She Was an American Girl

wgw!!

2011-05-26T20:08:00.003-04:00

today as i am driving home from work, turning at a stop light, i pass a guy driving a lime green bug.

what happened next is enough to make you want to boot it. i'm not kidding.

the driver of this bug, who is wearing a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, and a bandana in his hair flexes his muscle at me and kisses his arm. i almost wrecked into him. and NOT because i was impressed. yuck. totally grossed out.

maybe my haphazard ponytail and look of exhaustion from being on the go all day really struck a chord with him, and he just couldn't control himself. on the other hand maybe this is just some sort of gimmick to overcompensate for the fact that he drives a florescent car with a built in flower vase. i don't know.

i'm loud & i go after what i want. please steal my boyfriend.

2011-05-25T20:28:00.008-04:00

... or not.

but i mean truly, i don't have a boyfriend. so you couldn't steal him even if you wanted to. & let me just say if said boyfriend did exist and you even thought about it - i just would like to warn you that... 1. i spend a lot of time at the gym & 2. i believe in revenge.

so anyways, i went to see "something borrowed" (based on the book by the same name) last weekend. truly a very funny movie. (john krasinski i still love you) but come on... from now on, let's just refer to this movie as "something stolen."

let me give you a little background story here. we have a shy friend and an outgoing friend. shy friend falls in love with a guy, but doesn't have the guts to admit it, even though the guy is clearly into her. she denies it to everyone, never admits it to her friend, and never admits it to the guy even when he comes RUNNING after her, practically begging her to stay and date him. instead she fixes the guy up with her outgoing friend.

flash ahead 5 years. outgoing friend and guy are getting married. & all of a sudden.. shy girl thinks "wait. i want him for my own." TOO BAD SUCKA! should have voiced your opinion years ago. YEARS AGO. not when your friend is about to marry the guy. there is no reason EVER to steal your friend's fiance. nope. none. too little. too freaking late.

but what's that you ask? what about all the reasons that the author stuck in to try to get you to feel like the shy girl is doing the right thing?

1. outgoing friend is self centered: yeah. i like myself too. doesn't mean i want you to take my husband.

2. outgoing friend likes to party: nope. not a good enough reason.

3. shy girl liked him first: wow. you had 5 years to say something. go find someone else.

4. outgoing girl and guy are not really in love: guess what. i don't care. wait for them to realize this & break up. THEN he is fair game.

5. outgoing girl is cheating on guy: yes. this is not so great.. but two wrongs don't make a right. bedding a guy your friend is engaged to is never okay.
WAIT. hold up. what? oh... okay... well, you love him and he loves you? okay... yeah... i guess... NOOOOOOOOO. still not okay.

listen hollywood. i will never relate to any girl who steals her friend's man. if you wanted to make this a revenge movie. you should have made the outgoing friend REALLY awful. you should have made her steal the guy away in the beginning. she really didn't. she wasn't the worlds best person. but she had good intentions.

when i got home from this movie, i went straight to my bookshelf. took off another book by the same author that was in my queue to be read. upon seeing that it was another story about cheating, i threw it out. mark that down people. this is the one time you will ever hear about ME, reading teacher & library lover throwing away a book.

however, word from my bookshelf is a resounding GOOD RIDDANCE. miss dorothy parker and mr. kurt vonnegut were happy to see her go. pretty sure they thought she was a hoochie.

flip it. flip it.

2011-05-08T19:14:00.004-04:00

when you have to make a hard decision, flip a coin.

try it. i mean you don't have to listen to the answer, but...

i bet as soon as that coin goes in the air, you automatically know which side you want it to land on. no more being confused.

thea had the brilliant plan to use a magic 8 ball this weekend. & honestly... have those things ever answered you in the way that you wanted? no. & then it's wrong a lot too. thea asked it if i was in the shower and it told her NO.. but people, i was actually in the SHOWER! in case you ever had any doubt in your mind, you do NOT have listen to the Magic 8 Ball and it's unreliable advice. if you feel like it, do the opposite of what it says and then laugh in it's face.

if you are indecisive like me, magic 8 balls and coins can be very useful in helping you realize what you actually want to do, especially when making important, life changing decisions. and unlike asking friends what to do - you can cuss out the little buggers if they tell you what you don't want to hear.... and then just turn around and do whatever it is you wanted to do, or were planning to do in the first place.

dear thea... with love from jess.

2011-05-08T18:16:00.004-04:00

when my bff thea & i were in college, she would drive me around a LOT. a lot a lot. anyone who knows me knows that i like to be in charge of the radio in the car. music snob. maybs.

so we had to set some ground rules. we each got to pick two artists that the other was never... under any circumstances.. allowed to listen to in the presence of the other. me being me, i chose two artists that thea loved - pink floyd and led zeppelin. just to be annoying.

for me, thea chose.... jessica simpson & edwin mccain. i acted like i was upset, but in all honesty.. anyone who knows me knows she could have picked better options. i could probably go the rest of my life and not listen to either of these people sing again.

today i was bored and i posted jessica simpson videos on thea's facebook wall. sometimes i just crack myself up...& this was the highlight of my day people! now i just have to wait for her to see them....

bow chicka bow wow.

2011-04-27T18:49:00.010-04:00

well. i've suddenly found myself with some extra time on my hands when marathon-training ashley turned into stress fracture ashley.

suddenly down to 75% usage of my limbs, and unable to run.. i decided to take up swimming. swim cap. athletic suit, and all. in typical ashley fashion as of yesterday i am down to 50% usage of my limbs thanks to the 10 stitches in my shoulder. now i can't even swim.

okay. also in typical ashley fashion i may be exaggerating about the number of stitches. i don't even know how many i actually have. not a clue. i didn't ask. i do know that i have inner and outer stitches. so i mean, what difference does it make really? i still can't swim. i can't run. i've picked up a habit of two red bulls a day. i am falling apart here people, is what i am trying to say.

so instead of cleaning or doing something productive i am sitting here, thinking about doing something productive. like making up new recipes. for instance, yesterday i made mini mexican pizzas. i take individual tortilla chips, top them with a mixture of black beans & salsa, chicken, corn, and cheese. the more i type here, the more i realize that roughly two people will even read this... so... CHELS, EM... you need to make these. holy cow. to quote brodie bruce - "damn are they exquisite." in fact, the "bow chicka bow wow" title of the blog i have going on here, is based solely on how good these babies are. maybe i could write my own cookbook in my spare time.

okay. i am going to continue sitting on my porch and listen to music, and not clean the bathroom. and if anyone asks, i'm simply going to say that my arm hurts too badly to clean anything.

victories.

2011-01-23T21:49:00.002-05:00

i get that everyone is super excited for the big Steelers win.

personally i am more excited that i went to a Duquesne basketball game, and THEY won. yes. pretty much made my whole weekend.

treadmills & chuck p.

2011-01-08T14:27:00.003-05:00

yesterday at the gym. 4 miles. 40 minutes. a new record for me. though honestly, my running friends, i know this isn't so great.

i was in the "zone" i guess you could say. and i wish that would happen more often, because most of the time when i am running, the only thought running through my mind is "when is this going to be over?" i wish i could get to that "happy place" that runners talk about. is this even real? unfortunately the days that i am motivated to run i am usually motivated by anger, frustration, stress - hence, even on my good days i am never running in this (fictious, i'm convinced) bubble of happiness.

i'm not giving up though. each time i go to the gym, i am hoping to enter this endorphin-filled, alternate reality, and/or plane of existence that apparently is out there. possibly today?

just as a backup though.. i am going to watch Fight Club. right now actually. i am going to go out to my living room and force my friends to watch it. & i am pretty sure they will give in. because i have had an overwhelming past few days. & i'm convinced anything Chuck Palahniuk will always take me to a place better than i will ever find while running. plus edward norton is a babe.

training training training

2011-01-08T02:42:00.003-05:00

today at the gym. 4 miles.

me.

tegan & sara.

jenny lewis.

pound that pavement.. er.. treadmill.

my new years resolution.

2011-01-06T02:37:00.005-05:00

jet lag. wide awake at 2:30 in the morning. and i have work tomorrow. the little buggers are unforgiving & there is no way that i can be "tired," because they do not care. add to that fact that they have been off for two weeks, had a sub for three days, and tomorrow is shaping up to be very interesting, very quickly.

i was laying in bed, thinking that i should write a blog. because i had my palm read and was told that i need to. because i enjoy it. because i pretty much only started this to keep in touch with my friends who live far away & THEY blog faithfully, so why shouldn't I? especially when they are the only ones who read this!

George Harrison recorded the song "Something" on his 26th birthday. I know this because I have logged approximately 45 hours of flight time over the past two weeks. this flight time was entirely dedicated to the Beatles. obsessively almost. as I dedicated the first leg of my trip to listening to and reading about "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Beatles Songs", and then just listening to all 200+ songs on the return home, I have a new appreciation for the Beatles. especially George, who was quiet, kind, and had to work harder than the other "chaps" to be successful. he also held the Concert for Bangladesh - to raise money for a country that now has a special place in my heart. & HELLO - "Here Comes the Sun" - does this song make anyone else smile?

so my point is, upon reading that George recorded a song on his 26th birthday I started to question MY life. after all, I am 26 too (GROSS - how did i get so old?). one thing that bothers me is that I am a HUGE procrastinator with a lack of initiative. I have been like this my whole life - but the number one contributor these days is FACEBOOK. so this brings me to my new years resolution which includes a couple of things:

1. successfully train for a half marathon
2. write more often.
3. volunteer
4. do at least one fun or interesting thing a week. a legitimate fun thing. "going out" doesn't count.
5. facebook only once a day
6. actually cross things off of the lists i make.

So my last two resolutions here and here have been successful. here's to a year that makes me a happier, healthier, and more driven person.

xoxo

My New Motto

2010-10-31T20:09:00.002-04:00

I talk, ALOT. So I've learned to just tune myself out. - Kelly Kapoor

Emo Henshaw in the HOUSE!

2010-10-21T20:39:00.007-04:00

For one day, I am out of retirement. I have a very special person in my life turning the big 2-4 today. she has been requesting that i return to my blogging lifestyle. but, let's be honest - i get home from work, go to the gym, and normally pass out in my bed. I can't give this blog my all, because my creative juices are just sucked out of me during the day!

but i would do anything for miss emilee henshaw, and you will see why. She is one of the most amazing people in my life and here are 24 reasons why:

1. She sees the good in everyone.

2. We are very different from each other, but she accepts that, and I'm pretty sure she loves me all the same.

3. She has the heart of a Princess.

4. She has the prettiest eyelashes around.

5. She gives her all to everyone in her life - I don't know how she does it!

6. I admire her physical strength - she runs marathons - she is amazing.

7. She has the ability to forgive everyone when they have wronged her.

8. She is a caring aunt, and kick butt sister.

9. She finds GREAT shopping deals.

10. When I start shedding tears because of fireworks, I know that I can look over at Em, and she'll understand, because she'll be tearing up too.

11. She makes wonderful caramel popcorn.

12. She once met me at the airport with a huge WELCOME sign (& CHELS too)

13. She has a huge heart.

14. We once went to "Fun Stop," and almost died about 20 times - because she made me ride CRAZY rides.

15. She likes to constantly repeat "The WILDEST ride in the wilderness."

16. She was there with me the first time I saw Twilight.

17. Her phone messages can brighten any day.

18. She had the great idea to e-mail each other daily TOP 10's. I'm bad at this, just like I am at blogging. But what a great idea - always having us look at the brightside.

19. Even if Emo is upset at someone, she talks about their great sides.

20. Car rides with her are the greatest. Always lots of loud singing.

21. She lives states away, but I feel like she's right next door.

22. She is a free spirit - last weekend she took a road trip to Mt. Rushmore with her friends - who are also free spirits.

23. She inspired me to take up hiking.

24. She is 100% loyal to her friends.

Happy birthday EMO! I just ADORE you.

Love,

Snow

P.S. Chels. I am sorry I didn't do this for YOUR birthday. Maybe for Christmas? ahhh.. i love you too.

edward who??

2010-07-28T00:45:00.003-04:00

yeah. so i know i have been blogging for 2+ years now all about how i love edward cullen & rob pattinson. how i want my own edward. blah blah blah.

let's get right to the point. i feel like i have been led astray. i have been bitten by the true blood bug. & quite frankly i'm not sure twilight and mr. edward are cutting it for me anymore. honestly, i don't know why it has taken me three seasons to get into this show. i'm obsessed.

What's the Naoko?

2010-07-13T21:19:00.008-04:00

How many people are lucky enough to have a best friend from another country? Not many, but I am one of the lucky few! That best friend is none other than sweet, sweet NAOKO.

We met four years ago when we were roommates in Florida, and she is just the greatest - hilarious, sweet, beautiful- seriously, had I not had Naoko, I may have never lasted in my job, my apartment, my anything! she SAVED me!

My favorite memory of Naoko is this: When we lived together she had a scale in her bathroom and I couldn't use it because it was in kg and it was too much work to convert everytime. & i never saw Naoko use it.. so it pretty much sat there ununsed. Then on the day we are moving out, we are scrambling around, trying to clean up the dump that is our apartment and send things home. And next thing I know, Naoko is looking for her scale because she needs to weigh her luggage. and sweet sweet Naoko realizes that she packed up the scale and sent it to Japan already. ironic because the only reason she brought the scale in the first place was to weigh her luggage. we laughed and laughed. i realize no one else probably thinks this is funny. but stuff like that happened to us ALL the time.

Naoko has been living in Florida for the past four years now, so I have been able to see her often. In fact, I just went to visit her last month. She was the best hostess and I had a BLAST! We got to relax relax relax, it was so wonderful. She also took me to get the best fro-yo at MENCHIES. The coolest place ever.. you make your own combination of all different flavors and every topping you can think of! There are none in PA yet, sad to say.

So now I am stuck in PA with no Menchies and stuck in the U.S. with no Naoko because she is back in JAPAN for now! however i am so glad to be hearing all about her life here.

what's next for our friendship? well, i am sure that one day i will be in Japan visiting her. and... maybe.. someday soon she will come visit me in CANADA? what do you think Nao????

