I'm not sure how I'd fare on this show...

I was at the gym tonight, and the show "Wipeout" was on the TV in front of the bike I was on.

Riley quite enjoys this show, and we have sat together in front of it, while I would grimace and wonder why I was watching it (and let's be honest, probably laughing from time to time) and Riley would crack up through the whole thing, sometimes hanging around for a second episode.

Well as I watched tonight I saw that there are some new courses (a daytime preliminary course and a nighttime one for the finalists).

And I must admit they looked pretty cool. There were slides (water and regular) involved, swings, and this tipped-on-its-side revolving maze thing.

Um, awesome.

I also spent some time wondering about the two guys hosting the thing, in suits, behind glass--away from the wet madness. Each with wedding bands on their fingers. I just wonder how they landed in this place in their lives...wonder about the journey...

Proustian agua

I bought an iced Americano earlier, then eventually dumped what I didn't finish of it and refilled the cup with water.

Now whenever I take a sip of it I get a whiff of what smells like Honey Smacks cereal.

Interesting scientific finding, if I care to present it, which I do.

Doesn't make me want to finish drinking the water, however. Kind of gross when you want a sip of something "tasteless."

Although I have fond memories of pouring myself bowls of Malt-O-Meal Golden Puffs on summer mornings in Colorado as a child, taking the green (or white or yellow or pink*) plastic serving receptacle to the living room to eat the puffs dry** while watching Seal and Blues Traveler on Vh1 with the bros.

*Sibs? Were those the colors? Was there a blue one? Am I getting these colors mixed up with our childhood blankets?

**Often with a glass of milk, but never poured atop the cereal in the bowl, no no. Why would you dilute your day's sugary start?

Funny lady

So my friend Erika's hilarious.

She started to tell me something tonight, and I kid you not, I believe she got about as far as,

"Sometimes I think..."*

and then she said,

"Wait. I need to start over."

__________________

*I believe she repeated this a few times, probably distracted because she was driving,** but still -- she didn't advance much further in what she was trying to say before deciding she needed to wipe the slate clean and begin afresh in her verbal thought process.

**She usually drives, since the car belonging to yours truly is often disgusting.

Giggle hour

Last night at dinner I started laughing at something. I think. Or else I was excitedly telling a story.

Probably a combo. The former a result of the latter.

In fact, I had a giggle fit prior to dinner while trying to tell an embarrassing story in the pool, and then had at least one more g-fit after dinner.

Anyway, while at dinner Nate said, "You've had too much sugar, Young Lady."

Cracks me up.

Kansas, I hope to see you again soon, longtime friend

Back to school, back to school...

:(

Didn't get enough time with the 'rents or the g'ma, or the cats--one who sleeps in the sink and catches cicadas, and the other one who's, well, hyper, and a lovey dovey.

See ya, length!

Thanks for the new 'do, Sar Bear!!

Idea

So I've thought about challenging myself to eat, well, more or less each item offered in the produce department at my local grocery.

As in, buy mushrooms, prepare them in some way--either by themselves or with something else, then buy turnips, and figure out some way to eat them. Then radishes, rutabaga, rhubarb, carrots, nectarine...

What do we think about this? Good challenge? Suggestions to spice up the deal?

Webalicious

Do you, too, visit imdb.com at least once a week, generally speaking?

Most recent person I looked up: Scott Bakula.

And you?

Warm fuzzies

So I was just in the bathroom, and something on the bag of cotton balls caught my eye.

I have the Target brand, and apparently they are called:

wait for it...

...are you really ready for this?? You're life's gonna change once you see it.

Puffy fluffs.

That's amazing.

I'd like you to meet...

Are you peeps familiar with Sade (pronounced Sha-day)? She sang Smooth Operator, which I was not aware of until just now. Anyway, allow me to introduce you to some of her other hits. You're welcome ;)

This one'll get you pumped:

And a classic. So pretty:

Saturday night education

So, hangin' out with the AP Stylebook tonight--

ya know, whatevs--

I discovered that a female peacock is called a

peahen!

