It would take me almost 3 hours to bike to work!

Plinky Prompt: Could you live without a car for a year?



My commute is 35 miles, ONE WAY! According to the Google Map, it would take me 2 hours and 51 minutes to bike to work! I start work at about 6:00am. I would have to leave for work at 3am.



There would be no time for anything if I didn't have my car.



Are you kidding me?!

A haiku about a fried egg sandwich

Plinky Prompt: Write a haiku about the last meal you ate.

eggs of many colors
Big Fried Egg Sandwich

With Bacon, Cheese, and Green Stuff

Yum.. Avocado

The Manual Transmission

While I'd never outright ask; I'm dying to learn how to drive a stick (manual transmission).



Let me take you back to the days when I first started to drive. Just kidding.. I started to drive when I was like 4 years old (think Britney Spears with her kids)...

On my 16th Birthday I skipped my morning classes and went to take the drivers licenses test. I passed, 98/100 (getting docked for turning my wheels the wrong way parking on a hill, never again will I screw that up!). I had my Ford Bronco II waiting for me, drove it to school, skipped school the rest of the week and drove my ass off. Back then gas was all of 89 cents/gallon, so ya get your friends to chip in a few bucks and you drive for days!



After some time of driving my mom asked me if I wanted to learn how to drive a stick; my brother car was a manual and we could use that. Okay, why not.



A quick fact about me is that I hate being laughed at when I am trying to do something or learn something. This trait was much more predominate when I was in my teens.



So my mom and I go out one day, in my brothers car, to some random street. We change places and now I'm in the drivers seat. "Apply the gas slowly as you let out the clutch"

Attempt #1: car dies. mom laughs. try again.

Attempt #2: car jumps and dies. mom laughs.

I get frustrated.



Attempt #3: mom is laughing so hard she can't tell me what to do. I quit and pout.



I haven't set foot in the drivers seat of a manual transmission since. I want to learn though. There is a car that I'm deathly afraid of ruining (forever!) that has been offered to me a few times... it never happens, so I take that as a sign. i'm open to it still, but you won't find me asking for it. I'm terrified... I think I could handle the laughing better, I just don't want to find out.

My fear is so deep that it prevents me from seeking it out... I think that's a pretty good reason to finally master it, right?!







Plinky Prompt: Describe a skill you'd like to master.

Minnesota is my calling

Plinky Prompt: What's the biggest factor for you in deciding where to live?


Once upon a time I was seriously considering moving out of state. Many things factor in as to why I hate Minnesota, mostly the long dark winters; they're enough to drive anyone into depression. It really does help us appreciate the other 3 seasons so much more though.

Anyhow - the main focus behind my leaving Minnesota was a relationship. I could always come home when I wanted and I'd be away from the things I disliked. People would understand; love is a force and something worth changing for. I knew it would be hard to be away from my family, but it was something I was willing to try.

July 21, 2007 - Enter Jordan Lu, my sweet, adorable, loving niece. She is born and my life seems to take a turn. I'm a role model for someone, I'm someones God Mother, I love this kid way too much... how could I ever leave her?

Things become confused in my mind.

I begin to develop strong bonds with my cousins, bonds more than a family tie, bonds that are lasting and real; friendship bonds. How could I ever give this up and move away from people who mean so much to me?

I have a job with part of my family; how do I quit something that was offered to me out of love, appreciation, and knowing I'm right for it?

For some reason, after considering all of these family ties, I still believe I can move and be happy. I still think people would understand, so I continue to think about it, I continue to ponder everything it means.


Somewhere along the lines the relationship ends and thinking back on it, I'm not sure if I could have found true happiness away from my amazingly crazy and beautiful family, maybe it wasn't the right time or maybe I never could.

Jordan continues to grow and develop into her own little person; there is nothing like walking in the door to see her face light up and yell "AUNTIE!!!!!" There is something real special in having a real conversation with a 2.5 year old child.

I don't know what I'd do without family on holiday's; the big Christmas snowstorm scare of 2009 gave me a brief taste of what Christmas Day might be like if I weren't with my family (Thank God I didn't have to find out).

My summers wouldn't be the same without a new annual tradition of going up North for MSA weekend with my beautiful cousins: drinking, eating, laughing, singing Karaoke and getting guys down on one knee asking us to marry them.

My family keeps me here and I'm pretty sure they always will.

