From the Marriage Chronicles...

Setting: Last Saturday, in Husband's car, driving home from my parents anniversary party.


Background: I hate sports. (I'm an equal opportunity hater in this case)
I use to like them. I went to every football game for 4 years in high school. 
I'm pretty sure this is why I now hate sports.

Anyway...

Husband turns on the radio to listen to the OSU vs. Nebraska game.
It's AM radio.
And it's really loud.


Me: "This makes me want to throw myself from the car."
Husband: "Do you want me to slow down?"

How did I ever get so lucky? =P

Cat Ownership...

(This obviously is a post I started a while back, 2ish months ago to be more precise)
(At least I'm getting to it... right?)
(Anyway)

Last week was my birthday. 

I'm now 28. 

Does that mean I'm an adult now?

I sure hope not because I still fail to feel like one.

Oh well there's always next year...

So you're probably saying to yourself... "Gee Karen that's great and all but where have you been? What fascinating things have you been up to? Have you run away to live on a hippie commune yet?" To which I reply, "The more things change the more things stay the same." Which more or less means no I haven't run away to a hippie commune.

I am now a cat owner. You read that right. As of June 23 I own a cat.
(Well I guess technically "we" own a cat)

This cat to be specific. 

His name is officially Uncle Andy but that's not what he always gets called... For the first days I'm pretty sure he thought his name was "No". It's a very long story (not really) in which I called Husband at work, cried a lot, and saved this cat from a very early and unwarranted death. 

(That's not to say I haven't told the dogs to eat him when he won't stop screaming at 3am...) 

(However, he always manages to redeem himself right before I decide that he will in fact be living outside)

The dogs are terrified of him.

 (Don't be fooled, they will lick you to death)

My big, scary dogs are terrified of a cat that weighs less than they do and is front declawed.

It's all very tragic really. 

I've found cat ownership after a 10 year hiatus is far more difficult then I remembered....

So now that we're verging on 3 months of cat ownership let's update shall we?

The dogs are still terrified.
Despite all the hissing, spitting, growling & swatting... I think Andy secretly loves the dogs. I can't figure why else he would stare out the sliding-glass door and cry when they are outside.
That's not to say I don't still tell the dogs to eat him when he's being difficult (i.e. being a cat).

However, since becoming a stay-at-home wife Andy and I have developed a new bond.

I'm beginning to think I might actually like him.
Our relationship is very similar to the relationship I have with Husband. (Disturbing I know but let me 'splain)
When I'm home and he can choose to ignore me he's happy. He's also extremely happy when he can lay across my hands while I try to type on the laptop. When I try to do something, like clean, he follows me around screaming his head off and generally be annoying.
I'm sure this is pretty similar to how I act when Husband tries to get anything done. (And no, I don't scream my head off or lay across the laptop per se) I constantly ask him questions or ask the oh-so-not annoying, "Whatcha doing?" or the even more popular "try to proposition him to do something else like watch a movie or get coffee" maneuver. (And yes I still bitch that nothing gets done around the house... it's not my fault he can't resist my feminine charm, or whining)

Anyway, upon realizing this I have a new fondness for the cat.
(when I'm not busy trying to get the dogs to eat him).
I guess maybe we were meant for each other, at least he likes to think so. 

Besides how can you resist all this sexy?

I am not...

Susie Homemaker.

Not even close.

First, an apology... I realize I've neglected this blog. Not for intentional reasons. There must be half a dozen unfinished blogs in drafts as well as the uncounted ones bouncing around inside my brain. It's just that somewhere along the line I became unhappy with life and couldn't find the energy to try and be witty or entertaining. I was stuck professionally in a place that made me unhappy and frustrated for 2 years. So on my 28th birthday Husband and I decided that it was time for a change. A week ago last Friday I walked away from that job. I am now embracing unemployment. I feel free to be myself again and that's the most wonderful feeling in the world. 

Now on with the show.

