Confession: I'm annoyed.

...but I have seen some stuff lately that has really irritated me, and thus merited a post of some sort. And apparently, if I do it #confessions style with Kathy, nobody can judge me. Or judge all you want, whatever. I'm too pissed off about nonsense and the abject, ignorant stupidity and bandwagon mentality of so many people to care.

Real quick disclaimer: let me preface this by saying that these rants are not directed at any people in particular, unless specifically mentioned. People who believe differently than I do are completely and totally entitled to their beliefs, and I am in no way insinuating that I am smarter/cooler/better/whatever than anyone else, regardless of whether we agree or disagree. I would encourage people from both sides to comment (if you're interested), because I like the conversation, but I'm not trying to start an argument or put anyone down by what I'm about to say. 

Commencing.. 

I confess // There is an article on Buzzfeed right now wherein 22 female employees answer why they take birth control. FIRST of all...WHO THE HELL CARES? No one, that's who. SECONDLY... I am sick and tired TO DEATH of hearing people bitch and moan about how birth control is their own business, and people do it for themselves blah blah blah, and "hey government/employer/everybody who doesn't agree with me, stay out of my business!" while simultaneously DEMANDING that government/employee/taxpayers actually get all up in their business and PAY for their birth control. Seriously?! Seriously. Shut up, you're contradicting yourself and making absolutely no sense. 

And for the record (pay attention here, folks, because this is the biggest thing everyone is ignoring here): Hobby Lobby is NOT saying, nor have they ever said, that they refuse to pay for birth control because of their religious beliefs (which, by the way, is their RIGHT, as guaranteed by the First Amendment). They simply did not want to have to pay for the IUD or the morning-after bill. There are a lot of other kinds of birth control that they are very happy to cover with their insurance plans. 

And also...if you so desperately want to be in control of your own reproductive health and rights, then take control of all aspects of it yourself, including paying for it. Freedom of religion is freedom of religion, even if you don't agree with it.

I confess // all this nonsense about raising the federal minimum wage is stupid. As someone who has spent a pretty significant portion of their working life working at minimum wage, do I think it would be easier if it were higher? Well of course I do... But where is the money supposed to come from? 

If a company has 8 employees who work 40 hours a week, and are paid $7.25/hour, that means the company is spending $2320.00/per week on their compensation. That doesn't even take into account the additional cost of potential benefits like vacation time, retirement savings or profit sharing, sick leave, health insurance (the cost of which is skyrocketing, by the way, thanks to the president and his dumb plan), etc. Nor does that take into account the overhead costs of running a business - building space, liability insurance, utilities, equipment, cleaning costs...and the list goes on and on. 

If the minimum wage gets raised the 39.3% up to $10.10 that has been proposed, that means that compensation costs alone for the aforementioned hypothetical company will go up $911.76/week, or $47,411.52/year. Where, exactly, is that extra $50k supposed to come from? All that will happen is that companies will be forced to lay off or otherwise let go of employees because they simply can't afford to keep them anymore, thus reducing the amount of service they could provide, which in turn will most likely result in a decrease of customers since the service and/or product has suffered, leading the company to make even less money, meaning they have to let more people go.....and the cycle continues. How in the world is it that people don't see this? 

The beauty of capitalism is that it allows people to work hard and do whatever they can to better themselves, rather than reducing people who are successful down to a lower level, so that other people can benefit from their success. It's not a perfect system, but historically speaking, it does tend to be the most fair, and sustainable system. 

I confess // the fact that people actually believe that Obama's healthcare plan is a positive thing because it reverses "job lock" kind of blows my mind. That fact that people can't see that it's a blatant call for people to just not bother having jobs so they can instead just depend on the government for everything blows my mind even more. Since when is having a job and supporting yourself as best you can ever a bad thing, even if the job isn't all that enjoyable? I personally would much rather work and know that I'm supporting myself, even if it's not fun for me, than be dependent on the government for my needs. But hey...maybe that's just me. 

I confess // I cannot stand Jay-Z and Beyonce. Like, at all. Jay-Z has always irritated me, but I used to like Beyonce, back when her music was fun, and showcased her talent, instead of her ability to dress in next to nothing and shake her ass. I find it so sad when people who are so ridiculously talented sell out just to stay in the headlines. Like really, what's the point? 

I confess // my blood pressure has gone up while I've been writing this post. I can feel it. Whoops. I'm going to go walk around the block a few times to get it back where it's supposed to be. 

Peace out. 

Also linking up with Liz, because it's Wednesday. 

Never gonna do it..

I was out of town on vacation last week, so I pretty much ignored all things blog/social media for the whole week. There is a chance I will do a vacation recap at some point, but right now I'm still exhausted from the trip (why is it that vacations are always so exhausting??), so today I'm just going to steal a prompt from Juliette, and call it a day.

