12.2.10

Wikipedia and IMDB: I love trivia and I'm really nosy, so these websites are so awesome for me. Background stories are so interesting and I could read them all day. Every time I watch a movie I go on IMDB immediately afterward to find out what happened on set, problems with making the movie, etc. Gotta love the internet.

Manicures and Pedicures: Every summer I go and get pedicures regularly. It's so relaxing sitting back and letting someone scrub and massage and de-callous-ify your feet and then have bright shiny toenails for the next 2 days. I don't get manicures at nail salons anymore because they only last a few days and they're too expensive for that, but I paint them myself. Winter colors being my favorites. Gold, dark red, and dark gray with sparkles being the best. I need to fix them up now, actually.

Puppy cuddles: There are few things in the world as everlasting as a puppy's love and especially when they want to be close to you. Turkey is almost obsessively close to Matt and just slightly less with me. When we're on the couch, she has to be sitting or sleeping up against you. During her walks, she sometimes stops to jump up and give you kisses and when she's tired or especially happy she wants to be in your lap with her head under your arm or chin. There is no doubt this puppy LOVES you and that's such a wonderful feeling.

Making breakfast: Every Saturday morning I make myself a sunny side up egg on a piece of toast and either bacon or turkey sausage. It's lovely to have a real breakfast instead of something fast that doesn't taste as good. I've started getting up much earlier on the week days now (thanks to Turkey) and I'm making myself the same full breakfast and it's so much more satisfying than the slim fast shakes I was doing before.

The Rest: Forgotten ice cream, tea tree oil face wash, sitcom box sets, spicy food, snow on holidays, chick flicks, black beans, warm cars, Android apps, lunch bags, international headlines, celebrity gossip.

11.18.10

Weather info: I have a weather app on my phone, watch the weather on the news every morning and night, an alarm clock that has the weather on it, a weather download for my work computer and the front page of my phone has the current weather and if it's rainy, it has rain drops and if it's cloudy, clouds drift across my screen (I've only had the phone 2 days). I don't even know what my obsession with the weather is, I just feel calmer when I know what's going on.

Wifebeaters (the clothes): I think I have 8 of them in several different neutral colors. Grey to olive to brown to dark blue to black. I wear them to work, to sleep, out socially and around the house. Aside from the pajama pant, it is the most comfortable thing EVER. I like guys in them too. They're trashy without being super trashy. Or they are if you want them to be. They go with everything too. Pants, skirts, under dresses, shorts and panties/boxers.

My old children's books: I guess "Young Adult" might be a better term. I've kept almost every book I've owned and I usually reread most of them. I have a few favorites from my childhood that are in that category, even though they're aimed at kids 20 years younger than me. I've recently started (and almost finished, they're not very long) Monica Furlong's "Juniper" series (is it still a series if it's only 2 books??) and even though I know what's coming I still get excited about the following page. I even catch myself skim reading to get to my favorite parts (I do that with all the books I reread though.) I also still love the Fairy Books that I was obsessed with when I was little too. Well written books never get boring, no matter who they were written for. (edit: HOLY. SHIT. There's a THIRD book in the "Juniper" series!!! If someone wanted to get me this for Christmas, I'd be super stoked!)

The Rest: Android phones, sleeping on my side, cough medicine, fresh lemons in ice water, Wordfeud, impromptu dinners out, wheat beer, bleu cheese on burgers, expensive camera equipment, a clean kitchen, dark nail polish in winter, wawa everything, B-12 vitamins, potatoes, coupons, The Biggest Loser, Bob not Jillian, morning routines.

11.11.10

Normally, I wouldn't start a TILT with negative things, but this one is warranted. I got a boot put on my car today (the week before rent is due) and it cost $570 to get it off, which I had to get an advance on 2 paychecks from my boss to afford. Got home and when I went to pay the electric bill, my bank account was over-drawn thanks to Sprint fucking me on my bill. Today was BAD. So I'm focusing on things TODAY that I love.

Having a good job: I bitch about my job a lot, because I have to deal with getting yelled at on the phone and a lot of stress. But, really, I love that I have a job where my boss actually cares about her employees (we're a small business, there's only 6 of us including my boss) and we have a lot of fun when we're not pissed off at the assholes that call us. Not many other bosses would have helped out their employees pay to get a boot off their car. I get to dress in jeans and a t-shirt and I'm in charge of my job. There's almost no micro managing and I'm good at my job. Especially in this economy, having a good job with lots of security is amazing.

Frye Boots: Simple things are the best. These boots are the most amazing piece of clothing I've ever owned. They were expensive (retailed for about $230, but I found them on sale for $90) and took a while to break them in, but now they're like extensions of my feet. So so so comfortable and they look BAD ASS. I always feel better wearing them.

Vodka: Best in iced tea. Relaxes the hell out of me. I love it.

Being home: I know when I get home that I'll be able to put pajama pants on, relax on my comfy couch, watch TV, play on the internet and have a drink. Maybe cook some dinner. But I can do what ever I want, because I'm HOME. My couches, my books, my kitchen, my TV, my slippers....it keeps me going through the day.

