You hear that dial tone? I'm off the hook

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-08T10:47:00.001-08:00

2012...the year of dedication. I am going to be busy, but I am excited about what this year holds for me. I am going to volunteer more (I already have 1 library volunteer event on Jan. 21st), I am going to make face time for my friends, I am going to have a six pack, and I'm going to be more creative with my existing closet...all while continuing my awesomeness at work and maybe training for a half marathon. Bring it on 2012. 27 is going to be the power year.

I loved 2011, but I think 2012 can be a year for an even better me.

The six pack thing I'm totally serious about. I need to alter my eating habits. I go to the gym a lot, but I still have this weakness for pizza, bread, cheese and sweets that is hard to control. I'm certainly not giving those things up cold turkey, but I'm going to make them the exceptions, the special treats and not my go-to's.

As for my closet...I have recently gotten really into my own style. I'm trying to be cuter and I like putting together outfits. My grandmother told me a long time ago that sweatpants are for the gym and home only, so I'm making an effort to look put together when I'm out and about. Pinterest has been a good inspiration for outfitting, but recently I've been buying things too much. I see something and I have to have it, like my green jeggings and mustard skirt. But now that I have all this stuff, rather than keep filling up the closet, I'm going to work with what I have. I'm going to really make an effort to limit my clothes buying...so, we'll see how that works out.

As for my readings...I'm in the middle of There But For The by Ali Smith and The Marraige Plot by Jeffery Eugenides. I'll be giving you my thoughts on those two when I wrap them up!

Happy 2012!

New read

2011-12-24T08:41:00.000-08:00

I just finished The Happiness Project and I so enjoyed hearing about someone's experience with improving the life they lead. Happiness can be so easy to get and yet so hard to recognize.

What I enjoyed about this book is that it wasn't about a person who was making major life changes to find happiness. Sometimes that is necessary; sometimes your life is so off kilter that nothing will make you happy except reshaping it by quitting a job, starting school, ending/beginning a relationship, moving...whatever. I understand that major shifts happen and are often necessary. But what I like is that happiness can happen with the most minor adjustments.

I consider myself to be a pretty happy person in general. I have bad days and feel sorry for yourself days just like everyone else, but this book really encouraged me to look at my life and maintain that happiness by not getting caught up in the minor things that upset me or stress me out. Focusing on the positive, not getting crabby when your significant other/coworker/family member inadvertently pisses you off, and finding little releases will keep that unhappiness at bay. I enjoyed reading the book and using it to reflect upon my own happiness...what causes it and the things that distract me from it.

On to the next!

Also, happy holidays!

It should come as no surprise that several of my gifts are of the book variety. I am pretty sure I'm the only one whose $10 gift for one family function is a book (which actually cost $12.50 but is too good not to gift...it's Freedom by Franzen). You're welcome family.

Read 'Em and Weep

2011-12-11T07:56:00.000-08:00

Lazy blogger! It's not for lack of inspiration; my life is so complete right now, its scary. Although my family life has undergone some changes, I have wonderful family members that make my life better; I'm happy with my relationship that's developed into one of deep love and happiness. I have many friends that encourage and inspire me. I'm in good shape, my job is good, and I have found time to read so many good books. And that is the new inspiration for my posting.

Over the summer and throughout the fall, I have read a multitude of amazing novels. I am going to go through them very briefly, and in the future I'll try to keep you more up to date with my current readings and recommendations.

I have recently read several Young Adult novels. Most of them surprised me with their thoughtful reflections on complicated topics, and I see value in reading them as an adult.

If you have not read The Hunger Games trilogy, you are missing out. This series is amazingly thought provoking...love, basic human need, power, choices, family, hunger...what human hasn't dealt with issues surrounding these things? I was certain this was not my type of book, but it's everyone's type of book. I loved it, devoured it, put off doing schoolwork and lost sleep so that I could finish it...Read it. Please and thank you.

I also read two other books that shared similarities with The Hunger Games' dystopian setting. Delirium by Lauren Oliver is about the disease called love that so many fall prey to, so much so that a "cure" is invented to keep order in society. Divergent by Veronica Roth is part of another trilogy (I've only read the first one) starring a young girl realizing that she does not fit into the categories outlined by her society. Both were very good vacation reads.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd is the story of a homosexual teen who is learning the definition of love and acceptance as he gets involved with the world around him. It was troubling to read at times but a great story that felt really genuine.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork is one that I read for a Latino literature class. Marcelo has an autism-like condition that shapes his thoughts into a beautifully written, simple and truthful story. The 'real world' from Marcelo's perspective is an honest account of injustice, love, and understanding.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is a graphic novel with a fantastic cast of characters telling the story of fitting in. The drawings are great, the topic interesting, and the story very well told. Very deserving of the awards it has received.

I also read some grown-up books...

Room by Emma Donoghue is a haunting story told from the perspective of Jack, a five-year old who has spent his entire life in a room where he and his mother are held captive by a kidnapper. This was heavy reading for a beach weekend I'll admit, but I was glad to have read a story I had heard so much about.

(I should also insert here that the majority of my reading recommendations come from NPR...and they rarely disappoint.)

By far my favorite book of the summer and maybe of my life is Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. I rarely add books to my favorites on Facebook; if a book makes that list, you have to read it. I will recommend books all day long, but I only have a few that I put in the favorite list. (Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Book Thief, Freedom, Harry Potter...yes, Harry Potter)

Todd and I read Freedom together and I decided he's a keeper as we discussed Patty and Richard and Walter (not because we always agreed, but because our discussions and interpretations revealed so much about us and our opinions). I LOVE this book so much because I could see myself, my friends, my boyfriend, my parents in each of the characters at different points. Life is defined by all these characters depending on their situations and reactions and mostly their mistakes. Love is not easily defined and neither is life. I highly recommend it. Keep reading if you get bogged down; its lengthy, but necessarily so. And then please call me so we can talk about it. Also, Leslie Knope mentions it in an episode of Parks and Rec, so if you won't take my word for it, take it from Leslie (who I am dying to be).

The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano was an interesting read as well. I will recommend it in the same way I would recommend Edward Carey's Observatory Mansions (for you Christie). I don't want to call it strange, because that seems unfair, but it was a different kind of book about two misfits who find one another and discover the rarity of two souls like theirs uniting.

The Help. I fought this book for a long time and I'm not sure why. Someone recommended I read it over a year ago, and I started it, read about 2 chapters and was just not ready for it. I have this thing about popular books with mass appeal (i.e. Nicholas Sparks and Harry Potter). I don't trust the majority of the public to truly recognize great literature (Nicholas Sparks). But sometimes they do, sometimes its more about reading a great story that completely wraps you up so that you are so involved in another place in time that you don't even mean to learn something, and you do (Harry Potter). I re-started The Help and I loved every minute of it. It is an incredibly important book. I spent one rare non-busy Saturday afternoon finishing the last half of the book...for four hours, I held Kindle close, I laughed, I cried, I felt like a better person when I finished. Please read it.

I just finished A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan with the assistance of a very helpful relationship chart that visually depicted the characters' relationships to one another (thank you Courtney). Another good one. Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective and from start to finish, you meet each character briefly and then in more detail as life is chronicled through their various connections, relationships, and brief encounters. It made me think a lot about aging and how my little life is insignificant to most, but could be significant to a few.

I should mention that I did read a few books that I either couldn't get into or have not yet finished...The Last Werewolf has an interesting start as did Beatrice and Virgil: A Novel, but my kindle library loan ended on each before I finished them. I haven't gone back to them yet, which says nothing about their quality, only my lack of time.

I hope you get to check out (from your local library) one or all of these books at some point. And I'll do a better job of keeping my recommendations current so I can react as I read rather than reflect 5 books later. Happy reading!

Have a magical day!

2011-07-15T13:06:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to point out that we are already halfway through 2011 already. And that is so crazy to me because I have no clue where the time has gone.

It did go to Disney for a week, I do know that much. And it was an amazing trip. Disney has some rocking customer service because they say to you, "Have a magical day," and you know what, the days are exactly that. It's amazing.

Being there spoiled me because now I realize my life would greatly improve if my life were brought to me by Disney. I don't know that I can return to normalcy after the magic.

1. I would like the Fast Pass feature to be available in the Publix sub making center.

2. I would like my boss to greet me each morning and tell me to have a magical day, and I would like him to mean it.

3. If I have a complaint, about anything, I need someone with a headset to pull me aside and talk to me about my problems, and then find a way to fix them.

4. I need to once a week be on a parade float being driven by a lady in a bird suit.

5. I want Mickey Mouse shaped soap and to officially change my name to Princess...which is what Sarah means anyway, so that's not really a stretch.

6. I want everyone around me to be that happy all the time. Because nobody is sad in Disney.

I think that covers it...I'm going to continue my magical life, which today includes the final Harry Potter movie...in about 2 hours. Pretty pumped about that magic. And not even a little embarrassed by my nerdiness.

It's the End of the World As We Know It

2011-05-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Well, with the impending end of the world (according to some), I felt it necessary to blog at least one more time. My posts have been so sporadic that I need this one, if it is the last, to leave some kind of lasting impression. I just wanted to continue on my good advice giving path, because if I am not here in about 3 hours, you who still are will need to know how to continue on with living life in the best way possible. I am no expert in this arena by any means, but there are certain things that bring my life such simple joy.

1. Please exercise. If only for 20 minutes on the elliptical or a brief power walk 3 times a week, you need a fitness routine. All of you. The reason you need to exercise is to make up for the food you have to eat to enjoy life. I love cheese. And ice cream and pizza, and yes, veggies are good too, but I love chocolate and sweets and champagne, and chicken wings, and obscene amounts of sushi. So in order to enjoy all the food life has to offer, you need to balance that with a little exercise. It will just make you feel better. You should drink a lot of water too, just in general. Stay hydrated.

2. Read a book. Any book. And then read another. Also get them from the library because they are free there and they have a huge selection. I'm a huge advocate of book buying, but if you do not have a library card you should probably get one. This is in no way biased by the fact that I'm going to change the face of libraries should the world still be here when I get out of school. But it kinda is. If you do not know where to start, I have a few suggestions: The Awakening, the Harry Potter series, To Kill a Mockingbird, Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (in the middle of it now, and kinda love it), and definitely Dandelion Wine. Read Twilight for fun.

3. I hear there may be zombies coming to get us at some point. You have to either blend in with the zombies or learn how to fight them. I found a website to assist.

4. Watch past seasons of The Office. I don't know how next season is going to turn out with Michael Scott being gone, so soak up the last few seasons and enjoy laughing.

5. Eat breakfast in the mornings because it really is the most important meal of the day.

6. Love people and try to understand. I am guilty of making snap judgements sometimes but I'm usually much happier when I don't do that. You should still people watch though, not with the intention of making fun, but there is a lot to be learned by just watching and listening.

7. And on a more serious note, be a courteous driver. Cars are dangerous so stop being so aggressive!

8. If you own a black leather pencil skirt, you need to wear it at least once. I have missed out on this opportunity and I'm pretty upset about it. But it being May, I can not justify wearing it today as it is already 90 degrees outside. But this is not an opportunity you should miss out on. I think.

I think that's all...but I have also been checking things off my last day of my life bucket list throughout the day:
I slept in.
I talked to all my family member, minus Laura, but we texted, so we're good.
I had an awesome workout.
I took the longest shower ever and wasted a lot of hot water.
I finally vacuumed out my car.
I didn't update my facebook status yet, but it's gonna be good when i do.
I watched the most recent Harry Potter release. Thank you netflix.
I read for awhile.
I made a red pepper and mozzarella omelett and a good pot of coffee.
I washed clothes and wore my Chacos around all day in preparation for Disney.
I paid my rent.

It's been a tip top day in a really chill kind of way. I'm excited about waking up tomorrow.

Children's Books for Adults

2011-03-06T18:11:00.001-08:00

I am currently listening to 80's Pop Hits station on Pandora, and it is absolutely rocking my face off...so go there while you read this and it's almost like you feel exactly how I feel right at this moment.

Except that you might not. Because I am on the verge of a literary breakthrough, and I'm so sure to be a success that I'm afraid to blog about it in fear that someone may steal my thunder.

Adults, like myself, have to deal with some pretty major things as they enter adulthood. Some of these things are experienced and handled more maturely by people of far younger ages. Dealing with pardon me, shit, as an adult is tough because you know too much, you've seen just enough to over analyze the situation or deal with it improperly. I feel that adults need children's books to guide them through life's tough situations that they are forced to deal with later than some of their peers who experienced said events at a much younger age.

I should be more specific for this to make sense.

Half of all marriages end in divorce. Fact. A lot of children deal with divorce and they get the speeches about how Mommy and Daddy still love you very much, but they are not going to live together anymore, and yay, 2 christmases! But what about when you become an adult and your parents split up? Wouldn't this situation be eased if you had a picture book with animals to get you through it? Or what if you have never had an intimate encounter with a man until your mid 20s and felt a little awkward about the situation? What better than a talking turtle to tell you about the ins and outs? There is not a children's book to address these adult situations, so I've decided to give the people what they want/need by providing a new series on life's issues brought to you in the form of a children's book...that is not for children at all. Titles will include, Suck it Up You Big Baby...Did You Really Think It Couldn't Happen to You and Grownups Don't Just Makeout.

I think I'm sitting on a goldmine. I need some kind of comic relief and a reality check to put things into perspective, and I feel like an illustrated animal book would give me both. I've already drafted my first story, a bittersweet romance about 2 bunnies who grow apart. Going to be amazing.

i quit

2011-02-23T17:42:00.000-08:00

I love vacation. I have decided that after this week I will not be returning to Allstate. After only 3 days of time off, I have grown accustomed to being on my own schedule, so I am going to go into an existence of mooching. My plan is to finish out school while living off the goodwill of others when my money runs out. I do this, simply because I have lost the willpower to return from vacation.

Won't you get bored? you ask...no. I will continue playing on my computer and watching Netflix, running, playing, reading until my eyes are tired. And then I will nap. Until I get hungry, and then I will eat. I will frolic the stacks of the library and galavant throughout the gym until I again get tired. This is the happy life for me. No need for any more accomplishments. No need for more goals; I will play and enjoy my freedom.

But alas, this is but a dream. I have thoroughly enjoyed this random week of vacation though. The weather has been beautiful, I have had a chance to catch up on things that working all day usually does not allow. I have read, not just for school, but for PLEASURE! I have watched television guilt free. I have made meals. Balanced meals that aren't from the freezer. I have run freely atop the moving belt of a treadmill without worrying that I only really had 45 minutes to spare. I have watched Maury and The Real Housewives of New Jersey and come to appreciate my drama free life, especially this life, the vacation life.

and I still have 4 days left until I return to normalcy.

Re-kindled

2011-01-05T18:42:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't call myself a book purist, or a book snob. I would call myself a geek. I'm okay with that. Even nerd. Literary guru...I'm fine with that term. But I want to address...nay, defend, my use of the Kindle and respond to people who say to me, "I'm surprised YOU have a Kindle of all people; I just love books too much for that," in snobby voice, suggesting I have stopped loving books.

When I heard about ebooks, this terrible computerized literature, I said, (in my most book snobby voice), "Dear me! How on earth could one ever replace the feel of a book with a flat hard plastic machine! What joy can one ever get from reading if they are not turning a page, smelling the freshness, feeling and eyeing this world they hold in their hands! I will NEVER give in to this...EVER!!!" (book snob voice with much passion and gusto.)

I love books. I think anybody who's ever been around me for five minutes knows how much I enjoy reading. I make it a point to visit at least one local bookstore when I'm in a new town or on vacation; I frequently buy used books in bulk for 50 cents for paperbacks, $1 for hardcover. I go to the library and pick something non-fiction, something I've been wanting to read, and a guilty pleasure book, picked solely by literally judging the book by its cover. I have never thrown a book away or gotten rid of one unless it's given as a gift because I can not let that person be without this book. (I've probably bought 5 copies each of The Awakening and Dandelion Wine because of this.) I am always in the middle of at least two books. And I love used books, looking at the dog eared pages, seeing if the person who read it before me has highlighted or underlined something. I like to think that when I die, I will be judged and my life evaluated and understood by the books on my shelves...in my library with a ladder that reaches the ceiling and circles around the room on wheels. I can think of nothing better than turning a page, sniffing the ink, loving the feel of a book.

I read an article on NPR today about a book in which one animal is describing a book to a donkey, and the donkey does not understand how it works. The donkey is too far into the www world to get what to do with something you don't have to charge, plug in, click, point, etc...it's just a book. A simple, amazing book that requires nothing but your imagination and time. And reading this made me feel like I am betraying books by owning a Kindle.

But...I am a fan of anything that allows me to read. And when I go on vacation, my suitcase is 50lbs, because I will finish one book on the way, might be in the mood for something different at the beach, will need a nighttime read, and an on the way home read...insert kindle with some choices for me in those situations. No, reading my kindle does not give me the same thrill as pages of a book, however, I like that it meets my demands immediately. I need to read this book RIGHT NOW! HAND IT OVER KINDLE! And there it is. I like that there is something in existence that introduces literature to technology...because let's face it, paper invitations are dying. Christmas cards in the mail are dying...facebook is how you keep up with people you don't see. We love technology. We love having things instantly; right or wrong, we use technology ALL the time. So, think of our kids...clearly my kids will be baby geniuses reading novels by the age of three (much like myself), and they will not be so dependent on technology, but for other kids who only like tv and video games, here is your book. Here is something that you relate to. Oooh, and look, here's your special ebook that's like a mini computer and you're reading Shakespeare! Fancy!

I will never give up on books. Ever. I will be a reader until I'm blind. And then I'll let my Kindle read to me until I'm deaf. And I don't think there is anything wrong with that.

when life throws you sweet potatos

2010-12-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

Whenever I am at a loss for a subject for my blog, I try to think of advice I can give to others...ways in which I can share my infinite wisdom and life experience.
I've learned a lot today.

