30 Days of Me - Day 30!

Whew!  There were times that I didn't think we would ever make it to this point, but here we are.  Day 30.  Gosh darn it if I don't feel a little sense of accomplishment and actually following through and finishing this little exercise.  Way to go me!  I rock!

Today's prompt is "your favorite song."

My favorite song is "Santa Monica" by Everclear (.  It came out in 1995 and got up to like #26 on the Top 100 in 1996.  (Don't think that I had that musical information right at my fingertips - I used Wikipedia!)  My clearest memory of the song is that I went to a Matchbox 20 concert with Ang within a week of getting married to Shad and Everclear was one of the opening acts.  We were at the top of the arena and I remember him doing this song as I sat with my head leaning back on the concrete wall behind my seat.  I have no idea why that particular memory is ingrained so deeply into my mind, but it is, and "Santa Monica" has been one of my favorite songs ever since.  Don't ask me what it's about because I don't necessarily know, but here it is if you're interested.

30 Days of Me - Day 29

"in this past month, what have you learned"

I'm going to assume that "this past month" actually means the last 29 days of this challenge rather than the actual last calendar month, since it's taken me almost two months to complete the 30 days of posts.  So what have I learned in the course of these "30 Days of Me"?

I've learned that bad grammar and awkward phrasing really grates on my last nerve.

I've learned (more like "re-emphasized") that I don't do well with a set schedule of posts.

I've learned to share my blog with more people (hi mom and dad!)

I've learned that I don't need prompts to come up with stuff to blog about.

Everything is a learning experience so no experience is truly wasted.  :)

30 Days of Me - Day 28

"a picture of you from last year and now, how have you changed since then"

October 24, 2009

So that's me about this time last year.  In order to have a "now" picture I'd have to take one right this very moment and believe me, I'm in no state to be photographed.  I mean, I'd make a perfect "before" picture for just about anything, but since I don't have a super-fabulous "after" picture to post along side of it there shall be no "now" picture.

In the last year I lost forty pounds between January and April and then gained twelve of it back between May and October.  I'm back on the bandwagon now and hoping to drop a few more pounds before March, when Shad and I will be headed to Vegas for our 10th Anniversary.

In the last year I've moved into a larger office that is much more out of the general traffic flow at work.  I've hung paintings that I like (and one belonging to my boss, too, because I kinda had to) and enjoyed the quiet.  I've also become periodically more disenchanted with my job, mostly because it feels like I do the bulk of the work sometimes, but I'm hanging in there.

In the last year I've become the evil stepmother to two teenagers - not that I wasn't a stepmother before, but Andrew turned thirteen this year and Malorie turned sixteen.  I've found that I did inherit some of my father's calm demeanor when it comes to instructing a new driver, which was a relief to both Malorie and me.

In the last year I've purchased and re-acquainted myself with a motorcycle.  I also discovered the dangers of owning a motorcycle - mostly the danger of not wanting to do anything else and the occasional overwhelming desire to ride off into the sunset. 

I'm sure that I've changed a lot of other ways in the last year (don't we all?) and I hope that it's mostly for the better.  How about you?

30 Days of Me - Day 27

"why are you doing this 30 day challenge"

When I initially glanced over the challenge I thought it woulld give me some different ideas for posts and I was perhaps a little apprehensive that I would run out of things to say.  Obviously now that I've been doing this blogging thing for a while I've found that I can babble about darn near anything!

30 Days of Me - Day 26

"what do you think about your friends"

Really?!?!?!?  Of course I think they are all stellar people with exemplary taste in friends!  How about this - I'll pick three friends and give you some of the first words that come to mind when I think of them.

SHAD

Forever, Funny, Principled, Reliable, Hot(!)

STEPH

Goofy, Crafty, Enduring, Bestest, Resilient

ANG (a/k/a "G')

Intelligent, Sarcastic, Caring (secretly!), Hilarious

Thus ends Day 26.

30 Days of Me - Day 25

"What I would find in your bag"

Oh wow.  I wish I would have seen this one coming - I would have cleaned out my purse to avoid the embarrassment that is sure to follow.  No use putting it off, I guess.....

Now let me explain......(don't you find that the best stories always start out that way?)

I just changed purses two days ago and I hadn't completely cleaned the one I'm using now out from the last time that I used it, resulting in some - but definitely not all! - of the chaos that you see before you.  I did purge quite a few things before I re-packed my purse if that makes you feel any better.

Some notes on the contents:

*I LOVE my card holder-thingy with the camera on front.  I bought it during my first trip with my VBF to Elsie Flanagan's Red Velvet Art Store in Springfield, MO.  It's from The Dainty Squid and I think it's super cool.

