Maybe it's the Motor?

There are some days when nothing really works out perfectly. Usually those days are all bad. My day wasn't all bad, in fact, it wasn't even bad at all, really. I woke up late(ish) and then had breakfast with Phoebe and Skylor- we hung out until 2:30 and then I created, in feverish OCD style, the next hour and a half until I had to leave for work. Did a little splashing around, and cleaned up a bit. It was really nice, until I realized 15 minutes down the road that I had forgot my uniform for work (AKA my lovely blue vest). Great, of course that makes my perfectly timed out plan utterly useless... not to mention makes me late to work.

At least Yesterday was wonderful- we're talking get out of work early, cookout kind of a day. The gang came over for dinner and we just grilled up some burgers and chicken and really relaxed. I have an absolutely amazing group of friends; we were all just sitting around the table and I had one of those moments. Those "everything is just perfect, and my life is amazing" moments. You know how we live most of our lives on a permanent fast forward- and we're always thinking about what we have to do tomorrow, or next month? It was one of those times that you feel like you're just on play. You can feel every breath. So I don't have every detail of my life figured out? Just for a while, I felt like I didn't have to- I guess you could call it "living in the moment".
It's funny how we always want life to be like the movies. I think that's really because, yes, everything works out in the end of movies, but the characters in them go through so many uncomfortable situations in the middle that it's not as different as we think. I think a big part of it is the perspective-- You squirm right with the characters in a good movie, but the time and scope is different. What may take place over a month, a year, a week, is only taking you 182 minutes. It's easier to get to the happy ending in a movie. But would we really want to get to the end? I'm pretty sure that goes right back to the whole 'living in the moment' thing...
I guess some of these thoughts came from the fact that I just watched Serendipity, and it made me start thinking about fate and all of that- the frustrating part is that for all these different reasons they never can get together until the end, all these things they miss and places where they almost meet. At what point do you trust in fate? At what moment do you know it's going to work out? We, as an audience, know they will get together in the end- but the characters themselves don't know that. So are we all essentially in our own little movies? Just a quarter of the way through? ...A lot of questions for one night. A lot of hefty ones.

I have a feeling I would be pretty bad at the whole trusting in fate thing. Letting go is a lot harder for some people than others... For me? Not so easy. Maybe Fate can give me a swift kick in the shins or something.

To Nottingham- Full Steam Ahead!

I've just spent a good hour of my life watching a BBC America show and being completely entertained. And staring at my latest future husband.
Meet Jonas Armstrong; A.K.A. Robing Hood.I don't know what it is about him- maybe it's his kick arse bow skills, tortured soul, sense of justice, dedication to his love, adorable eyes, or the scruffy facial hair that gets me every time.
I mean, we all know Robin is our protagonist extraordinaire, and dashing storybook hero- but this guy makes Cary Elwes (of Robin Hood: Men in Tights, The Princess Bride) look like Robin Williams. Not that I don't love Mr. Elwes, and other Robin Hoods before him, but there actually is dimension to Armstrong's version that hasn't been present before. A rough edge- the problem side. The sort of Jesus Christ Superstar version where our perfect Hero is a little bit flawed (there's where 'tortured' comes in). I mean, it's tough to mess with a character so universally good and loved, if the audience doesn't receive this new dimension well- you're screwed and lose credibility (or money).
Note: this show may start out with your traditional Robin Hood story, but we're told that it is going to end a lot differently- the series finale is coming up next week, and *gasp* a main character will die. I'm crossing my fingers, because if Robin dies, I'll have lost faith in every single TV show that I've ever loved excepting Eli Stone (Which did not let me down- unless ABC doesn't bring it back- in which case scratch the whole exception thing).
In other new addictions, I've added Cobra Starship to my car CD collection. Since my car doesn't have an ipod hook-up, I keep a rotating collection of CDs stocked. Mixes are my specialty, but every once in a while an actual CD will creep into the mélange and become semi-permanent for a while. Past Albums have included Cartel [Chroma], The Mile After [The Five Things I Ever Did Wrong, Armada], The City Drive [Always Moving Never Stopping], Forever The Sickest Kids [Underdog Alma Mater], Mae [The Everglow, Destination: Beautiful], and Jason Mraz [Mr.A-Z, Waiting For My Rocket To Come]. Right Now There are three Records in there: ¡Viva la Cobra!, While the City Sleeps- We Rule the Streets, and Armada (Two out of three belong to Cobra Starship...) They make me feel O.K. about dancing like a drunk white girl... Oh, Wait.

