Best Line of the Week

The Office:
Ryan: I wanted to say I’m sorry for treating you bad the last couple of years. I was in my mid-twenties and going through a lot of stuff. I think I never really processed 9-11. I want you to know I’ve changed. I think we should get a drink later and catch up…pick me up around 8?
Kelly: That is so sweet. Um...I'm dating Daryl still and we are like crazy in love.
Ryan: Um...cool. Um...well, maybe I'll see you around.
Kelly: It's a small office.

All the Names of Me

Angie, Angie everywhere. When I was growing up there were a lot of girls with my name. It has not changed. Not only are there a lot of us but also I have a lot of "names". Here are a few:

Angela...this really is my name but literally only a precious few can "get away" with calling me this: Jeff, Phil and Janet. That's it.
Angie...as far as I'm concerned it is my name.
Ang...those close to me call me Ang.
Ang Pang...college friends and other randoms call me this.
Angelique...old friends call me this.
Angelina...Cassie calls me this and I admit...I like it...the real Angelina is H-O-T.
Angelika...Emily called me this. I feel as if someone else at work does but the name isn't coming to me right now.
NY Angie...Red Head Chrissy calls me this to distinguish me from "Across the Street Angie".
The Other Angie...I kind of hate this one because it sounds so 2nd Rate but Willy calls me this to distinguish me from "The Original Angi"--my assistant. Yes, it is weird that my part time assistant has my same name. Even stranger that right now we are sharing an office during the remodel.

More Pet Peeves

I get that I have a lot of pet peeves...here are a few more things that have recently been peeving me...

**I love vinyl. I get that it is popular here and I even have some of it in my house but what is the deal with the "vinyl families" on the backs of cars? I even saw one today with a vinyl "skull family"--not sure what I think about that either.
**I hate when people think they are cute by misspelling words and titles on businesses. It was one thing in Washington Heights when nearly ALL the English words were misspelled but here people do it on purpose. For instance today I was driving through Salt Lake and saw a "restaurant" named Skool Lunch. It is not cool. It is not kitschy. It is stoopid!
**Oh, and speaking of misspelling...the other day at work I witnessed another of my favorite pet peeves..."Your Great" was written on one of my co-workers cars. If you are going to write something on a car shouldn't you make SURE that you know how to spell it? Um...yeah!

Rock the Vote!

I'm a Political Science nerd. I watch political shows on TV and I try to follow what is happening in the world but lately my middle name may as well be L-A-Z-Y because until today I was still registered to vote in New York. I've been meaning to go and get my Utah drivers license so that I could register here but I always seem to come up with an excuse to NOT do it. Well, last night I started thinking about how I was running out of time and so I looked it up on-line and discovered that I definitely needed to get it done this week. I did think for a few seconds about just doing an absentee ballot and voting out of New York--somewhere where my little vote would count but in the end I did the right thing, filled out the form and dropped it off at the County building. I must admit that it made me feel kind of giddy like I did in 1990 when I registered for the first time -- the day after my 18th birthday.

The Walker Children

Today I started watching Season Two of Brothers and Sisters and I just have one question...how is it that the Walker children are continually surprised that NONE of them can keep a secret? Why do they continue to tell each other their secrets? I mean come on! Kitty must know that if she tells Kevin something he will tell Justin or Tommy. If they have a secret they need to keep it to themselves! Why oh why? Amen.

Hate Me

How is it that a person can hear a song many times (88 times by the count on my iTunes) and not actually hear it? I love the band Blue October and the song Hate Me but until the other night had not actually “heard” the song. I was driving home from dinner at my brother’s house and I heard the lyrics for the very first time. They are so sad and beautiful and if it is possible I love even more now.

