Don't make her mad!

My friend Jamie don't take nothin' from nobody. That's why I'm listening to her and updating this crap-blog. She has been yelling at me every day to do so. This very blog will always stay alive. We have so many memories together. So here you go...

I have decided to enhance my clothing situation. Just because my closet situation is suffering-to-the-max doesn't mean my clothing situation needs to continue to suffer like that. And when I say suffering, I mean "a shit-ton of clothes exposed because there are serious closet-space issues but I have so adorably decorated the ends of the racks with my scarves". On the day that this picture was taken it looked like a Good Will thrift store in the bedroom because I had to move everything out of the way for the painters. Usually the racks are hidden behind doors so it's not AS BAD.



Here are some things I've obtained..



I love this dark purple color. This is the direction my new lady-like lifestyle is going in. I'm trying to stop sitting indian style or on one leg in regular chairs but I'm having difficulty with that. I am doing better with nail polish and makeup except for the mornings where I remove the polish on my car ride to work. One day this week I didn't have enough on the single soaked cotton ball I so naively grabbed on the way out the door and had to spend the rest of the day with half painted nails.



This leopard tank is a copy of Julie's. It was on sale for $12.58 at Target and I was considerably lucky since the only one left was in my size. You have to be careful with this becuase it can be way low-cut in some sittings and expose your boobs like a mo-fo.



I went back after buying the leopard tank and loving it and got this gray one for $8.58 or something like that. I'm not even going to tell you where I took this picture but I think you know. I debated this flowy black sweater/cover-up that everyone is wearing these days, but I like it. I have to be careful with them so I don't look sloppy because I think that might be easy to do with these. This one was $10.99 at TJ Maxx.



These both came from TJ Maxx. They require some ironing and I'm not up for that right now so I'll show you better later.



This glittery tank and black sweater came from the Clearance rack at Target. (I've dug up my real camera so I can stop holding my iPhone up in the bathroom mirror.)

Other BS I've done is turn these sturdy Staples Copy Paper boxes into storage containers..





And of course Ebi is in my face wanting to participate in this little afternoon project. I am starting to think he is part deer because his legs are unusually long.



I will never entertain that idea again with cheap wrapping paper. It was hell.

At night time when I can't fall asleep right away I curl up in my bed and watch makeup videos. My favorite to watch are from Kandee The Makeup Artist. She is so nice and explains everything so well and you can clearly see what she is doing. You need to watch all her stuff and go play in your bathroom mirror like I do. She wears a TON of makeup sometimes, but it's fun to watch and learn from. Just YouTube Kandee Johnson and visit her blog.

Pretty Awesome Birthday Week

Monday night I met a BFF to see Eat Pray Love at 10:10 pm. This was the only time we could both go. We got ready for bed BEFORE the movie. This was quite strategic because the hairs and faces were already clean and all we had to do after the movie was go home, kick off the flip flops, and climb into bed. It hurt a little bit waking up Tuesday morning but who cares because it was my birthday!

Tuesday, my birthday, was a pretty awesome day. My mom showed up after work with the best thing on earth – Lemon Passion Cake. It is so delicious and I don’t even want to know the kilograms of sugar and butter involved in it’s making..



And rain boots after I expressed concern about having to walk to work in the rain!



I was the recipient of a phone call marathon and enjoyed a wonderful sushi dinner at my favorite sushi restaurant, Mt. Fuji in Brightleaf Square. I had fun with eye shadows in my new makeup mirror. This thing provides such great lighting but there is so much geometry involved in taking pictures in it. Anyway, what I’m getting at is that I have learned that wearing lip color does SO MUCH for my face.



Wednesday after work I stopped by Old Navy and bought these flats for $9.99. They are so comfortable, match a lot of things I have, and will get worn the hell out.



Then I recovered from staying up so late Monday and Tuesday by watching tv and sleeping.

Thursday evening I met another BFF for a post-birthday dinner at Pei Wei Asian Diner.

At Target on Friday I found this bag that was $26.99 for $6.74. It’s big enough for my notebooks..



This morning I had such a fun Saturday morning clean up, then I went to Burlington Coat Factory with my mom. I was so skeptical at first but I could get down with some things in there. It’s so cheap. I got these flats..



And these, which I am going to LOVE this Fall..





I love dark purple. And the flower and small wedge.