Adults can, and do, get strep throat. "What? I thought only children in elementary school could have strep?!?" Oh no. My doctor lovingly told me that adults with tonsils and a throat are still suseptible to the sickness and that's why I can't swallow. Also, 3% of the population that is allergic to penicillin (like myself) are also allergic to the medicine he gave me to cure my strep throat. So, if my throat closes up, at least it will do so strep free.

When preparing sweet potato fries for the first time, one needs to probably look at more than one recipe and take into account the size of one's oven prior to just popping them in there at 425 degrees. And when the fries are small, they probably aren't going to take too long to cook. Also probably best not to be completely distracted when you cook them. Or they will be black and crispy.

If you use the equivalent of a butcher knife to make these fries, when you begin to tidy up, pay close attention to the placement of your hands and the slippery aspect that water and soap play into the whole equation of washing the knife...or you will see the inside of your finger and it will bleed until you think it could've used a stitch.

It hurts to run water into an open wound. Just fyi. But pretty bandaids make it seem worthwhile.

When someone passes away, do not leave it on their voicemail. I am fortunate enough to have a loving mother who makes sure to call me and speak with me rather than leaving a death message, but others in my family are not as considerate to their siblings...i.e. a crazy aunt. Inappropriate to shout that out on the blog? Not as inappropriate as leaving that kind of news in a voice mail. Looney.

There is no kind of bad day that can not be cured with bedroom slippers and chocolate chip break and bake cookies straight out of the oven (on a pan removed delicately from a correctly temperatured oven with a thick oven mitt). And champagne when you don't have strep.

Flipping OUT

2010-11-28T17:09:00.000-08:00

While jogging at a moderate pace on the treadmill, my eyes could not help but wander to a neighboring machine where a flipping ponytail caught my eye. As I watched her purposely flip her ponytail back and forth, back and forth like a running bobble head, I started to notice other gym-goers who also caught my attention. I have compiled a list for you. Be on the lookout for these runners and lifters and notice how they enhance your gym going experience.

1. Bobblehead Jan. Jan has a long ponytail. Jan likes to walk briskly on the treadmill on incline. I also have a ponytail (a short one, but I used to have a long one), so I know that making your ponytail flip from side to side while walking requires a conscious effort on the part of the ponytail wearer. It doesn't just move that way by itself. And she's not doing anything to affect me directly, but I worry when I see her head moving that way as she walks. Is she having a seizure? Is she going to fall off the treadmill because the momentum of the moving belt front to back and the contradicting side to side motion of her head is going to throw her off balance? I'm worried.
2. The Grunter. Whether he's grunting as he lifts, or grunting as he drops the weight that is obviously just a little to heavy, he is doing it loudly enough for it to echo across the entire gym. He positions himself; he grunts as he struggles to lift the weight making a face that would scare small children with the veins engorging around the temples and eyes bulging forward dangerously. After he lifts, he lets go another grunt, this one of satisfaction that he has dominated the too heavy weight and managed to keep his eyeballs in their sockets.
3. The Jeans/Jorts Wearer. My favorite is the jeans and wife beater gym goer. He wears his wife beater proud as he shows off armfuls of tattoo artwork. He keeps a watchful eye on his twitching muscles as he lifts weights and tries to avoid the inevitable swamp ass that accompanies working out in a hot gym...in jeans. At least the jorts offer a breeze.
4. The athletic skirt wearer. Excuse me, skort wearer, as if that makes it better. I think we all know I am a HUGE fan of a good skirt in real life. But I do not condone a work out skirt. You look silly. You are not playing tennis, and I can not believe that you are going to have an intense workout while wearing a skirt. I don't believe you because you are wearing a skirt and because you trot on the elliptical for 10 minutes and then drink from your water bottle that matches your skirt and call it a day. Put on pants or shorts and have a real workout.
5. The I Am Running Faster Than You guy/girl. They strategically find me in the gym struggling to keep up with the 6.0 pace on the treadmill. They stretch, start off at a jog, and then put their speed up to 7.0 and laugh as I am wheezing for breath and they easily complete 4 miles in the time I have completed 2.5 due to my stopping to walk when I become tired. I know you're in better shape than me...stop rubbing it in.
6. The Over the Shoulder TV Watcher/Magazine Reader. Hey, stop watching my tv! You have one attached to your machine, why don't you just find the same channel? And when i'm done with this magazine, you are next in line.
7. The Out Loud Singer. I can not hear the music playing thru your headphone speakers. The same does not apply to the noise coming out of your mouth as you breathlessly serenade me.
8. The Person who pretends not to see your Ipod. I wear my headphones and my serious face every time I go to the gym. Despite the fact that I'm the least serious person I know, this face says to those at the gym who don't know me so well, "hey, i'm in workout mode. Don't toy with workout mode or I will punch you in the face with the force of my bulging muscles." Not only does my face tell you to steer clear, the Ipod should also let you know that I am not inviting conversation. It's the opposite actually; I discourage your conversation. Because when you speak, I have to remove the headphones and you have to repeat yourself...even if I heard you, it's the principal of the matter. Don't speak unless spoken to. (says the gym snob)

True story, I love my gym. And without these people to enhance the experience, I doubt I would frequent its sweaty halls quite as often. But I caution you against being one of the people on this list. Instead you should just watch these gym faux pas happen around you. And enjoy.

Year Review

2010-11-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

So, it's been almost a year since I blogged...that is a disgrace to the blogging community and all 3 of my followers. Don't fear readers, I have a lot to tell. Lemme rehash the past 11 months of my life. i'm using my planner to fill in the blanks for you.

January...happy new year began with a homecooked meal and some sparkling cider. A nice low key way to set the tone for the months ahead. I ran a 1/2 marathon in Disneyworld where Christie and I were showered by hail and rain for the 13.2 mile run. We were pretty much miserable...and confused as to why the sunshine state was not living up to its name. I went to Monster Jam again. And I had to get 3 stitches when a rogue dog leash punctured the space between my thumb and pointer finger. I could see the inside of my hand.

February...I was blessed with the arrival of my nephew, Leo Isaiah at 7:51 am on Wednesday, February 24th. He was born 8lbs, 5oz. the proud auntie feels a little guilty that his sister got a much larger blog shoutout...but we'll talk more about him later.

March...looking a bit light in terms of things that are interesting to talk about. I ran a 5k on St. Patty's and had my fastest time yet, a trip to the dentist, and some work training.

April, the month of spring and growth came with the 2nd birthday of our dear Lily. I had quality family time, attended an awesome party...on a boat, and attended a Jewish festival. This was the best weekend of the entire year. The all white party on a cruise ship was kind of amazing, and the following day I saw Rabbi suckers, ate Jewish food, and had my name written in Hebrew all in the same day. Mazel Tov.

Ooh, and in April Laura lived thru a drug deal gone bad, complete with gunfire and a fleeing criminal jumping onto our porch from the 2nd floor apartment above to make his getaway!

May I please tell you that on May 8th, I finished 5th place overall woman at a race for literacy...my favorite things, running and reading.

June came with warmer weather, a move to a new duplex, Laura's 21st birthday and a return of my favorite New Mexican.

I liked July because it was vacation time! i went to the Jersey Shore for the first time and visited D.C. again and decided it was one of my favorite places. But why does it always rain when I'm trying to be a tourist?

I saw Jack Johnson in August and took a family vacation weekend to the mountains to run a 5k with the family. I hate that race...it dominates me every year. I was super proud that the extended family all participated, and that Josh did his first 10k.

A Maryland wedding in September is a beautiful thing. September will be named the month of soul searching and deep contemplation. It was a doozy, but at least my family is so cute.

October flew by at warp speed. Every weekend was fun filled. The Italian festival stole my heart the first weekend, followed by football, PC homecoming and Halloween. I was going to be the apple of your eye, but my fruit of the loom fell apart. Pictures of the apple to come...harder to pull off than you think.

And here we are, already in mid November with the short days and chill in the air. Hard to believe that another year has gone by and I will so exit mid-20 and enter another year of old age.

But i have to say...25 has been the best one yet I think. Maybe that's why i didn't have time to blog, but don't fear...i'm all up on this now and have decided it's time for a revamp of blog topics, so now that we're caught up, let's move it on!

It's beginning to look a lot like the holidays!

2009-12-14T15:42:00.000-08:00

I am admittedly the biggest nerd ever. But...I LOVE the holidays. I mean LOVE, and it's absolutely for all the wrong reasons. Ok, partially for the wrong reasons. Yes, Jesus is the reason, its about giving not receiving, family time, blah blah blah. I get all that, and those things are SO important. Clearly. But there are so many other good things that I just feel its my duty to point out some other selfish reasons why the holidays rock my face off.

1. Christmas tree decorating. I just love putting those little balls on a tree. I have issues with symmetry that I'm dealing with, but I think we did a pretty good job on this one.

2. It's a special Jewish holiday too...and I'm conveniently dating a half-Jewish dude...YAY Christmakkuh!! I got to light a candle. It was maybe one of the happiest times ever. Then we read a book about Hanukkah with the girls.

Is that strange that this made me so happy...perhaps, but it was kind of special. (obviously the family aspect, true meaning of the holidays played a part here.)

3. Christmas lights!!! I just love looking at Christmas lights. I do however, think you have to choose between Jesus and Santa. You are not allowed under any circumstances to have Santa or a giant blow up snowman attending the manger scene. Not ok with me. You have every right to believe in both, but they are not allowed to occupy the same lawn space at the holidays.

4. Food. Yes, food. Chocolatey, sweet, munchy, terrible for you goodness that you get unlimited amounts of at christmas parties at the workplace, for friends, wherever you go there is food to be had.

5. Presents. Buying presents. ok, and getting them. Yes, its selfish, but you know as well as I do there is always that gift you weren't expecting that is just so thoughtful it brings tears to your eyes. And you know too you like picking out something and knowing how much your sister/boyfriend/mother is going to like it.

6. Dress up parties. I don't have an official dress-up party to attend this year, but i love that idea. And don't think that's going to stop be from being just a little too overdressed to the holiday parties I do attend.

7. Hot chocolate. There is no other time in the year that I even drink hot chocolate.

8. I would say traditions, but this year I'm excited about new traditions.

9. This video (courtesy of Kelly)

10. And lastly...christmas music and all the variations that encompasses.

So, tis the season, to really enjoy the things you love about the holidays no matter how selfish they may seem. It's the season for love and happiness so go ahead and celebrate the things...and obviously the people that make the season bright!

Best Week Ever

2009-11-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

First off, Tuesday trivia is back on and Sweet Ninja Love is getting closer and closer to bringing home the prize.

Wednesday, I had the pleasure of seeing the world's greatest MJ tribute band, Who's Bad, perform with 2 of my favorite people in the world. And about 200 wasted underage college girls, but that's not the point. IF this band comes to your area, GO SEE THEM. Seriously, its well worth the cover charge.

Thursday I got to catch up with my old roomies and we're making plans to keep that going.

Friday, also amazing. Spent some quality time with my bed and a few books. A few books because I have started approx. 5 books and I don't want to finish any of them. I need recommendations people. NOthing is getting me going literature wise.

That brings me to today. I ran 5 miles, my first 5 mile run since the race and I did a little speed training. It feels good to be back out there since i have been cheating and doing the elliptical for the past few weeks. I do like to run, but I have to run now so I can keep eating like I was while I was marathon training. How sad is that? I'm so used to eating whatever the hell I want and then justifying it by the miles I put in...so I might want to keep running if I am unwilling to give up my food intake. Now i'm going to the library since I already cleaned up. And I still have a lot of hours of daylight left!

Also excited about tomorrow night. The boyfriend is cooking me dinner and he's getting pretty good at it, so yay!

I guess this week looks semi-boring now that I'm reading back thru it, but its the little things like my super great friends, a beautiful Saturday after rain almost all week, having time to go to the library, dancing to MJ songs on a random Wednesday night, and a guy cooking me dinner just because he likes me. i kinda like my life.

Running, Run, Ran

2009-11-08T15:21:00.000-08:00

I am still failing at this whole blog thing. But maybe now that the marathon is OVER, perhaps I will spend more time blogging.

That's right, I finished the marathon! Yay! Probably the hardest thing I've ever done. Let me just take you thru my feelings during the 26.2, so if you are thinking of doing a marathon I can give you a real picture of what it feels like.

This is pre-marathon. I ate a plain donut, half a nutri-grain bar, and drank a bottle of water for breakfast. And about 3 sips of red gatorade. I put on all my gear, my shorts with pockets for my Gu, pepto tablets, and chapstick, a long sleeve under armor shirt, my purple TNT tank top, and my semi-new running shoes. And mascara. I taped my feet because I was having some pain and my toe had a blister already. I was good to go. I was nervous because I wasn't nervous. My awesome mama got up with me at 6am to walk me to the startline and take my jacket from me. It was below 50 degrees that am. Then part of my team walked to the start line to begin.

Guess what song played as I was starting the race...Don't Stop Til You Get Enough...my favorite MJ song. So I was in a pretty good mood at this point. Really happy to see 19,000 people racing and even more people cheering. I just pretended every "Go Sarah!" sign was for me. I ran with a teammate Katie for the first half of the race. We got off to a slow start because of the crowd, but we were able to manuever and get a decent pace. I was feeling like a million bucks at the halfway point. I had eaten 2 GUs, my tummy wasn't hurting, and I felt awesome. No biggie, now I just had to do the same thing one more time. I shed my $35 long sleeve shirt (it hurt a little to toss it to the side of the road, but a)i didn't want to carry it, and b) it went to charity) and kept moving. It took up 2 1/2 hours to get here.

Then we get to mile 16. I decide to take a potty break since I had been thru 15 water/powerade stops by this time. It's hard to stop because that's when your legs let you know they are in some pain, so I told Katie to take off and we'd find each other at the finish. That bathroom break really was the turning point I think...wasn't feeling so swell. I realized my toes were working against each other and rubbing blisters and that my leg muscles were tensing up big time. But hey, only 10 more to go, it was all downhill from here on out.

Mile 19. Shoot me. Seriously. 7 more miles? I've been running for like 4 hours. It's lunch time. I decide to switch it up and eat a chocolate gu instead of the strawberry banana. That was fine, but at the next water stop, i drank the blue powerade, so the next mile was pretty terrible b/c the combo didn't sit well and i thought puking may be my best option. I'm feeling gross, but as I round the corner heading toward mile 20, i hear a high school marching band in the distance...playing the Rocky theme song. So right as I pass them, they're really getting to the good part. BEST PART OF THE RACE. hands down. I mean, it's rocky. It made me think of Todd and then I thought of all the other people that supported me for the last 6 months every time I bitched about my sore feet or lack of motivation. So cheesy, but it really pumped me up to finish strong.

Then we got to the bridge. The bridge was only like, 2 miles long, but it was the neverending bridge of death. Everybody was walking. I was like, f that, if I walk I'm just going to be out here even longer. I'll be honest, at mile 23, there was a place where we're passing other runners on mile 24. I wanted to cut that mile short so badly. Only 3 miles to go. Those 3 miles hurt worse than anything. I never thought I wasn't going to finish. But I did start wondering why the hell anybody thought running for 5 hours was a good idea.

As you can see, I'm really bipolar during the race. Ups and downs the whole time.
But then I see the 26 mile marker. .2 to go. Uphill. Thank you race planners for that little jewel. I ran as fast as I could up that hill and crossed the finish line with the biggest smile on my face.

That was the best feeling I've ever had. In my whole life. I'm sure getting married and having babies will be awesome feelings, but i was just so overwhelmed with happiness and pride. I cried a little when I spotted my mama. Such a baby, but I just worked really hard and this is the outcome. It's just a good feeling to set a goal and then do it.

So if you're thinking of running your own ridiculously long race, just know that you will never be more happy with yourself. Or your body, because I'm really digging the runner look. Going to try to keep that going. But also know it's mentally and physically challenging. But I did it, so I'm pretty sure anybody can.

Oh, and the day after the race will be something like this. But at least you'll have a medal to wear.

It's Time

2009-10-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

The moment we've all been waiting for...Marathon weekend!!! I've been running so much my blog has suffered significantly because of it. That's my excuse.

So...i'm freaking out just a little bit. Christie has already gotten this list of worries, but let me just share with the rest of you two.

1. I've been training all summer in 70-90 degree weather wearing shorts and a tank top. I chafe when i run in anything other than my Target black or white fitted dry-fit tank tops and my green/blue sports bras. And I'm scared to change it up. It's going to be 50-60 degrees and I have to wear my stupid purple singlet that is like a belly shirt. It looks ridiculous, and the long sleeve shirt i bought doesn't feel right underneath and i can't decide what my best option is.
2. I don't know what to pack for the whole weekend. So dumb, but i'm just causing extra stress for myself. I'm scared shoes I wear all the time will suddenly rub blisters if i wear them all day Saturday to be a tourist.
3. When i get nervous, my stomach gets nervous. And having to run like that is the most painful thing ever. I will never beat the bridge (have to make it to 20 mile marker by 1pm-ish or they come pick me up-14 min. mile pace) if i have to stop at every porta potty i see.
4. I ran 5 miles in 47 minutes on Tuesday. Felt awesome. Now i can barely walk on my left foot because it hurts so bad. But i did run today just a few miles, and the pain goes away eventually, so that should be fine.
5. I like to eat blueberry frozen waffles before long runs. Where the F am I going to find a toaster in my hotel?
6. i'm scared. like, super nervous because i didn't follow the training fully. I skipped a lot of runs, i didn't put in the miles toward the end like i should have. I missed an entire week in October, and i should have run about 100 miles this month already and i've done about half that many. 12 miles this week, and i did 7.5. what if those miles i missed are the difference in my ability to run 20 and 26.2?

