life is a highway, and I want to ride it all night long

Last day of the September Blog Challenge! This challenge = successful!

Who has two thumbs and is on the last disc of season 5 of The Office? THIS GIRL.

Either tonight or tomorrow I'll watch the first two episodes of season 6, so I'll be all up to date for the new episode tomorrow night, and for the JAM wedding on October 8th. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

My interview today went pretty good, despite my little train mishap. I think I have a 2nd interview for an office support or appointment setter position, but I'm not really sure yet. I have another interview for an investment company next Tuesday, which is also pretty exciting... and I have to call another company back tomorrow. This is good news.....good news. Things are looking up.

Alright...I'm gonna go watch some more of The Office. Peace out, kids... It's been a fun September.

I am a pizza with extra cheese, from tomatoes sauce is squeezed

I am at work right now, and I want pizza, because I am very very HUUUUUNGRY!

Also, on this episode of the Office that I'm watching right now, and they're eating delicious delicious brownies, and now I want one!

The interview today went well, but the ad in the paper was deceiving because they wanted assistants for a busy office, and when I got there, they were looking for people to train to be real estate agents. Yeah, definitely not what I was looking for.

I did a bunch of work today at the good ol' job...a lot of facebook updates about the shows, like reviews that we've received, a video of audience interviews, and the professional promo pics. Brenda said I'm the facebook editor of the company, and then she said I'm the "social media editor" which sounds way more fancy! I'll have to update my resume. :)

Okay, I'm gonna go get some pizza. Maybe tomorrow I'll bake some brownies! Peace out, kids.

movin' on up, to the east side

I managed to grab two interviews for jobs - one tomorrow at noon, and another on Wednesday at 1pm.

I hope they go well - kinda nervous about them....and I'm not even sure if I want those jobs. I feel that it will be a sort of practice for other job interviews. I need to get a new job as soon as possible...at least before January 1st. I need a new place of work for the new year. Yeah. Yeah I do. OYE!

I have finished Season 4 of the office via the Netflix Watch Instantly feature. They only have Season 5 via dvds sent to your house, and I can't wait that long (even though I moved them to the top of the queue), so I've found random places online to continue the journey that is The Office. I want to be able to watch all of Season 5 quickly, so I can watch Season 6 on tv in real time!

I had a phone call with an employment agency today and they kinda put me in a bad mood, so I was upset for part of the day. And then I got a facebook comment from my friend Dustin that said, "I absolutely love you for several reasons and your profile picture just hit the top of the list!" and that made everything SO MUCH BETTER. (My profile picture is the gLee loser picture that I made....my friend Eric also loves that picture, and has decided we need to do the picture of him standing behind me, giving the "L" on my forehead.) They are awesome guys and I love them so much!

Okay, I'm outies. Goodnight!

she works hard for the money, so you better treat her right

This is my 100th post! WOOOO!

So, in other news... I've been applying to more jobs. Yay. Had a little bit of a reality check today...not excited about that. Don't really want to talk about it.

I'm up to Season 4 of The Office. I want Pam's job...that's basically the job I'm applying for. Plus, if I had Pam's job, I'd also get Jim. ::sigh::

Had an SG show this morning, which went really well. The weather was crappy in NYC today, and I now know that my shoes have holes in them somewhere (my socks ended up getting wet). I walked around the area to kill time for awhile, then went back to the theatre to see Joseph....which was pretty fantasmical. I knew a bunch of people in the cast, and they were spectacular! I loved it so much, and was glad I got to catch the last performance.

I'm gonna go now and head for bed. Have a bunch of things to do tomorrow. Wish me luck!

movin' right along...footloose and fancy free

I just finished up one show of SG, and I'm now lounging around the office on my break before the 2nd show. We had a pretty small audience this morning...it was a little bit sad. :( I hope more people come to the 2nd show at 3...otherwise this weekend, sale-wise, is gonna suuuuck.

Last night I went out to dinner with Kelly and Jenn! It was awesome to hang with Jenn again, I haven't seen her in years, and it was awesome to spend that last day with Kelly bc she's moving today. Holy crap...she's leaving me! I mean, I'll see her again soon, and she WILL be working in the city still, so she'll be back and forth a lot. But she's not living in our 'hood anymore, and that makes me sad.

