Lisa: haircut

On Sunday I went insane and hacked off a bunch of my hair. Sarah helped me even it out, and this is what we ended up with:

Could be worse. Oh, I colored it myself on Sunday, too. Feel free to psychoanalyze my sudden need to change everything about myself. Or my ongoing need to take pictures of myself.

P.S. Happy anniversary, Blake! I love you.

Lisa: pants only, please

At the Alexander McCall Smith thing I went to (which was awesome), I couldn't help but immortalize the vest I found in front of me. I am so happy to get to share that experience with all of you fine people.

A few days later, at Chili's (that mecca of up-to-the-minute fashion), I saw these two shirts:

At first I thought the shirt on the left was just patriotic, but upon closer inspection it turned out to actually be patriotic MICKEY MOUSE. Good times.

Suddenly I understood what must have been the intended purpose of this sign i found in the basement of the Conference Center.

Lisa: there but for the grace of god

If I had a myspace, this would totally be my profile picture. Because I would be the type of person who has a myspace.

In other news, the apres running pictures obviously were filling some kind of deep-seated need I have to plaster the internet with my face. HI, INTERNET!!!! IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING THIS IS WHAT I LOOK LIKE!!!!!!!! But at least I don't have a myspace, so thank goodness for small favors.

Edited to add: Ugh.

Lisa: everything in its place

Several months ago, someone Blake occasionally works for hired me to organize his wife's office while she was out of town. Risky, I know, but I think the results were worth it. And for some reason I'm more motivated to organize other people's stuff than my own (who knows, maybe it's the fact that I got paid).

Here's the desk area before...

And after.

Here's the inside of one of the cubbies in the hutch of the desk.

The other end of the room has a window flanked by two armchairs. Here's the area before...

And then after!

We got a table/file cabinet thing that would hold legal-size documents to go under the window.

For good measure, here's the newly organized interior of the office's 'supply closet.'

So...if you know anyone else who needs help getting organized, let me know. I'm no Megan Benson, but if it involves drawers or bins or labels of any kind, I'm your girl.

Lisa: I love you, Fitzy

Pride and Prejudice retold with dolls.

Shh! Shhhhhh!

Go read it now. You will thank me.

Sarah: I had a birthday.

... And so we went to Crown Burger. Because that is what we do. Jessie wasn't feeling well enough to hang out, but Mallory, Marci, Lisa, my little brother Jeff (previously photographed here), and I hung out at Crown Burger and then drove around in an attempt to find a place with music, for dancing, that wasn't full of old people. We didn't find one, so we went back to Lisa's house to watch my birthday present from Marci. It was fun. Unfortunately, my extreme Diet Coke intake led me to believe that my fuzzy pictures were "art photography," so... there are many blurry photos that, after I took them I cried "IT'S ART!"

So. Here is the night's events as I captured them on film:

Lisa and Jeff sat across the booth from me.

I kept the second picture uncropped so that you could begin to appreciate the decor inside Crown Burger. IT IS A CASTLE, Y'ALL. Next time I'll photograph the tapestry that hangs between the soda fountain and the restrooms.

Mal sat next to me, and she looked very pretty.

And she was made of ART!

I was fascinated by our eyeliner.

And the sparkles from Lisa's ring delighted me.

Self-photography delighted Lisa.

As it did me, apparently...

(Those are going straight onto my MySpace.)

Then Marci got off work and met up with us.

The halo effect created by the flourescent lights? That, my friends, is no coincidence.
So everybody says hi...

And I took some art photos of Marci, my muse...

While at Crown Burger, I took art photos of my cup,

Lisa's purse and belt,

and I more closely inspected Jeff's shirt.

While driving around looking for a place to dance, I took numerous art photos not really worth posting, but I mostly just liked this picture of Lisa. I think she looks pretty.

Sarah: The Battle of the Pronunciations

Just to clear up any debate: Zenith can be pronounced "zE-nith" or "zen-ith."

