Weekly Entertained

I am the only unique me that will ever be

2011-06-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

So I might have thought I was "moving" to a new site, but then I found myself longing for the simplistic life that blogger awarded me... and I came back.

:) Don't get me wrong, I love my website (check it out if you haven't already, www.lindsaymarietaylor.com) but it is easier (maybe just for me) to keep things separate... but equal. Equal parts professional portfolio and equal parts blog.

I love to write and I was holding myself back by creating what I thought would be a professional presence on the internet. Even now, there is still that voice in my head saying "You are looking for a full-time job now, don't blow your chances by writing on the internet about stuff that doesn't matter." But you see, I look at it this way, if anyone is actually reading this blog than they have a unique opportunity to see more than one side of me, so why be resistant to being myself? I am not a terrible person, in fact, I consider myself a happy person. I was actually told once, "Taylor, you love life too much!"... And that was supposed to be a bad thing? Strange.

So you see I am back, even though I am still not great at being consistent with writing. Point is- I love telling stories and laughing... and if somebody reads this, that is my intention for their experience.

Please enjoy :)

"I am the only unique me that will ever be. I have the power to make a difference in this world. I look forward to taking on the grand adventure of life, living and always remembering to be myself. I love being me." - Catrinka

I MOVED!!!

2011-01-08T18:56:00.001-06:00

So I made a few changes, found a neat theme, purchased a domain, and now I've MOVED (electronically that is). Since I will be graduating in May, I wanted to find a digital way for people to find me and see some things I've done. I was limited with only a personal blog so I decided to purchase a domain. This way I will have my resume, portfolio AND thoughts all in one place. :) Hope to see you there!!

www.lindsaymarietaylor.com

Some of the Fam

2010-12-01T21:41:00.000-06:00

pictures over thanksgiving :)

Very Mary-Kate

2010-11-15T14:27:00.000-06:00

So I have never been one to shy away from hilarious YouTube videos, in fact just this weekend I was engrossed in cutsie sleeping puppies and the noises they make when dreaming. I like hilarious ones with stand-up comics, I like the kids at that New York City public school singing in their music class and of course I like remakes of Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair".

So the latest craze I have to share is one of miss "VeryMaryKate". Although she doesn't really look a lot like Mary-Kate Olsen (OK, none whatsoever) the girl is funny. I mean FUNNY. I was an Olsen's fan since I could remember. Full House, I even went around in the third grade insisting everyone call me "Michelle", all the mystery videos and random movies plus "It Takes Two" was like.my favorite.ever. So naturally, I was drawn to a spoof of Mary-Kate, since I haven't heard much from the Olsen's in recent years (lets just forget New York Minute, OK?).

So, without further ado, I invite you all to experience VeryMaryKate. Thank me later.

"Careers"

2010-11-06T23:01:00.000-05:00

So since I am a frustrated grad student, I thought it fitting to talk about careers, since I think about what mine should be daily... Just this afternoon, after fiddling with a new domain I thought to my self "self" (that is what my pastor in highschool always used to say when he started a thinking story... is always made me wonder if he really did that or not...ANYWAY)..."self", "since I spend so much time doing stuff like this (& enjoying it) would this be my hobby? And if this is my hobby, and people always say to start a career in something you love, does this mean I should do this as a career?"

Now mind you, I am VERY indecisive, and I change my mind about everything constantly. I actually found it great fun to rearrange my room every other week even if it took hours to do and after a while my mom got so used to me doing this she no longer got mad, she just laughed... so, you will forgive me if I don't have much confidence in myself when it comes to making lifelong decisions (this could be taken into other arenas, but that's for another post I suppose).

So people say we change our careers at least 10 times in a lifetime, CAREER, 10 TIMES! Well, looks like I am not the only one! I looked up the definition for "Career" and found:

ca·reer
[kuh-reer]
–noun
1.
an occupation or profession, esp. one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework

..."one's lifework"? Sounds almost depressing. Are we all on this constant journey to find ourselves and our true lifework?... I wonder if the statistic holds true for those who chose careers in fields they truly loved doing...Or- perhaps this is just the ever-evolving nature of human beings. And maybe change is just that, change. Which is necessarily good OR bad in every case. Whatever the reason, I guess I am OK at this point considering myself a "jack of all (many) trades, master of none"

Look at the doggy in the window...

