Okay... so this one was my favorite.
What was yours?
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Maybe it's time to update this
When I moved from LiveJournal to Blogger in 2008, I started a 100 things list to introduce myself to the world. I was just looking over some of my old posts and thought it might be fun to update that list and add to it (since I still haven't reached 100.)
This is a compilation of the old list... look for "update notes" in red.
1. I have a 30-minute commute from my apartment to the campus where I work and I absolutely love it. A highway drive that cuts through the Blue Ridge mountains... what's not to love? At this time of year I get a daily dose of gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, and coupled with Colbie Collait crooning love songs to me through my stereo, I couldn't ask for more. Sure as heck beats the old bumper-to-bumper carbon dioxide-infused rush-hour that Orlando has to offer. My commute still takes about 30 minutes, but ten of it is in the oasis of Biltmore Estate.
2. I like words that contain dashes (see last sentence of #1) and I also like to use the cliffhanger dash-- just like this.
3. I adore Netflix and am currently working through season three of ER. Michelle got me a Netflix subscription for Christmas (had to quit my subscription awhile ago) and I'm loving it! Joshua actually bought me several seasons of ER for Christmas and we've started from the beginning and are watching them together... he's hooked. :)
4. Speaking of ER, I am a die-hard fan (of seasons one through three, at least). My favorite character is Dr. Mark Greene, followed in short order by Dr. John Carter who actually was quite endearing as a med student. Then of course the Carol Hathaway/Dr. Doug Ross relationship is starting to heat up in this season, but for me that is bittersweet because I realize that shortly thereafter Dr. Ross (played by the devilish George Clooney) will be leaving the show. Obviously, still a die-hard fan.
5. I could not survive life on earth without bread and potatoes. I must be a true Italian.
6. I'm a complete sucker for snuggling.
7. I don't eat chicken, beef or pork. But sometimes I really want to eat BBQ ribs. Definitely fell off the vegetarian bandwagon.
8. Sometimes music will hit this sweet spot in my soul that I can't really explain to anyone, but there is nothing like it.
9. I graduated college with a degree in interpersonal communication and still find myself amazingly interested in it. It has made me consider pursuing my master's in intercultural communication one day. Mmm... probably not.
10. I have ambitions to learn Spanish, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Chinese and Russian. My boyfriend (Joshua) and I have decided that if we learn one language every seven years, we can have it done before we die. I'm able to hold my own with Spanish already, so I think I'm ahead of the curve.
11. I'm an only child, but wasn't always. My younger sister died of heart disease18 20 years ago. I now have a strange mix of only child/oldest child personality characteristics.
12. I love thunderstorms... which leads into the weird fact that I get very excited whenever a natural disaster is imminent. Is that sadistic? I am just most pumped in the midst of a crisis situation. Maybe I'm wired to do relief work.
13. My boyfriend bought me an iPod for Christmas. I had been secretly wanting one but trying to convince myself (quite publicly) that iPods are a detriment to society because they alienate people even further from one another in our already individualistic-to-the-point-of-ignoring-everyone-else lifestyles. I got an iPod speaker hook-up and share my tunes with everyone at work all day. I'm not sure if my Nigerian boss always digs my selection, but nobody has slammed their door shut yet. Seeing "my boyfriend" makes me smile. Still loving the iPod.
14. If I could live in any three American cities in my lifetime, I would pick Asheville, Chicago and D.C.
15. When I was in Rome I went to the Trevi fountain and threw coins over my shoulder so that I would come back to Italy married. I completely believe it will happen.
16. I like to organize the clothes hanging in my closet by color. Don't even get me started on the travesty of our clothing storage system.
17. Some days I really want to be married, and other days I am terrified of it. I'm pretty sure that's a sign I'm not ready yet. Ready or not... :)
18. I have these patent leather red high heels that make me feel absolutely bedazzling whenever I wear them.
19. I hate carrying a purse, but it's essential because I like to be forever prepared.
20. I spent a month in Nicaragua in 2006 and I'm pretty sure I left part of my heart there. I wonder a lot when I will get to go back. Hopefully this year with Dacia and Adam!
22. I love the sound of moving water. Rain. Waterfalls. Babbling brooks. Fountains. Ocean waves. I must live by that sound.
23. Going to the library makes me excited. I actually have daydreams about visiting the Library of Congress.
24. You know how little girls love horses? I never grew out of that stage.
25. I refuse to go shopping unless I have money because it puts me in a foul mood otherwise. I don't understand how "browsing for fun" is fun at all. I also have no patience when it comes to searching around for the best deal.
26. I have a Harley fetish. I am also not afraid of Bike Week and the girls in thongs and chaps and the saloons that go along with it.
27. If I could have one luxury in life, I would choose weekly massages. Oh, please.
28. I adore going to the symphony. The first time I went, it was to hear the Royal Philharmonic in Orlando and when they started to play, it literally took my breath away and I let out a huge gasp. It was one of the most glorious sounds I've ever heard.
29. I read the dictionary for fun.
30. I'm a brand-name snob, especially about food. Blame my mother. Umm... being poor has completely obliterated this. For the most part.
31. Somewhere along the way, I stopped being ashamed of liking what I like. Yes, I love Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and I own Season 1 on DVD. Yes, I like to eat ketchup on my garlic alfredo noodles. Yes, I like new age “earth sounds” music and some Kenny G and lots of country. And yes, I love cheesy chick flicks and “inspirational romance novels.”
32. I love working in academia even though I’m not an academician. Those are both real words, by the way. Josh told me that “academician” sounds like some sort of alien life form. Which makes me laugh, because sometimes I think they might be. But really—I am like a little sponge on my campus, and if I hang around these people for longer than ten minutes I never fail to learn something new, whether it be a new word for my voracious vocabulary or psychological theory. Like I said, I'm working for Biltmore Estate now, but it's still a place of history and learning and I'm soaking it up!
