I Guess This is Technically My Last Post.

Soooo I officially have a post for EVERY DAY for the last 365 days. I just blogged every day for a year.

If I was feeling more sentimental I'd go through some of my beginning blog posts and compare a year ago to where I am now, but I don't feel like I'm ready to do that yet. Almost, but not quite. Considering how I know NOW that Felix is a complete F*cktard, I don't really wanna go back and read about how IN LOVE I was. Blech.

Anways- So I guess that's it?!

I'll blog more, just not every day. It's too much work and I'm really glad it's over.

PEACE OUT!

Mental Health Day.

I called off work tonight so I could go home and see Morgan's first jazz band concert. She did an AWESOME job!! I'm really proud of her and glad I went home to see it. I definately could've made it to work on time, but decided to take the night off anyway. I'm so glad I did! I came home, relaxed, watched tv, read a book and slept for approximately 12 hours. It was glorious!

I also found out today that I'm going to have a NIECE!!! Yup, Zac and Jackie are 80% sure they're second baby is going to be a little girl. I'm so excited! I KNEW it was going to be a girl.

Some Housekeeping.

Alright, a few things:

It's April 28th. That means that after today, I only have to write two more blogs and this project is done. I feel like it's going to be very anticlimactic, but truthfully, I'm SICK of blogging every day. I've been stressed, and it's been such a chore to find something to write about every day. I don't think anyone even reads anymore.

Week three of Weight Watchers and I'm down four pounds from the beginning. I can't complain about that. I'm going to try and workout today, although I cut the shit out of my foot at work the other night, had to get a tetanus shot, file a Workman's Comp claim (Ridiculous, huh?), and almost get stitches. Not fun. So, that happened yesterday, I didn't work out. I'm going to try today and see how it goes.

What else? I can't really think of anything. Can't wait for the weekend...Get to see Morgan's solo in her band concert, actually hang out with my friend Sally who has had an effed up schedule lately, and Brandee is coming up Saturday for the day. It's gonna be busy, but that's how I like it.

Alright, that's it. Thank gosh Wednesday is almost over. Wednesday's suck.

Hmmm...

Ever hear the phrase "People are inherently good?

I've come to the conclusion that that's a load of crap.

That is all.

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Music Monday!!!

I've recently rediscovered Creedence Clearwater Revival, and it reminds me of my mom because I remember her liking them when I was a kid. Anyway, I've been listening to them on my ipod a lot lately, and I've decided below is my favorite CCR song...at least for the moment.

OMG JILLIAN MICHAELS!

I just heard we have a satellite interview with Jillian Michaels on the morning show on Tuesday. I'm kind of sickly excited for it, even though I won't get to talk to her, and she won't technically be in the studio...BUT STILL.

I told Scott he had to tell her the following things: That his producer Ashley regularly does her DVD's, and she would love to have Jillian's arms.

Let's hope he remembers!

Also, my buddy Steve Braband who works at ESPN got a chance to be schooled by Jillian. He's got the best job in the world. Ch-ch-check check it out below:

http://espn.go.com/blog/sportscenter/post/_/id/47030/did-you-know-sam-bradford-loves-frosted-mini-wheats-what-you-missed-from-draft-week

Night at the Races.

Tonight I went to a breast cancer fundraiser. I wasn't really looking forward to going because, well...who wants to spend their Friday night at a breast cancer fundraiser? But- I told my friend Lyz I would go, so I went.

It was called "Night at the Races", and it ended up being a helluva good time! Dinner was provided, and it was BYOB.

The premise was horse racing. Tickets were $15 to get in, and it was $25 to buy a horse. I bought a horse and named it ""A-woww" (totally a play off of J-Woww from Jersey Shore...FIRST PUMP!).

All the horses were organized into "races". There were 9 horses for each race. Bets were two bucks each, and before each race you went up and placed your bets. Then, they had this giant projector with old horse races, and each of the horses on screen had a number, which corresponded with the horses people bought and named. It was actually really exciting and people jump up and cheer during the races...also, there were a bunch of different raffles.

Basically, I went and lost $50 bucks, as well as the $25 I paid for my ticket, but I won some and lost some during the night, and it was a great cause!

LogoTees

I know I'm probably getting too old to find these amusing, but I would wear a different one of these t-shirts with jeans every day and be happy.

Get Rid of Big Ben.

I know some of you might disagree with me, but I honestly don't know how I'm going to root for the Steelers this year after Benny Rapist Roethlisberger is back from his 6 game suspension.

I don't care if he raped this girl or not, he did SOMETHING, and he's done it more than once. It makes me sick. Trade his ass already.

I Hate Iceland.

There's something hysterical about a huge cloud of volcanic ash that is crippling air travel all around the world.

There's something even more hysterical about this drunk guy voicing his opinion on the country where the volcano is located.

Mom, this is for you!

Happy Music Monday!!!

Leah emailed me a couple of "rad songs" for me to listen to, and I liked this the best out of the two. I've never heard of The Morning Benders before, and I may have to look into them further! Thanks Leah!

Why Did it Take Me So Long to Realize This?!

I think with all breakups, there's that inevitable hurt when one person finds out the other person is dating someone new. And we all hope to be the person dating, not the one finding out your previous boyfriend/girlfriend has moved on. Am I right?

Well, this weekend I got a double whammy.

Not only did I find out Felix was dating someone new, but I also found out that she lives with him. And has lived with him for a couple months. He and I have only been living apart for four months.

Talk about a kick in the gut.

I'm not going to lie. I found out Friday night and I spent a good portion (mostly the whole thing) of it crying my eyes out at the utter injustice of it all.

I also went through an hour or two when I thought about all my past boyfriends, and how come they didn't like me? What was wrong with me? What could I have done to make them stay with me/like me? Why are they so much better than me?

Then it dawned on me like a palm smacked straight into my forehead.

I'M better than THEM.

Not trying to put myself on a pedestal or anything here, but think about it. I'm young, talented, have all the potential in the world to do whatever the heck I want, and let's face it...Felix really didn't/doesn't.

He's a good many years older than me, and hasn't done much in the last ten years to get farther ahead in life. Sometimes his total lack of ambition would boggle my mind. Why don't you want to ever get married? Why don't you want (more) kids? How could you possibly be content living in an apartment and never want to own a home?! HOW WHY WHAT HUH?


I'm not saying he's not a good person, I think he is. He just isn't the right person for me. If he wants to live with a total non-threatening, easily controlled, ding-batted Walgreen's cashier, that's his prerogative. It has nothing to do with me. And it's not a reflection on me or our relationship.

It's God's way of saying, "Silly girl, I have bigger and better things planned for you. Get over this guy".

And as Leah told me Sunday on the phone, "It's onward and upward, bitches."

Caturday.

30 Hours and Counting.

I've been awake for 30 hours and counting. I'm too tired to go into details, but one day soon I'll tell you why. It involves squirrels, scaffolding, sleeping in my bathroom, creepy maintenance men and Olive Garden.

Stay tuned.

My Name is Ashley and I Like Pink.

If I was showered (and had makeup on), I would totally take a picture of me right now. It's not often I laugh at myself (Ok, we all know that's a lie. I think I'm pretty dang hilarious), but I'm even impressed with me right now.

I'm sitting on my couch, in my PINK Snuggie (the A/C is on), with my PINK laptop on my lap, and my PINK BlackBerry beside me. I just looked at my glass of water and there is a PINK straw sticking out of it, and on my end table is a bouquet of mostly PINK daisies.

I pretty much love me right now.

Jennifer Hudson is Hawt.

Alright, soooo Jennifer Hudson is the new spokesperson for Weight Watchers, and rightfully so, because she looks AMAZING. She kind of inspired me. I've tried Weight Watchers two other times, but NEVER lost any weight because I would blow it on the weekends by not counting points, and probably having one too many beers. So I convinced myself it wouldn't work for me.

Well- me and two other people (I'm not gonna name them because I don't know if they want me to call them out on a blog) have decided to give it another go.

I followed the program to the T the entire last week...and today was my first "weigh-in".

I'm down 2.8 pounds!!!

