Life in my house

Live in my house, I’ll be your shelter. Just pay pay me back with one thousand kisses. Be my lover and I’ll cover you. Open your door; I’ll be your tenant. Don’t got much baggage to lay at your feet, but sweet kisses I’ve got to spare. I’ll be there and I’ll cover you. Just slip me on; I’ll be your blanket. Wherever, whatever, I’ll be your coat. You’ll be my King, and I’ll be your castle. All my life I’ve longed to discover something as true as this is. So with a thousand sweet kisses, I’ll cover you. If you’re cold and you’re lonely, I’ll cover you. When you’re worn out and tired, I’ll cover you. When your heart has expired, oh lover, I’ll cover you.

— Rent


from lelove

Why we're friends

I have awesome and hilarious friends. And sometimes, they say things, and I remember why I love them. Maybe this is one of those "had to be there" moments, but it's my blog, so I'm sharing.

On the phone with a friend and she says:

So, this boy came in the office the other day and I was like, "whoa I hope he flirts with me!" and that was the end of that story.

my movie persona

Well, that's it. I've decided. If my ridiculous (romantic) life was reflected in one story line, it would be Elinor Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility. I've never read the book (I have heard it is not Jane Austen's best) but the movie is delightful (and star-studded - but that is another post!)

The gray area. The unclear signals. The awkward expectations. The unknown feelings. The constant doubt. What's he REALLY thinking?

*sigh* I wish this were easier. Right, like that's going to happen.

So, my plan now is to take my friend Megan's advice. She didn't even have to give it this time, I just knew this is what she would say: "Just make out with him!"

Well, ok.

edit: as I was looking for a lovely photograph to accompany this post, I found a quiz: Which Jane Austen character are you? Apparently, it thinks I'm Marianne Dashwood.

Take the Quiz here!

I changed a couple answers to questions I was on the line about and got Elinor.

Take the Quiz here!

Favorite quotes, lyrics from this week

From Australia (which is an epically, beautiful movie that I WISH I could have seen in theatres):
"Just because it is, doesn't mean it should be."

James Otto's new song, Since You Brought it Up



You call me up, the conversation goes, in the usual way,
Oh what ya doin’, a whole lot of nothin’,
Oh it’s been a long, long day.
And then you mention,
You got this bottle of wine
You’ve been saving’ for a while
Ya it’s just waitin’ to be opened
I can only almost hear you smile.

Chorus
Since you brought it up, why don’t you bring it over,
I’d love to see you standin’ in my door,
Your auburn hair fallin’ on your shoulders,
Come on baby are you waiting for ,
You got the wine, I’ve got all night,
We’re only getting’ older,
Since you brought it up, why don’t you bring it over?

(um, totally sexy, no?)


And a song courtesy of Pandora, by Michelle Branch, Something to Sleep To:
She's his yellow brick road
Leading him on
And letting him go as far
as she lets him go
Going down to nowhere

In my mind
Everything we did was right
Open your eyes, I'll still be by your side
How could I ever have been so blind?
You give me something to sleep to
at night

K-10 chasing the sunset

The best reason of all to a have a camera phone.



Because you never know when the beauty of the place you live will take your breath away.

A perfect end to a lovely dinner with an old friend.

"a man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."
-Charles Darwin

It was good because it was SO ridiculous!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is the ultimate movie about things high school students cannot really do. But do you hate it for that? No, you embrace it because you WISH you could have done that in high school!

Recently, I stumbled upon Ultra-Condensed movies which gives hilarious summaries of movies. Like, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. If you've seen the movie, you must read the review. Because it's awesome. And true.

Differing Views

Not a happy post, but read this first: Tiller Shot to death at Wichita church

A rather controversial Wichita, Kansas doctor, George Tiller, was shot to death this morning. He was most likely targeted because of his abortion practices that have been a source of news in the past years.

I cannot identify with either side of the pro-life/pro-choice debate. Personally, I could never go through with an abortion but I know that's MY belief and my choice. But I also know there are exceptions I completely understand.

