If I Ever Get Free Time Back:

I have a very extensive reading list I want to get through:

• Confessions Of A Jane Austen Addict- I need to finish it. It was good for the first half then the plot switched and left me going "what just happened?"
  
• Twilight- I need a new series and everyone has raved about this one. I have my name on the hold list at the library. I'm too broke to actually go buy the thing. Sad times, right?
  
• The Bell Jar- By Sylvia Plath. Show me a deranged writer and I will show you a fan.
  
• Running With Scissors- I also need to finish this. So far it is word for word like the movie. I haven't finished because I got bored with the predictability.
  
• Smoke and Shadows- Tanya Huff, first of the sequel series to her fabulous "Blood" series. She writes the best fantasy and I know I'm going to love it! It stars Henry Fitzroy the greatest vampire in all of literature, no joke. Give me a few hours and I'll plow through all 300+ pages of it.
  
• The Audacity of Hope- Another book I never finished. Steven and I got half way through on a road trip we took. We like books on tape. What I read of it made me cry repeatedly cause I loved it so much. No joke.
  

...let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.

How excited am I?

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

The Mafioso.

Oliver has never really paid much attention to the TV but today he sat right in front of the TV and watched the Godfather for a good 10 minutes. Apparently we both like Mob movies.

And tell me how I never made the connection that the studly Marlon Brando from Streetcar Named Desire is actually THE GODFATHER! How have I missed that? Gosh he was gorgeous, wasn't he?

SSB

Carrie Bradshaw once wrote that every woman has Secret Single Behavior. SSB is something that a person only does in private and never in front of a partner. With marriage, sometimes the SSB ends, other times, in the case of Charlotte it doesn't.

Tonight I was thinking about my previous SSB behavior and I realized that mine is dressing up as fancy as I can get, doing my make-up ridiculously and taking pictures of myself. I have never and will never do this in front of Steven (at least I don't think that I could, the thought of doing so makes me horribly embarrassed). Tonight I got bored and got all gussied up. It was incredibly relaxing and I had forgotten how much I used to do it when I lived in the dorms.

I was wondering, do we all have those little things we only do for and with ourselves? What are your Secret Single Behaviors? If you are married do you still do them, in front of your other half, or just wait until your spouse leaves the house?

Peak of Perfection

After James and Caitlin's Wedding (a post is coming about that soon: cross my heart) Steven and I went to go see Batman: The Dark Knight. The oh- so- beautiful Christian Bale was fabulous, but it was Heath Ledger that stole the show. He was AMAZING as the Joker! I honestly think it was his best role. Normally, Heath Ledger played the guy next door but in this movie he really pushed himself to a level of dark and twisted that was believable and frightening. It is a common idea that the artists who die in their prime are eternally brilliant because we never see them deteriorate, that is what Heath Ledger did with this role. If you haven't seen this, it is very worth it. I heard a few rumors that it was scary but this scaredy cat didn't think so. Great action, great costumes, great story line, great acting. A+

In The Name Of Research

So in order to get mail I signed up for several catalogs including:

Crate and Barrel
Pottery Barn
Tempur-pedic: information kit and free sample/DVD
Tiffany &Co.

It's research for my blog as well as an exercise in what I like to call: "things I want but can never afford."

When I Should Be Working:

I always find the coolest stuff online. I just made an "Amanda's Inspiration For The Next School Year/ Blogging Fairy" at Blessthischick.com. She has Polkadotted wings and everything!

Go check it out!

How Stoked Am I?

My first issue of Real Simple arrived in the mail!

(Organizing and cleaning gems to follow once I actually have time to read it! I have a lot of important things to blog about such as: my trip home, my summer reading list, my trip to the library today, passing the Obama office in Blacksburg, my old dress, my job opportunity, etc.)

Ink Itch

I've totally got the itch to get a new tattoo. I was thinking peace doves on my lower back. So maybe the next time I run into some extra cash I can get those.

I also really like the idea of matching tats for Steven and I. I'm trying to get him used to the idea. It might happen... who knows.

1984

I like 1984 the more I read it. When I first read it 3 years ago I liked it but I didn't really get the importance of it. Even though it was written in 1949 it is extremely relevant to the political atmosphere of the current age. While I normally don't like futuristic literature such as Vonnegut's Slaughterhous 5, Orwell's 1984 is more philosophic then hopeless. It is a book that gets you thinking about the state of the world, and I always recommend those.

Crazy Dream!

It has been a while since I have had a pregnancy dream, but I just had one last night. It was the first one where I wasn't freaking out and I was genuinely happy and content about being prego. And surprisingly enough it was the first pregnancy dream I've had that my parent's didn't try to kill me because of it. That could be because the last time I had a pregnancy dream I was under the age of 18. It was just a really nice dream, although I was freaking out about getting enough protein so I ate like 50 soy hot-dogs and I was concerned about folic acid too but you know, that's the kind of stuff that I really would be worrying about if I was pregnant in real life and not in a dream. It was also very realistic because I even had morning sickness. Normally when I have a pregnancy dream they're very fantastical. Once, I had one where I could see through my stomach when the sunlight hit it. This dream was just really peaceful and it was fabulous and very funny cause the whole time I was thinking: "this isn't possible, you have to have the bow- chica- bow- wow to make a baby."

So symbolically speaking, I must be expecting something to happen or something is very fruitful in my life right now and I'm cool with that.

Oliver really is my cat

He likes watermelon.

