Whoa! USA men's soccer for the [majorly huge] win!

USA men's soccer team beat Italy today! For the first time in the history of ever! And they did it without Landon Donovan! It was amazing! I watched it online and was surprised to see the USA men actually holding their own and doing well. The Italians were aggressive and the USA men always managed to muck up whatever the Italians were doing. They were pesky and it paid off! Play like that more, USA! I love the Azzurri, and they played well, too. However, the game was played in Italy and for USA to go to Italy's home turf and win?! When they've never ever ever ever ever done it before!? And they do it with a shutout victory?!

And the world goes, 'Whaaaa?!'

I was (and still kind of am) all:

This was just a friendly match between the teams, no tournament title or anything like that was on the line. Still, in case you aren't a fan of soccer but do call yourself a sports fan, you should know that this is a huge huge deal for USA sports and USA soccer in particular.

This is a history-maker!

Momma said knock you out.

I'm watching the movie "Holiday" with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. I've never seen this before and it's good! Cary Grant is currently making his stand against his fiancee's super rich family saying that he needs to go out and see the world and live while he's young enough to enjoy it, rather than going to work in his future father-in-law's bank forever and ever. The wedding's off! The only person who supports Grant is Hepburn, the now-not-future sister-in-law. She loves him. Hepburn chases Grant across the world and everybody's taking off on a long global cruise into the sunset. Yay!

So, just a couple of days ago I was mentioning that I needed things to do, yes? How I was feeling like I needed socializing and new challenges/experiences? Well, I've found stuff to do. You're reading the words of the Como Roller Derby Dames newest (non-skating) official for the 2012 season. I'm not sure what exactly I'll be doing, but something like stats-keeping for home bouts, penalty box timing (I have to get gruffer, if that's the case...making sure a brawny girl with a name like "Salt Ann Battery" stays in the penalty box for her allotted time seems intimidating), points-counting, etc. I don't know if I get a roller derby name or not, but if so, I'm leaning toward "Eleanor Bruise-evelt". Historical figure + tough pun? Maybe? If all goes well and I really enjoy being part of the team, I could become a skating referee or an actual skater. I'm not sure being slammed to the floor is something I really want to do though, I'm not that into having broken bones, plus I really don't have that sort of aggression. I'm kind of a calm sort of person, usually. I'd probably say excuse me if I was in a bout and bumped somebody. Still, I like the sport and it's a fun atmosphere to be in. I could see myself as a skater if  I become like greased lightning on the skate track and can avoid being seriously injured by someone such as the aforementioned penalty box resident. For now, being a ref sounds more like my area.

Aside from becoming a part of the Derby Dames, I was randomly chosen to be a paid lab rat. I got a call last night from the psych department of the university, asking if I would take part (and be well-paid) in an alcohol study. I said "Sure, I would!" and answered some questions and then the fellow said he had to get back to me. I'm not a binge drinker, you see, and he wasn't sure if that was okay or not. I think this is the first job I've ever heard of where not having a drinking problem was possibly a deal-breaker. But, indeed, they said that I was a good little lab rat so I'm hired. My first session is this weekend, sober-style. Sometime after that session is over, they schedule another one and get you drunk and see what you do. I hope I don't pass out or puke on them. He was telling me on the phone tonight all the rules and regulations surrounding the experiment. It's quite in-depth. It's not boring though, and it certainly will get me out of the rut I was feeling like I was in over the weekend.

How quickly times change, yes? I'm on the hunt to find some old curtains that I think I have packed away in the basement. My co-workers and I are planning on decorating our little area. We already have some nice Christmas lights lining the top of our cubicle walls. We decided today that some fabric covering the walls might be a nice touch as well. I'd rather just use things I have than have to purchase fabric. But if it comes to that, maybe I can find some cheap remnants somewhere. It'll be fabulous.

I need things to do, before I become creepy.

