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Sunday, April 25, 2010

Monday Mingle! AND Memoir Monday!

OR, Singing Out Loud and How I Learned to Change a Bumper

Whoop whoop!  I'm getting ambitious again, watch out!  This week I have BOTH the Monday Mingle (from Jen @ EightyMPHmom) and the Memoir Monday (from Travis @ I Like to Fish)!

Also you guys, apparently everything in my life is either "awesome" or "amazing" lol.  Sooo....for next week my goal is to use neither of those words.  My vocabulary is really much wider than that, I promise. :)  Password for the video is: misadventure.  Enjoy!

Monday Mingle April 26, 2010 from Lauren on Vimeo.



Alright! So for my memoir this week I decided to write about the time I changed the bumper on my car.
And to tell you why I had to get into mechanic mode, I have to tell you a little story first. It all begins with a trip home from the bar. Because what good story doesn't, really? So I always have my car with me, even when I'm working at the little summer theatre, where it truly is unnecessary, because I'm lazy. And this means I usually wind up being the taxi back up "The Hill" at the end of the day when everyone is at the bar. (In case you missed my guest post about this hill, go here to see what I'm talking about.) And I'm not sure how it came about, but it became a Big Deal to ride in my trunk. No, that is not a euphemism. I'd just pop the trunk and two or three people would sit in it like a recliner. Well, after about four days of this, I said, "You know, this is really unfair, *I* want to ride in the trunk!" So one of my friends said, "OK, well next time you give us a ride up, I'll drive and you can ride in the trunk!" Deal. 
Fast forward a few days later. We're getting ready to head back up the hill, I had my keys over to my friend, some folks pile in the car, another friend and I pile in the trunk, and we head up The Hill. I should probably mention at this point it was about 2 in the morning. We pull in front of the house to let everyone out of the car, I get in the passenger seat, and my friend who is driving says, "Well I'll just pull it around for you and park it." Sure! This entails going around the block, which, nothing can happen in a block right? *crickets* RIGHT?
So in between where we are currently, and where my car would like to be, is a giant parking lot. Made of gravel. My friend is....adventurous....and asked me, "So, can I try something?" Ummm...sure! Why not? Now, I know him, and I should really know better than to give him permission to "try something" in my still-kind-of-new car. Lack of judgement like this is what leads to good stories. And new bumpers.
So we cruise on into this parking lot, and immediately the emergency brake is pulled, and we spin around like a record. On the second rotation, we exited the parking lot....right into a fire hydrant. We actually didn't realize we had HIT the fire hydrant at the time, and didn't get out to check. There was a general, "That was close!" comment before we drove on up, parked my car, said goodnight and went to bed. 
Next morning I walk outside and....BAM. There it is.
Uh, maybe we were a *liiiittle* bit closer than we thought, eh?

So I showed my friend and he felt awful, way more so than he should have, cause I thought it was HILARIOUS. I mean the last time something hit my car I had to get a whole new car, so you know, a hole in the bumper, that's nothing. Despite me saying everything was ok, he offered to pay for it, which was really nice. And I let him, because it made him feel better and hey, free bumper.
Well I learned that you can get a bumper overnighted and delivered to your door for $65. Cool eh? So now I have this bumper. I had asked my boss where a good place to get it put on would be. His response was, "Are you kidding? You live with a bunch of technicians. I think we can figure it out." Good point sir, good point. And after that my Feminist Mojo kicked in and I was all, "Well I don't need their help, I'll DO IT MYSELF!" And I totally did, ya'll. It took about 45 minutes, and I removed, reassembled, and reattached my own bumper. Oh yeah. I don't know if you're aware, but that makes me a licensed mechanic now. So if you need anything, just let me know. I was a little nervous at first, like I kind of expected it to fall off at any moment. But I've since run over a parking curbs (you know the ones that you can't tell if you're parked close enough until you hear *crunch*) and it's still very firmly attached. The only difference is that they sent me an unpainted bumper, so I have a black bumper on my white car. And I thought about getting it painted, but you know what? I like it. And I'm proud of it. Gives it character. :)

**DISCLAIMER** I would like to say that I DO NOT in ANY WAY condone crazy or unsafe driving. (Unless you are a professional driver on a closed course, then by all means rock it out.) The town we were in is very small, and we were going a total of maybe 4 blocks...which kind of makes the whole incident that much more pathetic.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Writer's Workshop

Mama's Losin' It

Writer's Workshop is brought to you by Mama Kat from Mama's Losin It.

The prompt I'm choosing to write about is:
What is the joy in your current moment?

I think the thing that is bringing me joy in this moment, is the fact that I'm finally starting to get my life in order.  It's been a *very* long time coming, and I was pretty much in shambles.  I've come leaps and bounds in the last year, but in the last three months I've accelerated in such a good way.  For years now I've been trying to get my budget and my weight under control.  I've struggled with both for so long I was really stuck in a rut.  This year though, I started at New Years, and I stuck to it.  I went to the bank and had them help me balance my checkbook and start a register.  I read Jillian's book "Master Your Metabolism" and I overhauled my diet.  (Diet here meaning the food I eat on a daily basis, not something I am "on" to lose weight.)  After my Olympic trip I had have a slip up on both, and I had a mess again.  BUT, I picked myself up, went back to the bank, back to the grocery store, and started again.  I've been making a conscience effort to exercise every day as well, and I've been pretty well sticking to it.  I guess I'm just happy that I've finally seemed to find my inner strength to get things done.  And I don't think that the correlation between my health and my finances is a coincidence.  Actually, last week's Biggest Loser talked about that, and I had a total epiphany, lol.  I was like, "OMG!  No WONDER!"  Makes total sense. They both require attention, dedication, and perseverance, and all I was doing previously was neglecting them.  Because it was easier.  Well I'm not about taking the easy road anymore.  I'm taking control and I couldn't be happier!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Monday Mingle!



It is time once again for Monday Mingle with Jen @ EightyMPHmom! Whoop whoop! This is also the most super-fast mingle I've done yet...under 5 minutes! Guess I didn't have much to say this week, lol. Also, word of the day was apparently "amazing" because I said it like 17 times...whoops! I'll have to study up on my thesaurus for next time. ;) Anywho, password is: misadventure. Enjoy!



Monday Mingle April 19, 2010 from Lauren on Vimeo.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Summer Fashion That Made Me Go "WHAT?!?"

Alright you guys.  As you have probably guessed by now, I do a lot of shopping.  I mean, a LOT.  I also love clothes more than is probably healthy (and I work in clothing store…that’s like someone with a gambling addiction working in a casino…just not smart).  HOWEVER, there are two things I’ve run across recently that I find ridiculous. 
The first I think is not only ridiculous, but kind of infuriating.  Let me just show you the atrocity in question:




No no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, those are socks made to wear with flip flops.  Let me repeat that.  SOCKS MADE TO WEAR WITH FLIP FLOPS.  Who thought this was a good idea?  These actually make me a little unnecessarily mad, I realize that, they fill me with the same rage as Heelys.  And really, that is one of the cardinal rules of dress isn’t it?  Don’t wear socks with sandals?  I think if I see anyone actually wearing these, I will point and laugh very loudly at their feet, and make a very snarky comment that they are sure to hear.  Yes, I realize that’s a very a-hole thing to do, but at least I’m an a-hole that isn’t wearing socks with FLIP FLOPS. 

My next issue with summer fashion is this:


That, my friends, is an adult onesie.  Not to be confused with footie pajamas, which are AMAZING (and made for the privacy of one’s home, for you know, sleeping).  I literally saw a dozen different variations of these adult onesies in one store.  Some were even strapless.  And yes, for some people, I’m sure these look adorable, but those people make up like 2% of the population.  For the rest of us, the onesie should be left behind at age 3.  I just don’t feel like it’s terribly flattering.  I am also well aware that if I were to try one on, I would look very much like Tweedle Dee.

That’s all the rant I have in me today, promise lol.  Is there any particular clothing item you’ve seen lately that made you do a double take?  Do tell!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Resolution Update

This week I updated my progress with my weight loss, like I have been doing, but I actually looked at my totals thus far and was pleasantly surprised.  Since January, I've lost 10 pounds, 5 inches off my waist, and 2 inches each off my chest and hips.  It's nowhere near where I wanted to be three months later, and I can't help but think how much farther along I could be if I had doubled my efforts and really dug in.  Don't get me wrong though, it's still a great start and I'm still very proud.  It's encouraging.  And I totally plan to keep up with what I'm doing, if not give myself a little kick in the butt again.  For being such an eternal optimist I'm often times very hard on myself.  "Oh...I could have done better."  "Well I only walked today, I should have done more of a workout."  Blah blah blah.  Fact is, I've made huge changes in my life that are building toward a healthier future, and that's something to be proud of!  So here's to no more negativity!
I've not done quite as well with my finances, but I've gotten back on track in the last month, so things are looking up there as well.  I still saved a little, and a little is better than none at all!  I've got a budget, I've got reminders, I've got my calendars, I've got it all, so hopefully in a little while I'll have some more savings to go with it!  I'm not gonna lie ya'll, keeping up with my money is practically painful.  After my Olympic trip everything went haywire and I didn't touch anything for a good month.  Yeah...mistake.  I spent two and half hours one just catching up on entries, and another two hours another day just getting everything to balance.  Then I took the following day to uncross my eyes, lol.  BUT, everything is SO scheduled and in line now that I'm very pleased.  And you can bet I'm going to make sure it stays that way.  I also learned that when I have to write everything down, I don't spend as much.  Funny, isn't it?  It's like, that was the point of a checkbook all along...hmmm.....  ;)
As far as my other resolutions, I think I have done much better at keeping in touch with my friends.  I have NOT done much for my crafty business, nor my guitar, which I've only picked up a handful of times.  That's ok though, I gave myself quite a list to focus on, and focusing on the two I have been I think is the most important.
Well, that's where I stand on my New Years Resolutions as of right now!  So tell me, how are YOU doing?

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore....