I don't think I've EVER lost that much weight in a week (unless you count college when I took Xenedrine before ephedrine was illegal. That shit was awesome, but I didn't sleep for months...but I was the skinniest EVER!

Anyway- 2.8 pounds in one week is definately motivating. Ideally 16 more pounds would be awesome...BUT- that would put me at a weight I don't ever remember seeing...so I'd settle for 11 more pounds. We'll see.

God Has a Sense of Humor.

I've come to the conclusion that God likes to play tricks on me. Without going into detail, I've been waiting for a call from one of the following cities: Charleston, Norfolk, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Columbus, and maybe a couple more. They're all phone calls that could change my life. Hopefully for the better.
Anyway- I was talking to my mom on the phone yesterday afternoon and when I hung up I saw I had a missed call. It was a number I didn't recognize, so I Googled it and it was a number from Charleston, South Carolina. My heart literally stopped momentarily. I'm sure of it. So, I waited for a voicemail....and one didn't come. I frantically texted my friend Sally and asked her what I should do. She said to call it back and say I didn't want to miss an important phone call. After a few deep breaths, I called back.

It rang several times before someone picked up the phone.

It was an older lady, who simply said, "Hello?"

At this point, I was kind of confused, but pretty certain it wasn't a missed call that was life-changing-worthy, and I didn't want to just hang up on the lady so I said, "Umm, I received a missed call from this number and I just wanted to make sure it wasn't something important."

The poor lady (bless her heart, isn't that what they say in the south? "Bless her heart?!") went on for probably five minutes about how she misdialed because she thought her father had heart failure and was shaking when she dialed the phone. She kept talking. I kept listening. Really? What was I supposed to do? So, after she spoke for awhile, our parting words were me reassuring her that her father would be in my prayers and how I hoped everything would be ok.

Really, God? REALLY?

What are the ODDS that out of all the missed calls in the vast universe, I'd get one from a city where I was HOPING would call me? God, you're funny. You're a funny, funny guy.

Happy Music Monday!!!

This song was stuck in my head ALL NIGHT at work, and I don't even know where or how it got there. All the people my age, ENJOY!!!!!

I'm Getting Super Sick of Blogging.

I know most of you can tell by my recent blog posts that I'm getting REALLY bored of this blogging project. I'm over it. I have like, two weeks left, and obviously I'm going to finish, but I'm just bored with it.
I have a gazillion other things running through my mind at any given moment, and it's turning into a pain in the ass for me to try and think of something creative to blog about. I'm sure there are tons of worthy topics, but I like to actually THINK about what I'm writing before I write it, and I just haven't had time. Not that I've been super busy, but by the time I remember I have to blog, I hae something else going on that I gotta do, so I post some half-assed blog (take today for example).
I hope my urge to blog comes back in these last two weeks or so, because I would love to end this blog on a high note.

***Note: I don't think I'm going to STOP blogging on here, but I'm not going to make myself do it every day. So, don't worry Carol, you will still be able to keep up with my life, it just won't be as often:)

Dadurday

Yup. That's dad. In a pink Snuggie. I think this is way better than a cat picture...don't you?

Body Goodies.

The other day on our morning show, our live reporter was at a local shop that sells all natural, organic, handmade soaps. From what I understand, her products are becoming pretty well-known.

Our morning reporter, knowing my battle I've been having with my skin, talked to this woman about some soaps, and she gave him two bars for me to try.

She gave him one bar called zapzit, and instructed me to use it once, maybe twice a week.

The second bar, made with rooibos tea (which I never heard of until now) is supposed to be used daily.

The lady did everything but GUARANTEE my skin would clear up within one week.

So, I brought the soap home today, and used the first one before I went to bed. The smell is really earthy, so I was a bit turned off at first. Also, I felt like it made my skin super slippery, and it was hard to get it all off my face. After I rinsed it off though, my skin felt SUPER SOFT immediately, and when I woke up, it was even softer.

Here's to bodygoodies! Let's hope they work! Check out the link and support a local business. It's about time someone local does something good around here and makes some cash.

All Signs Point to: Go See Your Mother.

Alright, I thought I had my ENTIRE weekend planned out. Friday, my friends Lyz and Weyman were going to come over and I was going to cook dinner for them (I owed them because when Felix and I broke up/were breaking up, they really took care of me and made me food ALL the time....maybe that contributed to a post-breakup-weight-gain...or maybe that was the binge drinking...hmmmm....).
Then SATURDAY, I thought Jody was going to come up and we were going to do a little shopping, maybe take a walk, go out to dinner...really low key.

Well, everyone canceled on me. Within like 5 minutes of each other. WTF!

So, I figured it was God's way of saying, "Go spend time with your family". I always go home when I have a reason, not just to go visit. I'm taking The Hurt Locker (my dad will love it), and going to spend some time with my parents, without having to rush off to meet someone or do something. Then I'm going to stay at mom's hotel, sleep in a big comfy bed in a nice dark room, wake up Saturday, come back to Ohio and get all the stuff done that I've been putting off.

Plus, (and I'm getting a little personal here...just a warning in case you want to stop reading) I am back on THE PILL, after being off of it for almost a year. My dermatologist and wonderful lady doctor thinks my skin problems are being caused because of out of control hormones from not being on the pill. ANYWAY- so I started taking that again last week, and my emotions are CRAZY. I cry at the drop of a friggin' hat, so I think me spending an entire weekend at home would be miserable for me. So, yup. Thanks friends for bailing on me, but it's probably for the best. I'm pretty excited to see my family! Who knows how long that will last, though...

KIDDING MOM.

Hurray for Birthdays!!!

Yesterday was my birthday and it was pretty awesome! At least for turning 27. I mean, after a certain point, I feel like you're old enough that birthdays aren't really that important, and they're just a normal day.

I didn't do anything out of the ordinary. I drove down to Cranberry to meet Jody for dinner, and didn't take off work, so basically nothing crazy.

Except- yesterday made me realize how lucky I am to have so many wonderful people in my life...From my coworker making me homemade macaroni and cheese, to Becky sending me flowers, so Sally buying me ice cream cupcakes, I was just continually surprised at how much people care. My mom, dad, and Morgan called and sang to me...and it was just a nice day. Reminded me that I'm loved. And who doesn't enjoy being reminded they're loved?!

So, yeah. Awesome day. Thank you everyone!

Time Flies.

Today is my 27th birthday, and MAN do I feel old! Birthdays have always been bittersweet for me. When I was younger, they always sucked (like- getting-kidney-stones-kind-of-suck). The last few years have been ok, and this year is probably most aptly labled as "meh".

If you would've sat me down on my birthday last year, and told me where I would be one year later, I wouldn't have believed you. Things have changed DRASTICALLY in the last 12 months. But I can't say they've changed for the worse....and I can't really say they've changed for the better.

Right now, I kind of feel like I'm in limbo. I'm waiting for my Next Big Thing. Really, if you think about it, isn't life always about the Next Big Thing?

For the majority of the last three years, Felix was my Next Big Thing. I thought I was starting the next logical chapter in my life, and guess what? I was wrong. And yeah, that sucks.

But now, I have a gazillion opportunities open for me that I wasn't even considering a year ago. Hell, I wasn't even considering them six months ago. And guess what? I'm EXCITED about those possibilities.

I guess what I wonder is this: Does life really change for the better? Or does it just change, and you make the best of it?

And honestly, I'm not trying to get all mopey on my birthday, because I don't even remember what I did last year. I really don't. I think I got a new pair of workout shoes, and we called it a day. And I do know that I'm meeting Jody in Cranberry for dinner tonight, and what really could be better than having dinner with one of your best friends on your birthday?

Happy Music Monday!!!

I picked this song because tomorrow is my birthday, and it's MY blog and I'll do what I want!

I'm Addicted...

I've been laying on my couch most of the day watching A&E. They've had a "Gene Simmons: Family Jewels" marathon on...and I can't take my eyes off it. Why do I get addicted to all of these mindless reality shows?

By the way...I only have 25 posts left until I'm done with this blog. Crazy, huh?

Caturday.

GREAT Friday!

