Buh-bye, training wheels.

I feel like a little kid who just got her first big-girl bike. One without training wheels. It still has the cool tassles on the handlebars and everything that she adored about the old bike, but it means that she’s growing up. It means progression.

Okay, enough analogies. I’ll cut to the chase. After ten months in training at work …

I’M A REAL DISPATCHER!

I’d been signed off on answering phones for quite a while, and have been on my own dispatching Bonney Lake police radio for a couple months, but I was still in training on Puyallup police radio. Big, bad Puyallup. But now I’m signed off, and I’m officially on my own in every aspect. Well, I’m on a six-month probation period, but still. No more trainers hovering and listening to everything I say. :)

Saturday night was the first night I worked Puyallup on my own, and I ended up having two shootings, TWELVE minutes apart. My heart was pounding, and adrenaline was rushing through me. It was insane. My coworkers all told me I did an awesome job, and several officers even complimented me on how well I did. I tell you what … there’s nothing better than an officer handing you an “atta-boy” about your dispatching skills. Especially when you’re still sort of a newbie and you’re just praying that they don’t think you suck. :)

So now I have a new permanent schedule for the rest of the year. Dayshift. Still don’t know how I feel about that. Ask me in a few weeks when I’m used to waking up at 4:30 in the morning. I’m just thankful to know my schedule more than a week in advance. Haha.

Besides, on dayshift we tend to get rediculous calls. Like yesterday. The Great Peacock Adventure. I’m not even kidding. We had a loose peacock on Meridian, the busiest street in Puyallup. So we had like four officers out there, shutting down traffic, trying to round up this freaking peacock. They couldn’t catch it, and then they lost it. And apparently, KK isn’t allowed to chase peacocks anymore because according to the Sergeant he “doesn’t have any peacock finesse”.

So anyways, that’s my exciting news for the night. The being-released-as-a-dispatcher part. Not the peacock part. Haha.

In other news, the fur monsters are doing well. They’re getting big, almost to the point that they aren’t kitten-sized anymore. They have an obsession with the potpourri in the living room, and that had better end quickly. Because I’m sick of picking up bits of potpourri from all over the house.

I’m in Yelm at my mom’s house right now. I was visiting her before she leaves tomorrow for a horse show in Walla Walla. Had lunch with my dad today, and tomorrow I’m helping him fix the Chevelle. More like watch while he fixes it. Haha. He has to replace something with the brakes before he lets me borrow it. I love driving that car. It’s a freaking beast. And it’s a guy magnet. Because no guy can resist a nice muscle car. At least, no guy that’s worth my time. :)

Anyways. I should probably get to bed. I’m still used to nightshift hours, and I need to break myself of that. Even if it means forcing myself to go to sleep. :)

Adam Lambert is MY American Idol. Bring on the glam.

I’m still in shock. Adam Lambert lost American Idol. This is about as big of an upset as Mine That Bird winning the Kentucky Derby. Kris Allen was like the 50-1 longshot and by some miracle, he came out of flipping nowhere in the final turn and took the whole thing. And Adam was the heavy favorite that finished second and left us all stunned, wondering what the eff just happened.

I guess I should look at the bright side. Adam can do what he wants with his record. And he doesn’t have to perform that horrible coronation song on talk shows for the next three months. But still. I’m sad that he lost, and that his fans (myself included) couldn’t come through for him in the end.

However. One part of Wednesday night was amazing (well, more than one, but this was the best). I told Laura Tuesday how amazing it would be if Adam, since the voting was over and America no longer had control over him, came out during the results show in full-on “Crawl Thru Fire” gear - platform boots, man-corset, glitter out the wazoo. Just a big “eff you” to all the conservative people.

So I didn’t quite get all of that, but you can imagine my happiness when he came out in platform boots (!!!), eye glitter, funky angel wing shoulder pads and pants that had bedazzled handcuffs on the right leg. For a duet with KISS. Um, yes. That made my whole night. Watch above video for Adam all of his glittery, platformy glory.

It didn’t make up for the fact that he lost, but still. It was fan-freaking-tastic. Adam Lambert is MY American Idol.

"Gimme More" Number ... Five? I Think?

It's been a long time. I know, and I'm sorry.

To make up for it, I present to you a brand-spankin'-new "Gimme More" list:

1. ADAM LAMBERT.




holiday trip 2 from Sebastian Iturrieta on Vimeo.

I don't care if Adam has been used on a past list. Hell, he may very well be on every single list until the end of American Idol. Because I adore him.

He is, in my opinion, the most talented competitor EVER on Idol. Vocally, he's incredible. He can sing anything. He could freaking sing "I'm A Little Teapot" and it would probably be a #1 hit. Joking aside, Adam is the real deal.

