Part 2: Spring & Summer 2009

For St. Patrick’s Day I joined my soon-to-be roommate and her sorority sisters for their annual trip to Chicago to watch, in the flesh, as the river was dyed green. From hearing MGMT’s “Electric Feel” on the streets of downtown (my favorite song of 09 by far), our coordinating “Who All Hear the Leprechaun Say Yeah” (for reference please click here) t-shirts, and reunions with old friends, it was one of the best weekends of the year.

March was also the beginning of my frantic search for the perfect apartment. In my head I had lavish dreams of big bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, recently renovated, in close proximity to favorite watering holes, etc. etc., but much to my dismay this quest was not so easy. After a month or so of intensely browsing Craigslist we found something pretty close to the above and thus the count down to Independence Day began!

The highlight of the spring has be the start of the concert season. All in all 2009 was a fantastic year for this concert go-er. Things got started with The Eagles in Columbus and Death Cab for Cutie in Louisville. In Kentucky spring also means ponies, and by ponies I mean Keeneland. If you’re not from the area that may mean nothing to you, but to this KY girl the 8 weeks that the track is open (4 in the fall, 4 in the spring) are some of the best weeks of the year. Per usual the annual sorority alumnae tailgate was had, pretty dresses were worn, lots of pictures were taken and bets were made.

What stands out in my mind about the next few months are the concerts I attended. The list goes something like this: Kings of Leon (again), Coldplay (sister’s 21st birthday gift), DMB (1st time experience with my avid DMB fan/roommate ), VIP for The Fray/Jack’s Mannequin (courtesy of my boss, thanks again), VIP for Counting Crows/Boston (again courtesy of my boss, grazi), Blink 182/Fall Out Boy/Panic At the Disco, U2/Snow Patrol at Solider Field (amazing), Kings of Leon (again again), Mat Kearney, & Guster. Phew.

So that takes us from May through October. Other highlights from these months include: moving into my own place, several Reds game, a much needed trip to Richmond, VA to see one of my favorite people on the planet, first UK football of the year (C-A-T-S CATS CATS CATS!) and Vegas!

Too true

I'm a fairly typical aquarius - take that as you will. Today when I read my horoscope for the last week of the year, the only thought that came to mind was that I couldn't have said it any more perfectly myself. Amen.

The stroke of midnight will signify a lot more endings to you than just the prior year. For you, it’ll mark a significant step into a future that relinquishes you from past traumas for good. This is your cycle to set to your liking and the earlier you can begin it, the better. Your independence is your strongest asset now and one you should not think of as lightly anymore.

Part 1: Winter 2009

It’s become somewhat of a December tradition to sit down, mull over the past 12 months and hash out the important/stand out moments in my (now annual I suppose) “year in review” post. I have to admit that my records of 2009 are, well, kinda pathetic. I’ve been totally slacking on my actual journal and my online ones aren’t any better. Oh well, I suppose there’s a new year’s resolution to be found there… To be honest 2009 has been slightly blah in my book. If it hadn’t been for some of the trips and the amazing concerts this year would have been totally blah. This totally goes in accordance with my odd years suck/even years rock hypothesis.

I’ve decided to this in parts, so here we go, Part 1: Winter 2009

The first exciting part of the new year started with my first real trip to New York City. My best friend and I had become maniacs about planning our trip throughout the end of 08 and the trip was exactly what I needed after a dismissal new year’s eve. In 3 nights I fell in love with the city – and it’s become almost an 09 fascination of mine to figure out a way to relocate there permanently (a tangent for another post I’m sure). All in all it was a great re-start to 2009.

Other highlights included the first of three Kings of Leon concerts, the first being at the Palace Theater in Louisville. Another obsession of the year (cause if nothing else I am a wee bit obsessive) was concerts and this year’s were the best to date (more to details to come). Having nothing to compare it to, the first show was pretty close to amazing. If only that crazed screaming girl standing directly in front of me with her thrashing arms had been sitting elsewhere, then it would have been totally amazing. February brought around my birthday which this year was a milestone: 2-5. Although not as scary as I initially thought 25 has been filled with ups and downs, a quarter life crisis if you will.

Towards the end of winter/early spring I volunteered to serve on the University of Kentucky’s Extension Committee as the representative of my sorority. The opportunity reminded how much I missed working as consultant for DZ and reconnected me to some of old friends from my Panhellenic days, but the weekly treks to Lexington muddled some of the fun of my newest hobby. In the end Alpha Phi was selected to colonize at UK and I felt privileged to give my help to the process.

With spring around the corner, more trips and some of the best concerts EVER were on the horizon. Stay tuned.

my life according to facebook

As a precursor to my upcoming “year in review” post I’d like to share with you my year according to facebook. Looks like I had a few adventures, watched a lot of TV and saw some of the best bands ever.



