trophy life

whoa.

2012-01-29T21:52:00.003-05:00

that picture above is just far too big....but i'm so stinking challenged, i can't even figure out how to fix it. likely it will stay this large for 10 months.

weekend update.

2012-01-22T21:11:00.003-05:00

so, this is a smattering of people that i go to school with (as a reminder, i made a somewhat insane decision to go get my 2nd masters degree in higher education).

a LOT of people say to me "what is a degree in higher education going to do for you - or anyone for that matter". which i totally understand. it's kind of...vague.

but, for example, people in this photo are interested in working with college students in some pretty amazing areas, such as: universities and their "arts" scenes, student health/wellness, financial aid, athletics, greek life, residence life, development/fundraising, student activities, study abroad/international affairs, admissions..the list could go on.

the best one, and i say this tongue-in-cheek, is the residence life interest. i say to them..."let me get this straight: you are earning another degree so that you can go back and live in and preside over a dorm? are you crazy? let me answer that for you - yes, you are". i respect it immensely, yet it makes me sleepy just thinking about it!

anyway, the lot of us wanted to go rent a big house and go "skiing" (aka: slushing) in VA, so we did just that. most of us didn't ski but rather sat around eating baked goods and reading and playing games and making fun of one another. the group of 16 got along quite well, there were nearly enough beds for all, and we each paid only $53 for 2 nights rent for this fantastic mountain get away.

a good time was had by all! :) off to catch up on some sleep!

get em while they're hot...

2012-01-14T09:44:00.002-05:00

if you are lucky enough to be on the Groupon email list for the Greensboro, NC area, you too could get in on this deal....

a two-for-one special on Justin Bieber toothbrushes.

though the Groupons usually just junk-up my inbox, I'm constantly amused by the descriptions of their deals:

Part of the joy of getting a new toothbrush is the ability to use the old one to clean hard-to-reach places, such as inside the mouth of a pet piranha. Brush your way to a beaming smile with today’s Groupon: for $14, you get two Justin Bieber singing toothbrushes from Brush Buddies (a $29.90 value).

The dental-hygiene heroes at Brush Buddies transform ho-hum teeth-brushing sessions into enamel-whitening extravaganzas with a signature line of fun, ergonomic toothbrushes designed to ensure kids polish their pearlies for at least 120 dentist-recommended seconds. Endorsed by dentists and screaming tweens around the country, each replaceable brush head sports soft DuPont bristles and a plastic sheathing that complements a thick handle graced with Justin Bieber’s dreamy doe eyes, floppy crop of hair, and incandescent halo. After pressing one of two buttons—one for both morning and evening brushes—cavity-crushers can enjoy Bieber’s cherubic croon for 120 seconds, the exact length of time dentists recommend for shining smile bones. Brushers can serenade bathroom-mirror reflections with the echoing sounds of Bieber’s “Baby” and “U Smile” from one brush, or whip out its counterpart to show off hygiene habits and subtly court secret crushes with midday brushes set to the tunes of “Love Me” and “Somebody to Love.”

one word.

2012-01-10T22:17:00.002-05:00

i don't know if bill shakespeare has it all right or all wrong, but i'd like to reflect for a sec.....

i think that if i had to sum up the last 5 years of life in a phrase, i may just go to this one above. not for its somewhat depressing/hopeless vibe it initially gives off. because i actually think that expectations can be a source of joy and happiness.

for example: going to see people you love and enjoying the time together to the fullest. or ordering a dress on sale from a website and when it arrives it's PERFECT. like that stuff.

but i do believe that there is something so very true about constantly wrapping your mind around everything/everyone As They Should Be and then feeling let down.

let down that a family member behaved badly or dismissed something that was important to you. bummed out that an event you wanted to be special was, well, kinda lame.

so i've decided that there is more (not less) merit to the above statement. i think that there is power in letting go of what things and people Should Be and letting things and situations and people in our lives be just as they are. less judgment on my part, more acceptance and openness to say "i like you for all that you ARE, not all that you are NOT" - cause truthfully the people i've experienced who don't just let me be who i am without wanting to change me aren't for me.

this is turning into a post that somehow sounds like i'm angry or mad at someone. but i assure you that i'm not.

lest i keep rambling, i'm gonna wrap it up. i want to let go of expectations for the better. to understand more about living in the moments for all that they are, not all that they lack. to believe that maybe nothing is lacking at all. that things and people are as they should be.

Trophy Life, out!

oh {scary} new year

2012-01-01T21:49:00.003-05:00

wha...wha...what?! 2012? huh.

not trying to make too many promises that i can't keep, but i would like to do the following this year:
1). in the next week, set up some automatic debit to a new charity of choice.
2). try to remember more often (more often than NEVER) to take all of these reusable bags to the grocery store so i don't have this massive collection of plastic bags
3). train for and complete a 10 mile or 1/2 marathon race.

and that concludes my not-too-over-the-top hopes/resolutions for 2012

(P.S. - it is very disturbing what one finds when one looks at Google images for 2012. i really don't want the world to end....just sayin')

The dog days of Christmas...

2011-12-26T21:51:00.001-05:00

kudos of the week.

2011-12-03T21:22:00.003-05:00

my mom got me these for Christmas. but she won't let me open them until Christmas.

this company (Joules) has such cute wellies and some of them are reasonably priced. some of them are dumb-expensive though.

mixed feelings

2011-11-16T20:41:00.002-05:00

i have some major mixed feelings about this new-fangled pinterest.

on one hand - i LOVE it. so many cool things and ways to glean ideas that one would not otherwise have found (that i know of). it is quite the streamlined approach to "what in the heck does the World Web Web have that i need to know/have, etc".

on the other hand, i gotta tell you, i'm just kind of tired of feeling SO damn connected to everyone. for some reason, i'm the kind of person who does not want or need to have everyone all up on my blog, all up on my facebook and all up on my pinterest. at.ALL.times.

so, when some randomly/loosely connected to me people start following me, i feel like i need to either censor myself or at least just keep in mind who my "audience" is all the time. i do care what people think or how they judge me based on what i "pin".

just being honest.

so....for now i'll just keep on pinning with little to no discretion. they're my boards, right? and, yep, i'm overanalyzing this one for sure. but it ties into a dream/wish i have had recently: could we all just NOT have all of these social tools for a week or two. i'd love to get back to the Basics of living. the Good Old Days for just a spell.

*sigh*

my new (and likely last "blood" nephew)

2011-11-15T20:36:00.003-05:00

facebook friends have already heard the announcement

this is my new nephew, Ryan David. from what i can tell, he was named after my brother's best friend and my S-I-L's only brother. i haven't talked to the family since they came home from the hospital to confirm these facts.

regardless, he arrived safely and soundly and without much fuss, actually.

welcome to the world, Ryan and i look forward to all the fun times ahead!

much love,
Auntie M

Halloween still lingering

2011-11-09T08:50:00.001-05:00

Weird things continue to appear in and around the dumpsters at my condo complex. Yesterday morning was a wig on a rock. Very bizarre and a bit disturbing.

As far as the weird dummy/witch thing, it was at first hanging out the side and I literally jumped when I walked around the corner and was greeted by skeleton hands. A few days later it was hanging like this in the picture below. What kind of odd people are reconfiguring the halloween trash?

A tiny hello

2011-11-02T07:49:00.001-05:00

Things are busy. Work continues to dominate both my waking and sleeping hours (I am neurotic enough to dream about work). But I am hanging in there and enjoying this hot little cup if coffee as I sift through my inbox.

Happy Wednesday, bloggers!

Welcome to my corner

2011-10-25T17:45:00.001-05:00

That is my kitchen table. With books and bills and treasures from nature in a bowl made by my friend's hands and my work notes and music and more bills. And a friendly reminder to keep calm and carry on.

I'm trying!!! ;-)

keep swimming, keep swimming....alternate title: i can't keep up.

2011-10-12T19:35:00.003-05:00

the status of my life and keeping up with it is generally how i feel about fashion (jeans in particular): once i'm on board with the "trend" of the times, it changes.

for example, i'm just now (in the past 10 months) liking the fitted/skinny jeans look and have gotten over the idea that these jeans make my feet look like snow skis.

but...then i'm used to the style and, bam, it's back with 70's flare and high waists.

and WHAT is with the mid-riff?! i live in a college town now and i can tell you that the mid-riff is back in full force. the 80's are still going strong, too. i actually tried to sneak a camera phone pic the other day as this girl was sitting on a ledge with her french braid, Sally Jesse Raphael glasses, high-waisted short-shirts with flowery shirt tucked in and some sort of Keds sneakers.

welcome back, 1987, you were sorely missed. i digress...

the point is, i can't keep up. with school reading and my work inbox and tasks and the other inboxes and the junk in them. i'm just trying to keep swimming.

and this space should be more than just me stopping by to wish a happy birthday and then not get around to it until 2+ weeks later to vent about being swamped. silly little blog space.

something more exciting will be on the horizon, i think. maybe.

my birthday friend.

