Well, that sucks...

Just a few moments ago I was called into a manager's office where I was told that he was not getting a job we both hoped he would get.

He hoped he would get it so he could move on. I hoped he would get it because I really wanted his job. :) Looking at the people that were eligible for his job, I was the most qualified person to step into his place.

So I sent out a text message to some people that knew about this possible opportunity - just to let them know that it didn't pan out after all.

The silver lining? At least I have a job.

EVEN more of a silver lining? My mom, who does not text and is not the most computer/technology literate person, texted BACK "rats."

How cute is that? My mom actually texted. :) And it was one of my mom's typical mom-isms. She's proper - so she doesn't say curse words...just something along the lines of "fiddlesticks." I just can't get over how cute that was.

So as bummed as I am about the discouraging news, I'm so happy I have a supportive silly mom. :)

Sometimes I'm slow

I was born in Denver. We lived here until I was 8 and although I don't have a ton of memories during that time, Denver was always the place I wanted to come back to.

Six years ago I opted to take a job that had me leaving Oklahoma and moving to Colorado. And I totally lucked out because my Godmother lived in the city that I had to move to...which meant that I could live with her for a month or two until I found a place that I could move into. She was so very cool about it - and insisted that I not pay her rent. She rocks.

The only thing is, as much as she and I were around each other (her daughter is around my age) until we moved away when I was a kid, I didn't really KNOW her. Sure, I'd spent some time around her from age 7 on, but it was pretty limited and all I could really remember was how she didn't seem to have as many hangups as my parents did. She had a papazan chair that we could sit and spin in and our eye didn't even get poked out - which is what my mom was constantly worried about. Oh, and that she let us eat Apple Jacks if we wanted to. And of course, given my cereal upbringing, I took advantage of this whenever I could. Again, she rocks.

Anyway, the day I drove into Colorado, after driving about 12 hours, I was excited to meet her and her boyfriend. After I moved in all my crap, they opted to take me out to eat. Because I was trying to be accommodating, when they asked if I'd like Indian food, I replied with an enthusiastic "yes!" Sure I had never tried it before, but hey, I officially lived in Colorado and was up for anything! They piled me into the back of their SUV and started driving me around the city - swerving to show me landmarks that she hoped I would remember from being a kid.

Oh, did I forget to tell you that I am a bad backseat passenger? As in, I get very sick to my stomach? Alrighty then.

So we arrived at the Indian restaurant and that's when I realized that I'm not a fan of curry...not the way it tastes, and not the way it smells. And curry clearly is not a fan of me.

Getting sick halfway into dinner, I opted to go to the bathroom. And I don't know if it was the altitude, my fatigue, the fact that I had just ingested what tasted like a smelly ball of fire, or I was still fighting nausea from the city tour, but I walked into the wrong bathroom.

Sure, the urinals should've been my first clue, but also the men clearing their throats while peeing. Which is VERY disgusting and you should never ever ever do it thankyouverymuch. This didn't register until I was done and I had to hide out until there were no more people in the restroom.

It was a horrible experience and I think that everyone in the restaurant noticed that I walked out of the men's restroom - including our waiter and my Godmother and her boyfriend. I had been in there for a long time (to wait out the guys) and walked out of the wrong restroom. Quite the first impression.

The problem is that now I'm kind of overly sensitive to this happening again. So I'll literally pause outside of the restrooms at restaurants double checking my restroom choice. Sometimes I have to do some translation when at funky restaurants that think they're being funny or clever. I've learned that while at the Outback, sheilas mean "Anne, pick this one!" Sometimes the choices are super classy - one place had a picture of a taco on the door and a hot dog on the other one.

At any rate, our office has a cleaning guy who will clean our bathrooms and then leave the toilet seats up.

And even though I go to the same restroom each day- the same stall even - I still freeze when I walk in and see the seat up. Because then I'm one curry/fireball away from public humiliation. Which, actually come to think of it, isn't all that different than any other experience at my office.

Huh. Interesting.

I'm going to start shopping for a flask...or a briefcase.

First, I need to let you know that I have a pretty good sense of humor in day to day dealings with people that I work with. The people that I work with? Most of them are self-absorbed assholes who feel like they are the only right ones. You know...just like me. So I try to remember that I have more freedom of speech than anyplace else I've worked and usually that helps me calm down if someone says something that is offensive to me.

