A song

So I have been thinking about the songs I love that "define" my life. You know what I mean? The songs that when you hear them take your mind immediately elsewhere and for that 2-5 min or so you have flashbacks and get all nostalgic. Me, reminisce you say? I know that's a stretch...
Here they are and I will explain (probably in boring detail) why these songs define my life (well my life so far)...no particular order here.
Cruel Summer by Bananarama: Who remembers this song being in The Karate Kid? I love this song for so many reasons. It reminds me of the early 80's, which had so much good pop music and damnit, it has a catchy beat. My dad also loves this song and a few years ago I made him a mix cd and everytime we drive over to the lake in the summer he puts it in and this is the first song. This one definitely reminds me of my childhood.
Forever Young by Alphaville: This song kind of breaks my heart sometimes when I listen to it. The whole song, the lyrics, the music, everything is so bittersweet to me. I just remember when it first came out how dreamy it sounded to me. It reminds me of just being a kid and the mundane things you do, like going to dance class, or a sleep over at your friends house. Anyone who knows me, knows how sentimental I am and I think this song is one for the sentimental saps like myself.
I Want It That Way by The Backstreet Boys. Oh go on, snicker to yourself...but you knew a boy band would be in the mix! This song reminds me of summers in Athens, Georgia. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to spend any time in Athens knows how blessed they are, and the summers there are even better! Most of the students have cleared out and you have the town to yourself. You can drive around and just enjoy the city without all the clutter of people and cars. This song reminds me of my good friend Cathy, who worked at Warehouse Music and driving over with Wayne to Alps Road to see her at work.
I don't care who you are, we all love a great pop song and this is one of the best from the late 90's. I know I was excited to see pop music make a return after those dark years of grunge/garage band music. This song for me is the ring leader of that time. Back in the day, when Trent and Jeremiah got me hooked on The Box, spending countless hours at night waiting for someone to buy a video. The Box introduced us to Britney Spears, as 'Hit Me Baby..." was the free bonus video if you bought the video of the week (or something along those lines). This song reminds me of Gil and Mihir standing out in the parking lot of our townhomes at Pineview doing choreography from some video I'd subjected them to numerous times in an attempt to cheer me up. Good memories.
Weather With You by Crowded House: I couldn't wait to get out of high school and get the hell out of Carrollton Georgia. I knew there was more out there waiting for me. When it came time to actually leave, I sort of panicked and felt like I was making a mistake. All my friends, the people I had known my whole life, were staying in town and going to college together, and little lonely ole me was the lone one branching out and going somewhere different. That drive to Athens was horrible. I guess I thought I was giving up everyone I knew and starting over. (I always did have a flare for the dramatics). My parents never encouraged me to go out on my own. I think they would have been content with me never crossing the county line.
Luckily I wised up and discovered you can go forward with your life and still have the people who mean something to you in it, even if it's in a different way.
This song is my traveling song and just a reminder that there are so many places I want to go and things I want to see and that's it's ok to have that desire.
In The Light by DC Talk: I was never really introduced to modern Christian music until I got to high school and went to Impact (a Christian summer camp for the clueless reader). I had not heard of Steven Curtis Chapman or DC Talk, or any popular Christian artist from the early 90's. The theme that first year was "The Great Adventure" and any good SCC fan out there recognizes the title. Needless to say, I put aside any judgements I might have had and embraced the music. I am thankful for the exposure and I find myself still going to these types of songs when I'm having a rough day or when I'm in a good mood and want to be uplifted. This song in particular has stuck with me throughout the years as its message is still something I try to embrace. As I sit here typing this though, all I can think of in my head is "down with the dc talk, d-d-down with the dc talk" and I'm quickly reminded of just how cheesy a majority of Christian music can be...
