How I Eat: Part 1

Hellooooooooooooooo Strangers!!!!

It is I, that person that last updated a little less than a month ago. I know, I know. I kind of suck at this whole blogging thing. I need a shtick. Something that I can be known for, something to get me to blog regularly. Like Allie and her cute drawings and funny life observations. Or Mark and his amazing book reviews. Anyone out there have any ideas for me?

Anyway- while I have been away, I've been writing down blog topics on my iPod. And thus, we come to today's subject- How I eat food.


I am a very particular person. I do things weird. Mainly because I over think EVERYTHING I do. Especially at meal times.

Here's the story. When I was in Jr. High, me and my friends would sit at the lunch table happily eating our lunches and enjoying life. Well, one day, I noticed that I was always the first person done eating. Which, in my young, ever thinking head, made me believe that it made me look fat. Like, I was such a pig that I just had to scarf my food down.

That moment has now ruined my ability to eat normally.

Since that day, I made it a purpose to slow down when I eat. I started watching others eat, matching them bite for bite. I took smaller bites.

I started finishing at the same time as people. I felt good about myself. But... I couldn't stop. Instead of finishing at the same time as people, I started finishing after them. I wasn't trying to- it was subconscious.

Nowadays, it is impossible for me to NOT be the last one at the table. I don't do it on purpose, I just can't help but eat slow- it is physically impossible for me to eat faster (I tried the other day- we were at a restaurant and everyone else was done eating and I still had half my food left. Rather than just leave the food since I HATE wasting food, I ended up scarfing it down real fast and made myself sick.) Most times, when we eat family dinners at the table, my family will actually start putting away their plates and such and move on to watch TV.... all while I'm still at the table eating.

I can't lay all the blame on myself. The BF takes huge bites of his food when he eats (like, one bite and half of it is gone- how am I supposed to compete with that??) But yes, the majority of the blame is on myself. For being so anal.

But hey, at least I get to savor my food!

Thursday Thunks

The TT questions are brought to you by Kimber, the color of absolute black granite and the number 16.




101. When was the last time you went to the doctor? Do you like your doctor?

Wow.... ummmm.... I really don't remember. It's been a LONG time. I hate going to doctors because basically they always tell me that I'm not really sick, it's just a sinus infection, or whatever, and I just need some rest and fluids. So, time after time of being told that, I just never go to the doctor. I probably should have gone last year when I had a 103 temperature and puking... but, I had a job interview that day and I have priorities....


Actually, though, I did go to the dentist two weeks ago. Does that count?


201. My back is itching, will you scratch it for me?

Yes, because I'm a nice person who likes to help people. However, sadly, I'm never around nice people who will scratch my back, so I have to do it myself.


301. Do you have nice handwriting?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

no.

Though, I think I do. Sometimes. When I work at it. But others disagree.


401. We are sending you to either New Zealand or Canada, which one do you choose?

New Zealand!!! In my head, it's so pretty there, and Canada's so close that I can just take myself some other day, whereas New Zealand is somewhere I probably wouldn't be able to afford on my own.


501. Do you sing in the shower?

Of course!! I love to sing.... just not in front of people. Which means the shower is the greatest place to sing because no one's ever there with me.


601. Have you ever been streaking? If so, how far did you streak and did anyone see you?

No. Never been streaking. Unless you count all the times I run around my house naked with the windows open. Then, yes, I have been streaking several times.


701. How soon is too soon for Christmas decorations and music playing in the stores?

No Christmas anything till the day after Thanksgiving.

(much to the BF's consternation.)

801. If you celebrated Halloween as a kid what was the costume you wore at 5?

Oh goodness... I don't remember. I wanna say Captain Picard from Star Trek? That may have been 5. Don't judge- my dad picked it out.


901. How many cavities have you had in your life?

When I was a kid, I remember having to get my cavities filled. I don't remember the actual number, but I wanna say around 4 or 5?


1001. Berleen and Bud come to Arizona to visit Kimber. Who do you think will decide it's too hot here first?

I'm gonna go with Bud.


1101. Who do you think will ask TT questions next week?

A surprise celebrity guest!

Turtle Turtle

So, while I know I have been failing on frequent blogging, even more so than that, I have been failing to provide you wonderful YouTube videos!!! So, to combat that, here is the next video in the series of useless, cute videos.


This one is courtesy of my cousin (once removed). She is in the Dog Agility world and posted this gem of a video on her Facebook account the other day. Enjoy!

You say Potato, I say Potatoe

So, every once in awhile, I get cravings for certain foods. Okay, actually, that's a lie. It's a lot more often than "every once in awhile". It's more like, all the time. I promise I'm not pregnant!!! I'm just unhealthy.

ANYWAY

So, my current obsession is Baked Potato Soup. Growing up, I was never a fan of soup. Salad either, but that's a story for a different post. But as I've been getting older, my taste buds have been changing quite a bit. Foods I used to hate are now "must-haves". And soup has just recently made the switch over to good food.

Last week, I went with the BF and the BF's mom to the Cheesecake Factory. First of all, yummm. Second of all, while there, I got their Baked Potato Soup. And let me tell you- It. Was. Amazing. I could have eaten nothing but that (but if you know me, you know that didn't happen. Instead I had that, bread & butter, chicken salad sandwich, a salad that I didn't like, and warm caramel apple cider. Oh, and when I got home, I had some Dutch Apple Streusel Cheesecake).

Here is the wonderful, delicious item-



Doesn't that just look Scrum-diddly-umpcious?????

So now, I have been craving more Baked Potato Soup. The other night, I made a mock version by taking instant mashed potatoes, adding onion and garlic powder, a couple dollops of sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon bits. It was miiiighty tasty if you ask me. Still not potato soup, but a good substitute :)

So how about you? Do you like potato soup? Have you ever had the Cheesecake Factory's baked potato soup? Can you get me the recipe :P ? Any other places have some good versions? What's your favorite recipe for this delish dish?

Thursday Thunks: The One That Almost Didn't Happen

Thursday Thunks: What's in a Name?
The TT questions are brought to you by Bud, the color of Kimber's hair (where did she go?) and the number 333.


1. We are changing your name. You have no choice. You get to pick it, but we must approve it. You must have a good reason. Ok, what is the name and reason?

Well.... I've always loved the name Kairie (phonetically Kyrie.) I've always planned to name my first born daughter that. But I guess if I have to change my name, I would change it to that just in case I don't have a daughter.


2. I say Shotgun, you say?

"Screw you" then I would get in the front seat anyway.


3. We are sending you away. Africa or Mexico?

Africa!!! I wanna go on safari and see the animals!!!


4. When you're home alone, do you still close the door when you use the restroom?

Would it gross you out too much if I say no?


5. Berleen told me that I have to ask a mean question. Tell us about a horrible memory.

One time my sister ran away from home. On my birthday. So instead of eating cake and opening presents, we were searching the corn field by our house and the rest of the town.

Turns out, she was hiding in her closet.


6. What are your plans for October?

Well, the second weekend, I'm going away for a bachelorette party weekend. Third weekend I'm camping- it's Halloween at the campground! Fourth weekend, I'm ushering at my boyfriend's brother's wedding. 5th weekend, I'm not sure, but something Halloweeny (most likely end up at the local bar.)


7. Is there anyone that you regret ever meeting ?

Hmmm...no, not really. Haven't met too many people that I hate.


8. You have 3 months left to live, what do you do?

I would visit all my friends that live elsewhere in the country! And then I'll go visit Liechtenstein and Australia.


