frabjous friday, a movement even a misanthrope can bang on about.

It's Frabjous Friday. Do you know what that means? Probably not, but let me share my friends.

I? am a starbucks addict. I lurve me a carmel frappaccino light or a black tea lemonade. Nom nom nom. However, 1. they're pricey and 2. they're kiiiiinda fatty. Which is why I have limited myself to one frap a week (I will still have the occasional BTL on the weekends if I go on a coffee date with a friend, I mean, it's totally a legit reason).

And that frap....comes on Fridays.

Another thing is that Alice and Wonderland is my all time flavor-ite Disney movie. Yes, it's weird. Yes, it's kind of like being on an acid trip. And it's awesome. Remember Frabjous day from the latest movie? (And the book). No? Well google that shit. Go ahead, I'll wait.... find it? So it's the day that Alice slays the Jabberwocky and supposedly is a combintation of fabulous and joyous.

Frappacino...Frabjous....Friday.....see how they all go together?

It's Frabjous Friday bitches. :)

My buns and thighs might hurt like a sonofabitch from my workouts this week and it might feel like someone jabbing a knife into my muscles when I move. My house might not be clean. Other things might be weighing down on me. But it's sunny and it's frabjous friday and that's something we can all smile about. 

So grab whatever makes you happen and let's all Futterwacken, because the weekend is neigh!

Time to party like it's 1999, bust out the Nirvana and the baggy shirts...wait...

Wow.

It's now 2011, I last blogged about Thanksgiving. I officially suck. Now people might say "Why don't you resolve to write more?" Meh. I don't make resolutions because then they just get broken and it's one more thing I've failed at, so rather than making myself feel increasingly inadequate I resolve not to resolve.

December was one ca-razy month. It flew by and that makes me both happy and sad. The last few weeks of schools were a torrent of research paper writing, final studying and taking all whilst decorating for Christmas and enjoying the season. But... now I'm an official college graduate, hooray! Christmas was wonderful, double hooray! and.... well, I don't have a third hooray, but it feels weird with just two. Alas, Christmas is over though and I wept a little as I took down my Christmas tree and packed up all my lovely decorations. So sad. What's even worse is that the holiday spirit, that season of giving and love and appreciation of family will peter off across the globe now that it's not in every one's faces and that breaks my heart a little.

What's up for 2011? I have no fucking clue. Thus far it has included the purchase of a new TV, wooohooo! Goodbye 19", you treated me well but frankly, you're just no fun particularly in the event of a wii mario kart party because 4 screens on an already tiny screen just does NOT cut it. So yes, I made another "adult" purchase and bought a fancy new flat screen. It's fairly large, but in reality it's nothing super fancy; however, to me it feels like a damn movie screen. When I bought it I was so excited, I got it home, I ripped open the package, grabbed my screw driver... wait, I don't have a phillips head? shit. This tiny one will totally work... or not. I grabbed my keys, flew to the store, bought a new screwdriver, came home and put the base together, put the TV on it, set it on the table that would become it's new home and VIOLA! Right? No. Because, while it was glorious, I now had a TV double the size of my previous one which meant I had to rearrange the entire living room. No problem, I can totally do that, right? Right. Four or five hours later (it's all lost in a haze of huffing, sweating, cursing, maiming myself and dropping things on my feet) all was reorganized but now! came the re-hooking everything back up to the new TV. Which proved incredibly complicated thanks to the rearranging because I now needed longer cords. AWESOME.

Day two: cords purchased, rush home after work to fix everything. Hook up the satellite...not working in one room. Curse, work on for an hour, SUCCESS! Hook up the surround sound, shit, wrong cords. Rush to the store, buy correct cord, rush home, hook up surround sound and...SUCCESS! Me. Wiring. Goddess. So, two days and several trips to the store later, I am now the proud owner of a properly connected new TV.