2011-09-26T19:22:00.003-05:00

this picture is entitled "young" on my computer because, well, we were....

dearest friend, kristy (aka - Quiet Oasis) - i will never forget the moment that you recall when you saw me for the first time - an OBNOXIOUS freshman (i beg to differ) in college, you the ever-mature junior. i have NO clue how we even started our friendship...oh, wait, was it that night at the Squirty Worm (ewww...gross)? Yep, the rest is history.

thank you for being the first big sister i never had. you shared your family with me and, during your senior year, you shared your dorm room. over the years, you have shared of yourself and given to me as a truly special friend.

we've been through joys, pains, ups and downs and even after so many years, you constantly come to mind. i sometimes smirk when i think of our memories and i sometimes crinkle my eyebrows when i realize that we hardly get to see each other any more - i hate that! know that the time we do spend is cherished. your the best kind of friend - like an old sweater that will never be given to Goodwill!!

though i know you love a Goodwill find! ; )

friend, you're a great mother, daughter, sister, friend, wife, aunt and all those other hats you balance at any given time. thanks for being thoughtful and always cheering me on from the stands! i love you and wish you the best of birthdays and happy new years of life ever (no broken jaws or feet, please!).

unkudos of the week.

2011-09-22T15:25:00.003-05:00

i'm sick.

not good timing for being sick, but when is it ever?

work, school work, and having a semblance of a social life (including TRYING to stay in touch with family and friends) all come before the blog.

poor, poor sad blog.

hopefully i'll get it together and start using this space how i intend for it to be used. ;-)

i am following blogs though, just not making time to comment. still love the blogging world and to it i will remain true.

as my friend Running Chatter would say: Trophy Life out.

Thanks.

2011-09-16T12:34:00.001-05:00

A family I worked with gave me these lovely chocolates. Almost too pretty to eat. No worries, I ate 4 yesterday. One was even eaten before I took the photo, but in my defense, my secretary ate it.

Almost..... But not quite - textbook edition

2011-09-05T11:29:00.001-05:00

They almost spelled the word correctly. How embarrassing.

Annnndddddd.....thus text book has been published since the 70's and one would think they would have totally taken the misprints out of circulation (there is another version!).

Snug as a pug in a rug

2011-08-31T10:00:00.001-05:00

Or in a bed quilt anyway.

remember that one time when i decided to go back to school and work full-time?

2011-08-30T16:37:00.002-05:00

oh, wait, that has happened 2 times in my life.

but why did it seem easier the first time around? when i worked a full-time internship, had full-time classes and also slung lattes at Starbucks on the side (in my FREE time)?

folks, i don't know. maybe it's because i have a pretty demanding job (that i commute to once a week - 2.25 hours each way). and maybe it's because i live in 2 places - mostly not at the place where i list as my permanent address. and i'm only taking 2 classes, not 5. maybe it's because i'm older?

class is going well, and i'm grateful that i am gainfully employed.

but i'm losing it.

case in point: i locked myself out of my house 2 weeks ago when my friends were here. luckily i had my phone and a friend had a spare key and all was well. minor delay.

this morning (and i am not proud to admit this, by the way. i WILL NOT ever tell my mother, lest she scold me and come down here and hide a spare key herself): i walked out of my house with my dog with phone and keys locked inside.

it was 9:10 am. and for SOME reason, in my haste, i decided that turning on the stovetop (it's a ceramic one) and putting a pan on it to heat it up was a great idea. i've never done this in my life - turned on a stove before walking my dog.

so, as the laws of nature would have it, i lock myself out. with phone inside. my place is on the second floor (trust me, i did try to envision myself scaling the brick wall or shimying up the entrance/overhang thing) in order to...what??! well, heave myself through a locked window, of course.

my neighbor saved my life ultimately. he pulled up (looking like he was on some sort of overnight shift at the hospital) and handily had programmed in his phone our emergency maintenance number. and soon onto the scene comes lifesaver number 2 - maintenance man.

it's been one of those.....couple of months.

i am not complaining. i'm simply stating that this balancing act has been harder for me than i ever thought it would be. i'm just sayin' that i feel a little all over the place and a little frantic at all times. and i'm hoping for it to level out in some way. wishful thinking? yes, but i'll just keep on wishing for now!

the great quake of 2011, y'all.

2011-08-24T10:09:00.002-05:00

(photo courtesy of msnbc)

well, there i was, sitting innocently in class on the first day of grad school. we were softly wading our way through syllabus, text books, expectations, etc. etc. etc.

the rumbling started as a very soft shaking, like we were beside a busy street or on a bridge and a loud truck was passing.

but, the problem with this theory is that we were in the EXACT center of a building. on the second floor, in the INTERIOR of a square hallway type of building.

the rumbling got stronger, dust particles were falling from the ceiling and my Californian classmate's face went from normal to concerned. he suggested we get under our desks, at which point, i was about to do.

people, this desk was TINY. and i was about to get under it!

we then stupidly went into the hallway. and later found out that our professor was about to stand in the doorway. SUPER. save yourself and watch us all go down?!? this makes me smile.

we did eventually go outside. like school children doing a fire drill. as in, we were in the middle of a chemistry exam and were reallllyyyyyyyy hoping to get out of the exam and go home early.

but, alas, it was then confirmed that there was an earthquake nearby and the building was okay. i can't imagine that the building really is okay, actually, since i doubt it was built for earthquakes and it was built SO long ago. i take back all the bad things i said about how shitty the building actually is, given how much money the university must be raking in (i digress...).

it was interesting to later learn that the "epicenter" (as though i have any clue what that means! i'm from OHIO!) was about 30 miles from here. i was even more shocked to hear that this earthquake was felt in 22 states. i mean, don't get me wrong, it was super scary. i had a moment where i thought it was a human-oriented disaster, not something occurring in nature, and i felt very very helpless. upon later reflection, i cannot even imagine what one must think when they are experiencing something really HUGE. not just a little earthquake like the one that i experienced.

it made me thankful and aware.

and...for the record....i'm really over the Californians making fun of the East Coasters. this article sums up how i feel about that.

so, how much money do you think i can make by designing and selling t-shirts about surviving the Great Quake of 2011? ; )

Love her.

2011-08-22T21:57:00.001-05:00

august is a busy birthday month!

2011-08-22T10:22:00.002-05:00

my beautiful birthday friend, Written Permission

i give you, my friend, permission to be happy, healthy and wonderful.

i give you permission to have your first meeting with me be when you kindly let me sleep in your loft at our college. i remember your fish named Stipey (right?) and you packing up your laundry and i remember my first impression of your energy and your spirit and how easy it was to be around you.

some things NEVER change.

i give you permission to continue being the witty, intelligent, supportive, loving, generous, hard-working, accomplished, and awesome friend and person that you are. for without you, something would truly be missing in my repertoire of those whom i love most.

thank you for being you, Shan. you are a fantastic person to know and i am so incredibly happy that 1). you were born, 2). you shared your loft with a strange 17 year old, and 3). our paths merged and we became friends. love you!!

better late than never, my friend.

2011-08-17T19:06:00.003-05:00

it was her special day to turn 33 last week (sherri is on the right)

sorry, friend that this is belated (as was my birthday text, as was your actual celebration - but it was totally worth the wait since i got to see you live, in person; thanks for taking the time out of your life and weekend to come allllll the way to see little old me. i was grateful from the bottom of my heart)

moving along. this woman (who should be a blogger...i digress), is a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a sister, a teacher, a soon-to-be PhD-er and an incredible human.

however, these are just titles. they do not sum up who my lovely friend is, but she takes each role seriously and could easily be one of the best wives, mothers, sisters, teachers, friends or doctors any of us have ever known. she's just GOOD. period.

friend, i've always been grateful that you've led the way. you go before me and you clear a path that makes sense to me. somehow, you're the barely-older-than-me sister i never had. i have so many valuable memories of us together. and in each one, you are just present. present in spirit and conversation....like nothing else matters. and for that i will forever be admiring you and respecting you and treasuring you.

i love you and am so happy we celebrate your birth each year. now, go get a blog (yeah right, in your FREE time?!?!).

i raise my mojito glass to you today, Two Pretzels.

2011-08-16T09:11:00.003-05:00

it's an old photo, just go with it....

today is a VERY special day.

our Two Pretzels is turning another year older and i pause to celebrate this beautiful life o' hers...

the essence of Kylee is simple to describe: she is available for you at any moment when you need her (she drops whatever she's doing to balance the art of listening with the art of "talking back").

Kylee is intuitive. she just gets it (by "it", i mean mostly everything). i believe that she lets others be themselves because she has (for as long as i can remember knowing her) learned to love herself, laugh at herself and know herself very well.

Kylee was once a college freshman getting in trouble in Public Speaking for passing notes. and, her gabby-ness has clearly been passed down to her beautiful daughters and, they too, will be called out by professors in the future for passing notes, i am certain. However, if you know her, you don't want her to shut up anytime soon. she's hilarious and truthful and good with words.

Ky - i could go on and on an on. but, simply put, i just want to thank God for the day you were born and for your life. i love you, i love your family and i love the unique soul that you are in this world. there is NO ONE like you and to call you "friend" is a true gift. thank you for the way you make others comfortable and thank you for loving those around you, just the way they are.

LOVE YOU and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Little boys

2011-08-11T21:19:00.001-05:00

They wear me out. And sometimes they even wear themselves out (sometimes).

Pretty hip spot

2011-08-06T08:47:00.000-05:00

Not only is the Virginian a hip spot in Charlottesville (Michelle O, Sasha and Malia ate there on a trip to C-Ville), but Thomas Jefferson is constantly watching over those who choose to eat and imbibe there. It is the oldest bar in Charlottesville (we are talking 1800's) and is basically a covered alley.

