bueller? ... bueller? ...

so ben stein contributed to the most recent issue of mental_floss. and, as you may be aware, i am absolutely in love with my mental_floss subscription. hands down my favorite magazine. however, this morning i learned that i can't read ben stein's column without hearing ben stein's voice. isn't that the strangest thing? it was there was a miniature ben stein standing inside my head reading the column to me.

this is a slightly unsettling way to start my thursday morning.

the snow was pretty

i like snow. i think it's pretty. so when we walked out of the office to go to lunch today, i had to stop & take a photo of this tree. because it's just stinkin' adorable with all the snow clumped up on top. it made me happy.

tickets to see sweeney todd will be going on sale this weekend. if you would like to join us (us being some folks from work), let me know. we'd love to have you come along. :)

speaking of this weekend, in about 63 hours we will be leaving for tennessee! and i WILL make everything fit into one backpack. i'm determined.

survey - 9:19 p.m.

i'm not sure why i brought work home with me. i should've known that if i turned on my computer i wouldn't actually do any work. :)

1. Who was the last person of the opposite sex you had a conversation with?
matt. he, beth & i discussed sabores nuevos.

2. Where is the last place you went out to eat?
svago cafe. you should try it if you haven't yet.

3. What was the last beverage you consumed?
water.

4. Thoughts at this moment?
i like that cold feeling you get in your mouth after you eat a mint.

5. Do you bite your lips a lot?
more than i used to.

7. Medical, fine arts, or law?
fine arts.

9. Best kind of pizza?
i'm an equal-opportunity pizza eater. :)

10. Favorite drink?
water.

11. Do you miss anyone?
not overwhelmingly so at the moment.

12. What were you doing at 11:59 PM on Saturday night?
sleeping. i had to be up early for work the next day.

14. Who was the last person you had in your room?
my mom.

15. Are you a clean person?
i shower daily, yes.

16. Can you speak another language?
not fluently, no.

17. What are you going to do tomorrow?
work like a mad woman to finish up my to-do list before my long weekend.

19. Who was the last band you saw live?
switchfoot.

21. Do you take care of your friends while they're sick?
i would if they needed it.

22. Do you like to read? What was the last book you read?
i enjoy reading, yes. the last book i finished was "the secret lives of men & women".

23. How do you feel about your first love?
i think i named my teddy bear after him. how do i feel about him now? fairly indifferent i suppose. it was first grade.

26. Favorite colors?
green, brown, more green.

27. Who is your favorite person to have a serious conversation with?
thankfully, i have several friends who are good at serious conversations.

28. Where did you go today?
work, svago cafe, work, home.

29. Nickname?
silver girl.

30. Where do you want to go right now?
to bed. :)

32. What are you wearing?
warm, comfy 'jamas.

33. What brand of digital camera do you own?
canon.

34. What do you think about people who party a lot?
i'm really supposed to have an opinion on this?

35. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?
are we standing in the middle of the office?

36. When is your birthday?
january.

37. Who was the last person to sleep over at your house?
my niece. in fact, she's slumber partying tonight, i believe.

38. Who gave you your last compliment?
my mom? lynn? beth? i don't know. i get so many it's hard to keep track. ;)

39. Who/what last made you smile?
alicia.

40. Do you have any piercings?
my ears.

41. Have you ever been offered a job?
yes. that offer is directly responsible for my paycheck.

43. Have you ever stolen anything from the road?
no.

45.How many speeding tickets do you have?
none.

46. How many kids do you want to have?
right now i'm quite pleased to not have any.

47. Do you like coffee?
no.

48. Why are you doing this survey?
i'm avoiding the work i brought home with me. :)

50. Who is the last person you talked to on the phone?
justin, i think.

51. What is your current mood?
a little tired.

52. When was the last time you cried yourself to sleep?
a few weeks ago.

more snow

did anyone else see that we're supposed to get another 5-8 inches of snow tonight?

this is perfect

i got "the secret lives of men and women" for my birthday - completing my collecting of postsecret books. today i read the entire book. and by far my favorite secret?

"at a bridal shower, the bride-to-be opens a box containing a wine glass. everyone gushes about how gorgeous it is. i look around and wonder if there's some connection between me being the only single girl there and secretly shouting inside my head, "it's a glass! it's made of glass! it's not gorgeous, it's glass!" what do they see that i don't?"

absolutely perfect. :)

fabulous!

if you haven't seen this site yet, you should check it out. as it was described in the e-mail: HEMA is a Dutch department store. Take a look at HEMA's product page. You can't order anything and it's in Dutch but wait a couple of seconds and watch what happens. This company has a sense of humor and a great computer programmer.

no, it's not going to pop up some ghoul & scream at you (did you see that e-mail?). it's just really cute. and creative. and fabulous.

would i lie to you?

weekend update

this is a photo of my balloon (or possibly beth's balloon, i'm not sure) from red robin last night. yes, i'm aware that's the baker's square sign in the picture. but the balloon was from red robin. it's a little hard to see, i know. so here's another one, with some photoshop help ...


see it now? right about the word "square"? we had them flying out the sun roof & were seeing how long it would take before we lost them. we lost clint's before we got to baker's square. mine didn't quite make it out of the baker's square parking lot. beth's was gone two stoplights later. yes, it made us feel a little juvenile. yes, we enjoyed it.

speaking of enjoying ... baker's square has their european truffle pie through the end of february. go eat some! we went there for cherry pie in honor of george washington's birthday. granted, none of us actually ATE cherry pie, but it's the thought that counts, right?

these are the first photos i've posted since the beginning of the month. impressive, eh? it means two things. one - i actually took photos of something that's not related to work. and two - i'm posting from my desktop instead of my laptop. i know this isn't an exciting paragraph ... but i'm just typing as thoughts are coming to me.

this week was busy. we had three big events. well, we've completed two of them. the last one is tomorrow. then we have about a week & a half to get everything done for the next set of hooplas. i'm off for three days in the middle of that prep time, so we'll see how things go. i expect this coming week to be very full & a little stressful. thankfully i work with fabulous people. (and they don't even read this blog, so you know it's the truth. i'm not just trying to make them feel good.)

tennessee is in less than a week! current forecast is mid to upper 50's with lots of sunshine!

survey - 12:55 a.m.

[one] Do you sleep with socks on or off:
usually off. i'll sleep with them on if i'm really cold, really lazy or just put lotion on my feet.

[two] Do you flip your pillow to the cold side:
i live in the basement - both sides are always cold when i go to bed. but yes, if i wake up in the middle of the night, i'll flip it to the cold side.

[three] Do you like to hold or be held:
dying a spinster. go ahead, keep rubbing it in.

[five] Do you want a small or big wedding:
i have no idea if i even want a wedding. let's not worry about the specifics quite yet.

[six] What type of guys/girls do you usually go for:
currently, dancers. :)

[seven] Would you rather be rich and unhappy or poor and happy?
i don't see how you could be rich & completely unhappy. i'm fairly good at looking at things positively & making the best of situations ... so i'm thinking i could probably find a way to happy & rich all at the same time. yes, that's a challenge i'd be willing to take on. give me rich & unhappy ... let's see what happens.

