Drained

I don't think I have the ability to be clever during this post. Being around young minds all day has the tendency to completely drain me- mind, body and spirit. It's odd to me that I'm a teacher. I don't feel all that far removed from high school myself, yet these students and their actions remind me that I am getting old.

The few cool points I earned with my freshman class came with their discovery of my Napoleon calendar. I bribe my middle school class with candy and fair tickets to gain not only their attention, but their affection. It's weird. I don't necessarily want to be the "cool teacher," but I do want the students to like me. At the same time, it is disruptive to let them use the restroom during class or do other things to make them happy. When I was in high school, I got pissed at teachers who wouldn't let you go to the restroom during class. Now I understand why. That makes me sad, because it makes me feel old.

I told the middle school class that I would play their music in class if they brought music that was appropriate. A kid brought in a Snoop Dog cd. I give him points for being old school. However, as you might imagine, the song was all about getting high and drinking. I refused to play it in class. Does that make me a prude? They said another teacher had allowed them to play it in class. I guess she's cooler than me.

Anyway, that's about all I can think of right now. I would like to post a funny story but I'm just too worn out. I feel kind of like Deb Down. I'm looking forward to a weekend in Fayetteville with the Davies! Wish the bride and groom of 2007 could be there.

If you haven't seen this yet, you're welcome

So, this is the newest video from the band OK GO and it's so great that I had to make sure you both were able to see it. Thanks to YouTube for making it happen. And enjoy...

Adventures in Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor welcomed a new visitor this past weekend! After surviving the "ghetto terminal" and Detroit, Kari made it into Double A safely. The first night, we went to dinner at a nice brewpub downtown and then headed home to crash...at 10pm - we're party animals!! The next morning, we headed out to Cost Plus World Market and then the mall. We were pretty successful, as you can tell from the picture above. We shopped in honor of Brittnee, who must have been channeling some great deals our way because we found a few good bargains! Next time, when Brittnee comes to AA, we might have to retire our credit cards. That night we cooked a lovely dinner at our apartment - complete with rice pilaf! It was pretty delicious.

The next day, the destination was downtown and Kerrytown and we also had some luck shopping there. We found some cute housewares and also hit up Moosejaw for some sweet tees! That night, we put on our "fancy clothes" and had some dessert and cocktails at La Dolce Vita.

Afterwards, we tried out a jazz club (Goodnight Gracie's), but it was kind of smokey and loud, so instead we went to another favorite spot - Leopold Brother's. We drank gin n' juice (like Snoop Dogg) and played Sorry! (we each won a game) and then finished up with some darts. I was terrible, but Kari and Eric were pretty good and things got a little competitive near the end!
Sunday was pretty laid back. We went to lunch at Zingerman's deli and afterwards headed home to lounge all day long! It was pretty relaxing...there might have been some naps, but who can remember? We ordered Cottage Inn pizza and Kari procrastinated packing for about 4 hours. Then, we packed it in so that we could get up for her early flight the next morning. It was a really fun visit! We definitely missed our third musketeer, though. Next time, you're comin', B!

Travelogue: Oahu

I know that I returned from Hawaii a week ago, but I figured that a recap post is better late than never. I can describe the trip much easier through words and some pictures anyway. And so...

Day 1: No major activities to speak of, we got in, went to eat at Cheeseburger in Paradise (very good) and tried to stay awake until 10...we made it to 9:30 before passing out.

Day 2: I will always remember this day because that's when Eric proposed! You've both heard the story, so I won't go into detail, but the experience was magical.

Day 3: After my engagement high, I was brought back down to earth the next morning with surf lessons! It was actually very fun, but my arms got so sore and I was battling a pretty intense case of sea sickness that I headed in about 30 minutes before the rest of the gang so that I could lay on my surfboard and try not to hurl. Here's a shot of me beforehand though, yeah!