For the third year in a row, my birthday celebration happens to fall on Good Friday. One of the guys at work dubbed it "Great Friday" and the name has stuck. It's pretty much an excuse to get everyone from work out together (no one misses birthday celebrations here) to have a good time. It's always an eclectic mix, from that weird producer no one really likes, to the super fun guy who never gets to go out because he's married with kids (I'm not hating, just sayin').

Anway- had to get the blog in, my ride is on its way! I'm sure I'll have some pictures and good stories to come!

Bird Sex!

Northeast Ohio broke records today with high temps...it reached 83 degrees!! I slept through most of it, I'm sure. I went for my walk and it was GORGEOUS! So then, I came home and had my balcony door open, enjoying the fresh air. I heard a weird noise, and I looked outside to see one sparrow perched on my railing, with another bird perched on the back of the first (clearly "doing it")! I laughed, and then immediately jumped up to get my phone because I wanted to take a picture and post it for you. I missed it though, because when I jumped up, the birds freaked out and flew away.

I don't know which is worse, the fact I wanted to take a picture of birds mating, or the fact that I thought of my blog IMMEDIATELY.

It's Working! (At Least for Now)

Most of you have heard me bitch, whine, and moan about how I believe my overnight shift makes it harder to lose weight because it effs up my metabolism. I still maintain that reasoning, BUT I think I may have found something that works! Or, at least, a multitude of things that work.

Here is my new routine: I bought a dry erase board calendar that I hung up on my wall. I write my workouts down EVERY DAY. That way, I can look and see that I didn't work out Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. OR I can see I worked out five days in a row. It's really been motivating me! Also, I went back to logging my calories on LIVESTRONG . I've been trying to stick to around 1400 calories, and just make smarter choices on the weekends, although I'm not going to beat myself up for an occassional splurge. ALSO- and I think THIS is key-- I started adding two mile walks in addition to my workout DVD's. So, I wake up, drink some coffee, eat breakfast, walk two miles, then come back home and do an hour long workout.

So, doing ALL of this stuff has currently put me at a weight I haven't seen since I went on vacation to Virginia Beach in August. I'm pretty proud of myself! And I feel awesome!

Steph and I have also done a really great job of encouraging each other and checking in with each other daily...It's nice to have someone on your side cheering you on, even if it's via text!

Plus, I just saw last night on the biggest loser that some dude lost 400 POUNDS ALL BY HIMSELF. He wasn't even on the show! The show just inspired him! If someone can motivate themselves to lose FOUR HUNDRED POUNDS, I think I can get that last ten off.

Man, This Sucks.

I'm sorry guys. I really have NOTHING to write about. Work is work, life is life. Nothing bad happening, nothing overly fantastic. The weather's nice...it COULD get up to 78 degrees on Friday and Saturday, which is awesome.
Friday is a little work get together for mine and a coworker's birthdays, so I'm excited for that, and Sunday my parents are coming up for Easter, and I don't know what to cook. Other than that, I'm boring as boring bored bored bored. BORED.

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Music Monday!!!

The person this Happy Music Monday goes out to knows who they are, and I LOVE that you thought of me. It means a TON...and thank you:)

There Once as This Ibuprophen....

Ok, there are a few blog topics running through my brain right now, but I feel too disorganized to really THINK about them enough to write about them...maybe later this week.

For now, I just want to take a moment and talk about this Advil I have had laying on my kitchen floor for approximately a month. That's no lie. It's right in front of my microwave cart, and I see it ALL the time. I'm not sure why I don't just pick it up and A) throw it away or B) take it. But I look at it every day. I sit on my couch with my laptop and my feet up on the coffee table, and stare into space trying to think of something to write about, and I stare at this pill. I even swept the floor (and swiffer wet-jetted!) and somehow managed to miss it. It's still there.

And I know it's been there for a month, because I even remember the night I dropped it. I came back from Quaker Steak N' Lube slightly inebriated A MONTH AGO..and managed to spill most of the bottle on the floor before I went to bed...and I woke up to errant Taco Bell tomatoes on my couch (we've all been there), and ibuprophen all over my floor.

There's no deeper meaning to this, I'm just trying to demonstate how utterly lazy I can be sometimes.

Caturday.

Jesus Friday.

My coworker Sam is very active in his church, and was picked for the part of Jesus for this year's Easter play. He asked us to come, and me and a few friends went last night because I knew how important it was to him. Here's a picture of him in the play...Hmm...I wonder WHY he got the part of Jesus? HE LOOKS JUST LIKE HIM.

Dare I Delete?

So, my friend in D.C and I were G-Chatting yesterday, and I won't go into details about how it got brought up, but she said I need to delete Felix from my Facebook friends. I know that I probably should, but for some reason I just CAN'T. He's not even active on it. And he didn't even GET a Facebook page until after we broke up. BUT- I do admit I look at it..several times...a day. Sigh. I think part of me hopes he looks at MY Facebook page and maybe gets a little depressed about how much FUN I'm obviously having... It's comforting somehow.

Then I Read This.

I know I'm gonna have to do the dump and delete. Someday.

Time to Vent.

I REALLY need to vent a little here. I wish I could go into more detail, but for the sake of my job, I can't.

so there's this person who thrives on hatred. I just don't get it. It's poison. I feel like it's such a complete waste of time and energy to HATE someone so much. There are plenty of people I dislike, so what do I do? I don't talk to them. Or I vent to my mom, or a close friend. I don't spew hatred out of my mouth to anyone who will listen. It's uncalled for and it's NOT HEALTHY. It's also completely unprofessional. I'm sick of hearing the same stories over and over and hearing the same insults, one after another. GET A LIFE. It makes me wonder what happened to this person in the past that makes he/she so mean now. And even if he/she HAS been through alot, I'm sorry but it's not an excuse to be a hateful person. We've all been through some shit, and you overcome it. You don't dwell on it, and you don't let it simmer and fester. You try and get over it. I used to feel sorry for this person, but anymore I'm just done. DONE. I avoid contact with this person at all cost, but trust me, given my work situation, I can't avoid them completely. It's gotten to the point lately where I dread coming into work because it's turned into such a toxic environment. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Ok, I'm done venting. Sorry 'bout that.

Random Thoughts for Tuesday.

***I've had a stiff neck for three days now and I've been waking up with awful headaches. So, if I miss a blog post, it's because I've died of spinal meningitis.

***I'm watching American Idol right now and I CANNOT believe they picked Miley Cyrus as one of the artists to mentor the singers. Miley Cyrus? Really? And this young girl singing the Phil Collins song? She should've gone home a long time ago, and if she doesn't this week, somethings up because she's TERRIBLE.

***I also am feeling anxious and my chest feels congested. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I'm probably dying.

***Speaking of dying, I have an irrational crazy fear of my parents dying. I know everyone is scared of that, but I worry about it all the time.

***Oh Snap! Randy Jackson just told this girl she was TERRIBLE. YES!

***I realize this is a sorry excuse for a blog post, you don't have to tell me.

*** That girl's name is Paige (on American Idol), Simon just said it and I figured I'd point out who I was talking to.

***Ortega makes a jarred guacamole. It's not very good. Don't waste your money.

***Did you realize the only difference between fat free refried beans and regular is .5 grams of fat? What's the point?

***I watched the first two episodes of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia". Seems like a decent show. Everyone says it's amazing so I'm going to stick with it.

***I HATE Tuesdays.

***That is all.

Happy Music Monday!!!

Today's pick is courtesy of my wonderful friend Sally!

In Repair.

This song has been on my ipod for years (not kidding) and I never really listened to it. I finally did on my way home to PA over the weekend, and it's one of those songs I feel John Mayer wrote just for me..LOVE the lyrics, so I'm gonna be super corny and post them:

Too many shadows in my room
Too many hours in this midnight
Too many corners in my mind
So much to do to set my heart right
Oh it's taking so long i could be wrong, i could be ready
Oh but if i take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
I am in repair, i am in repair

Stood on the corner for a while
To wait for the wind to blow down on me
Hoping it takes with it my old ways
And brings some brand new look upon me
Oh it's taking so long i could be wrong, i could be ready
Oh but if i take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unsteady
I am in repair, i am in repair

And now i'm walking in a park
All of the birds they dance below me
Maybe when things turn green again
It will be good to say you know me

Oh it's taking so long i could be wrong, i could be ready
Oh but if i take my heart's advice
I should assume it's still unready
Oh i'm never really ready, i'm never really ready
I'm in repair, i'm not together but i'm getting there
I'm in repair, i'm not together but i'm getting there

Caturday.