[eight] What are 3 things you want to do before you die:
finish driving the west coast, drive out to key west, be in love.

[nine] Have you ever churned Butter?
no.

[ten] Are you trusting to new people?
i'd like to say no ... but i surprise myself with how trusting i am. sometimes i think it's easier to trust new people because you can expect them to disappoint you. disappointment doesn't hurt so much when you're expecting it.

[eleven] If you could rate yourself as a good or bad friend on a scale of 1-10, what would you give yourself?
i have no idea how to answer this question. traits that i think make me a good friend one day i'm convinced make me a horrible friend the next day. i find myself to be horribly inconsistent & unreliable. but for every down there's an up, so what are you gonna do?

[thirteen] If you were the opposite sex for a day, what would be the first thing you would do?
pee standing up. i mean, now the first thing i do everyday is pee sitting down. so ... yeah ...

[fourteen] What is your favorite body part of the opposite sex?
mouth.

[fifteen] If your dream was to be a model and a big opportunity came up but you had to be nude, would you take it?
i don't see being nude as an opportunity.

[sixteen] You and your friends are going to do a senior prank. What would it be?
hmmm ...

[seventeen] What is the most money you would spend on a pair of shoes?
i'd drop a good $60 without much concern on a quality pair of walking shoes.

[eighteen] If you found out a loved one had cancer and had 5 days to live, what would be the first thing you would do?
i have no idea. probably cry a bit.

[nineteen] If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
chartreuse.

[twenty] If you could choose to star in ANY play or movie you wanted, what would it be?
something that co-starred johnny depp as my main squeeze.

[twenty one] Do you have more friends or more acquaintances?
acquaintances. isn't that true for most people?

[twenty two] If you could win a couple front row tickets to a game, any sport any team, what sport and team would it be?
the cubs at the world series.

[twenty three] Would you rather help someone out or be helped out?
how about both. first, someone help me out of the hole - then i'll help the next person out. isn't it all about team work?

[twenty' four] If you had to choose to be a different religion than what you are, what would it be?
mystic.

[twenty five] If you found out you couldn't have kids, would you adopt?
no, probably not. i mean, if i decided i wanted kids then sure. but right now, finding out i couldn't have kids wouldn't shatter my dreams.

[twenty six] Where is your dream vacation?
finishing that drive along the west coast, ending in san francisco for a good chunk of time by the bay. yup, that would do it for me.

[Twenty seven] What was your most important phone call today?
did i spend time on the phone today? i really think i might not have.

[Twenty eight] What did you all do today:
you all? there is only one of me answering these questions. and I went to work, did work, weighed in (lost a pound), went to a meeting, ate lunch, did more work, went to a dancing competition, came home, filled out a survey instead of sleeping ...

[Twenty nine] What song are you listening to right now, or listened to last?
something by nelly furtado.

[Thirty] What is on your mind right now?
sleep. today was tiring. 'becca's tuckered out.

not a survey

i know, a little shocking isn't it? truth is, i do surveys to focus my mind on something other than my day at work before i crash for the night. well, that & i enjoy them. they humor me. and when i go back & re-read my answers ... well, it's just fun.

yes, i'm a nerd. if you didn't know that, well, nice to meet you. you're obviously new here.

yesterday i learned that having a folding banquet table slide down the stairs onto my big toe hurts. a lot. i do not recommend it. i also remembered that pushing a staple into my finger hurts. a lot. the staple pain was much more short-lived than the table pain, but i still don't recommend it.

i've actually taken a step or two to personalize my myspace page. seriously. i've taken to logging into it before i go to work in the morning - just to set my mood. i'm not sure what that means about me or the general state of the world. it might be coming to an end. we'll have to wait & see.

the next few days promise to be full. the next few weekends promise the same. that's a good thing. i like to be busy. it makes it easier to enjoy the slow weekends when nothing's going on & i'm just hanging out in my 'jamas all day.

i need new survey fodder ...

ABCs of me

A - Available?
not tonight. tonight i'm sleepy. and not tomorrow. tomorrow's a work event. and not friday night. or this weekend. or next weekend. or the weekend following that. or the weekend following that. or ... hmmm. sometimes i get busy.

B - Best Friend(s)?
yes, please.

C - CRUSH?
david krumholtz

D - DOGS NAME:
oliver.

E - EASIEST PERSON TO TALK TO:
depends on the situation.

F- Favorite Food?
vegetables, currently.

G - GUMMY BEARS OR WORMS?
bears, covered in chocolate of course.

H - HOMETOWN?
no thanks, i already have one.

I - IF YOU COULD MOVE WOULD YOU?
i can move. see, right now i'm moving my fingers & making letters magically appear on the screen.

J- Jolly?
rancher?

K - KIDS NAMES (OR WHAT WILL U NAME THEM):
i was partial to the name rajna monet for a long time, but now i think i'd name my daughter charlotte.

L - LONGEST CAR RIDE:
orlando, i suppose.

M - MILK FLAVOR:
chocolate.

N - NUMBER OF SIBLINGS:
two.

O - ONE WISH:
a fabulous night's sleep.

P - PHOBIA(S):
needles. knives. taxidermied deer heads.

Q - FAVORITE QUOTE:
i'll be back & you'll be sorry.

R - REASON TO SMILE:
wednesday!

S - SONG YOU LAST HEARD:
probably some background music on law & order: criminal intent. no, silly me. it was the theme music to law & order. is theme music really a song? no? then it would've been something by kelly clarkson playing in my car on my way home from work.

T - TIME YOU WOKE UP:
6 a.m.

U - UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME:
if i told you, it wouldn't be unknown.

V - VEGETABLES YOU LOVE:
tomatoes, peppers, onions, roasted corn ... mmmmm, salsa!

W - WORST Habit:
being sarcastic when people can hear me. :)

X - X-RAYS YOU'VE HAD:
teeth & knee. not at the same time.

Y - Your mom?
rocks.

Z - ZODIAC SIGN:
aquarius.

58 questions

1. Were you happy when you woke up?
not particularly. i tend to wake up a little grumpy about the fact that i have to wake up. but it doesn't take long for that to fade. or at least, it didn't today. it's monday!

2. When was the last time you felt unbearably guilty?
unbearably guilty would mean i did something about it, right? last time i came close, i conferred with some friends who confirmed i needed to calm down about the whole situation. so i still felt guilty, but i put on my big-girl panties & dealt with it.

3. How is life going for you right now?
you know, it's not too shabby. i'm stealing myself up for some news that's bound to make me cry early next week ... but for now, things are good.

4. When was the last time you held someones hand?
that's a good question, survey. it's been quite some time. oh wait, no it hasn't. i totally held my niece's hand this evening. i have to remind myself that not ALL the questions are meant to point out the fact that i'm working on dying a spinster.

5. What are you doing right now?
talking to you, survey.

6.What color is your shirt?
red.

