Thanks Gala!

(iLiveAlive)

I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.

Arthur Rubinstein

+ Flickr searching “Puppies with hats”
+ Strong coffee
+ Sharing a printable Qdoba coupon with my office (Free meal when you buy a drink =$1.92)
+ Work voIP phones being down this morning; being fixed in under 1/2 hr.
+ Winning panties & cami from EdenFantasy on Twitter. #EdenNights
+ Lost premiers & reading theories online the day after.
+ Love Locks/Sweetheart Locks

Dear crazy bitch driving the blue Mazda 3,

I’m sorry! I had just left my friends house -we couldn’t get Lost to come on her cable box, so I was driving home to catch it there.

I know! I almost plowed into you in that turn, you were in my blind spot. Thank god you honked your horn!

I admit it way my fault! I was so focused on getting home! I needed my Lost!

I even mouthed, “I’m sorry” at that first red light! You saw me do that! We made eye contact!

I usually love people that drive Mazda 3’s -they look like smiley faces!


(UR SUCH A QT)

BUT…..

Did you really have to tailgate me for 20 minutes? I couldn’t even see your headlights you were so close! Did you have to follow me for 20 minutes to make me think you were going to kill me? Did I have to circle my neighborhood five times till you finally stopped following me?

You are seriously psycho.

Love,

Allie

I decided that once a week I’ll tell stories from my life. Not that I have too many crazy memories or great stories to tell, but at least this will be a nice place to house them all.

Okay, true story, I’ve hit two people in my life. (Well, three, but we don’t mention the third…ahem)

The first time I hit someone was my senior year of high school. I was taking a class named “Senior Survival” to fill up my credits and to get an easy A. It was a filler class, in it you learned how to balance a check book, set a table, buy a car, and …how to sew.

By this time in my life, I had already had my fair share of time behind a sewing machine, but on this particular day we were learning how to put in pockets. I was really excited and paying close attention.

Now, there was one girl in my class who had been a complete trouble making, disruptive, brat the entire year. She’d curse, interrupt… On this day, as the teacher was instructing us, she was at her worse.

After a few minutes of not being able to hear, I had enough. I turned to her and said, “Shut up, Come on!” (I told you I really wanted to know how to sew pockets.)

She got up, walked across the class room, and pushed my desk into me.

I stood up and just hit her -in the face.

Immediately, the class/teacher had us off each other.

In the end, she got expelled, and all the students/teachers had said she hit me first(?) so I got to learn how to make pockets.

The second time I ever hit someone, was at a St. Patrick’s day party my friend Luis was hosting. I think this was 2007.

It was a huge house party with a bonfire. Music was loud, and everyone I knew at the time was there. I had been drinking my fair share, and I remember having a wand with bells on it.

I started to run around the backyard with the wand, and then proceed to kick the folding chairs. (When I’ve had too much to drink, I have this “idgaf” attitude…flaw) Someone had brought over about 10 pellet guns, and I threw one into the fire, then a chair…

I kept running around, and people started to chase me. I was seriously being crazy. Finally, Luis caught me, and I started yelling, “I hate your house!” over and over. Luis then looked me in the eye and told me I was being a crazy bitch. (Hindsight, clearly I was.)

I smacked him in the face. Really hard, it stung my hand.

Luis then screamed at my boyfriend at the time to, “Take her the fuck home!” -which he did. In silence. all the way home.

He dropped me off, then went back to the party.

The next morning, when I woke up, I was covered in pen ink, and had a pad of paper scribbled with how sorry I was and how I would never drink like that again. -And I haven’t since then.

The ironic part of this story, is that I would eventually live in that house, which I had “hated” so much!

During the bombing raids of WWII, thousands of children were orphaned and left to starve. The fortunate ones were rescued and placed in refugee camps where they received food and good care. But many of these children who had lost so much could not sleep at night. They feared waking up to find themselves once again homeless and without food. Nothing seemed to reassure them. Finally, someone hit upon the idea of giving each child a piece of bread to hold at bedtime. Holding their bread, these children could finally sleep in peace. All through the night the bread reminded them, “Today I ate and I will eat again tomorrow.”

Linn, Dennis et. al, Sleeping with Bread

- LOST starts tonight (!!!YES!!!) and I have decided to skip my favorite yoga instructor to watch the premier. I think next week till May, I am going to DVR it while I’m yogaing/gyming, and ignore everything till I get home to watch it. I cannot stand spoilers. Who wants to swap theories with me?

- Grey Market plays Friday at the Orpheum in Ybor. I saw them with Black Moth Super Rainbow late last year and I really want to go to this show… It might not be possible since…

- I’m volunteering Saturday morning/afternoon with Habitat for Humanity. :D

- Sunday morning I’m going to a walk-though for volunteering at Social Fresh which is Monday! I’m very excited. I met someone else going, named Jessica through twitter, and we’ll be able to meet up. Yay for new friends.

