The Space Between Awe & Fear

Mother nature is amazing. I was up most of last night watching a fantastic storm take over the serene landscape that is my home. One of the best things about living in rural America is getting to witness first hand how breath taking a summer storm can be. You have no distractions of city lights, car horns, police sirens or helicopters flying overhead. I've always enjoyed a good rain, thunderstorm or lightning show. I am always in awe.

Then a tornado watch is announced. Immediately my awe turns into a healthy respect for the growing storm. It's almost fear. The temperatures have risen 10 degrees, even though it is well after dark. The winds howl and blow at a steady 30 mph - gusts are up to 50. It's only after I walk outside that I realize the rain is coming down sideways. I suddenly have visions of me in a sleeping bag curled up on the basement floor.

Fast forward 24 hours and it's now still. The winds have all but disappeared and the chorus of toads, crickets (and God knows what else) is singing into the night. I love it.

What are you listening to?

About 5 years ago, I won a sales contest and the prize was an Ipod. It sat in a box, unopened, for a good month until my friend Jason spotted it. He asked why it was unopened and my response was "I don't have the time to set it up". So, over the course of the next hour, he sat in my office and hooked me up. Little did I know that I would be so addicted to the dumb thing.

So...in honor of my Ipod (and my very eclectic mix of music) I give you the Ipod meme:

Basic Info:

Total Length:
~5824 songs, 147.6 days, 21.71GB

First & Last Songs (sorted by title):
~`a Quai - Amelie Soundtrack
~ 99 In The Shade - Bon Jovi

Shortest & Longest Songs:
~Funny How I'm Losing You - Ryan Adams (:01)
~Sleep Don't Weep - Damien Rice (21:54)

First & Last Albums (by title):
~ About A Boy - Badly Drawn Boy
~ 9 - Damien Rice

First & Last Artist:
~ a-Ha
~ 50 Cent

Top 5 Most Played Songs:
~ Good Life - Kanye West
~ Wall to Wall - Chris Brown
~ Kiss Kiss - Chris Brown
~ Candyman - Christina Aguilera
~F**k Me Pumps - Amy Winehouse

Search for the following words. How many songs show up?
~Sex: 27
~Death: 62
~Love: 428
~You: 782
~Home: 70
~Boy: 161
~Girl: 90

First 5 songs that come up on Party Shuffle:
~ A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
~ Aqua De Beber - Sophie Milman
~ Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress - The Hollies
~ Winding Road - Bonnie Somerville
~Cherry, Cherry - Neil Diamond


Now for the questions:

The Rules:
1. Put your music player on shuffle
2. Press forward for each question
3. Use the song title as the answer to your question
4. NO CHEATING

Q: What does the next year have in store for you?
A: Frontin’ by Jamie Cullum
~Don’t hate the playa – hate the game!

Q: What does your love life look like next year?
A: Excuse Me If I Break My Own Heart Tonight by Whiskeytown
~oh my...that's not how it's supposed to go!

Q: What do you say when life gets hard?
A: Too Much Fun by Starflyer 59

Q: Song that reminds you of the good times?
A: Square One by Coldplay

~I kind of wore myself out on Coldplay and hardly listen to them anymore.

Q: What do you think of when you get up in the morning?
A: Butterfly by Donavon Frankenreiter

Q: What song will you dance to at your wedding?
A: Pennies from Heaven by Dean Martin & The Rat Pack

Q: Song that reminds you of your first kiss?
A: Charborg by Pinback
~The lyrics start out decent enough but then it turns into a microphone check – ending with ‘these monitors suck’. Amazing…

Q: Your favorite saying?
A: Shoot Out the Lights by The Prix
~Could work….

Q: Favorite place?
A:. 9 Crimes by Damien Rice
~I saw him at The Greek Theater in LA and it was the best show I saw in '07.

Q: Most missed memory?
A: Closer I Am To Fine by the Indigo Girls
~This song actually brings back a lot of memories…it came off a mix CD that was made for me.

Q: What song describes your best friend?
A: Dark Horse by Amanda Marshall
~Such a great artist – what ever happened to her!?

Q: What song describes your ex?
A: Be True to Your School by The Beach Boys
~“So be true to your school – just like you would to your girl now” Hmmm…..interesting.