Today's prompt is "Things I'll Never Do". 

1 // Stop thinking photobooths are cool. They're just too much fun, and the pictures I get from them, no matter how silly or stupid or terrible, never cease to make me smile. 

2 // Have a big dog. I don't really count myself as a dog person at all, but I do tend to like the cute little ones. Boyfriend and I have plans to get a little pug puppy as soon as we live in a place that allows pets, and I love my sister's little schnoodle (I think that's what he is, anyway), but big dogs like labs or German shepherds, or retrievers, etc? No, thank you. 

3 // Play the lottery regularly. Sure, I may buy a random ticket here and there, but regularly spending money on a ticket when your odds are ridiculously slim just seems stupid to me. Of course, I can't really play in Nevada anyway, since the powers that be (see also: whoever is financially invested in all the gambling that happens here) don't allow it. So that works out.

4 // Stop correcting grammar/spelling in my head (and sometimes out loud). I know it's a really annoying habit that I have, so I really try to keep it to myself most of the time...but I had a really good grammar education, so my brain just does it automatically and I can't help it. 

5 // Eat fugu. First of all, seafood (gross). But then also, poison. How is this an actual dish people eat?? 

It's a good day when....

I love this idea! I am totally guilty of waking up in the morning already hating the day (has anyone picked up on the fact that I am NOT a morning person yet?), so something like this forces me to really think about things that make up a good day, and then do whatever I can to make those things happen every day. Intentional positivity, for the win. :)

It’s A Good Day When….

/// I wake up gently, on my own, without the aid of alarm clocks or other such nonsense

/// I get to hang out with Boyfriend

/// There is some kind of workout involved

/// I get coffee in my system before I have to deal with any people (with the exception of Boyfriend..I can deal with him before coffee most of the time :))

/// When I have time to read, just for fun

/// If I get an unexpected email/text 

/// I get motivated enough to both put on makeup and do something with my hair other than throwing it back in some kind of ponytail/messy bun something or other

/// I eat whatever I want without feeling guilty or like every calorie I'm eating is going straight to my things (even though it probably is)

/// I have the chance to get together for a happy hour with a girlfriend

/// I get to hang out and play with my adorable nephews

/// I fall asleep before midnight

/// When I make a home-cooked meal and it's actually good

/// When my clothes fit comfortably and I feel good when I wear them

/// I hear good news from someone I love

/// I actually manage to write a post about something

/// Chipotle is included

/// I realize that I have paid all my bills for the month and there is still some money in my bank account

What things make you say "It's a good day"?

Sunday Social

I haven't done a Sunday Social post in a while, so I figured I would participate this week. :)

1 // What is your favorite scary movie?

I hate scary movies, so I couldn't possibly have a favorite. I hate being scared and I think horror movies and stuff like that is completely stupid. 

2 // What is your favorite weird TV show that you think no one else watches?

I don't watch a single show at all that I think no one else watches...if I were the only person watching it, they wouldn't have it on the air. But apart from that, I can sometimes really easily get sucked into Wife Swap and Dance Moms. I think that's about it though. I don't have time to watch much TV. 

3 // What is the song you can sing all the words to without music?

Oh there are probably a few, but lately I've been rocking "Better Dig Two" by The Band Perry at every available opportunity. 

4 // What is your favorite book to reread? 

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, or The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.

5 // What is the one website you visit more times a day than any others? 

The time tracker website I use to track my hours for work. How boring am I?? Ha. 

What, you don't do all your confessing on Wednesdays? Weirdo.

I confess // that I am LOVING this fancy new confession button. I have thought he was pretty cute ever since he dropped into Mystic Falls as the hottest bad-boy-vamp around, so I am all about having him on my page. 

I confess // this is the first time in a REALLY long time that I have posted twice on the same day. I usually can't even handle posting twice in one week. But I mean.....there were link ups I wanted to do. So I had to. :0 

I confess // I have tried and tried, but I still can't get myself to actually like eating eggs.. The yolky egg sandwiches Boyfriend makes are pretty good, so that's the only exception.. But eggs in general are just gross. 

I confess // I saw something on Twitter on Father's Day that made me really sad.. A blogger (who I have really admired, and followed for quite some time) made a comment that I found really disappointing, and now I feel a little bit disenchanted with not only the blogger (which sucks, because I had always found this blogger to be both funny and real, two of the best qualities a blogger can have, I think), but somewhat with the whole concept of blogging in general. That may be a little bit of a dramatic reaction, I'll admit...but it's still how I feel. 

I confess // I haven't gotten a pedicure in a while, and even though I know that I can cut and polish my own toe nails, I still feel like my feet are gross if it's not professionally done. Vain? Probably. But I don't like feet generally, so I like to do whatever I can to make my own feet prettier. 

