2009-04-29T23:33:00.002-04:00

i've started the south beach diet. again.

i tried it once a couple of years ago and found it extremely difficult to maintain --- especially the first two weeks, which are absolute HELL.

i've done it partly to lose some weight, but mostly to manage my current health diagnoses. not to get into too much detail, but my body does not like carbs. being insulin resistant, i just don't handle them the way others can.

let me just tell you how much it hurts my heart [not literally] to give up carbs temporarily [to get rid of the sugar/carb cravings] and lower them permanently [to keep my TSH and insulin levels in check].

PAINFUL.

that being said, this time around it seems easier to maintain the two hellacious weeks of phase 1. metformin, which i'm taking to help control my insulin and pcos symptoms, really does not like carbs. at all. sickness and vomiting ensue. thus, i feel as though i am more energetic, even though met makes me infinitely more sleepy.

i'm also hoping it will help me control my crazy mood swings. me = hormonal lunatic.

perhaps i'll blog my progress --- but i'm not making any promises. we all know how well photo-a-day turned out...

bride wars.

2009-04-29T12:43:00.006-04:00

...NOT!

my bff jara is getting married. finally! she and k will tie the knot in october just a few days shy of my birthday. what a great present!

last night, j asked me to be her maid of honor. here's a blogaboutit.

here is a picture of jara on the eve of her wedding. siiiiiiiiiike. although i suppose it's part of my duties as MOH to monitor the bridezilla tendencies...you know, so we remain facebook friends and all :)

i am so happy for my dear friends. they are some of the funnest people i know and am so excited for them to stand up in front of the world (or 250 or so odd guests) and share what i already know: that they are 1) one hot-looking couple, 2) extremely blessed and 3) so lucky to already have what most people spend their entire lives searching for --- a mate that not only loves them but complements them so well.

congratulations!

[is this not the most frightening/poorly photoshopped wedding graphic ever?]

crazy eights.

2009-04-26T20:08:00.002-04:00

i literally feel crazy as of late.

my hormones are completely out of whack, thus making everything else entirely out of whack. i shift from absolute joy to absolute despair within a matter of minutes.

depression is a symptom of PCOS --- and one of the many joys of this current season in life. i don't know that i'm truly depressed, however. more just in a state of constant flux and rollercoaster-like hormonal changes.

i know that it's beginning to take a toll on my relationships --- of all kinds.

i feel hopeless. then happy. then sad. then optimistic.

i'm the oxymoron who feels like a moron.

a girl with a thousand friends and none.

[who knew i could be so dark?]

icy.

2009-03-15T23:36:00.002-04:00

i do not recommend drinking an iced cappuccino anytime after 4 p.m.

ode to j

2009-03-01T14:11:00.006-05:00

today is my sweet lady j's birthday. i won't tell you how old she is because 1) she's only six months older than me and making fun of her age would only be delaying the inevitable 2) it doesn't matter and 3) did i mention that i'll be the same age soon? yay for nearing the big scary 3-0 and being more fabulous than ever!

jara is my best friend and such an important and cherished part of my life --- even if i don't get to see her as frequently as i did during college living across the hall from one another. when we do see each other, we get to do fun stuff like shop in chinatown or dance it up in pittsburgh. and laugh. a lot. and dance. more.

j - i hope you have a wonderful day. it was foolish of me to think that we would never be friends --- god always has his own plans for us! i'm so lucky to have a spectacular person like you in my life and trust that the next year will bring you unbelievable happiness. love you, friend. [see you in the 'ha].

v-day chicken.

2009-02-15T09:57:00.004-05:00

absenteeism is a problem...especially around this blog.

photo-a-day in 2009? FAIL!
valentine's day chicken? aweeeeeeeesome.
[i'm now stocking up on roasting chickens --- 79 cents a pound at wegmans this week!]

happy belated v-day to all my valentines!

happy day

2009-01-20T17:27:00.002-05:00

i skipped my lunch today so that i could see barack obama inaugurated as the 44th president of these united states.

i can't tell you the joy i feel today.

and for many reasons.

first and foremost being a renewed sense of hope not only for me, but for my children, and their children's children.

don't peg me as one who feels obama is the messiah. he's a man; he will make the mistakes of a man. but i hope and pray that all americans will join together in praying for this man --- every single day. never in my lifetime has a president faced the challenges he currently faces (well, with the exception of bush 43 --- who caused most of them, but i digress...).

so get on your knees. now. and pray.

pray for the decisions he will make. pray for his health and safety, and that of his family. pray for those around him, and for those he comes in contact with. pray for his family, and for those little girls.

oh, it's a happy day...

go cats!