Jersey Shore

Plinky Prompt: Write a haiku about your favorite TV show.



The Situation

Snooki, J-woww, Pauly D

I can't turn it off

My Favorite Breakfast

Plinky Prompt: What are the components of your ideal breakfast?



I used to believe that the only breakfast I could make myself was a delicious breakfast sandwich - which is still a great option.. but not the best. I tend to be pretty traditional; why mess with a good thing?

Eggs - Sunny Side Up
I can't seem to quite master the sunny side up eggs on my own... Steve has though and they are delicious. So the first thing on my plate is Eggs (3), sunny side up. Runny eggs are the BOMB!

Sausage
While I LOVE me some bacon, I think I'd rather have sausage! While the eggs are being made, I'm right there cooking up some sausage, 3 links each. Hormel Little Sizzlers Links are the best, they are the perfect amount of salty in my breakfast!

Bagel
I'm pretty open to any sort of bread in my breakfast, but I do like the bagel for it's solidness. You can toss those runny eggs right on top of the bagel and take a bite! The bagel also serves as a great runny yolk soaker when all your eggs are gone.

COFFEE!
Last, but far from least, I need coffee to complete my balanced breakfast. 'nuff said.

Once it's all ready to eat, you plop your behind on the couch and watch cooking shows! Good inspiration for dinner ideas ;)

I'd Die without my coffee!

Plinky Prompt: What helps you wake up in the morning?





Once upon a time I had a strong distaste for coffee. Well actually... that's not true; let's travel back in time, shall we?



I remember (all of the sudden, vividly) being a little girl and having such love and admiration for my father that I'd do anything to spend time with him or be more like him - somethings never change really, but keeping on topic - he drank coffee like it was going out of style. I remember always going in the kitchen to pour him another cup, and if the pot had been turned off I'd stick it in the microwave and he'd give me some random number to nuke it for; most of the time it was 1:11 (apparently it made my giggle or something). Every now and again I'd ask if I could have a cup for myself; with at least half the bag of sugar I ended up drinking more of a coffee paste than an actual cup of liquid coffee.

{random side thought: I wonder if my parents hated me after a cup off coffee mixed with sugar? Must have been the days we spent all day at the park}



So I continued to grow and pretty much grew out of the coffee thing; turned out my dad liked me enough on my own that I didn't need to try and 'fit in' with him!



Fast forward to a few years ago. One random day I decided that it's time to grow up. I actually remember the day quite clearly, but that's another blog entirely. I needed to branch out from my normal means of caffeine, set the Dew aside and get me a cup of joe! I used to sit in my office and drink my water throughout the morning and have my Dew in the afternoon - that was my fix for the day, and it worked for me. I live in Minnesota though and my office is apparently hard to heat, so why not drink something in the morning that will warm me up AND give me a nice start to the day.



I had to tweak it some to get it just how I liked it, but now it's like tying my shoe or buckling my seat belt; I can fancy up my cup of joe with my eyes closed (assuming someone can tell me where the cup is).

I've tried going a day without it and it's not a very fun day for me or those around me.



I'm not a coffee snob, I don't walk into the local chain coffee house and ask for a grande non-fat latte with a double shot of caramel and no whip (or however they talk). Hell, I don't really even know what a latte is (well, kind of I do), I just drink my black coffee with cream and sweetener. I do like good coffee though, and I'm not afraid to search it out and completely devour myself in it. My office drinks crap coffee because it's cheap and Costco sells it in bulk, I need to spoil myself when I can - Thank God I only work 4 days a week :)



About a year or so ago, I realized that I actually enjoy coffee and I'm not just drinking it to warm me or wake me - I crave it! Friday mornings (my day off) are one of the best mornings in my week because I get to wake up and drink MY coffee (which happens to be Dunkin Donuts coffee, YUM) and enjoy a nice relaxing morning. I get so excited to go to bed on Thursday nights because I know it means I get real coffee in the morning. ahhhhhhhh......



Point being, I need (yes, NEED) my coffee in the morning. You need me to have it as well, trust me ;)





ugh... too bad it's only Monday.

Out to Sea with the Vikings

Plinky Prompt: What specialized rooms does your new multi-million dollar yacht have?



These are just 2 of the rooms my yacht would have. The bedrooms would be off the chains and of course it would have a movie theater!

