New Plan

I can't believe today is Christmas Eve already! This year has just flown by. I made the hard decision to stay in the Twin Cities for Christmas instead of driving home to be with my family, due to the winter storm that much of the country is currently experiencing. The roads weren't terrible this afternoon, which is when I would have been traveling the roughly 2 hours back to my hometown, but I was more concerned about getting back tomorrow night since I work early Saturday morning. I was pretty bummed about the decision since Christmas with my family has always been something I look forward to all year, but I talked to my mom and we decided that we would all wait until next weekend to celebrate Christmas. Now that that is all settled, I'm looking forward to just having a relaxing day off tomorrow. I plan to play guitar, read a book, drink some coffee, and go for a long walk in the snow! Some people think it's strange, but I would much rather go for a walk in the rain or snow than for a walk on a sunny day. That's just how I am; if it's raining, instead of using an umbrella or running for cover, I'll be the one walking slow enjoying the fresh smell and taking it all in. So now that I'm going to be here, bring on the snow!

Currents

Currently reading: Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno... I'm only about a quarter of the way through it, but I'm really enjoying it so far. I really want to start reading more, now that I actually have some time. I still have to finish Breaking Dawn; I don't know why I'm having so much trouble getting through it. I enjoy it, yet I just can't seem to stay focused when I'm reading it.

Currently listening to:

This was my playlist that I was listening to today while painting:

1. The Night Descending- Iron and Wine

2. When You Wake Up Feeling Old- Wilco

3. Downtown- Tegan and Sara

4. Her Words Destroyed My Planet- Motion City Soundtrack

5. Roscoe- Midlake

6. Turn My Grave- I Was Totally Destroying It!

7. Lonesome Swan- Glasvegas

8. Asleep in Life's Waiting Room- Small Towns Burn A Little Slower

9. Miles Davis & The Cool- The Gaslight Anthem

10. Camera Ready Kids- Farewell Continental

11. I Don't Deserve You- Skies Alive

12. Cut And Run- Electrelane

Currently Watching: I just watched a little bit of The Sweetest Thing with Stephanie. Such a bad movie; I'd seen it before and knew it was bad, but it's still kind of a fun movie to watch just because of how bad it is.

Currently Liking:

Painting. I used to paint all the time, but hadn't since I moved back to the Cities. So today I ran out to Michaels and bought a couple new canvases and some more paint. I decided to paint something for my younger brother for Christmas; I'm not sure he'll fully appreciate it right now, but maybe when he's older he'll like it more.

Guitar. I'm so glad that I started taking guitar lessons, and even more grateful that Tommy didn't just give up on me after those first couple of weeks. I realize I'm not the easiest person to get to step out of their comfort zone. haha. Playing the guitar has saved me from being completely bored on countless nights this past year.

Currently Missing:

My friends and family. All last year I impatiently waited to move back to the Cities and dreamt about all the good times I'd have hanging out with my friends and going to concerts, etc. Instead most days I only end up seeing my coworkers, who I luckily enjoy being around, but it's still not the same. I haven't seen Karen and Cory since September; that blows my mind. We used to see each other almost weekly. I live with Stephanie, but our schedules are opposite and most days we don't even see each other. As much as her little cat annoys me, I gotta admit, sometimes it is nice to not have to come home to an empty apartment each night. I've been getting to hang out with some new friends though, and go to concerts with them occasionally, which has been nice. It's hard being the only single one in our group; being the third wheel gets old after a while.

I miss being close to my family. My closest family member is my cousin Johanna, who is still over an hour away, but it's nice to occasionally get to hang out with her and her 2 adorable little girls. It's weird not being around kids all the time now, it's definitely quieter, but also less entertaining.

I think that's enough for today.

Bubbles blown into the sky...

The best adventures are free...

Dreams vs Reality

I'm glad winter's over (knock on wood); but I will miss the awesome snow forts Benny, Yaya, and I made this year. Last night I had a dream that we got a big snowstorm, so needless to say I was pretty relieved when I woke up and realized it wasn't real.

MCS Weekend

Play-by-play of this bombtastical weekend (thursday-saturday):

Thursday... 

9:00 AM: Thought I had to go get blood drawn for allergy testing, but turns out the med. assistant scheduled me on the wrong day so I didn't have to. This meant that I now have to go another week without any allergy meds, but at least it also meant no needles.

11:00-12:00 AM/PM: Finished my pathophysiology test, and officially began my 4 day weekend.

2:15 PM: Realized that I hadn't eaten anything all day and should probably grab something quick.

3:00 PM: Headed to St. Paul

3:45 PM: Passed an elderly woman hitch-hiking in the middle of nowhere. Thumb out with full arm extension and everything. Fucking strange.