Last Two Weeks Of Summer School

I'm down to the wire for my summer school class and here is my To- Do List:

• Finish re-reading 1984 and then write a blog recommending it to all you fabulous people
• Do the worksheet on Architecture that is really 2 essays
• Do the worksheet for 1984 with loads of writing I'm certainly less than thrilled about
• Return Rocky
• Rent Brazil
• Do the worksheet on Brazil, again more writing
  
• Find an art performance to go to or a movie to watch
• Final 2 essays

Kill me now.

I'm trying to get the first 5 done by tomorrow night.

I better get crackin'!

Rather Pathetic

It is rather pathetic, but I simply love love love getting mail. I check my mailbox every day and when it is empty or just has spam in it that makes me a little sad. So please send me some mail! If you need my address just say so in a comment and I'll get back to you. You'd be doing me a solid, laughs.

I am more then willing to return the favor.

Wedding Anecdotes

Since Steven and I were in my hometown for a wedding, naturally the subject came up a lot and not even from me. I wanted to share a few of the more humorous stories.

#1: Steven and I went to Williamsburg on Sunday. Williamsburg is my favorite place! We found a great pancake place called the Gazebo. I highly recommend it! They even have a signed photo of Jon Stewart who went to William and Mary, so you know it's good if it's Jon Stewart approved. Well on the way there we passed a Christmas shop. I've been on the lookout for pickle ornaments in order to prove to Steven that the legend of the pickle ornament is actually pretty popular. He and his mother had never heard of it and that shocked me. Steven says we will go there after we eat and he bets me a kiss that they don't have them. Well, guess who was right? Me. They had them and they even had little note cards explaining the history. So I got one for myself and for Steven's family as a Christmas gift. As the lady at the register was ringing me up I was telling her that "His mother had never heard of them can you believe it?" and later she asked me: "which note do you want for the ornament for your mother in-law?" I didn't deny her... how awkward would that have been? Hehe.

Steven took it in stride and we had a giant pickle giggle the whole way home.

#2: As we were driving back or maybe as we were driving there, I can't remember, we got talking about rings. I was telling him about all the cool stuff you could do with stimulant diamonds including getting the diamond engraved. Then I started telling him about a ring on the Carat website that has a princess cut center and baguettes on the side. The poor boys says to me: "so you want me to get you a ring and some bread?" I had to explain that they're little bread shaped diamonds and not actual bread. Now I genuinely expect bread when he eventually proposes... it's the goofiness I love about us anyway.

Simple Pleasure:

Sleeping in clean sheets for the first time.

Clearly, I'm A Middle-Aged Man

I never use my e-mail account back home because I don't live there anymore. Whenever I'm in town, and feeling spunky, I like to check my inbox and gander at all the lovely spam. Besides the regular erectile aids I totally need, there was: "How to grow a Kangaroo in 2 days" (really not sure how or why that would ever need to be an e-mail) and "Angelina Jolie XXX video."

My first porn solicitation, how sweet.

I had a good laugh, as always. Now, if only I found her the slightest bit attractive or needed a kangaroo post- haste.

De New Neighbors Dey's Yankees

As chic as I try to be, deep down I'm just a farmer's daughter. I have moments when I feel just down- right country and I had one of those moments today.

My parent's closest neighbor of 10+ years recently moved out after a messy divorce. The new tenants are definitely not from "these parts." My evidence? They have a city trashcan out at the end of their driveway. This would be all well and good if we lived near Main St. where even the water is from the city and everyone gets their trash picked up, but we live on the outskirts of a tiny town. We live so far out of town that the water is from your well, corn lives next door, and high speed internet doesn't even run out this far. I don't think that anyone has informed the "new folk" that we are in an area that is about a 2-5 minute drive from the regions land-fill and that we get to use it: for free (well you're taxed for it), without paying refuse fees every month.

They might notice something is amiss when they realize that they are the only people on the road that have their trash collected. There is a first for everything, but it gave me a huge chuckle.

Road Trippy Experiance

On my way up 81 I saw something kind of strange that I wanted to write about. For most of the way I was either passing or being passed by 4 school buses. No one was in them and they weren't marked with a school system (they were the exact bus shown above). The lead bus was actually pulling a car behind it! I thought the whole thing was really odd. The only guess I could come up with was that they were delivering these new buses and they were going to ride in the car back to wherever they came from. I've never thought about how school buses get to their schools before. It was interesting to think about and kept me entertained for a good portion of my 4-5 hour drive.

Even more interesting was the fact that new buses come with tinted windows. I'm not sure if this is to protect the kids from spectators or to protect people on the roads from the kids. I remember some pretty horrible things fellow bus-mates used to yell or throw or flash in front of the windows. Kids.

Antiques Ahoy!

One thing I'm very excited to do while I'm back on my home turf is go to antique shops. Out here in the mountains they just haven't heard of antiques, at least to my knowledge. I love to scour shops for vintage fashions, mostly jewelry of the costume kind. I want to find a brooch for a specific purpose I have in mind. I'm not giving away that purpose just yet... but you might find out within the year. Hopefully there will be some good finds out there.

"Junior"

My nickname for my favorite cat of all time, Mr. Kitty, is Senor Senior Sr., after the Kim Possible villain. Well, Oliver is definitely turning into "Junior" with his very Mr. Kitty-like behavior. Sometimes, I swear if it was possible, Mr. Kitty sired this kitten. I know he didn't, but maybe a cousin did. The most recent behavior is playing with pens. I'm sure that lip gloss will be next. It is very refreshing to see traits in Oliver of my best feline friend. Hopefully I can find something that reminds me of him in every cat I share my life with. Mr. Kitty is starting to get older so I'm bracing myself for his eventual passing. Trying to find the Mr. Kitty in the general cat population will help because he really is that amazing. So amazing that he sums up the feline spirit to me.

