A penguin by the side of the road

I swear, I thought I saw a penguin today by the side of the road. I had just left a work retreat and maybe my eyes were a little crossed after talking shop for 5 1/2 hours straight. I was driving back to my office and I thought I saw a penguin by the side of the road. I jumped, my heart skipped a beat and I held my breath. The "penguin" was just a big chunk of black and white ice/snow. Maybe I've been working too hard?

All about Nichole

I haven't seen Nichole for almost seven months so I was so excited when her wonderful husband, Alex bought her a ticket to Columbia for Christmas. She got here on Friday and we spent a weekend just being girls. Mostly we shopped, watched lots of movies and ate entirely too much. My favorite part of the weekend was Friday night when we were trying to go to sleep. We kept thinking of more things to talk about and even though we were both tired, and should have been sleeping, we kept talking. It was reminicent of middle school sleepovers and not wanting the night to end. Alex, if you're reading this, I hope there are many more weekends like this in the future!


(Taina, Nichole, Sharita, me and Rachel) Saturday we had a great girls breakfast and then a good time shopping. What makes for successful shopping? I bought three pairs of shoes.

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Eight

Appetizer
If you could take lessons to learn any musical instrument, which would you want to learn?
Piano

Soup
Have you ever mistaken a person for someone else?
Yes, in fact this happened recently. I can't remember the exact circumstances only that I was very embarrassed.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?
It depends, if it's a secret that a good friend asks me not to tell than absolutely a 10. I've completely kept secrets. If it's an acquaintance or something that I know I probably shouldn't tell but nobody has specifically asked...well, probably not so much a 10. Not even close.

Main Course
What's the closest you've ever been to a dangerous animal?
At the zoo...I do remember staring at a gorilla behind glass at the KC Zoo when there were signs that said to not make eye contact or stare. The gorilla looked pretty mad.

Dessert
When was the last time you lost your patience?
I'm not sure if I completely lost my patience but I do know I've felt frustrated several times at work this week. Nothing unbearable or unmanageable but definitely frustrated at the way several people want me to do something immediately because of their poor planning.

Name game

I thought this was cool. You can look up facts about your name. How many people have your first name, last name and first and last name.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 22 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Dear Nichole

Dear Nichole,
I went to FYE at the mall last night with Meagan. Imagine my surprise when we accidentally stumbled upon Jordan Knight, Love Songs. That's right, just in time for Valentine's Day. He even sings a duet with Deborah "Debbie" Gibson. Since you will be here tomorrow, I almost purchased it so that we could listen to it over a candlelit dinner but, alas, Amos Lee and KT Tunstall won out. I do, however, have a feeling that on the cover of the cd he's in deep thought about you.

Yours truly,
Amy (aka Donnie's girl)

Music 8 Ball

I got this one from Nichole who got it from Verbatim.

Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.

1. What does next year have in store for me?
The Boy With the Thorn in His Side - The Smiths

2. What's my love life like?
Jackass - Beck

3. What do I say when life gets hard?
Be Here Now - Ray LaMontagne

4. What do I think of on waking up?
It's Over - Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories

5. What song will I dance to at my wedding?
Bat Out of Hell - Meatloaf
I'm kind of embarrassed that this one showed up on my iPod.

6. Favorite saying?
I'm Willing - Ben Lee

7. Favorite place?
Let it Die - Feist

8. Drug of choice?
Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back) - Dave Matthews Band

9. Describe myself.
Tomorrow Morning - Jack Johnson

10. What is the thing I like doing most?
Moon River - Bobby Darin

11. What is my state of mind like at the moment?
Save Me - Jem

12. How will I die?
Kamera - Wilco

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Seven

Appetizer
Which television shows do you just refuse to miss?
I don't think there's any television show that I couldn't live without for a week but I regularly watch Grey's Anatomy, Veronica Mars, Nip/Tuck and Lost.

Soup
Who did you last speak to on the telephone?
Someone from our Creative Services Department.

Salad
How many pillows do you keep on your bed?
Embarrassingly enough I have eight pillows. This is why I refer to my bed as the princess bed. Two are just decorative pillows so technically there are six pillows while I'm sleeping.

