the "more than you ever cared to know about me" questionnaire

I love these random questionnaires...can't get enough of 'em so I'm posting it and yay, you get to read it too (lucky you).

1. Were you named after anyone? Nope, I'm a trailblazer

2. When was the last time you cried? hmmm...last week. I even blogged about it.

3. Do you like your handwriting? Depends on the writing instrument I'm using at the time

4. What is your favorite lunch meat? ham, but not the fakey kind, a nice slab of honeybaked (TM) ham please.

5. Do you have kids? No, although I do refer to my nieces and nephews as my kiddies sometimes

6. If you were another person would you be friends with you? Of course, I'm a ton of fun

7. Do you use sarcasm alot? Not an exhorbitant amount

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Nope. They're long gone

9. Would you bungee jump? Probably not, heights kinda freak me out, and hi, have you ever seen anyone bunjee jump? It looks like they get whiplash when they hit the bottom...no thank you!

10. What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch (but I eat that dry), or Honey Nut Cheerios with milk

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Nope, I actually untie them when I put them on, how backwards am I?

12. Do you think you are strong? I think that I think I'm stronger than I really am.

13. What is your favorite ice cream? Turkey Hill brand Chocolate Peanut Butter

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? smiles/teeth and eyes

15. Pink or Red? Pink for sure!

16. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? I have wrinkly hands

17. Who do you miss the most? basically everyone who doesn't live in DC and those who do live in DC but I never see

18. Pearls or Jeans? Jeans!!

19. What was the last thing you ate? potato chips (I didn't need to eat them, I was already full, but they were on my plate...)

20. What are you listening to right now? Destroy Everything You Touch - Ladytron (I love love love this song)

21. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Tickle Me Pink

21. Favorite smells? we'll get the gross ones out of the way first: Skunk, gasoline and then the more pleasing: dryer vents, Gap's (discontinued :( ) Smooth Sandlewood perfume oil, fresh cut watermelon, Obsession for Men (you don't smell that one very often these days, much to my disappointment)

22. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone: My supervisor

24. Favorite sports to watch? Volleyball, NASCAR (yes it's a sport) and soccer

25. Hair color? Naturally it's medium brown, but right now it's like a fakey purpley reddish brown.

26. Eye color? Green and brown aka hazel

27. Do you wear contacts? sure do

28. Favorite food? Right now I'd have to say whatever I can make in my awesome zip 'n steams (like salmon and new potatoes seasoned with lemon pepper) but really, my favorite food is anything that's in front of my face and edible

29. Scary movies or happy endings? I like scary movies that have happy endings

30. Last movie you watched? Eulogy

31. What color shirt are you wearing? Green sweater over a green and brown striped dress over a brown shirt. How's that for complicating an easy question???

32. Summer or Winter? Really? those are the only two options? I prefer the spring and fall...and I'm not just saying that to be uncooperative.

33. Hugs or Kisses? They're both good, but I prefer cuddling (I guess that could be lumped in the hug category...after all, isn't it just an extended hug?)

34. Favorite dessert? I can't even think about that right now, my tummy hurts *see question 19 above*

35. What book are you reading now? No Country For Old Men - Cormac McCarthy

36. What did you watch on TV last night? Well, The Biggest Loser was on when I visited my friends Jon and Abbie if that counts.

37. What is on your mouse pad? My company logo

38. Favorite sound? laughter

39. Rolling Stones or Beatles? ewww, neither

40. What is the farthest you've been from home? Cancun, MX or New York, NY whichever is furthest from SLC

41. Do you have a special talent? sure, but they're not only special, but secret as well.

42. Where were you born? LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT

Here's a random photo, just for fun. But this picture actually encompasses several of my answers...fun huh?!

New Tunes!!!

A big shout-out to Holly, Tony, Drew, Dad, Eric, Christy (I'm sure your selections will be good so I'm including you here), Rachel, 104.5 in Philly, Amazon and ITunes for your music suggestions, oh, and thanks for nothin' Marti *wink*. I got a bunch of good stuff out of your recommendations and I'm excited to get out there and run (it's been a while).

