This is Wednesday

Why is it always a Wednesday, when I have almost nothing to say?  I just don't get it. Mondays are usually pretty good.  There's trivia on Tuesdays, and fun things to start the weekend with, but Wednesdays are that day of the week that even the brain can't manage to process.  I just don't get it.  But it's a thing.  A thing that deserves a name, I think. Wednesday brain?  Writer's Block Wednesday?  See Wednesdays are days that the brain can't even come up with clever nicknames for.  Ugh!

Of course it doesn't help that it's raining, and not everyone is quite in the Christmas season yet.  I mean I am, but other people are less than enthused - of course I work with these other people so it makes my days super thrilling, let me tell you.  Wednesdays are just one of those days.  

There was one thing today, however, that did make me smile.  (I smiled more than once, just in case you were wondering, but this made me smile a lot)  Have you seen This is Us?  If you haven't, you need to get on it immediately.  I'm sure everyone around you has told you to watch it at some point, because it's just that good. But in case they haven't I'm going to tell you to do so now.  Here's my ringing endorsement - I know at some point in the near future, it's going to make me cry, AND I'm still watching!  

Normally I would have turned it off by now, but I just can't quit this time around. It's sweet and funny and chock full of really amazing actors.  There's a not a weak link in the pack. Speaking of not being weak, that brings us to what made me smile today.  These goofy set videos of the boys doing push ups.  I mean, seriously?  Not only are they stellar actors, but they're super athletic to boot?  And pretty dreamy too - it needs to be said.  How can you not love them? What makes the videos even better are the tweets that go along with them. 

If you haven't seen the show yet, avoid the hashtags until you've seen the pilot at least. Then you can bask in their awesomeness - spoiler free!  Hope these brighten your bland Wednesday, like they surely brightened mine!

Friday Five

1.  After buying it a few months ago at the Used Book Sale, I finally decided to pick it up today to start.  I thought it was appropriate since I'll be in NYC tomorrow and I'd need something to keep me busy on the bus.  Well, that was a terrible idea, seeing as I've already finished it, now I'm out a book to read tomorrow.  But it was so very good!  Loved hearing all the wonderful things about NYC.  I thought it was just me who thought NYC was the bee's knees, but apparently not.

2. There has never been a truer article ever written than this one on the 21 situations people dread.  I've been terrified, annoyed, undone or just plain freaked out by every single one of these situations. Honestly, I do try, but it's difficult.  That's what you have to understand. We want to be clever and sparkling and all around lovely, but sometimes, it's just a bit too hard.

3. Nerd HQ!  I was never a huge Zac Levi fan, but what he's done with Nerd HQ is enough to turn me into one.  The people he compiles for the panels at Comic Con and the ridiculous amount of money he raises for such a good cause is just awe-inspiring.  I wasn't sure there was a way to make Comic Con better, but somehow he found one.  

4. Summer Concerts in Annapolis or other places in MD are becoming a thing this year.  I'm not sure if they've always been a thing and I've just not noticed it, or if it's a new development.  But whatever it is, I like it.  

5. Why you should Like Leverage: This article just made me smile because these are all the reasons why I love, love, love this show.  I'm still in mourning over its cancellation 2 years later.  The cast, crew, and storytelling was perfect!  And I miss it so darn much.

Future Job Plans

A few days ago, I took this little quiz.  I usually don't hold much stock in these darn things.  I took tons of these as a Psych major and the one thing you learn when doing so, is that you can pretty much get any result you want, if you try hard enough (That doesn't stop me from taking the utterly ridiculous quizzes on BuzzFeed - What European city are you?!- mind you; I still jump into those with both feet and I'm still utterly annoyed when I don't get the results I want.  Seriously!?  How can they say I'm Prague rather than London!?)

But that's beside the point.  

