Today

picture from Orangette

Me: Get to work! Now! (yep, I yell at myself; this is what happens when you don't have a boss to do it for you).

Also me: Well I can't unless I have a clean kitchen...and a freshly baked banana bread.

wtf happened to my productivity?

That being said, I'm using this reciepe from Orangette and it's bomb.

Now back to work.

Hairstyles

image from here

Dear sir playing with rattail,

Don’t.
It’s more upsetting than the violent/vaguely pornographic movie you’re watching in the middle of the library.

Sincerely,
Your fellow library patron

Current Events

picturefrom here
I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't know this New Zealand oil spill had happened.

and I'm even more embarrassed to admit that the only reason I figured it out was because I did an internet search for penguin sweaters.

It's been a strange week....

Wastin' Time

This weekend I spent an inordinate amount of time on the couch. And yes, that is said with pride. Lately I've been in hiberation mode and fighting it. But not this weekend. After first complaining bitterly about having to hang out at a fun wine bar with people who like me and then being (aptly) described as in a February state of mind in October, I decided to give in to hibernation like woah.

Rather then eat too much and curl up in a cave I decided to hibernate by embracing the fun that is pinterest (yes I know I'm late to the party, like real late. Like it might already be time to start packing up food and consider heading elsewhere, but I'm here) and watched an almost (almost!) embarressing amount of Parks and Rec. That ish is funny.

Helping my desire to remain completely motionless on the couch is the fact I'm back in the job search like crazy. After recently meeting with a recruiter who inspired no confidence ("so how exactly does this twitter thing work??") I've picked up the applications on my end. This means lately there's been a lot more time spent figuring out how to coach my experience in terms that will be wildly impressive.So lots of words like "facilitate" and "collaborative nature" are being dropped over here. Yep, it's as exciting as it sounds.

And now for your enjoyment here are some of the things that I found, want, and pinned:

This is hard

here
Writing polite, yet friendly e-mails is hard.

Getting the line right between fun and professional without sounding like a stick in the mud or like you're just going to sit at a desk and gossip all day is feeling really tricky right now.

Is an exclamation mark too young looking? Do I say thanks so much? thank you for your time? or just split the difference with thanks for your time?

Maybe it's just because I got up at 6:30 (okay fine seven), but right now writing three complete sentences if feeling real hard. merg

Right Now

Things are kinda crazy right now.

Crazy in that whole, life is short and confusing and sad and what the heck are you doing kind of way. Yeah it's a big kind of crazy.

So I'm giving myself permission to stay hidden away. To fake sickness and stay at home watching re-runs of "America's Next Top Model" and "New Girl" (j'dore Zooey Deschanel). I'm giving myself space to try some new things and not try and explain it all away to anyone, not even myself. We'll see how it goes.

Who You Gonna Call...

At times this job just gets plain odd. Did you know the government lists paranormal investigator as a legitmate vocation?

No? Yeah me either until assigned to write about it for work.

Needless to say I've been listening to this all morning-


and now I'm kinda sorta obsessed.

Also I found this question on a paranormal investigator (ghost busting?) chat room:

What would a girl think if sometimes at night her boyfriend gets scared of ghosts and hides under the covers?with a flashlight and bat? I only get paranoid about ghosts a few times a year. I’m in my early 20’s. Is this normal? Would a woman tolerate this or is even doing this once a dealbreaker? And yes, I realize ghosts are probably not real and I’m too old for this.
Ladies? Anyone want to answer that for the poor guy?

aww-dorable

Tis the (wedding) season!
Love seems to be everywehre. Not only is New York finally started officially marrying gay couples (the photo above is from a New York Magazine shoot of the state's first legally married same sex couples) but I have what is sure to be an unreal amazing wedding next weekend and just saw a couple get engaged while on my afternoon run.

Love is so stinking cute.

Faux Pas

(from here)
For the uninitiated, uninterested or just plain out of practice, here's the 411: dating is awkward, like real awkward. In fact the only way to make it more awkward than it is naturally is to commit a fashion faux pas.

I know, I know, you're all shocked- "but you're usually so put together!" you cry.
True, like right now as I'm wearing harem pants with a toothpaste stain and an oversized t-..yeah, okay never mind, you didn't even pretend to believe that.

This latest fashion faux pas though happened while actually trying. You see, last night I went to a green light party and (gasp)wore green. Pause for those confused- a green light party is a morphed version of the college stop light party, where you pick the people you want to talk with (aka go home with/date) based on what color they're wearing. Green means single, Red taken, and yellow equals hanging out/seeing/whathaveyou with someone else but there to browse if something good comes along. Green light parties cut to the chase and only invite singles, letting them mingle while not being gawked at by those in red, excited to see singles in their natural habitat.