Have you noticed there is a tumblr for just about anything you could possibly imagine? I was strolling down Pinterest yesterday and there was a link to a tumblr called "Hot Guys Reading Books". Of course, I had to follow the link and, yup. There's a whole lot of pictures of fellas reading books. The more I looked at the tumblr, the more it became clear that when someone sees a man reading in a public place, they are beginning to sneak photos of them and then submit them to this blog. Not all of the submissions are strangers, there are plenty of boyfriends, husbands, co-workers, etc. But there seems to be a lot of men that have gotten shot (so to speak) by strangers while they are deep in the world of whatever they're reading. The stories of some of the photographers getting caught are funny too. I laughed as I wandered through the pages of the blog. Good job, sneaky bibliophiles.

I need something to do. I'm becoming really bored again with life as I know it. I've been tossing about the idea of getting a second job. Mostly because I could use the socialization and it would just plain give me something to do with my time, the extra money would be a bonus. I decided not to do the running charity thing I was considering doing this spring. There's not much in the way of clubs or hobbies that I feel like picking up, exactly. I do go to the health plex, but I won't do that every night. I suppose I could take part in one of their aerobic classes or something. That would be something routine that I could get into and get to know people through. On the second job front, there's not much that interests me. I wish something would open up at the library, except that I almost kind of want something completely different. Like a whole new group of people to meet, you know? I did find some adult enrichment classes that look interesting. There's a chinese food class and a chocolate cooking class that I am leaning toward taking. That could be fun. Those are just one night sessions, though...  I just plain need something to do with my time. I don't like ruts. I did apply at a bookstore, and that could be okay. I could start getting active in the animal shelter group again. I had to stop that when I was in school. I like that sort of thing. Hmm. I'm just in a bored funk and have no vacations to look forward to,  nothing really going on. Time to make something happen, I guess? Go-go-gadget-mischief-maker!

I could just wander around and take pictures of hot guys reading books? Working in a bookstore would help with that. Until I get fired for being the creepy bookstore worker who takes pictures of random men while they read and then submits them to an internet website for the world to see.

Hmm. This might not be a path I want to head down. Chinese cooking, chocolate treats, and shelter animals seems the road that leads to the 'less likely to get into actual trouble' area of life. I'm good with mischief. I'm less good with actual trouble. All that drama...who needs it?

Ray Bradbury

Even when the overall movie is bad...

...nobody can make me laugh like Vince Vaughn does.

...who walks away so easily.

I forgot my mardi gras beads. It completely slipped my mind that today is Fat Tuesday, despite yesterday realizing that my favorite restaurant in town was having a free cookie giveaway if you wore your mardi gras beads in to lunch today. (I did, however, remember that today is International Pancake Day, but I digress.) Upon realizing my forgetfulness regarding the beads, a co-worker came to the rescue and brought a couple of her mardi gras beads back from lunch. Lunch was saved. Beads were worn. After walking in to the restaurant and wagging the beads, they told me that the restaurant wasn't actually giving away free cookies with lunch, despite what their facebook page promotion said. But, I must have looked super sad at this, still wagging the beads, because the nice lady at the counter said that she'd give me a cookie for free with my sandwich. It was delicious.

I worked out this evening and decided to up the weight on one of the machines I tend to use. I only use about 4 or 5 machines. The fellow who was doing my initial health consultation only showed me how to use those handful of machines. Someday I might ask someone what a couple of the others do. Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with my little routine that I do right now, although I don't remember any recommendations for when to up the weight level that you are lifting/pushing. I guess just when you feel like giving it a go? It seemed like many women who would use the machines prior to me and who appeared to be about a half century older than me were oftentimes lifting/pushing upwards of twenty pounds more than me. I'm not in competition with anybody on weight lifting, but after nearly two months of lifting the same amount, I decided to give it a try. I'm still not pumping as much iron as some of those older ladies, but I am pushing (incrementally) more than I was. I do feel that I've made a bit of progress in that regard. I'm 'bout to go get a bowlful of m&ms soon, probably.

