Tuesday, September 27, 2011

confession

Tonight, I learned that spending a late evening working on a database and my contemporary folk pandora station do not mix well....

My solution?

The creation of my *NSync pandora station....!

I went from snooze-fest to sing-a-long party within the span of a minute!!

Currently jamming to a Backstreet Boys tune.....I feel like I'm a senior in high school all over agin.
Flirty 30, ftw  :)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

meet me in st. louis

or more aptly titled...
Lessons Learned: St. Louis edition
  1. If you're picking friends up at the airport....whatever you do....DO NOT accidentally use the bus lane.....it results in lots of yelling and honking.
  2. Drury Inn offers free appetizers and three free drinks for guests during Happy Hour...a big time win for anyone on a budget.
  3. The Big Bang Piano Bar attracts bachelorette/bachelor parties like you wouldn't believe.  I think we counted around 8-10 bachelorette parties alone....pure insanity!
  4. You DO NOT get complimentary bread if you order an appetizer at The Spaghetti Factory (even though all meals are advertised to come with bread, soup/salad, etc)...unless you ask the waiter, then he'll bring you three loaves just to be snarky. 
  5. To have a delicious breakfast/brunch/lunch, just visit Roosters for a yummy crepe.
  6. The older I get (ahem, which is still on the younger side of the line), the less travel-friendly I become.
  7. The free Anheuser-Busch tour is totally worth the time...which is saying a lot since I don't drink beer. For you beer lovers, they give two free nice-sized samples.
  8. If you're in the mood for a movie....I suggest checking out Chase Park Plaza, which is actually housed in a hotel....the theater even has a man playing an organ to entertain the crowd prior to the previews!
  9. On the movie subject.... "Midnight in Paris" is a very endearing movie...it harkens back to older Woody Allen films.  Definitely a charming film for those who love Paris and have a nostalgic disposition.
  10. Oh, and don't start watching "Reservation Road" when you're getting ready to go out....it's a serious downer.
  11. I feel like all the fleur-de-lis around town made more sense after I made the obvious connection that St. Louis was named after the canonised king of France. 
  12. St. Louis is actually home to a cathedral housing the largest mosaic installation in the world.
  13. Holly = Patron Saint of Hospitality (at least to Carla, Damona and me!) ....after some research in relation to one of our many convos, I learned that St. Louis is the Patron Saint of many areas (including, but not limited to):
*button makers
*difficult marriages (really??)
*distillers (this could be why it's the home to Anheuser-Busch!)
*grooms
*tertiaries (which I'm choosing to believe that this relates to the definition pertaining to birds)

I think I relate to Saint Catherine of Alexandria much more....I mean, she is the patron saint of old maids, spinsters and secretaries. ;)

As you can probably guesstimate, the trip was great....it even included a cruise through downtown with the windows rolled down/sunroof open just so we could blare "Just a Dream"(even though "Country Grammar" would have been my first choice) ....such a great way to commemorate being in Nelly's hometown!

I only wish I would've watched "Meet Me in St. Louis" before the trip!

random mondegreen moment of today:
singing the lyrics to Ke$ha's Tik Tok as.....

The party don't stop til I walk in

yeeeesh...I certainly don't want a party to end just because I show up....that's probably why the actual lyrics contain the word start.....

Monday, June 6, 2011

buzz worthy

My friend, Jen, sent me this photo a few days ago....which we both found pretty humorous....


You can read this previous post to understand why!

Makes me think someone at Louis Vuitton might be reading my blog..... ;)

Thursday, June 2, 2011

flightless bird

The realization has set in that my passport has officially expired...and it makes me slightly anxious.  I've always liked the idea of being able to leave the country at a moment's notice (not that I act on such opportunities...often)...but alas, I cannot run away to Europe (or even Canada) today...

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

the Vonnegut connection

I really like random coincidences, even when there is no real or personal effect on me....like last night:

I'm currently reading Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (it's the latest book club pick), and I had gone to a coffee shop after work to read some before catching a movie with some friends (hence, the author was freshly on my mind).

