You down with OCD?

I've heard great things about Fish Bar, but I'm having difficulty with the sign on their building.

WHY are the "F" and "I" next to each other?! It looks so...wrong. 


*for some reason I couldn't upload photos so I had to link. Hmpf!

Woman's Best Friend

Today's prompt asks "Who is your greatest fan?"  Initially this question made me uncomfortable, because I wish I could say "my devoted boyfriend/husband/life partner who knows all the good and bad of me and loves me anyway!" but alas, I cannot. I spent about .007 seconds wallowing in my pity (cause really, there's nothing fun or productive about that) and then thought "Well, obviously my mom and dad..." and then remembered how TOTALLY, UNBELIEVABLY, UNDENIABLY excited my brother's dog gets when she sees me.  We are talking JUMPS UP AND DOWN on all four legs, cries, jumps all over me, runs a circle around me, and has even been known to pee because she completely loses her mind. She is a lovable dog in general, but I've been told she saves the best greeting for me.

So yes, my parents and friends seem to like me quite a bit, and I do have an undeniable amount of charm, but no one gets as excited to see me as this lady:

Tough love and fun.

I wish I had the chance to write more, but my attempt at eliminating (let's be honest, more like "reducing") procrastination from my life has provided me little time to to pull together my thoughts to post anything interesting/mildly amusing.  Overall, the challenge is going OKAY.  I still have a black-belt/Olympic gold medal/Stanley Cup/championship ring in the art of rationalizing my choices (i.e. - "But getting a bikini wax and my eyebrows done instead of working on my schoolwork will make me FEEL more pulled together, which will result in me being more productive and efficient at doing what actually NEEDS to be done...")

I am becoming horribly aware that I suffer from a horrible handicap in time management in that I drastically underestimate how long something will take.  Sometimes I overestimate how long things will take, like cleaning my bathroom (really, it's about 2 ft by 3 ft...in my mind it feels like it will take a long time, but in theory it does not), but for the most part I underestimate things by about an hour/1.5 hours.  Ack.  I'm not sure how I'm supposed to break this habit, but I think making more realistic to-do lists is a good place to start.

In happier news, I'm going to a reunion for my sorority this weekend!  I got outfit ideas from a fellow blogger...so great! I ended up getting this dress (for about $50, thanks to an awesome sale) but am going to totally use her advice and look into those ideas for other events.

Final thought: BEISBOL!

Green deliciousness.

Yesterday was March 1, so of course I had one of these:

I know they've been available for a couple weeks now, but I forced myself to hold out until March 1. It was, of course, delicious. I go old-school style and order mine without whipped cream, because I don't like anything to dilute the minty goodness.

I practically snatched it out of the hands of the nice lady who handed it to me, because I COULD NOT WAIT to indulge.  I viciously tore the wrapping off my straw, put it in the straw hole, and yuuuuuuummmmmm. So delicious.

I'm allowed one more before March 17. I actually might just hold out and get one ON March 17. I would love to mix Guinness with Sham Shake for an ice cream float type concoction. I'll call it a "All Hail the Irish".

Small victories!

So much to talk about (ie - so many thoughts and musings swimming around in my head) but not enough time (mostly due to my poor time management skills. Funny I was bemoaning my total lack of ability with time management last night (to myself, during a vicious hate-talk session) and Rachel posted about it today.  I'll bookmark it and read it later in the week) to properly flesh said thoughts out.  I'd guess that one of the first steps in learning how to properly manage your time is to learn how to properly prioritize, and I have more pressing-urgent-so-completely-necessary-to-get-done-within-the-next-24-hours-or-else-I-might-have-a-mental-breakdown things to do. Soooo. Thursday or Friday, I'll read it, but if you're great at time management and just looking to get better, go read it now!

Ya'll!  It's February 28! Since this is NOT a leap year, IT'S THE LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY! I put up a blog post EVERY DAY in February.  Whoooo hooo, right?! RIGHT.

I will be taking a short vacation from blogging (maybe a couple days). I mean, it's only fair, right? I have, however, become so addicted to looking at my Google Analytics, and I'm sure people will only visit if I have new posts, so said vacation should not be too long.

Today, kick your heels together and celebrate small victories. If you'd like to see me write about a topic in March, leave an idea in the comments!  ALSO, for all you Catholic folk, Lent starts next week. What are you doing to acknowledge it?

