From The Other Side

It was weird waking up in California this morning. Just yesterday I was all the way across the country. Airplanes are amazing…especially when they charge you out your bum for everything.

Luggage- $23.00

In Air Wi-Fi= $12.95

Any perishable food-$8.00

Alcoholic Beverages- I can’t remember…

Tiny mini pretzels, peanuts, or cookies- priceless

I opted for pretzels but unfortunately all 45 calories worth didn’t really fill me up. I was tempted to eat the bag they came in.

As I ate my pretzels I began to think… why do they serve peanuts on airplanes? When did it start? What is the history of airplane peanut serving? What was so special about this legume that they thought..hey we serve them at baseball games, so why not hand them out on airplanes? I would of opted for Cracker Jacks myself.

Imagine how much they could charge if their was a Starbucks on board. I am surprised they don’t have baristas whipping up frappichinos in the air. One Starbucks in the front and another one in the back by the lavatories. Come on Starbucks, if you plan on taking over the world you can’t forget about the air.

Anyways, I know I said I would post a trip re-cap today but my brain is in a fog and is just not in the right state of mind to recap an awesome trip.

So for now, I will leave with a question.
What was your worst airplane experience?

Happy Wednesday!

So Long, Farewell

Unfortunately it’s time to say goodbye. I can’t believe it is already time for me to leave. I will save my post-trip blog for tomorrow though because I still have a few hours left to enjoy. Time Fly’s…and unfortunately I have to fly as well…did I mention I hate flying? Well, flying across country at least. It takes forever, and changing planes stresses me out. I can’t imagine what flying to Germany will be like but at least I will get to stay there a little longer.

I had a great time here in VA and want to thank my brother and Maria for showing me a good time and making me feel at home. Maria even gave up her own bed for 2 weeks…which is the most comfortable bed I have slept on in a long time. Colin introduced me to iced coffee…and they let me cook for them. Oh and they took me to Washington D.C. I love these two. They are great. 

So thank you Maria for flying me out here and making feel at home at your place. Colin, I love you brother and am so happy I got to visit…now you guys must visit Eric and I in Germany. Christmas 2010? I think that sounds pretty awesome to me. Make that happen okay?

 

Oh face, your so silly.

Happy Tuesday!

Last Day

It’s my last day here in Lynchburg VA. I will admit that I am sad to be leaving. It is bittersweet though because it means that I will get to see Eric in 4 short days.

I am in a bit of a rush this morning because I just stumbled across a new cooking website and couldn’t pry myself away from it…so I am going to keep this short and sweet.

So, I have had the question of “What do you want to do on your last day here?” Honestly, I just want to be able relax and enjoy this last day in the company of Colin and Maria. I don’t need to do anything big, or end the trip with a bang. I would love nothing more than to be able to cook them one last meal and just spend quality time together because this is what I enjoy doing most, and I don’t get to do it enough. I know, I am a boring guest…but if they were cool with it I would love for them to tell me something they would like me to cook.

What will it be guys?

Wrapping It Up

I feel a trip re-cap blog in my near future, which is a bitter-sweet feeling. It has been a great visit, but unfortunately it is nearing it's end. I only have today and tomorrow left, which leaves me too upset to blog. ( Okay.. so I am just feeling extra lazy today). The D.C. trip took more out of me than I thought.

I am looking forward to what the rest of these last couple days has in store.

Happy Sunday!

Washington D.C.

I was finally able to see Washington D.C. in person.  It is 100 times better than seeing it through my TV screen. There is more walking involved… but totally worth it. Oh and if you go in the summer…wear shorts. Don’t ask questions just do it.

We got in pretty late last night so my ability to think straight is probably the equivalent to a delusional drunken bum. Because of my drunken-like state, the rest of this post will be mostly pictures. ( start getting excited now )

Enjoy!

Our journey began at the Jefferson memorial

 

The view from the steps of the Jefferson memorial. It was almost equally amusing to see how many people fell down them.

Then we headed by the Lincoln Memorial….

Then took this picture. Yes we are 100% brother and sister.

Here is my brother explaining something about this fabulous fountain that had all the states around it…I can’t remember the name of it because I was so darn hot that I did the unthinkable…

I exposed my nasty runner’s feet for all of Washington D.C. to see. And yes, my feet are really that white and man-like.

After my body cooled to a tolerable temperature, I put my white man feet away before I scared any small children.

I think my brother might miss CA a little.

