Day 60: Leapariffic

The last time I was able to write February 29 on anything, I was a sophomore in college in a new dorm with a new roomie, struggling to get up two days a week for my 8 a.m. journalism class, and getting geared up for an election I was sure would turn things around.

Now, I'm in a new city with a new roomie, where I'm forced to get up much earlier than 8 a.m. five days a week, and currently ignoring the election stuff until it's actually the season for it but still hoping for a change.

And to ignore all this changing going on, and to honor the "leap" in leap day, I leaped like a frog around my living room 29 times.

After 17, I wanted to cry. By 29 I was lying on my back struggling to breathe since I'm sickly and haven't been able to breathe properly all week. 29 frog leaps probably wasn't the best idea, especially as I can't feel my legs right now, but I won't have to do it again for four years. If ever.

Day 59: Stop making a fool out of me

Today I heard my first Mark Ronson "song," and also listened to it more times in one day than I've ever heard any song. I am, as usual, way late in getting into him and his music, but there it is. And here it is, "Valerie," featuring Amy Winehouse, though she's not actually in the video.

(There's only rap for the first few seconds, Mom, it's really good.)

Day 58: Ooh fancy

Today I made another giant leap into that adult world I am trying so hard to resist, when I got business cards.* :-) I'm actually quite excited about them, and can't wait to put a few into some of those "win a free lunch" jars around town.


*I actually had to give them back because they had the wrong phone extension. But my name was spelled correctly, and I did have them for almost an hour. And I will be getting them back.

Day 57: Jump around...or not

After my new thing a few weeks ago of sit ups off my bed, I decided to see what other exercises I could do lying down. Trying to put the lazy back in physical fitness. (And the fact that I think I'm getting the flu and was in bed by 9.) So I laid in bed and did 10 jumping jacks. Or star jumps as my friend from New Zealand called them. Which I kind of prefer, makes them sound prettier than they actually are. When lying down, they actually more resemble snow angels, except I wasn't getting good traction on my comforter, so it probably looked like I was convulsing.

Day 56

While waiting for the metro today, up high on the King Street platform, I looked down to a small, grassy area between the street and the parking lot, and saw a Muslim man doing his daily prayers. Amidst cars flying by each other on the highway and honking at each other in the parking lot. As buses swerved around pedestrians, this man did his salah. I've never seen this performed before and only saw a bit, but it was quite moving. It's not my faith but it is faith, and I admire it.

Day 55: "Hope, no matter how different we are, connects us all." -Oscar winner, Marketa Irglova

Today, is one of my favorite days of the year. Without a doubt. Oscar Day.

Just typing the word makes me happy, gleeful almost. This year's seems extra special. The combination of not having seen one in two years, Jon Stewart, having seen all the best picture noms, and as it's the 80th telecast, the guarantee of tear-inducing montages.

Yay.

The only bad thing was trying to come up with something new in honor of the day, as I've done it all, including practicing my acceptance speech a hundred times. So I went with the boring but completely new, and made a list of all the best picture winners, and marked the ones I have seen. I like lists and I like movies, so I like this new thing. And it's always fun to get the "oh my gosh you haven't seen [fill in the blank]!" that will surely follow.

*Click to enlarge.

Day 54: It Still Counts

I can't whistle. There, I admitted it. Whenever I try to whistle the theme from Andy Griffith, I end up just making a noise or blowing air instead of actually making anything resembling a tune. I keep trying as I type this, and have discovered about every three attempts, I can make a short whistle sound, but when I try to vary it with an actual tune, I fail.

Anyway, I made a whistle out of a drinking straw, with the hopes that maybe I could carry it around with me and fake a whistling ability. You know, for all those instances I am forced to whistle, and then ostracized when I fail.

But, sadly, the ostracizing will continue, as after four attempts, none of my whistles worked. I guess it's just not in the stars for me to be able to whistle.

Day 53: Working for the weekend

So I know it's getting old, but we got more snow and ice yesterday and today. Snow yesterday, ice today. But not nearly as much ice as they predicted, naturally, but enough that it was truly nasty outside, with the threat of it getting worse. Not that I actually know how it was outside, as I worked from home today.

I'm not so sure I'm disciplined enough to work from home, however, on a regular basis. I kept getting distracted by the idea that I could watch the morning shows, while working. Could be in my pajamas on my bed, while working. Could eat every hour because the food was there, while working.

But it was nice to at least have the option, and to avoid weather that pretty much guaranteed that I would fall or slide or step in a puddle up to my knee, as I am always apt to do.