(”Hi Justin, this is your mother, and it's 2:33 on Monday afternoon. I was just calling to see how you ware doing. You sounded really up tight last night. It made me a little nervous, and a l... and... well... it made me nervous, it sounded like you were nervous, too. I just wanted to make sure you were really OK, and wanted to see if you were checking in on your medication. You know I love you, and...Take care honey. I know you're under a lot of pressure. See ya. Bye bye”)

I have to block out thoughts of you so I don’t lose my head. They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed. Dropping little reels of tape to remind me that I’m alone. Playing movies in my head that make a porno feel like home. There's a burning in my pride, a nervous bleeding in my brain. An ounce of peace is all I want for you. Will you never call again? And will you never say that you love me just to put it in my face? And will you never try to reach me? It is I that wanted space. Hate me today. Hate me tomorrow. Hate me for all the things I didn't do for you. Hate me in ways. Yeah, ways hard to swallow. Hate me so you can finally see what’s good for you. I’m sober now for 3 whole months it’s one accomplishment that you helped me with. The one thing that always tore us apart is the one thing I won’t touch again. In a sick way I want to thank you for holding my head up late at night. While I was busy waging wars on myself, you were trying to stop the fight. You never doubted my warped opinions on things like suicidal hate. You made me compliment myself when it was way too hard to take. So I’ll drive so far away that I never cross your mind. And do whatever it takes in your heart to leave me behind. Hate me today. Hate me tomorrow. Hate me for all the things I didn’t do for you. Hate me in ways. Yeah ways hard to swallow. Hate me so you can finally see what’s good for you. And with a sad heart I say bye to you and wave. Kicking shadows on the street for every mistake that I had made. And like a baby boy I never was a man. Until I saw your blue eyes cry and I held your face in my hand. And then I fell down yelling “Make it go away!”Just make a smile come back and shine just like it used to be. And then she whispered “How can you do this to me?” Hate me today. Hate me tomorrow. Hate me for all the things I didn’t do for you. Hate me in ways. Yeah ways hard to swallow. Hate me so you can finally see what’s good for you. For you. For you. For you.

AmeriKacee Idol

Happy Birthday, Kacee! Friday night we celebrated my friend Kacee's 30th Birthday. It was a blast: food, fun, friends and KARAOKE! What more can you ask than a roomful of sober people trying desperately to sing. I admit that I was concerned when we first started planning the AmeriKacee Idol party that people wouldn't sing but they did and some of them wouldn't stop--thinking about it now still makes me smile. Way to go Chaddy, Lesli, Daniel and Tiffany! Oh, and I will never hear the song Summer Lovin' again without thinking about Steph and Mike!

The Tale of the Big Bad Meanine and The Annoying Checker Girl

Yesterday I was shopping at Target and I had my iPod with me so that I could be distracted by my favorite tunes while shopping. I also had the music as a "tool" to block out all the people I see when I go there. I always run into people I don't want to talk to or see and so I wanted to be "unavailable/unapproachable girl" as well. When I finally finished shopping I found what may be the most annoying checker in the history of the world. I HATE when the checker comments about the things that are in your cart. This girl was no exception. She commented about nearly everything I was buying and even asked me, “Did you have fun shopping?” No one has “fun” shopping at Target. Target is where I go to get all the random stupid things that I need in order to live: food, cleaning supplies, new pillows for the sofa, etc. “No, I did not have fun shopping”. Yet, still, she did not shut up. I couldn’t wait for her to finish and all it did was make me feel like Luke Wilson in Henry Poole Lives Here with that annoying grocery checker. I wasn’t mean and barely even spoke to her but still it made me feel like the big meanie that I am.

The Perfect Rage Cocktail

Yesterday I was having a bit of a bad morning. Nothing happened but I was not feeling quite as happy as I’d have liked. I was trying to kill a few minutes before an appointment and so I took a drive up Provo Canyon. I love driving in the canyon—especially when I have a lot of my mind so I thought it would be exactly what I needed. The drive was great. Not too much traffic, beautiful weather and the trees were gorgeous—absolutely perfect! Not only was the “outside” perfect but the “inside” was delightful. I love love love the “Shuffle” feature on my iPod and there I was driving in the beautiful canyon and listening to the perfect “Angie Rage Cocktail”:

1 oz. White Stripes
2 parts Depeche Mode
and a splash of Muse!

The Vulnerable Girl

I hate having a car. I love having a car. I hate having a car. I love having a car...