Anyway, I was completely honest when choosing my personality types.  Based on their choices, I decided I was an ISFJ - Introverted, Sensor, Feeler, Judger.  It's true.  So imagine my surprise when I learned what my jobs were supposed to be:

School Teacher
Librarian
Franchise Owner

These are all pretty perfect for me, right?!  I am a teacher.  I LOVE to read and could totally live my work life in a library and one day I'm hoping to own the franchise of my father's as yet un-thought-about (by him not me) restaurant.  You might be thinking at this point that this quiz is so scientific it's scary.

But then you'd see the number one job and decide whoever wrote the quiz is a moron. According to the smart people of Meyers Briggs, I should be a..........DENTIST!  I mean, honestly?!  A dentist.  That by far is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.  But it was most definitely a good laugh : )

Saturday Six

1. Florida Man tries to Cash a personal check for $368 billion.  I'm in love with the weirdness of this particular story.  You'd think the headline would be the oddest part of the story, but if you start to read the article you'll see that it only gets more ridiculous.  If you need a good laugh, this is the story to read!

2. 26 Quotes from Friends guaranteed to make you laugh every time - This article is 100% true.  I've used at least 3 of these quotes in polite conversation...in the last week alone! Though I have to say I'm slightly unimpressed by #18.  If you're going to quote that article, you have to use "...Then beef sauteed with peas and onions..."  At least that's what I do - I use that line entirely too much.

3. Special Needs Superheroes - The absolute best use of photography ever!  So darn adorable!

4. I'm a big fan of Wicked.  I've seen in on Broadway with the original cast and I use the soundtrack as a way to boost my spirits if I'm bummed (do you have any idea how great it feels to belt "Defying Gravity" with the windows down on a crappy day?).  But I'm not obsessive like some people.  So this article doesn't truly apply to me, except for the very first thing on the list.  I thought I was the only Wizard of Oz hater in the world.  Great to know there are others like me!

5. For an entirely different reason than I usually do - I want to be in England so very badly!!!

6. May the Fourth be with You - The only Star Wars-centric thing I celebrate.  These little guys are too darn cute!

Friday Five

1. I think, I'd even forgive him for committing the heinous act of destroying a book.  Seriously, look at that little face!  He's so darn cute and apologetic!

2. For the first time all season, Phil Mickelson is in the hunt for first place.  He's currently tied for second which is just so much better than the 30th place he's been averaging for the last few tournaments.  Just in time too, as the Master's is next weekend.  If he wins, (which would be the perfect birthday present, BTW) it'll be just the momentum he needs to grab hold of a third green jacket!

3. Love Ellen's Classic Joke Friday so in honor of Easter: What's the Easter Bunny's favorite restaurant?......... IHOP : )

4. And continuing on with my Ellen love, I read a quote by her this week that will, from now on, be the rule I live by:

"If the temperature is less than my age, I don't get out of bed."

I should start calling out of work now for next winter...

5. Hanging out with a 6 year old all day is just about the perfect day.  She hilarious, and smart and has wicked comedic timing.  Her zingers are epic and she's certainly not afraid to speak her mind.  Love her!

Friday Five

1. Note to every single guy planning to propose to his girlfriend (including the one that will hopefully propose to me in the future, whoever he may be).  This is the MOST perfect proposal ever!  You will never be as cool as this dude : )

2. Woohoo!  This made me happy!  

3. If more young girls grew up to wanting to be like Ellen Degeneres rather than Kim Kardashian, the world would be a lot nicer and a lot funnier place.  She has the most perfect response for just about anything.  She rocks!

4. Food Writing combines my 2 favorite things in life: food and reading.  Some people do it terribly and some people do it very, very well. Serious Eats is one site that does it fabulously. Somehow I just discovered it this week and I've been pretty much reading it every day since. 

5. Blackwall Hitch, a new restaurant in Annapolis, is so fabulous I'm mulling over going back sometime next week - and I was just there 2 hours ago.  The decor is cool and hipster-y, pretty much everything that's in right now - industrial lighting, chalkboards, mason jars, etc. - and some new, leather sofas for booth seating, classic rock on the speakers, and some seriously delicious food.  The fried zucchini was to die for and my short rib sandwich was perfect.  Love new restaurants, especially when they're as delicious as this one!

