Recent Obsessions

For those that still make the trek to this website, despite my obvious negligence in posting, here are some things that have made me happy lately. I pass the knowledge on to you- go, be happy too.

MUSIC:

"The Greatest" - Cat Power

"L.E.S. Artistes" - Santigold

(Neither of these songs was released recently, but I watched 17 Again (of all things) yesterday on HBO (free for 4 days- thanks AT&T U-verse!) and heard these songs and immediately downloaded. And side note- 17 Again is a really good movie.)

"We Are Born" - NEW entire album by Sia. I just love this woman.

MOVIES:

The A Team - I know what you're going to say- "REALLY?". But if you like a good action flick and enjoy the sight of Bradley Cooper's abs, hit up the theater now.

Toy Story 3 - Seriously amazing. Pixar/Disney is genius. It ended perfectly and poignantly and I cried like a baby. It's so good, you forget it is an animated film. Just watch out for the creepy baby doll. You'll know what I mean.

BOOKS:

"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen. It's about the circus and it was a great read. The last half is especially riveting.

TECHNOLOGICAL GADGETS:

iPhone 4- No, I haven't technically bought this yet (sorry, I don't camp out overnight or wait in a five hour long line for a phone I can buy a couple days later without a wait) but I already know it is going to change my life. That on top of all the rave reviews from people who already got one: color me SO EXCITED.

My Macbook- Yes, I am still counting the ways I love thee.

Band of Brothers

I had already seen the mini-series Band of Brothers before and I loved it. But let me tell you, seeing it all again doesn't make it any less powerful, any less moving, or any less inspiring. Memorial Day brought an all day marathon of the series on Spike TV, and I was rendered helpless to avoid it. I am so obsessed with the spirit of the WWII days- the heroism, the selflessness, the extreme courage, the love for America, the idea that it is about more than just you. These days, we are much more hard pressed to find such a group of valiant men who are willing to give up life as they know it to protect their nation. Oh believe me, there are men and women like this serving right now for our country here and overseas. And they exemplify this brave and giving spirit. But I venture to say America as a whole does not have that same something- that work together and give of yourself quality- that made the WWII era in America so incredibly inspiring. The sacrifices made by so many veterans throughout all the years of America's existence- well it makes me a bit speechless.

If you have not yet seen this 2001 mini-series, I sincerely suggest you either add it to your netflix queue, run to your nearest Blockbuster (if it is still in business), or just go ahead and buy it. You won't be sorry. I know 10 hours of war drama sounds incredibly taxing, but believe me, it is completely worth the time investment. It follows the true stories of real men in some of the most well-known and deadly battles of WWII. And don't skip the special features- these interviews with surviving veterans that were featured in the mini-series is such a treat. Some of the most incredible men. If you don't come out of it crying, wanting to hug a veteran, or wishing you had asked your grandpas about their service in the war before they passed on, you may not be human. I know I have been gushing and over the top about this, but I really think all Americans should be required to see this in order to fully comprehend the sacrifices that were made to allow them the freedom and luxuries they enjoy today.

Wow. Really only meant for this blog post to be maybe two lines encouraging your viewership of said mini-series. But apparently I was pretty moved by this. Expect a similarly impassioned post, I am sure, after I finish watching the newest HBO WWII mini-series covering the battles in The Pacific.

Sign Me Up!

Today I proved once again that I am unable to turn down any sort of deal or sales pitch if I allow myself to listen longer than 30 seconds to the spiel. In my defense, it is really not fair to be talked into signing a year long massage membership contract immediately after finishing up an awesome hour long massage. So you are looking at the newest member of Massage Envy. I could have been convinced to join something much worse, like say the circus, so I don't really have buyer's remorse. Now I get to look forward to a massage every month for the next year, which in my book sounds like a winning idea.

Also today I saw Julie & Julia. Very good movie- highly recommend. Although the ending left a strange taste in my mouth for certain reasons that probably would only ever be something that would bother silly old me, so I am looking past it. And while I am speaking of movies, here's one I never thought I would love: Hot Tub Time Machine. Assuming you have a high tolerance for the F word and tend to enjoy stupid irreverent humor, you will probably get a kick out of it as well.