Oh and here is a picture of Maria and I while we soaked..

The cool water gave me the strength to smile, but my eyes say I need food now before I make the hulk look like a pussy or before I pass out…so the search for food began.

We made a little stop by the White House first to say hi to President Obama.

Or we at least looked at it from afar. They don’t let you get as close to it as they used to. You can’t really see it from here but there were guys dressed in black up on the top of the White House with guns ready to go. Nuts.

We walked for what seemed like forever, but we finally ended up at Moe’s for lunch. ( it is kind of like chipotle ) It was delicious. Yay for food, now I was ready to go.

We ended up at the Smithsonian which is home to the actual kitchen of Julia Child. I was in awe.

Some of her press appearances and achievements…

Some of her books…

I think that seeing Julia Child’s Kitchen was probably the highlight of my day. It is not exactly what people go to D.C. for but I was pretty darn stoked to see it.

By the time we made our way out of the Smithsonian it was nearing 6:00pm. Our next stop was the National Archives ( I don’t know if that is the right name for it but it had the constitution and all that inside of it.) They don’t allow photography though. I hope they know that they are making me type more than I want to.

Then we stopped for a much needed caffeine fix. My brother now has me hooked on ice coffee with soymilk, sweetened. ( I even ordered it on my own last time ).

From Starbucks, we headed toward the capital and ended up finding a pizza place along the way. I can’t remember the name of it but it was pretty darn good. Their claim to fame was their 10” pizzas that they cook in a brick oven. They even had a Marinara pizza which is a pizza that only contains red sauce, garlic, oregano, and sea salt. It is a rare find, considering most people think I am the weirdest person on earth for liking pizza without cheese.

Feeling re-energized we made our way to the capital

 

I have no idea what the orange guy was doing but he failed to move.

Colin and Maria in front of the Capital.

After seeing the capital we headed back to the car and made it home just before 2:00am.

And that my friends wraps up my trip to Washington D.C.

Special thanks to Colin Harman for being our tour guide, and to Maria Brebner for being my walking buddy and pee partner. Oh and to Chad for looking back to occasionally to make sure Maria and I hadn’t been kidnapped.

 

 

Happy Saturday!

Washington Here I Come

Headed to Washington DC today! It will be amazing to finally see everything I could only read about in school. I will try and take as much pictures as possible..not that you have never seen pictures of Washington before. I am excited but nervous at the same time…big cities are exciting but all the people make me nervous. Tune in Tomorrow for a recap of the adventure.

Debbie Downer

I had a few disappointments yesterday…

Disappointment #1 My enchilada bake. I will now remember to trust my instincts and stay away from recipes on PETA’s website. Apparently they are too busy protesting in front of KFC wearing dead chicken costumes to actually test out their recipes.

Don’t get me wrong, I stand with PETA when it comes to animal rights but if anything can get someone to eat meat and hate vegetarians it’s PETA…I could write a book about my opinion on PETA but I will stop here because it is too early for my brain to think.

I feel the need to redeem myself for last nights dinner. I am ashamed. It was a spicy mess.

Disappointment #2 The Karate Kid. Maybe my expectations for this movie were too high going into it…after all it was made for kids and I should of expected the high cheesiness factor…but I feel some of the cheesiness could have been avoided. There were times I was unsure if I was watching a movie or playing street fighter.

I am sure kids loved this movie, so I will try not to poo poo on it. I must realize that I am old and that I am too much of a fan of the original.

This movie should come with a warning though.

WARNING:  The stunts performed in this movie are not even remotely possible.  Attempting these stunts may result in bodily harm to you or other’s around you. Dumbass.

There was a part of me that did find my inner child and enjoyed it though. I am not that much of a downer, it made a bazillion dollars for a reason.

Well, happy Thursday everyone!

Best When Shared

On this trip I have found that some things are best when shared.

Some things best when shared are:

Visiting Thomas Jefferson’s house.

Disc Golf (except for sucking more than Brittney Spears sucks at lip syncing)

Chipotle- Tastes best when kept a treat, and even better when you get to share it with your brother.

Geeking out ( I feel so left out without a Mac )

Cooking

 

Fireflies ( which are also impossible to take a picture of ) My brother taught me the wonders of their butt glowing abilities don’t’ stop even when squished.

Chips and Salsa-Eating chips and salsa is kind of like eating ice cream. You either eat it alone because you are depressed, or with other people because you are happy. Both potentially put you at risk of eating way more than you should.