See the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam Webster Online.

Sarah: Houston, We Have Internet

That's right, after two weeks, I figured out my internet in my new apartment. Now if I could just figure out the whole wireless thing...

Oh yeah, did I tell you I got a new apartment? I'm loving it, except that I just killed a spider that was about the size of a quarter (well, including the legs).

I'm not sure what to say about our books right now. Apparently it isn't enough that Lisa and I share a passion for Britney Spears and karaoke. We have to share a strange obsession with book cover art featuring paper-bag-covered heads.

I highly recommend my featured book, Why Girls Are Weird. Pamela Ribon made me laugh out loud as I attempted to clandestinely read a few pages of this novel at work. I cried as I read in my bed at night, staying up far too late because I couldn't put it down. I've been a fan of her website for a long time, but this book really impressed me with her captivating story telling and unique look at life. I cared about the main character and felt she had something to teach me about myself. I can't think of something better to have in a novel. Thanks, Pamie.

Sarah: I ain't got no strings to hold me down.

Oh. Heck. Yes.

There are perks to working at a small software company. One of those perks is being able to get advice from the VP of Development on how to get your wireless router to communicate with your computer as you walk to the nearby gas station to fill your plastic cups with Diet Coke.

I am sitting on my couch with my laptop, many feet away from the router. That's right: I am wireless.

Thanks Steve.

Lisa: TOOL OF THE WEEK

So, you know how sometimes clothes are made of spandexy material? Especially exercise clothes? And you know how when you exercise, you might sometimes sweat? If you're doing it right? Well, have you ever noticed that clothing made of spandexy material sometimes has a...stank...to it that doesn't go away with washing and just gets worse and worse the more you sweat in it? No? Well I have noticed the stank.

Mariko noticed it too, and recommended Win detergent, which is apparently available not far from me at the Salt Lake Running Company. The thing is that my washer uses high-efficiency detergent, and besides I was hesitant to buy special expensive detergent from the expensive running store for only a few items.

I have been unimpressed by Febreze in the past, but when I was at Harmons the other day, I couldn't help but notice a new flavor: Antimicrobial. I bought a bottle and gave it a try. No more stank! Success! And I can continue to use my regular high efficiency detergent and only target the stinky items.

FEBREZE ANTIMICROBIAL: It Gets the Stank Out.

P.S. I hope Sarah doesn't mind that I hijacked her category. But seriously, you should try this stuff.

Sarah: Be-Dazzled by Your Website

Even before Taryn Manning showed me how to make my own shirts styled after those found in Crossroads, I knew I desired and loved the Bedazzler. I did not, however, know that I loved the Bedazzler website. It is bright, flashy, obnoxious, and loud. In short, it is the epitome of Bedazzling. Check it out. If your computer won't play the video, find a computer that will. The Bedazzler is for personal AND business use. I don't know why I'm not already rich. But I do know that I'll be changing the Bedazzler's priority on my Amazon wishlist from "medium" to "high."

Sarah: I found the love inside of me.

Dave and I had been talking about his band's upcoming show when he suddenly changed the subject:

Dave: So you know the Whitney Houston song, "The Greatest Love of All"?
S: Yes.
D: Poor Whitney. I don't think things have turned out for her the way she imagined when she was singing that song.
S: I think you are right.
D: "No matter what they take from me, they can't take away my dignity"
S: Yeah, I don't know who screwed up, but somehow her dignity was lost.
D: "If I fail, if I succeed, at least I live as I believe." Um, ya. Have you seen her lately? She looks ROUGH.
S: Very rough.
D: All the heroin and the domestic abuse has taken a toll.
S: As it would...

Sorry, Whitney. It hurts us too.

Lisa: BookCrossing

The awesome and hilarious illustrator Lane Smith mentioned BookCrossing in his latest blog, and I had to go check it out. Basically, the idea is that you register a favorite book with the site, then leave it somewhere. If someone finds the book, they read it, comment about it on the BookCrossing site, and then leave it for another reader to find.