I was chatting with a friend of mine earlier and we have very different political views. We have basically very different backgrounds in general. We met in Italy on a study abroad trip and have stayed in touch since then. Anyway, she has been looking for a job for a while now and hasn't had much luck. She's aggravated and angry at President Obama and, I understand the aggravation, but I am still of the opinion (although perhaps I am more and more in the minority) that Obama was still the best option in 2008, and he has not done as poor a job at attempting to lead a struggling nation as some people think he has. He's tried a lot of things. Maybe the things he has done haven't been aimed at your social class, and maybe you haven't benefited from the programs he's implemented. But he has done things. He's tried programs, he's gotten laws passed, he's attempted some pretty brave programs. Some things haven't succeeded as we would all have liked, but I much prefer a president to try things rather than one who sits and does nothing. While my friend and I certainly do not see eye-to-eye on the topic of politics, we are incredibly respectful of each other's opinions. I can understand why she feels the way that she does, and I don't feel the same, but it doesn't diminish our friendship. I have to say, that one of the things I like most about my friends is the ability to speak rationally and calmly about things that we see completley differently and never sink to the level of meanness or rudeness that seems to permeate a lot of other areas of life. It's pretty cool to be coming from extremely different positions and have very strong beliefs about certain things and still be able to respect the other's opinion without feeling the need to argue, persuade, or tear down the other person. I'm proud of my friendships in that regard, especially. I think people who belittle other people because they don't see an issue the same way are not people I enjoy being around. Even when I disagree with someone, I still enjoy hearing the other viewpoint. I still like to find out why someone feels the way that they do about something. I may never truly understand it, but I can usually learn something about where the person is coming from and see another side to an issue, even if there's no way I would ever agree with them on that topic.

I heard the new Jason Mraz song on the radio several weeks ago and haven't heard it since. It stuck with me enough that I found it on youtube and fell in love with the video. It's full of old airmail envelopes! I loooooove international airmail envelopes. When I worked at the archives and handled the mail a lot, I would always get excited when I'd see the international airmail envelopes from researchers on other continents. I get a nerdy rush from letters, as you know, and I do also get a nerdy rush from the idea that a piece of mail has arrived from across the globe. Good job, Jason Mraz! Thanks for making the nerds smile with your video.

Mortimer J. Adler

Give up everything to show you there's still time.

Good weekend to ya!

I don't have any big plans this weekend and the weather is looking nice and sunny. It's like having a whole open road in front of you and you have lots of time to meander down it and stop whenever you want to see what you can see. I got up this morning and worked out, which was a goal I was wanting to make sure I met. Being sick had really taken a lot of the energy that I had to get up and go work out and I didn't want to get out of the barely-formed habit that I'm trying to create of being a workout kind of person. I always feel better afterward.

This past week was a big birthday one at work. Two of the four people in my little area had birthdays, so we did some celebrating. I bought some mini-cakes from a downtown bakery (Columbia has an excellent variety of bakeries within walking distance of work, so we're super spoiled in that regard) for one day and then yesterday we went to lunch at a Japanese restaurant. I haven't had Japanese food in probably a couple of years. It was good! Usually when I have Asian food, I tend to lean toward Chinese because it just seems quicker and easier to get. For some reason, Japanese food seems like it's a special occasion sort of food. I think it's because, until yesterday, every time I'd had Japanese food it had been hibachi-style, and that's more of an entertainment/event kind of experience rather than just a meal. Anyway, it was good food and good company and good times. More birthdays!

Also this week, a project came to light that is trying to challenge the stereotypical view of librarians. It's called "This Is What A Librarian Looks Like" and it's inspired by a similar project trying to challenge the stereotypical view of scientists. Anyway, I submitted a photo of myself for the project and they accepted it and posted it as part of the project! I was excited to be included. We're a pretty diverse community and the project is international, so it's kind of neat just to see the level of participation globally in this project. (If you're a librarian or work in a library, I encourage you to take part!)

Okay, the day is moving forward and so must I. I could spend all day sitting here listening to music and basking in the niceness of having free time. I'm still listening to Green River Ordinance and learning more of their songs. S'wonderful, s'marvelous. But, I think I'll go out in the world for a bit. Have a good weekend!

The ole swaparoo.

Already February 15th? I have to renew my license plates this month and that means a trip to the DMV. Apparently, in this state, you can renew online as long as you have the same car as you had the last time you renewed. But if you hit a deer and total that car but salvage the plates by stomping on them to flatten them back out and then put the newly salvaged plates onto a nice and un-crumpled newer car? That requires a face-to-face visit, despite the fact that you were face-to-face with them just about a month ago when you had to transfer the title to your name for this newer car and nobody bothered to tell you to renew your plates at that time. So, the question is: When do you find the time for this second face-to-face visit? I haven't found that answer yet. Sigh.