2010-11-04T23:54:00.000-05:00

:) I haven't posted in a while... (Let's just blame school) but I have been doing stuff since my hiatus and one of them includes photos... so I will include :)

For those who don't know... we got this little guy on June 15th 2009 from our local Humane Society. He is a sweetie that has the most precious "take me home please" brown eyes anyone looking for a dog would be drawn to. I tend to gravitate towards him when my camera needs a little face time.

...

I recently took a few photos while doing duty as a volunteer at a local 5K run for the United Way. While I was there I shot this photo of an adoptable dog at the same Humane Society I got my little guy. If your thinking about getting a new pet.. think adoption. I mean, who could resist this cutie?

I want your ugly, I want your disease

2010-09-14T17:59:00.001-05:00

Lady Gaga is one of those artists that the weirder she gets, the more I like her. I mean if I met an actual person on the street with a meat dress on I probably wouldn’t approach them (more likely I would consider them an alien) but she is an artist, a character, a performer… so it is acceptable, expected even.

Which reminds me of an article I read today concerning ugly trends and fads (which are usually set by celebrities/socialites/fashionistas) and one of them was of course the Ugg boot. I mean honestly, if lots of people weren’t already wearing them and considering them acceptable would you ever pay $200 for a tan moon boot? I mean it has Napoleon Dynamite practically written all over it.

I guess the same can be said for any trend. I mean I never met a bag I didn’t like… But I don’t spend thousands (or even hundreds) on purses or bags… but that is also not to say if I had a more disposable income I wouldn’t, who knows?

I guess I am sort of glad I am not a “Carrie” (Bradshaw) because otherwise I would be in debt up to my ears… or does that mean it comes with a rich boyfriend who will eventually pay your bills? …She did always look cute though… Maybe it was the hair?

In any case, I do like to shop so I will pass on a little gift I found in hopes you will put it to use only because you were already interested in purchasing something and that something you are purchasing is classy and tasteful. No meat dresses here... ;)

Reality TV black hole

2010-09-07T19:04:00.000-05:00

My name is Lindsay and I have a problem...

I realize that there is trash on TV and well... I love it. The Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion shows raised my blood pressure they were so crazy-filled. Why do I continue to watch? Because it is entertaining. I don't find all of the "Housewives" entertaining, but New Jersey and New York are hilarious and crazy.

But I do draw the line...

There are no redeeming shows on VH1 and as soon as Flavor Flav produced another spin-off I called a quits with VH1.

I want to try and support new dramas, comedies and so on but how do I spread my time out with all the Top Chef's, Project Runway's, The City's and the Teen Mom's? (I swear I don't sit and watch TV all day... my TiVo is great for boredom).

There needs to be a support group for people like me, please wean me off of this.

Thank goodness for my shoulder bag!

2010-08-20T17:23:00.000-05:00

Most girls might be able to sympathize with me when I say trying to pack "light" for trips, sucks. I spent the summer abroad and I just knew that I would somehow come home with twice as much stuff as when I left, even though I didn't plan on buying much. Turns out, that most of my packing for "what ifs" paid off. I quickly became the dispenser for sunscreen, airbourne, bandaids or aspirin. That was perfectly fine with me, because for once I was being thanked for packing all that nonsense stuff. But I will tell you that there were a few things that I COULD NOT live without on our weekend trips, and once again :) I became a savor of sorts to some.

(ranked in order of importance course)

#1 Sanitizer

This one may sound obvious to some, but let me tell you, it is a life saver. What with walking the streets all day, napping on the grass by the Eiffel Tower, riding the metro and the city bus, handling old books, antiques or shoes, a squirt of sanitizer was about as good as a full body shower.

#2 Passes

Perhaps it was supposed to happen, or maybe it was just a coincidence, but I found I had a lot of time on the night train due to the lack of adequate sleeping quarters (it was a 1970 Harry Potter train that hadn't been cleaned since... 1970). It was our first weekend and we were on our way to Rome :) or Roma for those Italians in the audience. So in the early morning hours I got a little bored since I was the only one who somehow couldn't contort their body in a way to make myself comfortable or ignore the heat, sweat, smell and neck pain to fall asleep.