33. I love, love, love! having the perfect word. Articulation is a fine art.
34. I am interested in way too many things to ever become an expert on anything, I think. Except maybe intercultural communication. I can see myself becoming an expert on that. My boss wants me to go to graduate school. So did my old boss. So do my grandparents. But what about meeeee? How about we just get my husband through nursing school right now?
35. Despite my greatest attempts, I never drink enough water and always eat too much chocolate. (We have an M&M dispenser in my office that makes everyone on campus happy. When I came here I was told that my utmost duty is to make sure that it remains stocked. It is sorely overused, and sometimes the button you push to make the M&Ms come out doesn’t work and you have to shake it a little. Yesterday the button didn’t work. I was trying to be quiet… everyone else was being quiet. I gave it a little shake. Pushed the button. Nothing. A little bit bigger shake. Nothing. Finally, growing tired of making quiet rattles that were surely driving everyone crazy when they all knew by now that I wanted some M&Ms, I picked up the machine and started shaking it like crazy. The only thing is I didn’t put my hand over the lid. It flew off on the third shake and about 50 M&Ms went flying across the office, which drew a gasp and an “Oh no!” from me, and a sudden appearance from my boss, who declared she rather liked the color on the dull carpet anyway.) Definitely working on the water drinking thing. Still have no self-control when it comes to chocolate.
36. I went to the Alamo when I was little with my parents, but the only thing I remember is being scared of lizards when my dad made me pose on top of a big boulder and wanting to go back and swim at the hotel pool. Oh, the attention span of babes.
37. When I was 14 I started dying my hair and kind of got into a habit. Blond, auburn, bold white and fire-engine red chunks, and finally in the summer of 2006, jet black. After that I decided to go au natural for awhile and also I made a bet with a friend that resulted in me agreeing not to cut my hair until May 2008. I now have the longest, naturally beautiful brown hair ever. Still haven't cut it... just trims now and then.
38. I get giddy when I have a fresh journal/legal pad/notebook/post-it pad.
39. I love wearing skirts but hate shaving my legs. I think I have shaved my legs two times since I’ve moved to Asheville, and once was when I was back in Florida for the holidays and wanted to wear shorts. The other was for Valentine’s day. ;)
40. I’m not really into stuffed animals and teddy bears, but when someone I love buys one for me, it becomes my most precious possession. Hence the bear my dad bought me from EPCOT, the frog that says “kiss me, I’m your prince charming” from Josh and the huge Nemo that my dad got me for Christmas one year always adorning my bed and serving as snuggling companions.
41. I am absolutely thrilled by all the blossoms on the trees here as spring is arriving. It makes me giddy like a child because I've never seen anything like it. It is one of those things that makes my soul glow. New life. Beauty. Promise.
42. I haven't been to the dentist since before I went to college. Oops. I went. Twice. So there.
43. If I had a lot of money, I would buy everything organic that I possibly could.
44. The reason I wear glasses more than contacts is because I'm lazy. Period.
45. I kept a lot of my college textbooks because I think I might actually go back and read them one day. I'm not sure if that's delirium or just unrealistic expectations.
46. Joshua treats me like a princess and I love it.
47. I can't finish a whole beer, I get tipsy after two glasses of wine and I don't like the taste of hard liquor. I guess this is a good thing since I have an addictive personality and I'd probably end up being an alcoholic if I ever acquired a taste for it.
48. I love stories and could live my whole life for them. Reading stories in books, watching stories on TV or movies, hearing stories from people and writing stories... it makes me really, really happy.
49. I want to talk to the servers at Mexican restaurants in Spanish but I'm always too timid.
50. I am beginning to think that I mumble horribly and I need some practice in diction. Like Evangeline on Nanny McPhee. (Yes, I love children's movies. That's a bonus one for you tonight.)
51. I love event food. Popcorn and a soda at the movies, chicken strips and french fries at sporting events (don't do hotdogs, sorry fellow Americans)... if it has food that goes with it, I want some.
52. I am totally tempted to become a complete hippie (no car, TV, computer, cell phone; organic and locally grown food; sustainable living; etc.) but down deep I fear that I don't have what it takes.
53. I play the piano and have secret ambitions to make one of those naturescapes albums that has nature sounds in the background while I play my soothing melodies. I could totally do it.
54. I would love tohoneymoon vacation in Tahiti, Canada, or Colorado.
55. I want to have an insane amount of kids. Like not using birth control amounts of kids.
56. I truly desire communal living with the people I love. I haven't quite been able to put words on this concept yet, but I know it's in my heart.
57. I have never been able to make a successful batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
58. I can count on one hand how many movies that have made me cry in my lifetime. Music makes me cry MUCH more often.
59. In the words of Trainer Bob, I like relentless.
60. I can't stand political commercials. Thank God for the mute button.
1. I have a 30-minute commute from my apartment to the campus where I work and I absolutely love it. A highway drive that cuts through the Blue Ridge mountains... what's not to love? At this time of year I get a daily dose of gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, and coupled with Colbie Collait crooning love songs to me through my stereo, I couldn't ask for more. Sure as heck beats the old bumper-to-bumper carbon dioxide-infused rush-hour that Orlando has to offer. My commute still takes about 30 minutes, but ten of it is in the oasis of Biltmore Estate.
2. I like words that contain dashes (see last sentence of #1) and I also like to use the cliffhanger dash-- just like this.
