Smooth move, Ex Lax!

That's what my mom's friend Ron would say.
~Kenneth the Page, 30 Rock


Well, after six months I finally did it.

I took Lola outside...and forgot to bring my keys. Hence, locked out. Of the building.

Nice.

What was even nicer is that since we've been having really nice, warm weather, I've been lazy about putting shoes on before taking Lola outside. So I was barefoot. And in my PJs.

Yup.

So of course I realized just as the door was latching shut that I had locked myself out, and then I also realized it was like 1:00 in the afternoon, meaning pretty much everyone else in my building was at work. So no one was really coming in and out of the building at this time.

We had gone out the back door, so we walked (barefoot, mind you) around the building, through the grass toward the front door. And I just have to say, walking through the grass barefoot is kind of like walking through a minefield, only instead of mines there are little -- and big -- piles of poo that you have to constantly scan the ground for so you don't step on one.

This story would probably be better if I told you I DID step on a doggy-poo landmine, but that would be a lie. If you'd like to pretend I did for the sake of entertainment, that's fine with me.

So we got to the front door, and I just stood there...like a goober.

What next? Uhhhh...

We have a dial system that allows residents to ring people in through the front door, and for a moment I thought about just pushing random numbers until someone let me in. But considering I don't really know anyone in my building, I thought that might end up being super awkward.

Then I thought, well maybe I should push the button for the main office, and then I got those memories about living in dorms and how the RAs would tell you at the beginning of the year to always carry your keys with you because if you got locked out you were gonna get charged for it. So I hesitated because I didn't want to get...like...fined for getting locked out. Do they even do that at my building?

Luckily I didn't have to risk it because just then a guy came and unlocked the door on his way inside, letting Lola and me back into the building.

And then I stepped in dog poo.

KIDDING! Nothing gross happened.

The end.

if i could write songs...

...I'd write one about today.

But unfortunately, I don't possess that gift. So I'm just going to describe it to you.

Lola and I went for a walk downtown. It was perfect: sunny, comfortably cool, warm but not enough to break a sweat. Jeans and t-shirt (and scarf!) and sunglasses weather.

We took a lap around the courthouse square and passed the Java Roaster where there are ALWAYS people sitting around outside, which is one of the reasons I love the place so much. Today it was a friendly older man who gave Lola a good ear-scratch, a very school-of-ag looking student studying a text book, and a couple of biker dudes.

Lola and I turned the corner and headed toward the pedestrian bridge, passing Red Seven where people were enjoying the most scrumptious cuisine I have ever smelled. We decided to work up an appetite and started across the bridge.

As we climbed the depot stairs, a train passed underneath us, which is always fun for some reason. Lola looked so cute climbing up and down the stairways that got us to the pedestrian bridge. Something about those wrinkly little legs hopping steps and those perky little ears flopping and that pink tongue sticking out sideways just gets me!

We said hello to another older gentleman who was resting next to his walking cane on a bench in the middle of the bridge, and we met a dad with a beautiful baby girl in a stroller.

Then we walked past what looked like a yoga class in session on the west side of the bridge. It was the most ragtag group I'd ever seen, but they seemed to be enjoying learning their poses. Next to them sat two scruffy guys who were drinking who knows what out of a paper bagged bottle. One of them asked me if I was single and I laughed as we walked away (quickly).

It was shady and cool at the other end of the bridge, so I gave Lola some water and sat on a bench to read a few chapters of a Jane Austen book. Then it was time to go back.

We ran into three teenage kids who liked Lola. One of them asked me if I wanted to hear a song and I said yes. He pulled out a guitar and sang and played "No Rain" by Blind Melon and it was pretty good! He attracted a little crowd there on the bridge as he played.

After the song, we moved on, pausing to say hi to a family with two adorable little kids. They had cameras with them; obviously a perfect day and setting for some pictures.

We crossed the bridge and passed Red Seven again on the way back to the car. People looked so classy sitting on the patio under the square umbrellas, all dressed up for a special night out. The servers sailed around the tables removing and replacing big, square, steaming dishes that smelled irresistible.

We walked past the Lafayette Theater where a skinny guy in the ticket booth was eating a plate of noodles. I smiled at him and he smiled back. Then we went across the street and found the car. Lola climbed into my lap, which I usually don't allow when I'm driving. But this time I rolled my window down and let her hang her tongue out the window as we climbed 4th Street to the apartment buildings.

Now Lola is asleep, snoring her adorable pug snore on her little blue bed. I've got the living room window open. I can hear voices and dinner plates clinking through other open windows in the building. The crickets and every other insect in nature with a sound to make are creating little symphonies out in the woods. I love that sound.

Now it's dinner time and I know that as soon as I cross over the baby gate into the kitchen, Lola will wake up and start jumping around in anticipation of food. Then the sound of the skillet and the kitchen faucet will drown out the summer sounds coming through the window. Before I know it, it will be time for work.

So I'm going to hang on to this peaceful moment just a little bit longer.

official...old fish hill...Danielle Fishel!

(OK, if you're not an avid viewer of Dorm Life, you are probably thinking, "What the heck is that title about?!" So if you're confused, I'm sorry. The theme here is "official.")

It's old fish hill: My days in Lafayette are numbered.

I just got a copy of my signed and approved contract extension, which says I'll be working here for about another year (till the end of July 2010). So...HIRE ME, PEOPLE!

Here's what I'm looking for in my next chapter of life:

-a home near or within reasonable driving distance of a beach
-a job that allows me to sleep during the night time and pays more than what I'm making now
-the opportunity to do something I enjoy, preferably in the media/entertainment field
-the chance to experience a different flavor of American lifestyle

I will go east, west, and/or south of Indiana but NOT directly north (so Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa, North and South Dakota...and basically any place that reminds you of Fargo or Drop Dead Gorgeous is out of the question).

Dream spots (in no particular order):
-Georgia (Savannah or Atlanta)
-South Carolina (especially Charleston)
-Boston, Mass. or some other neat-o place on the East Coast
-California (at this time I'm leaving pretty much the entire state open to consideration)

But I wouldn't rule out several other places on the U.S. map, so if you know of anyone that wants to hire a hard-working, initiative-taking, relatively well-dressed and spunky gal in about a year...let me know!

In other news...

I said it before and I'll say it again: this is the summer of accomplishments. This week I hung on my wall three shelves that I've had in my car trunk for like, two years. Finally! I hung one in the little "hallway" between my living room area, bedroom, and bathroom and I personally love walking past it because it's hung rather low and therefore makes me feel tall! The other two are in my bedroom; one is short and holds picture frames and perfume on the shelf and winter hats and scarves on the pegs. The other is long and holds my favorite heels on the shelf and my purses and summer hats on the pegs (this shelf is my personal fave because it's almost like having a display case for my shoes!).

I love having all the white space on my bedroom walls filled, as well as being able to get my bags and several pairs of shoes off of the floor (and out of the reach of Lola's unbelievably sharp teeth!).

Oh, I also rearranged my bedroom furniture and got a little area rug and new decoration pillows for my bed...

You know what, I'm just gonna take pictures and show you sometime.

Anyway, my last bit of news is that today is ONE MONTH away from my 25th birthday! Now, if you know me well, you might also know that I LOVE birthdays. Especially mine. But this one feels a little bittersweet; as Marilyn Monroe says about turning 25, "That's a quarter of a century; makes a girl think." And while I'm very proud of who I've become over the past 25 years, I also am starting to feel like youth is sort of slipping through my fingers (if you're older than me, you're probably laughing at me right now, which is fine). Not that 25 is "old" by any real means, but I'm mostly just sad because in another month I will no longer be able to categorize myself under the "18-24" demographic!!! (Can you tell I work in media?) It's just a little sad to no longer fit into one of the most highly-targeted age groups. I'll no longer be the demographic of funky sunglasses, Bud Light with Lime, and American Apparel leggings...instead I'll be targeted for the complete collection of Sex and the City on DVD, subscriptions to bridal magazines, and memberships to Match.com. Ulch.

Oh well. No matter how many birthdays I have, the fact that I'm getting older and undeniably more "grown-up" will NOT take away from the fact that I LOVE BIRTHDAYS and I am going to enjoy mine! And just so you know, my birthday is not just a one-day affair; I feel that one's birthday should be celebrated for as much as a two week timespan surrounding one's actual date of birth. So the week leading up to my birthday will be celebrated while I'm on vacation with my family at the lake, and the celebration will continue into the week I get back into town.

Like I said, I love birthdays.

OK, that's the news from where I sit. Pictures coming, as well as hopefully more summertime accomplishments!

one step at a time...

(cue Jordin Sparks...)

