Random Factuals of the Moment

- My company's new health plan had an incentive to register for a free pedometer to upload your daily steps, eventually leading them to give you a discount on your plan. Or something. I didn't care because I was blinded by the new pedometer...it's so beautiful. I've worn it every day since...even though it's pretty bulky on my waistband. I love the challenge. Today's count? Over 13,000.

- When we say goodnight to the babies each evening, J insists that Mary needs to hear her name both first and last. As in, I'll say, "Goodnight, Mary. Goodnight, Leo." And J will add, "Goodnight Mary." He says it comforts her. We end up giggling about it every single night.

- I had a work lunch today with a very interesting group of gentlemen, including a foreign liaison officer from Singapore. He was very, very smart and nice. I got to spin class tonight and lo and behold, there he was, on the bike next to me. I wonder how long we've been sitting next to one another without knowing it. He's better at jumps than I am.

- I've finally started reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns." It may be the best book I've read in years. I love it and don't want it to end. If anyone can recommend a book to help ease the pain, please share.

- When we were designing our wedding website, music was a huge decision. We needed one more song to add, and I wanted, "Heard it in a Love Song" by the Marshall Tucker Band. Yes I know it's actually anything BUT a love song, but it was also the first song on the radio when we got back in car after the hike when J proposed. :) Followed immediately by "Power of Love" by the one and only Celine Dion. Both songs now have a very special place in my heart. PS, he'll deny it now, but on that euphoric drive home, we both belted out that Celine song. 'Cuz I'm your laaaaaaaaaadyy......and you are my maaaaaaaaaaannnn.....

- I was heartbroken yesterday at some very, very upsetting work news and spent my evening in a seriously sad funk. Today I came home to a clean house full of good smells and a "German feast!" that J had prepared...and there was no more funk to be found.

- My friend was just certified to be a yoga instructor after a 15-day session in Arizona. She's a vegan now. With crazy-toned arms. So when she offered freebie classes to her gals this month I jumped at the opportunity. It was my first ever instructor-led yoga class and I loved it (yes I realize I'm 10 years late jumping on this bandwagon). I'm still sore from Tuesday night's class. Yay for making it into crow pose!

- I can't stop listening to "Cold December" by Matt Costa. It's been one of my highest play counts in iTunes for a few years now, but I've recently found myself on another kick.

- I'm going to Berkley's second birthday party next weekend. Cannot believe our wee baby niece is turning two...I remember meeting her when she was just a mere 8 days old. She's not really turning two though, since she was born on Leap Day, after all.

- My favorite water bottle broke yesterday at the gym. I mean, it really broke. I went to take a sip and it squirted ALLLL over the guy on the elliptical next to me. There was an awkward moment where we both just kind of slowed down, glanced at each other, and then went back to working out. On the hunt for its replacement, I could not find a perfect water bottle. I have two of the metal ones, yeah yeah, I'm over that trend**. As far as I'm concerned, they always make my water taste awful, I don't like the smell, and they're not easy to open when you're in motion. I think I could make a cool million designing a sturdy liter-sized BPA-free plastic bottle with a easy to open squeeze-y cap.

**No offense to those of you who enjoy the metal water bottles.

iTunes, hear my request!

In my years of being an iTuner, I've had to resort to "requesting" two songs.  Yes, these are songs that at least at the time, iTunes didn't offer.  Unacceptable.

1) Crossroads.  Tracy Chapman.

I'm not sure if they added it or I (gasp!) acquired it, ahem, another way, but I have had it on my computer for sometime now.  It's one of my favorites.

And now...

2) No More Rain (In This Cloud).  Angie Stone.

iTunes, I am disappointed with you.  You may make it up to me by promptly adding my girl Angie's song.  Today's 70 degree weather made me want to listen to it very loudly while driving across the West Norfolk bridge, with all my windows down as my hair whipped all around my head.

On days when J and I both work, (I won't lie to you--it's not often) we leave our iHome on for the dogs, and it's on an R&B station.  The other day I got home and was walking around the condo and this song came on.  I was instantly taken back to '99 when this was one of my favorite songs.

Odd and Ends

Thought I'd end this week with a little wrap-up.