I live in a liberal college town in one of the most conservative states in the country. Suffice to say, I know a lot of interesting people with varied backgrounds and beliefs. I have a good friend whose number one political issue is abortion. He votes based on someone's abortion views. This is so bothersome to me because of all the issues to be your number one priority - this is one that will least affect him, no matter WHAT the law is. If my friend believes in his heart of hearts that abortion is wrong, then he does not need to choose to do that. So, why does he believe his belief should be the belief of everyone else?

There are a lot of words on comment boards and twitter right now about this: martyr, pro-life, pro-choice, targeted, assassinated, activists, advocates, anti-abortion, liberals, wingnuts, extremists. No matter what you want to call the incident or the argument or the people involved, this will likely stir the abortion debate pot; and this debate, no matter how much it is discussed, will NEVER be resolved with a compromise. The only thing we can hope for is an agreement to disagree and to understand that as much as you 100% believe in something, someone else can believe 100% in the very opposite.

In time, the younger generations will be in charge

My 9 year old explaining to a table full of adults why gays should be able to marry: "Love. That's why."

-A most insightful and hopeful comment found via twitter. I retweeted, obviously.

Enjoying life more everyday

Growing up, I felt like the responsible one in my family. I rebelled against my mom and dad by being an ANGEL of a child. Not that they were horrible, but I don't do a lot of things now because of the example they set (or really, didn't set). Seems ridiculous, but I was kind of an uptight kid. I felt an enormous amount of pressure, most of it, I think, came from myself. I did not want to be working in a bar when I got married and started a family, so I was very focused in doing well in school and doing "resume-building" activities. Then I went to college and did the same thing in hopes of being as prepared as possible for the post-college job-search. And I had fun, in college but I also had to work incredibly hard to pay for all my housing, etc. I had very little assistance from my parents and I struggled several years to realize that I ONLY needed to be responsible for myself and what I did. I felt that I could argue with my family until they changed. That, I found out, does not really work. So now, while I'm still feeling the effects of putting myself through school (loans, credit card bills, more loans), I have definitely chilled a bit more in my "adult" life. (The fact that I should even consider myself an adult blows my mind.) I have been able to accept a lot more of the parts about my family (and some friends) that I used to not be able to handle or let go. I better appreciate my mom and my aunt's care free and loving attitudes. I love how much my grandma is absolutely devoted to all her children and grandchildren (despite their flaws).

So, despite all of the hard work and, admittedly, disappointments with not having it easy, I feel more content then I have my whole "responsible person" life. I'm not perfect and I don't have everything I want, but that's what the point of life is; enjoying what and who you have in your life but always working to improve it and make it more fulfilling. So, despite my full-time job and all my loans, I also have time to write, to read and do what I enjoy. And I'm kind of loving that right now.

Photo from here.

The Right Way and The Wrong Way to go about finding new roommates

It's been almost 6 years since I first moved to Kansas for school. Since then, I have had SEVEN addresses and I am preparing to move again. The order: residence hall freshman year, sophomore apartment, junior apartment, senior apartment, random loft for 8 months, random apartment with weird roommate for 5 months and finally my awesome townhome I'm in now. I'd like to not leave, but sometimes life doesn't give you a choice. So, I'm looking at similar townhomes on the same street.

I have been a Craigslist.com stalker for several months now, making sure I've viewed everything with ANY potential promise. Places to live, non-creepy roommates to become new best friends with. But what this has given me is a feeling that most people don't know how to go about being successful in life. Sounds harsh, but hear me out!

If you don't know how to fully explain yourself, your house/apartment OR your situation in a paragraph or two, you must not do well at life. Here is an example:

Need place to stay for June : Needing place to stay for the month of June. 19 year old male. Very Clean.

Way to say the same thing twice yet only use 25 words. That's a skill. But seriously, that's all you can come up? No specifics?

So, if you decide to put information up on craigslist, more details, please!

I just need to stop thinking about it!

I worry, a lot. And I say stupid/embarrassing things. Which leads me to CONSTANTLY WORRY about the stupid/embarrassing things I've said. I try to rationalize that everyone has those feelings of doubt about how they reacted to a situation. Everyone says silly or stupid things. But I still feel like a fool reliving these things OVER and OVER again. And if I think of one, I think of many more. This is happening at work rather often now. I know that not everything I say or do is remembered by everyone who is in the room at the time. I am absolutely NOT the center of this world. But I still cannot help it.