5:00-6:00 PM: Guitar lesson

7:00 PM: Guilt trip, but I won't name names.

8:00 PM: Shopping with Karen

9:00-10:30 PM: Chile's in Roseville; 2 for 1 margaritas. Nuff said.

Friday...

12:00 AM: Watching funny youtube videos.

1:00 AM: Attempt to fall asleep on Karen's couch, but it's way too hot in there. Toss and turn for a couple of hours.

3:00 AM: Realize I'm missing an earring. Awake, but not really awake. 

3:30 AM: Still searching for the missing earring. Not sure why.

4:00-6:00 AM: In and out of sleep.

6:00 AM: Get up and get dressed. Continue looking for earring.

7:00 AM: Decide to go to Target and get a new pair of earrings, but realize Target doesn't open until 8.

7:15 AM: Eat breakfast at Perkins; waitress forgot my orange juice, but it's alright since I didn't have to pay for it that way.

8:00 AM: Find cheap pair of earrings, and head over to the U of M.

8:30-9:30 AM: Chill in the Coffman Union. Realize that the earring I thought I'd lost had been in my pocket the whole time. WTF.

9:45 AM: Head over to Christy's dorm. Meet up with Razzi and Aimee.

10:00 AM: Leave for Iowa City

1:00 PM: Remember why I hate driving through Iowa...boring. Feel something crawling on my arm, look down, and realize I had just been stung by a bee. Great. Flick bee out the window.

2:30 PM: Realize we missed our turn about an hour ago... doh.

3:30 PM: Finally back on the right road. Look down in my lap and spot another big bee crawling on my leg. Have mini panic attack and then smash the bee with a water bottle. At this point I'm paranoid because I can't figure out where the bees are coming from and it feels like they are crawling all over me. We determine that Aimee has brought the bees. Not really.

4:00 PM: Eat at Cici's pizza. Not a big fan. They didn't accept credit cards; i'm sorry, I didn't realize I had stepped into a time warp.

5:00 PM: Make it to the venue; already about 15 people in line.

6:00 PM: Standing in line next to some of the most annoying kids on the planet. The word 'epic' was said far too many times.

7:00 PM: Get into the venue. Christy was saving us spots on barricade between Justin and Matt. Nice.

7:30 PM: Start to realize that this is quite possibly the largest amount of douche bags that I have ever seen in one area.

7:45 PM: Surrounded by annoying girls; actual quote "Mr. Pierre's hair better be banging or I'm outta here" (that girl did end up leaving the pit about 2 minutes into the first song, hmm), and douche bag guys that thought it was hilarious to stick their hands up girls shirts and hump their legs.

8:00-9:00 PM: Motion City Soundtrack puts on a wonderful performance as always.

9:00 PM: Encore. Girl with quite possibly the worst body odor on the planet pushes her way up next to me. She's drenched in sweat and I can't help but gag. Hold my breath through most of Throwdown and TFFMO.

9:30 PM: Head back to MN. Razzi and Christy drive again. I sleep almost the whole way. Wake up a couple of times when it was hailing pretty hard. 

Saturday...

2:30 AM: Get back to Minneapolis. Drop off Aimee. Go to sleep on the floor in Christy's dorm.

7:30 AM: Move to the now empty futon.

10:30 AM: Wake up to find that Christy and Razzi had left and that I'm alone in the room with Christy's roommate whom I've never met and who had no idea that I was going to be there. She was not pleased.

11:15 AM: Christy returns from dropping Razzi off. We head to the dining hall for brunch.

12:00 PM: Decide to head over to the MCS show at St. Johns.

1:30 PM: Arrive at St. Johns. Park the car. Walk down a steep embankment only to realize that it actually costs $30 and not $20 like the online tickets. Also Realize we don't have enough money to get in since the parking garage cost me $18.

1:45 PM: Contemplate our 2 options... 1) Drive back to Minneapolis or 2) Try to sneak in. 

1:50 PM: Decide to sneak in. Now, I don't condone this behavior and normally wouldn't agree to it, because I'm all about playing by the rules and paying what I owe, but seeing as they wouldn't have gotten any money out of us anyways we decided to take the chance. Plus it's MCS.

2:00-3:00 PM: Walk 1 mile down a gravel road, turn the corner and see two cops standing off in the distance. We decide to duck around the back of an old church and run into the woods. After walking through the woods for about 15 minutes we spot an opening in the distance, and then we spot the main path that all of the concert goers are coming in on. 

3:00 PM: We try to duck in behind the group of people walking in. Christy doesn't get spotted by security, but I do. Story of my life.