OK, so I've been poking around some websites and what I'm finding is that yes, Virginia, there ARE jobs out there. But I can't start applying for them until I update my resume. And maybe make a resume tape. Yikes to that second part.

So, I think what I'm gonna do now is work on my resume and then start applying for these jobs. And I'm gonna go ahead and say right now that some of them are going to be a long-shot. But you can't do any harm by trying, right? So, I'm not expecting the calls to come flooding in, BUT...I know what I need to do next, and then if and when any offers for interviews arise, I'll just cross that bridge when I get there.

Here's something I am worried about -- timing. My contract here isn't up until October, but my lease is up in May. So this is why I feel a sense of urgency about this whole stay-or-go thing. Options:

1) See if I can work out something with the apartment office, like a six-month lease or something?
2) Find a new job before May and hope that they'll let me out of my contract early (wait, I'm not going to be ready to move in May! I don't like this option. I don't think they'd let me out of my contract that early anyway. Forget it, this is not a realistic option).
3) Find a new job and finish out my contract here, and move out of my apartment and live...with my parents? And drive an hour to work every night and an hour back every morning? Ick. I think my sister will be in town all summer/fall...maybe I could work out something with her instead. Ugh, I don't want to be a squatter.
4) Re-sign the lease, but NOT re-sign my contract (lots of people don't re-sign), and work here until NEXT May, by which time hopefully I'll have another job lined up.

Blech. I wish this was just like working out your class schedule at college. I wish you could put everything into a computer and make it spit out an answer, then print it out on a little sheet that you can hang on your fridge and send home to your parents so they know where you'll be in the next year or so of your life.

OK, back to taking things one step at a time: all I need to do right now is update my resume and look into making a tape. And then start applying. And that's it.

Deep breaths.

Looking forward to watching The Bachelor later this morning. Can't wait to swap recaps! :)

Until then...

twenty-five

This came from a Facebook game, and I'm not asking anyone to play it here...although it does make for a kind of fun blog post if you want to try it! I just thought I'd post mine on here for that very reason.

(The Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, you choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you.)

Here are my 25 REALLY random things:

1. I am a social networking junkie. I have a blog, two YouTube channels, a Twitter feed, and (of course) Facebook! I don't have MySpace, though. Do people still use that?

2. I wouldn't say I hate cooking, but I don't enjoy cooking just for myself. (And I don't mean making burgers in the George Foreman or scrambling up an egg omelette -- in my book it only counts as cooking if you actually measure out ingredients and stuff.)

3. I do enjoy living on my own, even if that does mean cooking (or frying, or microwaving) for one!

4. I love my job. Even on the days when things don't go well. It doesn't matter how much money I make...I just love what I do.

5. I'm left-handed. Did everybody know that?

6. I have so. Many. Shoes. Most of them are heels because...

7. I am 5'2". Just like Reese Witherspoon, Ashley Tisdale, and Amy Poehler!

8. My dream jobs include: Marci Klein's job at SNL, Gellman's job on Regis & Kelly, being a personal assistant to Tina Fey just so I could soak up her awesomeness (did you catch how that's a reference to Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey?!), producing my own TV show, performing on Broadway.

9. I'd really like to write and publish a book someday.

10. I am so proud of my friends; so many people I know from high school, church, college, and after college are incredibly talented and I can't wait to see them make it big so I can cash in on those friendships. Totally kidding. But I truly believe that so many people I know have absolute star quality!

11. I have lived without cable television for 3 and a half years. I still keep up with a lot of TV shows; I just watch them all online or buy them by the season on DVD.

12. I do not, and probably never will, like the taste of coffee. I think it smells good, but tastes gross.

13. I don't remember a moment in my life where I stopped believing in Santa Claus. Most people can tell a story about how they found out, but I have no recollection of that happening...which makes me think I probably still believe in Santa Claus.

14. I also don't remember a point in my life where I started believing in God and in Jesus. Most people have a story to tell about that moment, too. But for me, the belief has just always been there, although that belief has definitely evolved and been challenged and dissected throughout my lifetime.

15. Back to accessories...I also love handbags and hats. I think my love of hats is what gets me through the winter.

16. I think it'd be really cool to live in the South, but I love-love-love the change in seasons that we get here in the Midwest. I would have a hard time giving that up.

17. I want a dog, really really a lot. I think everyone knows that. Hopefully I'll have one by this summer!

18. A lot of people ask me this, so in case you're wondering, here's what my work/sleep schedule is like: I go into work around midnight. I stay until 8 AM (give or take, depending on how much other work I need to do), then I go home and go to bed, usually from 8 or 9 AM until 4 or 5 PM. I don't have black curtains or heavy shades to block out the daylight. I'm just nocturnal, like an owl or a vampire.

19. My all-time, hands-down, no-contest favorite song in the world is "More Than Words" by Extreme for three reasons: (1) it reminds me of being at the lake (I don't know why), (2) the harmonies are beautiful, and (3) I love the lyrics and I think they have an awesome meaning. YouTube it and listen.

20. $20 bills are the worst. It seems like most bank machines and cash-back options always start at $20, which annoys me because usually I just need 5 bucks to put on my laundry card and I don't want to spend money just to break the 20, and I feel like a jerk just walking up to a random cashier and saying, "Hi, I'm not gonna buy anything, but will you just break this for me?" And it's hard for me to actually go to the bank and get cash in the amount that I want because I'm usually asleep during bank hours.

21. There's an episode of "The Office" where everyone was naming the five movies they'd bring with them if they were going to be on a desert island (the game is called "Desert Island" and it's supposed to be books, but I guess everyone was mildly illiterate, so they did movies). So anyway, here are my Desert Island 5: Big Fish, Singin' in the Rain, The Wizard of Oz, Ferris Beuller's Day Off, and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. I think. I'm never completely sure; I like a lot of movies!

22. My favorite color is pink. I feel like everyone knew that one too. My dad actually ordered me a pink phone without me having to ask. Isn't that awesome?!

23. On your 23rd birthday, you go off your parents' insurance. When I turned 23 I was working two part-time jobs, so I didn't have any insurance. It was that way for a few months until I got hired full-time at the TV station. Luckily, nothing bad happened.

24. I have a lot of fake foliage in my apartment. Fake flower vines around my kitchen, fake lilies in a vase on my counter, fake ferns on my window sill, a sconce with a fake bouqet on my wall, a vase of fake flowers in my bathroom, and a big fake flower sitting on my dresser in my bedroom. Low maintenance beauty, folks. That's what it's all about. Although I do enjoy real flowers too.

25. My favorite magazine is "Lucky." (I just bought one today, so that's what made me think of it.) I like it because you don't have to see any stories like "most embarrassing moments" or "101 sex tips." It's just all about clothes, which is my only reason for reading fashion magazines anyway.

And that's it! You might give it a try...just start at one and write about the first 25 things that sort of just pop into your head!

Have a great weekend :) Until later!

it's that time of year...

...when the world falls in love...

OK, I think that time of year is just about over. But really, it's that time of year when we all make a list of things we're going to do (or not do) in hopes of becoming a better person, having a better year, and making it a better world.

New Year's Resolutions.

And I feel like the act of making them is kind of a cliche, and something we as a culture don't really take seriously anymore. But I think there are some things in my life I want to improve, and I might as well make goals now, right? And I think writing them down will sort of make me commit to them and hold myself more accountable. Plus, then I can blog about them, which I'm sure will help too!

(I have to mention that as I'm writing this, I'm listening to the playlist I just attached to my blog and it's really fun to write while these songs are playing. I hope that it's not annoying that music starts playing on my blog, and you don't have to listen to it, but if you don't mind turning it up a bit while you read, think of it as a soundtrack for my blog. These aren't just songs I like; they all have a reason for being on that playlist.)

OK. Here we go.

1. I'm going to get into and stay on a regular workout plan. (The ultimate New Year's resolution cliche, right?!) But over the past few days, I feel like I've eaten enough sweet stuff to give myself diabetes. And I keep reading all these news stories about how much the average person should work out, and I'm realizing that more and more, I can't put myself in that group, which is pretty sad. So, I'm going to start out by saying I will work out three times a week. That's really not that hard. And I'd like to do more than that. But I think I'll start with something I know I can do realistically, and then once I've been doing that for a few months, reset the goal for something higher. But I'll start at three days a week.

2. I'm going to save money. That is kind of hard for me to do; my paycheck does not stretch very far. But I got a small raise recently, I'll be getting paid for coaching color guard, and I just worked a holiday, so that should give me a great springboard for saving. I mean saving significant amounts of money, not saving one month just to use it all up the next. I really want a dog, and I'm waiting until I pay off my car so I can use that money every month to save/use on doggie expenses. But I'd like to have a bigger cushion before then. Speaking of which...

