so i think it is now appropriately established that i have an awesome boyfriend. just don't tell him how many brownie points he has in the bank. that might go to his head.

right now, my face hurts. don't start with the jokes, please. toby and i were wrestling at my parents' house earlier today, and i got a heel to the nose. luckily, nothing's broken, blah, blah, blah, but it still stings. plus, i can't get anything done if i need to ice it.

so is anybody puking from all the holiday junk out already? don't get me wrong... i love Christmas. i really do. it's fun, it's beautiful, etc., etc. but it's just done all the wrong way, too much, too early. and so, a big opportunity befalls me this year; i have my OWN place to decorate however i want. i would like suggestions as to what route to go. one ground rule--it has to be the inexpensive route. here are some questions:

1) tree--real or fake?
2) candles in the windows?
3) where do i get a decent advent wreath?
4) what do i keep out and what do i put in storage?
5) secular vs sacred themes?
6) where do i put the stockings? i have no chimney, obviously.
7) where do i put my tree?
8) how much is too much?
9) does it make sense to make such a big deal about it if i'm the only person living here?

okay, so that's kind of something i don't want to go into, but if you want to leave some philosophical comment, go ahead.

now i'm depressed. i hate the holidays.

reason #237 why chris blows me away

check out my birthday present!!!

for all not in the loop, i have wanted to learn how to play guitar FOREVER, and lately, both chris and i have been seduced by the beauties that are Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II. but i never expected this! never!!!

he even gave me a little amp. :)

wow.

recent pictures

so i almost forgot that i have some other pictures. some were taken with chris's chocolate. i love that phone. i want that phone...





































are you experienced?












i'm dating a thugmaster.









my favorite picture yet.

i's all growed up

Okay, so I used to say that I'd avoid surveys like the plague. But apparently, I want the plague.

The Grown up survey!
Meant to be completed by ADULTS (defined as graduating high school at least a year ago!).

Tired of all of those surveys made up by high school kids?
'Have you ever kissed someone?'
'Told someone you loved them?'
'Drank alcohol?'

Here are some questions for the people who are a little more mature.

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
they all suck

2. What's the best place to eat a romantic dinner?
on the beach, Nazarae, Portugal

3. Last time you puked from drinking?
July--bar-hopping for shawn's birthday. let's just say that, thanks to him and rob, i am no longer a jaeger virgin. asshole.

4. When is the last time you got drunk and danced on a bar?
never danced on a bar. guess i'll have to work up to that. new year's resolution?

5. Name of your 2nd grade teacher.
Mrs. Katz

6. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Eating. I'm hungry and ready for lunch.

7. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A teacher. Go figure.

8. How many colleges did you attend?
Two--UMBC (undergrad), UMD (grad)

9. Why did you wear the shirt that you have on right now?
i wore the collared blouse under a pink sweater because i wanted to look obnoxiously preppy.

10. GAS PRICES First thought?
suck

11. If you could be anywhere and take someone with you...Who & where?
Glacier National Park, Montana, with Chris, in our own cabin, in July

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
shit, i have to get out of bed

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
my back hurts

14. What chore do you despise?
dusting. it's so inefficient

15. If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer at an art gallery?
not so much. i'd try to do as much as i could with travel and stuff.

16. Get up early or sleep in?
Sleep in, but not too late--i still like to have daylight when i'm out and about

17. What is your favorite cartoon character?
if i have to have one, i'd say stewie

20. Favorite NON sexual thing to do at night with a girl/guy?
actually sleeping (zzzz-sleeping) together

21. A secret that you wouldn't mind everyone knowing?
i don't know; i'm really bad at keeping useless secrets anyway. what's the point in keeping them if you don't care if people know?

22. Are you planning on remaining in your current field?
right now, all stars point to yes, mostly b/c getting the PhD doesn't look promising right now

23. If you are not married, do you see yourself married in the next five years?
married? i hope so. next five years? i have no idea.