3. I adore Netflix and am currently working through season three of ER. Michelle got me a Netflix subscription for Christmas (had to quit my subscription awhile ago) and I'm loving it! Joshua actually bought me several seasons of ER for Christmas and we've started from the beginning and are watching them together... he's hooked. :)
4. Speaking of ER, I am a die-hard fan (of seasons one through three, at least). My favorite character is Dr. Mark Greene, followed in short order by Dr. John Carter who actually was quite endearing as a med student. Then of course the Carol Hathaway/Dr. Doug Ross relationship is starting to heat up in this season, but for me that is bittersweet because I realize that shortly thereafter Dr. Ross (played by the devilish George Clooney) will be leaving the show. Obviously, still a die-hard fan.
5. I could not survive life on earth without bread and potatoes. I must be a true Italian.
6. I'm a complete sucker for snuggling.
7. I don't eat chicken, beef or pork. But sometimes I really want to eat BBQ ribs. Definitely fell off the vegetarian bandwagon.
8. Sometimes music will hit this sweet spot in my soul that I can't really explain to anyone, but there is nothing like it.
9. I graduated college with a degree in interpersonal communication and still find myself amazingly interested in it. It has made me consider pursuing my master's in intercultural communication one day. Mmm... probably not.
10. I have ambitions to learn Spanish, French, Italian, German, Arabic, Chinese and Russian. My boyfriend (Joshua) and I have decided that if we learn one language every seven years, we can have it done before we die. I'm able to hold my own with Spanish already, so I think I'm ahead of the curve.
11. I'm an only child, but wasn't always. My younger sister died of heart disease
12. I love thunderstorms... which leads into the weird fact that I get very excited whenever a natural disaster is imminent. Is that sadistic? I am just most pumped in the midst of a crisis situation. Maybe I'm wired to do relief work.
13. My boyfriend bought me an iPod for Christmas. I had been secretly wanting one but trying to convince myself (quite publicly) that iPods are a detriment to society because they alienate people even further from one another in our already individualistic-to-the-point-of-ignoring-everyone-else lifestyles. I got an iPod speaker hook-up and share my tunes with everyone at work all day. I'm not sure if my Nigerian boss always digs my selection, but nobody has slammed their door shut yet. Seeing "my boyfriend" makes me smile. Still loving the iPod.
14. If I could live in any three American cities in my lifetime, I would pick Asheville, Chicago and D.C.
15. When I was in Rome I went to the Trevi fountain and threw coins over my shoulder so that I would come back to Italy married. I completely believe it will happen.
16. I like to organize the clothes hanging in my closet by color. Don't even get me started on the travesty of our clothing storage system.
17. Some days I really want to be married, and other days I am terrified of it. I'm pretty sure that's a sign I'm not ready yet. Ready or not... :)
18. I have these patent leather red high heels that make me feel absolutely bedazzling whenever I wear them.
19. I hate carrying a purse, but it's essential because I like to be forever prepared.
20. I spent a month in Nicaragua in 2006 and I'm pretty sure I left part of my heart there. I wonder a lot when I will get to go back. Hopefully this year with Dacia and Adam!
22. I love the sound of moving water. Rain. Waterfalls. Babbling brooks. Fountains. Ocean waves. I must live by that sound.
23. Going to the library makes me excited. I actually have daydreams about visiting the Library of Congress.
24. You know how little girls love horses? I never grew out of that stage.
25. I refuse to go shopping unless I have money because it puts me in a foul mood otherwise. I don't understand how "browsing for fun" is fun at all. I also have no patience when it comes to searching around for the best deal.
26. I have a Harley fetish. I am also not afraid of Bike Week and the girls in thongs and chaps and the saloons that go along with it.
27. If I could have one luxury in life, I would choose weekly massages. Oh, please.
28. I adore going to the symphony. The first time I went, it was to hear the Royal Philharmonic in Orlando and when they started to play, it literally took my breath away and I let out a huge gasp. It was one of the most glorious sounds I've ever heard.
29. I read the dictionary for fun.
30. I'm a brand-name snob, especially about food. Blame my mother. Umm... being poor has completely obliterated this. For the most part.
31. Somewhere along the way, I stopped being ashamed of liking what I like. Yes, I love Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and I own Season 1 on DVD. Yes, I like to eat ketchup on my garlic alfredo noodles. Yes, I like new age “earth sounds” music and some Kenny G and lots of country. And yes, I love cheesy chick flicks and “inspirational romance novels.”
32. I love working in academia even though I’m not an academician. Those are both real words, by the way. Josh told me that “academician” sounds like some sort of alien life form. Which makes me laugh, because sometimes I think they might be. But really—I am like a little sponge on my campus, and if I hang around these people for longer than ten minutes I never fail to learn something new, whether it be a new word for my voracious vocabulary or psychological theory. Like I said, I'm working for Biltmore Estate now, but it's still a place of history and learning and I'm soaking it up!
33. I love, love, love! having the perfect word. Articulation is a fine art.
34. I am interested in way too many things to ever become an expert on anything, I think. Except maybe intercultural communication. I can see myself becoming an expert on that. My boss wants me to go to graduate school. So did my old boss. So do my grandparents. But what about meeeee? How about we just get my husband through nursing school right now?
35. Despite my greatest attempts, I never drink enough water and always eat too much chocolate. (We have an M&M dispenser in my office that makes everyone on campus happy. When I came here I was told that my utmost duty is to make sure that it remains stocked. It is sorely overused, and sometimes the button you push to make the M&Ms come out doesn’t work and you have to shake it a little. Yesterday the button didn’t work. I was trying to be quiet… everyone else was being quiet. I gave it a little shake. Pushed the button. Nothing. A little bit bigger shake. Nothing. Finally, growing tired of making quiet rattles that were surely driving everyone crazy when they all knew by now that I wanted some M&Ms, I picked up the machine and started shaking it like crazy. The only thing is I didn’t put my hand over the lid. It flew off on the third shake and about 50 M&Ms went flying across the office, which drew a gasp and an “Oh no!” from me, and a sudden appearance from my boss, who declared she rather liked the color on the dull carpet anyway.) Definitely working on the water drinking thing. Still have no self-control when it comes to chocolate.