3. I'm going to get a dog. The plan has been in place for months and months, but why not add it to my list? I will finish paying off my car in May, so the plan has been to start looking at breeders in June. That way I have the summertime to house-train and everything, not to mention have the financial means to take care of a dog. And here's an added motivation for Item #1 on this list - the kind of dog I want to get (miniature schnauzer, for anyone who has forgotten) has a tendency to get fat and unhealthy if it doesn't get a lot of exercise and good nutrition. Sound like anyone else you know? So I think if I can get a healthier lifestyle in place by the time I adopt a puppy, I can do a better job of taking care of and raising a dog!

4. Speaking of nutrition, that's something I also want to work on. I kind of phase in and out on this, and I eat WAY less fast food than I did a year ago, but I want to keep improving on this. Sometimes it's hard to eat regular, balanced meals because my schedule is so weird, but I've been at it for a little over a year now, and I think I can figure out how to make it work. I'm going to eat more fruits and vegetables. I'm going to eat more meat. I'm going to eat two balanced meals every day. (That has to include some sort of meat and some sort of produce; not just peanut butter and crackers or a bowl of cereal.) I'm going to start rehearsals for a play soon, and I know that's going to make it harder to eat right, but I've already been through this schedule during the summer, and I know I can do it.

5. I'm going to do some housework every day, instead of waiting until the end of the week to do all my cleaning. Whether it's washing dishes, taking out the trash, surface cleaning, laundry, sweeping, or just picking up around the house, I always feel better when I do a little bit here and there every day than when I let it pile up and then spend my whole weekend doing all of it. Plus, when I get a dog, I'll probably have to do some cleaning every day anyway :-P

6. I'm going to consider my career options. I'm going to look around and see what's out there. I'm going to keep staying here as an option for one more year. I'm not going to limit myself by what I think is realistic; if Good Morning America still has a segment producer opening available when my contract is up, I'm going to apply for it. I'm not going to be too afraid to go for something big. I'm not going to be discouraged if the job market is frozen and the best option is to stay here. I'm not going to feel pressured or obligated to stay if that's not the best thing for me to do. I'm going to trust God to help me make a decision and to take care of me whatever I decide.

7. I'm going to use up all of my vacation time and comp days this year. Five days will absolutely be for a trip to the lake with my family. The five-plus-comp days I would like to use to visit my sister in Florida, take a trip to New York with family or friends, possibly use for job interview trips, and maybe even take another trip to the lake with friends now that we have the new cabin. I'm entitled to those days and I'm going to take them. Just because it's hard for them to cover my job while I'm gone doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to use my vacation time up. I have just as much right as anyone to take time off. I'm not going to feel bad about it anymore. I'm just going to schedule it, and not worry about it. I've got it down to a science now how to prepare the person filling in for me, so it shouldn't be that hard.

I feel weird stopping on seven, but I think those are my big things I want to accomplish this year. I'm actually proud that I accomplished a lot of things in the past year -- I'm living on my own, supporting myself, I got involved with a church that I go to regularly, I made big changes and improvements to my show at work, I got involved in civic theatre, I made new friends, I've done a better job keeping in touch with people, and I feel like I've improved and cultivated my relationships with my parents and my sisters. Of course I want to keep working on all of those things, but I think you need to be able to look back on your year and be proud of what you've accomplished, so that you realize you are capable of achieving the goals you've set for the year ahead. Life is good, and it can be better.

Happy new year!

if you can't stand the heat...

...get the hell out of the kitchen and FAST!

That's a little lesson I learned last night while trying to "deep fry" some chicken. I meant to go grocery shopping yesterday morning after work, but it was just too cold, and all I wanted was to go home, turn the heater up, and snuggle up in my amazing bed and sleep. So that's what I did. Then I planned to go grocery shopping last night, but my sister called and we ended up talking for almost two hours, which meant I wouldn't have time to hit the grocery before getting ready for work.

That's ok, I thought, I still have lots of frozen stuff in my freezer that I can cook.

Dun dun dun...

So, one of the things in my freezer was a bag of frozen, breaded chicken that you are supposed to deep fry. Now, let me explain what this meant for me. First, I have never deep fried anything myself before. Second, I don't own a deep fryer. These two things usually wouldn't be a problem; whenever I try cooking something new, I head to the trusty ol' internet to Google step-by-step instructions. I am an intense rules-follower in new situations (can you imagine what kind of a mother I'll probably be someday?).

But last night, for some unknown reason, I decided to do something totally uncharacteristic and just wing it. (Chicken wing it! Ahhh haha...lame joke, I know.)

Here's what MY step-by-step instructions would have looked like last night had I written them down:

Step 1 - Cut a hole in a box...

No, just kidding. That's just the first thing that came to my mind as soon as I typed "Step 1."

Step 1 - Get out a small frying pan, put it on the stove, and turn the stove up to about 6.

Step 2 - Get out your bottle of vegetable oil and pour it into the pan. Don't worry about measuring it out in measuring cups or anything; just pour it in till the pan is about half full.

Step 3 - Let the oil heat up, uncovered, while you put the chicken in the microwave to defrost (this will take about 7 minutes).

Step 4 - Once the chicken is thawed out, stick a fork in it and just dump it in the pan of hot oil. Don't be shy; just go ahead and toss it in there.

FWOOOOOSH!!!

Seething hot oil frothed up and spattered all over the kitchen as soon as that chicken hit the pan. I actually jumped about five feet out of the way and then just watched as hot vegetable oil covered the surface of the stove. I edged back over to turn the burner down, and I could feel little airborne drops of oil hitting my arms and face; it felt like tiny pins pricking me all over. Grabbing a sponge, I tried to wipe up the oil from the stove top, but I mean, it's oil, so it didn't really feel like soaking up into the sponge. Instead, it just spread itself all around and dripped onto the floor.

I went to get a towel to wipe everything up, and slid across the floor (oil + tile = slippery situation), so then I had to wipe off my bare feet AND the floor before stepping back onto the tiles.

Holy crap.

By now, the chicken is most definitely fried, and just as greasy as can be. I was trying to figure out what to do next, when an image popped into my head of what my mom and dad did when they were frying fish: put the fried pieces on a paper towel to soak up the extra oil.

But because I haven't been to the grocery, I am out of paper towel.

So the fried, oily chicken just goes onto a plate where it sits in its own oily little puddle of sad little dinner disaster.

I decide to put the chicken on some lettuce and smother it with honey mustard dressing, hoping that the lettuce will soak up the oil and the honey mustard will give it a flavor other than grease.

Nnnope. It was not very tasty.

So I think I'll stick to what I know for now: Hamburger Helper, eggs and French toast, quesadillas, and anything I can fit into a George Foreman grill.

Until I get a deep fryer and learn how to use it.

carpet cleaners (vacation day 4)

So, the carpet cleaners finally DID show up this morning...after me spending all week with my furniture upside-down, they came at 8:30 this morning.

The knock on the door woke me up. I had, once again, spent the night on my couch. But for some reason I couldn't get to sleep last night -- actually, the reason was that I went to the library and brought home a book that I started last night and haven't been able to put down -- so I decided to just stay up and watch the morning news that I am taking a week off from producing. That was like an out-of-body experience, and I kept calling shots to no one, just shouting them at the TV like our director Kim would be able to hear me across the river. I have a hard time watching our news when I'm at home sometimes because I start doing stuff like that.

Anyway, after the news was over, I read a little more and then eventually fell asleep, and then the knock on the door woke me up.

Crap, I thought, realizing I was a grungy mess. But I also was too sleepy to care if these guys judged me for my greasy hair, nasty breath, scrubby clothes, or very un-made-up face that definitely was showing some blemishes. I let the two guys in and moved the last couple of things out of the way, including my desk chair, which I rolled onto the kitchen floor and sat in with book in hand, thankful I'd have something to keep me occupied while the carpet guys were busy cleaning.

One guy was older, probably in his 40s or 50s, and the other was around my age, probably a little younger than me. They were both really nice, and made small talk with me over the roar of the carpet cleaning machines. The younger one observed that he could usually get an idea of what people were like based on what the inside of their homes looked like, and that he could tell I was "pretty laid back." The older guy asked me about my piano, saying he knew a lady who played organ at church and that when he went over to clean her house, he would always ask her to play for him. I wished with all my might that he would NOT request a tune from me, and thankfully he didn't. Which is good, because I honestly couldn't just sit down and play anything except chopsticks without putting someone through a very painful musical experience. I just don't play like that anymore -- strictly note-plunking for vocal purposes. When people ask me to play, I always feel like Kiera Knightley in Pride and Prejudice. Only worse.

