Fill-in-the-blanks FRIDAY

I'm not feeling too wordy today, as I'm busy coming down off my Benadryl high from last night and trying to understand why I had to have such scary, weird dreams. I may be in shock. You don't want to know. Onto the goods!

1. I am looking forward to  going up to GMU with my mom today to browse the bookstore. Since I work at UNC and am bombarded with baby blue, it's time to get reacquainted with my roots. Green and gold!
   
2. Something kind of embarassing that I still love anyway is  wedding stuff. I don't know why. I'm not getting married anytime soon, and I don't necessarily love watching weddings, but all the little details are fun.
   
3. My favorite car is  Jeep Wranglers. It's totally my brother's fault.
   
4. If I could pick one type of weather to live with for the rest of my life it would be  Sunny, 70's, no humidity, and a light breeze. And I don't want to have to move to the west coast to get it.
   
5. My favorite thing to do after a bad/stressful day is  go to the gym, unless it's my day off and then it's to go home, be welcomed by the dog, and lay in bed for a while. Bed is my happy place.
   
6. This weekend  I have to go back home to NC. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed, but not to the drive and not to having to drive into work. Working from home is awesome!
   
7. If I were a color, I'd be  purple  because,  it's the best color ever. DUH!!

 (courtesy of thelittlethingswedo)

The strangest Amazon search ever

Did you know that there are about a bazillion different types of spoons?

At home, we have this one spoon that I always use, so it's in the dishwasher about 90% of the time. The days when it's clean and in the silverware drawer, it's literally like finding gold. I know it'll be a good day. Yes, I do realize this is weird.

I got home to VA for Easter and realized my mom has, like, four of them! I told her in my best trying-to-contain-my-excitement voice, "I love these spoons!" She then told me that she always uses them and they're her favorite ones also. (Further proof that I'm not adopted).

The spoons in question are these

and from my extensive internet research, I've decided that they are bouillon spoons. I also found out that there are about a bazillion more different brands and types of bouillon spoons. Who knew?!

And so, our search continues to find some to add to our collection.

The funnies part of all this, in my opinion, are the descriptions of the spoons and the reviews people left.

Descriptions:

Oneida Satinique Bouillon Spoon 18/10

"Subtle. Satiny. Sophisticated. This stainless flatware design inspires timeless beauty with its bright, delicately, sculpted border."


...I do love when my spoons are subtle, yet sophisticated.

Needlepoint S/S Bouillon Spoon, 5-3/4"

"Like a strand of fine pearls, this classic 18/8 stainless pattern is always in style, always appropriate. A delicate beaded border defines its graceful shape, ... this spoon is splendid for soup entrees or is equally useful for sugar."

...always appropriate? What if what I actually need is a fork? Or a sword?



Reviews:

"Great Quality item for a great price. Looks more expensive than they are. With a great place setting, helps to make overall presentation of the product an easy breeze."

..."easy breeze". I wonder if Cover Girl considered their theme ever being used to describe a spoon.

"Used as everyday flatware for my grandsons who thrive on soups and cereals! You can't go wrong with these. They are as heavy and stiff as the more expensive ones."

...That's what she said!

"They did not rust after being lying around in the sink before being washed."

...my inner grammar nazi is screaming.

Just live through it

Allergies. Flippin allergies. When I left North Carolina last Friday, they hadn't bothered me at all. Normally seasons in NC are ahead of Virginia, so I was hoping I was out of the woods for this year. And then I got to VA and holy crap. It's like my face blew up. Well not blew up as in, you know, BLEW UP. I've had an overload of snot and itchiness. How's that for a mental image?


 And, just in case he really is the cure for allergies...

Despite the trouble breathing and having to blow my nose every five seconds, I've been determined to keep up my workout schedule this week. I admit I wasn't able to keep it up to my normal 5 days a week (planning gym trips around traffic totally blows), but I made it there this morning. I got my butt out of bed at 4am and was there by 4:20. I was feeling awesome until ten minutes in, I sneezed and the inside of my head filled up with junk. Do you know how difficult it is to keep up your pace and heart rate when you can't breath? I was getting light-headed and was thinking it was probably not the best time to be a member of a gym that's not staffed at all hours, and to be the only person there. But I persevered and survived, having remained conscious the whole time.

I think I can I think I can!

We'll see what tomorrow morning brings. What would be totally awesome is if I really do pass out at the gym and get to take my first ever ambulance ride! (No, not really. My copay for emergency room visits is like $200 and, let's face it, I wouldn't even remember the ambulance ride if I was unconscious).

Allergies kicking butt

I googled the above, and got this:

I think it's supposed to be some kind of mind trick.

I like it.

Kudos, Google. Kudos.

