It's New Year's Eve! How are you celebrating tonight?
With the people who matter the most to me- my family. We already have a bunch of seafood that we are going to prepare later. I can't wait.
Right now the RAI is on, and apparently Italians love old 70s and 80s stars that everyone else has forgotten about. Gloria Gaynor and the lead singer from Spandau Ballet (I'm embarrassed that I even know that) have already performed.
Happy New Year! Hope it's the best one yet for all of you (and for me).
I am watching this episode of Oprah with my mom, and it's all about amazing dogs. So far, I have squeed over a dog that can do arithmetic, a dog that nursed tiger cubs, and a two-legged dog. I have been hugging my own pup while watching the show, and I think he is getting tired of me.
I am such a girl.
I go through these phases where I don't shop at all, and I'm so good with it. Then I'll go through a short spell where instead of being responsible, I get all entitled to shop, like, "I DESERVE IT. HAPPY 2009, DAMN IT." And with the incredible after-Christmas sales, can anyone blame me? I mean, it's mature to shop when the items are below $10, yes? I'm just doing my patriotic duty to help this economy, after all.
I went to Target and Victoria's Secret (online) to fill my shopping void. Y'all, the sales at Victoria's Secret are insane. INSANE.
Pat: Hey, Jen! I need to show you something cool.
Me: Oh okay, sure.
Pat: I forgot you were home.
Me: Are you fucking kidding me?
Pat: No. I was going to send you a text message. And then I heard your voice, and I was confused for a moment. Then I was all, "Oh, Jen's home!"
Me: What time did you go to sleep last night?
Pat: 5.
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I am having a very relaxing vacation at home with my family. There is nothing that renews your spirits and well-being better than being around your loved ones (and eating good food). We have been spending this week lounging around the house, eating, and watching movies. Patrick's birthday was a lot of fun (maybe a little too much fun, hehe). He really liked the keyboard I got him.
Santa was very good to me this year. Look what I got:
I was so surprised. I never have a Christmas wish list...I have all the things I want, so I just like being surprised. And I would never have put a Coach purse on a wishlist to my parents because I know they aren't cheap. I was surprised, all right! This bag is simply exquisite. I love the leather handle and buckles on the sides. It's a good-sized bag, too, so I have enough room to carry my work notebook and planner. Plus, it goes with just about anything!
I spent today going on a good run with my dad, doing some shopping with the crazy sales going on, and going to Barnes and Noble to enjoy peppermint hot cocoa (yum yum!) I went to Kohl's and purchased a pretty pink sweather (for only $8.99!) I also got this shirt:
Some things on my wishlist for the future:
1. Hot Rollers.
I'm amazed that is has taken me this long to discover these. I have naturally wavy hair, and it's so humid in Texas that straightening it can be such a chore. But I never learned how to use a curling iron, and my attempt to do fancy curls for the Winter Formal failed miserably when a. I realized I really didn't know how to use a curling iron, and b. I was afraid of burning my fingers off. I tried my mother's set of hot rollers today and loved it! It gave me serious waves that even kept up with the coastal winds. No straightening involved, just blow-drying! It was quick and easy too (and I hate doing my hair, so anything that is quick and easy is a big plus). I am definitely picking up a set at Target this week.
2. Candies' Heels
I was browsing Kohl's website today and spotted these puppies. These shoes need to be in my life. Now.
Unfortunately, they aren't on sale yet...so I'm going to keep a hawk's eye on the website to see if/when the price drops.
Well, I'm going to go read magazines (I am working very hard today, as you can see.) Have a great Friday!
My dog is now curled up next to me, asleep, but earlier he was doing his best to sabotage my gift wrapping efforts. Harry was especially jealous when I was wrapping gifts for my little godsister Raquel. He would climb on top of her gift. He would take his bone and place it next to me to remind me that he existed. At one point, he crawled into my lap with his bone, something he never does. Attention whore.