I am super sleepy. I took some cold medicine earlier after getting to work and it says it's non-drowsy, but my eyelids are saying otherwise. They're pretty certain this medicine is sleep-inducing. Mouth is joining in the argument with lots of yawning, too.

I work in the basement of the campus library, and in this basement there is a large auditorium for classes to use. Last week I was strolling by and the giant class that was in there was taking a test. And I felt a surge of happiness, knowing that for the first time in a really long time I had no tests to study for, no papers to write, nothing to do but work and go home. That I actually am done with school and never have to go back...Ever. And I knew that before, but seeing all of the students taking a test made me realize it fully. I have the terminal degree for my field. It's a completely different phase of life. The 'after college' phase. I need a hobby or something. I've already changed all the furniture around my house once this year and last night I was sitting on the couch watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show on my new favorite channel, "Me-TV", and thinking that I should switch around my living room and music room. The music room is one that I just created last month. I can't actually move the living room furniture by myself, so it would be quite the undertaking and, now that I really think about it, I probably can't fit my couch into the music room. And I don't have the money to buy a sleeper loveseat, which is what I really want for my living room. Although, a sleeper loveseat probably would fit in the back room/music room. Maybe I'll hold off until I get enough money to buy one and then do all this swapping of furniture again? As it is, I'd either have a couch with the record player and stereo in the now-living-room and just a chair and foot rest in with the tv in the now-music-room. I kind of like the idea that when you enter the house, the first thing you see is not the tv, though. I kind of like the idea of a music/conversation area to be the first impression of my home. More thought is needed. More money too, if furniture buying is going to become a part of this scheme. I do plan on buying furniture in the near future, but not living room furniture. Hmm.

March Madness is soon! I like basketball. Basketball is fast and fun. I've been giving thought to trying to find an NBA team to throw my support behind. Not that anybody is missing my support, but you know...just in case I ever get bored of college basketball, I'll have a pro team to focus on. My problem is that there is no NBA team in Missouri. St. Louis used to have one, but they left a long time ago and no team has ever come back. I don't think KC ever had one? Anyway, St. Louis should get one again because trying to decide on which one to support in my extended region is proving to be difficult. My dad suggested that I support Oklahoma City Thunder, but looking at their roster they've got two assholes from KU on the team, and in no way does that sit well with me. My natural choice is the Chicago Bulls because I really like Chicago as a city, and they don't have any KU players on the team currently, although they have in the past. I suppose that's a fact of life in the NBA? Hmm. St. Louis also needs a Major League Soccer team. More than an NBA team, I would support an MLS team in St. Louis. KC has one that's pretty good and that just got a brand new super-nice stadium. A couple of years ago there were talks about expanding MLS and that St. Louis would get a team. Albert Pujols was even a public financial backer of the future MLS team that would be in St. Louis. But there is no expansion team. And Albert is in California now.

I would be happy to trade the NFL and NHL teams in St. Louis for MLS and NBA teams. Just in case anybody with power to make that happen wonders my opinion.

I got my Birchbox earlier this week and opened it last night. It's fun to open those and see what sort of goodies you get each month, but more often than not, I have no clue what the cosmetic doo-dad in the box is for. Luckily, the wonderbrains behind Birchbox always include an info sheet about what exactly they've included. This month was the first month that I've been a little disappointed in what I've gotten. It's not their fault, you can't hit a homerun every time you're up to bat, I guess. I was only a little disappointed when I saw the mineral makeup that's not a color I'll wear, and the overpriced face moisturizer. They struck out with some adhesive eyeliner stickers. I don't do much in the way of makeup, especially eye makeup. I'm kind of low-key on the makeup front ...which makes the fact that I've got this subscription kind of hilarious, I guess. It has introduced me to nice skincare products, hair products, and nail polish. The box this month was makeup heavy, but I think they probably knew that there was a good chance that this box was sub-par because they included a free download of songs from a band that they're kind of digging at the moment. That perked me up. I'm always up for new music. It's an indie pop rock band from Ft. Worth called "Green River Ordinance". After downloading the songs, I'd actually heard one on BXR on the 'What's New For Dinner' segment that they do weekdays at 6 pm. But, it's good stuff I think. If you like bands like Snow Patrol or The Fray or Parachute or something like that? You'd like this band, too. Seven free songs make up for the bizarre eyeliner stickers. Thanks, Birchbox. 