Songs I can't stop listening to:

1. Boys with Girlfriends -- Meiko

2. Madly -- Tristan Prettyman

3. Gray or Blue -- Jaymay

4. Come On Get Higher -- Matt Nathanson

Things that I can't help but smile at:

1. I have my first paying freelance gig! Smiles at you, flagship client.  I also think I got another one today at work.  I finally got all my software unlocked tonight, so I'm ready to rock!  I can't wait to get started on this, and that's such a good feeling...coming home from work, ready to work still!

2. Slim Charles.  That's the name of my iMac.  When Oh Beehive and I were in high school we had so much fun naming the Macs.  This one was a no-brainer.  As most of you know all of our fish are named after characters from The Wire (love love loved that show) and Slim Charles was my favorite from the last season.  And HELLO, this baby is SLIM.  Perfect fit. J and I had fun playing around in Photo Booth the other night.  I decided I'm going to pull an MTV and make all my friends have a round in it when they visit.  Here's J's first go at it.

3. The fish had more babies.  Yeah.  Pretty sure we have 1 female and like 7 males.  Sorry, Avon! I keep joking (maybe not joking?) that we're going to start giving baby fish away as gifts to our friends.  "Oh thanks for coming over, lovely time, now don't forget to take your fish with you!"

Things I've been meaning to blog about:

1. Our trip to see J's sis and her hubs and baby.  So fun...seriously such a wonderful couple. They are such amazing people/parents/family.

2.  That's all.

NKOTB

My friends and I are having a painting party on Sunday afternoon...just getting together to paint a girlfriend's laundry room. I was asked to bring my iPod full of creative "indy folk" music, as they called it. I said, "Fo shizzle." So as I was buying my new fave Tristan Prettyman song so as not to let them down, I noticed that, hello, New Kids on the Block are #47 on the top 100 songs on iTunes right now. Seriously? I mean, they did hold the keys to my 11-year-old heart (and then again at 18 when both Joey and Jordan tried to make a comeback), but still, guys. But there they are. Listed right after Bow Wow. Personally, I liked him when he still had the "Lil" in front.

A change of tee shirt

In preparation for departure on Wednesday, we both agreed to make some CDs for the trip. I decided that since we're headed to Tennessee, and since we'll be driving through such famously country-esque places like Roanoke, Chattanooga, and Johnson City, I'll be returning to my roots: COUNTRY! And as I flipped through my old CDs to compile an awesome mix of George Strait, the Chicks, and others, I started seeing some other CDs that made me a little misty-eyed.

These were CDs entitled, "608 New Hall Soundtrack," "Spring Break NOLA," and "PCB Mix." Special soundtracks we had crafted to capture our emotions of the moment, or to provide us with tunes for a trip. And they were compiled by 4 girls between 4 and 8 years ago, and they included songs like Born in the USA, Benny and the Jets, and that dang Crash Test Dummies song. They were songs that demanded we sang along, or pumped our fists in the air. Mind-boggling, isn't it? I'm celebrating my 4-year graduation anniversary this week, and it is crazy to think in those terms. Not so much where I am in my life now, but where I used to be.

Aside from the fact that I was dating a sociopath who broke my heart every other week and I refused to listen to reason (and our solution for this was the "Man-hater CD"), I remember being ecstatic all the time. I had the best friends a girl could ask for, and what's even better, is I still have them. Every day was an adventure...and 9 times out of 10 it was an adventure that required we made new t-shirts for the trip. And if that wasn't enough, sometimes we purchased t-shirts when we got there, too.

By the time I left school, I had a delicious array of shirts proudly proclaiming where we'd been, and what we'd done. The Endymion Ball in New Orleans, the Elvis Presley hot spots tour en route to Panama City Beach...even one that said "I suck heads" on the front--HEY, HEY, now, we were talking about crawfish in Louisiana, sick-o!

As I am getting ready to set out as "Queen of the Open Road" with a new roadtrip partner, I keep thinking it's just too bad we don't have matching customized outfits to wear. As I crawl into bed in a few minutes wearing my Graceland t-shirt, just know that I'm thinking about you guys tonight. And I miss you so much it hurts to breathe. Well, that, and my new roadtrip partner farts a lot.

Riddle me this...

...have I been living under a rock again? Why am I just now falling in love with Ben Taylor? Have you guys been secretly listening to him and keeping him a secret from me? Why, friends, why would you do this to me?

Check him out...he sounds like the love child of Carly Simon and, oh, I don't know, James Taylor.

No, seriously, he's their kid. I can't think of another gene pool thought would predispose anyone to so much raw talent...well, until Heidi and Spencer spawn.