Life Lately

I know, I suck. But in my defense I had a crazy deadline last week that had me taking my computer home every night and working over the weekend. But it was all worth it because the client loved the work and had minimal changes. Which never happens. Ever.

So get ready for a whole bunch of "Ooh, I should blog about this!" stuff from the past two weeks.

March Madness
It's that time again! And even though my Heels have been up and down this year, lately they've been more up than down. This was the ladies and I watching the State rematch at B's.

Best. Trial. Ever.
I've become completely obsessed with the Jodi Arias trial. It's just riveting and disturbing and amazing. I can't wait for it to become a Lifetime movie. She's just so clearly guilty and crazy. And, also, a guilty crazy liar! She's changed her story so many times on the stand, in ways I thought only happened on courtroom TV shows. If she isn't convicted, I will go to Arizona and protest outside the courtroom.

Wedding Fever, part 1
Karey and I are just in love with "Parks and Recreation" and the main characters Leslie and Ben. When they got engaged earlier this season I said we were going to throw a party for their wedding. Well, the wedding was a lot sooner than I expected, so no party, but we did have Funfetti cake and ice cream. If you don't celebrate the wedding of two fictional characters with a bestie/roomie, I feel sorry for you.

Jennifer Lawrence is perfection
I'll join the throng of ladies who want to be her best friend. I have 3 best friends already, but I would really love her for a fourth. I think she'd work really well in our group.

"The Book of Mormon" better be good.
The play is coming to the Kennedy Center next year and I was in charge of getting tickets for me and two friends during their member presale. (I got a membership for my birthday, thanks parents!) A full 24 hours after they went on sale, after hours and hours of refreshing the site, and having the entire site crash, I finally procured three tickets for August. Whew.

Wedding Fever, part 2
On our first group trip to David's we settled on a bridesmaid dress. I don't know the rules about revealing wedding details on someone else's wedding, so I won't say which one, just that it's in one of the pictures and we love it.

Audrey, re-incarnated
The sons of my idol, Audrey Hepburn, authorized a digitized Audrey for use in a British chocolate company commercial. I must say, I don't hate it. I actually kind of love it. It makes me wish I could have been alive, even just for a day, when she was at her peak in the 50s or 60s, so I could see her do things new.

Forgetful Fran
I felt the need to name the forgetful side of me. Because when she shows up, she does it epically. Like the day last week I didn't have my wallet. The day that also happened to be "deadline" day. The day that also happened to be when I forgot my lunch. Oh, and also the day where I had no money on my metro card to get home. Thankfully, I have ample people in my life at work I knew I could lean on. One officemate gave me a $20 without hesitation, and another bought me a drink and dinner when I wanted to celebrate my deadline. (I gave him $20 the next day.) So Forgetful Fran became Grateful Gail.

Good and Bad Showers
This weekend I'm very excited to go home to North Carolina for the wedding shower I'm co-hosting with my sister for our future sister-in-law. I'm not excited, however, for the snowstorm (not really a shower) we'll be getting tonite. In fact, I'm quite pissed about it. Please send me all your good travel vibes, if you will.

The End
Hopefully only for a day. 

Things I Learned This Weekend

Nordstrom has very pretty dresses. 
Friday night was our first attempt at finding bridesmaid dresses for B's wedding. Since we'll be wearing black, we're trying out a few national chains in addition to the standard wedding sources. We haven't found "the one" yet, but it was fun to try pretty dresses on. 

It never gets easier to watch your team lose.
Oh, Carolina basketball. I'll love y'all forever, but you're kind of killing me.

Never let your freakishly strong friend handle the wine stopper.
I have the cutest/tackiest wine stopper with a woman's legs coming out of the stopper. Brandie, who you'll recall is an arm wrestling beast, was trying to get it out and ripped her poor legs right off! 

Playing Wii games with friends is a good antidote to bad basketball.
This was our second Wii Game Night and it was another success. I finally got a second remote and we played Wii Sports. And laughed a lot.

We're a little too good at punching.
The boxing game is awesome for pent up aggression. Which we had a lot of apparently.