I maybe need therapy. Or just a good kick in the butt. How does everyone else deal with minor humiliation on an (almost) daily basis?

Embarrassed squirrel picture from here.

Quesitonable naming practicse... on the RUNZ

Why would you name things (especially related to food) that when said aloud do NOT make you want to use or to eat.

Examples:

1. Runza. RUNS-a. A fastfood chain in the midwest. I will not eat there on principle. (Not Spangles-worst ads in the world principle.) Not eat there because it SOUNDS gross principle.

2. Cuisinart. Kitchen appliances. Never thought about it until I heard it on a commercial. Sounds like queasy. Making food with something that sounds like queasy? No thanks!!! (Ok, I was just at a wedding shower and *know* these are actually quality kitchen appliances. Maybe they should just tweak the way it's said...)

Anything else that you've ever heard and thought: "really? that's the best you could come up with?!"

Desiner X, we're just not buying it

The "You're Fired" statement of "The Fashion Show" is: "We're just not buying it". Practically rolled on the floor laughing after I heard it. Perfect in its amount of cheesy. How hilarious is that? Just watching my second episode and, as much as I don't want to, I keep comparing it to Project Runway.

The cons: NO Tim Gunn (who is the BEST). Isaac Mizrahi's hair. Seriously? The "guest judges" are not as cool. Tinsley Mortimer? I've heard the name, but I don't care. Kelly Rowland is obviously just reciting her lines, not delivering them. And frankly, it's just not as entertaining. Maybe we just need more time to adjust to the lack of Tim Gunn!

The pros: Isaac Mizrahi will cut a bitch. Good times. The designs are just as diverse. The challenges are more creative and tests the designers limits more fully. AND they have to work in teams (so far!)

100 shows and death and hope

Via Twitter and the student newspaper at the university I work for, the only thing everyone is thinking about is the upcoming ceremonies to celebrate commencement. Oh, I guess I'm thinking about it, too since "graduation" is in my title as an academic advisor. Getting to give the okay to hundreds of students to graduate is a funny thing. The undergrads drive me crazy and ask stupid question but I understand their excitement and anticipation and what it means. And, ultimately, I feel bad (for most) when they've done something to jeopardize their graduation.

Recently, there have been a string of deaths that have occurred on our campus. Alcohol poisoning, a tragic fall from a building (alcohol-related) and speculated drug overdose. Although I was not able to read it, today, the chancellor sent an e-mail to all students asking them to be safe in their decisions this evening. Tomorrow is Stop Day (no classes before finals) and tonight, students celebrate its eve by partying hard. Really hard. I was once one of those students. I never did the amount of drinking that some students did several times a week, but I'm sure there were questionable decisions made during my 4 1/2 years of as a student. Still, I'm worried about the sirens I just heard. And I hope there won't be any bad news on www.ljworld.com tomorrow.

Tonight, I watched the 100th episode of Grey's Anatomy. The ER handled the victims of a car crash: 8 college students on their way to graduation. The only girl that survived the crash of those students was the valedictorian. She recited her speech as she prepared to go into surgery. She spoke of "beginning her life" as the montage showed her 7 friends being zipped up into body bags; their lives, effectively, over. I think that's the thing about being a kid and going to college. To truly become an adult, you must realize that at some point, your life has already started. At some point, the decisions that were once your parents', become your own. It's a startling feeling to realize you're on your own for real. It's one thing to say it and think you accept your responsibilities. And entire other to feel it, know it and realize what you do each day is defining who you are as person.

So, why are these students making decisions and choosing actions that put their lives at risk? Why do something so pointless that may take away your chance at living a full life? There must be a way to get through to these students. But how do you tell them their life is at risk when they don't think their lives have even started?



"You don't recognize the biggest day of your life until you're right in the middle of it. The days you meet your soul mate. The days you realize there's not enough time because you want to live forever. The perfect days." -Grey's Anatomy

"Happiness is about connecting with people. Optimism is contagious."