I had a good day today. I had the intern make my deliveries downtown (yay, intern) and I left the city around 8:30. I think I was a bit of a control freak...I left very explicit instructions because I wanted the job done right and called her to make sure she received them before I left (I mean, it reflects on me after all), but she did a good job. I got into town around 12:30, so it was a good trip, albeit very boring (I guess that is a good thing, yes?) The insurance guy called while I was on the road...good news, the other driver finally admitted liability. Not like I had any doubts, but blaming it on me would have dragged out the process even more. I showed my dad the bumper, and he said those scratches are worth several thousand dollars in damages. Hmm, guess I'm going to get it fixed now. I'd like to get the bumper fixed while I'm in town, because it'll be a pain in the ass to do it when I'm back in the city.
Today we went to drop off gifts at my little godsister's house. I believe I mentioned before that she is a quadruplet and has three brothers. They are all three now, and are absolutely adorable-very smart, affectionate kids. But the boys are rambunctious terrors. In a good way. And by good way, I mean that it's fun to be a spectator to their shenanigans because they are not my children, but I would have a nervous breakdown if they were. God bless their parents. They were screaming, throwing their toys up against the wall, wrestling each other, throwing balls around (I got hit in the face playing "catch" after Dallas aimed directly for my nose), tearing stickers off their wall, etc. Raquel sat very quietly next to me, observing her brothers and acting very angelic, but according to her mother, when company isn't over she's the ringleader of them all. I couldn't stop laughing at how my mother's attempt to calm them down was ignored. I had a good time over there playing with all of them.
Tomorrow is Patrick's 21st birthday. I can't believe it! How did we get to be so old? I still have memories from when he was a little baby, like how he would grasp my finger with his tiny hand whenever we were in the car together. Unfortunately, even though I remember the day he was born and how my mother left for the hospital, I don't actually remember the very first time I saw him. I was only three, but still; you'd think it'd be an important enough moment for me to remember. But it doesn't matter; we were best friends from the start, and have been ever since.
Happy birthday, Patrick!
I'm watching that show "17 Kids and Counting," about the Duggar family and their football team of children. Everyone freaks out over them, but honestly, that is none of my business. They seem well-adjusted and happy, and that is all that counts.
However.
If I ever married someone and he told me that he wants me to get pregnant every 10 months until I'm menopausal and that we should forgo birth control, I would kick him in the balls and wear a chastity belt.
1. I am making chicken soup. I am pretty lazy when it comes to cooking, but my mother gave me the idea yesterday. Why don't I make soups more often? It is not taking too long, and it appears that it will be quite delicious.
2. I am going back and forth between The Wizard of Oz. I have only seen it once, when I was ten or eleven. Back then I thought it was decent, but I wasn't crazy about it. I was a book purist and bitched about the differences between the film and the book (if you all have not read the book, then you are MISSING OUT. I have had this beautifully illustrated edition since I was eight and it remains one of my favorite stories to this day.) But of course, I'm more forgiving in my old age and I'd forgotten how great this movie actually is. If I could choose any singing voice to replace my own, I would chose Judy Garland's.
3. One more full day of work before vacation. YAY.
Right now, I am lounging very comfortably on my couch. It is great.
This week has been very busy, but good! I haven't done much in terms of running or anything. I got the flu shot last weekend and felt a little tired of it at the beginning of this week. My family all felt really tired when they got theirs, so my dad suggested that I take it easy this week. An excuse to be lazy? Sign me up! It has been nice to come home after work for a change and not have to go anywhere, especially on the days it was cold. I didn't even go dancing last night because I had to bake biscotti for the Christmas luncheon at work. But it was fun.
We've been doing fun Christmas activities at work to get us into the spirit. We had a "Snowflake Contest." My boss held a "Make N' Take" workshop this week to teach us how to make them. I am terrible at making snowflakes, but I entered some anyway. He is very good with making snowflakes, and took the cutting/design process very seriously. We all had a good laugh in there. Eventually I got tired of putting effort into them, so I would make them purposely bad (like I wrote, "This is creative! Isn't this creative?" on one of them.) Suffice to say, I did not win the contest.
