I do things. And then I think.

After looking at my Netflix DVD queue, I've had an epiphany about myself: It's entirely possible I have a type- of movie, that is. And many other things as well. Particularly men. English ones that is.

I can't stop daydreaming about moving to the English countryside, living in a little cottage, and being a full-time writer...

But then I notice just how often people in British TV shows and films are wearing long wool jackets and scarves, and how they do this on EVERY show, and I reconsider.

But wouldn't I be great as a writer in England? Maybe Scotland...

I've been learning other things about myself recently too. Like how much willpower I have. Or how much better I feel when I'm gluten-free and corn-free. And how sometimes it doesn't matter that I feel so much better, I still really, really want certain bad for me foods!

And I've really come to learn the cold hard truth about the joke I always make- if you want me to get something done, give me 10 things to do, or I'll never get anything done. I've taken on a bunch of responsibilities lately, and I've never been more productive. I really do prefer to be completely crazy busy, than to have just a few bits to do.

For instance, about a month ago the idea hit me to participate/walk in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. Knowing how I am prone to flights of fancy, and I'm a bit ADD, I decided not to fork over the money that would commit me to the walk. (First you pay $50 just to register, and then you have to train for the 30 mile walk, and raise $1,200! Really, this isn't a decision to make on a flight of ADD crazy.) I decided to wait a month and see if I still felt compelled to do it.

And well, I do. I can't explain it. I really do feel compelled to do this walk. I have no idea how I am going to come up with the funds. Or how I will actually convince myself to train. (I'm actively recruiting friends to join me! Who wants to walk 30 miles with me? And raise lots of money?) But here it is a month later, and I'm still thinking about doing this. I've even started making small changes to my diet (gluten-free, corn-free, sugar-free, pretty much all paleo), and wearing my pedometer-thingy around. Hey, if a hobbit can walk that far, so can I, right?

Yeesh. I really am a nerd sometimes.

Okay, time to stop blogging and return to that life that keeps making me do things. Like plan a singles conference. And write books. And plan marketing campaigns. And walk 2 extra miles every day. And balance checkbooks. And pay bills. And fix transmissions. And, and, and...

And watch more English films. (Brownie points if you figure out what 4 of those films have in common, other than being entirely posh and British.)





Erin Ann McBride is a writer, dreamer, and single woman. By day she works in marketing, and by night she hunts unicorns and writes romantic novels, “You Heard It Here First,” and the sequel “This Just In!” She accepts new friends daily at https://www.facebook.comAuthorErinAnnMcBride

So I went to Las Vegas and saw Clay Walker, and all you got was this little blog post.

The story starts out like this-
a few day before Thanksgiving I saw a post on Twitter by Clay Walker (one of my absolute all time country music singers) saying "retweet this to win free concert tickets and meet and greet passes." Knowing absolutely nothing beyond that, I retweeted it. I didn't know when or where the concert was, or even when the contest ended.
Thirty minutes later I got the notification that I won!
Turns out I won 2 meet and greet tickets, 2 nights at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, and 2 tickets to a Clay Walker concert (also in the Venetian).
For the very next week!
A few phone calls to BFF Jules, and some Christmas present hints about plane tickets to my generous parents, and boom! I was on my way to Vegas.
Being a fairly seasoned and smart traveler, I booked my flights via Dallas. Because when flying in December, always fly through Denver instead of Chicago, right?
Famous last words.
Due to snowstorms and ice storms in nearly every city except Washington, DC, my flight was delayed, and I got re-routed through Chicago. Go figure.
I flew to Salt Lake City, where Jules picked me up at the airport, and we drove to Vegas. Some people may think flying to the wrong city and driving seven extra hours was crazy. I say that was 7 more hours with my BFF, driving through some of my favorite memories, and not making Juli drive down there alone.

I waved at my old beloved neighborhood as we drove past. Sadly there was no time to stop and visit. But I really wanted to!