I confess // I kind of wish that I had grown up watching more Saturday Night Live! or whatever it was called, so that I could have known it when it was awesome and actually funny.. But I wasn't really allowed to watch much TV of any kind when I was growing up, so Saturday nights on NBC were definitely off-limits. 

I confess // I definitely need to make more time in my life for reading for fun. It's such a wonderful, relaxing thing. I also need to make more time in my life for laying out by a pool somewhere, since that's pretty dang relaxing too. 

I confess // I actually really enjoy the HR portion of my job. Payroll, employee onboarding, etc... I am finding that I totally like doing stuff like that. 

I confess // sometimes when I reach out to people (other bloggers, mostly) I get really freaking nervous. I don't know why - when I am thinking rationally, I generally assume that other bloggers respond to unsolicited emails like the "hey, just saying hi" ones I sometimes send in much the same way I would.. A smile, a moment of feeling appreciated and noticed (always nice things), and then a response to whoever wrote. But I still get nervous, because I'm reaching out to someone I admire, and people are unpredictable, and it can be really a let down when people don't respond the way you wish they would. 

I confess // studying is not my strong suit. I love learning, but like..mostly I just wish I knew all the stuff, and that I didn't find the actual "learning" part of knowing stuff so hard sometimes. 

I confess // I have a really strong desire to go stand-up paddle boarding sometime. I was looking at a website of a company in San Diego that offers paddle boarding training and tours, and hot DAMN, I wanna go. 

I confess // that I am generally terrified of water if I can't see through it....except when I'm in the ocean. Lakes and rivers? No thanks, but the ocean (home to WAY more things that can kill me, and also has the ability to kill me all on its own without the help of its inhabitants)? Yep, take me there. Paradoxical, I know. 

Aannnnnd now my brain is tired, so that's all you get. Peace out!

My #9to5 Schedule

Linking up with the lovely Sarah (who just redid her blog - it looks fabulous!) and Helene for this fun topic today!

A day in my life... 

Okay, to be perfectly honest, putting my daily grind into a definable schedule is actually really tough. Every day is a little bit different, since I am self-employed, and have to adjust my daily schedules to accommodate client needs. 

I am officially a small business administrative consultant, which means I do virtual assistant type work for my clients. Depending on the client, my work might include writing a blog post, creating a marketing/social media plan, processing company bills and creating company invoices to their clients, handling employee/contractor onboarding, processing expense reports, etc. At any given time, I will be playing the part of Marketing/Human Resources/Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable Director, depending on which client I'm doing work for, and what their particular needs are that day. 

This is what my desk looks like when I'm organized

I try really hard to stick to a pretty regular 8am-5pm schedule, both for my own sanity, and to make sure my clients know they can depend on me to be available during regular business hours. Most weeks, I work closer to 70 hours than 40, though, so I am very often still sitting at my computer doing work late into the evenings and on weekends. 

I hate eating right away in the morning, so I usually take a little break for breakfast around 9:30-10:00 or so. Lunch generally happens around 1:30-2, or whenever I get hungry. Or if I get really busy, a lot of times I just completely forget about lunch, and then wonder why I'm so grumpy and annoyed with everything by 4pm.

I'm really lucky, because I live right next door to my sister's family right now, so when I need a break from the computer, or a little pick me up, I walk over there and play with my nephews for a few minutes. There's just something about the laughter of children that makes adult problems seem so silly. :) 

The things that remain the same every day include at least one cup of coffee in the morning, one kick start in the afternoon, at least one moment when I knock my head against my desk a few times, a few minutes of a dance party when things get stressful, and music or a movie playing in the background most of the time. And that my office is generally no more organized than this (a picture I took right at this moment, for the post):

This is why my desk usually looks like in the middle of the day - stuff EVERYWHERE. I usually have to stop a couple of times a day to organize everything and put it back where it belongs so I can focus.

So that's my day! What does your day look like? 

I don't have big hair. And other confessions.

What up, world? It's Wednesday (well technically right now, it's like late on Tuesday night, but whatever, close enough), so I'm linking up with Kathy and Liz because all the cool kids are doing it. 

Confession: I just googled "all the cool kids are doing it" gifs, and was greeted by some truly horrifying images that have nothing I can see to do with the topic at hand. What gives with that, Google? 

Confession: My hair is finally starting to get a little bit longer, but it's still so fine like baby hair that I can't hardly do anything with it and it's really annoying. Seriously, I'm pretty sure my 1 and 3 year old nephews have better hair than I do. They certainly have cuter faces, either way. 

