Well since everyone is doing it...

25 Rando things about Holly: (yes the facebook viral "25 things" has hit me several times, so I am just doing it bloggy-style)

1. I have a huge family. We are all super tight knit and, to be honest, there really isn't a whole lot we wouldn't do for each other. (I am talking even out to the cousins.... don't mess with my fam, there are like 6,275,495,222.89 of us)
(this pic is ONLY the Esch side... I don't have a full picture of my mom's side... so there are even more!)

2. I am Lactose SUPER intolerant. But, I love ice cream. (sigh) Sometimes I will eat an entire pint of ice cream and just stay away from people for a long time.

3. If you could just douse my world in buffalo sauce, that would be great. Thanks.

4. When I was little I wanted to grow up to be a professional Duck Feeder. I had no clue how else ducks were fed if we did not bring them bread. After that I really wanted to work at grocery store because I thought scanning things was the coolest. ( I aimed high from a young age).

5. I make lists... I love lists... I have a book of lists that I carry with me, and then I save the books I make my lists in when they are all full.

6. I am fickle! I mean i can make a decisions, but don't you just want to try everything?? (curiosity will probably kill this cat).

7. I love dancing. Granted, I may not be the best, but if I can shake it until 5am, I will.

8. I LOOOVE traveling. My goal is to hit at least 2 new places each year. (These are the travelin' buddies for the NYC trip!)

9. My mom, My sister and I all have the same laugh. And believe me once you have heard the laugh, you know the laugh.

10. I actually like politics. I really do. I like how competitive it is, I like how riled up it makes me, and I really like working for a goal I believe in.

11. My grandma lived with me until the day she died. Grandma Good was the coolest woman, ever. She might be the reason I am as happy-go-lucky as I am.

12. My forehead currently hurts from having to fake cry in a show... that's how little I actually frown.

13. When I am stressed out or upset, I deep clean and rearrange my house.

14. My favorite sport to watch is rugby, followed by basketball. But, I love game days at Wrigley field and will go to any sporting event and probably be the person yelling the loudest, so long as I know the rules. ha.

15. I am working on two shows at the moment. (SHAMELESS PLUG) Buy tickets for "High School Production 4" here:http://www.gorillatango.com/cgi-bin/public/gt tv2.cgi?location_number=2&show_num=2312. And the other show runs March 6,7,8 and I will have more info about that later :)

16. In my entire life I have had ONE person (that I know of) be afraid of me... and then I ruined it, because I was so excited about someone fearing me that I talked to her and basically... well I ruined it.

17. I get by with A LOT of help from my friends.

18. I am a planner, but I really love the unexpected. I like to be prepared for everything. I am like a 24 year old boy scout... with boobs... and the inability to tie really good knots.

19. Not a whole lot offends me. I should try to be more p.c. but, meh, life's too short.

20. I think sharing earrings is gross. eww ACK, gaaaaahhhh, giggidy. (just the thought!)

21. I like hanging out with little kids. Their imagination is infectious. I also like hanging out with the elderly, their wisdom is sobering.

22. I do not like cats. They are too sneaky.

23. I am super jumpy, but watch out, as my sister will tell you, my first instinct is to jab when you scare me... or I hug myself, poor Kelly got the jab...
24. My dad frequently leaves me voice mails in Spanish, which I do not speak, but for some reason I listen to them the whole way through.

25. I can ride a horse, shoot a gun, birth a calf(not on my own... but I will do it), shuck corn, drive a four wheeler and carry like 5 children at once... and yet, I am a DEMOCRAT.

Bawling my Eyes Out

I am so so so Proud today. I am so proud to live in the country I live in.

I am proud that the American people voted for an intelligent man who gave a realistic speech.

I believe in our system, I believe that with the right leadership we will make it work again. We will adapt it to our times and it will take a long time, but we will see the necessary changes.

I am glad that our President did not give false hope, rather he laid out the work we have ahead of us and asked for our help. One man cannot fix everything, but he is going to work hard for us and we should in turn work hard for each other.

I am proud because we might finally unify once again and become the great nation I know we can be.

I am an American. I voted for President Barack Obama. I believe in our country... and I am going to go cry again over how proud and hopeful I am.

Baby, it's Mother #*&%*&@!!!@#$-ING! cold outside!!

My fellow Chicagoan's and I have been temporarily transplanted to the arctic, and I want to die.
Can we please talk about the fact that this is what all of my pictures will look like from here on out?
And that was when I could expose my face! (and consequently my legs... Pantless El Ride 2009 whoop whoop!) Right now, though, I feel like I am in that movie with Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhal, The Day after Tomorrow. (I will be huddled up in a library burning books for warmth soon.)

Currently, I am sitting in my office wearing a scarf and cursing the fact that I wore mittens instead of gloves to work today, because my fingers are so cold that I am blogging in an effort to keep them moving! So in order to make me feel like there is hope I am going to post about things that make me happy- and some things that make me feel warmer.