The logical side of me says that I've run somewhere between 400-500 miles since April. I ran 108 miles in August, the hottest part of the summer. I slacked off on logging the miles in my calendar for the past 2 months, but i know with long runs I'm up around 125 miles even having taken a week off for the flu. I trained in heat, i trained in the rain, i trained with a hurt foot, with the swine flu, semi-hungover, and about to shit my shorts. Why do i think this one run is going to kill me?

Because I'm ridiculous. I'm trained. I'm going to stop whining now and run this f-ing race. No, not run it. Kill it. If it were easy, everyone would do it. But they don't. So I will. And I'll do it upright and feel like a superhero at the end.

yay marathon!!

Lots of stuff agoin on

2009-09-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

So, I got a new job!!! YAY! Finally the search for a stable income comes to an end. Let's take a moment to grieve the loss of commission based salaries...

Enough of that...commission can suck it. Because I have a new job where I won't have to wonder how much money I'll make monthly, because it won't be changing. Until I get promoted.

I'll be working with Allstate in the Claims department. I'm pretty excited because I'll finally be out of sales. The benefits are good, pay will be good, and I'll be good hopefully as well! I'm still working on the english teaching certification, so this will be good while i'm finishing that up. We'll just see how it goes! Super excited. I start Sept. 14th, so I have this whole week off to play!

In other news, 18 miles baby. YEAH! And an impromptu trip to OK to see Christie on Tuesday. Also, I made homeade guacamole tonight and a Mexican inspired lime tilapia dish that was amazing. I love avocado.

better late than never

2009-08-17T06:13:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to say that although I insulted, refused, and even scoffed at the Harry Potter craze, I am retracting all the negativity.

I have a hatred toward fantasy type novels...scratch that, HAD a hatred. I just finished the last of the Harry Potter series, reading approx. 400 pages this afternoon, and I am super impressed. I am not ashamed in the least bit to admit that I very much enjoyed the books and the movies and the whole darn wizard adventure. It was just really well written, and I'll say again that any book/series that can encourage massive amounts of people to read is a winner in my book (no pun intended).

So thank you Christie and Julian for getting me into it. I am forever grateful.

Also, very important news...

MIGHTY MCFLY IS PLAYING MY LLS FUNDRAISING EVENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If you can't tell, I have never been so excited in my entire life. Details will follow, but they are coming to Columbia September 24th to play 80s greatness just for the cancer cause!!!!!!!!! Dreams really do come true!

it's training, it's pouring

2009-08-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

So...I wrote about Saturday's run on my other blog, but I feel like here I can be most honest because I just don't want to curse on the other blog.

I nearly shit my pants on Saturday's run. Like, I was praying that I would just make it home. I was grateful to return to my car and find that there was a roll of trash bags in there from when we moved so that I could sit on one. It would serve 2 purposes: 1)to shield my seats from my sweat, and 2) if i happened to shit myself, cleanup would be easier.

How gross is that?? And how gross that I am writing about this for people to read? I just think people should know the realities of marathon training. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of myself and its for a great cause, blah, blah, blah, but there are some days that I really step back and go, really? What made you think you had it in you? You like beer, and lazy afternoons, and naps. 26 miles, really? FOOL!

But then I reevaluate. I've raised almost $1,000 for LLS (still short of my goal, but still a sizable donation to a great charity). I have run 13.5 miles, which is about 10 miles further than I had ever run before now. I have met some awesome people, cancer survivors, Team in Training people who have run numerous races for the cause, my great coach. And only one time in the last 3 months have I wanted to just stop. And in all fairness, a stomachache like that is a good excuse.

And again, that run was not entirely pointless because now I've learned a few things about myself and how to make sure I don't have another run like that. I'm altering my powergel stuff, not putting it in my bra, and waking up earlier for my next long run. My boob, by the way, the left one looks like it was mauled by a bear. The powergel has sharp edges that seriously took a toll. I've got damaged goods.

Ok, I'm being dramatic...I'm still excited and i have 2 months until the big day when I will be victorious.

AND, more good news, I hopefully am having this big fundraiser soon and my FAVORITE 80's cover band might be playing. You don't understand how big a deal this is. I'm trying to get it worked out today, so I'll officially post and invite soon. Let's keep our fingers crossed!!

Things To Avoid When Trying to Holla at Woman at a Bar

2009-08-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

First of all, don't ever say, "Lemme holla atchoo girl," because that's just gross. I don't often get hit on in bars, that's not what this is about; this is about this one dude who just immediately pissed me off last week by making several key errors and ruining his chances. Let's do it in story form as opposed to listing. It will make it more fun.

Summer (which is actually the alias I am using now when I go out), August, and Ju B Smooth attend a formal gala one Thursday evening. After dancing (and eating and drinking) the night away for a charitable cause, the 3 friends are eager to keep the evening going and decide to take their fancy dressed selves to a rooftop bar. The breeze is pleasant and the stars shine on them as they approach the bar. Summer and August order a drink and begin talking when they are abruptly interrupted by The Entrepreneur.
"Can I buy you a drink?" he inquires. Not wanting to mislead the business man, wearing jorts, the girls politely decline.
"Are you with that guy?" he nods toward Julian who could very clearly beat him up, and proceeds to say something about him being big and scary and he wishes he would go away. He said something insulting about his disbelief that we would be hanging around 'a guy like that.' I don't even know what that means.
So I turn away. He taps me on the shoulder. With his pointer finger. Like, tap, tap, tap, bony finger pokes shoulder, over and over.
"Can I help you?"
"why are you so dressed up?"
"Prom."
"Aren't you a little old for prom? I did that in high school."
"I just look older. Why else would i be in a prom dress?" (turns away again)
Tap tap tap..."so what do you do for a living Summer?"
"High school; you?"

"Oh...I'm an entrepreneur. I make a lot of money. Like, I'm not a millionaire yet, but I may as well be."

Oh no you didn't. Oh no you didn't mistake me for a girl who gives a shit how much money you make. Or say you make, because I don't know anyone whose actual job is entrepreneur with nothing else attached, like a job description. And I don't know any millionaires who wear jorts. I don't know any millionaires come to think of it, but that's not the point. That is the second time in one week that i've heard of someone mentioning their job salary in the first 10 minutes. Why do people do that?
His answer: "I don't know why you're so offended. Most girls are really impressed by my riches. All girls are looking for a man to take care of them."
Well that did it. Some other guy made the mistake of saying that to me once before and I almost punched him. (oooh almost punched him...that'll teach him!)
Granted, I do know girls, several girls, whose sole concern is finding a man to provide. And that's fine, but what happens when that man that you've always solely depended on for your support dies? Or leaves you? Or what if you don't find him in the first place? Then what? What do you do then?

In all fairness, I have said before that it is going to take a rich man to support my growing shoe fetish, but I don't need to know your salary until we start talking about buying our house, having babies, etc. Because at that point we will need to know our means of living. But I don't think this guy understood that I'm not basing my dating decision on his paycheck. Maybe if he were nicer, less annoying, and less dumb with his entrepreneur salary, i would be interested.

I know I've complained about guys doing this before, but the just won't stop! And they don't stop because there are girls that this shit works on! Some girls are just like, Sweet! He makes lots of money!!! YESSSSS!!!!

And that is totally fine if you already are interested in him. Like, you meet someone who is interesting and funny and smart, and then you find out later that he's doing well for himself. That's totally acceptable. What is not acceptable is for a person to approach you with that as their selling point. Hi, I'm rich can not be how you start talking to me.

Let's review:

1. Don't insult the people with me if you are trying to get in good. If I'm with a guy friend, I probably value his opinion and it's in your best interest to not say mean things about him.
2. Don't tap me over and over. Matter of fact, don't touch me at all unless you are given the green light.
3. If you are trying to use a pick up line, it should not be about your paycheck.
4. Once I turn away, again, stop tapping me! I don't think you understand how obnoxious that was.
5. Don't make generalized statements about things "all" women do.

On another note, Julian was going to say this to a girl: "Man, why did you invite all these other people? I thought it was just going to be me and you."
And now I have to use it because that is a do. Or, this guy said to Laura one time, "So...May 3rd, right?" Laura: "What's May 3rd?" "The day we're getting married."
Ha ha, i love pick up lines. The cheesier the better. That's probably why I get offended so easily when people do anything other than try to be funny.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

2009-07-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

Although I would like to think I'm brave and unafraid, I am afraid of a lot of things. I'm afraid to admit when I'm wrong, I'm afraid that I will make, or already have made, the wrong decision(s), I'm afraid I will settle for less than I deserve...but mainly, I am afraid of wandering around my dark apartment alone. I am afraid someone is hiding in the shadows, waiting to get me, that they will beat me unconcious, steal my stuff, and I will never be able to leave the house again.

So last night, I'm sleeping peacefully, alone in my dark apartment, when I am suddenly awakened by the loudest crashing noise I have ever heard in my life. (is awakened the right form of that word? it's been driving me crazy).

So, I nearly wet the bed and am going into cardiac arrest while I wait to hear the follow up noise of someone fleeing the crime scene or trying to open my locked bedroom door to murder me since now I know too much. Nothing...so I get my mace, and my billy stick (yes, billy stick. my great grandpa was a policeman a way long time ago, and i acquired this stick from my grandma in case of emergencies like this one), and I slowly open the door and turn the corner to see the damage and beat the piss out of this robber with my wooden stick and blind him with my orange mace.

But we'll save that ass kicking for another time. Because my tv stand, that I assembled, has decided to collapse on itself and basically break in half. I knew it was a little wobbly, but I didn't want to admit that my carpentry skills were less than superior, and this is what I get. It's beyond repair. Hopefully the tv still works. At least I was prepared for the worst. And I am really excited that Laura is moving in tomorrow so that we can share moments like this together in the future. I do however, feel REALLY bad for the people below me who probably thought I was about to break through their ceiling...oops!

It's a rap

2009-07-23T07:25:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a big fan of competitions...like a dance off or rap off. (rap off doesn't sound like the right word)

I found this little gem on another blog and I thought it was going to be cheesy, but no, it's really funny.

For all you Harry Potter fans out there...this one's for you.

happiness

2009-07-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

Christie's blog just asked me if anything made me happy today. I just got finished saying that I wasn't happy, and i then retracted the statement after further discussing that at the core, i am happy. and these are the reasons why I am happy today.

1. My neice is the most beautiful baby on the planet. I'm sorry if you know of other kids that you think are cute or whatever, Lily is so awesome. I've been looking at the beach pictures from this weekend every single day just to see that baby's little face.

2. Pandora.

3. Harry Potter last night, especially the part where an audience member pulled out their own wand with a light on the end.

4. Lunch, happy hour, then out with former coworkers all in one day!!

5. The umbrellas in the yard at the office.

6. My ipod finally being charged.

7. Feeling super well rested.

My weekend getaway

2009-07-06T11:27:00.001-07:00

I have never been one to do things alone. Besides all the things people typically do alone. I know I live in that apartment all by my lonesome, but I needed a little self reflection time this weekend. To celebrate the independence. I was going to be bold and fly away, but I chickened out and decided to stay in the state. Here is a little photographic journey into Beaufort, SC.

This is the little waterfront park. It was so neat, because I stayed in a B&B, another new experience for me. I met all these friendly older people.

This is the view from one of the many swings overlooking the water. IT just looks like the dock is smiling at you!

Another pretty view from the sidewalk in front of the B&B.

I met a lovely lady named Marsha who had the greatest southern accent ever and told good stories. She unknowingly gave me the career advice I really needed. She travels alone often, and I'm pretty sure this is just my first of many little adventures. I'll venture out of state next time. Beaufort provided exactly what I needed though; a distraction from Columbia, an old south neighborhood captured gracefully in the wrap around porches and moss covered trees, a street containing antique stores to treasure hunt, a bookstore with the book I never knew I had to own, a quiet beach, and a hammock rocking me into breezy naps.

Don't Stop Till You Get Enough

2009-06-30T10:51:00.000-07:00

I know everyone is doing their own tributes to one of the greatest entertainers of all time, so i just had to share my sentiments on the subject. I would have done this sooner, but it's taken me a little time to get over the shock. I'll never forget where I was the moment I heard the news. I was in Wild Hare when Beat It started to play over the bar as heads turned to the big screen tvs, no longer playing sports game, but now broadcasting the news that MJ was in fact officially gone from this earth. Gone was the man who made one glove cool. Gone physically, but never to die from our hearts as he lives on thru his music that you just can't help but dance to. (Then i went and saw Dane Cook, and I swear the laughter was all that got me through the tragedy).

I would like to tell you how the songs of Michael Jackson have been the soundtrack of my life. I can always count on Michael to make me smile again or offer musical wisdom to my conflicted soul.
(Btw, I can't post videos for some reason, but you can follow the links)

Thriller is released Jan. 1984, a mere 11 months before the birth of the most awesome person ever. That's right folks, the year began with Thriller and ended with the Thrill that is me.

High school. One of my friends is the victim of meanness. She is dating someone of another race, and people in Buford don't like that, so they totally mess up her car, and torture her at school. Rumors are aflyin, she's the worst person ever. But Michael says, It Don't Matter if you're black or white. I'd like to think Buford is taking that into consideration more now than they used to.

High School again. I'm watching Center Stage with my best friend when The Way You Make Me Feel plays in the background of the final dance. i realize at that moment that this is my number 2 favorite Michael song and I love to dance. It just kind of changed my life that they're doing ballet to Michael! I made me so extremely happy that every time i hear that song I yell and start screaming the words. And doing ballet.

College. I get myself into an awkward situation with Billie Jean. NOT my lover. Just so we're clear. But I absolutely can not hear the opening of that song without doing the little snapping, shoulder bob thing. And without wishing the kid is not my son. And McFly plays it for me to begin my obsession with this 80s cover band that still hasn't ceased.

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough. Possibly the best song ever, and definitely my favorite MJ song. It makes me sing, it makes me dance, it makes me the happiest girl in the world. I just play it on repeat in my car and torture my passengers with my dangerous dance moves.

Or Bad dance moves? This MJ cover band changed my life and allowed me to finally get close to my new clear channel family. This was the night they realized I was just shy because I didn't know them well enough to let loose. Put me in front of a fake Michael Jackson, and this girl will let loose like none other. This was the night I realized a crush and began friendships that I still wouldn't trade for anything!

I want to love you, PYT, pretty young thing. This is pretty much my life at the present. Everyone just wants to love this pyt. It's a tough life.

MJ dies. It's my sister's birthday. They're playing his stuff on every station so it's soft in the background. Laura is crying about missing someone special on her birthday when I'll Be There begins to play. Coincidence? Yeah probably, but we hear it and know that as cheesy as it is, we'll always be there for each other in moments like this.

I just think he's great, and I'm happy to have his greatest hits to keep on dancing to.

Finally, the moment you've all been waiting for...

2009-06-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

Apartment pictures!! But before we do that, let me just post my updated runner's body picture since it's been like, a month. I'm so incredibly vain, but i just want us to all have a visual record to see if I change throughout the course.

We're disregarding my weird face. But don't disregard how awesome my legs are.

Ok, enough of that. I do apologize for putting you through my vanity, but if you're my friend, then you've been aware of it for some time. Ok, here's the apartment!

This is what you would see upon walking in the front door. The den area (pictured next) houses my cableless television that I use to watch tv shows on dvd that I rent from the library and to play mario. The dining room can also be seen here. It's my favorite room I think because I enjoy fake plants and the charleston print from my grandma's house.

This is the den. I made the vases using $2 walmart glass vases and covering them with magazine cutouts. They are probably the most badass thing in the entire apartment. It's the asian invasion room. I moved the china hat though, that was a temporary placement.

Here's my kitchen. Notice all the appliances are like 1970 originals. I'm pretty sure my dishwasher is the first model ever made. You can't see it, but right past the fridge is the laundry room with storage and such.

here's the hallway that leads to the bathroom straight ahead and my bedroom to the right. I'm not putting a picture of the bathroom. it's just not very exciting.

But this room...this is where all the magic happens.

this is my creative wall art for the other bedroom wall.

So this is the crib. Most of it is borrowed and handed down, but I think it still has a little Sarah in there.

things i've neglected in the past year

2009-06-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

Now that I am back to working the 9-5 pace from Monday-Friday, I realize there are a few things that I gave up while working the other job. I have added an entire work free hour to each day, not to mention the fact that I don't have to do any more 2 hour remotes on occasional Saturdays, Sundays, and evenings. So, what do I do with all this extra time? What things had I given up in the pursuit of wealth(that I never actually found...it was more like a pursuit of stress, but I digress. Here's

The Library. Yes. My favorite place in the world. I don't even remember the last time I went! And I am ashamed. You know why though? I've neglected reading. Stress makes you tired, and tired means reading puts me to sleep. But I'm back in the swing, tackling the first 2 Harry Potter Books, Naked by David Sedaris, and I'm now reading The Book Thief, which is a beautifully written novel with Jewish themes...shocking.

Home cooked meals. I don't cook a whole lot, and I have been doing less and less of that lately. my usual meals are a rotation of frozen pizza/dinners, pasta, and quesadillas. I am remedying this situation by cooking tonight. And last week i herb crusted pork tenderloin that was absolutely the best meal I've ever had.

Road trips. I don't get to take a lot of weekend roadtrips, but I went to Charleston this weekend, and I'm roadtripping to Lancaster this weekend (woo hoo), and hopefully I'll be making a habit of doing fun things with my weekends now that its summertime.

Being nice to my mama. I call her everyday after work just to chat about the day, and I kind of jump on her case a lot over little annoying things. And they're not that annoying, its just that my mood would cause me to be snappy. So, i'm being nicer to her.

Good morning coffee. Dude, clear channel has the worst coffee i've ever tasted. ITs super bad. And now, I get good coffee! Because i either make it, or there's this gas station next door that has great coffee.

So its not much. It's five extra hours a week, 20 a month. that's like an entire day that i can dedicate to improving my quality of life.

ooh guess what?

2009-06-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

I had the best Saturday ever. Let me just tell you why.