Some memorable quotes from the Parish Festival of 2009.....bells and whistles, and romance desert wine. :)

After dinner we went to our parish festival, and reminisced how we would go when we were young...then we saw some stupid kids hanging around and being stupid and we reminisced what we did when we were that age...and then we just felt old. Kelly's parents got there eventually, and I got to see most of Kelly's family again, which was cool. :) They're awesome people! I also got to see Montana...she's probably one of my favorite kids ever.

Then I went home, blogged, and watched The Office for awhile, before I went to bed so I could get up early for today. Now I'm chillin' drinking a coffee coolatta from DD....because I run on Dunkin (no, I do not get paid to say that).

Peace out, kiddos!

na na, why don't you get a job

I have applied to at least 20 jobs today. I've been applying and applying online, sending my resume anywhere and everywhere. My mom and I had a system going, where she would help me search for jobs and email them to me and I would do the whole application process, and then check it off on my list that I applied.

Mom's been really helping me out, but it's also the ONLY thing she mentions now, too. I think she's really worried about me not getting a job and health insurance and more money, and things at work have been a bit crappy lately, too. We'll see....it just takes time and a couple prayers. :)

these walls are too hard to climb, and this ladder is too hard to find, I don't want to be here anymore

Today I spent many hours looking for a job. I applied to a bunch, and my mom kept asking if I had heard anything back yet. She doesn't understand that this process takes awhile to happen, that I'm not the only person applying for a position.

I've been applying for clerical/administration and reception positions, in offices and have also decided to apply for jobs in hotels/hospitality/tourism.

I really hope I get something soon. I'm kinda desperate at my current job - sure, I worked lots of hours all summer, but now I'm back to basically one day a week, and the weekend playing gig (which doesn't pay much, but it's something at least).

I've been listening to Hanson's new album (EP) "Stand Up, Stand Up" pretty much on repeat today. The title is actually the first song on their album, called "These Walls." And when I haven't been listening to the CD, I've been watching Season 2 of The Office. I'm up to episode 19 right now....I LOVE this show. I don't know where I was or what I was doing for the past 4 years while this show was existing, but I never watched it. It's such a shame, cause now I'm so freaking addicted to it.

My mom and I also watched the Season 2 premiere of The Mentalist. It was interesting, but I don't know if I'll get hooked. I was, however, generous enough to put the first season on my Netflix, and now she's gonna get the discs one by one, alternating with other movies and stuff that I have on my list. I'm such a nice daughter....I mean, what was I gonna say? No? How could I say no....and I pretty much couldn't put it at the end of my list, either, because I have like 150 things in my queue, and she'd be watching it in 5 years.

And then after that, I watched Project Runway and Models of the Runway. I'm sad about the person who was kicked, and not so happy about the person who won, either. I think Christopher should've won, but I'm biased, because I love him a little bit. :) And I'm so glad Vanessa wasn't kicked out of the model competition! I really like her, and I'm actually pretty satisfied with the person who DID get out.

So......that's been my day. Jobs, The Office, The Mentalist, Project Runway, Models of the Runway, Hanson, and knitting through it all. I'm almost done with this baby blanket.....so excited for the finished product! I'll take pictures. :)

I need no permission, did I mention don't pay him any attention

Today, Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009, I finished reading my 40th book! Only 10 more books to go to reach my 50-Book Challenge goal, and three months to git 'er done. :)

I've finally cracked open "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown, after it arrived in the mail a couple days ago. I just finished reading two humorous books: "Obama's Blackberry" was hysterical, and I just finished the "F My Life" book. Definitely would recommend those for some light reading/pick-me-up.

Caught tonight's episode of Glee, and I love that show. It's great. I love Finn, and Rachel, and Kurt. Oh man do I love the fact that he can be dancing to "Single Ladies" at one moment, and the next moment he's kicking a football to the end zone. He's a brilliant character.

And I always wished I could sing like Miss Mercedes. ;) I love her attitude! ::snaps fingers:: Mmmhmmmm!

And then after the show, I made this little gem:



Okay, I'm done, goodnight!

it might be a crazy life, but it's our life

There have been a lot of tv shows that have aired that I should be/should have been watching, but just never got around to or never had the time to sit down and watch them.

Then Netflix was invented, and I was finally smart enough to hop on the bandwagon and sign up for this wonderful invention.

I've made a list of shows that I should probably be watching that have already started broadcasting (and most are into their 3rd or 4th season, or more), and I'm going to slowly catch up via Netflix.