April 2010 Post

And you thought I would make it through April without posting once! Well, here is my obligatory April blog to prove you dead wrong.

I decided today to really get motivated in my day to day activities. As it may be clear through reading this blog, I like TV. A lot. Sometimes [most times] it distracts me from doing things my mind and body would most definitely benefit from more. I am going to buy some kind of organizational tool (filofax/calendar) to hold me accountable for things that need to and should be accomplished daily (I must thank my friend JBierman for this inspiration). I have always been a "lists" girl and live my life with sticky notes. EVERYWHERE (you should see my desk at work). Perhaps this will simplify things so I can be more efficient with my personal to do lists. Now I can structure my free time to include things such as reading books, cooking dinner, working out, etc. I know how I am, and if it is written down, so shall it be done. Motivation here I come! Expect more posting from now on too- I plan to structure that in weekly. OH THE POSSIBILITIES. I will report back on any success I have.

Wish me and my nerd self luck. Oh and list below any books you think are a must read. I am making a list of novels to conquer.

Return of the Missing Blogger!

Kind of sort of got caught up with my busy busy life and coincidentally shirked my blogging responsibilities.

That is actually a lie, and not a very good one. My lack of blogging can be summed up in one word: lazy. Sure, I have a life and I do stuff and I get busy. But I also spend countless hours staring at the black box I call a TV, leaving plenty of time and muscle to type words on a screen. And yet I can't quite seem to muster the motivation it takes to flip open my beautiful macbook and put to print the running commentary in my brain. It is too much work apparently.

Well put your worries to rest, I'm back. At least for today. While I am at work. And we are slow. And I don't have the promise of something fun on my DVR to distract me. SO LAZY. (And I know you missed me so much, one person who accidentally ended up on this website while googling something about food. [Hey, I like food too!])

And now,

back by popular demand: LIST OF RANDOMNESS!

* Lindsay Lohan sues E-Trade for $100 million. Honestly, I hardly have words for how dumb this is. Wait... yes I do: Like I am supposed to believe that Lindsay Lohan is emotionally scarred and deserving of $100 million in damages for a stupid commercial that uses her FIRST name only in jest? "Lindsays" of the world unite: there is a class action lawsuit in here somewhere: if you look real real hard and, oh yeah, bastardize the American legal system. Another example of bratty celebrities with inflated egos and unrealistic senses of entitlement grasping at straws in an attempt to cling to their (most likely) undeserving fame and fortune. I hate celebutards.

* The Rodeo is fun. I dressed up like a Cowgirl to go today. Boots and all (boots, I might add, that I got for $30; originally $130. BOO-YAH. AND I got to cross something off my list of 101 in 1001, so double score.)

* Anyone been watching American Idol? I am kind of disappointed coming off of last year's trifecta of brilliance that was Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta (Danny Gokey who?). But I think I am being a little harsh and judgy. Currently I favor: Crystal Bowersocks, Didi Benami, Katelyn Epperly, Siobahn Magnus, Lilly Scott, Andrew Garcia, Lee Dawyze, and stage-fright plagued mullet boy whose name escapes me. The rest I can kind of do without.

* I really want to try going a week without my cell phone. Sometimes I feel like it distracts me from life. What with the facebook updates, twitter temptations, emails, texts, phone calls, GAH. I wonder what that week would be like. It seems.... freeing. But also, very hard to stay in touch. Dilemma.