1. I passed my little insurance exam. With a 76, but whatever, that's still passing.
2. I got to see Lily, my mama, and Jessica to go antiquing.
3. I took the most amazing nap of my entire life. I stayed up studying, which i am not used to any more, and the nap was much needed.
4. I finally went to Utopia. i've been wanting to go here for 2 years, and finally had the chance on Saturday. Which brings me to number 5
5. I got to hang out with Ashley and Heather! Yay! I hadn't seen them in forever. And they introduced me to Ruby, who is my new half Jewish friend. Isn't Ruby the cutest name ever? Yes.
6. I got to eat at Meditteranean tea room, and the tomatoes on my salad were the freshest i've ever eaten. (when i just googled this to put a link, i didn't find one but it did say, "if you like this, you may also like Little Pigs BBQ" Really? How do those 2 even relate?)
7. I went to this little music thing by the river and it was such a nice evening.
8. I read a little Harry Potter before turning in nice and early in preparation for my 6 mile run on Sunday morning. (which i completed, much to my surprise.)

And now here we are on Wednesday, I'm at my new job and my stress level has dropped significantly. I'm happy again feeling like I'm ready to take on the world and really do some good.

Did i mention i have another blog for my running? probably, but if not, here it is again.

almost finished with the boredumb

2009-05-28T06:12:00.001-07:00

I got this in an email a few months ago, and again, I'm so bored at work for my last 2 days!!!! (sorry, mini-party) that I thought now would be a good time to answer the questions.

USING ONLY ONE WORD!
1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Your crush/husband/boyfriend? ridiculous
3. Your hair? fixed
4. Your mother? awesome
5. Your father? bomb
6. Your favorite thing? dancing
7. Your dream last night? work
8. Your favorite drink? coffee
9. Your dream/goal? happiness
10. What Room are you in? cubicle
11.. Your hobby? awesomeness
12. Your fear? darkness
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? partner
14. Where were you last night? home
15. Something that you aren't? stressed
16. Muffins? blueberry
17. Wish list item? love
18. Where you grew/growing up? country
19. Last thing you did? emailed
20. What are you wearing? dressy
21. Your TV? new!
22. Your pets? invisible
23. Friends? best
24. Your life? moving
25. Your mood? restless
26. Missing someone? definitely
27. Your car? Honda
28. Something you're not wearing? earrings
29. Your favorite store? Target
30. Your favorite color? all
31. When is the last time you laughed? recently
32. Last time you cried? yesterday

Also, i started a separate blog to track my running progress. http://sarahruns26.blogspot.com Go there to see how I'm doing.

Boredom

2009-05-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Dude, this two week notice thing is BORING! It only takes so long to get all your stuff in order when you don't typically mess things up. I'm just saying, I'm already very detail oriented, so everything is fine. And I can't go close more business, because then its like, Hi, thanks for spending your money with me! Btw, i'm out for good next week, so peace! Thanks again!

No. And there is nobody here today. I mean, everybody has already checked out for the weekend. Why am I still here? Because i'm that girl who doesn't want to piss off the bosses. What are they going to do, fire me?

So this is me fighting off boredom. Just when you think I will die at the hands of the Boss of Boredom, I come back with a flying jump kick thing to just dominate. Take that boredom. It's almost the weekend.

And the training continues

2009-05-08T19:34:00.000-07:00

After the fall, I took a little break. But I ran 3 days this week, and I'm scheduled for another tomorrow. My fundraising site is active, so I'll be tracking my progress better so people will see how I'm doing. I finally sat down tonight and made a list of people to contact, so hopefully this will be good! I'm excited to be doing a little good. And if you know anybody that may want to donate, just send them on over to the site.

Life looks sunnier friends. Because I have a plan. Not just for the marathon. But for life. It all will take place next Friday when I move into my new apartment. I'm super pumped about the next few months because I just got re-motivated. I'm reading an inspirational book, and it really did make me feel better. And more inspired to accept the things I can't change, but to change those things I can. I'm about to make things happen. Because I'm a mover and a shaker. And I'll blog about it next week post move/shake.

Ooh, and I found a book of Jewish proverbs on the bargain table. Would you like a Jewish proverb? Of course you would!

Don't let the lox get in your socks,
don't let the soup get in your snoot!

Marraige is like a long banquet with the dessert served first.

A half-truth is whole lie. ( i knew i was jewish! i always tell people that)

You can't ride two horses with one tuchas.

ok, i could go all night. that's what she said. have a good weekend.

A True Story

2009-04-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

A girl is running. It's going on the 40 minute mark and she is tired. The legs are achy, she's got a nice patch of back sweat, and her hair is plastered to her face in strange places as the wind whips through the heat to cool the hot girl.
Just ahead, the girl sees her destination. If I can just make it to that stoplight, she thinks, I'll be able to take a brief break as I wait for the light to change, and then it's only 4 blocks until I arrive home where my chocolate protein shake awaits.
Outkast begins dropping Bombs Over Baghdad and she gets her second wind and begins the sprint. She looks to the horizon, when suddenly, her foot stops as her body continues moving forward. Moving downward rather, bringing her face to face with the sidewalk. She lands on hands and knees as a cloud of dust rises around her. Did anyone see? She sits on the ground as if the trip were taken on purpose and assesses the damage. Bloody knees. Scraped calves. Torn hands. And still not at the destination. Now there is a new motivation: Run as quickly as possible the last four blocks so she doesn't bleed all over herself. She arrives home finally. 50 minute run success. She can barely straighten her legs and the sting of the water to wash brings tears to her exhausted eyes. But she made it. And she will run again tomorrow.

I'm so f-ing clumsy!! Ha ha. Good thing tomorrow is a rest day.
Here's my 40 minute playlist currently just fo yo info: And it has to be in this order due to the logic of highs and lows in a race/run.
1. Three Little Birds-Bob Marley
2. Diva-Beyonce
3. Learn to Fly-Foo Fighters
4. Bombs Over Bagdad-Outkast (i listened on shuffle today, so no i didn't fall on song #4 of the run)
5. Pump It-Black Eyed Peas
6. Toxic-Britney Spears
7. Main Offender-The Hives
8. Supermassive Black Hole-Muse
9. Canned Heat-Jamiroquai
10. Green Light-John Legend and Andre
11. What Them Girls Like-Ludacris
12. Reptilia-The STrokes
13. Shut Up and Let Me Go-The Ting Tings
14. Live Your LIfe-TI
15. Don't Stop Til You Get Enough-Michael Jackson
16. This is How We Do It-Montell Jordan
17. Jump-The Pointer Sisters
18. Push It-Salt and Peppa
19. Eye of the Tiger-Survivor to finish off the run.

peace and love!

And I Ran, I ran so far away

2009-04-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Piggybacking on Jacky's song line titles, I'll go with Flock of Seagulls.

Because I'm going to run a marathon. October 25th. The Marine COrps Marathon to be exact.

Have I lost it? Perhaps, but I just registered my non-refundable payment, so bring it on Marine Marathon. I will dominate you.

So, that gives me a little over 6 months to prepare. And I'm going to need all of you to keep me in check and be here to motivate me. Because all the men in my life, (minus daddy, but i haven't told him yet) don't think I can do it. I have been laughed at on 3 separate occassions by men I thought would be excited for me. But no, just because these silly men are afraid to do it, doesn't mean I can't. So they can just suck it.

YEah, suck it. I say that often, and it's very unlady like. I do apologize for my crude behavior.

I'm making an excel spreadsheet to chart my progress in training. I'm really really excited about it. so yay marathon!!!

i'm kind of a rock star. If i don't die in the process. And if I do, then at least I will die while doing something cool.

Hi, I'm back!

2009-04-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

I was in the worst mood this week. And I could blame it on a number of things, but it was just a funky mood week. But, I had the best little weekend!

Baby Lily celebrated her first birthday...

She enjoyed chowing down on her cake, but she didn't get too messy.

The tissue paper was more fun than what it hid.

The tunnel was a hit. I liked it too.
It's just so hard to believe that she's a whole year old!

Also, I had a really good work week because I closed this pretty big thing. I was really proud of myself because I worked really hard on it, and it paid off, so yay!

No more funky. I think maybe i just needed a little more rest, a little more cardio, a little more baby time, and some reading/tv time. Ooh, and I cleaned up. So I'm feeling much better. Also, i watched the office like, a million times last night, and this is one of my fave clips.

Lesson learned

2009-03-29T17:24:00.001-07:00

Well. It has been quite the past few days. Again, I say, cancer freakin blows. But whatever. It does me no good to be angry. Although that is one of the 5 stages of grief. But I'm not going to use my blog to try to deal with my grief. I am however, going to use my blog to share the lessons I learned from Betty with you guys. Because she was awesome. And she taught me a whole lot in the 24 years we got to spend together.

1. Always look your best. My grandma had a hatred toward ponytails that I will never understand. Hair is only to be worn in a sloppy ponytail if you're working out or something of the sort. You need to dress to impress no matter where you're going. WHat if you run into someone at the grocery store and you look all sloppy? That is no good. Do your hair and makeup, try to look nice, and don't be all gross because you never know who you might see. And they totally say that stuff on What Not to Wear too. I'm trying to do better with this.

2. "You don't need a man, good God." My grandma was very adamant about the fact that we should be able to fend for ourselves, without the help of some man. She was married and had 3 beautiful children, but she also worked very hard and was very independent before and after her divorce. She taught us early on that our being upset about a stupid boy was legit, but not the end all, be all. Because we will be fine on our own. So quit whining! Being single means your ready to mingle!

3. Dance. This lady danced all the time. I know it's cliche to say the whole, dance like nobody's watching thing, but literally, that's what she did all the time.

4. If you need to pass gas, please leave the room to do so.

5. If you sprinkle when you tinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat. (there's a little crochet thing that says this beside the toilet in her house. It's been there for as long as I can remember.)

6. Family is important. She was at every basketball game that me or my sisters ever sat on the bench for. I mean, came to every game to watch me play for 30 seconds. Every time we sang in church, went to a prom, had a birthday, whatever we did, she was always there. That might not sound like a lot, but she's my only grandparent that I could look out into the crowd and see without a doubt. That was awesome.

7. Don't stop singing. Lady has been telling me this for years. If you don't use it, you lose it. Part of me wishes I had listened because she didn't get to hear me sing again before she died.

8. Don't die your hair dark. I don't know why really, but she hated when all the grandkids went a little goth on her and died their hair super dark. (but i like mine dark...just not too dark.) And take that black fingernail polish off your fingers!

9. You can wear underwear more than once if you get in a bind. Once the right way, then flip them inside out. Then, if times are super desparate, just flip them around backwards. (Unless you're wearing a thong...ouch.) And speaking of that, don't have pantylines.

10. Send people mail. She randomly sent me newspaper articles and book suggestions and cards pretty often. Mail just makes a day better. When its not a bill.

Once I started thinking about all the things I got to do with my grandma, I realize I'm lucky that she was so cool and that we were so close. Geez. I'm really going to miss her, but my daddy said this just made it easier for her to keep up with all of us now that we're all so scattered. She just needed a better view to see us all. I like that idea.

you're pretty

2009-03-22T14:34:00.001-07:00

I went out last night to see this AMAZING cover band last night called Ellen Drive.

Their Myspace page doesn't exactly do justice to how great they were. I mean, they played Billy Jean. And 311. And my favorite Weezer song. Oh, and Marvin Gaye. I mean, they were really great. But that's not the point of this story.

I was standing there beside Katie, Ashley's roommate. Katie was doing the post. If you're not familiar with posting, its when you find something to lean against as you survey the room/bar. You've seen people doing it. They post because they are cool. They post to invite others into their space or to reject them from said space. It's all about the position of your arms and legs at the time of the post.
Ashley and I have all the rules and post positions down, and we will be glad to demonstrate. I'll do another post specifically about posting, but not today.
Point is, Katie is posting and is approached by a dude. So we're like, Yes! the post is magical! turns out, dude was asking Katie what my story was. That's what he said, "What's her story?" Katie told him he should ask me himself. Here is our conversation:

Sonic: (like Sonic the hedgehog from the video game; that was his hairstyle)
Hi.

Me: Hi

Sonic: I'm Greg.

Me: Hi Greg, I'm Sarah.

Sonic: You're Pretty.

I laughed at him. You're pretty? Seriously? That's the best pickup line I have ever heard in my life. Too bad he was the most unfortunate looking human i have ever seen. Then he told Katie he was "smitten" because I was so "precious."

Ashley called me a conceited bitch because I said I was insulted that someone so gross thought they should talk to me. He should have been intimidated because I was so much prettier than him.

And he made it worse by saying, "What's your story?"

My story? Do you want me to shout it to you over the awesome band? Should I start from conception, or do we want to get to the juicy stuff post-college. I think he meant, "Are you single?" which is what he should have asked. Because then i wouldn't have laughed at him again.

That happens a lot though when I'm out. Not just to me. It's always the dude you don't want to talk to you that inevitably does. Where does he get this confidence? I mean, I'm happy he has it because without it, he would be just another dude with jacked up teeth and spiky hair.

God I'm mean. Maybe i am kind of a conceited bitch, but seriously you would be offended too if you saw him. That's really shallow. I hate to admit I even felt that way about the situation, but he's right. I'm pretty. And he was cheesy. That's my story.

Middle Child Syndrome

2009-03-19T20:01:00.000-07:00

I don't really know what that is first of all. But this is really about having a younger sibling. Mine doesn't read my blog, nor does my older sister for that matter, so I'm so going to talk about them for a minute.

It is so hard not to just punch your siblings sometimes. The younger ones particularly. I was 19 once. 5 years ago. And I remember what being a sophomore in college was like. Not quite old enough to go out and drink, but you're in college, so there's always beer at parties and someone to buy you a bottle of liquor (not this girl though, I'm no beer bitch). You don't really care about a whole lot, school is just whatever, there are a lot of boys, you hang out with a lot of different people, and sometimes you find yourself in unfamiliar situations, good and bad.

And inevitably, you're going to find yourself getting into trouble at some point. I did it. 19 was the WORST YEAR EVER! My family doesn't even talk about it, that's how crazy I was. Same with Jessica. But I think hers came at age 22-ish. We were crazy, we got in trouble, we hit the bottom, and then we snapped the hell out of it. We were both like, dude, maybe I should try a little harder to not suck. And now we don't suck anymore.

But try explaining this to a 19 year old. All she sees is her old sister trying to lecture her, and she "doesn't need a lecture." You know what, maybe you do need a lecture little girl. But we can lecture til we're blue in the face. She is going to just have to fail to learn her lesson. Then again, she's in college. She's supposed to be having a wild crazy time. But there is a difference between having fun and just begging to get in trouble.

But it sucks SO BAD to care about someones well being SO MUCH and see them being completely irresponsible. And I'm totally overreacting tonight, but its really difficult to not tell her that she's being dumb. We've all gotten lucky so many times. I am so fortunate that I was never in big trouble , I've never gotten a DUI, been to jail, gotten raped or mugged. I mean, I still do dumb shit every day, don't get me wrong, but its just hard to see my little pride and joy doing dumber shit than I ever did. If you keep it up, you will get caught. (Yes, DUI. I know.) I just worry I guess that she won't be as lucky as we were. I hope for the best.

I also hope that I stop being such a stick in the mud. She'll be fine. Grouchy grandma over here just needs to get in the bed.

Sagittarius, Capricorn, Leo

2009-03-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

Cancer. Sucks.

Not the sign, the thing that eats up people's bodies and is just a big fat bummer. BOOO cancer. I hate ranting, so I won't. This is more of a request. If you're the praying type, please pray for my G-ma. She's awesome, but she's really sick. And honestly, i know that sickness is just a part of life, but that doesn't make it easy to watch. I'm not supposed to be telling everyone what's going on because she's just kind of a private lady, but I needed a place to vent. Man, so glad I have this blog thing. It's like my little public diary. (I just accidentally typed pubic...gross! ha ha)

So if you pray, send one to Jesus or God or whoever for my family. If you don't, that's fine too, maybe just call me and tell me a joke that I can pass along to make everyone laugh and ease the situation if only for a few minutes.

Thanks. And if Cancer is your actual sign, I mean no offense.

That is the question?

2009-03-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am supposed to be thinking of the next topic in the Julian/Sarah blog interaction, but I am blogging without him today. But he may have a comment about this, we shall see.

So, I went home last weekend to attend my sister's Pampered Chef party. And then again this weekend because Betty the grandma is really sick. And my Pop is in the hospital. (So, think about them if you have a minute and let's just all hope they feel better).

Anyway, in the course of being home for 2 nights total and running into people I don't see very often, there was only one real question I was asked:

"So, have you found a man yet?" Or some variation of that, "Who are you dating now?" "Are you still single, heh heh, you should probably try tie one down now while you're still young!" "Who's the lucky guy you're dating?"

That's all they cared about! And it wasn't just my family; I heard it from church people, the Pampered Chef lady, my sister's in-laws, former teachers, parents of ex-boyfriends, EVERYBODY!!! The Pampered Chef lady insulted me about it like 3 times during the cooking demonstration. Mama was making fun of me for not being a great cook, and lady was all, "Maybe we'll teach her and then she'll be able to get a man." And she told me "if you ever decide to get married, single girl" I could have a pampered chef shower.

Look. I am single. I have no problem with that. I am not going to apologize that I am not married and having my second child in 5 months. I am not sorry that I haven't "found a good man to take care of me," because guess what, this girl is taking care of herself.

Don't get me wrong, I do hope to be married and start having some babies sometime in the future. I decided too that I want my husband to call me Wifey. Because I think it would be funny. But why does that have to be the default question? No, I don't have a new man to talk about, but I do work, and I am pretty awesome at my job. Also, I took a belly dancing class, ooh, and I'm reading a great book. And I bought a car a few months ago, I'm about to maybe move to a new house, I have this awesome neice we could talk about, or Pampered Chef lady, I'm buying a cheese grater and I can't wait to grate some cheese. Maybe this stuff isn't very exciting, but I am so tired of the sympathy I get for being single at 24. The thought of being married today makes me a little sick to my stomach because I change my mind like crazy. Julian says I'm like a kid at the fair with men. I get all excited the first few times I ride the ride, and then i'm bored with it. Same with dudes. So, i'm pretty sure I have some learning to do before I get married. Plus, I feel like I'm hotter now than I was previously, and I'm going to take full advantage. Collect, and then select.