My new playlist, in no particular order:

Crushcrushcrush - Paramore
Red Tape - Agent Provocateur
The Perfect Drug (instrumental remix) - Nine Inch Nails
The Perfect Drug - Nine Inch Nails
Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue
Misery Business - Paramore
The Golden Path - The Chemical Brothers & The Flaming Lips
Cowgirl - Underworld
In the End - Faithless
Hunting for Witches - Bloc Party
Right Where It Belongs - Nine Inch Nails
Destroy Everything You Touch - Ladytron
Elevator Love Letter - Stars
Lollipop - Mika
Stuck in the Middle - Mika
Flathead - Fratellis
Chelsea Digger - Fratellis
The Gutterati - Fratellis (mainly because I have one...get it..."GUT-terati?!" Man I crack myself up sometimes)
The Underdog - Spoon
LDN - Lily Allen
Friday Night - Lily Allen
Littlest Thing - Lily Allen
Alfie - Lily Allen
Oh My God - Mark Ronson featuring Lily Allen (I kinda have a girl crush on her)
Tearing Herself Away - The Hours (Score)
Dead Things - The Hours (Score)
Morning Passages - The Hours (Score)
The Hours - The Hours (Score)
Getting Away With Murder - Papa Roach
Ready To Go - Republica
99 Problems - Jay-Z
North American Scum - LCD Soundsystem

Philly in Photos

I went up to Philly for 24 hours over the weekend to help take engagement photos of my friends Laura and Mario. I felt kinda crappy as we were walking around Philly, which left me less than inspired. Hopefully I took at least one picture that they can use. Here are some non-engagement photos I took. Nothing terribly exciting I'm afraid, so don't let these pictures dissuade you from visiting this very lovely city. There is art to be found around every corner. Go see for yourself!





The following is what happens when you think you're taking a self-portrait but you have your camera on the movie setting....

And this is what a self-portrait looks like when your camera is on the correct setting (although it shouldn't be this washed-out, however I felt sick and pale that day, so it works)

Rock Band

I have a new obsession and it is called Rock Band. Have you ever played it??? For those not in the know, it's like guitar hero, but with drums and karaoke added in. It is highly addictive. On Friday I went with a few of my roommates over to Reed and Brian's house to try it out. Apparently when I play Rock Band I get a little possessive. After every song, most people would ask if others wanted to try; I was telling people that they wanted to play whatever it was I was playing at the time they'd have to ask me for it because I wasn't ever going to offer it up.

I discovered that it is impossible for me to hit a drum note and the use foot pedal at the same time. That's probably directly linked to my inability to simultaneously type and have a conversation with someone. I also discovered that strumming a guitar constantly for three minutes makes my hands and arms tired, but it's totally worth it. I have so much more respect for actual rock band bassists and guitar players now.

I waited until the evening was almost over to try out the singing part. I was a little intimidated because some of the girls there had really great voices, and I've always had more of a choir voice than a solo one. I kept blurting out the chorus of the random songs as we browsed the offerings, which made people laugh, and I realized being entertaining was just as important, if not more so than singing on pitch. So I consented to sing Sabotage by Beastie Boys. When you sing, it gives you points for singing on pitch as well as hitting and holding the notes for the right amount of time. Guess what my score was for Sabotage? 100% baby. I followed it up with another perfect performance with Epic by Faith No More. Have you ever heard that song? The singer sings really low. So did I. It was pretty hilarious. It's too bad I don't have video of that one, you would have really enjoyed it, i.e. it's pretty humiliating. Singing turned out to be my very favorite part of Rock Band.

Thanks for letting us come over and play you guys. Same time next week?? ;)

Here are some pictures and video:

I think this picture was taken at the exact moment I missed a note. I made lots of faces when I played, especially when I messed up (as you'll see if you watch the videos)

Channeling my inner rockstar

The band getting ready to play

I HATE that stupid foot pedal!

Rachel is making me post this picture of my rockstar bootay.

Here we are playing Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rachel was supposed to be singing but she refused. I show off my moves in the middle, and if you listen closely you can hear me singing a little bit of the chorus.

This one is Learn to Fly (?) by Foo Fighters, but the sound is way off for some strange reason. Rachel actually sings in this one and I make lots of faces, but it's out of sync so you might want to either close your eyes and just listen, or mute the sound and watch it.

I'm a loser!

...or at least I hope to be!

So last week I was talking to a friend about losing weight and the like, and I mentioned that I have a really difficult time finding anything worth giving up my french fries and candy. Well I think I've found the motivation I need.

