at least I remembered to brush my teeth!

Hello! And, oh my goodness, can you believe it?!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  I can’t believe that I am 6 days tardy in wishing you that—but then again, yes I can.  December seems to fly by at an increasing rate of speed with each year that passes and I really do think that New Year’s Day comes a day earlier each year.  And so, here I am.  Finally.

I have so many things to record and share—events, projects, Christmas trimming projects, gift purchasing, partying, traveling, nose-blowing, resolutions made, moving plans, surgeries, & fireworks.  I just hope I can remember them all to write about it.  With all of this going on [sometimes as many as 4] PLUS commuting to work [and working itself!!!], there hasn’t been much extra time to journal.

I sat down last night, determined to remedy this problem & begin the pain-staking but rewarding task of blogging.  I knew I would only make a small dent but I was definitely not prepared for the disappointment of the hair-strand diameter of a dent, or knick rather, that I actually made.  I tried, though!  You can ask Andrew—I was hunkered down and ready to go.

Unfortunately, though, I ran into a small problem—pictures were not to be obtained from my camera.  I searched high & lo for the cord [or any cord] to connect the camera to the computer but alas, it was not meant to be.  This wouldn’t be a big deal if I didn’t need pictures to help me write about [and remember] my going-ons.  But I do.  I often use pictures and images as a vehicle to my journaling & blogging.  It sort of fills up the page, you know?!  Ha!  Ok, we’re not in high school; or writing a Master’s thesis J  Any-hoo I do use them to aid in the writing process AND I have a lot of fun things to share that, due to my writing skills, will not be done justice unless pictures are shown along side.

So, in efforts to do something I created a visual timeline of events & journal entries to come.  Don’t get lost!

[but my room still isn't cleaned up or out!!!]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! & talk to you soon :)

thoughts from a sleepyhead

I woke up this morning at 5:30 a.m.

On my own.

How in the WORLD did that happen?!  

But that's not the worse part.  Yes, there is worse than waking up at 5:30 a.m. on my own on a day when I don't have anywhere to be until 10:00 a.m.

Worse is waking up at 5:30 a.m. on my own with at least a million thoughts running around in my head and every single one of them a topic that I deem a good blog post.  Seriously, this brain never stops.  One day you’ll believe me.

Even worse was that even thought I was awake mentally I couldn’t get my eyes to open.  And, because I couldn’t get my eyes to open up, I couldn’t write down or record any of these wonderful thoughts.  When my eyes finally did open I tried to remember said thoughts.  Ha!  Yeah, right.  But I did try. Which only woke me up even more.  

I should probably stop talking now before ya’ll think I'm crazy.  But then again, I'm pretty sure it’s already too late for that.

The sad part about all of this is that I don't even have profound thoughts to share with you.  Most are not even mediocre.  They are just thoughts that for some reason I feel compelled to share with you.  Rest assured you will determine without a doubt that you, my friend, are normal and thankful that your brain is wired correctly.  Or maybe, you'll see yourself between the lines of my posts and realize that it's okay to be different.  It may prove to be a little difficult, but you can make it work.  [Or try to, anyways...that's what I do.]

The Bottom Line:  Get ready; I'm about to post away on some extremely unimportant but very real topics.

just thinking...

I once had a professor look at me, then look at my photography project on the wall, then back at me, then back at the project, then back at me and finally, after turning her attention from one to the other at least 16 times said this: 'I can see that it must be very difficult living up there in your mind.'  'FINALLY!'  I thought; someone finally understands that even I don't always understand what's going on inside my own brain.

My brain is ALWAYS working.  Ahem, let me rephrase that [I would hate to misrepresent myself]: my brain is ALWAYS working in the over-drive sense.  Whether or not it is ALWAYS working at 100% capacity is another issue altogether [some might argue that it is a 50/50 chance].  I have such good friends.  At least they're honest!

Anyways...it seems like my brain NEVER stops.  It's always going in a million different directions, too.  If it was a one-track kind of mind stuck in 5th gear all the time I might be able to handle it.  Although 5th gear is pretty fast, at least it would all be going in the same stream flow of thoughts.  But mine doesn't work like that.  It's like I have 17 ping-pong balls [57 most days, 17 on a great day] pinging and ponging around in my head all at once, all the time.  Some are fast, some are slow.  Some are bright and flashy, some are deep and concerned.  Some explode into 11 more ping-pong balls, some never take form. Some are...

Squirrel.

My dear friend Allen once said this about me, and I quote:

'Ellen, you have so many trains and tracks of thoughts...sometimes I don't know if you have too many trains for your tracks or too many tracks for your trains. You have trains head butting each other, ramming each other, trains flipping off the tracks. It may seem you've jumped 7 tracks, but, in fact, you have made a subtle and 'logical' switch on over all 15.'

We both died laughing when he said that as 1) it was not practiced, planned, or rehearsed and 2) it is probably one of the most, if not the most, accurate observation and description of myself that I have ever heard.