Okay, I LOVE having a car. I love having the freedom to go anywhere I want to go and anytime I want to go. I love that I just had a craving for frozen yogurt, threw on some clothes, drove across town and satisfied my craving. I love going to the store, buying stuff and putting it in the car and taking it home. I HATE dealing with cars. I hate paying for gas, insurance and repairs and even more than that I hate being vulnerable and girly and not knowing how to fix stuff. On Saturday afternoon after running around shopping and having fun with my mom and Becky the "check engine" light in my car came on. I'm kind of a good girl (mostly because I'm terrified of car problems) so I went home and made plans to take it to the shop on Monday morning. This morning I got up EARLY on my day off, got ready and took my car to the repair shop to have my buddies Ed and Kevin check out the problem. Said buddies had my car ALL day and finally at 4 o'clock Ed called me to tell me that MY GAS CAP WAS NOT ON TIGHT ENOUGH. Yes, ladies, I got to pay $50 for someone to tell me to make sure to put the cap on tighter. I LOVE being a girl!

Not All Crackers are Created Equally

A couple of years ago I ate saltines and cheese nearly exclusively....ask Christina and Meredith and they can confirm. Pretty much since discovering that crackers and cheese do not contain any iron, and thus the ability to slowly kill me, I've tried to stay away but lately have had a craving for some yummy colby jack and a handful of crackers. So, I'm an adult...I satisfy other food cravings and so the other day when I was shopping at Target I found the cracker isle and picked up a box. I was trying to save money so I bought the generic brand TRULY believing that crackers cannot be that different. Not true. The Target brand "saltines" suck and I can't even eat the rest. Morale of the story: stick with what you know...the good stuff costs more money.

The Possible Demise of my Cookie Obsession

I don't usually talk about work in my blog except for a passing reference to something someone said or did but yesterday something truly disturbing happened and I can't NOT write about it. My Accounting friends decorated my office yesterday morning for my birthday and then Julie brought in cookies from Smart Cookie to help us celebrate. Lindsay and I were sitting at my desk because I was helping her with a Darwin thing and I opened the box so we could all admire the cookies. Remember that these are my favorite Utah treat and I kinda can't get enough of them. I LOVE them and now I may not ever be able to eat one again...back to the story. After I opened the box this person who let's call One Hour Photo swoops in from across the office with this incredibly creepy look on his face and as he is TAKING one of my cookies asks in a TRULY heinous voice, "Can I have one of these...is it your birthday?" I half froze in my chair and was somehow able to nod my head 'yes' but the rest of me couldn't move at all. All of you who have ever sat through a horror/scary/slightly intense movie with me know that I always grab the person next to me when I'm scared and MY brain wanted to grab Lindsay but my body couldn't move. It was horrifying and even after it happened and he tip toed away we all sat there trying to figure out what had just occurred. This person OHP has never EVER even said "Hello" to me and felt as if it was okay to take away the one true pleasure I have right now. Ewwwwwwwww!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I've been dreading this day like the plague. Last year my birthday sucked and to be honest given how September has gone so far I pretty much figured that this year would follow as per expectations. I must admit that today was kind of sort of perfect. Okay, perfect would be a bit of a stretch but it was a lot of fun. The day started out with all kinds of cute surprises at home and at work and continued all day with phone calls, E-mail wishes and texts from friends all over the world. Work was fabulous, my evening with Julia was great (hilariously twisted movie) and I came home to a banner wishing me a Happy Birthday from the cutie patootie kids that live upstairs.

Thanks to all my friends and family. September 19th was a great day!

Fracking Funny TVisms

I'm going to share a few moments/lines from TV that have made me laugh this week. If you don't watch these shows it won't be funny and I apologize but I laugh every time I think about any of them...

How I Met Your Mother: Barney to Random guy at work: This spot is for VP of Awesome and you are Assistant Under Secretary of Only Okay."

Big Bang Theory: Leonard to Penny: "Have you ever heard of Schrodenger's Cat?" Penny: "Cat's alive--Let's go!"

90210: Kelly to Brenda about the perils of dating a guy a decade younger than her: "I asked him where he was when Kurt Cobain died and he said he was watching cartoons." This one is particularily funny to me...I don't have any idea why...

Greek: Casey to Ashleigh about the possiblilty of her taking a job as a babysitter: "What about your irrational fear of little people?"