I pulled out my travel book, the thing I insisted on taking even though it literally weighed my weekend bag down, and started flipping through the pages. I skipped to a section I found interesting and read about the Roma Pass. I got just enough information to get the gist: unlimited metro, bus and train rides for three days, two free entries into a museum or historical site for one flat fee (25 euro). Those travel books sometimes do have relevant information and money saving tips because no one else in our 16 person group knew about it and it saved us all a ton of money!

#3 Tissues

Not only are they good for allergies, but in many public places in big cities the bathrooms do not provide tissue paper. Get the travel kind of course...

#4 Questions

No, questions are not something you can physically pack, but you should certainly use them if you have them. Once you get over the fact that you might face an occasional rude person, becoming confident and respectful when asking a question will most likely not only get you an answer but probably some added bonus information. A LOT of people speak English, but if they don't, use your resources to get your point across (map, hand gestures, street name, landmark, etc). Oh and if you are worried about looking like a tourist by stopping people and asking questions... don't worry... the natives already know. Trust me.

More good eats...

2010-08-04T16:38:00.000-05:00

During the course of one month I got to go to a few places and one of them was a "girls weekend in Paris" (as we called it) and naturally I was excited. Being that I had never been out of the U.S. Although we were originally hoping to venture to London, I ultimately realized 'I'll be happy going wherever!' It was an experience to say the least (as was every weekend we took) and we mastered yet another public transit system (yes!) visited Euro Disney (yes! yes!) and ate French Food (!!!!).

Luckily, within our small group was a frenchie native. She isn't exactly fluent in the language but was conversational enough for us to pick up on things we certainly wouldn't have otherwise. Like the following... who knew a croque-monsieur was so delicious?? OK, some of you might know but I'm a newbie... This wonderful lunch is complete with frites (french fries), salad and mineral water.

When it came time for dinner one night we wanted to go somewhere cheap for obvious reasons and in my Lonely Planet app for Paris I found a restaurant called hippopotamus... isn't that funny? Well, even though it didn't turn out to be exactly what we were thinking, it was still pretty good. It is mainly geared towards families but doesn't have a lot of options and certainly not what one would consider "French" but maybe that is just because I am ignorant on the issue... however the steak I got was pretty yummy and of course the frites were good.

Visiting the fam...

2010-08-02T23:51:00.000-05:00

...I went to see some fam in North Texas this weekend since school is starting soon and who knows when I'll have time to come down again.. I also decided to take my ever-so-lonely camera with me to give her some face time with little rugrats (this was originally going to be just the puppies but some baby cousins actually made a visit too while I was down).

I am no Italian, but I sure can relate to the Guido's out there when they mention family and food because let me tell you, my Mom and my Nana can cook! Thanksgiving dinner probably doesn't spark an excitement in a lot of people like it does in my family, and I honestly feel a little sorry for them b/c they are missing out. Having a grandmother that can cook is like coming home to comfort. The family can be crazy, people can fight, kids can be screaming, dogs can be barking and some may even kick back one too many glasses of vino before dinner rolls out but when it does, there is at least something right in the world... and that's Nana's cooking :)

Why are english muffins so addicting???

Time will only tell if my cooking comes up to par with those that have come before me... I am still trying to gain back a neutral opinion after that whole egg incident... but that's for another post :). For now I can just document what I see before me...

Good morning! This "coffee maker" looks more like a beacon of light beckoning all that passes to drink from its vessel and experience truth and happiness...oor maybe just drink the coffee...

P.S. when will 9am not be so early??

And how would a post of photos be complete without the puppy??

There is something to be said for a well-manicured lawn because this yard and all the plants and bushes and trees and rocks and stones and little buildings (like the outdoor seating area) has seriously entertained this puppy... now he turns his nose up at our oh-so-small-and-oh-so-overgrown lawn... oh well, maybe one day ;)

Traveling through food...

2010-07-15T17:30:00.000-05:00

While abroad this summer I got to experience some traditional Italian dishes and a few other traditional dishes on the road. (We took a roadtrip through Switzerland, Germany and Austria). Some say that they are so used to American-style Italian dishes that true Italian dishes aren't preferred, but I don't know what the hell they are talking about because true Italian dishes are delicious! And I didn't even mind the true- al-dente style either!