Basic Instinct... dun dun dun

2010-07-12T22:37:00.005-04:00

So Moog and I are somehow getting a free trial of HBO. one that i am not actually sure i trust. just waiting to be billed on all the back payments six months from now... but... as long as I have it, I am going to view every single movie i possibly can.

first, i watched 17 Again (actually really cute)...

next, I watched Funny People (worth watching for two funny people. 1st Aziz Ansari... love him, 2nd Jason Schwartzman - he's a weirdy, I love his music, and I love him too)

So i picked two movies that I really enjoyed, and then I decided to watch Basic Instinct. I mean, people are always going on and on about how "great" it is and it is supposed to be some sort of classic, so I'm down with that, what the heck? If anything, it will be suspenseful.

wrong. what a bozo movie. and by bozo i mean "really dumb." it was so stinking ridiculous. what was the point with this movie, I ask? can I get an answer from someone that actually enjoyed it? I mean the lead guy kept coming up with these one-liners that were just seriously corny. & i mean I think for a 90's movie they were supposed to be "risque" but to me they were just weird.

so great, sharon stone doesn't wear any underwear. is this why everyone likes this stupid movie? someone please help me out here.. because i just don't get it.

oh.. and seriously.. i can't believe that guy in the movie is Michael Douglas. totally thought it was Martin Sheen, because every time i looked at him I thought "Gordan Bombay" a.k.a Emilio Estevez, and he's Martin Sheen's son, right? but no. i guess it's Michael Douglas. does that make me like the movie more? no. it makes me like it less. movie would have been better if the Mighty Duck's "Flying V" had made an appearance.

my look alike

2010-07-07T12:38:00.003-04:00

for years now i have been told i have a look alike. its the kind of look alike that when someone tells you... you just don't know how you are supposed to react. normally i say.. "sure, yeah, i get that all the time." with a big fake smile or a "Thanks so much. what an honor to look like her." so, I know you are all dying of suspense.... here is my look alike!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe you recognize her from one of the following films: The Craft, Waterboy, American History X, or my own personal favorite, The Worst Witch Ever. She generally plays the role of an evil devil worshiper/occultist of some sort. So you can imagine the honor I feel every time I am compared to her. I mean, I am thankful everyday that I inherited my mother's WHITE skin, and my father's DARK hair. I am a natural Goth. GO ME!

jake pawlak, follow him on twitter.

2010-05-19T19:22:00.007-04:00

My dad has a twitter.

We had to set one up for him a couple weeks ago so we could get updates on his marathon progress. but i think he was secretly excited about getting an account. My brother and I were helping him think of a name - we threw out some standards like "Jake Man," "Jake the Snake," "The REAL Jake Pawlak" "Mr. Pawlak." and he throws out "Well, how about JakeTheMelter" way too quickly, indicating that he has given this some thought before (melting is the job he does at work).

He's also brought tweeting up to me previously. as in "did you hear about this thing called twitter? where people update you on what you are doing? like - i just took a bath?" of course dad, yes, i have heard of twitter. One guess on what his first "official" tweet was... you guessed it... "i just took a bath"

so recently he has been updating his twitter daily with the following tweets - that, more or less, seem to be messages to my mother:

nothing balance of week they do have openings next week open mon and thurs eve.lol

here he is talking about a car appointment that he needs to make for me. notice the unnecessary "lol"

2. ashley is here sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yes i was at my parents house sick on tuesday. received about 5 calls from my mom. got a text from my brother too - "are you sick?"

3. call me if you want a update on this nursing home b.s. also news alert!!!!!! I got the whole story on J.R. from ash!!!!!!!!!!!!!

j.r. is my brother. there is no news alert. i didn't give him any story. those of you who know my dad can picture him writing this status and cracking up at himself.

so if you have twitter. i am going to have to insist that you "follow" him at jakethemelter.
i don't have it, so i can't. his only real follower right now is my mom.

we admit to the truth, we are the best at what we do.

2010-05-18T19:53:00.005-04:00

Let's be honest, i have been totally neglecting my blog. oh well. i have had tons of topics where i thought "oh man, i just have to blog about that" but times have come and gone, and i don't remember what half of them are anymore. but the best part of my blog is that it forgives me everytime i disappear for months at a time. can i get a boyfriend like that? that would be ideal.

Actually ideal would be getting this dreamboat of a man for a boyfriend, but that won't happen:

so speaking of mr. jesse lacey (the hot stud in the picture above)... i went to see his band BRAND NEW with moogs last month. they are pretty much my all time favorite band, and I have been slighty obsessing about them since the concert.

The concert was a traumatic experience for me at first. Brand New's style is constantly changing, so you never really know what to expect. I can remember the first time I heard one of their songs in my Junior year of highschool (thanks big bro). Since then i have been hooked. However, the first time I listened to their newest CD - "Daisy" tears were shed. dramatic yes, but lets just say there was lots of screaming, and that is really not my thing. I basically had to force myself to listen to it, and in time I found myself loving it and remembering why I love BRAND NEW so much.

Anyways, the concert - lots and lots of new songs that I didn't know as well as lots and lots of "hardcore" kids wearing weird things like tutu skirts. honestly, sometimes i hate concerts because i can't tolerate the other people there. its bad, i know. whatever. i guess it is worth it to scream your head off right along with your favorite band. we got there an hour early only to find out that people had been waiting in line for about 8 hours already. which made me mad, because i, of course, think i am their number 1 fan. i was sad when it was over because I am worried i will never see them in concert again and blah blah blah. but now, looking back, it was wonderful and i wish i could go back in time.

its hard for me to pick a "favorite" song by Brand New, because I have favorites for different moods and time periods in my life - some songs make me want to scream and some cheer me up when i am sad. one thing i can say about all of the songs is that Jesse Lacey is a genius, a god, a songwriter sent down from heaven - something along those lines. For your listening pleasure though, I am going to post the song, that is ONE of my most listened to:

me as a chipmunk.

2010-04-06T21:34:00.000-04:00

sweet sweetness.

2010-03-26T21:14:00.002-04:00

nearly everyday on my way to work i must must must stop at sheetz to get not 1... but 2 English Muffins. I have tried to duplicate the greatness of these muffins by toasting some at home, but nothing compares.

I started out by just getting one, one time. and i was hooked. then 1 wasn't enough. and now i am up to 2. i don't stop everyday. i mean. 4 out of 7 days of the week.

just try one. maybe you will see why i have this new addiction. one that is clearly counteracting the work i am doing at the gym. but what can ya do? - you only live once.

country girl wannabe.

2010-03-24T21:03:00.002-04:00

i'm about to touch on a subject that might make you want to vom. but because i come in contact with it everyday - i just feel the need to share with you, my readers, and essentially my best friends because you guys are the only ones that really read this. and that subject is... ROAD KILL

considering that i set off to work staring at the city skyline (figuratively), and finish my commute smack dab in the middle of a corn field (literally) i'd say that i cover a good bit of road each morning and afternoon.

i am pretty much an expert at identifying the types of animals on the side of the road by name - deer, skunk, squirrel, mole, beaver, muskrat, armadillo - you name it, i am sure i have seen it. and let me tell you, there are days when i have no appetite by the time i get to work because i have seen enough blood and guts to last me a lifetime. hellooooo.... i became a teacher because i couldn't handle a cadaver lab, and now i am being subjected to this vile, morbid scenery on a daily basis. fact. i have cried seeing these dead animals. it just depends on my mood - i mean i don't even like animals except for pigs, and frogs, and the occasional cat. but it's almost too much for me to take.

well i decided something needed to be done. so i started to avert my eyes, but that led to a lot of encounters with running the poor things over even more so. and that is just physically and emotionally traumatizing. so with much practice, i now consider myself an expert at both avoiding eye contact with these dang things and swerving to avoid it at the same time. i don't know how i do it, but just chalk that one up to one of the useless talents i have - along with balancing a plate on a stick and doing a spot on paris hilton impersonation.

i think as my faithful readers, you will be thankful for the lack of pictures on this blog. you are welcome.

what's with these homies?

2010-03-21T18:37:00.004-04:00

i was completely appalled a few weeks back when i was out with my friends.

the dj puts on some weezer... i can't recall which song, but i am almost certain that it was one from the blue album. truly one of maybe three weezer albums that in my opinion are worthwhile to listen to.

but anyways, the song comes on, and a man in his 30s says "hey its that guitar hero song."

guitar hero song? it is a song by weezer, that is completely from your generation, and you only know it as a song from guitar hero? i mean i love guitar hero, and i have found some great songs on there, but weezer? seriously? i just find it hard to believe that anyone would know weezer only from guitar hero.

i mean even my friends who listen to "Lady Antebellum" and "Ke$sha" know who Weezer is. so... there you go. my rant for the day. i should probably try making a positive post or something to balance out all of the complaining i do.

below is some weezer for your listening pleasure:

my home sweet home.

2010-03-16T21:41:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I know I often complain about where I live, and keep trying to convince myself that I am going to get out of here. And maybe I will someday, hopefully for at least awhile. But the truth is.. I do love Pittsburgh, and I have lots of great memories here. Plus, living in Florida for a year of my life and seeing the "city" that is Orlando truly showed me that I live in a pretty great place. So maybe I don't have it SO bad.

If you live in Pittsburgh, I'm positive at least a part of you loves this city. It's pretty... and honestly, where else is it A-OK to put your french fries on a sandwich AND a salad. yum yum yum. & as I was reading a book this week that was set in Pittsburgh, I came across this quote. & I think it is pretty true.

There's something about that tunnel that leads to downtown. It's glorious at night. Just glorious. You start on one side of the mountain, and it's dark, and the radio is loud. As you enter the tunnel, the wind gets sucked away, and you squint from the lights overhead. When you adjust to the lights, you can see the other side in the distance just as the sound of your radio fades to nothin because the waves just can't reach. Then, you're in the middle of the tunnel, and everything becomes a calm dream. As you see the opening get closer, you just can't get there fast enough. And finally, just when you think you'll never get there, you see the opening right in front of you. And the radio is back even louder than you remember it. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And there it is. The city. A million lights and buildings and everything seems as exciting as the first time you saw it. It really is a grand entrance.

- The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

i want to marry a penguin.

2010-03-07T10:50:00.003-05:00

do you think Sidney Crosby would date and marry me to make me a Canadian? Not going to lie, sometimes I daydream that we will meet and he will fall in love with me, then steal me away to Nova Scotia.

I mean, I think most girls in Pittsburgh want to marry Sid because he is a Penguin. I am here to say that, that means nothing to me.

So what is worse do you think? Using someone for their money and celebrity status or using someone for their Canadian heritage?

I'm not sure.

A Story of Three Princesses

2010-02-21T11:11:00.006-05:00

This story starts two years ago when I met Miss Chelsea Irons.

Well, actually it starts before that when I made a last minute decision, two days before I left that I was in fact going to purchase a plane ticket, pack up all of my belongings, and move to Florida. I left with every intention that I was going to give it two weeks, a month at most, and then I was going to come home.

However, when I met my new roommate - I knew that I was in it for the long haul. As soon as I met her I knew that Chelsea was my kindred spirit. I knew it as soon as she told me that she liked The Format AND Hannah Montana.

And then you add Miss Emo Henshaw to the mix! I have to admit that I wasn't sure I would like Emo before I met her, because I was afraid that - being Chelsea's friend from home - i would be left out. But I met her, and I loved her instantly.

Now, it is two years later, and I cannot imagine my life without these two princesses - or as I like to call them Princess Belle and Princess Cinderella. We are corny, we cry at fireworks, and we believe in magic and dreams coming true. What a perfect match - I think!

I feel that everyone I have met in my life has helped to make me the person that I am today. But I also feel that as we get older it is harder for people to make an impact on us. At 23 I was pretty sure that I knew who I was, and there was no changing me. But I can say with all honesty that these two have made me a better person. Well... at least they make me want to BE a better person. These girls sparkle and put their heart into everything they do. Right now Chelsea is heading off to Switzerland to be an Au Pair, Read about it here. Emo is working at her first real-world job in Utah, read about her life here.

I am thankful that I made that decision two years ago, because in addition to the countless memories and fun times we had together in Florida - these two have given me the joy of experiencing Utah, and have traveled with me back to Florida and to California as well. If you know these two girls you already know how teriffic they are. And if you don't do yourself a favor and get to know them! Their positivity is contagious!

think before you speak.

2010-02-20T16:39:00.004-05:00

guys say all kinds of stupid things to girls - i think so at least. they want to impress us, make us like them, who knows. So i am not too big on "pick-up" lines, but it is true that sometimes guys will say something to me and i will instantly like them. even when that was not the poor guys intention. oh well.

so that brings me to this point here. there are a few things that guys have said to me that they just shouldn't say unless they want to get serious.

Example 1: "Ashley, so, you want to make out, Eh?"

Problem: This was said by a Canadian. A really cute one, at that. So, don't say "eh," and talk about making out all in a matter of 20 seconds unless you want to make me your wife.

Example 2: "Who is your favorite children's author?"

Problem: I love reading, I love my job, and I want to get all kids in the world excited about what they read. So... Please don't sincerely ask me this question about something i really love, and continue to have an intelligent conversation about it unless you want me to fall in love with you.

Example 3: "Who is your favorite Harry Potter character?"

Problem: Do I really need to get into what the problem with this is?

so.. warning. to all my male blog readers out there. just be careful what you say to me, because i might end up falling in love with you.

TYLER!

2010-02-11T10:30:00.002-05:00

you know who is truly a grade A guy?

tyler from MTV's Teen Mom. Now, maybe you don't watch this show, so let me tell you a little bit about him.

He got his girlfriend pregnant when they were both 16 and they decided to give the baby up for adoption. Now both Tyler and his girlfriend Catelynn come from horrible families, dads in jail, and the like. Tyler has everything going against him.. but he still somehow manages to be more mature than any guy I have ever dated.