The carpet dudes finish pretty quickly (not like I have just acres and acres of carpet floors, you know) and they wish me a happy holiday and disappear out into the hallway just as quickly as they came. I locate my slippers and gingerly make my way across the carpet back to the couch, my little island of living space while I wait for the floors to dry. No sooner do I crack open my book and find where I left off than I hear another knock on my door.

I get up and answer it. It's the younger of the two carpet guys, asking if they left a bucket in my apartment. I do a quick check around the apartment and then return to the door to tell him I didn't see anything. THEN he tells me the real reason he came back was because he wanted to ask me out on a date.

G-uh...what?!

I explain to him that I'm not really dating right now, which is true, but he takes it as a cop-out answer that he nevertheless accepts, wishes me a nice day, and leaves.

Aww geez. Seriously? I'm so glad I'm not a guy. I cringe at the ribbing he's probably going to get from his work partner when he catches up with him at the next apartment. You have to hand it to him for having guts, though.

So there you have it. I got asked out by the carpet guy. I'm so glad this 4-day-delayed carpet cleaning at least turned out to be the makings of a good story!

I'm going to bed.

vacation day 3

Yesterday was an eventful day. And on top of that, I think I'm finally adjusted to normal people hours, so I couldn't even stay awake late enough to blog about it last night.

So here we go...

9:30 AM - My cell phone alarm goes off. I wake up and think, "It's kinda dark in here," because when I went to sleep I'd left my Christmas tree lights on (remember I was sleeping out on the couch because my bed was covered in stuff I took off the floor for the carpet cleaners). So I go to my bedroom to shut off my actual alarm clock before it starts blaring...and there are no red numbers on the clock face, which tells me that the electricity must be out.

Cooooool.

And I can't figure out WHY the electricity is out because while my laptop does operate on battery power, the wireless internet router in my building does not, so I had no information outlet. So I just curled back up on the couch, thinking terrible thoughts of my friend Tommy and his 57-degree apartment when his heater wasn't working, and wondering how cold it would get in here after a day without power.

10:15 AM - The power comes back on. So much for my dramatics! I get on my station's website and find out that a power line pole just down the street caught on fire, and that's why our electricity went out. And Kelsey told me later that a car crash caused that to happen, which made a lot more sense because I was starting to wonder if there had been a lightning storm overnight or if power line poles just spontaneously combust these days.

10:30 AM - I get a call from Kate, the director for "Children of Eden," the civic show I auditioned for the previous night. Here is where she cast me:

-Act 1: a "storyteller" (basically the chorus) and the Snake (which as far as I can tell is an ensemble thing with a lot of dancing and tight harmonies, which sounds very much like something I would enjoy)
-Act 2: Aysha, who is a daughter-in-law of Noah (like Noah and the Ark)

And I just have to say that is the fastest casting in the history of mankind. I have never heard back within 24 hours of auditioning before! That was awesome.

So I text my friend Chris, who also auditioned, to let me know when he gets his call.

11:45 AM - A trip to the eye doctor to check up on my diagnostic contacts, make adjustments, and then order new boxes. Luckily this trip to his office didn't last two hours like last time.

1:30 PM - I check my email and there's one from Mom and Dad, who are up North moving furniture into their new lake cabin. They have sent pictures and Brrrr it looks cold up there!

1:45 PM - Chris texts me back. He is playing Adam (like Adam and Eve) in Act 1 and Noah's son Shem in Act 2, which means we will be husband and wife. That's awesome since it's always kinda weird to pretend to be married to someone you don't even know, you know?

So all afternoon I'm working on other things around the house, washing dishes, taking out the trash, and waiting for the carpet cleaners to show up. Finally, I call the office to ask what the deal is.

"They couldn't come today because the electricity was out," they tell me, which doesn't really make sense to me, because the electricity was only out for the first 15 minutes that our building's office was open. So I ask them when the cleaners will be coming, and they say tomorrow (meaning today, Wednesday). So I just decided to take down all the furniture so I could have friends over to play cards.

6:45 PM - Bethy calls and we get caught up and have a good conversation about how people should just handle their own business. Or bidness, as Amy Poehler would say (Baby Mama, anyone?).

7:00 PM - Tommy is here with Reese's Christmas Trees, and Caitlin and Troy are not far behind, followed by Kelsey, followed by a hilarious game of Phase 10, which it turns out is NOT an old-people's game like some of my co-workers thought! I would love to recount in detail how this game went, but I will just say it involved Troy needing to charge up his energy-drink slap-bracelet every couple of rounds, Caitlin being sad because she didn't get to play a single card for the first few hands, Kelsey and I revealing or remembering rules at inopportune times for Troy and Tommy, a table discussion about why "My Favorite Things" is considered a Christmas song, which led to a discussion of what "schnitzel with noodles" might consist of, and Tommy "technically" skipping Phases and "technically" winning and needing to check the rule book for loopholes at the end of the game. It was fun. I hope we get to do it again.

11:00 PM - I have a voicemail from Molly, one of my beloved little college freshmen and HSM buddies. She has a paper she wants me to look over for her, so I call her back and she emails me the paper. I do a little proofreading, email it back, and decide it's time to call it a day.

Now, this morning I woke up and put all my furniture and stuff back up and out of the way because the carpet cleaners are supposed to come this morning, although the office didn't know what time they'd be here, which again, seems strange to me. Maybe I'm asking for too much detailed information, but I feel like I'm just asking for normal information that would be really useful. Anyway, I was amazed at how fast I could carpet-clean-ready my apartment this time! I'm getting good at this.

Also, I was excited to find upon logging in to my blog that Kelsey has uncovered the mystery of what schnitzel with noodles is. And after a little reading, I found out that schnitzel is apparently veal and in Germany is considered "a hearty winter meal," which may be a contributing factor in the whole Christmas song issue: "snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes," "bright paper packages tied up with string," "doorbells and sleighbells and schnitzel with noodles!" And then, after some further reading, I discovered that Rogers & Hammerstien messed up big-time because according to this blog, Maria and the von Trapp family, all proud Austrians, would have eaten schnitzel with french fries! Huh!

Well, you really do learn something new every day. Until later!

second day of vacation

I wonder if this is gonna turn into a song..."On the second day of vacation, my true love gave to me..."

Anyways...guess what. This is gonna be another email of random items.

A) So, last night I stayed up pretty late just because my little inner clock is a little confused right now. But that's ok. I had told the girl filling in for me at work that she could call me if she needed any help Sunday night, since I figured that would be her roughest night. And she definitely took me up on that! She called me FOUR TIMES between 11:40 PM and 1:30 AM. Haha! Nice to be needed, I guess. I'm just hoping that she'll be fine tonight and won't need her lifeline ;)

B) Something from Kelsey's blog that I need to do:

what's in my purse
This is tricky, since I switch purses a lot, but we'll go with my current staple purse...(because this could be a LOT longer and MORE random if I included all of my purses!)

-my little leather wallet with all the important things in it...DL, bank cards, insurance cards, my friend Chris's business card, and a ticket stub from "Four Christmases."
-a pack of Orbit Sweet Mint gum
-my camera in its case (I try to always have my camera with me...you never know!)
-my pocketbook (why do they call this a pocketbook; this would never fit in your pocket!) full of library cards, video rental cards, more insurance cards, and some expired "buyback bucks" from Follett's bookstore
-my pink alligator dayplanner book, with Mortar Board (yes, I still buy those), pink Sharpie, sticky notes, more people's business cards, thank-you notes, show schedules for PMO groups, and an autographed headshot of Mike P. that I was supposed to give to a girl in the marching band (oops)
-the holiday issue of "Helen" magazine (the only magazine for the women of Lafayette-West Lafayette and the surrounding areas! We do a tie-in segment with them on our show every week, hence the shameless plug!)
-my emergency make-up kit (blush, mascara, gloss, concealer, and eye-liner...it comes in handy after working overnight for eight hours when I have to go somewhere afterwards, or just when I need a little touching up. Wow, that makes me sound really high-maintenance.)
-a blank DVD-R (meant to record my live shot hits, but then I found out someone else is making a copy for me)
-a "Welcome!" brochure from the TCPL, since I got a library card there last week
-the program from IU Union Board's production of "Cabaret"
-the program from Harrison High School's production of "Alice in Wonderland"
-an almost-out tube of B&BW Japanese Cherry Blossom body cream (my favorite Bath & Body scent!)
-directions to a friend's house from this summer
-trash paper, which I will throw out now
-a heart-shaped Madagascar 2 pin I got for donating money at the movie theater
-some Burt's Bees Beeswax lipbalm
-check book
-ticket stub for "Alice in Wonderland"
-pen from PEFCU (or "Perrfcu" as I like to call it)

That's it. Next time I will do celebrity crushes, also from Kelsey's blog!