After 3 days of sloth-like activity I attempted to put myself back in motion yesterday. It wasn't easy considering I'm pretty sure I was a sloth in a previous life and can be far too content to sit around reading books. One of the arrangements of me leaving the previous job was that I would assume full responsibility of cleaning the house and cooking meals. At the time I was desperate for a fresh start. Now I wonder if I was too hasty. 

Part of the horror of being a stay-at-home wife, for me, is having to face the big pile of neglect my house had become while I was gainfully employed. While working I did the bare minimum to get by (laundry) and let's be honest... Husband picked up a lot of the slack. I would sometimes get in these weird cleaning frenzies but they never lasted long and usually the house wound up more of a disaster then when I began. Therein lies the problem, once I start cleaning I become a disorganized scatter-brained freak. This time I swore things would be different. I would have a strategy. 

One big project a day. (Day 1 was cleaning the fridge and it was so traumatizing that I can't even begin to contemplate blogging about it)
Outside of my big projects I was trying to consciously make an effort to keep previously cleaned spaces maintained, which I have found harder to do the further I get in my efforts. 

As a side note... Husband is driving me crazy. I feel like I'm running around picking up after a toddler. He's more disorganized then me, which is saying something. Trying to keep the coffee table clean is battle. I have a folder full of papers and a box of junk that he needs to go through and he keeps just pushing them aside. Men.

Back to what I was saying...

When I was given permission to give my notice I felt this spark ignite inside me. The spark was this intense need to purge. I had 3 large boxes full and waiting for a local charity before I even left my job. After yet another round in the kitchen I have 3 more (smaller) boxes. While cleaning out shelves I found things I didn't even know we had, (a waffle iron, seriously?) and can only assume they were wedding gifts that we had no idea what to do with... 

I have taken 2 grocery bags full of books down to resell at a local bookstore. (It was nice to finally let go of books I had no intention of reading again, a lingering pack-rat tendency I suppose) (Never mind that I turned around to buy half a dozen more with the store credit I earned) (Or that I keep justifying the 15% off coupons B&N sends me)(It's small victories... right?)

Last night I found a box that among other things housed all my Sims 2 software. Once I fought off the urge to reinstall the whole series (I seriously had every expansion, stuff pack & game guide made), I listed everything on Amazon. While cathartic this adventure has made me remember just how much I hate the post office.

My relationship with cooking is a tenuous one. Sometimes I love it. Most days though I resent it. Why food can't magically cook itself is really beyond me. I'm pretty sure my life could be sustained on grilled cheese and nachos but Husband, as he tells me, has more diverse nutritional needs. (I think he just enjoys being difficult) I'm trying to expand my cooking abilities but it's slow going for now.
The whole peace agreement does hit a small snag though. I won't cook meat. He has, at least temporarily, agreed to handle cooking the meat as long as I do the rest. I seriously don't know what he thought was going to happen when he married a vegetarian. (On Thanksgiving I can't even be in the room while he preps the Turkey, the whole thing makes me gag) (And watching him de-skin chicken? Awful)

I guess my point is... I'm trying, and that has to count for something right?

Now it's time to take half of the small league of furry creatures in for their vaccinations. And then to contemplate tackling my bathroom. *shudder* 

Spring fever...

I have spring fever. 

I have it hard core.

Anytime that the sun is out all I want to do is go sit outside. 

I can't get enough of it. 

I think if I could physically hug spring I would.

This past weekend was very "hippie-tastic" for Husband and myself. 

We went to a healthy-living expo. While fascinating it was also a little uncomfortable. I love alternative medicine but seriously? Some of the people there were a little too out-there for my taste. I am so not a hippie. 

After that we attended "EcoFest". I was a little disappointed honestly. There wasn't as much info as I thought there might be. Although to be fair maybe the vendors were a bit burned out by the time we got there. I'm not sure. 

(What can I say... Tulsa has a looong way to go when it comes to environmentalism!)