Tennis is really really hard.
For me. B and K did great. We may have to credit B's commitment to the game, as she's seen here pretending to bounce the tennis ball, just like the pros.

Rameses makes a good bowling partner.
At least according to Brandie.

Vindication can be found in Wii bowling. 
For years, my family's made fun of the way I leap a little when I Wii bowl. My friends were making fun of me too, until I had 2 strikes and about 6 spares, all because of the leap. How do I know it was the leap? Because as soon as K and B tried the leap, they too, scored higher. It's all in the leap, people! 

 
I can quote the vast majority of "Clueless." 
And not just sporadically. 

Justin Bieber needs to stay away from my "Saturday Night Live."
I've seen every episode of SNL since 1997. Even the ones where Eminem was the musical guest. So I feel confident in saying that Bieber seriously needs to leave my show alone. 

Every Sunday should start with "Sabrina" on the big screen. 
My friend Sasha alerted me to the fact that a D.C. theatre was showing Audrey's "Sabrina." I, of course, leapt at the chance to see it and to introduce Sasha to another Audrey film—it's only her second one! (Her first being BAT outside a few summers ago.)

I could listen to "The Weight" on repeat forever. 
I found myself really enjoying the Grammy's this year, no part more so than the collaborative tribute to The Band's "The Weight." I seriously love that song

Things I Learned This Weekend

Even a Friday can't help me enjoy snow.
My love/hate affair with snow has been well-documented on this blog. And even though it's been three years since Snowmageddon I and II, I'm still not quite over my hatred of the white stuff. Even when all I have to do in it is make it to the metro, then the mall for a haircut, then back on the metro over the Potomac, then a bus home. Actually, yeah, even that stuff is annoying when there's white and wet stuff everywhere.

There is such a thing as a good haircut.
Another topic I've exhausted on this blog: my hair. But I think I finally found a good hairdresser up here, and it only took me five and a half years. She cleaned up my tragic split ends and then gave me some good face-framing layers. Pieces are still a bit scary short and don't quite stay up in my ponytail, but it's actually a good haircut, which really makes all the difference.

There's nothing like a bunch of pro-life high-schoolers to ruin the taste of Taco Bell.
One of the main reasons I'm able to handle the tourist madness that is Pentagon City Mall is because of the Taco Bell in the food court. On this particular visit there was a large group of Catholic high schoolers in town for the pro-life march held earlier in the day. One boy was quoting Revelations and there was a Father trying to round everyone up for the buses. As I fought the urge to instigate, they got up, leaving some of their trash beyond. Would it have been wrong of me to stand up and tell them what to do with their trash, since I so despise them telling women what to do with their bodies? Or would it have been a public service to remind them to work harder to protect this planet they're trying so hard to populate.

Taking down Christmas decorations makes a room seem very empty/clean.
Finally took down my decorations on Saturday, a week earlier than the end of January but I had the time and got to it. At first the room just felt very empty, now it just feels right.

There's nothing quite like watching a Carolina game with a room full of Tar Heels.
The ladies and I went to this year's new Carolina bar to watch the Carolina v. State game. There was lots of room, drink and food specials, and lots of fellow Tar Heel alums cheering on our (less than stellar) Heels.

Buffalo Billiards has an interesting interpretation of "side order of fries" .
Karey said side order of fries, and she got fries on the side of her chicken fingers. I said side order of fries, and got this massive basket for $6.99 that we ate off of all night, and still never saw the bottom.

If your team can't look good, at least you and your friends can look good.
Not that we looked good, that would be cocky. But compared to the team, we looked like super models. Except for my demon red eyes, which I can't get rid of.

The best way to mourn a bad basketball loss is with Krispy Kreme.
Carolina girls can't turn down the "hot now" sign. Thankfully, Krispy Kreme is always a win.

The coolest bumper sticker ever is in NW DC.
Doctor Who for the win!

Ikea thread is not very good.
Among other sewing problems I had on Sunday, the thread I bought from Ikea kept breaking. Apparently the Swedes don't sew as fast as I do? Or they buy their thread somewhere else, too.

