This is my ouch face.

I poked a hole in my nose. Happy birthday Sally! Now it's your turn!

A Letter to Santa

Cooper's Christmas wish list as dictated to his 11 year-old aunt. God forbid Santa leave some non-shiny coins in his stocking.

It happened to me.

Life List (100 Things I Want to Do)

Vacation in Hawaii
Take a photography class
Meet John Prine
Travel Scotland
See castles
Eat an In-N-Out burger
Have dinner in Little Italy
Go shopping at the Alight store in NYC
Have a Nathan’s hot dog on Coney Island
Visit Bremerton, Washington
Go on a cruise
Pay off all of our credit cards
Have my kitchen remodeled
Buy a Volkswagen Beetle
Have a swimming pool
Write a novel
Drive across the U.S. in an RV
Go to San Diego Comic Con
See a Broadway show
Take Cooper to Disney World (Planned! June 2013!)
Have a picture taken of Rob, Cooper and me that I really love
See the sunflowers in Tuscany
Open my own or work in a book store
Hire a maid service
Find a job I can do from home
Take the Jack the Ripper tour in London
Go on a trip with my mother and sister
Have an elfa closet
Become a professional organizer
Visit the M&M store in Las Vegas
Buy something at the Tiffany store in NYC
Go whale watching
Visit Deadwood South Dakota
Quit my job
Take Cooper to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Open my own summer camp
Get my nose pierced
Resurect Jello Pudding Pops
Get a passport
Keep a plant alive
Find the perfect little black dress
Go to my high school reunion
Get back in touch with my half-brother
Go to the beach with friends
Fly first-class
Read 100 new books in a year
Be a vegetarian for a month
Go on a dinosaur dig
Adopt from foster care
Read the complete works of Zelda Fitzgerald
Go on an Etsy shopping spree
Spend a week by myself with no obligations
Learn to prepare a vegetable I never thought I liked
Take a road trip to Dollywood
Spend a month in the French quarter
Pose for boudoir portraits
Eat bread in Paris
Finish my college degree
Ride a mechanical bull
Inspire someone to do something new
Sunbathe in the Italian Riviera
Sleep more
Attend the Highland Games in North Carolina
Watch everything in my Netflix queue
Rent a beach house with my family
Take Cooper camping
Have Butterbeer at Universal Studio’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Planned! June 2013!)
Learn to pack light
Host a dinner party
Sit on a jury
Perform a karaoke solo
Write my will
See the Fall leaves in New England
Teach my sister to apply makeup
Throw a Halloween party
Have a pint in an Irish pub
Have a professional photographer take my twitter avatar photo
Make homemade ice cream
Have dinner at the Commander's Palace in New Orleans
Watch AFI's Top 100 Films of All Time (seen 28 so far)
Have a movie marathon weekend
Take a second honeymoon
Live in Central Austin
Rock pink hair
Wear a bikini, without having a "bikini body"
Make a living working less than 40 hours a week
Get to name an OPI nail polish color
Become a more mindful consumer
Spend more time with my grandmother
Take a vacation every Summer
Own every color of Converse
Get a sleeve tattoo of my favorite desserts
Take a pottery class
See Dolly Parton in concert
Have a big window-seat for reading and daydreaming
Be an extra in a movie or TV show
Send Cooper to college
Spend a weekend at a spa
Overcome my low-level OCD
Retire

Book #31: Immortal in Death

Okay, final re-read for a while (I’ve been waiting for the second Francesca Cahill novel to arrive. Damn thing wasn’t available on Kindle). Immortal in Death is the third Nora Roberts In Death book.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPD would rather face armed drug addicts than go shopping for a wedding dress. Lucky for her, she gets plenty of brutal killings to investigate (including having her best friend as a suspect), but still ends up having to get married.

I like how realistically gritty New York City is in 2058. Guns have been outlawed, prostitution has been legalized, but there still manages to be amazing amounts of crime. I’m also fascinated by the procedure and the detail involved in investigating homicides. It appeals to my organized nature.

To find out how Eve gets a new partner, catches a serial killer, and marries a billionaire, you’ll have to read the book.

a confession

I'm known as a pretty organized person. Maybe even obsessively so. But this is the one area of my life that is never organized.

I'm somewhat of a compulsive shopper, and I have trouble getting rid of clothes. And shoes. And purses. I go through my closet several times a year, and every time we move, and I get rid of numerous bags of clothes. But my closet is still a floor to ceiling disaster area.