36. I went to the Alamo when I was little with my parents, but the only thing I remember is being scared of lizards when my dad made me pose on top of a big boulder and wanting to go back and swim at the hotel pool. Oh, the attention span of babes.
37. When I was 14 I started dying my hair and kind of got into a habit. Blond, auburn, bold white and fire-engine red chunks, and finally in the summer of 2006, jet black. After that I decided to go au natural for awhile and also I made a bet with a friend that resulted in me agreeing not to cut my hair until May 2008. I now have the longest, naturally beautiful brown hair ever. Still haven't cut it... just trims now and then.
38. I get giddy when I have a fresh journal/legal pad/notebook/post-it pad.
39. I love wearing skirts but hate shaving my legs. I think I have shaved my legs two times since I’ve moved to Asheville, and once was when I was back in Florida for the holidays and wanted to wear shorts. The other was for Valentine’s day. ;)
40. I’m not really into stuffed animals and teddy bears, but when someone I love buys one for me, it becomes my most precious possession. Hence the bear my dad bought me from EPCOT, the frog that says “kiss me, I’m your prince charming” from Josh and the huge Nemo that my dad got me for Christmas one year always adorning my bed and serving as snuggling companions.
41. I am absolutely thrilled by all the blossoms on the trees here as spring is arriving. It makes me giddy like a child because I've never seen anything like it. It is one of those things that makes my soul glow. New life. Beauty. Promise.
42. I haven't been to the dentist since before I went to college. Oops. I went. Twice. So there.
43. If I had a lot of money, I would buy everything organic that I possibly could.
44. The reason I wear glasses more than contacts is because I'm lazy. Period.
45. I kept a lot of my college textbooks because I think I might actually go back and read them one day. I'm not sure if that's delirium or just unrealistic expectations.
46. Joshua treats me like a princess and I love it.
47. I can't finish a whole beer, I get tipsy after two glasses of wine and I don't like the taste of hard liquor. I guess this is a good thing since I have an addictive personality and I'd probably end up being an alcoholic if I ever acquired a taste for it.
48. I love stories and could live my whole life for them. Reading stories in books, watching stories on TV or movies, hearing stories from people and writing stories... it makes me really, really happy.
49. I want to talk to the servers at Mexican restaurants in Spanish but I'm always too timid.
50. I am beginning to think that I mumble horribly and I need some practice in diction. Like Evangeline on Nanny McPhee. (Yes, I love children's movies. That's a bonus one for you tonight.)
51. I love event food. Popcorn and a soda at the movies, chicken strips and french fries at sporting events (don't do hotdogs, sorry fellow Americans)... if it has food that goes with it, I want some.
52. I am totally tempted to become a complete hippie (no car, TV, computer, cell phone; organic and locally grown food; sustainable living; etc.) but down deep I fear that I don't have what it takes.
53. I play the piano and have secret ambitions to make one of those naturescapes albums that has nature sounds in the background while I play my soothing melodies. I could totally do it.
54. I would love to
55. I want to have an insane amount of kids. Like not using birth control amounts of kids.
56. I truly desire communal living with the people I love. I haven't quite been able to put words on this concept yet, but I know it's in my heart.
57. I have never been able to make a successful batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
58. I can count on one hand how many movies that have made me cry in my lifetime. Music makes me cry MUCH more often.
59. In the words of Trainer Bob, I like relentless.
60. I can't stand political commercials. Thank God for the mute button.
Okay, here are ten new ones for you today:
61. Remember #39 about not liking to shave my legs? And #52 about becoming a hippie? Well, I think the hippie thing is just some sort of conversion that happens gradually and naturally as you are assimilated into Ashevillian society. Unshaven legs? Check. (Although Valentine's day is coming up again and so I'll probably shave then... just because my legs really do look like man legs right now.) Nose ring? Check. Contemplating dreads? Check. Aversion to deodorant? Check. (Okay, I really hate body odor but not as much as I hate cancer. Applying metal and BHT to my lymph nodes everyday just seems like a bad idea, don't you think? We use Tom's... which kind of works. If I start using patchouli instead, then you'll know I have officially become a hippie.)
62. I miss the beach.
63. I love Disney World. The Worthys are leaving today to go on a one-week Disney vacation that they've been saving up for for YEARS... and I am so jealous. Joshua and I never got to go to Disney on our honeymoon because a tropical storm descended upon Orlando the day after we arrived, so we still have our tickets. We're hoping to make an anniversary trip sometime this year. I just think Disney is truly magical.
64. You know those endcaps in the grocery store (or any store) that have sale items on them? Complete sucker.
65. I love having my nose pierced and really want to get more body piercings. I'm a fan of the Monroe piercing but we'll probably just start with piercing up my ear.
66. It's possible I might be having a quarter-life "what's next?" crisis... which I would like to get figured out before we start popping out babies.
67. Every time I go into a store that sells DVDs I go and look for You've Got Mail but I think it's out of circulation. Which makes me sad because I love that movie and want to own it.
68. The silence of snowfall mesmerizes me more than any other natural wonder.
69. I've started making my first quilt and I am surprisingly good at it.
70. I want an iMac so bad.
Blog of the day
Somebody is probably going to think less of me for saying this, but I am so tired of seeing Obama's name in the headlines every single time I open up Google News. Seriously, if the man is flossing his teeth, someone writes an article about it. I'm starting to think that he just loves being in the media. Does the media still really love the man? The word that comes to my mind is ad nauseum. (End of complaining.)