The "Shawshank Redemption" is amazing.
This was the first time I saw this movie and oh my word was it amazing. Now I know why it was one of my Poppy's favorites.

Too much foreshadowing can ruin the moment.
This is in reference to this week's devastating "Downton Abbey" which didn't make me cry once. And I cry at everything. I'm going to blame it on all the dramatic moments that preceded it which made it not a shock to me. But I'm still a bit worried I'm broken.

An Open Letter to the Pretty Little Liars

I realize that I'm 29 and possibly shouldn't be watching a show about teenagers. I also realize, as the roommate once pointed out, that the show isn't exactly meant to be realistic. However, as I've become quite emotionally invested in/obsessed with this show, I can't just sit idly by while these characters make such poor decisions. So, attention Emily, Hanna, Aria, and Spencer:

1. Stop going to scary places at night. Especially the woods. Seriously, have you never seen a horror movie? Nothing good is ever going to happen to four teenage girls alone in the woods.
2. But, if you insist on finding yourselves in scary places in the dark, keep a flashlight on your person at all times. Maybe even spring for one of those high-powered spotlights. Also, consider looking into some weaponry, or at the very least, a self defense class. I think all of us would feel better if you would just learn to break someone's trachea.
3. Stop keeping secrets from each other! Every episode you learn some shocking new thing and keep it from each other, even though at least one other person is also being tormented by it. Gosh, the fact that I even have to explain that to you, it's no wonder you're being stalked.
4. Anytime you go into a room, close all blinds and curtains. Get multiple locks for every door in your home and get a house alarm. A good one.
5. Find someone smart and have them create some sort of attachable mirror, like on a car, that you can wear so you always know when someone is behind you.
6. If something bad happens, it's 99% likely it's A. So stop, especially you Aria, with the confused, doe-eyed "who would want to hurt little ole us" schtick.
7. Consider just leaving Rosewood. Seriously. For 4 17ish year olds, y'all have seen, done, and know entirely too much. It's veering into "One Tree Hill" territory in terms of how much bad stuff can happen in one small town. (And I swear, if you make the most evil character need a heart transplant and then have a dog steal the heart out of a cooler in the hospital, I will stop watching.)
8. Figure out a way to make Toby be not bad, not A, and not a terrible jerk who is ruining all men for Spencer in the future.

Thank you for your time. I will now go back to doing adult things like paying bills, emptying the dishwasher, and wearing below-the-knee skirts.*


*Haha, fooled you. That's not happening now/ever.

Some Potpourri. (With neither fleeting expletives nor momentary nudity.)

It's been another stressful week with not a lot of energy to expend outside of work. So here is a mixed bag of the week's thoughts, going-ons, mishaps, etc.

• I've found the secret to not using one's credit card: Accidentally cut up a non-expired one when you meant to cut up an expired one.

• If being 28 and painting polka dots on my fingernails is wrong, I don't want to be right.

• Wearing yoga shorts under my skirts while commuting has completely changed my life. I no longer have to fight to keep my skirt from flying up every time I walk on an escalator, pass a moving metro train, walk on a windy day, pass a bus, etc.

• It's nice when a stranger or a friend tells you that you look good. But it's really, really nice when your doctor, who's treating you for anxiety and other things, tells you that you look good. (One day I'll write about my anxiety issues and how I'm dealing with them, I'm just not quite there yet.)

• I still really, really don't like baseball. At all. But I do love good seats, good friends, good food, and good giant-headed mascots. Which is why I attended my second game of the season this year, Nats. vs. Rays.

• In a Supreme Court decision today, they ruled that the FCC can't fine ABC and Fox for "fleeting expletives and momentary nudity." This is now my new favorite phrase. In the history of the world.
• I really do love Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show." I've been watching for 10 years but I got out of the habit for a few months. But now I'm back watching again and I just love it. That's all.

Good advice

A post on my obsession with "Parks and Recreation" will be forthcoming. But, for now, I leave you with this.

"Protect your friends. You only have one hometown. If you think you’ve had a bad date, remember, it can always get worse. And it’s okay to eat breakfast for dinner."