Say hello to my friend, the fig

2011-08-05T08:56:00.002-05:00

My friends with whom I stay for 1/2 the week always have projects going on. Art, homemade soap, honey from their beehives, canning veggies or freezing them (from their huge garden of course), making jam, and on and on.

It is, in essence, the house you always wanted to have a slumber party at....

Mini-Mary: Do you want to have a slumber party?
Mini-Me: Sure. Whose house should we stay at?
M-Mary: We could stay at yours, since we always stay at mine....
M-Me: Uh, we can't, because, uh, my dog has a cold, errrr something...
M-Mary: Okay, we can stay at mine and...
M-Me: ....And do a PROJECT?!?!! Sweet!!!

Anyway, the slumber party delivered once again this week in the form of figs from their fig tree.

We made a jalapeño/fig spicy jelly. Think of using it as a marinade on a pork loin or serving over cream cheese with crackers. It is sweet at first then pretty fiery on the aftertaste.

We got to work next on fig honey jam with walnuts. I have yet to sample this one except for while it was still warm, but it was delicious and we envision it on warm biscuits or a few tablespoons over oatmeal.

And for our next trick, we will go international with our game and take over the world!! the documentary of our success will begin in Mary's kitchen where we chuckle at how small our operation used to be "back in the day". then we'll switch over to our massive Canadian factory where we are in paper coveralls and hairnets. we'll use only the finest figs from the Greek isles and we will be swimming in money.

below: a portrait that shall henceforth be named Humble Beginnings

Kudos of the Week

2011-08-03T19:09:00.002-05:00

I would love to tell you all about the fantastic Mexican restaurant/taco bar that I went to last night. I could show you photos of the food, drinks, candy, spices, and coke in bottles.

But alas.....I follow the rules.

(in case you can't read it, it says "no pictures, please. thank you")

happy birthday, sumo!

2011-08-02T14:30:00.003-05:00

i have no idea who will be more pleased - Running Chatter or myself - that i found a Google image of a version of a sunflower pillow...

well, today is the happiest kind of day since i get to stop and note the birth of a beautiful friend o' mine.

the only thing better would be celebrating this day in person rather than from afar, but such is life.

anyway, i believe that the best kind of friendships are the ones Summer and I have. you meet (and you may or may not remember the details of this first meeting) and you have NO earthly idea what your early conversations consisted of or what the heck you initially shared in common. none of these things matter; it only matters that you have cared for one another for a very long time and you know that whatever life brings you and wherever life takes you, your lifelong friends will be metaphorically by your side. and this girl is a figurative hand-holding kind of gal.

and let me point out that the nickname for my friend Summer - Sumo - pretty much sums this girl up. i mean, she couldn't be further from the physical stature of a sumo wrestler (lets' be clear). but her love and support of others, her zeal for life, her strength to keep moving forward are pretty much equal to the foot-poundings of those huge, sweaty wrestlers*.

Sumo - i love you a lot. i hope your celebration is wonderful and that this new year of life is fantastic. i celebrate you every day.

* she's not sweaty, either.

Sometimes

2011-07-31T10:15:00.001-05:00

I like to place my head restfully on the channel changer and switch it to infomercials

what you see here...

2011-07-26T14:57:00.002-05:00

....is the making of a back-woods operation room.

we have 2 nimble thumbs (that belong to a hardcore lady friend - weighing in at about 100 pounds, but she has slit the throat of a chicken before and is raising twin boys. i figured she was about as qualified as anyone within a 28-mile radius).

we have a thumb. my thumb. that had a large splinter inside. and i thought the body would just ingest the splinter. nope. it just kept feeling more and more painful despite my wishing it away.

we have a beer. i was drinking it before, during, and after my procedure. let's just say it was supposed to be my anesthesia, but it really wasn't all that strong.

toy story band-aid. makes everything better. hydrogen peroxide makes everything cleaner. (needle not shown).

very strong tweezers - Dr. R uses them not only to tame her unruly brows but to help friends out in their time of need

ice bear. again, was somewhat supposed to be covering anesthesia, but really wasn't that helpful.

and, the dish towel, our operating table.

all in all, a successful splinter-removal overall.

A face only a mother could love

2011-07-23T18:13:00.001-05:00

Oh looks sure can be deceiving

2011-07-21T12:16:00.001-05:00

I am semi-dog-sitting this handsome little devil below (the semi part is a longer story, a friend from grad school is dog sitting and is moving places and needs help, I can't say no.....ugh). He is a Bisenji (sp?) and his owner is clearly neurotic.

I hope to never meet his owner, and especially not in a dark alley.

So far, Night has proven to have some extreme separation anxiety. Given the fact that his owner takes him nearly everywhere he goes, this devil doesn't know what to do when left alone. I was gone for 3 hours last night and he moved a huge cage across my kitchen then living room. leaving a wake of destruction in his path.

It gets better.

At some point mid-night, he came out to my living room and simply lifted his leg on my couch as though it were a tree. Yep. He peed everywhere.

It gets better.

He peed on my pug's ear by mistake this morning. And often acts as though he will bite her ear off (picture MikeTyson) if she makes one false move.

And.....wait for it.....

Has diarrhea from eating my pug's food.

Needless to say, I don't know how long even I will hold up under these circumstances. But he is kinda cute when he's sleeping.

City art

2011-07-20T16:40:00.001-05:00

I was recently perusing around in downtown Danville, VA (where I used to live and now I just work/live sometimes) and noticed these recent artistic additions. I thought they were really cool.

Fresh

2011-07-18T18:14:00.001-05:00

Though I am not able to have my own garden this year, I am thankful that my friends have theirs and I get to reap what they have sown (pretty good gig if you ask me). One of my favorite things this summer has been coming home from work and grabbing a plum or cherry tomato or green pepper or snow pea and just eating it while it is still warm from the sun. We never had gardens growing up so maybe that is why it seems so fun. This was my salad creation with everything from the garden except the spring mix. Tasty.

'twas a good afternoon

2011-07-16T14:51:00.001-05:00

Any Friday with a tasty margarita for lunch is a good day!!!!

A little boy and his antics

2011-07-14T15:56:00.002-05:00

This is my happy little friend, Forrest. Now that I live permanently 2 hours north of my workplace, I stay with some friends close to work a few days a week and they have 2 boys ages nearly 2 and almost 4.

Earlier in the day a few days back, this little one unknowingly had plastic on his head and I loved the way he kept looking at the camera all coyly.

And later in the night, when it was too quiet for all to be kosher in the kitchen, i found that he had dumped Marlie's food into her water dish. He's too cute to get mad at, clearly.

(sorry for the blurry phone pic, but look at that face)

Never ceases to amaze me

2011-07-13T18:33:00.001-05:00

Every year that I live in the South, I am always amazed at the tobacco fields. At this point one might think that tobacco is manufactured somehow (not sure how) or at least it would involve more technology. In fact, people plant this by hand as well as harvest it. The rows of tobacco always pull me in 2 directions - on one hand they are really beautiful and on the other hand I simply think of the money-maker this addictive plant is.

fail number 1.

2011-07-12T09:08:00.002-05:00

sorry no photo or update for yesterday.

it was SUCH an awful day at work - just awful. no more on that, lest i get fired.

more soon.

Sunday detail

2011-07-10T19:44:00.001-05:00

Loooonnngggg day with getting up early to take my girl to the airport and working all day. So I wanted to post one of the very cool details from my friend's apartment building I sometimes stay at. Who knew Danville, VA had anything sooooo awesome?

Saturday morning farmer's market - these blackberries are gigantic

2011-07-09T15:17:00.001-05:00

TGIF

2011-07-08T15:11:00.001-05:00

I got my friend in town from FL and this pretty much sums up our goals for her visit - do a whole lot of nothing special! You can tell she and Marlie became fast friends!

The wonder years

2011-07-07T13:25:00.001-05:00

My nephew is pretty much growing like a weed. He was JUST a baby!! Now he is creeping in on 2 years old. I am sure the parents out there feel the same way "where is time going? Slow down anytime now, won't you?"

my life in the south....

2011-07-06T18:03:00.004-05:00

after a cursory glance, you may think "this is just a gas pump". but you would be OH so wrong.

this old school pump is about 2 miles from my work - in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! it has heavy bars on the windows of the actual store where you pay, buy your individually wrapped/don't-know-who-made-these brownies (for 99 cents), and inhale the cigarette smoke of the locals sitting around on windowsills and ratty chairs.

i love how when i get gas here, i feel like i am supporting some sort of grassroots, local business that has operated in this same way since at least the 70's. i am not super fond of all of the weird locals who stare at me, but i find myself pretending that i am way more brave than i actually am because, on some level, i expect to witness something awful every time i get my gas here.

also, whenever i pump the gas i get at least 10 extra cents worth of gas since the clicky-click pump always rattles right on by what i actually paid. it feels like they give me some extra gas to let me know they care?

tell me when that last happened to you at the high-falluten BP located in the city limits?

NEV-A......

lastly, the dead bugs just inside the bottom part of the glass is a disgustingly nice touch (go ahed, make the picture larger so you can experience them with me...).

