Thursday, December 18, 2008
thursday thoughts
All that aside, this gal married to the gay man had some crazy nails. I wish I had a picture of them - the regular nail was painted clear with white snowflake designs and the tips were blood red. Happy holidays.
So last night as I'm heading to the nail salon (my one indulgence I still allow myself, mainly b/c I know I'll have to give them up once nursing school starts) I get a text from Adam saying, "red tips and snowflakes?" Careful what you wish for, buddy.
Does anyone else ever get that feeling that the nail ladies are totally talking smack on you the whole time you're in there? I love my nail girl - she's always so sweet with her hugs and "special pricing for good customer," but I just wish for one second I understood Vietnamese so I knew her true thoughts. Here's how I think last night went:
Her: You want eyebrow wax today?
Me: Oh, I suppose I should...
Her: Vietnamese to co-worker (my translation: I would say so, sweetie! Those things are about to grow off your face!)
Her: You look pretty girl, you lose weight?
Me: Thank you, just a few pounds, you know, trying to get ready for the wedding...
Her: Vietnamese to co-worker (my translation: You'd better drop some pounds if you plan to squeeze into a dress, fatty!)
Her: You want design on nail today?
Me: Actually, I think I do...how are you with snowflakes?
Her: Don't know snow-frake
Her: Vietnamese to co-worker (my translation: Who does she think I am? Picasso? Flowers or butterflies, pick one silly American!)
Me: Never mind
Friday, December 12, 2008
on another heavier note
Last night, her mother was killed in an automobile accident.
Please add Lexi and her daughter, Georgia, as well as the rest of their family to your thoughts and prayers. Lord knows they need them now more than ever.
Monday, December 8, 2008
fruits & veggies
If you're like me, you probably don't always get your daily intake of fruit as recommended by the USDA. Well, this weekend at Costco I found a new way to get mine. Brothers-All-Natural Fruit Crips are apparently all the rage with moms looking for healthy snacks for their kids. But I'm all about them for myself. The combo pack I bought has apple and pear crisps but their website says they come in all sorts of varieties.
And the best part - one bag equals 1/2 cup of dried fruit, which the USDA recognizes as the equivalent to 1 cup of fresh fruit. Depending on your age and gender, that might just equal your daily dose.
Anyway, just thought I'd share my latest find - enjoy!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
umm...
Friday, November 21, 2008
a little fun for your friday
April - the last song (somewhere around the 4 minute mark) will always remind me of you. hehe.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Saturday wasn't one of those days, but it was a good one nonetheless. My grandma, mom and I went shopping for the wedding dress. It wasn't as painful as I'd imagined, but it wasn't a cake walk.
I wish I had a camera with me to truly capture the awfulness of the first place we went. The day we went there was a "Rush for the Dress" sale. Apparently designer dresses were marked down and shoved into a room the size of a closet for all of KC's brides to snatch up like hungry piranhas. Oh.My.Lord. Let's just say after I "took a number" and was "allowed" to go into the room, it took about 8.5 seconds for me to turn right around.
No offense to any of my friends that wore designer gowns, but wow...it's an article of clothing. And you're only going to wear it for 10-12 hours at the most. Ever. Seriously. I could not believe some of the prices I saw that day. Ugh.
Anyway, we found one that is suitable - not the dress of my dreams or anything like that, but it'll work once I Mo it up with my own additions and adjustments.
This weekend will be spent in K'ville while Adam celebrates what is apparently a national holiday in his family, opening day of deer season. I will be studying and hanging out with his mom and hopefully enjoying lots of home-cooked meals. Mmm...
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Not much new in my neck of the woods. Adam killed a possum in our back yard the other night. Without a gun. It's a little disconcerting to me but I just let it go. Apparently it's still out there since trash day isn't until tomorrow. I have not ventured out to take a look.
Classes are in full gear right now, along with work projects and wedding planning. So it's not often I'm bored!
On the health front, I got some blood-work results back this week and apparently I'm hypoglycemic and insulin resistant (maybe those are the same thing? Hell, I'm not in nursing school yet). So now I'm taking the same medication as my 53 year old father. Good times.
It's only 4:30 and it's already almost dark outside my window at work. Blah. Here's to hoping winter doesn't come too soon.
Friday, October 31, 2008
I see it every day. Too often people are treated horribly - sometimes by clients, sometimes by fellow co-workers. And it's just not right. But I knew what she was feeling - like whatever happened was the end of the world and life was over. But dang it, that's just not the case. It's work. It's a job. It's not life.
I realize it's a fine line for many people, but as each year passes, I believe with more conviction that work should never overtake your life. I love my job and the people I work with - but there are just those days when you have to wonder if it's all worth it.