First of all, he truly loves the daughter he gave away, but knew he was making the right decision. He has stuck with Catelynn through everything, listens to her talk about the counseling she has been going through, etc... Most 16 year old boys i know would have run in the other direction, heck most of the guys i know my own age would have. There are so many reasons he could hate his life and just let it turn into a waste. But, he has a good head on his shoulders and he is so sweet. honestly, I wish I had a boyfriend like Tyler!!

my motivation..

2010-02-10T11:13:00.002-05:00

is this bathing suit!! granted, i know it will be impossible to look like this model. because she gets paid to look like that, and i get paid to teach kids to read. BUT nevertheless, i want this suit!!

Don't mess with a good thing...

2010-02-09T17:57:00.012-05:00

I have one radio station that I really listen to - I'm lucky actually because sometimes when I listen to it on the way to work I want to cry because they play song after song that I just love! Do you know how it feels when you scan the radio and you want to sing at the top of your lungs and turn the radio way up? well, i feel that way everyday. 91.3 FM - awesome.

okay, but i am COMPLETELY off subject here, because that is not what i even want to talk about. sometimes, just sometimes, when i am looking for something different - i listen to country. which at times i'm not even sure i love, but it puts me in a good mood. so a lot of times the station i have on is "froggy"

and has anyone else ever noticed this? what these idiots do to songs? in any song they possibly can, they change 'radio' or 'music' or 'song' or an artists name to the word "FROGGY" - the name of the stupid station.

for example: the song chicken fried is supposed to go

You know I like my chicken fried
Cold beer on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up....

and they change it to "and FROGGY up" instead of "the radio."

it's annoying. as i've already mentioned i love to sing along, and when i'm really into it and i realize i've gotten the words wrong, only i haven't, the radio station just changed the lyrics i am just so PERTURBED. I know I am listening to froggy at the MOMENT, but when i think of turning the radio up, i'm just not thinking of froggy radio. and I bet Zac Brown, or whoever wrote the song wasn't either.

so my big HUGE bother occured when I was listening to the song "small town USA" and they changed the lyrics:

Give me a Saturday night my baby by my side
David Allen Coe and a six pack of light
Old dirt road and ill be just fine

to "Froggy and a six pack of light."

how can you compare David Allen Coe, and old-time, crazy, country legend who is vulgar, awful, and awesome at the same time, to a radio station who couldn't and doesn't even play his music because of the language he uses. honestly it seems like a disgrace. on behalf of froggy, the song butcherers - sorry davey!

Emily's a Quarter Piece!

2010-02-07T19:57:00.005-05:00

happy birthday emily!!

last weekend my best friends and i celebrated emily's 25th birthday jersey shore style!!

we all gave ourselves jersey shore nicknames and went out dressed in clothes that you would never find us in on a normal night! well, maybe you would if we were going out dancing or something crazy. but not to our normal hangouts! it was F-U-N!

here's to the start of a fabulous year for em!

FIST PUMP!

I'm Getting a Sister!

2010-01-24T23:18:00.002-05:00

Let me just take a moment to congratulate my brother and his fiance, Mid, on their engagment!!

I love my big bro and he is one lucky duck to have found Mid! She is sweet, gorgeous, and smart - everything a little sister would want for their big bro.

I cannot wait to celebrate their big day with them in July!!

my new year's resolution...

2010-01-24T22:55:00.002-05:00

...is to kick a really bad habit i have.

don't ask me what it is because part of the resolution is to NOT TALK ABOUT IT.

all i ask is that you send me all your positive thoughts my way!

i do realize that this sounds like i am referring to some sort of illegal or illicit activity. but that is not it. i mean it would probably be cooler if it was. less pathetic, maybe? it's more about being positive and certain that my life is going the right direction with the RIGHT people in tow. & in the meantime leaving certain people (person?) to fall by the wayside and out of my life, mind, and heart entirely! please pardon me while it seems like i am getting mushy or emotional, but writing about it forces me to do it!

my roommate, moog, is taking a similar stand, so send some positive thoughts her way too!!

GIRL POWER... (spice girls reference)

i feel insulted.

2010-01-22T20:40:00.008-05:00

okay here's an annoyance.

today on the radio they are advertising some sort of early reading program for babies. something along the lines of hooked on phonics, i don't know. i was tuning it out. until this mother comes on and says "My 3-Year Old is reading at a second grade level." Impossible.

i mean, maybe possible, but not because of any reading program. if your three year old is reading second grade material it is because they are some sort of genius. literally. it wouldn't happen, and if it DID happen, what would be the point because they would likely be incapable of understanding or making any sense of what they were reading. then she goes on to say "all three of my children get straight a's, and that doesn't happen unless you use this product." also, again, inaccurate. considering that i see brothers and sisters all the time, straight A's normally run in the family.

okay, so lady if you are stupid enough to really tell me that you believe this ridiculous program is going to work, then i have no idea how your kids are so smart.

oh i am so mad. i spend countless hours of my life helping kids learn to read... ugh ugh ugh. if it was really that simple then i would be able to save myself a lot of time. but it isn't that simple. & no one else is probably bothered by this, but wow did it ruin my day. why did i even bother going to school for 6 years? I feel bad for anyone stupid enough to buy into this.

don't get me wrong, i love my job. i am pretty much convinced that i have one of the best jobs of all time. however, do you know what it is like to be a reading teacher, the things that go through my head? i sound out everything. i notice rhyming words all the time, i count syllables and take apart words. i think the word 'change' and automatically begin asking myself "could my first graders read this word with a ch digraph, cvce pattern, and a soft g? oh and i am guessing NO.. because they didn't buy this reading program. but they do have me for a teacher and i am BOMB at my job. so yes they will be able to read it, after a week of practice. so please go take your stupid program and get out of my radio."

blah.

happy 2010!

2010-01-18T09:20:00.003-05:00

I'm BACK!! okay, after having a few people tell me i need to get back to my blog this weekend, i realized that yes - i must have some fans. so i should probably find a better way to procrastinate than daydreaming.

I wanted to make a top 9 of 2009 list... but honestly 2009 was a horrendous year. if i thought i could actually come up with 9 things in 2009 that were even enjoyable i don't think i could do it. bottom 9 of 2009.. yeah i probably could - that list would include such non-favorites as in "moving into 6111 Alder Street" & "spending my entire summer inside studying and doing homework." but i'm a positive person and i'm all about spreading happy thoughts so i'm not going to do that.

what i am going to do is talk about this show "Jersey Shore" & how if MTV was smart they would have done a show on the summers my friends and i spent at "The Shore" in college. we are not guidettes and i honestly have no idea what a "juicehead" is but i am positive that our nights in brigantine, nj were superior to the nights that those people have.

what character was I? probably Pauly D. i'm not embarassed to put this picture up here, but please realize that I have changed. i no longer wear the poof, have red streaks in black hair, wear sunglasses at night time, or worst of all spend all night getting dressed and doing my makeup.

anyways, i miss ross drive. my friends & i were, i think, legends of this small beachside town by atlantic city. i think we would have made excellent entertainment, but now it is too late. Now when we visit Thea's home at 21 Ross Drive, it is normally with her Mom....... who, i am sad to say... stays awake longer than us. we have, in fact, fallen asleep in the casino while mrs. meyers was still out playing slots.

take me away...

2009-10-20T18:38:00.005-04:00

i've just been thinking lately about the places that i want to live someday. preferably soon. i would gladly ditch this apartment i am currently living in to get away to... practically anywhere.

even though i went to the school in the city and still live here, i really consider myself to be a small town girl. i just love mountains and the woods and beautiful scenery. I could probably live in a small town or in the country in any part of this world, but i have a few places that are my top choices.

1. Prince Edward Island/Nova Scotia/New Brunswick. Well let's just say that this girl has ALWAYS wanted to live on Prince Edward Island. I could have picked to go anywhere when i graduated college and I chose to take a 10 day long bus tour of these three GORGEOUS provinces. First of all, there are still actual small towns up there. Second, I have a fascination with Canada for oh so many reasons. Third, there is a HUGE Irish/Scottish influence way up north... and i have a HUGE love of Irish folk music! I have been looking up teaching jobs in Canada for the past few weeks. however, i am just not so sure on how someone would go about moving to another country - even if it is Canada. can anyone help me with this?

2. New England. Have you ever seen Gilmore Girls? I would like to move to New England... any state... and live in a real life Star's Hollow. I have in fact googled that - "Real Life Star's Hollow" - and have gotten some promising leads. In fact small towns in New England are very similar to those in the ones listed in #1 above. & moving within the U.S. is slightly more realistic, so I may have to shoot for there.

3. Utah. hands down i just love utah. everyone there is just so friendly and welcoming - just tons of people with beautiful personalities! i have friends that are dying to get out of utah, and i may just have to take their place when they leave, because the mountains are to die for and there is always something fun to do. LOVE it.

4. Portland. I have never been & i know that Portland is not a small town, but it seems like a place i would love to live! sipping on coffee, wearing cool rain boots and wearing a totally awesome coat.. that is what i see myself doing in portland. so maybe i could do the city for a little bit and then move out to the suburbs, i'd figure it out.

6. Washington, D.C. If for no other reason than it would be my dream come true to work at the Holocaust Museum. oh yeah, and my big bro lives there. so we could hang out all the time!!!!!!

so i am never too sure what the future will hold for me, but maybe someday you will be visiting me in one of these wonderful places!

my good deed.

2009-10-15T20:32:00.002-04:00

so word on the street is that Robert Pattinson is having a hard time finding a girlfriend. apparently everyone is interested in dating the absolutely wonderful vampire, edward, and no one is interested in dating him.

well ROB, I am most certainly interested in dating you if you are that hard up.

i can promise you that i will never ever mention edward cullen in your presence.

i cannot promise you, however, that i won't beg you to wear your Hogwart's robes, plead for you to read to me from the Goblet of Fire and force you into naming our sons Henry Sirius Pattinson & Ezra Albus Pattinson...

so, Rob, if you can deal with the Harry Potter references - I could probably deal with being your wife. it would be tough staring at you all day long, but i would suffer through it, just so you could find someone.

My Hero!

2009-10-08T19:20:00.007-04:00

i truly have the best big brother in the world!

i'll admit. he is one of the most obnoxious people around sometimes.. but you better not say that, because only I am allowed to rip on my brother! Truly, I have gotten in fights before with people who have dared to say anything negative about my big bro!

jonathan has always looked out for me as a little sister and he is GENEROUS! I have him to thank for j.crew shopping trips, my coach boots and my red wayfarers. basically anything i have of value has been a gift from him! he gives & gives and does not expect anything in return. (which is good because we all know that I am temporarily broke)

jonathan has a good sense of humor and despite the fact that he is a professional, hard-working, 28 year old, he still loves Disney World just as much as I do! He is not afraid to be his own person, which makes him so great! Seriously, he sets a goal and does what it takes to acheive it! he does not worry about what others think, he just does what he knows is best for him - which more people should do!

So in addition to all of the support and encouragement he has given me over the years, I also have him partially to thank for my musical tastes. I like to think that they would have evolved on their own, but he definitely gave me a push in the right direction. I am oh so lucky to have been 10 year old who appreciated both Weezer & Rancid.

So for my brother's birthday a few weeks ago, i made him a CD of the 15 songs/artists that had the biggest impact on my later musical tastes! Some of these artists are still my favorites, and some not so much, but they definitely played a part in shaping the music lover I am today! THANKS JON JON!!!

I AM a mix tape pro & you should definitely check these songs out!

Following is the CD Playlist:

In the Garage - Weezer
Apple Shampoo - Blink-182
On & On & On - Catch 22
Flight of the Bootymaster - Ozma
Chicago is So Two Years Ago - Fall Out Boy
Johnny Quest (Thinks We're Sellouts) - Less Than Jake
Boy Crazy - New Found Glory
The Impression That I Get - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Ten Minutes - The Get Up Kids
What it is to Burn - Finch
Given the Chance - The Starting Line
Seventy Times 7 - Brand New
Cute Without the "E" (Cut From the Team) - Taking Back Sunday
Standing on the Edge of Summer - Thursday
Ruby Soho - Rancid

it's always the girls that get the bad reputations.

2009-10-07T18:02:00.004-04:00

i often hear people comment on how teenage girls are looking too old for their age. miley this, miley that. yeah maybe she does look too old for her age. i'm not here to argue with that. but i do have an important question.

WHY DOESN'T ANYONE GIVE NICK JONAS A HARD TIME?

No way this young man looks 16. oh okay, maybe he did turn 17 in SEPTEMBER. but sorry, guys did not look like that when I was 17.

I don't really want to get too into this topic, because i don't want to sound creepy. so that is all i am going to say on the matter. i just think when people start giving miss cyrus so much crap they need to think about her famous ex-boyfriend. someone needs to give him some teenage acne or something...

help!

2009-10-05T19:59:00.005-04:00

i have such a bad relationship with my blog.

i really need to write more, especially because i feel like I have such INTERESTING things to say... i'm being sarcastic here. but really i would like to write more often. if only because it gives me justification for updating my playlist and doing something "useful" when i am procrastinating.

i also would like to say that i haven't been writing because i have been having this great, exciting life, well that is just not true - just not true at all.

well here are some quick updates on my life.

1. i am rereading all seven harry potters. ahh such a great feeling.

2. thats IT! okay, seriously i said i have no life, and i wasn't joking. So this is not only a blog it is a call for HELP! someone find something fun for me to do!

team tay.

