What's in a Name

Wedding Weekend is here. It's been fun so far and things are going really well. I completely heart the bridal party. They have been so great to hang out with. Last night we learned that OPI has a sense of humor and makes for some great entertainment when sitting in the day spa for hours and hours. When it was my turn to pick out nail colors, these are the three I picked up. of course. Oh to Be 25 Again

(indeed...)
All Lacquered Up

(what I hope to be at the wedding)

Kangarooby
(awesome )

After much discussion and saying the word Kangrooby about 10,000 times (those poor women doing the pedicures) it was decided that I would choose....All Lacquered Up.

And I think I've found my new calling. ~Polish Namer at OPI.~

Bag Lust

I'm stressed out at work right now so I took a break to gaze at the bag of the moment. It helps to calm me. Vineyard Vines. I need to own this. Soon.

Our Love Story

Tonight I'd like to tell you the story of how I met and eventually came to completely adore my friend Cristina.

Back in the day (about '00, I believe) I was a Residence Hall Director at my Alma mater with my girl Roxy. We were just out of college and having a lot of twenty something fun. Well, there was a new staff member that came in mid year (Cristina). We thought it would be fun if we invited her to hang out with us and went to her building to ask if she's like to watch the classic Grease 2 with us (hey, it's a great movie). C's response was simple. She said something to the effect of "um, no thanks" complete with a sneer. HMMMM...okay. She was immediately crossed off our cool kid list. Who doesn't want to hang out with US and watch Michelle Pfeiffer bowl in a pink satin jacket? We are super cool. Obviously.

Flash forward to the summer of the same year. C and I were both chosen to work as summer assistants in the office. I was unsure of how to proceed with her as a co-worker. Would we clash and have a standoff in 114.5? After a week or so of pleasantries, she dropped some very witty comments and I must admit I was impressed with her clever responses to the mundane tasks we had to do (scantrons from hell). So we began bonding. Discussing our ideal weddings and our common goal of being "pulled together." Not to mention a shared love of Carmel microwave popcorn. She quoted things from Silence of the Lambs with such perfection that I left her lotion in a basket on her doorstep for her birthday. Slowly, she opened up to me and began leaving me "death threats" around the office. Even taking time to type them while I was busy alphabetizing the stupid blue cards by myself. It was pure adoration (obviously mutual--I'm fantastic too, duh). We got work done in between our very busy schedule of completing the now infamous "Finger Print Hall of Fame" and collecting business cards for a feisty game of Business Card Go Fish. That was the summer that I officially became one of C's biggest fans. Almost 10 years later, she is one of my nearest and dearest. She is one of the most witty people I know. She still finds time to send me snarky e-mails on a regular basis. She has never failed to make me laugh with her clever words. In fact, I have a file folder for her in my e-mail because I read them when I'm having a bad day. You might be wondering why the Cristina love fest tonight? Well, it's because I would like to share some of her best work pre-blog. Plus, when do we ever really write down how we met our friends? Don't worry, you fools will get your turn too. But now, please enjoy one of my favorite top ten lists she's written in recent years. You will periodically see her work featured on my blog. Because this slap is funny!

Top 6 Ways to Entertain Yourself at a Pampered Chef Party:

6. Gasp loudly and fan yourself at each new product introduction

5. Bring a bowl of condoms and say you thought is was a Pampered Sex Party

4. Sneak kicks at the host's cats

3. Ask the consultant to explain thermal shock citing the specific Laws of Physics and
Thermodynamics

2. Make everyone touch the stoneware and scream each time

1. Take the catalog to the bathroom and announce, "I'll be awhile"

I Need Some Funny

Yesterday did not get any better from the morning. I was in tears before I went to sleep. Not just tears, sobbing. The I want to talk to my mom kind of sobbing that is usually only reserved for being really sick. It was ridiculous. None of my bad day is really blog worthy. In fact it would sound downright silly if I wrote it. Trust me. But I'm stand by my firm belief that sleep makes any problem better. Perhaps world leaders should try this tactic. Hmmm...



Anyway, after some sleep I felt much better. Not a good hair day but I can't really have it all on a Tuesday. At least I had water this morning. Most of you know that I've recently quit my dirty little habit of cigarettes. Today is day 10 of being completely smoke free. I'm thrilled with how this is going but yesterday proved to be one of my tough moments. I think quitting smoking is like breaking up with a really awful boyfriend. You want to break up and you manage to do it. But it can haunt you in some of the strangest ways. You think that life will never be the same without it and it makes you sad sometimes. But then you feel really strong and can't imagine how you ever let that become a habit in the first place. Everyday you find more reasons that breaking up was the right thing to do but you still have that moment of doubt. It's more emotional than I thought. I guess that's why they say it's one of the hardest things to quit. I'll be honest and say that I didn't really want to write about this on here because it's not something I'm terribly proud of, but you girls are my friends and I want to share this experience with you. And I hate to admit that blogging has helped me in some strange way with this process. And honestly, I'm VERY happy with how this is going. With the exception of yesterday, things have been good. (For the record, at no point did I feel even the slightest bit tempted to actually smoke).