Crap Post.

It's a beautiful day, I'm running late, and remembered I had to blog. So here it is: I have 42 posts left until this Blogging for a Year Project is over.

I feel like I should throw a party or something. I know it's going to be super anticlimactic and I'll just wake up one day and be like, "Oh. I don't have to blog."

There's something sad about that.

The Aftermath.

I COULD be getting sick, but I think I'm just lame.

I was a WRECK today. I didn't get out bed until almost 6:30 pm (as opposed to 4:00 pm at the LATEST), and I sat in my robe and watched TV until 9:00pm, when I FINALLY got up and took a shower and got ready for work.

I watched The Biggest Loser instead of working out (in case you didn't know, those two things really DON'T equal each other out).

My laziness and grouchiness could be one of three things.

1. PMS.
Very possible choice.

2. Cold.
Ehhh, I don't get sick that often.

3. I'm totally getting old and can't get less than 5 hours of sleep and run all over the countryside celebrating St. Patrick's Day and then going into work later that night (and yes, only drinking one beer).

I go with #3!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

I've never seen St. Patrick's Day celebrated like it is in Youngstown. Yes, I'm aware places like Boston, NYC, and Chicago, even Pittsburgh have amazing celebrations celebrating the luck o' the Irish, but I've never been to any of these celebrations.

People here go CRAZY over it. And I never really get to celebrate because it usually falls on a weekday and I've yet to deem it worthy of a vacation day. ALTHOUGH-- now that I'm thinking about it, I did go to Erie one year to celebrate with Sivillo and pushed him off the porch into a mountain of lake-effect snow in front of all his friends. Now THAT was a good St. Patty's Day, folks.

Anyway-- I didn't really have any plans this year, being St. Patrick's Day fell on a Wednesday, and I'm trying to save up my vacation days just in case I end up needing them for some sort of move sometime this year....

So, when my friend Sally asked me Sunday if I wanted to go to a Cleveland Cavaliers game, at first I thought, no, definately not. I'd have to wake up super early, and get back in time to go to work. But the more I thought about it, I figured, why not? What could be better than going to Cleveland on St. Patrick's Day to see LeBron James? (well, there are a lot of better things, actually, but I've never been to any kind of NBA or NFL game and figured it'd be a good time.)

We left Youngstown around 3:00 in the afternoon and headed to the Winking Lizard right by Quicken Loans Arena (I quickly learned that I needed to call it "The Q" to avoid being laughed at by the locals).

Downtown was NUTS. There were drunk people EVERYWHERE. All the bars were wall to wall, and I loved it! We headed into the Winking Lizard for dinner, but obviously couldn't get a table, so we ordered a few pizzas, got a few green beers (I've never had green beer before!! Me? Love of beer! First time!) and headed to The Q.

I LOVED IT.

The game was soooo much fun and our seats were SUPER high up. I can't imagine what it would be like to be courtside. Here are a few pictures

This guy was some random dude at the bar who was SOOO drunk he could barely stand. He kept trying to pull his shirt down to no avail. My friend Tina went over and dropped a drink stirrer in his crack and it stayed there the rest of the night..at least, it was still there when we left.

Me, Sally, and Tina...notice I'm rockin' the Cavs gear. Brought to you by Wal-Mart. $12 thankyouverymuch.

My first ever green beer. Somehow, the green food coloring made it taste THAT much better.

The view from our seats. Totally up high, but for $28 bucks? It was still super cool.

Tastefully Expensive!

I feel like the older we women get, the more Tupperware Parties we have. And by Tupperware Parties I mean jewelry-food-stupid-kitchen-utensils-nobody-uses parties. I promise you friends, I will NEVER throw one of these parties. Not that I mind that YOU have one, I will come and apparently spend my very hard-earned money on all your crap you're doling out.

My friend Lyz had a Tastefully Simple party tonight. I had it in my mind I would NOT buy more than $20 worth of stuff. Then the taste-testing began. That stuff was GOOD!!! The best part? Everything is a mix, and you only need to add two MAYBE three ingredients!

AND THEY HAD BUCKETS....BUCKETS!!! OF SANGRIA!!!

$65 dollars later, I'm hoping my checking account doesn't overdraw before I get paid on Friday. Womp womp. Foiled again, Wynkoop, foiled again.

Happy Music Monday!!!

Since we're on the subject of dreams, today's Happy Music Monday has to do with yet ANOTHER weird dream I had the other day.

First, watch this video then read on:



Ok, so in my dream, I was visiting Pat and the boys in Connecticut and they had a party. Luckily, I had my acoustic guitar handy, because Pat and I decided to do an acoustic rendition of the above song. It was hysterical. I sang and played guitar while Pat did the rap at the end and snapped. Kind of like THIS video:

Analyze This.

I had the WEIRDEST, most VIVID dream today during my nap before work. I had a dream that I was driving home to Youngstown from my parents house in western Pennsylvania, and I decided to take a shortcut I had recently learned, that involved a big hill and a dirt road.

During my drive, I heard on the radio to be on the lookout because Siberian Tigers had been spotted in the area carrying flashlights. I remember I was like, "Seriously? Siberian Tigers? Whatever. There are no tigers in Pennsylvania."

So, as I turn onto this dirt road "shortcut" to my house, I see a tiger walking along the side of the road, with a flashlight in its mouth, pacing back and forth like it's shining the light on the road and looking for something. I'm all, "Holy SHIT! A tiger! What do I do? I guess I'll drive around it". I start driving past it, and it started growling at me. I was looking out my window at the tiger, so I wasn't looking straight ahead...at the last second, I look up and there is ANOTHER tiger standing in the middle of the road. I almost hit it, and it jumped out of my way at the last second.

I continue driving down the road, and see all these people walking and want to stop and say, "Don't walk on the road, there's tigers around here!" But for some reason, I didn't. My phone starts ringing right as I'm pulling into this old-fashioned convenience store, and I look at the caller ID and see it's Felix. Since he hasn't called me in months, I was concerned something was wrong, so try to answer the phone, but my phone won't let me pick up the call. It's ringing and ringing, and I can't answer it, so finally I pull into this little driveway by the store. My phone finally picks up and here is the conversation:

Me: Hello?
Felix: HEY!!
Me: Hi! how are you?
Felix: I'm good. I just have some exciting news.
Me: Really? What is it?
Felix: I finally grew up, ash!
Me: WOW! Congratulations!
Felix: Yeah, I wanted you to know that before I posted it online. I just didn't want you to find out that way.
Me: well thanks for the call, watch out for tigers.
Felix: Tigers don't scare me.
Me: well I saw them, and they're scary!
Felix: see ya.

After I hang up the phone, a woman taps my window. I look up and roll down my window a little bit. She started yelling at me and said, "If you're not going to buy something at the store, you NEED to leave!"

For some reason, this caused me to floor my car, and I begin driving up this long, windy road. All of a sudden, my car gets stuck in the mud and I can't drive through it.

That's all I remember of the dream.

Someone please tell me what it means!

Caturday.

Two Monks by the River.

I was told this story last night, and it really kind of hit home. I'm surprised I had never heard it before. Thought I'd share:


A young Buddhist monk walked with an elder monk on their way
back to their temple after several days of travel. On the way,
they came to a creek bed, the banks of which had softened to a
wet, slushy mess. At the edge of the creek stood an attractive
young woman dressed in traditional gowns, who was obviously
wanting to cross the water but had no idea how to contend with
the mud. If she attempted to traverse it, her legs would surely
sink shin-deep into the muck.

As they approached the young lady, the younger monk averted his
eyes and looked down, for theirs was a stern discipline, and
monks were not allowed to gaze upon a woman, let alone speak to
or interact with her, particularly when the woman was as
fetching and young as this one. To his horror, however, the
older monk walked straight toward the woman and asked her if she
needed to cross.