The list is as follows:

Grey's Anatomy
Flight of the Conchords
30 Rock
Pushing Daisies
Weeds (maybe)
Arrested Development (I've already seen the 1st season, looking to continue watching the rest of the seasons)
Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog (yes, it's on dvd!)

I've already started watching The Office online via Netflix Watch Instantly, and I have to say, I am already hooked. I'm looking forward to watching seasons 2 and 3 of Arrested Development (maybe I'll re-watch season 1 since I probably missed an episode here or there. And Weeds...I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, so I'm gonna test out the 1st season and see if I like it.

Netflix is a glorious invention. I wish I had thought of it - I'd be freakin' RICH.

See ya later, kids!

put on a happy face

I thought yesterday was the worst day ever.

And then I get a text from my brother's fiance and she opens up a whole new can of worms. Shit shit shit.

Yesterday at work, my coworker got screamed at by our boss. Fun times indeed. He was moody the rest of the morning, and it was not pleasant playing a show standing next to him. He was in such a sniff that I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears. After that, he had a "discussion" with another one of my co-workers, and I'm not really sure how that went. But the co-worker that he was screaming at earlier marched into his office and gave her two weeks' notice...so now we're all basically trying to get out as fast as we can.

Life just sucks so much. This week is surely going to be a week I'll probably want to forget.

In other news, I went to the Mets game tonight, 'cause I got free tickets from my cousin's friend. It was enjoyable in that they were amazing seats, but the Mets were losing, so that kinda put a damper on the game. My aunt and uncle and my aunt's friend and I left right after the eighth inning 'cause it was so bad, and then, we were not even the car 5 minutes, and the game was over, just like that. At least we got out of the parking lot fairly quickly and I was home within 15 minutes, which was nice.

Just wanted to put it out there that I scored tickets to Trans Siberian Orchestra in December! I bought tickets the day they were available to the public.....mom, dad, and I have been wanting to see them in concert for a long time, so I'm glad we finally got tickets! YAY!

Okay, I'm going to bed. Our computer tech is coming early tomorrow morning....blah!

Goodnight <3

your hair was long when we first met

Today, September 20th, marks the 1st day of a 3-month long project I'm going to be doing. My goal for the past couple months has been to grow out my hair again, then cut it off and donate it to Locks of Love. I have donated to Locks of Love once before, and have been itching to donate again. Since I hate needles and will probably never be able to donate blood freely on my own, I figured I could help out with some extra hair.

I was thinking about cutting it off before Christmas, that way I have a new style for the holidays, and it would also be a sort of Christmas gift to some child who really needs a wig. Granted, the wig wouldn't be done in time for Christmas, but just by sending it to Locks of Love before Christmas would be like giving them a gift for the holidays, and I'm all about giving during the holiday season.

So I have decided that every 20th day of the month from now until December (I'm hoping to make an appointment to get my hair chopped Dec. 20th, a Saturday), I will be taking a picture of my hair, to see how much longer it grows. I've never really noticed from month to month just how long/how fast my hair grows; it's one of those things where one day I'm brushing it and I go, "holy crap, where did those 6 extra inches come from?"

Behold, the length:


front


back


side

See you kids tomorrow!

Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

Apparently today is Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Having played in the pit of a show called Treasure Island for three months, I like to think I know a little bit of pirate speak.

ARRR MATEY!
Let me hear yarrr voices!
Fifteen men on a dead man's chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil have done for the rest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Sing, ye rotten landlubbers!
Yer about the sorriest bunch of seamen I've ever had aboard me ship!
Pirates are we, pirates are we, we find treasure and sail the sea! Pirates are we, pirates are we, take what we want and then we flee!
Silence ye rogues, just listen ter me. Treasure is ours, 'cause pirates are we!
Pieces of eight, pieces of eight!
WALK THE PLANK!

etc., etc., etc.

:)

I should tell you that you were my first love

Ingrid Michaelson was AWESOME! I really enjoy her now....I hadn't listened to her music a whole lot before hand, but I was really looking forward to seeing/hearing her live. Now all I've listened to today is "The Hat." It's probably one of my favorite songs now!

Kelly and I were up close for the first opener, but we were getting claustrophobic, so we decided to move back, which ended up being a REALLY GOOD IDEA.

HOWEVER.

