Farewell January

I am a control freak. I believe this applies to the fact that I get extremely sad/mad about the conclusion of months. I have no control over the fact that it will never be January 2008 again ... ever. Thus, I am trying to look on the bright side of things:

• January is cold, that stinks
• it's closer to being warm outside
• January 2008 was not bad to me ... I should appreciate that
• 1 month closer to being done living with you-know-who
• Lent starts next week
• I ordered this from American Apparel, and it should be arriving this week
• Only 328 days until Christmas! (or something like that, I have never been good at math)

Movie Insight

I am not a movie person. I find it difficult to focus my attention on stuff for extended periods of time. And I am by no means a movie theater person ...

• I can't stand crowds
• I can't stand the thought of spending an absurd amount of money to see a movie once (not even guaranteeing that I'm going to like it)
• No power to pause, rewind, lay on the couch, use the bathroom, check the weather, get a snack without missing something
• And then I obsess about who was sitting in the seat before me ... the strangers around me
• I envision what the floor looks like with the lights on (or more so, try not to think about it)

Contrast everything I just said with the fact that I joined Netflix. Call it a moment of weakness. While I claim not to be a movie person, I have seen my fare share of movies that I like, heck I even own a few DVD's. AND with Netflix you get to choose movies to add to your queue, i.e. you get to create a movie LIST. I got so excited about it. Not to mention, I do enjoy getting mail, and the first 2 weeks are free. I went with the cheapest play - $5.00 a month for 2 movies ... I figured it's $2.50 a movie, I don't have to go anywhere, and I can quit anytime I want. These are the movies currently in my queue:

• I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
• Reign Over Me
• Stranger Than Fiction
• Flags of Our Fathers
• Across the Universe
• Becoming Jane
• Into the Wild

Not Perfect

Call me crazy ... I dig imperfections. For the past few years, I have had a busted blood vessel under my left eye. To the common man, it just resembles a 'lil zit. But I absolutely love it. It has been a security blanket of sorts ... I know it's there, and few others (if anyone) have one. Thus, my busted blood vessel has an undivided loyalty to me ... until it left. I have noticed this week my zit like marking fading into my face. I am once again a clear skinned common (wo)man. My only hope is to create a faux marking with a red Sharpie marker. But it got me thinking about other imperfections that I adore:

• Acne scars
• Chipped sea shells … not to be confused with chipped teeth, of which I have no patience for.
• Misspelled words in books
• Fat animals
• The occasional cloudy day
• C students

Numbers

• 147,000 - miles on my car
• 2539 - songs on my iPod
• 45 - ounces of Peanut M&M's that I got for Christmas
• 35 - contacts in my cell phone
• 25 - years I have been here
• 11 - appears in my sister's, brother's, and my birthday
• 6 - books I got for Christmas
• 3 - checks I deposited yesterday
• 2 - siblings
• 1 - God
• 1 - Liz

Confessions

• I love that 'nonetheless' is one word
• The song, 'Hey There Delilah' would be a million times cooler if it was actually, 'Hey There Eliza'
• I am ready for Spring
• I hate folding clean clothes just to unfold them to wear them, and then wash, and then fold, and then unfold, and then wear ... you get the point
• The only reason I know how to spell 'glamorous' is because of the Fergie song
• I would have more money, if I had less bills
• I steal pens - whether I am at a restaurant or at work ... if a cool pen crosses my path, I'll take it with me
• I have been slacking off with regard to my blog
• I have been slacking off with regard to my life
• I am 25 and ready to retire

Trash TV

My addiction to bad television has reached an all time high. I place most of the blame on VH1 for lining up the majority of these horrible shows. Nonetheless, when I was home last weekend I was watching TV with my sister, and a preview for the Gauntlet III came on … I made the joke that there are so many shows that I keep up with now, I need to note their times in my planner so I won't miss any. I am pathetic, I know … but here's a rundown of what I've been watching/ looking forward to seeing:

• Rock of Love II
• Scott Baio is 46 & Pregnant … actually I have tried to watch this … it's so horrible it doesn't even keep my attention
• The Real World Reunion
• My Fair Brady 3
• Celebrity Rehab
• Intervention
• Flavor of Love 3
• Gauntlet III
• American Idol
• The Biggest Loser
• American Gladiators

