Not a Quitter

I keep trying to blog, and blog, and blog. And nothing happens. You should see the list of saved drafts I have, it's sort of out of control. I miss this. The blogging thing.

But I've been busy. And tired. Distracted. Worried about things I shouldn't have even been worrying about (like a paper I thought for sure I failed only to get it back with a big fat A on it.) And I'll be honest, when given a few moments of down time I usually watch some tv show I missed because of studying instead.

But enough explanation, this is me blogging here because I'm totally not a quitter.

What's new?

Melissa Joan Hart follows me on twitter. No really. I send my tweets out into the world and she reads them. Omg, right? And she retweeted me once. Seriously.

I'm in love with the ABC show Modern Family. It is some serious comedy gold. That and Amy Poehler's Parks & Rec have saved my soul with laughter this semester.

I broke my iPod. Jon also broke every single pair of earphones for both of our iPods, plus a couple pairs of old ones and 2 replacement pairs. Freak accidents, all of it. But still, that's a lotta iPod breakin' going on.

Italian: Mi chiamo Aprile. Sono di Taylorsville, KY. Ho ventitre anni. Ho un fratello. Mi piace la musica e leggere. I could go on...but you get the idea. I know some Italian. Someone asked me the other day what I could do with Italian. Umm, take an awesome trip to Italy and not feel totally lost. Not the best reason to know a tad bit of a language. But you know what? It's enough for me.

Sunday I'm taking the brother and mother to see Michael Jackson's 'This is It.' Super excited about that, not going to lie. I hear it's pretty amazing. And by hear, I mean Liz Taylor told me it was on Twitter.

Holiday I'm kinda not all that into: Halloween. Holidays I'm kinda already stoked for: Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cannot wait.

P.S. I love this dog.

The Great Procrastinator

My major requires that I take a foreign language.

1. Because I was dumb and didn't think to choose a major that didn't require one.
2. Because I once was a major that didn't require one.
3. Because I thought I could put it off and put it off until it magically disappeared.

...is why I'm spending this last year of school slaving over Italian.

I really don't have an interest in learning Italian. But Spanish or any other language would cause me to have to drive to Lexington five days a week. And I don't have the money nor the stamina required to do such a thing.

So that's how my first day of classes went. Me in Italian learning how to say what my name is and what my hobbies are.

Ugh.

I also may or may not have put off my math requirement until this year.

What?!

I know! My procrastination skills are EPIC...let me just tell you.

But thankfully I'm in the dumb math that doesn't care if you are going on to take calculus. Which means I wasn't terribly bored by voting theory yesterday.

Other notes of interest: my history professor is a total NUT. I mean this lady is crazy. In a I'm kinda terrified yet also amused and it's weirding me out kind of way. However I love the heck out of my English professor, who I've now had for 3 semesters in a row, I hope she doesn't think I'm stalking her.

I'm also on the verge of being very broke and running the balance way up on my credit cards. But that's another story for another day.

Bright light at the end of the day? My car. My gloriously fun to drive car. I'm in love.

I enjoy....

Cats who like to think they can fit in really small baskets.



Seriously, it's the most adorable thing ever.



I nearly brought home another cat from Feeders Supply this weekend. But I'm testing out this thing they call 'willpower'.

In addition to NOT bringing home cats I'm also testing my willpower by attempting to give up cokes again. Not to lose weight, but because I'm noticing I'm incredibly addicted to them. It doesn't matter if it's diet or regular, all of that phosphoric acid and junk cannot be good for my body.

But I'm notoriously bad at giving them up. We'll see how long I can go.

Anyways, know what else is cute?

Cats who like to play with Christmas ribbon.

Random Thoughts When I Should Be Working on a Paper Instead

In which I procrastinate:

• I read Twilight and still don't get the phenomenon. To each his own. But I don't want to bite Robert Pattinson. At all. However it should be said: I enjoyed him as Cedric Diggory.
• Blue Christmas. No joke. I'm covering the house in blue Christmas lights. Each year we try to compete with the neighbors across the street, and each year our neighbor gets more and more outrageous with the light stringing. So Mom says, 'hey...we can't compete with the sheer number of lights, I'm out of ideas'. And I said, 'we must go blue'. So we are. Just because blue lights are kind of nutty. Very Graceland circa 1968.
  
• Did I mention I have a paper to write?
• I do.
• 3-4 pages of research on the Bubonic Plague. For a class on Shakespeare. Worst assignment ever.
• I helped my mom pick out a guitar for my brother online this weekend. It arrived today. He has no idea what it is.
• In picking up the blown out tv this weekend, despite having help, I somehow managed to pull the muscles underneath my shoulder blades. I'm avoiding the doctor and hoping it goes away soon. But I can't raise my arms and every time I yawn, sneeze, laugh or cough it hurts.
  
• I think my Dad is diabetic.
• He refuses to go get his sugar tested.
• This is currently a point of contention between the two of us.
• I forgot to mention weeks ago that I canceled my Netflix membership. Turns out it was not a successful experiment as I became the kind of Netflix user they must love. I'd get a few movies and keep them FOREVER. I had zero turnover. It was completely worthless. I guess if you are diligent enough to keep a steady flow of movies coming in and out then it is worth it, but I was not.
• I'm thinking about brining the turkey this year. Have any of you ever brined a turkey? Delicious? Not delicious? You stay as far away as possible from any turkey cooking process? Yeah, I understand.
• And finally, a question? How many potatoes are too many potatoes at the Thanksgiving dinner table? We're having an intense Potato Salad vs. PW's Mashed Potatoes vs. Hashbrown Casserole debate. For a FOUR PERSON MEAL. Okay, seriously. But some of us will only eat one of those potatoes, and some of us will eat all three.
  

Photo of the Day: Post Crazy Edition

So I've been wondering all day how you follow up breaking the news to the world via your blog that you're crazy and made some seriously bad decisions once upon a time.

A) Do you ignore it and pretend it never happened?

B) Do you delete the post and pretend it never happened?

C) Do you vow to quit blogging because your disclosure level has reached epic levels and therefore you should really just stop?

D) Or do you post a Photo of the Day and call it a night?

I went with option D.


Jon starting one of several late nights of fishing in Sanibel this summer. This is one of many photos I just recently discovered existed, something about taking a 1000 pictures in a single trip made me forget to upload a ton. But I can't look at that hat and NOT laugh.

Getting things off of my chest, the annual purging of emotion and thoughts

I had to register for next semester's classes this week. Something about doing that sent my mood this week into a downward spiral. I feel so close, yet so far away from graduating. A few years ago in my college career I let myself get into a bit of a pickle. I was living in Lexington, feeling very alone, hating my roommate, hating everything about the way college was turning out. I stopped going to class very often and barely squeaked by with the grades I got. It was never that I wasn't capable, it was that depression had overcome my life and I could no longer function.

I remember walking around like a zombie that semester. And then that semester turned into the entire school year. Finally I made the hard decision to move home and not return back to living in Lexington the next fall. Last year was a bit of an experiment in how that would all work. I didn't take a terribly full workload since I wasn't sure how the commuting thing would go.

My life now is completely different, a total turnaround from that dark year. I've never been the type to need to be around people, but I did need to be around family. I was tired of cooking microwave meals and eating them alone. I can honestly say I am now a much happier person.

But I'm still feeling the effects of that dark year, and the subsequent adjustment period.

It is going to take me a little longer than I'd ever thought to finish my degree. And this year has been a bit of a challenge, not because of classes, but in overcoming this looming idea of timeframes and how my life should be and at what age.

I'm sharing this because this is what I deal with. These are the things that run through my brain on a daily basis. And I don't think I'm always upfront with myself, much less everyone else. I suffered from depression. I don't let a day go by without realizing how thankful I am for that low point in life to be over. But I still struggle with the feelings. And it's okay.

Anyways, I wanted to get this out there for my own cartharsis. Maybe if I say what I'm feeling I can confront it, right?! haha

I also wanted to share a few things that are bringing me great joy right now, and counteracting those crummy feelings I sometimes let myself get ahold of.

So my mother started collecting those Christmas Village houses this year. I'm still not quite sure why. Except she always gets on a kick of some sort with a new hobby every few months, and this month it's Christmas Villages. Ehh, whatever.

I initially rolled my eyes. Thought it was stupid. I think I even laughed at her a few times.

And then I went to Michaels and Garden Ridge, found the Lemax Villages on clearance and 50% off and well...I have a hobby, it's calling finding good deals and not being able to resist them:



Umm yeah, I bought all of these in ONE trip. And my Mom is the one laughing at me now.

The problem remains though, apparently the purpose of a Christmas Village is to put it on display. And I've now bought so many that we're going to have to buy a table, or stop eating at the one in the kitchen.

I also wanted take the time to point out that while I have been baking many things lately, many fattening things, I am not eating all of them. I threw away more than half of that monkey bread last night. Not because it wasn't good, it was quite delish. But because I've been the same weight for the last several years, and while I'm not doing anything to lose any of that weight, I don't want to do anything to make me gain 50 pounds on top of it.

That said, has anyone ever eaten chicken noodle soup served over top of mashed potatoes. Like this recipe here?

We don't do a lot of chicken soup around here, but I'm very intrigued with the over mashed potatoes part. It sounds like a lethal combination. And by lethal I mean...insanely delicious.

And finally, does anyone else watch, or did watch, or enjoy, The West Wing? I didn't while it was actually running on television. I always thought I'd like it though. And now...I'm obsessed. Where was I 10 years ago? Why wasn't I watching this piece of brilliance?

Movin' On Up to the Eastside

Hey, who wants to talk about my neighbors?

*Pick me, pick me!*

Alright so last I left off on the neighbor story I recall telling you all about the new people renting the house next door. The preacher who did live there moved on from his MW church to a mega church in Louisville, where he and his menagerie of children are now living near campus. Anyways, the new couple he found through said megachurch had sold their house and needed a rental until the one they are building is finished. Which...voila....is how they are here.

So, I mentioned they are loaded.

Well let me tell you this. I simply did not emphasize that enough. Let me clarify:

They are LOADED, LOADED, LOADED. Like building a $600,000 home in a former Home-o-rama subdivision loaded.

Now the whole thing was odd to me from the get go. And since I'm both an expert spyer and google-er I was determined to get to the bottom of things. Say what you will about me, but I'm nothing if not determined.

First I sent in the operatives:



The one on the left talks a lot and the one on the right is cute. And the same age as the new neighbor's children. So, you know...perfect.

Initial contact with new neighbors was sketchy. Despite murmers that the new couple were building a very large house I was somewhat dumbfounded when Operative #1 (the talkative one) reported back that according to Neighbor Wife, Neighbor Husband was a youth pastor.

Now, my cousin Tommy got himself a seminary school education a few years back. And surprise, surprise, he works as a youth minister at a fairly large sized Christian church nearby. While he provides for his family and they certainly do not do without by any means, they could not afford such an expensive home.

So I had my doubts. Neighbor Husband: Youth pastor or Colombian Drug Lord masquerading as Youth Pastor?

Really, was all in the air at this point.

The next phase of the mission was all up to Operative #2 (the cute and appropriately aged one). His goal: integrate seamlessly into Neighbor Kids' circle.

Reports flooded in about the neighbor kids. But it took several weeks to pin down an exact last name. 2 weekends ago I became fairly confident in both pronunciation and spelling of their last name.

Which is how I found not just their names, but that Neighbor Husband is a lot more than a modest youth pastor. Maybe he started out as one. Perhaps that's how he broke into the biz. But a simple google search led me to a TON of info about Neighbor Husband. Who happens to be a high ranking bigwig in the K*Y*B*A*P*T. something or other.

And then I nailed the subdivision down through two happenings: 1) we somehow ended up behind their car one evening on the way home from the store and saw them turning into it and 2) Operative #2 reported back that Neighbor Kids has talked about that specific neighborhood and the details of the house they are going to be living in.

With details like that is was easy to pinpoint the price point of the house.

And once I did that my jaw dropped to the floor, where it's been for the last several days.

Now I grew up in a VERY modest tract home filled neighborhood. Every house was the same, all the parents did the same things: factories, construction....McDonalds. You get the gist. Where I live now? A bit bigger, the houses are all different, BUT STILL MODEST. So this is new, this living next to well off people thing.

But alas, the conclusion is still the same as it was weeks ago: I should have gone to seminary school.

;)

(this entire post was tongue in cheek, please don't be offended by my obvious objectification of A) the rich and B) the religious. I know not all preachers are rich and not all rich people are preachers. I also know I've never felt any calling to attend seminary school. Oh well.)

Cat Scratch Fever

It is so hard to find the motivation to blog lately. Between the dropping my basket over school stuff, and then the whole political scene right now I spend most of my time watching CNN, perusing the internet for political stories, or reading something for some boring class.

But I was doing so good with the blogging and writing down the stuff going on in my life that I almost feel bad for not updating! Something about that is probably not healthy. ;)

So what have I been up? Good question.

As I said, watching lots of CNN. Last night Jon piled on my bed with 2 of the 3 dogs, my Mom kicked her feet up nearby and we watched John McCain's nomination speech. But before that we warmed up with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. That was lots of fun.

I finished my quilt squares! Now I just have to quilt the whole thing. Which umm...I'm thinking is going to be the hard part since I have no idea how to do it. I'll let you know how that goes.

Last night I dreamed about my dead grandmother. As in, every so often we had to un-thaw her and she'd come back to life for a little while. What?! Yeah, I don't know what is up with that. I blame it on late night Republican politics coupled with French Onion Sunchips...that'll do weird stuff to your head. ;)

Did you know I still don't have a car? Nope, keep putting off going to find one. I hate car shopping. And the price of little cars has rose dramatically since the last time we bought one! Omg. When we bought my Aveo, it was a year old with really low miles on it and we got it for $8,900. If I tried to buy a year old Aveo now with low miles it would cost me $10,988 or $11,950.

So I'm indecisive about what I want and unsure of which direction to go in. I'm sure I'll decide something soon though.

Things I'm currently obsessed with include:

The LL Bean catalog. I'm not kidding when I say I want everything in it.

Fall Weather. I wouldn't mind a bit of a chilly spell.

Bollywood movies. Which oddly enough my library has a plethora of. Weird.

And kittens. I know there are enough animals around here. But every time I go to Feeder's Supply there is a cage full of kittens. And every time their adoption fee is marked down to $55 and the frugal part of me goes, '$55 for a cat thats already fixed and has all of its shots is a DEAL'. And every time at the very moment, when I'm this close to asking someone for paperwork to fill out...my Dad calls and says 'don't even think about it'. And he doesn't even know I'm thinking about it, he just knows where I am and that it's GOING TO HAPPEN.

So yeah, somebody adopt a kitten and then let me come cuddle it. Okay? Thanks.

Just Thinking Out Loud

Off the wall names I like:

• clementine
• ainsley
• poppy
• piper
• harrison
• henry
• alfie
• ezra

Off the wall places I'd like to live:

• San Francisco
• a brownstone in Brooklyn
• new orleans french quarter
• the south of france
• a village in cambodia

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There really isn't much point to that stuff. You ever get to just thinking about things? Things being nothing and everything and really quite intriguing and silly at the same time. Things that are otherwise inconsequential but perhaps it's important to know you once thought them. So you pull up your blog, or dust off your journal and put them down for posterity's sake.

I read an article earlier from the UK (as in United Kingdom, not the school that rapes my wallet every fall) about how old names are making a comeback in the chic department. Of course people will still stick with trendy, but over there, where I've decided they are infinitely cooler than America, really old names are on the upturn. Like little 3 year old boys walking around being called Edward, Ted, and George. Or perfectly British young girls named Mabel and Nellie. So I came up with my own list. And so you have it.

The living list will never happen. It just won't. I see myself visiting these places. But living there is like a mythical second life that exists only in my head. A what if kind of thought. Perhaps the oddest is a village in Cambodia, but I have this strange pull towards that country. Kind of like my obsession with Greece, though I've never been able to explain it. The other night my Dad posed one of those silly dinner table kind of questions: if you visited somewhere next week, no limits on distance or money, where would it be? I said Cambodia. He said, "Whatever. Watch out for landmines."

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I've been kind of out of it for the past few days. I have struggled with this strange cold/sinus pressure thing all summer long and this week it has managed to rear its ugly head again. No matter what I take, nothing seems to stop the sloshing around of my brain.

Not to mention my longest known friend is pregnant. Due the same month as my birthday. In a less than perfect situation. It's just been much for me to take in and process. Frankly, I've still not made much progress in doing so. I'm sure I'll come around though.

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I've declared tonight a eat bad food and watch shitty movies night. I haven't eaten out in so long that I'm thinking what my brain is missing is some processed crap. Trans Fat: It's What's For Dinner.

Musings

I've not had a lot to say lately.

For a brief moment I considered another controversial topic.

But you gotta be prepared to defend yourself, and I have no energy right now. So, I passed.

I could have blogged about my progress on the room makeover. Except, well, there isn't exactly any progress yet. I have paint chips taped to the wall though! Where they may stay for the next several weeks.

Then of course there is the car thing. I hate car things. So it's best to just sweep that under the rug and pretend it doesn't exist. Last night my father asked if I'd found anything worth checking out yet. Umm, yeah...I haven't really been looking too hard. I should get on that though.

So, no car stuff, or room stuff, or controversy.

I've been working on organizing my coupon stuff. I seem to flip flop a lot on the whole couponing thing. I'll go really strong for several weeks, scooping up deals left and right, and then I'll promptly procrastinate on clipping them for several Sundays in a row. Oops.

I've been applying for jobs and internships. No luck yet, but that is something a little bit new. I'm not rushing anything, or particularly desperate. I just figure it's good to be productive and start getting my name out there a bit.

In other news, I hate my car insurance company. Not so much the company itself, but the women who work in the local office. The ones who always seem SO BOTHERED to have to enter payments or print receipts or you know DO THEIR JOB everytime I'm in there. Today I dropped off my tow bill, which under the terms of my policy I get reimbursed $40 for and you'd have thought I asked them to recite the bible BACKWARDS. I mean Jesus, pardon the pun.

So yes, that's about all I've got. How are things in your neck of the woods? Really, I'd love to know. Do you love your car insurance company? Should I switch? How about your car, is it reliable and affordable?

Inspired

Inspired by this, I'm going to answer these. And frankly, you should too.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Finding someone to raise children and grow old with.

What is your current state of mind?
As always, super worried about silly stuff. but other than that (which is normal) I'm pretty calm and enjoying summer.

What is your greatest fear?
Losing my family and being alone for the rest of my life.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Procrastination, I put EVERYTHING off until tomorrow.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Ignorance and stupidity (i.e. refusal to be more enlightened about the world and issues involving us all).

What is your greatest extravagance?
I'm pretty darn frugal, but I really love gadgets and technology. I'll always spend money on computers and cameras.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
steadfastness, I think it's important to have the ability to waver on something if you were truly wrong to begin with. You should always admit mistakes.

What is it that you most dislike?
I hate when people are apathetic towards anything. But I'm a pretty passionate person, so I guess I'm always seeking that in others.

On what occasion do you lie?
To protect people, or smooth out situations.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
I'm not crazy about my thighs.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Sincerity and sense of humor.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Strength, general kick ass-ness. We need more Hillary Clintons and Angelina Jolies in this world.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Lately it's been "for sure".

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
I do believe I've yet to find that.

When and where were you happiest?
Sheer bliss in the moments after my Dad's first heart attack when he was wheeled out of the cath lab, I remember sitting in the waiting room smiling from ear to ear and just feeling this incredible just like...light within my whole body. It was quite amazing.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I really wish I were crafty. I just don't have the eye for it.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I don't think I've had a greatest achievement yet. I was a good kid, I made through school, am working on my "higher education", but nothing remarkable yet. It's coming though.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I'm still working on being less uptight, so I guess I would have more fun...that's what I'd change.

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what do you think it would be?
I always say a dog, but one of those dogs that has it made.

What is your most treasured possession?
Photographs, you just can't replace them.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Poverty and hunger I would imagine, the victim of Ethnic Cleansing, Hiv/AIDS mother in a 3rd world country, old person with no family and no support system.

What is your most marked characteristic?
I'm sure people say I'm quiet. But, I'm not really sure how others perceive me.

What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty and ease of friendship, if we have to work hard to be friends it's just not worth it.

Who are your favorite writers?
Mark Twain, Jane Austen, Rebecca Wells, F. Scott Fitzgerald, J.K. Rowling, Richard Yates, Walt Whitman, Margaret Mitchell, Wendell Berry, Maya Angelou.

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Rhett Butler, although he is a bit of an anti-hero.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Good lord that's a hard question. How about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Had that been my time period I feel I would have been just as adament about women's rights as they were. Thank god they existed. And look how far we've come.

Who are your heroes in real life?
un peace workers, volunteers, first responders, my mother, jacqueline kennedy onassis, princess diana, angelina jolie, bono, hillary clinton.

What are your favorite names?
Harper, Ellis, Sloane, Julian, Sullivan, Jude

What is your greatest regret?
Not getting on a boat with my grandpa the last time we were at the lake before he died, not telling someone how I truly felt.

How would you like to die?
Surrounded by my loved ones, happy with how it all turned out.

Mad with Power

I'm zapped. But a new post needs to be up. Not that I don't love Molly, but I'm tired of seeing her at the top of the page.

• Finally exploded in a fit of hormonal rage that had been building for a week. Was surprisingly not as bad as in the past: St. John's Wort to thank maybe?
• Emailed someone I really used to care for, he actually emailed me back. Friends perhaps? Full circle moment for sure.
• Decided against buying the dSLR, for now at least. I'll revisit the idea in the fall after a few months of working again. But, it was definitely a more complicated purchase than I thought and I felt I was rushing it too much in the name of vacation. My camera will suffice for now.
• Worked out plans to redesign "my" room after vacation. I'm going to make it multifunctional so it transitions to Mom's craft room when I leave the nest. Am almost too excited about working out the plan and picking up paint samples and such.
• Bought all of the supplies to bake a cheesecake this weekend. Holy crap, when did cream cheese start costing an arm and a leg??
• 12 Days. That's all.
• Made a to-do list. Have about a zillion things on it that all need to be worked out this weekend.
• Bought an ASUS EEE PC. Will definitely put up a review when it gets here. But I'm initially super geeked about it. I love the idea of a mini laptop that I can throw in my purse and go with.
• Made plans to yardsale in the morning, which if you know me and my history of poor yardsale skills then you'd realize this is laughable. But one of them is going to have a luggage carrier tomorrow and we could use one.
• Had an hour long conversation about what you do at a wedding reception with no alcohol or dancing. Seriously...what do you do???
• Nearly fainted at the following headline: CLAY AIKEN IMPREGNATES A WOMAN.
• Then laughed at the structure of said headline. "Clay Aiken To Be Father". Nope, more shocking that he impregnated a woman.
• Spent 2 hours of my life watching Lucky 7 on Lifetime. Could say many things, but will stick with this: Patrick Dempsey IS dreamy...end of story.
• And I'll end with this: Chris Brown and Rihanna are freaking adorable. Like, seriously. And I'm not embarrassed to admit that.

P.S. Sex and the City...THIS WEEKEND. If you saw, don't tell me. But I really hope I can squeeze in a couple hours at a theater before the weekend's up.

Victim of Mass Consumerism

I want Martha Stewart's hair.

I know it sounds insane. Martha Stewart? Right. I mean, when did she become my style icon? Up until this morning she wasn't. I could have cared less about her to be honest. And then a little thing I like to call "free magazine subscription" happened.

You see, a few weeks ago I signed up for a free subscription to "Hallmark Magazine". Not really thinking or caring too much about it. That's my thing, free subscriptions. If you look enough you find them by the dozens. I get Time, Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Spin, Interview, Travel and Leisure....all free.

And I like it.

But until last month I didn't have a favorite. The logical choice used to be Time. I like politics. I like their format. It fit, you know?

But then Hallmark lured me in with their Key Lime Pie.

And this month with this pretty cover:



Then a wonderful little piece on must-reads for the beach. And they all SOUNDED WONDERFUL.



Then Hallmark caught my eye with this little shell inhanced page:



Which mentioned MY vacation spot, Sanibel Island. Any mag that mentions Sanibel automatically gets major points from me.



And by the back flap of the magazine I was admiring Martha Stewart's hair.



That's how I ended up coveting a Martha Stewart haircut.

I'm such a sucker for advertising and photoshop.

10 Guilty Pleasures

1. Reality Television: I think many of us have this guilty pleasure lurking in our closet. I mean, of course, they wouldn't stay on the air if none of us were watching. My personal favorites include all of those TLC shows (Little People, Jon and Kate), Gene Simmon's Family Jewels, Tori and Dean: Inn Love, the Bravo shows like Real Housewives and Project Runway and a few weeks ago I finally caught onto the hype that is The Hills. Father forgive me, for I have sinned.

2. Not dieting: You know what? I talk a good game. I'm going to get fit and trim and work it out. But you want to know the truth? I love food. A lot. I enjoy baking things that are chock full of butter. I really like red meat. And there is nothing like a good bag of potato chips. I like to eat, I find joy in eating. And despite all of my best efforts, I don't think I'll stop anytime soon.

3. Couponing: I'm throwing this one in. Because while couponing is not a guilty pleasure for say...Moms, it is one for a 22 year old single woman. I don't even have a need to coupon. Except it fills a certain time slot on a lazy Sunday. It's a good outlet to get my shopping out, and I figure I will someday use my money saving skills to good use, like saving for amazing vacations. Still, I only tell the internet about this one. ;)

4. Running the A/C: Here's a secret for you, I hate driving with my windows down. It seriously fucks up my hair, I spend most of the ride spitting my bangs out of my mouth and attempting to see through the fury. I also hate letting other drivers at stoplights hear my embarrassing taste in music. So, I don't do it. I know that we are all supposed to love driving with the windows down. But, I don't. I happen to really enjoy running the A/C.

5. Dancing with the Stars: I love this damn show. I love it so much, I once contemplated paying to see their live tour. I get fully invested in one couple, every season. I'm also eerily good at predicting the winner by week one or two of the competition. I've managed to get it right every season, and this year I predict Kristi takes it home tomorrow.

6. Celebrity Gossip: When I was in high school I used to spend $1.99 every single week on In Touch Magazine. I bought it because it was cheaper than People or Us Weekly. By the time I graduated I had a stack of those magazines like you wouldn't believe in my closet (nope, I didn't throw them out either). Sometime during my freshman year of college my In Touch obsession was replaced by Perez Hilton and Pink is the New Blog. I'm not proud of knowing every single latest celebrity hookup, but the popularity of those blogs tell me I'm not the only one.

7. Auntie Anne's Pretzels: Have I ever mentioned I can not go to the mall and leave without purchasing an Auntie Anne's Pretzel? I can't even remember the last time I did. In fact, just this past Saturday I indulged. And it was amazing. I think it's their buttery-ness that attracts me.

8. Reading Online Message Boards: When I was in middle school I belonged to a University of Kentucky basketball forum called "Wildcat Faithful". I posted a bunch. Made friends with people. Even got together with the whole group at a UK exhibition game. I don't participate in online forums anymore, but boy if I don't love reading them. Some particular favorites include the forums at Television Without Pity, where the snark flows in the reality tv forums, and a few Grey's Anatomy ones to keep up with the spoilers and speculation. I also take advantage of the coupon ones like "Hot Coupon World" to help with my drugstore trips.

9. Harlequin Romance Novels: No kidding. I love those little books. Not all of the time, or even half of the time. But when I need a quick pick me up I'll grab one of those little jewels (the "Super Romances" being my favorites) and read through it. 1/2 Price Books usually has them packaged up, four of them for $1 and every time I'm in there I usually grab another stack to keep on hand.

10. Blogging: Can I say this here? I guess so. There really is no reason I can think of to blog. I could use the excuse that I'm exercising my writing muscles, but I could do that alone and to myself in a journal. I suppose I enjoy the community. Even if people don't always comment. I really enjoy reading what other's blog about and feeling apart of it all. Most of us will never be Dooce, but we all share this common thread. People don't drop in on their neighbors anymore, we don't stand together on front porches sharing stories. But we get together on the internet. We share things with strangers that we sometimes don't even tell our families. And in the process we make new friends and a new support group. And really, it may be a guilty pleasure that I don't have to partake of, but goodness if I don't love it.

*cue the violins*

Tagging: All of you. I hope you do it.

Confused and Consumed

When I was a little girl my Aunt B used to carry around a huge Canon SLR everywhere she went. For years and years she was the go to photographer of the family. Back in the days of rolls upon rolls of film, I would watch her go about her business. Carefully she would frame the faces of each family member, sneak up on conversations capturing the most intimate of shots. A gentle laugh amongst friends here, a child's innocence there.

I was a girl enamoured. As soon as I was old enough my parents let me use their gigantic point and shoot. And when I was 13 they purchased me my first, in a long line, Fuji. I loved that camera, carefully taking it with me anywhere I went. It was the camera I used to capture all of my UK basketball pictures from my obsessed youth.

I resisted the digital age. For a long time, when everyone else was using measly 3 megapixel cameras to produce grainy shots I was refusing to give in to this new media. That is, until my freshman year of college. Before my first trip to Sanibel I decided I absolutely had to have a digital camera. So my Mom bought a 4 megapixel Samsung.

It's was a decent little camera. I can't complain since it did all of things I ever asked it to. And when it ceased to suffice my needs I bought the Fuji S700 I have now.

For the past year I've loved that camera as though it were my child. I had never owned such a wonderful piece of equipment. And from the first sharp, color saturated picture to the last I've adored its capability.

For what it is, it's been a fantastic camera.

But I feel limited in what I can pull off with it now. The biggest limitation is indoor shots. They are, quite simply, horrendous. No matter how well lit the room is, it just can't manage a good indoor shot. And I hate using flash. So, I just don't take inside shots. Except for the ones I have to.

So, if you've been following me on Twitter you'll already know that I've been in the market for a D-SLR for days now. I've decided to forego the macbook for now and instead spend that extra budget money on an SLR. Vacation is my biggest picture taking time of my entire year and to commemorate being back on the island (ugh, miss it so much!!!) I really want to have an SLR in my hands this year.

Which, hello! Totally means I'm running out of time to figure this out.

I've managed to make my head, literally, hurt from all of the camera reviews I've spent hours reading online. I've been tempted by Olympus and Sony flashing their shiny features in the corner, confused by Nikon and Canon and have found myself waist deep in "Camera Wars".

I don't know what I'm going to do. Hopefully a trip to Best Buy tomorrow to hold the Nikon and Canon in my hand will help solve the situation. Maybe.

But at least I've blogged about it. I like to keep my blog abreast of the situation.

(Side note: I live with a 13 year old boy, abreast is a funny word in this house.)

Great Blog Block '08 (How I've Spent My Time)

• alphabetized my spices
• tried to cook a casserole
• burnt a pot holder
• watched "Beetlejuice" 8,495,838,783 times; and it just keeps getting funnier
• read 13 trashy romance novels
• watched the birds in the retreat
• cried
• bemoaned
• whimpered
• got the dog's leg unstuck when it came out of socket
• stopped couponing for the time being because I couldn't find the energy to clip them
• read a book about birds, front to back, can't remember any of it
• painted my toenails their signature pink
• organized my pictures
• attempted to learn aperture
• twittered
• twiddled my thumbs
• wrote 6,000 blog posts...deleted each one
• became dyslexic
• cured cancer
• wrote a love song, not cause you asked me to
• bought britney spears songs on itunes
• watched a lot of jimmy kimmel
• am now fucking matt damon
• read exactly one piece of actual literary work; hated it
• ate a lot of white cheddar popcorn
• didn't exercise
• bought squash and promptly killed all nutritional goodness by frying it
• come to think of it, fried lots of foods
• called my mom's dog, "the baby jesus"
• changed her name to "el diablo"
• then back to "the baby jesus"
• watched my father become a huge OBAMA supporter
• for the record: that's 2 against 2 in this house
• we hillary supporters are a slightly delusional bunch ;)
• sniffed permanent markers and gasoline
• suggested that someone should make a candle out of that shit
• avoided all family member phone calls
• lied to my dad about the cost of our condo for vacation
• took up shoplifting for sport
• watched a lot of "king of the hill"
• debated bobby hill's true parentage with my brother
• pan broiled ribeyes, causing every smoke alarm in the house to go off
• annoyed by father by:
• calling him by his first name
• refusing to twist tie the bread or potato chips
• not double bagging the garbage cans
• and breathing
• contemplated the merits of ramel bradley's rap career
• admired robert downey jr.'s ability to wear the color purple and still seem manly
• took entirely too much of my time writing this

(Disclaimer: some of these may or may not be embellished. You decide which you would like to be true. Too many are for me to admit.)

Covet List

1920s style bungalow is my current dream home. Well, that's a lie. My dream home is a huge ancient plantation style home like something from out of "Gone with the Wind", because I have a thing for columns. But if I'm being realistic, this kind of house is my real dream home. I'd love to buy one someday that needs a little fixing up and really make it my own.

I have a thing for blue kitchens with white cabinets and stainless steel appliances. I also have a thing for any kitchen larger than a thumbtack, in which I can pan broil ribeyes to my heart's content. But especially ones that look like this.

As mentioned, I have a wedding to attend next month. It's a casual affair so nothing too dressy is required. I'm thinking a dress along the lines of these three. And since I rarely have an opportunity to dress like this, I'm super excited about shopping for this event. And attending I suppose, I do quite enjoy the couple. ;)

A wedding also means I finally have a reason to show off my mad stilleto skills. Y'all, I can walk in the pretty shoes now! After much heartache and a realization that I should be buying an 8 1/2, not a 9 (hi! am not as large as I think I am), I get to actually feel pretty and elongated in some shoes. Yay for me.

I can't stop perusing the lovely halls of Etsy. The idea of an online art village of handmade goods is incredible to me. It makes it super easy to find wonderfully handcrafted gems of all sorts. Like this sparrow print I've had my eye on for a few days:

When I own my own home it will be full of beautiful prints like this one. Love, love, love it.

Let's not kid ourselves, I'm not getting married in the near future. But what is a girl to do when no marriage prospects are on the horizon and she wants a diamond ring?

She buys herself a right hand ring. Whoever came up with this little creative ploy is a marketing genius. Because I totally want one.

Also. What's a girl to do when she can't come up with blog material? She makes of list of things she currently wants to own.

Worked out quite nicely huh?

Going to the Chapel...

I've mentioned that I have an upcoming wedding to attend. The soiree is taking place the weekend before my vacation. So in the upcoming weeks I have all of the vacation last minutes to take care of, along with shopping for that perfect wedding attire.

Tonight I spent a little bit of time researching the proper June wedding apparel ettiquette.

This is an excerpt from my favorite article on the subject. It is my favorite because the bolded part is exactly how I fear I am going to experience this wedding.

Last summer, with two weddings rapidly approaching, I purchased a sexy yet
tasteful Nanette Lepore pale-pink sundress with a bird-and-butterfly pattern.
Since the guest lists promised to have little crossover, I planned to cheat and
wear it twice.

The dress never made it past the first wedding, which took place in
Vermont. Depressed that my personal life would never match the picture
of purity and simplicity at the quaint church where my friends exchanged vows, I drank too much at the reception and made an ass of myself on the dance floor. Sadly, the dress was not up to the task. Or, more precisely, I wasn’t up to the dress—I didn’t have the cleavage to hold up the scooped and gathered front. The ruffled straps kept falling off my shoulders, taking the
rest of the bodice with them. Several times, the entire dress nearly fell to my
waist. I have not asked to see the wedding photos.

Happy for them? Of course.

Mildly depressed for myself? Most likely.

Zapped

There are times with this blogging thing that I feel like a machine. A million things swirling around in my head, furiously posting several times per day.

And then there are times like now, when I feel creatively zapped.

To be honest I think it has to do with my current pace of life. My days are filled with nothing more thrilling than watering plants. And the most exciting thing I've done this week is watch Dancing with the Stars last night. (I know, sad.)

The writing is not for lack of trying, if you took a peek into my blogger account you would find no less than 12 attempted blogs. 12 very stupid, very incoherent, very boring blogs.

My flickr account holds 1,675 of my photos. And out of those 1,675 I can't find a single one worth a photo of the day. And three nights ago, Molly, the dog of Satan herself managed to chew my cleanest SD card to little tiny bits.

I've not bothered to replace it yet.

This week I have to purchase a wedding shower gift. From a gift registry. I hate gift registries. And apparently my options are down to a blender, a lamp or a rug.

The excitement around here is downright palpable I tell you.

So that is what I've been up to. For all of you who, I'm sure, could not contain yourselves any longer with my lack of material.

Yeah.

Becoming One with Nature

When I was four years old my mother sent me outside on a post-rainy day and made me play in the mud. When everyone else's mothers were chiding them about staying clean, mine was forcing me to get a little dirty.

She claims mud builds character.

It goes without saying that despite her best efforts, I've never become friends with dirt. I happen to think it is everything we say it is: dirty, nasty, grimy, filthy, disgusting, and mighty gross to have stuck underneath fingernails.

And up until this weekend I've managed to spend the eighteen years since I was four avoiding it.

You see, it all began a few weeks ago when I got the brilliant idea to expand our bird retreat, or sanctuary...I haven't decided on what to call it yet, into a rectangular backyard masterpiece.

Why yes, I have been watching a little too much HGTV lately.

But that's besides the point. The real story here is that I decided upon this retreat officially on Thursday night. By Friday morning I was spray painting the area to mark for digging. SPRAY PAINTING. There is like no turning back at that point.

Roughly an hour into digging the sod out of the ground I realized it might have been easier to own a garden tiller. Another half hour and one google search later and I figured out that was $200 I probably wasn't going to talk anyone into spending.

At some point in the day I ended up at a nursery and Meijers with my Mom spending that same $200 I couldn't talk anyone into for a garden tiller on various perennials, shrubs, trees, bird feeders and soil.

And by that night I was on my hands and knees in the mud digging up this rectangle in our yard.

The same mud I've spent most of my life despising.

I've never been so dirty in all of my 22 years. Nobody else has ever witnessed me so dirty. The neighbor kids were in awe. My father couldn't believe his eyes. And my mother?

My Mom was proud.

22 years of trying and her daughter finally got into the mud, willingly.

22 years and I'm thinking I need my head checked.

(The "project" is still not finished. I'll have more of my "Backyard Makeover" tomorrow. Maybe. If I can still move in the morning.)

(For the record: I still hate mud.)