Dark and Frantic Transatlantic

While flying back from Utah a few weeks ago I tuned into the inflight entertainment radio - it's usually pretty decent and a good way to find new music. In this case I discovered old music that I own, so the other night I dug out some Pet Shop Boys to get reacquainted.

I want someone to sing this song to me when I move to London:

So my baby’s on the road
Doing business, selling loads
Charming everyone there
With the sweetest smile

(Chorus)
Oh tonight, I miss you
Oh tonight, I wish you
Could be here with me
But - I won’t see you
Till you’ve made it back again
Home and dry
Home and dry

There’s a plane at JFK
To fly you back, from far away
All those dark, and frantic
Transatlantic miles

I really need to quit with all these song lyrics as of late. Many of them just stand out though; can't help it. It's time to hit Europe for a long weekend, clear my head. I think it would do me good, those dark and frantic transatlantic miles.

And with that, buenas noches. Another day survived. I shall sleep til the next wakes me.

Just What I Needed

Yes, this is a dumb blog chain thing that everyone's doing (and the sort of thing I usually dismiss) but whatever, it's mildly entertaining. Let Google tell you what you need.

Lauren needs:

• attention
• a hot kiteboarder
• a new special car seat
• all the nerve transmission help she can get
• someone to take the pressure off of her
• no further adjustments to herself
• to find a way to handle her crush on Alexa’s older brother Chris
• to fly to an engagement
• to get her hands on the ruby in order to ransom her sister
• a newplan of action if she's going to seduce Judo!

Two in a Row

Will someone please confirm that taking cold showers in the winter is actually good for you? Seems I'm destined to take lots more of them.

It's good for your heart or something, right? Gets ya jump started? Or better for your hair? I'm trying to convince myself of this.

Monday Mishaps

Yep, I've got a case of the Mondays.

• Woke up late.
• Cold shower. Not the usual luke warm. It was COLD.
• Left office key at home. Had to track down people to let me in.
• Spilled yogurt on pants while trying to open it.
• New lamp I bought on Saturday cracked on the trip to work.
• Tons of work to do.
• People coming over tonight. I'm in no mood to be social.
• News of another friggin friend getting married (not the ones I mentioned yesterday).
• I want something I can't have. And I've always gotten everything I wanted.

The one happy thought:
The new Train song - Cab. I'm not a huge Train fan, but this song impresses me and serves as a reminder that life does get better after bad times (and really, my times aren't bad at all. I'm a lucky one - I know that).

New York snow this time of year
There’s nothing more beautiful to me
Except for you
Making my way on the town and down seeing familiar places,
faces
In my pile of coffee grounds
The days are better, the nights are still so lonely
Sometimes I think I’m the only cab on the road

This new rhythm I pursue
Is just my getting over you
Telling myself that I need to
The days are better, the nights are still so lonely

I’m still looking for a play no one said that it was fair
To be alone

Future Fears

I found out today that a two friends of mine who have been dating for a couple years are finally engaged. I guess I shouldn't say finally, as I wouldn't want anyone else's time frame imposed on me. That's exactly what I'm afraid of.

I didn't talk to her directly today, though my roommate did and I overhead a bit. Apparently she's scared. Marriage IS scary. At least that's my current view. I know it'll be great and fun and blah, blah, blah, and hard and worth it. But did they just think it was time? Hey, we've been together for a couple years, let's do it. It's what we're supposed to do, right? They got engaged sometime this month and are getting married really soon - like in a month. Another friend from HS is getting married this summer, and I get the same impression. He's dated the girl for four years, all their other friends are married, he's established in his job, owns a house, so it's just time. He's scared. Is that how it has to be?

My friend that got married earlier this month hadn't even known her husband for a year before they got hitched. On her wedding day she had NO qualms whatsoever. Not nervous, no anything. Just happiness, hey let's get married today and spend the rest of our lives together. No biggie. Is that how it should be? You just know and don't worry about it?

I wonder how it will be for me. I always figured I'd date someone for a couple years before even mentioning marriage. But at that point will I be doing it just because it's time for something new? Take the next step because that's just what you do after a few years together? Or will it be quick? I'll just know shortly after meeting someone that it's right?