Yesterday in a production meeting (with about 15 participants) that we have three times a week, we were talking about...well...production issues. Because I handle a specific product line that few other people handle, I announced that one of our plants (that makes this specific line) was closed for the week for inventory purposes.

It went like this:

Me: Our (specialized) plant is closed for inventory this week- so nothing can be shipped out of that facility.

Him: Is someone else there to handle orders?

Me: Yes. The inside sales group is still working.

Him: Yeah, but what I'm asking is what about emergency orders? Is someone going to be there to field my calls?

Me: Yes - actually, the quote that we discussed earlier for 30 thousand dollars --

Him: (interrupting) No. Stop right there. I know what you're going to say and that's not going to answer my question.

Me: Oh, you do?

Him: Yes. What I'm asking is about emergency orders. Is someone going to be able to handle those?

(silence)

(more silence)

(people in the room look to me)

Me: (raising my hand) OOOH! Pick me! I know the answer!

Him: What?

Me: As I was saying, the quote that we discussed earlier was an emergency requisition for these parts. They are for (I name three different parts) and will be shipped out, on an emergency basis, direct from the factory's vendors. So yes, they can handle specialized emergency orders.

Him: Oh.

So I forgave that...I mean, it was a jerky thing to do, but really? I have been trying to not be upset about the "little things" that people do. And to be honest, I was a little embarrassed that my reaction to his rude thing was to raise my hand and be overly sarcastic about knowing the answer.

UNTIL

Larry and Lance have been doing that to me ALL THE TIME since the meeting yesterday morning. In fact, I was in Larry's office talking about an issue that I was having with our inventory and he held up his hand and quoted this other manager verbatim. And then he cracks up hysterically laughing. So I start saying what I was going to say and then Lance will pop his head in the office and say the same thing that the manager said.

(sigh)

I think I'm going to start bringing a flask to work. It's either that or be prepared to serve time in prison.

It keeps getting better

The guy from work?

Yeah - he's definitely married. He sported his wedding ring yesterday at work and my jaw dropped.

Classy.

Because I love The Clap

"The Clap" - found in such songs as "Jack and Diane" and "That Thing You Do."

This song is in my head about 24-7 these days and I heart it. I'm not going to rank this song against Reduced Fat Cheese Nips, but let's just say that eating RFCN and listening to this song may put me into a happy coma.*

It's "Stay Over" by The Rescues.

Stay Over - The Rescues

*I originally wrote comma instead of coma. I'm not 100% sure what a happy comma is, but I think it's this :,) which kind of looks like a snowman smiley...because he has some sort of carrot for his nose. And now I'm just making stuff up...unlike the medical term "happy coma" which is clearly NOT made up. Nope.

No, I'm not on any drugs of any kind (not that there's anything wrong with that)

I've been challenging myself to write about whatever is on my mind - to not censor as much as I have been in the past. I know, you're wondering how the zit post made it past the censor sensors...and all I can say is that I DON'T KNOW. The censor sensors are apparently faulty. The result? Posts like this. Consider it my gift to you.

--------------------------------------------

I thought about writing a poem called "Ode to Reduced Fat Cheese Nips" where somewhere within the prose, there would be something about Cheese-Its tasting like complete crap and how they are not at all on the same level as Cheese Nips.

But then I realized that my creativity was blocked by the age-old "Cheese Nip deficiency." It seems to be a medical condition. Sadly, the only cure is to eat some. What? It's SCIENCE. And I can't argue with that.

So I ate a couple of handfuls and now I've got this:

Ode to Reduced Fat Cheese Nips

by Anne Not Kennedy

Oh Cheese Nips

You are so very tasty.

I like you a lot.

Get in my belly now.

It's a work in progress...and as every creative person knows, you can't really rush it. I don't want to give a bunch away, but let's just say there is also a song in the works too.

Before your time

I'm 32.

And at night when I'm trying to decide if I want to watch another episode of "Golden Girls" or if I want to head off to bed, I try to remind myself that 32 is not old. It's more of a mantra that I say over and over again, but still!

At work, we use IM quite a bit to communicate. I love it. So since we can all post different pictures of us, I change mine up quite often.

Popular IM pictures of mine are of random objects, old ladies, daisies, babies, or Peanuts characters.

But last week I changed my IM picture to this:

And a co-worker (who is 25) asked me if it was a gang sign.

I explained to him that it's the sign that was on the chest of "The Greatest American Hero" and that William Katt is a brilliant, fantastic man who will always be my first love. And of course, he had no idea what I was talking about.