A week with a mid 90s Lumina

What was one of the things I got for Christmas? - Transmission problems. I left my Mustang behind at my parent's house to be patched up and came back to Fairfax with my Gramma's old 90-something Chevy Lumina. After a week of cursing around Northern Virginia streets filled with BMW's, Mercedes, Lexis's … I came to the following realizations:

• As I was leaving my parents house, (and I guess looking skeptical) my dad's parting words were, "be sure to check out the cruise control." To which I responded, "cruise control existed when they built this thing".
• The car is equipped with a trunk rack … yes, a trunk rack.
• The gas gauge fluctuates ... when I accelerate the gas gauge increases, and when I hit the brakes, it decreases.
• I am at peace with myself enough not to mind driving around a 90something Chevy Lumina.
• The 90something Lumina is not in the best condition either … with paint cracks covering the hood, and paint chipping off various areas of the car.
• The only other Lumina and Lumina-esque vehicles I have spotted up here have been ones driven by sketchy looking Mexicans.
• I am at peace with myself enough not to mind driving around a 90something Chevy Lumina.
• I had a very coming of age moment the other day on my way into work (… probably after giving a friendly wave to a Mexican driving a Lumina beside me) … this car has many memories for me.
• It smells the same way it did when I was a kid … I can remember when my Gramma got it … and it was something shiny and new.
• We … meaning my mom, Gramma, sister and brother, along with myself took many trips down to South Carolina to visit family in this car … I can't believe we made those trips with 3 kids confined to sharing a back seat for seemingly infinite amounts of time.

And now … today to be exact, my little sister is 24 … my Gramma no longer drives … and I drive her car. I am no longer one of the kids in the backseat. I drive a car filled with memories that are irreplaceable … and I am reminded that I am so very blessed.

New York decorated for Christmas … Awesome

At the beginning of December my mom was at a conference in New York … she had a free day, so my sister flew up, and I took the train up to visit her, and hang in the Big Apple.

Two summers ago, the three of us took a similar trip to New York … prior to this one, I figured to would be much the same, but more crowded and colder. Aside from the fact that it was indeed colder, and more crowded … I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the trip. I could not imagine a better way to spend 37 hours with my mom and sister than in New York at Christmastime. Highlights included:

• Traveling by train for the first time
• Surviving the train ride
• Free samples from the Lindt Chocolate store
• The Rockefeller Tree … I thought it would be a big tree with lights … but it really was awesome
• St. Patrick's
• Bryant Park (… as in Fashion Week, Project Runway!!!)
• Eating chocolate covered strawberries at Bryant Park
• Making fun of the ice skaters at Bryant Park
• The Cartier Lights … the Cartier store had a Christmas light display that consisted of a tunnel-esque sidewalk walk through … it was our mom's favorite … thus when we walked through it numerous times, my sister and I would flap our wings and glide through the magical display
• Saks Fifth snowflakes … AWESOME
• I saw a musical for the first time … The Spelling Bee … awesome!
• M&M World … duh, my utopia
• Charmin Bathrooms
• The Eagles/ Giants game on the Times Square big screen

Highlights

There are moments that I wish I could embed in my memory and remember every minute detail forever ... this happened several times when I was home for Christmas and New Year's.

• riding to the beach with Gav
• the Outer Banks
• driving on the beach
• seeing a shark washed up on shore
• Rockband Rockband Rockband!
• the Eagles beating beating the Bills
• Christmas Eve Mass
• presents!!!!
• Christmas morning with my family
• Christmas dinner with the rest of my family
• Bakers Crust, Kogan's, and California Pizza Kitchen
• sailing at the end of December and not freezing to death ... or sinking
• hangin' with Holly & Co. in Norfolk
• spending New Year's with my homies
• seeing Alicia Keys perform in front of St. Patrick's and the Saks 5th snowflakes ... I was there at the beginning of December!
• the Indian dance chaos that broke out in order to get BPong to stalk and conquer a drink
• cramming 9 of us into a bathroom big enough for a single person ... and having pictures to document the experience
• Lion's Bridge
• Juno

Un-Lights

• the Redskins beating Dallas
• the nasty test tube shooter things that tasted like sour cough syrup
• the sparklers to ring in the new year ... I lit 5 at once which resulted in a fireball shooting up my arm, carnage ensued and I was left with a hefty burn on my left arm