Last night I tried to be all Julie and Julia-esqe and whip up something fabulous for my husband. I wanted to make tacos for dinner, and I thought that my grandmother's Spanish rice sounded like a perfect accompaniment. Looking at the recipe, it seems quite simple: mince some onion, saute in olive oil, add a cup of rice and two cans of Del Monte tomato sauce plus a little water, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, then uncover and stir until most of the liquid has boiled out. But since when have the words "rice" and "simple" ever gone together in a sentence for me? The Worthys bought us a rice maker for our wedding gift which has been amazing. Amazing because all I have to do is measure out the rice, fill the pot with water to the appropriate line, and push a button-- viola! beautiful, perfect rice.
Let's make a long story short by saying that I gave this Spanish rice two hours of my life last night before tossing it into the rice maker in a fit of frustration and then ending up with something very mushy.
Meanwhile, I thought I'd try my hand at making Japanese curry. I was first introduced to this delicacy in college by my roommate Julia, who could whip a batch up blindfolded. Japanese curry is, simply put, wonderful. Aaron Brand had sent me some curry mix from Japan and I had a few blocks of it left in the package, plus the ingredients laying around the kitchen, so I was very excited.
I have rice simmering on one burner and the makings of curry boiling on another, and life is grand. Until the rice won't soften and I add the curry to the pot of meat and veggies and it refuses to thicken. Crunchy rice and watery curry... which, as you already know, turned into mushy rice and watery curry.
I went to bed ridiculously upset with a puzzled husband. I told him, "If crunchy rice makes me this upset, there has to be something else wrong with me."
He very sweetly quoted to me a paraphrased line from Julie and Julia. "It's supposed to be," he said,"a comfort that you can absolutely know that if you add egg yolks to chocolate and sugar and milk, it will get thick." I nodded against his chest in a complete state of self-pity and proceeded to tell him how I feel like nothing that's supposed to be working in life right now is working at all. At which point he reminded me that I am not my own project and that I am God's workmanship and God will be the one to iron out the kinks in me if I will just be still and trust Him.
I'm still disappointed about the curry, though.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
I'm fighting my insecurities
... and I'm blogging about television.
Television. When Joshua and I were dating, we frequently recounted the horrors of over-televised children, swearing as parents we would never do that (yeah, all you parents go ahead and laugh) and even contemplated not having a television at all. (I never truly acquiesced to that idea... I insisted that we must have a TV somewhere on the premises with which to watch movies.) But as of late I have succumbed to my affection for all things related to plot, and have built up quite a TV-watching habit. Although thanks to the Worthy family, it is all recorded on DVR and I watch it at my leisure.
Favorite programs this year:
The Good Wife. I started watching this show because it had Julianna Margulies starring in it. I have loved her since her days on ER (pre-eyebrow waxing, even) and now that she's a 40-something I think she's even more compelling as an actress. The storyline can get a bit raunchy since it centers around the fact that Alicia Florrick's (Margulies) husband was a political figure who had an ongoing affair with a call girl and was convicted (falsely or not? we don't yet know what to make of it) of paying for her services with government (i.e. taxpayers') funds. There is actually more to his conviction than that... but it's mainly in legalese because this is a show about lawyers, and therefore I don't understand it. What's hooked me on the show is that Margulies is a mature enough actress to express the nuances of strength, betrayal, and pain that her character must be going through. That and it's a good courtroom drama. Nothing like a fiery cross-examination.
Bones. I actually just started watching Bones last season, which was when the inklings of romance between Booth and Brennan started heating up. I have no desire to go back and watch the previous seasons, because although I like the crime-solving aspect of the show and it's nerdy twist, really what keeps me going is that question: When are they going to get together already? It's fun to watch the sparks fly. And the psychologist character Dr. Sweets makes me laugh.
Biggest Loser. This season has been less entertaining than last season, mainly I think because the contestants are for the most part incredibly obese-- obese to the point that even if they lost 150 pounds while they were on the show, they would still have weight to lose. That's crazy. And it makes the transformation less dramatic when someone loses 20 pounds... and they still weigh 375. But I am a die-hard fan and will stick it out to the end. Maybe I am just expecting everyone to live up to Danny, the winner from last season, who had an amazing emotional breakthrough mid-season and then just killed it every week until the finale.
LOST. The final season! If you haven't watched the premiere episode, stop reading. This is your official *spoiler alert* although I'm not sure I'm going to spoil much. I just remember Jules wanting me to say that at one point when I was previously blogging about LOST. So they only have 14 episodes or so to answer a LOT of questions... but glory be! we finally found out what the heck the smoke monster is after years of waiting and wondering. I admit I was a little disappointed because it was so sci-fi-ish of an explanation... turning out to be the incarnation of __________ (insert creepy guy who wanted to kill Jacob since the 1800s and dressed all in black but I never know what to call him because DOES HE HAVE A NAME???). But mainly I am satisfied, simply because I have been waiting for answers for so long I am just relieved to finally be able to know something. Also... anybody else think that Jacob was reincarnated in Sayid's body at the end of the episode?
I just want to know... when did this show become all about Jacob and this other guy? This has been the progression of the expansion of the world of the survivors from Oceanic 815: We crashed on an island. Crap, there's no one here. Crap, there's a scary monster that kills people. Crap, there are people that whisper in the woods. What the heck? There are all these weird Dharma Initiative stations and videos. Crap, there's an insane French woman on this island. Holy crap, there are other survivors. Crap, there's a whole group of people on the island that are hostile. Let's call them "the Others." Crap, there's a scary cabin where supposedly this invisible guy named Jacob lives. Crap, there's this guy named Widmore who wants to kill the leader of the Others-- who is really bad, who is good? Finally... who the heck is this guy with Jacob who wants to kill him? And succeeds through Ben... and then... finally, finally... Crap, there is a strange Japanese dude with a whole group of people at a sacred temple who are scared of Jacob's nemesis... WHOEVER THE HECK HE IS. Will the writers be able to bring this full circle? We'll see.