I Think You Need This:

(Image Property Of Steven King)

So my gadget-pro of a boyfriend built this custom computer to set up to his projector so that he could wirelessly connect the information on his computer to the computer in his living room. This was mostly to watch movies on his huge screen projector. However, due to crappy roommates who just wanted to watch youtube videos and crappy anime, and just be horrible in general and keep the apartment so messy it wasn't livable (rant), Steven never got to use it. Now he has sold his projector to his little brother and is trying to sell this practically brand-spanking new computer. So if you need a computer or if you want to use something like this for your own TV viewing please check out his ebay auction for this item.

Thanks!

C to the H

I don't think that my nails are going to make it to the wedding. Today I had to do truck and I didn't have any nail polish on to make my nails a little stronger. Now they're chipping between the layers of my nails, you know, like flaking? This makes me sad because I've been putting a lot of time into them. See how long and well shaped I've been keeping them?

I've came to the realization that it's just not "me" to do my nails. I can paint them from time to time when I want to pamper myself, but I like things in my life simple and practical. Long nails are not practical. You can't close your hands into a fist, you can't type with your finger tips, you scratch yourself, your constantly filing them and re-shaping them, and re-painting them. Too much work.

However, I am so close to my goal so I don't want to cut just yet! I also think that I need to be myself, and that is something I haven't been staying true to lately. A lot of that has to do with my work situation so I'm looking into finding a new job. There is just a lot of pressure to conform and I've never been good at that. I'm a weird one who is very sensitive to prejudices around me. I just need to find some hippies to work with who don't care if I haven't shaved in a while or if I don't wear make-up or don't style my hair every day or don't do my nails or don't eat meat and who don't make me extremely self-conscious. Yeah, I like it.

Work Moment

A and L talking about going out after work

R: Why don't you just go to the liquor store, it's SO much cheaper.

A: There aren't any men at the liquor store

R: Sure there are! They're just homeless...

Horrible and completely politically incorrect, but it gave me a very large chuckle.

It's Working!

My face is clearing up!

I know it doesn't look that bad now (and that's a GREAT thing), but if you had seen my face only 2-3 days ago you would have been like....girl....wash yo' face!

September Is Going To Be A Good Month!

So! The day before my 1 year anniversary with Steven, ONE TREE HILL starts up again for it's 6th season. How excited am I? Oh man!

So should I start taking bets for who Lucas proposed to? I'm hoping against hope that it's Peyton. If it is Brooke that isn't going to end well for P. Sawyer and B. Davis. Unless Brooke actually honors their pact of hoes/clothes before bros. Hmm...

PS- Lucas Eugene Scott is the biggest idiot in the world if it isn't Peyton and 3/4 of the cast will tell him that. Even if it is P. Sawyer you know any wedding will get postponed by Dan's dumb heart condition. Ugh. The drama.

Imagine If You Will

Imagine this room, then imagine something like it with the messy fairy on steroids. That is what I went over to this morning when I went to put water in Steven's fish tank. This mess...in...Steven's room...? Something is amiss. The room that I so meticulously cleaned before I left, the room that I brag about constantly when talking about Steven and just how proud I am of him and how clean he is, was a complete ship wreck. Now... you may be asking yourself how a room that is always so clean got so messy. Well, I'll tell you! Apparently a friend of Steven's roommates needed a place to stay because his lease expired. So they put him in Steven's room! Without Steven's permission. And what does said person do? Makes it a complete mess! You cannot walk on carpet because there is no carpet it is all covered. The bathroom was covered in his hair from a recent haircut, all over the floor! The bathroom that I also cleaned!

So this morning I go to take care of some things, and all the fish but one had died without me getting a phonecall. To my knowledge they were fine with the feeders I had given them. If I had known they were dying I would have done water changes or something. But I go over there to dead fish and a naked hairy boy asleep on the crap on the floor.

I had to get out of there before I either snapped or started cleaning.

Steal Of The Century!

I have been eying this little party purse at Target for quite a while. Well, today it was on clearance for $3! I decided I definitely needed it for Caitlin and James' wedding. Most definitely.

(And those are totally my favorite sheets in the whole wide world.)

Who knew being so low maintenence could make you high maintenence

So my face regimen has gotten a makeover.

1. Neutrogena exfoliating cleanser in the shower
2. Alba Hibiscus skin toner
3. Warming blackhead eliminating cleanser by Biore at night
   
4. Mud Masque at night, or just on fancy nights when I draw a bath and watch romance movies. Everyone should totally come over to my apartment for facials!
   
5. Biore deep cleaning pore strips for my chin to touch up. My chin is the area that is always hit hardest.
6. Olay Nightly Renewal Anti-aging cream
   

My skin gets so ridiculous in the summer. It is almost frightening. Since I don't wear make-up I really have to take a lot of precautions with my skin. Only because I want to look fabulous when I'm 80.

Never Rent From TNT. Ever.

They are the worst management company in Blacksburg. I had nothing but issues with them when I lived in my old apartment. Everyone I have ever met who has ever rented from them swears up and down how horrible they are.

I personally did everything on the move-out checklist. It took me weeks to do all the ridiculous cleaning they wanted. When I got my security deposit back I was charged $125 for a professional cleaning company to clean it. Nowhere in the lease does it state that we have to use a professional cleaning company except for carpets and we had no carpets. Only one light bulb was listed as blown out on my move-out inspection and the bulb actually blew during inspection. I got charged for 4 light bulbs. I also got charged for 2 stricker plates. Those are the little plates that go on your doors between the door and the frame. Yeah, I'm sure we stole those just for kicks. In actuality the lazy workmen probably just forgot to put them on when they re-did our locks. Among other things. So the security deposit was a little over half of what it should have been.