Even my mom loves him. When visiting her, I used to have to make her watch Idol with me. Pretty soon she would do it on her own, even change the channel to 13 for me. But now? Now she practically hyperventilates while Adam is singing. No joke. After he sang "Born To Be Wild", she literally was fanning herself because apparently Adam gets her all hot and bothered. And last week during the results show, I wasn't even at her house to watch with her. I got a random text message that said "Holy crap, he even dances better than everyone else!", referring to Adam's disco moves. It's adorable. It's a good thing that Adam is gay, or else my stepdad might have to worry. Oh, and speaking of gay, my mom says the words "what a waste" about Adam at least twice a week.

Anyways. Yes. Adam is pretty much the shit. He deserves to win American Idol. If he doesn't, I've already vowed not to watch the show ever again.

Although I said the same thing after Chris Daughtry was voted off. And look at me now.

2. SOUTHLAND.



It's hard for me to get into new TV shows. I'm the kind of person that will discover a show when it's in like it's 3rd season, then play catch-up. But as soon as I heard about Southland, I knew I had to watch it.

First of all, it's a cop show. And not some cheesy cop show. A real cop show. As someone in the law enforcement field, I love shows like this. This one is different from the rest, though. The way it was filmed is incredible. And I love the use of the bleeped-out cuss words, and the documentary feel.

Secondly, Ben McKenzie from The O.C. is in it. You can't go wrong with Ryan Atwood.

Honorable mention: Harper's Island. I didn't want to do two TV shows. But that is another awesome new one.

3. TINTED WINDOWS.



I'm not talking about actual darkened windows. I'm talking about the new supergroup fronted by lead singer Taylor Hanson. AKA my biggest crush when I was ten years old.

Oh, who am I kidding? I think I still have a crush on Taylor Hanson.

The band's debut CD came out last week, and it's incredible. My favorite songs:

- "Messing With My Head" (Above)
- "Kind of A Girl"
- "Dead Serious"
- "Take Me Back"

4. 17 AGAIN.



I love me some Zac Efron. But I thought this movie was going to be cheesy as hell. I mean, please. Exhibit A: High School Musical.

I was so wrong. I fricking loved it. And not in the OMG-the-acting-is-terrible-but-I'll-endure-it-because-it's-Zefron way, like with HSM. 17 Again was actually very good.

Zac was very good, and he's always very nice to stare at. But Thomas Lennon made that whole movie. I adore him. He's also Lieutenant Dangle on Reno 911!, and he is fricking hilarious.

5. SEATTLE MARINERS.



After losing over 100 games last year, I didn't have a whole lot of faith in this year's Mariners team. Even after the announcement that Ken Griffey, Jr. would be back in Seattle. But so far it seems they're off to a good start.

As of right now, they're 12-7 and are sitting on top of the American League West. Ichiro sat out the first two weeks of April on the DL, but in his first game back he hit a grand slam.

The Mariners have a fantastic team this season, and this may be their year.

Whoa. Hey, there, stranger.

Holy sheet. It's been a long time. My apologies.

So much for keeping this thing updated.

A lot has been going on. But I don't feel like getting into a WHOLE lot of detail, so I'll give you the basics.

More Dad drama. He and Barb got back together for a millisecond. She moved back into his house. But then he realized that she's addicted to dancing and having a grand old time without him, so she's moving back out. I told him I thought he was an idiot for taking her back in the first place and that the whole thing pissed me off. I finally stood up to him and told him how much it affected me. I think I finally got through to him, and he apologized for everything and for ever hurting me and disappointing me. It wasn't that I was really mad at him for taking her back. I was more scared than anything, because everytime they've gotten back together, she has caused him to push me out of his life and I was afraid that it was going to happen again. So yeah, I told him that, among other things, and everything seems to be peachy now. We're going to a Mariners game on the 19th for my birthday.

Work is going really well. I got signed off on Bonney Lake police radio - I can work it on my own. I'm still in training on Puyallup police radio, though. Because it's so much busier. But hopefully I keep progressing and I get signed off on that soon, too! That's the last step in my training.

I'm starting to plan my birthday party - my birthday is on the 28th. My birthday last year kind of sucked, so I'm hoping this one makes up for it!

Not much else has been going on. It's pretty sad that the thing I look forward to most every week is American Idol. :) But really ... Adam Lambert is pretty much amazing.



Okay, that's pretty much it. I'll try to be better about updating. :)

Idol Predictions - Top 36/Group 3.

I have to make this as quick as possible because I have to leave and go stake out my sister's wedding location for her since she lives a state over. But I still wanted to get my predictions in for this week.

MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE FINAL THREE FROM GROUP THREE:
1. Lil Rounds. She's been one of my favorite females since the start. She's also one of the judges' favorites - they made that very obvious last night. She'll definitely make it through.
2. Scott McIntyre. I must admit, until last night, I didn't think that Scott should have made it as far as he did. I thought he did poorly on his rendition of Daughtry's "Home" during Hollywood week, and I know this sounds horrible, but if Scott wasn't blind, I don't think he would be in the Top 36. HOWEVER. His performance last night was fantastic. Add that to his growing fan base, and he's definitely in the final 12.
3. Jorge Nunez. I adore Jorge. He has amazing vocals, and I love the Elton song that he sang last night. And I love the fact that he got emotional when all of the positive comments came his way. It shows that he's in the competition for all the right reasons. I'm all for Jorge. I hope he makes it in the Top 12.