Let's talk about all the AMAZING travel deals there are out there right now! American and United and JetBlue are all having sweet sales. Qantas is having a HUGE sale on flights to Oz. Deals on travel ALWAYS make me happy. So if you want to go visit someone or want to just get the heck outta dodge, now would be the time to buy kids.

Next thing, Liz, that wonderful lady, sent me this video and I think I was crying while watching it at work, because I was trying not to laugh loudly (and we know what a challenge that is...): http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/80495239/

And then there is this:
Hee hee hee. That not only makes me happy, I think it just got hotter in here...

Then there is this answer to a question on a philosophy test I found last semester:
***If you can't read the hand writing it says: "very hard to understand the question :( but I hate Nazis."****

Vegas is only 45 days away! YESSS!

Ok that's about it for now. My fingers might snap if I move them much more. Thank god I am getting coffee to go over a script after work- oh and then bc other plans had to change I am going to see a late showing of Twilight... again...

Am I One of THOSE People Now?

Ok, so I have never been much for the looking up gorgeous actors on line and trying to find out all I can about their lives and that sort of thing. I have never been into it for a few reasons:

A. They are just people who happen to be good at acting, and who happen to look good doing it. I have plenty of friends who are damn good looking and doing the same thing on a smaller scale- but the most they get is Facebook stalked.
B. It's a little creepy. I mean the blogs and what nots devoted to ONE person written by total strangers (gooooo... I shudder).
C. Having a public figure for a brother, you kind of get your fair share of people blogging or what have you and making wildly false accusations about him, or sometimes you read things from women that are like, ok... ew... that's my brother... and other times its all very flattering and it makes me happy that strangers think so highly of him! But again, how the HECK do these people know some of these things?? Ya know??

NOW, my good friends are going to say something about my great ability to conduct in depth searches to find people, their contact info etc... I really think that I should be a P.I. (I am going to invest in the full outfit soon.) I can manipulate google search with the best of them. So, I ask, is it creepy to try to find someone online? I mean, let's face it, how many people google someone before they go on a date with them? (oddly I do not) What on earth did we do before google and facebook? It's weird, facebook has become a way to still know someone pretty damn well without ever talking to them. (I fully admit I spend way too much time on facebook. I blame the long hours of sitting at a desk...) But, this begs the question- with the dawn of things like facebook and myspace, where we all freely post personal information and pictures, when does it get creepy?

I agree with my friend who said if you put the info out there, then it's fair game. So, this is where I have decided draw my line. If it is some sort of sanctioned info, that a person knows is out there, then maybe its not so creepy to look up. Clearly, I have some level of vanity, I blog and think people actually want to read about what is going on in my head. This info that I put out there, I am okay with people knowing. So I just assume that if other people want to post things online about THEMSELVES its ok to be nosing around in it.

Ok, so here is where my new moral conflict comes in. As of late I have become completely enamored with Robert Pattinson- much like most women on this planet...
And my girls, being the wonderful people that they are, REALLY encourage my constant looking up of the dreamboat. They send me videos, photos, articles... sigh! I think I am slowly becoming one of those women I always dreaded I would- the type that makes comments about some person she knows very little REAL information about and might end up screaming in a mall when he walks in to sign a poster someday!

I have always thought I would be able to play it cool and not go the route of so many women, but as of late, I have decided I like having a crush on someone I will most likely never meet. It's so much easier! I get to build him up to the level of deity with absolutely no real chance of him ever letting me down- what's not to love?? I can safely say I used to laugh at people who would cry when they met someone famous, not that I am at the level of crying or anything, but I get WHY they cry now. They think they are meeting perfection itself. Crrraaazzzy.

So, yes, I am in love with the Robert Pattinson I have built up in my head. He's pretty much the best, you should be so lucky to meet him. haha. Do I think I am creepy for Internet hunting him? YES. Will I keep doing it... I am going to do my best to cutback... really.

Too oh, oh...niner

FINALLY 2008 is going to be GOOOONNNE. I think I can safely say, on behalf of many of my friends, family and myself, GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE 2008. 2009 can only be better!!

Originally I was going to post a time line listing all the shiz that went down in '08, but I have decided that I will keep the list and just e-mail a few of you with it so you can laugh and cry over it without the world seeing it all.

On my birthday I made "the year of 24" resolutions, so I do not really have any New Years resolutions per se. But my goals are as follows:

1. Travel to at least 2 places I have never been
- so far this is going well I JUST bought tickets to Vegas for Liz's quarter life crisis party :D AND I plan to visit Officer Rossifer in London (been there, BUT) then go to Scotland or Wales since I have never been to either of those places.

2. Use my creativity
- This too is going well, I am going to be in a sketch comedy in Feb and March. I have also been sewing a rather ridiculous amount.