I'm going to gloss over the part about hotel room foul-ups when we first arrived in Vegas. Suffice it to say there was one.
It was around 10 or 11 pm Pacific time, which means it was 1-2 a.m. in my East Coast head, after nearly 21 hours of traveling, and no sleep. Needless to say the foul-up was not fun, and didn't bring out my better side. Thankfully, Juli is smarter than me, and cooler heads prevailed.
We ended up spending our first night in town at Treasure Island (and not the Venetian). I may or may not have told my sob story to the check-in desk at TI. The clerk (who probably saw straight through my crocodile tears) took pity on us, and gave us a few fun perks- including complimentary champagne, and free breakfast buffet. (We changed the champagne to sparkling cider.)

First thing on Saturday morning the hotel foul-up got rectified, and the Venetian/Palazzo bent over backwards to get things right. We were checked in and upgraded over there by noon.
If you aren't familiar with the Venetian Hotel, it is connected to and affiliated with the Palazzo Hotel. In theory, the Palazzo is nicer than the Venetian. But really, both are about as luxurious and gorgeous as you have ever seen. The very wonderful person who scurried and worked on a Saturday morning to get us sorted, put us in one of the nicer, higher-up floors, and fancier suites at the Palazzo. For which I will always be grateful. You don't get to stay in that kind of opulence every day, let me tell you!
The view from our new room-

And as for the room?
HELLO!

Juli models one part of the bathroom.

And this is my first and only ever bathroom selfie. Is it a selfie if Juli is in the picture too?
The bathroom alone was bigger than my bedroom.

And here's Juli modeling the lovely marble wall divider between the bedroom and the living room.

And here I am  modeling the chaise at the foot of the bed.

And a better view of the room without us modeling it. 

See how in the picture of Juli the drapes in the back are closed, but in the picture below they are open? One of the fun features of the room was the remote control that moved the 3 sets of drapes, up/down/side to side. It was fun.

After we convinced ourselves to leave our amazing room (did I mention it had a printer in it? And not 1, not 2, but 3 televisions? One in the living area, one by the beds, and one in the bathroom- that was strategically placed so you could sit at the vanity, and see it in the reflection bounced off 3 mirrors, so that it wasn't a inverted reflection directly in front of you.), we decided to tour the hotel. We half-had plans to actually leave the hotel and go do more Vegas-y things, but that never happened.
There was so much to do and see in our hotel, that we just never left!
One of my favorite things was a rare book store. It was less a bookstore, and more a small museum. It had some incredible books in there. I was in heaven!
If you know me, (or if you've read "You Heard It Here First") you know I have been hunting down the original versions of the "Anne of Green Gables" books for years. I used to own several early editions, of most of the series. ("You Heard It Here First" fans- you can guess which is the one book I've never been able to find!) Sadly, I no longer have them. This is the one and only thing I regret about letting my storage unit go. My limited edition Anne books were in that unit. But I digress.
I cried when I saw this in the bookstore. Ask Juli. I really did get all teary-eyed and squeaky voiced.

A 1908 rare, first edition copy of "Anne of Green Gables."
A mere $30,000.
I may or may not have said a silent prayer that if I could win $30,000 in the slot machines, that I would promise to spend it on this book.
Alas, this did not happen.
Another incredible find in the store-

An extremely rare second edition of the Book of Mormon. I was very impressed that it read "Joseph Smith, Translator" not author or writer.
Did you know the second editions are more rare and valuable than the first? True story.
Funny thing about this book. I called my dad and told him I saw it. (I get my love of rare books from him.) When I told him the price he got excited. I could hear the wheels turning in his head, as he was plotting how to send me the money to buy it for him. That's when I realized that the bad phone connection had played a trick on us. He heard $6,000. It's actually $60,000.
I didn't buy it. But I did make another silent prayer that if I won $60,000 ($90,000 really) in the casino, I would buy it for my dad.

Other cool sites and decorations in the hotel-

The Palazzo really was beautiful.
And we dined like the princesses/queens/divas we are! I didn't take any pictures of that though. But trust me, I had the best shrimp and lobster risotto I have ever dreamed of!
One of the other highlights of our stay was the "Cowboy Christmas Expo." I never would have guessed that Juli and I would have spent the bulk of our time walking around a cowboy expo and shopping, but we did. And we loved it. I have no pictures from that either. We both bought a few things in there and really enjoyed the booths and vendors.
And oh we did we enjoy gawking at the Wrangler butts. 

