Oh, right

This weekend Shannon and I finally got around to watching one of our movies from Netflix that have been sitting around at my house for forever. We watched The Aviator, which was okay. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't whatever I thought and it was a little slow. Also a little slow are Annie Hall and Shopgirl. I wanted to like Annie Hall because it's supposed to be so good, but I really had trouble getting past the fact that I find Woody Allen so irritating. It's really hard to figure out why Diane Keaton's character would have ever been with him. And I do mean him, because the only character he ever plays is himself. Shopgirl seemed kind of promising, but I had trouble getting past the fact that she was trying to get it on with Steve Martin. It's just that he's Steve Martin and he's old. But it wasn't a bad movie. What else did I watch this weekend? Oh, 21 Grams. It was interesting and it only started dragging towards the end. I didn't even hate Sean Penn. Shannon and I tried to guess what weighed 21 grams. We were both wrong. They do actually tell you towards the end. Wow, it totally sounds like all I did this weekend was watch movies. That's so not true, but whatever.

odds and ends

I'm really happy today because something I'm very excited about is in the works. I'll tell you later if you care to hear. I'm also excited about going to Birmingham on Sunday. I know Rachel won't be at her best, but I'm looking forward to hanging out with her regardless. Racho always provides laughs. And I haven't spent a week with the Birmingham Benzes in about a year and a half. I also think our dear father will be excited about his birthday present, even if he is confused as to why we are insisting on giving it to him two months early. If I ever manage to go over to my parents' house, I have some stuff to scan and post because it amuses me. I recently found quite a few things that I hadn't seen in some years. They weren't lost, although there is one picture I have been looking for for about two years. I think I figured out who stole it from me. So I'm pretty sure I'll never see it again, which is a shame because it was an awesome picture. Also, how cool does a cloister water channel sound? Nothing really big happening right now, just the usual junk.

Thingy from Rachel

Hi, my name is: Andrea

When I'm nervous: I get migraines and/or nauseous.

The last song I listened to was: Free by Plumb.

If I were to get married right now my Best Man/Maid of Honor would be: Maybe Shannon.

By this time next year: I hope I'm someone else.

I have a hard time understanding: Computer stuff. But I learned about USB hubs yesterday. As long as I know how to do what I need to do, I'm not going to worry about it.

If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be: Depends on what kind of an award it was.

Most recent thing I’ve bought myself: I got some conditioner at Target

Most recent thing someone else bought me: Ummm...Jennie gave me some FunDip yesterday, but she didn't actually buy it either. Shannon bought my dinner one day last week.

My favorite redhead is: I don't really know any redheads. Swoosie Kurtz!

My favorite blonde is: Two people...Zoe and Addie.

The last person I kissed was: I dunno. I may have kissed one of the kids when were in O'boro.

My middle name is: Rachel.

The last person I called was: Shannon.

The last person that called me was: My dad.

In the morning I: take a shower, pee, get dressed, brush my teeth

Last night I was: sleeping through small group. Oops. I knew I stopped taking naps for a reason.

If I was an animal I'd be: a gerbil? I don't know.

Tomorrow I am: Probably going to the gym. Other than that, who could say? It's a day away.

Tonight I am: Going to the gym and then watching some Arrested Development with Shannon.

I'm going to miss: Gilmore Girls. I watched it from the very beginning and while it got weird later, it was still pretty good. Where will I get really strange pop culture references and fast chatter now?

My favorite color is: periwinkle. Which to me is a little more blue than this, but more purple than this.

My heart is: beating.

I'm excited about: getting a new computer at work.

50 Things

I finally finished these. Like two weeks after everyone else. Whatever. I suck at life, blah blah fishcakes.

1. I am such a procrastinator.

2. I LOVE to give people presents.

3. Due to my procrastinating, sometimes I give people presents late. :)

4. I love things that taste like bananas, but I can't stand bananas. The texture and consistency are all wrong.

5. I am very particular about foods. Generally when I won't eat things, it's not about how it tastes, but how it feels. Case in point, peaches. They are too mushy and also it's very weird that they are fuzzy. But I like things that taste like peaches.

6. Stupidity is one of my pet peeves. So I really hate it when I say stupid things, because then I have to loathe myself.

7. I am not as patient as I would like to be.

8. I am probably one of the palest people you know.

9. It has always bugged me that I am super pale with freckles like a redhead, but I didn't get the red hair.

10. When I was a kid, I read all the Anne of Green Gables books at least 8 times. This may have contributed to my desire for red hair.

11. I love reading and generally do it pretty quickly.

12. I have the song Mary Did You Know? stuck in my head right now. Random.

13. I stink at math, but apparently no one I work with believes me because I do math all the time and even have my own printing calculator.

14. I am attempting to teach myself to crochet. I am no good at crafts. But I do know that I totally have the first step down, it's the part that comes after chain stitching that is giving me trouble.

15. I should perhaps have picked a different hobby to take up, since I have two cats. They only want the yarn I am working with, not the yarn I cut and throw at them.

16. My cats are sisters and they both had giardia and ringworm when I got them from the shelter. I am such a sucker.

17. I got ringworm right after I got my cats. It's very, very itchy.

18. I had my tonsils removed when I was 22. It was less than fun.

19. When I was little, I thought my dad looked like Harrison Ford.

20. I am really picky about movies. I will watch most anything, but I rarely give glowing reviews.

21. I will watch anything repeatedly on television. I will continue to tune in each week for a bad show. I think I give TV shows more leeway than movies because even if this week's episode is dumb, they get another chance next week and it could be better. Apparently I expect the people who make movies to get it right the first time, since they only get one shot. Or at least, they should. Also, I would have called that movie Baker's Dozen.

22. When I was little, I thought my mom looked like the SunMaid Raisin lady.

23. I can't stand raisins, alone or in anything, but I love Raisin Bran. No, really. That's the only way I ever eat raisins.

24. I wouldn't eat salad until I was eighteen.

25. I used to be able to embroider. My grandma was so proud.

26. I can generally remember a lot of stuff. Like stuff no one else remembers happening.

27. When other people cry it makes me cry.

28. The human interest stories on the news have really been getting to me lately. Damn you and your piece on the girl whose entire family died in a crash caused by a drunk driver, Good Morning America! Apparently I should not watch the news before work anymore.

29. Americans' taste in movies is making me sad. Wild Hogs should never have done as well at the box office as it did. Despite the fact that I love bad movies, they have to be good bad movies. Figure it out.

30. Speaking of good bad movies, I secretly love Bring It On. Guess it's not a secret anymore...

31. I got a new desk at work this week. I got a new chair last week and a new monitor that is as big as the tv in my bedroom. Freaking awesome. I am also supposed to be getting a new computer before the day is out today. We'll see if the guy shows up.

32. I love old people. I think they are adorable.

33. I did an elliptical machine at the gym this week. It's a lot harder than the bikes, but I stuck it out.

34. I'm pretty sure I have zero pain tolerance. But I could be wrong.

35. Is it wrong that I think this is funny, even though I think I should be mildly offended that Kentucky got what it got? Eeww.

36. Having a DVR makes me want to record crap that I would otherwise never even watch, just because I can.

37. I found my Chuck Lawson t-shirt last weekend when I was cleaning out old crap at my parents' house. I didn't throw it out, because it makes me laugh. If only I had a blacklight!!

38. I embarrass myself constantly. See above.

39. I want to know how pad Thai food is different from the food I order at the Thai restaurant, but the menu doesn't explain in good detail.

40. Only ten more to go and I am drawing a blank. I love to learn crap, but I hated college. It made me miserable.

41. I was watching crappy tv the other day and this character kept correcting others' grammar. Then she answered the phone and when someone asked for her, she said, "This is her." Inconsistent! That should have been caught and fixed. Stupid old WB show.

42. I used to play the flute and then the clarinet. Sort of. When I felt like it. Reeds are gross. I changed mine all the time.

43. I used to be extremely anal about things like that. Also, band was the only time I ever sat up straight.

44. I ate 700 popsicles the summer I was 17. I should probably have gotten a cavity.

45. It will be three years in August since I cut at least 15 inches off my hair. I've been growing it back out ever since.

46. I've picked up the habit my dad has where you make something up if you don't know the answer. Most people don't notice that I'm making things up. Sometimes I tell them.

47. I always thought I sucked at lying and hiding things. I was wrong. I am an excellent secret keeper when I want to be.

48. I have trouble keeping myself together, but I am really good at helping people get organized. Also, cleaning.

49. I want to buy a bookcase for my house so I can stop keeping my books in a box. I am afraid my cats will knock it over and hurt themselves.

50. I think I should start fixing my hair again. I haven't actually fixed my hair more than three times since I was 19. Wow. I didn't realize it had been that long until just now.

Do you have ovophobia?

I keep losing my words lately. You know, when you're trying to say something but you just cannot remember how you were trying to put it? Maybe I need to start doing the crossword like my grandma to keep my mind sharp. Yesterday I was reading something and came across this sentence, "You know the theme song, the one that sounds vaguely like The Addams Family theme song but with less snaps?" It is referring to the Alfred Hitchcock Presents theme song, which that fairly vague description somehow jarred right into my head. Seriously, I had that song in my head for the remainder of the day. But the day before it took me like ten minutes to find the word conclusive. Come on, what's wrong with my head? I'm not quite that old yet.

Movies, books and whatnot

This is really funny. Trust me, you want to watch it. Even if you don't, it's only a minute and twenty seconds long.

By the time I went to the doctor this morning, I couldn't even feel my weird lump on my jaw. So I didn't even mention it. But I did mention how my back hurts every morning when I wake up. Sometimes it hurts so much that it wakes me up in the middle of the night. So he gave me some exercises to do and said if it doesn't get better within 6 weeks to come back. Also he gave me a bunch of samples of Imitrex, which is awesome.