9. You wake up in an unfamiliar place, what is your first reaction?

"Oh Shit, now what?"


10. Your phone rings at 4am, just before you kill this person, who do you expect it would be?

Most likely my sister (the middle child). She's always calling at random times, plus, she's the only one awake at that point and wouldn't realize not everyone stays up that late.


11. You're having a bad day, what one thing can make your day better?

Singing out loud along with my itunes


12. You are doing a meme written by the blogosphere's shadiest character. Is there anything else that you should be doing right now?

I'm supposed to be at my boyfriend's parent's house for Family Dinner night. Shhhhhh


13. If money were not a problem, (and it never is, right? Yes, I stole this f$%*ing question. Sue me.) where would you like to live?

I would love to live somewhere on the east coast, like over by Washington DC or New York (the state) or something. Either that, or nearby Chicago.

There's a Worm in my Bedroom!!!

Today, I would like to talk to you about books.

I love to read. Like, love it. It's one of my favorite pastimes. I can spend a whole afternoon curled up in bed, reading a book. I can start a book in the morning and stay up till the very next morning just to finish it. Some books I put down and digest for awhile, other books, once I start, I just can't stop.

As you can see, I've added a widget to my blog up above (in about a week, I will move it to the bottom of the blog, but for now, it's up top so you can all see it easier). This is a list of all the books I have ever read. I am extremely anal, and I love lists. So my goal is to create a list of every book I've ever read. Now, I know that my shelf doesn't have everything I've ever read. The problem is that I have a hard time remembering titles. But it's a good start.

My favorite books tend to be YA/Teen books. Yeah, yeah, I'm in my 20s, I should be reading "adult" books..... but I like the younger books because there's less thinking. It's easier for me to escape into their world and not have to think about the "symbolism" of things. Plus, they tend to be a lot less stressful. Adult books use real life situations, which I'm trying to escape from when I read. DOn't get me wrong, I love adult books too (Some of my favorites are On Fortune's Wheel, My Sister's Keeper, and The Forgotten Garden) but YA books will always hold a special place in my heart.

My favorite genre of books though has got to be fantasy. What can I say- write a YA book about dragons, wizards, creatures, demons, gods, or aliens, and I will probably read it. I love that there's a mystery element that can change the whole game, yet, they're just normal people like you and me. I love the Eragon series, and hell, I am obsessed with the Harry Potter world. As a kid, the first book I got seriously attached to was the Animorphs series- yes, I own (still) all 64 books, and would run to the bookstore once a month when they came out. After Animorphs, I moved on to Applegate's other book series- EverWorld and Remnants- and thus, my fantasy addiction today.

As time goes on, I might write some blog posts about some of my favorite/least-favorite books. But for now, check out my shelfari book shelf!! Have you read any of the same books as me? Do you like/dislike those books? Do you have a shelfari account/willing to get one? If you do, let me know your username!! I want to add more friends onto my account (I only have 2 right now). What are some of your favorite books? Do you like to read?

INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW!!!

Thunk Thunk. Who's There?

Thursday Thunks: Do Elephants Come With a GPS Installed?

The TT questions are brought to you by Berleen, the color of my kitchen table and the number 45.

10. What number blog post is this for you?

This is my 23rd blog post. The majority of which lately seem to be Thursday Thunks


9. You are driving down a road and your GPS says turn right, but the road has a Dead End sign. You check your GPS and according to it's map, there is a road at the end of the Dead End road that you need to turn onto. Do you follow the GPS?

Hell no. My GPS is always wrong. Half the time, she has me turning left, then left, then left, then left. Her name is "The Bitch". Also, I've decided, once your GPS gets you good and lost, she "claims" to lose the GPS reception so now you're lost and have no clue where to go.

8. If you had a $2 bill, would you spend it?

I actually do have a $2 bill. My grandpa got all his grandkids one for Christmas several years back. They're all in his safety deposit box though, so I guess no, I wouldn't spend it.

7. When there is nobody else around and you sneeze or cough, do you cover your mouth?

This one's fifty fifty. When there's no one around, I still tend to cover my mouth, however, I'm more likely to forget to cover my mouth when no one's around.


6. You are a DJ at a radio station and your first guest is Bud... what is the first question you are going to ask him?

Where's Berleen?


5. Have you ever stopped to help a stranger with a flat tire?

No, because I have no clue how to fix a flat time myself. I have helped strangers with other tasks, but never anything having to do with vehicles :P


4. You get on an airplane and you find that your seat neighbor is Kimber... what do you talk about or do you ignore her completely?

Ignore her, but send her suspicious, shifty eyes the entire flight.


3. Have you ever rode an elephant?

Yes, at a circus when I was much much younger. It was freaky feeling.


2. Time to bitch & moan! What is your biggest complaint about your current friends on Facebook?

Getting too philosophical. I friended you so I could know every time you cooked dinner, or bought a new shirt. I didn't friend you to read you go on and on about philosophy or whatever.


1. School is back in session for all little girls and boys now. What, in your life, changes when kids go back to school?

I get to start making money again! (I'm a substitute teacher)


And yes, Thursday Thunks people, I see what you did there with those numbers :P

Thursday Thunkity

Thursday Thunks: You've Got Mail

The TT questions are brought to you by Bud, the color of Meg Ryan's Blouse and the number 33.

1. From whom did you get your last e-mail?

AMC Entertainment. AMC is the movie theater around here, so I got an email about what movies are playing this week. I rarely go to movies anymore cause they're not worth the cost, but I do like to daydream :P

2. What is the most recent movie that you have seen in a theater?

Does the drive-in count? If so, I saw "Grown-Ups" at the drive in (we also watched Toy Story 3, cause it was a double feature, but Grown-Ups was the second movie that night)

3. Have you ever seen a ghost?

Besides TV and movies... no. But sometimes I get a creepy feeling that something is following or watching me. This is why at night, I can't walk through a dark house. I have to turn on all the lights in like, a light trail, and then turn them off one by one until I'm safely in my room.


4. Ever loved someone so much it made you cry?

Hmmm.... No, not really. Is love supposed to make you cry?


5. What are you most afraid of?

Falling off a bridge into a body of water while in a car.


6. What do you do when you are bored?

Refresh the same internet pages over and over hoping something new will pop up, even though nothing ever does.

7. Other than the author of this mess of a meme, whose blog are you most curious to see their answers?

!!! I'm trying to get her to start doing THursday Thunks with me so I can compare answers :P

8. Name three thing from your bucket list.

1.) Visit Australia
2.) Hug a Tiger
3.) Visit Oregon


9. Who was the last person who complimented you on how you looked, that actually was a surprise?

BF's cousin Mary.


10. Do you remember Berleen?

No. Who?


11. What was the last concert that you attended where the band was much better than you imagined?

I went to a few of the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival concerts, which they were all quite enjoyable. I guess I would say Boys II Men was the most shocking to me? I dunno...


12. What’s the next band you’re either planning to see or want to?

I have no plans to see any bands, but I would still loooooooooove to see Good Charlotte in concert some day.


13. What were the last things do you imagine that Kimber threw off the roof?

A goat.

I'll Complain Because I Want To

So... to avoid yet ANOTHER Thursday Thunks posting in a row, I have decided to blog today. Yaaaaaay. And what, you may ask, am I going to blog about? Well I have decided I feel like complaining. And that complaint is....

