All Things Reconsidered

Grace in Small Things: 13 of 365 - Halloween Six Flags Edition

2009-11-01T07:39:00.001-06:00

1. Viper
2. Raging Bull
3. Superman
4. The Dark Knight
5. Batman

Grace in Small Things: 12 of 365

2009-04-23T09:47:00.003-05:00

"How to Be" screening last night.
Having a friend who got just as geeked as me about said screening.
Funny Q&A with the director, composer and two of the actors afterwords.
British accents.
Autographs & photos.

Grace in Small Things: 11 of 365 - Weekend Fat Pants Edition

2009-03-02T20:02:00.003-06:00

Cranberry-Orange bagels.
Homemade macaroni & cheese.
Girl Scout cookies.
Bacon.
Philly Cheese Steak sandwich.

Grace in Small Things: 10 of 365

2009-02-24T19:19:00.003-06:00

The Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire series.
The Tiki Girl print by Mitch O'Connell my sister got me for my birthday.
Clean sheets.
Enchiladas.
The bridesmaid dress I ordered today for my sister's wedding this summer.

Grace in Small Things: 9 of 365

2009-02-11T19:01:00.001-06:00

Super Mario Brothers 3 on the Wii.
Xanadu!
Wow Bao.
The friendship between sisters.
Feeling hopeful about where things are going.

Grace in Small Things: 8 of 365

2009-02-09T19:20:00.003-06:00

Saturday morning breakfast at Flat Top Grill.
Unseasonably warm weather and the feeling of sunshine on my face.
A walk by the lakefront.
Good conversation.
Monday morning spooning.

Grace in Small Things: 7 of 365

2009-02-06T18:48:00.002-06:00

Friday! Weekend!
A surprise visit yesterday.
50 degree weather.
A hot shower after a hard workout.
Hula hoops.

Grace in Small Things: 6 of 365

2009-02-04T19:27:00.003-06:00

Having a nice coworker who brought donuts in this morning.
Catching up with a friend I haven't talked to in awhile even if it was only briefly.
New Lost tonight!
Getting a seat on my train ride home.
The after workout high.

Grace in Small Things: 5 of 365 - Media Edition

2009-02-03T19:47:00.003-06:00

Grace in Small Things: 4 of 365

2009-02-01T14:46:00.002-06:00

Spending the weekend with my mom, sister & cousin.
The Wii Fit.
Hawaiian pizza.
A lazy Sunday afternoon.
Getting tickets to Phish at Deer Creek & Alpine Valley in June. SO LUCKY!!

Grace in Small Things: 3 of 365

2009-01-29T09:08:00.005-06:00

The kindly neighbor who came along at exactly the right moment & helped me get my truck unstuck from the snow. I would have been stuck there all day without him!
Walking into my house after a long day of work to the delicious smell of soup cooking in the crockpot.
The two older gentlemen singing a cappella on the Washington blue line platform.
Coming home to a made bed. (I should do that more often!)
This laptop bag.

Grace in Small Things: 2 of 365

2009-01-27T21:12:00.005-06:00

The internet! From the comfort of my own home! Finally.
Blueberry Oatmeal Bars left over from yesterday's potluck.
A warm Lily-Cat snuggling on my lap.
A clean apartment.
Kashi Honey Sunshine cereal.

Grace in Small Things: 1 of 365

2009-01-27T16:53:00.004-06:00

Blog. Blog, blog, blog. I always have good intentions to write on a regular basis and then ... well, it never goes anywhere. I've decided to do Schmutzie's "Grace in Small Things" and see if that doesn't get me writing regularly. I can write 5 things per day, right? Right. And maybe then I will want to start writing more than 5 things per day. Hopefully. I guess we'll find out!

Grace in Small Things - Day 1 of 365:

My new, shiny, red laptop that finally arrived!
LOST is back.
Not having to drive to Rolling Meadows for jury duty.
The colorful office potluck lunch today - so many yummy foods!
These shoes.

Oh, Hello

2008-07-03T12:12:00.003-05:00

Hmm, hello there blog. I haven't forgotten about you. No, not at all. I just got busy with moving to Chicago and trying to find a job and praying that the house in Michigan would sell and FAST (sidenote: it did!) and then so much time had passed that I didn't know how to pick things back up with you again and so I kept putting off contact with you, but lately I've been thinking about you a lot and I finally just decided to get in touch. So, hello.

Let me tell you some of the more major events that have been happening to me since last we spoke. I moved to Chicago as planned and have really been loving it. I found a wonderful job at a PR firm as the office manager. And this isn't just any PR firm, it is a food specific PR firm. And that means that we do a lot of talking about food and sampling of food and food is all around and it is lovely. And then I got engaged! Except, then I wasn't anymore. Just recently my 13 year relationship, my almost-one-year engagement was ended by the person that I thought was the one. The person I thought I would always be with. The person that I thought would never, ever, in a million years do this to me. Except he did. He broke up with me and he moved out and now I am just trying to pick up the pieces. That's what I've been up to lately. Picking up pieces scattered all around me. He is still in my life. Oh, things don't end that easily and without confusion after 13 years I guess. And so I'm wading through this haze of love and lost love and hurt and confusion and just trying to take it one day at a time.

So, um, hello.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2006-11-15T14:32:00.000-06:00

So. Guess what. I’m moving to Chicago. Yup. The windy city. From one end of Lake Michigan to the other. This is a serious departure from where I am currently spending my time. Like a complete 180.