I know Christie gets this same question. So all my single ladies (all 3 of you that read my blog) put your hands up. That's what Beyonce says. I bet nobody gets on her about being single. Probably because she's got Jay-Z. Does she still have Jay-Z? Whatever, not the point. Being single doesn't make me less awesome.

Do's and Don'ts Part 2:The Rebutt

2009-02-25T14:21:00.000-08:00

Here is my rebuttal. Because that's kinda the point. Also, Julian seems to think that his contribution to my blog will raise my readership from 3 to 1 million. Here we go, the dos and donts of dating. Dudes, take the advice.

-Do go to the door on the first date. Yes, you should not have to say this, but I have had several people do the ol' beeparoo. "honk honk, I'm here! Please come outside so I do not have to brave the elements." Um, horns are used in anger/annoyance at other drivers on the road. If I am the same as an annoying driver to you, then perhaps we should not be going out in the first place.

-When you do get to the door, a compliment would be fantastic. If I answer the door wearing a trash bag, if you are interested in me, you should tell me you're Glad I chose that one (get it...Glad).

-I am a fan of unforgettable dates, and I tend to get bored really quickly, so the traditional dinner and a movie doesn't do much for me. I'm just saying, a little creativity can go a long way. Plus, if this is a first date, you don't want to get all awkward because you're forcing dinner conversation at a place where you are not completely comfortable, and a movie on a first date is an awful idea because if dinner convo is bad, you don't even have a chance to redeem it because there is no talking in the movie. Perhaps bowling, or live music (Mcfly), or something a little more casual is a better fit.

-Don't say "You know what I'm saying?" while winking. Ever.

-Don't eat like a barbarian. Seriously, you do not have to eat your entire meal in three bites. It's not going anywhere. I have seen people completely have no regard for common table manners. Like, a burger. They take the biggest bite they can hold in their mouth, so big that its hard to even chew. Burger is gone in 3 bites. Now you're sitting there all messy face and bloated burpy while I eat my food like a real person who's sat at a table with forks and napkins before. Slow down (slow down...good lesson)

-Do find common interests during the natural flow of conversation, but don't pretend to like everything I like. Please disagree if you disagree because it makes things more interesting.

-Go for it on the first date kiss if you really want to kiss the girl. Kissing is top 3 on the list of best ways to spend your time ever, so just do it. But, if you're really not digging the girl, maybe leave that kissing part off just to eliminate confusion.

-After the date: Don't play games. Watch He's Just Not That Into You; it changed my life. Call her if you're into her, don't if you're not. And don't only call/text after 10pm with the, "What you getting into tonight?" That's a booty call, fyi and we know it.

I think this makes me sound like an angry woman...I'm not angry, I'm sad that some dudes don't know how to be nice to girls for 2 hours on a date. I have had great dates though; the do's of a great date are hard to put on a list because its more about chemistry. The do's are the little things like compliments and moments where you're like, "really? i thought i was the only person that did/liked/knew/obsessed over that." So, happy dating! And good luck!

Be easy (with an s)

The Do's and Don'ts of Dating--Part 1

2009-02-24T14:25:00.000-08:00

Hello blog world! Sarah Hot has asked me to join her blog! (well…at least until I say something to piss her off). The first topic we will tag team on (no jokes please) is Do’s and Don’t of Dating. I’m letting the ladies know what you need to do on a first date to show you actually care. Let’s get to it…

- DO look your best!: Now when I say this, I don't mean Sunday best. Just good enough that when the guy sets his eyes on you, he's already thinking about where he wants to take you on the second date. Remember, you only get one chance to make a first impression, so make this a memorable one.
- DO let him open the car door: This shows that you want to be courted. And when you sit in the car, unlock or pop his side open. It's stupid, but it shows you're considerate. FYI: if he doesn't open your car door, go back in your home. He may not do it forever, but he should at least do it the first time you're out. If he doesn't, it means he's not putting you first on the date. This will become a trend, trust me.
- DO compliment him: Nothing too big. Just something to let him know that his effort hasn't gone unnoticed. Ex: "Nice shirt.", "You smell good", or "You‘re the sexiest man that's ever stood in that door way" (I had to add something stupid...wouldn't be me if I didn't)
- DON’T use your cell phone!: This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I mean, damn, how hard is it to put your cell phone down for a couple of hours? If he's worth one date, then at least give him your undivided attention. It's annoying if you keep texting Tiffany every 5 minutes on how the date is going.
- DO ask questions, but DON’T pry: Let him talk, but don't let him talk too much. You gotta leave something to talk about for future dates, and phone conversations.
- DO answer his questions honestly, but don't tell too much: Mystery is one of the sexiest things in a woman. However, you should talk more than he does. The key is to make him want to know more, but let him walk away feeling like he got a glimpse into who you are. Extra Tip: Know what’s going on in the world today, and in sports. You don’t have to be a reporter, but just a basic knowledge of the world today and sports turns you from a woman he went out with, to a woman he’s thinking about being with.
- DON’T have too many "how you doin's": What I mean is that if you see someone out that you know, female or male, say hello and introduce them to your date. Then, after they say how they've been, follow up with, "Good seeing you, have a good night". Remember that whole undivided attention thing, this gives him it, and it includes him in a conversation.
- DO offer to pick up the tip: Usually, a man won't let you pay for the first date, but he may let you leave the tip. This shows him that you are independent, but not too independent. However, if you asked him out, you should offer to pay. He still may not let you, but since you asked him out, it's customary to do so.
- DO thank him: After he walks you to your door, thank him, hug him, kiss him, invite him inside...or whatever you feel like doing. But make sure to thank him for the date. He could've called you over to watch a movie on his couch, but instead he took you out to show you that he likes being seen with you.
- DON’T wait for him to call, call him first: This is only if the date went well, and you want a second date. Call him the next afternoon. Just mention how you had a good time and what to see if he wants to hang out again. That’s right…you ask him out. It shows interest, and it takes some pressure off of him. The less pressure on him, the more likely he is to be himself. Extra tip: text to make sure he got home safely. Let's him know you were on his mind.

Well, that's all I have. By the way, sex is always good on the first date, if it moves you...lol. Anyway, if you take heed to my suggestions, you'll more than likely secure a second date...if you want one. And if you don't, then at least you know it wasn't you. I look forward to Sarah’s version of this. Be eazy

Happy Love Day

2009-02-14T12:00:00.001-08:00

Or like day, or maybe I like you, but I'm not sure yet because we've only been out a few times day, or love you but its too soon to say it and there are no cards appropriate for the emotion I'm feeling day, or sad you're missing Bojangles heart shaped biscuit day, or i'm so happy i'm single day, or i wish i had gotten flowers day. Whatever the case may be...happy day.

My great friend KB shared this story from NPR with me about six-word memoirs, and I thought it was necessary for me to write my very own Valentine's edition 6 word memoir. Also, she sent me the most bad ass card ever with a hole puncher that says "I love you a hole punch." I almost died with happiness...not even kidding. Anyway, here they are. One for everybody having each different type of Valentine's experience previously mentioned.

Saw you once. Automatically knew...love.

Love? No sir. Not quite yet.

Which card? None describe it. Boooo!

Fluffy golden butter biscuit. miss you.

All the single ladies. Hands up! (Courtesy of Beyonce)

Flowers would be nice. Fresh ones.

come on, come on...feel it, feel it -marky mark and the funky bunch

2009-02-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

Well hi everyone! It's February. January totally flew by way to fast.

Here is a positive though...the past 2 days were absolutely beautiful. And there is nothing like sunshine and warmth to put a girl in a great mood. This weekend was really great, and I just know the pretty days and mild nights made all the difference after the frigid air earlier in the week.

We took Lily to the zoo...

Jess and Josh got a lot better pictures than me. She was so funny because she would just look in wonder at everything. Can you imagine what that must be like? All you've ever seen is people, and like the same people over and over, dogs and birds and then suddenly you see a giraffe or a sea lion or fish right next to you. The best part was watching her watch the sights.

And then today I got to run outside and read on the porch, two of the best parts about warm but not too hot days. It is really obvious that the weather directly affects my mood. Ooh, I saw He's Just Not That Into You too...super good. I know its chick flicky, but oh so good. I saw it with Julian who I have decided to let guest blog once a week. I'm pretty excited; he thinks he's really smart, so perhaps we can do a little back and forth action on the blog. I'll keep you posted as to when this is going to happen.

So in honor of our impending holiday, the one of love, I thought I should share a love poem i like by Carol Ann Duffy:

Valentine

Not a red rose or a satin heart.

I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love.

Here.
It will blind you with tears
like a lover.
It will make your reflection
a wobbling photo of grief.

I am trying to be truthful.

Not a cute card or a kissogram.

I give you an onion.
Its fierce kiss will stay on your lips,
possessive and faithful
as we are,
for as long as we are.

Take it.
Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring,
if you like.
Lethal.
Its scent will cling to your finger,
cling to your knife.

I like it because it reminded me of real life and how its not a kissogram, and it can be something that burns your eyes or turns into something not so pleasant and happy. I don't usually get into the romantic cheese, but maybe the combination of the weather and the movie made me read this poem differently today. I have decided not to give up on romance despite the mess that will accompany it every so often. It's kind of like trial and error. I've dated some real bad ideas, but I feel like those are all just lessons for my progression. I love this girl now and I'm not settling for ordinary. And sure I've cried, but I've also had the giddy, oh my god, when is he going to call, omg he called, he's so cute, i can't wait to see him again, constantly thinking about the last conversation/kiss, wondering how I got so lucky, butterfly stomach, uncontrollably smiling crush feeling too that's so worth it.

happy v-day week!

i love it when you call me big pop-pa

2009-01-24T10:40:00.001-08:00

Well hey there guys! I hope everyone is having a fabulous January. it's been like, 2 weeks since I blogged, and a lot has happened...that's why I want to take some time to give a little thanks. It's very easy to look around and see all the negative, but honestly, if we all would just take a few minutes at the end of the day to reflect on the good and put the other stuff as secondary, we would feel much better.

I realized this week that I am very fortunate to have the life that I have. And maybe I should have listed things for which i am thankful, I don't know, at Thanksgiving maybe, but there's not a wrong time to do it.

These are in no particular order.
1. I am thankful to be employed as so many others are struggling to find work. I talk about my job a lot, but I really do love it. It gets stressful and I mess up sometimes, but nobody ever dies as a result. Having a commission based job is a challenge and I have recently spent a lot of time complaining about how my income has dropped off a little here lately. But you know what, I have a job. I am making money and I can pay my bills and then some. I'm fine. This week it was made very clear that company "restructuring" meant I could have been saying the opposite thing after Tuesday. But I am so thankful that I get to work for at least another little bit. But I do feel for those who did lose their jobs, and I wish them the best.
2. I am so thankful for my family. I love that Laura is now only 5 minutes away, and that I could call my mama 5 times on Tuesday without her telling me to leave her alone. I love that my niece recognizes me when she sees me now and that Jessica and Josh are my best friends in the world and a great example of how happiness doesn't depend on anything but being with the people you love.
3. I'm thankful that this week was a step forward. I am really happy to have been a part of this year's election and am looking forward to the changes the new pres will bring. I'm under no illusion that anything will happen overnight or even in a few years, but I do see this all as a step in the right direction.
4. Thankful for italian food that doesn't make my stomach hurt. I LOVE italian food, but everytime I eat hot melty cheesy goodness my tummy hurts for hours. No more. I had this amazing chicken lasagne last night and I feel completely fine. Yes! It's the little things.
5. Oh, and I'm thankful for 'back in the day joints' on 100.1 The Beat, columbia's number one urban station because I just heard a really old Jay-Z song that made me get really excited. I don't just sit around and listen to the radio very often (and I probably should since my job depends on people doing that, hearing commercials and buying things), but I am right this second in lieu of having the tv on, and thank goodness b/c I heard a bad ass song. And now they're playing Big Poppa. This is the best day ever.
6. I'm very thankful obviously for my friends. I am going to try to do better about calling them and listening instead of just rambling for a long time about my life.
7. I'm thankful for my hot body, my health, my incredible wit and intelligence, my game with the fellas (ha), and my humility about all those things. But for real, I totally get hotter the older I get. Or maybe I'm just more comfortable in my own skin. And my hot body. (

So, in conclusion, stop bitching about it, ok? Ok, now after you stop bitching, make a change. Look at what you have and not what you don't. And if you just have to have something else, then go get it. It's completely up to you. Granted, we can't control everything that happens around us, but we can control how we choose to react to the things that happen. I'm talking about myself too because I'm guilty, but I'm choosing to change it.

Day 7 in my shoes (4 days later)

2009-01-08T18:43:00.001-08:00

I've been trying to do Day 7 for about 5 days at this point, but my blackberry has decided to stop sending pictures to my email. Boo. Because I went to the zoo and took pictures of me and a bronze turtle. i decided to draw it for you since stupid phone wont send it.

I've never claimed to be an artist...however, my shoes were leopard print in honor of the zoo animals. and the turtle was bronze and fun. But no real photo until the phone stops being stupid.
Day 7. Rainy and humid. But i got to see a koala!

So there you go blog readers. shoes for you. As you can see, i wear heels to work. I work out in tennis shoes. And, i like boots. And i think that about covers it. Thanks for reading.

Day 6 in My Shoes

2009-01-04T08:07:00.000-08:00

The day began with a nice lunch date with Ms. Hicklin and Ms. Sturzenbecker. The house was really cold when we got home, so Christie and I stood atop the vent to warm ourselves.

Flash forward to a few hours later...i hope i don't get cold feet now...

b/c I have a date. A first date, so this was taken while I was blow drying my hair.

But then I decided I should maybe wear shoes since it was a little chilly outside and movie theaters mostly like you to wear shoes. And even if they didn't, you would have to because the floors are sticky...kinda makes you wonder.

ps, good date. I'm a fan of good conversation. I also like a good vocabulary. Not that it has to be over the top, but I appreciate good word usage. Man, I am such a nerd, but I notice things like that.

Day 5 in my shoes

2009-01-03T11:57:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was day #5 of my shoes, and Christie and I had a splendid day minus the fact that I had to work until 3.

Julian refers to these as my Barbarella boots. I think they make me look hot. Well, they make my legs look hot. And the best part, they cost $12. THat's right, 12. I got them at the end of last season marked down from like, $70. Amazing boots. And they fit very snuggly against my bulging calf muscles now, so just wait until i beef them up even more.

Speaking of beefing up...

Me and Christie went to the gym. She showed me how to do sumo squats for those darn inner thigh muscles and we did the weight circuit and a bit of cardio. I wish I always had a workout partner. I think I'll feel stupid when I go back tomorrow for more sumo squats and I have to do them alone. But I will cherish the memory of the workout and subsequent achy muscles forever.

Day 3 Day 4 in my shoes

2009-01-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

Hey hey! I know, i meant to do it yesterday and now I'm like, 3 days behind, but i'm sorry. No, i'm not really sorry, i was super tired yesterday and didn't feel like it. Plus I'll blame Christie b/c she took half the pictures. Anyway...the much anticipated next segment. I'll do today (day 5) tonight.

Day 3
Happy new year! I didn't take a picture of my boring work feet the morn of New Year's Eve. But I did catch the heels in action with my ensemble for our rockin' new years eve at Blue.

Christie wore shoes too, so she photographed them. Yay New Year's Feet!

Special shout out to KB who has some pretty bad ass dance moves that I had forgotten about. 4 years together and she never taught me The Hustle...you should be ashamed. But we did get to meet Mark the cab driver and countdown backwards in German.

Day 4
Uh...new year's day. I had to work and waking up after only about 4 hours of sleep in the hottest bedroom ever (oh yeah...you just wonder what i mean by that...the heat was on.) So i wasn't in the mood to photograph work feet. I wore leopard flats to watch the gamecocks suck it up in the bowl game.

So this was basically it for the rest of the day.

You can't tell, but the tv is showing The Biggest Loser marathon. We watched it for around 5 hours, and by the end we were highly emotionally involved with the characters and their new found hotness and health. I'm totally watching the new season. Those people are such losers...in a weight sense. It inspired us to go the gym. But not until we sat thru 5 hours of television. It was a lovely day.

Day 2 in My Shoes

2008-12-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

Hey peeps. I discovered that I am unable to blog from my blackberry and that is quite disappointing since I was trying not to leave my room once I got home. But alas, I must venture to the desktop to show you my feet.

Today was a brilliantly sunny day in the capitol city, so i photographed the feet while bounding happily down the steps on my way to work this morning. I was wearing my gray pencil skirt, and really didn't like having black feet with it, but i didn't really have another choice. What do you wear with gray if not black or a colored shoe of which I have none.

I have literally been laying in this position since I got home around 7:30. I watched Jeopardy and then got under the covers to continue reading a short Philip Roth book entitled, "The Breast." Oh yes, the writer of masturbation has a book about becoming a boob. It's delightful. I love him oh so much. My feet are the humps at the end. Can you see my nintendo in the background? I'm the Tetris master.

Just a heads up, i will have to do a double post on Thursday, b/c after tomorrow night's New Year's Extravaganza I will probably be home too late to post. But the shoes will be sexy no doubt.