3:15 PM: We walk past security like nothing happened and get up by the stage. Just then security approaches me and asks me why they saw me coming out of the wrong path. I make up the most outlandish lie off the top of my head and completely think I got busted. They take my name and get on their walkie-talkies (it probably helped that the guy thought I said my name was Holly even though I gave him my actual name). At this point I think I'm completely screwed and figure that he would ask to see my wristband, stamp, or ticket stub...none of which I had. Turns out, St Johns wasn't on top of things, because they didn't give out any of those things, which worked out nicely for me. They had no way to prove that I hadn't legitimately paid to get into the show so they just walked away. I'm not a rebel, so my heart was pounding, but at the same time I was pretty pleased with myself for actually getting away with it, because I never get away with shit.

3:20 PM: I realized that Christy had taken off as soon as security approached me, so I moved to the other side of the stage before I gave the all clear for her to come over and join me.

3:25 PM: We finish watching Unicycle Loves You's set. Pretty good stuff.

3:45 PM: Motion City Soundtrack comes on stage. The weather was perfect for an outdoor show. Everything is sounding great.

4:00 PM: A group of at least 25 drunk guys run into the crowd and push everybody out of the center. I fear that this may turn ugly. Justin: "Looks like Josh's crew just showed up." haha. Ends up making the concert more enjoyable; everyone got really into it and the guys were careful not to crush any of the girls around them. I just wish they could have been a little bit shorter; I swear it must have been the basketball team or something because they were all at least 6'5''. But beggars can't be choosers, or something like that. The concert was held outside on a gravel lot, so with all the jumping there was dust flying everywhere. 

4:45 PM: Concert ends. I looked down and realized my pants and shoes were completely covered in dust. Between the car ride, two sweaty shows, sleeping on the floor, walking through the woods, and the dirt I feel pretty damn grody. Everything was totally worth it, and since I have a guilty conscious I'll make up the missed payment by buying some extra merch or something. 

So yeah, that was the weekend. Not too shabby. 

Cute

About to leave for a long day at work; alone + nice weather = gonna be crazy... 

I got woken up by my lil pal Norah today; I gotta say, it's not a bad way to be woken up. 

'80s hair

My brother found this gem while he was looking for something the other day. It's of me and my older sisters circa 1990. Kari's still totally rockin' the '80s hair, though. 

Seeing that picture inspired me to search for my favorite picture of my brother. It's at times like this that I wish I had a scanner. So that every glorious detail could be seen more clearly. This includes the zubaz pants, the armadillo shirt, the mary-kate and ashley doll, and the oversized head that JP had such a hard time holding up!

Random

Hung out with "The Hams" yesterday...

Sometimes it's nice to just have conversations about Hannah Montana, meat-eating dinosaurs, and scooters. And occasionally Scooby Doo. But that's about the extent of it.

Oh mama...

Work was weird today. Just one of those days where everything happens in a strange way; not necessarily bad, but not necessarily good either. 

The normal delivery guy was on vacation this week, and the replacement driver showed up 3 hours late. It made for a nice, relaxing morning, and a crazy stressful afternoon.

The customers were all very strange today too. One woman referred to her 4-year-old as "Piggy" and first called her child a 'he' and then later a 'she'. That kid is going to be messed up when he/she gets older.

Then to top it all off my boss calls me and another coworker into the office. He sits my coworker down and then tells me I'm there as a witness to the conversation. He basically tears her to pieces for 15 minutes, calls her a liar, threatens to fire her, screaming ensues, etc., and all the while I'm standing in the corner having to be a "witness" to this. As soon as he had said everything he wanted to say, my boss gets up and decides to leave for the day. My coworker then starts crying hysterically and I'm left to console her and pick up the pieces. Totally uncomfortable situation all around.

I really wish I had tomorrow off. I haven't ended up having a day off since last Thursday, and my next day off is Tuesday. That's 13 days in a row. My boss already tried to guilt me into working next Tuesday too, but they have over 60 employees, so I think it's time they rely on someone else for a change. 

Time to get out of the desert and into the sun...

I'm trying to think, but I'm listening to the Format's "On Your Porch" and it's consuming all of my thoughts. Pausing until the next song... Alright, We Are Scientists... sweet. 

• I have the most massive toothache; dental insurance would be totally appreciated at the moment. 
  
