Jennie and Chad's wedding was today and everything was so beautiful-I'm sorry Dave and Rachel didn't make it up for it. We threw pink rose petals instead of rice or blowing bubbles. It was cool, and everything was pink-the flowers were fantastic. I'm pretty sure they're not going to stop smiling for a few weeks(not because the wedding was great, but because they are adorably in love). Also, their house is awesome and I covet it. So that was a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I am absolutely not going anywhere this weekend though. It's been months since I've actually had a weekend where I didn't have to work and/or leave town.

When I was down in Alabama recently, Zoe and Addie wanted to know why I have a roommate and what that means (Zoe thought they slept in your room with you). I was like, well, it's kind of like having a sister-they borrow your stuff, sometimes they break it, sometimes you do the same to theirs, sometimes you argue, but in the end, you are still friends. And I don't really know if that's what having a sister is like, since I only had brothers. And Rachel's been in my life since just before I turned 14, but we've never lived together (and also, when she and Dave started dating, I was still afraid of like, all people I didn't know, so we weren't close at first just because I was uber shy). But that's my guess...

Mint is the official herb of adventure!

This is just bizarre. I'm really not clear on the corrolation between religious beliefs and car sales. Also, that picture is hilarious. I have found the car I want to replace Ye Olde Sentra with! Who would seriously drive around in that? It has to be distracting to other drivers... Oh, and here's a follow-up to that article, along with another picture of that awesome car-check out the license plate! I find it hard to believe that a commercial like that could just slip under their radar. Also, the owner doesn't even go to church, yet he was trying to pander to the Christian sect?!

Katherine Heigl, what is the deal? Why would you do this? I can only pray that there will be commercials that involve the phrase, "I'm not a doctor, but I play one on TV." That picture of her on the opening page is weird. Although I do love the pretentious line names, like Nantucket and Monterey. Somehow, the brown Nantucket top looks like the top of a women's pantsuit.

Super Pii Pii Brothers?

I am hovering between amused and horrified on this. Read down to the bottom where they list some of the features of this particular Wii game. Just, wow...

Team Benz, for the win

I had a lot of fun this weekend with Dave and the girls, even though the girls took turns begin crazy. We made it and all four of us took turns playing MarioKart. Zoe was getting pretty good by Sunday, but she never watned to be opposing anyone-you always had to be on the same team. Some of the courses on that game are really difficult, although exploring the course was why Battle Mode was my favorite on the old school MarioKart, and since these courses are so incredibly long, it seems more like that to me. I didn't like that the Battle Mode on this is only three minutes and you can't change the length. Battle Mode on the Funky Stadium was Addie's favorite part if someone would hold down the A button for her, she would just play around on the ramps because it was ok if you ran into a wall, because the walls were more ramps. Also, kids are funny-
Addie: "Why you're gotta go home tomorrow?"
Me: "Because I have to go to work on Monday."
Addie: "No, you can stay here and go to my mommy's work Monday."
Sadly, it doesn't quite work like that. All works are not interchangeable.

While watching The Phantom of the Opera, which I had somehow managed to not see until this weekend (while Addie watched it four times this weekend alone), Zoe had the following query: "Why does the phantom have so many mirrors if he doesn't like to look at his face?" Excellent question. My theory is that because there rarely exists a "tortured artist" without a little bit of self-flagellation. That's if you buy the whole conceit of the tortured artist in the first place, which I don't particularly. Anyway, I liked the movie and I don't really know why I didn't see it before. We watched Enchanted on Sunday, which I had also not seen. It was cute, if very dependent on Amy Adams' charisma.

In the name of science

This is based around a colloquialism I've never heard before. But it's still entertaining to see pictures of jello being nailed to a wall.

Where's my kosher meth?

Hah! How would this even happen?

Sophisticated tastes...

I'm kind of ridiculous and I usually just click the link on my blog from Rachel's to then go to mine and click on the link to Christina's blog. I'm not sure what that's about. I don't know why I don't just type it in once, cause then it will be there. But no. Anyway, I just did the above mentioned maneuver and noticed that my books list is silly. Harry Potter, Harry Potter, Harry Potter, and depressing tome about capital punishment. I am so mature.

Blurgh! (TM Liz Lemon) And nerfshmir!