Gossip Girl: Blair to everyone about Chuck: "I need a Post-Bass palate cleanser"; "Damn that Mother Chucker"; "Chuck Bass-tard". Ha ha. I love Chuck!

Oh, and this one has been rolling around in my head all week but it is about 14 years old:

Friends: Ross to Monica about why Paul-the-Wine guy would lie to her: "I'm guessing you are looking for something more sophisticated than 'to get you into bed'."

Sacred Thursday Night TV begins ... One week from tonight, Baby!

Random Thoughts for Today

I'm an emotional cripple. I'm stunted and demented. I'm watching TV right now and a commercial for Nights of Rodanthe comes on and I actually LAUGH out loud. It isn't just at home that this happens. Ask Julia, Shane or Kim...every single time I see this preview I start laughing. The logical intelligent part of me knows that this is not the appropriate response to that commercial but that's what happens when I see it. I can't freaking help it!

The final season of ER will be starting soon. HALLE-Freaking-LUJAH! I've been taking an unofficial poll for years trying to figure out who the HELL still watches that show but no one ever fessed up...I am happy to see that it will be ending this season. Maybe another helicopter will fall from the sky and take out the ENTIRE ER this time instead of just that tiny little annoying doctor.

Oprah kind of bugs me. I know. I know. This will make me even more unpopular than I already am but I don't love her. I don't hate her but I don't love her and I don't get why people think she walks on water. Anyway, the other day Red Head Chrissy and I were at the USU bookstore and I saw a copy of The Pillars of the Earth which I've been wanting to read but it had one of those *&^% Oprah's Book Club stickers. I walked across the store to make sure it was in fact a sticker that could be removed and not something imprinted on the actual book. It was a sticker so I bought it and have read about 200 pages (I removed the sticker the moment I walked into the house). I'm enjoying it very much -- despite the fact that O loves it.

Tina Fey is brilliant. I love her. I worship her. When I grow up I want to be her. She was unbeilevable on SNL last weekend as Sarah Palin. I've never seen/heard anything like that...ever.

This year the VMA's were RIDICULOUS! Totally unpolished. Completely unprofessional. The only good part was Pink. We fast forwarded thorough nearly all of it and I must admit that I have not felt that old in a very long time.

My brother Steve is cool. He's smart, funny, talented, charming AND he is the most amazing foot massager in the world. I used to pay someone in NYC a LOT of money to massage my feet to help with pain and swelling. With Steve all I have to do is buy him a Subway sandwich or dinner at Bombay House and/or give him a ride somewhere. I gotta admit...it's a really good trade.

Coming Home

Last week was my dear friend Mary's birthday. Mary and I have been friends since the early 90's and although we used to talk multiple times a day now if we talk a few times a year it is kind of a miracle. However, even if it is a few times a year it is still absolutely delightful when we do talk/e-mail or otherwise connect. I sent her a birthday message and this was part of her reply:

I love reading your blog. I laugh so hard. It brings me back to another life so many times. We were in DC this past weekend and oh how I love that city. I think I probably feel about DC as you do about NYC. It is home. How weird that it feels like home to me, but I think it always will. I guess I feel like DC is where I grew up.

How amazingly perfect? New York is where I grew up and where home will always be for me. Oh, and Mary, the fact that you signed your E-mail Mary Sunshine aka Kramer makes me love you even more than I already did...talk about take me back to when I used to call you "Kramer". Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. Good times.

Boogie Nights Theater

So, I don't work on Monday's and my friend Julia has a somewhat flexible schedule so we decided to catch a matinee movie...good idea...right?