Thought for the Weekend.

As we enter the weekend, a time filled with to-do lists, cleaning, catching up with everything that may have fallen to the wayside during the week, and for some of us, work (GAH...so many projects to grade this weekend), don't feel guilty if you want to sit around all Sunday morning in your robe, watching Meet the Press and various programs on the LiveWell network (which is a learning, travel, and style channel for those of us without cable television). Go out to a leisurely brunch with people you haven't seen in a while. You've earned this time and deserve it. Heck, I'd say you NEED it to be healthy and well.

I love this print:

If you want to get me an early birthday present, or maybe even treat yourself, you can find it here.

TGIF ya'll!

Undiscovered Talent?

Back in the fall of 2010, I purchased a Groupon for a 4 week pottery throwing class. I've always been intrigued by pottery throwing, not just because of Ghost, but because I heard it was a really tough thing to do, but highly satisfying.

I had my first class on Thursday and made these little guys!  They aren't big enough for anything of substance/worth, like cereal, soup, or ice cream, but might make lovely holders for my paper clips or something of the sort. Next week we'll trim them, then we'll glaze them, and if nothing disastrous happens during those steps, they'll be all mine!

I am pretty proud of myself, in case you couldn't tell. SORRY. I usually don't toot my own horn (at least I don't think I do...maybe I do and I'm just an arrogant asshole?) but the teacher said "Wow...that's really good for your first time at the wheel." about the first one (the top one). I replied "WOW!  Really?!"  At the end of class he told me "Nice work...most people don't make anything their first class."

Pottery throwing is hard work ya'll. It's funny that I'm starting this two weeks before my doctor's appointment to get to the bottom of my shoulder/neck/back issue, as this activity works the exact same areas that are giving me angst. Such is life!

This sort of relates to the NaBloPoMo theme of character because I've been trying to be a more optimistic person about my life. As the teacher was at the wheel, showing me the beginning steps (I was just watching) I thought to myself "Hey...maybe you'll pick this up quickly...how cool would that be?!" In the past I would have watched him effortlessly make a shape on the wheel, something totally unfamiliar to me, and would have thought "AS IF...no way will you be able to do that." (yes, apparently I quote dialogue from Clueless in my head.)  Positive thinking, I haz it.

What to put in a Christmas stocking?

I found a cute little poem regarding what to put in a Christmas stocking for an adult while reading this funny article on Jezebel.

A Christmas stocking, for anyone, contains:

Something to eat,
Something to read,
Something to play with,
and Something they need.


Ummm, so cute. I'm thinking: something to eat - candy, a baked good (try making these Red Velvet Cookies, or order beautiful macaroons); something to read - cute little book that is either hilarious, interesting, or just plain fun; something to play with - Lego kit, mini Etch-a-Sketch; something they need - mini alcohol bottles, Starbucks/Gas/7-11/McDonald's/grocery store gift card, socks, something for the kitchen, chapstick (obviously something better than the boring, normal brand), fancy soap, etc.

What would you put in a stocking if you were following the above rules?

SUCCESS!

A long, long time ago, I started a blog under an alias, a name made up by combining a first and last name from my family tree.  This was before blogging was widely acceptable, when it was a thing done by either really cool people (Heather Armstrong, Maggie Mason) or social misfits (Perez Hilton, me.)  I never blogged much and when I did it was generally pretty lame (not that I'm saying my content is now somehow life-changing).  One thing that was cool about that blog, however, was the domain name.  Several months ago I finally canceled the blog and put an alert into my calendar to check for the name availability after the required waiting period to reclaim the name.  That date was in AUGUST, and after a couple of weeks of trying just about every other day, I sort of forgot about it.  Every time I tried to claim the domain name it would tell me it wasn't available.  I was bummed...I thought I had lost the name forever.

Imagine my surprise when, right before shutting down the computer for the night, I thought "Oh, I wonder if that name is available yet..." and typed in scatteringjoy.blogspot.com.  SUCCESS!  IT'S BAAAAACCCCCCKKKKK! 

I hope I didn't lose any of you with the change, as I think the reclamation of my desired name will inspire me to write more positive, interesting, and hilarious posts. :)

I know this is old...