I'm super excited to get contact from psycho- ex roomie (P.E.R.) blaming me for all the things we were charged for. I'm SO excited for that. I mean, it's not like I still have nightmares about her or anything. It's not like I live with daily reminders about how horrible she was to me. Just when I thought things were over: nope. This is going to open up another can of worms. I can block her from everything but my phone. Verizon is dumb and doesn't let you block numbers on a cell phone. It will be tempting to change my number.

However, little does TNT know that my mother works for a lawyer and gets free legal council.

One Reason I HATE The Summer:

My face starts breaking out like it's a volcano ring in the Pacific Ocean.

When you are as pale as I am you just CANNOT have breakouts. Good skin is better then tan skin. At least a tan will cover all the blemishing instead of the white canvas for red I have.

I need to go overhaul the face section at Target.

The minute I start worrying about anything my body takes it out on my sleep and my face.

And right now I have tons of stuff that I'm extremely insecure about:

1. Going Home. I hate home and traveling by car stresses me.
   
2. Going home with Steven. Awkward. I like to keep my family separated from things I care about.
   
3. For some reason, the future of my relationship in general. I'm downright terrified about that lately. I'm trying to figure out why exactly I am; I just am.
   
4. Financial shit, lots of stress about that.
   
5. Getting my schoolwork done.
6. This next semester.
7. My goal to make new friends, cause psycho bitch ex-roommate got most of those in the divorce.
8. Leaving Oliver for the weekend
9. The wedding I'm going to with a broken out face and how fat my arms are going to look in my dress and how I really should have gotten flat shoes.
   

A Downer.

This morning I let myself have a sleep-in day. I needed it. I did not have a good night last night. I spent the whole night thinking and journaling and when I finally went to sleep I had a horrible dream about Steven.

In the dream Steven was giving some public speech and was talking about his first love in front of a HUGE audience. Then there was one of those moments of "honey come up here, you're my inspiration" and it wasn't me. Kind of like in movies when someone thinks they're getting an award and they start walking up to the stage and then they realize that their name wasn't called... just like that. Then I ran away crying.

Not a good dream or really a good think before I went to bed. I also can't find my flesh tone camisole and I really need that for work. Boo.

Anywho, isn't that bed fabulous? I love tans and blues together.

Green Thumb

The beauty of my new apartment is that it is 0.7 miles from downtown Blacksburg. I can actually walk into town so I don't have to deal with the horrible parking and I can save gas! Tonight I walked to a fabulous restaurant called More Than Coffee to meet an English colleague. It was great to talk about books and rant about horrible teachers and brag about Steven and eat amazing food and just finally realize that we are seniors! It was a good time!

Then...on my walk back home... I made a new friend... a feline friend... Don't worry, I didn't take him home, but I wanted to. He didn't have a collar and looked pretty thin. If I see him again I might have to leave some food out. How horrible is it that I already want another cat? Hopefully Penelope will come stay with us and keep Oliver company during the school year. Cause me adopting another cat would really be pushing the 3 pet quota Steven has. I would take in any pet that needed a home if I could, at least until I found them a new home. I'm a big softy like that. I'm just one of those people that loves to nurture... I can't help it.

I've Gotten Good At Moving

(Sonja Novak Original)

In my spare time I've been trying to figure out how to pack if I do end up moving cross country. The things that I've been most worried about moving are my books and my pictures. My books still need a moving epiphany to happen since mailing all of my books would cost an obscene amount of money considering the weight of them all. However, they are far too important to me to just leave here. Some of those books have been my best friends over the years. I will be condensing them dramatically though.

The picture dilemma has been solved! I have two big pictures one is my favorite black and white of a British telephonebooth lit up at night, the second is a hand-painted one of a kind, inspired by me, oil painting by Sonja Novak( featured above). I've got to keep all my originals because one day she will be HUGE on the art scene! And I happen to have drawings she did of us as a kid and everything including sketches, pottery, and paintings. I mean I'm her number one collector. Plus, this painting would be pretty boss in a nursery. This painting does happen to be 3X4 ft. How does one mail these huge pictures? Easy. Take them off of their canvases/frames and roll them. Genius. I can totally buy new frames or re-stretch the canvas.

Now, books? How do I move those suckers?

My Simple Pleasure:

Getting Mail.

I love it.

New Looks Screaming Down The Street For Your Attention

I think that I want to make a banner for my blog. Any idea how to find the html to post it once I make a picture?

Any ideas of what my banner should look like? I need to have a good think about it. I think it needs to be polkadotted, of course, and black and white. I'll have to play around with my camera too. If I could get some boss pictures of me in an apron and then contrast the heck out of them... I think that could work really well... hum... I also need to get a photoshop for dummies book. I am so bad with photoshop! Really, the videos You Suck At Photoshop are about me.

Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to make that French maid costume I've always wanted. Laughs. Perhaps.