Now it's time for some funny. Check out this promo for The Office. Enjoy!

Monday Morning

Generally speaking my bed always feel much more comfortable on Monday mornings causing me to not want to get up and shower and start my day. The only thing that made it impossible to be completely lazy were two hungry cats crawling all over me and the thought of a Dunkin Donuts coffee. So got up I did.

Only to find out that there is NO WATER in my building this morning!

Do you think I can get a coffee IV drip?

It's That Time of the Year

There is less than a week until work gets really busy again. The college students come back on Friday and that means back to meetings galore and the constant flood of e-mail and phone calls. Don't get me wrong, I like working with the students and I am happy to see them come back. I also enjoy the relative quiet of my summer. So instead of thinking of all the things I didn't do this summer that I meant to, I've composed a list of things I'm looking forward to in the next month or so (in no particular order)

1. The DNC this week (Obama mania)
2. The big wedding next weekend
3. Getting my new highlights
4. French manicured nails
5. New Kids on the Block CD coming out in September (seriously)
6. Hearing Rory Kennedy speak
7. Fall decorations
8. Visiting the Fenimore House and Fly Creek, etc.
9. Sex and the City movie coming out in September
10. David Sedaris September 28th with my Cslap!

Saturday Flashback

I'm feeling excellent today. I slept in and then decided it was time to run my errands. I managed to get some new Egyptian cotton sheets on sale (love it) and decided I needed to get my hair cut. I haven't had it cut since the big donation in February. I really hate the way it gets styled after it's cut. Do they really think I want curled under bangs? I mean REALLY. It was in a pony tail as soon as I reached the car and I will make it cute the next time it's washed. I've also decided that I'm going to get highlights. I have never colored my hair and I still a little hesitant but I feel like a few highlights won't hurt and I need a new look. So that's my big hair news. (I know you are all on the edge of your seat!)

Now I'm at the GFE watching the dogs while the family is at some parade somewhere. Normally the dogs don't need much attention but today I got here after my family had left so I opened their bedroom door where I expected to find Tobey in his crate. Not the case. He was out of the crate, and had destroyed anything he could find. There were shoes, books, hats, my brother's baby book (?), etc. strewn about the room. He's outside right now, quietly thinking about what he did. hee hee.

My friend posted some old school pictures of the high school days on facebook and I wanted you to join me on memory lane. Big hair and all.

This was on a Chorus Trip to England. I really did think I was going to be the next Debbie Gibson.

Slumber party

Two words...pegged jeans.

Those were the days! :)

Pop culture

I was really excited for Shawn Johson finally winning her gold medal last night. I'm a huge gymnastics fan so I just wanted her to have a gold medal to bring home as well. Yay!

While I was happy about that, I was really sad to learn that LeRoi Moore from Dave Matthews Band died last night. Apparently, DMB still played a show last night and dedicated it to him after they learned of his death. Sadness.

Obviously, I'm posting right now to avoid doing a pile of work. And of course to keep you all updated in what I read on MSNBC.

You've got questions?

Where is your cell phone? right next to me.

Your significant other? Somewhere out there....probably spending money because he's rich.

Your hair? wavy pony tail.

Your mother? GFE

Your father? GFE

Your favorite thing? having everything in order, that afternoon nap on a weekend, laughing, being with friends and family and well placed sarcasm.

Your dream last night? I don't recall dreaming.

Your favorite drink? Coffee.

Your dream/goal? to be a professional organizer and be a VP of Student Affairs and own a Birken bag.

The room you’re in? living room.

Your ex? who cares.

Your fear? fire, scrunchies, cottage cheese and losing my parents.

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Married with a child, living in a cute house and being professionally successful...maybe in Nashville?

Where were you last night? on the couch watching TV.

What you’re not? soft spoken.

Muffins? eh, sometimes.

One of your wish list items? a new ipod.

Where you grew up? all over.

The last thing you did? fed the kitties.

What are you wearing? black night gown and grey sweats and socks...I'm cold.

Your TV? on but muted.

Your pets? Gracie and Sadie the wonder cats.

Your computer? green Dell laptop.

Your life? getting on track to where I'm supposed to be.

Your mood? excellent.

Missing someone? I always am.

Something you’re not wearing? shoes.

Favorite store? I really like any store but I keep thinking about Michaels for some reason. NOT Walmart.

Your summer? sadnesss....almost over.

When is the last time you laughed? a little while ago.

Last time you cried? at an olympic moment...but can't narrow it down.