2009-09-14T22:00:00.005-04:00

okay. i'm not going to really get into the whole big huge butthead picking on sweetheart t.swift... but obviously i think kanye west is completely disrespectful. fine. have your own opinion, but at least have enough respect for a young woman to not grab something out of her hand.

and anyways.. is anyone else missing that this was only the mtv vma's? why did he take this so seriously?

as a celebrity, he obviously has a lot of power and money.. it would be nice to see him put that passion into something worthwhile, perhaps making a difference? i dunno. i guess he might be doing that, but lets face it - kanye is not known for doing "nice" things. it is sad really. i know for sure that he had a "near-death" experience before he became a celebrity... & you would think that something like that would put things into perspective and make someone feel grateful instead of entitled to anything and everything that they wanted. guess not.

taylor just might be one of the sweetest people ever & kanye is a total tool bag.

still i don't know what the worst part of the VMA's was. kanye or ijustine?!?! yyyyyuck.

hey there delilah

2009-09-03T17:00:00.006-04:00

as i was riding in the car with my dad last night, i was flipping through the radio stations and landed on delilah. i decided i would listen to what some poor chump was saying about the love of his life, that he is just hoping to be with forever. i was simultaneously thinking that I would most likely HURL if my significant other called in & seriously spilled his guts to delilah.

this quickly progessed to a silent pity party in which i was thinking that a totally lame significant other might be better than none at all, when my dad interrupted me, saying "Can I tell you something personal?"
"Um.. sure dad."
"I can't stand delilah."

amen to that! can't stand her, she makes me gringe, but i love it when she disses people so i cannot help but listen!

so anyways, i get back to my apartment and do something i've been wanting to do for a long time - google delilah. i have pretty much been dying to see what she looks like. So when I do a google image search, up pop some pictures of her AND the girl whom the song "hey there delilah" was written about.

i'll tell you what.. I'm pretty unsure how this one human being got so blessed. not only is she gorgeous with a famous song written about her... she's apparently an accomplished runner/olympic hopeful. How does someone win the luck lottery 3 times when I cannot even win it once!

& okay.. used to love the song, she is very pretty, and congrats on being a great athlete... but being interviewed on the Today Show? with the headline - "The Woman Who Inspired the Song 'Hey There Delilah'" seriously?

you know, the two didn't even work out. this songwriter promises so much to delilah.. and they weren't even together. what a load of crap!

10th grade ashley listened to "It's Gonna Be Me" by N*SYNC over and over again. swearing to myself, that it was gonna be ME. I'd like to go ask that songwriter, whoever it was... "was it you? did it work out with you two? or were you just giving me false hope that it was going to work out for me?"

I think I'm going to call in to delilah tonight: "Oh yes... hellllllo delilah. i'd like to dedicate a song to myself..."

because i deserve it...

2009-09-02T20:27:00.002-04:00

today, while standing in front of a pop cooler, staring at this magazine, i questioned myself - "Ashley, do you really want to go for that orange soda? Wouldn't you rather have a water? LC would definitely get the water."

I took the orange soda. FIZZ!

i hopped off the plane at LAX...

2009-09-01T19:27:00.002-04:00

i'm going to disneyland this weekend & i cannot wait!

not only do i get to see chels, emo, and bonnie - i get to go to where all the magic started! i am obviously a HUGE disney dork, & i am SO excited to be a tourist and to experience the magic as a GUEST and not a "cast member"!

don't get me wrong, i will always LOVE the WORLD and the magic is definitely still there, but thanks to my 14+ hour work days, I feel like I know the Magic Kingdom inside and out - the good and the bad. I think half of the fun of Disney comes from discovering new things so I am completely STOKED to feel like a kid again! i might even get some ears!!

i am a writer, writer of fictions

2009-08-30T15:31:00.003-04:00

I am just in LOVE with the decemberists right now. i went to their concert with my dad two weeks ago. one of the best things about my dad is that we have the same taste in music! anyways, the concert was AMAZING... loved them before I went, but love them even more now! so i just can't get enough of them currently and have been singing their songs to myself all week. just listening to their music makes me fall in love with life, because it's that good. the best part of it is that it is unique and unlike anything else that you really hear nowadays. i feel like i am in a completely different time period listening to the songs, which i think might be the point of their music, but i'm not a music critic and I am not going to act like I really know what i'm talking about. i don't know how many of my friends would really enjoy the decemberists. i think there is no in between here, you would either love love love them or never want to listen to them again. but this is my advice to you.. you should definitely give them a try!

sigh..

2009-08-29T10:41:00.003-04:00

well john krasinski is getting married & that means my dreams of him marrying me are pretty much shattered.

that sucks. i mean the next thing i know, robert pattinson is going to be marrying kristen stewart & my life will basically be OVER.

on a related note.. i think men should have to wear engagement rings. i mean engaged girls have them, & guys know that they are off limits. but how is a girl supposed to know that a really cute boy who is a good conversationalist is engaged? just throwing that out there.

the palooza

2009-08-27T21:04:00.001-04:00

So this past weekend was the annual Linds&Lank Palooza. the weekend long celebration of my own and my best friend lindsay's birthday. unfortunately she is a year younger than me and that means she is not a quarter lifer. i mean i turned old this year and am not too happy about it.

25! what the heck.

so on Friday night we started out at the hofbrauhaus (lindsay's pick) with some of my favorite people. it was great, but then i got really depressed and bummed out. was not having a good night UNTIL we ran into our old friends YAC and McCauley! they completely cheered me up.. they reminded me of being YOUNG and FUN!

The best part of my night was when McCauley said to me - "Your blog is on my list of favorites on my work computer!" OMG!?!?! can you believe it! I have real, true fans! So this is a big shout out to you McCauley!

anyways, saturday was my actual birthday and it was AWESOME! we went and saw "Bon Journey" - a cover band. they were not bad, but i was more excited to dance around and sing than by what they were actually playing.

Anyways McCauley spent the whole weekend with us because he's having a love affair with Lindsay's boyfriend Eli. McCauley then went on to spoil the weekend because he slept over and left first thing in the morning without saying goodbye.(disclaimer: I am not saying that he slept over with me. he did not, i slept in a bed with moog)

i texted him this: "and you are a butthead... you slept over and didn't say goodbye! how college!"

to which he responded: "i'm sorry ladies for leaving and not saying good bye.. i was very rude and I will never do it again.. i can only hope that the sleepless nights I have had the past few days will be enough of a consequence."

Better not! Here is McCauley & I when we were young and fun in college (red hair whoa), and one from this past weekend, in which i am now old and boring.

now accepting donations

2009-08-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

my plans are so much bigger than my actual budget.

i mean i don't even like spending my money on clothes anymore. or going out. all i want to spend my money on is traveling.

i'm going to california in a few weeks with my parents (& did i mention the fact that i get to see belle and cindy?)

then the princesses want to take a trip to portland in november to see our best friend andrew perform with jason reeves! & i have never been to portland... but have always wanted to go because of my obsession with mr. chuck pahlaniuk. i have this feeling that i would really "fit in" in portland, so its not just like i want to go there... I pretty much NEED to go there.

moogs wants to go see abby over spring break & i've never been to arizona, plus i want to see miss abby...... so pretty much i have to find a way to make it there too!

& then trip of all trips.. i am FOR SURE going to montana/alberta, canada this summer. I do not care if i need to work 4 jobs, I am going to make it happen. moogs and I are going. & even if she doesn't go, I am. All are invited. we are going to go white water rafting, and canoeing, and hiking, and take a landscape painting lesson. oh i just cannot wait.

but... did i mention the fact that I am poor? it's not my fault i have a wandering soul. why wasn't i born looking like gisele... then I could be RICH!! hello God. you gave me the height, but i think you forgot to give me the bone structure and teriffic metabolisim. was this a mistake? it's not too late to make me a model overnight, you know. i wouldn't be mad or anything... just a suggestion.

anyways, i'd like to make a travel blog that people would actually read. & then we could publish it as a best-selling book, later being made into a best-selling movie. all about a single girl who travels all over the place and the people she meets along the way. just like amy adams did in julie & julia... only she wrote about cooking. so. not the same thing, but you know.

cinderelly cinderelly... night and day its cinderelly

2009-08-16T20:33:00.000-04:00

never in my life would i have believed that i would be on my hands and knees trying to clean dirt out of every nook & cranny in the disgusting apartment i currently live in. with a toothbrush!

YYYYYUUUCKKK!

i am a real life cinderella...

nice work!

2009-08-16T13:41:00.000-04:00

I don't get "picked up" too often, but last night there were some weird men out. like really weird. i have this picture of my friend alison with just a really really weird person. so anyways.. this one guy says to me - "how much does a panda bear weigh?" "gee, i don't really know or care." "enough to break the ice." "wait, what? that doesn't even make sense. what did you ask me?" "how much does a POLAR bear weigh." "oh okay." so anyways the fool completely blew his line. i didn't think he was funny and i hurried away.

BUT... i got this line last night, and i screamed, literally, because i was so happy........ "Are you a vampire? because you sparkle." OMG, could there be a more perfect line out there? so, that being said, i didn't want to score a date or anything, but how cool is that?!?

adam.

2009-08-15T13:51:00.001-04:00

I decided to write a post dedicated to my friend Adam because he is a closet fan of my blog. Now Adam has been my friend(?) since 6th grade, when he was shy and I was annoying. He's not so shy anymore, but I believe he still finds me annoying. I told Adam about 2 months ago that I was going to write this, and so it is typical of the relationship we have that I waited this long to write it. I don't think it is a secret that Adam and I normally fight a lot - like we could be getting along for 5 minutes, then somehow start to disagree about something that happened when we were 13. Sometimes though, we get along. Especially now that I see him like twice a year. So to Adam - a true fan of my blogging - here are the top 5 reasons why I am glad you are my friend:

1. Adam has been the victim of several Ashley/Moog antics. Specifically - we once made him admit his disdain for me in a prank call while I was listening on speakerphone. We also A/S/L'd him on AIM, and then tried to pretend like we were the host of "To Catch a Predator." hilarious. Adam just may be the reason Moog and I started prank calling.

2. Adam turned me down for the Senior Prom. He said he wasn't going, and then showed up with another girl. I'm convinced that this was Adam's payback to me for breaking up with him in 9th grade. Actually Thea was the one that did the dumping, while I watched from a distance. I was mean Adam, I am sorry for that.

3. It would be possible to have an intelligent conversation with Adam about wizards.

4. Adam has really great hands. This is true, and it was the discussion between my friends and I many times in high school. Congratulations, Adam.

5. Adam's friends make fun of him all the time for talking to me. I mean, they did when we were 12, and they still do 12 years later. I'm not sure why! They must hate me! Oh no! It makes me so sad.... NOT. However, if they read this blog - I doubt they will, but for Adam's sake I hope they don't - he will probably be teased. My point here is, that even though he has put up with 12 years of teasing for it, Adam still speaks to me. Awwww.

There are many more stories I could tell about Adam.. but I promised him I wouldn't make fun of him!

beat of my heart

2009-07-07T22:40:00.001-04:00

so i'm reading this story - "Dedication" - about a girl who just can't get over her high school boyfriend. he dumped her out of nowhere, left for l.a. and proceeded to write song after song about her. he's famous. she can't meet anyone that makes her feel the same as he did & that's not to mention the fact that everywhere she turns she is reminded of him. constantly. well, especially because he is famous. wrote songs about her. whatever. but she's 30. the whole time I am reading this, I am thinking "oh my gosh. am i doomed? is this what is going to happen to me?"

no, i know i have no famous boyfriend & i have a good five years in me before i turn 30, i don't even truly have someone that i can't "get over." but gosh, i am going to be highly recommending this story to my friends. because i just feel like there are so many times i have read a part of this story and been like "YES! i get it! that has definitely happened to me"

anyways my point here is to praise the two girls who wrote this book (they also wrote the nanny diaries) because they share my whole "dance parties cure broken hearts ideal." read my "about me" section to your right. its right there. i believe in it enough that its right alongside my declared love for edward cullen. so this is what they have to say about it:

"listen!" I put my hand on Beth's leopard-print forearm as I make out the opening bars of george michael's 'freedom 90.' her eyes widen. she grabs my arm in turn.... suddenly laura is caroming the lyrics in my face, taking my hand. we throw our arms up and sing along, because no matter the jake-size hole in my heart. i do have this. i could do whatever with whomever....

i think that everyone needs to have a feel good song, that they can listen to, scream along to, jump off beds to, dance with friends to. my song is... drum roll please.... "beat of my heart" by miss hilary duff. i'm listening to it now, in fact.

friends forever!

2009-07-01T20:52:00.000-04:00

I recently took a trip to North Carolina to visit my favorite married couple Krissy & Andrew Voll.. and my nephew Presby!

along with me was my bff Kellee & our friends Dave and Mike. Dave and Mike would probably rather be known as Andrew's friends, but they are officially friends with us after this adventure. Secretly, they are happy about that. Anyways, it was a wonderful trip. Krissy & Andrew have a beautiful house and live really close to the beach! so we had a lot of good food and since all of the people i was with are hilarious there was also lots and lots of laughs.

I feel like I garnered a lot of information on this trip. Here are the top 10 life lessons I gained from this road trip, in no particular order:

1. West Virgina is a really really weird state with crazy people. The stereotypes are true everyone! Despite my love for John Denver's song I would much rather those country roads be taking me out of WV than into it.

2. Wendy's charges 78 cents for a bun. what does this mean? when you are buying a junior hamburger, you are essentially paying 80 cents for the bun and 10 cents for the burger and toppings. kind of gross right? but man do they have delcious buns!

3. No one knows what happens in a chrysalis or why caterpillars turn into butterflies. FACT: according to mike no one has ever studied the life cycle of the butterfly.

4. I cannot sing. I hate American Idol karaoke. krissy and andrew practice all the time, kellee loves to sing, and dave is probably in some kind of band. playing this game was torture.

5. Fonzie was cloned. Even though some of us were reluctant, we all loved the video that can be watched here:

6. Boys cheat at everything. the girls lost every single contest we took part in the whole time we were there. obviously this was because the boys were not playing fair.

7. Even though I can tan myself about 10 shades darker than normal, I am still the palest person in the picture.

8. The Goldensilk spider is not poisonous, but it is verrrry scary. we killed one. google a picture, beause I will not put something that scary on my blog.

9. After playing whoonu for about 6 hours, I can tell you that mike hates tomatoes, but loves ketchup, kellee loves super bowl sunday & hates fairy tales, andrew loves cruises & cuddling, dave likes the scenic route and doesn't eat bread and everyone thinks that as a reading teacher I automatically love spelling & the dictionary.

10. I heart my friends!!!

i like this poem....