At work yesterday I got an email about the Biggest Loser Challenge the Ops team is doing. They had some extra spots and were opening it up for people in other departments to join (on a first come first served basis). I immediately responded that I'd like to do it, and have been waiting on pins and needles today waiting to see if I made the cut. Well I did. YAY!! You have no idea how exited I am.

So here's the deal, the challenge starts February 1 and will last two months. There will be 5 weigh-ins and the grand prize winner, the person who loses the biggest percentage of their body weight, gets the pot (I think, I don't know if there will be several winners or just one). There are 35 people participating and at 25 bucks a pop, that's a pretty big pot. Oh, and my friend Nat has agreed to be my Jillian.

I've got a pretty good head start. I exercize regularly and I don't drink soda, but that's about where I lose my edge. I hate strength training and eating things that aren't fried or sugar coated, so I've got a lot of work to do. I've got a week to figure out my game plan, but here's what I'm thinking so far....

I'm good on my cardio, but I need to add in some strength training. My current training program has me scheduled for two strength training days, but I do zero. What can I say, I don't buy into the whole "no pain, no gain" silliness. But that's going to have to change. I am going to try this:

Monday: Body Pump at Regency (I tried it this week, it's very effective (i.e. I'm STILL in so much pain) and dare I say fun???)
Tuesday: Mid-length run (ranging from 4-5 hours depending on the week)
Wednesday: 3 mile run
Thursday: Mid-length run (ranging from 4-5 hours depending on the week)
Friday: rest day
Saturday: Muscle-Up or Body Pump at Greensboro
Sunday: Long run (ranging from 7-13 depending on the week)

As for my diet, I'm really nervous about this. I have zero self-control, not one little smidgen of willpower. I don't really believe in "everything in moderation." I'm more of a eat everything in sight kind of girl. Once upon a time (actually it was almost exactly two years ago) I went to Weight Watchers. I was really good at it for about three days, and then I lost control. Luckily I still have all of the books, so I'm going to let WW be my guide. I don't know if I'll stick to it exactly, but I think it's a good starting point. I'll probably be heating up lots of lean cuisines, and luckily I have those awesome new steamer bags.

I know I've asked for a lot of reader participation lately, but if you have any good tips, recipes, etc., I would love it if you would share.

Wish me luck!

Paper art

My sister sent me an email filled with awesome awesome pictures of artwork made from a single sheet of paper. The email says it was a part of a project at the Hirshorn Gallery in DC, but after a little google search I found that wasn't the case. They are all by an artist named Peter Callesen and they're all pretty amazing. I love the intricate detail of each piece. His hands must have cramped up soooo bad doing this!

You can see lots more here.

Valentines Schmalentines

On the day that many celebrate with their loved ones, I was tending to a broken heart. As you may or may not know, I was dumped, via instant messenger, around 10 am on Valentines Day last year. I spent the remainder of the holiday hiding out in my co-workers office sobbing, and then again curled up in a ball in my bed, eating pizza and sobbing. It was a crappy day, to say the least.

My heart has healed since then, but I can't help but feel a wave of sadness and dread every time I think about Valentines Day coming around again. Knowing me, it would be too easy to spend the day wallowing in my sorrow, but that is the last thing I want to do. What I need is a distraction from the past, to use this day to create memories even bigger, not to mention better, than the events that transpired last year. Some might suggest a voodoo doll or a cleansing bonfire, but that's not what I'm looking for. I have no anger, just a memory of sadness that I'd like to erase.

I already have a few things on the calendar; our office is hosting a blood drive, for which I've already scheduled my life-saving appointment, and tutoring in the evening, I'll make sure to bring her a Valentine, but that only takes up 3 hours of what will certainly be a very long day. What I need is a distraction. I can't help but think of my hour birthdays, which I've described before, but for those in the dark it means I opened a little present every hour all day long on my birthday. All I thought about that day was what was in the next package and counting down the minutes until I got to open it. I'm thinking that might be good, I could probably enlist my cousins help with that one, ya know, give her some cash and have her do the shopping and wrapping for me. Does anyone else have any good ideas? Will you be my Valentine?

Mood Music

Tonight I found myself unexplicably sad. The tears were falling as I flipped through my cd case looking for new songs for my ipod when the most amazing thing happened. I found my long lost favorite CD mix, "The Best 80's Album Ever!" which houses every single one of my absolute favorite 80's songs ever made, and guess what happened as I listened? Well my frown turned upside down, that's what. It was an instant mood lifter. It was fantastic.