A few of my friends have recently lost their jobs due to "downsizing" so I feel very fortunate to be employed. Sure I complain, but who doesn't? It's just all about realizing what counts.
And what counts is family. What counts is friends. What counts is your health.
There will always be other jobs.
Monday, October 20, 2008
already monday
School:
Mid-terms are over (A's on both, whoohoo!) and registration for Spring is already starting. These semesters are really flying by. Only 2 more to go before starting full-time.
Wedding:
Met with the talented Charlotte Matthews of a fine fete last week to discuss invites, programs (i.e. the "Wedding Suite") etc., and I'm excited to see what she comes up with. Charlotte is the little sister of my dearest childhood friend, and maid of honor, Lesley, and it's so exciting to watch her grow and use her many talents! We're meeting with a photographer this week and I'm setting up some catering appointments in the coming weeks. According to all the online sources, I'm on track, but who knows!
Other Stuff:
I'm glad the election is almost over.
The leaves are turning! This is the best part of the year in my opinion. Nothing is prettier than the drive down Ward Parkway...it makes the trek to work a little more bearable.
Chiefs, Mizzou...wow, not much to say. Hopefully the Tigers can turn it around at Homecoming this weekend. As for the Chiefs...the season's in the toilet.
That's it for now - big hugs to all my friends with babies in their bellies. xoxo
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
no more sleeping outside for awhile
Our shuttle picked us up at 9:30 Saturday morning, and by 10:15 I was drinking my first sip of Germantown white. Followed by another bottle of the same, a bottle of some ghastly red that tasted like it came from a kool-aid pitcher, and a bottle of Sweet Caroline (which turned out to be pink...ugh). Let's just say we were all ready to go by 5:30 when our shuttle drug us back to the campsite.
I had scored MU/OSU tickets at work on Friday, so Adam and I decided to drive to Columbia for the game at around 6(yeah, probably not the best decision). But I had caught my second wind so I was all for it. Around the 3rd quarter we realized the outcome would likely not be favorable (and we were tired of sitting in a pit of OSU fans) so we went back to camp.
Around 6 that morning, Adam woke me up, covered in hives. Crazily enough, it turned out he'd been bitten by a caterpillar of sorts, then rolled over on it in his sleep and whatever the bug had eaten (green and gooey) was something Adam was allergic to. His entire left side looked sort of like this. So, we had some fun at Urgent Care. One shot, a dose pack and some Bactrim in later, we're glad to be home.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
one more
Friday, October 3, 2008
finally friday
I'm still not walking normally.
On another funny note, how about the debate last night? If I had to hear that nimrod Palin say "ya" or "maverick" one more time, I serioulsy thought I was going to vomit. Wow, she's something else.
So...Fiance and I are heading to St. Louis after work today. We've got tickets to see Ryan Adams & the Cardinals at the Fox tomorrow night. We're staying at Katie & Troy's new place and looking forward to swinging by Pucci & Jeff's new casa as well.
Hope everyone has a great weekend - more updates next week!
Monday, September 29, 2008
gettin' hitched
Our waitress, Meg, was the same one we had on our first date, and who we usually request for any special occasions when we go there. She always takes such good care of us and really made the night special. Poor Boyfried was so nervous he forgot his speech, and I'm pretty sure the first word out of my mouth wasn't an resouding, "yes!" but rather, "holy shit!" Nice, right? Typical me...
I promise this will not become a bridal blog. Seems like there are already plently of those to go around. But I am excited to plan an special day for friends and family to be able to kick back and celebrate with us. I've gotten some great advice so far and am always looking for more, so please impart on me any and all words of wisdom.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Stuff
1. TV - seriously, I wish I were one of those people who didn't "have" to watch TV. But I do. It's inevitable. I am addicted. Current shows I can't live without: Gossip Girl, Intervention, True Blood (the new HBO vampire show from Six Feet Under creator Alan Ball), First 48, The Soup, Cheaters. The list goes on, but I've already embarrassed myself enough.
2. Weekends - I just realized the other day that someday I won't be able to sleep in until noon on Saturdays and Sundays. Someday there will probably be a little person(s) in the house that rise at an ungodly hour. Note to self: sleep as much as possible for as long as possible.
3. Wine - no explanation necessary.
Yeah, that's all I've got for today...but I'll leave you with this happy little clip.
Friday, September 19, 2008
RESPECT!
1. Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime
2. Between 3.3 - 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence annually
Those are scary numbers. As I type this, I'm surrounded by at least 100 women, just on my floor. That means approximately 33 of them have probably suffered some sort of abuse. Wow.