This pizza was made with love by a true Italian in his pizzeria, and one night I got to make my own! FYI- they don't call pepperonis pepperonis in Italy, and although I never thought about it, it makes perfect sense why they don't... PEPPERs have nothing to do with PEPPERonis, very confusing for the Italians since they have various forms of peppers and one even called peperoncini, that they use in cooking (they are a sweeter pepper that has various forms)...

Oh, and just for giggles I included this one as well...Italians just have a weird concept of American cuisine.. haha

yes, that is eggs and bacon on a pizza...

Now on to the wonderful world of Italian pasta!

(Spaghetti Vongole- Spaghetti with white clams)

I had this dish in Venice and this was my view for dinner...

Beautiful! But we didn't see Brad or Angie on this trip, must have been gallivanting through some other amazing city :)

I just included this because it all looks so yummy! This bakery was right around the corner of the restaurant we ate at on the canal. I don't know what the heck the green ones are but those cookies are the size of saucers, can't believe I restrained myself! Oh wait.. I just now remembered I had caffe gelato two stores down...

more coming soon... :)

:)

2010-07-10T01:10:00.000-05:00

She's baaaaaaaack

2010-06-24T14:25:00.000-05:00

I hadn't planned on NOT blogging while I was abroad... It just kind of turned out that way. Well with the sucky internet access and the fact that there were things to do other than play on my computer I got caught up in the fun... and now that I am back in the states with literally NOTHING to do until August (no job, no school) I have time to blog about my wonderful time in Italy.

I went to a town in northern Italy called Asolo. It is apparently in the book 1,000 places to see before you die (check!) and it is scattered along a hillside. I must say, even though this was my first time outside the U.S. (I don't count Tijuana) I think I had an experience most first-timers don't. I mean come on- I woke up to this every morning...

..and that is just the dinning room...

I was there for four weeks studying business and we got three long weekends, (Thursday afternoon-Sunday night) so I got to do traveling outside of this gorgeous little town too! I don't say this to gloat, I say it because it was quite possibly the best decision I have made to date. I took a night train, along with many other students, to Rome the first weekend. The second we rented cars and road tripped to Interlaken, Switzerland then to Munich, Germany, then to Innsbruck, Austria on the way home. The last weekend was a girls weekend in Paris. I went with two other girls and we had a great time, we even went to Euro Disney! I met all kinds of people everywhere we went, did things like a bar crawl in Rome, hitchhiked (just up the hill into Asolo...but still), navigated foreign subways and bus routes, tried to speak a couple languages (and failed), & even haggled prices at a flea market.

I have a travel bug inside of me now & I hope that I will be able to experience things like I did over the last month over and over and over again :)

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Discovered a cool group of photographer people!

2010-04-29T20:14:00.000-05:00

I discovered the group and workshop through a post just like the one I am about to do. The workshop is a bit pricey so hopefully my name will be drawn and I can win a seat to the workshop.

Either way, if you like photography- you should check them out!

Check out the LOVE AFFAIR BLOG and enter to win a Kelly Moore Bag & a seat to their upcoming workshop in Dallas!! www.loveaffairworkshop.com

Two posts in one month...

2010-04-28T22:59:00.000-05:00

Pathetic! Well, you must give me a break- I am approaching finals week and I am on the cusp of either doing well or not doing well...In fact, I should be working on some short papers RIGHT NOW...

Enough with stressful things and on to the fun things! With the end of the school year comes the excitement for my trip to Italy. Well, sort of... I am going there for studies but after looking at these, I think it's worth it!! I will be staying one month in a small village town in northern Italy. I plan on taking videos and a severely large amount of photos. :-)

:) Departure- May 15th

Taking a moment...

2010-04-12T19:13:00.000-05:00

So, I guess I haven't been entertained enough lately to post my "weekly" rant, but here I am! And here I was just thinking of ways to get out of my take home quiz!

I mean honestly, I feel like I am the only person who became "the slow one" once I entered the proverbial doors to my future in the Masters program... OK, well there is this ONE person who, poor guy, asks questions that have either 1. been covered RIGHT before he asks, or 2. Is a concept that seems so basic and simple compared to the rest of the material that you sit there thinking..."really? Is that all you don't understand? Are you sure???"

