Procrastination

Lately I've been trying to work really hard on a project that needs to get done. Desperately. I'm not ready to officially blog about said project, for fear that something will go wrong and I'll have to answer to cyberspace about my failure. So in the meantime, we'll just call it "Project Crap."

Project Crap and I have been at a bit of a stalemate; however, I have recently seized control and am trying to barrel through the remaining pieces of it. And by "pieces" I mean "ginormous chunks." I find that it's easy to get sidetracked, especially by checking my email, reading blogs, etc. Imagine my joy at finding Joel's list of things I can do to further stall!

Thanks, Joel!

PS: Don't worry, Project Crap, you know you're still my number 1. [Resigned sigh.]

Change it up.

We have a very casual dress code at work. Jeans are typical fare around the office, though sometimes I like to dress up to add a little spice to the mundane work week. This can result in compliments from my coworkers, which is really nice until the compliments turn into shock. Then I pause to wonder just how bad I must look the rest of the time.

Anyway: On Monday I was interviewing a job candidate, so I decided I should look nice. I was relatively pleased with my outfit for the first 45 minutes.

As the day progressed, I realized that I wasn't feeling it. My pants were too big and the cute cardigan was not working as I expected it to. Exasperated, I told my coworkers that I looked like a preschool teacher in an art smock. (Not that there's anything wrong with that. I happen to be a big fan of both the art smock and preschool teachers. It just wasn't the look I was going for. I wanted, "Hi, I'm a professional. Let's see if you're right for the company." Instead I was feeling, "Johnny, please keep the paint on the paper and the brush out of your nose.")

When I expressed my frustration, Brandon (coworker), said, "Change it up." Brandon is a man of few words.

I thought, "Whoa. Brandon's right. If I don't like something in life, I need to change it up. It's in my control." (Obviously, this can apply to more situations than just the riveting wardrobe choices of Courtney.)

So Tuesday I came to work in what Ruth (coworker) called a "rocker" look. Yesterday I went alternative. Today...well, I don't know what I'm going for today other than to just clothe my body.

It's more fun when you dress up.

Last night for Family Home Evening, Wade taught us how to play handball. Naturally, Dixie and I decided that we should dress accordingly. I was especially excited to use my old-school Topsy Tail to twist my ponytail around the sweatband.


I decided that what I lacked in skill, I could make up for in spirit. Attitude really makes a difference in life. Now I'm not about to say that I always bring the perfect attitude to every situation (because that is sadly just not true), but I have found that when I try, it can make a world of difference.

So whether it's putting on your eye black or putting on your best smile, sometimes it all about bringing your A-game.

Sunburn

A note about the picture in the last post: I have a random, killer sunburn right now. Last Saturday I went to the NC State football game (Go Pack!). I had a blast and loved watching the game. Special thanks to Katie for the ticket!

However, I was totally unprepared for the sun and got a wicked sunburn. I'm not so much sun-kissed as sun-groped. Best of all, I have a definitive outline of where my sunglasses were (people say it looks like I've been skiing). In addition to my face, I have two burnt arms and a burnt neck. I'm not even exaggerating – it's been the kind of sunburn where random people point it out to me (I'm talking to you, bagger at the grocery store – and you, coworker who can't stop laughing). Oh well – at least I'm sporting my Wolfpack red!

The Four-Drink Challenge

I went to Red Robin for dinner the other night and ordered a Peachy Keen drink (some combo of Sprite, peach syrup, and peaches). When our waiter, Jordan, brought it out, he mentioned that I could get refills of any of Red Robin's four bottomless beverages. He jokingly said that I could try them all. I decided, "Game on, Jordan." (Not that it was a game – Jordan was willing to go along with it, for which I tipped him well.)

Here's my review:
1. Peachy Keen: My 2nd favorite. The Red Robin in Apex makes a better one. Sorry, Cary.
2. Blueberry Pomegranate Limeade: Jordan's favorite, but a little too tart for me. Dixie had to drink most of it so that we could move on to drink #3.
3. Very Berry Raspberry Limeade: At this point, I realized that I don't like limeade that much.
4. Freckled Lemonade: This is a strawberry lemonade and probably my favorite. I held it for last so that I could end on a good note :)

I enjoyed my sampler, but I must admit that I didn't feel so good later that night. Shockingly, perhaps 4 beverages in one sitting isn't such a great idea. (Yes, I really drink with my finger out like that. I don't know why.)

Impulse Buy?

Stores seem to love lining checkout aisles with little last-minute purchases. Candy, magazines, etc. Imagine my surprise at this "impulse" item in the checkout line at the Dollar Tree.

Is someone going to wait in line and think, "I really could use some glue sticks - I just ran out. And oh yeah, am I pregnant?"

Wild Kingdom

Occasionally, it seems as if my apartment is in the midst of a bit of a jungle. My roommate, Dixie, and I refer to this phenomenon as "Wild Kingdom." The wildlife has included spiders, slugs, and ants. Plus, there was the night of the dreaded sidewalk millipedes. Let me tell you - those prehistoric-looking critters can definitely make good time. It must be all the legs ;)

There are also quite a few earthworms. They normally come out when it rains, but the other night, I was quite shocked to see this guy wriggling his way across the concrete. He had to be a foot long. I used my flip-flop for a scale comparison in the picture.

In attempting to find out how long earthworms can grow, I came across this website: http://yucky.discovery.com/flash/worm/pg000216.html. I was drawn to the fact that the domain name is "yucky discovery." Upon further investigation, I found a little interview with Eddie Earthworm. Here's a sample of what it's like (note: I'm leaving the punctuation, spelling, etc. as it appears on the site):

Dateline: Dirt with Eddie the Earthworm

Wendell: We're here doing a worm in the dirt interview with Eddie the Earthworm. Eddie, what do you want to say to the folks at home today?
Eddie: Wendell, we worms have gotten a bum rap. We don't get no respect. So what if we're slimey? Our mucous keeps us moist -- so we can breathe through our skin! So what if we eat leaves and dirt -- that's our hamburger and fries! Does that give people the right to call us yucky? OR to scream when they see us?