Newness

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. I started my new job last Monday and spent all of last week in training. This week I’m shadowing someone so it’s more training, and I find that I’m so drained by the time I get home, I don’t have the energy to move off the couch, much less blog, but I wanted to squeeze this one in so you wouldn’t worry I’d gone and jumped off the face of the earth.

I’ve realized that learning new things can really wear you out, but at least I get to wear myself out in a building with a view. (Check out the picture above.) And if you think that's awesome, you should see the sunset from twenty eight floors up. It's mesmorizing.

Hope you're all doing great!

Me and my traveling pants

Tomorrow is officially the first day of Autumn, and with fall just around the corner, I figured I would get a head start on my fall cleaning. So, armed with a critical eye and a trash bag, I attacked my closet, throwing out anything that either a) was falling apart, b) was ugly or c) hadn’t been worn in the past year. And while I’m happy to say my cleaning was a success, I was particularly sad about throwing out a certain item of clothing: my favorite jeans.

Ah, my favorite jeans. I bought them from American Eagle four or five years ago (it’s been so long I can’t keep track), and from the moment I tried them on in the dressing room, I knew they’d be with me for a long, long time. I’ve never actually worn out a pair of jeans to the point where they were unwearable due to giant holes in the butt that showed things the general public should not be allowed to see, but I loved these jeans so much that I rarely took them off.

They’ve been with me through good times and bad, break ups and hook ups, first dates, anniversaries, three jobs, four apartments, hurricanes, Cougar games, snowball fights, Christmas lights, casual Fridays, thirsty Thursdays and a move from California to Texas. They’ve been under snow pants in Washington, over bathing suits in Rosarito and paired with sequins in Vegas. They’ve been more like a best friend than a pair of jeans, and putting them in the bag very nearly made me cry.

I’ll miss those jeans so much, and just so you can see how much fun I’ve had in them, I put together a Picasa album of me and my traveling pants. Check it out!

Thursday night

I learned:
It’s never a good idea to ask your boyfriend what he thinks about your hair because he might just say he liked it better the other way and you might just start to cry and you might find yourself in front of a mirror trying to explain to him that the old way made your eyes look too close together and he might just start to laugh which might make you cry even harder and you might try to explain to him that the way your hair makes you feel is a VERY BIG DEAL and he might do his best to back track and not let on that he thinks you might be a tiny bit insane which might make you wish you had just asked your sister about your hair in the first place.

My boyfriend learned:
The old cliché is true: When your girlfriend asks if her hair looks good, always, always, always respond with an enthusiastic YES!

Number 19

Can be checked off the list.

I know I’m a little behind the times on this one, but when looking for a documentary to watch, Supersize Me really stuck out. I read about it online and was amazed that anyone could gain that much weight from eating McDonald’s for a month. I decided I had to see the results for myself, and as I was watching, I have to admit I was a tad bit jealous of Morgan getting to eat all of that McYumminess.

You see, I’m a fan of fast food. Even though I hardly ever let myself eat it, I’m not one of those people who think it’s disgusting. Growing up, McDonald’s meant vacation and freedom and fun. It’s where we stopped to eat as we made our way to Florida for many a family vacation in our trusty Suburban, and to this day, I still get excited to stop there any time I’m on a road trip (often to the chagrin of my fellow roadtrippers who would prefer a healthier option).

But although the movie did scare me away from fast food for at least the near future (the part about the chicken nuggets was so gross!), it really, more than anything, drove home the importance of eating good, fresh foods and getting enough exercise. It really is true that our body runs off of what we put into it. When we put in junk, we feel bad and sad and unfocused, and when we put in good stuff, we feel happy and balanced and productive, and I don’t know about you, but that’s what I strive for.

By the way, during my quest to rent a documentary, I stumbled upon a hidden gem in my local Blockbuster: The Social Awareness section. It’s filled with documentaries, and these are the ones I’ll be watching in the near future (I know, the list only required one, but they’re just so much fun!):

Grizzly Man
Woodstock
Enron: The smartest guys in the room
Whole
After Innocence
A life without pain
Shut Up and Sing
Dog Town and Z Boys

The same old song and dance

Every year, it’s the same thing. The end of August approaches, the days start to get shorter, and I cry and wail and throw myself onto the sun-drenched sand in protest, begging September not to take away my sweet, sweet summer with such a passion you’d think I was at least a little bit serious.

But all it takes is one crisp, cloudy day, one warm cotton sweater, one whiff of steaming hot chocolate and I’m packing up my sandals and running off to buy pumpkin spice candles.

Just call me Fickle Franny, would you?

Number 10

Can be checked off the list.

P.S.--The LA County Fair rocks! You should go!

Sisterly love

“You’re so much more than the little things you pick on yourself about.”

When my sister told me this on Saturday, it reminded me how powerful it can be to hear words of encouragement from someone who totally gets you — someone who eats your cookies even when they’re burnt, fixes your hair when you sprain your wrist and loves all of who you are, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Starting today, I think we should all listen to the people in our lives when they tell us we’re fabulous, because most likely, we are.

Big News

Well, folks, I finally did it. And by it, I mean I GOT A NEW JOB!

Yep, that’s right, I’m moving on to bigger and better things, and I COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED! (as I’m sure you can tell from all of the CAPITAL LETTERS)

In exactly two weeks, I’ll be making the move from writing about dialysis and kidney disease all day everyday to managing an online community to gain key insights about different brands from the people who use them. Sorry I can’t go into more detail. Suffice it to say it’s going to be FUN. (Plus, I get to wear jeans, and I’m not gonna lie, that was a big selling point.)

So, I hope you all have fantastic weekends, and I hope you celebrate with me a little from wherever you are!

Cheers!

Number 21

Can be checked off the list.

My top 10 favorite events of my Labor Day trip to Seattle

10. Enjoying a lunch of fish and chips while looking out over Puget Sound at a restaurant in Pike Place Market.

9. Seeing Bowie, the coolest cat in the world, and cuddling with him on the couch.

8. Movie night at Redhook Brewery. (There’s nothing quite like watching Knocked Up with a room full of drunk people.)

7. Touring and tasting at Redhook Brewery, Chateau Ste Michelle Winery and Columbia Winery. (All for $6 total!)

6. Going on a WSU apparel shopping spree at Fred Meyer. (And trying to convince Mason that wearing a WSU track suit would NOT be cool. Or funny.)

5. Seeing the sights (and believe me, there were sights) while hanging out on the sandbar on Columbia River.

4. “Cargating” in Partin’s truck before the Cougar game after getting busted by the Alcohol Enforcement Officers.

3. Watching the Cougars play their first game of the season in the Seattle Seahawks stadium. (Yes, we lost, but the saying holds true: Win or lose, Cougs booze.)

2. Hanging out in the rental car all night because it was FREEZING when we got to The Gorge. (Which led to Lief stealing my lemon loaf, a whiskey bottle pass, a heated conversation about American automobile marketing and plenty of laughs.)

1. And finally, my most favorite (and most rewarding) event of the trip was sneaking into the Dave Matthews concert for free. (I now completely understand what it feels like to be a refugee fleeing across the border. We crawled. We jumped fences. We ducked. We ran. And in the end, it was all worth it.)