Updating frequently

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Smiling Sundays

Things that make me smile:

Watching Maria Riesch win the women's slalom Friday and comforting her younger sister, Susanne, who missed some of her second-run gates.
Germany's Maria Riesch takes a gate during the women's slalom competition on Friday at Whistler Creek, where she'd win the gold medal. (Michael Kappeler / AFP / Getty Images / February 26, 2010)



Playing with polyvore



These adorable shoes



And, as always, kitties:

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Breakfast of champions

Pizza... that's right. Pizza for breakfast. Breakfast of champions. Especially when that pizza is covered in mozzarella, cheddar and jalapenos. yummy yum...

Well, I'll be picking up my keys to my new apartment today. Very excited to start making it my own. Very UNexcited to start the heavy lifting though. Good thing I have the month of March to move my stuff from one place to another.
And it's all for a good cause: my fur-babies.

Those of you that follow my Twitter probably noticed the cheerful, yet ominous message concerning mono and the flu. It's true, I just have a severe respiratory infection type thing. So, the doctors (because I had to see more than one :/ ) have me dosed up on lots of meds will make me drowsy and keep me awake... huh?
Well, I think the amount of drowsy meds outweighs the awake meds... so if you receive something of a drunken call, text, tweet or similar from me, I'm totally blaming it on the meds.
I kid though. I doubt it'll be that bad, considering I was a work yesterday and was mostly professional.... and also mostly loopy.

No big plans for this weekend:
* demolishing this pizza
* getting new keys and moving a few small things to new apartment
* some much needed vegging (per Dr. Rose's orders of course!)


Got an email from Amazon that made me look cross-eyed for a minute:

Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone who has shown an interest in DVD, you might like to know that "Best Foreign Language Film 8-Pack" is the featured Deal of the Day at Amazon.com. This offer is valid today only, February 27, 2010, and while supplies last.

Our Deal of the Day price is just $74.99--60% off the list price of $187.61 for "Best Foreign Language Film 8-Pack." 


It's not so much the price, but the "as someone who has shown an interest in DVD, you might like" part.
Someone who has shown an interest in DVD....

Anywho, here's some lovely things I've found this morning:

A sweet, Russian fairytale.

Beautiful earrings.

A lovely photo.

And of course...

Macarons! via this Pierre Herme

Monday, February 22, 2010

Where Rose + knife = predictable happenstance


This is where it begins. 

Despite what the public might tell you, I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, sharpest tack in the set, shiniest booger in the... you get the idea: I'm bright, but not that bright.

As you can see, my iPod came in (early I might add) as did a vintage necklace (which will be viewed later). I've misplaced my trusty scissors, so I turn to the biggest knife in the apartment to open aforementioned packages.

Let me interrupt to remind you that I've had several people (friends, roommates, family, coworkers) tell me that I should not be allowed around knives due to several mishaps. It's not as if I mean to cause myself or other things harm... things start off with good intentions:

* like the time I used a simple utility knife to open a box (when I worked in retail) and ended up carving into the glass of three very expensive decor pieces, rendering them useless and unsalvageable. (which might not be a word)
* or the time I wanted to make chicken strips from a whole chicken and just ended up with a chicken mess
* or the many, many, many, ungodly amounts of times where I just end up cutting, stabbing or goring myself

So, yeah... I'm sure you know what happens next. It's comforting to know that I can sprint through my apartment and not trip and fall.


There, much better!

Of course, I did go back and finish opening the packages (with the same knife I might add) without another incident.


Yay! iPod goodness!

And check out the engraving: La Vie de Rose: a list of broken things (the original name of my blog and the general motto of my life).


Fake p.s.: yes, I am wearing boxer shorts with crabs on them in the first photo. They're quite pro.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Ladybugs and iPod journeys

I want to run something by you: where do you think iPods come from?

This isn't one of those DEEP questions like, 'What's the meaning of life?' or 'Which is better: chocolate cupcake or strawberry cupcake?' (to which the answer is both, at the same time... but I digress... and make myself hungry...)

As I wrote in my last post, part of my tax refund went to purchasing my first iPod, and incidentally, my first Apple product. After receiving an email stating that my iPod had been sent off, I immediately clicked on the tracking number...
Yes, I admit, I'm one of those people that likes to track their products and raise the level of excitement as it gets closer and closer. The amount of water and states/countries the item has to cross heightens this even more.
You could imagine how balls deep (or is it ovaries deep?) in excitement I was over something being shipped from Japan or France... there's a whole ocean to cross, that's a whole ocean worth of excitement to deal with.

Ok, so back to the iPod... I click on the tracking number and on February 18, my iPod was in Anchorage, Alaska...

Wait, wtf?!

Sure enough, my iPod began its journey in Shenzhen, China.
So, I had to adjust my excitement levels.
However, looking at the tracking info today, my excitement levels went from ZOMG!1! to wtf?! to huh?

Have a look:


Still don't understand?
On February 20, the iPod in question left Memphis, Tennessee, and went to Kenner, Louisiana. In order to get from Memphis to Kenner, you have to drive all the way through Mississippi (hell, they drove right through Jackson, which is an hour and a half northwest of me).
So, I'm sitting at my computer, baffled that they drove right past me, when I take a closer look at the times of arrival and departures.


Which causes the situation thermometer to raise to ZOMG!1! levels again: FedEx has somehow figured out how to travel at mega-high speeds! Six hours(nearly 400 miles) of travel in under an hour!?

.... or I was just being absolutely ridiculous and finally realized that the iPod was traveling by first class on FedEx Air.
Duh... I need to go back to sleep and restart the day with a little less crazy.

Speaking of foreign things: being schooled in anyway is not something I take lightly. I enjoy learning to a disturbing degree, so much that I'll read a book on electrical wiring just to learn something.
And what did I learn? That I shouldn't be in charge of things that could kill people.
Fun Fact: when doing electrical stuff, you're supposed to turn off the breakers not just turn off the lights.

Anywho, I was schooled the other day on spelling. Spelling is something that I pride myself in. So when I see a word that looks wrong to me, I want to find out why and fix it.
While looking over a project that M is working on, I commented that he had misspelled a word.
The conversation went something like this:

R(me): Nice coloring here, but you have a typo.

M: Where?

R: Here ::points to the offending word::

M: No, that's how it's spelled.

R: Can't be, it doesn't look right at all. It has three m's in it. Here, I'll show you. ::types the offending word into Google::


R: Damn you, Google, for taking his side.

M: You shouldn't try to school a southern boy on southern manners of speaking.

Which is true, the word 'ma'am' is foreign to me. I don't use the term at all. In fact, I think I've used it twice in my 28 years, and only after 'miss' and 'excuse me' didn't work.
I've been called 'ma'am' before, much to my chagrin; I associate that word with older women... and I'm not THAT old.

What a strange little word.


via here
Anyone else see the heart? :)

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Responsible

I've received my tax return (a paltry $443) and have decided to be responsible with it:
I will pay off the remainder of my cat scan bill and get an iPod and still have money left over.
You should be very proud... I'm growing up and being responsible and ensuring mp3 goodness.


In addition to responsibilities, I also wanted to share this with you:




I borrowed this lovely picture from So About What I Said...

It fills my heart with hope, happiness and warmth. And I hope it keeps you warm through these cold days.

Currently working with a friend to get the Web site up and delicious. ::crosses fingers::

Sunday, February 14, 2010

I love you

Happy Valentine's Day, to all!
Valentine's Day isn't just for the romance between lovers, but for love as a whole.
Saint Valentine was cared for by a blind, peasant girl while he was in jail. Valentine prayed for her health and on the day he was to be executed, her sight was restored.

Caring for someone is what Valentine's Day is about, even if that someone is you.

So, I hope that everyone enjoys Valentine's Day in their own way: hang out with friends, be with your love, watch movies, etc.... but make sure to love one another and always remember to love yourself.


Saturday, February 13, 2010

We interrupt your normal broadcast....

.... for a slice of extra cuteness!
Holy crap! Have you guys seen this iPhone app?

I must buy an iPhone now....


Do you like kittens?
Do you like calling people?
You're in luck!

Introducing Kitty Caller, the premiere kitten themed dialer for the iPhone! Let these little pals help you call your friends in style! Whether it's the frisky Captain Sherbert, stoic Chairman Meow, or adorable Ms. Mittens, they're sure to find a way into your heart!
Features:
  • Three adorable kitten themes to choose from! Complete with animation!
  • Kittens that meow as you dial will warm your heart!*
  • Support for your address book!

  • *Not guaranteed to warm your heart.

    (Also via their website)

The one in which Rose ages herself

Got this from The Citizen Insane blog:
List your favorites of albums that came out for each year you've been alive.


November 1981 to present:


The Jacksons Live! - 11/1981
Thriller/Michael Jackson - 11/1982
Sports/Huey Lewis and the News - 9/1983
Like a Virgin/Madonna - 11/1984
No Jacket Required/Phil Collins - 1/1985
Invisible Touch/Genesis - 6/1986
Bad/Michael Jackson - 8/1987
Look Sharp!/Roxette - 10/1988
Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 - 9/1989
Gala/Lush - 11/1990
We Can't Dance/Genesis - 10/1991
Funky Divas/En Vogue - 3/1992
Aurora Gory Alice/Letters to Cleo -1993
The Sign/Ace of Base - 1/1994
Jagged Little Pill/Alanis Morissette - 6/1995
One Fierce Beer Coaster/The Bloodhound Gang - 12/1996
Brand New Knife/Shonen Knife - 4/1997
Pure Frosting/The Presidents of the United States of America - 3/1998
Loveappears/Ayumi Hamasaki - 11/1999
Haunted/Poe - 10/2000
Simple Things/Zero 7 - 11/2001
Folk the World Tour/Flight of the Conchords - 11/2002
Fallen/Evanescence - 3/2003
When It Falls/Zero 7 - 3/2004
Here Come the ABCs/They Might Be Giants - 2/2005
(Miss)understood/Ayumi Hamasaki - /2006
Alright, still/Lily Allen - 1/2007
The Fame/Lady Gaga - 8/2008
It's Not Me, It's You/Lily Allen - 2/2009


This was actually pretty hard and took a good part of the day. There were a few years that needed tie breakers, you know who you are: Tragic Kingdom, Under the Pink, Let's Knife, a Song for XX, Bad Boys Blue, Aquarium, Transister(not 311), Girl You Know It's True (yes, even Milli Vanilli)... to name a few.
And some years didn't necessarily have albums, as much as there were just a few songs here and there. 
But yeah, here you go, the life of Rose in music up to the present.