Whenever I "clean out" my closet, I try on everything, and if it fits and is in good condition, I keep it, and get rid of the rest. That sounds like a good plan, right? But the problem is, just because it fits, doesn't mean I've worn it in the last year. Or ever. The same goes for shoes and purses. Because really, you never know when you might need that reversible Esprit purse (purchased when I was in college) and those Steve Madden platform suede sandals (worn to my bachelorette party- eight years ago).

So this week I decided to tackle the task ruthlessly. I took the afternoon off from work, so there would be no toddler underfoot, and no husband pretending to watch said toddler while also playing the banjo.

I took EVERYTHING out of the closet, and tried to be brutally honest about what needed to be kept. There were far too many clothes that I'd been holding on to for years "just in case" I needed something to wear to a wedding, or a job interview, or a funeral. Or wherever it is vinyl pants get worn. Did you know I owned vinyl pants? I'm somebody's mother for God's sake. And I had far too many shoes that hardly ever get worn because, although they're super cute, they're viciously uncomfortable.

I also had numerous belts. Why? I don't think I've worn a belt since 1988 (and it would have been worn low on top of my over-sized shirt, not through my belt loops).

It was extremely painful getting rid of so many things that I hadn't worn much, or even at all. I do a lot of online shopping, and tend to keep things for the wrong reasons. Because it's such a pain to return items, I convince myself that I'll find a use for them at some point. So now I have to comfort myself with the thought that some lucky plus size girl shopping at Goodwill is going make out like a bandit.

After filling seven Hefty bags, I somehow still seem to have a lot of clothes, shoes and purses. But it's a much more organized selection (now with extra hangers). And now I have room for new stuff!

Christmas meme

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both, though I like the act of wrapping presents. It makes it feel more like Christmas. Although my OCD tendencies shudder at the thought of wrapping oddly shaped presents.

2. Real or artificial tree? We always used to get real, but we have less and less room for them every year. So last year we bought a very narrow artificial one. It's tall enough to feel real, but without the mess, and gives us more options for placement. But I miss the smell of a real one.

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually not until the first weekend in December. But this year we put it up Thanksgiving weekend since the in-laws were going to be in town. And hey, bonus of having a fake tree? It won't be dropping needles and dying on us come Christmas day.

4. When do you take the tree down? The day after Christmas, without fail. Once the presents are unwrapped, it doesn't feel like Christmas anymore.

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but in moderation. This year we discovered the joys of eggnog ice cream. Yum!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? It's tough to remember. My mom wishes I'd say "the horse" I got in fourth grade. But I think I'll have to go with my beloved Speak & Spell.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Puhleeze. Have you met me? We're one step away from pagan equinox rituals.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Rob's dad. If he wanted it, he already bought it.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Myself. I have not just an Amazon wishlist, but a Kaboodle wishlist, for all the stuff that can't be found at Amazon. Oh, but also Cooper. He's only eight months-old, so he hasn't collected every toy known to man yet. And he's not very choosy, since it all just goes in his mouth anyway.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? There really aren't any bad presents.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Some years we manage mass produced cards with photos of us on them, and this year I had every intention of ordering them. But God, then they have to be addressed, and I have to buy more stamps, and there are never any photos of me without my double chin, so just, no.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Scrooged, Bad Santa, The Family Stone, and I will totally be watching any Lifetime network Christmas themed movie featuring Rob Lowe.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Sometime in December, usually before I have to start paying for express shipping.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I doubt it, but if I have, like I'd admit it?

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My chocolate chip cookies, red and green M&Ms, whatever my mom has baked up, and gingerbread with whipped cream (not gingerbread cookies).

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear only. And for God's sake, no freaking tinsel. And yes, I have a lot of rules.

17. Favorite Christmas song? "So This is Christmas", "Hard Candy Christmas" (which is not a Christmas song, but that's the only time it gets played on the radio), and I have this unexplainable love for Trisha Yearwood's Jesusy "It Wasn't His Child".

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Usually only travel as far as my mom's in Bastrop. Some years we've gone as far as Dallas. Some year we're going to make it up to Rob's family in New York. But damn it's expensive to fly at the holidays.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Prancer, Vixen, and Rudolph.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A lighted rattan star. It's rustic without being redneck.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? One present on Christmas Eve, the rest on Christmas morning. Unless we have to leave early the next morning, then we open them all at night. But don't tell.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crowds, crowds, and more crowds. And people who think they need to spend a lot of money to make Christmas nice.