DID YOU KNOW THAT???!!

...And. Really? How often is it going to come up in a news story that we are going to need to differentiate between a peacock and a peahen? I mean, obvi, I found this in passing. I was not looking up 'peacock.' And if I was, I certainly would not have been looking for the correct gender terminology for one of the female variety.

I mean, if I did in fact stop to look that up, prior to tonight's discovery, I'd be surprised at myself. Which doesn't really make sense, because that was a hypothetical situation I just set up there.

It's late. I'm gonna stop confusing myself/you guys now.

Smooches!

Feeling a little less like a teenager

Me sleepy.

And it's before 4 a.m.

Ta dah!

Change it up, Swiffer! New disc!

I have taken to muting these commercials when they come on. That song annoys me so much now, having heard it so many times. What about you? Any commercials you can hardly stand to watch/listen to?

Your blunder began somewhere near the closet

I was in the newsroom yesterday and my friend Emily said, "You know who you remind me of right now?"

I struck a little pose, I believe, and waited for her to compare me to some Hollywood cutie.

"You know 'The Cat in the Hat?'" she asked.

Okay...this is not going the way I expected but let's see where it goes...

"Oh. The girl?" I asked, thinking this might be a cute little compliment, comparing me to the little cartoon blondie.

"No. You know Thing 1 and Thing 2?"

"Yeah..."

"You look like a 'Thing.'"

Nicholas, before you jump in here, let me tell you that I was wearing a navy, cotton skirt (oh wait, you've seen it; the one with the nautical belt you made fun of) and a red T-shirt. And I had already taken my hair out of braided pigtails by this point in the day and had removed my heart-shaped sunglasses.

And let me just inform the rest of you that Nick and I have a best-friend pastime of Nick mocking my fashion choices. It's fun for both of us; it's not like he sends me away in tears (although sometimes he does veto my choices, such as the dress I had planned on wearing to my brother's wedding). And, in his defense, here's just a sampling of some of my outfits he's captured on film:

From 2011, we have polka dots and stripes:

And from 2008, we have what I believe is our personal favorite

(this one comes up quite often in conversations as the yardstick for other outfit choices;

kind of a "just how bad is it" meter):

Well Emily did tell me she wasn't dissing me with her "Thing" comparison (and Em, I didn't think you were). I didn't feel particularly insulted, in fact I found it to be funny. Just wasn't, uh, what I was expecting her to say. I was hoping for her to say Drew Barrymore, Renee Zellweger. Even little Sally from the Seuss classic.

You know, someone who's at least blonde. Not so...blue-haired.

Elliot Sherman

I watched a movie last night (The Baxter) that I found to be very entertaining and very funny. It's hard to describe just exactly why.

I guess because it was a touch campy, but not so much that I was purely watching it to poke fun at it. And while it could have annoyed me by being a little bit too indie (and I will admit, at times it was difficult to watch the main character; but then again, the actor was doing a pretty great job of playing who that character was supposed to be), it didn't quite get there. Here's why, in my opinion:

It didn't overdo the awkward moments--but rather, presented them in a manner that was just right--and it also had that anachronistic feeling of Napoleon Dynamite. There was a reference to and use of Palm Pilots, and the year 2002 was dropped in some conversations, but otherwise for the most part it could have been in the '50s, '90s; all of the above, really. In that sense, you could say, a little something for all (okay, most: rated PG-13) ages.

And there were several moments where I just thought it was very humorous. Again, hard to describe. You might just have to experience it for yourself and then report back here at the DB.

Give it a watch if you care to:

Luckily Diblets likes to sync his bedtime with mine

I asked some of my colleagues tonight if they're up for hours after they get home after their shifts at the paper.

I basically got a resounding "Yes" in response.

Me too, kids. I'm so wired after staring at a screen, reading reading reading the news, looking closely at details, then stepping back and looking at the big picture to create a headline. Then back to the details, with a brand new story, new topic.