Confession: Either the Zumba workouts lately are getting easier, or I'm finally getting myself into some kind of reasonable shape.. When I started Zumba, I would have to take breaks at least once per class, but tonight, I didn't have to take any breaks, and I was only a little bit winded in class. Not sure if it's me or the dances we did, but I'm just going to go ahead and take credit for it, because that's more fun for me. 

Confession: Despite the fact that I am really good at rationing Oreos,I completely failed at rationing Thin Mints today. Okay, that's only half true..I've had a whole box of Thin Mints sitting in my pantry just patiently waiting for me to lose control for a couple of months now. I opened it today, and I think I've had like, eight. Which isn't even a whole sleeve, so in that sense, WIN, but also, it's still eight Thin Mints, which means lots of fat and calories, so I feel like I'm supposed to feel guilty, but uh, they were delicious, and I just can't really bring myself to care that much, so again, WIN. 

Confession: If I could live in maxi dresses or Lululemon workout clothes and nothing else for the rest of my life, I'm pretty sure I'd die comfortable and happy. 

Confession: I live in the desert, it's summertime, and I'm still operating on ghost mode over here because I'm so pale. Someone tell me to get it together. And then kick my butt outside to get some Vitamin D (after properly applying sunscreen, naturally. Skin cancer ain't no joke, kids). 

Confession: My dad's birthday was yesterday (or by the time you're reading this, day before yesterday). And there's probably not much to say about that, other than that my dad is the dang coolest guy on the planet, and that's just all there is to it, and I'm the luckiest daughter ever because I get to call him Papa. 

Confession: I have not much else of interest to report this week. Somebody should tell me some post topics to write about, since my brain is hardly functioning as max capacity of late, and I mean..I could use the help. :) 

confessing

We've all been here before, so we all know the drill. Link up with Kathy to confess, and with Liz just because you can.

Cheers.

Today's confessions are as follows:

...I am really mad today. Nothing is going right, and I feel like I am drowning and things still keep getting piled on, and I just can't keep up. And every time I tell the people who are doing the piling that they seriously need to stop, it's like they think I'm actually asking for more, and then I end up feeling even more stressed because of all the extra stuff, and then also pissed because no one ever freaking listens to me. I have, on more than one occasion, considered making this card my auto-response:

...It's not just work people who don't listen to me. I swear, sometimes it's like the things I say to people literally bounce right off them and somehow come back to hit me in the face.

...I haven't blogged in like two weeks and I don't even care or feel bad or whatever. I've been busy, and sometimes blogging just seems like way more of a hassle than it's worth.

...The BadAss Dash I did two weekends ago was miserable, but in a really fun sort of way. It was that weird kind of awful that was actually not too bad at all. I participated in the recreational division so I wasn't trying to go for a good time or anything, I just wanted to finish. And pretty much everyone who was running along with me was the same way, which was nice, because there were people around to help me with stuff when I needed it. I still ended up covered in dirt and sand, but hey...I got my finisher's medal and the free beer afterwards, and that's all that counts. And for proof, here's one of the worst pictures ever taken of me. 

...I finally watched "The Shawshank Redemption" for the first time last weekend. I don't know why it took me this long to watch it, and I'm kind of sad that it did, actually, because it's such a fantastic movie. Has anyone read the book? Is it better than the movie (as most books are)?

...I  had a pretty significant crush on Robert Downey, Jr. after seeing him in "US Marshalls"....even though he played a murdering creep. (Sorry, was that a spoiler??) This crush has only gotten bigger after watching him be Sherlock Holmes and especially Tony Stark (swoon). I mean, seriously. This face??

...I have seen every episode and both movies of "Sex and the City", and even though I know they're unrealistic and dramatic and not always very good at all, I still love it and I still cry at all the sad/sappy/romantic/really happy parts.

...Okay, basically these days I'm crying at everything. I don't know what that's about, but it's really freaking annoying. And no, I'm not pregnant. Promise.

...Also, if anyone right now tries to tell me that I'm being overly emotional, this is me confessing right now that I will straight up cut you. I am ridiculously NOT in the mood to hear that kind of nonsense.

...I stepped down on the side of my foot and almost fell over in Zumba class last night. It was in the middle of a song/dance that I know well too, so I was getting really into it and thinking I was looking all cute and like a good dancer and all that, and then BOOM, stumble city. It wasn't dark enough for the studio to be dark too, so everybody saw, and even the instructor gave me a little thumb's up/question face. So that was awesome.

...I am still eight different kinds of really mad at the world right now, despite a very strongly-worded venting-type email I sent to Kaylee, and her delightful response. 

...I live in a desert, and sometimes I still really want to go tanning in a booth. Even though I know it's terrible for me. I haven't done it at all in over a year, but still, I find myself wanting to. That seems weird to me, though I'm not entirely sure why. 