• Last night one of my friends told me they loved the song "If You Seek Amy" by Britney Spears. Really? This song is a pathetic attempt to be vulgar, case in point "All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy." Does anyone really believe that she's talking about someone named Amy, or is she trying to be clever and mean "begging to F U C K me"? Honestly, I would maybe be willing to give her props if she had come up with a line that made sense and also had the hidden meaning at the same time, or if she had just used the "F U C K" line. Lets be real, it's not like the rest of your life is censored, Brit. 
• I'm up 17-8 in the Jesus Tape Wars. That subject deserves its own post...later.
• So into Empires right now...Keep the Mood= yes.
• 3 more days. sweet.
• Hoping for at least 5 hours of sleep tonight, then up at 6 a.m. to squeeze in about 3 hours of homework before heading to work, then working until 5 p.m., then driving to St. Paul, then Asher Roth, then sleep, then stop writing in run-on sentences.

Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol...

Theme of the night: F my life courtesy of fmylife.com

Moral of the story: St. Paul impound lots at 2 a.m. are not a good idea if can be avoided. 

Reasoning: After a long night of acoustic shows, uno, alcohol, Jesus tape wars, jimmy johns, and general debauchery people were beginning to depart from the night's location. I had just got settled on the couch and started drifting off when Kar's cell rang. It was her boyfriend who had left about 15 minutes earlier... 

convo:

Kar: Hello?

Cory: Hey, where did I park?

Kar: What? In the back parking lot somewhere.

Cory: Yeah, but my car's not here.

Kar: What do you mean your car's not there?

Cory: I mean there's a red car parked where my car was.

Kar: Did you have your parking pass up?

Cory: Yeah. Oh shit. I think I forgot to put it up.

Kar: So you got towed?

Cory: F my life.

So the 3 of us get in my car and head to the impound lot situated in the most gloriously shady area of town. And not shady as in plenty of foliage shady. We get there and the perfects are out in full force; I'm talking drunks, profanity, and threats all nicely confined in a 4 x 4 ft area. Good times, good times. At least I wasn't the one that had to shell out a couple hundred bones for forgetting to put up my parking pass. Ouch. 

So after getting back and getting 2 hours of sleep I headed back out on the road at 6 in order to get to work. Still a good night. Back to the cities tomorrow after work for Asher Roth at fineline. I'm skeptical, but I'll be open minded and take it for what it is. Wednesday night can't come soon enough.

Busy week ahead...

This week is jam packed. 

Tomorrow: Hanging out in St. Paul and checking out Cory's brother Sean's acoustic set at some coffee shop.

Sunday: Drive back to Rochester to work 10-6, and then jam as much homework into the night as humanly possible in an attempt to avoid failing out of college.

Monday: Working 10-5, then driving back to the cities to see Asher Roth at Fineline.

Tuesday: Hangover, homework, etc.

Wednesday: Working 10-2:30, then once again driving to the cities to see Farewell Continental at the Beat, which will be amazing.

Thursday: Working 1-7.

Friday: Working 10-5

Saturday: Working 10-5

Also, Skype + video= weird, yet fun times. Since they couldn't find any mirrors, the second pic shows them using a picture frame's reflection in order to try and show me pictures of dogs they like.

I'm excited for April...I think it will be a good month... I've got a good feeling about it.

Picadilly Pitchforks

Oh the irony... I tossed and turned all night due to my coffee consumption at about 9 pm last night, and now I'm using coffee to keep myself awake in order to function at work today. 

I hate those sleepless nights where you look at the clock and go "alright I can still get 5 hours of sleep", and then an hour later "okay 4 hours of sleep", "hopefully 3 hours of sleep", "shit, 2 hours of sleep", and eventually "fuck my life".

My mom recently got a facebook, and I saw that she listed her favorite music as Pink Floyd, Rilo Kiley, Martina McBride, etc.  I'm digging the diversity. I also think I just discovered who has my missing Rilo Kiley cd.

Highlights of my day thus far...

1. Overhearing a customer refer to her infant son as "my lil drunken sailor."

2. Having a cheeseburger splat on my windshield after it was thrown out the window of a vehicle with a bumper sticker that read "No Jesus No Peace." Perhaps this cheeseburger was thrown in a peaceful manner.

3. Breaking a $100,000 piece of equipment at work right as the boss walks in the door. 

4. Jimmy Johns

I fail at I-Spy with 4 year olds.

About 10 minutes ago...

Avrie (4 years old)- I-Spy something blue.

Me- um, Luke's pants, the couch, that cup...

Avrie- Nope. If you want a hint you have to push the hint button (which is apparently an invisible button on the couch).

Me- *Hint*

Avrie- It's a blueberry.

Me- Where do you see a blueberry?

Avrie- You grow them in the garden, duh. 

Me- Why didn't I think of that.

Riddle with 4 year old Ethan afterwards

-Ethan: How does someone sleep without a bed or anything?

