Following Up... I Think

I don't know if I mentioned before that one of my New Year's Resolutions was to re-do (meaning paint and rearrange) my bedroom, but that was the plan. So, back during my two week hiatus where I fell into a deep depression of boredom, I bought all the stuff to get started. I got paint, brushes, trays, drop cloths and all that horsecrap in order to prepare to paint. And then it ended up on my dining room table for two months...

Until Friday night.

John and I ripped down some God-awful border and began the task of 'Home Improving' as some call it. Saturday we primed and painted - well John did most of the hard part, while I did things like tape, refill the paint tray and trim. Here is a preview of the result:


Don't judge the bad photo - it was taken with Halle (no offense Halle).

Be honest with me, is it too dark? Also, I bet you can take a wild guess at who was so careless as to paint parts of the ceiling green unintentionally (Hint: It wasn't me). Oh well, that will just have to be touched up at a later date, or covered with some crown molding. During the process of moving the furniture back to their destinations from the center of the room, my foot board was shattered and thus, is now pieces of it are leaning all over my room, along with the new bed frame that I purchased last night. So, indeed, this is still a work in progress and will have to be reconstrued and put about this weekend after John leaves to go on his cruise with the Belushi's.

More updates on this coming soon... stay tuned.

SEND ME BACK, RIGHT NOW!

Let's just be honest with each other, here. Send me back to Sundance already, because that crap was freaking AWESOME! I was super nervous about my travel companions because who knows what sort of freaky habits come out with people you semi-know. Nothing weird at all. I bunked with The Bish and there were no problems there (unless you count my snoring, which hopefully she didn't hear, but I'm quite confident that she did... oh well).

I saw some celebs. One would include CHUY!!! He was the only one that I was really excited about. I mean after seeing him, who needs Simon Rex, Philip Seymour Hoffman, or Renee Zellweger. Talk about D list.

I'm back to booking extras this week for a low budgie called 'Six Month Rule'. Directed by the same dude that did 'Weather Girl', if you happened to catch that one. It was pretty cute, I guess.

Well, I hope you all didn't miss me too much... xoxo

She's BAAAAAACK!!! Maybe...

So, I just left a production meeting where this candid photo of myself and my counterpart was snapped. We were talking and weren't supposed to be and got a 'talking-to' from the director. Oh well. I hope that I left you in so much suspense of where and what I've been doing that you just haven't been able to stand it... or better yet, contain yourselves.

What have you all been doing to keep yourselves busy and distracted from the Cob? Whatever the answers may be, I hope they are shareable. Kisses.

My Day at the Unopened Fair Zoo

We had to go to the Fairgrounds yesterday to wrap out our Art Department, whose offices are set up there. As we are slaving away toting Music Mountain water bottles all over the place, I notice something staring at me:

GEOFFREY! Oh I love zoo animals! There were also camels! With TWO HUMPS!

It wasn't easy, but I managed to get all four camel toes in one picture. There was also a swine... well two swine. That other one is David, my coworker:

These guys were hanging out in preparation for the State Fair that starts this weekend I think. There were also llamas, zebras, mini-horses, a giant sea turtle, monkeys and some bird named Lucy. Pretty cool. I was just excited that the giraffes were friendly and precious. Happy Tuesday!

Not Safe For Work (No Really)

I saw this yesterday on my way to BFE to go visit my parents.

Yes. This is a naked guy. Pants around ankles. Waddling along Mansfield Road in Stonewall. John and I sat in this turn around for 5 minutes assessing the situation, laughing and taking pictures before we pulled into Sue's. I told them that they should consider relocating. Immediately.

Low Moment of My Day

Yeah, so. The low moment of my day yesterday was coming back from running an errand to this refrigerator for me to clean.

That substance at the bottom is apple cider vinegar. It smelled just as good as you can imagine. Happy Friday.

Things I Do When I Should Be Working

I rolled up to my bank last week to deposit some funds and reached for the tube and this is what I got:

Way to get festive with it, Regions. Any way that a financial institution can throw some hot pink into my banking gets a gold star from me.