C) When I resigned my lease, the building offered a free carpet cleaning, which I signed up for. And it was supposed to happen either today or tomorrow, so I called the office today to find out when the cleaners were coming, because they had told us to get everything off of the carpet in the areas we wanted to be cleaned. The guy at the office said they'd be here today and possibly tomorrow, depending on how long it would take to get all the apartments cleaned that had been signed up.

"Is there a certain day you'd like yours done?" he asked.
"Today," I said. Then I put everything that could be moved up onto my table or my bed, and moved everything else to the bathroom or kitchen so it would be off of the carpet. I even put away everything that was under my Christmas tree so it wouldn't get in the way.

And unless these carpet people work evenings...they are not coming today.

I don't really want to move everything off of my bed just to move it back in the morning, so I'll just sleep on the couch tonight.

D) I went to auditions tonight for "Children of Eden" with civic theatre. I think it went OK. It's just hard to tell...I feel like my song could've been better, but it wasn't terrible. And they had me read some dialogue from the script, but there's not a lot of dialogue in the show, so I don't know how much they were able to get from hearing me say a few lines. I think it's always hard to get a good read on what the directors think. But whatever. The hard part now is trying not to think about it until they cast the show, which they said would be by the end of the week. A friend of mine auditioned too, and told me to call him when I was done, so I called him tonight and we were both just like, "OK, let's just not think about it or talk about it anymore." Haha. Luckily, I have a bunch of music I need to memorize for the Christmas Show this weekend, so that will keep me busy!

E) I made a list of things I wanted to get done today, and I got every single one crossed off! That makes me feel really good!

OK, that's all for today. Until later!

the good, the bad, and the stupid

The Good:

No, wait, actually let's get The Bad out of the way first, shall we?

The Bad:
Still no chairs. Unbefreakinglievable.

Ok, here is the story --
As I've mentioned before, we wanted to order new chairs for the studio's interview set, and Mr. Promotions Guy told me THREE times (once in writing, no less) that he would be able to buy them for us as long as the total cost was under $1000 and we bought them before the end of the year; promotions basically had some extra money in their budget that they had to get rid of before the end of the year, so he was willing to spend it on the new chairs we wanted for the studio.

I delivered on my end of the deal, finding a chair model of the appropriate size, color, shape, and PRICE -- quoted at $274 per chair (so $822 total price for three chairs; well under budget, if you didn't notice) -- and gave Mr. Promotions a photocopy of the chair as pictured in the store's catalogue as well as a written quote and contact information from the store. About 24 hours later, I checked in to see if he liked the chairs and if we could get them. He told me he was "this close" to working it out with accounting.

WHAT?! What happened to having the money in the budget?!

OK, fine. So that was like three weeks ago.

TWO weeks ago, still no news. With the Thanksgiving holiday, I decided not to sweat it; the normal 9-to-5 folks in Promotions and Accounting wouldn't be around anyway, so nothing was likely to get accomplished.

ONE week ago, I checked in again via email:
"Hey, how are things going with the chairs?"
"Just trying to do some creative budgeting to make it work."

WHAT?!?! What happened to being "this close?!!"

TODAY, I see Mr. Promotions Guy and wanted to chew him out completely, but instead, I said, "Any progress on the chairs?"
"Weeellll..." Mr. Promotions Guy says, "We just have to get it approved...see, it's all really stupid the way it works, like, it's money from MY budget, but we have to get it from another account, and then THEY have to take that money from OUR budget, and..."

The way you talk, all I hear is blah blah blah.

"OK, keep me posted," I say, hoping that hints his need to get this taken care of.

Seriously, if he wasn't actually in control of the money in the first place, why would he tell me what he told me in the first place? It wouldn't be as big of a deal if he'd have just said, "I can't promise anything, but if you try to keep it under $1000, there's a better chance we'll be able to swing it with accounting."

But instead he remodeled his office and then left something that EVERYONE could use, like the new interview chairs, to the uncertain fate of the accounting department.

What stinks is, I really like this guy and I think he's trying to do a lot of good things for the station. And I really like what he did with his office. But it's like the time I bought a new outfit and then found out one of my paychecks was coming a month later than I thought it would. You don't spend money you don't have, or in this case promise to spend money you don't have.

Frusterating.

The Good News:
1.) It's Friday. Holla! (Yep, that just happened.) And that means all the good Friday things that come with it, including new episodes of 30 Rock and The Office that I watch Friday mornings online (and by the way, this week's Office episode is about the place where I work! Crappy copier, crappy chairs, budget surplus!!! It's too perfect. It absolutely made my day and gave me an easy way to laugh about how ridiculously inefficient things seem to be around there sometimes).

2.) I am officially on vacation! I'm not going anywhere, but I will have lots of time to do Christmas shopping, read, relax, maybe do some video editing, go to the gym, and also do some of that day-time stuff I don't normally have time to do, like eye and hair appointments. Plus I get to sleep at night like a normal person!

3.) I get to go see Justin's play tonight! Justin is pretty much me in a 6-foot-five boy's body. (Scary, huh?) This kid thinks like me, loves movies, musicals, and music, and all of the trivial information about them, as much as I do! I always tell him he's the little brother I never had. He is also a very talented and enthusiastic performer and I am so excited to see him onstage tonight! I've seen so many plays this fall thanks to all my little civic theatre buddies...so much fun!

4.) There is a package in the mail on its way to my door, which is always super-fun! I got a gift card to Victoria's Secret for my birthday, but didn't use it until now, and today I tracked my order and it is on its way out of Missouri. It's so fun to track packages; it's kind of like watching cookies bake in the oven -- if you can see the progress, it's a little easier to wait for the final product!

The Stupid:
1.) Here's the situation: I get home from work this morning. I'm holding my purse and lunch container in one hand and a stack of books and my keys in the other. So my hands are a little full, and it's a smidge chilly outside. The way it works at my apartment is, you can get in the first set of doors without a key, but you have to unlock the second set, and it's an oldish set of doors, so you have to jiggle the key in the lock a little bit, you know what I mean? It's not like a magnetic strip card or anything. And there's kind of this unspoken but universallly understood rule of common courtesy that if you're inside the building and near the front door, and someone who clearly has a key to the building is trying to get in, you go open the door for them so they don't have to mess with the key. Especially if they've got stuff in their arms. Now, if the person is a creep, just standing there waiting for someone to let them in, you should keep the safety of yourself and your fellow building dwellers in mind and let the dude fend for himself. But I'm saying if their key is in hand, indicating that they clearly belong inside the building, you go ahead and let them in.

OK, so back to me at the door this morning, with arms relatively full, fumbling with my key. There is a girl standing right in front of and I mean RIGHT IN FRONT OF the front doors, wearing her fuzzy slippers and bathrobe, flipping through a magazine or newspaper insert or something. I am trying to unlock the door and she is staring right AT me and just stands there, thumbing through whatever glossy piece of publication she's got. It is taking me longer than usual to jiggle the lock and get the doors to open, and she WALKS AWAY.

Seriously?!?!!

2.) There was like a fifteen-minute span this morning during which I could not make calls with my phone. A friend called me while I was still at work this morning, and I silenced the call. On my way out to my car, I tried to call my voicemail to see what he'd said, but my phone kept showing this "call failed" message. So then I tried to make just a regular phone call and the same thing happened. I finally tried calling my phone from my landline when I got home, and my cell phone wouldn't pick up the call. So then I decide to just check the voicemail through my landline phone, and I put in the password to get into my voicemail THREE times, and it wouldn't let me in. And I know I was putting the correct password in, because I watched myself punch the numbers and even said it outloud the last time as I dialed, but still no dice. So then just as a last shot, I try calling my voicemail again from my cell phone, and it works. Then I call my friend back...the phone works fine.

So I dunno what that was all about.

3.) This is stupid, but not in a bad way. Yesterday I had a dream that I met Amy Poehler, which is weird because earlier that day (don't ask me why), I was thinking about what celebrities I would most want to meet, and I came up with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Kristin Chenoweth. And I don't usually have the kind of dreams where something happens to me that I was thinking about that day; I usually have the kind of dreams where my teeth are falling out, or someone is chasing me but I can only move in slow motion, or I'm trying not to be shot or stabbed. Yes, I do not tend to have pleasant dreams. If they are on the more enjoyable side, they are usually totally random and have nothing to do with what happened the day before. But yesterday in my dream, I met Amy Poehler and we wanted to get our picture taken together but no one would take a picture. Like, people kept getting out their cameras and we kept stopping our conversation to smile at them, but then the people with the cameras would never actually take the picture...they'd just look at us through their viewfinders and then go back to what they were doing.

