Are You Being Served?

I am insanely stressed about many things right now and this article did not help with my mood. But I just had to share because I know of at least one reader who watched "Are You Being Served?" and found it just as hilarious as I.



This is just so sad. RIP Trevor.

If you haven't seen this show then I suggest you YouTube it. Sometimes you can even catch it on your local access station. I just roar with laughter every time it's on! Maybe I should take my own advice and watch it right now...

The Hairpin

The Hairpin is a hilarious blog that a coworker and I stumbled upon one day when we were bored. It provides endless hours of entertainment and various means of procrastination.

I recently stumbled across this post and had to share with everyone, since you all know of my love for penguins. And food.



I'm not so much a fan of olives but I know that tons of other people are so I may just have to make these treats for my next social event. If anything it'll be a great conversation starter.

"So, were any actual penguins harmed in the making of this treat?"

P.S. - Did I mention that I get to see penguins in South Africa?!?!?? Iamsoexcited!!!!! :D

The Food Chronicles: Green Peppers

This month's food obsession is proving to be green peppers. I find this quite surprising considering that up until a little over a year ago I could only eat GP's if they were sautéed and buried under other foods. Now I find myself adding GP's to almost any dish. Last night I even made stuffed GP's! I filled them with ground turkey, mushrooms, a fresh diced tomato, tomato paste, and a smidge of mozzarella cheese.

I also learned these fun facts about GP's from BigOven.com:
- Native to the tropical Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus brought sweet peppers back to Europe where they quickly became a popular ingredient in Spanish cuisine.
- Picked when mature, but not fully ripe, they sport a bright green color. When left on the vine to ripen, green peppers eventually turn to even sweeter reds.

Entertainment Suggestions Needed

As you all know, I will be traveling to South Africa in a few weeks. I have started my search for various forms of electronic entertainment now in an effort to have a complete collection come flight time.

I'm trying not to carry a lot of things with me on the plane so I'm limiting my books to two: a travel book and a word search. Everything else will be on my laptop or Kindle.

Please send me any suggestions for songs, Kindle books, iTunes shows/podcasts/movies, etc.

The Office

I have a tear-away "quote of the day" calendar from The Office. It has me audibly laughing at least 3 times a week.

I just had to share today's quote seeing as how so many of my friends are pregnant right now!

"Pam is constantly throwing up because of the pregnancy. If she eats something the fetus doesn't like, she is screwed. It's amazing; a three-ounce fetus is calling the shots. That's so badass." --Dwight

Ssssssnakes

As most Americans are aware, there was a dangerous snake on the loose last week. It apparently escaped from its enclosure a the Bronx Zoo. (As if people going to the Bronx need to worry about running into snakes...)

This really bothered my friend Jeremy because he is deathly afraid of snakes. Even though he lives in North Carolina, Jeremy was very concerned about the snake happenings - so much so that he even contacted our serpentarium downtown to see what their policy is on escaped inhabitants. And along with many others, Jeremy began following the snake on Twitter.

Here is a photo of Jeremy at our local serpentarium last year. He was clearly very excited to be there...



This is my petition to have Jeremy write a guest blog about his findings (or lack thereof) on snake escape procedures, as well as some words on why he harbors such hatred for the majestic creatures. If you have Twitter, please bug him about writing a post. If you have Facebook, harass him. He likes attention.

The Food Chronicles: Starburst Fruit Chews

My brother has always been the one in the family to eat fruity and chewy candy. We used to trade candy at Halloween and at Christmas, my mom knew to give him the chewy stuff and me all the chocolate. It worked out well for us throughout the years.

Well, I was somewhat shocked when I started craving Starburst Fruit Chews the other day. I haven't had these in years!



I ran to the gas station down the street and picked up a pack. I devoured the whole pack in less than 2 hours. Now I want more.

I also grabbed another favorite, peanut butter M&M's. I'm saving those for a special day, like when I work out extra hard and need a reward or when I refrain from slapping someone I really dislike.

PPOTW: Parental Complaints

This PPOTW was suggested by my bff Cassie.

PPOTW: Parents who complain about how they're so tired because they have a newborn child at home.

Well no shit.

Babies are used to doing what they want in the mother's womb. Remove them from that element, and they need time to get adjusted. This child spent 9 months in your belly getting used to things; don't you think it'll take him/her at least that long to get used to the external environment?

If you can't handle the late nights, midnight feedings, constant screaming, and dirty diapers, then do everyone else a favor and don't have children!

Like the nuns in school used to say, "Abstinence is the best form of birth control."

Color Me Excited!

I have just spent an enormous amount of money on a plane ticket.... to South Africa!