Well, this week I'm working a 6th day. For those of you who don't know what that means, I have to work six days in a row this week. And next week. Kate is not happy.

So, my goal is to pump as much free stuff out of this as possible. Step 1: Get headlight replaced by Teamsters on set:

It only took 5 of them and 45 minutes to figure it out. Also, I got a free tank of gas whilst I was here. Step 2 is a new inspection sticker, thus why I had to get the headlight changed. We will see how that goes. Step 3 is going to be either a free haircut or free clothes from wardrobe.

I severely apologize for the lack of updates, but it's hard to steal away 5 minutes to collect my thoughts. However, working on Saturdays has remedied this, since not a lot goes on and also the crew is working nights and I'm working days. So thank God that they are all asleep and not around to bother me...yet.

Madness

Since the last time I blogged, I have been crazy busy. By crazy busy I mean that I've been running around so much with errands and sweating my yams off on set and back and forth and what not, that I've even lost 5 lbs... maybe 6 (I'm going by clothes size, not by scale since I don't have one... Woot for Skinny Bridesmaid). I've finally gotten the 10 minutes that I need to write a blog, even though I have no direction, I just basically wanted to write and say that I'm not dead (since I KNOW you were all wondering).

Friday, I got these from my bosses:

On the card it said that I am underappreciated (amen) for all the work that I do. How sweet! I accidentally left them on my desk over the weekend (after I bolted to the door to get out of here and over to the Stray Cat) so this is them in their wilted state, which is still pretty good. Also, its a crappy pic because I was trying to be all nonchalant in the office with it.

Oh yeah. So, the same celebrity that requested the carseat was a MAJOR C.U. Next Tuesday to me today on set and I wanted to knock her tooth out like Carrie did on SATC when 'said actress' was chasing Carrie down the stairs and then fell after she caught Carrie in Big's apartment. (That sounded more confusing than I think it really was.) Anyway...Ugh... made me so mad. Enough of my huffing and puffing, I suppose. I'm going to update the Poll of the Week soon so take it and have a wonderful day after the holiday!

Is This A Southern Baptist Thing?

As I was on my way to the office on Friday, I had to bust out a U-Turn in order to capture this on film:

This is a little hard to read due to the weird sunlight angle. It says "Pastor and Wife Love Day - Aug 23, 2009". What does this mean? Do Missionary Baptist's not celebrate Valentine's Day? Why does the entire church celebrate the Pastor and Wife's love? Is it for their anniversary, perhaps? Is this a ploy to get a free lunch after church? This confuses me. Could someone please clear this up for me.

Wordless Weekend Wrap Up

New Poll of The Week!

Last week's poll of the week closed with a whopping six of you saying that you never read the Babysitter's Club series because you were outside playing with your friends. Sad Kate. Oh well, at least some of you voted otherwise. So Dawn Schafer (as predicted) came in 2nd place with 4 votes. Since six of you never read the series and the remaining 11 of you voted for Dawn, Claudia, Mary Anne and Stacey, surely the ones who voted remember the Babysitter's Club Movie, right? Well, this little lady played Dawn Schafer:

Who could forget Larissa Oleynik from 10 Things I Hate About You and Alex Mack? Whatever happened to that girl? I've heard many interesting stories lately from a current co-worker of mine and a former co-worker of hers from when they worked together on TTIHAY. She seems like she would be a really cool girl. I.E. Someone that I would hang with. Speaking of TTIHAY, when Googling an image of Larissa as Dawn, this image came up which is strange since I'm not sure that Julia Stiles would have ever had any connection with Dawn Schafer, unless she is one of the 4 that voted for her in my poll:

Small world, huh? Well since we were talking about TTIHAY (and not talking about how it was one of the first films to feature Heath Ledger in all of his hotness), let's have this week's poll discuss great movies of the 90's and which ones were our favorites! So, go vote and have a wonderful Thursday, friends!

