{this is how i think}

i realize i just posted. but new topic.

having spent the last two hours looking at photos of literary tattoos and wanting to now cover my body in text, i came across a post talking about jonathan safran foer (who wrote Everything is Illuminated) and a piece he wrote for the New Yorker found here and the use of 'should-have brackets.' if brackets are the things that should-have been said, then are parenthesis, for me, the points i want to make extra loudly? (i think this might be the case.)

i love words. and books. if i didnt love books so much i would cut out the pages and frame them as art so that others could understand my love for them.

and in that moment, i swear we were infinite. or, ballz deep

if anything, this weekend has made me realize i need to invest in camera again so that i dont have to wait around for others to post photos so i can show you things. that i'm alive, well, and happy. how do you no this isnt a robot typing?

steffs birthday was friday, and in true steff fashion, it was a ridiculous experience. we traveled 'balls deep' as the phrase of the night became, which really makes no sense when you think about it. but when you travel in a wolfpack of around 20 people to various establishments around the greater high street area, you can pretty much call it what you wish. when i get the photos from steff, remind you to show the mean face. apparently, when you roll balls deep, you have to routinely wear mean faces. or, subsequently, you look like this (photo courtesy of sarah k):also. you have to be sparkly. i sparkled like a firecracker, my friends. sparkle!

as any good celebration we through together anymore, the night involved kareoke, dancing with queens, and swill with friends. i'm glad i dont do this often, one because i just dont think i could physically handle it and two, bc i think it would lose some of its magic.

the rest of my weekend has alternately involved sunshine and rain, sushi, jenga, fondue, the movie of Into the Wild (go watch now), books, sparklers, burritos, memories,iced coffes, hugs, hangovers, and naps. in about an hour or so it will be time to go on my weekly arguing tour of the grocery store. today, i shall fight for sour cream for those potatoes!

this website has once again stirred the inking desire. i've done well at overcoming many fears this past year or so. i think the tattoo would be one of the biggest hurdles yet. that, and what i want changes each time. since easter i've stuck with the 'going' bird, but who says that will last? i still want the dogwood flower, the violet flower, and the compass, but i don't want those to be my first. maybe if someone buys me a tattoo for my bday, i'd feel obligated to get it and wouldnt let myself chicken out... *coughcoughHINT* but this website is awesome and has many of my favorite quotes/books/poems in tattoo form. i want to hug the person who has the Everything Is Illuminated one...

there are so many motorcycles in town that it constantly sounds like thunder. which is kind of nice on one hand bc i love the sounds of storms. but on the other hand it means there are many fast moving targets that keep me off the road out of fear. i watched one hit a pothole yesterday and my heart momentarily stopped bc i thought he was going to fly off into my windshield. it didnt even phase the biker, but i probably lost 3 months off my life.

i dont know whats in the week to come. i almost wish it would stretch out because i'm not looking for the weekend for multiple reasons. if i don't end up having to work, i might take a little trip.

we'll see what happens.

and when there are more photos, i will show them to you. all else, know that two english degrees later, i'm afraid all i'm accomplished at is being able to ramble off eloquently worded slang for the male member.

Friday's Epic Win

Do you ever have one of those days where you just wake up and feel like you're in a bad music video because you're in such a good mood? Today is that day.

I went up to the engineering school at lunch for their cookout and it was so nice to see everyone. I do miss a lot of them. But it is nice too to know they're all proud that I have a 'big girl job'. Even the chairman stopped and talked to me for a little while, which boggled my mind as he rarely remembered my name when I worked there.

This.... this is the greatest thing ever. I loved Bedknobs and Broomsticks. and Corduroy bear. and Ernest. This makes me wish I could be 8 years old again. just for an afternoon.

I found cute sparkly things for steff's bday event tonight. it should be iiiiinteresting to say the least.

I guess none of this is exciting. maybe i just feel extra good bc i got to spend an hour out in the sunshine.

i hope you all have a great weekend!!

Things that Make Me Giddy.

1. apologies for the multiple spelling errors in last post that i refuse to go back and fix.

2. getting 3 hours of sleep that night did not make me a happy bird.

3. This is super-nerdy. But I am fascinated. I need to send this link to my great aunt who does family tree nonsense.

4. Finally! one photo from kellie marie's wedding! I don't know why we don't seem to have any floating around.. I'm sure more will follow, ones that werent taken in a SCARY pink room. Isn't kiki beautiful?!