So I actually said, "It's from before your time." He nodded and went on with his day.

And I was sad...because 32 cannot be old (see mantra).

Just to prove my point, what was your favorite TV show when you were a kid?

An exerpt from an email I just sent

Okay great, I'll see you then!

Oh - and just so you know, I have a zit that is growing bigger and bigger by the second despite all the medication/topical ointments that I am using in an attempt to kill it...it is resilient! In fact, it's probably best that you not make eye contact. Also, whatever you do, DO NOT TAUNT IT. It gets mad.

----

And SCENE!

I know, it's gross. I get it. But it completely cracks me up. Kind of like when the mole from Turk's face taunted Carla on "Scrubs" after he shaved his mustache. And please tell me someone else has seen that episode...

No?

Just me?

Okay then.

If I go missing, please tell my mom I love her

Two weeks ago, a guy in our warehouse receiving department called me for what I thought was business purposes. Turns out, he wanted to ask me a question that his friend texted him earlier that day. That question being, "Why do the white guys not like the thick girls?" He was apparently so perplexed by this question that he decided to "ask the source."

I did not point out to him that I was not the source of the question, but rather a person resembling the subject. Why? Because I don't want to be a complete asshole to everyone I work with.

To be clear, this guy meant "thick" as a compliment. And after about a half second of being hurt that I was being described as thick, I got over it and realized that that's probably a pretty accurate description of me. HOWEVER, please understand that "thick" is not something I want to be described as. So if you start your comments below as "Dear Thick Chick" I will promptly fly to wherever you are and punch you in the kidneys. Yes - both of them. Because I'm not about to get mocked about my size. You may think I'm kidding, but I am so not kidding.

ANYway, the guy went on to say that he thought that I was "rockin' a skirt" earlier that week and that I "kick it" in the jeans I wear. What can I say? He is so right. BUT I don't have any interest in being Kelly from "The Office." So I did what I do best in situations where guys are hitting on me. I play dumb to stall.

I KNOW! You expected more out of me...but the truth is, I don't get hit on often. So when I do, I usually play dumb and wait until the moment passes. The weird thing is that although he was giving me compliments (albeit inappropriately) it's not like he SAID he was hitting on me. And he didn't ask me out. So I also didn't want to freak out and be all "Dude. I am offended! I would never date a co-worker!" and then spray him with pepper spray because he might have been just asking a question. Or at least that could be what he would claim. So I just played dumb and pretended that he really was trying to get an answer of why "all" the white guys don't like the thick girls. My answer, by the way, was "I don't know. I'm not a white guy."

Fast forward to yesterday at lunch when I was getting gas at a nearby gas station.

He pulls up a bay over and calls me over. I walked over to him.

Him: Just so you know, today is one of those days.
Me: Huh?
Him: You know, where you're rockin' it in jeans.
Me: Uh...okay.
Him: Well, I can't hit on you at work...
Me: So you're doing it at a gas station?
Him: Yeah. So....
Me: See you later.

And I walked away.

While I was at the pump, I noticed that he pulled through the bay he was at, and left the gas station to go back to work.

That's right, people. He didn't even need to go to the gas station.

So I let Larry at work know afterwards...and we both laughed the entire time. And then he, straight faced, told me that if I started to feel like someone needed to step in and tell him that he should leave me alone he was happy to do so.

To be truthful, I think that this guy probably got the hint when I didn't flirt back or indicate that that was cool to do. So I think I'm going to be fine. I have no problem with telling someone no and he's taken 6 months to approach me about this, so I really think that he's not going to push it either. It does help to know that someone at work would step in if need be.

But just in case I go missing, tell my mom I love her. And tell the police to look for a guy that resembles Dave Chappelle (only slightly less bug eyed) and drives a teal minivan.

Have Some Cake! :)

Today's song is one that I LOVE.

It's fun and although I realize that many of you have already heard it, it's still worthy of being featured this week.

It's just a fun, upbeat song with a picture of a pig on the album cover...so I cannot guarantee that you won't get Swine Flu by listening to it.

Also, you might start craving bacon. But if you're anything like me, that's a regular craving anyway.

Enjoy your Friday!

It's Your Life

I realize that when you read "It's Your Life" you might've cringed because you thought that Thursday's song was going to feature Bon Jovi. Or maybe you donned your BJ shirt, put on a great hair band wig, and got ready to rock it out.


Either way, you should know that this post is Bon Jovi-free. Well, except for the fact that that's all I've written about up until now.