*The cause bracelet supports organ donation.  I support organ donation.  After all, once you're dead, what use do you have for your organs, eyes, skin, etc.  Let someone else have a turn with them!

*I'm still in love with my Kindle.  If the web navigation was just a smidge easier I would say that it was perfect!

*I got the coin purse at the GW Boutique - $.99. 

*I am, perhaps, the world's biggest fan of milk.  It doesn't matter if the cupboards are bare, so long as there is milk in the fridge I'm a happy girl.  Free milk is even better!

*Seven writing utensils are excessive.  One of them I (inadvertently, I swear!) stole from work.  I pared it down to four when I re-packed.

*I will never use the 15% off coupon because I can't remember which Chinese place it came from.

*I know that the girl on the front of my Inspiration Journal is taking a picture with her back to the Eiffel Tower.  Maybe whatever she's taking a picture of is even more incredible that the Eiffel Tower, okay?  Could be, because Paris is a beautiful city with many picture-worthy sights.  It also could be that I didn't plan my stamping out very well....

We're almost done with the 30 days! 

30 Days of Me - Day 24

"A letter to your parents"

Grandpa Paul. Grandma Marcia, Mom*, Dad*, Grandma Rosalie, Grandpa Ernie



Mom and Pops:

I don't blame you, although I probably should.  You did not prepare me for the "real world" at all.  What did you think you were doing, modeling all of that domestic happiness, parental concern and involvement and family togetherness?  Family vacations?  Emphasis on personal responsibility?  What the heck were you people trying to do to me?  Do you know how hard it is to function today with the morals, values and ethics that you've instilled in me?

The worst part is that these things are ingrained in me so deeply that now I'm actually passing it down to the kids!  Another generation growing up confused, trying to function with this handicap.  *Shakes head* 

I feel much better getting this off my chest, but I suspect that you already knew. 

Thank you. 

Much love,
Susan

*You can't tell me that my parents weren't super cute on their wedding day!  Seriously, how adorable are they?!?!?!?!?

30 Days of Me - Day 23

Okay, I know that I said I wouldn't comment on the grammatical aspects of these prompts, but seriously...."something you crave for a lot"?  I can only hope that the originator of this little projects speaks English as a second language.

What I'm craving really just depends on the day/time/circumstances. I find that I wish we had this



in the house more often than we do.  On crackers.....with fresh bread......mmmmmmmmmm....

30 Days of Me - Day 22

"What makes you different from everyone else"

Hmmmm......  I'm tempted to say that it must be the specific combination of DNA and my life experiences that has meshed into the pile of biological goo that is moi, but I suspect that it is not quite what the originator of this exercise intended.  I shall, instead, attempt to give a more thoughtful answer.

I am different from everyone else (or at least 90% of the population) because:

* I love me some zombie movies, the cheesier the better
* I could spend a year alone on a desert island so long as I had an unlimited supply of books
* I love to buy scrapbook supplies but hate to use them (I'm afraid I'll screw it up!)
* I am more artistic in my head than I can get to come out of my hands
* I would prefer to stay at home than do almost anything else
* Shad and I actually like each other and want to spend time together

Okay, so none of that is truly unique, but it's what I could come up with for right now. 

Catch ya later!

30 Days of Me - Day 21

A picture of something that makes you happy.

Some days all it takes is a big dorky dog

30 Days of Me - Day 20

Easiest one so far - "Someone you see yourself marrying or being with in the future."

'Nuf said.

30 Days of Me - Day 19

I'm going to try to keep this short because it's getting late and work looms large in the morning. All I have to do is stay on task and we'll get right through this. I can't go off on my usual tangents and expect to make this a quick post. I mean, you know how I get, I start with one subject and then hop to the next and pretty soon it's like we got on a train going to NYC and ended up in London. Don't even get me started about the parallels between my ramblings and train travel on the ocean - too much quantum physics and meteorological theorization to get into during this brief posting. Too much by far. :)

Today's topic is "nicknames you have and why you have them."

Family lore relates that my first (and to this day most pervasive) nickname was "Susie." Mom told me that my dad starting calling the baby-bump that was to become me "Susie" really early on in her pregnancy. I remained a "Susie" (with a few notable and upcoming exceptions) until college, where as all adults must I changed to the more serious-sounding "Susan." You can always tell how long someone has known me by whether I'm "Susie" or "Susan." I guess that's one of the perks of staying near the town that you grew up in. At some point Andrew started calling me "Susie" too, which I kinda like. It's better than "Evil Stepmother" anyway!

When I was about knee-high I apparently told my Uncle John that my name was "Susanbarrina" or something close to that. It's got a certain ring to it, that's for sure, and sometimes Uncle J or my dad still calls me that. I also get "Susanfrasser" on occasion.