PASSWORDS

Ugh. I hate passwords. Every single site has different requirements. So I have my standard password, but suddenly, the next site I go to wants me to have a letter in it. Then the next site wants me to capitalize one of the letters. Then the next site wants me to have a symbol in it. They also all have various minimum and maximum character lengths. And some places make me change my password every month, which really just pisses me off so much that I +1 to the number at the end.

Uuuuggghhh

So now every site I go to has a different password for it. So I have to spend forever trying out different combinations trying to get the right one. Most of the time, I either have to click on the "forget password" button, or they just block my ip address. So when I click "Forget Password" button, it makes me eventually pick a new password. So I type in a new password to use...... and it comes back and says I can't use that password because I've already used that password in the past!!! UUUUGGGGHHHH!!!! Why couldn't I have remembered that password 5 minutes ago when I needed it???? So now, my options are limited, so I have to come up with some off the wall password, which just starts the whole cycle again cause I can't remember that password!

So yeah, yeah, I know passwords are important to keep your stuff private and safe.... But I still hate em.

Thursday Thunks....Yet Again

Guys, I want to apologize for all these Thursday Thunks in a row. My dad's been hospitalized so I've been coming up everyday to keep him company. You'd think that would give me MORE time to blog, but I just haven't been in the right mood. Don't worry though.... I've got some more cute animal videos all loaded and ready to go for all of you!

But onto the Thunking!!


Thursday Thunks: At the Zoo
The TT questions are brought to you by Bud, the color of my neighbor's wife's eyes and the number 33,333.


1. Would you rather have a pet hippo or a pet elephant?

Pet elephant. First of all, you can't hear elephant communication (they communicate in rumbles so low in frequency that humans can't hear it). Next, when hippos go poop, they swing their tales and cause all their poop to go flying out all over the place.


2. Why do you think bananas are shaped the way they are?

They're in easy grasping form!


3. In one word (OK, you can go three to four MAX) , what do most people describe you as?

Responsible


4. Choice (stupid but a choice…): Loss of vision, ability to speak or hearing - which do you choose? (you have to choose one....) It's like a law. But we can't make you.

Ability to speak. I don't really like speaking in front of people anyway, but I looooove to type! So this would give me a real excuse to IM people all the time. Plus, this way my boyfriend would stop nagging me about how I "never answer my phone" (which, how am I supposed to answer it if he never calls me in the first place?)


5. Do you like lemons? Do you use them to clean with or just as a food source? Or are you saving them up for 2012?

I like lemons inside lemon shakeups/lemonade but that's about it. Never use them to clean. And why are people saving them? Unless that's when the fairy's are going to attack? They're allergic to lemons, you know. That and iron.


6. When you are feeling icky with that sickness feeling, what is your first choice for feel-better medicine?

Ibuprofen. Or Anti-Diarrehal pills. The cheap kind. That are like, the size of a small ant.


7. You are starving. You have not had anything to eat for days. In front of you is poison ivy, a live hissing cockroach, and a rotten stinky piece of some sort of mystery meat to eat. Which would you pick and why?

Totally a rotten stinky piece of some sort of mystery meat. Hey, it was once food. Plus, I'm always eating things that are past their due dates, so it's kind of expected. Besides, I love Hissing Cockroaches!!! My hissers. I miss them so much. I'm gonna have pet Hissers when I grow up. So no, I definitely would not want to eat them.


8. Who was the last person you bought a present for? What was it? Will you buy Berleen one?

I bought a Photo Frame for my cousin Blair's wedding. And no, I'm uber broke, so Berleen is gettin NUTTIN from me!


9. Name 3 things you want your kids to learn before they grow up. (If you don't have kids, feel free to explain to the other players why you chose the “no kids“ choice. Yea. I know. (Those who have children will NEVER get it. And no, don‘t explain it…)

Why did I choose the "no kids" choice? Because I'm still young an unmarried and I don't want to screw with my life (and little finances) right now.

However, I do want to have 4 children eventually. So I would want them to learn

a.) Every person, race, religion is the same as everyone else and should not be treated differently in any way.

b.) How to play an instrument

c.) How to treat animals the proper way with respect and how to protect them

d.) that Harry Potter is the greatest series ever.


10. What was your favorite toy as a child? What happened to it?

Probably my stuffed snow bear, "Snowie" I carried that bear around everywhere. I talked to him, told him secrets, played with him. What happened to him? Well, I still have him. He travelled with me to college, he came to FL with me. Right now, he's stuffed on top of a glass cabinet with all my other bears, but eventually I'll find a better place for him.


11. If you could paint your house ANY color you wanted and your friends, family & neighbors would love the color from the moment they saw it, what would it be?

Probably yellow. I've always imagined one of those cute country houses with the white picket fence and pretty garden, so yellow it would be. But a light yellow, not a bright neon.


12. If the Pillsbury Dough Boy got into a fight with Mrs. Butterworth who would win? And would anybody get hurt? And do we seem desperate even asking?

Oooo, this is a tough one. I would say that the Pillsbury Dough Boy would win. He could just wrap himself around Mrs. Butterworth and suffocate her. Would anybody get hurt? Yeah, Mrs. Butterworth when she suffocates :P And no, you're not desperate-- Inquiring minds just needed to know the answer!


13. What was the last thing you would guess that Kimber took a picture of? Oh. And consider the meme listed below. Click on it. It rocks.

Ummmm..... a picture of an Elvis impersonater?

Thursday Thunks..... On Friday???

Okay, so I was on a mini-vacation this past week and just got home last night. I was sooooooo tired that I didn't get a chance to do the Thursday Thunks on time!!! So I'm just going to go ahead and do it today :P Better late than never, right?



Thursday Thunks: Giving Away Money

The TT questions are brought to you by Bud, the color of organic salsa and the number 3333.


1. To whom did you last give the finger?


Hmmm.... Probably my boyfriend. We both like to give each other shit, and finally, when I can't take it any longer, or if he's gone overboard a little bit, or I have no more responses, I give him the finger. He actually gets offended by it (I don't really mean anything by it) so I should probably stop doing that.



I also give him the "bang the sides of your fists against each other" thing instead of the finger sometimes. Friends, anyone??




2. If you had 1,000 dollars and HAD to spend it, what would you buy?

Well, of course I would do the sensible thing and pay off my student loans and such. But materialistic wise, I would TOTALLY buy land and build my dream house. 4 stories- finished basement (it would be the "entertainment place" with movie viewing room, lots of games, pool table, indoor pool, etc., A Regular story, and Upstairs, and an Attic (that would also be nice and pretty and would hold books and couches and be like a mini library). Oh, and it would all be eco-friendly. Somehow. :P

Of course, property taxes would be outrageous, but hey, this is MY fantasy.

3. What was the last beverage you spilled on yourself?


Definitely water. Partly because that's the only drink I have anymore (well, lemonade every great once in awhile) but partly because just a couple days ago I was drinking out of a glass and spilled water down my shirt. I fail at basic human functions :P




4. When was the last photograph you took? What was it of?



Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha. If you actually know me, when am I NOT taking photographs of things? Seriously, my camera is part of my body just like everyone else's eyes are. Let me find that old camera and see....



Okay... the last photograph I took was yesterday driving home from Portillo's up in Naperville. The day before, we had gone to Naperville for dinner with the rest of the BF's family. All week, the BF had been talking about these "Chocolate Cake Shakes" and how good they were and how he couldn't believe I'd never tried one. So when we went to dinner that night, the BF ordered his meal and I just told the lady at the counter I would have what he had (he had ordered the same Beef N Cheddar that I wanted and a chocolate cake shake). Well, the chocolate cake shake was HUMONGOUS. So big. And we had two of them at our table. Don't get me wrong... It tasted marvelous (it's a vanilla shake blended together with a whole piece of chocolate icing-ed chocolate cake). But way to much for me to eat. The BF finished his, then I forced him (he was full) to eat the second half of mine. So of course a good time was had by all.