The other night I let out a huge sigh of relief as I got in between the covers of my freshly laundered bed and I wondered from what was I feeling such relief?  I hadn't had a long, tiresome day; no more than any other at least.  And then it hit me: it was almost like I hadn't filled up my 'Thought Quota' for the day and my mind was racing around at insane rates of speed trying to get the last few thoughts in before I shut my eyes to enter Dream World [which is again, another issue altogether].  I decided to try and record the thoughts that had flown in, out and around in the 5 minutes that I took to get ready for bed.  I am confident that I was able to recall at least 72% of them.  So, for your viewing pleasure:

1. Aw, man!  I haven't put the sheets on my bed after washing them today...
2. I need to brush my teeth--can't have sugars setting up camp on my teeth all night long.
3. I wonder if I will actually get up when my alarm goes off in the morning.  I hope so....I get so much more done in the morning...Wow!  Where did that come from?!  I'm getting old...
4. I need to go to the bathroom.
5. Why am I so sleepy?
6. Need to set my alarm...
7. I'll fold the rest of the laundry in the morning
8. I need to go find my phone & charger
9. I love The Cosby Show
10. My feet are cold.
11. Bed!!!
12. Clean sheets!
13. Redeeming Love was such an awesome...
14. My lips are chapped
15. Tomorrow is Friday!
16. I need to plug my charger & phone in.
17. I should workout tomorrow...
18. I love blogging...why does it take all I have in me to actually sit down to write?!
19. I have an idea...
20. Where is a piece of paper?
21. ...A pen?
22. What was I going to write down?!
23. I wish I was kidding.
24. My room's a mess...I'll pick it up tomorrow...
25. Tomorrow...
26. What are the chances of my losing 7 lbs by morning?
27. I wonder if I'll have any cool dreams?
28. My brain is always going, going, go...ing
29. I sound like the Energizer Bunny
30. I haven't seen him in a while...wonder if he's still going?

I need to stop now lest one of you decides that I am in fact insane and tries to institutionalize me....

Am I the only person who...

Squirrel.

blow dryers & mermaids' tears

PINK is my favorite color.

It always has been.

I presume it always will be.

Just this past weekend, my blow dryer exploded and died.  That blow dryer has seen me through college, grad school, and two years of ‘real’ life.  I guess the sentimental part of me says, ‘Aww, Revlon 1875, you’ve dried and prepped me for some very momentous occasions: 2 graduations, 10 days in Scotland/Ireland, and countless weddings.  It will be sad not to have you by my head ever again.’  But I’m not saying that.  I have been waiting for this moment for 6+ years.

I’ve wanted a PINK blow dryer for a long, long time.  My big day has finally come!  I know I sound super shallow but honestly, having a color stipulation worked to my benefit yesterday when I went to buy a new dryer.  I didn’t have to walk the aisles, weighing the benefits of ‘superfast’ settings, retractable cords, diffusers [What size?  What shape?!], designer labels, 2-3 speed settings, 1-6 heat settings, non-frizzers; you know the riggamaroo that I’m talking about.  Seriously!  You would need an Excel spreadsheet to sort all that mess out.  And even then you would probably leave carrying 0 purchased blow dryers and a frazzeled mess of hair because you pulled it all out trying to reach the decision that-in the end-you did not make.  This in turn invites every clerk that you pass from the blow dryer aisle to the front door to offer their two cents about not only which $150 blow dryer would be the perfect one for you, but irons, gels, and masks that would help tame that rattled mess you have growing out from your head.  And did I mention we offer salon services here as well?!?!

Bugh.  Not this time!  I have been waiting for this-should be-dreaded moment for a long time.  The only other feature I required was that it worked off of electricity and last time I checked, this was the 21^st century.

Now granted, there were three or four PINK dryers and one zebra & PINK one displayed along the aisles.  I started practicing my deep breaths.  I then realized that all but one were over $75.00 and quite frankly, I see no need for that.  You give me a dryer that will dry my hair curly and then we’ll talk.  [My hair dries straight, hangs straight, curls straight, it does everything- you guessed it-straight.]  I went to that aisle, laughed for a moment, told the aisle ‘You will not ruin my day,’ picked up the PINK, $17.99 blow dryer and left the aisle as quickly as I had entered.  I cannot tell you how many settings it has, the brand, nor if it came with any brushes or diffusers because I have not actually taken it out of the box and used it yet.  The only problem we will have is if I pull out a blue or black dryer that requires batteries :)

Until recently, PINK has also been my choice of color for painting my nails about 98% of the time [1.8% RED and 0.2% ORANGE].  But lately I’ve been noticing other colors; namely hues and shades of GREENS.  After selecting my PINK blow dryer yesterday, I found myself at the wall of fingernail polish [we won’t even go into the decisions that go into that selection process].  I found the new OPI ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Collection and fell in love with ‘Mermaid’s Tears’.

I haven’t had a chance to apply it but cannot wait!  As a matter of fact, I think I will go do that.

Right.

Now.

Oh, it’s the little things in life, isn’t it?!