It's a good thing I like to cook. A lot. Because I'll be doing it for the rest of the week- usually the summer is the time when my family makes fabulous food which I then eat. Unfortunately for me (and fortunately for them) my parents ran off to Italy. So that leaves me at home, cooking and more than a little jealous. But, hey, they do deserve it. Someday I can drink my way through Tuscany. And come home to a liver transplant, eh?

While the 'Rents are away, the kids will play...
This was to be the philosophy for this week. I guess it makes me realize how boring I really am! I've read two books, cooked a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches, worked a helluva lot, and thrown zero crazy house parties. And my sister has been almost totally absent so far. Cool. I hope the rest of my life consists of a little more than BBC America at night (No offense to the Future Hubby, of course!)
I guess I can deal with it- considering the whole of my life is supposed to be spent working. I hate that, though. It doesn't have to be that way- I plan on loving my job (or at least mildly enjoying it) traveling a lot, and call me naive, loving my life. I mean, even the little things that make you laugh aloud even though you've been standing at a register for four hours dealing with people who hate your guts because you cant scan their $264.25 worth of crap in .78 seconds. Because those moments are present in everything. That's what keeps me going, as I remind myself that I did this instead of my internship because I needed to spend more time with my family while I still can. ...The family that is either in Italy or at their boyfriend's house.
It's just a week, right?
To make this go better, I'm installing a feature: The Daily Oddity. Some days there are many to choose from- but each post will include an example of a weird dialogue between me and said offbeat member. Today's Oddity is probably the Least odd of the whole week (figures, right on the day I start it), and was almost alarming, because it was the weirdest thing that happened to me today. That may be because everyone else was abnormally unfriendly and grouchy- ugh, Saturday in retail...

The Daily Oddity for today:

Customer # 67: (while writing check and balancing child on hip) how old are you, anyways?
Me: I'm 20.
Customer # 67: No Way! You are not that old!
Me: I am.
Customer # 67: But you look...
Me: 15?
Customer # 67: Yes! I mean there is no way I would have thought you were legal!!
Me: (awkward laughter) Thanks, it'll come in handy when I'm 50.
Customer # 67: Oh, Absolutely Honey! You just keep that up-lookin' young's not a sin!

Well, other than the fact that I'm pretty sure I was never worried that I was sinning- I felt that sinking feeling that, even though I appreciate "looking young", I will probably be carded until I turn 36, by which time my opinion will have completely reversed and that phenomenon that happens about halfway to thirty will occur- and I will begin to deny that I ever got that old in the first place... Aging is so predictable.

I suddenly feel the need to do cliché acts common among young people...
Oo. Party at my house! We're going to dance like the drunken white girls we are and watch BBC America Marathons!
Oh, and BYOB... because I'm still too young to buy it, and I forgot my I.D.

I'm not Hispanic.

I'm not. Even though some days I would absolutely love to be. Ever since our last Zumba class I've been on a Latin kick like no other. It's so bad that I've been listening to Zumba music in my car, and a lot of Reggaeton. I sing in Spanish, and I don't even know what I'm singing. I think it's the rhythm of it all- the color that's even in the music. Sure, some of it gets monotonous- but like any music culture, there are songs you love- and songs you hate. I'm in love with 75% of it.
I've considered taking a latin lover... Kind of a Ricky Martin, Daddy Yankee, and Antonio Banderas guy. Maybe this will help? ¡Sí! ¡Muy Caliente!