The black sheep (or red flower, in this case)

2011-07-05T17:34:00.001-05:00

This is taken in my friend's garden.... I have never seen a red sunflower, have you?

bring.it.on.

2011-07-04T12:34:00.005-05:00

this short 3.5 minute video clip (courtesy of TED talks - ever heard of them? i love them) was EXACTLY what my life (and my blog) needed - a little jump start. please take the 3 minutes to watch it...it's pure/simple and, well, provides a tiny kick to the seat of the pants....

i'll wait...

it's not that my life is lacking inspiration lately. in fact, i feel like it's somewhat bursting at the seems with every hour/day planned out and full of work, life and what-nottery.

the thing about this video that got me was that he said that time didn't go so quickly when he had goals to accomplish in 30 days. i liked that he said he remembered those days way more distinctly.

and that is what i think my life is lacking. it's full of good things and good people and food and life and too much work.

but...

i have this nagging feeling always: are you living life to the fullest? i mostly think i am. but when i flip calendar pages, and the year 2000 turns into 2005 and then 2011. and my age keeps inching and inching along, i want to be sure that i am REMEMBERING things.

so, i think that i have 2 goals for this month - 1 for me and 1 for my blog. for my blog i'd like to add a photo a day. from either my iPhone or my real camera. i need to use my camera more often. for me, i'd like to set a fitness goal of some sort, but i'm not sure what yet. i've ALWAYS wanted to be That Person who did 100 crunches or 100 push-ups before my head hits the pillow at night. i'll finalize my fitness goal today.

so, in honor of the NaBloPoMo type of format - i challenge us to do something this month. whether you post about it or not, let's do this*

*lemme point out that i don't think i'm being original in this idea in any way, shape or form. i just needed a little motivation to do something challenging.

This may just turn into a foodie/photo blog?

2011-07-02T13:03:00.002-05:00

I feel like my life consists of the following: work, try new food, meet new people, do new things.

All fine and good things...

So here are some tasty little dumplings that I should not have fully eaten, but I did. And they were $3. And they were fantastic.

And that is the end if this post.

Happy Monday

2011-06-20T09:54:00.001-05:00

Christmas in June

2011-06-17T13:34:00.001-05:00

Why would I be surprised to find a mini Christmas tree hanging from the hinges on the outside of my apartment trash dumpster?

Awesome.

almost...but not quite....strikes again

2011-06-14T14:43:00.002-05:00

an excerpt from an email a student of mine received (from a VERY prestigious university i should add):

I will be your advisor for the coming year. I'm the Assistant Dean of

Undergraduate Studies, here in the College of Engineering. Please don't be

put-off by the title - I'm easy-going, approachable and love to interact

with students. I'm very informal, so you can call me "Kurt" - if you must

use "Dean" in your salutation, try "Dean Kurt" or "Dean KL." (Just remember

to not be disrespectful.)

Dean...err...Kurt...or....KL...err....wait, i'm confused. you tell me that you are easy-going, approachable and love to interact with students. you had me, all the way up until the point when you put in parentheses that i shouldn't be disrespectful.

uh....i'm a young adult, KL. why are you then treating me like i'm a pre-school child?

at least this is WHAT i would think if i was a student receiving this email from my easy-going, soon-t0-be advisor. i'd be on full-alert as to what to now call him that may or may not be offensive and, honestly, i'd be back at square one thinking he was a stuffy dean who should be called Dean So-and-So Last Name.

kids have it rough these days, i tell you.

school days and other related items

2011-06-13T14:07:00.002-05:00

this is the most famous building on my fine new campus (it is related to Thomas Jefferson, as is everything else on Grounds and seemingly in the town of Charlottesville. i'm cool with that)

Q: Why did you just say "Grounds" instead of campus, Trophy Life?

A: Well, because everyone here has different names for everything and they insist you call things by their established names. there is NO campus, there are Grounds. there are no freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors, but there are 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th year students. and if you can acronym it...you best acronym it.

for example: i was parking at a parking lot by University Hall. and for the first 5 days, i could not even understand which UHaul trucks people were referring to when they kept saying, "oh, you're parking out at U-Hall lot?" - uh, ok, i'm very literal, people.

so, i feel like a freshmen...err....first year student all over again in these manners.

on a related note, i don't often think of myself as old. i mean, my age in numbers surprises me with each passing year since the number keeps getting higher yet i still generally FEEL the same as i did 5 or 10 (ok, not 10, let's be honest) years ago overall. many of my classmates fit into the 23 - 27 range and a few are 45+ and then there are the 2 of us who are in the 30's.

this suddenly has made me feel a BIT self-conscious of my age for some reason. it's cool, i've got a few years on those youngsters, but there are definitely noticeable differences between us that, i believe, can be attributed to our being raised in different decades.

anyway, i digress....

i must tell you that if you have not ever been to Charlottesville, VA, it is a must-see. it has such a rich history which is kind of cool to learn about, many beautiful wineries and breweries and eateries and certainly has its fair share of cool music and culture and movies and whatnot.

i'm still transitioning into a new schedule while i balance work and social life and school commitments, but overall, i'm happy to moved onto a new chapter in life. yep, i'm pleased.

Testing testing 1,2,3.....

2011-06-07T12:29:00.001-05:00

Today is a red letter technology day! I got my Internet and cable all set up at home - super simple (for once). And now I am blogging from my phone and uploading a photo that I edited in my Instagram application on my iPhone!

a girl and her hectic life, volume 1

2011-06-06T15:30:00.004-05:00

how did i go from this just about 2 weeks ago to hectic, manic life in just the snap of a finger, it seems?

well, because i'm a grown-up, that's how.

there are a lot of things that i think sink in about adulthood several years after you are a working, self-sufficient adult. and the shock from REAL (completely away from work) vacation ending and reality setting in once again.

my vacation was highlighted by the following: spending some (not enough) fantastic time with Two Pretzels and her amazing family. this involved lots of smiles, lots of eating fake cupcakes with her daughter, Lila, and lots of flipping her Vivi from belly to back. Mrs. and Mr. Two Pretzels were (as always) incredibly hospitable and i miss them mucho.

the weather was beautiful, the food tasty, the friends and laughter....all memories to last a lifetime.

as Eddie Money says: i wanna go back, go back, and do it all over.....!!!

so, i finally got back to Ohio and drove to VA in order to move my stuff from storage in Danville, VA to my new place in Charlottesville, VA. i will take one class this summer (more to come on that) and am balancing full-time work with part-time school. i'm getting my 2nd masters in Higher Education from UVA and, although nervous about the workload, am excited about being a student again and SUPER excited about being in a new town. it was a long-time coming and i think this adjustment will take a few weeks for sure.

now blogger is acting funny about adding pictures, so i'm going to hit submit for now and will return to you as soon as possible.

how is it that i got ONE...count it...ONE...photo with my girl, K?? i miss you and the familia!

longer post-vacation post to come...but....in the meantime

2011-06-03T08:31:00.004-05:00

my super talented friend, Mat, makes these crazy flower pots (one in progress above) and a finished product below. they are awesome, in my opinion.

a longer update to come, i promise, but these past 3 weeks have been a complete whirlwind for me. moving out of one house, on glorious vacation for 9 days, moving to another house/city and then working all week to get caught up from said glorious vacation.

whew....i need a siesta!!

Kudos of the Year!!!

2011-05-17T10:11:00.003-05:00

bring on the making salsa with my friend and bring on the beach and the sunshine and the carefree days of vacation!

i have been counting down for months for this little getaway.

i'm about to unplug from work entirely - for the first time in about a year and a half (if you can believe it) and just head straight towards vacation mode.

it won't surprise me if i blog MORE while on vacation instead of less, but i can't make any promises.

i can promise one thing: if i am MIA for the next 10 days, you can picture me with a mojito in one hand and a smile on my face.

you know you're getting old...chapter 23

2011-05-05T10:42:00.003-05:00

as you know, i work with teens at a boarding school on all things related for their next step as they launch into college. 'tis the time of year when housing forms, placement exams, orientation sign ups and the like are all flooding in. it's exciting yet nerve-wracking for them all at once. i mean, if they tell me they aren't even the slightest bit nervous, i call them liars. to their faces.

i found it comical when one of my students was looking for a roommate to pair up with (wouldn't that be horrifying to have that as your housing system - picking your own roommate in a way that mimics Match.com?!?) that all of the boys sounded the same.

this is what a handful say their interests are:
Five activities/interests I enjoy are, Lacrosse, Cars, Video Games, Partying, and Working Out

Lacrosse
Guitar
Surfing
NFL
Hiking

-Lacrosse
-Skiing
-Chillin
-Working Out
-Doing Stuff

Lacrosse
Music
Sports
Hanging out with friends
Relaxing

-Lacrosse
-Going out
-Working out
-Music (house,dubstep)
-Eating

Lacrosse
Video games
Guitar
Hanging out with friends
Any other sports or outdoor activities

AND THIS WAS JUST A RUN-DOWN FROM THE FIRST PAGE!!! i suspect that the entire rest of the "matchings" would be similar?

and so i ask you, World Wide Web, what is with the teenage boys these days with their lacrosse, music, hanging out, working out and going out?!? do they all carry lacrosse sticks in their backpacks?

do they even carry back packs? perhaps they put their school supplies and books IN their lacrosse sticks as they head to class before heading out to da clubs?

ugh!!