7. Who was the last person you talked to?
my dad.

8. Last words you spoke?
see you tomorrow.

9. Have you ever kissed anyone who's name started with J?
yes. what a letter to choose.

10. Would you get married if you could right now?
i don't know. part of me screams yes, and part of me wants to do some things on my own first. chances are, given the correct situation, i would gladly trade in my "things i want to do for me" dreams for the marriage dream. but remember, right now i'm working on dying an old spinster.

11. What's the best feeling you've ever had?
peace.

12. Who was the last person, of the opposite sex you talked to online?
joe's the only person i talk to online. unless you count e-mail, in which case ... well, i think it would still be joe.

15. What is the next concert you're going to?
i have no future concert plans.

16. Are you in a good mood?
yes, it's monday!

17. Can you play the guitar?
good enough to pass the songs on "easy" when playing Rock Band. no ... wait ... i played one of them on "medium". that's because i rock.

18.Do you like someone?
no, i pretty much hate you all. c'mon survey ... i've got friends. i might have to pay them, but i've got friends.

19.The last person you argued with?
i haven't been too argumentative lately. probably someone at work.

20. Do you prefer warm or cold weather?
warm.

21. Is any part of your body sore?
my hands. i did a bit of painting this weekend & i can still feel where i was holding the roller.

22. What do you wear more jeans, sweatpants or slacks?
jeans.

23. What is the last movie you watched?
still Chocolat. i started watching American Graffiti on saturday, but turned it off because i couldn't hear it well enough over the sewing machine.

25. If you were another person, would you be friends with yourself?
i think so. but then, it would be easy because i would already understand all my craziness.

26. Have you kissed anyone in 2008?
nope.

27. What are you doing tonight?
probably finishing this survey, writing an e-mail & going to sleep.

28. Where did you sleep last night?
under the covers.

29. What's your biggest regret?
eating the bad-tasting peanuts at lunch today.

30. What is your favorite song?
I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers [think Benny & Joon soundtrack], although i'm currently crazy about All I Want is You by Barry Louis Polisar [Juno soundtrack].

31. Coach purse or NFL game tickets?
can i get the cash value instead?

32. Favorite type of music?
sing-along-able.

33. What do you think of the person you took this from?
i think she probably doesn't mind me taking it. :)

35. How old do you think you will be when you finally have kids?
why do you assume i'll finally have kids?

36. Would you rather watch football or baseball?
baseball.

37. Missing someone right now?
i really wish i was with erin right now. i miss being able to hug her.

38. Quote something randomly.
if i was a flower growing wild & free, all i'd want it you to be my sweet honey bee. (hey, it's not my fault that song's in my head. you asked my favorite song, remember?)

39. Where is your number one person on your friends list?
probably in her house.

40. What does your MySpace name mean?
i think it's just my name.

41. Do you like seafood?
yes.

42. Name your favorite pair of shoes.
caroline.

43. How much money do you have on you?
none. i don't have money in my 'jamas.

44. What's something that bothers you?
the assumption that poor planning on a co-worker's end consitutes an emergency on my end.

45. Is there someone on your mind that shouldn't be?
no, i don't think so. i mean, who's to say it shouldn't be on my mind?

46.What room are you in?
my bedroom.

47. Do you speak another language other than English?
i know a bit of french. enough to know friday's word of the day. go me!

48. What made you happy today?
having fabulous co-workers. a fun lunch. cute new pencils left anonymously on my desk. the etsy site patti e-mailed me.

49. Are you on the computer?
my wrists & hands are. it's much easier to type that way.

50. Who were the last people you went out to dinner with?
dinner as in "evening meal" - my parents. dinner as in "meal" - beth & clint.

51. Where did your last hug take place?
in the living room.

52.what lyrics are stuck in your head at the moment?
if you were the floor, i'd want to be the rug and if you were a kiss, i know i'd be a hug. all i want is you, would you be my bride? take me by the hand & stand by my side. all i want is you, will you stay with me? hold me in your arms & sway me like the sea.

53. Are you waiting on anything?
a trip to tennessee! less than two weeks girls!

54. What are your plans for the weekend?
saturday i'm painting. sunday i'm working at the bridal showcase & poking for quietly spoken information.

55. Who was the last person to ride in your car?
beth & clint.

56. Who is your favorite coworker?
i will not choose a favorite. we are the marekting rock stars. we're a package deal.

57.what did you do today?
checked that etsy shop, printed parts of invitations, did some design, unjammed the printer, sang along to the empire records soundtrack, did some design, unjammed the printer, unjammed the printer, unjammed the printer, sat through a meeting, ordered some rack cards, took some photos, went to lunch, took some photos, grommeted some banners, did some design, printed some envelopes, cut some mat board, printed some rack cards, cut some mat board, carried a bunch of stuff to my car, went to michael's, ate dinner, watched some tv, did some laundry, checked my e-mail, read some blogs, sent an e-mail, filled out this survey ...

58. who do you live with?
my parents.

hp commercials

i'm lifting these from jonathan's site (thanks). as he says, these may have been all over the television ... but i hadn't seen them before. they humor me. i like commercials.

practically a dare

c'mon, i couldn't disappoint holly when she said i was the most likely to respond by posting this on my blog. :)

