It is time for another installment of my favorite things

Today seems like the day for it (and an obligatory picture of someone gorgeous... because WHY NOT?)

I kind of pride myself on being that person that my friends and sometimes random acquaintances send funny/odd things to. So I have quite the arsenal these days.

www.fmylife.com - DO NOT PAY FOR THERAPY. Simply go to this site and read about the crappiness of other peoples' days and you will feel better. Don't believe me? Read this:

Today, my guy friend and I were in his dorm room watching a movie when he started kissing me. Things heated up so we moved things over to his bed. He was on me when a hand shoots down from his top bunk. His roommate had been up there the whole time and he wanted a high-five. So they high-fived. FML

This one is a gem because it can have a few responses:
1. Holy crap I was that guy in college and I did high five someone... twice (that's a condensed response from a dear friend of mine)
2. Whew! I was not the only one.
3. Damn. At least I did not have to deal with that!

all which mean- I feel good about my life :)

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For the sports fans in us all there is this BEAUTIFUL site... now wait, there is a catch. Not only can people (usually men) write in and ask about fantasy draft picks or rant about games, they can ask the panel questions about sex, which are often too funny to read at work. http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/tag/ksk-fantasy-sex-advice-mailbag

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Other thing I love is sidestep.com this site is so great. It's a search engine for flights. Not only that, but they will send you updates when prices drop even $2. It will search for selected dates and send you random updates for the places you travel to most. I love it... I still get e-mails from every site possible, but in my opinion they are the tops!

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As many of you know; I have a windowless office. Sometimes it will be storming outside and I will have no clue, until, I put on a thin jacket as I am ready to leave and realize I am terribly screwed. (This is also my fault because I do not check the weather...) So in order to get through the day I blog, but I also listen to the music Davonna sends me: http://www.bootieusa.com/bestofbootie2008/ Not only can you get 2008- there is the best of bootie from 2005- 2008. Yes, I am listening to the best of bootie in the philosophy dept.

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Favorite happening in the department this week:

ME: So our meeting is at 3:30 tomorrow, right?
Old Man Professor: Yes, but Linda cannot make it until 4... Kate will be here at 3:30. I don't want you here past 5, so...

he gets cut off because a student walks up to ask me a question.
Old Man Professor nods to her and continues his sentence.

Old Man Professor: ... let's just do it quick and dirty then. okay?

female student looks awkwardly at me

Old Man Professor: I meant as far as time... for our meeting... NOT you and me and... you know... I....
Me: Dr. ________! Slams head on desk laughing.

Old man professor walks quickly away.

scene.

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Pancakes.***************************************************************************************
And as for a cute guy... we are going to go with an old love of mine: Jim Sturgess :)

Will it work if I say it was because I was hopped up on Caffeine?

So in honor of my Catholic guilt, that will always live in me, I am going hardcore for Lent. I am giving up booze and my crappy eating/living style.

Before people get up in arms about me not drinking... let me address that reaction. I have had the most amazing reactions to giving up booze, for example(my top 10):

1. Well now I can't invite you to ________. You will be the only one not drinking!
2. What are you going to do on weekends?
3. So like what? You are going to sit at home?
4. WHAT????
5. Really? Oh man, now I feel bad. Ok I will give up liquor... but not beer or wine. And I need to drink on dates. Ok, no. I will give up drinking, except on dates.
6. WHY?
7. You're giving up 2 of the best things in life?
8. HA! yeah right...
9. Shit, so are you just gonna go to movies and stuff now?
10. Your religion is getting in the way of our friendship.

OK. First of all... um not drinking does not all of sudden take away my age... I can still go bars and drink DIET COKE. My reaction to caffeine alone should have been illegal before 21 anyway! I am so high energy all the time, I don't need anything to keep me up until 4am.

Secondly, anyone who knows me, knows that all you need to say is, "Holly, I think we are going danc..." and I will be like, "Ok, I will go dancing with you. Done." Being sans alcoholic beverage will not take away my ability to socialize. haha.

I also will not judge anyone for drinking in front of me. Clearly I do not see it as a bad thing, merely as a REALLY hard thing to give up for 40 days.

I appreciate the concern though. Thank you friends, because you know what? I have some concerns about it too:

WHAT ON EARTH do I blame my bad decisions on? A caffeine buzz?

And why are people terrified of me giving it up? THAT concerns me more... I mean... really. Really? Lol.

Now, my love for the Big J.C. aside, my brother Bill is getting married in May. Bill, of Smith and Esch Fitness is getting married. I am sorry... do you know how physically fit that wedding is going to be? My mom and I were discussing it and we were like, this is gross. Now we have to get in shape, ew. So, in order to get so svelt all da boys will melt, I think cutting out the booze should speed that up, in conjunction with not eating a load of shit.

Let's discuss my fridge as of today. Shall we? In it is some soy milk (I'm a lactard), carrots, pepperoni, half a tube of cookie dough, butter and I think some ketchup. In the freezer are frozen bananas and some veggie medley I never made. In my cupboards there's cereal and baking necessities that will not actually make a damn thing, because they do not go together to make anything delicious. Oh and of course, microwave popcorn. (My friend John once said I was just stereotyping myself by living this way. Ha.)