Population of Grand Traverse County, MI: 83,971
Population of the city of Chicago, IL: 2.9 million

Do you see that? Over thirty-four times more people live in Chicago than live in my entire county. Thirty-four. And so yes, I am sad to be leaving this beautiful area and all of the friends I have made here. Also, packing & moving - that really kind of sucks. There are never enough boxes to pack stuff in. (Except when you are actually moving said boxes. Then there are always too many boxes.) But, I am excited for this new adventure. And guess who else lives in Chicago – none other than one of my most favorite people in the world – my sister. And living in the same city as her again makes me very happy. She will also be able to help her country mouse sister adjust to the craziness of THE CITY because as excited as I am, I’m nervous to live in THE CITY. Were you aware that THE CITY is big? BIG. I fear I will be lost. Often. But, THE CITY also has Restaurants! Oh the restaurants. And by restaurants I mean Indian food. Oh yummy, yummy Indian food. CURRY! (Mexican is about as wild & crazy as it gets in Traverse City.) You know what else THE CITY has? Concerts! I know. (Although there is this little place called The Interlochen Center for the Arts up here where I have had the pleasure of seeing Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and also Jewel, alumni of the school, who did this really fun acoustic show/storytelling which I totally dug.) But, anyways THE CITY also has Public Transportation! Culture! And Every Single Store you can think of! And I’m sure many other things. But, these are the things that I am currently excited about.
So, yes. There are big changes going on here. Does anyone want to buy a beautiful, three bedroom ranch house with a newly re-done bathroom in lovely northern Michigan?

Rainbow

2006-09-29T07:57:00.000-05:00

I’ve been having a rough couple of days – stressing about some things. But, on my drive to work this morning I saw the most brilliant rainbow. And this was a full out arch across the sky rainbow. There were dark rain clouds on one end of the arch and bright, blue skies on the other end. It was lightly raining and the sun was shining through the trees which are starting to turn beautiful shades of red, yellow, and orange.
This song immediately popped into my head and I knew it was going to be a good day.

Well I woke up this mornin',
Rainbows filled the sky,
Yes I woke up this mornin',
Rainbows filled the sky,

And there was God,
Tellin' me,
"Everythings gonna be alright"

Well so long good friends,
When will we meet again?
I said so long good friends,
When will we meet again?

Well I dont know,
I dont know,
But I guess I'll see you through

Well I'm gonna pack my own guitar,
Move on down the road,
I'm gonna pack my own guitar,
Move on down the road

Oh, where I go,
I dont know,
But I guess I just gots' to go

Well I woke up this mornin',
Rainbows filled the sky,
Well I woke up this mornin'
Rainbows filled the sky,

And there was god,
Tellin' me,
"Everything.. Everythings gonna be alright!"

(Rainbow by G. Love & Jack Johnson)

Personal DNA

2006-09-07T09:56:00.000-05:00

I always enjoy these personality tests so when Jolie sent me this one I was all about taking it. A lot of it seems pretty accurate, but there are a few things that I'm not sure sound like me. Although maybe they do and I just don't want to admit it. If you take it, let me know what your personality type is.

Considerate Dreamer

My Personal Dna Report

The Big, Red Porch

2006-08-28T14:14:00.000-05:00

I went to visit my Grandparents this weekend. It was a warm and happy weekend. But, when it was over and I was driving home I started to feel sad. Sad because I don't see them as much as I want. As much as I should. Sad because they are getting older which means time is becoming a minimum with them. My Grandpa had made me a rocking chair and he surprised me with it when I was there. I love it. I love it because he made it for me.
When I was a little girl we spent many, many weekends in the summer with my Grandparents at their cottage near the lake. I used to get up at the crack of dawn and my Grandpa would always be the one to get up with me. I would sit on his lap out on their big, red porch in the peaceful early morning. We would watch and feed the chipmunks together. When I think of the memories of those early mornings with my Grandpa they bring up a feeling that is hard to put into words. It's happiness and laughter. It's feeling carefree and safe and loved - a love that I think only a grandparent can give. I felt sad on my ride home because that big, red porch is gone and so is that little girl. But, then the millions of happy memories I have of my Grandpa, of my Grandma, bubbled up inside of me, they flashed before my eyes. And I remembered that the bond I have with my Grandparents is something that extends over the miles and the time between visits. It is something that I will always carry inside of me. And I didn't feel so sad anymore.

Jack Bauer is a werewolf

2006-08-01T12:21:00.000-05:00

Last night I had a dream that I was at BlogHer and nuclear terrorists came, but then out of no where Jack Bauer showed up to save everyone. Except he was a werewolf. The end.

But, I have actually had much more exciting things happening then finding out Jack Bauer is a werewolf. First, I took the train with my mom to visit my sister in Chicago for four days, which was so awesome mostly because I got to spend time with the two of them. But, also because Chicago is a pretty cool city. That was my first time there. (That is unless you count the time in college when Josh and I went down there with some friends to see a concert and when we got there we realized that we had forgotten our tickets and there were no extra tickets to be gotten and our friends had theirs so we spent the evening wandering around the area near the theater when some shady characters started following us and the streets were basically deserted and we decided, “hey, it might be a good idea to STAY IN THE LOCKED CAR for the rest of the time.”) But, yes. Chicago is a pretty cool city. And I marveled at all of the awesome sky scrapers like the clichéd small town girl that I am. Luckily there were 439098207098 other tourists there so I fit right in. We saw some cool things like “The Bean” and we visited the aquarium and we also went to see “Wicked” which was very enjoyable. (But not very much like the book at all.) Then I came home for one day and Josh and I left for Cleveland to see a concert. (This time we remembered the tickets!) We saw Trey, Mike, and the Benevento Russo Duo. (Or GRAB as some of the cool kids are calling it.) And the concert exceeded expectations which made us happy. The venue we saw them at was smallish and right behind the stage you could see the river and beyond that the city of Cleveland. They played a mix of covers (including an instrumental jam of Billy Jean which rocked) and originals. Oh and a few acoustic songs with just Trey on guitar and Mike on the banjo. When they pulled out a bluegrassy version of Wilson during this everyone went wild. And so yes we totally enjoyed ourselves. The next day we drove from Cleveland back over to Chicago where we saw them again. This time we were slightly disappointed because they played approximately half of the same stuff they did the night before which is very unlike what we were expecting. But, they did play some new stuff that rocked and some of the songs from the night before I was happy to hear again. All in all it was a good show.
Exciting thing number two is that during all of this our ugly bathroom was transformed into a pretty new bathroom. Seriously, you know the show on HGTV “America’s Ugliest Bathroom”? We so could have won top prize. It was that horrible. Horrible! But, it is not horrible anymore and might even be my favorite room in the house. I have been drinking lots of water so that I can spend extra time in there adoring the newness and non-ugliness.
Yeah for vacations! And yeah for new bathrooms! And so that has been what I have been up to for the last couple of weeks. (Which totally does not explain why I have not posted since MAY! Gah!)