Tomorrow part 1 of my 2009 in review. You’ve been warned.

Merry Newsinator

I saw this on the Frisky last week and couldn't resist making one of my own. Not sure which part is my favorite, the Bernie Madoff bit or the Twilight reference.

holiday wish list

In no particular order….








These would look splendid on my bookcase next to my complete set of HP and Twilight.

(.)

Is it true what they say?

My mother (Bren as I affectionately refer to her as) and I are complete opposites. She’s blonde haired, blue eyed and rail thin. I, on the other end of the spectrum, have a crazy head of dark brown curls, oversized hazel eyes and a curvy figure.

She loves sci-fi (not syfy), Vermouth, NPR, Nova and other ridiculous things. I, of course, enjoy reality TV, Stella Artois, Pandora Radio and LOST.

The only thing we do have in common is our complete and utter lack of direction. We cannot get anywhere (and I do mean anywhere) without detailed instructions. But I proudly, do not have to beat the radio to concentrate when I get frazzled in traffic.

We’re salt and pepper, oil and water, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Jack Shephard and John Locke (I told you I love LOST). But lately, I’ve been noticing more of dear ole Bren in me. Is this the inevitable? Is it true what they say? We all become our mothers? If so, please brace yourself for me telling you the same story 10 times and not listening to 70% of what you say. Just a friendly warning. Love ya mom!

My Daughterly Charge

There are those things in life that scare the living daylights out of me…snakes, Benjamin Linus and relationships...you know the usual things all girls fear, right? But public speaking isn’t one of them. I’ve done a fair amount of “public” speaking in my twenty ought years (that is if you consider endless introductions and lectures on sorority policies public speaking), but when I was abruptly given the task of introducing my father for his upcoming hall of fame induction my head started spinning. I accepted my daughterly charge, but nearly a month later I’m still struggling to find the right words to say about my Dad.

I don’t share his knack for golf. By the age of 7 I was throwing clubs (and by clubs I mean putters) at the local putt-putt course and I made what I thought was the smart decision to give the up game before the game could give up on me. What we do share is a feisty Italian temperament (my dad once threw pieces of a bocce ball set over the roof after he concluded he was doomed to lose the game), but I’m almost positive that this wouldn't be the appropriate forum for sharing that side of our personalities.

So what do you say about your athletically gifted, yet uber competitive father? Oh and did I mention that he almost decided not to be inducted cause he’s also slightly anti-social? Yeah, that’s my dad…fiery and anti-social.

Oh the days...

That time of year is upon us. The time when college-aged girls wear coordinating outfits, perform entertaining skits derived from recent/classic movies and talk endlessly about philanthropies & socials. You guessed it, its recruitment season! And this reformed sorority girl/professional is nostalgic for endless hours of skit practice and decorating themes. Just off the top of my head I estimate having a hand in some thirty(ish) recruitments. Thankfully I have my little sister to live vicariously through.

Recent developments...

- I’m in love with the new Mat Kearney CD “City of Black White”.
- Particularly the song titled “Lifeline”.
- I caught a glimpse of the new JCrew fall catalog and I’m obsessed.
- Particularly with this outfit…

- The above picture reminds me of an outfit Sloan wore in a recent episode of Entourage (I think Sloan wore a blazer, not a cardigan but that’s beyond the point). Point being that show makes me happy.
- I desperately want to see “500 Days of Summer”. If you don’t know what I’m talking about watch the trailer.
- I'd like to start reading more regularly. I’ve almost finished Band of Brothers. Next up The Given Day by Dennis Lehane and The Reader by Bernhard Shlink. I will read these by the end of summer.
- Last night’s episode of The Bachelorette (The Men Tell All) was anti-climatic. Firstly, there was no Reid. Secondly, there was no Wes. Thirdly, David received way too much air time. Fourthly, I will die if Jake is the next Bachelor. Fifthly, my favorite Jesse did not get enough screen time.

In no particular order...

The below is a list of things that are in the somewhat near future and are thus helping me get through this incredibly long Friday workday….

Louisville
I’m heading to Louisville tomorrow afternoon to celebrate my friend Kellie’s 25th (welcome to the club) birthday. I kinda love Louisville, especially my friends who live there so it should be a good time.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince
I’ve been anxiously awaiting this since its intended release date of, ahem, November. Plus Daniel Radcliff being ridiculously adorable on the Today Show this morning only added to my excitement. Unfortunately, I will be waiting until a reasonable hour to see a showing. I'm too sleep deprived to survive an opening day midnight showing.