Day 4: All the families rented Sebring convertibles to drive around the island and I will tell you that it was pretty fun. We first visited the Dole Pineapple pavillion (I had some sweet pineappe sorbet), then ventured to Haleiwa where we ate lunch and got some shave ice. Then we went on a beach tour near the North Shore trying to find the perfect beach. We went to three (and actually unpacked all our stuff and hiked down to a spot) before settling on the perfect one. It was semi-comical and semi-frustrating doing all that back and forth driving, and things almost came to a head when the keys got locked in our car at one beach. Eric and Sara actually broke in (through the obviously poorly constructed convertible top) and were able to pop it so we could get back in. That night on our way back home we ate at an authentic Hawaiian diner. I had what I will refer to as one of the best burgers of my life at that diner (Flamingo Diner) and I will never forget it!

Day 5: Eric and his stepdad went on a kayak tour out on Kailua beach (about 45 minutes away) in the morning and then everyone else went out to that beach in the afternoon to hang out in the sun. That was the best beach we went to the whole time. It wasn't very crowded and had some sweet waves for boogie boarding! After the beach, we headed back to Waikiki for drinks and then dinner at Tiki's grill.

Day 6: We got up early to hike up Diamond Head, which turned out to be pretty cool. It took about 45 minutes or something and the view was great. However, I think a quote from Eric's uncle Jeff best summed up the experience: "Off the record? A postcard would have been just fine." After a delicious lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, we were bused out to Paradise Cove for a luau! I had a really fun time. We made leis and threw spears and got to watch people shake their hips and stuff. I even tried poi! It was nasty. Here's me enjoying a "Blue Hawaii" - and enjoy it I did!

Day 7: We woke up early to go to Pearl Harbor and see the USS Arizona Memorial. Although we stood in line (which wrapped around twice!) for an hour, it was definitely worth it. We had to go out on a boat to see the memorial itself, which is built on top of the sunken Arizona. It was really incredible. After taking a small tour of Honolulu on the bus ride back to Waikiki, we went back to the beach and did an Outrigger tour. It's basically a big kayak that about 10 people get in and paddle out to sea and then ride back in on waves. It was so fun! That night we went to dinner at Duke's - named for Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii's famous Olympic swimmer and surfer - and we were able to sit outside and sip delightful cocktails. I don't think I've ever had so many pina coladas in a week, it was great!

Day 8: Our last day was pretty laid back. We hung out on the beach for most of it. Right before we were about to leave, we saw the torch-lighting ceremony that they do on Waikiki beach every night. Guys dressed in nothing but a sarong run down the beach and light all the torches for the night. It was a fun way to end the trip.

All in all, it was one of the best trips I've ever been on. It was tough to leave and face the daily grind again. That's why I propose that the next gathering of the three of us should be in Hawaii! Please keep your calendars open!

He's Just Not Right

Date: July 19, 2006
Time: Around 7:00pm
Location: Texas Roadhouse

Detailed account of events: As I sat with my family for dinner recently, I witnessed something that just wasn't right. Shortly after getting our drinks, a family sat down at the table next to ours. It appeared to be a girl and her husband (in their twenties) and her parents. They seemed nice enough and quite normal. However, that "normal" thought quickly turned. Texas Roadhouse plays country music, somewhat loudly, in an attempt to create atmosphere. This atmosphere came crashing down as the son-in-law at the table next to use began serenading his wife. It could have been cute, maybe. I doubt it, but maybe. Anyway, he couldn't sing, yet she acted as if he was the next George Strait. It was obviously annoying. The worst part, however, is the song he chose to sing. Some of the lyrics are below and please keep in mind that they are dining with her parents:

"Baby lock the door and turn the light down low
Put some music on that's soft and slow
Baby we ain't got no place to go
I hope you understand
I’ve been thinking 'bout this all day long
Never felt a feeling quite this strong
I can't believe how much it turns me on
Just to be your man"

Annoying. Gross. Inappropriate. And like I said, the man did not have a good voice. All in all, he's just not right.

On the Road... Again!

Last weekend, Brant and I went to South Fork with Gary, Steph, Jerrod and Dana. We all had a great time going fishing, golfing, eating and drinking. We caught a few fish, the girls won at golf and a bear visited the cabin one night and left claw marks on the ice chest. All in all, great fun! By the time Sunday came around, we were pretty tired and not looking forward to the three hour drive home. To make matters worse, it rained really hard most of the way home so the drive seemed really long. But we got home and were glad the weekend had gone so well, or so we thought...