I seriously don't even know why I'm thinking so much about the M word. I can't even say it outloud in reference to myself. My biological clock is NOT ticking. I think the battery is dead. I'm just in the marriage demographic. Everyone's doing it. It's the in thing. But I won't give in to peer pressure ;-)

Smells Like College

I feel like I should be heading to good ole Lauinger tonight, a place I didn't visit enough in college. It's a typical Sunday night when I should lock myself away til 2am to prep for the week. I'm getting stressed. And what am I doing about it? Not ticking things off my to-do list, that's for sure. Instead I'm listening to old Sarah McLachlan and baking cookies. I'm finding it rather therapeutic.

Lots going on at work. Last week and this upcoming week. I've got to climb out from underneath the pile that's building. Must chip away at that later tonight.
I feel like I could be getting a cold - you know the dry scratchy throat that doesn't go away no matter how many liquids you're consuming? I've had about 14 glasses of OJ today, hoping that it staves off any illness. I can't get sick. I just can't.
A roommate decided to host a church thing at our house tomorrow night. I didn't really want to get too involved, but they're we're sorta slacking on inviting people and getting food, so I'm trying to remedy that situation.
W2's are rolling in. Tax time. I'm praying like mad that I don't owe anything. Last year my federal refund was $7. Cut way too close for comfort.
Bills - my own and the house bills that I take care of. Why did stamps have to freaking go up? I can't send off our checks without hunting down 2 cent ones.....
Rent is due. Blech. The stamp thing comes into play again. I don't have time to hit up a post office, and the ATM that sells them has been out of order for a couple days.
Strained/confusing relationships at the moment. Always fun to deal with. But that's what makes life fun and interesting, right?

Wreh!

Where's my Damien Rice CD?! ARRRGH. I seem to be missing a handful of favorites....
Guess that's what happens when you stash away the CDs in lieu of an iPod.

Thank you Apple, for making my music library a little easier to maintain (except when I need a CD for work).

Weekend Update

I'm still not recovered from Friday night. I really can't stay up til 6am anymore. I felt hungover yesterday, even though I don't drink. Just blah, no energy, little shaky, and didn't get outta bed til almost 3! What a pathetic waste of a beautiful Saturday. Oh well, it was a fun night out with fun people. And every DCer has to make a trip to Nation at least once. This was the first, and probably last for awhile. Reminds me why I don't hit the big club scene very often - E-raver kids up in your face with glow sticks, asking if you're rollin' tonight. Um, yeah...... Good times though, for sure. I'm glad I work with people that are fun in and out of the office. We're on some coworker togetherness kick lately, which is cool. It's nice to see them in another element.

I'm glad I took a shower yesterday, cause I had an impromptu first date. Totally outta the blue. I was in my room yesterday evening and heard a knock on our front door. Too lazy to get up, I yelled down the hall for someone else to get the door. Caro came upstairs and told me a guy was in our living room, asking for me. I was rather bewildered, so I ran quickly downstairs and saw the guy who walked me home last weekend from the Metro. He just dropped by and wanted to know if I wanted to go grab coffee or something. So we went. To me, even though a spontaneous thing, it's a rather normal occurrence to hang out with near complete strangers. I think my roommates were a little freaked when I left with a random guy, but whatever. We checked out the Warehouse in our 'hood, where I think I'll have to start hanging out more often. As for the guy, I don't really think he's my type, but it was fun enough. We'll probably hang out again and leave it at that.

Frizz-i-day

Tourette's man was on the crowded bus from work to the metro during the evening commute. Today he was shouting, "One dollar, twenty-five cents. Say YES!" I saw another guy talking out loud too. Didn't see the intended target of his conversation, so I think he was talking to himself too...

Saw gay metro boyfriend on the train. He works at Discovery and is usually casualed out in jeans, but today he was sporting the black pants and tie. He looks a bit like Ross, only hotter and gayer, if that's possible.

Time to nap and gear up for tonight's craziness at Cubik. If it's anything like last weekend, we're in for a good time.

And thoughts of the day from the brooding, whiny dreamy British Stereophonics:

It's your time
It's your day
It's never too late
To change lanes
How's your life?
How's your place?
Was it where you wanted
Your head to lay?

But wait, you can breathe
You can see what I can see
Don't waste your time
You can't make back

If you could rewind your time
Would you change your life?

Do you like you?
Do you love your wife?
Or did you pick what
You're told was right?

Dream and be
What you feel
Don't you compromise
What you wanna be

'Cause change is okay
What's the point in staying the same
Regrets, forget what's dead and gone

If you could rewind your time
Would you change your life?

