I live in the South

Some days, Florida seems comfortably like home. Other days, I am reminded that I'm not in Mid-Michigan anymore...

Every morning, while watching The Today Show, I see this commerical for Dixie Cabinets at least three times:
(My favorite scene starts around 22 seconds.)



Yup. Soak it in. That's where I live now.

It makes me long for the soothing acoustic guitar stylings of "It's Quality Dairy time... it's Quality Dairy time..."

It's The Only Cure for the Grad School Blues

I don't know if anyone is aware of this... but graduate school kind of sucks.

I mean, higher learning is great and all, but I've been SUPER stressed out this semester and I'm about ready for a nice long summer vacation.

My mom keeps telling me, "Take care of yourself!" and I'm not entirely sure what that means. I interpret it to mean that I should find time in my busy semester to do things that make me happy. So I did...

I bought THESE:

All, together now: "ooooooh... ahhhhh!"

Stacy London says that pale is IT this season, so I'm excited to be part of the trend. Also, all the stars were wearing nude colored shoes on the red carpet this season. I'm told (also by Stacy) that they make you look taller-- and let's be honest, I can use all the help I can get in that department.

Yeah, I'm pretty happy about this decision. Though, I guess it brings my number up to 75. Oh well. That's a nice round number.

EDIT: I forgot that my new number is 56, so once these babies arrive in the mail, my number will actually be 57. Not such a nice round number, but a more reasonable one.

Your Trip Begins at Michigan.org

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE those Pure Michigan ads. I love Tim Allen's voice, I love the music (ganked from the Cider House Rules soundtrack), I love the scenes from all over Michigan... I just love it all.

So a few months ago my mother casually told me that there would be a film crew at our restaurant soon. I asked why and she (again, casually) said that they were filming a PURE MICHIGAN ad!

"Say what?!" I was so excited! Hell, I still AM excited because now the ad is airing and you can see our restaurant in a few of the shots.

Check it out here:



Did you catch it? Probably not... but neither did my dad, the first time around. So in case you missed it, here are the screen shots of The Roma.

Other things I love about this ad:

1. Tom Izzo shucking corn.
2. RED POP!
3. That goofy kid at the end with the lisp.

The only thing I don't love about this ad: Where's Tim Allen??

I think he would have given this ad some MORE POWER... get it?

Home Improvement? ...anyone?

Now parents will let their kids bop with me.

I don't think I've been inside a Hot Topic store since I was 15 and I haven't had any intention of changing that... until today.

I was innocently walking around The Oaks Mall, after a quick trip to Bath & Body Works, when all of a sudden THIS caught my eye:

Oh yeah.

It was in the window at Hot Topic, with just about every other green or leprechaun-themed T-shirt they have. And I caved. It was just too wonderful.

I can't wait to be one of hundreds (or "hunnerds" as they say down here) of students wearing this shirt on Wednesday.

What's Your Number?

What’s your number?
Well, that’s a very personal question…
But, Internet, we’ve been friends for a long time so I feel comfortable sharing thins kind of information with you. So I will tell you.

My number is… *sigh*… 74.
Yes, you heard me. 74.
And don’t you dare judge me!

Albeit, some of those were rash decisions that ended painfully. Others seemed like love at first sight but then never panned out. And still others turned into wonderful long term relationships that gave me years of joy and happy memories. Each one was a reflection of who I was at different points in my life.

But I’m at a crossroads in my life and I’m finding that I am increasingly embarrassed by this rather… large number.

Thus I decided it was time to take action. I needed to reflect on my past and make some decisions. And I knew that this wouldn’t be easy, but these kinds of things seldom are.
So here we are.

First, I had to take stock of them all.

Closet #1 had 28

Closet #2 had...

...18

And I was hiding/storing 18 pairs under the bed.

Oh, and flip-flops… are we counting flip-flops? Ok, because there were 10 of those.

Then it was time to decide who would stay and who needed to go.

All of Closet #1 was safe. Those are the ones I wear on a regular basis.
Most of Closet #2 was safe, except for a few, as I wear those when I dress up for work (or internship, as will be the case this summer).
But those that were hiding out under the bed were in grave danger of being “booted”, as it were.

But before I gave them all the old heave-ho, I decided to take a moment to reflect on our time together.

Ah, Prom! What memories!

There they were, in all their glory. God, I wish I were still a size 2…

I’m getting rid of these because well… I like boys (also I don't play softball or wear flannel). And I think it’s time my footwear reflected that.


Every girl remembers her first. (Pair of Pumas, that is.)

These slip-on maroon sneakers went perfectly with my maroon CMU polo shirt and were PERFECT for my time as a campus tour guide at CMU… but not much else.


These (embarrassingly expensive) moccasins were love at first sight until I wore them for the first time, only to be told by a friend that they were the ugliest shoes he’d ever seen. That was the last time I wore them.


Believe it or not, I begged my mother for these shoes when I was still in High School. She asked where I would wear them. I told her, “Duh. Everywhere”. I guess I actually meant “Nowhere” because that’s really where I wore them.


These old gals have moved with me to FOUR different cities and apartments now and I refuse to give them up.

ALMA MATER, QUEEN AND MOTHER, ETERNAL BE THY REIGN!

I dumped many more pairs than are pictured here.

Using the criteria of those that

1. Instantly give me blisters (no matter HOW cute they are)


2. Have gone more than 2 years without being worn


3. Make me look like a lesbian

I was able to give myself a new number.

Drum roll please….

48!

Oh wait… are we counting flip-flops? ...we are?

Ok… 56!