(sigh)

ANYway, it's no secret that I LOVE "The Biggest Loser" - except for the fact that the person who won this season weighed in at 117 pounds and looks sickly and unhealthy. I guess I should say that I really like the show - except for the finales. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up on a song that played in the background of a couple key moments of the show. After getting goosebumps, I had to find out who sang it.


The song is "It's Your Life" by Francesca Battistelli and I love it.*


Turns out, it's a Christian song by a Christian singer. I know I kid quite a bit about God on my blog, but the truth is, I love Him. EVEN though I think that he's not fair all the time - especially to women. I mean, we have to endure BABY SHOWERS...and there is no pain like that. Maybe it's because I've got two of them coming up...and I swear, if I have to play games about babies, eat baby food, having chugging races while drinking from bottles or WORSE try to identify the chocolate that has melted in a diaper (WHICH LOOKS LIKE POOP -it's not funny, it's just gross!) I'm walking out. Wait. One of the moms reads this blog...so now I HAVE to stay. Wait. She's Jewish, so she might've stopped reading at "Christian." Maybe I'm safe. Whew! Thank you Jesus!


Sorry, people. Back to the music stuff.

I actually love Francesca's CD because the tunes are catchy and, for the most part, they're a lot about how the future is unsure and she's having to learn just to trust that things will work out. And wow does that sound like me - the control freak that I am?

Without further ado, here is the song:

*I know I'm not exactly selling this, but I think the only line I DON'T like is "The world is watching you" mostly because I put enough pressure on myself without having to think that the ENTIRE WORLD is watching everything that I do. I do, however, like the idea of the song...that each choice we make shows what is important to us. A pastor of a church I used to attend said, "To see what you really value, look at where your money goes each month." That thought stuck with me, and I like that this song helps remind me that the little intentions and actions do matter in anything: weight, health, faith, work, or your personal life.

Wednesday's Magical Song

To recap, we had country on Monday, funky groovy tunes yesterday, and today? Well, today is a a great day to pause, reflect, and gather your strength to keep going - after all, you're halfway through the work week!

I find when I'm in moments of reflection that I crave soft, mellow music. Something to soothe my soul and my ears. That soothing reminds me that the person that cuts me off in traffic IS a person. And that their affront isn't personal to me. The soothing songs remind me that "this too, shall pass." Getting bent out of shape only hurts me.

Favorites of mine when I'm in this mood are Joshua Radin and Colin Hay. Yes...THE Colin Hay from Men at Work. He has some wonderful acoustic, soft stuff. In fact, I ALMOST chose "Wating For My Real Life to Begin." But today, I've chosen "Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson.

In my opinion, this song is magical. When I'm listening to it, I'm soothed by the reminder to well...keep breathing. Sometimes in times of stress or depression, I've found that that is about all I can do to stay sane...just keep putting one foot in front of the other and to keep breathing.

Here's the song - for you to push play at any moment...just know that if you feel like crying after hearing it - especially at the part where the music swells towards the end - you're human.

I hope this song helps someone as much as it's helped me in my life. :)

Funky Tuesday - good times

Music week continues!

Yesterday I introduced you to a country song that I absolutely love...and today, we're gonna' get funky.

Among my friends, it is well known that I'm a huge DMB (Dave Matthews Band) fan...and a couple of years ago, my younger sister came up to visit me in Denver. We caught DMB and were SO lucky to see Robert Randolph and the family band as the opener. THEY ARE FANTASTIC.

You probably best know them from their "Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That" which is great!

But today's song is my favorite one by the band, titled "Good Times (3 Stroke)".

Although I'm not a huge fan of the wailing guitar at the beginning (I've never really been a Jimmi Hendrix fan) it gets so good as it gets going! Kind of like when you try a friend's food that she made to be nice and you have your doubts about it because it looks icky...but then as you taste it, you're all "How can I kidnap/blackmail her into making this at my house daily?" Or maybe that's just me.

Anyway, I dare you to start listening to it and NOT tap your feet to the tune in the middle. It's THAT good.

So, here's a bit of a dilemma. They DO have it on iTunes HERE. But the clip that they have isn't going to give you a taste of it. I tried to find it on the same site as yesterday's song, but that was NOT the song. YouTube has many versions, but they're live and to be honest the person holding the camcorder is lucky that I didn't come through the computer and slap them on the head for talking through the performances.

So, that leaves us with this option, via lala.com (my older sister's advice). Hope it works!

Good Times (3 Stroke) - Robert...