* I just love my mom. She is hilarious. A continued source of humor whether she means to be or not. Actual phone conversation last night after she insisted on installing her dvr box herself (I just convinced my parents that they needed dvr in their life so they could STOP RECORDING ON VHS TAPES. It may have been too much technology too fast. Remains to be seen.):
-Mom: I can't find the guide now! The dvr deleted my guide!
-Me: You should still have a guide. You need to call comcast again if it isn't coming up.
...(brief interim as she calls comcast)
-Mom: OK, I got the guide back. Now how do I record things?
-Me: Easy. Find what show you want to record on the guide, hilight it, press the record button on the remote and then follow the instructions that pop up- you can either record the series every time it comes on, only at certain times, or only this one time. You can also tell it how long to keep it on the dvr.
-Mom: Wait, what??
-Me: (explains again, slower)
-Mom: OK, it says it is recording. Now how do I watch it?
-Me: Go to "my dvr" and find it and press play. Try it now.
-Mom: But it isn't done recording yet!
-Me: Doesn't matter. You can still start watching from your recording. It will start at the beginning when you hit play. Then you can fast forward thru commercials until you hit live TV.
-Mom: WHAT??? You can fast forward? (she tests it and sure enough...) This is so cool!
-Me: Yes! Isn't it?
-Mom: OK, well I have to go. Dad and I are going to dinner and we want to get back in time so we don't miss the start of his show at 7.
-Me: MOM! That is the whole point of dvr!! RECORD the show and then no matter when you get home you can watch from the beginning!
-Mom: What if I get home at 7:05? Won't I miss the first 5 minutes?
-Me: NO. It records the entire episode and saves it forever until you delete it! You can watch it whenever! AND BONUS: you can fast forward thru the commercials if you come in on it late!
-Mom: What about if I come home at 7:45?
-Me: O. M. G.

Best phone conversation to date.

Those Were the Days...

Hello. I just watched another episode of "Lost" and am so confused, I thought I would write a blog post about something completely opposite so my head doesn't explode.

I went to my college town this past weekend for the first time since October and walked around campus for probably the first time since I graduated in 2006. Every time I go back, it's like a flashback to all those amazing college experiences I accumulated over 4 years. As dumb as it sounds, every street reminds me of something, and stupid things like a sign for the "Pie R Squared" cafe triggers memories I haven't thought about in forever. I am making it sound like I have been out of college for 50 years, I know. But hey, time flies when you go to the same job day in and day out. I am creeping up on 4 years of post-graduate status and I already look back on college as this distant and perfect arrangement that I totally took for granted. I mean, I went to class MAYBE for 3 to 5 hours a day tops, and I slept in when I wanted, took naps when I wanted, ate when I wanted, studied when I wanted, went out when I wanted, talked to who I wanted, acted like an idiot when I wanted... Yes, yes, I am an adult and can do all of those things now, but can I do them without the responsibility of maintaining a 40 hour a week job? Or without the pressure of having to make rent or save money for my future? Or without worrying that I am never going to have a real career? No. College is important. You're getting an education that dictates the path you will take. But it is also the last simple, irresponsible 4 years of your life. Wow, that sentence sounded so final and depressing. Don't get me wrong, I am incredibly happy with my life and have a great time. But college. You were over in a flash. Before I even realized how awesome and easy you were.

Aaaaaand.....

Time to go to bed at 10 PM so I am not a walking zombie for my full-time job in the morning.

To end on a high note, I have joined the crazies. Follow me on twitter if you like: @sheridanrenee.

LOSTLOSTLOST. LOST.

LOST. I love it. Am obsessed. The final season just began on Tuesday night and the inner nerd in me has sprung to the occassion. It's fun to get caught up in the craziness. If you are a fan, you might find these youtube finds interesting. If not, you should go netflix seasons 1-5 now, watch, and get back to me.

This one is cool for putting together the events of the day of the plane crash, as they unfolded over 5 seasons of flashbacks, etc.

If you watched the Season 6 premiere, you will appreciate this one.

Sorry. Done with that. For now.

I'm with Coco.

Hey, I'm alive. I truly have had every intention of blogging for the past month, but obviously I suck at follow-through.

I have been catching up on backlogged episodes of the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien on my dvr. I still have the final 2 episodes to go and I have to say I am a little resistant to get to them because it makes me sad! Poor guy was screwed by NBC and Jay Leno. The last couple of weeks of his show have been hysterical, so even though it was wrong he had to go, I am glad he got to go out in a blaze of glory. I'm interested to see how awkward and offensive NBC will make the transition back to Jay Leno. I am going to miss Conan, but he is so dang funny, I am sure he won't be gone from television long. Yay, Coco.