-Amy Poehler, after she was asked what she has learned from Leslie Knope

Just having a good time

Josh: This magical land in your head where everything just happens because you want it to, is it fun there?

Brent: I'm having a good time.

-Fabulous Beekman Boys

First of all, if you aren't watching "The Fabulous Beekman Boys" on Planet Green, you should start immediately. My family got me watching this show last year and I am obsessed. I just read both of Josh's memoirs and ordered my second batch of soap from their website. And speaking of their website, their recipes and how tos have me craving heirloom tomatoes. I have no idea where one finds heirloom tomatoes or why they are any different from my Giant tomatoes, but I need some desperately. My favorite of the boys is Brent. He's from North Carolina and is a bit of an OCD perfectionist. He reminds me of someone I know.

The above quote is from this week's episode. It made me laugh because I live in my head a lot. And for the most part it's not a big deal. It's well-organized and warm. Everything is Carolina blue and shiny. I never lose things and there's always a show on I want to watch.

But last week I made a mistake at work that was at least 50% my fault and it caused a bit of a freak out on my end. (Seriously, who is the OCD perfectionist I am thinking of?) I'm slowly learning that certain things that make perfect sense inside my head, quite frequently, are completely nonsensical once outside my head.

I beat myself up over this and decided I should just start voicing out loud any of my thoughts that might be crazy, just to get a second opinion. But a friend and I agreed that might not be the safest option.

So instead, I'm just going deal with it. And I'm going to stay inside my whacky head. Maybe just ease up on the perfectionism a bit. Because I'm having a good time.

"First you believe in Santa, then the Tooth Fairy, then you grow up and invent the trickle down theory." (Murphy Brown)

I am home. After a train ride that was significantly shorter and less eventful than last year's.

View from train this year:

View from train last year:

We did have three inches of snow on Thursday, but nowhere near last year's blizzard and subsequent 8-hour train journey home. But just in case something did happen I planned ahead for entertainment purposes. The best way to pass the ride is with TV shows on DVD so I treated myself to the first season of "Murphy Brown."

I loved this show when it first aired and still remember a lot of the episodes and details, despite how young I was. It means so much more to me now, for many reasons, starting with the fact that it is set in D.C. I very rarely consider myself a Washingtonian, mainly due to being constantly lost and craving biscuits. But watching a movie or TV show set in the city and noting all the truths or fallacies definitely makes me feel like one.

That's not what I love about it the most, though. It's the funny and distinct characters. It's the intelligent, topical, and controversial story lines. It's Murphy. It's really Murphy. A strong, independent, passionate, stubborn, intelligent, funny, and flawed woman. A fierce journalist devoted to her career and to fighting for what she believes in. A single woman surrounded by a good group of friends. A prep with a serious collection of blazers, scarves, brooches, and menswear items. A comedienne with some great lines:

"Maybe running my own country is unrealistic. So I’ve set new goals. Like, live through this day. Keep a plant for more than two weeks. Get a date on Saturday night."

As I get older and my passions and opinions become more ingrained as personality instead of just passing fancies, I begin to realize the influence certain pop culture icons have played on me as a woman. After hours spent in the newsroom with Mary Richards and Murphy Brown, it's no wonder I still can't quite cross "journalist" off my list of career options. Of course, thanks to Auntie Mame I also can't quite cross off "rich surrogate aunt," so I can't let pop culture influence me too much. But I will continue to channel Murphy and Mary, Liz Lemon and Leslie Knope, until I figure out exactly the kind of woman I am.

And if they would release the rest of the series on DVD, not just the first season, that would help too.

Murphy: It was going so well. I was going to put guys to jail. That's my favorite thing.

Frank: Don't take it so hard, Murph. The Republicans are still in office. There'll be other chances.

Peter's home!

I recently saw a new Folger's coffee Christmas commercial entitled "Coming Home." (I won't link to it here but it's on YouTube.) It's a (far inferior and fairly creepy) re-take of the popular 1980's Folger's commercial where Peter comes home for Christmas.