A week in my pants-Day 1

2008-12-29T18:43:00.000-08:00

No, not really. But Christie's Week in my Shoes inspired me to do the same. I have a problem right now with a lack of creativity. Not really a lack, just a laziness and a need to copy the cool things people do. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. That being said, I want to do a week in my shoes too, but then I was like, that's been done, perhaps a different item of clothing. Pants came to mind first, but that's boring because i wear dress pants/skirts/workout clothes and that's really it. Then i was like, hey, i could take pictures of my clothing...

but then those ended up being pictures of my crotch area...not exactly blog worthy. I'm not sure what i expected when i hit the button, but this bright idea produced day one of a week in my va jay jay. no no. (FYI though, we saw a magazine ad for a specialist in Columbia who does 'vaginal rejuvination, because there are some muscles a treadmill can't tighten.' I hung it on my cube just in case someone ever needs it, but i think that's really sad that people think they need to beautify their vagina through plastic surgery...but i digress.)
Anyway, it's hard since I have to take the pictures myself and my arms have a limited range, so I went back to shoes. A week of my booty also crossed my mind, but again, let's keep it classy.

So yay! Day 1. I hope Christie likes it and isn't mad that i copied, but she'll be here soon, so i'll get a double shoe shot (quadruple perhaps?) of her feet too.

Ok, so I don't usually prop my feet on my desk at work as I am normally hunched over the computer doing very important things, but for the purpose of my blog, I kicked them up there. I recieved strange looks, but that's really nothing new. I heart work, so we're going to get many heel shots this week, mostly Target heels.

Ooh, on the scary scale. Today was day #4 of lifting weights. I'm going to be super buff here pretty soon. Looking fine in 2009. Year of the hottie. Maybe I'll do a week of my biceps in a few months. I'll make sure you get your tickets...to the gun show.

ho ho ho!

2008-12-18T17:57:00.000-08:00

Hey friends! I've been so mia for the past few. lots of stuff has happened...like i bought a new car!! yay, i'm a grownup! i think this makes it official. That and the fact that I celebrated my 24th birthday last Tuesday. Geez. 2 whole dozen years. That's kinda old. Older and hotter. that's right.

Anyway, so i had my party, and i was just so excited that it didn't end up being lame. It was actually super fun. We had Jew Cookies, or jookies, as Heather named them, and a lot of people came. There weren't any of those awkward moments or any funny business going on, just good ol' fashioned holiday cheer. So yay for parties. I celebrated like a rockstar all week last week and i am paying for it still. I'm totally old because I just can't get back right.

Ok, to get back to the point of this post. I was looking for the Boost Mobile George Washington commercial because i think it's funny that when he rolls up the car window his face is in the dollar bill. Anyway, this video showed up as something i may like to watch as well. Well right you are youtube, i would love to watch this video.

Ha ha. I thought it was funny, and i wish it was real. And that i had posted it pre-election to help all those undecideds out there.

Peace and love blog readers...it's holiday time!

2008-12-05T17:38:00.001-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...and I'm super super pumped. I'm not sure why since i only get like, 2 days off work. But it could be worse; i could get only one day.

Anyway, it's been almost a month since I last blogged, so let's just update. Work, thanksgiving, work. That's essentially it. Oh, and my car sucks. It broke twice in the past 2 weeks, so I think i'm going car shopping tomorrow! Yay! New car! Or used car probably, but still new to me. I'm excited about doing something so adult-like, but also really nervous about going from no car payment to car payment, no debt to debt. But whatever, i'm going to make a responsible decision. i'll keep you posted...get it, b/c it's a blog. I'm so funny.

In other news, i haven't heard mention of the phrase, "Miss Jackson if you're nasty" in maybe 5 years, you know from the Janet Jackson song. Well, i heard it 3 times all in one week, and it was so incredibly random. 1) Watching the office, Michael said, Pam, Miss Beasley if you're nasty. 2) Phone call from a friend, "Sarah...miss seegars if you're nasty." 3) Commercial on the radio, "back when it was miss jackson if you're nasty..." talking about 80s night at a bar (and it totally convinced me to go. I just was surprised about the nasty comeback. But i'm a fan, i'm not going to lie.

So, i'll be 2 dozen next tuesday and i'm pretty excited about that too. And that's just about it I think.

you got jokes?

2008-11-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

Ooh, i do, i do!

ok, it's not that funny, but i want to blog and i just heard 2 new jokes today. Ready? Ok.

What's blue and smells like red paint?

Blue paint...ah ha ha.

What did one pair of jeans say to the other pair of jeans?

Denim, denim, denim (said like the Mario tune).

i think that one gets lost in the typing translation...whatever, i'll call you and tell it to you in person...um, over the phone.

Oh, and on another note, my long time friend Carla is now a proud parent as of early Thursday (i didn't find out until today, thanks guys, but that's ok, i'm just glad everything turned out ok.) Its really really strange to me that she has a baby just because i am just in a totally different place that that in my life that its just really outside my mind as to how that even works. Anyway, yay for her. baby Cullen (yes, like the twilight character). Speaking of Twilight, i have to see that movie. I mean, I'm ok with the fact that its a teen novel. That is written in really simple language. And that has some of the cheesiest love scenes i've ever encountered. I wish I had a vampire boyfriend. i'm just saying.

halloweenie

2008-10-22T18:54:00.000-07:00

hey people hey! i had a great day today, so i just wanted to share that with the reading population. And do you want to know why I had a great day? First off, it's Wednesday, meaning I'm one step closer to Friday, which is always nice. I had a very productive work day, got to see my old cubemate, went to a German meat market, looked really pretty, had the best hair day EVER, plus, i wrote 3 good commercials, ate sushi, finally talked to Whitney, found black heels to replace my broken ones, drank a pumpkin spice latte, had a small planning session for my kickass birthday party (christmas cocktail semi-formal...details coming soon), had a revalation about my love life (ha ha, or lack thereof), learned something new, filled up my car for less than $50, AND i'm probably going to bed early tonight and i just really enjoy my beauty sleep.

So needless to say, it was good day. And tomorrow is definitely going to be just as good.

Ooh, and you know what else? i got home tonight and there sat my jack-o-lantern, expertly carved on Monday by me and Jason.

Yay! Its a spooky girl and boy. Only a few mistakes; not bad if i do say so myself. Plus I'm like, obsessed with it. I just can't have Halloween without carving a pumpkin. Oddly enough, i never did that when i was younger, but recently, i just feel i have to.

i love it.

Anyway, this is a random random post, but i just wanted to get out some of my energy. Also, i decided last night while watching some show on the family channel, like the 700 club or something, that Sarah Palin doesn't deserve to share the same name with someone as awesome/bad ass as me. But whatever, i'm just saying.

8 things

2008-10-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Oooh, another tag. You know why i'm a fan? Because then I don't have to be creative, but i can think and write. I'm a fan of that. But I decided to cheat on this one and just answer the ones I wanted to. it's my blog, and i'll do what i want to.

8 things I'm passionate about:
1. Dancing. I agree whole heartedly with jacky. The times when I'm happiest are the times when i just stop caring and start dancing. When in doubt, dance it out.
2. Smooching. My 2 favorite things in life are dancing and kissing. How corny is that? But I totally don't care. I think everyone would be happier with a lot more kissing.
3. My job...sometimes i get a little too wrapped up in it, but i just really want to be successful at it.
4. Lily!! I freaking LOVE that kid!! I don't know if that's a passion, but we'll go with being a good aunt.
5. Literature (or Twilight), basically reading good books with good writing or a good story line. Also writing, but the two are closely related for me so they only get one spot on the list. They will share.
6.Target. I would fight to the death for Target; I didn't know what I was missing not having one in Lancaster or Clinton for all those years. My target is five minutes away. And I would go every day if it wouldn't completely break me.
7. Seasonal candy...i just love Reeses so much more when they're in the shape of a holiday creature.
8. My mission to tell the truth and to be happy all the time if i can help it. (i do slip up occasionally, but I'm trying!)

8 things I want to do before I die: See bucket list post from a while back

8 things I say often:
1. That's what she said
2. like
3. Shut up
4. if he says that one more time, i'm going to punch him in the face
5. This is Sarah, how can i help you? (when i answer in office calls just to be facetious)
6. That's what i'm saying!
7. Guess what today is...it's Mcfly day!! [insert double arm pump with eyes closed]
8. I'm kind of in love with it (basically everything could be inserted here)

8 artists I never tire of listening to:
1. The Killers
2.Maroon 5
3. Justin Timberlake
4. Chris Brown
5. Jack Johnson
6. The Beatles
7. Hall and Oates
8. 80s--a lot of good artists

8 TV shows I love:
1. The Office
2. Family Guy
3. The Soup
4. Gilmore Girls
5. Saved by the bell
6. The weather channel
7. Project Runway
8. Friends

8 Things I learned in 2008:
1. Having a job you like with great coworkers and great bosses will make life much more pleasant than working for a boring insurance company. A little job stress is bearable if you enjoy going to work every morning.
2. Stress comes in many forms and causes my skin to breakout.
3. I disagree with Jacky...Being a college graduate is absolutely fabulous. I wouldn't go backwards...it was fun, now its done. This is my favorite part of life right now and moving forward.
4. I don't have to settle for being someone's second choice.
5. it's much easier to put a positive spin on things when you actively make the effort. it's also easy to be a downer; but we get to choose which we are.
6. Goodness does still exist in the world. All over the place.
7. Good running shoes make all the difference. As do insoles in those shoes.
8. Its okay to be completely truthful.

Ok yay! New post! I'm tagging Christie and Kelly.

Who's gonna save my soul?

2008-10-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

A great friend sent me this video the other day, and I've not been able to stop watching it. Maybe it's sappy in a way, but if you've ever been in love (Jacky) and had your heart broken, this is a little like what it feels like.

When my friend first sent me this video, I was offended because I've been that girl before...specifically with this person. We weren't in love, but i was such a user; keeping the heart whenever i needed it b/c i knew i could count on him. i'm guilty.

But, i have also been the guy. And reading another blog today made me realize that i had to post this today. i roll my eyes sometimes about love and loss, but it's tough; people affect people. and having a broken heart doesn't make you weak, it just makes you human.

My favorite part is when the heart starts singing. Anyway, it's a wee bit depressing quite honestly because you just see one side with this; obviously love still exists in the world and it doesn't stop turning just because things don't always work out how we planned them to.

So, i guess this post is just to say that even Gnarls Barkley thinks it doesn't make you crazy (get it) to feel real bad when love doesn't last. Because it'll be better.

I'm blogging asbestos I can

2008-09-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

I can always tell when I've bored my blog audience...i get no comments. Although, sometimes I don't comment even if I'm not bored; I just simply do not know what to say. Perhaps the greatness of my blog has left you speechless.

Well, be speechless no more (so i guess that means this post won't be great?). this video is really stupid, but i think it's funny. i'm sure you've probably already seen it, but we were talking about these yesterday and i wanted to revisit it. It's just random.

You should watch the other videos too if you want to laugh a little. i think deep down I just really want to be one of these comedic people on YouTube. I'll have my own series where I act really stupid hoping someone will laugh. I guess I do that in real life anyway, so maybe i'll just start taping it.

I'm pretty hard core

2008-09-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

So, I did the USMC Mud Run this weekend and finally today my body feels normal enough for me to move without wanting to cry. It was affecting my ability to type even, so I'm pretty excited that I'm kind of a bad ass. It was super fun, and I feel like I accomplished many goals like pushing myself to the limit and contributing to a good cause at the same time.

It's a great thing; all the money goes to families of wounded and killed Marines. And we know how much I love marines. So I just wanted to suggest to anybody living in the SC area next September that you form a team and do the obstacle course. It's worth the registration fee and the pain you feel for 2 days to feel a little better about yourself. I'm excited to do it again, and maybe next year I'll actually try to set a time goal. I just wanted to finish this year.

On another note, I watched the video for The Secret today. We have training every Tuesday at work, and today instead of pounding us with more tips on how to sell radio and internet, they showed us the video training us how to use the Secret of life to get what we want. You know, I really do believe that having a positive attitude has a positive influence on your life. And I know when i'm being a downer. Sometimes I just continue on the path to downness, but I try to lock it up and quit bitching and put things in perspective. But I decided today that I'm going to try harder. But you know what's weird? Ever since the meeting, I've been thinking so hard about thinking positively, I'm making myself like, nervous. Like I have this feeling that if I think anything bad, i'm going to just ruin myself, and that's making me even more nervous. I'm such a cook. Ha, I said cook. I meant kook. Those spellings don't make grammatical sense. Isn't that how you spell kook? It seems like those 2 words should be pronounced the same way.

Anyway, not the point. I'm just rambling. Here's my tip for the day: Think positive. I'm going to try it out for real, just to see. I have a specific work goal for October that I'm going to will into an actuality. You know what though, it totally works, b/c this one time, I really wanted to make out with this guy, so I just kept thinking about how great that would be...and then it happened. I'm just saying. Maybe I'm just that good. Or maybe its the secret of life and I just attracted the goodness. Either way, i'm going to keep it up. I'll let you know how it works out.

I'm it!

2008-09-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

Yay, I was reading Christie's blog thinking, man i hope she tags me b/c I need a happy post to follow my ranting on the last one. And she did. Sweet!

Here goes...

A - Attached or Single? If by single you mean unmarried, then single; however, I kinda dig this guy right now. i just think he's cute...ha ha, I can't give one word answers, but for the purpose of this tagging exercise--single.
B - Best friend(s): I have a lot of best friends, but I like the ones who read my blog the best
C - Cake or pie? Ooh, i'm going to say pie b/c i love peanut butter pie.
D - Drink of choice? Let's go with orange soda; its like a special treat.
E - Essential item: my ipod
F - Favorite color: I don't have one
G - Gummi bears or worms? bears
H - Hometown: Lancaster, SC
I - Indulgence: Krispy Kreme, Family Guy-i watch it like, all the time and i'm pretty sure I'm going to hell for laughing at some of that stuff
J - January or February? I like February
K - Kids: 3: Annie, Charles, and Donald jr. Jk, none for me.
L - Life, for me, is incomplete without: Dancing, laughing, and randomness
M - Marriage date: Sept. 20th, that's this weekend btw, I forgot to tell you all
N - Number of siblings: 2 sisters and a brother in law
O - Oranges or Apples? Apples, golden delicious
P - Phobia/Fears: the dark
Q - Favorite quote: Currently from My Best Friends Wedding b/c i think it applies to my life: "There may not be marraige, there may not be sex, but by god, there will be dancing!"
R - Reasons to smile: Ha, dark alleys with Italian guitarists, my new Whitney Houston playlist, an acid washed denim skirt with an elastic waistband that's a gift from Ashley
S - Season: spring
T - Tag Ten: Jacky and Kelly
U - Unknown fact about me: I want to be a drag queen, but I'm already a girl.
V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals? Lol, oppressor of animals
W - Worst habit: talking too much
X - X-rays or Ultrasounds: weird question. x-rays b/c that's what my daddy does
Y - Your favorite foods: ice cream and cheese
Z - Zodiac: Sagittarius

Ok, all done. Hope you enjoyed. Thank you Christie!

Hi Hater

2008-09-10T16:06:00.000-07:00

So, I'd like to think that the world has come along further than it has.

I'll admit I'm not very familiar with the case, but long story short somebody shot somebody else, and a flyer started circulating from a The American National Socialist Workers Party(regarding the crime.

Our talk show host on WVOC, who showed great professionalism and courage really, interviewed the leader of this group on his show today. And I know I'm not Jewish, and I'm also not black, but I do have a brain. And as a person with a functional brain, I was literally in tears at the end of the interview. (Granted, I cry a lot over nothing, and sometimes I'm just way too emotional, but that's not the point.)

I think you, my loyal blog readers, are all aware of the love I have for everything Jewish. This isn't a make fun of Jews thing I have, it's just a legitimate interest in all things Jewish and desire to possibly marry someone Jewish. So maybe that's why I'm offended. Or it could be the fact that this guy is kind of a douchebag and I don't know how Kevin Cohen, our Jewish talk show host, interviewed this guy without telling him he's crazy and hateful.

Anyhow, I think you should all listen to the interview a) because it's an example of good journalism from a true professional and b)so we can all realize that sometimes people are hateful and hopefully there are enough of us non-haters in the world to outnumber this nut job and make a positive influence. It just really pisses me off that he's going to teach his kids his backwards thinking, and they're going to teach their kids, and the cycle goes on and on. And I know people, families, who sit around and say "nigger" like that's ok and make jokes about black people and jewish people like its harmless; attention...it's not harmless b/c their kids will listen to those jokes and there will be generations forever making stupid ass jokes about people who are different.

And you know who you are.

And I'm not perfect by any means. i make jokes. But I don't make jokes at the expense of someone's skin color or religion, and if I ever have in the past, I'm truly sorry. I was so fired up by this guy (who's last name, ironically, is White) who accused Jews of being "demons in living flesh" who are "incapable of doing good." He "encourages Jews to disengage from our society before creating any more harm." I wish people like him would disengage. I hate it. But i guess that's what he is too; a hater. I just wish it were different I guess. I was at a party one time, and I literally had to leave because if I heard one more stupid black joke, I would have flipped out. I wish I would have had the courage to just tell those too stupid to realize that the world is ever changing, that they were behind and backwards and doomed to a life of simple thoughts of the past. I wish I could tell this hater on the radio and the 1200 members of his organization that they need to stop breeding more generations of hate. But I didn't tell that party, and I won't tell this dude. But I'll tell you blog readers. It just makes me so sad that people like this still exist.

But, I'm also really happy that people like WVOC's Kevin Cohen exist to prove that it is possible to rise above hatred and control oneself. I seriously would have told this dude to just shove it, and he gave him a really fair interview. Please listen to it. I'm totally taking him a treat tomorrow for being so awesome.

It's the first podcast here:
Interview

Oooh, i so pretty

2008-09-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

So, everybody was doing it, so I had to do it too. (If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you follow, says mother. I may b/c i would probably assume there was a good reason for doing so.)

Anyway...i went to the kickass website and want to share my photos with you. I think i would have fit in better in another time period.

I think this is a good look for me personally.

You know how I love the 80s...

Wow

So fly

"Oh Johnny, I'd love to wear your letter jacket!"