There you go, my unsolicited thoughts on that. And now I am signing off again. Sorry, this was a lame post.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Woah, two blog posts in a row. I'm on a roll. Christmas Eve is tomorrow! Then it is Christmas Day! These are all things that you already know! Looks like maybe I shouldn't have been so ambitious to make another blog post today. I think I am too distracted to make a coherent post. Here is a list of things I have learned this Christmas season:

1. Free food and candy is awesome and when presented to me, I will eat it.
2. There is a definite limit to how much candy/sweets you can have before you want to vomit. No matter how free it is.
3. I will wait in line at Target @ 4:30 AM in the sub zero temperatures with the crazies to get a good deal on what I want.
4. Home Alone still stands the test of time as far as fun holiday movies go. Maybe because it was such a cool movie when I was young and I am nostalgic. I don't know. But it is awesome.
5. I have amazing friends that bought me awesome presents.
6. My family is crazy, but I love them immensely.
7. My boyfriend will never buy me a kitten for Christmas.
8. Thinking it will be ok to wait to the last minute to buy presents/visit the mall is a grave error in judgment.
9. It is impossible to wrap a stick pony well enough that it appears anyone over the age of 5 handled the job.
10. If you are looking for a very specific item, you will never find it. Or you will find it and it will take 50 million dollars and your kidney to buy it.
11. I will always go into Christmas shopping saying "I am not going to spend a lot of money this year." And then I will proceed to spend a crap ton more than the previous year.
12. "O Holy Night" is still the best Christmas hymn ever.
13. "All I Want For Christmas" by Mariah Carey never gets old.
14. "Feliz Navidad", on the other hand, DOES. A lot. It inspires stapler throwing.
15. Texas weather will never properly reflect the season it occurs in.

I seriously doubt I will be posting tomorrow or Friday, so......

Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

Buddy the Elf, What's Your Favorite Color?

LIST!!!!!!

• I love Christmas. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. I love Christmas music (which has been playing on my work radio for the past week- Sunny 99.1, non-stop Christmas music since Thanksgiving. Word.). I love Christmas trees. I love the general merriment the season brings. I love spending time with family. I love giving gifts (and duh, getting them). I also love Christmas movies- Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, etc etc. Call me a sap, but this is the best time of the year, bar none. My heart is full, people.
• Brittany Murphy died, which is really sad. She was just so young. Favorite Brittany Murphy movie: Clueless. I have seen it about 5 million times. "Cher, I don't want to do this anymore. And my buns: they don't feel nothin' like steel."
• Famous people die in sets of three, right? Eeessh.
• Has anyone seen Avatar? I can't decide if the movie will be good enough to offset how much the freaky blue people scare me.
• A certain boyfriend of mine has made it clear that he does not care to hold my keys if it can be avoided, as I have acquired quite a few obnoxious keychains and crap on them over the years. Well, I took a big step away from my mild hoarding tendencies today. I finally took off the LA Fitness and Darque Tan plastic scan cards that I still had flopping on my keychain, despite not having been members of either establishment for more than a year. I couldn't, however, part with the Petco one, even though I haven't lived with an animal for over 3 years. What if I get a cat some day?? I might NEED it. They don't just hand those out you know...oh wait... I also removed: cap from a long since lost green mini sharpie that used to live on my keychain; key from our old house that my parents moved out of in June; key that I have no idea what it actually goes to but for some reason have kept on my keychain for years hoping one day I would figure it out or all of the sudden need it; keychain I got from Disney World my senior year of highschool that used to say "Sheridan" and now says "eridan". I did, however, counterproductively add a key chain I received from a coworker for Christmas. Oops. Baby steps.

Strike 2, Immune System.

I got strep. Again. Second time this year. Second time in 8 month span. I hate you, body. Fortunetly, this case was not as bad as the last- as in I did not feel like I was knocking on death's door. I think I caught it early enough to avoid the most painful and dramatic parts, thankfully. I mean seriously, I can pretty much diagnose myself now. Who needs a doctor and a $20 copay? Oh right, I do, because I can't write my own prescriptions. Maybe when some of my friends become doctors I can abuse that relationship and bribe a prescription out of them when I know I have it. Probably not. And now that the sore throat is pretty much gone, I am left with this hacking gagging awful sounding cough that I am pretty sure inspires paranoia in my coworkers, considering one literally just threw a cough drop at me and sprayed lysol into the air. On the bright side, I only had to use one vacation day from work this time, regardless of whether I should have stayed away longer, so yay medicine. See you again in 6 months, old friend.