Sunday was the best. We attended a Compost Bin sale & lecture provided by The M.e.t.  A lot was learned (by me at the very least) and we scored a pretty nifty deal on another compost bin. 

I'm so excited. 

The problem I had was fear. Fear of doing it wrong. 

(Yes I realize that it is really hard to screw up compost... now) 

So let me introduce you to the family.

 Big Bertha (left) & Tiny Tim (right)
We received B.B. a while back as a Christmas gift. She's wonderful but there's a small problem with her. When she's full... I can't move the damn thing. Her design was intimidating. So I procrastinated on composting.
T.T. is the one we received on Sunday. The beauty of him is that when B.B. is full and cooking I can continue to throw things in him. There's a nifty door that slides up and thus allows you to remove the ready compost while the rest cooks on top. Pretty sweet.

Here is Big Bertha all full and ready to be sealed up and left to her business. In theory we still have to roll her and add water but she can be Husband's project.

Tiny Tim shall be my baby. (There was much satisfaction to be had from shedding and throwing his box in to be compost!) 

He's a work in progress. I'm a work in progress.

I look forward to seeing how all this plays out. 

It'll be an interesting journey.

Oh and I totally want to do worm composting now. 

It's ridiculously neat... and gross.

Maybe one day. 

A new year...

We are finally back in the bedroom. I can barely believe it. It feels surreal after all this time. I'm taking the process of moving back in slowly so I can savor the feeling. We are attempting to purge a lot of clutter during this process which can be so time consuming but it feels so good though.
So the tour...

Our new dresser/entertainment center. *love*
Do you see the hidden panel next to the dresser for our breaker box? Pretty fantastic work on Husband's part I must say.

This is the wall that contains the backdoor. (pictured above) We don't have the curtains up yet, long story, but eventually....
The back wall.
Gotta love the matching night-stands. (It was quite the exciting day of furniture shopping let me tell you) They make me feel grown up.
The totes on the floor? I'll explain in the next picture.

This is where the closet will eventually go... We have yet to figure out this little conundrum. There's a hidden door on the far right side that allows us access to the water heater... Husband has plans in place to build a small removable shelving unit against that wall so that we can eventually attach the poles to hang clothing. It's just ridiculously cold outside so who knows how long some of our clothing will remain in totes...
(The trash bag? Clothes for charity)

So there you have it. I'm finally beginning to feel like there's an end to all this madness. We still have trim to lay, doors to stain/paint, curtains to hang, closets to finish, paint to touch up... And that's just the bedroom.

I feel like it will be a year of change and I hope that change is for the better. I have a feeling it will be though. So here's to new beginnings.
(And no I don't make resolutions)

Bah-humbug

"You bought me a present? Why would you do such a thing? I know you think you're being generous, but the foundation of gift giving is reciprocity. You haven't given me a gift, you've given me an obligation. The essence of the custom is that I now have to go out and purchase for you a gift of commensurate value and representing the same perceived level of friendship as that represented by the gift you've given me. Ah, it's no wonder suicide rates skyrocket this time of year. Oh, I brought this on myself by being such an endearing and important part of your life..."

-Sheldon, The Big Bang Theory

(Amen!)

I am Ebenezer Scrooge this time of year. I have absolutely no problem with this. Maybe it has something to do with getting older. I don't know.
I do know that I've always hated Christmas music. Think I'm exaggerating? Ask my mom what I did to her Chipmunks Christmas music...
This makes my desire to shop even less then normal. It's not even December and I swear if I hear "Jingle Bells" one more time I might just snap. Combine this with the fact that I'm prone to panic attacks when crowds are involved and you'll understand why I might become a tab-bit bitchy this time of year.
*sigh*

Husband purchased an Xbox 360. I am now a widow. (As if I needed another reason to hate Microsoft!)