We both wanted to see The Visitor (which by the way is the best movie I've seen in a year) but it was only playing at the icky icky theater behind the Mall. I remember the good 'ole days when that was the "nice" theater but those days are long gone. The movie started at 3:30 and for the first thirty minutes we were alone. Then about fourish a couple walked in and sat about 10 rows in front of us and over to the left. A few minutes later Julia gasps and tells me to "look over there" where I only see one person. It takes me a second to realize what is going on and Julia again comments that she is about to throw up and "Will you get mad if I go get the Manager?" I laughed and said I'd be okay with it wondering what exactly she was going to tell the "Pimple Faced 12-year old Manager". Julia comes back after telling the Manager, "There are 'sexual escapades' taking place in our theater...". Finally, the PFM came in and told them to 'stop it' and after a few minutes they got up and left. Okay, so we were feeling pretty okay and trying to get back into the movie when the girl walks back into the theater clearly a few sandwiches short of a picnic and "missing" something. She looks all over and can't find whatever she had left so she leaves AGAIN and goes and gets PFM and he comes into the theater with her to use his flashlight to find her missing coat. Seriously, at what point do you cut your losses and leave your discusting coat on the floor of the NASTY theater?

After discussing this incident with my friend Anna we decided on a couple of "Rules for Sexual Escapades". One: that should NEVER happen in public; Two: if for whatever reason it MUST happen in a public movie theater YOU MUST SIT BEHIND the others in the theater!

Camden and Jordie

Camden and Jordan. They are cousins and are 7 months apart in age. Jordie is younger but he is often the ring leader in their activities, pranks, fun and sometimes in beating up Cam. I think it might be because Jordan has three big brothers and Cam is an only child. This summer at the Summerfest they were the funniest little guys in the world. They danced and pranced all throughout the parade and had a lot of fun watching their dads, brothers and uncles set off all of the fireworks! My cousins were all either so much older or younger than me and I didn't get to have the kind of experiences that I hope my nephews and niece continue to have.

The Painted Toes

When I lived in New York I got into the habit of getting a weekly manicure. I know it sounds a little exravagant but it was really cheap in the city and it was such a great way to relax...even if only for half an hour. Well, I've not been able to find anywhere to get even a decent manicure here and so I've officially given up the hope of ever getting one again...oh, and it costs a lot more in UT so it definitely isn't something I could do each week. Since I love love love having my nails painted I've been forced to do it myself which kind of sucks but I'm actually getting good at painting the "other hand" and so it isn't as bad as it used to be. I do still enjoy the occasional pedicure as shown by the pictures of Kacee and Adi. We got to treat ouselves several weeks ago to a bit of fun with pedicures at a salon in Pleasant Grove. Yay--painted toes!

Brian Regan

I'd never heard of him but apparently Brian Regan is quite popular--especially here in Mormon Land and Bob had two tickets to the concert so Kacee and I got to go. It took a very frustrating hour to get from the off ramp in Alpine to our seats but we made it and it was so much fun. Brian was really funny but I don't know who made me laugh harder...him or the people watching the show. Some of those people are REALLY HUGE fans and were really into the comedy routine. I think my favorite bit of the night was the "Pop Tart" bit. I'd never really thought about why there are instructions on the Pop Tart box...why would anyone need to know how to cook a Pop Tart and REALLY why would there be instructions for microwaving them? Is anyone in that much of a hurry that they would need to microwave a Pop Tart? I'd sure hope not!

Police Concert

I'm a big fat blogging slacker but I downloaded a bunch of pictures today and remembered that I did get to do a few fun things this summer....

Kimmie, Crystal, Lacey (dude...she used to be 8 years old) and I got to see The Police in concert this summer. It was an absolute blast and I loved every single second of it. I'll admit...I was wary that "The Other Two" could pull their weight and that "My Stinger" would still be awesome but they did and he was! My favorites songs of the night included: King of Pain, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic and Wrapped Around My Finger! And yes, I chuckled to myself a LOT during Every Breath You Take thinking about all the people there who think that the "Stalker Song" is "Their Song"! What a great night!

Paul's Mini Me

My nephew Zack is an exact replica of his father. Becky and Paul are now working for our brother Jeff's small start-up company and the other day my baby brother Steve took Zack into his work and tried to pass him off as "his kid". One guy who works with Steve said, "No way, that baby looks exactly like that guy who comes in with Jeff all the time!" It's true, Millet genes may be strong (Brayden, Skyler, Jordie and Cam) but apparently those Defa genes are even stronger!

UCLA Study

**I hate E-mail forwards but I got this today and it is perfect for my current state of mind. Thanks, Briggs!

UCLA STUDY (VERY INTERESTING & SHORT)A study worth sharing with friends both male and female:A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed thatthe kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending onwhere she is in her menstrual cycle.For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with ruggedand masculine features.However, if she is menstruating, or menopausal, shetends to be more attracted to a man with duct tape over his mouth and a spear lodged in his chest while he is on fire.