So anyway, our PR team developed a pretty cool thing called National RESPECT! Day and have found a great partner in Macy's. Here are some cool things you can do to check it out:
-Explore GiveRespect.org and get mapped by donating $5 in honor of someone you respect, inviting a friend to the rally, or signing the respect declaration
-Purchase a RESPECT! Bracelet from Macy's
-Follow them on Twitter @Give_Respect
-Become a friend of the RESPECT!Campaign on Facebook
-Uploade a photo of someone you respect on Flickr and adding it to their group
-Add a video response of your own to their YouTube channel
-Vote for their “Change This” proposal so they can get their manifesto published
-If you donate $5 today, you'll receive a Macy's Shop for a Cause savings pass valid all day Saturday, September 20th in stores and online
I hope you all have people in your lives that you respect and that respect you as well. It may seem like an overused term, but it's amazing how many people forget about it on a daily basis.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
travel tip #237
I travel a lot. Not just a little. A butt load. So I never think twice about checking luggage - it's just the thing to do when you're traveling for multiple days and need more than 3 oz of liquid toiletries.
But, alas, I will not be checking bags for awhile. Or at least until I'm done being pissed at Southwest Airlines.
No, our bag wasn't just accidentally sent to the wrong city. It was flat out lost (or as we think, stolen). Southwest's security at the Vegas airport is so shoddy, anyone can walk in off the street and have free pick of whatever luggage they'd like as it comes of the carousel. It's great.
And what did they offer us? $50 reimbursement in case we, "needed to buy a swimsuit or something." Really? How about underwear or socks or deodorant? A-holes. We had to wait 5 days before we could actually claim our bag as completely lost. So that was yesterday and I'm sure we'll trek up to KCI sometime this week to make our claim.
Oh...and get this, they won't reimburse us for our prescription eyeglasses or medication. Because, "that's why we allow you a carry-on ma'am. You should never pack those things in a checked bag." Glad the airlines now get to decide how we pack. And they'll likely determine the "worth" of all our items...so my brand new tennis shoes will be "depreciated" in their eyes to about 1/4 of what I paid for them.
I fly Southwest all the time - it's always been a great airline. But this time they showed nothing but poor customer service. Not even so much as an apology or a voucher for a flight. Nothing. Just the $50 reimbursement of the approximately $400 we had to spend of our vacation money on a rental car, clean clothes and toiletries.
Other than not having luggage, Vegas was OK. I didn't lose any money - actually came out ahead on the gambling portion thanks to my new fave game Pai Gow. Boyfriend did not come out ahead. So needless to say he is in no hurry to go back.
So now it's back to work and school. La di da. Hope you all had a good weekend and I promise I'll be more upbeat on my next rant :)
Monday, September 1, 2008
viva...
Getting ready to head to the airport for a few days in Vegas. I got free entry into some random video poker tournament at Bally's (which I've NEVER done before) along wiht a free room there for 3 nights. So we figured we might as well give it a whirl. It's Boyfriend's first time in Sin City and I'm afraid he'll be in for a big disappointment...he thinks he's actually going to win.
So...back late Thursday night and will let you know if I'm a hundredaire. Or if I'm broke.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
back to school
I'm taking 2 classes, each of them meet one night a week. Last night was Hebrew Scriptures. Yeah...something I have absolutely no familiarity with. Good times.
I was the oldest person in the class by, I swear, 10 years. And I'm not even 30 yet. I figured with it being an evening class and all, I'd at least have a few work-full-time-and-get-prerequisites-done-at-night folks. Wrong-o.
All the fellas came in weaning their dress shirts and ties w/their fraternity pledge pins. The girls had on their tiny little shorts and tank tops and toted cute little planners and iPods. I was so out of my league.
Monday night will be my second class, Christianity II, which I'm sure will be filled with just as many youngins. I heard one of the girls complaining that she had to go to a sorority meeting that night at 9, then study. My first thought was, "9 o'clock, damn! I'm already sporting PJ's by then!" But then I realized she probably gets to sleep until 10 the next morning. Man, to be in college (the first time around) again.
Many of you have asked how this whole transition from Advertising to Nursing is going, so I'll give you a quick overview. Over the past 2 semesters, I've taken Chem, Nutrition, Lifespan Psych and Ethics. Over the next 3 semesters, I'll be taking the 2 aforementioned theoligies, A&P, Microbiology and Pathophyisiology. I had my interview for the actual nursing program in July, and should find out this month sometime if I've been provisionally accepted (provisionally b/c it's based on the grades I get in all the above classes). If I'm in, I will officially begin my 1 year program in August of 2009 and graduate in August of 2010 with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Then take the NCLEX and hopefully be on my way to a new career.
Most people think I'm crazy for starting all of this stuff over again, but what the hell. Better to do it now while I'm still husband-less and kid-less, right?
Well, back to work now. Then home to study :)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
gross
This morning, I was one of the lucky ones to get a new security screening, the swipe of the hands. Bless her heart, the TSA agent was as nice as she could be, but regardless, I hate being barefoot in a public pool of fungus any longer than absolutely necessary. I should wear socks, I know, but they don't go well with the normal summer business casual attire. But I digress.
As I'm standing there waiting for the test results, I ask if I may put on my shoes. The agent asks me to hold on and assures me the carpets are clean. I must have looked at her strangely because she followed that statement with, "they were steam cleaned and sanitized about 3 weeks ago."
Clean.
Right.
Sick.
Monday, August 11, 2008
but on a heavier note
A very nice, young girl I work with lost her husband in a hiking accident last week and his service is today. He was an extremely talented chef in the KC area and well-loved by many. I never had the pleasure of meeting him personally, but could tell from his wife's continuously happy personality and the way she spoke of him and their young daughter that he must have been a pretty neat guy.
I simply cannot comprehend such a loss.
The office is quiet today, and for those of us who are not at the service, a gray cloud is looming overhead as a reminder of how quickly life can change.
I'm writing this as a reminder to myself to ensure every person in my life knows how much I treasure them. That it's no accident we're friends or family. And that I appreciate their place in my life and mine in theirs.
Please take time today to do the same.
And please keep the Torpey family in your thoughts in this unimaginably difficult time.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
a weekend in the big K
Every month or so, Boyfriend and I visit his family in K'ville, home of Truman State and these delicious little gems called Ronzas (not to be confused witht the Omaha meat kind).
When we're in town, we usually meet up with friends at one of the tried-and-true downtown drinking establishments. But this weekend, we tried a new one. Geno's 70s Club opened 4 weeks ago and was borderline hilarious. The music was a mix of 70s and 80s...everything from Abba to Blondie to Journey. There were black lights, flourescent fixtures, fog machines, glow-in-the dark carpet and a light up dance floor.
I wish I would have been able to snap a picture of the guy in the 80s outfit (including headband) that I'm pretty sure was not meant to be a costume.
The biggest laugh I got, though, was from an article I read about it today...here's a snippet: "I think in general the '70s theme is a good idea, but it could hurt them." However, she said she is willing to give Geno's a shot. "I'm definitely bringing all of my friends when it opens," Skinner said. "It'll be a pretty tight place, I think."
Tight...hmm...not exactly the adjective I would have selected, but whatev.
Oh and the other funny thing I've noticed about K'ville...they have Mountain Dew in their bar guns. People actually order drinks with MD as the mixer. For example, this weekend, I heard two interesting orders - a double mtn dew & vodka, and a whisky & dew. Am I the only one who thinks that's strange? I thought maybe the MD was their answer to Red Bull, but nope, they had that as well. Weird.
Other weekend fun included fishing on the farm (Boyfriend bought me this pole (yes it's pink and it's for breast cancer and I heart it) ...and some movies, 21 and Semi-Pro. 21 was worth the watch, but I fell asleep during the other.
Nothing much else to report - upcoming fun this week includes trivia at Jerry's Bait Shop (we're still in 1st place - yay!) and the Smoking Popes show at the Record Bar on Sunday. Good times. Hope everyone has a good week in the sweltering maddness.
Monday, July 28, 2008
weekend stuff
Saturday was pretend to be a yuppie day. Lunch with my mom at Aixois, errands and a taste of the new Vivanno at Starbucks. That white bread fun didn't last for long though...boyfriend and I went to see one of my favorite live acts in KC, "Steve & Tracey" at a bar called Patrick's (formerly DeAngelo's) up the road from our casa. This husband & wife duo used to play every Thursday night for 8 years but called it quits recently to my dismay. But now they're back the last Saturday of every month doing their renditions of songs you miss and those you wish you'd never hear again from the 70s and 80s. Here's Tracey singing on the bar (poor quality from the ol' cell).
Yesterday I had brunch with some of my friends from college. Rachel is in her final week of pregnancy, so we decided we needed one last hurrah complete with Avenues Bistro and pedicures. Yum-my.
So here we are, another week, though not much to look forward to with this one. Last week we saw Tom Petty & Steve Winwood so that was a nice little break. But this week, not so much. Maybe we'll catch Dark Night some evening. Have heard nothing but good things so I'm extra excited to see it.
Hope everyone has a good week. More excitement to come as it happens...
Thursday, July 10, 2008
nyc - day 3 (sunday)
After that we shopped in some little stores and got some fun Chinese stuff including a bonzai tree that was a big ball of fun to take back on the plane.
Later we did dessert in Little Italy. Yum.
Dinner that night was at Craft. Quite an experience...one we'll probably never get to do again. But at least they got the dessert right this time. Mmm...souffle with vanilla cream... After dinner, we realized that it was our last night in town. So, what else would we do but drown our sorrows. We hit one of my old haunts, the Russian Vodka Room (where I'm pretty sure there was some sort of illegal mail-order bride thing going on) and had some serious vodka drinks. They infuse their own there and most of the patrons (all Russian immigrants that speak to eachother in the mother tongue) drink it straight. I think I looked like a total wuss when I asked for a splash of sprite. Oh well.
Next we headed to Divine Bar (another round of wine flights), 5Ninth in the Meatpacking District and finally, The Hog Pit which looked like a BBQ place from the outside, but ended up being a blast. We befriended a chef from the Soho House (some snooty, members only place) at the bar, which had its perks. Got to hear some funny celeb stories and drink free shots all night. The culmination of all this was me not remembering the cab ride home or the 2 slices of pizza until I saw the evidence at noon the next day, which was after checkout time. Oops.
One thing that did stick in my memory was turning on the TV at 4:30 AM and being shocked and saddened at the death of George Carlin. What a horrible loss...
nyc - night 2 (saturday)
Then we had a traditional fondue (mmm) and split steak frites (double mmm). Oh and I made a total ass out of myself when I ordered a glass of wine with dinner and said the number (b/c I couldn't pronounce the name) and was told, "ma'm, that's the price." Oops. I was drunk, give me a break. So I had told the reservations person that it was Adam's b-day but I guess they got it wrong b/c the little dessert deal came out with my name. Ha.
After dinner we did the Village and went to the Comedy Cellar for a 12:45 AM show. Good lordy. Needless to say I was ready to crash once that was done.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
nyc - day 2
A little background - as I was driving to work a few weeks ago listeing to my Sirius radio, I heard that one of our favorite musicians, Alejandro Escovedo, was going to be performing in NYC the same weekend we were there. He was doing Conan, the Today show, etc., but also doing a live private performance in the Sirius studios for 10 people and their guests. I figured we had no shot at winning but I signed us up anyway, and low and behold, we were one of the 10 picked! Whoohoo! So the first picture shows the 2 hour performance we got to see of Alejandro doing his entire new album live for us.
Sirius rocks - they're located on the 36th floor of a huge building in the Rockefeller Center area. The lobby walls are covered in plexiglass where all the performers sign when they visit. I found my favorite boys and snapped a pic.
Next we did Grand Central Station and had cheesecake at Junior's (yum!) and saw a dude propose in the grand hall area. It was adorable.
Later in the afternoon we did the obligatory Central Park carriage ride, which SUCKED. $40 for what we were told would be 20 minutes. It was more like 8. The guy took our picture afterward, and I didn't realize until just now what my finger was doing. Unintentional but so appropriate!
The rest of Saturday coming soon.
Friday, June 27, 2008
27 candles on the cake
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
nyc day 1 - friday
Our hotel was in Murray Hill and was a fantastic deal. I'd recommend it to anyone who can't afford $300+ per night for a vacation.
We headed to the Lower East Side for a drink at Satsko before dinner at Apizz. I tried a saketini made with lychee and pomegranate juice and...yep, I still don't like sake. Or lychee.
Dinner was AWESOME. Their bread was served with fresh ricotta and tomato sauce instead of butter. YUM. Adam tried wild boar lasagna and I had gnocchi. D-lish.
After that we walked around the LES, then went over to Emily's apartment in the West Village. It was such a neat place...wish I had taken a picture. They have an actual patio - with room for tables, chairs, grills, etc. For those of you who understand Manhattan living, you get how uncommon that is. Another friend from school, Anne, was there, along with Emily's boyfriend, Gurion, her sister and sister's friend. Around 3 AM we realized a big day was upon us so we should probably call it a night.
Saturday details coming soon!
nyc...
I think the best part of our trip was that we really had no obligations or expectations. We didn't have a list of places we just HAD to see or anything like that. So you'll notice some random places on here but that's just how it was and I loved every minute of it.
I'll do a post for each day of the trip and see how that goes.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
i should be sleeping
Sweet.
I'm in need of some expert advice on falling asleep when you can't make your mind shut-up methods. It's not that I'm not tired. I am. I keep yawning, and I'm obviously in need of some shut-eye. So what do you do?
I've read (even the most boring thing ever, my assigned readings for Ethics). I've watched 2 episodes of Gossip Girl. I've played solitaire on my phone (three versions, mind you. Chinese, scorpion and spider).
No dice.
Taking Tylenol PM at this point is no good since I need a full 8 hrs to sleep them off or tomorrow will feel like the aftermath of 10 vodka sodas.
Ugh.
By the way, I heart Gossip Girl. The CW has brought a whole new life to my DVR. I'm also shamefully addicted to Farmer Wants a Wife.
The funny part about that show is one of my friends, Karen, is from Portage des Sioux where it was filmed, so it's fun to hear her commentary.
OK, I'm going to play some online poker. If that doesn't do it, I give up.
Good night.
Monday, June 16, 2008
weekend happenings
Spent the weekend with Boyfriend's family in Kirksville. It was fairly uneventful...Boyfriend and Boyfriend's Dad hit up an auction on Saturday morning in hopes of procuring a golf cart. No such luck.
That evening we drove another hour into the depths of nowhere to a little restaurant in Memphis, MO, called Keith's Cafe. I'm including this picture even though it doesn't do the place justice. You'll see the coffee mugs lining the ceiling...yeah, they're everywhere. Walls, windows, rafters. Everywhere. I've never seen anything like it. Amazingly enough the food was good, and of course, very inxpensive.
Boyfriend and I are heading out this Friday for an experience very unlike Keith's...we'll be spending the weekend in New York. Whoohoo! I have been planning this trip for a few months to surprise him for his birthday and now it's finally here! He's never been before and I lived there for a summer back in 2001, so I'm looking forward to going back. We'll get to see some of my friends, Emily and Anne and a couple of his cousins that live in Brooklyn.
I'm sure I'll have some fun stories and pictures to share from the big city. Have a good week!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
fro yo goodness
It comes from the little soup store next door to work and it's fan-freakin-tastic.
And tart. And fat free. Beat that.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
my photo mosaic
The concept:
1. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
2. Using only the first page of results, and pick one image.
3. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Lab's Mosaic Maker to create a mosaic of the picture answers.
The questions:
1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food right now?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. What is your favorite drink?
7. What is your dream vacation?
8. What is your favorite dessert?
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. What is one word that describes you?
12. What is something you fear?
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
sex in my city
Saturday night, 12 friends from work went to see the movie. Never in my life have I felt underdressed for a movie. But yeah, I was underdressed.
I saw everytihng from cocktail dresses to sequined jackets. No lie.
Heels so high my calves cramped just looking at them.
Next time I'll go for the matinee.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
my civic duty
Maybe if the system wants people feel privileged aboutgiving up a week of their lives, they should reimburse them more than $6/day and $.07/mile. ABSURD.
I'm fortunate enough to have an employer who will still pay me for my courthouse time, but many in my group were either self-employed or worked for companies that didn't pay them a dime for those 7 days.
At least the case was interesting and I met some people in my group that I'll stay in touch with. Oh and there was a crazy murder case going on in the courtroom next to ours. So when they got a tip that someone was going to "shoot up the courthouse" if the defendant was found guilty, we had to play some fun lockdown games.
Back to work. Catching up is fun. Right.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
and a Swell Season it was
Saw a fantastic show last night at the Uptown Theater. I bought tickets to The Swell Season the day after I saw the movie I blogged about a while back.
It was one of those events I'd forgotten I'd even bought tickets for until I looked at my outlook calendar. What followed was definitely unforgettable. Last night I was brought back to the heart of true music.
Glen & Marketa played for 2 solid hours to a sold-out crowd. It was full of raw emotion, the kind that reaches in and tickles your skin from the inside out, sending chill after chill down your spine.
They told stories behind songs, laughed, joked, and gained a respect unlike any I've seen from their audience.
Tim Finn from the Star gave a review that I thought captured the show well. For those of you who liked Once or have enjoyed the soundtrack at all, I implore you to dive further into Glen's music.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
crank it up
However, this leads to me forgetting windows are down at intersections when I just might be listening just a little too loudly to something others might deem funny.
It's happened twice today already.
Once on my way into our parking garage...Everybody Wang Chung Tonight.
Once on my way back from lunch...Eyes Without a Face.
Come on people, stop giving me weird looks. Billy Idol is classic.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
is it friday yet?
Last night, after a knock-your-socks of lab experiment involving the creation of soap, my friends Lance, Tim D and I played live trivia at Coach's. It was spur of the moment and damn was it fun.
All of the clues are audio clips, for example, "Name the album this song can be found on," and then they play a little bit of "You Give Love a Bad Name," and you write in the answer of "Slippery When Wet." It's a bunch of fun, especially the 90's Music Montage at half-time. We totally got all 10 right on that one, thanks to Tim's knowledge of .38 Special...yes, they released a song in the 90s.
You have to pick a name for your team and you can have up to 10 players. We only had 3 of us until Boyfriend showed up towards the last rounds. And we did damn good.
Here are some things I learned due to missed questions:
- Joy to the World by Three Dog Night was a Billboard #1 hit in...1970 (we guessed 72)
- Tiger Woods' dad's name is...Earl (we were stuck between Ralph & Clarence)
- The governor of Texas when Kennedy was shot was...John Connally
- Eric Clapton's son died of...falling out of a 53rd story window at his mom's apartment
- Bob Marley had...15 children
Those are just some I can recall. The trivia was actually really fun and I'd love to do it again (except for the getting home at 11:30 part). I'm old.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
drop a few pounds the easy way!
