Harry Potter has my heart...

Anyone want to go to the Harry Potter theme park with me?

At first I was all "I'll go someday" but the MORE I READ and the more PICTURES I saw (Oh, mercy! The pictures!), the more I realized that I HAVE TO GO. IT IS MY DESTINY.

(Images via)

So...anyone?

Getting Healthy: week 2

My 2nd Getting Healthy post is up.

Stop on by and judge me for being lazy.

Wants and Needs

Wants

Via Anthropologie

Needs

All image sources are lost and forgotten - leave a comment if you know and I will give credit

Have a most excellent weekend, dudes

I am proud

Since Tuesday's post was all over the place and it described on my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, I figured I could probably lighten things up a bit:

• I am proud of the fact that we bought a house without any help, financial or otherwise, from our parents
• I am proud of the fact that we both are paying for (and will continue to pay, for a long time) our own school loans.
  
• I am proud of the fact that I work 40hrs a week, commute 15 hours a week and still manage to keep my household in running order.
  
• I am proud of the fact that I am learning to cook. Maybe not well, but I'm trying.
• I am proud of my relationship with Mike; our communication, affection and desire to do well for each other.
  
• 
• I am proud of our financial state right now. Sure, there's room for improvement, but we're not doing so bad.
• I am proud of the fact that I was selected for Getting Healthy - I just need to hold up my end of the bargain.
• I am proud that I made it to hot yoga last Saturday.
• I am proud of the fact that we have a lovely little dog, as strange and scared as she may be.

There, that feels better.
I hope your Thursday is peaceful and soothing.

OMG SUCK.

Today I created a 1.22mi route on walkjogrun.net and then I joined Daily Mile because I am learning that I am TERRIBLE at being accountable and awesome.

I can't resist the Siren Song of the Reese's Peanut Butter Egg.
And then - I went to start writing my Getting Healthy post, and I lost the draft. So I'm a little irritated.

Besides that! I am wearing pink tights today! And a leopard print shirt. I'm feeling crazy. A lot of things have me feeling crazy this week. So, I'm totally over it. I was going to post a picture of my hot pink tights, but unfortunately I forgot the username for my US Cellular online photo album, so there will be none of that.

Mike and i figured out today that within our nice little neighborhood, we managed to buy a house in the backwoods cul-de-sac. Apparently our neighbors across the street spend ALL DAY sitting in their front yards drinking beers and shooting the shit. We're unsure whether any of them have jobs, or how they afford to keep the house.
Not to mention one of the neighbors has a 3 inch (OR MORE!) handlebar moustache. It looks almost exactly like this:

(Image from here)

My day is (thankfully) almost over.
I need to start planning my Kentucky Derby Party. Mike bought me a stamp to start making my invitations.

Getting Healthy: Week 1

My first Getting Healthy post is up!

Stop by and leave me a comment.

Bonus: I'm in my underwear.

Shelter Dogs

Always adopt from shelters

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Cross your fingers for Mike and I - today is Lottery Day! I've got corned beef in the crockpot, a lotto ticket on the fridge, and positive thoughts aplenty.

Snapshots of my life.

Last night Mike and I were out on the deck, having a cigarette and reveling in the fact that we could be outside without shoes and jackets.

Me: Look! Orion's belt.
Mike: And right below that is Orion's dick.
Me: ...you're an idiot
Mike: (laughing hysterically) You should blog about this!

And blog I did

(image from here)

Weekends

I've been totally unplugged (save for 10 minutes of Facebooking yesterday) since Thursday night. It. Was. Awesome.

Friday I had a day off, and went to the Dr., shopped at Kohls, and then spent the rest of the day watching Desperate Housewives and eating bonbons. OK, the bonbon part is a lie - but it was effing sweet nonetheless.

Saturday - had dinner at my mom/dad's house because my sister was home from school. Relatively uneventful.

Sunday - watched some Lost - cleaned the house. Made Potato-Leek Pizza. Which I will post about sooner or later.

On Sunday, though, Mike and I went outside and saw that my Crocuses has bloomed! Unfortunately we took the picture too late in the day and they had closed back up. But! In addition to that excitement - Mike gave me my first Photoshop lesson, and walked me through taking a picture of my crocuses, adding text and editing/cropping/flipping to give you the result below:
I feel so knowledgeable and worldly.

On another front- I'm a total Getting Healthy failure. I was all "OH YEAH, I'm going to start working out on Saturday! I'm going to go to Hot Yoga and sweat it out and detox and start off with a bang!"

Guess who didn't? This gal.

This is going to be a lot harder than I thought...

Nonsense

Today is a stressful day. Nothing in particular - I just want to punch this day in the mouth

FALCON PUNNNNNCH

I need to relax though, because (like I've said before) Mike and I are winning the lottery next week. Actually, 1 week from today, I will have our corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot and we will hunker down in our living room to hear our winning numbers being read. We're only going to win $1,000,000 - but that's $1,000,000 that we didn't have before. We'll pay off our debts and go on a cruise.
So...that's that.

I was planning to write an elaborate post about internet haters - but like most things in life, I've lost the motivation.
Speaking of motivation...
I'm starting to panic because next Friday (the 19th) is my 1st Getting Healthy post, and I haven't yet gotten healthy. I'm debating starting off with a bang by going to Hot Yoga on Saturday - but I fear I might die. I've been reassured that even if I don't regularly practice yoga I'll be fine, I just need to take it easy.

I think we're going to cancel our gym membership - I mean if I've only used it ONCE since October, then what makes me think I'm going to use it now that the weather is warm?
Lesson learned: going to the gym isn't a practical way for me to integrate fitness into my life.