As far back as my memory goes, so goes this commercial. As a kid it wasn't Christmas until the commercial aired. I just loved it and would feel instant peace and joy the second it came on. I was probably the same age as the little girl when it first started airing and loved the idea of being on a secret mission with an older brother. Loved the sound of the grounds being scooped and the fresh-brewed goodness hitting the pot. Loved the way I could smell the aroma and feel the warmth through the television. Loved the excitement on his family's face.

But let's not forget Peter. Because, yes, I definitely had a crush on Peter. Tall, dark, handsome, and clearly preppy. I had a type even at five.

I don't know, maybe part of me knew, even then, that some day I'd be like Peter, coming home for Christmas every year.

Though without the sneaking in or coffee. Because it's kind of hard to sneak in when you don't drive and kind of hard to make coffee when you don't like it nor even know how to make it. But that's far less catchy of a commercial.

A Fancy Tradition

At the end of last week's Very Special Episode of Glee, Kurt went to church wearing this fabulous hat:

In between my Simon and Garfunkel tears, I couldn't help but admire his fancy church-lady hat. When I was little, and then slightly older, and then still older, I used to love to try on the fancy hats at JCPenney.  

Tucked away with the wallets and purses, the hats hung on a wall of soft-covered hooks, a rainbow of felt and lace. My eyes and my hands gravitated toward the red, hot pink, or purple chapeaus with flowers, beading, or rhinestones.

I love that in certain circles--particularly the African-American Community--there existed, and still exists, a tradition of wearing a hat to church. Selecting the perfect match for one's dress, shoes, and bag. 

Jeans and a sweater are enough for me 90% of the time, but one day I shall have a fancy hat and a place to wear it.

Images: My screen capture and TheMarginalized.

Madly, madly, madly

Welcome to my 600th post! In honor of this milestone, and after four years of the same old stuff, I think it's time to bring in my altar ego, straight out of a 60s ad agency. (Courtesy of AMC's Mad Men Yourself.)


I was going to give myself a sixties name, but when I found a name generator online, it told me my name was Lois Darlene. Um, no. I'll stick with Bonnie. I've grown rather attached to it and I think it's a bit vintage anyway.

I've been watching Mad Men since the beginning and simply cannot get enough. It has turned me from someone who used to just watch an episode and be done with it, to someone who now must watch the show, read commentary online, discuss with my mom, and then ponder all of its meanings until the next episode, when the cycle starts again.


Quite simply: it's the smartest show on television. The characters have amazing depth with multiple layers to each action and word. But yet, the events of the time period and the popular culture, things completely out of their control, shape the lives of the characters more so than any action or word. But even when the audience knows what's coming, a political front or social dilemma, we still have no idea what is really coming, and how it's going to affect the characters we love.

I just want everyone in the world to watch it so I can talk about it even more. Though for now I'll be happy with Project Rungay commentary and Mad Men Unbuttoned. Seriously, these are daily, or even hourly, fixes that make me so happy. And the latter is now a book, which I read in about a day and half last week. Love. It. (And not just because I happened to win another book from them because I had pre-ordered theirs. They sent me Meditations in an Emergency by Frank O'Hara, which featured in an earlier MM episode.)

And in case I needed any more proof that this is the perfect show for me, four of the characters are now Barbie dolls. Like you need anymore proof that this a profoundly influential and wonderful show? I didn't think so.

She keeps Moet et Chandon in a pretty cabinet

Sunday night was supposed to be a night of serious blogging: Finish at least three posts in drafts and think of ideas for new ones. But instead my computer freaked out, as it often does, and Sunday and Monday was spent trying to figure out why it wouldn't connect to the Internet, why there was no sound, and why the classic restart option -- attempted no less than 10 times -- failed to work.

Thanks to my supreme Google-fu and an alarming amount of fellow 'net denizens with the same problem, the solution was found, implemented, and Francisco is back in service. (Until the next time he decides to act out like the surly toddler he is.) Of course now, at this point, there is no energy or brainpower left to intelligently blog so I resort to the writer's crutch: bullet points.