I guess some of it is the dancing- I've been in a dancing mood too. "Step Up 2: The Streets" came out on DVD on tuesday- and yes, I now own it. I don't know exactly what it is about cheesy movies in which dancing solves all problems, cultural divides, and troubled life paths- but they just make me feel fluffy inside... not to mention start my own dance crew. I actually liked "The Streets" better than the first Step Up movie. It's different in that, for once it's not all about getting in to the prestigious school and securing a better life for the troubled lead character- it's about the culture of underground dance- plain and simple. The movie is probably widely criticized for having no noble driving lesson or message behind it- it's honestly about overcoming first impressions and celebrating an underrated and largely unrecognized culture of underground choreographed dance. So, that sounds fancy, I know. But it's an awesome movie with a decent soundtrack- and best of all it accomplishes what should be the main goal: It makes you want to move. Muévete!
I love Movies. Any movies. I love cheesy movies, artsy movies, movies that make you think, dramatic movies, weird movies. The only ones I don't like are horrifically bloody and violent movies. I think that critics are given entirely too much credit- gone are the days when people appreciated a movie that can take you away from reality- if just for a little bit. All movies have their purposes, and a movie that does its job is, in my opinion, a good movie. To put it simply: We've all gotten too "artsy fartsy" for our own good. Let it go.
I guess what I'm really doing is defending the movies that I love- the ones that some would say are generic, have no point, or are just "lame". I guess in a way, I'm defending my intelligence because I really enjoy said movies.

Today, a customer told me that I had beautiful hair, then proceeded to ask me if it was thick in the summer... The other day, a woman told me I was "too nice to work here" and that I should work for Harris Teeter; is it really that friendly and nice there? Yesterday, a lady told me I looked like Miley Cyrus. Last week, I had a conversation with a woman who informed me that she buys organic milk so that her daughter won't get her period at the age of 6. This job is so much fun.
I guess I should start drinking organic milk- I mean, if the regular stuff can honestly speed up the development of children, I'm probably some kind of mutant by now. ¡Ay, Dios Mio!

Fangs and Humidity

What A Week. It was Hot.
One of those head spinning, everything happens, and you're sitting down but you feel like you're about to fall out of the chair. My head is literally, well actually it's not spinning at all- it just feels like I've ridden that fair ride that sucks you to the wall, and I can't get off... minus the nausea, of course.
Monday began with an ending actually-I'm single once again, by choice. But why is it that even when you know you're doing the right thing, you feel like the worst person in the world? I guess it's just guilt- I've made someone feel bad, and essentially lost a friend; because we all know that even though we agreed to "still be friends" we probably won't talk for a while, if at all. I guess that's the sad part about it... because I never want it to turn out that way... it just does. More on that in the Letters.
WARPED TOUR was Tuesday!Every summer, Bleighton, Phoebe and I make sure we go to warped tour. It's our summer event. A whole day positively packed with music that we love, we go to hear bands we love; find new bands we've never heard of; get tons of useless stickers, fliers, and buttons; and get ridiculously burnt. This year was no exception. Even in line, it did not disappoint: there were PETA people with petitions- people urging you to register to vote- band members awkwardly hawking their wears and coercing you to wear headphones that thousands of other really sweaty people have worn before you- OH, and some guy with a trench coat that had fangs (Probably there to see Lamb of God or such...). Our main objective for the day was to see Forever the Sickest Kids (FTSK) and others of course- but Bleighton has been obsessed with them for about a year now, and of course Phoebe and I came to love them equally. (To Music Critique Mode!)FTSK, as we will refer to them now (as it is vastly shorter), are a truly amazing example of how to do pop/rock right: there are hooks, riffs, harmonies, and catchy choruses. An added bonus are those catchy verses that sound difficult to sing at first- the words move fast, right into the next line. Bleighton calls them "raps", and although they are clearly not rapping, I can see her argument. The best part about pop/rock is not lyrics that are so hard to interpret that you have to think about it for an hour and then proceed to google it, but they're lyrics that, on the right day, maybe while you're driving down the road- thinking about just how bad you want someone, or how incredibly dumb your ex is- they hit the right spot. The lyrics all come together and you want to sing them as loud as you possibly can- so loud that it's a good thing the windows were up when you pulled up at a stoplight next to that kid you went to highschool with...
We stared out the day with The Academy Is,
then went straight over to see Jack's Mannequin (any of these guys you can check out on Purevolume.com, Myspace, or GOOGLE THEM!) We proceeded to explore the booths- frantically searching for the FTSK booth- because they weren't mentioned as playing on any of the main stages... this was alarming. "Ernie Ball stage maybe?- they've got to be playing today!!" Well, sure enough they were. Fabulous, the day was getting even better. Cinematic Sunrise was next up (they were pretty good, energy a little low- sound was good though). We caught snippets of all kinds of bands while hanging out in the shade out of the 230 degree sun, some impressive, some not so much... Then it was time for FTSK- Ernie Ball: one of the smallest stages there... not a good idea- we got there 20 minutes before they went on and the crowd was already pretty big- hmmm, well they are pretty well known... 5 minutes before the set starts the crowd is huge, and we're talking out-of-control huge. There are people all the way back to the fence and around to the closest booths. None of them were disappointed. I had very high expectations- all met. Their energy was crazy- FTSK delivered well. Sound- exactly like on record, Entertainment value- Huge. An unexpected plus was on a more superficial side: these guys are HOT! Not what I expected, to be honest, but nonetheless... FTSK made the day- even if we were so dead tired that we missed Relient K because we all plonked out in the pavilion listening to bands we had never heard of... ever. Missing Relient K kind of sucked- but we caught the Higher (slightly disappointing), were introduced to the highly entertaining 3OH!3, met Madina Lake (not my style- but amazing stage show). Later on- upon venturing back out, we saw Cobra Starship (good!), We the Kings (last set before we left- great one), and etc. Most the day we were so tired, and it was so hot that we just ended up people watching, consensus? Over half of the girls there had chemically burned off their hair from too much color and "girl jeans" are made for girls... really, they are- and despite what some obviously may think- pants are made to go over the arse. In fact, the reason you even wear them? go figure. But- another observation: the lead singer of Every Time I Die is gorgeous. A little bit crazy and screams a lot, but still great.
After Dragging our heels around for a little while longer we made it to Sonic for dinner. I really don't like fast food. We made the drive home though, in one piece (surprisingly... I was driving). I think that everyone else was asleep by the end of it- though bleighton really gave it her best and I think lasted until the last hour or so. All in all: it was a complete day well-spent (5:30 am - 11:45 pm), and felt good.
So good I spent the next two days recuperating. It was fantastic- I've finally repaired that wicker loveseat!
P.S. Zumba really did kick some major butt this week- it was awesome!! I almost had a hernia during the Merengue, but it was worth it.