If Jesus rode in on a camel today
With your cross on his shoulder
Time to take you away
Have you done all you wanted?
Are you happy and warm?
Do you miss someone special
You don't see anymore?
Have you blood on your hands?
Do you dream of white sands?
Can you sleep well at night?
Have you done all you can?
The place I was born in
Stays crooked and straight
I see innocent blue eyes
Go blind everyday

Rewind your time
Would you change your life
Today?

Fun Procrastination!

I've been swamped all week at work and haven't had time for any games, but just in cause you do....... (it is Friday).

Put the States on the Map!

My first try I placed 46 of them perfectly. Average distance off - 15 miles. 92% accuracy. 212 seconds. What are your stats?

Love and Hate

I hate when people hate me/are mad at me/are unhappy with me. The expected blowout happened tonight with the ex. I didn't know when it was coming, just that it would - even at this point, which is six months past the breakup. Never fails - when I look back at the four major LTRs, the trend is there. Breakup, try to be friends, have a HUGE falling out, don't speak for anywhere from one month to a year and half, then we're back to being friends. Usually the blowout is because he ends up hating me.

Breakups leave me emotionless. Distant. Indifferent. No feeling whatsoever towards him. I've attempted reconciliation at some points - never works. How do people make it work again? I don't see any solution. We try to talk - why? What happened? What can I do better? And I just sit there - absolutely nothing to say. I am hollow and blank. I guess when it's over, it's over. I can't put the pieces back together. I can't even be a decent friend.

I suppose my way of coping is to keep up with a busy schedule. I thrive on that - I love having something to do every minute of the day. I perform at a higher level when I'm kept on my toes. When I'm not in a relationship, I am busy and happy. When I meet someone worth spending time with, I clear my schedule and make time because I want to. I don't see it as giving anything up; I'm gaining something better. Then when it's over, I pick up the single life again, right where I left off. Maybe that's my coping mechanism. I kinda think it's just my normal life. Then how do you fit the ex into your regular life as a friend? I'm back into my busy schedule and unavailable as often as I was previously. That's the main source of contention. I'm fine being a once-in-awhile friend, and he wants more than that. Forget relationship counseling; we need a therapist to tell us how to be friends.

Like he said, I just don't know what to do anymore. Maybe I'm gonna go watch The Notebook right now, and maybe I'll cry. That might be good; see if I have any shred of emotion left in me.

Hallelujah!

I walked out of work today just past 5:30 and was thrilled to see that it was STILL LIGHT OUTSIDE!!!

Spring is around the corner. I wonder how much more winter Mr. Groundhog is going to predict!

Weirdly today I got 3 Evites, all within a couple hours of each other. It always happens that way - they all come at once. A couple weeks ago I walked into work on a Monday morning. Within 15 minutes I had invites to 4 parties that week. Funny how the social calendar fills up so quickly.

Winds of Change

This morning went from hail and snow flurries to clear sunshine in a matter of 10 minutes. Where'd that come from?

I ran into a friend from Georgetown today in CoHi; turns out he teaches math at the school where I tutor. That's what I love about this city and it's one reason I can't leave yet. There are always people around that I know, and I do manage to run into them from time to time. My network is wide and the city is small. I can't give that up!

After work I swung by H&M quickly. I have forgotten how great it is. Always new Euro styles, and nearly everything is 29.90 or less! Why don't I do all my shopping there instead of blowing a ton at BR? Lot of fun pieces that are worth experimentation, which is what I did today. I tried on a few pieces that aren't things I'd normally wear, and I ended up buying one. We'll try it out later in the week to gather opinions...... Different is good.

I also grabbed a bracelet at H&M - again, very out of the ordinary for me. As I was in line to pay, I realized that one of the beads had a chip in it. First instinct was to head back upstairs to grab a different one. I immediately thought of all the fussy customers that I helped at Crate and Barrel when I worked there; one tiny, unrecognizeable scratch in the bottom of a handblown glass bowl was enough to demand a new one. They sought utter perfection. In that instant I decided to keep my blemished bracelet. Perfection doesn't exist - maybe in a machine-manufactured piece of jewelry occasionally, but never in anything real or of true importance. How can I expect it of something/someone else when I will never reach it? Our shortcomings make us unique, and can bring us together when we share them. That's something I'm not good at. Perhaps today's purchase of damaged goods is a step in the right direction.

Lovin' the first CB2 catalog that just came in the mail. Working at CB has ruined me - I notice their stuff on tv shows, in commericals, in the newspaper, and every change of season I want to redecorate my house and add new pieces to the mix. If I had room I'd get a new sofa! New dishes! More candleholders! A new bed! I love furniture. I'd better live in a big house someday. And I'd better have full jurisdiction over putting things in it.