I haven't fallen off the face of the planet

Hello strangers! I hope you all are well, and enjoying the Spring weather and colors. I know I am, although my head is not. Everything in there is itchy. The best part of my morning? Cleaning my ears with a Q-tip. It's like scratching my brain. The inventor of the Q-tip is pretty much the most awesome person ever.

The reason for my MIA status is that I'm still in Virginia. Yesterday and today, I'm taking an Adobe Creative Suite 5 bootcamp class. I'm learning all sorts of cool new things in the newest versions of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Bridge, Acrobat, etc. It's pretty awesome.

The class is in Alexandria, which means I get to commute to Alexandria, VA via interstate 95. If you've been in rush hour in Northern VA or DC, you know that 95 during rush hour is the equivalent of being in Hell. Thankfully, they switched the days from Thursday and Friday to Monday and Tuesday. I can't even begin to imagine Friday rush hour.



I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter and ate your share of whichever brand of Jelly beans you prefer. I know I did :)

Fill-in-the-blanks FRIDAY

Happy Friday once again. My favorite thing about today? No work!

One little story before we get to the nitty gritty blank filling-in activities. So, yesterday morning on my way to work, I was craving jelly beans (the REAL kind. Sorry, Harry Potter) and a bagel. Real healthy, I know. Well, I stopped at Harris Teeter for jelly beans and Tums (long story about how I was up all night with heartburn). I wanted the regular ol' nothin special Brach's jelly beans (what they call "Premium Jelly Bird Eggs". Yeah, I know. Strange. Yet delicious).

Why I keep craving these things, I'll never know. But they are so cheap I'm not going to question it. So anyhow, back to the story at hand. Harris Teeter let me down and only had the Starburst jelly beans. I was so disappointed. When I got to work I was able to find a bagel, thank goodness, but whenever I thought about the jelly beans, the craving returned.

So, after my workout I stopped to pick up my prescriptions at the pharmacy since I'll be out of town for a week and, guess what!

*Ta da!*

Well, let's just say there was a 15-minute jelly bird egg massacre on my way home. To say I was ecstatic is a gross understatement. And, that price sticker of $2.39? They were actually on sale for 99 cents! (Woop woop!)



And now, because it's Friday...

Yay!

 

1. Fridays are  the days I don't mind waking up to go to work, knowing the next morning I can sleep in as long as I want; AND the morning after that, too!
   
2. Warm sunny days, endorphins, dogs, time with friends and family, receiving unexpected money, and lots of other things  make me terribly happy.
   
   
3. Something that inspires me is  a great conversation.
   
   
4. If I had the day off today I would  I DID have the day off today! YAY! I drove to Virginia, spent time with my parents, and will be going to bed unbelievably early in preparation for my early morning workout and a long day with family tomorrow.
   
   
5. If I had to put a label on my home decor style, I would say my style is  fun, colorful, random, abstract, I-don't-have-a-style-but-I-like-to-pretend-I-do, If-you-put-a-landscape-painting-in-my-house-I-will-find-a-spot-for-it-in-the-trashcan-out-back.
   
   
6. Concerning politics I would say I'm  undefined.
   
   
7. I'd like to go to  Hawaii  so I could  enjoy the weather, water, landscape, and be able to say that I went to Hawaii and had to be drugged and dragged back home because I didn't want to leave.

Happy Easter Weekend!

Enjoy yourself some jelly beans, and remember to bite the head off the chocolate bunny first so you don't have to listen to him scream :)

 (courtesy of thelittlethingswedo)

Hump day randomness

I should not be allowed to be armed with a device that takes videos. Yesterday I had a grand idea that I'd go for a run; my first since my 5k's in October. I got home, put my stuff down, and snuggled with the dog on the couch. And then? My run just never happened. I told myself I'd skip it since today is kickboxing and I didn't want to be too sore to go. And then, I just couldn't resist:

Sorry about the sideways orientation. iPod video shooting is not my strong point. And yes, at the end of it he decided he needed to clean his man parts, so the video had to end because, let's face it, that's just gross.

Also last night I decided I wanted jelly beans. My friend went to Disney World in Florida last month and brought me back Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. If you're not a fan of Harry Potter, these are Jelly Belly jelly beans, with some really gross flavors mixed in. Those flavors are:

Since I didn't have any regular jelly beans, I decided to eat some of these, being very careful to not grab any of the above flavors. Unfortunately, I failed in my mission, and I think I ate a booger-flavored one. I was so disgusted, I promptly brushed my teeth to get the flavor out of my mouth. And then the flavor kept emerging in the form of burps, because tasting it once wasn't gross enough. A true test of my gag reflex. The thought is making me shudder, and so onto my next random adventure...


I did something yesterday that I swore I'd never do. I told myself it was dumb and that there were better things I could do with my time. But then, out of nowhere, I just did it.