Your mind is full of information by the time you're done, so you're well informed, but how one could get into bed right as they get home (if there's even one out there who can) is beyond me. I mean, I require time to wind down in general, but add in a brain full of thoughts about flood levees, Murdoch's issues, Dear Abby, and you can bet this girl's gonna be tapping her fingers until (ahem) sometimes the crack of dawn.

I'm considering looking at copy editing jobs for post-graduation (but keeping my dream of being a writer! I'm just thinking copy editing work might be more consistent than freelance work, at least while one is trying to carve herself a respectable place in the freelance world), but if I get offered a schedule heavy with night shifts, let's just say I might grimace.*

Inwardly, probably, if in a face-to-face interview.

*This is not to say I wouldn't take the job nor enjoy it, I just wouldn't jump for joy at the idea of 4 a.m. as a bedtime.

This is (one reason) why I really need a helper (read: spouse) eventually

I'm moody.

If you haven't noticed.

Today I have enjoyed the company of some great women in my life. I have also been down on myself for spending money, (currently) for not having my laundry done so that I could already be in bed, for having minimal, minimal structure in my life minus that which is already carved out by some other entity--a university class schedule, a newsroom.

Ugh.

At this point I realize I should just go to bed, but, like I said, the laundry isn't done so...

Whadda ya think, kids? Should I get in bed with my book? Or watch some TV? Brush teeth first? Oh wait, I'm kind of hungry. Tooth brushing wouldn't be smart to do right away, then...

I was saying, about minimal structure...?

Reminder on a car radio

I worry so @&#%ING much.

I was just in my car and heard the lyric from a great song, My Savior, My God:

"I take Him at His word and deed."

EASIER SUNG THAN DONE, MY FRIENDS.

Bailey Kathleen needs a lesson in trusting her heavenly Father.

Sigh. Followed by a few thousand more.

All the single ladies (and gents)

Some thoughts on living alone/filling the time in your twenties:

It really is an effort, and an ongoing strengthening exercise to fill your time. I know that I over think a lot of things, so when I spend too much time refreshing my email page and feel badly for not doing something else with my time, I assume that it is in part just me; as in, others either fill their time with more unique, productive things, or they just enjoy the excess free time and don't worry about it.

But I don't always think that it's just me. I mean, what exactly are other single people in my cohort doing with their time that doesn't involve too much time on the Internet or in front of the TV?

I mean, I know that I am not a workaholic, I don't need to fill my extra time with extra meetings, or group involvements, or team sports in order to feel satisfyingly busy all the time. In fact if I go more than two nights in a row with a social gathering I start to think more and more about when I'll have time to read and pet the cat.

But the flipside is having way too much time to just sit and think. Or, click around on YouTube or go on a lengthy walk while thinking.

I've been watching things on Netflix to fill some of my time, some films providing more viewing success than others; one that had me crying for the majority of the last 30 minutes of it. WARNING: If you're going to watch "Listen to your heart," have tissues on hand. I was just telling Deniz that I saw a review of the film that said it would be a good date movie.

Yeah, if you want to sob on your first date.

It wasn't a horrible movie, in fact it was reminiscent of "Once," with music tied in throughout (although I have my own beef with how "Once" ended, too...Riley: "You didn't expect it to be a love story, did you?" Me: "Yeah!").

Anyway.

So let's review my day: A late sleep, some scones on the love seat while watchin' the tube, a run/walk, a shower, some time in TV/Internet oblivion. Then I ordered Chinese food, went to pick it up, then watched...the film...made some iced tea to fight this headache that is still with me. Watched some TV. Then I was on round number...? of checking the email/Facebook when my phone rang.

Thankfully.

I truly believe that God puts people in my life, period, but I also believe that He times when he puts them there. I believe He's in charge of the timing of everything, and I really believe it's Him who puts a familiar face at the grocery store or the name of someone I love in my email inbox when I'm having a sloggish (yes, I just made that a word) moment of what-to-do-with-myself-for-the-next-3-hours-because-I-don't-have-a-roommate-or-a-spouse.