"Go Vikings"
.. but I still hate Brett Favre.



As, first, a Vikings fan, my yacht would have a room solely dedicated to The Purple and Gold. I live for this season, and what better than having a year round room for it?



Clearly the room would have the latest and greatest HD flat screen on the market, an amazing surround sound system, and what's a sports themed room without DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket and every other sports package out there?!



Unfortunately for me and my fellow Vikings cohorts, the Purple and Gold only play a few months out of the year, so the room would have some memorabilia from the other local teams, including but not limited to: KG bling (T-wolves) and Mauer's autographed lips (Twins). Really the coolest things out there, even though KG is no longer a T-puppy and Mauer wouldn't be quite as sexy without his luscious lips.

The one thing you will look for many times over but never find is anything relating to the number 4. Just because he plays for the Vikings doesn't mean I have to like him (I've written a blog or two about my feeling on this subject, so I'll spare the details here). Let's just say he will never be worthy of any wall space on my yacht!



Of course there is a Beer fridge as well, cause really what is a game without a beer? Is there even such a thing?



Last and pretty important is a Wing dispenser. Think Rosie on the Jetsons , you push a button and get the wing sauce of your choice in the quantity desired. Boom, done.

Kitchen
As a huge lover of all things food, a state of the art kitchen is a must for any 'homes' I own.



Obviously you need a kitchen to feed yourself and your crew. I'd also want my kitchen to be a hangout though, so it would need to have very comfortable seating. Since the kitchen is already huge, we may as well put a couch in there, something round-esque as to make it comfortable for everyone but personal enough for more intimate gatherings.

My kitchen would also have a huge island in it, because I feel islands are fantastic for standing around while you're cooking and chatting with friends.



I'd have every appliance known to man, including all the "As seen on TV" gadgets! I'd have a flat screen that raises up from the counter top, a fridge that cools itself, a fully digital modern stove full with convection oven, and LOTS of counter space to layout all the food my personal chef will prepare!



(Don't forget about the little Wing Rosie roaming around the halls!)

Family ritual: Long Good-byes

Plinky Prompt: What are/were your family rituals?

List the strange habits of your people.

Long Good-byes
I'm only going to list one thing, because there is one thing that we constantly talk about... our long good-byes.



My dad's side of the family... we roll at least 26 deep at any given family function; sometimes more, if you throw in any flavors of the week one of my cousins might be trying. The odd thing about our family is the fact that we actually like each other, we look forward to gatherings and we really do get along!



Our days begin with lots of snacks: crackers and cheese balls, cocktail shrimp, really anything munch worthy. Our day moves along with lots of laughing, lots of wine, beer, or cocktail of your choice, and lots of good conversation.

We think of pretty much any excuse to plan a function together - not just your general holidays. On average I would say we start our days 'anytime after 1pm' and most of the time we end up with stragglers up until 7pm or so.... solid amount of time spent with one another!



Seven o'clock comes quick once you figure in arrivals/greetings, time to snack, and time to eat the actual meal we are there for... we have to start saying our goodbyes pretty much right after dinner! If there are 25 other people we have to say goodbye to... my goodness - that can take all night!

We're all talkers, so it's not just a quick hug goodbye... it's a hug, a kiss, a 'it was so good to see you and I love you', amongst many other things. We'll make our way around the room saying goodbye, but end up at the back of the group and find ourselves saying goodbye to some of the same people a few times on the way back out!



We all joke about the '(insert last name here) Goodbye' and how we are so silly because of it.



I love my family to death and our long goodbyes are one of the things I most look forward to each time we are together, not because I want to leave, but because they are so fun!

My Sad Songs

Plinky Prompt: What songs bring a tear to your eye?

Collide by Howie Day

Lots of history with this one... pulls hard on my heart strings, always has, always will.

I'm learning to cope in public.

If Tomorrow Never Comes by Garth Brooks

Ever since the first time I heard this song it has had a huge impact on me. If you really take the time to listen to the words.. .and really feel what it means... it's deep stuff, yo.

Basically this: What if something happened to you today... would the people you care about know how much you cared? Take the time to tell people what they mean to you... it's important.

Goodbye My Lover by James Blunt

This CD came into my life at a time where I was struggling with my current life situations - I felt I needed to be strong, I felt a crazy amount of love flowing through my body, I felt hopeless. Each time I felt empowered to make a decision of any sort... I would put this song on and cry like I've never cried before.