If I told you the kind of weather we had last week, you wouldn't believe me.  In fact, I AM going to tell you, and you probably still won't believe me.
Well, it was kinda chilly earlier in the week, but starting to warm up.  I check the weather Thursday morning, see that it's going to be about 60, and go, "Great!  I'll wear my cute new skirt!"  I really should know better by now.
I leave in the morning around 9, get to work, and on my way to the bank an hour later, it's a lovely 57 degrees, as it should be.  A little breezy, but nothing awful.  Yet.
A couple hours later, the sun was still shining, but the wind had picked up.  A LOT.  And around noon...CRASH!  The following picture was taken on my phone from the doorway of the store I work in.
I'm not sure if you can tell, but the entire awning actually BLEW OFF.  It got the little barber shop awning too, over there on the left, and went all the way across.  Craziness!  That's some strong wind.  I believe it was clocked at 53 mph.  But that was not all.
Another two hours pass.  The sun has long since been replaced by ominous dark clouds, and the temp has dropped considerably.  Then, just to top things off, it begins to snow.  Not just any snow, big, wet, heavy snow.  And it snowed like a beast for about....20 minutes.  Then, like nothing had ever happened, the clouds part, the sun comes out, and I'm pretty sure I heard birds chirping somewhere.  
And yet, it still wasn't over.  Before I got home that night at 8, it snowed and melted three more times.
Ahh....Springtime.  You gotta love it.
I just wish I would have worn pants.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Monday Mingle!


Oh my goodness you guys, I suck.  Though I did manage to squeeze out a couple posts this week, which is an improvement.  I just don't seem to do much of anything exciting lol.  ANYblog, it's time again for Monday Mingle!  Password is, as usual: misadventure.  :)


Monday Mingle April 12, 2010 from Lauren on Vimeo.


Blogs I mentioned in my video:
Jenepper @ Maybe If You Just Relax
Karie @ The Five Fish

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Things That Crossed My Mind Today

I'm pretty sure that if I were start school over again as a kindergardener, they would say I'm ADD.  I feel like I have at least 50 thoughts a second, which really is pretty impossible to properly separate and give due attention to every thought or idea.  Some things that crossed my mind today....

I never, EVER, want to depend on prescription drugs to sustain me if at all humanly possible.

Why on earth would you wear shorts so short they get eaten my your crotch?  GROSS.

Chocolate dutch mints are delicious....and give me a ridiculous sugar high.

Does it just become an unwritten rule that once you reach a certain age all the standards of society change to how you think they should be?  Cause, um, they don't.  Just sayin.

I wonder if I could reserve an apartment three months early without having to pay rent.

I really need to get some sketching done.

Wow....it's snowing!

....and now it's 50 degrees, I'll go for a walk.

Why do these numbers not add up?!?!?

Pistol squats are the DEVIL.  And impossible.

Melissa totally needed to be kicked off, yet again.  No one likes a game player.

That's all I can really remember for today.  I know it's kind of a cop-out, but I'm at least trying to exercise my bloggy muscles again, so I think I can get a little credit.  :)  Back atcha tomorrow with more useless drivel!  Have a happy hump day folks!

Monday, April 5, 2010

Notes to the Universe

*dusts off blog*.....*chokes and coughs on dust*  Whoo boy, it's been a while hasn't it?  I apologize for that you guys.  Since two Wednesdays ago I've kinda just been running around in circles.  Goal this week is post every day, even if it's just a blog fart.  Today though I thought I'd do my Notes to the Universe, since I seem to have started doing that on Tuesdays.  And they're easy.  And I'm lazy.  :)


Dear Marc Summers,
I wish you would have just stuck to being host of Double Dare.  You're just not as charismatic on Unwrapped.  You are hilarious though, on Best Thing I Ever Ate.  Maybe you should just try Unwrapped with no script, I bet it would be pretty awesome.

Dear Older Gentleman with the Walker,
You really broke my heart today.  I hope you had a lovely visit to the store and thank you for talking with me.  I really wish the best for you.  Enjoy the wine!

Dear Hips and Belly,
Thank you for helping me to carry large boxes, laundry baskets, and very small children.  I suppose you're not ALL bad.

Dear Springtime,
You. are. my. favorite!  I love very much that I can work a full day and it's still light when I leave.  This makes me very happy and much less irritable.  Which is really a win for everyone.

Dear Budget,
Why do you hate me?  Please, let's get through this together ok?  I just need some balance.

Dear Sky,
You've been kinda dark lately.  Lighten up!

Dear Adorable Small Children,
You guys are SO incredibly well-behaved, you've really impressed me.  You give me hope for future generations.  Thank you for being so sweet.  You totally deserved those jelly beans.

That's it today folks, short and sweet.  Have a great day!


Sunday, April 4, 2010

Monday Mingle!


Hi again! I'm back with another Monday Mingle, brought to you by Jen @ EightyMPHmom! Stop by and say hello to the other mingling folks, won'tcha? :) Password for the vid is, as usual: misadventure. I really rambled on this time guys....so sorry! Enjoy!

Monday Mingle April 5, 2010 from Lauren on Vimeo.