"Everyone's so happy. This could last longer than just today." -Michael J. Fox on inauguration day.

I Am Ready.

95% sure this is not the music video for this song, but the shots are completely beautiful.

About being a girl...

I *KNOW* how to change a tire. I am comfortable in my ability to do so. But here's the thing. I have girl genes. You know, the genes that dictate my gender. Of the two options, what is, to be truly realistic, the more feminine gender. This may appear sexist, but it is the case for me. So, when I need to change a tire. I know how, but physically CANNOT. And, as an independent woman, this pisses me off! So, this afternoon, I could not change my tire. My male roommate did. *angry face*



It's been 10 days of crazy and I've loved every minute of it. I literally had too much fun this past weekend. What happens, you ask, when you have too much fun?! You literally make yourself sick. True story.

But here are the highlights.
*Brown Bag Drag on campus! Along with Chancellor's event and school field trips. There's always a lot going on during the Brown Bag Drag lunch hour!



*We drove the 50 minutes to Kaufman Stadium so we could watch the Royals game Saturday night. An hour before the first pitch, standing room only tickets had been made available and then sold out twice. We weren't getting in this game. In my defense, Becky had told me the games had been selling out and I *DID* tell Ryan. He just didn't listen to me. See, this is what boys get for not listening to the ladies! We didn't get to see the game, but we did get some beer, some good grillin' and a viewing of Sex and The City with the ladies. (Also, my allergies kicked in, but let's focus on the fun, no?!)

*This weekend was also jampacked with some crazy, good old-fashioned Kansas weather. Tornadoes, hail and thunderstorms, oh my! I love a good thunderstorm. Despite the noise and lightening, it's oddly comforting.

*Got to see some friends who I hadn't seen in awhile. Becca (who lives in central Kansas stayed with me the whole weekend), Becky (who is in charge of some before and after programs in the KC area AND my freshman year dorm roommate!), and Lauren (who is working on her phD in Scotland!)

All in all, one of the best weekends in a long time. But also the cause of my blogging hiatus, despite BEDA. oops.
Random notes from the tv I have on in the background:

"Arlen is willing to eat it" as said by Chris Matthews on Keith Olberman's show tonight about Arlen Spector. Just MOMENTS after he has slobber on his chin. You're a winner, Chris.

Later, "I'm glad to be your lead-in bro" said by Chris to Keith. Someone should tell him to shut up!

Be a Winner!

Please see Mrs. Newlywed's site to enter to win some fabulous monogrammed towels. SOOOO adorable!

Work hard/play hard makes life pretty fun. This week definitely fit the bill. Planning on being as lazy as possible today. Except, I should fold and put away my TWO WEEKS of clean clothes on my bed. *SO* lazy sometimes!

Ooh, except there's lots going on in Lawrence today. Not to mention Panera or Milton's is calling my name. Oh, unless you've been to Lawrence, you've probably never heard of Milton's. Well, this charming little paper on the east coast recommends the french toast if you're in town. Let's just say, if you're in town, you MUST go. Just be sure to beat the church crowd!

Don't call this place boring...

...it's freakin' gorgeous.






and me, heading out to enjoy the lovely evening :)

Ok, A or B? 1 or 2?

Look to the left. I currently have two ways to import twitter updates.

Number One: The RSS feed with my twitter page in the website.
Number Two: A twitter-specific widget.

Which looks better? Very similar, yes but also importantly distinct. Thoughts?

Also, busiest 48 hours of my adult working life. WAY behind both work and personal emails. Behind with my google reader Behind with INSANE facebook status debates (that story to come this weekend!). Also behind with my BEDAing. *sigh* What are you gonna do? Life gets CRAZY!

EDIT: Removed the RSS feed. That does not update automatically (every time I tweet) and does not show how long ago the tweets were. So, there ya go!

Blogger Question of The Week

How do other blogger users get their tweets to update automatically onto their blog? Is it a specific gadget google already has? Or is it your own html (which *might* kill me if I try to figure out... help!

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OR! Is it using a RSS feed? (Which I don't totally understand but will now attempt to figure out...!)