Being a passenger in my brother’s car-It is calming to know you won’t die alone. ( just kidding brother I trust you, most of the time.)

Coffee- It’s a mystery..it just tastes better when you drink it with other people. Or maybe I just feel smart and sophisticated.

Movies- There is not many things I would rather do that watch a Disney/Pixar movie with my brother. I love that he allows himself to revert back to his childhood self and laugh at the little things. He gives animated movies the laughs they deserve. Toy Story 3 is awesome by the way, so if you haven’t seen it…then do that NOW.

So if your sitting on the couch drinking coffee, eating a bag of chips and a tub of salsa, while watching a Disney movie…by all means continue…just find someone to do it with. It’s more fun, I promise.

Lessons Learned

Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing where my brother lives.. or sleeps at least. I also had the pleasure of meeting his neighbors goat Billy. For some reason I thought this was the coolest thing ever. I want a pet goat.

I was surprised at how much he acted like a dog. He likes his head scratched and even jumps up on you like a dog if he is not ready to be done petted yet. Who knew goats were so dog-like? One thing he does that dogs don’t is mow your lawn, and since I am lazy, this is a pretty good advantage. Maybe I will have a pet goat somewhere in my future…or I could play it smart like my brother and live next to someone with one. I learn something from my  brother everyday.

So now that I have been here about a week there are a few things I have learned about the wonderful town of Lynchburg VA.

- When they say they have ticks here, they actually mean it.

- Running on the shoulder of a road is a good time to use a car mirror to check your teeth because drivers don’t give you any extra space…however there are a few that are nice enough to move over just a little. You can judge by the type of car whether you need to run through the bushes or can remain on the shoulder. There are 3 types of vehicles to watch for:

1. Cars are usually nice and give you some space.

2.Cars with body damage want to kill you.

3. Trucks see how close they can get to you and follow it with a honk.

- There are plenty of Kroger grocery stores around but only one is the treasure box containing healthy food.

- People actually eat at Golden Corral

- Some locals can have southern accents, but others don’t.

- I really can in fact, sweat like a man.

I am sure there are many more lessons to be learned but I still have a whole week to learn them. Stay tuned!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Hi Caffeine, It’s Me, Amber

I can’t get my brain going this morning. Running on less caffeine and sleep has me feeling like a heroin addict in rehab. Not that I know what that feels like…but if I had to guess I would assume it was pretty close to what I am feeling except heroin addicts are pussy’s. Caffeine is legal my friends…and more socially acceptable than ever.

Believe it or not caffeine is a drug, it is just a drug that happens to make us more productive, coherent and alert, therefore I don’t see it being illegal anytime soon. The only problem with caffeine addiction is not how people act while under the influence, but when they are not under the influence. This is when caffeine addicts start to get a little dangerous..and by dangerous I mean cranky, and nearly narcoleptic.

I literally can’t even think in complete sane thoughts right now…so I apologize.

You know what I am looking forward to though? Running in pure awesome humidity. I was so drenched with sweat yesterday after my run that I was disgusted with myself. After picking up a tick from running on trails I am afraid of veering off any paved roads which leads to strange looks while I run around the neighborhood multiple times like a nut…a sweaty nut. Ladies. <--- that was for you Colin.

I am also convinced that the people above Marias apartment are professional leap froggers. I think they could be a little louder though.

Anyways.. Happy Monday everyone, don’t forget it is Meatless Monday so save a few farm animals today and eat your veggies.

Day #5 of Virginia Exploration

Yesterday was another great day here in Virginia, and lucky for you, I have some pictures to share. Yay now you don’t have to skim my blog nearly as much. I will start from the top.

 

I started out my morning by doing a little exploring. I found some trails at a nearby park, and then soon discovered my first embedded tick on the back of my leg. I must of picked it up between here, and here…

The trails here are gorgeous. Everything is so green and alive.       ( including ticks ).

After my run and recovery from a tick bite and sweating out half my body weight we headed to a little Mexican place here called Mi Patron. I am convinced that Mi Patron is one of Lynchburgs best kept secrets. They have the best vegetarian fajitas. They might even be better than Chevy’s. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture to share…but perhaps I will sometime in the near future.

After lunch we headed out to Blue Ridge church, which is also known as my Brother’s place of employment. I got to see where all the behind the scenes magic takes place. Here is my brother’s office.

Here he is, hard at work. Notice the double screen action. I am a little jealous.