"My name is Ms. Murphy, and I'll be your substitute"

This is literally me in the 4th grade. I thought I was so cool...i was so wrong

let's get down to business

2008-08-25T15:21:00.000-07:00

Geez, where the heck is the time going? It seems like just yesterday it was January, and now we're knocking on September's door. Ludicrous!!

But i digress...i don't really have anything important or worth sharing really except another comedic video i was shown at the office while I probably should have been aworkin instead. You like how i capitalize like every other I. You would think my grammar madness would prevent things like that. Anyway, this dude at work showed me this video, and I think its hysterical. Then again, i pretty much laugh at everything. Like my publix yellow corn tortilla chips that say "A-maize-ing flavor" on the bag...ah ha ha! I love Publix where shopping is a pleasure.

I like waffles

2008-08-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

So, like five years ago I was watching my favorite late night show with Conan O'Brien (a fellow English major), and there was a comedian guest that I just loved.
I mean, I laughed so hard at this dude, but it was really late at night and I forgot his name. So the past 5 years of my life have been a desperate search for the comedian who liked waffles. I don't know why I think its so funny, but it gets me everytime. Anyway, people at work were talking about this funny dude, and I thought to myself, "Self, that sounds a lot like the waffle guy." And it is in fact the waffle guy, Mitch Hedburg. That's not his only funny joke, but he's just so random.
So i found the Conan clip for you. (The waffle stuff is about minute 1:30)

This blog has totally gone from the Things I Like page to the Silly Things That Make Me Laugh page. Oh the depths of my mind are just endless. I promise I do more with my time than laugh and like things; actually, maybe not, but i think its totally ok to be ridiculous. Plus, I've been off my game lately, like not in the normal cheerful random mood, so maybe this blog will perk me back up. Hold up syrup, you're not going anywhere.

no, you can have a coke

2008-08-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night according to some random, not necessarily reliable website.

This got the brain wheels aturnin' and made me realize I now have the perfect excuse to sneak over to my cute neighbor's porch, zucchini in hand, and chat him up. We met over a year ago when I was making laps around the circle. I was wearing my women's day shirt announcing the misconduct of women and the resulting history making; I was sweating like a man with my then short hair straining to stay inside the ponytail held up with about 16 bobby pins when he came out to let his dog have a little poo break. He was dressed in his work clothes, checking his mail after a long day at the office (I don't really know if he has a job in an office, or even has a job at all for that matter,but whatever, that is totally not relevant right now). Anyway, i decided that would be the best time to introduce myself to the cute neighb (sp? I'll have to ask Hicklin; one of her shortened phrases)

Long story short, I saw him in the grocery store a few months ago and totally didn't even speak, even though I was looking a lot cuter than that first sweaty encounter. I froze. Silly, but I may just have a little crush on him (shocking i know; somebody pointed out to me that i have a lot of crushes, but aren't they fun? doesn't it just make the day go by more happily?), and I've been looking for an excuse to go over there, but asking for a cup of sugar just seemed so old school. And why would i walk 5 houses down to ask the young dude for a cup of sugar, passing by two houses with old(er) people who def have sugar to ask him? Just not a good idea. But now I can just hop over there when I know he's just about to be arriving from work and put the zucchini on the porch and just "accidentally" get caught.

Then it'll just be like, "excuse me, why are you sneaking zuchinni onto my porch you strange person who just happens to also be incredibly hot, almost hot enough to make me forget you're putting zuchinni on my porch."

"Oh, you didn't know? It's Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night. Who's the strange one now?"

It'll be love at first bite...of the zuchinni. I'll keep you posted. (ha ha, i'm just full of puns. Must be in honor of international pun day...jk, today is Sea Serphent Day...i don't even know what that means.)

Just like a prayer

2008-07-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Or a fart...hallelujah! I know it's only been like 2 days since the fart post. But I just remembered that my sister is slightly unstable, so I thought my blog peeps would like to get a little taste of that. She's stupid.

Oh, but I still love her. My favorite part is when the filmer (Anna) says, "this makes it look cool" and waves her hand in front of the screen. Or when Laura pronounces "mystery," "mi-story."
car dancing

I'm concerned for other drivers on the road.

I smell Heaven's bakery cooking up something good for you, sister

2008-07-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

It's maybe a little childish to laugh at farting noises. I realize this, but at least I'm admitting how ridiculous this video is, and by ridiculous, I mean ridiculously funny (thank you Heather and Ashley). It's ok to go back to middle school and just laugh at a fake fart noise. And this dude deserves a little to be made fun of. Watch it twice, I promise that even if you don't laugh, the next time you pass gas you'll say "thank you Jesus!" just on instinct.

I can't really explain it, and it's silly and childish, however, farting is funny, ok, just throwing that out there. It doesn't matter how old you are, or even if you hate laughing, you laugh in private at fart related happenings. And if you don't, maybe you should start. It's like a joke from God almost, and who doesn't laugh at God's jokes? seriously, that's more blasphemous than making fun of a televangelist.

Farting Preacher 5

Don't worry baby...everything will be all right

2008-07-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

I'm in a Beach Boys phase; frightening, but I like it nonetheless.

Anyway, I was just reading Jacky's blog about the bucket list, so I decided what I want to do before I die. I think this list is really way different from what if would have been a year ago. Not that I made one then and now we can compare and contrast, but whatever, I'm just saying.

Ok, here goes.

1. Visit a foreign country that is not attached to the U.S. (I know, I should've done this by now for real)
2. Publish something I've written (Totally stole that from Jacky, but I wanna do it too).
3. Have a baby. Notice get married isn't listed b/c let's be realistic, not everybody gets married. That's right, I said it. And I don't want to marry anybody yet, but I know I want a baby eventually (like in 10 years). I want to adopt (unless I just find an awesome baby daddy). But for real, before I die a kid would be cool. These are like super in the future long-term goals. I'm planning on being here for a while.
4. Sing karaoke. I don't know why I won't just suck it up and do it. I'm not an awful singer, I just get nervous.
5. Go to a Jewish religious service.
6. Contribute something meaningful to society ...I don't know what yet, just something that makes a difference to somebody else. (Cheesy, but since I'm not a doctor, I can't like, heal people, but hopefully I can use my pull in the radio world to do something cool)
7. Open a bookstore. And a bakery. Ok, a bookstore with a bakery instead of a Starbucks.
8. Run a marathon. (1/2 marathon first, then the biggie)
9. Move away from SC. Like far away from comfort just to see if I can handle it.

I feel like my list is lame, but there is a lot of junk I haven't done b/c I just feel like I have plenty of time to do it. But that's the point right, you think you have time until -BAM- you're dead. Ha ha, I'm so eloquent. Ok, I'm done.

time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping...

2008-06-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

into the future. And I'm letting it get away without blogging about it. Geez. My bad yo.

Nothing exciting is happening to LaSarah...ok, I'm lying, life is great and fantastic and stressful and all that jazz, but who wants to read about that? So instead of giving updates, I thought I'd share the coolest website ever. Now that Lauren is out of school I get to use her material for my blog (My reader thank you, it gets so boring at times)

Anyway, this is my new fave pop culture website. GraphJam is basically what it sounds like, a jam of graphs relevant to stuff that we have heard of. It makes pop culture so mathematical, which I'm a fan of. (I just ended the last 2 sentences with prepositions...and I'm not going to correct it. Big step for me, maybe a step backwards actually).

more graph humor and song chart memes

That's one I like, but there are a lot. Some funnier than others, some not really that funny at all. But do enjoy.

Ooh, this one too.

more graph humor and song chart memes

One more...I'm making up for lost time in the month I've not blogged.
more graph humor and song chart memes

...and I like to dance

2008-05-31T07:35:00.001-07:00

So, I love The Soup. I mean, love it. And I wish ol Joel wasn't married b/c me and Lauren would totally fight over him. This was one of my favorite clips of the week, just because I really hope when I have kids they act just like little Julia with her bad ass dance moves. (Again I ask the question, is badass one word or two? I like it all shoved together, but I would like a second opinion.)

I mean, Seth is funny too, but Julia does the robot. I'm totally teaching Lily the robot.

this is your brain...

2008-05-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

And this is your brain on drugs.

Me, by the way, because apparently my brain is broken.

So...i'm ridiculous, and posting this isn't really going to help, but I thought it would at least stimulate the brain a little. I just want to make sure its still working. Apparently it still allows me to type. Sweet.

So, here's a new picture of the cutest baby to ever be born. She's super awesome. I gave her the gator with a matching onesie. Oh Target, you make life much better...you're a no-brainer. Ha ha! I've still got it

I'm fit

2008-05-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

So it's been like, 2 weeks since I posted anything, and I think its because I was hoping for more response to the question I posed last time...it's official that only Christie and Jacky read my ramblins.

Or so I thought, b/c i totally found out at least one more person does (that's your shout out, you know who you are) so I figure I better give them some new reading material (even though you should probably be working instead of reading my blog, but whatev.)

Too bad I have nothing to say...wow, me, nothing to say? Never! I thought I would share with you all the dictionary I use when I need to know how the hip kids are atalkin' these days. Sometimes its hard to know if bad is bad, or bad is good, or bad is just Michael Jackson. Shum on.

You can also type in your name. My results were pretty darn accurate:
Sarah
a girl who loves to party, shake that ass, facilitate that junk in the trunk to funk. Particularly refers to tall skinny blondes from Cali (but are not IN Cali when referred to). Particularly used in St. Louis, Missouri, where the term is quite popular.

"Oh. My. God. Would you look at that chick out on the dance floor. Now THAT'S a Sarah!"

Ah yeah! They know whats up. Except someone else is really angry at another Sarah in the 6th definition, so I'm not even posting that one. Biotch better recognize! Just because she got her secrets all told doesn't mean she can be a hater. (you like all that fly talk? use the urban dictionary...it's off the hook)

I have no stress b/c I'm the best

2008-05-06T18:07:00.001-07:00

I didn't think it was possible for a baby to be this freakin cute. I just love my little Lily Bell.
She's just agrowing! I'm going to start talking like that. Atalking like that; it makes me more southern I think.

So I thought for today's post I would just spend a little time talking about gossip, that brutal killer of reputations. (It just goes akillin' and there's no stopping it)

I heard a rumor about myself at work the other day, and I was actually pretty excited because obviously I'm kind of a big deal if people are making up stuff about me making out in the parking lot with someone. I'm actually more pissed that the rumor is so lame. I mean seriously, let's at least have a good ol' juicy rumor that scandalizes me; this one just isn't that exciting. I'll start my own rumor. Anyway, this is not newsworthy, I guess I just thought I was out of high school...5 years ago. But apparently not everybody grows out of that.

On another note. I found this completely bad ass website while I reading the Columbia Jewish Times, and I'm taking a survey on whether or not I should utilize its services. Please my 3 blog readers, tell me if I should or should not go to the Chai Expectations dating service page to find eligible Jewish bachelors. I'm technically not Jewish, but I really would like to meet my Jewish mate, and I can't think of a better way than this...unless I go to a synagogue, but who does that by themselves?

So, yes or no? I don't want to seem needy, but my "Jewish soul mate could be right around the corner," and with the help of this site I could have him in no time. I feel bad though b/c it's specifically for Jewish singles, not people who just like Jewish things a lot; but then again, I'm pretty dedicated and I've read a lot of books, so that puts me in the game, right? Am I abreakin' any rules?

I'm no Fred Flinstone...but I can make your bed rock.

2008-04-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Boo...I kinda hated that last post after I read it. I've had much better ones, so I'm a little disappointed in myself for leaving it up that long. The thing is, I have nothing to blog about...nothing unless I keep talking about things I like, but even that list isn't quite long enough since I've already written about The Wedding Singer, the niece, J Tim, and all the other goodies that are archived. Too bad Lauren is too busy with school to look up funny videos for me on Youtube.

You know what I'll do today...I'll give you some pick up lines. Ooh, good idea. (I'm ridiculous)
I found this website with lots of jewels to choose from. Some of them are a little too dirty for my taste. I'm a fan finding really cheesy ones, using them on my friends, and never actually implementing them in real life. Except I have on a few occasions...and again, I'm ridiculous.
But these are my favorites out of the million.

Excuse me, but I think I dropped something!!! MY JAW!! ha ha

I've gotta thirst, baby, and you smell like my Gatorade.

If you were words on a page, you'd be what they call FINE PRINT

Is that a keg in your pants? Because I'd love to tap that ass.

Ok wait, I just realized there is a Christian category...Christian pickup lines? OMG and a Mario section.

You have the body of Amy Grant and the soul of Mother Teresa.

Ah ha ha...My life just improved a little.

Raining on Sunday

2008-04-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

So it's not really raining, but it is Sunday, and I did get to see Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood in concert on Friday night...for free. That's right. Have I mentioned ever that I absolutely love my job? The boss had tickets, so I got to take Laura. And we're officially obsessed with Keith Urban. I mean I already was b/c he's really hot and he's Australian (and he's been to rehab, so that makes him a little more edgy).

Yep...oh Keith, sing to me you sexy Aussie.

Once again, blogging about things I like. But I just love me a good concert where everyone is just really pumped to be there. It doesn't matter if it's country or rock, good live music is good live music. And this my friends was good live music.

On another note, my friend Mindy from high school got married last night. Probably one of the prettiest brides ever. It was so fun; I really like the fact that even though all my girls from high school have gone off in completely random and different directions since then, we can all still get together and have an absolutely rockin time. I think our love of the dance keeps us together. Put on some music, give us a margarita machine, and we'll party all night. It was great.

Random, but everybody and their mama has told me about the Stuff White People Like website, and I have not really dedicated any time to it, but Christie sent me this particular post a few weeks ago, and it's just way too good not to share. It made me laugh because the majority of people I've dated in the past haven't read anything but Maxim. I mean, read the magazine, that's fine, but how about you supplement it with something else every once in awhile. I don't necessarily expect the people I date to read as much as I do, because I read a lot, but I do want a well read person. Even if its books that I don't necessarily like, just read. I've definitely had more successful relationships with people who read (not just in terms of dating, but friendships too), but being well read is definitely not negotiable in the future of my dating life. I am such a nerd, but so proud of it.

You're like Jordans on Saturday

2008-04-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

Jacky, I googled it, and this is the best answer chosen on Yahoo:

"Jordan's are shoes by basketball player Michael Jordan that come out only on saturday's and its always a big thing. They sell out fast...b.c its not everyday that new ones come out.
People reserve them and it gets crazy. You have to get up like really early in the morning to get a pair b.c they're sold out by noon.
So he's basically saying how much he loves/wants the girl by comparing her to the shoes."

Urban Dictionary pretty much seconds that:

Describes a hot, desirable, much anticipated item; an item that one would go to great lengths to obtain. Original usage referred to Michael Jordan's signature basketball shoes, which are released on Saturdays. Long lines of people hoping to be the first on the block to sport the new Jays can form outside shoe stores early on Saturday mornings

Anyway speaking of something that is like Jordans on a Saturday, tonight is the season finale of Rock of Love. I don't know if you watch this show, but its super trashy and fantastic. I think we just like it because it makes us feel better about our own lives. Like, good thing I'm not those people who are completely obsessed with a rock star so much so that they run around basically unclothed in order to gain that "spiritual connection" that Bret Michaels is seeking.

Then again, if it were someone like, I don't know, Justin Timberlake, I would absolutely be that girl. Because I'm pretty obsessed with that man. I don't even mind that he was in a boy band. I think it makes him more appealing. And he's better than Bret because: he's younger; he's way hotter; he doesn't have to wear a bandanna to cover his possible hair extensions; he's quite the dancer, he's funny, and I just really like him. I don't know how exactly this turned into a shout out to J Tim, or how my blog has become the Things I Like page, but whatever, we'll just go with it.

Ooh, and I met a semi-famous person on Friday. He was on American Idol last season, and he'll be a really big star soon and everyone will be jealous that I have a picture and his autograph that says, "Sarah--you're awesome;" anyone that smart totally deserves fame and fortune. Oh, PHil Stacey is his name, and he was really good and super nice. So, again, I like my job a lot because I get to do cool stuff and meet pretty cool people. Work is like Jordans on a Saturday, i gotta go and I cannot wait...ha ha, ok, i'm a nerd.

Ooh baby i love your way, every day

2008-04-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

So...my sister had this baby, and I'm absolutely in love with her already, a)because she's so freaking cute, and b) because she smiled at me. And she's a complete miracle. Lily Ann was born on Friday, weighing in at 7lbs, 9 oz, and boy did she give my sister some trouble. I can not even imagine the pain she went through, but it was all worth is when we finally saw her! Jessica was induced at 7:30 yesterday morning and after a really long day of contractions, she started pushing 12 hours later. Three hours after that, the doctor informed us that she was stuck and Jess would need a C section. Another hour passed, and we found out Lily was here...and another hour later, we got to meet her.

Seriously, I was so exhausted by 1am, but can you imagine how my sister felt after contractions, 3 hours of pushing, and surgery? Geez. But she looked amazingly pretty after all that and Josh was so happy and comfortable becoming a daddy. It just took forever. I cried when I saw her because I'm a complete baby, and it's just such a crazy wonderful miracle. I have never really thought about what that word really means, but I saw one today. I'm such a cheeseball, but I'm okay with that. It's just exciting that in a few months she'll be sitting up and talking and then in a few years we'll be going to dance recitals or soccer games or whatever she does (she'll probably do a little of everything and be a complete badass...i mean hello, I'm her aunt).

I'm just really super pumped about it, and so happy that even after all the trouble Jessica had throughout, everyone is healthy and happy. It just gets better from here. I'm actually sad to go back to Columbia tomorrow. I got some quality baby time today though. She was really alert while I was holding her and just making baby grunts and squeezing my finger, oh, and pooping all over the place. Good luck with that Mama and Daddy Hancock. I'll just play with her and leave that goodness to you guys. I could seriously write a book about how i feel about all this, but laura says I'm typing to loudly. Yay baby!!!!!!!!