While we were chillin' in the back of the WEHA!, during the 2nd opener (who I was thoroughly enjoying), this old lady gets all up in my space, shimmies up right next to me, and whispers in my ear, "Has Ingrid been on yet?" I answered, "no she hasn't, this is her second opening band." Then old lady yells into my ear, "Have you been here before?" So I move away from her, turn to her, and say "yeah, I have." Then she swoops down next to my ear again and says "Do you know when Ingrid goes on?" So finally I swiveled to her and was like "the guy at the door told me 9:45." and I scooted away from her, giving Kelly a look like "omg old lady was practically down my ear" and I told her what happened.

Then throughout the remainder of the 2nd opener (GREG HOLDEN, OMG!!!), we notice that old lady is with old lady friend, old man husband, and old lady friend's old man husband friend. And they are SLOSHED. Smashed, three sheets to the wind, talking all through Greg Holden's set, stumbling over each other, making out in the grossest way possible. Kelly and I tried to scoot away from them some more, and then finally when Ingrid came on, they disappeared into the main crowd for most of the night.

So Kelly and I thought we were saved. Not so much. Then creepy guy came by us, said something to us in passing, and stupid me answered him back with friendly conversation. He ended up standing next to us for most of the night, and would look over at us and say a comment here or there about Ingrid or the crowd, etc. He would've been okay if he was hot. Instead, he was just plain creepy.

So, that was my Ingrid Michaelson concert experience. She is an absolute joy to listen to and she's freaking hysterical live....she kinda reminds me of Matt Nathanson live. He always has funny things to say in between songs, and he's a great musician all around, like Ingrid.

I need to get to bed......early morning tomorrow! Peace out, kids!

I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo, I don't belong here

One day I WILL have time to write more. I still have to do an Ingrid Michaelson concert review.

But right now I just finished watching Project Runway and Models of the Runway, and now I'm settling down to watch Ace of Cakes, where they make a MARIMBA CAKE! YESSSSSSSSSSS!

I just wanna be ok today

I am currently blogging live from the Ingrid Michaelson concert, and I am standing next to my best friend, and I am wearing the coolest shirt EVER (it says 'cake is awesome').

That's all for tonight....concert update tomorrow.

Peace out, kids!

you say goodbye, and I say hello

Here is my day in a nutshell:

-woke up
-got a text message from my sister, asking how grandpa was
-ate breakfast
-checked on Oma
-watched tv
-checked my mail
-received THE LOST SYMBOL BY DAN BROWN in the mail..... omigodsoexcitedtoreadit
-hopped on the train for work
-read "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks on the train
-pow-wowed with Christy for 12 minutes
-ate McDonald's for lunch/dinner
-read 100+ pages of "The Last Song"
-cleaned up at work, got rid of trash, closed.
-hopped the train for home
-read more of my book
-fell in love with Will Blakelee (from the book)
-emailed my resume to two different people (one a family friend, the other a cousin) about two different jobs....maybe something will come of it
-here now, telling you my boring life

Okay....off to go read, or watch Ruby and the Rockits.....and then ultimately go to sleep.

OMIGOD I'M GOING TO SEE INGRID MICHAELSON TOMORROW WITH MY BEST FRIEND! YESSSSSSS!

goodnight. :)

I'm tired of trying

Day 2 of not feeling like blogging. Sorry kids. It's just not happening tonight.

I'd very much rather watch Golden Girls than write a couple lines of the goings on in my life.

Just......keep my Grandpa in mind. He needs all the lovin' he can get. <3

lullaby and goodnight, go to sleep little baby

I am so freaking tired.

Another crazy day.

Happy 90th Birthday, Grandpa! Love you!

Updates tomorrow :)

happy birthday, now you're one year older, your life still isn't over

I was nowhere near a computer today, and although I have a blackberry, I had little time to blog about anything, so I'm sorry that this is so late in the evening, but I just barely made it under the gun.

Today is my brother's birthday...Happy Birthday, Pete!

Here's my day in a nutshell:

-final dress rehearsal with pit and cast 10-3
-train ride to hometown
-mani/pedi with my sister and her two best friends for her birthday (which was 2 weeks ago, but they've been celebrating a lot the past two weeks)
-went home to change into pretty clothes
-car ride to SI for dinner for my brother's birthday...mom, dad, brother, brother's fiance, sister, and me
-fabulous dinner at wonderful restaurant, followed by delicious lemon cake made by Serena
-car ride home
-Now.

I'm exhausted, and I have to get up early for our opening show tomorrow morning. Tomorrow's (today's) also my Grandpa's 90th Birthday! YAY!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have a smidgen of time where I can update at a decent hour. Right now I feel like I'm going to fall over at any second. Have you ever had that feeling? And this morning I was so tired I didn't want to wake up. I got a cappucino before I went to rehearsal, and it didn't help at all. I perked up a tad bit, but for the most part I was still sleepy.