After he finished up so stuff at work, we made a starbucks stop, got some couch pillows from target, drove around and made our way back to Marias where I finished up the day by making pizza. It was a good day indeed.

I now get to see a little of my brother’s work in action and go to his church..so on that note I better get running.

Happy Sunday, and Happy Father’s Day!

Day #4 of Virginia Bliss

It’s Day #4 here in Virginia. My brain is a bit foggy this morning so bear ( I just wrote bear…like RAWR bear..haha ) *Bare* with me.  Yesterday was a relaxing laid back day..well for me at least. (although for some reason I feel like I ran a marathon this morning ) I got to relax while Colin and Maria worked from home. They are definitely great at what they do.

So onto the more exciting news of yesterday. We went to see Toy Story 3. It was in 3D as well, which was amazing. It was my first 3D movie that didn’t involve having to be in an amusement park.

Now for my Toy Story 3D movie review: I loved every second of it. It definitely brought me back to childhood. It was just as good as Toy Story 1, and 2, if not better. It was hilarious and I envy the creativity of it’s creators. Not only was it a great story line but we watched the first Toy Story on Wednesday night and it is crazy to see that the graphics have actually improved quite a bit. So I would say Toy Story 3 is a must see. So get on that.

In other random thought, I watched Top Chef yesterday so now I am itching to cook something.

Wow, this blog is pretty much gone to crap. Do you ever have those days where your brain fires off random thoughts but they never really finish going through the thought process? Yea, that is my brain this morning. Which also reminds me that my Go Girls better arrive here soon because the supply that I hauled over with me is quickly being depleted…along with my energy. Caffeine you bastard.

I guess I am lucky enough to have successfully traveled with a suitcase full of pink aluminum cans.I can only imagine what that would of looked like going through the x-ray machine…not good apparently because the little pamphlet sitting on top of my belongings when I opened my suitcase tells me they searched my bag. Which is fine, I have nothing to hide, but I would like to know what they thought when they opened a suitcase containing more pink cans, and food, than articles of clothing. Unfortunately I did have one Go Girl casualty, which is always a sad scenario..but I consider myself lucky that it was only 1 can. It somehow managed to leak through a plastic bag,  through my suitcase, and onto Marias floor, ( Sorry again Maria ) without getting on a single article of my clothing. Hmm strange…but awesome. I am glad to not have to sport pink tie dye clothes the rest of the trip. ( Although I am sure that would look completely awesome )

Anyways, happy Saturday everyone!

Daily Summery

It is now day #3 here in Lynchburg Virginia and I am definitely enjoying my stay. There are a few things in life I usually don’t enjoy too much and that is: Bombing someone else’s bathroom.. (Sorry Maria), Feeling like a tourist, and feeling like a  newbie at something…but I found myself enjoying 2 out of these 3 things at some point.

Yesterday my brother in a tour guide like fashion took us to tour Thomas Jefferson’s house. Pretty interesting I must say. I hated history in school, but I love it when you are physically present in a place that a big part of history took place. I am a very visual person so when I can see, touch, and feel a part of history it is way more meaningful and interesting to me. He was a pretty smart guy that Thomas Jefferson.

After getting to know Mr. Jefferson a little better. We headed off for a game of disc golf. This was my first time playing disc golf and I super hate sucking at things and was pretty intimidated at first. Thankfully my brother knew how to make me not feel so bad at being able to throw a Frisbee a whopping two feet. I started to catch on toward the end and would definitely enjoy playing another game sometime in the near future. One of the highlights of the evening was when the lightening bugs came out. We don’t get these natural wonders over in California. For my fellow West Coasters, if you have never seen lightning bugs before, they are these awesome little beetle looking bugs that have glowing butts. I am strangely amused by them.

After we finished up playing disc golf, we headed over to a local pizza place and picked up a pizza to eat while we watched the Lakers vs. Celtics game. The pizza was delicious, and the Lakers game was good too but unfortunately I was too tired to stay up for the 4th quarter. ( I am the worst guest aren’t I?) But yea..go Lakers?

Today there is something huge about to happen. Yep, Toy Story 3 comes out! I am stoked and I can’t wait to go see it tonight. Oh childhood memories. It makes me want to go out and buy Toy Story toys.

Well, happy Friday everyone!

The Sister

It is day number two here in Virginia and I have already been able to experience air you can swim through, and an awesome lightning storm. It also feels good being known as “Colin’s Sister” again. I am honored to be able to carry such a title. Not just anyone can be known as “Colin’s Sister” because the requirements are quite strict. The most important requirement of course is that you share DNA.