Day 52: So lame

I am not now, nor will I ever be, an artist. My drawings consist of stick figures, always have, always will. (Though I do think I am quite skilled at the art of the stick figure.) I've been drawing the same A-frame house with two windows, a path and a chimney, since I was in pre-school. But as today was long and sort of stressful and I just came home and changed into my pajamas, I turned to Wikihow for something I could do from bed. Which is how I came to make a cartoon by turning the word "boy," into a boy.
Who knows, between this and the spoon trick, it could come in handy at a dull, dull dinner party one day.

Day 51: Learning to be daring

When I first saw "The Dangerous Book for Boys" when it was published in England early last year, I thought it was a brilliant idea. A book that would teach boys about adventure and history...that didn't occur in a video or X game. When it came to the States later, with some slight modifications, I almost bought it, despite not being a boy, because it seemed so cool. And who says girls can't learn about pirates and tying knots and building a campfire? Well, there is no need, as two women got together and created "The Daring Book for Girls," which Mom bought for me last weekend.

It is based on the same premise as the one for boys, just with different history and adventures for the girls. How to be a spy and jump rope, information on great women inventors and leaders, and even stuff on finances. Which I for one find the most daring of all.

(Though I still may buy the boys one. They get history of the Alamo and Gettysburg, and NASA. Girls like that stuff too!)

Anyway...I've been going through it, marking stuff I want to try, stuff to read more about. Tonite I got my new thing from there, though it's small and probably done by everyone else but me. I made toothpaste out of baking soda and water. I am very picky when it comes to taste and texture, so this is actually quite daring...for me. All in all, not a terrible experience, but not one I really need to repeat unless I'm in a toothpaste pinch. I'll stick with my Crest Vanilla Mint for now.

Day 50: Come back, Whitney

My iPod, Gemma, and I have had many great adventures together. Though not yet a year old, she has been my companion in many an airport and airplane. She's helped me drown out the unfortunate music in malls in Starbucks. She's kept me from many awkward conversations with strangers on the metro who just can't let silence be silence. And today, we had a new adventure, a first, when I put it on shuffle and let it play without skipping anything that comes up.

Luckily, today was a good shuffle day. I had everything from showtunes (Newsies) to country (Keith Urban) to some emoish/rock stuff I've been listening to lately (Trespassers William). Between my morning and evening commutes I made it through 34 songs...of2846. But as two of these were Whitney Houston songs from "The Bodyguard," I was pretty pumped for my day. And almost willing to do a little interpretative karaoke for the people of Alexandria. Oh well, something for tomorrow.

Day 49: Just call me Jethro

I ate my dinner tonite out of a big bowl. Tonite I took my new Ikea salad bowl, and ate directly out of it. It didn't occur to me when I had Mom buy it that I rarely cook for more than one, so I'd never get a chance to use it. .

Day 48: Just a trim

As part of another new thing I am working on for the future, I am growing out my hair. I hate going to the hairdresser for just a trim because it still costs $20 and they convince me they must wash it first, which is absurd because my hair just does not get that dirty that quick. But anyway, my split ends had split ends and that certainly doesn't make it grow any faster, so I had Mom trim the ends of my hair, getting all my split ends and evening it up. She used to trim my bangs all the time, and she probably did the ends occasionally too, but certainly not since I've been an adult, and definitely so long ago I can't remember if it actually happened or not. Now my splits ends are gone and my hair should be free to grow and grow and grow.

Day 47: Making it on your own

Thanks to Mom, I have seen pretty much every episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." Which I love. I always thought Mary was so cool and independent, with her couch that was also her bed. I loved bitter old Mr. Grant and pompous anchorman Ted. And Murray, who I still think harbored a little crush on MTM. And of course there was Mary's style, with her kicky beret at the end and her giant "M" beside her apartment door. I have been looking for a Mary-esque "B" for myself, and finally found one today I really liked, that is different from Mary's but definitely my own style.

Now to find a public square where I can toss my hat into the air and freeze frame while the credits roll.

Day 46: Hello, jeans

At my new job, we can wear jeans every day, only really have to dress up if we have a meeting with clients. I like it, because dress pants require ironing and I'll do just about anything to get out of ironing. But it's also hard because I like pretty work clothes, and I don't have as many jeans as I thought I did. Which is how today's new thing came about, when I wore my London skinny jeans for the first time in Virginia/D.C. Yeah, it's kind of a lame new thing, especially now that more people wear them over here than they did when I first got back. If that's not enough of a new thing, I also went to Pentagon City Mall, a huge mall crazy close to me, that I had never been to before. And, even better, I met Mom there, who came up to spend the weekend with me. :-)
*Not me or my skinny jeans.