Also....before I pass out, I think I saw one of the models from this season of Project Runway waiting for the train at the W4th street station this afternoon. :)

Aaaaaaaaaaand goodnight!

I asked my family doctor just what I had

I have 30 minutes to update.

EEK!

It's the 8th anniversary of September 11, 2001. I can't believe it's been 8 years. It feels like just yesterday it happened, and I still remember clearly where I was and what I was doing when it all happened. I thank God that my family is okay and was not affected by the tragedy, and my heart goes out to all those who've lost loved ones.

My dad and I went to the hospital to visit my Grandpa today. I also got to see my Aunt Jane and Uncle Freddie, who are in town visiting from Arizona. My grandpa's going to be 90 on Sunday, and we originally had a party planned for him that included close family members and a few friends, but it looks like that's not going to happen since he probably won't be discharged until after that. We're still ordering some of the catered food, and putting it at my aunt's house, and then whoever in our immediate family passes through, will get to eat. My aunt and uncle are here from Arizona, my cousin is flying in from AZ tomorrow, my other cousin is flying in from FL tomorrow night, and my sister's visiting from VA. I just hope that Grandpa gets better and that he's discharged soon. I want him to be healthy and happy.

Tomorrow's my brother's birthday - he's going to be 32! I'm 23....and we've figured that every 11 years, we'll be the opposite ages. It's pretty fascinating!

Okay, time for bed. I have rehearsal early in the morning. :)

and a-5, 6, 5, 6, 7, 8...

Okay, I only have a few minutes because I have to leave in 2 hours for choir, and I also have to take a shower and clean up the living room so my mom doesn't get mad at me.

Rehearsals for SG have been going better than I expected (and I expected the worst after the rehearsals for SS were nightmare-ish....yes, I did cry in Carlo's arms after one of the rehearsals, and felt like I was a shit player through the whole run of the show). Part of everything going well is that this was the first show I played with this company, and we did it around this time last year. Instead of learning whole new music, we're using a lot of the old stuff, and I'm playing a lot of my old parts. So I basically had to open the closet door in my brain and remember all the old familiar tunes. We learned a new song, and added a few extra things, and I learned a new part in one of the old songs, but all that was easy as pie. The cast members are also different, but amazing. I love working with this cast much more....they're friendly and exciting (and familiar) and they all want to BE there, which makes everything THAT much more enjoyable.

Speaking of rehearsals, choir is starting again tonight, at my alma mater. I love choir, and I love getting to be a part of it, even though I've already graduated. I also love being a part of my acapella group.....they're a great bunch of girls that I enjoy singing with so much, and I love hanging out with them, too. Of course it's a pain and a journey to get out there to rehearsals, but it's worth it in the end. It makes me excited about music, and all the hard work and rehearsals pay off when we rock at the concerts.

I should probably hop in the shower now, and find something to wear......catch ya later! :)

don't stop believin'...just hold on to the feelin'

I am proud to say I am a Gleek.

Glee first previewed in May, but I missed that episode. I had heard talk about this show called Glee, but I had no idea what it was, so I thought nothing more of it.

Then last week, that episode, the pilot, aired again. And I missed that. And I kept saying, 'Wtf is Glee? Why is everybody talking about it? Should I be watching this?" Then, I did some research, and came to this conclusion:

YES. I should DEFINITELY be watching this.

So I hopped onto Hulu.com and watched the pilot episode in order to catch up on the introduction of the show, so I would be totally ready and not lost while watching this evening's episode. And man, I must say, I love the show! I love the cast, and I love the music they're singing. I also loved seeing peoples' facebook status' and tweets about the show/quotes from the show. I love the community a simple television show can create! I can't wait for next week's episode. :)

I've got this interesting TV show schedule set up....

Monday: Jon & Kate Plus 8, Ultimate Cake-Off
Tuesday: Ruby & the Rockits
Wednesday: Glee
Thursday: Ace of Cakes, Project Runway, Models of the Runway
Sunday: Amazing Wedding Cakes

And for awhile, I had Cake Boss and The Secret Life of the American Teenager on Monday nights, before Ultimate Cake-Off took Cake Boss' spot. Also, I have the DVR box record any and all Food Network Challenges, and then I watch all the shows having to do with cake, sugar, chocolate, or pastries.