24. Your favorite lunch meat?
honey-glazed ham

25. What do you get every time you go into a WalMart?
nothing b/c i don't go into walmart. saying this nicely, i have philosophical differences with company policies.

26. Beach or lake?
Beach

27. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual that was invented by people who died at 20?
no, i don't. i think it's an excuse to not have to own up to the maturity level, to realize that marriage is a tough, real, everyday commitment. i don't think some people take "for *better* or for *worse*" completely seriously. the thing is, if you're willing to go into it with both eyes open and a desire to work at it, it's a beautiful, rewarding thing. hell, i'm not even married, but i still think i'm right.

28. Who do you stalk on MySpace?
i don't *do* myspace.

29. Favorite guilty pleasure?
justin timberlake

30. Favorite movie you wouldn't want anyone to find out about?
Last of the Mohicans

31. What's your drink?
beer--Carlsberg; wine--dry white; mixed--mai tais

32. Cowboys or Indians?
indians, simply out of spite toward dallas football

33. Cops or Robbers?
Robbers. they're the ones that make mysteries/crime shows more interesting.

34. Do you cheer for the bad guy?
depends on if you can always tell who the bad guy is.

35. What Hollywood star do you think resembles you best?
i have no idea, but i've been told that i remind people of jodie foster and helen hunt. woohoo... i guess...

36. If you had to pick one, which cast member of Lost would you be?
i don't watch Lost.

37. What do you want when you are sick?
a quality quilt or blanket, a big mug of tea or chicken noodle soup, and a cuddle

38. Who from high school would you like to run into?
probably brian clark. hilarious, brilliant guy.

39. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
107.3FM

42. Norm or Cliff?
NOOOOOORM!

43. The Cosby Show or the Simpsons?
The Simpsons. i HATED the cosby show when raven came on; she was such a precocious little brat.

44. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
well, not seeing the road ahead of me and pushing blindly in another way

45. Do you like the person who sits directly across from you at work?
that would be my kids, and i'd have to say yes.

46. If you could get away with it, whom would you kill?
i don't have anybody that i hate that much, but there is a personwho needs to stew in how much damage that he/she did.

47. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
bonnie blair

48. What famous person would you like to sleep with?
ummmm...? i honestly don't know.

49. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purpose?
No.

50. Last book you read for real?
_Hero with a Thousand Faces_

51. Do you have a teddy bear?
Y.O. was given to me the day i was born, and it's in my apt right now.

52. Strangest place you have ever brushed your teeth?
in culebra, puerto rico, our water supply went out, so we'd have to go outside in flash thunderstorms and get as much water in bowls as we could and use that. sufficed to say, we didn't have as much to use for our teeth, so there was some pretty nasty breath on that trip.

53. Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
Death Valley

54. Number of texts in a day?
none today

55. At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or relationship?
Career.

57. Pencil or pen?
depends. i'm feeling non-committal today.

58. bueller??? bueller??? bueller???


59. How many jobs have you had?
i'm not counting high school or college, but after, i've had six

60. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
well, i have no idea. hopefully, i'm working on the phd, starting/having a family, somewhere new, maybe outside of maryland.

61. What do you think of the person that took this survey before you?
i'm so glad that i've been getting to know kim! i can tell that girl anything, and we've had so much fun running! you're awesome, kim.