Clearly, I order food a lot... so giving up junk food will hopefully make me learn to cook something, ya know, so that one day my poor children are not asking me why they only get Pb & J and healthy choice microwave meals.

I have high hopes... 40 days and counting...

Friday the 13th... craaazzzy indeed!

I loved Valentines Day when I was in grade school and all you had to do was pass out a card with one of the Peanuts Characters on it attached to candy and Mom helped me decorate a shoe box to keep it all in. How much did you love it??

But, since high school when it became some sort of competition or like a stressful obligation, I have not enjoyed the holiday. So somewhere around 14 I gave up on the holiday. (Except for the valentines my mom sends me, which I am sure you can imagine are SWEET because they are from My mother.)

BUT, THIS YEAR THOUGH! Holy crap Friday the 13th before Vday is Nuuuuts!

Clearly it is not valentines Day I have to give credit to, it is the combo of Friday the 13th and Valentines Day:

1. I got to work and had to run errands around campus and got to go walk along the lake front which was just perfect today.

2. I sent out e-mail valentines and got a few gems in return. My friend Tim rocked a pretty hilarious one, as did Davonna. Davonna and I spent the morning cracking up over them. Seriously people, the best e-mail to get comes from here: http://www.careerbuilder.com/monk-e-mail/default.aspx/?siteid=blog_rss_typepad_01262006

But then again, this one From "Edward" pretty much rocks my world:

2. I have been hopped up on sugar all day. I am jittery as heeeeeeeeelllll.

3. One of the professors from another dept. came in with some candy for me and told me dirty jokes... which happens a lot... and its weird. He also walks around singing at the top of his lungs so... ya know.

4. My mail guy gave me an obscenely huge box of chocolate and a nice note. ( I turned about 6 shades of red).

5. Davonna's friend made her dirty Edward Cullen Valentines. hee hee hee.

6. DAVONNA AND I GOT A SINGING TELEGRAM!! It was clearly the best thing ever! I love the AGSP!

7. Davonna and I have been laughing all day long... clearly not doing work... whoops! Which led me to finding...

8. THIS GUY: http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/m4w/1033378783.html

9. Miriam gave me the Slum Dog Millionaire soundtrack... oh my god its fantastic.

10. www.fmylife.com is especially funny today as well

11. ITS NATIONAL HUG DAY PEOPLE! I am going to come at you like a sticky 3 year old and hug all up on your asses.

12. I am working on planning a fundraiser for the Global Alliance for Africa... concert and comedy nights. I am going to try to use my friends :) Let me know if you wanna join in.

13. ... yet to be filled in. Tonight should be fun as always :) Happy V-Day weekend!!

Decisions

Most of the time I avoid making decisions that cause anything to be set in stone for my life. I like to have the flexibility to travel or do something on a whim. When it comes to work or projects etc, sure I will make decisions, but as far as saying, "5 years from now I will be here and doing that"... I shudder. I never want to limit myself. I think my biggest fear is settling and becoming complacent. Or doing something I view as ordinary. So, I am always trying to go to new places, see old friends, and learn as much as I can.

I love my life. I have the best friends and family on this earth. Most people say that, but seriously, not many people are as lucky as I am, and I know this. I am so grateful for the people and support I have. But, I am terrified of losing my curiosity or being too afraid to try something new because I am content. So I think this is why I have trouble making huge commitments. I mean I get anxiety before I say I will be in a show, because I have then limited my nights that something random could happen- isn't that ridiculous??? I get anxiety before I say I will do something that ties me down for a certain amount of time if it has a set schedule. It is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous, because I never regret those decisions. Even when things end badly, I can't say I have regretted a commitment, and yet they still scare the crap out of me.

Right now I am trying to release this fear. I am doing my best to push it to the side. Last night I did something I never thought I would. And with the support of several great friends, I did something BIG and its a true commitment on many levels. And I could not be more excited about it. It is a step towards a balance I think I have been missing in my life.

A very wonderful and dear friend "E" knows this fear I am talking about. And she has always told me that she was positive that I would never settle, and I am beginning to believe her. E is moving away, and that is what spurred this decision making. E is one of those rare people you meet in your life that everyone gets along with. You know she genuinely cares about you, and you know you are getting E every second you are with her. She is unabashedly herself "one hundo" as she would say. She was my very first friend when I moved to Chicago. We were twin souls from the moment we met. We would go running and journal and stay up late talking. She has been there through everything! I am so lucky to have her, and while I am absolutely torn up about the fact that she will no longer be a quick run down Clark street away, I am so thrilled for her and completely inspired by the decision she has made to move and try a new job in a new city, and then go take on a another job before she moves abroad.

E, thank you for being the most outstanding friend a girl could ask for. You have been more than a friend, you have been a sister to me these past 5 and half years. I don't know what I will do without you around, but I am so proud of you and awed by your courage. This courage is not just the courage to move, or flip your life on its head, it's the courage to live as boldly as you do. I am going to miss you everyday and probably drive up your phone bill even though you hate talking on the phone. :)

At night, when you look up at the sky,
since I shall be living on a star,
and since I shall be laughing on a star,
for you it will be as if all the stars are laughing.
You alone will have stars that can laugh!
And when you have got over your loss
(for we always do),
you’ll be happy to have known me.
You will always be my friend.
You will want to laugh with me.
The Little Prince