in response to corporate america's excessive spending

Last night I had drinks with a friend and we talked about the difference between government organizations, non-profits and the for-profit world. Many a time I have been blown away at how we choose to spend the corporation's money. I have often thought my new world to be quite absurd and full of needless excess.



Here is a great example: I present my chair. Retail price $500.


To quote my father, "$500? Is it made of gold?" Yep. and on the hour it releases soothing vapors of frankincense and myrrh.


If I think of myself in my theater role, $500 can make a huge difference in a production budget. At my job though. . . no one even bats an eye. So here I am straddled between two or three very different worlds. . . confused.


At least my bum is comfy.

she prefer the pink collar, thank you very much

So we bit the bullet and installed invisible fencing across the driveway. When I bought the system, I realized that the collar was less than pretty so I bought her a lovely bubble gum pink collar as well. . . with a matching leash. Sophie seems like a dog that would look good in pink.

Now, I know that the dog is collar blind but she really did seem to like the new collar. . . or at least one of them.

For those of you who know Sophie's larger than life personality you will appreciate the fact that she hasn't received a 'correction' yet. She is just scared of the warning noise that the collar makes. The joggers may now pass our house in safety due to the magic power of empty cans of soda and a beeping driveway.

note: Barry, who most frequently walks the dog, was less than thrilled with the new pink accessories.

**2 points for the pun

education plan or free delivery? . . . you decide

So a favorite conversation around the Brever household (other than the dog and public peeing) is the upcoming elections.

With just a couple of weeks to go, it is pretty funny to see how the candidates attack each other and position themselves to the public.

To be fair, I wouldn't say that I have an unbiased eye when evaluating commercials. . . but regardless, one seems to stick way out to me. Although, I am not a superfan of this candidate, I do think these commercials are beyond silly.

Has anyone else been bothered by Pawlenty's commercials this year? Is it me or do they look oddly like an furniture store commercial? Is Pawlenty going to offer a Labor day BLOWOUT?! For fun and games. . . do check out the Warner Stellian web site. Similarities anyone? Is he trying to transfer the brand equity of a reliable refrigerator to the gubernatorial role? Which only begs one question. . .

Is your governor running? better go catch it.

cancer free

my lab results came back today and all looks good! I have to go back in 6 months to check for stability in the area where the tissue was removed but all is good good good. I am benign!

i am a tiger

rarrr.

Okay. . .so it wasn't all that bad. Frankly, the worst part was the shots to numb my boobicle. I was a little sore and tired on Friday night but by Saturday I felt like I had just worked out too hard.

I spent most of the weekend bumming around the house, but on Saturday night some college friends came over and we had some yummy appetizers and sat outside by the fire for a bit. It was awesome to have a good conversation and just catch up.

Tomorrow I begin 3 days of 'work retreat' which is code for "crappy work that would be absolutely unbearable to do in the office so we are going to some place prettier to rock through it. "

At least I will be able to wear jeans.

let's all learn a little bit together

Thanks for all the warm comments and emails- but I do want you to know that it really isn't a big deal. We can all pretend I am a superhero with incredible strength and courage- but we all know that would be a lie! :) So I am posting a thinger from the Mayo Clinic so that we can all rest our brains and not panic! This is what they think is going on. . .

my hometown hero's account:

Fibroadenomas are round, firm, rubbery masses that arise from excess growth of glandular and connective tissue. These masses can grow to the size of a small plum, but they're benign and usually painless. If you have a fibroadenoma, it may bounce or move slightly when you press the area.
Fibroadenomas respond to hormonal changes and tend to enlarge during pregnancy and shrink after menopause. Women of any age may have them, but they're usually detected in women in their 20s or 30s. Your doctor can't tell from a clinical breast exam alone whether a breast lump is a fibroadenoma. Mammography and ultrasound may help with the diagnosis, but the only way to be certain of a fibroadenoma is to take a sample of tissue for lab analysis (biopsy). Your doctor may also recommend surgery to remove the lump completely.
Fibroadenomas sometimes disappear spontaneously. But your doctor may recommend surgical removal if a fibroadenoma persists, gets larger or you're anxious about it.

So friends. . . I apparently have a couple of cheese balls in my boobicle that need to get looked at. They gave me a couple of options, ranging from 'watchful waiting' to a 'full cheese ball removal.' I split the difference and am having a half-assed cheese ball extraction. It was my choice to have it biopsied now instead of watching it. I could come back every few months for a couple of years to get it measured. . . but we all know I am lazy and that is a lot of appointments (and I know it has grown in the last year). So when in Rome. . . Veni Vidi Vici baby.

Plus. . . I can still drink wine with my left hand.

when in doubt. . . take it out

alternate title: Oh gee I blew out my boobicle.

So I had my boobicle ultrasound and I have not one, but two TWO! lumps!

They know that they are solid, so they are going to do a surgical biopsy/removal on Friday. I am told it is no big deal- but I shouldn't lift anything with my right arm for two days afterward.

Next weeks blogging topic: the beauty of asymmetry.

confident and ready to tackle

So the doctors visit went well. I literally came in with a post it with all sorts of complaints on it. Items on the list varied greatly- small issues like "my hump hurts" (I have slight scoliosis) to the crushing exhaustion I feel almost all the time.

So now I have 7 follow- up appointments in the next week. Woo hoo! They did a bunch of blood work to check the exhaustion and if that comes back without any issues, we are going to try looking at increasing my prozac prescription.

During my girl check up (my uterus looks great by the way) the doctor noticed a little bump in my right boobicle. I have known about it for a while, but at my last check up they thought it was caffeine related. So next week I have to go in for a boobicle mammogram and biopsy. I am bummed. My right boobicle will now have a divot. ;)

I guess there are worse things!

Part of me feels really empowered by going to the doctor. It is an incredible feeling to be able to take action over your health. I also can't stop imagining what life could be like if I didn't feel compelled to nap all the time. Life is looking good.

ow

So this guy is friggin amazing. His name is Dean and he is running 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states. Today he is in North Dakota and it is his 10th race. wowzers. Read about his journey here Come support him as he runs the TCM route on October 23. Or run with him. . .

His mission? Inspire people to become active.

Me? I am inspired to take a nap.

On a related note. . . I am finally going to the doctor today to figure out why I am always soooo o o o o unbelievably tired. . .

back to the grind

We are back from a restful weekend. Pictures are on the flickr account. I am working my tail off to make up for the three day weekend now! Uff dah.


Current project: grading
*Perhaps I reveal too much of my own consumer behavior to my students? You be the judge.
This was written in one of the essays.

"I have a huge brand loyalty to diet coke. As you do."