Aaaaaaannnnnd that's all she wrote. 

these are my confessions

Happy Wednesday, everybody. I'm linking up with everyone's favorite Asian for some confession action today, so let's jump right into it.

// I very accidentally slept until almost 9am this morning. I usually wake up between 6:30-7 and actually get out of bed around 7-7:30, but somehow today, the stars just weren't aligned for that.

// In keeping with the theme of my last confession, I am at my worst in the morning. I take a really long time to actually wake up enough to get moving in the morning, which is why I have to build in at least a 30-minute buffer between when I wake up and when I actually SHOULD be awake.

// Remember a while ago when I said that I think it would be cool to be a Zumba instructor? Well last night, I got my chance! The Z Spot had a "Client Night" where clients were able to choose the songs and get up and lead the dances, so Dedra and I got together and led "Counting Stars". It was terrifying, for sure, but still so much fun! I wasn't able to get it on video, so that stinks, but maybe next time.

// This one might make people mad at me, but in the spirit of true honesty, I get a big kick out of sites like GOMI. I do not agree with the notion of purposely saying crappy stuff about people for no reason other than to say crappy things, but some of the stuff that people come up with to complain about is ridiculously hilarious. More on this topic to come in a later post, I imagine...

// I had some really weird, jacked up dreams last night/this morning. Dreams that are still making me wonder what the hell my subconscious is up to, because yuck.

// Right now, I'd give literally almost anything to go on a vacation, the kind that comes with umbrella drinks, and beaches, and hours of free time to read, and bikinis, and nothing but sunshine and blue skies as far as the eye can see. I'm tired, and my brain needs a break.

Sunday Social

1. Who do you call when you need to vent? Boyfriend, my dad, or Dedra, depending on the topic
2. Where do you go when you need alone time? My office usually
3. What is your favorite alone time activity? Reading or watching TV or writing
4. What is something we should all stop and read right now? An old-school etiquette book so maybe people could start behaving like ladies and gentlemen again instead of like hoodlums. 
5. Who do you wish would read your blog that doesn’t already? Family? Celeb? No one really. If someone wants to read my blog, that's great. If they don't, that's perfectly fine too. 

5 on Friday

This is my fourth post this week, people. That's right...FOURTH. It's like somehow the stars aligned for me to actually have things to say consistently this week, so that's just fabulous.

This is my first time participating in this link up ! 

1 // People are funny. And kind of crazy. But mostly just funny, even when they're crazy.
2 // This weekend, I am planning to do a massive amount of cleaning in my house. Like, deep clean bathrooms, scrub floors, clean out the refrigerator, etc. Fingers crossed I actually stay this motivated about when it is actually time to do it. :)
3 // People who flat out refuse to confront someone who has done something that hurt/bothered/otherwise offended them, and instead talk about the person to other people, just drive me bonkers. Public Service Announcements: We are all adults here, and things would be solved much more quickly and easily if we would just talk TO each other instead of ABOUT each other. Admittedly, there are times when I am guilty of doing this same thing because I'm pretty much awful at, and totally terrified of, confrontation, but I am getting better at it.
4 // Lately I have been rewatching "The Vampire Diaries" from the beginning. It's such a weird show, but still somehow strangely addictive. I don't know when or why everyone suddenly started being obsessed with vampires.. I'm not, in fact I really don't usually like anything related to vampires because I think it's kind of stupid, but I do like this show.
5 // I really, really miss having a membership at a gym with a pool. Swimming laps is one of my favorite ways to workout, but not having a pool is making that difficult. Hopefully, that will be remedied soon.


I have been listening to this song a lot lately. Not quite sure why, I just know that I really like it. 

And lastly... I have decided that I really need to organize my blog reader a lot better. I have been following a lot of blogs for a long time, but the thing is, I really don't actually read a lot of the posts. And then I feel bad, so I need to figure out a way to separate it so that there are the blogs I never want to miss and the ones I will only be reading if I have time. That way I won't have to spend all my time sorting through a bunch of them in order to find the ones I really want to read. Anyone have any suggestions for doing that??

Happy weekend! :) 

i am roasting

Oh hey there everybody. How's tricks? 

I wasn't planning on blogging today, mostly because um, work (lame), but then I saw this link up from Juliette and changed my mind. 

The point of a honey roast is basically to be the opposite of a.....regular roast(?) I guess. So instead of making fun of myself, I say nice things about myself. Everybody get it? Yes? Moving on. 

// I am really, really patient with people as a general rule. There are a few who can make my blood boil pretty quickly, but for the most part, I'm usually able to handle nonsense for a really long time before I get irritated. And even when I'm irritated I can still go for a long time. 

// I have really neat handwriting. 

// I like making keepsakes, and I do a fairly decent job of documenting life happenings for posterity. Or just for myself to see and remember later on. Whatever. 