I downloaded the full version of Angry Birds Rio. How dare they add an animated movie spin. They KNOW I can't resist animated movies! I blame Angry Birds. They owe me 99 cents.




Dear Harry Potter:

...and I hope you are forced to eat a vomit-flavored jelly bean!

Review (sort of): Bob Harper Cardio and Strength workout DVDs (the short versions)

So, on Sunday I set out to partake in and review the "short" versions of two of Bob Harper's Inside Out Method workout videos:

Cardio Conditioning and Super Strength

First, a word about the full (1-hour) Cardio workout.  Kara reviewed the full Cardio workout here, and I mostly agree, although I tried doing it again yesterday and I found it to be extremely BORING! It's a tough workout and I'm pretty sore today, but it's not very cardio-centric at all and after about the first million or so "suitcase swings" and weighted deadlifts, i just wanted to move on. He eventually does, but then comes back to them! That's when I turned the DVD off and did the rest of my workout by cleaning the house and my car. Yes, I basically just said that I'd choose cleaning over doing this workout again. I still love Bob, but I'm pretty sure I'll be giving away this DVD.

I'd like to quote Kara, and also share a video I took as a demonstration. Kara says,

"The people doing the workout with Bob in the video (is there a term for that? Fitness demonstrators?) are hilarious to watch. That was my favorite part of the workout. The one dude turns a lobster shade of red and Bob jokes that he's going to puke after the workout. I was pretty sure he was going to puke during the workout. Blondie Backtalk on the left makes you have to do an extra set of jumping jacks and if you watch her, you can catch her rolling her eyes at Bob at least twice. My absolute favorite is the teeny tiny brunette that Bob refers to as "Little Bit" even though a more accurate nickname would be "Furious Hamster". Seriously, it's worth it to do this workout just to see her do jumping jacks. If you can watch her do them without giggling, more power to you."

Try to do jumping jacks as quick as the little one. Just TRY. It's not easy. And also, please notice the dude's wimpy jumping jacks. That's pretty much a reflection of his effort all the way through the video. Very disappointing.

Ok, on to the task at hand: The short versions of these two videos. First, they're basically the same workout which really makes no sense since one is supposed to be cardio and one is supposed to be strength. Also, these are supposed to be 25-minutes each, but that's including the warm-up and cool-down, so these are actually about 15-minutes each. I did them back-to-back and was barely sweating (and I sweat a LOT!). In Bob's defense, he does mention at the beginning of the strength workout that it's for beginners. BUT, during the full version of the cardio workout, he stresses more than once that "a 10-minute workout isn't a real workout".

I wish these two workouts were more like 30 minutes each (not including warm-up and cool-down), and that the cardio video was more cardio.

All-in-all, I didn't really enjoy these videos, but that doesn't mean the full versions aren't full workouts. I just wish there was more variety to keep me interested. Also, this may be someone's favorite workout style. You never know until you try!

I might have to do a giveaway for anyone interested in trying these out.

Tuesday inspiration

I don't know about you, but I constantly see things in stores, online, in others' houses, etc. and think, "I love that. I could make that!" Since I can't afford "real" artwork for my walls, I'm always looking for new ideas of things that I could make, for cheap.

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across this paint chip wall art, on the Paper Crave site, and had a EUREKA moment. "I could make that!" The only cost would be the frames, since paint chips are (say it with me)..FREE!!

So, I took a ride to Lowe's and did my best I'm-looking-for-a-really-bright-color-for-my-livingroom-let-me-take-a-sample-of-every-chip-you-have impression, and left with a fun mix of colors. Now, I just needed frames.

Since we sort of live in the...dare I say it..."boonies," there isn't a very grand selection of stores near us to buy things such as picture frames, and with gas prices being what they are, I refuse to take a 20-mile drive to Michael's, who may or may not have what I am looking for anyway. I mean, we're trying to do this on the cheap! And so...I waited. Finally this past weekend, i had my opportunity when I was house/dog-sitting for my friends who live in a more "developed" area, near a Michael's. They had small frames for $5. I wanted to make two of these to hang on the wall as a set, so I went for the small frames. I wanted white, but the white ones were all scratched up so I got dark brown. In hindsight, I should have bought the white ones and found white paint to touch them up with, but c'est la vie.

Ok, enough words. Here's how it went down...

I had to document the names of the colors.
They're so fun.

My favorite is the lightest green one...Elf Shoe.
ELF SHOE! Awesome.

Ta da!

 So I think they turned out pretty nice, but would look much nicer in white frames (and with a picture taken with a flash!). Not too bad for the first go-around. I still have plenty of these paint chips left to make a few more. I'll be making two larger ones with white frames for my room.

The scraps would make pretty cool confetti.

In other news: Amanda and I were perusing Target this weekend and Amanda comes to me with these 80's style purple sunglasses and tells me, "You have to try these on!" And they were awesome. And so she picked out a pair with leopard-print on the sides and now we own super radical shades!

