favorite

Today is the 24th birthday of my most favorite person!

Happy Birthday Jake!

I love you and I cannot wait to see you this weekend to help you move into your new apartment!!! LMK

blue vintage

I saw my Auntie Sue, Grandmother, and cousin Stacy today! We went vintage dress shopping for Stacy (senior prom in a week and a half). We stopped at Lula's on Selby, it wasn't open. Then we drove to Vi's Vintage in Uptown and it was open! Stacy tried on about six different dresses...but the blue one was perfect! I have to admit she looks absolutely beautiful! It was so fun to be out shopping and hanging out with my cousin and aunt. They are so funny.

We eventually headed over to surprise my Grandma (the one with the cup and saucers) and went to lunch at Highland Grill. I had carrot and gorgonzola cheese soup and the goat cheese salad!! ("Typical" Amanda choice!!!)

Last night I had an appointment with a YWCA personal trainer (free with a new membership) and it she was so helpful. I learned how to use the machines correctly and which settings work best for me and what weight I should start with and how many repitions to do. I felt really good afterwards and can't wait to continue the program. I also joined a class so tonight I am off to Yoga at the Y!

stealing the internet

It is a rare occasion when I can use my iBook G4 in my apartment...a few months ago I canceled my cable modem connection (60 dollars a month) when I found out I could just as easily "steal the internet" with my airport wireless connection (thanks to my friend Paige who brought her PowerBook to my place for knitting club and had a strong wireless connection, I got really upset for about 5 minutes and cancelled the next day). My connection was great for a while but has been inconsistent lately.....

I go through the same routine when I get home...turn on my computer to check if there is a signal for an open network...I despise the little screen that pops up that says, "www.google.com cannot be found." I feel frustrated and discouraged and wonder, Why are these people not opening their connection for me to take advantage of?!!?

Well, I just got home from grocery shopping at my local neighborhood co-op and I flipped up my screen....what ya know there were two black bars!!! I clicked on Firefox and here I am typing in my rocking chair looking out my window. I love it!

Gmail greeted me with 9 new messages and three new blog comments! Thanks to all who e-mailed or commented! I really appreciate your interest!

Work was 6-2:30 today, I biked in the cold again. Made some more scones this afternoon and am going to start a vegetable soup. I like to plan and (if I can) prepare my meals for the week. I finished A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith last night, which is a just as wonderful as Allisa said it would be. I started Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell this afternoon which is just as hilarious as I thought it would be!

lion king

I have started to notice that I blog what I did the day before....hmmm.

Yesterday, I went to the Lion King! My morning started out slow and I was feeling a little bummed. My apartment was a mess and I just cannot function when it is like that...I feel paralyzed and procrastinate and then feel perturbed with myself. I sit on my bed and stare at my mess. Anyway, I made the decision to clean it up and after awhile I looked at the time...1 o'clock...."need to be in downtown Minneapolis in one hour....don't know how to get to theater...need to shower...it takes me 20 minutes or more to get downtown...."

I was going to the Lion King with my parents and some family friends. My mom had already called twice and I hadn't picked up...I wasn't avoiding her I was just in-a-zone and knew exactly what she was going to say, "Where are you? When are you going to get here? Do you know how to get here? Where should we meet you to give you the ticket?"

I am officially dressed and ready to go at 1:35, more than enough time to get downtown (I think). Right then my phone rings, it is my Mom, "Where are you? My apartment. Oh my gosh! It starts at 2! I know, I am only in St. Paul. When are you leaving? Right now Mom. Do you know how to get here? Not really but I think I can find it. Okay well...it is on 8th street...and Hennepin...by Marshall Fields..where are you going to park? You could park at Marshall Fields...or there is a ramp on LaSalle. Just get off on 5th and go 3 blocks south to 8th...I guess we will just have to look for you to give you your ticket. Okay Mom, thanks.

Dad calls back 2 minutes later, "Hi Anne, we are going to leave your ticket at the Will Call window. They close the doors at 2...Good luck." Did I mention that I am notorious for "instinctually" going to the wrong way...ALL of the time?

Long story short...I got into downtown, found 9th street (which has to be close to 8th street), never did find Hennepin, and eventually saw LaSalle (remembering my Mom had mentioned something about LaSalle) and just parked my car and ran. I made it with about 1 minute to spare!

The Lion King was amazing. Absolutely amazing. It brought tears to my eyes the first 5 minutes. The costumes, the make-up, the music, the dancing, and the singing were unbelievable. I loved it!

After the show we all went out to dinner and ate delicious food, drank some wine, and had some fine dessert. My kind of night!

art crawl

Brrrr...it is chilly these days. What happened to spring? I had to wear my wind proof fleece yesterday biking to work.

I ate at a little coffee shop really close to my apartment for dinner last night. Then I headed over to the Art Crawl in downtown St. Paul. Paige, Luke and I started in the Rossmor. It was so cool! I was impressed with the art and the people. I bought a pair of earrings. Paige and I spoke with this photographer who has done photographic studies of Lake Street in Minneapolis and Frogtown in St. Paul, he was very cool.