POSSIBLE:
- Kristin McNamera. I liked her performance last night, but I know she can do better. She has stronger vocals than most of the females in the competition, and although I don't think she'll be in the top 3 from this group, I hope she comes back for the wild card.
- Felicia Barton. She had a couple rough spots during her performance, but overall she did really well. I don't think she'll make top 3, but maybe wildcard?

I'll go find video later. I have to jet. :)

Photobucket thingy.

Directions:
1. Go to www.photobucket.com (don't sign in).
2. Type in your answer to the question in the "search" box.
3. Paste the first HTML code under each question.

What's your first name?




What is your relationship status?




What is your favorite color?




Who is your celebrity crush?






Who are you listening to right now?




Who is your favorite Disney character?




Name an alcoholic beverage.




What is your dream vacation?




What do you want to be when you grow up?



What do you love most in life?



One word to describe yourself.




Where were you born?



Where were you raised?



I live in?



Night or day?



Favorite Movies?






Favroite TV Shows?






Favorite dessert?




Favorite season?




Favorite kind of music?







Favorite Store?



Favorite Food?




Favorite place visited?




Place you most want to visit?

Idol Predictions - Top 36/Group 2.

The first night of Idol was on Wednesday this week due to President Obama's State of the Union address, so even though this may appear a day late, I'm actually right on time.

Tonight was full of a lot of disappointments and a few surprises. I'm going to try and keep this as short and simple as possible.

MY PREDICITONS FOR THE FINAL THREE FROM GROUP TWO:
1. Adam Lambert. Hands down. And in no way am I being biased. He had the best performance of the night, he was in the "pimp spot" (the final spot of the night), and he has a ginormous fan base. He may have had a couple of rough patches in the song, but the rest of it was INCREDIBLE. He's been my favorite since day one, and he's definitely in.
2. Allison Iraheta. I like her, especially after tonight's performance. She's my new favorite girl in the competition, and she should make it through. She's very unique, and already a judge's favorite.
3. Matt Giraud. I'm going out on a limb here. I didn't hate his performace of "Viva La Vida" but I definitely didn't love it, either. He's been one of my favorites since he stole my heart with "Georgia On My Mind" during Hollywood week. I think he's built up a pretty good-sized fan base, and I believe people will remember his wonderful "Georgia" performance.

VERY POSSIBLE:
- Kris Allen. I'm putting him as a very close fourth. Which means that he will make the wildcard night. I wasn't a big fan of his performance tonight, but he can definitely sing, and OH MAN ... he is very nice to look at.

It's extremely likely (and maybe even expected) that Kris and Matt G. could be flipped. But I'm predicting not. Piano man for the bronze.

LESS LIKELY, BUT STILL POSSIBLE:
- Norman Gentle. This guy is crazy entertaining. Like, laugh-out-loud, what-is-he-going-to-do-next entertaining. He doesn't deserve to be in the top 12, because there are so many other singer that should have a spot, but this guy is popular. He has a crapload of fans, and people love him. There's a small chance he could make it. If he doesn't, I vote that he gets to go on the Idol tour! :) No matter what, this was flipping hilarious:



Even so, it may be entertaining, but it should NOT get him to the top 12.

Anyways, I leave you with the best performance of the night - Adam Lambert:



Oh, haha ... I must add this before I head to bed. I'm staying at my parents' house tonight and watched the show with my mom. Tonight was the first time my mom had really heard/seen Adam. After his performance when he's talking with Ryan, my mom pops off with this:

Mom: He's pretty cute, isn't he?
Me: Um, yes. He's freaking hot. Too bad he's gay.
Mom: What a waste.
Me: Tell me about it.
Mom: Is he wearing fingernail polish?
Me: Yes. It's part of his charm.
Mom: Oh.
Me: Are you still going to vote for him?
Mom: I don't vote.
Me: Good point. Will you at least still root for him?
*LONG PAUSE*
Mom: Yes.
Me: Good. Don't let the fact that his nails match mine get in the way. Now shhh. Watch for Norman's recap.

Please don't kill me.

But it's been a week since I've written anything.

And this is just a pathetic filler attempt. :)

I'm miserable, and super sick.

I came home sick from work yesterday because I was puking my guts up. Thank goodness it was my Friday and I can be miserable on my days off, curled up in bed and not dealing with cranky people on the phone. Or cranky officers on the radio.

I'm not really hungry, but I should probably try to go eat something. I've only eaten like 10 points worth of food in the last 48 hours. :/

At least the scale should be happy with me at my weigh-in tomorrow night.

Idol Predictions - Top 36/Group 1

I think I'm going to make this a weekly thing. If there's anyone reading this who wants to add your opinions, please feel free to leave a comment.

