Breathe out, so I can breathe you in

Oh GOSH do you know it's going to be an excellent blog post when I quote EVERLONG in the title. It's like the apex (makes tiny triangle over head) of creativity. You're thinking, this girl knows her epically popular 90s songs and this blog post is going to be goooooooood.

Unfortunately, I have nothing to write about.

When I sit down to write a blog post with nothing to say I end up sounding equal parts stoned and equal parts suicidal. (Note: I am neither. OR AM I? I am not.)

(Also, the more parentheticals I use THE BETTER. AM I RIGHT? Note: This also applies to CAPS.)

So what's been up, boyee? Not too much. Not too much. I just opened a bag of Sun Chips and the bag made such a loud noise Jeff immediately said, "You're gonna need a plate."

It's that kind of up to date information on my life you've been missing.

Possible topics for this post were pitched as:

1. The Rape Condom

2. The Human Centipede.

3. [Redacted]

4. Camel Spiders

5. My singing abilities

6. Bras or Pants -- which sucks more to wear?

I don't think I should touch the first two (LITERALLY! Hey-o!) because this is a family blog. Also: Don't google camel spiders. They will haunt your dreams and then actually eat out your brains through your eyeballs in your sleep. Or so I've been told.

My singing abilities were "shown off" last Wednesday night in a dive country western bar in downtown Bristol, CT the other night. Don't worry, I'll text you the address. My coworkers (hi Chris!) and I had all gathered for our annual gathering for gathering's sake, and this bar was just one short gravely walk across the parking lot from our hotel. Naturally, we ended up living there for three days. Note: When you walk in somewhere and it has a mechanical bull you know you're in for a good time even though no one in your party will have the guts to ride it any look like a fool.

Fortunately, there was plenty of time to look like a fool as Wednesday's are karaoke. Karaoke was being run by a guy who looked like Mario Batali's fatter, less successful and more musical little brother. He had a long red ponytail and apparently a very fruitful career which had let him to our little corner of the world on that night.

Not a lot of people in our group were really gutsy (is gutsy the right word?) enough for karaoke, but we finally goaded one of the writers up to the stage where he then blew our minds with a particularly straight faced and unforgettable performance of Gin & Juice, complete with a few loud "Biatch!"'s at the end. Well done, sir.

My buddy Tim was up next, singing "Radar Love" -- a song which I have never heard before in my life, but sounded brilliant. Tim then suggested he and I sing a song.

Now, I'm not shy. I'm not adverse to making a fool of myself in public, speaking my mind, doing the robot, drinking too much and revealing embarrassing details about myself, etc. This is why people always have the utmost respect for me. But I can't sing. So I don't usually karaoke.

But Tim was goading me, and wanting to be a good sport, I obliged. The exchange went something like this.

Tim: "Let's sing Barenaked Ladies 'If I Had a Million Dollars.' Everyone will love it and be singing along with us at the end."

Me: Dopey smile and complete trust in this statement.

Cue us on stage. Song starts. Awwww... damn. I really don't know this song that well at all.

***Crickets***

There is video of this somewhere, but I could only watch the first 20 seconds before I wanted to die of shame. And thus ends my karaoke career. (But who are WE kidding!)

By the end of the three days I realized I have pretty much the coolest coworkers on the planet which makes my job so easy and great. I'm so damn lucky, you know that? I don't think there's many girls on this planet who have surrounded themselves with such amazing and funny and good (I broke out the thesaurus there!) people as I have. And by surrounded, I mean virtually. I see them once a year. They don't know how little I shower and that's probably a good thing.

I'll wrap this up by saying, it's a close debate but ultimately: Pants.

-- Drops mic --

On the job

This weekend was the annual blog summit at WWL headquarters. Last year it was a sort of awkward learning experience as none of us really knew each other or what we were doing. This year, after a year of joking around over e-mails, it was really like we finally all got to meet each other in person, even though we already have. I was a little nervous because I'm at least 60% more awkward in person than I am over the internet, where I can hide behind an avatar and interact with people while sitting in my pajamas.

But it was fun.

I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I seriously feel so blessed that I not only have a job I love but I genuinely like the people I work with. 

We all got in on Sunday night and headed out to dinner, both the college and NFL folk, and I found myself the only chicka at a table of 15 or so -- story of my life. (I'm not saying it's a big triumph or problem, but it's always sort of in the back of my head. I think I've learned to hold my own though.)

It was good QT to chat with people, a little about work and a little about ... whatever. Couldn't keep all my attention on the table as the Celtics were getting it handed to them in the background. 