- I won tickets to the Florida State Fair from Visit Tampa Bay, and it doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to use them till the 14th. (Valentines Day) I don’t know if that will really work out, but the fair ends the 15th! It’s really hard to work out weekend events since I work 12-4pm every Saturday. It really breaks the weekend. I need to talk to my bosses about nullifying that.

- Last weekend I went with one of my best friends, Joe, to a gig he has in St. Pete. He was playing dub-step. It just reminded me that I need to get back into the scene. Here is some dub-step for your listening pleasure. How can you not move? My hips won’t stop!

- Hear ye hear ye! The 2010 Bay Area Renaissance Festival starts on the 13th, expect to see some pictures from that. It’s one of my favorite things. & also proves my nerddom.

Soft Maps © are incredibly amazing! They quilted maps of cities and neighborhoods. I’ll take the Greenwich Village in a queen please! How soft do they look? The price tag is KILLER ($800), but would be well worth it.

I know the season is pretty much over, especially for us Floridians, but this scarf, named the Julian Scarf is so functional with it’s incorporated pockets. The website tells a story about two girls who went out dancing and whacked people with their big purses, so they invented this.

ttys! :D

This is the oldest picture of me I have on the internet. I was a freshman. (14)

Just wanted to share.

I told my friend Jessica that I would KILL for this hair color & cut. She quickly replied, “WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU WANT TO LOOK 70?!?!”

I laughed so hard. I still love that hair color. Can’t wait to be old!

The heart under your heart
is not the one you share
so readily    so full of pleasantry
& tenderness

it is a single blackberry
at the heart of a bramble
or else some larger fruit
heavy    the size of a fist

it is full of things
you have never shared with me
broken engagements    bruises
& baking dishes

the scars on top of scars
of sixteen thousand pinpricks
the melody you want so much to carry
& always fear    black fear

or so I imagine    you have never shown me
& how could I expect you to
I also have a heart beneath my heart
perhaps you have seen    or guessed

it is a beach at night
where the waves lap & the wind hisses
over a bank of thin
translucent orange & yellow jingle shells

on the far side of the harbor
the lighthouse beacon
shivers across the black water
& someone stands there    waiting

Craig Arnold

Haha, Thanks to NubbyTwiglet for reminding me of this song.

Look at this amazing piece by legendary German kitchen manufacturer’s Bulthaup!

So tidy and everything has it place & then closes up!

Here’s what’s going on this weekend!

Friday:

I’ve loaded my purse with printouts of Miss. Sasha Grey as reference, to take to the hairstylist tonight. I’m getting a much needed trim, but I also am ready for some bangs… I think. My long hair has really because a security blanket of sorts… but I am trying to remember it grows out.

Later tonight I think I am meeting up one of my good friends for coffee who I had a falling out with a few months ago. I am a bit anxious about how it’s all going to go. I’m trying to remain positive and hope for the best, since I’ve really missed this person in my life.

Saturday:

Morning; I am going to meet my friend Matt up at his job, Atomic Tattoo in the Brandon mall to catch up and visit for a bit, maybe get breakfast.

Afternoon; I work from 12-4, blarg! Make money!

Evening; I’m not really sure what I’m doing, my friend Lindsay wants to hangout, and then my friend Jessica was getting on me about not spending time with her… who knows really, it will probably involve drinking with someone.

Sunday:

I am going to see Manatee’s at the Manatee View Center with my friend Jen and her adorable one year old son, Orson. :) I think I am also going to take them both to lunch, just because I love her little guy.

In the evening, I think I’ll be hanging out with Gregg, we usually see a movie! :D ALTHOUGH, I have been challenged in Wisest Wizard by my friend Brett! Who knows!!!

I was just catching up on Joe the Peacock’s blog (go go go so amazing) and he posted this a few days ago. CLOSE YOU EYES it’s mindblowing!

PS. I found out one of my ex’s was/is in jail for Domestic Violence/Battery today,  hil-ari-ous. Well, not for his wife.

justinpeterson:

015: Record Covers Project

Number One | Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness

This is going to be a weekly thing on this blog, where I recreate an album cover of my favorite records of all time.  A best of list, if you will.  In no real order, either.  Just my favorite albums by my favorite bands.

So, first off, is Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness by the Smashing Pumpkins.

I love this album because it’s everything the Pumpkins were (on Gish and Siamese Dream) and, at the same time, it spelled out everything the Pumpkins would become. It was the blueprint for the Adore and Machina albums, Zwan… everything Corgan has done since this album, started with this album.

The unused tracks from this album were released on the Aeroplane Flies High boxset, which is just as amazing in it’s own right.  28 tracks that were tossed aside.  Tracks that Corgan thought couldn’t match the quality of those on Mellon Collie.  Tracks that would be any other bands best song.

I know for some fans that Siamese Dream is the best that the band ever was or will be, but I think that this is their best album and master statement.  However, it’s not my favorite album by them! Which one is then, you ask?  I’ll leave that for another post.

Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness was released on October 24, 1995.

I was 14 years old.

So great! I love it! :D

One of my favorite bloggers, Liz Franco, tagged me the other day to post seven things about me. I knew I would have to think carefully to provide something interesting for you to read. So here goes (in no particular order).