Then yesterday, kids from the local elementary school sang Christmas carols. It was adorable! The little kiddo I mentor was there too. Afterwards, I went to the school for our 30-minute session. I had to collect her from her classroom. I always feel a little out of place when I have to go pick her up from lunch or her class; at that age, you don't want to stand out, and depending on her mood, she'll either greet me and talk to me or ignore me while I sit there awkwardly. But she was happy to see me when I walked in the class. Other kids recognized me there from the choir concert ("Hey! You work at_____!") My little mentee gave me a cookie and Christmas card, which was so adorable. We shared the cookie as we colored.
Finally, today we had the Christmas luncheon. I was really looking forward to it. I was running around half the town all this morning for work errands and the real estate meeting that my project managers have me running now. It was a comedy of errors this morning. Yesterday, I made sure I had all my meeting materials ready. This morning, I picked up field notes, but neglected to realize that the surveyor didn't give me the required originals, only copies. Sigh. That's something I have to pick up on Tuesday. Then, I had project maps but left them at the office of one of my errands. I didn't realize I'd left it there until I was in the middle of my meeting. Great! Great! I finally got back to the office at 1, and since all I'd had to eat that morning was a bit of oatmeal, I was exhausted and hungry. I loaded up on the desserts, mostly. We had a good time playing Spades (I am terrible at it, but it was fun!)
I was thinking this past week how back in high school and college, I would make "adventures" out of little things, like a walk through campus or to Barnes and Noble. Even some of my old blog entries are titled "Adventures to _____." And sometime within the last year of working, settling into my routine, and shielding myself from my next "misadventure," I forgot about the fun little adventures I used to have. I'm going to start thinking like that again. It makes the sometimes monotonous routines more enjoyable.
Well, I have to go to the dance now. It's a gift exchange. You bring a cheap gift for your entrance gift. Every time you dance with someone, you exchange a ticket. At the end, you redeem the ticket for a gift.
Have a good weekend!
Before I make my completely vapid confession, may I say this: to the Americans cheering the Iraqi journalist for throwing his shoes at the President, shame on you. No one says that you have to agree with his policies or even like the guy, but he's our President, elected to office by the people (well, in 2004, at least). Show some respect.
Ok, back to the OTHER topic all Americans are talking about 24/7: Britney Spears!
Britney Spears' first single was released when I was fourteen (has it been that long already?!), and I have been making fun of her ever since. I always thought I, the classic rock fan, was too good for the carefully crafted pop perfection she churned out over and over. She seems like a very sweet girl, and I'm glad that she's coming out of that depressing downward spiral she had going there for awhile. But let's face it- she's not, um, book-smart. I gleefully took delight in her many misstatements, like when she talked about traveling overseas to Canada, or discussing Indian religious themes in her music but not knowing what Hinduism is.
However, I had a realization of sorts a couple of weeks ago. It occurred to me that I had "Womanizer" stuck in my head, a song that I had previously dismissed as ridiculous. I hated "Piece of Me" when it first came out too, but then I broke down and listened to it over and over. Then I thought about all of her singles, and how I had blown them off on first listen, only to be downloading them later. I have her greatest hits album on my MP3 player "for the lols," but I find myself thinking that it's a good collection when I listen to it (except "Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," that still is shit.)
So my confession: I AM A BRITNEY SPEARS FAN. There, I said it. I will not be ashamed of my guilty pleasure anymore.
To close this entry, I want to post a really funny video from Mad TV. Mad TV always has the funniest song parodies ("Mrs. Jackson," "I Have Got a Black Friend," etc). Does anyone remember that "Me Against the Music" video featuring Madonna? It was kind of ridiculous. Anyway, Mad TV made fun of it, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching it. I'm posting both for you to compare, if you are so inclined.