So the first group of the Top 36 has performed and I must say, I'm pretty disappointed. I didn't expect much out of the girls, and none of them really blew me away. But a couple of my favorite guys were in this group, and they didn't do as well as I had thought/hoped they would.

They didn't show Brent Keith at all during Hollywood, and I was hoping that he would have a great performance tonight since he needed to build up his fan base. But his choice to sing "Hicktown" by Jason Aldean was NOT a good one - he's going to go home.

Michael Sarver, the roughnecker, has been one of my favorites since the beginning. He kills on ballads, but he chose to sing "I Don't Wanna Be" by Gavin DeGraw. He didn't do horribly on it. But when nine out of twelve contestants are going home, and it's pretty much your last chance to prove yourself, it's all about picking a song that showcases your talent. However, he's popular and already has a big fan base. So he may still make it through to the finals tomorrow night and if he doesn't, he still has a good shot at the wildcard.

MY PREDICITONS FOR THE FINAL THREE FROM GROUP ONE:
1. Danny Gokey. He killed. Best by far. And his fan base is huge because of his backstory and likeability. He's this season's Elliott Yamin. He's definitely through.
2. Alexis Grace. She had the best performace out of the girls, in my opinion.
3. Anoop Desai. I like him, but I wasn't fond of his performance. But his fanbase is already huge. I think his likeability will get him into the finals.

POSSIBLES:
- Michael Sarver. Like I said, still not out for the count.
- Rickey Braddy. He had a great performance, but I don't know if his fan base is big enough yet to get him into the finals. In my opinion, he should be in the final three instead of Anoop. But I don't think he will be.
- Tatianna Del Toro. I shudder to even think of the idea of her making the finals. I find her so annoying, and her sudden personality change made me go "WTF?!" out loud. But, unfortunately, she does have a fan base. And VFTW is backing her. Dear God.

Alright, signing out. I leave you with the best performance of the night:

"1, 2, 3, DAMN!"

A small wish of mine came true.

I wanted Jonas to do a skit on SNL.

And they did two. :]





Disregard the poor acting by all three Jonai. That's not the point.

The point is, they did TWO skits.

And they actually made fun of themselves. Which was awesome.

Oh, and they didn't suck during their performances. Haha. Actually, "Tonight" was pretty darn good. Which surprised the hell out of me.

And the Sharpie eyebrow line was fantastic. :]

Annnnnnd Joe looked fierce in that mesh tank top.

That is all.

Idol chatter.

Tonight was the night on American Idol - the Top 36 was revealed. Or at least confirmed, since I'd known who made it for over a week now. Stupid spoiler list.

And since the list has been confirmed, I would like to make my official Top 12 predictions. So they are here, in writing. Er, typing.

Since they changed the format around this season, and I have no idea who all is qualified to be the wildcards, I'm just going to list the top six guys and top six girls.

Guys:

1. ADAM LAMBERT. Number one with a bullet. I think he'll go far this season. He's my absolute favorite, and he may very well win the whole shebang.



2. Michael Sarver. The rouchnecker. Love this guy. He's one heck of a singer.

3. Matt Giraud. The dualing piano player. I liked him more in Hollywood than in his original audition.



4. Brent Keith. This is wishful thinking. I adore him. But they didn't show him like, AT ALL in Hollywood, so I have no idea how he did.

5. Anoop Desai. How can you not like him?

6. Danny Gokey or Stephen Fowler. This one could go either way. I really like Danny, and he's been really consistant. And I loved Stephen's Stevie Wonder song the first Hollywood round, but his David Cook disaster last night was awful. But he's got the pipes.

Girls:

Let me first says that coming up with a list of my favorite girls was insanely difficult. None of them really impressed me a whole lot. The guys are definitely the strongest gender this season. I can't even think of commentary for most of them, so I won't add any. Haha. Oh, wow, I don't even know where to begin ...

1. Lil Rounds.
2. Jackie Tohn.
3. Kristin McNamera.
4. Megan Corkrey.
5. Ann Marie Boskovich.
6. And probably Joanna Pacitti. The "plant". Haha. Scratch that. I just found out that she was disqualified. Probably something to do with her 238472934 previous record deals or something. I'm too tired to think of another girl. I'll edit this tomorrow.

So there you have it. And like I said, I have no idea how exactly the wildcard thingy is going to work.

OTHER IDOL RANT:

I fricking hate Tatiana. I want the earth to open up and swallow her. She's possibly the most annoying person ever.

And Norman Gentle is my hero. For real. He's freaking amazing. I can't believe he made the Top 36, but I'm glad he did.

Bee-tee-dubs, this post was approved by Norman. And his sexy sweatbands.

What? An actual post about my life?

I just realized how long it's been since I actually wrote an entry about how my life is going. I think the last time I check in, everything was pretty much shit and I was throwing myself the grandest of pity parties.

Thank God that's all changed.