Priceless

2006-05-19T14:43:00.000-05:00

Rogue tater tot that fell onto the bottom of the oven while I was removing the pan? Bastard.

Carley thinking she should go in after the rogue tater tot armed with just a hot pad? Stupid.

Burn on the bottom of my arm from laying it on the open oven door? Huge. No, ginormous.

Burn on the top of my arm from flinching after laying my arm on the oven door? Small. And also kind of comical.

Josh thinking I went in for the rogue tater tot because I wanted to eat it? Priceless.

Randomness (Or another list containing a Paris Hilton reference. And chocolate.)

2006-04-26T11:17:00.000-05:00

Dried cherries are like gold or diamonds or shriveled up pieces of sweet, sweet GOODNESS.
The Swiffer is my new boyfriend. How is it possible that I have lived my life up until this point without one? The cat hair clings to it like skanky clings to Paris Hilton. The Swiffer makes me want to do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight! Get down tonight!
Swimsuit season sucks particualarly when you have spent all winter eating whatever chocolatey yumminess that you can find.
Is it weird that I have to have the end of the toliet paper roll facing out so that you pull it up and over the roll? And if it isn't I have to fix it? Even if I'm at someone else's house? And that this is something I nag Josh about all of the time? Yet he continues to put it on the wrong way. I suspect he is messing with me. Well HA! I'll show him .... putting the toliet paper roll on the wrong way ....
Blackberry Green Tea Frappuccino. That is all.

Oh! Oh! I've been tagged!

2006-03-16T11:31:00.000-06:00

BitterSweetJaded tagged me.

5 Guilty Pleasures:

1. The song "My Humps" by the Blackeyed Peas: Seriously - the song reaches new peaks for me when it comes to ridiculous. Yet, I constantly have it playing in my head. And if it comes on the radio? You know I'm singing along about "my lovely lady lumps".
2. Tanning: I know that it's bad for my skin, etc., etc. But, in the middle of winter here in Michigan where sunshine comes around about as often as Paris Hilton says something intelligent? The warmth & glow of the tanning bed calls to me & I can't not go. Plus, I'm about as pale as a ghost & if I didn't go tanning people might try to walk right through me.
3. Deal or No Deal: Have you watched this yet? If you haven't, you should. It's addicting. Howie Mandel is a little cheesy at times & also a little creepy, but whenever I see him I think of the cartoon Bobby's World which I LOVED, so it gets bonus points for nostalgia reasons.
4. Spending an entire day in my pajamas watching TV/movies: I LOVE to do this, but always feel like a lazy slacker since I'm not doing anything productive. I don't feel bad enough to actually get off the couch for anything besides food or bathroom breaks though.
5. Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate: Need I say more?

I knew I could count on you

2006-03-07T11:16:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who played "Haaave you met Carley?" and by everyone I mean all three of you! Particulary Jenn who stumbled here randomly and was nice enough to play. I now have all kinds of good topics to keep me writing for awhile. Bonus points have been awarded to Bittersweetjaded for getting my TV reference (which was taken from the infamous Barney played by one Doogie Howser M.D. on How I Met Your Mother). Now I just need to find the time to actually answer the questions. Work (being the only place I can get on-line) has been, you know, all worky and stuff. It's really starting to cramp my style. Do you think if I asked for more "me" time and also a raise, oh and naptime every afternoon they would go for it? I really don't see why not!

Anyways, check back soon to find out the exciting conclusion to "Haaave you met Carley?".

Oh and also? A BIG thank you to Jojo who sent me a very fun toy over the weekend related to this post. I did NOT get a rock. I got Linus and the Great Pumpkin or possibly a jack-o-lantern, but either way it lights up. How cool is that?!?

Haaave you met Carley?

2006-03-01T12:29:00.000-06:00

So, I have had this blog for about 6 months now and it has really gone, well, nowhere. I started it for myself thinking it would get my creative juices flowing again. And I said to myself, "Self, it really doesn't matter what you write about as long as you write something." But, I really seem to have trouble coming up with things to write about. And I've thought about why and this question came to my mind: Is it possible to be shy on the internet where nobody even knows who you are? And the answer is, apparently I can. I've always been a shy person and it takes a little bit to get to know me. And somehow this blogging thing takes me back to high school where I feel like I won't be cool enough or pretty enough or funny enough or interesting enough. I know, I know. It's really ridiculous to feel this way particularly on the internet. Yet, here I am with my very own blog where I can write anything at all that I want and it really does not matter what anyone thinks and my mind draws a blank because nothing ever seems cool enough or funny enough or interesting enough to write about. And the really funny part is that nobody really reads this. Oh there are a few people who come by on a regular basis (Hi! And thanks!) and I'm sure there are a few people who come by that I don't know about (And hello to you, too!). But, all in all not to many people even read this. So, why oh why do I feel shy about what I write? Oh internet, if I only knew.