I took an initiative in cleaning my room today, and made some progress, but not a lot. I want to get rid of my dresser and put my sister's old desk in its place, so I can sit in my room and use my computer, and have a makeshift work station. In the midst of cleaning the room and washing my shotglasses (which are all clean, and setting out to dry!), I got some mail.....Nicholas Sparks' new book "The Last Song!" I can't wait to read it.....I have to finish Dan Brown's "Digital Fortress" first, but I'm on my way as far as books go in September. =)

Alright, time for me to hit the sack. Goodnight!

and I'm sure the view from heaven beats the hell out of mine here

Today is the 6th anniversary of the day my Opa died. :(

I miss him so much! Oma, Mom, Dad, and I went to the cemetery today to water the flowers at his gravestone, and to tidy up the place and pay our respects, say our prayers, etc. There's one huge sunflower stalk growing in between his stone and my Oma's family members' stone, which is gorgeous. It has a lot of sunflowers blooming on it, and then there are little red flowers growing all along the bottom. My mom said there's even a tomato plant growing there and a peach tree plant, which is probably about a foot high right now.

She told me she'll take the peach tree out later in the fall and plant it in our backyard, but it was fascinating to see it there!

After the cemetery, we came back to our house and had bacon and tomato sandwiches - a real summer treat, which I guess is fitting for the last day of summer. Although, I'm not going back to school, dad's retired, and mom's on a leave of absence from her teaching post, but yeah...it felt like a nice close to summer.

I had an interesting encounter in the store earlier when I was going to get milk. I get to the milk section, and there's a whole family blocking the way....a mom, a dad, and three kids, and they're all talking to each other, animatedly, so I said "excuse me." I said it three or four times, and finally, the father moved out of the way when I said "MOVE, please." I don't think they quite understood english. :( So I get my milk, turn around, and they've all sort of formed an arc around me, blocking a way for me to exit the milk area and pay for my purchases....so again, I say "excuse me" again, and they're not moving, because they're so enthralled in their conversation (which I figured out was in some sort of Indian language). So finally I said "Move again, PLEASE..." and I was able to make my way out of the milk area and down the aisle. It was kinda weird.

I've got to head to rehearsal soon for the show I'm playing in. I just wrote up my new bio for the programs and emailed that along. We have rehearsal tonight, dress rehearsal Saturday morning, and then we open on Sunday! Then Sunday I'll make my journey from NYC to LI for my Grandpa's 90th birthday celebration! I'm so excited! =)

it's tough to have a crush when the boy doesn't feel the same way you do

(continued)

At one point, DCA's Finest caught me texting furiously (and I was actually texting my friend Julie about how hot he was.....), but he turns around and goes "click click click click." It's true....the buttons on my phone are loud, and that's probably the only thing I hate about my blackberry.

After dad's drum corps did their exhibition, DCA's Finest said he was heading out (I guess he was heading home early) and he gave me a hug and a kiss. I hope I see him again next year!

We checked out of our hotel, loaded up the car, and headed to Syracuse to have dinner at Colorado Mining Company with some friends. Dinner was delicious! We stopped for coffee before we headed back on the road, and mom took a big bulk of the driving time, and I was her co-pilot, while Dad and George snoozed in the back.

Finally, we got back to our summer house around 10pm. My aunt and uncle were still at their house, so we went to hang with them and had drinks and ice cream. This morning we got up, had breakfast, took care of some stuff around the house and the community, and then hit to road for home sweet home.

I reached 1986 tweets! I was looking forward to that, since 1986 is the year I was born, and what a good year it was! I'm almost at 2,000, which is pretty cool. I'm addicted to Twitter.....oh man.

Okay, sorry if my entries don't flow. I have no idea what to write about right now, and I'm too preoccupied watching the Secret Life of the American Teenager. I think this episode wins for record number of times the word "sex" is used. I'm thinking about watching this episode again (because I DVRed it) and counting how many times they say the word "sex."

Alright, I'm gonna go watch Jon and Kate Plus 8 (TEAM KATE!). Goodnight, kids!

(edit) Jon and Kate Plus 8 is not on tonight, so I'll watch Ultimate Cake Off instead! I LOVE CAKE SHOWS!!!

I drove all night to get to you

I didn't forget to blog today! It's just been a very busy and eventful day today, and we spent a lot of time in the car driving home from Rochester, NY and the DCAs.