Umm.

There are also pictures on flickr from Shawn's visit.

tinkering kaput

I am blogging on the north shore. It doesn't get much better than that does it? I have decided to return to the template where you all fell in love with me. . . the good ol' dots. I hunted and tried out some other templates but nothing seemed to fit the same way. Like a good pair of jeans that covers my unbelievably long legs in just the right way, I am home.

Last week I was telling my students about branding and the discussion centered on how brands define who we are and how we want the world to see us. I guess I could use my quest for the perfect template as an example of personal branding. Dotty, Spotty, Dark, Colorful. Full of Holes.

The double vision Sarah Lynn didn't think it would be the best idea to tell my students about my blog. I can't imagine why. Although, I am sure some enterprising student will find it.

PS. To another lovely Sarah: I am teaching marketing on Thursday nights.

personal boundaries

The unthinkable has happened.

The husband has walked in on me while peeing. I never wanted to have the kind of relationship where this is okay. It isn't that I don't feel comfortable with my body or natural processes blah blah blah. . . I just think it is a slippery slope.

First it was popping zits and now public peeing. What else?

listening

love and memories: OAR

You were amazing to me
I was amazing to you


playlist: SHAWN !

two unrelated statements

1. I am tinkering with the site. More changes to come.
2. I left the house this morning wearing navy tights with a black skirt. hot.

personal boundaries

So I am not sure if I covered this or not, but I am teaching a class at my alma mater on Thursday nights. This particular Thursday was grueling. . . . long day at the 'real job' and straight to class all while dealing with an amazing headache behind my left eye. All day I could only focus 8% on my tasks at hand while the rest of my thoughts were consumed by the throbbing pain of my eye. I almost ended up just staying in St. Joe that night just so that I wouldn't have to squint at the road with my one remaining, good eye.

Upon arrival at home, I realized that migraine wasn't a brain related at all. . . it was a deep zit in my eyebrow. To which my husband (who has a secret love of popping zits) offered to help extract the pain. I balked initially but went ahead with it.

My dad fondly tells a story about putting hemorrhoid cream on my mom's posterior during pregnancy. For the past 20 years I have understood this to be the pinacle of marital familiarity. Gross but comforting in a weird way. For 20 years I have wondered if I would ever feel comfortable enough to let someone apply salve to my sacred spaces. Thursday I let my husband pop a zit to relieve a headache.


I guess we have arrived.

anna strikes gold again

This time of year always makes me think of freshly sharpened pencils and backpacks sans pen marks and without the gum wrappers floating at the bottom. It is indeed the time for crisp thinking and life lessons. Go Anna go! There is something about the way this woman thinks that I just love.



Frightening—And Fantastic by Anna Quindlen
Newsweek.
We live at a time when we can't afford to let them accept the Samaritan's ride. But we also can't afford to think that Samaritans don't exist.

Sept. 18, 2006 issue - In May, as part of a program to prepare them for college, the seniors at my daughter's high school heard from a nationally recognized expert on date rape. In August, as part of their introduction to life on campus, the students at the liberal-arts college she is now attending heard from a nationally recognized expert on date rape—the same expert, offering the same warnings about the perils of sexual assault.

Those perils are real. So are the dangers of binge drinking, drug use, unsafe sex, Internet predators, bicycling without a helmet, riding in a car without a seat belt and smoking cigarettes. And perhaps it's also a little dangerous to say of all of the above: enough!
I'm the world's biggest fan of education and information. I was happy that my kids learned early how the seed and the egg got together, at school and from their parents. I like the idea of lung-cancer patients' visiting classes to show teenagers just how glamorous smoking can be once you've had chemo. Every time I hear that little snicking sound that means my kids are belted in, I feel a faint sense of well-being, even though they're not really kids anymore. I've always wanted them, and their friends, to have all the information necessary to make smart choices and avoid dangerous situations.

But for a long time I've had the uncomfortable feeling that the result has been a generation enveloped by a black miasma of imminent disaster. It's not that they hear about the dangers of drugs: they hear about them in school presentations, public-service announcements, print ads, TV movies, "After School Specials," cable documentaries and, of course, from responsible mothers and fathers. They've heard about them in elementary school, middle school, high school and college.

The net effect could be that the drumbeat of danger becomes persistent white noise, unremarked, unheard, unheeded. But that wasn't my concern when I realized that my daughter was going to hear the same warning about date rape in summer that she'd just heard in spring. Once, someone asked me what single quality I most wanted to pass on to my children. Without hesitation I replied, "Joie de vivre." Love of life. That sense of waking up in the morning and thinking that there may be good things ready to happen.
That fantastic feeling is easily lost in a frightening tide of bad tidings. Once, people drifted into unexamined marriages with illusions about a lifetime of romance, or torrid sex, or two hearts that beat as one. Today people plan weddings dogged by divorce and adultery statistics, hearing ubiquitous warnings that marriage is hard work and they might want to try couples counseling even before the ceremony. While once everything was unspoken, now it seems that everything is out there.

Or everything but this: that lots of marriages are happy or at least contented, and pulling in harness can be more satisfying than going it alone. That amid the guys who try to pin you down at a party, it is not so unusual to find one who lights you up and makes you laugh. That sometimes people do stupid things and take stupid chances and get away with it without ruining their lives. A life of unremitting caution, without the carefree—or even, occasionally, the careless—may turn out to be half a life, like the Bible with the Ten Commandments but no Song of Solomon or Sermon on the Mount.

A little more than a decade ago, one of my sons told me very sadly that he didn't understand how he was ever going to have children. At first I thought he meant that he didn't know how he would afford them, or have the patience to raise them. It turned out that he couldn't figure out how he could someday impregnate a woman. When I told him that a day would come when it would be safe to have sex without a condom, he looked at me as though I had lost my mind. Clearly he'd gotten the message. But he'd gotten only the deprivation, not the joy.
So this is a plea for parents to remember to have That Talk with their kids. No, not the one about smoking cigarettes or driving under the influence. That's the one they will certainly get. What they need to hear occasionally is about the pleasures, not just the perils. Even when we talk about September 11, we can tell a tale of human goodness as well as evil, a tale of those who saved strangers as well as those who murdered them. For all the sleazebags who will try to lure a kid into a car, there are many Good Samaritans who are just concerned when they see a 12-year-old trudging along the road in the rain. I suppose we live at a time when we can't afford to let them accept the Samaritan's ride. But we also can't afford to have them think that Samaritans no longer exist. All these lectures, lessons and cautionary tales can't be to preserve a lifetime of looking over one shoulder. As Oscar Wilde wrote, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."

oddly accurate insight into my professional life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHEbB7qh72M

Just another day at the office

So yesterday I spent the entire day in training which all in all was really cool. . . and pretty comical.