Television. When Joshua and I were dating, we frequently recounted the horrors of over-televised children, swearing as parents we would never do that (yeah, all you parents go ahead and laugh) and even contemplated not having a television at all. (I never truly acquiesced to that idea... I insisted that we must have a TV somewhere on the premises with which to watch movies.) But as of late I have succumbed to my affection for all things related to plot, and have built up quite a TV-watching habit. Although thanks to the Worthy family, it is all recorded on DVR and I watch it at my leisure.
Favorite programs this year:
The Good Wife. I started watching this show because it had Julianna Margulies starring in it. I have loved her since her days on ER (pre-eyebrow waxing, even) and now that she's a 40-something I think she's even more compelling as an actress. The storyline can get a bit raunchy since it centers around the fact that Alicia Florrick's (Margulies) husband was a political figure who had an ongoing affair with a call girl and was convicted (falsely or not? we don't yet know what to make of it) of paying for her services with government (i.e. taxpayers') funds. There is actually more to his conviction than that... but it's mainly in legalese because this is a show about lawyers, and therefore I don't understand it. What's hooked me on the show is that Margulies is a mature enough actress to express the nuances of strength, betrayal, and pain that her character must be going through. That and it's a good courtroom drama. Nothing like a fiery cross-examination.
Bones. I actually just started watching Bones last season, which was when the inklings of romance between Booth and Brennan started heating up. I have no desire to go back and watch the previous seasons, because although I like the crime-solving aspect of the show and it's nerdy twist, really what keeps me going is that question: When are they going to get together already? It's fun to watch the sparks fly. And the psychologist character Dr. Sweets makes me laugh.
Biggest Loser. This season has been less entertaining than last season, mainly I think because the contestants are for the most part incredibly obese-- obese to the point that even if they lost 150 pounds while they were on the show, they would still have weight to lose. That's crazy. And it makes the transformation less dramatic when someone loses 20 pounds... and they still weigh 375. But I am a die-hard fan and will stick it out to the end. Maybe I am just expecting everyone to live up to Danny, the winner from last season, who had an amazing emotional breakthrough mid-season and then just killed it every week until the finale.
LOST. The final season! If you haven't watched the premiere episode, stop reading. This is your official *spoiler alert* although I'm not sure I'm going to spoil much. I just remember Jules wanting me to say that at one point when I was previously blogging about LOST. So they only have 14 episodes or so to answer a LOT of questions... but glory be! we finally found out what the heck the smoke monster is after years of waiting and wondering. I admit I was a little disappointed because it was so sci-fi-ish of an explanation... turning out to be the incarnation of __________ (insert creepy guy who wanted to kill Jacob since the 1800s and dressed all in black but I never know what to call him because DOES HE HAVE A NAME???). But mainly I am satisfied, simply because I have been waiting for answers for so long I am just relieved to finally be able to know something. Also... anybody else think that Jacob was reincarnated in Sayid's body at the end of the episode?
I just want to know... when did this show become all about Jacob and this other guy? This has been the progression of the expansion of the world of the survivors from Oceanic 815: We crashed on an island. Crap, there's no one here. Crap, there's a scary monster that kills people. Crap, there are people that whisper in the woods. What the heck? There are all these weird Dharma Initiative stations and videos. Crap, there's an insane French woman on this island. Holy crap, there are other survivors. Crap, there's a whole group of people on the island that are hostile. Let's call them "the Others." Crap, there's a scary cabin where supposedly this invisible guy named Jacob lives. Crap, there's this guy named Widmore who wants to kill the leader of the Others-- who is really bad, who is good? Finally... who the heck is this guy with Jacob who wants to kill him? And succeeds through Ben... and then... finally, finally... Crap, there is a strange Japanese dude with a whole group of people at a sacred temple who are scared of Jacob's nemesis... WHOEVER THE HECK HE IS. Will the writers be able to bring this full circle? We'll see.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Winter Storm Warning
I have hijacked Bryan's computer this morning because Joshua and I no longer have a computer of our own. My laptop (that my parents only bought me in what, 2005?) went kaput... same old "needs a new motherboard, that's not worth it on this machine" excuse. Whatever. I have my eyes set on a shiny new iMac but the funds for that are nowhere to be found. So from now on my computing will be done randomly on one of the Worthys' computers or at the library.
It's actually been kind of nice to have a room that is unplugged. We've got a TV in there now for watching DVDs when we're in the mood, but other than that, there's no outlet for the outside world to seep in by. No internet, to television, no phones if we don't want there to be.
So there is this GIANT snow and ice storm rapidly approaching Asheville as I type. In fact, I think it's two hours and counting now. The estimated snowfall accumulation is rising with every hour and it is cold, cold, cold. I was supposed to be taking off for Virginia on Sunday to visit my beloved friend K-Smeltz, but I don't think I'm going to be going anywhere. Which is disappointing since I have been looking forward to seeing her, but not too disappointing because I am currently the Queen of Free Time, la Reina del Tiempo Libre (whichever language you prefer; I kind of like the Spanish, personally), and will be able to reschedule. My job at Biltmore Estate has come to an abrupt halt until the beginning of April. At which point I will (hopefully) have successfully obtained my CDL and have another seven shows of Godspell under my belt (this time as Mic Wrangler and understudy for three of the female parts).
Joshua just got home from school and I think we might want to make a run to somewhere, for something, before we get snowed in. Yeah, I know that was vague, but really it's just a desire to waylay cabin fever rather than a need to get anything or go anywhere in particular.
Later then, homies.
Another 101 in 1001 update!
Another 101 in 1001 update... I think I have actually accomplished several more of these things (or at least started on them) in the past few months...