Analyze THAT!

(See, that was stupid, wasn't it?)

OK, that's all I've got. I'm officially on vacation. Yay!!!

Until later!

We Need a Little Christmas Now!

I feel like I haven't blogged in forever!

Okay, LOTS of stuff to cover. First of all, Thanksgiving was great. We had a good show, and then I went home to K-town to hang out with my family and watch the parade, which much to Marla and my delight included Kristen Chenoweth singing the Christmas Waltz on a float with the Care Bears! I noticed that I tended to watch all of the marching bands and color guards a lot more closely than in previous years, too. My dad and I made commentary on all of their costumes; he knows how much I dislike color guard uniforms in general so we were trying to pick out the good ones.

I have to admit I got a little cranky at my Mamaw and Papaw's...We had a wonderful dinner, which of course made me sleepy, on top of the fact that I hadn't slept yet. Then Mamaw wanted us to decorate their Christmas tree, which is great, but it's a big tree and there are a lot of ornaments, and after awhile I realized I was the only one hanging them up, and got a little pissy when my mom asked me if I wanted to take a nap...

"No, I want to do this, but nobody's helping me!!!"

So then Mom, Dad, Aunt Julie, Mamaw, and Marla hopped up and helped me finish the tree. That made it a LOT more fun. Then when I got ready to leave, Mamaw was like, "You have to leave already? Do you have another party to go to or something?" And of course the rest of the family is like, "She has to go to work, Mom!" Haha.

Mom packed up left-overs for me, which was awesome! And I drive back and went to bed.

Friday morning at work was actually really easy. I got my show done really quickly, which was good because that gave me lots of time to get prepared for my live shot at the mall. And the live shot went really well; I was super-nervous at first, but after I got the first hit under my belt, I started to get more comfortable. And when I got back to the station, I found out that apparently everything was going wrong right before the show--people hadn't gotten to work yet because they'd overslept, one of the cameras went down, the teleprompter went out--but luckily everything got ironed out. And Baron was back to directing that morning for Kim, who had the day off, and he is so, so calm in crisis situations, so he set the tone and they all got through it just fine. And we didn't have any problems out at the mall; it was actually really fun! But I definitely have a new appreciation for what our anchors and reporters do!

Friday afternoon was fantastic as I got to meet a bunch of my HSM kids for lunch at McCords (yummy!) and then we went to my apartment to watch some videos I'd made from our summer. Then I spent the rest of the day with Justin, who is like the little brother I never had, Christmas shopping and getting his oil changed. Then his mom called and told us to bring back a pizza and watch chick flicks with her (so cute). We dug out the Christmas Show DVD from 2003, which we were both on, and found the points where we were standing next to each other--so funny! We were the same height, even though he'd been a 12-year-old member of the Kid's Choir and I was a freshman in college! (He's like 6'5" now.)

I came home that night to find Fish (my male betta) looking very sickly. He had been looking pretty rough that morning when I came home from work, so I had put him in a smaller bowl (fishy intensive care), so he wouldn't have to swim or move as much to get to his food, which he wasn't really making an effort to eat anyway. I was not very hopeful that he would recover, although he's surprised me in the past, but I wanted to give him a chance, so I tried to get him to eat before I went to bed, but he was struggling just to stay right-side-up. So I put the fish bowl in the kitchen and went to bed.

I slept in Saturday morning, then finally got up to see if Fish had made it through the night. He hadn't. I did a little ceremonial flush, cleaned out his bowl, put his little castle up on top of the microwave, and put his food away in the cupboard.

Poor little Fish. He's been through a lot with me. He got me through my first year living on my own. He got me through a couple of break-ups, and through a couple of holidays that didn't feel like holidays because I was working. He listened to me practice for civic theatre auditions and sit down occasionally to butcher songs on the piano, and he never complained once. He was always happy to see me when I came home from work every morning and he would wake up in the middle of the night to keep me company when I couldn't sleep during the weekends. Fish was a good fish, and I'm thankful for the time I got to have with him.

Anyway, after putting Fish to rest, I didn't really have anything to do, since I'd done all my house-cleaning Friday morning. So I finally decided I'd just put up my Christmas tree and decorate the apartment for Christmas. That was really fun, and it definitely got me back in the holiday spirit!

And then, this morning I went outside to go to church, and it was a winter wonderland! My initial reaction was, "Whaaaaat." But then a smile immediately crept onto my face as I sloshed outside to brush all the snow off of my car. I had no idea we'd get that much snow overnight! So now I'm sitting here at my desk, with the window blinds open so I can see the snow-dusted trees and picnic tables outside. I'm sure this will melt away pretty soon, but it was such a fun surprise this morning!

OK, I think that's all. You're now caught up on my life for the moment.

Until later!

One Year Later...

I just thought I'd take a little personal inventory and reflect on where I am a year after starting this blog and, essentially, starting my life as a grown-up.

I recently re-signed the lease for my apartment. I've been living here by myself for almost a year (I moved in last July). When I moved, I was holding down two jobs: part-time production assistant at the station, and pretty much full-time waiting tables. Plus working in the nursery on Sundays, so techinically three jobs, although the nursery doesn't really count because that's only like 3.5 hours a week, if that. Now I am a full-time, contracted news producer. I still do the nursery thing.

I have paid off half of my car, which is exciting. So another year from now, I will be done making car payments! I decided that will be the time for me to get a dog. It seems like good timing; I will have freed up some financial obligations and be more capable of taking good care of a pet. I still want a miniature schnauzer.

I have ended two dating relationships since starting this blog, so now I am single. And I am really happy about that. I am at a time in my life when it's OK to be selfish and do my own thing, and that is exactly what I'm doing. A lot of friends my age are getting engaged and married, and some are already on their second kid, and I want all of that eventually, but not right now. A friend of mine at the station who gives me lots of good advice told me he doesn't see me getting married until my late twenties...28 or 29! It freaked me out to hear him say that, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized he's probably right. And to be honest, I don't have that "time is running out" feeling either. Actually, "finding" someone is about the last thing I want to even think about at this point in my life. The only someone I want to find is a cute puppy--in a year!

I've now been out of school for a year, which makes me feel old. But it IS awesome not to have to study or do homework or take quizzes ever again! And I've been working at a "real" job for about a year now, so that makes me feel a little more like a real grown-up. Also, a member of the HSM cast told me yesterday that I'm his first adult friend. Really? Oh yeah, I AM an adult! But I still feel like I'm just a kid a lot of the time.

And I still don't like coffee.

ketchup

I think I said almost a year ago when I started this blog that I'd post pictures of this, that, and the other...buuuut I haven't.

So now I'm going to make good on that promise I made to no one in particular.
It's picture time!

My Place

This is my first "grown-up" home. A place where I DON'T plaster the walls with pictures, article cut-outs, and random posters. A place where I have all the space to myself. Where I don't have to eat at my desk or use my bed for guest seating.

The kitchen, which I don't really use for a whole lot of actual cooking...mostly frozen pizzas, Lean Cuisines, and cookie baking.

The "dining room" is used for dining, but never are all four of these chairs filled at once...by people, anyway. This tends to become the catch-all for jackets, purses, and mail.

The living/office area. I spend a lot of time, most of it, in fact, in this part of the apartment.


My little bedroom, which is in pink and black. This poor room must be so confused; I sleep here during the day and get ready for work here every night. It's lit very dimly, which is nice...it's like a little cave. Rarrrr...


Believe it or not, this is my favorite room in the apartment. Why? Because I don't have to share it with anyone else! For the first time in my life I have my own bathroom. Yay!

Well that is the tour. Funny story--I actually started writing this yesterday after work and fell asleep in the middle of it! So I had to finish it this morning.

OK, next time...pictures of work? A tour of the station? We could do that.

Until later!
lis

me time

You'd think I'd get enough of it, between the 6 hours I spend alone in a newsroom at night and the 14-odd hours I spend alone at home during the day.

But being alone and having time to myself don't seem to be the same thing.

I think it started with a stressful week of work. There are a lot of changes going on at the station. There are ALWAYS changes. It's a TV station. Change is the norm, as I'm finding out more and more. But lately it's been like a mass exodus, to borrow the cliche. Lots of people are leaving, and it's like we can't get people filled into the open spots fast enough, so everyone ends up pulling a little extra weight, and some people end up pulling a LOT of extra weight, and then they get stressed out, and that makes other people worry, and then morale is affected. Plus we had elections, which is the kind of stress I thrive on but still am relieved when it's over. And for some reason, my patience seems to have gotten shorter.