There is something else that makes me happy, and that's giving things to people, so I want to share with you my very favorite songs. No really...I insist!

Pure Energy - Information Society

Belly of the Whale - Newsboys

Dancing in Heaven (Orbital Bebop) - Q-Feel

and last but certainly not least, my absolute favorite:

I Beg Your Pardon - Kon Kan (Thanks Musical Genius Eric!)

Enjoy!

Your assistance please

The music on my marathon machine is getting a little stale and I need to switch things up. I'm kind of at a loss as to what to put on there, because all I listen to is my marathon machine (I'm in a marathon machine bubble of music), so I need some help from you, dear reader. What are your favorite songs to exercize to? What really gets your blood flowing, your heart pumping, your lungs burning? I'm fairly open-minded when it comes to music, although recommend country and you are no longer welcome to read my blog (only kidding...kind of), so give me your best shot. I'm serious. I expect comments from ALL THREE of you, even those of you who don't ever comment, If there was ever a time for you out yourself, THIS is the time. I need you!! Help a girl out. Pretty please?? Ooh, maybe if I promise a mix of my new songs to a random commenter? Would that entice you to participate, cuz I TOTALLY will. That's how serious I am.

stuffed

Sometimes I see things I think people I know would enjoy and I buy it for them, which is just plain silly, because if they would like it, wouldn't they buy it themselves without me wasting my hard earned cash? But it does make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to think about them opening up the mail and seeing not bills, but a lovely package full of goodies, so I still do it sometimes.

So this weekend I had a bunch of random stuff to send out; "good mail" if you will. I stuffed the item in one of my little envelopes, sealed it up and then realized I forgot to put a note inside. Well even if I hadn't forgotten there's no way it would have fit. Soooo, I wrote my note on the back of the envelope. How awesome am I?

mmmm mmmm good!!

This is what I had for dinner, doesn't it look delicious? Well it was, and it was probably the most healthy thing I've eaten in months (I'm not even exaggerating). I didn't even put butter on the veggies, a huge accomplishment for this butter lover. My only regret is being nice and sharing with my roommate. Only kidding Rachel, you definitely deserved it for the 10 minutes you spent struggling with that lid!

This meal would not have been possible without the following: Ziploc for inventing the Zip n Steam, I'm pretty sure it's going to change my life; Safeway for making the most delicious lemon pepper rotisserie chicken I've ever tasted; Eric for the brilliant idea; and Doug, my physical therapist, for without the band he gave me for my exercizes I would not have been able to open the lid to the bbq sauce.

proud

minutes ran: 48

distance covered: 4 miles

number of times I wanted to take a walking break: approx 63

number of walking breaks I took: 0

overwhelming sense of accomplishment: Priceless!

ice cube

I believe I've mentioned at least a few times my tendency to overheat when exercizing. Every single time I go outside for a run I put on a fleece jacket, and every single time I hastily take it off about five minutes in and spend the rest of my run making sure it's still securely tied around my waist. It's obnoxious. So on my long run this weekend I decided to spare myself the hassle and forego the jacket all together. Well turns out my body DOES have a freezing point and unfortunately I learned that the hard way. I think the temperature outside was 25 degrees, but with the chill factor it felt like 13 (according to weather.com). How dumb was I to think I'd be ok to go for a 6 mile run in just my long sleeve performance tee and running tights? At least I did have gloves and a hat on. I have never been so cold in my life. My entire body went completely numb, I couldn't feel a thing, except for the freezing cold wind hitting my face. It was horrible. I know the smart thing to do would have been to just turn around and call it good when it started to get unbearable (about a half a mile into my run), but sometimes the cold affects our ability to make logical decisions, in my case anyways. When I finally made it home, I was bright red from head to toe, like I had been laying in the sun on a blistering hot day. You know how when ice cream melts and it's never quite the same when you re-freeze it? Well that's kind of how I felt in the hours following that experience, although in reverse. Well at least now I know that lugging around a fleece jacket is a far better option than literally freezing (almost) to death.