Day 45: So not a holiday

I'm just going to skip the multi-paragraph anti-Valentine's day rant. I did get free breakfast and chocolates at work, and nice anti V-day messages from the friends, so I'll try to keep it cool this year. Instead I'll just say today I finally finished starting my own February 14 tradition, of watching "Breakfast at Tiffany's" in bed. I've tried this the last two years and never finished it, but tonite I finally did. So while I truly do despise this fake holiday, and all its consumerism and corporate-created fake sentiment, at least I'll always have Tiffany's.

Day 44: Exercise kills

Short post as my abs are currently on fire. I hung off my bed and completed 10 sit-ups. And it hurt. And I think I pulled a muscle in my neck. And five truly would have been enough. I wonder how many people die each year from tragic sit-up mishaps. Probably more than I think.

Day 43: Enough is Enough

After today, I declare that the next city I move to will be a place where "cold" is no lower than 70 degrees. Icy, freezing rain that sticks to my umbrella. Falling on the brick sidewalk in Alexandria, bruising my knee and twisting my ankle a bit. Waiting twice as long for a metro and the bus. And then a first, for any place I've ever been, getting on a city bus, and having the passengers direct the driver on where to go. I truly never thought I would get home. But now I am, un-freezing in front of my heater, and thinking about New Orleans or Buenos Aires, any place where the words "ice" and "snow" don't factor into the local vocabulary.

Day 42: He's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast and he's gotta be fresh from the fight

In the list of greatest inventions ever it pretty much goes:

1. penicillin
2. NASA
3. lint rollers
4. Anderson Cooper
   
5. YouTube

Ok, we'll call this the first draft. Either way, YouTube is awesome, no matter where it falls on any list. I have spent more hours than I care to remember watching clips from my favorite childhood TV shows (MMC, Legends of the Hidden Temple, DuckTales), General Hospital highlights (Robin and Stone forever), and Daily Show reports (before Viacom was a bitch and forced their removal). And now, I know there are a plethora of videos related to the name "Bonnie," as that is what I searched.

It had never occurred to me to search for myself before. Obviously not my full name, because I would die if there was something on there of me. Particularly since I am crazy paranoid about discovering a hidden camera in a dressing room. Really, I look behind mirrors and everything.

Anyway...the result was a bunch of amazing songs by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Bonnie Tyler, and someone named Bonnie Pink. And some info on only the coolest bank robber ever, Ms. Bonnie Parker. All in all, I'm proud of the showing "we" have made on the 'tube.

Day 41: Can you hear me now?

Slowly, as slowly as possible, I am making my transition into being an "adult." Actually, I'm doing so kicking and screaming, but I am doing it nonetheless. I'm learning that part of this whole adult con is paying for things. Paying for lots of things. Some things that I never really thought about before, others that I truly do think should be free. (Food? A necessity. Clothing? Another necessity. I think they should be provided as a public service.) Cell phones cost money too, sadly. Though again, it shouldn't cost so much to keep in touch with loved ones. But I joined the masses today and sold my soul and bought my own cell phone and contract.

The consolation to this soul selling is the pretty new phone I got. An LG Chocolate in "Blue Ice." Her name is Eliza. (After the one and only Ms. Dolittle.)
The real world may kind of suck, but at least it comes with something shiny.

Day 40: Little gold man

I LOVE movies. If it hasn't already been made clear with many of my new things being inspired by films, I'm sure it will be in the coming months. Today I achieved something I've always wanted to do. After seeing "There Will be Blood" today, I have now seen all of the best picture Oscar nominees, before the ceremony.

I always say I'm going to do it, but never do. But when the nominations came out, and I had seen 3 of 5, I knew this was the year.

My rankings of the five, and one sentence review. Only two weeks until the big show!

1. Atonement (Beautiful and haunting, nearly as good as the book.)
2. There Will Be Blood (Different, surprisingly funny, and perfectly-acted.)
3. Juno (Really funny and well-written.)
4. Michael Clayton (Surprising plot, interesting camera-work, good casting.)
5. No Country for Old Men (Very well-made and acted, but scary and disturbing.)

Day 39: What do you mean there is no Agent Grissom?!

My new job requires that I learn a variety of different subjects, so that I can adequately write material to train others. Since a lot of this work is for government entities, I have to get a security clearance in order to work on them. As part of the process, today I got fingerprinted at the police station.

The worst part: Fancy fingerprinting done on the computer, so I didn't get to be "inked." I was hoping to have inky, black fingers for the rest of the day, in order to gain some street cred.

The best part: The fingerprinting was done in the Crime Scene Investigation unit. I looked for an Agent Grissom, or better yet, Stokes, but I forgot they only work nights.

(I'll let you know when they tell me who killed Kennedy. I'll have to kill you afterward, of course. I assume, that part wasn't actually in my training.)