This is perhaps the greatest find of the last several weeks. I got a $10 coupon for Up, as well as an $8 coupon for Monsters, INC. They have an amazing upgrade program, all you have to do is enter the barcodes from previously purchased Disney VHS/DVDs and they give you a coupon for the Blu-Ray version (which also comes with a digital download version that you can import using iTunes). When they offer this for Toy Story 1 & 2 I might die from sheer happiness.

Which reminds me. Our laptop is off at the Best Buy repair center for the 2nd time in, oh let's say, 2 months. First they had to replace the motherboard and now the wireless card. This lead a very frustrated Husband and I to start looking for new laptops, preferably one that is a bit more reliable. This time we went with Sony because it has the Blu-Ray player (for Husband) and an awesome graphics card capable of playing the Sims (for me, obviously). I'm in love. Windows 7 is weird but other than that.

Right. My desktop has also gone crazy in the last 3 days. It now is taking 4 minutes to boot up. We have no idea what's wrong.
*sigh*

Technology, what a bitch.

I got a new book last night that I'm ridiculously excited about. The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. She had blogged about the book over on Crazy Sexy Life and I was intrigued. Besides I need to build up my resources before making any seriously, life-alternating changes. I mean I have an awesome/supportive Husband, but even he has his limits.
(Barnes & Noble keeps throwing coupons at me.) (seriously, 40% off any book for using my mastercard!)(That's not mentioning the 2 15% off ones sitting in my wallet))

I have got to do something about my professional life. Seriously. This sucks. I hate being this unhappy. Ugh.

So in short, wake me up when spring rolls back around. Or at least when the holidays are over.

S.Y.T.Y.C.D. 2009

(If you want to see the complete set (230 photos) clicky here)

Last night the So You Think You Can Dance tour finally came through T-Town. It was glorious and a great time was had by both myself and Husband.

(See how excited we are!? or thoughtful in Husband's case)

I love me some SYTYCD and have watched religiously every summer for 5 seasons now, well 6 if you count this bizarre fall season that just started, but I digress. Husband loves it as much as I do (he joined the bandwagon during season 2) and it was almost entirely his idea to attend last year's tour... this year though we were partners in crime, despite the ticketing price. Last year we had floor seats but we were in the back (boo)... this year we were on the floor but only 4 rows back from the stage. It was sweet to say the very least.

(I got several really good pictures until my camera battery started flashing red... so wanting to conserve the remaining power for videos of my favorite dances I switched to my cell, hence the serious decline in picture quality.)

So enjoy!

(The top 10)

The top 10, plus 2 alternates, introduce themselves.

Some disco with Janette and Brandon to kick the evening off nicely!

A little hip-hop with Jeanine and Phillip is always welcome.

The "butt dance" (contemporary) with Randi & Evan was quite the crowd favorite.

Bollywood with Jason & Caitlin.

Hip-hop with Ade & Janette.

Broadway with Evan & Melissa.

A ridiculously sexy Hip-hop/Salsa with the top 12.
(Probably my favorite group routine EVER)

A zombie hip-hop with Jason and Kayla.

A group Russian folk dance.
(You really had to watch the show to appreciate this.)
(You also need to look at the other pictures in the series to see what happened next...lol)

The top 12 in full Halloween garb at the end of the show.

They promptly went into a thriller routine... Awesome!

A last look at the top 12.

And then it was over...
Until the next tour...

My Vita-Mix Love...

(This post was started roughly a month ago and has since been sitting in my drafts... *sigh*)

So guess what my in-laws had hidden away in their house? That would be a Vita-Mix 5000 (The Cadillac of blenders)! So Karen... why is this so exciting? Why do we care that your in-laws have a blender? Well... since you asked, lemme esplain... They have NEVER used it. EVER. And... (after some begging on Husbands part) They gave it to us!!!! Apparently Husband's grandfather gave it to them as a Christmas gift years ago and they never even tried it out. That is a $450+ shame! Ever since I got my juicer I have been really wanting a blender to supplement this healthier lifestyle that I'm trying to get a handle on. (Read a raw food website and you'll be seething with envy over my new baby, trust me.)