-Me: They just close their eyes?

-Ethan: No. They find a bed and lay in it.

Pongo Pygmaeus

I got a letter at work today in which the salutation was "overflowing in Christ". I think I'm going to start signing my letters this way. Sincerely is so overrated anyways. I like to spice things up every once in a while. Keeps things interesting. Keeps 'em guessing. Keeps things fresh. 

Freaky

It sounds like there is someone walking on the stairs, but there is no one else home. I was hearing that earlier too. It's kind of freaking me out at the moment. It's not that old of a house, and normally doesn't creak or make too strange of noises, which isn't helping keep my imagination in check. I'm hoping it's just the wind or something. I really hope this doesn't keep me from falling asleep, but I already know the answer to that. I desperately need to sleep tonight though or I won't be able to function tomorrow. I didn't even go to bed on Thursday or Saturday night this week. On Friday morning our plane left to Seattle at 7:05, so we had to leave for the airport at 4:15. Then last night we realized that our plane left at 12:40 am instead of 12:40 pm as we had been told. We of course didn't realize this until 10:30 pm, so we only had 2 hours to pack, check out of the hotel, return our rental car, take the shuttle to the airport, get through security, etc. Luckily we made it just in time, and they had overbooked our flight, but we offered to switch to a later flight. They ended up not needing us to switch planes though and they upgraded us to first class for offering. Still couldn't fall asleep on the plane though. 

Time to at least try to fall asleep; need to get up at 6 for work tomorrow. 

The heater in this house is officially broken. I had a feeling it was on its last leg with all the strange noises it was producing last night. Sure enough, I woke up freezing around 4 am and went on the hunt for some extra blankets, yet found none. I did however find a box of bath towels I had packed away, which included a sweet TMNT towel that i've had since I was 5. I swear my bedroom is at least 20 degrees colder than any other room in the house. It's not even that cold outside right now and yet I still can't feel my fingers. Maybe I'm just not used to sleeping in a cold room considering my last roommate insisted on keeping the thermostat at 80 degrees every single day. I think I should stop complaining about the cold, since i'd take these cold temps over that torture any day. Nothing worse than trying to fall asleep in a room that feels like a sauna. 

I had such high hopes of being productive tonight, but then I got off work late and now I'm too tired and too far behind to even tackle any more tasks. I did manage to get an hour of guitar practice in, throw a load of laundry in, and start packing for Seattle this weekend. Why am I going to Seattle?... because I'm a pushover and don't like to hurt peoples feelings. Can I afford to go to Seattle?... absolutely not. I've never been to Seattle though, so at least I'm looking forward to that. 

I think I'm going to head to bed, seeing as I have to get up early for work tomorrow and then I'm crashing at my friend's place tomorrow night and leaving at 4:15 am Friday morning to catch my flight.

Random Blurts...

• Dateline NBC creeps me out. I think it's the narrator's voice. 
  
• Extremely busy day at work.
• Checking out a sweet apartment on Monday.
• Note to Ramon: You are not a gangsta.
• Watching old school Home Improvement.
• Great weather this weekend.
• Watching Lainey all weekend.
• Cousin's Ben and Becks had a baby girl yesterday.
• Welcome Avery Lynn.
• Note to Julietta: I'm not going to stoop to your level.
• Craving a beverage, any beverage. 

Flashbacks...

I had a very random flashback today while driving into town... it was 3rd grade. Mrs. Brunette's classroom. Around 1:30 pm. Show and tell was in full swing. Big item of the day was Weird Al Yankovic's album "Bad Hair Day." The song was Amish Paradise. There were 3 students that had chosen to play that song as their show and tell item. One of those students was me. The only stipulation was that you had to turn down the volume when it said "hell" and then you could turn it back up. First 2 students aced this part. My turn next. Everybody's "rapping" along and all of a sudden it's up to me to turn down the music...my hand gets there 2 seconds too late and the whole class hears the H word, which i'm sure none of them had ever heard before in their life. Right. Mrs. B's staring me down while the whole class is erupting in "oohs" and "whoa's" and laughter. I had to sit out in the hall the rest of the school day, and I wasn't allowed to bring my Weird Al cassette to school anymore. 

Orcas...

I just logged onto my youtube account and the videos suggested for me were; 'woman attacked while riding whale', 'interview with Nick Carter', 'roller coaster accidents', and 'elephant party in South Africa'.  I guess that's what happens when you search for Sea World attacks, terrifying roller coasters, dancing elephants, and watch all of the episodes of House of Carters.