I saw Catch and Release with Jennie Saturday night. It was strange and not really in a good way. Shannon and I went to see Harry Potter yesterday. I really liked it. It's been so long since I read that book that I had completely forgotten about an important event. Yes, I read the books, but no, I am not such a nerd that I read spoilers about them or stood in line to buy the book or anything. In fact, three days after the seventh one came out, I still haven't bought it. Whatever. I did just finish a book that Mark lent to me-Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. I am now going to pass it on to my father, since all the Benzes so enjoyed Jon Krakauer's other book that we passed around the family. It's a really good read, so if you're not a Benz and so were not privy to our book-sharing, pick it up at a store or at a library if you're cheap. I don't mountain climb, but I appreciate a well-told, well-researched story. Dave just purchased another John Krakauer book that he promises to pass around. Anyway, I totally learned three new words while reading Under the Banner of Heaven. That was exciting for me. I'd tell you what they are, but you likely don't care. Fine, I'm doing it anyway. Concomitant. Neologism. Epistemological. This now concludes the learning portion of the post. Unless you already knew those words, in which case you're better than I am and I won't try to teach you anything again. I seem to have gone a little crazy with the links today.

assorted sizes and colors

The knot on my jaw is smaller today, but Tuesday the other side of my jaw was really tight and painful. I took two Flexeril before bed, forgetting that I don't take it often anymore, so one would probably have sufficed. So I had a Flexeril hangover yesterday. I guess if the knot is still there on Monday when I go to the doctor, I will tell him about it.

On an unrelated note, I am now addicted to this website where you can design your own purse. You pick a style and then you can pick different fabrics for the body, straps, detailing and inside. I just can't stop playing around with it. I need a new purse and I am quite set on what I want in a purse, but I have a hard time finding it. I need more than one pocket and the strap has to be long enough to sling over your shoulder. It's harder to find than you might think. The ones that you design on that site are about $130, depending on which style you pick, but I am thinking it might be worth it if I can get what I really want. If I don't get what I want, I'll just be looking for a new purse again after a few months. This site also has some things that look promising, but I'm just not sure. They also have a lot of weird crap. I'm not going to buy anything right now, but I just wish I could find what I want.

Also, I have been working on doing 50 things about me like everyone else did like a week or two ago, but I only started Monday and did a few each day. So it may be next week before I finish. I'm not that interesting, even to myself.

more human than human

I woke up yesterday and thought, hmm, my jaw kind of hurts today. Then I figured out why. There was a knot right on the joint that was big enough that I could see it as well as feel it. It was hugungous and it hurt. Fortunately I have a lot of hair that usually hangs in my face and obscures the upper part of my jawline. The knot is smaller today, but still weird.

Anyway, I was on camera the first two services at church yesterday, which I still don't understand why the person who does the 8:00 has to do the 9:30 also. But that's not the point. The point is that I was mildly annoyed by being on camera for those two services until I got there and we were singing one of my favorite songs (You Are Holy-the one with the parts in the chorus-so fun and fast!). Don't get me wrong-I don't dislike doing camera, I just don't find it interesting enough to do two services in a row, but I don't mind sitting through all three services when I'm on graphics. I'm so weird. Anyway again, there was a video about worship and how we think the worship is great when we sing songs we like, but that it's not good when the music isn't our taste (or is bad, but that doesn't happen often at my church, as we are blessed with many talented musicians). And that is so true for me. I love the singing part of worship, but I don't enjoy it much when we sing songs I don't like. Worship is not supposed to be about us at all, but about God. So it should make no difference whether we like the songs or not. I guess that's one more thing I need to work on.

Overheated

Over the course of the past two days I have baked two batches of cookies, a pan of brownies and a cake. Due to the stupidity of my oven, only the cookies came out okay. I made the brownies first and took them out like 5 minutes before they were supposed to be finished and they were already burned. So, since I didn't want to give anyone any crappy brownies, I made cookies. They were supposed to bake in 9 minutes, but I basically watched them the whole time and removed them at 5 minutes and they were perfect. But the next day when I made the cake, apparently I had already forgotten, so I took the cake out at 25 minutes instead of 35 and it was already totally burned. I was like, I am not giving anyone a crappy burned cake either. So I guess today I'll be making a new cake. The cake was all brown, which would have been ok, except it was a strawberry cake, so it was supposed to be pink. Oh well. My oven is exceptionally warm. I will have to take the next cake out at like 15 minutes, I guess. Enough of my adventures in baking. Back to work!

Awesome!

We have air! In fact, we had it by the time I got back from lunch. It's not great in here, but it's getting there. Also, yesterday my dad was showing me the places in Gatlinburg they were looking at renting for us and one of them had an air hockey table! I love air hockey. I think that's way better than a pool table, although this place had both. Anyway, I'm still not sure why they want us all to go to Gatlinburg, but whatever. I put my vote in for the one with air hockey. :)

Urgh

The air conditioning unit at work quit yesterday afternoon. The air people came this morning and said the motor died. So still no air. It is 85 degrees in BG right now, but it feels like 88 and we just barely have any wind. This is going to suck a lot. Our building gets full sun pretty much all day long. Awesome.

51 Questions

1. The phone rings. Who do you want it to be? Someone awesome!
2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart? Yes, it's rude not to.
3. If you had to kiss the last person you kissed, would you? I think that would be Zoe or Addie., so sure!
4. Do you take compliments well? Not particularly.
5. Do you play Sudoku? I have, but not often or obsessively.
6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness would you survive? Seems unlikely. But the real question is, how did I end up in the wilderness in the first place? I do not go outside.
7. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you would do? Get the animals.
8. Who was the last person you shared beds with? Zoe
9. Who do you text the most? Either Jennie, Shannon or Kristine. It's hard to say.
10. Favorite children's book? Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin. Unless we're talking about children's books that aren't picture books.
11. What color are your eyes? Blue-green
12. How tall are you? 5'5"
13. If you could do it over again, start from scratch, would you? There are some things I would probably do differently.
14. Any secret admirers? No.
15. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden? May 19th for Christina's non-shower shower/birthday celebration.
16. Favorite ex? excellent
17. Where was the furthest place you traveled? Europe
18. Do you like mustard? Eww, no.
19. Do you prefer to sleep or eat? Sleep
20. Do you look like your mom or dad? Neither. I look like my big brother.
21. How long does it take you in the shower?Around 10 minutes.
22. Can you do splits? Nooo
23. What movie do you want to see right now? Waitress, but it's not out here.
24. What did you do for New Year's Eve? Went to Louisville with friends.
25. Do you think The Grudge 2 was crappy? I didn't see it because the trailers were crappy enough for me.
26. Omitted by someone, or the counting was bad...per usual.
27. Was your mom a cheerleader? Ha! No.
28. What's the last letter of your middle name? L.
29. How many hours of sleep do you get a night? Anywhere from 6-8. It just depends.
30. Do you like care bears? Not so much, but I loved them when I was little!
31. What do you buy at the Movies? A ticket.
32. Do you know how to play poker? Mostly.
33. Do you wear your seatbelt? Absolutely.
34. What do you wear to sleep? Pajama pants and a t-shirt
35. Anything big ever happen in your town? Not that I considered big.
36. Also left out by the bad numberers.
37. Is your tongue pierced? No and never will be.
38. Do you like Liver and Onions? Definitely not.
39. Do you like funny or serious people better? Funny
40. Ever been to L.A.? No.
41. Who is on your mind right now? No one.
42. Any plans for tonight? Go to the gym, clean my bedroom and maybe get to bed early.
43. What's your favorite song at the moment? I don't know. I like many songs.
44. Do you hate chocolate? No, moron.
45. What do you and your parents fight about the most? We don't fight much.
46. Are you a gullible person? I used to be.
47. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy? It would seem not.
48. If you could work anywhere, where would it be? I don't know. If I knew that, I would know what I wanted to be, now wouldn't I?
49. Are you easy to get along with? Depends on who you ask.
50. What is your favorite time of day? Usually evening.
51. Are you a generally happy person? Yes, except for sometimes when I get a funk on.

pop quiz: part deux

Let's try again, since the other one was too easy. So, what is this "Well she's got baggage and it's all the emotional kind. She talks about closure and that validation bit. I don't mean to be insensitive, but I really hate that shit" from? Hint: it is not a Cake song, although I almost went with the lyric that's been in my head since yesterday.

Yes, I am "a girl who uses a machete to cut through red tape"

Busy...but bored at the same time. So, pop quiz Benzes! What song is the above from?

"Bring me some reefers!"

Reefer Madness was on TV this weekend and I watched most of it because I had never seen it before. It was dumb, but I must say that my favorite part was Dish Network's description of it; "Young people go from marijuana to wild piano playing, hysteria and death." Now that is awesome. I never knew that one of the things you needed to look out for was wild piano playing. I guess we should've been keeping a closer eye on Mark when he was a teenager. Oops. What is also awesome is that IMDB's description says that teenagers become addicted to jazz music. I'm not sure if that's just because of poor syntax or if they really meant it that way, but it's funny. To me, anyway. I had wanted to see the 2005 Reefer Madness spoof/remake where they made it a musical and whatnot, but I still haven't gotten around to it. Anyway, I just wanted to share with you that you need to watch your children and make sure they aren't playing piano wildly.

Lately...I have been feeling old

I went to the bank today to deposit my dad's paycheck because he is out of town. He had left me a deposit slip, so that was cool, but I was having issues trying to forge his signature. I remember Dave used to be able to do it pretty well, but I couldn't even remember quite what it looked like. Anyway, the teller asked if I was Kathy (her name was also on the deposit slip) and I said no. Then she asked me if I was Dave's wife. I was like, uh...no, I'm his daughter. She said she didn't think he was old enough to have a daughter my age. Now, I am not loving this being old thing. I think being fat makes me look old. When I was 21, people thought I was like 16 and now, people keep thinking I'm older than I really am. I did not love being mistaken for 16 at 21, but now, I would take that anyday. I haven't gotten carded in at least the last 6 times I have bought alcohol at a restaurant or store. That makes it sound like I buy a lot of alcohol, and I would certainly age faster if I were drinking massive amounts of liquor. But I do not and I am not. Lucky Dad for looking so young. Apparently when I am his age I will not have that issue.