After searching through all of our bags, I couldn't find my phone! I pretty much freaked out. I've never lost something so personal before. Plus, my phone is sometimes the only contact I have with the outside world as I sit at home all day. There was really only one option - drive back to South Fork (remember, it's three hours) early Monday, alone, with no phone. So that's what I did. I honestly don't mind driving, but six hours by myself was a bit much. I wouldn't recommend it. On the bright side, and perhaps somewhat random, Gulley was groomed on Monday so I picked her up when I got back to Pueblo and she looks fabulous!

Birthday weekend

Another birthday come and gone, another year older. I had a great birthday, filled with great food, fun shopping and, of course, lovely presents (thanks again to you both!). I think that 24 will be the greatest year ever!

In addition to the birthday celebration, Eric and I also managed to have a very productive weekend. We went to the new Ikea in Canton on Sunday to look for some new furniture. If you've never been to an Ikea, here's a short tutorial: Swedish company; HUGE warehouse filled with mock-up rooms; instead of aisles, you wind through the store following a map; insanely crowded; tons of organizational items; most products are for self-assembling; CHEAP. In a nutshell, it's the perfect store. If there weren't a billion people there that day, I would have run through the warehouse with my arms flailing, yelling, "I WANT EVERTHING! I'LL TAKE IT ALL!" We ended up purchasing a new desk and add-on unit. If you're interested in seeing it, cut and paste this link:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=12&catalogId=10103&langId=-1&topcategoryId=15600&parentCats=15600*15872*16133&categoryId=16133&cattype=sub

It's the MIKAEL desk and add-on unit in the "black-brown/white." The whole thing was just $100!! I love it, it's the coolest desk ever! Plus, after we returned home from Ikea, we went to another store and bought a Papasan chair and stool to match! Our study is totally reorganized and probably the best room in our apartment now. Redecorating is F-U-N!

A side note: we've been referring to the new Papasan chair as the "Popozao" chair and I don't think we have any plans to quit. POPOZAO!

Double A beckons!

Here's my plea for both of you to visit me in Double A. I have taken the liberty of choosing a few dates that might be acceptable.

Fri, July 28: There is a Guster/Ray LaMontagne concert in Chicago on this date and it takes about 4 hours to drive there from AA. Even if we didn't end up wanting to do the concert, the weekend would still be good for me.
Fri, August 11
Fri, August 18
Fri, August 25

Obviously, what I am thinking is a 3 day weekend trip. However, if you're both interested, you can feel free to do whatever you choose.

If you're STILL questioning AA, ponder this: a good mall with a new H&M, JCrew, Marshall Fields, CPK (Vegas style); DSW shoe store; fun stores and good restaurants downtown; a pool if we wanted to go sunbathing; free movie passes to shows at a historic downtown movie theater! It's a pretty cool town and I think we would have lots of fun. PLUS! we could go dancing at fun clubs and if you got in on Thursday night, we could go to a sweet karaoke bar!

OPEN CALL: Bad Girls Club

This morning as I got off the bus in front of the theater, I saw some flyers in our "marketing stand" that didn't belong there. It's part of my job to keep it stocked and also make sure that flyers for events not at the theater are removed. So, I promptly removed the flyers with the headline: "Bad Girls Club: Open Call" expecting it to be an ad for a new strip club or something. Well, to my surprise, it was a casting call for a new Bunim-Murray TV show! Here's the description:

From the producers of The Real World, six girls will live by the beach in L.A. and work with each other to tackle aspects of their personalities that - while making them FABULOUS - tend to hold them back from success in relationships and careers.

Ladies. I'm not joking, this is ACTUALLY what the flyer said. Also, a few questions on the side of the flyer:

Does your refusal to PLAY BY THE RULES sometimes get you in trouble?
Have you ever been called a "Drama Queen"?
Need a way to reach your dreams without compromising the things that make you special?

My favorite is the third question, as the answer surely lies in going on TV broadcasting these "special things" for the world to see.

This is SO not a joke, to see real proof, go to the official website here: http://www.bunim-murray.com/casting/index.htm

I'll see you both in NYC on Saturday for the open audition.