Smart Cuddles

So Friday Night/Saturday Morning finds me in bed with the cutest little thing in the world.This is my pseudo-child "Mittens". The thing about Cats, is that they get such a bad rap. "No Love"-- "Cold-Hearted"-- "evil"-- "Bad Luck"--"Just Creepy". I'm going to have to say that I disagree, so this morning/late-night fusion is going to start off with just a little bit of a sound-off. Now I love dogs- absolutely love them, but my baby is a cat. Cats are worth it- most dogs love anyone and everyone. And sure, cats are a little harder to get to know, but really they want love too! With them though, respect must be earned- as with any relationship: you've got to get to know someone. After that initial step, you get close. Now I'm not claiming to be best friends with my cat- I've got a real best friend who would be a little miffed... But she's my "mittie-boo" (I know, really, I know) But the point is whenever you get close enough to cuddle with a cat, you can better believe it means something. Most cats are very choosy about who they love (with the exception of a black and white ball of hell) So feel special if you get to cuddle with a feline- and take it from me, they are a whole lot less slobbery too.

In other news, today was Pay Day! Which just makes me feel good regardless of the fact that I cannot spend any of the money that I labored for- a penny saved is a penny earned, right? Luckily for me- I have the best (non-cat) Friend in the world! Bleighton took me out for a movie!
One of the reasons that I love seeing movies with Bleighton, is that we both have the same, very discerning taste in movies. Our criteria involves pretty much humor and a really cheesy storyline. Ok, so we both have the same horrible taste in movies- but that makes it way more fun; we love pretty much everything we see, and we only see movies together that we can tell we are going to love.
Tonight we saw Get Smart with Steve Carell etc. I think we probably laughed through the whole thing. That guy is good, and not just funny, I'm-going-to-do-everything-wrong good- but he actually gets to kick some ass in this one- albeit, while still managing to be a bumbling, yet lovable moron- but he kicks it all the same.
Someone who once tried to convince me that my taste in movies could be improved, asked me why I loved movies that didn't make you think. I wasn't sure what to say- but I think there is something a lot more complicated to humor than meets the eye. Everyone knows someone who thinks they are hilarious and isn't... It takes talent to make dumbed-down, ridiculous lines actually laughable. Lets put it this way: If my brother said the same things or did the same things, I wouldn't be laughing. But my Brother isn't Steve Carell (too bad, because then he could hook me up with tickets to South America). Lesson Learned? While I really do enjoy movies that "make me think" I also love those movies that don't for once- I'm always thinking; they're my 182 minute breaks!
So all of that late night excitement brings me back here: cuddling with Mittens on my bed- still laughing about the Russian Farmers with the Cellphones.