5. I seriously want some tater tots. I dreamed in tots and now that is all I can think about.

6. I'm so glad I work with crazy people. They keep me afloat more often than not.

7. It may be july, but i am wearing 4 layers right now because I work in the arctic circle of doom. at least i look accidentally patriotic.

8. i wish it were november already so i would know what i'm doing job-wise. and then it can go back to being summer. or maybe skip around to my bday. that would be pretty alright.

9. can i help you?

10. i think i pulled something in my shoulder at zumba last night. i have no idea how this even happens. that latin dance nonsense is going to kill me. but i loves it.

11. I really dont have anythign to say. I just wanted to show you the medieval database and the photo from kellie's big day. I should have just done that.

disappearing act

sorry. i disappeared there. and i've been told twice today that i need to write something. and its after midnight, but i cant sleep because i have slept nearly all weekend. and i havent written because frankly, i haven't wanted to be on a computer in my free time lately. we've been working long days, more than ten hours at a go (tonya, i don't see how you did it, and in a hospital to boot) and when i come home i just dont want to do anything. except for zumba nights, which have kept me going. but there just hasn't been much to write except get up, go to work, edit for obama, come home, eat, sleep, repeat. and yes, i suppose i should be proud that the stuff i worked on last week went literally to the big man's desk on friday at noon, but after awhile, you dont care who you're righting it for, especially when you've stared at a computer screen so long that you get a strange eye infection where your eye is swollen shut one morning. oh yes, that's a pretty sight, eh? maybe if i were editing for jude law and i got to deliver it to him and he happened to be naked. that would be ok.

what else. dare i say it that i wasn't totally impressed with harry potter? i feel like i need to go watch it again to give it a fair chance. graphically it was very good, and some scenes were spot on. but i came out of there 1)wishing i hadn't gotten the jumbo soda and 2) feeling like i wasted my ticket money on a mediocre HP experience.

also, i dont know if you've ever gotten the grande margarita at los mariachis, but from recent experience, i recommend it as a good way to drown your saturday evenings.

look. things just arent interesting right now. and they probably won't be for a few more weeks. work is good but it makes me cranky, and we all know you've had to listen to cranky andrea far too much in your readership.

today's cause that i think everyone should support bc i love causes: Tom's Shoes. you buy a pair of shoes (and who doesn't love shoes??) and the company gives a pair to a child in need. and if you dont like them for you, well my favorite color is red, my shoe size is 8.5 and my birthday is a little over two months away. no pressure, folks. no pressure at all.

so my brilliant plan for my alaskan excursion has totally fallen through, but i'm going somewhere come september. any suggestions? i'd like to go someplace i've not been, preferrably someplace i wouldnt spaz out when i drive there (bc lets face it, i'm a shit driver in more than 2-lane situations.) if i go alone, i want to go somewhere i can navigate and still feel semi-safe. unless any of you want to take a weeks vacation and go travel with me? i'd really like to go on my bday, but that's really late, so maybe the 2nd week of the month..

this makes me laugh til i cry every time i see it. i want you to laugh too.

what a strange evening this has turned out to be. and not because of the goats.

i'm rereading this book series i fell in love with about 5 yeas ago, the Outlander series. scottish historical fiction. you know, highland clans. bonnie prince charlie. the whole works. (let me push my glasses back up and complete the nerd look you are picturing..) (yes, i really am wearing my glasses, that whole weird gross eye thing. super attractive, i know. try keeping your pants on.)

(also, i really need to cut out using parenthesis in my blogging)

i'm thinking now i shouldnt have slept till ten. and then napped from noon til 2. and then again from 3-almost 5.

does anyone remember the book cloudy with a chance of meatballs and/or the tv show that used to be on WAM that was called The Tribe? somehow i thought of both this weekend, the first bc of the movie thats coming out and i will go see even if i have to steal a little kid as my cover for reason of going. and the other because that new show coming out... wtf is it called. i cant remember, but its the reality tv version of the tribe. never mind. i dont know where i was going with this topic.

still not sleepy. i should go over to dave's and record reading ingredients with him again. tomorrow is stereotypical russian accent monday, as it were.

this year for my bday, if i am not gone, i'm making myself a cake that looks like stonehenge. i saw this somewhere.. i cant find a good example online rightnow but its a regular cake for the base ground part and then you coat rice krispies in icing or fondant (which tastes like plastic shit ifn we're being honest) and make the stones. thats super nerdy of me, and it may not top the tom selleck cake, but still. pretty interesting, yes?