I was sitting, waiting, wishing

2008-04-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

So...hospital, so not the place to hang out when you trying to stay excited about recieving a gift from God...in the form of a new family member. I'm mooching off the hospital's wireless currently to make this post.
My poor sister has been laying in the hospital bed for a good 15 hours probably awaiting this little bundle of joy who is not budging. I actually jumped up and clicked my heels together when I got here last night; I've never actually been able to do that before, i guess I just lacked the motivation to get up there and do it.

Anyway, they induced her, so I booked it down here only to discover that little Lily is patiently hanging out while Jessica impatiently tries to keep her cool. She's a brave one. I'm following Laura's lead and never having kids...those contractions are nothing to click your heels about. So, i'm sure I'll post again once this kid is popped out (technical term). yay baby! i say that like, every other post, but this time we may actually be getting her. This is the first time I've ever skipped work and I feel guilty that I probably could have worked today, although probably not very efficiently as my mind would have been awandering.

It's just really overwhelming. A baby, an actual little person will be born today. i don't think i've ever really thought about what that means to make a person and bring them into the world to live and grow and for you to worry about. Made from love...I know it's cheesy, but its just such a powerful, scary, overwhelming, crazy feeling that I can't really describe. I can only imagine how Jessica must feel. I'm just already so in love with this baby, i don't even know how I'll handle it when I actually get to meet her. It's just such an unfamiliar feeling of love and nerves because she'll get here, and then we'll just worry some more as she has to learn how to face life for herself. A baby...that's just so amazingly awesome.

Say a little prayer please blog readers...i'll give you pictures soon! (hopefully by tonight!)

You spin me round round, baby

2008-03-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

I watched The Wedding Singer today for maybe the 150th time. I love that movie. I mean seriously, it's my favorite, hands down, and that's a big step for me to choose a favorite anything b/c I change my mind a lot, and this has been my favorite movie for a few years, so yeah.

Anyway, this is my favorite part. I always cry. I really want in real life for someone to say to me, "i'm in love with you" and my response to be, "I am so in love with you."

These are the reasons why I have to marry the real life Robbie Hart:
1. Did you watch that video? How freakin sweet? I'm playing that at our wedding.
2. He loves 80s music.
3. He's a wedding singer, so obviously he would sing duets with me in the car.
4. He's fun and has a big heart.
5. I like that he's a performer because he's very socialable and personable with old folks and kids at bar mitvahs.
6. Apparently he's a good kisser according to Julia and the music they play the first time they kiss.
7. He's a family man (i'm overlooking the fact that he lives in his sister's basement)
8. He's a writer much like myself (songwriting and poetry writing are almost the same thing.
9. He's Jewish.
10. My name would be Sarah Hart.

So, wherever you are Robbie Hart, just know that the girl of your dreams is out there waiting to grow old with you. I hope we find each other soon and have a white wedding.

Why do girls wear makeup?

2008-03-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Because they're ugly and they smell bad! ha

I heard that on tv today and thought it was funny. You know who's not ugly and doesn't smell bad? The Michael Jackson impersonator I saw last night at Club TaBu. That's right, I went to college night at a club and I had a damn good time.

Who's Bad was performing all the MJ hits you know and love. This dude was seriously having an identity crisis...he really thinks he's MIchael. And he nearly had me convinced. I mean, I was excited when he pointed our way, like giddy, omg it's a celebrity. He was that good.
He played my favorite song second--Don't Stop Till You Get Enough--and it was fantastic. I'm sure you're thinking, yeah, they look and sound semi Michael, but can they do those badass dance moves? Oh yes they can. Crotch grabbing, head bobbing, moonwalking madness. I'm in love.
Let me just say, I'm not a good dancer, but I LOVE to dance, and I think my coworkers were quite surprised that the quiet girl from the office is really not all that quiet if you get her in front of a MJ tribute band (or an 80s band, but that's an entirely different story).

I'm also really glad I went...alone...to a club on college night, b/c I almost chickened out. Lame! But I got to hang out with work people not at work, and I ended up having a really good time. And lame again, I'm so shy at work, and I'm not usually like that, so I was glad I just went with it and did my thang.

Side note, I wore my new ($12!!) knee high boots last night--with my jeans tucked inside them. I called my sister:
"Hey, don't people sometimes tuck their pants into their sexy boots?"
"Yeah, people do that."
"Can I be one of those people?"
"I think so"
Well, I was that person. Oh, how I love boots, cowboy boots, black leather boots, goodness. Someone said, "Hey, I like your boots" I mistook them for complimenting something else that sounds like boots...no such luck. Oh well, there will be other college nights.

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

I was reading Christie's blog and was reminded that today is Easter. No, that's not right, I knew it was Easter, but I forgot that means that Lent has officially ended. I feel like it passed by quickly this year. Maybe that's because time flies when you're having fun...and I'm having oh so much fun. So I guess this means I can go back to my previous lifestyle of lying and complaining.

But you know what? I'm not going to do it. I really monitored my complaining and discovered how little complaining is necessary for me to survive the day. And the honesty thing...so great. I'm a little worried now though because I can't use the precursor, "Since I gave up lying for Lent..." Uh oh, I guess I'll just explode with the truth simply because I want to now. And I'm okay with that.

Wow, what am I talking about? Here is a random fact of the day. I love Rock Band. OMG this is the most fun game ever (there I go again with that ever stuff). This is how I spent my Saturday night, being the lead singer of a rock band, I forgot the name, something inappropriate I'm sure. I was the star on Celebrity Skin by Hole. That's now officially how I want to spend the rest of my life. "Playing a video game?" you ask, but I think I'll just be the real thing. I'm going to need a drummer, guitarist, and bass player. Auditions will be held after my niece is born. We will begin touring as soon as she is old enough to dance, because she has already proven her love of rock by the crazy movement going on while the game was happening.

If anyone has an xbox I could borrow maybe once a week, that would be fantastic. Or I could just buy one, but is it acceptable for a 23 year old young professional to purchase a video gaming device? I think if it's for future career purposes I'm ok.

Good Friday (a day late, so good Saturday)

2008-03-22T09:58:00.000-07:00

After another fantastic week in the radio sales world, I officially love my life, fyi. But I can't keep posting about how great my weeks are going because that gets redundant, no? But it is actually a good Friday because I have the day off to go shopping with my mama. I found some good stuff, like a pair of knee high boots for $12! Amazing deal! And I was really excited b/c they would barely zip over my bulging muscular calves. That's right; thank you treadmill.

Anyway, not the point of this post...point is Lauren showed me the coolest thing I've ever seen last night,and I have to share it (I say everything is the coolest thing ever, or the best ever, but I should be more exclusive with those titles; however, the best calzone ever is from Za's. The veggie zone...omg, heaven). Wow a.d.d...anyway, the best Beatles song ever is Hey Jude, and apparently it's this kid's favorite too.

So talented. I like the part when he screams at the end. Good stuff. My blog would be a disaster without Lauren to inspire me. I hope she doesn't start her own blog because I would look like a copy cat

I have had a fabulous week. I mean seriously, fantastic.

2008-03-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

I'm a little tired from a few later nights than usual, but I am just feeling really good. And I know that may not be blog-worthy material, but I just wanted to share with the world (Jacky and Christie) that I am incredibly happy right now right now.

Part of it is my new job that I'm doing really well at. I'm not bragging, I just refuse to be bad at things, I want to be good at what I do, and I've finally found a job that I don't dread going to every morning. I mean, I'm not the best by any means; I have a long way to go, but I really like what I do.

So there's that. And I basically had the house to myself this week, which normally makes me really sad and lonely. But this week, I had a change of pace and hung out with some old friends and made a few new ones. I think I just rely too heavily on weeknights being tv nights when nothing productive is done, so it was refreshing to be off the couch and spending time with cool people. (But I did miss my tv buddy, another cool person, Ms. Lauren Cowles. But that's not the point.) I would also like to take this time to apologize to Ashley for being so lame before and not experiencing the greatness that was Wednesday night. My booty still hurts from riding the fence, but I wish I would have gone out with her sooner. Because I had oh so much fun.

I also decided today that I can just stop stressing so much and just let it happen. Life, that is. Because sometimes I get so caught up in worrying about the future, I forget that the present is even happening.

No more stress, just happiness.

Betrayal

2008-03-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

I have a new favorite radio station. (Don't tell anyone, but it's not a part of my Clear Channel family). You know how my new obsession is commercial songs, like the ipod commercials and the one with the monkey pictures? Well this radio station plays commercial songs. Not just commercial songs, but 90s songs (only the good ones), and alternative stuff they don't play on any other station. WXRY, the independent alternative, is the station I recommend these days even though that is in complete betrayal of my mission as a clear channel radio account executive (ooh, such an official title). But, I'm pretty sure nobody from work is reading my blog, so I don't think I'll get in too much trouble. The thing is, this station only comes in when you're in downtown Columbia, otherwise it gets really fuzzy, which is a bummer. But when this gets fuzzy, you should listen to a 104.7, 97.5, Steve, or The Beat...ok there's my pitch to keep my job. Or you could just listen online (friends who don't live in Columbia).

I just really appreciate a station that says, hey, that commercial has a kickass song; we should play it! It keeps the consumers happy. I have a playlist on my ipod dedicated to commercial songs.

So you won't have to Google the best ones...

iBook Commercial: New Soul -- Yael Naim
The one with the stuffed monkey (AT&T): Sweet Pea -- Amos Lee
iPod touch: Music is My Hot Hot Sex -- CSS
Old Navy: The Way I Am -- Ingrid Michaelson
Dell (like 2 years ago): Catch my Disease -- Ben Lee

"I took my ceral, stabbed it open with a knife. Snorted that shit and i got high on Life."

2008-03-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

So, this is the person I'd like to be. If I could freaking figure out how to put the video on here I absolutely would, but you'll just have to watch this Bo Burnham guy on YouTube. He is super clever, and I think it's really funny. Being the english nerd that I am, I am a huge fan of anyone who is able to use words in a creative way, especially when they are rapping. (I typed wrapping first, which is definitely not the same thing...well maybe, I'm wrapped up in his lyrical genius).

There are other videos you can watch, some more offensive than others. I particulary like this one because he says, "Mother effin suffrage," and refers to George Bush as a "presidon't that American't." That's funny. And he makes really great faces; he's just a good performer, and I'm in love with him. I've always wanted to be a white rapper, so I think I'm a bit jealous that I don't have these skills.

I figured out how to put on the video...2 weeks later. SO not that difficult. Here it is in case you didn't go to the link. Still he talks about his weiner, and the language isn't always clean. But it's oh so funny. Watch the Rehab Center for Fictional Characters too if you get a chance. Good stuff. Thank you Lauren.

Yay, I Was Tagged!

2008-03-01T11:43:00.000-08:00

This is the very first time I've been tagged (thanks Blair!), so here we go.

10 years ago: 10 years ago...wow that's so weird to be old enough to actually have legit memories from 10 years ago, and to be able to say, "We've been friends for 10 years" (carla). Anyway, I was 13, at the end of 7th grade I believe. I was awkward, wore a pouch around my neck that contained a turtle named Floyd (a fake turtle), and played clarinet in the band. I was a hippie we'll say, wearing vintage, actually pretty bad ass clothes that didn't really match and shoes that looked as if they were made from plastic. The turtle in the pouch was used to get people to ask questions...mission accomplished. I'm still asking questions about why the hell I thought that was cool. I played basketball, was hopelessly in love the older trumpet player in the band, and wore my hair in pigtail buns every single day.

Things on my To-Do list today: Oh good, its a day when I have a to do list, sweet.
Finish watching Season 2 of Weeds (only 10 1/2 episodes to go)
grocery shop
call Carla
maybe run at some point
wash some clothes
go to Ashley and Hillarie's housewarming party

What Would I do if I became a billionaire: Well I'm already on track for becoming one, so these are basically future plans. Pay off my student loans; buy a new car (I'm in the market for one if anyone has suggestions, must be gas efficient and pretty, also practical); buy a house somewhere and lots of cool stuff to fill it with; give money to charities b/c if I had billions, I would be able to contribute to some kind of greater good (i feel selfish that it's so far down on the list, but we know I gave up lying); and shop in stores that I currently can't afford.

Three of my many bad habits: I'm perfect.
Ha ha, that's number one--thinking I'm perfect. Talking too much and not listening enough. Worrying about things I have no control over.

5 Things People don't know about me: Let's see...
1. I love watching Jeopardy and even when I only know 3 answers on the entire show, it still makes me feel really smart.
2. I decided whoever I marry has to sing parts with me on songs, like I'm the girl, they're the boy, or they sing backup to my lead.
3. I have the best workouts when I'm angry.
4. This is gross, but I hate the sound of people clipping their nails. At work. That's right, in the work place. It makes me want to scream.
5. I'm actually really responsible despite my irresponsibility.

Coming soon...

2008-02-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

I'm super pumped about this little booger who will be bringing lots of happiness to my life in about 5 weeks. I think she just about sums up all that is great about life in general. So there she is.

I just realized that I haven't said who she is or who she belongs to, ha ha. Not my baby. I wonder who was thinking that? Nobody b/c I'm pretty sure Christie is the only person reading my blog so far, and she knows already that this is my niece, Lily. Yay baby! My sister just found out she has gestational diabetes, so this will be a big baby apparently who may come just a little early. April 5 is the tentative due date, so that's quickly approaching. So cheesy, but I felt her kick for the first time about a month ago. I cried. That's right; it really is a miracle that this little tiny person is just hanging out (or swimming around as my other sister says) in there, waiting until it's time to be born. I spoke to her finally; she didn't respond, but I'm totally going to be the cool aunt. I have the first few outings that she will take already planned...and she's not even born. 5 weeks! It's gone by so fast (well for me, prob not for my big sister...and by big I mean older...and big as in very pregnant).

It's funny b/c I'm listening to the Juno soundtrack as I write this...how appropriate. Great soundtrack ps.

These boots are made for walking

2008-02-24T16:04:00.000-08:00

There once was a girl who had a mother. The girl's mother was named Beth and she owned two mysterious pairs of cowboys boots, one pair white, the other tan. These boots were on the top shelf hidden away from the naked eye, but the girl decided one day to take the vintage look literally and shop in her mother's closet. She came across the boots that seemed to be glowing in anticipation of being worn again, of having another foot slip inside the hard leather. The girl didn't know where these boots came from or why her mother had them, but she knew it was fate that she had found them before her other sisters got the change to take them first. The girl quietly stole the tan boots and slipped back to Columbia without her unsuspecting mother getting the chance to explain the power of the boots to her clueless daughter. The girl decided tan cowboy boots would be the best choice of footwear for an evening of dancing to 80s music. Nervous about actually wearing 30 year old boots with a wooden heel, the girl warned her roommates that she would be modeling for them and welcomed their input. But as soon as the girl's feet entered the dark hole made from tan patterened leather, she no longer cared what anyone thought of her or her footwear. She looked in the mirror and did not have to ask who the fairest one of all was, because it was so obvious that the reflection she saw was absolutely smoking. She no longer cared about the impracticality of wearing shoes that could possibly hurt her feet or the gazes she may get from roommates or passersby. The girl knew that she had power with the boots on. Ultimate power to win over Jewish bartenders and other men mesmerized by the way her toned legs made a widow's peak of leg and leather. These boots...they were dangerous. The girl knew when she awoke the following morning she would have to face the reprecussions of being so fierce.

Was it worth it? Was it worth the aching feet and aching head the girl had the next morning? Was it worth the slight guilt she felt for breaking hearts all over the place?

Oh yes...the boots=ultimate hotness. They are the girl's new best friend. And she plans on wearing them for all occassions.

Arch you glad this kid can sing?

2008-02-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

Ok...i know, American Idol. But the writer's strike and my own strike of absolute laziness after working all day at my terribly difficult job (at a radio station...it's pretty awesome), have left Lauren and I no other choice. This kid here is 17 (does 6 years age difference make me a sugar mama?) and I think he's adorable. So, i thought David Archuleta deserved a little shout out on the blog. If you're one of those people who vote for American Idol (oh no, not me; not quite that bored), you should make sure this kid gets to stick around. Oh, and if you vote for American Idol, I hope you also vote for other things. That's all. Go David! (I think I'm maybe a sad over the top fan, but you know, whatever. We all have our weaknesses. Mine is just 17...and on tv, on American Idol no less...this blog just got sad and desperate.)

Who you calling a cootie queen, you Lent licker?

2008-02-18T17:37:00.000-08:00

Here's my little confession...I've never survived Lent. I know. I realized that I have no self control awhile back, so it's not like I'm surprised that I can't do it. I'm troubled that I literally have no restraint. I think it's become less of a spiritual thing and more of a game to see how much I can take. I've decided this year I would just take a different approach. I'm giving up lying and complaining. Obviously those are things I could live without; I don't enjoy them, but I am more dependent on these things than a person should be. This isn't necessarily a lent thing, but I figure a set time frame will give me a way to check myself.

If you really monitor what you say, I bet you complain a lot about basically everything. I complain a lot. My life is way to sweet for me to be whiny. And lying. I definitely wouldn't say that I am a liar, but not telling the truth is the same thing. So my new policy in life is to just say what I feel when I feel it regardless of the consequences. Reckless? Maybe sometimes, but it's more reckless to be dishonest. I've been living by this policy for a few months now, and being a truth seeker (omg i just had a flash back to the wizard book this cool kid had me read this summer...lol, oh fantasy novels. I'm a seeker of truth.) I lost my train of thought...oh, being a truth seeker is the way to go basically, yeah so, don't tell lies.

Was that preachy? I think yes.

Omg, are you ready for this?

2008-02-16T18:15:00.001-08:00

So, this is my first time doing the blog thing. Yay for Christie for being such a bad ass (is that one word or two?) blogger to inspire me to start my own. Get excited...i will add such joy to the lives of all who read...as soon as I have time to start posting. Tomorrow.