I think my car hates me. Truth be told, I do insult him a lot. Especially lately. I guess he doesn't like that. In case you didn't know, I have a tendency to anthropomorphize things. Many objects get names. But this car has never had a name. What does that mean? It means that I assign him emotions (and a gender) out of habit, but that I have never liked this car enough to give him a name. He doesn't have enough personality to deserve one. And I have had this car for six years now. I only had old Snake Eyes for about two before he died. But he was awesome.
Anyway, I think nameless vehicle hates me because I had to get a new starter on Tuesday. Fine. It wasn't too expensive and I was hoping it would get me through the summer. But my brake and battery lights kept coming on when I accelerated after that happened. So, today I have to get a new alternator. Terrific. If I had known I was going to end up spending $500 on this car before the week was out, I would have seriously thought about not getting it fixed the first time. I'm trying to be realistic and I know this car is not going to last forever and it is 11 years old, so I haven't wanted to put too much money into it. I've been trying to save all my money for a better car that I will love instead. But no, not this week. Suck it, nameless Sentra! It's also not even five hundred dollars. The new starter was $217 and the guy told me today that the alternator would be $220, where most other alternators are $300. I told my dad that's because it's for a toy car. It's like a midget car. It's like how Kazoo is almost a real dog, my car is almost a real car. See, insults. He does not like it. I just think it's ridiculous that I am 26 years old and my car is not reliable enough for me to drive down to Birmingham anymore. So much so that my dad was like, your mom and I figured you could take her car. Great, that's really nice, but I am 26 years old and I have to borrow my mom's car to go away. Geez. I hate having to ask for help. I'm not good at it. And I feel bad about it, like that I shouldn't need help in the first place. And it's not like I can't pay to get my car fixed, because I can, so at least I don't have to asak for money too. But I feel like I shouldn't need to borrow my mom's car in order to ensure that I will get to my destination and back. Urgh. But this weekend is going to be fun and Rachel is going to make a valiant effort to stay up until I get there tonight. See you guys soon!

regular randomness

So my poor car wouldn't start the other day when I was trying to leave the gym. It needed a new starter. And since I'm not quite ready to buy a new car, I got a new starter instead. Fun.

On a completely different note, I don't usually watch commercials because I dvr everything I watch, so I can start watching a one hour program fifteen minutes in and it comes out perfectly. But right now I'm watching The Real World live because there is nothing good currently on TV on Wednesdays. And I just saw a really disturbing commercial for Schick razors that involved a cactus morphing into flowers and then a leg. So weird. As was the first part of the House season finale. I kept thinking he was going to wake up and have been actually just laying in the bus imagining it all. Except I knew they wouldn't steal from themselves like that because there was already a season finale of House that involved him imagining everything and then waking up with the answer.

I got really excited at work the other day because I managed to do my end of month reconciling by myself. Usually it takes at least two other people to figure out, but I did it. And it only took me an entire day. But really, I was very happy. I was like, it's actually zero! And my supervisor just laughed at me. But if you know me, and the way I feel about math and how it turns me off so much that I don't even generally try, then you know that's big. The other week Christina posted on her blog about Colossians 3:23 ("Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men"). And we all know the Benzes have a tendency to be underachievers... So I've been trying harder at work lately and taking initiative on some things. And I pretty much never take initiative on anything, because I'm so afraid of doing something wrong. And I don't mean just at work, I mean all areas of my life. So, thanks for that push Christina.

I've been pretty busy lately. I saw Baby Mama, which was much better than I expected. I thought it was going to be crap, but went anyway because Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are awesome. Tina Fey got to wear actual cute clothes in this movie, and it was pretty funny, if predictable. I actually did finally get a Saturday where I didn't have to do anything, but only because my stomach was really upset all Friday night, so I didn't go with my parents to L'ville to see the grandparents. But fortunately I didn't have whatever nasty stomach bug my mom had last week, so I felt much better later on Saturday. We went to see my Grandma in O'boro on Sunday after church. It was barbeque fest weekend, so we had barbeque. My grandma is awesome and really funny. She lent me a book I'm excited about reading, but Shannon already started it, so I guess I'll read the book a guy at work lent to me. Which I started earlier and there was a phrase I really liked, "illusory juvenescence." It probably seems nonsensical, but I think it sounds pretty. Sometimes I like words or phrases just because of how they look or sound. When I was a kid, my favorite word was algae because I liked how it looked and sounded. But I certainly did not like algae itself. And now I really need to go to bed because I'm old and I have to get up early tomorrow so I can vaccuum because my small group is meeting here in the evening. Although last time we met here, we sat outside because the weather was nice, so maybe tthat'll happen again...

What are Life magazine and Mary Tyler Moore?

I'll try to post for real later, since I know it's been a while. Although everyone who really cares has since talked to me on the phone or the gchat. But whatever. For now, here is something that amused me today. Things Younger Than John McCain. I am particularly fond of Alaska, McDonald's, and that weird poster about the polio vaccine tasting good. Bear in mind, I don't particularly dislike McCain, I just think it's funny.