In a Daydream by The Freddy Jones Band: This song WAS my college experience. Even now when I hear this song I can picture myself in the backseat of FAT247 with about 10 other people driving down Alps. Oh Ashley Hill, how can we ever thank you for bringing this song into our lives? So many good memories...33, Cloverhurst, random road trips in the middle of the night, intramural fields, Spring Break from Hell, going to see the Iron Horse, I could go on and on.
Midnight Train to Georgia (Indigo Girls version): Oh it was hard to choose just one IG song. I could write a book about how any number of Indigo Girls song has touched my life or has said the things I cannot say myself. This song though reminds me of Courtney and me singing along in harmony at our apartment. Courtney and I bonded through our mutual enjoyment of their music. I knew Courtney for a year before I could really say we were friends, as odd as that sounds now in my head. What I love about their music is that it is timeless. No matter what style of music is popular at the time, you can always go back to one of their old cds. Courtney and I have gone to see them so many times, many years along with Bradd and Grant, and several times just the two of us...which was always funny b/c we'd imagine that people thought we were a couple...a few months ago she texted me from Utah and said she and David were at a concert and it was the first time she'd gone to a show without me (and that Dave wished I were there instead of him-not his taste apparently:)).
Everybody's Changing by Keane: Ireland, 2004. Every single day I spent there. This song is me walking to work by the sea, riding on a bus to another city to explore, sitting on my favorite bench in the entire world, going to a pub on any given night with my friends, driving down a county road with my roomate John, it's anything and everything about every moment I experienced there.
On my first day in Dublin, I knew no one, had nothing really to do but walk the city and I went by a record store and went in because it was the only thing that felt familiar to me. They had some listening stations out and various cds available. I sampled every one and this cd blew me out of the water. I had never heard of the group, but just listening to a quick 10 seconds of each song was enough to get me to buy it. I had brought a portable discman with me and so for nearly everyday after, this cd was in it. I listened to it constantly. If you're familiar with the album (Hopes and Fears) you know it's appropriate for walking around Ireland and taking it all in. Ireland was my dream, #1 destination in the world I had to get to, and I was so happy every single moment I was there. This song will always make me smile.
Don't Go There by 24K: Most people would probably scoff at this song on the list, but my friends know why it's here. This song will probably be played at our funerals for the rest to have a quick dance party. Every major event in our lives has included this song. College dances, Amber's wedding, Katie's wedding, Amber's kickass-dance-party birthday, and I'm sure if Lesley or I ever get married we'll have it at ours, and we'll make Chandler play it at his committment ceremony.
**PLEASE click on the link above for this song***
You're My Best Friend by Queen: Welcome to high school. Me and my friends were trilled to make friends with some juniors and seniors because they had cars! It's not difficult to impress a 14 year old girl sometimes. Welcome to band camp. Sorry that this makes you kind of a geek but as a prize you get Steve Taylor. Steve was a junior and in the trombone section with Teresa and Kelly. I should have known in 5th grade to pick a unisex instrumet, not the stupid clarinet which mainly girls play. Steve became our friend and would drive us around in his car. He loved Queen and so we loved Queen. Everytime you got in the car, he had Queen in the tape deck. This song is driving through town singing along and bopping our heads to the beat. We thought we were so cool, especially when Wayne's World came out and Bohemian Rhapsody blew up. We were like-pfft, whatever we liked Queen WAY before that, and turned out nose up at these band-wagon jumpers! *Nerd*
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears: Yet another 80's song from an 80's movie, Real Genius. The movie only had a cult following, two of which were me and my brother. This song plays as they roll the credits. We LOVED this movie growing up. I still love it and have it on dvd in fact. I think that's why I love the song so much. I love the melody of this song. It makes me giddy. The lyrics seep into my head. 'Welcome to your life, there's no turning back.' It's a coming of age song and even at 7 or 8 I felt like I could relate. My favorite part is the bridge: 'There's a room where the light won't find you holding hands while the walls come tumbling down...' Childhood seems to last forever when you're a kid so I guess that's why I have so many songs from my younger years.