For as long as I can remember I was always known as “Colin’s little sister” It was like because of his super awesomeness, no matter how lame I was, I was still cool. It was like having a backstage pass at a concert, and if someone questioned my coolness I could just drop his name and I was automatically accepted. My friends were crazy about him. They all wished he was their big brother..and then in high school, they all wished he was their boyfriend. Even my teacher’s knew me as “Colin’s little sister”, but when he left after my freshman year I had an identity crisis. Now who was I? I am still in the process of figuring this out.

But until I figure out my life long identity crisis, I am honored to be known as “Colin’s sister” once again.  Even though I am an adult now, I still look up to him. He is the graphics guy at his church but he does a lot more than what the label of “graphics guy” calls for. He is amazing at his job, and just like when he was in CA, he is loved by all. ( Which grants me that backstage pass once again ).

Sometimes I wonder where I missed out on the confidence train. He is the flexible, easy going, go-to-guy, and I am the uptight anxiety ridden sister who has a death grip on her daily routine. Even on vacation..which leads me to be very thankful for my brother’s patience and understanding. ( And his girlfriend Maria’s too! )

There is so much more I could write, but I don’t want to test that patience…I better get running and finish my stupid routine…

Happy Thursday!

Freeing My Inner Geek

In what seemed like a lifetime I finally made it here to Lynchburg Virginia. Minus a 4 hour plane ride turning into a an 8 hour plane ride..two of those hours actually being on the ground and not in the air…everything else went pretty smooth. I guess there was some sort of weather deal going on in Atlanta which made us have to land in Huntsville Alabama to refuel. The weather delayed a lot of flights, luckily it also delayed my connecting flight and I didn’t have to deal with the confusion of missing a connecting flight and all that.

So all in all, I came out unscathed. The upside is that I nearly finished my new book that had me laughing out loud like “that weirdo that sat next to you on the plane”. So what is this book I speak of? It is none other than Sarah Silverman’s new book called The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee.

I will admit that I never really bothered to pay attention to Sara Silverman’s comedy until now. I saw previews and clips of her Comedy Central Show The Sarah Silverman Program and honestly thought it looked kind of retarded…but as they say “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” well in this case “don’t judge a show by its previews”. I just recently sprouted an interest to learn more about Silverman’s comedy after watching her on a few recent television appearances. I found her to be surprisingly funny and not as strange as I thought. So I began my you tube search and was amused by some of her stand up routines. She had a very Kathy Griffinesque style (meaning she said whatever she wanted and didn’t hold back.) Since I am the complete opposite and hold back too much…I am amused by this comedy. I secretly watch it hoping to tap into some of their energy in order to just be a normal person and not hold back simple everyday conversations.

I watched whatever video I could find and found myself laughing at every single one. It was official, I needed to buy her book. STAT. So that I did, in perfect timing for an unplanned extended flight.

I have read Kathy Griffins book, and loved every word of it. I loved that she was so different than me, and was amused by her ideas and way of life. However, when reading Sarah Silverman’s book I found that she is kind of the uncensored version of me. I saw a lot of myself in her. For example she talks about her lack of style which I can COMPLETELY relate to..here is a little clip of her book that I specially marked because I wanted to shout AMEN at the top of my lungs but since I was on an airplane, I restrained myself.

“Eh, what can I say? I’m a comfort-is-key kind of person, and, corny as it sounds, the prettiest thing you can wear is a smile, and when shit is too tight or my feet hurt or I’m cold, I’m just not happy.”

I could of written those very words myself. She is kind my closet geekiness, out in public.

Wow, I didn’t expect this to be a post gushing my new found love for Sarah Silverman but nor did I expect to find her book strangely inspiring. I can’t say Silverman’s

Anyways,  I am not sure if you even continued reading my post down this far but if you are bored, have a long flight, or trying to free your inner geek I highly recommend this book.

Happy Wednesday!

Ready For Take Off

After waking up late, and spilling a go girl on myself  I think I am ready for takeoff…although I feel like I am forgetting something, which I probably am but hopefully it is not something I will need to freak out about.

I will be posting about my lunch with the fox 40 news crew either later today or tomorrow!

Pray for me! Don’t just say you will pray for me..do it.

Really,

I’m not joking.