Well at least he has the guts to ask... I just sit here the day before an assignment is due and google terms like "quantitative methods" or "transportation model" in the hopes that I will find a piece of information that is as clear as day and my confusions are left in the dust wondering why they ever existed in the first place. Let me tell you I have yet to find this all-knowing search engine, but once I do I will let EVERYONE know about it. I should become a teacher and let all the kids in on the quick fix-its and cheat sheets, that way they learn the important stuff- the real guts, the "nitty gritty"... It's just some things in middle school & high school seem so arbitrary... But now I can honestly say I learn concepts and ideas that are useful... FINALLY- it only took..2.8..10..20 years! (assuming I started preschool at age 4).

Blah- anyway, I saw a few movies this weekend that I liked, two in particular that were good and very different.

Movie 1: Shutter Island- It was pretty good, I mean come on it's Leonardo DiCaprio... I just wish they hadn't given away (or at least alluded to) the ending... I knew it was coming so I was hoping for another twist, but alas, no twist. The preview said it all. Bummer... but still good nonetheless.

Movie 2: Julie & Julia- I wasn't particularly dying to see this movie but it recorded on my TiVo so what the heck. It made me do 2 things.. (DISCOVERY- apparently I like lists) 1- look up Julia Child's book and 2- look up who Julie Powell is. I was disappointed in both really. The first because I am not familiar with cooking terms and since it is 50 years old I could just see myself with a dictionary and a cookbook trying to figure out how in the hell to bone a duck or what that even means??... yeah... right... And the latter because one thing leads to another and I find she has written a second book (Julie Powell that is) about her life after the first book and how she has this racy affair with this dashing man who is everything her husband isn't. I am still wrestling with that one. By all means, embrace your sexuality whatever way you see fit, but a real-life account of how you A, B and C-ed this stranger who isn't your lonely husband just kind of made me sad for relationships.... But that is a whole other blog. The movie however, was overall sweet and chick-flicky fulfilling.

So I suppose I do have eventful and thought provoking things happen to me more than just weekly... :\

Just browsing...

2010-03-24T20:25:00.000-05:00

So I was bored playing on twitter when through Rob Kardashian's tweets I saw Angela Simmons. Of course I remembered that she was Rev Run's daughter and then I recalled her tv show with her sister featuring their move to LA and their shoe line- "Pastry". So I decided to google it and found some bomb kicks... if only I wore a size 6 these limited stock puppies would soon be making their way to my closet..

If you happen to still wear child sized shoes, check out Pastry for these. If you have normal sized feet :-) they have other styles of course... this one was just almost sold out.

So after the disappointment of realizing my feet are too large for my previous cute shoe I continued browsing and came across these...

These are of course Chuck Taylor All Stars.

I personally believe they have a long-term relationship with jeans and for this obvious reason they should be in your closet if you wear jeans... I think this one is cool for a couple of reasons. One the color isn't solid (which all of my current Chucks are) and although I never was a devoted fan of Kurt Cobain I still appreciate the punk style exuding from this shoe :-)

Check them out At converse... duh

*Beware- Purchasing may soon follow *

Hello World! ...My name is Lindsay

2010-03-13T22:47:00.000-06:00

Look what came early in the mail today :-) couldn't be more excited

Road Raged Regina

2010-03-13T22:00:00.000-06:00

I consider myself a fairly logical person. Yes, I tend to overreact on occasion, I am extremely impatient and I am at least a couple volume decibels above normal at all times. BUT I honestly mean I try to censor myself in situations were they are warranted. Oh- did I mention that sometimes (a lot of times) I cuss like a sailor? This is not something I am particularly proud of but a lot of times I don't feel ashamed either... it's kind of weird but cussing has just become a part of my conversation, I use it like an emphasis on certain things rather than an angry shouting match... And for some reason I have gotten extremely used to referring to girls/women (who could be a friend or "enemy") as "bitch". Sounds weird but it just comes out, like instead of saying "This girl I saw the other day" I say "This bitch I saw the other day" ?? I don't do that allll the time but I have noticed that people tend to think by referring to a girl as a bitch I am mad or angry at them??? weeeiiird. Maybe I should rethink that one..