First Day on Battle: Los Angeles

My first day at work has been pretty much a breeze (with the exception of having to use a power drill semi-successfully). I broke down some boxes, drug them to the dumpster, moved some tables and chairs, made some copies and enjoyed a free lunch. Well, I say enjoyed mostly because it was free. The food wasn't so hot. I guess some people just aren't cut out for Indian food buffets. That's sort of a place that you probably shouldn't go while you are feeling out new co-workers. Praise God that it didn't react badly with my stomach/intestines because if it had, that could have been really uncomfortable. Also, I don't really prefer my chicken to be an orange color. Nor do I prefer to sweat curry.

Anyway, so we had to make a haul out to the Art Department at the Fair Grounds (why they are at the Fair Grounds, I have no earthly idea, but it's nice to get some culture in your life now and again, don't you think?). On the way back from that adventure, we passed by this:

Gotta love Southern Maid Do-Nuts in ghetto territory. Nothing beats new management like old management.

On a side note, I'm pumped that my new co-worker Jessica also has a passion for Big Brother just as I do. This way there is always something to discuss other than the copy machine. Word!

Isn't John a Doll? (WARNING! Romance Involved)

A few nights ago, I left Mark's house after watching Big Brother (I am SO GLAD that Jeff won the Coup d'Etat!!!) and found this on my car windshield:

Look at John being a phantom in the night! After I got on to him for not being romantic, he has been leaving roses and/or oil paintings on notebook paper of roses on my car with the reasons that he loves me. Feel free to gag now if you hate reading about romantic/perfect relationships, because when I read about other people bragging about how perfect they think their boyfriend/girlfriend is, I think to self 'How lame! Do these people have nothing better to say?' This is me eating my words (just a little).

We definitely don't have a perfect relationship. Not trying to trash him or anything, but it's true. Sometimes we go days without speaking to each other. We frequently fight with each other like brother and sister, but at the end of the day, we have a deep respect for each other. I just thought I'd give him a pat on the back for being such a dove.

I Can't Say I'm Surprised

If any of you are shocked by this, you shouldn't be:

For the whole scoop, go to Crazy Days and Nights. The only thing that I'm actually surprised by is that Ed didn't turn out to be gay. Seriously, those green shorts and tank tops were a little over the top, don't you think?

Flashback Tuesday

Back in high school when I was young and innocent, I had questionable taste as far as dating went. I say this because, two of my three high school boyfriends are now gay. Apparently my requirements back then were:

1. Goes to church (didn't matter what church).

2. Taller than me.

So, you can IMAGINE the types that I brought home. My parents must have had nightmares. So, a friend of mine recently decided to purchase a scanner and upload all of her high school photos. This would be one that I thought that had disappeared into oblivion to never be seen from again:

That would be my first real boyfriend, with whom I shared my first real kiss. There was my Pooh that Sue got me from Disney World. Now, I'm not trying to out anyone on my blog, but you can make the decision for yourself if this one stole my makeup... and my next boyfriend for that matter. Wish me luck on the interview!!!!

It's That Time of the Year Again!

Approximately three or four times a year, my lifelong friend Laura (or LJ for those of you who grew up with her) cleans out her closet. This is always exciting for me because we are exactly the same size. Once we were asked: "Are y'all sisters? Because y'all sho favor?" from a 300 lb black nurse at a hospital. So, it's a treat for me since she is nice enough to let me sift through it all before she donates it to Goodwill!

Laura has a semi-shopping problem in that I think she is a sucker for sales. Every time I open the bags full of clothes, there are two and sometimes three of the same item, but with a different pattern or color. This makes me believe that she always falls for the 'Buy one get one free' or 'Get two for $10' sales. Also, there are frequently items that still have the tags on them, or that have only been worn once. So yesterday she dropped off three gigantic bags:

My roommate Nancy and I squealed with delight! We get so excited about free clothes!!! So, we immediately dive into the bags and separate into three piles:

1. Kate

2. Nancy

3. Donate

After we are done separating, then we proclaim 'FASHION SHOW!!!!' and turn on some Ace of Base and strut throughout the living room. We try everything on and then whatever doesn't fit or looks wonky gets thrown into the #3 pile. Then we take all #3's to the Providence House green bins around town or Goodwill. Last night, Nancy scored a bunch of cute stuff, and I got a couple of different tops. Sometimes the stuff works, and sometimes it doesn't, but it is ALWAYS a treat when Laura comes by! I love any reason for brushing up on 'The Sign' lyrics.