Well, the next day, the BF wanted Portillo's again for lunch (personally, while I think the food is good, I'm not crazed about it like everyone else in the family. It's not a place that I *have* to go to every time I'm up north) and once again, he ordered the Chocolate Cake Shake (only this time, the "small" instead of the "large") I couldn't believe he wasn't tired of the shakes yet, so I just had to take his picture---- and of course I had to take the photo to send to a friend who also loves Chocolate Cake Shakes and was sad that we didn't bring one home with him.





5. Who was the last person to smoke a cigarette in your presence?

I'm.... not sure. I'm trying to remember who I've seen last- My step-dad or my BF's mom. Both of them smoke so I know it was one of them. I see the BF's mom more than I see my step-dad, however, the step-dad is more likely to smoke in front of me than BF's mom. So.... one of them :P


6. What animal did you last pet or hold?

My crazy pet cat. She's insane and loves to jump and tumble and run around everywhere, however, she did break into my bathroom time to rub against my legs this morning, so she wins this question.


7. What was the last superstitious thing you did?

Ever since I was a kid, every time I drive past, or walk past a graveyard, I have to cross my fingers. When I was younger, my (also young) cousin told me that ghosts will come out and kill me when we pass the cemetery unless my fingers are crossed, which wards them away. And so I've done that Every. Single. Time I pass a cemetery. Even to this day. Hell, even to last night when we drove past some graves and my fingers go into their positions automatically. Not that I believe ghosts will kill me anymore, but, ya know, habit.



8. What was the last text message you received?

From my youngest sister. "I'm glad you your purse. :)" I had left my purse in Portillo's and hadn't realized it till we were 65 miles away. So of course I was sad because it had some important things in it (social security card, Disney ID, iPod) and the BF was upset because I told him I wanted to drive back even though we called the restaurant and they said no one turned it in AND they looked by where we were sitting and didn't see it. However, when we got back, there my purse was sitting EXACTLY where I knew I had left it :) So I let everyone know I had gotten it back (since I had let everyone know I had lost it)


9. Berleen has decided to buy twelve goats. If she trades three for some awesome pot, loses one while she was stoned, what do you think she did with the rest?

I think there is a "cook-out" in the making. "Burgers" and "Cheese" and "Milk" for all!!


10. What was the last musical instrument played in your presence?

Hmmm... Probably an accordion. We were walking the streets of Chicago the other day and of course the homeless were out trying to get some money. I guess accordions are the "in" instruments for the homeless these days because we ran into about 3 or 4 accordion players that day.


11. What was the last note that you wrote on your hand?

Back in high-school I was CONSTANTLY writing notes on my hand. I mean, not cheating notes or anything, but reminder stuff (I was super busy in high school- I was one of those types that joined everything.). It's been a long time so I don't remember exactly what the last thing I wrote was, but I'm assuming it was a note about doing some homework or going somewhere.


12. Kimber announced that she was born on another planet. Which one do you think it was and why?

Hmmmm..... I'm gonna go with Neptune because it's such an odd little planet.


13. What are you wearing as you answer these ridiculously stupid TT questions?

An old college marching band t-shirt and a ponytail. Hey, I just woke up. Didn't feel like getting all gussied up :P

Thursday Thunks: What the What??

So, since I have trouble thinking of things to write about, I've decided to do daily meme's! So I chose Thursday Thunks Let's see what happens!!!



Thursday Thunks: You give it a title

The TT questions are brought to you by Berleen, the color of lightning bolts and the number 1.



A. If you see a tornado out your window, what do you do?

Scream hysterically!!!! I hate hate hate storms on the off chance that a tornado MIGHT occur. To actually SEE one?? I would pee my pants, run downstairs, curl up in a little ball, pull every blanket/pillow/mattress/piece of armor/sister that I own on top of me to shield me from damage, and just cry.

B. A celebrity knocks on your door saying that their tour bus/limo/pedal bike broke down (you pick the transportation)... who is it and what do you do to help them?

Hmmmmm...... Well, Selena Gomez of Wizards of Waverly Place fame is currently in town, so she's the most likely to have their tour bus break down. If this were to happen, I would probably stare at her creepily for an awkward amount of time, invite her inside, then proceed to take a bajillion photos staging various scenes. I would also webcam w/ my friend Nachos and we would think we were sooo awkwardly awesome "hanging out" (i.e- kidnapping) Selena Gomez because we would stay up all night watching the Disney Channel back when we lived together.

P.S.... we're both in our 20s.


C. Brett is back on the Vikings - do you really give a crap?

I couldn't give less of a flying crap if I tried. In fact, when I first read this question, for some reason I was wondering if Vikings was a name of a reality TV show and the question was about Brett Michaels...


D. What side of the bed do you think Bud sleeps on?

Uhhh.. I'm new. Who's Bud? I'm gonna go for spread out like an eagle in the center of the bed.

E. Cookie Monster eats vegetables now. Is this ok with you?

No. C is for cookies. It's just awkward to see him eat vegetables. Do they still call him cookie monster or did they change his name too?

F. All the TT's get together for coffee... which state do we meet in?

Uhhhmmm..... uhhhh.... Kansas? So we can go find a tornado like the one referenced in question 1 and see if everyone's predictions come true?

G. Is the town you live in famous for anything? Infamous for anything?

HORSESHOES!!!!! We are the only area that makes these delicious treats. Even visitors from the northern and southern parts of our state don't know what a horseshoe is. Basically, you take a large piece of lightly toasted Texas Toast, put a meat item on top of that (the original used ham, most places nowadays use hamburgers, but you can also put any meat imaginable on it. Right now, since it's state fair time, the special is corndog), pile a whole bunch of crinkly fries on top, then douse the entire thing with a special liquid cheese. Gluttony can be so amazing. And what I just described was a ponyshoe... a real horseshoe is double that.

H. Coffee flavored bubble gum - would you?

H to the E-L-L No. It would be so weird, you'd want to swallow it, but instead you're chewing it? I don't think I could handle something solid that's supposed to be a liquid. (also, I love the smell of coffee, but I hate the taste of it!)

I. So Kimber lost her fight with a granite table.... what did you ever lose a fight with?

Hmmm... hard one. I guess I lost a fight with my tooth. It wanted to decay and come out, and I didn't want it to. It won.

J. Have you ever slept beneath the stars?

Sort of, but not really. I've been camping loads of times, but I've always been in a tent or camper. Sleeping under the stars SOUDNS romantic... until you discover all the bug bites in the morning.

K. School is starting up soon, or has for some, did you get a new pair of tennis shoes every year while you were in school?

For the most part. I tend to wear my shoes ragged. I'm rough on em. So I would get new shoes, but mainly because my old ones would have holes in them so big you could see my toes, or the heel would be flopping down as you tried to pull your foot up.

L. What two flavors do you love that you would never want to taste at the same time?

Mashed potatos and Strawberries. I love carbs, I love strawberry flavoring... but together? It makes me wanna gag.

M. If you could shave a quote into a lions fur, what would it say?

"Please tell my parents how I died."