Thought of the Day

From Reader's Digest (thanks mom!):

Sometimes when almost everything is wrong, one thing is so right you would do it all again. - Alice Randall

Get your Groove On

New life plan: Move to London, get an MBA, then become a DJ.

Friday night was the long anticipated DJ night, with DJ Logo himself, teaching us some tricks. Blazing Gunman and I drove out towards Nap-town for some lessons from the master. Complete tutorial on techo music: house, breaks, drum and bass, any sub-genre you can think of. Dre and I tried our hand at the turntables - needless to say, I'm horrific! We let Logo take over as we chilled out to some tunes. Ah, the good iio stuff - Rapture, At the End that I haven't heard in awhile; deep soulful house stuff that's just so gorgeous it makes your heart burn (in a good way). I could do that for hours. Until I get sleepy, of course. Trying to cram 5 days into 4 was tough on me last week. That's the only excuse I can come up with as to why I was yawning all night.

Logo's little home zoo of two dogs and a cat was quite entertaining. I made friends with his sweet, sweet dogs. Makes me miss Honey a little bit.....

We played around til about 2am, when I realized I needed to get back into the city and hop the last train to get home. I made it by just 2 minutes! By the time I got to my metro station, it was 3:30. If you'll recall, my hood is bit sketch, so I was prepared to sprint down my street. As I got off the train, the station manager told me the escalators were closed, so I'd have to take the elevator. A guy was already headed into it, so I ran to catch up. He looked normal. My age, could be an alright guy, so I asked him which direction he was headed. I think I let out a sigh of relief when he said he was walking down my street. Turns out he lives just a few houses down from me, and walked me to my door. Thank you, thank you.

The Birds and the Flu

Who does my little bro turn to in an academic crisis? Yes, me, his brilliant older sister.

And who knows more about bird flu than necessary? That would be me once again. He's gonna ace his biology research project.

Afternoon Tea

The Mormon version of Sex and the City has finally reconvened after a long holiday hiatus. We met up this afternoon at Teasim downtown.

Teasim - not my favorite. I don't do well with Asian food that's not Thai or Chinese. Tea - not my thing. Sushi - not my thing. Tofu noodle salad - not my thing. Niki asked why I bothered to even go! Hello! The company! I suffered for the common good. Nothing on the menu sounded the least bit appetizing, but I managed to pay 10 bucks for something. Next time, I'll veto any Teaism vote.

Today's hilarious single female consenus: It's better to be a homewrecker than a spinster.
(Explanation - we get kicked out of the singles congregations upon turning 31, and have to go to a family congregation with lots of screaming children. Many married women there don't work - we're single and have nothing in common with these housewives, getting along better with the husbands of the group, discussing work issues, etc. It's only natural. And we don't like cats).

Eat that, Duke!

Rah! Rah! Rah!
Hurrah for Georgetown
Cheer for victory today
'Ere the sun has sunk to rest,
In the cradle of the west
In the clouds will proudly float
The Blue and Gray."

Boo yah Hoyas in the house!! I wasn't at the game, but I walked by the MCI center this afternoon and peered in, expecting to see us getting killed. Nine minutes were left in the game, Hoyas up by 10! I had to keep walking, but I checked the score every few minutes on my phone, and finally saw the sweet, sweet victory.

Hail oh Georgetown, Alma Mater.

What a Way to Start a Morning

Thurday morning around 6:30 I woke up to a knock on my bedroom door, accompanied by a sad, strained voice - "Can you drive me to the hospital?" I stumbled outta bed, opened the door and saw Caro on the floor, crouched down, head bent over. I started to panic for a second, then heard that it wasn't a total life and death matter, just really horrific back pain. She had crawled to my room after waiting 2 hours to wake me up. Poor girl!

Of course I would drive her to the hospital. But wait, her car is a stick. And I don't drive stick. Hmm.... I figured I was up for the challenge though. My first HS bf actually taught me in his truck when I was 15, on those days that we skipped class and drove around back roads (and driving was ALL we did - don't go getting any ideas). I mean, hey, I managed to drive my brother's truck around the block once in 2001, just to see if I could still do it. That should be good enough, right?

By no means am I a natural, but I got us across town to the Georgetown ER (yeah, we live right by Howard. But scary!) during morning rush hour, to the pharmacy, home, back to the pharmacy, and to the DC courthouse, since Caro had jury duty. I only stalled 3 times, 2 of which were in a parking lot so they don't count. Not too bad.....

