Wordle coolness

This is a cool, cool website: http://www.wordle.net/. On this site you use your own text to create a wordle (I don't know actually know if "wordle" is meant to be used as a noun, but *shrug* oh well!). It analyzes your text and makes words bigger/smaller based on how frequently they show up, and then creates a visual word cloud out of the text. For example, here is a wordle created by using the text from my blog:

Hmmm...apparently I talk about "time" a lot?!

Just in case you have some extra time on your hands today...go play with wordle! :)

A zero kind of morning

What does it say about my day when I'm already drinking one of these at 8:48 am?:

CHEERS!

Did you??

Halloween past

There were a couple of Halloweens while I've worked at the University that we had the kids from the University preschool come in for a Halloween visit. They came dressed in their costumes and got some candy (of course), and we also had Halloween storytime (of course). We didn't have those little visitors last year, and they won't be coming this year either. So in honor of the Halloweens past when we had cute little visitors, I'm posting a picture of me (can you tell who I'm supposed to be?? Spit spot...toppins for you if you can figure it out!) with my poodle-y little friend Jensyn, who also happens to be my boss/friend Jen's daughter, AND my little adventure buddy! Have a Happy Halloween, everyone!! (Jensyn...I think you owe me some of your Halloween candy for putting a picture of you on my blog!)

Four random facts about me...

This was supposed to be 7 random facts, but I'm changing it to 4...who's going to stop me?! :)

1) I listen to NPR Podcasts while I work out..."Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" and "This American Life" are my favorites. Isn't it interesting that I prefer listening to nerdy NPR programming while I lift weights, do ab work, etc. as opposed to listening to some jammin'/rockin' music?! Perhaps the talking takes my mind off of what I'm doing?! Who knows...I'm sure someone would be happy to analyze the situation for me!

2) I sleep with a body pillow. If I don't have it with me on a trip, I have to improvise and use extra regular-size pillows to create a faux body pillow.

3) Last September, I met John Mayer in a hotel lobby in Denver at about 3:00 am. I don't have any pictures or an autograph to prove it, just the testimony of my partner in crime, Lori Wong. Although we don't have pictures of John, we do have pictures of our teeny-tiny, yet pricey hotel room! If you ask nicely, we'll show you!

4) I have a pretty big collection of name tags. I have been to quite a few conferences, and I have most of the name tags I have gotten at these events hanging on a bulletin board in my room. I guess that just confirms the nerdiness that you were beginning to suspect after reading my first fact!

Sick day

I really want to get sick. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true. I want to get sick so that I can stay home from work for a whole day (maybe even two) and feel absolutely okay about not doing anything productive...no paying bills, no running errands, no cleaning, no going to the gym, etc. But here's the thing...I have rules about getting sick/my sick day that must be met. Here are the rules:

1) I'll be sick enough to stay home, but not SO sick that I'm completely miserable...I must be able to still enjoy sick day activities such as reading, watching T.V., eating "sick" foods, etc.

2) The sickness should not last more than a couple of days, and should be sufficiently "gone" enough when I return to work that I'm not walking around for days/weeks with the tail end of an illness lingering in my life.

3) I must be sick on a day that works for me. For example, I don't want to be sick on a weekend, because, really, being sick on a day that I'm already off of work and then being well enough to go back to work on Monday would TOTALLY defeat the purpose! Also, I don't want to be sick at a time when I'm going out of town or have some sort of fun plans (for obvious reasons)! So really, the best time for me to be sick would be on a regular old, run-of-the-mill work day.

Three little rules to be followed...I don't think that's too much to ask! So if anyone has any spare sick-but-not-too-sick germs sitting around, please be a pal and SHARE!

What time is it??

It's time for HSM3! This Saturday I'm having an HSM3 Big Time Fun Girl's Night Out with my friend, Alyssa. She is my co-worker's cute daughter, and also my buddy! We've had a couple of other adventures together, but I'm guessing this is going to be an extra special adventure, complete with dinner, THE movie, and most likely dessert! Big Time Fun...guaranteed!

Before

Remember when Tom Cruise was young and hot, and not crazy?? Maybe in honor of Tom's younger, hotter, less nuts-o days we should all make a pact to watch "Top Gun" over again...those were the days!


P.S. After I saw this movie, I totally wanted to become a Navy Fighter Pilot...I'm sure that the attractiveness level of the men in the movie had NOTHING to do with that! ;)

Oh what a night

Tomorrow night is my birthday outing with the CML Sisterhood, which includes "sisters" both past and present. We are going to the Montana Meat Company for dinner, and then we're going to see "The Secret Life of Bees."

A steak dinner and a movie ticket: Around $40.00

Friends who will take you out for a juicy steak and a chick flick: Priceless

Say it ain't so!

Say good-bye to those delicious frosted circus animal cookies, my friends! The company that made them (yep...past tense!) abruptly closed their doors and filed for bankruptcy. I didn't eat these cookies that often, but sure enjoyed them when I did! I encourage everyone to go out and stock up if you're a fan of these tasty treats...soon their frosted yumminess will be gone from your grocery store shelves. So-long, my pink and white pals with your sprinkled goodness...you will be missed!

This one's for you!