Future Roadtrips
I have several upcoming roadtrips that should make for an incredible end to summer/beginning of fall. In August I'm going to Richmond, VA to see one of my favorite people on the planet Megan. Hey after surviving 2006-2007 we can handle anything!

Then September brings a weekend trip to Chicago to see U2 with my roommate and then celebrating another 25th birthday in Vegas!

Fall Clothes
I already started clearing out my closet for the arrival of new and highly sought after fall attire. Think I’m a bit early? Nah, JCrew announced some of their new fall pieces today.

The marathon continues...

Sorta...

Not watching anything new (yet), just wanted to note that I picked up the literary version of Band of Brothers (ie the book) before my trek to Pittsburgh this past weekend. Yeah I know, I have problems.

Proper update to tomorrow. Off to Counting Crows tonight.

Founding Fathers

I enjoy The Frisky. It's an integral part of my daily internet rounds (its right up there with the biggies gmail, facebook & cnn). If you read the previous post, you should understand why I think this particular article is hilarious.

I particularly enjoyed the snippet on my man TJ and Money Bags Hamilton.  

A marathon of sorts

Sensing a lack of social plans for this past weekend, I convinced myself that it was the perfect opportunity to partake in a movie filled weekend. I’ve always enjoyed movies, in fact the 1 year stint I had at blockbuster in college may have been the best 12 months of my life, although my junior year social life may disagree with that statement.

Before I go too in depth about my movie marathon, you may need some background information to understand my selections. My interests have always been a little random and I suspect you don’t find too many shopaholic/history enthusiasts, but that’s pretty much me in a nutshell. In fact, I only know one other girl who’s equally as interested in assembling the perfect outfit as the details of the Treaty of Versailles. Not only can we talk (at length) about our favorite President(s) but we also typically look good while doing so.

So now that I’ve put it out there for the world that I’m a dork, you might understand why I went on a WWII binge this weekend. Well you may not understand it, but you’ve got the background.

So on Friday night I ventured into my local blockbuster and picked up Parts 1-4 of the Band of Brothers and by Saturday morning I was back picking up the remaining 6. I’m like this, I find something I like and I get moderately (you can use that loosely) obsessed. So again with no social plans I made a date with my Madre for dinner which of course led to me rambling about the series, the accomplishments 101st Airborne Division and how absolutely amazing it is that this story is based on a real company and real events. Have I mentioned obsessive tendencies run in the family?

This brings me to Sunday when I unknowingly stumbled about Saving Private Ryan on TV (who was also, coincidently, a member of the 101st, although fictitiously). Clearly the TV gods were speaking directly to me and helping to perpetuate my new infatuation. Thank you TNT, thank you.

For the love of god where is my ac?

Living on the border of the South/Midwest you’re bound to experience some ‘interesting’ weather. Depending on the season there are occasional blizzards, tornados if we’re lucky and ungodly amounts of humidity in the summer. And to top it all off we have our fair share of thunderstorms. It was the later that struck last night. Now I can handle a good storm with the best of them, but when said storm disrupts my slumber and lightening strikes so close that I can see the smoke from the nearby trees I’ve had enough.

So when my alarm went off at 6am I was already in a bad mood, but then I realized that the storm did more than just disrupt my sleep, it also caused a power outage. I was furious. Not only did this disturb my morning routine (which is a subject that merits its own entry), it ruined the perfectly chilled temperature of my cozy apartment.

So after huffing and puffing for roughly ten minutes I lit the single candle I own and pulled my full length mirror next to my sole source of light, my miniscule bedroom window. After 30 minutes or so the humidity crept in and I opted to finish getting ready in the comfort of my air conditioned car. The only thing keeping me going is the fact that it's Friday.

A Potential Steal

I made it roughly 24 hours from my previous post before I succumbed to retail purchasing. But before you inevitably roll your eyes, let me take a few lines to justify my newest purchase.

One of my recent obsessions is the new season of The Bachelorette. Typically, the bachelor/bachelorette series isn’t my kinda TV. I’d much rather spend my time discussing the latest theories about LOST and reading my favorite blog by Doc Jensen… but that’s neither here nor there.

But back to my point before I veer into a LOST tangent. The obsession I have with The Bachelorette stems from my love of almost everything Jillian Harris wears. Recently, I caught a glimpse of her on Regis & Kelly wearing a super cute dress from Anthropologie and it just so happened my trendy roommate had purchased the same dress earlier that week.

So per usual I was perusing my favorite retail sites when I saw the same dress in another option.

But since I’ve been trying to better (I will not say good) about my spending habits I refrained from making an unnecessary 100 and something dollar purchase. Then today I came across this and priced at $34 (well within my spending range) I couldn’t resist.