Ok, so 2011, maybe not so different yet from 2010, minus the fact that I gained 15 pounds during my last semester (freshman 15? try fifth year senior 15!) and am now determined to spend every waking moment at the gym. Well...let's be frank, at least 5 days because in all reality it'll be hard enough to stick to that. Completely ridiculous though. It's easy to deny your pants getting snug, "I'm just retaining water!" "Oh, I had a big lunch" "Maybe I'm PMS'ing!"... but stepping on the scale at the doctor's office, woah, wake up call.

What really chaps my ass though is all those people who resolve to work out, get in shape, lose weight! at the beginning of the year, so they flock to the gym, leave workout equipment everywhere and don't wipe down their machines because they don't know proper gym etiquette. They clog up the treadmills and hog the mats and machines so those of us who do go all year round are stuck going at odd times to try and avoid them. You people? While I applaud your initial effort to get in shape because starting is the first and hardest step... GET OUT OF MY WAY. Oi. And that, my friends, is what we call bringing a post full circle.

Enough of my gibberish, perhaps that's why I should blog more but again, let's be honest, I'm kind of a wanker who would forget to put pants on before leaving the house if it wasn't so blasted cold outside.

Watch out, I hear 2011 will bring the zombie kitty apocalypse.

The end is nigh

The time of fabulous pizza, drag queens and ball sweat inducing humidity is coming to an end. Today is my last day in the big apple and then tonight I am London bound. I'm sad to be leaving NYC but also incredibly excited to be back in London!

What have I done while I've been here you ask? Well, you read about my day with Alli D right? That means on Friday I was on my own in the city for most of the day. But, because I'm a total dumb dumb, I wore horrible shoes on Thursday and have now been battling the biggest blisters EVER on the bottom, yes, bottom of my feet. Specifically the pads of my feet which make walking oh so much fun. Riiiiight. But that hasn't stopped me! This is all that I saw on Friday, in list form of course:

Strawberry Fields in Central Park
The John Lennon Memorial Mosaic
More of Central Park
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rockefeller Center
Radio city Musical Hall
St. Patrick's Cathedral
Chrysler Building
Empire State Building
Union Station
Union Square
World Trade Center

Plus, lady Kate and I went to a NY must, the Shake Shack, for dinner. Where I am apparently a failure. Not only did I have their "shroom burger" for vegetarians (fail 1: best burgers in town not consumed, though that shroom burger was mighty tasty!) but I had just a plain milkshake (fail 2: they have these things called concretes that are crazy concoctions with toppings in them). It was incredibly yummy though.

Saturday was kind of a lazy day. Lady Kate and I wandered around Williamsburg in Brooklyn, had a late brunch, went into the city, walked around a bit then met up with some of her friends at a bar to watch the world cup game....and get completely smashed before 5 o'clock. Kind of awesome. After that was a slightly drunken subway ride back to Brooklyn where we stood in line for about an hour for Grimaldi's pizza, pretty much the BEST pizza I've ever eaten. And Lady Kate and I may have polished off a pie and a half (my new friend Gabby had 1 piece, so I don't think that counts as help :).

What's up for today? Packing up my suitcase that has exploded and potentially checking out the Pride parade going on before taking my 1 hour cab ride to the airport (because I don't want to deal with luggage and 2 hours on the subway/air train, yes I'm lazy).

So Ciao NYC! Thanks for proving to me I am completely out of tourist shape. I've got the sore legs and the battle scarred feet to prove it. Until next time big apple.

Live and learn - and then carry about 10 spare tires in the trunk.

The sweetest thing ever has to be googling your first name and finding out there is a town named after you! (Yes, after me, shhh.....ok maybe not but it's still kind of awesome!) Texas, you officially RULE.

I've been back for a little over a week from my adventure into the PNW and life has settled into a pace of work, go to the gym, work, should go to the gym but don't, work, really should go to the gym buuuutt.... work, gym, sleep. :) The PNW was a blast. I got to go to Spokane for well, less than 24 hours, but it was pretty awesome to catch up with the lovely Addie and Lori. And to road trip with Nicole. However, it has been determined that I? am tire kryptonite for my friends. Do you remember last time I was in the PNW and Katie's poor car fell victim to my hidden powers (skip past all the gratuitous photos to the meat of the story)? On our way back from Spokane on the day of the wedding we *dun dun DUNNNNN* got a nail in one of the tires. So, her mom was gracious enough to drive her spare set to us, but unfortunately, despite our best efforts and leaving 7 hours before the wedding started, we missed the ceremony. We were able to make it for the reception at least, and I got to see little Bwenticus all married off, which was kind of crazy.