Music week

Alright people, I feel like having a theme week... So TADA! You get subjected to my taste in music.

I think it's mostly because I added that little music tracker on my page. It's kind of like a one of those huge zits you used to get when you were in high school...or in my case, that I sometimes still get. Now that I know it's there, I'm focusing on it. The result is that every time I listen to my iPod or the radio and a song I like comes on the radio, I'm all "OMG! I totally need to feature that as my music pick of the week." It's only Monday and I already have WAY too many on the list.

So...I've decided to make it a music week - where for the next week, you'll get subjected forced encouraged to listen to a different music song that resonates with me.

Today's music choice is "Stand" by Rascal Flatts.

Feel free to click the button to hear this song! :)

The first time I heard this song, I was visiting Joella's myspace page. She had just added this song and I was amazed at how much it touched me.

It's been a favorite of mine during this weight loss phase of my life, because I guess it gives me the courage to stop victimizing anything that has happened to me. It gives me the courage to just try one more time and when I'm running, I run the hardest and fastest during this song.

Without further ado, here are the lyrics:

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless like you've lost your fight
But you'll be alright
You'll be alright

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you stand
Then you stand

Life's like a novel with the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon with only one way down
Take what you're given before its gone
Start holding on, keep holding on

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you stand (then you stand)
Yea, then you stand (then you stand)

Everytime you get up
And get back in the race
One more small piece of you
Starts to fall into place, yea
Ooohhh

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause it's all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you stand

If you want to buy the song, you can find it HERE on iTunes.

What I'm listening to these days

Alright, so if you haven't noticed, I added a little gadget on the left side of my blog - it's called "What I'm Listening to These Days."

I've been trying to figure out a way that I can post songs that I absolutely adore without donating a whole post to it. Basically, I've found that music is such a window to the soul - and there are songs that I simply can't get enough of from time to time.

This week it's Rocco DeLuca's "Colorful." That song came out a while ago, but I recently heard a live version on one of my favorite radio stations in town...and now I love that version. The original version is pretty cool too though. :)

Since I had to link it to something, I opted to link it to iTunes...but feel free to check it out anywhere else. YouTube's links are sometimes a little weird because I've found that I can't always find what I'm looking for on there...and sometimes in order to listen to the song, you've got someone else's visual weirdness up there.

Anyway, I'm not trying to push iTunes...it just happens to be what I use. Because I love all Apple products. :) BUT I promise I'll look the other way if you choose to get it via other means.

The Biggest Difference

I watch "The Biggest Loser" and I have to say that I simply adore this show.

The first season I watched it was last season...and I was awed by how much weight some of these contestants lost. It was inspiring. And last season's winner, Michelle, was someone that I identified with. She was the person who had emotional problems (who doesn't?) that they chose to air...and what kept coming up was that she was a giver and was afraid to stand up for what she believed in. She was afraid to say "No."

This season, they've had the biggest people that they've ever had. And they have lost a LOT of weight. One of the contestants has lost 164 pounds in 17 weeks. 17 WEEKS! I've lost a little over 50 in a LOT of weeks...so I can't even imagine what they've gone through.

The biggest change has been (from what I understand) basically this episode. They have to go home for 30 days and then weigh in to see who makes it to the finale. Usually they just go home and then come back after an indeterminate amount of time later for the final weigh in. At that time, they either lost weight and were "The Biggest Loser" or they didn't. But THIS time they have to prove it that they can do it at home.

And they're struggling.

I am so thankful that they're showing this side of the weight loss. One woman was asking her friends "Didn't you see how miserable and unhappy I was?" This same woman talks about how she's going to have to learn to trust her friends and (gasp!) ask for help. Another woman asks her husband "How did I get to think that this (holding up her pants) was okay?" She admits to living a secret life - one draped in pain, hurt, and secret eating. A young man is forced to get in touch with his feelings and his issues with family as he fights past the urge to binge at fast food places all the way home.

THIS IS REALITY TV.

It's tough to lose weight. It's tough to struggle with how much to drink or eat when you're out with friends. It's tough to date and deal with all issues where you completely doubt yourself and your worth. It's tough not to get wrapped up in the number on the scale. And it's tough to figure out where the balance is in life - not just in eating or exercising.

Usually I save these posts for the other blog. But watching this TV show made me want to shout out to everyone I see, hear, or even think about... THIS IS MY LIFE!!!