I saw Knocked Up last night and the theater was remarkably full for a Tuesday night, especially for a movie that's been out a couple weeks. I don't think I was as disappointed as Shannon was, but apparently that's because I didn't see 40 Year Old Virgin. I'll have to work on that. The movie started out pretty funny, but then it totally turned into a romantic comedy, which is, from what I've read, not what Apatow does. But whatever, it was still better than the last movie I saw in the theater, which mostly just made me want to watch Can't Hardly Wait. Not because they were anything alike, but because Ethan Embry is in both and he was not so much a creepy old guy in Can't Hardly Wait.

It must be summer, because I went to a softball game on Friday and I scratched my legs for pretty much the entire time we were there. Surprisingly enough, by the time we left I had not managed to rip all the skin of my calves or give myself welts. Yay. But seriously, I do not want to give myself welts like I did last summer. Particularly since it takes approximately 4 months to get in to see my dermatologist. And Dave, this is not the post that I was working on with all the links. That post is still a work in progress. Maybe I will do it tomorrow. For those of you who aren't Mark or me, Dave is the most awesome big brother ever. Thanks for helping me everytime I call you with a stupid question. And for not making fun of me for it, either.

Saw this on Rachel's blog and had a few minutes free...

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

quick, do something!

I've been quite busy lately. Christina's wedding happened last weekend. It was fun and everything was really lovely and I don't think there were any major mishaps. Or maybe I'm just blocking them out. Anyway, I'm really glad I got to be part of it and even managed not to cry during the actual ceremony.

I've developed this bad habit of composing blog posts in my head while driving or trying to go to sleep and then by the time I get to a computer, I don't even remember what I was going to talk about, much less how I put it. So...uh...my parents left for Hawaii Sunday morning and I am cat and plant-sitting while they are away. I was beginning to get concerned on Tuesday, not because I hadn't heard from my parents (which I had not, by the way) but because I had not seen their cat Jack yet. But fret not, my fears were assuaged when I went over Tuesday to water plants because he would not leave my side that evening. So, he's lonely, but not lost or stolen. Also, I talked to my dad on Tuesday and they are fine also, just in case anyone was concerned.

I was reading something on Entertainment Weekly's site about the new CW summer show Hidden Palms, which looks terrible. For the record, I know that it really is terrible because I watched the first two episodes because it was Wednesday and I had nowhere to be. And also because I am such a dork that I like to watch really awful shows just so I know whether I agree or not when I read the Television Without Pity recaps. I like to read the recaps of shows that are bad because then the recaps are really funny. Anyway, at the bottom of EW's column about it, they had comments and this one girl left a comment defending the show that made very little sense. I like that the people who defend the show make very little sense, which helps you understand why they are defending it at all. This girl mentions "ever here of the one tree hill pilot it was so bad and after that it was great." Now, I have watched some One Tree Hill in the past and I think that statement is a baldfaced lie in addition to being grammatically screwy, as it were. But my favorite part about the comment was that she said " i wil defiantly be watching it tonight." Now, I don't know about you, but I rarely watch TV defiantly. I think that's something I should start doing though. I need to make a stand with my television watching!

oIder and far away

I've been pretty busy at work...actually working, you know. And I've been pretty stressed so I've been nauseous since Monday and the only thing I've eaten since Tuesday morning is a piece of Christina's birthday cake last night and I don't think that was particularly wise, since my stomach got me up early to complain about that. But I finally felt better last night and I feel ok this morning. I think I have resolved my problem and so I shouldn't be nauseated anymore.

Anyway. I went to Birmingham last weekend and that was fun. I always love seeing my favorite little family. They are all so sweet. And even though we went swimming Saturday and I didn't wear any sunscreen, I didn't get burned but then yesterday my forehead started peeling. That's a little weird even for me. Tomorrow I'm going to Nashville with Christina and Amanda and Brandy to have a non-shower shower and also celebrate Christina's birthday. That should be fun. I don't get to see them much.

Last night at small group we were discussing James 3:1-12, which is about taming your tongue. I'm sure everyone knows that I have a little trouble with this. At times I have a mean streak and while I pretty much never say anything to anyone's face, I will talk about people. Although, really, who doesn't talk about others occasionally? But I was wondering, even if you stop actually saying the mean things you think, isn't it just as bad that you are still thinking them? How do you stop yourself from thinking things you shouldn't? I say a lot of things I shouldn't, but believe it or not, I also think a lot of things that I choose not to say. I am not completely without a filter, but can we even eliminate the need to filter? Par exemple, for most of his life, I have made fun of Mark. But I think he knows I love him and also I do not let other people make fun of him. It's like I think it's ok that I do it because I love him, but you are not allowed to do it because he's not your brother. But that's not really very sound logic, but I've been doing it that way for so long that it just comes to me unbidden. Watching my tongue is something I really need to work on.

I took this from Lynn

1. How old will you be in 10 months? 10 months older than I am now
2. Do you think you'll be married by then? No
3. What do you look forward to most in the next 3 months? I dunno. Maybe Christina's wedding. That should be fun. Also, in a couple weeks when we take her out.
4. Who was the last person you called? Jennie, wait, I think I called Kristine after that
5. Who was the last person to call you? Shannon
6. Do you prefer to call or text? If it's more than just a simple question with a simple answer, call.
7. Do you have any pets? Two cats, one of whom has decided of late that my hair is the best toy around. So she will sit behind me and get her paws all up in my hair and play with it and chew on it. It doesn't hurt until later when I try to brush my hair and it's super tangly.
8. What were you doing at 12am last night? Going to bed and watching part of The Daily Show
9. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? They are still married, to each other even!
10. When was that last time you saw your mom? Sunday at church
11. When was that last time you saw your dad? Last night at church
12. Have you ever gone skinny dipping? No
13. Do you like tongue rings? They freak me out a little, but if you like them, go for it
14. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet? Socks
15. Are you a social person? Sometimes
16. What was the last thing you ate? Half a donut. Someone at work brought them in this morning.
17. What is your favorite ice cream? Maybe mint chocolate chip. Or cookies and cream.
18. What is your favorite dessert? Cheesecake
19. Do you like coffee? No
20. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? Grape and only grape. And it must be jelly and not jam.
21. Are you a morning person or an evening person? I can be both.
22. How many glasses of water a day do you drink on average? Not as many as I should.
23. What do you drink in the morning? Nothing. I drink some water once I get to work.
24. Would you rather sleep with someone else or alone? I sleep with my cats.
25. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed? Yes.
26. Do you know how to play poker? Kind of. I haven't played in years though.
27. Do you like to cuddle? Maybe
28. Have you ever been to Canada? No, but I want to.
29. Do you eat out or at home more often? Out.
30. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? Yes, and I took this survey off her myspace. Thanks Lynn, even though I don't think you read this.
31. Have you seen the updated Chuck Norris Facts list on GoofyAuctions.com? No.
32. Do you speak any other languages? I can read and write a little French
33. What is your opinion of Japanese symbol tattoos? Unless you know it's perfectly translated, I wouldn't do it
34. Have you ever been in an ambulance? No.
35. Do you prefer the ocean or a pool? Ocean to look at, pool to swim
36. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seats? Window, please
37. Do you know how to drive a stick shift? No.
38. What is your favorite thing to spend money on? I love to buy people presents.
39. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7? Not anymore.
40. What is your favorite TV show? Maybe Scrubs
41. Can you roll your tongue? Yes.
42. Who is the funniest person you know? Depends on what kind of humor we are talking about. And I guess what kind of mood I am in.
43. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No.
44. Out of your myspace top friends which one has the kinkiest piercing? Probably Shannon, unless someone else has piercings I don't know about.
45. Do you still have clothes from when you were little? Yes, like all the dresses my Grandma made for me
47. Do you shut off the water when you brush your teeth? Yes
48. Do you sleep with your closet doors opened or closed? Closed
49. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? I guess bees, since you probably wouldn't die from that unless you were allergic. I don't know if I'm allergic to bees.
50. Do you flirt a lot? No
51. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Ketchup or honey, but definitely not both.
53. Can you change the oil on a car? No, but I can check it.
54. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Yes.
55. Do you dance while in your car? Sometimes
56. What are you thinking about? All the errands I'm going to run on my lunch break and how thirsty I am right now.

Aaargh! Also, three posts in one day!

So I was really frustrated yesterday because I spent over an hour trying to find suitable flights for a coworker and every time I found one that was ok, by the time I filled out the name and whatnot, it would be full and no longer an option. Stupid internet and stupid other people taking the flights I needed. It kept trying to get me to take flights that went from Nashville to Philadelphia and then to Atlanta. Or to Ohio or St. Louis and then to Atlanta. That just seems silly. And then once I finally got a flight that we thought was acceptable, they were like, oh, I need a car too. Ok, I can do that.
Except then I couldn't because the acceptable flight didn't get in until 11:30 pm and all the car places at the Albany airport close at 9:00 pm. So, one website said I should call and ask them about getting a car at 11:30, so I did and the girl was like, well, we close at 9, but we might be extending our hours. We don't know yet, so you should check again in a few days. I was like, dude, you don't know yet whether you have to work until 9 or 12 Sunday night, five days from now? Nice. So it was time to go and we decided we'd figure out the car thing this morning.
When I got to work today, she was like well, I talked it over and decided it was too big of a hassle and not working out right, so I cancelled that flight and I'm just going to drive. Dude! So then I was trying to change the hotel reservations by a day, but when I called the hotel they said their computers were down so they couldn't change it today. I was being thwarted at every turn! I don't think that trip was meant to be. I'm finished complaining. I feel better now.