1. What is your occupation? design monkey.
2. What color are your socks right now? the left is a deep orange, the other is mostly brown with a green, orange & teal argyle.
3. What are you listening to right now? cars on wet pavement.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? a soft peppermint. i love those things! you know the ones i'm talking about? they look like li'l pillows & practically melt as soon as they're in your mouth?
5. Can you drive a stick shift? i've never tried and don't have the desire to learn. i like my automatic transmission - elves blood & all.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? chartreuse.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? i got a voice mail from marlana last night (i think the answer you were looking for was either the Fear Street books or the books by Christopher Pike, which i don't think had a collection name. unless Christopher Pike wrote Fear Street, but i don't think so ... i think Fear Street was written by R.L. Stine.) but the last person i actually talked with over the phone was jim, i think. or kathy.
8. How old are you today? 29.
9. Favorite drink? cold water. then probably diet dr. pepper, which i like both cold & hot. it's okay at room temperature, but if you've never left it out in your car while you're shopping all day - you should definitely try it.
10. What is your favorite sport to watch? i think american gladiators is definitely a sport. tonight's the grand finale - yeah!
11. Have you ever dyed your hair? oh yes.
12. Pets? none. i want a dog. when i move out, i'm getting a dog.
13. Favorite food? pizza, i suppose.
14. What was the last movie you watched? Chocolat was on tv the other night. it's currently my favorite Johnny Depp movie that's not about Johnny Depp. fabulous movie, i sincerely recommend it. last time in the theater was for Sweeney Todd.
15. Favorite holiday of the year? christmas.
16. What do you do to vent anger? generally through a river of words to a friend that starts with "you have got to be kidding me ..." or "seriously?"
17. What was your favorite toy as a child? i have no idea. not that i remember being in love with a lot of toys, i just seriously have a horrible memory. i know i once had a plush pig named petunia that was taller than i was. and apparently my family used to hide her from me & say they were cooking her for dinner. but i don't actually remember any of it - i've just seen the photo & heard the stories.
18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? i think i told the last survey that i couldn't pick between these two seasons. but, for you, i'll give it a go ... fall.
19. Hugs or kisses? oh, i'm fairly equal opportunity on this one. depending on the appropriateness of the action, there's a very slim chance i'd turn you away for either.
20. Cherries or Blueberries? cherries.
21. Do you want your friends to email you back? i do like when people respond to e-mails i send, yes.
22. Who is most likely to respond? erin.
23. Who is least likely to respond? everyone else.
24. Living Arrangements? i currently occupy a good-sized room in my parents' basement.
25. When was the last time you cried? survey, why do you always ask this question? i don't think i've cried since the last time.
26. What is on the floor of your closet? boxes of stuff for "someday", craft supplies, a box of records, a bowling ball, a trumpet, a fluglehorn, some mat board, etc.
27. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? i'm not really sending this ...
28. What did you do last night? went to dinner, sewed, slept a bit.
29. Favorite smells? fresh cut grass, guys with good cologne.
30. What inspires you? sunsets. moonrises. thunderstorms. fabric. color. well-written words. patti. marlana. music. rocky coastlines.
31. What are you afraid of? not liking myself. disappointing people i love. standing up for myself, what i want, what i need for me.
32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? cheese.
33. Favorite dog breed? pug.
34. How many years at your current job? about 6 & a half.
35. Favorite place you've ever been? san francisco. there's a bench down by the bay - near the cable car turnaround at fisherman's wharf - where i could sit all day. just watching the bay & the people. and be completely relaxed.
36. How many states have you lived in? one.
37. Favorite day of the week? i try pretty hard to be equal opportunity on this. i mean, why not enjoy monday just as much as friday? but i think i do lean towards friday because on fridays everyone seems to be in a good mood - so they're more fun to interact with.
38. Ever driven motorcycle or heavy machinery? no.
39. Who's your favorite NFL team? the colts. although, understand by "favorite" here i mean "team i don't watch, but would say 'great!' if i was told they won". basically, any future guy i'm with (who has a favorite nfl team) will get a rooting buddy. because i don't really care ... so i'm totally willing to root for whoever he's rooting for. i wonder why root has this meaning. i'm rooting for you? weird ...
40. Do you have a house phone that is not cordless? not that's plugged in. but yes - there's one in the basement spare bedroom and one on the table at the bottom of the stairs.
41. what's the last thing you learned? if you want a photo of a group of people where no one has his eyes closed, and you have a group of 20 or less, you can follow this general rule: in good light, divide the number of people by 3. in bad light, divide the number of people by 2. so for a group of 18 on a sunny day, you'd need to take 6 pictures to get one where everyone has his eyes open. in a dark, smoky room, you'd need to take 9 pictures. (yes, i added this question just to share that knowledge. happy sunday!)

million-dollar idea

i think mapquest, or someone, should allow me to give them Point A, tell them i want to drive for X hours & then they show me a map of where i could end up. so from my house driving 8 hours could put me where in each direction? i would totally use that feature.

for erin

since i'm generally the giver of surveys, i felt it only right to take this one from erin's site. :)


~*HAVE YOU?*~
Been kissed? yes.
Eaten an entire box of Oreos? no. actually, i don't think of oreos as coming in boxes anyway ... it's more of a sturdy-bottomed plastic package. regardless, i don't think i've ever eaten my way through an entire package of oreos. unless you count those little 100 calorie packages. i've totally eaten an entire one of those. but then, those aren't real oreo cookies. they're like these oreo-esque crispy cookie things. they don't taste bad, but they're not oreos. southwest gave me a package of those on my flight to san diego. i didn't eat them on the plane, so i stashed them in my laptop bag for future munching. of course, i forgot they were there for several days ... so by the time i hit half moon bay they were completely smashed. oreo dust. seriously. i don't think real oreos would have fared quite so badly, what with all that delicious filling to help hold the cookies together.
Been on stage? yup.
Gotten in a car accident? a few of them, actually. not all when i was driving.
Death Valley on horseback? nope.
Stayed home? yes, and i find this to be a very odd question.
Made homemade fudge? oh yeah.
Seen the Eiffel tower? not in person, no.

~*FAVORITES*~
Shampoo: head & shoulders makes (or at least used to make) a variety that made my scalp all tingly. that was fun. but i think i like the peppermint stuff they give you at holiday inn express' hotels better. it's pretty snazzy stuff for being free. i stayed at a holiday inn express in half moon bay. hmm, twice that's shown up now. interesting.
Soap: good-smelling stuff that makes a healthy lather.
Color: green.
Day: i don't know. how do you have a favorite day? i'm 29 years old. that's a lot of days to sift through and pick one as my favorite.
Night: why does this seem like an easier question that favorite day? i was all ready to call this question ridiculous, but then i realized there is a night that sticks in my mind. i'm not sure if it's really my favorite though. so i'm not going to talk about it.
Band: i'm fairly equal opportunity. recently i've been listened to anberlin & relient k. nelly furtado & kelly clarkson. i've been digging the kimya dawson stuff on the juno soundtrack. hmmm ... those last three aren't really bands, are they?
Season: i have a hard time choosing between spring & fall. i think i like the promise of change they bring with them. both seem to be short seasons, which i find adds to their allure. you have to enjoy every moment of them you can, because pretty soon it's just going to be summer or winter. and, well, those aren't my favorites at all.
Commercial: well, there's this one on the local public tv station that i helped design ... :)

~*YOUR FRIENDS*~
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend? not in the way this question is asking.
Do you have a crush on someone: nope.
Do you have a best friend? yup.
Do you rank your speed dial in order of favorite friends? if i used speed dial, i probably would. but the very thought of having to order everyone like that is as good a reason as any to not use speed dial.
Who's your funniest friend? i have a lot of funny friends. i like to laugh, so i surround myself with people who make that happen. i really don't think i could pick a funniest.
Who do you go to the mall with the most? lately it's been with my mom, but i really don't go to the mall very often. i go near the mall to eat dinner sometimes ... in those cases i go most often with kathy, becca & april.
Who do you e-mail the most? my bunco girls, i suppose. we tend to get into e-mail fits that generate dozens & dozens of reply-all responses. personal, one-on-one e-mails? i don't know. i go through phases. joe & i have been e-mailing back & forth lately. greg & i e-mail during work quite a bit. yeah, i don't know.
Who have you known the longest of your friends? erin.
Who's the loudest? kathy.
Who's the shyest? april.
Whose parents do you know the best? i don't know. i'm most likely to talk to marlana & amanda's mom or malissa's mom. but that doesn't really mean i know them.
Who do you go to for advice? depends on the situation.
Who knows all your secrets? me. that's why they're secrets.
Who do you get the most surveys from? bethany.
Who are you jealous of? no one, really.
Who do you cry with? no one, really. (awww ...)
What is your usual quote? "seriously?" or "i know!"