Shy Girls Rule

I'm the first to admit that BuzzFeed can be a fairly ridiculous website focused on odd lists and hot people doing strange things.  However, once in a while, these crazy lists can be quite helpful. Today's 40 bits of advice for shy people was one of those lists.  If nothing else, it proves that I'm not the only one in the world that has these thoughts...on a daily basis. 

People like to think that saying "stop being shy" is actually helpful in the long run.  That it's one of those things that can just be turned on or off.  But it's not.  When you think about it, there are worse things one can be, than shy like depressed or anxious but at the time, when you're feeling shy, you can't think like that.  You can only focus on the fact you've said something ridiculous, or completely blanked or are literally just staring at a person because you're willing them to fill in the gap in the conversation.  

That's why tips like these are useful.  I'm not sure what to do in social situations - as Pinterest says, "social awkwardness is my super power."  Having some things in my back pocket to bring up in conversation is a saving grace.  I'm not saying actually saying these things is going to happen, but if push comes to shove, I can.  

My favorite though is number one on the list.  When meeting people, they have no expectation of your shyness.  Basically I can be who I want to be rather than who I am.   It'd be nice to focus on that rather than the fear I'll say something stupid or embarrassing.  Why have I not thought of this before? It seems fairly simple but apparently, I've been missing this simple fact for forever : )

Friday Five

1. E4K: Endure for Kindness is a fundraiser for Random Acts and it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like.  You pick an activity, and you do it for a long time.  Tomorrow is the day and as opposed to others who are hiking or biking or kayaking, my friends and I are crafting. We chose to make greeting cards for St. Jude's Ranch.  If you want to donate or create cards yourselves to donate, check out how to do so here.  I'm hoping for at least 50 cards but we're all pretty much perfectionists when it comes to crafting so we may not get so lucky...

2. Getting a chance to get out and about in DC for work.  We've been crazy busy lately, and so it's always nice when you get a chance to get out of the office for a while but still continue to be paid to do so.  Today was a gorgeous day to be outside and having the chance to be that city worker walking between buildings and grabbing lunch was pretty fun.  Of course, the traffic to get there and back, continued to suck so there's always that drawback preventing me from becoming a DC jetsetter.

3. Chop't: While in DC, I tried Chop't for lunch.  I'd never heard of it but luckily the guy I was with is an even bigger foodie than I am so he hears of all sorts of fun places.  This is a specialty salad place that chops (hence the name) all the ingredients into little pieces.  I'm not sure how that makes it taste better, but it was pretty darn good, so what do I know?  They even had normal iced tea which is always a plus.

4. 31 things people with wanderlust understand: Other than the F-bomb in the article, this article is 150% true.  I'm pretty sure every one of these items have gone through my mind at least once...The funny part is that I always thought it was just me who dreamed of travel 24/7 but lately every conversation I have with people at work or friends, has revolved around travel.  Loving that everyone else is loving it too!

5. While everyone else is talking about the Walking Dead coming back, I'd like to go on record and say that The Good Wife is pretty much the best show on television right now.  Every season I say that there's no way they can top themselves, then the manage to do it right out of the gate for the next season.  Between Julianna Marguiles and Alan Cumming the acting is top notch.  As for the story lines, they're smart, often hilarious and downright intriguing.  I may sound like a little old lady but I'll take good old fashioned legalese over zombies any day!

Things on a Thursday

~ The headline on Twitter this week read "Woman stunned by 3 meter wide wasp nest on bed"  After seeing it and its accompanying picture, I just have so many questions.  How in the world do you forget about a bedroom window and the entire bedroom for 6 weeks?  How do you not hear the distinctive "buzz" from probably thousands of wasps coming from the bedroom?  And how doesn't a single wasp get out into the house from under the door of the abandoned bedroom?  I'm just so darn curious!