N. Did you ever accidentally walk in on your parents doing the nasty? Did you ever purposely walk in on them?

Somehow, I managed to escape this rite of childhood. Which is odd considering I had double the chances with two sets of parents. Also- no, I can't imagine even WANTING to walk in on them on purpose.

Presenting the Presenter Eats and Blogs the Illinois State Fair

Okay, so despite the never changing, animal filled, tractor showcasing, food-a-palooza bonanza the IL State Fair is every year, it's still a tradition for people to plop on the sunscreen, shove their family in the huge family van, pay $5 for parking, pay for admission tickets, and experience the "wonder" that is the IL State Fair. What can we say, humans love "traditions".

I've missed the fair a few times the past couple years due to jobs and college, but don't worry... the years and years of me going to the fair can still allow me to walk you to the butter cow or Vose's Corndogs blindfolded.

Well, it's that time of year again, so me and BF grabbed our Free Parking Pass, our Free Daily Admission passes (Thanks 30!) and off to the fair we went!!

Normally, the one of the less welcome State Fair traditions is the sweating faces, the red blotchy patches on your skin, the desperate runs to the water coolers, and the passing out in the middle of the street. But we got really really lucky this year and tonight when we went (around 4:30) it was actually quite cool outside with one or two sprinkles that were soft enough to feel like mist. In fact, at one point, after a particularly chilling breeze, I even commented to the boyfriend that it was a little chilly outside and it would be perfect weather for a light jacket. That might have been a little overkill, but really, absolutely perfect weather :)

Now, anyone that knows me knows that it's rare to find me without a camera. So without further ado, I present a Photo Blog of Presenting the Presenter's experiences at the IL State Fair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, we walk into the fair, and this is the first thing we see-

BEARS!!!!!!

Now, I don't know why the IL state fair has bears. IL no longer has a lot of bears. Nonetheless, there's that little cage full of bears. But here's the thing- my dad hates bears. He thinks they are going to come up to the house, unlock the door, and maul him in his sleep. That's why we buy him all sorts of bear paraphernalia for Christmas- we like to hear his screams of terror. So when I saw these bears no more than 5 minutes away from our house, I immediately thought of him. Maybe he's right and the bears ARE after him and are slowly getting closer and closer to the house. These bears were going to do a Bear Show, but it was still an hour away so we decided to leave and come back later.

Now, let's get to what you're all REALLY looking forward to-- FOOD!!!

So, first things first, we went to the Agriculture Tent. This is always our first stop when we go to the fair- normally because the tent is right near our entrance, but mainly because of the FREE FOOD SAMPLES!!! Mmmmmm. This year's loot was Butter Cake, Pease's Cheddar Popcorn, Cinnamon Wheat bread... or something like that, Chips and Dip, Coffee, and Meat (maybe pork?) with Riley's Seasoning on it. It was all very very tasty.

Sadly, I did not get any photos of the samples (well besides one photo of the BF enjoying Stewarts Coffee). I ate them too fast! What can I say- they handed me that Butter Cake and it was GONE.

Who doesn't love hot coffee on a hot fair day?

Next we walked around trying to find Meat Parfaits. Before I went, I had gotten word that they were behind Ethnic Village along the fence. Well we walked allll the way down there- No Meat Parfaits. Sadness! We called 30, who then said to try and ask an information booth. Well there was NO WAY I was going to embarrass myself by walking up to the booth asking "Where's the Meat Parfaits?" so I resigned myself to not trying this year's unique fair item.

So off we went to the annual favorite-- The Butter Cow!!! Before we got there, we passed by a fudge and pizza booth. We weren't going to stop, but the barker convinced us to turn back around and get a Free Sample of Fudge. Well, who can say no to that? So he took a little 1 inch cube, cut it in half and gave half to the BF. The guy then decided the other half was too small for me, so he cut another piece in half, then gave me TWO pieces of fudge. Score!! We didn't buy anything there- but look what we could have bought!! Pizza that's shaped like an ice-cream cone!!!

Eventually, we made it inside and met the Butter Cow:

Honestly, I've seen better Butter Cows. Last one I saw was the Butter Cow and all his woodland creature friends. This year all he's got is a bunch of corn and a measly butterfly. Meh I say.


But a visit to the buttercow also means enjoyment of a MilkShake!

"Now Presenter, just why are you taking pictures of spoons?" you may be asking yourself. Well, this is all that is left of our milkshake (I took one bite with a spoon before moving to a straw). I couldn't help it! It was so good (despite being slightly melted) It wasn't until after we threw the cup away that I remembered that I was trying to do a Photo Food Blog. Ooops.

Next, we walked around Conservation World looking at the various crafts, staring at various animals, laughing at crazy redneck stuff. While there, BF mentioned he had never tried homemade rootbeer, so we decided to remedy that:

I'm not a fan of homemade rootbeer, plus, I've stopped drinking soda, so BF was the only partaker of this one. But I think he liked it? He did mention that the lack of carbonation made it different than commercial brands, but that was about his only commentary.

Remember a while back when I said we couldn't find the Meat Parfait? And I was too embarrassed to ask the information booth? Well, we passed one, and BF asked me if I was going to stop, and I said "Hell no, I'm not going up there and asking "where's the meat"" Well, BF kind of scoffed, turned around, and went up there himself to ask!!! He's so nice- I guess this proves he really does love me since he's willing to face that much embarrassment for me (meanwhile, I'm hiding up ahead past the booth--- so what does that say about me??)

Sadly, my fears of being embarrassed were not unfounded-- The lady looked at him, like he was crazy and said she hadn't heard of such a thing. But, she did look through the Vendor's list for it (we were thinking the place was called Meat Man, or something like that) but there was no mention in there about anyplace that started with the word meat. So, Meat Parfait Attempt #2 was a fail.

The next stop for food was another yearly favorite-- Vose's Corndogs!!! Corn dogs are an IL State Fair staple. Pretty much every single vendor sells them. I don't know why Vose's are the best, they just are. And there's no way to reproduce their taste. You can only get these for one week a year, so you bet they are popular. Also, remember that bear show we (well, I) wanted to watch? Well, at this point, it was either go back to watch the bear show, or get in line for a corndog. Well, obviously the corn dog won. No bear show for us this year.

Look at those bite marks on the top.... I almost started eating it before I remembered I wanted to document my food journey.

But do you want to know one of the reasons Vose's corndogs are the best? The sticks in the middle!!

Look at that! It's food with danger! Every bite you take increases the risk of STABBING A HOLE IN YOUR ESOPHAGUS!!! It's like a dagger, hidden inside a corn-bread covered meat tube. Mmmmmm, I love a dash of blood with my meal.

So, after our nice tasty corndogs, we walked around a bit more, looking at various booths and just kind of taking in the sites. Here's a few of the "food-related" sites we looked at-

It's like EPCOT....only not.

Cheese..... ON A STICK!!!

What would a Springfield Fair be without Fried Things? Fried T-Shirt please!! (Simpsons, anyone?)

This reminds me of FL. Hey! Wonder if they have Gator Tators...

I want that tree. Wait, the bottles are empty?? Nevermind then.

It says Corn in a Cup.... But when you go up there to look at the sample, the cup is just filled with yellow tissue paper.

Dude, why couldn't we have found the $1 stand BEFORE we spent all that money earlier???

Somehow... I don't know if I would trust getting my crab from a shack like this.

It says Breakfast....and yet, none of those menu items proclaim breakfasty items....