Another survey

1. Do you still talk to the person you lost your virginity to? What person? I haven't lost anything.

2. Is it harder to be rejected or to reject someone? Reject someone.

3. What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? NKOTB

4. What is the best thing about your current job? All the time I spend on the internet?

5. Do you wish cell phone etiquette was a required class? Yes. Some people don't get it that it's really rude to not put your phone on silent in public, because who doesn't love it when someone's phone starts ringing in the middle of a prayer at church?

6. What's the last thing you drank? Ocean water from Sonic.

7. Have you been on a date in the past week? No.

8. Where are you going on your next vacation? I don't really take vacations. I'm going to Lexington for the day Sunday for Mark's recital thing. And I'm going to see Dave and Rachel soon, I think.

9. Have you ever thrown up from working out? No.

10. Are most of the friends in your life new or old? I guess old. It may be about a 50/50 mix.

11. Have you ever gotten so wasted you didn’t know what was going on? Yes, and Rachel's brother told me later what went on. I didn't believe him. Like I would ever let someone who wasn't an eye doctor touch my eye! It was true though.

12. Do you like pulp-y orange juice? No. I don't really drink orange juice anyway though.

13. Are you touchy feely? It depends.

14. Did you cry at your high school graduation? Ha! No, but I did fall asleep. In my defense, I'm a Benz, so there were still 24 letters to go after I sat back down.

15. Do you prefer the tanning bed or the sun? Sun, but I don't really do that.

17. What could you tolerate...someone who snores or a sleep walker? Maybe a sleep walker. Especially if they did useful things while sleep walking. Like doing the dishes or feeding the cats. Plus, it's always funny when people say and do silly things while they're asleep.

18. Do you consider yourself bi-polar? No.

19. Skipped

20. What's your worst personality flaw? In my opinion, none of your business.

22. Would you ever parachute off of a plane? Absolutely not.

23. Have you ever ridden an elephant? No, and I don't plan to.

24. Are you Irish in any way? No.

25. Have you ever ridden in a U-Haul? Yes

26. Do you like to play Scrabble? Sure!

27. Have you ever been to a nude beach? No.

28. Have you ever drank Jack Daniels? I don't think so.

29. Have you ever had sex on the beach? One word. Sand. Actually two words. No. Word, Rachel. It just seems like a really bad idea.

30. What are you saving your money up for right now? I think my car needs new tires, so that, I guess.

31. What was the last giftcard you received? Christina gave me a Barnes and Noble gift card for Christmas.

33. Does the number of people a person's slept with affect your opinion of him or her? Even if I tell myself it doesn't, I think it does.

34. Have you ever gone to a party where you were the only straight person? I don't think so

35. What do you do when you spy a bug in your house? Try to stay away from it and wait for my cats to track it down and eat it. And they will, even if it takes them an hour of staring at a bug on the ceiling. They don't give up easily.

36. What is your favorite Disney movie? Maybe The Lion King.

37. Where were you 1 hour ago? Lunch.

38. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? Rose, who was apologizing for calling again. But the last person I talked to on my own phone was Dave last night.

50 Questions

Obviously whoever created this survey couldn't count, so that's why there are so many skipped numbers. I'm not in the mood to make up questions for all the missing ones today.

1. What is your Dad's best friend's name? Maybe Allan. Or maybe not. I know he spends a lot of time with Allan at church

2. What body part do you hate? Feet...not just my own, but all feet.

3. Who was the hottest teacher you ever had? I don't think I had any hot teachers.

4. Have you ever made out in a movie theater? I don't think so. That would be a waste of $7.

5. What body part do you wash first? My face.

6. Do you have any piercings? Just my ears.

8. Is your driveway steep? No

9. What's your favorite flavored Pringles? I guess regular. I don't eat chips much though.

10. Have you ever been tied up? Like busy? Sure.

11. What was the worst thing you ever got grounded for? Probably fighting with my mother. I never got caught doing much, unlike my brothers, who were the antithesis of sneaky.

13. Have you ever had two dates in one night? Yes

14. How many times have you been cursed at? I don't know.

15. Which shoe do you put on first? Left, maybe

16. How old are you? 25

17. Have you ever been to a gay bar? I don't think so.

18. Have you ever had any Friends with Benefits? Friends with healthcare? Absolutely.

19. Is there one thing all of your love interests have had in common? Yes

20. Did you French kiss before you were 16? Not that I recall

21. Have you ever been cow-tipping or snipe-hunting? No.

22. Who is the last person you usually think about before you fall asleep? I don't generally think about any people when I'm trying to sleep. I'm usually thinking about all the things I need to do the next day.

23. Have you ever had a song written about you? No

24. If you had to choose to not ever wash your bed sheets again or your bath towel, which one would it be? I can't choose! They're both too gross!

25. Have you ever found anything in your parents' bedroom that was questionable? Yes

26. What was your childhood nickname? I didn't have any nicknames in my childhood, but I had some when I was a teenager.

27. When is the last time you played the air guitar? Never?

28. Have you ever peeked in the opposite sexes locker room? I don't think so. If so, apparently it was not memorable.

29. What's the weirdest thing you have done while driving? No telling.

30. Have you ever bitten your nails? No, I tried it once to see why so many people do it and I totally didn't get the big deal.

31. How do you normally eat your Oreo cookies? I don't usually eat Oreos.

33. Name something you do when you're alone that you wouldn't do in front of others? Be myself:-)

36. How many drinks does it take before you get drunk? Not that many. I don't drink very much or very often.

37. Why are you doing this survey? Because I am trying to avoid reconciling the PO Log for a little while longer.

39. Do you scrunch or fold your toilet paper? Scrunch.

41. Do you have any strange phobias? Probably. I am afraid of a lot of things.

42. Have you ever stuck a foreign object up your nose? No.

43. What is the stupidest thing you've ever done at a bar? No telling.

45. Have you ever called your love interest by another girl/guys name? No?

46. Have you ever gotten caught sleeping while on a date? Probably, if we were watching tv.

47. Have you ever played naked twister? No

49. Have you ever found your date's/lover's brother or sister to be hotter then your date? Ha!

50. How many Bryce's do you know? One

55 Questions

1. Where were you 3 hours ago? Just returning to work after my lunch break.
2. Who are you in love with? Right now, I'd have to say my friends
3. Have you ever eaten a crayon? No
4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you? A pencil, some post-its, my underpants
5. When is the last time you went to the mall? Last week, when I got my glasses(LensCrafters is in the mall)
6. Are you wearing socks right now? No, I'm wearing flip-flops
7. Do you have a car worth over $2,000? Yes
8. When was the last time you drove out of town? I went to Nashville last Friday with Shannon, but I wasn't driving, although I wish I had been because then maybe her sister's car wouldn't have started smoking and we wouldn't have had to stay until almost midnight. But it was fun anyway.
9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days? No, I went to one last Sunday though. And I saw one last Saturday. Not the same one as on Sunday.
10. Are you single? Yes
11. What is the last thing you had to drink? Water
12. What are you wearing right now? A purple shirt with a black tank top underneath and jeans
13. Do you wash your clothes with whites and colors mixed together? No
14. Favorite radio station? I don't listen to the radio much
15. Where were you last week at this time? At home, they let us go home early last Friday :)
16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week? Yeah
17. When is the last time you ran? I don't run. Never have
18. What's the last sporting event you watched? Probably some basketball when that was happening
19. What is your favorite animal? I love animals! Dogs and cats
20. Your dream vacation? Canada?
21. Last person's house you were in? Mine, even though it's not a house, persay.
22. Last time you had sex? The 12th of Never
23. Have you been in love? Sure
24. Do you miss anyone right now? Yes, but you'd never guess who.
25. Last play you saw? Fiddler on the Roof was the last play I saw, but I saw Carmen after that, but opera's aren't quite the same as plays
26. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex? Same as every other female on the planet
27. What are your plans for tonight? I think I may be hanging out with Kristine and anyone else who wants to come.
28. Who is the last person you sent a MySpace message or comment? Shannon
29. Next trip you are going to take? I'll probably go see Dave and Rachel sometime soon.
30. Do you wear clothes from Abercrombie or Hollister? No.
31. Were you an honor roll student in school? Mostly.
32. Did you make and fill out an NCAA basketball tournament bracket? Not this year
33. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne? Fresh Sugar
34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor's visit? Yes, I had an appointment for June 7th, but they just called me today and rescheduled it for June 29th.
35. Where is your best friend? At work?
36. Do you smell EXPO markers? Not intentionally
37. Do you have a tan? Never
38. What are you listening to right now? Lindsay and Missy talking
39. Do you collect anything? Nothing worth anything
40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know? Possibly me
41. Have you ever been drunk? Not in quite a while.
42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw? Yes
43. What does your last text message say? Game on!
44. Do you like hot sauce? No
45. Last time you took a shower? Today
46. Can you speak any foreign languages? Not so much.
47. What was the last test you failed? I haven't taken a test of any sort in years, so it's hard to say. Although I didn't make a habit of failing them.
48. Have you ever stolen anything? Not so much
49. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
50.What are you doing now? Filling this out
51. How do you feel about tattoos and piercings? They're fine, but I totally only have my ears pierced.
52. Is your right toe bigger than your left toe? No. Feet are gross.
53. What city and state were you born in? Owensboro, KY
54. What is your favorite television show? That's hard to say.-
55. What is your highest ACT score as of yet? 29...but I don't think I'll ever retake it.