I Love My Honey Bunches

A few months ago Steven realized that I was lactose intolerant. I was just so used to having an upset stomach every time I ate that I never made the connection. It took him to say "do you realize you get sick every time you have milk" for me to go...huh... yeah I do. After giving up milk I've felt better then I ever have digestively speaking. I've been trying to make the transition to soymilk for a while. It has been a long road paved with iced soy caramel macchiatos with sugar-free vanilla, but I finally can't taste much of a difference. I also don't like lactaid. Going without milk has made me just not like the taste. Tonight I finally ate cereal with soymilk and enjoyed it. It was the first time I've had cereal since April.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

I am really getting in the mood for the Holidays! I want to get in ornaments at work. I want to buy people gifts! I want to wrap those gifts! I want to put up my tree in the worst way! I want to put up my wreath! I kind of DO want some snow...just for a day, not really Blacksburg winter yet. Blacksburg winters are rough, but this one is my official last one! Depending on where we move it might actually be the last time I wear my peacoat. That makes me a little sad cause I do love my peacoats. Laughs. It might also be the last time I can logically wish for a white winter wonderland... I'll cope.

I'm already scoping out gifts. I've also decided that all my gifts are going to be put in a re-usable shopping bag. Hopefully I can have a fairly green Christmas this year.

I "can hardly stand the wait. Please Christmas don't be late!"- to quote the Chipmunks.

Oh Heck.

Now I'm on a Lennon Kick. It happens about every other week so don't worry about me. :p

If I could pick a first dance song... or really an "our song" type of song, I would probably go with Real Love by John Lennon and more specifically with the cover done by Regina Spektor. So beautiful!



Seriously, can this be our song?

All We Are Saying Is Give Peace A Chance.

A little birdie passed this youtube clip of Charlie Chaplin in a movie called "The Great Dictator" to me. I thought it was magnificent. It's what I've always thought and what I've always tried to live.



I thought that John Lennon also seemed appropriate. Here is one of my favorite songs, that I also used as the title to this post. This particular video was recorded during a war protest where he and Yoko did a "sleep in" for their honeymoon. There is some other footage of different protests where his song was sung. I ::heart:: him.

Home Girl Went Fartlekking. That's What She Said.

So this morning I went fartlekking. Fartlekking, weird word, I know, is when a runner switches off and on between either sprinting or taking it slow. This article says that doesn't include walking, but my cross-country friends tell me differently. This morning I broke out my 3K training schedule and walked 2 minutes then ran 1 minute and repeated that 3 minute set 10 times. Now, I'm exhausted. Like a dumb- dumb I saved all the hills for my way back... However, it is good to run again. I do enjoy running once I warm up. Getting to the warmed up part is often the hardest for me. Everything seizes up right before it gets loose and that's often the tricky part to get over.

I must also say that I was looking fierce this morning for my run. I put on my black yoga pants, and my black sports bra and over that I put a strappy shamrock green camisole. I was looking very athletic and feeling lovely. Normally I just put on a crappy old shirt and workout pants that don't fit anymore. All my workout clothes are from 30-50 pounds ago. Not even the pants with drawstrings stay up when I run. It is time to invest in some new clothes to sweat in.

I saw an article recently about running skirts. The concept appeals to me. They have shorts in them but the skirt covers your bum from spectators and it also covers your thighs from the dreaded ride up. They are also credited with reducing chaffage. I can dig that.

Has anyone ever noticed that work-out wear does not come with pockets? That's great for people who go to the gym all the time. I mean, pockets would make your hips look less then flattering on an elliptical machine, but what about those of us that run outside? Where are we supposed to put our keys? I wear mine on a ribbon around my neck, but I would like just one pocket that would hold my key and keep it in the pocket when I bounce around. Please? Thanks.

I also had the realization this morning that it is time for some new running shoes. I got my current ones the summer before college, so it has been 4 years since I have gotten new shoes. Very bad runner, no cookie. Not that I have run everyday of those 4 years, but I have done some time in the gym and recently on the pavement. 50 pounds worth of time, actually. I'm pretty darn proud of that, but it has taken me 3 years and 20 more pounds to go. I'll get there.

This Amused Me And Other Shocking News

So first... this was the quote on my Sex and the City quote application:

[Samantha is posting signs about Richard on a street pole] Female police officer: Ma'am, it's against city law to deface public property. Samantha: This man said he loved me and I caught him eating another woman's pussy. Female police officer: Carry on, ma'am.

Great episode. I love that show.

In a shocking twist of events one of Steven's friends from back home is expecting a child with his girlfriend of like 6 months or less. And it was semi-planned. I dunno how I feel about it just yet, but I want to baby sit! I don't think that they're quite prepared because they aren't the most responsible people that I know, but I'm excited for some baby time in 7-8 months! And buying baby shower gifts, and little cute toys, and knitting baby booties, and baby time goodness when I get to hang out with Steven's friends. Diapers and spit up and bottles, and crying, and naps, and fighting, and falling down, and being gassy, oh how I miss it from my daycare days! Even though I'm not sure how they're going to handle it all, that kid's going to have a lot of support cause Steven's friends are a tight group of boys. As crazy as they are they'll make great role models and will be great with a kid in the group. They are the type of friends who would go to all the school pageants and little league games. You know the maternal side of me is very interested to see how Steven interacts with a baby... I can't help but wonder. It's exciting stuff, first person in the friend group to have a kid! They're trying to make the best of it and they're really excited, so I've got to give them props for that.

I just have to perfect my "I really don't want a baby, honey" face... that's a hard one...

Trip To The Big City!

(Without Flash so you can kind of see that they are a little different)

(With Flash and lookin' pretty nice together)

I went to Roanoke tonight to try and find Steven a tie for Caitlin and James' wedding. Let me tell you, my boyfriend is so hard to shop for! He needs extra long everything because he is so tall. The only place that sells extra long ties is Casualmale XL. They're pretty fabulous but I had to drive 45 minutes to get to one. While I was there I signed up for the catalog and for a keyring points thing. I should get a coupon for Steven's birthday. How cute is that?