:)

oo! oo! i love it!

apparently, i share a birthday with Nick Lachey. wooo!

oh, and have i mentioned how *awesome* "the scorpion king" is?

favorite line--"I came for the woman! And your head..."

this is what ugly americans do when they finally realize how stupid they are

they blame somebody else for their boorish behavior and try to sue. not just sue. they sue borat.

i hope that you've seen the movie, and it shows exactly why it's hard for me to respect your standard frat boy. from the ever-lovable wash post, and i quote, 'The young men "engaged in behavior that they otherwise would not have engaged in," the lawsuit says.' And to continue, 'The lawsuit claims that in October 2005, a production crew took the students to a bar to drink and "loosen up" before participating in what they were told would be a documentary to be shown outside of the United States.'

you'll excuse me for screaming a giant

BULL SHIT!

it's hard for us realize that we're shit-heads sometimes, and dammit, let's blame borat for making us look like the idiots that we are. how dare he commit the crime of satorization! can't we at least enjoy the fact that the movie itself is hysterical and delightfully uncomfortable, especially with the naked male wrestling? i think we should be parodied on a regular basis, making us drink the acidic attitude that we pour down the throats of other people around the globe. then we wouldn't be so damn uptight and ridiculously puritanical about things like sexuality. and, deep down, we all like sex. it's true. don't deny it. let's just relax, try to amend our faults and just enjoy life for what it is. agreed? agreed. good.

now go make sexy-time.

hail the process

so of course. the year that i can't vote thanks to red tape and moving, yada yada yada, things actually go the way i want them to go. excellent. o'malley's in annapolis, cardin's still in dc, rummy is OUT OUT OUT, and all is right with the world, or at least we would like to think so. is iraq policy going to change much? are we going to ever figure out what the hell we're going to about immigration, if anything at all? is there going to be a major rewind on no child left behind?

probably not.

but, at least there's a different crowd. so maybe nancy pelosi, et al, can do something. we'll see. and in the meantime, here is a beautiful representation of change coming to the legislative branch:

http://www.rightwasright.us/

enjoy. :)

i forgot, forgot the fifth of november

but that's only because it's chris's birthday today! from now until thursday 8:10AM, chris and i will be the same age. so he can't say that i'm old just yet.

so if you see him, talk to him, send smoke signals to him, please wish the old man a happy birthday!!!!

running, etc.

so i didn't do a marathon this year. or a half marathon. or a ten-miler. that's disappointing after having reached the major running goal the previous year, and it's little comfort to say, "well, life happened, so it's no wonder i didn't get around to it." obviously, i don't find that to be a satisfying answer, even though a reasonable person would accept it. but, i've thrown my energy behind others, most specifically kim and other MCMers. kim was AWESOME! there's also some excitement for the New York City Marathon, as that one had some banner finishers (lance!). annoying thing--i had predicted that our cycling hero would not finish under 3 hrs, mostly because it was his first marathon, his build is all this that and the other thing, etc., etc. WRONG. he finished 2hr,59 min, 36 sec. dammit. but really, good for him. and, here's proof that the man is human:

the man who has scaled the alps on his bike, the man who has completed and WON a 2200+ mile race every year for seven years, the man who has overcome cancer says that the marathon is the hardest thing he's ever done!

!!!!

for some reason, i feel validated. kim, you should too.

hershey's kisses

i did this a long time ago, and now the Post is just spreading the word. the Chocolate Treatment at the Hershey Spa is one of the best experiences. ever. in the universe. this side of creation.

i got a gift certificate to the Hershey Spa as a graduation present, and i can't thank my parents enough. i got the scrub-down (my body exfoliated with ground cocoa bean shells) and the wrap (the chocolate fondue wrap, to be specific). the wrap was my favorite part: after a delicious massage, my lovely masseuse/chocolatier literally painted my body with chocolate. then, i was wrapped in this metallic "blanket" (i'm not sure exactly how you'd categorize it) and then wrapped again in a feather-touch blanket. the lights were dimmed, and i was left in peace and quiet. the only reason why i didn't sleep like a log was that i was too busy enjoying the feeling of being a bon-bon. after awhile, that ended, and i was treated with a mountain shower, to cleanse me of that now-hardened outer layer.

my favorite part of the whole experience was the after-effect; i smelled like dark chocolate for almost two days afterward. i would do it again in a heartbeat.

if i had $150...


OH WAIT! MY BIRTHDAY IS NEXT WEEK!

*hint*

:)