Ouch

Slipped down the stairs leaving work tonight on account of the freezing rain. Pain is what I'm feeling. It's perfect that I still have about 2 hours of homework tonight that involves a lot of typing, and my left arm is pretty much immobile and throbbing at the moment. 

1,2,3, Go. Hey, Forever.

Damn you Chris Brown and your catchy lyrics.?.

It must be warming up, 'cause the ladybugs they are attacking.

Day off tomorrow. Good stuff. 

Time to go search for the latest episode of United States of Tara... love that show. Toni Collette is great in it, and John Corbett completes my life, so it's a win-win in my opinion.

FL-MN

I got back from Florida last night around 9. It was a fun trip, but I'm always glad to be home. I was quickly reminded what the cold felt like, but at least I had 2 adorable dogs on my lap on the ride back to my place to keep me warm!

I loved the resort that we stayed at and hope I can return there again at some point in my life. It was right on the lake and had a nice beach, multiple heated pools, hot tubs, alligator ponds, etc. We hung out in the hot tub every night and met a bunch of cool people from places like Newfoundland, Quebec City, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, England, Utah, and Washington. There was a high school choir from Quebec that did Karaoke for 2 hours one night at the beach and every single song was either Elvis or Celine Dion. Good times.

We had good weather the first 4 days and then the last 2 days were somewhat colder but still not to shabby. 

The plane ride home was torture though. It was 3 1/2 hours of constant turbulence with a crying child in front of me, a baby that coughed and kicked my chair nonstop the entire trip behind me, and a girl to the right of me that vomited nonstop the entire trip (the flight attendants gave her a couple of biohazard bags to use after the vomit bags had all been used in our row.) Needless to say, I was thrilled when we finally landed. 

Technology hates me...

My phone bit the dust today; I'll take the blame for this one though, since I may or may not have gotten a little violent with it the other day when it was stuck on the charger and I was getting repeated text messages from a basketball coach that apparently thinks I am on their team. Okay, got it, pictures at 6, wear khakis. Wait what? Apparently I did awesome at last Friday nights game though, so at least I've got that going for me.

Clue #2 that technology hates me; my laptop that I only use for schoolwork has a virus on it, actually I think it's one of those faux viruses that tell you that you have a virus and that you need to download their product to get rid of it. Does that make it a virus too? I don't know how that works, I just know I can't get any homework done on that computer and it's causing me anguish. If only my mac were compatible with the school's web site too.

Why am I not asleep right now? I need to be up in 6 hours so that I can head to campus and finish up all of the work that I didn't get done tonight because the library's computer lab apparently closes at quarter to 9 now... and you call yourself a college? Does that count as technology hating me? 

Also, I apologize to Mrs. Coraline in advance for the e-mail that I sent you tonight as I was getting booted from the computer lab... I don't think I made any sense and you will undoubtedly hate me in the morning when you read it. You will then probably fail me from your class. It's alright, I've come to terms with it. 

Super psyched for 6 pm tomorrow night though when my vacation officially begins. 

I choose to refuse for the time being

I've just spent the last 4 hours doing homework, and I still have at least 6 more hours ahead of me. I think my brain is going to explode. This is why I hate my procrastinating tendencies. It would be one thing if I had semi-interesting classes, but this is just plain mind-numbing torture. Have I mentioned I hate Microsoft Access, because I really, really do. I have a 128 point Access test tomorrow, which I am going to fail epically. Tomorrow will likely suck harder than today, and it is truly hard to beat a 10+ hour day of continuous homework, but I believe it will prevail. I have to run tons of errands before heading to work tomorrow, then working 10-5:30, then straight on to test-taking time; 3 tests, 1 being a final, and 1 being the god-awful Access test. I did however get my room cleaned last night, or technically about half of my room, but I'm pretty pleased with it thus far.

On a brighter note, 3 more days until Florida! It will be nice, especially after this snowy weekend. I don't care if it's 50 degrees all week, it would still feel amazing. I'm hoping for 70's though, which is apparently supposed to be the case. 

She's a son of a bitch, she's a son of a whore

Such a great night! Christy and I headed over to Station 4 to see Farewell Continental, and they were amazing. Getting over there was definitely not amazing, due to terrible traffic jams, snowy conditions, no parking, and a lack of good windshield wipers on my front windshield and no wipers on the back windshield. I had to stick my head out the window a couple of times to see what I was doing. We almost missed Farewell Continental due to us not being able to find a parking spot or parking ramp that we could use. But luckily we got there just as they were starting. Their set went by way too fast. I can't wait to see these guys again!

With a beast right up in your face.

I can't feel my fingers or toes due to the heater in this house being broken. Perhaps I should venture out to find a sweatshirt. 