But it totes makes me laugh.

All kinds of brilliant.

What is it about flow charts that just...makes so much SENSE?!

I came across this image through this site: http://lorideschene.com/happiness-flow-chart/

Happy birthday Dad!

Every year, when we ask my dad what he wants for his birthday, the response always falls into one of two categories: 1.  Something having to do with world peace. 2.  An expensive gadget related to kayaking.

Now, my dad would be kind of angry at my brother or me if we were to really spend money on an expensive kayak gadget (really, he would) because we are both not as financially fit as we'd like to be.  And as much as I believe in the power of positive thinking, there's no way I could make world peace happen through happy thoughts alone.

This year, in keeping with tradition, I sent him an email asking him if he has a list.  He replied:

I have no list as I can't seem to get World Peace, and they're hammering the sh*# out of the environment, so I guess a b'day card would be nice.  You can take me to Penny's Noodles, or get me a gift certificate, so we can dine when I come to visit. 

Hope all is well, Love dad.....officially now "the Old Man".

I know...all kinds of adorable, isn't it?

I love a good gift challenge, so I decided since the world peace issue is on the back burner I would try and tackle the environment issue.  I did a little research online (like three minutes) and found the International Bird Rescue Research Center, a group currently on the ground on the Gulf Coast, working to save oiled birds.  Scenes of people gently washing birds in Dawn soap has always touched my heart.  My parents have two bird feeders in their very small backyard and recently added a hummingbird feeder, and NO JOKE, they love those creatures.  My mom gets especially excited when a cardinal or blue jay or Peregrine falcon finds it's way into their backyard, and my dad takes the replenishing of the bird feed very seriously.  They also leave nuts out for squirrels, after being annoyed that squirrels were trying to climb up the feeders.  My dad has a "pet" squirrel named Bob, who is quite fearless and fond of my father.  One time when I was home my dad said "Oh look...Bob's in the backyard..." to which I replied "Dad, is every squirrel named Bob?" and he replied, without missing a beat "No, only the ones in this neighborhood."

I contacted the IBRR and gave them a donation in my father's name.  I then sent my dad the following email:

Happy birthday Dad!  I made a donation in your honor to help the birds who've been slicked with oil due to BP's negligence!  We can't save the whole world but we can make a difference, one winged creature at a time. :)

Love,
Kristen 

What do you think?  Winner or no? 

Mr. Wonderful

A couple weeks ago I was home in Michigan for a family event.  My beloved Mr. Coffee 4-cup coffee maker had recently gone out on me, so I figured I'd pick up a new coffee maker while at Target. 

Mr. Coffee 1 (MCI) was a cute coffee maker and served me well for almost 4 years, but the minute I got Mr. Coffee 2 (MC2) out of the box and set up, it was as if MC1 and I never had anything special.  Ya'll, I can PROGRAM MC2.  I set that bad boy up at night and go to bed knowing that coffee will be ready for me when I wake up.

This has resulted in me waking up, groggy and disoriented, and then thinking "Oooh, did it work?!  Is my coffee ready?!" almost every day for the past two weeks.  Then when I walk into my kitchen and see coffee in the pot, I get kinda happy.  Not a bad way to start the day.

Loves it.

So I haven't had cable for ages, which I've mentioned before, but thanks to the internet I can still get my fill of trashy, pointless television. I will admit, I occasionally watch The City and The Hills.  Therefore you can imagine my delight when I saw this:

The Big Easy.

Today I am on my way to New Orleans for the FIRST TIME EVER (also my first time in Louisiana).  Needless to say, I am very excited.  I want to get to all of the continental states (I want to get to Alaska and Hawaii in my lifetime but since those are not cheap trips I'm trying to be realistic.)  Louisiana will be my second new state this year (Minnesota got checked off the list in January.)

Blog posts are scheduled, so I will be stick to my April pledge while exploring a new (to me) city.  Yes, I will eat beignets.  No, I will not eat a Muffuletta sandwich, unless I can get one without meat (but would it still be a Muffuletta?)  I will definitely try the olive salad, because I love olives!

We are going to Nola for Jazz Fest, where I hope to see Lionel Richie, Cowboy Mouth, Better Than Ezra, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Allman Brothers Band. I'll probably be tweeting reviews from the shows, but since I have an ancient phone I can't get tweets until I sit in front of a computer...and not sure when or how that will happen.