Who will re post this? no one because they probably have real things to write about today.

Retreat Day

These are pictures of my dream wedding reception location at the Otesaga. I can just imagine myself standing in a Vera Wang gown on that balcony looking out on to the lake with my new husband (Husband still TBA). I just love it. I got to go here today to plan the most beautiful reception upstate NY has ever seen--well okay, that was just in my mind. Really, I was there for a staff retreat and I daydreamed of it while others were rudely talking about work. (I mean REALLY)
We go every August to spend time going over plans for the year. Pretty swanky for a work retreat, right? Yeah, I swear it's one of the best work days of the year. We get to get out of the office for the day and we have an awesome buffet lunch. We are easy to please like that. Except you should see the desserts. I haven't eaten in three days in preparation. But now my food coma is getting the best of me. I'm ready to curl up on the couch in my PJs and watch the last of the Olympic gymnastics. ~Planets Aligned~

Old Faces New Spaces

Today I had the pleasure of having lunch with two RAs that worked for me when I was a hall director (Amanda and Jon). It was so nice to see them and catch up. Jon has been trying to track down all of the Tobey staff members during my tenure as RD to have a mini reunion. Unfortunately, not many could make it back to Otown but it was so nice that Amanda and Jon could. It's amazing to me how grown up they are now.

In other news, my bedroom has been carpeted. I decided that while everything is out of the room, I would repaint it. (I know I'm a braniac to paint AFTER the carpet goes down but whatever) 3 years ago I decided that it would be so a great idea to have a purple room. Good in theory but after about a month, I was DONE with the purple people eater room. Nothing against the purple--it's still one of my favorite colors BUT I wanted to go back to a neutral. So it's back to beige. I spent the afternoon painting. Let me just say for the record, that I always think I like to paint (again, good in theory) but then after one wall is done, I'm ready to pack it up and call it a day. The trim work is what I dislike the most. I don't enjoy taping it off because that's just annoying but then I screw up and get some on the ceiling. So I painted about 1/2 the room this afternoon and will finish up tomorrow. I hope. Maybe a half purple and half beige room will become all the rage before I wake up. You never know.

Cheers and Jeers

I'm a little sad to realize the summer is almost over for me. There are some students back on campus for preseason and trainings. I still have a jam packed to-do list to complete and now there are meetings I have to attend. I know it has to come to an end but I always wonder where the summer went. I have yet to make it to the beach. sigh...

Anyway, I'm tired today so I'll just list my current cheers & jeers.

Cheers to getting my bedroom carpeted this Friday.
Jeers to having to move the contents of my bedroom to the living room.

Cheers to getting out of Otown for a few weeks.
Jeers to commuting back and forth for work from the GFE (for above reason)

Cheers to the exciting Olympics.
Jeers to me staying up so late watching and having to get up so early.

Speaking of the Olympics.....

Gracie's Big Day

Today my little Gracie had to be groomed because her fur was getting so matted. While most people wouldn't have a cat groomed unless it was entering a cat show or something weird, I had to help my little feline friend out. She's not a very good groomer (as the vet pointed out when she was a kitten--she might as well have slapped me--I have a cat that doesn't like to do her hair...where did I go wrong?) so I felt the time had come for Gracie's first hair cut. When I picked her up the lady warned me that she had racing stripes from where she shaved but Gracie was in her carrier and I couldn't fully appreciate her "new do" until we got home.

After I stopped laughing, I managed to get some pictures.

She was really thirsty from the ordeal.

Poor thing. I almost feel bad for laughing at her....almost.

Day at the Opera

Yesterday my friend Barb and I went to Glimmerglass Opera to see Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi. I really enjoyed it and I've never been to Glimmerglass before so it was nice to do something different. And you can't go wrong with the story of Romeo and Juliet. Barb's daughter works at the Opera house so she gets tickets that she can give to her family--what a perk.

Besides enjoying a nice afternoon of opera, Barb and I also were checking out the facilities at the opera house because in 3 weeks her daughter is getting married there. I have to say, it's going to be a really pretty location for a wedding. Obviously Barb has been there but I hadn't so she was showing me around. I'm helping out at the wedding--as the mother of the bride's shadow. Barb wants someone to kind of troubleshoot so she can enjoy the day. So I'm going to be there to do whatever she needs. It'll be fun. I just hope for good weather for them.

So after driving back from Glimmerglass, I started thinking of all the things that are around this area that I have yet to do. I've lived here for my entire adult life and I have yet to do some of these day trips. So I'm making a list of things I want to do and going to start planning some trips. I think my next fun weekend thing will be to visit the Fenimore Art Museum. Maybe next weekend or the weekend after. Let me know if you are interested in going with me.

On another note, did you see Michael Phelps win his first gold last night? It was awesome. And yes, I cried.