Just thinking about it now brings a tear to my eye. God, music is powerful.

Random v.9.12

Weeds - So I started watching Season 4 (oops, I mean S4) of Weeds last night - I'm in loooooveeeee!  I will say right off the bat though that I am thoroughly disappointed with the lack of Little Boxes, on the hillside... Little boxes made of ticky-tacky... Little Boxes, Little Boxes... They did play it for the first episode, but the others have some lame little intro.  I do understand it no longer takes place in the setting to play the song, but damn yo!  I love having that song stuck in my head... it's so joyful!  Aside from that, I'm loving where the season is headed.  I believe there were 5 episodes on the first disc... watched 'em all, loved 'em all, laughed out loud quite a few times.  Am I using the word 'love' too much here?  Do I care?  No, because I LOVE this show.  I'm going to buy the season after work today (along with Gran Torino).  There's just something about that Nancy Botwin...

Blogging - It's falling off yo, people aren't doing it as much as they used to - makes me sad.  I know summer is busy and all, but I so much enjoy reading the blogs I do.  I think it's silly how we sit and read each others blogs to know about each others lives... like you, yes YOU... the one sitting there reading this right now - do you really care about my life that much that you're reading my blog?  You must... and I'm glad you do - I love the attention, so thank you, Mr. or Ms. blog reader, I appreciate you.  Now, that being said and you knowing that I like attention... why don't you leave a comment and say hello, especially if you never have, I'd love to know you're reading.

Plinky - On topic with blogging falling, have you guys checked out Plinky yet?  To bloggers specifically, it really helps with ideas and keeps your blog going, so people don't forget about you ;)  It generally takes just a short bit to type out an answer and the site is very helpful with adding elements to the posts, such as maps or images, and if you link it, it will automatically publish to your blog.

Panties - I used to buy my panties (E, I'm using this word just for you) from New York & Co., but they have stopped making the particular style I like... I just don't know what to do!  I almost refuse to search out other options... but eventually my current panties will need to be replaced.  I'm just a wreck over this as of late... my current panties are getting old and I'm going to need to do something soon.  (This could be the dumbest thing I've ever written!)  I'm not looking for options/suggestions here, just looking for some moral support.

Porn Star Names - Upon being asked to come up with a porn star name (for reasons that are just NONE of your business), I found this list of female porn star names by decade - on Wikipedia. Notice how in the 60's you have 3 names... now scroll down to the 2000's - isn't that F'n nuts!  This obviously shows how much the porn industry has grown (and we still have 6 months left of the year).  Just something I thought worth mentioning.

Making out in Valleyfair

Plinky Prompt: Where was your first kiss?

It was either the last day or one of the last days of 6th grade... our school was on a field trip to Valleyfair. For days before hand I would sit on the phone with my girlfriends talking about how to have my first kiss with Ryan; where it would be, what I should do, what time we'd be there. We would do 3-way calls, Ryan would be on the other line and my friends would click back and forth - God Forbid Ryan and I actually talk to each other about it... or let it happen naturally! UGH - girls are so silly.



Fast forward to the day of...

It's a cold day in June, extremely cloudy, light rain - then plan is to meet at Excalibur around noon. I'm obviously on time... nervous... freezing cold. Ryan shows up... shivering (from the cold not the nerves) - we embrace. All of our friends are standing around, watching. We look [deep and passionately, jk] into each others eyes... our faces move closer to each other and ... ... complete disaster! Our mouths are shivering from the cold - that has disaster written all over it! Our mouths barely work, our lips are freezing, our teeth hit... it was easily the most romantic moment of my life... NOT!



Afterwards we walk away from each other and back to our group of same sex friends...



The End.

Point the getaway car East

Plinky Prompt: The getaway car is waiting outside – where is it taking you?

So, I've always loved road trips... and I've never done one to the East Coast. Who doesn't love the East Coast?

From Minnesota I would get to see:

*Chicago (a city in which I have fond memories, and a few bad) - either way it would be fun to stop for a slice or take in the view from the top of the Sears Tower again.

*Sandusky, OH - which is the home of Cedar Point Park, and I've always wanted to go play there!

*Cleveland - a city I've never been to and would like to see (but not DYING to go). I am curious about the culture there, after all, having a football team with just a color as your name and no mascot on your helmet (which looks more Orange than Brown)... what could these people be thinking?!