~ For the next few months, you will be able to visit the Central Perk (aka a replica of the coffee shop made famous by Friends) in NYC.  On one hand, I'd like to know, Why?  What exactly is the purpose of creating a replica of the orange sofa and why in the world now?  But on the other hand, I kind of want to plan a trip to NYC...

~ And in other ridiculous news, Sanrio, the company behind Hello Kitty (aka the ridiculous little pink and white thing that graces all sorts of wallets, bags and stationary) came out as saying that Hello Kitty is in fact not a kitty at all.  The thing is actually a young Japanese girl.  Why does it have cat ears and most importantly, why is it called Hello Kitty?  You can't make this stuff up...

~ Oh and Brad and Angelina got hitched in a secret ceremony in a French chateau, because of course they did.  Last I checked, lots of people get married in French chateaus, why after about 32 children between them, do we care that they're finally making it legal? (I'm usually not so cynical about weddings, but I'm so not a fan).

Friday Five

1. "Delicious!" by Ruth Reichl: I've read a few of her other books before but this was her first novel and I fell in love with it.  For some reason I haven't been reading as much as I usually do this summer, and this was the first book that I flew through and couldn't put down. Fantastically chick lit and foodie lit - my two favorite types of books.  Seriously, how could it have gone wrong?!

2. A fabulous sports week: Not only did the Ravens triumphantly return last night to a 23-3 win against the Niners, but the Orioles are also winning currently 12-2 during their 60th anniversary game.  To top it all off, Tiger Woods missed the cut and Rory McIlroy is in the lead for the 3rd week in a row.  Now if we could Phil Mickelson to start playing actual golf again as opposed to the putt-putt he's been playing the last few months, things would be perfect!

3.  Not to sound like a broken record, but seriously, the GISHWHES'ers are doing some astoundingly awesome things!  Check them out!  They so deserve the recognition mostly for being brave enough to go for it!

4.  File this under the label "Strangest News Story You'll Read All Week" - Kama the Surfing Pig...Yep, you read that right.  He's a pig that lives in Hawaii and has a thing for surfing...apparently.  It's bizarre, yes.  And a pig doesn't really have facial expressions but he certainly looks like he's having a good time : )

5. I'm still not over the trauma of having to present but I have to say I feel a bit accomplished in the fact that I didn't completely suck.  I'm also pretty darn proud of myself for getting a bunch of tech geek guys to actually Pin things to Pinterest.  I'm totally taking that as a win!

Friday Five

1. Fatherly Illustrations: A father has created truly awesome posters of things he's had to say to his children and they are as amazing as you may think.  This one is by far my favorite!

2. Cabin Pressure on BBC Radio: Yes, the only reason I started listening was the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch was in it.  Yes, the only other reason I started listening was to lighten the mood after watching the fairly intense True Detective.  And yes listening to BBC radio makes me about 150 years older than I actually am.  But it's just too funny to stop.  The final episode just recorded last week so it's not airing any more, but you can still catch up on YouTube thanks to some lovely Benedict loving citizen.  Just go listen to one, I guarantee you will continue through the entire series.

3. Food trucks from 2 cities, was pretty darn amazing, but now there adding a third?  Woohoo!  As usual, it's sure to be the highlight of the spring!

4. As someone who is struggling slightly with figuring out the ins and outs of opening an Etsy shop, this series on opening one in 30 days is about the most helpful post I've ever read.  

5. Have you ever seen anything cuter than this little guy?  It's a bit creepy how much he looks like a human baby but aside from that, he's completely adorable!

Friday Five

1. Hank the new mascot for the Milwaukee Brewers:  I heard nothing about this on any other news outlet, so I can't guarantee the story is completely true.  But if they have adopted him, I might have to start rooting for them as opposed to the Orioles.  Hank is just about the cutest and his little jersey makes him even cuter.