Movies

I saw two movies last weekend, bringing my total to three movies seen in the theater in just outside of one week. Which is strange because I only saw two movies in the theater in the preceding 6 months. Anyway, I saw Disturbia on Saturday night and In the Land of Women on Sunday. In the Land of Women was not great, mainly because Meg Ryan is very disturbing. She is not aging well, quite possibly mostly because of what she has done to her face and especially her lips. She is freaky looking. And the story wasn't exactly thrilling either. I totally tried to find a picture of Meg Ryan looking appropriately weird to link to, but I couldn't find anything recent and close.
I quite enjoyed Disturbia though. I liked Shia LaBoeuf in Even Stevens and he was great in Holes, but it was really strange to see him beat the crap out of David Morse. Although I think David Morse deserved it because he was in a truly terrible, far too long and annoying arc on House this season. Anyway, the movie wasn't shocking or anything because they don't keep you in suspense as to whether the bad guy is really the bad guy or not.

I'm a little sad, but

I remain hopeful that someone out there caught the significance of the title of my last post. If you didn't get then it's really not funny if I have to explain it. But it amused me at the time. Actually, I'm lying. It still amuses me. Although to be fair, I am really easily amused.

The Secret of the Ooze

I love a good trashy movie, so I went to see Grindhouse on Friday. I really liked it. All the spurting blood in 50 trashy movies doesn't bother me, but I am such a girl about oozing pus. There were a lot of things oozing pus in the first half. Ooze and pus are words that just sound gross. When we were kids and Dave got hit in the face with a baseball, his lip oozed for a few days and he had to carry a bowl around under his chin. Now I bet you're a little disgusted and possibly a little fascinated. That's how I feel about it. I think it's nasty, but I have a hard time looking away.

Glasses?

I've been having trouble with my eyes since Sunday morning, so I went to the eye doctor this morning and got some steroid drops. I'm looking forward to my eyes not burning sometime soon. Last night, since I knew my contacts weren't helping matters, I went to LensCrafters and had Jennie meet me there to help pick out some glasses. So today when I went to the eye doctor I got my prescription from her and now I am wearing glasses (with the right prescription) for the first time in about 11 years. It's very strange. But I think I like them so far. I then proceeded to the pharmacy where I spent $90 on two bottles of eye drops. The eye doctor apparently was not just making conversation when she asked me if I had good insurance. I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat now. Back to work...

Hair-raising

I've been able to really tell that my hair is finally getting longer because lately it's been quite windy and I keep shutting my hair in the car door when I'm getting in. I've done it three times today alone. It is excessively windy today, though. And when I got up this morning my power was out, so I showered by candlelight. A couple minutes after I got out of the shower, the power came back on. Which I appreciated, because if it hadn't, my plan was to take my hair dryer to work and dry my hair there. I am so professional.

Dave and Rachel's survey! You guys are awesome!

1. Do you pick your nose when no one is watching? I try not pick my nose, but if you've seen me do it, then I guess I do.

2. Have you ever farted and blamed it on a child? No.

3. Who is your best friend? You know who you are.

4. Do you know multiple pirate jokes? Yes!

5. What is the background on your cell phone currently? A flower, because I have yet to actually take any pictures with my phone.

6. How many states have you "visited"? 13

7. Any surgeries? I had both my tonsils removed, separately. I had a bone spur taken out of my nose, but that's about it, I think.

8. Have you ever been dumped? I wouldn't say dumped...but maybe I'm wrong

9. What is the longest flight you've been on? However long it took to fly from New Jersey to Frankfurt, Germany

10. What color are your sheets right now? White with pink stripes

30. If you could spend the day with anyone, who would it be? Oh...anyone that I love would do. I'm agreeable.

We have intentionally left some numbers out, just so you will feel as though this is a legitimate quiz.

head and shoulders

I have had a headache every day since last Sunday, with varying degrees of intensity. It is very uncool. Thursday brought me a textbook migraine, complete with aura, blinding pain, and incredible nausea. Last week I thought it was because I was really stressed about some work stuff, but I'm not anymore and yet the headaches continue. I'm almost out of Imitrex pills. The bad thing about being prone to migraines (or rather, a bad thing, other than the pain) is that even a regular headache will freak you out because you worry that it's the beginning of a migraine and you get all tense and give yourself a migraine. Because you're thinking, not today, I don't have time for that today, then you do it to yourself. Or at least, that's how I feel. And I tense up my neck and shoulders and jaw so that I give myself a crick in my neck and some pain when I eat. Maybe this all just me. Maybe other people don't do that. I'm having trouble remembering how to function in spite of the pain. I know I used to do it all the time, before I started taking massive amounts of narcotics and Valium. By the way, May will mark 2 years since I have taken any narcotics or Valium. Although I do still take a little Flexeril from time to time for my neck and/or jaw. But I only take one, rather than taking two to three times my recommended dosage each day. So yay me. But I wish this one would go away. I was doing really well off all my preventive meds until now. I don't want to have to go back on them.

What is my mental age? You may be surprised. :)

What's your mental age?
You know when your birthday is, but how old should you really be? (just put an x next to the things that apply to you)

[x] I know how to make a pot of coffee.
[x] I keep track of dates using a calender.
[x] I own more than one credit card.
[] I know how to change the oil in my car.
[x] I do my own laundry.
[x] I vote every election.
[x] I can cook for myself.
[x] I think politics are exciting.
[] I balance my checkbook.
[] My parents have better things to say than my friends
total: 7

[x] I show up for school/college/work every day early. (OK, not every day, but my hair dryer stopped working on high, so until I got a new one I had to dry my hair on medium and it took 10-15 minutes longer. And I kept forgetting that until I sat down to do it.)
[x] I always carry a pen in my pocket/purse.
[] I've never gotten a detention. (I got one in high school, but Mr. Sisney said I didn't have to go.)
[] I have never smoked a cigarette.
[] I have never gotten completely trashed.
[] I have forgotten my own birthday at least once.
[] I like to take walks by myself.
[x] I've watched talk shows.
[x] I know what 'credibility' means without looking it up.
[ ] I drink coffee at least once a week.
total: 4

[x] I know how to do the dishes.
[x] I can count to 10 in another language.
[x] When I say I'm going to do something I do it.
[x] My parents trust me. (To be fair, they have always trusted me because I was the good child. Or at least, the one who didn't get caught doing stupid things)
[] I can mow the lawn.
[x] I can make adults laugh without being stupid.
[x] I remember to water the plants.
[x] I study when I have to.
[x] I pay attention at school/college/work.
[x] I remember to feed my pets.
total: 9

[x] I can spell 'experience' without looking it up
[] I work out on a regular basis.
[x] I clean up my own mess.
[ ] The people at Starbucks know me by name.
[] my favorite kind of food is take out.
[x]I have gained weight since high school.
[] The first thing I do when I wake up is get caffeine.
[x] I can go to the store without getting something I don't need.
[x] I understand political jokes the first time they are said.
[x] I can type quickly.
total: 6

[x] I have realized that the weather forecast changes every hour.
[ ] My only friends are from my place of employment.
[x] I have been to a tupperware party.
[x] I have realized that no one will take you seriously unless you are over the age of 25 and have a job. They might say they do, but they are so lying.
[] I have more bills than I can pay.
[] All my friends are older than I am.
[x] I can say no to staying out all night.
[x] I use the internet every day.
[x] My wardrobe hasn't changed in a while.
[x] I can read a book and actually finish it.
total: 7

age= 33
(now add them all up)

moo

My mom's birthday was Sunday, so we went to see my Grandma. Grandma hasn't come to us in years. In fact, my parents have done a lot of stuff to their house and my mom really wanted Grandma to see it, so she had my dad follow her around the house with a video camera while she gave a tour. They're funny. Grandma liked it so much she watched it twice. It was slightly less exciting for me, since I've been to the house and I picked the paint colors for almost every room. And whenever they have work done, like new carpets or floors, I'm the one who has to go let them in since the people both work out of town. Anyway, I discovered that my FOX News loving Grandma also likes to watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report. She's so funny. At least she has a sense of humor.

Short movie review: I saw Premonition last weekend. It was pretty much what I expected, giving credence to the saying about not being disappointed if you have low expectations. Some of the people I went with really liked it. I did not really like it, but I will say I've seen worse movies. Also, I really liked Sandra Bullock's hair and Julian McMahon barely has a trace of an accent.

I rented part of the first season of Weeds and I must say I really like it. There was a moment in one episode where I was like, no they are not going there, not they did not just go there! But other than that, I really like it and it's funny and it made me cry. But that's not that hard to do, so take it with a grain of salt. And the guy who played Denny on Grey's Anatomy plays her dead husband. Poor dude, he died on three shows that season. Also, I am now the proud owner of all the seasons of Hey Dude. I thought it was totally worth $40 for the entertainment value of just having them.

firsts and lasts survey

1st and Lasts
EVERYONE HAS THEIR FIRSTS:
FIRST REAL BEST FRIEND: Kathi in Owensboro
FIRST SCHOOL: Real school was Highland Elementary
FIRST CELL PHONE: It was a hunter green Nokia
FIRST FUNERAL: Great-grandma when I was 7
FIRST PET: Marie, our black cat
FIRST BIG TRIP: Umm...I guess when we went to DisneyWorld when I was 5
FIRST FIGHT: Physical? I guess with Shannon. We had a food fight once and even though we were laughing, we were also mad and shoving hard
FIRST CELEBRITY CRUSH: David Lascher on Hey Dude, maybe
FIRST TIME OUT OF THE COUNTRY?: I guess when I went to Europe when I was 16
FIRST JOB: Babysitting
FIRST MYSPACE FRIEND: Tom, since he's automatically your friend

EVERYONE HAS THEIR LASTS

LAST PERSON YOU HUGGED: I hugged Mark yesterday
LAST CAR RIDE: When I came back to work after lunch
LAST TIME YOU CRIED?: Wednesday
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED: I watched part of The Day After Tomorrow on TV the other day
LAST FOOD YOU ATE: Teriyaki chicken at Kyoto
LAST ITEM BOUGHT: Shirt on the internet
LAST SHIRT WORN: Blue with navy stripes
LAST PHONE CALL: Kristine called me about tonight
LAST TEXT MESSAGE: Kristine texted me this morning about tonight. She's very thorough :)
LAST THING YOU TOUCHED: Keyboard
LAST FUNERAL: The last actual funeral I attended was almost 4 years ago. But I went to visitation for Christina's grandma last year
LAST TIME AT THE MALL: Last Thursday
LAST TIME YOU WERE EXCITED FOR SOMETHING: I was excited that Mark came yesterday and stuck around to hang out with us
LAST PERSON YOU SAW: Mischelle walked past my office a few minutes ago
LAST THING YOU DRANK: Lemonade
LAST PERSON THAT BROKE YOUR HEART: No one
LAST TIME YOU WERE REALLY HONESTLY HAPPY?: Earlier this week?