And now for the whole point of it all-
The Clay Walker Concert!

 

(I bought the pink cowgirl hat at the cowboy expo. It seemed like the right thing to do!)

The meet and greet was before the concert. I was not surprised that Clay Walker took a minute to speak with each person, and seemed to have a genuine conversation. I wasn't sure what I would say to him when it was our turn, and then it hit me- tell him I/we were the contest winners. So I did. He told me to be sure to take some pictures and tweet them so he could retweet them later. And asked if we were having fun and what we thought of it all. 

Something tells me he didn't know that the audience was about to be asked not to take any pictures. The concert was being recorded for TV playback, and photos/video was forbidden by the audience. (And then the "guards" said much quieter, "and when you do sneak a picture anyway, make sure the flash is off.")

And so I did-

 

It was very different and fun to be in a show being recorded for TV. There were interesting stops and starts. At one point the lead guitar wasn't quite in tune perfectly. Normally in such a loud venue no one would have noticed. And the guitarist could have fixed it during the song I am sure. But since it was being recorded for TV, they stopped the song, let him fix it, and started over again.

The venue itself was very small. My high school auditorium was bigger. We were in the 5th row I think? Maybe the 8th. I can't recall now. But close enough we could actually make eye contact with Clay Walker and his band. (And let me just say, his band is AMAZING! Those are some very talented dudes!) Again to Clay Walker's credit for just being a truly nice guy, I noticed he would make eye contact with some of the meet and greet people from before the show. I'm sure he was doing for them just what he did for me. He made eye contact and smiled at me, made me feel like he remembered exactly who I was, and threw a guitar pick at me during the song I said I liked the most. When the guy in front of me caught it, he (Clay) threw another one my direction. I missed it again, but that's okay. I was just impressed that he made the personal effort like that.

The concert was a part of the National Rodeo Finals (being held at the Sands Expo and the Venetian), and was televised last week on RFD-TV. Unfortunately I don't get that channel so I didn't get to see whether or not Juli and I made it into the footage. But the camera sure spent a lot of time right on my pink cowgirl hat...

The concert was just a ton of fun. By far the best country concert I have ever been to. There were confetti cannons, beach balls, dancing in the audience, and more. And the music was incredible- of course! I've been to a LOT of country concerts, and this was my favorite one ever.

Getting gelato at 1 a.m. and not having to fight parking lot traffic on the way out were definite perks. But the best part was that it was all part of a dream trip and getting to share it with Juli!

I could bore you with the ridiculousness of the traffic on the way back, delayed flights, and bizarre weather situations, but I won't. Let's just say not one flight went according to plan. But who cares? In the end, I made it home. And really it was a phenomenal, unforgettable trip!

Christmas Specials!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With the holiday shopping season upon us, it is time for me to add my own little sales to the mix. (Plus, it has been a while since I reminded the world that I wrote some books!)

Add caption

What sounds like a good deal? A coupon code to get a discount on an e-book from Smashwords?
I can do that- get 50% off "You Heard It Here First" on Smashwords with code XD69B. (Smashwords sells e-books for Nook, Kindle, iPads, and people who don't have e-readers. Very compatible with everything.)

How about getting The Agency for FREE between Wed, Dec 4- Sat, Dec 8? Just click the big FREE link.

Are you just not an e-book person? No worries! You can always get "You Heard It Here First" and the sequel, "This Just In!" in paperback. You can always buy them (paperback or ebook) off Amazon or BarnesandNoble.com. OR for a much better deal, buy direct! In other words, buy from me, and not only will you get them for $3 less than Amazon (in other words $7), but they will autographed and gift-wrapped as well. (Unless you don't want an autograph, which is cool, I get it, not everyone wants that.) Just email me and we can make that happen. See the fine print below.