I finally got to meet my internet buddy of two years, and gosh darnit, he is even cuter in person! I nicknamed him "DCA's Finest" in my tweets all day. :) We ran into him and a friend of my dad's while waiting for the elevator this morning, and he said hey to me before I realized just who he was! Then I stuck out my hand and said, "Nice to finally meet you!" and he said "yeah you, too!" and gave me a kiss on the cheek and then went in for a hug. He's got the sexiest voice ever, and smells REALLY good!

Anyway, we went to watch the Alumni show, and a couple corps in, I look down and I see him coming up the stairs. He sees me, smiles, and then waits until the corps on the field is done to come up and sit with a friend who's sitting right in front of us. He looks over at me, my mom, and our friend and he goes "oh no, this is trouble!" and we all laughed.

I'm really tired....I'm going to bed. I'll recount more tomorrow when I'm sitting at my computer, and not blogging from my blackberry. Goodnight!

hail, hail, the gang's all here

Last night I had a drink with my aunt and uncle at their bungalo, while my mom slept on the couch and my dad did the crossword at my house. It was nice to spend a little time with them; my cousins hadn't made the trip up to our summer houses yet at that point.

I'm reading "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown right now, and the cover has a pair of eyes on the cover. Last night, after I finished the chapter I was reading, I put the book down and went to sleep. This morning when I woke up, I looked over, and the eyes on the book were staring back at me! Boy, that was a bit of a shock!

Early this afternoon, we had a community bbq with all the other people that live in the bungalos in our corporation. It's become an annual thing - have a bbq to celebrate Labor Day and our community.

After lunch, my dad's friend met us upstate, and we hit the road for Rochester and the DCAs! The drive was long, but there was no traffic, which was nice. We stopped for coffee and facilities, and made it up here about 8pm (we left about 3pm). We've been meeting drum corps people all over the place, and Pre-lims were tonight (Cabs placed 5th). Tomorrow's the DCA Alumni Spectacular in the morning/afternoon, then we're hittin' the road right after that, and prob gonna have lunch with a couple friends in a neighboring town. I LOVE drum corps. :)

After dinner just now, my mom and I were in the hotel lobby and I saw an adorable guy walk by....I've know him for two years via youtube and facebook. He's met my dad and my mom before, and he's great friend with my dad's friend, but I've never met him personally, and I'm probably going to tomorrow after the Alumni show. I seriously can't wait!

Okay, I'm off to bed. :) Goodnight!

she went away with the summer days

I'm upstate at my summer house right now. We left about 11:30 this morning/afternoon and arrived up here about 12:30. We went shopping (one of my favorite things to do) for some food supplies and then went to the house.

All day, it's been hours of being lazy. I brought my knitting with me, so I've been chilling on the couch, knitting, and watching tv. We made and ate lunch, and then mom and I made a 3-bean salad for the labor day bbq we have in our community every year. We're probably going to head out for dinner in a little while, and then come back and watch a movie or two. I brought 27 Dresses and Get Smart with me!

Tomorrow we're gonna go to the bbq for a little while, then we're heading up towards Rochester for DCAs! Dad's corps is playing at the Alumni Classic Sunday morning, and it's about a 6-hour drive to Rochester from our summer house, so we want to make sure we have plenty of time getting there, so Dad and his friend George have plenty of rest for their rehearsal Sunday morning, before their performance.

I also finally get to meet Nathan after 2 years of knowing him through the internet (youtube and facebook) so I'm pretty excited about that! Dad knows him through a friend of his, and mom's already met him, but I'm looking forward to finally meeting him. :)

Alright, I'm out. Gotta get ready to grab some dinner soon!

you can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes

In the past week, I've been to the same DSW three times (twice just today alone), and have not purchased anything.

The first time I went, I was with family, and the only person that bought shoes was my Aunt.

The second time I went, I was with my best friend, and we were perusing the sneaker aisle.

The third time I went, I was by myself to look at a pair of sneakers I fell in love with and to try them on. They're cute, and I'm thinking about them.



I also fell in love with these cute boots (also Rocket Dogs). The picture makes them look like a really bright brown, but they're a darker brown.



I need a new pair of sneakers that are functional yet sporty and cute. The Rocket Dog kicks above are more for fun/play/stylish outfits. I need a pair of sneakers to get around and stuff. At DSW, I didn't see any sneaks that fit my functional/cute criteria, so I'll be on the lookout for that for awhile. I'm deciding whether to go back and grab the shoes I fell in love with, though.