moving: a case for staying put as long as possible

2011-05-04T15:16:00.003-05:00

i love this "what are you doing". "nothing". "if you think moving is hard, try moving while nobody is looking".

i have to be honest: i feel like i've been trying to hide my upcoming move from my neighbors.

why?

well, they are really nice people. it's not like we know each other that well. i have lived by them for 4 years (the ones on each side, and across the street are the ones i'm referring to) and i don't even know their names. i'm positive that the un-stamped Christmas cards are from them and they also do not know my name.

but i try to smuggle boxes into my car in the dark hours of the evening, plop them into my storage unit, that will hold my stuff until i get back from Mexico at the end of May when i will then move it all 2 hours North.

kind of humbling to think that all of my belongings can sit and collect dust and pollen in a 10' by 10' cell of sorts.

anyway, moving is hard. it's hard work! it's been good to get rid of stuff, organize and pack in a less haphazard way than i have done so in the past.

but it's also emotionally hard. i could just cry thinking about my little house that really is nothing to write home about. just a small, 2-bedroom structure with a big back yard. it kind of smells like a grandma lives in it (i know, i'm 32) most of the time, but it's been my home. my roof over my head, for the better or worse.

this little Note From the Universe said it perfectly today; it hit the nail on the head as to why we always seem to make things so nostalgic when they are ending, or as we look back upon things:

Ever wonder, Malissa , when looking back at your life, why it's easier to remember the good than the bad, the pleasant than the unpleasant, the laughs than the cries?
It's simply because there's always a lot more of the former.

so true, Universe, so true!!

mama needs a new quilt....

2011-04-29T14:08:00.005-05:00

i know, i know....weird title. makes me feel like a little grandma (which i sometimes feel like)

but i like quilts on beds and think that Target has a nice selection.

which one do you like? i'm trying to stick with something with brown in it, since my bedroom furniture is a dark brown.

and...i'm off!

2011-04-23T10:01:00.003-05:00

off to Sarasota, FL for a few days for a little bit of this (above) and a little bit of that (below).

happy easter, everyone!

this week's adventure!

2011-04-14T06:26:00.002-05:00

um.....Burlington, VT is a must-see place in the US of A.

it was as hippy, dippy, trippy as i thought it would be. Burlington did not disappoint as far as dreadlocks, the smell of patchouli and, I AM NOT LYING, college kids smoking pot on the sidewalks.

this was a work trip, so in 2 days i toured 3 colleges and visited with 3 alumni students from the school where i currently work. it was great to see them in their first and second semesters of college and hear about their current stage of life.

as i listened to them, i realized that regardless of how many things have changed so utterly much since i was an undergrad, so much has stayed the same. professors text and tweet, kids swipe student cards for their laundry (machines don't take quarters) and textbooks are becoming more scarce. luckily, kids still have really small and unkempt dorm rooms, they wear shorts when it's probably just a bit too chilly still and they get involved with worthy causes and complain about the dining hall food.

i was forced to reflect upon this incredible phase of my own life and in some ways it felt like eons ago that i was in college. i couldn't relate any longer to wanting to skip class or tolerating a lecture hall full of silence as the professor tried to engage the young minds of her students. i realized that shoving your face full of empty calories and surviving on such little sleep is so short-lived.

but what hasn't been short-lived for me are the friendships that i made in college that are still of the finest i have to this day. i found myself encouraging one of my old students to weather the totally normal storm of having to weed through all kinds of people who will NOT be your lifelong friends to find the ones who will. she will make it, i'm sure, but i couldn't seem to help myself with giving the same advice over and over: hang in there, this is the most exciting time of your life. but my heart hurt for her a little bit when i heard that it has been difficult to find those like-minded young people who she just clicks with.

man, i must have sounded old for most of that conversation, but whatever.

one of my favorite tour guide quotes used to describe what students do when the weather gets nice in the normally snow-covered VT - "sun's out, guns out" - as in biceps? she said it so off the cuff that i had to keep running in through my mind since i had never heard it before.

also, never seen or heard of before by me - the word "localvore". which is defined exactly how you may think - consuming local products as much as possible. those Vermontonians are super enthusiastic about consuming local goods and i commend them for that.

signing off now so i can endure more airline delays. i'm already a cancelled flight, a crappy night's sleep in an airport hotel, and another delayed flight in. i'm in it to win it.

kudos of the morning!

2011-04-12T13:18:00.002-05:00

this morning's travels, that led me from Virginia to the airport in Raleigh with a layover in Philly and a final stop in Burlington (VT), were hectic to say the least.

i should have left my house 4 or 5 or 10 minutes sooner
i rushed my way from VA to the airport, sort of stressed the entire time
entered the wrong terminal, got through baggage check only to truly discover that i was in the totally wrong place
run to correct terminal (lugging my 2 small-ish bags)
sweating, panting, i get through Security Check Take Two
i run to the gate...i make it by 28 seconds
land in a dreary/rainy Philly
and the morning is salvaged by none other than Dunkin D's where i am graced with caffeine and muffin perfection

THANK you, Dunkin' Donuts.

......now onto tour my colleges this afternoon and then i'm toying with the idea of visiting the Magic Hat Brewing Company for a tour or the Ben and Jerry's factory for a tour - maybe one today and one tomorrow? with my feet hitting the treadmill in between?

likes and dilikes of standardized testing

2011-04-09T12:11:00.003-05:00

(i just heard a student say to another student as he was walking out of the bathroom: when i get stressed out, i flush the toilet and it calms me down." he may or may not have been kidding, but that is pretty hilarious either way)

about 4 times a year, i get the dirty job of administering ACT tests at my school. overall, it's not that bad (after it's done and behind you on a Saturday), but during these times i can be fairly productive while monitoring the test administration.

today, i have managed to clean/organize my whole office, clean up my email inbox and folders and search for several things online that i need for my personal life (including where the heck i am going to try and live when i move soon).

overall, a pretty successful gray/cold day in VA and i even managed to squeeze out a little blog post. granted, it is no literary work of genius, but i did it nonetheless. now, onto get all of my ACT forms sent away and onto a 2nd birthday for a set of twins. as my mom's keychain said when we were growing up - Twins Equal Twice the Love*

*that is probably not true. it should have said "twins equal twice the headaches of child-rearing"

P.S. - i hated the ACT in high school. i took it 5 times. i did get some scholarship money because of it, so that is good i suppose. but one time i was taking it and my right hand refused to hold the pencil - real story. and my twin, not able to offer twice the love while under testing conditions, was sitting next to me and i couldn't tell him since i would have been accused of cheating or whatever. so i suffered for a few minutes until my hand once again gripped the pencil. that was really weird.

this picture has NOTHING to do with the post...

2011-04-06T19:41:00.005-05:00

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

i like this above quote by Mr. Steve “I Own the World” Jobs (of Mac/Apple fame). life for me lately has been about following my intuition, trusting myself and making choices as they effect my ability to move forward.

i’m just about to complete living in South/Central Virginia for my 4th year. at some points along the way, this has been a comfortable place from which i could stop and experience growth in my life that may not have happened had i not fallen off the grid - so to speak. i won’t dedicate too much of this space to harping on how difficult it has been at times for me to live in a place that has been hit hard by a failing economy and leaves much to be desired as far as cultural events, culinary delights or young/educated, like-minded people.

luckily though, i’ve had a pretty incredible opportunity to work at a private school and that has forced me to grow and stretch in ways that i will always be thankful for. i’ve been thankful for job stability and the chance to learn and gain so much from my work. it’s been a tough job, but i’m proud of myself for bending and shifting along the way.

so.....

now it’s time to move on. pretty soon, i’ll be embarking upon a new and scary and exciting adventure. and that thrills and paralyzes me all at once. where there are currently some broad brush strokes of what this may look like, the finer brush strokes of this painting are still unclear. i have been accepted and will attend the University of Virginia part time where i’ll work on my masters degree in Higher Education (oh, and i will be moving north to Charlottesvile, VA in early summer). i’ll also keep my current job and attempt to do this work from afar (commuting to my school as needed). again, details are unclear which is sort of the freaky part for me.

but....

i’m hopeful.

i’m trying to embrace the unknown, trust myself and plow ahead. i’m excited about living in a new town and embracing a new community that i hope will embrace me in some small way. over the last few years, i’ve missed that small sense of belonging to something other than work and the people i’ve met through work. i’ve been incredibly grateful for the people i have met here who i have forged friendships and relationships with - it is true that relationships are the foundation of a full and healthy life.

so, here’s to keeping the noise out, tuning into the inner voice, moving ahead with courage despite the unknowns, and putting the most important things first.

the booty got me thinkin'

2011-04-05T14:43:00.003-05:00

when my stomach starts growling i want a crappy snack. reaching for the pirates's booty yesterday really got me to thinking about something for the rest of the night: being who we are vs. wanting to be someone we are not.

i would like to be the person who grabs a more nutritional snack: an apple with some peanut butter, some carrots and celery, something less "bad for me".

but how long should we struggle with who we are vs. who we want to be. i'm 32. shouldn't i just accept my pirate's booty-ness? shouldn't i let the celery sticks and water snack idea fall by the wayside already?