i made friends with a little girl at dinner the other night. i dont know why i make friends with little kids in random places like restaurants and airplanes. they crack me up by how smart they are. we don't give little kids enough credit.

so lets talk about sad things. a guy i graduated high school with died this past week. and not because of drugs, which is what is expected of young people from b. county. and it scared me. it flat out scared me. we're young. granted he had heart problems and thats why he had a heart attack. but still. i have been eating worlds healthier and i've been doing zumba at least twice a week and taking the terrible dog out to walk often. but still. with all the health problems i've dealt with over the past couple of years, it worried me. and to top it off i felt bad that i wasn't ever really this person's friend growing up. it's not like it was a big school, and everyone knew everyone, and i know we'd say a friendly hello, but in hindsight, you always feel bad when you weren't nicer to someone.

i talked to an old friend tonight, someone i've not spoken to in awhile. and truth be told, it was nice and i missed it. not enough (or maybe too much) to make a habit out of it, however.

speaking of friends, do any of you girly readers have any idea where i can find a sparkly/sequin top/dress? friday is steff's big bday party and she wants us all to dress sparkly (strange i know) and then go out and paint the town. go to the bars i hate (bent, lizard) and end up at vice for fun dancing. i'm holding out for nudie photo hunt at big times. you'd just have to be there to understand.

and mission impossible 3 is a terrible movie. lets just put that out there. and if you don't agree, i'll kick you in the shins.

it's 2am. i'm half tempted to wake up the dog and go take a walk bc it's clear out. the other half of me is always afraid of the things that go bump in the night in the trailerhood.

my favorite aunt came to the might motown last week. i did mean to write about this and forgot. she was up for a teachers conference and had one evening off and wanted to have dinner with me and me show her around town. i was all excited bc she really is my fav aunt (laura's mom) and we were going to oliverios, and we all know my love of stuffed shells. so i get out of work late (strike one) and then i realize i'm out of gas (strike two) so i decide it would be smart before picking her up at a hotel. well. did you know not all gas pumps turn off when your tank is full? or that your brain does not immediately recognize that you are pouring gasoline all over yourself? (INFINITE FAIL) i felt like such a complete asshole. i tried to 'wash off' with a bottle of water on my feet, but that did no good. aunt beth laughed. but we did finally get dinner and i showed her around the greater morgantown area including the cow house, which cracks me up every time i see it. it's fun showing outsiders my town. even though i feel like an outsider here myself sometimes now that i'm not in school. and let me tell you, it is strange to drive by the university. it makes me feel very... lonely. i think that's partly why i still want to move away, bc i dont like being constantly reminded of a very different yet very similar chunk of my life.

and because you need to know, my dog is making scary sounds right now because she has allergies. what a pair she and i make. take all the defective genes in my family tree, mix them up with a little new years celebration alcohol, and well, you have me. i can't vouch for the dog, but i understand her mother was a whore.

surely this has been a long enough ramble to keep you occupied until next i get a break from work. i'm glad you people read this. more glad that people remind me to write. bc sometimes its nice to talk about nothing and know that at least a whole lot of nothing means a little bit of something.

now go have a nice week. read something good. look at the stars. come mow my yard. do something nice for a stranger or a little kid. and remember i love you. unless i dont love you, and then you can just piss off. (very sleepy attempt at making a funny.)

Into The Wild

Seriously, why didn't any of you tell me to read "Into The Wild" before now? What an amazing story. I recommend it to anyone.

Call me creepy but I looked the story up on wikipedia and looked at all the photos and links on youtube to the location of the incident. It gave me cold chills. More than ever I want to go to Alaska. Not to see this spot, but to see nature.

I could empathize with this kid (not really a kid I guess) about the need to just take off and get away. Granted, I never go for extended periods of time, and rarely do I cross the state line, but I know what it's like to need to disappear for awhile and not have contact with people. And then the absolute need to be around people just to...well, be around people. I know I could never survive in the wild, without internet access and arby's curly fries. but. that's that.

you may now continue with your day. nothing to see here, folks...

Giving up on the Alphabet

So i was informed that the alphabet appreciate posts were kind of creepy/too much info on the internetty. So I wont be doing them anymore. But prior to this i did sit down and think about who I would have for each day. And known readers, every last one of you were on my list. You've listened to a lot of shit from me from me for quite awhile now. That first and foremost is a big thing. So many thanks to you.