In other news, you should go see "The Blind Side" with Sandra Bullock. If it doesn't make you smile, vow to be a better person & never take your life for granted, then your heart is made of stone. K- you probably shouldn't bother, as this is based on a true story.

101 in 1001

I saw this list in a friend's blog and thought it was a really cool idea. I mean how many times do I sit around saying "I should do that" and then forget about it or never get to it? Well now I have some accountability in the form of an over the top life "to-do" list. Starting tomorrow, December 1, 2009 and lasting until... I believe August 27, 2012. Math is hard. Anyway, I will be checking things off as I do them or as I am in progress of doing them. And if the things I accomplish are especially noteworthy, I will make a blog post about them too. I made a link to the full list on the top right corner of my blog page to make it easily accessible for updates on my progress, should you ever be tempted to check up on me.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of work on my part).

Start date: December 1, 2009
End date: August 27, 2012

Items in bold are completed
Items in italics are in progress
Related blog posts are linked where applicable
Donate $5 to charity for each thing I don’t complete

Personal:

Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years.

Decide what I want to be when I grow up.

No gossip of any kind for a week.

Relationships/Friendships:

Leave an inspirational note inside a book for someone to find.

Call a friend I haven't spoken to in a long time. (February 2011.)

Buy an "out of the blue, for no reason" present for someone I care about.

Send 10 "Just Because" cards. (0/10)

Family:

Ask my grandmothers to tell me about their life at my age.

Hear the full story of my parents’ first date, engagement & wedding.

Culture:

Go to a book signing.

Read a book written by someone I disagree with.

Nature:

Watch the sunrise and sunset in the same day.

Carve my name on a tree.

Play in the rain.

Buy fresh flowers to display in my house just because.

Health:

Find out my blood type.

Floss every night for a month.

Take a dance class. (2/10/10: Took a beginner jazz class @ the Houston Met with my friend D who I was in dance team with in high school. I was surprised how much it was like "riding a bike". Will probably try intermediate class next time.)

Avoid fast food restaurants for a month straight. (March-April 2011. I plan to keep this up as long as I can- never felt better.)

Get lasik eye surgery. (6/30/10: I bet this was the one you thought I was LEAST likely to actually do, but I did it & now I can see! It is a miracle!)

Work out at least 3 days/week for an entire month. (November & December 2010: I run now. Something I never thought I would be doing. Shall continue.)

Use the stairs up and down at work for 2 weeks.

Do 50 crunches per day for a month.

Education/Creativity:

Expand my vocabulary by 100 words.

Write a short story.

Read 5 classic literature books that I have never read before- (1/5): 10/17/10: Read "Catcher In the Rye" for Book Club. Underwhelmed, I must say. But I can see how it would have been a bigger deal when it came out many moons ago.

Travel:

Attend a live taping of a TV show.

Go to a music festival.

Take a road trip up the east coast of the United States.

Visit Joanna when she moves for her residency.

Take a completely spontaneous weekend adventure/trip.

Fly somewhere in an airplane.

Go see people from LJ we know on Broadway with my mother.

Drive to Sheridan, TX for the day.

Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.

Go to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Go to the Harry Potter theme park in Florida with equally fanatical Harry Potter fan friends.

Activities:

Sing karaoke at a bar.

Draw something in wet cement.

Fly a kite.

Host or attend a board game night. (My friend J had some friends over for games 2/19/10. Wanted to get to "Mall Madness", but for some reason the guys used their veto power on that one.)

Jump on a trampoline. (Hello, my boyfriend has one. So much trampolining.)

Visit a winery.

Go bowling with a group of friends. (4/18/10: Went to 300 Houston for a spur of the moment bowling fix. Decent prices, very nice interior, big screens down at the end of the lanes all the way across showing music videos and random sporting events. Very chic for a bowling alley. You have your own waitress who serves food AND alcohol. Awesome- highly recommend.)

Attend a Murder Mystery.

Go to a roller skate rink.

Ride on a ferris wheel.