i might need to admit publicly on some level that i'd like to continue down the path of loving myself for who i am, being less hard on myself for all of the things i SHOULD do, etc. i think we all must struggle with this with different topics. i sense that our generation may be harder on ourselves than our parents were. for example, our generation seems pretty apologetic that we allow our children watch TV. i'm a product of the generation that was mostly raised on TV and i turned out just finr- or was that just me? we were watching Three's Company and Married with Children for crying out loud...

i digress.

i'm not really sure what the point of this is. i just wanted to get it off my chest. maybe other people feel the same way. i just don't want to look back on these years as wasted on wanting to be someone i am not; i want to continue learning how to fully embrace me.

needed new photo. sorry i'm MIA

2011-03-31T21:07:00.002-05:00

i tried to make my co-worker's head look like it was resting in a margarita glass. it kinda worked.

lots and lots of stuff going on here. i must state that i am posting from my laptop rested upon a basket of laundry on top of my dryer in my laundry room. it's kind of a back porch area. i'm wearing a coat because it's cold. this internet signal is "stolen" since i hate Verizon and their bootleg wireless product and their non-solution-solution. GRR!!!

more to come. promise.

whew. what a whirlwind life has been

2011-03-24T13:41:00.000-05:00

these muffins that i made weeks ago have nothing to do with this post.

but with the leftover batter, i made a HUGE muffin that i split with 2 friends one night!

these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are DELICIOUS!! and really bad for you.

well, on top of arguing with stupid Verizon about my stupid wireless device (no headway has been made - just don't buy a mobile 5G hotspot until instructed otherwise...), life has been busy.

but i wanted to copy this inspirational little piece that my friend gave me:

this is your life.

do what you love, and do it often.

if you don't like something, change it.

if you don't like your job, quit.

if you don't have enough time, stop watching TV.

if you are looking for the love of your life, stop.

they will be waiting for you when you start doing things you love.

stop over analyzing, all emotions are beautiful.

when you eat, appreciate every last bite.

life is simple.

open your mind, arms and heart to new things and people.

we are united in our differences.

ask the next person you see what their passion is and share your inspiring dream with them.

travel often; getting lost will help you find yourself.

some opportunities only come once, seize them.

life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them so go out and start creating.

life is short.

love your dream and wear your passion.

listen up

2011-03-15T16:58:00.002-05:00

not that i can upload a picture....cause my internet SUCKS!

i'm taking back that stupid MiFi thing or whatever the heck it's called.

maybe i got the wrong thing? cause it ain't workin' like a charm.

so, i'm done. can't do it for the 2 year contract. and if Verizon thinks i'm going to not take it back and cancel the contract (which i can do within my 30-day refund window), they are caaaaraaazzyyy.

this week's photo memory!

2011-03-11T21:00:00.004-05:00

(my dog is obviously smiling)

i COULD have combined this week's photo memory with my friend's birthday wish but since when is this blog about any sort of streamlining or any sort of unnecessary efficiency? exactly. so why start now?

so, this story has probably been told again and again. and will most definitely be told for many years to come.

it was a balmy summer day in Northwest Ohio and the sky was quickly turning that really ominous green/blue/gray color. Kat and i lived a very close 1.5 small-town blocks from work. when the weather got iffy enough that all of our co-workers were being asked to follow tornado drill procedures, it was time to think fast.

and my pug was the first thing on my mind (now refer back to the pug smile above. she had us so wrapped around her little paw).

to say that i had visions of my pug spinning in the air and landing on top of a land of munchkins would not be an exaggeration.

so, i called Kat and begged her to run (or was it drive?) home with me to save Marlie.

was this safe? no.

was it a bit dramatic? in hindsight, probably.

so, we packed a thing or two (i guess fleece blankets in a dingy basement in the summer sounded like a reasonable plan?) and down into the cobwebs we went. this was easily the second-scariest basement that i've ever lived above, by the way.

one major detail - our crazy upstairs neighbors came as well. and they brought...not blankets....but some gatorade, their cigarettes and their stash of cold, hard cash - in a plastic grocery bag, nonetheless. you see, they were moving out of our humble duplex abode to hit the road for a cross-country camping trip for good. why they had a bag of cash is so beyond me. what is even more beyond me, still to this day, was why they had the cash out in the open for their young neighbors to see? why was this shared knowledge amongst the basement dwellers? your guess is as good as mine.

there really is no place like home.

a happy belated birthday!

2011-03-09T21:54:00.002-05:00

wow! this must have been 6 years ago now?!

my very good (non-blogging, but really should have a blog) friend, katherine, celebrated her 30th birthday just a few days back. i will properly usher in the new era with her later this month.

what does this mean? well, a lot if you know her. it is a celebration of the passing of her tens and twenties. a time during which she turned into the person who she is today as she anticipates all that is to come.

katherine is a brilliant, genuine, caring, loving, deep, witty, goofy, clumsy, talented, and beautiful person. there's more to say, but that is where i will leave it for now.

kat, i know you won't read this, but i love you and celebrate your life each day!

i know what i don't want to be when i grow up

2011-03-05T10:12:00.001-05:00

who is this man, you ask?

why...it's james blunt!

and herein i begin to tell you that i would never want to be a One Hit Wonder. if i were a musician, i would seek to have a few hit records perhaps, but not one singular hit.

it feels as though for the rest of your life, you'd be recognized as "the guy who sang that one song"

for example, here are a few that come to mind:

james blunt: you're beautiful

toni basil: hey mickey

dee lite: groove is in the heart

macy gray: i try

and this concludes this saturday morning's thoughts.

i am convinced

2011-03-02T21:56:00.003-05:00

that at Cashier Training school they teach the people to use as many bags as possible.

no longer do we put eggs and bread in the same bag. or more than 4 cans of anything.

nope.

when i was a cashier (and i walked to work both ways uphill), i was SUPER efficient with my bag usage. and because of this i think i am more spatially aware in general.

but gone are those days. and that was when we weren't all "going green" as much.

so, now i have a new dilemma: i buy the reusable things, almost always forget them in my home, and i now have an overstock of both types - planet unfriendly and planet friendly.

just type in "plastic bags" in the google images and you may be scared straight as i just was. i saw a bird on a beach with it's head stuck in a plastic bag and for that i am not the same.

so....i'm vowing to get better. really, i am going to make a concerted effort to try.

kudos of the week (of the month, really)

2011-03-01T17:18:00.003-05:00

i present to you my internet connectivity solution: the Verizon MiFi

i want to call it "Mee-Fee", but i think it's supposed to rhyme with Mai-Tai

my model is newer and a bit more up-t0-date and it is about the size of a small flip phone or pack of Orbit gum.

for $50 a month, i can take my wireless connection with me wherever i go. i got the plan that allows for 5 gigabytes of information and there are smaller plans. it's my understanding that as long as i'm not downloading a ton of movies online, i should be a-okay as far as usage, which you can track online.

is it a perfect solution? probably not. i just needed one fast. and the idea that i can take it wherever i go is awesome.

one more major pro: i got the actual device for free (not $269 dollars)

one down side: as with everything and Verizon, i had to sign up for a 2 year contract (which is 19 months in Verizon land)

happy blogging to me!

no internet challenge. can i do it?

2011-02-23T08:15:00.002-05:00

well, it's a long story, but i have no internet at my house.

i cancelled it and am reconsidering having it reconnected again. is there some sort of short-term internet solution? i hate to pay to have it installed for another 2 months or so....

why haven't we reached the day where an internet signal just sort of hovers over the entire Earth? i thought we'd be there by now.

i guess i was wrong. any other ideas?

high maintenance

2011-02-22T08:11:00.003-05:00

very few people will admit that they are high maintenance in any way. but i'm here to tell you that my breakfast is high maintenance.

every morning while i am being exact about my high maintenance oatmeal, i smile at myself and assure me that i'm healthy so who cares if it's a scientific, step-by-step process?

i don't care.

so....it involves the oatmeal, half cup of water, half cup of milk. then i top with some of that sugar in the raw sugar, some cinnamon, some nuts of some sort and some vanilla.

not any vanilla.

my vanilla from mexico. my friend, Two Pretzels, helps me keep stocked as well as me hoarding it when i travel to see her.

and that, my friends, is the ONLY thing about me that is high maintenance*

*yeah right.

this week's photo memory

2011-02-20T22:03:00.000-05:00

in the words of my friend at Running Chatter "how in the heck did i not get a photo of both of us?!" - amen, sister.

here i am, home seeing people, and only ONCE do i get my camera out?! what is WRONG with me?

well, here is a pic. with my favorite green coat and randomly purchased red shoes. that's my friend, Kat (no blog for that girl, but she truly should blog. you'd love her words).

home.

2011-02-18T20:37:00.004-05:00

photo taken in a coffeeshop in Delaware, OH

the definition of home shifts over the span of one's life. it's usually a house in the same community with the same people. some of us can't wait to get out and some of us stay rooted in that place.

i went to college when i graduated from high school. i loved my home town, but never moved back "home" permanently. i went to college, made some amazing friends, loved my life and have moved several time since.

but no matter how many years pass and how many ups and downs occur, there is still a nostalgic gloss that encases my Original Home (let's acronym it "OH"). although i now live in Virginia, my OH is Ohio (mostly the whole state since my favorites span from corner to corner).

i got to spend time this week with allllll of the friends and family (most of them, not all) who make this place home. time with them, their families, and their kids was incredible. i'm going to go out on a limb and say that my friends have something in common: they've married really wonderful people and are doing a fantastic job at raising their kiddos. i'm not just saying that - they truly are all exceptional humans and i love them. i'm biased, i know...

so, thank you home for always welcoming me. for always letting me sink into your Ohio-ness; with your midwestern charm, your vast farm lands, your smells and sights and sounds and simplicity.