I won't bore you with the finer details of angioplasty but I will say that I used Chicago Cutlery to dissect a heart and heard a sales rep use the phrase "that patient was fatter than a tick on a coon dog."

Who says the world of angioplasty isn't sexy?

picking a fight- clarification

Brev and I are not in a real fight.

a good weekend

Friday night was pretty shitty outside and I was feeling it inside too. I took a bath and painted my toenails. I had felt oddly cold all day

Saturday
Andy turned 21 this weekend. It turned out to be a reunion for my friends from first year Kate and Nicole. Then, Nicole, her friend Jorge, Brev and I went up to good ol' St. Joe for a little celebratin'. It was really super- great. We ended up at a house party playing beer pong and the cops pulled up. . . . so those of us in the garage had to be super quiet. ;)

Sunday
We had lunch with Brev's cousin's who are expecting their first child in two weeks! Then we came back and cleaned- and I set up the "impulse buy" in the office. This evening I hosted book club. We didn't get to talking to the book, but we did talk about plenty of other things. I really like this crew of ladies.

*More on the "impulse buy" at a later date.

picking a fight

Kind of.


Hey Brev. . . remember when used to write on your blog? ahem. What is with this last update in May?



*To get the full impact of this 'fight' it is important to note that Brev is working on his laptop 1.5 feet away from me.

official home of the wood eating mammal

Idea taken from the good folks at A.S.S

Golden Times!

It was fun, actually it was great. Peruse the photos on flickr if you like!

I feel better

Today I didn't work. We had a golf outing instead. Good times. I suck at golf. Got home, took a nap. Jen came over and gave me a pep talk. I do need goals. I do not need goals that stress me out. I have a lot of exciting things coming up and I think I just need to focus on that.

On the thankful side, I met some grad school gals last night for sushi. Let's just say that I am thankful that I am not working all hours of the day. Life/work balance is a good thing.

Hmm. . . Other updates. I realized that I don't have much to complain about. When I really think about it, my life is pretty friggin great. I think I just need to make sure that my prescriptions are filled regularly and that I strive continuously toward creating life possibilities for myself.

Who wants to get rip roaring drunk tomorrow night? I do!

Missing: soul

Maybe I am just suffering from a long lasting case of the I-feel-shitties or something but this perpetual fog doesn't seem to be lifting. I was noticing during my run today that I appear to not really give a crap about music anymore. Yes, that means no new play lists that "perfectly" describe my point of view and no new false claims that the artist really is speaking to me. In fact, I am even feeling un-fulfilled at work and play. Let's put this in a more succinct statement:

I am fucking bored. I don't feel like caring about anything.

I think I need a new goal or something. . .

illegal blogging

I am blogging from the nurses station at the hospital. Jean says hi.

catch up

So, the house is near completion. By all standards, this weekend was pretty dull and full of house work. We cleaned, painted and planted. Things are coming along though. I love the cottage.

Last night I saw Em for the first time since I have been back. It was really good and things in her life are going really well so that is always fun. One by one my friends are landing in good places. It is like watching popcorn pop! After I got home we hung up some pictures and then I went to bed.

Today I am working then going home to host some gals from the play for dinner before a little dvd pre-screening. Good times!

The party is in 4 days! Woo hoo!

ps. no news on the knee. Still haven't had the MRI yet. It doesn't hurt as badly anymore though! ;)

corporate training classes that do not apply to me

Water Systems: Contemporary Technology and Compliance.

If that doesn't interest you how about you try:

Sterilization Training for Life Science Professionals or How to Monitor Clinical Trials for GCP Compliance.


I live in a sexy world.

oh gee, I blew out my knee

Here is the t.v. version supplied by Lucy:

I was skating when a man with a ski mask attacked me with a crow bar. . . And then I of course yank the crow bar out the masked man’s grip and let him cower under my intimidating presence until the FBI came and whisked him away, giving me credit for the capture of their #1 most wanted.

The truth is somewhat less glamourous. I was running on a treadmill over lunch when my knee started burning and sending shooting pain up my leg. So I got off.

I go back later this week for an MRI, until then I am not supposed to walk on it. They think I either sprained it or tore some cartilage. Both seem pretty silly since I WASN'T DOING ANYTHING. No falls, no twists and no crowbars.

weekend in review

Installation of stove revealed a bag of pot wedged between the range and dishwasher. My frustration with Best Buy was slightly decreased when they gave me a discount on the refrigerator because of a super duper teeny weeny dent on the side. I think God said no to the deck this weekend when he sent the torrential rains on Sunday. God did say yes to the nap instead.

Last week I declared that we would:

Paint 3 rooms-- check
Strip the fireplace-- mission aborted. Seeking alternative option
Put in a deck-The heavens opened instead
Stain the deck
Tile the mudroom- One more trip to Menards is needed!


Not great, not bad. We did get all the appliances to stop leaking though. That's a win right?

picking scabs

So with my hands covered in stripping acid, I say this . . . Don't strip if you aren't sure what is under the paint.

Our fire place has thick, shiny red paint over its bricks. Why?

Because it was covering the white paint? Why?

Because it was covering the sea foam green paint? Why?

I can't get deep enough to figure it out. . .

the money pit

All through my trip to France, I dreamt, fantasized, and built plans for all the house projects that were going to happen. So needless to say, I had done the typical, anal planning for which I am famous. So after months of anticipation, my schedule has finally cleared up enough to actually take some action! Since we are having a little party, or should I say PART-YAY, in a couple of weeks I thought it would be a good catalyst to get these house projects done.

Needless to say, I never seem to do anything in moderation. Ever.

So in the past week we have (drumroll please)

Put in a pond
Re-leveled our yard
Planted 4 trees- including one transplant that isn't looking so hot
Built 3 retaining walls
Marked off the area for a deck
Planted 50 plants
Stained the footbridge
Retiled the kitchen
Purchased new appliances
Purchased a camera to document the madness
Received one pedicure. Just me though, Barry wasn't interested.

This weekend we will:
Paint 3 rooms
Strip the fireplace
Put in a deck
Stain the deck
Tile the mudroom

A party or PART-YAY doesn't seem to be good enough reason to dump this much time and money into our house, but I am reminded of the big move in 05. When we put our house on the market we were faced with the dozens of projects that were required to get our house in suitable selling shape. I often asked myself during that time why the hell we didn't just do it right away so that we could enjoy living there.

So that is really the story. Do all this shit now with a self imposed deadline so that we can live there for a few years without having all these stupid house projects on the brain.