This post is dedicated to my brother, Keith, who texted me on Sunday to say, "I'm officially a John Mayer fan after looking at your blog." I haven't talked to Keith to find out exactly what it was that converted him to Mayer fandom, but I'm guessing it must have had something to do with the video I posted on my birthday blog of John doing an accoustic version of a song called "In Your Atmosphere." That song is one of two favorites from the accoustic part of that particular show, which took place in L.A. last December. I had the pleasure of attending this show with my friend Amanda, and I have to say this was my favorite Mayer show of all time...and I have 7 others to compare it to! :) I loved it so much because it was ALL Mayer...it was like he was the opening act, the main act, and the closing act...and what's not to like about that?! Anyway, below is the video of my other favorite song from the accoustic part of the show...an excellent cover of "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty:


And just because it was truly a classic and favorite Mayer moment, I'm also including video from the show I went to with Stephanie this past July. Axl Rose has got NOTHING on John! Start watching at about :45 to miss the birthday song and go right into GNR:

Joy in the journey

Last week was the 178th Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. One of the talks that was given by President Thomas S. Monson particularly had an impact on me. He talked about finding joy in the journey of our lives. This is something that I need to work on in my own life, and I have been trying to apply this principle this past week. It really has made a difference in my overall attitude. I know that my life isn't "perfect," and I can certainly identify things that I wish were different, but you know what?! Generally speaking, my life is very, very good! I am very blessed, and I need to spend more time being grateful for all of the good things about my life, and not dwell on things that aren't quite the way I would like them to be! Here are some quotes from the talk...great words from a great man:

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and non-existent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.” We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us."

"Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved."

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."

"Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings."

"Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed."

Here's a link to the talk if you'd like to read the whole thing: http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-26,00.html

A survey from Jori...

Apparently I've been "tagged"...not exactly sure what that means (it's some sort of blogosphere term), but I'll do the survey anyway! :)

7 things I can do:
1. Remember children's book titles/authors like no one's business (which is truly amazing, considering the fact that my memory is generally TERRIBLE!)
2. Do a wicked-awesome read-aloud/storytime
3. Identify most John Mayer songs in 3 notes :)

4. Get along with kids
5. Eat sushi with chopsticks
6. Write a witty text message
7. Run in flip-flops!

7 things I cannot do:
1. Remember anything but children's book titles/authors
2. Get myself to stop texting while driving
3. Enjoy "Twilight"...I've tried twice

4. Dance!
5. Get to work on time :)
6. Live in cold weather (I'm a certified desert rat!)
7. Think of another thing to put here!

7 Favorite Foods:
1. Ice cream
2. French fries
3. Popcorn

4. Good nachos
5. "I Love Salmon" rolls from Yama Sushi
6. Candy
7. Chips and Salsa

(It's short because I took out some of the categories...such a cheater!) :)

Indulgence...

I'm sleeping in tomorrow! I should be getting up early and going to the gym, but I'm going to allow myself the luxurious treat of waking up "late," which will probably still be too early for a Saturday. Should I feel guilty about not going to the gym?? Maybe...especially considering the way I've been eating lately. But I'm not going to allow the guilt to ruin the treat of sleeping in...I'm just going to enjoy sleeping in, and get back to the gym on Monday!

Oh Jori....

This is my friend Jori with her fantastic family. Jori and I have been friends for a LONG time...about 13 years...since we were magically assigned to the same apartment in college. I love Jori...A LOT! I think she knows that, but this posting will guarantee that she's well-aware of my admiration. 'Cause we're not the kind of friends who see each other and rush in for a giant, squealing, middle school hug. I guess you would say we are past that...more in the completely comfortable, compatible phase the means we don't have to hug/squeal to know how much we adore each other...it's just understood.

I love Jori for a lot of reasons...let me just share a few of those reasons with you:
1) She knows about my stupid past boyfriends/crushes, and loves me anyway!
2) She knows about my stupid past mistakes, and loves me anyway.
3) I could show up at her house completely unannounced, and she would welcome me in, to stay for however long I wanted.
4) She thinks I'm funny!
5) She would give me the shirt off her back and the last penny in her bank account if I really needed it.
6) She can win prizes on the radio like no one's business!
7) She has made me a part of her family...her kids may have been surprised at some point to find out that I'm not ACTUALLY related to them.
8) She threw me the BEST surprise birthday party I've ever had!

That's just a short list of the reasons that I love Jori! I hope that you all have one of these life-long, no questions asked friends...it is a blessing, for sure!

My birthday play list...

For your listening pleasure, here are 2 of the songs that rocked my first drive to work as a 34 year-old!


(My sister, Lizzy, is taking me to see NKOTB for my birthday!)


(John Mayer accoustic...dreamy! And I was at this show!)

It was a good music morning, and a good morning in general! Hope the rest of my 34th year lives up to the hype!

Why?

Why do dogs chase their tails? Seriously! Last night I watched as Kayla, the pug that I'm dog-sitting, enthusiastically went after her tail. It was really as if she didn't register the fact that her tail is part of her body...like it was independently bugging her. What an interesting and quite entertaining phenomenon...perhaps that is exactly why dogs were "programmed" to chase their own tails...for our entertainment! (P.S...the picture above is not actually a picture of Kayla, just a close facsimile!) :)