Anyway that was off the beaten path, I was trying to point out that I realize I do some strange/annoying things and I try, try to recognize when people are uncomfortable and adjust my nature or apologize. But my Achilles Heal is when I am driving... all of my habits come together and I turn into this angry, white redneck sailor driving a honda with an Obama sticker. I am a driving contradiction because my bumber sticker also includes a peace sign... yes I believe in being PEACEFUL. I just can't help it, immediately I become upset at a grey haired lady pulling out in front of me or a flustered dude driving the wrong way through the one way parking garage. I mean the lady is old, (probably shouldn't be driving but let's not go there) she could have been having a bad day, or driving an unfamiliar car, or just that she made a mistake by pulling out in front of me. Still, my immediate reaction is to slam on the break or make another visible gesture so that they are reprimanded for their driving mistake, I either honk, wave my arms, yell at them or flip the occasional bird.

If I am on the open road I don't tend to be such a policeman but man when I get behind the wheel in traffic I turn into Road Raged Regina and there are NO EXCUSES for those old ladies or flustered gentlemen on the road. It is so much harder trying to catch myself doing these things while driving so I am pretty sure my boyfriend and other passengers are grateful for the really dark tint on my windows.... :-|

..And the kitchen

2010-03-01T22:51:00.000-06:00

stalking homes made me think to make a list...

2010-03-01T22:47:00.000-06:00

Friday's are the best days of my life...

2010-02-26T22:17:00.000-06:00

I found a wonderful recipe for some homemade margaritas after frustrations with a string of mediocre store bought margarita mix.

The recipe does its job. It's 1- alcoholic, 2- tastes yummy, 3- easy to make (just recruit someone to juice 'cause after a few it gets old).

My photo isn't too glorious because somehow I forgot to include the ice before I poured the drink so I had to sip a little (hence the salt missing)... I guess my eagerness got the best of me!

Here is the original link I found, including video, but if you want a short and sweet version this will get the job done:

First, make simple syrup- 1/2 C water, 1/2 C sugar. Stir to a boil, until all the sugar is dissolved, turn off heat, and set aside to cool.

Second, juice, juice, juice a few fresh limes while the syrup is cooling.

Then pour in ingredients:

1 cup tequila - (gold or white)
3/4 cup of lime juice
3/4 cup of triple sec
1/4 cup of the simple syrup

mix and put in the frig to cool :-) after a little while enjoy some fresh YUMMY margaritas!

This recipe was used in the glasses you see above and made 4 drinks.

And here's the Margarita Proportions if you want to make more or mix it up:

4 parts tequila
3 parts lime juice
3 parts triple sec
1 part simple syrup

the Happy Birthday song...

2010-02-25T23:57:00.000-06:00

Although I really don't like to think I am the type of person who only blogs about frustration, I seem to have plenty to talk about concerning certain things that annoy me. For instance, people that say, "I could care less" when it is actually "I couldn't care less" because if you could care less than you at least care a little, whereas if you couldn't care less than you.... couldn't care less... see?

Anyway, that wasn't the point of my blog (mind you I was always asked by my mother to "tell the short version" because I couldn't get my point across without deviating several times to explain a side note... like... right...now). The point of this posting was to discuss bathroom/hygiene etiquette. I find it extremely hard to believe that people do not see the need in bathroom hygiene, I mean seriously, we learn this crap before pre-K, and I am pretty sure it is like a requirement for the "fundamental" steps you have to pass to get to Kindergarten. So is it sooo time consuming to use a little soap and water before you hit the exit??

This might be a little TMI but I was in a small bathroom about a month ago and there was only myself and one other person occupying the restroom when I hear a familiar noise of a little rustling and the lid of the metal trashcan (yes, that metal trashcan). So since I just entered the restroom I wait a little behind because this is a small restroom and the last thing I want to do is wait to wash my hands... but wait... no need to stand in line because Stall 1 Occupant has walked out of the stall directly to the bathroom door (which I presumed she used hands to open) and walked out, WALKED OUT. Just like that! Now I have seen (heard) it all!

I knew boys were bad with this, but girls too? I thought we women were better than that, I thought we were the sensible ones, the ones that rolled their eyes at silly boys doing disgusting things. Either this woman was a breed all of her own or we have really gotten that bad. For this reason, and many others, I will continue to sing the happy birthday song while washing my hands (like Oprah taught me) and use the same paper towel I dry my hands with to then open the door. And maybe you might want to think twice too...

I thought I heard something...