Anyway, I was told by a friend (who is actually a steller dresser, not a me steller dresser) to wear green since this is what you do. Only problem: NO ONE else got that memo...except for the two friends I was meeting. Meaning when we stood next to each other we formed the teal trio (okay so it wasn't actually green, but trust me: we were the only ones in the bar wearing anything remotely from the green family). Awkward turtle.

So what's a girl to do? In this case lie ("what? what party?? I'm just meeting a friend!" yep did that) and drink a beer or two until you get drunk on power (power people, not hops), then flirt with everything you meet. Course after walking away with a few numbers I then have to enter in the land of awkward texting. But that's another post for another day.

An Open Letter to Seattle

(from here)
Dear Seattle,

I think it’s time we had a little chat. You see, it’s summer and yet you remain stubbornly stuck in spring (or even fall; yeah that’s right I went there). And as much fun as it’s been to horrify/impress friends from home with facts like, this year there have only been 78 minutes of weather higher than 80 degrees, it’s getting old.

Yes, yes, I know: this weekend you pulled it together beautifully. Those were two magic days full of stunning blue skies and hot sweaty weather that made me only want to eat popsicles for the rest of my life. You gave me a sun warmed dock with incredible people, an excuse to float away on the relaxation station multiple times, and didn’t even burn any of my fair skin. Yes Seattle, you did good this weekend.

But then that brings us to today when I woke to thunderstorms with rain and a chill in the air. It was confusing, like really, really confusing (and not just because I’d spent the night before dreaming of the relaxation station). Suddenly I felt like I should be wearing boots and spending cold, gray evenings curled up in a coffee shop with a book. Not okay Seattle, not okay.

So I’m saying, give me summer. Give me days so hot I have to sleep in the basement because it’s the only place cool enough since nowhere in this city has air conditioning; give me a really good (bad) sunburn; give me days full of frozen fruit because it’s too dang hot to eat anything even if it’s at room temperature; give me hours of plotting how I will convince someone to lend me a boat so I can get some relief from the heat.

Do what you have to do Seattle, but give me summer.

xoxo

Sipping

(from here)
As of late I've been craving big glasses of white wine (yep, I said plural). I'm usually not a white fan so I suspect it's got a lot to do with the season. There's just something so summery about the uncorking pop of a bottle, the glug as it fills up a big glass (and it's got to be big, none of this polite, shallow bowl stuff) and the way the liquid automatically chills your glass as it hits it.
I've been dying to sit outside in the fading heat and light of the day, sipping wine while I stare at my painted toes and think or talk about nothing at all. Anyone interested in joining? I'll (alright am) doing it alone, but I thought I'd be polite and ask.

Of course maybe it's also because I've lately been watching way too much drunk kitchen. She just makes the possibility of burning your kitchen down look so much fun!

Babies yo

(this was found here)


Is there anything cuter than fat baby legs sticking out of salmon shorts or a little boy in a dinosaur sleeper shirt talking to himself in a three year old lisp as he carefully spells out his name on a piece of purple construction paper? Is there anything more annoying than a group of ten year olds banging on a window like monkeys or fighting over who gets to shoot the gun in the computer game their playing?

Sometimes my biological clock starts to tick and then the future of my future baby brings it to a screeching halt. Makes a girl confused, but at the same time so happy to be single.

Summer has come to Seattle

Finally. I guess it sort of makes sense since it is officially the first day of summer, but honestly Seattle: would of appreciated it a little bit sooner. Not that I don't love wearing sweaters in June and all.

But summer is finally here and it's all redish orange nailpolish, overgrown gardens, and watching Will & Grace on the big screen with wheat beer.

Pretty glorious and worth the wait (almost).

I'm Baaaaack

Apparently after taking the GRE and running a marathon all I want to do is check out a la Bruno Mars style. (You know, "The Lazy Song"? )Add to that some finally nice weather in Seattle, and both blogging and work seem to be the last things on my mind. Meh, I'm okay with that.

Unfortunately my rent and bills aren't (well with the work part, they don't seem to care as much about the blogging). Rude.

My coworkers today are some pretty sweet old ladies (one is rocking a denim tuxedo! and the other has hot pink running shoes on!!) and a little boy pretending to play football complete with cheering crowd noise and touchdown dance.
Since I can't be seven again I'm going to start planning my old years. I envision lots of hot pink lipstick and way too many necklaces. And I'm going to pretend to be deaf when I don't want to talk to people. Then shout "EH??" midway through their next sentence. Get your friendship applications in now because oh man, I'm going to be FUN.

What I've been doing:

Dancing in honky tonks:

Touring the Country Music Hall of Fame:

And running a marathon, NBD:


(Also, uploading pictures to facebook and avoiding work, but that kind of goes without saying)

Getting Ready

In two days I'll be on my way to Nashville. I'm nervous but excited; I'm the personification of that hysterical laughter that makes you want to move slowly away from the person doing it.

