Fill in Friday

San does these occasionally, and they are so fun to read, so I thought I'd make one today!  Feel free to do this on your own blog!

I wish I could go to Paris sooner than I likely will.
I want to have an unplanned, quiet weekend.
I always wear my heels down to the nail, so get the heel tips replaced by a cobbler.
I need to pick up some of those re-tipped shoes from the cobbler.
I feel like I get sick way too easily.
I think about my schedule and how to optimize it quite a bit.
I ask what time it is often enough that I should buy a watch (but have a nickel allergy so need to find one that doesn't have nickel).
I hear sirens when I fall asleep at night.
I smell the smells of fall in the air.
I ponder what my purpose on earth is.
I seek approval from others far too often.
I play piano to calm myself.
I try to be the kind of friend that I would want.
I prefer the aisle seat over the window seat, unless it's an international flight.  Then I prefer the window seat.
I wonder when I will meet my husband.
I believe that my husband is out there somewhere.
I mean it when I say my heart aches for Paris.
I never thought moving downtown would be a possibility but am so glad I made it happen.
I plan to turn some work trips into fun trips this fall/winter.
I hope that the weather is nice on the day of my marathon.
I worry about things that are out of my control.
I dislike tardiness and arrogance.
I struggle to understand why there are people who still smoke.  It's so gross and so bad for your body!


Happy Friday everyone!  I'm running 22 miles tomorrow (eeks!), and then I fly out for (another) business trip on Sunday so it will be another short weekend for me!

Ten Quirky Questions

Happy Friday!  Jen did this earlier this week, and I had fun reading her answers, so I thought I'd play along!

Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?
No, I don't.  I travel so much these days, if I did I would have WAY too many.  I can't handle clutter in my toiletry closet!!

What is your biggest pet peeve?
People who are late and unapologetic for being late.  Totally unacceptable.

Do you chew your pens and pencils?
NO!!  There is someone at work that CHOMPS on his pen and it drives me CRAZY.  We don't have any walls in our office so noises travel easy.  I can block out people's voices pretty well, but can't handle white noise like pen chewing.  It actually makes my skin crawl and I have considered purchasing this person the Sophie the Giraffe toy as a chewing alternative.

Do you believe in ghosts?
Nope!  Not one bit.

What was your first concert?
Jars of Clay, which is a Christian band.

Have you ever cried because you were so happy?
Yes.  Many times.  The most recent time I can recall is when I passed level I of the CFA.  I didn't cry this year because the process of finding my results was so fricking ridiculous, and I was in the middle of a conference call when I found out, so it was sort of, well, anti-climatic in a way (but still very awesome, of course).

Do you crave sweet or salty food?
Definitely salty.

How late is "sleeping in" to you?
Wow, this has changed in the last couple of years.  7 is now sleeping in to me.  That would have been early years ago.

What is a food that you never thought you would try, but then 
tried and liked? 
Sushi.  I never ever thought I'd like it.  Raw fish?  Seriously?  Now it's one of my most favorite foods ever.

DJ or band at a wedding?

Tough call...  I would have to say a band, but it can't be too loud!

Alright - your turn!  Either answer some questions in the comments or keep the fun going and do it on your blog!

Am I the Only One?

 Allison did this post yesterday and I thought it was kind of a fun post, so I decided to play along!

Am I the only one...

- who has no desire to ever step foot in the city of Las Vegas unless I am required to go for work?

- who thinks that sweatpants with words across the behind are tacky?

- who doesn't like to talk to others while I am going to the bathroom (seriously, why do people do this!  It makes me so uncomfortable!)?

-  who feels like society has become numb to infidelity and dare I say, finds it "cute" (as evidenced by the popularity of the book/movie "Something Borrowed")?

- who adored the Happy Potter Books but has no desire to ever see the movies?

- who thinks you actually get more sick the years you get a flu shot?

- who cringes on the inside when people say the phrase "I have to pee" (what happened to saying I need to use the restroom!)?

- who is tempted to de-activate their facebook profile until after the election?


Ok, your turn:  Am I the only one...

Friday Miscellany

Greetings and happy Friday!  I am back from what was an AMAZING vacation and am slowly assimilating back to post-vacation life.  Slowly.  I feel so behind after having little-to-no internet/phone access (which was actually kind of nice).  Luckily I have a fairly quiet weekend ahead of me which I will be using to catch up!

Kyria gave me the One Lovely Blog Award over a month ago!  I am supposed to 1) Post the award logo and picture on your blog and link back to the person who nominated you. 2) Tell seven things about yourself. 3) Nominate up to 15 additional bloggers whom you think deserve the award. 4) Post a comment on the blog of each nominee to tell them they have been nominated!

Here are 7 things about me!

1.  I hate asking for directions - which makes me especially thankful for my iPhone as it typically prevents me from having to ask directions.  The map application is a life saver for me!