2009-01-13T22:36:00.003-05:00

forgive me if i'm distracted...my cats are playing tennessee (and winning!). i hate that most sec games, minus the occasional saturday game, are not shown here in "the north."

i digress.

still doing photo-a-day...will post when i get the time.

the photo above is a shot of what i have unaffectionally termed "the snow pit." this commonly occurs when thoughtless neighbors refuse to move their cars, thereby preventing plowing, and eventually moving said car, leaving behind the snow pit. (also, snow plow has not been by since saturday as far as i can see....apparently winter is done????)

i am extremely displeased with the current "care" of the place i am to park my car each night. it's a race to get home to find a spot that isn't "pitted" and fear that if i should leave, be relegated to the pit.

such is the life. sometimes --- days when it snows from dusk til dawn and ends with snow pits --- i wonder why i ever left kentucky.

c-a-t-s CATS CATS CATS!

january.10.2009

2009-01-10T16:13:00.011-05:00

january.9.2009

2009-01-10T16:13:00.010-05:00

january.8.2009

2009-01-10T16:13:00.009-05:00

photo-a-day shall continue, despite my best intentions to quit.

instead of photo-a-day, though, it may be come photo-a-day-posted-once-a-week.

[can i just add that i despise the girl who lives above me? i think ive mentioned once, or eight, times already, but really needs to wear slippers when she's home...]

january.7.2009

2009-01-07T22:05:00.004-05:00

[love. love. love.
love. love. love.
love. love. love.

it's easy..........]

i realize that i am very easily annoyed. today is no exception.

also, the photo-a-day challenge i've presented to myself is getting old...and i'm only a week into the new year.

to continue or not to continue?

january.6.2009

2009-01-06T21:54:00.003-05:00

as if i ever cared about two juicy answers, let alone 263.

west side of erie=south central LA

streets of millcreek (most notably this parking lot)=ice capades

ymca=soup line

my couch=best place on an icy winter night

january.5.2009

2009-01-05T20:53:00.002-05:00

vacay day.

2009-01-05T12:32:00.002-05:00

i took today off to recover from my awesome weekend-plus with jara and kenley. i was looking forward to a leisurely day of cleaning [i'm a sick person for enjoying it as much as i do] and organization [and possibly some reading as i have a stack of new books waiting for me].

i also planned to indugle in one of my day-off guilty pleasures: maury.

yes. i know. it's a sickness.

however, i woke up at nine to the sound of alarms in the hallway. hmmm. turn on the light. no power. [the alarm is somehow related to lack of power?] great. no maury for me. no cleaning, as i cannot run a vaccuum without electricity. no organization, as i cannot see the back of my extremely deep pantry with a yankee candle.

and so i read.

for the first time in nearly four months, i had the opportunity to sit down and just read. not worry about getting anything done or checking anything or working or freelancing or cooking or cleaning. just spending time doing something for me --- and only me.

and it was nice.

[[[[[[the power is now back on and i am watching maury on wgn and preparing to clean every last inch of this place]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

january.4.2009

2009-01-04T21:15:00.002-05:00

my love. one-year anniversary.

january.3.2009

2009-01-04T12:37:00.003-05:00

conjoined, siamese, bffffff sisters.

january.2.2009

2009-01-02T21:34:00.004-05:00

january.1.2009

2009-01-02T00:11:00.002-05:00

new year's resolutions

2008-12-30T11:08:00.004-05:00

i hate new year's resolutions.
i never resolve to keep them, so what's the point in making them in the first place?

instead of resolutions, i'll make hope-tos.

here are my hope-tos:
1. blog more.
2. take at least one picture every day in 2009 [and then post to this blog....]
3. quit [procrastinating, complaining, stressing, smoking]
4. exercise at least four times a week --- i'm almost there
5. lose [at least] 30 pounds.
6. drink more water.
7. not think about work outside of work.
8. tell people i love them everytime i say goodbye.
9. pay down my credit card (significantly) while saving for now and the future
10. take at least one trip.

here's to hope-tos.

oh. there you are.

2008-11-16T00:05:00.002-05:00

i've totally abandoned my blog as i've been completely overwhelmed with life as of late...especially these past two weeks or so.

i'm not sure if i'll come back to it.

maybe we'll reunite some day like old lovers and wonder why we ever broke up in the first place.
maybe that day will be sooner [or later] than i think.

but seeing as i write eight hours a day, i think it's better that we just take some time apart.

officially.

live-blogging my sunday night.

2008-09-07T20:16:00.002-04:00

...not really.

i saw this article the other day and laughed my butt off.

if there is anything i dislike [and there is...a lot!] it's confusing intersections and nonsensical traffic patterns/signs.

current obsessions:
-the daily show
-90210 on cbs.com
-sinus meds
-allergy meds
-crazy dust
-waiting for britney
-weekends
-workdays that pass quickly
-pedicures

MIA isn't a state of mind, it's a lifestyle.

2008-08-23T14:26:00.002-04:00

what i've been doing for the past month:
-[not] unpacking
-writing my fingertips off at work
-learning more about myself
-watching the olympics nonstop
-campfires in the boro
-luau/jungle juice
-cleaning
-computing
-paying bills
-laughing
-watering my plants
-plucking tomatos
-shopping
-building bookcases
-researching
-designing
-freelancing
-hanging out with family/friends
-making ammends
-not being ammended
-scratching mosquito bites
-watching my bro play his new bass at liberty park
-fireworks
-late night laughs
-seeing bums downtown
-watching bums downtown dance
-schtuff.

miss me?

lax X 2

2008-07-29T21:22:00.000-04:00

i know. i know. still haven't posted anything major.

i'm surrounded by boxes. i'm writing my fingers off at work.

it takes a lot to get me to write ANYTHING when i get home, let alone open/unpack a box.

i'll do better. maybe....

lax

2008-07-13T20:17:00.001-04:00

i know. i'll do better.

very busy with ending job/starting new job/packing/moving [this coming weekend].

i promise to post something longer than three sentences next time.

last day.

2008-07-11T13:37:00.002-04:00

i cried. i'm such a baby.

they had special cupcakes for me [my fav].
gifts. cards. kind words.

and i cried. i always do. i hate that about me.
even when i'm not sad, i cry.

..........bigger and better................

loves it.

2008-07-10T16:11:00.003-04:00

it's been a couple of days since i posted.
good thing my man-mans is holding it down for me.

i am loving ABDC again. i watched two episodes back to back online the other night.

a couple of my fav performances thus far:

phresh select

supreme soul

super cr3w [stupid spelling. i hate that shiz.]

and last but not least, boogie bots. [i remember how i used to rock that "game over" junk back in my mike days. "tickets, man. tickets." ------ but i'm seriously not hating. i still love it.]

[sorry these videos are horribly quality. mtv's got them on lockdown.]

you know where i'll be tonight.

[michelle, you aren't the last to know about my blog. my mom doesn't know....]

lastsssss.

2008-07-07T08:49:00.003-04:00

last bite to eat: raisin toast.
last word[s]: "you're welcome."
last web site visited: 20somethingbloggers
last kiss: friday night.
last hug: yesterday.
last adult beverage: hmmm. i never drink anymore.
last phone conversation: yesterday morning.
last text message: "anyone i know?"
last purchase: lemon lip balm and a really sweet snake ring.
last staff meeting: RIGHT NOW!

booya!

ahhhhhhhhh.

2008-07-05T23:18:00.000-04:00

summer.

fourth [time today].

2008-07-05T00:46:00.003-04:00

yum. picnic.

this place is an amusement park. literally. check out the words to live by.

pool partay!

flag. duh.

this is normal for her.

ditto. [i said "do something awkward." this was it.]

this thing is a monster. you have to see it in person to truly understand.

ween pointing out her love interest.

"hugging," she says.

we waited for this?

birds a twitter.

2008-07-04T09:47:00.003-04:00

so i'm up at 9:48 on a day off. not happy about that. and, yet, very happy. coffee, newspaper, sunshine. aaaaaaaahhhhhhh.

cliche posting of the day to follow

today is july 4, aka independence day. and yes, we americans definitely take our independence and freedoms ---- political, religious, whateverous ---- for granted. it's who we are. but today, i'm going to make a concerted effort to exert my freedom.

step 1: watch this video. and this one.
step 2: tell someome i'm voting for barack obama.
step 3: kiss my boyfriend on the lips. in public. and hold his hand.
step 4: carry a gun. [okay, so i'm not really going to do this, but i could.]
step 5: write a blog about my freedoms.

happy fourth, friends. enjoy the day ---- as well as your freedoms.

date night [normal life]

2008-07-04T00:30:00.002-04:00

perfect couple. extra pumps.

manny likes starbucks. and having his photo taken.