~*IN THE LAST 24 HOURS HAVE YOU*~
Cried? no. but if i answered yes, would anyone ask me why?
Eaten fluf? given the single f at the end of fluf, i'm assuming this is referring to the marshmallow-type product that comes in a jar. and no, i haven't.
Helped someone? i certainly hope so. i honestly think i'd go crazy if i didn't look at some of the difficulties of my job as opportunities to help my co-workers.
Bought something? lunch at wendy's. did you know they have their nutrition information on their website? yeah, so you can totally figure out weight watchers points for their food. this is a fabulous idea when it's 2:30 in the afternoon, your stomach is consuming itself because you haven't eaten lunch yet, and you just had your weight watcher weigh-in 2 hours ago. the spicy chicken sandwich i love so much? 11 points! wendy, what are you doing to me?
Dissected something? nope. not even my own thoughts. not in the past 24 hours at least. i've been pretty focused on being carefree & happy go lucky. not over thinking things. it's been fun.
Cut your hair? no.
Worn a skirt? nope.
Worn a tie? no.
Been mean? if i was able to do with it with a smile & a chuckle does it still count? i certainly wanted to say it with a mean spirit, but i totally curbed it.
Been sarcastic? yeah, probably.
Gone for a run? no, no, no. 'becca doesn't run.
Gone for a walk? no, but i need to get back into the habit of this. actually, i went for a lot of short walks today. back & forth to the printers, mostly. but also to a couple of meetings, to the electric cutter, to my car & back.
Gone to the movies? no.
Gone out for dinner? no.
Been kissed? no.
Felt stupid? not really. feeling stupid is hard when focusing on being carefree & happy go lucky.
Said "I love you"? yes.
Written a letter? i added some tasks to my to-do list at work. it involved writing a lot of letters.
Written a paper? no, but i wrote ON paper ...
Taken a test? not that i was aware of.
Met someone new? i don't think so.
Moved on? i don't think so. do you think there's something i need to move on from? tell me, survey, what are you hinting at?
Written in a journal? not unless my blog counts.
Watched your favorite movie? no.
Talked to someone you have a crush on? no.
Given someone a present? i gave carnations at work today. yeah, remember that day in high school when you could send carnations to your friends/crushes/etc. for just $1 each? we did that at work today. it was more fun than in high school. and everyone wanted a carnation from the marketing rockstars.
Missed someone? yes.
Hugged someone? yes. i even hugged someone at work. that's right, actual touching with a co-worker. it's not often.
Had a nightmare? nope.
Fought with your parents? no.
Fought with a friend? no.
Been Scared? no.

~*WHENS THE LAST TIME YOU*~
Showered? this morning
Ate a meal? goodness, dessert was practically a meal in & of itself. like 3 hours ago, i guess.
What are you wearing right now? flannel nightmare before christmas pants, a green tank top & a black sweat shirt.
Are you tired? yeah, a little. sleep will be good.
Are you lonely? not really.
Are you happy? not really. i maintain that being not happy isn't the same as being unhappy. i'm not upset, angry or sad ... but i'm not currently feeling overwhelmingly happy either. i'm content. that's a good thing.
Are you wearing pajamas? why yes, survey, i am. did you guess that from my clothing description just a few questions back?
Are you hungry? no.
Are you eating? no. that's something i'm working on. when i'm not hungry, i'm not eating.
Are you talking to someone online? nope, it's just me & you, survey.

>>>>FAVORITE STUFF>>>>
Type of sandwich: i do love me a good cuban. mmmmm.
Coffee or hot chocolate? hot cocoa!
Cold or hot? cold. i would almost always rather be cold than hot.
Big or little? how in the world can someone choose one of these descriptions as his favorite?
Lace or satin? satin.
Red or blue? red.
New or old? new.
Here or there? currently, here.

tuesday evening

i'm planning to work from home tonight. sort of. it's time for my yearly review at the office, and the whole process gets started by me filling out a self-appraisal. my computer at work gives me all sorts of issues if i try doing it there, plus there's just so much other stuff to do at the office that the self-appraisal gets forgotten about. so, i'm doing it from home. i'm not sure that you wanted that information, but there you have it. :) i plan to blog through it. not necessarily blog about the self-appraisal (i'm against blogging about work, you know), but about all the things i do in between the questions. i mean, at some point i gotta take a break from telling my supervisor how great i am, right?

7:33 p.m. - a little ticked that yahoo won't let me check my mail. i can log in, but then it tells me "Sorry for the inconvenience. You've stumbled upon a temporary problem we're having with Yahoo! Mail. Usually this problem gets resolved quickly, without you doing a thing. In fact it may be taken care of now." but in fact, it is not yet taken care of. hmph.

i love the auto-save feature blogger added awhile back. i can totally add to this post randomly without worrying about it being lost. five points for blogger. and a gold star for good measure.

8:06 p.m. - i keep a binder filled with print outs of all the work i do. it's a pretty cool system that i can't take credit for - but it totally makes this evaluation thing easier. i mean, it can be hard to remember what all you've worked on in the past 12 months, but with a binder to flip through ... well, it's no wonder i'm tired when i come home at the end of the day. i do a lot of stuff.;)

yahoo is still sorry for the inconvenience.

8:21 p.m. - aol im just logged me in again. i didn't log out ... but it logged me in again.

yahoo is still sorry for the inconvenience.

8:35 p.m. - aim just logged me in again. and yep, you guessed it, i didn't log out. i wonder if this is an issue because i'm on a mac. it's hard to believe the program is this unstable for everyone.

but hey - yahoo is able to give me my e-mail. go yahoo! granted it was just three junk mail messages about how to improve my love life. but still, it's nice to get mail.

8:41 p.m. - can you tell i'm losing interest in the work stuff? i think i've found a new way to fill out all those e-mail/myspace surveys. one of my co-workers shared one with me today that her friend had filled out. he addressed his responses to the survey itself, since it's the survey asking the questions. it humored me.

9:02 p.m. - done. that's right, a full six days before deadline, and i'm done with the self-appraisal. i should have totally used that as an example of my good planning & organizational skills. :)

days end

so i was seriously contemplating filling out a third survey tonight when i realized i just didn't want to. so i'm not. a big thank you to bethany, however, for keeping me supplied with surveys to fill out. :) they do fill the time quite nicely when i'm not wanting to concentrate on anything, but not able to sleep. i still don't want to concentrate or sleep ... but instead of a survey, you get my rambling.

i installed aol instant messenger on my machine this weekend. been a long time since i've used it ... but i think i remember it bugging me before, too. it keeps randomly logging me back in, which i suppose means it randomly logs me out, too. it only makes noise when i log in - so that's what i notice. a little annoying.

today was a fabulous monday. seriously. we have a department meeting every monday - today's was snappy, and i was much more vocal than usual. i got several things accomplished. i actually think i'm a day ahead on my to-do list. amazing, i know. i was planning to stay late to get some thing done, but decided it wasn't necessary. that's a good feeling. had a tasty & healthy lunch. ran into a friend who told me fabulous news about her daughter (*ehem*congratulations*ehem*). spent a good chunk of my day laughing. that's never a bad thing - but especially nice on a monday.

i solved my no-lamp problem. what no-lamp problem, you ask? well, i think it would be nice if i had a lamp by my bed by which to laptop. (what? laptop isn't a verb?) however,not only do i not have a lamp, i don't have a convenient outlet into which to plug the lamp i don't have. double whammy. however, i do have a small light in my closet, which is next to my bed. so if i turn on that light, and crack open the one door ... bingo! i can turn off the over heads lights, which are way too bright & wash out the laptop screen, and still not kill my eyes by only having the laptop light. i know, using my noodle. amazing.

survey - 9:40 p.m.