My frozen playlist:
1. Find a New Way - Young Love
2. Reign - UNKLE
3. Illusion at the Musicshop - Benassi Bros vs ???
4. Every Single Day - Benassi Bros
5. Heroes - DJ Tiesto
6. Sister Rosetta - Noisettes
7. Wake Up, Open the Door and Escape to the Sea - Blaqk Audio
8. Rocket in the Sky - Benassi Bros
9. Flash Runner - Vangelis vs. Grandmaster Flash
10. IntenCity - ATB
11. This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race - Fall Out Boy
12. Siren (Needle Cranium Remix) - Tori Amos
13. Brick - Ben Folds
14. Twisted - FannyPack

My new best friend...

After struggling to fall asleep at a reasonable hour several nights in the last week, unless you call 4am "reasonable," I have taken drastic (well not really) measures to reach the elusive slumber. Meet my new best friend:

Picture happy post

I was out of control with the camera today while out and about with Holly and Tyler, who came down from Philly to hang out with me. Check em out...

SP #1

SP2

A blurry Holly and I at the Spy Museum

Sooooooo many people needed to use the bathroom in the President's Hall at the Portrait Gallery. The line extended all the way down the hall....

Holly and Tyler upon learning that the guy in front of us in line flew up from Arkansas JUST to see this particular restroom...

I can't believe I had to wait 10 minutes just to get a drink of water!

Ok, ok...it wasn't any old line for the restroom, it was the line to check out the Portrait Gallery's newly aquired portrait. You might recognize the subject from one of the best fake-news programs out there... (click on pic for a better look)

Here are Ty-Ty and Holls with it. Oh, and that guy REALLY did come up from Arkansas just to see it!

Andrew Jackson and friends...check out that moustache!!!

Me and Holly again.

The identical dumstruck expressions on Tyler and I were a total coincidence. (I was out of control with the camera!)

SP #29 (I'll spare you SP's 3-28)

I never took a picture of my new haircolor. So if you were curious, here you go....

A MUST on cold days such as today.

A grainy little video of one of my favorite games. I happened to capture a pivotal moment, the very moment of my defeat. It's quite tragic actually.

Kudos to you if you actually made it to the end of this. Hope you had a great weekend!

Wacky Washington

Several schools in the area are closed today due to severe weather conditions...


Yup, it sure looks severe out there...severely lacking a valid reason to shut down school!

random ramblings

-I was rudely awoken (if that's even the correct tense of the word) early EARLY this morning by the animal (probably a raccoon or the like) that has taken up residence in my attic. This likely rabies infested vermin has apparently been inspired by the American Gladiators I've been watching (a sub-par version of the original) and spent the wee hours of the morning practicing for the Gauntlet, rolling and tumbling all over the place. I have informed the property management company and hopefully they take care of the problem before it chews through the rafters and tries to snuggle with me.

-I was driving home from my friends house on Sunday and there was a Jeep facing the wrong way on the freeway. It was on the end of the on-ramp, with traffic lanes on both sides. The two women in the car looked terrified. The on-ramp is kind of a blind corner, (for you locals it was the entrance off Connecticut Ave on the outer loop of 495) so it would be hard to tell if/when cars were coming. If that happened to you, what would you have done?

-It snowed a little today, the kind of snow that melts before it even hits the ground. I think that's my favorite kind of snow. It makes me feel like I'm in a snowglobe.

-I am dreading my run today. Maybe it's because I woke up just shy of 2 hours before my alarm, or the chocolate chip cookie I did not need to eat after lunch, but 4 miles seems like such a long distance. It's silly because I just ran 5 this weekend, and the weekday runs before that were 3.5. I need to suck it up.

-I looked at the course for the Moab half and it is going to be so neat. 11 of the 13 miles parallel the Colorado River. It should be beeeeutiful!

-I've watched the trailer for the marathon movie Spirit of the Marathon about a kabillion times, and there is a part in it where all of the runners are slowly shuffling towards the start line immediately following the beginning of the Chicago marathon. It gives me chills and puts tears in my eyes every single time. I love that feeling. I can't wait to go see this movie next week, I've even bought my ticket already!

MGMT - Time to Pretend

I think they've been around for a bit but they're new to me (I've been living in a marathon machine bubble). I found this on iTunes, it's currently the free single of the week and it's totally worth the push of a button. Actually, I think I'd even pay the 99 cents for it. Go check it out! Beware, it might make you want to get up and dance, or at the very least tap your toes in time with the beat.

Great weekend!!