The "No Comment" Scar

On Thursday morning while I was trying to wake-up and get ready for work I accidentally burned my face with the curling iron. It hurt like hell all day but I didn't worry about it until Friday morning when I woke up and had a huge brown mark running diagonally over the left side of my face. NICE! I tried to cover it up with make up but it was definitely still there. The truly comical thing is that people starred at it all day but NO ONE said a word! Not one word....which is truly funny because Friday was moving day and it looked like a smudge of dirt across my face. You would think someone at work would have even mentioned it....eh?

Random Thoughts

My filter is broken and I don’t know how badly I want to fix it. I’ve been accused of being brutally honest many times in the past but I can usually control it. I never intend to hurt the feelings of those I care about but lately I’ve really had a problem “filtering” out the bad stuff. I’ve even started and ended a few conversations lately with, “Sorry, but my filter is broken”. Like I said…I don’t mean to hurt anyone so if I have I truly apologize.

Several times a week someone comments about my “Sound Effects” and today it happened again while I was driving in the car with Red Head Chrissy. I try really hard to not be so vocal with my “sounds” but it’s how I concentrate and it is really difficult for me to be completely quiet. It’s so bad at work that occasionally I hear Anna (who used to sit in the cube next to me) giggle to herself only occasionally making a random comment about my annoying little noises.

Last Saturday night I stopped by Costa Vida to pick up my dinner (I know a ridiculously pathetic way to spend a Saturday night…) and I pulled up behind an old mostly bald guy who was standing next to his car using a GIANT can of AquaNet to spray the back of his wispy tiny little hair! The best part was that I had to stand in line in front of he and his wife for 20 minutes while we waiting our turn at the restaurant as I desperately tried not to laugh out loud!

Red Head Chrissy and I were driving up State Street and saw these three teenagers with dread locks and HUGE backpacks walking up the street…as if they were backpacking across Italy or France instead of Orem, Utah.

Friday, September 1st...

Friday, September 1, 2006 was a very special day and a very special girl was born. Her name is Paislee and I absolutely adore her. I remember that day vividly. It was early out day at work and I’d just come back to the city after having visited my good friend Courtney and her new baby Chloe in Jersey. I was walking across 42nd Street in between 8th and 9th Avenues on my way to Amy’s Bread to get cake before my early evening movie when Kacee called to tell me about baby Paislee. I stopped to take the call and after we spoke on the phone I realized that I was standing in front of my first New York City 7-11. It was a warm day and I was parched and there I was standing in front of a place with the best fountain soda in the world! Since that special day Pais and I have become great friends. I attended her 2nd birthday party last Monday and had a truly great time. Paislee was absolutely adorable and sweet as she ate her cupcakes and opened her gifts. There is very little as wonderful as a super tight hug from a perfect little girl. Happy Birthday, Paislee!

The Hunt for The DVD

On Tuesday The Office Season 4 was released on DVD. I was busy babysitting Zack and I kind of forgot about the big day until Wednesday when Lindsay told me that she and Spouse had looked all over town and were unable to get a copy. I was shocked. I know The Office is popular but I doubted that there were that many smart people in this town to have been sold out EVERYWHERE. So, Determined Angie took the case and went on the Hunt for The Office. I started at FYE and actually was able to get two copies: one for me and one for Linds. However, they didn’t have the Special Edition that Lindsay wanted so I bought them and then kept looking. As I have no life I decided to drive to Payson to check out the Wal-Mart there knowing full well that they would have plenty of copies of the SE of The Office. Um…yeah…no copies in Payson. Then I tried Springville…same thing. The moral of the story is that there are a lot of smart people in this town and a lot of fans of my favorite show. Oh, and the other moral is that I AM a crazy person and I know it. No one else would find something on the first try and then continue to look around for the “better version”.