My weekend pal

That pretty little lady is Mason. Mason and I are hanging out this weekend. I'm house/dog-sitting for my friends Erin and Dan, who are out-of-town for the weekend. She's an elderly lady who likes to sleep a lot and grunt and pant when she's excited or has to go pee. She's missing some teeth, so she likes to wipe her dribble on your leg after drinking. I mean, no respectable girl wants to be dribbly. Currently she's snoring and, apparently, having some pretty active dreams. She's awesome.

I love my furry, 4-legged niece :)

Fill-in-the-blanks FRIDAY

Once again, we made it to Friday! Thankfully, this week has been relatively painless, but knowing that I can sleep in tomorrow is a priceless revelation. I'm not, however, looking forward to this:

This will mark the 1.74 billionth Saturday in a row of crappy weather. This whole work week was sunny and warm. I'd tell Mother Nature to "bite me", but I think this is her version of biting me, kicking me, and eating my brain.












On a more fun note, I got my Bondi Band in the mail on Wednesday that I won in Kara's giveaway! I, of course, tried it out during my kickboxing workout yesterday. It seemed to stay in place. It didn't fly off my head, so that's a start! Since I'm a huge skeptic, I have to try it during a couple more workouts in order to give it my 100% approval, but so far so good.

"flying pig" in purple

 Also, just in case you need to feel better about yourself this morning: during my workout yesterday, I ended up uppercut punching myself in the chin. Oh yes, my friends, I'm that cool.

At least my shorts are awesome!

And now onto

1. My favorite daily responsibility is  uhh..."favorite responsibility"? Does eating count?
   
   
2. My least favorite daily responsibility is  showering. It's a daily necessity and, don't get me wrong, I enjoy being clean and not smelling, but it's such a time suck. I could be using that time to do more important things; like eating or sleeping.
   
3. My favorite cuisine to eat when going out is  Chick-fil-a. For some reason I'm always craving it on Sundays, the only day they aren't open.
   
4. My favorite cuisine to prepare at home is  Italian. I could probably eat it every day. It's totally Italian food's fault for being so easy to prepare.
   
5. Andy Warhol said that everyone is famous for 15 minutes. My claim to fame is   uhh... uhm... does it count if I was only "famous" to my parents? Like, when I graduated college? Or the first time I peed on the potty?
   
6. If I could have 3 wishes I would wish  for a raise (or to win a ton of money so that I can get my own place and afford gas), that my family would move closer, for awesome abs.
    
7. My biggest pet peeve is  mean people, I guess. I have lots of pet peeves. Mean people take the cake.

(courtesy of thelittlethingswedo)

Pete and Repeat were in a boat...

You know how if you repeat a word enough times it starts to not mean anything?....

...What does "sample" mean again?


When I was younger my friend and I decided to test this out with the word, "paper". We said it over and over and over. I remember the day, riding our bikes after school, repeating, "paper paper paper" until it started sounding funny and made us laugh. Now, whenever I hear that word, I think of that day. I haven't thought of paper the same since.

Splurging for my sanity

I've found over the years that there are certain things I feel I must splurge on for my sanity's sake. Of course I worry about the money I spend and I don't make much, but I figure like is short, and it makes more sense for me to splurge on some things over time than to end up in a mental hospital one day. I'm sure that would cost a lot more, too, in the long run. I hear straight jackets are expensive.

Lady Gaga would know.

Some of my sanity-inducing splurges are:

• Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. Ever since high school, when I was on the swim team and taking Accutane (a prescription for chronic acne that makes your skin unbelievably dry...because being a teenager didn't suck enough), I've been obsessed with this stuff. It's $3.00 a tube, but if I had to live without it...well...I don't even want to think what would happen. 

• Unlimited text messaging. We all have those days when we need to vent or we'll self-destruct. I don't have a boyfriend or husband to confide in, so I do a lot of my venting to my friends via text message. I hate talking on the phone, so this is a quick and easy way to get it out and move on.

 

• Satellite radio. The only time I enjoy driving is when there are no other cars on the road. Since this doesn't happen often, I need music to get me through. Since I do most of my driving to-and-from work, when most of the regular stations are talking and playing commercials, I do a lot of listening to unlimited music via my XM radio. I switch stations a LOT (hello short attention span), so the $13/month seems a small price to pay.

• Starbucks. I mean...duh.

• Gym memberships. I have two of them. Even when I was out of work for six months and couldn't afford to eat, I still had a gym membership. It's a necessity, in my book (unless, unlike me, you are cool enough to have everything you need at home).

• Purple stuff! I just need it. Purple is my reason for breathing.

Do you splurge for sanity's sake? Or do you ward off the crazies in other ways?