When is the last time you actually hung out with your top 1? end of december.

What's bothering you right now? my left contact is a little dry. i've got a bit of a headache.

Would you share a drink with a stranger? yeah, i think i would. though i'm not about to start hanging out at bars by myself to test that theory.

Are you dating the last person you kissed? no.

Wallpaper on your computer's desktop? home computers - the default blue swishes from mac. work computer - a dilbert cartoon bemoaning the plight of the graphic designer.

Background on phone? a scenic coast. i tell myself it's california.

Next time you will hug someone? i don't know. let me check my schedule ...

Is there something about you that you don't think you'd ever tell anyone? yes.

What is the last thing you ate today? a peppermint puff. you know, those "soft" peppermints that aren't really soft, but they're really airy & melt in your mouth?

What are you doing this coming weekend? i'm not sure yet.

Who was the last person to call you? beth marie.

Listening to? the furnace.

If you were stranded on an island and you could live off any fast food? wendy's!

Do you burn easily in the sun? yes.

Are you bored? a little, i suppose.

Someone on your mind? yes, and it's bothering me a little bit.

survey - 9:23 p.m.

If I looked on your bed, what would I find? sheets, blankets, a quilt, some pillows, me & my laptop.

Do you go to the bathroom with the door open or closed? closed, regardless of the house being empty or full. i believe the room has a door for a reason.

Are your underwear and socks folded in your drawer or just thrown in? underwear is folded, socks are thrown.

Sleep on your back or stomach? both.

Are you a cuddler? yes.

What would I find if I looked under your bed? shoes and boxes of high school stuff.

Something that happened today that made you angry? nothing, i don't think. today was a very pleasant monday. i simply refused to get angry & chuckled at things instead.

What were you doing before this survey? checking folks' blogs.

What will you do after the survey? probably see what other surveys bethany did today. :)

Marriage or living together? currently neither. well, actually, i suppose currently i'm living together with people ... but not in the way you're asking.

What shirt are you wearing now? a cream tank & a black sweatshirt.

Do you sing? yes. but not around other people most of the time.

Do you de-label your beer bottles? no. but then, i don't think i accomplished de-beering my beer bottle either. i'm not a big fan of beer.

Whats your favorite color? green.

Is there something you regret and wish you could take back? probably if i thought about long enough. but i'm going to continue enjoying my monday, thank you. :)

First thing you do when you wake up? turn off the alarm.

Ever had surgery? yes.

Last argument you got into and with who? hmmm ... i don't know.

Do you tend to rip the paper off water bottles? yes. i like to run my fingernail around the ridges of the bottle, making little strips of the label & then pull it off.

What's one good thing about the person you like? which person?

How long does it take for you to fall asleep at night? depends on the night.

Current song on myspace? none.

When you shut off your alarm clock, do you tend to fall back asleep? no.

If you were given the chance to take care of a monkey for a weekend, would you? yes.

What is the current advertisement on the side of the screen? none.

What are you looking forward to in the next few months? a trip to tennessee. spring weather.

It's midnight. Who are you texting? no one. i don't text.

It's Wednesday afternoon, where are you usually? in the office.

Your Christmas list consists of: absolutely nothing. it's february.

You're going to die tomorrow. Do you tell anyone or not? probably not. i like surprises.

How do you feel about your hair? i'm fairly attached to it.

What time do you wake up for work? about 6:20. then 6:29. then 6:38. then 6:47. then 6:56.

What movie is in your dvd player? nothing i know of. possibly something of alicia's.

bah ...

i hate when it hits 8 a.m. on a monday morning, and the last thing i could possibly want to do is go to work. i mean, seriously.

this weekend seemed long. i spent a lot of time doing a lot of nothing. it was good. i got caught up on the munson chapters. i was only something like two months behind. i spent a chunk of time poking around for a good deal on a last minute quick trip. i could go to sf for a decent price ... but the sunset tour on alcatraz is already sold out for those dates. and i'm not sure i could get the time off that quickly. i need to plan a trip for the middle of march, i think. but i want to go now. :) besides, middle of march gets all pricey because of spring break. darn kids with spring break ... they ruin everything. :)

i got summonsed for jury duty at the end of march. i'm doing my best to contain my excitement.

how old?

how old were you when you ...

got a myspace account? 28

got french kissed? 20

went to the hospital for surgery? 17

went to a concert? 13

got your own cell phone? 18

pierced other than your ears? 20 or 21

totaled a car? 17

this was a much longer survey before i started deleting questions i didn't like :)

survey

i mentioned i was dumping old e-mails, right?

Place and X by all the things you've done.

( ) Smoked a cigarette
(x) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
( ) Laughed so hard you pee'd yourself
(x) Been on a hay ride
( ) Rode a motorbike
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die (My babies)
(x) Been to Canada
(x) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been lost
(x) Been on the opposite side of the country (what is opposite of the midwest?)
(x) Gone to Washington D.C.
( ) Swam in the ocean
(x) Felt like dying
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played cops & robbers/cowboys & Indians with neighborhood kids
(x) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang karaoke
( ) Paid for a meal with only coins
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(x) Made prank phone calls
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
( ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
( ) Watched the sunrise with someone you care about
(x) Blown bubbles
( ) Made a bonfire on the beach
( ) Crashed a party
(x) Gone roller skating
(x) Gone ice skating
( ) Gone Scuba diving
( ) Been deep sea fishing

e-mail dump

i'm working my way through old e-mails. it's a good excuse to curl up under the blankets & enjoy the heat my laptop generates. if you didn't know - it's flippin' cold out there today.

i added a link to ellie's blog in the right rail. ellie is the talented artist daughter of my talented artist friend patti.

i also added maganda.org (listed as christine, since it's christine's site). from her main page you can get a variety of things. her blog is under the "secret hideout" sign.

Things they don't teach you in school:
- Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite
- the longest one-syllable worn in the English language is screeched
- There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar
- Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated
- There are more chickens in the world than people
- An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain
- More people are killed by donkeys than in plane crashes each year
- The average chocolate bar has eight insect legs
- women blink nearly twice as more as men
- A Cockroach can live nine days with out its head before it starves to death
- A snail can sleep for 3 years

postsecret

not surprisingly, today's postsecret is filled with love/valentine's secrets. i like when they post video secrets.



it's sunday morning and it just took me twenty minutes to figure out how to post this video. i need a nap.

crafting revelation

i've found the craft i can't appreciate. i really didn't think it could be done. but i really do believe there's a craft that just grosses me out ...

food crafting. as in crafts made partially of food items and crafts made to represent realistic food items.

examples:
real candy cast in resin to be worn as jewelry.
polymer clay bits cast in resin to look like real food.

gross.

survey - 2:49 a.m.

it's harder than you think. answer each question with 3 words.