For Fun

One Day Until Take Off

Tomorrow is the day I must try and suck up my nerves and hold back my panic enough to get myself on an airplane over to Virginia. I can feel my nerves already starting to kick in to over-drive. Stop that.

I am also finding it a bit nerve racking that I am going to lunch with the guys that I am watching on TV right now. I am excited but intimidated at the same time. This will be a busy day.

On a more positive note; if all goes well, I will be in Virginia by tomorrow evening. It is strange to think that I will go from one side of the country to the other in only a matter of hours. It is the closest thing we have to a time machine…only I will be going into the future because VA is 3 hours ahead.

Well, that’s all for now. I hope I don’t make a fool of myself at lunch.

A Touch of OCD

Two days and counting until I either meet my doom, or accomplish my goal of flying alone and arriving in the right place. I can’t wait to kick off my visit with my brother. I just hope he is ready for his anal sister to visit. I swear I have a touch of OCD…with my morning routine at least. Everything has to be just right or it will throw me for a loop on my morning run. Or a loop back to a bathroom..

I gotta have my morning oatmeal which consists of… 1 cup of oatmeal, 3/4 cup of water ( I like my oatmeal thick ) 1 Tbs of peanut butter, 1 cup of fruit that MUST contain mango because it’s the bomb, and 1 tbs of raw agave nectar. I don’t even know how I came up with this morning meal concoction but it is delicious. I must then eat my amazing oatmeal concoction with a cold glass of water, followed by my morning Go Girl(s). This is when I check my e-mail junk mail and bore you to death with a blog post.

See I am drinking one as I type…

These computer cameras really suck. I look a lot uglier in person.

It is not long after this that I head out the door depending on the day for a 5-8 mile run. So can I go without this routine? Do I have to be so anal? Well yes and no. It depends if you want to hang around a cranky Amber, or a semi-normal Amber. Bad things happen when my routine is disrupted, or I don’t get in a morning run.

Well I’m off for a run, Happy Sunday!

Can You Pass The Ketchup? Please?

I need my Snuggie. It’s chilly and a plain old blanket leaves my arms feeling naked. Unfortunately mine is packed away in a storage unit 20 miles away. As ridiculous as they may look Snuggies are probably one of the greatest inventions of this generation. Older folks may wonder what the big deal is about an open robe…but pretty soon robes will start to look like Snuggies with belts.

Anyways… today is Farmer’s market day. Woo! Hopefully I will have better luck today in finding what I need. The cooler weather has really slowed down some of the usual in season fruits and veggies. The only thing I was able to find last week was a Gardenburger from Awful Annies. Still worth the trip.

I was finally able to stomach broccoli last night in my always amazing Chevy’s Fajitas. Since my midnight puking session consisted mostly of broccoli.. ( um yea sorry you had to picture that. ) I haven’t been able to stomach it since…and I am the broccoli queen…is it weird that one of my favorite foods is broccoli? Yea, my intestines think so too. I also have a ketchup obsession. I could eat it with pretty much anything. Organic ketchup mostly though..because it consists of more than just corn syrup. I dip my Gardenburgers in ketchup, after putting ketchup on the bun…I even eat it with veggies, or with a grilled cheese. Anyone else love ketchup as much as I do? Or am I a freak of nature? Don’t judge me. I shall eat my ketchup covered broccoli while bundled up with my Snuggie.

Happy Saturday :)

Flying Solo

It’s  almost time for my trip to VA…and I am beginning to minorly…majorly freak out about flying alone. I think getting on the first flight will be okay, but the connecting flight..not so much. My connecting flight is in Atlanta which is a rather large Airport and in case you forgot I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag.

I am excited to visit VA and have fun with my brother though. I Just have to get there first.  Breath Amber, breathe. My last flying experience to Virginia still haunts me…they give you the option of a window seat, or an aisle seat. I of course chose aisle because if I have to relive my last experience I don’t want to climb over strangers to empty out my bodily fluids every 5 minutes.  However,  if they sold bathroom seats I would of chosen that option hands down.

Dear God help me.

Nervous Laughter

After trying my hardest on many different occasions to abstain from using “lol” in my blog posts I have come to realize that I use it way too much in everyday chat conversations and e-mails. It is probably because I have a real life nervous laugh habit.