Now, for the big, irresistible, amazing, limited time offer, Christmas shopper special-

(No, not that kind of Christmas special)

For a mere $6.25 I will write you your very own, personalized, custom, Christmas story (minimum 1,000 words). WAHOO!!
You provide the names, I provide the story, well in advance of Christmas Eve. Just think- your very own, fun, funny, and personalized Christmas-themed short story to read while gathered around the Christmas tree, drinking hot cocoa, and basking in the twinkly lights. If you want, I'll even print it up and mail it to you on pretty paper. (or just email it to you, or both) Characters can be named after you, family members, co-workers, or complete strangers. Whatever you want!

$15 will get you autographed and gift-wrapped copies of both "You Heard It Here First," "This Just In!" AND a personalized story. You can't beat this deal! If that isn't the most awesome Christmas gift, I don't know what is! Again, contact me for details.


(the fine print, aka- the contact info- mcbridemarketing at gmail dot com)

Aging

I'm fairly used to the fact that I look a little young for my age. I don't mean this in any sort of bragging way. If anything, I wouldn't mind looking a little bit more mature just so I could get a little more professional respect. When people think you are half your age, you get treated that way (and paid that way).
But truth be told, I'm starting my mid-life crisis. And I'm attending my 20th high school reunion this weekend.
It's so cliche to say it, but it's hard to believe it has been 20 years since I graduated from high school. How is that even possible?
I mentioned to someone today that I would be going to the reunion this weekend, and he responded that I still look like I am in high school.
Ha.
That's just what you think!
I may look 18 now (really, I don't think I do. I think I can pass for mid-20's, but 18? not so much.), but I promise you, I did not look like this at 18.
Shall we go to the photographic evidence? And mock my awesome looks in the 80s and 90s?
Here I am at age 18 and my high school graduation. Please note: I did not exactly have the blond, golden locks I have now.

I would be the short one in the graduation white robe. My younger sister Natalie is taller than me. (Has been for many years now.) Sidenote: today I was mistaken for the little girl I am holding in this picture. That is my baby sister Stephanie, who was only 4 years old when I graduated.

As you can see, my natural hair color  back then was a much, much darker blond, bordering on brown.
Next we have a lovely picture from my college years.

Don't ask why we are posing with Citrucel. It's a ridiculous story.

This picture was taken a few weeks before my 20th birthday. (And was before I discovered eyebrow waxing/tweezing.)
And just for good measure, here's what I look like now-

Me and little cousin Lexi Doodle. Who doesn't love a little kid missing their teeth?

Okay, now I realize I haven't really proven my point very well. Apparently my hair has changed, but not much else. In my mind, I really don't look anything like I did when I was 18. But in these pictures it is hard to prove that, other than my hair. But really, at 18, I was 50 lbs lighter, very flat chested (often went without even wearing a bra), had short, curly blond-brown hair, and would never dare have left the house without makeup and earrings on. Now? I might wear mascara if I didn't get much sleep the night before. I can't remember the last time I wore earrings. My hair is light blond and elbow length. And I wear bras that come with gravity defying money-back guarantees.

And now, just for fun, here are some fun 80s pictures of my hair for you-

Behold my 8th grade class picture! I worked hard to get my hair to wing out on the sides like that. 

And 9th grade! Complete with perm and tall bangs! And an acid wash pleated jean skirt. I should be so ashamed, but mostly I'm just greatly amused. I thought I looked totally rad in this outfit!

And no self-shaming high school post would be complete without a prom picture. I was 17 in this picture. And clearly already showing my not-big-on-glamor side.

With all of this humiliation out of the way (not really. i really don't care what i looked like back then.), I am totally ready for my high school reunion.

Believing in me, defining me

I also love eating chocolate, painting my nails (they are ALWAYS painted), and wearing ball caps.