Monday was the conference and it was all positive stuff. Page views are awesome and everyone seems really pleased. We got a chance to go over some of the issues we've had over the year and sort of talk them out and I pitched something that we may or may not be seeing on this blogs this year. Stay tuned :)

Monday night was the highlight as everyone got together at my boss' Matt's house for a BBQ. Matt and his wife Sarah were gracious hosts who went above and beyond on the food and everything else. I had intended to snap a lot of photos but it didn't really happen. Here are a few.

AFC N blogger James and our gracious host Matt in the middle.

AFC S blogger Paul, class clown.

Brett (blog editor) and AFC E blogger Tim.

This doesn't really convey all the fun everyone was having, but it was seriously enjoyable. Makes you sort of sad it happens only once a year, like a high school reunion or something. I think we'll all of benefited from the in-person interaction. 

Until next year...

What's the deal?

It's 11 days into November and I only have three blog posts. Although it's fun to get comments and know other people are reading, I mostly do this blog to keep my writing skills sharp -- even if they don't seem so at times.

It's not like nothing has been going on in my life, or I'm amazingly busy, but I just can't seem to find the time/motivation to write! I'm required to be at the the computer at all times for work and with a packed google reader, and the TV on, writing in my blog serves as one too many distractions to get the job done. It can be so hard sometimes to work from home!

(I should say right now I am in flannel pajama pants under my blanket, so ... it could be worse.)

So I thought, since I don't have any major blog topics on the horizon, I'd touch on a few things going on in my life, based off my tags.

• Work: For some reason, my work weeks seem to fly by, but at the same time, I feel like I don't get much time off. Is that weird? Maybe it's because, by traditional work week standards, I'm already at "Wednesday" by Monday. So today is already Thursday for me. The weekends don't really feel like weekends because ... well, they aren't. Fortunately, we're more than halfway through the college football and NFL seasons, so relief is on the horizon!
• Wedding: While last week was good because I booked the florist, videographer and super secret vendor, it took a step back when my bridesmaids got their dresses and they didn't fit! Two of them are busting (literally) out of the tops. This Thursday I am taking them to Sueno, a bridal shop in RI that's supposed to be the best at these things ... and also very pricey. I've offered to pay for the alterations, but I'm wondering how much I'm willing to pay -- where it's worth it over returning the dress and starting over. UGH!!!!

         I've also been majorly procrastinating on the STDs. I want to send them out so I can show them to you all!

         How could I forget: WE BOOKED THE HONEYMOON!!!!! Six days in England, two in Scotland. Will give you more details as time goes on, for now we just got the flights.

• Jeff: He's good. :)
• Sports: How bout them 6-3 Patriots?! This Sunday Jeff and I got a chance to go out to watch the game for a bit, which I usually can't do because I work. (I had the most OMG delish Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, that now I can't wait to have again. I'm so sad.) I'm optimistic about New England's chances to win the AFC East, but when did this become such a solid division? Jeff and I were seriously discussing the Dolphins chances of going 10-6. 10-6?!?! They won 1 game last year! A win over the Jets on Sunday should go far towards the push for the title, but losing Adalius Thomas didn't help. It feels like we are injury doomed this year. (Also: Whhyyyyyyy Ty Law on the Jets? Come on!)
• Weekend in Review: Friday night, Jeff and I went to the Celtics-Bucs game in Boston, using tickets Jeff's parents had gotten me for my birthday. It was dually entertaining because the Celts won, and these dudes in our row started a fight with each other. Entertaining stuff which led to the quote of the night: "I spent $175 on that jacket!!" Yeah, they were idiots. Saturday I covered a game for the Globe in the afternoon. I'll be covering a few things this month, as part of a series I'm calling 'Stories to Finance My Wedding.' It's high school playoff stuff, but I think it has broader appeal. As soon as my game was finished I had to drive to Bristol, getting lost finding my hotel, and ended up 10 minutes late for work. I got off around 2:45 a.m., decided I was awake enough to just drive back, checked out of my hotel and ended up home around 4:45 a.m. Sometimes, I just like being ... home. 
• Weight loss: Well Lord knows I'm trying, but I Lord knows I could try harder. I can't seem to hit this one GOAL I've had for months now. There's been weight loss, but not as much as I've hoped. Now that we're coming up on the holidays, my best hope is to lose 1-2 more pounds or at least try and maintain, then hit it HARD after New Year's. I *think* my gym offers a few classes at 9 a.m. each day for free, which I hadn't realized before. Part of that will be trying to push myself to go to bed earlier so I will have enough energy to participate in the morning. I'll keep you updated.