Not only is Steven hard to shop for but I picked the hardest dress in the world to try to match anything with. I ended up going more with texture and pattern then color. It goes pretty nicely and it was definitely a good challenge for my eye with patterns. I'm always scared to mix patterns. I'm more along the lines of "pattern? Mix it with a solid." Pattern mixing can be done, and done well, but it's something I'm always working on. Thoughts?

I found a way to Roanoke that uses back roads. You can actually get to 81 from Main St. in Blacksburg. However, mountain roads are not for the faint of stomach. I cannot sit in the passenger seat on a mountain drive. However, I'm perfectly alright driving them. I went out into the farm country you hear about near Tech. You think it's an Urban Legend until you really hit a back road. They're just so ding dang fun to drive! They always make me feel like I'm at the arcade doing a driving game. I loved those as a kid. I like to learn the country way around. It makes me feel like I really know my way around somewhere, like I really live there. I also seem to have inherited my father and grandfather's love of curvy roads and driving them just for the heck of it. Dad used to just put us in the car on a weekend and just drive and drive. You can see some cool stuff. Lots of cows, but eventually you find some neat stuff. Tonight I found a cool little creek that you can pull over on the side of the road to check out. A lot of locals were doing that as I was driving by. I'm game to go check it out next time I've got a friend in town.

We're After The Same Rainbow's End.

So I suddenly had the realization that my life seems to be gradually turning into Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany's. Not that I mind because Audrey is my home-girl and I adore her. I'm slowly accumulating all her movies, and I dig um. I also love the song she sings in Tiffany's called Moon River.

It is short, but sweet. If you notice, the gentleman at the beginning writes: "My Friend. There was once a very lovely, very frightening girl. She lived alone except for a nameless cat." I'm also inclined to believe that Audrey Hepburn is the only woman who looks extremely fabulous with a towel wrapped around her head while wearing a baggy gray sweat shirt, skinny jeans, and black ballet flats. This is going to be my outfit of choice, minus the towel, for the fall. I can feel it. Hey, if Audrey can do it and get away with it, I can to. If everything goes well I'll get a little ring from a crackerjack box, get it engraved at Tiffany's, dance with Fred Astaire, sing in My Fair Lady, fall for the older brother played by Humphrey Bogart (and we all know the older brother is Steve, and I think Bogie would do him justice in a movie. They're both mysterious) and eventually work for UNICEF helping all the starving children. Works for me. Where do I sign up for the Audrey Hepburn fast track?

Sad News, again.

My mother decided to put Little Kitty down sometime today for very stupid reasons, in my opinion. Of course, I don't believe in killing, period, so I'm having a rough day. She wouldn't listen to me and I'm pretty sure that she decided to go through with it. I mean it has only been 4 days, the vet sees nothing wrong with her, and the only thing mom is going on is that the cat is "evil" now. And that makes perfect sense and you can totally prove that! Of course she's mad at me now for telling her not to do it. Believe me, I said it very, very nicely without calling her psychotic. To quote myself word for word I said:

"Not having been there and seen her, it is hard for me to know how bad she is. However, I think that putting her down without her being in definite pain is a mistake. She has had a rough 4 days and she might just need time to readjust. No one knows what happened to her, and what did could have been, and surely was, very traumatic. It seems rushed to put her down after 4 days. I wouldn't want a hasty decision to dictate her life, or death, only to find out that she would have actually recovered given time. "

Her response to my e-mail is going to go up on the charts with "you're going to hell" (yup, my own mother has told me this and meant it) and "I didn't raise you to be like that [to be a harlot]" (yeah, that one was a real hum dinger. That's what she said when I told her that one day I was going to live with Steven and that I love him very much) and all the other wonderful verbal abuse I've gotten from her over the years.

Calvin and Hobbes said it perfectly: "I'm related to people I don't relate to."

Can I be emancipated yet? 10 more months... Just 10 more months...

Moment In The Sun

Well my loveseat was tolerable for a day. I returned the cover. I'm only living here for 10 more months and there are a lot of other things I would rather spend $130 on. So I'll live with my hideous loveseat until the amazing day that I can give it away. That will be in 300 some days, but still. I'll deal. Maybe I'll find one that doesn't fit it so well but is cheaper. I seriously cannot wait until I can buy furniture. Real furniture, not crappy college stuff.

I'm so sick of my life being in stasis.

A. Quest.

I have been on the hunt for a new ring. I can't really wear large rings to work since I will bang the crap out of them, so I've been looking for something really simple to wear. Because my left ring finger is so lonely, I decided it needed something to keep it company for a little while. So when I was looking on gearthatgives.com and came across this little gem I couldn't resist! It was on sale so I didn't feel that bad. And because it was from gearthatgives.com I really didn't feel bad at all.

I love gearthatgives.com because it is a great website that uses your purchases to donate to the cause of your choice, such as: animal rights, world hunger, children's health, breast cancer research, rainforest preservation, etc. You can even buy goats for villages in third world countries! They have a wide assortment of fair trade and organic goods and it is really a great little company. Last Christmas most of the gifts I gave everyone were from gearthatgives.com. The way I figure it, Christmas presents should do some good instead of just fueling more greed and unethical practices. You dig? I think I'm going to do the same thing this year. I've already found some stuff that I want to get for my mother and for my best friend.

World's Ugliest Loveseat

Anyone who has seen the first pictures of Oliver has seen the hideous pattern on my loveseat. It used to belong to my grandmother and believe me, it looked fabulous in her living room. I'm just not really sure how the fabulousity didn't translate when it came under my possession. C'est la vie. It is a special shape so I had to order a special slipcover and it cost a pretty penny. I'm trying it out and I wanted to know your opinions. Thoughts?