So in real life when I would just nervous laugh like a dork I find myself wanting to insert a “lol”. Least I am honest though. When I type “lol” I am actually laughing out loud. ( but it doesn’t necessarily mean something is funny unfortunately ) I don’t commonly use the more forgotten form of “lol” which many of you may know as “rofl”. I usually settle for a higher degree of laughter and use “haha” or if it is really funny I use “HAHA” or “HaHa”. I feel that if I used “rofl” that it would make me a liar because I very rarely find myself rolling on the floor laughing. There are only a few things in life that deserve floor rolling laughter.

Another form of “lol” that I never use is “lmfao” #1 it’s too freaking long. You might as well just write HAHAHAhahhaahhahahahah because to me, that would better represent something funny and it is a universal sign of laughter. “lmfao” just seems like an abbreviation that was created by a pubescent teenager who still giggles when someone says penis, or boobs. You just giggled didn’t you? 

I would like to meet whoever invented the infamous “lol” abbreviation. After all, they did play a huge role in our current ways of text communication. However, I am  not sure if I would shake their hand or slap them across the face for causing those who suffer from nervous laughter to overuse the word and forever annoy their friends, family, and co-workers.

Lucky Lunch Date

It’s official, Monday is my lunch date with Fox 40 Anchors Paul Robins and Joe Orlando. I am extremely excited and am probably the only 23 year old that would ever be as excited as I am over something like this. I see them everyday, but they are usually in my TV… it will be weird that they will be able to see me too! ( That was a weird thought ).  I don’t know if I am ready for that.

So just in case you were wondering who these guys are I thought I would give you a little visual of what they look like. 

   Paul Robins                                       Joe Orlando

 

Yep they are celebrities to me, or the closest thing to a celebrity that I will ever get the opportunity to dine with.

The only downside is that I am allowed to bring 10 people but I am a loner and don’t even know 10 people. My only friends don’t watch the news..especially at the hour that they are on, and I wouldn’t want them going into labor in the middle of lunch. So it looks like It will only be me and my parents.

Yay for Monday!

Mold and Vomit

It’s been an eventful week and it is only Tuesday. So far I have survived, but Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, still await me. So far I have gotten through a near skunk spraying that ended up in my dogs face, ( stupid dog ) a mysterious midnight puking session, getting kicked out of my room by a roof leak and some sort of potentially harmful mold.     ( ok I don’t really know if it is harmful but the mold man took cultures of it. ) I am awaiting my demise. With my luck I have been living in a room surrounded by black mold and it is slowly killing. Maybe it is responsible for the death of my TV. Damn you mold. Take me, but not my TV.

I did a little research and found some of the “few” symptoms of mold toxicity…

If exposed to elevated levels of indoor mold, some or many residents and workers can experience one or more of most common, mold health symptoms: allergies, asthma, bleeding lungs, breathing difficulties, cancer, central nervous system problems, recurring colds, chronic coughing, coughing up with blood, dandruff problems (chronic) that do not go away despite use of anti-dandruff shampoos, dermatitis, skin rashes, diarrhea, and/or; Eye and vision problems, fatigue (chronic, excessive, or continued) and/or general malaise, flu symptoms (chronic), sudden hair loss, headaches, hemorrhagic pneumonitis, hives, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, irritability, itching (of the nose, mouth, eyes, throat, skin or any other area), kidney failure, learning difficulties or mental dysfunction or personality changes, memory loss or memory difficulties; and/or Open skin sores and lacerations, peripheral nervous system effects, redness of the sclera (white of your eyes), runny nose (rhinitis) or thick, green slime coming out of nose (from sinus cavities), seizures, sinus congestion, sinus problems, and chronic sinusitis, skin redness, sleep disorders, sneezing fits, sore throat, tremors (shaking), verbal dysfunction (trouble in speaking), vertigo (feelings of dizziness, lightheadedness, faintness and unsteadiness), and vomiting.

Awesome I can now blame mold on pretty much anything.

Friend: “Amber, you have a dandruff problem. Maybe you should shower more.”

Me: “I shower, it’s just all that mold growing in my room.”                ( Either way you sound like a dirty person. )

Friend: “Hey you never called me back.”"

Me: “ Oops, I forgot..must be the mold.”

Oh and the best part is that one of the symptoms is Verbal dysfunction. I must have been living in a room full of mold my whole life. It’s the mold people..it is why I am socially retarded. No joke.

On a more serious note you will notice that the last symptom is vomiting. Hmmm perhaps I am actually onto something.

Well, happy Tuesday everyone!