The woman shyly said yes, and without another
word, he hoisted her piggy-style onto his back and carried the
woman across the creek. The younger monk followed them across
the creek, stunned. Once on the other side, the woman profusely
thanked her new friend, shook his hand, and resumed her journey,
disappearing into the trees.

The young man was aghast, but respectful of his elder, he held
his tongue. For three hours they walked side by side, all the
while the student confused as to how his companion could so
flagrantly violate one of the cardinal rules of their temple.
The older one had, after all, not only engaged the woman, he had
spoken to her, and then not only did he touch her, he carried
her on his back! How could such a thing be justified?!

For another hour they walked in total silence, and finally came
the point when the young man could stand it no longer. He
stepped forward two paces and then whirled on his walking
companion to face him in anger.

"How could you do that?!" he shouted.

"Do what?" asked the older monk, looking at him.

He rolled his eyes. "It is a sin to touch a woman, a violation
to even gaze upon her, and yet you spoke with her.
You...you...shook her hand!" He sputtered in his anger. "You
carried her across the creek! YOU CARRIED HER!!"

"And you still carry her," said his older friend, smiling the
faintest of smiles and bowing slightly. "I left her back at the
river."

So, in other words, quit carrying around the baggage you can't change, the situations you can't control. Let it go. You're missing out on what's around you if you're too busy dwelling on what happened in the past.

I Just Don't Think He's That Into Her.

This very well may be the most pointless, dumb blog I've ever posted. But let's face it, I've got mere DAYS (the rest of March and April) of blogging left and I feel like I've exhausted a lot of topics.

Anyway, Justin Timberlake came on Pandora a few minutes ago, and it was "My Love". I remember Scarlet Johanson was in the video and there were rumors they were screwing around on set. So THAT thought led me to think about he and Jessica Beal.

I just don't think he's that into her.

Don't ask me HOW I know, I just have a feeling. And I'm usually right about these things. (I totally called the Garth Brooks/Trisha Yearwood relationship when I was like, 7. Ask my mom. There was just something really funny how she was singing backup in ALL of his songs...but I digress).

I mean, LOOK at this picture. She's hanging onto him for dear life, and he's totally uninterested. Granted, I may have become somewhat of an expert at turning a blind eye and holding on to a man for dear life, but STILL. Come on, Jess. Grow some balls. He keeps you around as arm candy. He's not going to marry you.

Even more proof: He just signed on to do a movie with his ex, Cameron Diaz. Really? Come on, he's TOTALLY trying to get rid of Jessica without being the bad guy.

And that is the end to the dumbest, shallowest blog I could think of. Sorry for wasting 47 seconds of your life if you made it this far.

Face is STILL Exploding.

Around two or three months ago, I wrote about going to the dermatologist and how I thought he was an idiot.

Two months later, my face still looks horrific (thank God for makeup), and a new dermatologist has confirmed my old dermatologists idiocy.

I finally went to the "good" derm that everyone recommends. I didn't go to her before because it was impossible to get an appointment, and then when I finally had one, I accidentally missed it.

So, I go in and she asked me what my former doctor had prescribed. After I told her, she said: "Are you sure?!" and I told her yes, I was sure, because I knew she was going to ask and I doublechecked before I went. Turns out (at least in her opinion), my doctor wasn't prescribing me enough of an antibiotic to actually get RID of the acne, but just enough of an antibiotic to bring all the bacteria to the surface. Causing more acne. Which is why my face actually got WORSE.

Awesome.

I am now on a new antibiotic called Solodyn, which gets both rave and horrible reviews online. Either my skin is going to be AMAZING in eight weeks, or all my hair is going to fall out and my kidneys are going to fail.

Oh, the things we do for beauty.

Best. Website. Ever.

I had to find another good website to read because I've read every single "Texts From Last Night" about a gazillion times...so I was super excited when a coworker introduced me to www.failbooking.com. Mom, don't even bother checking this out, because you don't have Facebook, and you won't understand a lot of it. But for the rest of you, if you haven't found this website yet, you'll thank me later.

Any other recommendations??

Happy Music Monday!!

This week's selection comes from Sivillo...and I'm just taking his word for it that it's a good song. I didn't have the chance to listen to it, and I just realized it's almost midnight and had to get my post online!

This About Sums Up Where I Live...

On the Edge of Apocalypse.

By the way my Friday started, I felt for SURE this weekend was going to end up being WEAK. As most of you know, I get off work at 7 am, and on Fridays I wake up around noon, so there's SOME chance I MIGHT sleep Friday night.

I woke up at 11:30 on the dot this morning, because the power went out. Keep in mind, since I work overnights, my bedroom window is covered with blackout curtains. The only other window in my entire apartment is a sliding glass door in my living room. So, the bedroom and bathroom are PITCH BLACK. I figured I'd fall back asleep for awhile, since I wanted to wake up and work out, and it's kind of hard to do a Jillian Michaels DVD with no power. I doze off until around 12:35, the power is STILL off. So, I do the best I can to put some makeup on in the dark, throw some clothes on, and head out to run some errands. I couldn't make coffee because THERE WAS NO POWER, so I pulled into Dunkin Donuts. Closed. Why? Power outage. Crap. So I head across the street to my bank because I need some check register books. Closed. Why? Power outage. Apparently 10,000 people were without power because a main transformer blew (found that out thanks to the lady smokin' a cig outside of PNC Bank).
By this time I'm HIGHLY agitated. So, I head to the mall. Being that I felt ugly and dirty and had no caffeine, naturally EVERYTHING I tried on was ugly on me, and I came home with a scarf. That was it. I stopped and spent 4 bucks on a crappy skinny latte at Starbucks, and prayed the power would be back on when I went home.

It wasn't.

By this time my laptop was dying, my BlackBerry was dying, and I STILL couldn't shower because I wouldn't be able to blow dry my hair. Needless to say, I was getting furious.

I send a frantic text to my friend Susan to see if I could go over there to shower and get ready before we headed out for the night, and low and behold..what do you know? Everything electronic in my home suddenly flickered to life!!

I still had time to workout, and now I can shower and get ready for the weekend in the privacy of my own home. This weekend is looking up!

My Sister is Funny.

So, you know those email forwards that ask questions about you, and you fill 'em out and send them to all your friends? Well, my sister Morgan LOVES them.

They always make me laugh because her answers are always hysterical. Here are a few of my favorites:

Q: List some names you go by?
One of her answers: BTG (stands for "bug turd girl"...never heard this nickname before)

Q: List three things you're wearing
A: Underwear, pj's, a puppy (I didn't know you could wear a puppy...and when did my parents get a dog?!)

Q: Two things you dislike today:
A: snow, most people

My Mom is the Best.

My mom sent me a card in the mail the other day. You know those long, skinny cards you know immediately are going to make you cry? Yup, it was one of those. This is what it said (and I hope she doesn't get mad at me for putting something personal she gave me on this blog...but SHE didn't write it, so I think it's ok):

Daughter,
You're an original.
You have your own special way
of doing things,
expressing your needs,
looking at the world.
I've always loved that about you.
By being who you are,
you bring excitement to life.
You stand by your own values,
view life from your own fresh perspective,
and invigorate the people around you.
From the very first,
I've admired you,
enjoyed and been so proud of you,
And as the years go by,
my love for you only grows deeper-
my honest, amazing, truly original daughter.


Is that not he GREATEST card ever?? And if she even means a LINE of that, it's worth it and makes me happy. Thanks mom for making my day. I love you!

This Could Be It!

I'm not gonna lie..blogging has been the bane of my existence lately. I'm not diggin' it. BUT- it'll pass and I'll be blogging up a storm in no-time.

For now, there's an opportunity that has opened up that I REALLY REALLY REALLY want. I can't say what it is right now, but please, if you're the praying type...say a little prayer for me, and keep your fingers crossed.

Happy Music Monday!!!

I heard Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body" on Pandora today, and I had to smile because this song reminds me of Becky and how, in high school, she used to stick metal tacks in the bottom of her shoes and pretend she knew how to tap dance.