Today I am going to the Lion King and out to dinner in Minneapolis with my parents and some family friends. Should be fun.

question

Does anyone read my blog anymore?!

sebastian

I joined the YWCA last night! I walked over, signed up, and worked out for an hour! I felt very comfortable there and am going again tonight! The woman who helped me wore a shirt that said, "Empowering Women and Ending Racism!"

Jake is in Atlanta right now working at the FIRST LEGO World Tournament (teams of kids build robots with legos and compete). Today the kids arrived so I am sure he is running around like crazy right now!

I decided to bike to work this morning...not knowing it was freezing outside! It was so cold going down the hill. Work was okay. The ride up the hill this afternoon was great though.

While sitting in my apartment I have been hearing this guy call out for "Sebastian." He has been consistently "searching" for about a week now. I think "Sebastian" is a cat. I don't know if it is someone from my building or a neighboring house...I have tired to help him though. Yesterday I yelled out my window, "Who is Sebastian." He didn't answer.

one page

I biked to work yesterday. My first of the season. The traffic heading downtown sucks but I love going down the hill!

We had knitting club at Allisa's last night. Allisa is working on a baby hoodie, Paige is working on a satchel, and I am working on the same scarf I started last summer. We eventually picked up Amanda along with Miriam and headed out to grab some food and drink. We laugh all the time when we are together...it was a fun night.

When I got home at 12:45 am I still had to watch The Amazing Race. It was amazing as always.

Today I have been working on making my resume only one page. Formatting is ridiculously troublesome. How much is too much information on a resume?

lonely by akon

Am I not a true blogger because I haven't blogged in a week? I was trying to post everyday but sometimes life gets busy...blah blah blah. I will do better!

Last week was fantastic! Here is a quick summary to keep you updated:

Monday: I still had shopping buzz from weekend. Went to (underwear) clearance rack at Marshall Fields.

Tuesday: I listened to author Sarah Vowell (Assassination Vacation; public radio program: This American Life) at the U of M with Allisa and Delip. She was hilarious and I got my book signed! Watched tape of The Amazing Race.

Wednesday: I had all day off. I was dusting the shelves in my apartment and one of my plants fell on my face (it was on the top shelf). Went out to lunch to Good Earth, which has absolutely delicious organic meals. Finally got air in my bike tires! Rode to my aunt and uncles' and got to talk with my cousin Brad. In evening I worked as a "borrowed partner," it was so fun and great to see how things work in another Starbucks store! Picked up Punch pizza and watched Sex in the City to end a wonderful day.

Thursday: Attended Pro-choice Rally at the capital with Amanda and Jana! Very exhilarating experience...want to be a lobbyist. Headed over to Uptown to Joel's, went to an experimental music experience...one instrument included a TV, old movie playing in background. Stokes Pizza with Matt, Jenny and Joel. Forgot to tape Survivor.

Friday: Had to ran to the bus again...even yelled, "Hold the bus!!!" Played with Edmund's roommates' puppy.

Saturday: Went to breakfast with Eddie, Allisa, Paige and Luke at Keys. Headed to Mankato to see the family. Rained all day. Mom told me what happened on Survivor.

Sunday: An absolute beautiful day. Went to DQ West, visited Mary, Jake's mom, had dinner with Mom, Dad and Peter. Headed back to St. Paul, stopped in Northfield to visit Amanda, Matt, Jana, Paige, Luke, Jorum, Steph and baby Cora...had a fire and Luke played the guitar. It was a perfect night.

Today, Monday: This morning I caught the bus at 4:48 am. Found that our store was broken into last night...very violating feeling. Walked to park and enjoyed the sun. Currently am on disc 3 of the third season of Sex in the City.

Oh yeah, Lonely by Akon is my new favorite song. I listen to it on 101.3, it is hip-hop, and I decided to buy in on iTunes.

air in my tires

I need to take the front wheel off my bike and cram my entire bike into the back seat of my Toyota Corolla...find a gas station with an operating air pump...and figure out how much air to put in (I have always had a fear of putting too much air in any tire and having it blow up in my face). I also need to put air in my car tires. I could have done this all yesterday, Sunday, but I did not. Instead I went for a walk, picked up a 7-up and disc 1 of the third season of Sex in the City.

It is raining right now. Green buds and flowering trees are happy, as am I.

half an onion holder

Last summer when I first moved to St. Paul I was overwhelmed with the shopping possibilities. One afternoon, having already spent the day shopping, I ran into my good friends Amanda and Matt. Out of pure desperation I proclaimed that, "I couldn't stop shopping!!"

When I drive down Grand Avenue in St. Paul and watch all the people milling around holding their respected shopping bags, I cannot help but get out and join in the fun! After spending the morning with my friend Amber (we have known each other since 5th grade) I thought I would make it home safe. I didn't.