Decisions, decisions!

in your wedding dress, to have and to hold

How much does an average wedding cost?

My brother and I were talking about this, because he's getting married in the near future, and he and his fiance don't have a whole lot of money. I know my parents have offered to kick in some money to off-set some of the costs, but then my future sister-in-law feels that she needs to do things a certain way just to please my mom. That shouldn't be the case at all, since it's my brother and his fiance's wedding, and not my mom's.

I was talking with my brother last night, and we were discussing some ways to drop down the cost of things. My brother and his fiance are very creative people (she's an artist, he's a musician), so they're going to try and do a lot of things themselves. Serena's going to be making her own invitations, so that knocks out the price of invitations and printers, etc. They were thinking of doing cupcakes instead of a huge wedding cake. If they decide they want cupcakes, I could freaking MAKE them for the wedding (and then they'd get a small wedding cake, something they could cut for the people).

Most of the cost of a wedding is in the catering hall. My brother and I were thinking if we knew any caterers or places where people we know work, and that's not the case anymore. My cousin used to work at a catering hall, but I doubt that would help much. They're still deciding on where to have the wedding, and then they'll set the date from there. They want to make their own wedding favors, which would also bring down some costs.

I tried searching for "brides on a budget" for some tips, but they basically spit back everything I've already thought of. I'm doing whatever I can to help them out, because I'm a bridesmaid in the wedding, and I'm the sister of the groom! This is family! I know whatever they do decide on will be fabulous, though.

tried to give you summer, but I'm winter, wish I could make you spring, but I fall so hard

It is kind of hard for me to say "goodbye" to the summer, since I am not going back to school. This is the second summer I'm coming off of where I don't have a school routine to go back. And frankly, I didn't have much of a summer since I worked through it. I had a day off here or there, but for the most part, I worked and worked and worked. I finished a show in May, started another show in July that ran through to August. One week I worked 51 1/2 hours (and I don't get paid overtime). I feel it's time for a vacation for me, even though my mom thinks I should get a job. I'm working on it, but she doesn't realize that I have a job right now. Sure, it's not the best job, and I don't make the best money, but it's what I've got right now, and it's better than nothing. There are a lot of hiring freezes right now, and people say they're hiring, but I never get a word back from them when I apply. I'd rather keep this job until December, because I know it's very flexible, and take a vacation to Austria for the Christmas/winter season. Maybe by January 2010, the economy won't be so suckass and I'll be able to get a job with more money and health benefits.

Since my coworker's been back from his workation in NC, I've had some time off from work to spend time with my family, who's currently visiting from Austria. They leave on Wednesday, and I'm pretty sad about that, but I'll see them again soon (hopefully!). Today we had a fun adventure around SoHo and the west village. We ate at this cute little restaurant down the block from my job, and I had one of the tastiest bowls of Fettucine Alfredo I've ever had.

Two or three people have told me I have great taste when it comes to shopping. My Aunt Marieanne calls me her personal shopper when she's visiting the US. I wish I had the body to wear some of the clothes I pick out for other people. I need to start seriously working on that, or to at least get into a healthy shape. I do enjoy picking out things that I think other people might like. I picked out some bright bold color shirts for my aunt when she was here last year, and she told me that she wears them all the time and they've become some of her favorite shirts, and that people give her compliments on the shirts all the time. She told me she proudly says "my niece picked this out for me, I didn't think I'd like them!" Now she tells me that she completely trusts my opinion when shopping with me. That makes me feel awesome!

I'm currently knitting a baby blanket for my neighbor, because she's pregnant, expecting her first child. It's a light yellow color (baby yellow, I guess?) because we don't know what she's having. Coincidentally, her brother and his wife are also expecting, and they're having a boy. I'm trying to decide if I should start knitting a light blue/baby blue blanket for them as well. If I don't decide to give this blanket to my neighbor, I'll give it to a friend of mine who is also pregnant. So many babies! If only my sister was expecting.....I can't wait to knit little things for my future nieces and nephews!

And lastly, an update in the book world. I JUST finished "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger today, and I have to say I loved it. I saw the movie before reading the book, and reading the book just made it all make sense to me. It really explained things in more detail, and I got a better grasp on Henry's time travel. That was book #35, and I have 15 more books to go in the next 4 months. Mission: impossible? I THINK NOT! I'm sooooo ready. What's next on the book list?