2009-07-01T20:32:00.000-04:00

...because i lose everything.

One Art

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something everyday. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing further, losing faster:
places and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

--Elizabeth Bishop

i'd like to punch through my tv

2009-06-22T22:01:00.001-04:00

"i have to do what's right for me and my kids..... uh.... them first." - jon gosselin

is this guy kidding me? i have alllllways been team jon. but, my first thought when i saw him on the episode tonight with his new hairdo, skull t-shirt, bluetooth attached at all times, and EARRINGS in his ears - was "hold up.. slooowww down!! what happened to the guy whose side I have always been on? cause this ain't him!" (sidenote: i don't say "ain't" but it fit there)

i completely believed that he did not cheat on his wife, but now i am NOT so sure. when he showed up a few weeks ago in his new sports car, talking about how he deserves to get away, i almost wanted to punch him. boo hoo hoo jon, there are plenty of MEN (as opposed to children like you) out there who would be thankful for your life. plenty of families who can't have children, and here you are belly-aching because you don't have enough time for yourself. jon, gotta tell ya, i don't feel bad for you. you really are pathetic.

then tonight, when he's talking about separating from his wife and he says he is EXCITED, i about puked. how could anyone be excited about that? especially someone with 8 beautiful kids. how can you be excited, when their little worlds are about to be wrecked. oh, but that's right jon... you have "feelings too." you are "only 32." oh my gosh. you need to get your head out of your butt and look around you at what really matters. how can you be excited to put your kids through this? Oh I'm sure they appreciate that you would like to be there for them, but you "might get a job offer."

oh you make me sick. I get that your wife has been a biotch to you. but you are being a complete baby. YUCK!

watch out, or I'll de-friend you!

2009-06-21T21:33:00.000-04:00

ick. i have this whole "i don't trust people who don't have a facebook" belief, but the more I think about it, maybe those people are the smart ones.

i don't want to get into any specifics here, but i sat down on facebook today and just spent about 5 minutes on it & now all of a sudden, i am feeling completely inadequate. as in why am i not getting married? heck why don't i even have a boyfriend right now? why isn't it me having a baby? etc. etc.

I mean I am so satisfied with my life right now. i don't sit at home crying all night because i'm alone. because i am not alone. i have friends and family, and admittedly I don't have a boyfriend partially because my decisions and my actions play a large part in keeping me single. & that is a-ok in my book. because spending my life with the people i am spending it with now makes me happy. you will not see me shed a single tear over the direction my life is heading.

so, why, after getting on facebook do i feel like someone punched me in the stomach?
now i'm crabby. boo.

rain rain go away...

2009-06-20T21:13:00.000-04:00

this girlie needs a tan.

you know how being gothic was a real trend for a while? i really fit in then. i have been told i look both like fairuza balk (google her) & sally from "The Nightmare Before Christmas." no, i am not proud of either comparison!!!! anyways my point is i'm pasty white with dark hair & no matter how many times I see beautiful pale celebrities working it, i just can't quite get into loving my natural skin tone. the only positive is that i would make a kick butt vampire. Edward Cullen, are you out there??

I refuse to visit a tanning bed... so please? mother nature? pocahontas? let the sun shine tomorrow!

t.swizzle

2009-06-18T13:08:00.001-04:00

gosh taylor swift is such a little cutie. & how great is her diamond guitar?

i feel like sometimes she is writing the soundtrack to my life. & i must say that country music has not always been my thing. but... lately i have been listening to it and i'm still not sure that i LOVE it, but it does put me in a good mood & reminds me of people and times that make me smile.

but back to taylor - seriously, have you ever listened to any of her songs? she is all about girl power & being strong. like "forget you boy i deserve BETTER." the PERFECT songs to sing and dance to when you are hanging out with your best friends. she writes love songs that put me in a good mood, because she's young and already she realizes that things might not always work out, but love is still a GREAT thing.

I think I like her, because I listen to her songs and think "are you kidding? that is EXACTLY what happened to me, or how I felt then, or how I feel right now." feel good music, people. i'm telling you - you should love her too.

here's one of my favorite lesser known taylor songs. LISTEN!

i can't think of a title good enough to express my disdain for these knuckleheads

2009-06-17T14:29:00.000-04:00

lately i've been watching the first season of 90210 before bed.

oh my gosh.

aaaaandrea and brandon suck so bad.

these two completely deserve each other. i can hardly stand watching it. Andrea thinks she is better than the whole school, but she looks older than most of the teachers and nobody likes her. & Brandon is such a dingdong, oh my gosh. last night he thought this older woman was in love with him, meanwhile she was married and just wanted to give him a massage for her business. He wore cologne and put on a new vest and everything. why didn't these two squares end up with each other?

who do I like? dylan mckay of course!!!

vroom vroom.

2009-06-15T10:24:00.000-04:00

Is it just a stereotype that guys with trucks are supposed to drive fast? I mean all the guys I know that drive trucks are pretty fast drivers, which at times gets them in trouble. But, shouldn't all men that have a truck be pretty masculine? Like masculine enough to at LEAST go the speed limit?

So how is it that I - with my sparkly tinkerbell air freshener hanging from the rear view mirror and my mousketeer sticker in the back window - pass these men in trucks several times a day?

This has GOT to make these guys feel like less of a man. It has too.

Yay Pens.

2009-06-13T08:33:00.000-04:00

I'm probably the only person in this city who did not watch the Superbowl OR the final Stanley Cup game. both of which, mind you, my city has won.

I have to say that I did want both teams to win AND I checked espn.com periodically just to check the status, but I just really don't care to watch the game. I do like to watch hockey, but in person only. If this city had a basketball team I would watch those games, but we unfortunately don't. I LOVE watching basketball games. but, okay, that is not my point.

last night i was home by myself, relaxing, it was GREAT! & when the pens won, of course all my neighbors were out screaming and running around the street, good for them, but then all the churches started ringing their church bells - which i thought was unbelievably SWEET(I have no better word for it). You have to know that there are about 10 churches/religious establishments within a 10 minute walk from my apartment. I guess I'm just picturing all these different religious leaders of all denominations dancing around in their holy clothes celebrating, yelling "Ring the bells! Woo! Yay!"

I like my city & I love that everyone in Pittsburgh just loves Pittsburgh.

Book Lovers Never Go To Bed Alone

2009-06-12T20:55:00.000-04:00

ahhhh. i just love reading. i LOVE it. when i was little i used to read books everywhere, like in the middle of sporting events that my parents dragged me to. that kind of everywhere. i had long bangs, crazy hair, and i always wore sweatshirts. if you saw me then, you might have thought - "poor girl." then it continued, i'm pretty sure my social life until i was in about 10th grade consisted of me staying home reading on a friday night. i feel like i have to justify that i did have friends - the same ones i still have so i guess they like me anyways.

so today, thanks to my wonderful mentor at work i got to go spend $25 at half-price books. oh my GOD. I feel like doing a happy dance when I think of all the books I get to read since it is finally SUMMER. i know this makes me seem like a total dork, but I feel about books the way some people feel about clothes, or sports, or their kids or anything that they REALLY love. it truly makes me sad that I can't read every book in the library.
I've never read a book I DIDN'T like & I have about 10 sitting on my shelf begging me to read them. & I've been ignoring them because I didn't have time, but NOW I DO!! YEAHHH!

so in combining the six books i got today, and the ones patiently waiting for me on my shelf I have a summer reading list compiled & I will take on this massive list! oh oh oh! being a reading teacher is the best job ever in the entire world!!!!

In case you care, my reading list is as follows:

Pygmy - Chuck Palahniuk
Mirror, Mirror - Gregory Maguire
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister - Gregory Maguire
The Last Time They Met - Anita Shreve
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingslover
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
'Tis - Frank McCourt
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
I Know This Much is True - Wally Lamb
The Girls Guide to Hunting & Fishing - Melissa Bank
Dedication - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
The Last Summer - Ann Brashares

...and I am going to reread Harry Potter - all 7.

I'm going to do it. & this is going to be the best summer ever. I am not exaggerating. I want to sleep with my new books tonight.

pixie dust.

2009-05-22T00:16:00.000-04:00

oh what an adventure i have already been having on this vacation. it is 12:17 am FRIDAY and I am still at the Orlando airport. I should definitely be SLEEPING right now.

anyways. our flight was ON TIME coming into Pittsburgh. but the terminal next to us.. a flight to chicago/las vegas/l.a.... had a plane coming late. well.. here is what the airline decided to do.. give them OUR plane while we waited for theirs that was still grounded somewhere due to weather. I wasn't happy about this. They come on the speaker.. "I'm sure you understand, we don't want them to miss their connecting flights." sorry, but I don't really care about these people or their flights. maybe that makes me a bad person, but too bad. I'm pretty much only worried about getting myself to Florida so I can chill out and see my princesses!

anyways, finally, 2 hours later i arrive to florida and go on a wild chase around the airport to get my luggage. now we are waiting on the bus for all the stragglers and I am just really sad because now I have to stay at my brother's tonight and won't see my wonderful friends till tomorrow.

...and tomorrow I am SURE i will cry tears of joy!

anyways, this has been i think worth the drama so far, because when I get to the airport and they say "Welcome Home" on the tram I really feel at home. and now on the bus I am listening to one of my favorite Disney songs being pumped over the speakers and there is a little girl in front of me who is still excited to be in Disney for the first time even though it is way past HER bedtime too.

and im corny but I am so excited to be here too!

Disney here I come!

2009-05-21T18:04:00.000-04:00

I'm at the airport waiting for my plane to FLORIDA and I just cannot wait to get there. So anyways I'm sitting here and browsing Perez Hilton and come across my favorite group of singers.

These kids are seriously wonderful. my favorite group of children singers since the vonTrapp family.

Happy Day!

2009-05-16T17:11:00.000-04:00

I know this is late.. but oh well! Happy Mother's day to all the "moms" in my life!

This is me with my Grandma Jeannie. aka Jacqueline. I mostly call her Grandma or Jacquay... prounounce "Zha-Kayyyy." kinda French, kinda made up. but I do say it because I know it drives her crazy. Grandma Jeannie is pretty much the kind of Grandma that everyone wants. She makes the world's best toast and and hates Paris Hilton. I am like her because we both have very strong opinions, and often have no proof or reasoning to back anything up. i.e. she often uses the line "they say..." as in "they say Paris Hilton is disgusting." Don't ask her who "they" is though because she will definitely get angry. Grandma J lovingly refers to me as "Shitass" on a regular basis because that is her special nickname for me. Maybe because I have a special way of acting kooky and annoying people in just the right way. But, I know she loves me very much. probably more than all of her other grandchildren and great-grandchildren combined. She is turning 80 this summer and we are celebrating by going to the casino! right on! Grandma J is truly a girl of my own heart.

This lady with me here is Grammy Pawlak, but I call her "Honey." If you think I am out of control you have got to meet Honey. She is truly one of a kind! She still works as a school library aide and she just turned 80 last month. She has travelled around the world and has tons of crazy stories to share. Honey is a bundle of energy and loved by lots. When I was little I remember her tap dancing on tables and I know I get my crazy personality from her. We went to tea for her 80th birthday two weekends ago and last weekend we walked in the "Race for the Cure" together. I am probably not her favorite grandchild... that award would go to my brother. But.. I am her favorite GrandDAUGHTER because I am her only one. Honey unsuccessfully tried to hook me up with John Krasinski, but I do not hold it against her.

Next is my Aunt Robin or as I like to call her Aunt RaRa. She is my Mom's sister and such a great aunt, I definitely feel like she is a second mom to me. She makes me laugh and is always on my side. She's the kind of aunt who hates all the boys who have broken my heart even if she never met them. The first question out of her mouth anytime I mention a boy's name is "Is he a good kisser?" Anytime I visit her house I can be sure that she will have a bottle of orange soda waiting for me on the counter! And this is all without mentioning that she will always always always massage my feet anytime I ask her. Aunt RaRa truly spoils me and I love her lots.

Last, but not least is my actual mom Renee. She is the kind of mom that is constantly putting everyone ahead of herself. She is always thinking of myself, my brother, and my dad and doing anything to make us happy. She made my house a magical place to grow up in, and she is the reason I truly believe that I have the potential to be amazing in life. We love going to Disney World together and that is where some of our best memories come from. She taught me to stand up for what I believe in, and the importance of being a good friend and kind to others. I am the person I am today because she raised me right, and I love her for that. I also have her to "thank" for my pale skin and lankyness.

Miss P Through the Eyes of 7 Year Olds

2009-04-30T22:06:00.000-04:00

"Miss Pawlak. It's like you are Hannah Montana, or a rockstar, everyone ALWAYS wants to hold your hand."
"Nope, she's cooler than Hannah Montana."

"Why are your teeth so pointy? Are you a vampire?"

"What's wrong with your face? Are you sick?" (No, as a matter of fact, I wasn't)

"Why did you say last week that you were going to smother me and put me in an oven?" (I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure I never said that to anyone in my life)

"Now you, you are a weird one. just really really weird"

"Miss P. you are prettier than Hilary Duff."

"Party. This Saturday. At my Grandpa's"

"Will you please come with me for a sleepover this Saturday. Check Yes or No"

"You are not a Princess. You don't look like one."

"You could never be Snow White because she doesn't have those dots all over her face."

hmmm.

2009-04-30T21:57:00.000-04:00

That was a memorable day for me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on that one memorable day.
- Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

love it. and love this book.... and loving t-29 work days until i have the summer off.

10 Ways to Cheer Yourself Up.

2009-04-17T23:35:00.001-04:00

We all have those things we turn to when we are bummed out. I mean mostly I turn to my friends or my mom. but does anyone else have those things that can just instantly make them feel better? Or that can just absolutely make them content with life? I was having a completely awful day the other day, like getting stranded in the ghetto without a phone bad day, but obviously i survived, i'm here right? and when i was driving home after that ridiculously long and exhausting day, refusing to let myself cry, forcing myself to think happy thoughts, I thought about the things I could do to make myself feel better (Can anyone tell I'm on a "positive thinking" kick lately?")