When we busted out the how-to-VHS (That's right VHS, copyright 1994!) we nearly died. Luckily we found the manuals (above) to fill in the gaps since the first few minutes of the VHS were toast (well that and the lady doing the how-to video was absolutely hysterical so we were cracking up through most of it).
Now I can not only make fruit smoothies... I can make soups, breads, batters, milk & spreads from scratch. Grocery shopping yesterday had me giggling about making flour from whole grains and making my own rice milk. (Obviously buying rice, almond, & cashews in bulk and using my blender is much cheaper then buying pre-packaged milk alternatives) The possibilities are endless and we're both really excited. (I was actually really shocked at how excited Husband is to be honest!)

The first attempt at smoothie making went pretty well. We had pineapple, tangerine, banana, apple, strawberry & honey, with just a small amount of ice. Although truth be told we might have overloaded it just a bit...

The end result was beautiful and very creamy. We're not very rigorous about following the suggested portions so this first round was a bit too pineapple-licious for my taste. However, just like everything else there's a bit of learning curve...Take my attempt at making bread.
There we were standing at the bulk bins at Whole Foods contemplating our selections. I saw spelt seeds, thought to myself... hey that sounds familiar let's get that. So we used the Vita-Mix to grind up the seeds into flour then threw the concoction into our bread maker.
Keep in mind we weren't exactly following a recipe, just making it up as we went along...
While it was baking I thought to myself, that looks funny and proceeded to do some research on spelt. Turns out spelt bread is prone to being very temperamental. Imagine that.
It didn't necessarily taste bad... it just looked really, really bizarre.

Today at Barnes & Noble I picked up 2 books that I'm hoping will spur me back to the path of health & wellness.

• Green Smoothie Revolution : The Radical Leap Towards Natural Health - Victoria Boutenko
• Juicing for Life - Cherie Calbom

The problem is that there's so much info out there but it takes time & patience to wade through it all to find the real gems. Recipes seem few & far between or seem to rely on you understanding how best to combine all the fruits & veggies in your fridge to find something that taste delicious. I need to have my hand held instead of just being shoved out into the deep end. So it's slow going but I'm sure, eventually, I'll get there. In the meantime I'll just doggie-paddle my way around...

A glimpse...

I haven't blogged lately because... Well... I got nothing...

However, I promised she who shares my namesake that I would blog by the end of the week (which obviously didn't happen, seeing as how it is now next week) so here I am. I know you've missed me. Don't lie.

So you say to yourself... "What's been going on Karen?" To which I reply... "um, let me think about it"

On yoga - Yes, I'm still going. Yep, you guessed it, my body still hates it. Some of the most basic things my body just refuses to do. It screams, protests and threatens to shut down while I try to make it bend and pose. I know patience is a virtue and at some point I will be bending and posing with the best of them but in the meantime it's a struggle. 27 years of being sedentary are coming back to haunt me. No worries though, I will make my body love yoga, whether it wants to or not is irrelevant.

On my quest for better health - Obviously I've been having some issues when it comes to staying with it. Legolas (my Elf boyfriend) is trying his hardest to remind me. Juicing has also been a little problematic as I've been lazy and also have been having a hard time finding kale that isn't dry. So what happens when I don't do the things I know I should be doing? I get sick. My sinuses are killing me. Consequently I can't sleep (especially if I try to take a Claritin D close to bedtime) and have raging headaches. However, I'm getting sick of being sick so I think that will spur me back to the path of health.
In a related note I tried some Almond milk a while back and decided that it is supreme yum. I'm hesitant to try soy products just because I'm heard so many bad things about it... Any recommendations for dairy substitutes? (And if you are a family member reading this don't freak out, I'm not going vegan anytime soon)