Snow Day mumblings.

Happy snow day! Winter has finally decided to show itself around these parts. It's been snowing all day and it's lovely. Tomorrow it will be sunny and warmer, so the snow won't be hanging around, but it's really nice to have at least one day of true Winter weather. It's kind of a wet, slushy snow. I'll probably be shoveling soon.

I'm still getting over my second cold, so another day off of work isn't bad in that case, either. I am feeling better than a few days ago and was planning to spend much of this snow day just toddling around the house doing some tidying. It's happened a bit, but mostly I've just chilled out all day long. As soon as I sit down, Beatrix comes and curls up to fall asleep on my lap. She's getting bigger every day. I've decided that an "As Time Goes By" marathon is a good way to spend the snowy afternoon. Jean and Lionel are good company.

I was watching some of the Grammy performances on the internet earlier. I saw a little bit of the show, but Downton Abbey was a two hour episode right in the middle of the award show, so I missed the majority of the awards. However, I did see the beginning and I really really enjoyed Bruno Mars' performance. I love those fifties and sixties-era bands his performance was emulating. Very very cool. I thought that was fantastic. I have no idea what the song was, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. More of that! I missed Adele's performance on the actual show, but just watched it on the web and of course she killed it, who would have ever thought otherwise? The long standing ovation that everyone gave her afterward was great, too. We need more singers like Adele. I was glad that the Foo Fighters won a bunch of awards, too. Good on ya, Grohl & Co.

I'm looking forward to a movie release in May: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It has both Judi Dench and Maggie Smith in it; it's no guess that I will love it. And, the scenery is bound to be pretty nice too, as it was shot on location in India. Another thing that I love? V8's V-Fusion Pomegranate Green Tea. At the grocery store yesterday I saw it and decided to give it a chance, and it's turned out to be a great decision. I like it when those grocery store product chances turn out well, don't you?

George Dawson

My love is your love.

It smells like snow outside tonight! I look forward to a little snow. This winter has felt very un-wintery around here. Today was cold and blustery, though. And now, the air has that very unique, crisp smell of snow. In true, weather-changing fashion, I am sick again with a cold. I just barely got over the last one that I had when I returned from Peru. Now I'm down again. This time is easier though. I've discovered that I am a tylenol cold sort of person. Last cold, I tried a combination of Alka Seltzer medicine and Dayquil. That really didn't work for me at all. This time, I went back to my tried-and-true Tylenol Cold and I have been functioning at much higher rate. Don't mess with the best, I guess?

I'm due for another dose of medicine pre-sleep here in a bit.

Last night I turned on my tv for the first time in a long time to see actual television programming. My tv is mostly used only for watching dvds, but I decided to check out whether or not I get PBS. I don't. But, in checking, I ended up watching some old shows on Me-TV, which I now get where my old radar-only station used to be. It's awesome! I saw the very end of the Dick Van Dyke Show, then came the Bob Newhart Show (I prefer "Newhart"-era Bob in his Vermont hotel wearing cardigans, not this Bob, who dons leisure suits and a gold pinkie ring in Chicago, but still, it was nice to see Bob no matter what), and then I saw just a little bit of That Girl. I turned it on just now and it's Star Trek, which doesn't interest me in the slightest. It appears as though Saturday nights on that channel are Science Fiction nights or something? I did go looking through their programs list and found some doozies that I remember from TV Land's debut in the 90s. Like, "Family Affair", "Laverne & Shirley", "Mary Tyler Moore Show", and "Petticoat Junction". "M*A*S*H" is on too. I think I've seen every episode of that show. My mom would watch that show all the time when I was growing up and she had a shirt (which I own, now) that's got 'M*A*S*H 4077th' on it. I love that show (and that shirt). The times that these programs air aren't necessarily conducive to my being able to watch them, but I love knowing that I have the opportunity of seeing these shows.