Such a Proud Aunt!

My sister-in-law Jackie sent me a video on her cell phone today that showed Brady taking EIGHT STEPS ALL BY HIMSELF! When I saw him a week ago, he could take almost one before falling. It was so cute because he gets this huge grin at the very end...definately brought a tear to my eye. I'm trying to figure out how to post the video on here, so once I do, you all can see it for yourself. Don't worry mom, I'm trying to figure out how to email it to you first. I'm just cell-phone-technologically-retarded. Hopefully I'll get to update this post with the video soon!

Caturday.

Overheard in the Grocery Store.

I cruised through Giant Eagle tonight to grab a few things and was standing in the frozen food aisle when I overheard the following conversation between a little girl and her apparently soon-to-be-stepfather:

little girl: "Are you married?!"
man: "no"
Little girl: "Do you have a girlfriend?"
man: "oh sure! I have lots of 'em!"
little girl: "REALLY?"
man: "Suuuuure!"
little girl: "Does that mean you're cheating on my mommy?!"
man: "Oh trust me, I couldn't cheat on your mommy. Your mommy would cut something off of mine that is really important."
little girl: "oh"

What's Wrong with Being Emotional?

When a certain relationship came to an end several months ago, a certain ex-boyfriend told me one of his big problems was that I was too emotional. He was too scared to tell me anything because he didn't like me to cry. And apparently I cried all the time. Not really cry, but I'd get upset and my feelings would get hurt. So, he kept things to himself because he didn't want me to cry. So, to prove him wrong, during our long, drawn-out breakup, I would do my best to keep a straight face, even while I watched him packing up boxes with all of his stuff, because I began to see crying as a sign of weakness. And I was successful. For what it's worth, I kept my crying to a minimum and was really proud of myself, like I proved to him I wasn't a wuss.

But- since I've had the last 3 months to think about stuff, I've decided that that kind of pisses me off. (Not pisses me off in an "I hate him" sort of way, but just realizing that he's wrong). And it was an excuse...he was trying to put the blame on ME for not being able to talk. It's a load of crap. Anyone that knows me knows that me being emotional comes with the territory. It's just the way I am. I've tried to change it and I've decided I don't want to. It's me. It's the way I am. I think I have some pretty incredible people in my life, and a lot of close friends, so I must be doing something right, right? Plus, I tend to be extreme on both ends. If you've made me cry, it's because I care about you and I have very high expectations of the people I care about. If you disappoint me, then it's because I hold you in such high regards that I just can't believe you'd do anything to disappoint. Does that makes sense? Also, if I'm able to cry easily, I'm also able to love alot. And I do. I don't think it should be considered a bad thing that you might make me cry because I love you. My parents make me cry sometimes, and it's because I love them. I want them to be safe and happy and healthy. Same with my friends. If they're in pain, sometimes it makes me cry. Because I want them to be happy. And I care about them. Is that really a bad trait for me to possess? I don't think it is.

Dammit.

It's happened. I thought I grew out of American Idol and I wasn't interested anymore. I only watched one audition show, and luckily, it was the "Pants on the Ground" episode. Here's the video in case you missed it:



Tonight, there was NOTHING on, so I decided to watch the top 12 guys sing. Unfortunately, there were a few I really enjoyed, and I've decided I like Ellen as a judge. So, now my DVD is set for a series recording. Crap, I thought I was over this show!

Remakes of Old Songs.

Iwas listening to Pandora tonight while getting ready for work. For those of you who aren't familiar with Pandora (mom), it's a music website that allows you to type in a song you want to listen to, and it generates a "radio station" of similar songs. So, I'm straightening my hair, putting on makeup, doing the whole pre-work routine, when a familiar song comes on by an unfamiliar artist. I went over to my laptop to see who was singing one of my all-time favorite Otis Redding songs, "These Arms of Mine", and was surprised to find out it was Joan Osborne. Remember her? WHAT IF GOD WAS ONE OF USSSSSS...JUST A SLOB LIKE ONE OF USSSS...from the mid 90's? Anway, so as I listened, I decided I REALLY liked her version of the song. And then I felt guilty, because shouldn't I like Otis Redding's version better?! I remember exactly where I was when I heard Redding's version for the first time. It was a routine on So You Think You Can Dance a couple years ago, and I was sitting in my recliner at the old place, and all I could think was "MUST. DOWNLOAD. SONG. IMMEDIATELY".

That got me thinking about remakes of songs. Are there any that you prefer the newer version compared to the original? Off the top of my head, I can think of another one. "Simple Man". I like Shinedown's version a lot better than Lynyrd Skynrd's.

That's all I got for today. Peace.

Happy Music Monday!!!

This song has been stuck in my head for at least the last week. The words aren't very happy, but DAMN this song's catchy!!

The Perks of Living Alone.

Turns out, living by myself definately has its advantages. Take today, for example. If I was still living with Felix I could never have done the following:

*Gone to bed at 3:00 AM after four hours of watching Weeds on Netflix Instant on my laptop, in my bed, while eating peanut butter toast and drinking Diet Dr. Pepper.
*Woke up at 7:30 AM, watched four more hours of Weeds..in my bed...on Netflix.
*Made lunch, went BACK to bed around 1:00 pm.
*Slept until 7:00 PM until it was time to get ready for a new work week.

I feel like that sort of laziness can't possibly be tolerated by a live-in significant other. If not the laziness, at least the crumbs in the bed.

Today was a good day.

Uh Oh Spaghettioooos!

I know all of you are eagerly awaiting my recap of Sunday and Monday in CT, but it'll have to wait. It's Friday night at 10:55 and I'm laying in bed getting ready to watch some more of Season 4 of Entourage. Pretty low key night. Had dinner with Sally, and we went and saw "Shutter Island". Best movie I've seen in a LONG time. I HIGHLY recommend it. It finally convinced me Leonardo DiCaprio is a decent actor, and Martin Scorsese knocked it out of the ballpark once again with is directing skills.

Now I wanna relax and watch some TV. Peace out!

CT Trip: Day 2.

Saturday.
I was so thankful I had my own bedroom at the house in CT, because I was in DIRE NEED of some sleep. I'd say I got about 5 or 6 hours in before finally waking up around noon. Awesome Ashley was making biscuits from SCRATCH (who does that?! She does! that's who!), Braband was frying up some bacon (and eating most of it in the process, I might add), and I was fiending for some coffee. They have a coffee maker, but no coffee to be found, so Braband was nice enough to take me down the road to Dunkin Donuts. I tried their new white chocolate iced latte lite ( pretty great, but french vanilla is still my fave). Let me backtrack a little bit by saying Ashley and Braband have a beautiful dog named Indy (I think he's a chocolate lab, and his full name is something like Indiana Jones McBraband). Indy likes to go for car rides. Indy is also still a puppy...but he's a HUGE 90-pound puppy. He didn't really warm up to me Friday night, and Saturday when I came out of my bedroom he growled and barked at me and made me scream. Well, Indy came with us to Dunkin Donuts. On the way back home, he slipped off the backseat and fell onto the floor. Since he's a puppy, he's a big baby, and that scared him. So, he hopped onto my lap in the front seat, and I rode back to the house with a 90-pound pup on my lap. But I'm glad it happened, because Indy and I were buddies from there on out.
But--I digress. So, after we ate some biscuits with the most delicious strawberry jam I've ever tasted (seriously), we all showered and I got ready for my big tour of ESPN!!! Pat, Braband, and I headed over to the campus, and Braband lasted about 43 seconds before he "had to get some work done" and disappeared. He's a very important man at ESPN now, so it's cool. Pat began showing me around, and the place is AMAZING. I wish I was more of a sports fan, because I'd totally try to get hired there. I got to sit on the Sports Center set (pictures below), and got to meet some of the gazillion people Pat knows (he knows everyone everywhere he goes, always). I was feeling a little hungover (it could've been the 5 Hour Energy's Pat and I had been guzzling for the past 12 hours, but who knows?), and was REALLY not feeling up to doing anything. But we rallied the troops, piled in the car, and headed down to a restaurant called Moe's. I'd say it's CT's version of Chipotle, but not QUITE as good. So me, Sivillo, Pat, Braband, Ashley, Kyle and Andrea ate some burritos and chips and salsa, and I must say I felt like a million bucks after that. I was rarin' to go! Kyle and Andrea had something else to do, so the rest of us walked over to the theater to see Valentine's Day. It was soooo cute! Pat paid for me to get in, which was AWESOME, and when I asked him if he was going to be my Valentine's Day date, he ignored me. Typical Pat reaction. But I know he loves me. Anway, after the movie, it was back to the house to get ready for the shindig they were throwing later that night. I met a lot of great people (Rochelle, Nicole and Shiff being my favorites!) and we had a great time. Braband and I played beer pong and I definately was to blame for us losing. I suck at beer pong. Eventually everyone left...then eventually everyone went to bed except for Sivillo and I...we chatted for a bit and I headed to bed. At 5:30 am. WTF.