Main Course
Name one addition to your computer (software, hardware, etc.) that you'd love to have.
At home, I would just love to have a new computer. I still need to make the upgrade from dial-up. I know that's embarrassing but I just don't use it much and I keep putting off on the upgrades. At work, my computer is great.

Dessert
What is your favorite foreign food?
It's probably between Thai food and Chineese.

Hard to blog

I fell on the ice Tuesday night. In doing so, I used my right hand to break the fall. The pain continued to get worse until yesterday I went to the doctor and got x-rays. Not broken but badly sprained. I'm wearing a splint, taking lots of Motrin and spent yesterday in my bed sleeping and putting ice on it. It's still really hard to type and use my right hand. I should probably not leave the house unless I'm wearing a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads, although this still probably wouldn't have helped my wrist.

Mr. Frog

I commissioned Cristin to make this adorable frog hat for my friend, Micah who just gave birth to her first baby, Lynton. Micah has an affection for frogs. I might be partial but I think baby Lynton will look adorable in this hat.

The ice storm

An ice storm hit the midwest on Friday afternoon and I've been iced in ever since. Church was even cancelled today and the weather is just wild. Cabin fever has struck and I'm afraid I'm going crazy. I've cleaned my apartment. I have grown tired of watching television and I fear I've bothered my neighbors too much. I'm dying to put on some make up and get out of here. I never thought I'd say this but I wish I had to work tomorrow. I don't think I can stand one more day in my apartment. At least I have the big event - The Golden Globes - to look forward to!

Yours truly,
Girl About Couch

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Twenty Six

Appetizer
What comes to mind when you see the color orange?
I would like to say that it reminds me of a beautiful sunset but instead probably a phase I went through in my college years when it was my favorite color. I had orange everything.

Soup
Did you ever get in trouble while you were in school? If so, what was it for?
I can remember a few times that I got into trouble. Nothing serious but always for talking. Imagine that...

Salad
Which topping(s) make up your perfect pizza?
I usually prefer pepperoni pizza and sometimes with mushrooms. Every now and then, veggetarian pizza.

Main Course
Do you believe in UFOs/aliens/etc.? Why or why not?
When I was younger I definitley believed. Now, I definitely lean towards not believing in aliens or UFOs.

Dessert
What color is your bedspread/comforter/quilt?
My bed is my favorite subject. I have a down comforter with a brown duvet cover. It is, perhaps, the best part of my bed.

Guitar hero

I was at this large outdoor festival. I had on a black dress and felt strangely out of place. People were singing and dancing to the music but the crowd was a bit out of control. Not so kind to those performing. I was asked to go on next. I didn't know how to play the guitar or the song. I was nervous and began to pace. I even hid. Finally, I could sense the crowd settling down as if they were ready for me. I was scared to death. I asked someone to give me a quick tutorial with the acoustic guitar and headed through the field and onto the stage. I sat down and just as I began to play my alarm went off waking me from this dream.

Grapple, anyone?

It might look like an ordinary apple but it's a grapple. Yup, looks like an apple, smells like a grape and tastes like grape-apple. Meagan introduced me to this wonder last night. I admit, I was a bit scared to try it. But I did and it was magical and delicious.

What I'm reading

The Boy Detective Fails. The jury is still out but so far, it's a very interesting book with an even more interesting premise.

House party!

House sitting is especially fun with good friends around and a hot tub and lots of great food followed by a great movie, Little Miss Sunshine.

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Twenty-Five

Appetizer
Which celebrity (or celebrities) do you think will make headlines this year?
I'm going to go with the obvious: Britney Spears, Nichole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton.

Soup
They say that good things come in small packages? What is something little that you think is great?
Jewelry

Salad
Name a song that makes you want to dance.
Ever since I saw the musical, Mama Mia I've been singing ABBA songs like crazy. They all pretty much want to make me dance.

Main Course
What is your favorite font?
Agaramond

Dessert
If you were to write a do-it-yourself article, what would it be about?
I know a lot of crafty people but I'm not one of them. It would probably be about shopping or essential pieces for any wardrobe.

Things that make you go hmm...

There are some things that just make me nauseous. 'Nough said.

New Year's Eve

Mama Mia in Chicago.