Sad news about Whitney Houston passing away. I always liked her and always wanted her to make a big comeback. Sad face. Just Say No to Drugs. I saw bits of the movie "Waiting to Exhale" last month. I got it from the library and it has been watched so many times that the dvd is scratched beyond repair. I love that movie. Really, I enjoyed all the movies that I've seen with Whitney Houston in it. "The Bodyguard", "Waiting to Exhale", and the nineties version of "The Preacher's Wife" were all good in my book. I always thought Whitney Houston carried herself with a lot of class and poise when she was at the height of her career. I have many of her albums and have been trying to figure out what my favorite song would be if I had to choose just one. It's a tough task. Such good songs, man! I remember having this song on repeat on my little portable boombox in my room in high school:




(Clap your hands, y'all, it's all right).

[Not] Breaking News: My opinion and those of the hometown crowd differ...again.

Raaaaaarrr!! It's election day, and here in my city we had a semi-big deal on the ballot. I've drowned myself in cookies & creme ice cream topped with m&ms because I discovered that only 38% of my fellow citizens feel similarly to me on that one semi-big deal ballot measure. It's no surprise that my opinions and those of the majority of my fellow citizens are practically opposite, but I always feel sad when I'm faced with it in the news under the headline "[Ballot measure] soundly defeated at polls". Boo. I didn't think this measure would pass, but then, during voting, I had a sudden surge of hopefulness that maybe it would.

Hope is always dashed come election reporting time in this house. Enter ice cream and candy-coated chocolate. Yum.

Not all was in vain on this election day, though. Feeling that (as history has shown) my hopes at the poll would be squandered, I stopped to sign a petition to get the legalization of cannabis on the ballot later in the year. I figure if you can't win, you may as well attempt to piss off as many of your neighbors as possible by forcing them to vote your propositions down. Oh, democracy, you are fun. I am very much hoping that it happens and look forward to the angry, panties-in-a-wad, hometown jibber-jabber regarding the giggle weed later this year.

Olympic trials, here I come?!?!

My office is kind of quirky in that we have casual day on Monday instead of Friday. This is a nice way to begin the going-back-to-work grind because you can ease into it. Part of the defeat of beginning the work week is having to return to work and also having to wear work-ish clothing. So, with casual Mondays, you get to hold on to your jeans for one more day. I kind of like it more than having casual Fridays...although, I do like me some casual Fridays as well.

I want to give a shout-out for Lauren Willig's books. I'm currently reading my first novel by her, but it's the second in a series that she's written. So, I'm reading, "The Masque of the Black Tulip", and it's really interesting. If you like romance novels (check) and spy stories (check), you'd probably enjoy the Pink Carnation series that deals with the Selwick Spy School in Regency England. It's about a historian digging through some archives trying to unmask the deadly French spy known as The Black Tulip. Willig's novels are written basically as archival detective stories but with some romance thrown in. A history doctoral student digging through archives trying to discover something new for her dissertation reads old letters trying to piece together the lives of English and French spies. The Black Tulip, The Pink Carnation, The Purple Gentian and all of the spies in the Willig novels are fictional spies in the same vein as The Scarlet Pimpernel. I like this kind of thing. The Black Tulip is a French spy who is kind of causing mischief among the family and friends of the  unmasked-in-the-first-novel Purple Gentian. There are a ton of books by Willig, so I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Did you watch the Mizzou/Kansas game over the weekend? Perhaps you watched the Superbowl and saw Madonna looking pretty fierce at 53...or Tom Brady looking good at 34, before he was crushed by defeat? Or maybe you tuned in for Downton Abbey? I saw all three. I think Downton Abbey was the best. Like millions of others, I love that show and am totally hooked on the goings-on of the Crowleys and Granthams. Two more episodes left for this season and so many plot lines to clear up. Sigh. I will miss it when it's over again until next season. As far as the MU/KU game: they are always good games, and I'm glad Mizzou won, but I found myself to be pretty bored by it all this year. Everyone was talking non-stop about KU's decision to not play MU again for a while after this year when Mizzou moves to another conference. KU is bitter about MU leaving the Big 12. If there was a national championship for whining, Kansas would win every year. You can't out-whine a Jayhawk. I'm sure when the two meet up in Kansas later this month again, it will just be a re-hash of all the complaining about the rivalry dying out all over again, and I've heard enough.