On my new phone - I got an iPhone! We've been together for 2 weeks now. The honeymoon phase is over and now we're stuck trying to find our groove. It's a delicate relationship currently because we're still on unfamiliar territory. He (yes my iPhone is male) is a sensitive one and I'm always pushing the wrong buttons. I've been told eventually it'll become easier and like second nature. I hope so because I've lusted after this relationship for so long. (Just for you Karin =P)


Work on the bathroom continues (now that Husband is home). The shower is tiled & grouted. Yesterday he started on the floor (and finished but I'm too lazy to take another picture). It will probably be grouted sometime later this week. I love the design and I love the fact that Husband just dreamed it up out of nowhere. He's so awesome. Now if we could just get done with the house...

So now I'm sure you're saying to yourself... That's great Karen but what have you been doing while your husband has been hard at work? Well... I've been busy too... Sorta.

Yesterday I spent most of the day making our book shelf look pretty and organized again. 250+ books/4 hours later doesn't it look pretty? I also discovered that we apparently need more shelves... Which means I also need to sit down with my thoroughly marked up excel spreadsheet and update some info... Oh books how I love thee... (This is our "read" section... which brings me to...)This didn't happen yesterday, maybe last weekend but here's even more books that I have stashed away somewhere else... This is my to-finish-reading-dammit pile. I need to stop buying books for the love of jeebus. Or just read faster...And this morning I did this... *beams with pride* Welcome to the kingdom of Karen. (And yes Li that is the Sims on my computer screen... but I was working while playing darnit!) Isn't it beautiful? (Although I did forget to dust my keyboard/mouse area...) It feels nice to be organized... even if it won't last.

Let me see... what else?
Oh I signed up for the Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel. That means I scan in my weekly household purchases and transmit the data for free stuff! Yep, I love me some free stuff. I got the scanner in Friday and finally set up the store information today along with scanning in my first purchases. I'm excited.

Honestly, I think that's all. Even if it's not my brain refuses to think anymore. Over and out.

The struggle...

Been feeling a little moody lately so...
My Not-So-Secret secret.
Inspired by Post Secret

The Kashi love...

I love free stuff!

Seriously.

Dear Kashi Connect Member,

Know some people who don’t believe healthy eating can taste great? Well, we’ll help you prove it can.

Soon you’ll receive a sample of tasty Kashi^® Honey Sunshine^® cereal in the mail, made with 20g whole grains, 6g fiber and a sweet honey taste everyone can love.

You’ll also get coupons, and an invitation to a special website where you can learn how to overrule objections to healthy eating and even give your own verdict.

See you in the court of taste appeal.
The Kashi Family

Dear Kashi,

I love you. Just saying.

Signed,

Karen's Tastebuds

Wanna join?

*Insert clever words*

Life first. Blogger later.

Hence why I haven't been blogging.
I've been (what feels like) extraordinarily busy lately.

Since my last post I officially become a year older. I don't feel particularly wiser but the aches and pains tell me that I am indeed getting older.

My parents gave me money so I could finally get off my lazy butt and take some yoga classes. Last Monday I went. The studio I picked offers the first class for free which is nice and the class sizes are very small which is even nicer. That being said... yoga hates me. Or more precisely my body hates yoga. Everyone assumes because I'm thin I'm flexible and will rock at yoga... those myths were quickly dispelled. I'm not giving up though. Mostly because after it was all said and done I left the studio with a big grin on my face and felt absolutely relaxed.

I also hit Kohl's (*love*) yesterday with some additional birthday money. I bought 8 (yes 8, I would have bought more if they had my size) of those tank tops with the built in bras (and no, not the creepy kind meant to enhance your boobs). As well as 2 pairs of "yoga" pants (because the drawstring in the pants I wore last week sort of bruised my tailbone). It was freaking sweet.

