Orange Is Not the New Pink

Booooooored

2010-03-12T15:41:00.002-05:00

I'm bored at work. Not a surprise. But add to that anticipation for going out for happy hour at 5 and the minutes just seem to tick by even slower. So I'm doing what I would do when I was younger on Christmas Day. I wasn't allowed to wake up my parents until 8am, but due to the excitement, I would invariably wake up before the set time. So I would pull out a journal and write. Usually the actually writing was interspersed with a countdown of how many minutes I had left before I could officially wake up my parents. So right now we're at:

1 hour, 15 minutes. Ugh.

Though, that number is better than earlier in the day. And some people are going out at 4. Jealous! I want to leave then too. But I'm pretty stuck at a 5 o' clock departure time. One guy suggested I pull the old "female problems" routine with my male bosses to get out early, but I hate using that. I only like using my femininity in productive ways.

Which leads me to a thought on women in the workplace. I dislike some of them and the way they act. I dislike how women think they have to be bitches in order to get ahead. I think you can garner just as much respect by being courteous, but stern. And then the women who only wear pant suits or other masculine looks. No thanks. I believe I have much more power in a skirt or dress. I prefer to highlight my feminine features, instead of downplaying them. Not in a slutty or inappropriate way, because that won't get you anywhere. But wearing heels adds an extra spring in your step.

1 hour 10 minutes. I type too fast. That's one way my old journals were better. It took longer to write out each word as opposed to my relative quick typing skills.

Oh stream of conscious. It's so east. Just write whatever pops into my head. Which is apparently talking about stream of conscious. And then writing in not very complete sentences, which doesn't matter since I'm just streaming my thoughts. I wonder how the word "stream" came to be used in that phrase?

I bet by the time 5 comes around I'll be tired. I'm already coming down from my earlier energy. It was rather excessive. I felt like I could run around the building.

I guess I could organize the pantry.

Apparently what also works is telling your boss you have a happy hour and then he tells you to go ahead and sneak out early! Not as early as 4, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

So I'm going to go with...35 minutes till I leave! (Though it would have been 55 without my earlier release to freedom.) I think 4:40 is acceptable. Eeeeeeeeee! I'm so excited.

20 minutes.

10 minutes.

Time to wrap up!

"I am so much better than before"

2009-07-31T21:50:00.003-04:00

Can I just say how much I love the Legally Blonde: The Musical soundtrack? This may sound cheesy, but it's kind of inspirational, particularly "So Much Better," when Elle gets the internship and realizes that she's more than just the blonde sorority girl that Warner dumped. I sort of feel like that right now, so I love the pride she feels in herself and the bit of healthy revenge she has toward Warner and Vivian. This soundtrack is the only CD that I can handle listening to right now. I don't even want to listen to break up songs, which I normally love! Oh well, here is my favorite song of the moment:

All of this time I planned
I'd be patient and
You would love me again
You'd come to respect my mind
And at last you'd find
You could love me again
And I have turned my whole world upside down
Trying not to let you go
Watching you walk away
Is like a fatal blow

Whoa!

Is that my name up on that list?
Does someone know that I exist?
Is this a mistake?
Am I even awake?
Pinch me now to make sure - ow!
Yes that's my name in black and white
Maybe I'm doing something right
Wow, I feel so much better than before

Warner!

Sorry I've been a pest
But I guess my best
Wasn't working for you
But looks like I found a cure
And I so look forward to working with you

Hey remember when we spent spring break
In the hot tub every night
You said nothing else
Would ever feel so right
Well this might!

Seeing my name up on that list
That beats the first time that we kissed
You thought I was dumb
But I think that somebody's judgement was poor

Seeing my name in black and white
It's like making love with you all night
No wait! It feels so much better
Hello, much better
It's oh, oh, oh, oh, OH - much better
'Cause I am so much better than before

Maybe she's what you prefer
But hey, last year I was her
Maybe you will change your mind
But you might look up to find
I've gone on to better things
Better jobs or bigger rings
I don't have the time to cry
I'm too busy loving my name up on that list
Kind of a cool ironic twist
Who else can I tell?
Ooh wait, where's my cell?
Mom will fall on the floor

Hey Mom!

Look at my name in black and white
Your daughter's doing something right
I feel so much better

I'll be there on Monday nine o' clock
And we will see who walks the walk
No no I can't wait
I will be there at eight
When they unlock the door
Oh oh!
I'll even dress in black and white
You see I have not begun to fight
And you'll go OH much better
Hello, much better
And soon all y'all gonna know much better

I am so much better
I am so much better
I am so much better than before!