Well these are my things (people not included because my friends & family are obviously numero uno here). These are the top ten things, in no particular order, that make me feel better no matter what.

1. Mallrats. Come on. You have GOT to check out this movie. One of my favs of all time and I could honestly watch it over and over. In fact, when I am seriously low, I like to watch it nightly. my favorite line from a movie ever: "that kid is BACK on the escalator!!!!!" Jason Lee is awesome. and the whole movie just really makes me smile.

2. The Sound of Music. Since we are talking movies, this movie is true love to me. The music, the story, phenomenal. Do you know that this is a true story? I used to fill a laundry basket with pillows and blankets, climb in, curl up, and watch this movie. Obviously that is when I was about 5, but it has always been my feel good movie. The only person I don't like is Rawlf. Is Liesel an idiot? The guy is ugly, oh and a Nazi. On a completely unrelated note.. so HAPPY I didn't live in Germany during the holocaust because i do NOT find blonde hair and blue eyes attractive. well, that and I'm a polish gypsy, so I probably would have been a goner. is this offensive? sorry.

3. Dance Parties. have you ever been involved in one of my dance parties? i am talking sing your heart out, dance your butt off dance parties to music by hil duff, hannah montana, and dream. how can you be mad at life when you are trying out new impromptu dance moves to feel good music? try it. i guarantee you that allowing yourself to forget your problems for 3 minutes and some change is good advice for anyone.

4.Campfires. Gosh. I love summer. I love driving in my car with the windows down. I love the feeling of summer at night the most. campfires in the country with my favorite people are always the best parts of the summer.

5. The Bob Jenkins Question. "Imagine you are walking down a foggy hallway and you see a doorway with frosted glass....." ask if you really need to hear the rest of the question, but to put it here for everyone to see would ruin it and give people an unfair advantage. all i can tell you is that it has to do with a private eye, and two girls (me & moog) with overactive imaginations.

6. My fireplace. wow, am i a pyromaniac? the only thing i like more than campfires is camping out on my parents' couch, lighting the fire, and reading all night long. another way to escape life's issues? READ!

7. Music. music in general just makes me feel better. in particular, singing along to songs. especially at concerts. when i used to go to concerts all the time, I really felt like going and singing my face off was my own personal therapy. since i hardly go anymore, i do the singing along in my car and pretty much any time i feel moved to do so.

8. Walt Disney & Walt Disney World. This includes anything associated with either. I could write and write. but if you know me, you know I am obsessed. the disney channel is normally a quick fix.

9. Frenchy. aka French Fry the Pig. My stuffed pig has been everywhere with me. He is amazing and adorable and is the best boy I will ever know. I talk to him about my problems and he listens. I sleep with him every night and he never hogs the covers. ("hogs" hehe) French is the bomb.com and I love him. enough said.

10. J.Crew. it is my lifes aspiration to live like I am trapped inside a j.crew catalog. it will happen someday. i could literally faint sometimes when I am in the vicinity of the store. especially since I am not buying clothes all year. butttt... it doesn't hurt to look right?

So these are my feel good fall backs. & writing this completely put me in a good mood.

love is in the air!

2009-04-17T17:32:00.001-04:00

oh my gosh. i watch Harper's Island, solely to gaze at this guy's face. i am totally in love with his character. he is a megababe and a small town boy. i just KNOW he owns lots of flannel. ideal.

i know he will probably die soon on the show. and i will probably cry when he does.

Love Your Life!

2009-04-12T19:44:00.000-04:00

I wrote this in December & I guess I never posted it? (i.e. please excuse my references to christmas as I know it already occurred a few months ago.) But I just found this today and today of all days I really really mean it and still feel this way. I guess this is just my little life lesson for the day!

sometimes i think about how a couple of years ago i thought something that happened to me was the worst possible thing in the world. i didn't want to get out of bed & i thought my life was OVER. oh my gosh boo hoo hoo. what a serious overreaction! but looking back now - there is so much in my life that I would not have if this "terrible" thing would not have happened to me. First of all, i would not have met Chelsea and Emo two of the most amazing people I know! I would not be in love with Chuck Palahniuk novels, I would have never seen a space shuttle launched off in the middle of the night while camping out on a beach, I would have never been a Glow Girl with the world's best job, I would never have just had two of the best summers of my life, and I wouldn't be sitting in my cute apartment now listening to robert pattinson music & dreaming about my future life as a vampire. My point is, some of the MOST important parts of my life would NOT be a part of my life if I was still living that life I THOUGHT i wanted.

I don't know where i would be right now had my plans for the future remained intact, & I cannot imagine that it would have even compared to the experiences i've been having as of late. now i'm actually thankful for what happened to me...all that misery was worth it to meet the people i've met and have the experiences i have had. that "worst" thing, was actually the "best" thing.

i am so happy to be where i am right now in my life & with the people that i am still spending my life with. however, i will admit to you that sometimes the idea of moving away & getting out of here appeals to me.

like how sometimes i think i must be absolutely INSANE to have made the decision last year to stay here in Pittsburgh when I could have been going to school at Columbia or NYU in New York City living what I imagine would have been a wonderful life. i like to pretend that my life would have been glamorous & full of awesome clothes, endless parties, tons of scarfs, floppy hats, an endless supply of boots, a chain-smoking habit, and a totally hot boyfriend with long hair and a scruffy beard that dressed in v-neck t's, and skinny jeans. i also like to pretend that my job would have been at some private school for rich kids overlooking central park where i would get Coach purses as Christmas presents from my students.

instead i spent all day yesterday at a friend's house watching him cut up deer meat, playing MASH & talking about "laying the hammer down." & today at my job with completely normal, unsnobbish kids, i fell off the stage in the auditorium and got a christmas card from a 6 year old that looked like a bunch of scribbles. completely unglamorous right? but the thing is - i love this life.

The "what ifs..." are always so unrealistic. That pretend life in New York City?? Not even probable. I am not a celebrity - i cannot afford to live like one here, let alone in New York. in spite of my disappointments and decisions, i think my life is playing out exactly how it is supposed to. i can't say that my life is perfect or that i am completely happy with it. but face it, seriously... i don't care what you believe in - you are never going to get this life, this exact life that you are living RIGHT NOW, back ever again. you might as well just be happy with what you got, right? and i really really am.

p.s. emily, sorry if this is cheesy and i am being a hypocrite!

Mad For Plaid

2009-04-02T14:07:00.000-04:00

there is this urban myth about me: that i went to my senior prom in a plaid dress and had red hair. tomato red hair. oh and that i wore spikes. none of this is true. i do know exactly who started the myth and he is a fool. but the truth of the matter is, that i had a picture of a plaid prom dress that I carried around with me. because i WANTED one. dreamed of one. but didn't end up getting one.

My favorite shirt is a little red and black plaid number that I probably wear about once a week and am already planning on wearing next year for Halloween. I'm either going to be "Canadian" or a "Lumberjack." Possibly a "Canadian Lumberjack."

So anyways, I had this epiphany recently. The guys I have been attracted to over the years have all been really different - "punk," rockers who wear eyeliner, hipsters who wear skinny jeans, and country boys who kill things. I never really made the connection between these three groups.. but then I realized all three wear an unbelievable amount of plaid.

Case in point, I find all of these men incredibly attractive!

I Am Boycotting Madonna

2009-03-29T16:06:00.000-04:00

So for years I have been set on the fact that my first daughter is going to be named James. Okay, yes you read that correctly. James. I know it is a boy's name. I know you probably hate it. My mom hates it, as do most of the people i have asked. But I'm talking I have loved this name for a girl FOREVER since I was about 14 and I don't really care what anyone else thinks. it isn't unheard of, I've done research and it is in baby books under the girls names so... there you have it. So here I am thinking I have this uncommon gem of a name and, stupid dumb MADONNA. Who I have never really liked has to go and name her daughter Mercy James.

I'm actually really annoyed because I feel like she stole my baby name. I really hope that this baby does not go by her full name, and I really hope that she does not EVER become a popular celebrity baby like cuties Suri and Shiloh... because I do not want my future child, or anybody for that matter, to EVER think I was inspired by the fool Madonna.

p.s. that picture of the baby is supposed to be my future princess of a child. NOT Madonna's kid.

Adventureland? Yes Please!

2009-03-26T19:04:00.000-04:00

I am totally going to see the movie Adventureland for 3 reasons.

1. I worked, lived, and played in the Zanzibar, Island Supply, the Caribbean Plaza, The Crows Nest, Bwana Bob's and the Cage... AKA the REAL Adventureland for 6 of the happiest months of my life. To be honest, if they wanted to make a really entertaining movie, they should have filmed us during our shifts, where it was common to be delirious and fighting the money machine at 5 am. I am positive that Susan Davis' quote "Oh I called the explosives department." would have made the top movie quotes of all time. & the time Jonathan Adams fell asleep standing up at his glow cart, sending Debbie into an utter panic, calling 911 over her radio and making all the glow carts around the park think that Jonathan was DEAD would have been absolutely hilarious.

2. It was filmed at KENNYWOOD! The closest thing Pittsburgh has to Disney World, and one of my favorite places to go in the summer! How exciting!

3. I am pretty sure my bff Lindsay will be an extra somewhere in the background! Awesome!

I can't wait, because if the crap that these people get into is anything close to what it was like working with my glow team, it is going to be hysterical!

My Twilight Saga

2009-03-23T19:44:00.000-04:00

So Twilight came out this weekend and my mom had pre-ordered it for me for Valentine's Day. I'm sure she knew that I would have no valentine, and if i could pick one his name would be Edward Cullen. But anyways, it came out Friday, but I was in Ohio visiting my bff Moog and the world was aspiring against us to not see Twilight. I obviously couldn't get to the one at home in Pennsylvania and Moog and I had these big plans to go and rent it/buy it/something at midnight, but alas we fell asleep at oh, about 10 o clock after stuffing our faces with pizza and chips and queso. When we went the next day the video store had no more. and all this time, unbeknownst to me (BUT KNOWN TO MY MOTHER) I had a free download from Amazon. I finally find out about the free download from Amazon on Sunday afternoon and the following scene ensues.

Use my credit to purchase Twilight online and it completely disappears. Moog decides to call customer service. we call. the following are the highlights of our 2o minute call with the customer service rep. I will refer to him as Paolo

Moog: hi. oh my gosh. we need to see twilight and something happened to it.
Paolo: Ahh yes.. let me see here. you sent it to your TiVo.
Ash: Sir my TiVo is in another state.
Moog: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. ehhhhhhhhhh. ghhhhhhhhhh. dakshdaskj.
Ash: This is an emergency. I could cry.
Moog: EGHHHHHHH!
Paolo: Okay calm down calm down. Let's be positive and see what we can do.
Moog: Have you seen Twilight?
Paolo: Yes
Moog: Who is your favorite character?
Paolo: The vampire.
Moog: There are a lot of vampires.
Paolo: The main guy.
Moog: Edward Cullen? He's our boyfriend. If you are single it is because you are not like him.
Paolo: hehehehehehehe
Ash:Where are you at? Your accent sounds like my friend Rodrigo.
Paolo: Costa Rica.
Ash: Oh my gosh I have a friend there. Maybe you know her!
Paolo: Unlikely.
Moog: What did you bring for lunch?
Paolo: Pork and Mashed Potatoes
Moog: OMG Thats what we are having!!!
Ash: Please don't say I will have to repay for this Twilight rental. my Dad will kill me.
Paolo: heheheheh no no. i got you a free rental.
Ash: How old do you think we are?
Paolo: 17 and 19.
Moog: WRONG. we are 23 and 24.
Paolo: Ok well what is going on with the download?

This went on for oh.. about 22 minutes. and i still never got the dang download till about an hour later. Pretty sure we were his favorite customers ever.

BRAND NEW

2009-03-08T20:04:00.000-04:00

So someone did this on facebook. and i'm just procrastinating as usual so i tried to do it with my favorite ever band, Brand New.

You answer the questions using only song names from whatever band you choose. kinda pointless. but oh well. here ya go.

1. Are you a male or female: Accident Prone
2. Describe yourself: Flying at Tree Level
3. How do you feel about yourself: Not the Sun
4. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend: The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
5. Describe your current boy/girl situation: Cleanser
6. Describe your current location: Welcome to Bangkok
7. Describe where you want to be: Jude Law and a Semester Abroad
8. Your best friend is: SoCo.Amaretto.Lime.
9. Your favorite color: Seconday
10. You know that: Sic Transit Gloria. Glory Fades.
11. What’s the weather like: Play Crack the Sky
12. If your life was a television show what would it be called: Failure By Design
13. What is life to you: Mix Tape
14. What is the best advice you have to give: Okay, I Believe You. But, My Tommy Gun Don't
15. If you could change your name what would you change it to: Luca

sweet dreams to me!

2009-03-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

oh. my. gosh. no wonder they deleted this scene from the movie. oh my GOSH. i think my heart stopped. for a minute. i'm not sure if it has started back up yet. this is EXACTLY why i need a vampire for a boyfriend. again. i need to reiterate, oh my gosh.

Who does this FOOL think she is?

2009-03-01T14:21:00.001-05:00

I have been oh so absent in my blogging lately. I know that this is pretty upsetting to most people! But I am back in action... for today at least! I am so sick of doing school work and work work and job applying work that I am here to share with you a very very very disturbing picture I came across. It is of Lindsay Lohan aka La Lohan aka LiLo aka LezLo aka Firecrotch. I did not give her these names, I just have heard her called each one and I am simply trying to make sure you know who I am talking about depending on what you know her as.

Anyways, I am sure you know that I am obsessed with Snow White, who is THE Fairest One of All. It makes me sick to the stomach that this bia is wearing this necklace. barf.

1. Fair means beautiful and fair.. aka pale skinned. NOT ORANGE
2. Did I mention that fair means beautiful. enough said.
3. When you look more like the evil queen you should not be wearing this necklace.
4. Go put on a necklace of Princess Ariel or something. Because every Princess Ariel I have met has questionable morals and red hair. oh guess what, you have both of those things. YOU ARE NOT SNOW WHITE.

what a disgrace.

