Get Out of my Face(book)
(alternate working title, Get out of Myspace)

I'm an online addict. I am not afraid to admit that. And like most twenty-somethings I use the internet as an enhancement to just about every part of my life. I find new recipes, I chat with friends, I pay my bills, I apartment hunt, I read my news. I've attempted (very unsuccesfully) to do online dating. I've attempted (more successfully) online job hunting. I can't, and won't, get away from the world wide web.

In the past couple of weeks I have been doing some inventory. I have five e-mail accounts. Five! Is that normal? And what is even more freaky is that I have been completely sucked into the wonderful world of online friendship/networking/long-lost-best-friend websites. It started long ago with Friendster. And I was down with that. But now there's Facebook. And most recently there is Myspace. Not to mention the dating website of which I am still (an unsuccessful) member. Updating my profile on all of these places is a job in itself. I feel intense pressure to change my picture when I cut my hair or make sure people know that I now have a job and that no, I'm still not done with my thesis, but I'm content and happy and you should adore me because of these things. AHHHH!!! A few weeks ago Rachel decided she was done with these kinds of internet sites. I can't blame her, but then again she's always been the sane one in this friendship.

And you know what's nuts. I like sitting for hours "searching" for people I once knew. I've become one of those people. And when people want to add me as a buddy I get all excited, like this long lost internet friendship is going to really become something...something bigger than it was in real life. It's a sickness. A sickness I suppose I don't mind having becoem I'm not taking any steps to stop the behavior. If only there was a way to stop all of the crazy men who find my picture to be "hot " and/or "sexy" and think that sending a quick e-mail full of run on sentences is going to be the way to steal my heart. If I could make that stop it might help. Maybe...

Tag FOUR!

Four Jobs I’ve Had:
--caterer/chef
--university tour guide
--communication specialist for a computer company
--marketing director

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
--Funny Girl
--Steel Magnolias
--The Way We Were
--Grease

Four TV Shows I Love to Watch:
--Grey's Anatomy
--The Cosby Show
--Designing Women
--Everyday Italian w/ Giada de Laurentis

Four Places I’ve Been on Vacation:
--Italy
--Santa Monica, CA
--Las Vegas
--Georgetown, Grand Caymen

Four Favorite Dishes:
(so hard for a foodie!)
--Chocolate Souffle
--My mom's beef enchiladas
--buffalo wings (I know, I'm channeling a frat boy)
--my beef tacos

Four Websites I Visit Daily:
--My Yahoo!
--Dooce
--USA Today
--Southwestern University

Four Places I’d Rather Be:
--Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village, NYC
--A vineyard...anywhere USA or abroad
--at a taping of the Oprah Winfrey Show
--flying a kite in the park with a picnic of assorted cheeses and a nice pinot grigio

Four Others I’d Like to Tag:
--Barbara
--Rachel
--Stephanie
--Danielle

Is it really already Friday? And St. Patrick's Day? And cloudy with a big chance of rain?

I feel like I have compleletly zombie-walked through the last 72 hours. I do know that I roller skated through some of those hours but mostly I think I just glided. Elly's trip was so much more than I could ever put into a blog post. She left on Monday and I have thought about trying to write all week and then realized it would be so much less exciting in print than it was in real life. Suffice it to say, I stayed up way too late every night and my twenty-five year old body is absolutely pissed about it. But my spirit, she is more alive than she has been a very long time. Droopy eyes and cravings for vegetables and water are a small price to pay for dancing the Cotton Eyed Joe, sipping way-too potent sangria, and laughing until I cried. And crying until I remembered something that made me laugh. Plus, Elly got to be here for the greatest surprise that I have ever been a part of! (Congratulations you two!)

For someone who didn't get a "spring break" I sure did manage to squeeze a lot into my work week. I plan to spend the weekend recovering before the students get back on campus next week. Well, except for the St. Patty's festivities tonight and the bbq and beer festivities of tomorrow. So, Sunday, I'll recover on Sunday. I bet that will be some really good sleep.

I've been preparing for nine months

Elly arrives from New York tonight for a long weekend of Ebony and Texas style love. I'm sure there will be stories to tell. I am also sure they will involve mass amounts of food and alcohol.

Stay tuned, stories to follow...

Constructive Criticism?
My office has a website. On that website there is an area for students to submit feedback. Today's submitted comment read:

"Stop Sucking!"

Oh to be young and full of angst and hatred of the man.

I just never thought I would be the man. Maybe administration wasn't such a good idea...

Sugar Free Syrup...and Other Nonsense
I met some friends yesterday morning for breakfast at IHOP in honor of National Pancake Day. As we were sitting at the table, my co-worker, seated in front of three pancakes, eggs, bacon and hashbrowns says "Man, I should really have asked for the sugar free syrup!" Right, because that evens out the rest of the meal.

My mother is a huge fan of that new game show on NBC. At one point during each episode they tell the audience to text message in your answers from your cell phone for your chance to win $10,000. My mother, the gambler, loves this challenge despite the actual odds of winning. The only problem is tha she doesn't know how to use the text message feature on her phone. The last couple of times I've just done it for her because that's the easy way out. Last night, she interrupts me in the middle of The Gilmore Girls to send the message, I showed her how to do it herself during the commercial break instead. Just this afternoon I got a text message back from the game show thanking me for playing. Apparently at some point last night, when I wasn't looking, my mom stole my cell phone and sent a message-to improve her odds I'm sure--from my cell phone. I guess that's what I get for teaching an old dog new tricks.

It is currently 85* outside, blue skies with a slight breeze. I'm in a denim skirt and sandals watching the squirrels play in the trees outside of my office window. Happy March 1st!