I don't know about you, but I had a lovely weekend, probably one of the best I've had in quite a while. It started early Saturday morning thanks to my body who doesn't appreciate the idea of sleeping in on non-work days. I was able to watch an episode of Friday Night Lights (my new favorite show of all time) before I was due to meet my friend Kristine for a game of tennis. I should say that unless you count the few times two summers ago I played by myself on the practice wall, it has been a really long time since I've played. Man have I been missing out! It was such a blast! My game is anything but consistent, (lots of) missed swings here, an awesome rally there, but Kristine was a champ and very patient with me. Considering I am an endurance runner, I was shocked to learn how quickly I get out of breath. I was glad that we only had 6 balls to play with (and that I often shanked it) so that I had plenty of opportunities to catch said breath. I can't wait to get back out on the court (but maybe I should spend some time on the practice wall working on my backhand first).

Next stop was the Corcoran Gallery with my friend Nat and her friends Terri and Carrie for the Annie Leibovitz and Ansel Adams exhibits. It was closing weekend for Annie so the place was packed. In fact, it was so packed that only those who had purchased their tickets in advance were able to get in. Even though I had used ticketmaster, it took 40 minutes once I got inside the door to get to the ticket counter. Out of control!! The exhibits were incredible and well worth the wait. Annie Leibovitz is best known for her portaits and they didn't disappoint, although there was one room of large format landscape pictures that I didn't care for. Some were so blurry that it hurt my eyes to look at them. The Ansel Adams exhibit was breathtaking. It was no less than 6 rooms stuffed to the gills with his work. I have to admit that I haven't had much exposure to him (can you even believe it???) and have been a little skeptical of his genius, but wow was I wrong. His knowledge of light and exposure is brilliant. There was one particular photograph that I loved, a landscape with the moon above. He had seen the shot while driving and pulled off the side of the road. He quickly set up his tripod and camera but didn't have his light meter. Without this, he determined the proper exposure by his knowledge of the luminescence of the moon. Pretty cool I say.

After Nat and her friends left, I wandered around the museum for a bit. There was an installation where you could take your own picture and it would project it onto the walls, it was basically a slideshow of all of the Corcoran patrons (mostly the kiddos). It was a lot of fun, so I did it twice (I like the second one best).

This next one was called Loop. There was a roman statue in the center of the room, with lights projecting these neon loops on the wall. You can see the statue and a shadow of me in the picture below.

I can't believe it took me 6 years to get to the Corcoran. This was definitely a great time for my inaugural visit. I will be going again!

The rest of the day was spent baking mint cookies, napping and movie watching (National Treasure 2). Good times!

My 5 mile run today went alright. I must say that beef KAPOW!, twizzlers and mint cookies are not adequate fuel for a run. Lesson learned! I've also learned that it takes me about 35 minutes to get into a groove. I struggled the first half, taking lots of walking breaks, but ran the last 2.5 miles without stopping. So weird. All in all, I ran the 5 miles at an average pace of 11:09 (although I think the calibration is slightly off). I can't believe I'm running a half marathon in a little less than two months. I can't wait!!

Big shout-out to Holly who ran her first marathon today!!! Congrats and might I suggest a full body massage??

movies, movies and more movies

For Friday night date night I went to see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I really, really liked it. It was of course very bloody, but I also found it strangely sweet. It was kind of weird to watch a Tim Burton film without a Danny Elfman score, but the soundtrack was really fun. I was surprised at how well Johnny Depp can sing but not at all surprised that he was wearing black eye makeup. Oh, and last week I saw Juno with Nick and Lara, which was super good. There was a little teenage couple sitting next to me in the packed theater and they literally made out the entire time. That is until they left 15 minutes before the end. There were some good life lessons to be learned in Juno. I wish they had paid more attention to the movie, before they become a case of life imitating art...

I spent a good chunk of time watching trailers online and found a ton I'm looking forward to. Here they are, in no particular order. The movie title should take you to the trailer. I would have attached the actual movies via youtube or something but I'm technologically incompetent.