Work is going amazingly well. I got signed off on phones after completely plataeuing for a while, and now I've been working radio for a couple of weeks. I started out on Bonney Lake radio, since that city is much smaller than Puyallup, and the police department is smaller - less radio traffic. But after only about a week on the BL radio, I've now moved onto Puyallup, and now I'm trading back and forth between the two. My trainer has said that she never imagined that I would be on Puyallup this fast, and she never thought she'd have to adjust my schedule this soon. I had been working 6am to 2pm, but the radio traffic was slower in first couple of hours. Now I've gotten to the point where I'm ready to tackle more radio traffic so I've been moved to a 10am to 6pm shift. Which is why you'll probably see more blog entries from me late at night ... gotta find something to do with my extra late hours. Haha. Anyways, yeah ... it's going really well, and my evaluations are great. It's such a turnaround from where I was at a month ago - I was really having a tough time. But all that's changed, baby. :)

My diet is also going really well. With my new schedule adjustment I couldn't make my Weight Watchers meeting tonight, so I'm going to go weigh in tomorrow. I'm really hoping for another five pounds this week, but I don't know if that's going to happen. Probably closer to four. But as long as I keep losing, I'll be happy.

It still sucks not being close to my friends and family, but they're all doing well. I have a three-day weekend coming up, and I'm going to spend one of my days off in Yelm with my family. And visit my pony. :)

I can't really think of anything else. Nothing too exciting. Time to go write up my Idol blog. :)

I think I'm the last person on the planet to fill this out.

But I'm finally jumping on the bandwagon.

25 random facts about me:

1. I procrastinate. A lot. I will put everything off until the very last possible minute. That and chewing on my nail beds are my biggest vices.

2. I used to be able to sit on my hair, it was so long. I would be sitting on the floor, then lean forward to stand up, and darn near rip my hair out because I was sitting on it. Oh yeah, and I'm naturally blonde - a lot of people don't seem to know this or remember this since I've been a brunette for some time.

3. I'm a ringtone whore. I change mine all the time, and I have like 50 in my phone. Right now it's "Don't Trust Me" by 3Oh!3. And my text message ringtone is "The (Shipped) Gold Standard" by Fall Out Boy.

4. I used to hate my last name. Because it's so different. Schoolcraft. It's not exactly Smith or Jones, right? But now I like it - it sets me apart. However, I used to get teased in elementary school more for my first name than for my last name. Kids called me "Er-head" and said I had a boy's name. Haha, kids are cruel.

5. I have a lot of pet peeves, and most of them have to do with driving. People who drive two miles an hour under the speed limit. People who can't figure out roundabouts or drive in the snow. Turn signals that are either left on or are turned on at the last second. And, like Laura said, windshield wipers that are on too fast for conditions.

6. Technically, I'm an only child. But I have a stepbrother and stepsister who I consider to be like a real brother and sister to me. I also have three stepsisters on my dad's side who I do not consider part of my family.

7. During a trip to Mexico when I was fourteen, I got "Swimmer's Ear" and was deaf in my left ear for a month. And from time to time, I still have problems with that ear. Other highlights from that trip - Larissa breaking John's rib and the backseat of our rental car getting stolen because my mom stole some dude's parking spot.

8. I'm not obsessed with the Jonas Brothers, and I don't believe I ever was. And I don't like them as much as I used to. Don't get me wrong - I still like them and I'll still go see their concert movie on opening weekend and buy the soundtrack and everything. But lately they've just been kind of "eh" for me.

9. I go through cell phones like it's nobody's business. In the past two and a half years, I've had eleven phones. Some of them died tragic deaths, like drowning in the back of my old truck. And some of them simply got traded in for whatever new phone had just come out on the market. Right now I have the BlackBerry Storm, and I adore it.

10. 2004 was by far the worst year of my life. My nana had always been the family member I was closest to, and when she passed away, I was completely lost. From the time she was admitted to the hospital in January to her death in April, her funeral the day after my birthday all the way to the completion of the wrongful death lawsuit at the end of the year - the entire year was the worst time imaginable.

11. One of my favorite TV shows of all time is "Life As We Know It". It starred Sean Faris, was set in Seattle, and was pretty much centered around how much guys think about sex. For some reason, ABC canceled it after like 13 episodes. At least they released it on DVD. :)

12. When I was about seven, I wanted to be an Olympic gymnast. I would turn on the music in my Nana's living room, push all the furniture out of the way and practice my floor routines.

13. My best friend and I have NEVER had a fight. Not a single one. Not even over the littlest thing. And we've been best friends for almost nine years now. We met at horse camp my first year in 4-H and bonded when we found out we shared the same middle name - Leigh.

14. I really dislike fine-tip pens, and I'm not sure why. Just give me a medium- or bold-tip and I'll be a happy camper.

15. I'm actually a pretty good bowler. Not as good as I was when I was competing in high school, but I can still bowl in the 150s.

16. I can't cook. My idea of cooking is taking a frozen item out of the freezer, throwing it in the microwave, and pressing a button.

