Musings on a lot of random crap

So I’m reading the Twilight series, sometimes referred to as “those melodramatic teen vampire books”, and now that I’m on the third one I’m a little bummed by the fact that all I can picture are the actors from the upcoming movie. Ever since I finished the first one, I have been scouting around on the internet, watching trailers, and devouring the movie’s IMDB listing, and I just can’t get Kristen Stewart or that Harry Potter dude out of my head… and reading isn’t as fun that way. Plus, Edward was way hotter in my imagination. My brother and I were talking about this the other day, and he said he does the same thing. He said he was relieved to have read The Davinci Code before seeing or hearing about the movie… Tom Hanks being such a bizarre casting choice for the role. Maybe that’s why I never finished that one; I tried to read it during post production of the movie and just couldn’t get through it. Or it could have just been all the hype that did it in for me with that damn book.

I’m pretty much always in the middle of reading Pride and Prejudice. I start it, finish it months and months later, and then start it again. I have a problem with all things Jane Austen, I tend to become obsessed. The weird thing is that as I read, I mix up all the actors from the different movie versions of the novel. So Lizzie Bennett is Jennifer Ehle, the chick that played her in the old BBC Miniseries, but Mr. Darcy is the guy from the Keira Knightly version. Jane is also the actress from the new version (because she’s so freaking gorgeous), but the other sisters are from the old one. Mr. Bennett is definitely Donald Sutherland, because I love him, but Mrs. Bennett is that horribly screechy woman from the BBC miniseries. Oh, almost forgot Mr. Bingley. Of course he is the adorable Simon Woods, in my head. God, is anyone still reading this? For your sake I hope not, I am becoming ridiculously rambly.

Lately I’m obsessed with Bit-O-Honey candies, which are little old people candies that we have in our candy dish at home. I can’t stop thinking about them, and have even been eating them for breakfast on my way to work. Just thought I’d throw that in, because it is incredibly random to be freaking out over weird grandparent candy. Ha! I just read that Wikipedia link and have learned that the Bit-O-Honey was voted the Most Appalling Candy at some Kentucky county fair. I guess there are many who do not agree with me that Bit-O-Honey are the bom-diggity. I am in a weird mood... it's my Friday.

Our annual Halloween party is on Saturday and I am super pumped! However… my costume this year is seriously ridiculous and UGLY, and I’m starting to regret it. Like any woman, I like to look cute on Halloween, not slutty cute, but at least pretty. I say this now, as a warning, I will not be pretty on Saturday. Ugh. I wonder if it’s too late to switch costumes. Considering our house is a mess, I have done no shopping for the party, and there are pumpkins to be carved… no, I think I’m committed. Oh well. I hope we at least get laughs if I have to endure being so damn ugly the whole night. Reminds me of when I wore my pig flannel pajamas and pigtails to the bar on Halloween during my freshman year of college. I regretted that the second we stepped into the dance club full of slutty nurses and devils.

Cracking up

I am just loving everything about this fall, the changing colors of the leaves, the green grass, the pumpkins by the side of the road, the mums we bought for our front stoop, even the Halloween candy in the aisles of Target. However, for some reason I am living in this weird funky constant state of fear that it will suddenly be over. It simply always feels like winter is just around the corner, ready to pounce on us poor unsuspecting fools. So every one of those beautiful autumnal days we have, if I’m too busy to really enjoy it I find myself in a state of panic that it might have been the last one, and I just squandered it away. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just enjoy a good thing without questioning it, without thinking about the bigger picture, without being afraid of tomorrow? I must have a sickness.