Q: Where would you go on your first date?
A: Ticket To Ride by The Beatles

~If the Beatles are involved in the date, I don't care where we are going.

Q: Drug of choice?

A: Broken by Jack Johnson

~Off of the Curious George Soundtrack - a nice CD to listen to when you want to chill out.

Q: What song best describes you?
A: Working Too Hard by Lyle Lovett
~I still can't believe he was married to Julia Roberts.

Q: What is the thing you like doing most?
A: River, Sea, Ocean by About A Boy
~Considering my enthusiasm for water activities – this is pretty accurate.

Q: What song best describes the president?
A: Honey Honey by Feist
~Uh…don’t think so.

Q: Where will you be in ten years?
A: Twilight by Electric Light Orchestra
~The most random stuff pops up!

Q: Your love life right now?
A: There Goes by Alan Jackson
~The lyrics would indicate that someone has a crush on me….

Q: What is your state of mind at the moment?
A: Slang by Def Leppard
~One of my least favorite Def Leppard songs - in fact, I think I will delete it.

Q: How will you die?
A: Everything I Do by Whiskeytown
~Oh Ryan Adams – you’re such a heartbreaker.

Now it's your turn. What are you listening to?

You've Got To Be Kidding Me

After two days of a scratchy throat I decided to take a closer look. So, I walked into my bathroom, opened wide, and aimed my book light (in lieu of a flashlight) into the back of my mouth. The image staring back at me in the mirror looked remarkably like this:

Ew. I have strep throat.

Funny part is that I had excellent insurance coverage until my job ended on Monday. Three. Days. Ago. Are you kidding me?!

Why is it that you never need insurance until you don't have it?

Let It Snow....

I think that I am the only person in Minnesota who isn't sick of winter.

Maybe it's because I've successfully managed to avoid the really cold weather (we're talking 45 below zero, folks) by being in CA or AZ. Maybe it's because I like watching the big fat snow flakes fall to the ground while drinking hot coffee. Maybe it's because I spent the last couple of years in a constant state of summer bliss. Or...it could be that I can be a full grown adult and still enjoy playing in the snow.

Last night I bundled up in all my snow gear and headed outside for some good clean fun. Here's my snowman (albeit he looks like he's doing the 'Pepsi wave'):

And my snow angel:
The funniest part is that my brother came outside and goes "Are you bored or something?"

I might be staring down the barrel of 30 but dang it, I can still play in the snow like a little kid!

In Retrospect....

It might not have been such a good idea for me to watch the movie Vacancy before going out on the road for a week. 5 nights. 5 hotels. And 1 girl with way too active of an imagination.

Even before watching the movie I was a little wigged out by older mom and pop type of hotels. Maybe I'm paranoid but you just never know what is going on at these places!

The worst hotel I've stayed at was in TN where there was the cleaning guy stopped to cup his hands up to the window (to block the glare) and stared into my hotel room. Creepy! Not to mention - the gum on the wall, the missing light bulbs, mold in the shower, the bugs - need I go on? Ewh....

An Excuse...

I realize that I've been absent for awhile and now it's time for me to give you the excuse as to why....are you ready?

A sucky internet connection + A computer crash that required a new hard drive.

Technically that is two excuses but I'm going to stick with it. A lot of stuff (some good and some bad) has been going on since my last post. I'll do my best to fill you in soon. I've not forgotten about this wee little blog - I've just been busy....

A Numbers Game

In the past 9 days I have done the following:

• Taken 6 flights
• Been to 5 states &
• 6 different airports
• Replaced 1 suitcase
• Stayed in 6 different hotels
• Attended 1 Halloween Party
• Saw 1 girl attempt to flee on foot from the cops (she was caught)

And in the past 24 hours:

• Had 3 rental cars (all in one city)
• 1 flat tire & a 75 minute wait for a tow truck
• Drove 250 miles
• Sat at a dead stop on the interstate for 45 minutes at 8.30pm

I'm sure that more will come to me but for now it's 1.27 am and I must go to bed.

Now I'm 39...

Who could have imagined that you can tell how old your brain is by playing rock, paper, scissors? This is the most addictive game ever:

As of this morning, my brain is a whopping 39 years old. Looks like I've got a bit of work ahead of me!

No, You're Just Having Fun

The following is a conversation that I had last night at GameStop.....