After awhile, I called 30 to ask a question. And during this conversation, she told me wonderful news. She had found it. The coveted location of the Meat Parfait!! It's on the little road that the Pizza Hut building/booth intersects. So off we went.... and look what we found-



















THE MEAT PARFAIT PLACE!!!! VICTORY IS OURS!!!

Well, despite BF's continuous "ewwwww"ing of the meat parfait images, I knew, I just HAD to try it. So, off I went to go order it.


Here it is:

Look at that meatiness!




Presenting the Presenter approves!

As for the taste.... well, it was alright. Not as good as my French Meat & Potatoes :P The barbecue sauce was nice (in fact, if we hadn't walked away, I would have put more BBQ sauce on it) the potatoes were good and filling, and the meat had a nice taste to it (I preferred the pork to the brisket, but BF preferred the brisket to the pork). The problem though was that it was very, very filling. You pay $7 for a cup, and you better be prepared to share it because it is waaaay too heavy for fair food and unless you're starving, I don't know if one person can eat it on their own- if you want to try it, be prepared to bring one or two of your close friends with you. Fair food is supposed to be light and not that heavy/filling on the stomach. But you eat a little bit of this and you can feel it sitting on your stomach. I was lucky I was eating this on a light, cool day because if it had be miserably hot like most days, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much.

Meanwhile, since I had found my "New Thing To Try", it was BF's turn! He decided he wanted to try a Fried Snickers (he was tempted with a Fried Cheesecake, but the Snicker persevered). So away we went, walking to the opposite side to the fair. While BF was in line waiting for his candy to fry, I went and got a Lemon Shakeup:

BF came back with his Fried Snickers and the warning to wait 2 minutes before eating it. Well who can wait two minutes?? He lasted about 45 seconds. He said he really liked it. I tried a bit of it, but I didn't get a lot of the candy bar portion, mainly just the fried dough, and I didn't find it too impressive. A little watery? But again, that could be because I got the side and not the main nutty nougaty goodness.







At this point, we decided to find a seat because we were carrying too much stuff, and it was starting to "mist" (it was to light to be called sprinkling) a little bit. It was also at this point that I figured out that I would not be able to finish the Meat Parfait and any attempt to would result in gross happenings.

But, with encouraging words (and lots of helping bites by my BF) we managed to conquer the Meat Parfait. Victory!

That was about it for our food adventure..... or was it?? BF was still debating about trying another new food choice. The option was Fried Alligator...or Chocolate Covered Bacon. Ultimately though, he decided to try neither of these options. Personally, I wouldn't have minded trying the chocolate bacon, but perhaps another trip. However, this was the point that we ran into another fair favorite....






Mini-Donuts!!!!! How could we leave the fair without getting mini-donuts?? So, we got our tasty fried little treats. Again, I've had better donuts (seriously, anyone who visits Typhoon Lagoon has got to buy their donuts... though, there you only get 6 donuts for like, $4 while here we got 22 donuts for $5.)




And thus, our Fair Food Adventure was over. We walked around a bit, looked at some games and rides, saw some Lincoln stuff, and finally our feet admitted defeat and towards home we went. We never got an Elephant Ear, but, ya know, there's always next year :P



Did you go to a State Fair this year? What are some of your "Have-To-Gets"? Any new favorites?

Oh Noes!!!!

So remember how I promised everyone a State Fair post? Well, I tried... I really did!!!

I wrote out a few paragraphs, talked about the weather (it was perfect!) and was all set to start the Photo Blog. So I put my memory card in............. and my computer won't recognize the card.

OH NOES!!!


Now, I'm sure this has an easy solution. I probably just need to restart my computer. But, you know, I'm kinda tired.... and I don't feel like restarting the comp.... so looks like you guys will have to wait till tomorrow to get my State Fair Recap.

Sorry!!!

Here's a cool link to make up for it. Believe me-- listen to the song, it's well worth it! Almost as good as seeing pictures of the copious amounts of food I ate.

Pre-Fair

Okay, count this as a "Pre-State-Fair" Post.

As I've mentioned before, I love food. Well, while surfing facebook, I ran across this (Thanks CACousin!)

It's called a "Meat-Man Parfait"

It's BBQ pork (or BBQ brisket) in layers with mashed potatos, drizzled in BBQ sauce, and a "cherry" tomato on top.

Now, I already have my list of Foods That I Must Eat At The Fair Each Year. A Vose's Corndog. Lemonshake up. Donut Family's Mini Donuts. Milkshake from the ButterCow building. Which is quite a lot. But.... this Meat-Man Parfait.... I just might have to spend even MORE money ($7 for this plastic cup) and get one.

Sure, it may look gross to you. BUT, last year, at EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival, I got this sampler from France that was a cup of mashed potatoes, but when you took a bite, you discovered there were beef short ribs in the middle. And It. Was. Amazing. Soooo good.

So unassuming, but sooo tasty.

So sure, this Meat-Man Parfait might turn out to be horrible and gross. But my salivary glands are currently going in full force in remembrance of France's food so I'm going to HAVE to try IL's version to see if it stacks up.

It's not gluttony, it's a science experiment!!

You folks have 3 and a half hours to talk me out of it, so try your best!!!

*****UPDATE*****

OH NO!!! I forgot to mention Elephant Ears on my list of food I have to eat tonight!! How could I have forgotten Elephant Ears???

Long Discussions or Turtles

I think the title of this post should actually be the title of my blog. Because I either post really long, rambling posts where I just go on, and on, and on, or I post videos about turtles.

I can't help it though, I really don't have much going on in my life. Waiting for the school year to start so I can start subbing again. Thinking about getting a part-time night job so I can buy a tree (don't ask.) I guess I can start blogging more about TV shows I watch, but I'm already enough of a loser that I don't know if I want to admit to you guys just how much TV I watch.

Tell you what. I'm going to the State Fair tomorrow and I promise I will blog about it the following day. And if I don't, you all have permission to come to my house and hit me with a fish.

(See what I did there? Now when I don't post, you guys all have to come to IL and visit me! I be so smart!)

And since this is a short post, I gotta share a video! Lesse.... This time I will share a home video of mine. This is my crazy cat. More about her later.

The First Ever Presenting the Presenter LiveBlog!!!

So, I love the show SYTYCD. It's a lot of great fun and I love it so much more than other dancing shows. The people on the show can ACTUALLY dance, the judges are SO MUCH NICER than other "judging" shows, and criticisms they give are actually relevant and designed to help them rather than just say they suck and are pitchy, and the host is wonderful at her job.

Anyway, I try to watch every season, but I've missed the past 2 or 3. I try, but I just got really busy (hey, I was living in FL with free access to Walt Disney World at any time I wanted to go- I wasn't gonna waste that on watching tv). But this season I managed to catch every episode. And boy, was it a wonderful season. I loved almost everyone on the show (I didn't care for the tap dancer, and I barely remember the girls that were eliminated at the beginning). But the boys were WONDERFUL as well as Lauren- the last girl standing. In fact, I hated having to eliminate everyone each week because I didn't want to lose anyone. So it was actually a blessing when people kept getting hurt so I didn't have to choose!!! :P (though, I was sad when they got injured and they couldn't dance anymore :( )

Anyway, tonight's the finale! And my three favorite dancers are the final three contestants!!!

Kent- Kent has been my favorite since auditions. What can I say- I love a small town bright eyed boy. I love his personality, and I love his dancing. I've loved everything he's done. While I love all three people and don't care who wins, I am pushing more for Kent to win.