For my actual birthday Husband and I went to the zoo. It was something close to a million degrees out so we didn't last long before giving up. It was still fun though. (pictures can be found on flickr... I'm too lazy to import pictures here today)

Yesterday we bought our tickets for So You Think You Can Dance which is coming through T-Town again in October. I'm ridiculously excited and we got most excellent seats.
Yesterday we also finally saw Up. And yes, I cried like a little baby. I have to say though... I really think this is the best Disney/Pixar movie in a long time. Even Husband liked it, which is saying something since he loathes animated movies.

Speaking of which... we saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Now it's no secret that I am not a fan of the movies to begin with. I think they don't even come close to doing justice to the books. That being said... from a strictly entertainment standpoint... I was so bored the entire movie. It's been so long since I read the books that I couldn't nit-pick too much (That was Husbands job this time) so I don't think it was that. I was just surprised at how bored I was given my very low expectations. Anywho...

I've started clipping coupons. I even went to 2 different workshops (This girl is amazing) to get the low-down on how to make couponing worth it. As you can imagine this takes up quite a bit of time. However, it's addictive. Evey time we go out shopping now I get giddy when Husband works out how much we saved. I could spend hours googling coupons. Seriously.

So there you have it. Life has kept me occupied. There's probably no end in sight either, seeing as how I now own the first 9 Sookie Stackhouse books with book 10 on pre-order... Speaking of which I need to eat some breakfast...

Lyrical inspiration...

The following song has been rumbling around in my brain for the past few weeks so I figured I should let it inspire my blogging (since I have had a severe lack of inspiration lately).

If Today Was Your Last Day - Nickelback



My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?
What if, what if, if today was your last day?

Against the grain should be a way of life
What's worth the price is always worth the fight
Every second counts 'cause there's no second try
So live like you're never living twice
Don't take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are

So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had?

And would you call those friends you never see?
Reminisce old memories?
Would you forgive your enemies?
And would you find that one you're dreaming of
Swear up and down to God above
That you'd finally fall in love if today was your last day?

My body and I are not really agreeing currently. Yesterday afternoon I took 2 Tylenol and a zyrtec... all to no avail. Last night I took 3 herbal muscle relaxers (per my chiropractor's instructions) and drank some nighttime tea to help me sleep... I still woke up at 3am. If I'm not congested I'm battling insomnia of the worst kind. My energy reserves are tapped out and my brain feels like mush most of the days.

I know what I should be doing… juicing religiously, exercising, meditating, taking my vitamins… not drinking starbucks, not eating junk food, not sitting at my computer for hours playing the Sims… alas I’m on the path de destructo lately. (Not looking for sympathy, trust me… just trying to get these toxic thoughts out of my head)

I think there is a combination of things at work here. Most of which I don’t feel comfortable dissecting here for the entire world to read. (Not that I think I have much of a readership but you know what I mean) It’s just hard sometimes when you feel stuck… trapped and aren’t sure how to right yourself down the path that will lead to ultimate happiness. I’ve started too many projects and made too many commitments for my own sanity currently. This leads to a Karen who wants to hide in bed all day with trashy chick lit and drink Starbucks.

In other thoughts…

I have absolutely no desire to go to my high school reunion. None. It's not that I hated high school. Quite the opposite... I have fond memories and had some close friends. However, I mostly definitely would not say that they were the best years of my life… quite the opposite in fact. It wasn't until college that I really started to understand myself and embrace the me that had been screaming to be set free for all those years. I dyed my hair funky colors and pierced body parts. I also lost every single friend I had from high school (I am not laying blame here just to be clear). We became different people who couldn't relate anymore, all we could do was reminisce about the old days. And to me... that's not the best way to live life. I don't want to spend any more time in the past then necessary. I want to look forward with the knowledge that what happened in my past made me who I am. Which means that if you are reading this and we went to high school together... don't expect to see me next year. Sorry. Sorta.