La la la

2009-07-27T23:29:00.002-04:00

I should be going to bed right now, but I'm not tired. Naturally, I was exhausted at 7pm and therefore dozed in my chair for 15 minutes which rejuvenated me enough so that I'm not tired now at 11:30pm. Well, I don't suppose that caramel frappuccino helped either. :)

I'm also going back and forth about a boy. Isn't that always how it is? To trust or not to trust. Is he telling me the truth or just what I want to hear so he can get what he wants? I need a good night's sleep to escape these thoughts, but obviously from the above paragraph, I'm having trouble achieving that.

Ooh wait, I think I'm starting to feel tired...

Whenever I have a problem that I want to escape, I always imagine some alternate life where I don't have to deal with it. Unfortunately, as I've gotten older that has become more difficult to do as I see things more realistically. I can't just pretend to be a princess of one kingdom while a prince from another kingdom woos me (a scenario I played out often). Now I think of what countries actually have royalty, instead of being able to just imagine out my own countries/kingdoms. (I actually still have a map of one such kingdom in an old notebook.) I loved creating my imaginary worlds and I miss that I can't do that anymore. Maybe that's why I like to write. Though I'm not in them, these worlds are still created and I can put my own characters into them. And one of those characters always has red hair. :)

I have three ideas that I'm working on right now, but I'm trying to figure out which I should put first.

1) I have 10,000 words on this one, but it needs to be redone to better fit its audience. And the outline isn't complete because I'm not quite sure how to solve the major issue.

2) About 7,000 words written and only basic revision is needed. I just recently got some new ideas for this one, but I'm not sure if the overall story is strong enough and what else I should put into it to make the stakes higher for the main character.

3) More difficult to tackle, with a rotating POV between 4 girls. I have each of their story lines completely outlined, plus an overall situation to tie them together, but I'm not sure how to weave the stories together.

I need to find a writing partner or group to help me figure this out. It's so difficult to analyze what needs to be done on my own!

Well, at least I'm distracted from my unpleasant situation. But I won't go to sleep any easier with my brain active with stories. :)

Pride & Prejudice books are so not Pride & Prejudice

2009-06-17T21:04:00.005-04:00

I seem to be on a themed reading binge right now. I just read Prada and Prejudice and am currently reading Me and Mr. Darcy. Anyone recognize what's going on here?

I know there have been the fan fiction pieces that are basically sequels of the original. But these two (as well as Austenland, which I read earlier this year) take modern girls and somehow throw them into the P&P world. (Side note: There's also Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which has been incredibly popular at the bookstore.)

Prada doesn't actually relate to the P&P storyline. It's about a fifteen year old American girl visiting London for a summer trip when she falls (in Prada shoes) and wakes up in Regency times, the times of P&P. And then, for good measure, the male lead is a match for Darcy's demeanor. The other two have main characters that take Jane Austen trips to England.

The point? While the stories are cute concepts, the writing is no where near is good as the original. The authors make use of bad techniques, such as having a main character describe her appearance while looking at a mirror. So over done and it's a cop out. The characters are so typical: is every Jane Austen fan a single girl who claims to be so over love and relationships, but as soon as a Darcy-ish guy comes along, she falls hard? And I know with chick lit it's easy to pick out who the heroine is going to end up with, but come on, at least give the reader a couple options instead of just the one obvious guy.

I also started wondering if a book has ever been written that is very similar to P&P, but set in modern day and in high school. You know, a la The Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You? For example, with Bingley and Darcy being newcomers in town; that wouldn't work in a regular town today so much, but new students in a high school? There would totally be a riot amongst the girls. Hmm... :)

New Direction

2009-06-16T23:12:00.003-04:00

So I've kind of abandoned this, but my life has been pretty boring so I don't feel like commenting on or writing about it. So I think I'm going to refocus this so that there are topics that relate to me and my interests, topics that can be defined into a single category: girly things! I think I already have characteristics that support this:

Nickname (at one place of work): Princess K

Favorite Colors: purple and pink

Favorite Movies: The Sound of Music and Cinderella

Not to mention my love for purses and expensive things.

So we'll see how this goes, if I find myself more likely to write if I write about Chanel and girly entertainment and the dream house that I just found (if I were to ever live in California).

10,000 Words!

2009-01-26T21:21:00.003-05:00

So I'm super excited because I finally reached 10,000 words on my...novel. I normally just refer to the things I write as stories, but it is on its way to being a novel, so I might as well call it that. Although, that means admitting that I'm writing one. But anyone who reads this pretty much already knows about my literary ambitions.

For those not in the know, teen novels and chick lit novels are usually about 50K, meaning I'm 20% of the way done! It doesn't seem like a lot, but it's the most I've ever written before, so it's a nice accomplishment for me.