23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? All kinds of individually selected ornaments (lots of snowmen and Barbies), with some matching ones and candy canes interspersed. And white lights of course.

24. What do/did you leave for Santa? Cookies and milk. I never understood why Santa didn't finish all the cookies. I could never let good cookies go to waste like that.

Super Kandis

Rob thinks I’m a hero.

Now of course I think I am. Hello? I’m wearing a cape. But how clever am I that I’ve successfully convinced him that I’m somehow amazing for managing to survive pregnancy? After all, it’s not like women all over the world have been doing this for thousands of years. (They have? Well for God’s sake, keep that to yourself! I could potentially score some jewelry out of this.)

Of course the reason Rob thinks I’m so heroic is because I’ve made sure that he knows all of the trials I’m going through while incubating our son. He lived through the ten weeks of miserable whining and nausea that was my first trimester. He gets to hear all about my daily aches and pains, and gets to see me limp around in the evenings like an 80 year-old crone. He’s forced to admire my puffy cankles and hobbit feet. And listen to the moaning and groaning every time I have to get in and out of the car or the bed. And I make sure he knows exactly how many times I had to get up to pee last night. (Six, if anyone is interested.)

Yet he’s managed to survive it all. He hasn’t once given up and snapped “Okay, I get it already! You’re uncomfortable!” He hasn’t once made fun of my freakishly huge belly and puffy ankles, and in fact always does his best to try and make me feel pretty. He makes dinner or goes and picks something up on the nights that I don’t think I can limp around another moment. He’s made many store runs for such essentials as: Dr. Pepper, Blue Bell, and Rolos. He’s assembled more nursery furniture than anyone should ever have to. (“This is the last thing we need, I swear!”) And he’s done all the lifting and carrying and cleaning that I deemed too much for my delicate condition. He took me away to a bed & breakfast in Fredericksburg for a lovely weekend of shopping and eating. And he’s accompanied me on several trips to what has to be a man's version of the seventh ring of hell: Babies R Us.

And I know that as long as he shows our baby boy as much patience as he’s shown me these last 39 weeks, he’s going to be a great dad.

Now, about those brownies I’m craving…

Christmas shopping has begun.

Baby's first onesie.

Dear new Curra’s Grill at the Parmer-McNeil Plaza,

Your food is pretty good. Four triangles is a little skimpy for the quesadillas, but your queso is tasty, and your fajitas are generous.

But I gotta tell you… you don’t look good.

I don’t know if it’s because you just opened about a week ago, but you’re kind of bleak. Not one piece of art on the walls, hard plastic chairs and laminate benches, metal tables, metal trim, metal ceiling and giant metal fan. It’s all way too modern and Scandinavian. It makes for a very cold and hard atmosphere, not at all fun and relaxing. And considering that there’s a brand new Chipotle with equally stark décor opening in the same shopping center- it’s an ill-conceived business decision.

Oh! And your metal patio furniture sitting in the July Texas sun isn’t such a great idea either.

Please consider copying your Burnet Road sister. She’s cozy and colorful, with lots of murals and soft lighting. Everything a Mexican restaurant should be. Trust me, I eat out way too much.

Sincerely,
Kandis

What I Did Over My Christmas Vacation

It took about five days to remodel our bedroom. That's counting the days that we were really lazy and got a slow start, and the time it took to move all of our furniture in and out of the room. And the time it took to tape around all of the doors, and windows. And that short sentence doesn't convey how freakin' long it took to tape around everything. The walls have been painted with American Tradition satin in Autumn Sky, and the floors are Kronotex wood laminate in Heirloom Cherry. The baseboards were replaced and painted in a white semi-gloss.

I did the majority of the taping and cutting in (except for the ceiling). Rob assisted with taping and pried off the old baseboards. My mother came over and ripped out the carpet and padding, pulled up tack strips and nails from the concrete foundation, and helped with painting and cutting in at the ceiling, which I had been dreading. She also assisted with shopping for baseboards, and loaned us tons of supplies for painting and prying glue up from cement (who knew they made a tool for that?) which we didn't have. Then she came over the next day and helped lay the underlayment padding over the concrete floor. Then her friend Tami came to install the floor. My mother, Tami, and Tami's friend Frank laid the laminate flooring for the entire room while Rob and I said "Hey, that's cool!" and tried to stay out of their way. They also installed the new baseboards which Rob and I had painted. Then Rob caulked the baseboards once they were installed. All we have left to do is install thresholds in both doorways, and buy curtains.

Thanks to my mother, and Tami and Frank.

(More photos can be found here.)