Started on Sunday, trip to the ER that evening into Monday morning, and here it is Wednesday already.
Determined as ever to look at the bright side...7 pounds have magically disappeared. This shall be the kick-off to the spring weight loss program. Once I can breathe again without hacking up a lung, that is.
That's all for now...stay tuned for more glorious details.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
give a hoot
I was driving to work on Rockhill road right around 63rd street and was behind a white mustang. Next thing I know, the driver rolls down their window and throws out a large Taco Bell cup full of liquid that proceeds to bust open on the road spilling everywhere. Now I'm not the neatest and tidiest person in the world, but I can certainly appreciate not wanting a cup of liquid in my car if I'm done with it. But throwing the ENTIRE thing out the window? REALLY? I didn't even know littering was an option for people anymore.
I was so shocked and appalled that my first thought was to follow this jackass, and when they stopped, tell them they dropped something. Yeah! That'll show 'em.
As I'm whizzing through traffic to tail them (mind you, getting further and further off of my route to work) I finally realized I couldn't even see through the tinted windows. Were they male or female? Alone or with passengers? It didn't matter, I was going to show them!
After a few more blocks, they started venturing into a pretty rough part of town. It was only then that I realized how futile this effort truly was. Chasing this one car down and making my point isn't going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Sure, it could have been beneficial - it could have lead to one less litterbug out there. But then again, I could've gotten shot.
If only I would have had Woodsy with me riding shotgun.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Movie quote fun
Here are the rules:
- Pick 5 of your favorite movies
- Go to IMDB and find a quote from each movie
- Post them on your blog for everyone to guess
- Readers leave guesses in the comments - no Googling or using IMDB search functions. Don’t cheat, suckas
- Blogger fills in the film title once it’s been guessed
Mo's Movie Quotes:
- "Now, the making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art. Many do's and don'ts. First of all you're using someone else's poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing.” (High Fidelity - Kenny S)
- "We got no food, no jobs... our pets’ heads are falling off!" (Dumb & Dumber - Kenny S)
- “Some music ‘needs’ air. Roll down your window.” (Elizabethtown- April V)
- “Well, I see you're smoking pot now. I think using psychotropic drugs is a very positive example to set for our daughter.” (American Beauty - April V)
- “Rufus, Brint, and Meekus were like brothers to me. And when I say brother, I don't mean, like, an actual brother, but I mean it like the way black people use it. Which is more meaningful I think.”
A case of the mundays....
Have you ever been driving along, possibly lost in thought or just singing along to some tunes, then snapped back to reality and realized, "holy crap, I'm DRIVING!" And truly, you're in no way able to remember the last few minutes of your trip? It's scary that we're on such autopilot sometimes.
So there I was this morning, driving to work. Moody Blues came on, so I turned it up and got lost in thought. They remind me of our friends JJ & Katie. JJ lost his dad last year, just a couple of weeks before his first little one was born. JJ's dad was a Moody Blues guy so that was the music at his memorial service, which I personally think is the way it should be - the music that would be a tribute to the deceased.
I often wonder why people choose the music they do at funerals. I wonder if it's because their survivors don't really know what to pick - maybe they weren't left with any direction or maybe they just pick what they think is appropriate, traditional standards and what not.
I made a funeral song list once in college. It's in one of my journals, so I'll have to dig it out and see how accurate it would be today. I imagine it had way too much Dave Matthews and Grateful Dead for my taste these days.
But, back to this morning. Autopilot had fully kicked in and it took a few moments before I even noticed the damn cop. At least he was nice enough to knock the 15 over down to a 5 over. Bless his heart.
So there you have it, a case of the mundays...
I think I'll post a fun game here shortly. Get excited.
Friday, March 28, 2008
catching up on my reading
I also read up on an old co-worker of mine. His posts usually just crack me up, but this one made me sick to my stomach...I just wonder when it will all end.
Twisted Jim's re-printed post below. Link to Twisted Jim's blog here.
3.23.2008
Out Damned Spot Part VII
With over 4,000 Americans dead, I saw an NBC news repport that quoted Dick (I'm as evil as Karl Rove) Cheney as saying King Georgie "bears the burden of this war more than anyone." Really! Really, Dick?
If that's the case, maybe he should be a true Commander and Chief and stand on the front lines with the troops he so nonchalantly kills every day. Then, he may truly understand the burden of his war. It's insane that one man with so little sense is allowed to slaughter so many. And we continue to sit idly by (me included). Thanks for the tax incentive, though. It really pacifies me.