That may not seem like much progress, but I no longer store/hide ANY shoes under the bed! That’s a major improvement and I’m sure the dust bunnies are thrilled to have all the extra space.

So there you have it, Internet. I have shared my most personal secrets with you, yet again. You have allowed me to share this process with the world... and now you have shown me the nearest DSW, so that I may begin to rebuild.

Thank you, Interwebs. Thank you.

That's Wall Street

It's comments like this that really take the glow out of pursuing a career (and an advanced degree) in museums:

My board, which i have to placate, because they raised the money to build the place which is keeping me employed (but none of whom know how to run a museum) is giving me fits. They have decided they want *insert anonymous Republican* to speak at the opening. He is an old friend of one of our oil tycoon board chairmen. I will likely be sick to my stomach. You too will learn the joys of selling your soul to keep your job in good stead in a small to medium museum one day. They can't teach that in museum ethics.

...yay? But then again, this much beloved former co-worker was never known for his optimism. He's a realist (like many... ok, most... of my former co-workers) and I appreciate that. Someone has to tell it like it is-- it might as well be him. While I'm reading about the difference between "feign" and "simulate" (I'm not far enough into this article to even begin to explain how it relates to museums), he's out there doing real, honest-to-goodness work.

For a brief moment, I was kind of jealous. Right now, I would gladly trade these stacks of overly theoretical articles for some time out there in the trenches, doing good, solid museum work.

But then I remembered something. I was out in the trenches, doing good, (sometimes) solid museum work. And I bitched to high hell about having to be at work at 9, dealing with screaming babies and angry teachers and puking kids, and pathetic wages and no health insurance and weird homeless people and, and, and...

So I came back to school.

I'm on a horse.

Tommy and I saw this Old Spice commercial at the movie theatre this weekend. We were laughing, other people were staring. I'm ok with it.



Thank goodness Tommy wears Old Spice, so he can buy me tickets to that thing I love.

Oh. Canada.

I'm tired of people saying, "Well, it was no Beijing..."

No fricking kidding. Canada is not China and it's never gonna BE China. Much in the same way that crème brulée is never gonna be Jell-O.

But that’s a good thing!

Personally, I loved last night's opening ceremony. I thought it was very... Canadian.

The Canadians hold a very special place in my heart.
I grew up in a state that is actually north of Canada...


... drinking Canadian beer... watching Canadian Television...

... and obsessively following a Canadian rock band.

So while weirdness like this is undeniably Chinese...
Moments like this...
...are deligtfully and beautifully Canadian.

I'm pro-health care, I like hockey and beer, and it's been recently brought to my attention that I interject the occasional "eh" into conversation. So when you mess with the Canadians, you mess with me.

So forget Beijing and accept Canada and her citizens for who they are.
They would do the same for you.

And they'd be damn polite about it, eh.

Go World!

I was mad at NBC for the same reason a lot of people were mad at NBC: I love Conan. But I'm putting my anger on hold (partly because Conan so eloquently told me to) because it's time for the WINTER OLYMPICS!

I love the Olympics. I mean I LOVE the Olympics. Every two years, I find myself obsessively following the stats and achievements of athletes competing in sports I would otherwise never watch.

During the last summer Olympics in China, I was up at all hours of the night (damn that 12 hour difference) to make sure that I was able to watch Michael Phelps win LIVE, so I could get a good look at those Chinese gymnasts (16 years old my ass) and to see Usain Bolt break his own records--one after another-- in those crazy gold Pumas.

So here's what I'll be tuned into in Vancouver over the next 16 days.

1.) The opening ceremony. I don't think it can top Beijing's craziness from two years ago (has it been two years already?). But it's always awesome and it always gives me goosebumps.

2.) Shaun White. Holy cow. I'm not a snoboarder, but this guy is insane! And you have to appreciate that hair.

3.) Bobsled! C'mon, don't pretend that you didn't love Cool Runnings. You know you did. I think it's so cool to watch them run that sled and then jump in it and snap those handles down. It's a race with a lot of components involved. So cool.

4.) Medal ceremonies. Do you know all the words to Switzerland's national anthem? Neither do I. But I still love watching people get their medals and cry. Oh, I love to see them cry. I hope the medals aren't ugly this year (Sorry Torino-- they looked like bagel chips).

5.) Lindsey Vonn. She's a badass. I think people are underestimating what a badass she actually is. The girl has a bruise on her shin. Calm down people-- she's an Olympian! I'm not worried. Also, she has the Picabo Street seal of approval, so I'm on board.

6.) Bob Costas. Don't get me wrong-- I still love me some Matt Lauer, but nobody covers the Olympics like Bob Costas. I loved his interview with Bela Karolyi in Beijing.


Bela final
by bsap11
He really enjoys the athletes and coaches and it shows. Love him.

7.) Apolo Ohno. He may be my favorite Olympic athlete of all time (Bela Karolyi isn't an athlete). He's going to be the guy to watch this year, as he only needs TWO medals to become the most decorated winter Olympic athlete of ALL TIME. Nuts, right?! I get really nervous while watching speed skating, though. It always looks like they're about to fall over.

8.) Women's hockey. It kind of makes me wish I hadn't quit playing high school hockey. I could have been an Olympic athlete... maybe. So what, I never scored a goal? I was really good at drinking Gatorade. Like... Oympic good.

9.) French. It's the official language of the Olympics and I like to brush up by listening to the announcers.

10.) Figure Skating. Johnny Weir is a pretty big deal this year, but I think he's kind of annoying (though I'm willing to let him win me over throughout the course of the games). Personally, I like the pairs better. Blades of Glory, anyone?

815

I know... I know. More LOST. But seriously... watch it.