Who we are can be defined by so many different things. And how other people define us can be based on so many other things. But at the end of the day it is what we believe about ourselves that defines who we truly are.
Recently, and for obvious reasons, many people have tried to define me as someone who defines herself by her marital status.
This statement is fascinating to me. First, other people are defining me, by what they think I define myself as. Those people would be wrong twice.
I don't define myself by my single status. Sure, it is something that I write about, and talk about a lot. But talking about the LDS singles situation no more defines what I think of myself, than being a writer about frogs would define me as a woman who believes she is a frog!
Are you following me?
Sure, I have a lot to say on the subject. But it doesn't define who I am.
What I believe in myself is that I am dedicated to service. I lok for new ways to serve people each and every day. I pray for opportunities to serveothers every day. I feel terrible when I am forced to turn down a chance to do a favor or lend a hand ot others. Service is what defines me.
I am the daughter of Maurice and Alicia.
I am the sister of Scott, Steph, and Natalie.
I am the sister-in-law of Steve.
I am the aunt of Porter, Dallin, and Tell.

I am the fairy godmother to 10 little children, several of whom believe I wear sparkly slippers and carry a fancy wand around.
I am a cousin to over 50 people. And I can name them all in age order.
I am "Little's" big sister. I am also her confidante. She is my muse.
I am Emilee's "giant sister."
I am the human to one incredibly awesome dog (even when she does hog the bed).
I am the ex-girlfriend to a few good men.
I am a friend to several many more wonderful people.
I was an angel to a woman dying in a hospital bed in Haiti. She held my hand as she died and whispered over and over that I was an angel.
I am a niece and a grand-daughter.

I am a singer.
I am a writer.
I am a science fiction nerd.
I get addicted to well-written stories, whether they be books, movies, or TV series.
I love goofball and corny humor. I hate potty humor.
I will find something to love in everyone I meet, and give them the benefit of the doubt, no matter how much they have wronged me, or how annoying they are.
I'm a motivator and instigator. And on occasion I like to call myself a "muckraker," after my now deceased cousin and journalist Jack Anderson.
I am not afraid to make tough choices.
I am not afraid to do the unexpected. In fact, I live for it.
I am not afraid to rock the boat and make people think about uncomfortable things, or ask the hard questions.
I am someone to many people. It is not the lack of one specific person in my life that defines me.
I define me. I determine what I will be and what my destiny. Not what others think about me. And certainly not my marital status. 

thinking ... things

Here's what I think.

I think I have way too much on my mind. Way too much free time, and yet not enough time in the world to get all my thoughts thought out. 

Is that redundant?

Things on my mind at this exact moment-

I applied for a mall job today (4 actually). These jobs are likely to hire much faster than any of the 10 other "real" jobs I applied for today. Do I risk taking a mall job, just to have to quit a few days later? (hopefully!)

Am I ever going to actually get a real job?

And if I do get a real interview for a real job, do I dare tell them about the Peace Corps looming over me in just a few months?

In the new book I am writing, is it more romantic that he doesn't kiss her (because he respects her), or should he just go for it and kiss her because they are in love?

Speaking of which, when is the last time I went on a decent date? Shh... don't answer that. 

Which reminds me, the guy who sent me the email about communing with cows wants to "go to the next level" with me. And by that, I mean he wants to go on a date. I'm pretty sure that the relationship has absolutely no chance for success. But I'm bored. And I'm nice. Do I go out with him anyway? 

If you had all the free time ever (and no funds because you haven't had a job in over a year), and you wanted to make the most of it, what would you do? 

I just remembered where I hid the ice cream. 

I need to go now.

Put on your big girl panties and deal with it!