2. Math Teacher/Baby Cuddler: I've been seeing this headline around the web this week but never took the time to read it until day.  What a great man!  For 20 years, he's quietly comforted probably thousands of babies and given dozens of gallons of blood to those who need it without a shred of publicity or flaunting.  I'm hopeful, now that the story is out there, he'll get the recognition he so rightly deserves.  I'm thinking Ellen Degeneres should have something to say about that : )

3. Hobby Lobby: I've called Michael's and AC Moore both "crafter's meccas" before, I believe, but of course, that was before I discovered Hobby Lobby.  Seriously, where has this store been my whole life?  It's by far the biggest arts and crafts store I've ever seen and contains just about every possible craft item you could possibly want.  My real reason for loving it though, may sound ridiculous.  Everything is completely and beautifully organized. All the aisles are kept spotless and everything can be easily reached and found. When I entered the Scrapbooking section for the first time, (a section in Michaels that usually looks like a bomb has gone off), I swear I heard angels sing...

4. The Selby: I discovered this site today while looking at another Friday Five post.  For someone as obsessed as I am lately with scrapbook room organization, this sort of seems like it could be an addiction.  It's creative people in their creative places.  I'm anticipating lots of ideas for Kristen's Studio 2.0...

5. This, this right here is gorgeous, and genius and an utterly brilliant idea!  I found it on Pinterest but she's selling it on her Etsy Shop.  If you have little ones, it would be the perfect addition to their bedrooms.  It's already been added to the To Do list in my book, though I'm guessing it won't turn out nearly as adorable as hers did!

List-less

Until I discovered the finer points of BuzzFeed, I must admit I thought it was a ridiculous entertainment site used only to publish inane lists on completely random topics.  Of course, once I started reading the inane lists, I quite liked them and kind of found them hilarious, which was disappointing to me as well.  So maybe that's where the real problem began.  I've realized, I've been relying quite a bit lately on lists to write these blog posts.  Why is that?

Why are blog posts or stories easier to write in list format?  It may be this need of mine to categorize something instead of stringing together a workable narrative.  It might also be, that it's just easier and less taxing to compose a list instead of writing a complete story from A-Z.  Just ask BuzzFeed, their reporters seem to have that down to a science.  Of course, it might also be that my life's not that interesting right now and due to a lack of something fun to write about, it's a bit simpler to give you the rundown on some other random topic of conversation that's floating through my mind.  Hoping that Life in general will pick up soon with the return of that big bright yellow thing in the sky this spring that's been missing all winter, mind you.

In any event, I'm going to try not to do that so much.  I read so many great authors and writers each day, and would very much like to be at least a little like them.  That requires practice and focus and something interesting to happen, of course.  Aside from Friday Five, I'm going to try very hard to focus the posts a bit and be the writer I wish to be (with a little BuzzFeed-iness thrown in for good measure here and there, because honestly, who doesn't care about the top 15 hottest Catholic men in Holloywood?  I didn't until I learned number 3 was George Clooney.  How did I not know he was Catholic?  That makes him officially perfect but I digress... : )

Friday Five

1. Finally!  It's here and it's awesome!

2. It's a little odd that BuzzFeed ran 2 posts today that would suggest they know me too well. I had to laugh seeing as they were back to back in my Reader and they seem to suit me to a tee.  The first cartoon explains my feelings each time something inane happens that could possibly be bad but is most likely not and the second, I'd like everyone to read since it's quite a serious condition that no one seems to get : )

3. In the light of this ridiculous government shutdown, it's fabulous to see others trying to help - it may be the only silver lining.  I've seen dozens of restaurants giving away free meals to customers showing government ID.  I'm sure the shutdown, as well as the free food is hurting restaurateur's bottom line, but never the less they are trying to do their part which is more than I can say for Congress.

4.  While this card may tax my quicky crafting brain, it's by the far the cutest little thing I've seen in my Christmas crafting browsing!