And so, today I would like to introduce the following:
Haaave you met Carley? (Quick, name that TV reference!)

To play, all that you need to do is leave me a comment and ask me a question or give me a topic to write about. And this means you - if you are here reading this right now why not leave me a comment? Won't you help me come out of my blogging shell?

Life can be very sweet & sour

2006-02-17T12:14:00.000-06:00

Yeah, remember yesterday how I mentioned I had been MIA due to a nasty something or other? Right. Well, my doctor calls this morning and you know what I have? Do you? SALMONELLA! Seriously? Who gets salmonella? Apparently, I do. And so today's important advice is this:

STAY AWAY FROM CHINESE FOOD!

BOOM!!

2006-02-16T12:57:00.000-06:00

Guess what it is doing outside right now. Snowing. I mean, it's CRAZY snowing.
And guess what I just heard. Thunder.
That's right, it's a thunder snowstorm.
Seriously, hide the children because Weather has decided to take over the world and it ain't going to be pretty.

In other news, I have been MIA for the last week and a half as I was knocked flat on my ass by a nasty something or other which didn't even allow me to have cake on my birthday. But, I have managed to crawl out of death's grip (and apparently straight into a thunder snowstorm).

Standing on the Moon

2006-02-06T13:04:00.000-06:00

Standing on the moon, where talk is cheap and vision true
Standing on the moon, but I would rather be with you . . .

*Edited to add*
See it? It's the 10th one down. You know you want to listen . . .

A made up day

2006-02-01T09:52:00.001-06:00

I had a post all prepared, but as I sat here re-reading it, it sounded something like this:
blabbity blab blah poor me blah boring blobbity crying ya'll a river blah blah And so on. So, I decided not to post all of my boring woes to bore ya'll with. (Ya'll is not a word I usually use when I am speaking, but it seems to be a fun word to use while typing. Hmm.)
Anyways, me? Bad mood lately? Yes. Me? Feeling all sad & depressed? Yup. And that just does not make for a very interesting life and thus nothing interesting to write about. I keep waiting for something exciting to happen. Like, I don't know, what if I am driving home from a strenuous day of work (possibly a Saturday) and I stop at the end of the driveway to get the mail. I start to sort through the mail and I discover a plain white envelope which has "For You" written on the front. There are no other markings to give me a clue as to where it came from. No stamp. No return address. I think to myself, "That's odd." So, I take the envelope into the house my curiosity flowing. I set it down on the coffee table and stare at it for a couple of minutes. Several thoughts run through my mind. Could it be from a long lost friend? Or a secret admirer? Or maybe a secret admirer turned stalker? Crap, am I being stalked? (I'd of course look around nervously.) (And I'd probably run to the bathroom and check behind the shower curtain.) (You do know that behind the shower curtain is where all scary-going-to-do-harm-to-you people hide, right?) Phew, the coast is clear. Back to checking out the mysterious envelope. Maybe it's the CIA assigning me a secret mission that pertains to national security. A mission that only I, an untrained civilan with bad coordination, could successfully complete. Yup, that could be it. My sleuthing skills aren't too bad. I mean, my favorite board game was always Clue. That's it! It was Lindsey Lohan on the stairs with a tea cup! Or not. Hmm. Oh shit! Maybe somebody knows about the secret CIA mission and they have gotten to me before the CIA and they are trying to poison me with Anthrax . (Where the hell is Jack Bauer when you need him?) Oh! Oh! Maybe I WON something! Wait. That's funny. I don't remember entering a contest. Damn, that can't be it. So, then I think to myself, "Well, there is only one way to find out." With a shirt wrapped over my nose and some gloves on (anthrax, remember?!?) I open the envelope. I am relieved to discover that there is no white powdery residue. And what do I find inside? A single, pink piece of paper of course. I nervously unfold it and find this:

VALENTINE'S DAY BAKE SALE

Where: Ye local high school
When: Tuesday, February 14th
Time: 3:00 - 7:00 pm
Why: To raise money for the senior class trip to Hershey, PA

There will be a wide selection of confectionary yumminess including: cookies of all varieties, cakes, pies, and assorted handmade candies.

Oh well, at least there are cookies involved . . .

I'm certain this is considered illegal torture practices

2006-01-28T07:23:00.000-06:00

Here I am. At work. On a Saturday. Not only am I at work on a Saturday, but I had to be to work at 7:00 am. 7:00 am. And I'm not getting paid. Yup, definitely illegal torture practices. No relaxing on the couch with Josh, sipping coffee, watching the morning news shows, thinking how great the day is because IT'S SATURDAY!! Nope, here I am watching the sun come up like any other day of the week. Blah, blah complain and complain some more. Yeah, I'm a big cry baby. But, it's SATURDAY! SATURDAY!

OHM

2006-01-20T13:07:00.000-06:00

I started a yoga class this week. My flexibility is somewhat embarrassing, but that’s part of the reason I’m taking it – to turn my non-flexible self into a bendy pretzel type. I really enjoyed the class. That is until the end when we had to all collectively do the "OHM" chant. Has anyone ever experienced this? You are supposed to "resonate" or some shit like that. It felt like singing to me and I couldn't find the right tone because I? CANNOT sing. I am tone deaf. And I’m here to tell you that being tone deaf does not mesh well with resonating. What I felt like was one of the American Idol contestants that even Paula can't find something nice to say about. So, I did what any good yoga student would do – I faked it.

Now I know my ABC's . . .