I was also surprised at how many ppl on my list were family members. It's no new story that I dont exactly see eye-to-eye with 89% of the people I am related to. Mostly bc I am a tree hugging liberal. But I think it is because that those people I dont agree with have helped give me an education (and i'm not just talking school) to be able to 1. have an educated opinion and 2. be able to argue it with sound facts and research. This actually blew me away when I thought about it.

And I was going to post all this about 3 days ago, but I got the mother of all migraines and spent a good deal of time wimpering in the dark corners of my bedroom. I've had a headache since, but not as severe. Nothing that I can't work through. So there you have it, my list of excuses and apologies.

So. Lets talk about it. The MJ memorial service. I had it streaming while I was doing some editing yesterday. I thought it was all very gimmicky until that poor little girl got up and tried to speak. That just broke my heart. I hate seeing little kids upset. And I hate seeing upset little kids paraded infront of cameras for the world like that. I could go on a rant about this, but then I am the type of person that causes the problem in the first place. It all lead to a very depressing conversation with my mother about what we all want done to our bodies when we die. I still am stuck on becoming part of an artificial barrier reef. Mom thinks I'm strange. This is not the first or last time she has thought that.

Less depressing topics. My grand alaska plans have all but fallen through because I was reminded that I need to be responsible. I hate that word. So now I need to think of something vacationy that I can do that is cheaper. I'll have to take a week off work one way or another, and I don't want to waste it on this town.

More nerdy topics. I finally bribed my way into watching the Star Trek movie. I just had to spend an hour and a half in the snowboarding section of Adventures Edge. Luckily I found a copy of "Into the Wild" to read and got thru about half of it. I felt obligated to buy it at that point. At any rate, I really liked the Star Trek movie. I know that makes me a dork. And the fact that I got a lot of the quips and jokes from the series makes me a bigger dork. I forgot how much I liked the nonsense that is that plotline. I recommend it to trekkies and non trekkies alike. The visuals are pretty good. As long as you're not sitting by someone who is saying things like "well how did they get set on fire if they just parachuted through atmosphere?" this is the point when you punch them. hard. repeatedly.

*This blog does not promote domestic violence. I swear.*

So its humpday, and while I should be happy, the forecast shows a long weekend of work. It could be worse by far. But bc I'm working, that means it will be beautiful out. So enjoy your weekend, locals.

alphabet D/a day with my family.

it would make sense that'd i'd have to appreciate a dirty foreigner on the 4th of july. but dave ryan, as much of a bastard as he is, gets his own moment in the spotlight. he makes me laugh harder than anyone i know while at the same time embarrassing me more than i've ever been embarrassed before. anyone who shops at walmart in the middle of the night is probably convinced that either i'm pregnant with his child, that i abuse handicapped people (as he rides in teh scooter) or that i'm on drugs. or all three. i kept his bastard cat for a year even though it turns out i really was allergic. i dont have a photo that does him justice. you'll just have to read his news in teh DA this year, as he was recently made editor-in-chief.



in other news, i am mentally exhausted. i spent the day with my mother and two of my aunts. probably the most right wing family members i have (the aunts, not mom). i argued over just about everything, from global warming to michael jackson. i'm pretty sure they are praying for my eternal soul as we speak. it was definitely.....interesting.

also. we got beef jerky. the flavor name? Chernobyl. Yes, it was named after a nuclear reactor. and cripes, it is the hottest damn jerky i've ever eaten. i laughed and cried at the same time.

i'd write more, but i'm heading downtown to (hopefully if it stops rainin) watch the fireworks.

happy 4th yall!

Crazy Dreams and Alphabet C

It's fitting that I have crazy dreams on Chris Bailes Appreciation day.

chris first, dreams second.

i have known christopher eugene since kindergarten. i only just realized that that equals 20 years. holy shit. i think he is probably the friend i have known the longest. we had to walk in at kindergarten graduation together bc we were the two tallest kids in the class.
if youre wondering,yes, that is dog food and a 40 in his hands. bc thats how we roll at christmas in these parts.

at any rate. chris can always be counted on to be entertaining. he had mad croc drawing skills in 1st grade. his apartment is full of crazy fun things, which you can read about here. he likes bacon more than any person i know. he eats 2 loaded baked potatoes and the biggest steak available when he goes out to eat. he gave me pirate treasure for my birthday, which i still keep in my wallet. he has been electrocuted. and he got a 40 for christmas and actually drank it. so here's to you, christopher. may we be friends for another 20 yrs!