5. Up until about 3 weeks ago, I had no idea what commercial everyone was quoting on Wednesdays or what the heck they were talking about when they said "Hump day - Yeah!".  But then I finally saw the Geico Camel on Hump Day ad, and actually thought it was quite cute.  Now after all the ridiculousness of the week - the darn thing is even funnier!

Friday Five

1. Once again, my favorite thing for the week was spending the evening with my favorite 4 year old.  The best Natalie-isms of today were her informing me that her grandparents "have already arrived on vacation" and after complete silence in the car while playing with the iPad, randomly yelling (while scaring me half to death) "Oh!  I am winning this game!."  Seriously?  What 4 year old says "arrived"?  How is she so darn cute!?

2. Best news I've read all week!  It's Mark Rylance, Stephen Fry AND Shakespeare, all rolled up into one awesome event!  How could it possibly go wrong!?

3. Etsy: I've ordered 2 fairly nifty items this week and I cannot wait to receive them.  I happen to love that we live in a world where Etsy exists.  There are so many cute things on this darn sight that it's slightly overwhelming.  But whenever you need an idea, or just something different, you will always find something perfect!

4. I think that this video has been out for a year, but I saw the real trailer earlier this evening at the movies and it made me think of this one.  As much as I want to see the actual movie, I think this little teaser may be even funnier than the first and second films put together.  Love these little yellow guys!

5. Another BuzzFeed Special but it's officially the only place I read about this story.  If it were up to me it would be written about in all the major newspapers.  This is a fantabulous (so cool I had to make up a word!) idea.  I'm in love with whomever finally realized that making Chemo a little more bearable for kids was a good thing.  Next stop: bringing it here!

Friday Five: Happy Place Edition

After one of the strangest, saddest and most terribly tragic weeks in recent history, we here in the States could use a good smile.  For me, these most definitely did the trick.  PS: I realize that these are all from BuzzFeed but when you need a laugh, BuzzFeed is the perfect place for ridiculousness!  How do they even think of these lists?!

1. 19 Puppies Whose Best Friends are Teddy Bears: File this under things that make you go awww!

2. Inspiring Messages of Support For Boston from Around the World: It's good to know that in the midst of the pain and suffering, there are still good and loving and peaceful people too.

3. 27 Dogs that will do Anything for Kids: Another awwww! overload.

4. Comfort Dogs Come to Boston: Such a fantastic job for these beautiful, calming and loving animals.  They deserve every bit of praise they receive for a job well done.

5. 23 Gifts David Tennant has Graced the World With: Seriously, how could I not include?

Bonus #6: I have to admit that I'm a big fan of Country music as well as Brad Paisley.  However, his new song with LL Cool J called "Accidental Racist" is offensive on about 20 different levels.  Stephen Colbert is somehow able to skewer the song while still sounding intelligent.  And listening to Alan Cumming rap in his beautiful Scottish accent is just a bonus!

 



 



Friday Five

1. This quote from my soon to be 4 year old niece: "We were standing so much, my legs are like crazy right now." ; )

2. This video that appeared on Buzzfeed the other day.  Apparently it was filmed by a college student in response to all the violence against women talk.  It's fantastic and much better than any professional PSA I've ever seen!

3. This article from BookRiot.  How can you not love a bookish article that includes Doctor Who?  It's also got Shakespeare, libraries and Agatha Christie.  Too cool!

4. The next time someone asks why on earth I'd want to move to England, I'll point them in the direction of this article.  I'm sure it absolutely sums up the Brit experience...much more so than that ridiculous book I read last week (sorry to keep harping on that but it was just really bad!)

5. The fashiony section of Pinterest, most especially this Polyvore thing that everyone seems to be pinning.  In my search for an actual fashionable wardrobe, I've found quite a few new ideas, trips and tricks.  Now if I could just find dollars and cents to purchase all the good stuff I find I'd be much happier.