Next week I will be a normal adult and partake in after-work activities such as trips to the gym, preparing dinner, and taking Ebi to the dog park. I will still study Big Brother, though.

Loved

I’m so glad that so many people care about how my first day at my new job went. And that they are happy that I am now free from the burdens that plagued me before. I feel like I need to do a conference call tonight and tell everyone that my first day was wonderful and that I think I am going to be very happy in my new environment.
I get to wear flats, “ballet slippers,” and things of that sort to work now. Right up my alley. Today I wore black pants and Vans and it was too hot for this.



I don’t know why I own these? I mean, I bought them for myself but I think I should have opted for a more feminine black flat sneaker shoe. So, any time I can get my money’s worth out of these I’ll take it. I remembered seeing people in jeans and flats when I interviewed but I wanted to be safe and wait until I was “invited” to. You never know how strict the rules can be in a lab and these were a good choice in case because they cover the whole foot.

Tonight I am going to see Eat Pray Love with my soul-mate/old-work-BFF. We have been anticipating this forever. I wasn’t able to finish the book first. I only made it into Bali (Love). Julia Roberts probably plays this “self discovery” role so well.

And just to balance all that black with something pretty here are some flowers. They were $1.00 because no one wanted to take them and their green dye home.

Let the celebrations begin!

I have a lot to celebrate. Thursday was my last day at my former job. Celebration-worthy event #1 – Check! My BFF from there brought me this pretty cake..



It was Oreo. If an Oreo were a cake, it would be this. We were so sad because we were each the best thing about the other’s workday, and you rarely ever get to work alongside someone so amazing. I tasted but didn’t do any emotional eating with this cake. I made all of my Co-workers eat eat eat.

Celebration #2 – haircut! It was SOOO long…



And a major pain in the ass so I just pretty much wore a BUN every day. How awful. This is after..



I have a neat flat iron that can also produce wavey waves..



Friday was a glorious day and I even stood at the DMV for 2 hours so you know it was awesome. Celebration #3 – Patio table I’ve been wanting for 50% off! It was the display and the only one left so I bought it up without any regard for how we were going to get home. I knew it wouldn’t fit in my tiny little car so I called my mom to come rescue us.



And now for the most amazing grown-up lady, early birthday present EVER. Something really awesome to Celebrate #4 – Makeup mirror and stool. I had been sitting on the counter every day to put my makeup on in the medicine cabinet mirror.



But this small little improvement has opened up my entire world! I sat up last night until 3am practicing/playing in the beautiful and helpful glowing light. I am going to be able to learn and do things that I wasn’t able to do before. Here I was practicing with dark/smoky eyes. I am going to want to spend so much money now…

No more sulking!

I start my new job on August 16, the day before my birthday, and I am certain that my entire life is going to be happier now. Where you work has that kind of effect on you.

This summer is flying by. I finally replaced my iPhone with a 3GS. My old one is in such terrible condition and I have been really embarrassed by it because I never treat electronics like this. I dropped it in the grocery store one day (not its first fall) and it hit right on the corner and shattered. I carried it around in all of its scotch-taped glory for 5 months. The guy at the Apple store swore to me that a computer geek will buy it for $100 and put a new screen on it but I don’t think that he knows that it actually squeals instead of vibrating.



My dog already ate the $30 ear phones that my new phone came with. He rarely chews things up, but when he does it’s always something that will just tear up your entire day.



I am ready for Fall. It’s the best time of year and everything is always right with the world during that time. It is just so beautiful and cool like life is set to a John Mayer soundtrack. I got a $19 dress from the freaking Junior’s section of Macy’s that I can wear as we transition into Fall..



Although it’s not even that bad here, my mom would fuss about my posture in this picture. She is 5’10” and wears it proudly and always talks to me about my shoulders being back. She is right and I am working on it.

I always have intentions of not spending money when I go shopping with Jamie but I know it’s not going to happen so I set myself a $40 or $50 limit. I do really good. I never spend more than $35. Like Friday when I got the dress, some earrings, and a 20 eye shadow collection all for just $33. I should have known better about the eye shadow, though. It made my eyes itchy and I’m trying to think of something better to do with it instead of throwing it away. It’s pretty, but toxic.



We went in every store trying to find a necklace for Jamie to wear with a dress. We found nothing but back home in my apartment we discovered a perfect match in the form of a bronzey-golden, ribboned, and beaded necklace. Problem solved. For free.