****
and now for my crazy dream. lets start out with the fact that i was super excited that i got to sleep in today, for the first time in approx a month. i was going to sleep in until at least noon. no. i got a txt msg that woke me up. but the dream i was having....

i was on some sort of bus tour to Chicago with friends and family. we were making a stop and some crazy guys art museum first. i was pissed bc my camera died and all mom brought was a disposable one and you cant put those on facebook immediately. so the outside of the museum looked like it was in the sky. it looked like a white and pink castle made of clouds that came out of a bigger cloud. there was a smokestack on it that blew out more white and pink clouds. super crazy. and you go inside and there is art everywhere on the walls where you walk up this super creepy spiral staircase. murals of chubby babies and corners that arent corners but are painted to look like it goes down a hallway. and cross-stitch sayings that change what they say. so then i go into this one room that looks like someones living room with chairs and a little coffee table and over the mantle of a fire there is a piece of artwork done in neon colors and its 3 outlines of WV and beneath it, it says "If I came to West Virginia, What Would You Do?" and then it had a little glass jar that you could leave comments in. and it was half full. so then i see the artist, who looks like a homeless santa talking to a friend of mine and somehow he talked her out of her drug stash. and then my grandma comes in and gets all righteous on this guy going on about how he doesnt need to be doing drugs and how she's had cancer of the tongue (which she hasnt, it was breast cancer) and how her nose is rotting off (at which point i realize mammaw is wearing one white glove and is actually michael jackson) (not kidding) and that if people ask her how she's doing, she doesn't complain but rather says "just fine." and then creeper santa comes up behind me and says "well we''ll see how just fine your grandaughter is." and then i woke up.

whisky tango foxtrot, batman. you'd think i was the one on drugs. its what b.county does to ya i suppose.

and now, i'm off to run errands for the parental unit. have a great day everyone!

4th of July/Alphabetical B

as of 4:15, this girl started her weekend. Which i plan to enjoy every minute of since i probably have to work next weekend (note the heaving sobs from my direction). So, between being a bum, I'll be outting and abouting in random parts of this great state. who knows where i'll end up. you can guarantee not within a ten foot radius of my brother with fireworks, i really dont want another scar on my leg from roman candles. as long as i make it home with homemade pickles and perhaps some tomatoes, i will be one happy kiddo.

so. today's letter of apprecation is B. For Bethany.

now i met bethany through another B, Brian. let's just say I took sides, and her case was far more logical for me. B has awesome taste in music, is fun to shop with, is an amazing teacher with more patience than i ever imagine being capable of having, has a bf with the last name Doom (now come on, tell me that isn't cool as hell), likes to spend quality time with me in nature, completes diabolical plans like tamponing ppls houses, and is an all around great person. she's listened to a multitude of bitching and whining, and always has something painfully logical and right to say, and is never afraid to say it. just bc i never listen is my own problem. Plus, visiting her in lexington is always an interesting adventure. I heart bethany.


i suppose honerable mention B should go to bert. but i think i'll leave that for a private blog. let's just say that there is never a time that a kiss on the neck in the right spot doesn't make the world a beter place.



in other news. as i mentioned earlier. work is picking up again. i feel like i'm back in school and i've put a paper off until the last minute and have to get it turned in. as sick as it is, i like it. it was also pointed out to me yesterday that since i recommended 2 ppl that we hired, if they both pass their 3 month review in august, i get 500 bucks a piece as a 'finders fee.' now tell me that just doesnt scream cruise ticket and airfare. the wheels, they are a turning...

Alphabetical Appreciation Letter A

Hooray, I remembered to do this. only 30 more days to remember to take care of!

So. Letter A. That would be Alisha Dawn. Or better known as Seese. (i'm going to try and include as many photos as I can. Unless ppl think that's creepy. And then I wont.)

Seese and I have been friends since I started dance class in 3rd grade. We lived together for two years in college. Her dog ate a piece of my ear. We had a hot pink kitchen. We spent a lot of time with her grandma watching the Lifetime Channel. She makes awesome chicken casserole. She makes me go to zumba (which I thank her for later.) She's fed me many many times. She let me invite myself over even more often when I couldn't stand being by myself. There's a damn good chance she's going to marry my cousin, and I approve of this greatly. She's hilarious when she's drunk. She's equally hilarious when impersonating her mother's accent. Put the two together, add leis and Leah's bachelorette party, and you have a helluva good time.

Hooray for the A names.