In the past few weeks I have been hurt or insulted personally by people who claim to be my friend more times than I can count. I choose not to let it get to me. But still, it does wear a girl down.
My life revolves around serving others. It has since the day I lost my job 6 weeks ago. From the minute I get up to the minute I go to sleep, I have been helping others for the past 6 weeks. And I wouldn't have it any other way! And yet in that time, I've been accused of "playing," and unfairly "enjoying" my unemployment. I've been completely back-stabbed by someone. I was ripped off and hurt by someone I chose to help.
I've also been generously helped in uncommon ways. I've been able to enjoy the company of my family by serving them. Someone told me it was hard to feel sorry for me on unemployment because I'm enjoying myself! I don't feel like I should have to explain my every move, and justify my every expense to the world. But I will say this, my financial situation sucks. I am living off the kindness of others. And never judge a book by its cover- or the person by only the things she shares on her blog. It is rarely a full and accurate description!
Tonight I'm particularly stressed and disheartened. Someone took advantage of my kindness, abused the situation, and now I am going to be hurt long-term for it. It breaks my heart that I was treated like this. Why would someone do this? But what can you do? Other than just deal with the consequences of another's actions?
But I can't let it get me down. There's too much to deal with, too much going on. I'm needed at the hospital to help my grandmother. (Which let me just say is an emotional and physical ordeal in and of itself.) I have to finish getting this house ready and cleaned before the movers come on Saturday to put my aunt's stuff back in. I have to keep applying for jobs. I have to pack and move a lot of my stuff out. I have to figure out what comes next- where to live, what to do, etc.
So who has time to let the critics and stupid people of the world get them down? There's too much to do!

Priorities!

This picture is about 5 years old I think. I weigh 20 lbs less now. Woohoo! This was a trade show set up day. I never looked good on set up days. Superhero shirts were a necessity on setup days!

This afternoon I came to the very scary realization that I have, without question, completely overextended myself. I sat down to make up my list of things to do and realized that I have way too many major projects on my plate.

(deleted- I did have the major projects listed and then realized that maybe I shouldn't let everyone know I'm up to!)

Where to begin?!?!  And who is going to do the laundry and the dishes and walk the dogs and get all this stuff out of my living room while I get it all done??

What? You mean I signed up for this life and I have to do it all by myself? Fine, I will. Bring on the Diet Dr Pepper and break out the superhero t-shirts. I got myself into this, I'll get myself through it too.

And now you all know the secret as to why I have and wear so many superhero t-shirts. Self-motivation.

Leave it to me

I went on a blind date last night. I'll wait till you pick your jaw up off the floor. Yes, me, Erin, I actually went on a blind date. I know how these things shock you. My date, hereafter to be known as The Guy, called me earlier in the afternoon and we set up a place and time to meet. I made the strategic decision to not save him to my phone book yet until after the date. I know a few other people with his name, and figured saving him in my phone prior to the date was just a hassle, given that I wasn't sure about his last name.
This decision becomes critical later.
With strangely little coaxing he convinces me to go all the way to freaking Provo to meet him, and then go up to Sundance for dinner. It is only because it was Sundance that I let a blind date convince me to drive that far on a blind first date.
I hit bad traffic and was running late. So I quickly pull out my phone, go to my most recent calls, and send a short text, "ETA 10 mins." I get no reply, which I thought was strange.
20 minutes later I pull up to his office. His name is clearly on the door, so feeling rather foolish, I attempted to open and go in. But it's locked. So I pull out my phone and call him. The conversation went exactly like this.
Male voice that answers: Hey, what's going on?
Me: I must not have been paying attention when you said where to go. So I'm here, but I don't know where to find you.
Male voice: We're sitting right inside, just come in.
Me: But the door is locked. I'm standing on the corner.
Male voice: I'll come out and look for you.
Pause, pause, pause
Male voice: I don't see you anywhere. Where are you?
Me: In front of the door! On the curb.
Male voice: Where? I'm looking and don't see anyone.
For the record, I'm standing in the middle of a fairly empty business complex parking lot. I should be VERY obvious.
Suddenly, my call waiting beeps in. I look down, and realize it is a Provo number. Uh oh.
Me: Um, someone's calling me. Gotta go.
Answer other line
Me: Hello?
Voice that sounds a lot more like The Guy: Hey, are you standing on the curb?
Me: (very meekly) Um, yes?
Voice that sounds a lot more like The Guy: Turn around, I'm on the steps across the street.
We hang up, and ta da, there he is!
Um... uh oh. Who was I on the phone with?? As I am still staring at my phone in confusion and The Guy is opening his car door for me my text message goes off-
Text: This is my confused face.
My reply: This is my sheepish embarrassed face when I have called the wrong number.
Text: That's f*ing hilarious. I'll stop looking for you now.
My reply: Let's pretend this never happened but mock me forever anyway.
Text: Word!