I can't wait for tomorrow: only working 10-2 so that I can head up to St. Paul for the Farewell Continental show. It should be a good time, and I'm in need of a good time. This week has been stressful since I'm leaving for vacation next week and need to complete all of my homework for both this week and next week. I procrastinate way too much and nothing gets done until the last minute. 

I have a big test and two papers I need to do tonight, so I better get started.

I have to work 5-12 pm on Saturday night and 10-5 on Monday, but then on Tuesday Case and I are heading up to Jo's place for the night and then heading to the airport early Wednesday morning to head to Orlando! And Lainey's coming, YAY! 

Okay time to stop procrastinating and actually do something productive.

I am such a nerd and here's why...

• I stayed up until 2 AM last night (or technically this morning) watching the third season of Family Ties on Youtube because I'm addicted. 
• It's now 11 PM and I'm off to Youtube in search of season 4 episodes of Family Ties.
• I have a problem, but it's okay, only 3 more season left after tonight.

Also:

If you've never seen the old show Here Come the Brides, I highly suggest watching it. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Even if you just watch the pilot you'll understand what I mean. None of it makes sense and that is what makes it so great. Sure, they can get 100 women to agree to live on a mule boat for a 6 month journey from New England to Seattle, all in a days notice. And they just happen to have fine china and curtains aboard this dirty mule boat. I suppose anythings possible.

When the light starts to burn...

• I'm loving We are Scientists at the moment, and by moment I mean the past 7 months.
• Limbeck just came on to my ipod and made me smile.
• I really need to be careful about what I tell people, and remember that facebook makes secrets nearly impossible.
• I loathe Microsoft Access and probably will never graduate college because of it.
• 9 more days until Florida! I'm so ready for an actual vacation. I haven't been on an airplane since I went to Washington DC in 2000. 
• I still haven't finished Eclipse and probably never will.  
• I'm hoping tomorrow is as stress free as it looks on paper.
• I have a recent fascination with putting black and white photos in colored frames.
• I hope everything works out for this weekend, but it's doubtful.
• Blogging makes me realize just how much I hate writing in complete sentences.
• I can't wait for this...

• 

11 more days!!!

-I leave for Florida in 11 days; SO excited! Bring on the warmth!

-It's my brother Jesse's 18th birthday today, so Happy Birthday J!

-I ventured over to Minneapolis last night to see Owl City perform. Varsity was packed and it was a very diverse crowd, which was cool. I enjoyed the show, but it was kind of a strange experience; there was very little crowd interaction and Adam seemed kind of nervous. Still a fun night though. The hour drive home from Steph's college at 1 AM was definitely nerve-racking though; I almost hit 3 deer and 2 cats within an 8 mile stretch which led me to nearly have a nervous breakdown. Luckily, there weren't any other animal sightings the rest of the way home.

Today's Faves...

I'm a little bit enamored with Jason O'Mara right now...just saying.

Also, so flipping excited to see Owl City on Friday night at Varsity. 

Cheer up and dry your damp eyes and tell me when it rains

And i'll blend up that rainbow above you and shoot it through your veins

Cuz your heart has a lack of color and we should've known

That we'd grow up sooner or later cuz we wasted all our free time alone

(Rainbow Veins)

Kid Quotes

Here are some quotes from my favorite kiddos that I nanny for...

Lukie (4 years old): "I'm allergic to crunchy pineapple and bulldogs."

Kiya (6 years old): (looks at the kleenex on the table) "What if those tissues cost $38,000...I bet no one would buy them...unless they were special tissues...like they had superpowers."

-(singing Hannah Montana's Best of Both Worlds): "You get the best of Oprah."

-(at the park last summer): "I can't take off my pants because there's hot boys here." (and by hot boys she was referring to a group of 10 year old boys playing football nearby. haha.) Me: "Why would you be taking off your pants in the first place?"

Kissing Fish

Too Cute!!! 

This is the same old dance that you already know

Currently listening to: 3OH!3 - Want

*It's a guilty pleasure*

Upcoming events:

February 13: Owl City @ Varsity

February 17: Ben Kweller @ Varsity 

February 20: Farewell Continental @ Station 4

February 21: Farewell Continental @ Uptown Theatre

February 24- March 4: Florida Vaca!

1 bottle of Jag later...

Oh lordy last night was sure something. Mistakes were made, but fun was had; so I say it all about evens out. 

3:00 pm: Steph arrives at my front door to road trip it up to Kar's place. 

3:30 pm: Still driving; Steph announces her acceptance to the U of M for grad school! And she says she plans to accept! So stoked for next year! (*In an attempt to rid myself of this boring life, I told Steph I would move with her to wherever she decides to go to grad school.*) That means no Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri, or Washington- not that I don't love these states (or some of these states), but I was really hoping for more Minneapolis adventures. 