Actually, if I was looking at going to watch a sport, I'd love to go see some sort of Olympic trial this year for the London Games next summer. I'd love to actually go to the Olympics, but that's not in the budget dontcha know. Out of all the summer events at the Olympics, I probably heart swimming the most. The Missouri Grand Prix is this weekend in Columbia for swimming. Jason Lezak is the only US swimming name that I recognized on the list, but there is a healthy list of international swimmers who were medalists in Beijing who are coming as well. Apparently, the Missouri Grand Prix is one of the first steps for prepping for the Olympic trials? Who knew? Not I. So, following that lead, I eventually found my way where the 2012 Olympic trials are held for swimming and, lo and behold, it's in Omaha this year in June and July. Which is not too far from me. I might head up there. That would be fun. And I could see some of the swimming folk in person. Hmmm.

...And then I went and looked at ticket prices and my eyes bugged out a little. But still... I might do it. Because the initial sticker shock wears off after you realize that the price is for four days of events. Not bad at all, actually when you think about it. Hmm. How often do you get to see Olympians competing for a spot on the national team in person? In an event you would watch in the Olympics anyway? Well, I never have. Maybe 2012 is the year I do. Yes. Maybe so. I love the Olympics. And having a summer full of it sounds good to me.

Tim O'Brien

Ode to February.

Inspired by many lists of favorite love songs, I decided to come up with my own for this month. I wouldn't necessarily call myself a Romantic, but I do harbor some sentiment for the mushiness, I suppose. Deep down somewhere. At any rate, my love for music is much more willingly-shared with people and in this pink-and-red month, it seems like the perfect time to share my list of favorite love songs! Well, love is used loosely here. It's love, break-up, and assorted songs, I guess. Let's face it, this is just an excuse for me to make a list of songs, which I enjoy. A virtual mix-tape of awesomeness, so to speak. One thing I did come to realize while making this list is that men seem to write way more romantic songs than women do. Women tend to lean more toward the break-up songs. Or the songs about needing to go find themselves, etc. Men are much more into the mushy lyrics. It was a struggle to find a semi-lovey song sung by a woman for this list. I thought for a while Bette was going to be the only woman. But, as I said, these songs are not only for the Cupid-struck, but also for the Bitter-and-Lonely and Happily-Single. A little for everyone!

"First Day of My Life" Bright Eyes
Truly. Sweet.

"At My Window, Sad and Lonely" Billy Bragg & Wilco
Perfect for the lonely hearts club.

"Some Enchanted Evening" from the Broadway musical South Pacific
Emile, the plantation owner, singing about 'carpe diem' in a lovely Rogers-and-Hammerstein sort of way. With all the sappy love songs in musicals, I don't think any self-respecting list would refuse admittance to at least one.

"Ordinary People" John Legend
Leave it to John Legend to write one of the most practical love songs ever. And yet still so lovely, too.

"Your Cheating Heart" Hank Williams
Hank Williams' twangy, you-made-your-bed-now-lie-in-it ballad is pretty self-explanatory.

"Do You Wanna Dance?" Bette Midler
Seriously, I can listen to this song on repeat all day. Viva la Bette.

"Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" Barry White
There can't be a love song list without Barry, amiright?

"I Can't Make You Love Me" Bon Iver
I'm a Bonnie Raitt fan, so no disrespect to her by choosing this cover, but Bon Iver takes the heartbreak of this song to a whole new level. Kleenex, please?

"She's Got a Way About Her" Billy Joel
Everyone all together now: Awww.

"Where I Stood" Missy Higgins
Kind of the antithesis Valentine's Day song about needing to figure out who you are when you're not in a relationship.

"Sugar, Sugar" The Archies
Such an upbeat, cheery tune for your Valentine's Day. Imagine Cupid snapping his fingers as he sallies forth down the street.