2006-01-16T12:39:00.000-06:00

I was checking out some random blogs and came across this at Kitty's Korner and thought I would steal it since it's Monday and I am feeling lazy . . .

A is for Age: 27 (but, my birthday is next month.)
B is for Booze of choice: Vodka Tonic
C is for Career: Sales
D is for your Dog's name: I don't have a dog. (But, my cat's names are Lily and Wilson.)
E is for Essential items you use every day: This could be so many things, but a couple of things that come to mind: my Oil of Olay face lotion, my automobile, my lovely new purse, and my DVR.
F is for Favorite song at the moment: This version of "Hard to Handle" by the Grateful Dead from August 6, 1971 that's on "The Phil Zone". It is ROCKIN!!
G is for favorite Games: I don't really play any games. But, growing up my favorite was Clue or Life.
H is for Hometown: Lapeer, MI
I is for Instruments you play: Unfortunately, I am not musically blessed.
J is for Jam or Jelly you like: My mom's homemade strawberry jam. YUM!!
K is for Kids: No kids yet.
L is for Last kiss: Last night when I said good night to Joshua.
M is for Most admired trait: Hmmm . . . my patience?
N is for Name of your crush: Joshua of course!
O is for Overnight hospital stays: None.
P is for phobias: Spiders. Ew.
Q is for quotes you like: "You see Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care." Peter Gibbons in Office Space.
R is for biggest Regret: Not getting some sort of a business degree in college. I got my degree in Environmental Studies and Biology, which I LOVED, but the jobs are hard to find. I might have actually used my degree had I gotten it in business.
S is for Sweets of your choice: Do I have to pick? Because really? If it's sweet, I'll eat it.
T is for Time you wake up: My alarm goes off at 5:30 am, but I don't drag myself out of bed until about 5:45 am.
U is for Underwear: Depends on the day: bikini, thong, boy shorts . . .
V is for Vegetable you love: Green beans are my most favoritest.
W is for Worst Habit: Picking at my cuticles.
X is for X-rays you've had: None, unless you count my teeth.
Y is for Yummy food you make: Hmm . . . I'm not the best cook, but I really like this chicken, black bean, and rice casserole I make. Oh and I can make pretty good homemade macaroni & cheese.
Z is for Zodiac sign: Aquarius.

Hot Diggity!!

2006-01-13T14:20:00.000-06:00

My lovely new purse arrived today!
Aren't you excited for me? I knew I could count on you to be.

It's not a fancy Coach purse or anything, but I love it just the same. It has pockets galore (including a perfectly sized cellphone pocket on the inside) and the straps provide perfect over-the-shoulder comfort. I think I will have to take it on it's first shopping outing this weekend.

Ahh, yes. That whole blog thing.

2006-01-09T11:46:00.000-06:00

Well, you may or may not have been wondering where the heck I've been. It's been so long since I posted that I'm not even sure anymore.
I did go on the fabulous Ski Vacation: Vermont which totally rocked for so many reasons: good skiing, good friends, good food, and LOTS & LOTS of relaxation. I'm sure I would have had many fun & interesting stories to share if I would have posted when I got back like a good little girl. But, my memory is shit & I can't think of any one particular story to share right now. Let's just say that lots of fun was had (although my out of shape muscles would TOTALLY disagree) and I would definitely go back.
We got back right before New Years and weren't planning anything too spectacular since we were still recovering from the vacation. But, my intestines had other ideas and decided to help me ring the new year in with much pomp & circumstance. I will spare you all of the gory details of my almost death (yes, I'm being dramatic. But, the pain! Oh the pain!) and just say that I ended up with some sort of bacteria that infected my intestines (BASTARD!!). I am now on the mend and afraid to ever eat sushi again.
Last week I was busy trying to catch up at work (the only place I can go on-line) which is my excuse for not posting last week. (I was being good and doing actual work! Don't I get a pat on the back for that or something? Oh, that's what I'm supposed to be doing for 8 hours, Monday thru Friday? Right. I'll have to remember that.)
That's it for now - I'll try to come up with something a little more entertaining than the (BASTARD!!) bacteria for next time.

The Boys Are Back? Huge Smile

2005-12-15T15:04:00.000-06:00

Taken from phish.net:

12/12/05 - Yes, we've heard. No, nothing official.
We don't normally post rumors here, but are putting this here in part to stop the deluge of ""Oh, my god - have you heard?" emails. :)
Phish has registered a new domain (as of 11/29/05), www.jemprecords.com, with JEMP presumably standing for Jon Ernest Mike Page. It isn't clear whether this is a new label, a new company, or just a site to promo the MSG 12/31/95 release.

The rumor part (as discussed on PT and ohkeepa) is that "Dionysian Productions and JEMP" has purportedly reserved MSG for 10/28/06 and 10/29, and the Philly Spectrum for 10/31/06. Further rumors contend word of a summer 2006 tour. But there is no official confirmation of any of this show news, and at least one source denies that such events are being planned - though does not deny the possiblity of a reunion. As indicated by Trey in recent interviews (that he is "not ruling out playing with Mike, Page and Fish") and in informal conversations (that they are "working on logistics of a Phish comeback") suggest that a reunion is inevitable, though perhaps not imminent.

How many wishes would it take?

2005-12-14T14:40:00.000-06:00

Josh: How many wishes would it take for you to use one of them so that the cat's could speak English?

Me: Two

Josh: That's it?

Me: Sure, my first wish would be for enternal happiness & peace for everyone in the world. My second wish would be for the cats to speak English. But, not just our cats, all cats. Then when you're walking down the street and you see an alley cat you can be all "Hey, what's up alley cat" and the alley cat would be all "Up yours!" (because alley cats are like that.)