Fall is Here and Ang is Happy

It’s been a rough summer. Eviscerating is the word I’ve been using but I’ve been accused of having read too many vampire books and being too dramatic so I’ll stop using that word. However, this week things have started to look a bit better. I have a few theories about why:

*Fall is here…no more heat, no more sweating and no more mosquitoes. I’ve been keeping the windows open and cuddling on my couch or bed with my blanket. I love Fall. I love warm days and cool nights. I love using the heater in my car in the morning and then rolling down the windows during lunch. I love sweaters and jackets and scarves and real shoes. Two more things about Fall that I love love love: Fall TV and last years Fall TV being released on DVD. Nothing is better than re-watching Michael run over Meredith over and over again. I miss my roommates for moments like this and the shrieking that my Meredith and Christina and I did last Fall when we watched for the first time but it is still a blast to watch it again. (I can actually still hear Teeny shrieking in my ear from that moment...)
*I have amazing friends. I know I have great friends…I’ve always known that but never in my life have I realized how important “my people” are to me. Thank you to everyone who rescued me in the last two weeks and helped me to be human again. Thanks especially to Kimmie who probably had better plans last Monday but dropped them to take me out to dinner and a movie to get my mind off my miserable little life. Thanks also to my Smart Cookie friends….how embarrassing was it to have TWO different people bring me cookies in the same day? Um…yeah. Nice. Also to the amazing peeps who left me a note and a cool treat the other night. I couldn't be more blessed. I love all of you!
*After years and years of cubicle life I finally got an office. Granted it is just a temporary space until the new area is ready and then I WILL have my OWN office that I can settle into but for now it is great to have a space with walls and a ceiling and the ability to listen to music! Ahhhhhhhhhhh I love it!

Best and Worst Cry Babies on TV

I’ve been watching a lot of TV lately…hmmm….wonder why? I’ve recently been watching Carrie and my Girls and also re-watching Alias Season 1. I know this isn’t important to world peace and/or the fight against anything important but I’ve just got to say that SJP is the worst crier in the world and Jennifer Garner is the best. That episode where Big needs heart surgery and Carrie breaks down multiple times is PAINFUL to watch=Worst Crying. Any episode with Syd having a breakdown=Best Crying.

Houdini vs. Post-it Note

Every night I record Sex and the City on TBS. I was an avid watcher back in the day but somewhere in the middle of season 6 I gave up expensive cable and never saw the end of the series. I saw the movie and basically enjoyed it but have really enjoyed watching the show on TV this summer. It’s still edgy and fun without naked Samantha and all the F-words. I’ve re-lived so many eating and wandering experiences while watching it and have also had great insight into my own life after having a Big vs. Aiden experience myself this summer. Last week I got dumped Houdini style and Carrie got dumped with a Post-it note. As upset as she was when Berger left the note I’ve gotta say…at least she got a note. In that episode I loved loved loved her verbal assault at Berger’s friends about how guys “leave”. Perfect and to the point! I heart Carrie.

The New David in my Life

Recently I’ve discovered a new author…okay, he’s not new and he’s not even new to me but I’ll call him new because I just started reading him and I love him. Every time I’d see one of his books I’d grin because he reminded me of some of my New York friends who loved him but would also say things like, “I don’t read fiction…” which is fine for them—not so fine for me. I can be a grown-up and read non-fiction from time to time but how much do I love getting wrapped up in another world or story that takes me away from the pathetic existence of my life. Anyway, I recently bought my first David Sedaris and love love love it. I read Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim first and then Me Talk Pretty One Day and now I’m in the middle of Naked. They are hilarious essays and short stories pulled from his life and even though some of them are somewhat tragic for the most part they make me laugh out loud and I especially love reading about his experiences in New York. On page 131 of Me Talk Pretty he describes a situation that I was literally in Christmas 2006..."The crowds were such that you could pick your feet off the ground and be carried for blocks in either direction." Ahhhhh the week between Christmas and New Years in New York Bloody City.

Red Mango vs. Yoasis

The other day I met one of my friends at Red Mango in Fort Union. I’d been waiting for the one in Orem to open so I could see if it was as good as Yoasis and so we tried the one in Sandy. My friend claimed that it was in fact better than Yoasis so I was very happy to try it out. I got the basic yogurt with mango which is my favorite at Yoasis. I’ll admit that it is very good. It is creamier and sweeter than Yoasis but in my not so humble opinion it is not better than Yoasis. It is just different. I love how tart and refreshing the yogurt is at Yoasis and for those who hate that (Becky) they will probably love Red Mango.