1. Where is your cell phone? to my left.

2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse? thanks for asking.

3. Your hair? is getting long.

4. Where is your father? in bed sleeping.

5. Cheesecake? birthday dessert, yum!

6. Your favorite thing to do? laugh with friends.

7. Your dream last night? really don't remember.

8. Your favorite drink? ice cold water.

9. Your dream car? legend lime mustang.

10. Top 3 websites? postsecret.com, craftster.org, imdb.com.

11. George Bush? is our president.

12. Your fear? being like her.

13. Nipple rings? sounds pretty painful

14. Who did you hang out with last night? pam, beth, clint.

15. What you're not good at? not being used.

16. Go check GoofyAuctions.com and give your opinion? why would i?

17. One of your wish list items? three bedroom house.

18. Where did you grow up? in my hometown.

19. The last thing you did? yawned real big.

20. What are you wearing? warm, comfy 'jamas.

21. Tattoo on the lower back? not for me.

22. Ketchup? good on hashbrowns.

23. Your computer? resembles cheese grater.

24. Your life? is feeling repetitive.

25. Your mood? a bit frazzled.

26. Missing? my friend erin.

27. What are you thinking about right now? taking a nap.

28. Your car? might be sold.

29. Your work? stress, stress, stress.

30. Who will repost this? hmmm ... surprise me.

31. What are you doing this weekend? driving to valpo.

32. Best friend? my mom rocks.

33. Can't wait for? trip to tennessee!

34. Last time you had a cocktail? nine hours ago.

35. Top 3? mel, april, joanie.

36. any siblings? one of each.

37. year you were born? nineteen seventy nine.

38. Plans for your next birthday? surprise party, please.

39. Ice cream? i want peppermint.

40. Where do your siblings live? south and west.

survey - 2:24 a.m.

1. Name something that made you frown today? BW3s is closed for remodeling

1 1/2.Who did you last hug? i honestly don't know. that makes me a little sad.

2. What were you doing at 7:00am? showering.

3. What were you doing 1 hour ago? driving home from clint's.

4. What is something you will never forget? the bucket of banana milkshake after my surgery.

5. What was the last thing you said aloud? talk to you later.

6. How many different things did you drink today? five - that's a lot for a girl who usually just drinks water.

7. What was the last thing you bought? a ham & cheese omlette. i really think we may not have been charged for the lemon rice soup. that or we weren't charged for the bacon & clint paid for my lemon rice soup thinking he was paying for the bacon.

8. What color is your room? green, mostly.

10. Vanilla or chocolate? chocolate.

11.What are you excited about? not waking up to an alarm clock.

12. Are you random? hello, have you met me? i am so random.

13. Do you laugh a lot? yes.

14. Do you have plans tomorrow? some sketchy ones. i want to go back to valpo & buy that ring.

15. Are you ticklish? probably.

16. Are you typically a jealous person? not typically, no.

17. Who's the 1st person on your received calls list? clint.

18. What's the 5th text in your inbox? i don't text.

19. Do you chew on straws? no.

20. What is the next concert you're going too? i have no concert plans. but i am going to see Sweeney Todd in a couple of months.

21. What's the biggest disappointment to you lately? southwest did not slash airfare to san francisco down to $10.

22. What were you doing at midnight last night? sleeping, i think.

23. Is success your future? this question is poorly written.

24. Do you have a nickname? no, not really.

25. Are you a heavy sleeper? yes.

26. When was the last time you used a skateboard? probably 20 years ago. yes, i'm aware that makes me sound old.

27. When was the last time you said I love you to opposite sex? i don't know.

28. Was today a good day? yes!

29. What are you listening to? the furnace just shut off ... so now it's just the clicking of the keys on my laptop.

30. How is school going? am i too old to take this survey?

31.Are you upset about life right now? work's been upsetting me recently, but not life in general.

32. What kind of music do you like best? i'm currently a big fan of moody music.

33. How do you like to spend the holidays? with family.

34. Do you currently have feelings for someone? probably not in the way this question is meant.

36. How do you feel about Valentine's day? seriously?

37. How is your hair? getting a little long.

38. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive? yes.

39. Where do you keep your money? mostly in the bank. some in my wallet. some in my dresser (tennessee money - yay!). and then change on my dresser, in the bottom of my purse and in my desk drawer at work.

40. What was the weather like on your b-day? chilly.

42. What instant messaging system do you use? none, currently.

43. Do you own a stereo that costs more than 100 dollars? my stereo is either my computer or my car ... so, yes.

44. Have you ever hiked up a mountain? not the entire mountain, no.

45. Have you ever told someone of the opposite sex you loved them and meant it? yes.

46. Is there anyone that doesn't like you because of something you didn't even do? probably.

47. Do you miss someone? yes.

50. How are you feeling? a little sleepy & my feet are cold.

51. Have you kissed anyone on your top friends? nope.

52. Where did you go yesterday? today's technically saturday - so on friday i went to work & then to moe's for lunch & then back to work & then to boston's for a margartia & then to clint's for some apple to apples and rock band & then to the steer for breakfast & then it turned into today.

flickr survey

A--Answer the questions below
B--Take each answer and type it into flickr
C--Take any picture from the first page of results and post.


how old will you be on your next birthday?



a place you'd like to travel?



favorite place?



favorite object?



favorite food?



favorite animal?



favorite colors?



hometown?



where you live?



last name?



bad habit?



grandmother's name?



favorite song?

i know ... five ...

alright, i know this makes five posts tonight. but apparently, i'm feeling talkative. and i just wanted to point out that i've tossed almost a full dozen "save the date!" e-mails from my bulk folder today that all came from the AVON breast cancer walk. granted, i gave them my e-mail when i signed up to do the walk (more on that later. this is all about the ranting), but give me a break! and granted, i didn't read a single one of the e-mails, but could they really all say different things? they all had the same subject line, so i'm guessing they all had the same information.

and now 'becca is done for the evening, and we return you to your regularly scheduled web surfing.

where i've been

alright, this post (fourth for the night) is blamed on my love of maps & the simple enjoyment of clicking things & having them change colors. the maroon is where i've lived. the blue is where i've been. if i do set goals for this year, one of them may be visiting some of the gray states i've never visited before. as a note - i have to have at least spent the night in a state to claim to have visited it.

you can make your own at where i've been. it apparently works well to post on your myspace page. but, as we know, i'm not a big one at actually using my myspace page. he who has this on his myspace page knows he's responsible.

four posts! seriously.

three's my favorite

seriously, three posts in one night. crazy, i know. just a few notes on recent movie-watching ...

sweeney todd - loved it both times i saw it. i especially recommend the "by the sea" sequence. good soundtrack, too. why not listen to johnny in the car?

juno - sorry, joanie, but it really was a cute movie. fabulous soundtrack, too. i'm not a big fan of mushy lovey soundtrack music ... but this one is just cute, honest tunes. very fun.