Lessons learned so far. Get your neighbor involved whenever possible; they know so much more that I do. Don't go to the garden store without a chaperone; hemorraging of money ensues. Don't plan on having energy enough to do anything else; ie work.

All is well though otherwise. I will post pictures when my new camera comes in.

76 Trombones

Or should I say. . .
76 Cast members led the big parade with a 110 volunteers next in line. . . Enjoy the photos!

new slipper

Yay! My office life has improved drastically! I have new slippers that keep my feet warm! They are warm and fuzzy and nice, now my feet don't feel like ice.

co-dependence

I think I have a problem. Is there a 12 step program for busy-bodies?

This was my first weekend without the play, and you wouldn't believe what we got done to our house. I fully threw myself into the next project.

It was a hard weekend on Barry for many reasons. I had the usual ups and downs that accompany my boredom.

Is it wrong for me to just genuinly enjoy being busy and sleep deprived?

seriously dragging today

Last night was a blast. We went to dinner with the J's and then did a little shopping. Barry picked out and purchased a pair of jeans on his own. It's a big deal in our world.

We then went to the 90's to cheer for a young friend in the amateur drag show. Great time, and Gizelle won!

I was so proud.

I didn't make it to bed until after 2 am, but I am still feeling proud today.

Anna is my girl

I heart Anna Quindlen.

I read this in Newsweek yesterday and it hit me in a big way.

August 7, 2006 issue - Somehow I wound up leading the same summer life my mother led. With school over, the household was transplanted a hundred miles away, in a place defined by weather: silver sunlight, soaking rains, calamine lotion, citronella candles, fishing tackle, raveling towels. The children were the centerpiece of the enterprise—sticky, grubby, unappreciative of an idyll engineered by others, always faintly sunburned on shoulders or nose despite the best efforts of the adults who dogged them with sunscreen. The fathers arrived on Friday night bringing the mail, their city clothes incongruous in the thick and buggy air.

My mother, who died young, missed the next act in this summer-stock production. The children grow; they come, they go. Mostly go. They have their own cars, their own plans, their own sunscreen. Faint webs grow in the corners of the barbecue grill during the week. The Bactine is past its sell-by date. No one has needed stitches for the longest time. It's so quiet here.
And that's just fine. I like solitude. I can spend days happily alone, eating Raisin Bran for dinner on the porch instead of bothering with a starch, a stove and a napkin. Eldest of five, mother of three, veteran of noisy newsrooms: is it any wonder that I like the sound of silence? It has a good beat, and you can dance to it.
Why does that sound like the kind of admission you'd make at a 12-step meeting? If you like to be by yourself, there's the assumption that you're antisocial, antifamily, a month away from becoming that old woman down the street with the weedy yard and the decrepit house, or the Unabomber. Those who choose not to marry or have children are still viewed with some suspicion; those with spouses and kids are assumed to want to be with them 24/7. People covertly embrace faux solitude, the places in which they can be alone among others: the plane, the car, the pew.

Being alone is out of fashion, or maybe it was never acceptable at all. Take a spin through any decent dictionary of quotations, and lots of the people you'd normally credit are negative about being alone. "Solitude is dangerous to reason," says Dr. Johnson. "The safeguard of mediocrity," says Emerson. Erica Jong is onto something: "Solitude," she wrote, "is un-American." No kidding. This country seems to be the official home of the big dinner, the family reunion, the party hearty. The response to solitude is set to music, with a deep, sympathetic Perry Como croon: "Oh, no! You're all by yourself?"

Yep, and liking it. The evangelists may have it that Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to fast and pray, but it's worth remembering that they were part of the increasingly large crowd that had begun to follow the guy everywhere. Maybe he just wanted to be by himself. Lack of solitude is probably why most political figures are slightly deranged. Between the aides, the staff and the Secret Service, the president is never, ever alone, and senators ricochet from meeting to charity lunch to meeting to fund-raising dinner to yet another meeting. Every once in a while, I have a day like that, and at the end of it I have not had a single coherent thought. It's like mosquitoes buzzing around your ears while you're trying to sleep. You can't dream through the din.


Modern life means living with the din: of television, of small talk, of strangers selling on the phone, of co-workers using PowerPoint to explain what could easily be drawn on the back of a cocktail napkin. The span of our collective concentration has narrowed accordingly. Over the years America has been described as beset by a variety of human ailments and conditions: right now there's no question that it's attention-deficit disorder. It's so hard to focus.
When the beds of the former children are all nicely made and their rooms quiet and still except for the buzz of a stray fly strafing the screen, I miss those summers past. But there's no question that they were exhausting. A family of five produces so many dishes. And when it rained for days, when Mr. Mustard in the library with the lead pipe had outlived his usefulness, like my mother before me I was sometimes driven to desperation. A good soaking never hurt anyone. I personally invented a game called How Many Worms Can You Find in a Puddle?

A much older friend once talked of how she resented those who dropped in on her, convinced that the fact that she lived alone must mean she was always desperate for charity company. "People can't seem to figure out the difference between alone and lonely," she said tartly as she walked me to the door. It's a simple distinction and it has to do with choice. Be forced into solitude by circumstance, and you may well be disconsolate; choose it, and you are simply, perhaps happily, alone. Lean Cuisine and "Law & Order." I can be the life of the party when necessary, but sometimes I just need to hear myself think. After all, if we can't hear ourselves thinking, is any thinking truly going on?

production photos

These are just some photos from rehearsals . I am still waiting for actual show shots, which I will put up when I get them . . . Did I mention that I loved these people? L-O-V-E.

big fat liar

ok kids, remember how I said I was going to start updating this on a regular basis? Well, clearly I was lying.

Things are good here. I think corporate America might be sucking the life out of me a little bit but other than that, things are good.

It's funny. . . the more time I spend behind a desk, the less time I feel like thinking. blech. I will post some photos from the play soon. I mean it this time.

yikes

So Friday we were at the theater from 6:00 until 2:00 pm on Saturday. Yep. That hurts. Tech rehearsal didn't go that badly but it was a pretty rough weekend. It is now Monday afternoon and I pretty much feel like I was hit by a truck. 3 more days until we open!

pip's in production

a hundred or so of my 'very best' friends are putting on a play. It's looking good. Come.
If that isn't enough to get you excited, try this. There will be explosions and confetti. Hard to say no to explosions and confetti isn't it?

Crap aside, It would mean a lot to me if you came. This is how I have spent my last month. . . and it is near and dear.

quote out of context

"When you say boob, Can you really punch it?
I like the idea of a big boob."

bennies

Oh. . .life is sweet indeed.