The Key:
Not started
In progress
Accomplished
New (replaced) goal
Fun commentary by Megan!
101 in 1001
The idea is 101 goals to meet/things to do in 1001 days...
1001 days will take me from today, January 10, 2009 to October 9, 2011
(from 23 and single to 26 and married for two years!)
1001 days will take me from today, January 10, 2009 to October 9, 2011
(from 23 and single to 26 and married for two years!)
The Key:
Not started
In progress
New (replaced) goal
Fun commentary by Megan!
Get married- Get my third tattoo after I turn 25
- Read the Bible all the way through ~ started over this January
Grow a vegetable gardenSend out Christmas cards in 2009 or 2010~ only a few... but it still counts. :)- Learn to live in the secret place
- Make a habit of reading before bed
Buy seasons 2 through 5 ofER~ Josh bought me these for Christmas!- Buy some sheet music and practice my reading skills to the point where I feel semi-comfortable sight reading ~ currently working on some ragtime fabulousness
- Spend one month eating locally
- Visit Washington D.C.
- Make this fancy lemon-cranberry cake that is kind of out of my baking realm
- One candlelit and music-filled evening with Joshua
- Take dance lessons
- Take a Tai-chi class
Get a professional massage- Stay at the Grove Park Inn during winter and lounge in front of their cavernous fireplace
- Visit my cousins
- Take a trip with Josh to the Outer Banks
- Walk across the
- Spend time listening to my grandparents’ stories and write some of them down
- Be 100% okay with disappointing people
- Dig for the answers to my spiritual questions, and discover why I’m asking them
- Participate in a 3-day walk
- Plan a progressive dinner party
Initiate a conversation with a stranger when I don’t feel like it~ my job gave me plenty of opportunities for this- Wear a size four and stay that way
- Make a habit of thinking differently
- Quit soda for a year (again)… ~ oh, I miss you, Coca-Cola
Get contactsGive away the clothes in my closet that I haven’t worn in over a year- Build a bonafide snowman ~ well, supposedly a huge snowstorm is about to arrive, so I'll have my opportunity!
See what’s at the end of the yellow rope in the caves of Rumbling Bald- Have an emergency fund built up completely
- Pay off debt
- Learn to make biscuits from scratch from Grammy
- Learn to sew
- Make a quilt ~ I'm so proud of it so far!
Create a filing system that is actually usefulOwn the game Settlers of Catan- Make a homemade pie
Visit the Biltmore Estate when it’s decorated for Christmas, preferably with snow on the ground outside- Carry on a Christmas tradition with Joshua
- Hike up
- Run in a race of some sort
- Ride my bicycle at Bent Creek
Hike toPick blueberries at Black BalsamTutor someone in ESOL
- Memorize the book of 1 John
- Visit the Library of Congress
- Start taking people's portraits
- Spend at least three weeks in
- Become fluent in Spanish ~ thanks to Amanda, this might be a possibility
- Introduce my sister-in-love to a particular someone who shall not be mentioned here
Complete the wedding day chela photo sequence- Buy a book about waterfall hikes in WNC
- Read a book of poetry
- Make spanakopita ten times (2/10)
- Spend another luxurious day at Shoji Spa
- Read all of my National Geographic magazines from 2008 (0/28)
- Live in our own place
- Spend a day reading by a waterfall
- Run 10 miles on the Mountains to the Sea trail
- Make the most comfortable bed possible for Joshua and I (down feather pillows, down feather mattress pad, high thread count sheets, duvet)
- Get my CDL ~ should be accomplished by March 3, 2010!
- Have a dog
- Have a cat
- Travel somewhere by train
- Have $3,000 saved toward a trip to
- Become a Legacy tour guide at Biltmore Estate
- Take a road trip out West
- Hike to the top of
- Use teeth-whitening strips
- Exfoliate regularly
- Do tech work for 20 Godspell shows (10/20)
- Change my diet to the point where at least 50% of what I put in my mouth is raw
- Start a collection of board games that could rival Heather Heather’s
- Become proficient on guitar
- Grow out my hair until these 1001 days are up (excluding trims of up to two inches)
- Buy a bookshelf
- Slide down Sliding Rock ten times (0/10)
- Hike up to the top of Looking Glass Rock
- Hike to the top of the Mount Pisgah Summit when the autumn foliage is at its height
- Go camping
- Take a trip with Matt and Breanna
- Email Deborah regularly
- Try to find
- Visit all 14 state parks in
- Take a trip with Joshua to Highlands/Cashiers, NC and hike as much as possible
- Read 50 books (1/50) ~ Eat, Pray, Love
- Learn to make banana bread
- Go stargazing with Joshua ten times (2/10)
- Go to
- Wear a different necklace every day for two weeks (0/14)
- Discipline myself to work as unto the Lord, not unto men.
- Make a work of art and send it to K-Smeltz
- Go on a plant-gathering expedition for tincture making.
- Take my sister-in-love on a trip
Enjoy every moment of my wedding day
Saturday, December 5, 2009
So it's been awhile
"It's been awhile..."
Those are the opening lyrics to some 90s alternative song, anybody know which one it is? I can't remember.
It's (relatively) early (for me) on a Saturday morning and it's snowing outside, the first snow of the winter for us. Josh is sleeping and I'm updating (while considering how much I really want to go upstairs and make myself some breakfast). This is a really fun time of year, isn't it? I love the holiday season. Joshua and I are both big on fireplaces and one day when we have our own place we'll make sure we have one. And you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be using that thing every day during the winter. What's more cozy than the crackling warmth from the fireplace soaking into your skin while you sit bundled up in a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate or mulled apple cider? Not much. Add a little music to suit the mood and you're there.