I may have mentioned this trip in passing, very briefly, in the past. Now that plane tickets are purchased, I can finally speak freely of this vacation. I will be traveling with Kristi and my good friend Adam halfway around the world to seek out some amazing adventures over the course of 2.5 weeks.

I cannot be more excited to get out of this country! I've had the travel bug for a while, as I have not left the country since October 2009. If I don't leave the country at least once a year, I go nuts!

Here's to hoping that this trip will quench my thirst until my next trip to France and Belgium in 2012 :)

April Fools is dumb

Am I the only one who thinks that April Fools Day is the dumbest thing on the face of the planet? I mean really, waste my time with something else please. Tell me a story about how your grandmother knit you a sweater with puppies on it or how your boyfriend uses your flat iron but please do not tell me an AF joke or send me a stupid link.

You may think that I don't have a sense of humor because I've said all of this but if you know me at all then you know that certainly is untrue. I just prefer not to waste my time with unofficial "holidays" that give people an excuse to slack off during the day!

Now get to work and stop being dumb.

Petite Giraffe

If you have watched any sporting event during the month of March, then you've probably seen the Direct TV commercials with a Russian guy, models, and a petite giraffe.



From day 1, these commercials have done nothing but captivate my attention and make me laugh hysterically!

Some genius has even created a website for the giraffes!

I LOVE GIRAFFES!

The Food Chronicles: March Edition

uhhh not quite sure why but I've recently been craving chocolate milk. I've had it twice in the past week and before that I hadn't had it in years.



I'm not a huge fan of milk unless it's in cereal or cookies. (I LOVE COOKIES!)

I guess my body was craving calcium for some odd reason. And no I am not pregnant. Perhaps it's osteoporosis setting in?

When I was a kid I used to adore strawberry milk. It didn't come pre-made so my mom had to buy the Nestle strawberry mix that came in a tin can. You could even put it on your ice cream!



They just don't make stuff like they used to.

Lady Hawks

This has been a pretty exciting week in the world of UNCW Women's Basketball. Not only did the Lady Hawks get a bid to the WNIT, but they have also defeated their first round opponent, Richmond.

Now, here's the exciting part...

UNCW gets to host the second round game against Eastern Michigan! Not only is this the first post-season appearance for the Lady Hawks ever (in program history), but it is also obviously our first time hosting a post-season game.

As most of you are aware, I am an avid basketball fan and have been following the UNCW Women's Basketball team all season. Kristi and I even went to the conference tournament in MD last weekend. But I won't lie -- I follow because of Coop. I have loved her since she played for USC and grew up watching her shape the WNBA. She is a huge idol of mine and to have her here on campus is truly amazing.

So, here's to wishing the Lady Hawks the best of luck in the NIT! I'll be there cheering them on. GO HAWKS!

Spring Break?! Where?

Well, this week is Spring Break for the students at UNCW. This means that my office is finally clear of all student workers which translates to near silence. The phrase "silence is golden" has never rung so near and dear to my heart as it has this week. While there have been maintenance workers coming and going the past couple of days, it still beats hearing the "like" and "oh my god" every 5 seconds. However, it still seems like the space directly outside my office door is still the meeting place for everyone - staff, faculty, maintenance workers, etc.

I am not amused.

I had almost a dozen students (student workers in the office, classmates, etc.) ask me what I was "doing" for Spring Break. Well, since I am a full time UNCW staff member first and foremost, I will be doing my job without interruption due to classes and related meetings. I do not have the luxury of jetting off to Jamaica or Cancun or wherever it is young college kids visit these days.

My idea of a break is being able to sleep 8 hours a night and getting in a good work out. Is that too much to ask?!?!

With all of that being said, you can understand why I have not been as productive at work as I should be. But with each passing day my concentration gets better and better; Friday is shaping up to be the most productive day of all!

My motivation to do anything at home is also lacking. That long "to do" list that is sitting on my bedside table? Hasn't been touched since it's been made. Those school books that are waiting to be read in an effort to get ahead for the second half of the semester? Haven't been touched since they were taken out of my bag on Friday.

And this is why:
- Monday: My first day without classes was spent catching up on sleep. For twelve hours.
- Tuesday: My second day was spent watching a movie and then catching up on sleep. For nine hours.
- Tonight, I actually managed to work out, cook dinner, clean the kitchen and bathroom, change the air filter, shower and shave, put away some clean laundry, gather up some dirty laundry, and organize my belongings for work tomorrow. If I have any energy left after typing this blog post, I may even flat iron my hair. Hot damn!

I am hoping that tomorrow is a productive day at work and even more so at home! I'd like to attempt to tackle my "to do" list in case the weather is nice and allows for outdoor play time this weekend. I'd also like to put away this other mound of clean laundry that is staring me in the face, as well as sift through some paperwork.