The site is a little heavy on the italics and hyperbole, and I think public libraries and charity shops essentially already meet this need, but the idea is still fun. The most exciting part to me would be to track who gets your book or where it ends up. Plus, you can take a picture of it next to some goats!

Lisa: TOOL OF THE WEEK

I know everyone already knows about

YOUTUBE,

but seriously. Where else can you find the Osmonds completely rocking out, Mormon-style (thanks, Heather!)? Or the worst music video ever? Or D-Bo dancing on Angel? And all on the same website?

Thanks, YouTube, for improving my quality of life.

Lisa: I have admitted I am powerless over TWoP

I am quitting Television Without Pity cold turkey--at least the Office forums. Please suggest alternative but less addictive pastimes in the comments.

Sob.

Lisa: a long time ago we used to be friends

I survived my ten-year high school reunion.

Blake was a good sport and came with me to the dinner part on Friday night. Here we are with Melissa (left) and Emily.

Here I am again with Charles, whose endlessly capable wife Mindy planned the whole reunion. In this picture I look about one-fourth as freaked out as I felt about the whole thing. My dress was pretty hot though--Sarah pointed out it was even worn to the premiere of Step Up by Arielle Kebbel, who played Dean's wife on Gilmore Girls.

Saturday morning we had a picnic so that everyone could bring their kids. Below: Jaak, Molly, me, Blake (not MY Blake), and Marianne.

The main thing I learned at the picnic was that all babies hate me. Seriously, I would try to hold them and they would look at me and scream, violently flail away from me, turn into a limp noodle in an attempt to slither down to the ground, or some combination of the three. I think they can sense my complete non-emanation of any kind of mothering vibe. Don't worry, Charles the 4th (below) was much bigger when I tried to hold him, so there was no actual breakage.

Saturday night I felt somewhat redeemed because these kids don't hate me.

They love me. But at least part of that is because I will draw pictures on the table-paper on demand. A tiger? A snake? A giraffe? Abraham Lincoln? You got it.

A tiny baby monkey? There's nothing I'd rather do right now than draw that for you.

In other but not less self-absorbed news, I now own a magenta RAZR phone. It is the awesomest phone of all time AND its camera has a special function just for taking self-portraits. That's right. Maybe I will use all of these...

to make one of those photomosaics where all the tiny pictures (of my face) make up one giant picture (of my face). Maybe then the gods of vanity will be appeased. You can only hope.

Sarah: Ew.

There are times to do some cleaning, and then there are times to move out of your apartment. The moment I discovered this little surprise was borderline. I may not sleep for days.

Sarah: Try the Peach Cobbler!

I took a short roadtrip with my parents and Dave last weekend, and this sign was next to our hotel:

Notice anything strange? Let's take a closer look...

That's right. The restaurant where I enjoyed my breakfast proudly served pies made by actual hos. After reading this sign, my mom ordered a piece of rhubarb pie for the four of us to share in our hotel room. Interesting.

Lisa: Heartbreaker, got the best of me

Monday morning I was blissed out in front of a Grey's Anatomy rerun on the TiVo, when this promo caught me unawares. I admit I teared up a little. It was nothing compared to the Sobfest of May Ought-Six, which almost got me banned from TV-watching entirely. ("But what about Dean and OTHER Dean??? SOOOOOBBBBBB!!!!!!") And at least I wasn't the only one rendered emotional by one ridiculous minute of old footage.

Apparently I'm also not the only one who has noticed that Katherine Heigl is the perfect woman. She is so gorgeous and glowing, and not all skinny and brittle like most of Hollywood. She looks like a real woman, but the most perfect real woman who has ever been born. She is totally on my list. Ahem.

September 21st is either going to be the happiest or saddest day of my life.