...or not.

now he's ignoring me. and my camera.

boneless wing night for him, a beer for me.

we are so normal. and yet not.

hot[tea]/hottie?

2008-07-03T09:28:00.002-04:00

i love what i do. honest. but i feel like the hardest part about being creative every. single. day. is when others decide to complicate matters.

i really feel like my work is personal ---- not because it's mine, but because i feel like creativity is a very intimate expression. and thus, when i receive criticism, it always feels personal, no matter the aim.

i have always struggled with criticism [if it's not constructive], and for the purposes of work, it generally is. actually, it's not really even criticism. it's naivete. yet it digs under my skin like no other.

i did a t-shirt design for an upcoming event, and they have gone back and forth a million and one times about the logo. it should be this color. no. this color. no. this color. no. this one. no. it should be outlined. no. not outlined. no. red. no. black. no. yellow. no. outlined. no. birds. no. boat. no. logo. no. NO! let's send it to a committee of 12 and let them ALL have a say. [too many cooks in la cocina]

the worst is when they ask you to do what is impossible and/or just all-around horrid looking. "can you make this part of it this color, this part this color, this part wavy, this part 3-D, this part yellow?" um, maybe. but it looks like crap. i get paid to make stuff that is pleasing to the eye --- not something that is going to make someone's eye twitch/seizure potential. i've gotten to the point, though, at least in this project, where i don't care. i don't care that it looks like junk. it's what you want. and really, isn't that what i am paid to do??? [yes. no.]

anyone with me?

contracts and headaches.

2008-07-02T22:27:00.002-04:00

i've been working on my freelance contract for the last hour. i should have paid someone to do this for me. oh well.

i just found this site. anyone who has ever spent any time at all with me, or in my apartment, knows i love not only words, but plaques and little trinkets with words or phrases on them. i so want to order all of her stuff, even if i have no room/need for it.

i am loving the new "dope boys" - game feat. travis barker, thanks to my babes.

i have six days left at work. SIX DAYS!

i am convinced that no one there understands the importance of the work i do. i mean, it's only our brand/image/[street]cred on the line. but yea. anyone can do it. i'm not special. and yes, i'm serious, but at the same time, i'm not. it's not pride speaking, it's reality.

i have become completely obsessed with recipezaar. i want to try this and these. and i'm completely in love with any soup, casserole or bread recipe, so if you have a good one, send it my way.

i really am contemplating buying more black pants. i know, right?

i came across this article on yahoo shine today. it seems like it doesn't get any easier for us working women, does it? good thing the new employer DOES offer paid maternity leave, you know, for when i get pregnant in three zillion years.

i feel like my head is in a vice and someone is squeezing. very. very. hard. this changing weather is out. of. control.

my cousin rachel is here for the week, and that makes me happy.

man-mans is in a parade. literally. hopefully i will wake up early enough to see him and his GS compadres.

i like these bullets. very nice, blogger.

101 things about me [inspired by]

2008-07-01T09:36:00.002-04:00

...michelle.