2.  I used to be really chatty as a child, I remember talking to pretty much anyone who would listen.  Now?  I avoid unnecessary conversations - like in places such as airplanes, groceries stores, cabs, etc.

3.  I have an incredibly strong gag reflex and am super sensitive to bad smells.  As a result, I really can't use a porta-potty or public restrooms in places like airplanes and trains without gagging.  I usually have to put my nose in my shirt and talk myself out of throwing up.

4.  I do best in smaller group settings of maybe 6-8 people.  When I am in a big group, I tend to get really quiet and do more observing than talking.  For that reason, I have no desire to ever do a huge blogger meet up.

5.   I think that the semi-colon is probably the most misunderstood and misused of punctuation.  It pains me to see it used wrongly; it can be so effective when used correctly. 

6.  I never thought I'd say this, but I prefer reading e-books to physical books.  Don't get me wrong, I still love physical books as I would love to have a library some day, but e-books are so much easier - especially when traveling.  I just love how light and portable my nook is!

7.  The last day of my last 2 big vacations have sucked - I hope this is not a trend.  Last year when I went to Paris, my flight got cancelled due to a snow storm, I got majorly delayed and re-routed through Atlanta, and my luggage got lost.  On this trip, I fell and got lost during my run (more on that in my Monday Marathon post).  Then on my walk to the train station, I got followed by this creepy/crazy guy who took my picture about 8 times (ick).  And then on the flight home, a guy in my row (who I think was intoxicated) loudly puked (and yes I had to fight my gag reflex).  So yah, I am 0-2 on ending my last 2 big vacations on a high note!  Oh well, it makes it easier to return to reality after my vacation end like that!

I am usually a rule follower, but will be skipping the picking of 15 bloggers as I have too hard of a time doing that!  Instead I'd love it if you share some (or 7) random tidbits about you!

Monday Miscellany

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. Here's where my head is at today, bullet point style!

• I'm super excited for my short 3-day week of work. I'll be jetting off to Tucson on Wednesday night to visit my sister & her husband. They are having a Mexican Fiesta on Saturday to celebrate their graduations from college. My parents will also be there so it will be a mini family reunion!!
• I totally felt like my mom last night when I made dinner because I had all these random things in my fridge that I threw into the spaghetti sauce. I usually have to shop for every ingredient but this time around I had a bunch of things in my fridge that needed to be used up before my trip. My mom is the master of creating delicious second meals with ingredients. For instance, she'd made chow mein with left over roasts. Or she'd make my dad's favorite dish, hash, with leftover steak.
• I was nearly taken out by a kid on a bike on the running path yesterday. Dear God, people need to learn how to share a running path.
• I watched (500) Day of Summer again this weekend. I think I have seen it 5-6 times now. I think every person who has been through a tough break up in their life should watch this movie. But not right away - wait like 5-6 months maybe when it's not so fresh in your mind.
• On that note, if I could have Zooey Deschanel's wardrobe in the movie, that'd be awesome.
• The Portland Marathon is 5 months from today! So excited!
• I have an exciting giveaway this Friday so be sure to stop back. It's a kitchen gadget that should be on every wedding registry in my opinion.

What's on your mind today?

Midweek Miscellany

My brain is kind of doing flip-flops right now, for no apparent reason, and after struggling to put together a cohesive post, you get a little bit of miscellany.

• On Monday night, I had a bad dream. I dreamed that I left my coffee thermos on my kitchen counter - in my dream, I walked by a Starbucks and wanted to cry because I knew it was going to be a coffee-free day since I have committed to only having lattes on Fridays (and I have been successful so far!). Seriously, who has bad dreams about forgetting their coffee. I have this little thing called an extreme addiction to caffeine.
• At the gym last night, I pounded out 4 miles next to a complete psycho. He kept talking to himself and saying, 'we're alone' or something like that. Um, no, you aren't. Every freaking treadmill is currently in use. You are not alone and I don't want to listen to your chanting. Then, after the chanting, he started grunting like he was delivering a child or practicing lamaze. It was the weirdest thing I have ever seen. I wanted to tell him to shut up but I was afraid that might set off some sort of 'roid rage and he'd punch me or something. Dude, don't go to my Y anymore. You are scaring people.
• I went to a going away party yesterday for a friend & former co-worker whose position is being eliminated. Guess what her boss brought in for treats? A couple of bags of popcorn (which tasted like crap) and some fudge. My friend is the one who always planned everyone else's going away parties or special events and put so much time and thought into them. And she gets popcorn as her parting gift?
• We are experiencing a heat wave in this part of the country. What does a heat wave mean to us in January? 20 degrees baby! In celebration of the fact that we are no longer hovering in subzero temps, I am wearing a dress or skirt to work every day this week. It's really funny how what you consider 'cold' changes throughout the year. In November, I would have whined about 20 degree temps. Now I am celebrating by wearing dresses (with tights, I'm not THAT hard core).

That's all I've got for you.

What's new in your world these days? Any miscellany to share with me?