A couple weeks ago I found this Tiki planter for cheap. He is supposed to be outside with a flower in him but he is a giant candle holder instead.

Of Books and Sunshine

This has often been my view the past few days.



I’m pretty sure that everyone has heard of Eat Pray Love by now. I had seen the book before but never picked it up until I saw the preview for the movie and I knew instantly that I had to both read the book and see the movie. It’s wonderful and beautifully written and helps you create a very content and easy feeling as you read the author’s description of her life and journey. It’s especially great for outdoorsy summer reading.

This morning I got this dress for $12 in TJ Maxx.



I contemplated over it for 20 whole minutes and text this picture to a friend for approval/disapproval. It’s too mother-f’in hot and this girl doesn’t really do shorts so I need some serious alternatives to pants and jeans.

Then, at home I baked cupcakes and cookies like a mom with triplets in 2nd grade whose birthday is tomorrow. The cupcakes are lemon with lemon icing and I only baked them because lemon cake is my favorite and I wanted one cupcake but now I have 20 something cupcakes so I’ll probably dump them at work. The cookies are part of a birthday tradition for this kid that works at the dealership I used to work at.



I’ve been waving my dork flag high lately. I saw Toy Story 3 this weekend and it was so emotional. I was really nervous when they were about to fall in that fire pit and they just held hands and braced for it. And a few weeks ago I went to the Backstreet Boys concert and wore glow sticks on my wrists. When Jamie found out they were coming she jumped on it with the quickness and got tickets early so we had 5th row seats. I mean look at how close we were…



A decade later they were still bustin’ smooth choreographed moves



And they changed clothes a lot into winter velvets and scarves like they didn’t know it was June and HOT.



Brian was always my favorite BSB and when it started to rain I tried to tie my mop atop my head and he offered me his hat. I haven’t been able to tell anyone this out loud in words because I KNOW how ridiculous it sounds. I am glad that Jamie was there to witness his nice gesture to me because she is quite possible the only individual that I know that will ever appreciate such an occurrence. I felt appreciated as a 12 year old fan and less remorseful over all the allowance money I spent at the time on their merchandise because they are so nice.



BSB Brian’s family sat behind us and his wife was so nice and normal. I could tell his kid has never been rained on before because he freaked out and had to go inside as soon as he got a little wet. Like, We gotta go. Right now. My plaid shorts are going to be ruined and my hair gel is going to get in my eyes. So they left.

Don't judge me..

Tonight after the dishwasher exploded soap all over my kitchen floor, I watched a Backstreet Boys video from their tour that I will be attending next month with my BFF from high school.

I said don't judge me.

I didn't know that you couldn't use dish detergent in the dishwasher. I filled both of the little soap containers up with Dawn, which produced a massive amount of suds. I learned on google that you can put vinegar and table salt in there to kill the bubbles and it worked! In total, I only used 2 large towels and 4 hand towels to clean up the mess. I've had worse disasters, like that time I spilt a can of white paint in the passenger floor board of my car (not my current one).



Then I received a message from Jamie with this video in it...



We have 5th row seats to their concert in Raleigh next month. However, I don't think the amphitheatre is completely built yet so I'm not too sure how it's all going to turn out. When I started to watch this it gave me the best laugh I've had all day and suddenly I was back in the 9th grade.

See, our 9th grade Civics teacher gave us assignments like "pretend you're news anchors." And we did. We reported on a hypothetical backstreet boys concert and wore our tshirts that day.

Muggy Monday

It was so hot and muggy today. Yuck.

I ate this cute boiled egg for breakfast.



It has dill and cayenne pepper and Gingery Mango sauce on it. It is the most delicious combination.

Then I hung out at the Laundromat and was done with that shit before 10am.



I went to Whole Foods and got a snack and this tea, because one egg is hardly enough.

Then I got a haircut and it went from a shaggy mess to this..

Productive Sunday

It’s midnight and I’m nowhere near being tired which sucks because tomorrow is not a designated “sleep in” day. I only sleep late on Sundays. This helps me be the most productive. Yes, normal sleep schedules are still amazing to me because I had a crazy one for about a decade.