I think that my coolest nickname ever is "Z". It sounds cool. Mysterious. It could be a secret agent name, even. I was dubbed "Z" by my friend Ang in high school. Being a "Susie" people often wanted to shorten my name even farther to "Sue." Problem being, of course, that I hate being called "Sue." It got to the point that everytime Ang was around when someone called me "Sue" she would say "Z," thus making Sue into Sue-zee. Soon I became "Z" and she was "G" and that was likely the coolest I've ever been, as far as nicknames go.

"Suz" is a pretty general handle for me, too, which I like. My high-school boyfriend's best friend (follow that?) called me "Suzzo" for a while, but honestly that sounds a little bit like one of the lost Marx brothers, does it not? Now that I think about it, we really didn't get along very well back then so maybe it was a slam. We're much better now (another perk of sticking close to home is that you grow old with mature with the same people you grew up with.)

That's it for the nicknames I can remember right now. So much for a short post, huh?

Day 18 Update

I am 80% rockstar certified - I've cleaned the windows, washed and re-hung the curtains, vacuumed and steam cleaned the carpeting, dusted most of the bedroom and the last of the bedding is in the dryer. I'm even pulling a Sandy (my mom) and washing the pillows. The animals aren't quite sure what to think of the mattress and box spring stacked in the computer room but the cats are making the most of the new high ledges.

So far so good on the "no money" weekend, but we had pizza a couple of nights ago and the boxes are still out on the back porch. Every time I go out there the smell of pizza wafts into my nostrils and makes me crave it again BADLY. No worries though - I'll make due with the instant mashed potatoes or pancakes. Actually pancakes sound pretty good. With eggs. Mmmmmmmmmm......pancakes and eggs.

I'm watching Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. While I'm certainly no stoner - never even tried the stuff, to be honest - I gotta say that I love this movie. Neil Patrick Harris = Genius!

Okay, I'm making 'cakes. Later!

30 Days of Me - Day 18

"Plans/Dreams/Goals you have"

Okay, early on I said that I wasn't going to frequently post a "to do" post, but this prompt seems to be begging for it, right? Far be it from me to ignore so obvious a demand!

My first goal for this weekend is to make it a "No Money" weekend. I guess I have to define "weekend" as Saturday and Sunday, because you've no doubt already read about my Wal-Marting last evening and have likely surmised that that little adventure wasn't free. I mean, I did cop to the doughnuts, right? Hee-hee. Cop. Doughnuts. I'm hil-larous.

My other weekend goal includes doing a deep-clean of our bedroom which includes, but is not limited to, washing all of the bedding and curtains, cleaning the windows, moving the bed out and cleaning/organizing underneath, dusting, vacuuming and steam-cleaning the carpeting and, if that hasn't done me in, maybe going through my clothes too. Gosh. That seems really ambitious, doesn't it? I think it can be done, though. I will give myself mad rockstar points if I get all of that done. I don't know what you can redeem rockstar points for but it's got to be something great, right?

How do you tell a plan from a goal from a dream?

I would say that I'm already pretty much living my dream. Now that I think about it, this may be the "best" that my life is likely to be. I am married to my absolute favorite person, my parents are still together and relatively healthy, the kids are maturing into very interesting young adults, my friends are always there for me, I love our house and our pets and I am working at a job that I'm good at (if I do say so myself) where I feel that I'm making a difference. Sure, I can always wish for "more" - more time, more money, etc., but it would be like a bonus rather than a necessity.

I plan to get my small business idea off the ground by this time next year. I'm working on developing products and making contacts and, even if it doesn't work out, I've already had a pretty good time with it.

One of my biggest long-term goals is to help the kids grow into responsible, self-sufficient, confident adults. Even though they are not "mine" biologically, I think that any time a child is in your life you bear some responsibility to guide them. I'm not a big "green" person - I don't recycle as much as I should, I probably leave too many lights on and I'm not against the use of Styrofoam if it's convenient to me - so helping to raise two well-adjusted adults will be my biggest contribution to the future.

So the more time I spend on here is less time that I can spend meeting my weekend goals, so I'm outta here for now. Catch ya later!

30 Days of Me - Day 17

"Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why."

I thought I would have to put some real thought into this but suddenly the perfect answer occurred to me - I wanna be Rob Dyrdek.



Now I'm sure you're asking yourself why I chose Rob, that is unless you've caught either one of his shows on MTV. I first became aware of Rob through his show "Rob and Big" which was filmed with his bodyguard, Big Black. Essentially Rob is a professional skateboarder who apparently has both too much money and too much time on his hands. Like, one day he decided he was interested in time travel so he bought a "time machine" online and then a whole episode was devoted to his attempts to make this obviously-bogus machine work. He's just a big goofy kid in a somewhat grown-up body (I'm pretty sure I could bench-press him 'cuz he's just a wee little thing) and when paired with the incredibly ginormous Big Black (which was a very apt nickname, by the way!) it was more hilarious than I can describe.