1. i drink hot tea every morning in a hot pink starbucks thermos.
2. i love big, gaudy jewelry.
3. autumn is my favorite season.
4. i'm an october baby.
5. i love warm towels, fresh from the dryer.
6. i love the anne of green gables series.
7. i love buying previously viewed dvds at blockbuster [bad habit].
8. i love my family.
9. i have lived in ky three different times in my life.
10. i was born in titusville. [eek]
11. i am the oldest child.
12. i have twin brothers who are sixteen months younger than i.
13. i love editing.
14. i never walk around without polish on my toes.
15. i am obsessed with my blackberry.
16. i keep a bazillion post-it notes on my computer screen because i'm slightly...
17. ....scatterbrained.
18. i like to think i'm slightly OCD.
19. i can't stand nail files.
20. i throw up when i eat bread that's too soft, smooshy or soggy. blech!
21. i love reading other people's blogs.
22. i check my e-mail way too often.
23. i text like nobody's business.
24. i love that my job allows me to be creative on a daily basis.
25. my life goal in high school was to be a tv news producer.
26. my life goal in college was to be a magazine editor.
27. my life goal presently is to do whatever it is that makes me feel fulfilled.
28. i love decorating.
29. i spend way too much money on furnishings.
30. i have a lot of best friends.
31. my longest friend is beka [since age 2].
32. my furthest friend is cricket [russia].
33. my closest [distance] friend is my mother.
34. i love my parents.
35. i love photobucket/flickr.
36. i love really good stock photography.
37. i love sans-serif fonts.
38. i love certain serif fonts.
39. i love typography in general.
40. i love black/white photography.
41. i like reconnecting with old friends on facebook.
42. i feel hyperconnected.
43. i sleep with a teddy bear.
44. i sleep with a down comforter [in any season].
45. i love central air.
46. i like gardening.
47. i love my herb garden.
48. i like firefox better than internet explorer.
49. i prefer yahoo messenger to AIM.
50. i love iced coffee.
51. i love coconut creamer [try it!]
52. i like finding new recipes for my crockpot.
53. my nickname used to be crockpot.
54. i have a individual serving of pears sitting on my desk.
55. they've been sitting there for two and a half months [packaged, of course].
56. i like andy warhol.
57. i love bright colors.
58. i love the absence of color.
59. i love to shop.
60. i really love to shop.
61. i adore shoes of all kinds.
62. i'd live in pajama pants if it were acceptable.
63. i forget to blog about important events.
64. i remember to blog about non-important, everyday occurences.
65. i have a friend named weiner.
66. i love smith's hot dogs [but no others].
67. i actually like erie.
68. i love my friends.
69. i have a puppy named sadie.
70. i am a procrastinator.
71. i love parentheses and brackets.
72. i like ponytails.
73. i used to ride horses.
74. in third grade, i did a project entitled "how to get my parents to buy me a horse."
75. i adore AP style.
76. i like red pens.
77. i read the newspaper every. day. period.
78. i like perezhilton [the blog], even though i think perezhilton [the man] is a jerk.
79. i miss my grandparents.
80. i'm "number 1!" according to the card sitting on my desk.
81. i still don't know how to use the intercom at work.
82. i'm not planning on learning.
83. i love art.
84. i love my bf.
85. i like salsa with my french fries.
86. i love going to maria's for lunch. [best special in town!]
87. i drive a white mitsubishi galant.
88. i wish it had a sunroof.
89. if i paid $1000, i could have one.
90. i live on a dirt road [for two and a half more weeks].
91. i like taking walks.
92. i like my hot pink ipod.
93. i need to update my hot pink ipod.
94. i have some bad habits.
95. i won the "best handwriting" award consistently throughout elementary school.
96. i love to read chick-lit.
97. i hate the term "chick-lit."
98. i love realsimple.
99. i subscribe to way too many magazines.
100. i can count to 100.
101. i like learning 101 things about other people. [hint, hint].

face-off

2008-06-30T08:47:00.003-04:00

it's monday morning.

i despise mondays.

therefore, i despise this morning.

things to do:
-work on newsletter layout
-finish regatta t-shirt design
-update web?? [eh]
-major gifts packet
-update database

stuff i'd rather do:
-peruse real simple
-search for new crockpot recipes
-study my paystub
-drink hot tea
-play in illustrator
-email j

on top of it being a monday, i'm also feeling under the weather. the constant change in temps/weather is really messing with my sinuses. i've had a perma-headache since friday.

only redeeming thing about this morning thus far: KH is gone til wednesday.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

okay. that was a little "debbie downer" of me.

to make up for it, i'll list ten things i love about mondays.

1. back-to-back episodes of intervention on A&E
2. legally blonde: search for elle woods and other craptastic reality tv shows
3. the hour i spend reading the news on monday morning
4. lunch with man-man
5. the lines at maria's are shorter
6. it's a fresh start, especially following a particularly rough week
7. sunday night is over [i think that sunday nights are maybe this-much more depressing than mondays]
8. vital statistics section in the newspaper
9. time for catching up on blogs i've missed over the weekend
10. they are over before you know it

we blog.

2008-06-26T08:55:00.002-04:00

does anyone else think .net's are shady? i do.

i tried to convince man-man of that last night, but i don't think he gets it. in my experience, the .nets are where you find the spyware/viruses/all-around shady-looking ventures.