17. Whenever I'm at home, I'm pretty much always wearing my favorite slippers. Like right now. They look like cowboy boots, with faux-faux-ostrich on the toes. The rest is fuzzy, and they even have little boot-pull loop things. My mom brought them back from Texas for me when she went to the NASCAR race.

18. I rarely eat off my dishes. I use plastic plates and cups. I use the excuse that it's because I'm too lazy to do dishes, but it's mainly because my real dishes were expensive and I'm so clumsy, I'm scared to death I'm going to break them.

19. I love to write. And apparently, if I ever fail as a 911 dispatcher, I could always get a career writing the summaries on the backs of books. Haha.

20. I worship Kathy Griffin. I think she's hilarious. And I want to hang out with her for a day.

21. I'm a walking orthodontic ad. You name it, I suffered through it. Four years of braces, head gear, wire retainer, clear retainer, night guard, and a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth. Although my wire retainer was cool. It was purple. And had a picture of my first horse on it. :)

22. I have lots of scars, but no impressive stories. Back of my right hand - killer toaster oven. Left hand - Dusty's stall door. Knuckles - various curling irons and sidewalk injuries. And I have a big scar on my thigh, but I have no idea what it's from.

23. I'm a horrible impulse buyer. About 70% of the time, I'll buy something and by the time I leave the store, I already regret buying it. But do I ever take it back? No.

24. I used to collect Beanie Babies. I think I had like 150 at one point. My nana would take me to Tim's Pharmacy on the mornings that UPS delivered shipments of new Beanies and we'd get the newest ones. Yeah, it was that hardcore.

25. We used to have a 30-pound cat named Fatman. His name used to be Turbo, but once he started to get super chubby, we changed his name. Because Turbo just doesn't work for a cat the size of a small child. Fatman could hear you pull the Velveeta out of the fridge, and he'd come running. He also held a grudge against remote-controlled cars.

Soundtrack To Your Life.

You know the drill.
iTunes on shuffle.

When You Wake Up: "Too Little Too Late" - JoJo.
Singing In The Shower: "Love Don't Live Here" - Lady Antebellum.
Brushing Your Teeth: "Break Away" - Tokio Hotel.
Your Parents: "I Swear" - John Michael Montgomery. Hahahaha.
Your Friends: "The Fortunate" - Cartel. Yeah, fortunate to be my friends. Hahaha.
Your Life In General: "Stealing Cinderella" - Chuck Wicks. Um. Okay?
Your Job: "Addicted" - Saving Abel. Bahahaha.
Your Love Life: "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" - Rascal Flatts version. Hmmm.
Your Past: "Next Go Round" - Nickelback. Hahahahaha.
Your Future: "For You I Will (Confidence)" - Teddy Geiger. Looove this song.
When Thinking Deep Thoughts: "I Will Be The Light" - Nick Jonas.
When Partying: "Fake It" - Seether. Lol.
Makes You Wanna Cry: "Lessons Learned" - Carrie Underwood.
While Driving: "Play My Music" - Jonas Brothers. That fits.
Your Secret Love: "I Wanna Be Bad" - Willa Ford. Hahahaha. Fitting?
Your Deepest Secret: "Goodbye" - Miley Cyrus.
After Learning A Lesson: "7 Minutes In Heaven" - Fall Out Boy. Haha.
Making Love: "Push" - Matchbox Twenty. That sounds horrible. Hahahaha.
Breaking Up: "Resolution" - Nick Lachey. Perfect much?
When You Feel Alone: "Living In Fast Forward" - Kenny Chesney.
Your Happy Dance: "Bet On It" - High School Musical 2.
Shaking Your Groove Thang: "Life On The Run" - Dierks Bentley.
Mental Breakdown: "Misery Business" - Paramore. That fits.
Fighting: "Move On" - Jonas Brothers. Hahaha.
A Good Day: "Time For Me To Fly" - Jonas Brothers. What's with all the Jonas?
A Bad Day: "Wrong Again" - Martina McBride. Whoa.
Winning The Lottery: "That's Cool" - Blue County.
Finding Money: "One Step At A Time" - Jordin Sparks.
When Your Happy: "Big Star" - Kenny Chesney.
When Your Sad: "Nothing Good 'Bout Goodbye" - Hinder.
Your Wedding Day: "What About Now?" - Daughtry. Haha.
High On Life: "While You Loved Me" - Rascal Flatts. That's not a "high on life" song. :/
Drinking: "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" - Panic At The Disco.
Anger: "Fearless" - Taylor Swift.
Decision Making: "Shine" - 7Sharp9.
Finding A New Job: "Stay" - Little Big Town. Hmmm.
Shopping: "Paralyzer" - Finger Eleven. Hahaha.
Payday: "Lost Without You" - Robin Thicke. Haha.
Breaking Someone's Heart: "Sleepin' On The Foldout" - Brad Paisley. Bahahahahaha!
Having Someone Break Your Heart: "Leavin" - Jesse McCartney. Okay, now this is just getting creepy.
Losing Your Best Friend: "If Tomorrow Never Comes" - Garth Brooks. OMG.
Losing A Family Member: "Wherever You Are" - 7Sharp9. :/
Your Final Thought: "I've Been Better" - Brad Paisley. WTF.
Your Funeral: "Zzzzzz" - The Cab. Holy shit.