Just 40,000 more to go!

The highs are usually followed by the lows

2008-12-29T17:32:00.004-05:00

I had a great time last night with my family. It was like "Leave it to Beaver" kind of perfect family fun night.

Today...

- I was frustrated at work because I hate being treated like I'm less than I am (who doesn't?)

- I came home to a bit of grumpiness, which has nothing to do with me, but I still am affected by it

And now my stomach is all knotted with nerves.

EDIT: Okay, things are better now. But it was almost funny because I had a feeling that today would be bad since last night was so much fun.

And I should be having some good news to share soon (hopefully tomorrow)!

"Because if you can't say it at Christmas, when can you?"

2008-12-24T21:27:00.003-05:00

On a more upbeat note than the last post...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

It's still Christmas Eve, but Merry Christmas to everyone! I love you all and I hope you have a fabulous day tomorrow!

I know it's Christmas Eve, but here's a letter of complaint

2008-12-24T21:05:00.004-05:00

Dear Parents Who Shop With Children,

Isn't it sad that on Christmas Eve, of all days, I temporarily lost my belief that people are generally good thanks to you?

Okay, maybe not that far. But I honestly don't understand why you don't teach your children anything anymore. Or maybe it's the sense of entitlement that seems to follow the generation. It just seems that you don't respect things. Or understand that when your child says he has to go to the bathroom you should listen to him, and not wait until he goes all over the train table and I get to be the lucky one to mop it up. Please tell me where in my job description it says that I'm supposed to be a maid.

You are always very disgruntled when the book that you want has a page that is slightly bent or doesn't have the plastic wrapped around it. But when it's your child who is bending up a book, throwing them around, stepping on them and pretending they're ice skates, then whatever. It's not your problem. It's just so easy for you to ignore them and consider us as your free babysitters, cleaning and picking up after them. Guess what? That's not what I'm being paid for.

And I really don't need any attitude for you. I generally start off at work happy each day, but thanks to your behavior and that of your children, I lose my positive attitude. I can only imagine how those less optimistic than myself deal with these situations.

So thanks for not listening,

Fed Up Children's Department Bookseller

Please don't hurt my feelings

2008-12-22T22:50:00.003-05:00

Is there any way to get over being afraid of getting your feelings hurt?

I trust friends and family; I'll let them in. But whenever a romantic situation starts up, I freak out, not wanting to get too close for fear of being hurt.

Someone pointed out to me that I am a bit more sensitive than the normal person; I feed off of other people's feelings and I easily am affected by things that people say to me and the way they say them.

But I kind of need to get over this if I'm ever going to embark upon (corny, I know) any relationships.

Guy + Attention = Uninterested Me, Guy - Attention = Interested Me

2008-12-21T15:53:00.005-05:00

Like others, I love the chase.

I seem to go back and forth sometimes on how I feel about some guys. Interested, not interested, all depending on how much interest they show in me.

Guy 1: I find out from a girl friend that he is asking about me and likes me. I don't feel the same way, but suddenly talking to him is a bit more fun since I know he finds me fascinating. Things continue this way till I start to sense that he really likes me and so I back off, because I don't want lead him on. It's at this moment that he asks me out and I have to do my awkward rejection, giving work as my excuse since I don't want to hurt his feelings. He backs off a bit, but still wants to get to know me. All of a sudden, I start missing the interest that he had been having in me, so I start talking to him more. And I start thinking, maybe I should go out with him. But then I do the test: would I want to kiss him? The answer is still no, but I want to hang out with him, because we do get along really well, but again, I don't want to lead him on.

Guy 2: I didn't really start talking to him till on a group outing (where incidentally Guy 1 got kind of jealous - I didn't do it on purpose!) and he asked for my number. A week or so later, he called and asked if I wanted to go see a horror movie. I wasn't sure about the situation plus I didn't want to cause any problems with Guy 1 so I said no (plus I don't see horror movies - hello nightmares!). Now I keep going back and forth with how I feel about him depending on how he acts toward me. He's so not my type and entirely too sensitive, so I really should just leave it alone.

Guy 3: My blue-eyed boy. Every conversation with him is such a success since he doesn't talk much. But nothing will happen unless I initiate because 1) he probably isn't that interested me, and 2) he's so shy. But I'm not an initiating kind of girl. Well, unless bribed: I asked a guy to my semiformal once in order for my mom to buy me a new dress, since she would only do so if I had a date. I need a situation like that again! Anyway, he never shows much interest in me, so is that part of my crush on him? For a day I decided that I didn't like him. But that didn't last long.