Hometown Delight

Today's hometown newspaper provided some entertainment as usual. This story isn't quite as good as the past two I've mentioned here, about Bigfoot and Animal Noises, but I think it's still worthy of some ridicule. Am I terrible for hating on Leflore county?

Warrants have been issued for two men accused of stealing
rocks (why?!) from a Howe man.

"When he arrived the vehicle had several rocks on it and it was a green Ford Ranger," Duggan wrote in the affidavit. "Both suspects were on Mr. Elder's property still picking up rocks."Reportedly the land owner asked the men what they were doing and they told him they were picking up rocks.

Elder allegedly identified one of the men as Morrison, and told the deputy that he advised the men they were stealing rocks. At which point Morrison allegedly asked Elder not to call the police because he couldn't afford to get into trouble.

"He then said he didn't want no trouble he was just trying to get some money for his kids," Duggan wrote. "Then I advised him I could arrest him and he said he didn't care he would just pay the fine."

Black Out

I got off the metro tonight, 3 blocks from my house and started the usual stroll home. For background, my 'hood is a tad on the sketchy side and lately hasn't had a whole lot of people out and about. There's been an uptick of muggings in the area, so I've been a little freaked out the past few months. At this point I think I'm very mentally prepared to be mugged - I expect it any day. That's not an invitation for such a thing, but I'd be willing to bet I'd handle it well. When I get off the metro, I try to stay in a group of people walking my direction, with my valuables tucked into deep inside pockets and keys in my hand. I'm probably a bit paranoid, but whatever.

Tonight was no exception. However I noticed large masses of people coming towards the metro. Hmmm....okay.... But there were several groups. Rather unusual. I kept walking..... by the time I got a block and a half from home I knew something wasn't right. Then I noticed how black it was. 5th street eastward - totally. pitch. black. Can we say eerie?

No street lights. Completely darkened houses. Not even cars around to share a bit of light. Totally black with a mass exodus.

I wasn't about to walk into the abyss alone, so I turned around, called B and went to his place. I'm a fraidy cat. Plus, the power can't be out when LOST is coming on! That's a necessity on Wednesdays.

Thank you JJ and Cast for a good, solid, awesome episode tonight. I'm still reeling....Light 'em up! Totally caught me off guard, though apparently that scene was in the commericals? I'm glad I didn't see it in previews, cause it blew me away tonight. Sweetness. Keep up the good work.

Make Her Stop!

That overtanned chick on AI tonight - can I be first in line to wring her neck and scrub the tanning booth flakes off her cheeks?

Bad Karma

I'm terrible. I did something awful. Rather, I failed my fellow citizens in my mission for good deed-doing. It's still bothering me.

Last week as I entered the metro station after work, I noticed a young man/teenager at the station manager booth, asking for help. I also noticed something on the ground at his feet, presumably a wallet. I was on the other side of the station, headed towards the escalator, and I thought - surely he'll see it. First step, up I go. I see the station manager and guy head across the entry way to the farecard machine. Another chance - they'll see it when they turn around! Up, up up....They turned and began walking back towards the booth - yes! they're going to see it! Suddenly the boy steers to the far left and exits the station. By the time the station manager saw the wallet on the ground, he didn't know who it belonged to. And I failed my opportunity to do a good deed. Big self kick, right then. I wanted to run after him, but I probably wouldn't have made it. I didn't even make an effort. Shame!

I'm expecting some bad karma to head my way. So far, so good. But it's coming, I know it.

Who's on your List?

Thank you E! for your Sexiest Celeb Bodies. It has helped me complete "my list." You know, the list of people you'd give up your salvation for. I don't know that I'd go that far, but someone put me in such a situation to try me out, will ya?

Problem is, after watching the Golden Globes, I've been reminded of a couple more that could make the list. So either I need to prioritize better and cut some, but I really hate saying no. A better idea it seems, is to have a domestic and foreign version. Si? Oui?
(I have to confess I feel a bit trashy doing this. Not really my style, but fun to look at every now and then. I really wasn't one of those girls growing up with posters all over her room from the latest Tiger Beat magazine. Promise. Not my style at all. I had/have much better things to do with my time than stare at some hunks on the wall. Okay, okay I did have ONE NKOTB poster. Just one. Of Joey. That's it).

For the foreign-born:



Eduardo Verastegui

Olivier Martinez

Orlando

Michael Vartan

Johnathan Rhys-Meyers

Home-grown hotties:

Lenny Kravitz

Josh Duhamel

Johnny Depp

Jake Gyllenhaal

Looks like there's one space open on the domestic list. Anyone wanna submit an application?

And I Said, What about....

...Breakfast at Tiffany's? Life is a little more complete tonight, after watching that for the first time. My review: delightfully amusing. Or is that amusingly delightful? Loved it. And I love this:


Ah, Tiffany and Co.....
If you haven't yet heard my personal theory on engagement rings, I'll have to enlighten you sometime.

Euro Smash

Caro and I drove out to Dulles to pick up the 3rd 314 house resident tonight, who's spent the last two and half weeks in Europe. Of course I expected myself to be a tad jealous, but all these little things that she recapped for us remind me how fantastic Europe is and how much I want/need to live there again. Not forever, I don't think, but for awhile.

Things like:
This and
This and
This.

Mmm....something about Euro chocolate is just better. More hazelnut. Way more variety. Mmm...
And now we have some hot priests decorating our kitchen for 2006. The new dilemma in our household - should we confess to them, or should we sin with them?

I loved waiting outside customs for Niki. I just feel this energy being around people who are hopping the globe. Flights coming in from LHR, SAL, MUC, all walking down the international red carpet at Dulles. I should be on that red carpet! I haven't traveled internationally in over a year now, so it's time. World Cup, watch out.

I'm happy to report that she got some international action during her escapades. I wouldn't expect anything less. Our reputations as international play girls are on the rise. It's time for me to step up my game ;-)

Brrrr....

Guess winter's finally here. Suck.

My room is FREEZING once again. I checked the thermostat this morning - 65 degrees downstairs, meaning my room is 3489 degrees colder. I've got 14 layers of clothes on, space heater going full blast, and electric blanket on high. I'm not leaving my bed today, unless I decide to continue my domestic goddess weekend in the kitchen. Homemade lasagna? Check. Butternut squash? Check. French toast with real maple syrup? Check. Next up - Chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. If I can make it downstairs without freezing.......

Thank goodness for reruns of Top Model and Project Runway.

Utah Land

Last weekend I went to Happy Valley for the happy wedding of my happy best friend, Erin, and her happy groom, Todd. I really looked forward to this trip, because - yay weddings, yay hanging out with my little bro, and yay for for lots of friends being around while I was there. I was actually surprised at how many people I knew in Utah this trip. Being Mormon, it seems natural to have Utah ties, but I've always lived in places with close to zero LDS popluations, went to a Catholic university, and don't have any family in Utah. It was nice to know people there for a change.

Every time I go to Utah (which isn't often), I'm always floored by the greatness of the mountatins. Every time I step outside I'm in awe. They're beautiful, especially after a night snowfall. Erin has them right in her backyard. I had my camera out while driving down the road attempting to capture them, but sadly driving and photography don't really go together.

I headed West on Thursday morning and was able to schedule a 4 hour layover in Phoenix so I could have lunch with my grandparents. I don't get to see them nearly enough, so I'm glad for even just a couple of hours. My grandpa joked that he was going to take me out for any ole burger and fries, but of course we went to my favorite Mexican place in Mesa. :-) I feel deep sympathy for those DCers that think Cactus Cantina and Lauriol Plaza are amazing. Two of my cousins, two of my aunts and an uncle also made an appearance at lunch. It was super fun - I miss being around the AZ crew.

So yes, wedding. I'm glad I got to meet Todd last August, so I could have enough time to do a thorough approval check on him before letting him marry Erin. He passed with flying colors - they're two peas in a pod. He definitely gets her weird humor and spontaneous dance parties. He'll be fun to have around. Our little Hoya girl trio was reunited, since Crystal and Rich came out from NC. Erin, Crystal and I decided a long time ago that we'd do vacation together once we got settled in life. Looks like I'd better get a move on....

I spent most of my non-wedding time in Provo with my brother. This is the first time we've gotten to hang out (outside of being home in Oklahoma) since he got back from El Salvador. I'm interested to see how close my brothers and I remain as we get older and start our own lives. They're both pretty cool. For now Taylor's at BYU, still trying to figure out the college thing, and probably stressing more than he needs to. He claims to have few friends and no dating life, but all the girls I met seem to prove quite the contrary. I went to church with him on Sunday, when he "rocked the suspenders," according to every single person there. I was greeted with, "Oooh, you're Taylor's sister?" by more females than I can remember.

Trippy thing about Utah - kids everywhere. After never being around children in DC, the jolting cries of them in restaurants, shopping centers, and neighborhoods stood out. Moms my age or younger, toting 3-4 kids around Wal-mart. How do they do it? I'm not ready for that life just yet.

Gotta be way more cautitious about checking the left hand in Utah too. Everyone, even freshmen at BYU, is married or almost married. I was glad to get back to DC where the average age of marriage is more like 30. Whew. I did manage to get swap numbers with one guy though, after 20 minutes of highway flirting on 1-15. Fun for the experience, even though he's not gonna make the cut. Sorry, man.

Other fun Utah things: meeting an internet friend in person for the first time (really, don't think I'm weird), breakfast with a Gtown friend on my last morning in Utah, and dinner with an old friend from DC who now lives in Utah. As my mom said, I definitely make the most of every moment. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Please, No....

It's Saturday AM, JR's on his way down from Philly, I should be cleaning/doing laundry/grocery shopping and looking forward to a fun weekend.

Instead I'm laying in bed, sipping ginger ale and nibbling on saltines, praying that my stomach starts cooperating and that the chills go away. Ugh - I HATE being sick. I found my nifty thermometer that my parents bought me years ago when they visited - I'm normal, 98.6. I started feeling awful last night after ice skating and dinner, just thinking I was run down from the week. My latest theory is that it's food poisoning. I made pasta the other night, and mixed some pesto with tomato sauce. Of course after prepping my food, I realized there was a tiny bit of mold on the lid of the tomato sauce. None in the actual sauce, just the lid. And since I only put one spoonful of tomato sauce in the mix, I figured it wouldn't kill me. I guess I thought wrong!

Naseau is not my friend.........

The More I Listen the More I Love

Oh, what good is it to live
With nothing left to give
Forget, but not forgive
Not loving all you see

All the streets you're walking on
A thousand houses long
Well, that's where I belong
And you belong with me
Not swallowed in the sea

Life is Good

Why I'm happy this morning:

• Tutoring started again today
• Student tickets to the Georgetown/Duke game
• Not 1, but 2 new episodes of Lost
• Messages from cute boys on Friendster/MySpace
• Reconnecting with lost long friends from high school online
• Dining out at the Ritz

I'm home

Back from Utah. Let's see if I can find the energy to blog later.......

Rants and Raves

Today was kind of a crap day. It didn't start out that way, but now that it's almost over, I'm thrilled. I've had a couple bad mood days lately, which is pretty rare for me. What's going on?

I had to run up and down the stairs a million times this morning cause I kept forgetting things. Finally got out the door. Wanted to have a a project done by this morning, and even after working all weekend, it wasn't finished. Thankfully it's not a big deal. Dropped pants off at the dry cleaners to get hemmed - I need them tomorrow before I leave for Utah. Fingers crossed.

Gym was awesome today. Felt great to get back into the swing of things. Hopefully a couple more coworkers will join the ranks of the Deez, since we've been promoting the gym so much! The more the merrier.

After work I headed off to Institute class but I had some time to kill before and used it to find a wedding gift for Erin, the college best friend, who's getting married this weekend. I already bought "the couple's" gift from the registry, but of course wanted to get just a little something for her. I found a couple things at World Market and figured I should get a card to go along with it. I usually forget that part of gift giving. I'm so NOT a sappy girl, but as I started reading these cards I was kind of getting weepy. Not normal! What's wrong with me?

My emotions are so up and down lately, more so in terms of dating, but I think it's starting to affect my brain overall. Something's fishy in my head, and I don't like it one bit.......

Institute turned out great. I always have to drag myself to go, but when I do I'm glad. Even though I hightail it outta there aftwards, cause the whole Mormon social scene is so not my thing. I need to get over that, but we'll save that for 2007's resolutions.

Manic Monday

Day off. Awesome. I haven't worked a full 5 days since the week of Dec 12, and I won't again til Jan 23.

Today I:

• dyed my hair (which is typical after a trip home). This time I went with Cinnaberry.
• did work from home. Ugh.
• bought E and T's wedding gift. Even though I haven't worked at Crate in 6 months, I still have a bias against Pottery Barn.
• saw Memoirs of a Geisha with B, then had dinner at my fav, Bangkok Bistro. I'd recommend seeing it. Yes, I love the book, and of course the movie's not as good as the read. But the visuals are fantastic.
  

More to come about the movie. In some ways I think I'm destined to be a geisha.

Welcome 2006

NYE welcoming 2005 was amazing. You can't go wrong standing on the banks of the Seine, watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle and glisten in the distance, and shouting Bonne Année with the French and their wine at midnight.

I was hesistant to try and out-do that this year, plus I think NYE is a little ridiculous to begin with, so I was content for a low key night. We settled on an 80s dance party at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. The cover was only 15 bucks, I love 80s music, and the ball drop was going to be on the big screen. Sounds pretty decent, right? At least better than paying $100 cover for open bar when you don't drink.

Uh yeah, until we get there. We trekked all the way out to VA, drove up in front of the place and saw no one. The whole neighborhood was deserted. It was 10:30, not too early to begin the festivities, so we drove around the block again, hoping to see at least some activity going on. Got a little more on the 2nd try, four Hispanic guys rolling outta there. Hmmm.....

Jacin finally ran in to check the scene. There were people there, yes, but they were all my age during the 80s. Definitely not our scene. We hightailed it back to the District and headed for AdMo. Yes, we ended up at fratty frat Tom Tom, but the cover was only 20 bucks, the music was good, and we made cute friends and got kisses at midnight. Cheers!
(and that is a wearable washboard that J is modeling, in case you're wondering. it also doubles as a musical instrument).

Fantastic Friday

Last Friday I cut outta work a tad early (shhh....) to meet up with my long lost friend Javi, who's been in Costa Rica for the last two years with Peace Corps. It's just the best feeling when you meet up with an old friend that you haven't seen in ages. We picked up right where we left off. He brought another PC friend, Ian, and after 20 minutes I swear it was like Ian and I were long lost siblings or something. I think it's rare to really meet new people that you click with right off the bat - I hope to hang on to those relationships and keep up with golden friends.

We checked out the new fab bowling alley in Chinatown, the one with a DJ and a dress code. So my kinda place. I loved everything about it. Before long, I'll be bowling in the triple digits.....

I forget what it's like to live abroad. For dinner we hit the grocery store before heading back to my place to cook. I and J were simply amazed at the offerings of my ghetto Giant. Even though they've lived in the States for 20 some years, just two away from here and they're already super adjusted to the simple life in CR. It's often harder coming back from abroad - I wish them luck as their PC time is ending. They've been living in poor remote jungles and are about to get thrown into grad school applications and job interviews, not an easy task.

Still BFFs!

Nonie's all grown up now. Her mom, my mom, and I drove up to Tulsa so I could see her married/established life. Kinda crazy that just yesterday we were dorky 8th graders trying out for high school cheerleading.

She had to work on Tuesday, so she met up with us for dinner. Afterwards I drove with her out to her house in the Tulsa 'burbs. We pulled into the garage, traipsed through the house, husband, dog and cat all awaiting her after a day of work at the courthouse. I still don't think I'm capable of saying the word 'husband' outloud. And she has a house! A real, whole, entire house that she and R built. Wow. Home ownership is still a dream to me. Maybe someday I'll have the package deal myself.

From Banana Republic to Wal-mart

Going home was fantastic. Usually after 4-5 days I start going nuts, which was still a little true this time, but the last day there felt too quick. I wanted to see more people, do more things with my family, find more high school memorablia that's stored away. The town seems a bit more run down than I remember, but it's still home. I was grateful for the new Starbucks that recently opened in Ft Smith though - gave a little urban hipness once I had a cup in hand.

There are just a handful of people from high school that I've kept up with since I left, but it seems like that's changing, which makes me really happy. Thank you facebook! I had lunch with the fabulous Mimi while I was there, back at good ole Mazzio's. I went to see Jake one afternoon; we haven't spoken in a couple years. I got contact info for other people that I haven't seen in ages - I intend to follow up with them and see where life's taken them so far. Life is all about good friends. I realize we'll go in and out of touch, but I want to try my best to keep up with everyone for a little while....

The fam spent one lovely day out at our farm; the weather was perfect. Couldn't have asked for better in December. We hauled the grill out there for some chili dogs. We forgot to bring something to heat the chili in though, so we did it camp style - put the can on the grill and used some huge pliers to hold it while we dumped it on our plates. Tay and Tan had to do some work on the berry plants, and Dad convinced me to go drive the Mule to help out. He still thinks I'm coming home in June to help out with the huge berry harvest, but I think the hour I spent over break will be the extent of it. :-) He did pay me for my efforts though, rather generously. I may have to rethink a summer stint on the farm.
PS. My dad is amused that my brother and I have blogs. Today on the phone he told me that he heard through the grapevine that I quoted him on mine. He's proud of his Santa vomit comment....