My Favorite Picture

"Shake it like a Polaroid picture, bitches!"

We're on a break

So, we haven't discussed it formally, but we at the blog are on a "break." We are all preparing for the wedding of 2006. The bride has plenty to be worrying about without trying to come up with fabulous blog entries. The rest of us are taking advantage of the wedding to come home and spend some quality time with our families, who miss us ever-so-dearly. I just thought I would send out a small note to the legions of fans we have out there who might've gotten worried that the blog was no more. We will be back - and we will be fabulous. POPOZAO!

It's Just Another Manic Monday

Hello, girls! I just thought I would write to see how each of you are doing this Monday morning. Did you have good weekends? Do anything special for Mother's day?

My weekend was all right. First off, the weather here is terrible. It's been cold and rainy for about 10 days now and it doesn't look like it has any plans to quit. It's bad enough when I HAVE to get up and go to work, but it's almost worse when I want to get out and enjoy the weekend and it's so gloomy. Boo.

Eric and I saw Inside Man on Friday night. It was good. Denzel and Jodie Foster were good in it and the story was clever. I'm excited about the new summer movies coming out. I think I want to see MI:III, even though Tom Cruise is CRAZY, and I haven't read the book, but DaVinci Code looks good. Anything's better than Just My Luck and Stick It, gosh!

Mother's Day was good, even though I couldn't actually be with my mom. She LOVED her apron and said that it's too pretty to wear when she's cooking (and possibly get food on), so she'll probably just put it on when guests come over and pretend like she cooked in it and showcase it like a new outfit. That's funny!!

Did either of you watch Grey's Anatomy? It was a cliff-hanger! I will be tuning in to the 2-hour (really?) finale tonight.

A Note on Friendship

Recent reports say that CaCee Cobb, Jessica Simpson's BFF will no longer be her assistant. There are only a few reasons why this might have happened.

1. Ken, Jessica's extremely involved hair guy, took CaCee to an undisclosed location and threatened to shave her head unless she quit, so that he could take over as Jessica's right-hand man.

2. Jessica is pissed that CaCee did not remain wholly devoted to her, and instead showed some sympathy to Nick.

3. CaCee has strict rules about friendships with orange people.

Whatever happened, it's kind of sad. Supposedly they two have been friends since childhood, and though reports say they are still very close, I highly doubt the truth of those reports. Sorry girls, but if I got divorced and you continued to hang out with my ex, I would probably have some bad feelings about that.

Who is that?

In an attempt to take attention away from her ex-husband, who has grown in popularity since their split, Jessica goes to extremes. She does not look good as a red-head and/or an orange-bod. My advice to Jessica: if you want to get back in the spotlight, try to release a decent CD or movie. Do not try to become an actual spotlight.

Slackin' off!

Do we need to address why no one has mentioned that Britney Spears is preggers again? We're totally slacking on our duties! I admit that I had fallen behind on the blogs, so I am just now finding out.

First off, WHY? What is she thinking?! Or rather, why doesn't K-Fed take some precautions when...you know...don't make me say it, they're gross! This news upsets me, because it's not as if it's smooth sailing with baby #1. Plus, Brit is not a pretty sight when she's prego. That just had to be said.

I Missed It

As I got out of my car to go into Old Navy this morning, there was a woman walking out of the store and a car approaching the crosswalk the woman was about to use. From my angle, the car came between myself and the lady and slowed to almost a stop Then suddenly the car zoomed forward, before letting the lady cross. I was appalled, until...

I saw the woman PICKING HERSELF UP OFF THE GROUND! She had tripped before ever reaching the crosswalk! I wanted to ask if she was okay, but I fear that I may have laughed in her face. Plus, she appeared to have only injured her pride with the fall. Life is funny.

Short Run

I am quite sad to see that MTV only signed 8th & Ocean for a few episodes, as if they thought it might not be a huge hit! Last night's episode was fabulous, as far as I'm concerned. I'm not sure if the show is supposed to be a comedy, but I laughed out loud several times last night. Suzy always provides a chuckle or two, but my big laughs came during Kelly and Sabrina's bitchfest and when we saw that Heidi was the model Irene Alien Botox Marie chose to move in the model apartment. Genius!