I suppose for shits and giggles I should include this but I don't know that it's technically a song...however it too was played at Amber's wedding.


Ok this was a long one folks and if anyone made it through it, I applaud you!

3-2

Thanksgiving is Thursday! Can you believe it folks? This is absolutely my favorite time of year. Yes, my birthday was last week so of course you may think that influences my love of Fall, but honestly it doesn't really...maybe when I was little. I don't really enjoy birthdays anymore tbh, I always seem to get a bit melancoly that day, or emo as the kids say.
I love the holidays. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is heavenly. Christmas music everywhere, getting together with family and friends, decorations, I get into all of it. I've already got 4 Christmas decorations up at my desk at work, and yes I will be breaking out the Christmas village next week at work. I'll take photographs and post them so you can truly see what a nerd I am.

So...did anyone see Oprah this week? More to the point, the two parter that aired Thursday and Friday-The Secret Life of Hoarders? OMG. There are no words to describe that mess, pun intended. You know, I have to admit I am the type who will sit in silent judgement when I see things on tv that I cannot comprehend, acts that are, in my opinion, inhumane...you know, kiddie fiddlers, murderers, etc...Now I'm not comparing hoarders to pedophiles, but my point is this...while I was washed over with disgust watching those two hours of tv, I couldn't help but relate to that woman, to a much smaller extent. I too am a hoarder. I too enjoy getting a good bargain, it does make me feel good, it does fulfill something in me I suppose. The irony of all of this, is that I got a wild hair to clean last night. (Rewind-I must point out I tape all my shows on my DVR so I didn't watch the episodes when they originally aired). I went to Wal-Mart and got some supplies I needed, came home and did some serious kitchen and bathroom cleaning. I felt so good afterwards and about midnight when I was done, I sat down and decided to check my dvr to see what it had to offer. I chose Oprah and that's what I saw. Talk about God sent...I totally think I needed to see something like that to snap me into reality and realize that I need to change some of my habits. I was talking to my mom about this today and she said after she saw that, she went into her closet and finally purged it of a bunch of old clothes she'd been hanging onto for so long.

Ok, since I'm talking about Wal-Mart, here's another story. About a month ago I realized I needed a new shower curtain. I frequent the Target near work a lot on my lunch break, so one day I went in search of a new shower curtain. I swear the tag on the shelf said $19.99 which was my limit...no more than $20 for a shower curtain is a good motto to live by I say. When I was at the register I failed to see that it was actually $24.99 and only discovered this when I reviewed my receipt back at work. I was pissed. (I won't start on my conspiracy theories about stores in this day and age with their not putting price tags on each item, only labels on the shelves, in the attempt to lure you into putting the item in your buggy and then charging more at the register because they know you probably won't notice the $1-5 markup). I have been sick thinking about that damn $25 shower curtain. I never even got it out of the packaging. Last night I happened by the bathroom accessories section at Wal-Mart and found one I liked even more than the evil Target one, and it was only $15! You know I bought it and returned that overpriced one to Target today.
I should mention that when I went to Target tonight, the dude at the register said "Wow you looked tired" which we all know is code for "Wow, you look like shit." Ok fine, I went out in yoga pants and a black hoodie...it's freakin Target, not the senior prom folks! I didn't put on makeup or my grandmothers pearls to swap a shower curtain for a new mop and toilet paper!

On The Nightshift

Anyone who has known me for any stretch of time knows that I am not a morning person. Guess what? I'm never going to be one! I'm in my third decade of living and I've come to terms with this...actually I never had a problem with it, but countless others and their snarky remarks seeped into my head and have made me wonder if this was something I would eventually "grow" out of and one day miraculously wake up alert and perky.