Houston Activities:

Visit 10 new places in Houston. (5/10)- (12/08/09: went to a play at Alley Theater in Downtown; 2/26/10: Attended the HLS&Rodeo Cook-off. Free food and booze. Sweet deal.; 3/19/10: Went to Sam Houston Park in Downtown. They have several historical Houston homes there to see and learn about. And a pond with ducks and turtles.; 3/19/10: Stared out on Houston from the observation deck on the 60-something floor of the Chase Tower. Pretty amazing view. 4/7/11: Saw a play for free @ The Miller Outdoor Theater.)

Take a tour of NASA. (Went with Mark in October 2010. Very cool. Got to sit in the cockpit of the shuttle simulator!)

Attend a ballet.

Texas A&M Events:

Take a walking tour around my college campus again. (Completed on 2/6/10. Very strange being there again, but brought back great memories. See 2/9/10 blog about it.)

Go to 3 Aggie football games. (1/3). (8/4/10: Attended the SFA vs. TAMU game @ Kyle Field with my sister, Bro-in-law, and Jason. We beat their butts pretty bad- Gig Em!)

Finally go to an Aggie Baseball game for the first time.

Survival Skills:

Learn to drive a stick shift/manual vehicle.

Go to a gun range and shoot without crying at least once.

Assemble a first aid kit to keep in the car.

Learn how to change a tire.

Charitable Activities:

Donate to a charity (2/27/10: Donated all of the ill-fitting clothing from my closet, plus other various items to the Hospice.)

Find a program/place to volunteer on a regular basis.

Donate $5 to charity for each task I don’t complete.

Rescue a cat from an animal shelter.

Fashion & Beauty:

Have a little black dress.

Eliminate non-fitting or “hasn’t been worn in a year” clothing from my wardrobe. (1-25-10)

Wear a dress every day for a week straight.

Go to a spa for the day.

Finally find make-up that works for my skin and buy nice, all new stuff. (1-30-10: Bought Mac foundation primer, foundation and waterproof eyeliner. Spent an arm and leg, but it seems to take to my face better than any make-up has ever, given my oily "doesn't want to hold make-up longer than 10 minutes" complexion. Also bought waterproof mascara to combat my propensity for ending up with black under my eye every day.)

Computers/Social Networking:

Not log into facebook for a whole week.

Figure out how to transfer music and picture files from my Macbook to my external hard drive and make sure everything is copied to it. (3/11)

Food:

Bake cupcakes for no other reason than to eat them. (3/26/11- OK so they were technically for my 2 year anniversary with J, but I ate them and they were awesome.)

Eat something I have never tried before. (12/08/09: Ate a "crab shooter"- a piece of crab dipped in a special sauce with cucumbers @ Reef restaurant downtown- you eat the crab then "shoot" the sauce like a shot. Delicious. ALSO, for extra credit- 12/29/09: Ate fried shrimp and cheesy bacon grits with hot sauce @ Shade restaurant in the Heights. HIGHLY recommend.)

Cook a full breakfast- eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage, oatmeal, etc.

Eat lunch at home for a month straight- no take out. (September 2010.)

Try a type of food I have never liked before.

Go to dinner somewhere that requires appropriate attire- dress and heels. (3/27/10: Celebratory dinner at Pappa Bros Steakhouse on Westheimer in honor of J and mine's 1 year anniversary. Fantastic steak and company.)

Buy a cute apron and find cause to use it. (1/9/10: Thanks to my friend Jo! Thank you for the adorable apron! Finding cause to use it everyday!)

Find and eat at 10 restaurants I have never been to in Houston. (10/10)- (12/08/09: Ate at Reef in Downtown Houston- delicious risotto and crab cake.; 01/03/10: Ate at Perry's Steakhouse for my birthday dinner with J. Steak is to die for. Lobster Bisque soup that almost made me cry it was so good.; 2/2010: Went to Cadillac Bar- excellent Mexican food. Had a fabulous queso with spinach in it. YUM.; 3/18/10: Tried out Zoe's on Washington. SO GOOD. And healthy to boot. Try the chicken and spinach eggrolls.; 3/31/10: Celebrated a friend's birthday with dinner at Ruggles Green. Delicious spicy chicken pasta that has now lasted me in leftovers for 4 total meals- stays well refrigerated for an entire week, just fyi. I know, I am a shamefully cheap leftovers eater.; 4/17/10: Ate at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for my annual company party. Delicious steaks and had some awesome crawfish appetizer cracker things. Best part: free to me. 6/21/10: Laurenzo's- Located on Washington, this place had the most amazing guacamole burger I have ever had. It included asiago cheese, arugala, pico de gallo, and some sort of special chili sauce. It had the perfect flavors. 2 thumbs up. 8/9/10: Truluck's- Delicious seafood- best lobster and king crab I may have ever had. 8/11/10: Vic and Anthony's Steakhouse- cooked my steak wrong, but other than that- delicious! Brought us free dessert for Jason's birthday, so bonus points. 10/19/10: London Sizzler- authentic little Indian food restaurant with a British flair. Delicious. I had actually never even had Indian food before, period, so some major branching out points here. Recommend: the Nonn (sp?) and Red Spicy Curry.)