Still wondering who the heck I've just been talking to, it hits me- OUTgoing calls, INcoming calls. Oh crap. Who was the last person I called that wasn't in my phone book? Aw hell, that would have been a business call.
Sidenote- if you've ever received a text message from me you know that at the bottom of all my texts my name goes out automatically. So whoever it was I was talking to clearly knew who I was. A Very Big Oh Crap.
I figured out who it was pretty quickly. He's a nightclub owner that I booked a band at, and is thankfully a very funny and nice guy. If you are going to humiliate yourself that badly, he's the guy to do it in front of. And I have no doubt that he will mock me - to my face- for a very long time to come.

(The date then proceeded to be just as humorous and unexpected as the way it started. But that's not going to be discussed here anytime soon.)

My Humble Home

Recently I got it into my head that I wanted to try gardening. But I live in a third floor apartment with no yard. So I had to get a little inventive with my first ever attempt at gardening. And not just any gardening. Container gardening on a third floor balcony.





Here are the fruits (seedlings) of my labors.

I planted tomatoes, green peppers, mint, and the great pumpkin. A pumpkin? No. THE GREAT PUMPKIN. Also, please notice my awesome party lanterns that live on my balcony. Sometimes at night I turn off the lights inside my apartment and just light my pink Christmas tree and balcony lanterns. And then dance naked. Or not.




I planted 3 pumpkin seeds in a dixie cup. Seriously- a dixie cup. I really didn't expect them to live. Much to my surprise, 2 of the 3 have sprouted, and have graduated to a bigger pot. When they get a little bigger, and the tomatoes and green peppers are bigger, I'll move them over to that pot. It should be interesting to see how big the vines can grow on my balcony.




Here we have some of the tomato sproutlings. Again, I planted about 15, expecting maybe 2 to live. Um, I have 10. I'm a little nervous. If the green peppers are going to make it they should show themselves in 3-4 more days.

This next picture is not balcony related, but is apartment and humbling related. As some of you know, I've been sleeping on an air mattress kindly loaned to me by a friend since I moved here. It's a really nice air mattress, and I've had no complaints about it. Until the day that it bucked me out of the bed. Since then it has been like sleeping with a big hard pillow next to me that I can't push away. And then over the weekend it bucked me again. It was not a happy day. Before the seam had burst between 2 ridges on the top of the mattress. Well, now the same 2 ridges have had the seams burst on the bottom of the mattress. The end result? See below.

The mattress is now so lopsided that it is slowly pushing me out of the bed all night. I was supposed to go pick up a real bed from Laurie over the weekend, but fate conspired against me. (Fraud on my bank account- AGAIN!) So needless to say just as soon as my bank account is functioning again, and I can round up 2-3 people to help me load a truck and haul to the top floor, I'm going to get that bed. Cause this just ain't happening anymore!

Things You Don't Want to See in the Mail

I rarely check my mail. I'm actually quite horrible about it. And after today's heart attack, I'm less likely to check it in the future. Why? Because I got these 2 envelopes in the mail today. (Also, my camera sucks at close ups. Sorry.) The top one says, "Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service." The bottom one says, "United States Office of Personnel Management, Federal Investigative Services Division." It also says below that, "Have a nice day," printed on by the Postal Service. Oh the irony.

Needless to say, seeing the words "IRS" and "Federal Investigative Services" in the mail together FREAKED.ME.OUT.

But in the end, all is well. The top one was just letting me know I should have received my IRS rebate by now (which I haven't- anyone know what to do about this dilemma? They are auto-depositing them in the bank accounts our tax refunds went to. But I've closed that account. Any idea who I contact or how to fix that problem?) And the bottom letter was actually just a background check on a friend I'm more than happy to vouch for.

But still- HEART ATTACK at the sight of the 2 letters together. PHEW!

5/4/08

May the Fourth Be With You!!!