Last shopping day until my birthday. "Serenity" now!

Happy Serenity release date! Birthday week is awesome! I won't be going to see the movie tonight because I need more time to convince Rob that even though he never watched "Firefly", and he doesn't acknowledge that Joss Whedon is God (a title Joss shares with Rob Thomas), that he wants to see Serenity. I'm working on it.

100 Things About Me

1. I was born in Bremerton Washington, but we moved when I was two years old, so I remember nothing about it.


2. I once broke my left foot by falling down three steps.


3. Daisies are my favorite flower, followed closely by tulips.


4. I wanted to play the cello in middle school, but joined the choir instead.


5. I am a terrible singer.


6. I love karaoke.


7. I consider Hole’s Live Through This to be one of the greatest rock albums of all time.


8. I don’t believe in astrology, but I am the definition of a Libra.


9. I wanted to be a broadcast journalist from the sixth grade until sophomore year of college.


10. I have half of a degree in Anthropology with a minor in mass communications.


11. I spent nearly four years at Southwest Texas State University, but I’m barely a junior.


12. I have six tattoos. And there is no end in sight.


13. Pink is my signature color.


14. I am frequently barefoot.


15. I went to summer camp for 14 years from age 6 to age 20.


16. Some of my favorite authors are: Diana Gabaldon, Nora Roberts, Maya Angelou, and Larry McMurtry.


17. My birthstone is the opal. Don't buy me one.


18. I hate dark wood furniture.


19. I was the president of my high school drama club, the Golden Myth Players.


20. Scotland is the country I most want to visit.


21. I am excellent at games that require lots of useless pop culture knowledge.


22. I own a karaoke machine I’ve never used.


23. I once won $70 in a casino in Atlantic City. I quit while I was ahead.


24. The place I got married at, used to feature a swimming pig named Ralph as its main attraction.


25. I am obsessed with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Seriously, ask me anything.


26. I don’t know how to program my VCR.


27. I like dragonflies and have received an absurd number of dragonfly themed gifts.


28. I own over 20 pairs of flip flops.


29. Baking homemade chocolate chip cookies is my only talent.


30. I’m a notorious plant killer.


31. In college, I frequently stayed up all night chatting online.


32. I’ve had the chicken pox twice.


33. When I was nine-years-old, I received a horse for Christmas.


34. I’m afraid of horses.


35. I once fainted on a horse.


36. I’m a graduate of Lanier High School in Austin, Texas. Class of 1996.


37. I went to eleven schools from kindergarten to 12th grade.


38. I was raised Unitarian and still consider myself to be one.


39. I’m a television addict.


40. Not only do I watch a lot of TV, I read about TV shows and blog about TV shows.


41. In the first election I was able to vote, I voted for Bill Clinton.


42. I frequently read the same book over and over again. Including Lonesome Dove and The Stand, both over 900 pages.


43. I am unable to sleep without a night light.


44. I don’t know my weight because I refuse to weigh myself or look at the scale at the doctor’s office.


45. The Dixie Chicks are my favorite band.


46. My favorite video game is Oregon Trail.


47. Cheese fries from Outback Steakhouse and pepperoni rolls from Double Dave’s are two of my favorite foods on the planet.


48. I have two siblings: a brother that's three years older (Jason Robnett, where have you disappeared to?) and a sister that's 23 years younger.


49. The first concert I ever went to was Grateful Dead in 1985. I don’t remember if I wore tie dye.


50. I appeared in seven plays in high school.


51. I love tanning salons.


52. I was a latchkey kid.


53. I was incapable of getting to school on time, and now I am incapable of getting to work on time.


54. I’ve seen John Prine in concert seven times.


55. The Immaculate Collection is my favorite Madonna album.


56. I have Dave Grohl’s autograph.


57. I love movies, but I never see movies without reading the reviews first.


58. I love being in charge.


59. 10 Things I Hate About You is one of my favorite movies and I watch it every time it comes on TV, even though I own it on DVD.


60. I never leave home without makeup on, even if I’m just going swimming.


61. I collect shot glasses.


62. I was voted Class Whiner by my senior class in high school.


63. I don’t believe in the Atkins Diet. We’re supposed to eat grains. Trust me, I have half of an Anthropology degree.


64. I’ve never been further west than Texas (except for the two years in Bremerton I don’t remember).


65. If left alone, I can sleep at least ten hours a night.


66. I am incapable of understanding algebra, and don’t care to.


67. Concerts I’ve seen: Grateful Dead, John Prine, Shug Mauldin, New Kids on the Block (twice!), Reba McEntire, Tool, Cracker, Nine Inch Nails, Hole, Aerosmith, Foo Fighters, Barenaked Ladies, Dixie Chicks, Todd Snider (twice!), Dolly Parton, and once crashed the gates to see Smashing Pumpkins do their encore (thanks Jimmy!)