Lauren- Ever since Hollywood, I have been a fan of the boys more so than the girls. They just seemed to have more personality and I loved their dancing. But, Lauren also stood out to me. I loved her audition piece, and I loved her dancing during early Hollywood auditions, but she started to get overshadowed by the boys. But then, she got on the show, and she re-installed my love for her! She's such a talented dancer. She has a great personality (not as good as Kent, which is why she's slightly under him in my rankings) and she's a wonderful dancer!!!

Rob- Rob was a dark horse for me. During the show when they were announcing who was going to be on the show, I had 5 boys I had picked out who were my favorite boys and HAD to be on the show. (I didn't have a list of girls I liked w/ the exception of Lauren) Despite my love of his audition piece, Rob was not on my list. Well, as the show went on, every. single. one. of my guys I wanted on the show made it. With the exception of Billy Bell. Well, it's down to the final slot, and it's between Rob and Billy Bell. So, of course, I was rooting for Billy. And then Rob got the spot. So I was a little disappointed. But then they said Billy got to be the 11th person!!!! Well, anyway, despite Rob not being one of my top 5 guys, every single week, I grew to love Rob more and more. I started rooting for him, and the week that two were going home, I hoped against hope that Rob would not be going home and instead they would send Billy home. I felt so bad for Rob that he kept being in the bottom 3, and I'm so glad the judges kept him on (and finally yelled at America for not voting for him and sending him to the bottom so much) because we got the opportunity to see him grow as a dancer- so much more than the others. I was sooo happy for him when he finally started being "safe" and not in the bottom. So while I'm still hoping for Kent to win, and then Lauren, I will be extremely happy if Robert wins and surprises everyone.


But, like I mentioned a few times, I will be happy with any outcome. I love them all so much :) This was the greatest season I've ever watched. Everyone brought such a high level of expertise and I can think of very few routines that I didn't like.

Anyway, since I love the show so much, and I've run out of things to talk about on my blog, I've decided to do a liveblog!! Basically, I watch the show and type my comments as I think them. If you don't watch the show, you probably will have no idea what is happening. But if you DO watch So You Think You Can Dance Finale, then you can probably figure out where I am in the show and what I'm talking about. So without further ado....

*PLAY*



Squeeeeee it's Alex!! I love Alex! And how cute is it that they wheeled him out on a chair and he did a hip hop esque chair routine?

Loved that first group routine!!!! Such wonderful choreography, incorporating all those styles, and I loved seeing everyone do their thing. And I know they do it every season, but I still love the focus on the final three at the end.

Hmmm.. I did love the "baseball" routine, but I will have to see what other routines they choose to see if I agree with that being one of the "best routines of the season" Don't get me wrong, I loved the routine, but there were others I loved more.

Yay Mad World Routine!!! I loved that one :) Plus I love the song

This is a cute routine, with Quest (or how do you spell it?) But is it sad that I can't tell which one is Hawk? Was he the half bald one at the beginning? Cuz I didn't think he was bald... Or maybe he was.... I dunno. But I liked it :)

Instead of taking time to talk about this routine, I will instead take this time to talk about the choreographer. While they are not my favorite choreographers, I love love love Nappytabs. They are absolutely amazing and I love their routines. Who knew that hip hop dances could make you feel emotional and tell such amazing stories? I'm so happy when I see someone pull them out of the hat.

Hmm, Kent "first kiss" routine. I love almost every dance this season, so I'm not really going to complain about what routines they do as long as I see them dance, but first kiss, while very good, was never one of my favorites. Again, not gonna complain, I just hope to get to see some of my favorites. If I get to see the ones I want to see, then I'll be happy with everything else :P

The more I see the "They got shot, they got shot, they got shot." commercial, the more I want to watch Raising Hope

Oooo, Another Nappytabs routine. Lesse what it is.... CRAZY CLOWNS!!! Wooooo!!!! Still very good, but I think I liked it better the first time. Lol, did everyone see Dominic give an angry look" when Cat gave Rob a kiss?

THIS KID IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!! I WANNA JUST CARRY HIM AROUND IN MY POCKET AND PULL HIM OUT EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE AND HAVE HIM DANCE FOR ME!!!!!! WOW!!!! (kinda sad that I didn't get to see another big Nigel dance though)

Sorry older kids, but that young kid had a cute factor that you just can't live up to. Though, I do like the second half of your routine where you're doing songs and stuff, and, well, okay, actually, you're pretty cool too.

Yaaaaay Lauren! Again, not one of my favorite routines (even less so than the other ones I "complained" about) But again, I don't really care unless I don't get to see her "duck in heat" dance, then I'll be pretty sad that they chose this one over that one. I must say though, I enjoyed it more this time than I did last time :)

Awwww, the Travis Wall Fix You routine. I loved loved loved this routine. But remember how I said Nappytabs wasn't my favorite choreographers? Well, the only reason they're not my favorite is because of this man right here. Travis Wall. He is absolutely amazing. Every. Single. Routine. he does brings out some sort of emotion in me. I love everything he does. He's young too. Like, 22. So he has a long, wonderful career ahead of him. He needs an Emmy. If he doesn't get nominated for next years Emmys, there's something wrong with the world. It'll be a Mad World :P

You know, I started watching last years SYTYCD, but I was always busy and ended up not finishing the season. But from what I saw of the season, I liked Russel. I wish they had DVDS of past season so I can catch up on the few seasons I missed.

Oooo... The excaliber routine! I like this routine, but I also still think that I saw a very similar routine once on a different season? But no one knows what I'm talking about. I wanna say it was Benji and Travis, but they did the nerd one, so I don't think it was them. But anyway, yeah, I like this routine because like they said, you really don't get to see two B Boys do a choreographed routine and it's pretty cool.

Yay for seeing Neil, and yeah, SYTYCD has to do their cross promotion with their other editions.... but I think our Lauren is soooooo much better than this girl. They should have a dance off!!!

Ooooo....... Here we go! The first of the elimi----LOL I love Rob's outfit. I guess this means we get to see Rob's Bollywood routine soon :D And we GET TO SEE KENT AND NEIL'S STAB IN BACK ROUTINE!!! THAT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITES THAT I WANT TO SEE!!!

Awww... Poor Rob. I love Rob, even though I only gave him 3 votes last night (I gave everyone at least one vote :P Kent got about 30, Lauren got about 9, and Rob got 3). So. It's down to Lauren and Kent, my two favorites (they were just a smidge over Rob) Again, I love this season, so I have no high hopes for anyone to win (though, if Kent wins, that means I get to see him cry and babble and give his million dollar smile, all of which makes me swoon)

Huh. Another Nappytabs. As much as I love love love Travis, Nappytabs are probably the stand out choreographers of the season. They had a really good year :) I do like this routine, it's cute. Again, would have preferred Duck in Heat, but this one was one of Lauren's great ones. Like Adam said, really showed her strength.

YAAAAAAAAY THE ALEX DAN--- oh wait, this isn't the Alex dance I wanted :( I wanted the Alex Hip-Hop with Twitch :( Don't get me wrong, I like this one, and I love love love the song, but I heard Cat say Alex and I got excited for the hip hop, and it wasn't, so now I'm just disappointed. I think this routine was performed before Alex started ascending to my favorites. I always liked Alex, just not as much as others, but I don't think it was till a few episodes later that I realized I loved him.