• Since writing about Anne Shirley, one of her blossoms has died. Hoping that's just the lifespan of an amaryllis and not a statement on my sickly green thumb.
• Last weekend, I tried on more than 30 items of clothing, and bought none. This weekend, a trip to Georgetown and trying on about 10 outfits, ended empty-handed. Sunday's trip to Target only set me back $14. What has happened to my shopping-fu?!
• Sunday the roommate and I went to brunch with/exclusively for bottomless mimosas. So many years wasted because of a disdain for orange juice; if only I had realized my glass was just missing the champagne.
• It's season finale time. "30 Rock" was amazing and the summer is going to be long and dry without it. "How I Met Your Mother" is pissing me off and it better stop being lame. Or else I'll still keep watching it but not happily.
• The oil spill in the Gulf is breaking my heart. I think every person that ever uttered or even thought the words "drill, baby, drill" should have to personally clean off a bird or sop up some of the mess from those wetlands.

Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can't lose.

After years of hearing from a variety of people -- in real life, on tv, and on blogs -- I finally caved last week and started watching "Friday Night Lights." And, just like they all said, I am obsessed! To the point that I watched all three seasons on Netflix instant play in entirely too short of an amount of time. This is why I resist watching shows that have already been out for awhile. I get addicted and can't stop until I watch them all and know everything about them. (See: Doctor Who, One Tree Hill, General Hospital, etc.)

This might be one of the most realistic shows I've ever seen. I feel like I could walk into any small town in America -- including my own hometown -- and find people just like this with issues like theirs. The good, the bad, and the over-the-top. And it's about so much more than just football. The characters are dynamically written and acted, their interactions and experiences honest and poignant. I find myself tearing up at every episode, which might not normally say much since I cry at everything, but it really is that good and moving.

(Though I must say I'm not sure there's any way normal teenagers could have as much sex and drink as much alcohol as they do and still have time for football. Not to mention have no pregnancies or drunken driving incidents. Though I guess there have been a fair number of arrests. But there aren't always consequences for bad choices in real life, so they're still keeping it real.)

It is also very witty and delivers some great lines, usually said in the driest manner possible, my favorite kind of humor. Current favorites:

Matt: I can't just quit the team.

Shelby: What would they do? Shoot you?
Matt: Probably. We do live in Texas.

Coach Taylor: Contrary to popular opinion I'm very good at communicating with womenfolk.
Tami Taylor: Sweetheart, that's just ridiculous.

Grandma Saracen: Is that my tiara?
Landry: That will be beautiful when you zip over to Rite-Aid.

Bottom line: Everyone should watch this show.

You're bound to lose control when the rubber band starts to jam

Joey and I used to love watching "Mr. Wizard's World" on Nickelodeon. Neither of us are big science people but I would say we are both curious about the way things work. And occasionally we would do some of the experiments ourselves. Like putting milk in a pan and adding food coloring to watch the designs it forms. (The only thing milk is good for, in my opinion.)

It's not an experiment and it's fairly mundane compared to most everything else on the show, but I'm fairly sure that Mr. Wizard is also where we got the idea for rubber band messages. We'd stretch out a rubber band on a ruler, write a message on it, and then when it was un-stretched we'd have a rubber band with tiny words on it. I'll still occasionally find myself doing this if I have a thick rubber band and some time; it amuses me. But even more amusing was one I found today that said:

"Have a good day! Hello! Joey! This is a rubber-band note!"

It's hardly Pulitzer-worthy writing, I'm aware. Not to mention the excessive exclamation points and unnecessary hyphenation. (Proof it is from me, however.) Now, I don't know for sure that this was written when we were kids, but it sure wasn't done any time recently. But the fact that it's with me after 14 moves and a good number of years, is quite a feat. It shows the enduring nature of the rubber band message.

Yes, I wish my message had of been a bit more exciting or prophetic, but the message endures nonetheless. And just think of the possibilities! Marriage proposals, dinner invites, apologies, advertisements, political platforms, revelations, innovations! The rubber band message knows no bounds. You truly were a man ahead of your time, Mr. Wizard.