micheal clayton - it's a thinker. be prepared to really watch the movie. i crocheted during it, so i missed a few things. worth the effort.

atonement - seriously? the movie starts out well enough. but wow. not one i'd recommend. ever.

to wong foo: thanks for everything - i find it a bit unnerving that patrick swayze & john leguizamo make such believable women, but fabulous movie. hey, i never said they were all new movies, right?

the notebook - again, we all know i have a very fine line between sweet romantic and disgusting romantic. well this one was perfect for me. and i do believe this is the first ryan gosling movie i've ever seen. whose idea was it for me to not discover him before?

the great 28 ends

alright, so julie's been asking for a final tally on the great 28. i really thought about not doing this. i've realized that setting a big list of goals at the beginning of the year is problematic for several reasons. A - it's just a lot of goals to set all at once, so some of them tend to be silly. and 2 - a lot changes in the course of a year, so some of the goals tend to be a lot less important or a lot less achievable than originally thought. so i'm currently mulling over the concept of doing a big "the year before 30" list. i might do one, i might not. maybe i'll set a few goals now & then plan to set others as the year goes along. like set 5 big goals that will cover the year ... and then each month i could set 2 smaller goals. that way i'm setting attainable goals throughout the year instead of hitting october & realizing there's no stinkin' way i'm going to have time to make a halloween costume.

regardless, here's the skinny on the great 28 ...

1. visit 3 places i've never been before. mel & dan's new house. jennie rae's restuarant. texas. the smoky mountains. 100%

2. lose 40 pounds. yeah, not so successful. i did lose about 15 pounds this year ... but i gained those 15 plus a few more back. i'm not terribly distressed by it though. actually, my weight watchers group is starting up again tomorrow. in fact, i should totally search out my books ... 0%

3. have a booth at a local craft fair. popcorn festival - sept. 8. lake central holiday craft fair - dec. 8. 100%

4. take 2000 photos. i took 2338 photos this year. plus a few that i shot at work. 100%

5. eat a gallon of mustard in one week. i mentioned that setting a huge list of goals all at once led to some ridiculous goals, right? 0%

6. enter 3 items in the county fair. i actually entered nine items. five photos, a single glass bead, jewelry made from glass beads, jewelry made from pop caps (recycled category) and my coconut jalapeno lime cookies. i even won some ribbons. yay! 100%

7. finish 3 quilts. two done. and i've got 3 more in the works. i'm so not interested in quilting right now it's a little scary. 66%

8. take an art class. nope. 0%

9. be able to play Christmas Rhapsody on the piano by Christmas. i don't think i've touched the piano since march. 0%

10. be able to play a song on my accordion. the accordion hasn't been out of the closet all year. i did just realize, however, that i've had the word "accordion" misspelled on the list all year & never noticed. 0%

11. bake something new once a month. february - triple-chocolate peanut butter cookies & jalapeno lime coconut sugar cookies. march - nothing. april - lemon coconut oatmeal cookies. may - okay, it's wasn't new, but i made another flourless chocolate cake & it was really yummy. june - nothing. july - frosty french silk, it wasn't baked but i'm still counting it :). august - luau brownies. september - nothing. october - nothing. november - mixed nut chocolate pie. december - blueberry biscotti. january - miniature peppermint truffle french silk pies. 58%

12. update my portfolio. nope. 0%

13. make my halloween costume. nope. 0%

14. cook dinner once a month. in january i made green pork burritos with cilantro rice & black beans. february was baked macaroni & cheese (patti labelle's recipe). march was pretzel chicken & homemade potato chips for girls night. april was baked chicaken parmasan. may was garlic pasta with chicken & veggies for mother's day. june - i don't remember. july - lasagna. august - terryaki chicken, hawaiian potatoes (yay for girls night!) and a yummy ham & potato casserole from the leftovers. september - crockpot pork chops with cream of mushroom soup. october - thai chicken pasta. november - chicken stir fry. december - vegetable soup. 92%

15. redesign my online portfolio. done! and actually, i just learned about a really cool site a few days ago - so i might move my stuff over there. 100%

16. hang out with old friends. check! not as in "accomplished, so i don't have to do it anymore", but as in "being accomplished on a regular basis ... and i LOVE it!" 100%

17. learn to use my screen printing supplies. i tried & have some ideas on how to be more successful next time. 50%

18. catch up my thumbnails. caught up through dec. 2. 85%

19. read 3 new books. 1 - bob greene's total body makeover. 2 - the aquariums of pyongyang. 3 - a lifetime of secrets. 100%

20. eat breakfast at lynn's paradise cafe. twice! 100%

21. finish bob greene's total body make over. i didn't finish. but i bet if i paired this up with my weight watchers, i'd see some results. 75%

22. take a trip by myself. the smoky mountains in october. 100%

23. finish the plastic purse. i didn't crochet a single stitch on this. 0%

24. files my taxes early. DONE! 100%

25. work on a scrapbook. nope. 0%

26. send Christmas cards. i made Christmas cards. unfortunately that wasn't the goal. 0%

27. homemade Christmas presents. done! kristie got a quilt and other family folks got calendars. 100%

28. secret. this was totally going to be a surprise 35th anniversary party for my parents, but my mom was totally against the idea. it's not much fun surprising someone if they're not going to enjoy it. 0%

so if you just go by the numbers, i'm at 52% for the year. doesn't that sound pathetic? i mean, i feel like i had a pretty good year, really. this is why i think i might not do a big list next year. i mean, this year was totally worth a passing grade. 52%. hmph.

scarves!

so i've been hooked on crocheting lately. (hooked ... crocheting ... wow, i know) now that i've learned how to read patterns & learned that i can actually do it successfully, i'm all over it. first (well, first after the ones i posted last time), i made the daisy-chain scarf. it's hard to tell in the photo, but the green yarn has a little sparkly in it that's fun. then i made a gray scarf (photo below) and a pink hairy scarf, both from the same super-quick pattern. then we suddenly found out that feb. 1 was national wear red day for the american heart association. well, i didn't have a red scarf - so i made one. i mean, what else was i to do? and see the cute li'l scallop on the edge? adorable, right? and while i was shopping for the red yarn, i found the green shaggy yarn on clearance for $2 a skein. $2 a skein! i feel like i scalped a muppet when i'm wearing it, but it's so soft & warm and ... well, SHAGGY. it's great. i love scarves!



this is a close-up of the gray one. it shows you the v-stitch pattern. it's harder to see in the pink hairy one, on account of the hair, but it's the same v-stitch on both. the gray one's my mom's. it goes quite well with her black jacket.



this is the last one i made, and i'm really happy with it. no pattern to follow - just a simple double crochet, chain two & repeat to form a grid with the brown. then the orange is simply chained & woven through. this is not the softest of the scarves. the brown is all natural - not softened/processed/etc. & bought at a store. it came from lynn who got it from a friend who got it from her sheep. so it's a bit scratchy, but so cute i don't even care. i haven't worn it yet ... but when i do, i really hope lynn likes it. it's kind of a "i got the yarn from lynn, so she should like the end result" type of thing. i'm happy with it though. and it's my scarf. so yay! :)