Enjoy your weekend!

Whirlwind.

I am a girl who likes to drive. I enjoy the open road, my loyal Ford Escape, radio stations, and seeing new places.  The past two weekends I have drove from Chicago to Detroit, Detroit to Chicago, Chicago to Cincinnati, and Cincinnati to Chicago.  Today's drive back from Cinci was a pleasant one, due to sunshine and a relatively lax schedule that allowed me to stop at some interesting exits to make pit stops. 

If you are ever driving on 65 in Indiana, you MUST exit at exit 220 and visit Fair Oaks Farms.  I stopped today (um...and on Friday on the drive down) to get some of their mint chocolate chip ice cream.  HOLY COW.  It's perhaps the best ice cream I've had in my entire life.  I got a kiddie sized cone so I didn't have sweets guilt and it was a good thing I was about 15 miles away when I had the last bite or I may have gone for more.  I also got a sampler bag of their Sweet Swiss cheese and some milk for my cereal/coffee this week.

Perhaps I can get some friends together to go on the Dairy Adventure...ending the day with ice cream. ;)

Big Deal.

Tonight I get my own Jody Sawyer moment.  I get to see Cooper Neilson (Ethan Stiefel) of the American Ballet Theatre dance in Swan Lake.  I'm soooo excited.  I was super excited just to see the company, as I've become a pretty frequent ballet watcher (thanks to my job at the gorgeous Auditorium Theatre, home of the Joffrey Ballet), but once I read COOPER NEILSON would be dancing tonight I about fell off my chair in excitement.

No, I am not expecting a dance-off for my affections, but you know...I'd be okay if he and Charlie (Sascha Radetsky) wanted to duke it out in a bad boy vs. nice guy battle.

Today is the GREATEST...

or at least ONE of the greatest days of the year, as it is Opening Day at Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers (rrroooaarrrr!)

I will be attending the game with some dear friends.  We will be drinking beer, eating food that is not good for us (although probably not as much as we used to, as we are aging and our metabolisms are slow and our stomachs a bit weak), and stalking the Tigers mascot, Paws.  Well, I'll definitely be stalking the mascot, as it's not an Opening Day without a hug from Paws!

I know baseball has been back since Sunday, but it doesn't really feel like it's back until I go to a Tiger game.

Flirting is good for the soul.

Chicken soup might be what you reach for if you have the sniffles or are feeling generally under-the-weather, but there are few remedies for melancholy as effective as a day spent flirting with a handsome stranger.

February always gets a bad rap for being one of the worst months of the year, but I tend to find that March sucks a lot of light and energy out of me.  I can't pinpoint an exact reason, I think it's just my own lunar/mayan/mythical calendar (I have no idea where mythical fits in, the word just came to me so I'm going with it).

With that being said, on Saturday, what was supposed to be a "quick drink" with a friend at the bar at the end of my street turned into several hours spent flirting and laughing with a guy who was showing some interest.  The whole thing felt more than a little foreign, as it's been a super-duper long time since someone's hit on me (that expression is so odd, no?), but wow, did it feel good.

Yes, numbers were exchanged and they may be used, however if the seven to eight hours of giggling, witty retorts, and strategic non-verbals are all that comes of it, at least it was something.

This is not helping.

I saw a commercial for the Liberty of London for Target collection, set to hit stores on March 13th.

I covet.

I love pretty much every London designer and this is no exception.  Liberty is an iconic design house, the prints in the commercial were fabulous, and I immediately put "Liberty collection at Target" on my Google calendar.

Ahhh...how does this fit into my "simple living" pledge?

You are right...it doesn't.  It also doesn't fit into my "you are so incredibly broke you better only spend money on food and shelter for the next five to ten weeks" plan.

I will probably still go to Target to check it out.  Believe it or not, I have incredible control when it comes to looking at things, loving them, but leaving them in the store.  Sometimes it's just nice to look at pretty things.

Also, looking at them in the store will undoubtedly confirm that all the pieces were made in China, and I've been trying to minimize my "Made in China" purchases.  Limiting your "Made in China" purchases is also a great way to stick to a budget, because ALMOST EVERYTHING IS MADE IN CHINA.