// I can make my nephews laugh a lot, and their laughs are pretty much the cutest sounds ever, so that's awesome. 

// I'm really competitive in that I like winning and I'll try hard and all that, but also really not at all competitive in that I usually end up feeling bad if I win, especially if know the other person really wanted to. I will never LET someone win, but it really doesn't bother me if I get beat in a game. 

// I can ration Oreos pretty well. I have had a box of them sitting on my desk for the past week, and I only let myself eat 3 or 4 a day, if that, despite my ridiculous desire from yesterday to literally do nothing but sit and eat Oreos and watch Damon do awesome un-dead stuff on "The Vampire Diaries". 

// I love deeply and fully. I don't half-ass it and call it good. I have a lot of love to give and I think I give it well. And I'm really nice. I'm a person who will always try to be nice, and will always have good intentions.. Though I will admit that sometimes I am misguided about how I come across to people, or in the way I speak/write. 

// I am really pretty organized and neat. And I am learning the value of the phrase "less is more". 

// I will go out of my way to make someone else's day better, or to help those I love. 

// I am a really good reader. I love reading, and I'm really fast (like 500 wpm fast), so I can burn through books pretty quickly. 

// I am willing to admit when I am wrong and apologize if necessary. I prefer to look at things I mess up as opportunities to fix things and get better, and in that sense, I almost prefer things to be my fault, because then I am the one in control of fixing it, and I know that I can change it. 

// I am really good at stealing borrowing blog post ideas from other people because they come up with better ones than I do. (That counts, right??)(P.S. I always give people credit if I use their idea. Just FYI.)

What do YOU like about yourself?

Friday stuff.

Today is the last day of this work week. Thank goodness, because it's been a rough one. I wasn't originally planning on blogging today, but then after I had a walk this morning, I decided I was in the mood. So here I am with some randoms.

My favorite kinds of drivers are the ones who will cut you off while looking right at you. The other day, I had just turned onto my street, and someone turned right out of the gas station, literally right in front of me and I had to slam on my brakes, and was looking at me the whole time they did it. Really? RUDE.

Confession: I have felt like I am drowning in work this whole week and I have had about enough of it. And it's no longer just because sometimes I get in my own way by being a bit disorganized... At this point, it's just because I literally have so much to do that I could probably work 24/7 for a month solid and then I still might not be caught up. Sigh. Being an adult is like, THE most overrated thing ever.

2048 is the best/worst game ever. It's a lot of fun to play (for some weird reason), but it's also frustrating as shit because just when you think you've got it, and you're going to get the tile, the whole thing comes crashing down because you swiped the wrong direction, or got a two instead of a four for your new number. WTF, game makers?? Are you trying to make me hate my life?

I gave up Starbucks (and Dunkin, and coffee shops/bakeries in general) for Lent. And now it's been five whole days since Easter and I have still only had one thing from Starbucks. I'm kind of proud of myself for that.

Confession: I am supposed to be running the Bad Ass Dash in four weeks, and I'm quite convinced I am going to die. It's four miles of obstacles, so clearly, I need to get training. Gonna start the Couch to 5K routine tonight...wish me luck.

Speaking of working out, I'd like to know how long it usually takes for people's bodies to just feel great after they start a workout program. Kaylee and I were talking today about how most people are all like, "Oh boy, working out is so great, and it feels so good, blah blah blah", and we're all over here like, "Uh, no, my body just hurts, like ALL THE TIME." I mean the endorphins are great, but when I'm walking around like a 90-year-old woman with crippling arthritis, what am I really gaining?? ....other than that the endorphins will make me happy enough to not kill my husband, that is. ;)

I wish I had more time to read. I just want to read books all the time, because it is so much more fun and less stressful than actually dealing with real life.

One thing that I wish Las Vegas had that it doesn't is a major league baseball team. I really don't like watching baseball on TV because it's really slow moving and boring, but it is actually pretty fun to watch in person. There's an amateur team, I think, but it's not quite the same.

I really don't want to go workout. I'm totally not in the mood to really do anything except sit down with a book and a beer and zone out from the week I've had.

And on that note, I'll just #backthatazzup for you and leave you all with this awesomeness. Happy weekend, everybody.

I never thought I'd...

Sometimes in life people come up with amazing ideas for blog posts and then they do nice things like turn them into a linkup, thus allowing you to be lazy and steal their idea and have a blog post and meet new peoples all for the bargain price of nothing at all. And right now that person is Juliette. 

I never thought I'd...live in Las Vegas again. And yet here I am, and I am obsessed. Desert southwest weather for the win, guys. 

I never thought I'd...do long distance again, either. And yet here I am. I am NOT obsessed with this part of living in Vegas, just for the record. But it's a thing, and it's what is happening for the moment, so I am making the best of it and counting the days until we don't have to do it anymore. :) 

I never thought I'd...become a complete and total candle snob, but I am, and now at any given time (when I am home and awake), I usually have a candle burning. And it's usually Bath and Body Works. 

I never thought I'd...really enjoy working out, but now that I've started Zumba, I'm all about it. This could have something to do with the fact that Miss Eva is probably the best Zumba teacher there ever was or will be, and her energy is ridiculously contagious, or it may just be that I really like dancing because it doesn't really feel like a workout. Either way, I'll take it. 

I never thought I'd...start to choose healthier foods because I like them better than the unhealthy ones, I only thought I'd do it out of guilt. But now all of a sudden I am realizing that I feel a lot better when I eat the healthy stuff, and so I do that instead. 

I never thought I'd...have an iPad. I thought they were totally trendy/stupid/an unnecessary waste of money, but now that I have one, I use it constantly and it makes getting work done in places other than my office about a billion times easier. 

I never thought I'd...enjoy having a Kindle. I am someone who loves books (seriously, Barnes & Noble is my happy place. The smell of ink, and paper, and binding......bliss), so the idea of giving up a real, live, can-stick-your-face-in-the-binding-and-sniff kind of book was really not cool to me. And then I got a Kindle for Christmas a couple years ago and I realized that buying/borrowing books on a Kindle is way more convenient than driving to the bookstore every couple of days when I finish a book, and it's usually cheaper, and it's only like 78786743546876 times more easy to move one tiny little Kindle filled with 250 books than it is to move 250 actual books. 

I never thought I'd...have a blog again. I had a Xanga like ten years ago, and I was never very popular on it, so I kind of lost my mojo. This was back when I cared about being popular on the interwebs, and totally compared myself to all these other Xangans I followed who always had like, 50 comments and 100 eprops on every post, and I was just like, "I only got two comments and one of them only gave me one eprop instead of the default two, so clearly, I'm a loser and should just quit because I'll never make it and people are probably judging me and wishing I would just stop it already anyway, so I'll do everybody a favor and give up." Stupid. And now I'm still not popular, but the beauty here is that I really can't even be bothered to care. 

I never thought I'd...seriously considering eschewing the law in favor of not actually having health insurance. Yes, I know that health insurance is a really important thing, and it's way better to have it than not. But seriously? This whole ObamaCare thing can suck an egg as far as I'm concerned. Affordable insurance for everyone, my ass. My insurance price shot up over 200% per month in January, and my coverage went down. The whole thing just blows. 

I never thought I'd...be actually terrified of using the internet. And now I totally am, because uhhhh Heartbleed, and yet I still have no choice at all but to use the internet for basically all the things. WHAT DID WE DO BEFORE WE HAD INTERNET???

I never thought I'd...actually voluntarily eat eggs. Strangely enough, those slimy little things actually taste sort of okay when they're cooked and seasoned right. Who knew?! 

but i mean really, why do we have to title these things?

It would appear that I have been on a very regular posting-only-twice-a-week kick lately. Not sure what that's about. I always have more to say, but it seems as though I can never get it down on paper (or on..interweb, I guess). And work has been really busy lately, so I have gotten behind in stuff, and I have emails I need to write to people, and other people I need to talk to, and LOTS more stuff to do for work than I think I even remember, and just good grief people, I am not loving all the busyness! I just want to sit down and spend my time reading good books and eating cupcakes. Honestly, is that really too much to ask? 

Whatever. 

Anyway, so I'm linking up with this charming Canadian again for some hump-day confessions. And also with Miss Fitness for the blog hop. 


// I have been doing a lot of watching The Office lately. I'm almost finished with the whole series, actually, which kind of bums me out a little bit. The whole thing definitely went downhill after Steve Carrell left.. That man is comedic genius. And also, watching it always makes me think of my friend Kaylee who loves it too, so sometimes I will send her pictures of what I'm watching just to make her jealous. Apparently I'm a brat. 

// I re-arranged my office again over the weekend. I pretty much do that every weekend.. Does that mean I like to change things up regularly, or that I just refuse to be satisfied?? Hmmm. 

// I cried yesterday for absolutely no reason at all. Sometimes being a girl is basically the most annoying thing on the planet. 

// I made a goal earlier to read 75 books this year. And while I do think it's completely doable, I'm really behind on that. If people have any book recommendations, please send them my way!

// I bought a subscription to PhotoShop because I need it for some work things, and I am loving it. If you follow me on the Twit, you know that I figured out how to make glitter letters with this awesome PhotoShop tutorial from Sarah. I'm kind of ridiculously excited about that. 