Eight is Great.

Eight is my favorite number. It always has been. I just like it--it's symmetrical (and I love me some symmetry). And apparently it's a lucky number in Chinese culture as I learned on the Today Show this morning.
And of course, I'm an avid Olympics watcher and fan so I've been anxiously awaiting today to watch the opening ceremonies. There is nothing like the Olympics for me. I love watching people compete for their life long dream and achieve it. I like hearing the stories of the athletes and the obstacles they've overcome to get to the games. I like the excitement of it and learning more about the host country via NBC news. And mostly, I just like that for a few weeks every few years, there is collective interest in random and not so random sports. I admit I cry when an athlete wins and stands on the podium to accept a medal and see their flag raised and hear their national anthem. There is nothing like it. So you know what I'm doing tonight on my favorite number day. And I don't even care if I sound like a dork. Just wait until the Democratic National Convention.... :)

Thinking Ahead...

My vacation has been relaxing. I've read two books and finished up some work. I know I'm not supposed to do work this week but I really wanted to stay ahead of a project and not have to do it, you know, at work. (I have a sickness--I realize). Anyway, a lot of free unstructured time leads me to shop online. Currently I've been thinking a lot about Christmas because I found some cute presents for people already (all wrapped and put away). Every year when I look to decorate for Christmas, I realize I don't have a good tree skirt that I like. And every year I think....I should really get one before next year. Angie and I found one that would do, but it still wasn't what I wanted exactly. I've finally found one I like and ordered it this morning. It's the prim plaid quilted tree skirt and I really think it'll look cute under my tree.

It's a sickness...I know

Watch it and See

When I was in Memphis at the St. Jude Collegiate Seminar this summer, we were shown this video:

Ben Coman

It really touched me and I wanted to share it. Make sure you have a little time and can really watch it.

Tobey the Terrible

Meet Tobey, my parent's new puppy. He's adorable right? Right after I took this picture of him, he jumped on me and almost knocked my camera and my computer to the floor. He wanted to eat the straw I was drinking my diet coke from and he managed to rip the magazine that I planned to read. awww, puppies. Cute but SO bad. :)

Escape Plan

I'm back. Lipgloss Lounge it is. I received no complaints from my three readers (thanks girls) so that's that.

So on Friday (my day off that I spent at work--getting home at 8 pm, btw) I was working in my office when I overheard one of my co-workers say that he had received a disturbing e-mail. Of course, my ears perked up and went to the hall to find out what the content of this disturbing e-mail was. Apparently, he got a message that there was a "shooter on campus". Um, WHAT? disturbing doesn't even describe that e-mail. Anyway, I went into the office with the others and we shut and locked the door. Meanwhile, I was nervously walking around the office trying to find a good location to hide--not near a window or door. Needless to say I think we all a little freaked out. It was just so odd. a shooter on campus? What? I couldn't quite wrap my brain around that in the 4 minutes we were locked in the office but I have to say that I was freaked out.

It turns out that disturbing message was meant to be a TEST e-mail. There was no shooter. They were training someone how to use the system and didn't mean for it to go out. Again, Um WHAT? When training someone, do we need to use "shooter on campus" as the test message? How gas leak or water main break? I mean, honestly. Given the terrible events of the past few years on college campuses, it's a sensitive topic. But I'm thankful that it was just a mistake and there was no real need to panic.

I just want to note that I managed to grab my purse before i locked myself away in the office, yet I didn't think to tell the only other person working in our office. So he was in his office, not knowing any of what we thought was going on. Yikes.

I was a little bothered by this incident so after work I went to the mall and while browsing I realized where a better place to hide is in the office. So I felt better about my escape plan. Those of you who know me (all three of you) know that I need to have an escape plan for most situations. I wouldn't say I'm neurotic but I've always remembered that from Fire Prevention Week in elementary school. You should always have an escape plan for emergencies. Word.

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key. Purchased a new digital camera because my old one had masking tape holding it together and it was about as big as my purse. It was like the Zach Morris phone of digital cameras. So now I have a cute little red camera and I heart it. The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning, finishing up projects and packing up the kitties to take a "staycation" at the Green Family Estate (GFE). I decided that would be good for us to get away and if I decide to do anything fun--I'll have someone to watch them. Good plan. Except that little Gracie is the worst cat in the car EVER. She throws up and foams at the mouth and, did I mention that she also poops? Now, keep in mind that this car ride is only 30 minutes. And Sadie howls the entire way. My coping mechanism is to turn up the music really loud and open the windows.

We're at the GFE now and all is well. I'm going to enjoy my week away and relax. Take some walks, read some books, go to the lake, hang out with the family, and generally not think about the fact that in less than a month there will be fraternity and sorority students needing me to be a responsible adult. See, I really always do have an escape plan.