Tomorrow I'll recap my last day and a half!! Stay tuned!

OK, here's a complete recap of my trip to Connecticut:

Thursday Night.
I decided to spend the night at my friend Jody's in Pittsburgh because she's only 45 minutes away from the airport, and I hadn't seen here in awhile. Plus, she's in the process of selling her house/finding somwhere to move/and is happily, newly in love. All of which contribute our visits being fewer and farther between then they had been. Her boyfriend dave came over (he's a keeper), and we ordered pizza, had a few glasses of wine, and went to bed fairly early.

Friday.
Friday, I woke up at 5:00 am because I couldn't sleep. I contribute it to my crazy-ass work schedule, and the fact that I was SUPER EXCITED to see my friends in Connecticut. Let me explain these guys: The "group" in Connecticut consists of four great guys I was great friends with in college: Sivillo, Pat, Braband, and Kyle. After college, Kyle got hired at ESPN in Bristol, and the other three slowly followed, which is amazing and awesome. Now- all living in one house is Pat, Sivillo, Braband and his awesome girlfriend Ashley, and another girl, Nemi. Kyle's girlfriend (now fiance) moved up to CT and they live in an apartment (condo?) fairly close to everyone else.
Anyway- So, me being the time-Nazi I am, I left Jody's around 7:45 am to have tons of time to get to the place I was parking my car, get a ride to the airport, and make it to my gate on time. Things ran so smoothly, I was at my gate at 9:15. The plane didn't take off until 11:25. I sat and read and listened to my iPod, and chatted with a girl who was terrified of flying for the first time. She was flying to FRIGGIN' ALASKA to "bring her husband home". Apparently, they'd been on the outs for the last four months, he moved to Alaska to open a business, and left her in Pittsburgh with their THREE KIDS. I'm sorry, I know I'm a woman and don't really know how to take a hint from a guy, but DAMN. If someone moves to a part of the country that isn't even ATTACHED, I'm pretty sure I'd cut my losses.
On the plane, I was seated next to a crazy older woman who was a flight attendant and was on her way to work a flight in San Francisco. She was talking to the guys sitting next to us, and I overheard him say he was from Youngstown. So, being the bright and bubbly (ok, nosy) person I am, I started talking to him. Turns out he was taking the same connecting flight from Detroit to JFK that I was. We only had 45 minutes between planes in Detroit, so when the plane had to sit on the tarmac for 30 minutes to get de-iced, we were fairly certain we were going to miss our next flight. Both of us were pretty freaked out, and I went against Delta rules and quickly turned my phone on to shoot Pat a text NOT to leave for JFK yet, because I was pretty sure I'd be missing my flight out of Detroit. Pat is awesome, though, and when we landed in Detroit and I turned my phone back on, I had a text informing me he looked up my flight in Detroit, and it too had been delayed so we didn't have to stress. Drew (the Youngstown dude..who was all of 22 years old and thought I was a knowledgable and wordly woman) and I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and headed to an airport bar where we had a few beers and lunch. He was off to NYC to visit his girlfriend who was interning at MARC JACOBS so we had a lot to talk about. He was a cool kid. Inevitably, we lost track of time, and ended up running to our gate to catch our plane. He was in the back, I was in the front, and we never saw each other again.
So I get to the craziness that is the JFK Airport in New York City and find out Pat and Sivillo are close, but stuck in traffic, so I had a few minutes to wait. I sat in a phone booth and ate a rice krispy treat. By the time I was done, I headed outside, and I hear "WYNKOOP YOU HAVE TO RUN ACROSS THE STREET!!!" I look over and Sivillo and Pat and driving by the arrivals gate, and I took off, threw my bags in the car, and landed in the backseat. It was SOO GOOD TO SEE THEM. We headed back to CT and made it in about 2 hours.
As soon as we walked in, everyone was there getting ready to eat dinner. Nemi was cool enough to make spaghetti and meatballs and garlic bread..so we all sat down and ate, then I had to hurry up and get changed because we were heading out for the night.
After the inevitable teasing from Steve Braband about me wearing a leather jacket ( was called The Fonze the rest of the night was was frequently greeted with a " Aaaayyyyyyy" and a thumbs up), we had a few beers at the house and headed down to downtown Hartford to a bar called Black Bear. I'll skip the details on the copious amounts of alcohol that was consumed because my mother reads this blog, but it was a fantastic fun night of dancing, drinking, and catching up. On the way back to the car, Pat thought he'd be funny and cute, and throw a huge handful of snow in my face. It hurt my feelings and I almost cried, but I vowed I wouldn't let Pat reduce me to tears during my trip. Not that he's mean, we just have always had the kind of relationship that involves yelling and crying (on my part) and harsh words. After we got back to the house, we stood outside and chatted for awhile, and I think I finally went to sleep at 4:30....to catch a few hours of zzzz's until the next round of festivities began on Saturday.

I'll pick up from there tomorrow...because clearly this blog is going way longer than I anticipated, and I'm lucky if you're still reading.

Terrific Tueday!

Back to work tonight after a fantastic mini-vacation in Connecticut! I'm running late because I spent FOURTEEN HOURS in bed, and now, of course, I'm running late.

I had an awesome long weekend though visiting with some of the best friends a person could ask for, and it just made me feel BETTER overall. It's really what I needed.

I'll write more tomorrow about my four days of traveling, but for right now, I'm sorry to say this is just another post for the sake of posting something. Time to get back to the daily (nightly?) grind.

For right now, here is the best/worst/creepiest picture I managed to take on my camera the first night in CT before it died. Not sure why I can never remember to charge the damn thing.

Happy Music Monday!!!

We (at least the girls in CT) declared this song the song of the weekend!

Last Night in CT

I'm sitting in the living room of my buddies' in Connecticut..and I fly out tomorrow. I've had an amazing weekend, which I'll blog more about later this week. Right now, I just asked everyone whatI should blog about, and these are some of their ideas:

1. French and Indin War
2. Favorite memories of CT friends
3. My thoughts on braband's dog Indy
4. blog about my favorite people I've met so far in Connecticut (there are lots)
5. Give a ten minute disseration of the living room
6. photo caption contest for my worst ever picture that Kyle took tonight at the bowling alley
7. how cool Steve Braband ISN'T
8. How I just confused Valparaiso with Pittsburgh
9. Dad's mashed potato story from Christmas
10. and blogging about the blog subjects people are suggesting..which is the one I picked because it's easy

Caturday.

I REFUSE to Pay to Check a Bag at the Airport!

Mini-Vacation!

It feels AWESOME to be off work until Tuesday night. And it feels even MORE AWESOME to know I'm seeing some of my favorite people in the world. My blog posts are probably going to be pretty lame from here until Monday, but I promise I'll post lots of fun pictures of my sure-to-be-awesome-trip next week!

Alright, tons of stuff to do...Gotta finish packing, do my nails, and clean up my apartment because I think we can all agree on the fact that it's NOT FUN to come home to a messy apartment.

The Art of Packing

I know it's only Wednesday, and I don't fly out to JFK until Friday, but I worry alot about...well...everything. So, I've been stressing out about packing enough clothes and necessities for Friday-Monday in a bag small enough to be considered a carry-on. Delta charges $25 bucks EACH WAY for a checked bag, and there is NO WAY that damn airline is getting any more money out of me.