I really feel that life would be much more do-able with a midget assistant. Think of all the extra little things (no pun intended) that could get done in my life. AND I'd be boosting the economy by paying someone a salary.

all natural face scrub

I find it challenging to find a good exfoliating face scrub. A worker in the Wal-Mart suggested that I try equal parts of sugar and vegetable oil as a face scrub. Well what do you know - it works fabulously!

I took 3 tablespoons of regular ole sugar and mixed it into 3 tablespoons of regular ole baking vegetable oil. (I put this mixture into a container with a lid so I can access it daily. It is housed in my bathroom next to all of my other face products.)

I feel that, since I am in my late 20's and clearly not an adolescent, I should not have acne. And I don't have it bad, but from time to time a blemish does pop up. I also find that they stay longer and leave scars. What's up with that?!?!

WIth this scrub, I have found that the scars are slowly disappearing and the blemishes are far and few between. And I thought the sun was the only miracle worker for my face...

inconsequential nonsense

Wow, a lot has happened this week.

Just as I was thanking God that it was Friday and for allowing me to survive another hectic week, I learned of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Immediately, I stopped worrying about my foolish schedule, my massively long "to do" list, and the so-called troubles I'm having. It's sad that it took something so devastating to put all of this into perspective.

My heart and prayers go out to those affected by this awful disaster.

Sunday Double Feature

Today was a lazy day. It was pouring down rain everywhere in town and I had tons of [un]important things to accomplish!

I get a pedicure about once a year, usually in the Springtime to prepare for warmer weather. Pedi's aren't necessary other times of the year because I spend so much time in the sand. So, today was pedi day.

Today was also a "stuff yourself like it's the Last Supper at the Chinese Buffet" day.

This was followed by a trip to purchase "super fun kitchen items that I cannot use in my current house because my roommate will break them so I'll just save them for when I buy my first house" things. World Market is slowly becoming a bad house decor addiction, joining the likes of Crate & Barrel, Ikea, and Pottery Barn.

BUT, the highlight of the day was seeing two movies: Unknown (with Liam Neeson, January Jones, and Diane Kruger) and The Adjustment Bureau (with Emily Blunt and Matt Damon). TAB was my favorite of the two (and not just because that abbreviation shares my initials), although I did enjoy both.

Now it is time to study for my three midterms this week. I'll check in again in approximately one week. Until then, it's crazy time.

Rolling in the Deep

I am midly addicted to this song. And when I say mildly, I mean absolutely obsessed!

randomness aka the story of my life

I feel that, after this week, bullet points and/or numbered bits of randomness are necessary for this particular blog post. I think that "To Do" lists were the only things helping me survive this week so I decided to continue the list-like trend. If you don't like lists (and why would you NOT like lists, by the way?!?!) then you can go ahead and stop reading this now. Begin list:

1. I am currently watching The Golden Girls for the first time in months. This is unheard of! Not a day used to pass when I did not spend quality time with The Girls. That is just one example of how insane my life has been as of late.

2. Speaking of friends, I just received in the mail today a postcard from an old high school friend. So, thank you Jeannie for thinking of me! (And I'm not saying that you're old, just that we've been friends for a while :)) For those of you who love humor, check out her blog here. Jeannie does improv on cruise ships and is honestly the funniest person I have ever met. I know that my readers think that I'm funny but I think that she's funny so you know she must be really funny. Right?!

3. I was attempting to remember everything that happened to me this week while sitting in an 8 a.m. accounting class. But I couldn't. I walked into my office around 11 (after that one class and then multiple meetings) and a co-worker came to visit. He gave me one look and I instantly knew that he was feeling the same as I was. It was just one of those weeks where I didn't know which way was up - both at work and in the classroom - and today was just a Godsend. It truly is a miracle that I made it through the day, let alone the week. I'd like to thank Sarah and Michele for inviting me to lunch today and offering tons of belly laughs.

4. I would also like to thank Kristi for meeting me at 8 p.m. (as I was leaving work, mind you) to have a few beverages and slices of pizza. Sometimes a girl just needs a grape vodka sprite! Tonight, I was that girl.


5. If you're all looking for some extra reading material, check out my bff Cassie's blog about e-dating. She is also hilarious.

6. For some reason, I allowed myself to pick up my Kindle again while waiting between meetings this week. I am now absorbed in another non-fiction book written by a lawyer who somehow gets caught up in conspiracy or something. It sounded interesting when I purchased it on Amazon and it's still holding true. Once I have the energy to hold my eyes open to dig the Kindle out of my purse, I'll give you all the title of the book. Until then, you'll just have to remain on the edge of your seats.

Current Food Addictions

I currently have 2 food addictions and, surprisingly, neither of them are candy/processed!

They are....


[drumroll, please]


asparagus...

ANDDDDD

sun dried tomatoes

:)