ABCs

ABC easy as 123...

A - AVAILABLE?: For what?
B - BEST SPORT?: Not really into sports
C - CRUSH?: The soda? No thanks
D - DOGS NAME?: Don't have a dog
E - EASIEST PERSON(s) TO TALK TO?: Depends on what I want to talk about
F - FAV. COLOR?: Blue, green, purple, pink...whatever
G - GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS?: mostly bears
H - HOMETOWN?: BG
I - INSTRUMENT?: Flute, then clarinet, but I was never committed
J - FAVORITE JUICE?: Grape
K - KIND OF MUSIC?: The pretty kind that I can sing with
L - LONGEST CAR RIDE?: I guess FL
M - MILK FLAVOR?: Chocolate?
N - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS?: Two
O - ONE WISH: I thought wishes were supposed to be secret
P - PHOBIA/FEARS?: Bugs, snapping turtles
Q - FAVORITE QUOTE?: Right now it is-Elizabeth Bibesco-"Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting."
R - REASON TO SMILE? Myriad
S - SONG YOU LAST HEARD: I'm not sure. It was a while ago
T- TIME YOU WOKE UP TODAY?: 7:20
U - UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT ME?: Well, if I tell then they won't be unknown.
V - VEGETABLE YOU DONT LIKE?: Squash
W - WORST HABIT?: Picking at my cuticles?
X - X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD?: Just dental ones, plus a couple CAT Scans
Y - YUMMY FOOD?: Cheesecake
Z - ZODIAC/ASTROLOGY SIGN?: Pisces

Old...

So I'm 25 now. And I recently discovered that I have a pretty serious wrinkle. Apparently, while I do not wrinkle up my forehead much, I do spend a lot of time furrowing my brow. Because I have a pretty deep wrinkle between my brows lately. I don't know how I didn't notice it before, because it must have been there. I don't exactly spend a lot of time looking in mirrors, but I think I should've noticed it sooner. Nuts.
And my dad noticed yesterday that my car is missing a hubcap. I have no idea when or how that happened because I almost never go over to the passenger side and it's the front passenger side one that is gone. My dad said it must have been one of those times I was taking a corner on two wheels. He was kidding. I am really not that bad a driver. Mostly. :) I feel like I should fix it. Especially since I think I'm really going to get around to fixing my bumper soon too. I can use my dad's car while he's in Vegas and so it'll be totally cool.
I'm meeting Mark for lunch shortly, so I'd better go.

Another post today

The Dirty Thirty... 30 unknown facts/secrets about yourself:
1. In three words, explain what ended your last relationship? Umm...I don't really remember
2. When was the last time you shaved your legs? Today
3. What were you doing this morning at 8am? Sitting at work
4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago? Still sitting at work
5. Are you any good at math? Not so much
6. Last night? Watched Scrubs and 30 Rock and laid around
7. Do you have any famous ancestors? We're related to Mary Todd Lincoln or something. Which is strange because a girl who works here named her daughter Mary Todd because they're related to her too.
8. Have you ever burped in front of the opposite sex? Absolutely not!
9. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace page? Probably, but I don't remember what the song is
10. Last thing you received in the mail? I got mail here at work, but the last mail I got at my home was a new insurance card
11. How many different beverages have you drank today? Two
12. What's one thing you wish to change about yourself? Just one?
13. What do you wish for? I don't wish for anything
14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach? It's been a while since I've been to the beach....but I don't think so
15. What's the most painful dental procedure you've had? I've not had any really bad dental procedures, just fillings.
16. What is outside of your back door? A deck
17. Any plans for Friday night? Yes. Seeing Shannon.
18. Do you like the ocean? Yes
19. What is your favorite type of shirt? I really love 3/4 length sleeves.
20. Have you ever been to a planetarium? Yes
21. Do you wear any jewelry? Not really, just earrings.
22. Something you are excited about? Whipped Yogurt
23. What is your favorite flavor of JELLO? The kind that you make with Sprite-it's really good. Mark made it for me when I had my tonsil(s) out.
24. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive? No, not for many years.
25. Describe your keychain. It's regular. I have eight keys and a Kroger card and a PetCo card.
26. Do you like anyone in your top friends? Yes, otherwise they wouldn't be my friends, right?
27. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group? I guess in school. I don't like talking in front of even a few people, much less a lot. Although last week at work we had people from our Centers come for training and we had to stand up and tell them who we were and what we do. That wasn't cool for me.
28. What kind of winter coat do you have? I have an awesome pink one from B. Moss and a long black one from...somewhere else. I'm not sure.
29. Which makes you say "aww" more: puppies; babies; or cute old people who hold hands? Dude, that's tough. I love babies and I think many old people are adorable and who doesn't love puppies? How about babies?
30. Can you tie a cherry stem in a knot with your tongue? Seems unlikely, but I've never really tried

It's been a while...

I've been busy and sick. My birthday was great. My small group people got me a cupcake cake that looked like a pirate. Which amused me. And Shannon spent the day with me and that was fun even though we didn't do a lot. We did go to Wal-mart, which was not a good idea on a Saturday afternoon. We watched Sherrybaby. I liked it, but I will just say that if you happen to feel that you haven't seen enough of Maggie Gyllenhaal's boobs, you will not feel that way after you finish that movie. And The Science of Sleep was good. It was totally random and weird, but I liked it, because I'm random and weird.
Last weekend, I saw Fiddler on the Roof three times. I like Fiddler, and it was pretty good, but three times is a lot in one weekend. But I had to go because I told them I would tape it. So I did. And it was ok.
Shannon's birthday was Wednesday, but I didn't get to see her because I was sick. I came home early from work on Wed. and didn't go at all on Thursday. I have not felt that bad in a really long time. I managed to go through an entire box of tissues at work on Tuesday, so let's just say my nose was really really red and still hurts a little. But I feel mostly alive today, so I'm working. :) I think I'm seeing Shannon tonight and giving her her present, which is not that great. And then tomorrow we go to Lexington to see Mark's opera. Haven't seen Mark in a while, so that should be ok. This has been a less than thrilling entry, so I'm going to do some work.

birthday stuff

Those of you who care probably already know that my birthday is tomorrow. The work people are taking me to lunch in a few minutes. We're going to the Thai place, so I'm excited. Generally only Shannon will go there with me. I already got a present, delivered by UPS this morning from Dave and Rachel. I also already opened it. :) They got me the Fresh Sugar perfume that I loved, but was too cheap to buy. They are awesome like that. Although I know it was Rachel, since she has picked out all my presents since my 14th birthday. And tonight I'm going to Mariah's with friends, so that should be fun. They even tried to make having pick a place easier on me by having everyone present last night write a place down and then I picked from those. I just hate deciding because I don't want anyone to be unhappy. My dad called me this morning and said I don't have to decide whether I want to go to O'boro with them tomorrow or not because they're going Sunday. Sunday's totally cool with me. Dad said he'd make me a cake tomorrow and my grandma will probably make cheesecake for Sunday. She's awesome like that. The work people bought a cheesecake at Sam's Club for later. So that's cool too. Time for lunch!

llloooooonnnnnngggggggg

This week has seemed pretty long. And I think I figured out what I was forgetting on Tuesday. I was supposed to go to the practice at church for Sunday because I'm on graphics. It's ok though because my dad called me and told me to come and I managed to get there before they started. I've been in a NyQuil/DayQuil fog all week. Even though it says it won't make you sleepy, the DayQuil box is totally lying. Not cool. I saw the Last Kiss and Running With Scissors this week. I liked the Last Kiss better than Running With Scissors, which was not as good as the book. I also joined Netflix. Which is exciting, but only for me. I can't wait to go home. I am so finished with all my work.

no duties

Just kidding. I called the number and the jury trial was cancelled or something. Whatever. So, I'm at work. Which is at least predictable. And it's snowing, which is pretty. But I feel worse today than yesterday. And everyone wants to know what I want for my birthday, but I don't know. I'm the queen of indecision. I also seem to attract others who can't make decisions, as I have several friends that I actually have trouble getting together with because none of us will pick a place or a date or a time. Anyway, back to work. Happy Valentine's Day!

duties

So I have to go to jury duty tomorrow. At least, at this point I think I have to. You know, you're supposed to call some number after 6 and it will tell you if you have to go. You have to be there at 7:45. I totally don't even usually leave for work by 7:45. But it does only take me 6 minutes to get to work. I think I'm getting sick because my nose is all funky. I guess I'll stop on the way home and buy some Benadryl and/or Nyquil. I need to actually go to the grocery, but I really don't feel like it. I think there's something I've been forgetting to do, but I can't quite hold onto that thought. If you think you know the answer, let me know. :)