68. I want a new green Volkswagen beetle with a sunroof so bad that I can’t stand it.


69. I’m addicted to shopping online.


70. I love Impressionist art and Auguste Renoir is my favorite artist.


71. I met my husband online in a WBS chat room that no longer exists.


72. In elementary, middle school, and high school, teachers frequently moved me away from my friends for talking too much.


73. I own Heathers, a red scrunchie, and a Swatch watch.


74. My son Cooper was born on April 17, 2007. Cutest. Kid. Ever.


75. Mexico is the only country I’ve been to outside the U.S.


76. I love the J. Peterman catalogue.


77. I’ve been to many midnight theater showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show.


78. I can’t dance, and you shouldn’t ask me to.


79. If I had a million dollars, I would do nothing.


80. I wish I didn’t hate exercise.


81. I don’t drink coffee for breakfast, I drink Dr. Pepper. I picked up this habit from my mother.


82. The smell of oranges makes me nauseous and always has.


83. I got my ear pierced at an Aerosmith concert on my 17th birthday.


84. I love puppies, but don't actually want to raise one.


85. For my P.E. credit in high school, I took bowling by correspondence.


86. I love carnivals, but not roller coasters.


87. I was raised by a single mom.


88. It’s really important to me to be as fair and non-judgmental as possible


89. If you drive a Hummer, I think you're a dumbass.


90. I love baseball movies, but not baseball.


91. I wish I had the body that I had when I was 17. Who doesn’t?


92. My birthday depresses me because it never lives up to my expectations.


93. I’ve known almost all of my current friends since college or longer.


94. I don’t know my blood type


95. No one else thinks I’m as funny as I do.


96. I have one cat: Moe. He's a de-clawed indoor cat. He doesn't seem to hate us for that.


97. I miss the "X-Files".


98. I love Little Debbie Zebra Cakes. Got any?


99. I don’t know my IQ, but I like to pretend that it’s really high.


100. I am apparently very self absorbed.

Updated 12/01/11

Me, me, me

Haven't posted in a while, took a week off for Christmas, been super busy at work and I don't know... not in the mood? So here's some fluff.

Three Names You Go By: Kandis, Kandi, Ally and Canned-Ice. And yeah, I can count to three, I just chose not to.

Three Screennames You Have: Queen Kandis, secula_seculorum, Miss World

Three Things You Like About Yourself: I’m so damned smart. I make great chocolate chip cookies. And I’m super modest.

Three Things You Dislike About Yourself: It’s possible that I whine a smidge too much. I could maybe not talk quite so much during movies or TV shows. And maybe I should think of a third thing that isn’t that great about me?

Three Parts of Your Heritage: Dude. My family has been in Texas for over five generations. We can’t remember where we came from. We’re European-American mutts like everyone else.

Three Things That Scare You: Pod-like things, apartment fires, and Dubya.

Three of Your Everyday Essentials: Email, checking all of the usual blogs I read, and makeup.

Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now: Baby blue hooded sweater, jeans, brown Doc Marten maryjanes. Don’t judge, it’s cold out.

Three of Your Favorite Bands/Artists (at the moment): Barenaked Ladies (Barenaked for the Holidays rocks), Dixie Chicks, and Loretta Lynn (I got Van Lear Rose for Christmas).

Three of Your Favorite Songs at Present: Hard Candy Christmas (shut up), the Carole King theme from Gilmore Girls (since I watch it every day), and that’s all I can think of. I guess I’m not much of a music person.

Three New Things You Want to Try in the Next 12 Months: Buying a house, keeping a plant alive, and I’m still in pursuit of professional photographs of Rob and I that I actually like. (Guess I’ll have to wait for my braces to come off in May for that one.)

Three Things You Want in a Relationship (love is a given): Trust, common idea of fun, presents.

Three Physical Things About the Opposite Sex That Appeal to You: Tallness, tennis ball head, giant feet.

Three Things You Just Can't Do: Exercise, juggle, speak French.

Three of Your Favorite Hobbies: Reading, watching and critiquing TV, online shopping.

Three Things You Want to Do Really Badly Right Now: Buy a house, be magically slim, beat someone about the head if the work ice machine doesn’t get fixed TODAY.