Day 38: Sleeping sweetly

The majority of the time, I'm pretty happy with myself. I have my role models and the people I want to emulate, but I don't want to be anyone else.

With, perhaps, the exception of Audrey Hepburn. Specifically, Holly Golightly. I want to go into Tiffany's and ask for a silver telephone dial. I want to steal a mask from a five and dime. I even kind of want a cat named cat and a cranky, politically incorrect landlord.

But for now, I will settle for this Holly-esque sleep mask I snatched up on sale at Bath and Body Works. Tonight I slept in a sleep mask for the first time. I woke up at about 4:30 and it had slipped off, but it was nice for awhile. And it truly may be the "the sweetest, softest sleep mask on earth," as advertised.
A little creepy, yeah, but I like it.

Day 37: Go to hell, Duke! Seriously, just go.

I watched a Carolina v. Duke game, while not in North Carolina. My first UNC/Duke game in two years. I think I jinxed it.

That's all there is to say. Except there's absolutely nothing else I'd rather be than a Tar Heel. Just in case there was any doubt.

Day 36: We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe

My new job requires me to commute to work every day via metro. I don't mind the metro. I get to chill for about a half hour with my iPod, Gemma, and the free morning newspaper. Sure there are approximately 1.3 bajillion people in my personal bubble every day, but oh well, that's what I get for loving city life. Today, however, on the last leg of my morning commute, I had the entire metro car to myself. It was only for about three stops, I think, as I didn't realize it until I was almost at mine. It was not as horror movie as it sounded as the one ahead of me had people, and we were above ground and in the sun. My only regret is that I didn't burst into song, like "Santa Fe" from Rent. Something to consider for next time.

Day 35: "Make the most out of life over 50."

These posts are getting too long so I'll keep this one quick and to the point. I turned 24 last month. I started my first real real job today. (Which went very well, I think I will like it.) And today, I got an offer to become a member of the AARP.

I guess I really am an adult.

That sound you hear, by the way, is the maniacal laughter of my parents.

That other sound, is me rushing out to see if I can get a discount at the movies.

Day 34: For the ones that stayed on the field

I do believe tonite's Super Bowl game has made me a football fan for life.

Which one team I shall support for life, is still not clear. All I know is I don't like teams that cheat. (Sorry NE.) Teams that win all the time. (NE, or any other team that will always win.) Teams with really ugly colors. (Sorry Cleveland.) Or teams with stupid mascots. (Again, sorry Cleveland. And Buffalo.)

But tonite I ordered pizza, which I've never done on the busiest pizza day of the year. And pulled against the Patriots, which I've never done in a Super Bowl. I also preferred to pluck my eyebrows instead of watching the last two minutes. It was stressful and I'm a girl! Another new thing!

This is my temporarily doctored sweatshirt. It's still one of the best Secret Santa gifts I ever got, so no disrespect, and it's really soft.

I've watched nearly every Giants game this year, and many over the past three years - so I'm not a Bonnie-come-lately - and it was totally worth probably pissing off my neighbors by jumping up and down and accidentally crashing onto the floor a little bit.

(Just for pathetic fun, my SB experience from last year. I may have been alone again this year, but at least I was in America, and at least I had a thousand phone calls to Mom to tide me over.)

Day 33: The search for truthiness

Before I get to today's new thing, I feel it necessary to establish my allegiance. Put my beliefs right out there.

November 2007

There it is. I love Jon Stewart, and I shall always love him. Yes, I had to discard my five part plan to marry him for various ethical reasons, but I still find him incredibly funny and talented.

But, that's not the point. He didn't traipse around D.C. lugging around a portrait of himself, asking various galleries to hang it in their hallowed halls.

But his running mate, Stephen Colbert did, and today Karey and I went in search of Colbert.

And we found him, in the hallway between the bathrooms, outside the hall of the presidents in the National Portrait Gallery.
He's certainly no Jefferson, but it will do.

(Click the pic and you'll see my eyes aren't really that wonky. I'm just having picture re-sizing issues.)

Day 32: Before this river becomes an ocean

When I say I don't dance, I really don't dance. Yeah, there was that time in London with the wine, but it was a foreign country, it doesn't count. And other than one time in my sophomore dorm room to Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl," I've never really been a dance alone in my room type person.

But then I watched the charming "Eli Stone," last night, and after having George Michael's "Faith" stuck in my head all day, I knew what my new thing for today should be.

I turned the volume up on my speakers, and blasted "Faith," while dancing around my room, not caring that I have no rhythm or that the squeaky floor probably was annoying my neighbors.
After three minutes and thirteen seconds of solid dancing, I was exhausted. But happy. Now everyone watch this show. It is different and funny and I saw Jonny Lee Miller in a play a few years ago and he is amazing. And really cute.