Since the nervous breakdown type thinger in January I have been taking life quite a bit more slowly. AKA. France. I spent a lot of time on France concentrating on NOT over extending myself and NOT running out and making a million friends and NOT having my schedule full to the max with a 1001 things. So now that I am back it is interesting to see the effects of all that France Not'ing has had on my style of life.

I am particularly thoughtful of this for a couple of reasons. 1. I have NOT run out and seen a million people since being home. In fact, I was quite slow to get my phone situation fixed and quite slow to do much outside of rehearsal. I need to be much faster about getting the prozac prescription filled however. 2. I had the good fortune to go to CSB yesterday for reunion weekend. Oh, how sweet it is.

I was only there to sit at a table for a couple of hours but there are places that just fill you up in all the right ways. I was talking to Kolleen, (KK) about France and she asked me a couple of probing questions that pushed me in a way only a skilled mentor can manage. She asked how I feel to be home and how I have changed. I had thought about this a lot while in France but not as much since being back. I am pretty sure I stumbled around in my own words and never really nailed the answer itself. I guess we can chalk this one up to more prodding from the ladies of CSB towards pushing me for the sake of my own personal growth.

St. Ben's and the women who embody St. Ben's have always held a special place for me. To say I love my alma mater is a tremendous understatement. My alma mater is central to my belief system and a core factor in who I am today. There aren't enough words for my appreciation for what CSB has done for my life. Women have special relationships and this institution has done incredible things for celebrating the sacred feminine relationships that pull us out into the world.

After going all the way to France in an attempt to find myself, I found myself right back where I began. The journey has come once again full circle in such a delightful way. This weekend really became about Bennie reflections on the past few months. Bennies, you really are "something else."

why does my blog look funny?

listening

The Wells Fargo Wagon

Oho, the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street
Oh please let it be for me
Oho, the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street
I wish, I wish I knew what it could be

Playlist:
Music Man

*Right now there are no other playlists in my life.

why I do what I do

Last night (every night) I had rehearsal for the Music Man. I was working with a group of 10 dancers last night on some pretty tricky stuff. Okay, really tricky stuff. . . The kind of stuff that requires some background in gymnastics and some serious time in the weight room. I had to give mad props to the people who were working last night because they acted like champs even though this is easily the hardest stuff I have choreographed for community theater. There was a lot of sweating and a lot of collaboration between the different attempts at the tricks.

Favorite quotes from last night:
"We are able to get more momentum because we are fatter."
"She is struggling with petititude"
"So. . . are you gonna, you know, do what the song says?" (Barry's honest question regarding the Shipoopi.)

Barry. No, that isn't what the song means. No, we are not going to put that on stage.

toenail of death. . .

. . . Finally fell off!
No blood.
No pain.
(And probably the coolest thing I have ever seen!)

The downside. . . I just got a pedicure and I paid for ALL 10 TOES, 3 more days and I could have asked for a discount.

exhausted

wowzers. What a weekend! So Radhika's wedding was this weekend and I have to say. . . it was perhaps the craziest wedding known to humankind! Let me paint the picture the best way I can . . . 7 Indian women all looking at her face discussing at length the best eye shadow. . . it was moonlight mist wasn't it? Let me paint hte picture further. . . 1. we were an hour and a half late for the rehearsal and ultimately had to cancel the rehearsal all together and 2. we were decorating the alter until 1 minute before the wedding party walked down the aisle. WOW. All in all, it was a beautiful wedding though and I felt so honored to be part of it. Radhika is like a sister to me and it was really fun to meet her family and spend the last few days with them! The bad news was that the first wedding was so crazy that we missed wedding number 2! I was bummed because Perteet is one of my closest friends from grad school and I was unbelievably upset to not get to celebrate with her and Fred! Why can't your friends consult eachother before setting their wedding dates?! Conflicts are simply not allowed. . . .

remember me?

Okay, So the past week or so has been a whirlwind! The play by play:

Tuesday. Got to the Philly airport. Excited, I went to the Gap. Got to MSP. Super excited, went to El Meson.
Wednesday. The barrister took off work and we had a date day including tennis, a picnic, dinner and he re-proposed. Very cute.
Thursday. My college friends came over and we had a picnic in the yard.
Friday. Went out with a couple MBA friends.
Saturday. Went to a wedding.
Sunday. Worked on play stuff.
Monday. Started the play. Great cast!
Tuesday. play
Wednesday. play. Helped with Rads' wedding. play. drinks.
Thursday. Hung out with Matty. Saw the movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Putting flowers together tonight for the wedding.

The next two days will be filled with weddings for both Rads and Perteet. Sunday I start the massive choreography project! CRAZY!


So good to be home though. . . I feel more like I am living my life here, rather than just blogging it.

listening

SunnyroadEmiliana Torrini

Wrote you this
I hope you got it safe
It's been so long
I don't know what to say
I've travelled 'round
Through deserts on my horse
But jokes aside
I wanna come back home
You know that night
I said i had to go
You said you'd meet me
On the sunny road

It's time, meet me on the sunny road
it's time, meet me on the sunny road

Well, this is it
I'm running out of space
Here is my address
And number just in case.
This time as one
We'll find which way to go
Now come and meet me
On the sunny road

the to do list

Again I apologize for the lack of posting. I have been trying to spend my last few days in Paris doing a combination of cost accounting and "sightseeing," or as I like to call it... "hemorrhaging money."

Today the plan is to visit Musee D'Orsay, to study in a cafe, and to visit my favorite restaurant for the Last Supper. I am still looking for a couple of souvenirs so if the shops are open, I might partake in some additional hemorrhaging.

Tomorrow I am spending the entire day at HEC. I won't be back into Paris until close to midnight.

I leave for the airport around 9 on Tuesday morning.

So, I guess this is really it!

fist pump

So today was an all around good day because. . . drumroll please!

I found my mom's ring! When the burglar pushed all the stuff off my desk it landed between two blank cd's and because it is so thin and the same color silver I didn't notice anything was stuck beween there until I started packing. I am glad that I went through them one by one otherwise it might have remained lost longer.

What a relief!

listening

Donovan Frankenreiter, Free

On a life boat heading home to you
That`s when I feel so true
I just take another look around
Every place feels like a familar town
And i'm free

things I'd rather be doing than homework:

*fucking anything.

I can do this.

One week. breathe. breathe. One week and I will be home.

One week and one day. Each day brings me closer. I can do this.

the cat's out of the bag. . .

I am coming home a week early! I will be home a week from Tuesday! Can't wait!