The chase is indeed fun. I almost feel that if blue-eyed boy were to actually like me back, I'd run the other way. Part of my reluctance in asking out blue-eyed boy is my own fear of getting my feelings hurt, but that is another issue. And I know that I don't really like the other two, but I kind of want to date them just so I can add some experience to my dating resume. But that's not fair to them. So what should I do?

P.S. Sorry about the lack of consistency in tense.

Hot Guy Part 2

2008-12-11T23:20:00.004-05:00

Turns out he wasn't Scottish. He came back today and a fellow employee with more guts than me asked him where he was from. Apparently he's from Florida, but has lived most recently in Slovakia. Who knew that Scottish and Slovakian - is that even correct? - accents sounded alike?

Hot Scottish Guy

2008-12-11T00:02:00.003-05:00

A hot Scottish guy came into work today.

I was literally swooning.

I still am.

He looked kind of like a cuter version of Justin Bobby from "The Hills."

And he sounded like heaven.

"I'm just a little bit caught in the middle"

2008-12-06T21:11:00.003-05:00

I'm not really, but Lenka's "The Show" is such a cute song! Luckily, it's on the B&N store playlist this month and I get to listen to at work and unashamedly bop along. And I have half the boys who work in the music department wrapped around my little finger, so whenever I'm working, they play it. :) Just a little harmless flirting, right?

In other news, I've had a really tough week. We got our Christmas tree and decorated it, but it was so hard without Minnie this year. She was such an important member of our family, and I still miss her so so so much. I actually cried at work a couple times. Not tears streaming down my face, but having to escape to the break room to calm down. I didn't realize how much people notice me, until several people, particularly managers, kept coming up to me asking what was wrong. Although I am usually very cheery, so that was quite a contrast. And I had a bad hair day Tuesday.

I finally felt happy on Friday though, partly because it was my first day off in awhile, which was a much needed break after three bookfairs this week with millions of children running around creating endless amounts of work and headaches for everyone. So what did I do? I bought Britney's album! It's so much fun. "Womanizer" of course is super, but "Circus" is definitely my new favorite, with "If U Seek Amy" being close too. I was confused about what it was trying to say though, so I looked it up and discovered that the title has another meaning if you say it aloud quickly, sort of like that track from the Atonement soundtrack: "Cee, You, and Tea."

Now I need to go work on a new movie marathon that I just created for myself with the wonder that is DVR: The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime, and You've Got Mail. Everyone knows that that last one is based on the first, but the middle one is the same story too, but a musical! Therefore, the characters also work in a music store instead of a book store, but I watched a little last night, and I swear, You've Got Mail stole a scene straight from it.

St Andrews

2008-11-26T19:04:00.003-05:00

Though I'm not there anymore, I simply had to share this photo when I saw it posted up on my friend's Facebook. This was where I lived while over there. My room was on the second floor, the window furthest to the left. What you don't see is the beautiful St Andrews Bay/North Sea, which is to the far left, and to which the girls next door had a great view. The girls who live there call themselves the Wardlaw princesses, Wardlaw for the name of that wing of our dorm, and princess since Wardlaw looks so much like a castle. Perfect for me, huh? :)

The snow never stuck much when I was there, but isn't this lovely?

My Fall 2008 TV Week

2008-11-24T17:35:00.003-05:00

Going from college where I had my room and could watch whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to home with the parentals and having to watch TV in the family room has definitely had an influence on what I watch. And the fact that sometimes my work schedule has me working at night. Luckily, we just got DVR, which means I never have to miss certain shows again! These are the ones though that I have to watch:

Sunday: I'm all about Desperate Housewives. It's my bonding with my mom. I've been watching it since it started and this is the first season where I've actually been able to watch it with my mom in the same room, instead of calling her from school during the commercial breaks to discuss it. It's definitely still a fave and this season is particularly juicy.

Monday: The Hills. I was never an avid watcher of it. My roommates would watch it, but it conflicted with The Bachelor last year, and I had a standing date with a friend for that show. Now, I cannot wait for Mondays at 10pm and am catching up on the previous seasons online.

Tuesday: NCIS is my new favorite show. I would tolerate it before when my parents would watch it, not really paying attention. I don't know what happened, but I am suddenly obsessed with this show! It has everything: attractive guys - one for each generation in the forms of Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly, an adorably quirky girl, a hint of sexual tension, and it's local - NCIS is based in the Navy Yard in DC. Thank goodness for its syndication on USA and Ion this season, so I can catch up!

Friday: Since watching The Hills itself is never enough, I watch The Soup on E!, since a clip of Audrina or Heidi is usually featured in Joel McHale's funny commentary of the week in TV. Some of the best inside jokes from my roommates from last year and I come from this show.