Me and My Love of Netflix

Netflix and I have a tenuous relationship. I’ve never been responsible enough to deal with Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. Not that I don’t watch the movies…I just have a difficult time returning them and then end up paying large and annoying fines. A few years ago I signed up for Netflix and I’ll admit…I loved it. I’ve never received a DVD that was too scratched to watch and I love that I could get them and can return at will. I loved that I could watch TV on DVD and not have to buy it—although let’s be honest—its rare that I am patient enough to “wait” for the next disk for a TV series. A while ago I cancelled my membership when I was cutting back on “unnecessary” expenses. When I told my sister about it she said, “Oh, we would never cancel Netflix…we’d get rid of anything except for that”. I shrugged and went on with it until I got an E-mail telling me that my awesome beautiful perfect sister had bought me a one year “gift subscription” to Netflix. How freaking awesome is my sister? She’s the best and I love her and that year I was very careful to watch and return quickly. I even “kept up” my list so that I knew what was coming up and what to look out for. In the last year though I’ve been very lax in my Netflixing…probably b/c I’m paying for it now and I’m not responsible. For instance apparently during the Winter/early Spring I was depressed—I’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I had very few friends and was struggling with the “what have I done by moving back here…”. I know I was depressed. Not in the way that normal people know it. I know it because of the movies I started getting a few months later. The irony about it all was that I was feeling a million times better but everyday the little red envelope would come in the mail and it would be some HORRIBLY depressing film that for some reason I thought I wanted to watch. Why oh why? I didn’t even watch most of them. I’d quickly return them and then wait for the next one. I KNOW I KNOW. The smart thing to do would be to log on to Netflix and change the list. Oh no, it was a game I played with myself to see what razor blade type film would be coming the next day. Recently I’ve been laughing at the little red envelopes because instead of being horribly depressing they’ve been a different kind of pathetically amusing kind of films. For instance the other day I got The Wedding Date and 27 Dresses. I laughed so hard at myself on the walk from the mailbox to my house. I know I put those on the list the end of May or early June when I was falling in love and feeling so great. Ha ha. Yeah, I didn’t watch either of those. I just put them back in their little envelopes and shipped them back to their home. I can’t wait to see what comes next…I’m a little scared though.

The Bermuda Rectangle

I love where I live. I love that it is five minutes from work. I love that it is pretty and quiet (mostly) and I love that it is all mine. One thing however that I do not love. Even before I moved to this neighborhood I knew there was a problem. Anytime I drove down 1600 North my music would “disappear” and some nasty country or otherwise ugly music would be “picked up” on the iPod in my car. I would just turn off the music until I reached 1200 West—the safe place and then it would be fine. However, as I now live in this neighborhood I’ve discovered that it isn’t just 1600 North with the problem. I live in the middle of the Bermuda Rectangle. On State Street between 1600 North and 200 South in Lindon and all the way to 1200 West the music “disappears”. I have no idea what kind of strong signal is blocking out my stuff but it must be strong to carry that far. Sometimes I play a game where I try to sneak up on the horrible music by getting off the freeway at 1600 North and going up Geneva to 200 South and coming in the back way…it occasionally gives me a few extra seconds to listen to my music rather than the crap in my neighborhood. One time I nearly got to the nursery next door before being assaulted by the “noise”. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only place where it happens. Occasionally when driving down State I have moments driving next to a random mini van or whatever where I have to listen to Toy Story or whatever dumb Disney movie the kids are watching. The other day I got stuck listening to some techno music for longer than I wanted (longer than one second is longer than I wanted) and sometimes I get bugged but really it makes me giggle because I’m E-V-I-L and hope that one day when I’m driving past someone else that they might be forced to listen to “my music”—you know the Spring Awakening soundtrack or maybe some of my “angry music” as Red Head Chrissy calls it. Yup, that’s it. I’m mean and evil and vindictive and right now I live in the Bermuda Rectangle also known as North Orem.