2010-02-22T19:11:00.000-06:00

So sometimes I get paranoid in the night, well really anytime I am alone anywhere that could potentially make me vulnerable to danger. I hear something and my mind immediately goes to the worst possible scenario- and then I envision the things that are taking place right at that moment in the other room... the small creak I just heard turns into me wrestling with the idea whether that was a creak of the door or more of a creak of the back window? Then confirmation quickly comes that that was absolutely a creak of the back window because I swear I just heard a rustling of notebook paper which the burglar would have had to step on had they crawled through that window... and wait.... was that the door opening.......... and after a long pause and a few swift kicks of my heart, reality sets in... that small creak came from under the bed not the back window and it was my dog not a burglar... thank god I'm alive.

My paranoia has gotten so ridiculous that in highschool I had OCD tendencies to avoid bad things from happening. For instance, if my mind wandered to a dangerous scenario or I said something aloud I didn't really mean to happen (only joking) I had to knock in a series of three knocks (on wood) followed by one knock to avoid this terrible possibility of something happening... yeah I know it's weird. I don't tend to do that anymore.

I still have the paranoia of burglars of all kinds really and it specifically involves the locking of doors. If I can't visually remember seeing myself locking the door (to my car or my home) I will not be able to sleep or leave the parking lot without having checked. And even then, there has been several times when I'm not sure if I pulled hard enough on the door to ensure it truly did lock, so I'll check again. I think at this point I just need to take an ambien and call it a night :-)

Girls gotta do what a girls gotta do...

2010-02-18T22:52:00.000-06:00

I just received my Amazon order with my FAVORITE mascara in it. I have gotten compliments on my lashes (so what if it was my Nana) and it is honestly the only lengthening mascara that has actually done what it said it would. I recommend to everyone! You can get some at your local SEPHORA or of course Bare Escentuals, but I got a good deal on Amazon and their shipping is always reasonable (or free if you shop right :-) )

And just to encourage your shopping experience, I am passing on a coupon! I received an e-mail this morning with this in it and since I love GAP I figured I would share my "fortune" :-)

Happy Shopping!!

Don't Worry-

2010-02-18T00:26:00.000-06:00

Can't get this song out of my head... And I think it is pretty fitting for a week of studying into the early hours :-)

Call me a cliché...

2010-02-13T15:09:00.000-06:00

...but I like flowers. And if my boyfriend wants to give me some beautiful flowers- why would I tell him no?

I get the whole "flowers are overpriced, especially on Valentine's day and they die in a week". But is it so wrong to like having something beautiful to look at? I've said several times that I can't wait to live near a real farmer's market so I can get beautiful fresh (cheaper) flowers whenever I want. They brighten a room, smell good, and make me smile- so why not?

Love you and thank you boo :-)

So I had two quizzes...

2010-02-11T22:21:00.000-06:00

So I had two quizzes- tests if you'd like to call them- TODAY (Thursday). One at 9:00 a.m., the other 4:30 p.m.

Wouldn't it make perfect sense to stay up past midnight on Monday for no good reason other than to hone up on my photoshop skills? With that reason, it also makes perfect sense to stay up again on Tuesday night until after 2:00 for no good reason as well...

Because after all, I anticipated that I would be staying up late on Wednesday to study for Thursday's (TODAY's) tests, so it makes perfect sense to keep my body in a rhythm of sorts, right?

WHAT?

Not only do I feel like I could fall asleep at any moment, the energy drink I choked down right before my 4:30 class/quiz didn't work!!

Does that even happen?

Hah, and to top it off, both quizzes focused on a moderate amount of algebra usage (mind you I would rather milk a cat than work with exponents and derivatives).

Why is it that the longer I stay in school the worse habits I obtain? I mean I bring procrastination to a whole new level. I don't mean to say that I am lazy, I just have many, many other things I can think of that are more fun than studying and algebra and textbook reading and study guide making and.. and.. and..

I need a slap in the face and some new contacts so I can see what the hell I'm doing to myself.

Goodnight :-) Sweet Dreams.

Cute moment of the day

2010-02-09T15:16:00.000-06:00

Just had to post this...

My cutie cute of a dog, Baxter, gets this look on his face when he knows I (or my boyfriend) am about to leave the house, being "emo" is what we call it, but he pulled out his model look for me when I got home :-)

Beef- It's what's for Dinner...