It was supposed to be a surprise to the Barry. But two days ago I biffed it. I was webcamming some virtual auditions for the show I am doing this summer and I typed to someone about changing the rehearsal schedule. . . followed by 'it's still a secret.' I was saddened to read the response, 'not anymore.'

Apparently he was still in the room.

Well, I will know in my heart how cool it would have been.

Because of coming home early, I have a surprising amount of homework to get done. I am sorry for the absence lately on the good ol' blog.

I'll give you the abridged version.

*I have stayed up very late/ all night the last few days sitting in on auditions taking place in MN. They went very well and we have a great cast! Very excited.

*I have done a lot of work and have a couple finals this week, including French! Highlight from my last French class:
Pip reading with an apparently very bad accent: blah blah blah blah blah. . . .
Teacher: (pause, thinking) Will you be staying in France this summer to work?
Pip: No.
Teacher: Aaah, very good then.

Apparently, I am so bad that her breath would be wasted on correcting me.

*Burglary is still crappy. My mom's ring was small, so I thought maybe it would turn up when I started cleaning up but it is still nowhere to be found. I also lost all my small electronic thingers, so I guess there will be no more photo's of France! I will try to bum some off of people for you!

*So sleep is a big concern for me . . . how do you like this one? I apparently now have insomnia? c'est impossible! I have been working out a couple hours a day and I am wondering if it somehow affecting how much sleep I need? . . . I don't know.

*I have also been in conversations with my future employer and have decided to move up my start date to earlier this summer. I was very apprehensive about doing this since the breakdown early this year. However, by moving it up a month I get to work with the team I was on last year and with a product that I am really interested in. They are also going to let me work part time for the first two weeks to ease into it, which should also help keep me from overloading my schedule too much with the play. I am really trying to not take on too much.

*I got a letter from my grandma today!

So seriously people. . . who wants to go for a walk around Como when I get back? Can't wait! Can't wait! Can't wait!

accountability

My friend Joybells on intervention:

"I can see it now- the play, tennis, marathon training, the garden, sounds more stressful than a fultime job to me, and your meant to be taking time out. I'm calling you on it."

lucky girl- rescinded

uhh. So our apartment was broken into yesterday while we were all at school. Bummer.

Mostly it appears that the robber was looking for electronics, the most painful loss was Franky's lap top.

The most sentimental loss was my mom's wedding ring.


crummy.

anniversary traditions

Every year of our relationship I put into a photo slide show. This year it needs to be imagined a bit. Imagine some really campy music in the background. Ain't no Mountain High Enough? Maybe you could hum?

Photo's from the last year.

Sorry a little low tech. . .but it is the best I could do given the couple thousand miles I am working with!



Barry will be having thai food with his family tonight and watching our wedding video!

Here are my recommendations.

Rama thai delight
Coconut soup thinger
Pad Thai
Silver thread noodles

All level 1 spicy, otherwise you might go through gallons of milk again!

Have fun!

he said, she said

2 years, 2 perspectives.

He said:
Though Pip and I celebrated our anniversary last weekend, I HAD to post a little more.

After I was done with my meeting today I took a trip to CSB and went to the Idzierda House, where Pip lived when we started dating I didn't need to go in, but just being present there gave me the opportunity to sit and think for a moment. Sometimes you need to retrace your steps to understand where you are standing.

I realized how fortunate I am to have Pip in my life. Someone so beautiful, so amazing, whose image stays with me though she is thousands of miles away. Whose energy is contagious, whose laugh is full of joy, whose eyes speak in terms of dreams, journeys and love. She completes me and strives me on to better things. In short, she makes me smile.

I say this because I recognize what we've been through-- our joy from when we started dating to when we were in Monaco, relaxing and enjoying just being around one another and sharing in each other's strengths. Being able to stand gazing at the Paris sky with the one you love, then looking at Pip, in whose eyes reflected the lights of the Eiffel Tower, is an image I will treasure my entire life. When I think of that image, all pain seems to go away-- and I am filled with a sense of peace and love.

What is particularly exciting is being able to continue our enjoyment of our Paris spring in three weeks, when Pip returns. We'll be able to dance in our backyard, much like we did in the Idzierda house one fall evening; Pip will stretch in our living room, like she used to in the Idzierda House; and I will see her smile as I leave a random note for her, much like she used to when I left to go home for the week ahead.

Even now, as I sit an ocean away in random pain from stones in my kidneys, I know that Pip worries about me, and wonders about how I am handling it all. That concern alone helps me to deal with it, as no pain seems bad when you can share it with someone else, and her willingness to absorb it, makes me eternally grateful, and know I found the right person to spend my life with.

So two years down, and a lifetime of love yet to go. In view of our memories, and Pip's return, the best seems yet to come. Thank you, dear, and much lovies!!!!

She said:

I have been meaning to say this for some time. There are people who you know love you and there are people who you know love you. And then there is my husband.

Being here has helped me to understand the human experience in a deeper, more tangible way. I have also understood my relationship in a more meaningful way. It is my hope that love is part of the greater human experience.

When I say love, I don’t want to just say that is gazing at each other admiringly. This kind of love seems to have so many more dimensions. This love is full of memories, laughter, embarrassments and an honesty that only this kind of love can bring.
History, Presence and Future.

This is the kind of love where after five years of being together you still find surprise notes taped to the steering wheel and yet when you left, I knew there would be a note hidden in my room. This is the kind of love where you stay up until 5 am trying to understand the other point of view. This is the kind of love where you frequently comment on the dog’s bowel movements without flinching. This is the kind of love where you push each other to achieve goals that both of you know wouldn’t be possible without the presence of your complement. This is the kind of love where you both know that when dinner is spoiled to walk towards the car. Taco Bell is only 6 blocks away. This is the kind of love where you understand laptops in bed. This is the kind of love where kidney stones, cramps and depression are talked about openly. This is the kind of love where I get called down to the basement to watch a football play that “I am probably not going to appreciate but is so amazing that you have to see it anyway.” This is the kind of love where you play trivia at Buffalo Wild Wings after going to the ballet. This is the kind of love where you watch him sleep because you know that he doesn’t get enough of it and it is too important. This is the kind of love where you play naked dance, dance revolution because it really is too hot. This is the kind of love where words don’t seem to be enough. Where hallmark doesn’t always do such a bad job of explaining what you can’t seem to say, Dave Matthews does better but cummings takes the cake. This love is the kind of love where you pick your naked wife out of a bathtub when she has a bleeding toe.

Today especially I was reminded of the day two years ago when we made our relationship holy. I don’t use the word holy lightly, or even in the way you might think I mean it. Holy means so much more. I am often struck by the greatest gift I have been given. Him. Of all the people in this universe, he picked me to share his existence. There is no greater gift. He picked me and I picked him. We serve each other. Nothing could be more holy than that.