I think it's because I need a vacation.

I applied for (and apparently was granted) some time off in August to go to the lake with Marla, which I'm very much looking forward to. But I think I need to take a day toward the end of this month just...off. Not to really do anything or go anywhere in particular...just not to work!

I do feel like I've gotten a second wind, as it were, when it comes to my job. I'm starting to work faster and catch more mistakes. I feel like for awhile I was getting burnt-out. But I think the prospect of some time off has re-energized me. Plus the weather is getting warmer, and that affects my mood and motivation as well.

But I still feel like I've been more stressed out lately; maybe because I'm starting to take more responsibility for my job, rather than just take the "I'm new at this" approach? I don't know. But I think it caught up with me, because I've had this mild but thoroughly obnoxious cold all week and I end up sleeping for like 12 hours a day. Meaning I don't pick up after myself or wash dishes, and so I've been living in absolute filth all week.

Today I thought, I really need to take care of this stuff so I can take care of myself. Because you know how it is; you don't feel good, so you let stuff go, and then you're so buried in the mess that you don't want to even start cleaning it up, but you can't really be comfortable or relaxed with all that mess all over the place. So I took care of some things.

I paid a bill that was due. I turned in my resigned lease. I picked up my bedroom, which had been a HUGE dump; clothes and hangers and shoes everywhere. I got everything in a drawer or in a closet. I made my bed. I folded and put away all my laundry, and I put all the dirty laundry in the laundry basket. I picked up the living room. I cleaned the bathroom.

I still have a Big Rock Candy Mountain's worth of dishes taking over my kitchen, but I'll tackle that tonight or maybe even tomorrow.

I made an appointment to get my hair cut tomorrow morning after work. My hair is so long I can put it in a ponytail. It's a short, stumpy little ponytail, but still. Way too long! I think it's been like 2 months since I last got it cut. My roots are showing so bad, my bangs have disappeared, and I know I've got split ends of the worst kind.

So I'm going to get my hair cut tomorrow.

Also, I've been searching for a swimsuit. I haven't bought a new suit since the summer after my sophomore year of college. That is a LONG time to go without getting a new suit. The one I picked out in this catalogue is REALLY pretty. I worry a little about ordering stuff online because I can't try it on, but I've been everywhere in town and haven't found anything I like, so I figure the worst thing that happens is I have to ship this suit back if it doesn't fit.

Also, I think I'll go to the tanning bed tomorrow. I know, it's bad for you and it makes you smell weird, but it's been really rainy and gross here and I want a head-start on my tan for when the pool opens and my new swimsuit gets here! I'm a girl! Sue me!

I can't tell you how much more relaxed I feel when everything is neat and tidy around here! I think cleaning does me just as much good as sleeping when it comes to feeling relaxed and well-rested! Although a combination of the two is the ideal situation. Speaking of which, I haven't slept yet today.

Good night!

Officially Summer

I think summer has officially started. Here are some sure signs:

1) The pool is open at my apartment. Or it will be by the end of this week. I'm so excited to be able to lay in the sun this summer; last year I worked all the time so I never got outside, and I was so sadly pale. Not this year!

2) West Lafayette's co-ed softball league is in full swing. Pun! In! Tended!!! Yes, we had our first game last night, and we won! When I initially signed up to play, I had fully expected to keep the bench warm, cheer everyone on, and look as cute as possible to make up for my extreme lack of athleticism. But last night I actually got to play, and I'm glad I did! I caught for a couple innings, and I even got to bat and I hit the ball! Barely. It seriously went about a foot from the plate, but it totally counted! And I didn't have any strikes! So I was super-excited about that.

3) It's Tony Time. The Tony Awards season always sneaks up on me. And I'm pretty sure I'm one of maybe like five people in Indiana who even care about the Tonys. But I love them. And I love trying to predict the winners! Today they are announcing the nominees, so I'll have to do my homework and find out about all the musicals I've never heard of so I know what the heck is going on on awards night. The great part is that CBS carries the Tonys, so I'll have access to video clips of the show and I can force a little Broadway culture into people's mornings!

On a related note, I picked up The Little Mermaid Broadway soundtrack, and it is fantastic. I always worry when they take a beloved Disney movie and turn it into a Broadway show because everyone loves those songs so much that if and when they get changed, it sometimes kind of ruins it. And the Little Mermaid carries a lot of weight--this was the film that pretty much saved Disney and especially its animation department back in the late 80s/early 90s. This was the first of the Alan Menken-Howard Ashman golden nuggets that my generation thinks of when we think "Disney." So I think there is a lot of importance riding on turning the Broadway version into something people would love instead of resent for "ruining" the movie. It's awesome. All the original songs are done with great integrity, and the new songs are so great and fit so well with the original score. And Sierra Boggess, who plays Ariel, is amazing! She definitely embodies the character we've all known, loved, and memorized for almost 20 years.

OK, I'm off that rant.

4) There are so many movies I want to see! What a great year for summer blockbusters! I personally am not into Iron Man or Speed Racer, but I can't wait to see Prince Caspian and Indiana Jones! I will probably also go see Sex in the City with my best girls, as we once spent an entire summer watching every season episode by episode. My co-workers will really give me a hard time about it, but whatever.

OK, gotta go! They are about to announce the Tony nominees on the Early Show! It's summer, and I'm so glad! It's my favorite time of year!

I know EXACTLY how you feel!

I know, I know, the first "real" eviction ceremony happened live on BB9 tonight, and there's much to be discussed in the trashy reality-TV world...but I'll get to it later. I've got more important things to talk about!

I just got a message from an old friend who said they read my blog and really related to what's been going on in my life, and it made me so happy that I had to write about it! I've gotten a few similar messages and phone calls from friends who are the same age as me and are, like me, venturing out in the world, getting first jobs, first apartments, and trying to figure out their role in the universe. I just bubble up with joy when I get these comments from people reaading my blog, because this is EXACTLY why I started writing it--I think all of us "twenty-somethings" feel like we're floating around in the world all alone, but I know we're all feeling the same way and going through the same stuff, and I hoped that by writing about it I could maybe provide those other twenty-somethings with the comfort of knowing that someone out there knows exactly how they feel.

Most of the time it feels like it's all pay checks, rent checks, cooking for one, trying to save money, and trying to figure out whether hanging out with your coworkers outside of the office would be a good idea, since there really isn't anyone else to hang out with. And a lot of the time, that sounds really boring. But the truth is, we are all at a phenomenal point in our lives. A time when, unlike college, we don't take any social engagement for granted and get excited when we actually have plans for the weekend. A time when we call our moms to tell them what we cooked for dinner just because we're so proud of ourselves for not picking up Subway on the drive home. A time when we appreciate what we have so much more because now we have to fork over most of our paychecks to have it. A time when we come home from work and don't have to do homework, clean up after anyone, or go to five different extra-cirricular meetings or practices.

There will (hopefully) come a time when we have money saved up, a family to come home to, and a retirement plan to worry about. But right now, it's just us. We only have ourselves to look after, and we only have ourselves to depend on. And it's scary, but it's exciting too. And even though we feel like losers because sometimes we go to bed at 9:30 on a Friday night, we're so lucky to be where we are, knowing that our jobs, our social lives, and our financial situations can only get better from here on out, but also knowing how to find the joy, the triumph, and the humor in our present circumstances.

So hang in there, all you twenty-somethings. I know EXACTLY how you feel!

Much love,
Lis

Things I've Learned in the Last Six Months

I've been on my own for six months now. Here's what I've learned so far:

1. There is nothing like a nice, clean apartment to make me feel like staying home.
2. I have two great methods of losing weight: exercising, and sleeping all day.
3. There is nothing wrong with being angry sometimes.
4. If I am trying to be fair to everyone, I am probably not being fair to myself.
5. It is not a good idea to put a male betta's fish bowl anywhere near a mirror.
6. Living by myself means never having to shut the bathroom door.
7. I am as entitled to voice my opinion as everyone else is.
8. Eating at the table makes me feel more civilized and less like a college student.
9. It's very important to have girl friends.
10. The older I get, the more I think like my dad.

Being a Grown-Up is Boring.

It's just as I suspected. Being a grown-up is boring.

Here's what's happening in my life: I go to work. I come home. I eat something. I go to sleep. I wake up. I work out (sometimes). I take a shower. I go to work. And that's my week. And even though I'm used to the schedule, my work week still feels more like one really long day during which I just take lots of long naps. Honestly, the best part of my day is from 5 to 7 a.m. Now who else in the world can say that? I have the most fun of my day when we're doing the morning show.