Noticeably missing?

- Grey's Anatomy. If I happen to be not working or have other plans, I'll watch it, but it's definitely not a must see anymore for me.

- I tried watching the new 90210, but I'm such a fan of the original that I just can't get into this new cast. Plus the first ten minutes of the pilot were excruciating. The dialogue and acting were so corny.

What am I excited about for Spring 2009?

- The return of LOST. I cannot wait to find out what is going to be revealed this season. Who's really dead? Will the Oceanic Six find the island again?

- The newest season of The Bachelor. I'm not at all the gooey romantic type, but I love this show. I think it's more the way the women act; I like to see how catty they'll get or if there are any amusing personalities.

What do you have to watch?

Update - But Nothing Has Changed

2008-11-23T23:29:00.005-05:00

I wore boots today in order to inspire courage and they failed me.

But he looks so adorable in a sweatshirt and jeans. *sigh*

ARGH!!!!!

I thought that maybe I would be happy just enjoying the crush life, but no. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to be forward and see if I can get something started.

EDIT: I was choosing my labels for this post and realized how much more boy-centric this blog has become since old blue eyes popped onto the scene. I was going to be so careful about not mentioning that stuff. Nevermind. :)

Middle School Crush

2008-11-21T15:29:00.003-05:00

Oh my goodness. I am acting like such a twelve year old right now, and I honestly mean that in the best way possible.

You remember those middle school days when you would have a crush on a boy, right? When you would get excited just to see him in the hallway and you would think of silly ways to accidentally-on-purpose bump into him? (Well, at least that's what I did.) That's pretty much how I've been acting lately. Okay, I'm not bumping into anyone, but when talking to my friends (one in particular since she knows the guy), I find myself saying things like: "And then he walked past me, when he totally could have gone around the other way since he knew I was there!" and "He took a double take when he saw me today!" Sigh. I'm having so much fun with it though. And it's those feelings of, I just want to tell everyone that I have a crush on so-and-so, but yet, I don't want anyone to know, but yet, I want everyone to know!

But then sometimes I go into what-if-something-actually-happened mode:

- would he really like me back?

- what if we went out and things were awkward?

- what if we started seriously dating? Is he really someone I'd want to have a long relationship with?

- am I mature enough for something long term?

- what happens if/when there's a break up?

Why do all these questions have to come along? Why can't I just live in the moment and enjoy the silliness of my middle school crush? Why do I have to overthink everything?

These weren't really questions I concerned myself with at twelve, with the exception of the first one. It was a time when "going out" simply meant holding hands in the hallway and being driven to a movie by the parentals.

I guess I'll just continue with my silliness (check), have fun (check), not expect anything (I'll have to work on that one), and see where it leads!

Garlic bread saved my night :)

2008-11-20T23:26:00.002-05:00

So it's been a rough couple days working in the cafe, plus just an extra emotional rollercoaster with the holidays coming up and my dog not being here anymore for them. But tonight I came home and there were three slices of garlic bread leftover from dinner waiting for me! That seriously boosted my spirits.

Well, that and the fact that I had a ten minute conversation with blue-eyed boy today, which is quite an accomplishment. :)

5 Randoms

2008-11-19T15:39:00.005-05:00

1) Britney Spears' "Womanizer" is stuck in my head. It's really good though. I'm really proud of her and am glad to see her doing so much better. I listened to a sampler from her new album and it seems to be a winner. Boy don't try to front/I, I know just just what you are are are...

2) If you love "The Office" and John Krasinski, you HAVE to watch this interview with him. He is a great storyteller and this proves it. It was actually this video that introduced me to him and made me start watching "The Office" just so I could see more.

3) I have to be at work today at 5pm. I'm bored though (which is partly why I'm blogging), so I want to go in early, but then I'll just be bored at work. At least at home I can still chill in my sweats. I like having these days where I pretty much have the whole day before going to work and I don't have any other plans. I'll usually end up trying something new with my hair. Today I straightened it. I know it's straight already, but right now it's like Jennifer Aniston in "Friends" straight. I'm playing around with "The Hills" style hairstyles since they always do interesting things with their hair.

4) I'm looking over this post so far and it's making me think: I know TV show titles are put in quotations while movies would be italicized, but italicized usually looks cooler. I can't let go of my English major upbringing though, so they'll stay in quotations.

5) I had a few conversations with blue eyed boy yesterday. I told him that he was like Frank Sinatra because of the Old Blue Eyes thing, having previously gotten the hint that he is a fan of Frank. Unfortunately, he's quiet and can be kind of expressionless, so I have no clue if he was flattered or thinks I'm crazy. Maybe I'll find out in the next few days. But in the mean time, I have to figure out my hair (since it's my thing, according to Courtney) and which Hills star to copy! :)

Writing Block Crumbled?

2008-11-17T11:14:00.004-05:00

Though I didn't officially sign up for it, my plan was to try and follow along with NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, which happens every November. The goal is to write 50,000 words of a novel. It doesn't have to be good; quantity, not quality, is the point.

Let's just say that having only 10% of that isn't very good for it being November 17.

To be fair, the story I'm working on is actually one that I've prepared more for, so I at least know where it's going. I have an outline for eleven chapters. But then I got stuck on one of the major plot lines. So for weeks I've been trying to figure out how to resolve that story. Last night, I decided to read a few chapters from Someday My Prince Will Come (I cannot stress how eerily similar the author is to me!) and when I turned the light off, I started thinking about the relationships/non-relationships she had just described in those chapters (since that's sort of what my plot has to deal with). Two perfect, lovely English guys who promised to call never did. A third perfect English guy turned out to be gay, but offered her marriage, so that he could have the perfect identity for becoming prime minister and she could remain in England once her visa expired (living in England and marrying royalty being her lifelong dream). She describes how her father wouldn't care, but her mother would be very disappointed, which made me think: if I had to choose, would I pick my family/common sense or a boy/the life I've dreamed of? What would my character do? What would you do?

Is it okay that I'm oblivious?

2008-11-10T19:10:00.005-05:00

This weekend I found out about two people I know that have started dating. I had no idea and have never seen the signs, though apparently to others, it was quite obvious. And I never know when someone is interested in me without someone outright telling me, "So-and-so likes you."

Is it okay that I'm so oblivious to these romantic cues? Is it just my lack of experience? My lack of really seeking the signs? Boys and dating have never really been at the top of my priorities, so maybe I just never cared enough to notice these things?

Another friend told me there's nothing wrong with me, that's just how I am and another friend is just like me. So again, is this okay and if not, how do I learn to read the signs not only when someone is interested in me, but also to pick up on signals when two other people are interested in each other?

Weekend!

2008-11-10T10:20:00.002-05:00

This weekend I finally got to visit JMU again. Even though it was loads of fun, I realized that I'm kind of glad that I'm done with the college thing.

Highlights:

- formal afternoon tea with Courtney at Mrs. Hardesty's Tea Room! We had been wanting to do that for all of last year and we finally made it. It was soo delicious. And we managed to eat everything. There were so many sandwich choices, cinnamon and chocolate chip scones (with clotted cream!), and seven different types of sweets. It was everything I could have hoped it to be.

- DG semiformal! It was great seeing all the girls again, especially my littles and grandlittle. And I got tons of compliments on my dress, which is always fun. :) It was really weird too, because I felt like I had never left, yet there were so many people I didn't know.

- breakfast at Sheetz. Sunday morning was also delish, getting a breakfast sandwich and hash browns from Sheetz with Courtney, coming back to her house, and watching Bridget Jones's Diary. That pretty much is the ideal circumstance.

Going back actually reenergized me in my job search. I got three resumes out last night, so hopefully I'll get at least one interview out of them. I had started feeling complacent in my B&N job, which I do have fun at, but I know at the same time, that I need to look for something else. I also feel more ready to grow up. We'll see how long that lasts. :)

Back to Civilization

2008-10-24T11:23:00.003-04:00

I just got back from visiting my great aunt in Ohio and it's so nice to see so many cars around. I could never live in the country.

Anyway, the reason I went up there was to see the old houses and places where my grandma and her family lived and grew up. It was really cool seeing the houses that my great grandparents grew up in, considering how I'm used to the military life, and haven't been in just one house my whole life. And to still be living in that same area like my great aunt is? Wow.

You'd also think that being out in the country is a pretty safe place to be. Well, we were checking out my aunt's old house, which is way back in the woods. So we were looking at it when all of a sudden, a shot rang out. I thought, oh my gosh, this is it. Accidental death in the woods. Great. We eventually realized it was the neighbors having a target practice, and not even in our direction, but omg. I was SCARED. Now, my great aunt and her daughter-in-law didn't flinch a bit the six times the shotgun was fired while we were there. Ugh, I could never live in the country.

Tonight at work, we're having a Halloween themed bookfair. I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I was twelve. Wait. That's a lie. In college I dressed up twice with my dear friend Meredith. Since we both have red hair, we always did a twin thing - first, Siamese twins, and then Annie and Hallie from the Lindsay Lohan version of The Parent Trap. I'm thinking of ideas were I get to wear things that I wouldn't normally wear to work, like sweats or jeans. Honestly, I would really love to be a character from High School Musical or Giselle from Enchanted, but they only make those costumes for kids.

So that's been my week. Time to get back to the old, but thankfully busy, Northern Virginia scene.

In-Store Playlist

2008-10-18T12:54:00.009-04:00

I feel like such a B&N dork. My current favorite playlist on iTunes to listen to while writing? My Leona Lewis/Carla Bruni list, both of whom came from the B&N in-store music.

Leona has an amazing voice and her songs are catchy. They also lean more towards the ballad/moderate speed, so I'm not encouraged to jump up and dance around. Plus she's British, which always puts someone ahead in my POV.

Carla is the new wife of the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, but before that, she was a singer/songwriter. Her newest album definitely reflects her new love, with songs like "La Amoureuse," and there's such a cute, folksy French sound to it.

Both albums are quite relaxing and again, not distracting, which is probably the point of a bookstore's music playlist anyway.

5 Things on a Wednesday

2008-10-15T11:09:00.005-04:00

1) I asked for today off from work because my mom and I were supposed to go to the book signing of a family friend, but it got postponed, so instead, I'm bored. I wonder if I'll ever have a book signing?

2) Luckily, I'll hopefully be able to finally watch Sunday's Desperate Housewives over at the neighbors' house. They have DVR - but we will have it soon too!!

3) I am totally obsessed with The Hills right now. I'm watching the older episodes on MTV.com and the new episodes as they air. Why are their fake lives so fascinating? And why do Audrina's expressions always look so vacant?

4) I LOVE Someday My Prince Will Come! The author, Jerramy Fine, is a wannabe princess, Anglophile, and DG, so we're basically the same person. I should start wearing my princess tiara everyday...

5) I have a crush. :) I think OhMyHeart might be excited for this.

Do you have to have a kid to get published?

2008-10-12T10:42:00.003-04:00

This is a genuine (okay, partly sarcastic) question I've been asking myself lately.

I've taken to reading a lot of author blogs recently, particularly ones by writers who are about to get their first books published in the upcoming year or two. The trend that I've noticed? They all seem to have a child under two!

As someone who believes that step is about ten years away from her, I seriously hope that this isn't the case.

I really don't see how it happens. From what I understand, babies are a lot of work. So when would a new mother even have the time to write a 50K word novel?

This is all kind of random nonsense, but I really hope that I get published before I have children. And before I get married. Then I can keep my last name on the cover. :)

I want to be Giselle!

2008-10-04T11:30:00.004-04:00

I really want to be Giselle from Enchanted for Halloween. Unfortunately, they only make her wedding dress as a costume, not this pretty blue-green one! And adult sized Disney princess costumes aren't as cool as the little girl ones.

In other Giselle news, someone else told me that I act and look just like her - yay!

Café Writing

2008-10-02T10:26:00.004-04:00

So I played at being JK Rowling yesterday.

I had to go to B&N anyway to pick up a special order and put in some scheduling requests, so I brought my laptop along to get some outlining done.

I actually got work done!

There are far too many distractions at home or when I was at school, but while working at the B&N cafe, I was actually productive, even with people around. I guess it helped that they weren't interacting with me. I don't want to go too often though, since I work there and don't need the other employees thinking I have no life. But it was fun sitting there, typing and brainstorming away with my cup of chai.

Though I suppose for the full JKR experience, I should have used napkins to write on and not had the typical American Starbucks throwaway cup. Oh well.

National Stay At Home Week

2008-09-21T00:02:00.004-04:00

ABC's National Stay At Home Week officially starts today! They're using the excuse of "times are tough, stay at home to save gas!" to promote their season and series premieres.

Things to look forward to (or not):

Emmy Awards: tonight at 8pm!

Dancing with the Stars: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 8pm or 9pm - starring Lance Bass, Susan Lucci, Kim Kardashian, and the seemingly requisite Disney star (thanks to Disney owning ABC), Cody Linley from Hannah Montana. Expect the annoying Miley Cyrus to be in the audience, if she deems the show worthy enough for her presence, which she should, since her dad was on it in season four.

Grey's Anatomy: Thursday at 9pm. The cast, save for Dr. Bailey and Christina, drive me crazy. They're not funny, and are way too selfish to be likable. I'll watch it, but only to have something to watch Thursday nights.

Brothers and Sisters: Sunday 9/28 at 10pm. I don't follow this all the time, but I am curious to see how the Justin/Rebecca relationship is going to turn out, since it has gone from oblivious to each other's existence to thinking they were half-siblings to discovering they were not related to making out. But I'm basically just interested in that because Justin is so darn cute.

And for the grand finale:

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES: Sunday 9/28 at 9pm! I'm so excited for this one. The cast has gone five years into the future, and it'll be interesting to see what the writers/producers have decided to do with the characters. It's also nice to have a little mystery as to what has happened in between the season four finale and season five premiere. Why aren't Susan and Mike together? Who is the new guy she's with? How did Gabby undergo her drastic change from model to mom? And I'm glad they kept Dana Delaney around. It's always good to have another redhead!

The only thing that could make this week even better would be if Lost were premiering too, but alas, we must wait for 2009 for its fifth season.

Things That Make Me Feel Better When I'm Irritated or Down

2008-09-19T18:43:00.004-04:00

Work started out well today, but got a little frustrating towards the end. But there's nothing like James McAvoy's "Scottish vacuum of charm" or John Krasinki's "Car Story" to make me cheer up. Why can't I always have a Scottish person around to keep me perky?

In other news: Happy Birthday Hermione Granger! She's 29 today.

And yes, I know I'm a dork since I know how old she is. But JK Rowling told us that she was born in 1979!

"Do you want my email address so we can talk about Harry Potter?"

2008-09-03T16:12:00.009-04:00

Calling all Harry Potter fans!

If I haven't shared this video with you already, you simply MUST watch it. This girl is hilarious. This video is one of my favorites, along with the "I Eat MuggleCast Fangirls for Breakfast," which is funny if you are familiar with the HP fandom, particularly when it comes to MuggleNet/MuggleCast fans.

Miley Cyrus

2008-09-03T15:59:00.003-04:00

I admit it. I used to be a Miley Cyrus fan. I watched "Hannah Montana" when it first came out and own her first two CDs.

But she crossed the line for her sixteenth birthday party.

The Powers That Be SHUT DOWN DISNEYLAND for the entire day for her birthday party! And that really ticks me off.

Sure, there were like 250 special fans chosen that got to come. But think of all the families that had planned vacations to the original Disney theme park for that day. What are they supposed to do? What if that was the one day that they were able to spend at the park? Oh sorry, one little 16 year old is more important than thousands of kids who are trying to live the dream.

And really, this is probably more Disney's fault than Miley's, but I think her ego is probably growing too big anyway. She acted immature in her YouTube video response to Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato's video. Yes, she is only sixteen, but she needs to remember that she's in the spotlight with so many people scrutinizing her, waiting for her to mess up. She chose this life (or at least agreed to it) and should accept the fact that she can't act like a normal teenager while in the Hollywood spotlight without having to face major consequences.

90210

2008-09-02T13:41:00.005-04:00

9-02 is here.

Not that I was one of the original "Beverly Hills, 90210" fans. I was much too young, being only 3 years old when it premiered. However, SoapNet's reruns of the teen soap are so addicting. I started watching them earlier this year thanks to my roommate Katie's introduction of them to me. Then, I started watching the first few seasons online (BH 90210 seasons 1-4 on CBS.com, so totally legit) when I wanted my daily fix, but SoapNet didn't air the show on the weekends.

So tonight is the series premiere of the new "90210." It stars Darcy from Degrassi (Shenae Grimes), Becky from Full House (Lori Loughlin), and this other guy (Rob Estes) who was in another Aaron Spelling production, "Melrose Place," whose first season is also addictively online at CBS.

So am I excited? Yes and no. The good points:

1) The updated, modern theme song. I love the old one (it's my ringtone, haha), but this one takes out the 90s vibe, and makes it 2008 cool.

2) The return of Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty. Kelly Taylor is my favorite character on the old show, so I'm super excited to see what's going on with the character now. Did she and Dylan finally ride off into the sunset? And even though Brenda is incredibly annoying (and apparently so bitchy that she got written off the show after the fourth season), the more original cast members, the better.

3) The inclusion of Erin Silver and potentially Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez. Again, these two were from the original, but they were only babies back then. It's awesome that Kelly and David's half-sister is a main cast member and Andrea's daughter might be on it.

The bad points:

1) New cast. The promos reiterate that this is a whole new 90210 for a new generation. But I'm almost like one of those kids from the 90s who grew up with the original. They're the characters that I care about and the storylines that I like.

2) Plots that are relevant today. Which is a good thing for the show, but I read in an interview in Entertainment Weekly with Jennie and Shannen that there are definitely some things in the pilot that never would have happened in the original show. I guess that that's part of the reason that I like it. And the cheesiness of a 90s teen soap.

So while I don't know if I'll become a fan of the new 90210 (especially since it just seems like a SoCal version of "Gossip Girl"), it's exciting that the zip code is back. Though it would've been even cooler if it had debuted 9-02-10, two years from today.