Clerk: Do you have a photo ID?
Me: I can't find my license - use this old one from TN
Clerk: And your phone number?
Me: 714.555.5555
Clerk: Isn't that a California number?
Me: Yes
Clerk: (laughing)
Me: Whats so funny?
Clerk: You are in Scottsdale, Arizona buying a video game with a TN drivers license and a CA phone number. It's just funny....
Me: Yeah, that makes me sound like a scam artist, doesn't it?
Clerk: No, it just means that you're having fun!

The Price Is.....what!?!

Every once in a while something happens that makes you go "what"?!

Well, today I had on the Price is Right in the background while I was working. A friend of mine had gone to see the show and I was scanning the crowd to see if I could spot'em. I didn't but I did get to witness a couple of pretty odd things. My first 'huh?' moment came with the announcement of this prize: a brand new desktop computer paired with a one year supply of Gold Bond lotion. What!? Gross.
The second "you've got to be kidding me" moment came during the showcase showdown. After viewing the first showcase, the lady passed it onto the young man standing next to her. I don't even know what the showcase was (I wasn't really paying attention) but I heard something about a rug and a motorcycle. All of the sudden I hear this young man say "$250,000". WHAT?! That got my attention. I look over at the TV just in time to see the "what the hell" look on Bob's face and then he goes "Are you sure about that? Maybe you should think about this for a second." Oh. My. Gosh. Hilarious. The guy then proceeds to lower his bid to $60,000 (which was still way too high). The program goes on to show the second showcase and when it comes time for the lady to bid she does the most classic thing ever - she bids $1 and wins the whole shebang. It was priceless.

Gumball Alley

Every town you go to has something unique. The city of San Luis Obispo, CA has a little something called 'Gumball Alley' and it looks like this:

This has to be one of the more interesting (yet disgusting) things that I've ever seen.

Ohhh....the intimidation

If we are in a casino and you can't find me this is the first place you should look:

On my last trip to Vegas I overcame the intimidation of the Craps table. After about an hour of pure observation, I pulled a crisp $100 bill out of my wallet and found the cheapest table around. Let me just say, the words 'win big / lose big' have never been so true!

I started out doing so well and was up around $45. Great, right? Well...all of the sudden I started feeling confident and began to throw out chips like it wasn't real money. At one point I looked down and saw that I had around $70 worth of chips on the table and then I freaked out. Unfortunately, the shooter rolled the "number we don't say" and I lost all of it. Ouch! After that healthy dose of reality, I decided to cut my losses and walk away with $55 in hand.

Fast forward to last week...I was in Reno for work and decided to find a cheap Craps table to try my luck again. When I came across a $1 table I nearly passed out. Considering that the tables in Vegas all had a $10 minimum, this was childs play! I spent a good portion of the night getting more comfortable with the game and the best part is that it didn't cost me a fortune.

I love you, baby.

Those were the last words that my father said to me.

It was exactly one month ago that he passed away. Needless to say, it's been a pretty bad day.

How Old Is Too Old?

"Age is an issue of mind over matter.

If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

~Mark Twain

The question of "how old is too old" has been haunting me lately. A few weeks ago I found myself attacted to a man who was around 40 and it got me thinking about the issue of age and relationships. Is 40 years old too old for a 28 year old? Would that qualify me as the "mid-life crisis girl"?

Oddly enough, as I was flipping through the TV channels tonight I ran across a show called "Age of Love". The plot of the show is to have a single man in his 30's decide who would be a better partner - a girl in her 20's or a woman in her 40's - the kittens vs. the cougars.

As you may have guessed, I was sucked in and had to watch the show. It was amazing to see the difference between the two age groups. The 40's were confident, mature and fun. The 20's, on the other hand, were the exact opposite: jealous, insecure and surprisingly boring. Now I understand that this could all be the work of the show producers and editors but I think that the concept is fascinating. Especially since I've been wresting with the issue of age myself.

What do you guys think...does age really matter?

What's A Girl To Do...

In case you couldn't tell from all of my prior blogs, I travel...a lot. In the past two months, I have been on 10 different round trip flights so I think I know a little something about airline etiquette. I know all the do's and don'ts but this is one area that I'm a little grey in...the pick up. It's happened before: the lawyer, the college football coach, the Marine, the owner of a construction company and this last week, it was Michael - the land developer.