Word of the Day

2005-12-09T09:09:00.000-06:00

And now courtesy of my friend Jolie whom I recently heard this from for the first time (she doesn't have a blog, so I can't link to it. But, she should start a blog because all of the cool kids are doing it) I present the word of the day:

Chillax: a fusion of "chill out" & "relax"
Example: She is so uptight. She just needs to chillax.

So, happy Friday to everyone and welcome to the weekend - it's time to chillax.

I'm baaack!

2005-12-08T14:35:00.000-06:00

Did you miss me? No? Well, fine, be that way!
But, seriously - I've been really swamped at work and I have not had much time to write. Why didn't I just write from home you ask? Wait for it - I don't have a computer at home. There I said it. Yes, I do realize this is the 21st century and all. I will let you in on one of my other dirty little secrets - I just got a cellphone 4 months ago. Yeah, I know me & your grandma were like the only two people left in the USA without one. What? Your grandma got one two years ago? Ok, fine I am slow with the whole technology thing. There - now you know. Don't judge me.

Thanksgiving was great - I got to see my grandparents who I hadn't seen in forever (my grandma made a whole apple pie just for me! I was going to eat the whole thing myself because yum! my grandma's apple pie is my absolute favorite, but I decided to be nice & shared it with Josh. And by 'decided to be nice' I mean my waistline would curse me if I ate a whole pie by myself and I thought it best not to make it mad at me. Particularly with more yummy holiday treats in my future.) My mom & my sister & I went to see the new Harry Potter movie which was GOOD. (What's with all the talk that Harry is so hot in this new movie? I mean, he's Harry. I just can't see it. Do you?)

And with Thanksgiving come & gone, the countdown to Ski Vacation: Vermont has begun!!! Josh & I are going to Vermont skiing with some friends over Christmas. Which? Yeah! So excited. And also? So NERVOUS. I have only skiied here in Michigan which has hills. Vermont has mountains. You see the difference right? Mountains. But, everyone has reassured me that it will be no big deal - they have easier runs & instead of spending all of my time on the chair lift a la Michigan, I will spend my time actually skiing. So, yeah! Totally excited! So excited in fact I had to buy myself a new ski coat (it's the pink one.) (Which? It's actually a snowboarding coat. Snowboarding gear is so much cooler than ski gear. And I wish that I could snowboard because it seems so much more bad-ass. But, me & snowboarding? Not so much. That is a story for another time, but let's just say Josh tried to teach me & my butt spent more time on the ground. And a cold, wet bum is no fun.) Oh and I had to buy some new goggles, too. And a new hat. And there are these really cool socks that I might have to get . . .

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2005-11-23T11:30:00.000-06:00

I'm leaving after work today & heading down to my parent's house for Thanksgiving. It's about a 3 1/2 - 4 hour drive, which sucks because it is long, but other than that it's really not that bad. But, what will make it interesting this time is the snow! Usually I'd be all, "yeah for the snow!" Except for this time where I am all, "damn the snow" since I have to drive a long way in it. And a long way it will be as the snow storm covers the entire state.

Anyways, it's worth it to see the fam & to eat a yummy Thanksgiving dinner. With pumpkin pie & apple pie & choclate cake. Oh and the turkey & all of that other stuff.

Oh the weather outside is frightful . . .

2005-11-17T09:09:00.000-06:00

It's the first snow of the year. And it's a good one. We got about a foot last night and it's been snowing like crazy this morning.

Yeah! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Happy Lost Day!

2005-11-16T11:30:00.000-06:00

Have I shared with y'all how much I love TV? Sad, but true. I HATE to miss my favorite shows.

My love for TV is not new. When I was younger, I couldn't wait for the new Saturday morning cartoon season to start. No seriously, I loved cartoons. It was like, an event.

[Warning: extreme dorkiness ahead]

I used to wait for the TV guide to come - the one that would have all of the new Saturday morning cartoons in it. And I would search through it seeing what new cartoons I wanted to watch, what time my old favorites were on that year, what conflicted with what (oh no!) and through this I would plan my entire morning out. I watched cartoons from 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning until noon when Soul Train would come on. (Oh, and if you're wondering - and I know you are on the edge of your seats - my all time favorite cartoons were the Smurfs & the Muppet Babies. Oh yea. Good times.)

[Which, what's up with Saturday morning cartoons these days? There are none. Well, there are a few, but the selection is slim. Not that I look or care. I mean, come on, I'm 27. Like I would want to watch Saturday morning cartoons. Please.]

Anyways.

I HATE to miss my favorite TV shows. And thanks to my new best friend DVR (which is like Tivo, but without the fun name or cute little TV mascot thingy) I never have to again. We've had DVR for awhile now, but my love for it is so grand I had to share it with y'all (I'm not sure what's with the y'all's today. It's possible that I was body snatched by Britney Spears in my sleep last night. Come to think of it I have been craving Cheetos all morning and I even had the urge to put my hair up in a messy ponytail on top of my head, but (thank God) it was to short.) So, back to the greatness that is DVR. Well, really, that's it. DVR is awesome & I love it & you would have to pry it from my cold dead hands if you tried to take it away from me.

Oh, and don't forget to watch Lost tonight (Jolie are you listening?!?) because it rocks & gets the coveted #1 spot on my list of favorite TV shows.(I'm not actually certain who covets that spot, per se, but it's coveted. Oh it's coveted.)

Eek! A mouse!

2005-11-14T11:11:00.000-06:00

What could be better than being woken up at 4:47 in the morning by my big, orange tabby cat you may ask? Being woken up by my big, orange tabby cat chasing a mouse around my bedroom, that's what!

So, I am sleeping away all snuggly in bed and I awake to the pitter patter of little cat feet scampering around the bedroom. This is closely followed by a high pitched "chirp! chirp! squeaakk!". What was that? Am I dreaming? Nope, I'm awake. Is that what I think it is? Oh shit it is! My initial worry is that Wilson will jump in to bed with the mouse, drop it on my head, and be all: "hey-look-what-I-found-for-you-aren't-you-proud-huh-aren't-you?!?"
I decide a mouse on the head at 4:47 a.m. is not how I want to start off my Monday. So. I jump out of bed, flip on the light, jump back to the safety on top of the bed, and look around the room trying to assess the situation. (Where is Josh when I need him?!?) I decide the best thing to do is to run to the kitchen and grab a plastic container because I am going to catch the mouse. Me. At 4:47 in the morning. Me, whose reflexes are not that great when I am fully awake, let alone when I am half asleep.

Sidenote: I find mice cute & furry and am usually not that afraid of them. I have caught many mice over the years (but, not at 4:47 a.m. and most always with help). I am a firm believer in catch & release of cute, little mice. In fact, I even kept one of the many mice that I have caught as a pet because he was a baby & cute & while that goes against the "release" part, he could not be left to his own devices in the big scary world because he might, you know, get eaten by a bird or something. Did I mention how cute he was?

Anyways, I proceed to chase the cat & the mouse around the house in an elaborate game of, well, cat and mouse (oh, come on, you knew it had to be said sometime, somewhere during the post!). I can't catch him. Wilson chases the mouse back into the bedroom & the mouse runs under the closet door. Great. I lock the cats out of the bedroom. Again, I'm usually not that afraid of mice. But, this mouse? This mouse is going to jump & attack - most likely at my eyes. I am sure of this because this is the kind of logic that I have at 4:47 a.m. I slowly open the closet doors. Of course. No sign of the mouse. There are several boxes & what not on the floor of the closet so I proceed to pull everything out of the closet. Still no sign of the mouse. Great. What do I do now? I decide he'll come out when he's ready. Mice are fast & tricky & he must have scurried past me & headed back to the basement where he belongs (ok, really? He belongs outside, but the basement is way better than my bedroom and at this point it is early in the morning & I am not up to any more of this game, so I may have deluded myself. Just a little bit.)

Fastforward an hour.

I hear the sound of Wilson trying to paw open the closet door. And then, the sound of cat feet scampering around the room and "chirp! chirp! squeaakk!" again. Oh shit (again)! I'm out of bed in a flash with my trusty plastic container at the ready. But, I neither see nor hear signs of Wilson & the mouse. I creep through the house & finally track him down in one of the other bedrooms. It's like an old western show down. The mouse in the middle of the room, Wilson staring down the mouse, me staring down Wilson & the mouse with the plastic container in one hand & the lid in the other. I make my move, but of course the mouse & Wilson are faster than me. They run around the room. I shriek. And then there is Wilson standing in front of me with the mouse in his mouth. I shout & plunge & try to get him to drop the mouse into my plastic container. Oh if only he could understand me, "Wilson drop the mouse in here! Drop him! In HERE!!" He does not drop the mouse into the container, but he does drop the mouse onto the floor. And the mouse sits there frozen. And due to much luck on my part, I react quick enough & finally catch the mouse. Finally.

Now. Here is the thing. I cannot kill the mouse. Nope, it's not going to happen. (Someone at work actually suggested that I flush the mouse down the toilet. Seriously? No. Just. No.) My soft spot for mice will not allow it (I refer you to the sidenote above). So, I took the mouse in the container (don't worry, there were air holes) and put him in the garage while I got ready for work. When I left I released one very shook up, but seemingly healthy mouse into the field next to our house. Phew!

Home Alone

2005-11-11T09:06:00.000-06:00

Josh is going to be gone for a WHOLE week. Crap. Who will I share all of the exciting happenings that come out of a day in the life of being Carley with? What if I have a bad day? Who will make me laugh & forget about it? What if I can't get a jar open? Who will open it for me? Who will keep my toes warm in bed? Who will watch all of my favorite TV shows with me? I will turn to laugh or comment & there will be nobody. (Except the cats and for some reason they could care less about my favorite TV shows.) What if two idiotic burglers come & try to rob our house & I have to protect it with paint cans & toy trucks & ice on the stairs? Let's just say I'm going to MISS him!! The only good thing is the house will stay cleaner than usual. (Sorry babe, but it's true!) That, and I can eat cereal for dinner every night. Mmmm cereal.

And now the #1 reason why Carley should not be allowed to dress herself in the morning for work when she is tired & has not had any caffeine:

2005-11-08T12:00:00.000-06:00

Tan socks with black shoes.
Let me say that again: tan socks with black shoes.
Niiicce.

5:03 a.m.

2005-11-03T06:47:00.000-06:00

Woke this morning, it was 5:03.
Thoughts of work in my head.
Stess Stress Stress Stess Stress
Thank you Friday, you can't come soon enough.

If I leave here tomorrow . . .

2005-10-26T15:28:00.000-05:00

So, I recently saw the movie Elizabethtown (Orlando Bloom - yum) with my mom & my sister (who were kind enough to make the long drive up here to the far away land known as northern Michigan to visit me). And in the movie at the end of a funeral service there is a live band that comes out on stage and they play Freebird. That's right, Freebird. You know, that little known rock song by Lynard Skynard? So, I'm just putting it out there now so that my dying wishes are know - I want a live band playing Freebird at my funeral. Who doesn't love Freebird? I mean, it is only one of the most wonderfully cliche rock anthems out there. The pure kitchiness of this song makes me happy. Almost every concert I've been to, there has been someone who shouts from the darkness during that pause between songs when the band is re-grouping "Freebird! Freebird!"

Oh and I don't just want a band playing Freebird, I also want lighters to be passed out to everyone attending the funeral with the following instructions taped to them, "You know what to do."

I got a rock

2005-10-25T06:58:00.000-05:00

In honor of one of my most favoritest holiday cartoons as a kid, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (which is on tonight):
Which Peanut's Character Are You?
(It has to be said that apparently, me? Not very knowing of the Charlie Brown characters because who in the name of the Great Pumpkin is Rerun? Although it, of course, makes sense that I have no recollection of Rerun as he is the one easily overlooked. And also? Little did I know that I have charm and cleverness that I could have been using to my advantage all of this time. Damn.)

You are Rerun!

Which Peanuts Character are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Top 15 Films of the Last 15 Years

2005-10-19T11:40:00.000-05:00

And now, by request from Bittersweetjaded and with a cue from IMDB, (insert gratuitous drumroll here):

My top 15 films of the last 15 years (in no particular order):

1. Memento
2. The Royal Tenenbaums
3. Pulp Fiction
4. The Big Lebowski
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6. Napolean Dynamite
7. American Beauty
8. Rushmore
9. The Usual Suspects
10. Office Space
11. Forrest Gump
12. Election
13. There's Something About Mary
14. Goodfellas
15. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 (I'm counting it as 1 - just try & stop me)

Wow, this was a lot harder than I thought it would be.

So, internet, please tell me - what great movies would you have put on the list?

Ode to Mousey

2005-10-18T10:41:00.000-05:00

Mousey*, you were a good pet to Lily & Wilson and to us.
Oh how the kitties loved to sit & watch you for hours.
You weren't afraid - you would stare back with your big, black eyes with a look that said, "Na-na-na-na-na-na! Suckers - you can't get me."
Mousey, who loved to run on his wheel. The squeak, squeak, squeak at 3:00 am will be missed.
Mousey, who loved sunflower seeds the best.
Mousey, who would horde all of his food in his cotton ball nest inside his deluxe mouse condo as soon as it hit the dish like any self respecting mouse would.
Mousey, who liked to chew on wooden fruit pieces.
Mousey, you will be missed.
Rest in peace under the old apple tree on the hill.

*A close likeness of the real Mousey

Dear CSI: Las Vegas

2005-10-07T14:51:00.000-05:00

Dear CSI: Las Vegas,
Why, oh why do you insist on searching your crime scenes in the dark with your tiny Maglite flashlights when you could just flip a switch? I know it's a much more dramatic affect when it's dark and your walking around some dead person's bedroom looking for clues with only a stream of light from your tiny flashlight. But, please, please for the sake of your eyes put to use this really great invention called the light switch. And it's just an idea, but wouldn't it be much easier to find evidence if you would just shed some more light on the situation? (But, what do I know as I am not a great forensic investigator.)

Concerned for you eyes & slightly annoyed by your tiny flashlights,

Carley

P.S. I don't know if you have any pull, but CSI: Miami would be MUCH more enjoyable if they would just get rid of that red haired dude. He's so overly dramatic. It would really make my Monday nights better.

Just say NO to the nip

2005-10-05T15:31:00.000-05:00

Josh & I have two cats, Lily & Wilson. Lily is a sweet, but admittedly weird little calico. And then there's Wilson of whom today's entry is about. Wilson is a big, loveable orange tabby. And by big I mean he has an over abundance of testosterone. When he was a kitten & we took him to the vet like the good parents that we are, they were shocked at how large his, um, 'berries' were (no really, they were shocking). And while he was supposedly to young to be neutered, they ended up being able to do it then & there. (Which really has nothing to do with today's story but, it makes me laugh, so I thought I'd share.)
So, Wilson. He's a cat. Who likes bananas. And by likes I mean bananas cannot be left unattended on the kitchen counter because he will jump on said counter, drag the poor, unsuspecting bananas onto the floor, gnaw through all of the peels, and proceed to eat bits & pieces of the entire bunch (apparently he doesn't like the bruised areas). Also? If a banana is opened by one of us to be eaten? His super sonic cat ears hear this & he comes tearing through the house to beg & plead at your feet for a bite of the banana (no bruised parts please).
Now, the other part to the story is that my friend just took a suicide trip to New Hampshire (and by suicide I mean she left Michigan on a Thursday afternoon, drove to New Hampshire, had some fun in the 'Live Free or Die' state, and was back in Michigan by Monday). She brought back Dr. Pussum's high grade, stem free, organic catnip for the kitties. Apparently, New Hampshire knows how to grow them some catnip because I have never seen Wilson react the way he did when I dropped the bag in front of his face. He took one whiff & it was over. This stuff is kitty krack people. He spent the rest of the night nipped out & he was still at it this morning when I got up. He apparently had the munchies because when I opened a banana to put on my cereal it was all paws flailing through the air & fur flying. Did he want some banana? I'm thinking so. Did he get some banana? Heck yeah. If you had a big, orange tabby flying through the air with kitty krack eyes you'd throw banana at him, too. I'm pretty sure my life depended on it.

I am an HTML genius

2005-10-04T15:04:00.000-05:00

Look, look! No, over there, on the side. See where it says 'Sites I Consider Daily'? Yeah, I did that. Quiet down, quiet down - applause really aren't necessary. But, who knew that I was an HTML genius?

(Ok, seriously? If you can't tell, I'm damn proud of myself. 'Hi, my name is Carley and I'm an HTML ~~idiot~~ genius.' All of you computer smarties out there? High fives for all!)

This is a test of the new blogger system

2005-09-08T09:02:00.000-05:00

This is a test of the new blogger system so I can figure out what the hell I'm doing. If this had been an actual post there would have been something interesting for you to read. This concludes the test of the new blogger system.