Also I need to do laundry and find a place to stay. Hmmm which to do first....

Coworkers round 2

Today my coworkers are an old man snoring in the chair behind me and the woman outside the window who is clearly living out of her car with her three small dogs.

Needless to say they got me dreaming of a sweet office space like this: from here.
or this one-it makes me feel industrious just looking at it:
from here
and this one (without the rug of course) but that window?? Yes please.
from here.

Growing up

(picture from here)
You ever have those days when you become everything you'd hoped you'd be as a small child? I had one of those today.

I was walking down the street eating a doughnut with pink frosting and pink sprinkles, wearing bright purple leggings when I suddenly realized, "awww yeah, this is why you become an adult".

Then I got a sweet high-five from six year old me (it's the same one I get from my 13year old self when I do an awesome job painting my nails).

aaand that's how I define being a grown-up.

Sitting

(from fffound)
This article from the NYT about sitting is pretty interesting. I think my favorite line in it would be when a researcher in the study call a person's muscles after sitting for too long "as silent as those of a dead horse". Yikes-what a visual.

The study even found that for every hour you spend watching TV it increases your risk of dying by 11% (!!). Almost makes me stop and think before I watch 30 Rock or Modern Family repeats. Almost.

Even though I don't think it's possible to completely avoid a sedentary cube job it's fun to think of what one could do to get out of that existence. Maybe periodic runs around the block? Meetings held during a yoga class? More of those silly looking balls for chairs? In the article they suggest treadmill desks which I think would cut down on productivity like whoa, but would be really fun. What about you? Any thoughts on how to stay active at work?

Call it Love, Call it Lust...

...but I can't stop thinking about these:


or these:


and for the days when I want to be short, these:



But then I guess I'll also have to ask Seattle to please, PLEASE stop raining nonstop like it has been for the last three hours. Sheesh give it a rest I get it: no sun for me today.

(all images from anthro)

Did you know...

there is such a thing as a cattery??? They're places where cats stay temporarily either when being bred or when their owners can't take care of them.



ALSO you can be a cattery owner! Which makes you a little like a cat RA, pimp, and foster parent rolled into one. And although I'm sure you throw cat birthday parties as a cattery owner, this picture from here sort of makes me wish you did. Ahhh the things I'm required to research in the name of work.

Another thing you should know: I'm now on twitter. al_morley. Follow me!

Today's coworker

Today my coworker is the old man sitting across from me at the library. He's wearing rainbow suspenders, rocking some seriously bushy eyebrows, and using a manifying glass to read the newspaper. He looks like this:

Except without the talking dog and floating house.

It has to be said: I love old people and libraries.

(picture found here)

Things To Do

Today's been one of those crazy productive days. Which is awesome because it makes up for yesterday which was one of those crazy unproductive days. I think by 5 o'clock I'd done two actual hours of work...yeah, it was that bad. Today though I'm flying through the writing (or at least I was) until I found this:


I'm obsessed and now just want to take a perma break until it's finished and hanging in my room.

(pic from designsponge)

Hatin'

There are times when I complain bitterly about this job. This usually happens when people get doughnuts at meetings, surprise birthday parties thrown for them by coworkers, or get to go to Mexico on business trips (seriously who does that??). But then there are days like today when I spend all morning looking at pictures like this:


and this:

in the name of research and realize I need to start appreciatin'.

(pics from here:http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-pets and here: http://www.cowbelly.com/index.html)

Upgrading the Office

It's (almost) spring! Which should probably mean cleaning, but here at the office means new! New gardening plots, suntans, and computers. After months of the old machine threatening to erase my hard drive every time I turned it on, I finally have a new machine humming away at my desk.

It's no:


or:


but it'll do.

I feel like I've just seen a unicorn

(picture from fffound)
Not only was I able to find a free parking spot in Capitol Hill completely unadorned with complex and confusing parking restriction signs, but the woman next to me actually started up a friendly normal conversation when I sat down.

And on top of all that it's sunny out today. Like looking for my sunglasses thinking I might soon have sun bleached hair sunny.

Now I'm not saying Seattle can't be a friendly place with great parking and sun, but...I feel like I've just seen a unicorn.

Just one of those days...

How I'm feeling expresed in a photo:


It's like I'm mentally moving with pounds upon pounds of armor on (or do I mean tons? how do you measure armor??).

Unfortunately my computer seems to be feeling the same way and no amount of tea or coffee is helping either one of us. boo.

Going Viral

This video has been making the rounds at the office*. There might have even been an impromptu dance part to it**.



*and by office I mean kitchen table
**and by might I mean it happened