The movie happened to be Can't Hardly Wait (honestly probably my favorite teen film) which was being shown for Girlie Movie night at the Alamo Drafthouse....and I completely forgot that at the end of movie the main actor (the endearing Ethan Embry) is leaving (or, at least, trying to) for a workshop with Kurt Vonnegut.

Made me feel cool....until I realized I was essentially 15 years behind the times.  :)

ps - now that summer is upon us, maybe i'll have some time to blog!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

hello sugar

A clear sign that I'm sleep-deprived....stuff like this ends up packed in my bag for work:



I truly hope to avoid showing up to the office in my sweatpants...but that is the next step in the lack of sleep progession.  If I get to that point, I would highly suggest greeting me with caffeine! ;)

Monday, February 21, 2011

notes from another monday (not) morning...

just a few of the errant thoughts that crossed my mind today...

1.  Why don't people take fasts from work like they do from food, tv, etc? About two seconds later, it hit me that a fast of that sort would probably equal unemployment. Shut down that rabbit hole pretttttty fast. 

2.  Why is Donatello the only Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle that I can never remember the name of? More importantly, why do I care??

sidenote: Want to know the name that comes to mind instead of Donatello (literally every time)? Versace. Seriously, he should be the 5th turtle.

3.  Is it possible to be on a highlighter high? If so, I think I'm on one.

4.  Could I reaaalllllly identify pajama jeans if I randomly came across someone wearing them?

Monday, February 7, 2011

notes from monday morning

1.  My caffeine addiction is to the point where I am willing to trade a $5 bill for three $1 bills without question just so I can buy a soda from the vending machine.  

2.  My office mate related me to an episode of "An Idiot Abroad"...the correlation would probably offend most other people, but I find it humorous...  
BUNNY HUG! (that's all I really have to say about that...)

3.  The office interns think I am 24 years old....and I'm gonna let them keep thinking that.

4.  I literally just received a work email that consisted of three words...in quotes. Not really sure how to respond.

:)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

2011: eat. pray. love.

Soooo each year...it's kinda become an expectation for me to choose a theme for the year...a mantra of sorts. I guess in a way it's the same as making a list of resolutions...but I mainly see it as a mental mind-set for the year. Recent years have been associated with personal slogans such as:

Great in '08 - to be a better friend, daughter, sister, etc...to set realistic goals for myself...to challenge myself in new ways, etc

Redefine in '09 - to not be confined to previous expectations

2010, Live Your Life - to live my life without getting bogged down in ridiculous things or becoming worried about everything to come

Most years it's been fairly easy for me to come up with a theme...because I've had a good idea of what I wanted out of the upcoming year based on the year prior. However, this time around it was a little difficult to come up with what I wanted this year's focus to be....I think I was a little jumbled, because I felt drawn to several concepts that seemed unrelated.  It even became a running joke New Year's Eve night among my friends. Since last year's theme was based on a song...they kept suggesting mantras such as "Party Like a Rockstar," "Bottoms Up" and "All I Do is Win."  The funny thing is that I seriously almost chose "Dog Days are Over" as my theme...mainly for these lyrics:

Run fast for your mother,  run fast for your father
Run for your children,  all your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind.  
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive
 

I don't know the actual intent...but I interpret the lyrics to mean seek out those who genuinely care for you, give all the love you have because it doesn't do any good to withhold it and stop focusing on things that you can't change.

That being said...I decided to go a different, semi-related route and select 'eat, pray, love.'

Now let me just say that I honestly don't like the inherent association with the movie or book...because I don't personally advocate the message of either. Nothing about my 2011 mantra is about running away from problems or leaving friends/loved ones behind to escape the reality of my circumstances just to focus all my efforts on myself. I do, however, like the actual words. They're simple and straightforward in their message, yet incredibly powerful.  My resolve is about embracing a full life that is healthy on multiple levels....deepening my faith and further developing my knowledge of Christ....loving my family, friends, acquaintances and even strangers in a way that exhibits the love of my Savior.

Eat. Pray. Love.
2011, let the journey continue.... :)