Oh and by the way it was Deniz on the phone, my pal from school who makes me smile over and over again who is in Cali this summer.

He asked, as always, to speak to Dibbs.

But, as always, he settled for speaking to me instead. 55 (Dibby just typed those two 5's)

So there ya have it. This evening in my life the time was filled with an unexpected phone call (oh, and Mom called earlier when I was still in my that-movie-was-so-sad haze; I appreciated that phone call too, of course, and was actually planning on calling her to debrief about the movie anyway), a sad movie, a monstrous headache to negatively distract, and lots of the usual puttering to fill in the gaps. Currently I watch "Will & Grace" at midnight on weeknights--it's part of the puttering.

Last night I had a girls' night over here at my place. We painted nails, drank wine, laughed. God provides. Days are just different from one another, when one doesn't have a family of her own to build a schedule around. Sometimes this is aggravating, exhausting, depressing. Other times the spontaneity is something that I occasionally realize I might miss when, God willing, that family does come along and my days are more routine-filled.

G

Got the design project done. Watched

Gilmore Girls while snacking on

Goat cheese. Then a friend brought over a baked

Good for

Girls night.

Good day.

Wardrobe

Sometimes I hang around my apartment for long periods of time without any pants on--what? It's my own private living space--and then decide that I'd rather be wearing pants.

I believe yesterday I said something along the lines of, "I'd like to put on pants."

Mes cheveux

My mom gave me these soft roll curlers a while ago, and I just put them in my hair:

I look like Amy in Little Women. Ah, Little Women. <3

Another point for breakfast

Well I've had some water issues at my place, so I asked Courtney if I could use her shower today.

Being awesome (per her usual), she offered me not only her shower but also offered to make pancakes.

Duh, of course I accepted, and enjoyed the cakes along with bacon and farm fresh eggs.

And, per our usual, we chatted for hours. Yeah, we're adorable.

I'm gonna miss that cat after she moves. :(

Point for breakfast

I had brunch with my brother Kelly and his wife, Jenny, today.

We were able to pick our own mugs from a hutch. I of course chose one with a purple cat on it.

At one point our waiter walked away from the table and Kelly said that he thought the waiter was flirting with me.

He said this before I had a chance to tell them that I thought the waiter was cute.

I razzed the waiter a little bit, asking him if he liked my choice of mug.

I enjoyed this. I generally enjoy encountering cute waiters. Particularly playful ones.

I quite enjoy the job anyway, but this really makes it worth it

I proofed a life story (a more in-depth obituary) tonight while working at the paper, and I came across the following:

"[He] is also remembered as a loving grandfather, who frequently attended his grandchildren's show-and-tell days. He was known as 'Grandpa Buzz' because of the sound his wheelchair made."

Gets me every time.

So sweet. I love it.

I'll probably tell people about this for years to come.

Rolla Coasta

My emotions are

UP

and

DOWN.

Ugh. I wear myself out.

Earlier today I went from "I'm otherwise happy, but really don't want to go to campus to work on this project" to really excited about some stuff to

CRASH--frustrated/overwhelmed/freaked out/annoyed with this project and my inadequate understanding of the system I'm supposed to use for it, to

crying

to feeling a little better, to watching a film that put a huge smile on my face--literally--to chatting so long on the phone that now I realize how late it is but I'm figuring, "Well what else is new this summer, I'm up late all the time anymore,"

and now I'm just sitting here typing. Not super excited about working tomorrow, but not freaking out or crying either.

I'll say it again: Ugh.

Whoever ends up with me is gonna have to be able to deal. Because this is not a rare occurrence, this "I'm happy! I'm sad. I'm in the middle" girl. And I'm not sure who it's rougher on: me or the people who support me. Yeah, it's probably rougher on me. But I can't imagine it's too easy to be on the receiving end of my moods.

Anyway.

Once I post this I can get closer to turning off the compy, which will get me closer to going to sleep. Smooches.