Anyway, I started packing tonight and I managed to get in all my clothes (minus socks and underwear) into this:


I'm pretty proud of myself! Now, all I have to find room for is stuff like makeup, but I think I can make it happen. Go me!

Snow Sucks.

The white stuff is currently coming down like crazy right now. We're supposed to get another 8 inches through tomorrow morning, on top of the EIGHTEEN INCHES we got over the weekend.
I had to break down and buy a snow shovel. I've NEVER had to buy a snow shovel, because whether it was my landlord of Felix, I've always had someone to shovel for me! That makes all this snow EXTRA SUPER LAME.
Also, when you're a television producer, wicked weather makes for the worst work days. Especially on a morning show. On top of the latest forecast, and weather live shots, you're also answering phone calls every five seconds taking school closings, typing them in on the television crawl, and generally wanting to just quit.
As of right now, there are already schools closing for tomorrow. I'm in for a rought night.

At least it's a short work week because I'm going to Connecticut on Friday!!!

Happy Music Monday!!!

When in doubt...listen to Beyonce.

Man Babies Are Hilarious.

So, no weekend recap today because I had to come into work at 7:30 to help with school closings due to the Snowpocalypse we experienced this weekend.

Two fun facts, though:

1. This is my 291st post. Crazy, crazy crazy.

2. The website, Man Babies is the most hysterical thing I have seen in a LONG time. Click on the link, thank me later.

GET MORE AT ManBabies.com!

Caturday.

Friday Snow Day.

9:32 Friday night...watching season 3 of Entourage and enjoying a few glasses of wine. Bored out of my mind though because I'm kinda snowed in and can't go out and do anything. Even though I had no plans, I feel like just the fact I CAN'T go out is making me want to anymore. Maybe I'll just go to bed early...decisions, decisions.

Writer's Block.

Sorry I don't have anything interesting to say the last few days..I've kind of had writer's block. When you're blogging every day for a year, I guess these things happen. Anyway, it's been a pretty decent week. I had my little sign from God earlier this week, then I won $500 bucks on a $5 lottery scratch-off ticket, I found a plane ticket for my trip to Connecticut next weekend for $130...So life is ok right now. I'm not complaining.

Once again, another work week is ending (thank God), and the weekend is ALMOST here. Just gotta get through one more night of work!!!

Quick Post Before Work.

Today is a post just for the sake of getting in my daily post. Leaving to go to work in a few minutes...Just got back from dinner with Sally. Think I had some bad sushi cause my stomach is NOT happy right now.

I got some to go for dinner tonight at work...so I guess only time will tell.

Yuck!

Show Me a Sign.

Some of you might laugh at this post, and that's ok. It was such an overwhelming experience for me, though, that I want to share it with you.

Yesterday was a particularly mopey day for me. Everything I did, saw, or ate (I swear!) reminded me of Felix. Then I got to thinking about my life, and some of the decisions I may have ahead of me, and how I feel like I'm completely in limbo, waiting for my next big life experience.

So, and I tell you this not so you'll feel sorry for me, but so you can identify with my mood, I kind of cried off and on all evening. On my way to work, I decided to have a little chat with God. I've been doing that alot lately, even though I haven't stepped inside a church for at least ten years. So, I'm driving to work, talking to God, and I said, "If only there was a way I KNEW everything was going to be ok, that I haven't made any huge mistakes...if only there was a way I knew I was on the right track."

Next thing I know, I'm driving around a bend on the highway, on a very cold, crisp, CLEAR night, and I see this low, thin, veil of fog in front of me. I don't know how to describe it...but it was the most unusual fog I've ever seen. It was only "hovering" over a very small part of the highway, and I didn't have to drive through it, because it honestly looked like it was a suspended wisp of fog hovering over the road. I was the only car on the highway. When I saw it, it kind of made me gasp, because it was so unusual looking. At the same time, my ipod changed to the song "Details in the Fabric" by Jason Mraz. Here are the lyrics:

Calm down
Deep breaths
And get yourself dressed instead
Of running around
And pulling all your threads and
Breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it
If it’s a broken arm then brace it
If it's a broken heart then face it

And hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything will be fine

Hang on
Help is on the way
Stay strong
I'm doing everything

Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way
Hold your own
Know your name
And go your own way

And everything
Everything will be fine
Everything

Are the details in the fabric
Are the things that make you panic
Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the things that make you blow
Hell, no reason, go on and scream
If you're shocked it's just the fault
Of faulty manufacturing.

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Everything

Hold your own
And know your name
Go your own way

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own)
Are the things that make you panic (Know your name)
Are your thoughts results of static cling? (Go your own way)

Hold your own
Know your name
Go your own way.

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own)
Are the things that make you panic (Know your name)
Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine? (Go your own way)
Are the things that make you blow (Hold your own)
Hell no reason go on and scream (Know your name)
If you’re shocked it's just the fault (Go your own way)
Of faulty manufacturing

Everything will be fine
Everything in no time at all
Hearts will hold


So, I don't know about you, but I think it was a pretty amazing experience, and I think God is telling me I'm on the right track and everything is going to turn out fine, if not better than that. Happy Tuesday.

Happy Music Monday!!!

Today's HMM is dedicated to last night's Grammy ceremony. Say what you want about the music, but the performances were AH-MAZE-ING.

I didn't get to see the whole show in its entirety because I had to go to work, but here are my top three performances in no particular order.

1. Beyonce "If I were a Boy/ You Oughta Know"


2. Green Day & the cast of American Idiot "21 Guns"


3. Pink "Glitter in the Air"

Weekend Recap.

I don't feel like writing a big, long weekend recap today..although it was a pretty awesome couple of days.

I'm watching the Grammy's right now, and Beyonce just won for Song of the Year! God I love that woman.

I think I've said enough.

Caturday.

Nothing to Say, Except...IT'S FRIDAY!!!

....and I live for the weekends!!!!! They go by WAY too fast, though.

This is How I Felt When I Filed My Taxes...

It's All Relative.

I'm not sure what made me think of this the past few days, but I've realized that happiness is all relative. I don't think that anyone is completely happy with all aspects of their lives all the time. There's always something.

Let me explain...or try to.

I'm happy. Those of you who are close to me can probably see it. (Mom, maybe not you because you're the one I always call when I'm upset...sorry, I should really knock that off, huh?) I'm having a great time with my friends, I can do pretty much whatever I want, I have some big possibilities in the future, I'm exercising, eating healthfully (mostly), and just looking out for ME. Which I haven't done in a long time. And it makes me happy.

On the other hand, I'm a little sad. I still miss Felix...sometimes alot. I still cry about it, and I still get lonely because I'm not FULLY used to living alone. I miss being in a relationship, and I miss always having guaranteed weekend plans, even if it's sitting at home, because at least I wasn't sitting at home alone. But when Felix and I were together, I was also sad, but for other reasons. I didn't like the fact that I felt like I was stuck in Youngstown. I had become resigned to the fact that if we were going to be together, that's what I had to do, and I was OK with it, but I wasn't HAPPY about it. I missed hanging out with my friends all the time, I missed having a ton of freedom, and I dealt with a lot of issues we had that weren't getting any better. But I was also happy, because I loved him and had fun with him, and loved the comfort of, well, feeling comfortable.

I guess what I'm saying is that the key to happiness is just focusing on the GOOD things in your life at any given moment, because there's always SOMETHING that's worthwhile going on. I'm not trying to sound like I've got all the answers, or that I've had some sort of Happiness Premonition, but I think it stands true that God doesn't give you anything you can't handle, and if you look around, most of the time there's a lot of great stuff going on around you. So try to focus on the GREAT stuff. Obviously, it's unrealistic to push all the bad, sad stuff to the side..that's not healthy and you gotta deal with it at some point. BUT- when you feel sad, let yourself feel sad for awhile, eat a little ice cream or chocolate, but then get over it. And go to the gym. Or out with your friends.

As Leo Tolstoy apparently said, "If you want to be happy, be."