Also…

In the event of my unfortunate demise my last wishes are as follows:

• I will be cremated and I want my ashes to scattered in cool locations. Take a road trip with my remains (ala Elizabethtown). I don’t want anyone to feel obligated to visit a certain location on a certain day and mourn me. Think of me fondly when you visit places I loved.
• P.s. Bury me and I will haunt your behind for the rest of eternity.
• You will donate whatever organs are salvageable. I'm pretty sure I'll have no use for them seeing as how I am now dead.
• No funeral. No preachers saying prayers over my body. I was not a religious person and I would like to be honored even in the event of my death. This also means that there will be no viewing my dead (read: CREEPY) body. I’m serious.
• You will throw a party in my memory. You will sit around blaring music, laughing and sharing stories about how awesome I was and how lame your lives will now be without me.
• P.s. Some crying is ok. It’s to be expected. I just expect far more laughing then crying.
• My party will contain a fully-loaded nacho bar and drinks will be catered by Starbucks. Strawberry Cheesecake is also permissible but not cherry, that’s just nasty.
• The music that shall be played with contain at the very least the following songs: Punk Rock Princess - Something Corporate, Rockstar - Nickelback, Longview - Greenday, and If I had a Million Dollars - Barenaked Ladies. If you play sad songs I will haunt your behind.

One final thought:

True FREAKING Blood.

Oh. My. Jebus. (The cool kids know what I’m talking about)

I’m done.

Expect to hear from me again in another month. Or 4… whenever I get off my behind and take back control of my life.

Otherwise occupied...

Sim Karen and Husband watch some tv to pass the time on a Friday night... Husband thought it would be a good idea to watch Vantage Point... I'm thrilled as you can tell.

There. That's much better.

Aw... Isn't that sweet?

*cough*
Apparently the movie wasn't that good.


I *heart* Sims 3!

Death of a love affair?

Dear iTunes,

Why in the world would I pay you an additional $80.98 to upgrade my current (downloaded) library (313 files) to your "new" DRM-free ,256kbps files? Specifically because most of those files were free files to begin with...

In addition, why would I pay you an extra $.30 for individual files (bringing the grand total to $1.29 per file) when I can buy the complete album for under $10? It doesn't make sense.

What if I don't want an entire album? What if I just want the one file? More importantly you really suck for only upping the prices on radio "singles" or other files that you seem to deem popular.

This is unacceptable. After all the money I have spent with you over the years I deserve better treatment then this. I would say that I look forward to you remedying this situation but we both know that it won't happen. I shall miss you, or not, that depends on you.

Sincerely,
One seriously pissed off customer

P.s. I really miss Napster.

Taking time...

Last Friday was my 5 year anniversary with Husband.

We took a weekend trip up to St. Louis. 6 hours, many pee breaks, and lots of car dancing later we arrived...


You know you aren't in Oklahoma anymore when you see this...


Day 1 (Friday) we hit the zoo. I *heart* the St. Louis zoo so much... besides you can't argue with free.


We paid $3 and got to pet some sting rays. It was awesome, yet creepy. I got soaked after a ray got "spooked" and slapped a wave of water at me... I smelled like fish the rest of the day... After 5+ hours we called it quits.


The device that shall enable us to stay married for another 5 years... Our hotel didn't offer free wi-fi and we got fed up trying to find Panera Bread everytime we wanted to go somewhere... Therefore a trip to Best Buy was necessary to ensure we didn't strangle each other during our "nice, romantic getaway".

Day 2 (Saturday) we visited the science museum (which was also free, are you noticing a theme yet?).


I am the biggest nerd, ever.


T-Rex wants your soul...

Overall, we had a great time. We dined at Hard Rock Cafe for our anniversary, because really would you expect less of us? It was an exhausting trip but severly overdue... It's nice to get away with your best friend every once in a while.

**A small apology**

-I'm trying really, really hard to keep up with your blogs. I swear. I know I don't comment but that's because I'm lazy, you knew this so don't act indignant or surprised. I also haven't felt funny or insightful lately. Sorry. Hopefully my brain will begin to function again soon. Until then know that I'm faithfully stalking you. lol