I would have much rather bought a new couch, but since I don't know where I will be in the next 10 months I decided an expensive slipcover was a better solution then an expensive couch that I'll have to move later. The question is can I live without the slipcover and with the embarrassing print that shames me in front of company? Or stick with the slipcover that will dock my paychecks... cause I can think of a lot of things I would rather buy to be honest, but I'll have to move those too...

It's more important to me to support Steven's dreams and move wherever he can find a job he loves then to have all the pretty things I want right now and can finally afford if I budget. Far more important. However, my high maintenance self is having trouble with it. I'll admit it, I can be very high maintenance about some things. I'm trying my hardest to downsize and cut back and be frugal and not accumulate more things. I'm trying to embody Mrs. Norris in Mansfield Park for all you fellow Janeites out there. Only without the attitude. And yes, Mrs. Norris the cat in Harry Potter is in fact based on a Jane Austen character! Purging is very good for me, really. I'm slowly embracing it and really learning to love it and realizing all the stuff I really just don't need. And I'm giving tons to charity, for people that really do need it.

I'm doing it all for us though. Cause to me we are an us already.

Dream A Little Dream

So, we love our pets. I just got Oliver, Steven has Penelope, and I'm already thinking about our next pet. Steven wants a dog because he's always had one. I've never really been keen on dogs except for his Golden Retriever Orion, who really is the best dog that has ever lived. I mean really... I wub him! I've liked most Golden Retrievers and they are known to be well mannered, smart, and good with kids. A great family dog. I found the most beautiful type of Golden: the English Cream Golden Retriever! Aren't they gorgeous? A boy named Humphrey Monroe... I think that's the cutest thing ever. And if Steven would ever break his rule about only 3 pets I'd get another dog and name it Hepburn.

Can you tell I love old movie stars?

Gray Tint My World

The one thing I wish I could do in this apartment is paint. Painting really brings some pop to a room and gives it character. White walls just don't do it for me that much. In 10 months I will be moving again. This is the big move and hopefully it will take Steven and I to a place that actually allows painting. Our own home would be fabulous, but I'm pretty sure it isn't going to be a realistic goal for us just starting out. Either way, I want to paint something, and I want to paint it gray.

I first noticed gray walls in the movie 27 Dresses, very cute movie, I recommend it for the romance value. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will want to punch the little sister. I love her little apartment with the gray walls and the white trim. I began noticing that gray walls are a lot of places I love, including Carrie Bradshaw's apartment!

How could I have been so blind? The inspiration has been there for years! The gray will go perfectly with all of our black and white things. Just don't judge us as a boring couple because we love black and white, laughs.

Cat. Update.

So Little Kitty is still alive and she is gradually getting better. She can walk now, and lick, but she still isn't eating or drinking. She is at her regular vet who has ruled out poisoning since her kidneys are fine and show no sign of any toxins. So the good news is that I don't have to go on a witch hunt and possibly attack our new neighbors...how awkward... the bad news is that our cat is just not the same. Yesterday she was really aggressive and tried to bite Mom a few times and she hisses a lot at Mom now. Today, she isn't aggressive anymore...it's very strange. All of it. So still no idea what's wrong with her.

In my home, my cat is still a crazy mess. Oliver is doing well and getting so big! I need to trim his claws again because he loves to attack me in the early morning hours and it is pretty painful when his claws are sharp. He does NOT like the window sill. I put him up there today so that he at least knew it was there. Not a fan at all. He still has not used the bed I got him so that is going to be returned. The little stinker. He has used his scratching post and he loves that. His collar fits him now, yay! So with my next paycheck I will be ordering his ID tag! He's just a crazy kitten and he's so fun! He is still really tiny. I accidentally sat on him this morning... the poor dear. Steven got to meet Oliver over Skype last night, and that was super exciting 1) because Steven got to see Oliver in action, 2) Oliver got to ignore him because he was oblivious to the fact that there as a person seeing him and he did some cute stuff, 3) Skype is the most amazing thing ever because I can talk to Steven in real time and actually get to see him while I'm talking to him. It is way way way way better then the phone.

Gosh, I miss Steven so much! I'm gonna be stuck to him like glue next semester because it is his last, and then we'll be doing the long distance thing, again! So- Not- A- Fan of the long distance.

The. Tim. Gunn. Face.

I've really got my Tim Gunn face on about this upcoming school year.

I guess I'm just going to have to "Make It Work."

The Food Itch

While I was grocery shopping yesterday I had the realization that if anyone looked in my cart they would think I ate like a pregnant woman, only minus the whole pregnancy thing. In the same aisle I picked up pudding and pickles. For a split second I may have actually thought...oh yum! My theory was proven today when for a snack I thought....oh spinach dip....and vanilla pudding. Maybe I just like sugar-free pudding with everything?

What's next? Pickled eggs and chocolate ice cream?

Want to know something really sad?

So Tech finally gave me a class rank after 2 years of waiting. They only give them in the fall and it turns out last fall I was ranked number 4 in my major. That's 4 out of 115 students that are English majors. That's in the top 3%. My rank in the college of Liberal Arts was in the 70's out of a few thousand. Can you believe that? I've dropped a lot after last semester, to be specific my GPA dropped 0.3. In the GPA world that's quite a lot.

It really pains me to finally know that I really, really, really, was as great as I thought I was. And I really could have gotten into any graduate level program that I wanted to anywhere in the country, most likely with a full ride. And I let one dumb semester ruin it for me. One bitter teacher who told me I shouldn't even be in my major, who made me never want to write again. In an instant I flushed all my academic dreams down the toilet.