I talked to Ryan yesterday and literally had nothing new to tell him. Because there's nothing new in my life right now. I have a few things to look forward to, but other than that, I'm just doing the same thing every day.

I feel like things will pick up this summer, and here's why. As you may know from reading my last post, I have two major goals for this summer: to get a puppy and to be in at least one summer civic theatre show. I really hope I can be in a play for this summer because once I started rehearsing, I'd have something to do other than work, which would be great! Also, once I have a puppy I will have a lot more to do, like clean up after it, take it outside all the time, and train it. Even the hard parts of owning a dog sound fun! That's how boring my life is right now.

Don't get me wrong; I love my job. It's just the rest of my day when I'm not at my job that's so boring.

And lately I haven't been motivated to do much of anything, like clean my apartment or go work out. I'm just tired of doing this stuff every day! But, welcome to the rest of adult life, right?

Oh! Here's one thing I'm excited about: For the first time since living on my own, this month will be the first that I've actually been able to save a significant amount of money! Tomorrow is a pay day, and I'll be able to pay all my living expenses and still have money left over to speak of! It seems like a small accomplishment, but it's actually a big deal to me, especially since I'm budgeting for a dog in the future.

OK, quick media picks.
Movies: I went to see Katherine Heigl's "27 Dresses." It was great, and I am now completely in love with James Marsden. The movie was one part "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," one part "Runaway Bride," and one part "My Best Friend's Wedding," add James Marsden, shake, strain, and pour into a martini glass. Yum...everything a chick flick should be! My favorite part involves a slightly drunken duet between Heigl and Marsden singing "Benny and the Jets" in a packed roadhouse...it was very adorable (especially Marsden...did I mention I'm completely in love with him?)

TV: Thanks, WGA for not letting anyone get back to work. This is getting really old. I did see that NBC.com posted episodes 1, 3, and 5 of season 4. I still need to watch season 3 on DVD, but now I'm caught up for the most part on the current season, so I really hope the strike ends soon since I'm almost ready to be a weekly Office watcher! Plus I'm waiting for more "Pushing Daisies" on NBC. On the other hand, Big Brother is just around the corner and I can't wait! CBS has been promo'ing its new show line-up for February sweeps, and so far the only thing I'm interested in is Big Brother. Although for Survivor fans they're doing a "Fans vs. Faves" season, which I think is a great idea. They need to do that for BB as well...that would be hilarious.

Music: I don't listen to music anymore. Just kidding. But I haven't listened to anything new lately. I need to dig through my CDs and find some old stuff that I haven't heard in awhile.

Ok, that's it for now. Hopefully next time I write, I'll have something new to say!

Winter Break

Here's some irony for ya...I don't get a winter break this year for the first time since I was 5, because I'm not in school anymore...

But the term "Winter Break" applies to this time in my life better than I can possibly describe.

I'll describe it anyway :)

First of all, the break-up. This is the perfect time for a break-up, because everyone is gone, so none of these parties/get-togethers where people are telling you what they think about your break-up, and none of those uncomfortable moments where you both end up in the same place and everyone starts watching like you're suddenly the newest episode of "Grey's Anatomy." That actually happened once and I ended up crying...and not really because I was upset, but just because I felt all this pressure leaning in on me from around the room, and I literally cracked. So...none of those moments for awhile!

Also, some pretty big things happened...well, ONE pretty big thing happened just a few days ago. Our music director at Purdue announced that he was retiring, effective December 31. Which was a huge shock to people, since there are a lot of big things happening next semester that he won't be there for anymore. And it just makes everyone wonder...what's going to happen? This will change so many things for those kids. I am glad that a) I have already graduated and b) that it is winter break, so all the kids are at home where they can digest this with their families instead of rehash it at school...I mean, they'll do that anyway, but at least they'll have done it with their families first.

Finally, I got sick. It's just a cold, not the flu, but I honestly cannot remember the last time I've felt this gross. And since no one is in town and I don't have a boyfriend anymore, I can spend all day in bed, looking gross, and not having to go anywhere. I haven't been sleeping well because of being sick, so by yesterday I was exhausted when I got home from work. I went to bed about 9 a.m., and from then until about 6 this morning I have been in bed, with only small breaks for answering the phone (sometimes), going to the bathroom, taking medicine, and occasionally getting online for AIM, email, or facebook. And that's it! It's been a real break! All around! And it's not even Christmas yet!

I set up my first very own Christmas tree and did my shopping, and all my presents are wrapped and under my tree...and I'm so proud everytime I look at it! It's weird, for some reason I am the least excited for Christmas that I've ever been, and I don't know why. I am excited to go home, but I don't really feel like it's only a few days till Christmas, and I think it might be because every day at work just makes me feel like...every day is just another day. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, it's just that difference of not having a build-up. No Christmas show rehearsals, no finals, no packing and going home. I think that must be it. I have one day off to look forward to; Christmas Eve night/Christmas morning, and then on Christmas night I go back to the newsroom. Holidays come and go so fast because I don't get to relish them for days, just for hours. The only thing that gets me excited is Christmas shopping and wrapping presents. And looking forward to seeing the Christmas Show on TV!

Speaking of TV, here are my media picks of the moment:
TV...well, nothing is on TV right now thanks to the writers' strike, but here are some shows I started watching and hope to be caught up on by the time WGA lets Hollywood get back to business:
1. The Office -- I love Christopher Guest movies, and this is like if a Chris Guest movie were made into a TV show. I bought the first season on DVD, which to my disappointment only had six episodes...they must have really been counting on this one to fail! Which is understandable, considering the fact that it was based off of a British show of the same title. It's subte, dry, every-day humor and I love it. I am very much in love with the character Jim Halpert (who isn't?) as well as the Jim-Pam love story, or "JAM" as some fans call it. "The Office" never fails to cheer me up and give me stomach cramps.

2. Pushing Daisies -- I had seen the promos for this when the new TV season started, and it looked interesting, but I was busy enough watching "The Bachelor" on abc.com, so I didn't look into it. But I kept hearing my director obsess over it, so now that I've run out of other stuff to watch, I thought I'd give the show a look. I also found out that one of my favorite Broadway people, Kristen Chenoweth, is in it, so that was what really made me decide to check it out. I love it. It's like Tim Burton, Gilmore Girls, and CSI all rolled into one show! Every episode is like a little movie. It's whimsical, colorful, dark, and old-fashioned, with that rapid-fire wit of Gilmore Girls but finally in an atmosphere fitting of that writing style. And it's a murder mystery, so you just can't stop watching as every twist leads you to the next commercial break. Luckily, I was watching online and didn't have to sit through much of a commercial break! And Kristen Chenoweth even sings! The best part, too, is that when characters sing in this show, they just sort of naturally burst forth without needing an excuse to, and for this show, that works and makes sense. That's hard to do in a movie, let alone a tv show! More about that in the movie section...

Movies...
1. I rented "The Wendell Baker Story" from a redbox and it was really good. One of those movies that got totally missed by everyone, even though it was written and directed by the Wilson brothers (Luke, Andrew, and Owen -- actually Owen just acted in it). It was a quirky little story about a con man who decides to clean up his act after his shinannigans cost him his girl, his best friend, and some prison time. He goes to work in a retirement home where he finds out about the shady dealings of the owner and decides to help out, and make friends with, the hilarious senior citizen residents. The movie isn't flashy or over-the-top in any way, which is probably why it flew under the radar for the public, but to say it's worth the dollar it costs to rent it at a redbox vending machine for the night is an understatement.

2. High School Musical 2. Yes, I bought it. I am a sucker for this stuff. It's campy, cheesy, and not made for people my age...but I totally don't care. This is the part of me that never got past the age of 12: I love any show where singing and dancing is involved, and I love Ashley Tisdale. This movie was even better than the first one because there were much more songs, especially big group numbers, and the dancing was a lot more complicated. Also, this had more of a musical feel to it because more of the songs came out of the storyline and happened "spontaneously," whereas in the first movie most of the music was explained by an audition or even kareaoke. I am one of those people who wish life was a musical, and in that musical, the singing and dancing tells the story, everyone already knows the words, and uniform dance moves happen not because someone taught it that way, but because everyone was feeling the same emotion, which led them to move as one. Of course! So I respond better to a show where the songs seem to kind of just happen, rather than be rationalized. Because it's less realistic! Makes perfect sense, right?

Ok, that's all I have for now. Time to find something to eat and start cleaning up my "sick person" mess around the house!