Cook dinner at home once a week for a month. (September 2010.)

Holiday Themed:

Buy and decorate my own Christmas tree. (12/05/09: It may be only 2 feet tall, but it counts.)

Music:

Spend an hour finding new artists on iTunes.

Join a choir.

Television:

Unplug the TV and computer for an entire weekend.

Netflix “True Blood”.

Drop one TV show for good. (1/12/10: As of today, I will no longer be viewing Law & Order: SVU new episodes. I don't think seeing the occassional repeat on USA when nothing else is on will hurt...)

Movies:

Go to Rocky Horror Picture Show showing at midnight.

See 10 classic movies I’ve never seen (1/10). (1/9/10: Watched "Thelma & Louise". Not satisifed with the ending, but otherwise an enjoyable chick flick. Young Brad Pitt to stare at as well.)

Have a scary movie night with friends. (1-23-10: I am going to go ahead and count the night I watched "Paranormal Activity" with some friends for this because even though the event was not "planned" to be a scary movie night, I was unable to sleep without the lamp and tv on for a week after viewing this movie. So it counts.)

Watch “The Matrix”. - I was confused for the majority of the movie, but I watched it.

Buy DVD copies of all my VHS tapes.

See a drive-in movie.

Watch 5 cult classic 80s movies I have never seen. (4/5): (5-9-10: Spent some time with my new Wii netflix instant and watched "Ghost" [surprisingly, I really enjoyed it] and St. Elmo's Fire". 5-21-10: Watched "War Games" starring Matthew Broderick. I found it silly and underwhelming, but Jason really liked it. Maybe you have to be a guy. 9/25/10: Watched "The Pick Up Artist" with Molly Ringwold and a young, cute Robert Downy Jr. Typical 80s cheese fest, but overall a good watch.

Go see a movie by myself.

Spend a rainy day watching films in my PJ's

Religious:

Go to the morning church service 4 weeks consecutively.

Tithe for 3 months straight.

To Buy:

Own a flat screen LCD TV. (5-2-10: Bought a 1080p, 120 Hz LCD HDTV 40" flat screen. And I fell in love. Best idea ever.)

Own an iPhone. (7/2010: Going from a 2.5 year old Blackberry to an iPhone 4 was like the best thing ever. For lack of a better way to describe it. Currently loving my newly acquired iPhone. Worth the 2 hour wait in line.)

Buy cowboy boots. (Done and done: 3/6/10. Wearing them right now to go see Rascal Flatts @ the Rodeo.)

Work-Related:

Plan out what I am wearing each day of the work week the night before for a month.

Go a single day at work without making a negative comment of any kind.

Buy a coworker lunch.

Extra Cash:

Go thru my CDs, books, VHS, and DVDs and sell the ones I don't want to Half-Price Books.

Life in Pictures

The one, the only... Regina Spektor. Live at Verizon Theater. AWE-SOME.

Renaissance Festival.

I never volunteer to go on stage. They always just FIND me and drag me kicking and screaming.

She got her Monte Cristo!!

Aggie Football at it's finest. We actually played well AND won this game.

Mute Math concert. No words for its awesomeness.

No caption needed.

Sequence of close-up pooch cheek pictures. No reason.

Volunteering to D'Feet Breast Cancer in Galveston and super happy about it!! Good times there.

The boy thinks it is funny to take candid walking photos. I apparently do not.

Life size chess game in Galveston = necessary photo op.