5:00 pm: arrive at Kar's place of work and wait for her to get off. Also buy questionable candy from creepy man.

5:20 pm: Decide of Granite City for supper; I was kind of hoping for Big Bowl... another time perhaps.

5:40 pm: Get our drink on Courtney's Love style... a.k.a. your waiter will probably laugh at you if you order this, but you can tell him to suck it...or not, it's up to you. I was slightly disappointed in my choice of caesar salad  after watching Steph and Kar eat their salmon and wild rice pilaf. I dislike salmon personally, but I was craving the variety of flavors. 

7:00 pm: Make the jaunt over to the movie theater in hopes of getting tickets for He's Just Not That Into You, but sadly it was sold out like most of the other movies, because everyone and their brother was at the movies too.

7:15 pm: Lie to someone's boyfriend and travel to a shady place and make even shadier purchases from the shadiest people around...nuff said. haha.

8:00 pm: Meet up with the certain someone's boyfriend and continue to not fully answer questions truthfully. We are bad liars. 

8:30 pm: Drive to the liquor store nearby; blast Pop Champagne and Don't Trust Me in the car a couple of times; dance in the backseat. Buy a $30 bottle of Jag and a 24 pack of Honeyweiss at said liquor store.

9:00 pm: Stop at a Rainbow Foods, which reminded Steph of a strange store found in Missouri, for 12 cans of Red Bull to make Jag Bombs. 

9:30 pm: Back at Kar's place. Start with shots of Jag. Bad decisions begin...or continue depending on how you look at it. Play Taboo for the next 4 hours. Steph loses every game no matter which team she is on. : (

11:00 pm: Cor makes everyone's drinks and soon that $30 bottle of Jag is donzo (really only me and Cor left drinking after 10 pm though, since Steph was driving us home and Kar had to work early the next morning). Oops. 

1:00 am: Taboo continues and I start thinking I have mind reading powers because of how hard I rocked that game.

1:30 am: Cor breaks the couch leg, tips over in a chair, knocks over a plant, and continues to sing "I found a dead cat on the side of the road, so I took it home and put some honey on it, and I cooked it and then I at it. Is that bad?" (from an SNL skit) to himself. Kar is now sober and not amused. Steph is now sober as well but is amused. I am not sober and am very amused.

2:00 am: Steph and I decide to take off while Kar tells Cor he better not puke on her blankets. Cor gives a long speech about how he has a high tolerance and won't puke. Steph and I laugh because we've heard that from him before and know better.

2:30 am: While driving back we almost hit a deer. Listen to Band of Horses, Stars, the Darkness, and Rilo Kiley on the trip home. 

4:00 am: Arrive home and pray I won't be sick the next day (*successful*).

 

Fun shall ensue tonight!

-Major hangs with Kar and Steph are in order for tonight. 

-Paychecks in the bank... meaning too much money will be spent tonight.

-I'm praying for Big Bowl, mmmm, it's been far too long.

-Maybe a short little stop at GC will be in order to consume a Courtney's Love, only because it is possibly the best drink on the planet.

-I'm wasting time writing this when I should be getting clothes out of the dryer and then finish getting ready before Steph gets here.

-I slipped on the ice this morning going to the bank, hence the reason why my clothes were in the dryer.

-I need to find my Darkness cd so that we can have some good sing-along moments in the car on the drive to Kar's. 

Favorites of the moment...

Music...

Motion City Soundtrack is my favorite band, not just of the moment, but of all time. I first saw them live 4 years ago and have been hooked ever since. There's so much I could say about these guys but I'll save that for another blog. Give them a listen... you won't be disappointed.  

Movie...

This is one of my favorites, but I can honestly say that I have yet to see a movie that I can definitively say is my all time favorite.

Book...

It's an oldie, but definitely still one of my favorites. I find myself thinking about things from this book all the time even though I read it a long time ago. 

10 Things...

1. I'm always cold.

2. I hate most breakfast foods, including cereal, poptarts, oatmeal, bagels, etc.

3. I'm allergic to cats and blue dye, among other things.

4. I was run over by a tractor at the age of 3 by my uncle Laurence...no injuries surprisingly.

5. I have seen my favorite band over 10 times.

6. I have listened to techno music with Bangladeshi men.

7. I love black and white photos.

8. I'm a quitter, but I don't regret anything that I've quit.

9. I took a year off of college to move away with a friend, and I learned so much from that experience. 

10. I'm terrible at keeping up with blogs, but I'm gonna give it another try.