Anyway, today I sat outside in the sun and read some excerpts from one of my favorite books (Genome) I like to pick up on days like today. I’ve had it since sophomore year in college and I still highlight important things in it. Today I learned something I didn’t know… that paternal genes are responsible for making the placenta and maternal genes are responsible for making the embryo, especially the head and brain. This is because the paternal genes don’t “trust” the maternal genes to take care of and nourish them, so to speak.

I also saw a really cool Chef, Jose Andres on TV. He uses special scientific techniques to make food fun and interesting. For example, he had Anderson Cooper blowing liquid nitrogen out of his nostrils as he ate the popcorn Andres had made. How cool! I think he has about 5 or 7 restaurants but none in NYC and I was so disappointed about that!

Then this evening I applied to 30+ jobs. It’s a little disheartening that Duke already “cancelled” one of my applications. I mean, can’t they just look at it?

Best Friday afternoon

Friday after work I rode my bike along the American Tobacco trail in Durham. It starts downtown and ends at Southpoint Mall. Friday afternoons are my favorite because it’s the end of the week and it’s a great way to release some unwanted stress and energy. It is mostly shaded and glorious with cute little bridges like this..



Very relaxing and fun. Everyone is smiley when they pass you. There was a group of ladies on roller skates, though, and they were not very happy. Nothing at all looked fun about what they were doing. They spent a lot of time bent over with their hands on their knees and I could only imagine the pain they were in and the exhaustion they were experiencing. There was a lady following them on a bike and they stopped a couple of times to take inventory and the bike lady (roller derby coach?) went back to check on the fallen ones. They were so serious.

I rode 13.5 miles in all, 8 of which my ass was in severe pain.

Tomorrow I’m getting my hair cut. I need it so bad.

Where to begin...

I was off from work today which was nice. My vacation and sick days are combined into 3.5 weeks worth of time for me to use at my disposal. Luckily for me (knock on wood) I don’t really get sick so I can manage to take a day to just do BS that I really don’t want to do but have to. Like…

Bathe my dog with this shampoo that I bought from TJ’s because I liked the bottle. It’s cute, and there are humans that don’t get baths as often as he does, so it stays it sits permanently in the shower.



Then we went to the vet to get his nails clipped and discuss his many health issues with a professional. He has chronic growing pains which are not abnormal in large dogs but his moaning can be excessive when he’s experiencing them. He gets it about once every 6 weeks for 5 days or so. And he has persistent allergies so sometimes he breaks out in rashes. They want to put him on a hypoallergenic diet but I just tell them to give me the prescription for his medicine so I can take it to Target and get it filled for $7. And to top it off he has an ear infection, but now I have all his medicine and he’s pretty much just sleeping through the pain. He’s very obedient and I’m proud of my dog-mom performance thus far.

Then I came home and cleaned. Cleanliness helps my mental health. I tried hard to not become a victim to the DVR but I failed. I wanted to listen to some shows I recorded in the background but I had to SIT DOWN AND WATCH True Life: I hate my face. I fast forwarded through the white girl a lot but the Indian-looking/Asian-ish girl had me freaking out. I definitely don’t think she has the body disorder, I think she’s just spoiled as hell. It was crazy. Meanwhile, I’ve been going sans eyeliner a lot lately and I’m liking it, especially for summer. I'm glad I like my face.


(I’m too lazy to use my real camera and transfer pics.. iPhone is easier)

I started going to O2 Fitness with some of my co-workers because they have group exercise classes that are really awesome. It was very difficult for me to transfer my membership from the Y to O2 because I feel like a portion of my money goes to some sort of goodness at the Y each month. At O2, however, there are a bunch of tanning-bed-burnt ladies with belly rings. And the office staff calls my phone too often trying to get me to buy a personal trainer for $300. BUT the classes are really good and it pushes me way harder than I would ever push myself AND I have good company which always makes working out so much easier. I’ll probably go back to the Y… I have 5 months to decide to do so before I would have to pay the application fee again. I mean, look at how pretty my walk is to and from my car each morning at the Y!





There is a really awesome bbq restaurant in Durham called The Q Shack. It’s the best and it always reminds me of my crazy childhood road trips to Texas. Anyway, they opened The Fish Shack next door in an old garage. It’s really open and airy and cuter than what this picture provides..



It’s great because they have things that you want to eat sometimes but can’t really find around here like fried crawfish tails and delicious po’ boys. And it’s like you’re sitting outside without really sitting outside.

The only fun thing I've bought lately is this winter bag from Lightyears that was on clearance for $10..