This one's for you, Rachel

I realize this survey is missing eight questions, but I am too tired to make some up now. Maybe tomorrow. Or you can make up your own.
70 Quirks about me:
1. Initials: ARB
2. What is your favorite thing to wear?: pajamas
3. Last thing you ate: baked cheese tortelloni and then we all shared turtle cheesecake and chocolate cannoli...mmm
4. For or against same sex marriage? whatever
5. I say Shotgun, you say: whatever
6. Last person you hugged? Zoe hugged me goodnight :)
8. How many U.S states have you been to?: 12
9. How many of the U.S states have you lived in: just the one
11. Name something you like physically about yourself: I have pretty good hair
13. Who is your best friend?: they know who they are...I love you dudes
14. Why are you still up?: I'm watching the end of the UK game with Dave
15. Who/What made you angry today?: We were all a little miffed when we tried to go to Olive Garden and they totally had a 40 minute wait at 4 in the afternoon. It was nuts. So we went to Johnny Carino's and it was excellent
16. Favorite type of Food?: Regular? I like my foods plain
17. Favorite holiday: Thanksgiving, I guess
18. Do you download music: no
19. Do you care if your socks are dirty? yes, very much so
21. Would you date the person who posted this? no
22. Has anyone ever sang or played for you personally? Maybe
23. Do you love anyone? Lots of people
24. Do you like Bush? Not much, but I do kind of feel bad for him because some people hate him just to hate him, rather than paying attention and knowing why.
25. Have you ever bungee jumped?: no
26. Have you ever gone white-water rafting: no
27. Has anyone ten years older than you ever hit on you? I don't think so. But people more than 10 years older have
28. How much money ya got?: I have about $5 cash money
29. Have you met a real redneck?: undoubtedly. I live in KY.
30. How is the weather right now?: Pretty cold, but I know it's colder at home
31.What are you listening to right now?: the TV
32. What is your current fav song?: Uhh...I don't know, but I have had Dark Side of the Moon from Mulan in my head for several hours now. Rachel started it, but then we couldn't stop singing it
33. What was the last movie you watched?: We watched part of Mulan after dinner because we had the song already. And then we watched part of Sleepy Hollow
34. Do you wear contacts: Yes. I can see very little without them
35. Where was the last place you went besides your house? Well, I drove to Birmingham yesterday and then we went bowling and to Dairy Queen and then today we went to Johnny Carino's
36. What are you afraid of?: Bugs and people
37. How many piercings and tattoos have you had?: Just one piercing per ear and a weird spot where I used to have my navel pierced
38. How many pets do you have?: I have two cats
39. What's one thing you've learned?: One of my cats has a tendency to throw up when I go away for a few days. I guess she gets sad or nervous that I won't come back
40. What do you usually order from Starbucks?: Nothing
42. Have you ever fired a gun: Not a real one
43. Are you missing someone?: Not really. I've only been gone two days
44. Fav. TV show?: Scrubs. It always makes me laugh
45. Do you have an iPod?: No
46. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celeb?: No
48. Who would you like to see right now?: No one. I'm cool right now. And I feel loved because someone called me last night to invite me somewhere and then someone else called tonight. Even thought I already was somewhere, I appreciated being thought of
49. Favorite movie of all time?: I don't know. I like a lot of movies, but I don't love a lot of them
50. Do you find yourself loved?: Sometimes
51. Have you ever been caught doing something you weren't supposed to? Who hasn't?
52. Favorite flower: I don't know. Ones that smell good and are pretty?
53. Butter, plain, or salted popcorn? A little butter and a little salt. Don't go crazy with it
54. What magazines are you reading: None, I finished my Jane and Glamour and left them at my house so Shannon could read them when she came to check on the felines
55. Have you ever ridden in a limo?: When I was eight my friend Kelsey had a birthday party where we rode in a limo and took a plane ride. It was awesome
56. Has anyone you were really close to passed away recently?: No
58. What's something that really bugs you?: Stupid people. Or people who think I'm stupid so I won't figure out they're lying to me
60. Do you like Michael Jackson?: No
61. What’s your favorite smell?: Clean sheets
62. Favorite basketball team?: I guess I like the Spurs and UK and WKU. I no longer strenuously dislike UK anyway. I don't care a lot about any of them though
63. Favorite cereal?: Froot Loops, but I don't eat breakfast
64. Do you like school: No
65. What's the longest time you've gone without sleep? I don't know. More than 24 hours, less then 48?
66. Last time you went bowling? Last night. I still suck
67. Where is the weirdest place you have slept?: Umm...I haven't slept in a lot of weird places. Mostly beds, couches or floors
68. Who was your last phone call?: Laura
69. Last time you went to the mall?: A few weeks ago. I don't go to malls much
70. What's your favorite state to be in?: contentment.

Another survey

This particular survey was missing about ten questions so I made some up. Also, there were some questions I thought were really dumb, so I changed them. So fourteen of these questions are mine. Bet you don't know which ones. I probably already forgot which ones I did. Also, I just noticed that the first and last questions have the same answer. Hmm.
1. Who is the last person you held hands with? Zoe or Addie the other weekend
2. If you were drafted into a war, would you survive? Seems unlikely
3. Are you graceful? Not even close. I constantly trip over nothing and run into things that have been in the same places for years.
4. Have you ever drank milk straight out of the carton? No, because we always had those plastic gallon jugs and the opening was always gross and crusty. Also I don't drink milk anymore
5. Have you ever won a spelling bee? Yes! Spelling is my forte
6. Are you handy? No. In fact, I don't even have a screwdriver. If I didn't have a very kind father and two helpful brothers, I'd be in trouble.
7. How fast can you type? Fast enough, but not as fast as many
8. Are you afraid of the dark? Sometimes I'm afraid of what might be in the dark (e.g. strangers or robbers)
9. Eye color? blue-green
10. Would you rather laugh with the sinners or cry with the saints? A little of both :)
11. When is the last time you chose a bath over a shower? A long time ago. I think I was at my Grandma's house
12. Do you knock on wood? No, unless it's a door
13. Are you drinking anything right now? No
14. Do you make things up? I make up words. Also, songs that are about whatever I happen to be doing, like the dishes.
15. Can you hoola hoop? Not well and only at the waist
16. Are you good at keeping secrets? Generally
17. Do you procrastinate? You have no idea!
18. Do you know the Muffin man? He lives on Drury Lane
19. Do you talk in your sleep? No
20. Who wrote the book of love? The Magnetic Fields
21. Have you ever flown a kite? Yes
22. Have you ever gone kayaking? No
23. Do you consider yourself successful? Successful at what?
24. How many people are on your contact list of your cell? Not as many as there used to be. I recently cleaned it out
25. Have you ever asked for a pony? Not seriously, but in jest like, last year or something
26. Plans for tomorrow? Work, church
27. Truth or Dare? Generally dare. I like to keep my truths to myself.
28. Missing someone now? No
29. When was the last time you told someone 'I love you'? Yesterday, I think, but if not, then Sunday
30. Are you a joiner? Generally no
31. How are you feeling today? Tired and weirdly excited. But I'm not sure why.
32. Have you ever crimped your hair? No, sadly, I didn't have a crimper back in the day
33. Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school? No, I was a good kid :)
34. What are you looking forward to? This weekend-I'm going to visit my favorite little family! And I guess my birthday in a couple weeks, but since I'm not getting a pony, why bother?
35. Have you ever crawled through a window? Yeah, but never to actually sneak in or out. I used to sit on my windowsill when Dave and I had to clean all the windows inside and out
36. Death is Not an Option: Jerry Seinfeld or Richard Belzer? Ewww. Are you sure death isn't an option? ...Belzer...
37. Have you ever eaten dog food? No
38. Can you handle the truth? I hope so
39. Do you like green eggs and ham? Well, I don't love ham, but maybe
40. What 3 things do you always bring w/ you to places? My phone, Strawberry Chapstick, and me!
41. Any cool scars? I have a cool little scar that looks like an arrow on my inner forearm (Dave accidentally ran into me with a pair of scissors-always hold them correctly, kids!)
42. Can you do any accents? I can do an exaggerated country accent, but that's about it
43. How many kids do you plan on having? More than one
44. What do you do when no one is watching? Uhh...make rude gestures? So just kidding
45. Have you ever been in love? Why not?
46. Do you talk to yourself? Not often, I don't think I like me
47. Is there something you want that you can't have? Of course
48. Have you ever eaten tofu? Not to my knowledge
49. Who are you thinking about right now? Work I should be doing
50. Who did you last hug? Maybe Laura on Sunday
51. Where is your phone? In my purse
52. What was the last thing you ate? Yogurt
53. Have you ever been to the circus? Yes
54. Favorite Color? Green
55. What is the last movie you watched? Umm...I think I watched part of something on USA a few days ago, but I can't remember what. But it was on USA, so it obviously wasn't good, unless it was Bring It On, but I would remember that. What? It's a guilty pleasure. Totally the best movie about cheerleading I've ever seen
56. What song do you currently hear? None, but for reasons unknown, I have Mary Did You Know stuck in my head
57. What do you want? To go home and nap
58. Is your house clean? Mostly. I vacuumed and took out the trash and washed my sheets yesterday. It was exciting. I love clean sheets.
59. What TV show are you watching? None, I'm at work
60. When was the last time you kissed someone? I kissed Zoe and Addie about a week and a half ago