3. Pay off my F-ing Credit Card
- A word of advice. NEVER put your entire long distance relationship on a credit card. Even a year and some odd months later I am STILL trying to pay it off- its worse than college loans. And then you can't really complain about it to the new guys you date... "Sorry I am not spending this kind of money on you...?"

Sure things of 2009:
1. Bush will be out of office: hu-freaking-zaaaah!!!!
2. I will be starting Grad School: whoop whoop, watch out my brains are gonna be growing!!
3. I will go to Vegas: with like 10 other women... I will take pictures so we can try to remember it all.
4. I will go to London: Ross will arrest me if I do not.
5. Another one of my friends will inevitably get engaged.
6. My mom will call me to ask a simple question and then end up messing it up some how and instead, will have uncontrollable laughter and have to hang up and try again later.
7. My dad will win and I will buy a condo ( he always wins): with what money... I do not know, so if I rob a bank to pay for it, you know NOTHING.
8. I will get caught singing to myself as I am about to get on or off the elevator in my building...again: it's too late to apologize, ooh yeaaaaah yeaaaahh.
9. This sweet tiger my boss gave me to put on my computer will become my mascot: grr rowr.
10. This year will be fantastic, if for no other reason than I will accept no less: I am very stubborn like that.

Anywho! Happy NEW YEAR!! 2009 is sure to be the tops! Be safe and ladies- be careful- its cold and we know we are all about to dressy kinda slutty, so mind the frostbite.

Ode to the Theme Party

So I was looking through my facebook photos today and realized that I am in costume or some sort of planned uniform A LOT. Its not like I just wander around in costume, I have places to go. I just seem to be stock piling such opportunities as of late.

To begin, there was October 14th- the best day of the year, my birthday. We had a theme party, Hippster v. Preppy:Seriously, look at all those hipsters... and then there is me- the Prep and Reggie was Kanye, that mystical mix of prep and hipster.

Of Course there is Halloween, my favorite holiday, when the ladies of the Boca Vis Country club and I rocked out in style and my other fabulous ladies cranked out some fantastic costumes as well:
That same weekend, November 1st- November 4th, I spent everyday in a Jim Esch T-Shirt and hoodie- along with everyone else I know in Omaha: (That's my lovely backside).
November 22nd was the first annual Turkey Tackle. MY TEAM WON! heeeellllllllls yeeaaaahh!!!! ... ahem... anywho, we all had t-shirts made, played football and then feasted:
December 5th: The Movember Party:
This stunning photo is of my friend and Andy and me (I know the mustache had you confused... but yes, it is me). Andy grew a stache for all of November to raise money for prostate cancer, I went along to the party because I am a mustache enthusiast. I helped turn him into Mark Twain (he should have won for his excellent costume, but came in runner-up) and then I dressed for the '80's. (He was 1880's I was 1980's haa...haaa...)

The next night, December 6th, I went to an ugly sweater party: I mean HELLO, classy classy ladies.
I am rather proud of all of these events. I do not know when my life became all about the theme but, I think I saw it coming at Mary's WT birthday bash back in September:

This weekend I am going to this Wondrous event: Santacon.

My life is an ode to the theme party. I live it. I love it. And you should join in.

Ethical Dilemma

Yesterday I was sitting at my desk, at work, when the other department secretary IM's me this: "I think (name of grad student who teaches) is stealing books from the book drive box....? Too awkward to say anything?"

This grad student who teaches, is not only an ETHICS teacher, but also a social and political justice teacher. So the thought of her stealing from a book drive for priests in Vietnam is really funny. I of course laugh and think this is just her being confused because of her language barrier issues. So I peek out my door, and sure enough she is on the ground sifting through the books. After getting the uncontrollable giggles out of me, I go over and say, "Oh (name) are you moving those books into the professors office for the day?"

She says, "No I am picking out ones I want."

I reply, "You know those books are for the priests in Vietnam who need them, right?"

She says, "Oh my gosh, oh no I did not know. But, ok. They do not know what they are getting so they will not miss a few."

I stared at this ETHICS teacher in disbelief as she continued to sort out the books she found worthy enough to steal. I then sat down at my desk to ponder my next move... from where I sat I could see she was actually putting the books back now, so I thought maybe she got it- and a freaking conscience- and honestly, maybe she would take 3 books, which whatever, I did not think it was worth the super awkward fight.

I was wrong.

About a minute later she ran by my door with a stack of books so large she was hunched over and using her chin to keep them from toppling over. Not only that, but, SHE CAME BACK FOR MORE! So I called her over and said, "Okay, really? I don't think you should be taking that much! These people NEED these books." She looked at me, and in her tiny little high strung nervous voice she said, "But they do not know what they are to get! Ok... I put some back." and then she took ONE book and put it back in the box, walked into her office and shut the door.

After she left for class I went into her office to see what all she had taken, but some how, that crafty tiny little woman had made off with all of them already.