Something to think about...

2009-02-07T20:25:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading "I Hope the Serve Beer in Hell" by Tucker Max. The book is made up of a whole bunch of true stories from Tucker's actual life. I am not reccomending this book to you right now, simply because I don't think many of my friends would enjoy it. It has come HIGHLY reccomended to me from numerous boys, but I think most girls would get disgusted by what a total d-bag this guy is. I, however, consider myself to have a thick skin when it comes to things like this, considering my exposure to many many many idiots just like Tucker in my life.

Anyways, Tucker is a major hoe. I think he has probably slept with more girls than Hugh Hefner and most likely has slept with some dudes too. He admittedly treats girls like crap and does not feel bad about it. In Tucker's defense, I think that most girls are aware of what they are getting into before they get involved with him, so that pretty much makes them just as stupid as he is.

However, the guy is FUNNY, and a really good writer, intelligent too - despite all the absolutely ridiculous decisions he makes. While reading, I found myself having a soft spot for Mr. Max, because some of his horrendous stories just happened to remind me of my friends and situations we have gotten into over the years. But more importantly, I found myself liking Tucker, because something about him, was just REAL & because he left me with this little tidbit of advice that really really made me think... and coming from a self-proclaimed jerk, I think this advice is coming from pretty much the best source possible:

"Ladies, let me give you some advice. You can throw out all your stupid, (expletive deleted) chick-lit, self-help, why-doesn't-he-love-me books out, because this is all you need to know: Men will treat you the way you let them. There is no such thing as "deserving" respect: you get what you demand from people. (Tucker then goes on to describe some foul things that a guy will do, if you let him. I'm sparing you the details here) But if you demand respect, he will either respect you or he won't associate with you. It really is that simple."

And let's be real here, ladies. it really IS that simple. I've seen it happen countless times. There are good guys out there, but seriously, most will try and get away with whatever they can. and who can blame them? Guys do this in lots of ways, not calling back, blowing you off, cheating on you, plus whatever else they can come up with. If you put up with it, it will NEVER stop. It reminds me of what someone I know used to say all the time... "guys might be assholes, but girls are stupid for putting up with it."

So it is one week to Valentine's Day and I am SINGLE, HAPPY, and planning to take Tucker's advice from now on.

yuck.

2009-01-29T20:07:00.000-05:00

Gosh, do i hate the Duggar family. I know you all have to know of them. They just had their 18th child, and are already ready to have another one. Now, I am all about big families, but I think they are pushing it a little. can they even afford to provide for their children? each one of their children has the same interests - playing the violin, gospel music, and sewing. it's disgusting. not that there is anything wrong with any of these three things, but these children are not allowed to free think for themselves. those are their only interests because that is all that they are exposed to. there is more to life, than the life that their parents lead! don't these kids understand this? there is so much to see in this world, and so much to experience, but they are basically brainwashed from birth.

my point is that these kids have basically no idea of who they really are. i even saw one child introduce himself as "jeremiah" when in fact his name is "jedidiah" or something rediculously similar and "jeremiah" is his brother's name. he quickly corrected himself, but come on, he was like 11 years old. when you were 11 years old, didn't you know your own name? They are all basically copies of copies of copies. from the time they can think they are taught that the way of their parents is the only way. maybe it's just me, but isn't it possible to raise a child with values & morals AND teach them to think for themselves? I would say so, since I know plenty of people who have both values AND personality. but the Duggars must not think this is possible.

here is my question to the Duggars. if each of your 18 children, indeed lives their lives just like you, then that means you will have 324 grandchildren. you won't even get to know those children. you will likely be old and not able to remember their names, but by this point, you will probably just refer to them by their birth order numbers... "hey 289, get me my slippers." "my 99, what a beautiful cross stitch you have."... you get the point!

ick, give me a break, the only thing my 18 year old cousin and I have in common is our belief that these people are robots.

My New Year's Resolution

2009-01-28T14:43:00.000-05:00

so i've had a lot of time off from work lately, snow days, martin luther king day, etc etc, and I have been taking the time to clean my room, organize my closet, that kind of stuff. Through this task I have found a disturbing predicament. I have way too many clothes. My dressers and closet are all full and i still have a huge pile of clothes on the floor and more at my parents' house. I'm not saying that this is a problem and expecting people to feel bad for me like, "poor ashley, she has too many clothes how is she everrr going to survive."

i've come across a lot worse in my life & i realize that there are people out there who don't have enough clothes. so i'm not complaining here. i'm just setting the backdrop for the epiphany i had.

i am not going to buy any new clothes this year. shocking? even my most supportive friends have laughed at the idea of me not buying any new clothes. i'll admit, thinking about not running into j.crew and covering myself in their glorious apparel makes my palms sweaty and makes me feel like i might hyperventilate. but, i believe i can do this. just think about the money i will save! I love my clothes that I have now, and honestly do NOT need anything new.

this is not to say i will not buy ANYTHING this year. I'm allowed to buy belts, shoes, jewelry, that kind of stuff, but since i really don't spend much money on those things(except if i'm buying boots) i didn't feel the need to cut them out of my life. Plus, if you are a girl, you realize that SOME retail therapy is healthy and the high i get off of buying a new book to read isn't gonna cut it for a year.

This is going to take a lot of positive thinking! So do some for me! I think I can do it!!

my boyfriend is cuter than yours.

2009-01-27T22:07:00.000-05:00

you know what's cool about being around kids under 10 all day? I can tell them that the boy on the cover of their issue of teen bop is my boyfriend. & they BELIEVE me.

Ash + Rob = True Love 4Ever

this will make you smile!

2009-01-26T12:52:00.000-05:00

first of all, I love Regina Spektor, second of all these kids are in fifth grade and i am in awe of how amazing they are! you must, must, must watch this video!

I love you, Chuck Palahniuk <3

2009-01-25T19:57:00.000-05:00

Chuck Palahniuk is a wonderful man. you might know him as the author who wrote "Fight Club," but I know him as the author who's stories saved me from a time that I was dumped, lonely, and pretty much glued to my bed hiding under the covers. basically a sorry example of the ashley, i'm sure you all know and love. but then i read my first book by Mr. Palahniuk, got completly lost in it, and I slowly started to love life again. So many of the things he wrote made me think.. this guy GETS me, I don't know how I am relating to a story where a houseful of trapped people are sabotaging their own chances of survival and eating parts of their housemates. but i AM! weird. but i've never been the most normal, so what would you expect i guess.

anyways, I realized that this person who writes twisted, yet wonderful, stories about guts getting sucked out by a pool filter, people going insane, manipulators, drug addicts, sex addicts, & just plain disturbing story lines actually made me start feeling better about my life. 1) because my life wasn't as bad compared to the people in his stories & 2) because i totally respect any author who can make me stop reading because i'm completlely shocked, disgusted, or blushing. he actually makes me blush, as in "oh my gosh i hope the person sitting next to me here at the airport has no way of knowing what I just read because I would be MORTIFIED." It is no exaggeration here to say that I am in love with Chuck Palahniuk for bringing me out of my state of depression & have fantasized about marrying him through every single one of his books, fiction and non-fiction. this guy is fabulous, and his dimples are dreamy. recently though reality swooped in to deliver a little message to me that said
"well surprise ASH, I don't know how you didn't notice it while reading his books and reading about his life but chuck is GAY. love, reality."
well, there goes THAT fantasy.

However, despite my hopeless love for Chuck, I've been a little bit late on the uptake here reading his latest book, Snuff. I have about 20 dollars in late fees from the library since this summer & I'm not ready to pay them so I've had to steer clear of there, but I got a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas and thought, I would definitely buy the new book instead of going to the library like normal.

Except here's the thing, I go to the bookstore and they are totally out of all copies where all the other Chuck books are. But, I'm telling you here that I NEED this book, I really want to read it and I NEED it right then and there in the bookstore because I want what I came for. I decide to ask the sales associate if she could kindly check the computer for my desired book. Here's the problem though, I am completely embarassed, because as she's looking up the book she will no doubt see the description of the book. something along the lines of "Porn star tries to set a record by consecutively sleeping with 600 men."

GREAT. this is JUST what i need, this little old lady to think I am a major pervert. & I'm sure she does, the look she gives me out of the corner of her eye is less than friendly. & even worse. no dice. they don't have the book because it is due out in paperback soon. which is semi-good news I guess, I'll probably save about 10 dollars if I buy it in paperback. But wait, did I say semi-good news? SYKE! the paperback isn't due out until april. whoever decided that april is soon is a fool. so now this lady thinks i'm a pervert, i don't have my book, and i won't have it until april. fantastic.

I'll leave you with one of my FAVORITE quotes ever, courtesy of Chucky P.
"We are not special. We are not crap or trash, either. We just are. We just are, and what happens just happens."

WISHES!!

2009-01-23T22:04:00.000-05:00

so tonight, my roommate says "do you hear that? what is that sound?" & I say "oh that's just the fireworks." that's it. really no wonder of why there would be fireworks in the middle of january on a friday night in pittsburgh. & not even noticing the sound until when she asked it.

there's some big woo hoo pep rally for the steelers tonight, but that's not my point!

my point is that the fireworks were really loud & i didn't even notice them because i used to be so USED to hearing fireworks every single night. in my previous life in florida, i was either watching the fireworks at work or hearing them from home. i know people probably get sick of hearing about florida. but i just really miss it. the people, my job, the sunshine, the days at the pool, the non-stop FUN, the magic & the fireworks too! i have the best friends anyone could ever want here in PA and definitely a wonderful job, but i miss florida and i hate the feeling that no matter what, life will never be what it was when we were all there TOGETHER. because i could move back there tomorrow, but it wouldn't be the same!

So for all my Florida friends, here's a little highlight video of Wishes! & for anyone whos never seen these fireworks, you should watch too! Not as good as the real 12 minute show & I understand that 6 and a half minutes of fireworks highlights might not be your cup of tea butttt... if you want to see the best part (in my opinion) it is the fireworks at 5 minutes and 19 seconds. Plus if you watch you get to hear hil duff sing a sweet little song from when she was a little girl. & who doesn't love hilary duff?

Congratulations, you have zero matches.

2009-01-20T21:16:00.000-05:00

so today, just out of criousity and procrastination, i decided to be evaluated on eharmony.com. to be honest, i'm not really all that lonely right now. more like content with my life & too busy to try and start a new relationship (not to mention too POOR to actually pay for eharmony. until you pay you can't actually contact your matches). buttt.. you know it seems interesting to me that they claim to be able to find my soulmate, so what the heck! i'd like to see what these so called "experts" believe my perfect match to be. maybe i will even meet a hot guy to make out with on a beach, as this ad seems to promise.

well, according to eharmony...... drum roll please..... daddaddadaaada..... i have zero matches. big surprise there, seriously! what the heck, i thought that I would have at least some. so now it is proven to me that I am compatible with NO ONE. orrrr I guess, maybe my "type" just doesn't do the online dating thing. that's probably more likely.

either way, i feel kinda like a loser. i'm watching House right now, & was kinda hoping that I would have Dr. Gregory House, himself, as a match. Gosh that guy is a total babe. smart, sexy, bad attitude - HOT.

Reason 5,980,324 Why I am Brilliant!

2009-01-15T20:33:00.000-05:00

So I'm driving to Natrona Heights last weekend and I pass the above road sign... and I think to myself "Yeah right, like there is actually a car in front of me that is going to throw oil out of the back of it and make me swerve all over the road." I am telling you that I literally did think that & then outloud I said "What are you even TALKING about?!?!"

I have seen this particular sign on the roads probably thousands of times in my life and apparently since I have been little I have assumed it meant that I was driving in my little race car on some 1988 nintendo racing game and donkey kong is in front of me and is releasing oil out of his car so I will swerve off the road & lose the race. I'm assuming here, that most people have played a racing game where the cars did this. but, maybe that too is just me.

Caught Red-Handed!!

2009-01-13T21:41:00.001-05:00

My "friends" sure take things to the extreme. Now I have no problem with them having my password to get into any and all of my e-mail, facebook, etc... I have literally nothing to hide from anyone. My life is an open book, if you want to know something, just ask. I'd tell you, probably because if I can't learn from my own dumb mistakes then maybe someone else can. But, anyways, today I log onto my facebook and there is a chat bubble open. So not only did my friend get onto my name, she began chatting it up with others. That's a big difference, because that is being an imposter, don't you think? It makes me wonder how often this happens because the only reason I knew about it this time was because the chat was going on as I was logging in and it stayed up on the screen.

This reminds me of the time this same friend of mine was found in my room going through my underwear drawer with the excuse of, "Oh we were just counting how many pairs of scandalous underwear you own." Okay.....???

I won't name this friend to protect her reputation, but she knows who she is! Most of you probably know too!!

glow: the best part of spectromagic

2009-01-07T21:29:00.001-05:00

sighh... & this brings a tear to my eye.

last year at this time i was moving to florida :(

heres a video of what i did at my "job." aka walking around with light up toys, entertaining parade watchers, dancing down main street, and watching fireworks. the best job EVER. there isn't much too see in this video. but you will get the point.

"Welcome to the splendor, the spectacle, the sparkling sensation, where the comedy and thrill of Disney fantasies come to electric life.

And now, the Magic Kingdom proudly presents, in a million points of musical light, the magic worlds of Disney...in SpectroMagic!"