Lately in our lives: Josh has been going to school for 13-hour days while he's in a six-week intensive course to get his CNA license. Clinicals have just begun for him (may I say he looks very good in scrubs) and he has decided that working with the elderly is not for him. Too slow of a pace, he says. That and yesterday he got some explosive diarrhea all over his shoes and I think that had an influence. Josh is very caring, so I thought he would be good working with the elderly. Which he is... he was singing Christmas carols to one old dear as he fed her her lunch this week. What kind of CNA does that? But he said that he is also task-oriented and so the slow pace of having to wait on the elderly is not a good match. Maybe emergency room medicine, then? I don't know... we'll just have to wait and see.
I'm working at Biltmore Estate, driving other people's cars around all day. Valet parking, baby. Um, who ever imagined that I would be doing that for a living? Not me. But I love the people that I work with and the place that I work for. That makes all the difference apparently. Plus, I feel like I've gone on a bazillion test drives already. When Josh and I are ready to buy a vehicle, I'm going to know exactly what I want. Seat warmers. iPod hookup. Camera for backing up. Compass and temperature display in between the speedometer and tachometer. Automatic seat and mirror adjustments. A BMW 328i. Okay, how about a Lexus. I'll settle for a Lexus.
I've also been re-inspired lately to pursue some latent loves of mine... music, for instance. I watched a DVD of a live MuteMath concert and of course it made me want to be in a band. These guys are freakishly talented and it made me want to put some effort into playing again. It's worth it, you know? Plus, I've never seen the lead singer of a rock band (although MuteMath couldn't be labeled as a traditional rock band) play the keys, and that was inspiring in itself. I'm also going to try my hand at filmmaking... with Bryan's help, of course. I've got a documentary up my sleeve and we'll see how that goes.
2010 is going to be the Year of Health for the Geigers... physical health, emotional health, relational health, financial health... Michelle and I are starting our own Biggest Loser competition with another friend of ours... impetus would be a trip to Italy! Woot! Godspell is returning for several runs of shows in the spring and summer for which I will either be mic wrangler or swing understudy or both (we'll find out today). I really want to do the 3-day breast cancer walk in 2010 but I'm still feeling a little insecure about my ability to raise the funds. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to get over that and just go for it.
Spiritually I'm really taking a turn into finding out why I believe what I believe. I'm surrounded by a great group of people to go on that journey with-- people to both help me question and help me find answers. I'm anticipating several heated living room discussions and an anchoring of my soul that I've been looking for. But let me never forget my child-like faith.
Okay, my stomach is starting to mutiny. Better go in search of food. Hopefully I'll be back sooner than later. Ciao, bella!
Those are the opening lyrics to some 90s alternative song, anybody know which one it is? I can't remember.
It's (relatively) early (for me) on a Saturday morning and it's snowing outside, the first snow of the winter for us. Josh is sleeping and I'm updating (while considering how much I really want to go upstairs and make myself some breakfast). This is a really fun time of year, isn't it? I love the holiday season. Joshua and I are both big on fireplaces and one day when we have our own place we'll make sure we have one. And you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be using that thing every day during the winter. What's more cozy than the crackling warmth from the fireplace soaking into your skin while you sit bundled up in a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate or mulled apple cider? Not much. Add a little music to suit the mood and you're there.
Lately in our lives: Josh has been going to school for 13-hour days while he's in a six-week intensive course to get his CNA license. Clinicals have just begun for him (may I say he looks very good in scrubs) and he has decided that working with the elderly is not for him. Too slow of a pace, he says. That and yesterday he got some explosive diarrhea all over his shoes and I think that had an influence. Josh is very caring, so I thought he would be good working with the elderly. Which he is... he was singing Christmas carols to one old dear as he fed her her lunch this week. What kind of CNA does that? But he said that he is also task-oriented and so the slow pace of having to wait on the elderly is not a good match. Maybe emergency room medicine, then? I don't know... we'll just have to wait and see.
I'm working at Biltmore Estate, driving other people's cars around all day. Valet parking, baby. Um, who ever imagined that I would be doing that for a living? Not me. But I love the people that I work with and the place that I work for. That makes all the difference apparently. Plus, I feel like I've gone on a bazillion test drives already. When Josh and I are ready to buy a vehicle, I'm going to know exactly what I want. Seat warmers. iPod hookup. Camera for backing up. Compass and temperature display in between the speedometer and tachometer. Automatic seat and mirror adjustments. A BMW 328i. Okay, how about a Lexus. I'll settle for a Lexus.
I've also been re-inspired lately to pursue some latent loves of mine... music, for instance. I watched a DVD of a live MuteMath concert and of course it made me want to be in a band. These guys are freakishly talented and it made me want to put some effort into playing again. It's worth it, you know? Plus, I've never seen the lead singer of a rock band (although MuteMath couldn't be labeled as a traditional rock band) play the keys, and that was inspiring in itself. I'm also going to try my hand at filmmaking... with Bryan's help, of course. I've got a documentary up my sleeve and we'll see how that goes.
2010 is going to be the Year of Health for the Geigers... physical health, emotional health, relational health, financial health... Michelle and I are starting our own Biggest Loser competition with another friend of ours... impetus would be a trip to Italy! Woot! Godspell is returning for several runs of shows in the spring and summer for which I will either be mic wrangler or swing understudy or both (we'll find out today). I really want to do the 3-day breast cancer walk in 2010 but I'm still feeling a little insecure about my ability to raise the funds. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to get over that and just go for it.
Spiritually I'm really taking a turn into finding out why I believe what I believe. I'm surrounded by a great group of people to go on that journey with-- people to both help me question and help me find answers. I'm anticipating several heated living room discussions and an anchoring of my soul that I've been looking for. But let me never forget my child-like faith.
Okay, my stomach is starting to mutiny. Better go in search of food. Hopefully I'll be back sooner than later. Ciao, bella!
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