Wine Night Wednesdays!

Well, yesterday was a rough day all around. My grandmother made me cry, my bosses acted like jerks to me, John was sick, Jessie nominated Casey and NOT Ronnie (WHICH WAS THE PLAN!!!) AND it rained all day. It seems that I must have predicted that yesterday was going to be a bad one a week ago when I scheduled a wine night with Sass and this little darling:

Everyone, meet Paige! (Hi, Paige!) Let me just give you all a little background on her. So, a few years ago (back when Sass and I were each others' only friend after we moved back from college), we would frequent my brother's youth group events. We loved the kids. They were super fun. It's also nice to give some high schoolers some insight as to why you are definitely not going to marry your high school boyfriend and things like that. (If I had married mine, then I would have been in for a rude awakening because he turned out gay. So that's that.)

Well, we were Paige's camp counselor one year and we absolutely hit it off. She is a bright, spunky girl with a straightforward attitude, she asks a lot of questions, and she is open to anything. I love her!

So fast forward a few years. Paige went off to college. She came back and has desperately been trying to get together with Sass and I. We all decided on tonight for a wine night! It may be weird to drink wine with the Baptist youth group grown up, but I feel like Baptists who drink, all share a secret bond of some sort. Like we really know what the other Baptists are missing out on....

Weekend Recap (Plus A Recipe!)

This weekend was relatively low-key that involved two birthday parties and a baby shower (which I ended up skipping out on. Sorry Frances!). Friday evening after I left work, John and I traveled to B-City for a surprise Birthday party for my dear friend and former/possibly future boss Ryan Glorioso.

No, he is not related to the Glorioso's of Shreveport with the produce stand or whatever. So, the surprise party was at my favorite restaurant (and only reason to go to Bossier) Don Juanz. The Weisner's were kind enough to bring this delicious cake:

So fun! Saturday morning I was supposed to go to a baby shower for Frances, but I wussed out of going. We are going to have dinner next week so I don't feel SO guilty about it. Plus, baby showers are the worst (as you all know) unless you are the mother, and even then, I don't think they really even like them that much.

Saturday evening, I went to another birthday party. For my longtime friend Jen Herron:

Sass came along as well so it was a reunion of sorts. We played games and had cupcakes and visited with Chuck, Candy and Courtney. It is always so great to catch up with old friends. We played a super fun game called Scene It Squabble, which I think that I may need to invest in in the future for my own Game Nights.

On Sunday, I decided to finally use all of the fresh vegetables that my parents have given me. They decided to 'Live off the land" and start their own garden. Well I think it was more successful than they thought it was going to be because they have an abundance of veggies. They gifted me with about seven gigantic, like probably 2 pounds each, cucumbers, bell peppers and squash. After they had overtaken my kitchen counter for a week, I decided to cut them up and make a fresh and easy summer salad (Also, say hi to my new Seattle spoon rest!):

I had some leftover spinach from the "Creamy Turkey Pinwheels" so I threw that in a bowl, followed by some chopped up cucumbers, tomatoes, baby carrots, red bell peppers, Italian seasoning, Paul Newman's Italian Dressing, and some fresh grated Parmesan (yes, I grated it myself!). And that is what I like to call "Done and Done." A 10 minute healthy snack, or lunch for a few days.

Things We Can All (Hopefully) Agree On

After the last post, I feel that perhaps I stepped on a few toes. (Hopefully you will get to keep your toenails though, unlike the time that I wore a new pair of shoes for 12 hours one night. Consequently, the next day I woke up and my big toenails were a light blueish color. The next month they were officially dead and I had to remove them from the nail beds myself. Sorry for that if you have a weak stomach.) So, I figured that I would touch upon a lighter subject for Friday, in preparation for the weekend, you know. Everyone likes Fun Fridays, right?

So, The Cob has a new resident. Some would call him 'The Ice Cream Man', but I would call him the "Skeevy Child Predator????" (The question marks are crucial):

I took this photo as we were in route, so that shiny stuff is the reflection from John's window. Anyway, this guy drives slowly up and down the streets of the Cob with his creepy tinker-toy type music blaring in hopes to lure some children to his minivan. This guy doesn't even have a truck!!! It is a MINIVAN!!! With the word CANDY emblazoned on the side. You can't get creepier than that. I do have to give him props that he has Bomb Sticks, Pink Panthers, Choco Tacos, Push Pops, and my personal favorite Screw Balls (the cone shaped cup with the bubble gum ball in the bottom).

Anyway, I can't decide if I should be creeped out, or be really excited. Surely a child predator wouldn't be so blatantly obvious, right? Then again, what am I worried about? I don't have kids. Hmmm. I feel so torn. Like Natalie Imbruglia. Or Creed.

Seven Albums That Changed My Life (This Might Get Long)

Since yesterday at approximately 11AM, Pandora has decided that I have reached my 40 hour a month free listening capacity, which is SO LAME!!! I could listen to that in one week at work. How do they expect me to get by without them for three working weeks a month? I had to come up with some sort of strategy. I am not an Ituneser because I don't really know how to work my IPOD that well and also, I think that I would spend a ton of money on really bad music that I would regret later. So if I want to listen to something really specific, I either go to http://www.songza.com/ or I save up my dollars and go purchase the album. And that leads me to the more important part of this post.

Since Pandora is now an ass, I now choose a CD from my car, burn it to my work computer and listen to it on repeat all day. I have no other choice, I suppose. I'm cheap like that. Therefore, I've decided to discuss the albums that have meant the most to me throughout my life. These albums have helped me through either a breakup, college, a trip to France, or a road trip to Little Rock by myself. These albums are not necessarily from my favorite artists or bands, but they have a special place in my heart (and CD case) for one reason or another. So here we go in no particular order... actually, I think I'll do chronological order, just for my own organizational sake...

#1: Alanis Morrisette and "Jagged Little Pill"

I'm not sure of any person within 3 +/- years of my age that hasn't listened to this album. So, really it speaks for itself. Also, there is a 'hidden track' at the very end that I got super excited about the first time I heard it. I would borrow this album from Jennifer Herron VERY frequently in the 8th grade. I would keep it longer than she liked by saying 'Oh, I forgot it at home, I'll bring it to you tomorrow.' I'm sorry Jennifer, but I was lying. I eventually gave it back, though. This album made me realize that there is more to music than country. For that, I will be forever indebted to you, Alanis.

#2: Dido and "No Angel"

I guess we will skip directly past high school because I don't remember a single album that I owned and listened religiously to, so teleport yourselves mentally to my college days. In my very first drawing class that I took, we would listen to music while we drew (not nudes, this time). This album was one of my teacher's favorites. I never listened to music like Dido's (with the exception of Enya on the radio, which was horrible) and found that I really liked it. I liked this album so much that I raved about it to a boy who I really, really liked at the time. He went off and surprised me by giving it to me for my birthday (what a sweetheart) and I got to listen to it while driving home in the rain for the weekend. So there is the secret reason why there is a special place for Dido in my heart....

#3: Nelly Furtado and "Folklore"

These next two albums are a tie. When I lived in Paris for that glorious month in 2004, I had two roommates that were super interesting. They had brilliant senses of humor and I NEVER would have placed myself rooming with them, but obviously the room assignment person did. I remember being a little upset about it at first, but after I got adjusted to the situation (and was introduced to wine and started loosening up) it turned out that I got to know them and really liked them a lot. Rebecca, the really artsy one, would wake Catherine and I up every morning with one of three albums. "Folklore", "I Am Sam", or "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones. Now, I am not one to want to wake up, but when Nelly's "One Trick Pony" would start up, I would jump out of bed and look forward to the day like I hadn't even been asleep.