Oh heeeeey, I would have never thought they would choose this Bollywood routine to do! (*snark*) I love Bollywood. I am so so so glad they decided to make it one of the regular dances of this season (just how many Bollywood routines did we see this season?) It's so different from the other dances and it's SO FUN!! So much better than disco. And Rob's smile makes him fit the category so well :)

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY ANOTHER NEIL AND KENT ROUTINE!!! AND IT'S THE BACKSTAB ROUTINE. So I didn't get to see the duck dance, but I did get to see one of my absolute favorites, so that's good :) Not only is Travis one of my favorite choreographers, but I love love love love love seeing Kent and Neil dance together. and this routine is absolutely the greatest thing ever. And look at their characters!!! Neil stays soooo angry throughout the entire routine, and Kent keeps glancing over at him longingly..... but I love the end when Kent's by himself. He looks so hurt and awful, I just want to give him a hug. AWWWWWWWWW Neil came back and gave him a hug. They made up from all that fighting. Yay! Tee Hee and how cute was Kent forcing Neil to bow?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT??? WHY ARE HIS LIPS SO BIG???? IT'S SCARING ME SO MUCH!!!! STOP SHOWING IT!!!!

I always enjoy seeing the real version of the goodbye song, but I HATE that they cut away from the video screen to show the singer. I don't care about watching the band, I want to watch the full "season recap" video. I do NOT want to watch Huge Lip dude.

So... we didn't get to see the duck dance. And we didn't get to see Kent and Lauren's prom dance. And we didn't get to see Alex's hip hop dance (though that's for an obvious reason). Booooo, looks like I need to make a trip to YouTube once the show is over.

OMG!!!!! WAIT!!!!! I SEE THE THERAPY COUCH!!!!!!! IT'S THE ALEX HIP HOP ROUTINE!!!! I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!

SQUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LITERALLY JUST SQUUEEEED OUT LOUD FOR A LONG LONG TIME!!! I CAN"T BELIEVE IT!!! IT'S ELLEN!!!!! THIS THIS IS AMAZING!!!! OMG!!!!! WO WOW WOWO WOWWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW I HAVE NO WORDS!!!!! GREATEST THING EVER@!!!!! I love Ellen :D AND THERE IS ALEX ON HIS CRUTCHES!!! Poor Alex. That boot is huge.

So here we are at the end. My two favorite dancers made it to the end. Can we get another kiss? I love them both. Like Kent just said "Here we go" I think I want Kent to win over Lauren, but I will be happy with any outcome.

And the winner is......

LAUREN!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay for Lauren!!! This was such a male dominated season, and she was able to rise above that and show that not only was she the strongest female dancer, she was the greatest. Like one of the judges said earlier (I wanna say Mia) Lauren didn't really need to win the show- she was already an all-star.

Poor Kent though. Did anyone else notice he didn't come back out at the end? He was probably crying :( Lot's of emotion going on.

Welp, that's it folks!!! Season's over. Off to YouTube I go!!!

Day by Day by Day

So I turned to my dad and asked "What should I blog about today?". His response was some sort of cheesy "blog what you feel and what's in your heart and what you want to tell the world"

Well, once again, I have nothing to say, so I leave you with ANOTHER TURTLE VIDEO!!!!

Day by Day...

So, I have nothing really to blog about today. Okay, well, I could blog about this past weekend, but I'm lazy. So instead, I leave you this:

Fatty, Fatty, bo-batty. Banana-fana fo-atty. Fee-fi-mo-matty. Fatty!

So... I am fat.

And no matter how many people do the polite thing and tell me "you look fine", it's not denying the fact that I desperatley need to lose weight.

And so.... once again, I am attempting it.

I've tried it several other times before, but, it just never works out. But I'm motivated this time. Someday, I will be wanting to try on some pretty dresses, and the skinnier I am, the better choices I will have. And I won't have to worry as much about bulges. But, the longer amount of time I give myself to lose this weight, the better it will be, rather than trying to lose weight desperatley for one year.

So here's what I've been doing. I've been using Wii Fit Plus to track my progress. They have a graph of my BMI and Weight. I use the Wii Fit Plus routines to choose what exercises I do for the day. I don't really have a set "routine", I just go through and choose what I want to target for each day. For example, I start off with the "cool down" category, throw in the "figure" category, some "arm", some "tummy" and some "over-indulgence" I then tell Wii Fit to choose 2 exercises from each category to give me and I tell them I want to exercise for ~30 minutes. They then choose what exact exerices I do (it's random) and away I go!

Next, I get on my elliptical and turn on the tv. I've noticed that I exercise better when watching dancing shows or wedding shows compared to when I'm watching food shows, lol!!! Anyway, when I do the elliptical, I focus primarily on the distance I've gone. As of right now, my goal is 1.00 mile per day. I can't go very fast, and I average about 2.4 mph, but I do a steady "jog" with absolutely no stopping (despite wanting to!!!). It averages out to be about 420 calories burned each time. Currently it takes me about 25:30 minutes to do a mile. Perhaps once I get in better shape I can do faster miles.

Then, at some point later, I try and do another half hour of Wii Fit. This second time isn't quite as intensive. What I'm thinking of doing is just picking a cateogry and going through every exercise in it. For example, last night I went to "balance" and did every balance game. So there's no set time I do this for, I just kinda take what they give me. I mght cut this part of my schedule, I dunno. It's not part of my "must do everyday!" list.

So yep, there it is. My mom wanted to start exercising too, so we decided to do the Wii Fit portions together so we could motivate each other and force each other to do it everyday. And then, of course, my sister wanted to join in too!! The only problem then, is that it takes sooooo much time!! Each weigh in takes about 10 minutes, then we each have 30 minutes of exercise... so that's 2 hours of the night overtaken with WiiFit! When are we supposed to have time to watch tv??? (My mom doesn't get home till 6:30 and goes to bed around 10:30) So we have to re-evaluate how we do this. Because we can't just weigh in and not exercise! Do we kick Sabra off the plan? I suggested I do my exercising during the day,but then what happened to us doing all this together and motivating each other? Then again, today is only the third day of this so we'll eventually settle into a routine that will work :)


Now, losing weight involves two processes. Exercising....... and healthy food. And this, my friends, is my achilles tendon. I love food. I love to eat food, I love to read recipes, I love to read blogs about people cooking, I love to read blogs about people eating food, I love to watch shows about the history of food, I love to watch shows about people cooking food, I love shows about people teaching me to cook, I love browsing photos of food....

Oh food... you are so wonderful.

So... it's going to be very very very hard for me to give up my favorite foods. Chicken strips and honey-mustard dipping sauce.... alfredo.... steak.... french fries.... I LOVE THESE THINGS!!!!

And so.... for right now, I'm not. Yes, yes, the point of this post is about how I'm overweight and need to lose some pounds and all that, but at this point, eating healthy is just not something I can accomplish. I'm counting my calories (Have you guys seen the LiveStrong website? It's very cool!!! ) but I'm not really changing anything, just making myself feel guilty about what I eat regularly.

At some point, I do want to change this. I just know that you have to want to change it first, and at this point, my will is just not strong enough. All my will is being used towards making myself exercise everyday. Which at least I am doing that now, so that is better than nothing! Plus, Poker Run is this weekend, Ladies Weekend is next weekend, and then it's the State Fair!! So baby steps... I will get there eventually :)


Anyway, I really need you guy's support on this (I know you're out there!! There are 10 of you who have stopped by my page.) Leave a comment now, or randomly on other posts later so I can look at that and force myself off the couch and onto the elliptical! I have a habit of starting things and never finishing them, so I need you guys to keep my motivation up!