I am reminded by these words sung at our wedding.

Will you let me be your servant
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I may have the grace
To let you be my servant, too

We are pilgrims on a journey
We are brothers on the road
We are here to help each other
Walk the mile and bear the load

I will hold the Christlight for you
In the night-time of your fear
I will hold my hand out to you
Speak the peace you long to hear

I will weep when you are weeping
When you laugh I'll laugh with you
I will share your joy and sorrow
Till we've seen this journey through


Love is not just gazing or kissing under the Eiffel Tower.
This kind of love is about service and journey.
This kind of love is amazing and holy.

I do hope that this love is the kind of love that is part of the greater human experience. I hope that this kind of love is for everyone.


lovies.

PS. We can’t dance in our backyard. We have a very large dog. Trust dear, it wouldn’t work out well.

shh

I have a secret.

ain-bray o-nay ork-way

There are times when my thoughts have a piercing clarity about them.

Then there are days like today.

The days where powerpoint occupies hours. The days where I spend 5 minutes playing with my mouse only to find that I haven't attached it. The days where I will be lucky to accomplish one or two things on my to do list. The days where there are far more than one or two things on my to do list. The days where I can't seem to prioritize my to do list. The days where the very thought of my to do list seems to invoke a chest-tightening, shallow-breathing panic. Take it slow. Break it down to one thing at a time. Take it slow.

Take it slow. It isn't just that the past few days have been anti-climactic . . . I just seem to be living in a perpetual fog. There seems to be the coming of something *big*.

Today I went to the gym, like I do most days, and during my run I kept sorting through my playlists looking for something. The search continued through the first kilometer. The second kilometer. The third kilometer. I am feeling something *big* and yet words nor music seem to shed light on it.

If my to-do list is any indication of what is going on in my life, maybe I need a mix called transition; a hodge podge of songs that seem to contradict each other. Maybe what I am feeling is some sort of Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, Bob Sinclair, Snow Patrol, Counting Crows, Ray Lamontagne, Dave Matthews, Ani DiFranco mix.

Days seem to disappear without notice and as I leap over the final hurdles of my scholastic career I am finding myself with less clarity than ever. Not unhappiness, not desparation, just foggy.

My lack of posting lately has been indicative of that-- and I think partially is that I need to slow the writing about what I am feeling and add a new topic-- people I love. More on that later today.

Who am I kidding. It will probably be tomorrow. maybe.

the day of the retorts

It isn't that I am in a bad mood. Not at all. I am having a major sarcasmo attack though. Not very life-giving. My head voice said things today like: "Nice hair," and "Yes sir, your bike is very macho."

Too bad my inner retort has no wit whatsoever.

Other things are going on- will report later!

looking back on a lovely weekend

My hubby was here this weekend and I have to say that it makes me so excited to go home. We had a great time and mostly because we didn't do a whole heck a lot.

We spent time in both Monaco and Paris. Great times people.

Great. Great. Great.

Favorite quote of the week-end . . .
Barry on hearing loss: "My grandfather had it, my father has it. . . I am pretty sure it's genital."
(pause)
Pip: "umm."
Barry: "That doesn't sound right."
Pip: "Pretty sure it's not." *

To keep things equitable, I won't only embarass the barrister. One major bummer from this weekend was the bathtub drain attacking my toenail. err.
I love baths. . . and in my eagerness I didn't see the drain at the bottom of the tub, hence I ripped off my toenail. At which point I had to call my cute husband to come help my nakedness out of the bathtub. ow.
Ow for the toe, ow for the ego.

Flickr Photos!

why can't every day be like this?

It can and it will.

The day started out brilliantly as I woke up with that nervous excitement in my stomach that reminded me of the feeling of field trip day at school. I could never sleep the night before the zoo. . . The barrister comes tomorrow and I CAN'T WAIT. So ready. . . so ready.

I woke up feeling like it was one of those days where you can create your own reality. I went to the gym rather promptly. I can waste hours a day thinking about going to the gym but not really going. But not today. . . today I meant business.

My gym is about 6 blocks from my house which are both in the center of Paris. I don't know my neighborhood all that well- especially not street names. Furthermore, I have NO SENSE OF DIRECTION WHATSOEVER. On the way to the gym 3 people asked me for directions. Do I look like I know what I am doing? Times this has happened in the past=0. France or US.

I then went shopping and found almost everything that I needed- included a pretty kick ass anniversary gift. Tell you later. . . .

I was doing so well and enjoying the city so much that I decided to go after another of my life goals. Today I saw a movie by myself. I am pretty sure the movie (Mission Impossible 3- not my first choice. . . but there was a limited choice of movies in English) was 'ok' but the experience nearly rocked my world. I don't know why I don't take myself out on dates more often. I am great company! The best part of today, is that I spent the entire day out by myself and didn't have to switch to English at all. Not even when trying to order a iced vanilla latte without sugar from the Starbucks. I tell you, when I take people on a date, I spare no expense. Money well spent I think, I hear I put-out.

I have to study for a quiz tomorrow. I don't know how I am going to concentrate because I am SO EXCITED!!

It is especially meaningful to have barry here now as it is the weekend that I would have graduated had I not studied abroad. It will be fun to have him here to join in my petit/ pre-mature celebration.

ho hum

Life is merrily rolling along these days. Today was a day like so many others.

I ran this morning and am glad to say that I am at about 5 miles a day which is a great place for me to start the summer. I love having the ability to just put on a pair of shoes and head out the door. I really need to be entertained while I run. Hence, no headphones, no run. similar to no woman no cry. . . but yet not at all. Today I listened to a couple of chapters of audio- Harry Potter. I am not a 'fan' yet per se, as much as I am curious what all the mcfuss is about. I am listening to book one. I will let you know. . .

I then came back, showered, ate some cereal and headed to Jouy for class. It normally takes 90 minutes to get from my apartment to Jouy but today it took 2. 5 hours. It was okay- I got work done but I was late for class. No worries, I grabbed a cup of coffee to walk into the classroom with. The French hall pass.

After class my French teacher offered to drive me home- which was an 'adventure.'
I then proceeded to stumble my way through our French conversation a.k.a. "small talk." I was trying to ask if she had family in the area- but instead I said "Do you live with someone?" and she said "Yes I live with someone." (pause) uh uh uh "Oh, that building is pretty!"

Maybe it doesn't look awkward when written- but in person I clearly felt that I asked a question that she didn't want to answer with her clueless French pupil. If I were in junior high, I would instantly create theories about her hidden love life. Who am I kidding, I am going to tell Joy about this tomorrow morning asap! . . Mature kid over here.