// I made a frozen pizza for lunch on Monday and I could only eat like 3 pieces total, and then I was just not interested in it at all. So now the leftovers are sitting in my fridge and I either have to eat them or waste the pizza, which would be bad. I should probably just stop buying them. 

// I made a pasta/chicken/feta cheese thing last week....and it was AWFUL. I don't know how in the world I managed to make it so disgusting, but it was seriously terrible. So that was unfortunate. And also embarrassing, because even though I don't always make the most delicious or pretty dishes, they're usually at least passable. 

// I signed up to run the BadAss Dash at the end of May with Dedra, Zack, Jolynn, Dad, and Boyfriend. It's a 7k race with anywhere from 25-32 obstacles in it, and I'm fairly certain that signing up for it was one of the stupidest decisions I have ever made because I will probably die. On the bright side though, I will have to start training for it, which means that I have built-in workouts ready to tackle for the #1800MinuteChallenge, so that's definitely a win. 


And that's all she wrote, folks. What are your midweek confessions?

Sunday Social

Linking up with Ashley and Neely for Sunday Social today!

1.) Top 3 things you can't go a day without doing: 

Reading something, brushing my teeth, and usually having some kind of caffeine. When Boyfriend is around, I give him a smooch every day, too. :)

2.) 3 things that scare you the most:
Slow and painful death for myself or anyone I love, centipedes (though I guess I'm not so much afraid of them as I just find them to be incredibly disgusting), and scorpions, I guess, since finding them in my house is a pretty real possibility considering where I live. *Side note: I just googled centipedes because I was going to find a picture of one to include here. That was a bad idea.*

3.) 3 places you want to see before you kick the bucket:
Australia, pretty much like, everywhere in Europe, Bora Bora

{source}

4.) 3 movies you will always love:
You've Got Mail, The Little Mermaid, and It's A Wonderful Life

5.) 3 favorite songs currently:
Here With Me (REO Speedwagon), Let It Go (Idina Menzel) and Talk Dirty (Jason Derulo). I feel the need to mention that I don't like Talk Dirty because it's such a great song (because it's really quite terrible), but because it's a Zumba song, and I loooove the dance we do to it. 

...if you knew you could not fail, Part 2 {The LinkUp}

Last week, I was startled into early(ish) morning thought by a coffee cup. So I did what any normal blogger does, and I wrote about it. And then a bunch of people thought it would be a great idea if I made my spur-of-the-moment-random-thought into a link up. And I also thought it was a great idea, mostly because it gave me a perfect opportunity to think about some more stuff I'd do if I knew I'd be successful, and then spend some time pondering why I'm not doing them. So anyway, here we are. I'd love to have you join us. 

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- I would work to raise investment capital for the people I know and love who own startup companies. I believe in them, and in their products and their companies, and I would love to be able to help ease some of the financial burden that comes along with starting a new company.

- I would call up Jennifer Lawrence and ask her to be my BFF. She would of course agree, and we would merrily skip off into the sunset together. She would never have to say something like this to me, since I would already always be laughing ever time she talked:

- I would climb Mount Everest. I bet that bad boy's got a hell of a view at the top.

- I would apply to become a high school English teacher. Not because I'm qualified already, but because it's something that I have always thought would be kind of fun, and was a career ambition of mine for quite a while.

- I would try to find the best, most perfect gifts for people. I've always been a terrible gift shopper/giver. It's rare that I feel like the gift I got or made someone was really all that awesome, so I'd make a goal to find some really amazing ones for the people I love.

- I would audition to co-star opposite Ryan Gosling in a movie. Because...duh.

- I'd learn HTML and CSS coding. It is something that I think actually would be really interesting, but right now is just kind of over my head, so it ends up frustrating me more than anything else most of the time.

- I'd go to culinary school, and learn how to cook ALL THE THINGS. Then I would compete on Chopped and Iron Chef. And win, obviously.

- I would take up violin and piano again. I'd learn how to play them all over again, and I'd get really good at it.

- I would write a LOT more. Not just one book, but multiple books...and articles, and essays, and reviews, and informational papers, and speeches. I would love to be a good enough writer to be able to really parlay it into a lucrative career.

- I would attempt to live entirely off the grid, while simultaneously still enjoying the technology and other creature comforts I know and love.. Like television and Netflix, and blogging, and iPhones, and GPS.

- I'd look for a cure for things like cancer, and Alzheimer's, and genetic diseases that people are just born with, and I'd find a way to make it easier and less painful to deal with them in the meantime.

- I'd train for a half marathon. I don't have any desire at all to run a full marathon - I personally think only crazy people do that nonsense - but a half wouldn't be that bad. Just as long as my knees and hips don't just give up completely and stop letting me move at all before I get through it.

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So now it's your turn! Link up and let us know what you'd love to do, if you knew you'd be successful!