Q&A

Stepping onto my soapbox for just a moment. I made the decision when I started this blog to try and leave my thoughts on anything that came up in politics and the news out of it. I’m not sure why, since it is my blog and that is a huge part of who I am, but I did. But I just have to say that if you get the chance, everyone needs to watch CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 at least once over the course of the next week. He and a team at CNN are in Africa covering two of the biggest humanitarian crises happening right now, in Darfur and the Congo. No other news channel is doing what they are doing and everyone needs to tune in, even though it’s upsetting, and hear the stories they have to tell. From Anderson’s blog:

“So many people in the Congo and Sudan have already lost their lives; so many more lives hang in the balance. There are few things worse than dying in silence, too many already have.”

So if you get the chance, it’s on from 10 – 12 p.m., re-runs at 1 a.m., I think it will be worth your while. Ok, off my soapbox. For now.

Now, responding to the questions I got a few weeks ago.

Q: How are your flatmates? -Brandie
My flatmates are really nice. They are all Italian, two girls and then one guy. The two girls went to school together in Italy, and at least one is from Sardinia. The guy is from Milan. They didn’t know each other until moving here, but eat dinner together every night, which I think is cute. And they are amazing cooks! Especially one of the girls, the smells are wonderful. When we first met the guy and he asked us where we were from, as soon as I said North Carolina he smiled really big and said, “Oh, Michael Jordan!” I thought it was cute. And something that I find really funny, and reminds me of home, is the fact that he’s always on me to put socks on. I’ve had a bad cough the past two weeks, and he always points at my bare feet and shakes his head. It’s hilarious because my entire life Daddy would never let me and Melissa and Joey walk around without socks on inside, and shoes on outside. I’m convinced now that it’s an Italian thing.

Q: Have we had any royal sightings? -Amee
No, as of yet, which is unfortunate. But supposedly a guy at work saw both princes at the Burger King near our work on a Saturday. Apparently all the girls were going crazy, which I mean, how often do you see two princes in a Burger King? Almost never! I would probably just die on the spot.

Q: How’s the weather been? Have you been watching much TV? -Jill
The weather here has been really nice, up until this week. I was expecting it to be already cold when I got here, so to have it in the 70s every day was surprising and nice. Unfortunately, I brought pretty much no summery clothes and one skirt, so I’ve been re-wearing a lot of the same stuff, but it’s worth it to have pleasant weather. It has also rained very little, which has been nice simply because I walk so much, especially to and from work. But it’s beginning to get cooler, getting darker earlier, so I feel like fall/winter is right around the corner. This week it hasn't made it to the 70s, and there's been more rain. I'm hoping we get just a few more warmer days before the cold sets in for good. I’m currently hunting for a good winter jacket, and praying I can make it through the winter.

I haven't been able to watch TV because the one in our flat isn’t hooked up to get BBC, and the satellite channels are all in Italian. Except for the MTV, which is MTV-Austria, so everything is either in German, or in English with German sub-titles. So I’ve seen one episode of “My Super Sweet 16” with the German sub-titles, way too many dating-show episodes, and one documentary on Tupac that was dubbed in German so I pretty much only understood the occasional rapper’s name. “German german german Ice-T.” Our landlord is in the process of fixing it, so he says, I will be reminding him yet again because it would be nice to unwind after work with some good or trashy British TV.

Q: Have you met any blokes? Are the people there as rude to receptionists as they are here? – Angela
I haven’t really met any guys here, which is to be expected because I never do. But I’m really just interested in meeting different people and making friends, finding someone to share my glasses with will have to wait for now. ;-)

It’s hard to say really if people are nicer to receptionists simply because when they call me all I have to do is transfer them to someone else, I don’t have to tell them that I really don’t care if they don’t have hot water, that I don’t know when their door is going to get fixed, or that of course they’re going to have spiders, they live in the woods. Though the day our phone system was down and I couldn’t transfer anyone, one guy did get rather impatient and rude. When he called back for the third time, and I told him that our phones were still down, he snapped, “That’s what you keep saying!,” which made me flashback to angry tenants who didn’t believe that maintenance was on their way. But at least it’s all done with a British accent, so that softens the blow a bit.