Okay, that got really scary at the end.

:/

"Gimme More" - Number Four.

Time for the 4th installment of my list of things that I pretty much can't get enough of. Enjoy. :)

1. ADAM LAMBERT.





My life is complete. American Idol is back, and I have found my favorite.

And he is amazing.

Even if he comes with eye makeup, emo hair and skinny jeans tucked into boots. Speaking of guys with skinny jeans and boots, where's my Kevin Jonas "WAT?" .gif when I need it? Haha.

Anyways, I'm also 95% positive that Adam's gay (maybe 100% after watching this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBlmcak7cuA). Which is a shame because he is adorable beyond belief. But that's okay. I love him anyway.

Despite Simon's "theatrical" comments, Adam blew me away in his first audition. The guy has wicked talent. Haha ... "Wicked" ... get it? He was in the cast of "Wicked" ... okay, bad joke.

This week was the start of Hollywood round, and Adam was INCREDIBLE in the group portion. Make sure you watch the entire video, because they show two parts of his performace, and it's amazing.

And one thing I noticed is that from certain angles, he totally looks like Joe Jonas. In the second video above, from the times of 29 seconds left in the video to 12 seconds left (since the timing with Photobucket vids is all screwy), the resemblence is SCARY similar. And in some other videos, even their faces look alike. But that's about where the similarities end. Adam's voice is absolutely incredible. Joe's ... not so much. As much as I love me some Joe Jonas, I don't think he would even make it to Hollywood on American Idol.

But this isn't about Joej. This is about A-Lam, and how much ass he kicks.

So yes. Adam is my favorite. Adam Lambert FTW. End of story.


2. SUPERBOWL COMMERCIALS.

With one of my least favorite NFL teams joining up with a team that definitely wasn't on my top ten list of favorites, I must say that I tuned into the Superbowl for mainly the commercials. That being said, once the game got underway it turned into one of the most amazing games I've ever seen. Unfortunately the Steelers won, but there's nothing I can do about that.

In between the crazy plays and turnovers were some very funny commercials. My favorites were the Doritos crystal ball - I actually LOLed at that one, the Conan O'Brien Bud Light - because it had Conan, and he's awesome, and the Budweiser Clydesdale ancestor one - because it was adorable.

However. Nothing topped the Justin Timberlake Pepsi commercial from last year, with Andy Samberg in a blonde wig. In my opinion.








3. "HERE COMES GOODBYE" - RASCAL FLATTS' NEW SINGLE.



I adore this song.

Then again, Rascal Flatts can pretty much do no wrong in my book. But I really do LOVE this song. Gary has some of the most amazing vocals, and this song fits him perfectly.

And the song itself is awesome. It was written by Chris Sligh of American Idol fame, and I love the lyrics.

I cannot wait for RF's new CD. Two more months, baby. Two more months.


4. RERUNS OF "THE O.C."



This has always been one of my favorite shows, but lately I've been watching it like CRAZY. And I have no idea why.

I want my own Seth Cohen. Not Adam Brody. Seth Cohen. Geeky and sarcastic and funny. Yes, please. :]

Anyways, I don't care if it was canceled after four seasons. It's still one of the best shows ever. EVER.



Okay, only four this time because I can't think of any more. Sorry guys. :/

And hahahaha, I found it.

In honor of the lovely wardrobe choice Adam made in Hollywood, this post is approved by the very, um, stylish Kevin Jonas:



I'm sorry, Adam, bb. I had to.

"Quick! What's the number for 911?"

So I've heard my fair share of funny calls at work in the past few months, but there was something in the air today. Haha.

And somehow one of my co-workers got to talk with all of them. Lucky her. ;)

The first one:

Girl: Can I get a ticket if one of my headlights isn't working?
Co-Worker: Yes, you have to have two headlights.
Girl: Well I have two headlights on my car.
Co-Worker: But they both have to be working.
Girl: ... Oh.

And then someone called and asked what the emergency number for dispatch was. Um, how about 911?

What a day.

And the official week one weight loss is ...

... Drumroll, please ....

FIVE pounds!!!!

Exactly five pounds. 5.0.

I'm stoked!

Oh man, if I could keep going at this rate, my life would be complete.

We get our new eliptical trainer at work tomorrow. I'm going to put that thing to good use.

But for now I'm going to go reward myself with some Dreyer's Slow-Churned LIGHT ice cream. :]

Because I think I earned it.

My life has come down to this.