*Take the road to Buffalo, NY and of course make a side trip to Niagara Falls. Something I've dreamed of my whole life... Niagara Falls! Man, that would be awesome - I have a huge thing for waterfalls :)



At that point, I would direct the car back to the South a little so I could somehow make my way through Rhode Island - ever since I was little I have been in love with that state because it's the smallest, and I've kind of felt bad for it. Just being in it and saying I've been there would be a very exciting thing for me, for the rest of my life.



*I would really like to take the road that leads to Provincetown on Cape Cod as it's one of my favorite places I've ever been. I'm not sure if it's the actual cape or just the fantastic time I had while there... either way, I want to go back.

*Boston would be the next stop on the way to Portland, Boston is cute and I would like to see it again someday.

*Portland, ME would be the last stop. Not sure what to do once there... but being in New England and in the upper most Eastern state would be a neat thing for me.



The road home I would probably cruise through New York City, Jersey (and try to see some of the Soprano's sights), then I'd stop in Philly for sure and stay for a bit.

After that there really isn't much on my list to see, but I'd find things along the way to stop and look at, I'm sure.



Anyhow - it's kind of a long trip in a getaway car... but hey, it's how I roll.

Some of My Favorite Words

Plinky Prompt: What words do you love?

Necessary
I pretty much really only love to type it. Necessary... necessary, necessary - try it!

Or try necessarily. :)

One of the silly things about me... however, necessary is also a great word to use, but only when it's necessary. It's not necessarily necessary all the time, you know?

Mediocre
Mediocre is one of those words that, the first time I saw it typed out in my adult life I thought "What the hell does that say?!" Ever since then, I've loved it. It's also fun to pronounce the way it looks; it'll make people wonder ;)

Summer
Can you honestly tell me that the word 'summer' doesn't make you think happy thoughts or conjure up wonderful memories?

Fuck
It is against the rules of this website to list a 'taboo' word?



In all seriousness... Fuck is a wonderful word - it's fits everywhere! I use it more than I should, because I'm a lady and all, but I really don't think about it when I'm spitting it out. It can be a happy word, it can be an angry word, it can be a silly word... Oh, how I love the F-bomb! There is even a documentary on the word... look it up, if you're into dropping the f-bomb :)

My Time Capsule for 40 Years Out

Plinky Prompt: List all the things you'd put in a time capsule to be opened in 40 years.

This is just the beginning....

News Paper
With the economy today and many newspapers going out of publication; I feel it's important to not only have a newspaper for memory's sake but to also have a clue to what was going on in the news for the particular day. In 40 years time, a newspaper would probably blow someones mind - imagine how taken over by technology we will be in 40 years... a newspaper would be a huge blast from the past.

A Blackberry/iPhone
Simple really... to see how far technology has come in 40 years - right now smart phones are all the rage, seems everyone has one. Let's show the future where we are at in the present.

A List of "Current Events"
Current President, Current popular music, Current popular movies, current popular TV shows, current food trends, current fashion trends, current populations of large cities, price of gas, etc.

A List of "Future Predictions"
Basically things like "The world is going to end in 2012", "flying cars"... all the things we THINK are going to happen in the future... just like when I was little I thought the year 2000 would be just like on The Jetsons. These would be predictions of the world, not necessarily just my own personal predictions.

A Bottle of Reserve Wine
Why not give the future something to drink while their looking through the past?! Not to mention a bottle of Reserve sitting for 40 years... should I even continue?

Nothing Like Love

Since Plinky is having problems publishing to my blog and I worked just so dang hard at this answer... I'm just going to copy and paste [turns out that works just as well :)]

Plinky Prompt: "Let's settle this: Is it better to have loved and lost, or never to have loved at all?" 

There is so much to learn from love. The act of loving is something every person needs to experience once in their life. Sure it hurts to lose someone, sure it pulls at your heartstrings when a relationship ends; no one wants to hurt. 

Being loved is a wonderful feeling and being able to love someone back makes it all the more amazing - it's like a high you never want to come down from. 

I think loving someone takes guts - for me, it's easy but I love with my eyes open. I let all 5 senses guide me - with a mix of women's intuition and logic. Sounds silly to equate love with the 5 senses but think about it; Touch, Sight, Smell, Taste and Sound. When you're "in love" your senses are completely amplified. To touch someone you love feels better, to see someone you love brings a huge smile to your face, the smell, albeit not always good, makes you want to wrap your arms around them and never let go, pressing your lips together and tasting each other is a special thing that you don't share with just anyone [or maybe you do...], and lastly there is sound... to be able to hear the person you love, laugh with them, share with them.. sound is probably not the most amplified of all the senses but isn't it nice to hear the person you love? 
All that being said you have to be logical while still doing what feels right and good - many people can be blinded by love, in turn causing more hurt than what is necessary. 

It's exciting to want to share daily happenings with someone else, to be able to be stupid and appreciated all at the same time, to just want to be around someone else.. that's huge! 

Even so, taking the 'boyfriend/girlfriend' thing out of it - think about your parents or a friend you love. Could you imagine having never loved that person? Could you imagine what your life would be like without having the loving experiences with that person? 

I love with my whole heart because love is nothing without heart. 
When that love comes to an end it can be the most painful thing you've ever experienced, but look at what you've learned and how much you've grown in the process. Time heals all - that statement is especially true in love. 

There is no way I would ever want to go through life not having loved... I can't imagine how empty I would feel if I hadn't.

Random - v.9.10

• LOL, I need to explain this post from last week.  On plinky, you are prompted with a question or one line that you respond to, or answer... I learned right away that it doesn't post the Plinky prompt when you publish it to the blog, so I have been trying to remember to add the 'prompt' to the beginning of my post, so that when you, the reader, look at it... it makes sense.  Some of them are kind of strange and not really a question.  So the above linked post was plinky asking me to craft the perfect excuse.  I was in a feisty mood, and came up with that.  Hope that helps, LOL, I did make some changes to that post... but just as an FYI for the future: I will try to post the plinky prompt at the beginning of each post.  Sorry for the confusion.
• A gripe about the new Facebook... Fan Pages.  UGH.  So you 'become a fan' of flip-flops, camping, texting, hugging, laughing, etc. - what is the point of this?  Sure, I like all those things, but I don't need to 'become a fan' of the page on facebook.  The things I'm a fan of are real things, like Central Park, Minnesota Twins, Dunkin Donuts, The Office, Post Secret, etc. - things that, when they have news, they can post an update and I can be in the loop.  I don't need an update on flip-flops yet I'm still a fan of them, in real life.  I just don't get it.  Follow this link to browse fan pages... you'll be surprised how many non-sensical things you can be a fan of.
• The Scavenger Hunt is almost over!  I'm sad, but Nicole has promised that we'll have another starting May 1st, so I have that to look forward to!  I can't wait for the new list, the suspense is killing me.  Here is my progress so far... I only need a self portrait to complete it, so I'll obviously finish... I'm just trying to come up with a way to make it interesting.  I posted one shot on my daily photo blog, and mentioned that, as someone who loves to have her picture taken, I'm lacking in thought for how to make it 'pop'.  Part of me wants to get all dolled up, play and have fun while the other part of me wants to show myself in a more natural fashion [just rolling out of bed in the morning, right after roller blading,  or something like that].  I have a couple days yet and several photos to fall back on if I can't come up with something.
• I've been so extremely happy as of late.  Chalk it up to seasons changing and life in general being fantastic.  I've found myself going to update the Facebook status and deleting it because it's like... too positive!  Seriously.  Is the possible?  I used to read positive updates and be like 'ugh'... for no good reason.  If someone is happy then they should be talking about it; not enough happiness is spread around this world of ours.  Back in October I posted this TFT about Optimism and I had such a great response to it!  Since then I feel I have made GREAT progress in becoming more optimistic ... without really thinking too much about it.  I think a huge part of that came with me moving on with my own life and really beginning to close a chapter in my life... a chapter that I relied on for happiness, for several years.  It feels good.  I haven't 100% closed that chapter, but I've come a long way in moving on to new chapters [I've always been a slow reader ;)].  Another huge part of my optimism is surrounding myself with good people, true friends, and an overall drama free lifestyle.  When I find myself facing the more negative people or drama-filled situations.. I instantly find myself drawing into pessimistic feelings.  Life is good, I don't need drama or negativity.  Surrounding yourself with people that you have a fantastic time with and truly enjoy is one huge key to life!  I wish I would have known this many years ago... I have amazing friends!
• Quickly, one last note... On either May 21st [after work] or May 22nd [bright and early] I will be driving to Missouri to spend the weekend with one of my amazing friends, Renee!  I couldn't be happier!!