(p.s. - in addition to Written Permission and Metacognitive Musings, i also was able to see Quiet Oasis, Aimless Oasis AND Running Chatter! whoa - what a successful blog-friend-seeing trip)

little bit o' spring!

2011-02-16T22:02:00.004-05:00

i have this coat (made by Hurley) but it's in a grass (sort of St. Patrick's day green)

it's this one (little in the picture - not sure why i can't find MY color online anymore?)

ok, getting to the point, it's really a great way to usher in spring. i've been wearing it despite the fact that it's not entirely climate-appropriate, but i'm tired of dull winter colors. it's a really nice fit and is all waterproof. don't we all need a brightly-colored spring coat?

the answer to that is: yes

mostly a good day.

2011-02-14T15:54:00.003-05:00

aside from the crude teenagers talking about stupid stuff filling my ears with weird, weird stuff and bad words, today has been good.

1). i accidentally put on the only pair of fuschia underwear that just happens to have a heart on them. just so you know.

2). i misplaced some shoes that i brought home and i bought a pair of red ones instead. no, they don't match my outfit, but it's my way of doing the whole "if you can't beat them, join them" thing

3). i saw our friend Written Permission at work. totally surprised her last-minute with my "i'm 5 minutes away, you want to get together". that was so fun. i wish i could surprise her every monday.

4). i bought this framed picture above. the yellows and robin egg's blues are much prettier in real life. and i plan on doing something fun with it. like hanging int my living room and adding other implements inspired by the print. i've wanted to buy something "grown up" for my living room wall for awhile.

5). i get to steal my friend, Metacognitive Musings, for the evening. the last time i showed up at her house, it was her anniversary. too bad i keep taking all the romantic evenings away from her husband. i also get to see my friend, Kat, but she doesn't have a blog so i can't hyperlink her! boo.

that's all i have for today.

good something to check out if you get the chance.

2011-02-13T08:19:00.002-05:00

i sort of work in the field of education. i help kids with the college search, application and selection processes. so, i was interested to view the film "Race to Nowhere".

and i have to say that after watching (a rather slow-moving) 80 minute film about all the stress and pressure we as a society place upon our kids to perform at their best within the extremely antiquated education system that we put them through. the day before i saw the film, i was just explaining to one student how she'll never have to perform like THIS in her life again; sitting in her chair for 8 hours, switching topics every 50 minutes, expected to get a good grade in all of it!

however, i'm not sure what was more disturbing - the film or the Q&A session afterward.

i watched the film in Chapel Hill, NC - mostly sharing the seats in the independent theater with probably educated parents who have good intentions about the treatment and protection of their kids. i also want to say that the film did a good job of addressing socioeconomic status and the effects of this piece of the puzzle - we all know that wealth and poverty have issues of their own.

first things first - the film was, as i've already said, slow. i'm a constant multi-tasker, so feeling antsy is nothing new (all movies feel slow to me). it wasn't as though the topics in the film were shocking, it was just a bit sad at times. it was reality sadness though, so it was palatable.

the crowd questions afterward were stressing me out. i don't like tension in a crowd of well-meaning people. but i felt that we were exposed to a pretty "heavy"/huge topic and then asked to discuss amongst ourselves with a little set of intelligent and diverse panelists who, in and of themselves, had their own agendas.

i don't know where i'm going with this. i'd like to suggest that i think that my unborn children will be someday protected from the pressure-cooker that is today's education system. i was also about to jump out of my seat if one more student or parent in the film used the phrase "get into a good college". UGH. the myth that a "good college" is only one in the top 10% of impossible-to-get-into colleges in our country is silly. i hate it for our kids. and i want to say i'll do it differently, but i don't know because i'm not in those shoes yet.

i'd recommend anyone to see it if only just to be in touch on the topic. this was also a really cool TED film that i watched last week online - really interesting for those with short attention spans!! watch it if you'd like (it's like 11 minutes), you can find it here.

friends, i believe that change is needed. i'm also one who never knows how this type of major change begins....when i was walking out of the theater, i heard these mom's talking about group resistance of homework (an idea brought forth in the film) and the one said to the group "but if we all protest the homework...maybe??!! i mean, did you see that Math homework last night?!"

the thought of Math homework makes my 32 year-old self sweat a little bit.

and i think i'll leave you with that.

kudos of the week!!

2011-02-11T20:16:00.002-05:00

YAAYY!!

vacation!!

not with Chevy Chase.

not National Lampoon's style.

just off the radar for a bit...i hope?

i'll be blogging, of course. but i realized that i haven't really been AWAY (away) from work in almost 12 months, so it's time to fall off the map a bit.

YAAYYY!!

speaking of photos of my youth

2011-02-10T20:09:00.000-05:00

every time i see this show "the middle" and watch the middle daughter, i think of my own awkward, brace-face years of my youth.

we kind of look similar (this girl and my youthful self) and it just makes me crawl in my skin a bit! i will have to find a photo of me that resembles her.

oh. and if i've never mentioned it before, i was compared to Blossom Russo, for crying out loud.

this week's photo memory

2011-02-09T19:16:00.002-05:00

let's be honest, i don't have any memories attached to this photo, per se

but, i remember these outfits. i certainly remember our hair being the same for most of our young lives (but his is SO much nicer, no) and the early 80's Christmas card cracks me up (the family name stamp!). this has been my computer background since i dug this one up around Christmas! love it.

neutral

2011-02-06T15:39:00.003-05:00

for those of us who are totally cool with whichever team wins the super bowl....

i consider it a VERY good year when the 2 teams have one (sort of/mostly) overlapping color. it will not matter to me if either one of the teams playing the "BIGGEST GAME IN HISTORY!!!" (i'm so sick of hearing about it, actually) wins. so, i have yellow-ish gold shirt on which will pretty much put me on the winning side regardless of the outcome.

p.s. - i usually get my sports and world politics information from my newsfeed in Facebook.

it's sad but true.

GO TEAM!!!

a few things for february 1st

2011-02-01T18:01:00.002-05:00

"i'm not sure who looks good in orange, but it's not me"

1). this cartoon truly has nothing to do with anything. but i don't think i own any orange clothing currently.

2). goodbye, January, hello, February!! i'm all about flipping the calendar pages. backing away from 2010 has been good for me overall.

3). change is on the horizon. scary? yes. uncertain at the moment? certainly. exciting? i'm gonna get there.

4). i feel like spring is on the horizon. and i like that.

5). friends up North - don't freak out - but i really am coveting a good old snow day. not a scary, we-might-lose-power snow day, but just a day to be buried in. to have a GREAT excuse to be holed up in my house in my pajamas. to that end, i might schedule a self-imposed snow day in the next 10 days or so. i'll keep you posted (by the way, my snow days include powdered donuts and junk food).

6). i'm over Valentine's Day being allllll over the place. i'm kinda scrooge-ey when it comes to Valentine's Day (only when i'm single, of course)

7). this concludes this version of February First Facts from my world

kudos of the week!

2011-01-31T17:04:00.001-05:00

(this is not my image, i don't know how to give proper credit for images and, frankly, this image is lame)....however, the post is relevant.

if you drink beer, or Kool-Aid or Gatorade, or tea or any other COLD drink, you need a plastic freezable mug in your freezer.

it's true and it will change your life.

ok, so it's not life-changing, but it'll make you happy. it'll make you smile from ear to ear. at least it has this effect on me.

how fantastic is life when the last sip of something is the COLDEST sip of all?! well, it's pretty fantastic if you ask me. i got a pair of frosty mugs from Amazon for $1.40 each. and lest you think this is ridiculous, you try it out and let me know if it is not the best $1.40 you've ever spent.

trust me. it's the little things in life that make me smile.

riveting. stomach in knots.

2011-01-30T19:18:00.003-05:00

this movie was as slow-moving as it was riveting. my stomach is still a little tied up.

the plot was, well, not that thick.

and i'm no judge of good acting or bad acting - normally.

but....

i totally get why Natalie Portman is taking home all of those heavy trophies for this movie. she totally sucks you into her crazy-making character. it's not the kind of scary where i'm afraid to sleep in my house alone tonight, but she was incredible in this role.

a must see either while on the big screen or when it comes up for renting.

in no particular order

2011-01-24T21:05:00.004-05:00

i've got the itch to change up the scenery.

in no particular order, i would like to visit (domestically speaking):

1). San Diego

2). San Francisco

3). in one trip: Vancouver, Seattle, Portland

4). Denver

5). in one trip: Austin and San Antonio

6). Burlington, VT

that about sums it up. so, pass along some free time and free money and i'll be on my way, thanks!

bueller.....bueller.....anyone....bueller.....??

