Hallway Rage

I'm a pretty aggressive driver. I blame it on the fact that I learned to drive in a full-size van...when you're bigger than everyone else on the road, they tend to move out of your way. Then, of course, there's the fact that not too long after I got my own car, I moved from a very small town to a pretty big city. And the fact that I regularly make a 5-6 hour trip to visit my parents. Add those factors together and you get a driver that can tend to be rather...confident.

I've noticed a tendency of mine to always want to be ahead of everyone else. I'm not really sure why; I'm not trying to race or anything, but if I see a car in front of me I want to pass it. So if the roads are clear, and I'm not really watching my speed, I can get going pretty fast weaving back and forth around other cars. That probably accounts for the 5 times I've been stopped for speeding (no tickets yet!).

When I'm driving and I encounter a slow driver in the fast lane, or two cars going the same speed blocking both lanes, I tend to get rather upset. I have been known to honk the horn, tailgate, and otherwise attempt to intimidate people into moving out of my way. It usually works.

I've noticed recently that my walking habits are kind of similar to my driving habits. I'm currently helping my boss set up for faculty training sessions a few times a week, and for these sessions I have to set up laptops in a classroom down the hallway from my office. This hallway is used by many students, and they tend to congregate into groups and stand around or walk together slowly. I get to walk through these masses of students carrying 4 or 5 laptops (I don't like to make multiple trips).

Apparently I don't like being behind people walking any more than I like being behind people driving. I've noticed that whenever someone is walking in front of me, I automatically speed up so I can pass them. I don't even think about it; just a natural response. Maybe I should start carrying a horn...

Ramblings

I can't sleep, so I'm posting some random thoughts...

*****

Law & Order: SVU is supposed to be on USA right now. Instead, they're playing golf. Not that I need to see any more episodes of SVU, but still, I don't understand the appeal of even playing golf, much less watching it. The fact that there are crowds of people just standing around silently watching the tournament is funny, yet sad.

*****

It's interesting to me how many TV channels have websites that are so much more useful than the TV channel that they make the channels completely unnecessary...like CNN , the TV Guide channel, and the Weather channel. I find it an interesting trend to see companies actually drive one of their products into obsolescence with another one of their products. Yes, I was a business major. Can you tell?

*****

Whoever it was that invented TeleFile? And direct deposit? I love them. My tax return was spent before I even got it, but at least I got it quickly.

*****

I took this test, and apparently I'm not really much more female than male. Should I be concerned?

Your Brain is 53.33% Female, 46.67% Male

Your brain is a healthy mix of male and female

You are both sensitive and savvy

Rational and reasonable, you tend to keep level headed

But you also tend to wear your heart on your sleeve

*****

It's 1:30 a.m., and I just had a snack of chicken fingers and fries. It's a wonder I don't weigh 400 pounds.

*****

Swimsuit shopping should be legally considered torture.

*****

The above two observations could be related.

*****

The golf tournament just ended, and one of the guys took off his hat. He had a severe tan line on his forehead from wearing baseball hats so much. I probably shouldn't find this funny, yet I do.

*****

Law & Order: SVU is on...I've seen this episode twice already. I'm watching it anyway.

Nothing Profound

I'd like a job where I get to dress up in a fancy gown, wear diamonds, get my hair & makeup done, walk a red carpet, and be photographed, interviewed, and watched on TV once a year simply for working...

Also, I wonder how exactly Beyonce got the job of singing every song in the Oscars ceremony. Was there some kind of drawing?

Birthday Fun...

Yesterday was my roommate's birthday...

An approximate schedule of the afternoon/evening's events:

4:30 Leave work

4:35 Hear traffic report explaining why I'm not moving (stupid Grand Rapids drivers!!!)

5:05 Arrive at mall having no idea what to purchase

5:20 Leave mall with gift and card (it's a skill)

5:25 Hear traffic report explaining why I'm not moving; attempt to suppress road rage

5:45 Arrive at Meijer

5:55 Leave Meijer with cake mix, frosting, ice cream, and candles (I shop here way too often)

6:00 Arrive at Walmart

6:10 Leave Walmart with gift bag, tissue paper, and balloons

6:20 Arrive at apartment to see that Julianne has gotten off work early; decide "surprise" decorating can wait

6:55 Arrive at restaurant

8:05 Leave restaurant, having invalidated 1/3 of #32 on my list of 100 things about me (I liked the strawberry daiquiri)

8:25 Begin making cake

8:50 Wrap present

9:15 Verify apartment is presentable

9:35 Start frosting cake

9:45 Heather arrives (15 minutes early)

10:15 Rachel, Andrea, and Kristen arrive (15 minutes late)

10:30 Julia arrives (30 minutes late)

11:30 Girls finally leave

12:05 SLEEP!!!!! :-D

They Grow Up So Fast...

Just a short post to note that my stat counter has passed the 500 mark! I'm way too excited over this...

Naptime

It's that time of the afternoon...I could put my head down on my desk and be asleep instantly. I've tried distracting myself; I've gotten up and walked to the drinking fountain, did some stretches, ate some cookies from the vending machine. I'm still tired.

For some reason, this happens to me every afternoon after I eat lunch. Once I get home, though, I'm wide awake. Just 90 minutes to go! I love Fridays! :o)

An Open Letter to Grand Rapids Drivers...

Say you're driving into work in the morning. And it's winter. And it's early. And Elizabeth is not exactly in the greatest mood, because...well, let's face it, she's not a morning person.

And you see an accident in the median. A car has gone off the road and rolled a few times. You see that emergency vehicles are there, and everything is well off the road, and it's not really affecting your drive at all.

Next time this happens, instead of stopping, or slowing to 10 miles an hour, why don't you consider driving the speed limit?! It's not exactly rocket science here, people. I know you're curious...I mean concerned...about the accident. And it's not like I don't look or anything. But turning my 10-minute drive into 35 minutes because apparently you're incapable of just glancing at the accident as you drive by? I forgave it on Wednesday. Twice in one week, though? Unacceptable.

While Watching Jeopardy...

My roommate and I have the oddest conversations...

Elizabeth: See that woman?
Julianne: Yeah?
E: You know the movie with Tim Allen?
J: *blank look*
E: With the aliens?
J: *blank look*
E: Where he had the tv show? and it was real?
J: Yeah!
E: Did you see it?
J: Yes *embarrassed look*
E: Doesn't that woman look just like the girl alien?!
J: Wow!! You're right!
E: I'm glad you're my roommate...we're both weird, aren't we?
J: Yeah...you know she looks exactly like her. Weird.



The woman on the left is Carolyn Cracraft from Jeopardy. The woman on the right is Missi Pyle, in Galaxy Quest...which is, by the way, an incredibly stupid movie. I don't know what to think about the fact that we've both seen it.

Close Call

As I stood up from my desk, about to head to lunch, I smoothed the front of my pants, since they tend to wrinkle when I sit at my desk for hours on end without moving. I noticed that something felt rather odd. I glanced down, and noticed a hole in the crotch of my pants.

I helped my boss set up for a meeting this morning. While doing this I walked around a lot and stood in front of a rather large group of people. I have no idea if this hole was present at that time. You'd think I'd have noticed the hole when I got dressed this morning (it's right under the zipper), but I was rather tired.

So I got a safety pin out of my purse (good thing I have a collection of random stuff I never really need in there), tried to act casual as I walked to the bathroom with my hand very carefully placed in front of me, and inspected the damage. Fortunately, the fabric wasn't torn, just the seam separated, and it wasn't a large hole (about 1 1/2 inches long), but still...can you imagine if I had gone to lunch like that? :-b

While Eating Apple-Chocolate Chip Cake...

(Hey...it has fruit in it! That makes it healthy!)

When I wake up early enough in the morning to eat breakfast, I usually turn on the TV and watch CNN or something for a few minutes...makes me feel like a responsible adult or something. This morning, when I turned the TV on, Today's Campbell Brown was interviewing Jeff Gannon/James Guckert. (This is kind of random, but I love that the reporter's name is Campbell Brown. Reporter names in general are entertaining--Wolf Blitzer, Stone Phillips--but I find hers especially funny. I'm sure it's not her real name, but it makes me laugh every time I think of that name on the elementary school playground. I have a feeling she's heard more than her share of jokes about soup.) I haven't blogged about this situation before, because just about everyone on the planet already knows about it, but there were a few quotes this morning I found absolutely hilarious.

*****

But Jeff Gannon isn't really Jeff Gannon. (Don't you love how dramatic they try to make things sound?) He uses the pseudonym because his real name is difficult to pronounce, he says.

Gannon: My name is James Guckert

Brown: James Guckert?

Gannon: Yes.

Brown: It's not so hard to pronounce. (I love it when reporters say exactly what I'm thinking!)

Gannon: Well, when you read it, it's always pronounced some other way. (I can think of only two ways to pronounce this name: Gookert [long U, like he says it] and Guckert [short U, apparently wrong]. Obviously very difficult.)

*****

Some might say how does a guy who works for an obscure, Internet publication, with a background that is linked to Internet porn in some fashion, get into the daily briefings, and get to ask the president a question at a news conference?

Gannon: I asked to come. They allowed me to come. And apparently that there isn't a very high threshold as far as somebody's personal life to gain access. (Good to know that all it takes to get into a White House press briefing is to ask. I have a feeling security procedures are going to be tightened rather quickly...)

Beautiful Day

It's been snowing for the past few days, and today started out the same. I glanced out my window a few minutes ago and noticed that the sun has finally appeared! I just ran a completely unnecessary errand so I could walk across campus and enjoy the sunshine. Funny how the snow that has been bothering me all week looks absolutely gorgeous sparkling in the sunlight. :o)

I Felt Pretty...

Ever have one of those days where you just know you look good? I was having one of those days this morning. New shoes, favorite black skirt, new shirt (makes my eyes look a really cool blue-green color), hair and makeup looking great. So I was in a good mood...got a few compliments...nice day.

I work on a college campus, so I can eat in the cafeteria at a really discounted price. I went through the lunch line, walked back to the table I usually sit at with a few of my coworkers, and stopped to talk to a friend on the way there. There was a girl sitting at the table with her that's kind of an acquaintance of mine. Jennifer is one of those girls that you'd love to hate...she looks like a model, yet has the sweetest personality, so you can't dislike her. So we're chatting, and I'm standing next to her, and suddenly the cute feelings are kind of gone.

I did, however, get a wolf whistle on my way back to my office...guess I can't really complain. ;-)

I'm in Trouble

I was checking my site stats this morning, and I noticed an unusual visit. Apparently an admin from my hometown's web page (of which I was rather critical) spent 21 minutes on my site this weekend.

Now I'm not entirely sure who is running this website...from their about page, it's a "private concern, consisting of a group of individuals, each sharing the same compassion and the desire to inform and welcome potential visitors to our abundance of beauty and scenic natural resources." I have a feeling it's probably the owners of some local hotels and campsites.

Problem is, Munising is a VERY small town. And it's not like I'm famous or anything, but there are people who know who I am. And I have a very large family, many of whom live in Munising, none of whom are aware of the existence of this blog.

So I doubt any of this would really come up in a conversation, but what if it did? ARGH!! Now I'm paranoid to blog...

Blind Fools

I was trying to come up with a title for this post, and I couldn't decide between "Love is Blind" and "Fools in Love," so I decided to combine them. Not that I'm cynical or anything...

Sarah and Tim are fine. She came to visit this weekend; we had a great time. We finally talked about what had happened; I didn't want to call her while she was visiting him (they don't get to spend much time together, and I try to let them have their space) and she didn't call me to let me know what was going on.

His amazing excuse for the lack of celebration on V-Day? He forgot. Yes, despite the million commercials on TV and the radio, the decorations everywhere, and the fact that she came to visit him bringing gifts, he was apparently unaware that it was Valentine's Day.

I'm trying very hard to give him the benefit of the doubt.

It's not really working.

But they worked it out, and she forgave him, and he says it won't happen any more. Apparently during their "discussion" she cried...it was the first time he had seen her cry. It was quite effective. So we'll see how long this lasts.

Funny how it's easier to see stuff when you're on the outside. I know he must be a good guy if she really loves him, but it's hard to skip over the negative stuff like she does. I've seen him do insensitive things like this over and over again, and I keep telling myself that it's just that I'm a cynical person. Still, it's hard to ignore it when it seems like a pattern. This reminds me too much of when he canceled his plans to visit her on her birthday and didn't even send flowers.

So...I'm watching. And I'm waiting. And I'll notice when he makes mistakes.

Yes; I admit it. I'm totally overprotective. It's my right as an older sister! :o)

*****

The above can be the "Love is Blind" section. Now here's the "Fools in Love" part. As I mentioned before, Sarah came to visit me for the weekend. Now, Sarah lives with my parents in Munising, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan (about 5-6 hours south of my parents). Tim lives in a small town in Illinois, about 3-4 hours south of me. Sarah visited him for a week, then came up to see me for the weekend, then planned on going home on Sunday.

We got a pretty bad snowstorm yesterday afternoon. Looking at the forecast, it was obvious that Sarah couldn't drive home, since the storm worsened as you moved north. She's always welcome at my apartment, and she had been staying for 2 nights, so I assumed that she'd stay with me another night and just head home this morning. She called Tim, and he said it wasn't snowing in Illinois.

So what does she do? The logical thing, of course. Drives almost 5 hours in the snow to see Tim again. Because of course she hasn't seen him in like 2 days and that's much too long. I've never been in love...never even been close, so I can't really say what I'd do in that situation myself. I'm just trying to remember that she's an adult (barely), and she's allowed to make these decisions for herself.

It's difficult to reconcile the overprotective older sister part of me with the part that knows she needs to make decisions on her own. I can't even imagine how parents must feel when they see their kids making stupid choices. I don't know if I ever plan on having children...guess I'm just using up whatever motherly feelings I have while I can. :o)

Happy Birthday!

Today is Aaron's mom's birthday. In the time I've been following Aaron's blog, I've been impressed by his love and respect for his mother. She must be a wonderful person to have raised the son she has.

I'm not really a very creative person, so I'll just send you my best wishes, and hope you have a Happy Birthday, EvillMom! :o)

100 Things About Me

For the extremely valid reason that everyone else is doing it...here's a list of 100 things about me! Enjoy. :o)

1. I was born on March 8, 1983 at home in the bedroom I've always lived in.
2. My umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck 3 times and I was apparently rather blue.
3. The nurse/midwife thought I'd end up severely brain damaged.
4. My younger 4 siblings were all born in the hospital.
5. I have 4 sisters and one brother.
6. You’re probably feeling sorry for my brother—don’t.
7. I grew up in a town in northern Michigan with a population of about 2,500.
8. I hate it.
9. I'm moving to either New York City or San Diego after grad school.
10. I started school at 4 because I was already reading at home.
11. I attended a private Baptist school with about 40 students (K-12).
12. I was in the largest class in the history of the school.
13. My graduating class had 5 people.
14. I have been taught by my grandma (1st and 2nd grade), my Aunt Cathy (5th and 6th grade), my Aunt Lydia (7th and 8th grade English), and my mom (9th and 10th grade Spanish).
15. I apparently had a fight with the only other girl in my class in 4th grade. I don't remember.
16. Girls at our school had to wear skirts. I got into trouble repeatedly in elementary school for not sitting carefully in the skirt and showing my underwear.
17. I got fired from a summer job for giving notice that my last day would be in 3 weeks so I could attend a family reunion.
18. I currently have only 2 people outside my family that I’d consider close friends.
19. I worked at a pizza place for 4 summers, 2 spring breaks, and 3 winter breaks.
20. I could still eat pizza every day.
21. I first remember firing a gun when I was about 6 years old. It knocked me over.
22. My family is very into hunting and other outdoor sports.
23. I don’t even kill bugs, and the only part of the outdoors I like is the beach.
24. I've read thousands of books.
25. Most of them were romance novels.
26. My neighbors used to call me the hat girl because for 2 or 3 summers I wore hats all the time. Not a baseball hat, like a normal child, but hats like you see old ladies wear to church.
27. I have never been on a date.
28. While the rest of my class went on a senior trip to Europe, I stayed home because my parents couldn't afford it.
29. I told them I didn't want to go.
30. They believed me.
31. I'm completely addicted to the internet.
32. I've never smoked a cigarette, drank alcohol, or done drugs.
33. My mom thinks I'm a bad influence on my younger sisters.
34. She has recently acknowledged that I might actually have standards.
35. My parents are extremely conservative evangelical Christians.
36. I think organized religion is the cause of many major problems in society.
37. I’d consider myself either an agnostic or a very liberal non-denominational Christian.
38. I never lived with any roommate for longer than one year in college.
39. My current roommate and I moved into an apartment together to escape 2 other roommates after being randomly placed together and knowing each other for only 4 months.
40. My first time flying was in an 8-seat plane flying to an island for a volleyball game. I loved it and would like to get a pilot’s license someday.
41. My least favorite household task is washing dishes.
42. Followed closely by laundry.
43. I got kicked out of a Meijer (Midwest supermarket kind of like Walmart) for riding the toy horse.
44. I was 18 at the time.
45. I once slept for 22 hours.
46. I wasn't sick; I had just finished finals.
47. I've fallen asleep at the wheel at least 5 times, but never been in an accident from it.
48. I've been in 4 relatively major car accidents (I was driving in 2 of them).
49. I wrecked the first car I bought myself less than 24 hours after I signed the papers.
50. I went skinny-dipping with my cousin Nicole less than 100 yards from a busy highway.
51. In my freshman communications class, I gave my informative speech on pizza.
52. I gave my demonstrative speech on pie.
53. I have 15 pillows on my bed.
54. I have 41 houseplants.
55. When I was growing up, my mom insisted that no one call me by any nicknames.
56. I can't whistle.
57. I once beat every guy in my high school in a Playstation hockey tournament. I’d never before played either Playstation or hockey.
58. I'm always late.
59. When my sister Sarah was disappointed with her 16th birthday, I stayed up all night making her a cherry pie (her favorite), making her a cake and frosting it like a soccer ball (she plays), and shopping for and wrapping gifts. I then drove 6 hours home (on no sleep), decorated the house while she was away at a soccer game, and threw her a mini-surprise party when she got home.
60. I tend to be extravagant with people I love.
61. I have an amazing ability to get lost.
62. Using one very simple map, I successfully navigated my roommate through midtown Manhattan at 2 a.m. because the directions we got online were completely wrong.
63. The summer after my freshman year of college, I worked 2 jobs, averaging about 75 hours a week, and had a total of 2 days off work all summer.
64. I wrote one check for tuition at the beginning of the first semester of my sophomore year and spent most of my summer's earnings.
65. I'm naturally terrible at pretty much any sport I play.
66. I was the captain of the volleyball team my senior year in high school.
67. I was the only senior on the team.
68. We lost every game.
69. Growing up, everyone commented on my resemblance to my grandpa (just what every girl wants to hear—you look like an old man).
70. My four best friends in high school were 2 of my cousins and 2 of my sisters.
71. I got a composite score on my ACT of 35 (out of 36) and almost retook it to see if I could bump it up to a 36.
72. I'm still bitter about the stupid Science Reasoning section that ruined my perfect score.
73. Yes, I'm a total nerd.
74. I have an undergraduate degree, am planning on starting graduate school soon, and still don't know for sure what I want to be when I grow up.
75. I firmly believe that the person who first combined peanuts and chocolate should be worshipped.
76. I've tried dieting twice in my lifetime.
77. Both times, I've given up within a week.
78. In a church Christmas program when I was 4, I decided to sing a solo of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" when there was a pause between songs.
79. I was given the biggest female role in every school play growing up because I was the only person guaranteed to learn all my lines.
80. I can hardly swim, yet I'm completely fearless around water.
81. I don't know what my favorite color is.
82. My senior year of high school, I traveled to South Carolina for a national academic competition.
83. I won.
84. My senior year of college, I traveled to Indiana for a national academic competition.
85. I lost.
86. I once made 11 pies for our family Thanksgiving dinner.
87. I've been told that I could be a professional gift wrapper.
88. I like giving presents more than receiving them.
89. I was the president of my senior class in college, but only because no one else wanted to.
90. I used to hide books in my desk in school and read them while the teacher wasn't looking.
91. We didn't have a TV in my house until I was 14 years old.
92. When watching "The Princess Bride" at my aunt's house as a child, I was so afraid of the albino guy that I hid behind a chair crying.
93. I'd much rather be naked than wear clothes.
94. I don't eat any vegetables except for green beans and raw carrots.
95. I do, however, take vitamins.
96. I've seen every James Bond movie at least 3 times.
97. The only professional sport I have any interest in is tennis.
98. I only started watching tennis because I thought one of the players was cute.
99. I had glasses and braces until the last week of my senior year in high school.
100. I've been pulled over for speeding 5 times, but haven't yet gotten a ticket.

Home Sweet Home?

I got quite a surprise today. I was looking for some information on my hometown to post here to give a bit of a picture of where I come from. My hometown, a redneck paradise in the middle of nowhere with the stunning population of about 2,500 people, has a website. I believe it is the single ugliest website I have ever encountered online, but a website nonetheless. I'm just amazed these people know what the internet is.

I'm aware that Munising is a tourist destination. I have no idea WHY these tourists visit, but for some reason they do. They keep the economy moving and all that, but why on earth would anyone create a website singing the praises of this town? I can't imagine this site coming up in any search and someone actually considering a vacation here.

After the shock had worn off, I went back to the search results to see what other sites had come up in my quest to discover all the internet has to say about my hometown.

Apparently, some guy decided to move to Munising, and got so many questions regarding his decision that he decided to post an explanation on his website. When you need to create an entire page on your website dedicated to defending your decision on where you live, you might want to reconsider your location. Just a thought.

One of the places I've worked in Munising is Pictured Rocks Cruises. I worked in a gift shop and sold tickets for people to pay $27 to take a 2.5 hour boat ride and look at rocks. They actually have a webcam on their site where you can see their pier and the bay. Wow...pictures of an empty parking lot and a frozen bay. My excitement knows no bounds.

The internet is such fun. :o)

I've Been Found

I check my site statistics a little too often. It's like some kind of sad popularity meter (Four returning visitors today! Wow...people like me!). I have been eagerly awaiting my first visit from a keyword search. I know, I know, it's sad, but at least I'm aware that I'm being pathetic. :-b I was checking my stats last night, and I have been found by 2 searches!

2005 subway superbowl commercial song

ford mustang commercial, frozen guy

So both searches were about the same post, and neither really had anything to do with my blog, but I'm still excited. Just thought I'd share.

I Hate My Sister's Boyfriend

My sister Sarah (literally my favorite person in the world) is 18 years old. She's been in a long-distance relationship with a guy since August. His name is Tim, he's 23, and I really don't like him.

To be fair, I doubt I'd ever think any guy is good enough for Sarah, and I've only met Tim three times.

The first time we met was in September when he was visiting her here (she used to go to school in Grand Rapids), and I invited them over for dinner. I made lasagna and cleaned the apartment. I don't know about you, but if I were meeting a member of a boyfriend's family for the first time, I'd try to make a good impression. He said about 20 words all evening. I'm not the most social person in the world, but I was really trying to talk to him. I didn't want to look like I was interrogating him, but I kept asking questions in order to try to start a conversation. He'd give a one-word answer, then stay silent.

The second time we met was at the end of October on the way to my grandpa's funeral. The funeral was in Missouri and Tim lives in Illinois, so we stopped at his grandma's house in Illinois to meet my parents, who were coming from a different direction. Tim stopped by the house while we were waiting, and I kind of left him and Sarah alone so they could see each other. He was a little more communicative when I did interact with him, but not really enough to overwrite the bad first impression. I also noticed that his grandma seemed to wait on him hand and foot while he was there, which kind of bothered me.

On our way back from the funeral, we picked Tim up to bring to Grand Rapids. He and Sarah were going up to my parent's house for the weekend, and his parents were traveling up in a few days to visit his brother, who is the youth pastor at my parents' church, so he'd ride home with them. To be fair, I was kind of upset about Tim riding with us, since I hadn't been informed of this until we were about an hour from his hometown. I did resolve, though, to be nice. We got to his house pretty late at night, met his mom (he lives with his parents), and spent the night there. We left around 10 the next morning. He didn't say a single word for the first 2 hours of the trip, and even after that he rarely spoke at all. I'm not at all a morning person, but that's kind of ridiculous. I kept asking him questions, trying to be social, but he just ignored me. I even asked Sarah about it this time (I hadn't mentioned to her that I didn't really like him when we first met), but she said she had never seen him act like this.

Today, however, was the last straw. Sarah left school after last semester, and she moved back home with my parents. She drove 9 hours on Saturday to see him (missing my dad's birthday and most of my visit home). She was planning on staying until Friday, then coming up to see me for a few days, then heading home.

Now Sarah and Tim's relationship, while they haven't really been dating very long, is quite serious. They talk for 2-3 hours on the phone literally every night, and they've been pretty seriously discussing marriage. I think 18 is WAY too young to get married, but I've shared that opinion with her and now the decision is up to her. I love her and will support whatever she does. Sarah was kind of expecting a proposal on Valentine's Day, although she was pretty much just excited to be celebrating Valentine's Day with a boyfriend for the first time. She made him heart-shaped peanut butter cookies (his favorite), and bought him a little turtle figurine (her nickname for him).

When I got home from work today, there was a message from Sarah on the machine saying she wanted to talk to me about the worst Valentine's Day ever. I called her back; this is how they spent Valentine's Day: She went to work with him from 9-5. She did homework all day while he worked (she's taking college classes online). When they got home, she and his mom cooked spaghetti for dinner. They ate it together, then Tim wanted to go to the gym and work out, but his mom talked him out of it. They sat down and watched tv all evening. No card, no flowers, no ring.

Now I'm thinking (hoping for her sake) that this is probably some elaborate setup, and he's planning on doing something before she leaves, but why on earth couldn't he have given her at least something on Valentine's Day?! This is the first time she's ever been in a serious relationship, and the first time they've been able to be together on any major holiday. I could see this all being part of some plan to do a complex proposal or something in the future, but she was in tears on the phone talking to me. He made my sister cry...I don't think I'll ever forgive him.

The Long Road Home

Instead of driving back from my parents' house on Sunday afternoon, I decided to go to bed early Sunday night, then wake up early Monday morning and make the trip home in time for work. Not something I'd really recommend, at least in Michigan in winter.

Pros:

*I got to spend extra time with my family.
*I woke up at 2 a.m., was on the road by 3, stopped at my apartment to shower and change when I got into town, and still made it to work by 9:30.

Cons:

*In about 6 hours of driving, I experienced snow, sleet, high winds, freezing rain, rain, and fog.
*I was unable to use cruise control for most of the drive due to the weather conditions, and my right leg aches from having to use it constantly. How did people ever drive long distances before cruise was invented?
*In my drive through most of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (about 120 miles; 2 hours of driving) I saw a total of 14 vehicles on the road. Four of them were snow plows.
*About an hour before I got home, I almost got into a car accident. I was less than 5 miles from where I was in a pretty serious car accident less than a year ago.
*I apparently tense my shoulders when I'm driving in stressful conditions. They're still sore.
*Office chairs are quite uncomfortable when you've been sitting in a car for 6 hours.
*I generally avoid caffeine. I do, however, like to avoid falling asleep at the wheel. Apparently, the caffeine found in 3 Diet Pepsis makes me rather...jittery.

I kind of crashed when I got home from work yesterday afternoon. Fell asleep on the couch, then woke up around 4 a.m. and went to bed. I had brought my bedding home to wash it, and I was too tired to haul it up the stairs to my apartment (third floor) when I got back from work, so it was still all in my car. I slept on a bare mattress with one pillow I had left here. All in all, a pretty exciting Valentine's Day! :-b

*****

While I was driving, I was thinking about my post from last week saying that I have nothing really interesting to blog about. Then I started thinking about my family, and how strange we really are. I believe I have found fodder for blogging...

*****

On a totally unrelated note, I just saw Ken Jennings (the Jeopardy guy) in a Cingular commercial tonight. I was wondering how long it would take. I'm not really sure what to say about this...

Nothing Like Procrastination...

Before I leave today (I'd like to leave by 5:30) I need to:

-pack
-water my plants
-wash a few dishes
-take out the garbage
-put gas in my car

I'm still at work right now. I somehow doubt I'll be leaving town when I had planned...

Update:

I ended up leaving at 6:15. Not too much later than planned. :o)

Ummm...

What to blog about today?

Here's the thing...I'm an incredibly boring person. I read quite a few blogs regularly, and people seem to have interesting things to talk about. Some people tell stories about their past. I'm 21 years old, and my life has been pretty boring so far. Some people tell stories about their active social lives. I go to work, then come home and watch tv and get online. Some people tell stories about their children. I am quite happy to say that I have none. Some people write incredibly deep and meaningful posts. I'm not really that great of a writer.

I can't really think of anything much to say today. I worked late so I can leave early tomorrow in order to travel home to visit my parents. I shall endeavor to do something interesting tomorrow in order to have something to blog about. :o)

Confession

I have a confession to make. I am addicted to American Idol.

I distinctly remember the first season of the show, mocking it and insisting that I would never watch it. Living in a college dorm at the time, I went down to the lounge to watch some tennis only to find a stupid girl watching the American Idol finals with her boyfriend. She was crying, which only intensified my disgust toward the show. I stayed down there, because the boyfriend agreed to watch tennis during commercials, disgusted by how blatantly they were dragging things out. The last 5 minutes of the show could have been all they showed, with exactly the same effect.

The next year I ended up living with a girl who was kind of like the one I had met in the lounge. I completely blame her for this addiction...we didn't miss an episode all season. I suppose I could have left the room or put headphones on, but those initial episodes, listening to people insist on their nonexistent talent, sucked me in. I just can't help but be entertained by people who still believe their parents when they say they are talented, regardless of what is being said by industry professionals. Don't they listen to themselves?

So this year, I was going to be really good and just avoid watching it from the beginning. I stayed kind of late at work on the day of the season premiere, and I walked in the door to my roommate, only to hear a very familiar theme song coming from the tv. Thus the tradition continues...

Elizabeth...out!

Hibernating

I've been hibernating.

I do this on occasion. I don't know what sets it off, but I become completely asocial for a few days or weeks. Recently, I've had no desire for any human interaction.

Generally when I feel like this, I read. I become absorbed in imaginary lives because I don't want to be in mine. I somehow doubt that this is the most healthy way to deal with what is probably some kind of depression, but it's what I've always done. Since I was a child, reading has been my escape. I've always felt like I didn't really fit in, but my solution has been to just open a book and let it take me away.

This time, I realized I really can't do this any more. I generally enjoy my job (or at least tolerate it), but I went for about two weeks without any desire to attend work. I got sick last week, and while I probably could have come in to work, I missed 2 1/2 days because I couldn't develop the motivation to get out of bed. Instead, I sat around my apartment with a book or my computer. When I'm at work, I avoid my coworkers. Instead of eating lunch with everyone in the cafeteria, I've been skipping meals or going out and getting fast food to eat at my desk.

I haven't actually opened any mail in quite a while. I realized this yesterday, when I was setting down what was obviously a bill on top of a pile of letters that have been accumulating on my desk. There's a letter from my sister in there, and a note my mom included when she forwarded some important tax papers, but I haven't even looked at them. I just don't care.

Instead of cooking in my apartment and eating with my roommate, I've been picking food up on the way home and eating it myself before she gets back.

I have no idea what sets off these little moods of mine. They tend to happen most often in winter, but I've felt like this at other times of the year, too. I just don't want to do anything at all.

I finally started to feel better this weekend. Ironically, my roommate was visiting her parents, so I was alone at the time I actually wanted to talk to someone. My sister called me on Sunday and instead of trying to get off the phone we talked for half an hour. I think things are looking up. I just wish I didn't have to fall so hard every time this happens that I need to climb out of a dark hole for things to be better.

My SuperBowl Diary

So I watched the SuperBowl yesterday. Not out of any desire to actually WATCH football, but for some reason I just always do. Because I know my personal experience watching a football game is extremely important to the survival of the world, I am posting a diary of my experiences while watching said game.

I woke up at 5:30 p.m. (long story), surfed around on my computer for a while, then realized...hey! the game's probably starting soon! So I went to the tv guide channel (since I had no idea what channel the game was actually on) and found that it had started 20 minutes earlier. No big deal, not like I actually care, so I turn it on, only it's still the pre-show so I didn't miss anything.

George H. W. Bush looks OLD! And Bill Clinton still looks sleazy. Still weird to see them together.

*So, important point here, I REALLY don't get football, so I just don't watch it. Tennis is the only sport I ever watch. I did, however, briefly consider a marketing major in college, and I've always loved watching the commercials. Hence Elizabeth watching the SuperBowl. Also, Tom Brady? HOT!*

Beer (possibly Bud Light? I never pay attention) commercial with the pilot jumping out of the plane to catch the beer? Somewhat funny, yes, but hardly SuperBowl worthy.

Subway commercial with the windows fogged up and the cops thinking it's a couple having fun...highly entertaining. Still not sure if it's SuperBowl worthy, though. Getting a bad feeling about the SuperBowl-worthiness of tonight's commercials.

Hmmm...football seems to have started. Should probably pay attention.

NFL network commercial with random football players all singing "Tomorrow"? Made me giggle.

Ford Mustang commercial with the guy apparently frozen to death...quite entertaining. Also special to me because for YEARS as a child I desperately wanted a Ford Mustang. Still wouldn't exactly turn one down...but I do love my Focus. Honestly. Back to the commercial, though, the summer style of the shirt and the sunglasses are nice touches.

Tom Brady? Still HOT!!

Oh...someone got points. I'm kind of cheering for the Patriots, not really sure why, so kind of sucks that it's not them. Back to my reading.

Interruption of phone call from my sister...will probably blog about it tomorrow.

Beer commercial with the different animals coming to join the Clydesdales because of the donkey? Cute. I like the consistency of this series...

Start somewhat watching the game. Don't you love how the announcers just randomly blurt out statistics that no one should ever know, much less care about knowing? I find it highly entertaining.

Oh...the Patriots apparently got a touchdown too. Cool. Still not so much with the watching of the football.

Beer commercial with the soldiers coming home and everyone in the airport clapping? Corny, yes, but it made me cry. Come home safe, Thomas! Thoughts and prayers. :o)

Ameriquest cat stabbing commercial? High point of my evening. Seriously. (Not to confuse anyone, I love cats, but the most original commercial of the evening.)

Ummmm...more points have been gotten. Should have probably been paying attention.

Commercials I've seen before? Like the Staples "easy button ones? WHY?! It's the freaking SuperBowl!! You had to pay like $2 million to play that! And you couldn't come up with something new?! Highly upsetting.

P. Diddy (or whatever he wants to be called now) driving a Diet Pepsi truck, so everyone else getting one to be like him? Points for irony. Extra points for using Carson Daly, who I so crushed on in high school and now look at with great confusion. Ummm...yeah...I left a show in which at least high school girls knew who I was for a show that's on at like 3 a.m. Great career move.

Um...wow...lots of points gotten. Consider Googling rules of football to see how Patriots could have apparently gotten 3 points in one move (was aware of touchdowns and the subsequent field goals, but no other method of gaining points). Too lazy to sort through Google results, call little brother to explain. Feel like an idiot (although the shock in his voice to hear that I was watching it was quite entertaining).

So, Patriots win. Good times. And Tom Brady? Still HOT!! :-D