The Rest: Not having a boot on my car, poop and fart jokes, Ipod play lists, new phones, helpful customer service, hugs from my boyfriend, sparkly nail polish, flat irons, wife beater-jeans-boots combos, dinner with friends, Old Chevy Chase movies, tweezers.

11.4.10

Flannel sheets: I put the flannel sheets and flannel duvet on my bed this past weekend, as the weather has been getting pretty nippy recently. That first sleep with them was awesome. So warm and cozy. It's one of the only things I really look forward to as the weather gets cold. The only downside is it takes me forever to get up in the mornings.

Over-Saturated Snacks: I got a bag of Chex Mix the other day and one of the first pieces I pulled out was caked with the spices that is supposed to be even distributed through out the bag. I ate it and then searched the bag for the other ones like it. I do this with all snacks. I prefer my food very well seasoned, so finding the occasional one that's super seasoned, I'm ecstatic.

StumbleUpon: I'm late to the StumbleUpon party, but now that I'm there, I'm in love. Most of mine are based around food, health, photography, books and movies. I have found some seriously amazing shit using it. The spaghetti pie recipe I found, a few free documentary sites, stunning photos, book lists...I'm hooked.

The Rest: Big sunglasses, documentaries, driving fast, thrift store shopping, TV DVDs, Nikon cameras, old Marilyn Manson albums, Frye boots, the first snow.

10.28.10

Cooking: Over the past few years I've been getting more and more into cooking at home. Usually it was just cooking for myself or if I was cooking for someone else it was just random crap. Since moving in with Matt, I've been cooking a lot more formal-ish dinners for both of us. Casseroles, home-made pizzas, stuffed chickens, etc. I've been getting more creative. Some turn out good, some could be better. Tonight was Spaghetti Pie, which Matt ate 3 giant pieces of. I can't wait to try new ones!

Thunderstorms at night: It seems counter-productive, as I'm a very light sleeper and an insomniac, but thunderstorms at night make me wiggily-happy. I actually unconsciously sigh out loud. In the summer, having that fresh rain smelling breeze rush in through the window with the staccato of the rain drops on the roof just makes everything perfect for those few minutes. It also puts me to sleep faster than anything else.

Alone time: I love living with my boyfriend and I love hanging out with my friends, but MAN I love alone time. I don't get much of it, but on Saturday morning/afternoon, I get to be in my house by myself wandering around in silence or reading or cleaning or gardening with no one else around. I get to breathe easier and calm my mind. I would be miserable if I was alone all the time, but these brief times when I'm not obligated to anything or anyone are glorious.

Squishy couches: We just got 2 8ft old corduroy couches for our living room. They're extra wide and soft and you sink right into them. I fantasize about coming home from work, putting on pajama pants (see last weeks TILT) and collapsing into the giant hug that is my couch for the evening. I could spend years on a comfortable couch. I don't even know why they make the crappy ones.

The Rest: Law and Order SVU, fresh vegetables, newly painted toenails, throw pillows, oriental rugs, StumbleUpon, bread, pictures of octopi and jellyfish, the smell of fresh basil, trivial pursuit.

10.20.10

Good smelling candles:

I know this is girly, but I know a lot of people, male and female who love this. My current favorite is pumpkin, of course, as I tend to go with seasonal scents, but I love a lot more. Vanilla, fresh linen (try it...AMAZING), campfire, etc. Walking into a room and smelling a comforting, yet non-chemical smell (helloooo room fresheners) is glorious.

The Phillies:

I never thought I'd love baseball. And, yes, I began being a fan when they went to the World Series 2 years ago. But since then, I've been voraciously watching games, understanding not only how talented these guys are, but how intense these games can be! I think the clincher was GOING to a Phillies game. The passion of the crowd, the warm squishiness of the hot dogs, the feeling of happy tension in the air, the toasty buzz of watching a game slightly drunk from hundreds of feet in the air. I now watch all the games on TV and get genuinely happy or sad depending on the game. I get it and it's wonderful.

Pajama pants:

I LOVE them. Long ones, mid-calf, booty shorts, thick, thin. So many pant opportunities. All SO comfy. I have a bad habit of collecting them, but they're always useful. How much can you say about pajama pants though? Their amazingness is pretty self-explanatory.

Freshly Washed Hair:

I hate washing my hair. I'm not sure why, because I LOVE the feel and smell of freshly washed hair. I think it's a lazy thing. Either way, I make a lot of effort when I DO wash my hair and let the conditioner sit for 10-15 minutes and then put a smoothing milk in afterwards that makes my hair smell like Starburst. I will sit and smell handfuls of my hair for a long time and run my hands through it. If I've straightened it it's like silk. I don't know why I hate washing it so much...

The Rest:

Red kitchen items, fuzzy blankets, expensive pillows, Netflix on Demand, nagalene water bottles, callouses, silence, lunch bags, sleeping diagonally, Sephora, wireless internet, knee socks, non-fiction and yogurt blue cheese dressing.