1. Semi-Pro - It's highly possible that the trailer has captured all of the funny parts, leaving nothing new for the full-length film (like some funny movies of late), but I laughed SO hard. I think I'll risk it.
2. Mamma Mia! - Considering my current obsession with musicals I have to give this one a shot.
3. Speed Racer - One of the staples on my marathon machine is a techno remix of the Speed Racer theme, which is pretty much my only exposure to Speed Racer. However, this movie is visually vibrant and I like that. I think I can get over the fact that Christina Ricci is in it (I've never really cared for her much).
4. Definitely, Maybe - I love cheeseball romatic comedies, Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslyn, and the red-head from The Wedding Crashers (whatever her name is), so count me in.
5. The Dark Knight - The other night I dreamt that I was in the Joker's band of thugs, so even my subconscious is excited about this. I absolutely loved Tim Burton's Batman, and this is basically the same story, but I'm excited to see this new take on it. Oh, and I have the hugest crush on Christian Bale. He's the bee's knees. Counting down the days!!!
6. Step Up 2: The Streets - I'm sure the story line will leave much to be desired, but the dance scenes look awesome. Maybe I'll wait until it comes out on DVD so I can just fast forward through all of the bad acting.
7. 27 Dresses - Because I'm a girl.
8. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days - While I don't see as many of them as I would like, I'm kind of a sucker for foreign films.
9. Horton Hears a Who - I realized, after seeing this trailer, that I have never read the book Horton Hears a Who. Maybe I need to change that...
10. Run Fat Boy Run - Simon Pegg + marathons = must see!! Oh, and if you only click on one link, click on this one. I promise it will make you giggle.
11. Hancock - I will see this ONLY because Jason Bateman is in it.
12. Funny Games - I've seen this trailer a few times and it gives me chills.
13. There Will Be Blood - Daniel Day Lewis kind of scares me in this trailer but I think that's a good thing.

Too much information, i'm sure...

I don't think I'm alone in this, but during the winter I get a little lazy about shaving my legs. I really only spend the time when I know I'll be wearing a skirt and even then, if I know I'll be pairing the skirt with my tall boots I only shave a couple of inches below the knees and a few inches above, depending on the length of my skirt. I mean, why should I take the time to shave if no one's going to see my legs but me??

So today I decided to wear my cute new Banana skirt (it has pockets, I love pockets!!!) with my tall brown boots. It has been a few days since I shaved (I wore a skirt on Monday) so I did the half shave. I go to put on my boots and could only find one. Uh oh...Most people would probably either find some pants to wear, throw on some tights or head back to the bathroom to finish the job. Well unfortunately I don't believe in tights, I was running a little late and a REALLY wanted to wear that skirt so what did I do? Put on my heels and walked out the door in my partially hairy state...Am I crazy or what??

Christmas cash and ego boosts

I've decided that next time I feel my (healthy) self esteem waning, I should find an excuse to visit the IT department at work. I walked in there today and they're all "Wow...look at you...you're lookin' goooood" "Mmmmm mmmmmmm mmmmmmmm, gorgeous" "Hey beautiful!" and about a dozen other adjectives. They were laying it on pretty thick, and of course I was eating it all up. I did look exceptionally good today though, thanks to Banana Republic's big sale and the clothes I picked up. I could resist a little photo shoot in the dressing room with my crappy cell phone camera; check me (er I mean 'em) out...and go check it out (the sale I mean).

this is the outfit that caused the inflation of my ego (the pants are a black and tan teeny houndstooth print, SUPER CUTE)

This skirt is also new, it's super duper flattering in a brown and tan herringbone print...

...and these pants (they're a brown flannel)

...and last but not least, these shoes. I've needed black shoes FOREVER!

The best part about this little spree is that nothing was over 35 bucks! I got all of this with the Christmas cash from my grandpa. Thanks Gramps!! (and mom, don't worry, I'll send a thank you card!)

The Spirit of the Marathon

I heard about this documentary a while back through one of my running email lists. Just watching the six minute trailer makes me extremely emotional and I can't wait to see it. If you've run a marathon, you should see this. If you've ever thought about running a marathon, you should see this. If you're a runner but think marathon runners are crazy, you should see this. If you've never run before, but are curious to see how insane we are, you should see this.

It's playing one night only, Thursday, January 24. Check out www.marathonmovie.com for the trailer and a list of participating theaters. Don't miss it!!

Christmas past...

I totally forgot I took a few pictures with my crappy camera while I was in Utah, check em out....

It snowed!! On Christmas Eve!!!

Forget the ham and turkey dinner...we pefer Chinese!!

Another tradition, clam dip and chips. Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water.

I'm hoping this is a new tradition...

Thomas giving me his evil look (all part of the wicked persona)

Me and Tone

Me and Thomo

Me and Princess Abby

Tony and Marti (Cutest couple alive)

I wish I could remember what she was doing, it was super cute...whatever it was.