I didn't really care for Nelly before (the 'I'm Like a Bird' song), however, this album was less pop and more of a rock sound with an acoustic approach. This album wasn't considered commercially successful, but I like it better than her other two. It seems to me as though she put a lot more of herself into it, instead of being a music industry puppet.

#4: "I Am Sam" Soundtrack

This is the other of Rebecca's morning wake up albums that I love. I'll be perfectly honest with you here. I did not grow up listening to the Beatles. My parents didn't listen to them (at least while I was around) and I only knew that they were a huge successful 60's band. So, when I listened to 'I Am Sam' and I heard all of the artists (The Wallflowers, Sarah Machlachlan, Ben Harper, Ben Folds, The Black Crowes, Eddie Vedder, Rufus Wainwright, etc.) singing these songs, I had no idea that they were ALL Beatles songs. I just thought that these artists were doing a great covers album. Well, after examining the CD case, I realized what was really going on here. Anyway, I love the album. It is comforting. Like going home. Or eating a doughnut. (This album has gone missing from my collection, so if you have it, could you please give it back. Thanks.)

#5: Better Than Ezra and "Closer"

I don't know when this album was originally released, but in 2006, I attended my very first Better Than Ezra concert. Sure, I knew a couple of their songs ("Desperately Wanting", "Good", etc.) but wasn't sure what to expect from a full-blown show. My friend Jamie (who is an intense BTE fan) said, "Don't worry about it, it will be fun and you will know some of the songs." So, I went. I LOVED THEM. Absolutely LOVED them. I might have known like 5 songs total, but after the concert I went out and purchased this album via Ebay because I couldn't find it in stores anywhere. After it arrived in my mailbox, I drove around and listened to the album. My absolute favorite song is "Get You In." I like the first line in the song the best: "I sit and watch your flowers wilting in the kitchen. I felt like I was one of them gasping for air." How many times have we felt like that because of other people? Love this album!!!

#5: Ryan Adams and "Demolition"

During that same year when I found BTE, I also found Ryan Adams. (Side rant: If you don't know who Ryan Adams is (NOT BRYAN ADAMS), I urge you to purchase one of his albums. It doesn't matter which one, they are all amazing. This is your chance to learn what good music is and should be.) When my dear friend Eric Covington introduced me to Ryan, my music taste (and life) changed drastically. Thank you Eric, I will always be indebted to you as far as my hearing goes.

So, anyway, the summer of 2006 was really great, and yet at the same time really hard for me for many undisclosed reasons. I decided to take some vacation days and drove to Arkansas solo to visit some friends. While there, my favorite college friend Libby and I visited the local Best Buy. When I got there, I decided to go and see which Ryan Adams albums they had. They had 'Demolition' and 'Gold.' If I had the money, I would have bought both but decided on a coin flip to purchase 'Demolition.' On the drive back, I decided to listen. Wow. Amazing. I'm not sure what all Ryan has gone through in his life to make his music so powerful, but I applaud him and at the same time sympathize with him (even though he decided to marry that tramp, Mandy Moore) because he must have gone through some bad, bad times. My favorite track on this album is "Dear Chicago." If you are an Ituneser, spend 99 cents wisely and purchase it. I guarantee that you will relate.

#7 and Finally: Ray Lamontagne "Till The Sun Turns Black"

I would again, like to thank Eric Covington (who has amazing music taste) for gifting me with Ray Lamontagne's first full-length release "Trouble." I loved that album so much that I was given his sophomore release, "Till The Sun Turns Black" as a birthday gift the following year. This is actually the album of the day that I happened to grab from my car. So, it's currently playing on repeat. Ray's music is probably the most soothing music that I have ever listened to (with the exception of Damien Rice). He has a soft-spoken voice that can lull me into any sort of calm state. I love to play this album when getting ready in the mornings. Ray's music makes me want to behave. And to also be a better person. I can't say that about many things these days.

There you have it readers, I apologize for the length, but hope that the 5 minutes that you took to read my faves, has inspired you to share yours as well!