Boo-Hoo-Hoo

2009-01-06T21:01:00.000-05:00

on a very important note... you know that new movie "The Unborn?" I just really don't understand what that is all about. the girl apparently must have killed her twin brother while still in the womb or something and now he is haunting her. but if he is "unborn" then why the heck is his ghost a little boy? wouldn't he still be a baby? If he was never born, and that's his big beef with his sister, then how did he grow up to be a kid? doesn't seem like he has much to be complaining about.

it kinda reminds me of this guy moogs and i ran into at the Polo store last weekend. this guy was totally peeved that only two registers were open and one had my mom (returning a crap load of stuff) and the other had some really rich girl (buying a crap load of stuff). he's the only one waiting and hes sighing loudly and making faces. boo hoo, right? geez louise. well they finally open new registers on the other side of the store and someone gets to it before he can. at the exact same time though, someone takes him at another register. problem solved, right? he is being waited on. he's about to get out of the store. but this guy isn't satisfied. he starts saying, and i am making a direct quote here: "this isn't nice, or fair! why did those people get to be waited on before me? this is mean!" to which i respond "listen dude, you have a bag in your hands you're being a serious baby. goddddd." to which my mom says "shut up shut up, why do you always do this blah blah blah..." whatever. we made fun of him pretty much all day.

moral of the story. boys are babies.

Rabbit Rabbit!

2009-01-06T20:41:00.001-05:00

I just remembered that the first words out of my mouth when i woke up on January 1st were "rabbit rabbit." apparently, according to my friend emo, saying this first thing when you wake up on the first day of the month is supposed to bring good luck. I've been trying since she told me about it in august, and it is seriously hard to remember. i haven't been able to do it until now and i HOPE it will bring extra luck since i said it on the first of the year + first of the month. i guess we will see. considering my luck i don't see how it could possibly hurt.

Thank You 2008

2009-01-05T20:58:00.000-05:00

2008 brought many things into my life. & overall was pretty much the best year of my life so here is my Top 8 of 08 in no particular order.

1. Crocs. Man... are the original crocs hideous. but i got a pair of black mary jane crocs to wear with my Pirates and Adventureland costumes & a pair of white ones quickly followed. then a pair of hot pink and purple ones with mickey heads for holes came promptly next. Go ahead and try and find another brand of shoes that allow you to work 14 hour shifts on your feet without getting uncomfortable. i dare you. & my crocs are cute as hell too!

2. Chelsea Irons & Emo Henshaw. I love these two girls with my whole heart & I can't imagine that they were not always a part of my life. Everyone should know them. They are truly two of the best people I have ever known. They are real life princesses and have a way of making you love life by just being in their presence!

3. The Twilight Series. I consider myself to appreciate good literature, and while this material doesn't exactly rank way up there. it is a very compelling story that makes you believe in true love again, at least like you used to when you were 6 years old. I won't settle for anything less than someone like Edward Cullen. unfortunately that means I may never get married.

4. Into the Wild. A couple of years ago when Moog told me this story about some boy who found a magic bus and got stranded when some ice melted and flooded the river, i thought she was completely full of crap. Then Andy & Alvie introduced me to the movie, which introduced me to the book. I reccomend both to anyone, because the story of Christopher McCandless will really make you feel like you should just say "f it." and do what you want, whatever it is that may be.

5. 2 am shuttle takeoff/beach campout. Seeing a shuttle takeoff at 2 in the morning makes the entire sky light up like its 2 in the afternoon for a whole of about 1.5 seconds & seeing this happen gave me the craziest high of my life. top of the world fo shizzle. the aftermath resulted in an all night beach campout and watching of the sunrise. a serious scene right out of a movie.

6. Summer '08. This summer was filled with plaid, guns, boots, flannel, campfires, palkos & the eagles. i'm not too sure when these things started to be appealing to me. maybe i need to do a little moving or something. not sure. but i do know that i have the best bishes in the world.

7. My New Apartment/Job. I believe that I have the coziest little apartment there is & I am very happy with my job, because where else would I have someone telling me that I look like Lizzie McGuire (yay Hil Duff!!) and get paid for reading and playing all day long.

8. My Glow Team. After 14 hour shifts and hundreds of parades & castle parties... this humongo group of people from all over the world has made my life AMAZING. Did somebody say adventure?? ohhhhh i miss you guys :(

curious?

2009-01-05T20:45:00.000-05:00

pre⋅ten⋅tious

[pri-ten-shuhs]
–adjective

1. full of pretense or pretension.
2. characterized by assumption of dignity or importance.
3. making an exaggerated outward show; ostentatious.

I <3 my Wii!

2008-12-25T18:51:00.000-05:00

Woo! Guess who got a Wii and Wii Fit for Christmas? me! & i am oh so excited because that is just what I asked for! I am an insane boxer on the Wii. you just need to see it to believe it. So anyways, the Wii fit is supposed to judge your abilities and try and get you into shape. Well, according to the Wii fit, my age is 42 and my body is MUCH weaker than it should be. as I was working out today, it said to me:

"balancing does not seem to be your forte. do you find yourself tripping a lot when you walk?"

As a matter of fact i do Wii... so let's see if you can do anything about it. I am truly counting on this thing to make me more coordinated, flexible, and FIT. I don't have the stamina OR dedication to run outside in the cold and I don't have the bank account to join a gym so let's just hope it works. I eat a lot, because there are certain things like Pizza Hut or potato chips and ranch veggie dip that I cannot turn away from. there are those times when my mind is saying "you are full. if you eat this, you are for sure going to feel disgusting. possibly like you have to puke. and definitely like you should not have eaten anymore." & i just say "tough. now, suck on this" and i eat until i want to roll over and die. That's never going to change about me. especially with anything fried or cheesy & i've come to that realization. so since im getting OLD & my metabolism is about to catch up with me I am counting on this machine to keep me in shape. I read about it once in some gossip magazine & it really helped some lady so here's hoping it works!

Happy Birthday Andy Pants!

2008-12-22T20:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Happy Happy birthday to one my bestest friends ANDREW! 21 wooooooo!!!

p.s. i did youtube stalk you to find this video of you. creepy? I dunno. maybe! but that is why you love me.

to me, you are perfect.

2008-12-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

ahhh it is Christmas time again. which means its that time of the year when i can love the shit out of one oh my favorite movie quotes... evidenced below is one of my favorite scenes from a movie ever:

"But for now, let me say - Without hope or agenda - Just because it's Christmas - And at Christmas you tell the truth - To me, you are perfect - And my wasted heart will love you..." -love, actually-

sigh sigh sigh.. i feel like something like this will never happen to me! i am going to be relating to the guy with the darn flash cards FOREVER!

My boyfriend got a new haircut.

2008-12-21T11:36:00.000-05:00

It is kinda depressing that my boyfriend cut off all of his greasy hair. but he still looks hella amazing. AND Robert Pattinson in a plaid flannel shirt is pretty much just the best of both worlds. oh how i love that vampire baby.

My popsicle predicament...

2008-12-21T10:42:00.000-05:00

So Edy's tangerine popsicles are my FAVORITE popsicles in the world. They are just delicious. hands down. I could eat a whole six pack of them in one sitting and not get sick of them. I would still want more. I could probably survive off of those popsicles and maybe a few pieces of bread. But, the thing is they are REALLY hard to find... and when you do find them they are kind of expensive. You could buy 48 regular popsicles for the price of 6 Edy's popsicles. That doesn't really matter, because you would spend anything on them. But, nevertheless you might say that Edy's popsicles maybe kinda stress you out. They make you sad because you can never find them... So one day you decide that you want to buy a pack of the cherry, orange, and grape ones. Because those popsicles are EVERYWHERE you look. They've always been there for you too. They are fun, they are comforting, and they remind you of better times. But no matter how hard you try.. they will never be Edy's Whole Fruit Tangerine Popsicles. Even if you close your eyes and pretend.. you still are wanting the Edy's.

..and things just get worse.

2008-12-16T20:15:00.000-05:00

thanks to the celebrity gossip i read each day before work, i spent the whole day in vampire land again. well in my head, at least. if only i could be lucky enough to be there for real. but whatever. the thing is, i found out that the mega-hottie who played prince caspian is looking good for a spot in the next "twilight" movie, "new moon."

as a vampire.

a gorgeous vampire, from the looks of it.

this is great news, but come on. i hate to see my emotional state one year from now after i see THAT movie.

Stay Classy San Diego

2008-12-14T19:32:00.000-05:00

I try to expose my roommate emily to new experiences. so today i had her watch "Anchorman" with me. As she had never seen it before, I was hoping she would like it because it is one of my fav movies and cracks me up. Anyways, long story short.... we are in the middle of watching it and she says dead serious - "Well, isn't this based on a true story?"

Getting Bored Is Not Allowed

2008-12-11T22:08:00.001-05:00

Eloise is awesome. You absolutely, positively need to read the book, by Kay Thompson. I have loved it since I was little and my book is falling apart. but seriously, it is hilarrrrious. Eloise is overly dramatic, never stops talking, is completely inappropriate, spends her day thinking up the weirdest ways to annoy other people and make them uncomfortable, and never stops asking questions, questions, questions about absolutely everything, but nothing important. sound like anyone you know? i wish i WAS eloise. this chick is so random & weird it makes me smile. eloise says that getting bored is NOT allowerd. here are some of her quotes:

"Heres what I like to do. Make things up."

"Kleenex makes a very good hat."

"Here's what I can do

Chew gum

Write

Spell

Stand on my head for the longest amount of time

Get dizzy and fall down

Make a terrible face

And here's the thing of it

Most of the time I'm on the telephone"

"I'm a big fan of the cinema
Here's how many movie premieres
my mother has attended: 6
Here's how many movies I've been in: 0"

My Top 5 Requested Songs

2008-12-11T21:27:00.000-05:00

jukebox johnny, the soul stealer, is coming into town on Saturday. ten bucks that it won't be any fun - because i missed the last two and they were a blast. my luck, right? well. to be honest, i'll have fun no matter what, but you know what i mean. anyways, it got me to thinking about the songs that i probably will request. wait - scratch that - the songs that i will make one of my friends request. i.e. emily or moog, because i get scared to talk to the d.j. so these are the songs, that are just staples in my life & my bffs lives when we get together.

song 1 - laid by james.
because it is hands down just an awesome song. & i absolutely freak out anytime i hear it. anywhere.

song 2 - cecilia by simon & garfunkel
because it is the only song that kinda sorta has my name in it. my confirmation name. but whatever, its a great song. i wish someone would sing it to me.

song 3 - your love by the outfield.
because it reminds me of the craziest time in my life... like 2 years ago when i really needed to get myself under control. now i'm horribly boring & miss the days of taking 2 hours to get ready and having money to spend on nothing but clothes and having FUN.

song 4 - you never even called me by my name by david allen coe
well let's see... "i'll hang around as long as you will let me." who hasn't felt that way? enough said.

song 5 - afternoon delight - starland vocal band
because this is just about the most bizarre song ever. hilarious. i guarantee you if you are a girl and a boy sees you request this song, they will come talk to you. run in the other direction for real.

well those are our must haves. & i better hear them this weekend.

Moog comes tomorrow!! yay!!!

p.s. still thinking that if only Edward Cullen was real... his fair, pale, beautiful, face + my paleness & black, curly hair = a baby girl that looks like snow white, FOR REAL. somewhere I know God is wanting to make that happen...

Ashley + Eddie = Love

2008-12-09T19:11:00.000-05:00

Man oh man, i am so TICKED. for two nights in a row now I have been dreaming that I am a Vampire & that Edward Cullen is freaking in love with me. Don't know who Edward Cullen is? Good. Keep it that way. Especially if you are a girl. Especially if you are a single girl like I am. But just for information's sake I'll tell you that he is the world's best boyfriend and the soul mate of about 1 million girls. There's only one problem he is a fictional vampire. & even if he were real, he's already in love with this Bella chick, HIS soulmate/girlfriend. So what would it even matter? You think I'm kidding, I know you do. I know how stupid this sounds, and I blame this all on Chelsea Irons.

I got introduced to Edward just about a year ago, when Chelsea was going on and on about these stupid (so i thought) Vampire books, that she was reading & telling me how she was in love with this Edward chap and how great LOVE was and blah blah blah. I'm telling you, we talked about this guy at least once a week for the 5 months I lived with her, and more than that if she was in the middle of one of the books. So anyways, I pretty much made fun of her the whole time & refused to read the books. I thought that I had pretty much my fill of all things obviously fictional. I already believe in wizards thanks to Harry Potter, so I pretty much thought "Vampires??!?!? NO THANK YOU! I've pretty much hit my fill with wizards."

This all changed last month when I went out to Utah to visit my dear friends Chelsea & Emo (who is not as obsessed with our pal Eddie). The day I got there was the TWILIGHT movie premiere & I agreed that I would go check out the movie at midnight with them. I even bought a Twilight t-shirt to be a good sport. I figured I would have fun at the movie being with my two Florida bffs! And then it happened, I don't know if it was because by the time the movie started I was up going on 24 hours or what, but I saw Edward Cullen & his family walk into their fictional cafeteria & I fell in LOVE. With all of the Cullens, not just Edward i wanted to be a part of their family right then & there... but it just got worse. I swear I could hardly breathe through the movie because I got so into it. And the movie really isn't that good! But it IS! does that even make sense? I've seen it three times total. So something is drawing me back.. and that something is the fool Edward. As soon as I saw the movie, i bought the book, and finished the whole 4 book series in a week.

OBSESSED? Right! I know! Anyways, the movie got me hooked, but the books are what is so great. Edward is wonderful, I can't even explain, you just have to read. I have to say, not as good as Harry Potter, but GOOD even still. Even if they are about a high school girl falling in love with a vampire.

It just gets worse too. Robert Pattinson, the guy that plays Edward, is kinda hairy if you look at pictures of him, and i just didn't find him that cute. whatever. my whole point here is, that I was in love with Edward Cullen, not the guy who played him which makes it even worse, I wished I was at least in love with a real life movie star. but I didn't think i was. UNTIL i watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and saw Robert Pattinson playing Cedric Diggory and now DAMN how can I not be in love with this fool who plays a VAMPIRE and a WIZARD?!?! & I watched Harry Potter all weekend & then Lindsay Poof and I discovered that Robert Pattinson can sing(actually good) and we listened to this one song like 50 times on Sunday. oh brother. this sucks so bad. so now I've been dreaming I'm a vampire, and I'm dreaming of Edward Cullen, or maybe Cedric Diggory or maybe it's the actor that plays both of them.

just. I don't even care. or want to know. My point is.. proceed with caution when reading Twilight.

THANKS A LOT CHELS!