Mysterious Nights

The other night I had strange dreams…and well, I wish last night I only experienced strange dreams. Instead I woke up nauseas, had to pee like a race horse..which then turned into had to poop like a race horse..and then for the grand finale…puking into my bedside trashcan.  This is not the first time this has happened…but I am always fine by the time I wake up. I am confused… Who the hell wakes up, pees, poops, pukes, and then goes back to sleep?

I’m stumped. TMI I know, but I couldn’t help talking about such a mysterious night. It is almost as mysterious as finding a pube in your toothbrush.

Anyways…now that I have grossed you out, not only is it Monday, but it is Meatless Monday. Let’s save the world one meatless day at a time. ( Yay for cheesy lines ). But really, everyone can afford to cut meat out for one day. It will save you some money. Who doesn’t like to save money? Maybe we should call it Money Monday. Perhaps people would be more willing to cut the meat out for a little extra cash if they don’t care about the environment or animals.

Ok I am rambling, enjoy your Monday everyone, Friday is only 4 days away.

Sunny Sunday

I was dreaming some crazy shiz last night. I dreamt that Eric was finally home, except he came home with anger issues and was throwing hatchets and hammers at me, only stopping to flex his muscles and say how ripped he was.

I guess I am subconsciously afraid that he is going to come home a male chauvinist. I think the baby shower I went to yesterday where there was two older divorced women who had male chauvinist's for husbands might have scared me a bit, especially since one of the ex-husbands was in the army.

Eric knows better though, that dream just felt too real. Icky.

On another note: I didn’t get to cook yesterday. We went to the farmer’s market but I didn’t find anything on my list. I think we ended up going to late because some of the vendors were already gone. So today I will make my way to a local produce place and see if I can find what I need and get cookin tonight instead. I am excited!

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Super Saturday

Yay for Saturday, farmer’s market fun and cooking. Oh and Google TV just found this… Check it!

http://www.google.com/tv/

Pretty cool right?

I have a feeling that sometime in the near future, desktop computers and TV’s will be combined and bred into the Jesus Christ of electronic devices. Right now it is like having a cell phone and a pager…one or the other will soon be and outdated piece of equipment because they will become a universal device. There is too much equipment out right now that does the same stuff. For instance…watching TV with my macbook on my lap, iphone on my right, and ipad on my left. Combine these all together and you get super apple…like a Fuji. Big, sweet, and delicious.

Just a thought.

Hey It’s Friday

It’s Friday again…well actually it is almost Saturday now. Which I am excited about because that means I get to go to the farmer’s market and cook up somethin fancy in the kitchen. So in anticipation to a lovely Saturday dinner, I will post up a Jamie Oliver video. Enjoy!

My Lucky Day

Yesterday seemed like a dream. Not only did I find out that Eric and I will most likely be headed to Germany for his first duty station, but I won a lunch with my favorite news anchors Paul Robbins and Joe Orlando from Fox 40 Live. I am such an old lady that I have a favorite morning news crew…it may not be such a big deal to some people and they might not be a huge famous celebrity, but to me they are! I am stoked to meet the people I watch on TV every morning while I eat my oatmeal when no one else is even awake yet. I am probably the only 23 year old that not only entered the contest, but that would be this excited over it.

So cheers to a good day and a future free lunch at Costa Vida, I also get to bring 10 people. ( too bad I don’t know 10 people ).

Happy Thursday everyone!

Germany Here I Come

I am in a little bit of shock at the moment. I just happened to check Eric’s Army AKO and saw that his first assignment is no longer pending…it says Mannheim Germany with an e-mail welcoming him to Europe. I thought if anything either Eric would end up going to Cuba, or we would get stationed in Kansas. I will take Germany over Kansas though…although the overseas process is already starting to overwhelm me.

There is still a chance his assignment can change…it is the military after all, but if it doesn’t then Germany here we come.

Europe. Wow.

Thankful Tuesday

It has been awhile since I have done a Thankful Tuesday. So it’s about time I think about what I am thankful for.

Some of the things I am thankful for today:

Family

Cooking

Warmer Weather

Music

I am also thankful that there is actually something on TV tonight. Losing it with Jillian Michaels comes one tonight! Wohoo. Be aware though people, in the real world if you yelled at a client like she does..well you wouldn’t have any clients. The only reason she gets to yell is that the people she is training are getting paid to be on the show and not paying to be trained. Just thought I would verify that. If I could afford to pay my clients to workout and get yelled at in order to see results..then I would but ya gotta make money somehow.

Happy Tuesday everyone, what are you thankful for today?