"Fidelity" Regina Spektor
A deceptively uppity song. The lyrics are less 'lovey-dovey' than the melody leads on. Still, I like it.

"Lady in Red" Chris De Burgh
Confession: This is probably the only song on the list that really makes my heart melt. [No shame.]

"Blame It" Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain
Haha, just kidding... Sorta.

"Kiss Me Slowly" Parachute
I just recently heard this song on the radio and it's so vomit-inducingly sweet that it had to make the list. It reminds me a bit of "Hey There Deliliah" from several years ago in its ridiculously cutesy nature. This will be a top-spin on Valentine's Day for sure.

"Don't You Remember" Adele
The queen of the break-up song, right here. The beautifully-written and delivered break-up song, I should say.

"Wonderwall" Oasis
Come on. I'd probably fall over and die if I had a song list and didn't include at least one Oasis jam on it.

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it.

I've been contemplating crafts lately. Megan from over at Mrs. Tgo Says is having herself a Pinterest party and I've been mulling over ideas of what to do for it. I've halfway decided to decorate a pair of shoes. Remember when you were bored in class and you used to draw on your shoes? Canvas shoes worked the best because the pens easily wrote on the fabric. Anyway, I still think that's fun. My problem is not the creation of doodles on a shoe. When I would do it back in the day it was a spur of the moment thing when I would be bored in class and had already written notes to pass in the hallways to friends. It wasn't perfect, it was just mostly squiggles and lines. My problem is the planning for it. I feel like I need to have some sort of pattern in mind. Granted, the shoes don't need to look like I bought them all decked out; I don't mind the homemade look. Sometimes I much rather prefer it. But I'd like to do something more than curly ques and squiggles. I was taken by some of Lotta Bruhn's illustrations. This one in particular:

I'm trying to figure out how I would put that sort of illustration on a shoe. I'm thinking maybe I would just do one of the pairs of elephants? I love elephants. I'm still thinking. Maybe just some chevron pattern would be easier? We'll see. I have a few more days to contemplate. By the time the party rolls 'round, I might decide to just do a coaster...

Yesterday I found the most awesome sweatshirt I've ever seen and I immediately bought it. Of course I want to wear a first edition cover of one of my favorite books all the time! Bless you, Out of Print Clothing. Less than an hour after finding the shirt, the company had already shipped it out to me! How quick, I thought. The company is Out of Print Clothing and they specialize in clothes and totes and journals and stuff for bookworms. Heart. Also, when you purchase something from them, they use some of the money to support the Books for Africa project. Added bonus!

Something less exciting is the fact that I have a door in my home that dislikes staying shut. I got home on Monday night to find Bea super excited and a little on the chilly side. I thought she'd just been hanging out in the windows all day watching the world go by. She tends to do that. If you drive by my house, chances are pretty good that you'd see her watching you from one of the front windows. So, I shrugged it off and walked into the kitchen where I saw the back porch door wide open and realized that Bea had not, in fact, spent the day in the windows watching the world go by; she spent it out in the world. It isn't the first time it's happened. The wind has thrown the door open a number of times, unfortunately. Sometimes when I'm at work. Nobody has ever come into my house (that I know of) or stolen anything or whatnot. There's not much to take unless they have a strong desire for a half-working record player or some romance novels. Mostly I've always worried about my pet getting out and run over or something. I live on a busy street. This was the first time it's happened since Bea has been with me. With Iris, I never worried about her leaving the house because she was so scared of going outside. She would usually hide upstairs somewhere until I got home. Bea is a different story entirely and I'm super glad that she returned to me after her adventures. I'm also glad it was so beautiful on Monday with temperatures in the 60s so my house wasn't an igloo when I got home. Anyway, the door is bolted now and has a kitchen island positioned in front of it now to try to stop a repeat performance of Monday. I really need a new door, but that's not in the budget right now.

One of the main reasons I am so addicted to Pinterest is the vast number of poems, quotes, and clever witty sayings that are shared on it every day. Sometimes I just love the fact that it allows me to collect these things and share them. Like the very wise Rudyard Kipling's advice on living well: