Case of the Mondays

Hey all! I'm back from my weekend out in St. Louis to celebrate Boyfriend's birthday and I came back with some good memories, a liver that is now in recovery, and a sore throat. All signs of a good weekend? Yes. All signs that I've got a terrible case of the Mondays? Also a Big. Fat. Yes. So instead of sulking about it, I'll recap the highlights of the weekend:

1) Some very nice gentleman at the airport on my way out Thursday night offered to let me board with him since he had Priority Access seating (meaning he's one of the first billion people to board the plane before the rest of us common folk). This ended up working out quite well in terms of me getting myself and my bag onto the plane--ours was entirely booked due to an earlier flight cancellation. Thank goodness for nice strangers. (And now I can't help but trying to find out who has that lovely Priority Access label on their boarding passes, and just happening to sidle up next to them with my most pleasant and friendly face. Didn't work for me on the trip back, tho. Boo.)

2) Boyfriend was able to get the entire day off of work on Friday so we spent the day doing lunch, some day drinking, dinner and then some night drinking. Got to meet some of his friends, while completely blowing out my liver in the process. Thank goodness I stuck to white wine or I might be dead right now.


3) Spent most of Saturday recovering from hangover with boyfriend and then went to a jazz concert with boyfriend, his brother/brother's gf, and his parents. We saw the Dirty Dozen Brass Band--they were soooo good!! A great time was had by all! Lots of drinking (ugh! my liver!), dancing in the aisles (and on stage!) and we even got to meet the band afterwards! I even got boyfriend to dance some (a feat in and of itself!!)

4) Hung out with boyfriend til my flight and then headed back to the East Coast. Apparently I missed a crazy mess of a storm later that night in which boyfriend texted me around 12:30 am telling me he and his dog were holed up in the bathroom waiting out the storm (threat of tornados along with 70 mph winds is some freaky ish!) Found out this morning that two of the main roads there are completely closed. Very glad boyfriend, his pup, and his family are all alright! Also am realizing that that same storm is headed this way. Nuts.

And now it's Monday. Slinking back into the doldrums of boyfriend-less nights, working, and now a touch of a cold to top it all off. Dang. At least now the countdown for my birthday can start. 11 days! (and 10 til boyfriend makes his way out here! Hollaaaa!)

Hope your Monday is going a little more smoothly than mine!

Visitation and a Birthday Celebration!

Happy Thursday everyone!

I'm incredibly happy for several reasons today. Let us count the ways:
1) No child has run out of my office today (it happened yesterday, and I got the delight of chasing him down 5 flights of stairs. Awesome.)
2) I got done testing a student today who has been absent more times than I can count in the last couple of weeks
3)--and most importantly--I get to see Marc (boyfriend) tonight since I am flying out to celebrate his birthday this weekend!


I'm really excited that I actually get to spend his birthday with him this year--last year I wasn't able to because I had come out to celebrate valentine's day together

and stayed through president's day since we had an extra day off of school (work) that year. Boyfriend's birthday fell on the following weekend, but he had decided that a longer weekend together was what he wanted more. The good part about last year was that we got some extra days together since I was able to narrowly escape our second blizzard of February in order to get out there to see him (phew!). Luckily there are no forecasts of blizzards for today so I am quite happy. We can add that to the list of reasons above!

Not being able to celebrate certain things (birthdays, job offers, snow days) is definitely one of the many low points of being in a long distance relationship. Boyfriend and I have managed to be with each other for most major events, but every once in a while, life and schedules (particularly work schedules) just seem to get in the way and make it impossible. Since boyfriend has become a big and bad lawyer this year, it's made it a little more difficult since he doesn't have the time off that he did as a student previously. But, we are surviving! :) And being able to be there for events like this, given the circumstances, makes us appreciate them, and each other, even more when we're able to!

This time of year also marks one of my favorites: the 2 week period (roughly) where Boyfriend and I are only 1 year apart, number-wise. He will be turning 26 this year and I will be turning 28. But not until March 11th--mark your calendars--so, for those glorious two weeks, we will be 26 and 27. Not that anyone's really counting... hehe

So, in the event that you don't hear from me for the next few days, just know that I'm spending some quality time with my guy, and enjoying every minute of it!
**insert random hearts, flowers, sunshine, rainbows and general happy things here** :)

The Walk of Awkwardness

This post in no way has to do with me. I swear. At least not directly. Let me explain:

I am a people watcher. I love people watching (and commenting) and if it were a legitimate past time, I would be aces at it. I take the opportunity to people watch whenever possible, and I've found several places that offer up some good stories. Sitting drinking coffee outside, when riding the Metro (oh, do I have some story gems from there!),

sometimes at a restaurant on Saturday/Sunday mornings (when girls roll in still wearing their clothes from last night, hair messed up from crashing on someone's couch or floor and eating burgers or some other equally greasy hangover food), and most recently sitting in the shuttle from my apartment complex in the mornings watching, what I have dubbed, the early morning walks of awkwardness. Not quite walks of shame, but still incredibly awkward!

I remember a few months ago watching one of the normal morning riders of the shuttle walking out of her apartment building with this odd looking dude (they were probably dating since I saw him on more than one occasion in the mornings) and noticed how incredibly awkward their good-byes were. This was not eased by the fact that this girl almost always happened to be one of the last people onto the shuttle, so there was inevitably a van full of people--myself included--watching their good-bye/exchange (not doing yourself any favors by being late, sister). Although it wasn't quite the "walk of shame," she sure acted like it every time she came out with him in the mornings. The whole thing rang of "awkward" and made me wonder what she had been doing to be so ashamed about. And I, therefore, was even more intrigued.

Well this morning, from my stealthy vantage point inside of the shuttle, I saw another instance of the morning walk of awkwardness with someone else in the complex. The guy obviously lived in the apartment because he was walking his dog, and the girl with him had a huuuuuge overnight bag

(kind of like this one except about 3 times bigger), and another bag I'm guessing was her work bag.

They had absolutely NO physical interaction, and she followed behind him with a kind of scowl on her face. (She even, at one point, got into her car, pulled out of her parking space, only to pull into another space about 5 spaces away--no closer to the guy's apartment--and get back out with her massive bag again). All of these things, again, made me wonder "what the heck happened between these two??" Perhaps her massive overnight bag did not get to be used for the entire length of time that she had intended? Maybe they had gotten into a bad fight but she just couldn't let it go and just leave? Ahh, the possibilities were endless!

These kinds of things intrigue me because I like to think that I am a people person, but I am also nosey inquisitive about people (hence my obsession with relity television, I'm guessing). It also just gets the curious parts of my brain running wild and wondering, what kind of other awkward moments am I missing past the 7 AM hour of my normal commuting time?? The intrigue has set in!

Do you all have any stories of Walks of Awkwardness that you've witnessed? Are you as equally intrigued by people as I am? Or am I just a Nosey Nellie? :)

Happy Hump Day!! (How appropriate given the topic at hand today! haha)

Invasion of the birds. Angry Birds, that is!

I don't know how many of you out there are addicted to the game Angry Birds, but I know I sure am, and have been since they released it sometime during the summer. I first downloaded the Lite version (being too cheap to fork over the $.99 before actually playing the game), and became obsessed. In fact, while the boyfriend was studying for the Bar exam over the summer, and I was visiting, many times you could see us, sitting on the couch: Him with his Barbri books, and me with my Ipod playing Angry Birds, (frequently blaring out curse words when I messed up). I think this gave Marc a chance to put down his book, laugh at me, and temporarily forget the impending doom of the Bar---it most certainly wasn't a distraction. Yeah, a comical break. We'll go with that!

Anyway, since the start of the Angry Birds phenomenon in my life, I have since downloaded the other app (Angry Birds Seasons),

and somehow also developed an uncanny ability to tell when people are playing the game, by only the unique sound of the screaming birds, in several places including (but not limited to) the Metro during rush hour and at the bar (the bartender was actually playing in between serving up drinks). I've heard they are also developing a movie. Now you might be surprised by the next statement given how much of my obsession I've divulged, but a movie might be going too far for me. Too much Angry Birds might be too much of a good thing.

But, today I saw this video. Not only is the dad awesome for doing this for his kid, but the concept is really fun. I seriously loved watching the kid's face light up (not to mention the British accent coming from a 6 year old) when he saw

the incredible and functioning cake--complete with slingshot to launch birds!--his dad had made for him. I love when people do creative things, and this goes to the top of my list, while touching the Angry Birds freak within as well!

When looking up a picture of this cake, I saw some other really creative versions as well:

Coincidence that a certain someone's birthday (mine!!) is coming up in roughly 3 weeks??? I think not! Mental note, my friends! :)

Countdown

Today the countdown til I get to see boyfriend again for his birthday is down to two days (and a few hours--but who's counting really??? :) and my week has started off with a holiday (thank you, Presidents), and a 2 hour delay which may be one of the more miraculous happenings since DC Public Schools rarely call delays or cancel school. Ever!!! I think I can live with a 2.5 day work week, especially if seeing the boyfriend is at the end of it!!

Speaking of work, do you ever have the days of work where you feel completely useless and that if you weren't there pretty much no one would notice? Well, that's the general mood for me today (also regularly contributing to the general unhappiness of the workplace for me here). Since we had a 2 hour delay I missed seeing my morning groups of kids and the two groups that I see in the afternoons on Tuesday are doing interim testing. So WHY did I come in to work today? That is a good question. I'm still pondering this one myself.

However, on my pointless trip into work on the Metro this morning, I was reading the Washington Post Express, as I do every morning (unless one of the sneaky Examiner people tricks me into taking one of their papers--grr!), and I

stumbled across an article that was really cool. It talked about how brain implants (they referred to them as being like pacemakers for the brain) have been used to treat tremors in Parkinsons and other diseases, but that there is now research into it being used for people with OCD, severe depression, Tourette's, etc. Craziness! I feel like ever since I learned about things like Cochlear Implants (coolest things, EVERRRR!) in Grad School and then having a grandparent who suffers from Alzheimer's, as well as other medical issues within the family, all of these medical advancements fascinate me. Especially the ones that have to do with speech stuff (those particularly get my inner speech nerd all giddy).

On a random note, I just realized while writing this that everything I brought for lunch today is green. I made Basil Herb couscous last night mixed with edamame and parmesan cheese, and brought a pear for good measure. Green, Green, annnnnd (wait for it) Green. It doesnt look very appetizing sitting all together like that, but it does taste quite good! Maybe tonight I'll bust open the bag of sweet potato fries that had my mouth watering in the grocery store this weekend for some added color to today's diet. Or pizza. Mmmmm pizza.

Hope your Tuesdays are more eventful than mine is shaping up to be!

Happy President's Day!

I am oh-so thankful for Presidents. And especially today, since we get a day off of work to celebrate them. Or run errands, be lazy, etc. My 'celebration' today contributed to stimulating the economy with all of my errands--how much more American can you get?!? (I'm trying here.) If someone ever made a Jenn's Day, you would have my full permission to celebrate me by enjoying some time off of work, and getting stuff done. What better way to show appreciation??

Today started kind of eventfully with Cooper having an episode of throwing up and then pooping in the apartment (which he hasnt done for well over a year). He started out barking at one of the workers outside which turned to whimpering. I only noticed something was really wrong when I heard the churning sound of the pre-pukes (you dog owners know what I mean). Little dude seems to be ok now, but it was quite a weird episode, especially with the pooping inside. Makes me wonder if something was given to him at the groomer's yesterday. Hmm...(P.S. the new Cooper 'do is quite cute. Not as fluffy but he looks quite cute and smells a heck of a lot better than he did beforehand). On that note, Petco has upped their cut prices--cost me $73 to get Cooper cut and washed. His hair cuts are getting to cost the same as mine! Hell, I got my oil changed and tires rotated today for less than it cost to get my dog's hair cut. What The French Toast?!?!?

Something random also occurred to me today when I was driving into the apartment complex and a dog was taking a crap. A squirrel was sitting nearby, kind of in a similar position as the dog, and it made me think: have you ever seen a squirrel take a dump? Not that thats really something that you'd want to see, but we've all seen dogs and other animals relieving themselves. But, never squirrels. Perhaps they are super-human. Something to ponder. Or not. haha

After visiting some coworkers at my old job, and running my errands, I'm ready to get my workout on and then sit and lay in wait for the impending snow/ice/sleet mix we are supposed to get tonight. Remember when I said we wouldn't have to worry about the freezing temps anymore? WRONG!!! Damn you, groundhog! Here's hoping it's enough for DC schools to cancel or delay (I can dream, can't I?)

Have a good Monday!

Weekend Randoms

I'm sitting at home right now looking at a pretty day outside, but keep getting distracted by the howl of 40 and 50 mph winds blowing. Yowza!

There are some random things that have been going through my head as I sit lazily on my couch and I figured why not share it on here? So here goes:

1) Mars and Venus
I'm not talking about the planets this time. I'm talking about men and women. A lot lately my roommate and I have talked about how different guys and girls are (Ok, let's be real. This is probably a topic of conversation nightly. We ARE girls afterall). Recently the topic focused around how guys can say something that probably seems so small and insignificant to them, but it can either mean the world to us, or make us wrack our brains trying to figure out "what did he mean by that?" I know that in the 27 (almost 28...eep!) years that Ive been on this planet, I have spent a fair amount of my girly time wondering just that: "What did he mean???" On the flip side, I think guys don't really grasp just how easy it is to make us super happy. One sweet text, just to let you know you're being thought about, can do wonders. Just a thought, boys! :)

2) Travel Wine Cooler
How awesome is this?? I saw it on woot.com (one of my all time favorite websites to check for cool and random shizz). I feel like by posting this, and admitting how excited it made me, I am admitting my alcohol-loving tendencies (better than "alcoholic," right?). I'm blaming the excitement over this one on a really long, long work week, so there! Even still, I think this thing is super cool and the possibilities for it are endless!

3) Movies and Friends
Today I'm meeting up with a good friend of mine who is a former coworker, and we're going to see Just Go With It (Adam Sandler/ Jennifer Aniston). I'm hoping all of the funny parts aren't just the ones they've shown in the commercials. I hate when that happens.
I'm also thinking it might be a little bit of a letdown after seeing The King's Speech with the boyfriend last weekend (he waited and said he wanted to see it with me since it's about my field of work--speech pathology--isn't that sweet? Little things, I tell you!!). I know they're totally different genres but the movie was just awesome. Boyfriend even liked it (I was afraid I was only enjoying it cuz of my inner speech nerd) and we both understood why it got nominated for so many awards.
Hopefully Just Go With It is good for some laughs!

4) Coop-monster
Coop is in need of a haircut. Badly. He is back to his somewhat abominable snowman/fat sheep looking stage. I love when Cooper is a fluff ball (he's freaking adorable when he comes wiggling at you in his fluffy-wonderment), but his fur gets all matted when it's long and it's a pain. Time for the spring weather haircut and an expensive trip to the groomer. Good timing since I dont have to worry about him freezing his hiney off in the cold anymore (yay Spring!!). I have a feeling he will look something like this when the groomer is done with him:

A little less fluffy, but a cutie nonetheless!

That's all I've got going on for now. Hope you all are enjoying your weekends! And, if you're in the D-M-V area, don't get blown away by these crazy-butt winds!!!

Was the Groundhog right??

Second post for the day (meaning it is ridiculously slow at work, and I'm killing time before I can hop on the Metro and make my way home). It is Feb 17th and it is now 70 degrees outside. I don't live in the South. I'm in D.C. Now, let me remind you that this time last year, we were digging out from 40 gajillion (yeah I said it) inches of snow from TWO separate blizzards. What a difference a year can make! I hope Mr. Groundhog's prediction of early Spring is correct and this stuff sticks around for a little while!

These are the sunshine-filled days that I miss driving to and from work. Taking public transportation is all well and good (who doesnt like being able to read or fill out a Sudoku instead of being the jackass that everyone glares at in the car next to them talking on their cell phone while putting on make-up and somehow still attempting to read the newspaper?), but sometimes it's just nice to be able to roll down the windows, turn up the volume and jam out after a long day. Sometimes it's just what the doctor ordered. And I want my prescription of sunshine filled for the day!

Maybe I'll do a run outside instead of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. We'll see how far into the depths of laziness I get between here and home!

Out with the old...

I know that I haven't yet written much about my situation (in terms of life, job, boyfriend, basically everything) so I thought, during my down time at work, that this would be a good time to give the basics.

My boyfriend and I have been dating for almost a year and 9 months (go us!!)--he in St. Louis and me in Virginia--and it has ALL been long distance (hard core sucks!!). It's been hard because we don't get to see each other all the time like we want to, and things like new jobs and, you know, general being-an-adult-stuff gets in the way of seeing each other as often and general fun-ness. But, overall, we have managed to survive it with monthly trips (usually), daily communications and lots of laughs. Well, the next step is approaching--the BIG move. I will be moving to St. Louis during the summer time (fingers crossed Jenn finds a job before that big day). Although it's scary, I'm really excited. I get to see the guy that I am smitten with on a daily basis now (hollaaa!) and get to experience a completely different city for the first time and the life that that has to offer. I'm also really looking forward to meeting new people, and hopefully finding a job out there that I love--both of these last two things, lately, have been low on the list of "Things That Make You Go OOOOH"!

So, due to some recent events (seeing true colors of people you thought you knew, a sucky job, and being away from the guy I love for far too long), I am very much looking forward to getting to this "in with the new" part of my life. Don't get me wrong: I love my family, and I love my friends, and will miss those special people like whoa, but I know that they will always be there for me (even when they're not actually THERE).

I know who the people are that love me (my friends, my parents, my boyfriend and my little dog Cooper), and I know that all of them are behind me 100%. I can't say that there's a much better feeling than that! And all of the kick-butt things in store in the next few months? Bring. it. on.

I think it knows!!!

I am having one of the best hair days I've had, perhaps ever! And it's happened for the second day in a row!!! There are several potential reasons for this which include:
1) Extra Garnier Fructise goop in the hair than usual
2) Changing my condition (to Dove, from Tresemme--thank you Sale at Target!)
3) A change in the weather--warmer temperatures are coming. Not sure it actually has anything to do with it, but I haven't gotten shocked when I shut my car door in the last few days, so we'll add it to the list as a possibility.
....and the one I think is the most likely contributor:
4) my hair knows that I was thinking of getting a haircut!
This has happened before--I am getting sick of my hair, it's too long, not doing anything I want it to, and I contemplate making an appt with my hair dresser (who is amazing!!). And then I have good hair days for a few days in a row. HOW DOES IT KNOW?????

In any event, no matter what the reason, I'm happy with good hair day #2, and am praying diligently that it continues for the next week plus before I am to make the long distance trek to St. Louis to visit the boyfriend and go out with his parents (eep!)
Here's to good hair days galore (and maybe a good hair day hat-trick???)!!