Three Places You Want to Go on Vacation: Scotland, Hawaii, Las Vegas. I’m sure I’ll get over the Vegas thing once I’ve seen it.

Three Kids' Names: Jennyfivetina, Abraham and Buffy

Three Things You Want to Do Before You Die: See all of Europe, build my dream home, finish my degree.

Ganked from: Life at the Center of the Universe

update

Last weekend was my work holiday party at the new downtown Austin Hilton. The place was nice and we got a discounted room rate for the night. The party itself was pleasant enough. It's weird to be sociable with coworkers outside of work. It takes lots of alcohol to make it go smoothly. My company provided us with dinner, a cover band, dancing, and two free drink tickets each. Once we ran out of drink tickets, a Bud Light cost $4.25. Ouch. We had planned for months to go out to Sixth Street after the party since we already had parking space and a room so it was extra convenient. But I had a cold and my meds wore off and I was ready to pass out. We got up early the next morning due to the pleasant sound of jack hammers outside the hotel window at the building site next door. So we got up, checked out, and went out for breakfast- which I always want to do but am usually too lazy to bother on the weekends. Then we went home and went back to sleep. Nobody parties like us.

I have gotten the tiniest amount of Christmas shopping done. I've gotten half of Rob's presents, his mom's, his brother's, his grandmother's and that's it. I haven't gotten anything for my family yet, and haven't a clue what to get for my sister. Her birthday party is this weekend. She's four! And impossible to shop for, cause I swear she has everything.

The Armadillo Christmas Bazaar starts this weekend. Hurray! Last year we went on the last night, Christmas Eve, which was a mistake because some of the booths were already closed and packed up, and I'd already finished all my shopping by that point. The Bazaar is one of my favorite Christmas things. All sorts of really talented artists and craftsmen have booths set up with all kinds of great things to buy from handmade gemstone jewelry, prints, vintage concert posters, handmade hammocks and soaps and nightlights... All sorts of crazy stuff, as well as live music every night and food and drinks for sale. The weekends can get kinda crazy though, so I think this year we're going to try for a week night.

Oh, and before I forget, what is up with Lindsay Lohan getting an album deal? For real. I saw her video on MTV yesterday, and once I got over the shock of MTV playing a music video, I had to cover my ears because that song is rank. And it's painfully obvious that they used all sorts of tricks in the studio to try to cover up the fact that she simply can't sing. So I told one of my coworkers today about the Lindsay album, and he was like "What next? Tara Reid?" But nope, it's worse. Paris Hilton. Stop, stop, stop hurting America girls.

Spoiled and Dissed

You’re dying to know what I got for my birthday, aren’t you? Since I went on and on about how many shopping days were left, and my Amazon wishlist, etc. I got the X Files first season box set, and the Angel fourth season box set, and the Northern Exposure first season box set. Noticing a trend here? I also received The Lost Boys Collector’s Edition DVD, and two books: What Would Buffy Do? The Vampire Slayer as a Spiritual Guide and another book that I wanted so much that the title currently escapes me. I got a cute new pink corduroy purse, a glass train style makeup case from Sephora, a bottle of Ralph Lauren’s Romance perfume, and a cool scarf from Urban Outfitters. And my mom knitted me a great pink poncho that you can see here. Oh! And two beautiful bouquets, balloons, chocolates, a chocolate chip cookie cake, and a decorated cube at work. And yes, I know I’m the most spoiled girl ever. We went to Romeo’s on Barton Springs for dinner, and then out bowling at Showplace Lanes with a few friends. I’m struggling not to disown all the friends who totally dissed me on my birthday. And yeah, that will probably be the last usage of “dissed” ever on this blog.

Consider yourself warned.

Our DVD player decided to break the week that I joined Netflix. We just received our first movies: Mean Girls, Mystic River, and Secondhand Lions. This is the second Apex DVD player to go belly up on us in four years. Bastards. So we'll have to go to Costco tomorrow and see if we can find a cheap replacement that isn't Apex for a change.
The Shawshank Redemption has been re-released in some theaters for it's tenth anniversary. Woohoo!
Five shopping days left until my birthday. Feel free to get me a DVD player. (Our bedroom one is busted too.)

Only 14 more shopping days left until my birthday! (Or only about seven days if you're shopping from my Amazon wishlist.)

19 shopping days left until my birthday!

32 Shopping Days Until My Birthday

Just to help you out, I'm feeling very pink this year. Behold the updated wish list.