I attended a "Market" at Amber's apartment complex; it was fun, booths from Mary Kay to Avon to Pampered Chef to various Jewelry retailers to the ever-reliable Tupperware! As soon as I saw the sandwich container and half an onion holder I couldn't resist! I am a sucker for plastic containers (avoid heating anything in plastic though, it will release a poison called dioxin).

I am very excited to use my new sandwich container and I already had half an onion in my fridge that fit perfectly in its' new holder. My other purchases of the day are not plastic in form, but rather various cotton blends.

As I type I am wearing my newest outfit and if I may say, I look great!!!

a giant

Every morning at 6:30 am I hear the same bird. It has a very distinct chirp and it seems that it occurs every 2 seconds. It is rather annoying and usually wakes me up (the few days I get to sleep in). Fortunately this bird only hangs around for half hour or so...maybe right outside my window is where she starts her day!

I just saw and heard a crazy bird fight in my neighbors pine tree. Four birds were in dispute and it ended with all but one flying out of the tree.

Jake and I were just talking and he remembers this funny story that we had both forgotten. Last summer my mom had a hanging flower basket right outside her kitchen window. Before she knew it a family had moved in and baby birds were born! It was exciting and we all wanted to look. Jake is super tall and he had the best view but when he started to actually approach the basket I got nervous. I told him that he shouldn't stick his head in too much....I thought the baby birds would get nervous and think, "Who are you? You're a giant!" I said this out loud to him and we both thought it was the funniest thing at the time!!

We just had a good laugh remembering it. I love to laugh.

10 o'clock

I woke up at 5 am today. I drove to work and parked at the meter for free until 8 am. From 8-9:30 I had to feed the meter ($1.25 an hour). I left work at 9:30 am for home. 10 o'clock and ready to have the whole day to myself!

procrastination

I make promises to myself. When I get up in the morning, during the day at work, when I am getting home from work. I say to myself, "I am going to get "that" done today or I am going to start "that" project today"...but why do those promises seem to take forever to begin?

Because I am a procrastinator.

It sucks to be a procrastinator. It always feels like I am in a hurry, running behind, have so much to get done ALL THE TIME. At times I feel paralized. Like right now. Yesterday the last line on my post was that I was going to do laundry and wash my dishes...well, nothing got done yesterday and I am still not doing it right now.

Oh well, at least I am not in school anymore. Even though I have laundry, dishes, and other projects to start, the stress I feel doesn't compare to anything I felt when I was in school!

To all my friends and family that are in school right now---good luck!! Keep focused and do good work!!

domesticated

In my little kitchen last night I was cooking up a storm of spaghetti meat pie and "chit chat" scones. Cooking with extremely limited counter space makes for a very creative activity. I use any available space...window sill, chair, top of the oven...I have to take advantage of my surroundings.

My friend Paige named the scones "chit chat" and boy oh boy are they something to talk about! They are really tasty.

I have come to really enjoy cooking and trying new foods. I still have a way to go with all that spicy food though (and cilantro). I don't know what it is but...my taste buds just cannot handle it...I start to sweat and I get all red. It really is horribly uncomfortable. So I have come to just avoid those foods. However, I do realive that with practice I can learn to enjoy them more.

I have to do laundry today and clean up my mess from last nights explosion of dishes and measuring spoons.

spring ahead

Whoops! Did anyone else forget about daylight savings?

When I was younger I thought that they changed the time so during the summer, us kids could play outside longer.

welcome to iowa

Wow, I feel like I have already neglected my blog. I apologize for not posting since Monday. I have appreciated all the comments and e-mails of encouragement! Thank you so much and please continue to comment (I have to admit I check for new comments all the time)!

I had a wonderful week. The weather felt like spring, we even had a thunder storm. I met with my friends Allisa, Paige and Amanda twice this week! I spoke with my good friend Casey who now lives and goes to school in Boston. I watched the Amazing Race. I got my bangs trimmed. I ran into an old high school friend who I hadn't spoken to in seven years. I made a delicious roasted pepper, asparagas, pearl onion, and cherry tomato pasta sauce. I walked to and from work two days this week. Which felt great. I found someone to work for me on Friday so I could come to Iowa and visit Jake.

This weekend Jake and I are looking for an apartment for him. He is getting his own place (for the very first time)! Today we looked at 8 different apartments...they kept getting worse as the day went on; bright green carpet, itty bitty kitchens, no water pressure, small windows, outdated/ugly interior, middle of nowhere location, and the classic "expensive-cookie-cutter design." We eventually found one that is going to be great for Jake. It is a one bedroom with sliding glass doors in the living room and bedroom that both lead to a deck. The carpet is not green, the kitchen is decent, it is three blocks from campus, and has free internet! He moves in May 1st.

"Welcome to Iowa" the sign reads..."Fields of Opportunity."

paint me green

I hereby declare my good friend Amanda a horticulture enthusiast and genius. She can without a doubt make anything grow in abundance...she is an inspiration! I thank her for sharing with me her gift (because the only plants I can sustain are the ones that started with her). I am green with envy!