Those of you out there that can roll out of bed at 5, 6, 7 am with not so much as a thought of slapping the snooze button, and jump right up to start your day...I applaud you. Good for you. Here's the thing, there are those among you who have gotten a little too self righteous when it comes to the debate of morning vs. night people. One remark I've heard in particular on more than one occasion, and which has caused my hands to be clasped in full throttle mode, is "when you finally become an adult, you'll turn into a morning person" or something along those lines. My own father has made this remark one bazillion times regarding my brother and me. I don't understand the hostility folks? Who really cares? You get a lot done in the morning? BFD. We get a lot done at night. Do we really need to separate into two gangs, ala Jets vs Sharks? It would not be uncommon to find me cleaning my toilet at 11:30pm on a Tuesday night. I'm more inspired at night to compose my thoughts, so email is best checked at that hour, along with senseless blogging (checks clock-12:27am). One thing you won't find me doing late at night is taking out my trash, but that is a direct effect of the countless hours I've spent watching Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, American Justice, etc...Our dimly lit parking lot lends itself too big a scenario for trouble which plays out in my head when I comtemplate going to the dark corner of it where the dumpster sits.
What was I rambling on about? Right, well with that being said, despite my nocturnal body clock I am sometimes forced to deal with the eaaaaarly morning hours from time to time. I currently work West Coast business hours, (psst-that means 11-8 EST) so I don't have to greet the dawn too often. Last week I worked 8-5 one day and procrastinated the night before in getting some things done, which forced me to wake up at 6:00am that day. Good grief, and it was cold to boot. My hardwood floors are unforgiving on a cold Wednesday morning. Still, I dragged myself into the shower and with zombie like precision, managed to get the hair washed. The only bright shining moment of getting up this early was that VH1 Classic was airing 80's pop cheese videos. Much to my delight, as soon as I walked back into my bedroom a video by NKOTB came on...which one was it? 'Please Don't Go Girl.' Now you know I was big time into NKOTB back in the day. Joey Joe was the shit. Y'all know I sat down and watched that mess and transformed back into a time when life was much more simple...7th grade. Ooh, how I hated those bitches in the video at the end, on the whirly carnival ride. So that wasn't so bad, that one morning, I must say.

Back-handed Compliments

So, I must say that I have all these great things are happening in my life right now. I'm experiencing some success in my weight loss crusade. I'm not dieting, I'm changing my lifestyle. It's all about creating different eating and exercise habits. Thus far I am quite pleased with my progress, but I have to remind myself to stay the course, because this will be a long journey, not a sprint to the finish.

It's funny the things that people say when they notice you're shedding the lbs. I have to say my parents have been great cheerleaders, as have my friends and a few co-workers. For anyone out there who has tried to lose a significant amount of weight, they will tell you, nothing makes us feel better than for someone to notice our transformation. This is especially true for me, because I have a horrible perception of myself...always have. I don't suppose I've ever liked looking at my reflection in the mirror and I do it only when necessary. For most of my life, I have not been happy with my body, but I have mastered the ability to compartmentalize those thoughts, to a certain extent. Rarely will you hear me talking about my insecurities when it comes to my body or how I look. Trust me, I have more than my share, but I keep it bottled up, mainly for self preservation. It's been a struggle to talk about this chapter in my life, because I'm afraid of jinxing myself, but I DO talk about it, I make myself. I basically see this as a project. I'm rewiring my brain to think different, because I really think this too is necessary to reach my goals.

Ok, so that all sounds so serious. I mean, it's true but it's not all that dramatic. It is great though to hear people's compliments and observations about your progress, especially when they come from such stories as this...

This weekend I went at my parents and when I came in the house, mom was in the office printing out a picture. I go in there and ask what she's doing...dad said she's obsessed with printing pictures, she does it all the time. So I look down at this particular one and see this profile picture of some random woman with a weird looking neck.
"What's this?"

"Well this is a picture of a woman with this disease I thought you might have."

Ok, I'll bite...

The disease in question by the way is Cushing's Disease. Please take a moment and click on the link and pull up the picture labeled "buffalo hump." Mom realizes I'm puzzled by this as I read up on the symptoms. What exactly led you to this conclusion mom? She proceeds to tell me she was watching Discovery Health and they did a show on this disease and the neck example caught her eye.
Upon further inspection of my neck she is happy to tell me "I think you're fine. You used to have a big neck but it's getting smaller."
Good to know the weight loss is hitting those crucial areas, including the neck. Nothing worse than a fat neck.
*On a side note, does anyone know if they make the V-Chip for parents? If so, I would like to get a tv for my mom with one and program it to block any channel with the word "Discovery" in the title. Not only is mom a medical expert, but she's also a forensic specialist and the 2nd Dog Whisperer. I cannot tell you how funny it is to see her with their dog, who is dumber than a bag of hair (purebred), doing that "Shh-ing" thing Cesar does on the show.*