2011-01-21T21:02:00.004-05:00

well, i NEARLY succeeded at not working on my day off.

it went like this:

sleep til 7:30 - which is sleeping in

watch Today show until i didn't feel like that anymore

(answer some work emails from colleagues....what?! i had to...can't quit cold turkey)

get ready and drive to meet my friend in Chapel Hill

enjoy 2-hour leisurely lunch and ignore work phone calls

call boss back, no emergency, continue on my path of selfish leisure

shop some at Trader Joe's

start to drive home and stop at new outlet mall

buy a few things

drive home

attempt Pad Thai recipe which is an absolute failure

drink Trader Joe's wine and watch old reruns of Sex and the City

ignore work emails (they will be there tomorrow, no doubt about that)

go to bed fairly early.

all in all a fairly successful day off!

kudos of the week!

2011-01-19T07:58:00.002-05:00

unlike Ferris, my mom is totally cool with me taking the day off. well, i haven't asked her but i'm 32 so i'm going to assume that she won't even know i'm taking the day off at this point.

on a related note: i totally had my mom call me off from school ONE time in high school (i was a junior). and she went to work and i pretended to stay at home. and so did my boyfriend at the time. but i was at his house all day and we just watched movies.

okay, back on track: i am taking a day off work in the middle of the week. you see, i've worked MOST nights and weekends (in some way, shape or form) for the better part of the last 8 months. yes....8 entire months of stressing, fretting, moving quickly at ALL times, and having that "something always hanging over my head or on my to-do list for work" feeling. ugh.

so, i'm going to try my very hardest to not do a single thing work-related today. it is going to be SUPER hard, i will tell you. i have trained my mind to be in work mode at all times, so it takes discipline for me to stop thinking about every single thing related to my job.

so, here goes nothing. i'm going to steal my friend's dad's fancy car for the day, get my friends from school, go to a huge parade downtown, try to escape the numerous phone calls and attempts by the principal to find me, and trick my mom into thinking i'm sick. just kidding - i'm just going to meet a friend for lunch and maybe do some mindless shopping.

i cannot wait! wish me luck.....

guess what i did on monday night....

2011-01-18T07:16:00.000-05:00

this photo is your hint....

.....take a guess what i did on Monday night?

this week's photo memory

2011-01-16T21:00:00.002-05:00

kind of a dark picture.

no meaning behind it except for some random, summer late-night sushi.

and an outstretched arm to capture what looked like a date, but was only just a good time shared between 2 platonic friends.

the golden years

2011-01-12T07:16:00.000-05:00

when i was a kid, we had sloppy joes at birthday parties. and probably at any other type of holiday party throughout the year. i think it made me hate sloppy joes to this day. i do NOT get excited if sloppy joes are on the menu. and not that they are on the menu anymore (ever).

1). who named this product? manwich? it sounds so totally 70's
2). was the sloppy joe an 80's icon? my vote is "yes". when was the last time YOU had a sloppy joe? be honest
3). my party sandwiches did NOT look like the ones below - which make the sloppy joe look totally sleek, no? i mean, we had some buns (with sesame seeds if you were getting fancy) and a spoon in the crock pot of joes and there MAY have been a fine layer of grease on top depending on the cut of beef your mom used. they were not Slider Joes. they were sloppy.
4). will they make a come back? i often wonder if they will. i mean, you walk into a mall and everything is fit for an 80's party in my opinion. maybe we'll start to see them making a comeback? or perhaps they never went out of style at all?

i like this note.

2011-01-11T15:13:00.000-05:00

this was my note from The Universe today:

Whenever something doesn't work out the way you thought it would, Malissa , instead of thinking that something went wrong, see it as something that went unexpectedly well, but for reasons that are not yet apparent.

Everything plays to your favor.

Score!

let's talk more kindle, shall we?

2011-01-10T21:17:00.001-05:00

this is not my kindle and it is not my hand

1). the dictionary tool on the kindle is - in one word - awesome. you scroll onto the word and, VOILA, there is the definition. it makes me head spin every time i need to look up a word!

2). these creepy screen saver authors kind of creep me out. and i find myself going "oh, hmmm, i didn't think Emily Dickinson looked like THAT..."

3). have i mentioned that i think this thing is pretty flippin' cool? well, i think it is.

3.5 years in the making.

2011-01-10T08:40:00.003-05:00

ok, the lady told me not to smile "so big" so i had to tone it down. i have never looked so stoic in a photo. also, that little circle on the left has a floating picture of me. it's super creepy.

this little beauty above (sorry for camera pic phone) was in the works for way too long. as in an unusually, completely illegal way.

so, i moved to VA from OH in July of 2007. i was 1/2 through my license's life for that year, so i just didn't do much about it. then i was questioning my living here anyway, and my mom renewed my plates in December of 2007 and that was that.

then my mom was kind enough to renew my license plates (without me asking her to do so) in both 2008 and 2009. so i had until December 2010 to get my act together for THIS year.

so, in typical fashion, i just kind of waited and waited. and started to get the ball moving just days before i came home for the holidays. and....then...figured i had until the END of December if i was being generous with myself.

and i'm ALWAYS generous with myself (i.e. - HUGE procrastinator)

then....i have not one, not two, but three dates with the DMV. and it's been a running joke around here when everyone makes fun of me for having OH plates; i say to them "ok, well then what do i need to take with me to switch over".

and i KID YOU NOT - everyone says something different.

not ONE person told me that i needed to have VA car insurance. nope. so i got allllll the way through to the part where they say "proof of VA insurance please". that was date numero uno.

anyway, i went back, the line was too long, went to FL and then finally got it all worked out. needless to say, it feels SO weird seeing VA license plates on my car. i'm still getting used to this big change.

slacker blogger. alternate title: electronics recap

2011-01-07T19:08:00.006-05:00

wow. i've been quite the blogging slacker lately...so, let's catch up.

this past summer (late summer/early fall) i made the big purchase of my new Macbook and got the itouch and new printer to go along with it.

i was content.

then i set my sights on this:

i just knew it was something i would enjoy and, so far, i have enjoyed getting to know my new electronic reader. i'm excited to become a bit less busy at work (after the middle of the month, roughly) and get to spend more time with this awesome Christmas gift.

then i needed a new coffee maker of sorts. i normally do the french press, but wanted some sort of brewer so i could have my coffee a bit speedier. so, i got this:

there's not much of a point to this post other than to say that i feel overwhelmed by the surge of electronics in my life. i'm not usually a gadget-y type person, so i think i've hit the limit of new electronic items in my life.

i should say that i enjoy all of them and feel lucky to have them, but no more electronics for me for awhile!

(vague) year in review...a few days early!

2010-12-29T21:02:00.003-05:00

i feel like my 2010 is a bit like this gelato case - some crap i could have done without, balanced with a bunch of stuff i could totally get behind...

trips for 2010 included: Houston, TX in January, Costa Rica in March, Florida several times (Jacksonville and St. Augustine for work), Ohio several times (of course), exploring Asheville, NC for the first time and taking advantage of living in a really cool region with cities like Richmond (VA), Chapel Hill (NC) and Charlottesville (VA) close by.

to be honest, i don't know where i'm going with this post. i usually like to tie up my years with a nice little bow and present some sort of "this was a GREAT year for these reasons" type of post, but i kind of don't see 2010 in that "tie it up with a bow" kind of way.

nope.

i gotta be honest - i can't wait to leave this year behind. i've loved, i've lost, i've dealt with all of the major peaks and major valleys of being a grown up. overall, i give 2010 a big fat "thanks for all that you threw my way" and i give myself a pat on the back for surviving in one piece. i'm usually not one to hurry time along, but i'm pushing 2010 on its merry old way.

what i hope for all of my blogger pals in the new year is what i hope for myself - contentment, joy, strength for the low points and the ability to recognize the good around us and in us and in others.

happy 2011!

oddity. and potential kudos of the week...

2010-12-27T20:15:00.003-05:00

by the way, this color would look awful on me. and most anyone for that matter.

so, i actually happen to be a fan of the neckline (there still is a neckline, right?) of the turtleneck. i think it can be flattering on some and stylish-looking depending on the color and cut, etc.

however, after recently attending (yet another) tacky holiday sweater party, i find it odd that the turtleneck can be both stylish and yet look so outdated, all at the same time. for example, the age-old, cotton, standard (80's/90's) turtleneck, with the neck folded over and worn under a sweater or cardigan, looks ridiculous.

simply put - it is a laughable offense if you wear a cotton turtleneck under a v-neck sweater.

oh, but one more thing, the turtleneck keeps me warm in winter. one more point for you, Turtle Neck.

oh, and one more thing, the turtleneck has the most obvious and practical name of all time.

then, voila, when updated for the modern era, a turtleneck looks cute and attractive?!?

mmmmmmm.....happy birthday to me.

2010-12-26T08:48:00.000-05:00

if you're ever in Columbus and looking for a FANTASTIC food/wine recommendation in the Short North area, the Burgundy Room is where it's at.

i LOVED this place. as did my friends.

we started with some "flights" (samples) of fabulous wine. and started with some deliciously bad-for-you french fries and several tapas dishes.

and finished with dessert at Jeni's ice-cream (about a block away).

and woke up at 3:30 with a terrible headache, but who cares! i'm 32, that's what is supposed to happen, right?

anyway - go to Burgundy Room if you get the chance. it's awesome.

2010-12-20T21:29:00.001-05:00

sorry to keep you hanging with Serena Before and After for the past few days

i wish my posting would be more regular over the next few days, but i'm sure it won't be. at least i managed to change up the photo and say to all (4) of you...i wish you a very warm and MERRY Christmas!