And now, the numbers:
American Casualties- 8,647
In Iraq (Military) - 4,001
In Iraq (Civilians) - 1,188
In Afghanistan (Military) - 484
During 9/11 - 2,974
Coalition Casualties - 307
Australia - 2
UK - 175
Bulgaria - 13
Czech - 1
Denmark - 7
Netherlands - 2
Estonia - 2
Fiji - 1
Hungary - 1
Italy - 33
Kazakhstan - 1
Korea - 1
Latvia - 3
Poland - 22
Romania - 3
El Salvador - 5
Slovakia - 4
Spain - 11
Thailand - 2
Ukraine - 18
Iraqi Casualties - 1,193,480
Twisted Wife thinks these numbers are inflated to get me more fired up about an unjust and treasonous war started by an inept President. She's probably right.I said it before, I support the troops. I'd like to see a whole lot less of them coming home in body bags.
posted by Jim at 11:28 PM
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
draw on your walls
If you have 11 minutes and 32 seconds during the week, take a break and listen to Randy Pausch give his "last lecture."
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
When the lights go down in the city...
Friday night was filled with a home game of poker at our friends Andi & Paul's house, where Boyfiend took 2nd so at least we won our money back. We drank boxed wine, ate ribs and sang along to old Pantera...it was a good time.
Saturday, Boyfriend and I went to see the band Stone in Love, a tribute to Journey. Oh, how I wish I had a picture to post. But alas...let's just say about 80% of the crowd were there for the same reason we were and the other 20% had probably seen Journey's first tour in the 70s. There's nothing like the sound of a Steve Perry impersonator telling me "Don't stop believin! Hold on to that feeeeeelin!"
Looking forward to Thursday afternoon, when Boyfriend and I take off for sunny Tampa. We're heading south to visit my best friend from childhood, Lesley. She and her boyfriend Ty live in a gorgeous little neighborhood with palm trees and patios. It's supposed to be in the 70s and I can't wait! Flip flop time!
OK, back to work...groan...
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Go Tigers!
I got the tickets from one of our presidents here at work and lo and behold, my boss, JJ, has the other 2 seats. And he's a Husker.
Luckily, the Sprint Center is only a few blocks away from my office, so we're walking to avoid the crazy traffic. I can only imagine the insanity that is the power & light district right now. Most of the restaurants down there have only recently opened in the past few days or week and of the 2 I've visited, the "kinks" definitely aren't all worked out yet. Should be interesting...
Friday, March 7, 2008
la la la
And then you should get the soundtrack. Something about it just makes my heart happy.
:)
Thursday, March 6, 2008
makin' waves
But then I remembered something that was SO COOL...a part of my bedroom from the early 90's till the end of high school...MY WATERBED. Wow, I can't believe how much I wanted one. It was black with black/white/red jazzy sheets and throw pillows. Pretty bad ass, really.
Boyfriend had one too - only his headboard had cubbies for storing treasures (like gold spray-painted rocks, perhaps) and drawers underneath.
So I did a little research and by cracky, they still manufacture the darn things. Can you imagine how cool you would have been if you would have had this one?
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Nose spray...love it or hate it?
After a few months of boyfriend and I sharing living space, I started noticing bottles of the stuff everywhere. In the bathroom, in the linen closet, by the bed. He's in love with the stuff.
So during a nasty bout of the flu last week, when I got so tired of not being able to breathe out of my nose I was ready to scream, I gave it another shot. And you know...it's not that bad. The taste in the back of the throat was still ghastly, but I could breathe!
The freedom was short-lived (not even close to the 8 hour promise on the bottle) but for the 2 minutes of agonizing drip, I think it might be worth it.
Afrin, you've got a convert.
Friday, February 1, 2008
I'm really looking forward to this evening. Boyfriend and I have a date (which come much less frequently in the past year of living together) at the Melting Pot...YUM.
TGIF
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
So it's been awhile
It's officially 22 days into 2008 and I'm already dreading the rest of the winter. It's just so damn cold!
Things are going along swimmingly so far...
- I haven't broken my New Year's Resolution (yet) and have lost 5 lbs
- I am loving my new car
- My night classes have started so working full time and learning about Chemistry and Nutrition is F-U-N
- Gramma is off chemo, by choice, and is leading a much happier life these days, so that makes us ALL happier
- I get to spend time with many missed friends here in a few weeks at Bellm's wedding (yay!)
- I'm trying to read more (besides class stuff!) and some of my recent favorites are Water For Elephants (thanks, Brie!), Eat Pray Love and The Kite Runner...what will be next?
- Boyfriend and I went to the movies for the first time in ages recently...saw Juno. Too cute and a GREAT soundtrack
Another resolution of mine is to keep this dang thing updated...so stay tuned!