I just don't know what happened to me. I used to care so much. I'm trying to remember how to get myself back to myself. I'm really trying to work on that. And I'm not doing so well. When I calculated my grade for my first summer class I thought my grade was a 92, but when I checked my grade it was a B. I'm really trying and I'm still failing. I just want to be good at something again. I just can't put my finger on how I derailed. Maybe it's better not to fixate and just try my hardest next semester. I'm trying to get in the mindset to do well then.

I also applied for a part-time Editorial- Assistant position with the Roanoke Times. Hopefully they get back to me, and if not, well, I tried something.

Sad News On The Home Front

I got an e-mail from my mom today about our cat Little Kitty. They found her at 9 am this morning under my dad's boat and she wasn't moving. This is extremely odd since this cat runs from everything. They took her to her normal vet but it was closed. So my parents brought her to the vet in Gloucester. They ran some blood work and did some x-rays and couldn't find anything. All they said was it looked like she got into some poison. So as of right now my cat back home is paralyzed and can't move her legs and is pretty unresponsive. Mom is giving her fluids with a syringe every hour. She is only a few years old so hopefully she can pull herself through this.

Hopefully.

In my opinion the most likely culprits for poisoners of my cat are the people who just moved in the house beside my driveway this week. Cause some bastards would see a cat and think "Well, I don't want a cat hanging around my house. Honey where is the poison, we'll show it where it can and cannot roam."

And if I find out that someone did intentionally poison my cat... oh... Heads. Will. Roll. I'm not one for violence, but I have no tolerance for animal cruelty especially any violence towards my pets. I mean seriously... I'll make a special "welcome" visit the next time that I'm in town. And we will have a nice little chat.

Apartment To-Do List

Everyone who lives in an apartment or a house knows that there is always something that needs to be done. I have been in my new apartment for almost a month and I am still not completely settled in. There is so much to do and only me to do it... Maybe I need a tall, dark, and handsome roomie, anyone come to mind? ::wink:: ::wink::

The first weapon in my artillery is organization. Thus, a to-do list:

• Hang things up! This may sound like a walk in the park, but I need to hang up: a huge picture that I need to get special hardware for, three wall cubes (huge ordeal with a lot of drilling, but I think I'm going to rig something), a full length mirror, and 2 pictures of my grandmother that have to match up in height and be centered on two different walls.
• Marilyn Monroe art: cut it, frame it, and hang it up in my office space.
• Go through my posters, condense to one poster holder.
  
• Call management about why no one has been out to re-caulk my tub.
• Organize entry-way closet and move anything I can out of it and into my bedroom closet. Right now my recycling bin is on top of: my sewing trunk, my sewing machine, an empty box that my dishes came in (I'm saving it for my next move), a cooler, and my wrapping paper organizer. I can't hang any coats in my coat closet and my Holiday stuff is everywhere.
• Go through my sewing trunk. It is full of great stuff but it needs a good clean out and organize.
• Try to see if Oliver can use the adult litterbox I originally got him. It has a hood so it will keep litter off my bathroom floor and it is currently taking up half of my linen closet... So as soon as he is big enough to use it, he will. I love him and all, but my toothbrush fell in his litterbox this morning which would not have happened if his box had a cover. Thankfully I had a back up. Thank you M.J. for all your care packages complete with toothbrushes!
• Go through my fish tank stuff and decide if I want to keep it, and if I don't keep it, decide what things I want to hold on to in order to supplement Steven's fish tank. I mean how many 10 gallon tanks does one couple need? Next time I get fish I will want to upgrade the size of my tank anyway.
  
• Go through my office supplies. I have a lot of binders that I feel can go to good will. I need to go through my office space shelf as well. There are a lot of knick knacks that I know I'll be getting rid of come May when I move. Better to purge now. Anybody want my Pink (Victoria's Secret) Dogs?
• Find someone to buy my white cabinet or just give it to goodwill.
• Go through my bathroom stuff and purge products. Find what I can use up, get rid of what I never use.
• Organize under the kitchen sink.
• Decide if I want to sell my stereo. Sell it if I want to.
  
• Decide what to do with the desk hutch that is holding the stereo
• Go through my Vinyl collection and keep the tuneage I want and frame it.
• Actually go to the goodwill instead of driving around with all the stuff I'm giving away in the back of my car. This may sound silly but it is what I've been doing since I moved. I never seem to stop, so I'm going to have to make one dramatic and painful trip.
• Give my clothes another once over and give stuff to goodwill.
• Mail Caitlin and James' wedding gift after I get the last finishing touch, and a box to put it in. ;)
• Decide if I need any of my 2 dry-erase boards. Hang what I decide to keep.
• Finally hook up my printer and set up my desk.
• Organize my room closet a second time.
• Fix the rug under my bed. This will involve another person. Without another person I have to take my mattress and the plywood on the frame off, and then lift my bed, with the headboard still attached, just to straighten my rug...
• Go through my jewelry box.
• Find a reed diffuser for my room. My apartment has generic hotel smell.
  
• And last, bring peace to the world.

Carrie. Would. Be. Proud.

I'm busting out heels for Caitlin and James' wedding. I never wear heels. However, I found some super cute, brown, NINE WEST shoes at Ross yesterday for $14.99. They were too good to pass up. Nine West is about as close to Manolo Blahnik's as I will be for a while. I know you can't really see them but I've got to leave something up to the imagination! That, and I wanted to get a really artsy shot with my new lamp from Ikea and my first real flower arrangement.

Now I just need to find a way to break them in. I could always do housework in the heels...but is that too...Stepfordish?