My advice? Get Smart... and get a Cat.

Bake it THEN Shake it

Today was supposed to be one of those days when you get everything done and then feel awesome about it. One of those days where you don't spend too much time reading, you don't watch any TV, you go do something active, something creative, you laugh a lot with people you love, and you eat wonderful, healthy things that fill you up without adding ten pounds to your inner thighs.
Today ended up being one of those days that you sleep until noon, don't read at all, watch far too much TV, snack endlessly on disgusting things that you regret eating 2 hours later, and feel the need to become bulimic (at least you wouldn't feel like you had to throw up for 4 hours..).

Well, it wasn't exactly like that- that's the 'glass half empty' version. So last night I spent some quality time with a couple of the loves of my life, had dinner with my mom, laughed about dumb stuff with my sister, and managed to look decent for about 6 hours. Needless to say, we ended up having just a 'tad' too much fun- which resulted in me waking up today at... well, Noon.
The rest of the day was spent eating snacks and watching the food network. I love Guy Fieri (pictured on the left). I hate Tyler Florence.
The thing about the Food Network is it's hit or miss... half of the shows are ridiculously boring- and half of them, I love for their quirks. Tyler Florence makes me want to kick some 'organic chickens' across a couple acres and then settle down for a nap. Maybe I'm too harsh, but I love my favorite Food Network shows with the burning passion of anything en flambe- and let's be honest, some are just a little on the charred side.

So besides Food Network programming-- clearly one of the only "of note" things I did today-- I taught Zumba with Bleighton. and if you don't have any Idea what Zumba is- you're really missing out! Bleighton and I are doing this summer class at ACAC, and team teaching- which is normally beyond fun, we have great energy together and it really brings it up a notch... all except for tonight. Everyone has one of those classes I suppose, where you can't remember the very first song you ever choreographed. In fact- that was exactly what happened tonight. Fabulous- so I'm up there making up all kinds of ridiculous stuff and getting all jumbled up- which of course threw off the remainder of my songs. I almost expected someone to 'boo'... you know- "Get her off the stage!" kind of a situation. At least that's over. Next week will just have to be extra fabulous to make up for it- so watch out ACAC, we're gonna throw out some hips and break some ankles!

P.S. Bulimia is a serious eating disorder, which I do take very seriously. Joking is Joking, and I would never suggest that someone develop one in all seriousness. If you have an eating disorder, please talk to your doctor about it.

Passing Gas

So Life is a Gas.

No one remembers that old Bill Nye The Science Guy episode, where they explore the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas and then the one that everyone associates with jello- plasma). Well Life is exactly like that.
Some things are solid- like taxes, death, family, Time and disappointments.
Some things are liquid- like the people that move in and out of your life, sunshine, shade, seasons, weather patterns, how much someone annoys you, and the clarity of your skin.
Other things fall into the rarities- the Gas category. These are things like complete comprehension, clarity, our ozone layer, complete happiness, the "easy" life, and my bank account. The bigfoots and Nessie's of the world. The things that are both fake and real, the things that never stay for long , or are almost nonexistent.
Much like in science, though, these states of matter can change- in fact they do so on a regular basis- for instance the process of evaporation, condensation, etc. or the age old example of ice freezing, then melting. There are also the instances when these states of matter can go quickly from one to the other. So essentially: nothing is set in solid stone... aka. everything you thought was solid, can fall into the gas category: Taxes: tax fraud, tax evasion, living in DC- people avoid them every day! Death: there are so many stories of humans cheating death- while I do concede that, yes, everyone does die- sometimes you don't die when you are supposed to, or when you "should have".
I could go on and on- but the point is that everything changes- in a world of divorce, celebrities, oil, and all the bad things- I say: Let's hang out in the liquid state for a while- that's where all the fun is!!