My Inner 14 year old self is having a field day

The 14 year old me can't decide which of these she is more excited about-


(new kids on the block reunion on the today show) (and is it just me or did meredith viera call joey jordan?
or this-


(battlestar galactica returns tonight. what the frak is going on?)

Me, cause you wanted to know more!

Miss Hass posted something on her blog today about personality tests, and I couldn't resist taking it myself. I hate personality tests because I never seem to get the same response every time, because the questions are never the same twice. Which is funny, because that totally fits today's results.

From the results-

ENFPs are introspective, values-oriented, inspiring, social and extremely expressive. They actively send their thoughts and ideas out into the world as a way to bring attention to what they feel to be important, which often has to do with ethics and current events. ENFPs are natural advocates, attracting people to themselves and their cause with excellent people skills, warmth, energy and positivity. ENFPs are described as creative, resourceful, assertive, spontaneous, life-loving, charismatic, passionate and experimental.

ENFP Career Matches

(jobs I have had bolded)

ENFPs are often happy with the following jobs which tend to match well with the Advocate/Visionary personality.

Accountant/Auditor Actor Art Director Artist Banker/Economist Career Counselor Church Worker Conference Planner Consultant Designer Dietitian/Nutritionist Diplomat Editor Engineer

Entrepreneur Homemaker Housing Director Human Resources Journalist Lawyer/Attorney (student) Marketer Massage Therapist Merchandise Planner Musician Newscaster Nurse Occupational Therapist Painter

Politician (sort of) Project Manager Psychologist/Counselor Public Relation Researcher Scientist Senior Manager Social Scientist Social Worker Speech Pathologist Teacher/Professor Technical Specialist Trainer Writer

And last but not least, me and relationships. (everyone please take notes while looking for the perfect man to send to me)

ENFPs take their relationships very seriously, but also approach them with a childlike enthusiasm and energy. They seek and demand authenticity and depth in their personal relationships, and will put forth a lot of effort into making things work out. They are warm, considerate, affirming, nurturing, and highly invested in the health of the relationship. They have excellent interpersonal skills, and are able to inspire and motivate others to be the best that they can be. Energetic and effervescent, the ENFP is sometimes smothering in their enthusiasm, but are generally highly valued for their genuine warmth and high ideals.
A problem area for ENFPs in relationships is their dislike of conflict and sensitivity to criticism. They are perfectionists who believe that any form of criticism is a stab at their character, which is very difficult for them to take. Conflict situations are sources of extreme stress to the ENFP. They have a tendency to brush issues under the rug rather than confront them head-on, if there is likely to be a conflict. They are also prone to "give in" easily in conflict situations, just to end the conflict. They might agree to something which goes against their values just to end the uncomfortable situation. In such cases, the problem is extended and will return at a later time. The ENFP needs to realize that conflict situations are not the end of the world. They are entirely normal, and can be quite helpful for the growth of a relationship. They also need to work on taking criticism for what it is, rather than blowing up any negative comment into an indictment against their entire character.

Generally, the ENFP is a warm and affirming creature who is very interested and able to have an intense, meaningful, close relationship with their mate.

Although two well-developed individuals of any type can enjoy a healthy relationship, ENFP's natural partner is the INTJ, or the INFJ. ENFP's dominant function of Extraverted Intuition is best matched with a partner whose dominant function is Introverted Intuition.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I think we finally have the right personality label for me!

It was a good weekend, I'm just too lazy to tell you about it

It was a good weekend. I went camping in St George with some friends. I went to the Nashville Tribute to Joseph concert at Tuacahn. I met with the guys from Due West. I went geo-cacheing for the first time, and loved it. Felt the warm sun and enjoyed blue skies. And got my first sunburn of the year. And then on Sunday I had fun with my cousins at Easter dinner. All in all, a good time. Pictures were even taken. But I'm too tired and busy to say much more than that right now. One of these days I'll post some pictures. But first I have to figure out how to hook my camera up to the new laptop, yada yada. In the meantime, here's a pic of me with the pink cheeks (not too sunburned) and new short hair.

Wordless Wednesday