Also- I need some good anniversary ideas for the barrister. I haven't come up with any ideas that I LOVE yet. . . some loves. . . but no LOVE. I am especially in need of good gift ideas! please email me your thoughts!

listening

Suddenly I See
KT Tunstall


I feel like walking the world
Like walking the world
You can hear she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember
What you heard
She likes to leave you hanging on a wire

Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me

ipod playlist:

• Paris

monday morning quiz- what is your french name?

I think we all know the REAL answer to this one.

Your French Name is:

Pauline Abadie

What's" Your French Name?

Please share your results! It keeps me entertained!

An interesting side note from Germany: It was the first time I said my last name without having to spell it!

Okay, but that's German- not French, sorry to derail the topic.

the switch

It is hard to believe that I have been here for three months already.

Before I left I had a running list of things that needed to happen before I left for Paris. Pick up shampoo, fill prescriptions, buy luggage locks, get a shirt drycleaned, see certain people, have one last X,Y,Z.

Shortly before I left, my friend/mentor/former professor, John laughed at me saying- "You know. . . they have stores in France, if you don't get something done, you can probably get it there."

Today I was walking home from the gym eating a very nutritious crepe and an Orangina purchased from a street vendor and I started thinking about what needed to happen before I left for home.

Maybe it was because I was doing something that has grown to become quite routine and realized that I wasn't even thinking twice about it. Buying a crepe 4 months ago would have been reserved strictly for a carnival dessert or a Sunday morning breakfast in bed type day. Crepes and Orangina is now as familiar a routine as stepping through the haze of smokers gathered outside the gym door. The routine is indicative of the switch from seeing there as home to here as home. Yet as soon as I put that into writing, I realize what a horribly correct and incorrect statement that is all at the same moment. Crepes are comfortable yes, but not 'home.'

With one month left here, I have realized how much needs to happen. School work yes, but also life work. The list isn't as simple as shampoo this time and I know that there are no stores in the US selling cheap fixes to the life lessons I am still in process of learning.

2 things concern me about my thoughts today
1. I can make crepes at home, but I don't think there is Orangina. That piece of France, might have to stay in France as it turns out that stores in the US don't stock life lessons or Orangina.
2. Why do people smoke right outside the gym, and why is there a crepe stand across the street? People?!?!

26 miles, 42 kilometer and 8 hours

and it is finished. I can now say that I have 'done' the Paris marathon. Granted it was walking but it was still followed by a much deserved bottle of wine.

all of germany. . . . or at least it seemed like it

A bit of Switzerland and Austria as well.


Random trip people.
Highlights:

I succesfully scammed Air France into letting me pass as a student under 24, which saved me a lot of money on my flight and was only slightly illegal.

We found 200 euros.

We rented an economy car and got a free upgrade to an Audi with a navigation system. We named her Claudia. (which seemed German.) Claudia had a pretty voice and was very polite when asking/ demanding that we make a U turn. "If possible, please take a right and immediately another right."
Yes, Claudia, Yes.

I drove on the Autobahn. I didn't kill anyone. yay.

Let me paint the above picture better, we actually drove all over the damn country- all the way from Munich through the black forest to Zurich and then back across the country to Salzberg. Lots of autobahning. We asked for passport stamps whenever possible to prove our trip. We were succesful some of the time.

I tried to get a group of German teenagers to teach us a German drinking song.
"Do you speak English? Will you teach us a song?"
"You are very beautiful. That is all."

The trip seemed full of the weirdest little quirks. We seemed to have very fortunate luck as well as the opportunity to experience very different sights. For example, Within 4 days we briefly hit up 3 countries, saw sun and snow, went to a concentration camp, the Sound of Music Tour, A castle, drove through the black forest and the alps and hit up one or two beer gardens.

It was as varied as the songs on the German radio. It was great though. It's a recommend. The trip to Dachau was an experience that deserves its own post. More on that to come.

Pictures posted here! Blogger isn't letting me add to the post directly- so I will have to add another post on it later with pictures. Use the link for the time being.

Thanks for the advice on the cities. It was really helpful in planning our trip and we tried to do as many things as time would allow.

Sorry it has taken me so long to do this post, I have had a lot of stuff going on over the last few days. I am going to hang out in the area this weekend. Tomorrow I am going to do the Paris Marathon! (walking. . . .) Joy and I thought it would be a fun way to see the city. I will let you know how that goes!

listening

Edge of the Ocean by Ivy

There's a place I dream about
Where the sun never goes out
And the sky is deep and blue
Won't you take me there with you

Ohhh, we can begin again
Shed our skin, let the sun shine in
At the edge of the ocean
We can start over again

There's a world I've always known
Somewhere far away from home
When I close my eyes I see
All the space and mystery

At the edge of the ocean
We can start over again

i pod: filed under the playlists

• Paris
• Conquer the World

hip hop hurts

there should be a warning- 'this class may be harmful to knees.' It turns out my knees don't spin like the other kids.

ow.


I didn't realize I would kneed knee pads for every class*

Yes, I realize I just posted a picture of my knees. Yes, I realize my taste is in question. At least I didn't post my underwear again.


*2 points for the pun

crunch time

With many of my friends in finals this week, I thought this picture was all too appropriate. I will probably write more after my nap. Yep, I am adjusting to a Parisien way of life just fine. Good luck with exams and final presentations!

life's lessons not yet learned

stIf you put your hair binders in the same place each and every day, they will be there each and every day.

Right. So I know this in my heart. Yet, I insist on scattering them everywhere so that I can have an adventure each and every day when I leave the house. Smart.

Well, adventures are fun right?

conversation

The Barrister got a new phone.


This was our conversation about the phone.

barrister says:
so I love my phone, did I mention that?
pip says:
good! how much did it end up being?
barrister says:
ehhh
pip says:
lol
barrister says:
it'll last me for 2 years
pip says:
that wasn't really the question. . . . i should blog this!
pip says:
no worries. as long as you are happy
barrister says:
it has google earth on it-- it gives you Metro stations in Paris! It won't work in paris but it is still cool. very Jack Bauer like.

monday morning quiz- what's your beer personality?

Just returned from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. . . more on that in my next post. This quiz seemed oddly appropriate.

You Are Corona

You don't drink for the love of beer. You drink to get drunk. You prefer a very light, very smooth beer. A beer that's hardly a beer at all. And while you make not like the taste of beer, you like the feeling of being drunk. You drink early and often. Sometimes with friends. Sometimes alone. All the party needs is you!

What's Your Beer Personality?