ANGER AT TRAFFIC ON THE WAY TO SEE MUSE/U2!!! MUCH RAGE.

Biggest sweet potato pancakes ever. With ceramic cow. Gig Em.

Bullet Point List #5,612

Lists allow me to put down all my random and incoherent thoughts on one page for your viewing (mocking) pleasure. And it is easier than sculpting a meaningful blog post. Me likey.

• I would be such an awesome rich person. Seriously, give me all your money, you won't be sorry.
• Regardless of what my sister tells you, November is awesome. thisclose to Christmas wonderfulness, but far enough away that you get to look forward to all the ensuing festivities and good times. PLUS, Thanksgiving turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie? GET OUT OF TOWN.
• Sometimes I wonder why certain obscure bands get radio play [Kings of Leon] and some are tragically ignored [Mute Math]. Don't get me wrong, I like Kings of Leon and despite what J thinks, they earned their current level of fame. But I challenge you to listen to both Mute Math CDs, catch their concert, and watch their videos online and EXPLAIN to me why they aren't rolling in the mainstream fame and success they deserve. Although I have to say, I like it when really good bands don't have that one hit song plastered all over the radio non-stop until a once treasured melody makes my ears bleed. Plus, white people would have no indie music to brag about liking if they all got radio play. So I guess I will stop complaining. Or stop listening to the radio.
• Holy crap, start watching "Modern Family". Best new comedy of the year [votes taken from me and tallied by me].
• Who else wishes they had thought of Jim Halpert's Halloween get-up first? Who will admit it took them in excess of 5 minutes to actually figure out what his costume meant? Just me? Well then ok.
• I have been craving Layne's for a week now. I might crack if I don't get my fix soon. If you have ever lived in College Station, you probably know what I mean.
• Ever notice how when you work in an office, things that are supposed to be fun, like say "Secret Santa" or "CSR Bingo", always end up turning into just another set of rules and regulations that you have to follow and be held accountable for, laced with guidelines that must be met based upon standards that are ridiculous and/or unattainable for everyone, until your boss has eventually sucked all the potential fun out of the activity? No? Just my office?

Donkeys

Today, I realized I have a problem. Today, I realized that my instinct leads me to run out the door half dressed and frantic and then finish getting ready for work in the car upon discovery of a roach loose in the house (and from here on out in this blog I will use code word "donkey" to signify this demonic creature- the term my family and friends are familiar with using on a regular basis so that I don't have to HEAR the name, as the mere thought frightens me so. Crap. I am already sounding like a crazy person and this is just the "parenthesis back story"). I am sure everyone has their odd "fear" or endearing "quirk". Well this is mine (although the countless people that have been called upon to rescue me from this precious quirk would hardly call it "endearing" I am sure.) I have always known I was a little overdramatic and ridiculous when it came to donkeys, but I don't think I quite grasped it until I began living by myself. Apparently, all these years of having roommates and family to do the dirty work for me, has shielded me from just how much I cannot handle killing a bug 1/5000th my size [made up fraction.] Logically, yes, I know it can't do anything to me. But try to convince me of that when it is just sitting there, silently plotting my demise, awaiting its next move so it can attack when I least expect it.

Slightly helpful email exchange today between my sister and I:

Me: I feel anxious that I can't go in my house until later this afternoon. What if it has eaten everything before J kills it? Do you think it is just sitting there being evil or is it all over my stuff? I really have a problem.

K: hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

Me: Stop laughing and do your job as my sister and put my fears to rest!!! Tell me something comforting like "I am sure it is dead by now" or "Donkeys only crawl on the wall, your stuff is fine." or "It is probably just sitting in the same spot where you left it." COME ON. Help the crazy, don't hinder.

K: It probably IS dead. I'm sure your apartment complex exterminates regularly, most of them exterminate every 3 months. And even if it isn't dead for some reason, they don't generally go crawling all over everything. And it certainly isn't EATING anything.

OK so it probably isn't eating everything. Slight overreaction there. But I am STILL not walking in that house until J comes to rescue me this afternoon (thank God for him) lest it flies at me like a spider monkey of death. And I am still going to fully disinfect my house and wash all sheets, towels, etc. Send for help. I have reached a new level of paranoia.