I struggle with consistency. I struggle with feeling ravenous at times when there is no logical reason for it. I struggle with guilt issues. I struggle with anger towards my family members. I struggle with saying "no." I struggle with wanting to feed emotional issues with food. I struggle with trying to push it too hard and fast in exercising. And I struggle with trying to control SOMETHING...and food (or exercise) has been a great way for me to assert that control.

Watching the show tonight has helped me feel not so alone. It's helped me feel that I'm a part of something, well... bigger than me.

I love that they're showing that these people are human. That entering your "old" life after 17 weeks is completely catastrophic and that it takes time to acclimate. I love that they're showing that the quick fix of a TV program, pill, supplement, or even surgery isn't easy. And long term emotional issues rear their ugly heads even after the weight is gone unless you DEAL with the long term emotional issues.

My challenge (to myself) is to live life in the middle. To not be such an extremist with my weight, my food, my exercise, my love life, my career...anything. Living life in the middle means feeling pain. It means having issues and at least trying to be okay with them by working through them. It means acceptance.

Life is tough... and as silly as it sounds, I've been figuring out that life is tough even for people without weight issues. Tonight's show helped illustrate what my life could be like AFTER the weight is gone. I need to deal with my issues as much as I can now...because being skinny doesn't mean that the problems go away.

Huh. Go figure.

The biggest difference between me and the contestants? It's that they're on TV and I'm not.

Wow...Already?

I knew I would feel older...but this morning was a bit too soon.

I guess I wasn't prepared for listening to the "oldies" station and hearing The Police's "Every Breath You Take."

(sigh)

Really? Have I gotten that old?*



*To answer that, I'll quote a recent episode of 30 Rock:**

Jack: “I’m 50. To put it into perspective, that’s like 32 for ladies.”

**30 Rock is a seriously funny show. If you didn't watch it, Jack was telling Liz about how he feels old, he feels the need propose to his girlfriend now.

Losing feeing in your boobs...oh, and flowers

Today is my birthday. :) I am thirty-two years old.

And I just want to say that I had a pretty darn good birthday.

Matt and Kelly took me out to a great burger joint last night (my choice) and we had a great time. To show what a great time we had, we opted to take pictures.

I was feeling pretty good about my age until I saw this picture:


And that's when I realized that being 32 means that you lose all feeling in your boobs. I had no idea she was touching my boob!

Alright, she swears she wasn't actually touching it, but can I just say that it was very disconcerting to see the picture and not remember that sensation?

Okay then. It was very disconcerting.

Anyway, today I slept in, cleaned up around the house, and went to Home Depot to buy mulch for the backyard and some pretty, pretty flowers. :) I planed them and am really happy with the results! I meant to go outside and take pictures earlier... But because I'm a procrastinator, all you get are these pictures that I took in a hurry as it started to rain. This picture of my front garden doesn't do it justice - there are some great colors in the flowers and (of course) there are some really cute Marguerite and Shasta daisies. :)


And can I just tell you how fantastic my mom is? She sent me these flowers...aren't they beautiful?So all in all, I had a pretty darn good birthday weekend.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to yell at the meddling neighbor kids to get off my lawn, slather myself in anti-wrinkle eye cream, watch "Murder She Wrote," and then have a nice cup of warm milk.

I'm not going to lie to you...this is just weird

Today I went to the post office to mail my older sister her birthday card and a CD full of songs. FYI, her birthday was over a month ago. *

Anyway, when I pulled into the parking pace, I couldn't help but feel like SOMETHING was looking at me.

Turns out, it was two somethings.

In case you can't tell, what you're looking at is an SUV with a 2x4 attached to it. On the 2x4 there are sticks/skewers with Barbie heads on them. To complete the look, this vehicle also comes with bras (there are actually two of them - layered - apparently for warmth) wired to the hood of the vehicle.

The Barbie head on the right side is bare, but the Barbie head on the left side comes with her very own cell phone:

It's creepy, undoubtedly. But I'm perplexed because I can't help but feel that this person was trying to make a statement with this contraption...but the statement is lost on me because I, apparently, am not as fluent in crazy as I thought.

Also, I don't get why the Barbie head is using a cell phone like that...I mean, wouldn't a hands-free Bluetooth headset work better?

*For the record, I actually mailed it earlier, but it was returned due to insufficient postage. Then I left it at home multiple times, then I left it at work multiple times. Most recently I went to the post office and realized that I didn't have my wallet with me. If you haven't been able to tell by now, I'll just spell it out for you: I have issues.