The Jeans Won

Plinky Prompt: You've got some explaining to do.  Craft the perfect excuse.





Well, you see... my jeans were so tight that I couldn't get them off at bedtime. I stayed up all night fighting with them and finally had to get a chain saw to cut them off. As you can guess, I picked the wrong tool and ended up cutting my legs off in the process... I'll be okay though, once the bleeding stops.

One day I'll roll in a 1970 Chevelle

What's your dream ride?

What car would you most like to drive and why?



Ever since I can remember I've loved old classic cars. The body, the shape, the power, the sound... they are so clean and beautiful to me. Back in the day I used to know a lot about cars... I rolled with the guys who knew; they would talk and I would listen. I've since grown away from the knowledge but my love for them has continued on.



My dream ride: 1970 Chevelle 454 SS - I go back and forth on the color, but as of this moment it would be dark green with white racing stripes [used to be blue, and for a short bit it was a deep red]. I'd take any color though... just to have the car.



I went to a junk yard the other weekend to take some photos and the place was full of old cars, junky, but still beautiful in their own right. Torn to pieces, picked at, and left for dead... these cars all had shape and character. You know each car had a story to tell... it was so neat to see all those cars.

Over this past weekend I watched American Graffiti for the first time in my life and absolutely loved it ... and all the old Hot Rods in it. Heaven!



Then... on Sunday Steve and I rolled down to Midway. Now, for those who don't know, Midway is a strip of road by Porky's Drive-In where all the classic cars go on Friday and Saturday nights in the summer and just roll up and down the street. Granted, we were there by the light of day, I still had a rush of emotion. I used to spend every weekend down there when I was 17, 18, 19 years old. We'd park and just watch the cars go by. I had a few friends who had pretty nice cars; an El Camino, a Grand National, and some big trucks ... with a few others that would show up every now and then. My mom had a huge truck back then, and I'd drive it down there and just eat up the attention it got me from the boys... Oh man, those were the days!



As we got older and the ways of the world changed [more crime and such], the cops started coming down around 11pm and closing the street off and pretty much made everyone go home. It got lame so we stopped going. I miss it... and I fully intend to make a trip down to Midway this summer and see what it's like 10 years later.



I love thinking back to those times in my life. I used to think I was such a bad ass chick and I always thought that hopping into a 1970 Chevelle with a wife beater and my sexy long hair blowing in the wind would be such a good look for me. Who am I kidding... besides the long hair, it would still be a good look for me. Close your eyes and picture me rollin' - one hand on the wheel, window down and the other arm resting on the window sill... music blaring, probably some bass coming out of the trunk. It's a nice thought; isn't it?

I need a hug

If all the world's a stage, and we're merely players, how does your next scene begin?

Black and white .22 caliber bullet

The next scene begins with me sitting at my desk with a gun to my head.



...keep reading...



Some days I hate my job more than others. Today is one of those days. Some days it's extremely easy for me to be in a good mood and other days I wake up with a short fuse.



Clearly I'm joking about the gun to my head, life is not that bad and come 4 o'clock, I'm out of here on to bigger and better things [except for today, because I have to stay and clean]; 4 o'clock I'm no longer working. It's real easy for me to forget about work once I'm gone.



I know how to do my job and I do it extremely well. I don't need to be reminded of something that I have every intention of getting to before the week ends.

Unfortunately for me today, part of my job is answering the phone and the phones have been ringing off the hook - how am I supposed to focus with constant distractions? What's worse is sometimes people in the office find it necessary to repeat a page after I've made it - I know what I said, there is no need to say it again.



A few weeks ago I spent almost an entire day redesigning an 8 page document because we came to the conclusion that the previous one had somehow become corrupt. This document has tables, forms, grids, symbols, and special formatting... it was not a piece of cake. Today I find that we are having the same problems with it... only to find out about 2 minutes later that it seems to be working fine again. UGH.



Taking a short break to write out my frustrations generally helps a great deal; whether in private or in public. I'm hoping this will be the case today.



I'm 27 years old and, while I make act like a child sometimes, I am no longer a little kid.



I want an office with walls so I can escape when I need to.



--end scene--