"buy our product! lose 100 pounds by next tuesday!"

"send us all your personal info (including SS number) -- become a millionaire!"

"which of these people is britney spears? answer and win an i-pod!"

"click on this link to infect your PC! no. REALLY!!!!"

aside: this morning, the weather forecaster said there was some "slight" humidity in the air.
"slight!!" i huffed, and tromped over to the thermometer.
"97% humidity" it reads.
"slight, indeed!"------------------------> i hate humidity. it makes my sinuses ache and my hair do strange things, like give me a mrs. brady flip for no good reason.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHH! again! i just heard the FedEx guy at the back door say, "man, it's humid out here! gonna be sticky!"

my life is so NOW.

it's like mccarthyism all over again.

2008-06-25T13:30:00.003-04:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! i know, i know. like four or five blogs in one day. i digress.

i have to blog this.

so a co-worker will be celebrating her birthday this weekend. hurrah! happy b-day and thangs! yay!

this, of course, calls for .............. chocolate cake.

i do not like chocolate cake. i adore white cake. and carrot cake. and short cake. and cheesecake. and cupcakes. and pound cake. and patty cake. but not chocolate cake. no biggie, right?

wrong.

the scene: me at my oversized cherry desk [hey, i like cherry cake too???], slaving over a t-shirt design [don't ask].

co-worker #1 walks by: hey, we're having cake for unnamed co-worker's birthday. it's chocolate.

me: oh, okay. i'm actually really full, but thanks for offering.

co-worker #1: well, it's up there.

[tap tap tapping at the keyboard. everyone gathers for cake.]

overheard.

co-worker #2: where's j?

co-worker #1: i told her there was cake.

in the meantime, i email j about this situation and about how you are made to feel like such an outcast if you don't partake [in the useless calories that will go straight to my thighs, left and right]. we're discussing this when........

two minutes later

ring-a-ding-ding! [on the phone]

co-worker #1: hey, i just wanted to let you know there was cake for co-worker's birthday.

me: yes, i know. i'm actually really full and i don't really eat chocolate, but thanks for letting me know. [again.]

co-worker #2: oh, well i wasn't sure you heard me and everyone else came up to have some, so...
me: yea, well thanks. [i knew.]

why must i feel ostracized for not eating the chocolate cake??

because she won't, i will....

2008-06-25T12:37:00.004-04:00

"there are a lot of things i know about text messaging.

- t9 or word are great options to text out words quickly!

- you can text message google for the weather or for movie times. it's great

- you can text someone a message that they will see when they wake up, like good morning wanna carpool

then there are lots of things i'm learning about text messaging.

- do not have heated or emotional text messages or responses, it only ends badly

- if your heart is racing and your palms are sweating as you type your message, no no no, you should not even send it, don't even consider it

- do not respond to an emotional text message with another one

- if you end a conversation in person or on the phone, think about it and then reply text message, shame on youi've learned this many times. there have been times that i thought hey this text message will be non confrontational and easy to resolve. oh yell no. this will open up a can of worms and a can of whoop ass. just like IMing and emailing while emotional, you lose the non verbal cues and verbal cues that guide the conversation. instead it becomes the tip tap of your telephone and the quick thumb shot to the send button. sent. now i feel vindicated.until.it comes back to bite you in the yello you know what im talking about ass. and it comes back in the form of...oh no she didn't.

you want to do it like this, we can, oh we can.

hold my earrings. wait. hold my shoes. it's about to be on and popping.

so. a word of advice. do not text when emotional - happy, sad, angry or frustrated.

text messaging takes our language and removes anything good about it. those words become fiery little darts that wound hearts and friendships.just don't do it.this is your psa." -jbs

seconded. also, don't delete friends from myspace or facebook in the heat of your psychosis.

i don't even know my last name....

2008-06-25T09:10:00.005-04:00

once, long ago, j and i discussed how if we would talk about something, it suddenly would happen. and it's happened once again.

her example: talking about salt and then receiving an e-mail about salt.

mine: talking about changing your last name and/or taking your husband's last name and then seeing this on shine.

[if and] when i get married, i think i'll keep my name for professional [and friend] purposes, and change my name legally. i say this not because i am afraid to lose my identity personally, but that i have worked to be recognized professionally by my surname. as someone in the media/communications/publishing/etc biz, it's hard to change your name and maintain what you've worked so hard to create: name recognition [go figure!]

thoughts from others in similar [or completely different] fields?

you can find me in the club.