I've come to realize that lately, the majority of life is currently spent doing the following things:

Watching old episodes of The OC on DVD. I've pretty much addicted to this show since it was on TV. Some days, I'll get a little wild and a little crazy, and I'll switch it up a little bit. Maybe throw in an old CSI episode or something. I like to live on the edge. ;)

Hanging out with my mom, mainly while she does horse stuff or talks about horse stuff. Or when she acts psycho, like when she busted out with her disco dancing today during the Superbowl, and also several hours later when she started singing Bonnie Raitt songs.

Listening to my dad talk about his failed marriage and the current status of his divorce. Daddy likes to talk a LOT, and he also tends to repeat himself constantly. But I love him anyway.

Talking to the crazy people who call 911. And the people who call 911 about the most rediculous things. Like to find out if the roads are icy.

Struggling to find things to take pictures of for the Project 365. Because it turns out, when you don't go out much and when your life isn't that interesting, you don't have many things to take a photo of. But hey, at least I've stuck to the project for a month.

That's really about it.

But you know what?

I don't care.

I love my life.

A new beginning ... again.

Almost exactly one year ago, I made one of the best decisions of my life.

I decided to do something about my unhappiness with my weight and body, and I joined Weight Watchers. I paid close attention to the food I ate for the first time in my life, and it paid off. By June I had lost 25 pounds, and I was happier than I had been in a very long time.

But then after I got back from Texas in July, I started to go downhill. I allowed myself to start drinking regular soda again, but only every now and then, telling myself that a few wouldn't hurt. That turned into eating fast food again, then I quit going to Weight Watchers meetings and my poor eating habits came back.

Now, six months later, I'm three pounds heavier than I was last January. All of my hard work has disappeared down the drain, and I have nothing to show for it except wearing my "fat" pants again and hating the way I look. When I look in the mirror, I despise the overweight person that stares back at me. And when I look into my closet full of adorable clothes that I can't fit into anymore, it kills me. One glance at the Wii Fit sitting on a shelf in my living room, the same gadget that I've used only twice since buying it, and I vow that I will put that thing to good use and work out. But then I convince myself that I'm too tired or too busy, and the Wii Fit stays put on the shelf.

Every day I regret the poor health decisions I've made in the past few months, but I've kept going every day without doing anything to change it. I kept wishing I could go back to the way I looked six months ago. But then I would go and eat French fries, only to regret it soon after, and then the whole vicious cycle would begin again.

But that all is going to change. It HAS to change. I'm sick of having low self-esteem, and I'm sick of hating my figure. I lost the weight once, and I can certainly lose it again.

Tonight I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting in half a year. And it felt great. My mom is doing the program again, as well as her good friend Marylee. It'll be harder this time around, since I'm living on my own and am responsible for buying my own food and making sure that I stick with it. But I still have a support system in my mom. I know I can do this. I so want to do this.

But I'm going to do it differently this time around. I'm doing it better. Last time, I relied solely on changing my eating habits - I stepped on a treadmill once the whole time I was on the diet. This time, I'm making sure that exercise is very much incorperated into it. Not only do I have the Wii Fit, but I also have free reign of the gym in the rental office in my apartment complex. Plus, when the weather gets warmer, there's Bradley Lake practically next door, with it's pretty walking trail.

I'm also starting a new medication for my migraines, and it's a medication that also happens to double as a weight-loss medication. I wasn't expecting a diet pill when I went searching for a migraine med. But it's a nice perk.

Anyways, my fridge and freezer are now stocked full of healthy food and drinks, and I'm really excited about starting Weight Watchers again. I'm ready for change.

I can do this.

Snow, Sharpies and street signs. Oh my!

Work is so entertaining sometimes.

Today was such a Monday (I know it's really Tuesday, but it was my Monday), and the silliest things were making us all laugh.

But I think this one takes the cake.

Officer over the radio: This is going to be a 3-car 2-car accident.
Me: How the hell do you have a 3-car 2-car accident? What the heck is 3-car 2-car?
Co-Worker: I have no idea what he's talking about.
Me: Did he mean like, 3 cars versus 2 cars?
Co-Worker: Maybe? And maybe that's his way of saying 5, because it's too big a number to say the real way. He has to add them up.
Officer: This is actually going to be 1 car versus a fire hydrant.
Me: What the heck? How do you go from "3-car 2-car" to five cars, then down to one car? And where did the fire hydrant come from?
Co-Worker: Subtraction, maybe? 3 - 2 = 1?

A few minutes later:

Officer: I'll be clear the accident. They've exchanged information.
Me: What the hell? Who exchanged information? The vehicle and the fire hydrant?
Co-Worker: Yeah. The fire hydrant whipped out a sharpie and said to the car "write your number on me".

Also, the woman who called me to say that her daughter "got in an altercation with a stop sign" (AKA she ran the thing over with her car) was pretty entertaining, too.

Seriously, everyone was getting in fights with inanimate objects today. And the inanimate object usually won. Except for the stop sign. May it rest in peace.

I love my job.

And the fact that no one can drive in the snow.