2010-02-09T15:03:00.000-06:00

Although I tried out veganism for 30 days (and still have an appreciation for it) I can't help but loooove the smell of meat. That may sound gross to some people, and I really do apologize for that. But there is something to be said for coming home to a crockpot full of yummy roast.

I am sure everyone knows how easy it is to make a meal with a crockpot, but just fyi, I put peeled potatoes at the bottom, then seasoned and "seared" roast (I don't know the "cooking" terms for when you just brown the edges) on top of that, carrots and onions with more seasoning and a bit of beef broth I used to loosen up the pan when I "seared" the meat. I plan on using this great sourdough bread I got from the local grocery and using the reserve to make some gravy to top with. We put this together before we headed to campus this morning and came home this afternoon to this :-)

Plating it will do more justice to the dish but it's still cooking and it smelllllls so yum. Just thought I'd share. I hope to make this pasta dish my mom gave me a while ago, it's my favorite ever and includes sausage. Will post later in the week!

Rite of Passage

2010-02-05T14:58:00.000-06:00

So there has been a lot of talking around me about 21st birthdays and the like (shout out Tessa!) and it got me thinking. What happened to the "Rite of Passage"?

Yes, there is still the bar and bat Mitzvah, but that is just a party like a Quinceanera, right?

I am talking about the "make the boy into the man" ceremony where they throw the guy in the woods and he can't come back until he has found the meaning of being a real man. I wish they still did that and we could through all the douche bags into the woods and they would come back normal again... Or at least they would get beat up just enough to realize they aren't the biggest and baddest...

Or better yet, gladiator style where everyone can see. Wouldn't that be hilarious to see a guy get side-swiped by a bear? Just a little whop to set them straight. That way if a guy is acting up people could say something like "yo, you better watch it- they still need someone for tonight's show"... that would scare the douche out of anyone, yep yep!

*by the way the picture is from the movie Apocalypto (GREAT movie, even if it is a Mel Gibson movie)

Coughing

2010-02-04T21:21:00.000-06:00

So for those of you who haven't had a cold or sore throat in a while, let me remind you of a little annoyance people call coughing.

Coughing occurs, contrary to popular belief, whenever and wherever it wants, and continues until the irritant as been satisfied. So please, you don't have to remind me to take a sip of water or ask if I need your help. As if there was something you could do.

I have had a nasty cough that just won't quit and it can be severely annoying in class when my throat just won't clear. So when I forget to bring cough drops or have sipped on my last sip of water, I try to hold a cough. Do you know how hard it is to hold a cough??? Your eyes water, your face goes red, some people are looking at you like they might have to perform a Heimlich procedure at any moment, and the other half are just annoyed. And you feel like at any moment your mouth could burst open into a fit of flames ready to be expelled into the air.

Basically, coughs suck. Take your vitamin C.

Emily @ the park- playing in photoshop

2010-02-04T15:02:00.000-06:00

editing= b&w background, curves layer and eyes

4 8 15 16 23 42

2010-02-04T13:10:00.000-06:00

So I was really anxious to watch the season premier of LOST on Tuesday but I didn't get a chance to. I figured I would have more time on Wednesday since I don't have classes but then I got caught up in other things and only watched 30 minutes before I was passing out.

Still.. within those 30 minutes, I was LOST. Granted, I love this show, but it can get very confusing. Alternate universe, what??

Canon for Christmas

2010-02-02T22:46:00.000-06:00

This is my doggy Baxter, we adopted him in July. He is a digger and completely DESTROYS his toys within minutes, hence the brand new Christmas toy with the top tore off...

My brother and sister-in-law in my Nana's backyard. They don't know how to smile without being goofy so this is the best of the bunch! :-)

My boyfriend, Brett and my brutha, Curtis in the "Man Cave" (my uncles bar/pool room).

This is Abbey, my mom's dog. She has a scratching problem, and that is why she is wearing a shirt :-)

Damn, I am bad at this.

2009-09-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

As a child I was never that consistent when writing in my diary, even now I have under 10 entries in my journal (which I have had for over two years).

Pathetic.

Yet, here I am. I guess I am somewhat of an optimist. If that is what you call it.

I have decided that this isn't a journal entry, no, this is a weekly "entertaining" blog. It is highly likely that for the duration of this blog no one will read this but me, so why talk to myself about myself? Posting funny things would be more interesting to mE, now and in the future. So here goes nothing...