Speaking of my issues, Dan was away for business earlier this week, and during those three days I had all by myself at home, I sort of felt like I might be cracking up. My feelings on being home alone land on two sides of the for-or-against argument. On one hand, I absolutely love it. Specifically, I love being able to eat cereal for dinner or watch whatever I want on TV, and I love being able to read in bed without getting molested. I like how whatever mess I make is MY mess, so it doesn’t bother me. I can get engrossed in Facebook stalking or reading blogs for hours without someone asking me what I’m doing, what errands we need to run, and what the plans are for dinner. But with the good, come the bad. I am the first to admit that I become SO LAZY when I’m by myself and have no real, concrete plans. No matter what I might have earlier decided I wanted to do with my night, I can’t seem to get my ass out of the house. A lot of the time it’s because I somehow become engrossed in terrible sitcoms on Lifetime (Reba? Really? What is wrong with me?) or West Wing episodes that showed up on the DVR. I have needed blush since Saturday, but I haven’t been able to drag myself to Sephora yet. I was planning on stopping to buy some zucchini the other night on my way home from work, but instead I just kept on driving and made macaroni and cheese at home and vegged out watching 27 Dresses. While I don’t begrudge myself a little vegging out, it really makes me wonder what my life would be like if I actually lived by myself. I’d like to think I would still be an active member of society who leaves her home, but I honestly can’t be sure. Thank God for Dan. Hopefully I never have to find out!

What up?

Judging by my absence from this here blog for (holy crap) more than five months, you’d probably guess, I’ve been a busy girl. Busy finishing up all 6 of my final courses, writing a bajillion papers, graduating with a masters and a perfect 4.0 GPA (I know, I brag), trying to enjoy the summer a bit, attending two fabulously debaucherous bachelorette parties and a Christmas-decor themed shower for one of my bestest friends, standing up for her at a gorgeous wedding ceremony on the lake at this awesome resort, and travelling all over Peru for a total of 11 days during which I was forced to poo in little holes in the ground for a portion of it.

It’s been a crazy, stressful, wonderful, exhilarating five months. And now… I am back to normal, I have my regular old life back and it is pretty damn awesome. Just in time for fall, my favorite season.

So what’s on my mind these days? In no discernable order at all, these are some things I’ve been thinking about:

• Babies. Yup.
• Chai Tea Lattes. They taste like October, I swear to God. Where have I been?
• Boots. I just bought these babies last week, and I think I’m in love. My brother works for Aldo now, which has proven to be very convenient.
• Speaking of shoes, and of course my brother’s discount, these might be next (if I can swing it with the hubs). I think two new pairs of shoes for the fall/winter seasons are respectable enough, no?
• I’ve found a few more good/terrible blogs which make me seethe with annoyance and silent judgment. Those are my favorites, and I feel like a sick masochist for continuing to go back, day after day. I wonder if there’s anyone out there seething with annoyance and silent judgment over my blog. Oh that’s right, I never write anything new here, if any ever existed, they’re likely long gone.
• Meat. Only because last night we took my parents to Fogo de Chão for my dad’s birthday. So. Much. Meat. It was overwhelming, somewhat nauseating, yet at the same time delicious.
• TV. I can watch again, as my evenings are no longer spent reading boring business text books and writing papers! I’m most excited about The Office, Pushing Daisies, Mad Men, and How I Met Your Mother. (Guilty pleasures that I am super embarrassed to be watching: Greys, Private Practice, Lipstick Jungle, and sometimes a little Real World Road Rules Challenge thrown in.)
• The Duchess. Does anyone want to see this movie with me? I know for a fact that Dan is a no-go, and Betsy, this is the mother of all “olden days” movies so I will make an educated guess you’re also not interested. I, on the other hand, am obsessed and giddy about the prospect of forbidden love, arranged marriages, constricting corsets, ridiculous wigs, and Kiera Knightly.
• Antiquing. Bring on the early morning drives to Buffalo, picking up hot coffee on the way, the kitschy vases and standing lamps, the combined smells of cinnamon, barn, and oil based paint, and the stops at the vegetable stand on the way home to stock up on funky gourds, squash, and honey crisp apples. We went last weekend, and I’m thinking about going again this Saturday.

As you can see, most of what’s on my mind these days is either superficial or mundane. But this is the good stuff of life, taking stock and getting enjoyment out of the little things, and I’m so happy to be able to take the time to do it again. I’m bracing myself for more evening walks and happy hours with the girls, reading the paper while downing whole pots of coffee on Sunday mornings, and getting excited about planning out my Halloween costume. Loving it all.