Edit: will be adding links to each song someday.

Friday, February 12, 2010

The unbearable lightness of being Rose

To be honest.... I'm glad to see 2009 go.
It was a year of memories, good and ugly.

the Goods of 2009:

This year was dotted with times where I really felt loved:
a bubble bath on Valentine's Day,
a mother's love to help patch-up my broken heart,
a friend's shoulder to cry on and an ear to vent the unfairness of love and life.

After 15 years of wondering, being able to find a lost friend.

Despite great hardship, I saw that I was way stronger than I believed I could be.

Being selected out of seven others and given the chance to work.



the Uglies of 2009:

To start: I wish I could say that I didn't love someone at the expense of loving myself,
I wish I could say that I didn't sacrifice my integrity and personal pride for a job that was soul-sucking,
but I can't.

The end of a seven-year relationship that was two years of love, three years between being content and being taken for granted and two years of being used and finally thrown away.

The end of a job with a horrible environment that came very close to eating my soul and forging a path of substandard living for me to follow.

Being treated as a subhuman and not standing up for myself.


I look toward 2010 with a sense of... well, I don't know. I have no idea what the future may bring; 2010 has already surprised me: snow in Mississippi (again!!); a possible new, additional diagnosis (Rose: now with added crazy!); my first kiss of the new year being from a girl (that's a strange story); after talking with a certain someone (M), feeling my debilitating, hate-filled, looming anger loosen its hold on me, giving me a chance to finally begin to heal; and the surprising, unexpected and uncalled for sweetness of near-total strangers... just to name a few.

A few years ago, I stopped making New Year's resolutions; I would always end up breaking them, getting bored of them or finding them completely ridiculous. However, I plan on making some New Year's.... possibilities:

2010 possibilities:

To try and stick with a three-times-a-week posting schedule (even if it's nothing but trite observations of the day).

After losing 15+ pounds, I want to try and get myself down to a size 10/12. Now that I know that losing weight isn't a complete impossibility (with the help of eating disorders, drugs and intermittent exercise) with my condition, I want to get back to an altered form of my B.C. self (before condition). I want to get back to my B.C. body mass, but keep my hourglass figure... this fat loss plan is going to be bizarre and targeted and I'll be accepting all methods of help... except for liposuction, that's just creepy!

To take more time out to work on my art. My Etsy shop has been pretty lax in having new items in it, I still have tons of photos that I haven't even begun to work on and I can't remember the last time I painted!!

And while I can't stop myself from giving everyone else 110% and leaving nothing to myself, I plan to try and give a little back to myself.



Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Om nom nom... or the one about food

I was given an hour lunch break from a training session yesterday and used that time wisely... at least in my opinion.

When rumors popped up a while back that the 'burg was getting a Qdoba, I was immediately interested; Smoothie King and Qdoba are within the same chain family. And since I enjoy the occasional delicious smoothie, I had high hopes for Qdoba Mexican grill.
And I wasn't disappointed: the layout was fun and fresh and the choices were appealing. And they offer REALLY good guacamole.

I ordered the grilled chicken three-cheese nachos. The chicken was marinated, beans and rice came with it, the service was good and I got a brownie!

However, I believe I've been spoiled by Caliente Grill, the locally owned Mexican inspired grill: as I got to the fifth bite, I was already bored with my meal, something that hasn't happened to me at Caliente.

And while I'll probably return to Qdoba (mostly for the brownies!), if I'm really craving Mexican inspired, I'll be headed to Caliente.
And as far as price, they are quite comparable.

Caliente Grill
pros: ultra yum, love the seasonings, neat layout
cons: their desserts (sopapillas) are a bit lacking in flavor

Qdoba Mexican grill
pros: desserts (awesome, chewy brownies!!), love their smooth guacamole, bright layout
cons: got bored while eating (maybe too much juice in the marinade and not enough seasonings?)

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Knitted bootie giveaway!

Holy crap!
You guys seriously need to check out this giveaway!


Who can say 'no' to these adorable kicks?!?
And the best part is that you get to choose!

So, hightail it over to follow Etsy seller French Press Knits' blog and follow the instructions on how to enter.
And even if you don't win, I would highly suggest checking out the shop and going ahead and ordering your own pair.
I am currently eyeballing a pair of heathered oatmeal with big brown buttons!


Who can resist? I can imagine snuggling in them already......