Later on in the weekend mom and I dragged my grandma out of the house to get some fresh air, have a little lunch and do some shopping. I was on a mission to get some shoes. My genes have blessed me with ski's for feet, so shopping for shoes is not much fun, which pisses me off because I already hate shopping for clothes, and to add insult to injury only myself and drag queens wear my size shoe (11). Seriously, when I lived in Athens I would see a lot of men in my aisle at Payless around the time for Boyboutante Ball.
Well to my delight, Rack-Room shoes had just what I was looking for, and they were on sale! Pleased with my discovery, I go to the register to pay, and the cashier, who I assume thought she was making pleasant afternoon chatter with me, says "You're lucky you found these. Girls with big feet like you have a hard time finding shoes. Oh and it's worse for you with those wide feet."
Seriously? You're saying this to me? I was dumbfounded. I said nothing, took out my card and handed it over. Me and my big ass clown feet had other places to go. It really is funny, because I can laugh at myself, but come on, did you think that sounded good in your head? The shoes in question are here. I would also like to point out that I do not have fat feet, the bones in my feet are spread way the hell out and I come from a long line of big footed Duggins's. My brother wears a men's size 16.

That about sums it up for now. Me and my slightly less-fat neck and huge feet are tired and need to go to bed!

Blah Blah Blog

I ask this in all seriousness. Is there a nice way to tell someone you do not want to talk to them anymore? Not to sound harsh but, you know a let's-face-it-we've-grown-apart-or-more-to-the-point-I've-grown-away-from-you? Not possible? Yeah, I didn't think so.

So Amber, Lesley and Jenny seem to think it's appropriate for women our age to watch 'The Hills.' I scoffed at the notion when we discussed this at Outback the other night. I was flipping channels one night after that and came across it, tried to watch, and kept cringing. It's not real! It's so awkward. The dark haired horse teeth girl that the main one lives with...good grief she's painful to watch. Sorry ladies, had to keep surfing past that.

Discussed...sounds so grown up, which we all are not. We were so loud at dinner the other night that the people around us sighed out loud in relief when we left, which of course we took as a compliment. That's one of the great things about us, and I love it. I love that Amber and I will pun anything to death and think it's hysterical. I love that things we did 10-15 years ago are still brought up in order to ridicule each other, but in a loving way of course.

Is it a sign of getting older when you purchase a "Finishing Touch" facial trimmer? Being blessed with blond hair I have never had to worry about bleaching the area above my lips or god forbid, waxing it but I did get paranoid about the length of some of the peach fuzz above my lip and so it had to go. Now I'm obsessed with the thing. I decided it would be a good idea to do some maintenance on the eyebrows with this thing, b/c you know, tweezing isn't the most enjoyable activity. Cut to me quickly zipping off a 1/3 of my left eyebrow. Cue me realizing I now have to do the same to the right one in order to not look like a total circus freak. I was mortified. I went into work the next and quickly ran over to my friend Sabrina and let her access the situation...and all she did was laugh. Luckily it grew back. Lesson learned.

I love summer tv!

I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't watch Big Brother.
Seriously, it's the best reality show ever...it's everything a reality show was meant to be, and more. I guess its appeal lies in the fact that it's all about how people deal with each other and what brings out the best...and the worst in them.
Not to mention, the editors of the show make it fun with their editing...cue the dramatic music when someone gets all emotional in the diary room.
I'm loving the twist this season with America's Player. I wasn't sure if Eric would be best suited for the job but I shouldn't have judged him so quickly...he was amazing last night with his first task. It was great tv.
But you probably don't know what I'm talking about b/c you don't watch. I pity you!

One for the scholars

Answer me this...why do people, who clearly do not like you/don't prefer your company, care if you speak to them or not in passing? As you've made it obvious with your behavior, it puzzles me why folks complain because you do not greet them with a hello when you see them. I don't intentionally not speak, but after being snubbed/treated poorly, it should not come as a surprise that speaking to you is not the first thing that comes to mind when our paths cross.

I dunno...just curious.

When did dairy become the enemy?

Isn't it funny how you fail to realize all the sweets and goodies around you until you decide to boycott them? I've taken on a little self maintenance and have willingly and easily given up sweets, amongst other things. I swear the minute I did this, we had a birthday cake or some desert every day at work. Ok, not everyday, but weekly and lots of them.

After nearly 2 months of this, and having passed on some chocolate creation from The Cheesecake Factory, I decided to treat myself with something cool-literally. I figured frozen yogurt wouldn't be too bad, they make sugar-free after all. Then I discovered the bastards at TCBY do not have any locations near work, so I was left with Dairy Queen or Brusters. After quickly ruling out DQ I did a little invesitgating on the website for Brusters. I was in luck! They have no sugar added ice-cream. I was set.

So, Sabrina and I go out during our lunch hour (which is 3pm...sounds odd, but we work 11-8. We hit the post office, then Brusters. The one we went to had all of 2 choices for 'no sugar-added' so I went with Caramel Squirl. One scoop, 220 calories...and it tasted decent. So I went on to enjoy my cool treat and then headed back into work.

Cut to 1 hour later.
So I'm sitting in my chair at work and my stomach starts gurgling...and contracting. :////
I'm like-what? I had a turkey sandwich for lunch, that can't have upset it. *THEN* it dawns on me...the ice-cream. Mind you, in the past two months, I've cut a lot of dairy out of my diet. I eat yogurt maybe twice a week, and a little bit of cheese occasionally...but that's it.
Needless to say, my bowels flushed that out all night and I wanted to die. I can't believe dairy turned on me so quickly. I mean, I ignore it for 2 months and now it wants to act like we never met! I've now become a part of what I used to ridicule and laugh at...the dreaded 'lactose intollerant' population.
Boo.

AHHHHH

I just returned from having 3 days off work. It was so relaxing! I was meant to go to Savannah but that fell through and honestly I could not be happier that it did. I got so much accomplished. After being at work 50-60 hours a week, I'm not the least bit motivated to get shit done and I had a lot to do.
What did I do with my time you ask?
1. Got my hair highlighted and trimmed. WAY OVERDUE. It was dull as dishwater. I left the salon feeling like a new woman. The gay men said my hair looked like Barbie-Doll hair...which I took as a compliment I suppose. Hell, it looked fake to me and it was attached to my head!
2. Got my eyebrows waxed. Also WAY OVERDUE. Plucking doesn't do it for me. I have all these blond hairs around my eyebrows that are hard to pluck b/c they're hard to see plus I just can't get the shape the way I want.
3. Got a pedicure. My poor feet have been neglected too long. I felt sorry for them so I treated them to a soak and some polish.
4. Returned stuff to Wal-Mart. I know what you're thinking-but listen...there are no Wal-Marts anywhere close to me at work or at home so I trip to Wal-Mart is that...a trip.
5. Rented 2 movies that I'd been wanting to see.
The Holiday -not impressed. The acting was crap and totally predictable plot.
Happy Feet-it was ok. I must be missing some chip in my brain b/c I did not think it was "Oh my gosh amazing!!" like I heard everyone say. I mean it was cute, but I think I've outgrown cartoons.
6. Went to Callaway Gardens. My parents and I went for the day and had a great time! We rented bikes and rode them around on some of the trails. The weather was amazing-perfection (better than gum). It was nice to spend some drama-free time with my parents.
7. Finally tried the world famous fried chicken at Watershed. It was good, but on the bone and I'm more of a boneless chicken fan. The food there is great though and I would recommend that place to anyone who likes food.
8. Bought new shoes. I've not had a new pair of trainers/athletic shoes in two years!

In the midst of all that I lounged around at my parents, relaxed, did laundry and just enjoyed myself. Sometimes I just go and go and go without stopping to realize that I've neglected things that I need and want to do.

4/12/07

You know how you're watching Dr. Phil or some cheesy talk show and there are families on there airing their dirty laundry for some television personality to fix all in under an hour? I mean you sit there and think Thank God that isn't me.
Now, I have no desire to air our dirty laundry, but I will say my extended family is going through quite a storm. I swear I never felt like an adult until I turned 30 and suddenly the world decided to part the clouds and dump a big pile of poo on me. Or maybe it's just that I wasn't mature enough to realize these issues/problems existed. Sometimes you can be so self-involved and not realize. Anyways, suffice it to say, now maybe I can extend the slightly bit of empathy towards those fools who talk about their problems on tv with some "professional." At least then you know there are others out there who have problems too.

I wish I had more exciting things to talk about, but I honestly do not. I've settled into a very comfortable work, home, do stuff, sleep routine. I'm planning on going on a little trip by myself next weekend, but we'll see if I actually do it. I really think just a few days out of the normal pattern would do a bit of good for this girl. Other than that, not much exciting on the horizon.

Temptation is a mother

I just realized my background is the same as Amber's. It would appear that I'm copying her, so I need to change that. Trouble is, I don't feel like messing with my settings right now.

Speaking of Amber, she freaking tore it up last night at her dance performance at the old LA Fitness at Toco Hills. I'm sorry, that's going to be the name of it for a few years. I really wish now I didn't work until 8pm everynight because it looks like so much fun.

This weekend we celebrated Chandler's big 3-0. Saturday was lots of fun with drinks, gay boys and Designing Women on the tv. Sunday we took him to brunch and we were sitting on the patio at the restaurant and someone asked when Andy was going to arrive and in true Chandler fashion he pulled something out of his ass regarding our current surroundings and said "Well he's coming in a silver pick up truck full of lesbian midgets so if you see it..." Of course he's describing what he and I are witnessing at that exact moment and while he and I were gasping for air through our laughs, Lesley was clueless to the whole situation. It's not as funny in writing but needless to say we literally witnessed a big truck pull up and this big dude comes around and starts unloading these short people from the truck and setting them down on the pavement and yes they did look like lesbians. I mean, that happens everyday right?

Today while I was out running errands during my lunch hour, I was listening to 99X and Axle was talking to some dude and the dude was bragging about the famous people he's met and Axle busts out "Have you met Corky from Life Goes On? If you haven't met him you ain't shit." I about drove off the road and ironically I was driving past EMA where I know someone would appreciate that reference.

Bleh

I got an ugly reminder recently about the tendencies people have when reacting to situations they aren't prepared for and/or are unhappy about. It's mind boggling how many people walk around displacing their anger onto people they really have no business being upset with...and I keep reminding myself to rise above and realize that it's not me they are mad at, or it should not be in any case. Sorry for the cryptic talk, but I'd rather not get into certain specifics in a public forum. But you know what I'm talking about...it's the classic scenario of getting mad at the waiter when the cook burns your steak. That waiter had nothing to do with the preparation of the meal but often times they must become the punching bag.

I'm feeling a little weary but I will be fine.

You see these shackles baby?

Yes bitches, I saw JT. It was awesome. You wish you had been there.

What a voice. The man can sing, he can sing and dance his ass off at the same time. It was as fun as you would expect. Cathy and I did our best to do the white girl shuffle and shake our booties to all the classics and scream at all the appropriate moments.


Walking back to my car I saw a drunk girl walk straight into a fire hydrant. She literally had sex with it for a second. She's expecting sprinklers in the fall.

Reason 3,454,456,212,456 I love Google

Driving home tonight I heard a song on the radio that 1)I'd never heard, and 2)I really, REALLY liked. That doesn't happen much, I've become disillusioned with radio and often opt for the iPod. However, I wasn't really paying attention while driving down I-285 and all of a sudden I just registered that this song I'm listening to is quite nice.
Turns out, the song is by the group Over The Rhine. Yeah, never heard of them either. Came home and quickly checked iTunes and found the song in question, 'Suitcase' and listened to a preview of it and some of their other songs. I wasn't too impressed with most, with the exception of the song in question, and this other one 'Latter Days.' So I purchased both and have been listening to both.
After one full listen, it registers in my mind that 'Latter Days' is familiar. So, the trivial brain I occupy starts churning. Where do I know it from? Tv..what show? It was a show that doesn't air any longer, but I enjoyed. I kept wanting to say it was Dawson's Creek-but I wouldn't commit to it. It couldn't be. Dawson's Creek is such crap-which unfortunately I didn't realize until they started showing the reruns on TBS.
Google! I always preach the gospel of Google. It's definitely helped clear my mind before. So I googled "Latter Days+Over the Rhine+tv" and in the first link I can see it does mention and then it hits me. FELICITY! This song was played at the end of the episode when Julie leaves, a particularly sad episode when Julie checks out because of all the emotional stress in her life.

Ok fine. If I'm being honest, the reason I felt this was worth mentioning is because, me being the complete and TOTAL GEEK that I am...when hearing the dj name the band "Over the Rhine" I had to commit that name to memory and I usually use tricks like word association so I thought "over the rhine...rhine...beck. Rhinebeck. Felicity went to Rhinebeck with that dude and Ben followed them." So, in actuality, I foreshadowed that epiphany.

Must pull out all 4 seasons of Felicity on dvd and waste away a weekend soon.

The ironies of life

At work, I have to ask people for their first and last name so I can document all calls. Here's a pointer: If your name is Mary Smith, I don't need you to spell it. "Mary Smith, S-M-I-T-H." No way! I thought you spelled it Smythe. Of course, the exact opposite happens when a person with a name like Giaioulouplous calls in. "This is Myrnatell Giaioulouplous." Long pause..."Can you spell that please"? Giant huff on the other end. Sorry dude! I can't spell that shit!

What does one do?

When faced with the fact that everyone and their dog has a blog?
I've half-heartedly tried to blog before, but I just don't like livejournal and myspace is great for many things, but I don't want to blog there. I don't know why I feel the need to explain, as it's not as if there are people beating down my door begging to read the ramblings that I may have to offer. Those who know me realize they'll hear it in person, and probably a few times.
Still here I am...
I find there are some things that go on in my life that I don't necessarily want to verbalize, but would like to put out there, so it's not just sitting in my mind.

Today was my grandmother's funeral. I was so sure I'd grieved for her already, as we thought she was going to pass for the past several months and everytime we got the call we prepared ourselves. Of course, the next morning we'd find out that she was up and eating breakfast, so we put aside our sorrow and celebrated that she made it through another day. We all got to say our goodbyes and make our peace, which I now know is truly a blessing. One of my childhood friends lost her father to a mysterious illness and the family was truly robbed of him in his last days, not even realizing he would soon die. There is no easy way to deal with death but I think we all were grateful for how she passed.
I didn't think I would cry at the funeral. Funny afterthought, considering that we are talking about me afterall, the one who cries. I thought I'd made my peace and I wouldn't need to grieve as much because I knew it was coming. The service was nice enough and her pastor did a great job painting a picture of her life and triggering memories of what she was like and we laughed when he politely explained how "inquisitive" she always was...as she was always the queen of twenty questions. No detail was too small to share, no name to insignifcant to tell. Then he sang two of her favorite hymns, and that's when I lost all control of my emotions and started to shed tears. She'd told the preacher which songs she wanted sung and he did them beautifully. There is something so powerful about words when combined with music, especially when it touches on the exact sentiment of the occasion.
Now I feel like I did before, which is thankful for the time we had with her, and at peace with her death.

I used to write her letters when I was younger. She loved getting my letters and somehow found my thoughts on life as a twelve year old interesting. After a while, I kind of dwindled off with my letters to her, as life changed, and I moved away from home and cluttered my life with other things. She never forgot those letters and always made sure to mention how much she loved them whenever I saw her. I would occasionally remember to drop her a line or two and while I was in Ireland, my aunt and uncle were nice enough to print off my weekly emails home and take them to her. I wish now of course, that I had kept up with those letters more diligently, and will dedicate this to her because I know no matter how insignificant I may feel at times, she would have loved reading what I had to say.