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

1 Year

Today is my Blogiversary
Edited Monday 3/8/10 at 8:55am:

^^ That was my placeholder in case I forgot. And clearly I did.

So, I'll add this little note: All I want for my blogiversary is a little delurking love. Drop me a line if you're reading this, or have read this, or someday hope to read this. Let me know where you're from. Your favorite flavor of ice cream. What would you do if someone told you that you had to go on an adventure right now !?

I'm from Illinois
Right now I'm craving Rocky Road
I would go on a cruise throughout the Mediterranean.

I showed up in Google!

SHUT UP!

I was just emailing someone about my stint on The Demoiselles: Getting Healthy, and when I'm being lazy and need to know th URL, I'll just Google it - but today, when I Googled it - MY BLOG CAME UP IN THE GOOGLE RESULTS.

AND WHATTTTTTTTTT??

Click the image to actually SEE it, so you know I'm not lying.

I'm excited because this is the first time my blog has come up in Google results without searching for "sound of silent, blogspot" Haha. Stop judging me.

But, wait a tick - my epiphany from the other day means that I shouldn't care that I showed up in Google...that I'm more searchable. I shouldn't care! But I do, a little bit. I like that I'm available and that I'm not screaming into the void, but I'm not making it my priority.

Fridays are for easy blog posts

I want long hair with bangs

I want to win the lottery now.
(Mike and I have decided we're winning the drawing on March 17. You know, the power of positive thinking, and all that)

I want to find something beautiful at a thrift store this weekend.

I want to move to Oregon. How can I not?
(Image from here)
But I know I never will. I can't move away from my family. Can I?

I want to stop wanting and wishing for.

I want Hogwarts to hire me. I'll work in their admissions office.
And I'll get paid in chocolate frogs.


I want to grow old with him


I want to bake a cheesecake, be a better chef, and grow my own vegetables.

I want to be a cartoon character.
(Art by Saemi Yi)

I want to find my own voice, and stop wanting to BE other people. I want to be comfortable in my own skin.

Girl Crush Edition

I think Johnny Weir is wonderful.
From this goddamn performance:

Originally this video was shared by Jamie via Vermicious Knid

to the poise and grace he exuded here:

I <3 him

I also have the mad hots for Christina Hendricks

I think she is the most stunning working actress in Hollywood.

(Nerd glasses! From here)

I especially like her because she is married to this guy:


Also. I've been watching 16 and Pregnant and in every episode the producers (I'm assuming) have a friend of the pregnant girl ask, "So, did you guys, like, use condoms" and the pregnant girl always says no. And goes on to explain that they'd never gotten pregnant before, so why would they get pregnant now?! I'm relying on Rachelle to educate our youth.

Honestly, though, it's infuriating and it breaks my heart when these girls genuinely believe that these boys (they're children!) are going to magically turn into the Prince Charmings that they keep rooting for. And it infuriates me when these boys still act like children when they have a baby on they way. Where are their parents? Why haven't taught them to be men?

Blogging...

This post saved my blog. It was retweeted by Manderz!

OMFG. This struck such an insane chord with me. Screw it, here's the comment I left:
This post came into my life at the most perfect moment imaginable.

Tonight, I was on twitter, and lamenting about my lack of readership, and beating myself up over the fact that I haven’t posted since Friday and OMG HOW WILL I BECOME A FAMOUS BLOGGER IF I DON’T POST!?! While I wouldn’t MIND being a famous blogger – that’s not why I started. I started blogging as an outlet for my angsty emotions when I had my first boyfriend! I blogged my drunken adventures in college so I could keep track! I crafted open (and scathing) letters to the boy who broke up with me! I started blogging so I would have a place for ME!

But now, it seems like everyone is paid and sponsored and it starts to feel like you’re not worth your blogging salt unless you’re getting money for your words.

I felt really lost today – I’m really glad I found this.

I was on the verge of throwing in the towel. Seriously, shutting everything down. And whatever, it's not like people would miss me! And I'm not even being dramatic. My readership is peanuts - small potatoes! This blog is starting to cause me more stress than it is worth - but it's because I'm more concerned about readership, followers and Google Analytics.

I used to dream of being the next Dooce or Pioneer Woman - but HAH! I am WAY too lazy and disinterested to even think that is possible. So I've accepted it. But, I'm still stressed.

When NO ONE read my blog, except for my real life friends, I used to go through my day making mental notes to myself to tell this funny story, or how I felt about the results of a TV show - but NOW, I'm more worried about how to sound insightful, and censor myself do I don't sound like a Debbie Downer. Sometimes I'm a friggin' Debbie Downer, dude! Sometimes I'm loud and obnoxious. Most times I am lazy and tired.

Shit dude, I've even started to limit my swearing here. I SWEAR ALL THE TIME. At work, at home, in front of my grandma. I HAVE AN INCREDIBLY FOUL MOUTH, and I've started writing like a nun.

I'm not me here. And I started the blog so I would have a home for ME. Yes, I do need to be conscious of my online persona and what I say - but I want to be the type of person who is ME through and through. Online, in real life, via Gchat. I need to take steps to be who I am all the time, and to be proud of that person.

Oh Hai! This is me ^^

Mike and I had a really elaborate conversation on the way home from work today - we're not going to settle for ordinary. We have an insatiable desire to live this wonderful, beautiful and enjoyable life. Right now, we're a little lost, and we don't know how to get where we want to be. But the most important part is that we're united and we both want the same things. I'm just confused, and fighting the urge to pick up and leave (figuratively).

It's going to get better. And I feel like this blog-epiphany has really helped.