2008-06-25T09:06:00.000-04:00

yea. that's all.

i needs my recipes!

2008-06-25T08:52:00.005-04:00

so j and i texted/chatted throughout the abc primetime special on amish teens. and oh my goodness, what times!

who knew [?] that rumspringa consisted of:
-day 1: taxes
-day 2: cigs, beer and premarital sex

not i, for one. but alas, our dear amish teen danny did. he also knew that he needed to hang on to his "recipes" to complete his day one taxes. it was sad/hilarious.

today i'm having lunch with my good friend anna and tomorrow i get to meet up with my oldest [longest?] friend, beka. i love catching up with friends, but i hate that i get to do it so infrequently. now if only j would get on a plane and visit me..... [no pressure]

if she were rumspringa[ing], i'm sure she'd pack her recipes RIGHT NOW and hop the next flight to erie international. we'd paint the town red with our bud light and pickup trucks. [after doing our taxes, of course.]

sidenote: did i really just write a post about amish teens? [scroll up] yep. i did.

growing pains.

2008-06-24T14:03:00.004-04:00

as someone who does graphic design for a living, i'm ashamed of my last post.

but as someone who uses blogger 3-4 times a year [to date] i have no idea how to change it.
well. i kind of understand....but am not taking the time to mess around with those pixellated pics.

so..............sorry for visually efff-in' up your day.

a new day. a new post?

2008-06-24T13:36:00.009-04:00

i know, i know. ONCE again, have not kept up with THIS blog. i apologize. you see...i'm just so busy doing so many fabulous things that i haven't had the time.

eh, just joking.

but i HAVE had a fabulous june. here's the quick recap.

1. spent a week on the beach/hanging by the pool/kicking off my summer reading list at myrtle beach, s.c.

[this was not our beach nor was it our condo....but they all pretty much look alike.]

2. a new job

[this graphic is atrocious in oh-so-many ways. it reminds me of glitter grafixx].

3. a new obsession, er, phone.

[nuff said.]

4. my boy.

[i wuvs him. i love his face in the first pic....i took like a million and three pics of him in times square during our april trip and he was none too happy. that little brown spot to his left...yea. that's the huge garbage pile i made him stand next to. no wonder he looks so happy.]

5. my [brand spankin'] new apartment.

[yea. so it's like half the size of my ky townhouse. so what. it's ALL new. and i finally can have my garden! oh, and it's like three blocks from work. and did i mention it's NEW? my little piece of heaven will be finished in july. can't wait. the commute from the boro is killing me.]

things small and large ---- grateful all the same.

lost [and found]

2008-05-12T17:30:00.003-04:00

i totally abandoned this blog with the move.
it's hard maintaining one blog, let alone two.
since the move there is over, and the move back complete, i guess i have the time. [???=]

today's topic: my happy hour.

the happiest hour of each [well, most] day is the hour i arrive home. i used to feel the pressure of having to decide what to cook for dinner [for one] while perusing the 2,350 credit card offers i received on a daily basis, changing into my "sweats" for an after dinner walk and feeding the fish. many days, he [and i] went unfed.

now, i no longer feel that pressure. i check my e-mail, casually. i turn on the tv, maybe. i eat a snack, sometimes. it's just me, so what's the point?

i imagine that the rest of my life would be less stressful/happier if i took that same approach. or, it would all fall to pieces.

so i'll try it, and see what becomes of my happy hour[s]. i'm not promising anything at this point, cause we see how great i am at making promises [i never intend to keep].

blog it up

2007-08-13T11:33:00.000-04:00

j says if i dont blog everyday [or some unreasonable amount of time] she is deleting me.
so here you go.

FILE THIS UNDER BLOG!

packing.

2007-08-07T23:35:00.001-04:00

so over it. come to think of it, im so over this blog too.

t-minus two weeks and counting. sooooooooooo overwhelmed with the move - both physical and emotional aspect - at this point.

yowza.

2007-08-02T12:26:00.000-04:00

a blog is hard work, that i know. but with the move and all, it just seems like one more way i can stay connected to those i love when i'm far [& away]. don't hold me to it - cause i'm likely to drop it quicker than a bottle of hot pink nailpolish on my carpet. [eek!]

ten dollars i forget the password to my gmail account by tomorrow....