Here's another, Rachel...as opposed to here's another Rachel

Anyway, I'm a big dork.
41 Things You Never Think to Ask
reply your answers
1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? no
2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters? sometimes
3. When's the last time you've been sledding? a really long time ago
4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? alone-i'm a very light sleeper
5. Do you believe in ghosts? no
6. Do you consider yourself creative? no
7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? i am not well versed enough in that case to have an opinion
8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Jennifer Aniston-she was so cute on Friends
9. Do you stay friends with your ex's? why not
10. Do you know how to play poker?kind of
11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? maybe. but not in many years.
12. What's your favorite commercial? i almost never watch commercials now that i have a DVR. I almost never watch live TV anymore :)
13. What are you allergic to? mold, mildew, cats, rabbits, birds, you know...everything
14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights? no, but i don't drive around in the middle of the night much anymore
15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? yes
16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? whatever.
17. Have you ever been Ice Skating? yes
18. How often do you remember your dreams? maybe once a week, approximately
19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? about a week ago
20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles? yes
21. What's the one thing on your mind now? i want to go home
22. Do you believe in love at first sight? no
23. Do you know who Ghetto-ass barbie is? no
24. Do you always wear your seat belt? yes
25 what cell service do you use? cingular
26. Do you like Sushi? i've never had it. but probably not, since I don't really like cooked fish
27. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident? i don't think so
28. What do you wear to bed? pajama pants, t-shirt
29. Been caught stealing? no
30. what shoe size do you have? 7.5
31. Do you truly hate anyone? maybe
32. Classic Rock or Rap? ummm...i guess classic rock?
33. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? your mom
34. Are you a virgin? ha
35. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror? not on purpose, but probably back when i used ot actually fix my hair and listen to the radio while i did so
36. What food do you find disgusting? beets
37. Do you sing in the shower? sometimes
38. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"? not that i recall
39. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? we are people. we've all done this at some point or another. and people have done it to me, i'm sure
40. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew? maybe
41. Have you ever been punched in the face? no

40 questions

40 of The Most Random Questions You Will Ever Fill Out
(Why do all these surveys have missing questions?!)
1) What side of the heart do you draw first? left
2) Can you dive without plugging your nose? no, I don't dive
3) What color is your shirt? blue
4) What is your blood-type? no idea
5) Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours? umm...I don't think I know anyone that I would want to be tied to for 24 hours. Maybe Zoe?
6) What is a rumor someone has spread about you? I don't think anyone has a spread a rumor about me in years, or at least not one that has gotten back to me
7) How do you feel about carrots? I like carrots as long as they are not cooked
8) How many chairs at the dining room table? 4
9) Which is the best Spice Girl? that is random...I guess the scary one that was Posh, but she is totally scary now.
10) Do you know what time it is? 1:50 pm
11) Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince? I think so
12) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator? not much. it's happened before
13) What's your favorite kind of gum? I like the Orbit Wintermint and I've also been chewing Trident lately
14) All's fair in love and war? I don't think so
15) Do you have a crush on anyone? No
16) Do you know how to use some words correctly, but not know the meaning? Seems possible
17) Do you like to sleep? definitely
18) Do you know which US states don't use Daylight Savings? I thought Indiana was the only one
19) Do you know the words to the song Total Eclipse of the Heart? Yes!
20) Do you want a yellow 06' mustang? No. Ew
21) What's something you've always wanted to do? be brave
22) Do you have hairy legs? sometimes
23) What does "Semper Fidelis" stand for? Always faithful
24) Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake? Neither, but I will wade in the ocean. I stick to the pool for swimming (not that chlorine is much better)-I'm with you on that Christina
25)Do you wear a lot of black? Not a lot, but some
26) Describe your hair? Brown, thick, getting longer :)
27) Do you have Entomophobia? ha! yeah
28) Are you an adult? I guess
29) Where is/are your best friend(s)? BG and Alabaster
30) Do you have a tan? Ha! Never
31) Are you a television addict? yeah
32) Do you enjoy spending time with your mother? I wish. That would make my life easier. I do like other peoples' mothers
33) Are you a sugar freak? sometimes
34) Do you like orange juice? not really
35) What sign are you? Pisces
36) Where do you wish you were right now? Home, laying on the couch
39) Have you kissed anyone in the past week? Yes, I kissed Addie and Zoe this weekend. They're too cute
40) What are your plans for the weekend? I couldn't say yet. It's only Tuesday. :)

Health plan

My head hurts...a lot. I stopped taking my drugs between Christmas and New Year's. Except for my stomach one. I even stopped taking Prevacid, but I have been having really bad heartburn lately, so I think I'll bring that one back. It was just an experiment. And I've been mostly ok until today. But this headache could be because I really screwed up my sleep schedule by staying out until after 5 Monday morning. Or something else. Or maybe I shouldn't have stopped taking my drugs. I just hate the idea of having to spend $120 a month on drugs indefinitely. None of the dudes ever said anything about me stopping, or tapering or anything. So I made an executive decision about my body. Let's wait and see if it was ill-advised. One pretty bad headache will not stop me in my tracks, so I'll wait at least another month (I think). So I have started crying when other people cry (even people on TV, but this was perfectly normal for me before-I was always very empathetic), so what? I was used to it once, I can get used to it again. When I was in high school, I don't think there was a single person who had a class with me my sophomore year who hadn't seen me cry. No crying at work so far. Awesome.

So I was pissy when I wrote my last post. Sorry. Anyway, I feel better today and I'm going to church tonight and I'm not even on for camera or graphics. How new and different. I got Shannon's stuff from Sephora the other day and they always send you three free samples with your order. I think I really like one of my samples. It's Fresh Sugar perfume. I don't wear perfume every day or anything, but I love products. It's smells mostly clean, but a little sweet. I don't like my perfume cloyingly sweet. I can't decide if I like it enough to purchase some. Anyway, work to do now!

Singing

I went to choir at church Sunday night. I technically joined back in the fall, but then I only went twice. And after going on Sunday, I remember why I kept preferring to stay home. I ended up sitting next to my mother, who turned to me about halfway through and said, "I'm glad you're sitting next to Jennie too. She can help keep you on track." I just am not the most talented person in my family, which is why I stopped performing when I was 14 and started going behind the scenes. When I joined choir, Benny made a big deal out of the fact that I was a Benz without having ever actually heard me sing. So, he told people who I was and then I felt like people expected things from me. I love to sing, but I rarely do it in front of people. Mark and I used to sing together a lot, but he didn't say rude things to me that made me feel inferior. Thanks, Mark! I'm not saying he isn't a turd (terd for Dave and his wacky spellings) sometimes (he is, after all, my little brother), but at least he doesn't do that. Actually, one of my other problems with choirs was that they kept trying to make me do stupid exercises, or worse, dance terrible dances. And that is why halfway through rehearsals for our eighth grade musical, I became a tech person. I am just terribly uncoordinated and I have always been extremely self-conscious, so it's best that I do nothing to attract attention to myself. I realize this all extremely negative, but apparently that's the kind of mood I'm in today. My jaw hurts quite a bit, as does my head. Also, weird that I used parentheses twice in the same sentence. I somehow think you shouldn't do that. Oh well.

Books?

I had this really weird dream last night. My dad and I were going somewhere and I was still in high school, so I was going to just go chill at the high school in whatever town we were visiting. Apparently I had friends who went there. Anyway, I was really upset because I didn't have any books to take. I have gone anywhere that takes more the 30 minutes to drive to without at least one book since I was like 7. If it's an overnight trip, I take several. In my dream, I had read all the books at my house and in my car and couldn't find any new ones. When I woke up, I started looking around for books. And was relieved when I remembered I wasn't going on a trip and that I have at least four books that I haven't read yet. Crisis averted. I know you were worried for me.

Speaking of books, I read one last weekend that really irritated me. I bought it because it was by Madeleine L'Engle and I loved her books when I was a kid (A Wrinkle in Time, etc.). So I was excited that she wrote a book for adults. But it was written so strangely. The dialogue was extremely stilted, although the plot was passable. Anyway, I don't recommend A Live Coal in the Sea. Yesterday I read a book called A Better Woman: A Memoir of Motherhood, by Susan Johnson. It was decent, especially since I only paid $1.50 for it. As far as books I have read about motherhood, I am still partial to Expecting Adam. It made me cry. Although to be fair, I read it when I was in high school, before I was medicated and everything made me cry. But that's a story for another time.

On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, Scrubs was on last night! It made me happy. Also, I read that there is a musical episode of Scrubs airing January 18th. That should be entertaining.

Another place no one will go with me...

I have also always wanted to go to the Ave Maria Grotto, which we started passing when we started driving to Birmingham when I was about 15. No one will ever stop with me. I could stop one of the times I make the drive alone, but how is that fun? Once I was so excited that I looked it up so I could get an idea of what it actually was. I still want to go.

It's been a while...

It's been pretty crazy, so I got distracted. Hah, I just remembered my blog name. Anyway, stupidity aside, I had a decent holiday. And a pretty good New Year's. It was quite entertaining. I went to L'ville with people from my small group and while it wasn't what we expected, it was interesting. And it turns out Mark and Ashley were still hanging around town, so they came by and chilled with us for a while after midnight. And then again when we went to lunch later that day. Which was cool because I didn't actually see much of them during the holidays. I also did not get to see much of Dave and Rach and the girls, but I am totally going to take some days off at some point and go see them. Which I hope is cool with them! :) I still haven't gotten the other part of Shannon's Christmas present because it was back-ordered like a month before Christmas, but it should come soon. Sorry, Shannon. I was a little too excited and told her what it was when we exchanged presents. But I was proud of myself for not giving in and giving Dave and Mark the Mercedes-Benz t-shirts early. I was very excited about them and I had them like two or three months before Christmas. And mostly when I told other people about them, they didn't think it was as cool as I did.
On the way back from L'ville yesterday we ended up with less people in my car than we had going there, which was fine and so we somehow ended up stopping at Dinosaur World. Which I have always wanted to do, but no one would ever do it with me. We didn't actually pay to go in, but they have several dinosaurs outside the park, so we took pictures with them and trekked over to the big T-Rex that you see from the Interstate and took pictures with it. It was pretty weird looking. We also found an old wooden outhouse and tried to get in it, but it was somehow locked from the inside. Sad for us. But these people in the parking lot near it saw us taking pictures of it and laughed at us, but as we were leaving, they were totally over by it videotaping themselves with the outhouse. Much like you, Christina, I too only update when I'm at work. So I need to do some more work before I leave.