Rob's current show is called "Fantasy Factory" and it's not nearly as dirty as it sounds. He took a warehouse and converted some of it into a massive indoor skate park, complete with rappelling lines and a huge ramp into a foam pit where they frequently run motorcycles, cars and other assorted modes of transportation around. His cousin Drama works for him as a quasi-assistant and his manager Jeremy as well as an assorted cast of hangers-on are often featured on the show. One of my favorites? The rapping receptionist, Channel. Channel is white. Looks like a farm girl. Not necessarily a bad rapper, but certainly against stereotypes! Here's what some of the factory looks like:

Seriously, how much fun would it be if "having fun" was your total job description and, what's more, you had the funds to immediately purchase absolutely insane impulse items? That's why I wanna be Rob Dyrdek!

30 Days of Me - Day 16

Today's post - another picture of yourself.

Since it didn't say it had to be of just me, I've chosen a picture of me and my cutie-pie hubby that was taken earlier this summer on one of our roadtrips. Seriously, how adorable is he? I love jumping in a vehicle (or on the bikes!) with him and just taking off. We usually end up somewhere interesting at the very least!

30 Days of Me - Day 15

This should be interesting. Today's post is "put you ipod on shuffle: first 10 songs that play." I'm going to use the music on the computer, though, because all of the music on my mp3 player is work-out type music which is not a fair representation of my overall musical taste.

Here we go:

First song: Bob Marley - Jammin'

Second song: Pearl Jam - Jeremy

Third song: Black Eyed Peas - Imma Be

Fourth song: Kayne West - Stronger

Fifth song: Eminem - Crack a Bottle

Sixth song: 3OH3 - I Can't Do It Alone

Seventh song: Pitbull featuring Lil Jon - Crazy

Eighth song: Busta Rhymes featuring Linkin Park - We Made It

Ninth song: Edwin McCain - I'll Be

Tenth song: Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

That's probably not a bad representation of the stuff that I listen to depending on what mood I'm in. "Stronger" is actually one of my favorite workout songs, as is "Crazy" and "Imma Be." Edwin McCain's "I'll Be" is one of my favorite slow songs from 1998. (Okay, I totally had to look up the date that song came out because it's not like I would have remembered it. I can hardly tell you where I was in 1998, much less what songs were on the radio. Wait - I was in Alabama in 1998. Still no idea on the songs, though....)

That was one of my favorite "Days of Me" so far. Cool.

30 Days of Me - Day 14

Yeah, I skipped Day 13 because I couldn't think of anyone who has hurt me lately and, if I could, I'm not usually one for the "write a letter that you never send" exercise. What if it's a really good letter and I can't help but send it? If it's something I wouldn't normally say why take the chance of giving into the urge to send it in written form?

So we're on to Day 14 - a picture of you and your family. Frankly I really can't do this one easily either, because I'm the picture taker of the family. I've got one from a family trip to Florida about five years ago and from our wedding ten years ago, but not a lot more, but I'd have to scan them in order to post them and I'm feeling pretty lazy this morning. I'll do better tomorrow.

30 Days of Me - Day 12

Go ahead and set the alarm for about five minutes from now, because today's post is a snoozer....

"How you found out about blogger and why you have one." Steph talked about starting a blog for quite a while. She got me hooked on blogs like Elsie Flannigan's where people shared bits of their crafty lives, suggested projects, etc. I originally thought that I had enough creative stuff going on to focus mostly on that, so I decided to give it a try. What I've found is that I'm more likely to blather on and on about whatever occurs to me than to take time to take pictures at each step of my project, think of coherent step-by-step instructions and have a final project that doesn't look like a 3rd grader with poor motor skills and an eyepatch did it. (I'm totally not making fun of people with eyepatches, but it would mess with depth perception something awful, thus likely negatively effecting creative efforts...)

I like my little potpourri of a blog - it wanders from here to there and back again. Heck, most of the time I don't end up where I thought that I would, so it's like an adventure for all of us!

30 Days of Me - Day 11

As required, here is another picture of me and my friends. This one is from a St. Patrick's Day parade we went to with Chris and Kevin. St. Patrick's Day is a special day for Shad and I since it is also our anniversary. It's pretty cool because bars and restaurants always have specials for us and everyone is in a festive mood. Sure a lot of people end our anniversary puking their guts out, but at least sometimes it's festive green vomit....