Sometimes I wish they would focus less on Kelly and Sabrina, but then I realize that they provide priceless moments of extremely ridiculous jealousy. They are NEVER happy for each other. I can only imagine the day one tells the other that she's engaged!

I'm glad to see that Britt is still being portrayed as the good girl. I really hope she doesn't take a fall from that pedestal next season. I'm afraid Teddy, who can look devilish at time, may cause Britt to make some bad decisions. Stupid eyeliner boy.

Randoms...

Yesterday I went in to get my bridesmaid dress altered. The tailor, Sophia - a tiny, Eastern-European woman, stuck those pins in around me so fast, I was basically wincing from the THOUGHT of pain. Thankfully, I didn't get stuck at all. On a side note, she did not make any comments about me having "great shoulders" or any other great body part...so maybe SOME people should stop being uncomfortable and realize that they're a model, ok?

After going to the tailor, I drove across the shopping center to a BIG K-Mart. I cannot remember the last time I went to K-Mart, so I decided to check it out. I must say that although people give Martha Stewart crap for being mean and bossy, she's got some great stuff! I was in her aisles for basically the entire time I was there and I bought a few things that I didn't even really need.

Included in the items I purchased was a lint roller from Martha's "Everyday" collection. I use a lint roller quite often because of Sloane - at least a sheet a day. So, I was testing it out last night and I could hardly get the protective outer covering off! That's when I thought to myself, "There's no WAY lint's getting past this bitch!" And that's when I decided to name it, The Enforcer.

One final note: tonight is the finale of 8th & Ocean. I have really enjoyed this show. I'll be sad to see it go away. A moment of silence, please.

Vacays

So, I'm sitting here thinking about possible summer and fall get-togethers for us and I decided to start a discussion. I know that there has been talk of a visit to A2 this summer, and Brittnee has mentioned a visit to F-town to see her new abode in late summer, early fall sometime. So, I thought I would throw out some possible dates for these excursions!

Firday, June 23 - Sunday, June 25
Friday, June 30 - Sunday, July 2
Friday, July 7 - Sunday, July 9
Friday, July 28 - Sunday, July 30

And I can do any time in August, because I don't have anything scheduled. Also, throughout the fall, I don't have anything except a wedding in early September. Brittnee mentioned scheduling a visit around a football game and doing a cookout and stuff which I think is an excellent idea! The football schedule hasn't been set yet, but when it is perhaps we can pick a game early in the season so that the weather will still be decent.

I know that with Brittnee's move to Fayetteville and Kari's possible move out of CO, that the summer could get hectic, which makes it hard to plan. I guess that's something we have to consider before we book flights and stuff. Anyway, thoughts??

A letter to MTV

Dear MTV,

As a loyal fan of your programming for more than 10 years now, I feel like you owe it to me to come up with quality television shows. Now, I looked the other way when the Andy Milanakis show aired (we all make mistakes), and I also chose to give you the benefit of the doubt when you began airing the FIFTH season of Punk'd. But, in recent months I've become somewhat disheartened by your choices (see: Yo Momma, Date My Mom, Tiara Girls, My Super Sweet 16) and it's left me feeling like I have no one to turn to. That is, until last night.

Last night was perhaps the best night of programming I have seen in many months. First, there was the Real World...you gave us a fantastic mix of drunken breakdowns (Paula Walnuts), sober breakdowns (Paula) and guys hooking up with girls and thinking that they won't want a commitment (Zach). It was great!

Next, you stepped it up during the commercials...you aired the teaser for THE HILLS! The most highly anticipated show since Laguna Beach: Season 2!

Finally, 8th & Ocean...Britt is the best person on reality TV and last night she showed why. A preachers daughter who semi-refuses to pose for soft-porn photoshoots is pure GOLD. Not only that, but you got rid of Tracie, who was probably never going to work again in Miami anyway.

In short, you have redeemed yourself, MTV. You are still the channel I will turn to when I am bored and you will always be my source of sub-par reality shows. I will never be able to thank you enough for that.

Love,
Jenny