While at the fabulous Katie's, I got this random text message at 1:40 in the morning. Luckily, I was awake, otherwise I probably would have lost my shit with crankiness. Well, somehow I managed to get myself a text message stalker. The kid has been texting me non-stop since I've been back with very little encouragement from me. However, he crossed the line of desperation and neediness when he kept pestering me to text him back, and why hadn't I texted him back and blah blah BLAH! Sooo, I might have told him that I was busy, I didn't know him or owe him anything and he needed to chill. Annnd then he texted me AGAIN that night to see if I was busy...and I ignored it per usual. And I haven't heard from him since. Ahhh, blissful silence. :) I know that may have been a little harsh but seriously? We were way past the city limits sign to creeperville so I feel it was justified.

Now we're just a mere 3ish weeks away from my departure to my big summer adventure and I am getting so EXCITED. Prepare yourself for even more gratuitous photos of myself, Caitlin, Melissa, Emily, and all the other fabulous people I shall meet along the way. (Dear photo gods, please send me a hot irishman in Dublin, thanks, love me.)

In other news, I've got a minor bone to pick with IKEA. Thanks to the help of Megan, I think I've found the perfect sofa table for my place and it's a reasonable price at $149, which is pretty good compared to others I've seen. But of course it's not available in any of the California stores so I say "Let's order this bitch online!". Add it to the cart. Plug in my address. Get to the page for credit info and order reviewing and WOAHOHHOLYSHITTHATCANNOTBETHESHIPPINGCHARGE! Those bastards wanted to charge $299.00 for shipping!?!? That's twice the cost of the table?! What the deuce IKEA, what. the. deuce. Epic fail. So the search continues.

Spring has sprung a leak

TADA! And I reappear like a bad case of the clap...or herpes.

My internet has been shit-tastic this past month, and basically didn't work at all. After many a star filled night sitting by my modem resetting it, beating it, pleading with it to work for just a mere 5 minutes, I made the switch to comcast cable internet and so far am pleased. And by that I mean, he hooked it up at noon today and it's worked like a charm since. Farwell AT&T I will miss you and the ease of paying only 1 bill for internet and my cell phone, but I'd rather pay someone who is actually going to provide me access to all the important things in life. Like facebook, and youtube, and blogs to read, and dangerous online shopping. Lack of internet would be the main reason I haven't been around here lately, telling amazing tales about my lack of intelligence at times, but also I've been busy. I have a life you know. That DVR isn't going to watch itself.

But seriously, I can tell it's spring. Not just by my allergies or the fact that I was sick with some weird cold for 3 weeks, or by the crazy weather that's 80 degrees one day and rains the next. Nope, I can tell it's spring by the fact that life is picking up pace again. It's stretching and shaking itself off after a long winter's nap and as the flowers open their petals to the sunshine, things to do start rolling in from all directions. Mostly it means that school is steadily picking up speed as it heads downhill towards finals so that's basically taking over. Only a couple more weeks and I'll be free for summer. But I'll be doing research over the summer, so not totally free, but it'll be more like pleasure than work since I'm doing a behavior study on tigers, which lets face it, watching tigers for a couple hours a week is pretty awesome. :)

Other than trying to stay on top of normal life things I've been busy getting lots of trips in order. There's a trip to the coast coming up which I'm STOKED about. I haven't been to the beach in while and ready for some sand and sun. I'm PNW bound again at the end of May for Brent's wedding and just as exciting is I'm going back to Spokane for a couple of days and I haven't been back there since 2005, so that'll be pretty awesome. And lastly, I'm New York City and London bound at the end of June. Mel and I are planning on going to Dublin too, so this is pretty much going to be a busy couple months!!

Nothing to crazy has happened these days. But I'll wrap this up with a ridiculous photo of me with new bangs.