It's generally the same routine: I'm sitting by the window minding my own business (trying to avoid the person sitting next to me). The guy sitting in the middle seat becomes incredibly persistent at engaging me in conversation. I give in and finally talk; most of the time it's sub-par conversation but once in awhile it's actually fun (this is rare). You cover all the basics in flight - where are you from/where are you going/what do you do, etc. By the time that the flight ends you feel as though you somewhat know this person. When you are able to get off the plane, the guy waits for you at the door to escort you to either the baggage claim or the connecting gate. They give you their number and ask you to call them. In most cases, I smile and take the number not wanting to hurt any feelings, however, this last time it was a bit different. I actually thought about calling him. In the end, I didn't but I did listen to all of his suggestions of cool shops, restaurants and other public places to go (which were all great, by the way).

So out of curiosity, I have to ask this question: if you met a guy on an airplane (who didn't seem like he was going to rape, kill and then cut you into pieces) would you call him?

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

In May, my friend Jenny came out to visit. After spending a few days in my sleepy beach town, we decided to head up to LA for a night out.

We started out the day by hitting up the garment district to pick up a few purses. Whenever you go shopping there you have to look like hell so that you can barter for lower prices. So Jenny & I head up to LA in sweats, tank tops and baseball caps all in an effort to blend in and look as poor as possible. Believe it or not, this does come into play later...

After spending some time at the garment district, we decided to go and check into our hotel room for the night. We are responsible girls who do not drink and drive. Jenny had always wanted to stay at the Roosevelt Hotel because it has so much Hollywood history and is a very trendy place to hang out. Here is where the fun begins....

We arrive at the ridiculously priced Hotel at around 4 pm for check in. Mind you, we originally requested a 1.30 check in and was told this would not be a problem. After waiting in the reception line (for what seemed like ages) we were informed that our room would not be ready for another HOUR. Not to mention, they didn't give us the room we originally booked even though it was reserved. Apparently, reservations at this place are not really valid seeing as the other 2 people checking in had gotten screwed too. The receptionist told us that she would call us as soon as the room was cleaned. With nothing else to do, we walked down Hollywood Boulevard (looking like hell on earth) waiting for the call to come in. We are not off to a good start here.

After an hour of aimless wandering and a bit of shopping, we headed back to the hotel to try and get into our room. We got the keys and couldn't wait - this was the most expensive hotel I've ever stayed in and was expecting a lot. This is what it looked like - the bed:

The bathroom:

The only thing missing from these photos would be the front door and a the mirrored wall opposite the bed. The design of the room was just OK but all of the concrete in the restroom made it feel like a prison. Not quite what I was expecting when the room rate is over $700/night. Here is a view of the pool and Tropicana Bar from our balcony:

By the time that we got checked in, it was time to get ready to go for dinner. Jenny had made reservations at Parc where we had a good meal and great people watching - including a few celebrities. After dinner we walked back to our hotel which was just a few short blocks away. Of course we had to stop by some stars and hand prints along the way...

Once back at our hotel we changed clothes and headed down to the Tropicana Bar. The place was packed and we had a great time. We made our way into a couple of roped off areas and we even crashed some guys birthday party. He was nice....

The next morning when Jenny went to check out she was presented with a bill for over $400 from the Tropicana Bar. Apparently, someone was charging all of their shots, drinks and food to our hotel room. When Jenny tried to fight the charge they were total jerks about it! Long story short, they charged over $2000 to Jenny's card and it 5 phone calls, two bank reversals and a whole lot of yelling to get it fixed. Unbelievable!

I think at some point we were asked not to snap structural photos but considering how hellish the whole stay was, I'm posting these just to piss'em off. Enjoy!

Playing A Little Bit Of Catch Up...

Life is busy.

I'm sure that we can all attest to that but I really have to ask - what happened to May 16th -June 21st? It's all a distant memory at this point and I'll see if I can catch you up to speed here. I guess the easiest way to tackle this is going to be in the form of several smaller blogs so I don't overwhelm myself.....here goes nothing!

Let The Games Begin

Hmmmm....

Welcome to Southwest Louisiana.

It's hot. It's humid. And could someone please tell me why it smells like an armpit?