1. I played Trumpet for 10 years. I was a horrible musician but I loved marching season. I was terrified of playing in front of my Band Director, I would cry in his office! To this day, I am still unable to describe how it felt to be standing on the side lines at halftime before we went on, it was an amazing feeling. Like, we were going into a battle. (Am I sounding like a band nerd yet?) My trumpet was stolen on my last day of high school, & I haven’t played since, other than picking up a trumpet when I see one around, and finding out how horrible my embrasure is. Sometimes I day dream about buying a trumpet and picking it up again.

2. I didn’t drive till I was 20! I had my permit since I was 15, took drivers education, + all the other steps… but I didn’t have a car, nor could afford one, so I just never went and got my official license. I had a job since I was 15, so I rode my sweet beach cruiser (pictured above) that I drove to the pharmacy every day for work. :D I miss riding a bicycle everywhere -my commute to work now is 30-60 minutes!

3. I’ve never had a cavity or broken a bone. (Knocking on wood right now) I’m not sure if I’m lucky?, or just really not adventurous. I never jumped off swings or trees or other crazy kid stuff. The cavity part, oral hygiene was something drilled into my brain since I was little due to my mom who worked in a Dentist’s office and was pre-med for Dentistry for awhile till she switched majors. (She does nothing to do with Dentistry now, lol!) If I break my arm tomorrow, I am blaming this post.

4. I love wrapping gifts! Maybe it’s my Type A personality shining through, but I enjoy the precision of it. The folds, the corners, the geometry…. I know it’s selfish & silly, but I want MY gifts to stand out, to be commented on, to be the first to get opened. The best way to achieve this is to customize the gift wrap.

I’ve decided to break the random seven list for a bit, and list few ideas to send your gift straight to the head of the gift-wrapping class.

One thing to keep in mind: it’s always easier to wrap something in a box, and it usually looks better too.

Base:

- Plain brown craft paper; This can be found @ craft stores/post office -if your gift is small enough, you can recycle brown paper shopping bags!

- Newspaper; If you are lucky you can find newspapers in different languages,  with is always very cool.

- Tinfoil;  One word; Shiny!

- Maps; I can’t fold them back into their original shape anyways…

- Speciality Papers; Consider using origami or Japanese paper to wrap a gift.

- Vellum; Looks great over a plain color paper.

Embellishments:
(Pick a few and run with it)

- Twine, it comes in all colors!

-  Real Ribbon of different textures and widths.

- Buttons of various sizes and colors.

- Little toys

- Ornaments

- Chipboard shapes to make into tags

- Bells

- Stamps/Stickers/Letters

- Fake flowers/nature elements

- Glitter, the herpes of craft supplies.

- Japanese “washi” masking tape, found on Etsy.

- Pretty scrap booking paper, my favorite paper store ever is, Paper Source!

Put it together:

- Tape

- Scissors, perhaps Decorative Edge Scissors for even more flair?

- Glue dots

Making it happen:

- Wrap the gift with the paper of your choice. Here is a basic tutorial to get you started.

- Tie the gift with raffia/twine/ribbon/yarn/ect etc… the same way you would normally tie a package.

- Cut several more pieces of various lengths; use these to add more interest to the top of the gift. Tie the pieces around the original knot you tied.(Where you’d usually put a bow)

- Add some stuff from the embellishment area. If you are lucky enough to have items with loops, or holes, just thread the item your tie choice. However, if this isn’t an option, you will want to use glue dots. (Or hot glue for heavy duty holding) In one of the pictures above, there are some pom-poms, here is an easy tutorial.

- and you are done! I hope that inspires you, or at least the links send you in the right direction. :) Now back to out regularly scheduled programing… Random 7!

5. I’m a recovering nail-biter. I stopped biting late last summer when I was working, and had time to focus on it. I used to bite my nails so badly my nail beds would bleed! I bought this AMAZING STUFF, by Nutra Nail, then just stopped biting. I’d paint them every single day with the miracle amazing growth formula nail polish, and it worked, somehow I trained myself to quit biting. Lately though :\ I have been biting a little, I think it’s because I’m driving so much. (Anxiety!!)

6. This is surprising to most people, but I really like country music and bluegrass. I don’t know any of the singers/song writers, but I typically listen to country radio stations when I’m in my car. I’ve liked Bluegrass since I was little kid and my father is from Kentucky, and I started liking Country music in general when I was going through some tough times, and I found country music to be positive and uplifting.

7. I believe the Universe is full of magical little moments. Rainbows & Moonbows, Breath-taking sunrises & sunsets, the sweet older gentleman who helps you with your groceries to your car, the way a toddler will plop down in your lap & hug on you, a friend who calls and invites you out telepathically when you are having a day filled with grumps, the person who does let you merge, the way you’ll find a leaf in the shape of a heart, this list could go on forever… I try to remember to appreciate every single magical moment that comes into my life.

I’m tagging; Renee, Jamie, Lindsay, Mike, Kelli, Brian, Frado, & Gregg.
Thanks Liz! This was fun :D