If you too love what Jillian Harris wears I'd suggested you check out this site. It's how I found this gem.

A new but not so nice acquaintance…

After moving back home I lived with my parents for about a year. Granted the locale (ie suburbia neighborhood with the distance of say a $25 cab ride to my favorite bars) wasn’t ideal for socializing, but it was however rent free. And so during my 12 month experiment with Jim & Brenda, my love for shopping turned into a full blown addiction. I blame it partly on living out of a suitcase for 2 years, and thus, wearing the same tired outfits over and over (and over) again. But it can mostly be attributed to a problem I’ve had since adolescence. Since I can remember any extra money I have is almost immediately spent. Now I’m not completely frivolous as I’ve never acquired any serious debt and I’ve always paid what expenses I do have on time. But to be fair, I did not and still do not, have a knack for saving.

And this brings me to my current living situation. My extra spending money now disappears around the 1st of the month and is a thing most people call ‘rent’. Rent and I are not on the best of terms. He has substantially and irrevocably put a whole in my pocket. And his image pops into my head any time I find my way to say, Jcrew.com. He is not friendly and I do not like him. But alas I now have a much cooler roommate and am only a $12 cab ride to my favorite watering holes.

And so instead of swiping my card, I am posting a few things that I have fallen in the love with over the past couple of days. Enjoy.

Apartment Essentials

Now that I'm somewhat settled into my new abode, I've been debating on what may, or may not, be “apartment essentials”. Below is a list of things I've been contemplating over the past week or so.

1. Ironing Board/Iron
Reasoning: I'd rather spend what little extra money I have on alcohol, shopping and socializing (not in that particular order) than on dry cleaning.
Pros: Saving money and looking slightly more put together while in the office.
Cons: I hate ironing.

2. Netflix
Reasoning: Now that the ‘rents are no longer roommates I don’t have unlimited access to their Blockbuster/Netflix account. While I made it through the first month without rentals just fine (re falling in love all over again with Entourage…VICTORY!), I have now rented 2 movies from On Demand in the past week. While I loved The Reader and enjoyed RPrattz, 4 hours cost me approximately 2-3 drinks on average weekend night (see #1 for my general priorities).
Pros: I love movies and for $13.99 I could get 2 rentals at a time + unlimited movies from my mac and never have to stray further than my mailbox. Sounds like a steal.
Cons: Knowing my obsessive nature, I’d may opt to watch movies all weekend instead of socializing like a normal 25 year old (again see #1 for my general priorities).

3. A Kitten
Reasoning: Cause they’re just so darn cute!
Pros: See above.
Cons: More than likely a cat may cost as much or more than dry cleaning. I would, of course, have to get approval from the roommate and in the long run, it might just turn out to be the devil (hello have you ever met Charlie the cat? He is quite possibly the devil, but he is darn cute!).

I have a tendency to make impulse decisions when I want something, so I’m going to wait a week and get back to you.

Back from hiatus

So my attempt at blogging hasn't faired too well. Please see my reservations from entry #1 as the source of my absence.

Today was an abnormal Friday in that my boss is out of the office for the 4th day in a row (who's counting) and my projects have windled down to zero. Therefore leaving me with time to search the internet for new and exciting things to entertain me. Today this is what I've found.

Evernote
Trip It
Advice from a Personal Assistant

And my personal favorite...20-Nothings

Enjoy.

Decorating

Hopefully by May/June I'll be moving into my own place (about time right?!). So during my freetime I've been searching all of the internet looking for decorating ideas and deals. Here are some things I like...

Forbes Article

How Facebook is taking over our lives

Current Addictions

My family has an inclination towards obsessive tendencies-my mom with all things star trek (next generation, not captain kirk), my dad with sports and recently O’bama (no really, he loooooves O’bama), while my current infatuation is LOST. It originally started out of boredom when I was living (or stationed) in Indiana (another story for another day) and it’s slowly grown into a full blown addiction.

If you’re a lost fan, I highly encourage you to check out this site, http://www.lostaddictsblog.com/. If you’re hard core like myself, check out Doc Jensen’s recaps and analysis at http://www.ew.com/.

Other addictions, although not quite as hard core as my LOST habit include:
- low fat strawberry smoothies from Panera
- apartment searching on craiglist
- along with apartment searching, browsing apartment decor and decoarting ideas

Public Blogging

In some fashion, I've been blogging since before the term 'blogging' was known to most. If I had to make a guess, I'd say somewhere since 2000 I've had some version of an online outlet. But my "blogs" have almost always been in a private, or less than public version. This will be my attempt to write about everyday things that I feel comfortable sharing with any friend, acquaintance, or passerby. Although, admittedly, I have some fears about finding topics on a regular basis to write about.